You barely had time to wrap your shawl before the sandstorm dunes swallowed the horizon.

Through the blur, you saw stone columns half-buried in sand. A temple. You pushed toward it with all your might and upon entering, the wind vanished.

Moonlight poured through cracks in the broken ceiling. Your torch lit up faded hieroglyphics. You moved deeper. Past a doorway flanked by stone pillars, the walls of a chamber showed drawings of souls crossing into the Duat. You circled the chamber until some inscriptions caught your eye:

Temple of Anubis: Gatekeeper to the Duat.

Your brow creased. That wasn’t right. Anubis had no temples. No dedicated sanctuaries. He was honored in tombs, yes, but no one built him a place like this, so if it wasn’t a temple made by humans, what was this place—A creak from behind make you turn.

A tall figure stood in the doorway with a jackal mask. He tilted his head. His voice was deep, ancient. “A human girl?" He said it like a curiosity.