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Post-Mortem
CHAPTER 5 – INPU

CHAPTER 5 – INPU

After a looong walk, Kurou found something. He could see some lights from a distance, and a big mountain of yellow stone.

Judging by the position of the moon, he estimated it was around 4 a.m., and he found himself alone in the vicinity.

As he approached the mountain, he noticed massive carvings resembling people sitting in a row with their hands resting on their knees.

"So, this is Abu Simbel, the temple of Ramses. Now that I'm here...I might just come in".

Kurou invited himself in, realizing with a dumb expression that the construction was pitch black inside.

"No lights inside, huh...that makes sense. No wiring available", Kurou mumbled.

As Kurou walked the temple's huge corridor, his eyes glowed red. The surroundings became bright as day.

"Great. Now I've got infravision. Look, Ramses, I'm a hero from another planet, and I can see you!", Kurou exclaimed like the funny prankster he thought he was.

"I can see you too, Post-Mortal, and you indeed appear to be from another world", a solemn voice responded.

"WHAT? WHO SAID THAT?", Kurou asked, taken aback.

"I did. Why are you surprised? Weren't you talking to me?", the voice rumbled again, now revealing the translucent figure of a man in his thirties, holding a staff and a scepter.

"...a transparent person. Who came out of nowhere. Are you a ghost or something?", Kurou asked, narrowing his eyes and pointing his finger at the ghostly figure.

"That's rude, Post-Mortal", the man said. "I'm the owner of this temple, Ramses II, son of Seti".

"YOU are Ramses?" Kurou yelled. "As in Ramses, the ancient pharaoh?".

"You are correct, Post-Mortal", Ramses II confirmed.

"I don't believe it. This is too crazy for my small brain", Kurou said to himself, scratching his head. "First, I can't die, then my body parts project outward; next, I can see in the dark; and now this? Am I seeing things? Have I become schizophrenic?".

"Your mental health is as fine as it could be in your case, Post-Mortal", the man replied, chuckling softly. "But if you fail to understand why these things are happening to you, then I can't guarantee you will keep your...'sanity' for long".

"And you have the answers, Pharaoh? Is it that easy?", Kurou responded skeptically.

"I never claimed to provide you with answers, Post-Mortal. I merely stated that you need them to preserve your sanity", Ramses solemnly explained.

"And what about that Post-Mortal shit? What's a Post-Mortal?", Kurou asked. Ramses' face twisted with rage.

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"Don't use such language in my temple, you wretched human", he bellowed.

"Yeah, yeah, I didn't mean to offend, okay? Just tell me about the Post-Mortal...thing", Kurou conceded.

"You don't deserve extensive information. Let me simply say that your fate lies in the hands of Inpu," Ramses conveyed with gravity.

"Inpu?", Kurou tilted his head in confusion. "Who is Inpu?".

"The one who presides over death", Ramses revealed. "That's all I'm willing to disclose, Post-Mortal. How you utilize this knowledge is your own predicament to solve. Just remember, immortality is not a gift but a curse".

With that, Ramses' figure vanished completely, leaving Kurou in a state of awe. A chilling gust of wind passed through the chamber, sending shivers down his spine.

"This place is not as fun as I thought it would be", Kurou remarked to himself.

Just as he was about to leave the temple, he felt movement and experienced a sharp pain in his stomach. Collapsing to the ground, he caught a glimpse of a silhouette - a man dressed in a white robe, holding a knife.

"What the hell are you doing?", Kurou yelled, his hands unconsciously pressuring the wound to avoid spilling too much blood.

Ignoring his words, the assailant lunged at Kurou, repeatedly stabbing him. Kurou tried to escape but, due the lack of room, couldn't help taking at least 14 stabs. Gradually, his body ceased to respond.

Considering his opponent dead, the assailant let go of Kurou, stood up, wiped his knife with a cloth and headed towards the inner sanctuary.

Regaining his senses, Kurou observed the man, arms outstretched, obliviously engaged in what seemed to be a prayer.

"That fucker", Kurou whispered, rising to his feet, his eyes red with rage. "Not even your god will save you now!".

Kurou seized the man from behind, attempting to immobilize him with a spinal lock. The man struggled, retaliating with a reverse-grip stab, but this time Kurou stood firm. The assailant sought to throw himself to the ground, hoping to smash Kurou's head against the unforgiving stone floor, yet he soon would realize his adversary was just too stubborn to die.

After a fierce struggle, the assailant's resistance faded due to the lack of oxygen, and his body grew lifeless.

"Oh shit. I guess I just killed someone", Kurou said, rubbing his worried face as he let go of the body.

"Killing my acolyte inside my own temple. Not a wise move at all, Post-Mortal. You don't expect me to forgive you for that, do you?", Kurou heard Ramses' voice once more.

"He tried to kill me first, Ramses!", Kurou retorted, his voice echoing through the temple walls.

"I don't want to hear your excuses, Post-Mortal. Your accursed presence tarnish these sacred grounds. Leave before I change my mind, scoundrel!", Ramses proclaimed.

"The ghost of an old mummy just called me a scoundrel!", Kurou exclaimed, as if to provoke the great Pharaoh. "Alright, I'm leaving! I never even wanted to be here in the first place! But I'm taking this knife with me, just in case".

Grabbing the knife, Kurou departed the temple, only to discover that morning had already arrived.

"Has so much time passed already? I guess I've lost track".

"Okay, now what? The old fart mentioned someone called 'Inpu.' He said my life is in that guy's hands. I suppose I must find him".

"But where should I look to begin with?", Kurou surveyed his surroundings, only to realize a crowd of people had gathered, staring at him.

"Shit. I forgot this place is a touristic attraction".

He approached an old woman sporting a flowery umbrella. She looked at him with a frightened face and tried to hide behind it.

"I'm sorry, milady, but where can I find the big city?", Kurou asked, wearing the scariest friendly smile that ever walked this Earth.

"The big city you ask must be Cairo, right? It's a long way from here to the north of the country", she replied, maintaining a cautious distance.

"Thank you, madam. Have a good morning. And in case I don't see you again, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!", Kurou said and left with a mischievous smirk.

And there he went towards the big city, knife in hand, on a journey he couldn't yet imagine would take several weeks to complete.