Hey, everyone. It's been a while since I've written much for HOA, but inspiration struck. I wrote this in a fever dream last night, so it's unbeta'd (if that's how you spell it) and probably makes 0 sense, but I was very interested in the idea of past Chosen Ones and Osirians. So, I might be starting a series of one-shots telling the stories of them.
This right here is merely the prologue, but I have the first story written. If anyone cares to read it, drop a review! If not, then...don't, I suppose haha.
The bell that hung atop the shop door jingled as Nina pushed her way in, the still air seeming to ripple as the tinkling sound faded into recesses of the building.
The shop itself was cluttered, the already small space made impossibly smaller by the piles upon piles of yellowing books and sun-faded cardboard boxes filled with equally faded papers that snaked around the floor plan like a labyrinth. The chilly winter sun shone through the wide front windows, illuminating the many dust particles hanging lazily in the air. Nina didn't mind; in her line of work, dust was the only constant. The whole place thrummed with energy, and—not unlike her school days at Anubis House—she could hear the nearly unintelligible whispers of in the walls. She'd come to the right place.
"Hello?" she called into the store, loosening her scarf. "Hello, I was told you could help me?"
Indeed, Nina needed a bit of assistance. For the past two years, she'd been living practically off the grid, questing around the world for the sake of the gods, goddesses, and other ancient beings who essentially employed her. Being the Chosen One was a dangerous job, but at least now she was basically getting paid for it—by ancient deities, no less! Who knew freelance curse-breaking and treasure-hunting could be so lucrative?
The particular help she needed this time, however, wasn't as straightforward as other instances. No, it was no appealing to El Naddaha for safe passage down the Nile for her male then-teammates (the quest hadn't gone so well when the siren nearly drowned them all). No; this was, thankfully, a much more reliable type of help. She needed information—information found in a very particular book, to be exact.
"Hello?" Nina called again, moving further into the shop, each step making the floor creak.
There was a muffled shuffling and a reply of what Nina thought sounded like "I'll only be a moment!" from somewhere beyond the towers of books. True to the voice's word, a dark hand reached up over the piles and waved. Nina smiled and wove her way through the maze until she found herself before a long wooden counter; a man stood opposite her, his dark eyes seeming to glow in the dim light that was able to reach past the obstructing clutter. He was slightly hunched, dark skin looking far closer to the texture of the book covers than to anything youthful. The man commanded the room, and Nina could easily understand why so many revered him.
He nodded to Nina, and she dipped her head low in respect. "Thank you for unveiling your shop to me," she said, straightening. "I know I didn't make an appointment."
The man shook his head kindly, leaning across the counter. "Please, Nina Martin. There have been so few Paragons who embrace their full potential these past few generations; you are one of those few, and you are always welcome by me." Nina smiled, once again dipping her head. "Do stop that," he continued, voice taking on a teasing edge. "If you bow after everything I say, we will be here until the next Chosen One is born."
Nina felt that she was free to giggle, and did so gladly. "They didn't tell me you were funny," she said.
The man raised an eyebrow. "Who might 'they' be, Nina Martin?"
"Maat and Seshat," she answered. "Though, I think you knew that already."
The man's eyes twinkled, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouths. "Of course. I know everything. Which reminds me," he continued, squinting at her, "You are looking for the histories of your predecessors, are you not?"
Nina nodded, biting her lip shyly. "I am, yes. I believe looking over the past choices of other Chosen Ones will be beneficial to my current quest."
The man bobbed his head thoughtfully. "The one Maat has you running about on."
It was not a question, but Nina confirmed it anyway. "I need to start at the beginning. Obviously, there is more to being the Paragon than simply assembling the Cup of Ankh, and it is important that I see where others went wrong on their own quests."
The man smiled secretively, the skin around her eyes crinkling like paper. "Perhaps you shouldn't look where they went wrong, Nina Martin, but instead where they went right." He held up one finger and disappeared into a back room.
Nina blinked, not expecting such an odd answer. "What are you suggesting?" she asked when he returned.
The man did not answer, instead placing an impressively large book down on the table. It was tied with rope and the cover looked to be made of aged leather; impressive hieroglyphs etched into it announced the title: The Complete Histories of Paragons and Their Osirians as transcribed by Thoth.
Nina whistled appreciatively, hesitantly reaching out to lay a hand on the cover; it was warm to the touch. "It's incredible," she breathed. As she spoke, the book seemed to get a little larger. "And it's continuously updated?"
The man nodded, looking quite pleased with himself. "Indeed. You know I am always thorough, Nina Martin. It was far easier to contain in a book instead of the never-ending scroll I was using before."
Nina smiled. "Well, Thoth, it certainly is impressive."
Thoth grinned at the compliment. "You flatter me, Chosen One," he said, placing his hand over his chest. "Your accomplishments have been a privilege to record." Nina blushed under the praise of the man—or god, rather. Thoth unbound the book, opening it to the first chapter as he continued, "Now, of course, you know that Chosen Ones are descended from Amneris' bloodline. As years passed, and humans spread out over the land, Chosen Ones have been born all over the world in all shapes and colors."
"Yes, so the story goes" Nina replied. "I do admit, I found it immensely odd that someone like me is a Chosen One when I first found out. Or that Eddie is...was an Osirian."
Thoth chuckled, shaking his head. "Don't be too self-conscious, Nina. There have been even Viking women born into this life. As I said, Amneris' blood can be found anywhere. Anyway," he continued, pointing to the page he'd opened up to, "the journey my consorts have you on reminds me a great deal of the first Chosen One's quest. I do believe her story may help you to stop this new evil from arising. So, shall we start at the beginning?"
Nina had heard many stories of previous Chosen Ones. She knew of Sarah, Ying Yue, Bellona, and many more. However, she had never heard anyone speak of the first ever Chosen One. She'd long supposed it was because no one knew much about her. "I would be honored," Nina replied, leaning over the get a closer look at the page.
Thoth dipped his head. "I have great respect for Net. Her quest was long and difficult."
Despite herself, Nina remembered a poem Fabian had once written for her back when everything was so much easier (though at the time, the quest for the Mask had seemed impossible. How she wished she knew then what she knew now). "What was her quest?" she asked, unfamiliar with the hieroglyphs in this particular section.
Thoth smiled sympathetically at Nina as if he knew exactly where her memories had taken her—although he likely did, as he was the god of knowledge—and began to read aloud from the text. "It all began with Horus..."