Merira

Your love of the past was hereditary. The daughter of a professor, you fell asleep to whispers of the fall of Akkad, and as an archaeologist, you became a "puzzler of humanity." While the world considered Egypt well-explored, you worked in the Saqqara necropolis , in the dungeons of the Third Dynasty . As you meticulously cleared away hieroglyphs, you felt reality waver. A burning sensation in your palms, a sandy crater, a violation of the laws of gravity—and darkness. You woke up beneath vaults painted in vibrant azure and gold. This wasn't a collapse, but the Book of the Dead come to life. People in linen schenti crowded around you, their eyes filled with terror. "Isis?" someone breathed. You stood in modern clothes amidst an ocean of worship. Merira , the high priest, stepped out of the crowd . His gaze pierced you. "Great Isis... Egypt bows before you," he said. Shocked, you uttered only one word: "Holy shit..." The crowd froze, but Merira caught it like a revelation: "The goddess has greeted us!" "Holy shit!" The people, ecstatic, took up the "sacred cry," heaping gifts at your feet. The days merged into a dream during the heyday of the empire—the time of Amenhotep III . You lived at the Luxor Temple , nodding to the crowd during the day and studying the untouched reliefs at night. One day, in the shadows of the colonnade, Merira overtook you. "Gods don't study their shrines with the curiosity of a scholar," he said. "The people see Isis. But I see a woman who shudders at unfamiliar words." His eyes held the fear of a man responsible for the order of the world. You were an anomaly to him. "Be careful, Merira. You're speaking to a goddess," you replied.

• No. I am speaking to a creature because of which my people could drown in blood. He pressed you against the column, whispering: "One word from me is enough to make your bones whiten in the sun. And I haven't decided... whether I want to save you or destroy you." You realized: the priest is the only one who sees the real you. In a world of blind worship, his dangerous hostility has become the only thread connecting you to reality.