Mummy Evolution-Chapter 39: Another POV 1

Zainah’s POV.

My stomach churned—not from hunger, but from the gnawing unease that had settled in since we walked into this restaurant. Lord Burrhen’s presence loomed across the table, his broad frame and sharp eyes making me feel like a cornered rat.

Sett was eating, calm as ever, slicing into the camel meat like we weren’t sitting across from a man who could crush us with a flick of his wrist.

How could he be so relaxed?

My chest tightened as I stole glances at him—his pale skin, his steady hands, that faint smirk tugging at his lips.

He was playing a part, I knew it, but I couldn’t tell what it was. All I knew was that Zarah and I were caught in it, whether we liked it or not.

Not that I could leave Sett behind so easily at this point.

"So, my friend," Burrhen said, his tone casual, "I still do not know your full names."

I looked towards Sett.

It was a simple question, but it filled me with a sense of foreboding.

Full name? Commoners didn’t have full names like nobles.

Only nobility had surnames!

Did the fact that I had an Axiom somehow come out?

Was that why Burrhen thought we were nobles?

Were our good days finally ending, just as I expected?

"Oh, my bad," Sett said, setting down his fork with a faint clink. He licked his lips—gods, why did he have to be so theatrical?—and leaned back. "My name is Sett, her name is Zainah. The other girl is her sister, Zarah."

I exhaled softly, relieved he hadn’t given more. But Burrhen wasn’t satisfied.

"And?" he pressed, his fat fingers tapping the table like a countdown.

He isn’t believing that we are NOT noble?

Sett smiled, that fox-like grin I had come to both find appealing and dreadful. "Sorry, Lord Burrhen. But I’d like to keep my house name private for now."

My heart thudded.

He was dodging, weaving through Burrhen’s questions like it was a dance.

And house name? Was he really planning to act like nobles?

If Burrhen wasn’t a fool, he would notice we weren’t nobles.

Look, Zarah seemed so clumsy with that fork.

But why would Sett act like that?

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Did Lord Burrhen really notice that I have an Axiom?

That would make convincing him that I am a noble easier, I realized.

Even as I was thinking, the conversation continued.

And soon, it shifted, Burrhen’s tone growing sharper, more insistent.

He wanted a guarantee—a way to ensure that Sett wouldn’t ruin whatever twisted plan he was part of. I barely followed the details—something about the Pharaoh, ghosts, a mission—but every word made my skin crawl.

After a while, I had pieced it all together, somewhat.

There was a plan afoot, and it was a plan against the commoners.

Commoners like Zarah and me.

The plan was enacted by the people up in the very sky, people like the Pharaoh and other Royalty. And it was a plan that could not be allowed to leak into commoner ears. Because if they were to learn of it, mass rebellions might happen.

Sett had come to learn of it, and this meeting was a warning for him.

A warning to keep him shut.

I had a bad feeling about that.

Sett was not the type of person to easily bow in submission.

Lord Burrhen’s eyes kept drifting to me, lingering too long for comfort.

I shifted in my seat, pulling my shoulders in, trying to make myself smaller. I didn’t like the way he looked at me—like I was something to be appraised, something he could use.

"Give me the little girl beside you as a hostage. I will return her, unharmed, in a month."

The world tilted. I stopped breathing, my vision narrowing to Zarah’s wide, terrified eyes.

No—No way…

I could feel strength draining from my body.

I opened my mouth to speak, to beg, but Sett’s sneer cut through the haze.

"Go kill yourself," he said, voice cold.

Sett…

Relief flooded me, sharp and dizzying, but it didn’t last.

Burrhen’s face darkened, and I knew we were in danger again.

But Sett—he just kept talking, calm and cold, like he wasn’t facing a man who could snap us in half.

"What if I tell you that my surname is Ramses?" he said.

I blinked.

Ramses? What was that supposed to mean?

Burrhen frowned, clearly puzzled, and I felt a flicker of hope.

Was it a bluff? A name Sett had pulled from thin air to throw him off?

Sett’s eyes met mine for a split second, and I saw something there—annoyance at me?

Why?

I couldn’t tell.

"Let me discuss the hostage with the girls," he said, standing up after seeing the family name fail him.

I clenched my fists. Was he going to let Zarah go?

Sett…

My heart, which had started trusting him subconsciously, became utterly cold.

When things were easy, he was all flowery words and beautiful lies. When things became hard, was he going to show his true face?

My legs moved before my mind caught up, following him as he pulled me and Zarah away from the table. I expected disappointment, I knew I did. But after a long time in my life, I wished he wouldn’t disappoint.

I wished.

We stepped into a corner, out of Burrhen’s earshot, and Sett leaned in close. For the first time after he regained his charm, I felt a bit afraid when he came this close to me. I didn’t know what he would do, I just knew I feared whatever would happen from now on.

"I’m going to kill him," he whispered. "When I signal you, I want you to use your Song of Playfulness to distract him. Or if you can, try using the other abilities in your Axiom, too."

His voice was low, urgent, and it sent ice down my spine.

It woke me up.

Kill him? Lord Burrhen?

The man with wings and power beyond anything I could imagine?

My face paled immediately, and Zarah followed. Zarah whimpered beside me, clutching my arm, and I wanted to scream at Sett—Are you insane? We’ll die!—but the words wouldn’t come.

All I could do was nod, numb and trembling, as we walked back to the table.

Use other abilities? What did he mean by that?