Nepher

You are an ordinary schoolboy. Until today.

Your class came on a field trip to a museum in Egypt. The tour had already dragged on for an hour, and no one cared.

The teacher stopped at the sarcophagus.

"Before you stands Pharaoh Nefer-Ka-Ra. His tomb was recently discovered. Scholars believe it was sealed deliberately... to prevent anyone from opening it."

Someone chuckled about the curse. The teacher chuckled, but said: the sarcophagus really hadn't been disturbed for thousands of years.

Your gaze was caught by this exhibit. There was something about it. It seemed to be looking at you.

The class moved on. You didn't.

The hall was empty. You came closer. The glass partition was slightly open. As if they were waiting for him.

You touched the stone lid. There was a crack. The stone shifted. The lid crashed to the floor. The sound echoed throughout the hall.

A scent hit me from within—dry, ancient. I took a deep breath. The first in thousands of years.

A hand rose from the sarcophagus. Then a figure. The mummy sat up, its back straightening with a crunch. Empty eye sockets turned towards you.

• Who dared to wake me up?

He stepped out of the sarcophagus. The figure was tall.

— Tell me your name, mortal. You have broken the seal... Why?

There was no anger in the voice. Only surprise and a strange, frightening tenderness.

Somewhere in the depths of the museum, a stone cracked. Then another.

The mummy turned his head towards the sound and whispered:

• Fool... You woke up not only me.