It's over.
The world is ending.
All of Al-Munira could do nothing but wait. Wait for the malevolent spirits to tear through the Gate and bring doom upon them all, upon their city, upon the entire world.
Some screamed, some ran, some fell to their knees in silent prayer. Others simply stood still, frozen in terror, accepting their fate.
And Malakar—oh, Malakar—he was happy. So blissfully happy. His lips trembled, his body shaken, and soon, tears of joy spilled from his eyes. After 1620 years of waiting, scheming, killing, and harvesting souls, the moment had finally come. His revenge was complete.
He knew what awaited him—death, over and over again, torn apart by the very spirits he had unleashed. But it didn't matter. No pain could outweigh the satisfaction of watching this world burn… of watching them all suffer.
The Ancient Jinn was of no use to him now, their deal was fulfilled.
Nothing else mattered anymore.
Aladdin and Amina sat in silence at the chamber's entrance, shattered beyond words. The weight of Ryo's death crushed them, his final scream still echoing in their ears. There was nothing left to fight for.
Nothing left to hope for.
All they could do now… was wait for their turn.
And unlike Ryo, no swift end would be granted to them. The malevolent spirits would see to it that their deaths were slow… agonizing.
Ryo kept falling.
The abyss swallowed him whole, an endless void stretching deeper and deeper into nothingness.
He had failed.
His broken, near-lifeless body would soon crash against the unseen bottom, swallowed by darkness. Forgotten forever.
But then…
Something shifted.
A whisper slithered through the void, cold and guttural, like the breath of death itself.
"How pitiful of you."
Ryo's eyes snapped open. He gasped—but there was no air, no wind rushing past his body.
He wasn't falling anymore.
He felt no pain, as if the injuries no longer existed.
He was floating.
Then, the voice came again, low and venomous, curling around his very thoughts.
"A mortal like you was never a match for Malakar."
Ryo's heart pounded in his chest as he turned his head frantically, searching. But the world around him was nothing but blackness—a void with no up or down, no sky, no ground
"Who's there?!" he barked.
The voice chuckled—deep, guttural, knowing.
"Of course, you cannot see… for this is merely a dream."
"'A dream?" Ryo's mind raced, struggling to make sense of it. But that didn't explain how this presence—whoever or whatever it was—could read his thoughts.
Then, the air in front of him began to shift.
The darkness swirled, deep crimson bleeding through the black, twisting like a vortex of smoke and blood. It spiraled violently, growing larger and larger, until finally… it took shape.
A figure, towering and monstrous.
A hovering skeleton, legless and draped in a flowing crimson cloak, its hollow eye sockets burning with an eerie, unnatural glow.
Ryo looked up at the towering being, his stomach dropping. He had seen it before.
Once, in the dream that haunted him after collapsing at the marketplace plaza. And again, at the throne hall—when Malakar activated the Celestial Compass.
His breath hitched, and his body tensed in response to the overwhelming presence.
He knew what this was.
"No way…" His voice came out hoarse. "You're—"
The entity hovered forward slowly.
"Allow me to introduce myself…"
A pause. A smirk, unseen but felt.
"But I suppose you already know, don't you?"
The air around Ryo grew heavy. Oppressive.
Slowly, the being raised one bony hand, curling all its fingers into a claw, as if simply savoring the moment.
"I am the being whom mortals dread."
"I am the voice that has echoed through time, the nightmare that has lingered for centuries."
"I am… The Ancient Jinn."
While floating, Ryo instinctively jerked backward, his body tensing as if trying to escape—though there was nowhere to go. Then, in sheer panic, he shot his right arm forward like a stop sign.
"WOAH, WOAH, WOAH, WOAH, WOAH! TIME OUT!!!"
The Ancient Jinn paused, its hollow sockets narrowing slightly as it regarded Ryo with mild confusion.
"Hmmm?"
Ryo swallowed hard, trying to steady his nerves. Serious mode engaged. Sweat beaded down his forehead as he pointed accusingly at the ghostly figure. "Look, uh… Mr… Mr. Jinn… I know what you're about to do."
The Ancient Jinn tilted its bony head, fascinated. This mortal was amusing.
Ryo, dead serious. "You're gonna show me that creepy celestial compass… and then BAM! Lunge straight at my face for a cheap horror jump scare, just like in those cursed internet videos, right?!"
Silence.
The Ancient Jinn just stared at him. Then…
A quiet chuckle.
Then a wheeze.
And then—
"Pfft… HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
The deep, booming laughter echoed in the abyss, shaking the very void around them.
Ryo blinked, stunned. "…What? Why are you laughing?"
The Ancient Jinn wiped an imaginary tear from his hollow eye socket, still chuckling.
"Apologies for that little scare in your last dream. I was merely… bored. So, I decided to have a little fun."
Ryo's eye twitched, laughing along awkwardly. "Oh… ha… ha… ha… ha… ha… very funny…"
Awkward silence.
Ryo, muttering under his breath. "Ancient entity messing with me like some prank YouTuber… great… Just great!"
Ryo let out a long, tired sigh, running a hand down his face.
"Okay… the fact that I'm dreaming about you means… what? You gonna take my soul, too? Just like you did with all the others Malakar killed?"
The Ancient Jinn's unseen grin faded.
Then, he finally spoke, his voice low, almost a whisper—but it slithered through the air, sending a chill down Ryo's spine.
"Before I answer that… allow me to ask you something first."
Ryo stiffened, listening.
"Do you wish to continue falling… and embrace your inevitable end at the bottom of the pit?"
"Or…"
The crimson glow in the Jinn's hollow sockets burned brighter.
"Do you seek a second chance?"
Ryo's breath caught in his throat. He couldn't help but think…
"A second chance?"
"What did he mean? Was he serious? Could he really—?"
The Jinn tilted his head slightly, as if peering into Ryo's very soul.
"Answer me, mortal. And I shall speak."
Then, his voice dropped to a near whisper, yet it echoed with an eerie finality.
"So tell me… do you wish to live… or to die?"
"If you choose death, I shall depart from your sight immediately. Forever."
Ryo didn't even hesitate. Not even for a second. "Live! Obviously!"
The Ancient Jinn nodded, as if expecting that answer. "Very well. Then I shall tell you everything."
Ryo raised an eyebrow. "Everything? That sounds like a long story… do we even have time for that?"
The Jinn narrowed his hollow eyes. "What do you mean?"
Ryo pointed downward, as if it wasn't already obvious.
"I'm literally falling to my death right now. Do I really have time to hear you do your very lengthy talk? I could hit the ground at any second, you know!"
The Jinn let out a low, amused hum, shaking his head. "No… not yet."
Ryo's eyes widened. "Not yet? The hell does that mean?"
The Jinn's skeletal fingers curled slightly as he explained. "As you dream, time within this realm and time in reality do not flow the same."
Ryo's expression twisted in confusion. "Huh?"
Ancient Jinn: "At this moment, your mind is moving at the speed of light, which is why it feels as though you're falling at an incredibly slow pace."
Ryo blinked. His mouth hung open slightly. "Wait, wait, wait—hold up."
Ancient Jinn: "In reality, you will meet your end upon impact in approximately… two minutes."
Ryo gulped.
Ancient Jinn: "But in here? You have about… twenty-two hours."
Ryo's brain just about short-circuited. "WHAT!?"
The Jinn remained still, his hollow gaze unwavering.
Ryo, in complete shock. "SO BASICALLY, TIME AND SPACE WORK COMPLETELY DIFFERENTLY HERE THAN IN REALITY!?"
Ancient Jinn: "Precisely."
Ryo groaned. "Great… so I'm basically having a wormhole moment. That's just fantastic."
The Jinn simply chuckled. "But before I tell you why I can offer you a second chance… I must first give you a history lesson."
Ryo mentally groaned, dripping with sarcasm…
"Oh great... First, I got a history lesson from King Malik, and now I'm getting another one from a literal ancient skeleton. Yup, totally normal. Just another day of getting schooled by a terrifying, otherworldly entity."
With a sigh, Ryo shrugged. "Fine, go ahead. I mean, we do have almost 24 hours anyway… in my head..."
Ancient Jinn nodded. "Then we shall begin."
Suddenly, the Jinn lifted his left arm.
The surrounding darkness shuddered.
Ryo's eyes and head whipped around in panic as the void trembled, as though an unseen force was shaking the entire dreamscape. "Uh… what's going on? An earthquake—inside my dream!?"
Without warning, the Jinn sliced his arm sideways, swift and fluid.
Like a powerful gust of wind, the darkness tore away—as if someone had swiped open the curtains of reality itself. The void vanished, and in its place—
Light. Color. Life.
Ryo gasped, the sudden shift nearly blinded him.
No longer was he floating in an endless abyss. He was standing on solid ground.
Around him, people moved through a lively marketplace, the air warm with the scent of baking bread and burning incense. Their robes were light and flowing, woven from fine linen, their eyes darkened with kohl to shield them from the sun.
Golden bangles clinked softly on wrists as merchants called out in a language unfamiliar to Ryo, their stalls stacked with dates, figs, and alabaster jars filled with perfume. The streets were narrow and sunbaked, the buildings made from mudbrick, their walls painted with faded images of gods and daily life.
The architecture was breathtaking—tall pillars with detailed carvings, massive statues of gods, and tall obelisks piercing the sky. The golden sands stretched beyond the town, where in the distance…
A pyramid, still under construction.
Ryo's mouth fell open.
He barely whispered. "No way…"
Then he turned—only to jump back in shock.
The Ancient Jinn… was shorter. Like, Ryo's height shorter.
Ryo startled. "HUUUH!?"
The Ancient Jinn simply chuckled.
His voice shrinking and fading. "I simply did not want to block your view… We are having our 'lesson,' after all. And a student must always have a clear sight of the 'whiteboard.'"
Ryo's eye twitched.
He muttered. "So now I'm a student…"
Eyes squinting. "And did your voice just hit the 'shrink-ray' button along with you?"
Ryo decided to brush off the strange change in the skull guy's voice.
Then, he asked. "Alright then, 'Teach', I'll just call you that from now on since your name apparently scares the hell out of people in Al-Munira."
The Jinn sighed, clearly not thrilled but also not entirely opposed.
"My image in the kingdom has been twisted into one of terror and darkness… but I do not blame them. Especially since they do not know the whole truth."
Ryo raised an eyebrow. "The whole truth?"
Ancient Jinn: "You will understand in time, as we progress through these… 'lessons'."
Ryo crossed his arms. "Alright then, first lesson—where are we?"
The Jinn turned to face the bustling town before them.
Then, with a shrinking and fading, rich voice that seemed to echo in the air…
"Welcome… to Cairo, Egypt."
"The year is 2500 BCE."
Silence.
Ryo just stared, his brain froze, struggling to comprehend what just came out of the Jinn's skeletal mouth.
Then—
Ryo, shocked loudly. "HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHHHHHH!?!?!?!"
The Jinn flinched, bringing his bony fingers to where his ears would've been.
"You are far too loud, my student!"
Ryo, still in complete shock. "DID I JUST TIME TRAVEL BACK IN TIME!? AND TO A DIFFERENT COUNTRY!?!?!?"
The Jinn exhaled, his cloak slightly ruffling. "This is a dream, remember? In this place, even the most impossible things can come to life."
Ryo blinked, then realization dawned on him.
He smacked his palm with his other fist. "Oh... right."
The Ancient Jinn turned away from Ryo, his crimson cloak billowing slightly.
"Follow me."
Ryo sighed but complied, walking behind the skeletal entity as they moved through the bustling streets of ancient Cairo.
But as they walked, Ryo couldn't help but notice something strange.
Nobody—not a single person—reacted to their presence.
Not even a glance.
Not at him—a guy in a modern trench coat completely out of place.
And certainly not at the floating skeleton draped in a crimson cloak.
Ryo furrowed his brows, confused. "Umm… Teach?"
The Jinn, still hovering forward, hummed in response. "Hmm?"
Ryo looking around. "How come no one is looking at us? Especially someone as—no offense—as weird as you just floating around like that?"
Without slowing down, the Jinn suddenly walked through a random man.
That man also walked straight through Ryo.
Ryo's entire body shivered as an eerie sensation washed over him. He quickly patted his chest, his arms—his whole body.
Ryo in shock. "W-WOAH!"
The Jinn chuckled. "Here, we are but mere shadows, invisible projections. To them, we do not exist."
Ryo slowly exhaled. "I… I see…"
They continued their journey, walking through the ancient streets until they reached the outskirts of town.
And then, Ryo's breath caught in his throat.
Before him, standing against the vast, golden desert—
A pyramid under construction.
The great structure was still unfinished, workers carefully placing limestone blocks. Sleds carrying large stones were pulled across the sand by exhausted men, using ropes. The air was filled with dust, and the sounds of hard work echoed in the dry air.
Ryo's eyes sparkled with fascination. "Holy crap… I'm watching history in the making…"
His awe, however, was suddenly interrupted—
By the sound of furious SHOUTING in an ancient language.
???:"𓂀𓏏𓊪𓂋! 𓊨𓂝𓂋𓏏𓆑𓂝𓂋𓍱𓂋𓄿𓂝𓏏𓊪 !!!!!!!!!"
Ryo flinched. "Yikes—what's up with that guy!?"
He turned to see a bossy guy yelling at a worker who was struggling to pull a sled carrying a massive limestone block.
The Jinn, his bony hands behind his back. "That man is the supervisor of this pyramid. He ensures that the labor is carried out with the utmost efficiency."
Ryo, full of curiosity. "What did he say? I didn't understand a single word…"
Ancient Jinn translating for him…"You lazy dog! Move those stones faster, or you'll feel the whip!"
Ryo's eyes narrowed. "Damn, that's harsh... but with that new voice of yours, Teach, it's hard to take it seriously."
The Jinn reassured him. "Fear not, for henceforth, translations shall be provided to you."
Then, both of them turned towards the exhausted worker.
The worker—panting, drenched in sweat—collapsed onto the sand, gasping for breath. He quickly grabbed a jug of water and gulped it down, exhaustion clear in his every movement.
Ryo sighed. "Man… I feel for that guy. He's doing all the grunt work just to build what would become one of the Ancient Wonders of the World."
The Jinn chuckled softly. "Hmph… 'Feel sorry,' is it?"
Ryo blinked, slightly thrown off by the Jinn's tone.
The Jinn then hovered closer—stopping directly in front of the exhausted worker.
And then, he stared.
Not moving. Not speaking. Just staring down at the man.
Ryo stepped forward. "Uh… What's up? Why are you looking at him like that?"
The Jinn remained silent for a moment.
Then, he turned his bone head toward Ryo. "This man here… is me."
Silence.
Ancient Jinn: "Or, perhaps I should say... who I once was."
Ryo's body went stiff, his breath catching in his throat. His mind raced to process what he just heard.
The Ancient Jinn—the terrifying, skeletal entity feared across history—
Was once human.
Ryo's expression hardened, his curiosity now mixed with a deeper seriousness.
"What… do you mean?"
The Jinn turned his gaze back to the exhausted worker sitting on the sand.
"This man… me… my name is Neferka."
"This was the man I once was… before the world came to know me as 'The Ancient Jinn.'"
Ryo's mind processing.
A name. A real name.
Not a title whispered in fear. Not an entity cloaked in mystery, but a man.
Ryo's eyes widened. "Holy hell… then… how did you end up as 'The Ancient Jinn?'"
The Jinn—Neferka—remained silent for a moment before turning his head slightly.
"You shall find out soon enough."
Then, he turned fully to face Ryo. "Instead of calling me 'The Ancient Jinn,' you may call me Neferka. Just to make things easier."
Ryo, who had been processing all this historical bombshell, simply deadpanned.
"Uh… yeah, no. I'll stick with 'Teach.' Nefer-whatever is kinda hard to pronounce."
The Jinn scoffed, his cloak shifting slightly in annoyance. "For a human, you sure are insufferably rude…"
He waved a skeletal hand dismissively. "Fine. Whatever you want!"
The Jinn raised a bony thumb over his shoulder, motioning toward the half-finished pyramid behind them. "Let's get inside."
Ryo gave a small nod, still wrapping his head around everything.
As they stepped through the entrance, the inside was dim, filled with dust and the smell of sweat. Workers rushed around, their voices bouncing off the stone walls. It felt like walking into a busy construction site—only from an ancient time.
Despite the dim light, torches lined the halls, their flames casting dancing shadows on the stone walls. Ryo and Neferka walked forward, their ethereal forms passing effortlessly through the busy workers.
Eventually, they arrived at a particular area—an ancient double door, sealed shut. The markings on it were faded with time, but it stood untouched… for now.
Ryo pointing at the ancient double door. "We can just walk through that, right? I mean, we're basically ghost projectiles or whatever."
The Jinn didn't move. "For now, we shall wait."
Ryo sighed and plopped down onto a nearby rock. He rested one elbow on his lap, his fist pressed against his cheek, while his other hand rested on his other knee, watching the door with patience.
Then, after about five minutes, a group of workers arrived.
Among them—was Neferka, the human version.
Ryo straightened up, watching as the group examined the massive stone doors. They pushed, pulled—grunted in frustration. It wouldn't budge.
Then, Neferka—the human one—stepped forward. He disappeared for a brief moment, then returned, carrying a dolerite pounder—a hard, rounded stone used to break apart tougher rock.
With determination in his eyes, he raised it high and slammed it against the sealed doors. Boom! Then again. Boom! Again. Boom!
After several intense strikes, the doors finally cracked apart. A final hit sent stone fragments scattering onto the ground.
The group erupted into cheers, clapping Neferka on the back, praising his strength and effort.
Ryo let out a low whistle, crossing his arms. "Guess you were the smart one back in the day, huh?"
The Jinn watched silently, his glowing eyes fixed on his former self. "I was one of the most hard-working workers…"
Then, suddenly—his skeletal face darkened. His voice dropped, hollow and grim. "…Only up until we entered this accursed room."
A cold shiver ran down Ryo's spine.
His curiosity spiked, but something told him—whatever happened next wasn't good.
Ancient Jinn: "Now then, Mortal Detective..."
Ryo blinked, his thoughts racing.
"Okay, first I got called 'Mr. Detective' by everyone, then 'Sir' by Aladdin, and now I'm 'Mortal Detective' by a freaking ghost skeleton who was once a human named Nefer-whatever?"
At this point, the only people in the kingdom who actually called him by his name were Shahira and Amina.
"Maybe I should start putting on a name tag or something..."
Inside the room, the human Neferka and his fellow workers stepped in carefully. The room was dim, with only a little light coming from the entrance behind them. Dust swirled in the air as they walked quietly.
They scanned the room, eyes filled with curiosity.
Neferka (Jinn) continued: "What you're about to witness... is an untold history. A secret buried beneath the sands of time—one that even the modern world's history books have failed to record."
Ryo raised an eyebrow while crossing his arms. "Wait… not even in the history books?"
The Jinn nodded. "Not even in your mortals' so-called 'internet'—which, might I add, is utterly incomprehensible to me!"
For a second, Ryo swore he heard pure frustration in the Jinn's voice.
…Did he just sound like an old man struggling with technology?
Ryo smirked, suppressing a chuckle. "What, haven't heard of a Wi-Fi?"
The Jinn groaned, shaking his bone head. "I don't even know what a 'Wi-Fi' is!"
Then, inside the room, the human Neferka spotted something—a faint shine hidden behind a medium-sized ancient stone.
His crew, just as curious, stepped forward, their eyes widening as they gathered around.
They found a glowing Crimson Shard.
It pulsed with an unnatural light, its glow unlike anything they had ever seen before. It was… beautiful—like something straight out of a fantasy tale.
Ryo narrowed his eyes. "Yeah… that thing is definitely not in any historical records. Last time I saw something like that was in my childhood's RPG fantasy game."
The Jinn slowly turned to him. "What… is a 'fantasy game'?"
Ryo exhaled heavily, rubbing his temples. "Never mind, old fart."
The crew pulled and tugged at the shard with all their might, but it refused to budge.
They tried smashing it from the bottom—nothing.
They struck it from the top with a rock—not even a crack.
It was extremely stiff and unmovable.
After several exhausting attempts, they panted in frustration.
Crew Member: "Impossible… it won't move."
They were ready to give up.
Then, Neferka stepped forward.
He gripped the shard firmly and gave it a tug—just a slight pull.
SNAP.
It came loose effortlessly, a stunned silence fell upon the room.
The crew's jaws dropped.
For a brief moment, they all looked at Neferka as if he had just performed an impossible feat—as if he were the strongest man alive.
Ryo smirked. "Whoa, Teach… were you always that strong?"
Neferka, the Jinn, however, did not respond.
His skull-like face darkened.
Ryo's smirk faded. He noticed the jinn's aura had shifted—as if he were reliving a nightmare.
Then it happened.
The Crimson Shard began to glow in Neferka's human hands.
A sinister red light seeped into his skin.
His eyes widened in terror.
Neferka (human): "W-What is this!?"
He screamed, he rubbed at his arm, frantically trying to wipe away the glow.
It only spread faster.
Like a disease, the crimson energy slithered across his flesh—from his hands, to his arms, to his legs, to his chest—until it covers his entire body.
His head tilted back.
The last thing to vanish beneath the glow… was his eyes.
His screams echoed through the room.
Ryo looking horrified. "What's happening to you!?"
The crew took a step back, faces pale with terror.
Some of them fell to their knees, crying in fear.
Then—
A violent crimson wind erupted around Neferka, twisting into a spinning vortex.
He floated into the air, helplessly thrashing within the swirling storm.
His screams became muffled—drowned beneath the roar of the cursed wind.
Then…
Silence.
The swirling crimson sphere of wind slowed… then vanished.
And as Neferka's feet touched the ground once more…
Ryo gasped.
Neferka is now cloaked in a flowing crimson robe.
Ryo's breath hitched. His eyes darted between the human Neferka and the ghostly jinn beside him.
They wore the same cursed cloak.
Neferka groaned, gripping his head in pain. His crew cautiously approached.
Crew Member: "Neferka…? Are you okay?"
Then—one of them suddenly collapsed.
Neferka's eyes shot open.
Neferka (human) in panic: "Hey! What's wrong!? Wake up!"
He shook the man's shoulders.
No response, the man was dead.
Ryo in complete shock. "Wait… that guy just DIED!?"
The Jinn let out a slow, pained sigh. "Indeed…"
Then—
Something moved.
Ryo and the crew turned toward the far wall.
Their blood ran cold.
Neferka's shadow… was rising.
It peeled away from the wall, it stood up—on its own.
A twisted, unnatural mockery of Neferka's form.
Its head tilted unnaturally.
Its hollow, featureless face turned toward them.
Then—
It twitched, the crew screamed.
They fled in terror, shoving past each other as they raced out of the room.
Ryo stood frozen, heart pounding.
The human Neferka remained inside, stunned in horror.
Ryo whipped his head toward the Jinn, panicking. "Teach—TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON!!"
The Jinn let out a slow exhale, his hollow eyes gleamed in the dim room.
"This was the day…"
His voice dropped to a sinister whisper.
"The day I was first called… 'The Cursed One.'"
"Or… as you mortals know me in the present time…"
"The Cursed Ancient One."
Jinn clenching his bony hand. "For some reason, that Crimson Shard chose me… and here I am… in this crimson cloak."
Ryo still trying to process. "Chose you? You mean… it chose you to get cursed!?"
Before the Jinn could respond, the shadow that stood up suddenly slid back beneath human Neferka's feet, like it was never alive to begin with.
Ryo's eyes widened. "It… it went back!?"
Human Neferka stumbled backward, eyes filled with terror.
Then—he ran.
He bolted out of the room panicking.
As he burst through the entrance, he was met with the pyramid's supervisor.
The older man blocked his path, frowning. "What's all this commotion!? Why were my workers screaming!?"
But the moment his eyes fell upon Neferka—His face twisted in horror.
His entire body stiffened, his voice trembled.
Then, overcome with pure terror, the supervisor screamed at the top of his lungs.
"SNAKE MONSTER!!!"
And he ran.
He fled—scrambling out of the pyramid as if he had seen death itself.
Ryo flinched. "What the hell does that guy mean... a snake monster!?"
The Jinn, however, remained silent.
He simply watched as his human self suffered through one of the worst moments of his life.
From Ryo's perspective—and even the Jinn's—Neferka still looked human.
But to the supervisor…
He had seen something else.
To him—Neferka's head was no longer human, it was a Vicious Cobra.
A snake-like horror with a flickering tongue—as the man's head.
Then—
A worker suddenly collapsed, clutching his skull.
He let out a terrifying scream as his mind snapped, consumed by a madness that clawed its way into his soul.
Another man dropped dead on the spot.
Then—pandemonium.
The workers—Neferka's comrades, his friends—erupted into pure panic.
They screamed, they shoved past one another, racing for the exit—fleeing from him.
Like he was a plague,a demon.
Neferka stood frozen, trembling, his hands shook.
His breathing was shallow and unsteady.
His mind raced as he stared at the people he once called his brothers—now looking at him with fear and disgust.
No one came near him. No one dared.
He took a slow, shaky step forward.
But everyone just backs away from him.
His stomach twisted. His vision blurred.
Neferka whispered softly, his voice broken. "W-Why...?"
They had all turned against him in mere moments.
Ryo, watching the horror unfold, was left completely speechless.
For once—he had no words.
The Jinn exhaled slowly, his hollow voice was heavy with grief. "Let's change location."
Ryo blinked, shaken out of his shock. "Huh?"
SNAP.
The Jinn snapped his bony fingers.
The entire world shifted.
In an instant—
The pyramid was gone, the screams were gone, the suffocating atmosphere vanished.
Suddenly, they were back—On the streets of the town.
As if they had just… jump-cut into another movie scene.
Ryo, startled, whipped around and shouted. "WHAT THE—!? You could've WARNED ME!"
The scene before them was Pitiful and Heartbreaking.
Human Neferka—once a proud, hardworking man—now stood draped in the cursed crimson cloak.
And the people?
They threw stones at him.
Rocks struck his body—his arms, his legs, his face.
He flinched, shielding himself with his arms, but the blows still struck hard.
His forehead cracked open, a thin stream of blood running down his face.
The townspeople shouted with hatred.
"Stay away, Cursed One!"
"Don't you DARE come close!"
But the worst part— His family, his mother stood among them, eyes filled with grief and disgust.
Her voice, once warm, now cold as the desert night.
"I NO LONGER HAVE A SON!"
Neferka froze, his heart tightening.
Then—his siblings.
They, too, picked up stones and threw them at him.
"YOU ARE A POISON TO THIS FAMILY!"
"YOU ARE A MONSTER!"
"YOU ARE NOT HUMAN!"
The weight of their rejection crushed him more than the rocks ever could.
His tears fell silently, mixing with the blood dripping from his wounds.
Ryo watched in horror.
His hands clenched into fists.
He turned to the Jinn—
But the Jinn remained silent.
Completely still.
Like he was trying—desperately—to hold in his emotions, to distance himself from the suffering of his former self.
Then—
A powerful presence arrived.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
Heavy footsteps echoed across the streets.
From a distance, they appeared.
The Jackal-Masked Guards of Anubis.
They marched forward with divine authority, their black Anubis masks gleaming under the sun.
Their golden chest plates shone brilliantly, reflecting the light like celestial armor.
With each step—The ground seemed to tremble beneath them.
They radiated Power. Fear. Divine judgment.
The townspeople immediately fell silent.
Ryo, awestruck, rubbing his eyes. "NO WAY. These guys—They're related to Anubis! I SAW THEM IN MY SCHOOL HISTORY BOOKS!"
The guards halted before Neferka.
Their leader stepped forward, voice booming with command:
"Enough! Cease this cruelty at once!"
The people lowered their arms.
The guards then turned to Neferka—but not with hatred.
Instead, they examined him with caution.
Then—they spoke. "Come with us."
Neferka hesitated, his body trembling, his breath ragged.
But with nowhere else to go—He obeyed and followed them.
And his fate was sealed.
SNAP.
The Jinn snapped his bony fingers.
Suddenly—
The sun vanished.
Darkness fell.
Ryo, startled by the sudden jump cut again, threw up his hands. "Seriously!? You gotta start giving me a heads-up before we switch scenes!"
It was nighttime.
They now stood before a massive temple, its towering pillars rising over them like silent gods.
The guards ascended the stone stairs—Neferka bound in rope, his hands tied together.
They entered the temple.
The heavy gates slammed shut behind them.
Jinn: "Come, Mortal Detective. Let's follow them inside."
Ryo groaned, rubbing his face. "Ugh... I already know this is gonna be horrifying, isn't it?"
Jinn chuckled darkly. "No spoilers. You shall see with your own eyes."
Ryo deadpanned. "Aren't I supposed to be getting schooled instead of watching a horror movie, Teach? And how the hell do you know about spoilers? watched a movie before? but don't know about Wi-Fi?"