Reluctantly, Talos and Meshnet followed her to the great hall. As they entered, they were met with a sight that took their breath away. The Young Blood, now known as one of the Many, stood in the center of the room, basking in the adoration of the crowd.

The room was filled with the sound of music and laughter as the Young Blood smiled and waved to the cheering crowd. The walls were adorned with intricate hieroglyphs and paintings of the Mirthful Ones, their eyes seeming to follow the new initiate's every move.

The Pharaoh himself stood at the head of the table, beaming proudly at his newest recruit. As Talos and Meshnet watched, a servant approached them with a tray of food and drink. They hesitated for a moment before accepting a cup of wine from the servant.

As they sipped their drinks, Seshnum and Meshnet couldn't help but feel a sense of awe and respect for the Young Blood. Talos on the other hand was bitter, he looked around the room, taking in the opulence and splendor of it all. "I wonder what kind of power he thinks he possesses that made him worthy of this honor," he whispered to Meshnet.

"Because I can't believe I ever decided to come in here with you two idiots" Talos rolls his eyes at you but you don't pay him any attention or mind.

This is your moment and you are going to soak it all in for as long as you can, you watch the others around you gather closer as they whisper and shout congratulations at you from all sides.

Meshnet shrugged, his eyes still fixed on the Young Blood. "Only time will tell, Talos. But for now, let us enjoy the celebration and support our newest brother in the Many."

"Why should I? It's not fair, Purple is so rare these nights, it's uncommon for some random purple blood to suddenly appear and get all the attention" To say that Talos was better would be a vast understatement.

"Talos, do not be like that, it will be fine, it's not like he's a huminia or something foolish like that" Seshnum tried to console him but he was having none of it. Talos stormed out of the room in a huff.

Meshnet followed  after Talos quickly as the other walked outside the palace and sat on the stairs leading to the double doors. He frowned at him and put a hand on his shoulder, “Are you ok?”

Talos shook his head, glaring at the sky for a brief moment before he replied, “I’m as fine as I can be, don’t worry about me, what I’m concerned about won’t matter in the end anyway”

Meshnet frowned at him deeply, scooting closer to him as the night air swirled around them. “I’d figure an Anum like you would have concerns about pretty important things, I’m just a Basa so I’m not trying to but into your matters or anything, but I think it would be good for you to open up a bit and tell me what’s really going on, what’s truly bothering you?”

Talos grunted and looked at the other with his own frown “We can’t have some random Basa come into the palace and be initiated into the faith just because his memory is good-”

“He has to pass the second part of the ceremony before he gets his face paint Talos you know that, I know that, we all know that” Meshnet chided him and he scoffed at him before looking away in anger.

“I know that Meshnet, that is not the problem, the problem is, what do we know about him? He could be just like what happened before, you remember what happened before! With HER and all that she did!” Talos was upset and he waved his hands in the air to emphasis his anger.

Meshnet put a firmer hand to Talos shoulder and shook his head firmly “Do not fret about it Talos, SHE wasn’t even part of our species, our species is all males. The turmoil she brought to the palace and what she did to our crown prince will never, ever, ever be forgotten, you must trust me on that I assure you”

Talos grumbled and stared at the sky for a long time in absolute silence, he didn’t look at Meshnet again for at least three minutes. Meshnet frowned again and hugged his friend who froze up before he was pulling away. “It’s hard on me ok? I had to witness that, you had to witness that, it wasn’t good for anyone at all and it never will be, what if she comes back? What will be done then?”

“Talos she cannot come back, she’s dead and she’s been dead for a long time, you know that, I know that, it’s not hard to put together so I do not understand why you are so insistent on bringing it up” Meshnet said this as he lit a flame on his palm with a whisper of magic.

“I cannot forget it Meshnet, I simply cannot” Talos stated, grunting as he looked at the other servant. A million thoughts were filling his head as they stared at each other.

Meanwhile

You hold your arms out to the crowd and they cheer for you, your excitement is felt in the air and you look back at the king and crown prince.

‘Congratulations on passing the first ceremony, Young Blood’ The Crown Prince signs this at you and you nod at him in thanks. You are so happy right now you can barely contain yourself, you want to celebrate even more but you know the next part of the ceremony is coming soon. You must mentally prepare yourself for the trials ahead. You look around the celebration briefly.

You watch everyone with a smile as the Pharaoh holds out his arms to silence the room. “As a final test, our newest brother must travel to the Sacred Lands to get his face paint engraved into his flesh, as you all know this entails a journey through Anok, the land of the dead, for only through death are true Onnori born”

You steel yourself as you nod at him, suddenly, the crown prince holds up a hand and signs as his father ‘I will take him through Anok’

The crowd gathered around gives a gasp as the crown prince turns to look at you once more, your chest tightens in a good way as you nod vigorously. “I accept your help my crown prince”

‘Anok is a very dangerous place my prince, I trust that you help me transverse the landscape safely’  You sign this back at him and his face lights up at the fact you took the time to do so. He reaches out to pet your shoulder briefly and you beam at him happily. 

The crown prince smiles warmly, his eyes gleaming with admiration. 'Then let us begin,' he signs, extending his hand to you. You grasp it firmly, feeling a surge of determination course through your veins. Together, you make your way through the crowd, heads turning to watch you go.

As you step out of the great hall, the cool night air hits you like a wave. The crown prince leads you through the palace grounds, his long stride eating up the distance between them. You can't help but marvel at his grace and poise, a stark contrast to the excitement coursing through your veins.

He is a sight to behold and you relish in the view, you take a second to think about all that has transpired in the past few hours and you know for a fact that danger lies ahead for you on this path.

The Crown Prince looks at you briefly before he keeps walking in long strides and you must hurry to catch up to him. The night air is cool around you both as Sitrek calls in the distance fill the sky with song in a low and mournful tone. You always loved just standing on a sand dune or laying atop one, listening to the sounds of the night and the stars above. It is a blessing that you are so adept at travel by night as a species. The daylight brings only death and it is best to avoid traveling by day as much as possible. You do not want to think about exactly why you made the three night trek to the palace as you did, it is a memory best forgotten by yourself and time alongside. 

The Prince pauses and goes back within to gather his supplies before he joins you back at the palace steps. He looks you over briefly before he carries on walking toward the stables and you have to run somewhat in order to catch up to him. It is not difficult to do but he notices and slows his stride somewhat to allow you the time you need to catch up.