The world around them was burning.
Burning already engulfed with flames toppled to the ground, crushing the screaming people desperately trying to escape with their lives. Those who were lucky enough to escape to freedom ran through the broken streets holding their loved ones close, ignoring those they knew they could not save in favor of reaching their destination.
The Palace.
The last safe haven. The last place Zorc hadn't destroyed.
But through the fiery rubble and the screams, amidst the death and destruction that carried on throughout the night, was a man.
If the Egyptian people had seen him mere hours before, they would have thought him strange: a pale man sporting a hairstyle perhaps only matched by their King's in strangeness, odd clothes, a distinctive mark on his cheek, and a device on his forearm that looked similar to the ones that the Priests wore. He would have been the talk of the town.
As it was though, the people ignored him.
If they had spared the stranger a glance however, they would have seen something that would have horrified them. Because in the stranger's lap, was their King.
And he looked dead.
The world around Yusei was muffled. It was as if the screaming Egyptian people were in a far off place, the burning sand beneath his legs didn't touch him, even his own blood, which ran sluggishly from his left shoulder, did not even exist. The destruction of the world around him was only a minor thought in his frazzled mind.
His entire realm of thought was taken up by the unresponsive man in his lap.
Yusei ran shaking fingers through the King's hair, streaking the once pure blonde bangs with red. Why wasn't he waking up? Apart from a stilling bleeding gash on the Pharaoh's forehead, there was nothing physically wrong with the man, so why wasn't he opening his eyes?
"You can't be dead, Atem," A pause. "You just can't."
He didn't even know if the Pharaoh was breathing anymore. His shaking fingers couldn't even determine if the man had a pulse.
Choking up, Yusei ran his fingers back through the King's bangs, trying to rouse him, staining them red more and more as he did so, muttering words beneath his breath like a mantra.
"You can't leave me yet. Now's not your time. You defeated this evil before so you can't be
dead. You can't leave me. Not now. Not yet."
Nothing. Not even a twitch. Breathing in sharply, he ran his fingers through the Pharaoh's bangs again, his hand stilling as he fought back tears.
"You can't leave me before we've even had the chance to begin."
Looking down to where his fingers lie still in the Pharaoh's hair, Yusei noticed with a gasp that through his actions, the Pharaoh's bangs were stained completely red. Untangling his shaking hand from the King's hair, he found the Pharaoh's hand, squeezing it for all he was worth. As if somehow that would stop him trembling. As if somehow, if he squeezed hard enough, that
would make the Pharaoh open his eyes.
The King's hand remained limp. His eyes remained closed.
Yusei hung his head, the first tear escaping from his eyes, he choked out one last word, one final attempt to rouse the man on his lap.
"Please."
The King never woke.