Day 1

I guess it’s a bit awkward to be starting a journal now. At the time, it made sense to wait until I’d found and opened the passage. But now I realize the search was also part of the journey. And of course, when I opened the ancient door, do you really think I went back to camp to go find my journal? Of course I didn’t. What enthusiastic adventurer would? Thankfully, my less enthused scientific partner was willing to go back to camp to get it, and now I’m stuck sitting against these ancient halls as I try to record everything I’ve found. Does that even make sense? I mean… we do have cameras to record what we find. So maybe this journal was more for me than the adventure after all…

Day 3

I missed a day yesterday. It really wasn’t on the top of my priority list to write then. The main entrance shut. We’re trapped. The weird thing is, my partner doesn’t seem bothered by it. In fact he was sure we could find another way out. He promised that the architectural structure seemed to be designed with more than one opening… but I don’t think he’s taken into consideration most of the other openings would likely be buried under trillions of grains of sand. Nonetheless, he assured me that if we just kept walking, we would make it out.

Day 4

He’s mad at me. I’m not quite sure why. I stopped to record some hieroglyphics on the wall and paint out some of the pictures. He immediately tore out the pages when I was done with them and shredded them. I don’t think I’ve ever been so infuriated in all my life. I screamed so hard that bits of sand fell from the ceiling. He immediately grabbed my hand and ran with me deeper into the place, stopping at an ancient fountain that still flowed with water… He made me promise then that I would not record anything. I refused of course. I’m an adventurer. I don’t go on adventures just to leave my findings in the dark.

Day ?

I’ve continued to record what we’ve found. My researcher friend doesn’t stop me anymore. He just watches sadly and shakes his head. I don’t know what his problem is. We have plenty of provisions. This place likely holds a multitude of tombs for the old Pharaohs that have yet to be found. I can’t wait to be the one who goes down in history for finding them! Most of the hieroglyphics seem to be about eternal life and the sacredness of the body after it’s death. Apparently if something happens to the body in this world, it also happens to them in the next. There’s also a lot of stuff in here about the jackal god Anubis. It seems according to these hieroglyphics that he might just be a human wearing a jackal headdress who had the ability to turn into a jackal. More than that he - never mind. My “partner” just woke up and is glaring at me. I should go.

Day ?

I understand now. My partner is not who he says he is. There’s something wrong with him, the way he moves, the way he speaks, and the gold trinkets he wears… I never noticed it until now, but he looks like he belongs here. Or maybe his appearance has changed the further we’ve come in… No. He’s just been looting this place behind my back. I bet he’s been looking for this place his whole life. He never planned on letting me out. He was always going to take the glory for himself. But I- Someone’s coming. I’m leaving now, and I’m taking this evidence back to the surface.

Final Entry

I’ve never seen the point of journals. Humans write in them to record their life and journey so that others can read them and know their story. But what of when their life, their journey, their accomplishments, are never read of by another human? Is it all for naught? I always wonder this when I take another life. I’m sorry Lyra. I swear I didn’t want to. I never do. But I protect the souls of Pharaohs and others of my people. I cannot allow you, nor anyone else, to bring harm to them. The world cannot know of our existence. I live to protect them, just as I will protect this last fragment of yours. I am sorry. - Anubis