Kapitel 3: Playful
"Do you know me?" Zainah asked, goosebumps rising over her skin.
This mummy was weird. It came out of the wall, it could speak, it was calling her a family, and it seemed to even know her. Then, it also seemed to know about the weird crimson flower tattoo that had appeared on her earlier.
That had been magical, it had bound her tighter than a rope could ever bind.
Having closed his eyes, Sett ignored her. Focusing instead on another matter—his memories. They were, as expected, jumbled at the moment. But he could still remember key information, at least everything that was incredibly important for now.
I should run it through and think about everything once.
He was Sett. Sett Ramses VII, the 7th Pharaoh—supreme emperor—of Ehyut, the empire of prosperity.
Smiling, Sett shook his head, wondering how many years had passed since that stopped being the case. What generation was this now?
10? 20? Who is this generation's pharaoh? What's the empire like now?
"What year is this?" he asked, opening his eyes.
"...204 ATR," she replied.
"Just that much?" he frowned.
370 years since I used my Axiom to reincarnate. That's too short a time for me to wake up, isn't it?
He thought back on everything before his reincarnation. Axioms were a unique power that only the royal bloodlines awakened—one power for each user. History says that the ancestors of royalty mated with gods to achieve such results.
And being the Pharaoh of the blood, he also had an Axiom.
Axiom of Reincarnation.
And his Axiom was not like any others, it equaled the best of man's powers. In the calculation of strength, Tier 1 to Tier 5, that was the limit of man, and Tier 6 was the domain of gods. In his last life, by becoming the Pharaoh, he had also reached Tier 5 with his Axiom.
Not to mention, he had also become a Tier 5 Tomb Raider.
But for me, that was not enough, I wanted a place among the gods, he thought. And I failed in my attempt.
His Axiom was too weak in that life. Yes, it had the power of reincarnation that could help him reincarnate in another suitable body in his bloodline with high potential—he could also help others reincarnate as long as they were alive.
But that was lacking by too much in the aspect of combat.
Raising his left hand, he stared at it with a deep gaze. That's why, near his death after the failure, he did something he always feared doing. He used the power of reincarnation on himself so that he would be born in a different body with a better Axiom.
His six royal daughters, two sons, five concubines, and the Queen all followed him to reincarnate, too. His family. They were all marked using another person's Axiom with a crimson flower marking—thus, all people with that marking were family, and so was Zainah.
When he moved close to them, they would freeze for a moment and the marking would reveal itself like it did with Zainah.
Why am I a mummy, though? And what is this body's Axiom? What happened to the Axiom of Reincarnation? Did it get destroyed in the process of my reincarnation? Can mummies even think with their rotten brains, how does it work for me?
For now, his head was not clear enough to answer such questions.
Sett opened his eyes, finding Zainah pacing in circles around him. If it were not so dark, he could have made out her entire figure, face, and eyes.
Truly, he did wish to see it.
"You do love that little girl," he said with a smile.
"Of course I do, she is my sister!" she said, agitated. "How are you going to save her?"
"I am not going to save her, you are," he said.
"...YOU!"
"Calm down," he said, rolling his eyes. "I don't have much power other than that of an above-average mummy's physical force. If we wish to go and get your sister like that in those depths, it's probably well beyond impossible."
He could feel her blank stare on himself.
"But you are different, you have an Axiom, right?" he asked. "If we use it well, with my cooperation and your Axiom, we can move down pretty easily. We would have to worry about the Guardians in the depth but if we manage to get a Tomb Heart, I should be able to handle them from then on."
To awaken his Axiom, he would need to inject some energy into his body from a Tomb Heart and he didn't have such a thing in hand, but the energy from the crimson flower mark must have awoken Zainah's Axiom.
"Hahaha, what a great idea," she said, coldly. "Just that I don't have an Axiom. I am no Royal." Aptly, she also added: "Believe me, if I can't get Zarah back, I am ready to die trying to kill you."
He rolled his eyes and stood up, supporting himself against his knees.
"To say the great Zainah, the Playful, isn't royalty," he said with a smile. "Amusing. If you are not royal, no one is, my Royal Highness."
"Great Zainah, the Playful?"
As she said it, she felt puzzles click in her body, nerves shift, and bones realign. Her veins lit up a color of red, her hair flew in the air, and finally, amidst the brilliant light, Sett could see her naked figure in its whole.
Hair as black as coal, light skin that had been tanned in the desert heat, and pure brown eyes that bordered on gold. She also had an abundant figure.
Not even a difference in her moles. Even her assets look the same, perky, to the point, and sexy. Zainah is still Zainah physically—sigh, the mental part is the issue. Her soul should also be the same but her memories have changed, she had lived a life as a blank slate for years now and has already gotten another life going.
She had no knowledge about her true self from the past, and of course, she would feel rejection.
Step! Step!
Due to the commotion there, mummies started to move towards them from multiple directions, but in one direction, a hole suddenly opened up and swallowed them. In another direction, a hole opened in the wall and released fire, burning them to a crisp.
Only one direction remained and those mummies all moved towards them at great speed.
Sett looked around, calm.
I have the bandage in my body to burn, I can easily run away with Zainah if need be, he thought, but that seems unnecessary.
An elegant bone flute appeared in Zainah's hand and she looked back at the mummies with a blink. She seemed frightened at the sight of so many hideous creatures running towards her, but then, she forced herself to calm down.
The flute touched her graceful lips and suddenly, a music that Sett could never forget echoed into the surroundings.
Axiom of Playfulness—Ability: Song of Playfulness.
The growling mummies all just stopped in their tracks and after a second, began dancing like fools.
"Huyya, Huyya, Huyy!"
"What are you doing?" Zainah asked, her expression complex.
"Giving sound effects to their dance," he replied.
"You…" she hesitated. "Whatever, come let's go. Where is she?"
"Deeper." He looked into the dark depths. "And from now on, we should be safe with your Song of Playfulness on our side. Normal mummies can't resist it."
"...What about you, can you resist it?"
"I mean, no mindless creatures can resist the effects of the Song of Playfulness but sadly, I have a mind."
They began running, and while at it, she asked, "Won't I grow exhausted if I use this… Axiom, too much?"
"Oh, it's just a Tier 1 attack, you can use it till your throat is dry. No magical cost of magical power and whatnot—it uses the power of the world itself. You can't understand, so just do what I say."
Zainah... nodded. She was not blind, she could see that the mummy before her was weird, but she also smelled infinite wealth in its existence. Deep down, if Zarah had not been in a crisis, she would have already been celebrating.
The thing that only Royals had, an Axiom, now, she had it too. A stupid little thief from a stupid little city's dirty alleys, and she had an Axiom.
Axiom of Playfulness... it is called.
But without Zarah, it's useless, she inwardly couldn't help but shiver.
She remembered her own advice.
Zainah, a thief has to always keep her eyes open. Even when asleep.
She decided.
I will keep a clear eye on the mummy, no one ever gives things without expecting something else in return. There is no free lunch in this world. What does he want? What is his motives? Is he taking me to my death?
She was naked, so the air in the Tomb felt ever the colder.
For the Axiom, she had a feeling she would have to pay with something incredibly precious.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein