_"The day you were born was marked by the most terrible sandstorm that the kingdom has known. That day, the Nile took the color of blood and the burning winds of the desert whispered a name... Ahmanet."

All this was said from the mouth of her own father when she was a child and had never left her memory, even after her "death" and "resurrection". But why was this memory now coming back to haunt her? Was she torturing herself without even knowing it, as if to punish herself for her faults? Ahmanet knew nothing about it, and at the moment, found herself in a difficult situation.

Still imprisoned in this horrible confinement room, on her knees, tied securely with chains and gagged with a metal panel around her mouth, the princess could do nothing but wait, the mercury permanently injected into her body, keeping her weakened and unable to use her magic at the peak of her power. She also observed all these humans dressed in black and possessing these strange futuristic weapons and who were closely monitoring her. Mathias was no longer in sight and her concern grew for him. As for the god Set, he must have enjoyed seeing her suffer like this.

_"She... she hasn't stopped staring at me since a while ago." commented a guard, young, probably a new recruit, very uncomfortable and holding a position not far from the containment circle.

Indeed, Ahmanet never took her eyes off him, looking at him with harshness, even contempt, as if she read him like an open book and judged him.

_"Looks like she's got a crush on you. Lucky guy." quipped another, more experienced guard, amused by the situation but also not depriving himself of ogling the silhouette of the princess. "She may be a dirty monster, but I admit that she has a dream body."

_"I don't find it funny." replied the new recruit, uneasily. "I...I don't feel well, I..."

A terrible migraine began to take hold of him, to the point of making him dizzy and making him drop his weapon as he staggered. The other guard supported him in time, but worried about his comrade's health, decided to take him to the infirmary, while ordering the others to continue their work. Watching the two guards leave, Ahmanet smiled mischievously under her metal gag, rejoicing at having succeeded in causing this migraine thanks to a minimal but effective concentration of her magic on this young and weak spirit.

From one of the ventilation grilles dotting the floor of the room, Ahmanet, thanks to her piercing monster eyes, noticed the appearance of a small black spider coming out through the grille and beginning to move on the floor. An idea then crossed the princess who then focused her gaze on the spider, which, as if influenced by the aura of Ahmanet's gaze, stopped. Unable to speak with her mouth, Ahmanet insinuated her orders by mind into that of the arachnid, taking control of it and influencing it on what to do. Obeying the mummy's order, the spider moved, without being seen, towards the corner of the room where the control panels were and where several men and women in white coats worked. Seeing through the spider's eyes, Ahmanet mentally directed it to one of the men sitting in a chair who was responsible for monitoring and keeping the level of the mercury injectors stable and operational. The spider controlled by the mummy discreetly climbed the body of the unsuspecting operator and entered inside him through one ear. The man scratched himself, grimacing and smelling something, but was immediately possessed in turn, infected, his eyes rolling back and turning white. Possessed in turn, the Prodigium agent began to reduce the amount of mercury indicated on the screens, without anyone noticing.

**********

Once back at Jekyll's office, Mathias was offered a glass of whiskey by the latter in order to calm his nerves, but the young man refused the glass, contenting himself with a contemptuous look towards the doctor, who did not not being offended, just placed the glass on the desk. Sandra Winters, or rather Agent Carson of her real name, stood back, her arms crossed but ready to intervene if Mathias tried to attack the doctor again.

_"Welcome to this reality that many ignore, Mr. Parrish." said Jekyll. "A world populated by gods and monsters. There are several ways to name evil. Set, for example. The god of darkness and chaos in Ancient Egypt. He is a bit the equivalent of Lucifer in Old Testament. The devil in short."

_"I know that Ahmanet made a pact with him, but she did it out of desperation. I know that she is more than just a monster, I could see that. There is still good in her. Let me help her, please." said Mathias, still sure of his words and continuing to defend his princess.

_"You know, at first I thought she was manipulating you through your feelings, but looking closer... It seems that Ahmanet really loves you, and that this love has become reciprocal, which unfortunately, doesn't solve our problem."

_"Which?" asked Mathias.

_"The problem is that you have been chosen, Mr. Parrish." Jekyll explained very seriously. "You probably know the word Setepai. In ancient Egyptian language, this word means "my chosen." She designated you as Set's future vessel."

Mathias refused to believe such a thing, but Jekyll seemed to think otherwise and went to his desk to grab something from one of the drawers. He brought an object wrapped in a cloth which he revealed to the young man. Mathias was surprised to see this ancient black dagger with a serrated blade, the same one he had seen in his nightmare, but this time without the ruby embedded in the pommel.

_"Here is Set's dagger." said Jekyll. "We found it hidden in an abandoned medieval church in England. It was with this weapon that Ahmanet attempted to bring the chaotic god to our world millennia ago. However, she was interrupted before she could complete the ritual. Even though the Egyptians prevented the end of the world, the threat of Set is still present, and now that Ahmanet has returned, the world is more in danger than ever."

_"But the dagger stone is not there. I thought that these two elements were needed to allow the ritual to work." Mathias said.

_"Very just." replied Jekyll. "Besides, we believe the stone is here, hidden somewhere in Paris. When we find it, we can proceed with the next step of the plan."

_"What next step?" asked Mathias.

Jekyll seemed a little hesitant to tell him about it at first, but decided to do it anyway.

_"The Egyptians made a terrible mistake by interrupting the ritual: they missed the opportunity to kill Set. But we will not make the same mistake. When the dagger and the stone are reunited, we will use it in order to bring Set into a mortal body, and then once incarnate, we will eliminate him once and for all."

As he explained Prodigium's plan, Jekyll looked at Mathias apologetically. At first perplexed, the young man then quickly understood what such a plan meant and he took a step back, wary.

_"Wait a minute... Are you telling me that you want to stab me with the dagger?" Mathias said.

_"It is you that Ahmanet has chosen as a receptacle." replied Jekyll. "You are now cursed, Mr. Parrish. Believe me, I regret that we have to go to such extremes, but time is running out. Set is too great a threat and he will never stop trying to come into our world, by any means."

As he spoke, Jekyll began to grimace slightly, as if in pain and becoming more and more nervous. Immediately, he returned to his office to once again prepare three doses of serum in the injector.

_"Either we sit idly by waiting for the apocalypse to break loose, or we act by imposing our own conditions. And the main condition for the sake of humanity unfortunately requires a sacrifice: yours."

_"Are you crazy or what? And you think I'm going to let you kill me like this for such a shitty plan?" retorted Mathias, angrily.

_"You died the moment you freed Ahmanet, Mr. Parrish." affirmed Jekyll, becoming more and more agitated and even beginning to sweat as he seemed to be holding back a greater and greater inner pain. "It was like shooting yourself in the head. I'm sorry, but we have to take this risk. Evil is a pathology, a deadly and pernicious infection, which carves a passage into our souls. I spent my life searching for a cure, and today, that cure may be you! A sacrifice for the good of all..."

The doctor couldn't finish his sentence as he finished preparing his injection, he screamed in pain, writhing on his desk and accidentally dropping the injector which slid on the desk. In a reflex, Mathias grabbed the injector and stepped back, preventing Jekyll from taking it again.

_"No!" panted Agent Carson, who usually was so cold and serious, then showed a face frozen with fear.

_"The injector! Give me the injector back!" moaned Jekyll in pain, trembling and pleading.

_"Good, now you will listen to me attentively!" threatened Mathias, angry. "We're going to calm down and think of a new plan together to stop this shit from happening without having to kill Ahmanet and me, ok?!"

_"We have to get out of here..." Carson whispered as she looked at Jekyll in terror.

_"Mr. Parrish, you don't know what you're doing!" Jekyll implored, growing more and more unsteady, his face contorted with pain, as if he were struggling with all his might to hold something back inside him.

_"Maybe, but I've had enough of all this!" Mathias retorted, threatening him.

Suddenly, Jekyll sat up abruptly on his desk, in a hoarse breath and spoke in a threatening voice, devoid of kindness as his skin turned pale gray and his eyes took on a worrying color, and displayed a carnivorous expression towards Mathias.

_"Oh, but what do we have here my dear Jekyll? I've never seen the mark of evil so clearly... Than in the eyes of your new friend!"

Mathias had ceased his threats, looking at Jekyll with concern at the sudden change in attitude but also at the terrifying voice that spoke through his mouth, as if someone else had taken his place. Once again experiencing violent pain and uncontrollable convulsions, growling almost like an animal, Jekyll collapsed on the desk. Mathias, confused, then gave him the injector back and backed off as Agent Carson began to flee towards the door to get out. With the injector in his possession, Jekyll tried to prick his hand but he fought fiercely against himself, as if some inner force was preventing him from doing so.

_"Run, Mr. Parrish." Jekyll then ordered, feeling his last mental barrier and his control being broken. "RUN!"

Faced with the order and the desperation with which the doctor screamed, Mathias obeyed and ran as quickly as possible to get out. At the same moment, in a final burst of lucidity, Jekyll pressed a red button on his desk, triggering an alarm as well as the containment system of his own office, thick reinforced metal curtains lowering on all the windows and doors annexes and main closing to lock automatically. Dropping the injector which fell on the desk, Jekyll was writhing around, clutching his head, growling in a mixture of pain and fury as the evil presence within gripped him.

Carson had time to get out but Mathias was not so lucky, the main door of the office closing and locking right in front of him. He tried to push, to knock on it, but nothing to do and the DNA analyzer would refuse to open to him, he was stuck. Suddenly he heard heavy, slow footsteps approaching behind him. Mathias turned to see Dr. Jekyll who had stepped forward, but now showed a sickly pale-gray face, monstrous yellow eyes, bloodshot and almost shining. He was breathing hard, in a hoarse voice, and the expression on his face... Inhuman, reflecting a deeply monstrous and destructive personality.

_"D...Doctor Jekyll?" asked Mathias, very worried for his own safety.

The doctor sneered with a sinister sneer as he advanced towards the young man, showing that he was determined to hurt him. Mathias then reacted and managed to grab the doctor to violently block him against the door, punched him to knock him out and took advantage of this moment to take the doctor's hand by force and place it on the digital wall panel, for the DNA analysis and engage the unlocking. However, the analysis turned out to be negative, and to his amazement, Mathias saw that the result no longer showed the same DNA, and that a new name appeared: E. Hyde. Impossible, thought Mathias, totally stunned. How could a single man have two different DNAs in him?

_"They won't let me out." sneered Jekyll once again with that monstrous voice, or rather it was this second personality that had taken control of him, Hyde. "They never do."

With a quick movement, he freed himself from Mathias's grip, grabbing him by the neck and hitting his head against the screen which cracked. Half stunned by the shock, Mathias was then thrown violently backwards and rolled on the ground for several meters, under the eyes of this E. Hyde who advanced, a macabre smile on his lips and a bloodthirsty spark in his eyes. Dazed and getting to his feet, Mathias looked for a way to defend himself and saw this trolley not far away with all these medical instruments on it. He wanted to run to grab one to defend himself, but Hyde blocked his way. Mathias then stepped back cautiously.

_"You may be younger man, but you should be wary of a guy like me!" Hyde growled menacingly and with a violent wave of his hand pushed aside the cart which flew and crashed loudly against the wall, knocking all the tools to the ground.

************

Meanwhile, in the containment room, Ahmanet's eyes widened, an expression of deep concern playing in her eyes. She had felt it. Mathias was in great danger! Nearby, a member of the monitoring team noticed that his colleague had abandoned his post for no reason and saw that mercury levels were dropping dangerously.

_"Hey, what's going on, Pete? Did you cut the mercury or something? Pete, hey what are you doing?"

The agent named Pete, utterly possessed by the mummy's influence, remained deaf to calls from his colleagues as he opened the room's electrical panel, then grabbed a fire ax, and under the horrified gazes of his colleagues who did not have time to stop him, he delivered a violent blow with his ax on the cables and the main circuit breaker, which immediately triggered an electrical explosion and flames, causing a chain reaction in all the lights and electrical appliances in the room which erupted in a deafening concert of explosions and sparks, triggering a general panic among the members of the staff who triggered the evacuation of the premises while several fires began.

Ahmanet then saw the metal panel gag around her mouth automatically unlock and fall to the ground, finally freeing her mouth. The princess then vomited all of the mercury that had been injected into her, thus purging herself of all that poison in order to regain her strength. Once done, she began to tug at the chains holding her down, using her superhuman strength and managing to break the first one, freeing one of her arms.

_"Be careful, the creature is freeing itself!" alerted one of the guards, who armed with a shotgun, prepared to shoot her.

But Ahmanet reacted and used the broken chain still attached to his wrist as a whip and violently hit the guard in the head, pushing him back. Freeing her second arm, then her legs and tearing with her bare hands the IVs from her body and the metal bracelet around her neck, Ahmanet stood up, now completely free of her movements and showed a look full of fury towards the agents still present in the room.

Another guard tried to shoot, but leaping like a feline, Ahmanet pinned him to the ground and sucked out all his life energy with a kiss of death. A rifle shot hit her in the back, with no effect other than to annoy her, and she leapt at the gunman and snapped his neck with ease. Once these guards were killed, Ahmanet moved very quickly towards the exit, feeling that Mathias needed her.

_"Hold on, Setepai... I'm coming!" she breathed.

***********

In the office, Mathias continued to try to survive but Jekyll, or rather Hyde, had grabbed him from behind, strangling him with his arm and keeping him pinned.

_"You know, it's not me who wants to kill you, it's Henry." Hyde sneered slyly. "For my part, I imagine more of a partnership."

Mathias didn't listen to him and elbowed the possessed doctor in the face, making him step back and free himself. Mathias tried another punch, but Hyde easily blocked it and grabbing Mathias by the collar, knocked him against one of the wall panes which shattered, then threw the young man brutally to the ground a little further. Slightly injured in the face by a shard of glass on his forehead, Mathias had difficulty regaining his senses, trying to get up despite everything.

_"I propose a collaboration." Hyde added still unhealthily as he readjusted his tie. "You, the new evil incarnate, with your little evil princess, and me, your new good friend, Eddie Hyde. What do you think?"

Partnership? This Jekyll personality was completely crazy. Mathias refused to listen to him and attempted to pick up one of the primate skulls from the broken display case to use as a weapon, but Hyde grabbed Mathias by the collar again, lifting him off the ground and pinning him against the wall. Mathias defended himself as best he could, delivering a blow with the skull, then a punch in the face of Hyde, and finally a kick which made Hyde spit out a spray of blood, who however began to laugh like a madman, smiling and mouth salivating with blood and saliva.

_"You defend yourself quite well, I grant you that." then growled Hyde, who in a howl of rage and like a rugby player, charged Mathias, lifting him like a wrestler and violently pinning him on the desk. Despite the dizziness of the impact, Mathias managed to narrowly dodge Hyde's elbow which attempted to smash his face. But Hyde manages to perform a solid armlock on Mathias to block him again. Struggling in vain, Mathias saw the injector with the serum, at the other end of the desk, but too far to reach it.

_"Come on boy, think about it..." Hyde grunted slyly, still trying to play with him and persuade him. "Ravage, chaos, destruction... It's a guaranteed success. Ladies love bad guys. I'm sure your sexy little princess would like it."

Hearing him talk about Ahmanet, Mathias felt his anger rising and fought even harder to free himself, dealing two or three blows to Hyde in an attempt to make him let go. But the possessed doctor didn't do anything about it, and with a fast move, planted the tips of his fingers between two of Mathias' ribs, making him bleed slightly. Mathias tensed and screamed in pain as he felt his ribs being compressed by the force of Hyde who showed an unhealthy glee at seeing the young man suffer.

_"I enjoy seeing pain distort a face." Hyde hissed cruelly through his teeth, his eyes wild.

Mathias was in excruciating pain, feeling that if he continued, Hyde was going to rip his ribs out of his body. But suddenly, the stainless, thick glass wall not far from the desk exploded in pieces and Ahmanet appeared among the debris. In a monstrous scream of rage, she jumped behind Hyde's back, clinging to him, making him let go of Mathias. The young man, his face red with pain and clutching his aching ribs, tried to catch his breath, seeing Hyde thrashing and screaming fiercely as Ahmanet clung to his back, pounding his head with violent blows and biting him savagely on the neck.

But Hyde managed to grab her and pull her off him, throwing her against the desk. Despite the shock, Ahmanet had felt absolutely nothing and got up immediately, coming to stand before Mathias to protect him and with a fierce growl, stared at Hyde with terrifying anger. Her gaze quickly met Mathias's, showing him that she was reassured to see him alive, but quickly focused again on the doctor.

_"Oh-ho, look who's coming to dinner tonight." Hyde commented with a sly sneer. "That's perfect. The only thing missing was you to make the party a success."

_"I will make you live a thousand sufferings for what you did to my Setepai." Ahmanet hissed fiercely as she stood up and prepared to fight.

_"Oh yeah, that's good." Hyde sneered with unhealthy excitement and cracking his knuckles. "Come on, let's break into this waltz of death and see which of us is more monstrous!"