A.N.: Thank you very much for everyone who reviewed, you have truly been the reason on why this fic continues. Thank you so much for the support!. As always, flames will be laughed at and constructive criticism is welcome. Read and Review!
The Hero
Chapter Seven
Battle after battle, Seto slew his opponents. The entire population of Dulle watched as the white dragon banner rose higher and higher, as one after another, his opponents fell at his feet, as they had done in past tournaments. The creature of Summon that Seto had under his control was ferocious and it was so vicious that in some instances it wouldn't even listen to him the first time when he'd call for it to stop. But irregardless of this, Dueler after Dueler was rendered defeated, stunned an awestruck by the power a single youth possessed.
"Niisama, look at what you've been doing to your shield…" From inside the Dueler's area, Mokuba pouted but was obviously extremely proud as he took Seto's shield from his arm and began to look it over. It had been dented by so many Summons smashing against it. Mokuba peeked at him from over the edge of the shield—it was almost bigger than him. "Why do you do that, anyway? Why do you take so long to Summon?"
That was true. Whenever Seto would battle, he would let his opponent Summon ahead of him and he would stand without a Summon for a time and would only be at some later point when he could call out his own creature. The taller boy, who now took a seat on a wood box of spearheads, only responded, "It gives me time to understand what my enemy's Summon can do. Then I would know how to use my own Summon against it." He decided not to add that as he only had three amulets, he was conserving himself, but not overcautiously so.
As of now, I only officially have two amulets… Seto looked down at the golden amulet around his neck. I cannot use this one unless at a moment of extremity. And even then…
Mokuba had enough tact to know that Seto wasn't using the amulet around his neck for a reason, so he did not ask. He said, instead, "Niisama, the next one is your final bout. If you win the Duel, you will win the Tournament and the Emperor shall give you your prize!"
Seto said nothing to him. The time was about to come. Knowing the Emperor, he already knew what the prize was and he already knew exactly what to do with it.
The ground vibrated a little as the centurion Isono with his heavy armor came clomping up to them. He was laughing boisterously as he patted a heavy hand onto Seto's back. "Well done, well done! You've been winning me a lot of money, you know."
"Seeing as how we're doing so well, maybe you could give us a bit of a share," Mokuba smirked as Seto glared up at the centurion whose heavy hand nearly knocked the wind off from him. Isono laughed. "Well why not? After all, I've got enough to last me a bit."
"Great, we can use it to get him a better armor and repair his shield!" the young page exclaimed, who was still wondering what to do with Seto's armor which had already gone through quite a few blows.
"What are you doing here?" Seto asked the centurion who was, once again, not at his post. The centurion took a long drink out of his wineskin before saying, "Ah, I nearly forgot. Yeah, there's someone out to see you."
Seto stared at him. "Me?"
The person who came to see Seto was wearing a hooded cloak, standing near a secluded corner in the hall that led out to the back way of the Coliseum. The hall smelled of filth and wounds, as it was through this are that the more seriously wounded were brought so they would be able to exit the arena with ease. As Isono motioned him to the character in the cloak, Seto began to have an idea as to who this was as one wounded Dueler passed them, and the figure seemed to be filled with discomforted pity for him.
As soon as Isono had gone, Seto turned to the figure, who lowered the hood. Prince Ryou of Liyir smiled up at him. Seto frowned. "What are you doing here? You shouldn't be in this place."
"I had to come see you," Ryou responded, looking awkward.
"Does the Emperor know you're here?" Seto demanded, glancing back to the direction of the arena and the Royal Box. If this kept up, he would have to think of the potential of this ruining his plans.
But Ryou shook his head. "I had asked to be escorted by Lady Anzu outside for some air. I have not been feeling too well—they obliged."
"And Anzu?"
"I had…managed to distract her," Ryou said vaguely. "I told her to go find for me an herb that didn't exist."
That strange rather desperate look in Ryou's eyes was present, although any sort of desperation was not evident on the rest of his persona. Seto took a breath to calm himself. Then he looked back into the prince's brown eyes. "Why are you here?"
"I just wanted to see you before your final battle…" Ryou replied, blinking up into his blue irises. For a moment, he seemed transfixed by them, then he remembered something and took something that glinted out of his pocket. The moment he saw the glint, Seto realized it was an amulet. This amulet, however, was one of a rather purple hue.
"Please take this," Ryou said. "I had been observing you in battle, and I noticed that your shield will no longer be of help to you if you continue your current stratagem. I think this would help in its place."
The taller youth was surprised, taking the amulet from him, and as he did, Ryou added just audibly, "I would not like you to be seriously harmed at this point in time… You are coming extremely close to victory…"
"You took a great risk to give me this," Seto said in a flat tone. "Perhaps too great."
"The emperor and the court already know that I favor you—truly, if I gave you aid, would that make any difference in what they think?" Ryou smiled faintly.
"It would give them reason to suspect treason," Seto stared hard at him, and Ryou flinched, but otherwise stood his ground. "This is treason, Seto of Gilheim…" the prince answered gently. "What you are doing is already treason, once it comes to light what you truly intend to do. And by giving you support, it is already grounds for treason. I suppose things can't get any worse than that. Unless of course…" and here he smiled, "…unless of course you win."
Seto found it rather difficult not to smirk at that one. Indeed, if things went as planned, and he was victorious, there was really no one to accuse him of treason to the crown. "Yes…unless of course that. And I already have assured you that I shan't be losing."
This seemed to make Ryou remember something, and he looked back up at him. "And there is another thing…" he shifted uncomfortably. "The Oracle has forewarned the Emperor of the size of your threat to his reign."
"That is nothing that I do not already know."
"Yes, but please, listen." Ryou glanced around and edged a bit closer. "The Emperor has taken precaution. He…is not particularly threatened by you as any monarch of such power would, but he has readied a fail-safe in the event of your victory in the tournament."
"If he intends to send guards swooping down—"
Ryou shook his head. "No, he would have no real grounds to and would therefore lose face…but I believe he's chosen a defense that might throw what you keep in shadow out into the open." And here he gestured to the amulet still hidden in Seto's clothes.
Instinctively, the Dueler clasped the amulet, which had been pulsing again. He frowned slightly at the prince. "How did you know of this?"
"Of your amulet, or of the Emperor's plans?" Ryou smiled faintly, but answered both questions. "The Emperor has made sudden commands that I assume would only lead to something involving a Duel that never has been seen before in the Coliseum, and as for your amulet…" Ryou gazed down at it. "…it glows with such strange light that I am surprised that no one else as seen it."
So it was true. People from Liyir were particularly sensitive to such balances of Darkness and Light—Ryou sensed the threat of the Darkness from the Pyramide, and he detected the light of the amulet in Seto's possession.
Seto looked at Ryou and said, "Whatever the emperor is planning, it won't stop me. He has been in reign too long in a throne that he ill-deserves."
"The darkness continues to rise in the Pyramide…perhaps it was right of me not to give up hope to this day after all…" Ryou smiled. "I had been waiting for you."
For a moment, Seto stared, then he clasped his fist onto the amulet. "I say to you, Prince. I didn't come here to save anyone. I came here with my own agenda and my own motives. I am not a hero."
Ryou seemed to watch him for a moment, then he slowly nodded. "I had thought so…" he whispered. "But nevertheless, your goal is the same as mine, and though we are of two minds of the matter…your victory is crucial to us both. And for that, I thank you for your efforts."
"It is too early to give any gratitude."
Suddenly, Mokuba came running into the hall, looking wildly around for him. "Niisama! Niisama, come quickly! See what's happened! You're not going to believe it!"
Seto blinked at the page, and turned back to where the prince stood—but Ryou was gone.
Stumbling out of the hall, Ryou coughed, the hood once again over his head. The smell of blood and death in that hall was overpowering, but he had given what little help he could and that was more than enough. He winced as he leaned onto the wall.
"Why does this happen…?" Ryou said to himself as a headache once again made itself eminent, nearly blinding him with pain. For a moment, he thought he heard a laugh, but it was gone as soon as it came.
Lady Anzu came running upon spotting him. "There you are, Your Highness. What has happened to you?" She looked concerned. "I wasn't able to find your herb. Did you need it so very badly? Perhaps you should return to the Pyramide to rest yourself."
"No, please…" Ryou shook his head. "We must return immediately to the royal box. I would like to see how the end of the tournament will come about."
"Oh, but there shall be other tournaments—surely you'll be there to see them," Anzu helped him stand properly,
Ryou disliked arguments, especially since his head wasn't allowing him to think clearly. But he forced himself to remain rational. "Please—I want to see what happens to the Dueler Seto. Let us return, I promise I will immediately retire to my chambers at the finish."
"You certainly do favor him…" Anzu sighed, nodding. "All right, but until the Duel finishes. I wouldn't like you to go on like this—the Emperor insists that you be treated with care."
Yes, he would like that, wouldn't he… Ryou had long surrendered to the fact that he was under great scrutiny for as long as he remained within the Emperor's power. But he nodded to Anzu, and both made their way back to the royal box.
I didn't come here to save anyone. I came here with my own agenda and my own motives. I am not a hero.
Seto's words rang through his mind. Ryou closed his eyes. You deny what you are…and you cannot be blamed for it. You are yourself. But you are also the last hope any of us have got.
"Both of them? Defeated?" Seto stared at the page.
"They were both blown backwards by the blasts of their Summons," Mokuba nodded as the two Duelers in the latest Duel were now being carried away before their eyes, the entire arena speckled with debris from pillars which had been destroyed by the previous match. "They are both unable to fight again. Niisama—you've won!"
"What?" At this Seto turned his eyes automatically to the royal box where the Emperor was being spoken to by a captain and the Master Sorcerer. They seemed not very disconcerted at all, and instead seemed rather pleased with the outcome. The blue-eyed youth frowned. Ryou was right in suspecting the Emperor already has plans to stopper him, though he knew not what he truly intended.
"The winner of that Duel was to be your opponent," his page explained. "But they've both destroyed each other. So by default, you have now won the tournament! Niisama, isn't that wonderful?" Mokuba's eyes were alight as he gripped tightly onto his arm.
It was only then did that moment hit him. The crowd outside was still cheering and the ground was shaking with their stamps and calls and the Coliseum was suffused with some unearthly light. The victory of the tournament was his, and he had come to the point of no return. The centurion on the elevated stage now proclaimed, "And by being the last Dueler standing—the winner of this tournament is—Seto of Gilheim!"
The still slightly stricken Dueler was pulled out into the open by his page, and the entire arena positively shook with thundering applause that could be heard for miles around. The banner of the white dragon rose the highest among others, fluttering in the wind and catching the light.
Seto felt the amulet in his chest growing warm, as though it knew what was happening. And now, with a pounding heart he turned to where the Emperor now sat, flanked by his entire court who was watching the Dueler on the field. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ryou and Lady Anzu reappear, taking their own seats. Ryou gazed down at him, holding onto his own slender scepter, looking rather anxious.
A feeling of darkness rippled over his senses as he looked up and saw the Emperor was looking down at him with a cool smile on his face. The Master Sorcerer was at his right hand the Oracle at the left. Yugi sat at his feet, but he saw something else. Prince Jounouchi sat nearby, with his sister, Shizuka, all of them watching him. Seto frowned. There was something wrong.
The Emperor rose to his feet and the crowd's cheering died down. Seto looked up at him unblinkingly. And now the Emperor said, "As the Emperor, I personally congratulate you on your victory, Seto of Gilheim. And as promised, you will receive the tournament prize—"
All breaths were held bated.
And the monarch's smile turned strange. "—which shall be a wish. You will be granted whatever it is you desire within this kingdom."
I knew it… Seto glared up at him. The Emperor, knowing what he had in mind, had practically opened the Pyramide gates at him. It was invitation to a gigantic trap that was going to be closed down upon him—whatever the Emperor was intending.
Not allowing himself to be deterred, he stood tall, gripping his banner and chest pounding. The moment of truth has come. After years of unfailing labor to get to where he now stood—the time of victory was coming and he was ready to snatch at it with reckless abandon. He might never get another chance for as long as he lived, so he will take it now or never. Raising the spear, he pointed it right at the monarch, his blue eyes blazing with unheard-of fire.
"So be it, Emperor," he said in a loud clear voice. "Then without ado, I now demand for you. I demand that you Duel me—right in these arena!"
And the Coliseum exploded into chaos as the entire royal court leapt to its feet, along with the awestruck audience. The time had finally come—the white dragon had demanded for the Emperor at last.
And from the shade of a great pillar at the topmost bleacher, a youth swathed in shadow, with golden bangs falling into glinting purple eyes smiled maliciously.
"Show me your power, white dragon…" he smirked.
The tension mounts! You think this is over? Oh, but we have only just began this epic saga! Please review and give us your input!
