Prologue The sun was already high in the sky, the heat of the day had reached its peak and nevertheless the streets of Bastet were busy. People were busy going about their daily lives, trying to earn the money they needed for their families. The poorer working class made up the majority of the population in the city, but they did not have a bad life. Sorcerers, witches, and non-magicians lived peacefully side by side there, but it was not always so. The land of Deserta had existed for thousands of years, but was settled only by nomads with short-lived periods of settlement. Only in the last thousand years did sorcerers, witches, and ordinaries from the continent of Portunus come over to Fidius, the desert continent. They were aware that life there would not be easy. Nevertheless, they tried their luck, escaping from the constant war between white and black magicians, the danger of hostile sorcerers and witches, and the conflict that existed between ordinaries and magicians. In addition to Bastet, four other large cities were formed: Harena, Sandyx, Ebur and Excetra. Trade between the five cities flourished, but it was not always so. A dark shadow also lay over this empire, which the pharaohs themselves had to conquer, completely without the godly trinity. The Desertans nevertheless had a firm belief in them, obeying their laws and those of the Pharaoh, who was also worshipped as a god. Among all the people on the street there was also a young witch on the road, her body paint marked her as a priestess, which she had already received at the age of 7. Nevertheless, she had never started to work as a priestess in the temple. It was not a life she desired, even if her recently deceased father would have liked to see her in this activity. Respectful of other people, she always tried to remain polite, not to stand out. She much preferred to retreat into the desert and practice her witchcraft secretly, without restrictions, without paying tribute to the gods. Gods - she didn't believe in any gods and didn't think they were all-powerful. But she could not go on like this, because she could not live long on the little money she had left from her father. Marriage was also out of the question for Créer* , even though she was already 18 years old and late by the standards of the time. One week after the death of her father. Respect the rules of witchcraft - decided and guarded by the Sorcerer's Triangle. Otherwise, it will be your damage. Chapter 1 - To the priesthood cursed Créer was on her way to the temple to pick up the remaining books of her late father. It was a hustle and bustle in the streets, children running around playing, while most people shopped at the market stalls for their daily needs. The stalls were continuously supplied with goods, with carts being pulled through the streets. People were used to this and yet it was not an insignificant effort to pull a fully loaded cart through the busy street. Among the noises and voices, loud shouting also rose again and again from the sellers, who advertised their goods and everyone wanted to offer the best goods and the best prices. Créer also had to do some shopping, so she carried a basket with her and kept looking at the market stalls, comparing goods and prices. She didn't have much money left and had to make do until she found a suitable job for herself. Her dark gray fur with the light gray body paint was covered by a long cream-white dress, which consisted of thin, slightly transparent fabric. A long, also thin light olive yellow scarf she wore around her neck, while her feet wore only brown leather sandals. The thin fabric allowed enough air to reach her body, which was necessary in the temperatures on Fidius. Aside from her two gold earrings, Créer wore no jewelry, though that already put her in a higher position. While the normal workers usually wore no jewelry at all, the pharaohs had magnificent necklaces, bracelets and more. The men usually wore only a loincloth, which, depending on the outfit, additionally indicated the respective position. Nevertheless, this was not compulsory and the upper body could be dressed as well, depending on one's own sense of well-being. One of the vendors approached Créer as she looked around his stall, "Honored customer, what can I offer you of my humble wares?" From her priestly paint, he had recognized her as such and wanted to pay her every honor. Priestesses were very highly respected and thus given preferential treatment. Créer handed him the basket, where he had now addressed her anyway: „Feel it with some apples.“ Without hesitation, the seller began to pack the most beautiful apples on his offer in her basket: „You are a priestess, I will make you a special offer. You only need to pay 6 coins.“ Actually, Créer didn't want to pay less at all; this behavior got on her nerves. Of course, she could save on it, just when she had so little money available and yet it bothered her: „That is really kind of you.“ Nevertheless, she could not refuse it and tried not to let her displeasure about it show. It was not appreciated when a priestess did not perform her duties or did not behave appropriately. Happy to have made such a good offer to a priestess, he pushed the basket over to Créer. She took it and paid the requested six coins, which was far too little. For the number of apples he could have asked at least double. „May the godly trinity be with you“, fhe added. How often Créer had heard this phrase and how much she hated it: „With you too.“ Forced to smile at him, she tried not to let on and then continued on her way to the temple with her basket. The apples rolled around a bit in the basket while Créer continued to push her way through the streets. She had not cooked since her father's death, it reminded her too much of the familiarity she no longer had. So alone it was like a deep stab in the heart, even though her relationship with her father had recently become more and more distant. Thus, she preferred to limit her food to fruits, in order not to suffer even more from the loss. How she would love to live in a place where she could practice her witchcraft in peace, create things and test her powers. But as long as she remained in Bastet, she could only do that by sneaking into the desert and casting spells unnoticed by others. As soon as Créer reached the large square in front of the temple, she saw the statues of the godly trinity in front of the temple entrance. In the center was depicted the first, a jackal, which looked over the square with a stern gaze. His clothing was atypical for the people of Deserta. He wore ordinary trousers, a shirt, closed shoes and several bracelets on his right arm, but they looked more like they were made of leather or something similar. The right statue showed a fox, which appeared neutral yet judgmental. It was the second one, whose clothes were also not from this area. He also wore a shirt, trousers and appropriate shoes. Instead of the bracelets, his neck was adorned with a longer chain, at the end of which hung a pouch. On the left was presented the third, whose gaze was rather soft, and yet he looked like a vigilant observer because of the bony branch in his right hand, which served as a staff. With his clothing he was different from the other two and yet it was not Deserta clothing either. His upper body was bare, and his pants and shoes looked more worn. He was the only one of the godly trinity to wear gloves where the fingertips were already peeking out. In his left ear he had three studs and two creoles, in his right ear there were four studs and an earring with two feathers on it. He also wore a chain around his neck with three small animal bones on it. All three statues were made of white granite, as well as the temple and the entire square in front of it. Between the right and the middle statue, as well as the left and the middle statue, there was one entrance each, which led into the temple. Créer walked past the statue of the Second and entered the temple. The prayer room was the centerpiece of the temple, adorned with eight columns, four on the right and four on the left. These, like the walls of the room, were covered with hieroglyphics and pictorial representations. In the center of the prayer room stood a wide, trapezoidal column whose broad edge pointed to the entrance. At the feet of this was an altar, decorated and covered with offerings, such as fruit, honey, wine, sweet breads and more. The offerings were laid down for the divine trinity to make them benevolent. The large pillar behind it, like the other pillars, was covered with hieroglyphics and told the story of the origin of witchcraft. According to this tradition, the godly trinity created nature magic and established its rules and customs. Princeps, the first of the godly trinity, was portrayed as a strict judge of anyone who dared to defy these firm rules. But also as a wise and righteous god, who rewarded the docile and good-natured. The second, Secundus, on the other hand, was highlighted as a just and peaceful conciliator. A thoughtful and restful god, he was said to provide understanding between the pharaohs, but also preserver of conflicts within the people, family and merchants. A patron god was the third, Tertius. He was credited with helping those in need and protecting those who needed protection. He was portrayed as a kind and understanding god. All together they could influence the harvest, the weather and much more with their powers. The rules of witchcraft were also perpetuated there, the so-called Maga Codex. Next to the prayer room there were the bathing rooms for the priests on the right and the study of the temple leader and the medicine room on the left. If you went through the prayer room to the end, you came to a staircase that led down to the library, which also served as a study for all the other priests. In all rooms there were large candlesticks on which several candles could be placed and illuminate the temple with their light. These were lit by the priests by means of witchcraft. Créer let her gaze wander through the room, inhaled the air, which had a strong smell of incense, and made her way to the study of the temple leader. Not without escaping the attention of the other priestesses in the prayer room, who directly began to whisper unseemly about her. Créer also gave them more than enough reason for this, because at her age neither to be married nor to perform a job was an absolute sacrilege. In addition, a lot of jealousy also played a role, since Créer had been unusually talented at a young age and even then had contributed her part in the protection spell for the city. Even as the other priestesses whispered behind their backs, Créer entered the temple leader's study and greeted him with a discreet nod: „Good morning Menefer.“ The older cat was sitting at his desk and looked up happily when he heard Créer's voice: „Good morning Créer, I am glad to see you. What brings you to the temple?“ His once strong brown fur slowly turned gray, a long beard adorned his appearance and gave him a special aura of wisdom. As a temple leader, he wore a longer, light-colored robe of linen embroidered with ornaments. As he stood up from his seat, his bracelets jingled, adorning his hand along with several rings. He reached for his walking stick, which could also serve well as a staff due to its length. „I just want to get my father's books to add to his grave“, Créer replied, which made Menefer sad for a moment. He himself was quite a bit older than their father had been, although Menefer's age was unusual anyway: „My heartfelt condolences. Siad was truly an exceptionally talented priest and good friend. So was your mother. You inherited her talent. Come, let's go and get the books first.“ Créer forced himself to smile: „Yes, please.“ So often she had heard from him how talented her parents had been and how talented she herself was. She also knew where this conversation would lead and that he only meant well. Créer had a special predisposition for witchcraft from birth. At a young age, she discovered her enthusiasm for nature magic, but this was more in the discovery and creation of new things and not to pay homage to pharaohs and gods. She always felt compelled to follow this tradition and was trained accordingly. Nevertheless, she was very eager to learn everything about witchcraft. As soon as she could read, she read one book after the other. What Créer had in talent for magic, she lacked in dealing with other people. All in all, she seemed very reserved and quiet, even going so far as to withdraw to the strangest places. On the one hand, she just wanted to be left alone, but on the other hand, she didn't want to be caught trying out different spells. Therefore, her parents often had to look for her, even in the most remote corners. When she was first taken to the temple, she was fascinated by the many books in the library. This huge collection of literature was just waiting to be studied by her. Everything else in the temple was secondary to Créer. Once she had a book, she would withdraw with it to a quiet corner and leave it. No noise and no shouting could stop her. With advancing age, she was not even afraid to flee into the desert, just to be able to read her book in peace. When Créer was already 9 years old, the protective shield of Bastet had to be renewed. This happened only every 50 years and required a lot of effort. For this always five priests of the temple were selected and the protection spell needed a lot of preparation, which was not surprising with this size of the protection spell. Each of these five performers came from a long generation of strong priests, in order to achieve the strongest possible efficiency in the execution of the spell. Créer's parents were both chosen, which was a great honor that one usually received once in a lifetime, if at all. In addition to these two, Menefer himself and another priest and priestess also participated in the ritual. Everything was already prepared, but the one priestess was missing. Unfortunately, she had fallen ill and was unable to mobilize her forces to create the new shield. There was also no priest who could have replaced her - no one with such strong roots, no one with her powers -. Amina, Créer's mother, then made the suggestion to the temple leader to take Créer as a substitute. She firmly believed that Créer was capable of doing this. Siad, on the other hand, was skeptical of this, but Amina bit down on the idea. She relentlessly persuaded Menefer, who of necessity decided to let the young Créer step in as a substitute. She was the only one with the necessary knowledge and powers to successfully perform this spell, and he trusted Amina's judgment. It was an extraordinary honor, but also a burden, for the well-being of the Bastet Empire might depend on it. Moreover, she was the first priestess, so young and not hired, who had ever participated in this shield. Surprisingly, Créer performed this task excellently and one of the strongest shields Bastet ever had was created. Créer's parents were very close to nature and met through their work as priests. For generations, her ancestors had also served as priests in the Temple of the Godly Trinity. Amina was also influenced by her strong faith. Like Créer, they studied the books intensively, taking few breaks, but also going about their work with conviction. Siad designed new spells, wrote them down in his books and scrolls. Just as his father once did, and his father too, to contribute useful spells for the priests. These writings were passed down from generation to generation. Conscientiously, Siad also made the writings available as public knowledge in the temple. Both of her parents taught Créer a great deal about witchcraft, always placing special emphasis on the connection to nature. In order to bring Créer closer to nature, they often went with her into the desert, so that she would not only draw her knowledge from the books. Even if plants and living beings in the desert were not recognizable with the naked eye, life existed as well as the nature magic also here. Because this was everywhere. Unfortunately, Amina became very ill after Créer's birth, but did not allow herself to be treated. Her strong faith showed her the way and if it was intended by the gods, then she would accept her illness and her possibly premature death. After all, it was the will of the gods and one had to let nature take its course. Again and again she suffered from occasional pains, which she treated only with pain-relieving potions. She refused any other healing help. Shortly after the new shield was erected, Amina retired from her work as a priestess. The pain became increasingly worse and her health deteriorated. She spent more and more time in bed, Créer kept her company from time to time and they made small bracelets together. Since her mother was no longer able to take care of her chores around the house, Créer took over more and more. She did everything to relieve her mother. Just one year later, Amina died as a result of her illness. Créer was devastated after the death of her mother. Grief and anger mixed, the wound in her heart was deep and all because Amina did not want to be helped. In Créer's eyes, her faith had killed her. Even before, she had not had much interest in the deities, only this feeling became a deep resentment. A hatred fueled by deep grief, despair, and her mother's mistaken beliefs. Siad, on the other hand, had had understanding for his wife's decision, who had spent her life bowing to the will of nature and the gods out of deepest conviction. Because of this incident, Créer decided not to serve the gods as a priestess and buried herself even more in her books than she had done before. Her father understood Créer's reasons, but still had hope that she would change her mind in time. She would just have to work through her grief first and then, as was customary as the child of two priests, she would become a priestess as well. Siad thus continued to take his daughter to the temple, where she spent most of her time with the various literature on witchcraft, until her father was finished working. Créer also continued to take on household duties and took turns cooking with her father. Menefer first offered her a job as a priestess in the temple when she was 12, but she refused. Siad was not worried about that yet, however. She could always start working as a priestess later. As time went by, the relationship between Créer and her father became worse and worse, it had become quiet. More and more Créer turned away, studied for herself and finally refused to go to the temple. Siad finally died, one morning he did not wake up. This was not unusual, in those days people did not get that old and at 35 he had reached a normal age. Créer followed Menefer through the prayer room to the stairs in the back and down to the library. Still knowing her way around there, she let her gaze wander briefly. „I just need a moment“, she explained as she walked to the shelves and picked out the books. These contained not only her father's knowledge, but also his parents and ancestors who also pursued the occupation of priest. Since Créer did not practice this occupation, she was not allowed to simply take them without a valid reason. However, giving the books to her father as a burial gift on the way to the afterlife was one of those reasons. Menefer used the moment to speak a little with Créer: „I'm sure your father would have wanted you to work as a priestess in the temple and I would appreciate it too. I am really worried about you, Créer. Don't you want to start as a priestess after all?“ Again she had to force herself to smile and tried not to let anything show: „Thank you for the offer, Menefer. I will think about it. But first I want to see if I can't find another job that might pay a little better.“ She pulled the books out of the shelf: „But thank you, I appreciate it.“ Créer had been asked this question by her father several times in recent years and had always refused. Now that her father was dead and she had little money left, she would have to really think about this possibility. However, it was absolutely not what she wanted and she hoped for another occupation with which she could earn a living. Although, of course, she had all the prerequisites to be a priestess of the temple: she had mastered witchcraft, even far beyond the basic principles, knew the Maga Codex, had general knowledge in herbology, wound healing, protective spells, banishing spells, resolving curses, performing the rites and partly beyond. She also knew everything about the daily cleansings or before funerals, births and much more. In addition, she already had her body paint, which identified her as a priestess. This stood for the connection with nature, but also the flow of magic through the body, which is why it stretches over the whole body. And yet the painting reminded Créer not only of her intended status, but also of her mother. It was customary for mothers to paint their daughters and fathers to paint their sons. Only if no parent was available, the temple leader took over. Each family had its own special and artistic decorations, which made the body painting of the priests different. The paint was specially touched by the temple leader and applied in a ceremony in the temple. „It really shouldn't be about the money for you. You were born a priestess and have a truly extraordinary talent. Please think about it carefully“, Menefer tried to persuade her again as he led her to the entrance of the temple. „Goodbye“, Créer said goodbye to him without responding to his request. As she made her way home, she did not miss the whispering on the street. Several people gathered at a square and Créer curiously joined them. On a pedestal stood a cat with a papyrus scroll in his hands and announced clearly audible: „Our vaunted Pharaoh sends word that all witches interested in becoming priestesses in the palace should assemble at the palace by noon sun tomorrow. The payment is negotiable.“ Wild whispers broke out again, speculations about why the Pharaoh needed a priestess in the palace were made and what kind of priestess he would probably choose. Meanwhile, Créer walked thoughtfully home. Maybe this was the job she had been waiting for. Still, she was very conflicted about herself, since she didn't really want to do priestly work. When she arrived home, she put the books on the desk in her father's former study. She took the basket of apples to the dining and cooking area without unpacking them further. Instead, she returned to the study and grabbed the top book right back. Siad's study was cluttered with papyrus and books, it was pure chaos. Créer had just left it as it was and barely touched it. She sat down with the book and opened it. Actually, she was not allowed to do that, and her statement that she needed it as a burial gift was simply a lie. She had had no other way to get the books. It had simply been an excuse. Curious, she began turning the pages, looking at notes, learning more about witchcraft. Besides many useful spells, priests also wrote down curses. Not to execute them, but to learn important things about them and thus be able to ward them off and dissolve them as effectively as possible. Even though her curiosity was great, she could not concentrate properly. She thought back and forth about the Pharaoh's job offer. This could be her chance, and with any luck, he would need a priestess in a field where she didn't have to act out faith much. Who could tell? She decided for herself to listen to it at least once. She could still reject it.