AN: Just a short oneshot I cooked up a while back, I had a pretty rough month, so I figure why not edit this up a bit and slap a happy ending on this bad boy and post it up on here so other's can read too. So without further aduo, here's this sadd little story.
Warning, character death is mentioned and applied.
His body bent forward, coughing and spitting up blood as his Ka monster, his Black Magician, the spirit of his best friend and most loyal servant, was destroyed; his ba completely extinguished.
….But what little life that still remained in him only kept his spirit bound to his body for one reason alone. He needed to save the man who stood in front of him, attacking the king mercilessly through a shadow game. This man's soul was lost to the darkness of grief and under the control of another. He had to save him…
He had to save Seto.
His cousin, his high priest, his friend, was being corrupted by the desperate and greedy will of his uncle; spouting words that were not of his own violation. Such words of evil and wickedness that cursed him, fell deaf on the king's ears. That deep voice he once loved to hear was no an incoherent mess as the king struggled to keep his mind clear and focus on his task, willing his body to just aid him once more in his last minutes.
"It's over Pharaoh! You've lost and now I shall plunge this world into utter darkness using this man's body!"
He had given up nearly all of his strength to seal away Zorc Necrophades, bind him to the cursed items that released him into this world using his own soul and name as the key to lock him away forever. Zorc was an evil that had consumed the soul of a desperate thief, a cruel god that fed upon the love of a father consumed by his own guilt from murder and desperation for his son to live the life he wanted for him. All so he could try to over through their current gods and destroy the world's balance and peace, but the young king stopped his wicked plans. Giving up his own name, one he could no longer remember himself, and cast the evil god into oblivion. And once his body final gave out...he too, would join the god in eternal solitude and darkness. A hefty price, but it was worth it. He protected his country, saved many innocent lives from suffering a cruel death, and provided a future that he hoped his friends would cherish, even without him there.
But...before he could go and fulfill the seal, he had one last duty as king; one more thing he must do before leaving this world.
'This will be my last act as king, no, as a friend.'
"Seto..." He managed to stand tall, proud as a king should. "Can you hear my voice?"
"What are you plotting, fool?"
He smiled sullenly only for a moment, as he gathered the last of his strength a gave a final plea to the gods he represented, closing his eyes with his final prayer. 'Please, aid me this one last time and save my friend from this darkness. Put an end to his suffering.'
Taking a deep breath, the king opened his bright red-violet eyes, determination and strength filling him entirely. He held out his hand in peace, his hand glowing with a faint gold light.
'I must save him! I cannot allow the suffering of this world or my friends, to continue any longer!'
"Now! Take this light! Kill me if you must, but take it and fight the darkness in your heart, Seto! Then ask yourself, in the prison of your own soul, 'What kind of King are you?!"
"USELESS, USELESS!" The corrupted priest screamed in a dark voice that was not his own. And pointed a bony finger at the king, glaring at him with hatred and the ultimate desire to kill.
"GO, WHITE DRAGON. KILL THE PHARAOH. END HIS LIFE!"
The king did not tremble. He did not fear death, but embraced it. Already knowing he would not last in this world much longer, he stood proud, facing the attack head on. His red-violet eyes focused on his cousin and not the attack that would surely end his life. "Seto, I know you are stronger than this darkness! You must fight it!"
The great white dragon stopped, the attack brewing in it's mouth slowly dissipating. The king held his breath in wait, as the corrupted spirit possessing his cousin screeched in frustration and agony.
Slowly, the ka monster began to fade, trails of while light floating up into the atmosphere, before it exploded, causing the king to shield his eyes from the blinding light.
"No! NO! What is happening to the monster!? How has it vanished?!"
When he was able to look towards his cousin again, the king spotted the fading specter of a woman in pure white. She was embracing him tightly, despite his body's thrashing and screaming his words indistinguishable for the king. Was she...could this woman be...?
"Lord Seto, please," Her embrace tightens around him, slowly, that beautiful and pure touch was cleansing Seto's very soul.
The king felt relieved and in debt to this woman. She was accomplishing his goal for him, saving his cousin from the darkness he had trouble fighting. Tears threaten to fall from his eyes, but the king kept his emotions at bay, he had to keep his strong front in place, for a king showed no weakness in front of his enemies. But, it didn't stop him from mourning for her, for his cousin's loss. It was obvious, plain as day, this was the woman Seto had failed to protect, the woman known as Kisara. The woman Seto had come cherish. And now she was saving him in the king's place, reaching out to the priest's heart in away the king knew he couldn't.
"No, it can't be! We were going to surpass the gods!" The voice was dying off, becoming hoarse and strained as Seto's own body began to glow bright with the woman's warm light. The king watched, soft pants starting to come from his mouth as his body's exhaustion started to take over in the still moment. His cousin's body relaxed, all tension leaving it as he returned the woman's embrace holding her close to his chest.
"You musn't let your heart be captured by the shadows, and if you should, I will always be here. By your side, forever cleansing your sins and guiding you back to the light."
"Kisara-"
The woman sushed the priest and withdrew from Seto's hold. Not a moment later, she evaporated into light, drawing out the soul of Ahknadin, the king's uncle, and completely cleansing the priest from all the darkness he harbored in his body.
Before they could completely relax, Ahknadin's voice echoed around them in such clarity, even the king could understand him with his waning senses. "I had made a wish on the millennium eye, I wanted my son to become King. To become a king, and shine brightly, where I could not. I wanted him to be great!"
Silence cloaked them as the darkness that was Ahknadin's soul, evaporated into light allowing him to finally rest in peace.
The King was frozen in place, his gaze still focused on the place he watched his uncle fade from this world. He was gone, yet another soul had been lost to this horrible war. But atlas, their battle was finally over.
Letting out the breath he hadn't known he had been holding, the King lowered his eyes to his cousin, just to see the tall priest fall to his knees and release an anguish cry.
He winced, raising an arm to hold his torso tightly as pain started to seep in to his sense and cloud his mind. His body was beaten and worn, well past its physical limits and capabilities. He wanted to, so badly, go to Seto's side and console him and ease his woes. The king, however, struggled muster the strength to move. It was all of he could do to stay standing, to force his breath in and out of his burning lungs.
Yet, when he seen a hand raise to the priest's face and wipe his eyes of his fallen tears. The king decided a few more minutes of agony was worth helping the man he considered his friend.
Each step he forced his legs to take, felt like he had just dived into a pot of boiling oil, but the king kept moving. His breath was labored, but eyes and heart determined to reach Seto. When he was sure he was close enough that the priest could see his face, he masked that pain behind a sad, but proud smile.
He refused to give the man another thing to be upset about.
Both not needing to and currently unable to, the king kept silent as the priest calmed himself from his knelt position on the ground. He held out that same hand he had previously lent to his friend when he was possessed, a muted offer of aid.
Seto looked up at his beaten, smiling king and his outstretched hand. He gave an amused huff and grasped that fragile hand in his own, borrowing his King's strength to stand up to his full height, getting off of his knees. "I could have handled that man myself."
"I'm sure you could have," The King chuckled as Seto released his hand, he let it fall limp to his side, unable to keep it raised. His other, tightly gripped his torn tunic, trying to conceal his trembling. "But nonetheless, I am glad you are okay Seto. I was concerned that you would…"
His smiled did not fade, but his eyes darkened and the monarchy could not bring himself to finish his own sentence. The thought of his cousin's possible death from yet another one of his failures, hurt worse than the physical pain he was hiding.
"Tch, you waste your energy worrying." The priest countered, crossing his arms over his chest as his deep blue eyes gazed out at the rumble of their home, and his normal frown deepened. "The darkness has faded, but it has left deep scars in out hearts. We will have to work hard to rebuild our strength."
The Pharaoh struggled to keep his eyes open as his eyesight blurred, trying to look at the damaged caused by their fighting. He nodded and a new wave of pain flooded his body, and he tensed, keeping himself from crying out.
"We've lost so many lives to this battle…" The monarch's voice trailed off in exhaustion.
'There's not much time now.'
" We survivors must keep every single light lost close to our heart. We will not let their sacrifice go forgotten." Seto spoke confidently, and the king glanced at him, pride swelling in his chest. Clearly that woman, had made an impact on his cousin for the better. She had turn Seto from a good man, into a great man.
"Seto, " The Pharaoh's voice was soft, almost meek. His hand moved it's death grip from his side to the leather rope of the very item that he would soon have his soul bound to; the millennium pendant .His red-violet eyes started grow dim in their light as he kept his gaze forward, looking at his hurt country. "I want you, to become the next king. You will become my successor and inherit the throne."
"What?! Absolutely not!" The high priest rejected almost immediately, angry flaring to life and coloring his cheeks, and making those deep blue eye narrow in anger. " I will not accept this offer,-Look at me!" The priest demanded as he moved to stand in the king's field of vision. " Not until I can defeat you in a proper duel and prove that I have surpassed you! Only then will I become your successor."
Chuckling, the monarch shook his head. His legs shaking as he he struggled to stand, even his hand grasping the pendant was beginning to tremble from his strain. " I'm afraid that I do not have that much time, Seto."
The priest rolled his eyes, and moved to the young king's side, he placed a hand on his back and gently pushes the royalty. "You need to go see Isis. I believe you have had the sense knock out of your head, A-."
The name died in his throat and the priest's widen at the realization he could no longer call the name of his king.
The king didn't budge, but his smile did grow as his eyes stung with tears of sorrow he refused to let fall. He wouldn't ever show sorrow for his own fate, he had no regrets, nothing to cry over. Even as his dear friend, cousin, and priest started to grasp his reality.
He keeps silent to Seto's comment and looks looks to the rising sun on the king's chest felt heavier now, infact, his whole body felt as heavy as a sack of to look at his priest, he holds on to the pendant tightly, biting the inside of his cheek. 'The pendant ... I will be bound to it, and my name, the key to keeping this eternal darkness is locked away. I must… be erased...at least my name… and the items, they need to be hidden too.'
Taking a deep breath, the king slowly lifts the pendant from his neck, and holds it out for Seto to take, with a tired smile on his face. "Take the pendant and shatter it once I have passed."
He watched as Seto's eyes widened and he open his mouth to decline, but the king cut him off before he could. " Erase my name from history and hide the millennium items for good, so that the evil god may never be freed. This is my final request as your…."
His voice faded, as the light in his determined eyes finally gave out. No longer able to support himself, he drops the millennium pendant and his knees buckle under his own weight.
'Ah, so this is the end.'
The Pharaoh watched as Seto tried to catch him, but failed and his body collided with the rough golden sands below. He could feel worried hands shake him, he could hear Seto's panicked cries, but they were distant. The very last thing he was able to recognize in his fading mind was the glint of the golden pendant. His eternal home.
'For eternity. I'll keep this world safe from darkness. I shall be its light...for eternity. The power...to keep my friends and this country safe...that is was my wish…. on you.'
'The millennium items were forged from the lives of the thieves, women, and children of Kul Elna to save this country from war.'
Priest Seto hands were trembling as he forced himself to gently lift his deceased ruler into his arms. The cries of his remaining comrades sounded behind him as he cradled the precious body in his arms. He couldn't fight the tears on his face, nor did he try to hide them as he turned and faced the remainder of the royal court.
Their own faces mirrored his when they laid eyes on the limp body, their wails unmuted as some to their knees in sorrow and others cursed the gods .
But Seto, remained standing tall, not letting his own sorrow deter him from his new mission, from the task that had now been passed to him.
He now had a kingdom to rebuild.
'The wielders of the items once said, the millennium items could grant any wish they desired. And it did, just not in the way one had thought it would be.'
"You're new king, Pharaoh Seto!"
The crowd chanted and cheered his name, it was bittersweet to the new king. This...this wasn't supposed to be his destiny, he was meant to be the high priest, the previous pharaoh's right hand man, an aid in his rule. Never did he think he would be taking over the position of the king, but he accepted it dutifully. His friend, his cousin, had been a great king, but he would be even better. He would surpass him and become an even better servant of the gods, no, he would become a god himself; the true living Horus!
Raising a fist in the air, the new king addressed his subjects with complete confidence, just like a true ruler. "Today marks not an end of an era, but the beginning of a legacy! Together we shall rebuild this land. Together we shall unite and stand strong together. We will show our enemies and or allies that Khemet is strong and that nothing can topple that strength, because we are united! And together we crush all of our weaknesses without hesitation!"
The crowd erupted into a mighty roar of praise for their new king. Smirking Seto basked in glory of the euphoria he received from thousands of people chanting his name in eager motivation. Look at that, he even had a better response to his coordination than his predecessor. Now, all he had to do was surpass him in his ruling strategy, and then, when he finally met that small king again, he would boast about his accomplishments and prove that he had been the better king.
That is….if he was able to see the former king again in their afterlife.
'The items had brought the people great power, but also brewed darkness in the heart of man, and for that reason, the items were hidden after the defeat of the great evil.'
The former king wanted the items to be hidden from the hands of evil, the new court magician, she had suggested in sealing them away for forever with one of her master's spells. Pharaoh Seto had agree, that was the rational thing to do, yet, he couldn't bring himself to issue the order. Instead he allowed for the formation of a secret cult that would be sworn to protecting the items with their lives for generations, all the way to the end of time. They would never wield the items, but watch over them and prevent them from falling into the wrong hands.
As the centuries passed, however, the cult's beliefs and leaders slowly became warped and distorted as they became greedy for the power of the Nameless king and the Millennium Items. Enough so, that a father engraved his son's own flesh with the rite on how to rebirth the great king and tried to sacrifice him to the Millennium Rod, but it had dire consequences and he twisted the strings of fate too greatly.
'But there was one item that was stronger and more sacred than the others.'
It had been one of his final wishes, and the hardest one acknowledge. Priest Seto, before his coronation as king, and his remaining comrades gathered around to stare at the accursed millenium pendant. Upon their king's-no friend request, they had to shattered it, but it was no simple task. They each used the power of he ka's to shatter the golden object into hundreds of sacred pieces that could never be placed together unless the soul assembling it was one the souls bound to the occult golden object approved of.
The pendant was no more, instead it was renamed to the millennium puzzle, and unsolvable riddle until a truly worthy person came to possess it. But to Priest Seto and the Nameless King's friends, it was more than just a magical item. It was vessel that harbored their precious king's soul, memories, and perhaps even his name they all had forgotten. His body had faded to sand within hours after his passing, leaving no hope of a funeral, no way for his soul to return home, no connection to them. This was the only way they could honor him; by placing this precious puzzle in the tomb that had been prepared for his body, instead it would now guard the sacred item for eternity.
'It was the home to the soul of a great nameless king, and shattered to protect it from the hands of the unworthy. With a message to those who dared to seek it,'
An adventurous gambler had took the wrong offer this time, the wicked man who used and threatened him to solve the great riddles of the sacred tomb of an unknown king, had nearly killed him. Hanging from the edge of the narrow pathway, he could only think of his daughter and wife back at home in Japan, and how he would most likely never see them again. He was sending his last prayers, when a man smiled at him from above and reached out a hand in silence. His wild hair was otherworldly, just like his golden tan and red-violet eyes. And his clothes! They silently told secrets of long forgotten times, but all which was blissfully ignored as the adventurer reached for that saving grace, and was pulled to safety with the beautiful words " I've been waiting for you, my friend." echoing in a deep whisper in his ear. And when he recovered from his near death experience, he dared to press forward, to see this sacred treasure for his own eyes, and...he did.
Years passed and the adventurer settled down, quitting his gambling ways and opened up a humble gaming shop to share his passion with the world. His beautiful daughter had gifted him with a grandchild that he loved and cherished with all of his heart. He look so much like the apparition he had seen in that fateful tomb where he nearly lost his when that precious child turned eight, the retired adventurer gave him the ultimate gift from his travels; the sacred treasure of the very king who had saved his life in the tomb so many years ago.
' To the one who solves me, they shall be given power and my dark knowledge.'
He couldn't believe it, after eight years of tinkering and fiddling with the precious puzzle his grandfather had given him for his birthday as a child, he was nearly finished solving it. A piece here, another placement there...and now he only had the final piece left. Holding that precious piece that would complete his puzzle, the boy made a silent wish, something that he dearly wished for and didn't dare to utter out loud. Such a precious wish should be kept close to his heart, allows until it was granted. With a bright smile, The boy put the final piece in its specific slot before holding the completed puzzle high above his head, rejoicing loudly at the accomplishment of his years of hard work and determination.
He did it! He finally- Uh oh.
His bedroom was swarmed with dark inhuman silhouettes of creatures, swirling around the teen as the puzzle grew hot in his hands and a magical third eye appeared on his forehead. He had no say, as his mind slowly faded out of consciousness and an entirely new spirit took control of his body, altering his appearance into a slightly older and more corrupted version of himself. Gentle violet eyes were now sharp red-violet hues with swirling emotions seeking, craving the suffering of those. A chaotic laughter, deep compared to the teen's normal voice rippled through his room, haunting his surroundings as a new dark force was being released to the world.
'But to the one who deserves me, they will have their wish granted and kept for eternity.'
"W-Wait up, Guys!"
The specter float idly next to the young teen running ungracefully towards his group of friend. He chuckled, admiring the boy's eagerness not to get left behind , even though the trio had stopped the walking to patiently wait for their fourth friend, that was the heart of their small group.
"What's takin' you so long, Yug'? We can't wait all day for ya!"
"Jou's right, Yugi! Put them little legs to work!"
"It's okay Yugi, don't listen to the two boneheads, we'll wait for as long as we have to. That's what good friends do!"
The teen smiled as he added a little extra energy to his run, hurrying to his friends as fast as he could. He loved them dearly and couldn't stand to be apart from them any longer than he had to. It was one of the greatest gifts he received.
"Don't push yourself, partner." The specter spoke gently, as Yugi start huffing, he shook his head with a smile at the spirit's words.
"Don't worry, I can handle this! Besides our friends are waiting for us!"
"You mean, your friends, partner."
"No ours! Because you're just as much their friend as you are mine!"
"What do you mean?"
Yugi stopped at the bottom of the hill his friends were stand on top off, resting his hands on his knees, giving himself both a small break, and time to talk to his 'other self'.
"You are part of the puzzle and I made a wish on the puzzle to be able to have friend that I could hold dearly to me heart and cherish forever. You made it possible for me to befriend, Jou, Honda, and Anzu. You help me find my friends and you are just as much involved with them as I am, so they are also your friends! And once they get to know you, You'll be able see that yourself clearer. You granted my wish, and now, it's time for me to grant yours. Now let's get going!"
Yugi took off again, leaving a a baffled spirit behind to ponder over his kind words. The celestial being felt a smile grow on his normally emotionless face, followed by a soft chuckle. "My wish, huh?"
Despite not having his own memories, the spirit felt nostalgia bubble in his chest as he started after the young teen again.
If he could have a wish, then the spirit wished that he could make sure no darkness, no evil would ever disturb the beautiful light of this world that Yugi had showed him.