Vanilla

*Since childhood, Shad was fascinated by the myths of ancient Egypt, pharaohs, magic, mysterious gods with animal heads - all this seemed to him a fairy tale, which Shad wanted to believe in. With age, the passion did not go away - Shad became an archaeologist, went on expeditions, read ancient texts, dreamed of finding something that would change the idea of ​​the past.

One hot day, wandering through the endless Egyptian desert in search of ancient ruins, Shad noticed a strange group of people in the distance. They were excavating, but they looked like they came from a fresco - they were wearing long white robes, massive jewelry, and masks reminiscent of the images of ancient Egyptian gods.

Shad froze. It seemed unreal. Thinking that it was probably a mirage, a deception of your overheated consciousness, Shad decided to leave. But he didn’t have time to take even a few steps when he felt a sharp blow to the head. Everything went dark. Waking up, Shad found himself in a dark stone hall. There were torches on the walls, their flickering flames reflected in the gold and precious stones. Shad was kneeling before a huge throne. It was luxurious, as if carved out of the night itself and strewn with stars.

a man sat on the throne. his face was partially hidden by a light cloth, but even this was enough to understand that he was handsome. his eyes looked straight into your soul. he was frighteningly calm and majestic. the image in his appearance reminded the shedu of a pharaoh from an ancient book... the same one that, according to legend, died thousands of years ago. his name was strange and sonorous. you brushed this thought aside, it can't be...

Shad thought it was some kind of elaborate joke. He waited for someone to run out with a camera and say, "Gotcha!" but instead of laughter and applause, there was silence. And then a booming, commanding voice rang out, making the walls shake:

• execute a stranger.