There was a nice city in front of me called Cairo, the capital city of Egypt. It has been less then a day since I came here. Before this place I paid a visit to Turkey and their great architecture.

 

It was impressive to see all those marvels of human engineering but to be honest I only stayed for a few days visiting them. No matter how impressive it was, it could not hold me for longer. So there I took a boat ride for Egypt for a new experience. ` Too bad it didn't last long but the view now makes up for it. `

 

In front of me stood the Great Pyramids of Giza and how magnificent they were. Right now I was in front of the biggest one and it was huge. Even stretching my SoP in just one direction was not enough to cover it. ` WoW, just wow. To see so many stones used to make it is unreal and they still claim it was made by humans with only primitive tools. Ridicules, for something like this to be made you need more than just the tools, you would need powers beyond the normal human body powered one. Yes, one needs magic to do this. ` 

 

` At least to achieve the precision it's famous for. Lets see the inside. ` Powering my Invisibility cloak I went inside. With it no one would stop me even if I wanted to destroy it. ` Of course, I don't want to do that. ` Once inside my Sphere of Perception showed me the details of the precision used to build it. ` I will sooner eat my shoes then be convinced this was made by normal people. ` With curiosity I walked its insides and explored.

 

Again, I was not expecting anything to find. The site was just too visible and looted a long time ago. ` I wonder what it was created for? ` I've read some staff on the internet. There were many theories, from the chambers of a King, to some energy making construct. ` But few will know the real truth and it's probably hidden deep too, so others would not find out. `

 

Some time passed and my exploration ended with no new findings. No secret chambers found aside the ones already discovered even with my powers, not that I expected it. Done with the big one, my attention turned to the other two and the Sphinx and again no new findings. With that curiosity done for me I went back to the city.

 

` What should I do now? Stay a bit more and see if I can meet someone of the supernatural community or just leave straight away. ` As I thought about my dilemma a good snack cheered me up. ` Lets stay for a bit, there is no need for me to hurry anything. But how will I meet anybody. Trying the general search in Athens and didn't work, so that leaves only happenstances. Where would my best chances be? `

 

` A hotel? Could be, but it's more like there would be tourists and nothing more. If I remember correctly for these kinds of situations every MC went for something random and it happened. So let's try the random thing, if it does not work I will just leave like planned. `

With a decision made it was time to implement it. ` Just going to any random things is stupid so lets narrow down the criteria. ` I turned my attention to a city native working as a waiter. 

“ Excuse me but can I ask you a question? ” Getting his attention was easy. As a city with a lot of tourist traffic many needed to know English. “ Yes sir. What can I help you with? ” 

With his attention on me I took out a few bills to show him I would pay for the info I wanted. He eyed the money for a second. “ I need to know a good place where a lot of powerful foreigners go to, like a good hotel or bar, or anything with a good ambiance. Do you know where I need to go to find one? ”

“ Yes sir, there are many. ” He turned and pointed at a Tower that was close by. I had seen it before. It was a nice structure from afar and to be honest it wasn't hard to find out about it. It was named after the city. He was pointing at the Cairo tower. “ Wait, that is not what I meant. I know it's a good place even without you telling me about it. I want to know the secret ones. The ones that are less talked about. ”

 

Again I fished out some more money for him and again he looked at it for a second. “ Am, sorry but I do not know, but go there. There are many good locations around the tower. ” I was a bit disappointed but he got the money anyway. “ Ok, thank you. At least now I have a direction. I suggest you spend the money as fast as possible, you never know when it will vanish. ” 

 

` Yup, you never know with money, it's so easy for it to be gone. ` With some direction I went to the tower. ` Might as well enjoy the view for a bit. With my invisibility I can bypass anything. ` 

 

Soon on top of the tower I was and there was a restaurant up top. Enjoying the grand view for a bit I looked for somebody native again. Many, many natives later I was given many locations of bars and hotels but it was the bars that got my attention. 

 

One thing all powerful people enjoy was alcohol. With many locations in mind my side quest began. At first I used my invisibility to go from bar to bar but not once did I find anybody worth my attention so I switched my approach and refined it.

 

To make sure it worked and that I was not found out I used my ability to control my body on the cellular level and transformed it. Though transform is a big word, I didn't actually go for big changes. My height stayed the same at 180cm, so did the width of my body and bone density. Over all it stayed the same but my facial structure changed along with my eyes and hair color.

 

Before I had been a dark haired man with chiseled jaw and green eyes and now, well the face changed just enough that I could be called a different man but it was the blue eyes and light blond hair that would identify me more of a northern European origin. ` Hmm, which country should I say I am from? Hmm let's go with Germany since I can actually speak it but since I have not used it in many years and my accent will give me away, so let's go with growing up outside but my heritage being inside the country. Not like it needs to be foolproof anyway. `

 

Transformation done, it was time for some undercover work. Spying/ drinking my grief till somebody approaches me. ` Everyday will be a different bar. ` On my way to the first bar, thoughts about my possible background and story happened.

 

The first one is called OPIA Lounge & Bar. Once I was inside I went to the bar. Since it was early there weren't that many guests. Sitting on the bar chair I addressed the bartender.

“ Give me something strong but sweet. I want something that will make me forget I am drinking alcohol but make stone drunk at the same time. ”  The bartender was a man in his 30is, and native to this place with quite brown skin coloring but the bartender outfit looked good on him. He nodded to my request but asked in return with his accent.

“ Fine, with me but do you want the pure stuff or a cocktail? ” A bit unsure as I had never really drunk any of this stuff. “ Let's start with some cocktails. I will be staying here for quite some time  so we can go with the pure stuff after I am drunk. ”

 

He did his job and a colorful alcoholic drunk was before me. Trying it I could only nod. It was quite good. In thanks I asked for his name. “ It's quite good mister? ”

“Karim, call me Karim sir. ” Karim it is then. “ Well, Karim I will be depending on you tonight, so take good care of me. ”

 

“ What should I call you sir? ” Karim asked. With a nod I panicked for a second as I forgot which name to take. Speeding up my thoughts for a bit to figure it out I tell him. “ Stephen will do? ”

“ Stephen then. It is easy to see you're not from around here, what is it you are trying to drown inside? ” Perfect time to spread my story a bit around and see if it shakes some trees around. “ Many things my friends. Many things. I don't mind talking about it. It's nothing grand anyway. ”

 

A few more sips from the drink to make it seem I needed it for more courage. I began my tale. “ You see, my friend, not long ago my grandfather passed on. ” Immediately I raised my hand to stop him from interrupting me and I took a few more sips. “ No, no need for condolences. He died an old man in his bed. ” 

 

“ I was quite fond of him. When I was young he'd tell me all kinds of stories. He was a historian so he knew quite a lot of them and I had always found them intriguing. He always spoke of the wonders of the World. ” Like that I told him some fake stories that sounded good but ultimately were fake. As I talked and talked and Karim listened, a few more drinks went down and I got to the juicy part with a bit of a tipsy side to my speech. “ After I grew up, of course none of them turned out to be true and I was saddened very much, but is that not the point of growing up to see the real world. ” Karim nodded. He probably knew that all too much. Like all people of lower standings in the world, they had to grow up early otherwise the consequences are quite hard to stomach. 

 

“ I may have been saddened to know they are fake but I still like them very much so I followed him and studied history and folklore too. I am not sure what he saw in me but it must have been something. In his Will he left me a few things. One of them was a diary. ” I stopped there for suspense, as I was talking a few people stopped by to listen. They had taken the seats beside me. “ Karim, give me another one. “ And he did give me another drink. “ Where was I, ah yes the diary. The diary was about his grandfather, which made him my great great grandfather I think. Either way, it was a journey of a young boy in the early 20th century. The boy had followed a researcher and archaeologist here to Egypt to study, well everything he could get his hands on. It was in that journey that the boy saw and met many weird things which he wrote about. Frankly the things he wrote read more like fiction than a diary. It was that that piqued my interest so I came here to investigate a bit during my vacation. ”

 

I stopped there on purpose for a bit longer than usual. It was that silence that broke the attention of some of my listeners and one of them had been way too invested into it. He looked at me and asked. “ What was written in it. ” 

“ What? ” Immediately I showed a shocked face as if I did some I should not have. “ I, I don't have any idea what you're talking about. ” As if my realization sobered me up I stood up and glanced at the bartender and whipped out my money to pay for what I drank. No matter what I have said Karim was a professional and took the money and asked nothing but the listeners beside were not. Immediately the same man from before asked again. “ Come man, there is no need to deny it, we all heard what you said before. Tell us what was written in the diary? ”

 

As if his urging brought something out I flat out denied it. “ Diary, what diary. I have no idea what you are talking about. ” And with that I left swiftly. Those left behind could only glance and soon disperse, but I knew I had at least one that would take the story to heart and spread info about me around. The man that asked for more info had a gun hidden in his clothes. 

 

Right now he would only be suspicious and that's all, but if I start asking questions around people will notice and it will slowly spread. ` Let's find a cheap hotel and tomorrow I will go to a museum and ask questions around. `

 

A cheap hotel was easy to find If one considers that Cairo had quite a lot of tourists every year. Once in there I took to bed but in my head plans wanted to be formed. ` If I continue this tree shaking and want to be noticed I will need more than a diary. Hmm, let's see, what if I make it appear as if I am in possession of an artifact. Ok, that is a good idea but to catch the attention of the supernatural I will need something better than a mundane artifact. Let's go with an ancient looking talisman with Egyptian hieroglyphs on it that would give the wearer a great amount of strength. `

 

` When my story spreads, there will be people after me and when I clobber them hard with strength no normal man can have it will spread like wildfire. Hehe. and in one good scenario I slip up and the talisman appears. If that does not catch their attention then I don't know what will, aside from showcasing my powers in broad daylight. ` Plan decided all that was left was to design a good looking talisman but that was the easy part. 

 

On the internet one can find tons of ancient looking design and picking one was easy. Of course since I had not brought with me my phone since I had left everything behind at home on the off chance that something goes wrong and its traced back to my family. I had to use a net cafe in the morning or something that gave me access to the net. In today's world, it is easy to find places like that and fish some money in front of people and they tell you where everything is.

By the time I came in front of the Museum of Cairo for Antiquity aside from a ping pong sized golden little ball hanging from my neck which was my bike named Midnight was an ankh there too. The ankh was basically a cross where the upper part of the cross was a loop instead of anything else. Its border was golden while its inside was black and all over it were symbols of people with wings on their arms and some hieroglyphs. In the middle of the loop was an eye often associated with Horus the god. Of course, its material was not real as the construct was only reflecting the color I wanted. ` Now I just need a good scenario and it will pull people from their seats on its own. `

 

In front of me was an older building with a red facade, and in front it's entrance was a small version of the Sphinx. Once one was inside it was full of artifacts. From small tiny things to huge statues. No matter where one looked it was old stuff on display. It was quite fascinating but none of what I saw was special.  With my Auril I saw some where even copies and only looked ancient on the outside. ` Who knows where they stashed the real stuff, otherwise there is a big chance for it to be stolen, no matter what their security was. The real pricey stuff that would never be found in normal peoples hands and would never find its way there. `

 

Still I looked around. After the general tour I went back to a particular statue. It was in the middle of a room with lots of stone tablets. The statue in front of me presented two beings. One was the king and the other a queen. Both were seated. Whether they had powers or not the kings and queens of old were mighty. 

 

` To rule something you had to be exceptional in some way. Otherwise you would be killed in a matter of days in the old days. Unlike now, where politicians are protected by law so hard, that it's very hard to make them leave their post. It truly takes a fail of epic proportions for that to happen. ` 

 

In my focus on the statue representing the rulers of old I had been staring at them for a bit. Soon I noticed a man approach me. I perceived him with my Sphere as he came to me. From his attire it was obvious he worked for the museum.

 

“It is rare for one to see such focus and observation from those that visit us. Are you a historian by any chance? ” I took away my focused gaze from the statue and looked at him. “ I am sorry to interrupt you but I just had to quench my curiosity. Hi I am Ahmad. I work here as a curator. ”

 

“ Hi, and it's fine. ” I turned back to the statue. “ I am Stephen, while I dabble in history here and there it's nothing grand. ” He got my answer and immediately followed it up.

“ I knew it. Only those who can appreciate our past can have such an intense gaze. As you can read on the sign these are King Amenhotep the III and Queen Tiye along with their 3 daughters. Sadly only one of their daughters survived the harsh law we call Time and is shown here. ” 

“ Indeed, it's always tragic when mementos of our past vanish. ” I could only agree to that. The amount of knowledge lost in Time is immense. “ Tell me Mr. Ahman, what do you think it was like in their time? Was it a harsh Time to live in, at least when compared to our? ” Hearing my question he was surprised.

“ Oh, I am afraid that is hard to answer as a lot of the records are lost, but from what we have gathered so far, and I must say that we have a huge collection of their Time period, the records say that Amenhotep the III has achieved unprecedented prosperity and splendor at that time. As for comparing it to our time, well I don't have to compare it to know that no matter the Time period it is always hard to live and easy to destroy something. ” He got a bit angry at the end. 

 

“ I know that our Time and theirs cant be compared as too much is different but I hope they have. Ours right now feels so... restricting. ” I rolled my eyes when I said that. “ Anyway, I don't believe you approached me just for that. Is there anything I can help you with? ”

 

“ I am sorry if it appears like that, but I assure you I have no bad intention. I have been working here for a long time, it truly is rare to find somebody appreciating the historical significance that one can observe around us. ” This time he had a bit of scowl on his face. “ So many people pass by everyday and all they do is stand before these monuments and take pictures as if that is all they were worth. They take a picture, appreciate it for a second and are gone the next second, all while thinking they had made some good memories, when almost none of them know a thing about their history. ” Wow, must have been a lot of pent up stress in him.

“ Haha, sorry to hear that but I must say humans are a specious that looks into the future not the past. ” Thinking for a second I continue. “ You know, lately my World view changed and I have started to question a lot of things. Things that were before our current Time I mean. ” I turned my attention on the statue again. 

“ Tell me Mr. Ahmad. There is one thing I am curious about. In all the books I have read so far, the kings and queens of Egypt were always portrayed as chosen of the Gods. That they are special and only with their blessing would Egypt prosper. Do you think there's some truth in that or is it all religious and political propaganda? ” He must have been quite surprised as it showed on his face. 

` He probably expected a different question. Of course he would never know the truth, and neither will I. ` 

 

He thought about it for a bit with an eager face as usually people don't think about these things.

“ I must say Mr. Stephen that is a tough one to answer. It is true that they were special in some ways as they were the rulers of that time no matter religion or politics so they were responsible if the country prospered or not but I must admit that from time to time a similar thought appeared to me too. Sadly we will never know. ” 

 

“ Indeed. ” Was all I gave in response. There was silence for a few seconds and I decided that it was time to leave for my show to work but as I turned to walk away the curator addressed me again. “ Mister, wait a second. Can I ask you something? ”

 

I knew it would come. There was a reason the amulet I made was on display on my neck. “ Ha, I knew there must have been a reason you approached me. What is it? ” This time hesitation came to him. 

“ That, I am sorry to ask this but how did you come into possession of that ankh on your neck? ” Immediately I had my hand around it for a bit and showed it back under the shirt. “ Oh, this you mean. I inherited it from my grandfather not long ago. There is no need for you to bother yourself with it. It's a fake. Then I will take my leave. It was nice to meet you. ” With that I left, of course with a quickened pace.

 

` Now, all I need to do is spread my own story a bit more and the tale will begin. `