"Your soul has been judged, Anaïs Beauvent," Thoth declared. "The goddess of Justice and Truth has rendered her verdict. Your heart is pure; you are permitted to enter the Sekhet Hetep as one of the Blessed."
"Come," Anubis instructed, indicating a wooden door behind the two deities.
The doorframe was golden, covered in colorful hieroglyphs she couldn’t understand. Logically, Anaïs assumed this door led to the Field of Offerings, but when he opened the door and she followed him through, she found it was actually a large office. Numerous shelves stretched up to the ceiling, filled with countless rolled manuscripts. Two wicker chairs were arranged around a low table cluttered with more papyrus, and a massive wooden desk, which, unlike the rest of the overloaded and cluttered room, was completely bare except for a writing mat, a sheet of blank paper, and a quill with a bottle of black ink.
"Sit," Anubis instructed as Thoth entered the room behind them, closing the door.
Thoth moved to the desk, evidently the owner of this room, and settled into his chair, picking up his quill to scribble a few words on the papyrus before him. Anubis remained silent, not wanting to disturb him in his important task. Anaïs imitated him, unsure why she was there. Shouldn't she be joining paradise?
"The verdict of the weighing has been officially recorded. Now, you can explain to this young woman why you think it’s in her best interest to become an Akh. She must accept her fate willingly, not under duress."
What is this now...
"What is an Akh?" Anaïs finally asked, breaking the silence as Anubis pondered how to explain the situation to her. "And what happened in the world of the living? Maybe we could start from the beginning since I died because of your 'quest.'"
The jackal god hesitated, visibly uncomfortable. Finally, he took a deep breath, sitting in the chair beside her, and looked firmly into her eyes.
"My mother and I managed to drive Seth away while Nephthys watched over your body to ensure the remaining soldiers didn’t try to seize the amulet. That’s when she noticed you still had a pulse and your heart was still beating. At first, we thought you were merely unconscious, but we quickly realized something abnormal was happening, especially when I saw the state of the amulet."
"It broke because of the sword, I remember," Anaïs interjected, not seeing how this was a decisive element in the story.
"The magic sealed within the amulet has taken refuge in your corpse. Your body is still alive, but your soul has entered the Duat."
"How is that possible? And what does it mean?"
Anubis turned his head to silently ask Thoth to explain the workings of the magical object since he was its creator. The god leaned back in his chair, settling comfortably with his arms crossed. His piercing eyes fell upon her silhouette. His gaze, brimming with intelligence, remained as intimidating as ever. It was evident just by looking at him that he was a great magician and a man of extreme wisdom.
"The ankh holds a particular magical significance. It represents the cross of life, the breath of vitality. I chose this amulet specifically to infuse renewed energy into all the pieces of Osiris that Anubis and his mother would find. I bound a detection spell to it that specifically targets the essence of Osiris, making the falsification of signals impossible. When the magical object broke at the moment of your death, the magic within the jewel likely saw your body as a potential host for the detection spell, and the ankh probably acted on this principle to keep your physical form alive despite your soul's absence."
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A few seconds of silence filled the room as Anaïs processed all the information Thoth had given her.
"So, to summarize... My body has become an empty shell and a walking detector?" she asked, somewhat stunned by these revelations, looking back and forth between the two gods.
"Yes," they both answered simultaneously.
"I still don't understand what you want from me," she said, slightly irritated, to Anubis.
"Akhou are higher spiritual beings, halfway between humans and gods. This means you can use magic, or at least part of your essence is magical. Your power won't equal that of a deity, but it grants you the ability to travel between the two worlds."
'Yer a witch, Anaïs,' she laughed inwardly, thinking of one of her favorite childhood sagas.
Anubis had just offered her a ticket to the adventure of a lifetime. Who wouldn't dream of having magical powers? There was no doubt about her answer; she would obviously accept. The Egyptian paradise seemed idyllic, and she probably would have been happy there, but it was nothing compared to what was being offered to her. She had always dreamed of this kind of life, far from the monotony of a simple mortal's daily routine. It was a unique opportunity that would never come again.
"Before you give me your answer, I must also tell you that the responsibility of our quest will fall on you since you will inherit the magical properties of the amulet. You saw it yourself this very morning; the mission is dangerous, and if you die again, your soul will vanish into nothingness this time. The soul of a god is immortal, but that of an Akh is fragile. Magic is not innate for them; it can be destructive."
"–I already offered to accompany you," she affirmed without any hesitation. "Of course, I will accept."
"Are you sure? There will be no turning back."
"One hundred percent."
"Then let’s not waste any time," Anubis exclaimed, standing up.
After a final glance at Thoth, who nodded to say goodbye and encourage her, Anaïs followed the jackal-headed god. They passed through the Hall of Judgment, which was empty as they left, then down the gray corridor, and finally across the vast desert expanse of the Necropolis. The few souls they encountered looked at Anubis with respect and Anaïs with curiosity sometimes tinged with jealousy. It wasn't every day that a human had the chance to be so closely associated with the gods, let alone approach their status by gaining magical powers. A proud smile appeared on her lips at this thought.
This time, when her soul crossed the portal to return to the world of the living, she didn't lose consciousness. She could move freely within the tomb, but when she tried to touch the walls or bring her hand near the flame of a torch, she found she couldn't touch anything. She was there without truly being present in the physical sense. This shattered all her ghost theories if she couldn't interact with anything. Perhaps it was reserved for malevolent spirits. Or maybe it was because she wasn't supposed to be in this dimension. The Blessed Ones went to the Field of Offerings and never left for the rest of their eternal life.
Still having the ability to die for real isn't a bad thing. Eternity seems awfully long...
"You can re-enter your body now," Anubis announced, pointing to her corpse lying on the ground in one of the rooms adjacent to the portal.
Isis and Nephthys stood up as they saw the god arrive, their faces full of hope. He nodded silently, just enough to confirm that Anaïs had accepted her role. They both sighed in relief and watched her approach her corpse with encouraging smiles. Her soul couldn't interact with her environment, but the gods could see her moving in this dimension, unlike humans.
Step by step, Anaïs moved toward the lifeless form of her body. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t a little nervous, but there was also excitement at the thought of the wonderful adventure about to begin and being able to use magic soon. Her hands trembled, and her heart leaped with anticipation. When she was just a few centimeters from her flesh, she bent down, and her soul was immediately drawn into her physical body.
A second later, her eyelids lifted, and a smile spread across her lips as she felt new waves of energy coursing through her body. It was as if she could feel the magic flowing through her veins. As if this new energy was an integral part of her being.
Anaïs had been reborn.