~VII~

The Royal Palace

Masudah was gone, consumed by the power of the Millennium Ring. It had fed off his soul, slowly draining him of his energy until he was nothing but a weak shell of a man. Not only that, but the images burned into his brain by the ring had been too much for his mind to handle. A man like Masudah could not control such a powerful item, but his fellow priests feared that no man would be strong enough.

"That ring killed him," Kamuzu said to fellow High Priest Akhenaden. "He spent his last moments talking about a world-ending sight as people were slaughtered, whether they were men, women or children. That ring has something inside it that no other item has. I fear that young Nefertari will not have the strength to control such an object."

"Then keep training her," was all Akhenaden could say in response. "She has been learning the ways of a spellcaster from a very young age. If she continues with her training then she will be strong enough to control the ring."

"What if nobody can control it?" Kamuzu suddenly asked, earning a shocked silence from his associate. "Masudah was powerful, Akhenaden. His soul was trained to withstand the burden of the Millennium Ring's power. If he cannot control it, then who will?"

"Nefertari," Akhenaden insisted. "She will be strong enough. Soon."

"And now?" Kamuzu pressed. "We no longer have six High Priests, and Nefertari is still only a child. She cannot wield the item just yet."

"Then we wait," Akhenaden finalised. "Nefertari is our only hope. She must be the one who wields that item, and then her children must be able to do the same." He looked Kamuzu in the eye seriously. "You must make sure she becomes a strong spellcaster, or else Egypt is doomed." Kamuzu simply nodded his head, although he hid his certainty.

"I will," he assured quietly.

The Palace Courtyard

Nefertari sat alone, but not out of sight of Mahad and Haku. The two boys looked at each other, not sure whether they should approach her or just stay away.

"She's not said anything for a long time," Haku pointed out. "I'm really worried about her."

"She must be in shock," Mahad guessed.

"What do you think happened to her while she was missing?" Haku asked him.

"I don't know," Mahad replied. "All I know is that I saw her with a boy. He looked a little bit… rough."

"Do you think he hurt her?" Haku pressed.

"It didn't look like he was trying to hurt her," Mahad recalled. "Maybe he said something to her…"

"We should just talk to her," Haku decided. "We need to know what happened."

"I'll talk to her," Mahad stated. "Maybe that boy didn't upset her. She might be thinking about her father…"

"Oh, yeah…" Haku remembered, bowing his head sadly. "I… forgot that Masudah…"

"Don't say it," Mahad interrupted. "I don't think she wants to hear that right now." The young spellcaster nodded to Haku once. "Go inside, Haku. I can talk to Nefertari by myself." Haku nodded back to him, showing that he was agreeing to do as he was told.

"Make sure she's okay," he last said before running back into the palace. With Haku now gone, Mahad let out a deep breath and approached Nefertari, seeing that the blue-haired girl barely even reacted to his presence at all.

"Neffy," he began softly, then sitting beside his friend. "Everyone is worried about you. We can't help you if you don't say what's wrong."

Nefertari didn't say anything, hugging her knees close to her chest. What could she say? She could not repeat the information she had learned about the Millennium Items. She still wasn't sure if what Bakura said was true, but she knew that questioning the topic would get the same answer either way: if his words were true, then the High Priests would deny that the tragedy happened, and if they were false, the High Priests would still deny that the tragedy happened. There was no need for her to say anything about what Bakura had said to her, because it wouldn't lead her anywhere.

Mahad sighed softly, closing his eyes and looking to the side. "I don't know how to help you," he admitted. "You haven't spoken to anybody since we found you in the city with that boy. You didn't even say anything when we told you about your father…"

His words only made Nefertari grimace and curl up into herself even more, but she didn't seem like she wanted to talk. Mahad noticed this and immediately regretted bringing up both incidents, but something had to be said. Were both issues bothering her, or only one? Was one incident worse than the other? He was never going to know, because she was refusing to talk.

"Neffy…" he sighed again. "I… just want to help you. You're my friend. Wouldn't you want to help me or Haku if we were upset?"

"You can't help me," were the words Nefertari finally spoke, her voice monotone and quiet. Her voice actually made Mahad's eyes widen with surprise, but then his expression softened again as Nefertari continued to speak. "If I had hurt myself, then you could help me. If I was scared of something, then you could help me. …I just want to be left alone, Mahad."

Mahad stared at her, and then slowly nodded his head. "…I'm sorry," he apologized, then standing up. Nefertari grabbed his hand before he left, but still didn't face it.

"…Don't be sorry for something that's not your fault," she mumbled before releasing her grip. Mahad kept his eyes on her for a few more seconds before silently nodding his head and leaving her to be by herself.

Nefertari glanced back at him, and then glanced back towards the courtyard walls. Out there was an entirely different world that she had barely seen for herself. A world where she may be able to find the truth. Perhaps she had to find Bakura again, or maybe she just needed to explore.

All she knew was that beyond that wall was the truth.

The Capital City

Behind that wall was the truth.

Bakura sat upon the roof of a building, staring towards the distant palace. That's where the Millennium Items were, and Nefertari – the girl who knew a lot about them.

Climbing up onto the roof, joining the white-haired child, was Rashan. Bakura looked back at him to make sure that it wasn't an approaching threat before turning his attention back to the royal palace.

"You've been up here for a while," Rashan pointed out. "Anything on your mind, kid?"

"Nothing much," Bakura shrugged, with his purple eyes still locked onto the large structure. Rashan noticed this and chose to sit next to the boy.

"Thinking about that girl?" he guessed. Bakura frowned and folded his arms, turning his back to face Rashan.

"No," he snorted.

"Aw, little Bakura's got a crush!" Rashan teased playfully, ruffling his hair. Bakura bat his hand away.

"Hey!" he snapped. "I don't even like her. I'm actually thinking about the Millennium Items. She knows so much about them…"

Rashan's playfulness seemed to fade. "You're thinking about those items again?" he asked. "Bakura…"

"Don't try telling me to stop thinking about them," Bakura grumbled. "I want those items. I want to get revenge!"

"A pipsqueak like you?" Rashan queried.

"I'll get those items when I'm bigger," Bakura planned, determined. "Maybe if I see that girl again, I'll learn even more about the items!"

Rashan let out a heavy sigh. "You're never gonna let it go, are you?" he questioned, seeing the burning anger behind Bakura's eyes. "You've hated the royals for years. And, well… heh heh, it kinda makes sense to want revenge, doesn't it? You are the last survivor of a massacre, after all. That ain't something you'll forget with age."

Bakura's fists clenched tightly, but he managed to calm himself, and his eyes became suddenly sad. "Hey, Rashan?" he spoke softly. Rashan tilted his head.

"Yes, kiddo?" the older male responded.

"Have any of you guys been through something tough?"

Rashan's expression slowly shifted into a solemn stare, but then he made himself smile lightly. "Life's tough," he answered. "We've all seen bad things. People like us can't get away bad experiences."

"Worse than mine?" Bakura pushed, almost sounding hopeful. Rashan chuckled and just ruffled his hair, which seemed to irritate the child.

"No such thing as having a worse experience than someone else," he explained. "Bad experiences are unique. They're never worse than someone else's."

"So, if someone like that girl said that she was upset about her evil dad dying, is that okay?" Bakura queried, recalling that Nefertari was very emotional about what was happening to her father.

"Of course," Rashan responded. "Her father's dying. Her father will be dead, and she will be sad, because she must have loved her father, right?"

"I guess…" Bakura grumbled, glaring daggers at the palace in the distance.

"You lost your father, too," Rashan reminded him.

"Not in the same way!" Bakura snapped, standing up suddenly as he bared his teeth at his guardian. "My dad was killed by the men who worked for the people in that palace! He was turned into gold – the gold around her dad's neck! I've been through worse!"

"You're a little young to understand," Rashan sighed, also choosing to stand up. "When you're older, you'll see what I mean." The man started heading towards the edge of the building so that he could climb off, but he paused. "It's gonna get dark soon. You should probably come in before any of the night criminals get ya." And with that, he made his way back to the natural ground.

Bakura's frown remained on his face as he once again glared at the palace, his nails digging into his palms. Those items were going to be his when he grew up. His story would become legend, for sure. He would be known as Bakura, the Last Man of Kul Elna (or something else cooler, he couldn't think of anything right now), and he would take down the corrupt royal family. He would avenge his village.

And the way to do that was to use Nefertari.

The Royal Palace

Night had now fallen, and Mahad was heading to bed. The death of Masudah had still unsettled him and many others in the palace, but none had been affected more than Nefertari. It was her own father, after all, and now she was alone. Orphaned.

Mahad covered his mouth as he yawned, walking with half-lidded eyes, ready for sleep, but fast footsteps echoed behind him.

"Mahad!" Haku called out, obviously trying to remain somewhat quiet. Mahad felt too tired to be dealing with this but knew that he couldn't just ignore Haku, so he turned to face him.

"Haku, what's the matter?" he exhaled tiredly, rubbing one of his eyes with his fist.

"Nefertari's not in her chamber," Haku explained. "Have you seen her since you saw her in the courtyard?"

No. He hadn't.

Mahad seemed a little more awake now. "No," he admitted. "I thought that she would've come inside…"

"I've asked everyone in the palace," Haku revealed. "Nobody has seen her."

Mahad's eyes went as wide as they could in their tired state. "You don't suppose she ran away again, do you?" he questioned. Haku's eyebrows furrowed and he swallowed hard.

"Where else could she be…?" he questioned quietly. Mahad's expression barely changed.

"We need to tell the High Priests," he planned. "The Pharaoh must know, too."

"Right," Haku nodded. "I'll tell them."

"And tell them that I'm looking for them," Mahad added. Haku gasped.

"But, Mahad, this is something we should leave to the adults!" he argued. "It's dark outside and there are criminals about! It's more dangerous than it was in the day!"

"Neffy is out there," Mahad reminded him. "I'm gonna look for her, Haku, and I'm gonna protect her from any danger. We can both use our magic to protect ourselves, and if we don't make it back, then the High Priests will be able to find us in time."

"Mahad…" Haku wavered.

"I won't rest tonight knowing that Neffy is out there on her own," Mahad finalized. "Go and tell the High Priests, Haku, and stay safe behind these walls."

Mahad sprinted down the halls as Haku called out to him one last time, but he didn't slow down. He had to find Nefertari before the darkness of the night revealed itself in the forms of bandits and spirit monsters.

~End of Chapter~