It's also the fear of the city's residents.
Of course.
As everyone tacitly acknowledges and knows the city's eerie situation, except for a few unlucky ones who are unprepared, there are still some ruthless people who conduct perfect murder and crime from this — after all, everyone knows that the temples are completely indifferent to the behavior of these black shadows hunting the people.
No one will come to deal with such matters.
This also provides a breeding ground for crime and murder — in the white stone villas of the noble district, a butler with a gold collar is directing two strong men to throw a burlap sack onto the street.
"Madam said," the butler flicked imaginary dust off his linen robe, "since this girl dared to seduce the young master, let her taste the night of Memphis."
The struggle inside the sack gradually weakened. After the footsteps faded away, the sixteen-year-old textile slave girl finally pushed open the sack's mouth. Her terrified eyes reflected the entire noble avenue — in front of each villa, similar sacks were piled up, some still writhing, some already silent.
The black shadows seeped out from the drainage pipes. They resembled black water during high tide, slowly but unstoppably engulfing every sack. As the girl desperately retreated, her back bumped into something icy. She stiffened and turned to see the young master and madam holding crystal glasses, enjoying the scene from the second-floor terrace of the villa. Below the eyelids dusted with malachite powder, madam's eyes were unnaturally bright.
"Mother, will this really ensure our family's...?"
"Shh... the more offerings, the more the new god will favor us."
The girl's final question sank into silence forever as the black shadow filled her seven orifices. Between her withered fingers, a piece of blood-stained linen thread gently drifted in the night wind.
Many black shadows caught their targets.
As the swarm of shadows returned to the temple like a flock of crows returning home, the embryo had already swelled to the size of an adult. Beneath its translucent skin, countless golden veins formed a pattern resembling a solar disc.
Clearly, at this moment, it was growing brighter as it absorbed life energy. The way shadows queued to merge into the embryo was revolting. They first unfurled into a membranous form, enveloping the embryo, then seeped in like liquid absorbed by a sponge. Each fusion surfaced a blurred human face on the embryo's skin, only to quickly flatten again.
The air inside the secret chamber grew stagnant.
The priests held their breath, focusing on the embryo.
Its light was no longer faint, but rather like the rising sun, dyeing the entire underground space a bright red.
Each heartbeat resembled the pulse of heaven and earth.
Every breath carried the pressure of the gods.
It had yet to open its eyes, but it could already sense the outside world.
It "heard" the priests' prayers, "felt" the life force brought back by the shadows, "devoured" the souls of the innocent.
It was growing.
It was awakening.
And all of this was built upon the demise of countless lives. The night in Memphis remained silent, unknown to all, as deep within a temple, the embryo of a pseudo-god quietly matured.
It was not Ra.
But it was about to become Ra.
Suddenly, the embryo trembled violently, its semi-transparent skin bulging with dozens of fist-sized lumps. The lumps pulsated rhythmically, as if countless hands were pounding against the fetal membrane from within. The air throughout the temple resonated with this, and the hanging bronze incense burners collided, producing a mournful hum like funeral bells.
"Not enough... not yet..."
A hoarse whisper exploded directly in everyone's mind. The embryo, suspended at the center of the magic array, pulsated slowly, each beat releasing circle upon circle of invisible waves of intent. Initially weak, like a baby's murmur, they quickly became intense, urgent, and carried a near-greedy craving.
This was not a sound, but a direct impact on the soul, like a tide crashing against the mind of every priest present.
The Scepter Priest immediately fell to his knees at the altar, his forehead pressing against the ground, scraping out a trail of blood.
"Great Lord of Light! Your humble servant shall —"
The Scepter Priest did not finish his sentence.
"Stop, that's enough for today." The voice of the woman in the black robe was not loud, yet it cut through the embryo's mental waves like an ice blade. She stepped forward, the hem of her rune-inscribed robe sweeping over the ground where the ashes left by the shadows automatically avoided her. Moonlight filtered through the lotus carvings on the dome, casting web-like shadows on her face.
"We've sacrificed seventy-nine people tonight."
She touched the surface of the embryo lightly with her fingertips, which immediately left behind a charred fingerprint, "At this rate, before the new god is born, Memphis will descend into complete chaos."
Upon hearing this.
The Scepter Priest immediately stood up to refute.
"He is calling." He said in a deep voice, laced with fanaticism and reverence, "It's not enough. He needs more life force to take full form."
He turned and ordered the priests beside him.
"Take some more offerings, create new shadows, and find thirty more people tonight. They must be strong and full of life vigor. We want the moment the new god descends to possess the power to dispel darkness!"
Upon hearing this.
The priests were about to carry out the orders when suddenly, the woman in the black robe raised her hand.
She pointed at the pulsating embryo.
"We are creating a new guardian, not a destroyer. If you continue to nourish it with innocent lives, it will no longer be the God of Light, but a monster that devours everything. Moreover, the remaining residents in the city will inevitably sense the spreading danger, and they may choose to migrate. Our city will then become a place where no one dares to live."