AIDEN
The Temple Of Ra
We teleported not too far from a colossal temple that loomed like a forgotten monument to gods long past. Its walls were open, its roof nonexistent, and yet it stood with a kind of defiant majesty. Time had clearly taken its toll—cracks ran like veins through its stone pillars, and vines curled around its base like serpents—but the structure refused to surrender its grandeur. It was raised from the ground like an island floating above reality, with no visible stairs or path leading up to it. And at its heart sat a throne—no, not just a throne, a beacon.
The throne shimmered with a brilliance that made my eyes ache. At first glance, it looked like it was forged from pure gold, but as I stared longer, I realized it wasn't just gold—it was glowing. Radiating. Alive. The light pulsed from it like a heartbeat, and I felt something ancient stir in my chest. But even that wasn't the most astonishing throne stood something so surreal, so impossible, that my breath caught in my throat.
"Oh my goodness…" I whispered, unable to look away.
"Is that… No way, that's absolutely not possible," Shirley gasped, her voice trembling with awe.
"Why do you think it's not possible?" Taweret asked, grinning like a child about to unveil a secret toy.
"There's no way that's the sun!" she wailed, pointing at the blazing orb suspended behind the throne.
"It's not," I said slowly, the words forming in my mouth before I even understood them. "But it's a direct reflection of it."
Taweret's grin faltered. "How did you figure that out just now?" he asked, his tone suddenly somber.
I frowned. "A minute ago, I didn't know. The knowledge just… popped up. That sun is a mirror of the real one. I suspect that's why there's no night in this realm. The power of this sun is just as potent as having the real one here, only there's no moon here"
"Impressive," Taweret said, nodding. "And you're right. The power is just as potent. Do you notice nobody is inside the temple? They're all standing at the entrance."
I looked again. Our welcoming party—if you could call a battalion of armed, wary creatures a "party"—stood clustered at the temple's edge. Not one of them dared step inside. It was as if the temple itself repelled them.
"Anybody who enters that temple will melt instantly," Taweret explained. "They only enter when Ra is seated on his throne, absorbing most of the heat. That's why the throne is placed in front of the sun."
Smart. Ruthless, but smart. Ra only allowed others near him when he was indestructible, when tempered by his divine presence. It was a perfect deterrent. No one would dare challenge him unless he permitted it. I had no doubt that this was how he kept the prisoners in this realm in check.
"So… how is Aiden going to enter that place unnoticed?" Shirley asked, cutting straight to the heart of the matter. She must have sensed that Taweret and I had been avoiding the question.
"I don't know," I admitted. "There's no other way except through that entrance that I know of."
"One question," I said, raising my hand. "Where is the Eye situated? Because I don't see anything that looks like an eye on that throne."
We both turned to Taweret.
"I don't know," he said. "I've only ever heard of it, never seen it. I thought you knew where it was?"
"Yeah, it's attached to the throne. At least that's what Zain said. But I don't see it anywhere."
"There's only one way to find out," Shirley said. "You'll have to get close to the throne. Seth couldn't have gotten his hands on it yet."
She stepped forward, determination blazing in her eyes. "Taweret and I will distract our welcoming party."
"Are you sure about that?" I asked, uneasy with the idea.
"We can handle it," she said with a confident smile. "And I can very much handle myself. We also have a phoenix pet. What's there to worry about?"
"Watch her back, please," I said to Taweret, my voice low.
"I take offense to that, boy," he replied, though his eyes softened. "But I understand—it's your heart talking, not your head."
"Don't worry, Aiden," Shirley said, stepping close and giving me a quick kiss. "We're just going to kick some ass. Enough to give you time to get inside and look for it."
"Don't worry," Taweret added. "I won't allow anything to happen to her. Just concentrate on what you need to do."
I watched as they both sprinted toward the entrance, Taweret shouting loud enough to wake the dead. Shirley called out the phoenix, its fiery wings slicing through the air and causing a momentary panic among the everyone. Chaos bloomed like a flower, and in that brief window, I slipped into the temple unnoticed.
To be continued.