“Don’t be late, and protect the child,” Hori said as a final reminder to Nebuaui to transport Kiya to the astral world before leaving him and returning to the great hypostyle hall. He looked at his father’s walking body before sighing loudly and turning away.

Later.

Nebuaui entered a courtyard filled with diverse types of flowers and trees, with a two-meter-long swimming pool in the center. Nebuaui approached a five-year-old boy who was running at him. “Father,” the little boy yelled, sprinting toward him.

“Father!” Donggun echoed and turned to look at the boy, then at Addaya. “Is that you?” Addaya nodded as he noticed Kiya approaching from behind one of the trees, holding an apple.

“Did you speak with him?” Kiya said, Nebuaui gave a weak smile, ignoring her question. Kiya noticed how desperate he appeared and returned his smile.

“Look, Father! I got her this apple for my friend to eat,” said the boy, pointing to Kiya’s small baby bump.

“You knew her!” Donggun said.

“My memories were also erased...” Addaya said, raising his brows.

“Great job son, now go play inside,” Nebuaui said, playing with the boy’s wavy hair, while young Addaya left them and continued playing inside.

Kiya watched Nebuaui with concern, waiting for him to speak. “Everything is wrong, Kiya,” Nebuaui whispered, taking a deep breath. While she was surprisingly quiet, Nebuaui told her what had happened earlier.

Nebuaui kept telling her what would happen if they didn’t use the spell; he waited for her reaction, but she didn’t react. “Do you understand what I’m saying, Kiya?”

“I do,” she said before closing her eyes.

Nebuaui was skeptical. “Are you okay with the fact that you won’t be able to see him again?” She smiled and nodded at him. “Kiya, please don’t lie to me.” He wanted her to react; he wanted her to cry, scream, or curse anything but that frozen stable reaction.

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“I’m not lying, if my existence will harm him, I’m happy to vanish from his memories,” Kiya said, looking into Nebuaui’s eyes. “At least I’ll always have a piece of him,” Kiya said, clutching her small baby bump. Kiya drew Nebuaui into a hug and pulled her tightly. “I’ll go say goodbye to Addaya,” she said as she walked inside.

Nebuaui inhaled deeply and followed her inside. Addaya and Donggun did not accompany them. “I can’t believe I knew her,” Addaya said as he stood outside the room they were in, taking a few steps away from Donggun.

“Why did you let me forget about her, Father? How come he didn’t tell me what really happened?” Addaya said in hushed tones.

“Addaya,” Donggun called him again, this time louder. Addaya turned around to see Donggun covering half of his face with his hands while blood poured out of his nose like a splash of running water. Addaya’s jaw dropped as he looked at their bracelets, its bright blue color started to fade.

“We have to leave right now!” Addaya said this while sprinting across the small space between them, reaching for Donggun’s left hand. The bracelets glowed brightly, and as Addaya quickly said the first line of the spell, everything around them darkened.

When Addaya finished his sentence, a brilliant flash flickered and died, blanketing everything at once. He said another line, which was followed by rumbling thunder, and the ground shook violently. Addaya finished the spell, and a bolt of white lightning pierced the total darkness.

As they stood in the mystical room in the alternate Rhakotis, the darkness faded. Addaya ran to the other side of the room and got a piece of fabric for Donggun, then reached for one of the small bottles on the ground and smeared some of its liquid on the fabric. “Take it,” Addaya said, handing Donggun the fabric.

Donggun sat on the nearest chair he could find and covered his bloody nose with the fabric. When Addaya reached the cylinder on the floor and read the engraved spell on it, the papyruses reverted to their black liquid form and crawled back to the cylinder.

Addaya shut it and looked at Donggun, who looked fine after the magical liquid healed his nose. “Your body wasn’t ready for such a long transformation,” Addaya said, pointing to the blood on the fabric between Donggun’s hands.

Donggun stood up and threw the fabric on the table. “Not even the Pharaoh remembers Kiya! How are we going to explain this to Meritamun?”

“We won’t, at least not for the time being,” Addaya stated emphatically.

“Meritamun has the right to know! It’s her mother!” Donggun spoke in a low, deep tone.

“What are we going to tell her then? She is of royal blood, or her mother was the pharaoh’s mistress, or the queen is the reason her mother’s soul is trapped in the pectoral, or she is the heir to the throne?! I can’t ruin her life like that; not all at once,” Addaya said firmly, slamming both hands on the table.

“I’ll tell her everything, but not right now,” he said as he walked out of the room, and Donggun followed.