Chapter 25 Fate

Reincarnation was a mysterious thing. Time was also a blurry concept. For example, right now, as I opened my eyes, all I saw was a desert.
The manager drove the car, the guide told loudly beside me, and the photographer adjusted the camera.
This was the past. This was also the future.
I avoided accidents, conflicts, and physical contact with the photographer and guide.
But the navigation GPS signal was lost when we arrived deep in the desert.
I made an excuse and told the manager I wanted to go out and find the way.
I walked to the place where the sun was rising.
The ground collapsed, the boy's coffin opened, and his suspicious, paranoid gaze locked onto my body. I gently stroked his head.
Fate, let us meet again. This time, nothing can stop us.
(End of the main text)
Extra: Aten (Bonus Chapter)
His name was Aten, and he was named after Akhenaten's admiration for Aten.
Aten's mother was a foreign enslaved person with humble origins, possessing the golden hair Egypt admires. Akhenaten claimed her as his own and unexpectedly conceived him.
The pharaoh resented his impure bloodline, throwing him into the slave heap to be abused by others.
With his eyes, Aten witnessed his mother being humiliated while trying to protect him.
At a young age, he learned about people's hearts and desires.
Aten also used his innocent and beautiful appearance to gain sympathy from others and survive.
One day, his mother died amid a rioting frenzy.
And as a result, he caught the attention of Akhenaten.
Akhenaten was a clever yet foolish man.
His cleverness resided in his ability to use blood ties to consolidate his power.
His foolishness lay in allowing himself to be manipulated by a foolish woman just because she had many followers behind her.
Unable to grasp power, he wanted to control the future.
Akhenaten focused his attention on his daughter, Ankhesen.
As an insignificant son, Aten became a target of Akhenaten's scheming.
Of course, he was only a supporting character.
Akhenaten held a banquet, inviting all his sons.
Wherever chosen by Ankhesen would become the next pharaoh.
These things seemed unrelated to Aten.
Because of his weak body and beautiful face, he became the target of those strong individuals at the banquet.
Their gaze toward him was the same as when they looked at his mother.
Greedy desire.
There was a substantial physical gap between adults and children.
In children. To protect himself, he could only appear in more prominent corners and let himself be bullied.
At that time, Aten never expected Ankhesen to approach him.
She saved him, but there was no mercy in her eyes.
Aten liked that.
Under Akhenaten's gaze, Aten disguised himself as infatuated and said, "Princess. My name is Aten."
On the night Ankhesen left with Aten, Akhenaten came to find him.
Akhenaten said:
"Ankhesen is not my daughter; she is the queen's illegitimate daughter."
"You are my son; you must win over Ankhesen. Otherwise, my bloodline will be worthless."
"From now on, remember, your name is Tutankhamun."
"Tutankhamun, you were born for me; your life is not in your hands, do you understand?"
Akhenaten, greedy and murky shade, lacked the love of a father.
Akhenaten gave him his name and treated him as a tool.
A tool that could be trampled upon at will.
Akhenaten's words echoed in Aten's ears like a curse.
Aten was in a daze, and Akhenaten grabbed him violently, the feeling of suffocation surrounding him.
He didn't consider Akhenaten as his father, but he knew for sure that he had to follow Akhenaten's arrangements and plans.
Otherwise, he would die.
And Aten, he feared death.
Aten liked to pester Ankhesen, not because he wanted her.
But to help her.
Ankhesen always refused Akhenaten's requests without impatience or disgust.
To prevent the escalation of conflicts, Aten had to comfort her.
When she looked at Aten, her gaze held a mother's care.
Aten always found it strange; how could there be such a peculiar person?
He became curious, observing her every move.
She seemed indifferent to everything, not at all foolish like her mother.
She seemed gentle; even though she rejected him, she still found ways to compensate for it.
She seemed disgusted by everything around her, yet she cared for him.
Aten discovered Ankhesen had a unique affection for him.
He felt a sense of secret joy in his heart.
He thought it was a pleasant surprise to be able to live for a long time, but he didn't notice that he was getting closer to her.
Akhenaten whispered in his ear, "Tutankhamun, you were born for Ankhesen, do you understand?"
Tutankhamun lowered his head and smiled contentedly.
"Yes, I was born for her."
Later, Akhenaten broke free from the constraints of ethics and came up with the best revenge.
Akhenaten wanted to marry Ankhesen.
Upon hearing this decision, anger welled up in Tutankhamun's heart.
He hated his young age and the lack of power.
Ankhesen approached Akhenaten and the queen, but the queen, consumed by her shame, did not stop Akhenaten's arrangement.
Tutankhamun was furious but quieted down upon seeing Ankhesen.
That night was destined to be restless and fruitful.
Ankhesen woke up, and in the darkness, Tutankhamun saw her opening a box, revealing a sharp dagger.
Tutankhamun rendered her unconscious.
Taking the dagger with him, he left the room.
The young boy plunged the dagger into Akhenaten's body, becoming the next pharaoh and gaining supreme power.
He considered the dagger a trophy, hanging it in his room.
He grew disgusted by Akhenaten's chosen name, and thus, as the young pharaoh, he initiated reforms and took on a new name:
Tutankhamun.
Later, he married his sister, Ankhesen.
Tutankhamun believed it indeed was the most beautiful thing.
From having nothing as a young boy to gaining admiration from the masses.
Tutankhamun did not possess much.
He was lonely, paranoid, and walked on the blade's edge.
He poured all his scarce emotions into Ankhesen.
Ankhesen opposed marrying either Akhenaten or Tutankhamun with the same attitude.
She was even more opposed to the feudal autocracy of the era.
However, Tutankhamun's world was small, consisting only of her, and he couldn't change the world.
So, he tried his best until she couldn't live without him.
But he still failed.
Ankhesen recognized his cruel side, his self-protective façade.
She began to distance herself and seek a way out.
He observed all her subtle actions but did not intervene.
Ankhesen pierced his chest with the dagger, and he did not stop her.
His life had been entrusted to her since their first meeting.
And all he pleaded for was for Ankhesen to care more about him.
She cried.
Tutankhamun believed it was worth everything.