Chapter 3: The Revelation

The Plane landed at 6:00. Everyone stepped out of the plane at Domino Airport. "Ah, fresh air!" Téa said. "You said it," said Tristan. "I nearly broke my back on that Jet!"

Yugi and friends took the bus home. When Yugi finally got to his house, he collapsed upon the bed with a sigh of relief. "Whew! It's been a tiring day." He unpacked his bag and took a handful of slightly stale beef jerky. He thought about the Ishtars coming to live in their basement, as their home in the Pharaoh's tomb had since been destroyed. They would work part-time around the shop, helping customers.

Then he remembered the Jade Box.

Yugi lugged the now-empty box from his bedroom to his Grandpa's room.

"Hey, Grandpa! You can read hieroglyphics, can't you?" He asked.

"Yeah, Yugi. Need me to translate something?" Grandpa said.

"I got this box from Mai during her archeological expedition. It has Hieroglyphic script on it."

"But I thought she was in China!"

"That's just it! How in the world would an Egyptian artifact be unearthed halfway around the world?"

"I don't know"

After translating the box, Yugi gave Mai a long-distance call to tell her the news.

"Hello, Mai? This is Yugi."

"Hi, Yugi!"

"Grandpa translated the script on the box. I wanted to tell you."

"Great! What's it say?"

"It says to 'remove the evil of the Phoenix and speak the sacred name to the Chi Lin. The power of the twelve shall be revealed."

"What does that mean? What's a Chi Lin?"

"I think it's a Chinese Griffin with fish skin and antlers or something like that. You mentioned something about Win Cha Yi in your letter?"

"Yeah. Plus, we've reached the end of the tunnel. There's a statue of a weird Chinese creature."

"Does it look like what I described?"

"Yes"

"That's a Chi Lin!" Yugi said. "Now you have to 'remove the phoenix'. Whatever that means."

"Hmm…there is a small statue of a bird on fire here. What if we remove that?" Mai said. She grabbed the statue and it came out smoothly. Suddenly she gasped. "The Chi Lin's mouth just opened! There is a scroll inside!" she exclaimed. Yugi heard Mai speak the name 'Win Cha Yi' over the phone. "Nothing happened when I spoke the name!" Mai said.

"What does the scroll say?" Yugi asked.

"It appears to be a list of some sort. Each entry is written in a different language. Let's see…My linguist says that the scripts include Ancient Vietnamese, Khmer, Archaic Japanese, Papuan, Mandarin, Hangul, Arabic, Mongolian, Celtic, Mayan, there is even extinct languages such as Rongorongo, Yola, Natchez and Noxws'áʔaq! Every language I have heard of that is over three thousand years old! Hold on… I've seen one of these scripts before! One of the entries is written in Egyptian Demotic Script!"

At that moment, Ishizu Ishtar woke from her slumber in the basement and began walking up the stairs.

"Can your Grandfather translate?"

"Sure!" Yugi said. "We just need a photograph of the entry."

"Hold on." Mai said as she hung up. She opened her camera option on her phone, and took a photograph of the text. She sent the photograph to Yugi's cell immediately. She then re-dialed the Game Shop's number.

"Open your phone. I sent you the text!" she said.

Yugi flipped open his cellphone and selected 'images'. There it was, sure enough! He hooked a wire to the port on the back and attached the other end to his laptop. He turned it on.

He selected 'enhance' on the picture menu and then selected 'print'. The familiar whirr of the printer began as a paper emerged from the machine.

"Here, Grandpa. The text." Yugi said. Grandpa took the photograph and went into his office. The sound of ruffled papers filled the room. "Where did I put that book?" he asked himself. Yugi noticed a thick copy of 'Domino University's Thesis on the Demotic Script' on the end table near the couch. He picked it up with a bit of difficulty and handed it to his Grandfather. "Here it is, Grandpa!" He told him. "Thank you." He said.

"So how have you been, Yugi?" Mai said as she waited for Solomon Moto's translation.

"It's been good. How has reconciling with your life been?"

"It's been relaxing, but I still haven't rediscovered my dueling interest…"

Ishizu immediately ascended from the basement. "This mystery is linked to the Pharaoh. There may be more to the prophecy that we thought was already fulfilled."

Yugi was shocked at the surprise of Ishizu appearing almost instantly behind him.

"That may be true, Ishizu! Maybe Atem has a greater destiny ahead of him."

Mai immediately continued to speak on the phone. "So, how are things with you and Téa?"

Yugi's face turned beet red. "Well, uh….we've…she….umm….I kinda uhh…"

"Say no more, lover boy!" Mai retorted. "I understand. I uh… (gulp) feel the same way about….Joey…" She replied dreamily.

Yugi's cheeks puffed up with laughter as he dropped the phone, trying so hard not to laugh his head off. She would kill him if she heard him laughing. Mai liked Joey? Was it true? Mai never really acted like that.

All Mai could hear over the phone was a computer running and what sounded like raspberries.

Grandpa emerged from his office, a scowl on his face. "It's no use. I can't translate the script. On the other hand, good morning, Ishizu!"

"Good morning, Mr. Moto. You are unable to translate this Egyptian script? Perhaps I can help." Ishizu replied.

"Yeah! You were raised in the Pharaoh's tomb!" Yugi said.

"Let me see it." Ishizu said. Mr. Moto handed her the paper. Ishizu's eyes narrowed with concentration as she examined the runes. Suddenly, her eyes widened with excitement. "Yugi, come here." She asked him. Yugi walked over and looked at the demotic script. Ishizu pointed to a certain character that looked like a solar eclipse. "Did you see this rune while you were in the Pharaoh's tomb?" She asked. "Once or twice." Yugi remarked. "When I was a girl in the Tomb," Ishizu began explaining, "We were all taught that this symbol means 'ruler of the four kingdoms'. Only the guardian of the tomb, in this case, my brother Marik, was allowed to learn the full language. But not even he knew what it meant by 'four kingdoms'. Sometimes I would lie awake at night, wondering what it meant…." Ishizu's voice trailed off into silence.

"Maybe we will find out." Yugi said.

"You still there?" Mai's voice broke over the phone.

"Just a second, Mai! We are almost finished translating." Yugi put his hand over the end of the phone. "Ishizu, go get Marik! He will most certainly know the script like he knows English!"

Ishizu rushed down the stairs and emerged forty-five seconds later with a tired and unsightly Marik. "Yawnnn….what do you need me to translate, Yugi?"

"I need you to read this entry found in China."

Marik took the paper and began reading.

"It says: 'The Tomb of Win Cha Yi will only yield to the Pharaoh's host and his twelve advisors of the four kingdoms.' This is definitely implying you, Yugi."

"Grandpa, we have to go to China. It concerns…Him." Grandpa nodded, fully understanding what he meant.

"Mai, wait for us. We are coming to China."

"Why?"

"No time to explain, Mai. We'll be there in a couple of days."

"One more thing, Mai," Yugi said. "What did this man that you see look like? .

"He was dark-skinned and was dressed in a white robe and a Turban."

Yugi hung up the phone in disbelief that this man was Shadi.

Immediately, there was a knock at the door. Yugi looked out the front window and saw Téa standing there. She was accompanied by Joey, Tristan, and the rest of the gang. Yugi opened the door and let them in. "Hey, Téa!" Yugi exclaimed as he hugged his friends. "What are you doing here?"

"We came to pick you up for school!"

"We have no time! We have to go to China!"

"Why?" Tristan asked.

"Come in. I'll explain it to you."

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"So this Jade box is linked to Atem?" Joey asked.

"Yes. And that is why we have to go to China." Yugi said.

"And what of the twelve rulers of the four kingdoms?" Bakura asked.

"Let's see, there's me, Joey, you, Téa, Tristan, Duke, Serenity, Odion, Marik, and three others." Ishizu said. All of these people have played a role in returning the Pharaoh's soul to his tomb. The other three will be found, most likely in China. I do not know of the significance of the four kingdoms, but we must leave immediately."

Everyone returned to their home and began packing for the long adventure that lay ahead.

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