Khalid felt as if his leg would collapse at any moment. His lungs ached from breathing ragged breaths and holding back harsh words. His eyes stung from flung sand and unspilt tears. His head throbbed with the heavy beating of his heart, the adrenaline still coursing heavily through his veins. Even his heart was pained, though why was harder to explain. Hardships had littered the journey, making him feel much older than he appeared, and yet much younger than he had ever been. Now, however, the journey felt close to its end.

Weak light spilled from the jagged opening as they traversed the cavern. It flickered and shifted like a small candle in the middle of a raging storm. The candle's flame was resistant despite its weaknesses, struggling against the forces of nature that attempted to snuff it out. The babbling of the stream became a distant memory, the low ceiling dipping in once more. As the space grew smaller, the band grew wearier. The God of Chaos may have disappeared, though the threat of danger remained ever lurking.

The Underworld was a place for the dead and the toll it had taken on all of them could have been considered a reminder. Masika's steps were less graceful, the heavy steps that fell belonging to someone older. Ife's back had become more curled, hunching over greatly in an effort to keep herself moving. Not even Ramia had remained unscathed, her shoulders sinking inward whenever too deep a breath entered her lungs. Khalid was sure they were all ready for the gods' quest to finally be over. They had been through more than their fair share of grief.

Yet when they entered the next room, a much darker tone filtered through the room. It whispered in their ears of death and misery, of failure and disappointment. All movement stopped as they looked upon the god, ice freezing them in place despite the warmth the god before them had created. Had they been too late? The God's body lay before them, trickles of blood leading to streams that curved into rivers and emptied into the lake below him. His eyes had grown closed, his beak sewn shut. Each blue feather on his head had been dipped in a deep red, the biggest of the wounds a stunning gash across his bare chest. Beholding the god was terrifying, but not for the reason it should have been. It wasn't in fear that he would smite one of them down but in shock, that they might actually watch the creature die.

The softest shuffle broke the suffocating silence. Ramia brushed past the girl in front, her movements jerky yet not broken. A single step forward was all it took to rouse the god. One eye opened briefly, only enough to catch a glimpse at the four of them. It was gold in color, with its black pupil causing for the briefest of reminders on how Apophis's eyes had gazed upon them. Nonetheless, there was a certain warmth held within the god's golden orbs that quickly melted the returning feelings of fear and anger.

"So you are finally here." Ra spoke with a deep tone that dove right to the base of Khalid's spine and caused it to shiver. However, the words were not spoken in anger but as a simple truth. The most emotion that could be scavenged was the faintest hint of relief, as well as the small groan of pain that came out after it. "I wondered if you would make it before that wretched snake came to finish me off."

Khalid didn't mention it, though by the scene in front of him, he knew the snake was not needed to end the god's life. A simple lack of blood loss would be all that was needed and for that, the time was becoming increasingly short.

"We have, and we have ensured that he won't be returning for quite some time," Ramia informed Ra, her confidence flowing with her words just as it had the first time Khalid had heard it.

Assumed to be a nod, the God shifted his head as best he was able. "That is indeed good. Are you all that's left?"

A silence bloomed with the words, quiet glances exchanged with the others as well as the ground. They had lost so many along the way, it was fairly pitiful to admit the truth. Although, the amount Ra already knew was uncertain. Thankfully, an answer to the question was put on hold. A loud protest to his pain erupted from Ra's lips, one of his hands reaching up to cover the large wound. For a moment it flickered out of existence and then returned again, the god too weak to make it disappear.

"Let us help you," Ife suggested, stepping forward and kneeling beside him as close as she dared.

"No," Ra held up a large hand, his fingertips stained crimson. "I'm afraid you can not help me in such a way. There is only one option now."

Watching with baited breath, the group starred as the god reached up to grasp at a pendant around his neck. Pressing against the golden ring, the orange lid lifted with a sudden pop. Inside sat a blue scarab, Ra's symbol painted in gold across the back of both of its wings. It crawled out of the small compartment and spread its wings, the soft buzzing filling the air as it landed in Ife's open palms.

"To keep me alive, one of you must consume the scarab," Ra informed, his eyes briefly fluttering open as he looked over the group once more.

"What happens when we swallow it?" Masika asked, her soft voice piping up with curiosity as she leaned in to get a better look at the beetle.

A smile flittered across the god's lips, though it was short-lived. "Then I shall use you to live again. My current body is far too damaged to continue on this trek of life."

"And what will that mean for us?" Ramia had crossed her arms, her tone acting as if it was expecting a trick from the dying god.

Silence weaved its way between them all for a long moment, dwindling on each person's lips before once again settling on all those but Ra's. When he spoke it was weighted heavily. "Then, I'm afraid your spirit will be consumed."

There was no need for further words, for now, they all knew the consequences. If they wished to save Ra, then one of them would have to die.

Khalid raised his eyes to look at the others. The question before them could be summed up so simply, yet the choice was more difficult than any of them could comprehend. Which one of them was going to die? Of course, any of them should have been willing to give themselves up in a heartbeat. It was not only to keep Ra alive but for the good of all of Egypt as well. After all, that was what they had been chosen to do from the very beginning of their journey, it was only fitting in a sense that it ended in such a way.

The boy stared at the scarab again, the small thing resting comfortably in the hands of the old women. Without meaning to, Khalid shifted his gaze upwards to look at Ife's face. Her cheekbones were high, her eyes warm as the looked down at the thing in her hands. Yet they had become sunken, the lack of sleep making its mark beneath those brown orbs and revealing a small series of hidden wrinkles. Her posture had grown even more weak, the look hidden behind her eyes that of hardships and past experiences brought back to life due to this long adventure. Her body was not one that was of as much use to raw, not to mention those that were at home waiting for her. Khalid would never have admitted to being an eavesdropper, though he had heard of the children she had spoken to Ramia about before. A boy and a girl that were waiting for, wherever she had come from.

Masika had a family too. Her sister and probably parents that were worried about her, that hoped for her safe return. She had goals to be a dancer when she grew up, things she wanted to accomplish. His eyes flickered to the small thing still standing half frozen in front of Ra. A cut had been drawn across her cheek, bruises coating her arms and legs from fighting. There was still hope buried in those dark eyes, though she no longer wore the same kind of smile she had started out with. She was too young and frail to be used, not enough of the world had been seen through her eyes.

Then Khalid turned to Ramia. She had her eyes glued directly to the small bug, clearly weighing her own options. Khalid didn't know who she had if she even had anyone waiting for her. He didn't know what her age was compared to him or what she had been through either. All he knew was her face was still stained from the faint tears that had fallen when she had killed that girl the snake had become. If she was broken, then at least she would be able to care for others again.

Finally, he allowed himself to look inward, to question what gave him a reason to live over any of the others. Khalid was someone who didn't even trust his own heart enough to be weighed, who was cynical, who couldn't stand having to be around let alone talk to people, and who stole from those that needed what they had just as much as he did. He had no friends to go back to, no parents, all he had was Adom. He knew that should have meant something, that if he did this that his brother would never see him again or know what happened to him. Yet the idea was not a stone in his stomach but like a breath of fresh air. He wouldn't have to hear that disappointed tone or be treated like a small child. Not by his brother, not by anyone ever again.

Before he had even fully formed his plan, he took the necessary steps forward. Reaching down, he plucked the scarab swiftly from Ife's hands.

"I'll do it," he told them, a heavy sigh escaping with his words.

Masika and Ife looked at him in surprise, though Ramia simply pressed her lips thin. She seemed ready to argue which is exactly why Khalid didn't give her the time. He didn't need to be talked out of it. Just because he didn't like people, didn't mean he would've been able to watch as she swallowed the bug instead. The thought was disconcerting and so distract himself, he tipped the beetle into his own mouth.

The spindly legs of the insect scrapped against his tongue and he felt it crawling on the back of his throat as it went down. The feeling nearly tripped his gag reflex, squirming an unfamiliar quality of his food. After he swallowed it, silence took hold of everyone's throats. The sense of death that hung over the cave grew thicker, smoothering even the smallest of glances towards each other. Then, something began to happen.

A warm feeling spread through Khalid's stomach, swirling around in his gut. It was a pleasant feeling, like drinking something warm on a cold day. His fingers would prickle with cold and his throat would itch with the dryness, but his belly would grow warm for a short moment. The heat grew more intense, turning from a soft warmth to the consistency of lava within his stomach. Khalid began to worry that it would make his explode from the inside out and his hand grappled the nearest wall as he doubled over. The cave grew whiter, painful spots dancing in front of his vision. Soon everything became white, his body seeming to detach from him. He couldn't see nor smell nor taste.

Through the whiteness, a voice floated through. It was his voice, except it wasn't. He felt his mouth moving, yet the sound was deeper, more in charge than his often was. The meek quality missing completely.

"I thank you all for your services for rescuing me. Had it not been for you, the sun would not be able to rise again. To show my gratitude, I will promptly return you all to the surface once more."

There was a chorus of voices in response but they feel upon deft ears. Khalid could no longer hear them nor his own new voice. His touch finally began to leak away, the stone disappearing against his hand, the sand between his feet trickling away. Even the soft breeze left him until Khalid felt as if he was nothing.

"Thank you, my champion," a familiar voice whispered against his ear.

A soft hand brushed the boy's cheek and his eyes opened to find Nephthys's staring into his. She looked as dazzling as she had when he first saw her. A smile crossed her pink lips and she pulled her hand back.

"I will make sure your soul falls into the right hands. You could not have made me more proud of my choice."

Khalid nodded numbly and watched as she faded from view, his vision once again failing him. The silence of the void washed over him and he closed his eyes. If this was death, then it was better than life had been.

Sometimes that's all people want, after all, to be able to fade away into the night with nothing but silence for accompaniment.