Keemew2: Okay, peeps. New oneshot, this time it is centered on Priest Set after the events of Atem and Zorcs battle. Please enjoy and, as usual, I own nothing. For those who don't understand the title Metaphysics is basically abstract theory with no basis in reality. Conjecture is the putting forth of an argument or theory. Basically, a theory.

Sorry for the lesson. Enjoy.

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Metaphysical Conjecture

Genre: General

Rated G

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Set studied the stone tablet before him, examining every minute detail to be sure it was accurate and masterly crafted. As a tribute to the previous Pharaoh it had to be perfect; as a tribute to his friend, it had have meaning. As it was, the perfection was there in vivid detail. Each line etched masterfully without a chink to be seen. Every detail he specified was present and he couldn't find a single complaint to be had. The meaning was there as well; the two of them, Atem and himself, facing off in epic battle, each fighting with a ka that meant very much to both of them.

Set Thought back, remembering the first time he had ever seen Atem. It was shortly after he had been taken in by the priests to train; Set had been going through some intense studying at the time.

"...Furthermore, a priests sole concern is to the upkeep of the temples and the care of the Gods. All their needs shall be met by us, and us alone. The only other human allowed to even see the Gods is the Pharaoh himself, as he is closest-. Set!"

The young Egyptian turned his head sharply to look at the priestly tutor before him. The stern man returned Set's startled look with a disapproving one of his own before sparing a glance across the room to see what had stolen the child's attention. He was surprised to see the young prince spying on the lessons from behind a pillar; most likely it was actually Set he was spying on, though. The boy was most likely interested in the idea of a new playmate, as he had already garnered the attention of the young Priestess-in-training Mana. Well, her tutor may be lax in training, but he, Priest Gozu, certainly wasn't. He returned his focus to his scholarly charge and cuffed the boy on his ear. Set cringed, yet made no noise in response.

"The high priest brought you here because of your potential, do not squander your good fortune by ignoring your studies."

"Yes, Master Gozu." Set acknowledged the man with lowered eyes.

"Very good. Now," Priest Gozu turned fully to address the prince, "If his royal highness has nothing better to do, would it suffice him to return to his own studies?"

The boy behind the pillar widened his eyes in surprise at being discovered and scurried away. Priest Gozu then returned his attention to Set and said firmly, "As for you, recite the different aspects of the human soul, then explain the importance of each one."

Set stood and addressed Gozu with a solemn expression as he recited, "The human soul is composed of five different parts. The Ba, Ka, Ren, Sheut, and Ib. The Ba is our life force and is what allows our reinccarnation to the the next world. The ka is our shadow and represeants who we are deep inside. The sheut is our personality, the aspect of us tha tis who we are. The ren is our name, without which we would be lost in the underworld. The ib is our heart, the piece of our soul that is weighed in the afterlife and determines whether we travel on or are devoured by the goddess Ammit."

"Very good. Now, back to our lessons."

Set retook his seat, but couldn't help a slight glance to where the young prince had been hiding. He hoped to see the boy again sometime soon.

Set smiled softly at the memory. He didn't have a chance to actually meet the prince until after he'd become a full fledged priest and given the honor of the Rod holder, but he did see the prince every now and then thereafter when he was needed. The prince had his own studies and the role of priest was separate then the role of prince. But the memory also brought up something else that was important; the aspects of the soul. The one thing Set could not allow on the tablet was identification. He could not put Atem's name on the tablet, because he knew the young pharaoh would want every trace of it wiped away. Since Atem had used his own name as the key to the spell binding him and the great evil away, it was only appropriate that the name be wiped from history as to never be used again to release Zork. Set wasn't sure if all of Atem had been sealed, however. Perhaps he repeated Mahaad's deed and sealed just a part of himself away so the rest of him could move on. Then again, Mahaad would not be able to leave the afterlife as it was his Ba that was merged with his ka; if your life force is sealed then there is no reincarnation.

And then there was the plight of Kisara to think about. Her ba was sealed within her ka as well in order to take full control as she did. He wasn't sure if it had only been her ka and ba, though. He hoped it was, but it almost seemed as if her entire essence had merged. That would be mean not a trace of her was allowed to enter the afterlife, let alone entering the next world, as it had all been sealed. Whether that was true or not he himself could not be sure. Without a holder of the tauk he was blind; something he would have to rectify as soon as possible. Isis was of the Ishtar clan, he would have to find a suitable replacement from within their ranks. Perhaps then he would know for sure whether even a piece of Kisara had made it to the afterlife. The great sacrifice she had made in order to save Set was something he would never forget for as long as he lived. He had a strange affection for the girl, one he did not think he'd been capable of feeling. He truly did wish that she could be reborn in another life so she could have a better one. The only way for that to happen, however, would be the destruction of the golden items the ex-high priest had created. They were what kept the ka of those poor souls trapped within stone tablets and it was only after their curse was broken that they would be free to enter the afteerlife and begin their journey to reincarnation or die their final death at Ammits jaws. Atem, Mahaad and Kisara would never know peace without that.

Then there was the thief that started all this. The thief King, as he called himself, was an enigma Set had been sure to puzzle out. He did discover one aspect about him, however, and that was that he was the only survivor of the massacre of Kul Elna. Now that he knew the truth of the massacre he found he felt some pity for what once was an innocent child. That child, however, was long gone and in it's place was a sociopathic menace that cared nothing for those around him, only for his own revenge. A revenge that allowed an evil of godly proportions to usurp him and obliterate what little may have been left. A brief piece of Set slightly wondered if that small piece of him that was still a child was intact somewhere in the after life, but it was a fleeting thought that barley made a dent in his more prominent conjectures.

"Oh, Great Pharaoh, does my work please you?"

Set looked down at the submissive grovelling of the master craftsmen and kept his face neutral. "It will due." Set replied, avoiding outright praising the man lest he let it go to his head.

"Oh, thank you Great Pharaoh. Any task deigning for your approval is a task well worth the work."

"Go to the vizier and receive your payment."

"Yes, Great Pharaoh. As you wish, Great Pharaoh."

Set's mind began to wander towards his theorizing once again, but he stopped himself. Metaphysical conjectures such as this did nothing to solve problems and if he was going to rebuild the great empire of Egypt he had much to do yet. So, turning on his heel he left the site of the great stone tablet to seek out his newly appointed vizier himself. As mentioned, he had much yet to do.

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keemew2: Okay, first things first. While Takahashi had a good story going for him, research wasn't exactly his strong point. I would like to point out that while I kept true to his mistake he actually got the Ba, Ka and Sheut mixed up. The Sheut is actually a persons shadow, the Ka is actually a persons life force and the Ba is actually their personality. But I suppose all that is moot unless you are knowledgeable in ancient Egyptian beliefs. Just in case someone is, I felt I should clarify that I know about the mistake, but for the sake of lessening confusion I am keeping with the preexisting mistake.

Anyway, please let me know how this chapter is, I know people aren't very excited about my anthology series and I am very tempted to stop writing it, but I gotta get these ideas out of my head.

Edit: Another shortish lesson, sorry. The reincarnation to the next life that is mentioned is the Egyptian belief that after they die they continue on to the 'next world'. It isn't so much an afterlife (that is the road traveled inbetween), as it is another world entirely. I think. I research as I go, but the research is brief and to the point. I need to do more thorough research at some point. But considering how loose Takahashi is with the mythos tot begin with, I'm not too worried.