The words "You're a target now" echoed in my head, looping like a bad song stuck on repeat.
Aunika sat beside me, arms resting on her knees, watching me carefully. The bookstore was quiet except for the distant hum of the city outside.
I took a deep breath. "So… my godly parent."
Aunika nodded. "Yeah."
"Are you going to tell me, or do I have to guess?"
She hesitated, then stood up. "Come on."
I frowned. "Where are we going?"
"To get answers."
That didn't exactly inspire confidence. But I got up anyway, my golden staff still clutched in my hand. My arm throbbed from where the jackal warrior had slashed me, but the pain was already dulling.
We slipped out through the bookstore's back door and into the alley. The night air was crisp, but something about it felt… different. Charged. Like the whole world was waiting for something.
Aunika led the way down the narrow street, cutting through the city like she knew exactly where we were going.
After about ten minutes of walking in tense silence, I finally asked, "So, are you going to explain anything, or—?"
She glanced at me. "I could explain. But I think it's better if you hear it from him."
I stopped walking. "Him?"
Aunika sighed. "Just trust me, okay?"
I didn't like this. But at this point, I was too deep to back out.
We took a few more turns, and suddenly, we were in front of a massive abandoned warehouse. Its windows were shattered, and the walls were covered in old, faded hieroglyphs.
Aunika knocked twice on the rusted metal door.
At first, nothing happened. Then, a click echoed from inside, and the door creaked open.
A boy stood in the entrance, watching us with sharp, piercing eyes.
He was around my age, maybe a little older, with dark hair that fell just past his ears and skin tanned like he spent most of his time in the sun. He wore a black jacket over a loose shirt, and his posture was relaxed—but his gaze was intense.
Like he could see straight through me.
Aunika nodded at him. "Eryx."
His eyes flicked from her to me. "So this is her." His voice was smooth, calm, but with an edge.
I narrowed my eyes. "Uh, her has a name."
Aunika smirked. "Eryx, meet Aneria. Aneria, meet Eryx."
Eryx studied me for a second longer, then stepped aside. "Come in."
I glanced at Aunika, but she just motioned for me to go first.
Reluctantly, I stepped inside.
The warehouse was… not what I expected. Instead of a cold, empty space, it looked more like an underground temple. Stone pillars lined the walls, and in the center of the room stood a massive statue of an ibis-headed figure.
I swallowed hard. I'd seen enough history books to recognize him.
Thoth.
The god of wisdom.
The missing god.
Eryx walked past me, hands in his jacket pockets. "You've been having visions, haven't you?"
I stiffened. "What?"
"The headaches. The strange images. The voice." He turned to face me. "You've heard it, haven't you?"
My stomach twisted. "How do you know that?"
Eryx didn't answer. Instead, he walked over to the statue, placing a hand on its base.
The air shifted.
The hieroglyphs on the walls glowed faintly, and suddenly, my whole body felt weightless. My vision blurred—
And then I was somewhere else.
The room was gone. The warehouse, Aunika, even Eryx—all of it disappeared.
Instead, I stood in a vast desert, the sky a swirling mix of gold and deep indigo. In the distance, massive temples loomed, their stone pillars glowing with an eerie light.
And in front of me, a shadowy figure stood.
Not entirely solid. Not entirely there.
I couldn't make out his face, but I knew who he was.
A deep, echoing voice filled the air.
"Daughter of knowledge… you are not ready."
My chest tightened. "Who—what—?"
The figure took a step closer, and suddenly, symbols flashed through my mind—scrolls, ancient texts, an endless expanse of knowledge.
And then it clicked.
The buzzing in my head. The visions. The way I somehow knew things without knowing how.
I wasn't just anyone.
I was his.
My breath caught. "Thoth."
The figure didn't confirm or deny it. But I knew.
Before I could speak again, the vision shattered, and I was back in the warehouse.
I gasped, stumbling backward.
Aunika caught my arm. "Easy."
Eryx watched me with that same unreadable expression. "Now you know."
I tried to catch my breath, my pulse racing. "Thoth. He's—he's my father?"
Eryx nodded. "And he's missing."
The words hit me like a punch to the gut.
A god had gone missing. My father had gone missing.
I didn't know what to say. I felt like the ground had been ripped out from under me.
Aunika squeezed my arm. "Are you okay?"
I almost laughed. "Nope. Not even a little."
Eryx sighed, crossing his arms. "Then I suggest you get it together fast. Because whether you like it or not, you're involved now."
I glared at him. "Oh, I'm involved now? Pretty sure I didn't ask for any of this."
Eryx tilted his head. "And yet, here you are."
I clenched my fists, but before I could snap back, the air in the warehouse shifted again.
Something dark lurched from the shadows.
Aunika reacted first. "Move!"
She shoved me aside just as something massive crashed into the ground where I'd been standing.
I rolled, scrambling to my feet, my staff materializing in my hands.
The creature that had just dropped from the ceiling was worse than the jackal warrior.
It was long, serpentine, its body covered in black scales that shimmered like oil. Its eyes glowed red, and when it opened its mouth, I saw rows of needle-like teeth.
The air grew thick with the scent of decay.
Eryx's expression darkened. "Apep's spawn."
Aunika pulled out her dagger. "Great. Just what we needed."
The serpent let out a low, guttural hiss, its massive coils shifting.
Then it lunged.
I barely had time to react.
I swung my staff, and a pulse of golden energy shot forward—but the serpent dodged it like it had been expecting the attack.
Crap.
Eryx moved fast, unsheathing a curved sword from his belt. He slashed at the serpent's side, but the blade barely scratched its scales.
Aunika darted forward, aiming for its throat. But before she could strike, the serpent whipped its tail around, sending her flying into a pillar.
"Aunika!" I shouted.
She groaned, but she was still moving.
The serpent's head snapped toward me. Its red eyes glowed.
I swallowed hard.
I was the daughter of Thoth.
But I had no idea what that meant.
And right now? I had no clue how to fight a monster that shrugged off attacks like they were nothing.
The serpent lunged again.
And I had seconds to figure out how to not die.