Chapter 4. Concept

The pre-dawn was accompanied with unnatural silence instead of the usual routine of book pages being flipped over as Priest Seto studied all the way through the night, or alternatively, he got up early in order to do just that. Only this time, the lack of occupation left his fingertips cold to the touch of his own skin and cloth. And as the trainee priest sat by the edge of his bed - playing absent-mindedly with his Millennium Rod, thoughts and speculations alike remain unattended in the back of his head, unscented for.

And at this point, recalling back everything he had done inappropriately since stepping foot in the royal palace and why did he care so much about it, could only do so much. However this, whatever it was, no longer fixed solely on his duties as part of the position which he rightfully earned and claimed as his own but was also personal. No longer the story of the unfortunate child, leading an unfortunate life as he was raised by a single mother, commoner like the rest, in a land that was ruled by a single king, who was adored and also feared by most subjects.

Something else was there, Seto simply couldn't put it into words and expressions that were for the least understandable in comparison to the circumstances. The prince, while giving him a lot of grief and extra work, intrigued him. That act alone was sufficient in order to maintain his stubborn approach by nature, solely for the main role to please him and eventually, win him over.

But just how could he do that? When he hardly gave him the chance? Seto remembered when the Pharaoh summoned him a few days ago without the prince's knowledge, clearly letting the Priest know that he will have to impress the prince in order to gain his respect, and the most effective way to do so was to win a match against Mahad. And if the king himself expected that to work, sided with him, then why shouldn't the prince himself?

A weak knock on the door swept him from his inner thoughts. Seto certainly didn't expect any guests; for as of now, he had yet to make any fellow job partners or for that matter any acquaintance around the palace in general. And even if he had, the priest couldn't speculate who it was here to see him that late into the night, or better said that early into the morning, as thin rays of light penetrated through the window.

"Come in," Seto said, as he didn't even bother to lock after entering the room. Soon after, he found himself slightly surprised when the door knob turned to a lower angle, and gradually a small gap between it and the nearest wall expanded; revealing Isis standing in the middle, a blank and unreadable expression on her face. Probably a little surprised if anything, to find him already awake or quite the opposite, still awake. Then again, would she have come and waked him up solely for the reason of exchanging words with him if she hadn't expected it? Seto couldn't think of anything she might have needed that couldn't wait until a later hour of that very same morning.

Come to think of it, nothing in particular stood out about her ever since Seto became a High Priest himself. And right now, nothing also came to mind the more he thought of it. Besides what sort of power her Millennium Item granted her, Seto didn't know anything else and also didn't care enough to find out.

When Isis didn't say anything in return to his silent anticipation but simply stood there like a wall, he inquired indifferently, "Is there anything you need?" Seto didn't mean to sound rude or too offensive towards one of his associates, despite not knowing them well enough to be able to determine which potential each of them will prove to be of use to him in the future. At that moment though, he didn't care enough as he would have if she came by tomorrow at the exact same hour.

Besides that, besides Aknadin, Seto couldn't claim to be in a friendly term with any of them to fake an act which simply wasn't in his nature, and the trainee priest also preferred not to even if it was quite easy to do so. To earn respect from the other, one should prove worthy of it in the first place.

"It wasn't I who summoned myself here," Isis said and pressed two fingers against her upper neck, which glittered gold. "but my Millennium Necklace."

Seto raised an eyebrow skeptically at her, not believing everything that was being stated about those items besides them granting the power to summon Ka; at least not before he sees it with his own eyes, and that was impossible in her case since her item was supposed to show her visions of the past and future. And while the rod granted him power beyond imagination, it remained a mystery for him what other abilities did it possess and where those items came from, from the start.

"And..." He continued, "What did it show you?"

Isis smiled faintly, just enough for Seto to see before the curve in her lips disappeared without leaving so much as a trace. "Unfortunately for you, I have a strict policy against telling others their future. Some say it may not happen then, and you priest Seto, aren't a believer yourself are you?"

"Does that rule apply to yourself as well?" Seto scoffed, sliding a strand of bangs out of his eyesight. "And besides, how did you-" but when it didn't seem like Isis planned to respond to the first question, Seto reluctantly also decided to drop the second.

Seto wasn't certain if she was teasing him or simply stating her beliefs out in the open without them being asked about in the first place. But with a curt hand gesture which invited her in, he planned to find out. While accepting his offer, Isis sat in front of him on the nearest sofa. And despite how broad and inviting it was, she only used a small space of it, right in the middle of the two edges; unlike Seto who spread completely on the mattress, one foot crosses the border of the bed and swinging in middle-air.

"Please, enlighten me then."

"If that is your wish," Isis shrugged and at the same pace her legs crossed together under the table comfortably, expecting to be delayed for a while. "I have certain reasons to believe why our prince is that... alarmed by your abrupt apparent."

"That much I can tell by myself," Seto answered, tapping his other foot over the floor a little impatiently, without clearly stating it but simply to make it viewable. Was Isis simply here to shove the harsh truth in his face? If that is so, her presence was no longer appreciated in his private space. "That's because I intervene and come between him and his so-called childhood friend, I threaten their relationship in the future and the kingdom's management."

"This isn't about Mahad, Seto." Isis said in a harsh tone which made it sound believable, as if she truly believed it, despite her words being simple speculations and nothing more than that. "This is about you."

Seto grimaced. It was an understatement to say that women was one hard to follow through the end. "I hardly meet with your point of view in the matter."

The way Isis's azure orbs fixed on a wooden bucket resting on the floor, the fluid inside half-filled with warm drinking water since yesterday, led him to believe she was reflecting upon her own self. "Sometimes Seto, when people look upon themselves through a mirror, there are ought to find things which they may accept and manage to live with, and some other things they can't live without despite how much they wanted to.

Then they try to challenge themselves into changing or deny them, sometimes even to the full extent of their lifetime, I believe you could probably relate with that."

Seto honestly couldn't. "And?"

She moved her hand and fingers above the waters. "And... when they watch those things they do not like about themselves in others, they might feel a little threatened by them."

Seto propped against the mattress, suddenly interested to learn more. Was she implying that he and prince Atem shared a few similar qualities? "Are you implying that he's threatened by my presence?"

"In some sort of way he does. You see, our prince is a very prideful person yet self-conscious; At the same time, he's hard on himself but also conceited, although he would never admit it out loud. That is why you should take it into consideration." Isis said curtly, and suddenly, as she stood up firmly in front of him, she also eyed him from above, implying that she knew better in this case than he did.

"What for?"

She smirked. For you to claim your role by his side."

Seto's mouth a gaped. Was that a suggestion or a statement?

"Hold on," He tried to stop her, puzzled. "Is that all you came here to say?"

Isis didn't stop to answer him until her fingers surrounded the cold door knob again. And only then did she turn back at him and said, "I'll leave the rest for you to figure out, Priest Seto. I wouldn't want my interference to do any worse, now would I?"

"I'm afraid that still doesn't explain why you would share this information with me willingly Isis." She and Mahad knew each other longer, trained together and fought side by side against enemies threatening their lands. He and the other Priests on the other hand, didn't achieve as of yet anything with combined strengths, as they didn't share anything besides a title and some sort of similar golden item used one way or another as a piece of fine jewelry.

"Let's just say people don't always know what's best for them."

The door closed, and Seto looked at the small gap left between it to the nearest wall. He had never thought about a single thing of what Isis just said, and he wasn't sure he even got the full picture here or connected all the pieces of information she brought together. After all, she admittedly said she won't tell him everything she knew, but Seto was keen to know. It felt like someone poked him with a needle and simply run away immediately after, without giving him the chance to return the gesture.

Seto couldn't imagine himself being left there, in the darkness of his own room, and simply let all those ideas and conceptions soak into his mind overnight. Instead, he bounced off of his bed and stormed out of the room. And although the gesture itself was quiet and firm, it also was abrupt and reckless, as across his, there was a long row of locked doors of other rooms which belonged to the consultants and staff serving in the palace. His head swung from side to side, scanning desperately for any trace of her dark hair or lean figure, and only for a brief moment, he believed he got a glimpse of her white rob in the corner of the hallway.

Seto didn't stop there, but walked towards it with hasty steps, and soon enough he run. But as he passed the corner, he was surprised to find that no one was there. Assuming that there was indeed someone there in the first place, and not solely an illusion. Not bothering to return to the privacy of his room, he strode across the hall, while following hushed tones and whispers in the eastern wing of the living quarters. At some point, those voices sounded a little familiar.

"Mahad," It was prince Atem, standing outside the magician's room and though he couldn't see him yet, Seto could hear him rustling and standing on the other side near the door, a small gesture which stated that Atem wasn't welcome anywhere near his doorstep. And mostly, the magician didn't stand in front of him the way he did now, but beside him. Seto strode a few more steps towards them and didn't bother to hide either.

"I don't want to hear anymore of this, Atem."

The prince's face looked desperate, his groggy eyes and sunken cheeks implied he had barley gotten up yet, or maybe he had a hard time falling asleep. Seto could speculate more than a few reasons why the priest could be upset with him, but he couldn't say why the prince was that incline to earn his forgiveness. The one who held the most authority between them was him without question, then why should he lower his head to apologize? Wasn't he claimed to be a prideful person? Seto was just a little bit disappointed.

"Mahad, you can't avoid this subject forever, or me. Won't you just listen?" But Mahad didn't reply, and something told Seto he wasn't going to. Then, although he only saw him in profile view, the prince's facial expression changed and became more determined, just like how he looked when he stormed out to protect him. Those were the eyes which intrigued Seto the most, which could change their gesture in a matter of seconds. "Fine then, I hereby command you to hear me out!"

Just as surprised as Seto, the magician turned around, and finally his figure was viewable as he approached closer to Atem. He rose an eyebrow skeptically as if asking, seriously? But the prince didn't plan to reply on that, but the sooner he caught his attention he utilized the moment to say what was on his mind, "Mahad I understand the fault in my actions and how it might have affected you, and I do apologize for it, and I promise you it won't badly influence your current position."

"And as for the future one?"

Atem said nothing in return. When Mahad turned again to leave, the prince gripped him by his upper arm, preventing him from doing so. "Mahad, do you think if I wanted to, I wouldn't choose you? Do you think I want this decision to be forced on me? And more importantly, don't you believe I'm doing everything in my power to make that decision mine again?"

"Don't do that." Mahad said.

"Don't do what?"

Mahad sighted slightly and looked back at the shorter figure in front of his, right in the eyes intently until he could see himself through them. "Make me forgive you, without even letting me the chance to be mad for more than a few hours." He snorted, and Atem seemed relieved at his reply. "I suppose I was being unfair to you, leading you to think you were at fault for everything that had happened lately."

"Then, you will keep trying?"

Mahad laughed shortly at that, replying, "I would never give up the opportunity to serve you my prince, now would I?" Seto almost failed to grasp the change in his tone, but then as the magician attempted to lean closer towards the prince, whispering something in his ear while almost stroking his cheek, he turned around and strode back inside of his room while leaving the door after him wide open.

With slight hesitation in his steps and while looking around a bit, but obviously not enough since the prince failed to spot Seto watching him, he followed suit and accepted the unstated invitation, closing the door behind him with a soft thud. And that insignificant act changed the ordination of the cards Seto possessed within his grasp.

Seto smirked to himself, thinking, if that was what this competition was all about, why didn't they say so sooner?