Domino, Japan - 1997 (1)
He rose from the bed silently, eyes half-lidded with sleep. In quiet steps he walked from his room to the bathroom next door, closing the door lightly, so as to not wake up someone else. He couldn't sleep, or rather didn't want to, no matter how tired he was. His dreams were despairing fragments, memories of something so long forgotten, that he tried to grasp them, but they swiftly escaped, flowing trough his fingers like oil before he could even focus.
But he remembered the eyes. Burned into his mind, awake or not, were the blue glowing eyes of a powerful beast waiting to attack, hidden behind a delicate skin of polite kindness. Then there were the ruby eyes... twin rubies that glowed like fire, hate and deceit hidden by a thin veil of a false smile and a seductive body.
But he could not fit a face, a gender, hair or a body to those eyes.
They stared at him, soullessly, burning.
Shadowed Dreams
Prologue - Tattered Remains
Kemet (Egypt) - approximately 3000 years b.C. (2)
The house was small and ordinarily Egyptian, with only one room and a smooth rooftop. The first room had two makeshift beds, folded clothes and fabrics sitting atop a chair in a corner, a wooden basin filled with crystalline water placed beside it. A small table stood on the center, with three plates piled up. It also had a few wooden toys and ragged fabric dolls stacked up in a corner, a couple of hunting knives placed neatly atop a shelf too high for children to reach, a large bowl filled with fruits, another, almost empty, with flour, and a third with meat embedded in salt. There was a small space outlined with grey rocks, and the ground inside the circle was blackened by fire. The rooftop had one side with a wooden cover and the other had clothes hanging from a string attached to two poles, each on separate sides of the rooftop. Under the wooden structure were a few stones and other basins, either filled with water or dry clothes.
The curtain of white fabric covering the door shifted aside, letting a young woman pass. She held a bundle of clothes under one arm and a small wool bag filled with flour and a bottle of oil in the other hand.
This woman was o older than 20, but older than 17. Her skin was deathly pale, her face was thin and smooth, her teal-colored eyes were lined with dark kohl, and her slender body covered in a simple tunic that reached her knees. Her body was well developed, with average breasts, thin waist and long, fragile legs. Her small feet encased in fabric cream-colored shoes, she walked with soft, graceful steps towards the bed. Her waist-long hair was midnight blue, flowing freely.
She let the bundle of silk blue clothes rest on the bigger bed, pulled the bottle of oil and place it aside the bowl with fruits, and dumped the flour in the almost empty bowl. Rising, she inspected the room for a moment, noting the toys in the corner and the precariously made smaller bed. With a sigh and a small smile, she moved over to it, getting rid of wrinkles and straightening the covers, then moved to the toys and arranged them neatly, dividing the wooden toys and the fabric dolls.
She then walked outside, searching for something.
The small house was placed in the desert, the nearest oasis being much less than a day's walk north, and by this oasis was the palace of a noble that she served.
She walked around the house, smiling when she found what she had been looking for.
"Aytsuku, Kisara..." she called softly, "Let's go inside before Ra is gone and Thoth rises on Mother Nut's body..." (3)
The two children that had been playing in the sand quickly rose and started gathering their things, while the woman turned and climbed the outside stairs leading to the roof. She gathered the clothes hanging, and folded them neatly inside an empty bowl, bringing it with her when going down. The night would be cold and useless to dry any other clothes.
Inside once again, she grabbed a few pieces of wood and placed them inside the circle of rocks, lighting them up in a way the children never understood, taking the three plates on the table and arranging them side-by-side. Taking flour and oil, she quickly made dough, and left it to bake near the small fire. She took three apples and grapes from the fruit bowl, placing one apple on each plate and leaving the grapes on the one she'd use.
Wiping her hands on her tunic, she pulled two small chairs and a stool, placing them around the small table.
She looked around again, frowning. Where were those children? It was late and she did not want her brother and her sister to be taken for whatever reason.
At that moment, the small girl came running in.
"Sister An-nika! Sister An-nika! Aytsuku found something icky!" The girl had, as any small children, a chubby face and a small body, with rosy skin. She looked no older than 8, shoulder-length hair and sapphire eyes. Her small tunic was tied at the waist with a thin rope. The little girl had a disgusted frown on her face.
"Did he?" An-nika asked, raising an eyebrow curiously, "What did he find?"
"Sister An-nika! Sister An-nika!" the boy came running in, his face with a proud smile, "Look at what I found!" The boy was the same age as the girl, even though he was just a bit taller. His skin was deeply tanned, his hair touched his shoulders as well, and he wore a simple linen skirt, tied at his waist. His eyes were a bright ruby, and those who looked at them were reminded of Ra's descent to the Underworld, when he would start the battle against Apep. (4)
"Let me see," An-nika murmured, kneeling on the ground.
The small boy came to her, hands closed over each other, encasing whatever it was he had found.
"Do you know what it is?" Aytsuku asked curiously, peering at her and back to his hands as he opened them just enough for her to see.
An-nika paled. She wondered briefly where he had been to find it.
"It's a scarab, Aytsuku," she told him in a shaky voice, "Now give it back to the sands where you found it, or the Gods might get angry."
"But..!" he tried to protest. After all, the beetle was cute, he wanted to keep it.
"The scarabs are sacred, Aytsuku," An-nika told him sternly while rising, "They guide souls to the Gods, and the Holy Priests use them to prepare the Divine Family to the afterlife. Now, give it back before the Divine's guards come looking for us," she urged. (5) (6)
"Okay," Aytsuku murmured, subdued. He turned and walked outside to free the small beetle.
Kisara tugged at An-nika's tunic. Her wide sapphire eyes set in a frown.
"Sister An-nika," she called quietly, "Why would the Gods be angry with us? Did we do something wrong?"
"No, Kisara," she sighed, "The Divines would think we had stolen the scarab from them, and would have no mercy against us, especially you for being Set's favorite."
"Oh..." the little child was confused, "Sister An-nika... why would I be blessed by Set?"
"I do not know, Kisara..." An-nika wondered why, herself, "but I am sure the Gods have plans for us..." she whispered, looking out the small window.
When Aytsuku came back, Kisara told him what An-nika had explained.
"Is this why we were exiled, Sister An-nika?" Aytsuku asked quietly, a quiet understanding dawning in his ruby eyes.
"Only Kisara was truly exiled, Aytsuku. I was exiled for protecting her, and I could not leave you there to be treated like an animal. To them, you are a treasure to be displayed, a child blessed by Ra himself. I am a child of Nut, for Thoth's glow displays on my skin and the color of Nut's body shows in my hair. Kisara is blessed by Set, the Evil One." she explained tiredly. (7)
To remember such a tale brought a terrible weight on her shoulders.
Aytsuku and Kisara quieted as An-nika took the baked bread and divided it in three neat pieces, giving one to each. The silence stretched over dinner. The three ate quickly, saying their prayers, thanking the food and wishing power to Ra in his journey in the underworld before going to sleep. An-nika took the bigger bed and the twins shared the smaller one.
Nut blessed them with silence that night.
The loud laughter from the small house brought forth a tired smile from An-nika as she walked back from three days of work at the noble's house. She stepped inside and found the two children playing tag, Aytsuku fleeing from his sister. They were both giggling happily, carefully stepping around the furniture so as to not break anything.
"Did you two stay well in these three days I worked?" she asked them. They turned to her, and their faces brightened with joy at seeing her back and well.
"Sister An-nika! We're so glad you're back! Did something happen? Is everything alright? What took so long?"
"Yes, everything is fine. Lord Kasueer has a few friends visiting him, so I will have to be gone quickly again," she peered at the bowls that held food, "I'll buy some more fruits and another piece of meat."
"Sister An-nika, can you bring fish, too?" Aytsuku asked shyly, fingers clutching at his linen skirt.
"I will try. You two do remember how to make bread, do you not?" she asked with a smile.
"Yes, we do," they chorused, returning with wide, open-mouthed grins.
"Good," she nodded approvingly.
"Sister An-nika," Aytsuku called quietly, suddenly subdued and nervous as one hand rose to his hair and he tugged on a few strands, "Remember the scarab I found some time ago?"
"Yes," An-nika frowned, kneeling on the ground to be eye-level with the twins, "I remember. What is it?"
"I found him inside our home," he told her, looking at the ground, "I put him near one of the Holy Temples and fled..."
"You did well, Aytsuku. But none of you brought it inside?"
They shook their heads, fidgeting. An-nika did not notice the book they held behind their backs.
"If it appears again, leave it at the temple and warn me," she rose. It was not natural for a scarab to do something like this... so why...
"Sister An-nika, don't you have to go back to the palace?"
"Oh yes," she sighed, forgetting her thoughts and brushing sand from her tunic, "I do. Be careful you two. Do not draw attention to yourselves."
"Yes, Sister."
She nodded before turning around and going back the way she had come, making plans to bring back a wooden chest with an iron lock.
A couple of months later.
"Sister An-nika, Sister An-nika!" Aytsuku's panicked voice woke her from her light slumber. She had lain down on her bed to rest for some time after almost a week of uninterrupted work for the noble.
"What is it, Aytsuku..?" her voice was thick with sleep, her tired eyes barely opening to see the fogged image of the room, the blur that was Aytsuku running to stand beside her bed. She slowly rose and as her eyes adjusted to wakefulness trying not to be annoyed with the little boy, when she noticed he was sweating lightly, his hands closed over each other.
Dreading what he would say, she waited.
"Sister An-nika, I found him between the clothes you folded on the roof," Aytsuku explained quietly, opening his hands slightly so she could see the scarab, "I don't know how he got there, but..." he sniffled, "I didn't bring him," he whispered in a small voice, afraid of her anger.
An-nika paled— if that was even possible with her naturally pale skin. A hollow feeling of dread and horror settled in her chest, surrounding her heart. She licked her lips, her throat suddenly dry, as her eyes focused and her mind clutched awareness with a vengeance.
"Give it to me," she called harshly, "get your sister. See that chest over there?" she pointed and did not wait for him to acknowledge it as the scarab was given to her, "It is big enough to hide you both. Get her and hide in it, and do not come out, not matter what you hear, smell or feel. You will be safe when silence reigns once again, do you understand me?" he nodded, frightened of her sudden change of demeanor, before running outside to call his sister.
An-nika rose, stumbling as her body adjusted, and walked outside. Aytsuku ran by her, pulling Kisara by the hand inside the house. An-nika nodded to herself and stood in front of the house, as if to protect it, the scarab in her hands. And she waited.
It was not long, however, before they arrived. Guards of the Pharaoh's Palace, with gold-plated armor, some with spears, others with bows, arrows and daggers. They all mounted horses.
"Woman," the leader called, his voice harsh, "A Guide has been stolen from the Pharaoh's Temple of Anubis. What do you know of it?" (8)
"I found it in the sands," she called confidently, "I believe it is this one?" she opened her hands.
"The Guide was stolen, woman, how do we know that you are not the thief we seek?"
"I only found it in the desert, my Lord."
"You lie," a throaty male voice told them with disdain, "You have not found it. Why do you lie, woman?"
"I found it in the sands," An-nika insisted, sweating, "I have no reason to steal one of Anubis' Guides."
"We will see about that," the leader sneered, "Ursek, I believe you remember the spells the Priest taught you?"
"Yes, sir."
"You have someone to practice them on."
Mother Nut, help me! An-nika prayed desperately.
But An-nika's screams of pain sounded loud and terrible in the silent desert.
"Stop it!"
No, Aytsuku... you were supposed to hide... An-nika thought feverishly, without being able to utter a sound. Twins yelps sounded as Aytsuku and Kisara were thrown aside her.
"One blessed by Set?!" one of the guards howled angrily, staring at Kisara.
"And one that Set must have sent to confuse us!" another shouted, pointing at Aytsuku.
"So this is what that woman hid," one cried, outraged, "These little demons must have stolen the Guide!"
"You!" a soldier roared, raising a spear. In a clean movement, he impaled An-nika's heart. The young woman choked and gurgled, her eyes wide and filled to the brim with pain. Her soul was writhing, filling suddenly with hate. They are my brother and my sister... how dare you... I will Torment you all until you have paid for your sins! And with a final ear-splitting screech, An-nika's body dissolved into dust that was absorbed by a stone held by the man named Ursek.
"Sister An-nika!" Aytsuku screamed, "Stop it! We did nothing!"
"Ursek."
"Yes, sir."
Aytsuku and Kisara screamed as the spell hit them both at the same time.
Burn, was the only thing Aytsuku could think while staring numbly at the guards, Burn! I will burn you all!
I wanted to be powerful, Kisara sobbed, so I could protect my family...
Something resembling glowing dust left their bodies and were absorbed by one stone each, both in the hands of Ursek. He nodded to the leader, who turned and gave the signal to kill the two, but they all stopped when seeing the coming sandstorm on the distance. Clicking his tongue, the leader reunited the group and they all trotted away from the storm, leaving the twins behind. They regretted nothing.
Aytsuku gasped for breath as he crawled to his sister. He could feel life being drained out of him, taken by the stone in Ursek's hand. Reaching his sister, he gently turned her to face him. She was quietly crying, tears staining her light skin as she awaited death.
"We're not going to die, sister..." he murmured gently.
"You heard the spell he said, Aytsuku," she sobbed, "He said it wrong... there's no way we could survive without our Ba..." (9)
"I know," Aytsuku flinched, "I know... but there's still a way..."
And, sobbing, the twins allowed the Shadow Realm to engulf them.
(1) I don't remember the Yuugi-Oh! timeline, so to give you guys a hint, this snippet should happen either before or in the middle of the series, and the story itself should happen after Memories Saga in the Anime. I'm starting to read the manga, only up to volume 10, so I'll be mixing things from both Anime and Manga.
(2) Kemet was one of the names by which Egyptians referred to their land. If I'm not mistaken, it means Black Land.
(3) Ra represents the Sun, Thoth represents the moon, and Nut represents the Sky. In other words, she's asking them to go before the Sun is down and the Moon rises.
(4) The beliefs in Ancient Egypt was that when the Sun went down, Ra had entered the underworld, and there he was either fighting with or fleeing from Apep or Apophis, a giant serpent. They created prayers and spells to either wish or give power to Ra to help him in his journey between sundown and sunrise, ensuring he'd rise again the next day.
(5) Scarabs were said to represent, to a certain extent, the rebirth and afterlife. Especially the Scarabaeus sacer (the Egyptian dung-beetle). I won't go into details here...
(6) Here she refers to the Pharaoh's Family as "Divine". The Pharaoh himself was believed to be the incarnation of a God, namely Horus.
(7) While Ra was worshipped as the Great God, and father to all other Gods, Set gained the reputation of being Evil, especially after killing his brother, Osiris.
(8) Anubis, or Anpu, was the God of Death, guide to recently departed and guardian of the Dead. He was patron of lost souls and orphans, and also of embalming. Here, I use him as God of Death, patron of embalming, and the Scarabs as his Guides to the Underworld.
(9) The Egyptian soul had nine aspects: the Ren, the Ib, the Sheut, the Ka, and the Ba. Ren is a person's name, given to them at birth and would live as long as it was remembered and spoken. Ib is a person's heart, where emotion and thought is contained. Sheut is a person's shadow, as there was no person without a shadow nor a shadow without a person, Egyptians believed the shadow carried something of the person it represented. Ka is a person's life force, what the living have and the dead don't. Ba is a person's soul or personality. The other four are the physical body and the 3 divine aspects of the soul, which can be understood as one, the Akhu. (Thank you S-S!)
Aika: I have plans for where this is going, even though it's not written. Don't worry...much. Any questions that might arise, I may answer in the story itself. If not, I'll answer directly. I don't know everything, but I'll do my best to answer.