“Thank you for letting us stay here, Hamadi”, Hatshepsut said, with a sad expression on her face. “We had nowhere else to go”.

The café Hamadi owned, situated in one of the busiest neighborhoods of the whole Cairo, was a fancy place with around 10 small dining tables, but had a cozy room in the back with a couch, a TV and some snacks and coffee, where they could rest and think about what to do next. Hatshepsut was up on her feet, upset about the situation, while Ankhesenamon was sitting on the couch, still shaken by the death of her husband, Tutankhamon.

“Please don’t thank me, Your Majesty”, Hamadi said. “Just to witness the miracle of seeing you both alive is more than enough to me. It’s an honor to be of use. This place may not be as prestigious as you and Princess Ankhesenamon deserve, but I will make sure that you get as much comfort as I can possibly provide”.

“We don’t need more comfort than this, Hamadi”, she said, polite but serious. “And going back to Djeser-Djeseru would be a bad idea since it’s always crowded with visitors in this modern age”.

“Indeed it is crowded, Your Majesty. More so in times like these, when Egypt is going through so much turbulence. Just to imagine all the sacred places and monuments being desecrated by public authorities like the police…no to mention how outrageous it is that you can’t stay at the temple the Egyptians had erected in your own honor”, Hamadi said.

“It is outrageous and defiling, but honestly, I can’t worry about that right now. What we really need is to find Kurou, as quickly as possible”.

“That might not be that hard. He has been on the news for some time now. The man who survived the destruction of the Temple of Horus in Edfu after a terrible storm had flooded the whole area”, Hamadi said.

“Mahmoud…”, Hatshepsut muttered.

"Your Majesty...", Hamadi said, softly.

"We couldn't even find his body, Hamadi", Hatshepsut said, with watering eyes.

“I know, Your Majesty”, Hamadi said. “I’m angry too. He was a trusted friend. We are dealing with dangerous forces here”.

“I know. That’s why we need Kurou around”, she said, in a choked voice.

“I understand being the Post-Mortal makes him somehow important, Your Majesty”, Hamadi said. “But I don’t understand how”.

“I don’t understand either”, Ankhesenamon interjected, spiteful.

“I have a theory”, Hatshepsut said, and gestured for both of them to come closer.

She took a breather and put herself together. “Listen attentively”, she said. “In the old myths, Osiris had been killed by Set, then got revived by Isis so they could conceive Horus. Since then, Osiris has been considered the King of the Underworld, the undying one, or, as we used to call him, ‘Wenennefer’, the one who continues to be perfect”.

Hamadi and Ankhesenamon nodded, not very sure about the relevance of such information. Hatshepsut looked at them disapprovingly for their lack of insight.

“Since Osiris stayed alive even after death, he achieved a state of Post-Mortem, and the passion of Osiris continued to be praised by the Egyptians through the ages since then”, Hatshepsut continued.

“So has Kurou attained the same ‘Post-Mortem’ state that Osiris obtained through his reincarnation after being killed by Set?”, Hamadi asked.

“Are you implying that Kurou is some sort of reincarnation of Osiris?”, Ankhesenamon interjected, in disbelief.

“No, not exactly”, Hatshepsut replied. “But he might have inherited an aspect of Osiris, since he is able to overcome death no matter how many times someone tries to kill him. When the Temple of Edfu was devastated by Set, I sensed a fragment of a divine power there which did not belonged to the god of storms”.

They all remained in silence for a while.

“Then why isn’t the Post-Mortal strong enough to kill everyone?”, Ankhesenamon asked. “Osiris is the most powerful of all Egyptian Gods, even more so than Amon-Ra”.

“As Her Majesty explained”, Hamadi intervened, politely, “she only sensed a fragment of divine power. There might be obstacles yet to overcome before he can awaken Osiris’ full power, should his body be strong enough to bear it”.

“If he can bear it, I don’t know”, Hatshepsut said. “But I certainly felt the appalling hatred that dominated Kurou for a couple of seconds and a powerful surge of power that only Gods could unleash. That must have been because of Mahmoud’s passing. The earth shook as if a volcano was erupting”.

“Mahmoud cared for the Post-Mortal and believed he was a fundamental piece in this game of chess the Gods have been playing in Egypt. Even if he doesn’t have the appearance or the attitude of a hero, I’ll still vouch for him”, Hamadi affirmed.

“What if that was a message?”, Ankhesenamon said, suddenly. “Osiris was praised for causing the flood of the Nile River so it would irrigate the riverbanks, bringing prosperity and wealth to the country”.

Ankhesenamon realized promptly she had stepped out of line.

“You can’t compare the flood of the Nile, which enriches the soil and brings food to our tables, to a catastrophe that took a friend’s life”, Hatshepsut said, enraged. Hamadi felt the air becoming heavy between the two women and intervened.

“Please calm down, Your Majesty. The Princess might have a point. She is looking at the facts from a cold perspective, differently from us. There is logic in what she is saying”, he said.

Hatshepsut took a deep breath and calmed down a little. “Go on, Princess. What is your theory?”.

“Maybe the Gods wanted the storm and the flood to be the events that would cause the Post-Mortem powers to unlock”, Ankhesenamon said. “He is not just immortal, from what we’ve seen. He has other powers as well and we all have seen him using them”.

“That would require the Gods to cause the death of innocent people just to awaken someone’s full potential. It would be immoral and unworthy of the Gods of Egypt that we learned to believe and trust our lives to”, Hamadi scolded.

“I agree with Hamadi”, Hatshepsut said. “The only gods who would do such a thing are the evil ones, and Osiris is surely not one of them”.

"I don't know what's good and what's evil anymore", Ankhesenamon said. "After everything I had seen in my past life, plus what I've seen in this one, I learned not to trust anyone".

"Trusting or not, Princess, we need to go. We need to find Kurou before he does something stupid", Hatshepsut asserted.

"Being stupid IS his thing, Hatshepsut", Ankhesenamon said.

"Yes, but he saved your life, if you fail to remember. And Tutankhamon trusted him", Hatshepsut retorted.

Ankhesenamon lowered her eyes at the mention of her deceased husband.

"Okay, I'll go with you. Lead the way", Ankhesenamon said.

Hatshepsut nodded. "Hamadi, stay here and take care of yourself, alright? Keep a weapon ready and if something stronger than what you can handle appears, don't be ashamed to run. Humans should not have to deal with beasts and gods".

"Yes, Your Majesty, I'll do exactly as you command", Hamadi answered and bowed.

"Let's go then", Hatshepsut told Ankhesenamon, and walked towards the exit.

***

"Where are you going?", Harakhty asked, while Kurou started walking.

"To kill them all", Kurou answered, not stopping.

"Them who?", Harakhty insisted, walking along.

"I don't fucking know, everyone!", Kurou said, upset.

"I'm not sure you can do that, buddy. You might look like you're not from this world, but you're still a man", Harakhty said.

Kurou stopped walking and pointed his finger at Harakhty. "Keep on talking and I'm gonna kill you too", he said.

"Wow, take it easy! You better keep cool or you'll get into even more trouble".

"My friends have been killed, sergeant. The closest thing I could have to a friend in this miserable life got killed in the most tragic ways possible", Kurou said.

"I understand. I lost a friend on duty, once. He got shot during an apprehension. The assholes wanted to steal some golden artifacts from a museum and we caught them red-handed. They were heavily armed and we...well, we're just the Egyptian Police. The government doesn't care if one of us is lost as long as they recover their precious relics", Harakhty said, shifting his gaze to the ruins of the Temple of Edfu.

"Government, huh...they don't give a fuck about us or anyone else", Kurou said with a grimace.

"Tell me where you want to go and I will see if I can help you", Harakhty said.

Kurou took a deep breath. "I need to find Set. He's got to be destroyed before he wipes everything out.

"Set? The Egyptian God, Set? Are you being serious now?", Harakhty asked, incredulous.

Kurou kept a flat face.

"And where is Set now?", Harakhty asked.

"No idea", Kurou retorted.

"Now you're not helping", Harakhty said.

"What do you want me to say? That monster destroys everything he lays his eyes on", Kurou shrugged.

Harakhty paused for a second. "Wait here", he told Kurou, and went for his car. He entered the car and grabbed the police radio.

"Unit 311 calling central. Update me on the perimeter", Harakhty said.

A very loud feminine voice came from the radio, noticeably shaken.

"Central to Unit 311. The Egyptian Museum of Cairo has just fell apart. There's a terrible storm going on right now. Stay clear of the area, Sergeant".

"Holy shit...", Harakhty muttered, looking at Kurou with a frightened face.

“What?”, Kurou asked, worried.

“He’s on the move”, Harakhty answered. “We need to get to Cairo immediately, but…there’s a storm going on there right now and the Egyptian Museum has been…destroyed”.

“We need to go, NOW!”, Kurou screamed, his eyes glowing red. “Get a firefighters truck here, come on, use your authority for a change!”.

“You’re an idiot”, Harakhty said, disgusted. “Let’s go, move your dirty ass and get in that truck, I’ll find the driver and we’re out of here”.

***

“So the barbaric god of storms is out there playing in the backyard”, a coarse, outworldly voice came out of Ramses II’s mouth.

“He’s as careless as ever. All he cares about is to rampage”, he answered, as if he was talking to someone else.

“What about the heretic pharaoh? He is an unwelcome variable in this equation”.

“Let’s deal with him first. He and his fake god are no match for our powers now”.

“MY powers, son of Seti. You are only human. Remember that well”.

Ramses frowned but did not dare respond. The creature now sharing Ramses II’s body was too powerful and destructive to be thwarted. Instead, he focused on trying to find Akhenaton so he could get rid of the heretic pharaoh before he caused trouble.

To his surprise, Tutankhamon's father wasn't that far from Abu Simbel.

“Amarna. So predictable".

Without moving a limb, Ramses' body was enveloped by sand that started swirling up from the ground. It spun fast for a few seconds and then suddenly stopped, falling to the ground, by which time he had been gone.

***

Akhenaton had been praying for Aton for days inside his newly built Temple to the glory of Aton, but he was getting more and more worried as time went by without any signs of the god answering his call.

With his eyes closed, he repeatedly muttered the following chant:

Let your holy Light shine from the height of heaven

O living Aton, source of all life!

From eastern horizon risen and streaming

You have flooded the world with your beauty

You are majestic, awesome, bedazzling, exalted, overlord over all earth

Yet your rays, they touch lightly, compass the lands

To the limit of all your creation.

Akhenaton had lost almost everything since returning to life: his son, killed by his own hands; his daughter, who refused to stay with him; and his wife, murdered by Kurou.

Such memories tormented him to the brink of insanity, but his unshakable faith in Aton helped him keep his mind intact so he could continue his mission of, once again, trying and making Egypt a country worthy of the god to whom he devoted his whole life.

The pharaoh was starting to chant another prayer when he felt the air becoming heavier around him. He opened his eyes and realized quickly an intruder was approaching.

Sand started swirling and Akhenaton had only the time to grab onto his khopesh before Ramses II was standing before him.

"You", Akhenaton said, frowning.

“Heretic".

"Get out of this sacred temple, wicked pharaoh!", Akhenaton roared.

“Look who's calling me wicked. The murderer of his own son".

"I swear I'll destroy you and whatever is corrupting your soul!", Akhenaton raged and attacked with a downward slash of his sword.

Ramses caught the blade with his bare left hand, apparently unharmed.

“This is the end, heretic. Had you served the right gods, you could have lived to tell the tale".

Ramses was about to pierce Akhenaton's torso with his right hand when the temple rumbled, causing both of them to lose balance.

"Aton!", Akhenaton rejoiced.

"The deal has been stricken", a powerful voice resounded within the Great Temple of Aton.

"What do you mean, my God?", Akhenaton asked, astonished.

"Him and I have much in common. Serve me well and you'll be rewarded".

"Him...and You?", Akhenaton asked, in disbelief. "Who is he, Mighty Aton?".

Ramses hissed like a serpent.

“SUTEKH".

He leapt with all his strength towards Akhenaton with undeniable killing intent, but found nothing but air. Akhenaton was nowhere to be seen.

“No one fools the Serpent of Chaos".

Sand started swirling around Ramses again, but this time the sand spun even faster, and with a blast, the temple walls broke in two. He disappeared right before the ceiling started collapsing and, in a matter of minutes, the Great Temple of Aton had turned into ruins, mimicking the fate of many other monuments in the once sacred, and now tormented, land of Egypt.