Title: The Eye of Re

Author: Felicia Angel, the Volcanic Alchemist

Fandoms: The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne/Yugioh

Rating: R (or high PG-13, but I would say R)

Warnings: blood/gore, cursing

Category: Supernatural/fantasy/horror

Disclaimer: The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne is the property of Gavin Scott, Talisman Crest, and many others. Yugioh is the property of Kazuki Takahashi and Shonen Jump, as well as a few others. The only thing I own in this is the situation, a few characters, some plot holes, and a pack of Egyptian Tarot cards which seek to inspire me for each chapter.

(notes on events, in case you're not familiar with either fandom, are at the end of each chapter)

Prologue: The Fool

"Punishment—Man as a slave of matter takes his mistakes with him, heading for new mistakes."—The Egyptian Tarot

She watched the dark man from Egypt as he slowly moved through the building, amazed at the audacity of him and his tribe. Did they truly think she was an idiot who wouldn't know the moment they arrived at this new place she called a home? Did they think her a fool?

Perhaps not, but either way she wasn't going to stand for him walking so bravely into the lion's den without a fight. Few could claim to have done that and lived, and those who could she would praise easily.

But not these men. Never them.

She stopped near the exhibit on Egyptian culture and the man halted next to her, looking at the empty coffin that had been brought to New York a few months ago. "What do you want?" she growled in Egyptian to the man.

"I bring bad news," he replied in the same language after flinching from the sound.

"Define 'bad'."

"…some of the Seven Secrets are missing."

She considered this and finally snorted. "This is my problem how, exactly? You are the ones who are supposed to guard them, not me. I turned my back on all but one of the Seven and I'm not about to help out the others."

The man looked at her with lavender eyes and finally said, "It's larger than that, Mig--."

"Call me that at risk of your life," she interrupted him in a low voice, "You are not one I've allowed to call me that."

The man looked at her, fear once more in his features, and finally nodded before continuing, "The Rod, the Ankh, and the Eye. Those are the ones missing."

She felt herself stiffen as she realized what the situation implied, or at least what it could mean. Those three particular items…well, two of them, anyway…but still.

Had they the Ring as well…I fear what might still be left over in that cursed Item. Forgive me, Mahaado, but after your death that's all that it was.

"And?"

"While we have the knowledge of their precise locations, we lack the resources to gain them back."

She glared at him, "You mean none are able to handle the 'Secrets', and thus you think that I must be the one to do it? What is in this for me?"

He shifted and shook his head, "Nothing. Even we do not know where the Tomb is, but when we do find it, or hear word of the Pharaoh's—"

She looked over at him and told him, "If any go near his tomb, all I ask if that you let them."

"…let them?"

"I have my reasons for it. The Tomb is a Puzzle, and thus must be solved before the Pharaoh can return."

The man looked at her and she continued, "I will get the three you have lost, if you allow that Tomb to be opened by someone at some point, and see if anyone can ever figure out the Puzzle."

-o-

The young man paused at the doorway to his temporary lodging, wary of many things, one of them being the fact that he had received a vision from the Tauk. He had not told the Mighty One (1) of his possession of it, because he was unsure as to how she would react. It was partly known that she had no good thoughts towards those who were chosen to bear one of the Seven Secrets, not since the Nameless Pharaoh and his priests, and her malice that had been directed towards him at the museum was open and obvious.

She hated those with the Seven Secrets, even more so than his—

No, he couldn't think on that. He didn't want to. He couldn't.

The door opened and he stepped in only to have a gun pointed at his face, nearly touching the bridge of his nose.

"Ah, you must be Saim. Welcome. Please, come in."

Saim sighed and walked inside, the gun's wielder moving back as he stepped forward and someone else closed the door. There would be at least three of them, and sadly he had little to no experience in fighting. One of the many reasons why he wished—

He wished—

"Now, we've heard that the Item you are currently wearing can't be taken off unless it finds a new owner. Our orders are to bring you back alive." The man's smile grew insane and dangerous. "Count Gregory wants a word with you."

"You will not make it out with me."

"What did you say?"

"You heard me," Saim said, his eyes bold, "You will not make it out of this room alive."

"Are…you actually…threatening me?" the man's insane smile was now replaced by one of rage before he brought the pistol around to hit Saim hard on the side of his face, causing him to see stars and his head whipped to the side from the force of the blow. "Don't threaten me! You are nothing, you desert heathen! Nothing! Do yourself a favor and accept that your life will go towards the League and its continued support of the rightful order of things?"

A cool voice cut in, "You are all very pitiful. Perhaps I should consider this a mercy killing."
Before the two men on either side of him could respond, both were suddenly cut down, their eyes still amazed while their bodies parted down the middle, blood and organs spilling onto the floor and slightly spraying Saim and the man with the gun. Saim felt himself turned around, the gun now placed on his temple. Some blood had splattered the now-darkened wall behind him, and was being absorbed as the Mighty One walked out, her eyes nearly glowing like that of a lion's at night, and beside her a larger pair of glowing eyes…no…three pairs.

Her outfit was different from that of before, now taking on a look that seemed to have been from ancient Egypt, though instead of the usual white or animal-skin color, it was the color of blood. Faintly through the material, he could see what appeared to be scarring or a tattoo that spanned her upper chest and over the tops of her arms, near the shoulders.

"Stay back! If you don't, I'll kill him! He holds the Tauk, he should be important to you!"

A long, curved sword turned slightly and she smirked, an evil glint in her tawny-colored eyes. "Perhaps he should be, but he's not. And you are nothing more than garbage and scum. Why I even wasted my time talking to you is beyond me."

The man growled at her and now pointed the gun in her direction. "I don't care what you are doing, slut, but I will have what I came for! I will deliver this man to Count Gregory, and the League of Darkness will ensure that democracy dies!"

The Mighty One's smile grew wider, and if possible, even more cruel. "Count Gregory and the League of Darkness? I thank you for that information. Now…" she pointed to him and for a second he saw what appeared to be a type of joy in her contempt-filled eyes, "muat (2)."

Faster than the man could realize, or fire off his gun at either of them, the dark body of an giant asp came from the shadows and struck his hand, causing him to cry out in alarm and drop the gun, as well as releasing his hold on Saim. As he watched the man back away in terror at having been bitten, Saim heard the Mighty One's low chuckle at the intruder's fear.

"The poison won't kill you. My lovely Merew (3) will. Merew…"

No command was needed, but Saim turned as the monster, a being of the Shadows, leapt, the giant lion claws tearing into the man while the asp which served as a tail hissed and the dark red wings covered the carnage from view. They couldn't, however, silence the last scream and gurgle the man uttered as he was attacked and devoured.

The Mighty One turned to him. "You didn't mention you were the owner of the Tauk." Before Saim could reply, she gave him what appeared to be a slightly warm smile. "I congratulate you. Normally, that particular Secret chooses women."

Saim nodded. "So I am told."

The Mighty One looked over to where the crunch of bones and flesh could be heard before saying, "I told you I would find you the missing Secrets, and I will. That scum gave me information, however I will need your help."

"My help?"

"You are here not just because those three are missing. You are here because of who took them."

Saim was amazed that the Mighty One would know such a thing but finally bowed. "It was my sibling. Because I and my brother were chosen to bear the Secrets and because she could not, she stole them. She wishes to give them to a being of power so that they can look into the past and create more, or even resurrect the Pharaoh himself."

The Mighty One snorted. "Your sibling is an idiot. Though considering the danger you walked into willingly, I can not say much better for you either." She paused and then waved one hand. The sword, as well as the darkness and her monster, her ka servant, disappeared, as did the stains and her outfit, which changed to the normal clothing of a middle-class man though Saim knew she was a woman, and others could tell as well. Why she chose this mode and why no one spoke to her of it…he didn't know and could only guess that it was due to her inapproachable nature. For all her beauty, she was as cold as ice, or gold.

Perhaps the legends are true, Saim thought while the Mighty One looked around the room before saying, "Pack. We must leave."

"Leave?"

"We are going to find the Secrets. That requires us to leave. If you wish, book passage to England on a ship, the fastest you can find or afford. I will use my own way."
He blinked at her and finally found the courage to ask, "You are going after one of the Secrets?"

She looked at him and finally nodded. "I can feel them, and one is in the air between here and England. I will meet you there, and from that point, we will go after those who would disturb the Secrets."

Perhaps…

Saim thought of the legends as he quickly packed his things, not noticing the Mighty One leave the room as he did so. Legend said that the monsters of the Shadows appeared from men's hearts, and the Seven Secrets were to protect the land from foreign invaders as well as keep the peace within by extracting the evil monsters and imprisoning them. The Six Priests, and the great Pharaoh, were those who held that peace.

Then the peace shattered, and the monsters began to appear again. One of the Priests went against the Pharaoh, and sometime during that battle, the great Pharaoh gave up his life to save his land, giving up his title to the Priest he had been fighting.

The specifics were never told, lost in time, just like the Pharaoh's real name.

Lost to all but one, the one who had been present at the final fight, the one who had been pushed back and now waited for the return of her Pharaoh.

The Mighty One, Sakhmet, who had protected the Pharaoh during his reign, had quit Egypt and vowed not to return until the time when she had her Pharaoh's blessing. Within her, it was said, were three Items, made from the same gold as the Secrets themselves, but younger and more raw, their power different but just as damning. One was said to be wrapped around her heart, so that she could love no one, could care for no one, but the Pharaoh himself.

His meager items packed, Saim now turned only to realize the Mighty One had left long ago, leaving him alone in his musings. He turned only slightly before seeing the ticket which would get him to England, and breathed a silent prayer to the gods for the blessing, as well as smaller prayers for those who would end up between the Mighty One and her goal.

She was gone to retrieve the first of the three missing Secrets.

1—My character's title is Sakhmet, which was the name of a lion-headed goddess of war and pestilence. One of the names she was known by was 'Mighty One'.

2—Egyptian for 'die/death'

3—Egyptian for 'desert'

Chapter 1: The Hanged Man

"Expiation—Devotion is a divine law from which no one is exempt."—The Egyptian Tarot

Early in her life, there was fire and death.

She remembered little of her life before that, but if she thought hard enough she remembered her mother's hands and her sibling's laughter, her father's strong arms wrapping her in a hug, and her watching him create weaponry for the Pharaoh's army.

But she learned it was weaponry, and for the Pharaoh's army, after she had arrived back in the palace.

After the cult had taken them all, all but her.

Ninety-nine lives to create Seven Items, the Seven which protected the kingdom of Khmet from the invaders which threatened it and the families. If the Pharaoh had known of the cost, would he have still allowed it to happen?

Nine people, her family, received the same treatment, and out of that came enough for three small items, barely what was needed.

And when they were still hot and unformed, she stole them and the last creation her father had been making: the hilt of a sword.

She had dipped the hilt into the liquid and it had absorbed a third of it, creating for her a perfect weapon, one which was hers and hers alone, one which could be any size, and edged or blunt weapon, anything that could be made she could recreate from that hilt.

She dipped her hand in and rubbed it over her chest and it created a gold-blood tattoo that burned like fire as it took form, but she accepted it. It made her strong, it protected her and those she wished to protect from the harm that others might face.

With the last bit, she formed a scarab beetle, the symbol of eternal memory and life, and shoved it into her heart.

When she had awoken, she knew what she had done. She knew she was now different, and could no longer be a scared little girl.

She sat up and saw herself near the tombs, and saw one who would raid it, who would steal from the dead, from those who had departed this world to the land beyond, the land which she had seen herself for a brief moment and walked in only to be pulled out.

The man's body, the pieces and insides strewn across the opening of the tomb as a warning for others and avoided by the vultures and other beasts that feasted on dead flesh was only the first of many warnings over the next five years. And it was from those who were left alive, those who saw only a glimpse of her and the dark animal she had found was now attached to her, that she got the name which other granted her, which only those who guarded the Pharaoh's tomb knew her by.

Sakhmet, the Mighty One, the Goddess of War, the Eye of Re.

The embodiment of divine punishment.

-o-

With a graceful step, she got off of Merew and quickly set about to killing all those on the deck. The flying fortress had not seen her coming in the darkness that suddenly consumed them, and for one of the first times in millennia, she had brought out her other monsters as well, though they had attacked various other spots. Merew, her lion-asp chimera, was quickly eating those which tried to harm it, or had the stupidity to not throw themselves from the rail for a quick if long fall to their death.

At least it would be painless, a drop into the ocean. But these men seemed to want to protect the ship and its contents. She never understood the fanatical worship of those who tied themselves to an organization. Perhaps it was brainwashing, or simply never knowing anything else. She had known life and had known that she could've lived a normal life had she not taken the blood-gold that had been made from her family's bodies, but she had, and now she had a sword that could easily cut down those in her path, a tattoo that granted her and those around her some protection as well as helped her call upon the monsters she had long ago bonded to her and now loved, and the scarab-beetle heart. That had kept her alive, that had her own type of devotion, but to one thing.

The man before her was cut in half across the waist, sending his top half over the side, while the man beside him, frozen in fear of this girl covered in blood and with glowing lion eyes, looked at him only a moment before she slammed his head into the narrow edge behind him and, grabbing his gun, used it to pin him up.

It was not an easy task, and while she knew she shouldn't be taking so much time, she still enjoyed this.

She was doing what she has always done since she got the Items, since she had awoken and taken down the first of many bandits. She was being herself once more, being the person she was supposed to be, being the one who had been called Sakhmet not just because she guarded the tombs of the kings, but because of her bloodthirsty nature, because some said that if she had the chance, she would destroy all of humanity, or those she deemed unworthy, and become sick off their blood.

That was untrue.

She would only kill those that got in her way.

As she went inside, meeting more men and killing them quickly, or bloodily depending on the room and the situation, she considered something of importance when she came up to a fork. If one was alive, they might be able to lead her to whichever of the Secrets was onboard and then she could kill him.

A group came from her left and she quickly killed all but one, pinning him with a bayonet through his right arm before grabbing it, forcing the man to stay in place or lose an arm.

"Now, I have to ask this, and if you don't answer me truthfully I will have to cut open your stomach and use the hole to chop up your organs while they're still inside of you. Where is the Item?"

"I—I—"
"That's not an answer," she made her blade smaller and placed it where his stomach would be, "Try 'left' or 'right'."

"L—left…"

"I see. Come on, then." She spun him around and made him move down the corridor for a while before she became aware of the fact that there were no more guards.

Strange, she didn't realize she had killed all of them so quickly. Perhaps she had misjudged the amount of people on the ship?

The good grunt lead her to the room, and she looked over to see that it was the Ankh which had been placed here. Around the room were the bodies of men who had tried to possess it and had their souls burned for it.

"It doesn't matter…no one can touch it!" he told her, "no one is the right person!"

"Of course not," she told him, shoving him against a wall nearby and then walking over to pick up the Ankh. Her tattoo glowed briefly before the tattoo of an ankh appeared on her arm and the Ankh itself disappeared. She smiled and looked back to see that her injured guide had decided running while she wasn't looking was the best option.

Oh well. Survivors always made it all the better, especially if he did get back to that 'Count Gregory' that the other man had spoken of. That would mean he would know about her and about what she could do. That might give him time to prepare or run.

Either way, she would have some fun for the time being.

She walked back out of the room and into the fresh air, the bodies littering the place and the ship starting to descend for lack of crew and possibly due to a fire that one of her monsters had created.

Ah well.

Merew came over to her and sniffed, while the other two walked up and looked out. She looked out as well before seeing what appeared to be another airship, this one calmer and seemingly more relaxed, flying rapidly the other direction. If it was the ship that the man had escaped on or simply a different ship altogether, she didn't know or care to.

She had one of the Secrets. She could find the rest, and while she did, she could destroy those who would dare steal from their own family and from the memory of those whom she had served with.

Set. Mahaado. Karim. Shada. Isis. Mana. Siamon. Even Akunadin.

Pharaoh…my Pharaoh, my sebah (1)…

The girl sighed sadly and put a hand to the scar which covered over her heart, and which had looked like a blood-red ankh tattoo, and remembered.

-o-

She watched the two boys fight before sighing. Why she had agreed to take the role as their mentor, at least when it came to fighting, was beyond her. She had saved the Pharaoh's son and the young boy who had helped him, but the cost was the Pharaoh's wife and the young boy's mother as well. Perhaps this was a punishment because she hadn't been quick enough to save the wife…

She walked over and used the flat ends of the two wooden swords she had brought to hit both of their heads, causing the two to collide and then fall to the ground. Both looked up at her and she was now able to take in her new charges. The smaller boy had a height made up almost entirely of his hair, which was multicolored and stuck up in some odd fashion, akin to a star or crown. His bangs flowed upwards as well, creating the effect of gold lightning cutting a path to his face. His eyes were crimson and he looked at her with equal curiosity and surprise. He obviously remembered her from the rescue and the attack by the defecting Cult. The other was taller, with dark hair and piercing hawk-like eyes that glared at her from beneath the hood of hair that covered his forehead.

"I am here to teach you how to fight," she told them, sticking the two swords in the ground. "But you both seem to have found a good reason to fight."

"He called me a liar," the prince said, glaring at his opponent.

"You said that you could summon one of the stone monsters, and I know you can't."

"CAN! My—"
"ENOUGH!"

Both boys were quiet and obviously scared, but they had officially gotten to the end of her rope. Exactly what was so special about the stone slabs? Priest Akunadin and Advisor Siamon said something about it being evil ka, but she had not asked for more, simply said she didn't care. They had been trying to talk to her about it since she had agreed to stay in the palace, and she didn't want to know or care what their monsters could do, or where they came from.

Or the similarity between her own golden items and the ones the priests carried.

"I said we were to learn fighting, not arguing! Considering that you both are so avid about it, we will begin." She motioned to the two swords behind her. "These are some of the items of basic defense: an edged weapon. Because of the length, size, and various other things, not all of them are the same. But we won't be starting with that. We'll be starting on defending yourself when you don't have a weapon."

"Like fists?" the taller one asked.

"Yes. If you can get past me and both of you get the swords in your hands, we will begin using swords as well. Until then you will have to learn how to fight without a weapon." She looked at them. "If you both are ready…"

The two blinked at her, then looked at the swords, and finally each other before both were up and trying to get at her, but pushing the other away to try it.

She easily sent them back to the ground. Neither one of them stayed down for long, but when they both fell back, exhausted, she walked over and got a basin of water from the servant, the two swords in her hand. She walked back and set the basin down between the two boy's heads.

"What did you both do wrong?"

The prince was the one who answered, "We didn't work together…we fought."
"And in doing that, you forgot about the common foe."

The other boy grimaced and nodded. "I thought I was good enough."

She tilted her head at him. "I heard the word for that is 'pride'. It is a very dangerous thing to let in, for it may consume you, or it may simply cause you to underestimate all of your opponents. Consider this today's lesson: even after a fight, even when there is to be a fight, if there is a common foe, that makes even the worst of enemies consider partnerships."

-o-

She sighed again while she petted Merew. "I don't think he ever remembered any of my teachings on pride'," she muttered almost to
herself before getting onto the chimera as it took off from the descending ship. She looked back over at the dirigible that was heading away and realized that it was heading back towards London, where she had agreed to meet the man Saim. She shook her head at the
name, wondering when she considered the look of his face and everything else. No, if he held the Tauk he was more likely a descendant of Isis then of Karim or Shada, unless either decided to marry her. She paused, realize she hadn't found out before leaving who had been left alive and who had died. She knew that Mahaado had died, and her anger at the damned thief always intensified when she thought of him. Had she the chance, she would've torn out all of his insides and forced him to swallow them again before she gouged out his eyes, ripped his head off then pissed down his throat, and tossed the body into the nearest chasm.

Akunadin's history only allowed her to consider, at points, a slightly cleaner death for him. But there always came back to her the memory that Set had been in love, or at least had taken a liking, to the girl who held the White Dragon ka before he did, and that her soul had been the one to break him free of the evil that had taken over the high priest's heart. Akunadin had killed that girl, Kisara, and thus deprived Set of something he had been lacking for a long time: a person to care for besides herself. She held both Set and the Pharaoh in high regard because they had come to be hers.

Not simply her students, or the prince, or suddenly a high priest, but hers. Her…she wasn't sure if there was a word for it, and if there was, she didn't know it. She wanted them to have no problems, to love and live and should it come to a sacrifice, to allow her to
take it instead.

But instead Set had lost his love, though he gained a beautiful symbol that would constantly remind him of everything. And the Pharaoh had given up his life, and become sealed in a puzzle that was, to most, nearly unsolvable. Unless the right person got it, the puzzle would react and send them into madness.

And within it was her Pharaoh's spirit. Who knew how much he knew of himself, or if he even knew himself…

So she cursed Akunadin and the thief anew as she looked at the dirigible, then blinked when she felt something…a tug.

She held out her hand and the faint outline of the Ring appeared. She remembered she had once helped Mahaado cast to see about the
recent grave robberies, but…that had been nearly three millennia ago!

Her hand flared out like the points on the Ring, and one finally pointed towards the dirigible. From her lips escaped a name, and she
blinked when she heard it.

"Jules Verne."

Her arm came back into her own control and she rubbed it, considering. Whoever this Verne man was, he obviously could be important, important enough that the spirit of Mahaado himself, or at least what little was left of the power of Ring, would direct her towards him.

And if he was on that dirigible and heading for England, then it must mean that one of the lucky deities saw fit to smile upon her today.

1-- Egyptian for star'. She calls him this due to the way his hair looks.