Spirit of the puzzle (book 1)

Chapter 1: uncovered shadows

Shadows envelop my form like a cloak. I can't help but smirk at the feeling of pure power that it sends through me. The limitless power that crackles underneath my skin makes me shiver with anticipation. Who will be the next victim of my curse? I have been sealed within this millennium puzzle for five thousand years leaving bloodshed and despair in my wake. The blissful feeling of watching a person's soul break in their eyes has entertained me for what feels like centuries.
   Thin veils of dark mist twirl through the jagged edges of my hair. My flame-like hair has horrified many a mortal. The mortals fear of the so called unnatural leave them vulnerable to me and my talents. If only they knew that I once was just like them. I once was flesh and blood. The sunlight had once warmed my skin, wind would ruffle my hair, and my words would decide the fates of millions of people.
   In all honesty, it only feels like a mere moment has passed since I was human. A fleeting heartbeat before I have become what I am now. My soul is the only part of me that remains in this world and my only tie to this realm is the millennium puzzle. A spark of anger envelopes me as I remember what my last victim had done to my puzzle before his inevitable demise. He had thrown the precious puzzle against a pyramid causing it to shatter into its many pieces. If I hadn't intervened the puzzle may not have been able to survive for the next five thousand years.
   For five thousand years my puzzle has been safely buried beneath the sands of ancient Egypt. The past five thousand years had passed by silently without a single disturbance from the mortal realm, until today that is. I can feel the sand, surrounding the shards of my puzzle, beginning to shift. I shut my eyes and allow my mind to drift away from the puzzle. My consciousness drifts through the sand effortlessly until my feet are firmly planted in the warm sand.
   Four men in strange apparel are digging through the sand with a determination that almost impresses me. These men were ragged, worn, and their skin was tanned by the harsh rays of the sun. I can't help but watch in confusion as they meticulously shuffle through the sand. One man in particular captures my interest. His hair has long since grayed and is parted in minor spikes across his head, his eyes are a dull shade of purple and the contours of his face give me the impression of him being a gentle and compassionate man. His thick fingers dig through the sand, shifting through its ever changing layers. My eyes narrow in suspicion of this man. He seems to have more of a purpose than the other three men.
   I take a seat before him and continue to observe his activity, one of the benefits of being a spirit is that I can remain unseen by mortals whenever I desire to be. The man doesn't even falter in his activity. He is completely oblivious to my presence. I watch his determined expression fade away into one of glee and pride as he comes upon a shard of pottery with the symbol of Ra painted on one of its corners. Now I understand. These men are merely digging through the sand to try and find items from Egypt. I have had to chase away my own fair share of thieves from these parts, but I can tell just by looking at these men that they have come here with the purest of intentions.
   "Solomon!" One of the men calls across the dunes. The man I am watching peers over towards the sound.
   "What is it Arthur?" He replies with a kind voice that forces my lips to pull up into a small smile.
   "We are planning to rest for a while and drink some water." The man called Arthur says coaxingly. "You should join us. You have been digging through the sand for hours now." I glance towards the man named Solomon. He frowns at the idea of having to postpone his endeavor but agrees to join the rest of the men underneath the shade of a makeshift shelter.
   The sound of the men's insistent chatter begins to grate on my nerves. I had spent the last couple thousand years in a blissful state of silence and solitude and now the mere sound of all these men's voices sounds like metal on slate to my ears.
   "Perhaps we should look for a new location around the pyramid." One of the men suggests. "We would probably have more luck finding artifacts."
   "Perhaps." The man called Arthur replies after a short sip of water. "But not all of Egypt was within spitting distance of the pyramids." I chuckle at his remark. There is truth to his words but the mere bluntness of his remark amuses me. The other man blusters in indignation and mumbles bitterly into his drink.
   "I don't know what to make of this though." Solomon says after a moment. A chill races down my spine as I catch sight of what is resting in his palm. A single golden piece of the millennium puzzle glitters in his palm. "It has a bunch of jagged edges yet the seams are too perfect for it to have been damaged. It almost looks intentional."
   "It looks like a puzzle piece." Arthur says, peering at the piece. He looks up at the rest of the group. "It appears that we found our reason to remain at this spot. We need to recover the rest of these puzzle pieces." The men all agreed and rush back to their digging spots to frantically search for the remaining pieces.

   Several days have passed and only one piece of the millennium puzzle remains lost. Solomon seems frustrated by the lack of the final piece. I know that I should have chased them off after discovering their intentions to uncover the millennium puzzle but something stopped me. This overwhelming desire to have them find it. To have these men uncover me and to see what the future brings. I have spent enough time alone. These men may not be aware of my existence, but to be truthful it's not exactly necessary that they do, as long as they recover the millennium puzzle and piece it together I'll be able to interact more actively in this realm of theirs.
   A feeling of envy and anticipation bubble up inside me as I imagine dozing in the sunlight and actually being able to feel it's warmth on my skin. A luxury I have long since thought lost to me. I may not be the most benevolent soul, yet the discovery of these men has done something to me. Something has shifted slightly inside of me and I no longer have the desire to drive these men mad or intimidate them with the might of the shadow realm. I'm not saying that they are even remotely significant to me, but they are definitely serving their purpose.
   I mindlessly drift through the work of these men. I disrupt their work by covering their holes with fresh sand, forcing them to redig. Every one of them was becoming frustrated with my antics except for the man called Solomon. He silently continues with his work without a single sign of frustration or annoyance. Solomon fascinates me. He has a strong sense of fortitude for a man of his age. In my experience with older men they would tend to kneel before me and not even put up a decent struggle, yet this man not only rolls with the punches he is using them to his advantage. With every inch of sand I push into his site he digs another six inches deeper. It has only been two hours and he is already standing in a hole that will easily tower above his head if he digs any deeper.
   The men depart from their sites to rest. I forget how truly vulnerable and precarious mortal life is. Become too exposed to heat, you die. Don't drink enough water, you die. Don't get enough sleep, you die. Drink too much water, you die. You have to always remain in constant balance to survive. It must be exhausting. As I walk amongst the various dig sites the men have created I feel a strange sensation in my chest. It almost feels as if my soul is resonating with something. I peer into the depths of the hole Solomon was digging and can see just the faintest edge of the final piece of the puzzle.
   Gently, I move the sand slightly more so then the piece is more easily spotted by Solomon. Not only has this man uncovered the final piece of the puzzle, but it seems that the puzzle wants him to find it. The millennium puzzle has chosen this man to be its discoverer, but why? There is nothing visibly special about this man or ,as far as I can tell, anything even remotely remarkable. What role does this man play in the destiny that the millennium puzzle has laid out?

   The golden emblem of the eye of Ra is shining underneath the light of what the man Arthur calls a lantern. All of these men stare in awe at their find and place it beside the rest of the pieces. I can tell just by looking at these men that they are all struggling. To piece the puzzle together, to sell it, to keep it, not touch it, or just treat it like another random relic. The worth of the puzzle is lost on these men. Not even in their wildest daydreams would they be able to piece together what it is truly worth.
   "What do you suggest we do?" Arthur asks quietly to Solomon after the rest of the men have abandoned the table for their tents. "We can't really give it to a museum without knowing what exactly it is."
   "Who's even to say that a museum would accept it." Solomon says quietly. His gray eyebrows are furrowed in thought. What will you do Solomon? He remains silent for a moment, silently staring at the assorted pieces of the puzzle. The puzzle gleams in the light. I stare at it curiously. It almost seems as if the puzzle is trying to persuade the man to keep it. The puzzle that hundreds of people had been killed or maddened by just for imagining taking it is now trying to push itself on a completely unremarkable man. "Would it be wrong of me to keep it with me?" Arthur looks at him with a stunned expression. "I wish to study it...perhaps I can discover what it truly is back in Domino."
   Arthur sighs, "I suppose it wouldn't harm anything if you did that." He smiles at Solomon. "I hope that you will be able to find your answers." He then rose from his chair and walked back to his tent without another word. It was over just as quickly as it started. I'm not entirely sure what I had expected to happen with the discovery of the millennium puzzle. Nothing drastic has happened except for the fact that I now am forced to leave Egypt in a brown sack...I'm not overly pleased with these turn of events, but there is nothing that I can do about it at this point. My soul drifts back into the separate pieces of the puzzle as I allow myself to rest for a few days. Perhaps when I next open my eyes something exciting will happen.