For Kazuki Takashi, who created an wonderful Series, with all it's characters, for the German voice actor of Atemu, Sebastian Schulz, which I admire a lot

And for all of you, who still believe in the heart of the cards!

Prologue- A Terrible Mistake!

The air seemed to burn. At least that's how one of the pharaos' guards felt like. The man didn't move any muscle but in his head the thoughts were racing and making saltos. But what occured right in front of his eyes would confuse anybody, at least if they're not used to a sight like this.
In front of this man there stood his king, pharao Atemu, the son of Aknamkanon, face to face with a stranger. Not a word has been spoken between those two since the weirdly dressed man suddenly appeared here but still the tension was as if you could taste it at the tip of yor tongue. The man really looked odd, the egyptian warrior thought. His skin was pale as if he never had even seen the sunlight, his eyes were of a cold, almost stinging blue and his clothes looked almost ridiculous in the eyes of the soldier. But besides all of that - and that scared him the most- he resembled high priest Seth in an almost terrifying manner. Even the snarky "Hmpf", which the man gave right after stopping in front of the pharaos' throne sounded like the confidant of the king.
'Creepy!', the soldier thought and inspected the silent fight -which consistet of starring at each other- with barely hidden curiosity. His pharao seemed calm as ever, he even smiled a little. But his smile lacked any joy, it even showed some concern, the soldier belived to see. Almost everyone seemd to hold their breaths for a econd as their king raised his voice to speak to the stranger. But no one understood the words he spoke to the stranger with Seths face. It was a completely different language which was used here. It sounded softer as the words they normally used and it was easy to see, that their king struggled with finding the right pronounciation. The discussion between those two should be a secret for the other people in the room for all eternity. The unexpected guest did not seem to like what the pharao said to him, cause he scowled.

"You knowSeto, the saddest thing here is I'm not even surprised you're here!"
These were the first words Kaiba heared from the pharao and he had to struggle not to show any anger in his expression.
"So you already know why I'm here then?", he snapped and took a step towards the throne. Atemus guards seemd to get alarmed by this action because they drew their weapons and prepared themselves. If the stranger would make even a tiny, wrong move they'd go forth to protect their king undoubtedly. Atemu knew that and stopped his warriors with a soothing gesture.
"You're aware I have the upper hand here, right? I could toss you in the dungeons if I'd want to or even worse. But I won't. They onlys things I really want ... is to know what the hell you were thinking by doing this?", he shouted and his hand hit the armrest of his throne. Not only the guards flinched a little, Seto took a step backwards too...unintentionally. He couln't remember when the pharao ever talked to him like that. Sure, they've had their differences but that...
"And you can imagine that, now can you? You disappeared half a year ago without a word without giving me a proper chance to claim a rematch!"
Atemu sighed and sounded terribly exhausted by that while he rested his head on his hand
"You're serious?", he asked and looked at Kaiba as if he didn'e believe him. "Because of a stupid rematch you came here? Do you even know where we are?"
Kaiba shrugged. He had a hunch but after all he didn't even care. If he got his duel with the pharao and not with a virutal reconstruction, it could have been anywhere.
"I cannot believe it!", Atemu said while laughing, again completely joyless. More desprerate. Then he told Kaiba:
"Come with me, we'll discuss this in private. My soldier freak out if we stay"
Without wating for Kaiba to answer he stood up from his throne and went to a smaller door on the right site of the hall. Kaiba huffed in annoyance but followed him silently.
Behind the door there was a dimly lit hallway just as wide as a human needed to walk properly. While they were walking this way either Atemu or Seto spoke a word. After what felt like an eternity -in fact it were just a couple minutes- Seto got caught off guard again, cause Atemu pulled a lever right neneath a torch and the wall on his left side opened. It showed the view of a large room, bright with sunlight coming trough the windows. After the almost dark corridor they were walking, Kaiba had to squint against the sun. Atemu didn't seem to have any problem, maybe cause he was used to bright sunlight and maybe as well cause his eyelids were covered with a layer of coal and color pigments, which made the brightness easier to deal with.
"Where are we?", Kaiba asked after he could se properly again but Atemug made a simple gesture to make him sit down. With another, even more annoyed huff Kaiba went to the large, round table in the corner of the room and sat down reluctantly. The other man did the same but onyl after he took two cups from a tablet and filled them with a dark red liquid. He offered Kaiba the drink and he took it, rather confused. The reason for his confusion wasn't the drink itself, than more the realization that the whole time Atemu took to pour it in and offer it to him ... his left hand has been the "dominant" one.
'He's left-handed?'
"What?!", Atemu asked, having a rather amused expression and as Kaiba tipped at his own left hand, the pharao laughed. "Oh this? Well I just realized it, as I stopped sharing a body with Yugi actually. He's right-handed, it was his body so... well that won't be the only surprise, believe me!", he added as he took another sip from his examined the drink in his hand as if it could give him the answers he was looking for right now, but of course that wasn't happening.
"Why would your soldiers have freaked out if we had stayed in the throne-room?", he asked eventually. The pharao placed his cup on the table and leaned back a little with his arms crossed.
"Because my cousin, the high priest Seth and you look awfully familiar I know where you come from and what's the reason behind this issue, they don't. And I'm not quite sure if they'd understand it.."
"You're talking about the guy who stole my face?"
Atemu chuckled a little before answering, tilting his head a little:
"He is three thousand years older than you. You stole his face!"
"Whatever!", Kaiba interrupted him impatiently. "Why are you actin so weird? We both know why I am here, so why wasting time?!"
"I'm not going to fight duel with you!" Atemu simply said and prepared himself mentally for the storm his statement caused.
"WHAT?!", Kaiba yelled and his hand gripped the cup so hard, he could crush any minute. Atemu did not pay much attention on that issue, he looked at Kaiba, calm as rarely seen.
"You understood! I won't face you in a duel. Those times are over, my duties are done and I have no obligation to duel you in any way! What you did the last days is suicidal, Kaiba! But if it would have been just about you, I may have taken the challenge. Now it's different. You did not only put yourself in danger, but Yugi as well and .. oh by the hundreds of innocent people!"
"I couldn't..."
"Couldn't? Couldn't what? Know that your actions would turn this simple mess into a clusterfuck? Did you forget what happened last time? Do I really have to remember you to the Anubus-incident? You learned nothing! Because you did the same shit all over again! You played with a force you couldn't control and made things worse just because you wanted to beat me in a duel! You risked dozents of lifes and you want to know what the result is? Technically you are dead!"
Ouch!
Seto opened his mouth, surprised by Atemus statement and he literally froze. It wasn't the first speach he had to hear from the pharao, he had to listen to those in past a lot but this one had been completely different. It hadn't been the "You have to believe in friendship and the heart of the cards"-speach. More like "You totally messed up, now deal with it!" And the last remark was the like the killing blow.
"Dead?", he asked, more a whisper than anything and Atemu couldn't remember when he had seen Kaiba this shocked in the past. Maybe after their first duel as he crushed his soul to release the darkness within him. The man became even more pale and his hands trembled.
"Well... not really but... that's hard to explain actually!", Atemu said and his thoughts started to race around in his head. He wanted to show Seto the consequences of his action but it hadn't been his intention to scare him like that.
"Explain thn!", Kaiba demanded, sounding more like himself again. His skin still was more white than just pale.
"Okay then, let's start with this place. Do you know where we are?"
Kaiba shook his head. He had expected that he would be in the memory-world, where they had been fighting against Zorc months ago, but it seemed like that was not the case. If it would maybe the pharao wouldn't be as upset as he was
"We are in the afterlife, Seto. Where the dead ones wander arround. There are as many names for it as there are religious beliefs but they all share one opinion: It's not place for living beings!
"What's that supposed to tell me?"
"You do not belong here!", Atemu said and rested his head on his hands again He had almost forgotten how stressful those discussions with Kaiba were. His cousin was as stubborn, yes, but far more reasonable as his descendant was .
"So you will send me back?"
"If I am able to do so, I will!", he answered and stood up. Without paying any attention to Kaiba now he went to a huge door at the other side of the room and said something to the people, guards maybe, outside. But he didn't understand since it was a whole different language.
"What are you going to do now?"
"I will ask Seth what we should do, he is far more experienced with stuff like that, than I am!"
Kaiba struggled to mask his surprise. He never had seen the pharao admit that someone else was better at anything and Kaiba himself probably would rather bite his tongue off that say such things. While the two men waited not a word was spoken between them. Seto sat at the table, sulky as ever and Atemu watched the world outside. Both seemed to be so lost in their thoughts so both were almost alarmed as there was a silent knock on the door. Atemu said something and the door opened. But it wasn't the high priest that entered the room. It was a young woman with brown hair and a weird staff in her hand. Kaiba tried to remember if he saw here atthe fight against Zorc but he honestly couldn't remember. The only thing he knew was the striking resemblance with the Black Magician Girl. .. that would have been there if the girl wouldn't cry in an almost hysterical manner. Tears ran down here eyes and she swallowed her words more than she actually said . She didn't even notice Kaiba at all. The pharao responded with a calming voice and put his arms around her immediatly.
"Mana what's wrong... where's Seth?", he asked while patting her head softly. That always made her calm down, like now.
"He was... in the l-library and was... was reading as your guards arrived. And suddenly... suddenly he screamed and hunched with pain as it seemed! I wanted to help him, honestly I wanted to! But before... before I could reach him he was... he disappeared, my king!"
Disappeared?
What could that mean?
Atemu suddenly knew the situation had become far more dangerous and complicated that he thought. He couldn't have his cousins adcive. Also he was quite sure that it was not a coincidence that Seth disappeared suddenly, only a short time after his modern counterpart had arrived in this world. He had to do something as fast as possible! He gave Mana a few more soft words to calm her down and turned to Kaiba then
"Change of plans! We're on our own!", he said after he had sent Mana away to rest. Atemu was quite happy that she didn't pay much attention to Seto, or else she might have fainted.
"Why's that?", Kaiba grunted but he rose from his seat as Atemu waved him to come closer.
"Minimal problems. Let's just hope that that's the only one we have to deal with! Take my hand!"
"I surely will not-..." Kaiba fell silent as the other man just took his hand. Before he could protest in any way Atemu touched his milleniumpuzlle with the free hand and said another word Kaiba couldn't understand. But the effect came right away. He felt like he was pulled backwards. Then the world turned black...

He was scared.
His whole body was in pain, as if every centimenter of his skin had bin pierced with needles. It was terribly cold and an unnatural raind poured down on him. Where he was from, there surely was rain, too. But not so much. He hugged himself to stop his body from shivering and took a look at the world arround him. Nothing here he seemed to know or remember. He was at a large place with grey stone. A dark tower rose infront of him, it's front almost completely made of glass. Where the ones who build that monster got that much glas puzzled him a lot. Like the source f this weird and cold light that seemed to come from everywhere. From the buildings around him, from the weird poles that stood next to long and wide paths where odd vehicles made their way. Everywhere was noise and light. He saw a few persons as well, which all seemed to be weirdly dressed and awfully pale. The language they used sounded foreign to his ears.
Again he shivered while he looked around like a terrified animal in a cage.
How could this happen?
Minutes ago he had been sitting in the library, reading something and asked himself if the described rituals were usable as a harsch pain took him in his claws as if he was ripped in pieces.
The next time he had opened his eyes he had been standin here in this cold, weird, unknown world. Slowly he approaced the tower, hoping to find a little protection from the rain under the canopy. His legs didn't really do as he wanted, they trembled terribly so he made it slowly to his goal.
As he reached the canopy and leaned at the walls to rest, a pair of dark-grey eyes looked at him confused. The eyes belonged to a boy, not older then fourteen, maybe just thirteen. He was holding an umbrella and looked at him as if he knew him. He had long dark hair, that reached his shoulders and wore the same odd clothes like everyone in this world did.
The boy talked to him, his voice sounded concerned but he couldn't understand a word, even if he wanted to. He felt a little guilty for not knowing how to talk to him, cause he saw that the boy teared up . One thing though, he seemd to understand. It seemed to be a Name. The boy seemed to take him for somebody else but with a familiar sounding name.

"Seto?", the boy said again and tried to take his hand. He wished so hard he could tell him, that he wasn't the person he was looking for but he could not speak the boys language. So he had no other choice than to shake his head and take a few steps backwards. And to give his real name.

"Seth"

Alright here it is, I translated the prologue (and Yes, I published the work on AO3 as well it's not a stolen work).
Although I appreciate help, please remember that english is not my native language and please don't crash the comment section by telling me what I made wrong in the translation (DM me if you need to). Comments on the story overall are welcome still if made politely (manners, remember?).
Before the story really starts I should mention a few things:
First of all, I will use the English-Dub names. I know the dub sucks but I grew up with it and I'm not willing to adapt to hardliners.
Also, since there are characters with familiar sounding names appearing next to each other, I made a few adaptions to prevent confusion. Set is written "Seth" in my version (but still pronounced the way it is without the h. I made it in the german version and I stick with it. Also Ryou Bakura and Yami Bakura are both appearing, the firs one is jsut called Ryou by the others and his dark counterpart is just Bakura (yes, I'm lazy and don't want to write the whole names) I won't discuss about the name issue, SorryNotSorry!
But this should not stop anyone from enjoying the story for what it's purpose is. Entertainment. So sit back, relax and read if you like. Translations may come not so frequently since I have a life outside the internet as well.

Thanks and have fun reading :)