Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

Today's teachings were entirely fortuitous, prompted by Aibu's sudden visit.

Kasim was somewhat surprised. What had brought him here?

"Teacher... father."

Aibu changed midway, biting his teeth: "I've seen those visions again."

"I saw The Sky torn asunder, in the distant lands beyond my sight, the yellow sands being drawn out, flowing to the world's edge."

"The stars were trembling, storms dying and being born anew. The water vapour circulating between heaven and earth was split into four... Darkness spread across the world, black smoke rising beneath the sun. The pillars in The Sky crumbled in succession, their falling fragments would kill two-thirds of the creatures on earth."

"Is this really just a vision, father? It feels so real, as if happening in the past, present, and future. I've been feeling uneasy these days, I—"

"This is just a vision, Aibu."

Kasim interrupted with a calm demeanor.

"Only La, the all-seeing Deity, sees the truth. What you have seen is certainly not reality."

"..."

"Perhaps the recent bustle has left you not quite well. Hmm... you can take some time to rest, contemplate what I've previously spoken to you about, and by the way, help the struggling believers around you."

"Both thought and action are indispensable."

"... I understand, teacher."

Suppressing the unease in his heart, Aibu bowed slightly and left with a bellyful of doubts.

Behind him, Kasim silently watched him depart.

After a long while, the High Priest of Heliopolis returned to the Temple of the Sun God.

He stood in a corner, not joining the prayers of the people, but quietly listening to the end of a hymn, then raised his hand to signal.

"High Priest, do you have any instructions?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt your devotion to God, but I still had to come here."

Smiling, Kasim spoke facing the effigy, with his back to the congregation.

"I have a prophecy to announce."

Whispers spread through the crowd, not expecting another divine edict.

This morning's Temple did indeed flicker with golden light; the city's believers thought it was just a change induced by the gaze of the Deity, but here was another prophecy.

"As you thought, I received the command of La this morning; I've interpreted it at noon; now I shall proclaim it this evening."

Recalling the words Aibu had spoken, Kasim turned and looked at the people kneeling in The Temple.

"God speaks—'The people with Sin Blood still linger on the earth, gods of the Alien Clan will bring curses down upon the children of Egypt.'"

"Frogs will emerge from the waters, covering houses, fields, and roads; lice will spring from the earth, biting the people, livestock, and King."

"Beetles will come to ruin pastures, plagues will infect the herds. All that are struck by it, none shall not die; all untouched by it, boils will also sprout on their bodies."

"Finally, gods of the Alien Clan will turn water into hail, falling from The Sky to the earth; they will turn the sand into locusts, devouring our food supplies."

"Such is the wickedness of the Evil Gods—they will bring sevenfold disasters upon all the children nurtured by the Nile River."

Murmurs rose again within the crowd, incredulously looking at Kasim and also towards the divinity behind him.

Sevenfold disasters, each one enough to cause them suffering, let alone cumulatively.

If these calamities indeed befell them, they knew not how many would survive to the end.

"High Priest, the prophecy bestowed by La... should tell us how to resolve this, right?"

Someone tentatively asked, and seeing the hopeful eyes of the people, Kasim smiled and nodded.

"The peoples of the earth have disappointed God, having failed to exterminate the sinful Alien Clan to this day."

"So La summoned the creatures of the underworld, allowing them to return to the mortal realm to execute his will." Experience tales with My Virtual Library Empire

Profaning wraiths... it was a taboo within the teachings of the Egyptian Gods Church, but if a god himself was doing it, Kasim didn't know what to make of it.

However, compared to these, he thought more about other things.

The curse of alien deity...

It was unclear whether this curse was specifically targeted at Egyptians or if they were simply collateral damage.

············

Rustle, rustle—

In the world of Hemenu, The Eight Primordial Spirits are a certain manifestation of the world.

Above the Primordial Water, all life begins.

However, for everything in the world, there is an opposite; where there is Order, there is Chaos. Compared to the stable and quiet Tartarus of Chaos, the chaos of Hemenu disperse among the laws of the world, gathering in the world's shadows.

Rustle, rustle—

In the underground river, within a space that exists and yet doesn't, a massive being lay sprawled out.

On its mountain, specks of gold and silver interwoven flames were still burning, clashing and extinguishing against the wisps of black vapor.

The power of the flames was so great that the black vapor often required several times its strength to extinguish just a part. Yet as time passed, the black vapor seemed to become stronger.

It was as if it had received some sort of blessing; with each inhale and exhale, its strength grew purer.

Crack—

Crack, crack—

The figure writhed, its body clashing with invisible chains, the massive creature evidently feeling some discomfort.

But its eyes remained closed, its consciousness still mired in slumber.

The scourges of both the former God of Sun had ultimately been thoroughly subdued in Ra's hands; according to Ra's prior estimates, it would take at least a few hundred years for it to break free.

Apep, the Chaos Serpent of Hemenu, was said to be the source of chaos born alongside the sun itself.

If the Primordial Sun God Atum represented the beginning of all, the source from where all life sprang into being, then Apep was The End, the demon that would destroy everything.

Its sole purpose since birth was to destroy all order in the world, so much so that in the oldest of times, the then Sun God Atum had to fight it every day.

Mortals passed down tales that when darkness fell, it was the Sun God driving the Celestial Sphere to the other side of the world, locked in a deadly struggle with the Chaotic Serpent; the rise of the sun meant the God had triumphed over the demon intent on destruction, once more ruling over the world.

However, unlike other deities of Hemenu, Apep lacked rationality. As an embodiment of chaos, it too was undying. No matter how many times it was defeated, it would revive again with each new night.

Which is why the Egyptian Ra, unlike the Divine King of Chaos, wasn't so autocratic, for an extended period, as the most critical task of their role as the Sun God was to suppress this monster that sought the world's destruction.

Of course, all this ended with the coming of Amon-Ra-Atum.

When Ra usurped the power of The Eight Primordial Spirits, he truly gained the might to suppress Apep.

With just one strike, he dealt unimaginable damage to the Chaotic Serpent.

For many mortal years, it lay unable to awaken and wreak havoc; yet with the recent changes in the world of Hemenu, the Chaos Serpent seemed to be changing as well.

Crack, crack, crack...

The sound of breaking chains grew more frequent, especially as the mortal realm's climate and celestial events became chaotic due to the fall of the Pillar Gods, its dissolution accelerated.

As the antithesis of order, in these wavering times, Apep seemed to have consumed the perfect tonic

Even if the world's powers were not inclined towards it as with Ra, its strength grew day by day, instinctively shattering the shackles that bound it.

"Hiss... huff..."

With unconscious hissing and breathing, Apep's eyelids quivered slightly.

It seemed close to awakening, yet it seemed to be missing something as well.

For the first time since its birth, it had been struck into slumber, and to reawaken it required either the turmoil of the world or some other stimulus.

As for what kind of stimulus could reach the world's origin, the place where Apep slumbered... before it actually happened, it was probably impossible for anyone to predict.