#heka priests

[queenclaudiabrown]

Living Legend | Chapter Nine: The Missing Tomb

Content warnings: canon events and triggers, including gore. Uncensored language. Media: Moon Knight S1E4 “The Tomb” Word count: 4,472

     They drove back across the sand the way they’d come.  Silence had reigned since the women had explained that Khonshu was gone.  “We can’t lose more time.  Harrow must be headed back to the tomb.”  Layla said.  “Look, if he is, we’re gonna need Marc, yeah?”

     Steven responded vehemently.  “No.”

     “‘No’?”  Layla repeated, casting a look at him.

     “No.  See, the thing is… we made a deal, Marc and I, that when he was done with Khonshu he would disappear for good.”

     “You guys made a deal that he would just disappear from my life?”  Layla began.  “And you didn’t think that maybe I should’ve been… made aware of that?”

     “Oh.”  Steven seemed to realize the implications of the deal, which Sarah guessed had been made before he met Layla.  “Well… hadn’t he disappeared from your life already?”

     “Steven!”  Sarah hissed, taken aback.  “Not nice!”

     “Yeah.  I mean, whatever.”  Layla responded, clearly fighting back her emotions.  “His suit was his best feature, wasn’t it?  Didn’t even have that anymore.  Plus I know him.  He’d wanna lone wolf this whole thing.  It’s not happening, we’re not gonna do that.”

     “We are not.”  Steven agreed, and Sarah got the impression he was rubbing it in Marc’s face.  “It’s just you and Sarah and me and the open road.”

     No sooner had he said that did Layla slam on the brakes, causing Steven to nearly eat the dashboard and Sarah to almost somersault into the front seat.

     “We’re gonna go on foot from here.”  Layla announced.

     “Yeah, alright.”

     “Whatever you say.”  Wheezed Sarah, shakily lowering her arms from where she’d planted them against the seats in front of her, stopping herself as she had pitched forward.

     They got out of the truck, and they donned their bags.  They entered the comparatively narrow canyon in the massive rock formations, the cool shade a welcome relief from the scorching sun.  Birds cawed as they flew overhead, and the odd mountain goat could be seen lurking up above.

     Layla was the most comfortable and confident, having grown up in this country.  Sarah relied on her past experiences in Egypt to help her manage the terrain, and poor Steven was still quite drained and had never actually made it to Egypt- not as himself, anyway- so he was struggling quite a bit.

     They left the winding chasms and emerged back into the hot light once more.  Finding themselves on a rock formation at least a dozen meters off the ground, they could see Harrow and his cult’s campsite.  “There they are.  Let’s keep moving.”  She led them down a narrow and unpleasant path on the side.  “It looks like they’re already inside.  We’ll need to find another way to beat them to Ammit.”

     The campsite was indeed deserted when they reached it, save the camels- which Steven awkwardly greeted as if they were people.  Still, they remained on alert in case any cultists had remained behind or returned for any reason.  They spotted more tent structures situated very close to the mouth of their cavernous destination.  “Let’s check for supplies.”  Suggested Layla.

     The three of them went into separate tents, and Sarah was able to locate a torch, a multitool, and several spare batteries.  Rejoining the others, she was glad to learn that equipment for their descent had also been gathered.  Sarah helped Layla get into hers, but had to relieve herself before the other woman returned the favor, leaving her to handle Steven’s gear.

     Sarah returned to find Layla stepping away from Steven, their cheeks pinkened.  She eyed them suspiciously, but said nothing, and within a few minutes she was geared up.  “I’m gonna go down first.”  Layla decided.

     “Okay.  Yeah, great.”

     “Before I belay.”

     “Thank you.  What’s- What’s ‘belay’?”  Steven questioned timidly.

     “She, uh, she’s gonna fix the ropes so they’re steadier.  Or something like that.”  Sarah explained.

     “I still can’t tell when you’re joking or not.”  Layla laughed, clipping the rope to her harness.  A moment later, she was descending.  Steven leaned over to watch her go, but a few seconds later he quite literally punched himself in the face.

     “Er… what?”  Sarah questioned as Steven swore in pain.

     “I guess Marc can control parts of the body even when I’m in control.”  Steven mused, evading the question.

     “Yeah, that’s interesting, but… why did he punch you?”

     “Er…” he looked at his feet.  “I kissed Layla.”

     Sarah facepalmed.  “You are the biggest sodding idiot I’ve ever met.”

     “I also told her that Marc was pushing her away to keep her safe from Khonshu.”

     “My previous statement still applies.”

     A moment later, Steven yelled, and Sarah took the hand off her face in time to see him kick himself backward into the hole- likely Marc operating the legs.  Sarah ran to the edge and peered down.  “Steven?  Are you alright?”

     “Yep, I’m fine.”  He called up.

     Relieved, Sarah clipped herself to the rope and lowered herself down, landing carefully behind Steven.  “Oh, wow, look at you.”  Steven breathed, looking at the rock sculptures and hieroglyphs behind Layla.

     The Egyptian turned to see what he was looking at. “Oh, yeah, there’s….  Gorgeous, aren’t they?  They’re just, like, been standing guard for centuries.”

     “Bastet.”  Sarah presumed, noting the feline shape of the stones.

     “Right?”  Steven replied to what Layla had said.  “Like, I can’t, I can’t even- so if they sprang to life right now and asked me a riddle for passage, I’d be thrilled.”  He said excitedly.  “I’d shit myself, but I’d be thrilled.”  He amended.  Sarah snorted, but didn’t disagree.  “What’s this?”

     “What’s what?”  Sarah asked, looking away from the hieroglyphs to see what he was inspecting- something drawn in the sand on a rock near the ground.

     “Did you do that?”  He asked Layla, not accusingly.

     “What?  Oh.  Yeah, it’s, uh, it’s for my father.  He would’ve loved to be here.”  Layla replied.

     “Oh yeah?  Big history buff, is he?”

     Sarah winced.  In the chaos of Harrow’s numerous murder attempts and shows of power, Marc and Layla fighting, Marc being generally evasive, and Marc and Steven switching back and forth unexpectedly, Sarah had lost track of who knew what.  Steven apparently hadn’t gotten the memo that a) Layla’s father was dead, and b) Marc was possibly connected to it, if not responsible for it.

     “Oh, so much worse.  Archaeologist on a mission.”  Layla replied.  They moved deeper into the tomb.  “And to him it was a dream worth dying for.  And he did.”

     Steven stopped, realizing.  “Oh… I’m so sorry.”

     “Yeah, no, it’s fine, really.”  Layla brushed it off.

     “Yeah.”

     “It’s fine.  Happens.”

     “I bet that he’d be positively beaming right now, standing in the proof of it.”  Steven told her.

     Layla smiled, perhaps indeed somewhat comforted by his words.  “Yeah.  I think so.”  She blew out a breath.  “Well, it’s not such a bad way to go, is it?”  She exchanged looks with them.  “Let’s find out?”  She suggested, almost a tad excited by the prospect.

     “Yeah.”  Steven murmured, less enthusiastic, as she headed down the passage again. “Yeah, let’s find out.”

     Sarah playfully bumped his arm with hers as she passed.  “Relax.  Forget about the possibility of impending death and destruction and try to enjoy this dream come true.”

     He only muttered under his breath in response.

     “Strange.”  He observed a few minutes later, studying the yellowish walls that seemed to glow green under their blue-tinted torch beams.

     “It’s a maze.”  Layla noted.

     “It’s a-maze-ing.”  He joked in reply.

     “No, like, there are six paths.”  Layla explained.

     “Yeah, yeah, yeah.  Right, six points.”

     “What would they be shooting at?”  Layla queried, crouching down off to the side.

     Sarah stepped up behind her and shined her own torch beam down at the bullet casings Layla was looking at.  “How old would you say those are?”  She queried.

     “Pretty recent.  Harrow’s guys, I’d say.”

     They stood up, exchanging concerned looks, and turned their attentions back to Steven, who was drawing with his finger in the sand covering a slab of stone up to their thighs.  Upon further inspection, Sarah saw that it was the Eye of Ra.  “This whole structure… is a symbol.”  Steven was musing.

     “That’s the Eye of Horus.”  Layla said.

     Sarah frowned.  “I thought Horus’ eye pointed to the right and Ra’s was to the left, like this one.”

     Layla shook her head.  “No, it’s the opposite.”  Sarah shrugged.  Maybe it was another little difference between her world and theirs, like the Ennead discrepancy.

     “Look at that.”  Steven said, as the symbol shone green on the ceiling above the slab.

     “What?”

     “Wow, that’s bonkers.”  Sarah commented.

     “Right?”  Steven agreed.  “It’s the royal symbol- protection in the afterlife.”

     “I mean, like, the resources needed to build this thing….”  Layla trailed off, and the three seemed to reach the same conclusion at the same time.  “Her final Avatar was a pharaoh.”

     “Whoa, a bloody pharaoh!”  Steven gushed in excitement.

     “So, what, you think it’s a map?”  Layla theorized.

     “Yeah, well… right, so the Eye of Horus is also the eye of mind, yeah?”

     Sarah nodded.  “Right.  It’s supposed to represent health, wellbeing, protection, that sort of thing.”

     “Representing the six senses- six points.”  Steven continued.  “So you got the eyebrow that denotes thoughts.  Pupil- sight, obviously.  This point here is, uh, hearing.”  He touched the corresponding points as he listed them.

     “Touch is here, and smell here.”  Sarah joined in, pointing to those places.

     “And this long line ending in a spiral… is the tongue.”

     Layla nodded.  “The Avatar would be Ammit’s voice.”  She reasoned.

     “That’s right.”  Concurred Steven.

     “So, we find the tongue point of this place, we find the ushabti.”  Sarah summarized.

     They came almost immediately after to a much larger chamber, which was several stories tall and open.  An altar was present, and mummies- likely of the pharaoh’s servants- in the wall on one side.

     “Oh, wow.”

     “Oh!  Heka priests, judging by their masks and ceremonial stance.”  Layla recognized, shining her torch above the mummies to show the drawings there.

     “I think you’re right.”  Agreed Sarah.  “But that’s not what these mummies are.”

     “The heck’s a Heka?”  Steven questioned.  Sarah whirled on the spot and shot him an incredulous and genuinely shocked look.

     “Sorcerers of their time.”  Layla replied for her.  “They’ve been down here for centuries.  These must be some of the unlucky souls who crossed their path.”

     “Right.  An impressive sendoff.”  Steven said.  Turning his torch to the altar, he abruptly gagged and covered his mouth.  “Oh my God, oh God.  Is that fresh blood?  Isn’t that little chunks of meaty bits?”

     Sarah tensed, directing her own beam to the same place that he and Layla were looking.  Abruptly, an image flashed into her head- a trail of her own blood on the alley floor, the night too dark for it to be immediately recognizable as red and blood.  She inhaled sharply, turning her head for a moment as she collected her wits.

     “Oh, yeah.”  Layla confirmed grimly.  “Oh.  Sarah, come here.”

     Reluctantly, Sarah complied.  Crouching beside Layla, she took in the sight of several canopic jars gathered at the base of the altar, their lids shaped to represent different deities- mostly Anubis, which made sense.  Horrifyingly, several of them were smeared with fresh blood as well.

     “Canopic jars.”  She told Steven, standing up.  “Some… may have been recently filled.  I don’t want any more information on that.”

     “Let’s keep moving.”  Layla suggested, unsettled now.

     “Yeah.”  Agreed Steven and Sarah in unison.

     However, Steven came to a halt almost immediately, prompting them to do the same.  “Um, just a minute.  Uh, just a minute.  Uh… I’m just, like, just saying what I see, and I see lots of bones and blood going that way.”  He indicated out the doorway, the same way they’d intended to go.  “So I’m just thinking, like, what if there’s maybe another- um, there’s like another- there’s an opening up there.  You see that?”  He shined his torch on what seemed to be a passageway on another level of the chamber.

     “Yeah.”  Layla confirmed.

     “Should we check it out?”

     “Yeah, let’s check it out.”  Agreed Layla.

     “Alright.”

     “Alright.  You go.”  She urged.

     “Me?”  Steven asked, flabbergasted.

     “You.”

     “Yeah, alright.  Yeah.”  It was obvious to both women that he really didn’t want to prod around up there.

     Sarah forced herself to move.  “C’mon, I’ll go with you.”  She crouched beside the wall, clasping her hands to make a foothold for him to step onto to better lift himself up onto their target platform.

     “What’re you doing?”  He questioned.

     “Helping you.  You step on my hands and go up first, and then you can pull me up, yeah?”

     “Er- well, alright, yeah.”  He agreed.  Reluctantly placing one foot on her joined hands, he reached upward, and she hoisted him as he clawed at the wooden platform to pull himself onto it.  “Alright, yeah.  I did it, I’m up.”  He announced in a whisper a moment later.

     “You good?”  Layla asked.

     “Yeah.  Your turn, Sarah.”  He turned around, reaching both arms down.

     “Do you need a boost?”  Layla offered.

     “I’m fine, thanks.”  Sarah replied, wrapping her hands around Steven’s arms below the elbow, his hands clasping her arms in the same fashion.  After a moment, the edge of the platform was digging into her stomach, and she let go of Steven with one hand to plant on the wooden boards and assist her in pulling herself up.  “Alright, I’m up.”  She called down to Layla.

     Standing, the pair immediately trained their lights on the hieroglyph-covered wall.  “So, according to the ancient texts, Ammit should be bound to an ushabti- those statue thingies.”  Steven began.  He turned around, his torch’s beam catching on the long strips of fabric hanging from the ceiling and swaying lightly in the air.

     “How’s it looking?”  Layla called up.

     “It’s looking amazing.”  Steven replied in a slightly horrified wonder as he turned his attention to the table (possibly altar) set up on the platform.  Sarah’s eyes traced over the items on it and immediately looked away as she repressed the urge to vomit.  “I mean, this… it looks like a freshly-filled canopic jar, and snake skins, and self-regeneration-” Steven began describing exactly what she’d seen.

     “Steven.”  Layla interrupted.  “Steven?”

     “Yeah?”

     “The exit?”

     “Yeah.”  He realized, getting back on track.  Sarah cast one last reluctant glance at the gory table, shuddering at the human arm and still-wet vermillion blood she saw there, and followed Steven.  “It’s mental.”  He muttered.  Peering through a curtain-like arrangement of cloth strips, he drew back a moment later.  “Yeah, yeah, yeah.  We can go this way.”  He confirmed excitedly.

     Sarah breathed a sigh of relief, but before she could voice it, the silence was broken by a gunshot in the distance.  The sound startled all three and put them on high alert.  Sarah tossed her torch from one hand to the other, her dominant hand going to the pistol tucked into the back of her waistband.  A few more gunshots were fired off.

     “Harrow.”  Layla realized.

     “What are they shooting at?”  Steven wondered, equally baffled and worried.

     “Probably whatever the others were shooting at.”  Sarah suggested.  “Those bullet casings we found- someone was here before us and they shot at something, which we already knew, but whatever it was, we didn’t encounter it.  Unless…”  she shot a third look at the table of offal.

     “Unless what?”  Steven pressed, not understanding her train of thought.

     “Unless those Heka priests are out there and we just missed them.”  She blurted, heart suddenly pounding.  She did not want her innards to be put into canopic jars in this horrible place.

     A sudden eerie clicking, clucking, tapping noise from the chamber’s entrance kicked up all their anxieties another notch.  “Hide!  Hide!”  Steven urged, switching off his torch.

     Layla did the same as she and Steven made to conceal themselves, but although Sarah shut hers off also, she took a wary step toward the edge of the platform, only to see a vaguely humanoid figure creeping into the chamber, like Gollum or one of those foul future predators.  Horrifyingly, it was dragging an even more humanoid shape.  Terrified, she scurried backward, but kept it just barely within her sight as it dragged its victim toward the altar in the middle of the chamber and heaved the person up onto it. 

     A moment later, the Heka priest plunged a blade into the cultist’s gut.

     The night before had shaken Sarah more than she cared to admit, with the violence and death all around her, directed toward her and her friends, committed by her and her friends.  But the ritualistic killing of that man was not like the night before.  It wasn’t the actions of the deluded and greedy believing they were doing right; it wasn’t an adrenaline-driven act of desperation and survival and self-preservation.  It was a sickening pagan practice that Sarah was in equal parts intrigued and horrified to witness.  She tried to detach herself from her emotions (namely her fear and empathy) and view the gruesome spectacle through the lenses of an Ancient Egyptologist who should really be fascinated by a real-life Heka sacrifice happening before her eyes.  But Sarah was an empathetic person by nature, and watching someone be butchered and dissected- even someone who was a psychopath and a complete nutter- wasn’t something she could detach from.  Regrettably, she could not tear her eyes from the gruesome spectacle.

     The Heka priest continued making its awful noise as its gory ritual continued, and Sarah could see Layla edging carefully around the altar, which she had had no choice but to hide herself beside.  Fear muffled her disgust and horror, and dread at the thought of Layla being caught and subjected to the same cruel fate made her hands shake.

     Clucking loudly now, the priest abandoned its task, slowly moving around the side of the altar in the same direction that the apparently unaware Layla was.  Had it heard her?  Seen her?  Smelled her?  No matter the reason, it was about to discover her.

     But even as Sarah opened her mouth to shout a warning to her friend and distract the priest, it abruptly jumped up onto the altar.  It jumped again, and again, rapidly ascending the layers of the tomb chamber- right toward Steven.

     Steven shoved to his feet, wordless noises of terror coming from his mouth.  Sarah backed up and moved rapidly toward Steven, her eyes just barely catching blackened fingers between the floorboards of the platform as the Heka priest made its way toward the edge.  A few moments later, it had reached the edge, and its arms came up over the top, ready to climb up and claim Steven and Sarah as its next sacrifice.

     Something abruptly shattered, and the priest halted, dropping back to the floor a moment later.  “Run!”  Steven called to Layla, who had presumably created the diversion.  “We’ll find you!”  The sound of running feet down below confirmed that Layla was fleeing, but as Sarah dared to take a glance over the edge once more she realized in horror that the Heka priest was pursuing her.  Steven moved in Sarah’s peripheral, shoving the table off the platform in an effort to kill the priest.  “I squished it.  I squished it.”  He repeated, both to reassure himself that he had done it and saved Layla and in surprise at himself.

     “C’mon, we need to go!”  Sarah urged, seizing his hand and yanking him toward the exit they’d found.  They ran, and all Sarah could do was pray to whoever was listening that Layla would be alright.

     On and on they went, until the path narrowed, and then opened again, spilling into a large room with a sarcophagus in the middle.  “Oh my days.”  Steven breathed.  “First ones in.  Tomb fit for a pharaoh.”  Their torchlights swept across the chamber, illuminating hieroglyphs, statues of various sizes and characters, and more that Sarah couldn’t even begin to describe.  “Thutmose II… Nefertiti… it’s gotta be one of the big’uns.”  His excitement- elation, was clear in his voice, and reflected just as strongly in Sarah’s heart and mind.  Abruptly, he stopped, and Sarah frowned and looked over her shoulder to find him staring down at a puddle.

     “Marc?”  She guessed.

     “Yeah.  He’s right cheesed off at me.”

     She raised her eyebrows.  “For kissing Layla?”

     “Yep.”

     “Gotcha.  I’ll let you two sort that out.”

     “What’re you gonna do?  Try and drown us now?”  Steven queried a moment later.  He began moving again.  “Yeah.  Oh wow, look at that.  All these relics.  Sarah, come look.”

     She removed her gaze from the walls and ceiling and followed him toward the sarcophagus.  “Macedonian?  No.  What?  No way, that’s not right.  That can’t be right.”

     “It is, though.”  Sarah realized, inspecting the same writings he was.  “It is.  It’s Macedonian, which means…”

     “The only pharaoh… but, I mean, he insisted on calling himself Egyptian.”  Steven continued, struggling with the same mind-boggling conclusion that Sarah had already reached.  “But…”  He stood up from where he had crouched and moved closer to the ornate head of the sarcophagus.  “Sarah, I think we’re looking at the long-lost tomb of-”

     “-Alexander the Great.”  They finished in unison.  They exchanged an awed glance, their eyes wide with mutual glee and fascination, then returned their gazes to the head portion of the sarcophagus lid.  It was similar, of course, to most like it, but Sarah still traced over every detail with her eyes like it was the first time she’d ever seen even a picture of one.  The represented headdress was remarkably preserved, shiny and golden in the light with an ornate cobra in the middle above his head, blue painted onto the snake’s hood.  The color of the shaped face was still intact- if a little dusty- and detailed with gold.  The braided beard, also outlined with gold, was unscratched and unchipped.

     “It’s beautiful.”  Sarah remarked, hesitantly letting her fingertips run over the engravings and carvings and lines and ridges of the coffin.  Dust collected unpleasantly on her sweat-damp fingertips, but she barely even noticed, too engrossed by what lay before her- every Egyptologist and probably many archaeologists’ wet dream- to care about anything else.  Her hand reached the face, the pads of her fingertips tracing across the carved full lips.  “They’re smooth, even after all these centuries.  Minimal damage to anything.  Compared to other tombs I’ve seen, there’s not even that much dust.  I mean, I’ve seen more collect in a single year than what’s on ol’ Lex here.  It’s incredible.”  She turned her eyes to Steven.  “We need to open it and look for the ushabti.  I doubt they’d just leave it lying around.”

     Steven nodded in agreement.  He braced his hands against the edge of the lid and rapidly began drawing in breaths to hype himself up, but after a moment shoved away from it.  “Everything inside me is like, screaming not to open this thing.”

     “Best case scenario, he wakes up looking like Rami Malek and helps us on our quest.”  Sarah joked.

     “Alright, alright, alright.”  He blurted out a moment later, earning a confused frown from Sarah.  She realized after a few seconds that it was probably Marc’s input again.

     “C’mon, we’ll do it together.”  Sarah suggested, placing her hands near the feet, making eye contact with him across the coffin.  “On three, yeah?”

     “Yeah.”

     “One… two… three!”

     And together, their combined strength shoved the cover of the sarcophagus out of place, leaving it balanced across the middle yet still granting them access.  Inside, Alexander the Great’s body was mummified, a number of important items on his bandaged form.  The smell was unpleasant to say the least, but he was remarkably well-preserved.

     “Oh, man.”  Steven spoke, completely awed.

     “I can’t believe we’re seeing this.”  Sarah agreed.

     “No, well, if you’re gonna hide it for all eternity, you’d probably put it in a place where the average looter wouldn’t think to look.”  Steven said.  After a moment, he blinked and looked up at Sarah.  “Ushabti- any guesses?”

     She frowned, peering down at the pharaoh’s corpse.  “I mean, it could’ve been hidden among any of the ceremonial items entombed with him.”  She suggested.  She leaned closer to his exposed feet and shined her light over what she could see.  “If any jars or vessels were put in with him, it might’ve been hidden in one of them, or even put on his body before he was mummified.”  She cast a wary look at Steven.  “I really don’t wanna unwrap a corpse.”

     He made a face.  “Blergh, neither do I.”  A thoughtful frown covered his features, and his gaze moved back to The Great’s head.  “Alexander was the voice of Ammit.”  He said.  He nodded to himself, shuffling in place, and reached for the mummy’s head.  “Alright, I’m gonna try something, I’ll do something here.”

     “Steven.  What the hell are you doing?”  Sarah questioned as he began unwrapping the pharaoh’s face.

     “Sorry.  Oh, God, so sorry.  Sorry, Mr. Great.”  Steven began profusely apologizing to the corpse.  “Er, I’m thinking that maybe-” the bandages around the corpse’s jaw tore, and a moment later an unpleasant cracking sound followed.  Steven tore the entire facial covering off, revealing a skull underneath.  “-I’m thinking that maybe the ushabti’s in his mouth.”

     Sarah tipped her head, considering.  “You may be right.  It’s worth a shot, anyway.”

     Steven nodded, and his fingers pried at the mummy’s closed mouth.  “Alright, open up.”  Abruptly, the jaw entirely detached, and Sarah made a muffled noise of revulsion, bile rising in her throat.  “Oh, sorry Mr. Great.  Sorry.  Couldn’t be more sorry.”  He continued, gingerly reaching into the now much bigger mouth, fingers probing for the ushabti.

     “Do you- Do you want me to do that?”  Sarah offered hesitantly.

     “Nope, nope, I’m already knuckle-deep here.”  Steven returned, and Sarah shuddered.  The visual was unnerving enough.  Within a few moments, Steven’s arm disappeared into the corpse up to the rolled-up sleeve of his shirt, and Sarah pressed a hand over her mouth as bile rose in her throat.  Steven wasn’t faring much better, turning his face away and gagging.  However, after a few long moments, Steven turned back to the corpse, concentration etched into his features.  “Hang on, I can feel something.”  A moment later, he extracted his arm, and in his hand was a small stone figurine of none other but the demon goddess herself.

     “You got it.”  Sarah breathed, unable to tear her eyes from the ushabti.  “Holy shit, Steven.  Holy shit!  You did it!”  She threw her arms around Steven, the sarcophagus between them ignored.

     “I couldn’t have done it without you.”  He told her sincerely, earning a joking eye-roll from Sarah as she pulled back.

     Neither of them knew how badly their luck was about to go.

The symbol Steven draws is the Eye of Ra, but since it’s the Eye of Horus in the show (look up the difference if you want). Since the Ennead was also slightly incorrect, which I’ve previously mentioned, I’m just writing it in as a difference between universes.

The Rami Malek comment is a reference to the first Night At The Museum movie, although he appears in most of them.

[egypt-museum]

Panel of Hesy-Re, Overseer of the Royal Scribes

The relief is almost completely preserved, although it has some damage in the lower and upper parts. Hesy-Re is depicted standing. He wears a short wig with ringlets. Scribal utensils hang over his right shoulder, which consist of an inkpot with two openings for red and black paint, a bag and a long rod, which would hold writing brushes. Both arms hang at his sides and Hesy-Re seems not to hold anything in his hands, although the right hand is largely destroyed.

In front of Hesy-Re is a short offering list, which includes beef, poultry, drinks (e.g. wine) and incense. In the upper part of the panel are Hesy-Re's titles: Great One of the Ten of Upper Egypt, Heka Priest of Mehyt, Father of Min, He who sees Min, Overseer of the Royal Scribes, and Overseer of the Craftsmen of the King. His most notable title was Wer-ibeḥsenjw, meaning either "Great one of the ivory cutters" or "Great one of the dentists", which makes him the earliest named dentist.

Old Kingdom, 3rd Dynasty, ca. 2686-2613 BC. Mastaba of Hesy-Re, Saqqara necropolis. Now in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. CG 1428

[talonabraxas]

Ra (Egyptian God) Talon Abraxas

Ra as Creator

Ancient Egyptian mythology gives credit to a number of different gods for establishing order and making the world, but those most often featured in creation myths are Ra, Atum, Ptah, and the goddess Neith. Whichever gods are named, they always have the same characteristics and power as Ra, and it is thought that Ra was present – and alone – at the birth of creation no matter what name he was known by later. Although the priests of Ptah might claim it was their god who created all things, therefore, the Ptah they cite would actually be Ra. In the case of Atum, he was essentially Ra only by another name, and the same could be said for Neith in her creative capacity.

In the best-known version of the story, there was nothing but swirling waters at the beginning of time when the primordial mound (the ben-ben) rose as the first dry land and Ra the Self-Created stood upon it. He cut his penis open and, from the drops of blood, created Hu (authority) and Sia (mind), and then became aware of his solitude and mated with his own shadow to give birth to Shu (god of air) and Tefnut (goddess of moisture) who left to establish the world. The two were gone a very long time and so Ra sent the Eye of Ra to search for them. When the Eye brought his children back, Ra was so grateful he shed tears of joy which fell on the fertile ben-ben and became men and women.

Recognizing these people had nowhere to live, Shu and Tefnut mated and gave birth to Geb (earth) and Nut (sky). Geb and Nut gave birth to Osiris, Isis, Set, Nephthys, and Horus the Elder, and from these gods, all the others followed. Heka, among the oldest of the gods, is, as noted, thought to have been present already at the act of creation. Each of the gods was given their own sphere of influence so that order would be strictly maintained, and, in today’s parlance, there would be no duplication of services. The gods would henceforth care for the people and, in gratitude, the people would worship and obey the will of the gods. This relationship produced balance and harmony between the people, their gods, the earth, and the afterlife all of which emanated from Ra.

[whencyclopedia]

Egyptian Medical Treatments

The ancient Egyptians experienced the same wide array of disease that people do in the present day, but unlike most people in the modern era, they attributed the experience to supernatural causes. The common cold, for example, was prevalent, but one's symptoms would not have been treated with medicine and bed rest, or not these alone, but with magical spells and incantations. The Ebers Papyrus (dated to c. 1550 BCE), the longest and most complete medical text extant, clearly expresses the Egyptian view of medical treatment: "Magic is effective together with medicine. Medicine is effective together with magic." The magic referred to took the form of spells, incantations, and rituals, which called on higher supernatural powers to cure the patient or treat symptoms.

Heka was the god of magic and also of medicine, but there were a number of deities called upon for different diseases. Serket (Selket) was invoked for the bite of the scorpion. Sekhmet was called upon for a variety of medical problems. Nefertum would be appealed to in administering aroma therapy. Bes and Tawreret protected pregnant women and children. Sobek would intervene in surgeries. One could call upon any god for help, however, and Isis and Hathor were also invoked, as was the demon-god Pazuzu. Even Set, a god associated with chaos and discord, sometimes appears in magic spells because of his protective qualities and great strength. All of these deities, however, no matter how powerful, had to be called by an experienced practitioner and this was the doctor of ancient Egypt; part magician, part priest, and part physician.

Injury & Disease

Physical injury was common in a culture which not only engaged in monumental building projects but had to contend with wild animal attacks from lions, hippos, jackals, and others. Injuries were easily recognized and treated in much the same way they would be today: bandages, splints, and casts. Since the Egyptians had no concept of bacteria or the germ theory, however, the cause of the disease was less clear. The gods were thought to mean only the best for the people of the land, and so the cause of a disease like cancer was as mysterious to the ancient Egyptians as the origin of evil and suffering is for religiously-minded people in the present.

The most common reasons for disease were thought to be sin, evil spirits, an angry ghost, or the will of the gods to teach someone an important lesson. Although the embalmers who dissected the bodies at death were aware of the internal organs and their relationship with each other spatially in the body's cavity, they did not share this information with doctors, and doctors did not consult with embalmers; the two professions were considered distinctly different with nothing of note to contribute to each other.

Doctors were aware that the heart was a pump and that veins and arteries supplied blood to the body, but they did not know how. They were aware of liver disease but not the function of the liver. The brain was considered a useless organ; all thought, feeling, one's character, was believed to come from the heart. A woman's uterus was believed to be a free-floating organ which could affect every other part of the body. Still, although their understanding of physiology was limited, Egyptian physicians seem to have been quite successful in treating their patients and were highly regarded by other cultures.

Continue reading...

[worldserasingandcreatinginmymind]

Bloody Beetle | Part Five

Summary: you journey into the tomb with Steven and Layla, but will you get to Ammit before Harrow gets to you...

Pairing: Steven/Marc x Reader, Layla x Reader, Harrow x Reader

Word Count: 3.3k

Warnings: Heka priests, deaths (I’m sorry 😭), Harrow being Harrow

A/N: as always spelling and grammar are not my strongest skills so please be kind :)

Part Four | Series Masterlist

- - - - -

“Y/N!” the British voice you didn’t realise you’d missed so much. “Y/N, oh thank God!”

You crawl out from under the bed and you just about have time to get to your feet before he’s pulling you in for the tightest hug you’ve ever received. You let yourself sink into his embrace for just a second before pulling away.

“Are you alright?” He starts to anxiously ramble “I thought you were dead-”

“You can drop the act. I know who you really are, Marc Spector. Harrow explained it all to me. He told me you were a mercenary and that everything the police said in the car that night, about how you killed people… It’s all true. And that’s why you pretended to be Steven. Pretended to be my friend-

"I AM your friend..."

"A friend wouldn't have just given Harrow the scarab and left me behind."

“No no no, Y/N, that’s not what happened at all. I lost the scarab while being chased out of there by a jackal that he summoned! I tried to get to you, so did Layla. I would never just leave you." He reaches out for you but you back away. “Please, you have to believe me!”

“I don't know what to believe anymore.” You say sadly.

“Y/N…” he stops talking, his eyes rolling back and when he looks at you again he’s completely different. “Y/N, I don't have time right now but I promise I will tell you the truth.”

“Marc..? What just happened?”

“We need to stop Harrow first and then I will explain everything. I promise.” Marc is interrupted by Maya running back into the tent, her gun aimed at him.

“You need to leave!” She says, trying to sound threatening but you can see pure panic in her eyes.

"Maya, its okay." You try to calm her. "Just put the gun away."

"I can't. Harrow- he'll be so mad at me. This isn't supposed to be happening-" Maya rambles, but when Marc moves slightly she refocuses on him. "You have to leave!"

“No, I think you should leave.” Layla says as she sneaks in behind Maya and yanks the gun straight out her hand. Maya runs and Layla sees you. She looks just as surprised as Steven had. “Y/N! You look good for someone who's supposed to be dead.”

“What are you talking about? Why would you think I was dead?"

"Because that's what Harrow is telling people." Marc says.

"Bu why would lie about that?"

“Because that's just what he does. He lies and manipulates people. which is one of the reasons we have to get to Ammit’s ushabti before he does.”

— — — —

The three of you make your way outside just in time to see Maya disappear down into the tomb.

“Shit, she’ll warn Harrow that we’re here.” Layla says as you run to the dig site. “Ah.” She says once you get to there.

“What's the problem?” Marc asks.

“I wasn’t expecting Y/N to be with us, I only have two harnesses. I can go find another?”

“No, it’s alright. That will take too long. Harness me up and I’ll carry her down with me.”

“Are you sure?” You say, anxiety rippling through you.

“Yeah, it’s not that far down. We’ll be fine.”

Layla gets her harness on then helps Marc get into his. As she's tightening his straps you see his eyes roll like they did before and notice his whole posture change again.

“I have to say, I feel like I’ve been waiting for this my whole life.” Steven's voice says as Layla helps him tighten the straps on his harness, completely unfazed by his changed accent. “The adventure, I mean.”

“We want what we’ve never had.” She finishes preparing his harness and gets ready. “I’m gonna go down first. Before I belay.”

“Right, yeah… what’s belay?” Steven asks, and Layla laughs.

“I still can’t tell when you're joking or not.” She says before clipping rope to the front of her harness and disappearing down the shaft. Steven looks at you.

“Belay?” He says, and you shrug.

“I have no idea.” You half laugh. “Are you sure you can do this?”

“It’ll be fine.” He says, not at all convincingly. He copies Layla, attaching the rope to the front of his harness then gestures for you to come over. You awkwardly put your arms around his neck and he lifts you. Its surprises you how strong he is. He cradles you to him and takes a breath before taking a step. But as he reaches the edge, his foot slips and you both tumble down into the darkness. Steven’s body acts as an air bag as he hits the ground, still holding you tightly. You land with a thud in a cloud of dust and sand. It takes you a moment to realise your lying on top of Steven, your face less than an inch away from his.

“Are you okay?” Layla asks, rushing over and helping you up.

“Yeah, I think so.” You reply, turning to give Steven a hand. “Steven?”

“I’m aces.” He says, grunting as he gets to his feet. “I wish you hadn’t seen that… oh wow, look at you.”

You look at him and realise he’s looking past you. You turn to see the huge ancient sculptures behind you, similar to the ones you used to see every day in the museum. Only these ones weren’t made out of polystyrene just to decorate an exhibition. This is the real deal.

“Oh yeah, they’re gorgeous.” Layla agrees. “Just standing guard for centuries!”

“Right! Look I can’t even…” Steven looks like all his Christmas came at once, he’s so excited. You can’t help but feel happy for him, and wonder if what Harrow said could be true. Could he really fake being this excited. “If they just sprang to life right now and asked me a riddle for passage I’d be thrilled! I’d shit myself, but id be thrilled.”

You and Layla exchange a look, silently laughing at the adorable dork in the room.

Once Steven finished fangirling over the reality of where you were right now, the three of you started to make your way further into the tomb.

“Strange.” Steven says quietly as you follow the winding corridors.

“It’s a maze.” Layla says.

“It’s a-maze-ing.” Steven jokes and you roll your eyes, but secretly want to laugh at his little pun. He is fully loving life right now.

“No, like there are six paths.” Layla explains. She bends down, picking up bullets left on the ground. “What would they be shooting at?”

“Six points.” Steven mumbles to himself, ignoring Layla's question about the bullets as he starts to draw something in the sand. “This whole structure is a symbol.”

You and Layla join Steven and look at what he’s drawn. You recognise it from one of the books in the museum.

“That’s the eye of Horus, right?” You ask.

“The royal symbol of protection in the afterlife.” Steven agrees.

“I mean, the resources needed to build this thing!” Layla realises, “Her final avatar was a pharaoh.”

“Woah!” Steven breathes “A bloody pharaoh!”

“You think it’s a map?” You ask.

“Yeah well… the eye of Horus is also the eye of mind yeah? Representing the six senses, six points. So you got the eyebrow that denotes thoughts. Pupil, sight, obviously. This point here is hearing. Smell. Touch. And this long line ending in a spiral is the tongue.”

“The avatar would be Ammit’s voice.” Layla suggests, and Steven nods.

“That’s right.”

You follow them further into the tomb, to a dark room with a sort of stone table in the middle. Layla shines her torch around the walls, revealing ancient drawings on them.

“Heka priests! Judging by their masks and ceremonial stance. They would have been entombed in here to protect the pharaoh. Sorcerers of their time. They’ve been down here for centuries.” She moves her torch to shine on mummified figures in the wall. “These must be some of the unlucky souls who crossed their path.”

You shine your torch at the stone table.

“Oh my God.” Steven gags. “Oh God, is that fresh blood? Little chunks of meaty bits?”

Layla crouches down to examine blood covered jars and tools before saying “Let’s keep moving.”

You start walking towards the exit but when Steven puts his arm out to stop you, you notice the blood trail leading to a pile of bones.

“Just a minute.” Steven says, any excitement he previously had now replaced by fear. “Im just stating what I see, and I see lots of bones and blood going that way. So I’m just thinking like, what if there’s another…” he shines his torch around the room, stopping and pointing up. “There’s an opening up there. You see that? Should we check it out?”

“Alright, you go.” Layla says and Steven starts climbing up to the platform. “Go with him? So he doesn’t fall again.” She asks you with a smirk and you nod. The floorboards creak as you pull yourself up, following Steven.

“So according to ancient text, Ammit should be bound to an ushabti, those statue thingies.” He says as you look around. Steven starts rambling again about all the amazing ancient things he’s seeing, but Layla reminds him he’s supposed to be looking for an exit. “Oh yeah, yeah we can go this way.”

The sound of guns firing makes you all jump.

“Harrow.” You whisper.

“What are they shooting at?” Steven asks.

“I don't know.” Layla starts, but stops when she hears a clicking sound.

“Hide, hide!” Steven frantically whispers as he helps you find somewhere to shelter. You peer over the side and see Layla duck down behind the stone table as a figure enters the room, dragging a body behind it. The thing lifts the body up onto the table and you realise it’s one of Harrow’s people, the male police officer. He’s half awake and groaning as the thing that dragged him in reaches over and picks up one of the sharp tools from the side. It lifts it in the air and plunges it down into the mans body with a squelch. You cover your mouth and look away, over at Steven who looks just as horrified. You look down at Layla, who is still crouched hiding by the table. Right by the jars that the creature has started putting the man’s organs into. She slowly starts to move around to the other side, away from them but she knocks into a jar, alerting the creature to her presence. Steven leans forward, closer to the edge to get a better look but the floorboard creaks under him. He freezes as the thing jumps up onto the table and then up to cling to the underside of the platform you are on. Steven starts to full panic as you look around for a way out, just as Layla launches a jar at the wall. It smashes, grabbing the creatures attention.

“Run! I’ll find you!” Steven yells down to Layla, who makes an escape out the room. “Help me.” He calls over to you and you help him push a table off the platform. It lands on the creature. “We squished it. We squished it!” He gasps, turning and hugging you in relief.

“Yeah we squished it, what exactly was it?” You say breathlessly.

“Heka priest. We should go before any more of them turn up.”

“There’s more of them?!”

Steven grabs your hand and pulls you through the exit. He leads you through more corridors, occasionally stopping to admire a sculpture or ancient drawing. Eventually you find yourselves in a large, magnificent room.

“Oh my days!” Steven gasps. “First ones here. Tomb fit for a pharoah. Its gotta be one of the bigguns.”

You just smile at him as he continues rambling in amazement at everything in the room. You have to admit, it is pretty impressive. But Steven is the real expert on all this stuff. You cross the stepping stones through the water to the middle of the room where the sarcophagus lies.

“Oh wow, look at that! Look at all these relics. Macedonian? No, what?” He crouches down to look at the inscriptions on the side of the sarcophagus. “No way. That can’t be right.”

“What is it?”

“That's Macedonian. But the only pharaoh…but he insisted on calling him self Egyptian.”

“Steven you're not making any sense. What are you saying?”

“I think were looking at the long lost tomb of Alexander the Great.”

“You're kidding?” You ask and he looks at you in amazement. You don't know why but you both start laughing. “Let's get it open.”

You both place your hands on the top, getting ready to push. Steven takes a few breaths then stops.

“Everything inside me is screaming not to open this thing.” He says.

“I know, but Harrow-”

“Alright, alright, alright.” He places his hands back on the top and takes a deep breath. You count to three then push with all your strength. The lid slides open to reveal a mummified corpse lying inside. Even though thats exactly what you expected to see, it still startled you that that is an actual dead person. The actual Alexander the Great.

“Right so, what are we looking for?” you ask.

“If you're gonna hide it for all eternity, you’d probably put it in a place where the average looter wouldn’t think to look.” He thinks. “Alexander was the voice of Ammit...”

You both look at the head, completely wrapped in cloth.

“You don't think…” you start, really hoping Steven isn’t about to suggest what you think he’s going to suggest. You really don't want to see what the body looks like underneath that cloth.

“I'm gonna try something.” He starts to remove the cloth from the head. “Sorry. Oh God, so sorry. Sorry Mr Great.”

The fabric rips revealing the Alexander’s skull, which Steven apologises to again before prying open its mouth and reaching inside. He searches deep inside the skull, gagging a few times before slowly pulling out the a small statue that looks like Ammit.

“Is that it? You got it?” You ask, hope rising that Harrow might not succeed.

“Yeah, yeah we got it.” Steven says with a smile. You smile back before you pull each other in for a hug. You pull apart when you hear footsteps and look to see Layla enter. “Layla look. We won!” He holds the ushabti in the air, a hug grin on his face. But Layla doesn’t smile. She looks likes she’s been crying.

“Are you okay?” You ask.

“Can he hear me?” She asks Steven, ignoring you completely. Now that she’s closer you can see she looks angry.

“Alexander? I don't think so.” Steven chuckles. “God, I hope not.”

“What happened to my father?” She says, getting closer to him. He looks baffled. “I’m talking to you... I’m talking to Marc!” She shoves him and he pauses, his eyes rolling back.

“Come on.” He says, his deep American voice is serious and he tries to pull Layla with him. “We need to go right now.”

“No!” Layla shakes him off. “What happened to my father?”

“Listen to me. We have to leave right now. I will explain everything, I swear. But we have to go!”

“Did you kill Abdullah El Faouly?” Layla asks and Marc pauses. A tense silence fills the air.

“I’m just gonna- I’ll give you a minute.” You say awkwardly as you back away towards the entrance Layla came in through.

“Stay close!” Marc calls to you and you nod before stepping just outside into the corridor. You can still hear their raised voices but at least you don't feel like a spectator to their private conversation now.

As you stand in the dark corridor, trying not to listen to the argument happening just a few feet away, you're suddenly aware that you're not alone. You spin around to see Harrow stood looking at you. He doesn’t look shocked to see you, but he does look disappointed. Like a parent that has just caught their child doing something wrong. You freeze, like a deer caught in headlights as his disciples start charging past you into the tomb, leaving you and Harrow alone. He doesn’t take his eyes off you.

“As disappointed as I am that you disobeyed my order, I am glad you are here to see me take my victory.”

He starts to move towards you and you bolt, trying to run past him to warn Layla and Marc. But he catches you, grabbing you by the arm and pulling you into the room himself. You’re surprised to find Marc left stood on his own, holding an axe, ready to fight. He falters slightly when he realises Harrow has hold of you. Harrow looks at Marc and smiles, before handing you over to Bobbi.

“Just you. The rest is silence.” He says as he takes a few slow steps towards Marc. “I remember the first morning I woke up knowing that Khonshu was gone. The quiet was liberating. You're a free man.” He walks closer to Marc. “And of course with that freedom comes choice. And right now you have a very important decision to make.”

“Okay.” Marc responds.

“No Marc, don’t!” You shout, causing Bobbi to tighten her grip on you and put her hand over your mouth.

Harrow glances at the disciples to the side of him, who start advancing on Marc, guns aimed at him. Marc just stands completely still until they get close enough then he starts his attack, easily taking out three of them. Harrow steps forward, raising a gun that you didn’t even see him holding and points it at Marc.

Before you have a chance to even try to fight, Harrow pulls the trigger. A bullet hits Marc straight in the chest. He stumbles backwards, pain on his face as his white shirt starts to stain red. You scream in Bobbi’s grasp and Harrow locks eyes with you for a moment before turning back and firing a second, fatal bullet at Marc. It hits, sending him falling backwards into the water.

“I can’t save anyone who won’t save themselves.” Harrow says as he watches Marc’s life’s body float in the water.

You manage to swing your arm around to hit Bobbi in the stomach, causing her to release her grip on you and you rush forward, past Harrow and straight into the water, pulling Marc's body up to cradle him.

“Steven?” You cry, not caring that the mix of water and bloody is soaking into your clothes. “Steven please. Wake up, please.”

Harrow comes up behind you, placing a hand on your shoulder but you instantly push him away.

“Get off me!” You shout, Harrow looks completely unfazed. “Stay away from me! You're a murderer!”

“We must move on.” he holds his hand out to you.

“No! I’m not leaving him.” You argue. “I would rather die than go anywhere with you!”

For the briefest moment you think Harrow almost looks hurt by your statement. But then his face changes again.

“I can see you’re upset, you're not in your right mind.”

“Oh my mind is perfectly right.” You say as you stand up, face to face with Harrow. “I never want to see you again.” You say through gritted teeth before turning your back on him and returning to Marc’s side.

“This is your last chance Y/N.” He warns, and you ignore him. “Very well.” 

Suddenly two pairs of hands grasp yours arm, yanking you up to your feet as two disciples drag you away kicking and screaming out of the water and hold you as Harrow and two disciples go to Steven’s body.

“Don't you dare touch him!” Your shout falling on deaf ears as the disciples drag Steven out of the water. Harrow crouches down beside him as the disciple hands him Ammit’s ushabti. He smiles before looking at Steven. 

“I’m sorry it had to be this way, Marc Spector, Steven Grant…” he pauses as he places the scarab beetle on Steven’s chest “whoever else might be in there.” He uses his cane to help him stand back up and turns to face the crowd of disciples, but his focus is on you. “Sometimes we need the cold light of death before we can see reality.”

You struggle against the hands that have you restrained but they just hold you tighter, forcing you down to your knees to bow as Arthur holds the ushabti high for everyone to see. 

You hear the sound of footsteps as someone runs into the room. For a moment you feel hope as you think it could be Layla with a plan to stop him, but when you see Maya run up to Harrow the hope quickly dies. 

“Harrow, sir, I am so so sorry.” She rambles breathlessly. “I was trying to find you, to warn you, but I got lost in these tunnels.” She pauses, looking at him with sad eyes. “I’ve failed you.” 

“Yes, you have.” He says, completely emotionless as he turns his attention away from her. From the look on her face you can tell her heart has just broken. She backs away from him and stands alone near the wall.

“Who wants to heal the world?”

The disciples around you get up and start making their way back out of the tomb. Harrow starts walking over towards you but suddenly stops when he hears Maya following.

“Not you.” He says, not even turning to face her. 

“S-sir..?” She says, confusion on her face. 

“This is the end for you.” He reaches into his pocket and before Maya has a chance to register whats happening he turns and shoots her in the chest with the same gun he killed Steven with. You gasp and try to get to her slump as she slumps painfully to the ground, but the disciples holding you keep you firmly in place, still kneeling on the floor.

“Why- why did you do that?!” A sob escaping your throat as Harrow comes to stand by you. “She was just a young girl!!”

“She let him get to you. She put you in danger… I can’t have that.”

“The only reason I’m in danger is because of you!” You say shakily and Harrow looks down at you. He doesn’t say anything, he just reaches his hand down to wipe the tears from under your eyes. Then he walks past you, gesturing for the disciples to follow. As they harshly pull you up to your feet, you can’t take your eyes off of Maya’s lifeless body. Her glossy eyes staring at you as they drag you away, leaving her forever resting in the tomb of Alexander the Great.

Part Six

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[himevampirechan]

Vanishipping Fanfic: Duat Chapter 1

Hi. It's wonderful to be able to take the time to post on Tmblr!

Life keeps moving forward and, honestly, it's been dragging me down like an old rag; because of that I've decided that, for the sake of my mood, I must force myself to fight my writer's block. I was happy to receive feedback on the ‘prologue’ of this fanfiction, although slow it is one of the stories I am most excited to continue writing and for that I thank you deeply.

Before continuing with the first chapter, I would like to point out that this story is set after the end of the series; it even takes place AFTER the events of the movie: ‘Yu-Gi-Oh: The Dark Side of Dimensions’.

Atem is NOT in the past, nor has Anzu travelled back in time; Atem is in what, for the Egyptians, exists at the end of life. I understand it can be a bit confusing but, as the story progresses, it gets better explained; don't forget to check the notes at the end of each chapter!

IMPORTANT: Tomorrow, I will upload the English version of this chapter; likewise, I plan to upload later this week chapter 3 of my other REVO fanfic: ‘Part Time Job.’

Enjoy!

(...)

Chapter 1

Dawn surprises Atem outside the room where the hekas and nuns are checkup to Anzu. Between giving instructions to the guards and being interrogated by isolated members of his council of priests, the young pharaoh has refused to leave.

Hours before and after discovering the identity of the young woman, the pharaoh left the temple struggling with hysteria. After summoning his horse with a whistle and covering the girl's nakedness with the riding sheet, he had hurried back to the palace for help.

`As soon as I entered the palace´ he thinks, watching from his position the movement of the servants going in and out of the room. `Siamun and Isis brought her into this room. ´

They had taken her from his arms, and the thought of getting away from her had hurt so much that Mana had to restrain him from slamming the door in anguish. Suddenly exhausted, Atem sits on the floor with his back against the wall, hiding his face behind clenched fists.

“I've been waiting all night and I don't know…” He whispers, staring at the door as if he can tell what's going on inside. “I don't know if she's all right.”

The sound of footsteps brings the young man out of his thoughts, standing up he watches several people leave the room, one after the other. In their arms they carry vases, bottles, linen bandages and sheets; his anxious heart leaps as he notices that a few are stained with something than looks like blood.

He takes two hurried steps towards the door as Isis and Siamun are in sight. Atem stands firm on his feet, staring at them with a thousand questions in his crimson eyes; the old man takes his forearms in a fatherly gesture.

“She is fine, my pharaoh,” he says, trying to calm the young man's anxiety, the old man's words lifting an invisible weight from his shoulders. “She doesn't seem seriously injured, she's been checked and is asleep.”

“Thank you," he whispers.

Siamun smiles at his gesture, affectionately stroking the boy's cheek with the palm of his hand. After a few seconds the pharaoh's eyes shine with determination, he straightens up and takes two steps into the room; no one notices the smile on Isis' face who, stepping sideways, steps between the door and the boy.

“You can't come in, Pharaoh,” says the brunette, her face serious, her gaze piercing him. Atem looks at her in surprise.

“Why?” asks the young man, his eyes darting from the priestess to Siamun in confusion. The old man slowly shakes his head in a resigned gesture, sensing a growing irritation in the ruler.

“The lady needs rest,” the priestess replies with a sympathetic smile on her face. Atem opens his mouth to complain, but the old man again taps his shoulder paternally.

“It has been a long and intense night for all of us, my pharaoh," he says once Atem looks at him. “It would be best for you and your friend to regain your strength. Besides, I think you need to go to the throne room and clarify the situation with the members of the royal council; especially if your plans involve the girl staying as a guest inside the palace.”

Atem frowns as he analyses the old man's words, after a few seconds he lowers his face in resignation, knowing that even his concern is overridden by his duty as the Pharaoh of Kemet.

`We still do not know what really happened in the temple of Osiris. And Anzu, who is the only one who possibly knows, needs to rest´ Atem reflects, knowing that he cannot afford to risk Anzu's recovery by showing the council a poor choice of priorities.

Isis and Siamun stare at him as he thinks, can't help but feel a pang of pride as they see him stand tall and strong like the ruler he is; Atem looks back at them, his scarlet eyes full of confidence.

“Siamun: Meet with Seto, see that the saru are complete in the throne room, including my father. I need his presence during the meeting.” The old man smiles and bows before leaving to carry out the order. “Isis,” continues the boy with a more serious expression. “Considering the nature of the situation, we must be discreet: I need you to wear the millennium necklace, because you and Mahado to double security inside and outside the palace until we can figure out what happened tonight. After that, sends someone for Mana: I need her to look after my guest for the duration of the meeting.”

They stare at each other for a few seconds, a slight smile creeps across the woman's face, Atem returns the gesture with confidence. With a nod, the priestess bows and walks down the hall.

“I'll see you in the throne room," Atem whispers, watching her walk away, unable to take in the woman's mischievous look and the sudden gleam of the millennium necklace.

A few seconds pass before Atem notices that he's alone in the place; he resolutely starts walking towards the throne room, but an anxious feeling fills his stomach. He looks over his shoulder at the entrance to the room where Anzu is.

`It's not an illusion´ he thinks firmly, trying to convince himself. “It's not a dream.”

The desire to see her becomes unbearable, closing his eyes he remembers the warmth of her skin, the feel of her silky hair, her smell. Anzu is in there, a few steps away, and for a few seconds, the young ruler considers the possibility of entering the room. The memory of Bakura's manic smile flashes through his mind.

"She is safe," he shakes his head, trusting the words of Siamun and Isis. Bakura is gone and the appearance of her friend from the future must have a logical explanation; it's something they need to find out, but to do so he must be able to keep the girl safe in the palace. Anzu needs to rest, regain strength and he must prepare to lead the meeting with the council.

Atem looks one last time at the door of the room over his shoulder, taking a deep breath he begins to walk down the hallway.

"Wait a little longer, Anzu," he thinks, clasping the chain hanging from the millennium puzzle around his neck in his right hand. “I'll keep you safe.

(...)

“...Witnesses mention that the light fell directly on the Temple of Osiris; however, we have found no damage to the building, and no injured people among the civilians. Neither Hem netcher, nor the Sem noticed anything strange before it happened and only understood than something was happening when they saw Pharaoh Atem arrive at the sanctuary.”

Glances and whispers are exchanged among the council members. Atem, seated on his throne, listens intently with a serious expression.

“This is strange” he thinks, watching the council members exchange questions and gestures. “Shada mentioned that the speakers were inside the temple, but I didn't see anyone on the premises.”

“Was there any damage, unrelated to the event in the city?” asked his father in an attempt to lessen the restlessness in the room. “Any sieges, injuries?”

“There were none, Your Majesty,” replies the man in charge of notifying the measures taken during the early hours of the morning. “Regardless of the confusion, we can be sure that the people of Kemet are safe.”

There are whispers again among the people present. Mahado glances slyly at Atem, who nods in return.

“You are discharged” the priest says with a wave of his hand; the military captain nods and, taking three steps back, heads for the exit.

"Despite its intensity, the glow was harmless.” Immersed in his thoughts, Atem ignores the gazes on him. What was its function? Where did it come from?

The doors close, snapping Atem out of his thoughts. The council watches him intently, and he can feel the tension in his father's body; he can be sure that most of the people in the throne room are as confused as he is.

“Priestess Isis,” Atem calls after a few seconds, startling those present. She takes a step forward, kneeling in front of the throne, "Did your millennium item alert you in advance to the situation we found ourselves in?”

“No, my pharaoh," the young woman replies, her eyes fixed on the ground. Surprised murmurs rise in the room.

“Priest Seto," he continues, watching his cousin mimic the brunette's position “Same question.”

“No, my pharaoh," the brown-haired man replies, taping the golden sceptre to his chest. This seems to surprise the members of the council even more. The question is also put to Karim and Siamun, the refusal is absolute; new whispers fill the room.

Atem stares at them in silence and exchanges a glance with his father, who nods his head in a gesture of confidence. The young ruler takes a breath before standing up to speak.

“It is obvious that we do not have all the information we need about what happened last tonight," he says confidently, the council members watching him carefully. “However, that the millennium items showed no alteration from what happened is a clear proof that the kingdom is not in danger. Still, we must continue to look for evidence, in case another unexpected event should occur.” His deep, rich voice echoes in the silence with authority. “Shada!”

“¿Yes, my pharaoh?” replies the priest, kneeling in front of him.

“Mobilise more soldiers to increase security inside the city; please be discreet, we don't want to create panic among the people.”

“Yes, my pharaoh," exclaims Shada before quickly leaving the room followed by the senior military leaders.

"That will keep the civilians safe, but it doesn't rule out some internal danger," Atem thinks sternly. Lifting his gaze, he meets the piercing scrutiny of the wielder of the millennium eye. “Ankhnadin!” Atem continues, confident that his uncle knows his concerns.

“¿Yes, my pharaoh?” The old man takes several steps forward without kneeling. The boy does not take his gesture into account, the betrayal by the older man is in the past.

“I need to you, Karim and Mahado to check the other temples near the area where the light fell. We must rule out any other occurrences during the night.”

Several voices whisper in the room, Atem can sense their hesitation with a decision that seems unnecessary. The three priests begin to stir as an idea occurs to the pharaoh.

“One more thing!” he exclaims, the priests pause to listen to the rest of the order. A dark, authoritative smile creeps across Atem's mouth, startling some of those present. “Questions the speakers of Osiris again.” A few surprised gasps are Heard “I leave it in your hands Ankhnadin.”

A terrifying tension fills the throne room, filling the council members with chills; Atem sees, out of the corner of his eye, his father's approving smile. The message has been sent and it is clear: Interrogate them, see into their minds and verify that they are not lying. If they lie, they must be punished.

“Yes, my pharaoh," replies the bearer of the golden eye with understanding and a satisfied smile. The three priests return and head for the exit.

Mahado watches the young pharaoh out of the corner of his eye as he walks away, Atem's cold expression turns to a pleading look; the wizard nods. So many years of friendship have given Mahado the tools to know his concerns perfectly.

He leaves knowing that his childhood friend and ruler will confidently wait for the priests to return with the answers they need.

As the door closes, not a single person dares to speak. Ignorant of the young pharaoh's doubts and worries, those present wonder whether the changes that night signal a shift in the balance of the Maat, and how the orders taken by the ruler might affect them.

“The rest of us..." Atem continues after a few seconds, "will wait.”

Expressions of surprise flood the room, Atem squares his shoulders and surveys those present in a gesture that leaves no room for doubt.

“I refuse to take action without some clue as to what is happening. I will not put my kingdom at risk until I see the entire game board!” There are whispers in the room. Mostly from the weaker parts of the council: nobles, scribes, priests and sons of military men who, even in the afterlife, do not cease to question his authority.

“Pharaoh," one dares to speak, Atem observes him, having a bad feeling about his conciliatory voice. “Maybe if we force her to speak, the woman from the temple...”

Atem interrupts him by standing up and slamming his fist hard against the throne, the metallic clang of his rings on impact forcing those present into silence. The nobleman cringes under the young ruler's furious gaze.

“KEMMET'S SAFETY IS OUR PRIORITY!” he exclaims in a voice so full of anger that its sound reverberates off the walls. “I will take no further action until the city and the people are safe. THAT IS MY ORDER!”

Feeling the oppressive tension in the room, Atem sits back down with both arms firmly at his sides and one leg crossed over the other; a distinctive gesture that makes him exude authority, elegance and confidence, yet his angry face makes several present feel the need to run away.

“Yes, Your Highness," the nobleman whispers, ducking his head. After a few seconds, Atem glances sideways at Siamun, nodding his head. The vizier nods slightly.

“all of you are discharged" the old man orders as usual. Silently the people begin to leave, some whispering among themselves and watching with interest the distant, shadowed gaze of the young ruler.

Soon the throne room is empty. Atem drops his head, wearily massaging the bridge of his nose.

“Well done, my son," Aknamkanon whispers, approaching the young ruler, Atem lifts his head back with his face unhinged in concern.

“Thank you father," he whispers with a frown. “But we haven´t another choice right now.”

Only the two rulers, the priest Siamun and Seto, remain in the room. Atem closes his eyes, dizzy, breathing irregularly.

“Pharaoh, are you all right?” asks Siamun in a low voice, looking at him with paternal concern.

“Hai, Daijoubu Oji chan," he whispers in a trembling voice without looking at the old man; realising his mistake, Atem feels his chest tighten with an emotion that makes him want to hide his face. “I'M FINE!” he corrects embarrassed. “Really, SIAMUN, there's nothing wrong.”

The old man looks at him with a confused look on his face at his strange words. Atem looks away from the others, biting his lip in a clear sign of stress; a voice in the back of his head reminds him that Anzu is a few rooms away and that he should go to her before the girl wakes up, alone and confused in that unknown place.

“Pharaoh Atem," a curt voice calls out to him. Atem comes out of his thoughts with a start, turns his face and looks at his cousin who glares at him with his cold blue irises.

“What's wrong, Seto?” he replies, watching the chestnut with a raised eyebrow, aware of the unspoken meaning of his penetrating gaze: Seto wants answers and immediately.

The priest hisses in annoyance with a tense jaw.

“ I think it's time you told us about your host and her relationship to what's happening" he exclaims coldly, taking two menacing steps towards the tricolour.

“SETO!” cries Siamun, scandalised by the priest's tactlessness towards his king; however, both young men ignore him and observe each other in a long and silent discussion.

It is no secret that the council finds interesting the mania of both boys to challenge each other in duels of will; always ready to push the other to the limits of his reasoning.

Being both young and talented they seem to positively strengthen each other using their born rivalry. However, there are rare occasions where there is real annoyance during these interactions and Seto's sudden aggressiveness seems to show that he does not completely agree with the decisions made by the young pharaoh.

“This is the second time I've seen that expression on his face," thinks Atem. “The first time was shortly before I sealed my soul inside the millennium puzzle."

Atem sighs, looking away resignedly and losing his battle with the brown man.

“You're right, Seto. I will tell you everything, however, there is one person I need to visit first” The young pharaoh looks up to meet the serious face of his father, who looks at him, aware that his son needs to speak to him alone.

“Siamun," says Aknamkanon, keeping his eyes on his son. “Inform us when the priests return from their missions, and we will meet you in the strategy room when that happens.”

“Yes, Your Majesty," the old man rasps, bowing and hurrying out of the room. He can't help but glance over his shoulder at the three men remaining in the room.

“Seto," Atem calls, rising from his throne. The chestnut, still wearing an annoyed expression, takes a step in his direction. “Send one of your servants for Mana and Mut-nisut Nubet, i need them to be present in the strategy room when everyone returns.”

After a few seconds of surprised silence, the chestnut nods at the young ruler's command; with a resigned smile, Atem places a hand on the chestnut's shoulder.

“I trust you will find someone to keep her safe, on her way to the strategy room," the pharaoh whispers, watching him with a deep, gentle expression. Without looking away, Seto deciphers some of the emotions his cousin is trying to hide: confusion, anguish and fear.

“Yes, my pharaoh," he replies, returning his gaze confidently, his gesture seeming to reassure the tricolour; after bowing, the chestnut-haired man makes his way out of the room.

The rulers, father and son, watch him leave without exchanging words. Once alone, Atem can feel his father's curious glance upon him; for a moment he feels again like a small child who has been caught playing where he shouldn't be.

The sun has risen across the sky on a bright morning, the light inside the room reflecting off the walls and dazzling the boy's sleepy eyes. A young adult who refuses to look at his father.

“Your mother is not part of the council, to let her be part of a meeting in the strategy room is against tradition. You know that, my son," Aknamkanon reproaches calmly, watching his son's serious face finally return his gaze; the crimson eyes, so much like his wife's, seem to stare into the void with deep concern.

“I know," the boy whispers, clenching the millennium puzzle around his neck in his fist, "but I think that perhaps she and Mana are an important part of what is happening. Just like us.”

Aknamkanon's chest sinks with pessimism. Ah! Then his son is indeed hiding things and seems to be suspicious about the arrival of the girl from the temple. What can be going on inside the young pharaoh's head to have such concern in his eyes?

Aknamkanon has never seen such desolation on his son's face. Since his arrival in the fields of Ialu, Atem had enjoyed a time of peace and contentment; as if, after millennia of darkness and loneliness, he was trying to make up for lost time in the land of his birth.

The reunion between him and his mother had been so emotional that most of the inhabitants of the palace had been unable to hide their tears. Atem's arrival had made a great impression on everyone; the serious but kindly man who had entered at the end of his maaty had filled those who waited patiently for him with pride and admiration.

After the reconciliations the young man's character had come to the surface, and as time passed it had become recurrent to find him in the garden, dozing peacefully under the shade of the papyri, safe and sound, as if nothing else mattered in the world.

He rarely spoke of his experience in the world of the living, but when he did he was so nostalgic that, by night, they had grown accustomed to seeing him sitting by the river, speaking softly to the stars; whispering things to them that only he could remember.

Feeling a hint of sadness, Aknamkanon takes the boy by the shoulders with both hands, bending down to look directly into his face.

“My son, what are you thinking?” asks the older pharaoh with genuine interest. Under the weight of his hands his son feels small, yet when Atem lifts his face he has the cold, determined look of a ruler who has fought in war most of his life.

“A part of me suspects that the millennium items are related to what happened tonight,” he replies, staring at him. Aknamkanon's sudden surprise at his words quickly changes to analysis of the situation.

“And your guest?” He asks again patiently “Is his arrival also related to the millennium items?”

“I don't know yet, but I'm afraid it's related to the final duel” adds Atem, nodding at the curiosity and understanding on his father's face. The man notices his son's body trembling unconsciously, and with deep surprise Aknamkanon watches as the young man, sinking into his thoughts, seems to become a dark version of himself.

“I will not allow Anzu to be harmed” Atem whispers, his jaw clenched, staring at a distant point in the room with deep, spiteful eyes. “I will destroy anyone who tries to harm her”

Overwhelmed by his dark essence, Aknamkanon releases the boy's shoulders, forcing him out of his thoughts with a blink; Atem watches him in confusion for a few seconds, a shiver running through the older man as he realises that his son was unaware of his words.

“Why would anyone want to hurt her?” he asks, trying to understand his son's emotions. The boy's breath hitches and he silently averts his eyes, trying to find the best words to explain the situation.

Aknamkanon looks at him tensely, while Atem meditates; after a few seconds the young pharaoh lifts his illuminated face with a tiny crooked smile.

“Because I'm in love with her.” he confesses quietly.

NOTES ON THE CHAPTER

Kemmet: Egyptian name for the Pharaonic Egyptians.

Heka: Sorcerers.

Sunu: Physicians.

Saru: Local council of nobles

Hem netcher: Prophets.

Sem: Priests who acted in the ceremonies of resurrection rites.

Maaty: Term for the justified in the judgement of the Maat at death.

Fields of Ialu: Egyptian paradise.

Mut-nisut: Mother of the king.

[stardustmagicalnews]

Ancient Egyptian Magic: Spells, Amulets, and Rituals from One of the Oldest Magical Traditions

When you think of Egypt, you might picture grand pyramids, mysterious hieroglyphs, and powerful pharaohs. But did you know that magic was a huge part of daily life in Ancient Egypt? 

From protective amulets to powerful spells, Egyptians had a deep belief in the supernatural and weren’t shy about using it to navigate their world.

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Magic in Everyday Life: The Power of Heka

First things first—let’s talk about Heka. In Ancient Egypt, Heka wasn’t just a concept; it was considered the divine force that made magic possible.

Egyptians believed that Heka was a gift from the gods that could heal, protect, and even influence events. Everyone from the highest priest to the everyday farmer believed in the power of Heka and used it in their daily lives.

Amulets: Tiny Objects, Big Power

One of the coolest aspects of Egyptian magic was their use of amulets. These were small objects, often shaped like animals or symbols, that people wore or carried to protect themselves.

The Egyptians believed that these amulets were infused with magical properties that could ward off evil, bring good luck, or even help in the afterlife.

Some of the most popular amulets included:

The Ankh Symbolizing life and immortality, this cross-like symbol was one of the most powerful amulets.

The Eye of Horus Known as the “Wadjet,” this amulet offered protection and healing.

The Scarab Representing the sun god Ra, this beetle-shaped amulet was believed to bring rebirth and regeneration.

These amulets were often placed in tombs to protect the deceased in the afterlife, but they were also worn in daily life to keep the wearer safe from harm.

Spells and Incantations: Words of Power

The Egyptians took their spells seriously. These weren’t just a bunch of random words—they were carefully crafted incantations that called upon gods and goddesses for help.

These spells were often written on papyrus, carved into tombs, or inscribed on everyday objects.

One famous collection of spells is known as the Book of the Dead. Despite its spooky name, this wasn’t a book about death but rather a guide for the deceased to navigate the afterlife.

It contained spells to protect the soul on its journey and ensure a safe passage to the afterlife.

There were also spells for everyday problems. Whether you needed protection from a snake bite, help with a love interest, or success in a business deal, there was likely a spell for that.

The key was in the words themselves—Egyptians believed that speaking these words aloud had the power to make things happen.

Rituals: Connecting with the Divine

Rituals were another major part of Egyptian magic. These were elaborate ceremonies often performed by priests in temples, but sometimes by individuals at home.

The purpose of these rituals varied—some were meant to honor the gods, others to ensure a good harvest, and some were even designed to control the forces of nature.

One of the most famous rituals was the Opening of the Mouth ceremony. This was performed on the deceased to restore their senses in the afterlife, allowing them to eat, drink, and speak again.

It’s a powerful example of how seriously the Egyptians took the idea of life after death and the role of magic in ensuring it.

The Legacy of Egyptian Magic

So, why does all this matter today? Well, Ancient Egyptian magic has had a huge influence on the world. Many of the symbols, rituals, and ideas from Ancient Egypt have made their way into other cultures and even into modern spiritual practices.

Whether you’re fascinated by history or just love the idea of ancient wisdom, there’s a lot we can learn from the Egyptians and their magical traditions.

At the end of the day, Egyptian magic is a reminder that humans have always been searching for ways to connect with the world around them, to find meaning, and to protect themselves from the unknown. And honestly, that’s something that never really goes out of style.

Until next time, friends. Stay curious, keep exploring, and remember—magic is everywhere if you know where to look!

[stevenspector]

Happy Moon Knight Thursday! Did y'all like episode 4? I sure did! I especially liked that Steven got to use his knowledge for Egyptian history and mythology! And that we got to see so many cool details and nods to said history and mythology! Which, of course, led me to do another deep dive and research into topics. Have fun with more Moon Knight rambles about the details in episode 4

Starting with: "The Eyes of Horus"

First off, this scene begs the question of just how many times Steven has drawn the eye? Because his movements were smooth and that eye looked great. Now onto the eye of Horus. It stems from the conflict between Horus and his uncle Seth who were rivalling about who would be the successor to the title of "King of Gods" after Seth killed the former King, Osiris; his brother and Horus’ father. It’s one of my favourite stories and I could get into all of it, but I won’t. I'll just say that it’s both very interesting and very entertaining. During their conflict, they had a fight in which Seth took out Horus’ eyes in order to defeat him and make him unable to take the title. Now, this is where it gets interesting for the plot. Horus gets his eyes back with the help of another deity. Who that is tho is up for different interpretations and retellings of the story. Some say it was Hathor who healed him and gave him another pair of eyes. That would be a cool connection since we have met Hathors avatar! And they helped Marc and Khonshu previously. Other retellings on the other hand have Thoth replace his eyes. Thoth himself is known to be associated with the moon which would fit with, well, Moon Knight. We also see an ibis statue in the tomb later on, next to the sarcophagus, which could potentially represent Thoth as well since he is often depicted with an ibis head. In general, the eye of Horus itself represents healing and regenerative properties which is why it was chosen for the shape of the tomb, as Steven states. Additionally, the eye is connected to the moon as well. It is said that one of his eyes represents the moon and the other the sun. So we have another nod to the moon (knight). If you wanna get a nice rundown of the story, I can recommend The History of Egypt Podcast

Secondly: "The Heka Priests and a God™"

Heka was the god of magic and medicine. His most devoted followers often were doctors. In the scene were the Heka priests are introduced however, we also see this drawing on the wall. There’s another god next to them and yes, i did look into who that could be for WAY too long. My conclusion is that it could be Khnum. The only thing not fitting is him being depicted with a disc above his head, yet everything else matches up. Khnum is the god of cataracts, pottery and creativity, but he started out as the guardian of the source of the Nile River. Fun Fact perhaps: The full name of Khufu, a pharao of the fourth dynasty, who commissioned the Great Pyramid of Giza (or at least is widely accepted to have done that) is Khnum-Khufwy or "Khnum is my Protector". Do with that info what you will. And lastly: "The Tomb of Alexander the Great"

In general, I really loved the tomb scene. For one, because of how excited Steven is to see all the relics and then he also finds out it’s the lost tomb of Alexander the Great? That's an interesting twist! Another fun fact perhaps: the tomb and dig site in the show are in the Siwa-Desert which is also where Alexander’s tomb was supposedly found. Egyptian officials claimed to have identified his tomb at the Siwa Oasis in 2021. But from what i’ve read it’s not actually completely confirmed. Alexander having been Ammit’s avatar could even make sense if you look at his life and “accomplishments”. He started and fought many battles and wars, conquered many lands, killed many people and believed he was in the right to do so. It would fit in with what Harrow wants to do. Which is to kill people for a cause he believes to be good and righteous.

So in conclusion: I love Moon Knight and it's details

[magickfromscratch]

First Entry For Ritual Writing Month -- A Circle of Generations.

As with all the ritual entries, this is just creative output. It's not meant to be perfect.

The purpose of this ritual is to acknowledge Hesiod's cosmology of generations, and to ritually express dissatisfaction with the present state of humanity (an eternal human feeling, I assure you) an aspiration for closeness to the Theoi, and to set intention for any further devotional or theorgic work.

A Circle of Generations

Materials: A pitcher of salt water, a bowl, a stick of incense, a lighter, a branch or asperger, and a sword.

The priest begins at the center holding the sword. The other items are on a central altar along with the materials for any work this casting precedes.

Priest: “We are the children of the Age of Plastic – utility and economy, silicon charged with energy, artifice and disposability of all things. Our idols are made of plastic, and we are plagued by falsity in all things. Our greed and vanity litter the oceans, sky, and land.”

(drawing a circle with a sword) 

Priest: “Before us was the age of Iron, a people of passion and strife, wilful and determined, unbending even in error. It was from these people that the Theoi hid themselves away, and in that time, humanity turned to death and bloodshed as their faith, and thus they ended.”

(drawing a second circle) 

Priest: “Before the age of Iron was the Age of Heroes, people of virtue and vice, graced with power and guidance from the Theoi. These were the sons and daughters of the gods and goddesses we seek, but we ourselves cannot seek them – they have been gathered up to the gods, and we have no one but ourselves as champions.”

(drawing a third circle)

Priest: “Before the Heroes was the generation of Bronze, wooden like the shafts of their spears. Bronze was their raiment, bronze were their homes, flesh was their bread, blood was their wine – a people of fire destroyed by flood.”

(drawing a fourth circle)

Priest: “Before the flood was the Age of Silver, with childhoods of a century. These were the first adults to know the bite of the yoke, the planting and the harvest. They became the simple blessed spirits of the land.”

(drawing a fifth circle) 

Priest: “But first, before all, in the beginning of everything human, was the Age of Gold, humans near to the gods in wisdom, beauty, and power. They lived in harmony with the gods, beside them always, and death was painless for them, and they rose as the daemons that animate all things. — We stand before you, O Blessed Theoi, aspiring to the nearness of this age, and consecrate all our works within this circle to the path of mending what once was broken, to overcome what stands between you and us, that we may see your faces as humans did at first, in accordance with the original will of Zeus.”

(lighting an incense stick) 

Priest: “By fire” 

(pouring salt water) 

Priest: “And by flood” 

(extinguishing the fire in the water) 

Priest: “O Immortal Ones, turn away all that stands between us and you.” 

(Sprinkling the khernips) 

Priest: “Hekas, Hekas esti, O bebeloi”

All: “Apotrepete kakon!”

[tobiasdrake]

With Khonshu imprisoned, episode 4 is Layla's episode to shine. Fighting off armed Harrow goons and Heka priests while protecting Steven, as his knowledge is vital to the exploration of the tomb. Steven fades into the role of the support protagonist opposite Layla's Awesome Violence Person.

It's been established since episode 2 that Layla is a worthy candidate for Khonshu's avatar. Khonshu hangs that over Marc's head to keep him in line. It's a factor in Marc and Layla's divorce; Marc is trying to protect her from Khonshu, which is metaphorically linked to Marc wanting to shield her from the abuse he suffered and still suffers from.

In the realm of metaphor, it's indicative of Marc being walled off. Suffering his abuse quietly and not opening up to the people who can help him heal; Even pushing them away when his abusers close in on them rather than opening up about what he's still going through.

But in the literalistic text, it implies that Layla must be pretty fucking awesome if she's being considered for Avatar of Retributive Vengeance. The guy currently holding that position is a mercenary! There has to be more going on with this person than just "really interested in archaeology".

We got to see some of that at Mogart's place. She outfought his bodyguard and shot several of his... uh, teachers?... and we see it again here - Fending off Harrow's gunmen and undead Heka Priests alike. Layla is basically, "What if Lara Croft wasn't a colonizer?"

The more we see of Layla in action, the more we understand exactly why Marc's abuser is so keenly interested in her.

[santoschristos]

Heka Ancient Egyptian God of Magic and Medicine The power behind all magic and magical spells in ancient Egypt.

Heka god is a personification of unbridled force. In ancient Egyptian religion, Heka’s magic helped spur the creation of the universe.

Heka was not only a god, but he was also the personification of magic in itself. He was a concept as well as the practice of magic itself. He was the force that priests and physicians called upon during their rituals.

[talonabraxas]

Ra (Egyptian God) Talon Abraxas

Ra as Creator

Ancient Egyptian mythology gives credit to a number of different gods for establishing order and making the world, but those most often featured in creation myths are Ra, Atum, Ptah, and the goddess Neith. Whichever gods are named, they always have the same characteristics and power as Ra, and it is thought that Ra was present – and alone – at the birth of creation no matter what name he was known by later. Although the priests of Ptah might claim it was their god who created all things, therefore, the Ptah they cite would actually be Ra. In the case of Atum, he was essentially Ra only by another name, and the same could be said for Neith in her creative capacity.

In the best-known version of the story, there was nothing but swirling waters at the beginning of time when the primordial mound (the ben-ben) rose as the first dry land and Ra the Self-Created stood upon it. He cut his penis open and, from the drops of blood, created Hu (authority) and Sia (mind), and then became aware of his solitude and mated with his own shadow to give birth to Shu (god of air) and Tefnut (goddess of moisture) who left to establish the world. The two were gone a very long time and so Ra sent the Eye of Ra to search for them. When the Eye brought his children back, Ra was so grateful he shed tears of joy which fell on the fertile ben-ben and became men and women.

Recognizing these people had nowhere to live, Shu and Tefnut mated and gave birth to Geb (earth) and Nut (sky). Geb and Nut gave birth to Osiris, Isis, Set, Nephthys, and Horus the Elder, and from these gods, all the others followed. Heka, among the oldest of the gods, is, as noted, thought to have been present already at the act of creation. Each of the gods was given their own sphere of influence so that order would be strictly maintained, and, in today’s parlance, there would be no duplication of services. The gods would henceforth care for the people and, in gratitude, the people would worship and obey the will of the gods. This relationship produced balance and harmony between the people, their gods, the earth, and the afterlife all of which emanated from Ra.

[cursed-herbalist]

ALBIN ANTUBIDASBIN | HP VICTORIAN ERA

British • Pureblood • Ravenclaw • Virgo • ESTJ • Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot • Former Charms Professor • Researcher • Follower of the Ancient Egyptian Goddess 'Heka'

—

Albin was the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot in the late 1800s and a former Charms Professor at the British Wizarding School, Hogwarts.

Curious and studious by nature, he naturally gravitated towards exploration in terms of charmwork and would spend most of his time locked in his office, experimenting with unknown or long-forgotten types of magic.

As the fates would have it, he should stumble upon an ancient tome, prompting him to look into a particular type of ancient magic, connected to the Egyptian goddess Heka. The more he learned about this 'new' form of magic and the power it provided, the more obsessed he became—eventually, leading him to become a follower of Heka himself.

His studies and worshipping would go as far as forming an exclusive and highly secretive group of like-minded wizards called the 'Hierophants of Heka'.

Albin Liborius Antubidasbin disappeared mysteriously in 1894. Rumour has it, it was connected to his secret studies and occult activities.

More about Heka:

➔ Heka was the deification of magic and medicine in Ancient Egypt and preceded all other Egyptian deities. The name Heka is actually the old Egyptian word for magic and describes the supernatural force that Ancient Egyptians believed created and permeated the universe. The word Heka translates to 'using the Ka'.

In Ancient Egyptian religion, Ka refers to the divine spirit that protects a person. It is an aspect of a person’s or a god’s soul and could live on after the body’s death, for example, in a picture or statue.

As energy, Heka was available to Egyptian deities as well as to priests, magicians, and ordinary people and could be invoked both for good or ill. It was believed that Heka could be summoned up during the observance of religious rituals and that its chief function was the preservation of the natural world order.

[the-coolest-pharaoh]

Have you ever gotten your fortune read? You should try it if you haven't. It might help you understand yourself and others more, even if the fortune comes out negative.

Oh yes, heka was very important to my culture. I had to practice it regularly as did the priests. We believed very much in fate and what the gods had planned for us.

[lelithamoon]

So… I'm sharing a little thing I did for practice today. I've let someone else choose the first and the last sentence and tried to fill the middle with a short story. Enjoy ♡

(Mistakes in grammar and logic might be included. English is not my native language at all)

Names were not just words, but spells that shaped one's identity.

A truth no Egyptian or God ever dared to forget.

They protected their names. Writing them in the symbol of a knot. Their symbol of protection and safety. The first step to protect one against curses, diseases or the wrath of an already passed wife.

Imhotep, high priest of Heliopolis, has seen it all. Many came to him. Seeking his aid and magic in times of need. Believing in his use of heka, how the old Egyptian called it, to bring them remedy and relief.

Sometimes he crafted Amulets. Binding protective words into knots of fabric. Having peasants wear it to prevent them from drowning in the depths of the Nile, when they had to cross its waters.

Sometimes he had the Pharaohs seek his guidance, as Imhotep lived through four generations of them.

One of them came to him, because of a particular harmful curse cast on him. One to disform his very name.

The man was scared. Scared to not be allowed into the realm of Osiris, after his very death. That it might alter the test of Maat, influence it so that he would end up getting devoured by the beast Ammit and therefore fall into the horror of oblivion.

Imhotep had a hard time restoring the Pharaohs name. It took a lot of effort. Many rituals and the guidance of the gods themselves. It was the most difficult curse he had ever faced.

Nevertheless it was when the old Pharaoh already was on his deathbed, when the priest finally succeeded.

He broke the curse as he watched the old Pharaoh pass away.

With his name restored, he took his place among the legends.

[who-is-muses]

[ been doing some research on titles and epithets of Egyptian deities for my writing project to procrastinate writing a beginning because I hate writing beginnings, and- despite putting in the same amount of time researching- Thoth has So Damn Many. For the funsies of anyone that might want to write with him or send him an ask, I'll share the list of what I've found- but be warned it is a Very Long List and some are really just variations of each other. ]

“Acute”

“Ancient and Great One for the Ennead”

“Annalist of the Ennead”

“Annalist of Gods and Men”

“Astute in His Plans”

“The Beaked One”

“The Beautiful”

“The Beautiful One of the Night”

“Benefactor”

“Bull Among the Stars”

“Chief Scribe”

“Clean of Hands”

“Cool of Mouth”

“Counter of the Stars and Measurer of the Earth”

“Delighting in Ma'at”

“Does Not Accept Bribes”

“Dweller in the Library”

“Eloquent Judge”

“The Excellent and Impartial Politarch”

“Excellent in Counsel”

“Excellent of Understanding”

“Fierce of Face”

“The Filler of Hearts”

“Governor of Books”

“Governor of Ma'at in Heaven and Earth”

“Governor of Nut”

“The Great and Venerable Ape”

“The Great Beholder”

“Great Governor of Gods and Men”

“Great Magician”

“Great in Divine Speech”

“Great in Fear in Every Land”

“Great in Heka”

“Great in Power”

“Great in Strength”

“Great in Triumph”

“The Great One in Hermopolis”

“The Great One Who Came Forth From the Nile”

“Guide of Heaven, Earth, and Duat”

“He of the Balance”

“He of the Palette”

“He That Came Into Being at the Beginning��

“He That is on His Stairs”

“He That is on the Balance”

“He That Knows the Two Lands”

“He That Presides Over the Land of Egypt”

“He Who Balances”

“He Who Praises Knowledge”

“He Who Protects the Lunar Eye”

“The Ibis Splendid in Heka”

“Impartial Judge”

“Judge in the Temple of Sethos”

“Judge of Ma'at for Osiris”

“Judge of Words”

“Justifies”

“The Knowing One”

“Knowledgeable in Magic”

“Knowledge of the Reckoning”

“Lector-Priest”

“Letter Writer of the Ennead”

“Lord of Books”

“Lord of Divine Speech”

“Lord of Everlastingness”

“Lord of Foreign Lands”

“Lord of Gladness”

“Lord of Heka”

“Lord of Hermopolis”

“Lord of Judging”

“Lord of Life”

“Lord of Lifespans”

“Lord of Ma'at”

“Lord of Old Age”

“Lord of Purification”

“Lord of Speech”

“Lord of Time”

“Lord of Triumph”

“Lord of Wine Who Drinks Abundantly”

“Lord of Writing”

“Lord of the House of Books”

“Lord of the Names”

“Lord of the Ogdoad”

“Lord of the Reed Pen”

“Lord of the Sacred Books in the House of Life”

“Lord of the West”

“Maker of the Palette and the Ink-Jar”

“Make Wise the Governor in the Great Hall”

“Master of the Rudder”

“The Messenger”

“Mighty in His Words”

“Minister of Horus”

“The Moon”

“Moon of Beautiful Risings”

“The Moon Shining in the Heavens”

“The Mysterious”

“Orderer of Fate”

“Path Opener of Ra”

“The Place-Taker of Ra”

“Pleased with Ma'at”

“Porter of Horus”

“The Power of the Netjeru”

“Praised of Ra”

“Prudent of Heart”

“Ra That Shines in the Night”

“Reckoner”

“Reckoner of All Time for Gods and Men”

“Reckoner of Gifts”​

“Reckoner of Times and Seasons”

“Reckoner of Years”

“Representative of Ra”

“Ruler of the Books”

“Ruler of the Judging”

“The Scribe”

“Scribe of Ma'at”

“Scribe of the Divine Book”

“Scribe of the Gods”

“Scribe Strong of Arm”

“A Second Ra”

“Self-Begotten”

“The Shining One”

“The Silent Being”

“Skilled in Knowledge”

“Sound of Hand”

“Sound of Heart”

“Splendid in Speech”

“Strong One of the Names”

“Strong of Thigh”

“Sweet of Tongue”

“Tongue of Ra”

“True of Heart”

“True Witness for the Names”

“The Unapproachable”

“The Unique One”

“Universal Benefactor”

“The Unknown”

“The Venerable Ibis”

“The Vizier”

“Voice of Ra”

“Who Accomplishes Truth”

“Who Advances Positions”

“Who Announces the Morning”

“Who Appeases the Mistress of Men With Script”

“Who Appeases the Netjeru”

“Who Awakens the Gods”

“Who Beholds What Comes Afterwards”

“Who Brings the Eye That Was Far Away”

“Who Comes to Whom That Calls Him”

“Who Created Purification”

“Who Determines Fate”

“Who Determines Time”

“Who Distinguishes Bodies of Different Countries”

“Who Distinguishes the Tongue of Every Foreign Land”

“Who Does Good”

“Who Does What the Goddesses Love”

“Who Drives Away Evil”

“Who Drives Away the Voice of Anger”

“Who Ends the Strife”

“Who Fashioned Beautiful Things”

“Who First Fashioned Signs and Wrote Heka”

“Who Gave Words and Writing”

“Who Gives Breath to the Weary of Heart”

“Who Gives Contentment to the Two Lands”

“Who Gives Glory to All the Gods”

“Who Gives Laws”

“Who Gives Length of Life to Those in His Favor”

“Who GIves Office to Whomever He Loves”

“Who Gives Peace to the Two Lands”

“Who Giveth Life to Men”

“Who Glorifies Osiris with the Glorifications of His Formulae”

“Who Glorifies the Two Eyes”

“Who Illuminates the Duat in the Necropolis”

“Who Increases His Figure/Form”

“Who Increases Time and Multiplies Years”

“Who Joins the Two Halves for the Son of Isis”

“Who Knows the Balance”

“Who Knows Reckoning”

“Who Leads the Throne of the Ennead”

“Who Loves Ma'at”

“Who Made Eternity”

“Who Makes Great He That is Skilled in His Employment”

“Who Makes Great Ma'at in Egypt”

“Who Makes Osiris Triumphant Against His Foes”

“Who Makes Strife to Cease in the Eastern Sky”

“Who Makes the Eye Whole”

“Who Overshadows His Foes”

“Who Pleases the Netjeru With Their Gifts”

“Who Protects Set”

“Who Protects the Two Lands”

“Who Purifies the Ennead with His Hands”

“Who Reckons All Things”

“Who Reconciles Horus with His Eye”

“Who Records All That Exists on Earth”

“Who Puts Things in Their Due Place”

“Who Soothes the Heart of the Netjeru With His Words”

“To Whom is Subject Life in the Duat”

“Whose Abomination is Falsehood”

“Whose Face is Stretched”

“Whose Heart is Not Ignorant”

“Whose Stylus Protected the Lord of All”

“Whose Words Established the Two Lands”

“Without a Mother”

“The Witness”