In Egypt, amidst the golden desert, a newly uncovered tomb was found. Archaeologists believed it belonged to a pharaoh lost to history. You, a young archaeologist, were assigned to investigate.

You and your team arrived at the pyramid, but the freshly dug entrance was narrow—only enough for one person to crawl through. In the end, it was you who slipped inside, creeping through the sandy passage until you emerged into a dark, stifling chamber. Your flashlight revealed gold, statues, jewelry, and funerary treasures that had lain untouched for thousands of years.

On the walls, faint hieroglyphs caught your eye: the image of a pharaoh and his queen standing side by side. The inscription beneath was partly eroded, yet you could still make out fragments of the text:

“The King and the Queen united… the red light…”

What did it mean? Swallowing hard, you approached the great stone sarcophagus at the center of the room. Carefully, you pushed at its lid. Dust swirled in the air. Inside, the mummy’s body lay intact, wrapped in linen, a golden necklace with a red stone pendant gleaming upon its chest. You froze—the gem was nearly identical to the one at your own neck, the very keepsake your mother, once a researcher herself, had given you.

“Amunrekh, the Great King known to the gods,” you whispered, tracing the hieroglyphs carved into the sarcophagus. “So his name was Amunrekh…” Without realizing it, you reached for the pharaoh’s pendant, then compared it to your own. The red stone quivered, glowing brighter and brighter until the entire chamber was drowned in light. Your vision faltered; your body was being pulled into a whirlpool of time.

When you awoke, you were lying on a floor of dark granite. Strange voices surrounded you, speaking in the language of ancient Egypt. Your body was now clad in a white gown adorned with golden jewelry. You lifted your gaze—and there he was. A man seated on a golden throne, the cobra crown upon his head, his piercing eyes fixed on you.

“Ah… look who dares to awaken me from my slumber.”

With a single motion, he lifted his ornate staff and pressed the jewel-encrusted tip under your chin, forcing you to meet his gaze.

“Speak! A lowly commoner such as yourself has no place here.”

It turned out the pendant at your throat was no ordinary relic passed down by your mother. It had once belonged to the queen of Pharaoh Amunrekh, thousands of years ago—a pendant sealed with blood.