The Mask of Anubis

The Mask of Anubis

The night was still, too still for Nefertari's liking. The sands of Egypt, usually alive with the whispers of the desert wind, lay silent beneath a sky heavy with stars. It was an uneasy quiet, the kind that foretold the arrival of something ancient and terrible. She had felt this before, this tension—like the earth itself was holding its breath, waiting for the darkness to awaken.

In her hand, Nefertari held the scroll, its brittle papyrus crumbling between her fingers. The words, though worn with age, were clear enough: *The Mask of Anubis—the one who wears it shall command the gates of death, ushering forth life or ending it with a single breath.