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Right below our feet, underneath the city of Menat-Ha'mait.

You could say this city was founded by, and is prosperous because of the infinite treasures left behind by Father.

When he left us, I had his cenotaph built in the deepest reach of his trove, so that it may also serve as his tomb.

For centuries they kept digging underground, and every artifact or treasure they found in the mausoleum became fuel for the city.

This is my fault, but it is not too late. There is still a chance to stop it, as they have yet to dig into its depths... for the treasure that mustn't be touched by the wrong hands.

What is that exactly?

Patience, Pepe. I was just about to show it to you.

A beam of sunlight pierces through the window, illuminating the floor beside Zubayr's feet.

He raises his staff high, and suddenly a strong wind stirs from nowhere. The sistrum chimes as it jingles.

Pepe hears Zubayr hum a tune that feels familiar, though its cryptic lyrics elude her understanding.

She then feels the ground beneath her feet soften, her ankles sinking into a flowing sea of sand.

As Zubayr finishes his tune, he plunges the staff into the ground.

In an instant, sand and dust swirl wildly, enveloping them both until they vanish.

Water! Bring some water!

Hurry! Your curator spoke too much and is having a heatstroke!

Bad news, Medjehtiqedti Hanim—I'm afraid the museum hasn't had running water for a while now.

Or to be more precise, sand is pouring out of the taps. Can't even stop it.

...Do you work here? I don't recognize you...

No, wait, sand... pouring from the taps?

Yep. By the way, we met your staff at the entrance and he asked me to pass on this leave request and a bunch of books.

It was unclear where he was headed.

The river water is too muddy to be used, and all the nearby water channels are full of nothing but sand.

And all of these happened while we made our way here. As quickly as a rising tide...

Talk about a Flood Festival, only it's sand.

...Hey, Hanim? Why'd you turn so quiet? Bad time to make witty comments I see.

Anat! Anat! Wake up, hurry!

W-We're... WE'RE GOING TO DIE!

You've only just realized that? After everything that's happened today?

Medjehtiqedti Hanim, could you explain what's going on?

To put it simply, if every gem in the city can be removed from its place, then the ones used for water purification are no exception.

If too many of them are removed, the water purification system will stop working, changing the internal pressure and causing sand to intrude.

...If this happens, the constructs will have an endless supply of sand to build their pillars and walls, ruining the city.

Also, Titi... I'm worried about something worse...

Such a sudden pressure change will almost certainly damage the city's ancient underground river canal system.

I didn't want to mention it, for fear of it coming true! Now I'm really scared of this city!

Go on, what happens when the underground canals are damaged?

A large volume of water will seep out and loosen the sand, forming quicksand.

The whole city will sink underground, and the modern materials the constructs can't use will be buried deep down in the earth.

And this is just speculation... but the constructs have been building their pillars and walls for a specific reason.

They're trying to recreate the way the place looked in their memories.

We, along with centuries of urban landscape, will be buried beneath the sands.

Ugh...

...Do you need me to elaborate further?

Nah, I got you.

If this city sinks under the sand, everyone dies, including my crew. We're royally screwed.

So, there's only one path I can take to keep them safe, yes?

Welcome, Pepe.

Is this the Shah's treasure trove? It looks so much like the museum...

Your instincts are correct. Parts of the city felt familiar, even before my memories returned.

I believe its architects may have been inspired by the mausoleum.

What lies here, Zubayr?

The oil lamps on the wall light up, illuminating the hall with rays that meander through the mirror-smooth walls and pillars.

Countless ghostly shadows appear in an orderly procession in the hall.

So the treasure in the Shah's trove was... himself?

Was he a narcissist?

Of course not. My sister missed Father after he was gone, and she had me preserve his visage here.

A thousand years ago, historians preserved the words and deeds of my father using ancient technology they discovered, allowing him to appear, in a way.

I found something similar in Arsalan. It showed me an image of the Shah in a crystal cave.

I left it as such. I thought a descendant of Nightzmora would find it and follow the trail.

You hid it too well, Zubayr. No one else could have found it.

I hid it? I built a massive temple on top of it.

I guess it didn't stand the test of time. All I found were some ruins.

But it guided you here, where you awakened me.

That is the wonder of time. What seemed trivial at the time could, by fate and coincidence, cause the puzzle piece to fall perfectly into place.

There are even images of the Shah without his mask...

Arsalan wasn't the only site I've seen images like these. When I was little, while playing hide-and-seek, my brother and I stumbled upon a chamber where the dead lay in their sarcophagi.

I knew I would have to come into contact with these things eventually, but it was too much for a child of my age.

In my panic, I accidentally activated a mechanism and an image of the Shah appeared. At the time, I didn't know who he was—just some ghost trying to communicate with me.

He told me those sarcophagi were history buried in the sand.

When those from the future dig them up, they will serve as a bridge across the vastness of time, bringing history and the present together over the great river of time.

I remember the saying... it's what Father said to comfort my sister when our mother passed away.

I remember what he said to my sister, after she became Historian. You must not...

You must not let escape what made those heroes heroes so—each history has its reverse face.

So you've heard it.

It was the last thing the image said. I've never forgotten.

Looking upon the image of Lugalszargus, Pepe cannot help but feel a sense of absurdity.

She had spent so much time wondering what the Shah's treasure trove held.

Now, though, she realizes she has been chasing shadow after shadow.

She holds her hammer tight, fighting back the urge to swing it and drive away the visages.

But what she fears more is the notion that perhaps her family's duty and legacy are nothing more than shadows too.

Medjehtiqedti Hanim, I've contacted all your staff in the directory.

Anyone else crazy enough to come?

I'm not sure. A lot of the answers are very vague...

Thank you. Get a few more bottles of water for Anat, please.

At once, Medjehtiqedti Hanim.

Brave souls like Izaja and Inaja are hard to come by.

We only have a couple of hours, Anat.

The best thing we could ask of them is to make a run for it outside the city.

Sorry, Titi, but I'm busy comparing the city survey records and I don't have time to think about that.

But you know why I stayed. The same reason as you.

...Duty.

What about the two tourists, though? They have nothing to do with Zubayr's reanimation.

They don't even have much to do with the city. But now we're asking them to go into the sewers, do the most dangerous investigation, and try to block the sand from surging in.

Which is why I must do my best, so that their courage isn't wasted.

...I'll rub your ears.

Thank you, Titi. I needed that.

Look, this construction logbook mentions unusual geological structures.

I'll mark them down.

Say, Titi... I never managed to publish my research on Zubayr, and no one will ever know about our explorations of the subterranean structure of the city...

Will Father be disappointed that I died without leaving my 'name' behind?