Chapter 599: [The Journey of Sun] [13] [Culprit]

After flying for a while, I stopped moving and remained suspended in the air for a while.

Perhaps I had no destination or plans in my mind; I couldn’t decide what to do next.

Taking a deep breath, I folded my legs and sat in the air like a sage.

Everything that I have gathered till now began to circulate in my mind like a slide show.

From Amun-Ra’s plan to become an Outer God to his failsafe of snatching my body if he ever lost.

By my understanding, there was one thing that was common in both... the authority over souls.

Osiris’s ability was what everything that Amun-Ra planned depended upon.

The problem was I couldn’t kill Osiris. If I did, then I would have Isis ready to bite me.

I couldn’t ask Set to kill Osiris either because he might have a subconscious thing that would store the Authority over Souls.

’...I need to find a way to make my own traps that Amun-Ra should fall into.’

For my own existence, I could not make a single mistake, no matter how much things turned against me.

"...Huff."

I had the advantage over Amun-Ra right now. All I needed was a way to capitalize on it.

With clear thoughts, I turned my body and flew towards the temple of Isis.

It took me only a few seconds before I was floating at the top of her building.

My body warned me about a presence that was coming toward me.

A few seconds later, Isis stood in front of me with a look of anger on her face.

I remained seated in the air, looking at her without showing any surprise. "You seem angry."

"Do you think I have a reason not to be?" Her voice was cold as she stared directly into my eyes.

I raised an eyebrow. "If this is about Osiris, you can relax. I won’t hurt him."

"Do you really think I would believe you?" the woman asked, her eyes blazing with anger.

I let out a deep sigh and slowly lowered my body until I touched the marble floors of the temple.

Isis slowly descended as well until her feet were level with mine, but she didn’t lower her guard.

I kept on staring at the goddess before I slowly asked. "What do you know about me?"

"That you are not the real Amun-Ra." She replied without any hesitation.

This time, I didn’t even deny her claim. All I did was give her a short nod.

"...It may sound like a bunch of lies, but believe me when I say it." I continued, keeping my voice as sincere as possible. "I don’t want to harm you, your child, or your husband."

The lady scoffed like she was hearing a bad joke.

I ignored her reaction as I said, "But the real Amun-Ra will definitely try to kill your husband."

She stared at me as if she was trying to determine whether I was telling the truth or simply manipulating her.

"...Why would he kill Osiris?"

Her voice was quieter this time, but there was still a clear warning hidden beneath it.

I slowly walked toward the edge of the marble platform and looked over the city below us.

"To steal his authority over Souls," I replied calmly. "And to use it for his own gain."

She remained silent, staring at the city below as her fingers slowly curled into fists.

"Are you trying to throw me off?" She asked, her voice anything but trustful. "Is this some grand scheme that you are orchestrating to do something evil?"

’...I don’t know, but what Amun-Ra is doing is definitely evil.’

I thought about the conversation carefully before I said softly, "You can believe me, or you can watch your husband die."

Isis remained silent for several seconds, her eyes never leaving my face.

Finally, she whispered in a soft tone, "...What do you need?"

’...Hah. I am sure she isn’t trusting me, but at the very least, I have somewhat of an ally.’

"I want to understand how the authority over souls actually works," I said without hiding my intentions. "If I understand that method, I might be able to create a trap for him."

Isis remained silent, and I could almost see the calculations running through her mind.

I raised my hands, giving her one last push. "You don’t have to tell me everything, just enough for me to conjure a plan."

"I don’t trust you," she replied without hesitation.

"Same for me," I replied with a nod. "I don’t trust any of you."

She sighed before turning toward the temple. "Come with me."

I hesitated, thinking that she might have set a trap inside. "...Where are you taking me?"

She paused, glanced over her shoulder, and replied, "To Osiris."

She began walking again, her fleeting voice echoing. "If you are correct, then there is no better way to understand his authority than to examine it directly."

I stared at her for a moment. ’That’s actually a good idea.’

Osiris was the one person who could explain his own authority.

More importantly, if there was something unusual about it, Isis would probably know.

After hesitating for a second, I began to walk inside the temple along with her.

The moment we crossed the massive entrance, the atmosphere changed.

The warm sunlight outside disappeared behind thick marble walls, replaced by the faint glow of hundreds of golden lamps hanging from the ceiling.

Several priests immediately lowered their heads when they saw us.

Nobody dared to interrupt.

Isis continued walking without slowing down. "Osiris is in the inner chamber."

"Does he know we’re coming?"

"No."

I looked at her. "Isn’t that going to be suspicious?"

She gave me a strange look. "He’s my husband. I don’t need an excuse to visit him."

"...Fair enough."

We continued deeper into the temple.

After several minutes, we reached a massive chamber surrounded by ancient inscriptions.

Osiris stood in the center of the room, holding a glowing sphere of green light between his hands.

The sphere slowly rotated between his palms, and countless tiny threads of light moved inside it like veins running through a living creature.

He noticed us almost immediately.

"My lady."

His eyes shifted toward me, and a small amount of surprise appeared on his usually calm face.

"My lord."

I gave him a short nod before looking at the strange sphere in his hands.

While Osiris turned his gaze toward his wife, as if asking for an explanation.

"...He is with us for now," Isis said with a complicated look. "At least he won’t try to do anything to you under my watch."

’...So, they have already talked about me beforehand, huh?’

Considering how Osiris was close to Isis and not ruling the city... it was a given.

Ignoring that, I shifted my gaze back to his hands. "What are you doing?"

The God glanced at his wife, and the woman nodded her head gently.

"Studying the souls of those who recently passed away," he replied calmly. "Their condition has been somewhat unusual lately."

I raised an eyebrow, keenly noticing his words. "Unusual how?"

Osiris glanced down at the sphere. "Some of them retain fragments of memories that should have disappeared with their previous existence."

That immediately caught my attention. "What kind of memories?"

"Small things," he replied after thinking for a moment. "Faces, places, emotions, and occasionally entire conversations."

’...Is there something that Amun-Ra is doing that is affecting people on a large scale?’

Wait, could it be because of Amunet and her spell of happiness?

I looked back at Osiris. "Could it be related to your authority?"

"Perhaps."

He raised his hand again, and several green lights appeared around his fingers.

"I have always believed that souls are connected to one another in ways that mortals cannot perceive."

The lights slowly moved together.

"Family, love, hatred, loyalty, and even fear can create connections."

Two of the lights touched each other, and a thin thread appeared between them.

"My authority allows me to perceive those connections."

I stepped closer. "And manipulate them?"

"To a certain extent." The thread between the two souls became brighter. "I can strengthen a connection, weaken it, or force two compatible souls to overlap."

’...That could be useful for me as well.’

I haven’t forgotten about the fact that there is a hole in my soul. I have an incomplete soul.

’...If I get his authority, maybe I can fix my soul as well.’

Isis had been silent for most of the conversation, but her expression had become increasingly thoughtful.

"What could he possibly be planning?" She mumbled to herself.

I was tempted to tell her about the whole Outer God thing, but I decided against it.

It would be better if I didn’t tell her there were higher powers than gods... It would come back to bite me if they decided to pursue it.

Taking in a deep breath, I looked at the God once again.

"You’ve researched this longer than anyone else here," I said. "What happens when a God dies?"

The expression of the God became unusually odd.