Author's warning: prepare to cry.
The Archmage of Silence
First of the Spinners was Silence.
His least whisper could twist Fate and make king,
A single word could seal Darkness spreading,
Losing his arm in his defiance.
It took Kalim seven days to craft Sinuhe's new arm. The prosthesis was enchanted with the teen's blood, effectively making it a part of his body. In the meantime, people started going amiss. There was a dark wind blowing over Egypt. The population was getting scared. More than once, Atem and his court found treasures from pillaged tombs at the palace's gates, a sign from the Thief King that he was still out there. The Sacred Guardians, along with Sinuhe, trained harder than ever. Haou watched, still disguised as his friend's servant. Things were steadily reaching a breaking point.
It happened without warning, and it was Akhnadin who set it.
"Pharaoh, I request that your brother undergoes the Trials of the Millennium!"
"Are you out of your mind!?" Atem snarled. "Why would you put my brother through it? Explain yourself!"
His uncle crossed his arms.
"Every Item Bearer underwent the Trials to prove themselves worthy. Your brother hasn't, yet he stands among us like he is one of our own. If he truly wants to become a Sacred Guardian, Item or not, I want him to pass the Trials."
Atem glared. He didn't like it, not the slightest. Haou prepared to strike. If a fight broke out, the pharaoh and his brother would need his magic.
"I refuse. Little Brother has nothing to prove."
"Then remove him from our presence! He has nothing to do here!"
"He does! He is my brother, and his heka helped us many times! Have you already forgotten, Uncle?"
"I am giving you a choice, Your Highness: either make Sinuhe pass the Trials or remove him from our sight. Choose neither and I will quit your service."
The pharaoh balled his fists.
"How dare you…"
Sinuhe put a hand on his brother's arm.
"Easy, Big Brother. I'll do it."
Atem starred at his younger twin.
"You would?"
"Yes. I am not afraid." He turned to Akhnadin. "Your eyes lie, this isn't why you want me to pass the Trials. The truth is that you're scared. You and Father never got along. Now you fear I might be plotting treason. You never liked me. I am too different. I pity you, Uncle. You know nothing about love."
The entire court shared looks, stunned. They had heard Sinuhe speak at length when delivering reports or recalling events, but it was the first time he spoke so much to call someone out. More than a few guards muttered things like "Shots fired." Akhnadin himself looked furious.
"Your brother's love for you blinds him. He doesn't see your true nature. This is what the Trials will reveal."
"You, meanwhile, are blinded by hate, just like the Thief King. Pray you do not have to undergo the Trials again. I don't think you would pass."
Old Siamun whistled.
"Your brother's tongue is as sharp as his heka, I see."
"It's rare to see Little Brother angry." Atem said pensively. "When it happens, I try to steer clear. I wouldn't want to end as collateral of his spells."
Sinuhe stood fearlessly as the Item Bearers surrounded him. First, Isis stepped forth and activated the Tauk. Not a second later, green energy danced on it. Everyone felt the irritation in the air.
CHOSEN
Then the Tauk flashed and Isis fell back with a scream. Shada was at her side the next moment.
"Are you alright? What did you see?"
"An entity… the color of emerald. Wings from one side of the horizon to the other. Fate… Fate weaving itself. It watches… So much green!"
Then her eyes widened, and all could see they were a monochromatic viridian.
"All is green! I only see green! My eyes! What happened to them!?"
Sinuhe held her and frowned.
"Her blindness is magical. There is nothing I can heal."
"A curse." Kalim understood. "The entity you saw is watching Sinuhe and didn't like your scrying."
He stepped in next and held the Scales. The feather of Ma'at appeared, but it was a crystalline vial which appeared on the other side. Then the feather's side lowered… and the vial grew. The bigger the vial grew, the more the feather's side fell, until Kalim was forced to drop the Item as the vial grew too big to be contained. It kept growing and growing, reaching his waist, his chest, his head, until it was big enough that he could comfortably step inside. Then it popped open, and its contents were clear water that flooded the room, startling everyone. Shada accidentally tasted some. Its saltiness surprised him.
"Wait… Tears!? That crystal jar contains tears?"
Kalim picked the Scales and watched the jar, which was vanishing along the water.
"What is the meaning of this? A jar of tears big enough to drown a man, and yet lighter than Harmony itself. Not only that, the more the jar grew, the lighter it became. What could it possibly mean?"
Shada stepped next, holding the Key. Sinuhe readily opened his mind. What the Guardian saw inside startled him.
It wasn't a room. It was a tree, as tall as the world and looking somewhat like a gnarled sycamore. Seven spheres, each of an element, were being held by the knotty branches. At the summit, on top of the canopy, was a sphere of wind. The crystalline and ardent spheres were being held on swaying branches and, when they were about to meet, the crystalline one seemed to melt. A sparking sphere was held in a knot a little above, its sparks taunting the two spheres. The sphere of water was nested on the trunk where the branches started, and the sphere of clay and sand was held in a knot of the bole. Finally, right at the base where the roots started spreading, the last sphere looked somewhat metallic.
Each sphere was dripping energy that seemed to fuel the tree. Its leaves were glowing with the familiar light of ba, but as Shada lowered his gaze, he finally saw what the roots were clinging to. With a supreme effort of his heka, he manifested the vision as an illusion. And all saw how the roots clung to Sinuhe, the energy of the spheres and the ba of the tree powering him as veins of heka ran from the roots and across his body. Haou couldn't help it.
"Gron Lein… The World-Tree. Khai's magic is that of the world itself!"
Sinuhe's eyes were now shining a kaleidoscopic glow, each color that of an element. Seto held the Millennium Rod.
"How are we supposed to seal that!?"
"You're not."
He held a hand, and the dripping coming from the wind sphere became a torrent that ran down the tree and the teen's arm. The gale slammed Seto against a wall. Then he turned to Akhnaden, who activated the Millennium Eye. And the priest gasped.
Love, warm and soft like a blanket in the desert. Compassion as sweet as figs and honey. Sorrow, bottomless and saltier than the sea itself. Tenacity, more unyielding than the tallest mountain. Feelings his withered, shadowed heart couldn't understand. He looked down and finally admitted his defeat.
"He is worthy." Shada declared. "His heka is different but it doesn't matter. His heart is pure, and his love for our pharaoh is even greater than ours. Even though he cannot use our heka, he is as good as one of us."
Atem jumped in his brother's arm and held him tight.
"I never doubted you."
"I know. I love you, Big Brother."
"Love you too, Little Brother."
They couldn't give him a Millennium Item. Instead, they crafted a scepter from sycamore and topped it with an ivory Djed. Rings of emerald, ruby, diamond and sapphire were set beneath, and the butt end was reinforced with gold. Sinuhe grinned as he sensed his heka flow through the weapon.
"Perfect."
Only a few days later, he asked his brother for the permission to take Mana to Kul Elna. Haou would stay at the palace to defend it if the Thief King struck in his absence.
"Know thy enemy, Brother. We need to know more about the Thief, and the only place we'll find answers is the Village of the Damned, the place where the Millennium Items were created."
"Very well. Go. I am curious to know what you'll find."
"As I am."
And so, the pair rode. Kul Elna, the Village of the Damned, was feebly huddled against a cliff, its houses seemingly intact but neither Sinuhe nor Mana were fooled. The place reeked of evil.
"I can sense it." Sinuhe shuddered. "But it isn't even my heka. The evil is that foul. It permeates the land. Its energy is tainted."
This, Mana decided, was bad news. If Sinuhe could sense the malevolent heka of the place despite being unable to use it, it meant the energies were as profoundly permeating as they were nefarious.
"What are we searching for?"
"The origin. The Thief King explained how the Items were made. It is thanks to them you can use ka Spirits. Diabound is powerful. Without it, the Thief King is just a man."
"You're thinking of undoing the heka of the Millennium Items!"
"If it becomes necessary. It is evil, Mana. Born of evil, made of evil, doing evil."
"Hey, the Sacred Guardians are using the Items for good!"
"Not all of them." Sinuhe's face darkened. "I know what Seto and Akhnaden are doing. Recruitment drives? Yes, for ka Spirits. The winds bear whispers. I hear their cries from the dungeon. Not all are criminals. Some are simply unlucky."
Mana gulped.
"Have you… told the Pharaoh?"
"Not yet. Later. We need everyone, now. Even Uncle."
They searched the village together. Even though Mana couldn't summon ka Spirits, she could still sense the malevolent energy more keenly than Sinuhe. In turn, the teen used his sensing of the land's energy to figure hidden places. This was how they found the Shrine. The malevolent energy seemed to come from there, and Sinuhe easily figured the way in. The pair gathered around the Tablet, Mana putting a hand on her mouth.
"It's so evil it makes me feel sick. How could anyone weave such nefarious spellcraft?"
"Desperation. Egypt was under attack. Fight evil with evil. But it backfired."
He walked around the stone slab, frowning.
"We'll bring it back. I can remove it from the ground and float it home. They will know what to do."
"Don't!"
The pair jumped and looked around. Ghosts had filled the place and were surrounding the two teens.
"Keep it there. Keep it away. The Seven together awaken the Great Evil. Keep it there and keep it sealed."
Mana and Sinuhe shared a look. Alright, that was bad news. The young elementalist frowned.
"Tell us how to stop the powers of the Millennium. You may have been criminals, but what Uncle and his friends did to you was wrong. Tell us how to counter its powers and how to grant you rest."
The ghosts whispered among themselves before focusing back.
"You cannot. Your heka is the wrong one. It affects the land, not the soul. You cannot grant us rest or counter the Millennium. All you can do is keep it sealed."
"Tell me still. I may know people who can."
A new presence entered the Shrine and Sinuhe and Mana suddenly prepared to fight for their lives. The Thief King looked down on the pair.
"So, you were serious about regretting your father's actions."
"I am." Sinuhe answered. "Your people's slaughter was wrong. I cannot resurrect them or grant them peace, but people I know could. And, if it is blood you want, then take mine."
Mana turned to the teen.
"Sinuhe, wait!"
Her friend didn't listen. He braved the ghosts and walked to the Thief King before cutting his wrist.
"Blood for blood. I am Pharaoh Akhnamkhanen's son. Take my blood, but spare my brother and the Sacred Guardians. Of all the priests of Egypt, they are most likely to know how to grant your people's rest, and if Mana manages to convince my brother, he will have enough influence on them to convince them to destroy the Millennium."
The thought was tempting. He saw the Thief King think deeply as he weighted the pros and cons of the offer. Eventually, he shook his head.
"No. Your brother and his court will die."
Sinuhe reacted, sand whirling around him. Suddenly, Diabound appeared and dragged him in the ground. The Thief King explained with glee.
"You, on the other hand, shall be spared. You offered me your blood and salvation for my family. You get to live. But everyone else associated with the Millennium will perish! My people want revenge and I will see that they get it! I'll stay in those tunnels, if I were you. I won't look for you if you escape, but you could still end as collateral."
Sinuhe yelped and thrashed, but the nefarious energy, Diabound and the ghosts were dragging him deeper and deeper in the ground while blocking his heka. Mana ran and grabbed his hand, but she wasn't strong enough. Her grip slipped. The Thief King looked at her.
"Live or die, the choice is yours. You helped him, so I won't look for you. But choose to fight and I won't be held responsible for your demise."
On this, he left. And Mana found herself alone to carry the dreadful news to the palace. When he heard them, Atem jumped from his throne.
"That is enough. The Thief King wants war? He'll get it. Gather everyone and ready your strongest Spirits. It started in Kul Elna. This is where it will end."
Everyone roared. Soon, it was an army which marched from the royal city. As he walked away, the pharaoh heard Kheper swear.
"Loon khad seah!"
Blood on the snow! His spell translated. He quickly recognized the language – the furious tirade was still in his mind, after all – but that it came from his little brother's servant was more surprising. He decided to focus on the matter at hand. Kheper was just a servant. He could get answers once the Thief King was gone.
In the meantime, Haou wasn't happy. Dragon-King of the Elements met him in the gardens.
"What now, partner?"
"Now, we go look for Khai. If someone can locate him from inside a cavern network, it's us. We find him, and we bring him back before the battle reaches its climax. I have the ugly feeling it won't end well for Atem."
"Our patron is the Obsidian Dragon, the Shadow of Death whose dominion is the Sacred Darkness. Haou, you weren't reborn in this land for no reason."
"Yes. We ended befriending and teaching the one person in the entire country who could command the elements, and it seems the Viridian Dragon got their eyes on him. Finally, what they are up against is Wretched Darkness, the antonym of what our patron stands for. We have to act, and pray we're doing the right thing."
Mana, meanwhile, had made her choice.
Live or die, the choice is yours.
When she saw Kheper run away, she decided to follow. She missed none of the conversation.
"Take me with you!"
Signer and dragon turned to her.
"You want to come?"
"Yes. I won't be much help in the battle, my heka is too weak for that. But I can try to help you save Sinuhe. I was there when he was taken, and I refuse to stay in the palace doing nothing."
Dragon-King purred.
"Partner?"
"Alright." Haou held a hand. "Welcome in the team."
Mana took it and got on the dragon's back.
In the caverns, Sinuhe wandered, blinded by the dark. His scepter reassured him there was no chasm while his hands followed the walls of the tunnels. He kept his eyes closed. Blind for blind… He focused his elemental sensing. Being able to perceive the telluric energy gave him a much clearer vision than anything his eyes could achieve.
Geb, Geb, show the way
Back to the light of the day.
Geb, Geb, show the way
Back to the light of the day.
Geb, Geb, show the way
Back to the light of the day.
He didn't know how long he spent in the caverns. There was no way to tell time. All he could do was try to figure the maze's exit with his heka. In any case, the place was cold. And wet. But Sinuhe wasn't afraid. He refused to feel fear. The emotion would only cloud his eyes.
Geb, Geb, show the way
Back to the light of the day.
Midway to Kul Elna, the pharaoh's army met an undead one. The Battle of Life and Death started, vicious and merciless, the livings against the dead.
Haou knelt and touched the ground.
"Nyx, Araphel, Nuut, Rahu, Num, Yu Dran Dhor as we call you, lend me your power, Supreme Dragon of Darkness. Help me save my friend."
The air thrummed as his mark started to glow and the air bore echoes of a familiar feeling. Mana recognized it. It was like the darkness of Kul Elna. Except, instead of being malevolent, it was benevolent. It was a blanket, fresh and comforting. An invitation to slumber with the promise of sweet dreams. Salvation, and shelter in shadows. Haou's patron was truly the Obsidian Dragon of all which was dark and sacred.
Haou's eyes widened.
"Found him. This way! The Thief King trapped him within a mountain!"
Sinuhe froze as wind caressed his face. Focusing his heka, he managed to perceive its energy.
"It comes from the outside. If I follow it, I will find the exit."
He started walking, humming as he followed the breeze.
Nuut, Nuut, guide my path,
Guide me with your breath of life.
Nuut, Nuut, guide my path,
Guide me with your breath of life.
Geb, Geb, show the way
Back to the light of the day.
Nuut, Nuut, guide my path,
Guide me with your breath of life.
He found the source of the breeze, but the hole was too small for him to go through. Well, no matter. This was what his heka was about.
Before he could widen it, though, someone did it for him.
"Khai! You're alright!"
Sinuhe fell in Haou's arms.
"My friend!"
The two held each other tight. Then Mana handed him water and dried figs. The young elementalist ate and drank eagerly.
"What is going on? What are the news?"
"Your brother is marching on Kul Elna. They already encountered an undead army they managed to defeat. But there were casualties."
"Who?"
"Soldiers, mostly. Your brother and the rest of the priests are alright for now."
"Then let's fly to Kul Elna and help him!"
Soon, the three were back on Dragon-King of the Elements. They flew as fast as his wings cold carry him.
But they were too late.
They saw the sky above the City of the Damned. A dragon of bright blue light was Marking the soul of a maiden with its Heart. Haou looked down.
"The Azure Dragon chose a Signer. I wonder who it was."
A pristine dragon arose soon after, carrying a body in its arms. As they flew over the battlefield, they saw the bodies of countless men torn apart by the dead, which had been blasted by heka. They first found Kalim on the outskirts of the town. Then they found Isis and Old Siamun a little further. The found the body of Akhnadin, and Seto's blue khepresh and the Millennium Rod. Realization struck: the body the white dragon had carried was his. Finally, they reached the Shrine and found Shada's body, a bleeding hole in its chest.
Atem was above the Shrine, facing an entity that looked like Diabound, but in blue and even more malevolent. The Great Evil, released at last by the Thief King. The pharaoh was casting a spell on the Millennium Pendant.
"Be my name the seal of this evil! I give up my being to imprison the Evil God within the Pendant! Heka!"
There was a bright flash as the entity was sucked inside the Item. It wasn't the only one.
"BROTHER!"
Sinuhe could only watch as Atem's body became light and was sucked inside the Pendant. The Item fell and shattered in a dozen pieces. Sinuhe knelt and wept bitterly as he cradled them.
"Brother… Brother… Brother…"
There was nothing else to do. The Great Evil sealed, the undead soldiers fell to dust and the fighting stopped at last. But, of the terrible Battle of the Millennium, there had been no survivor.
The next days passed in a blur. The Sacred Guardians, along with Mahad's tablet of the Dark Magician, were given funerals worthy of kings as the shattered Pendant was sealed tight within Atem's tomb. Sinuhe's brother had left no body behind.
"Come with me." Haou offered the pair. "Wehs Afah is colder than Egypt, but our people have a lot in common. I'm sure you will soon feel at home."
Mana considered. Sinuhe shook his head.
"Sorry, I have one last thing to do. Go with him, Mana. Me aside, nothing ties you to Egypt."
The girl hesitated. She decided to wait. Sinuhe, meanwhile, went to a temple and prayed.
"Lord of the sky, celestial dragon, whatever your name is, please, answer my call…"
Green light filled the sky, and the Viridian Dragon answered. Haou and Mana watched the soul rise from the temple to be branded with the Viridian Tail. Then a new Signer Dragon flew away. Her eyes filled with tears, Mana followed Haou and didn't look back.