The Millennium Puzzle.
It was an ancient artifact found in the Valley of Kings long ago, held in an unmarked tomb. A team of Archeologists found it and, after some time bickering with each other, decided to sell it to the highest bidder.
But before the big showcase, something happened.
The members of the team disappeared one by one and were proclaimed dead to the public. The last thing anyone heard from them was the terrified screams of a man chanting, "Penalty of Darkness."
The puzzle was declared cursed after this. It passed hands throughout generations, never belonging to someone longer than three years. Eventually, the puzzle fell into the hands of Moto Solomon - the owner of a Game Shop in the small town of Domino City, Japan.
Knowing of the puzzle's past, Solomon made a decision to put the artifact away in the back of his crowded storage. For more than ten years it stayed out of sight and out of mind. Solomon had almost forgotten about it completely, until a certain boy asked, "Solomon-san, what's this?"
His young ward - Yami Atemu - was a curious soul. He would often go scavenging throughout the shop to find any new and exciting games to play. It wasn't that much of a shock to find the boy holding the puzzle out to him, his piercing red eyes practically demanding for an answer.
"The Millennium Puzzle - an artifact made in a time where men and Pharaohs played games of great and terrible power. Inscribed on its side is a saying: 'To whoever completes this puzzle, I will grant them one wish with my dark power'."
That small speech came with a price. Ever since that day, Solomon's ward would spend his afternoons locked up in his room as he tried to complete the puzzle for hours everyday. At first, Solomon had been worried about the boy falling into darkness like the Archaeologist team. But after three months past and Atemu was still diligently working on his new infatuation, Solomon's fears faded.
Let him continue working on the puzzle, he thought to himself. If no one else could complete it in the past millennia, then there's no way Atemu would.
And so Yami Atemu kept trying to complete the puzzle. Everyday, every afternoon, for hours at a time, he would work on it. But he never managed to finish it. As the years went on, his passion for completing his treasure grew stronger.
He gave it a name - Hebe (meaning game in Egyptian). And he told it his thoughts and dreams and fears. Sometimes he would sit and just stare at the pieces, thinking of what it would turn out to be. Thinking of if his wish would actually become true...
And then - it happened!
One night he was just fiddling with the pieces half-heartedly, and he noticed that the puzzle was almost completed.
There was a triangular piece as the base, and a little hole for something like a rope to be slipped through. It was the farthest he had ever gotten with the puzzle!
Excited, Atemu continued with his building. His body shook with restrained happiness as the pieces clicked together more and more.
Finally, he thought happily. Finally I'm completing it. My wish would come true after I slip the last piece in.
The eye of Ra sparkled in his hand. Atemu took in a deep breathe and clicked the final piece in. Drawing himself up straight, he stated his wish -
- Meanwhile In The Puzzle -
Darkness.
It was evil, manipulating, merciless, and cruel. It was cold and ruthless. Always eager to cause more suffering and pain.
It was all she could remember. Her name, her past, her memories - all of them were gone with how many centuries she had been trapped in this prison.
Chained to a wall with the darkness encasing her at every turn. The golden metal digging into her flesh and causing old wounds to tear open and cry blood. The calls of anger, depression, hatred, and fear screamed through her ears at all times. Her throat begged for relief from its torture schreechs. The pain never got any better as the centuries past.
Her want for freedom from her bonds had faded over time. Her hope, her happiness, her joy, and desire were no longer inside of her. She knew she would never escape. Her hopelessness caused the darkness around her to crave more pain.
And then, suddenly something appeared.
It was big and bright and it chased the darkness away. It melted away her chains, it silenced the voices around her, and it encased her in an embrace that so warm and comforting, she felt...protected.
"I wish for a friend. Someone who would love and cherish me, as I would them. Someone who be by my side, always, and never leave or betray me. As I would never leave or betray them."
The voice. It sound so deep and commanding. So desperate and sad. So familiar!
For the first in a long time, someone moved in her. A want, a desire to make this person happy. To make his wish come true.
Devotion. Love. Adoration. Thankfulness. The emotions she felt caused her to jump to her feet and run in the direction of her rescuer's voice.
The darkness, weak from the sudden intrusion, tried to bite at her heels to keep her from escaping. But their attempts went unnoticed.
Her hand, wounded and leaking blood, stretched out - and she fell face forward on something hard, warm, and very much alive.
"WHAT THE HELL?"