“LET HER GO!” Nebuaui appeared behind them shouting at the top of his lungs. The man with the knife held the other man’s left arm and both vanished in a blink of an eye. Kiya groaned in pain and then collapsed on the ground. Nebuaui carried her between his arms and ran to the room at the end of the courtyard.

The memory changed and turned to a new one.

Kiya was laying on a bed covered in blood, she was holding a newborn baby girl. Kiya moved her hand slowly above the baby’s black hair while humming a soft melody. Nebuaui entered the room, squatted in front of the bed, and held Kiya’s hand. She smiled at him, got the pectoral, and placed it on the baby’s cloth. “Promise me you will keep her safe,” Kiya said and held Nebuaui’s hand tightly.

Nebuaui moved his head and kissed her hand, tears streaming down their tightly clasped hands, he looked at her again, then let go of her hand and unlocked the necklace he was wearing. He placed the necklace on the bed before grabbing her face between his hands and staring into her eyes. “I will always love you,” Nebuaui said, kissing her on the lips. For a few seconds, he rested his head on top of hers, both breathing heavily.

He replaced the necklace on the baby’s cloth, next to the pectoral. He raised his hands while whispering a spell. The necklace glowed bright green in sync with the pectoral’s magenta and gold glow.

Cooper's red-golden wisps began to emerge from Kiya’s body and merged with bright green wisps emerging from Nebuaui’s hands, the two wisps completely merging and covering the baby’s entire body. When the wisps began to penetrate her body, the baby began to cry.

The glow became stronger with the baby’s high cries, Kiya was breathing hard with every wisp coming out of her frail form, and Nebuaui continued casting the spell with his eyes fixed on Kiya and his cheeks completely wet from his heavy tears. Nebuaui said the final word, and Kiya took her final breath before her body died and her soul left her forever. He sobbed loudly, hugging her motionless figure tightly and burying his head in her neck.

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Kiya smiled at Meritamun and wiped the burning tears that ran down her rosy cheeks as the golden wisps slowly disappeared, revealing the shiny room once more. “It was the only way to protect you,” Kiya explained as she ran her hands through Meritamun’s hair. “The Bennu shielded both of us...but it was my time to leave.”

“How come you didn’t tell him about me? He could protect us,” Meritamun said, wiping the last tear from her right cheek.

“Your father always followed his heart, and he was beloved by the kingdom, but the queen had more power in the royal temple, and with the nation, they wouldn’t accept the heir not being carried by the queen,” Kiya explained.

“But the entire kingdom adores him, they might have accepted us.”

“I wish it was that simple; Nebuaui promised me he would keep you safe from learning the truth, but Addaya and his friend’s curiosity opened the door to the past.”

“Addaya? Donggun? Was it them?!” Meritamun exclaimed.

“When Addaya said your name, the Bennu awakened and came to you because your friend found the pectoral and gave it to him.” Meritamun appeared more perplexed. “For the Bennu to be fully transformed to your soul, it must carry my memories, and I didn’t want you to carry the burden of my life,” Kiya explained. “You need it now more than ever.”

Kiya removed her dress’s pectoral and held it. “It’s the last piece for you to have the Bennu,” Kiya said, holding Meritamun’s hand. “I’m always with you.”

When Kiya placed her pectoral between their hands, the place began to vibrate again. Kiya whispered. “I love you.” her body faded away. Meritamun closed her eyes tightly, tears streaming down her cheeks, and said, “I love you too, mother.”

Meritamun opened her eyes and found herself in her bed, next to Addaya, who was still sleeping on his stomach. She looked at him, then shifted to the right side and began to sob in the darkness that swallowed her frail, shaking figure.