SHIRLEY
They just kept coming. Wave after wave of snarling, clawed demons, their eyes glowing with hatred and hunger. My arms ached from swinging my blade, my legs burned from constant movement, but I couldn't stop. Not now. Not when everything depended on Aiden retrieving the Eye of Ra.
I parried a sword thrust, spun, and sliced through three demons in one fluid motion. Their bodies crumpled, disemboweled, but more surged forward to take their place. The air was thick with smoke, blood, and the stench of sulfur. I glanced sideways just in time to see a blade arcing toward my head.
Before I could react, Taweret appeared beside me, grabbed my arm, and teleported us a few meters back. The sword missed me by a breath.
"Thanks," I said, panting. "That was close."
"I never knew the demons in this realm were this many," he muttered, his face twisted in frustration. His usual calm was gone, replaced by a simmering rage. Taweret was a god, yes—but even gods had limits.
"Do you know whether Aiden has gotten the Eye?" I asked, trying to keep the worry out of my voice. "Can you sense anything?"
"At the moment, no," he replied, shaking his head. "The sun is the only energy one can feel there. Nothing else."
He sighed, and I felt a chill run down my spine. If Taweret couldn't sense Aiden, something was wrong.
Suddenly, a blinding white light flashed between us and the demons. It was unmistakable—a god had arrived. The light vanished as quickly as it came, leaving behind a dark hole in the ground. From it, three figures emerged.
One of them turned and smiled at me. I knew that face—Maahes, the lion-headed protector god of the Maatites. His presence was both reassuring and terrifying. The other two figures were unfamiliar, but they radiated power.
"Who are those two?" I asked Taweret, who was already watching them closely.
"The dark-skinned one is Onuris, god of war," he said. "And the woman beside him is Anuke, also a goddess of war. Onuris is her patron."
Before I could respond, Maahes stepped forward and looked directly at me.
"You should stay back, little one," he said.
His tone wasn't condescending—it was protective. But it put me on edge. He wasn't referring to the demons we were fighting. No, something else was coming. Something that required the presence of three of the most powerful gods in existence.
What threat could warrant this kind of divine intervention? It wasn't Seth. He wasn't yet the king god, ruler of the undead. Only something from the Ogdoad could challenge him. My heart pounded.
Then the ground began to rumble. The entire realm of Argob shook violently. Even the demons, who had been relentless, scattered like frightened animals. That wasn't a good sign.
"What's happening?" I asked, gripping my sword tighter.
"I don't know," Taweret said, his voice low. "But I sense Aiden's life force… and something else. Something sinister. Malicious."
The temple in the distance crumbled, and the sun flared brighter than ever. Its light incinerated the remaining demons, turning them to dust. Another flash of light—this one familiar—appeared above us.
Nut, goddess of the sky, descended gracefully, her arms wide. She emitted a wave of energy that softened the sun's intensity, shielding us from its deadly heat. Her presence was calming, but the tension in the air remained.
From the rubble, a figure rose, floating mid-air.
It was Aiden.
There was no mistaking him, even though his features were distorted. Lightning bolts pierced his body like swords, crackling with energy. His eyes glowed with a strange light, and his aura was… different. Not just powerful—unstable.
The gods moved swiftly, forming a triangle around him. Nut remained above, her shield protecting us. Onuris began chanting, his voice deep and resonant. He joined hands with Anuke and Maahes, and the air around them shimmered.
What happened next made me step back in awe—and fear.
This was syncretism. The sacred joining of gods. A phenomenon so rare, so powerful, that it was said to reshape reality itself. Thunder clapped across the sky, striking down every being in sight. Witnesses were eliminated, erased from existence. But not me. Not Taweret.
I looked up and saw Nut's shield glowing above us. She was protecting us from the wrath of the divine.
The thunder ceased, and the ground split open. Fire erupted like a volcano, spewing molten energy into the air. The three gods had vanished.
But something else was rising.
Something massive.
Something terrifying.
I took a step back, even though I knew Nut's shield would protect me.
From the fire emerged a being unlike anything I'd ever seen. Its body was made of liquid flame, veins glowing like lava. Its voice echoed across the realm.
"We are Anhurkemysis," it said.
The name sent a chill through me. A fusion of Onuris, Maahes, and Anuke—an entity born of war, protection, and divine fury. A god of gods.
Aiden didn't hesitate. He locked eyes with the creature and charged. At the same time, Anhurkemysis surged forward. Their impact cracked Nut's shield. I looked up and saw her bleeding from the head, her strength waning.
Another flash of light. Another god.
Geb, god of the earth and Nut's husband, appeared and reinforced the shield. His presence was grounding, stabilizing. He looked at me and whispered, "No."
I didn't understand at first. Then I realized—he was answering my unspoken question.
They weren't going to kill Aiden.
But they were going to test him.
The battle raged on. Aiden fought with everything he had, but the gods had centuries of experience, mastery of their powers, and unity. He was strong, but not enough.
They pinned him down with sheer force. Lightning, fire, and earth converged on him. He struggled, his body glowing with energy, but even I could see it was hopeless.
I wanted to scream, to run to him, to help. But I couldn't move. Taweret held me back, his eyes locked on the battle.
"This is his trial," he said. "He must face it alone."
I clenched my fists, tears stinging my eyes. Aiden was more than a warrior. He was my friend. My heart. And now, he was being torn apart by forces beyond comprehension.
But even as he lay pinned, his eyes burned with defiance.
He hadn't given up.
Not yet.
And neither would I.