Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Asylum ❯ Per Amun-Ra ( Chapter 2 )

Asylum

 

By Katsuya Kaiba

 

AN: You know, I always knew that I'd write this damn story. Ever since I wrote, I think maybe the third or fourth chapter of Clear Vision, I was thinking, `You know what? I really would like to know how it all built up to this. I should write it.' So…nearly a year later…here I am. Writing what seems to be my favorite project yet. I can't say for sure…I like them all so much for different reasons, but this is just plain romantic. Ahhh…

 

 

“Makiah…” Zahra mumbled restlessly in his sleep, caught inside a dream, a memory that he couldn't escape from.

 

Zahra slunk through the shadows that lined the back wall of his home, sneaking quietly through the night. Makiah's house was directly behind his, and Zahra had promised to meet him after dark in the alleyway that separated the two properties.

 

“Zahra!” A voice that was so low it nearly didn't exist whispered from behind the wall that encircled Makiah's home, and after a second had passed two hands appeared and gripped the edge of the wall, and a tall, thin boy about Zahra's age pulled himself over it, landing on his bare feet in the middle of the alleyway. Zahra smiled and stepped out from the shadows, walking into the moonlight. The silver beams played over the sandy streaks in his hair and paled his face, which was slightly tanned but far whiter than anyone else's in the city. Makiah's own black hair shone blue in the soft glow of the moon, and his eyes seemed to be the darkest black in the fading twilight, although Zahra knew them to be a warm russet in the daylight. However, it wasn't too often that Zahra was able to see his friend when the sun was up.

 

Zahra reached out to Makiah with a smile and hugged his friend briefly, and then released him when Makiah drew his breath sharply between his teeth at the contact. Zahra pulled away from him and bent over, looking upwards into Makiah's face worriedly.

 

“Makiah…is he…” Makiah smiled at Zahra through his pain and shook his head.

 

“Don't worry…it's nothing I can't handle. What about you?” Zahra shook his head; his friend had no reason to worry about him. Zahra had never suffered at the hands of someone else.

 

“Apart from having to do all the dirty work…everything's perfect.” Zahra gave Makiah a grin and laughed quietly, sitting down on the dirt and leaning his back against the wall that surrounded his own home. Makiah joined him seconds later, and they sat side by side in silence, staring up at the stars and just thinking, neither one feeling as though they needed to speak. Some things were much clearer when left unspoken.

 

“You know what…I heard something today.” Makiah broke the comfortable silence, and Zahra could feel the tiny shards of it falling all around their feet. “There were guests at our house today, and I overheard them talking. I hope…I hope what I heard them say is true, because if it is, then you and I are going to be free someday.”

 

Zahra blinked rapidly, unsure of what Makiah might have meant by that. Free?

 

“What?”

 

Makiah's eyes never left the starry sky, but he continued to speak to Zahra, who stared at him as he spoke quietly, so as not to awaken anyone around them.

 

“They lost a slave, they said. At first I thought that the slave had died, but after I listened to more of the conversation I realized that he hadn't died…he had escaped.” Makiah brought his eyes to Zahra's and stared at him deeply, a hidden desire burning in the blackest depths. “And he got away with it.”

 

Zahra tilted his head to the side as he regarded his friend, questions buzzing like a storm of bees in his mind. “But…who would hide a runaway slave? Not likely, if you ask me.” Zahra smiled and lifted his foot from the ground, stepping lightly on Makiah's bare foot with his own, teasing him into laughter. Makiah's face remained serious, however, and Zahra's smile faded as he realized that Makiah wasn't joking around. “You're serious.”

 

Makiah nodded and whispered once again. “You're right, no one would hide a slave…but the temples will. That's what this guy said…he said that his slave had somehow run off in the night and made it all the way to the temple in his town. Once he got there, he asked for asylum, and the temple gave it to him.”

 

“Asylum? What's that?” Zahra stared at his friend with wide eyes, unable to put much faith in Makiah's words. They were just too good to be true. Makiah shook his head and frowned, his eyes unfocused and trained on the ground. He pushed his toes into the sand and shifted the grains around absentmindedly, thinking hard about what he was saying.

 

“I'm not really sure, everyone that was in the room with him seemed to know what he meant. All I know is that this slave ran away to the temple and asked them for asylum, and they set him free. He's not a slave anymore.”

 

Zahra let his own eyes fall to the sand beneath him. Asylum…could Makiah be right? Was there a way out? If anybody needed something to believe in, it was Makiah. Every night that Zahra met up with him he was either limping or breathing oddly, and Zahra couldn't bear the fact that there was no way for him to help. Even though it was obviously happening, no one would believe it because it was unheard of. Nobody beat their slaves, that kind of thing just wasn't done. Or at least, it wasn't supposed to be done. It was the will of the gods, and no one would ever believe that this man was willingly defying them. Both Zahra and Makiah knew that. But now…if what Makiah had overheard was true, than it was up to Zahra to make sure that Makiah made it out…alive. He would risk everything to get his friend away from harm. He just hadn't known that there was a way out.

 

“Makiah…” Zahra wasn't sure what to say. He wanted to believe it, he honestly did, but it just seemed so…hopeful. There wasn't much room for that sort of feeling in an existence such as theirs was.

 

“No, Zahra, I know what you want to say, and I know that it seems a little far-fetched, but it's true. That guy was mad, believe me, because he had lost a slave. Don't you see? This is it; this is what we've been waiting for. We could get out, you and I…”

 

Zahra smiled at Makiah through the darkness. “Yeah…we could.” Zahra would do anything to save Makiah. Even hang his hopes and his life on a possibility, and a slim one at that. “We will.”

 

And then Zahra's eyes flew open as a deluge of icy water crashed through his dreams and soaked his head and his clothes. He sat up off the floor in a panicked rush and cried out unintelligibly as the shock of the temperature bled into his skin and froze his blood cold. Searching around wildly for answers, he found only one solution: the awful priest Sethe, who stood over Zahra's head with a bucket and a grin.

 

“Morning.”

 

Zahra glared upwards with fire in his eyes. “Morning.” More than anything, he wanted to destroy this boy, but he couldn't because then the Pharaoh himself would probably kill him, and that would defeat the entire purpose of being here in the first place. He had come here to live, not to die.

 

Zahra wiped the water out of his eyes and directed a death glare towards Sethe, but it only reached him halfway before it fell from Zahra's grasp, and he looked again at the priest and frowned. He wasn't wearing all that fancy dress that he had worn the previous day, and since Sethe had sent Zahra to bed, or rather, to the floor, hours before Sethe himself had retired, Zahra had never seen him in anything other than his religious clothing. But now…he looked like another person completely. He looked years younger, and while Zahra had guessed him to be around the age of twenty two, maybe twenty three, in his sleeping clothes he was obviously no older than nineteen. The only thing that Zahra could even recognize about him were his sharp blue eyes and his gold bands that wrapped across both forearms and both of his calves.

His hair was short and a dusty brown, which struck Zahra as somewhat odd, since he hadn't ever seen anyone with a hair color that light before. Well, no one save himself, of course. The priest was much thinner than he had realized, although not nearly so thin as Zahra. He was still hands taller, as well.

 

“Get up. Your training begins now.” Sethe dropped the bucket and stepped back, waiting impatiently for Zahra to stand up from the floor. Zahra took his time, stretching languidly and then standing up, shaking the water out of his hair as he did so. The priest made a disgusted sound and raised his hands to his face, avoiding the spray of water that Zahra purposely flung in his direction. Looking down at his hands, Zahra noticed that the water the priest had dropped on him hadn't really been enough to wash away all the dirt and sand that clung to his skin, but since he was wet it now dripped and ran across his skin in cloudy droplets and smeared in places, looking more obvious against his skin, which was not as tanned as the priests.

 

“Ugh…” Sethe looked him over with revulsion and then met Zahra's puzzled expression. “When was the last time you had a bath?” Zahra's eyes drifted towards the ceiling thoughtfully, and he lifted his hands and began silently counting the passed time on his fingers. “Stop that…if you have to count, it's been far too long. Damn it…” Sethe swore under his breath and clenched his fists. “I do not have time for this.”

 

Zahra grinned madly, proud of himself for being able to inconvenience Sethe so badly. He deserved it, this was his punishment for turning Zahra away, and Zahra was only too happy to comply with the Pharaoh's terms. “You've got all the time in the world. I'm not going anywhere.” Zahra spoke forcefully and folded his arms over his chest, waiting for Sethe to decide on something for him to do or learn about. Zahra was indifferent to the ways of the temple, he could care or not care at any given moment, and being a temple servant was more than fine with him. As long as he was able to make Sethe's life a living hell. “Now, what do you want me to do?”

 

Sethe was only partially paying attention to Zahra's words, more interested in watching the dirty water that dripped off of Zahra's nose and fingers with a pained expression. “I want you to get out of my room before you drip any more of your filth on my floor. You're going to follow me around today, as much as it pains me to say so. I assume that you know very little of the temple rites and practices?” Zahra shook his head in a negative response.

 

“I've never really been inside of a temple before.”

 

Sethe was quiet and he thought carefully for a moment before speaking. “What about the city shrine? You've at least been there…haven't you?” He looked at Zahra with a pleading hope, desperately not wanting to have to begin at square one. Zahra shook his head.

 

“I've been there, but I haven't ever participated in the public rituals.”

 

Sethe looked skeptical of this. “What about your parents? Didn't they teach you anything?”

 

“My parents are dead. That's how I got into this mess. They died before they could pay off the debts that they owed, and since there was no one else to take me after they were gone…I became the payment.”

 

Sethe blinked and then looked away from Zahra's face. “Oh…well, fine then.” He spoke quickly and without any sort of emotion, but clearly feeing strained under the possibility of one. “Well, I suppose that takes care of one of my problems, then. I don't owe as much as I thought I did.” He grinned to himself, satisfied that at least some of his punishment had been lifted from his shoulders. Zahra frowned at him but didn't say anything, not really expecting the priest to be anything other than extremely insulting at that point, and if Sethe had shown some compassion it might have frightened him just a little. “Come on. It's getting late, and we have things to do before dawn.” Sethe turned and walked quickly through the doorway, leaving Zahra to run out after him and try to catch up.

 

Before dawn…? The room that Sethe stayed in was deep inside the temple and there was no way to see the outside world from anywhere near their location, let alone the position of the sun. The only way that they were able to even navigate through the hallways was by the light of the fires that burned constantly in every corner. Zahra hadn't any idea what hour of the night it might have been, but judging from his exhaustion and the last thing Sethe said to him, he knew that it was far too early to be awake. He sighed and let the feelings go, he was still alive and this was his life now, so he would become accustomed to it in time.

 

Sethe led him to the farthest reaches of the temple, all the way to the right of the building and when they finally stopped Zahra could see the sky outside through many open places in the wall, still just as black as the night. There wasn't even a hint of the approaching sunlight, and Zahra began to wonder just how much needed to be done before the dawn set in. No wonder Sethe had sent him to sleep so early in the day.

 

They came to an opening in the temple wall, and Sethe led Zahra down an outdoor stone staircase that descended directly into another indoor area, this one seemingly underground. Inside was nothing except a pool of crystal blue water, barely lit by the single fire that burned a few feet away at the entrance. It was still so black outside that not much could be seen besides the water, but Zahra could see that the staircase ended just a few steps under the surface, and the water was so perfectly clear that he could see something on the floor, although he couldn't make out the details in the faint and flickering light. Sethe gave Zahra a shove that nearly tumbled him into the water, but he caught his balance and then whirled around on his heel, instantly furious.

 

“Hey!” Sethe only rolled his eyes in response and backed off.

 

“Get in…and don't come out until you're clean. I mean it.” He turned his back to Zahra, who stood still on the stone steps, not quite understanding what was happening.

 

“Wait…isn't this for…you know, priests and religious people?”

 

“That includes you…or have you forgotten?” The priest didn't look back and continued up the steps as he spoke, an irritated tone in his voice that carried well. Zahra frowned and then raised his eyebrows in understanding. He really was…wasn't he? He wasn't a priest, but he was going to be doing priest-like things and helping the actual priest out. It was odd, but it wasn't so awful. He would just have to get used to it, and he knew that he probably had piles of things to learn about, which would no doubt bother Sethe to no end. Zahra smiled and slipped out of his clothes, feeling them and noticing that they were becoming more and more threadbare by the day. But then, wouldn't he have to wear other things now? He wasn't sure.

 

Well…it doesn't really matter right now. All I care about is getting all this dirt off of me before Sethe has a fit about it. That guy is just awful…

 

He stuck his toe into the water and tested the temperature, finding it to be surprisingly lukewarm. He stepped down the last few stone steps and then sunk into the water and looked all around. The roof was only a few feet above him, and he knew that if he stood up he would most likely have to bend over to keep from hitting his head.

 

This little room must collect the heat from the sun all day and then hold it in the water overnight. This is below ground…hey, what's that?

 

`That' referred to the hundreds of lines of text that covered every inch of the floor, walls, and ceiling, and Zahra reached down into the water and ran his fingers along the stone, finding that the words were carved there, and not just painted on like so many other buildings that he had seen in the city. Maybe this pool was more important than he had first realized. The firelight didn't reach the back wall, so he couldn't see the text as clearly, but it wasn't as if he could understand it, anyway. It did look very…temple-y, though. He ducked his head under the water and closed his eyes, scrubbing at the dirt that he knew was on his face and arms. It was everywhere, but he decided to take this one step at a time. It really had been awhile, far longer than Zahra would have liked, but there hadn't been a thing that he could do about it. He began to feel as though that was his only excuse for everything, but it was the truth. He hadn't been in control of a single shred of his life since before he could remember, and his new arrangement was no different. Although it was infinitely better than where he had been living, and even he could see that plainly. He liked it here, and he liked that one priest, even though she wouldn't tell him what she had seen in his future. That hadn't really bothered him all that much, though, and he smiled as he remembered how she had spoken to Sethe. She didn't seem to think that he was all that great, at least not as much as Sethe thought he was. Zahra wondered if there was something else behind the way that the other priests treated Sethe, but he knew that his attitude was reason enough for them to hate him terribly, and he couldn't blame them one bit.

 

“Aren't you done yet? I have to use this, you know.”

 

Speaking of attitude…

 

Zahra glanced over to where he had heard Sethe's voice and found him standing impatiently with one hand on his side and the other one holding a few folds of fabric. “Here…I'm leaving these here, but I'll be back very soon, and I expect to see you fully dressed when I return.” Sethe walked off again without another word and Zahra watched him as he went, waiting until he was completely inside the temple before stepping out of the pool. He wrung the water out of his hair as best he could and dried himself off with the menket that Sethe had left along with his outfit, and spent the next minute or so trying to figure out how his new clothes worked. He got them on eventually, but they were strange and he'd never seen anything like them before, soft and long and nearly dragging on the ground, and they made him feel even more out of place than he already did. They were the purest white, too, and he looked down at the dingy beige rags he'd been wearing and almost wished that he could put them back on again.

 

“Hmph. Take those old things and wait for me in my room. I'll be in there soon.” Sethe walked past Zahra down the steps and then turned and waited for him to leave before getting in the pool himself. Zahra bent over and grabbed the clothes, anxious to be away from the priest already. He walked back up the steps and somehow remembered the way back into the room he'd slept in, after a few wrong turns and several backtracks. He tossed the clothes into `his' corner and then sat down on Sethe's bed, knowing that if the priest came back and found him there he'd be pretty pissed off. Zahra didn't care, and secretly wanted to make him angry, anyway, so there was no way to lose. He didn't hate Sethe, not exactly, but he wasn't very pleased with the idea of having to put up with him for an indefinite amount of time.

 

It sure is quiet here…I wonder why none of the other priests are ever in the temple. Or maybe they only come at certain times. Didn't Sethe say something about the temple being his responsibility? Maybe he's the Kher Heb…he must be, if he's the only one who does any of the temple rites. I know more than he thinks I do, but it's all just common knowledge. I wonder if there's really all that much that I need to learn about. What is there to do in a temple besides pray? I know how to do that, not that I would. A whole lot of good it's done for me so far. I'm sure that the gods don't really have the time to spare for someone like me, anyway.

 

Zahra sighed and slumped his shoulders, hoping that the priest wouldn't take his time with his bath. He could already feel himself falling asleep, and if he sat here in the dusky silence too long he wasn't sure what might happen, but if Sethe came in and found him asleep he'd probably kill him, feather or no. Well…maybe not kill him…but he would be pretty upset. Zahra shut his eyes for a moment, but then quickly opened them as the face of his dead friend appeared behind his eyelids. It hadn't been more than two days since he'd known, and he felt the familiar sting of tears in the corners of his eyes, but he frowned and hastily brushed them away, determined to be strong.

 

If Makiah saw me crying he'd laugh… Zahra smiled sullenly at that thought. He surely wouldn't want me to. But it only just happened, and I haven't even had time to think about it. Everything is so different now…I wish that I could have come here with him. Then maybe I wouldn't feel like I didn't belong here so badly. I wonder what he would have said to Sethe when he tried to throw me out.

 

Sethe returned to his room and found Zahra in a fit of giggling, imagining all of the possible outcomes of yesterday's situation had Makiah been there to help him. Zahra looked up and fell into silence when he saw the priest, noticing that he was fully dressed in his priestly attire and looking very important. It was so strange…it changed so much about him.

 

“Hey, get off my bed!” Zahra jumped up at the sharply spoken words and held his hands behind his back, grinning on the inside but smiling coyly at Sethe. The priest scowled at Zahra but motioned for him to follow him into the hallway. Zahra walked a few steps behind Sethe for the entire trip, which was a long one and brought them nearly all the way to the front of the temple. They passed by many rooms on the way there, and Zahra looked inside each doorway as they walked by and saw that Sethe was right, each room was serving a purpose, although what they were for exactly was something that Zahra couldn't even begin to guess at. They were all lit, though, and decorated elaborately, although Sethe's pace prohibited Zahra from getting a decent look. Most of them were small, however, far too small for a person to live inside of.

 

The room that Sethe brought them to was enormous, he could tell because the doorway itself was larger than most of the entire rooms he had seen in passing. Zahra followed Sethe inside, and when he looked up he saw that the ceiling in this room was far beyond his reach, unlike so many of the others. There were no fires lit, which Zahra found to be strange because they were lit in every other room that he had passed on his way there, and all throughout each hallway. The orange glow fell through the doorway from the light just outside the room, and Zahra could see the unmistakable glint of gold shining out through the darkness from every direction, reflecting the firelight. He wanted to see more, but the night was too deep and his eyes wouldn't adjust properly against the flickering shadows that moved too quickly for him to catch. His eye caught a glimpse of blue against the black of the room, and he turned his head and saw the starry night sky, slowly bleeding blue against the horizon. There was a window in this room, and Zahra figured that they must be closer to the temple entrance than he had thought. Sethe pushed past Zahra impatiently and walked straight into the darkness, not even pausing once to feel his way around. Zahra watched him in surprise, but then he thought of that fact that this was Sethe's temple, essentially, and if he didn't know his way around it then nobody did.

 

There was a small rusting in the corner, and Zahra's eyes had begun to adjust just enough so that he could vaguely see Sethe's outline against the far wall, and he pulled something off of a table and walked back towards Zahra. He then passed him completely and walked outside, and Zahra could now see that Sethe held a torch, and was lighting it with the fire in the hallway. He brought the light with him as he re-entered the room and took it over to the back wall, followed closely by Zahra, who did not wish to be left alone in the dark. From the light that Sethe held Zahra could see three small stands lined up against the back wall, two in the corners and one directly in between them both, and each one held a large gold plate that dipped in just slightly in the center. Sethe held the light over to one of the tables he had passed on his way through the room and picked up one of the vases that stood there, and Zahra watched him with fascination as he walked up to each of the gold plates and poured whatever was in the vase into the center of each one. He then stepped back and set the vase down on the table again, and walked over to the very first plate in the left corner of the room. Zahra was at his heels, but Sethe suddenly pushed him back and gave him a look that made Zahra stand where he had been placed, still watching Sethe intently.

 

The priest was a few feet away from the corner stand, and he lifted the flame out and just barely made contact with the plate before pulling his hand away as the plate burst into flames. Zahra's breath caught in his throat, and he realized why Sethe had pushed him back farther. Zahra had no idea what Sethe had poured into those plates, but whatever it was, it had to be spelled somehow. There wasn't anything on this earth that could produce a flame like that, and Zahra's eyes widened as he saw the fire reaching higher than it should have, standing at least a few feet in the air. The flame itself was strange, as well, and there were absolutely no traces of red or orange in the center of the flame. The entire blaze was the purest gold, and Zahra stared at it in disbelief, wondering if it was the flame of Ra himself. It illuminated most of the room on it's own, and as Sethe lit the second flame and then the third, he was finally able to see what lay inside the room he'd been in for so long, standing in the dark.

 

Everything was gold, and all of it was beautiful. The table that Sethe had taken the vase from was just one of many, there were four of them total and they were all covered with things that Zahra had never seen before, but he walked over to all of them and inspected them anyway, seeing random precious stones and crystals lying amongst the daggers and incense blocks. Another table was covered with bowls filled with sacred oils, ones that Zahra had never seen or smelled, and the whole area around that table was filled with the vibrations of the scents in the air. Next to the oil were several sticks of kohl and a small dish filled with copper paint, a brush hanging halfway over the side.

 

It was the table in the middle that snared Zahra's attention more than any other, it was the largest and the one that Zahra guessed was the main function of the room. This was the main shrine of the temple, the sacred space of Amun-Ra, and Zahra didn't approach it too closely, not sure if he was going to be allowed to do anything with it. Sethe probably wouldn't trust him with it, which Zahra felt might be best, because he himself wasn't really all that sure that he wanted this sort of responsibility. He stared at it from a few feet away, thought, and saw that the whole table was made of stone, and there was text carved all along the legs and the top of the table. There were also several gold plates and vases that were placed in a symmetrical fashion all along the tabletop, but each and every one was empty. Zahra looked past the image of the god on the far side of the table and saw that the walls were all painted with depictions of Amun-Ra and his stories, followed by lines and lines of text that bordered the lower half of each wall. Zahra could read the stories, since they were painted literally and he knew how they all went, anyway, but he was hopelessly lost when his eyes scanned over the text, and he wondered what it was that had been written here.

 

In-between the myths were several long mirrors that touched the ground and rose up against the wall taller than Zahra or Sethe, and there were at least three on each wall. Zahra caught a glimpse of himself from across the room and blinked at it, staring blankly for a second before he turned his eyes away from the image. He hated that fact that he looked so much different than everyone else, although he had noticed that while Sethe didn't look anything like he did, Zahra couldn't help but see the obvious crystal blue in his eyes, a color that Zahra had never seen before in anyone else's eyes. His eyes were just as light as Sethe's, only instead of blue they were a strange light gold, almost the same color as the ornaments and tools that filled the room they both stood inside. And it didn't help much that his hair was the same exact color. He knew that people stared at him wherever he went, but he couldn't help that, and he blinded himself to the existence of the mirrors, preferring to forget his unwelcome exterior.

 

“Are you quite finished? We haven't got all day.” The exasperated voice of Sethe called out to him from behind, and Zahra turned around quickly and saw the priest leaning idly against the wall, watching Zahra's careful inspection with a small smirk. Zahra was still too wrapped up in his surroundings to speak, but he gave the priest a silent nod and waited for him to give the next direction. Sethe walked over to the table that held the oils and Zahra followed quickly in his steps, not wanting to screw anything up in here. The old shrine in the town square was put to shame by this one, but this was a temple shrine and was really the main function of the entire building, so it made sense that it would be like this. Plus, this was the Pharaoh's temple, and Sethe was the Pharaoh's Kher Heb, and Zahra was willing to bet that Sethe could have whatever he asked for, if it was meant for the gods. Sethe paused before the table and glanced over at Zahra, sighing in frustration.

 

“Since you took up nearly half the morning in the pool, we don't really have time to perform the Gasu Ur…” The priest's eyes checked the progress of the sun outside the window and then glared at Zahra. The smaller boy frowned right back at Sethe and then he, too, looked outside the window and saw that the blue on the horizon was slowly inching it's way into a lighter purple. They had time, but not enough for Sethe's long and complicated temple version of the great anointing. “Ugh…I suppose the Nedj will do for now…but you had better not hold me back tomorrow. Remember, I'm doing you a favor, and you had better appreciate it.”

 

Zahra looked away from Sethe and waited for him to finish ranting and get on with it already. “So instead of talking about it, maybe you should just do it, then. I mean…since you're in so much of a hurry.” Zahra looked up into Sethe's eyes and stared defiantly, begging him to retort. He didn't, and instead he turned his nose up in the air and looked down at the table, picking up the different bowls of oil and reading the names that had been painted on the sides of each one. Zahra watched Sethe out of the corner of his eyes, reading the words so easily, and he wondered how long it had taken for Sethe to learn how to read fluently. Probably years, Zahra thought, and he felt something in his heart drop at the prospect.

 

I wanted to learn how to read…a long time ago, when I was a kid. I suppose it's too late now, there isn't any use in learning something like that so late…Makiah could read a bit, I remember. He tried to teach me, but that proved to be far too difficult. I guess I'm just not cut out for that sort of thing. Still…watching him read like that…it makes me wish that I could do it just as easily as he does.

 

Sethe set aside some of the oils on the right side of the table, and he then grabbed Zahra's arm and pulled him close. Zahra blinked and then froze up instinctively as he felt Sethe pulling him forward, but he was stopped just in front of Sethe and he looked up into his eyes, mere inches from his own.

 

“Now just be quiet for awhile, and try not to fidget around. In fact…don't say anything at all unless I tell you to. I swear, you are such a burden…” Sethe's sentence faded into an irritated silence, and then he reached out and set a hand on Zahra's shoulder, holding him firmly in place. Zahra wished that the priest would try explaining things before he did them, but he supposed that it would have been too much to ask of him. He was already bothered enough, it seemed, and Zahra remained silent and watched as the priest dipped a finger in one of the oils and brought it to Zahra's mouth. He tried to step back unconsciously, but the grip on his shoulder tightened and the priest's finger brushed lightly against Zahra's bottom lip and then drew away, and Sethe looked away from Zahra and dipped his finger in another bowl. The smell filled his nostrils instantly with a dark and heavy sort of sweet scent. Zahra had to fight to keep his breath regular, and he wasn't sure what had set his heart off but the finger on his lips had felt very odd, and he pushed the idea from his mind and tried to concentrate on what the priest was doing next.

 

Sethe let his hand fall from Zahra's shoulder and reached out for his hands, pulling them up and facing his palms to the ceiling. Zahra held his hands up on his own when the priest let them go and he watched as the oil was traced in a line over each of his palms. Sethe then pushed his hands down slightly and Zahra let them fall to his sides. The priest wet his finger with the third oil and then pulled down on the neck of Zahra's clothes, dragging the oil slowly over the dip in the center of his collarbone, and Zahra shivered faintly, hoping that he was supposed to be feeling lightheaded over what the priest was doing to him. He'd never done anything like this, and the sensations that he felt as a result were confusing, and he tried not to pay them any attention and instead remained indifferent, deciding that it was meant to feel that way.

 

Zahra watched as the priest placed both hands on Zahra's shoulders and turned him around so that his back was facing Sethe, and then he felt a sudden wetness on the nape of his neck accompanied by the now familiar touch of Sethe's fingertip, and he ignored the shudder that it sent down his spine. Whatever this was supposed to do, he was pretty sure that it was working. Sethe grabbed him by the shoulders and turned him around once more, and when Zahra tried to meet his eyes he found the priest lost in thought, concentrating heavily on his task. He didn't dare speak, not until he was sure that the priest was finished, and he watched as Sethe brought a few drops of oil towards his face, and Zahra flinched slightly but refused to move, knowing that it would most likely make Sethe angrier than even Zahra wanted to make him. Sethe's other hand came up as well and his fingers slipped underneath Zahra's messy blond bangs, still damp from the bath earlier, and he pushed them back and drew a line along his forehead, letting the hair fall back into place when he had finished and stepping back. He turned away from Zahra suddenly, and it appeared as though he had finished.

 

“Hey…what was that all about?”

 

There was no answer, and Sethe busied himself with stirring the copper paint around in its dish, mumbling under his breath.

 

“Hey…what are you doing with that? Why won't you explain anything to me? If I don't understand what you're doing this all for, how can I learn to help you?”

 

Sethe sighed dramatically and spun on his heel to face Zahra, a tired look in his eyes. “If one is to be in the presence of a god…one must become a god. Now, be quiet.”

 

Zahra, not being sure what to make of Sethe's statement, decided to simply do as he asked.

 

What the hell is that supposed to mean? Become a god…he's been shut up in this temple for way too long…it's a good thing I'm here. Maybe he won't be quite so loopy after he's had some company for awhile. I wonder if the other priests ever come here at all…

 

Zahra's thoughts were interrupted when Sethe placed a hand on his head and pushed it back so that Zahra's face lifted up.

 

“Close your eyes.” Zahra did as he was told, and after a dark and nervous moment he felt something cold and wet against his eyelid, and he nearly opened his eyes at the shock but managed to follow Sethe's orders. Sethe finished his right eye and then moved over to the left, and Zahra had to fight to keep his eyelids shut once more as the brush swept the copper over his skin. Zahra couldn't help but silently wonder why the priest thought that wearing it was so important, but Sethe spoke again as he reached out to the table for a stick of kohl and then proceeded to draw dark outlines around Zahra's eyes.

 

“You have to emulate the Eye of Heru. The copper and the galena enhance your divine sight…although I highly doubt that it will have any effect on someone like you.”

 

Zahra decided not to bother trying to interpret the priest's words, and instead waited wordlessly for him to finish. When Sethe stepped back and released his hold on Zahra's head, he opened his eyes and then blinked in shock, keeping quiet as his eyes adjusted. Whatever magic there was painted on his eyes made everything look much…different. Different in a strange way, in a way that Zahra couldn't put his finger on, but although he couldn't quite place why, he knew that he was seeing much more than he had been able to before. And yet, nothing at all had changed in appearances, it was in the way that Zahra looked at the world now that made the difference. Sethe paid him little mind and began the entire process over again, this time performed on himself, and Zahra turned away from him and surveyed the room once more, trying to place what it was that was making everything look so odd.

 

The very first thing that caught Zahra's eye were the fires that Sethe had lit earlier, and he gaped and then turned away from them quickly. He was only able to keep his eyes off of them in fear for a few moments before curiosity stole the better part of him and he glanced back warily, staring suspiciously at the white-hot flames that now burned in a light shade of crystal blue, a far cry from the strangely solid gold that they had been before. Or perhaps they hadn't ever been gold, and they had always been this way, an odd sapphire that closely if not completely harmonized with Sethe's eyes. He just hadn't been able to see it before. He shook his head, bewildered but quiet, not wanting to interrupt the priest in what seemed to be a very serious activity, and instead he let his eyes wander slowly around the room, checking for more alterations. Aside from the obvious change in the flames, there was nothing else that had been distorted enough for him to notice, although he hadn't spent much time in the room to begin with, so he wasn't even too sure on what he was looking for.

 

It was then that he saw them again, the mirrors that hung on each wall, and he approached the closest one cautiously, wondering if he himself looked any different. Apart from the way that the cosmetic made him look, he could see nothing that he hadn't ever seen before. His hair, his eyes and skin, they were all the same and he blinked a few times and stepped close, so that his nose nearly touched the glass pane in front of him. But if he looked closer…Zahra's eyes lost their focus for a split second and he saw something, without ever really seeing anything. It was as though he saw a thought; one that he was thinking at the same time and somehow knew it was so with his sight. He closed his eyes for a moment and forgot about his fear and his doubt, choosing instead to really try and see what this new gift could do, and perhaps learn what he was meant to do with it. Sethe obviously wasn't going to tell him, not unless he asked him a million times over, and Zahra took a deep breath and opened his eyes slowly, looking but not looking too intensely at his reflection.

 

Zahra was entirely unable to read in any language, yet he was able to read the things that were written all over him, from his head to his toe, and while it wasn't something that he could explain, he now knew what it was that the copper and the kohl were meant to do. It gave him an extra sort of sight, the ability to see just below the surface of the things that he could touch and taste and smell. It was slight and it was barely there, but in extreme cases like the fire and himself, he could see the changes in his perception. Every hope and fear, every wish and sadness that he'd ever had, they were all over him and if he looked hard enough, he could see them. He let his eyes slip even further out of focus and watched in a sort of far off way, searching for what might lie just underneath his own skin. His lids slipped down across his eyes and he stared half-lidded into the mirror until a bold image flashed across both the glass and his face. Zahra's eyes widened at first in shock, and then he shut them slowly and turned away from the sight of Makiah under his skin. He was always, constantly thinking about him, even if it was just in the very deepest reaches of his mind. Makiah was always there, and Zahra hadn't even cried, not once, since he'd known. There just hadn't been time.

 

Zahra hoped that Sethe wouldn't be able to see those things, but he knew that if he could see them in the priest then it would most likely work against him, as well. Zahra thought it best to find out as soon as possible, and he walked away from the mirror slowly and came to stand by the priest, who had finished with his own anointing and was currently taking hot embers from the large cauldron filled with them against the wall near the doorway, placing a few of them in a censer that hung from a long gold chain he held in his hand. Sethe paid Zahra absolutely no attention as he worked, and Zahra watched him closely, looking for things similar to the ones he had seen all over himself. They weren't nearly as clear as his own had been when the sight did come through, and Zahra still wasn't able to understand exactly how he could see such a thing as fear, but there it was on the priest all the same.

 

Fear was the first thing that Zahra saw, written repeatedly over the priest's face and neck, but it was faint and it seemed to be pulled forcefully into existence by a great number of things that were all delicately intertwined, fear being the direct result. It was almost like a chain of resulting emotions that began on his face and fanned out across his shoulders, and from there they spun and split up all the way down around his ankles, which was where Zahra began searching for their names, sensing somehow that the deepest roots would be nearest to the ground and stabilized near Sethe's feet. Zahra never once stopped to think about how he could reason it out that way, or any way for that matter, being the sort of person who only believed in things that he could directly touch and see, but it made perfect sense to him in an imperfect way, and he ignored any traces of doubt or caution in his heart and searched Sethe deeper, looking for names. He couldn't deny the sight of it now; it was too late for that.

 

Fire. It was as plain as day, wound all around the priest's ankles and even spiraling up his calf somewhat, and Zahra was taken slightly aback at the severity of the feeling he got when he made out the name told there. It was overwhelming, and Zahra had to follow the path up higher and try not to look at the word, feeling a strange sort of loss when he did so. He moved up and caught another name, two of them actually, and he realized that they were written one over the other, evidently tied together tightly. Death and Longing, a strange combination, or so Zahra thought. Zahra had always assumed that Sethe was unhappy just from the way that he treated everybody, but he felt as though it ran deeper than just simple misery, and he trailed his eyes upward, seeing much more clearly as he practiced using his new eyesight and wondering if it would come off with the makeup. He halfway hoped so, because what he was doing was making him feel rather tired, and he knew that he hadn't gotten enough sleep but that wasn't the sort of tired that he felt. He was feeling lightheaded and a little disconcerted, as though what he was doing didn't quite belong there, in the normal and everyday world. He shook his head and followed the priest with his eyes as Sethe finished filling the censer and carried it over to one of the tables, sifting through the blocks of incense absentmindedly. He seemed to have forgotten about Zahra entirely, which was fine with him because he was now more than a little curious to see how the priest added up on the inside. He was definitely more interesting to Zahra now that he was wearing the cosmetic and could see past his insanely rude and deliberately insulting behavior.

 

Across Sethe's shoulders lay a terribly tangled mess of ideas and half formed thoughts, and Zahra had to let his focus slip again in order to make any sense of the pile. It looked as thought the words had just been carelessly tossed there without a second thought, and Zahra wondered if maybe these were things that Sethe didn't wish to address or see. The names of the thoughts were haphazardly drawn, and a few of them had to be caught on their sides or even upside down, which didn't affect Zahra's ability to see the words, it was just something else he noticed about the design. There were names, lots of them, and while they tended to fade in and out with each passing second, blinking like stars, Zahra caught a few of them as they shone in and out of existence. A common one was Atemu, surrounded by others that came less often but strongly, Isis, Mahado, Siamun…Zahra. Zahra couldn't help but blink at the sight of his own name, and he watched that word until a visible path could be made out from it, following it with his eyes. It led to a sight, not a name, and Zahra caught the image of the temple in his mind and immediately felt a foreign emotion surging through his blood, and it caught him off guard, forcing him to separate it from his own feelings so that he could recognize it for what it was. It was something like Jealousy mixed with Resentment and Possessiveness, and Zahra was confused as to why those emotions would be tied up with the temple in Sethe's mind.

 

Zahra left the name that his eyes were on and drifted his sight back down to the cluttered emotions that he had been watching, having to follow Sethe around the room as he lit the incense and lidded the censer, walking a slow and memorized path around the shrine. Smoke drifted out slowly and then sat in the air, not dissipating or moving but rather creating a fog, and Zahra found that he could see straight through it if he tried. It took a strange sort of effort, remarkably similar to the efforts he had make in order to see things that he was now able to see. The smoke that hung in the air was the purest white, and Zahra lifted his hand and reached to a particular swirl that lay a few inches from his nose, as white and thick as cotton. His fingers passed right through it and the smoke divided around his hand, but it only moved so far and then it settled in the space directly beside where his hand had been. Zahra wondered what color the smoke might have been had he not been wearing the kohl and copper, and he thought that perhaps it was only so white because he could see it. There wasn't even the barest hint of charcoal or gray, and Zahra walked through it and followed Sethe a bit more closely.

 

Zahra began to feel strange after awhile, and the incense was beginning to make his eyelids feel heavy. Even though he had been able to see things a bit differently, he couldn't remember ever feeling this disoriented until after Sethe had begun to cense the room. The haze was easy to see through if he tried, but something inside the room was changing, and the effects of the incense weren't visible, but Zahra could feel it pressing down on him harder with each moment that passed. Each step he took behind Sethe's became harder, and he found that by the time the priest had returned to the table he had begun at, the room was completely filled with the scent and he could barely take another step. The priest then began to do something else, but Zahra couldn't focus on his hands to see what it was, and every time he tried all he was able to see was the blurry shimmer that surrounded the object that Sethe was holding, whatever it was.

 

Strange… Zahra thought to himself, feeling very much as though he could hear his own thoughts in his ears. It feels like something's coming, something's moving, and the room is…the room is changing. And it's so heavy now…I can hardly keep my eyes open.

 

Sethe turned, having heard what Zahra was mumbling, and he frowned suspiciously at him. “What?”

 

Zahra's eyes widened when Sethe turned and spoke to him, and he had a vague idea in his ever-clouding mind.

 

Did I say that out loud?

 

It was the very last thought that he had before the pressure caved in on him finally, and he tried to take a step forward towards the priest but ended up falling instead, and he felt that perhaps he might not have hit the stone floor but he couldn't be sure, and he forgot about it instantly as the fog cleared from his vision and everything fell into darkness.

 

 

AN: Oh, Makiah…we hardly knew ye. Heh. Anyway, this is as accurate as I can possibly write it without it being too boring or too…written in another language. Cause that's irritating. I left out a lot of the anointing ritual due to…unnecessary touching…if you get my drift (you do). It's not quite time for that, not yet. But there will be unnecessary touching…I will see to that. I like unnecessary touching. It makes me happy inside. Yes. Oh, speaking of other languages:

 

Menket: A kind of linen

 

Kher Heb: The high priest of the temple. All six of Atemu's priests are looked at as high priests, but Sethe is the only one in complete control of the temple, being the only sorcerer…and of course, because he's so hot.

 

Gasu Ur: The Great Anointing, a long and really overdramatic purification ceremony that is basically just a priest rubbing oil on fourteen parts of your body and then reciting flowery prose to the gods that govern the various body parts. Too long and boring for fanfiction, but it does hold interesting lemony prospects…more on that later.

 

“the Nedj”: Short for Gasu Nedj, it means The Small Anointing. This is sort of like the Gasu Ur, only it's narrowed down to seven body parts instead of fourteen. Both rites are used for purification and to create the Akh within the initiate, the body of light.