[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/bqkmxCl.jpg[/img][/center]

[h1][u][b][center]The Dark Beyond: Adventures in Candyland (Prequel)[/center][/b][/u][/h1]

[hr]

[center][youtube]https://youtu.be/c5ehgdDIxqQ?si=-yIF8OmQdkLI0cX9[/youtube][/center]

[hr]

[i]"...How the most dangerous thing is to love..."[/i] Played over the radio as the tour bus traveled worn, uneven roads.

The hours struck midnight in Egypt. The sandy desert air cooled down from the intense heat of the day just hours before. There was an atmosphere of anticipation and hope. Hidden below the surface, though, played other notes. Guilt, anger, neglect. Quietly playing as the undertones as the bus made its way forward.

They had the entire bus to themselves. This was the way of the Louvre, of course. Always treating their agents finely while in the field, knowing the risks their people took every day to uncover the secrets of old. Thierry Claude de Villiers and his family, Sabrina, Aurélie, Theo, and Cosette, were the only inhabitants of the bus besides the bus driver. A Louvre staff, of course. Local to the area.

He hummed along with the radio, trying to keep the sleep out of his eyes. They had been traveling for some time, and he still had more driving to do after he dropped the de Villiers off at their destination. He glanced over at his passengers, feeling a loaded atmosphere. This family felt... different. Special, even.

Cosette sat in the middle of the bus in one of the window seats, parading her Hello Kitty flashlight across the window pane, pretending it was a doll. She had napped most of the way there, including the airplane, and felt quite refreshed. Her patience was starting to wear thin, and playing with her flashlight eventually just wouldn't cut it.

She got up, carefully navigating the bus aisle, before she found her mother's seat, Sabrina, and patted her knee. Her eyes were wide, her lip in a slight pout. [b]"Momma, when will we get there?"[/b]

Almost on cue, the bus took a turn into a wide desert expanse, revealing a looming shadow silhouetted against the backdrop of a starry clear night. The Great Pyramid of Giza was waiting for them, patient and forthright on the horizon, its impressive shape making it stand as tall as a mountain in Cosette's eyes.

Soon enough, the bus stopped near the pyramid, a small, worn field of sand between them and the piles of stones. The bus driver turned to Thierry. [b]"We're here, boss. Grab your things, there's another staff member waiting for you at the entrance."[/b]

It would take a short walk across the dark desert sand to the staircase etched into the side of the pyramid, mainly for tourists. It made getting to the entrance 20 feet up easier. At the entrance, an Egyptian man holding a flashlight stood, staring at the bus as it approached, waiting patiently for the scheduled archeologists.