Disclaimer: GX, Duel Monsters and their respective characters are not mine.
Note: This is an AU, with GX and hints of DM, and yes, I'm aware it's in the GX section. Dates and history have been researched. I say thank you to neoarkadia, located on this site for helping me bounce plot bunnies around. If you're wondering what's going on, I'm taking a break from plotting the second draft of my novel to write a fanfiction, this being the opening. Updates may be slow as I am plotting this and a novel, and attempting to write both.
-o-
01 – The One Who Waited
-o-
Forbidden. Never to be spoken of. Removed. Those were the edicts of the Pharaoh, three measures aimed at stamping out the worship of gods people had been in reverence to for countless years. Identities merged, cults grew, and humanoid figures were replaced by the great solar disc, the creator of the universe, viewable each day in the sky.
Tensions broke under their own weight but were quickly shored as the old religion was re-established. Life went on as normal. The Pharaoh had brought peace and their land would be freed from the shackles of the past and allowed to grow.
Yet, there was a 'but'. The religion of the state was singular, alone. No other gods, practices and traditions had been allowed to escape. Images had been defaced and temples destroyed, carried out by the will of the Pharaoh and his priests, whose successors had a moral duty to enforce the law. Through no fault of their own, the heirs had inherited the problem of old priesthoods who had for too long been out of favour. It was also unpopular with the people, whose comments on the subject were frequent and vivid.
Killed by a brother's ambition, the Pharaoh passed into the Afterlife. A year later, his son was unable to follow and his name was struck from history as if he'd never existed.
The one to follow had been the young Pharaoh's cousin, a forceful man, a trying man, but somebody with the right intentions.
The change could not have come fast enough.
Priests were empowered, cultural centres grew. All seemed well. It was in accordance with the will of the Pharaoh, who had no desire to handle a civil war motivated by the strongest of passions. He had a country to rebuild, an empire to maintain and a future to create. His predecessor slept within a golden tomb, and the man who had caused the chaos had been given a decent burial. He wanted answers; the only way to get them was in the Afterlife. For his father to be there, the body had to be preserved.
Others, however, were not so forgiving. One hid his ambivalence with a smile, whilst another harboured hate for what had gone before. A new kingdom, a new era, a new pharaoh; their aims were simple enough, but they could hardly speak of it in public. Repressed under the old system, the priest had known it was the work of his competitor. The news of Akunadin's death had been received with both joy and anger; he had smiled. Yet, there had been a bitter aftertaste; his rival was dead and beyond his reach. He'd never had the chance to prove he was something more than an irregular crackpot.
The first time he'd noticed Zork's influence was when the skies had darkened, blotting out the sun. Then he'd learnt Akunadin had sold the kingdom to Zork Necrophades for the power to put his son on the throne. Personal motives, filial devotion, love - all three of which could drive any man to a rash, impulsive decision. Had Akunadin grown powerful? Yes. Common? Equally so. He had to laugh. The notion of selling one's soul for power was absurd. The truth behind the world and the universe could be found through one simple yet extraordinary course of action.
But that would be telling.
The two of them had never had a good relationship. Akunadin was too quiet, and he was, well… eccentric was a word he'd heard once or twice, amongst other things. Then there was mutual hatred, one-upmanship - the usual things that came with rivalry. Magical spells and their translation were in the here and now. His art was universal.
Akunadin had made sure he'd kept his religion and practices to himself. He'd waited for so long. Now, Akunadin couldn't hold him back. He would surpass the limits of human knowledge and prove his superiority. He knew what had happened with the old man. He was old, he knew how things worked. One didn't know Akunadin and the occult without learning a few things.
He would not run away, not anymore. He would protect the land he loved and its people. No longer would those who pursued knowledge be forced to cower when some official changed his mind. The likes of Zork could never be seen again – he wouldn't allow it. He'd had enough of living like a fugitive, it was time to act. Knowledge would be his weapon, his creations his shield. The time would come, his items prepared. With his tablet, he'd change the world.