"A creature with the wings of a bird, the paws of a lion, the tail of a serpent, and the head of a human," Max muttered as he attempted to remember the appearance of the creature in his dream while typing these words into the available search bar on Google.
Although Max had made the decision to search the internet for information about the creature he had dreamed about, he didn't hold out much hope that he would come across anything because it was already a crazy notion for him to think that his dream might even be related to the real world.
What he didn't anticipate was for reality to have other plans for him, as he managed to get search results from the words he'd typed into the search bar.
Max muttered, "Don't tell me it's....," with surprise in his voice, as he regarded the phone screen, wondering if he was mistaken and whether his dream was truly related to or connected to the real world.
"Let's avoid drawing hasty judgments. It might just be random results that popped out as a result of the keywords in the search bar," Max reasoned as he eventually turned to look at the first few search results that came up from the words he had entered into the Google search bar.
...….
GOOGLE,
About 858,000 results (0.53 seconds)
...
What is the mythical creature that looks like a lion ...
Quora
https://www.quora.com › What-is-the-mythical-creature-t...
31 Jan 2018 — Lion body, wings, and in some myths a serpent's tail. However, it had a human face like the manticore.
6 answers
0 votes:
You're probably thinking of a manticore. It is a winged (or unwinged) lion with a tail....
...…
These were the various search results that appeared on Max's phone screen as his hands started to sweat.
"So many results," Max grumbled as he continued to scroll down the various search results that appeared until he came to a specific result that caused him to pause his actions.
Max discovered that things were even more complicated than he had anticipated at this time, which made him feel even more lost.
One, it was one thing for the necklace around his neck to possibly have caused a voice to appear in his mind, but it was quite another that his dream was actually connected to reality.
This much was thought of because of the particular search result he just saw.
The result was named the Sphinx Gods, and alongside the title were two cartoon-like photos, one of which featured a creature with the head of a male human and the rest of its body made up of various animal parts. Specifically, under the human head was the body part of a lion, the wings of a bird at its rear followed by a serpent-looking tail.
Beside this image was another one that had a creature resembling the one that Max had just viewed except that this was a female one.
In the previous search results, Max had come across a creature that resembled the female version of the one he had dreamt about, with a similar body structure.
Although the creature in his dream was not female, the mere fact that something closely resembling it appeared multiple times in the search results was enough to convince Max that his dream had some connection to reality. However, Max refrained from clicking on those search results as he was hoping to find a male version of the creature he had seen in his dream and unexpectedly, he found one that mentioned both the female and male versions of the dream he had before all of this strange mysterious event began.
"This is really crazy, but let's see if it's related to my dream and can give me some kind of information or if my dream is just what it is, a dream," Max muttered as he took another mouthful of his food and tapped on the particular search result titled "Sphinx gods" that piqued his interest.
The term "sphinx" was unfamiliar to Max, and he had never encountered it before today. However, the term was mentioned several times in the search results, along with other mythological creatures like the griffin/gryphon, which Max had heard of at least once in his life.
While it was obvious why the griffin/gryphon would show up in the search results as a result of the keywords he entered in the search box, Max was more interested in this "sphinx," so as soon as the website page he just tapped finished loading, he began to read its content.
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In ancient Egypt and Greece, the sphinx is considered a divine creature, often depicted with the head of a human and the body of a lion or eagle. The sphinx is associated with royalty, power, and protection, and was often used as a symbol of these qualities in art and architecture.
In Egypt, the most famous sphinx is the Great Sphinx of Giza, which is believed to have been built during the reign of the pharaoh Khafre. The Sphinx is positioned to guard the pharaoh's pyramid and was seen as a powerful protector of the pharaoh's soul in the afterlife.
In Greece, the sphinx is often depicted as a female creature with the wings of an eagle and the body of a lion and is associated with the god Apollo. The sphinx is seen as a symbol of prophecy and wisdom and was often depicted challenging travellers with a riddle.
In addition to their role as mythical creatures, both the male and female sphinx have been associated with various gods in different cultures.
In ancient Egypt, the sphinx is often associated with the god Horus. The sphinx is also considered to be a symbol of the sun and was associated with the god Ra. In some depictions, the sphinx was shown with the head of a ram, which was a symbol of the god Amun.
In Greek mythology, the sphinx is often associated with the goddess Hera, who was considered to be the queen of the gods. The female sphinx was also said to be the daughter of the monster Typhon and the serpent Echidna. According to some accounts, the male sphinx was the son of the goddess Chimera and the god Orthus...…
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Max didn't bother reading all the content below because it became more confusing as he continued. However, he didn't really mind since the one he read was sufficient.
There are two main sphinxes in the world, and although they are both identified as sphinxes, their gender distinguishes them. Based on what he had read, Max understood why the gryphon was mentioned earlier in the search results since, like the gryphon, sphinxes are also mythical creatures.
Disregarding the female sphinx, the male sphinx's description and image were very similar to what Max could remember from his dream about the strange creature.
"The sphinx huh"
Max mumbled in between bites of his food, "So there's this creature from Egypt that was worshipped as a god. It's depicted as a human, lion, bird, and serpent."
He paused for a moment before continuing, "But then again, is there really a connection between this god and my dream?" Max pondered as he furrowed his eyebrows.
Several questions popped into his head, and he voiced them out softly, "Is the sphinx god even real? Even if I was to use what happened to me now to judge that the sphinx god is real, then does that mean that gods truly exist in this world?"
'What if gods are really real, and what if the supernatural is actually prevalent in a certain part of the world?' he wondered. 'Was the government aware of all of this, and concealing it from the general public?'
'If even gods are involved, is my life truly in danger and not just being targeted because I'm changing?'
These were thoughts going through Max's mind when a thought suddenly entered his head and briefly caused his heart to stop.
'If my dream is truly connected to everything that is occurring to me right now, does that mean that the voice in my mind is also connected to the Sphinx?'
'Is there a God in me?' Max pondered this, causing small droplets of sweat to form on his forehead. However, before he could delve deeper into the thought, a somewhat recognizable energy coursed through his body, enhancing his physical abilities to evade the dark-clad man from earlier in the day.
Before reading about the sphinxes, Max would have felt a bit relieved to experience any unfamiliar energy flowing through his body since it would indicate that the voice was still present within him. However, after learning about the sphinxes, he began to worry that he should be more fearful of the voice than appreciative, even though it may be the only thing that could aid him if he encountered something like the black-coated man.
As Max was engrossed in his thoughts and was about to take a bite of his food, the sound of his fork hitting the plate interrupted him. It was then he realized that he had already finished his meal and only a few strands of noodles were left
Max frowned and said, "I'm still hungry, though," rubbing his stomach with the hand that had been holding the fork earlier.
While his hunger was not as intense as it had been previously and had lessened slightly, Max still felt very hungry and started to consider whether he should purchase another serving.
Max had very little money saved up, and whether or not he could live long enough to spend it all, did not mean he could spend it anyhow. However, in the end, Max's hunger overcame his logic, and he later decided to purchase another serving.
After making a decision, Max got up and carried his plate to the woman behind the counter while minimising Goggle to open his bank app to make another transfer. However, as he was about to ask the woman behind the counter for something, the strange energy that had been quietly circulating in his body increased by several levels and started to become a little violent causing the words he was about to say to get stuck in his throat.
"Is there anything wrong, sir?" The lady at the counter inquired of Max, wondering what had occurred to cause him to abruptly close his mouth and not speak.
Max had heard her, but he chose not to respond as he rapidly turned to look around the restaurant, wondering who or what had caused the sudden change in the energy flowing through his body.
Although the energy was moving through him less violently than when it first occurred, Max had experienced this specific intense circulation before, when he was battling the man in the black coat, and his life was in danger.
For this reason, Max disregarded the woman behind the counter and paid attention to every single person in the eatery. When he realised that the people he had met in the restaurants were still present and had even decreased, Max became perplexed, but this only lasted a short while because the energy pulsing through his body quickly returned and the door to the restaurant opened as a woman entered the establishment.
The new arrival had light skin and looked to have spent some time in the sun because of her slight tan. Her lengthy, orange-coloured hair, which reached her lower back, was of medium length. She had blue eyes and seemed a little too pale, which oddly added to her beauty. She was so stunning that she would make 10 out of 10 men turn away; however, it was this very look that caused Max's heart to grow cold. The moment the woman's blue eyes met Max's, the energy in him began to move, and the closer she got to him, the stronger it became.
At this point, Max did not need to be told the reason for the sudden change in him and as he saw the woman get closer to him, Max quickly turned to face the lady at the counter and spoke.
"Thanks for the help," he quickly said, and just as the lady at the counter was about to respond, Max quickly left her front as he made his way towards the exit, and as he made his way closer to the woman, Max's heart started to beat like crazy as he wondered what was going to happen when they came close to each other and if a fight was going to happen, but when he passed the orange haired woman uneventfully and exited the store, Max breathed a sigh of relief as he immediately made his way far away from the restaurant.
Meanwhile, the orange-haired woman had made her way to the counter, and just as she was about to talk, the lady behind the counter spoke first.
"Not a single day would pass without Miss Nadine carrying her umbrella outside, right?" The lady behind the counter joked, and the orange-haired woman, Nadine, responded with a small grin.
Hearing the words that were directed at her, Nadine tried to change the subject by asking a question about Max, "Ah Lily, why did that man suddenly leave the store in a hurry?"
The woman working the counter, Lily, replied, "I don't know," cuddling her shoulders and just as Nadine was about to explain why she had come to the eatery in the first place, Lily spoke once more.
Lily smiled and said, "His eyes are special though, but I think it must be contact lenses but they just looked so real," as Nadine opened her lips to respond.
"Yes, they were, but as you pointed out, they should have been contact lenses. May I now explain why I'm here?" Lily scratched her cheek in embarrassment as Nadine said with a grin.
Lily was not the only one who was interested in Max, but Nadine had a different thought on her mind than Lily, who was only interested in Max's "eyes."
'He smells really nice,' Nadine thought just after Lily had spoken about Max, as she unconsciously liked her lips while her eyes released a dim red colour that was difficult for anyone to notice due to how quickly it had gone just after appearing.
"Miss Nadine?" Lily called out to the spaced-out Nadine, and when Nadine discovered that she had unintentionally spaced out, it was her turn to be embarrassed as she quickly told Lily about the reason for her visit in order to prevent Lily from asking her usual odd suspicious thoughts.
Meanwhile, Max had already made his way to another location, only to pull over to the side of the road after getting a phone call from someone he hadn't heard from in a long time.