A Templar's Pride

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For two miserable weeks, had Isis been confined to the limited space of the boat which she had bought a travel from. She had been forced to save her money for two whole years after hearing the news, much due to the sailors refusing to sail into "Absolutely nowhere" without due compensation. She guided Amir, her friend and lover off the boat, eager to show him the landmarks of Subaine. While a harbor city, it was hardly what it was most known for. "Welcome to Subaine, and by extension, Hetep, dear!" Isis exclaimed as they walked the docks.

The country, as far as could be seen from the boat getting close, was at first glance best described as desolate. Sand as far as the eye could see, some patches of scorched earth, with a crust as hard as rock itself, and the only blue in near vicinity being the ocean itself. Yet as one got close, they would notice the numerous plantlife and trees that littered the city, making it appear as if the city had been built upon an oasis. The people at the docks all carried themselves like they owned the world. Perfectly straight backs and shoulders, chins raised and lithe steps. And all of them gave the two of them odd looks. All of them towering in stature, all of them strongly built regardless of their apparent age, and everyone had distrust painted in their eyes.

Amir looked about the dock, feeling as though he had stepped into a world of giants. Their distrustful stares made him feel all the more unwelcome in the place that was turning out to be far more foreign than even he had expected. However, he knew that to Isis this was home, perhaps even a return to normalcy in some way or form. As such, he did not let his worry show and instead tried his best to feel happy for her. "It is a very beautiful place, far different from either Ishtar or Vroldafn. Though, I feel more eyes on me than I would like, rather prying." Amir said, sticking close to Isis as his only source of familiarity in the strange and completely unfamiliar world he'd stepped into. "How does it feel to be back home?"

Isis appeared to be pulled down to earth, away from her ecstatic high when he asked his question. "I am happy to be back, to see my home again. Yet... Yet I am a bit afraid of what we may see. The news from my father did not sound all that great." She said as she took his arm in hers and began to guide him down the docks and towards the city itself. "Our temple was razed, along with sacred sites all over the continent. Who knows what Amen has been up to since last we heard of him... Just remember, try to be a bit restrained with your voice until we meet my father, okay? You may have learned our tongue, but they may not be too keen on an outsider on our shores without his approval first. With his word as a Godsent Templar and Subaines Regent, we shouldn't have much trouble afterwards."

As they neared the end of the docks, Isis was taken aback by what she saw. At the end of it stood a company of Templars, all of them armed to the teeth and only minutes away from shaping up a phalanx and drawing their weapons. "Foreigner! The woman who was assumedly the captain of the company called out in the mother tongue of Hetep. "You are under order of the Regent of Subaine to turn back and leave this instant. Fail to comply and you shall be met by the Wrath of the Heavens!"

Isis let go of Amir and simply whispered for him to stay back for the moment. "Templars!" Isis called back, taking them aback ever so slightly to be adressed in turn. "Before you stands Isis Madu of the Templar Order of the Setting Retribution! I request an audience with the Regent Khepri Madu."

The templars began to look towards one another in disbelief and doubt, and the bystanders gazes softened at the mention of the name and order. Isis thought herself in control for but a moment before the Woman replied: "Do not try to deceive us, foreigner! Isis Madu was declared Killed In Action three years ago, her remains torched by the Setting Sun temple by the priesthood!"

Isis gaze widened. She pressed on. "And yet, I am standing before you! Did you see my "remains"? Did you see me fall on the field of battle? What proof do you have?"

"The word of Khepri Madu!" The templar cried back, visibly getting frustrated by this conversation. "He witnessed her corpse, he put it to the torch, he declared her dead, along with the rest of the Setting Retribution!"

The last words stung at Isis' heart. She fell to her knees in disbelief. Her eyes stung with tears not shed. She could barely get her words out as she whispered: "My company... My comrades... Dead...?" She sounded to be in shock. She looked back at the Templar Officer and steeled her voice in a final attempt to reason, yet sorrow echoed in her tone. "Then bring me before him! If you must, tell him that an imposter stands before you, that ought to get his attention."

"You insolent-!"

"Captain..." Another voice interjected. "She has made a request, and it would bode ill to execute them. We should bring them in chains, let our master decide their fate."

"...Your argument is sound. Chain them!"

The men of the templar order approached with cuffs and long chains, and as they approached, Isis whispered to her lover: "Allow it. Trust me." She said as they were both cuffed and tugged away from the docks and towards the Madu mansion. As they walked, she felt the tears threatening to push through, but she kept fighting them. "I am sorry Amir. This was not how I intended for us to start our journey..."

Amir watched the situation unfold as though he were looking at it from the outside in, feeling truly helpless to do anything even with his weapon strung across his back. He didn't know what was right or if he could do anything that wouldn't see them both dead before the truest stretch of their journey had even begun. He could only barely follow all that they were saying and when Isis fell to her knees he could do little but move closer, not wanting to disobey her order to stay back but unable to do nothing at all. Despite the confusion, he could tell a call to arrest when he heard one, the sight of cuffs held in the hands of the approaching Templars confirming his fears. He swallowed hard and his hand moved in order to grasp at the Bo on his back but Isis' soft voice stopped him and he allowed his hands to be bound and his staff taken away. With a forceful push against his back, he was forced to walk forward. "There's no need to apologize just yet, nothing ever really goes the way we intend it to after all. We're not being executed on the spot so there is a shining light of hope in this situation..." a lack of confidence in his voice.

"Things are gonna get better. I am sure of it. As soon as my father sees me, they will all see reason." SHe said as they were being dragged away, fearing for their fates herself, just not showing it. "I can't believe what I heard. My whole company is dead..." She whispered in disbelief

As they walked, she nodded to many of the landmarks of the city. The public menagerie, the citadel, where their old temple used to stand, and their spice fields. Then as they approached the mansion of the Madu family, she noticed a blank space in the middle of the square. "See there in the middle? There used to be a grand obelisk standing there once. One dedicated to the god of the sun, Galeer. It is the patron deity of Subaine as well as to the king, Amen Heqet? How far gone is he to raze such a sacred monument to his own god?"

As they kept walking, she noticed more and more of their once sacred places had been leveled to the ground, everything of worth claimed for whatever project or purpose he had in mind. She made sure to describe each monument in detail, despite them not being there to be beheld anymore. When they at last appeared before the mansion, a palace in and of itself, made from pristine alabaster and sandstone. The captain knocked on the front door, calling for whoever was within.

Soon the door opened, and out strode a colossus of a man. Barely humanoid in appearance, his state was highly insectoid, with a carapace that covered his chest, back and shoulder, with a grand green headdress on his noggin and clad in simple robes. "Have the intruders been dealt with?" Khepri asked, his voice booming and commanding. The captain immediately fell to her knees as she was adressed. "Negative, oh gracious one. They demanded an audience with you."

"Worms have no right to make demands." Was all he had to say to that.

"Sire, this one claims to go under-"

"I care not for the names or identities of vermin. I will have their blood on the square's pavement before sunset, understoo-!"

"Father!" Isis cried out, not able to contain herself anymore hearing him speak. It was so unfamiliar. He had always been a benevolent and kind being. So to hear him speak so casually about executions and bloodshed was most unnerving.

A templar tugged fiercely on her chains, making her stumble forward before being roughly smashed in the forehead by the soldier's shield. "DO NOT SPEAK UNLESS-!"

"Hold." The insectoid man commanded before approaching them. As he got close, the size difference between him and everyone else became abundantly clear. He stood before Isis, ignoring Amir for the moment as he sized her up and watched her every detail. His temporarily softened features then turned stern. "You dare present yourself as my beloved daughter? You disgrace both me and her memory."

"Father, please, it is me-" She began as she was interrupted by a hard slap to the face that made her reel.

"Mention that name or adress yourself as that again and I will have not only your head, but I will take joy in tearing it off myself. My child is dead, burned to ashes as she so deserved. Take them away!" He commanded, turning around and walking away as they began to walk away with them, yet Isis held firm, not bending. It was made clear that she had only allowed herself to be dragged, for her strength was well above theirs. "You may not like it, to get your hopes up or to have your memory invoked, yet I am her. For as long as stars do shine."

The man halted in his step. Slowly he turned around, barely daring to look behind himself. As he turned around, his face was painted with disbelief. He stepped up to Isis once more, placing his giant hand over the reddening spot where he had slapped her, as if to feel if it was truly her while looking into her eyes. After a few moments of just standing still, tears began to flow from his eyes. "My child..." He said as he fell to his knees, placing his hands on her shackles and tearing them open before embracing his daughter. "I can't believe it..."

She embraced him and turn, tears finally running down her eyes. When they finally parted, she immediately turned around, looking to Amir, still shackled by the wrists. "Templars, release him!"

"You do not-"

"Heed her words." Was all he said on the matter. They quickly released Amir and backed away. "You are dismissed, Templars. Child, come with me. Your... companion may do so as well."

Isis and Amir followed the man into the building. It was as grand as the outside, and the decor did it thoroughly justice, with finely woven mats and tapestries of grand histories and paintings of their family when she was yet a youngin. "Welcome home, my dear. And... Whoever this is."

The man's thunderous voice reverberated through Amir's very bones, the angry tone that seemed to threaten to rip both of them apart was not what he had expected to hear from a man who had not seen his daughter in ages. Yet even so, it was all felt natural, as though it were just another part of the downward spiral that had started the moment they set foot from their ship onto the soil of Hetep. However, Amir was able to breathe a sigh of relief when his tone softened and Isis embraced her father. Before he knew it, his hands were freed from the current chains they had been bound in. He rubbed at his wrists, sore from the chains that had tightly held them together before the sound of metal clanking against the ground caught his attention. His short Bo having been thrown to the ground in front of him before the Templars walked away. Returning it to his back, he heeded the words of Isis' father and followed the two of them into their home. As they walked through the large mansion, Amir looked about with silent awe, the grand decor and just short of gaudy nature that seemed to inhabit every inch of the country that he had gotten to see thus far.

As the man welcomed Isis home and acknowledged Amir for the first time in a while, Amir bowed lightly hoping that the sign of respect would be taken as such as he tried to find the correct words to introduce himself with. "Thank you for welcoming me into your home, Sir. I am Amir Tasya and I hail from a faraway continent across the ocean. I am, well...a close friend of your daughter, Sir." Amir spoke in their native tongue to the best of his ability, knowing he was still far from fluent.

"Across the ocean? I was not aware that there was anything beyond the seas. All the same, I will say that your pronunciation of our language is impressive. Your doing, I assume?" He asked as he turned to Isis, with a smile. "Yes. I... I tried to import some of our culture and native traditions to Ashvattha in an attempt to make it feel a bit more like home."

"Did you now? If you missed home, why didn't you simply return to us?"

"I... After the nations were conquered by Khemriq, I felt that my home was no more. It didn't help matters that Amen had appointed me as his personal guard back there. Turning from him would not have been met with kindness, so I left instead, hoping to come back with new knowledge and help so we can take it back from him."

"Take it back? Isis... I would advice that you forsake such aspirations. Amen cannot be opposed. He cannot be stopped." He spoke with a defeated tone, looking to the floor. "All we can do is relent and hope he does not punish us further."

"Relent!? How can you say that after he have destroyed so many of our sacred sites!?"

"Becuase they are merely sites. Constructs. Buildings that can be rebuilt in time. Lives are not possible to be rebuilt. Did you think about what it is that could possibly have killed your company?"

"I just assumed... You can't possibly..."

"Amen had them all killed. When they supposedly attempted to dethrone him for his actions, he responded by killing off the lot of them. It was shortly after that moment when me and your mother saw your 'body'. It was this event which made us and many other kingdoms to rise up against Khemriq. We failed. He crushed our forces in the field, demoralizing our troops and the other uninvolved kingdoms, crushing our rebellion before it had barely even begun. It was then that I lost..." He trailed away in his sentence before recomposing himself. "It does not matter. We cannot stop him. He is beyond what anyone can deal with. The moment he started to raze the monuments and killed their templars he also managed to terrify the priesthood into nigh submission. I implore you, Isis: I lost you once. Don't force me to watch you being lost again... You old room is untouched. You and your friend can reside there until dinner. Make yourself at home. We can talk more later."

"I... Yes, father." She replied with a short bow. As her father walked away she led Amir away through the halls towards her old room. When they were deemed to be properly out of ear-range, she began to speak once more. "I cannot believe this. Amen have messed things up far worse than I could ever imagine. Even father is scared shitless of him!"

A lump began to form in Amir's throat as Isis' father spoke of the things that had happened to their country and people in Isis' absence. How easily their own hopes of rebellion had been crushed and buried beneath the sands. He looked at his beloved with concern, fearing that such disparaging words may make her feel as though all her hard work and the long journey to return to her home was all for naught. The way his own father had spoken of Amen, Amir did not want to believe that he could be responsible for such atrocities but he didn't have any other explanation he could come up with either. As they walked down the halls in silence, Amir wondered what he could possibly say to cheer Isis up, to do whatever he could to keep her spark alive in the face of overwhelming odds. As she spoke, he nodded understandingly, finding the break in the silence a bit comforting even if her words ultimately were not.

He reached out, placing a hand upon her shoulder. "Things may be worse than you had feared but I know you aren't the type to be so easily discouraged, Lah'mi." He spoke in a soft tone before letting out a quiet sigh, "But your father is correct. Monuments, towers, statues, and all can be rebuilt. They can be remade, they aren't lost forever, but people cannot and once they are gone that is it. In saying that I understand that there is a clear difference between truly being able to live and just surviving with what you're allowed. Nothing really changes until people make them change, fear can only control people for so long. Maybe the answer isn't full-scale rebellion? A Coup, perhaps? I don't know..."

Isis considered the prospect as he mentioned it. "Yes, of course, I know as much, it just... I don't understand this. I knew that he and his kingdom were strong, but this strong? And I don't think you quite realize how important these monuments are. Do you know the term and philosophy of: As long as we remember them, they are never truly gone? It is quite literal for us. So to destroy them is to destroy their memory, their heritage. It's... Unacceptable... I think you are right. Something is very wrong if he had the strength to combat away so many kingdoms and even Godsends. It feels to disingenuous, so wrong, but I don't think we are left with much choice in the matter. A subtle approach might be our only solution." She spoke as they walked the halls until they reached the area which held her room. As they got close, she started to blush. "Oh dear me... Okay, so this is a bit embarrassing, but bear with me." She spoke as they came to the door leading to her room. A door that was brazenly pink. Hesitating on the doorknob, she twisted it and opened up the path to her room.

The interior was larger than any child's room had the right to be, almost the size of an apartment back in Hylion. Every corner and cranny of her room was littered with posters and tapestries of various Templars, musicals, artists, and at the front of the room stood a simple desk with a selection of books and writing utensils, and her front wall was filled with paintings and images of her father and her, standing triumphantly on fields of battle, imagined as well as real. Add with that the paintings of her family and primarily her dad on her desk, one could easily tell that she had been a bit of a daddy's girl. Not to mention her bed. That gaudy, atrocious lavender bed with pink blossom patterns, and a selection of her old stuffed animals from when she had been really young, ranging from obscenely "Cute-ified" snakes, toads and cats. The rooms decor might not have been that bad with just one or two of these aspects, but all of them together felt like an eye-sore to her as she stepped inside. "I... Well... My room!" She tried to sound enthusiastic with some dramatic waves of her hands as if that would hide or draw away attention from the interior.

Amir couldn't help but smirk a bit at Isis' embarrassment, finding it somewhat uplifting given the rather dire situations they had been put into so far. "It's certainly...large," He said at first as he entered the room and moved his head to look around. "It must be like a blast from the past for you. It is certainly an insight into what a much younger Isis might have been like." He continued with a titter as he picked up one of the fluffy stuffed animals that occupied her bed and squeezing it gently only to receive a small cloud of dust that came off the plushy. He coughed a bit, only now realizing something like that was to be expected. "They-" he waved the dust from his face with a few more coughs. "They're quite cute."

"I suppose, but they are still a bit embarrassing to show off." She groaned as she sat herself down on her bed, which was considerably cleaner than her stuffed animals. "I had hoped to show you the good of Hetep before being thrust into the harshness of it all. Show you a proper temple, maybe let you partake in some of our customs and rituals. I guess it was just not meant to be. At least not yet..." She sighed as she laid down on her bed. "I don't know what to do now, Amir. I had this idea of conquest and liberation. If these accounts are to be trusted, then that won't be enough. I know I said that I agree with a Coup being our best option, I just don't know how to do or lead one... We are going to need help. Some big, big help." She said as she looked away from her roof and towards Amir, reaching out a hand towards him. "At least I still have you with me. My pillar and comfort." Trying to put on a brave smile, not wanting to show too much of the despair she was feeling.

Amir sat on the bed, taking Isis' hand into his own and bringing it to his lips. "All will be good and well in the end so long as we still have one another." He said sweetly, a warm smile on his face before his eyes averted and his smile shifted into a thoughtful frown. "If the awful things that have been said are indeed true then I doubt that every man or women near Amen are as loyal as he might like. I know fear and faith can be powerful things but in the end, people are still people and they'll do what benefits them. If there is anyone within the higher ranks of the government you trust, honestly, you need not even trust them. Anyone in the government that might benefit from seeing Amen lose power. Convincing that person to help would be the first step. I only know what I know about politics from my father, but it seems to be as wild and dangerous a place to find yourself as any battlefield, maybe even worse. A friend one day may very easily stick a knife in your back the next. Stakes mean nothing when the prize is high enough." Amir explained, his tone unlike his normal self. "Is there someone in mind that may make a good turncoat"

"Agreed. Ordinarily, I would say that I disagree with that statement on people, but seeing all the things he has done so far, I can't imagine that many are as good of spirit towards him anymore. As for who... I know a few, hopefully. The regent of the Divine Kingdom Ahmn'Harcet, King Amon Ra. He was one of our most faithful and wise regents in Hetep, unsurprisingly. Our hope with him would be connected to whether he has already participated or not. If he was part of the initial rebellion, he might be a bit too fearful to engage in any form again. Beyond him... There is a queen of the central kingdom Marqant, Seraphine Eden. She has always been seen as benevolent and kind, and she would make a valuable ally if she would lend her name to us. Then there is Kophalesh not far from here. He has always been opposed to Amen's ascension to royalty and beyond. He is not the strongest of kings, but he is well respected and wealthy, with many insights to the kingdoms. The best option, however, would be to convince the Priesthood to man up and lend voice and name to our cause. Who knows if they will though."

A glimmer of hope was revived in Amir with a smile returning to his face, Isis listing off more names and possibilities than he thought they would have. "We will never know for sure until we've tried." He said with a squeeze of her hand. "Looking at it from a tactical point of view, getting Amon, Eden, and Kophalesh on our side would be best before approaching the priesthood. I do not wish to speak ill of them, but having the support of more powerful people than ourselves might make it easier for them to align themselves with us. For a coup to work, Amen cannot know rebellion has risen until it is far too late for armies to be of any use. If he finds out beforehand, we would likely be crushed before we can get all of our pieces into position. It may be a lot to hope for, but I would like for no other blood than Amen's to be spilled, not even his if possible. A bloodless coup sounds crazy, but that just means he won't expect it either, right?" Amir asked, realizing he may have been rambling. "I apologize, I suppose I'm getting too far ahead of myself. I would only like to see peace resorted to the place you love so dearly... Before more is lost."

Isis leaned up from her spot on the bed to give her love a small peck on the lips. "Thank you for being so supportive in this. I share the sentiment that no one should have to die except for Amen if anyone. It is important that we handle this with care. Maybe father can indulge some further questions for us. Who has fought, who has sided with who, what the materials are being used for. We can plan thereafter." She said before there was a knock on the door. "M'lady, dinner is finished in about ten minutes." Came the call of one of the servants of the house before footsteps were heard that was walking away. "Seems like we will have our chance soon. You have more political experience than I, and with your inexperience of my home, if you ask the questions, he might chalk it up to just a 'foreigners curiosity'. Come now, babe. Lets meet with him in proper."

As they walked back from hence they came. Some few corridors further and they eventually reached the dining room, though it was more honestly akin to a dining hall. On the head seat sat her father, awaiting them. "I will sit on the right side with him. Sit right opposite of me, will make him less suspicious of us." She whispered. As they sat themselves down, Khepri appeared visibly displeased. "Did you not tell your companion that it is inappropriate to sit on such an important seat without invitation to do so?"

"I did. But seeing as I should still be a full-fledged lady of this house, I invited him there myself. If you are uneasy with that arrangement, he could always sit beside me."

He merely shook his carapaced head at that. "No, it is not necessary. Sit down, young man." he said with a wave.

Amir bowed his head, "Thank you, Sir." He said, allowing himself to settle into his seat, trying to think of how he could start a conversation with the rather large man without making it awkward or overstepping his bounds. He quietly cleared his throat, trying not to make his nervous disposition obvious. "I would like to thank you again, Sir, for allowing me into your home. Isis has told me that at the moment your country seems to be struggling with both political and religious affairs. She has told me what she could but as she has been away for quite some time the current state of affairs is something I know very little about. If it is not too difficult for you to talk about, I was hoping that you may be able to tell me more about what has happened here in Isis' absence? I would be more than happy to compensate with stories of my own country if you're interested?" Amir played his hand, not knowing Khepri at all but knowing he was more likely to get something by offering something in return than by offering nothing at all.

"Sounds interesting... I may just take you up on that." He said, though his voice did not reveal any form of amusement, intrigue or anything, merely apathy, as if he was still considering something. "Where to begin... I don't know how long you've been gone to begin with, so it would be hard to say how-"

"Twelve years." Isis interjected.

Khepri felt stunned by that revelation. "Twelve years... Twelve whole years... I must say that I am a bit wounded that you would not tell me sooner, let me know that everything was well... But I suppose that can wait for the moment. If we date things back twelve years, the kingdoms flourished. Within short, all kings were almost ready to surrender their crowns so that he could truly claim the title of Pharaoh, one he had only claimed ever so prematurely. People were happy under his reign... Everyone prospered and there was no ill will towards him anymore. Then one day he fell into despair about six years ago. He didn't leave his quarters for a fortnight, and it was said that he was not himself after he came out. More than a year later, he left the kingdom, to destinations unknown. Gone for a year, he then returned. It was about then he began to tear down the monuments in order to construct his new pyramid-"

"He destroyed all these places for a pyramid? Shouldn't he have been done with it for years now? How many is he making?" Isis interrupted, looking shocked. How could one Pyramid require so much materials?

"A single one... I have yet to see it with my own eyes, but it is said to rival his own city in sheer size, casting its shadow over his citadel and city, blotting out the sun. I also hear that it is almost completed... Hopefully it will all end afterwards."

Amir was indeed surprised to hear that he was tearing down everything for a pyramid though he feigned even greater surprise than what he truly felt. "Your daughter has been teaching me the culture and ways of your people. She made certain that I understood the importance of your Religious monuments and your faith in general. I'm rather surprised to hear that the people would allow their sites to be torn down, surely there are those who are upset by it, even if only in secret. Though, I may be speaking from ignorance in this case." He continued to prod for information, trying to chip away little by little.

He made a sound that seemed like a cross between a chuckle and a sigh. "What do you think we rebelled for? No one was happy with his deeds. His people in Khemriq stood aside, but the other kingdoms sought to retaliate for this travesty. We lost decisively. Three Godsends stepped to the field to battle him, and for all their gifts and powers, they could not bring him low. He was just... Too strong. Among those that fell were several of the kings and queens of Hetep. Among them were Airelia Eden, Raquir, and our neighbour of Kophalesh suffered heavily in the last battle. And that is the short list..."

"But surely people would-"

"Isis, please. I understand that you do not like this. You always had a strong sense of justice and duty. I understand that you probably still want to do something despite my warnings, but to do so is futile." Khepri spoke as the food was served, none of it recognizable for Amir, though primarily consisting of meat and an assortment of fruits and vegetables. "Don't make me watch you die again."

"Lah'mi, please," Amir said almost instinctively, wanting to calm Isis before she said something she may regret. "It's obvious that your father speaks out of concern for your wellbeing, he has thought you lost before and yet here you are before him now. To most that would seem a complete impossibility, it only makes sense that he would wish to hold tightly to you as to never lose you again. Mr. Madu, Khepri, if I may, I'm sure you know well more than I do that once the flame has been stoked Isis will not be cooled so easily, perhaps if she hears more from the mouths of those who have participated and survived the rebellion or better yet, those who didn't and their reasons for doing so. Maybe then she will see reason? It may not be a simple walk around town or anything like that, but I would also like to see more of the place Isis has spent the last few years telling me about." A calm and reasoning voice escaping Amir's mouth, his eyes turning to Isis in hopes she would understand his intentions and not take offense to the things he had said.

Isis reacted instinctively with a cringe as he uttered **that** word. She turned her gaze towards her father, who suddenly seemed less inclined to answer his questions. He looked away from Amir and stared into Isis' eyes, making her feel smaller and less powerful by the second. "Did I mishear, or did he just call you what I think he did?" He asked, his voice stern and assertive.

"He-I mean, its just-... Yes, yes he did." She said as she at first tried to explain it away, but ultimately failed under his gaze. "Father, listen, he is as faithful as the rest of us. There is nothing-"

He stared her down as he continued: "Nothing wrong? I care to differ. You returning has painted a target on your back already should **He** find out. If this were to come out you will be even more targeted, not by Amen, but by your own people."

"It does not matter!" She cried out at him. "I told you, he is a man of faith. 'Any man who seeks mine favor humbly with a child's wish at heart is a child of mine'."

Khepri sighed. "You always liked to quote the scripture out of context to justify your actions." He said as he turned to Amir. "You called yourself a friend of hers when you introduced yourself. What is she to you really? And I expect honest answers now."

Amir knew that he had messed up, though to what degree he did not know. Though despite the negative reaction of Khepri, Amir did not stiffen or break his own resolve as in his mind it was as Isis had said, they had done no wrong. "I beg your forgiveness, Mr. Madu, if you feel that I have in some way attempted to deceive you but I assure you that neither deception or disrespect was intended in claiming that Isis and I were close friends. I simply did not feel it appropriate to speak up about the nature of our relationship immediately after narrowly escaping public execution and Isis being reunited with her father after many years apart." Amir explained his reasoning before continuing on, "As to explain what it is that Isis is to me... to put it simply I would say that she is my significant other, my Lah'mi in your native tongue. I've known her for many years and she has opened my eyes to the teachings of your culture and religious beliefs where I once had none. I do not know why this upsets you so and I do believe that comes from ignorance on my part but for what little it may mean to you I truly care about your daughter." Amir spoke, voice holding as much confidence as it did by sheer force of will in the presence of a man could likely flatten him with little effort.

He just looked at Amir for an amount of seconds after he finished before sighing. "We all knew about your affection for the destitute and dispossessed, yet never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that you would take a foreign heretic for a partner... You disappoint me, Isis."

"As you do me, Khepri." Came a voice from the entrance.

All attentions were drawn to the voice, and Isis was the first to react. "Mother!" Isis shouted as she rose from her chair, ran up, and embraced her mom. The woman was aged, lines of the many years she had lived, a marker of her age and experience. She returned the embrace, but she did not address Isis. Not yet. "You disgrace us all with your words, love. We are templars, yes, and do you remember what that means, beyond being warriors?"

"I do not need a reminder, Sercet."

"It would seem that you do. We are spiritual leaders just like the priests themselves. If he is a heretic as you so claim him to be, then the first and foremost course of action is to reform him, not condemn him. Yet even that sound unnecessary, as they both claim that he is of the faith."

"But he has not been hallowed. Even demons believe in the gods, that does not make them sanctified."

Isis was about to retort when Sercet interjected first. "Have you been so soundly defeated, love? To lose faith in the good of man? To lose faith in the cause we have pledged ourselves to? ...Young man, come with me. I think it is time then that we resolve this so called, 'issue'. Grab whatever you desire to eat, if you are still of appetite." She said as she walked away. Isis looked to Amir to see what he would do next. She gave him a look that said "Don't talk with him anymore."

Amir walked over to the door, where Isis met him and took his hand in hers, a show of comfort and affection, which mostly served to ease her lover's probably shaken nerves, and to ever so slightly spite her father further. They left Khepri behind as they walked away with Sercet leading the way. "I do hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive my husband for his outrage. Our failed conflict against Amen has left him broken in more ways than one. His actions are not justified by these horrors, but it is what has caused them. His concern is born from a desire to see Isis happy in the end, and he has become blinded to what would do just that." She explained.

"I get that mother, but it was still uncalled for." Isis replied.

"I agree. But he was right in one regard." Sercet spoke as she halted and turned around to face them. "You are not hallowed. And by the customs of Hetep, we can not *officially* accept you as anything more than a friend. But I see no reason why we should stop there. Have Isis talked to you about our faith? I would assume that she has to some extent, but have she told you how we practice it in proper and how we communicate with the gods? The connection we have to this land?"

"I do not blame him." Amir said, "I am a complete stranger not only to his country but to his home. His caution his understandable even if his words cut deep." He continued, trying to be understanding to how Isis' father must feel, the torrent of emotions that were happening so fast. "Isis has spoken to be in great detail about your faith, I worked alongside her at her church in my home country for several years. She has taught me how your people speak with your Gods, every detail of the process. Though, I feel embarrassed to admit that I have yet to hear their voices in return despite my best attempts."

Sercet looked at him, her expression softening. "There is nothing to be ashamed of. If I were to make a comparison, you are much like a child is to us. Educated, but untouched and unfeeling towards the reach of the gods. That is where the hallowing comes into place. Each child must go through the hallowing and directly contact the gods and converse with them, to find common ground with them. Once that is done, you will find the gods interracting with you throughout your daily life. Yet I must admit that it is strange that you've heard nothing. I assume that you are singing your praises to them correct?"

"He does, mother, and he is quite diligent. I think there might be more to it as well. When I was with him in the continent of Ashvattha, the gods were silent for me as well. There was a void where their touch should have been. I think it is because those lands are not touched by them."

"Hm... That could explain it, no matter how strange it would seem that they haven't reached those shores. All the same, it tells me much. With a lifetime of absence from them it is no wonder that they haven't found you yet. But we are going to change that. Follow me."

They ventured further into the mansion when they came out from the other end, leaving way into their personal gardens. At the end of it, stood a smaller building of stone and enchanted materials. "This way if you will. Oh, and Isis? I ask that you remain outside. I think you know why."

Isis merely nodded, though she seemed disheartened by it. "Good luck, love. I think you will find this experience enlightening." She said with a chipper tone, trying to hide her disappointment that she would not get to see his hallowing.

Sercet opened up the door to their small temple, leading Amir inside. The interior was far more humble than the gaudy state of the church he worked in and had been described to him. Simple stone with simply luminescent rocks and a small altar of grey stone. "We may have a taste for the artistic flair, with our temples of gold and silver and precious gems... but when it all comes down to it, it is all superfluous. When it is all chalked down to the nitty-gritty... This is all it is. A rock, a shelter, and faith at heart. It doesn't really matter when or where. It's easy to forget when you live with such luxury. A lesson many are having to learn right now... Has Isis told you how the Hallowing is done?"

Amir nodded, "Yes, Isis had me attempt to perform it many times..." His voice held little confidence, knowing it had failed time and time again when Isis had him do it back in Ashvattha. Looking toward Sercet he could tell that she wanted him to do it again. He swallowed hard before taking a deep breath, removing his shoes and socks along with his poncho and shirt. Left in nothing but his pants, Amir sat crosslegged in front of the alter. He steadied his breathing, letting his hands rest against his legs as the light seemed to fade from the room until not even the alter a foot or two in front of him was discernible from the rest of the dark that engulfed the room. Closing his eyes, as though that made any real difference, he began to chant his mantra, the same one he'd chanted the first time and all the ones after. "I wish to understand my teachings, I wish to understand my teachings." Amir began to chant over and over again into the darkness of the room.

Sercet chanted her words in the background, spreading spice and ointment oer his bare upper body in various patterns. As she did this, Amir would find himself losing track of her movements over his body, as if he as growing numb to the sensation. The scent of the spices left his nostrils and the words in the background faded to mumbles and then a seeming silence despite her continuous chants. Within moments, he would feel a sensation of falling. But not downwards, but rather as if he was falling towards the heavens above, as if the whole world had been flipped upside down. Then, a bright light. An unrivaled shine, as if staring into the very sun itself from just a few yards. And yet, the light did not burn. As the falling came to a halt, he would find himself standing upon a tiled floor, its material as if made from woven light and stardust. The light faded, until it stood like an ordinary bright summers day.

When Amir looked down, he would find himself looking not as himself, but rather as a young boy, not too unfamiliar to how he had looked all those years ago when he had stepped into Isis' church for the very first time, clad in pristine white and yellow robes.

"As a child he comes before us. As a man shall he leave us." Boomed the voices of numerous individuals, each syllable seemingly shaking the very essence of the who Amir was. All around him stood thrones of various constructions and unknown materials, towering like grand monuments in and of themselves, and upon them sat shadowed beings, as towering as the thrones themselves, their features masked by the darkness of ignorance. "Welcome, Amir Tasya. Long have we awaited your arrival." Spoke the voices before everything fell into silence. Amir would feel a tug towards a particular throne, his attention unwillingly and naturally drawn towards it. As he gazed before it, he felt the need to kneel before it, prostrating himself before the titanic entity. A few moments of silence before there were sounds of steps. Earthshatteirng steps had they been tread on earth, but here, they were as soft as the fall of feathers. After some moments, the steps fell silent. Quiet.

"Rise, Amir." Spoke a single voice. It was masculine, strong, yet soft and benevolent. Amir could not quite describe it, but there was something else to it... Something he knew as only one thing: Love. As Amir looked up, the entity was unlike anything he could have expected. Only slightly taller than himself when he was grown, the being appeared as a masculine version of his beloved Isis. Strong muscle structure, a defined jawline and the iconic, Vividly orange hair. "I welcome you to the Star-struck Beyond. I am Galeer, deity of the sun and stars, god of duty and kings, Supreme Overlord of the Templar Order, and Father of the Kirins."

Amir was awestruck at the sight, everything around him. It was like nothing he'd ever felt before, like the rules of the world that he had come to know and understand meant nothing in this place. He stared at the being before him that proclaimed itself a God, he wanted to be skeptical to some degree but he could not come to any conclusion as to what else it could be. "It is an honor to meet you, Galeer. I have tried so hard to reach you, so many times, I began to fear that I may never hear those whose voices graced millions of other ears. Now that I stand here, in this otherworldly place, I admit that I do not know what it is I am to do." He said, seeking guidance from the deity.

The being called Galeer kneeled before Amir before sitting down, his legs crossed and back straigth, looking to Amir as a parent would their confused child. "How about we start simple. How about we just talk? This is your Hallowing. You are a foreigner in these lands, and yet you have sought us. Anything you have on your mind, you may speak it." Galeer said, as he signaled for him to sit as well. "I will admit however that your mantra, your plea, was quite intriguing. Many come before us asking for a purpose, a destiny, or maybe even a desire to gain something. You? 'I wish to understand'. Had only every child such innocence at heart."

Amir sat, almost taken aback by how casually the God spoke to him. Crossing his legs, he took a moment to think. "I know that I have not studied as hard, as diligently, or as long as so many others but I have spent the last few years studying everything that Isis could teach me. So much of it conflicted with everything I had thought I knew growing up and when Isis finally saw it fit for me to attempt the Hallowing I failed. Time and time again I would open my eyes to see nothing but the dark room, to turn and face my beloved and without a single word she would know that I had heard nothing." Amir explained, his eyes staring at the ground between him and Galeer.

"My wish, to understand, I did not want all of Isis' hard work to be for naught. I wanted to understand the verses, the songs, the ideas that she was describing to me. Not in the literal sense of course, but the spiritual. It was all so alien, so foreign even in comparison to the religions that are spread across my own home continent. But in the same way, it was all so fascinating. When I saw the way that Isis spoke about it, how eagerly she told me all that she could about it and her home. I wanted to understand her passion, perhaps feel it myself. In that way I suppose my wish is selfish in a sense but when she told me that I had to ask for something, to make a wish. I could not think of anything I wanted more in the world." He continued with a sheepish smile that remained only for a moment. "However, now that I sit before you, I have questions that have been bothering me for quite some time." He said, his eyes lifting to meet Galeer's, "Hetep is suffering. Her people are suffering according to what I have heard. Their faith unwavering all the while, why is this happening? Is the man doing this really chosen as he claims to be? Is the pain that has engulfed Hetep of your wishes?" He asked, trying his hardest not to sound accusatory or angry.

Galeer's smile did not leave his features, but it turned sad all the same. "You speak of Amen... I understand your confusion and your distrust, for you are not alone. There goes not a day where I do not hear the pleas of Hetep to make this end. To cease this madness and smite Amen if so required, to raise our temples once more from the ashes. He was indeed once chosen. I had elected him with a vision that he would unite Hetep under one banner. He used to be my most devout servant and disciple. I couldn't have been more proud of him. But somewhere along the line, he strayed. He is not chosen by them or me to walk this path, he chose it for himself. I don't think he ever claimed himself to be chosen to do this, yet all the same he goes on as he sees fit. He sees himself as a Messiah, and that alone makes him dangerous. I wish I had the answer for you." Galeer said solemnly. "I wish I could tell you that this or that is the reason this is happening and that it is part of some grand design. It is not so simple. We are not omniscient, nor All-Powerful. We gave that up so that we could be a part of your lives."

"So is this something that we desired upon Hetep? It is not, and you are not faulted for asking. Hetep and its children is our pride and joy, and to see it suffer so breaks our hearts." He said as he looked into Amir's eyes, a burning fire of righteousness behind them. "I have tried to whisper to Amen, to make him abandon his path, yet he turns away from me. He was my most precious child, and to lose him like this is a burden that weighs my being with grief." He said as his saddened smile faded into a more positive one. "However, I feel that times are a-changing. There is yet hope."

Amir listened to Galeer, his hope for answers and solutions fading at the confession of neither being omniscient or omnipotent. He lowered his head, the story of a prized disciple turning down the wrong path reminding him of something out of a storybook. If only such terrible things could be confined to scary stories and old tales. An eyebrow raised as the God before him spoke of hope, of changing times. Amir's eyes looked upward even as his head remained lowered, "What do you mean by that? Everyone seems so defeated, they've lost so much..."

"That they have. Not just those of Hetep, but the children of the seas as well. But you should know this, it is in defeat that we learn the most. It is from setbacks that we learn about our own flaws and how to remedy them. Truly I tell you, as long as we are here to watch over these lands, hope will always burn within the hearts of her people. We have provided you the spark, but now you must provide the tinder. You ask what I mean by changing times? Simple..." He trailed off as he reached a hand forward and raised his head by the chin ever so gently. "You are here, are you not?"

Amir's eye trailed away, these were not the words he wanted to hear, the answers to be and yet they were what they were. "I know I've spoken so highly to Isis about what we might do but in truth, I haven't the slightest idea where we could possibly succeed where so many others have failed. What I could do that others could not? I am a stranger to this land, a foreigner to her people. Not even Isis' father could accept me, why would the other people of Hetep?" Amir asked before taking a deep breath, knowing that nothing good could come from letting his self-conscious get the best of him. "But...I suppose there is no other choice but to try and live up to the expectations you seem to have of me. I just want to see Isis' home freed, to bring her that peace of mind."

"Why?" Galeer asked as his face turned stern. "Because I will it. They are unlikely to accept you as you are, tis true. But, become my Arbiter, and you will work wonders and blessings in my name. It is noble of you to wish her home returned as it was, to see her happy and at peace." He said, with his head high as he looked to the starry heavens. "But I must ask you to remember your own wants and needs too. You came here saying you wished to understand. Is that complete or do you still find it lacking?" He spoke as he waved his hand towards the stars. His motions were elegant and fluid, but they didn't really seem to do anything in particular.

Amir smiled a bit at Galeer's question and shook his head, "No. I do not think that will ever really be complete but what I have come to understand today is satisfactory. After all, the fact that I am speaking to you know means that my hard work and studies were not for nothing. I will do my best to be this 'Arbiter' that you say I am to become but no matter how things turn out I will restore peace to this land and her people. While I admit that I am doing it for someone else, it is just as much my own wish as it is hers. I thank you for the knowledge and advice you have gifted me today, Galeer."

"This pleases me to hear, Amir. However, what I bestow upon you is more than a title. It is a responsibility. A duty. A gift." He said as the stars above gathered in a single place before slowly descending to their plane. This tiny orb of stardust was clasped in Galeer's hand before he made a swiping motion beside him shaping up a staff of foreign metals and what appeared to be stained glass. He grabbed it and held it towards Amir. "This is my gift and purpose to you, Amir. Take it, and you shall become my Arbiter in truth, and as such, you will work many astounding and wonderous miracles. It is a mighty staff in its own right, but more, until you have continued to prove your value and strength, this staff will allow you to work ten wonders, so long as it is within my power and right to do. I believe they will be of worth until the time comes to face him." Galeer finished as he bestowed upon Amir the staff. He then twitched. As if his attention was caught by something. "I believe our time is up. Someone is here, and you should move. Good luck now, Arbiter Amir. Do me proud." Was his final words as he pushed amir back, making him fall back to earth once more back to earth, feeling his body being shaken as he was slowly coming back to his senses, and in his hand he would find that very same crystaline staff clutched. "Amir, we need to hurry!" Isis hissed, shaking her beloved. Sercet was nowhere to be seen, and Isis appeared in a panic.

When Amir came to it was like he'd breached the surface after a long dive, his lungs gasping out for air as though he had forgotten to breath. His hands held tightly to the staff that came from nowhere as though it were his most precious possession. In his shocked state, it took him a moment longer to realize he was being shaken, spoken to. He turned toward the source to find his beloved with a look of panic on her face. "Lah'mi, what is it? What has happened?" He asked, a dazed yet surprisingly alert look on his face.

"Come!" She quasi-shouted as she pulled him with her by the arm. They soon entered the dinning hall of the mansion. Hiding by the the sides of the semi-opened windows, when they peeked by the corner of their eyes, they could see him there. Amen Heqet, in the flesh, standing by the entrance of their home, questioning Sercet and Khepri.

"Reports tell of a foreigner ship which arrived by your harbor. One from a foreign nation and continent. What exactly were they carrying with them." He demanded to know, his voice harsh and commanding, sending shivers down Isis' spine as she remembered how that voice had used to make demands and orders for her.

"Your journey's have charted our lands to them, your grace. They simply sought to trade, so we provided them with some spice and tradable goods to return home with." Khepri answered, he voice stoic yet also subservient. It ached Isis' heart to see him like this.

"Indeed..?" He said as he waved to the back row of soldiers behind him. From behind a corner came a smaller unit of soldiers marching, carrying crosses with them upon which the crew of sailors which had carried them here hung tied to by nails through hands and feet. Isis did her best to restrain her voice from gasping. "These men tell a different story. Of a expedition to the unknown at the behest of a Hetepian, a renegade templar."

"There is no such thing as a Renegade templar." Sercet protested.

"I care to disagree. Moreover, I demand for this templar to be handed over to me."

"What is his name?" Khepri asked.

"None of your concern for the moment. All that matters is that you root this renegade out of hiding and deliver it to me. You'll know this traitor by the scent of despair and rebellion on her. Fail to do so... Well, perhaps it is time for a new regime in Subaine... Again." He said as he turned on his heel and marched away with his soldiers in tow. Isis' parents came in through the door as Isis quickly went to embrace them. "Dear daughter, you and your friend must leave, and do so now." Khepri pleaded. "Find of boat, find anything, and leave swiftly." he said as he looked towards Amir, the staff in his hand catching the godsent's eye. "Wha-Where did you get that?"

Amir did not know what was going on, still trying to understand everything that had happened in that dark room. However, at the glimpse of Amen, his eyes widened and he was filled with an emotion he did not expect; Not fear for their safety or even burning anger but rather a sense of duty. A desire to stop Amen here and now, his hand so tight around the staff that his hand turned white and yet something within told him to not to act. As Amen walked away Amir felt as though an opportunity was also slipping through his fingers, a missed chance he hoped he would not regret. When Isis' parents returned to them, he heard her father's pleas for them to leave for their own safety, to return to where they'd come without delay before abruptly asking about the object in Amir's hand. "A man, no, a God. One of your Gods gave it to me..." Amir said, honestly finding the words leaving his mouth almost unbelievable. "He said something about Miracles, an arbiter..." Amir tried his best to recall everything but it all seemed to blur together. "We can't leave this country...not yet."

"But you need-" Khepri began before he was interrupted.

"Arbiter?!" Sercet shouted as she approached Amir, reaching out to the weapon to touch it, but restrained herself at the final inches. "No, I should not..." She murmured before falling to her knees before Amir. "Noble Arbiter, you should make haste out of here soon. Amen will not be so patient as to allow us to prepare."

"Get up, wife! Are you mad? They need not to leave, they need to run. As fast as their legs can carry them!"

Sercet looked back at her husband with a furious look in her eyes. "Ye man of little faith! Do you not see the symmetry in this moment?" She hissed at her Khepri before looking back to Amir. "By becoming Pharaoh, Amen became unrivaled by right, a godsent and beyond. But now... An arbiter? That might- It will turn the tide in our favor. It was Galeer, wasn't it!?" She said with joy and hope in her eyes.

"Arbiter... Galeer... You are quickly becoming quite impressive, aren't you, love?" Isis joked.

Amir's eyes widened with surprise as Sercet fell to her knees. He didn't understand exactly what they were saying or what weight it held but it was obvious that something rather important was contained within the words he'd said. He shot his love a questioning glance at her joke before shaking his head, "Yes, he called himself Galeer..." Amir said, trying to keep up with the conversation but instead decided to change the subject. "We can't leave, Amen is in town. What better chance might we have than this? I'm a little out of it sure, but I can still fight. If we leave, he if finds out you helped us, we cannot let that happen." He said, almost begging before he turned his eyes to Isis, "Lah'mi, please tell them we have to stop him while he's within our grasp!" He spoke with passion in his voice, knowing that a free Hetep was only an arms-length away. "Galeer said this staff could perform miracles, surely striking down a single man is within his power."

"It should-" Sercet began before in turn being interrupted by Khepri.

"If you wish to attempt the impossible and strike down Amen, good fortune, but I will not allow you to drag my daughter into these schemes. The staff might grant you considerably greater power, even without the miracles, but if it was bestowed upon you be Galeer, do not expect his miracles to allow smiting of the pharaoh. Amen is, regardless of his deeds, still a chosen child of Galeer. He is not going to strike down Amen just because you ask him to!" He cried out before looking back to Isis. "Daughter of mine, please, you need to leave."

"And we will." She said before looking to Amir with a smile. "After we liberate my home. Even if a miracle can't smite him, as an Arbiter, he should have the strength to do so himself. And I will be with him as he does."

"Don't be foolish! He does not by proxy have power for being an arbiter, only the potential for it! Beyond the boons of the staff, he is no more powerful now than earlier!"

"...Amir? Think you can use one of your miracles to smite the soldiers guarding Amen? Not to kill them but immobilize them in some way? If we can get a clear shot at Amen without being interrupted, then I know we can take him. He is strong, but he was never able to best me in open combat." She said with a confident grin.

Amir bit his lip, Khepri's words snapping a hint of sense into him. He looked at the staff in his hands and then back toward Isis, "I don't know how this thing works to be completely honest...but I'm sure if Galeer trusted me with it that I will know when the time comes to use it. I can take out his guards, we can stop this madness here and now." He said with more confidence than before, turning his head toward Khepri, "I am sorry, Sir, but I assure you that I was already quite powerful before this staff touched my hands. I won't let Amen cause any more harm than he already has."

Sercet rose up and walked up to her husband, whispering something to him, beyond the range of hearing for either Amir or Isis. As she parted from him, he looked even more defeated than ever previously. "It is apparent that we cannot stop you... Just... Be careful, Isis. I don't want to lose you." Khepri said under his breath. He looked to the door, tears only moments away form pouring. "You should hurry before he trail goes cold. Go."

"Thank you father. I won't fall, I swear it." She said with a hug as she and Amir hurried after the company of soliders and the king that commanded them. "Alright, just as a recap; We go to him, lock down his soldiers with one of your miracles, and then we defeat him in combat. It won't be fair play, but with this we can end it all. Thank you again for standing with me, Amir."

Within minutes they had caught up with Amen, and he seemed aware of them even before she cried out: "AMEN HEQET!"

Amen halted and turned around, a amused face on him as he clapped his hands. "You always had a particular skill of surprising me, Isis. Even now you never cease to amaze. I thought you were gonna stick in hiding until nightfall at the very least. What did it take? Five, ten minutes? Must certainly be a record considering our circumstances."

"Glad to give you one last thing to be happy over. All of your madness ends now."

"Ah, stalward until the end. It almost feels like a grander force is at play. Like you have been delivered to me by some divine intervention. Perhaps it is so, and perhaps-" He interrupted himself as he looked to Isis' right and found Amir there, and clutched in his hand was the staff. "You..." Amen suddenly turned from amused to outright furious. "Galeer has chosen you?! He has picked an outsider to rise up against me!? Do you even realize what you are doing? What he is doing for you?!" He cried out as the soldiers stood in alert fighting stance, awaiting orders. He appeared to calm down soon enough. "Doesn't matter. I will claim that staff from you and continue my work as intended. For you see..."

He then held his hand outwards as a bright light shone in it, much like the staff had for Amir, before clutching the source of light and in its wake a golden warhammer was formed. Even for such a crude weapon it still held an elegant touch to it, graced by . "You are not the only one touched by him. This artifact, this Gold of Galeer, will vanquish you, as is my right. Soldiers! Advance!" He shouted for them as the three dozen soldiers charged ahead to strike down Amir and Isis. Even as typical soldiers they were nothing to scoff at with their blessed armor and weapons.

Amir stood stoic despite the anger that swelled within the pit of his stomach as he saw Amen, the man responsible for all the pain and suffering that plagued Hetep. "I do not know what Galeer has in store for me, his purpose in gifting me this staff." He spoke just above the sounds of the charging soldiers as he stared at Amen. Amir raised the staff, bringing it down on the sandstone on which they stood, the staff began to glow a beautiful rainbow hue as the soldiers fell to the ground as though they'd all tripped at once, planting their faces into the sand without even an attempt to catch themselves. "But before me stands the man who has betrayed not only his people but my own father who had once placed his faith into you. You are a stain on his good graces and even the Gods themselves wish you stopped. Today is the day a tyrant falls!" He pointed his staff at Amen, "The people of Hetep will be free."

"You want my blood?! Come and get it, dog!" Amen cried out as he prepared for their assault. Isis was quick on her feet to advance, dashing forward, charging up a mighty fist of Kirin Cleanser Magic aimed for his skull. She had always been quick, and her speed was something he had never been able to match when holding that massive hammer of his, despite it being lighter than one would reasonably think. "This marks the end of you!" Isis cried out, yet before she had even the chance to lay her strike on him, she felt a mighty blow of his palm against her neck as she was swatted into the ground face first. Raising his hammer, he brought it down for a smash against her ribcage. She rolled to the side, only barely avoiding the blow as she jumped back up on her feet and away from him.

"It would seem that you have stagnated, ms Madu. You are not much better now than you were all those years ago. Pity. You were always the pride of Subaine, after all." He said with a chuckle.

"Silence, you cur!" She cried back as she gathered her magic in her gut as she prepared her next spell. "Water Kirin's Howl!" She shouted as she expelled magical water from her mouth in a mighty torrent of seawater. The water blitzed forward yet again, as it reached him, the whole surrounding environment seemed to heat up. Scattering the water, Amen would be seen standing there with a blazing fist of burning light. "Solar Kirin's Strong Fist. Is this really the best you have to offer?"

"Not in the slightest!" Amir said, running along to stand opposite Amen from his partner, stopping and holding out his free hand toward the tyrant. "Cosmic Scaled Ascencion: Shimmering rain!" He yelled, his hand covered in a bright purple glow as several portals opened around Amen moments before hails of arrows shot forth in an Omni-directional volley. "We will take him together, Lah'mi! End this together!"

"I would have it no other way! Sacred Magic: Absolute Retribution!" She cried as she extended her hand towards Amen, but rather than performing an attack of her own, it instead served to amplify the power of Amir's own spell, the hail of cosmic arrows growing bigger and more potent as they rained upon the Pharaoh.

The Arrows didn't even have the chance to reach him before they were halted mere inches from his frame, his hand raised in front of his face, visibly straining himself to keep the arrows at bay. "Stardust Edict: Stellar Allignment." Amen spoke softly through gritted teeth. "Not simply dragon magic, that rare magic I heard of, but cosmically alligned in the element. I look forward to what else you can do before I grind you 'neath my heel." Amen spoke as he pushed his hand forward, the arrows flying forth to crash into Amir and Isis.

Amir held out both his hands, grasping his staff with only his thumb as he strained to do what he was trying to do. Two black holes opening, one in front of himself and the other in front of Isis. The arrows being pulled inside before the two voids closed and another opened above Amen's head, the arrows raining down like Holy smite from above. "What arrogance! I'd expect nothing less from a man who'd met my father and learned nothing!" Amir sneered with heavy breaths, opening the multiple black holes being more than what his current level would normally allow him to do and as such he felt the backlash of overexerting his magical power.

Amen was temporarily caught off guard by that. "Your father?" He spoke out, making him unaware of the sudden attack from above, the powerful arrows raining over him with great strength, kicking up a cloud of sand and dust, not enough to shroud him, but enough to blur his features. Behind the cloud of dust stood Amen, contemplating the boy's words, trying to pin his name or face on anything. Then it hit him. The purple hair. "Your father... You wouldn't have to be Izar's boy, would you...? My apologies for not recognizing you sooner. I will be sure to return you home in one piece by the end of the day, in honor of his teachings. Learned nothing, you say? Truly I tell you, I would not have been able to do any of this without his guidance."

"Keep his name from your mouth, you disgrace it with your lies! To twist his words to justify stepping on your people like ants, you're utter scum!" Amir spits in Amen's direction as his own arms glowed a white-hot, he swung them forward with a fury and desire to end this now. "Light Dragon's Wing attack!" He continued as his arms moved as though to do an underhanded throw, two discs of light tearing up stone and sand as they shot forward toward his target.

"Oh, I am scum indeed. But I am the scum this continent needs. Stardust Edict: Stellar Core!" He cried out between ragged breaths as in his hand formed what could best be described as what appeared to be a small galaxy. He hurled it towards the two fighters, and as they traveled towards them, they swallowed the Wing Attack into itself, increasing its travel speed further.

"Sacred Magic: Salvation!" Isis cried out as a barrier of holy magic took form in front of them, only barely blocking the stellar spell, the shield starting to break at the seams before the core dissipated. "'The scum this continent needs'? We have no need for the likes of you! Sacred Magic: Righteous Vengeance!" Isis shouted as numerous chains of sacred light shot out from her and tried to chain him down. "Oh, but you do." Amen spoke as he was shackled to the ground. "More than you would dare to know."

"I'm not here to argue philosophy! There is no goal worth the sacrifice you're forcing your people to bear." Amir did his best to appear unphased by his own overexertion, cursing his own weakness in this moment of utmost importance as he dashed through the cracked shield his love had provided and toward his target in a fighting stance he was sure that Amen had never seen before. Reaching arms length from Amen, Amir threw his Ki enforced punch toward the tall man's chest with the intention of following through with *Ki no Michi's Chankiri Revenge* to cause cardiac arrest in his opponent.

"You are blind and naive to think that they alone are suffering or sacrificing," Amen spoke as without hint or notice he had broken himself free from his shackles and deflected Amir's blow with the back of his hand. "Now stay down, kid." Amen said as he went in for a blow to Amir's chest. Before the blow had the chance to land, Isis, who had been pulled forward by the breaking of her chains, grabbed Amir and hurled him out of the way, which unfortunately put her in the midst of the impact. His fist connected squarely upon the right side of Isis' chest, the reverberating sound of bones breaking resonated around the area. Isis coughed up a good amount of blood upon this impact before being hurled backwards by the blow, coughing furiously. With four ribs broken, she still pushed herself up as she desired to keep fighting. Meanwhile, for Amir, he would hear a voice. Not so much in his ears or head, but rather as if the voice was speaking to his soul. *You need to retreat, boy. You cannot win this fight.* Spoke the voice of Galeer to him.

Amir recovered with a roll in time to see Isis take the blow in his stead, biting down on his own lip hard enough to bleed as he watched her fly backward with blood running down her lips and dripping from her chin. He heard the voice of Galeer and what the God had to say only further infuriated him. "Run now? What better chance could we possibly have than this?! He's alone, powerful but alone. If we leave now what will come of Isis' parents? What will become of Hetep in the time it takes to find another opening? How much further will the morale of the people fall if yet another flame of rebellion is stomped before it has even become embers?" Amir asked Galeer, his voice becoming more and more defeated as he felt his exhaustion catching up to him. He looked to Isis, still posed and willing to fight despite her injuries. He envied her in many ways but knew that neither her or himself were ready to face Amen quite yet. "Amen! Fallen child of Galeer! I wish you were the man my father once spoke of. I would like you to know that, like your own Gods, my father too would be disappointed to see what you have become. Both my father and I believe in second chances, but I most certainly do not believe in thirds." Amir said, a weary half-smile on his face as he approached Isis, placing his hand onto her and transforming the both of them into light. Shooting up into the sky and away from the city, looking as though they had simply disappeared to the untrained eye.

After getting far enough away that he knew that Amen would not be able to find them quickly, Amir landed them near a small oasis shaded by thick trees. Quickly noting her surprise at the sudden nigh-teleportation, "We were not ready, the battle today is lost but the war rages on. We need to tend to your wounds, Lah'mi." He spoke with a calm but clearly upset tone in his voice as he examined the injuries that Isis had received.

Amen looked in awe as his two opponents disappeared into a flash of light and flew away into the distance, making the men at his command rise up from their crumbled state. One of the men, clad in the colors of a superior officer, stepped up to Amen and fell to his knee. "Your grace, I will mobilize a squadron to pursue."

Amen merely waved him off, and with a flick of his wrist, the Gold of Galeer disappeared. "They are already lost to you, officer. But it matters not. They will come to me again, and by their own free will... Continue the recruitment of soldiers and guards, increase the patrols in every kingdom in Hetep. If they walk into any of the cities, I want to know so. If they stay for a drink, I want to know where." He said as he walked back from where he had come.

"Forgive me, sire, but where are you going?"

"To speak with two traitors."

For but a moment, Isis was still ready to continue the fight, but realizing where they now were and how far away from the city they were, Isis finally allowed herself to fall to her knees and clutch her chest, gasping for air as her ribs poked at her lung. Nothing was punctured, thankfully, but the pain was none the less upsetting. "We... We could have..." She gasped as she looked to her love, seeing the concerned look upon his face, thus having to come to an uncomfortable conclusion and truth. "We... We never stood a chance, did we? I should have listened..." She whimpered as she looked down to the sand.

As Amir looked to his lover, he would also notice something in the corner of his eye. There beside Isis stood the being who had earlier identified himself as Galeer. He looked at the two of them with sadness, but also with a look of approval. "I am glad that you left. Your fire has been stomped, yet you still remain as embers. That is all you need. Stoke one another into the inferno you need to become." He said as he walked up to Isis, who seemed to be unaware of his presence. He placed a hand on her side, something she appeared to react to. "Allow me to do this." He said as the broken wounds reassembled into their proper state. Isis flew her head around to see who had done this, only to find no one standing there. Galeer then turned to Amir. "Your next destination should be Kophalesh. Their king is wounded and grieving, but his aid will be invaluable. He is also the closest one to you now."

Amir fell into a sitting position in the sand with a 'hmph' as Galeer spoke to him about their next destination. The staff laid across his lap as he stared down at it, a look on his face boarding between dishearted defeat and restrained anger. He was not sure if he should thank the being or not, to be able to heal wounds that would take days even with powerful healing magic yet only offering help when the battle has already been lost. His knee bounced, energy pent up inside despite his exhaustion. "I may as of yet still be ignorant but to see such miracles performed to heal rather than to prevent. To be a God of justice and yet allow injustice to flourish, a monster of your own creation to roam free. I have yet to decern if you are willing but unable, or able but unwilling" He muttered, grabbing his own head and running his fingers through his hair. Tears welled in his eyes and he sniffled to hold them back as best he could.

"I thought we could take him, with Isis and you on my side I thought overcoming a single man would be nothing. I played my hand and lost, the plan we decided on has been crushed beneath our own impatience..." He trailed off, looking out toward the city they had just left, toward the ocean and in the direction of his homeland. "Were I my father I could surely have talked him down, showed him the error of his ways and ended this without conflict. Were I my mother I could have used her draconic strength to fully transform and devour him whole if needed. Yet when I am a mixture of both I can do nothing but barely escape with my life. It would be funny if not so pathetic." He spoke without care that Isis may not know who or what he was talking to.

Isis sat confused for but a moment, only to then realize what was going on and sat in silence, only approaching Amir to comfort as he fought his tears. Had Amir looked to Galeer at those moment, he would see the anger that was swelling in his chest. "You forget yourself, child. 'A monster of my own making?' Do you mean to imply that it is by my will that my favored child left my side? That it is by my will that our sacred temples have been razed to the ground for such a blasphemous construction? That it is by my will that he slaughtered my beloved children, my templars, in a vain attempt to buy himself time? Do you really think that this is something I wanted? That any of us wanted?"

"Let me ask you child: What would you have me do? I told you I have tried to talk him out of this dark path, only to fall upon deaf ears. So waht do you suggest? Should I forcefully change his mind? Maybe play around with some memories and change it like that? Maybe you would like me to smite him? Consider the idea of you and Isis eventually parenting a child. Could you ever in your heart and with good conscience strike it down? He is still of Hetep, and very much a child of ours. To consider destroying him is unthinkable. Any swift option to stop him is amoral, and would only open a new cascade of problems for Hetep."

"So, to answer you in simple terms, I am able yet unwilling. I know this answer will not please you. But it is what it is."

He wiped away the tears that he refused to let fall, "You can be angry with me if you like, disappointed even. I know I have no right to question you after all that you **have** done for me but I ask that you consider things from my point of view. I think we can agree that no one is simply born evil, you said yourself Amen was once your pride and joy but he has traveled down a dark path. Something must have happened, something to shake his faith and push him away from you. You ask would I be able to strike down my own child were I in your position? Well, if I had to choose between one of my children or the thousands he will slay if I do not interfere then what I can do in clear conscience doesn't matter if what I am doing is right. I could not forsake millions for the sake of one. Where is the justice in that?" Amir said, his anger subsiding.

His words became somber and quiet "By giving me this staff, making me an arbiter for you, are you not simply asking me to do what you are unwilling. That's not fair..." Trailing off, he shook his head, "I know I must sound like an impudent child, perhaps in your eyes that is exactly what I am. But I'm scared and worried, neither of my own feelings likely even comparing to what the people of Hetep are feeling, but above all else, I don't know if I can live up to the role that is expected of me." He said, letting out a dishearted sigh not feeling any better to have vented his feelings to either of the two before him. "I suppose there is some punishment for speaking to you the way I have?" Amir asked, eyes lowed to the sand as he spoke to Galeer.

Silence fell between them for a few moments before Galeer spoke up. "A punishment there will be not. You have spoken with impunity and disprespect... But that is no grounds to punish one who has been so roughly thrust into a position such as this. You are rightfully scared, in shock, hesitant, and questioning. You are yet new to us, as we are to you. Trust takes time. Faith even more so. You say that you are afraid that you can't live up to the expectations, and I assume that is because you are afraid to disappoint. To fail. But truly I tell you: The only way you will ever disappoint me or the people is by not trying at all. And I am not asking you to do what I will not. That would imply that I am willing indeed if I ask you to do it for me. Even if you asked to use all your miracles for it, I would not smite Amen with it. I bestow you the might to change the tides of fate, but if you want a permanent end to Amen, to do more than just stop him I cannot approve of it. So you will have to act on that as more than an Arbiter." He said as he walked up and extended a hand to the young man, offering to pull him up. "You will have to do that as a man."

Amir took Galeer's hand and rose to his feet, using the staff almost like a crutch as his weak legs shook under his weight. "I do not wish to end Amen's life if I do not have to but chances are that will not be my choice to make... But I will do what I can't to see that another one of your children will not be needlessly killed," He said before turning to his beloved. "I'm sorry if I've rambled like a madman in front of you, Lah'mi. I'm not quite used to seeing things others cannot. Galeer says that our best bet will be to head for Kophalesh, to speak to their king. But perhaps it would be in our best interest to rest for a bit. I've used up more magic than I should have, if I'd pushed it much further I might have caused some permanent damage. I had hoped that just a bit more would win us the fight but I was wrong."

Isis just smiled at him as she replied: "You don't need to explain, I've been there too, and I understand, and I agree. We... I was too quick to act. I should have connected the dots, but I didn't. At least we are alive and can continue our work. Come, love. We'll rest for the night, and then we'll head for Kophalesh in the morning. Hopefully he can tell us a bit more about the state of things and if there are more places that we can ally with. And while we are doing so-" She said as she punched his shoulder lightly. "We are gonna have to train you up. You are strong, but as today have shown us, we are not enough as we are. When we are not traveling, eating or sleeping, we should train to become better warriors. You up for that? I will put you through proper Templar training, as befits an Arbiter." She said confidently.

Amir tried to hold back a smile but failed as he rubbed his arm in the spot she'd playfully punched. Her light punch had hurt more than he'd dare admit, all of the exhaustion weighing on him like boulders attached to his limbs. "I'll do whatever it takes, We'll train until we can defeat Amen, today will not happen again." He responded, his tone serious despite the smirk still on his face.