Ennead || Unseen

Second year

"Father? What are you writing?"

You smiled and looked down before ruffling the boy's hair.

"I'm writing a hymn or song, whatever you think it is. It... let's me pass the time."

"Really? What are you waiting for?"

"...nothing sweetheart. You know, I can teach you some of these songs and such. I remember each melody in the back of my mind. But apparently I can use them as spells??? I hope I didn't accidentally hit Ra with a love spell..." you ranted, "oops, I ranted agai-"

You jumped in your seat as he crawled into your lap and then adjusted himself so he's sitting within your clothes, covering himself with them like a blanket before looking up at you with his baby blue eyes.

"I like hearing you talk Father! Please, tell me about your song!"

"Well... this one is about someone... who hasn't been born yet. Once upon a time was there an old and lonely tree-"

———

"My darling, wake up! I wouldn't be able to tell if you were alive otherwise!" You felt someone patting your face, but it felt like stinging slaps. You hurriedly open your eyes to appease them.

Ra smiles. "Khonsuuuu, you've been slacking off. Surely, you have grown strong enough to at least raise yourself?" She giggles as she gently pinched the grown muscles in your arm.

"I can try..." you mutter. You move your arms so your elbows are a bit under you. Slowly you start to lift. You start to ache almost immediately as your chest raises.

"C'mon, that's it..." she mutters encouragement to you.

You cycle deep breaths before engaging your core and slowly rolling yourself upwards. You groan under the weight of your own flesh but- but you're doing it. You get yourself into a sitting position.

Your arms shake and your back is screaming but you're doing it!

"Oooh, see? You've been growing stronger just surviving! Try sit without your arms!"

You gulp before engaging your stomach and back muscles and let your arms raise- only to slam back onto the lounge, groaning as your torso screeches in agony.

"Whoops. Well, you proved to me that you won't be dying anytime soon so you completed your first task! Now your second task is to learn how to sit up straight without using your arms!"

You whimpered in response. That sounds even worse than just laying here. She just rolled her eyes.

"Well how else am I supposed to teach you? You teach a baby to swim by throwing them into the water! If you don't learn how to swim, you die. If you don't learn how to be able to stand up on this boat, how am I supposed to accept you as a god?"

"You don't make others do this!" You yell at her.

She drops her smile and leans in very close to you, her golden eyes more piercing then the sunlight ever was.

"That's right. You're special, Khonsu. You can't be weak like my great grandchildren. You rely too much on others while never taking full advantage of what you're given. Admit it, I've spoiled you rotten."

You start to tear up and shake your head. "No, I'm not spoiled. I'm just- I don't know what came over me. I didn't mean to kill her!"

She laughs. "Right, you killed Ammit. I was very impressed in fact. But that just means that all this pampering has been hindering you." She grips you by the chin and yanks you up, cooing into your face.

"Do you want to be a little mama's boy forever?"

"N-no!"

She smirks as she lets go. You catch yourself on your arms, whining from the strain but otherwise keeping yourself up.

"Then grow stronger. When people offer you the world, don't just put it on a shelf. Take it. When people give you their hearts, you don't let it rot. Eat it."

You grit your teeth as you feel anger building up inside you. She leans back as she watches you struggle.

"Even my daughter has been treating you too softly, too afraid to let you rip into flesh again. Too afraid if she lets you go, you'll become too strong for her. That you'll lose a precious part of yourself."

She stands up, hair flowing behind her as she looks down upon her world, raising her hands up.

"Don't you get it, Khemphri? This is the way of a god. To lose yourself completely. The old must die for the new to live. Your punishment isn't solely for killing Ammit. Your punishment is being ashamed for it."

Your tears evaporate off your skin.

You don't know if you want to worship her or kill her.

———

Once again, a year has went by. You stare at your bare body in the mirror. You're skin has darkened. Your hair is down to your mid back. Taking a pair of scissors, you grab each part that isn't your sidelock and start snipping at it randomly.

The hair that falls onto the ground fades into another color entirely. You don't understand why.

You dress yourself into a bigger dress this time, to fit the growing muscles of your torso. Your chest as well has grown. It is weirdly both soft and hard but you don't think much about it.

Seth stands alone. He looks eager to have his own godhood, or at least that's what you can tell from his body language. He seems bigger as well, with that black headdress on his head once more. Osiris and Isis are on the other side, both watching their sister.

Said sister is standing patiently in the middle, hands clasped together as if uttering a prayer before looking up towards Ra.

This time you are kneeling beside her. She pets you like a cat before standing up and announcing Nephthys's name and the beginning words of the ceremony. The crowd claps but you're barely listening, just focused on Nephthys.

She cups her hands together and chants. Around her, flowers begin to grow at her feet, winds twirl around her and the clouds spin in unison. She begins to hover off the ground. She raises her hands up by the last syllable and within a bright flashing light, completes her ascension.

The crowd goes crazy as she bows before them. Sekhmet scoffs and whispers to you. "How precious~"

"Congradulations Nephthys, God of Peace and Harmony. What shall your first act of god be?"

She looks up at you, giving you a sad smile.

"I wish to give my cousin a gift."

She pulls out a tube that survived the ordeal, laced with silver and wrapped in a blue cloth.

"It is a collection of knowledge I've collected over the years, specifically those from public records under the name... Nu..."

You are stunned... quickly you glance towards Ra. She looks... too pleased.

"What a thoughtful gift. You sure do live up to your name, little goddess. I'll have someone pick it up for him."

You bow your head as Ra stands up, then turn around to follow her... you glance back however.

Why does he still not look at you?

———

He sniffed. "That's sad and terrible Father! Why would he do such a thing?"

You chuckle. "Because it is the nature of one lonely. One who cannot fathom he is destroying the very thing he craves."

He hugs you. "I'll never be like that, ever! I hate this hymn! I'll never ever speak it!"

You hug him back.

"Good. Never speak this hymn Thoth. It is only for one god. I pray you never meet him"