Chapter 4:

Warning: This chapter contains a bunch of magic stuff that has almost no roots in Ancient Egypt. Some principles, like the incense and the whole "Keeping Chaos at bay" are from Ancient Egypt. The rest is from my overactive imagination, inspired by Jim Butcher. Lol. Kudos to those who get that.

I love you Bob. :)

Marik waited anxiously for 10:30 pm, when Ishizu would go to bed. Yugi had already left back to the campsite some time ago. Now, all he had to do was wait. The tracking spell Marik wanted to attempt was risky, risky in the fact that he no longer had the Millennium Rod to help provide energy to fuel the spell. All he had now was his will and inner strength, augmented by Odion, who volunteered to help fuel the spell. He was wearing a white pleated kilt with sandals. A thin usekh collar necklace of gold and enamel rested around his throat. He wore nothing else, his tattooed back bare to the world. His hair tumbled down his shoulders, freshly cleaned and with the after scent of frankincense. Purification before and after a spell was common among magicians and while it was never truly proven whether it affected the magic itself, it was always a safe bet to ritually purify themselves before a spell. As they say, he thought, better to be safe than sorry.

His digital clock went to 10:30 and Marik paused with bated breath, ears listening intently for Ishizu to head to bed. His thoughts were in a turmoil; he hated going behind Ishizu's back like this, but she wouldn't understand why he was doing it. The only one who understood was Odion.

Marik went to his dresser and pulled out one of the drawers, reaching inside for something. His hand rummaged around in there until he felt his fingertips brush against metal. He grinned in triumph and pulled it out: a silver ring with a hidden compartment inside. A garnet topped the ring. He wondered for a minute whether he should use the emerald he stowed away instead. The emerald would have a better chance of pinpointing the location of the box than the ring would, but if he used the stone, then Odion would know about it and he didn't want that to happen. He made a mental note to consider doing a second spell, one with the the emerald, later, without Odion's assistance. He went back to the circle he had drawn in white chalk on the floor.

The circle, or rather, the three concentric rings he had drawn were instrumental to his spell. Heka, or magic, was the divine force that the gods used to create the world, as the stories went. Humans could access this, but at a great cost, for accessing the magic of the gods took an indomitable will and inner strength. Magic was a risky thing however, because the lure of magic would draw the forces of chaos near, hence the circles drawn on the floor. The circles were symbolic of the blocking of chaos from entering the boundaries of the spell, hindering the user. Marik knew that the rings were unorthodox by Ancient Egyptian standards, but they would do. He had designed the idea of the magic circles, inspired by the magic card, 'Spellbinding Circle'. Between each ring were ancient hieroglyphs, spells of protection, like the ones on Odion's face. While the protection hieroglyphs would provide limited protection from Chaos, the real power behind the rings was tied to Marik, which was why he needed Odion; if he attempted the spell by himself, he would lose energy much faster and quickly lose himself to Chaos.

Next came the seven pointed star in the innermost ring. Seven was an important number in magic and this spell was no exception. The seven points represented many different things to many different magicians. To Marik, they stood for the seven Millennium Items. He placed the poison ring in the very center of the circle and star.

Then it was the incense. Incense went back back to the earliest days of ancient Kemet, when it was burned in the temples. Marik lit small cones of frankincense, myrrh and kapet, an incense that gave off a sweet and spicy aroma when burned, at each point of the star. Marik inhaled deeply, the tendrils of smoke dancing and caressing his face. He could practically imagine himself being teleported back in the ancient temple of Heliopolis.

He had finished the preparations of the spell; next was waiting for Odion to help "anchor" the spell. There was a knock at the door and Marik was startled from his reverie. He tentatively went to the door, fantastical lies and excuses running through his head in case Ishizu was at his bedroom door. He let out a sigh of relief when he found it was Odion at the door. He was wearing a white robe, made of linen, freshly bathed, the lingering traces of cinnamon and cedar in the air.

"Are the preparations set?" Odion asked, seeing Marik wearing the ancient garb. Marik only nodded in reply and ushered Odion inside the room, closing the door behind him.

Marik entered the circle first, kneeling in front of the ring. Odion waited outside the magic circle. He repeated the ceremonial words. "I seek permission to enter the circle, Magician Marik Ishtar, of the Ishtar clan."

"Permission is granted, Odion Ishtar."

Odion solemnly entered the ring, feeling a slight pressure, then a light pop as he walked inside. The ceremonial words were needed, for once the circles were built, outsiders could only enter the ring with permission from the magician who created the circle, keeping Chaos at bay . He knelt onto his knees, placing his left hand onto Marik's left shoulder. The left side was home to the heart, the center of creative force and magic, allowing Odion's strength to flow easier into Marik.

Marik started muttering under his breath, beseeching the gods protection from Chaos as he began the spell. The Egyptian words were familiar to Odion and he started to mouth them along with Marik as he spoke. As the prayer ended, Odion waited with a bated breath, wondering if the spell would hold. The words of the protection prayer seemed to settle onto the ring like a warm security, blanket, filling them with a measure of ease.

"And now, we can begin," Marik said, the words sounding out of place after the ancient Egyptian spell. Marik's hands began to hover over the silver ring, his eyes closed.

"To seek what is lost, to find what is hidden. The strength of the gods flow through me, so that I may find my goal. To seek what is lost, to find what is hidden. . ." He kept repeating the words, the foundation of the spell.

At first, nothing happened but then slowly, gradually, the air started to drop in temperature. Goosebumps formed on Odion's skin. Then it felt like a vacuum, the air leaving the magic circle. The air started to howl and scream, drowning out Marik's voice. The room got darker and Odion swore he saw swirling shapes in the room, like Chaos had come into the room. Something struck the barrier created by the circles and the sound of claws scraping against glass was heard. Chaos was trying to break into the circle, to consume Marik and Odion for attempting the spell. More sounds were heard, unearthly sounds that no normal animal could make. And they sounded hungry.

But then, the dull embers on the incense flared up into flames, lighting up the darkness. The shadows danced away from the burst of light, wincing and letting out pitiful mews. The air seemed warmer now, but not as before. Marik's voice was now reaching a crescendo, his head upturned, his eyes glassy with the spell. The silver ring now began to glow with a faint golden light, tinged with red. Odion knew that Marik was going to lose strength and very quickly. His fingers bit into Marik's shoulder and he braced himself for the rapid decrease in energy.

Instead, it felt like water slowly pouring from one jar to another. It was little at first, but it grew and grew with intensity and speed. Odion felt like he had just run five miles. His hand dug deeper into his adopted brother's shoulder and he mildly suspected that he would leave bruises in the aftermath. Sweat poured down from his brow, getting into his eyes and stinging. His body was now going into overdrive, trying to hang onto whatever was left into powering his bodily functions, like breathing and the beating of heart.

However, this was a test of willpower, not pure physical strength; heka encompassed both spheres, so Odion gritted his teeth and poured his willpower, imagining it like a coursing river, churning and raging. He imagined it traveling down his arm and into Marik's spell. "This has to work," he pleaded. "Please, let this work."

The ring glowed stronger and brighter and was now starting to spin. It was now levitating about a foot and a half in the air. Marik's hands hovered over it, a puppet master controlling invisible strings. His eyes were closed now, though with exhaustion or it was a part of the spell, Odion couldn't discern. The hungry mewls of the shadows grew stronger, more intense. They were trying to beat on the barrier now, their constant clamor ringing in his ears. The barrier flared to life every time one of the shadows tried to hammer its way into the circle. The barrier seemed to glow constantly now.

Meanwhile, Marik struggled to keep a grip on the spell. Conducting the spell without his Millennium Rod was far more difficult than he had guessed and now he was paying the price for his overconfidence. His hands trembled and his throat was growing parched from the constant repetition of the mantra. He felt like he was getting nowhere and the sounds of the shadows were getting louder.

Then, a break through. The whole world flared to life behind his eyelids and if he could have, he would have tumbled back, but he couldn't. The feeling of Odion's fingers into his shoulders were his only connection to reality now. Images danced and flashed in his mind's eye. Places of ancient glamor and mountains soaring from the sea. He was learning where Tshilaba was going. He had no idea where she was though. Then, he saw her, riding a horse through a canyon, something straddled across her lap. It had to be the box! It was the only logical thing. The ring glowed under his hands with an intensity never seen, like it had been heated to beyond its capacity, yet still maintaining its integrity.

The spell had now reached its high point and Marik felt as helpless as a infant, with only Odion's sheer force of will keeping him upright. But then, everything vanished, the images, the light, everything, save only the magic rings drawn on the stone floor. Marik's eye widened and he started to panic, fearing that everything had been for naught. The rings that had been hovering clattered to the floor. His fingers, shaky with exhaustion, reached for the ring. It seemed so lifeless now. He held up to his face, studying it. Slowly but surely, the ring flickered back into light, the garnet on the top pointing purposefully north.

It had worked.

As he held the ring, he could see the images again, like the ring had turned into a GPS, showing exactly where Tshilaba was at that moment. "Thank you," he thought, eyes glancing upward. With his free hand, he waved it, whispering the words of ending. Sweat dripped down his brow, the salty tang stinging his already tired eyes.

The power ebbed away from the magic rings, until they were nothing more than chalk drawings on the floor. The shadows receded shortly after, hissing angrily that their prey had been denied to them. Panting, Marik turned to Odion, who was glassy eyed and tired.

"It worked," he whispered, before fainting.

Yeah, about that imagination of mine. . .lol.

For those who are curious, yes you will have your regular update this upcoming Friday :). Just think of this as a birthday present from me to you. My B-Day is the next day, so birthday reviews are a lovely present...

That was a hint, by the way.

Reviews please? :)