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Disclaimer: The following will contain homosexual individuals and relationships and will involve interpretations of deities from various religions. No offense is intended. This is copyrighted to me (mewjen(at)ymail.com), so no using it without my. This is a work of fiction.

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Chapter 12

I awoke with a start, as I felt a hand press into my chest, holding me down, as I jerked reflexively.

"Calm down," a male voice said, as the hand moved away.

I opened my eyes, but the world was a blur, with spots of color swimming around my head. I tried to sit up, but a wave of dizziness stopped me.

"Set overdid it a bit," the voice stated. "He gave you a concussion."

It was hard to understand what was being said. The words were perfectly clear and I understood each word, but putting them together left me in a fog.

"Don't worry. I have healed your wounds."

I tried to sit up again, and this time I succeeded. The world was coming into focus, and the first thing I saw was An's face and those beautiful eyes of his. I grabbed the back of his head and kissed him, hungrily.

He pushed me away almost instantly. The look of disgust on his face was heartbreaking. I tried to touch his cheek, but he grabbed my wrist tightly and held it away from him. "Don't touch me," that voice spoke again, but it came from An.

Then I started to notice the subtle differences, that green that colored his black fur, the way his mouth had twisted, so very different from any of An's expressions. But his eyes were perfect recreations. How could he make mistakes everywhere else but there? Then he blinked, and I saw it. I clasped my hand to my mouth, fighting the wave of sickness I felt.

"Interesting," Osiris said, as he stepped back, increasing the distance between us.

I turned my gaze away from him, trying not to look at those eyes. "What did you do to Anubis?" I demanded.

"What do you think I did?" he replied.

I rushed him, forcing him against the wall, as I raised my fist, preparing to scorch the answer out of him.

Instead, he laughed at me. I glanced at my hand and saw only flesh, before he grabbed my fist, and throwing his weight against my hold, he twisted me around. I fell to the ground, but he kept his hand clenched around my fist, and I cried out, as my arm was jerked from its socket. He held me there, hovering off the floor, my arm flooding pain through my body, waiting for what felt like an eternity before I was allowed to drop into a crumpled heap, unable to move my arm.

He stood over me, looking down at me, as I struggled to twist my head to return his gaze. "Your incarceration does not have to be painful, but if that is your desire, I can accommodate."

I tried to keep him talking, as I struggled to overcome the ache within my shoulder. "What do you want with me?"

"Oh, should I tell you?" he asked aloud, walking around me. "Should I explain everything, every plan I have? Should I sate your curiosity?" He paused a moment. "You want answers. I want answers. I believe there is a solution to this. Where is Isis?"

"I don't know," I grunted, before he placed his foot on my dislocated shoulder.

"This only works if you are honest," he said, through a vale of cheeriness.

I felt tears leak through the pain. "I never knew. Ra's shade sent me to her. Set sent me away."

He returned his foot to the floor. "See. Compliance is rewarded. As to your first question, Anubis is quite well for now. That, of course, will change."

"Liar," I snarled.

He smiled down at me. "You really suspect something, don't you?" he asked. "Not too many people ever look close enough to see the inconsistencies. Anubis can see passed my shape, cheating as it were. But you think you know him so well that you can see me as a fake. Your mind is willing to play such tricks on you."

I felt his powers latch onto my arm, just before he forced it back in place. It still hurt, but it was a numbing pain, as strain on my muscles slowly dissipated.

"Anubis is alive and suffers from no serious aliment--"

"You stole his eyes!" I shouted.

He smiled at my confirmation. "Yes." He morphed back into his human form, but An's eyes remained. "I did, and at the same time, my brother stole you away."

I returned to my feet quickly, forcing my muscles passed the ache. "I may be here, powerless for now, but I will find a way to overcome this magic. I am not a force to be caged."

He laughed at me for over a minute. "You melted a pile of scrap metal. Congratulations. You are nowhere near your potential, your so-called mentor is blind, and your only hope is my benevolence."

I stood my ground. "Even without his sight, An will find me, and you will suffer."

Osiris' smile twisted darkly. "Hmmph. Or Anubis will perish, his very essence trapped between cycles, trapped until every wavelet of his soul is gone. Then the question you have to think about is: Will you follow in the footsteps of the damned, or the footsteps of god?"

"Quite the complex you have. Or are you the damned?"

"You do like to suffer, don't you?"

"What do you have planned?"

"Many things and my plans for you have only started." He conjured a chair and sat down, and then, gesturing to the cot I had awoken on, "Please, sit."

I glanced to the cot warily.

"Do I need to provide further discouragement?" He sighed when I remained standing. "Very well remain as you are. I will not be much longer then." He stood up, leaving the chair, as he took on a more business-like persona. "Over the coming months, I do hope you will find the truth that your so-called loved one is hiding from you, but until you can purge the evil that has corrupted you, you must remain in this room and your powers will continue to be blocked. You will receive two-meals-a-day provided by either Set or Sobek, and I will try to provide you nightly sessions, so that we may begin to heal damage wrought by Ra and Anubis."

"You're going to heal me?" I questioned with contempt.

The green man ignored my comment. "My brother is well on his way. Together, you and he will bring my son to me, free of this curse."

"Have you ever thought that maybe we like who we are?"

"You enjoyed the isolation?"

He called on the despair I had felt before An came back into my life, but I pushed back, fighting those memories. "It was not my choice."

"Of course it was," Osiris snarled. "You chose to reject life. You separated yourself from your family. You left your parents. You abandoned your sister."

I felt my blood boil at the mention of my sister. "Leave her out of this!" I shouted.

Osiris purred at my raised hackles. "She was so young. She never understood why you left."

I fought not to do anything rash. My sister was only eleven when my parents kicked me out.

"Your parents miss you," he offered. "They are willing to allow you to come back."

"How the hell would you know?"

"Chaos, Death, and a few others are free to cross certain planes. I spoke with your parents on several occasions."

I tried to hide my shock that my parents could have been in contact with a god like Osiris. "Of what interest would my parents provide you?"

He shrugged during his response, waving off any importance. "Isis isn't very forthcoming about Anubis. Your parents, on the other hand, were more than willing, with the condition of your safety."

I froze mid thought. "What?"

"You are a very fortunate individual." His smiled turned murderous. "You provided me everything I needed to know about destroying the person you care most about in this universe, and for that, I can cause you no lasting harm."

"Leave my boyfriend alone." I tried to rush him again, but I found myself held in place.

Osiris walked up to me and whispered, "Be warned. My tolerance is not infinite, and there are options far grander than mere physical agony left to me. For now, I need Anubis alive, and you have no control over when that need ends. Remove him from your heart, before it is too late."

The moment the door was shut, I threw myself on the cot and spent several minutes pounding the pillow, venting my anger at letting Osiris get at me.

How could he bring up my sister? God damn him. I couldn't get the image of her cowering behind the seats of the amphitheater at my graduation, as my parents yelled at me for disgracing their family and for showing such disregard for my sister, forcing her to witness such a display.

Some days I wish An had been there just so I could have kissed him in front of the entire assembly, proving my words with actions.

But then An probably would have punched me and ran out, defeating the entire message.

My sister would have been told to forget me, as I have done for her. I have stopped myself from finding her, been grateful that An never questioned me about her. We were so close as children that I still fear seeing her reaction now that she would understand why I left.

Osiris brought me my evening meal that night, stating that Sobek and Set were too preoccupied. He stayed, watching me eat.

"Do you mind?" I grumbled.

However, he remained silent, until he gathered my empty dishes and left.

Sobek brought me breakfast. He was shaking slightly and limping as he walked. He set the tray down near me and then backed away quickly, standing in front of the door.

"I am not allowed to eat in peace?" I asked.

"Correct," he answered. "Unfortunately."

I looked him over, noting everything I could. "May I ask what happened to you?"

He looked at me, scanning my features. "If only to prevent you from doing the same," he hissed.

I raised an eyebrow. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't like being raped, so you breathe through your mouth." When I gave a quizzical look, he added, "Don't sample my pheromones."

"You think I'm going to lose control of myself." I felt anger bubbling at his insinuation.

"It seems like--" he paused, the beginning of the curse already formed on his lips, "your kind have trouble with that concept," he snarled.

I swiped a piece of bread and took a bite, before I replied, "For the record, your smell was apparent from the moment you entered, namely like stale semen."

His hiss was low, as he tried to hide the act, but it was still audible. "Fuck you."

"I'm taken," I retorted.

"So were the last three hundred and ninety-five women I've had in my bed."

"That's your problem. Not mine."

"A desire to escape. That is all it takes."

Despite his anger, his eyes told a different story. "Are you afraid of me?"

"I could rip you apart without even using my jaws," he returned, not allowing his guard to lower.

"But you are not allowed to," I countered, despite my realization.

He grunted noncommittally. "It is not in my best interests."

I was silent for a few minutes, before the need to confirm my fears overpowered me. "Please, tell me it wasn't Set."

"I will not lie for him." I opened my mouth to speak, but he snapped first, as he stepped forward. "Since you are so talkative, you must be finished."

I grabbed what I could before he grabbed the tray and strode out.

I was left in silence, as I finished the toast, still slightly hungry.

When Sobek brought dinner, he apologized for Osiris not being available that evening but otherwise refused to speak to me.

For a week things continued like that. Osiris visited a few times to lecture on normalcy and duty. He even refrained from hitting me when I mouthed off. Being left alone was hard, but Set's lack of contact was far more distressing. I needed to hear him refute Sobek's claim. I needed to hear his plan to escape this mess. He promised that he would fight his brother's control, but each passing day seemed to cement that I'd placed my fate in the wrong hands. I feared I didn't know him as well as I thought.

When Set finally entered my cell that evening, he was acting completely different. He set the food down in front of me with a dark smile and hissed, "Eat."

"Where the hell have you been?" I shouted.

"Busy," he answered impatiently. "Now eat up."

"No," I retorted firmly." You have some explaining to do. I let you bring me here under the condition that you would fight, so how exactly are you going to get me out of this before Osiris uses me to get to An...or worse?"

Set ignored me. "Eat."

"Why?" I asked, suddenly distrustful of Set's insistence.

Set sighed heavily, before he threw me against the wall. "Why do you have to make this so difficult? Just eat the damn poison before I get caught." His face froze in place. "Great. I used to be good at this. I could lie and twist the truth with ease. Then I let myself get trapped by you and Anubis. Why did I sacrifice my life for you? Where did it get me?"

"You don't remember?" I questioned, trying to figure out what Osiris did to him.

"I remember every day I wasted on that dog and every day I wasted watching over you, protecting you to save him the pain he so richly deserves. Just think how it will destroy him when I explain just how you died. He cannot find a soul outside of his realm." He smirked proudly.

"Did you help Osiris steal An's eyes?" I snarled.

He flinched backwards, grabbing the left side of his face, while grunting as if he was suddenly in pain. "What?"

I pushed myself off the wall, moving over him, as he knelt, still clutching his head. "You expect me to believe you had no part in it considering what you just said?"

He growled, as he rose to his feet, towering over me. "I want Anubis to suffer. What is the point if I cannot stare into his eyes as I do it?"

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?" I shouted. "You were in love with him. Now it sounds like you want him dead."

His presence shrank slightly, as he paused in thought and then shrugged. "I kinda do."

I lunged at him, but he sidestepped me, and I fell to the ground.

He stood over me, as he cooed mockingly. "You did get that I am also trying to kill you, right?"

"Osiris can't kill me," I countered, as I started to get up, before Set put his foot on my back and forced me back down.

The pressure increased, as Set leaned over me. "Who said anything about my brother?"

I stopped struggling, as that statement rolled over me.

Set's whisper from next to my ear made me jump. "Sure Anubis caused me orders of magnitude greater pain than you, but you also contributed to my suffering. Plus, you're Anubis' greatest treasure. So win-win."

I felt true panic for the first time since he sat the bowl in front of me. "Set, you do remember being in love with him?"

His foot shifted, directing the force to my ribcage. "Stop acting like I'm addled," he hissed into my ear. "My mind is clear. I'm just not feeling quite as forgiving anymore. I was left an empty shell. I have been abandoned again and again. Vengeance is all that I have that can hope to end the suffering of my heart."

"You are selling your soul to your brother. Think of Horus," I said, just before my remaining air was pushed out of my lungs.

Set reacted with anger instantly. "You have five seconds to shut the hell up, before I make you beg for death."

"That will do, Brother."

I turned my head quickly to find Osiris and Sobek standing at the door, but Set refused and launched himself at me, trying to grab my neck.

"Enough!" Osiris' voice echoed in the small room, as Set froze in place. "Set," Osiris walked up to his brother, and jerking him out of his paralysis, he forced Set to stand at attention. "You will not harm Jaller in any way. Do you understand me?"

Set lowered his head. "Yes, my brother," he hissed angrily. He waited a couple of seconds before walking off. "Come, Sobek!"

The crocodile waited until Osiris nodded, before following Set.

Osiris walked over to me and offered his hand. "I apologize. I was not aware my brother needed explicit instructions."

I refused his aid and stood up on my own. "What did you do to him?"

Osiris turned his gaze to the open door. "Do you know what Sobek's power is? He lures them in with their own desire. And better still, he cannot control it. Combine that with a certain spell that requires a great betrayal. For example, sending your brother to attack your greatest love, while you steal his most cherished possession."

"You tricked him." I tried to shout, but the ache from my chest turned it into a hushed whisper.

Osiris shook his head, turning to me. "I turned his weakness into a path for salvation. I took away his pain, his suffering and made him strong. He will become one of my greatest generals. Together he and I will change this universe, as brothers standing beside each other, as we were always meant to do. I will show Isis my brother's worth, prove to her and my parents that he can be redeemed, that he can be saved. He is my brother. Horus is my son. Isis my wife. I can find a place for you. Anubis is his father's son, but you can earn a place at my side."

I could see that determination in his gaze, and I just wanted to rub it out. "Never," I answered with spite.

He sighed softly. "Your views will change with time." He went to the door. "I will ensure that Set will not make another attempt to harm you and bring you an untainted meal."

He came back a half hour later, and hunger made the decision to trust the food brought to me.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked, after I finished.

He sat and watched me for a long while, pondering. "There is a story that was told to me when I was young," he answered. "A very old tale, from before even our grandparents' grandparents. A story about a being more powerful than Ra and the lengths to which Ra was willing to go to prevent his rise."

I was about to interrupt, but his glare encouraged my silence.

"From the beginning Ra had mastery of creation," Osiris continued. "Born from the void, he knew great power, but the void kept its true greatness from Ra. The void was distrustful of its first son. It knew the darkness that was held within Ra's heart could be his undoing. So it bore a second son, to which it gave an equal power. Two sons. Each with the ability to balance the other. To Ra, the power to construct. To his brother, the ability to deconstruct.

"However, when Ra discovered the void's plot, he became so enraged that he attacked his newly formed brother, and in his jealousy, the grand creator became the greatest destroyer, as he tore his flesh and blood apart.

"When the void discovered what Ra had done, it bestowed its greatest gift to the fallen brother and sent an army after the betrayer. The Devourers, led by The Fallen, against a pigeon of a man. However, Ra was clever. He tied his soul to the very fabric of life, forcing thousands to fight for the lives their families.

"Ra used them like tissue, sacrificing their souls to the beast after they served his purpose. From civilizations, only seven survived to see the Devourers entrapped."

I had had enough of his longwinded reply. "You are just twisting history to fit your ends," I interrupted when he paused, "to make Ra out to be some monster."

He smirked at me, letting An's eyes sparkle innocently. "History is a distortion," he answered, as though I was a child refuting my teacher's lesson. "You just want your jackal's father to be innocent of his crimes. Let me ask you this: if Ra was capable of banishing you away from his son, stripping away my son's memories, and torturing my brother--"

"You tortured Set," I interjected, not letting him skirt that point.

He shrugged. "Let's say what I did was torture, then what was it that Ra did? I was safely imprisoned when your dog and my brother separated in a...rather painful method, rather torturously to be honest. It couldn't've been me, and I doubt my brother would have wanted that. Your Anubis seems possible, but Ra had the desire. So my question is: if Ra is a monster, then why would you assume he was not always a monster?"

I tried to muster a quick reply, but his words caught at me. "I trust Anubis," I murmured.

"And Anubis has never hurt you? Never been lied to? Never lied?" he asked airily.

I could feel his comments echoing behind my ears.

He shifted on the chair he sat in, moving closer to me. "As I was saying, some say The Fallen fell during that final battle. Some say he endured and hid, while Ra basked in his victory. And some say their war never stopped.

"A careful look at our recorded history, highly suggests The Fallen survived the Devourers' War, and stories suggest that without his army, he tried to make peace with his hate-filled brother, but Ra refused to allow any other to have influence over this world.

"Their battles became political theater, controlling the masses with invisible strings. But even then, there were scrimmages in the shadows. Blood was still spilt in their names and families destroyed.

"Did you know that on the day you were born, all magic was taken?"

My head snapped up at the mention of my birth. My heart beat faster, as I searched his face, looking for clues, waiting for him to reveal his true reason for imprisoning me.

"Every last spark of our magic was stolen from us at Ra's whim," he continued, as I held in the wave of frustration, "save his favorites. From that act of Ra's came three pools of great energy, which Ra's sealed away within a body, a mind, and a soul."

"How the hell could you know that?" I shouted at his ruse.

But he remained calm. "Because Isis was granted a limited supply of residual magic for Anubis' protection and her concerns have never varied that much. She may not have seen where the containers ended up, but she saw the signs of what the containers were."

I narrowed my eyes, showing my distrust.

He flashed an apologetic smile. "Now the possible reasons for his actions are endless. It could have been simple greed, or the more laughable, to discourage wars between nations. However, the choice of those three components makes it so obvious. A soul can be reborn. A mind can be repressed within another. But a normal body is not permanent. It withers and decays without a soul, and a body cannot be incorporated with another. So why use a body that would eventually release the trapped energy? Unless that body was more eternal than most.

"The Fallen was the first master of resurrection. His body would fit that criteria, and he would require such measures."

Resurrection, I repeated in my head. "Do you really believe this Fallen existed?" I probed.

He laughed. "Does it matter what I believe? I was allowed to be forgotten when Ra usurped me, because he was always viewed as the more powerful. Even if I collect all of Ra's powers, I would only become an equal. For the people to accept me as a god greater than Ra, they must first believe it is possible. If that means belief in The Fallen or a father-creator, so be it. They can believe I am the final incarnation of The Fallen for all I care."

"You would prefer it, though," I stated.

"I survived my brother's attempt to kill me. I'm sure you know the condition he left me in. Oh, so very similar. Like he was doing it on purpose, showing the people my right of ownership over Ra's kingdom."

I stared at him in disbelief, aghast at his ability to warp things to his favor. "Why do you have to rule?"

He paused in what seemed to be genuine thought. "At one point in time, I would have said that it was because my parents, and their parents, told me that it was my destiny. The woman I love enforced that fate as well. But now, it is far simpler. Ra hurt me. He hurt my wife, my son, my family. He hurt you, failed to control his own son, and let the population of Tem die. He stole the world's freedom and left us to cower beneath him. Ra is a monster, and I am closer than you could imagine to gaining not only his powers, but the pieces he hid away. Ra will fall. His guards will become mine, and my family will be restored. Serve me, Jaller. I am your last chance at freedom. And the universe's only." He stood up, and with a snap of his fingers, the dishes I had used were gone. "Goodnight. I will see you tomorrow for your next lesson."

He vanished before I could react.

"What lesson?" I asked aloud, wondering why he chose to include my birth into his fantasy.

I struggled to fall asleep that night. Doubts about Ra and Set were eating away at my hope. My nightmares about An now included: Set tricking him and stabbing him in the back, and Ra destroying him as punishment.

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Author's Note: Probably not worth the long wait, but life caught up with me and this chapter was a lot harder to balance that I had thought it would be (and I am not sure it is balanced). I threw out a lot of work and bad ideas that failed to make this more interesting or better paced.

I do want to make a note about Osiris' origin of the universe tale. It does not invalidate the epilogue of A Failed Duty nor is it lie. There is another version that I will be trying to work in in the future too, as an exploration point.

To end with a tease: I think I have a way to give Sobek his due (finally) in two chapters, and Set and Horus will be running into each other in the next chapter (though Set is not exactly in the same mindset as when they parted, now is he?).

Thank you for reading this chapter. While you are here, please rate, favorite, and comment so that other people may also enjoy this story. They are very much appreciated.