A cool breeze swept over the Egyptian sand dunes. The stars glimmered in the sky while the moon provided light to the world.
All was calm and peaceful until a horse leapt over a sand dune and came into view. The white horse galloped at an alarming rate, obviously in a hurry to reach its destination. It carried two riders: a hooded young man and a young teenage girl, both wearing clothing from ancient times.
The young girl glanced timidly at the man. She had no idea who he was or where he was taking her. All she knew was that he saved her life and some subconscious part of her trusted him. Besides, its not like I couldn't handle him if he tried anything, she thought to herself. She glanced down at her hand which held a large red pendant in the shape of a flame with a blue snowflake design in the middle. She gripped it tightly. Boys... please be alright.
"We're here." The girl jumped in surprise. The man hadn't said anything to her since they rode off, so she wasn't expecting to hear from him. The man pointed in the direction they were headed.
The young girl's sky blue eyes widened in amazement. "The Valley of Kings," she said almost in a whisper. Out in the distance, mountains sprang up from behind the sand dunes. All of them starting from the rocky valley they were headed towards.
They continued on their path, entering the valley. The trail of desert winded through the rocks and crevices like a sandy river. The horse galloped along through it, passing many caves and tunnels that led to past Pharaohs' resting places. The girl waited anxiously to see where this man was taking her.
Finally the man pulled slightly on the reigns, turning the horse towards a nearby cavern. Waiting in the entrance was a tall young man wearing the white and gold dressings of a high priest. Around his neck was a leather thread that connected to a large golden ring, with golden spikes dangling from it, about the size of his chest. In the middle of the ring was a golden pyramid-shaped pendant attached by its three corners. On the pendant was a symbol; the egyptian eye of Horus.
The priest was leaning on the cavern walls, lost in his thoughts until he heard the approaching sound of hooves. He sighed sadly and crossed his arms, causing his golden bracelets to glimmer in the light. "Here we go."
When the riders reached the priest, the young girl quickly dismounted and rushed to him, embracing him in a tight hug.
"Oh Mahad, I was so worried!" she cried, "I thought for sure they had you when they came after us. Is the Pharaoh alright?"
Mahad watched the hooded man dismount his horse. He nodded. "Yes, he's safe. That Thief can't harm him for now."
"But why does he want us? Why is he so determined to destroy all of the guardians?"
"Because you and the priests are the only thing that stands between him and the Pharaoh." The hooded man answered for the priest. "Once you're out of the way, nothing will keep him from him." He sighed sadly. "And he's succeeded."
The girl turned to him in alarm. "What do you mean? He really did destroy all the guardians? But I thought it was just a rumor."
"I'm afraid its true," Mahad sadly. "All the guardians are gone. Only you remain."
Her eyes widened. "What? No, that can't be true. Tyler and Max are alive. I just saw them. So are you. I'm not the only one."
Mahad shook his head. "I'm not a true guardian. You know that. I'm just a magician trained by the guardians. As for the boys, well..." he trailed off. He closed his eyes. "I'm sorry."
"No..." Tears began to flow from her eyes. She dropped to her hands and knees. "No! They can't be! I'd know, there's no way! They can't be..." She broke into sobs as grief took over her. Her pendant began to glow dimly.
The priest put a hand on her shoulder to try and comfort her. "I'm sorry. I know how much they meant to you."
Suddenly the girl whirled around and glared at him. Her grief turned to rage and the pendant began to glow immensely. "How could you?!" she yelled at him. "They were just kids! How could you not save them Mahad? Where were you?!" Mahad turned away sadly.
The hooded man turned her towards him. "I know you're upset, but you can't take it out on him. I know for a fact your brother would never want you to give up because of him. He was an extremely brave boy and I'll never stop loving him," he said sadly. The illuminated pendant exposed his eyes for a moment, showing that he was crying as well.
The girl stared at him in wonder. "Are you Tyler's father?" The pendant's glow faded away and she saw the true color of his eyes for just an instant: a deep amethyst. They felt familiar but she couldn't match a face with them.
The man nodded. "Yes. Which means I am your father as well. I'm sorry I never exposed myself to you but it was for your safety. Tyler never spoke of me because he hated me for never telling him about you. And I don't blame him. Leaving you was the worst decision I ever made." He cradled a strand of her hair in his fingers. "You look so much like your mother. You've got her eyes." He sighed. "I hope one day you can forgive me."
"Just tell me who you are," she said.
"I can't. Not now, but one day you'll discover the the truth. I promise."
Mahad looked into the distance at the sky. "It's almost sunrise. We need to finish this before anyone notices you're gone," he said to the man.
He nodded in response. "I understand. Let's go." He entered the cavern and the others followed.
Inside, multiple torches were lit throughout the the tunnel exposing a golden wall at the end. The gold wall was covered in egyptian inscriptions that the young girl translated as some sort of instructions. It talked about the Millennium Ring and Puzzle and the next Pharaoh. She noticed a place holder for the two Items as well as her pendant, all set up like a triangle. She also noticed a very familiar dragon next to a small, furry creature and another younger dragon.
She placed her hand longingly on the adorable creature. "Tyler..." A tear fell from her cheek. She turned to the two older men. "What is this? Is this some kind of tomb?"
The hooded man nodded. "Yes but not the kind you think it is. Its enchanted. This small tomb will keep you safe until the Pharaoh that you are a Layol to releases you."
"What? Why? I can't stay in here, he elders didn't even know if I have a Pharaoh to protect. I could be in here for centuries!"
Mahad took a step forward. "Listen, you need to be kept safe. You're the last guardian. You have to be kept alive or all the ways of the guardians will die. Everything they've ever done to protect future Kings will have been in vain. This tomb was created long ago when you were first tested by the elders. When they saw your future and purpose, they discovered that you are part of something much bigger than just the guardians. And so is the King you are protecting."
"It's true," the hooded man said in agreement. "Don't you want to protect the next Pharaoh? It's what you've been dreaming of doing up until now, hasn't it?"
The girl glanced at the illustration again. Everything's been taken away from me. My brother, my friends, my father. The only thing I have left is my guardianship. My duty. Besides, I can't let him suffer because I was to busy grieving. She tightened her hand into a fist. My King, I won't fail you too, I promise. She turned back to her father. "'I understand what I have to do. I'm a guardian and that means that the Pharaoh comes first, no matter what."
Mahad smiled. "Now that's the guardian I know and love. Don't worry though, I promise you won't stay in there forever." He nodded at the hooded man and took off his necklace. He placed the Ring inside of the slot. It fit perfectly.
The man reached inside of his hood and pulled out a golden pyramid-shaped pendant the size of a coconut. It seemed to be made up of multiple smaller pieces put together like a puzzle. It was tied to a leather rope on the base side, forcing it to be upside down. There was a symbol engraved on the puzzle that the girl recognized as the eye of Horus.
"That's the Millennium Puzzle," the girl realized. "How did you get it? That's the Pharaoh's."
He didn't answer. He copied Mahad's technique and placed the puzzle into its own slot next to the Ring. He turned to the girl and pointed to the slot above the other two. "Put your pendant in there."
She did as she was told and removed her necklace. She placed the pendant in the slot. The moment she did, all three pendants began to illuminate a bright light. A loud CLICK! sounded and the wall opened forward, revealing that it was no wall but a door. Inside of the tomb was a small room with a large slab that was her exact body length projecting out of the wall in the corner.
The girl saw this and sighed. "So I guess I'm going to sleep?"
Mahad nodded. "There's a spell in the tomb that will put you to sleep so you lose track time. It will also preserve your physical age. You will basically be frozen in time until he releases you. Then everything will return to normal."
Suddenly the teen turned around and hugged him tightly. Mahad hugged her back. "Thank you, for everything you've done for me, and the boys. You've been the best teacher anyone could ever have. Keep reminding Mana that for me would you?"
Mahad chuckled at her reminding of his current pupil. "I will. She's going to mis you, and so will I. Remember your training and listen to your heart. It will never fail you." He broke the embrace and exited the tomb, giving her and her father some privacy.
"I know you don't know me that well, but know that I still have watched you grow up into the strong young woman you are now. And know that even after all this time and I still love you from the bottom of my heart. I'm sorry I never got the chance to know you better."
The girl embraced him as well. "The fact that you care about me this much is all that matters. You're here now. Even though I never knew you, I've loved you all this time and I still do now. I do forgive you because I know you had a good reason and someday I'll find out what it is." She looked up at him, trying to see his face through the shadow the hood cast with no success. "But I do wish I knew who you were."
The man hugged her tightly one last time. "One day, I promise. But not today." He stepped back. "It's time."
She nodded and went over to the slab and lied down as comfortably as she could on her back. She watched as her father began to close the giant door. As he did, the glare from the golden door reflected in his eyes, revealing them yet again for just a second. This time, however, the girl knew for knew for sure she had seen them before. Not just from a memory but recently, like yesterday recently. But before she could match his eyes with a face, the spell took over her and she fell into unconsciousness almost instantly.
Outside, the man finished shutting the door. Mahad sighed. "It's done."
"Not yet." The man pulled his hood down, revealing his face. He was a couple years younger than Mahad, but just as mature. And it showed. He had messy black hair that was amethyst-spiked into a star-like shape with golden bangs, three of which layed against his afro instead of laying down normally. He also wore a golden headband that wrapped around his ears with the eye of Horus on it. Mahad recognized it as the crown of the Pharaoh. But he did not react because he had already known it was his loyal friend and King from the beginning. The Pharaoh placed his hand in the middle of the three pendants and spoke the words to seal the tomb. "My name is Atem, I am the last Pharaoh to have contact with this cell. Until the chosen Pharaoh comes, seal her up well. Only with these three items can one start or end this spell." He removed his hand and the three pendants began to glow bright enough to rival the sun. The two had to shield their eyes from the light.
After about a minute, the light disappeared and the two Millennium Items fell out of their slots. Mahad and Atem picked them up and placed them back around their necks.
Atem sighed. "Now, it's done."
Mahad folded his arms and leaned against the tomb. "Do you really think she'll fulfill everything the elders said she would? Your daughter's not one to break rules too often. Let alone one of the biggest rules to the guardians."
Atem placed his hand on the large dragon illustration. "She will do what her heart tells her. If that forces her to break some rules then so be it. She knows what's best."
"I just hope that one day she's rewarded for everything that she's being put through and going to be put through. That girl is a real trooper."
"That she is," Atem said in agreement. He turned around to exit the cavern. "Let's be off then. Her adventures haven't begun yet, but ours definitely have. We have to stop that thief." He walked off.
Mahad followed him out. But before he left, he gave a last glance at the tomb. Good luck, young one. May the ancestors look after you. He looked up into the stars. May they look after us all.
