It all began when Carter, Sadie, Walt, and Jaz went to the Brooklyn Museum in search of the Book of Ra, an essential artifact for their plan to awaken the sun god. After months of insisting, Horus finally revealed the book's location, and the mission seemed simple: get in, grab the artifact, and get out. But, as always, nothing went according to plan.
They managed to enter the museum unnoticed and soon found the statue of Khnum, a clue left by Horus. However, upon touching the statue with her wand, Sadie triggered a spell that activated the museum's reservoirs of Egyptian magic. The result? Chaos. A griffin awakened—the creature that would later be called Freak—and along with it, seven chests known as the Seven Arrows of Sekhmet were released.
Following Carter's instructions, Walt attempted to open a window for their escape, but ended up being poisoned by one of the chests, forcing Jaz to expend almost all her energy to save him. Meanwhile, Freak, sensing Carter's connection to Horus, devoured one of the chests and went into a frenzy. Jaz tried to banish the remaining chests, but one of them was possessed by Apophis, who threatened to kill Zia, trapped in the Place of Red Sand, if Carter continued with his mission.
Carter managed to invoke the symbol of the Eye of Horus and repel the chests, but the cost was high: Jaz fell into a coma due to excessive magical exertion. With no time for regrets, Carter improvised a boat and tied it to Freak, who carried them on a desperate escape to the Brooklyn House.
Later, Horus, concerned about Carter's impulsive decisions, took him to a meeting with Apophis. There, Carter saw the Chaos Serpent's prison and the critical state of Ra's solar barque. He also discovered the conspiracies of Dejardins and Vladimir Menshikov. Overwhelmed by everything he saw, Carter didn't have the courage to tell Sadie about Jaz's coma, carrying the guilt of his decisions alone.
Reluctantly, Carter allowed Sadie to go to London for her birthday and, with no other option, accepted Freak as a companion. During a training session with the Brooklyn House initiates, Apophis attacked using a monster under his control. As if that weren't enough, Carter received an emergency call from Sadie, who seemed to be in trouble in London.
Without wasting time, he and Walt went through a portal and arrived at Waterloo Bridge, where they found a chaotic scene: police everywhere. Carter put them to sleep with a spell before finding Sadie, who was accompanied by Bes. She explained that the god had saved her, which calmed Carter momentarily. Together, they decided to go to St. Petersburg, where Anubis had indicated that the second part of the Book of Ra was hidden.
Upon arriving at the Hermitage Museum, Sadie and Carter infiltrated using an invisibility spell. There, they saw Menshikov conducting a ritual to summon Set. They managed to steal the book unnoticed, but were discovered during their escape. Menshikov revealed that he was working for Apophis, and as he confronted them, Set interfered, launching a devastating attack. Carter was wounded by a tjesu heru and poisoned, but Sadie managed to defeat Set.
With the poison spreading, Set unexpectedly helped Sadie take Carter to Bes. In exchange for his secret name, Set revealed the location of the last part of the book. At first, Sadie hesitated, but in the end, she gave the name and, to her surprise, Set let her live, commenting that she was too "fun" to die.
Determined to save Carter, Sadie discovered a way to cure him using the Ren—the Secret Name. After an immense effort, she managed to reverse the poison, and although Carter was not yet fully recovered, he left with Bes to rescue Zia. The mission, however, almost cost their lives. Fortunately, with the arrival of Sadie and Walt through a portal anchored by Ptah, an unexpected turn of events occurred.
The opening of the portal broke Bes's prison, freeing the god. The impact was so strong that it startled their enemies. Bes acted quickly to save Carter, who was weak, while Zia, exhausted and shaken, fainted. With no time to lose, the group fled towards Cairo in a Bedouin truck. On the way, Carter, exhausted, fell asleep, while Sadie contacted Ikki through a magical messenger.
Upon hearing the whole story, Ikki remained silent, analyzing the group with his sapphire eyes. A few things caught his attention, especially the fact that Sadie had used the Ren to cure Carter of a poison considered incurable. This reminded him of the aspects of the soul that every Egyptian magician learns.
The Ren, or Secret Name, is the true essence of a being's soul. Revealing it is an act of deep trust, as it grants power to those who know it. Only the individual themselves or someone very close can share it.
Another crucial aspect is the Ib, the heart, which records all good and bad deeds. In the final judgment, Anubis weighs the heart against the Feather of Truth. If the Ib is heavier, the soul is devoured by Ammit. If it is light, the person is considered worthy of the afterlife.
The Sheut, the shadow, represents the mark someone leaves on the world. Without a shadow, there is no existence. It's like a backup copy of the soul, able to restore it if the Ib is unjustly destroyed.
The Ka is the life force. A magician can use it to cast spells when their strength is depleted, but this can be fatal. The Ba is the personality, the part of the soul that continues to live after death and travels through the Duat while the magician sleeps.
Ikki reflected on all of this. He had trained these manifestations in recent months and, with the absorption of Ramses II's essence, could follow the Path of the Gods, like Carter and Sadie. This was the origin of Egyptian magic.
In ancient times, magicians invoked gods to perform great feats. Some tried to host their essences, becoming their "Eyes" and gaining access to their knowledge and power. However, this practice was risky. A weak body could be consumed by the divine presence, leading to madness or death. For Ikki, however, this was not a problem.
He pushed these thoughts aside as he focused on the group's plan: to awaken Ra to prevent Apophis from destroying the world.
After processing the entire explanation, Ikki looked at Sadie, Carter, Zia, Walt, and Bes. He never imagined he would be called upon to face the Chaos Serpent and invoke the sun god. But instead of feeling fear, a smile appeared on his face.
This would be interesting. Besides the challenge, there was something more exciting: the chance to "absorb" even more gods.
But he decided to pretend he wasn't excited about it.
"Well..." He released the air slowly, crossing his arms. "This is definitely not something simple."
His tone was neutral, but there was a hint of barely disguised exasperation.
Sadie was the first to respond, crossing her arms and giving him a sharp look.
"Oh, what a brilliant observation, detective." She raised an eyebrow. "And you think we'd call you if it were simple? If it were just another normal day in the crazy life of a magician, we'd have already solved it."
Carter nodded seriously. "I hate to admit it, but we need you, Ikki. Sadie did the right thing by calling you..."
"I'm always right," Sadie interrupted, with a smug smile.
Zia remained silent, watching Ikki carefully. She was always more reserved, but the fact that she was there, waiting for his answer, already said enough.
Walt hesitated for a moment before adding: "I don't know you that well, but... I know it's a big request. If there's anyone who can help us, it's you."
Bes snorted, crossing his arms. "So, what's the decision, partner? Are you in or not?"
Everyone's gaze was on Ikki now.
He let out a sigh, as if pondering everything he had just heard. Then, a small smile formed on his lips.
"Well..." He looked over the group. "It seems you really need me."
Sadie snorted. "Wow, what amazing perception. It took you all that to come to that conclusion?"
Ikki chuckled softly and shook his head.
"Okay, okay. I'm in." He then looked at Carter. "What's the plan?"
Carter exchanged a quick glance with Zia before answering. "We'll need to split up. Part of the group has to go back to the Brooklyn House and make sure everything is safe. The other needs to go to the Duat to find and bring Ra back."
Ikki raised an eyebrow. "Oh, of course. Nothing laborious, right?"
Sadie smirked. "Super chill. Rescuing a lost god in the Egyptian underworld is practically a walk in the park."
Walt, always more serious, added: "The point is, we don't know exactly what we're going to find in the Duat. And the Brooklyn House could be in danger. That's why we've already decided to split into two groups before you arrived."
Ikki nodded slowly. "Right. So, who goes where?"
Carter quickly explained: Zia and Walt would return to the Brooklyn House to help Amos, while he, Sadie, and Ikki would go to the Duat to find Ra.
The conversation naturally returned to the game they had paused before Ikki's arrival. He just watched as they continued playing. The silence was occasionally broken by grumbles and taunts, until the decisive moment arrived.
Bes widened his eyes and threw his hands up in disbelief. "You didn't draw that. That's impossible!"
Sadie shot a malicious look at the pieces in front of her and gave a mischievous smile. She had drawn exactly the number she needed to win.
"Impossible is my specialty," she replied, pleased with herself.
With victory secured, she grabbed Menshikov's white glasses and put them on. The effect was immediate—the air around them seemed to grow heavier. The glasses, which already had a strange appearance, now looked even more menacing.
Carter couldn't help the shiver that ran down his spine. He remembered Menshikov's distorted voice, the scarred eyes that seemed to belong to something else, not a human. The idea of Sadie trying to read the Book of Ra with those glasses made him deeply uncomfortable.
"This doesn't seem like a good idea..." he muttered.
Sadie ignored her brother's hesitation and stood up, clapping her hands as if she was about to embark on a fun adventure.
"Come on, Ikki, dear brother," she said, her tone laden with provocation. "We have a Great Pyramid to visit."
Ikki observed her for a moment before shrugging and following.
With that, the group prepared to leave.
As they left, the sight of the pyramids in the distance captured Ikki's attention. He had heard about them countless times, but no description could do justice to the grandeur of the structures. From afar, they were imposing, almost surreal, cutting the horizon with a presence that defied time.
However, as they got closer, he noticed the difference between legend and reality. The glow of the past had faded—the white stone casing that reflected the sun like jewels was no longer there, and the golden capstone, which once served as a beacon for the gods, was long gone. History had left its mark there. The pyramids no longer had the mystical splendor of the tales, but they still carried a somber beauty, an almost palpable weight.
But none of that was more striking than the crowd. Tourists everywhere, vendors pushing trinkets, incessant offers of camel rides and "magic" amulets. The sound of cameras, the laughter, the smell of warm earth mixed with the sweat of people created a disquieting chaos.
Ikki sighed and, with a thought, activated his [Subtle Immersion] ability. Almost instantly, the perception of the mortals around them changed. They began to completely ignore the group, as if their presence was something too irrelevant to notice.
"So, what's the plan now?" Ikki asked casually, observing the others.
Sadie answered without hesitation: "We're going to climb the pyramid, obviously. Did we forget to mention that part?"
Carter gave her an annoyed look. "Sadie, could you not shout that in the middle of a crowd?"
Ikki, still calm, shook his head. "Relax. They won't hear us. Or see us, for that matter."
To demonstrate, Ikki subtly stretched his foot into the path of a distracted tourist. The man tripped and fell to the ground with a loud thud. Instantly, everyone around him laughed at him, thinking he had just been clumsy. Embarrassed, he quickly got up and walked away, without even looking at Ikki or the group.
Silence hung in the air for a moment.
Walt raised an eyebrow. "You did that... without incantations? And no one noticed?"
Ikki shrugged, a discreet smile on his lips. "Magic basics."
Sadie looked around, still surprised. "That's... impressive. How did you do that without gestures, words, anything?"
Ikki arched an eyebrow. "Want to learn?"
"Obviously! We have spells to become invisible, but nothing this natural."
Bes, who was watching everything with an evaluating gaze, let out a low chuckle. "Ah, I see... You distort the mortals' perception. It's not a common trick." He crossed his arms. "As a god, I can achieve something similar, but you do it effortlessly. It's no wonder they consider you a powerful magician."
Ikki just made a slight sound in his throat, diverting the focus of the conversation.
"But then, Sadie, your brilliant idea is to climb the pyramid?" he asked, amused.
Sadie raised an eyebrow. "Well, yeah. How else do you want to get up there?"
Ikki sighed, as if he had already expected this answer. Without saying anything else, he snapped his fingers.
At the same instant, something changed beneath the group's feet. A clear, translucent wind gently enveloped them. Before they could react, they were lifted from the ground, rising into the air with lightness, as if an invisible current was carrying them.
Carter's eyes widened, instinctively trying to regain his balance. "What—?! This is—?!"
Walt looked down, clearly surprised. "We're... flying?"
Zia, who normally maintained her composure, couldn't hide her astonishment as she felt the wind supporting her feet.
Sadie, on the other hand, grinned. "Now we're talking! This is a mode of transportation worthy of us!"
Bes observed everything with an appraising look. "Interesting. I've seen many tricks, but this is new even for me."
Ikki remained impassive, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Much better than climbing, isn't it?"
The group, still perplexed, just nodded as they continued to rise smoothly towards the top of the Great Pyramid.
It wasn't every day that one traveled by invisible "magic carpet" under someone's control.