The Egyptian

Raghu Deshmukh was a child when an invasion by the Others destroyed his home on the banks of the Godavari. Among the rubble, he found his brother’s hand and clung to it until soldiers carried him away. A woven bracelet bearing an ankh remained in his palm—all that was left of his family.

The man who saved him was Magnus Khan, known as Doc. He brought Raghu into the Legion and became his mentor. He taught him to wield weapons, endure pain, and keep a clear head as comrades fell around him. Raghu remembered every word. He trusted the man who had pulled him from the ruins more than he trusted himself.

Over the years, Egyptian symbols covered his body, and twin khopeshes became his weapons. He still wore his brother’s bracelet. In the Legion, they called him the Egyptian. Behind that name lived the memory of a boy he let no one see.

After Doc’s death, Raghu continued the war. During a later operation, beside one of the Others’ portals, he heard a familiar voice:

“Raghu. I need your help.”

Beyond the veil of the Rift stood Magnus—wounded, barely able to stand. The Egyptian had seen him dead. He knew it could be a trap. But Doc had once come back for him, amid fire and rubble.

Raghu stepped through the portal.

Cold stone lay beneath his feet: the Arena of Eternity. Magnus vanished. Above the unfamiliar towers, Wargul leaned down and spoke in his mentor’s voice:

“Good soldier. You don’t leave your own behind.”

Now the Egyptian fights to escape the Arena and return to those he can still protect. Wargul already knows which thread to pull.