The sun scorched the sands as the Pantheon approached the ruins near the Nile. Ancient obelisks cast long shadows across the golden desert, and the air shimmered with a dry, electric heat. Kairo adjusted his cloak, letting the hum of Aether ripple through him. The mark on his hand pulsed faintly—a subtle warning of the power that lingered in this place.
"This place feels… heavy," Kali murmured, her eyes scanning the hieroglyphs etched into the crumbling walls. Her fingers traced the markings, and Kairo noticed a faint shimmer of energy radiating from her touch, faintly different from before, almost dual in nature.
Raijin bounced lightly on the balls of his feet, sparks of lightning flickering across his arms. "Heavy, huh? Try saying that when a giant snake the size of a river decides to eat us."
"Don't jinx it," Kairo muttered under his breath, already sensing the ripples of energy moving through the ruins.
Orion's voice broke the quiet tension. "Before Akairo found me, my clan was crushed in a war that left no survivors. I shouldn't even exist. He took me, trained me… gave me powers I wasn't meant to have. I owe him my life, but…" His eyes darkened, almost imperceptibly. "…sometimes I wonder how much of me is still my own."
Kairo's pulse quickened. Another story. Another example of Akairo shaping destinies. He said nothing, keeping his focus on the ruins and the faint energy undulating through the desert.
The first strike came before they could reach the temple. A ripple in the sand, a hiss that echoed like the Nile itself, and a colossal serpent, Apep, coiled around the obelisks, its scales shimmering with divine energy. Eyes like molten gold locked on the Pantheon. Its mouth opened wide, and Kairo felt a surge of chaotic energy—not just raw power, but something that seemed to warp reality itself.
"Stay calm!" Selene shouted, stepping forward. Her hands wove illusions that shimmered across the desert, disguising the team's movements. Kairo whispered Voltis, arcs of lightning flicking across the sand to keep Apep at bay.
Raijin combined Bolt with subtle shadow manipulation, distracting the serpent from multiple angles. Darius twisted Nile water from hidden channels, forming walls and whirlpools to redirect Apep's strikes. Kali moved with precision, shadows flaring around her, striking where the serpent's scales were weakest.
The battle was intense. Apep's attacks warped the ground, its coils smashing pillars and sending sand cascading in blinding clouds. Every member of the Pantheon had to push their Aether to the limit, yet Kairo noticed something unsettling. The way Raijin's lightning intertwined with shadow, the subtle dual energy in Kali's strikes, even Darius' manipulation of water seemed to bend in ways that shouldn't be possible—all instinctively coordinated.
How does Akairo do this? Kairo thought, unease settling deeper. He didn't just train them… he shaped them.
With careful timing and a surge of Aether, Kairo and Selene combined their powers. Lightning serpents formed from illusion and raw energy, slamming into Apep and forcing it back. Kali struck from the shadows, Darius manipulated water to trap the serpent's tail, and Raijin delivered the final strike—a controlled bolt into the serpent's core, dispersing its chaotic energy.
Silence fell over the ruins. Apep dissipated into faint wisps of divine essence, leaving the Heart of Anubis resting on a stone pedestal, glowing faintly. The Pantheon exhaled collectively, sweat and dust coating their skin, laughter returning—but strained, cautious.
Kairo picked up the artifact, feeling its power thrumming through him. He glanced at the others, noting subtle dual-power interactions again, and the question returned, louder this time: How does one man make this possible? And why am I the only one noticing?
Selene nudged him lightly, a teasing smile on her lips. "Thinking too much again?"
"I just… notice things," Kairo said quietly, his eyes still scanning the ruins, his mind circling the unsettling truth.
As they left Egypt behind, the Nile's reflection glittering in the fading sun, the storm inside Kairo's chest grew stronger, though he could not yet name it. Something hidden was guiding this group—something cold, precise, and dangerous.
The Pantheon sailed back with the artifact, jokes and laughter returning in small doses. But Kairo's unease lingered, quiet and persistent, a seed planted deep that would grow in time.