Fleeting Sand

📜A coded Invite?

Cale was having a good day. White Star was finally completely gone and he'd even been promoted to a duke. Other than the fact that Choi Han and Alberu seem to fight over him sometimes..for whatever reason, peace had returned to the reformed Kingdom which now stood as the strongest on the middle continent. The kids under his care too had grown up from all the conflicts and the war with White Star and the empire, they had become adults. On and Hong still insisted that they stayed with Cale and had even taken on his new chosen aftername as a duke. According to Cale, he chose 'Desert' because of his red hair and because his territory is to the south. Even Raon had taken to it, and he towers (sizewise) over the Henituse family's mansion! Of course, he had learned to turn human, but it's still formidable.

It was during Lunch - which was held outside due to the nice weather - that a falcon flew out of the woods and circled around the garden pavilion they were all seated under. With him were Choi Han, the kids, the servants, the princess and the wolf boy (both of them had come to visit).

Cale recognized the bird (and it's nostalgic scent), it was a special messenger of Egypt...

'Why?'. It had been hundreds of years since anyone had gotten into contact with him.. Were they at war? No, that can't be. As far as he was told by a merchant, they are still at peace due to the grace of the Ennead and the supreme god.

"Who's bird is that?" Rosalyn set her cutlery down. Cale stood up making the table look at him, "It's for me" he stepped out of the building whistling it over Wynn one hand. Its blue eyes looked at him and, in a sharp turn, it went from its circular flight pattern around the pavilion toward Cale whose shoulder it ultimately landed on.

The bird remained silent, looking at Cale's face with a tilted head. "Who sent you? Nut? Thoth? Or maybe Isis and Horus?" Its blue eyes looked straight into Cale's before chirping. While Cale let the falcon continue making noises, the attendees questioned why Cale thought the bird came from such a far away land.

Yes they knew the names of the Egyptian gods, as those stand at the top of Egypt.. a land that they knew Cale kept himself informed of via a merchant from a caravan from there. The kids even know a few stories that Cale told them for their bedtimes, though he seems to dislike the war God. Maybe because it was an evil God?

They heard Cale groan.

"Is everything alright young master Cale?" Cale's butler Ron inquired smiling as he did so, Cale's nose twitched. 'I don't know what annoys me more right now, the letter from the Ennead council or Ron's usual assassin smile', Cale walked over holding a parchment in his hands.

"That is?" Choi Han and the others looked at the weird paper..scroll? "It's from an acquaintance", laying it out on a cleaned up area, Cale skimmed through the contents. Raon in his human form came up behind Cale and looked over his shoulder, he raised an eyebrow "Aren't those the scribbles from the secret alphabet you taught us?".

Cale smiled slightly, amused that a little mischief came to light, "Yeah, it's actually the Egyptian alphabet. They are called Hyroglyphs". While Cale continued his reading, the falcon - now sitting on a chair - was watching the other humans fuss about how he secretly and on the sly taught some adolecent children to understand such things. The kids were amazed als proud at themselves.

Cale's eyebrow twitched. The scroll's contents were as follows:

{Seth, you are asked by the Ennead Council to return to Heliopolis so that we can check up on the progress of your punishment. We hope you have great results so that we can finally put the matter to rest and break the curse on Osiris's sons. We ask you to be here in a week at the latest, you know which building/Temple.
Signed,
Maat, God of Judgement}

Cale fell back into his chair, 'After all the damn time, this is how it's gonna go huh?'.

"Human, are you okay?" Raon looked at him worriedly, yes the dragon still called his friend...and father figure the same way after an those years. Cale - or rather Seth - didn't know whether to lament it or find it funny due to the dragon only recognising him as a 'proper human'. The redhead suddenly raised an eyebrow, a familiar grin formed on his face, "Well... my old aquaintences want to see me, would anyone like to come along? Its in Egypt if you haven't already guessed and before anyone asks; yes I've been there before".

Both the Archmage and the wolf tribe chief declined, they wouldn't or couldn't because of their family and or occupation. The kids and Choi Han were all on board, Raon even offered to help them get there since the time frame was 'to short to get there'. Ron sadly had to decline, if he were to leave as the head butler, who'd take care of the grand Manor of the duke? He did tell Cale nor to stay over for too long, paperwork and all that.

"You" Cale pointed a finger at the bird who looked at him, "go and tell Maat that I'll be there the day..After overmorrow". The bird stared at him again before taking flight. As it was a bird of Nut, the winds were on its side making it faster than any arrow. Standing up and turning around, Cale told the others that they'd have to dress up a bit.. Egyptian like so to say. "I'll help you out, it's only a bit different from what traditional dark elves like to wear" with that they prepared for the meet-up.

~Somewhere else, 6 hours later~

"Ugh, how long is it going to take that bird to find Seth? It's been six hours, Six. Hours! Did he get trapped in a hole or what?"

In a little meeting between the Enneads, one agitated goddess got impatient. "Quieten down. It may be that Seth wandered a bit too far outside of the cities or is asleep wherever he is" Thoth soothed. Isis blew some air onto her face while her son and the supreme God of the Ennead, Horus, who sat to her left, kept quiet. Sekmeth seemed giddy in her seat watching Maat wait for the reply.

Just then, the council of the Ennead quietened down as the echo of a birds chirp met their ears. Flying through the shadowed entrance was the much awaited messenger bird, it landed on Thoth's shoulder who stood next to Maat. The young God turned his head to the bird. "And? ...Aha..ok.   ..Really? Well... thank you for telling us" it then flew off, out of the building. "So? What did it say?" Horus's mother turned to Thoth, her son was mulling over the falcon's words same as the others who are either blessed by Nut or are bird gods.

Thoth addressed them, "Seth will arrive in four days, it seems that he has some human companions who will accompany him. He also changed his looks slightly..and wasn't in Egypt, but a land from overseas". Eyebrows shot up questioning multiple things. Osiris who heard everything through the crackling fire was no exception.

'Seth is actually willingly mingling with humans with no bloodshed?'
'Seth changed his looks? I wonder how he looks nowadays then'
'He wasn't in Egypt?! Where then?', 'Has he forgotten that he's under a grace period to work out his punishment!? Is Anubis no longer important to him!?'.

Ra who was sitting on their throne smiled viciously as always, one of her interesting descendents is coming back! Hopefully to liven up this place!