No footprints.
No shadow.
Just the waves rolling in and out, erasing every trace of their presence.
And something else.
A small stone rested on the sand, placed with deliberate care—as if the ocean itself had been instructed not to touch it. It didn't belong there. Not naturally.
Joshen crouched down and picked it up.
The stone was cold.
Carved into its surface were words, old yet sharp, etched with frightening precision.
**The Secret Land of Pyramids.
The person with the greatest knowledge will be there.**
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The sound of the sea felt distant now.
"Pyramids…" Jake whispered.
The word echoed in his mind, dragging memories he hadn't thought about in years. History books. Documentaries. Endless arguments about aliens, gods, and forgotten civilizations.
His eyes widened slightly.
"Wait," he said slowly. "Does that mean… we have to go to Egypt?"
Joshen tilted his head.
"Egypt?" he repeated. "What is that? And where exactly is it?"
Jake exhaled through his nose, almost amused—almost tired.
"Huh. Figures."
"It's a place in my world. Famous for its pyramids. Massive stone structures built thousands of years ago. Nobody even fully agrees on how they were made."
He paused.
"And yeah, pyramids exist in other places too. Different continents. Different cultures."
Jake looked back at the stone.
"But it says the Secret Land of Pyramids."
His jaw tightened.
"That phrase… it's too specific. If this message is meant for me—then I'm almost certain it's talking about the Pyramids of Giza."
Joshen crossed his arms, unimpressed.
"Okay. So let's say you're right."
He looked around. The endless water. The empty shore.
"How do we get there? Is there some kind of portal? Teleportation circle? Magic gate?"
Jake pulled him back to reality
"I don't think this world works that conveniently."
Joshen frowned.
"…Then?"
"Then we go the normal way," Jake replied.
"By plane."
Silence.
"Plane?" Joshen repeated slowly.
"A flying machine," Jake said. "Carries hundreds of people across the sky."
Joshen stared at him.
"…Your world is insane."
Jake almost smiled—but it didn't last.
"There's a problem though," he continued.
"To travel between countries, you need something called a passport."
He stopped.
The realization hit both of them at the same time.
"And since you're in my body…" Jake said carefully.
Joshen's eyes widened.
"Wait."
He took a step back.
"Does that mean—"
"Yeah," Jake said. "Exactly what you're thinking."
A heavy silence settled between them.
"I'll guide you," Jake added after a moment.
"To my home."
Joshen looked at him.
"The place where I used to live," Jake finished quietly.
The waves continued to crash behind them, uncaring.
Somewhere far away, a land of stone and secrets waited.
Jake didn't take the straight road home.
Instead, he led Joshen through a web of narrow streets, broken stairways, and half-forgotten paths that twisted through the city like veins beneath old skin. Every turn felt intentional—yet unexplained.
"This isn't the fastest way," Joshen noted.
"I know," Jake replied. "But it's the safest."
They passed through districts where buildings leaned too close together, where lights flickered even though no one lived there anymore. Some paths ended abruptly, forcing them to double back and slip through alleys barely wide enough for one person.
Joshen couldn't shake the feeling that they were being tested.
Or avoided.
Finally, Jake stopped in front of a small, aging house tucked between two taller structures, as if the city itself had tried to forget it.
"This is it," Jake said.
Joshen stared.
The house looked… tired.
Its wooden exterior was worn and slightly warped, paint peeling like shedding skin. The windows were intact but dusty, and the front door creaked ominously as Jake pushed it open.
The sound echoed inside.
"Wow," Joshen muttered. "This place sounds like it might collapse if you breathe wrong."
Jake didn't respond.
Inside, the house smelled faintly of old paper, metal, and something sharp—like ozone. The floorboards groaned beneath their steps, protesting every movement.
But what caught Joshen's attention wasn't the state of the house.
It was what filled it.
Tables cluttered with dismantled devices. Wires snaked across surfaces like veins. Glass containers held strange components—lenses, coils, fragments of machines whose purposes weren't immediately clear.
Blueprints were pinned to the walls. Equations scribbled in tight handwriting covered notebooks stacked carelessly on shelves. A small chalkboard leaned against one wall, half-erased formulas still visible.
Joshen slowed.
"…You were a science student?" he asked
Jake said yes.
"Physics. Experimental focus."
Joshen let out a low whistle.
"No wonder your brain works weird."
Jake almost smiled.
They moved deeper into the house, past a cramped kitchen and into a small bedroom. Unlike the rest of the place, this room was surprisingly organized.
Jake gestured toward a wooden desk near the bed.
"Top drawer," he said.
Joshen walked over and pulled it open.
Inside were neatly arranged documents.
A small booklet with a dark cover.
A plastic card.
Another card, slightly worn.
Joshen lifted the booklet first, flipping it open.
"Passport," he said. Then he picked up the card. "Debit card."
He glanced back.
"You really keep everything ready, huh?"
Jake leaned against the doorframe.
"Old habit."
Joshen shoved the drawer closed and turned toward him, holding the items up.
"So," he said, a hint of excitement creeping into his voice, "we can go now?"
Jake hesitated.
"Yeah," he said slowly. "Sure."
Then he added, dryly,
"Assuming we somehow get a visa just as easily."
Joshen stared at him.
"…A visa?"
Jake sighed.
"Permission to enter another country."
Joshen ran a hand through his hair, clearly frustrated.
"I'm so pissed at this world's mechanics," he snapped. "Why do you need a whole bunch of things just to travel? Papers. Cards. Permissions. Rules stacked on rules."
Jake sighs "That's how things are."
Joshen clicked his tongue.
"In my world, you either could go somewhere… or you couldn't. No invisible walls made of documents."
"In my world," he said quietly, "those invisible walls decide everything."
Silence filled the room, broken only by the faint creaking of the house as it settled around them.
Joshen tucked the passport and cards safely into his pocket.
"Alright then," he said. "Egypt. Pyramids. Knowledge."
He met Jake's gaze.
"Let's see what kind of secrets your world has been hiding."
Somewhere far beyond the creaking house, beyond borders and oceans, ancient stone waited—along with truths that were never meant to be uncovered.