Chapter 4

The following morning on day 4, we boarded an early flight from Cairo to Luxor.

As the plane descended, I pressed my forehead against the window.

Unlike Cairo's bustling skyline, Luxor unfolded beneath us like an open-air museum. The winding Nile cut through the golden landscape, separating fertile green fields from the endless desert beyond.

"So this is Luxor," I murmured.

Ayesha smiled from the seat beside me. "Many people call it the world's greatest open-air museum."

I nodded my head. "I can already see why."

After checking into our riverside hotel, we wasted no time beginning the day's tour.

Our first destination was going to Karnak Temple.

The towering stone columns left me speechless. Each one was covered in intricate hieroglyphs that had survived thousands of years beneath the Egyptian sun.

I slowly walked between them, running my fingertips across the cool stone.

"My God… It's incredible," I whispered. “It feels like the walls are telling stories."

"They are," Ayesha replied as she nodded her head. "Every carving records victories, ceremonies, prayers, and the lives of kings."

Leo folded his arms with a grin. "History is written on stone here."

I looked upward to see the columns stretched toward the bright blue sky like giants protecting ancient secrets.

No matter where I turned, there was another carving to admire, it’s like another mystery waiting to be understood.

"You've become quiet," Ayesha observed.

"I keep thinking about Kharef."

Leo laughed. "I knew it."

"What?"

"You're officially obsessed."

I scoff. "I am not."

"Well… You bought a book about him and you spent half of dinner reading it." He chuckled.

I shrug my shoulders. "I was just curious."

"You brought it with you today." Leo raises his eyebrow as if want to score a point and I guess he is right.

I sighed in defeat as I looked down and the book was indeed tucked beneath my arm. "...Okay, you guys are right."

Ayesha giggled. "I think archaeology might become your new career."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm just fascinated that someone so powerful could simply disappear because history doesn't usually forget people like that."

"It doesn't," Ayesha agreed. "Which is exactly why Kharef remains one of Egypt's greatest mysteries."

As we continued exploring the temple complex, an elderly guide leading another tour happened to overhear the conversation.

He paused and turned his gaze at me. 

"You speak of the forgotten king?" His voice carried a heavy accent.

"Yes," I answered politely. "Do you know anything about him?"

The old man's smile faded. "My grandfather told me stories."

Ayesha exchanged a surprised glance with Leo.

"What kind of stories?" I asked in interest, wanting to hear more about it.

The guide looked around before lowering his voice. "They say Pharaoh Kharef was blessed by the gods themselves that some believed he could not die."

Leo smiled awkwardly. "Those are only legends, sir."

The old guide nodded. "Perhaps… But every legend begins with truth."

He pointed toward the western desert.

"They searched for his tomb for centuries. Kings, scholars, treasure hunters and even foreign expeditions… But no one ever found it."

"Why?" I frown.

The old man shrugged. "Some say the gods hid it while others believe no living soul is meant to enter."

A breeze suddenly swept through the temple courtyard and the old guide looked directly into my eyes.

"But there is another story."

"What is it?" My eyes widened in anticipation for another thing about the Pharaoh.

"They say..." He hesitated. "...the tomb will reveal itself only to the queen chosen by the gods."

A strange shiver raced through my body and before I could ask another question, someone from his tour called his name.

He offered a respectful nod before walking away.

Leo exhaled. "Don't mind him, miss. Older guides love telling ghost stories."

Ayesha smiled. "Yeah, it makes the tourists happy."

I forced a laugh. "Yeah..."

But for some reason… His words lingered in my mind.

***

That afternoon, we crossed the Nile by boat.

The gentle current carried us toward the western bank, where the mountains rose from the desert like silent guardians and the view was breathtaking.

I closed my eyes, letting the warm breeze brush against my face.

For the first time since Aiden left me… I felt peaceful; there was no anger and no tears. Only silence.

Maybe that was why I didn't notice the scarab pendant growing warm against my skin, not until I opened my eyes.

For a split second… I thought I saw someone standing alone on the riverbank.

A man, he’s exceptionally tall dressed in black and gold robes. He stood perfectly still, watching the boat but the sunlight made it impossible to see his face clearly.

Yet somehow… I knew he was looking directly at me.

But when I blinked… He was gone.

"Everything okay?" Ayesha asked.

I looked back toward the empty shore.

"I..." I shook my head. "I must have imagined it."

The rest of the afternoon passed pleasantly as they explored the local markets before returning to the hotel shortly before sunset.

That evening, I sat alone on my balcony with the book about Kharef resting on my lap.

The sky slowly darkened above Luxor and I turned another page.

According to one historian, Kharef ruled for nearly thirty years without losing a single battle. Another claimed he expanded Egypt farther than any pharaoh before him.

One ancient inscription referred to him as… ‘The Black Sun King.’

I smiled to myself. "You really were extraordinary."

The wind lifted the pages and this time, it stopped at an illustration to show a queen standing beside Kharef.

Her face had been completely scratched away and only one sentence remained beneath the image.

"She came from where the sun sets beyond time."

I frowned. "That's... strange."

Before I could read the historian's notes, every light in my hotel room flickered.

The balcony curtains billowed inward though the doors were closed.

Then… I heard a whisper.

So faint it was almost carried away by the wind.

"...Maritza..."

I froze in shock.

Slowly… Very slowly… I looked over my shoulder but the room was empty.

My heart pounded. "Did someone just..."

Silence… Only the gentle sound of the Nile flowing beneath the moonlight.

I closed the book and laughed nervously. "I guess, I'm spending too much time reading ancient legends."

But as I placed the book on the bedside table, I failed to notice the final page turning by itself.

Across the ancient illustration, faded ink slowly darkened.

One line, invisible for thousands of years, revealed itself beneath the moonlight.

"The Queen has crossed the river."

***

Far beneath the Valley of the Kings… 

A sealed chamber trembled and put stone scraped against stone. 

And deep within the darkness… The forgotten king opened his eyes.

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