Reborn As An Egyptian God Chapter 4 (2024)

Set's gaze lingered on the desert's frontier where it kissed the edges of the oasis. The vast expanse of unending yellow sands seemed almost sentient, its tendrils greedily encroaching upon the verdant refuge.

Jolted from his melancholic reverie, where he grappled with the futile desire to resurrect the deceased, the evil deity lunged at Set. But the formidable divine aura emanating from the Ankh held him captive, his movements shackled by invisible chains of sacred energy.

As the oasis dwindled, devoured bit by bit by the relentless desert, the god's followers found themselves trapped. With no avenue for escape, they knelt, their faces etched with desperation, and offered fervent prayers to their malevolent god.

The prayers of the faithful, however, morphed into sinister energies as they touched the evil god, tainting him further into darkness. Amid his struggles, his form began to shift, his divine semblance warping until he took on a human guise.

"You cannot destroy my worshippers!" the evil god thundered at Set, his voice a tempest of rage.

Set remained silent, his indifference stark. He harbored no particular desire to annihilate the evil deity; such tasks were tiresome. Yet, he knew well the dangers of letting the evil god amass unchecked devotion. Faith, a potent source of power, could fulfill the desires of the believers, bountiful harvests, robust health. But once depleted, these blessings could twist into curses: plagues and death.

This stark duality of faith's power could drive the evil god to seek even more dominion, to hunt other deities, craving an ever-growing reservoir of belief. Such ambitions could not be left unchecked, for no deity, not even a lesser one, could risk the chaos of a power unbound.

Amid these musings, a sharp cry rent the air. The evil god's body convulsed as dark scales erupted across his skin and his bones grotesquely reformed. Seth's eyes shifted to the dwindling oasis, now barely a refuge for a single soul, a young girl, the last adherent of the dark deity. Her prayers were whispers lost to the wind, pleas for salvation drowned by the encroaching sands.

Her fate was sealed as the desert claimed her, the oasis succumbing completely to the desert's embrace. In that moment, the evil god, stripped of his followers, lost all semblance of humanity. He transformed into a monstrous black lizard, a grotesque shadow of his former self.

With no believers to sustain him, his power ebbed away into nothingness. Set, with a mere gesture, withdrew the Ankh's protection. The creature, now powerless and pitiful, was overtaken by the sands, its body crushed under the desert's weight.

Thus, the saga of the evil god and his faithful ended, swallowed whole by the merciless desert, a stark reminder of the impermanence of power and piety.

Perched atop the yellow sand bird, Set stretched forth his hand, fingers tracing ethereal characters in the air. The words, drawn from ancient holy texts, encapsulated the tale of the evil god and his followers. As he inscribed the final glyph, the characters spiraled together, coalescing into a palm-sized replica of his avian steed.

"Go find Maat," Set commanded, his voice resonant with divine authority. The sand bird fluttered its wings, vanishing into the horizon with its sacred mission, trusting that Maat, unless hindered by injury or seclusion, would receive its message.

"Navigate us to the nearest oasis," Set directed next.

"At once, master," the sand bird responded, its tone imbued with reverence.

---

The oasis buzzed with life, a vivid tableau of sounds and scents. Spices tickled the nostrils; the musky odors of cattle, sheep, and camels mingled with the comforting smells of freshly baked bread, roasted meats, and barley wine. All these scents drifted across the bustling market, sustained by the life-giving tributaries of the Nile.

Transformed into the guise of a mere boy, Set wandered among the throngs of people. His return to the mortal realm after decades did not stir in him the excitement one might expect. His recent confrontation had reaffirmed a truth, he viewed humanity from the lofty heights of divinity, not as one of them. This detachment made the necessity of his actions against the followers of the evil god less burdensome.

"Is it because of the integration of Set's memory..." he pondered aloud, not seeking an answer. His identity, merged and irreversible, was as Set now, and that was all he needed to comprehend.

Driven by simpler desires, Set approached a stall adorned with golden-baked scones that emitted an alluring aroma.

"Brother, how many scones for you today?" the plump stall owner inquired, his skirt swaying as he moved.

"Three," Set replied. "How much?"

"Six copper coins," the owner answered with a warm grin.

Coins exchanged hands, and Set eagerly bit into a scone, the simple sweetness of starch briefly satisfying his divine palate.

Continuing his stroll toward the heart of the oasis, Set's eyes were drawn to a crowd gathered around a woman clad in a linen dress. She wasn't just any vendor; she was a practitioner of magic, weaving spells for the gathered onlookers.

"Source of magic, grant your believers the power to control water," she intoned, her voice a mesmerizing whisper that seemed to ripple through the air like the very element she sought to command. Intrigued, Set paused to observe, his divine curiosity piqued by this display of mortal magic.

At that moment, the magician summoned a sphere of water, shimmering and as large as a human head, right into her palm. The crowd gasped in collective awe, and several merchants tossed copper coins toward her feet in admiration.

Set, nibbling on his cake, continued on his way, his interest waning; the magic displayed was minimal, barely scratching the surface of true power. He recalled a conversation with Isis, who had mentioned her ability to curb the magical abilities of beings. The details were vague, but the implication was clear: magic was under Isis's domain, and she wielded control over it effortlessly.

Just then, an animated voice pierced the market's buzz. "There is an abandoned well deep in the desert," proclaimed a woman with a theatrical flourish. Set, finishing his cake, turned towards the voice. A crowd had gathered around a camel laden with bulging sacks, in front of which stood a young woman with sun-kissed skin, vibrant green eyes, and golden earrings that twinkled as she spoke.

"I spent a whole day digging in that desolate well," she declared, her voice echoing through the square. "At night, I prayed fervently to the moon god!"

"And behold, this bag brimming with gold was my reward!" she exclaimed, loosening a cloth bag on the camel to reveal the glinting treasures inside. The onlookers' eyes gleamed with greed, hands itching to touch the fortune, but the woman swiftly slapped them away, securing the bag. "Don't touch! I haven't even inspected it properly yet!"

A skeptical bald man from the crowd called out, "Are you truly going to share the map to that place?"

"Of course! How could I deceive you?" she replied earnestly.

Set, amused by the spectacle, purchased some barbecued meat to enjoy while he watched the scene unfold. It was not every day that a deity observed a mortal coaxing others into a desert gold hunt.

"There's plenty of gold in that well, more than I could ever excavate alone," the woman shrugged casually, "Why not share the wealth? Let everyone have a chance!"

She then produced a stack of papyrus maps from another bag, distributing them among the eager crowd. The maps, hastily drawn with crooked lines and crude script, were clearly amateur, obviously fraudulent at a glance.

As the last of the maps were snatched up and the recipients dispersed hastily, Set examined one of the maps over a bystander's shoulder.

"Is the barbecue tasty?" the woman suddenly appeared beside him, her curiosity piqued.

Set glanced at her, a wry smile playing on his lips. "The spicy barbecue is quite good," he confirmed.

"Really? I'll have to try one myself then," she said, making her way to the barbecue stand where Set had made his purchase, eager to taste it for herself.