As soon as they entered the Duat, no one commented, but their appearances changed.
Carter and Sadie found themselves dressed as Egyptian nobles.
Sadie now wore a white silk dress that shimmered in the river's light. Her arms were adorned with gold bracelets, and a jeweled necklace weighed so much it felt like a lead apron from the dentist's office. Her hair was so shellacked it could petrify a god. Still, she was sure she looked fabulous.
Carter, on the other hand, hadn't fared so well. His outfit consisted of a men's kilt, a simple linen cape, and a utility belt from which his crook and flail dangled. His chest was bare except for a gold necklace identical to Sadie's, and his eyes were lined with kohl. To ancient Egyptians, he probably would've looked like a noble, imposing warrior. To Sadie? He looked like a lost tourist at a theme park.
She almost laughed, but then thought better of it and realized he wasn't so bad, just a shirtless guy. But that didn't mean she wanted to live an underworld adventure with a brother wearing only jewels and a beach towel.
As they boarded Ra's boat, Carter immediately cursed, stubbing his toe.
"Why are you barefoot?" Sadie asked.
"Wasn't my choice!" He winced, pulling a splinter from his foot. "I guess ancient warriors battled like this. Sandals got slippery with sweat and blood and stuff."
"And the kilt?"
"Can we not talk about this?"
The boat started to drift away from the dock, and a few feet out, it got caught in an eddy. They started circling humiliatingly.
That's when they both noticed something.
Ikki.
He was there, standing as if nothing had happened. While they looked ready for a pharaonic parade, Ikki remained exactly the same. His clothes hadn't changed, his hair was the same, and he didn't seem the least bit affected by the Duat.
Sadie frowned. "How did you do that?"
Carter also looked at him, incredulous. "Seriously, Ikki? You didn't change at all? How did you escape that?"
Ikki shrugged, amusement twinkling in his eyes. "Just used a trick."
"What trick?" Sadie insisted.
Ikki kept his tone casual. "Ignored it."
Carter blinked. "You… ignored the Duat?"
"Basically." Ikki smiled. "I'm immune to it."
Sadie and Carter exchanged a look. They already knew Ikki was an exceptionally strange and powerful guy, but this? Simply ignoring the magic of the Duat?
Sadie snorted and turned her attention back to Carter, who was trying to steer the boat without much success.
"Quick question," she said, crossing her arms. "Do you know anything about boats?"
"Nothing," Carter admitted.
Sadie sighed, looking at the vessel. The sails were so tattered they looked like an old rag. The oars, besides being broken, dragged uselessly in the water. The boat was made for a crew of twenty. How did they expect to pilot it alone?
She looked at Ikki, who was watching everything with his arms crossed, seeming more interested than worried.
"Do *you* know how to pilot a boat?" Sadie asked, somewhat hopeful. "Or have any bright ideas?"
Ikki tilted his head slightly, the amusement still in his eyes. "Well… boats aren't exactly my specialty."
Sadie rolled her eyes. "So we're doomed?"
Ikki smiled. "Didn't say that."
Carter frowned. "Do you have a plan?"
"I do." Ikki stepped forward, raising a hand. "Just watch."
Before anyone could question him, the atmosphere around him shifted. A subtle aura emanated from his body, and a golden glow appeared in his hands as he made a slight movement with one hand.
Suddenly, the boat began to restore itself before the Kanes' astonished eyes.
The tattered sails mended themselves, becoming whole again. The cracked planks reinforced themselves, returning to their original state. The broken oars rebuilt themselves as if time itself was being reversed. In a few seconds, the vessel was completely new, as if it had never been damaged.
Sadie and Carter were speechless.
Sadie finally broke the silence. "…Okay. That was pretty useful."
Carter was still trying to understand what had just happened. "You just—how?"
Ikki just smiled, patting the hull of the renewed boat. "Now, let's continue."
The Kane siblings were still processing what they had seen, but one thing was certain: having Ikki around made everything much more unpredictable.
Sadie stared at Ikki, still trying to process what she had just seen.
"How… how did you do that?"
Ikki smiled faintly, as if the answer was obvious.
"A simple spell that brings an object or place to its prime." He spoke casually, as if explaining how to tie a shoelace. "Restoring a boat isn't that complicated."
*Right. Not complicated at all.* Sadie snorted.
What he didn't mention, or at least didn't bother to explain, was that his [Authority of Magic] was essentially a reality-altering tool. He could cast any spell he could imagine, as long as it respected a few basic limitations. Bringing the dead back to life? No. But fixing a millennia-old boat in seconds? Piece of cake.
Carter blinked a few times, still dumbfounded. "You can fix anything with that?"
Ikki shrugged. "If I want to."
Sadie opened her mouth to protest, probably to ask why he hadn't fixed something *actually* useful before, but Ikki was already acting again.
He raised one of his hands, and the air around him shifted. A strange chill swept across the deck. Something stirred in the darkness around the boat, and then…
Shadows began to emerge from nowhere.
Translucent ghosts, wearing ancient Egyptian garb, took shape. They were the boat's crew, dead for centuries. Their empty eyes fixed on a single person: Ikki.
And then, as if an invisible force commanded them, they fell to their knees before him.
Sadie held her breath. "…You just…"
"Recruited the crew." Ikki smiled, satisfied. "Now we have sailors to take us through the Duat."
Carter watched the ghosts warily. "And they'll obey us?"
Ikki nodded. "They recognize me as their commander now."
The boat began to move smoothly down the river, guided by the spectral crew. Sadie was still trying to understand what had just happened, but Ikki had already crossed his arms, pleased with the result.
"There. Problem solved."
Sadie shook her head. "You're ridiculous, you know?"
Ikki grinned. "I prefer the term *efficient*."
As they sailed into the darkness, London disappeared behind them. The boat slid deeper and deeper into the Duat. Sadie felt a chill in her stomach—a sensation of free fall, as if she were plummeting down a bottomless pit.
"We're entering the Second House…" Sadie murmured, her eyes alert to their surroundings.
Carter gripped the mast, his brow furrowed. "You mean the Houses of Night, like Bes mentioned? What exactly *are* they?"
Ikki, who until then had been silently observing the surrounding darkness, shifted his gaze to Carter. "You don't know?" His voice held a curious tone. Despite never having been in the Duat before, Ikki knew the Egyptian underworld better than anyone should. After all, he had devoured the soul of a pharaoh in another life.
Sadie sighed. It was strange to be the one explaining Egyptian myths to Carter. Her brother had always been the one obsessed with Ancient Egypt. But seeing his genuinely perplexed expression, she realized he truly didn't know.
"It's something I read in the Book of Ra." She began. "Each hour of the night is a house. To reach the end of the journey, we need to pass through the twelve stages of the river, which represent the twelve hours of the night…"
Ikki crossed his arms, his gaze returning to the darkness ahead.
Carter also looked at the hazy path. "So, if we're in the Second House, does that mean an hour has already passed? It didn't feel that long."
He was right. Time didn't seem to have advanced in that way. But then again, Sadie had no idea how time worked in the Duat. A House of Night might not correspond exactly to an hour in the mortal world.
Anubis had once told her that he'd been in the Land of the Dead for five thousand years, but he still felt like a teenager. Sadie shuddered. What if, upon crossing the river of night, they discovered that several *eras* had passed?
She had just turned thirteen. She wasn't ready to wake up thirteen hundred.
She also wished she hadn't thought of Anubis.
Subconsciously, she touched the *shen* amulet on her necklace. After everything that had happened with Walt, the idea of seeing Anubis made her feel strangely guilty… and also a little excited. Maybe he would help them on their journey. Maybe he'd take her somewhere private for a chat, like last time in the Duat—a romantic little cemetery, dinner for two at the Coffin Café…
"Snap out of it, Sadie," she mentally scolded herself. "Focus."
She pulled the Book of Ra from her bag and examined it again. She'd read it several times, but the riddles remained confusing. The scroll was filled with phrases like "first of Chaos," "breath in clay," "flock of night," "reborn in fire," "the sun's acres," "the knife's kiss"… Nothing made sense.
She gathered that, throughout the twelve stages of the river, she would have to recite three sections of the Book of Ra at three distinct locations to revive different aspects of the sun god. Each of these aspects would present them with a challenge.
If she failed—if she even stumbled over a word while reciting the spells—she would probably end up worse than Vlad Menshikov.
Sadie sighed and shifted her attention to Ikki, who remained at the prow of the boat. He watched the darkness with a sharp, yet relaxed gaze, as if he knew exactly what they would encounter next.
She frowned. "You seem awfully calm for someone sailing through the Egyptian underworld…"
Ikki raised an eyebrow. "I'd say I'm just enjoying the moment." He cast a glance at the black river. "Besides, worrying about time here doesn't do much good… The Duat has its own rules."
Sadie snorted. "Oh, of course. Mr. Underworld Know-It-All has it all figured out…"
Ikki just shrugged, which only irritated her further. The ghostly crew could have been steering them straight into a rock or into the mouth of a monster, and they would have had absolutely no warning. They just kept sailing through the empty darkness of the Duat.
"Why is it so… *nothing*?" Sadie murmured.
Ikki kept his eyes fixed on the surrounding darkness, as if trying to see something beyond what the others could. Carter, on the other hand, moved closer to observe as well, his eyes gleaming with that classic *I'm about to say something clever, pay attention* look.
"Maybe the Houses of Night follow human sleep patterns…"
Ikki arched a brow but remained silent.
Sadie rolled her eyes. "Does this have anything to do with that boring science you insist on remembering?"
"Sleep cycles," Carter explained, ignoring her tone. "Mom used to talk about them before bed. Remember, Sadie?"
Sadie frowned, her expression closing off. "No…"
Ikki noticed the tension in her voice—a lingering frustration and resentment that Carter seemed to remember their mother better than she did. He didn't comment, but remained observant as Carter continued.
"Sleep has different stages," Carter went on. "At the beginning of the night, the brain enters a deep state, without many dreams. Maybe that's why this part of the river is so dark and formless. Then comes REM—rapid eye movement—when the dreams begin. The cycles become more intense and chaotic. If this river follows the pattern of sleep, then…"
Ikki frowned. The idea was absurd… but not impossible. From Ramses II's memories, he knew that the geography of the Duat could shift according to the traveler's thoughts. If Carter was right, and the night grew more turbulent with time, that meant the worst was yet to come.
He didn't need to *see* to sense the change. The flow of the Duat was shifting.
"We've already passed into the Third House…" he murmured.
The others exchanged glances. No warning, no perceptible change—just that unsettling feeling that time was flowing too fast.
Sadie heaved a sigh and crossed her arms. "Maybe the first challenge *is* boredom," she complained. "When is something going to *happen*?"
Ikki raised an eyebrow, about to respond, but then something emerged from the darkness.
A loud *thump* rocked the boat as a gigantic foot, clad in sandals the size of a double bed, landed on the prow, bringing the vessel to an abrupt halt.
Unfortunately, the foot was attached to a leg. And the leg to a body.
The giant leaned down to stare at them, and his voice boomed with an intensity that made the air vibrate around them: "You're bored? I could kill you, if that helps."
Ikki crossed his arms, assessing the creature before them. The giant wore a kilt similar to Carter's, but large enough to make at least ten sails for their ship. His muscular body was covered in an absurd amount of hair, which made Sadie wrinkle her nose.
He had the head of a ram: a white muzzle with a brass ring through its nose, long curled horns adorned with dozens of bronze bells. His wide-set eyes glowed with an intense red hue, the vertical pupils giving him an almost hypnotic appearance.
Despite the intimidating appearance, Ikki didn't see malice in the creature. On the contrary, there was something melancholic in his gaze, as if he'd been there for so long that he'd forgotten the purpose of his vigil.
Sadie wrinkled her nose.
"Since when did *you* become a ram whisperer?" Carter muttered beside her.
She elbowed him, but everyone's attention snapped back to their unexpected guest.
Two curved knives as long as his own horns slid from his waistband. "You're quiet," he observed. "Is that a yes to the death?"
Sadie rushed to answer. "No, thank you!" She tried to sound grateful for the offer, which wasn't easy. "One word and one question, please. The word is *pedicure*. The question is: Who are you?"
The ram-man let out a roar of laughter, a deep, vibrating sound. "Ahhh-ha-ha-ha! If you knew my name, we wouldn't need introductions, and I could let you pass. Unfortunately, no one knows my name. A shame, too."
His eyes swept over them, then settled on the ship and the book Sadie carried. "I see you've found the Book of Ra," he continued. "Revived his crew and managed to sail his boat to the doors of the Fourth House. No one has ever made it this far before. I am very sorry that I must chop you into little pieces."
Ikki watched the interaction between Sadie, Carter, and the giant intently, his eyes analyzing every detail of the situation.
Sadie raised a hand. "Just a sec," she called out, trying to keep her cool. "If we name you, we can pass?"
"Naturally." The giant sighed, as if the very possibility was a burden. "But no one can."
Sadie shot a quick look at Carter. Ikki realized this wasn't their first encounter with a guardian who demanded to be named under threat of death. It seemed to be a recurring challenge in the Duat—and he didn't like the feeling of falling into the same trap over and over.
That's when Sadie's eyes widened. "Wait… It's him, isn't it?" She nudged Carter. "The guy who looks like Bullwinkle?"
"Don't call him Bullwinkle!" Carter hissed.
Ikki suppressed a smile as Carter, now more cautiously, stared at the giant and said, "You're Khnum, aren't you?"
The ram-god made a low rumbling sound in his throat and scraped one of his curved knives against the railing of the boat, the metal screeching unnervingly. "Was that a question?" he narrowed his red eyes. "Or is that your final answer?"
Carter hesitated. "Um…"
"Not our final answer!" Sadie rushed to say before Carter could seal their fate. "Not even close. Khnum is your common name, right? But what you really want is for us to figure out your *ren*, your true name."
Khnum tilted his head, and the bells on his horns jingled softly. "That would be nice," he admitted. "But unfortunately, no one knows that. Not even me."
Ikki frowned.
"How can you *forget* your own name?" Carter asked, his incredulity clear. "And yes, that's a question."
Khnum sighed, his expression hardening with something that looked like… weariness? "I am a part of Ra," he replied. "His underworld aspect, a third of his personality. But when Ra stopped his nightly journey, he no longer needed me. Left me here, at the doors of the Fourth House, discarded like an old coat. Now I am just the guardian of a portal no one crosses… a soldier without a war."
His voice held immense weight, as if centuries of oblivion had carved him from stone. Even with all his intimidating appearance, Khnum seemed… lost. Like a forgotten lamb. Or rather, a thirty-foot-tall ram wielding enormous knives.
Sadie tilted her head. "But if *you* don't remember your name," she said, "why can't we just say *any* name? How would you know if it's right or not?"
Khnum hesitated, his blades still in the air. "I hadn't thought of that."
Carter shot a desperate look at Sadie, as if to say, *Why did you give him that idea?*
The ram god bleated thoughtfully. "I suppose I will recognize my *ren* when I hear it," he decided, "though I cannot be certain. Being only a part of Ra, there is much I am uncertain of. I've lost most of my memories, my power, my identity. I am but a shell of what I once was."
"Your former shell must've been huge," Sadie muttered.
Khnum made a sound that might have been a chuckle, but his ram-like expression made it hard to tell. "I am sorry you do not have my *ren*," he said. "You are a bright girl. The first to make it this far. The first and the best." He sighed sadly. "Ah, well. I suppose we must begin the killing."
Ikki clicked his tongue and stepped forward. "You know, I've fought a lot of people who thought that way," he said, his voice casual, but his eyes gleaming with challenge. "And guess what? None of them are around to tell the tale."
Khnum turned to him, appraising him for the first time. "You speak as if you could stop me."
Ikki smiled calmly, snapping his fingers. Sparks of golden lightning danced around his hand. In the next instant, a translucent cube formed around Khnum, trapping him effortlessly within the barrier. The ram-god frowned, touching the magical surface with the blade of one of his knives, but the cube remained immutable, shimmering with indecipherable arcane patterns.
"Interesting," Khnum murmured. "But do you truly think you can hold me here?"
"I don't need to hold you," Ikki replied casually. "I just need to end this."
A single golden spark crossed the barrier of the cube, and in the next instant, a deafening thunderclap ripped through the air. The world seemed to freeze for a millisecond before an explosion of golden lightning completely engulfed the god's form. The heat was as intense as the core of the Sun, and in a blink of an eye, Khnum ceased to exist. There was no scream, no resistance. Just the instantaneous evaporation of his form, dissolving into particles that were sucked into the Conceptual Void within Ikki's soul. As he absorbed the god's essence, his mind expanded in all directions, flooded with a rush of enlightenment and understanding. What was odd was that Khnum's domains were not as clear-cut as Ra's. He wasn't simply a part of Ra, he *was* the Night, which gave him a certain understanding of that concept. But there was also Earth, from shaping humanity from clay on the potter's wheel, and Water in its entirety, for he was the embodiment of the Nile River and ruler of the Duat's waters. He also partially understood the concept of the Underworld and Creation.
His body thrummed with newfound energy, his very being evolving with the knowledge stolen from the god's domain. He had reached ten percent.
The translucent cube vanished as if it had never been there. Silence settled for a moment, broken only by the faint jingling of bells scattered on the ground—the only evidence that Khnum had ever existed.
Ikki exhaled slowly, flexing his fingers as he felt the newfound energy coursing through his veins. "Well," he said, looking up at Carter and Sadie, who were staring at him with a mixture of shock and disbelief. "I guess that takes care of that."
The silence hung heavy after his words. Sadie was the first to break it. "So… you banish a god to the depths of the Duat, just like that. No effort. No elaborate incantations. Just a snap of your fingers." She crossed her arms, giving Ikki a suspicious look. "Care to tell me how exactly you did *that*?"
He obviously made it so that in the Kane siblings' perception, they saw him banish the god to the depths of the Duat…
Carter was still blinking, trying to comprehend what had just happened. "Are we seriously just accepting this right now? He didn't even *try* to negotiate. No struggle, no fight, nothing. Just—" He made an exploding gesture with his hands. "And poof, there goes Khnum."
Ikki shrugged, snapping his fingers again, causing sparks to dance between them. "He was in the way. I just sent him where he belonged."
Carter and Sadie exchanged glances.
"Where he *belonged*?" Carter repeated.
"The Duat has layers, right?" Ikki asked casually, as if discussing the weather. "He belonged somewhere deeper. I just rebalanced things."
Sadie narrowed her eyes. "Rebalanced, huh?" She snorted. "And here I thought *we* were the magicians in this story."
Carter rubbed his face, still trying to make sense of it all. "And what's to stop Khnum from just coming back? You don't think he'll want revenge for that?"
Ikki looked at him and smiled faintly, his eyes glinting with something unsettling. "He won't be coming back."
Sadie felt a shiver run down her spine. There was something in the way Ikki said it, so confident, so absolute, that made it seem like an undeniable fact. As if fate itself had already decreed that Khnum would never be a problem again.
"Right…" Sadie took a deep breath. "That's not reassuring at all."
Carter shook his head. "You're… definitely someone I'd rather have on my side."
Ikki smirked. "Then I guess you made the right decision calling me."
Sadie pointed at him. "Still, that was incredibly creepy."
Ikki simply shrugged and returned his gaze to the path ahead. "Let's continue."
The Kane siblings exchanged a look. It was disconcerting to think that the boy they had met by chance a year ago was so… powerful. Even more so than he had shown when defeating Set and destroying the pyramid back then.