God’s and Khal

513 years ago…

The sun was setting down in Nuseiba. The little town saw its inhabitants disappear in their house. Slowly the children were dispersing all around the hut of the city. Hurrying because of the scream of their mothers calling them. Afterwards, only two children were left outside. At the top of a house, they were watching the sunset. The boy had short hair falling right at the top of his golden eyes. He was dressed in a poor pitch black dress. At his side, the girl was wearing a simple white dress. Her long yellow hair was flying in the hair, pushed by the slight breeze. The two of them were called respectively Khal and Hessa…

They looked silently at the horizon until the sun finally disappeared in the far view. Khal was looking at the ground blushing from all parts of his body. The young teenager was shy in the presence of the girl. She stood up, and he didn't even realize. She walked to the border of the building where they were standing and stared at the city. Nuseiba was little, and in seconds the eyes were able to go around.

"Hey, Khal, you love me right?" asked the girl

"Me, ah uh, no, yes… maybe… I don't know…."

Hessa laughed and grabbed the hand of the shy boy. She began to pull him forward, forcing him to follow her movement. She stopped right at the top of the building, at the limit of the border. Khal stared at the ground a few meters down and stumbled for a moment.

"You know, there is a way to prove to me your love…"

"A way?"

Hessa slowly pushed the body of Khal toward the limit of the roof.

"Jump"

"..."

"I want you to die for me Khal…"

A white dress teinted by darkness. A hand and an eclipse, covering the sky, pitch black. A voice piercing the horizon, a slow stretching hand, and blood covered tears. A call to two lovers, breaking the chain of destiny. Death is really the end, perhaps the beginning… The answer… Death is love…

---

Khal arrived at the door of Geb and opened it. A large wave of energy flew through the room. A light emerged from the door and enelopped Khal. In an instant, he was in front of massive dark scenery. The sky was all black and the ground was covered with a few centimeters of water. The landscape was endless, stretching infinitely to all parts of this dimension. Letting Khal feel little inside this large environment. The only source of light was an aurora borealis tearing the sky in multiple parts. Only his reflection could be perceived from the water. The most disturbing thing was the lack of Ankh in the environment. This world was entirely dead, without any life energy. Only the door was standing alone in this place. A few seconds in, a sweet voice reached the ear of the Dune Walker.

"K… Kha… Khal…"

The boy closed his eyes and answered confidently.

"Geb, I'm here to talk! Allow me into your domain."

"W… Why?" asked the voice louder this time. Shaking the water tenderly.

"negotiation…"

"Hahah… hahaha! Come i…"

A large wave of energy stretched from the horizon. A light uncovered Khal, who began to float in place. A soft breeze reached the senses of the Deadman. The scent of it was sweet and comforting. Quickly roots covered the scenery, and flowers bloomed from all parts of the plants. The sky became bright blue like the clear sea. From afar, a silhouette began to fly slowly to Khal. It was a large 2-meter long goose. It sat down in the fresh herb replacing the ground. The undead stopped to float and fell to his side.

"Are we gonna talk like that?" asked Khal to the animal.

"Hahaha, no… of course, no!" answered the animal.

Considerable energy emanated from the animal when the light stopped, a beautiful man appeared. The man had blue locks and green eyes. Black makeup covered his joyful face. His clothes were colorful and composed of multiple layers of flowers. He looked like a human at any point, but the aura engorging him was divine. A large green energy filling is surrounding and constantly attacking the ankh of Khal. This place was his domain, and only the door remained intact.

"Do you prefer a more usual appearance? That's pretty cool dude, who thought that the great Khal was picky. "

"You know me, good that will be quick…" answered Khal

Geb grabbed an apple from a nearby plant and bit it. He smiled at the man and nodded quietly.

"Oh, your reputation is quite something here in the afterworld. You are a mad lad, you know. Confronting Anubis like you do! Even I shake a little each time this hard God's ask me something. Brrr! But that doesn't surprise me when I see your confidence in front of me. Like it will change something hahaha…." The god was talking quickly and loudly. His overconfidence was disconcerting. The divine being was acting with overly great certitude and scruffiness. That was not enough to unsettle the inexpressive Khal.

"So Khal, I know you said to the two men outside that you will negotiate for them and all. But… let's be real, bro. You know that I don't give a shit, right?"

Geb smiled and touched the cheek of the Dune Walker delicately.

"They made their things alone. Why should I help them dismantle their beef with my man Anubis? They ask for it! They got it! So don't come here as a savior... Just tell me the real reason for you coming…."

Khal looked at him silently for a moment and grabbed a part of grass on the ground.

"I understand more why Saan had a problem with you… You are a talkative egoistical son of a bitch…"

Geb stopped touching him for a moment, crisscrossed his arm and laughed loudly.

"Hahaha, little piece of shit, tough as they say. You always have this thing against us. I thought that it was in the past."

"Nothing, in particular. I just learned how to talk to gods like you."

"Good, good and good… So let's be real, Dude Walker. I know what you seek. You want info about this Djinn, right? Hessa…"

Khal sat down calmly and smiled sarcastically.

"I think that's not a secret for any god right now. I need to find her before Anubis. I seek your help for that, but I also made a contract with the ol' man outside. For that, I want you to negotiate with Anubis. To protect your people."

"Told me, Khal, do you really care about these people? Or do you try to replicate their human way of dealing with problems?"

Geb summoned a throne made of wood and sat down in front of Khal. Grabbing another fruit in the way.

" I know who you are, Khal, what you did, and I can easily see in your eyes that nothing here really matters to you…."

"I can ask the same to you, oh great God of the earth! Protector of Rudhetria… Why did you let all of this happen?"

"Why…"

…

"Because I'm a motherfucking God, bro…."

Geb ate his apple in one big bite. He laughed slowly and curled upon his throne.

" You know that we haven't had the same kind of liberty since the great awakening. Our powers are restricted to the doors that we have worldwide. They are not my only city Khal, I have plenty of humans to protect every day. I grabbed the opportunity to call back the little Salian to loosen my job, but this little bastard was too emotional. He couldn't accept his condition and came whining at my door. Indeed, I don't really put a lot of effort into these people, but I gave them food and water every day. Do you know a lot of God who acts so kindly? Me, no… That only made them weak and too dependent on me. Even my Dune Walker was acting like a child. So I punished them..."

"The royal family?" asked Khal.

"No… of course, not… The whole fucking city... I am the one who brought Anubis on them. In human terms, I snitched on the sultan and every fucking habitant of Rudhetria. Humans commit taboo every day, Khal. That was enough to push Anubro to act as my man. Did you look at their faces? Hey, you need to see that Khal!"

Geb made a mirror appear in front of Khal. Inside, the reflection of the thousands of citizens of the city was shown. Their terror, their pain, their distress and their death. All of this passed through the eyes of the silent Dune Walker. Geb was laughing and rolling on his chair.

"But chill, bro, I think they understand. They began to pray and glorify me minutes before. So I confined the big beast in a small area with your human friend."

"I thought that you wanted them to pay?" asked Khal with a straight face.

"Yeah, but that was beginning to be boring. Watching humans die is only fun for a few minutes. I prefer being praised by them. So you will help me to settle this."

"You said earlier that you didn'T want to help them."

Geb smiled and walked to Khal.

"Ah, oops! My bad! Only idiots don't change opinions, but I will stop Anubis only if you conclude my punishment. It's simple, I want you to erase my champion… Anubis will never stop if he doesn't disappear."

"You want me… to erase him…."

"Yeah, that's pretty simple. His only desire is in your reach… and you have a lot to win. I can help you with your little investigation…."

Khal thought for a minute. He turned his hands on the door, remembering Gahzo.

"I made a contract that doesn't really allow me to…."

"Stop it, Khal, you don't have a choice. If you do as I tell. I will first eliminate the creepy spider, then negotiate with Anubis…." Geb grabbed Khal's arms. The hand of the god was scorching and slowly burned the skin of the Dune Walker.

"and finally deliver you an info on the last location of Hessa…."

The face of Khal changed immediately, and the hesitation disappeared. Without a doubt, he stood up and clapped his hands together. His mind was locked on this new goal.

"I accepte…For Hessa…"

---

Gahzo sat alone on the sands, staring at the dead bodies of Camelia and Ali. He tried to cry, but nothing happened. His face froze at their view. He didn't know how to handle these emotions. Should he be mad, sad or even run far from Khal. To avoid being his new target. The old man simply chose to watch in silence.

Khal strolled to the exit. He stopped his movement to look at the human. Gahzo, without even moving, answered Khal abruptly.

"I have nothing to tell you, and I expect nothing from you… if I only have one question, Khal… Was it worth it?"

The Dune Walker made a sign to Bag, who joined the old man. Bag licked the face of Gahzo to comfort him, and even Nemu joined him. Sitting on the head of the seller, It repeated his words.

"Was it worth it? Was it worth it? Was it worth it?"

Khal breathed out and replied.

" I respected the contract the best I could. The Spider should be handled by Geb, and Saan is dead. This country is saved…."

"And my son… I asked you to protect my son!"

"My son, my son, my son!" repeated Nemu.

"It was his choice, ol' man, he took his decision, and I took mine."

Khal asked again for his two companions to join him, and this time they slowly came to him. Before going away, only the screams of Gahzo could be heard in the room.

"Who are you, Khal. If you are dead, you are not human, but you couldn't be a Dune Walker since you don't respect your contract! So answer me… Who are you! Who are you to force a father to die after his son…."

Khal stopped after the entrance and looked at the two guards supposed to guard it. He remembered how they tried to prevent him from entering and the brutality he used to make them move. He knew that they simply respected the last order of Saan, but he killed them even with this assumption. He asked himself slowly: "Who am I?"

It was the last time he heard from Gahzo, the seller from Rudhetria. Old scholar and father of Ali. He assumed that the wrinkled man died a year later, since it was the only time he had left…

The Dune Walker walked through the city and reached the exit after crossing Nasseh. The scientist ran to him covered in purple liquid and tried to hit him. Khal dodged and looked at him indifferently.

"Did you really intend to leave the city like that?" asked Nas while regaining his balance. Khal didn't answer and retook his walk. Nasseh followed him assiduously.

"It's hard to believe! First you never came back to help me, and second the monster died from roots emerging from the ground. The roots appeared and slashed through it before sinking it to the ground. By chance, I prepared an antidote, or I would have been dead now…."

Khal didn't answer and continued his walk and ignored him.

"The craziest thing is that the roots talked to me…."

The Dune Walker stopped and looked at Nasseh intensely.

"They talked? What did they say?"

"They said Alsahltam… If I remember well, it's a stronghold further to the north."

"So that's where I should head now…" murmured Khal quietly. "Thank you, you can go now," He added, resuming his route.

Nasseh looked at him furiously and grabbed his hand.

"Did you forget our contract, Dune Walker? If I keep the demon occupied for 30 minutes, you will need to help me?"

"You told it yourself. I never showed up. The deal is void," answered Khal, freeing his hand.

"Don't try, Khal. I know a thousand ways to force you to listen to me."

"Oh yeah… Try me"

Khal smiled and made a step forward before falling to the ground. He tried to move, but his body was frozen in place. He grumbled for a moment, realizing that Nasseh had poisoned him.

"Ok, what do you want, scientist?"

"Oh, that's simple, my dream it's to uncover all the secrets this land contains and reveal to the world the masquerade that is God, demon and Kamarupa! I want to crush all beliefs… And I think that traveling with you will help my cause."

"Just that…"

"Just that!" shouted Nasseh while laughing loudly.

"I accept, but I'm not responsible for your life. You will need to take care of yourself."

"That sounds good for a wise man like me!"

"Ok, now give me the antidote," asked Khal with a stern face.

"Antidote?"

"Yes, the antidote… don't tell me…."

"Of course, there is no antidote! I'm a genius. All my concoctions are new and unknown to the world. A good poison is a poison without an antidote, Hahahaha!"

The face of Khal reddened slowly. Nasseh laughed and rolled to the ground while Khal shouted at him. The sun was rising on the horizon, and slowly the city was regaining its calm. Weeks after the departure of the two new companions, the inhabitant successfully repaired the damage made to the city and mourned their death.

The bodies of the sultan and Camelia had been buried near the old memorial of Salian. Ali had the chance to be buried at the side of his lover, by the demand of Gahzo. The multiple parties around the city stopped, and the inhabitants worked harder than ever to rebuild their country. With their prayers, trees of all kinds grew all around the city, a small gift from Geb to help them regain balance.

Months later, the library reopened with the help of Gahzo and scholars from the time of the precedent sultan. In honor of the deceased princess and her family. They wrote on each wall of the building: "For the silent beauty and the impenetrable determination of Rudhetria."

The walls were scarlet like the Camellia blossom… The symbol of the prosperity of Rudhetria. A symbol representing a flexible and imperceptible force…

---

End of part 1: The lover of Rudhetria

---

"Hey Khal, when I think about it, I remember hearing about Alsahltam…."

"And you're saying that now!"

"My bad, my bad… with this big brain of mine, it's hard to keep track of everything!"

"Yeah, cool… So what do you know?"

" Alsahltam is an old fort of the Empire if I remember well, but that was years ago. Now it's held by the Reverse Pyramid."

"Reverse Pyramid?"

"Yes, a cult of old savants from all around the world. They invade cities and manipulate them from the inside. If my info is right, they praise Apep like a god and have a grudge against all the other divinities."

"Not that different from you."

"Chill, I'm not so bad! I don't believe in god, but I don't judge religious people. The goal of this cult is to destroy all traces of other divinity by destroying doors and symbolic objects. Are you sure you want to go there?"

"Are you scared?"

"Of course not, but do you know what the second name of Alsahltam is…

They call it the Dune Walker's jail….Never a Dune Walker escaped from there ...."