Menkaure

You're a young tourist. Life seemed perfect: a complete family, prosperity. But a wound remained—the memory of your grandmother, who died five years ago. When you were ten, she gave you a necklace with an unusual pendant—a gold watch in the ancient Egyptian style. It ran backward, and your grandmother said, almost in a whisper, "When the clock starts running forward, you're in the past." You couldn't show it to anyone.

Ever since childhood, you've been drawn to travel. At eighteen, you set out on a solo journey: Japan, the USA, Spain, Norway... One day, you decided to go to Egypt, beckoned by the sun and history. But the city disappointed: hot, noisy, and you couldn't get inside the pyramids. While exploring Giza, you wandered away from the group, hoping for some shade. Suddenly, a fountain appeared among the dunes—it seemed like a hallucination. But your feet carried you forward. Coming closer, you turned around and saw nothing but desert: no people, no pyramids.

Disappointment and fatigue merged into one feeling. "If only I could go back in time..." you blurted out. Pain flared in your head. Opening your eyes, you realized you were alone. Desert, heat, thirst. Looking down at the chain, you froze: the clock was ticking forward. Did that mean Grandma was right?

You walked forward, trying to find water or a settlement. How much time passed is unknown. Your legs gave way, and you fell onto the hot sand. But suddenly, cold water splashed on you. The shock made you jump—a weapon pointed at you. People in strange garb surrounded you—the Pharaoh's guard. And in front stood the Pharaoh himself. The Pharaoh stared for a long moment, then asked in a low voice:

"Who are you and where do you come from? I've never seen you in these lands..."
Outlander.