America
2025 AD

4,543 years since initial death
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Mark stood in front of a woman he never thought he'd see again.

She was trapped inside a glass box, displayed for the whole world to look at and take pictures of. It disgusted him.

"We are proud to unveil her as our newest addition to the Egyptian exhibit." He briefly heard the museum tour guide speak. Some young and uncultured boy was in charge of treating her as an object, It was infuriating. The group of tourists asked ridiculous questions about a person they knew nothing about, and the guide answered them. "Five thousand years is close, but it's actually estimated to be forty five hundred years old. This mummy, a female, lived some time during 2500 BC."

Mark listened in dismay with his arms crossed. The guide continued. "Researchers initially discovered her buried beneath a grave site approximately three to four miles south of the pyramids. It was a private burial site consisting of just her remains alongside a bow and two other little artifacts. What we do know is that she might have been the first notable female warrior of her time."

"Markswoman." Mark interrupted him. "She has a bow, does that make her a warrior? Probably not, so get it right. Call her a markswoman."

The worker hesitated awkwardly as a few people looked at Mark. "Markswoman; right. It's a good thing you mentioned the bow, because we have to take a moment to appreciate its design."

Pointing to the bow, the guide lectured. "It's a beautifully made bow, presumably crafted by one of the finest bowyers of her time. Its sleek design proves the bow was made for her as a gift to establish royalty, which also suggests she was closely connected to the pharaoh."

Beside the remains and artifacts was a second stand displaying a single deformed skull inside a glass cube. The guide stood next to it, happily beginning a new segment of his speech.

"Now, there is one other detail to note and that's regarding this skull here. It was found buried atop the mummy, and leading theories suggest this was a trophy or discovery made by the wa- I mean, markswoman. It does belong to a male, and a few historians have made the assumption that this skull might have been a close family member. However, that theory was quickly disregarded when the skull's age was determined."

"How old is the skull?" Mark didn't hesitate to make his question known. He's been confused about this skull for ages.

The guide pointed back at him. "That's just what I was getting to. The skull is actually the most mind-blowing part of this discovery as the skull is surprisingly a whopping two million years old! The current estimate is 2,133,000 years, and it questions the very fundamentals of human ancestry as we know it. The skull is only on display for a few more days before it'll be transferred over to Glasgow for further investigation to test whether it's human or of the Proconsul or Nyanzapithecus primates."

That certainly intrigued him. Mark always imagined that skull must have belonged to a figure that Aisha was close to. A husband perhaps? Now that he had an age to fit with the skull, it only made him wonder just who or what it could have belonged to.

He decided to change the subject. "Does the mummy have a name?"

The worker shook his head in response. "Unfortunately no one could find anything that mentioned a name. Though her coffin did contain hieroglyphics that said 'daughter', which makes us believe her father is the one that buried her."

"What about the pyramid?" Mark pointed at the miniature pyramid that sat beside the mummy and the bow.

"Ah, that is most likely a personal treasure. Unfortunately, parts of it had broken off, as the pyramid does not have any tips. Though we believe this was once a sacred artifact that came into her possession. Our leading theory is the pyramid belonged to the pharaoh and acted as a blueprint for Menkaure's pyramid shortly before its construction began. This markswoman may have been involved and obtained it for her own."

He took one more look at everything in front of him. It was clear exactly who the mummy was, and he wanted to say it. The only issue would be explaining how he knows about her, as he's not an archeologist or a scientist. He was just a history professor after all.

Finally, he decided to wing it. "Her name is Life."

The worker looked confused. "Life isn't exactly an Egyptian name. Also Egyptians never had the letter 'L' in their vocabulary."

"Don't you lecture me about names, I think I know about my own damn culture and history." Mark lost his temper. "4,500 years ago, were you there? I don't think so. So here's what I suggest you to do. Shut up and let someone smarter than you explain it."

The room silenced as people looked at him with puzzled and nervous expressions. Even the tour guide lost his annoyance and froze in place speechless.

"Now onto the girl herself, there's a few things you should know. She's important to her family, as you can tell by the pyramid. It's a carefully-crafted gift obviously given to her when she was a small child, probably by her father. It's also a way her parents could show appreciation, to show how much they care and love for one another, even if it means building them a pyramid by hand; no matter its size. The bow looks handmade, not by a professional craftsman or bowyer, but rather by a close figure at the time who only wanted to impress her."

By now, a few more people had gathered and listened to him speak as he pointed at everything in display and explained it all.

"A bow of this kind wasn't made for combat, instead it's a symbol of elegance, hence its description. A bow fit for a queen, because she was loved and cared for by her family. They saw her as a queen, and they made sure she was buried with everything to prove how important she was to them. However there are clear markings to show that at the end of the day, this bow had seen its fair share of combat. Whether her father recklessly abused her out of blind anger, or a one-eyed asshole burned her village down after the cowardly mistake of yet again her father; she was forced down a life of violence. I'm not sure if she ever forgave me, but even I must admire her strength and courage to keep her legacy alive to the point hermits spoke of her over a thousand years after her death."

"As for the skull, it's a symbolic curse that someone in her family may have acquired. The sin of wrath ran in her bloodline, or at least just her father. That skull is a reminder of that sin. But at the end of the day, the key note to take away from it all is that no matter what she does, I will always be proud of her. Because she was her father's life. The life I could not live without. It's why I named her Aisha, which coincidentally translates to 'alive' or 'living' in Arabic."

The exhibit was in full silence after his short speech. A tear finally shed from his eye and gently slid down his cheek. He meant every word he said.

The guide didn't appreciate what he had to say. "You've single handedly ruined my presentation, one that I spent all week memorizing! Does anyone know this guy? Sir, I don't know if you know this but drugs and alcohol are not permitted here. I mean, you named her? Like you're her father? Can we get security?"

"Oh don't you fucking dare!" Mark pointed a finger towards the boy's face. "This is all on you to begin with. Some things don't belong in a museum, yet you tore her out of her grave and put her on display for the whole world to see! You shameless bastard! You're holding someone's daughter hostage! I will sue this fine establishment for personal theft, and I will see you in court. In the meantime, you burn in hell!"

Just as Mark started walking away, he turned his head back towards the crowd and tour guide. "And just for the record, here's how I know about her-"

Finally, he screamed.

"I'm a historian!"

With those words spoken, he fled the scene before security could drag him out. He speed-walked towards the bathroom, hiding in one stall to catch his breath and wait out his notoriety. After nearly fifteen minutes, he casually walked out and left the exhibit of ancient Egypt. There was nothing else for him to look at. He lived through all of it, from the very beginning and until the end.

As he walked throughout the museum, most of the things he found were nothing but mere memories. From the earliest relics of ancient Egypt to the most recent aspects of technology and culture from the early twentieth century. It just felt odd to walk down each exhibit, reminding him of his past.

He eventually found Valerie in the South American exhibit, staring at a small, ancient Olmec head. It was from the preclassical Mayans, almost five thousand years old. While Mark often wished he could return to his origins, Valerie expressed her resentment towards her home.

Time had been nothing but cruel, as they both experienced terrible moments they just want to forget. As he pondered, Valerie cut the silence. "This goddamn head ruined my life."

Mark just stood by her and listened.

"Moments before my very first death, the last thing I ever saw was this rock about to fall over me, but on a far larger scale." She continued, pointing at parts of the head. "There was an inscription on it, at the time I didn't know what it meant. But after I learned of my immortality, I was able to understand what the inscription meant. It was just one word."

She had mentioned this before, but never in full detail. Mark remembered the word she had told him. He whispered it to her. "Luxuria, lust in Latin. Quite a fitting sin if I must say."

"If you came here just to mock me again, then so help me God-"

He sighed. "No, I'd rather not fight again."

"I only agreed to come here on neutral grounds, to explore the past and then move forward." Valerie faced him with a glare.

Over the course of a hundred years, Mark's relationship with Valerie had spiraled into a chaotic hellhole of drama. They had gotten married and divorced almost a dozen times thus far. Because of their immortality, they kept returning to one another. It'd be awkward to spend eternity as hateful exes.

Mark lost most of his compassion for her and only ever returned with her until he could find a replacement or perhaps another female Immortal. But until then, he'd find any excuse to keep them together. That's why he had plans to travel with her.

He smiled. "You also agreed to fly with me to Mexico. We'll have plenty of time to kill each other inside one of those Mayan temples."

Valerie snarled. "And I'm starting to think maybe it's best I go there alone. You know how I feel about that place. If you're going to be a dick to me and my culture, then you can stay here for all I care."

"I'm a historian, Val. I've never been anywhere near your home, so it's a learning experience for me. I'm passionate about it."

He touched her arm, and she stood still. "It's a sensitive place for me. I'm not the Ix Ch'ik Ak'ab' anymore." It was a title given to her by her people, translating to the Dark Huntress.

"Everything will be fine, I can assure you."

She locked eyes with him, and she smiled faintly. Without saying a word, she turned back around to stare at the displays.

Mark looked back bearing no expressions.

He only said he can assure her, but never that he actually would.

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This chapter (alongside the rest of the book) was initially written in 2021. The date (2025) has always remained the same, and will most likely continue to depict that year unless I decide to change it. That being said, the historical accuracy you've come to expect will still be present when referencing the past. But most events that happen during the present-future periods are fictionalized. I am not aware of any mummy findings or real-world tragedies that will occur at any time after this chapter.

With that being said, the historical notes have ended. If you would like more notes, please feel free to study history as I have.

I personally feel schools are limited in what they teach you as the lessons range from political history to the usual WW2 narrative. There is so much more to learn about the world that you have to actively search for yourself.

Did you know that PRESUMABLY, a Ukrainian woman in the 10th Century attached string and sulfur to hundreds of birds? She lit them all on fire and had them fly into an enemy kingdom to burn it from the inside out just so she can avenge the death of her husband. Well now you know, and this badass will be included in a future book in the Evolution of Time series.

Thanks for reading this far and have a pleasant day.