And just like that, their journey to the lost Oasis of Ahm Shere began.
Ardeth didn't hesitate to join them — stopping the Scorpion King's revival and preventing the Army of Anubis from awakening was his duty as much as theirs. And since time was short, the desert route by camel was impossible.
So they were now onboard a small, worn-out biplane… piloted by none other than Daniel "I-swear-I-can-fly-this" himself.
He had learned how to fly over the past two years, bought the plane with some of his "mysteriously acquired" wealth, and insisted it was completely safe.
Jonathan wasn't convinced.
At all.
In fact, he looked like a man being marched toward his own execution.
He had shown up at the runway last, panting, sweating, and clutching a half-packed suitcase like someone had chased him out of his own house.
"Sorry—I overslept—! Did the plane leave yet—"
Daniel didn't even let him finish.
He grabbed Jonathan by the collar with one hand, turned him around like a misbehaving toddler, and shoved him straight into the back seat of the biplane.
It was already 3 in the afternoon. No time to waste — they had taken off the moment all four were aboard.
"Alright, passengers," Daniel said, flipping switches like a man who definitely learned from a handbook he barely read. "This is your pilot speaking. Fasten your seat belts… because this ride is going to be very bumpy."
Evelyn and Jonathan immediately buckled up with lightning speed.
Ardeth, sitting in the co-pilot seat, calmly stared ahead and didn't bother touching his belt.
Daniel glanced sideways. "Uh… Ardeth? Might wanna strap in. This isn't a carpet ride. It's a death trap with wings."
Ardeth raised an eyebrow. "I trust your flying."
Daniel blinked. "Well I don't. Put the belt on."
Ardeth finally reached for it.
The engine rumbled violently, coughing like it hadn't flown in months. The entire plane vibrated as the propeller spun up to speed
.
Jonathan clung to his seat. "Why does it sound like it's dying before we even take off?!"
"It's fine!" Daniel shouted over the roar. "Probably!"
The plane jerked forward.
Hard.
Evelyn screamed. Jonathan screamed louder. Ardeth didn't move an inch, though his eyes widened slightly — which, for him, counted as panic.
The biplane bounced across the sand runway like a drunk kangaroo.
One bump.
Second bump.
Third—
Then suddenly it lurched upward, barely clearing the ground by a few meters.
"W–We're flying!" Evelyn yelled.
"We're not dead!" Jonathan added.
Daniel smirked, gripping the controls. "Of course we're not dead. I told you. I know what I'm doing."
The plane immediately dipped to the side like it disagreed.
"DANIEL!!"
"Relax! Just a little turbulence!"
There wasn't a cloud in sight… which made the turbulence impossible… which made it even more terrifying.
But somehow, the plane stabilized… mostly.
Below them, the vast Sahara stretched endlessly, and the sun beat down on miles of golden dunes.
Their insane, time-limited race to Ahm Shere had officially begun.
As the biplane soared shakily over the vast, shimmering desert, Jonathan finally snapped.
"Okay—can I please ask where we're going?" he shouted "Because someone shoved me into this death machine without explaining anything!"
"We're heading to Ahm Shere," Daniel replied casually. "It's an oasis."
Jonathan blinked. "…And why exactly are we going to an oasis in the middle of nowhere?!"
"To stop the Scorpion King and the Army of Anubis before they take over the world'"
Jonathan stared, expression dead. "What? Who the hell is that supposed to be?"
Ardeth glanced back from the co-pilot seat, his tone calm and ominous as always.
"He was a warrior-king from five thousand years ago. A monster who sold his soul to Anubis. There is a prophecy: when the bracelet is worn after five millennia, the Scorpion King and the full Army of Anubis will rise again. And on the seventh sunrise… the world will fall."
Jonathan opened his mouth, closed it, and then opened it again.
"…So you're telling me we're flying toward a warrior king, a demon army, and a prophecy that ends the world?"
"Yes," Evelyn answered softly. "And I'm wearing the thing that wakes him up."
Jonathan sank back into his seat.
"I should've stayed in bed today."
Daniel adjusted the controls, eyes still fixed on the horizon.
"Also, Jonathan… there's another legend. In the center of the oasis, there's a golden pyramid. And at the top of that pyramid sits a diamond the size of your head."
Jonathan's reaction was immediate.
His eyes lit up like someone slapped gold bars in front of him.
"A—A diamond? The size of my head? Why didn't you lead with that?! That's important information, Daniel!"