With a slight nod, the princess turned away. She located her brother after a short search. She tossed her arms around the male, kissing his cheek. "Nemiah! How are you?" She questioned, unsure of how to explain Souban and Melhet while leaving Set out.

"Sister!" Nemiah greeted happily in return, "I'm doing well-although, sort of. Something strange happened in the temple earlier today, no one seems to understand what it means..." he shook his head, "how are you?"

The princess pointed behind her. "This is a sorceress...She raised Set's brother from the dead...and Set's really, really angry right now....She's dangerous, though. But, Malum thought you should be the one to decide what happens to them..."

"Strange?" Asima continued giving Nemiah a strange look. "What...what happened?"

Nemiah blinked, "... what? Woah-woah now. That's serious. Alright, Malum could you please lock her up? Asima, please come with me" he gestured for her to follow him down the hall and out to the temple. Malum turned and dragged Souban the other way to do as Nemiah asked.

The temple was bustling with numerous priests, whispering and chattering endlessly. People were a bit panicked, to be honest. Nemiah lead Asima passed them all and to the inner sanctuary where the statues of the gods stood. None of the priests dared enter there at the moment so it was completely silenced and empty. Nemiah gestured to the statue of the god Set, "Blood." the pharaoh stated, "dripping from his nose. No one knows how or why, but a few hours ago it happened. I still haven't heard any good explanations."

Asima paused and watched Malum drag the women away. She was struggling again, but the princess was sure Malum had it under control. She hurried to catch her brother, frowning as the crowd came into view.

At the statues, Asima stared in shock. "I-is it real?" She finally found herself whispering. Her thoughts were racing. It was unthinkable to think a vandal would do this, but Asima found herself praying it was, that it was all a horrible coincidence. "Nemiah...a few hours ago...Set's nose was bleeding. And...I've learned some things about him, Nemiah, that frighten me...The fire, that killed his family...it's possible Set was the cause of it. And...he's addicted to magic...I don't know how to get him off of it without risking someone getting hurt...I...I tied him and laid him in bed...I don't know what else to do..." Even as she spoke, Asima's eyes were fixed on the statue. She didn't blame the crowd...she felt panicky herself.

Nemiah stared at Asima, "... What?! Why didn't you tell me this immediately?!" he exclaimed, "Asima, i need to know these things! I thought he was just not feeling well-this is entirely more than that!"

"It's all new to me too!" Asima protested, "And I was worried. He...he's a bit different now...Nemiah, If his brother tried to kill us, like that women wanted, I don't think Set would protect us against him...Just, be careful...Do you want to see him? He may have woken up now..."

Nemiah ran a hand through his hair, staring up at the statue for a moment before nodding, "We'd better go see him. yes."

Asima nodded and led the way to Set's room. She peeked in and slipped into the door, stepping towards the bed carefully. "Set? Are you up yet?"

"ungh..." Set groaned, squirming in his bonds as he fought to keep his eyes open. He was still feeling the weary effects but he was actually awake now.

Asima glanced back towards Nemiah, beckoning her brother closer. "Set...do...do you feel alright?" She questioned quietly, her hand moving to the water skin she'd filled with the rest of the potion. If he felt stronger, should she use it again?

Set closed his eyes tightly before snapping them open again and glaring at her with his eyes turning a storm cloud color, "Release me!" he demanded.

Nemiah stared, "Set, what's happened to you?"

"I SAID RELEASE ME" the priest snapped, his voice beginning to layer.

Asima hopped forward, and simply for safety's sake, she tipped the skin over as he spoke. Now that he was awake, she didn't really have to worry about him chocking, but she rubbed him neck just in case. "Nemiah, hold his mouth shut please. I'd like to be alive by the end of the day..." She spoke softly to Set, "Please, please don't be angry. I'm going to try to get Melhet back to himself, but I won't let him kill Malum....Please don't be angry, Set..." Her voice broke slightly, and she bit her lip to stop the flood of tears Asima felt brewing.

Nemiah startled and quickly moved forward to help. Set coughed but choked down enough of the liquid, "No-you-get away!" he stammered, trying to turn away, "Let me go or damn you to the underworld!" he snapped, although at least his voice was normal.

"I...I can't Set." She glanced to Nemiah. "He...he's been fighting with the red head and his dead brother...Should we tell him, about the temple?"

Nemiah frowned, "This is all wrong. Set, what's gotten into you? You're not acting like yourself."

"Why's that?!" Set retorted, "because I'm not being your obedient little servant? Because I finally have something worth living for outside of this stupid place? something worth fighting for?! Something worth Dying for?!"

Asima felt the tears flow, and she sniffled slightly, inching away from Set a bit. "I...I think it's because of Melhet. He wants his brother with him....he doesn't want him to die again..."

"Set, I realize this is difficult" Nemiah spoke calmly, "but if there's anything I can reasonably do to help you and your brother, I will. I need you to remain calm however, you're my best friend Hemset. Please, I don't want to lose you."

"You've already lost me" Set retorted, "You've used me and cast me aside as convenient. You are nothing to me, and all I am to you is a source of power. Well this power is not yours!" he yelled, "and I will crush you with it!"

Asima lowered her head. "I...I made it worse. He wasn't like this before. B-but I didn't know what to do, Nemiah!" The princess burst out into full fledged water works, and to spare herself some dignity, she fled the room, glancing to the figure on the bed. "I...I'm gonna look through Lakar's stuff, Set. For your brother...Maybe there's something else."

Nemiah glanced to Asima in worry. "YOU WILL BURN IN THE UNDERWORLD" Set yelled, and Nemiah snapped back to glare at him.

"That is enough Hemset" Nemiah ordered, "There is something severely wrong with you and until we can set things right, I am ordering you to remain locked away with no access to your magic."

Despite bolting from the room, Asima heard her friend's yell, and she hugged herself tightly. The princess leaned against the door for a moment, before rubbing her head and stepping over to Lakar's old room. Set had cleaned up, but there was still much that hadn't been touched at all. She began digging through the huge stacks, starting with older papyrus and books, as well as things that had obviously been hidden from Asima's nosy prying eyes.

There was a lot to go through, although hidden behind a stack of untouched scrolls was a book, bound together in leather and papyrus. It was a journal that Lakar had written, focused solely on Hemset.
It spoke of how Melhet first brought Lakar's attention to Set as a child. While neither had known, Lakar was keeping tabs on him, researching his past and the people he had come from. Lakar had been searching, in depth for his replacement, for a very long time.
His magical aptitude is unlike anything i've ever seen before the journal said I hadn't been sure if he would suitable as my apprentice until the passing of his brother. As cruel as it is, I can't help but be glad. To have ties to people outside one's duties here is too dangerous-something I have learned long ago. There can be no one and nothing more important than the protection of the royal line. So if he learns to love them as I do, and as he once loved his own family, then there is hope.

Asima continued skimming, wondering what would happen if there wasn't hope. She had no doubt that Set could destroy all of Egypt if he wished. No magician could stop him. And to find out about the fire. Plus, there was his strange voice and eyes. The God Set had spoken to Asima long ago, channeled through Set. And then the statue. Was it all coincidence? Could Set have some kind of ties to the Gods, like the Pharaoh did, though he was without ties, being a God himself. The princess flipped forward, hoping to find anything else discovered about Set.

Something strange happened today the journal mentioned later, I had brought Hemset into the inner sanctuary for the first time. Everything went as usual until we knelt to pray. I opened my eyes to see him standing in front of the statue of our god Set, his eyes seemed different somehow and he was whispering but his voice sounded strange as well. When he realized I was watching he returned to normal, seeming confused as to how he had gotten over there. Could this boy have some connection to the gods? Perhaps it was not I that chose him for this, but them?

A much later entry continued, The strange thing seems to be happening more frequently. Whenever he thinks I'm not paying attention, I find Hemset gazing into the distance with that strange look in his eyes. Perhaps he feels what I do, that something is coming, and that Asima is in the middle of it. I pray for her safety every day.

A number of pages later. "You've been watching me" he told me today, again in the sanctuary, but this time he didn't retreat when he noticed me staring. I couldn't deny it, so I questioned him about it. His voice was soo strange, like it was more than just his own. He told me that he was Set-The Set, it took a moment to really sink in but then he told me his story, a tale I shall never forget.

When Hemset was still a babe, his mother was terribly ill and she had no one but her sons to take care of her. Her husband had abandoned her, no one could understand how she still lived. In truth however, the god Set had fallen in love with her. He refused her passage to the afterlife, knowing how much she loved her children and couldn't bear to abandon them as well. Set let her live.

The other gods did not approve, Set had abandoned his duty to bring souls to the afterlife and this caused a terrible unbalance. As punishment, they sentenced him to mortal life, to live in the heart of the son of the woman he had loved, and to destroy the world that she had built for them. Their home was burned to the ground, only Hemset and Melhet survived. The villagers refused to allow them to live nearby, they feared Hemset's new power and thought it would destroy them as well, so the brothers were forced to flee, never knowing that a god rested in the back of dear Hemset's mind.
Set asked the gods for a chance to redeem himself, and thus I was alerted to his presence, to bring Hemset here as a guardian to the pharaoh and his family.

Once done reading, Asima closed the diary carefully, shivering. Oh Jesus. So, in taking away Melhet, it wasn't truly Set's brother in a way. It was his son. She was so unsure of what to do now. A God was angry with her. Her family. Surely, Set would destroy them. But, you'd think he would be happy. Once his mortal life was over, wouldn't he be able to see his lover and son? The princess shook her head. She would show Nemiah...he would know what to do, but before she did, she would try to ask Set. The mortal one. Asima moved to the Priest's room, peeking in to see how Set was, if he was the God Set, or mortal one, and to see if her brother was here.