บท 52: Goodbyes

The war had ended, and Egypt was returning to normalcy. Much time would have to pass for the cycle of hatred from the last war to be overcome; many lives had been lost over the years. Had the final battle against the Aliens not occurred, they would likely still be at war. Even if their leaders had made peace, mutual hatred would still be stronger than the desire for peace.

However, this last battle in the oasis left an opening for peace to be achieved, at least for now. Everyone returned to their realms, and some time had passed since the last battle. The rebels organized themselves and restored the government. Persenet became the new empress, ruling Lower Egypt. Although Merkare might have passed away, everyone remembered what he had done, so there weren't many complaints. Even the few that arose were quickly silenced by the high-ranking former rebels.

Today, everyone was participating in a grand event honoring those who fell on the battlefield. A large monument had been erected on the outskirts of the city, a gigantic black cube standing on one of its corners, defying gravity. It represented perfect harmony, balancing itself seemingly impossibly. The cube bore the names of all those who had died in the last battle, including Merkare's name. His was the only name Inmo personally carved on the monument.

No one opposed it; after all, everyone had witnessed when Inmo departed and returned with this strange cube. They couldn't figure out what the cube was made of, but nothing they had could damage it. So, they accepted Inmo's proposal to create a monument with it.

The new empress used this moment to make a speech, calming the citizens and instilling hope for the future. In the audience, Inmo and his group mingled with the people to witness the grand event. In the end, they would be among the few who understood the reason for the existence of this monument. Even when the sands of time covered it, memories of this war would still be alive in the minds of this strange group of immortals.

Time passed, and Inmo's group remained in Egypt. They even visited Upper Egypt, spending several months there. Inmo never broached the subject of the scarab, and Persenet said nothing about it either. Over the days, Inmo and Franky explored Egypt, while Diana and Satiah were occupied with other tasks. Satiah had to manage the empire, while Diana spent her remaining time with her first friend, assisting her whenever needed. Merlin, on the other hand, spent most of his time in the grand library, occasionally venturing out to seek practitioners of magic to enhance his knowledge of Egyptian magic.

Today was a special day. Inmo was in a part of Egypt that housed many monuments. He was carving a story on the wall of one of the grand monuments. When he was about to finish, Franky entered the location and said, "It's time."

Inmo understood, finished carving the last part of the story, and descended to stand beside Franky. He sighed as he looked at the wall, appreciating his final work. Franky, seeing this, decided to ask, "Master, why do you do this even now, after so long?"

"It's fun, Franky. Initially, it was just to pass the time, but it became a sort of hobby," Inmo said, giving a small laugh as he remembered two inside jokes. He used to leave stories in some of the places he visited. After that, he walked away from the site.

Franky, who had been standing still, pondered the meaning of it. Although he had grown accustomed to his master's peculiar habits, he was still intrigued by his choices. He soon stopped reflecting and followed Inmo. On the monument's wall, a story about an ancient legend in which a man who was mummified while still alive would return to destroy Egypt had been left. It was just one of the small tales Inmo had left on his journeys.

In the palace, everyone was ready. The group had decided that today would be the day of departure. A grand farewell banquet had been organized for them, and the group enjoyed it to the fullest, depleting the palace's stocks of wine and liquor.

At this moment, the group stood before Persenet and Satiah. The atmosphere was tense, as if the moment had finally arrived. Mother and daughter were nervous. At that moment, Inmo opened his mouth and uttered a single word: "The scarab." He reached out his hand to receive the object.

Before Persenet could respond, her daughter stepped forward and said, "I understand the agreement you had with my father, but I can't hand over the scarab." She was nervous but tried to maintain a calm expression.

Inmo didn't get angry. He knew what had happened to the scarab, but he needed to ask: "Why?"

Satiah didn't say anything but raised her hand, revealing a part of the armor on her arm. Everyone immediately understood what had happened. Inmo sighed resignedly, approached Satiah, and raised his hand. Satiah remained still, aware of Inmo's strength. He placed his hand on her head and tousled her hair. "Silly... What are you thinking?"

Satiah opened her eyes, surprised by what was happening. Inmo continued, "Yes, I had an agreement with Merkare, but I understand that it can't be fulfilled as it should. I'll allow you to keep the scarab for now. But I'll add one thing to the agreement."

After speaking, he stepped back and looked at Satiah. Everyone stood still, awaiting Inmo's next words.

"You know, Satiah, I embark on this great journey purely for entertainment. Immortals often get bored, so I venture out in search of stories that can entertain me. Ultimately, I'm a collector of stories." Satiah still didn't know where Inmo was going with this.

"So, the agreement is as follows: I want you to live your life to the fullest. Whether you become an empress or an ordinary person, you can have a family and be a mother, have children, or go on adventures without ever forming a family. It doesn't matter what you choose, as long as you're happy. I want that, at the end of your life, when I come to retrieve the scarab, you'll tell me a story. Your story. The story of your life."

At this point, tears were already streaming from Satiah's eyes.

"Agreed?" Inmo continued speaking to her, and she nodded in confirmation, unable to say a word for fear of truly starting to cry.

The group didn't linger any longer in the palace. They said their goodbyes and went to the dock, where they boarded the ship to depart. At that moment, Satiah appeared on the pier to see Inmo one last time. She was calmer now. As the ship sailed away, she shouted, "I WILL WAIT FOR YOU, AND I'LL HAVE THE BEST STORY YOU'VE EVER HEARD!".

Inmo heard this and smiled as the boat moved away.

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