There are mysteries, and then there are mysteries. A missing pharaoh in a world that already felt like a history textbook on fire? That was a mystery. But stepping into the heart of Thebes and finding it more like something out of a sci-fi epic?
That was when I knew things were about to get weird.
"Okay… what the hell am I looking at?" I muttered as I stepped through the city's empty gates.
The streets were wide and immaculate—too immaculate. Perfectly smooth stones stretched out like polished mirrors, reflecting the blazing sun. Strange sigils hummed faintly with energy across buildings that looked… off. This wasn't the simple sandstone architecture I expected. It was elegant, intricate, and… alien.
Towering obelisks glowed faintly with golden light, pulsing like they were alive. Above us, strange orbs hovered midair, rotating in slow, deliberate patterns. The entire city hummed softly—like the low thrum of an engine—but there wasn't a single soul in sight.
"Is this ancient Egypt or Shurima?" Ratatoskr muttered from my shoulder, wide-eyed. "Because this looks like someone plugged alien tech into the timeline and hit 'install all.'"
"It is not of this time," the owl said quietly, its eyes glowing faintly. "This technology does not belong here."
Eris, ever unbothered, skipped ahead of us, spinning in a slow circle. "Oh, this is delicious. I mean, just look at it! The glowing obelisks, the weirdly smooth streets… someone was having fun messing with reality."
"Fun's not the word I'd use," I said, kneeling down to inspect one of the strange sigils carved into the ground. It buzzed softly when I touched it, like a pulse of energy raced through my fingertips.
"Magic?" Ratatoskr asked, leaning down to poke it too.
I shook my head. "No… not magic. This feels… engineered. Like it was built."
"Tech and magic?" Ratatoskr blinked. "Great, that's a recipe for disaster."
As we moved deeper into the city, the alien-like technology became harder to ignore. Doorways opened silently when we approached, glowing panels lit up beneath our feet, and buildings stretched higher than they should, with impossible curves and sharp angles.
"If the pharaoh disappeared," I said slowly, my voice echoing through a massive, empty plaza, "touldn't this have something to do with it? I mean, this tech—it's not normal."
The owl perched silently on a nearby railing, its golden eyes unblinking. "The timeline has fractured deeper than we thought. This city has become a convergence point… an anomaly within an anomaly."
"Oh, fantastic," I muttered. "So now we're playing double-layer mystery?"
Ratatoskr tapped my ear. "It's kinda cool, though, right? Alien tech? Lost pharaohs? You're basically in a crossover episode."
"Yeah, until it kills us," I shot back.
Eris—who I realized had wandered off again—suddenly called out. "Hey! I found something!"
"Oh no," I muttered. "This is going to be bad."
We followed Eris to what looked like the central temple—if you could call it that. It loomed higher than any of the other structures, its exterior covered in glowing glyphs that pulsed like veins under skin. The steps leading up were perfectly symmetrical, and at the top, the enormous doorway stood open, waiting.
"There's something in there," Eris said, gesturing dramatically. "I can feel it."
"Feel what?" I asked warily.
"Chaos," she said, her eyes glinting.
Ratatoskr facepalmed. "Oh good, this is where we die."
"We need answers," the owl said firmly, already fluttering toward the entrance.
I sighed. "Alright, fine. Let's check it out. But if we trigger some kind of ancient alien death trap, I'm haunting all of you."
The temple's interior was even stranger than the city outside. The walls were lined with massive statues—not of gods or kings, but of humanoid figures with elongated limbs and featureless faces. Their hands were outstretched toward the ceiling, where a massive glowing sphere hovered, spinning slowly.
"Okay… this is officially not Egyptian anymore," I muttered, craning my neck.
Eris skipped ahead, humming to herself as she studied the statues. "What do you think they are? Robots? Gods? Aliens?"
"Not mutually exclusive," Ratatoskr said, climbing onto a pedestal and poking one of the statues. "These things look old… but not decayed. How is that possible?"
The owl landed beside me. "Time has become unstable here. The laws of decay and age no longer apply."
"That's comforting," I said sarcastically.
As we approached the center of the temple, the massive sphere began to pulse—softly at first, then faster, like a heartbeat. The floor beneath us vibrated.
"Uh, guys?" Ratatoskr said nervously.
The sphere pulsed one last time, and a deep voice resonated through the temple.
"Who dares disturb the heart of the sands?"
I froze. "Did… did that thing just talk?"
Eris's grin widened. "Oh, this just got interesting."
The air rippled, and suddenly, the statues shifted—their arms lowering, their heads turning toward us. The massive sphere flared with blinding light, and I felt the World Tree's connection buzz through me like a warning alarm.
"It's waking up!" Ratatoskr squeaked.
"What is it?" I shouted, shielding my eyes as the light grew brighter.
The owl's voice resonated clearly despite the chaos. "A guardian—a remnant of forgotten time. It was never meant to awaken."
"Fantastic," I said, already backpedaling. "How do we un-wake it?"
"You don't," the voice boomed again. The statues began to move, their stone limbs grinding against each other as they stepped off their pedestals, surrounding us.
Eris twirled her dagger, eyes alight with mischief. "Time to fight?"
"Time to run," Ratatoskr corrected, already diving toward the nearest exit.
"Both," the owl said simply.
The statues lunged.
"MOVE!" I yelled, grabbing Eris by the wrist and sprinting for the temple's entrance, Ratatoskr leaping onto my shoulder. The ground shook as the statues pursued us, their thundering steps echoing through the temple.
As we burst back into the blinding sunlight, I skidded to a halt, breathing hard.
"What… the hell… was that?!" I gasped.
"An ancient force," the owl replied, landing beside me. "One that does not belong in this world."
Eris grinned, unfazed as always. "I like them. They're fun."
"Fun?!" Ratatoskr squeaked. "They're giant alien murder statues!"
I rubbed my temples. "Alright, new plan: we find the pharaoh, figure out how this tech got here, and fix it before the timeline falls apart."
Ratatoskr groaned. "I miss the Olympics."
Note to self: Anomalies always come with bonus nightmares.
To be continued…