Return Of The Ancients – By David Moylan
In the endless expanse of the Duat, the Egyptian underworld, Anubis stood before the grand Temple of Ma’at, his form towering and regal. His jackal head gleamed under the pale light of the moon, eyes glowing with ancient wisdom and purpose. For millennia, Anubis had been the guardian of the dead, the keeper of souls as they passed into the afterlife, weighing hearts against the feather of Ma’at to determine their fate. He had watched over the delicate balance between life and death, order and chaos, and had maintained the sacred rites of passage for all who sought eternity.
But now, the cosmic balance was tipping.
The earth realm had grown disconnected from the ancient ways. Mortals, lost in their pursuit of power and material gain, had forgotten the old gods, the ones who had shaped the very fabric of existence. The whispers of forgotten rituals no longer reached the heavens, and the temples once filled with offerings stood silent. The world was teetering on the edge of collapse—rife with war, division, and destruction. The time had come for the ancient ones to return.
Anubis had seen this day approaching for centuries, though he had waited patiently for the signs. And now, they were clear. The stars aligned in a pattern that had not been seen since the dawn of the first dynasty. The air in the Duat had begun to hum with a power that stirred the sands of time. It was time to act.
With deliberate grace, Anubis strode through the gates of the temple, entering a sacred chamber at its heart. The walls were inscribed with hieroglyphs older than memory, detailing the rites that could awaken the ancient gods and spirits—the ones who had walked the earth long before the rise of man. At the center of the chamber lay a great portal, sealed for eons, its surface shimmering faintly like the veil between worlds.
Anubis knelt before the portal, his long fingers tracing the inscriptions on the ground. He began to chant in a language that had not been spoken aloud in over ten thousand years, the words vibrating through the air like thunder rolling across the desert. As he chanted, the hieroglyphs on the walls began to glow, lighting the chamber with a soft, ethereal light.
The ground beneath Anubis trembled, and the shimmering veil of the portal began to shift. Slowly, it started to open, revealing a swirling vortex of darkness and light, where the spirits of the ancients stirred.
He spoke to them, his voice commanding yet reverent. “Ancient ones, gods of old, spirits of the first dawn, it is time to return. The earth realm calls to you once more. The balance has been broken, and the mortals have forgotten the sacred ways. Their world is crumbling under the weight of their hubris. Come forth and restore the order, as you once did in the beginning.”
From within the portal, the shadowy forms of the ancient gods began to emerge. First came Osiris, the lord of the afterlife, his emerald-green skin glowing with an inner light, his crook and flail held with regal authority. Behind him, Isis, the great mother, whose wings unfurled as she stepped forward, her eyes filled with both compassion and fury at what had become of the world she had once nurtured. Thoth, the scribe of the gods, followed, his ibis head bowed as he inscribed the events into the cosmic ledger, his presence signaling that history itself was about to be rewritten.
One by one, the ancient gods and spirits returned through the portal—Horus, the falcon-headed god of kingship and justice; Sekhmet, the lioness goddess of war, her burning eyes gleaming with righteous rage; and Bastet, the cat goddess of protection, who padded silently through, her gaze fierce and protective.
The earth trembled with their return, and even the winds seemed to change direction, carrying with them the energy of ages long forgotten.
Anubis stood tall as the ancients gathered around him. He could feel the power radiating from them, the raw, unbridled force that had once shaped mountains, guided civilizations, and ushered souls into the afterlife. But this time, their task was different. They were not here to rule or dominate, but to restore. The earth had fallen out of alignment with the cosmic laws, and only the return of the ancients could bring it back to balance.
Osiris stepped forward, his deep voice resonating through the chamber. “The mortals have forgotten us, Anubis. They no longer honor the old ways. Do you believe they are ready for our return?”
Anubis bowed his head. “They may not be ready, but they are in need. Their world is on the brink of destruction, and they have lost sight of their connection to the divine. It is not for them to decide—it is time for us to remind them of who we are.”
Isis raised her wings, and the light of the portal brightened, casting long shadows across the chamber. “We will bring balance once more,” she said, her voice like the soft breeze before a storm. “But they must choose to embrace it. We cannot force them to remember.”
Anubis nodded. “That is why we will walk among them, as we did in the old times. We will guide them, teach them, and if they are willing, we will restore the harmony between the earth realm and the divine.”
With that, the portal fully opened, revealing the path back to the earth realm. The air crackled with the energy of their impending return, and the very fabric of reality seemed to ripple as the ancient gods prepared to cross the threshold.
One by one, they stepped through, each carrying with them the weight of eternity, the wisdom of the ancients, and the hope of restoring what had been lost. Anubis was the last to move, but before he did, he glanced back into the depths of the Duat, knowing that the journey ahead would not be easy. The mortals had strayed far from the sacred path, and it would take time, patience, and perhaps even wrath to bring them back.
With a final, resolute step, Anubis passed through the portal, and the gateway sealed behind him. The ancient gods had returned, and the earth realm was about to awaken to the presence of its forgotten protectors.
The world, whether it was ready or not, would soon remember the power of the ancients.