The chamber vanished.
Nick found himself suspended in a vast void, where stars spun slowly in impossible formations and ancient symbols drifted like glowing dust. Time seemed to stand still. There was no floor, no ceiling—only an endless expanse filled with the weight of something eternal.
Then a voice echoed through the cosmos.
Not a voice of flesh and blood, but something older—etched into the laws of the universe itself.
"He who bears the blood of two worlds… has touched the First Seal."
Nick turned, trying to find the source of the voice, but there was no one. Only the stars, and the feeling of being observed—measured.
"To claim the Stone is to awaken the burden of fate."
"I don't understand!" Nick shouted into the void. "What do you want from me?"
Silence fell again. Then—light. A soft golden glow that coalesced before him into a figure. It was a man—tall, cloaked in robes woven with stars, his face obscured by the head of an ibis.
Thoth.
Nick's breath caught in his throat. The god of wisdom, writing, and balance—guardian of knowledge. The same being that had once judged the souls of the dead was now staring directly into his.
"Your blood sings with the echoes of the divine," Thoth said, his voice a chord of many tones. "You are more than you know. But knowledge must be earned. Show me you are worthy."
The space around Nick rippled, and the void transformed.
He was no longer in the temple. He stood in a memory.
A desert, under a silver moon. A woman—his mother—stood before a robed man whose eyes shimmered with light. They spoke in hushed tones. He reached for her hand.
Nick's heart skipped. Is that… my father?
Another ripple.
He saw a battlefield—a storm of fire and shadow. The same man, now cloaked in divine armor, stood between two armies. He shouted a name.
"Naramu."
The image shattered. Nick fell to his knees, overwhelmed. The memories weren't just images—they were feelings, voices, legacies buried deep in his soul.
Thoth's voice returned.
"Naramu, the one born of mortal love and divine duty. He abandoned fate for freedom. And in so doing, he doomed the path you now walk."
Nick gasped, realization dawning. "Naramu"… was my father?"
"And the last guardian to betray his oath."
Thoth raised a hand. The golden stone appeared once more—floating between them.
"The Nile Stone is the Key of Insight. To bear it, you must accept your past, your pain, and your purpose."
Nick hesitated. The stone pulsed with light, but so did his fear.
Then he remembered his mother's letter. Her sacrifices. Her warning.
He remembered Dr. Hassan's faith. Aisha's cryptic protection.
And the power within him that refused to stay buried.
He stepped forward—and placed his hand on the stone.
A surge of light enveloped him, but this time, he didn't resist. He let the power flow through him. Visions passed like dreams—celestial gates, stone temples, battles in realms not of this world.
When the light faded, he was back in the chamber. The stone glowed gently in his hand.
Aisha knelt nearby, blood on her lip. Amir was helping Dr. Hassan to his feet. The Guardians were gone.
"You're back," Hassan whispered.
Nick nodded, his voice hoarse. "We have the first stone."
Aisha stepped closer, her eyes narrowing. "You were gone… for minutes, maybe hours. The temple sealed itself the moment you touched the stone."
"I saw him," Nick said quietly. "My father."
Aisha's expression shifted—genuine surprise breaking through her usual mask.
"Naramu?"
Nick looked at her sharply. "You knew?"
"Only whispers," she admitted. "But if it's true… then you're more than just a Seeker."
Nick's fist tightened around the stone. "We need to move. This stone is only the beginning."
Hassan nodded. "The next clue—where the second stone lies. It should be in the map."
Amir unrolled the celestial parchment. As the light of the Nile Stone fell upon it, new symbols ignited.
A second verse appeared:
Where lion's pride and golden past entwine,
The flat-topped giant hides a sacred sign.
At ocean's kiss, where two great waters dance,
The oldest breath shall wake the Seeker's chance.
"What's this supposed to mean"? Nick asked
It's "South Africa" Dr. Hassan said simply. The second stone's in South Africa, he added. And how do you know that? Aisha inquired.
First line of the Poem talks about a lion's pride referring to South Africa's wildlife
The second line talks about a flat topped giant reffering to a Mountain, precisely the Table Mountain in Cape town
The third line and last line talk about ocean's kiss expressing where the Atlantic and Indian Ocean meet at the Cape of good hope in South Africa
Dr Hassan explained the entire poem to them..
We have to start preparing for South Africa then
Amir added..
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