1354 Osiris and Khonsu (2/2)
”But, the demon spirit returned after ten years, as it had promised. It had come back for her soul.
”Khonsu was a scheming and extremely greedy woman. She wanted more; she wanted to enjoy her fame for a longer time. She had been looking for ways to avoid the demon spirit even before it showed up, so she would not have to give up on her soul.”
The teenage boy was telling the story passionately. He paused briefly and glanced at the old herdsman.
The old herdsman shook the cigarette butts off and exclaimed, ”She's indeed incomparable to our Qiqige. She's filthy, greedy, and selfish… so, what did she do? Was she given the punishment that she deserved?”
”Now here is the best part of the story. Khonsu had done her homework over the years. She learned that the demon spirit was actually Osiris, the Lord of the Underworld. He would trade with humans at times, and he would lock her soul up as one of his concubines. She would become his toy and be tortured forever. Khonsu knew she had enjoyed living her dream for ten years, but the price she had to pay was to suffer an even worse fate than her life from before. She decided to fight until the end. She knew Osiris had a residence in the mundane world, and I bet you've heard it before...
”Osiris' residence in the mundane world is the pyramids. He had to rely on the power of the pyramids to roam around in this world.”
The old herdsman's eyes widened after hearing the keyword. He nodded and said, ”The pyramids, they are pretty famous. So what happened then?”
”Khonsu utilized the reputation, wealth, and power she had accumulated over ten years to collect something special. It was called the Triangle Dimensional Mirror. She used it to refract the brilliance of the pyramids, so it would never reach the city and the place she lived in...” the teenage boy said.
”She's a smart girl, but a pitiful girl too. She was only trying her best to stay alive,” the old herdsman observed.
”However, she ended up infuriating Osiris. The Lord of the Underworld would not allow a petty human to trick him like that after failing to fulfill her end of the trade… Osiris can only visit the mundane world once every ten years, yet because the image of the pyramids couldn't reach where Khonsu was, Osiris decided to vent his anger on humanity.
”Since the Triangle Dimensional Mirror was only reflecting the light of the pyramids instead of absorbing them, the brilliance of the pyramids still ended up in other cities and areas. Therefore, Osiris and his undead would trample the cities and massacre the people there to vent their frustration toward the despicable humans!”
The old herdsman was lost in the story. For some reason, the story that the teenage boy was telling was different from his. Even though it sounded more ridiculous, and had a more bizarre setting, somehow he felt like it had actually happened in the past!
”Every ten years, Khonsu brought a bloodbath to a city just to protect herself. Lots of lives were lost!” the teenage boy said. He seemed unusually excited.
”Such a detestable woman!” the old herdsman murmured.
”Yeah, she's the complete opposite compared to Qiqige. However, that's not the end of the story,” the teenage boy agreed.
”It's not the end yet? Did she finally pay for what she had done?” the old herdsman asked.
”Yeah, she got her punishment. A boy who was the survivor of one of the cities that were destroyed became Khonsu's servant. The boy was smart and handsome, and extremely loyal to Khonsu, and he soon became her favorite. When Khonsu thought she had finally found her true love, the boy stole Khonsu's Triangle Dimensional Mirror. There was a thunderstorm that day. The boy tossed the Triangle Dimensional Mirror into the sky. Khonsu watched the lightning blasting the mirror into pieces and dust...” the teenage boy said.
”Well done! It served her right. You can't just let innocent people die because Khonsu wasn't willing to fulfill her end of the deal,” the old herdsman exclaimed.
”No no no, the man didn't earn the respect of the people, either. Osiris did end up taking Khonsu away, and she's still suffering even today, but the man was spurned and cursed by the people too. His corpse is still in front of the royal palace in Egypt, trampled by everyone walking past,” the teenage boy corrected him.
”Why is that?” The old herdsman was confused.
”Because even though the Triangle Dimensional Mirror had turned into dust, it still persisted in the air in Egypt. It's smaller than dust particles, and impossible to drive away. They are meant to exist forever, and once in a while, the seasonal winds will blow the particles of the Triangle Dimensional Mirror together to refract the light of the pyramids. The pyramids will show up near a city. Osiris' anger toward humans has never ceased, so he keeps sending the undead to attack the cities...” the teenage boy grinned.
”Why do I feel like I've heard it before...” the old herdsman was not completely uneducated. He had heard things about Egypt before.
”Of course, it's called… the Mirage!”