The silence settled among the three as the barge glided down the river, the black waters reflecting the light of stars that didn't belong to the normal sky. Carter and Sadie exchanged occasional glances, still digesting what had just happened, but without saying a word. Ikki, however, seemed too relaxed for someone crossing the Duat in a supernatural vessel.
He leaned against the railing, crossing his arms as he watched the river flow. Then, he broke the silence:
"Have you ever stopped to think that maybe bringing Ra back is exactly what Apophis wants?"
The siblings turned to him at the same time.
"What?" Sadie blinked, as if Ikki had just suggested they wear crocs with socks.
Ikki didn't take his eyes off the river. "If Ra is truly the source of Ma'at and has been missing for so long, it makes sense that the gods are weakening. But what if Apophis is waiting for exactly that? Bringing Ra back now, weak and vulnerable, could be a risky move."
Carter frowned. "You think Apophis is counting on that?"
"It wouldn't be impossible," Ikki said. "The balance between Ma'at and Isfet has always existed. If Apophis can't destroy Ma'at directly, he might be waiting to devour Ra at the right moment."
From what he knew about the Duat, in the beginning, before time and creation, there was only Nun, the primordial ocean. A formless void, where Chaos reigned supreme. There was no sky, earth, stars, or light; only the boundless expanse, eternal and silent.
It was then that, from Nun itself, emerged the Primordial Hill, the first point of stability in the chaos. And from it was born Ra, the sun god, who brought with him light and order.
He named himself and, in doing so, truly came into existence. His light cut through the darkness, separating what was once only an indistinct vortex of chaos.
But Ra was alone, and creation could not be sustained by his presence alone. To shape the world, he fathered Shu, the god of air, and Tefnut, the goddess of moisture. Together, they established the first forces of existence. Shu separated the sky from the earth, while Tefnut brought the moisture that would give rise to life. And so, their children were born: Nut, the goddess of the sky, and Geb, the god of the earth.
From them, creation took shape. Nut and Geb gave birth to the great gods who would govern the fate of the world: Osiris, Isis, Set, and Nephthys. With this, Order - Ma'at - was established. The sun rose and set. Life and death followed their cycle. Balance had been achieved.
However, Chaos can never be completely destroyed. It only retreats, lurking in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to return. When Ra emerged from Nun, something terrible also awoke: Apophis, the great serpent, the embodiment of Isfet - pure destruction, inevitable ruin.
Apophis hated creation. He hated the light, the order, and everything Ra had brought to the world. Thus, every night, when Ra descended into the Duat in his solar barque, the serpent rose from the depths of chaos and tried to devour him. If he succeeded, the sun would never rise again. The world would plunge into eternal darkness, and Ma'at would crumble.
But the gods would not allow this. Every night, divine warriors fought alongside Ra to repel Apophis. Seth, the god of war and storms, was among the fiercest in combating the serpent, piercing its scales and driving it away until dawn broke and light returned.
Thus, the cycle repeated itself for millennia. Order and Chaos in constant conflict, one never completely destroying the other. Light triumphed, but never definitively. For Apophis could not be killed, only contained. And one day, if he grew strong enough, if Ra wasn't strong enough to face him... then Chaos would win.
Well, now with the Duat in the state it was in, that was about to happen. With Ra's disappearance, Ma'at weakened and gave Apophis an opportunity to resurge, and this prophecy was about to come true.
Sadie snorted. "Great. Another prophecy that can end in 'total death and destruction'. Just what we needed."
Carter ignored his sister. "Ma'at and Isfet are fundamental forces of the universe," he said thoughtfully. "But if Ra is really the essence of Ma'at and he's vulnerable..."
"The balance breaks," Ikki completed.
Sadie crossed her arms. "So we're literally serving Ra on a platter for Apophis to devour?"
Ikki sighed. "Only if you're not prepared for when that happens."
Carter narrowed his eyes. "And how do we prepare for something like that?"
Ikki smiled faintly, turning his gaze to the Duat horizon. "I have an idea, but I don't think it's time to discuss it..."
Sadie followed his gaze—and felt a shiver run down her spine.
Ahead, the tunnel opened into a colossal cavern, where a boiling lake of fire stretched to the horizon. The solar barque accelerated, descending violent rapids like a runaway roller coaster. The water twisted into turbulent whirlpools and, the moment it reached the edge of the abyss, transformed into flames. The waterfall of fire roared ahead, a kilometer-long drop straight into the incandescent inferno.
The luminous spheres that made up the crew floated around, completely indifferent to the impending disaster.
"Keep the boat going. Keep the boat going!"
Carter grabbed the side of the vessel. "We have to turn!" he shouted. "If we don't burn to death, we'll be pancakes at the bottom of this abyss!"
He turned to the ghosts, trying to command them. "Turn! Row! Do something!"
The spheres just laughed and spun in the air, clearly enjoying themselves more than they should.
Sadie looked at the flames below. The heat rose in suffocating waves, but then a cold, clear thought surfaced in her mind.
"'Reborn in fire'," she murmured.
Carter blinked. "What?"
"It's a line from the Book of Ra. We can't turn. We have to go forward."
Carter looked at her as if she'd lost her mind. "You want to jump headfirst into a waterfall of fire? Have you been inhaling mummy dust?"
"It's part of the sun's rebirth," Sadie insisted, rummaging through her magic bag. "Ra goes through this every day. We have to go through it."
Carter grumbled something about preferring to be chewed by crocodiles.
It was then that Ikki, who until then had been observing the situation with a thoughtful look, stepped forward. He snapped his fingers, and sparks of golden lightning crossed the air before dissipating.
"You won't be toasted either."
Before the siblings could protest, a golden aura enveloped them. The suffocating heat was still there, but suddenly seemed... distant. As if an invisible barrier was blocking its intensity. Carter blinked, surprised to realize that his skin was no longer burning.
Sadie touched her own arm, expecting to feel ashes. "What did you do?"
Ikki shrugged. "Just made sure you didn't become barbecue. The boat's fine, because, you know... it's Ra's boat. But you..."
He smiled faintly.
"Let's just say you can now hike on lava without losing your toes."
Carter looked at his hands, still trying to process. "Is this... permanent?"
Ikki laughed.
"Of course not. If it were, you could become influencers for the Kane Lava Spa. But it lasts long enough for us not to die."
Sadie grimaced. "I'll pass on that kind of spa, thanks."
The boat was now right at the edge of the falls. Carter still seemed hesitant, but Sadie had already accepted the inevitable. She looked at Ikki, waiting for a final confirmation.
He just nodded. "Trust me."
And then, the boat plummeted.
Time seemed to stretch as they fell toward the lake of fire. The roar of the flames was deafening, and the intense light made their eyes burn. Sadie found herself thinking about strange things – like the surreal beauty of the incandescent lake below, shining like the surface of the sun.
She wondered if she would feel pain on impact or simply evaporate before she realized it. Her gaze was lost among the ashes and smoke, and, for a moment, she swore she saw a distant island – the one where she had first met Anubis. Could he see her now? Would he come to her rescue?
The idea of jumping and trying to dive like a cliff diver crossed her mind, but she couldn't force herself to let go of the boat's railing. Her fingers were white from gripping it so tightly. The heat was oppressive, and even with Ikki's magic shield, she was sweating as if she were inside an oven.
Then, the boat hit the lake.
The impact came with a muffled sound – a dull WHOOOOOOM, which reverberated through the vessel.
Fire engulfed everything around them.
Sadie felt as if she had plunged into something simultaneously liquid and flaming. The heat was unbearable, but it didn't burn her skin. It was like being submerged in lava, but without the part where she should be dying.
She didn't dare to breathe.
After a moment, she hesitantly opened her eyes.
Everything was a whirl of red and gold, flames swirling around the boat. The sensation was like being underwater – or perhaps under fire?
Then, she realized two things.
She was still alive.
And the boat was moving.
Ikki, who remained standing as if nothing had happened, extended his hand, and the boat shot to the surface. The vessel emerged from the lake of fire in a smooth motion, breaking the surface amid a burst of incandescent steam.
Sadie and Carter gasped – not just because the air returned to their lungs, but because they were seeing something very strange ahead.
The boat had anchored on the shore of the boiling lake, before a colossal limestone portal, carved like the entrance to an ancient temple. It was imposing and surreal, as if they had crossed a threshold between worlds.
Sadie looked at Carter, feeling a sudden relief upon realizing he was still whole. The intense heat had vanished, leaving only the sweat and the memory of a literal dive into flames.
Sadie let out a shaky breath and looked around, finding Carter clinging to the side of the boat, eyes wide. He seemed as surprised as she was.
"Are we… okay?" he asked hesitantly.
Sadie blinked.
"Technically, I think so. But also technically, we just fell into a lake of fire, so…"
Carter looked at his own hands as if expecting them to start disintegrating at any moment.
"And we didn't burn."
"Well observed, genius…" Sadie said. "Want to try again to see if it was luck?"
Before Carter could answer, Ikki cleared his throat.
"There we go. No burns, no tragedies. That was fun, wasn't it?"
Sadie stared at him in disbelief.
"Fun? You threw us into a waterfall of fire!"
Ikki shrugged.
"And you survived. Besides, it was epic."
Carter ran a hand over his face.
"It was crazy. You know it was crazy."
Sadie crossed her arms.
"Oh, sure. It was very peaceful. We definitely didn't think we were going to die in a fiery explosion."
Ikki smiled.
"But you didn't. And, let's be honest, this is going to make a great story later."
Sadie snorted.
"Yeah. A story that would probably involve my soul ending up in the Hall of Judgment while my head was still smoking."
Carter looked around, suspicious.
"But… where exactly are we?"
"Sunny Acres…" a familiar voice announced.
Sadie turned in time to see Bes descending the steps leading to the dock.
The dwarf god was… different.
His new Hawaiian shirt was even more flamboyant than the previous one, printed with an exaggerated pattern of purple and yellow hibiscuses. But his face… his presence…
In the Duat, Bes glowed with renewed power.
His hair, previously thinning, was now thick and curly, dark as night. His face, previously worn by time, looked decades younger. His skin radiated energy, as if the Duat itself was restoring him.
Of course, he was still only wearing a Speedo, so the vision was far from completely majestic.
"Bes!" Sadie exclaimed, her voice filled with concern as she stepped off the Sun Boat onto the docks. "Where have you been? How are Walt and Zia?"
"They're fine…" Bes replied with a calm smile. "And I said we'd meet at the fourth house…"
Carter disembarked as well, alongside Ikki. The two stood before the god, who pointed his thumb at a sign carved into the limestone arch and spoke:
"It used to be called the Rest Home. Apparently, they changed the name."
The sign was in hieroglyphs, but Sadie had no difficulty reading it.
"Sunny Acres Assisted-Living Community.." she read aloud. "Formerly the Rest Home. Under new management. What exactly does that mean…?"
"We should begin.." Bes interrupted, his tone becoming more serious. "Before your hunter arrives."
"Hunter?" Carter asked, frowning.
Bes pointed to the top of the waterfall of fire, now a good half mile away.
Ikki followed his gaze and saw the white figure plummeting from the fiery waterfall, standing out against the red flames like a fragment of ice thrown into the heart of a volcano. His eyes narrowed. He had already sensed they were being followed.
This was the perfect opportunity to separate from the Kane siblings and fulfill his true objective.
He had not forgotten his mission in the Duat. Helping his friends was just a detail. His real purpose was to absorb the gods.
"Menshikov.." Sadie murmured, her expression oscillating between disbelief and irritation. "This is… This is…"
"Bad news." Bes completed, his tone laden with urgency. "Now, come on. We have to find the sun god."
"Go ahead…" Ikki said suddenly, his voice firm and unquestionable.
Carter frowned.
"What? What are you talking about?"
Ikki didn't take his eyes off the hunter falling into the boiling lake.
"I'll delay him. You need to continue."
"Wait a minute," Sadie started, exchanging a look with Carter. "We can't just leave you behind. He's dangerous."
Ikki let out a low chuckle.
"And you think I'm not?"
Carter hesitated. Ikki wasn't just strong — he possessed the kind of strength that made even gods take notice. The kind of power that only made sense when seen in action.
"You have a mission." Ikki continued. "If Menshikov follows us inside, it could all end before it even begins. I'll take care of him and meet you later."
Sadie crossed her arms, her expression undecided.
"What if he's stronger than you expect?"
Ikki smiled, but his eyes gleamed with a cold challenge.
"Then it will be interesting."
Carter clenched his fists, clearly torn. He wanted to protest, but knew Ikki wasn't someone easily persuaded.
"Are you sure about this?" Carter finally asked.
Ikki nodded.
"Yes…"
Bes looked from Ikki to the Kane siblings and then to the limestone portal.
"He's right. If we stay here arguing, the hunter will catch up to all of us. We need to go."
Sadie let out an exasperated sigh.
"Do you have any idea how irresponsible this is?"
Ikki raised an eyebrow.
"Then scold me later."
Carter pulled Sadie by the arm.
"Come on. He knows what he's doing."
Sadie still cast one last reluctant look at Ikki before finally following Bes and Carter through the portal.
Ikki stayed behind, feeling the heat of the lake around him, the smell of sulfur and fire permeating the air. But instead of focusing on the Russian magician, his eyes were on the Sun Boat.
He could feel Ra's powers within it.
Ikki gave a small, contained smile as he activated his [Authority of Magic], absorbing the magical energy from the reality around him. Then, he evoked one of his innate spells, part of his [Archmage] ability, a spell he had named [Pandora's Box]. This magic granted him the unique ability to "steal something conceptual or historical from a user and manifest it in physical form." However, there was a condition: it only worked with mythological items, objects of legendary significance that belonged to gods or heroes and possessed a tangible form.
Now, facing the legendary Sun Boat, his intention had been clear from the start. If he wasn't going to take it for himself, he wouldn't have bothered restoring it.
Screw the god Ra.
As soon as Ikki cast his magic, the Sun Boat shuddered, vibrating as if resisting the overwhelming force of [Pandora's Box]. Golden waves of energy pulsed around it, trying to maintain its existence intact, but it was a futile struggle. Gradually, the sacred vessel began to disintegrate, its parts dissolving into particles of shimmering light, scattering through the air like shooting stars.
Then, it happened.
A torrent of information gushed directly into Ikki's mind. He felt the Sun Boat merging with his essence, his magic analyzing and assimilating every fragment of its history. Glimpses of the past flooded him: Ra's journeys through the Duat, the solar cycles that sustained the world's balance, the eternal clash against the great serpent Apophis, who waited in the darkness to devour unsuspecting souls.
But now, the boat no longer belonged to the sun god.
Ikki had transcended it.
The Boat of a Million Years, the sacred chariot that once carried light through the world, now existed as part of his own authority. Whenever he wished, he could summon the majestic vessel, now an extension of his own existence. More than that, its power had evolved.
The new vessel flew at absurd speeds without affecting those onboard, floating like a golden beacon over any battlefield. Its presence radiated an intense energy, Uraeus, the divine flame of the sun, capable of incinerating enemies and melting the very ground, transforming it into a blazing inferno. In full flight, it would leave behind a trail of incandescent destruction.
And there was more.
If he wished, Ikki could channel the essence of Ra himself through the boat, firing colossal beams of destructive light. A single massive attack would be equivalent to a solar flare, capable of obliterating an entire city like New York in the blink of an eye.
He opened a satisfied smile. Power flowed through his soul like a rushing river, dense and overwhelming. His magic had worked perfectly, transforming a divine artifact into something even grander under his command.
"[Pandora's Incarnation: Sun Boat]" He murmured to himself, testing the name. He liked the sound of that.
However, he still had work to do.
His eyes landed on the Russian magician, and an idea took shape in his mind. The man was an Eye of a God, someone who walked the divine path of another entity. Ikki didn't have time to face him now, so he snapped his fingers. A magical barrier instantly rose around the dock, temporarily sealing the place and delaying any pursuit attempts.
And then, he vanished like a specter.
With a speed that defied perception, Ikki appeared before a lion-headed god, his resplendent aura reflecting absolute power. The creature barely had time to notice his presence before Ikki touched it.
What followed was devastating.
From the shadows projected by Ikki's arm, a dense and hungry darkness took shape. The god tried to move, fight, perhaps even roar, but something within him had been suppressed. Its very existence seemed to slow down, as if time itself was corrupting around it. There were no screams, no struggle. Only the inevitability of the darkness consuming it completely.
And then, it ceased to exist.
No vestige, no trace of its presence remained in the Duat. Only a frigid vacuum where a deity once stood.
Ikki's eyes gleamed, laden with the weight of a new power. But he didn't stop.
With the same relentless movement, he teleported to another god, a colossal figure, emanating divine energy. However, the difference in power was overwhelming. Ikki's touch was absolute — the shadows spread like a living fog, enveloping that being in an inescapable torpor. It tried to resist, but the darkness was a predator and it was the prey.
A blink of an eye.
Silence.
Gone.
It became food for Ikki's Conceptual Void.
And he didn't stop.
Moving like an invisible storm, Ikki swept through the Duat, hunting the gods with his imperceptible presence. Each touch was a verdict. Each shadow, an execution. He had become an inevitable specter, a predator of deities.
For a whole hour, his journey continued relentlessly. And when the massacre ended, his [Conceptual Void] had advanced to eleven percent.
The change was profound. He felt the universe differently. If before it took decades to understand complex concepts or Laws, now he could master them in just a year. His perception of how reality worked was expanding at a frightening pace.
And he knew.
This feeling was addictive.
And this was just the beginning.