Episode One

The Awakening

[6:30 AM; Temple District: The City Persyonis]

Quiet. These days, mornings were always dreadfully quiet in the temple district. Almost as quiet as the Champion Halls of Themes-Zera's Courtyard; it was midsummer and the Mardions were in training, not competing. A shame, High Priestess Asthen'ri so enjoyed the arena matches.

The 'crunch crunch' of footfalls upon the sand echoed in the vast courtyard that lead to the main temple. Temple Del’Cious. Like a snake behind her, the High Priestess's robe swayed and fluttered here and there doing an almost tempting dance alongside her graceful movements. Suddenly, all was quiet again.

She had stopped. Asthen'ri could never make it past the temple's entrance without stopping before the statue that acted as its doorway... It took four-hundred masonry men to sculpt, carve, and lay the two-hundred and sixty feet marvel before the temple's entrance. The same four-hundred gave their lives to color the statue with their own blood. Glorious! They would be remembered for all time. A man, young and mighty, sat at a large and ornate throne. His blood red armor was carved beyond any mortal's eye of intricacy, his hair flowed long almost melting into the regal cape that was draped over his right arm, and on his left, he grasped a long stave with an ankh decorating its head. Asthen'ri looked upon the face of her Dehan ("Lord or God") and smiled. No other power was greater, and in this image she was reminded of that power. The power of a true god! The High Priestess could dally no longer, and wiping a small bead of sweat from her brow she hurried herself along.

Clutching a large tome tightly to her bosom and smiling all along, Asthen'ri entered he massive temple. A vast square hall made entirely of basalt; eight tall windows framed in red limestone and cut at a slight angle provided the temple with enough illumination that one was rumored to be able to see to its very end! The ceiling was supported by one thousand columns, each with a tapering finely fluted shaft resting on a torus with a circular base resembling that of a talon, or claw. They were made of black marble, polished to such a sheen that often times newcomers were startled at the amount of people within the temple only to realize it was their own reflection. Asthen'ri approached the main dais of the temple, it was lowered by at least four feet, circular, and twenty feet in diameter. Around its upper edge sat dozens of priestesses, all sitting quietly and humming. The base itself held three things; a lectern made entirely of gold, a red brazier its glowing fire licking wildly of the air around it, and finally a tall slab of black steel. More a table than a piece of furniture. Where normally there stood an altar, today, there was a rack of sorts. It was lifted up to allow its resident, Mhan'ri, to be in an upright position. She was bound by her wrists and ankles, and still, even after all this time, slept soundly.

Dear daughter, today you shall be a proud woman... Today, of all days, you shall be a Khemet. A child of our Dehan. Asthen'ri thought.

The High Priestess calmly approached her daughter and smiled. Mhan'ri was her youngest, having given eight children to the Ascendancy and three others already well into the priesthood, Mhan'ri was the last to be brought into the Blood-Circle. How proud she was! She lifted a soft hand and moved a lock of hair from her daughter's face. Asthen'ri stood once again behind the lectern and placed her tome upon it. The words of their Dehan, written by his most devout servants and brought only to the truly faithful... As she opened the tome she looked upon her daughter once more and removed her heavy robe.

Asthen'ri threw her robe into the brazier, now, wearing only a light silken dress her own sweat causing it to cling to her sides showing slight glimpses of the skin beneath; the robe burned letting out an odd blue hued smoke. Immediately four priestesses lifted large fans and began to fan at the smoke. In a moment's notice Mhan'ri's nostrils flared and her eyes shot open.

Mhan'ri threw her head hard against the rack, she craned her neck, and arched her back writhing for release. She tried everything she could to escape, she would not. Asthen'ri smiled slightly looking upon her daughter's form as it moved, so often did she remind her of her own youth. So graceful in movement... so beautiful. Soon, she would be more than that. Now that her thirteenth year had come Mhan'ri would truly be herself. She would be Awoken.

Soon. She shall feel the effects, she shall see the truths of her mind. Yes. Soon she will-

"Aaaaahhh!!!!"

Asthen'ri's thoughts were interrupted as her daughter gave out a shrieking, piercing, scream.

Scream.

No Khemet knew why it was that the sweat of a high priest or priestess made others so... Active. Asthen’ri knew, for when she had received the tome she had also received another gift... Her Dehan had changed her... The sweat of a high priest or priestess could make someone feel a thousand feelings, think a hundred thoughts, see visions of great or terrible things... but most powerful of all. Most potent. Was the sweat when mixed with the singing of their robes. When an un-woken breathed the smoke for the very first time they felt all things so profoundly. All of their senses heightened ten fold. Sometimes they saw great images of lust or love, other times they saw images of horror or war... It was always different what they saw but what they felt was always the same. Love, fear, hate, happiness, all the capable emotions of a mortal wrapped inside of one experience. The Awakening was sometimes so profound that the soon-awakened would die; not Mhan'ri, no, she would live. For she was the daughter of High Priestess Asthen'ri. Not a weakling.

The Awakening needed such strong methods, after all, they were to become Khemet. No Khemet was weak. No Khemet would allow weakness. And no, not any, Khemet lived in self doubt, self fear... That was what the Awakening was about. To release the soul from the confines of the mind! To enlighten one's spirit and lead them on the righteous path; who better? He was the one who lead them all into the light. Away from falsehoods and shadows.

Asthen'ri looked upon the fires of the brazier, the flames' color often shifting, melting, and becoming one with the blue hued mist that was her own sweat... She allowed herself to fall into a sort of trance. Her head then lifted upwards to the temple's ceiling... Where, fitted into the ceiling's center, was the Ultia-Nerut. A shining, pulsing, glowing, living thing. To many non-awakened a giant diamond-shaped crystalline object that lit the temple's rooftop with a beam of light so powerful that it could be seen from anywhere around the city. It was more than that. The Ultia-Nerut was by far more important, more powerful than was known. A beacon. A way for their Dehan to hear them, to feel them, and best of all... To lead them. The Ultia-Nerut served as a way to lead the faithful towards Ultrias; their paradise.

The high priestess's thoughts drifted, all ambient noise slowly faded to a low hum, and then silence. Her mind ventured about the temple, as it always did in deep mediation. In one section of the temple High Priest Ghes'orel lead his fellow priests in prayer their lyrical chant was followed by the crack of a whip upon their soft, exposed flesh. In another hall she could almost feel the emotional burst of a pair copulating, most likely High Priestess Fen'yarra prayed softly, allowing their copulation to succeed in granting the newlyweds a child. By the feel and sound of it, they may just succeed indeed, Asthen'ri hoped for the very best in their new future. Several more halls down she could smell the ritual pyres burning... Which meant, a family had been chosen for Ascension. Oh! How she envied them! Out of a family of sixteen Asthen'ri was only one of three to be left in the mortal realm... How disappointed she had been, not allowed to go along with her brothers and sisters to their Dehan's palace where they would serve as divine warriors or messengers; Dehan had greater plans for she and her siblings however. Now they served the people, as High regulators of the faith. She was proud.

Just then her head snapped back to the fires of the brazier. She would not allow her mind to drift too far away from the task at hand. The high priestess raised her hands abruptly and began to read from the holy book; as she read, her daughter screamed and acted wildly - both pain and ecstasy coursing through her - and her priestesses hummed softly.

"Dehan Anubis! We beseech thee!! Here us dearest, greatest, Dehan!!!" She cried from the holy writ. "I, High Priestess Asthen'ri, call upon your divine favor to pay witness to this young soul's awakening!! Mhan'ri's soul cries for release, please Dehan, hear us!!" The humming of the priestesses grew louder. "Free her soul by shattering the shackles of her mind so that she may serve you in life... and in death!!!"

All grew in an eerie silence.

They all stood quiet, Mhan'ri's screaming and moans turned into softer gentler sounds. The high priest stared upward at the Ultia-Nerut. The other priestesses simply clasped a hand over their mouths while their free hand was outstretched toward the ceiling.

Without notice a warm glow came down upon the gathering. The reflective columns shown brightly and the walls and ceiling sparkled like the night sky. A warmth over took them all and Asthen'ri shivered slightly. She always loved this part, as if the hand of her very Dehan had passed over her naked body, to touch her soul.

"It is time brothers and sisters!! Let us awaken her soul!" She shouted to the others.

The priests and priestesses that once sat now stood, throwing off their own heavy garments to stand naked before the high priestess. Beautiful, glistening bodies stood still for a moment. Hanging from their waist and the ends of their hair were tiny silver links, at the ends of the links, were sharpened pieces of bronze shaped like a claw or tooth. They all stepped down into the dais and made a circle around Mhan'ri.

"Who do we beseech?!" Asthen'ri shouted.

The priests and priestesses raised their hands way above their heads and shouted; "Our Dehan, Lord Anubis, great power of the cosmos and father of our people!"

"Then go, call out to him and pray that our souls are worthy!!" Asthen'ri cried.

In that moment the priests and priestesses shut their eyes and shook their entire bodies before erupting into dance. They danced wildly at times and slowly at others, almost reflecting what Mhan'ri's own mind was going through and with every step, every leap, every twist, and every turn the sharpened bronze "teeth" lashed their bare flesh. Some so sharp it left gashes upon their legs and arms, others just sharp enough to cut.

Droplets of blood began to fall to the floor, the fire's own dance changed as the smoke was gone only to be tempted by the rain of blood that sometimes came too near... Upon her own daughter’s naked form blood began to decorate like the scales of some great dragon... This was it, they would be done with it soon...

Asthen'ri continued to read aloud from the holy writ as the frenzied dance continued.

"... and hear me again my children, for faith in me is freedom from the shackles that bind you. The tyranny that seeks to mold you into pawns and slaves! Faith in me is freedom!! The freedom to do with your life and have whatever you want! To create a destiny for yourself you would otherwise be denied! My children, I, I who created you... I ask only for your faith. Be devoted to me without faults or doubts and I promise that you and your soul shall be free from the shadows of false gods and creators!!" Asthen'ri had read this passage so many times she did not even need to look upon the book's pages... She dreamt of the day of her death, when she would look upon her Dehan's eyes and loving say I am faithful

"It is his word Mhan'ri, a word that you will know! A word that you shall feel! AWAKEN Mhan'ri and you shall be embraced into his own when your time comes near!!" Asthen'ri cried. She must admit, doing it for her own child always made her shout and cry the hardest. It mattered not, none of her ilk had ever needed a push toward faith.

Asthen'ri began to read the passage of Ultrias. The passage that spoke of the journey and what he had to achieve in order to arrive inside of his divine palace. Her heart beat so fast she thought she would burst into tears, all the while she began to feel the energies of her fellows and her daughter.

Spilling like a fountain their energy would flow into the Ultia-Nerut. It would grant them the ability to tear away the mind-trap that her soul fought even now! Already she could see the slight changes in her daughter taking form, yes, they would be painful... but in the end, it was a small price to pay. A small price to pay indeed. For she would pay anything for her faith.

As Asthen'ri continued to read she called forth another priest with the wave of her hand. She had picked priest Xem'nar to be the one who performed the last rights for Mhan'ri. She had chosen him because not only was he a master artisan in his craft but he was about to become a high priest, thus, his last piece of canvas would be Mhan'ri... Excellent. Just how Asthen'ri had planned it. He pulled forth a small needle-like rod and tiny hammer. Dipping the needle first into the fire he waited until it was just hot enough then dipped into a small vial of red liquid. He began, as he usually did, with the flesh above Mhan'ri's left breast.

"Do not struggle too much m'dear, soon it shall be ova' and you can look into zee mirror wit' a smile." He whispered pressing the needle point against her flesh then hitting the rod's top once, then twice, with the hammer.

The first mark had been made.

High Priestess Asthen'ri knew it would take some time, this was it... The final test of the strengths of one's soul... The tattooing process usually took around three to four hours, depending on how much they struggled. The priests and priestesses would continue their dance, unaffected by their own exhaustion for they enjoyed themselves too much lost in their own euphoria. Asthen'ri began to drift to those days... In her youth she was a fine dancer, one who was admired and envied. Asthen'ri couldn't help but smile. She pictured one of those very days... Asthen'ri danced for the wedding ritual of her husband's eldest brother, he had fallen in love with her during that ritual dance and began to court her almost on the very next day; she had fallen for him only months after when he had slain his fist Mardion, as a token of his love he had presented the Mardion's heart to her. Asthen'ri's thoughts came into the present when she imagined her husband; he jumped over the arena stand after beheading his opponent. Still the best warrior of his generation in fact. Asthen'ri blinked her memories away and let her eyes fall upon the dancers.

I must remember to lay with Broen'ri tonight! She thought, becoming a ever more enticed by her own memories of her warrior husband.

They were days she sometimes wished she could return to, the very struggle to rise to power had been more exciting. Now however, she sat at the top. Being the High Priestess of Persyonis was the most powerful position under the Viceroy and most importantly of all she was closer to her Dehan than she had ever dreamed! Serving Dehan Anubis's people, his voice upon the city! Yes. Yes, that very fact made her hold no regrets.

“It iz done!” Cried priest Xem’nar.

He stepped away from Mhan’ri to reveal to all her awakened body. Once a frail, though beautiful, form was now a strong robust body. Tiny scales lined her frame some even glistening with the sweat and blood that poured off of her. Her hair had changed color as well, it was a pale green color that would slowly change with age to a more darker hue. Just like her mother’s. Asthen’ri could barely contain herself from running towards her daughter, how proud she was at this moment!! Mhan’ri had survived. Her soul saved from the prison of her mind.

“Got’ano and Sahv’den take her to the bathing hall and make sure her ink is sealed. I shall be with you in a moment.” Asthen’ri ordered.

The two priestesses did just that. They removed Mhan’ri from the rack and lifted her up. Despite the fact she was conscious she was barely capable of moving on her own. It was expected.

[4:30 PM; Temple Del’Cious: Bathing Chamber]

Steam rose slowly like the hands of praying Khemet. Slowly wavering and bending as it rose higher like the bodies of the dancers themselves. Mhan’ri leaned her head back against the edge of the vast pool and smiled. The ceiling was vaulted and on its surface a vast painting depicting the fight for their souls. The Khemet had been saved; once they were weak, frail things… Spawn of the Advent. False gods. They were beyond that now, they no longer lived in self doubt or fear, they were free and more than enough to mold their own destinies… Instead of creatures that lived solely to survive, playing pieces on the chess board. Well, another player had entered. One born of their own ilk, one who had made himself a god! The mural was glorious, a true sense of why they were so devout… There he was, their Great Dragon, fighting against the evil Advent… There he was, their Dehan, their father… He saved them. Many older generations still remembered being part of the ‘shadowed’ or as they once called themselves AAR. A name that wreaked of a weakness like a cancer. Anubis had found a cure. It was inside each of the Khemet. It WAS the Khemet. And now, Mhan’ri was part of them. Awakened.

Dearest Dehan, father of Khemet, Great Dragon, Devourer of the Advent… Lord Anubis… I thank you.

Mhan’ri was lost in her thoughts as she raised her hand to her own eyes. Tiny scales flecked with the hanging burners, small sconces lay lit on the four doorways. They too seemed to show her the marvel she was. Her hair felt heavier, somehow… Odd. Looking into the pool again her smiled widened. Eye like her father. Just as she hoped.

Slight movement, and a familiar scent, caught Mhan’ri’s attention and she turned. Behind her was her mother, still the most silent priestess she knew.

“Let me have a look at your new form, daughter.”

Mhan’ri’s eyes widened. Never had she heard her mother call her such… She could barely contain her own expression as she nodded and rose from the pool. Daughter. She would finally be known… be heard… Finally she could begin her ascent to power. Her mother’s smile told her that.

“The finest artist, for the finest Khemet.” Asthen’ri muttered with praise.

Her tattoo covered the left side of her body from just beneath her collar bone to her thigh. Like an angry flame is writhed and twined about. Sometimes bending other times moving stiffly. It appeared as though indeed it could move, though, only when Mhan’ri herself was moving. Xem’nar had been careful to leave some fading marks, to really blend in the tattoo. On Mhan’ri’s own skin it seemed as if she had worn it forever! Turning about so that her mother could see the finer details she was proud to stand as tall as she could. The tattoo covered her side and some of her butt. Asthen’ri was heard gasping before Mhan’ri turned to face her, curious.

“You’re… So… So beautiful…”

Mhan’ri could only tear up, her mother sniffled happily as she held her sleeves up to her mouth. Trying to be silent. She was the high priestess, holding any bias was against the code. Regardless, Mhan’ri approached her mother and gave her a tight hug.

“I made it mother. I am of the Khemet. Now, truly, a child of our beloved Dehan.”

Mhan’ri’s whispered brought an even tighter hug from her mother.

With the Awakening now over Mhan’ri was considered part of her society, she was now able to shape her life as she pleased. She could marry, procreate, even take part in the rituals and ceremonies of her people. Mhan’ri was now an adult.

The two stood silently in a loving embrace for nearly three minutes. Each proud of the other, each happy with this turn of events, this new path set before them. Asthen’ri knew Mhan’ri desired the position of priestess and someday high priestess; Mhan’ri knew, well enough, her mother would guard that position with her life… The two would soon know each other as competitions that very realization couldn’t have made them happier. For the Khemet were not weak, and through their children showed the greater purpose - to breed a stronger future, to be a stronger child. Failure to bring a child stronger than you into the world meant failure as a child of Anubis himself, and that simply was not tolerated.

Asthen’ri held her daughter in arms length. She kissed her upon the forehead and took a step back. “Mhan’ri, daughter of High Priestess Asthen’ri and High Ordinator Broen’ri, you are now of the purest of blood. Today and for all days you are a child of our most beloved Dehan. May the wings of our Dehan embrace you in life, and may his thirst be satisfied by your soul in death. As we-”

“We are one with him, the holiest of being, in death.”

Mhan’ri’s interruption was expected. It was a warning. Good, the girl’s ordeal had not killed the fire. No. It was just stronger, hungrier… It was Awakened. Asthen’ri nodded giving a stern look then turned from her. As Asthen’ri headed toward the doorway two priestesses entered with towels and new clothes. Asthen’ri glanced back at her daughter only to see Mhan’ri’s eyes still upon her mother. Asthen’ri knew what was to come, and she wished her daughter the best of luck. Though, luck was a vestigial word to the Khemet. Still. She decided upon the word.

“You are to present yourself before the Viceroy’s council before the day is through. Afterward you shall be met by your family and they shall take you home. A celebration does indeed await you… You have earned it, fellow sister.”

Asthen’ri’s word hit both the priestesses aiding Mhan’ri and Mhan’ri herself. The chosen usage of “sister”. Her mother’s way of warning her. She knew, as did all of them, when Mhan’ri met with the High Council she would be going into the Monastery of Gherlen to become a “fellow sister” - A priestess.

As mother and daughter parted ways they both raised their eyes to the heavens. Asthen’ri in the front court of the temple and Mhan’ri in the back steps that lead to the council’s chambers. They did this to settle their minds, to bring their senses to a calming resonance. For now they controlled that prison, as all Khemet did. Mhan’ri shut her eyes and concentrated as hard as she could, when she felt herself above the ground by an inch she opened them again and looked to the council chambers before her. Then, as did many Khemet, hovered to her destination with the power of her own thoughts.