THE BATTLE FOR LOST SOULS
Chapter One: The Thin Line Between Good and Evil
Middle of the night - the following evening after the last incident from Descent of Lost Souls
Location: Domino Museum; Domino City, Japan
The evening had slowly passed for the three security guards watching the entire museum. While two of the guards manned the video monitors in the control room, the third guard vigilantly strolled through the various wings with a flashlight in his hand.
This night was supposed to be just as uneventful as any other.
Gradually, a mysterious fog seeped inside the control room of the museum. It lingered behind the two unsuspecting guards before enveloping and sending them into unconsciousness. Immediately afterwards, all of the cameras - fully functional seconds ago - surprisingly began to malfunction.
Spreading through the museum halls, the dark fog moved as if hunting for another prey. As the fog reached the heels of the third guard, it consumed him. The museum's silence is shattered by the ominous thudding of the third guard's body as he fell into unconsciousness.
Mere seconds later, the dense haze covered the entire museum floor. It then descended to the basement which held the artifacts lent by the Egyptian National Museum and its curator, Isis Ishtar. Through this thick fog, a multi-colored light shone in front of the Stone of Destiny - the key piece in unlocking the other Yugi's lost memory.
The eerie green pentagram-shaped light then created a portal from which stepped on a cloaked figure. The new arrival stared at the stone relief for a long moment. The mysterious figure, malevolently smirking, calmly placed palms together and slowly chanted an ancient spell. The figure caused the stone relief to shine brightly before slowly fading away.
With closed eyes and heavy heart, the figure whispered into the silence, "It is done..."
The mystical intruder quickly summoned the magical portal and walked through it to an unknown destination. Once the portal closed, the fog disappeared and left the museum once again in eerie silence as the three guards remained in their forced slumber.
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Middle of the night during the Domino Museum incident
Location: Domino City, Japan
"Unbelievable..." was all that Mutou Yugi could muster to say after he opened the package and skimmed every document that he received from Emrys.
The young Mutou and the Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle immediately went through the package that Pegasus sent them and spent hours examining its contents. After a short break to have supper with Sugoroku, they went back to his room. Deep into the night, they read Emrys' journals, notes, and the first three parts of the Scrolls of Passage - each page being enclosed in an air-tight resin plate.
The two were shocked with everything that they saw.
First, neither one of them could understand why they could read the hieroglyphics within the Scrolls, The Portal of Osiris, and The Dead Incantations. Second, they were amazed at the accuracy of Emrys' translations. However, what truly surprised them were two matters: the revelation disclosed within the Scrolls and the resurrection incantation noted in both her journals and within her notes.
The other Yugi could not remember how many times that they read and re-read everything as they sat on Yugi's bed. His mind raced as many thoughts flooded his head once more: his lost memory, Yugi, his new memories and friends, Emrys and their love for each other, and the uncertain future that awaited all of them.
As the Spirit absorbed everything that he had seen, a new dimension added to his ever-growing concerns.
The Spirit had been worried about Emrys since she left Domino City. He knew that too much darkness and danger followed her wherever she went. Still shuddering from the visions of her past that the Millennium Items showed him in New York, he hoped that she would never fall back into that dark despair that she bore for many years. He was relieved when he talked with her over the telephone and knew that she returned to England in one piece.
Still, a part of the Spirit continued to feel disconcerted with the entire situation. Something was wrong...something happened.
Although Emrys was the same affectionate person over the telephone and her letters, the other Yugi felt as if she were holding something back from him. There would be times where she would either cut their conversation short or fall silent.
The otherYugi just wondered if Emrys' feelings for him did not change since they parted ways….
This time, the Spirit leaned against Yugi's desk. He was happy and sad at the same time when he saw the group picture that was normally there as well as Emrys' photograph - a memento that Yugi added for him in his study area since she left Domino City.
While Yugi placed the package's contents inside the secured drawer of his desk, he muttered, "Married... Fate gave the two of you another chance to resume what you guys had before..."
With the other Yugi's customary frown, he looked down and focused his gaze at the hardwood floor.
Yugi then shot a sideward glance and asked the Spirit, "Did I say something wrong?"
Staring into his vessel's innocent amethyst eyes, Yugi's other self replied with a heavy sigh, "No, you didn't. There are things in life that aren't meant to be. I just wonder if she and I belong in that category."
Gathering as much reassurance and persuasion as he possibly could, Yugi remarked, "She's done with what she had to do. She's coming back here to be with you and our friends. She could spend time with other people, yet she chose to be with us. You should be happy about this."
When the other Yugi heard his spirit vessel mention the word "people," he fell silent for many minutes while the younger Mutou waited for his reply.
As he looked deeper into Yugi's eyes, the Spirit told him, "I'm still a disembodied spirit trapped inside the Millennium Puzzle. If it weren't for you, Emrys and I won't be able to spend time together."
The Spirit added as Yugi gave him an unwavering but empathetic stare. "And then there's Kaiba..."
Yugi walked towards his bed, sat down, leaned against the headboard, and maintained his transfixed gaze at the Spirit. "She's coming back to Domino City to be with you - not Kaiba."
"I don't know what's in store for me, once I do get my memory back. What if we're meant love each other, but also destined to stay apart just as it was in our past?"
Trying to look beyond what his other self just told him, Yugi gave the Spirit a probing gaze. "We've gone through this before you two have decided to exclusively date. What's really bothering you?"
Another long and tension-filled pause came between them before the Spirit could mutter, "I want her to be happy, but am I holding her back by insisting for our relationship to go on? Kaiba cares about her, no matter how hard or how well he hides it from everyone. He has something that I don't. He physically exists in this world just as she does. Maybe they should be together, instead of us."
In the most comforting tone that he could muster from within, Yugi reiterated, "You're the one that she loves. She told you and showed you how she felt for you. The truth about you didn't matter to her. She had gone through great lengths to help us. Plus, that ritual that she found -"
The Spirit could not help but slowly look sideways and tightly close his eyes before Yugi could ever finish his statement. As the Spirit did the instinctive gesture, he heard Yugi stop in the middle of his sentence. Tension filled the air from the probing gaze that was now focused on him. Eventually, those other pair of amethyst orbs widened.
Minutes later, Yugi continued in a tone that signified understanding of a new insight by inquiring, "Are you afraid that the ritual might not work?"
Still avoiding eye contact, Yugi's other self responded, "It's much more than just the ritual..."
"Why do you sound as if the very thing that she uncovered is bad?"
The Spirit's energy-sapping and short reply was, "Everything is so uncertain. Didn't you read what the conjurer's required to do just so the gods would listen to the petition? The conjurer must be in the middle of life and death to do the spell."
"Why do you doubt her now? Don't you want to be with her?"
"I don't doubt her," the Spirit shot back, and then fell silent as he noticed Yugi's unwavering gaze. "I always wanted to be with her, but..."
A tightlipped Yugi leaned forward, rested his elbows on his thigh, and placed his chin in his cupped hands. While keeping his probing stare, he then asked, "If you were given the choice to physically exist in this world through this ritual, and all of your friends are willing to do whatever it takes for it to happen, won't you do it?"
The Spirit's heart was heavy when he admitted, "For every benefit, a price needs to be paid. I just wonder what consequences or repercussions would arise, once I say 'yes' to the ritual. Am I defying the gods' overall will by accepting a second chance in life? The very question that you had in mind is what's bothering me right now. The problem is that I truly don't know my answer to what you've just asked me."
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Location: Egypt National Museum; Cairo, Egypt
Isis Ishtar endured sleepless nights not only due to the flood of museum inventory that came for the museum, but also due to an unexplained nervousness. Even Malik and Rishid, as quiet as they were, also felt the same way.
As the three siblings were busy assessing the newly arrived shipments, the telephone inside Isis' office rang.
Isis would normally have the answering machine pick up her messages during cataloging. However, as she heard the exasperated voice of the Domino Museum curator over the machine, she quickly grabbed the phone and said, "Slow down, Mister Kataniwa... I couldn't understand what you're telling me…."
Seeing Isis' charcoal gray eyes widen in disbelief, Malik and Rishid stopped what they were doing and stared at their sister. They saw how Isis' expression ranged from utter disbelief to frozen horror.
Although the curator hung up the telephone many seconds later, Isis held the receiver until the phone incessantly beeped against her ear. After placing the receiver down, she marched towards the painting behind her desk, took off the painting from the wall and produced the safe, fumbled through the knobs, and opened it.
Isis gasped in horror for the safe that held The Portal of Osiris and The Dead Incantations was empty.
Since Isis had bowed down her head and was too stunned to speak, she was only aware that her brothers were behind her once Rishid and Malik placed a supportive hand over her shoulders. Many minutes had passed before she was able to sigh off her heavy frustration.
As Isis shook her head to get rid of the shock within her, she told her brothers, "The Stone of Destiny has disappeared. There is no clue as to who could be responsible for stealing it."
Rishid muttered, "The Pharaoh would not be able to recover his memory until the Stone is found."
A deeply disappointed and distraught Isis then told her siblings, "I hoped that Fate would change her course, but it did not. The chain of events triggers the beginning of the prophecy."
"Sister," said Malik after letting out his own heavy sigh, "It's now in their hands to realize the outcome. It's their destiny. They must undergo the many trials that come with it."
Despairing charcoal gray eyes pleaded as Isis asked, "What about them, and what they have for each other?"
Rishid's expression became grim. "We would help the Pharaoh when the proper time comes. As to their predicament, only time could tell what would happen next..."
End of Chapter One
Normal Disclaimer
Yu-Gi-Oh is the copyrighted property of Kazuki Takahashi. Alexandra Emrys, Hyperion, Mister Kataniwa - Domino Museum curator, The Scrolls of Passage, The Portal of Osiris, and The Dead Incantations are the author's property. This fan fiction has been created solely for entertainment purposes, thereby releasing the author from any liability.
Many thanks go to my dear friend and beta-reader Wes / Namonaki Pharaoh for her tireless and enthusiastic efforts in beta-reading for this story arc. Luv ya, girl, and I'm waiting for that cross-over story of ours...