When the other children heard this, they all panicked and began to cry.
"Why, you cursed grandfather? Are you sending us to the monsters to eat us?"
"Yes... didn't you say, old man, that the war has made the world unlivable?"
All the children continued to cry and complain, but Jowalyn, a girl, and two other boys remained silent.
The girl, named Ember, despite her beauty, had a very strong personality. She had cut her hair, believing that long hair was a sign of weakness.
"A bunch of whiny fools... I think an adventure out there is better than staying in this boring place just for training and studying."
Ember looked at the crying children with disgust, imagining the thrilling adventures she could have amidst those so-called dangers.
One of the two boys was Nathan, a strikingly handsome young boy with long, blonde hair. He wore neat, clean clothes, unlike the others. It was clear he was very organized but had a cool, yet not cruel, demeanor.
"..."
Nathan observed the crying children without any emotions showing on his face or in his eyes.
The other boy was Jack, a ten-year-old with a sturdy build and an innocent face.
"Don't worry; I'll definitely protect you... I must protect my family, just as my father taught me."
Jack looked at the children with sadness and pity, gazing up at the sky and silently vowing to protect whoever he could.
As for Jowalyn, he was handsome too, though not as much as Nathan. He had black hair and striking dark eyes.
"I expected this... sigh It seems the peace we enjoyed underground won't last long."
Jowalyn's way of thinking revealed a logical and leadership-oriented personality. He rested his hand on his chin, deep in thought.
"We've been enduring this hellish training to prepare for what we might face on the surface... No matter how much food and water we stockpile underground, it won't last forever."
"It's been 200 years, according to grandfather, and that's quite a long time... But what secrets does the world above hold? I look forward to finding out."
The grandfather watched the four of them, assessing each of their reactions, a broad smile appearing on his lips, especially at Jowalyn's response.
"As expected from my child; he has the same spirit!"
But then he suddenly became serious and shouted in anger, "Listen…"
As soon as they heard their grandfather's angry voice, the children's crying stopped, and they looked at him in fear. The grandfather sighed and said,
"This isn't a choice; it's the situation we're forced into. Our food and water supplies will soon run out, so it's best to think of ways to increase your chances of survival on the surface."
After hearing this, the children stopped crying altogether. It seemed they understood that crying was futile, so they surrendered to reality. The grandfather smiled and said,
"Pay attention, children... what I'm about to tell you is about the greatest civilization throughout humanity... Kemet."
Upon hearing this, Jowalyn and the others focused intently.
"The Pharaonic civilization thrived in Kemet. Long ago, there was an astronomer whose knowledge surpassed that of all mankind."
"In fact, he was also a scientist in medicine and engineering... This great man was named Osiris, and he was inspired by the Creator."
"This man looked to the stars and saw that after several thousand years, a catastrophe would befall all humanity... that catastrophe was the flood."
The children's eyes sparkled; after all, such stories could excite even adults, especially the descendants of the pharaohs of Kemet.
However, Jowalyn fidgeted, deep in thought, until the grandfather noticed and asked,
"Jowalyn... why are you fidgeting and thinking so deeply?"
Jowalyn snapped back to reality and looked at his grandfather, asking, "Can a human know the future?"
"Ha ha... is that what's making you fidget?"
Jowalyn smiled and nodded, and the grandfather continued,
"No, no human can see the future. But do you remember what I said about Osiris? He had inspiration from the Creator."
Jowalyn's eyes lit up as he nodded, seeming to grasp the idea. He thought to himself, "I've heard that messengers were given special abilities by God to prove His existence to the people."
"Alright... after Osiris learned of the catastrophe, he gathered all the earthly knowledge, which was scarce compared to the knowledge of Kemet, and built three massive structures, placing all that knowledge within them."
"These three structures are the three pyramids of Kemet. Then he created a statue with a lion's body and a human head, imbued with strange powers, and placed it as a guardian of those three structures."
"Hey, old man, are these structures still standing?" Ember asked innocently, yet sweetly, which made the grandfather smile.
"You have the same personality as your mother... Haha, I used to slap her little behind when she was your age."
Ember blushed deeply and quickly covered her bottom with her hand, making everyone laugh.
"These structures have survived for thousands of years; they even survived the flood that swallowed the entire earth, making them the only witnesses to two eras."
"This is the story passed down by the people of Kemet, but is this really the truth?... Ha ha ha ha... can a structure designed to last for thousands of years withstand the test of time?"
"What is the truth?... What is the hidden secret within these magnificent structures? No one knows, ha ha ha... but surely, whoever uncovers the secret will become the master of the new era."
As the grandfather spoke, his eyes glistened with a wild light, and a strange smile twisted his lips. Suddenly, his laughter took on an unsettling tone, echoing like a haunting melody in the stillness.
"The Great Pyramid... fate... sovereignty... then paradise…" His voice dropped to a whisper, filled with an eerie urgency, "...this life is truly small, too small to grasp what lies ahead."
Jowalyn felt a chill run down his spine as he watched the man he admired slip away from reality. The laughter transformed into a manic cackle, and blood began to trickle from his nose, painting his face in a horrific contrast to the joy he had just shared.
The children were frightened and ran away after seeing their grandfather, who seemed to have lost his mind while saying these things.
"Grandfather... grandfather, what's happening to you?"
Jowalyn, Ember, Nathan, and Jack rushed forward with concern, wiping the blood from his face, but the grandfather continued to laugh hysterically, saying,
"The Great Pyramid... fate... sovereignty... then paradise... ha ha ha ha... this life is truly small."
After that, the grandfather lost consciousness, but Jowalyn remained lost in thought, pondering his grandfather's words.
"The Great Pyramid... fate... sovereignty... then paradise... ha ha ha ha... this life is truly small. What does grandfather mean by this? It seems all the answers lie within the Great Pyramid; I'll train hard for that."
In reality, all the children sitting there were part of one family but from different parents, a family of archaeologists and historians.
Yet this knowledge did not prevent them from training. They had endured hellish training since they learned to walk.
Like many of the families living in these underground shelters, each family trained in their own way, but Jowalyn's family had the advantage of being scholars.
All families had informed their children of the news that they would be going to the surface in the coming decade, but certainly, they didn't know it like Jowalyn's group.
....
"These pyramids are completely different from what I've seen before; they're covered entirely in white granite and gold, while the ones I saw were lifeless yellow stones."
Jowalyn looked at the towering pyramids before him, which were unlike anything he had seen after emerging to the surface, and he fell into a deep contemplation.
"Also, I don't see that statue with the human face and lion head... Damn, what has that cursed ring done? Am I in the past or in a parallel world?!!!..."