ERC721TL

Circle Pharaoh

Eons ago, in the heart of the ancient land of Kemet, there ruled a Pharaoh whose name was whispered with both reverence and fear: Pharaoh Nephren-Ka. His reign, marked by prosperity and the deepest of mysteries, was overshadowed by the enigmatic object he alone possessed—a black orb, known as the "Heart of Set." Legend has it that the orb was not of this world but was a gift from the gods, or perhaps a curse, depending on whom you asked. Crafted from the darkest meteorite to ever strike the earth, it was said to contain the essence of chaos itself, the very breath of Set, the god of disorder and power. Pharaoh Nephren-Ka, wise beyond his years, was known to commune with this orb in the deepest chambers of his palace, a place where light dared not tread, where the air was thick with the scent of myrrh and incense. It was here, under the gaze of Anubis, that he sought visions and whispered secrets from beyond the veil of the known world. The orb was no mere ornament; it was a conduit of unimaginable power. With it, Nephren-Ka could see through the fabric of time, foresee the rise and fall of empires, and command the elements with a mere thought. But such power did not come without a price. The more he used the Heart of Set, the more it whispered to him, shaping his will to its own dark designs. The people of Kemet thrived under his rule, yet whispers of his nocturnal consultations with the orb began to sow seeds of unease. Some said that Nephren-Ka's eyes had begun to reflect the night sky, his voice echoing with the cold, distant winds of the cosmos. As years turned into decades, the Pharaoh's visions grew darker. He foresaw a cataclysm, a great shifting of the sands that would either herald a new age or bring about the end of all things. In preparation, he commissioned the building of vast structures, not just for his burial, but as beacons or perhaps traps for the powers he had unleashed. The night before the prophesied cataclysm, Nephren-Ka entered the chamber of the orb for the last time. What transpired within those sacred, shadowed walls, no living soul knows. But when dawn broke, the Pharaoh was found, not dead, but in a state of eternal stasis, his hands still clutching the black orb. The cataclysm never came, or perhaps it was averted by his sacrifice. The Heart of Set, now silent, was buried with him, sealed away in a tomb designed to confound any who might seek it. And so, the legend of Pharaoh Nephren-Ka and his black magic orb became a tale told around fires, a lesson on the cost of power, and a reminder of the thin veil between order and chaos.