The weight of their purpose hung heavy in the air as they summoned the thunderbird and soared back toward Alexandria, the majestic city of Egypt. It was a city steeped in history and grandeur, where ancient wonders and mysteries were waiting to be unraveled.
Damo who never visit such a place quickly took out the ink and started to paint the scenery while citing a poem about the place.
Their first destination upon arrival was the currently renovated Alexandria Library, a place where all the knowledge of the Earth's civilizations was stored. The library's towering shelves held countless volumes of wisdom and stories, representing the collective heritage of humanity and Klea was hoping she would find traces of the old city hoping to find clues from the tales of its people.
Klea, rushing toward one of the corners of the building. Her eyes were filled with anguish, and she cried out in despair. "No! No!"
The ancient text she had been seeking, the key to unlocking the secrets of their current predicament, was housed in the part of the library that had been ravaged by fire. Now, all that remained were ashes and ruins, a painful reminder of the knowledge lost.
Klea's frustration and disappointment were palpable as she gaze at Julian, seeking someone to share in her anger. However, as she studied his serious and resolute face, her anger softened, giving way to a heavy sigh. The anger for what the Kronos Magus did to his soldiers was still etched upon his features.
"Now what...? Are we never going to know what is going on down there?" Klea's voice was tinged with frustration, her shoulders slumping with the weight of uncertainty.
She couldn't help but wonder if they would have to defeat the Kronos faction and claim the role of caretaker before they could truly understand the origin of the terrifying threat that lay beneath the earth.
In that moment, familiar young female voices broke the silence once again, echoing through the air. The ethereal voices seemed to envelop them, surrounding them with an otherworldly presence.
"You are proven to be a friend of the Master, I will tell you,"
Klea was surprised that this time it wasn't just her hearing the voices, but all four of them. A mix of anticipation and trepidation swirled within them as they strained to identify the speakers.
"Who are you?! Reveal yourself!" Klea exclaimed, her eyes darting around, searching for the source of the voices.
To their astonishment, a tiny dark beetle bug emerged from Klea's hair, its wings fluttering gently as it made its way toward a large table in the center of the library.
The bug seemed to be guided by an unseen force, undergoing a remarkable transformation. It metamorphosed into a little child, no more than three years old, emitting an eerie aura of a magus. The child's voice trembled with innocence and uncertainty as they spoke.
"Halooo everyone…, i'm sowwy... I'm not used to this form."
Klea's eyes widened with recognition. It was the same entity that had been warning her, a creature with a deep connection to the tomb and Gaia. A warm smile spread across her face as she approached the little child.
She gently inquired, "Who are you? And what do you know about what is happening down there?"
The child hesitated for a moment, their voice carrying a tinge of sadness. "I am... my name... my master used to call me Khepri..."
Khepri was apparently one of King Anu's cherished pets, she was treated as if she was his own child.
After the great king's passing, For almost 2000 years, Khepri had chosen to remain close to his tomb, forging deep bonds with the sacred tree and other creatures, including the Sphinx—a fellow companion of the late king. It was in this serene setting that she had recently evolved to the realm of magus, gaining the ability to assume human form.
With a sense of anticipation, Klea urged Khepri to share their knowledge of the events unfolding on the tomb ruins. Khepri revealed that the spirit tree had fallen silent in recent years, its voice no longer guiding and protecting the land. This silence had weakened the seal on the Abyss gate, allowing a crack to form and giving rise to the escalating threats they had witnessed.
"What about the giant?" Klea asked, her voice filled with curiosity. She knew that the giant was not one of the creatures of the abyss. There was something different about its presence.
This question made the little girl pause for a few seconds before finally answering, "The one-eyed giant, the Cyclops, was my master's creation. It was born through my master's project, with the help of the spirit tree" her voice tinged with a hint of sadness before adding "Unfortunately, although they are very powerful, they are too brainless to control. Hence, my master decided to lock them up behind the Abyss gate."
Hearing this, Julian interjected, his voice tinged with relief. "I guess it's a good thing that the Kronos magus stopped them in time."
Khepri chuckled softly, their childlike demeanor shining through. "Yes, but that's just one gate. My master created a total of 108 gates all over the world, each containing his failed creations."
The revelation sent shivers down their spines. The scope of the problem was far larger than they had anticipated. Over a hundred gates were scattered across the globe, each potentially holding a powerful and dangerous creature. Even if there was only one such Giant on each gate, the magnitude of the battle will be too much.
"Don't worry though as long as it's not disturbed I believe we still have time, maybe 20 years or more"
It was too much of a coincidence to think Kephri's prediction was so much similar to the time given by the Magus alliance for the coming tribulation.
After hearing many of the little girl's explanations, Klea asks about the tomb itself, and if she knew anything of why her master was dead.
The girl was almost crying as she shook her head, saying that she didnt know as it was too sudden, but the fact was one of the reasons she decided to follow them out was because she was looking for an artifact, one that might contain the reason for the kings passing.
"I need your help to find it"
'What is that?" Klea asked curiously
It's a gold chest with an elaborate design of two winged creatures, "we called it the Ark of God"
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