Mummy Evolution

Egrith stood before the Door, alone in the vast desert.

This door wasn't attached to anything—just a doorframe standing at the top of a dune, with nothing but sand stretching endlessly beyond it. To an ordinary person, it would seem like a meaningless detail, nothing more.

But to Egrith, who could now see the fabric of space with his eyes, the truth was clear.

His Axiom made everything bare to his senses.

This door was the door into the Guardian Rooms. Space itself twisted around it, bending as if two distant points had been forcefully stitched together.

A dark aura seeped from its edges, pulsing like a living thing.

The closer Egrith got, the heavier the air became, pressing against his chest like unseen hands. His stomach clenched. Every instinct screamed at him to turn back.

Yet, he stepped forward.

He needed answers and hel—and the Guardians might have both.

The moment he passed through, the world shattered.

Heat vanished in an instant. The sun-scorched wind, the shifting dunes, the scent of dry earth—all of it was ripped away. Colors bled into nothing, swirling like ink dissolving in water.

Then—solid ground.

No more sand beneath his boots. He stood upon slick, wet stone, the scent of damp earth and stagnant air filling his lungs. Water dripped from jagged stalactites above, cold droplets splattering against his skin like icy needles. His breath curled in the dimness, visible in the cavern's chill.

Egrith exhaled slowly. He was no longer in the desert.

The Door had delivered him to the domain of the Guardians.

And he was not alone.

A powerful gaze rested on him.

To others, it might have remained hidden. But to Egrith—whose senses now saw the secret threads of space itself—it was clear.

A powerful creature.

Much more powerful than the Wyrm that attacked the palace.

Ignoring the gaze, Egrith walked deeper into the cavernous place. It was silent, cool, and empty except for the dripping stalactites.

Soon, though, a foreboding sensation gripped his heart.

"Oh?" a voice muttered in surprise.

Egrith's hair stood on end.

"To think that anyone else other than the Gods could sense me in this Tomb."

The voice was casual, intrigued.

"Are you the Guardian?" Egrith asked, looking around but finding no source to the voice.

"Guardian, huh?" The voice mumbled.

Then Egrith saw it.

His skin crawled.

It was a black-robed creature with no facial features. No eyes, no ears, no nose, no mouth. It had a completely empty face and it was inches away from his own face.

"I have questi—"

"I have no obligation to answer."

"I have no obligation to answer."

A fist shot forward.

Power.

Crushing power.

The air BOOMED as the punch landed. The cavern walls trembled—

Egrith's body exploded.

Blood. Bone. Shredded flesh. His remains splattered across the cavern.

The creature caught a chunk of him midair.

"How weak," it muttered, pressing the bloody piece against its skin. The flesh dissolved—absorbed.

Then, it erratically chuckled.

Voice leaking out of its skin instead of a mouth.

"Hehehehehehe!"

Then—

A hand.

Black. Sharp. Radiating death.

It clamped onto the creature's neck from the back.

The faceless horror froze.

Behind it—

A figure.

Dripping blood. Broken. But alive.

Egrith.

"Do I taste good, you dipshit?"

His whole body was bleeding and he seemed to be on the verge of death, but the faceless monster didn't dare to move.

It remained still, looking at the black hand.

How sharp.

"An Axiom?" It rasped.

"Not just any Axiom." Egrith's voice was ice. "This is the Axiom powered by the entire Territory of Kemet. And I am its new Pharaoh. Now—" He twisted his grip. "Do you feel like talking?"

The creature groaned in an unnatural voice.

"Hehehe… Amusing. Amusing indeed."

It turned to him.

Then, as if in a gesture of goodwill, began to transform.

Its appearance became the exact same as Egrith.

Egrith blacked away, wary.

"You can change appearances?"

His doppelganger smiled—a pair of eyes glinting indifferently. "Of course."

Egrith held back the discomfort in his heart. "So who are you, are you the Guardian?"

It shook its head. "I am Faceless. One of the two servants of the true Guardian."

They stared each other down.

Egrith's torn body—

The scattered chunks of his flesh—

Vanished.

One by one, the missing parts reappeared on him, fusing back into him. Making him whole again.

Egrith flexed his fingers. "Can you change into something else? It is uncomfortable looking at my own face."

Faceless smiled.

But his eyes didn't.

It was creepy.

Then, its body twisted—

Becoming a woman. A simple, unassuming neighborhood lady.

"Is this enough?" it asked, voice now soft, feminine.

Egrith exhaled. "That's fine. So—can I take this as you agreeing to an alliance?"

Faceless chuckled.

The giggle warped—

"Hehehehehehehe!"

Egrith grew tense.

The creature slowly walked towards him and discarded its black robes as it reached closer. By the time it was an arm's length away, Egrith could see its naked horror. Then, it tilted its head and looked down at its own chest.

"It's been years since I last saw a human woman, is this the physicality of a woman?"

Egrith found it extremely creepy. It had breasts, but no nipples. And even in its inner thigh, there was no private parts—no vagina, no penis. It disgruntled him.

"Is it close enough?"

"Does your appearance even matter?" Egrith asked coldly.

Faceless cocked its head. Then, its wide, inhuman eyes scanned him.

A second later, it slipped its robes back on and smiled—

A perfect imitation of innocence.

It wrapped its hand around his arm, pressing close like a lover. "Come on," it whispered, "let's tour my house."

Egrith could only follow.

Yet, as he walked, he clenched his hand.

I've grown a lot stronger.

His Axiom was making him an incredibly powerful force, but deep down, he had fundamental worries.

Is this even my own power? How did I gain it out of nowhere?

***

Meanwhile, near the Cloud Door.

After contemplating for exactly an hour, Sett and the two sisters decided on what to throw into the door. At least, what to throw in first. At first, they will have Zainah start the procedure.

Sett, Zarah, and Zainah stood on the back of Little Peckington and the eagle clumsily flew near the Cloud Door. From close up—the door looked holy.

Sett gave Zainah his hand. "My lady."

She blushed and gave it to him.

"It will hurt a tiny bit," he said softly.

Zainah nodded.

Sett brought her palm forward and gently bit into her wrist. She grimaced but held back—soon, she began bleeding crazily. Sett took out a goblet from his Inner Tomb and stored her blood into it.

Once the goblet was filled and Zainah started growing dizzy, he closed his eyes.

Death Begets Life.

From death, life is born.

Some miscellaneous corpses stored in Sett's Inner Tomb became the energy for the Ability and he moved its warmth from his own body to hers. She only felt a warmth accumulate in her wrist before her wound cleaned up.

He placed a soft kiss on her wrist and then gave her the goblet of her own blood.

"Should I just throw it in?"

"Yes. Just throw it in and when the spirit inside comes, answer honestly to anything it asks."

Zainah nodded in determination and moved to stand on Peckington's head. Sett stood just behind her, supporting her by wrapping his hand around her waist.

"Do it!" Zarah shouted from behind them, intrigued.

Zainah closed her eyes and threw the goblet of blood into the Door.

The moment it passed the door frame, the goblet vanished.

"What will happen now?" Zarah asked eagerly.

"Wait, it's here," Sett replied with similar energy.

The doorway rippled like a disturbed ancient well.

Ting~

Slowly, a transparent hand left the door with a silver goblet filled with—silver blood.

The owner of the hand was not visible, but a voice asked from inside, "Is this your blood, traveller?"

Sett warned Zarah to remain silent.

Zainah looked at the drop of blood, feeling her entire body scream in desire for it.

Is that not her blood?

If it was not hers, why would she feel so attracted to it?

It was obviously hers. Hers but better.

But in the story of the old woodcutter, this was not how it was supposed to go right?

What was the honest answer here?

That it was her blood? That it was not her blood?

She took a deep breath and answered truthfully.

"I don't know."

Sett smiled.

The hand withdrew and returned with another goblet.

This one was made of gold and filled with golden blood.

"Are you trying to cheat me by appearing honest?" The door sneered. "Nobody can cheat Uncle Door. Once, I'd allow it due to the honor of my heart. Let's see you answer the next question honestly."

Zainah gulped.

Sett's eyes glinted.

In the end, the wood cutters story was a fairy tale. Real world was not so simple. The answer and questions that lead to great wealth would not be so simple either.

The next question was going to be tough for Zainah.

The hand swirled the Goblet of Blood.

Then, it asked, "What is your life's goal?"

Sett sighed inwardly.

Zainah was a rather mentally closed off person and she was not exactly the type to know exactly what she wants. Even if she thought she wanted something, that might not necessarily be what she wants the most.

This question tested her self awareness.

It was an answer only she could give.

I guess it is alright.

Even if she failed to answer, it was alright—as the Door would still hand her the Silver version of her blood. That was enough on its own for her to become a Tomb Raider. But this Golden Blood would have made her a bit stronger than the average Tomb Raider!

Yes, when a person throws in an object into the Cloud Door, they would be asked three questions. Each time they answer honestly, their reward would get better.

If they could answer all three questions honestly, they would be guided by the Door Spirit—it was said that the Door Spirit knew the way to make every impossible a possible reality.

"So, do you have the honest answer for Uncle Door?" It croaked.

Zainah paused.

What was her life's goal?

Do I even have such a thing?

Not really.

Was that completely true?

Not really.

Immediately, she had a feeling that she would fail this question.