The cross into another province was going to be hard. The KP were still on high alert since our attack two weeks ago. Migrating between provinces was heavily restricted and the water surface was immensely covered. It took us a bit longer than we anticipated to make it here. Coming up to the border between Canaan and Nekhen, Ymir and I had to sneak past the patrol boats.
"Ymir." I said, "That's close enough, cut the engine."
"Got it." he replied. As the boat spurred to a stop, I looked over at the horizon. It was night, but I could make out the lights from the patrols. They weren't too far away. The two of us made our way to the dinghy on the side of the boat. I rowed while Ymir looked out for the spotlights. He kept his hand on the engine just in case we needed to make a getaway.
Once daybreak came, Ymir could finally see land.
"We're almost there." he said, "You're doing amazing sweetie."
"Shut the fuck up."
Once we pulled up to the beach, we were scott free. I had never been to Mut before. While the Vasilikos didn't care much about us, they cherished the tourists. And Mut was the hottest tourist hub in the Bahr Sea. Contrary to Canaan's deserts and industrial islands, Nekhen's islands were lush and green. This province was a tropical paradise. Other than the iron ore, the islands of Nekhen brought in much of Kmet's GDP. I hated it.
For all the self-righteous boutting of the Five Nations, speaking ill of Phocis' actions and how oppressed we are, their citizens loved to vacation in Nekhen. They only cared on camera, none of them did anything to help. If it was up to me, I'd tear down every tourist attraction and give the land back to the people it was stolen from in the first place.
"Let's go." Ymir said, "We can't stay on the beach for too long."
Once we were certain no one was around, we changed into our disguises. Wigs, makeup, sun hats, floral shirts, you know basic shit. I figured the more we looked like typical tourists, the less likely we'd be spotted. It was a heavy tourism location, it would be easier to blend into the crowds.
We made our way into town, sticking to the crowded main roads.
"Okay." I said, "She's supposed to be at a place called 'Maebad Muqadas.' An old shrine turned into a museum."
"Any idea where it could be?"
"Well, according to the city map, it's not too far. Actually, it's a new addition to the island's tour."
"Great." Ymir said, "How are we supposed to get her alone in a crowded place?"
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there."
After a bit of walking, we made our way to the trolley station. As luck would have it, a tour group was boarding as we arrived. We snuck into the crowd of people and found seats on the bus. [All a little too easy if you ask me.] After about a minute of riding, the tour guide began to speak.
"Good morning my distinguished guests! Welcome to today's first class tour of the beautiful island getaway of Mut! If you look in front of you, you'll find today's itinerary. This trip entails an exciting look at the island..."
I stopped paying attention to the guide and looked closer at the itinerary.
"Ymir." I whispered, "Look, the shrine's the last stop."
"So we just ride this trolley all the way there huh."
"Seems so."
"The Khalaq Tour is indeed the best way to learn both this island and its culture's history. What little there is to know." the guide continued, "This first building we're coming up to is called 'The Maqbara.' One thousand years ago, the ancient civilization of Olum was at war with Vasileio, an old civilization from whence our Royals hail and who's islands later became Serekh, the capital province. This here is a tomb for many of the soldiers defending this island from the conquerors."
The tour went on from building to building, showing the heavily watered down history of Kmet. There were only a few burial sites, an old temple where most of the writing had eroded away, and finally, the museum. As the trolley pulled into the station, I gazed upon the building, awestruck. The shrine itself seemed to be completely made from limestone and marble. It was about 20 meters tall with the inside filled with columns, statues, and carved syllabary. It was the only building in the country that still had readable old Olili texts. Too bad only a handful of people could actually read it. I bet it held secrets of wonder.
"Welcome to Maebad Muqadas." The tour guide said, "Last stop on our trip, this shrine is the last fully-standing monument of the old Olili society. Here many patrons gathered to worship a long forgotten deity." Ymir and I started to break apart from the group. We took a seat far away from everyone and took out a photo of Lady Maat.
"This doesn't seem like a place to find an occultist." Ymir said.
"I was thinking that too. Maybe this was just a bust."
"I wouldn't say so." The tour guide was standing in front of us.
"Oh.. um, I'm sorry." I said, "I just needed to sit for a bit."
"Don't worry." The man said, "I know who you are, Fatima Madu." I reached for my arm.
"Hold on." the man said, lifting up his sleeve. He had a tattoo of a warhammer on it. I gasped. "I'm a friend. You're looking for Lady Maat right?"
"You know where she is?" Ymir asked.
"I do." the man said, "She sent me to get you. She knew you would be seeking her out."
"And how do we know we can trust you?" I asked.
"You seek knowledge about the Mansha, the eclipse weeks ago yes?" he answered, "About that tattoo on you, about what's to come. She can answer your questions. But we must leave soon. I fear this place is not safe." He nodded over towards the entrance. KP officers started to arrive.
"Let's go." he said.
Trust him or not, we had no choice. It was a better option than fighting KP in this crowded area. He led us towards the back of the building and out a service exit. Behind was more jungle. This section seemed thicker than the rest of the island. Most likely because it hasn't been tamed by the government yet. After a few minutes of walking, we came upon a small building hiding in the brush.
"Come." the guide said, "Lady Maat is waiting for you here."
Once inside, all we could see was a baptistery surrounded by candles.
"Lady Maat?" I called, "Are you here? We've been looking for you."
Then, suddenly, a woman rose from the water, gasping for air. She leaned over the side of the wall, pulling herself from the water. Panting and struggling to stand up, she looked over at us. She twisted the water from her hair and started walking over.
"Fatima Madu and Ymir Sondergaard." she said, "I'm glad to finally meet you."
"Lady Maat... I presume." Ymir replied. She looked a lot younger in person.
"At your service." she said, bowing, "How was the tour? Hope you learned something."
"How'd you know we'd be there?" I asked, "Even the tour guide works for you." I turned towards him, "Sorry hun, didn't catch your name."
He pointed towards his badge, "It's Jahmal. And I don't work for her, she's my mother."
Lady Maat chuckled, "It's my job to know things."
She gestured for us to follow her.
"Come sit with me. My wife made some tea."
She led us to a back room. Her wife was just finishing setting the table. She looked up at us and smiled, moving a stray braid behind her ear.
"Welcome." The woman said, then looked over at Lady Maat, who was dripping wet.
"Matresse." she sighed, "Please change into some dry clothes."
"I'll be right back." Lady Maat smiled and walked out of the kitchen.
"Please excuse my wife." she said, reaching her hand out, "I'm Aya. Pleased to meet you."
"Fatima." I replied, grabbing her hand. Ymir and I took a seat with Aya while we waited for Lady Maat. Jahmal had walked over to the sink. I watched as he grabbed a rag and some liquid. He dipped the rag and started to wipe his face. Dark brown makeup started to cover the rag. He had pale blotches dotting his face. A couple on his cheeks, on his left brow, under his eyes, and halfway across his lips. I didn't know why, but I couldn't turn away. I noticed in the spots under his eyes were small cross tattoos. He caught my gaze and smiled when he noticed I was staring. I quickly turned away, face on fire.
"It's okay." he said, sitting down next to Aya, "I have to wear makeup at work, makes me more palpable to the tourists." I noticed his hands were milky too.
"You're palpable the way you are." I blurted out.
"Smooth." Ymir whispered to me. I elbowed him in the side, then cleared my throat.
"Is it just the three of you here?" I asked.
"Just us and my brother Dwayne." Jahmal replied, "He's out in Canaan right now though, Ptah."
"Wait." Ymir said, "Was he the priest that contacted the Orphans a little over a month ago?"
"That would be him." Aya replied, "We wanted to make contact with you before the Mansha. But in hindsight, we should have figured it wouldn't work."
"It's because Dwayne went." Jahmal said, sipping some tea, "He's a little... eccentric."
"Leave your brother alone!" Lady Maat said, entering the room again, "Besides, it all worked out, they came to seek us out."
"Speaking of which," I said, "Who exactly are you people? You claim to know what's going on. The eclipse, what happened to me." I looked over at Jahmal, "To us."
"Ah yes..." Lady Maat replied, "The Mansha."
"What's that?" I asked.
"Mansha, Rebirth." she replied, "It is her herald. Ife, our goddess and protector."
"Ife?"
"Let me tell you a story." Lady Maat said, "A story long forgotten in these lands. Long ago, before humanity could even create a thought of its own, lived the Isi, gods, personifications of the world as we know it. They ruled with an iron fist, enslaving humanity. That is, until Ife came along."
"The Isi?" I asked, "You mean the gods of Eneo?"
"The very same." she replied, "The gods worshiped on that continent once ruled over the entire world."
"Ife is the one who set us free." Jahmal added.
"Indeed she did." Maat continued, "You see, Ife was very different from the rest of the gods. While they forced our ancestors into slavery, it was because we had no will. We had no thought other than to work, to serve, as we were made to do." She took a sip of her tea.
"That is until one day, one human began to think. Think for theirself. One thing was on their mind, freedom. The idea spread like wildfire. It became so strong that the thought manifested itself into a deity of its own, Ife. She was born from the human's desire for freedom."
"Oh, but the Isi wouldn't just give us our freedom." Aya said, "No, our ancestors had to fight for it! And Ife fought alongside them. She took on a persona; Menthu, god of war."
"Menthu?" Ymir said, "Wasn't he like a demon or something?"
"Yes," Aya answered, "I'm sure from the Isi's perspective, he was."
"What does this have to do with us?" I asked.
"I was getting there." Lady Maat replied, "You see, taking on the other gods was no easy feat. They were gods. They existed on a separate plane than us. And even if we could reach them, to kill one would rid the world of said quality."
"Kill the god of the earth? No more land." Jahmal said, "Kill the god of life... you get the picture."
"So," Lady Maat continued, "Instead of attacking the gods, Ife targeted their tethers."
"Tethers?"
"Not all humans were mindless slaves." Lady Maat added, "Some were made to worship the gods. This group of people were called Maiors. And among them, the gods had chosen few to be their tethers, their will upon this world."
"So what did Ife do?" I asked.
"She did just as the gods did. She chose her own warriors." Lady Maat explained, "However, her magic was not the same as the Isi. She was born from man and did not have the power to create the same beings, nor the time to make as many. A sacrifice had to be made."
"The Mansha." I said.
"You're catching on."
"But I don't understand." Ymir asked, "How does sacrificing thousands help?"
"Ife knew she didn't have the time to create a vast army like the Maiors, so she decided to fight quantity with quality." Aya elaborated, "Those thousands of lives, those thousands of people's energies, they were all condensed into the bodies of a few."
"Wait!" Ymir exclaimed, "You mean to tell us-"
"All those people." I gasped, "Their life force was channeled into us?"
"Exactly." Lady Maat replied, "It was easier and quicker to channel the fighting force of an army into a few people than to raise thousands of soldiers to the levels needed. The Maiors had Isi magic on their side. If we hoped to match them, we needed warriors with the strength of thousands. You have that strength in you.."
I looked down at my tea, mind racing with a million questions.
This can't be true!
But it had to be. How else could I explain this? What else could explain what we can do? What we've done? But why? Why sacrifice so many innocent people? What was coming? I needed to know.
I looked back up at Lady Maat.
"But why us?" I asked, "Why now?"
She took a sip of her tea. "Good." she said, "Now you're asking the important questions. Why now? You see, Ife in her Menthu persona, along with her warriors, the 'Naji', fought the Maiors in the First War. While they were able to defeat the tethers, they were not able to beat the full force of the Maior's army. Knowing that one day the Isi's power would rise once more, Ife went to rest. She took her people here, to Olum, only to come back when we were to be threatened again."
"Wow." Ymir said, "This is a very different version of the Isi."
"It's the true version." Jahmal said.
"It's a different perspective." Aya corrected.
"So the eclipse," I asked, "The Mansha. Is there some bigger threat to befold us? Something worse than Phocis?"
"Why don't you see for yourself?"
Ymir and I looked at each other. Lady Maat stood back up and gestured for us to follow. She led us back into the room with the baptistery.
"You want to know how I know all these things?" she asked, "How I knew when the Mansha would happen? How I knew when you'd show up? Ife showed me."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"There are still some of us that remember." Aya said, "When the Cories came, they forced us Olili to be silent. When the Vasilikos came, they made sure we forgot. But we never did."
"Wait." I said, "Is this..."
"One day I heard a voice."Lady Maat continued, "It led me here. To this baptistery. It told me to fill it with water. So I did."
She pulled a dagger from her side. "It told me to drip a drop of my blood in there."
I studied the blade.
"Of course I was resistant, but when I did, I was shown wonders."
Lady Maat handed me the dagger.
"Are you ready to see what Ife has to show you?"
I looked at the dagger. It was obsidian with a serrated edge and a curved handle. It looked as if it was made for special ceremonies. I grabbed it and looked back at Ymir. He was completely unsure of the situation. I looked back at the dagger and could feel a certain aura coming from it.
"Fuck it."
I walked over towards the water and raised my hand above it.
"This is clean right?" I turned back and asked.
"I sanitize it every day." Maat smiled.
"Alright." I sighed and turned towards the water again. I pricked my palm and clenched my fist. Blood started to flow before the wound healed. I dripped a drop of blood into the water. Once it touched, the clear liquid became opaque and shone teal. Startled, I turned back towards the group. Lady Maat was still smiling and nodding her head. Ymir was even more uneasy. Definitely worried.
I took off my wig and jacket and climbed into the water. [About time too, cause that god awful thing made my head itch.] I stood in the middle of the pool and looked at the group one last time.
"Go under." Maat mouthed to me.
I looked down at the water, took a deep breath, and went under.
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I awoke in a vast field. I could hear the sound of a large battle taking place from afar. I walked for a moment until I came across a jackal with a chameleon on its back. It sat there, staring at me.
"Where am I?" I asked, "Is this what Ife wanted to show me?"
The jackal sat there, silent.
"What's going on? I can hear fighting."
The jackal tilted its head.
"This is hopeless." I said, turning around. "What is this supposed to mean? What did she want to show me?"
The jackal nibbled at my leg. I turned back around to look at the animal. It whined and begged for me to follow.
"Are you going to show me?" I asked. It barked.
"Then lead the way I guess."
The jackal turned and took off. I had to sprint just to keep up. As I ran, I could hear the sounds of the battle more clearly. It was getting louder and louder. But there was no sign of fighting. Eventually we came to a hill. The jackal sat atop it.
"Wait." I said, "I know this place."
There sitting on the hill was a small kitten. The jackal gently picked it up and headed for a cave at the base. There was a small stream flowing from it.
"In there?" I asked.
As we grew closer, flashes of the battle I was hearing came to me. I could see soldiers from both the KP and Orphans fighting. But that wasn't it.
"Deupoint?" I asked, "Colrad too?"
Once we entered the cave, I saw what the jackal was leading me to. Inside was a pond of water. It placed the kitten next to the water and they both began to drink. Even the chameleon took a sip.
"Is this it?" I asked. I walked over to the kitten and reached for it. It jumped into my arms, transforming into a full grown cat.
"You seem friendly." I said, "...wait."
I looked into the cat's eyes. As I focused on them, the rest of the world seemed to fade. A moment passed and all I could see was the cat's eyes, and then, nothing.
I quickly rose from the water, gasping for air.
"Fatima!" Ymir exclaimed, "Are you okay? You were under there for a while."
"I'm okay." I replied, still coughing.
"What did you see?" Lady Maat asked.
"It was.. It was strange. There was a field, and a jackal and.. and." I looked over to Ymir.
"A war is coming, Ymir. Bigger than we've ever seen before. Not just with the KP, but with the Five Great Nations as well."
"...shit. What now?"
"I'm not sure." I said, "But there's something else."
"What?"
"I know where to find Yuseff."