A/N: It came to my attention that I didn't put a disclaimer in the Prologue. I'm so sorry!
There is much more of this story to come, despite how this chapter may seem.
Thank you to chickentyrant5 for favoriting this story so soon.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters, names, etc. They all belong to their respective owners. I'm not making a profit off this, I'm not asking to, and I'm not pretending to, so please don't sue me.
Thank you!
Chapter One Suicide
Come and find me, oh King of Thieves…. Atem bent lower over his horse's neck as he galloped through the streets of the city, ignoring the startled and amazed cries of the people that leapt out of his way to avoid being trampled beneath the holy horse's feet. He had one goal now, one last point to reach. It amazed him how simple everything seemed in those moments; he was one place, his goal was another, and he knew that as soon as he reached that goal, he wouldn't have to worry any more. He wouldn't have to think, become stressed, feel longing… he would just be. So he blocked out all other sounds and feelings around him, focusing all his power on sensing the elusive man who had haunted and hurt him for so long. I am not scared of you anymore…
As Priest Mahad finished gathering and preparing his men for what was to come, Touzoku himself was on his own horse, riding unhurriedly off through the desert towards Kuhl Elna, unaware that the was being hunted by the one young man he wanted dead more than anyone else. When Mahad took his men to the stables, he noticed the missing horse that the Pharaoh had taken, but he thought little of it, too focused on finding, fighting, and defeating the Thief King so his Pharaoh would no longer be in danger. He ignored the nagging feeling in the back of his mind that something was wrong, very, very wrong, and mounted his own horse before cantering out into the city with his troops.
Atem had been trained as a young child to mask his presence, and while he may not have been the most adept at it when he first began to learn, overtime he gained the skill to hide himself from all but Mahad. No one knew why the Apprentice could still sense the Prince, when even the most skilled of teachers couldn't. But as Atem galloped out of the city, the hot, sandy desert air tugging at his cloak to make it flare behind him, he pulled down the walls around himself, allowing his presence to be felt. The few lingering civilians behind him, he knew, wouldn't be able to feel it, and those that could probably wouldn't understand, but the Thief King…he would be able to feel it. He was counting on it.
And he was right. The King of Thieves yanked back on his horse's reigns so suddenly it skidded and reared up onto it's hind legs with a whinny of surprise before half-pivoting and galloping back the way they'd come as per Touzoku's orders. The thief smirked, urging his horse faster with his heels, and summoned Diabound instantly, chuckling under his breath, laughing silently in his mind at the Pharaoh's foolish actions.
Atem narrowed his eyes, preparing himself for this upcoming battle, and held up one arm parallel to his shoulder, summoning Ra with a silent call. The Egyptian phoenix appeared right over his head with a screech and a blazing flash of light, instantly drawing the Thief King's attention as he altered his course a little to gallop and meet the Pharaoh in battle, laughing and raising his voice as he got close enough.
"Your God can't stop me!" Diabound roared viciously in agreement, flying over the Thief's head as both a shield and a sword. But the Pharaoh just laughed in return, smirking, and raised his own voice.
"Or so you believe!" Ra answered Diabound's challenge by flying all the faster, flaring his bright, glinting wings so the sun reflected it's light off of them to blind the other monster. The Pharaoh gave all the power he had to the God overhead, feeling the burning strain it put on his sick, weakened body. Come on, Thief King, let us get this over with before the Gods claim me first… Touzoku seemed to read the look in his feirce eyes even from his distance, laughing again and pulling his blood-rusted sword from the sheath at the back of his hips, holding the magically-sharpened blade ready in front of him, silently thanking the souls of his village for renewing its deadly edge for this purpose.
Atem growled softly, seeing the glinting edge, and drew his own sword from it's sheath at his side, holding it ready, keeping his horse at the same deadly-fast pace as the Thief's. Both fighters heard Ra's piercing screech and Diabound's roar of pain at the blinding light, but neither paid it any mind; after all the pain, and the hunting and the hurting, all the fear and hatred and bloodlust… they were alone with drawn blades and readied monsters. Death was unavoidable.
Everything fell silent. The thunder of the horse's hooves over the sand, the howling wind of the two monsters flying head-on at each other, the laugh that still tumbled from the wild Thief's lips, the rasping of his own breathing in his raw throat and lungs, the valiant pounding of his own weakened heart… Atem heard nothing. No sound, as if the world itself had gone mute, as if the Gods had struck him deaf. Even as Ra dove down at Diabound and Touzoku moved to stand on his galloping horse's back, everything remained blanketed by that same, unearthly silence…
Until the clash.
Ra's scream and the Thief King's shout broke the silence. The God latched it's talons into Touzoku's Kaa and kept diving, trying to slam the monster into the ground as the King of Thieves leapt from his horse right as his and Atem's passed. He tackled the smaller man to the ground, pinning him to the ground by straddling his waist with his knees, holding his sword down towards his chest, smirking darkly as the horses fled. Atem was winded from the fall alone, his expression dazed as he struggled to take in air, coughing again, clenching his fingers over the hilt of his sword, trying to bring the weapon up to defend himself. I cannot die yet… not yet! The Thief laughed and pinned his wrist down with his free hand, leaning down to hiss in his face.
"I can smell the sickness on you, boy." He leered down at him, malice and laughter in his eyes. "Thinking you can control your own death by coming to me?" Another wild laugh spilled from him, the scar over his eye contorting a little with his expression. "I'll give you what you seek, but it will be far more painful than dying of whatever you have plaguing your body." Atem narrowed his eyes, managing to calm his coughing. My body is too weak to fight you physically… just keep taunting me a little while longer! This has to work!
Overhead, Diabound grabbed hold of the God's ankles, slipping it's separate snake head up fire one of Osiris' thunder blasts at it. The phoenix screamed in pain and kicked Diabound away from it with it's talons, then soared up higher and spread its wings to let the light of the sun blind the other monster again. With a screech it let the heat and power light his golden feathers on fire. It paid no mind to the cry of pain from the Pharaoh far below as the sickened young man felt the pain of Osiris' attack; it had it's orders from him, and it had every intention to carry them out, no matter what. Diabound screeched and covered his eyes with his massive hands at the light, his snakehead turning away as well.
Atem caught his breath from the coughing fit that had occurred again when he'd cried out in pain, and he smirked up at the Thief, surprising him a little. I am not afraid of dying, King of Thieves… I am not afraid of you.
Ra screamed again, the sound both awe-inspiring and bone-shakingly terrifying, his entire body blazing with holy fire, then he dove down at Dabound again, latching onto him with his talons and wrapping his burning wings around the dark monster's body to hold him in a painful, inescapable grip. The two of them tumbled down in an uncontrolled descent towards the ground as Ra acted unquestioningly on the Pharaoh's simple, suicidal request.
Still pinning the Pharaoh down, Touzoku gasped and shuddered, his eyes widening in shock and pain at the feeling of his Kaa being burned by such a brilliant fire, then he narrowed his eyes again, growling down at the Pharaoh. There was a new rage in his eyes, mingling with a disbelief that the Pharaoh would fight back like this. He tightened his hold on his sword, bloodlust clear on his expression, then stabbed it down through Atem's chest, trying to stifle his own coughs and the blood that ran down his chin from the damage to his powerful Kaa.
Atem screamed in pain as the sword tore through his chest, coughing and choking on the blood that slipped from his lips, but smirked up at the Thief anyway, despite the pain and his own desperately labored breathing. It is too late, King of Thieves. You will die here along with me!
Ra kept a tight, burning hold on Diabound as they hurtled like a falling star towards the earth again, dropping at an alarming speed, the phoenix screaming it's victory as it's prey bellowed and struggled, desperate to get free from the searing fire. Dark and light, God and beast, holy and demonic, combined in a swirling vortex of sheer, raw power, the likes of which the world had never seen. The wind was howling and screeching around them, the golden sand dimmed by the unfathomable light flaring around the falling Kaa, making even the city civilians look to it in shock and fear, wondering if the sun itself was plummeting to the earth.
Then they both slammed into the ground full-force, the resulting explosion blasting a huge crater in the sand and dirt, the following shockwave shaking the very earth beneath them, rearranging the shapes and positions of the sand dunes around them. The light was even more brilliant than that of when they'd been falling; the entire world around them turned silvery white as if the stars had collided with the sand at the same time as the falling 'sun', temporarily blinding those in the city, making those who were already blind feel as if they could see again.
Just as he was leaving the city, Mahad looked up, feeling the earth shake, the horses spooking enough to prance to the side, tossing their heads and whinnying in fear. He cleared his vision with magic at the flare of silvered white, worry lighting in his heart, not understanding the cause of such a holy vision.
Atem gave a cry of such intense agony and loss it was silent, red spreading even faster down the front of his robes and the sand beneath him as his back arched his chest up against the sword's blade. The King of Thieves gave a similar cry, then toppled off of the Pharaoh to lay on the sand near him, coughing and choking on blood as Diabound exploded with Ra. Atem kept gasping desperately from of his body's fierce will to live, coughing and spitting up blood, his eyes blinded by the explosion. I love you, Mahad. I am so sorry! His body gave a little shudder and his eyes rolled back. He was conscious enough, for just that moment, to close his dying eyes before his body shivered and fell still, his breathing slowing to a stop as his heart finally faltered and gave out.
Just beyond the outskirts of the city, Mahad yanked his horse to a stop, his eyes widening in shock and disbelief as he felt his Pharaoh's life-presence suddenly vanish.
Atem?
A/N: I wish I could write battle scenes more epicly, but for now, this will have to do.
Musical inspiration: Various songs from artists such as Two Steps From Hell, Epic Score, and AudioMachine.
Please reiview.