Kairo followed Amun through the bustling streets of the ancient city. Everywhere he looked, there was something to marvel at—brightly colored tapestries hanging from the walls of stone houses, merchant stalls selling strange fruits, and people dressed in garments that seemed ancient but held a strange sense of majesty. The buildings, the air, the very way the people moved—it all felt like something out of a history book.
They reached the temple, an imposing structure made of weathered stone that towered above them. Amun led him inside, through vast columns adorned with symbols Kairo couldn't decipher. The air inside smelled of incense and the earth, thick with the scent of something sacred.
Amun gestured for Kairo to sit on a stone bench, where they could rest and speak privately. The dim light from torches cast long shadows on the walls, and Kairo felt a strange sense of being suspended in time.
"I know you are confused," Amun said after a long pause. His voice was gentle, almost like a comforting whisper in the quiet temple. "You are far from your time, but here, time is not as linear as you know it. It is not simply past and future. It is... all connected."
Kairo frowned, not fully understanding. "What do you mean by 'connected'?"
Amun's eyes softened, as if he had been waiting for this question. He sat beside Kairo, his presence reassuring.
"The gods of our world," Amun continued, "have always said that time is not a straight line. It bends and weaves, and sometimes, people like you are called across that line."
Kairo stared at him, unable to speak for a moment. It felt almost like he was sitting next to someone who had glimpsed the answers to the universe—someone who could see past the boundaries of time itself.
"I'm not a god," Kairo repeated, though the words felt hollow now. "I'm just a boy who messed up a time jump."
Amun's gaze never wavered. "But you are here, now. And that means something. Something important."
Kairo's pulse quickened. There was something in Amun's eyes, something that hinted at a future Kairo couldn't yet see.
"What is it that you think I'm here for?" Kairo asked, his voice a little more urgent now.
Amun didn't answer right away. He stood and walked toward a nearby altar, where a golden symbol lay, glowing faintly in the dim light. He placed his hand over it as if to absorb its energy, and then looked back at Kairo.
"You are not here by accident," Amun said, his voice tinged with certainty. "Your presence has disrupted something... and that is why you must stay."