The Mansion of Night. Present Day.
Merlin sat by Richard's desk, reading from a scroll to the Lord of Chaos. Richard was standing by a window in his office. His gaze was distant, and he didn't seem to be too focused on what Merlin was saying.
Suddenly, the door was snapped open. Orion's parents stormed in and went straight to Richard, ignoring the nearby old wizard. "Where is he?" Orion's Mother demanded.
"The answer this time wouldn't be any different. I sent him on a mission. It takes time to finish," Richard replied calmly without budging and still looking outside.
"It's been over two years!"
"As I just said, it takes time."
"Richard! Please! Something is going on! I can feel it!" she pleaded with the man that was basically a copy of her son in terms of appearance.
Richard remained silent for some time. Then, he let out a sigh and finally turned to face the couple. "Mother, Orion is old enough to make his own choices. I didn't force him to do the mission and he chose to do it."
Orion's Mother looked surprised at first when he addressed her as 'Mother'. A hint of a smile was drawn on her lips when Richard continued, "If it makes things better, he should be here soon. I don't know when exactly, though."
After a moment of silence, Orion's Mother forced a smile and said, "I hope you are right."
Then, she left the room. Her husband, however, didn't leave and stared at Richard.
"Father?" Richard asked him with a calm expression on his face.
"Is his life at danger?" Orion's Father asked solemnly. Richard just shook his head, indicating that Orion would be alright. After getting his response, he turned around and left to join his wife.
Richard turned around again and said, "Continue."
Merlin who was silent the entire time nodded and resumed his reading. However, Richard was once again lost in his thoughts.
'He should be here soon. The second part of the prophecy is coming to an end...'
...
When I stepped out of the Gate of Time, the first thing I looked at was my surroundings. Although there was a forest here, my senses clearly told me that I was on an island.
But it wasn't just any island. I knew the outline well enough. Years from now, I will come here to get an axe part to complete my sword and help Pangu make a new body.
I was on Isle of Prisons.
Fate was playing a cruel joke on me. Richard once told me that the island was barren and flat when he returned back in time. Although he had his guesses, in the end they were just that, guesses.
But there was no denying that this island was the one where Set would possess me in the future. Which is another weird thing now that I think about it. Time travel can get confusing sometimes.
My guess is that this is the island before Richard got back in time and started his rule over the universe. Heck, it might be when Earth was just formed.
Suddenly, without any interference from me, flames got out of my body and condensed into a humanoid form. I looked at Set as I drew my sword and said, "You have caused enough suffering, Set. It is time for you to die."
Set smiled, or what I think is a smile, and replied calmly, "Oh but can YOU kill me? Have you not figured it out yet?"
I frowned and asked, "Figured what out?"
In response, he started laughing and mocking me, "Oh Orion! I'm honestly surprised that you still don't know; I have to admit I thought you are a smart person, turns out I was wrong!"
"Stop playing games and answer me!" I shouted in anger at him. His laughter died down slowly and he looked at me again, but the mocking gaze was still there.
"Back in the desert, I was able to conjure your Blood World. A technique that no other person should be able to use, only you can access it! Even if someone possessed your body, they simply can't do it. But yet I did, don't you find it strange?"
He did have a point, it was truly strange. I continued frowning as he continued, "It is simple, really. I was able to use it because it is my technique as much as it is yours!"
His smile made me really ponder what he just said. Then, the realization hit me and my expression changed into a mix of shock, doubt and dread. "It can't be..." I muttered in disbelief.
"That's right, Orion! Do you get it now? I was able to conjure the Blood World because I am you! Or more precisely, a part of you. I am your anger, your frustration. I emerged in you the moment you casted the Blood World for the first time.
"Back then, the strand that entered your body wasn't enough for a complete possession, but it was enough to ignite the fuel of your anger and pass on most of my memories!"
I wanted to deny what he was saying, but I couldn't. He was speaking truthfully, and everything he said made sense. A memory came back to me at this instant.
"Set isn't my brother," Nephthys told this to me once, and the expression of pity on her face at that time...
"It seems that another strand of me escaped into Nut's[Goddess of the Sky] womb and I was born in the royal Egyptian family at that time. But I was only complete when I came back in our body and took the remaining memories from the me that was present in Egypt."
If it was truly as he says, then just like Richard is unable to hurt Orcus, the Lord of Death, because he is still a part of him, then I can't hurt Set because he is a part of me! It all fell into place, like the pieces of a puzzle finally fitting together, but I didn't want to believe it. I grasped my sword and attacked.
Just when I was about to hit Set, my body involuntarily moved to the side, changing the direction of my attack. This lasted for a lot of time, and I wasn't able to land a single attack on him.
Dejected, I looked at Set, who was mocking me and my attempts with his laughter. "It's futile, Orion. Just accept the facts already!"
I desperately wracked my brain for ideas, but none worked. Suddenly, I heard a voice in my head calling my name, "Orion! Orion! Snap out of it!"
"Pangu?!" I replied in disbelief. "You're awake?"
"Barely. Listen, we don't have much time. Fuse with me and help me do this sealing spell."
Noticing his urgency, I immediately fused with him as snow covered my body and revealed our fused form. Synchronizing with this, the Divine Eye appeared as well.
This time, however, we didn't faint immediately. We held on as Pangu chanted a spell through my lips. The Divine Eye glowed fiercely and sent shockwaves towards the surroundings.
Soon, everything on the island was obliterated into nothingness, causing it to become a flat and barren land, just like how I saw it before.
"What are you doing?" Set shouted in panic. "No matter what you do, Orion Fistore, know that I will always be a part of you. You can destroy the current me, but you cannot destroy me forever!"
His voice fainted as the fire went into the flat ground, making a small hill in it.
Set was sealed. The second part of the prophecy was done.
And I fainted immediately afterwards.
...
Ancient Egypt.
A handsome young man garbed in black, with black hair and pitch black pupils appeared before the Ra's corpse.
He dropped to his knees and hugged the corpse. He screamed and wailed as his emotions surged. Then, his body multiplied into several other copies. All copies of the young man had looks of sadness on their faces. However, two of them faked their expression.
One had grey hair and ruthlessly looked at Ra, while the other had white hair and light blue eyes that contained within them evil.
End of Book III: Desert of Blood.