MasukFrom that moment on, it felt as though I had truly become part of them.
Little by little, I began getting to know the people around me.
I also learned that the First Mage’s real name was Hasan—the same name he had used while pretending to be an ordinary professor in my world. Somehow, though, I had already become so accustomed to calling him Professor Hasan t
The closer we got to the palace, the stranger everything became.At first, I thought it was merely my imagination. The streets were quieter than before, and the torches lining the walls flickered despite the absence of wind. Their flames seemed to shrink whenever we passed, as though something unseen were stealing the air around us.Even Ramose had stopped making jokes.Then Kasim halted… His hand moved before I could even ask what was wrong. A small knife flashed past my face, so close that I felt the air shift beside my cheek.I flinched. “What—”A spider dropped onto the stone pavement beside me and Kasim's knife had pinned it to the ground.I stared at the creature, then slowly turned toward him.“Oh God, what is that?” I whispered, pressing a hand to my chest.He didn't answer me. His gaze was fixed on the ground.Following his line of sight, I noticed another spider crawling out from between the stones. Then another appeared near the wall and another.My stomach tightened. “SHIT
It was still dark when we approached the palace, but the closer we came, the more soldiers we encountered along the streets.They stood at every corner, beside the gates, and near the roads leading toward the royal grounds. Torches burned brightly against the darkness, illuminating the surrounding buildings and casting long, shifting shadows across the stone walls.It was almost as if they knew someone was coming.I glanced at Ramose, who was leading our group, then reached into my bag and took out the bundles of herbs I had prepared earlier.As we passed a burning torch, I tossed one of the bundles into the flames.“Use these,” I instructed, handing the others the cloth masks I had made. “Cover your noses w
Shaking my head, I turned to Kasim.“Is everyone ready?” I asked him.The Shadow Soldier nodded. As usual, he didn't ask questions or demand explanations about what had happened between Professor Hasan and me. He had never been the sort of man who pried into matters that weren't his concern, and I was grateful for that.With a quiet sigh, I gathered everything I had prepared and carefully packed it into my bag. The herbs, medical supplies, and other things I might need were all there. I couldn't predict what awaited us at the palace, but I intended to be ready for whatever came our way.Just as I was about to follow Kasim out of the tent, I stopped.“I don't know anything about fate,” I said, keeping my back toward Professor Hasan. “But what I do know is that, right now, I'm going to do everything I can to save Kharef and Egypt from the future I saw in that dream.”I didn't wait for his response. Instead, I followed Kasim out of the tent.Yes, fate… I still didn't know whether my arri
I stared at the First Mage—or rather, the man I had always known as Professor Hasan—in disbelief.So, all of this… everything that had happened, was it a repetition of the past?He and High Priest Anen had foreseen a dark future, one in which the prophecy led to Egypt’s downfall. They had somehow turned back time, hoping to change the final outcome. And now, they were using a different method to rewrite the fate that had once destroyed this kingdom.But where did that leave me?I didn't know what to feel. Shocked? Angry? Or perhaps sad, knowing that I might have been used as part of their plan without ever being told the truth.Or could this truly be my destiny?“That woman… the woman chosen by the prophecy before me…” I hesitated, struggling to put my thoughts into words. “She was the one who was supposed to come here, wasn't she?”Professor Hasan regarded me quietly before answering.“All the women chosen by the prophecy could pass through the gate I created. However, even I was sur
Finally, exhaustion caught up with me.I had been working for hours, sorting herbs and preparing everything we might need for our journey. At some point, my hands slowed, my thoughts became muddled, and I fell asleep at the table.But instead of sinking into a peaceful rest, I found myself somewhere else, dreaming.At least, I thought it was a dream.I was walking slowly through a dimly lit corridor, my steps careful and quiet, as though I were trying to avoid being noticed by someone.But who was I hiding from? And why?I had never experienced a dream like this before. Everything felt strangely vivid, from the cold stone beneath my feet to the faint voices drifting from somewhere ahead.I continued walking until I heard someone speak.“Did you manage to bring her?” The voice was familiar.I turned toward it, then cautiously moved in the opposite direction, keeping close to the wall until I could see the people gathered inside a chamber.My steps stopped when I saw Queen Neferaset sta
At midnight, while everyone was busy preparing the lamps, I worked on something different.I knew how many palace soldiers we would eventually have to face. Even with Kasim and Aziel preparing hidden routes into the palace, we couldn't assume that everything would go according to plan and I wanted to make sure we had another way to move through the palace safely.So I began gathering herbs, sleeping herbs.The idea had been forming in my mind for a while. Certain herbs, when burned, were traditionally believed to produce smoke that could make people drowsy. Old practices involving aromatic and medicinal smoke had existed for thousands of years across regions such as Egypt, Arabia, and the surrounding lands.I wasn't a witch and couldn't create magic, but perhaps I could







