The girl's name was Satiah, and over time, Diana managed to extract everything she needed from her, even more than she needed. Essentially, this group was part of a rebel faction formed to oppose the Thanagarian rule and fight in the war.
When the Thanagarianos arrived and usurped the throne of the former monarch, they might have seemed merciful, but beneath the surface, they were hunting down the old pharaohs to swiftly end any resistance and assert dominion over the kingdom more easily.
During their escape, much of the royal family perished, leaving only the queen and her daughter surviving. In the years that followed, the former queen tirelessly attempted to regain the throne. However, the Thanagarianos ruled with an iron fist, and they reinstated the citizens' belief in monarchy.
Before their arrival, this part of Egypt was in dire straits, with food scarcity and droughts. Their assistance in providing food and new technology led the people to regard them as gods.
The former queen eventually succumbed to illness, passing the last of the treasures to her only daughter. Only two treasures remained, as she had spent her resources hiding and attempting to gather a force to oppose the new rule.
These treasures were the Amulet of Anubis, a necklace passed down through the royal family, and the beetle, an object believed to possess great power. Only the chosen one could wield this power. The pharaoh tested his descendants, but none were chosen.
He persisted, and it turned into a rite of passage. Upon reaching adulthood, each member of the royal family underwent the test of the chosen, but none were chosen. The beetle remained a symbol of the royal family.
Persenet, the daughter of the former queen and the last survivor of Rá's lineage, found herself hopeless. Over her 18 years, she had witnessed her mother's bitter struggle to hold onto their glorious past, refusing to give up even in her last moments.
Unlike her mother, Persenet grew up among the people, witnessing the positive changes the Thanagarianos brought. She understood that her family's time was over; they no longer belonged.
So, she decided to lead a normal life, preserving her family's treasures while forming a new family. She hid her past as a princess from her husband and daughter. The calm returned to Lower Egypt, and she hoped for a peaceful life with her family.
However, war erupted, days became difficult, and resources dwindled. Her husband, a simple carpenter, was conscripted and forced to join the battle.
Persenet's world collapsed. Despair consumed her, and she fled her home as her husband looked on, worried. She stopped at the place where she had hidden the family's treasure. She didn't know if it would work, but she decided to take out the beetle and give it to her husband, hoping it might change something. However, when he received it, he showed no reaction. She could only cry, explaining that it was a lucky charm he should keep with him at all times.
Merkare, recently conscripted for the war, was spending his last moments at home with his wife and daughter. He fought not for the kingdom, but for his family, to return to them.
At the training field, Merkare didn't excel. He was average in combat, both close quarters and artillery. Despite this, he had to enter the battlefield.
Their first battle resulted in defeat. Half the army perished, leaving only 40 survivors from his 120-member unit. Days passed; he fought many battles, surviving through sheer will and luck.
Merkare was no longer the same. His cheerful demeanor had vanished. The only thing keeping him alive was the hope of reuniting with his family. The few friends he made in the camp also died in battle, and he could hear their cries and calls for help when he closed his eyes.
He faced another mission: his unit was to intercept an enemy supply convoy. Things seemed normal until enemy reinforcements arrived, turning the mission into a massacre. Merkare was attacked, his chest impaled by a lance. He fell to the ground; his life flashed before his eyes, his moments with his family the brightest and happiest.
His breath grew shallow; the sounds of the battlefield faded. His vision blurred, unable to see anymore.
The beetle his wife had given him was attached to a chain, always with him. Now it hung around his neck, soaked in his blood. Strangely, it seemed to give life to him. It began to pulse like a heart, detaching from the chain, merging with Merkare's body. Biological and mineral matter combined, forming an armor that covered him entirely.
His eyes opened; the visor of the armor glowed blue. The remaining enemies turned toward him and attacked. Merkare reacted out of pure reflex, his armor taking control. He began a massacre on the battlefield, a killing machine.