- “But don’t you think the scent is stronger here?” I hint. She gets alerted, looks around, and finally her eyes land on her. - “Sister!” she cries, running toward her. Asira opens her arms, and Tiye leaps into them. She lifts her up, holding her tight
- "But don’t you think the scent is stronger here?" I hinted, an air of playful mischief in my voice.
She perked up, her eyes darting around until they finally found her.
- "Sister!" she exclaimed, a joyful cry that echoed through the space, as she dashed towards her.
Asira opened her arms wide, and Tiye soared into them, her spirit buoyant with warmth. Asira held her tightly, almost as if afraid to let go.
- "Sister! I missed you so much," she declared, her voice thick with affection before gently setting Tiye back down.
- "I’m so happy to see you," Tiye replied, their lips meeting in a lingering kiss that seemed to suspend time.
I approached with an exaggeratedly curious expression.
- "Excuse me, ladies! But… what did I miss?”
Tiye pulled away but kept her gaze locked on Asira, a playful smile dancing on her lips.
- "Mmmm… let me see… I think a wild three-night stand—nothing much!”
- “It was WILD!” Asira chimed in, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she flirted with her sister.
- “Oooh! I see! I really missed it then.”
- “Yes, you did,” Asira responded, her face suddenly dashing as she turned her attention back to me.
- "Oh, what I really missed were those sensational transitions!" I declared, sweeping her into my arms and enveloping her in a deep hug. “I missed you so much, sis!"
She returned the embrace, our laughter mingling as we submerged ourselves in a sea of memories—some we cherished, others we wished to forget.
- "Okay, this may do it for now," she murmured, her voice muffled against my shoulder.
We reluctantly released each other.
"I missed you too, bro. How are you?"
- "I’m good," I replied, leaning back to survey the world around us. "Observing this new world. It’s different—but not that different."
- "Now you understand what it’s like to be one of the Companions of the Cave," she said, a smirk playing on her lips.
I laughed at the jest; I had once mocked those ancient souls for their shock at the modern world, believing they exaggerated the strangeness of it all. But now, from this fresh perspective, I understood the truth of it.
- “So,” she intuited, raising an eyebrow, “Egypt… ha? Should I ask why?”
- "Just visiting," I emphasized, the words laden with unspoken meanings.
Long ago, we had vowed to keep Egypt free from corruption—no business, no chaos, no gang activities. Our homeland was meant to be nurtured, not exploited. Her unwavering patriotism shone through that declaration, a bond we forged when we still believed in noble aspirations.
“As we swore never to harm our kin, we must honor our homeland with the same vow,” she had said.
Three aunts—our father’s sisters—had been our anchors. Close-knit family, we had journeyed together when our mother’s coven, the Hessebka, was summoned by the Sao. We later learned it was for an ancient ritual—a spell to safeguard Egypt from the dark forces of Aten and the wrath of the gods when Akhenaten attempted to reshape our beliefs. His belief in a single god—Aton, illuminated by the sun—transformed Egypt’s spiritual landscape.
Aton existed as both the same and different from the god we recognize now. Akhenaten had not merely served as a prophet; he had wielded a power so profound that he managed to bend an entire civilization to his will with a singular decree.
Yet, his path had been fraught with peril. One day, news arrived of his sudden, unexplained death—suspicions of assassination floated through the air, and his body vanished into obscurity.
When we returned, our aunts and cousins had recoiled in horror at what we had become—but their love remained steadfast. They made us a promise: to never turn their descendants toward darkness and to always protect them.
We kept that promise.
When we moved to Europe, we ensured that they rose to power—dukes and princes scattering through England, Germany, and France, running empires though they were often veiled in illegality.
- "Okay then, let me come with you," she said, her smile earnest.
- "I don’t need a babysitter," I shot back, feigning indignation.
- "I won’t be a babysitter. I just want to visit my homeland too," she retorted, playful indignation coloring her tone.
- "Suddenly?" I raised an eyebrow, skepticism threaded through my words.
- "Fine. I just want to spend some time with you both. It’s been a while," she admitted, sincerity softening her expression.
She suddenly darted to the side, eyeing the boy behind me with curiosity.
“Excuse me, but who are you?”
She directed her question toward Ivan, who stood there in stunned silence, caught between astonishment and burgeoning fascination.
- "Hello, my lord. I am your slave, Ivan—Ivan Volkova…"
Asira's voice cut through his introduction, sharp with anger.
- "Volkova. Another Volkova," she spat, the name rolling off her tongue like poison. "Send my regards to your father and tell him I am deeply grateful for using My Favor to My Sister—as a way to establish a fraudulent network more extravagant than the Roman Throne Auction," she added, sarcasm coating her fury.
Ivan's gaze fell, his voice lost under her glare.
She turned back to me and Tiye, a steely look in her eyes.
- "So, what’s he doing with you?"
- "Well, it’s part of a returned favor. You see… we were in Smolensk…" I hesitated, knowing the story would unravel its complexities.
"I... I’ll fill you in on the way." And with that assurance, we took off into the night, the bonds of family and loyalty stitching us together as we ventured into the unknown.