The rain poured down, soaking the cobblestone street of a bazaar. Sheets of newspapers littered the ground, their ink dissolving into watercolor blurs.
"Where are we?" Kyrie questioned; his gaze drawn to a rat scurrying away from his presence.
"Somewhere in Cairo, Egypt, and to make it even more interesting, we've arrived on the one day of the year when it rains," Alouqua lamented, pouting.
"Is there anything else you know?" He asked.
"I did as Mr. Zaid instructed. He told me to kiss the ring and tell him his name. Look at my dress, it's ruined," Alouqua replied.
Kyrie, ever the gentleman, removed his coat and draped it over Alouqua, despite her protests. Her dress was drenched, and her makeup began to run.
As they walked down an almost deserted street as vendors packed their wares from the downpour, Alouqua checked her pocket watch. "10:58 PM, local time," she announced.
Some of the shops were closed due to the rain as it fell steadily, a soothing backdrop to his surroundings. After walking for about five minutes, they spotted a figure approaching about a hundred feet away.
"Mr. Zaid!" Alouqua announced, grasping his hand. Kyrie stared at an elderly man in his sixties, with a bald head, and a white beard. He donned a brown caftan and matching sandals, sheltering himself from the rain with a well-worn yellow umbrella.
"You've arrived quicker than I expected. I didn't think it would take you so little time," Zaid remarked, chuckling. "I went looking for a quick meal, but the rain interrupted my plans. Curiously, it's raining today, as downpours here are rare."
“Bad rain!” Alouqua scowled.
"Nice to meet you, Kyrie," Zaid said, shaking his hand. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
"I don't want to be impolite, but what do you want from me?" Kyrie asked.
"Follow me. Let's go to my old shop, I'll explain there."
He followed the old man as the rain ceased a few minutes later. Zaid’s storefront had become an oasis of wet stacks of newspapers.
Zaid inserted a long, thin, and rusty key into the lock, opening the old, weathered green door. More old sheets of newspapers and wooden boards obscured the grimy glass windows. The stone floor was littered with dust and dirt, and cobwebs adorned the ceiling. Rats scattered off, making Alouqua quiver in terror.
"What is this place?" Kyrie asked, noting Alouqua's distaste for the vermin and the oppressive dust. She ventured to a shelf filled with ancient papers and chaff, her fingers tracing an oil lamp smothered in cobwebs. Her curiosity then led her to the counter, where she ran her finger across its surface, sending dust motes swirling through the air.
"This was my antique shop twenty years ago. I still own the place, though," Zaid explained.
"Why didn't you sell the place? You no longer use it," Kyrie inquired.
Zaid's expression grew somber as he responded, "Because there is something that stops me from doing so. Something very important and dangerous."
Zaid led him to a back door at the end of the small store aisle, which led to a staircase. He attempted to switch on the lights, but as expected, nothing happened. Determined to illuminate their path, he meticulously cleaned a dusty lamp and filled it with oil from a tiny bottle he had in his pocket. The match's flame ignited the lamp, casting a warm, flickering light.
Descending the stairs, Zaid led the way as they entered a warehouse below, a stark contrast to the shop above. It reeked of decay and dampness, with dust covering every surface.
Zaid opened an air duct to ventilate the room, and then he lit two more lamps, handing one to him and Alouqua. Next, the old man retrieved a piece of white chalk from a drawer, and he began drawing an intricate design on the floor within an almost perfect three-foot diameter circle.
With measured precision, Zaid sketched squares forming a star within the circle, and in the center, he drew a winged serpent, an Ouroboros. Once the intricate design was complete, he took a piece of paper, set it ablaze, and dropped it into the circle. The fire consumed the paper, and the Ouroboros began to spin, trying to swallow its own tail.
The fire spread, burning the chalk lines, and the triangles within the star-like design began to spin as well. After a few seconds, the movement ceased, and a circle in the ground beneath them broke open, revealing a spiral staircase. He let Zaid lead the way as he helped Alouqua by the hand.
In a new chamber resembling a cave, they encountered stone doors adorned with the drawing of a colossal tree. Its roots encircled a sphere with half a sun and half a moon, while a lion attempted to reach the sphere through the tree's stumps. Hieroglyphic inscriptions filled the gate, invoking the god Anubis.
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Alouqua couldn't tear her eyes away from the monumental doors. She grabbed his hand tighter; Kyrie noticed her shivering and drew a little closer.
“Isn’t this like the last time?” Alouqua murmured.
"Indeed. I think you should better leave,” Zaid said, staring at Alouqua.
“It’s alright, I can handle it.” Determined to face what lay beyond, Alouqua slapped herself gently and shook her head.
"These doors are as old as Egypt itself.”
“Why are we here?” Kyrie frowned.
“It will take you to the Truth. Just say your name," Zaid advised.
Kyrie, intrigued by the gate and the mysteries it held, approached and touched its surface. He whispered his name, "Kyrie Eleison."
The figures intricately carved into the surface of the stone began to emit a gentle, ethereal glow. The roots of the tree unfurled, releasing the combined radiance of the sun and moon, which the lion caught gracefully in its massive paws. The grand doors, adorned with intricate patterns and symbols, started to swing open, revealing a blinding white light that formed a portal.
"Common people can only enter there once in their lives. Only the Four Horsemen or the Divines have the privilege to do so as often as they please. So, good luck!" Zaid said as he bid Kyrie farewell.
"Be safe," Alouqua said. Kyrie nodded, his heart racing as he stepped through the portal.
The moment Kyrie passed through, he found himself in a strange and surreal space. It lacked floor, ceiling, or any defining boundaries. A disorienting sense of emptiness surrounded him, making him feel as though he was floating in a pure white void.
As panic began to set in, and Kyrie's mind raced with uncertainty about his whereabouts and how to return, a faint glimmer of hope caught his attention. In the distance, he noticed a small point of darkness amidst the blinding white expanse. He sprinted toward it, eager for answers.
Before him, a black cat waited. Its piercing gaze locked onto Kyrie, sending shivers down his spine. It was as if the cat could peer into his very soul.
"Welcome," the cat spoke, its ethereal voice sending ripples down his spine.
"Who are you?"
"I've had many names in various worlds. In some, they call me Shersei, in others the Cat That Smiles. Sometimes they refer to me as the Schrödinger's Cat. My true name is irrelevant. I am a Creature of the Trinity, the Entity of Conservation."
“That complicates things a little,” Kyrie’s lips curved a little as if trying to smile.
Despite the apparent joke, the cat seemed unfaced staring at him.
"Daddy?" A small, innocent voice interrupted, catching Kyrie off guard.
Another chill ran down Kyrie's spine as he was immediately immobilized by shock. His skin tingled, and his heart pounded so fast it could have exploded. The voice he heard was unmistakable, and he could hardly believe his ears. A little girl with black hair, gray eyes, and a white dress appeared, running toward him.
"Adara?" Kyrie's voice trembled, and tears welled up in his eyes. He dropped to his knees, ready to embrace her, but his arms passed right through the child’s ethereal body.
"You cannot touch her. I'm sorry," the cat explained, its gaze somber. "You do not belong to this realm, just as she does not belong to yours. Your daughter has refused to pass through the Gate because she wants to wait for you."
"The Gate?" Kyrie asked, raising an eyebrow.
"The very one," the cat answered, raising its right front paw. In an instant, a stone door materialized before them, adorned with a radiant sun and a graceful moon. The celestial bodies kissed each other amidst a backdrop of stars.
"This is the gate that leads to the entrance of the underworld, where souls are judged," the cat explained, leaving Kyrie with a deep sense of awe and trepidation.
"What do you mean by realms?" Kyrie asked; his eyes locked onto his daughter as tears of joy streamed down his face.
"You come from the land of the living men."
"Why am I here?" Kyrie sought further clarification.
"To discover the Truth that you have sought for so long, so you can bring rest to your daughter."
With determination, Kyrie rose to his feet, ready to embark on this mysterious journey.
"Everyone who comes to this place must offer something in return," the cat explained. "As payment for witnessing the Truth, you must offer something of value, something that will also grant rest to your daughter. It must be something unique, a part of your own body and soul."
Kyrie extended his ring and the metal rod he used for fighting, items he had carried in his coat pockets. However, the cat's response left no room for negotiation.
"No, it must come from your own body. Your left arm." The cat seemed to frown.
The girl interceded; her plea filled with worry. "No, Daddy! Do not worry about me."
The cat made an ominous offer. "Then I will take the girl."
With a resolute nod, Kyrie beckoned his daughter to step aside, and with unwavering courage, he accepted the cost.
The door materialized behind the cat, the emblem of the sun and moon intertwined. The cat's parting words were cryptic but weighty. "Carpe diem."
The doors swung open, and black, long, and thin hands touched the girl on her forehead. She transformed into golden ashes, vanishing into the world beyond the door.
Kyrie underwent the same process to later find himself suspended briefly in total darkness before crashing onto a white floor without a hint of injury.
He found himself encircled by fourteen magnificent mirrors, each adorned with gilded frames bearing intricately carved zodiac symbols: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Ophiuchus, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, and Cetus.
A deafening roar shook the enigmatic room, and a colossal chimerical entity emerged from the shadows. An adult man's body, unclothed, with a golden, bird-like head and wings extending from its broad back as two long-necked reptilian heads served as its legs.
The creature reached for Kyrie, who writhed in a combination of fear and pain, the S-shaped tattoos on his right arm amplifying his distress, now covering all the way to his neck and even torso.
Drawing Kyrie closer to its bird-like head, the creature gently touched his forehead with its beak. A soothing yet alien voice, seemingly emanating from the creature itself, whispered, "My son, open your mind to the Truth." It instilled a sense of calm and reassurance in Kyrie, even in the face of the unknown. His pain faded away.
“What are you?” He mumbled, but never got an answer.
In a surreal transition, Kyrie was expelled from that mysterious place, back to where the old Zaid and Alouqua awaited him. His left arm was gone, blood gushed like an open faucet from the severed limb, and his screams filled the air. Yet, his eyes radiated in profound fascination, a testament to the knowledge he had obtained—he had seen part of the Truth.