Ikki shook his head, remembering the time he'd met the Kane siblings and Zia.
In the beginning, he'd been so consumed by his own obsession that he'd seen nothing but his goal. Every scroll, every spell, every theory on resurrection had become his world, and the Kane siblings had been the few who hadn't judged him for it. On the contrary, they'd helped him in ways he hadn't expected. Carter had strived to find answers through his own father's research, even consulting him in the Duat for valuable insights. Sadie, despite her irreverence, seemed to understand what he was feeling…
During that time, he had promised Sadie and Carter that if they ever needed his help, they could count on him. And now, thinking about the message he'd just received, he realized that moment had finally arrived. Something was happening, and he knew it was more than a simple cry for help.
Ikki sat for a moment, scratching his chin as he reflected.
Though he could use [Subtle Immersion] to alter the perception of Gods and magicians, making them see him as someone with pharaoh's blood, he decided to test one of his newly acquired abilities.
With a slight smile, he concentrated.
Using his [Soul Authority], he invoked the soul of Ramses II. A small sphere of golden light appeared, floating gently in the palm of his hand. The light shone with a serene intensity, but carried an imposing sensation, as if a part of Ramses' grandeur was contained within it. The third pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt, a leader who had shaped history with his prosperous reign and military achievements, now pulsed before him, a fragment of his soul condensed into pure energy.
Ikki closed his hand around the light, feeling the energy vibrate against his skin.
Then, he activated his [Almighty] ability. Dark shadows began to form around his arm, snaking like living tentacles. The shadows extended towards the golden light, gently enveloping it before squeezing it with silent force, consuming it completely.
From that moment on, he was no longer just an imposter in the eyes of Egyptian magicians. He no longer needed to hide behind illusions or tricks. From that moment on, he was, in fact, a descendant of the pharaohs. Thanks to his [Magic Authority], he could manipulate Egyptian enchantments with a mere thought, without the limitations common to magicians, so, he didn't have many benefits, just that he was a Pharaoh incarnated in the modern world.
He stretched.
Then, he stood up and went to the bathroom, letting the hot water cascade over his shoulders. The sensation was invigorating, as if it washed away the last uncertainties from his mind. He stayed there for a few minutes, allowing his thoughts to organize themselves, before drying himself with the casual use of electricity.
He went to the closet, where he would normally pick out an ordinary outfit, but this time he decided to do something different. He created, through his magic, a white linen cloak, which reflected the light softly and rested on his shoulders like a garment worthy of royalty. The wide sleeves gave him an imposing air, while the fabric fell to his ankles, almost like a ceremonial robe. Then, he conjured a leather belt adorned with gold details and fastened it around his waist, lending his posture a silent strength. To complete the look, he materialized a pair of Egyptian leather sandals, with thin straps that climbed up to his ankles.
After putting them on, Ikki cracked his neck with a quick movement, releasing the accumulated tension. He took a deep breath and activated his [Wind Authority].
A gentle current of air enveloped his body and, in a blink of an eye, he dissolved into wind particles, as if he were part of the breeze itself.
The Manhattan apartment disappeared completely, and the cityscape gave way to a new scenery.
.
.
.
.
.
Carter woke on a sofa in a hotel room, with no idea how he'd gotten there. The room wasn't nearly as nice as the Four Seasons Alexandria. The walls were cracked plaster, and exposed beams sagged along the ceiling. A portable fan whirred on the coffee table, but the air was as hot as a furnace.
Afternoon light streamed through the open windows, and from below came the sounds of honking cars and merchants hawking their wares in Arabic. The breeze smelled like exhaust fumes, animal dung, and applesisha—fruity molasses-flavored hookah smoke. In other words, he knew they were in Cairo.
At the window, Sadie, Bes, Walt, and Zia sat around a table, playing a board game like old friends. The scene was so bizarre he thought he might still be dreaming. His sister remained the same, only older compared to almost a year ago, Bes was still so ugly he could use his ugliness as a weapon. He wore "dwarf pride" Speedos, was about four feet tall, hairy, had a unibrow, and his skin was covered in nasty red welts, Walt seemed to have put on decent clothes, giving up his sleeveless shirt and running shorts, he now miraculously wore pants by Ra, his coffee-bean-brown skin and shaved head gleaming in his eyes.
Then Sadie noticed he was awake.
"Well, well. Next time you take an extended ba trip, Carter, let us know in advance. It's no fun carrying you up three flights of stairs."
Carter rubbed his throbbing head. "How long have I been out?"
"Longer than me," Zia said. She looked amazing—calm and rested. Her freshly washed hair was tucked behind her ears, and she wore a new white sleeveless dress that made her tanned skin glow. Carter thought he was staring too much, because she narrowed her eyes at him with displeasure.
"It's three in the afternoon…" she said. "I've been up since ten this morning."
"You look—"
"Better?" Zia raised her eyebrows, as if daring Carter to deny it. "You missed all the excitement. I tried to fight. I tried to escape. This is our third hotel room."
"The first one caught on fire," Bes supplied.
"The second one exploded," Walt said.
"I've already apologized," Zia scowled. "Anyway, your sister finally calmed me down."
"Which took several hours," Sadie said, "and all of my diplomatic skill."
"You have a diplomatic skill?" Carter asked.
Sadie rolled her eyes. "As if you would notice, Carter!"
"Your sister is very clever," Zia said. "She convinced me to reserve judgment on your plans until you woke up and we could talk. She is quite persuasive."
"Thank you," Sadie said smugly.
Carter stared from one to the other, and a feeling of dread woke inside him. "You guys are getting along? You can't get along! You and Sadie can't stand each other."
"That was with the shabti, Carter," Zia said, though her neck was still bright red. "I find Sadie…admirable."
"See?" Sadie said. "I'm admirable!"
"This is a nightmare." Carter sat up, and the covers fell away. He looked down and saw he was wearing Pokémon pajamas.
"Sadie," he said, "I'm going to kill you."
She blinked innocently. "But the street vendor gave us such a good deal on it. Walt said it would fit."
Walt held up his hands. "Don't blame me, man. I tried to defend you."
Bes snorted, then did a pretty good imitation of Walt's voice: "'At least get the extra-large with Pikachu.' Carter, your stuff's in the bathroom. Now, are we playing senet or not?"
Carter stumbled to the bathroom and was relieved to find a set of normal clothes waiting for him—clean boxers, jeans, and a T-shirt that didn't have Pikachu on it. The shower made the noise of a dying elephant when he tried to turn it on, but he managed to get some rusty-smelling water in the sink and washed up as best he could.
When he emerged again, he didn't exactly feel brand-new, but at least he didn't smell like dead fish and goat meat.
His four companions were still playing senet. Carter had heard of the game—supposedly one of the oldest in the world—but he'd never seen it played. The board was a rectangle of blue and white squares, three rows of ten spaces each. The playing pieces were blue and white circles. Instead of dice, you tossed four ivory sticks, like Popsicle sticks, blank on one side and marked with hieroglyphs on the other.
"I thought the rules to the game had been lost," Carter said.
Bes raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps for you mortals. The gods never forgot."
"It's pretty easy," Sadie said. "You make an S around the board. First team to get all their pieces to the end wins."
"Ha!" Bes said. "There's much more to it than that. It takes years to master."
"Really, dwarf god?" Zia tossed the four sticks, and they all came up marked. "Master this!"
Sadie and Zia high-fived. Apparently they were a team.
Sadie moved a blue piece and knocked a white piece back to the beginning.
"Walt," Bes grumbled, "I told you not to move that piece!"
"Not my fault!"
Sadie grinned at Carter. "It's girls versus boys. We're playing for Vlad Menshikov's sunglasses." She held up the broken white frames that Set had given her in St. Petersburg.
"The world is about to end," Carter said, "and you're gambling sunglasses?"
"Hey, man," Walt said. "We're totally multi-tasking. We talked for, like, six hours, but we had to wait for you to wake up to make any decisions, right?"
"Besides," Sadie said, "Bes assured us you can't play senet without wagering something. It would upset the structures of Ma'at."
"True enough," the dwarf said. "Walt, play, already."
Walt tossed the sticks, and three came up blank.
Bes cursed. "We needed two to get out of the House of Re-Atum, boy. Didn't I explain that?"
"Sorry!"
Carter wasn't sure what to do, so he pulled up a chair.
The view from the window was better than he'd expected. About a mile away, the Pyramids of Giza glowed red in the afternoon light. They must've been on the southwest outskirts of the city—near El-Mansura. Carter had passed through this neighborhood a dozen times with his dad on their way to various digs, but it was still disconcerting to see the pyramids so close.
He had a million questions. He needed to tell his friends about his ba's vision. But before he could work up the courage, Sadie launched into a long explanation of what they'd done while he was unconscious.
She focused mostly on how funny Carter looked when he slept, and how he whimpered repeatedly when they'd carried him out of the first two burning hotel rooms 213. She also described, in unnecessary detail, the excellent fresh-baked pita bread, falafel, and spiced meat they'd had for lunch.
"Oh, sorry, we didn't save you any."
Also, she talked about the great bargains they'd gotten while shopping in the souk, the local outdoor market.
"You went shopping?" Carter said incredulously.
"Well, duh," Sadie said. "We can't do anything until sunset anyway. That's what Bes said."
"What do you mean?"
Bes tossed the sticks and moved one of his pieces to the edge of the board.
"The equinox, boy. We're close enough now—all the portals in the world will close except at two times: sunset and sunrise, when day and night are perfectly balanced."
"Anyway," Sadie continued, "if we want to find Ra, we're going to have to do his journey, which means entering the Duat at sunset and returning at sunrise."
"How do you know that?" Carter asked.
She pulled a scroll out of her bag—a papyrus cylinder much thicker than the ones he'd collected. The edges glowed like fire.
"The Book of Ra," she said. "I put it together. You can thank me now."
Carter's head started to spin. He remembered what Horus had said in his vision about the scroll burning Menshikov's face.
"You mean you read it…without any problem?"
She shrugged. "Just the introduction: warnings, instructions, that sort of thing. I'm not going to read the actual spell until we find Ra, but I know where we're going."
"If we decide to go," he said.
That got everyone's attention.
"If?" Zia asked.
She was so close it was painful, but Carter could feel the distance she was putting between them: leaning away from him, shoulders tense, warning him to respect her space.
"Sadie told me you were quite determined."
"I was," he said, "until I learned what Menshikov is planning."
Carter told them what he'd seen—about Menshikov's strike force heading for Brooklyn at sunset, and his plans to follow them personally through the Duat. He also explained what Horus had said about the dangers of waking Ra, and how he might use the staff and flail instead of fighting Apophis.
"But those are Ra's sacred symbols," Zia said.
Carter argued that the symbols belonged to any pharaoh strong enough to wield them. But if they didn't help Amos in Brooklyn…
"Your uncle and all his friends will be destroyed," Bes said. "From what you've described, Menshikov has assembled a nasty little army. Uraei—the flaming serpents—are very bad news. Even if Bastet gets back in time to help—"
"We need to warn Amos," Walt said. "At least give him a heads-up."
"Do you have a scrying bowl?" Carter asked.
"Better." Walt pulled out a cell phone. "What do I tell him? We're coming back?"
Carter hesitated. How could he leave Amos and his friends alone against an army of evil? Part of him longed to take up the pharaoh's weapons and crush his enemies. Horus's voice still echoed inside his mind, urging him to action.
"Carter, you can't go to Brooklyn."
Zia met his eyes, and he realized that the fear and panic hadn't quite left her. She was controlling those feelings, but they simmered beneath the surface.
"What I saw in the Red Sands…that disturbed me greatly."
He felt like she'd just stomped on his heart.
"Look, I'm sorry about that whole avatar, staff-and-flail thing. I didn't mean to scare you, but—"
"Carter, you didn't disturb me. Vlad Menshikov did."
"Oh…Right."
Zia took a shaky breath.
"I never trusted that man. When I graduated from initiate training, Menshikov requested I be assigned to his nome. Fortunately, Iskandar refused."
"So…why can't I go to Brooklyn?"
Zia studied the senet board as if it were a war map.
"I believe you're telling the truth. Menshikov is a traitor. From what you described of your vision…I think Desjardins is being affected by evil magic. It's not the weakening of Ma'at that is draining his life force."
"It's Menshikov," Sadie guessed.
"I believe so…" Zia's voice turned husky. "And I also believe my mentor, Iskandar, was trying to protect me by putting me in that tomb. It wasn't a mistake that he let me hear Apophis's voice in my dreams. It was a kind of warning—a final lesson. He hid the staff and flail with me for a reason. Perhaps he knew you would find me. Either way, Menshikov must be stopped."
"But you just said I couldn't go to Brooklyn," Carter protested.
"I meant you can't abandon your mission." Zia held his gaze. "I think Iskandar foresaw this path. He believed the gods must unite with the House of Life, and I trust his judgment. You have to wake Ra."
Hearing Zia say that, Carter felt, for the first time, that the mission was real. And crucial.
And very, very crazy.
But he also felt a tiny spark of hope. Maybe she didn't completely hate him.
Sadie picked up the senet sticks.
"Well, it's settled, then. At sunset, we'll open a portal at the top of the Great Pyramid. We'll follow the old sun boat course down the River of Night, we'll find Ra, wake him up, and bring him back by sunrise. And, possibly, find a place for dinner along the way, because I'm hungry again."
"It will be dangerous," Bes said. "Reckless. Probably fatal."
"In other words, a typical day for us," Carter summed up.
Walt frowned, still holding his phone.
"So what do I tell Amos? He's on his own?"
"Not quite," Zia said. "I'll go to Brooklyn."
Carter almost choked. "You?"
Zia gave him a sideways glance. "I'm good at magic, Carter."
"That's not what I meant. It's just—"
"I want to speak to Amos myself," she continued. "When the House of Life shows up, perhaps I can intervene, buy some time. I did have some influence with other magicians…at least when Iskandar was alive. Some of them might listen to reason, especially if Menshikov isn't there goading them."
Carter thought about the angry mob he'd seen in his vision. "Reasonable" wasn't the first word that came to mind.
Apparently Walt thought the same.
"If you transport yourself at sunset," he said, "you'll arrive at the same time as the attackers. It'll be chaos, not much time for talking. What if you have to fight?"
"Let's hope," Zia said, "it doesn't come to that."
It wasn't a very reassuring answer, but Walt nodded.
"I'll go with you."
Sadie dropped her senet sticks on the floor.
"What? Walt, no! In your condition—"
She clapped a hand over her mouth, but it was too late.
"What condition?" Carter asked.
If Walt had an Evil Eye spell, he probably would've used it on Sadie right then.
"My family history," Walt said after a moment. "Something I told Sadie…in confidence."
He didn't look happy about it, but he explained about the curse on his lineage, descended from Akhenaten, and what it meant for him.
Carter sat stunned. Walt's secretive behavior, his talks with Jaz, his sullen moods—it all made sense now. His own problems, suddenly, seemed much less important.
"Oh, man," he mumbled. "Walt—"
"Look, Carter, whatever you're going to say, I appreciate the sentiment. But I'm tired of sympathy. I've been living with this curse for years. I don't want anyone to pity me or treat me special. I want to help you guys. I'll take Zia back to Brooklyn. That way, Amos will know she comes in peace. We'll try to stop the attack, hold them off until sunrise so you can return with Ra. Besides…" He shrugged. "If you fail and we don't stop Apophis, we're all going to die tomorrow anyway."
"That's looking on the bright side," Carter said.
Then something occurred to him: a thought so jarring it felt like a small nuclear reaction in his head. "Wait. Menshikov said he was descended from the priests of Amun-Ra."
Bes snorted with disgust. "Hated those guys. So full of themselves. But what does that have to do with anything?"
"Weren't those the same priests who fought against Akhenaten and cursed Walt's ancestors?" Carter asked.
"What if Menshikov has the secret of the curse? What if he can cure—"
"Stop."
The anger in Walt's voice caught Carter off guard. His hands were trembling.
"Carter, I've accepted my fate. I'm not getting my hopes up for anything. Menshikov is the enemy. Even if he could help, he won't. If your path crosses his, don't try to make any deals. Don't try to reason with him. Do what needs to be done. End him."
Carter glanced at Sadie. Her eyes gleamed, as if he'd finally done something right.
"Okay, Walt," Carter said. "I won't bring it up again."
But silently, he and Sadie had a very different conversation. For once, they were in complete agreement: they would find Menshikov, take him down, and force him to reveal how to cure Walt.
Suddenly, Carter felt much better about this mission.
"Then we'll leave at sunset," Zia said. "Walt and I to Brooklyn. You and Sadie to the Duat. It's settled."
The group was silent for a moment, until Sadie leaned back in her chair, casually throwing her legs up on the table. She looked at Carter with a casual smile.
"Oh, before I forget... I think we don't need to worry so much. I called Ikki to help us this time."
Carter, who was about to talk about his vision, closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.
"Of course you did..."
Walt frowned. "Who?"
Bes crossed his arms. "Ikki? Never heard of the guy."
Zia, on the other hand, looked away at the senet board and was silent for a moment. A shadow of embarrassment passed over her face before she muttered:
"It's been a while..."
Carter noticed her reaction, but decided to ignore it and turned to Walt and Bes.
"Makes sense you wouldn't know him. He's not exactly easy to find. But I guarantee you've heard of his deeds."
Walt raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Like what?"
Carter rubbed his face, as if preparing himself for something inevitable.
"Well... for starters, he helped us destroy the Red Pyramid and defeat Set a year ago."
The silence was immediate.
Walt's eyes widened. "Wait. What?"
Bes was also stunned. "He defeated a god? And not just any god... Set?! The Lord of Chaos?"
Sadie smiled, clearly enjoying their reaction.
"Oh, yes. And he did it practically single-handedly. The House of Life has kind of a love-hate relationship with him. They consider him one of the most powerful magicians alive today, but since he's not a big fan of following orders... well, let's just say he's not exactly welcome in the nomes."
Bes shook his head, still processing. "And you're telling me this now?"
Walt remained skeptical.
"Right... but if he's so amazing, why didn't we call him sooner? I mean, you two seem to know him well."
Sadie scratched her head, looking slightly uncomfortable.
"Well... that's a bit complicated." She exchanged a look with Carter before continuing. "Ikki always had his own things to deal with. When we met him, he was trying to find a way to bring his mother back to life. He helped us when we needed it, but he was never the type to stay in one place or get too involved."
Walt blinked. "Oh. I see."
Bes rubbed his chin, thoughtful.
Carter sighed. "To be honest, he ended up becoming one of our closest friends." He smiled slightly, remembering a few stories. "But we knew he had his own things to deal with. So we decided we'd only call him if it was absolutely necessary. Like 'end of the world' necessary."
Sadie nodded. "And, surprise... we're exactly there."
Zia, who had remained silent, finally spoke.
"We called him a while ago," she admitted, crossing her arms and looking away. "I helped Sadie send the message... but we weren't sure he'd come."
Walt noticed the tone in her voice and raised an eyebrow. "You seem to know him well."
Zia blushed slightly, but maintained her composure.
"He knew my master. I saw him a few times. One thing is certain: if he said he would help when needed... then he will show up."
Bes let out an impressed whistle. "Well... now I need to meet this guy."
As if his words were a summons, an unexpected breeze entered the room, raising dust and making the flames of the lamps flicker. The air became charged for a moment, as if something invisible had just passed through the space.
Then, without warning, a silhouette appeared on the windowsill. Crouched there, Ikki Phoenix appeared as if the wind had sculpted him in that exact moment. His cloak billowed around him, and the golden rays of sunset outlined his figure with an almost unreal glow.
He looked up slowly, his sapphire eyes sweeping the room and its occupants with a neutral expression, as if he already knew exactly what was happening before he even arrived. Sadie hadn't specified where they were, but his Divine Sense had covered the entire city the moment he teleported.
For a brief moment, the entire room seemed to hold its breath.
The sunset light enhanced his features in an almost inhuman way, and his eyes had an intense glow, difficult to ignore.
Walt frowned, as if his brain was trying to process the strangeness of the moment. Bes, who was rarely speechless, just blinked, stunned. Sadie narrowed her eyes, her face slightly flushed next to Zia, while Carter felt an inexplicable discomfort grow within him.
Then, suddenly, that feeling vanished.
It was subtle, as if an invisible curtain had been drawn. Ikki was still there, still impressive, but the overwhelming aura that had dominated the room seconds before now seemed... normal. Human.
And, curiously, no one noticed this change.
"I heard you needed help." Ikki's voice broke the silence. He jumped into the room, his Egyptian robes billowing with the movement.
Sadie was the first to react. Without hesitation, she crossed the room and wrapped him in a tight hug.
"Took you long enough, you idiot." Her voice sounded relieved, but carried her usual sarcastic tone.
"Sorry for the delay..." Ikki returned the hug naturally before she pulled away.
Zia hesitated for a moment before following suit, wrapping him in a brief, but restrained hug. Her face was partially hidden by her hair when she pulled away, looking away.
"It's been a while." Her voice was neutral, but there was something there, something Ikki noticed.
Carter, remaining serious, approached and extended his hand. "Thanks for coming, Ikki. And sorry about my sister."
"Hey!" Sadie shot Carter an annoyed look.
Ikki ignored the exchange and shook Carter's hand firmly. "You called, so I came."
The three siblings exchanged subtle glances as they analyzed Ikki. Something seemed different about him.
It wasn't just the fact that he was wearing Egyptian garb or that he had appeared out of nowhere. He seemed... bigger? His face was more defined, his posture firmer. But what really caught their attention was his presence. Before, Ikki carried a dark energy, a silent obsession that manifested whenever the subject of reviving the dead came up. Now, that shadow seemed to have dissipated.
He seemed... at peace.
Sadie tilted her head, crossing her arms. "Now that I've noticed... you're different."
Zia nodded. "Changed."
Carter narrowed his eyes. "And less gloomy."
Ikki shrugged. "I decided to leave some things behind. Have a better life."
Sadie raised an eyebrow. "Good for you. But seriously, you used to look like a depressed goth."
Ikki rolled his eyes. "Not even close, okay?"
Then he looked over at the other two in the room. "And you are...?"
Sadie took on the role of presenter, pointing to the boy sitting next to Bes, who stood up and approached.
"This is Walt Stone. One of us. Magician of the Brooklyn House."
Ikki extended his hand, and Walt shook it, trying to hide the tension in his eyes. It was still strange to process that the legendary wandering magician was there, in front of them.
"Nice to meet you." Walt tried to sound casual.
"Likewise." Ikki analyzed him quickly before turning his attention back to Bes.
"And this is Bes." Sadie smiled. "Egyptian god. Literally."
Bes crossed his arms, puffing out his chest. "The god of ugliness and nightmares. But, more importantly, an excellent senet player."
Ikki blinked, studying the dwarf with a neutral expression. "Interesting."
Bes snorted. "Interesting? That's all you have to say?"
Ikki shrugged. "I wasn't expecting a dwarf god. It was a surprise."
Bes narrowed his eyes. "Good or bad?"
"Neutral."
Sadie laughed as Bes grumbled about "these young magicians not respecting their elders". Carter just sighed. Walt still seemed to be processing everything.
"Well, now that the introductions are over..." Sadie put her hands on her hips. "Let's get down to business."