The wind howled with the heat of the desert, whipping golden sand in every direction. The sky had gone an unnatural gray no sun, no moon just swirling clouds clinging to the horizon like a bruised wound ready to burst. From atop the wide, ancient steps of the pyramid, Morpheus stood still, his robe fluttering like a torn banner in the wind. Beside him, Khufu was silent, regal in his ghostly presence, his translucent wrappings shifting softly as if stirred by memory. On the other side, Anubis towered like a statue brought to life, jackal-faced and silent, his arms crossed as his golden eyes scanned the skies.
They had come.
Valkyries.
Hundreds no, thousands gliding like winged knives across the sky. Their spears shimmered like starlight, and each flap of their wings stirred the very clouds. They didn't scream, they didn't call. They simply circled, descending slowly as if in judgment.
"There," Morpheus muttered, pointing with one pale finger. "Third line. The one with the red feathers braided into her wings."
Anubis tilted his head slightly. "That one? Her aura is fractured. Full of rage."
"Exactly," Morpheus replied. "She's suitable. Enough, her power is at least visible."
Khufu chuckled under his breath. "You always did have a flair for dramatic sacrifices."
Morpheus glanced at him. "She'll be one of their forward commanders. If we can isolate and grab her quickly, we have this whole thing work out." He let the sentence die. They all knew the cost.
From the distant ridges came the first warhorn, low and deep, echoing like the breath of the gods themselves. The sand quaked beneath their feet. On the horizon, shadows rose. Not just angels and valkyries, but demons too charging on twisted beasts, their armor ink-dark, mouths stretched in unholy screams.
And among them… something else.
"Do you feel that?" Anubis murmured.
Morpheus nodded. "Something powerful. Or pretending to be I only know a handful of 'gods' that like to boast their magic like this"
Khufu, eyes narrowing, looked further toward the far dunes. "Thor," he said with disdain. "He brings a masked valkyrie."
Anubis's growl was low, and dangerous. "That's rare, they aren't the type to hide their face. At most a war helm but never a mask."
Morpheus didn't flinch. "I see." He clenched his fists. "Oh I see how it is."
"What do you know?" Anubis asked
Lightning crackled above as if to punctuate the tension.
"Nothing important leave that creature for me." he spat before stepping farther up the pyramid, "Get the ritual ready Khufu, Anubis do whatever you like."
Anubis snorted, "I would have done whatever I liked anyway."
Khufu paused on the steps, "Anubis why hasn't your family arrived?" he finally asked the question that gnawed on him so
Anubis shifted, "I don't know.."
"They should have been here by now I sent out the distress call, either they are dead or imprisoned."
Khufu nodded in understanding, "I see, my condolences."
Suddenly, the shield that wrapped the pyramid shimmered, a ripple of defensive magic warping the air like heat haze. A blast from the heavens struck it like a hammer, golden and furious but it held.
The siege had begun.
Behind them, soldiers began to move. Goblins emerged from hidden tunnel mouths. Witches and wizards took their positions in trenches or atop sandstone towers. Runes glowed to life. The air thickened with spells waiting to be cast.
And yet still, Morpheus watched the sky.
That valkyrie.
That fractured light.
***
From the golden dunes behind the attacking army, the sand shivered.
A small hiss.
A goblin blade.
Then another.
Goblins burst from beneath the enemy's backline like angry spirits from the earth—Grizzak's squad leading the charge. Clad in charmed leather and bronze, their movements were near invisible, slashing hamstrings, severing tendons, and vanishing before anyone could scream. Some disappeared back into tunnels, others rolled beneath the cover of enemy carts and supplies, stabbing up through wooden floorboards and slipping away before the corpses hit the sand.
One demon commander turned with a furious howl, only to be struck by a cursed javelin in the throat no thrower visible, only a faint laughter from below.
The backline began to unravel.
At the front, the soldiers of the pyramid stood shoulder-to-shoulder beneath the gleaming ward-shield, cloaks drawn tight against the wind. But they did not wait for death.
They fought with the sand.
With a wave of arms and whispered Transfiguration, soldiers crafted spears of compressed sandstone, each tip honed by magic, each shaft hardened by enchantment. Dozens of spears rose from the dunes and launched as one, streaking like meteors into the charging enemy. They impaled flying demons mid-swoop, pinned angels to the earth, and tore through heavy infantry.
Others knelt and dragged their fingers through the sand, pulling daggers and blades from its depths like gifts from the desert itself. Some carved shields out of hardened clay and braced for impact. Some sculpted sand-bats that exploded into the air and detonated mid-flight, unleashing bursts of blinding grit.
The ground itself fought with them.
And at the heart of it all—on the steps of the pyramid—stood Morpheus.
He had not moved. Not until she appeared.
The valkyrie with red feathers braided into her wings flew at the head of a silver vanguard, her spear glowing like a comet. She shrieked a battle cry that echoed across the dunes—a cry that sent a ripple of fear even through hardened veterans.
But Morpheus simply whispered, "That's enough."
He raised his hand and the runes on his sleeves flared like firebrands. A sudden rumble split the air. The sky itself seemed to blink.
And then a chain, silver and blackened with age, erupted from his sleeves. It tore through the warded air with a sound like cracking ice and slammed into the Valkyrie's chest, piercing straight through her armor. Her cry twisted into something hoarse and shocked.
The chain wrapped around her, locking wings, arms, and legs.
And then—
YANK.
The valkyrie was pulled down from the sky like a falling star. She smashed through the ward-shield—allowed only because Morpheus had keyed the wards to accept his prey. Sand exploded on impact as her body slammed into the pyramid steps.
He stepped down slowly.
She was still alive, furious and radiant, trying to tear at the chain with bloodied hands. Her eyes blazed with divine wrath.
Morpheus only smiled.
"Welcome," he whispered, crouching beside her. "Let's have a little chat about your god."
Behind him, the battlefield roared.