Hallucinations

The corpses invited me to join them. It doesn't feel malicious, however. They wanted to accept me among them. They yearned for my companionship.

I let them flow downriver. They came, we met, they left, and that was alright. I've survived this hallucination without freaking out.

My sight shifted. I found myself within a sea of naked flesh, as far as the eye could see. The women I recognized from among the refugees crawled towards me with desperate eyes devoid of lust. They ripped flesh they thought might please me with their delicate hands and offered it to me.

I refused.

I didn't take advantage of their suffering in real life, and as sure as I can be, I will not do that in my dreams. My heart is lighter than a feather.

The scene shifted once more.

There are a lot of people slowly walking somewhere. Approaching them, I learned that every single one of them is me. Their eyes shifted to become worms, and they started walking towards me. A sense of grief overcame me. The poison is trying to break me. I can feel it. The worm victims have been given mercy by me once. I'm alright about giving the same mercy to myself. I impaled myself with the spear repeatedly.

Eventually, I was standing on a mountain of corpses. Then a worm reared its head from my belly button. I pushed my spear into my heart to accept my death. I, once again, found myself in a different place.

A giant worm reared its head from the sand. It donned a familiar face. It laughed.

"Zaffer! Zaffer! I will wash the desert with blood."

It's Zahir. He is mocking me.

"You could've stopped me, Zaffer! Why didn't you do it? The blood is on your hands."

I picked up my spear and hurled it toward the worm. It laughed and dodged.

"I can feel fear creeping in. If I let the fear overcome me, I will die. I calmed myself down and fell to my knees. The Worm-Zahir crackled maniacally and flew into me. The moment it touched me, it turned back into sand.

I lay on my back, watching the stars go by. They formed lines in the sky. I slowly rotted and sank into the sand.

Beings of pure love visited me at the spot where my bones were buried. These must be the gods. They are truly unfathomable. They contort into a million impossible shapes and smile at me. Among them was a snake of pure darkness. It stared right into my soul.

I opened my eyes with a gasp. The priest was smiling at me with a loving gaze. I recognize that look. It's an artist's look after finishing a masterpiece.

"Is it done?"

The priest nodded.

"The good news is that you will survive. The bad news is, you have become a conduit to god Apep."

I was shocked.

"Apep? Are you sure? Are you talking about the snake that God Ra defeats every day?"

The old man nodded.

"You will have a terrible time. Apep is the enemy of God Ra. He is the snake that fights him to bring the night. It's an evil deity, reviled beyond compare. It's the herald of the coming night. It devours the light and gives the land time to rest from the scorching sun.

Apep is not worshipped. It's only worshipped against. So, his conduit also receives the same treatment. Priests would create an effigy of Apep and:

Spit upon it, defile it with the left foot, take a lance to smite it, fetter it, take a knife to smite it, and put fire upon it.

Some of these rituals carry the risk of grievous injury. You should build an effigy to take them for you as soon as you can."

I can feel my stomach coming up. I don't know if it's because of the poison or if it's because of the news. Those damn worms—I hate them so much.

The priest saved my life. I wore my clothes once more.

"How can I pay you back, oh, exalted one?"

The old man smiled at me. He looked like he had me by the neck.

"What does your heart tell you to give me?"

I thought for half a minute. There is only too much I can give to this man.

"Some gold and some advice."

The old priest was surprised.

"Advice?"

I nodded.

"Yes, it's advice that could save so many lives that my little life debt would be paid tenfold."

The old priest bit his lip. He didn't like troublesome things in his old age. He wanted to live out the rest of his life in peace.

"Do you know the Quraysh tribe? The caravan robbers?"

The old man nodded.

"They have been wailing in the streets about how the pagans are oppressing them. They managed to garner some sympathy, I'm afraid."

Hah! Sympathy? How? Why?

"They have been raiding caravans in the south, and they even managed to raze a town. The worship of Manat is spreading, and with that spread comes more raiders. Why would anyone show sympathy to such savages?

My warning is this: Don't underestimate them. If you give them the opportunity, they will destroy everything others have built and turn it into a miserable environment full of oppression."

The old man nodded. I placed some gold coins on the priest's palm.

"Don't forget, the Quraysh are a threat. Wherever they go is misery."

The old man smiled. He didn't take my words to heart. I can tell.

"You seem to be a good guy, Nazhotep. While working on you, I noticed that your heart rate didn't rise with that poison. That means your heart was likely lighter than a feather. Nazhotep, can you escort my daughter to the capital?"

That's something I could do.

"That would be my pleasure."

I attempted to leave, but the priest stopped me.

"Stop, where are you going? I'm not done telling you things."

I feel a bit awkward. I sat back down. The old priest continued.

"By the merger, you have obtained some traits from the dreaded demon worm. I don't know what. But they should manifest within three weeks. Be emotionally prepared; don't panic."

I nodded.

"Alright, let me call my daughter so she can join you."

He got up and went somewhere. He then came back with a woman.

"This is my daughter Naika. Say hi, Naika.

She smiled.

"Hello, Nazhotep was it? My name is Naika. Nice to meet you."

I smiled back.

"Nice to meet you too Naika. Your father tasked me with escorting you to the capital. He requested so in exchange for saving my life. If you ever need something don't refrain from telling me. I'll do my best to accommodate you."

She smiled.

"I'll take your word on that."

Naika has a metal headpiece holding her silky black hair. It has a hawk motif on it. Her skin is a healthy shade of light brown. She has a pep in her step. She is excited about her journey to the capital.

The old man said his goodbyes and cried a little. He is a real softie when it comes to his daughter. She stood on her tippy toes and gave a kiss on her father's cheek. She has her sack on her back. And she gestured for me to come with her. We joined with Asenath and Salma outside.

"This is Naika. She is the priest's daughter. She is good with the bow and she knows some spells."

The girls smiled and introduced themselves. Then they turned to me.

"Nazhotep, are you alright now?"

I nodded.

"The priest saved me but there is a risk that I might become a freak within the coming weeks. I have merged with the demon worm and became a conduit to Apep."

Naika's eyes shone.

"I'm a conduit to Hathor. We came across the flesh of the dancer lion in the market and My father decided to seize the opportunity to make me a conduit with it."

She opened her mouth and showed us her prominent canines. she has been changed by the process.

" Aside from this, I am nimble and I'm good at staying balanced. Like a cat."

I smiled.

"Impressive."

Asenath and Salma gave me looks. I understood and cleared my throat.

"Salma and Asenath both are my lovers."

Asenath put her hands on her waist and affirmed what I said with her nod.

"You are a woman and I'm a man Naika. If you ever want to flirt with me, you will show proper respect to my lovers and seek their blessing. If they refuse, you shall not try and seduce me."

Naika smiled. I continued.

" I might be too forward about this but it's good to get these things out of the way before drama develops."

Naika nodded, understanding. She turned toward the other two.

"So, do you girls give me your blessings?"

Salma was shocked about the fact that Naika was so shameless.