The Egyptian Gods and The Ten Plagues of Egypt

Chapter 1: Horus

Day 0

Flying across the sky at night, Horus stopped in front of the face of his statue, built behind his very own temple. On the next day after the sunrise, the human slaves would continue coloring the face. The taskmaster predicted that the entire process would have finished by the end of the day. If his prediction did not miss, then in the next two days, the slaves could start demolishing the twenty floors wooden stagger. Horus was so glad because after several hundred days, humans and gods would finally be able to witness his tallest statue in the city of Pi-Ramses.

Horus flew up, landing on his head. There he was observing the city landscape, which had become his night routine ever since the statue head had finished. Alongside with the pyramids and other cities across the land, the city of Pi-Ramses had become another evidence of how Egypt had thrived so much in the past two thousand years, despite the turmoil that kept occurring in that period of time. He hoped that someday, Egypt would stand at the top of everything, ruling over all lands across the globe.

Someone suddenly landed behind him. Turning around, it was another deity with expanded white wings. He was not the long-time enemy like the Mesopotamian or Assyrian gods, nor the recently-allied one like the Hittites gods. He was an angel. The angel of Yahweh.

"What brings an angel of Yahweh to come here?" Horus suspiciously asked.

"I'm quite disappointed you don't know me," the angel said.

"I'm asking what brings you here, Gabriel?" Horus repeated the question; this time he mentioned the name.

"Now I'm flattered you know my name," Gabriel said. "I reckon you also know that I'm the messenger of Yahweh and also one of his strongest warriors?"

"Don't you see some of my soldiers flying around here too?" Horus asked as he glanced over his left and right shoulder. "If you don't tell me now what's your business here, I will order them to come here immediately."

Gabriel stopped smiling. "I'm here to bring the command from Yahweh. He wanted His people to leave your land."

"What people?" Horus responded as he slightly raised his chin.

Gabriel scoffed as he shook his head. "I wonder why you foolishly act as if you don't know it."

"Make clarification now!"

"The Hebrews. Let them leave your land."

Horus scoffed. "You're so stupid if you think we will let them leave."

"Well... I just forwarded Yahweh's message to you," Gabriel said as he shrugged and raised his hands. "If you don't want to suffer His wrath, then you better prepare the release as soon as possible."

Horus summoned out his sword and shield. "I'd say you better prepare for combat."

Gabriel shook his head in disappointment. "Do you forget what I said earlier?" he asked. Simultaneously, a golden sword and shield also materialized in his hands.

"Time to see whether you live up to your 'one of the strongest warriors' claim," Horus said; he then lurched towards Gabriel. The angel promptly blocked Horus' sword with the shield.

Both dashed into the sky. The duel sword was surrounded by Horus' soldiers; all prepared to attack on their king's signal. Each party kept swinging their sword or blocking the attack, making none of them able to even leave a scratch on each other. Eventually, Horus expanded his wings and lurched backward. Swiftly crossing his hands, he summoned a sand twister by uttering the spell designed for it. It whirled towards Gabriel and entrapped him in it. Horus then prepared to toss his sword. Nevertheless, at that very moment, the wings of Gabriel expanded until they went through the twister. With one quick flipping movement, the wind vanished, leaving only sands that fell to ground.

"I have to admit that method is effective to make me unable to move," Gabriel said as he dusted off the sands from his shoulder. "But it's still far from sufficient if you want to compare it with the power of Yahweh. Hence it's better for you to obey. Else, His wrath will not be pleasant at all."

Horus raised his right hand. Twelve of his soldiers promptly dashed towards Gabriel; all were ready to slash him to fatal wounds. Instantly, Gabriel's body released white light shaped like himself; it grew bigger as it moved. Enclosing the soldiers, it burnt them to ashes. As for Horus, only a small flame burnt his skin and wings, which he could put off by summoning the wind. Still, it stung. Unable to keep his balance properly, he decided to land on his statue again.

"Go and have yourself recovered," Gabriel said, still flying above him. "And most importantly, don't forget to tell your kind about this message."

Groaning in pain, Horus wanted to challenge Gabriel again. But before a chance to speak came to him, he already dashed higher into the sky.