As the party left Hatshepsut behind, they wondered how to get to Cairo.
"We need a transport we can use to get there", Tut said. "But what's with those vehicles? They roar louder than lions and are not being pulled by anything".
"Those are cars", Kurou said. "Sorry Tut, but we don't have time to go through combustion engine explanations".
"Combu what?", Tut asked.
"Forget about it", Kurou said, dismissively. "We just need to get into one of those and ask them to get us to where Hat told us", he said, pointing to a car with a taxi sign on top.
"You say that, but you have even less money than a bum", Tut said, laughing.
"That's why we have you, Tut", Kurou said. "Can you find someone you can do that mind-control thing on?".
"It's not that easy. It has to be someone of Ancient Egyptian heritage. People here don't even look Egyptian anymore. How long has it been since I was crowned, anyway?", Tut asked.
"I'm not sure about the dates...3000 years, I guess?", Kurou said.
"3000 years!", Tut exclaimed. "I can't believe this much time has passed. How big is Egypt's territory now? Did we manage to make peace with the Mitanni? What about the Nubians? And my crazy parents? Have their grandchildren tried to reinstate Aton? And what happened to Ankhesenamun?", he asked, breathless.
"Calm down, buddy! I don't know, okay? Maybe we can visit a museum later, but first we need to stop Set from destroying everything", Kurou said, scolding him humorously.
"Yes, you're right. Okay, I see someone we can use in one of those 'cars'. Wave at him, Kurou!", Tut said, and they both waved awkwardly.
As the cab stopped, Tut approached the driver and looked him in the eye, his eyes glowing silver like those other times. That was the hint Kurou needed to know that Tutankhamon was using powers a regular human being does not possess.
"Take us to the cap...", Tut stopped and turned to Kurou. "Is the capital still Thebes?", he asked.
"IT'S CAIRO!", Kurou yelled.
"Don't yell at me, you bum!", Tut retorted.
"Where do you wish to go, my King?", the cab driver insisted.
"Yes, yes...Cairo, take us to Cairo, my humble servant", Tut said.
They both entered the cab and went on their way towards the modern capital of Egypt.
Eight hours later, they arrived at the city of Cairo. "I feel strong energy coming from this place", Tut said.
"This is the capital of Egypt now, so I suppose it's an important location for a King like yourself", Kurou pondered.
"Servant, take us to where Sutekh is", Tut commanded the cab driver, his eyes glowing silver again as he stared at him. The man shivered and hit the brakes forcefully.
"What are you doing, servant? I command you in the name of Amon-Ra! Don't you dare disobey your master!", Tut said, gravely.
"I'm sorry, my King. Please forgive me", the driver said, in between tears, and left the car, running away to the opposite lane.
"Unbelievable! Unconceivable! A servant of Amon-Ra, disobeying His orders!", Tut raged.
"Hey, calm down now", Kurou told Tut. "At least he brought us to the capital. This car is not very different from what I'm used to drive. Jump up to the passenger's seat! Pharaoh or not, I'm not a chauffeur!".
Kurou took the wheel, while Tut jumped onto the passenger's seat. People were already honking loudly behind them, and Kurou took the opportunity to swear and curse in his own language. Some people seemed to take offense and were opening the door of their cars when Kurou raced the car.
"Those guys are crazy, you know?", Kurou said. "They really take offense for nothing!".
Yes, and you like to offend for nothing", Tut responded. "Now where are we going? I have no idea were Sutekh's ritual is being conducted, and there are lots of energy focal points around this place".
"If you don't know, then we are screwed, aren't we? Hatshepsut told me you knew what to do", Kurou said.
"She just wanted you to do as you were told. That woman is really shrewd", Tut smirked.
"And you only tell me that now?", Kurou asked, annoyed. "You Pharaohs are all the same".
"Don't get started or I'll smash your head in with my cane. Look, Riddle is not happy about your bad manners", Tut said, while Riddle snarled.
"All right, I have an idea. There's a museum somewhere here in Egypt where they have a mask with your name on it", Kurou said.
"A mask? What kind of mask?", Tut asked, startled.
"I've never seen it in person, but people say it's made of gold", Kurou said, uncertain.
"So it's a mortuary mask!", Tut exclaimed. "My mortuary mask!".
"If you say so. You know, there have been many myths and legends about your tomb and a curse that has befallen those who desecrated it", Kurou said. "Some of the excavators died after unsealing your tomb, so that gave birth to a popular belief that you didn't like having your sleep disturbed".
"I certainly would not! Who would be happy about having their own burial grounds upturned and scrambled?", Tut said.
"Well, that happens when you're the King of an important ancient civilization", Kurou said.
"Still not acceptable", Tut admonished. "We need to find that mortuary mask. Where's this place you call 'museum'?".
"Let me see...this GPS is in Arabian language! I don't understand shit of what's written here", Kurou said, exasperated.
"That's just great", Tut said. "We need to find another way."
Tut looked at Riddle.
"Can you find the mask for us?", he asked the jackal. The animal intelligently left the car and started running.
"Wait for us, you dirty little mutt!", Kurou yelled.
Riddle ran for a little bit until he found a couple of buildings he could hide in between. Kurou caught up fast but Tut took a while, due to his limitations.
"The mask is most certainly here. I can sense a strong sacred energy coming from that place", Tut said, pointing toward a peach-colored building.
"We're in the middle of the day, here. A party like this one can never enter the Egyptian Museum without catching everyone's attention", Kurou said. "Not to mention we don't have enough money to pay for the tickets...and Riddle is a jackal - no offense. The two of you wait here, I'll go in and fetch the mask".
Kurou walked towards the museum entrance and was stopped by two men, one standing like a security guard and another one sitting down, extending his hand waiting for a ticket.
"I have neither money nor time for you", Kurou muttered, and sent his shadow image towards the guard, sucker punching him out cold, while he went for the other man and kicked him in the face, knocking him out.
Everybody turned to look at him and he ran, as fast as he could, into the building.
"And he thought WE were going to catch everyone's attention", Kurou said to Riddle, and the jackal snorted.
The museum was beautiful and well-lit, making it difficult for Kurou to find a hiding spot. He didn't know where Tut's mask was, and he didn't have the option of asking someone. Following his gut instinct, he went for the stairs, and saw a sign written "Tutankhamon". That was all he needed.
Running through the corridors, Kurou saw many sculptures, sarcophagi and mortuary masks, but none of those were Tut's. A guard was already giving chase, and Kurou was about to stop and fight when he saw a bright glow coming from one of the further rooms. "That's it!", he said, and ran towards the mask.
While Kurou was inside the museum trying to reach for Tut's mask, the young Pharaoh was sitting beside a tree, playing with Riddle. The animal behaved much like a domestic animal around him, very different from the wild jackal he was when interacting with Kurou. A woman approached them, dressed in fine clothing, and spoke in a soft voice.
"Hello, child. I've been searching for you", she said.
Tut raised his head and looked at the woman. She looked young and beautiful, although her eyes showed maturity and dignity. Tut widened his eyes in surprise.
"YOU!", Tut exclaimed. The woman frowned. "Are you not happy to see me, child? Do you forget who I am, by any chance?".
"I know very well who you are", Tut growled, standing up. "What are you doing here, heretic woman?".
"That's not how you should talk to your stepmother, insolent child", she said, infuriated.
"Don't try to act like a mother now, Nefertiti", Tut said. "I won't let you turn Egypt into chaos again. You and your heretic god are doomed to fall and your sins will never be forgiven".
She came close to Tut's young and frail body, towering over him. "You are the heretic one here, child. Your father was willing to forgive you for forsaking God, yet you insist on taking the wrong path. You leave me no choice", she said while drawing a khopesh sword from her waist.
At the same time, Kurou was running towards the golden mask of Tutankhamon, glowing like the sun as if calling for him. He touched the marvelous mask and time stopped for a second. Images passed through his mind like a movie. He saw a young man, dressed as royalty, standing on a throne, talking with a tall man. The tall man looked stern; his face hard as steel. Kurou had the feeling that he was a dangerous man. The images changed to a room, where several men were talking. He heard one of them speak: "He is too young and frail. We need a strong Pharaoh, Lord Ay. Someone who can crush Amen-Hotep IV and Nefertiti's influence for good".
The images changed again, now to a corridor, inside a sandstone palace. The same young man was walking at slow pace, lost in thought, helped by a cane. Someone sneaked up behind him, hitting him with a large cudgel. The young man feel to the ground, inert. Blood spilled from the back of his skull.
Kurou was heavily shaken from the images, and couldn't react as the guard tackled him, causing them and the mask to drop to the floor. The mask broke from the impact, pieces scattering across the floor. Tut felt a strong headache when that happened, and Nefertiti stopped in her tracks, shifting her gaze towards the museum.
"Somebody is making a mess within your sacred grounds", Nefertiti said, with a chuckle.
"Kurou!", Tut yelled and ran towards the building as fast as he could. Riddle stayed behind, looking at Nefertiti.
"You don't scare me, jackal", she said. Riddle maintained a calm, yet serious expression. Nefertiti followed Tut, her eyes filled with hatred.
Kurou had no time to complain or regret about the mask being broken, as he was pushed to the ground by the guard. They tumbled on the ground causing quite a fuss, and the guard tried to immobilize Kurou with martial arts techniques. It was proven innocuous, as even with his arms restrained, Kurou's shadow projection headbutted the guard with enough strength to knock him out cold. He quickly moved the guard's body aside and ran for the mask's pieces, bringing them with him towards the exit.
He met Tut halfway there, causing the young Pharaoh to stop in surprise as he saw the broken mask.
"My mortuary mask…is broken!", Tut exclaimed.
"I'm sorry, Tut…", Kurou said, visibly shaken.
"Give it to me", Tut ordered, and Kurou handed him the mask's shattered pieces.
Tut turned the mask around and looked at it for a while. "The spell is still here. Not everything is lost", he said.
"Yes, it is, Tutankhaton", a voice resonated in the distance. "For you two at least".
Kurou watched as a woman walked towards them with a khopesh sword in hand. "Who are you?", he asked. "Put that sword down, I'm losing my patience".
"Oh, that's scary. You really don't know who I am, do you, Post-Mortal?", Nefertiti said, with a cruel smirk. "You should mind your manners around royalty".
"I don't give a fuck about royalty, woman. Leave now or I'll be forced to kill you".
"HAHAHAHA, you think you can kill me?", Nefertiti laughed out loud. "Go ahead, freak! Show me what you've got!".
Nefertiti lashed at Kurou with great power, severing Kurou's arm with ease. Kurou ignored the pain and threw a punch at her face. It didn't felt like punching a stone statue as it did with Hatshepsut, but still seemed to cause more damage to his hand than to her face anyway. Nefertiti recovered quickly from the strike and held Kurou by his neck, lifting him from the ground with sheer strength. Kurou's arm had already regenerated, but he was almost losing consciousness from having his throat crushed.
In a desperate move, Kurou kicked her in the stomach with both feet. She stumbled a couple steps back, her eyes piercing with rage. "DAMN YOU, MONSTER!", she yelled, bolting towards him as he pulled off his knife.
"Please don't kill her!", Tut exclaimed.
Kurou was paralyzed by Tut's words, and Nefertiti took that chance to deliver a swift slash to Kurou's neck, decapitating him. His body and head fell to the floor, inert.
Nefertiti let out an evil laugh. "HAHAHAHA, it looks like the Post-Mortal can die, after all! I knew that was all bullshit! Only Aton can decide who lives and who dies, my child", she said, looking at Tut.
"Now", she said. "It's your turn, boy", and as she raised her sword towards Tut and got ready to deliver the killing blow, a knife pierced through her chest, causing her to spit blood.
"No, Kurou!", Tut screamed.
"What? Why? Why aren't you dead?", she mumbled, looking down at her pierced chest.
"I'm too stubborn to die, 'queen'", Kurou said, his eyes glowing red. "What about you, crazy woman? Ready to face Ammit?".
"I'm the Queen Nefertiti, you damned Post-Mortal", she said, enraged. "Even if you kill me now, no judgment of your false gods can stop me. I will return by the glory of Aton. The only true God will crush you and all the heretics who oppose Him".
"Then I will crush your god and everyone who oppose ME, Nefertiti. Have a nice trip to hell!", Kurou said, forcefully pulling the knife from her chest. Nefertiti fell to the ground, unable to move anymore.
"Nefertiti…why?", Tut asked her. "Why insist in this madness? Can't you see the error of your ways?".
"I regret nothing, child", she muttered and coughed. "Only those ...who have seen the glory of Aton...can underst…". Her voice failed, as her spirit left her body.
"Kurou…this was a mistake", Tut said looking at him with his eyes wet. "That's not how things were supposed to end".
"She would have killed me if I wasn't immortal, Tutankhamon. And she was about to kill you as well", Kurou said with an emotionless expression.
"Yes, but she's the closest I had to a mother, Kurou. And now…she is dead."
"I'm tired of feeling guilty for doing what I think is right, Tut", Kurou said. "If you don't want me around, I understand. But it's kill or be killed here. I'm tired of playing hero".
"You are no hero, Kurou. You never was", Tut said, lowering his eyes.
Kurou left the museum, surrounded by curious tourists and locals. Two guards tried to intercept him, but he sent two shadow projections towards them, piercing their throats with his knife. They dropped down, dead.
People started running and screaming, while some called for the police. Weary, Kurou walked as if nothing had happened, ignoring the officers' warning for him to freeze and stand down. Some of them shot at him, to no avail. Even a clean headshot wasn't enough to bring him down.
"You can't kill me", Kurou yelled. "Leave me alone before I lose my patience with you too", he said, threateningly.
A chill ran down everyone's spine, and they felt a fear they never felt before. Suddenly, the strange pale man with red eyes was far off in the distance, and they felt no intention of giving pursuit.
Tut was alone at the entrance of the museum, with the shattered pieces of his mortuary mask. Piecing them together, he could finally read the spell from the Book of the Dead he sought after for so long.
"Stepmother…I promise I'll save Egypt, and I'll find a way to bring you back. When that time comes, you will feel the love and power of Amon-Ra, and you'll join me in my mission to turn this country into the prosper Egypt it deserves to be. Now rest…Beautiful One".
He then focused on the spell, and chanted:
"Thy right eye is the night bark, thy left eye is the day bark, thy eyebrows are the Ennead of the Gods, thy forehead is Anubis, the nape of thy neck is Horus, thy locks of hair are Ptah-Soker. In front of the Osiris, He sees thanks to thee, thou guidest him to the goodly ways, thou smitest for him the confederates of Sutekh so that he may overthrow thine enemies before the Ennead of the Gods in the great Castle of the Prince, which is in Heliopolis...the Osiris, the King of Upper Egypt Nebkheperure, deceased, given life by Ra."
Upon finishing the chant, a strong yellow light emerged from the mask, enveloping Tutankhamon.