Author's notes
Little Mana discovers ...
She decides ...
Mahaado comments ...
Atemu is ...
Kesi decides ...
Chapter 12 - Kesi and the choice of Mana
"Yes. His heika (magic) is latent. Therefore, to make it come out it takes a lot of training and studies. His level of magic is higher than that of my colleagues."
"Are you a magician ?!" She asks ecstatically.
"Yes. But I am an apprentice, still."
In this, he wiggles his fingers and makes some fruits float in the air and then make them fly in a circle around Mana who had his eyes shining, showing fascination in them, with the young man smiling when he saw the girl's genuine animation and considering that there was meeting her crying and terrified had been a big change.
Then, he obediently returns the fruit to the basket.
"Can I do this magic?" The child asks anxiously.
"It is one of the simplest. With training and study you can do even more elaborate magic. Look."
He concentrates his powers and gives rise to an iridescent magical mist that dances around him and then around Mana who claps his hands, finding himself ecstatic.
"So, can I do these cool spells?"
"Yes. In fact, my teacher wants to include you as a learner. What do you think? Do you want to learn to master your latent magical powers?"
"Can I really?" She asks with her hands together while showing expectant eyes.
"Clear."
"That's good!" She extends her hands in the air, celebrating while Mahaado smiles gently.
Then, a servant enters calling the attention of both.
"Pharaoh wants to see you both in the hall." He speaks after prostrating himself in front of Mahaado.
"Thank you. Come on Mana" He says, extending his hand to her.
She was nervous and looking at the kind face of the young man who saved her, she relaxes and takes his hand that leads her through the imposing halls with lotus-shaped columns with elaborate images on their extension as well as on the walls as they walked on the floor sandstone.
Then, they arrive in front of the big and imposing double doors of the royal hall that are opened by the guards, being that she was a little behind him, practically glued to him, trembling, with the same trying to comfort her with kind words.
Both enter the majestic and imposing royal hall with the girl showing nervousness at the sight of seeing the king of Kemet (Egypt).
Pharaoh was on his throne and the guards were in the vicinity, the young man prostrating himself with his forehead turned to the ground. His gesture is repeated by the child.
"Thanks to you, Mahaado and Mana, we can find out about the dishonorable acts of the Judges who misrepresented the laws out of vanity or in search of any good, not only ignored them but acquired illegal slaves. Each of them was given a sentence. This girl falls into illegal slavery and will automatically have her freedom guaranteed "Akhenamkhanen spoke with a deep voice and equally full of authority that echoed through the hall while showing an austere face.
Mahaado and Mana are relieved to learn of this with the girl being surprised by her declaration of freedom.
"Can you lift her face, little one?" The king asks in a less authoritative and almost gentle tone.
She shyly looks up, seeing a kind look on Pharaoh.
"You are free. You are an Egyptian citizen with all your rights. Your stepfather will be punished properly. He is free to leave the palace." The girl recovers from surprise and looks at Mahaado, making a decision, with her wishing to ask something from the Pharaoh who realizes her intention.
"You can talk young."
Mana is surprised by the authorization she received and after swallowing hard, gathering courage to be able to make the request to the God who was on his throne.
"I would like to stay with Mahaado to learn magic. I want to be an apprentice wizard, Per'a'ah. I have no one in this world." She humbly asks.
Akhenamkhanen is surprised by the request.
"To be a magician apprentice you must have magical powers and not everyone is born with that power" The king looks at the young magician apprentice. "Does she have Heika (magic), Mahaado?"
"She has incredible latent magical power that is above all my colleagues. It is a level that I have never seen before and my mentor agrees with that." The young man speaks respectfully after looking up.
After recovering from the surprise of the revelation, he started to look attentively at the girl prostrate in front of him with her forehead turned to the floor while all the others in the room showed a mixture of astonishment and incredulity on their faces.
Then, Pharaoh orders them to call the priest who held Sennen in the Ringu.
After a few minutes, he appears and prostrates himself respectfully before his monarch and then confirms what his apprentice said.
Upon confirmation of the veracity of the words of the young magician apprentice, Akhenamkhanen says, "I authorize your teaching as a magician apprentice and Mahaado will be responsible for you."
"Thank you very much, Per'a'ah!" She exclaims excitedly.
Mahaado is facepalmed by her exclaiming in the throne room at the same time that everyone else except the monarch, was surprised while Pharaoh suppressed a smile at seeing the little girl's genuine happiness.
"Oops ..." She says boringly and then prostrates again with her forehead lowered.
"They are excused." The sovereign of that empire speaks while making a gesture with her hand.
Then, they retreat on their backs showing their left foot in front of the body to show that they gave their heart to Pharaoh and only relax after leaving the throne, with Mana smiling happily while Mahaado felt an additional weight on his shoulders because from that moment he would be responsible for taking care of Mana. He was aware that he would need to provide her rooms in the magician wing, with him believing that he had a room available next to him.
In addition, he would provide some clothes for her to wear temporarily while he did not go to the market with her so that the girl could choose some clothes for herself. He would also order some servants to provide her bath when filling the bathtub in the room intended for her.
When they turned a corridor, Atemu appeared showing a curious look at the girl who was with her friend and magic partner.
He introduces the child who was curiously looking at the boy in front of her, "This is Mana and I will be responsible for her too. She is an apprentice wizard."
"I am Atemu! Nice to meet you!" The boy extends his hand while he smiles.
"Pleasure." She smiles back, greeting him. "These robes ... Are you a nobleman?"
"He is Kemet's Iry-pat (crown prince)." The wizard's apprentice responds, seeing her surprised face as Atemu smiles.
Mahaado sighs as he assimilates that he will have two children to watch because even though the prince is older than Mana, he is still ready, making the magician's apprentice need to help him while praying to the Gods that the girl will behave and not behave like the prince.
After all, one handful was enough. Two handful would be too much for him.
Then, Mana sees four more boys approaching. What caught her attention was the fact that three of them had fair skin and the fourth a tanned skin indicating their kemetic ancestry, with all of them wearing noble robes in conjunction with the gold ornaments and jewelry indicating their status.
They approach and smile gently when they see the girl next to Mahaado who was looking at them curiously.
"This is Mana. She is an apprentice magician. This is about Mahaado's responsibility." Iry-pat introduces her to others by pointing her hand.
"Nice to meet you, Mana, I'm Jounouchi." The blonde presents himself in a jovial tone of voice while showing a huge smile.
"I'm Honda. Nice to meet you." The brown-haired one greets, smiling.
"I'm Ryo. Nice to meet you, Mana." The silver one speaks smiling.
"My name is Mariki. Nice to meet you." Tanned greets her while she smiles.
"Hi." She responds timidly when she notices their noble ancestry. "They are noble too, right?"
"Yes. Our parents are noble and childhood friends of Per'a'ah Akhenamkhanen and we are childhood friends of Iry-pat (Crown Prince) Atemu. Now, you are our friend too." Jounouchi speaks smiling.
Mana's eyes sparkle and she nods excitedly.
Then, the sacred Guardian comes out of his memories and sighs as he remembers that the Gods had not heard her prayers, with him feeling that he had aged a few additional years because of the concerns they had put him through in the past.
"In fact, I said all of that and I recognize her latent magical potential. But I confess that I don't have much hope that she will be responsible, someday."
"Don't lose hope. She is one of the few forces we have to overcome the present and achieve the future." Shimon spoke while resting his hand on his shoulder.
Mahaado smiles and says:
"You always have wise words on your lips. The future Per'a'ah Atemu will have the best Royal Counselor of all. With your guidance, the new Pharaoh will make the empire great just as Per'a's reign was." ah Akhenamkhanen "Mahaado speaks after smiling at the wise and hopeful words of the tjaty (Vizier) and Royal Counselor Shimon.
"I will do everything I can to make this happen. I am also personally taking care of the Atemu pyramid and I am setting the best and most powerful traps to stop tomb robbers." He speaks by putting his hand in front of his mouth while laughing with himself.
"Have you mentioned this to Iry-pat (Crown Prince)?"
"I will warn you at your coronation of the progress of the construction of your pyramid. I think it is a pertinent matter for when his years of reign begin after the completion of the khaj-nisut (coronation)."
"I think it is a somewhat morbid subject for a festive day" Mahaado thinks to himself after sighing and shaking his head sideways, imagining the face that his childhood friend would face in a subject not suitable for a day that should be festivity.
Then, Shimon's face changes and even with a cloth that covered half of his face, leaving only his eyes exposed, this change was visible with Mahaado corresponding to this change in his countenance.
"Iry-pat will want to know the truth about Sennen Aitemu and their creation. Considering the illness Per'a'ah (Pharaoh) Aknamkanon, it will be expected. He has been waiting for years for an explanation of why they went to that tomb. "
"I know. My promise to Nsw (king) Aknamkanon will end when Iry-pat Atemu ascends as a new Per'a'ah. From that day on, I will have to answer any questions he has about the items. I just hope not be the harbinger of new suffering ". The magician and Hem-netjr Mahaado, successor to the Holy Guardian and Hem-netjr Sneferu, who was also superintendent of the magicians' court, comments the ending sadly. "His heart is as noble as his father's. It is a disgusting and equally hideous story. There is no way to tell it kindly."
"Yes. But unlike Per'a'ah Aknamkanon, Atemu was just a baby when the events occurred. It was different from the case of his father who personally authorized the creation of the items without knowing the cost and how they would be created with the the fact that he provided all the necessary means, including soldiers and everything that Hem-netjr (high priest) Akhenaden needed for his mission. Iry-pat Atemu, he will know how to deal with the repulsive truth about the items.
"I hope he knows how to deal with this abominable knowledge. I believe I must have hope, right?"
"Yes."
"I believe in our future Per'a'ah. So I will have the hope that he will be able to deal with the abominable way the items were created."
"Me too. Did you know that the only one who should be concerned with an eventual divine fury would be Hem-netjr Akhenaden?"
"Because?" The magician is curious as he arches his brow.
"Iry-pat Atemu, unlike Per'a'ah Akhenamkhanen, does not carry any guilt on his shoulders about creating the magic items. In the past, Akhenaden has not suffered divine fury because Akhenamkhanen felt guilty about creating the items despite being innocent that his younger brother purposely hid how the items would be created because he knew he would never accept sacrificing people. I believe that after the end of the khaj-nisut, Hem-netjr Akhenaden will witness firsthand the fury of a Pharaoh, something he did not witness with his older brother. "Shimon couldn't help smiling intensely when imagining the scene while he was delighted to see the expression of Atemu's uncle in the face of his nephew's fury while Mahaado laughs lightly.
"I would also love to see you understand with the fury of Per'a'ah that he is a living God." The magician speaks before smiling immensely while imagining the scene.
After all, he was very angry at Akhenaden because the Holy Guardian and Hem-netjr was the indirect culprit for Akhenamkhanen's illness by lying to his older brother.
However, as he was young and for reasons of hierarchy he could not say everything he wished. So he had been happy to have someone who could unleash a divine fury on Akhenaden. In this case, his childhood friend and fellow magician, Atemu, when he ascended the Kemet throne.
They start walking through the corridors while laughing as they imagine the scene of a terrified Hem-netjr in the face of Pharaoh's intense fury.
After the laughter ceased, they both talked about other matters as they walked down the sandstone corridors.
Then night falls, with Atemu meeting on the huge veranda of his luxurious and spacious room watching the full moon and the stars that dotted the sky after seeing his friends returning to their luxurious homes that were in their own villas within the complex palace with the exception of Mariki who was the younger brother of Isis and Rishido who were children of the Herpetep a'a (Governor) of the Sepet (district) and capital Men-nefer (Menphis) where the palace complex was located.
He was the only one of his friends who lived outside the complex and in the future Mariki would assume the title of Heri-tep a'a because although Rishido was the oldest of the three and had by birth the right to inherit the title of Heri-tep a'a tep a'a, he could not take over because he was the General and superintendent of Medjay and the army and in relation to Isis, the second older sister, she would assume the title of Holy Guardian and superintendent of the healers when she assumed the title of her predecessor Akana, current Sacred Guardian of Sennen Tauku and Hemt – netjr (high priestess) of the court of Per'a'ah Akhenamkhanen, making Mariki the only one who could inherit the title of Heri-tep a'a from their mother.
Atemu was wearing only a simple chanti and had no jewelry on his body because he had removed them. He held the Sennensui in his hands while remembering the fact that he had seen the object shine after waking up from the dream with the mysterious young man because when he opened his eyes, the trace of a golden glow was still visible.
Of course, it could just be his impression of the fact that the object glows when hit by some light source.
After all, it was a full moon night with a starry sky and the light reached his bed.
However, even though he was aware of this hypothesis, he had the impression that it was not only that while questioning what was the power of the item.
After all, even after decades, his power was a secret that his father had tried to decipher. Even Akhenaden, who had created the items using the ritual in Sennen Majutsu Sho, did not know Sennensui's powers. He knew of everyone else, except for what was on his neck.
Then, he hears his door opening and arches his brow because guards were positioned on either side of his corridor, as well as there was increased security for his father also because there was always the risk of some murderer trying to kill them despite having the carrier Sennen Tauku to warn of future events, hampering the actions of assassins.
One of the doors is opened by a beautiful tanned woman with long black hair and blue eyes, wearing a kalasiris that has a slit that opened on her right thigh and three gold bands around her waist while her ankles had bands of gold in addition to wearing gold bracelets on the arms and forearms. She wore a gold ring in each ear, with a part of the long bangs on each side being secured by gold clips.
She moved in a naturally sensual way while a smile broke out on the face of Pharaoh who murmured "Kesi".
"I heard that the khaj-Nisut (Appearance of the king) and the choice of his future wife to be carried out by the end of the coronation ceremony will begin tomorrow at the same time that it will become Per'a'ah, Atemu. " She spoke without using any honorary title for him because she was one of the few people who were free to treat him normally privately, only wearing titles and behaving humbly in public or in the company of others outside his circle of trust.
The tanned approached while she looked longingly at his body, which seemed to have been sculpted by the Gods themselves and who made both concubines and courtesans, and even courtiers, wishing to be subdued by the crown prince's perfect, virile body.
Without realizing her look of desire to find himself immersed in his thoughts, he looks at the moon again while sitting on the veranda with one leg flexed.
"Yes. I am also getting married so that my father can see his future grandson. With his remaining life ..." A sigh comes from the aristocratic lips. "I need to be able to accomplish this goal before it is too late for him. Of course my wife will be a minor wife. She will not receive the title of ḥmt nswt wrt (Great royal wife), much less the wife of the Ammon God. I need to find a woman who will be content only with wealth and luxury without having any political power or influence in the empire. "
"You will certainly make it, Atemu. After all, if it is for virility, you have plenty of it. Getting pregnant will depend on the cousin you choose." She speaks sensuously, hugging him, and then massaging his shoulders. "You are very tense, Atemu."
Iry-pat closes his eyes and relaxes with the massage that was done. Kessi had previously removed her clothes and jewelry without Atemu realizing why his back was to her, with the massage changing to an erotic massage, making him growl slightly while he felt the heat concentrating on his groin.
Then he says without looking at her "If you keep provoking me ..."
"I will feel the power of the future Per'a'ah ... I would love to burn in your flames." She speaks sensuously in his ear, knowing that good sex would help to relax him, with her enjoying it too.