Chapter Four

Mara

With that, Ma'at vanished as suddenly as she had appeared, leaving the hall in a disconcerting silence. I turned to Anubis, catching the slight tension in his posture and the faintest hint of a scowl on his face.

"Well, that was something," I said, attempting to break the lingering awkwardness. "Seems like you've got quite the reputation around here."

Anubis's expression softened, though his gaze remained inscrutable. "Ma'at has a tendency to make her presence known at the most inconvenient times. Do not let her antics distract you."

I nodded, trying to regain my composure. "So where do we go from here?" My face heated up at my insinuation of us continuing on together, and I quickly coughed to cover my slip. "I mean, where am I going from here?"

Anubis's gaze remained steady, though I caught a glimmer of something almost imperceptible in his eyes—perhaps an acknowledgment of the awkwardness. "Yalin will be sent to the Hall of Two Truths for his final judgment. His presence here has been a disruption, and I cannot allow such interference to continue."

I glanced at Yalin's spirit, who had been quietly hovering near us, his ethereal form flickering with a mix of annoyance and resignation. "So, you're sending him to face his judgment on his own?"

Anubis gave a curt nod. "Yes. It is not a task that requires my direct involvement. You, however, still have the trials ahead of you. I will need to focus on the process of guiding Yalin to his final destination."

Yalin's spectral form shifted uneasily, and he gave a haughty snort. "Lucky me. Off to the Hall of Two Truths where I'll get to listen to you judge me while you dally about in your precious trials. How delightful."

Ignoring Yalin's sarcasm, I turned my attention back to Anubis. "Next trial? I thought I was done?" I was secretly excited to be spending more time with Anubis, but I didn't want to let him know that so I schooled my features into seriousness. "What do I need to know for the next trial? I'm ready to face whatever comes."

I could be my own mind playing tricks on me, but it looked as if Anubis's gaze softened a fraction. "The next trial will test your resolve and your ability to discern truth from deception. It is designed to challenge your inner strength and your clarity of purpose. Keep your wits about you and trust your instincts."

I nodded, taking in Anubis's words. The weight of what lay ahead was starting to feel like a particularly heavy backpack, but I tried to steel myself for the challenge. I couldn't help but chuckle internally. Honestly, this was turning out to be unexpectedly more thrilling and complex than my usual tasks of plotting my next kill and figuring out how to dispose of the body. At least here, I was getting a front-row seat to cosmic drama without the mess.

As Yalin drifted away toward the distant Hall of Two Truths, I turned back to Anubis, who was already focused on his duties. I couldn't help the flutter of excitement that bubbled up inside me. Like a schoolgirl with a crush, I took a chance and grabbed Anubis's hand again, my heart pounding. Admittedly, maybe it was Ma'at's presence that pushed me to do it—the innate need to claim him growing stronger the longer we were together.

"Then let's proceed. I'm ready," I said.

Anubis looked down at our clasped hands with an unreadable expression but made no move to withdraw. A sense of warmth and anticipation filled me as we prepared to continue.

From behind us, Yalin's spirit let out an exaggerated groan, clearly annoyed. "Oh, really? How precious. Just what we need, a budding romance in the middle of cosmic bureaucracy. And here I thought this was supposed to be a place of judgment, not a matchmaking service."

I shot a wry smile over my shoulder. "Yalin, if you're so bothered, maybe you should focus on your own damn judgment instead of being nosy. Oh wait, you don't have one. You seem to have lost parts of your body on the way here," I chuckled.

Yalin's spectral form flickered with irritation. "Oh, I'll be sure to enjoy every minute of this. And just so you know, the trials are no picnic, regardless of who's holding whose hand. Keep that in mind before you get too cozy."

I turned back to Anubis, who was now looking at me with a hint of amusement in his eyes as well as exasperation. "Well, I'm ready when you are, big guy."

Anubis gave a nod, and we began walking toward the next chamber. As we approached, a sudden disturbance caught our attention. Yalin's ghostly form was writhing in frustration at a distance. The energy in the air crackled with a hint of dark humor.

"Looks like Yalin's having a rough time," I murmured to Anubis, trying to suppress a grin. Serves the creep right. If he was bold enough to molest teenage girls, who knew what else he was capable of in his lifetime?

Anubis's gaze remained stoic but there was a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth. "Indeed. It seems the trials are not as forgiving as he might have hoped."

From the distance, Yalin's spirit howled in frustration. "Are you kidding me? I was this close to passing! Just a fraction more, and I'd have made it!"

His voice echoed through the chamber, carrying a mix of rage and disbelief. It was clear that his failure was not just a minor slip; it was a dramatic defeat by the narrowest of margins. His spectral form flickered erratically as if struggling to grasp the finality of his judgment.

I looked at Anubis with a raised eyebrow. "He really did have high hopes, didn't he?"

Anubis gave a small, almost imperceptible smile. "Ambition and arrogance often lead to such dramatic outcomes. The trials have a way of ensuring that only those truly prepared will succeed."

We continued forward, the sound of Yalin's frustrated wails fading behind us. The next challenge awaited, but as I walked beside Anubis, the sting of Yalin's failure seemed to add an unexpected touch of satisfaction to our journey.

As we moved through the winding corridors of Duat, I found myself caught between awe and a strange, bubbling excitement. The underworld's majestic and eerie beauty was captivating, but more than that, the opportunity to explore it with Anubis felt oddly significant. To me, it almost felt like a date, though Anubis seemed as oblivious to this notion as ever.

Typical male.

I glanced sideways at him, sending him a wry smile. "You know, Anubis, since I'm here and all, it would be a shame not to get a proper tour of Duat. I mean, I'd hate to miss out on seeing all the sights."

Anubis raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued but not quite understanding the full extent of my enthusiasm. "A tour? I have duties to attend to, and the trials are the primary focus."

I flashed him a playful smile and elbowed him. "Oh, come on. It'll be fun! You can show me the highlights of your domain. And besides, it might be a nice break from the monotony of judgment and trials. Consider it a chance to unwind and… share a bit of your world with me."

Anubis looked thoughtful for a moment, his gaze lingering on me as I tried to bat my lashes. It felt silly, but with a guy like Anubis, one could never be too sure he was getting the obvious message of my interest.

"Very well. I suppose a brief tour wouldn't be entirely out of the question. There are areas of Duat that are rarely seen by the living."

My heart skipped a beat at his agreement, and I tried to keep my excitement in check. "Great! I'm really looking forward to it. I promise I won't be a nuisance."

He gave a curt nod and began to lead me through the labyrinthine halls of Duat, his demeanor as composed as ever. As we walked, he pointed out various features with the same detached professionalism he had shown throughout the trials. He reminded me of that guy in the commercials for eye drops to cure dry eyes.

"This is the Chamber of Reflections," Anubis explained, gesturing to a room filled with shimmering, eerie mirrors. "It is where souls confront their past deeds and their consequences."

I tilted my head, admiring the reflections that seemed to twist and shimmer with their own enigmatic light. "Wow, that sounds intense. So, is it like a cosmic reality show where you get to judge everyone's worst moments?"

Anubis's eyes flickered with what might have been amusement—or maybe it was just an artifact of the shadows. "Not exactly. It is more of a personal revelation."

"Sounds like a lot of fun," I said with a smirk. "Or, you know, the kind of thing that makes for a great dinner conversation."

I wagged my eyebrows but Anubis continued, seemingly unaffected by the emotional weight of his explanations. "And over here is the River of Shadows, where lost souls drift before their final judgment."

My gosh, what would it take for this guy to just… I don't know, throw me down right here and kiss me?

But, I held back, telling myself that I was probably moving too fast for a deity like him. I followed his lead, my eyes widening at the dark, flowing river that seemed to whisper secrets as it moved. "This place is incredible. Do you have a tour guide uniform or a fancy hat for these excursions? Because I think you're rocking the ‘mysterious and imposing' look quite well."

Anubis glanced at me, his expression remaining neutral but with a hint of curiosity. "It is my duty to oversee these realms. It is a solemn responsibility."

Right over his head.

I grinned, trying to keep the mood light. "Well, you're definitely making it less solemn and more, I don't know, ‘mysteriously charming.'"

By the time we reached a serene garden of luminous flowers and whispering winds, Anubis paused, seemingly content with the tour. "This is the Garden of Eternal Rest. It is a place where souls find peace before their final transition."

I took a deep breath, inhaling the ethereal scent of the flowers. "It's beautiful. Thanks for the personal tour, Anubis. I didn't expect to get the VIP treatment in the underworld."

Anubis nodded, his gaze softening slightly. "I'm glad you could see more of Duat. It is not often that someone takes an interest in the intricacies of this realm."

I couldn't help but smile, feeling a strange sense of fulfillment. "Well, I've enjoyed every moment. It's not every day you get a personal tour of the underworld. Next time, though, maybe we can do dinner before heading to the cosmic trials?"

Anubis gave a small, almost imperceptible smile in return. "I'll keep that in mind. Though there is not much to eat in a place filled with the dead."

"Oh, right, right. It's not like you guys keep the cannibals or anything. You don't right? Because I'm sure there are plenty of them out there, even in this day in time."

Anubis's ears flattened and I bit my lip, wondering what it signified. Was he upset? Was I rambling too much? Were my jokes too morbid?

"You are a strange female…" he finally let out, his tone much lower than before, sending butterflies into my stomach. What would it feel like to hear him whisper my name while I felt his hard body beneath his obsidian fur…

I opened my mouth to say something witty to kill the awkward moment when Anubis suddenly pulled me against him, and kissed me.