The thief sat upon a ledge overlooking Kul Elna at dawn's early light and twirled a ring between his fingers...the ring he chose to wear as a symbol of marriage to the one being he loved the most, Diabound.
They'd been through so much together in such a short time, though there was one thing that Touzoku-ou always held back from Diabound...the truth. He knew from the start that anything he hoped to plan as a 'bright' future, would end in a bitter loss. The connection to his village and the lost spirits that dwelled there had made certain that he was reminded daily of what lied ahead of him. Still, he made the best of it, even to let a little happiness with Diabound fill his heart while he was still here. He felt a little moisture around his eyes and quickly wiped them. Though no one was around to see the man cry, he still had that sliver of pride that he didn't like to outwardly show. After all, he'd cried enough as a young boy.
After what seemed like hours, he stood up and stretched, letting a warm smile slip over his lips. Their wedding night had been bliss to the thief, something he'd carry with him to his grave. Knowing this was the day he'd face off in the final battle with the pharaoh, he made sure to slip a little something into the wineskin that Diabound drank from. It was a mild drug that would make his beloved sleep a good portion of the day, enough time for him to go to the battle alone and do what needed doing. He couldn't bear taking Diabound with him and have him both hurt during the battle and devastated with what was to come. Honestly, he didn't know for sure if he'd win or not, but, he had a foreboding that gave him the feeling otherwise. It was perhaps a cruel and selfish move as he knew Diabound would have willingly followed him regardless, but, he also knew what hell he went through with seeing his people slaughtered before his eyes...he didn't want that for his love. He wanted Diabound to remember him how he was, that very night, when they held each other in their arms.
Not to mention, he needed someone to stay behind for his adoptive mother, Sarina. She'd only just lost her husband and was getting over that, this...this would be too much for her to handle on her own and he knew that Diabound, with his bright soul, would make sure she'd get through it...they'd get through it together.
He moved down carefully over the rock-face and slipped onto the desert floor, silently walking towards the camped out dark riders. Touzoku-ou didn't need to say a word to them as they rose to their feet in understanding of his presence. They would stay and make sure that neither Diabound or Sarina would try to follow. He looked at all of them and nodded his head, giving them a wolfish grin, then stuck out a hand to grasp the leaders' hand in a firm grip. He held for a long time, the two men gazing at one another in long silence before Touzoku-ou pulled his hand away. Touzoku-ou placed his fingers to his lips and blew a sharp whistle, moments later, his horse galloped to his side where he readily leapt into the saddle and took up the reins.
There was only one thing left to do now before leaving. Something that was truly heart-wrenching for Touzoku-ou to do...break the bond between Diabound and himself completely. Touzoku-ou would now truly be alone too, but happy...happy that whatever happened to him, Diabound would never know or feel the pain. Touzoku-ou closed his eyes and concentrated hard, then suddenly he could feel the tearing inside his body like a thousand daggers. He gasped for breath, but, kept on until he felt their bond shatter. He fought to hold back tears again, turning away from the cavern and dark riders. With a loud "HA!" the horse reared and bolted with him astride its' back, heading straight for the palace...he didn't look back. He couldn't or he'd have stopped and wanted to return.
The sky grew dark and thunder could be heard echoing through the desert as he drew closer and closer toward the palace. The Dark One was waking and would be here soon. The Ring upon his neck was activated, glowing brightly and influencing the thief now, filling his heart with bitter hatred. The closer he got to the palace, the more his horrible memories intensified. Touzoku-ou looked up over the horizon with narrowed eyes, spying the pharaoh and his men awaiting him. Within a hundred yards ahead of him, the ground split open with a massive quake and searing flamed shot into the air. His horse came to an abrupt halt and Touzoku-ou leapt off, continuing forward toward the chasm. Most of the pharaoh's men stood their ground shaking in fear with what was happening, others fled the scene, running for their lives.
The shrine that once stood in Kul Elna, rose from the ground within the chasm and Touzoku-ou stepped upon it as it continued up over the flames. All the items lay within their designated place, except the Ring upon his neck which he now held in his hand. He glared viciously at the Pharaoh and his priests, "Now, I shall lay to rest YOU... and your pathetic kingdom, like you did to the PEOPLE of MY village!" He didn't hesitate as he bent down and slipped the Ring into the grooves of the shrine, thus completing his task and fully awakening the Dark One from his slumber. The entire shrine lit up with the surge of power that shot through it and engulfed the thief as well, then within minutes Touzoku-ou vanished, merging with the beast and the shrine with the items, shattered, sending the Millennium Items scattering into the desert.
The chasm split further, ever widening as more flames shot high into the air. The earthquakes rocked the ground violently taking several of the buildings down that stood nearby. Even the Pharaoh and his men had a hard time maintaining their footing against such force. The sky darkened into a pitch black unlike mankind had ever seen, blacking out the sun completely and darkening the lands below. The only light source was from the flames that reached into the heavens' it's self.
Two massive, black horns rising from the chasm became visible through the flames, then an equally massive head appeared, snapping open its' scarlet eyes to focus on the people before him. The beast rose further and rows of razor sharp teeth could be seen, further still and a body with gigantic wings that snapped open with tremendous force, sent the sand flying in all directions. When the Dark One was fully exposed, he was a sight to behold, standing taller than the tallest of pyramids. He gazed down at the Pharaoh and his men, sending a searing jet of steam between his teeth as he spoke, "Prepare to die, mortals!" His voice was deep and shook the very ground under the people's feet.
"Not if I can help it!" Came the voice of the Pharaoh, bravely speaking out to the creature before him, then ordered one of his priests to find the items and his guards to start the attack.
The initial attack was futile as the spears, arrows and rocks hurdled at the beast disintegrated upon its' flesh and in return Zorc let out a fiery blast that leveled everything it touched, including the men where they stood. The priests summoned their greatest and strongest creatures against Zorc, and even that proved pointless as each one was rendered dead to the Gods' powers. It seemed like there was no hope against the Dark One.
When the Items were returned and larger, more powerful creatures summoned, the attacks failed against him. As a last resort, the Pharaoh summoned his own Gods to fight against Zorc. Slipher the Sky Dragon, Obelisk the Tormentor and The Winged Dragon RA appeared at the Pharaoh's command, launching themselves into the battle. It almost worked as with their combined force, they were able to subdue Zorc for a brief time, knocking him back into the chasm he came from...but Zorc was smarter. He allowed the people to get a sense of victory, even to allowing the sun to appear before his clawed hand burst through the ground and reached into the heavens to choke out the sun's light. Once more, the ground erupted with a violent earthquake as Zorc shot out of the ground and into the air. With his shadow magic, he rendered the three Gods useless, crushing them upon impact once he hit the ground again.
As Zorc bore down upon the Pharaoh, he was certain he'd won and the thief inside the grand beast started to feel his justice would be finally served. That was until the Pharaoh remembered his name. His name was the key to unlocking a much greater power, one that would defeat the Dark One...Horakhty, the creator God of Light.
Zorc let out a pained roar as the God sent a blast of pure white light into him. The massive beast staggered and tried to reach out to the Pharaoh, to crush him before he was completely vanquished, but, never reached the boy. Touzoku-ou felt the searing pain from the light rip through his own body within Zorc, a pain that was inexplicable. Just before Zorc succumbed to the powers of the light being, Touzoku-ou was sent hurtling through the air and landed miles away in the middle of the desert, unconscious.
Hours passed as the day finally sank away and the Pharaoh with his men celebrated in the palace before Touzoku-ou awoke in a pool of blood, his own. His chest hurt when he breathed and he couldn't move his limbs, he knew then and there that he was dying. The final insult to the great king of thieves, to let the man wake only to die. He managed to shift his body slightly in the sand, crying out in pain before coughing up blood. He was glad now that his beloved wouldn't see him this way and would always remember him as he had been...proud, happy and carefree. His eyes closed briefly as he drifted between the conscious world and the unconscious, the visions of his life passed through his mind like some sort of weird slide-show. His breathing started to slow, along with his heart as the last vision came to his mind, that of his beloved. He saw his bright smile and silvery locks as a tear slipped out and slid over the scar upon his cheek. How he wanted to reach out and hold his beloved right now, tell him that things would be okay...
With his last breath, he managed to mumble words into the wind...he knew that no one would hear them, but, they had to be said. "Diabound, don't ever forget me and how much I loved you...you meant everything to me...my greatest treasure...my only treasure...I hope that you will forgive me." Touzoku-ou fell silent after that, his breathing no more.