Chapter 454 - 422: Gaudian Golem Questions...

(A/N):

Drop a meme here that you find funny. Or reflects your mood.

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The black serpent resting around his shoulders lifted its head as Devara glanced at it.

"What? Don’t tell me you’re enjoying this."

The serpent flicked its tongue and turned its head towards the dunes.

"Of course. You don’t have to worry about the heat. You can simply hide beneath my clothes whenever you feel uncomfortable."

The serpent moved closer to his neck, seemingly settling into a comfortable position.

Devara gave it an unimpressed look.

"Wonderful. I have become your personal travelling shelter."

He continued walking, occasionally looking towards the horizon.

Although he could easily use his divine abilities to travel across the desert, he wanted to understand the environment before doing anything that might attract unnecessary attention.

This was another pantheon’s territory, after all.

He had no intention of announcing his arrival by displaying enough divine energy to alert every powerful being in the region.

However, the longer he walked, the more he began to realise that the desert was not entirely lifeless.

Small creatures occasionally disappeared beneath the sand.

Strange insects crawled between the rocks, while distant shadows moved across the dunes.

Some of them were ordinary desert animals, but others carried faint traces of divine energy.

Devara stopped when he noticed something unusual.

A cluster of stones stood several metres ahead.

They appeared to be arranged in a circular formation, almost as though someone had deliberately placed them there.

He approached cautiously.

The moment he stepped within a few feet of the stones, the system interface appeared.

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

An ancient divine presence has been detected.

[Location: Unidentified desert region.

Divine Signature: Egyptian Pantheon.

Status: Dormant.]

Devara raised an eyebrow.

"Well, that’s interesting."

The black serpent lifted its head, staring at the stone formation. Its tongue flickered repeatedly, as though sensing something beneath the surface.

Devara crouched and brushed away the sand covering one of the stones.

Beneath it, he discovered an engraving.

It was an unfamiliar symbol, depicting an eye surrounded by several curved lines.

He studied it for a moment.

"Looks like an ancient marking. Perhaps a boundary or a warning."

Before he could examine it further, the sand beneath the stones trembled.

A faint golden glow emerged from the engravings.

Devara immediately stepped backwards, placing one hand near the weapon concealed at his side.

The black serpent coiled tightly around his shoulders, its attention fixed on the glowing formation.

The sand began shifting.

One by one, the stones rose slightly above the ground, revealing a circular pattern beneath them.

Golden symbols illuminated the surface, forming a sequence that Devara had never encountered before.

Then a voice echoed through the desert.

"Who dares disturb the resting place of the ancient ones?"

Devara remained still.

He glanced at the black serpent before looking towards the formation.

"Well," he said quietly,

"I suppose I have finally found someone who can tell me where I am."

The golden light intensified.

And somewhere beneath the desert, something ancient began to awaken.

The golden light suddenly erupted from the ancient markings.

Before Devara could take another step, the desert began to tremble beneath his feet.

The sand surrounding the stone formation rose into the air, swirling violently as though an invisible storm had descended upon the area.

The grains gathered together, forming enormous limbs, a massive torso and finally a head that towered over the surrounding dunes.

Within moments, an enormous sand golem stood before him.

Its body was composed entirely of compacted sand and ancient stones, with glowing golden symbols running across its chest and arms.

Two bright golden lights burned within its hollow eye sockets.

Its sheer size was enough to make the surrounding dunes appear insignificant.

The black serpent immediately lifted its head, watching the enormous creature.

The golem lowered its head, its glowing eyes fixed upon Devara.

"WHO ARE YOU TO DARE STEP INTO THE TOMB OF THE CHOSEN ONES?"

Its voice reverberated across the desert, sending small waves through the surrounding sand.

Devara looked up at the enormous creature.

For a moment, he simply stared at it.

Then he glanced around at the empty desert before looking back at the golem.

"I see. So this is a tomb."

The golem’s eyes glowed brighter.

"ANSWER MY QUESTION, INTRUDER! STATE YOUR NAME AND PURPOSE!"

Devara raised both hands slightly, making it clear that he had no intention of attacking.

"Calm down. I’m not here to disturb anyone. I was simply travelling through the desert and happened to come across this place. I didn’t even know it was a tomb until you appeared."

The golem remained motionless.

Devara continued, his expression surprisingly casual.

"Actually, I’ve been walking for several hours now, and I’m beginning to think getting lost in this desert wasn’t a particularly good decision. So, could you perhaps guide me to the nearest city?"

Silence.

The enormous golem stared at him.

Devara stared back.

The black serpent slowly turned its head towards the golem, seemingly waiting for its response as well.

Several seconds passed.

Then the golem tilted its enormous head slightly.

"YOU... WISH TO KNOW THE LOCATION OF A CITY?"

"Yes."

"AFTER ENTERING A SACRED TOMB?"

"I already told you, I didn’t know this was a tomb."

"YOU HAVE NO FEAR OF THE GUARDIAN?"

Devara glanced at the creature’s enormous body.

"Should I?"

The golem fell silent once again.

For thousands of years, it had guarded the resting place of the chosen ones.

Countless treasure hunters, thieves and warriors had attempted to enter the tomb, and every single one had either fled upon seeing it or attacked it in an attempt to destroy the guardian.

Yet this strange individual stood before it, carrying a small black serpent around his shoulders, and was more concerned about finding the nearest city than explaining why he had entered the forbidden territory.

The golem slowly leaned closer.

Its enormous face came within a few metres of Devara.

"YOU DO NOT BEAR THE MARK OF THE EGYPTIAN DIVINE HOUSES. NOR DO YOU CARRY THE SCENT OF THEIR SERVANTS. WHOSE DOMAIN DO YOU BELONG TO?"

Devara’s expression changed slightly.

So the guardian could recognise divine affiliations.

He considered his answer for a moment before replying.

"I’m a traveller from another realm. I came here for a particular purpose, but I don’t intend to interfere with your people’s affairs."

The golden lights within the golem’s eyes flickered.

"ANOTHER REALM?"

"That’s right."

The guardian remained silent, apparently processing his answer.

Devara sighed.

"Look, I would appreciate it if you could simply point me towards the nearest settlement. I promise I won’t disturb the tomb or its inhabitants."

The golem straightened its enormous body.

For a brief moment, the golden symbols across its chest began glowing more intensely.

Then it spoke again.

"THE CITY YOU SEEK LIES BEYOND THE EASTERN DUNES. BUT THE PATH IS NOT SAFE FOR MORTALS."

Devara looked towards the eastern horizon.

"That’s helpful. Thank you."

"YOU HAVE NOT YET ANSWERED WHETHER YOU ARE MORTAL."

Devara paused.

Then he gave the golem a small smile.

"Well, that’s a rather complicated question."

The black serpent flicked its tongue.

And for the first time since awakening, the ancient guardian seemed genuinely uncertain about the identity of the individual standing before it.

The enormous golem continued staring at Devara for several moments after hearing his response.

Its golden eyes flickered occasionally, as though it were attempting to determine whether the stranger was speaking the truth or deliberately concealing his identity.

Devara, meanwhile, patiently waited.

He even took a moment to adjust the black serpent resting around his shoulders, which had begun exploring the fabric of his clothing.

Finally, the guardian moved.

Its massive right arm rose slowly, sending a shower of sand cascading from its elbow. It extended one enormous finger towards the eastern horizon.

"HELIóPOLIS LIES IN THAT DIRECTION. CONTINUE BEYOND THE EASTERN DUNES. A HALF-HOUR WALK WILL BRING YOU TO ITS OUTER BOUNDARIES."

Devara followed the direction of its finger.

"Heliopolis?" he repeated, recognising the name from the information he had encountered during his previous studies of different mythologies.

The ancient Egyptian city was associated with the worship of the sun god Ra. It was also known as the City of the Sun, a place of considerable religious importance within the Egyptian pantheon.

His expression brightened slightly.

"Well, that’s convenient. I was beginning to wonder whether I would have to spend another few hours wandering around."

The golem lowered its arm.

"DO NOT MISTAKE MY GUIDANCE FOR PERMISSION TO ENTER THE SACRED TOMB. THE CHOSEN ONES REST WITHIN THESE WALLS. THEIR SLEEP MUST NOT BE DISTURBED."

Devara nodded.

"Understood. I have no intention of disturbing anyone. I appreciate your help."

He turned towards the eastern dunes and began walking.

However, after taking a few steps, he stopped and looked over his shoulder.

"One more thing. Is there any particular route I should follow? I would rather not accidentally stumble into another sacred tomb."

The golem remained silent for a moment.

"FOLLOW THE STONE MARKERS. THEY WILL LEAD YOU TOWARDS THE CITY. DO NOT FOLLOW THE SHADOWS THAT MOVE AGAINST THE SUN."

Devara raised an eyebrow.

"Shadows that move against the sun?"

"THE DESERT HOLDS THINGS THAT SHOULD NOT BE AWAKENED."

That was certainly an interesting warning.

Devara gave a small nod.

"I’ll keep that in mind."

With that, he resumed his journey, the black serpent still comfortably wrapped around his shoulders.

Behind him, the enormous guardian watched until the stranger disappeared beyond the dunes.

Only then did its glowing eyes slowly dim.

The sand surrounding its body began to loosen, and the enormous figure gradually sank back into the ground. Within moments, the tomb returned to its previous silence.

Meanwhile, Devara continued towards Heliopolis.

"Well, little fellow," he said, glancing at the serpent. "At least we finally have a destination."

The serpent flicked its tongue.

"Let’s hope the people there are more welcoming than our enormous friend back there."

He looked towards the distant horizon, where the afternoon sunlight shimmered above the golden dunes.

Somewhere beyond them stood one of the most important cities of the Egyptian divine territories.

And Devara was about to make his first proper entry into the world of the Egyptian gods.

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(Author note:)

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