This is a Yu-Gi-Oh plot bunny.
I am looking for ideas for what to post from the story. If there's a scene that jumps out to you, or something particular you'd like to see, please comment.
The world was tied with magic, essential to the balance and keeping the world equal. Everyone could use it, magical ability determined by strength of will. The world's magic was made up with demons and spirits and shadows. The magic didn't live in the same realm as humans, it all existed in a parallel realm, the Shadow Realm. The Shadow Realm was ruled by three god spirits: The Winged Dragon of Ra, Slifer the Sky Dragon, and Obelisk the Tormentor. Ra judged and kept balance, Slifer delivered souls to where they belonged, and Obelisk delivered punishment when the shadows and spirits went too far.
Humans used magic one of two ways: Light or Dark. Both were powerful. Light magic was open, obvious, hard to dodge. It was fueled by positive emotions and sacrifice and did best cast in the day. Dark magic was hidden, difficult to decipher and anticipate, filled with more traps. It was fueled by negative emotions and pain, and strongest at night. Light magic was difficult. While simple magic drew easily on Light the sacrifice and strength it took for a larger spell deterred most, making Light users rare. People grew to believe that Light magic was only defensive, that Dark magic was more powerful.
At the time Egypt was the center of civilization, the most advanced, the most powerful, the center of knowledge on anything you could wish. The pharaoh was strong, a powerful magician. A true leader he influenced even other nations. He wished for peace, but war was threatening. The pharaoh's brother worried that the pharaoh wasn't strong enough to do what was necessary with his wish for peace. Egypt might be destroyed before the pharaoh acted. So he decided to make a weapon so his brother could have peace. He looked for a weapon that could allow the wielder to call on the full power of the Shadow Realms. He found plenty of rituals for it, but it required Light and Dark magic, and the pharaoh's brother believed using Light magic would make it weak.
A demon, Zorc, was watching. He hated the human world and wanted to destroy it. Unfortunately he was trapped by the god spirits, with little power to influence anything despite his strength. He would need to break into the human world to escape the god spirits' influence. He decided to make a deal with the pharaoh's brother. He could make the ritual work using only Dark magic if the brother agreed to tie the items created to Zorc, acting as a key for the demon to enter the world. The brother accepted, and the demon designed a ritual requiring the sacrifice of 99 souls to make the weapon. The pharaoh's brother was hesitant, but Zorc pointed out Kul Elna, a thief town of just barely 100 souls. No one would miss thieves, and there would be no survivors to tell what was done.
So, the brother filled the ritual. The soldiers held him raid the town. Men, women, children, all were taken and boiled down in gold for the demon's ritual. Out of the dark sacrifice seven items were created. The Ring, able to point the way to what the holder desired and seal souls away, the Rod with the power of mind control and memories, the Necklace which gave visions of possible futures, the Scales used to weigh and judge souls to feet to Ammut, the Ankh, able to allow one to enter a person's mind and rearrange it to their desires, a deeper change than simple mind control, the Eye, allowing mind reading and the ability to see true forms, and the Puzzle, the ability to bind souls and shadows, creating a portal to the Shadow Realm. Each one individually could allow the holder to access the Shadow Realm, but only together did they form the key Zorc desired.
Unfortunately for Zorc the pharaoh's brother backed out at this point. He didn't help Zorc enter the world, merely presenting the items to the pharaoh and keeping the truth of their creation secret. It was everything hoped for: power greater than anything imaginable and a guard against all possible threats. The Items were divided among the pharaoh and his councilors, and peace ruled the land.