The elevator hummed with a strange vibration. It wasn't mechanical in the way I have seen elevators before. It had no gears, chains or pulleys. It was just a column of radiant blue light running through the center shaft, flowing upward in a spiraling current of Xana.
Nefira noticed the way I kept staring at it, and her voice drew me back.
"Much of our technology here like elevators, lights, even the irrigation beneath the sands, runs off the flow of Xana. In your terms, it is both fuel and spirit."
"So it's not just raw energy."
She smiled faintly as she lifted her hand to brush back a strand of dark hair.
"Exactly."
The elevator slowed to a stop. She turned toward us.
"There are forty-seven floors in the Great Pyramid. The bottom floors are markets and residential areas, the middle ones are archives, libraries, and training chambers. The top is where the House members reside. But for now, we're heading to the fortieth floor. That's where the Houses are welcomed."
The doors slid open soundlessly. The hallway ahead stretched, lined with stone walls etched with golden hieroglyphs. That's when I noticed her ears.
Earlier, I hadn't seen them but now the fall of her hair revealed them in full. She had long, elegantly curved elf ears. She didn't seem to care that I caught sight of them now. Maybe she let me. Maybe she wanted me to notice. I didn't ask though. It felt like one of those secrets she let slip only when she trusted someone enough. Before I could linger on the thought, tension hit like a knife.
The hallway wasn't empty. A cluster of figures leaned casually against the walls, their platinum hair practically burning under the Xana light. Their clothes were sharp, formal and embroidered with silver that screamed wealth and pride. Their eyes turned toward us as we stepped forward.
It was the House of Erdict. The one in the middle froze when he saw Thales.
"Well, well. Look who crawled into Egypt like a stray mutt. Thales."
Thales stiffened. His hand twitched slightly at his side, but his voice stayed calm.
"Brother Richard."
The man stepped forward and the resemblance was undeniable. He had the same pale hair and glare but older, like all warmth had been burned out of him.
"I didn't think I'd see you here. What are you doing, sneaking into a ceremony you don't deserve to witness?"
Thales lifted his chin.
"I came to attend the ceremony, as any heir of Erdict has the right to."
A sneer spread across his brother's lips. But then his gaze slid past Thales onto me. That's when the real poison came.
"And what is that doing here? An Argemenes, the Abyssal rat House. I should have known I smelled rot in the air."
A low chuckle rippled from the other Erdict members, like jackals waiting for a signal.
"Do you enjoy playing tourist, Abyssal? Walking behind real Houses, pretending you belong? You think your cursed blood entitles you to walk these halls? You're a parasite. Nothing more."
I narrowed my eyes, but stayed silent. I'd heard worse before but he didn't stop.
"Your House should have been erased long ago. Everyone knows it. That bloodline of yours is dangerous and contaminated. Even the Radiance Houses agree. You're just the leftover mistakes of a Goddess who didn't know when to stop creating."
He stepped closer.
"Tell me, does it sting? Knowing your own family barely tolerates your existence? Knowing your sister wears the true rose while you cling to your thorned crown like a child playing king?"
My jaw clenched. I didn't even know Xaessiarerich, but the words still cut deep. I sighed, forcing the air slowly from my lungs.
"Are you done?"
The laughter from behind him grew louder. His eyes widened like he couldn't believe I spoke back. Then his face twisted in fury and he raised his fist.
"Done? I'll end you before you even dream of opening your cursed mouth in my presence again—"
But before his strike landed, a hand caught his fist.
She stood between us, her fingers delicately wrapped around his knuckles like she was holding a fragile vase. And yet with that one grip, she stopped him completely. The Erdicts were the second strongest Combat Fluxers alive after the Augustus, renowned for their brute strength that outclassed nearly every other House. Even holding back, a swing from him could crush stone. And yet Nefira held him effortlessly.
"They are my guests. This is the House of Rameses's domain. If you intend to throw your fists around like a spoiled child, then know this. You do not insult my hospitality without consequence."
Her eyes blazed and for a moment I swore the Xana itself bent toward her. The Erdict's face twisted with rage, but he couldn't move. Slowly, she let go. He pulled back, glaring daggers at me one last time.
"This isn't over. We're leaving."
The other platinum-haired jackals followed, still snickering under their breath, though quieter now, subdued by what they'd just seen. The hallway fell into uneasy silence. Nefira turned to me, her face softening slightly, though guilt shadowed her features.
"Forgive me. You were treated harshly in a place where you should have been honored. It is not the way of Rameses to let guests suffer insult."
"It's nothing new. The Argemenes are used to this kind of treatment."
"Used to it or not, it doesn't make it right. I will find a way to make this right."
The conviction in her voice surprised me. For once, someone from a Radiance House didn't look at me like I was a walking curse. She looked at me like… I was worth defending. And that unsettled me more than her brother's fists ever could.
Why was she so kind to me? Is this normal?
°°°°°°
The doors of her royal chamber sealed shut with a quiet hum, muffling the distant bustle of servants and Fluxers preparing for the ceremony. Nefira exhaled deeply, the stiffness leaving her shoulders as she allowed herself a moment of solitude. Soft paws padded across the polished stone floor. Out of the shadows emerged her companion, a beast as majestic as it was terrifying. It was a panther-sized cat, its fur the color of midnight. Its golden eyes fixed on her as she got in. She crouched to stroke the cat's thick, silken fur.
"Ah, there you are, Basemira. I had to handle… guests."
The great cat purred. It pressed its head into her hand She sank into the chaise by the wall. A smile spread across her lips as she continued, half-speaking to the cat, half-thinking aloud.
"I met a very interesting person today, Basemira. He is of the Argemenes. At first, I expected… cruelty. I have heard so many tales of their darkness and that their blood runs like the Abyss they hail from."
She paused, her fingers brushing against the jeweled collar around Basemira's neck.
"But he was not like that. Not at all. He was… calm. Handsome, even. Too handsome, perhaps."
The panther stretched, curling up against the carpet with a flick of its long tail, as if dismissing her musings.
Nefira's gaze shifted toward her bed, where something awaited her. Draped neatly across the silken sheets was an elaborate outfit of shimmering gold and white, stitched with radiant gemstones that pulsed faintly. A note lay on top of the garment, tied with a crimson ribbon.
She broke the seal and read the elegant script.
'To Nefira Rameses, Lead Dancer of the Spring Ceremony. May your steps tonight honor the Goddess and shame your sisters. Do not falter. Your triumph was well-won. Hinesia, your sister.'
Nefira exhaled with a half-smile tugging at her lips. She folded the note and set it aside
"So the bet is mine, after all. To dance at the center while my sisters gnash their teeth in envy? I should be pleased. And I am."
Her smile faded, replaced by thought. She closed her eyes, reaching inward, feeling again the threads of energy she had sensed earlier in the day. A shiver raced down her spine.
"I sensed the Xana pouring from him. That Argemenes young man is stronger than he should be. His Xana it was dark yes, but not in the way I feared. The Void resonance runs in him, I am certain. Yet it is… steady."
She sank onto the edge of her bed. Basemira had claimed the space on the carpet nearby, curling to sleep. Nefira lay back, her arms stretched above her head, staring at the high ceiling painted with the ancient frescoes of her lineage. The flickering light of Xana crystals danced across the murals.
"Why him? Why am I interested?"
Her voice wavered, caught between curiosity and something deeper, something she did not yet dare name.
"Today is my nineteenth birthday, Basemira. It is the day I descend into full adulthood, as the House of Rameses decrees. I should be focused on the ceremony and the dance and yet, instead, my thoughts return to him. Perhaps it is fate. Or perhaps it is nothing more than foolishness. But why does it feel as though the desert winds carried him here just for me?"
She sighed.
"Too bad he will be adored by all the women. It is inevitable. With his face, they will flock to him like moths to flame. And he will not notice me. And then there is his companion. The Erdict boy actually treats him as a friend, not a tool or a shield. That is rare."
Her fingers curled into the sheets.
"I do not know what he is yet but I know he is not what the world believes of an Argemenes. Haah... I must be losing my mind, talking to a cat."
She closed her eyes, willing her mind to return to what mattered.
"Enough of this nonsense. I have responsibilities tonight. It is my birthday and my descent into full adulthood. I cannot let myself be distracted by some stranger, no matter how intriguing."