Libe's fingers twitched at his side, where a ceremonial dagger was sheathed beneath his robes. He had seen miracles before—divine blessings bestowed upon pharaohs, priests, and warriors. But this… this was something else.
Raiden stood amidst the swirling dust, his silhouette outlined by the last flickers of golden fire. The carvings that had once been inert now pulsed with a slow, rhythmic glow, as though the temple itself was breathing.
"You were never meant to wield that power," Libe said, his voice calm but firm.
Raiden tilted his head, the golden light in his eyes flickering. "Wasn't I?" His voice was steady, but beneath it lay something raw—something hungry. He raised his hand, watching as embers crackled along his fingers. The pain was gone, replaced by something else: an unshakable certainty that he had become something more.
Libe knew he had only moments to act. The power of Raa was not meant for a mere mortal. If Raiden lost control—if he succumbed to the will of the god whose prison he had just shattered—Egypt itself could burn.
"You don't understand what you've unleashed," Libe pressed. "That power isn't a gift, it's a chain. The gods feared it for a reason."
Raiden exhaled sharply, the embers flaring. "Then let them fear me too."
Before Libe could respond, the temple shook again, but this time, it was not from the aftershock of Raiden's transformation. A deep, guttural sound echoed from beneath them—a sound that did not belong to the wind.
Something else had awakened.
Libe's grip tightened around the hilt of his dagger. "We need to leave. Now."
Raiden didn't move. He turned his gaze to the temple entrance, where darkness stretched beyond the broken stone. And then, from the abyss, two glowing eyes appeared.
A voice, ancient and dripping with malice, slithered into their ears.
"The sun's light has returned... and so has the shadow that follows."
The sands trembled. And deep within the ruins, something began to rise.