Six Years later…
Setkhem resided in the depths of Egypt, where commoners grovel for food and money, where houses are made from ground and mud, and where children wear rags and have never seen clean water. A city full of Privation, that is Setkhem. A man walked into his home. This man, Isamu, had a rough face, small wrinkles marking his brown skin, hair, and eyes. His muscular frame spoke of hard labor; his clothes were drenched with sweat; his face was exhausted.
"Magnolia, I'm home!" Isamu called out to his son.
Magnolia, a child who resembled Isamu with his long, brown hair spiking at the ends, heard his father's voice and jumped off his bed, running excitedly toward the front door. He embraced his father, a bright smile lighting up his face.
"Father, I've been waiting for you for hours! Did you bring it?" Magnolia asked eagerly, looking up at his father. "Of course. I could never forget," Isamu said with a tired smile, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a piece of limestone, worn and light brown. "Here… just as you asked."
Magnolia's eyes lit up with excitement as he took the rock in both hands, holding it as if it were a treasure. "Thank you, thank you!" He exclaimed.
"No problem, mag. Now go add it to your collection," Isamu said with a chuckle, watching as his son ran off.
As the boy disappeared into his room, Isamu made his way to the kitchen, preparing to make dinner. It had been six years since the tragedy at the hospital, the day he lost his wife. The memory still brought tears to his eyes. His thoughts were interrupted by a small tap on his leg. He looked down to see Magnolia staring up at him, concern in his young eyes.
"Father, why are you crying?" Magnolia asked softly.
Isamu touched his face, surprised to find it wet with tears. He forced a sad smile. "It seems I miss her more than I realized."
Magnolia didn't know what to say. He had only heard about the tragedy from his father and had no memories of his mother. "Father, it's okay. The gods will protect her soul in the afterlife," he said, trying to comfort his father.
Isamu nodded, still lost in the memory of that night. "I suppose you're right…"
Not wanting to make things worse, Magnolia returned to his room.
Later, as dinner was ready…
"MAG! Supper is finished, come and feast!" Isamu called out.
Magnolia entered the dining room, still worried about his father. He didn't know what he could do to help, but he wanted to try.
As they ate, Magnolia broke the silence.
"Father?"
"Yes, Magnolia?" Isamu responded.
"How did you and Mother meet? And what was she like?"
Isamu paused, surprised by the question.
"What makes you ask?"
"Well, you never really talk about her, and I want to know what she was like," Magnolia said, his voice sincere. Isamu sighed deeply. "If you insist. Back when I was a slave, your mother and I met when we were 17. I had been working on a pyramid for a few months, pushing myself too hard. I didn't realize how much I had drained myself."
"I was sent to the Swnw's—healers—where your mother worked. She took care of me, helped me regain my strength. Over time we grew close; I would often end up back there after exhausting myself at work, and each time we connected more and more. Eventually, we married, and then she became pregnant. But sooner than I expected, the accident happened."
Isamu took a deep breath, his eyes distant. "After the accident, I returned to work on the pyramids…"
Magnolia felt a mix of joy and sadness. He was glad his father had shared the story, but its weight made him feel something he had never felt before.
Suddenly, Magnolia's eyes widened, as if remembering something important. He quickly excused himself from the table and ran to his room.
When he returned, he held his prized rock collection, built from the gifts his father had brought from the pyramids. The rocks shimmered, clean and shiny, as if they had been polished by something beyond the natural world. Holding them in his small hands, Magnolia rushed back to the dining room and presented them to his father with a bright smile.
"Father, can you carve these rocks for me? Magnolia asked, his voice pleading yet happy. Isamu looked down at his son, then at the rocks, noting their unnatural shine. He didn't understand how Magnolia had cleaned them so well, but they gleamed like gems and jewels.
"Sure, Mag, just let me finish eating. Then I'll get the tools to carve them. By the way, Mag, are you ever gonna tell me how you did it?" Isamu asked curiously.
Magnolia smiled up at his father and took a very large bite.
Minutes passed as Magnolia finished shining the rocks. Isamu entered his room, surprised by how quickly his son had completed his task.
"Mag, you're finished already?" Isamu asked, curious.
"Yeah!" Magnolia replied eagerly.
"Didn't you want the rock to be carved?"
Isamu inquired, holding his carving tools.
Magnolia shook his head. "No, it's fine. I kind of like it this way. It's my own creation." With a determined look, Magnolia picked up the polished rocks and a chain. He turned his back to his father, his hand glowing with a dark, orangish light as he fused the rocks and chain.
"Father!" Can you put the chain around my neck?" Magnolia asked, his voice full of excitement.
"Yeah, I'm on it," Isamu responded, placing the necklace around his son's neck.
Magnolia immediately rushed outside to look at his reflection in a nearby pool of water.
"Wait up!" Isamu called out, chasing after him. When he caught up, he was struck by the sight of Magnolia with the necklace. A memory of his late wife, Nadia, flashed through his mind.
"You look great, Mag. But it's getting late; come inside," Isamu said, slightly out of breath.
"Okay, father," Magnolia responded, his enthusiasm tempered as he followed his father back inside.
…
Later, as Magnolia lay in bed, Isamu sat beside him, waiting for him to fall asleep. Once Magnolia was sound asleep, Isamu quietly left the room, closing the door behind him. He retreated to his own bed, but the image of the necklace kept reminding him of Nadia, filling his dreams with her.
Suddenly, Isamu was jolted awake by the sound of rustling outside. He sat up, his heart pounding.
"Is someone there?" Isamu called out, his voice laced with unease.
He got out of bed, cautiously approaching the noise, only to find nothing. Relieved, but still on edge, he returned to bed, trying to convince himself it was just his imagination.
A few minutes later, as Isamu began to drift off again, a loud BANG shook the house. His eyes snapped open, every instinct screaming that something was wrong.
"DAD!!!" Magnolia's terrified scream pierced through the night.
Isamu bolted out of his room, nearly tearing the door from its hinges as he raced to Magnolia's room. The sight that greeted him was that of nightmares. A dark, shadowy snake-like creature with humanoid features loomed over Magnolia, a black dagger raised to strike.
Without hesitation, Isamu charged at the creature, slamming into it with all of his strength. The impact sent them both crashing through the window, landing outside in a heap. Isamu quickly pinned the creature to the ground, pressing his forearm against its neck as it struggled beneath him.
"Why?! Why are you here, trying to kill my son?!" Isamu demanded, anger and confusion burning in his voice.
"Kekeke… Lord Apophis demands the blood of Ra!" The black assassin hissed, its voice a chilling whisper.
Before Isamu could react, the creature dissolved into shadowy smoke, vanishing from his grip. Panic surged through him as he scrambled back into Magnolia's room.
"MAGNOLIA?! MAGNOLIA!" Isamu yelled, fear gripping his heart.
"Father, I'm right here," Magnolia said, his small hand on Isamu's shoulder.
Relief washed over Isamu as he pulled his son into a tight embrace, a tear slipping down his cheek. Magnolia looked up at him, curiosity filling his eyes.
"Father, who is Apophis?" Magnolia asked softly.
Isamu shook his head. "That doesn't matter right now; we just leave—Immediately."
"Yes, father," Magnolia agreed, sensing the urgency in his father's voice.
They quickly gathered their belongings and headed north, eventually finding a shelter in a small, isolated shack with a bunk bed. As they settled for the night, Magnolia removed his necklace, hanging it on the end of the bed.
"Father, why was that snake-man attacking me?" Magnolia asked, his young voice tinged with fear.
Isamu sighed, brushing off the question. "That doesn't matter, Mag… just rest now."
Feeling defeated in his quest for answers, Magnolia closed his eyes and drifted off into a restless sleep. Early the next morning, he woke up to find his father already gone from the bed.
"Father?!" Magnolia called out, his voice trembling with worry.
"Mag! I'm outside, in the back!" Isamu's voice reassured him.
Magnolia rushed outside to find his father gathering wood to build a fence, hoping to keep the wild animals at bay.
"Hey, mag, where's your necklace?" Isamu asked, noticing the absence of the shiny chain. Magnolia's hand flew to his neck, his heart skipping a beat when he felt nothing but bare skin. He quickly ran back to the shack, relieved to find the necklace still hanging where he had left it the night before.
"Father, I've got it. Can you put it around my neck again? Magnolia asked, holding out the necklace.
"Yeah, sure," Isamu replied, carefully placing it around Magnolia's neck.
As soon as the necklace touched Magnolia's skin, it began to glow with a bright, reddish-orange light, burning Isamu's hand.
"Ouch!" Isamu exclaimed, pulling his hand back in pain.
"Father?! Are you okay?" Magnolia asked, worry etching his young face.
"I'm fine, Mag. Just nicked myself, that's all." Isamu assured him, though the incident left him deeply unsettled.
Later that day, Magnolia helped his father finish building the fence. Once the work was done, Isamu decided to head out to find more rocks to add to Magnolia's collection. Hours passed, and Isamu still hadn't returned. As night fell, Magnolia grew increasingly anxious, torn between waiting and going out to search for his father.
Finally, unable to bear the worry any longer, Magnolia decided to venture into the darkness to find Isamu.
Magnolia had been walking, his gaze fixed on the fresh footprints his father had left in the sand. The trail led him to an oasis—a scene of palm trees, rocks, and a small lake no more than three feet deep. As he approached, he heard voices. He recognized his father's voice, but the other speaker was unfamiliar. Magnolia cautiously hid behind a rock, peeking out with his golden hair and silver eyes keenly observing the conversation.
"I don't know what happened. After the incident, we relocated to a small shack I own." Isamu insisted.
"We?" Asked the Egyptian general, a note of curiosity in his voice.
"Yes, me and my son," Isamu replied, his voice slightly shaky.
"What causes your sudden relocation?" The general pressed.
"Uh, some drunks were fighting in the alleyway beside my house and busted a hole through it," Isamu said, his eyes betraying his unease under the general's piercing gaze.
The general touched his earpiece, one of the odd new tools the army had begun mixing in with the old magic. A moment later, a voice came crackling through it. "He's lying; bring him in," Ordered the Pharaoh: Neitiqerty siptah.
"Yes, sir," the general responded, his tone clipped.
He raised his hand, and at his signal, several soldiers clad in black armor appeared, the pharaoh's emblem emblazoned on their shoulders.
"What is the meaning of this?! What did I do?" Isamu exclaimed, panic creeping into his voice.
Isamu could handle one soldier, but with at least twenty surrounding him, the situation seemed dire.
"It's not what you did; it's what you said. You're not convincing anyone," the general stated firmly.
Magnolia, still hidden behind a rock, watched intently. The general's regal bearing struck him as odd—royalty typically avoided interacting with those they deemed beneath them.
Realizing his father was in danger, Magnolia's eyes widened with fear. He leaped out from behind the rock, shouting, "Father!"
Both the general and Isamu turned to see the small, brown-haired boy emerging. The general lifted a finger, and one of the soldiers immediately grabbed Magnolia, pinning him to the sand.
"Stop! What are you doing? He's innocent; he doesn't know anything!" Isamu pleaded, rushing toward the soldier.
"Halt. If you want your son to live, give us the truth," The general commanded.
Isamu's face hardened with the intensity of a father's wrath as he met the general's gaze.
"Oh?" I thought you were just muscle with no brain or courage," the general said condescendingly. He cracked his neck before speaking once more.
"Tell the truth or your son dies."
Isamu looked at his son, who was crying and gritting his teeth.
"F-Fine," he said reluctantly.
"Good. We're finally making progress," the general responded.
Isamu recounted the events of the previous night without hesitation.
"Interesting…" the general mused. He tapped his earpiece and began reporting. Meanwhile, Magnolia, pinned down with heavy force, started to hear a repetitive voice in his mind. "Fire burns everything." The mantra echoed through his thoughts. "Fire burns everything, love, despair, hatred, everything. Let your emotions burn brighter and turn those traitors to ash."
The soldier holding Magnolia suddenly felt an intense heat, like the Sun itself. Sweat dripped from his forehead as he felt scorching hands burning from his neck. He turned to see the boy beneath him glowing with celestial heat.
"DIE!" Magnolia shouted, his voice filled with fury.
The soldier turned to ash, his remains scattering on the ground. The commotion drew the attention of everyone present.
"Quite interesting indeed," the general remarked.
He tapped his earpiece twice.
"My lord, are you seeing this?"
"We've found him! The one who stands atop the pyramids of the gods. How fascinating… Did you think you could hide forever?" Neitiqerty Siptah's voice responded.
"So the experiments worked after all," the general replied softly.
Magnolia rose from the ground, surrounded by the remaining soldiers. His rage mirrored the sun itself as he glared at them. With a fierce scream, he floated in the air, unleashing a solar heatwave that turned the soldiers to ash immediately. Once the battle seemed over, he touched down.
"That's all," Magnolia said, panting.
"Indeed," came the general's voice from behind him. Magnolia's eyes widened as the general struck him in the neck, sending him into unconsciousness.
"To think a boy could wipe out a platoon of soldiers. He even forced me to use my contract," the general remarked, a hint of awe in his voice.
Magnolia walked through an endless void of darkness, disoriented and uncertain. He had no idea where he was or who he had become. The weight of his actions and the trauma he had endured weighed heavily on him.
A piercing ping echoed in his ears, relentless and deafening. He clenched his head, tears streaming down his face, his expression one of sheer anguish.
"Just, just stop," an unknown voice urged. "LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" Magnolia screamed, and at his outburst, the noise faded into an eerie silence.
Magnolia looked up, his tears ceasing. He saw the source of the voice—a large, ancient being sitting by a dimly lit campfire, hesitant, magnolia still approached, the figure remaining still.
As he neared, he saw that the being was old and imposing, with a hawk-like head covered in gray feathers. A rusted crown adorned its head, and it wore a tattered white robe.
"Who-who are you?" Magnolia asked.
The being turned its head slowly to face him. "Don't you mean we?"
"Huh?"
"Who are we? Simple. We are the sun that fell and the sun that rose six years ago."
"I don't understand," Magnolia said bewildered.
Ra exclaimed Magnolia with a calm, almost indifferent expression. He placed a hand on Magnolia's head. "We will soon. Now awaken, Me."
Before Magnolia could respond, he opened his eyes, jolting upright in the bed he had been lying in.
"Oh, you're finally awake, little volcano."
Magnolia's vision focused, and he recognized the general standing before him. He lunged forward, aiming a punch, but the general caught it effortlessly. Magnolia was confused; his fist wasn't aflame as he expected.
The general swept Magnolia's legs causing him to fall. He placed his hand on Magnolia's back electing a grunt from him.
"You might've killed my men, but that was only due to your awakening, nothing more, nothing less," the general said firmly.
Magnolia, his eyes filled with tears, looked up at the general. "Y-you killed my father…!"
The general's expression softened, seeing the pain in Magnolia's eyes. The boy reminded him of his younger self.
"Your father isn't dead, if you want to see him again straighten up and follow me."