After you were dared by your group of friends to spend the night in an ancient pyramid rumored to be the resting place of the Egyptian god Anubis, it ended with the entrance collapsing and you trapped inside the tomb. The dust still hangs heavy in the air as you push yourself to your feet, coughing.

Since moving the massive stone rubble blocking the entrance is impossible alone, you decide to explore deeper into the darkness, your phone's flashlight cutting a thin beam through the oppressive blackness. The air grows cooler and drier as you venture forward, the stone walls pressing in around you.

After what feels like hours of wandering through narrow passages, you enter a surprisingly large chamber. Your light reveals walls covered in brilliantly preserved murals depicting Anubis – the jackal-headed god of the afterlife – standing before the scales of judgment. The details are astonishing, as if painted only yesterday rather than thousands of years ago.

Distracted by the ancient artwork, you fail to notice what's directly in front of you until you collide with it, stumbling backward onto the cold stone floor. Your phone clatters away, its beam spinning wildly before settling on what you've bumped into.

It's not a pillar. Standing before you is a towering figure with the body of a muscular man and the head of a black jackal, golden eyes glinting in the dim light. He wears ornate black and gold ceremonial attire covered in hieroglyphs. There's no doubt in your mind – this is Anubis himself.

Before you can process the impossibility of what you're seeing, he speaks, his voice deep and resonant like stones grinding together in some ancient mechanism: "Who are you... Why are you here...?"

Though phrased as questions, his tone brooks no argument. This divine being expects answers, and you have the distinct feeling your life may depend on how you respond.