On the rock face, specks of eerie green light began seeping out between the glowing patterns, rapidly spreading into a thin layer of moss that seemed to breathe.
"Clairvoyance Moss," Bill said very quietly, his voice full of anticipation. "It reflects the strongest obsession connected to this place."
Instead of projecting the grand scene of a priest casting spells as expected, the eerie green light gathered into a moving image, silent yet oppressive.
In the image, a skeletal man with heavy bronze shackles around his wrists and ankles was pinned before a stone wall by two towering wolf-headed guards.
His face was covered in dust and blood. What burned in his eyes was not a priest's authority, but a prisoner's fury and defiance.
A chisel was thrust into his hand.
"Carve it, Ankh-Ka."
A voice outside the image gave the cold command.
"No one may defy the pharaoh's will. Your name will be erased, and your power will become a cursed legend. Carve the Word of Forgetfulness, and make everyone who tries to pry into your secrets pay the price."
The Ankh-Ka in the image raised his head, his gaze seeming to pierce thousands of years and look straight toward the mouth of the shaft.
His eyes were filled with despair, and a faint plea that was almost extinguished.
Then he raised the chisel and, amid endless humiliation, began carving the first twisted symbol into the stone wall.
The image ended abruptly.
The eerie green moss rapidly receded, and the light on the rock face dimmed.
Dead silence.
Bill turned to look at Douglas. The fervor and excitement had vanished completely from his face, replaced by a grave need for confirmation.
"When I first saw this, I was stunned for a long time too."
His voice was hoarse.
"That powerful,