Addaya opened his eyes swiftly, finding himself on the ground next to Donggun. He sat up and looked around. Donggun was still lying on his back, but he was regaining his focus. “What happened? Where are we?” Donggun asked and rose to his feet.
“In the forbidden hall,” Addaya said as he approached him. “I think,” he said and looked around again.
“It doesn’t look forbidden nor scary,” Donggun said, surprised. The place was yet another massive one with pure gold all over the walls, ground, and ceiling. The place was lustrous, both could see their own reflection clearly.
They were at the far end of the room when Addaya felt pain in his right hand and turned to see Nebuaui’s necklace glowing and vibrating.
Its glow drew Donggun’s attention as it continued to vibrate. Addaya tried to keep it still, but it suddenly flew to the middle of the golden room. When it reached the core of the room, it began to vibrate erratically and appeared blurry and undefined.
Donggun couldn’t bear the nerve-wracking noise; he covered his ears tightly and looked at Addaya, who looked confused. Donggun tried to speak loudly, but his voice was barely audible.
Everything came to a halt; Donggun moved his hand and stared in disbelief at the scene before him. Every inch of the golden place was covered in inscribed spells that glowed in bright blue light. Addaya looked quickly at the walls and exclaimed, “Very powerful sacred spell! I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Donggun followed him but came to a halt before reaching the middle when Addaya raised his hand. “Take a look at the ground,” Addaya warned. When they looked down, they saw a deep circled lake reflecting the necklace that had been flying high above it. The lake’s water was clear. Addaya squatted down and examined it; hieroglyphic words appeared on its surface.
“The heart is the window to the soul,” Donggun read as he squatted down beside Addaya.
“Place your left hand in it,” Addaya instructed without looking at him.
“What?” Donggun said.
“The left hand is connected to the heart, and thus the heart is connected to the soul, the protection spell in here is a powerful one, to prevent troubled souls from laying their hands on the book, we must reveal our souls by putting our left hands in the water,” Addaya said.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Donggun agreed and both put their left hands inside the lake. The water around their hands glowed bright blue. Donggun cringed as the strings around his hand tightened, groaned loudly when the pain became unbearable, and Addaya frowned and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Donggun looked at him and then at his own hand, saying, “The strings,” as he tried to move his hand. “It feels like it’s ripping my flesh, don’t you feel it too?!” Addaya’s frown deepened, and he was about to respond when they both felt something strong and powerful pushing their hands out of the water, they stood up, their gaze fixed on the lake’s surface.
Black liquid wisps emerged from the water and began to fly above the water’s surface, gradually forming a pyramidion; the necklace glowed once more, revealing the eye of Horus on the pyramidion, before transforming into a black diorite one. Addaya took a few steps closer and placed his hand above Horus’ eye.
Addaya and Donggun looked inside the pyramidion’s upper half, where a golden cylinder with the same engraved hieroglyphics covered the golden place, they were in.
Donggun remained motionless as Addaya took the cylinder and walked away to open it; something else inside the pyramidion had caught his attention. “There’s something else inside,” said Donggun.
“We have the book; we don’t need anything else,” Addaya said, cautiously inspecting the cylinder.
Donggun ignored Addaya and grabbed the pyramidion’s contents. “Take a look,” Donggun said. Addaya returned his gaze to Donggun, who was holding a golden pectoral cloisonné inlaid with carnelian and malachite gemstones, with a standing blue heron bird and sun disc above its head.
He froze when his gaze was drawn to the pectoral; Donggun observed Addaya’s reaction and approached him. “What’s the matter?” Donggun questioned.
“I think I saw it before,” Addaya said, setting the cylinder on the floor and taking Donggun’s pectoral from his grasp. “It’s pectoral,” Addaya explained to Donggun.
“Did Nebuaui tell you about this?”
“No,” Addaya said, moving it to the right and then to the left, his eyes widening when it reflected a magenta shine. “Meritamun,” Addaya said, his eyes wide open as he looked at Donggun. The pectoral shone brightly, and the area around them began to darken.
Within a few moments, the area had become completely dark. The pectoral glowed, and the darkness began to fade, revealing where they stood. A vast expanse of green grass and numerous tree species. Donggun looked around the back and noticed a massive house that was unlike any other house in Egypt. Donggun asked, “Are we still in Rhakotis?”
“I don’t think so,” Addaya replied cautiously.
A group of young children ran in their direction. Donggun squatted down to the level of one of the running children. “Do you know what the name of this place is, young boy?” Donggun questioned as the boy approached him.