1

Mana walked quickly down the aisle. That could not be true! Not again. Geron was late again, couldn't he even hurry? Instead of hanging around with the strange healer all the time, he could do more for his position as head magician! Mana snorted angrily and went to Pharaoh, who was looking down at the courtyard with his head held high. Mana sighed. He hadn't changed a bit, at least not outwardly. He stared at the horizon as if he saw something there. He still didn't let anyone get close to him and was ice cold, even if Mana knew that he had changed a bit since Kisara's death.
She was looking at him thoughtfully the whole time. Only now did Seto notice and look back. Mana's expression changed suddenly, she turned red and looked away, also into the courtyard, where Seto's gaze had lingered until just now. Why was he so attentive?
Mana sighed. Much had happened since Seto became Pharaoh.He had rebuilt the country as best he could, but there was a terrible curse on it, Mana knew that. Seto had had no choice but to cast an overpowering spell. Mana closed her eyes. This magic had made the country as beautiful as before. And ready to defend. Shortly after Zork attacked, the Hittites declared war on Egypt and the young Pharaoh. Seto had no idea how to withstand the attack. With the help of an overpowering but unscrupulous woman, he had made the pact that had saved Egypt. Mana had overheard him and Geron at what price Seto had saved them all. She couldn't believe it, he really had sold his heart to save Egypt. Mana glanced at Seto. She sighed deeply. He couldn't find out that she knew. She had already noticed that he had become different, that he was even colder than usual. Mana was afraid for him. Had he really been able to give his heart?She just couldn't believe it. Had this woman really taken his heart from him? His soul? Mana narrowed her eyes and quickly disappeared into the palace. She knew Seto wasn't even looking after her.
"He really did it. I just can't imagine it, Tia ..." Mana sat across from her good friend. "I've known him for so long and I really can't imagine that he really shouldn't have a heart now, not him ... Why didn't Geron or someone else do it. Seto is already such a cold guy and now that this witch has taken his heart from him. What will happen now? "
The young magician's words were lost in sobs. Tia nodded gently. She could understand them well. Jono, Tia's best friend, was sitting by the fire and looking over at them. He didn't like Pharaoh, he didn't really care what happened to him, if only it didn't harm Egypt. He growled softly and looked again at the soup he was stirring.Tia and Jono lived in very poor circumstances, but Mana liked them anyway. They were also friends of Atemu when he was alive. Depressed, Mana wiped the tears from her face and looked at Tia.
"What can I do?" she asked desperately.
Tia sighed deeply. She thought for a long time, had closed her eyes and sighed before she said:
"Maybe you can persuade this woman to take something else instead of Seto's heart ..."
Mana looked at her. No, she wouldn't do that. This woman had something to hide. She was up to something. She had to find them first, though, and Mana was sure she wouldn't find them easily. Only Seto knew where she lived. And if Geron didn't know, no one else knew, except the Pharaoh.
"Why do you want to help the guy, Mana? He's just as ruthless and angry as this woman." Jono looked at Mana piercingly.
"That is not true!" nagged this angry."He is never as heartless as she, who takes his heart from someone who wants to save his people!"
"I don't see Seto as you do, Mana, I'm sorry. I can't understand what you're risking for him!"
"Oh yes! He saved Atemu then, he helped him and was loyal to him and now I want to be to him what I was to Atemu, a friend and an ally! Besides, he is Pharaoh and goes without him Nothing at all! Seto has no offspring, Jono, think about it! Do you want Geron to be Pharaoh ?! " shouted the young magician and jumped up, grabbed his collar and struck.
Jono grabbed her hand and pushed it away from him.
"Could it be that you just fell in love ?!" he pressed out angrily.
Mana stared at him, startled. Her eyes had filled with tears, but they were now gone. The next moment she laughs out loud.
"Are you crazy Jono!" she laughed. "No I'm not!"She threw herself on the floor and laughed like she hadn't laughed in a long time. Jono looked at her stupidly and then glanced at Tia, who had started laughing too.
"What are you laughing at, it can be!" he was defending himself now.
"No Jono, that can't be," said Tia, who had calmed down now. "The two don't go together at all and you know that too. Mana told you the reason."
"Yes, yes, yes ..." growled Jono, "it doesn't matter now ..."
He crept back to his soup and Tia and Mana, who is still laughing, go back to the plan to save Seto. Even if he wouldn't approve of them wanting to do that, they would do it anyway. They didn't want to see how he sacrificed himself for everyone else.
It was already dark and the alley that Seto stepped into was scary. Something rustled somewhere and something growled from an alcove. He went on without even looking at it. The young Pharaoh went to a door, knocked and did not wait for an answer until he opened it and entered.It was warm and slightly lighted. A black-haired young woman sat at the table and looked up at him. Almost a little indignant, she said icily:
"Why don't you wait until I say" come in "?"
"Because I didn't think it was necessary," he said, just as coldly. "I want to ask you something…"
The woman was still looking at him coldly, then she got up, came to him and looked at him questioningly, but grinning. Seto looked disgusted into her green eyes. That witch ...
"Then ask," she said almost gently, but grinned angrily at him.
"What are you going to do with it?" his expression didn't change. "Why did you want my heart so badly? It's already black, you can't contaminate it any further ..."
"But so I have control over you ... and over Egypt. If I control your heart, I control you ..." she grinned angrily.
Only then did the young Pharaoh know what he had done ...
He looked frozen at the sorceress, who laughed and pushed him away when he wanted to attack her.She just laughed loudly and pushed him away so roughly that he hit the wall an unfortunate amount and stayed on the floor. The sorceress grinned, which she passed in the next moment. Would he die, which ruined everything. She leaned over him and healed his wound. She would get him out of here first. Into the desert so that it wouldn't be noticed that he had changed. That his heart would go black, people would surely notice then, of course, but they would think that something had happened to him out there and not that it was because of the pact he had made with her.
So the sorceress took the young Pharaoh into the desert. She left him there, but made sure that someone would find him ...