Chapter Explanations:

-Ammut "The devourer of the dead" is, in Egyptian mythology, the goddess who lived near the scales of justice in Duat, the Egyptian Underworld. Standing beside Ma'at, Thoth, and Osiris in the Hall of Two Truths, Anubis weighed the heart of a person against the feather of Ma'at (symbol of purity and truth). If the heart was showed to be heavier than the feather of Ma'at, Ammut would devour it, and the person undergoing judgment was not allowed to continue their voyage towards Osiris and immortality in the Afterlife. Once Ammut swallowed the heart, the soul was believed to become restless forever; this was called "second death". Ammut was not worshipped; instead, she embodied all that the Egyptians feared, threatening to bind them to eternal restlessness if they did not follow the principles of Ma'at.

-(*) Egyptian proverb of Ptahhotep from the "The Maxims of Ptahhotep" (ca. 25th century BCE): "Do not be arrogant because of your knowledge, but confer with the ignorant man as with the learned. "

-The spirit-ka or Ka are the duelling monsters that were used in Ancient Egypt. The Ka are spirits that reflect the nature of the person that they come from. They are fueled by the energy of the soul, the Ba. The strength of the Ba determines the strength of the Ka. A person with a good soul will have a good spirit-ka, but a person with an evil soul will have a demon-ka.

-The Wedju shrines are structures in the Pharaoh's palace, containing stone slabs within which the spirits-ka are sealed.

-Mizraïm is the ancient Hebrew name given to Egypt.

In every star that dotted the sky, reflecting hazily in the waters of the Nile, making tonight's full moon sparkle even more brilliantly, she could see the future, catch a glimpse at the battles by thousands, the weapons and the bodies falling. In each flower which at nightfall closed, leaving behind their sealed petals a light fragrance, she could smell the harshness of death and feel Anubis watching over in the distance. Within the darkness was rising a force whose presence no one yet suspected, watching for the opportune moment to strike and further weaken their meagre resources.

In the crook of her numb neck, she could feel her magic crackling. Behind her closed eyelids, she could perceive the light being engulfed by the nothingness. And Ammut and Ma'at, with their piercing eyes, judging their forsaken souls after losing a war they did not expect to wage.

The bluish pit of fire in front of her cradled those ominous visions, not helping her warming-up as a freezing cold was suddenly running over her, her strength abandoning her as the flames were slowly vanishing. Her arms dangling, her pupils rested again on the circular table adorned with hieroglyphics before she looked around, somewhat confused.

She was alone, desperately alone. In the grip of visions that she could not share with anyone, let alone the Pharaoh or the other sacred guardians. Put aside, she now wandered aimlessly at the heart of the palace, useless to anyone. She neither knew how to lead an army like Mahad nor how to set up battle strategies like Seth. She hardly possessed Shada's negotiating skills or Karim's wisdom. She only had her millennium necklace and the strength of her spirit-Ka Spiria...

"Isis."

The priestess abruptly turned round on her chair at the sound of that voice, nearly knocking over the goblet lying beside her on the table.

"Mahad…" she whispered, recognising the figure looming through the shadows. "What are you doing here?"

But the magician didn't answer, stepping into the light until he reached the young woman, his firm hands coming to rest gently on her frail shoulders, making her shiver once again.

"Isis, I need your help." he blurted out in a whisper close to her ear, causing a soft smile to appear on her pale lips.

##########

"It doesn't sound very complicated in itself. "

"It is not complicated, but that's easier said than done. "

Heba let his hand dawdling across the surface of the basin, creating delicate ripples that reverberated against his submerged feet, tickling them lightly as he remained silent, carefully considering the next words he was about to say. Against his back, the Pharaoh had slumped carelessly, his head resting on his shoulder, his gaze turned to the still dark sky of dawn.

Plunged into this almost reassuring half-light, the garden filled with its flowery and fruit scents offered them a cocoon of their own in which they had ended up meeting each other often, sharing ideas, questions, and other concerns. A place where they could lay bare their souls without ever fearing the judgment of the other. Two lives for one beating heart...

"No one can predict all aspects of war. If you're so worried that you're missing out on something that could prove to be life-saving, you can always change your mind and call on the millennium items. "

"It's not so much that I'm afraid of missing out on something, but rather that I might stick to the theory so much that I'll end up forgetting about the practice. Not all is a question of strategy, and the hazard of a battlefield can often be a game-changer, especially if the main person concerned, that is to say me, is not on-site. "

"If you're aware of this, that should be enough. But I'm not in the best position to talk about this sort of thing. I'm even pretty sure I'm not supposed to hear all of this. " the boy declared while half-turning, his amethyst pupils crossing the sovereign's purple ones.

"Do not be arrogant because of your knowledge, but confer with the ignorant man as with the learned. " the latter simply recited, smiling. "To me, in this context, you represent the learned man, Heba. And then, I don't go into details either. There's nothing to be worried about. " (*)

"If you say so. " the teenager replied with a dubious pout. "Anyway, I don't think anyone will hold it against you if you decide to leave Commander Ahmes at the head of one of the four divisions and order Mahad to stand back and take care of the logistic. "

"The problem is that some might take it badly. Mahad first. " the young king confessed, biting his lower lip. "He might think I don't trust him, and others might think I'm doing favouritism because he's a childhood friend. "

"If you explain your idea to them like you just did with me, they should understand, right? " Heba asked, shifting to face his alter ego, forcing the latter to straighten up.

"It's the kind of thing that you can never be sure of, unfortunately… " Atem indicated shrugging his shoulders. "Yet I know that if Mahad were to serve as my second in command on-site, I'd be better able to make decisions. I'd be more serene about the information I would receive. "

"Then tell him in those terms. And so let other people think what they want, you'll prove them how wrong they were once you'll have won this war. "

Raising an eyebrow in surprise, the Pharaoh finally crossed his arms over his chest, barely hiding an amused smile as he said sarcastically:

"I didn't know you to be so imperious. "What happened to the boy who couldn't look me straight in the eye or say a word without stammering? "

"You've got a bad influence, that's all. " murmured the former slave while throwing a squirt of water against the face of the sovereign who burst out laughing at these words.

"Seth would be proud of you! "

##########

The amber and orangey-red glow of the torches flickered to the rhythm of the breeze rushing between the walls of the pyramid, the tablets adorning it haloing with a faint purple glow one after another, the spirit of the monsters inhabiting them appearing in turns above her head.

A dead silence reigned in the room as she remained focused on her task, prostrated on her knees on the floor, her eyelids closed, her hands clenched into fists and her arms crossed across her chest. The cold stone against her skin was freezing her limbs, the cool air rushing through her was making her shake like a leaf, and the sound of her professor's footsteps circling around her was making her feel dizzy. But despite this, the little priestess kept an inscrutable face and was doing her utmost, not without difficulty, to extract her magical flow out of her body and give life to the hundreds of spirits-Ka that the Wedju shrine counted.

"Dark Magician Girl. Winged Kuriboh. Mystical Elf. Maha Vailo. Ice Queen. Witch of the Black Forest. Dark Doriado. Apprentice Illusion Magician. Palladium Oracle Mana! "

Intoning this very last name, she suddenly collapsed on the large flagstone, gasping for air and her chest burning inside like a blazing fire.

"Get up Mana! "

Febrile, the girl put a hand against her heart in an attempt to calm its frantic beating, settled a trembling foot in front of her to stand up, for finally failing miserably, her body collapsing once again to the ground in a muffled sound as spasms were running through her.

"Master… " she whispered in a quavering voice, tears in her eyes.

"Get up! Or do you think a sacred guardian has the right to give up because they feel tired?! "

Shame overwhelming her, Mana shook her head forcefully from side to side and held back her sobs. Leaning against her hands, she let out a moan of terrible pain and staggered to her feet, her arms, at last, returning to their original position as she resumed chanting her incantations.

"Dancing Fairy. Witty Phantom. Harpie Lady. Lord of Zemia. Kiryu. Paladin of White Dragon. Amazoness Paladin. Pixie Knight— "

"A war is brewing at the gates of the kingdom! I wouldn't be around to chaperone you anymore. You're going to have to study on your own. Practice your magic alone. And it will be your job to protect the Pharaoh in my absence! "

The young girl stopped abruptly upon hearing the magician's words, watching him with startled eyes and her mouth wide open as he was facing her casually.

"Protect… the Pharaoh? "

"Isn't that your duty? " the latter asked while raising an eyebrow, inquiring.

"Yes! Of course! " Mana hastened to assert with panic. "But… after the last time… against that thief… I thought I wasn't enough… "

Calmly observing the budding magician as she was looking for her words, Mahad finally sighed affectionately and crouching down, grabbed his student's face to lift it up toward him, a slight smile stretching his lips as he lectured her in a sweet voice:

"Not enough what? You are my apprentice, Mana. Anyone who dares to claim that you are not worthy of this title will be dealing with me. "

"Master… "

"Alright now, back to your exercise. I trust you and your magic, but you still need to practice a lot. "

"Yes! "

##########

He closed his eyes, desperately trying to suppress the feeling of oppression that was taking hold of him once again. The walls were closing in with a dreadful slowness, turning more black and blurred as the seconds passed, inexorably engulfing him and his courtiers.

He couldn't remember how long he had been here, each day resembling the other with a tragic irony as he once complained about his overly monotonous lifestyle. When had they entered this stone cage? When had they lost that sense of royalist majesty they had so hard-earned? He couldn't remember. He had bowed to the darkness and now stood for nothing, as worthy to sit on the throne of Libya as the last of the thieves.

He reopened his eyes, finally calmer. The walls had stopped moving, regaining their greying colour and distinct enough that he could again see the hundreds of scratches from former prisoners adorning them. Things were back to normal… his memory was no longer failing him.

He was the serpent who had led his people to ruin and dishonour. The great warlord turned king who had failed to protect what he had sworn to protect. From vile and vindictive, he had become miserable and pitiful. Among his people, women had stopped weeping because of him and men had stopped staring accusingly at him. They had suddenly withdrawn into an indifferent silence that hurt him more than the most poisonous of all stingers.

He would have liked to regret his actions. He would have liked to be able to bow a little more to the damned king to at least try to save his court innocent of any crime of this undeserved fate. But his pride had no limits, and his hatred alone was even greater than the whole land of Mizraim. He would curse until the end this little sovereign who had dared to insult him.

Outside, the sun was finally appearing over the tops of the dunes and the mountains, rising brighter in the ever blue skies, a new day dawning. For them, another day in this dark hellhole. Alone. Forgotten. Unforgiven.

Until he heard the echo of footsteps coming towards them. They did not resemble those produced by the guards, whose steady and heavy gait was demonstrative of a life spent in the garrisons. He had remained a soldier at heart, a long-time fighter who could not be mistaken, too accustomed to studying the unknown and the enemy. There was something of the carefreeness intimidation in those footsteps. Not that of a king who had never known the struggles of a commoner's life and who believed that everything was due to him. But steps that were slow and light on the ground, close to each other, and that could only belong to a man who grew up within the power without ever had the chance to accede to it. A man condemned to live in the shadow of his brother and whose blood would have rotted under resentment and jealousy.

Aknadin…

And while the silhouette of his opponent was revealing itself in front of his features drawn by fatigue, his face cut by the iron bars of the door only making him even more threatening, he understood that like the scorpion which stings itself once surrounded by the hot coals, he should have beseeched mercy from the king of games...

"Hussein, your time has come. "