As the sun slowly sank below the horizon, the desert was swallowed by darkness.
In the stillness of night, time drifted by in what felt like an eternity of silence. Across the endless sea of yellow sand, there were no tides or winds to mark the passage of time.
When the sun rose again, only the fading stars and the cheap watch on Evelyn's wrist—worth no more than ten dollars—could tell that a new day had begun.
"Perfect timing."
Evelyn lowered her arm and looked down at the flat stretch of sand below the dunes. According to the information Herman had given her, the City of the Dead should be located right here.
Probably... she wasn't wrong.
Still, Evelyn wasn't exactly confident. This was her first time navigating a desert, and what she was searching for was a city spoken of only in legend.
If only Herman had provided a proper treasure map, she might feel more certain. Even so, finding this spot already felt like an impressive feat. Silently, she praised herself in her heart—then suddenly remembered that Herman could read minds.
Feeling a bit guilty, she glanced at him. Seeing his attention fixed on the shifting sands, she finally breathed a small sigh of relief, the blush on her cheeks slowly fading.
It had to be said—Evelyn's inner thoughts were always dramatic.
"This is the place."
Herman's gaze deepened.
He raised his head, surveying the landscape that looked no different from anywhere else. His eyes narrowed slightly as a surge of divine power pulsed beneath his eyelids.
Unlike the future timeline where the Aether—the Reality Stone—was sealed, here before Hamunaptra, the City of the Dead, Herman could clearly sense a separate space beneath reality—a small pocket dimension.
Perhaps its concealment wasn't strong enough, or perhaps it was because Hamunaptra was close to awakening. Either way, Herman could distinctly feel the existence of that pocket dimension tied to the necropolis.
Evelyn hadn't been mistaken.
But what surprised him was the presence within Hamunaptra itself—a power of immense strength, slumbering deep inside.
An Infinity Stone?
No.
It wasn't at that level.
The Death Power within him grew restless upon sensing the force, as if hungering to devour it.
"What an unexpected delight."
From the yearning echoing through his Death Power, Herman was certain that the energy inside Hamunaptra could greatly enhance his own.
That was why his Death Power stirred instinctively, urging him to find the source of that force—once absorbed, it would grow even stronger.
The Death Power itself held no consciousness; it was merely the manifestation of the Death Law Herman commanded, resonating with other forces bound to death.
"Anubis, the God of Death?"
The thought flickered through his mind. His eyes gleamed faintly.
"How interesting... That's definitely not the Book of Amun-Ra or the Book of the Dead. It feels as though a complete death-aspect deity is sealed within."
Herman easily suppressed the influence of the Death Power. For his will and soul, it was effortless.
The [All-Seeing Eye] had not granted him overwhelming strength all at once, and that was its advantage—it kept him from being consumed by his thirst for power.
Life exists in layers; so do the soul and the will. Without sufficient strength of spirit, one cannot master true power.
Power always comes with a price—the greater it is, the more it corrupts the mind and soul. That is why gods fall in pursuit of it, and why those who gain strength overnight often lose their sanity.
Like the birth of Dormammu.
It all stemmed from a sorcerer's mad pursuit of power. He seemed to have become immensely powerful, yet in doing so, he lost infinite possibilities—and his freedom.
The saying "virtue unworthy of position" could well describe a mind unable to keep pace with the growth of power. Of course, Herman's perfect state ensured he would never lose himself within his own strength.
This was, perhaps, one of the most remarkable aspects of the power granted by the [All-Seeing Eye]. Herman didn't even need to fear inner demons taking advantage of him in moments of grave injury or near death. His power and soul were perfectly attuned, no different from one who had cultivated such strength through years of training.
At times, Herman even wondered if the power and identity bestowed by the [All-Seeing Eye] were more than mere historical alterations or gifts from nothing. There had to be something else—some special truth hidden beneath the surface that he had yet to uncover.
"Ready?"
Herman slowly pulled his thoughts back from his reverie. He saw the first rays of sunlight spreading beyond the planet's horizon.
"Of course!"
Evelyn took a deep breath and looked up at the pitch-black sky, her heart pounding with anticipation, hoping the newborn light would truly reveal the City of the Dead.
"My God! This is... unbelievable!"
Together, Evelyn and Herman witnessed the portal to the pocket dimension open. Before her eyes unfolded a sight beyond comprehension—one she would never forget.
Where there had been nothing but endless dunes, mirage-like structures rapidly appeared. Ethereal pyramids emerged from the void, their forms taking shape as if pulled from a dream.
As the sunlight grew stronger, those shimmering "mirages" solidified beneath the dawn. A grand and ancient city manifested atop the golden sands.
Surrounding its outer perimeter was a lush, verdant jungle. Evelyn gasped in awe, calling it nothing short of a miracle. She could hardly wait to enter and uncover the lost history within.
"The portal won't stay open for long. We need to move quickly," Herman said. At his command, the white camels carrying them turned into streaks of light and dashed into the dense jungle.
Some strange creatures hidden within the foliage tried to stop them, but none could match the speed of their divine-powered mounts. Before a few scrawny monkeys could even draw their weapons, the two camels carrying living riders vanished before their eyes. The undead creatures around them barely had time to react before Herman and Evelyn were gone, entering the city unhindered.
At this pace, their entry into the City of the Dead—Hamunaptra—was far simpler and more direct than when HYDRA forces had tried to break through with firepower.
The camels came to a sudden halt at the outskirts of the city. It wasn't by Herman's command but rather an instinctive reaction, as if something within the ruins terrified them to their very core.
After stopping, the camels grew restless and agitated. Herman gently calmed their souls, and only then did they slowly kneel down upon the sand.
"My God... It looks like plenty of gold diggers met their end here."
Evelyn slid down from the camel, her expression grim as her eyes swept over the desolate ground.
A faint breeze, heavy with grains of sand, drifted through the air. Towering structures—majestic, untouched by the decay of time—stood proudly in the heart of the city, their ancient Egyptian architecture awe-inspiring.
Everything seemed almost serene... yet eerily still. On the ground leading into the city, dried corpses lay scattered everywhere.
Some were half-buried beneath the sands, with only arms or legs protruding. Others lay withered and twisted, their skulls tilted upward, faces frozen in expressions of eternal terror.
From their attire, Evelyn recognized them as gold prospectors. She couldn't understand why so many had perished and been buried here.
Even though the bodies were long mummified by the desert air, the sheer despair still etched on their faces sent chills crawling down her spine. A sense of dread crept into her heart.
"Is there... some kind of danger here?"
Unable to help herself, Evelyn crouched beside one of the corpses, her curiosity outweighing her fear. Perhaps she thought she could discover the cause of death from their remains.
"A place that's buried countless emperors," Herman said lightly, "do you really think it would welcome grave robbers—or us—with open arms?"
His eyes turned toward the heart of the city where the pyramids stood tall. Something unusual there had already caught his attention.
"They look like they were caught in a sandstorm," Evelyn murmured, frowning as she examined the remains. "Didn't even have time to run before they were swallowed up—buried forever in the dunes."
She wasn't a professional forensic scientist and had little knowledge of anatomy or pathology, but her experience in the desert gave her confidence in her deduction.
"You're right," Herman agreed.
"You think so too? But you haven't even looked at the bodies yet."
Evelyn sounded genuinely puzzled. Could this mysterious sorcerer who hired her really perform an autopsy with magic—from a distance?
Did he have to be that capable?
"I don't need to see the bodies," Herman said quietly. "Because... I've already seen their cause of death."
In his pupils, the reflection of a rising sandstorm shimmered.
"Huh?"
Evelyn blinked in confusion, about to ask what he meant.
Then she saw it.
From within the necropolis of Hamunaptra, a monstrous sandstorm was taking shape, vast enough to blot out the sun. It howled and surged toward them like a living thing.
And within that swirling wall of dust, Evelyn caught a fleeting glimpse—of a massive, terrifying face.