Title: Magic of the Heart
Author: Doubleplusgoodduckspeaker
Summary: You embrace that change, and you smile.
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!
Notes: Set after the 'events of the past,' after Zorc is destroyed in the AE arc. Dual-narrative (kinda), Vase and Mischeifshipping, and Soul-room story number 5 (eventually). Written for the YGO Contest Season Seven, Round Three: Vaseshipping, AtemxMana. Although it is not the primary pairing in this story, it does drive Mana's actions, thus driving the entire story. Again, in the same 'universe' as the four previous soul room stories, but not really connected with them- this one especially is a very separate story.
She still smiled as often as she once did, but if one was around her who truly knew her, they would notice that the smile did not reach her eyes.
Fortunate that no one who truly knew her was left there.
Mana wandered the halls of the Palace complex, revisiting all of the places where she trained with Mahaad or played with the young Prince-turned-Pharaoh-turned…? It seemed that once he had defeated the darkness he had turned into light; became Ra and flew up to the sky to join him. It seemed a natural conclusion at the time; it solved the itch she felt upon his coronation that he did not belong there. But with time the itch began to fester until she wasn't sure of anything anymore.
It wasn't fair. Because she saw him in every corridor, thought she heard his voice when really there was nothing there at all, and if she had only known that their days together were numbered, she would have told him her deepest confession without fear. She had always been so bold, she had just… never told him. And now it would never be. He was gone, and everything was different.
It didn't help that she had no one to turn to. Seto had never been one to tolerate her more…outgoing personality for long, and she had never been close to any of the other high priests. Alone, she threw herself into her training, doing what she thought he would want helped soothe the omnipresent itch, but there were still so many questions. How had the darkness come to Egypt in the first place? Why had things gone that far? And now, how was anyone sure that it wouldn't come back? Where had her Pharaoh Atem gone? Why wouldn't anyone tell her—?
A palace attendant turned the corner, footsteps echoing before she could see who it was. Step-skip, step-skip, put the mask back on—
It was the first time she had been called to the assembly where Mana was sure she wasn't in trouble. Other than that, she had no idea why they wanted to speak to her. The room was nearly empty save for the Pharaoh Seto, perched stiffly on the edge of the dais, surrounded by his priests. Shimon, Karim, Isis, Shada… it took several moments to realize that they were the only ones left. Of course.
"You have become more proficient in your studies of magic as of late," the Pharaoh intoned, gazing down upon her as if he could see right through her.
"I am trying to act in the way Master Mahaad would have wanted," she answered simply, truthfully. It was of no use lying to the Pharaoh, after all. She just wouldn't tell him that the real reason she had thrown herself back into her studies was because there was simply nothing else to do, she didn't have any real friends anymore—
"We see your remarkable progress and want to reward your achievements." He motioned to Shada, who came forward with a very familiar object.
"His Millennium Ring—?!"
"It is yours now. As Mahaad's protégé, you are to be the keeper of the Ring as he was. If you continue to excel in your studies you will become a high priest. It is a great honor."
Mana bowed, hands outstretched to receive the Ring. The moment cool metal touched warm skin, she felt it. "I—"
Stop the clocks; stop counting the seconds because time itself has stopped. In that moment, the decorated royal chamber was replaced with rough-hewn stone walls and suddenly it seemed entirely too dark. Out of the misty, swirling darkness (but how could darkness move, it seemed like it was almost alive—) loomed a pair of eyes. Time itself has stopped; it is time to replace everything you know, everything you thought you knew. There is no future or past, there is only now. There is Mana, and there is the Ring. There is something in the Ring.
Fast-forward again, turn the pages, everything is back to as it was before and nothing appears different even though you know it has, something has happened to induce change and that means that things will never be the same.
"I—I will do my best to uphold this honor. Thank you, Pharaoh."
You embrace that change, and you smile.
"Alright… who are you?"
Mana had waited until they were alone; she knew all of the Palace's secrets after all, and she was sure that no one would bother her here. Perhaps more fitting would have been the question: 'what are you?' She wasn't sure what she had felt when she was given the Ring, but she recognized the traces that magic left behind.
The other priests would have thought her crazy, talking to a Ring.
Mahaad? The words couldn't form on her lips, but she hoped against hope that she would hear his voice. It burned in the darkness which was suddenly around them, giving off a light which looked like a small flame.
"Who are you?"
The voice was dark and deep. It seemed to be coming from the flame itself, surrounding the Ring she held in her small hands. In the darkness it seemed to glow.
"That's not fair! I asked you first!" She hadn't expected an answer from the Ring, it startled her. In her confusion, the mask slipped just a little, because in the time that had passed she was beginning to forget what Mahaad's voice sounded like.
"Who am I? I am the Spirit of the Ring."
Spirit of the Ring…? Something deep within her told her that this, this -being-, was not her Mahaad, but she wanted it to be. Never had anyone spoken of spirits in their Millennium Items, and she wondered if perhaps she should go to the Pharaoh Seto. He probably didn't have the time or inclination to even hear her queries. He hadn't before. No. The Millennium Ring was hers, meaning that this Spirit, whoever he was, was her concern. Hers.
"What is your name?"
Her voice rang out, pitched high and clear. "My name is Mana."
Four words sealed her fate.
Time slows to a stop again, as it has done so many times before. No one else notices, but then again, they are not you. You are special, and it is you alone that is chosen to be keeper the Ring. They say that they've chosen you, but they know nothing. They are so ignorant, compared to us. Compared to what I can teach you. Time stops, no one can move, can break free, and you know what is coming.
With no one to distract you, you can hear my whispers more clearly. You do your best to ignore me, but I can see your resolve weakening. There is no one else who understands you like I can. Your friends are gone, you have no one—
No one but me.
Give in.
It is only a matter of time.
"How did you become imprisoned in the Ring?"
It had become almost a daily ritual; when her tasks were completed she would retreat back to that place and talk to it. She was curious, and it was so foreign to everything she thought she knew about the world. She wondered if Mahaad would have taught her these things if he hadn't—
"I was not imprisoned. I sealed myself inside the Ring."
"It must have taken a great deal of magic to do that." She knew that with enough power one could seal their soul inside anything, but the only person she had ever known to do that was Maha—
"It is not only a question of magic, but of emotion. With the proper…motivation, anything is possible. I thought you, of all people, would know that."
It was disturbing how often it spoke to her as if it knew her. No one truly knew her, her wants, dreams, wishes, and secrets— "Emotion?"
"When you cast a spell, any spell, you can feel the magic coursing through your veins. It feels…alive, doesn't it? Let that guide you. To cast a spell of this…nature, you have to feel it. It is only through intense rage, anger, desire, despair… this is not everyday sort of magic. Binding yourself to another object is eternal, it will never fade or go away and you must live with that. You can't waver in your convictions, or you would find yourself halfway between the two."
It was so new, it left her breathless. "Where?"
He had no form beyond a voice, but somehow she thought she saw him smile. "The Shadow Realm."
Information in an unmolded mind can be a dangerous thing. Ignorance was bliss to Mana. Knowledge was like a drug, and she was slowly becoming addicted to it.
You embrace that change, and you smile.
Practicing her magic for so long every day was exhausting. From sunrise to sunset she worked tirelessly, learning new spells and practicing old ones. Even the high priests noticed her newfound obsession. Shimon approached her one afternoon, asking if she needed any help, any assistance with her magic.
What she didn't tell him was that she had another tutor.
Slowly they had progressed from words to action. She didn't even remember how or when the change had happened. One afternoon, more tired than ever, she had been splashing water on her face and had complained, "I work so hard, but it doesn't feel like I'm making any progress. I'm not learning anything."
In the water—there it was again—those eyes. "Maybe you're not learning the right magic."
She leapt away from the water, running back until she was sure that no one was around. "What do you know about magic? I can feel it, whenever I cast a spell. You don't have any magic for yourself, do you?"
"I know well the realm of magic you've never dreamt of conjuring. More than that, I know emotion. To control your heart, you can make even the simplest of spells stronger. You are still so immature. There is so much you don't know…"
She sprang to her feet from the low stone bench she had been sitting on. "Then teach me! I want to know everything."
"In time, you will. We shall start small. Summon that fire again…"
Magic strains the body and the mind. No one could doubt that Mana was improving, but at what cost?
"I am glad to see that you are wearing the Ring. He would have wanted it."
"Indeed."
Shada paused as their pathway intersected with another. A caravan had just come in, and the palace was bustling with merchants and those interested in buying their wares. "Mahaad was a very brave man. Intelligent as well." Another pause. "He sometimes saw things that no one else could."
The comment hung in the air like a piece of forbidden fruit. "What sorts of things?"
"Mana! Don't concern yourself with matters of darkness. That path is not fit for anyone to tread. What I mean, is that Mahaad once told me he sensed something in his Ring."
His Ring? Doesn't he know that it is yours now; you've heard him say it! Notice how he toys with you, dodging your questions? All the priests are afraid of power. He doesn't want you to know what you are so determined to learn! Prove him wrong, I believe in you… Show them all, I know you can do it…
"He sensed darkness in the Ring. It drove him to ask questions, to uncover the true nature of the Millennium Items. Without his breakthrough, we might not have triumphed in that shadow battle not so long ago." Shada smiled down at her, a rare smile. "I've noticed how your spells are improving, Mana. You are progressing nicely. Mahaad, and our late Pharaoh as well, would be proud of you."
He left her at the crossroads, unsure of which path to take, caressing the pointed pendants of her Ring.
Stop the clocks, time itself is slowing down, the stillness is echoing, but it is not silent. Questions rise and writhe through the air, tantalizing, just out of your reach. Who-what-when-where-why—
They say that questions are wrong, questions are darkness. Knowledge is illuminating! Was it wrong of Mahaad to ask questions, when the knowledge he gained surely saved his soul from the shadows…?
Ask yourself this; what would you choose? Faced with an eternity of darkness or an eternity of darkness?
All roads lead to the same place in the End. The question is where will you be when you get there?
Time is at a standstill, but you know that things never stay static for long. It is the fate of the Universe that things change. They are going against fate. They say they want what is best for you.
I say: What do you want?
You can feel every molecule shaking around its core and you know it's time: three, two, one—
Everyone moved about their daily lives without a care in the world. They knew nothing about the world. Mana stayed at the crossroads for one second longer and then ran down one path. She stopped running only when she had arrived at her destination. Slowly, hesitantly, she peered into the trough of water, afraid at what she might see but at the same time, hungry for the knowledge with breathless anticipation.
Two eyes stared up through the murky water back at her. What do you want, Mana?
I want everyone to stop treating me like a child! The answer came, unbidden, from unmoving lips.
Then you must start treating yourself like a woman. The eyes blinked once before vanishing into the depths of the water.
She reacted almost desperately to his retreat; does he not like what he sees? She splashed more water on her face, smoothed her hair, straightened her dress, plucking nervously at her Ring. Perhaps the Spirit had a point…
Noise from the arriving caravan drew her attention. Who was she to look through fate?
You embrace that change, and you smile.
Mana felt ridiculous.
Gone were the plain, sand-colored clothes. Gone were the days of washing with water, of an undecorated face.
Mana felt beautiful.
She looked at her reflection in the sheet of polished bronze and saw a woman; dressed in silks the color of the sky she certainly felt like one. Her feet were encased in soft slippers the color of the sunrise and she had painstakingly applied kohl and colored liner to her eyes. If she felt this way, then why was she so embarrassed to leave her chamber? Didn't she want people to see this new Mana?
"This is what you want."
He was there—not more than a shimmer in the bronze surface, but she could see him. "I know, but… this is a big change. They don't know me the way you do." Her eyebrows furrowed. Just whose idea was it?
The image flickered again in the midday sun. It looked like it was dancing. "If you cannot go out into your world, then perhaps you'll consent to coming in to my world."
It took less than a minute for her to decide, but some part of Mana had known all along that she would go with him. "How do I get there?"
"Hold out your hand."
Your hand touches cool metal, and for a moment, nothing happens. Everything has stopped, and you can tell that things are at another crossroads. But it is not for you to decide.
You've made your choice, and I am pleased.
In the quarter of a second before everything disappears, the golden surface of the mirror pulses and it moves, spreading out in concentric circles from the point where your finger is fixed to the surface. In its reflection you can see another pulse, your Ring is reacting to it, and you can actually see the waves heading towards each other. They are about to collide—
They meet, and build together, and the force pulls you into the shower of light. You are no longer here, but there. Time resumes, and no one notices the subtle, powerful change that one person can make to the fabric holding it all together.
I embrace that change, and I smile.
"Where am I?" Mana rose to her feet, careful not to get any dust onto her new clothes.
"We are inside the Millennium Ring. More precisely, we are in the part of the Ring in which my soul resides." Resides, not lives. Living implies constant, positive change.
"So then, where are you? I want to see you; you've got to be more than a voice here."
"How right you are. You believe it, don't you? That is what you want. And here I am."
Mana turned and where there once was a voice there was now a man. Tall, lean, with hair that was once white but was now streaked with dirt. Those eyes, she knew all too well. She knew him. She knew what he had done. She could only guess at what he was about to do. "You're the Thief King…"
"In the flesh." His lips parted into a twisted grin, and the scar on his face stretched with the effort. "Pleased to see me?"
Everything was wrong. She had been so completely, irrevocably wrong. "H-How can you still be here? The pharaoh sealed you away—"
"Emotion, my dear Mana." His shoulders were hunched but still he towered over her. "All the hate and rage from what your pharaoh and his high priests did to my life that night at Kul Elna… it sustained me. The Darkness is powerful enough to withstand that silly magic trick the Pharaoh did to seal up my better half. It gave me a new life, and a new purpose. Tell me, Mana, did they ever confess? Would you like to know just what sorts of sins those in control are capable of? What they have already done?"
His voice echoed off the rough-hewn stone walls and the small part of Mana which had wanted to come here also thirsted for the knowledge. How could the power of such raw feelings drive such an existence? It had a power in itself that was something they would never teach her. Still, this man was dangerous. And his attention was focused entirely on her. "You're so blinded by that rage you can't separate fact from fiction!"
"And you're so blinded by your precious pharaoh and priest that you wouldn't accept the truth even if I told you!"
She fell silent.
"The fool Mahad sensed darkness in the Millennium Items. The Items are objects of great power, but their creation came at a price. Ninety-nine souls were slaughtered that night without retribution. They claimed it was for the good of Egypt but the fact remains that they are all murderers, no better than, say… myself." He quirked an eyebrow at her unusual silence. "You wonder how it is that I know of such things? The Darkness speaks to me. Ever since I was young it came to me, and when the Priests came to my village in the night it saved me from the destruction the rest of them faced."
The Thief King grinned while Mana looked horrified. An entire village, obliterated in one night… "You can't even begin to comprehend. Ninety-nine souls, and ninety-nine bodies—perhaps, what you need is a first-hand account. Come with me," and his voice was smooth, like honey. "It's just a look at my memories. I think you'll find it very enlightening."
"You need to know the truth," he continued. "The small intimations of what have come to pass are like sparks for you, keeping that fire burning. It will tear you apart if you don't sate that desire. You are my guest here, Mana. I will not let anything harm you."
Including you? There was something about the magic of this place, that as one spoke words they had form and structure, and Mana began to feel that fire, building slowly from her heart, singing her fingertips. She reached out her hand, and could feel the spark jump from his before their fingers intertwined.
It was dark, yet she could see. There was light yet there was no source, and it took Mana several moments to realize it was fire.
Kul Elna was burning.
She could hear screaming, but there was no one in sight. It seemed that everyone had already been found. She followed the sound until she came to a courtyard. The fumes of smoke were blinding here, and she doubled over, choking, eyes stinging. It smelled terrible.
There were people shackled together, and leading the procession—Aknadin! It was terrible but she could not deny it anymore, it was true. How could they have done such a thing? He ushered them towards the glowing cauldron and she had to look away, hands clasped over her mouth.
Now she knew and she wanted desperately to take it all back.
Staggering away towards one of the mud-brick buildings she noticed a small shadow in the flickering light. It was him. This boy would grow up to become the Thief King. He looked so small and so fragile, her heart reached out to him. How could anyone survive after such a trial?
His eyes were wide and he was shaking, but no one paid him any notice. He seemed to blend in with the shadows and almost become one with the darkness… in the second before she felt herself returning she thought she could see tendrils of shadow curling around his cheeks, as if brushing away tears.
"The world is a dark place, Mana, and the sooner you accept that the sooner you will stop crying. Now stop crying." Words fell on deaf ears as she hunched over, gripping her knees, almost surprised at how her body felt so warm. So alive. It was a curse.
"I can't do it! I won't!" The kohl was stinging at her eyes. Oh, if she could only go back to those days of girlish innocence, of washing with water—
"Listen to me. You have a bit of darkness in yourself and you don't even realize it." He had her attention now; eyes wide with surprise through the tears. "You have magic in you, Mana. Magic is darkness. It manifested itself quite apparently in your ka. The Dark Magician Girl? What you have isn't a curse. It is a gift, rare and not to be taken lightly. Embrace the Darkness. Don't you like the way it feels whenever you cast a spell?" He crouched down to her level, brushing away her tears with his robe. "Darkness isn't evil. Evil is men like the Priests who think that they can hide their own acts of darkness without vengeance. Letting them go unscathed is evil. Justice, Mana. Now that you know, you can do what's right." He stood and brushed off his robes. He now had something of a corporeal form and appearances must be maintained. "Are you ready to go back? Can you face them, knowing what they've done? Can you look in the mirror and see your Millennium Ring around your neck?"
She looked up at him then with eyes so filled with determination that he could see the darkness in them, swirling about in the depths of her irises. He had won! It was almost too easy. He smirked as she signed her contract and took his hand.
Mana was back, alone in her own chamber. She had never been so relieved to be alone. The sheet of polished bronze lay forgotten on the hard-packed floor, and turning her head away from it, she collapsed onto her own bed, the painstakingly-applied kohl lines running down her cheeks from the tears which inevitably came.
She clasped her Ring tightly between her hands, as if she could warm the cool metal by her touch. Everything about the Items had been shrouded in pain… she was resolved to end that cycle. She was in control of the Ring, and she had to embrace that Darkness which enveloped it before she could change it to Light.
Time hasn't stopped, not since you've been exposed to the truth. Each second is an eternity in itself, and I can reach out to you at any time, now… I'm not sure you even realize it yet. You don't understand just how much things have been changing. As you're getting stronger, so have I. We're bound together by this Ring.
It's almost time—you can feel it, can't you? I know it is, because this time, it will be you who will call out to me.
You'll want me.
I was the one constant in your shaken life, and you need it, like a lighthouse beacon calling you back to shore.
You'll need me.
For I've already given you so much; proof that there's so much farther to climb. You've grown dependent, knowing that you'll be much more miserable with a life without me.
You'll have me.
…Emotion, Mana. Didn't I tell you it was a magic unto itself?
It was an ordinary day, perhaps the reason why she had decided to call out to him, to start the countdown. She showed no surprise when he shimmered into existence, all of him, right before her eyes. She might have been disappointed if he hadn't. He inclined his head, as much of a greeting as he would ever give, and asked, "Did you just want to chat, or is it something more important?"
She wouldn't look at him. Facing away, her stance was resolute. "Why did you show me what really happened?"
"You deserve to know the truth. Besides, I'm not about to let the history of the Item's past also disappear into the Darkness."
Mana was fairly certain that this was not a complete answer, but chose not to press the issue. When she did speak, her voice was barely audible, even to her own ears. "I want to continue my training. There is still much I have to learn—please teach me."
If she had been watching him, she would have noticed the Spirit's eyes gleam or smile curve ever so slightly upwards, but she didn't…it was as if her mind was acting instinctively, separate from her body. He knew everything was close—he would end it soon. "Since you asked so nicely."
It was a rare moment when Pharaoh Seto was alone (and it made Mana's heart wrench to remember all of the times she had seen him on that same dais), and she took advantage of that, blurting out the question that she had kept pent up inside her for these long months. "Where did Pharaoh Atem go? Why did he go? I thought we had defeated the Darkness!"
"Stop," Seto raised one hand, his surprise evident at her use of the late pharaoh's true name. "Why are you asking this now? And why not approach one of the other priests?"
Her voice was smaller, yet she would not give up now. "You were the last one he talked to…surely he must have said something?"
Seto sighed. His short time as pharaoh had aged and exhausted him, yet his cousin had told him something—that he would become a great Pharaoh. He was gone now; his akh was with Ra in the sky and there was no cause to think about it any longer. This must have affected her more than any of them had ever realized. "If he wanted anything it was for us to be happy—he would not like to look down on us and see you in sorrow," he finished. "Can you do that, Mana? Can you be happy?"
"Oh yes," she answered, nodding her head in earnest. His words had confirmed what she wanted most to know. He wanted her to be happy—he wanted her to see him again! He would, too—if he could look down on them, there had to be another portal to him! And she knew well who next to turn to, in the hopes that her final question would be answered.
"Thief King."
She had but to call out his name and he was there, if not for the light shining in through the east window she would have thought him corporeal. "How was your conversation with the High Priest? Pardon me; he's Horus now, isn't he?"
"You will show respect," Mana returned, momentarily forgetting who she was in fact talking to. "How did you know I went to see him?"
"I know you," he began, and a chill went through her with the realization that perhaps he did, "when you want something, you go to the person most likely to give it to you. What did Seto say of your Pharaoh's parting?"
"Enough." She didn't know why, but she always felt uneasy mentioning him in front of the Thief King's presence. "Where do souls go?"
He smiled a hint of a smile—things were finally getting somewhere. "Depends on the soul. 99 went into the Millennium Items. Mine is bonded to the Ring. For many others, we call it the Shadow Realm. It's a crossing-over, halfway between life and the afterlife."
"Could we go there? If we wanted to?"
"…I don't know why you'd want to." A pause. "Except to find your Pharaoh."
He looked her in the eye, unblinking, and for a moment neither of them moved. Mana breathed in and out, in and out, noticing that the room seemed entirely too small, and that they were entirely too close. "How do you—"
"It's enough that I know, don't bother yourself with all the unnecessary details," he waved one hand languidly through the tepid mid-afternoon air. "The most important question of all is why. Why are you so desperate to see him again? …You love him, don't you?"
She started, her face rapidly coloring. "That's personal."
"If we want to get to the Shadow Realm, if you are going to cast that spell, then you have to," came his indifferent, calculating response. "Remember what I said about emotion, how it in itself is stronger than any magic? For your sake, and mine, you'd better feel something." He carefully planted the idea of the precariousness of his safety in her head, nodding imperceptibly when he saw that spark behind her eyes. Good, now she was confused. He had the door opened to her mind, and perhaps her heart, but he needed her to invite him in.
"And I will be going with you," he continued before she could say anything else. "You don't know the Shadow Realm, and could be trapped there… then who would rescue you…?" He let the words hang in the air. True, it was a shadowy and dangerous place… but again, he was counting on that.
"You're always thinking of me," was her unexpected reply, and it momentarily surprised him to be reminded that he was often thinking about her. In a moment of spontaneous emotion, she reached forward and took his hand. "You have taught me a great deal, and I know I'm not the best student." She almost laughed at this, thinking back to all of those times. "But thank you." Mana stepped away, hands tingling from the connection, and took another breath to clear her mind.
He regarded her coolly for a second before speaking. "We'll do it tomorrow. Be sure to get a good night's sleep."
"How did you know—?" She called out to the air where he had been standing but a second before. She slumped to the ground, wondering if she was that easy to read or if their time together had really been that illuminating. He was still a mystery to her.
That night Mana dreamt of Atem. She always called him by his name in her dreams, without Seto there to be scandalized over it. They were walking through the halls of the Palace, and not another soul was present but them—no guards, protectors, teachers, priests. No responsibilities or obligations to get in the way. It was comfortable. Somehow she knew it was just a dream but continued walking by his side.
When she turned to Atem, like she usually did when he asked her something, something was different. A tendril of darkness, pulsating almost like smoke, had curled around him, almost merging him with the inky darkness that permeated the sky at night. She didn't hear herself scream but was certain she had; in a moment the guards would come—why wouldn't anyone help!
She reached out her hand to stop him, her vision momentarily obscured by the smoke, from disappearing when suddenly she felt her hand grasp around something. She pulled, opening her eyes to find herself face-to-face with him. The Thief King. The Spirit of the Ring. That man—
"How do I get there?"
"Hold out your hand."
The phrase rose to the top of her clouded mind, so busy sifting through every other thought that ricocheted through her mind at lightning speed as she fought to control the frantic, irrational beating of her heart. It almost stopped completely when he leaned forward, his lips inches from her ear. In that moment the World would have stopped and she'd be right there with it.
"Hold out your hand." His voice was dark and deep, and against thought her other hand obediently rose, though its five fingers were clenched into a fist. "If they could see you now… they just might. But then, they might not see you ever again either." The words were raspy, whispered against her ear. Mana shivered.
She felt like she was standing on a ledge, a narrow surface dividing safety and chaos, ignorance and illumination. With just one false step, she might fall… and she wasn't there alone. He was there, with her, and for the moment everything was in balance. Things hadn't changed yet. But they both knew that very soon, they would. Mana tilted her head back to catch a glimpse of the stars, as if the answers were there, just out of her reach. Before everything became swallowed up in the endless expanse of night, the last thing she saw was his smile, sharply defined against the darkness, until it too faded away into the night.
Mana was dressed in vivid colors, the same fabrics she had bought that day at the caravan—she thought it seemed fitting, with things slowly coming full circle. She felt a strange shiver of apprehension and anticipation, but was far too excited to feel fear. She was ready.
There was a shimmer in the air and he was there beside her, as corporeal as she had ever seen him. "Are you ready?" He murmured.
"Of course I am."
"Then, I want you to feel. We need that emotion, that magic, to take us there."
Slowly and deliberately, Mana closed her eyes. The face of the Pharaoh, her Atem, swam into focus. She had come to memorize every plane of that face, every expression, and what it meant. Her heart again clenched at the thought; what wouldn't she give for just one more day together?
She focused her mind and gradually removed all of her senses of the outside world. The room was not sunny, or warm, it just was. Everything was dark, and slowly she began to construct walls, doors, and windows where it seemed they ought to be. When at last everything was complete, she put herself there, and the Thief King, and only opened her eyes when she felt the condensation of fog upon her face. She hadn't thought to put fog—
But there it was, swirling around the Thief King as if it itself was his own extension. He seemed to feel it too, reaching out his hand as if acknowledging the connection. But his eyes were trained on her now, malevolent, hungry, as if in that instant, in this new playing field, all of the rules had changed.
He embraced that change, and he smiled.
Mana knew in that instant that she had made a mistake, and she doubted she'd ever be able to set things right.
"I must thank you for helping me accomplish what I could not do alone," his smile widened, his teeth a row of shining daggers. "You really were in a very unique position, weren't you? You had no one to turn to…but me. And I listened to you because you were useful, a pawn to help me achieve my ultimate ends. And now its time for me to rise where your pharaoh fell—" He paused, anticipating Mana's outburst.
"What are you talking about? What did you do to him?" If he was responsible for Atem's disappearance, by the gods she would make him pay.
"Did you know that he didn't move on? I've been able to sense him—the Millennium Items have a strange sort of connection. He wasn't strong enough to vanquish the Darkness… he only sealed it away. Sealed… me away." Mana had never felt so vulnerable, with his attention directed only at her. "His own soul is locked away in the Millennium Puzzle."
Mana gasped. If only she had known—!
"Even if you had somehow bridged the connection between the Items," he continued, "my plan still would have succeeded. I could exact my revenge on him then, for the ninety-nine at Kul Elna!" His voice rose in pitch as his fervor increased; he ground his teeth together, spitting out words.
"And you—" he approached her, then, his demeanor as smooth and persuasive as she had known him at the beginning, "—you made it here, to this room… Your room. Not only for the love for your Pharaoh, no. A part of your heart was in my grasp. You can't deny it—you won't deny it."
Images raced through Mana's mind so quickly she could barely comprehend it all. That first day, when it spoke to her… that awful night after he showed her the massacre at Kul Elna… the Spirit of the Ring, slowly becoming more, as if he was trying to escape—
"Give in to me, Mana." He seemed to tower over her, his shadow dancing in the darkness. "You've done everything I asked of you. You've been the most excellent pupil. Do this, and you'll learn so much more. The true mysteries of the Items… and perhaps a link to the Puzzle that you've been craving. I just need your magic, Mana. Just a little bit…"
She seemed to waver, his words washing over her like a tidal wave, soothing and dulling the senses. She blinked, and everything seemed to dissolve for a second before the tableaux cleared slightly. "Magic? You said you didn't need any magic for yourself." Mana suddenly wanted nothing more than to drift into slumber.
"You're right, Mana. But remember what else I said: Having another's heart under your control…that is a power stronger than any magic." Through the haze and the fog she could very distinctly make out a pattern that sounded quite like a heartbeat. It took her another moment to realize that it was coming from her. "Give me your magic, Mana… give me your heart…"
She stopped, confused. In the darkness, she had forgotten why she was here in the first place. Why were they there? She could see the Thief King's form, silhouetted in the swirling, rolling fog, and for a moment another form flickered beside his—a very familiar face, one who's every detail she had memorized. Every piece of the puzzle fit together, and suddenly Mana understood everything.
"You're not Atem!" She shouted into the darkness. He would never be the man he had tricked her into mistaking for him—their bond ran deeper than that. The Magic of the Heart… Mana stood her ground, her resolve strengthening. "I won't let you escape this place."
In a flash of blinding light Mana's staff appeared in her hand, followed by a flickering shape dressed in a mage's costume. "You want magic? Try this on for size! Go, Dark Magician Girl!" The being's staff glowed, and a burst of energy struck the Thief King back into the wall of the room. She smiled; this would be over fast. But as the fog cleared, allowing her to see him, whole and unharmed, he let out a mad, screeching laugh.
"Thank you," he said again, the ball of energy balanced neatly in his hand, "for your gift." He let it loose with her as his intended target. The energy connected, sending her and her magician sprawling backwards, where Mana's head smacked harshly against the other wall of the room. She saw stars, and her head stung from the impact. Her vision swam as he approached.
"You put up a valiant fight, but it really is time for me to go." He grinned, savoring this moment—pity no one else was around to witness it.
Mana continued to watch him through half-lidded eyes, her mind racking the possibilities…was there anything she could do? She couldn't let him leave—then all of the work Atem had done would be for nothing! And there was no way for her to leave, unless…
Unless she wasn't really there at all. Then there would be no one for him to switch places with.
Mana's breath came out in gasps; with her head in this state she would likely lose consciousness soon. If she was ever going to do it, it had to be now. She looked over at her Dark Magician Girl, barely more than a flicker in the fog. This was a very advanced spell. She had only known two other whose souls were sealed within objects, but lucky for her they were her teacher… and the man that she loved. She had the magic of the heart; she would not fail. And someday, she would see them both again.
She took in one last breath, tried to calm her frantically beating heart, and cast her spell. As her body merged with that of her magician in a maelstrom of the brightest light she thought she heard him yell in frustration. Now he was trapped even further inside the Ring, hopefully never to escape. In the minutes before her own spectral form disappeared, until it was next needed, she marveled at the new power she felt flowing through her. It was a different sort of magic, Mana understood. This was a pretty drastic change, and it would take some getting used to. But she had all the time in the world now to learn and to discover every part of her new power.
She embraced this change, and she smiled.
The End.
Thank you for reading! I always wondered at the link between the Thief King and the Spirit of the Ring, as well as how Mana transforms into the Dark Magician Girl. I hope you all enjoyed, and please tell me what you think in a review, or check out some of my other works, especially the collection of Soul Room Stories, of which this is one—and yes, both the Thief King's domain/Kul Elna scene and the endgame take place in the Thief King's/Mana's-turned-Thief-King's soul rooms. Any questions/comments, let me know! Again, thanks for reading!