Fear. That's what you call it. When you feel completely venerable and nothing you can think or say can change it. It was one thing to mess with himself personally, but to bring those close to him into it was a completely coward move. If he truly had a problem with the royal family, his attacks should have been directed at him, but they weren't.
They were directed at the one person that didn't have a guardian to protect himself, since he wasn't part of the royal court… officially.
And Seto saved him, after being so against the teen, but in the end he saved Yugi's life. Atem couldn't repay that debt if he tried.
When the thief escaped, he made an odd comment about the items being born of darkness and evil. Apparently, or the Pharaoh Akhnamkanon, the previous King and Atem's father, had ordered an attack on the village to make the sacrifice of ninety-nine people to forge them.
'Your father was evil, Pharaoh. And his blood runs in your veins.'
The thief king's words taunted him, ripping him apart from the inside out. He was having frequent nightmares and terrors. Waking up in sweat as these vivid dreams showed of what happened in the small village…
And what could happen to Yugi, if he didn't become part of the royal court. An advisor was out of the question since there was no room and he wasn't chosen by the gods to be one of them. No. he had a more important role. He had to marry him, and if the gods accepted, he would be granted a DiaDhank.
It was private, but the gods accepted the Pharaoh's choice in a mate, he was given a DiaDhank. Only it read blank. No carvings, maybe they would find out later who his protector would be?
~XxX~
Atem shot up in bed, breathing heavy and sweating. Another dream, another nightmare. Just like all the others, death, dying, blood, and lost souls. And Mahad and Yugi were the next ones taken to the darkness.
That was until he saw Mahad's stone glowing. His father gave him a small lesson on how to call forth your guardian and how the stones glow for their own unique mage keeper. He was in a duel with someone. And he had a guess with who. That thief picked him out with the rest. He made it clear he wanted his ring.
The he noticed Yugi was gone too. Missing from his spot on the bed and he could only guess who he was with, and with all the kicked up sand and crumbing ruins in the distance, he could tell where the duel was taking place.
Atem leaves the palace and heads in the direction where Mahad's shrine is, hoping that maybe Yugi or someone activated by accident. Disappointment follows as he finds Mana in tears, instead, worried.
"I'm scared, Pharaoh." She puts he face in her hands. "I'm scared for his life."
"Come on. We need to go, now!" he helps mana to her feet. He needed her and if anything happened, she could at least call forth a spell. His heart is telling his where he can find the two, mounting his horse, and takes off from the palace.
His DiaDhank actives on its own will as Slyfer, The Sky Dragon takes form and flies off. Then the carving of the dragon had vanished from the gold stone on his arm.
The Gods wouldn't let them down. They heard their prayers almost a year ago and they delivered.
Yugi and him were meant to be, and the gods had sent Slyfer to protect his better half. He was Yugi's chosen protector.
"Thank you."
~XxX~
Mahad was losing bad. Maybe transferring his life energy to his servant protector wasn't the best idea, but Diabound had to be stop. This self-proclaimed king wanted his ring, and for him to get would be over his dead body.
Illusion Magician. The chosen protector from the Gods. This monster protected his life, and he was going to do the same.
The thief king senses someone behind him, and he knew who it was, not even having to turn around. "The Pharaoh to scared to face me, so he sent his better half?"
"Not exactly." He looks his DiaDhank as a symbol glows on it. Taking form of a snake of some kind with two mouths. "I'm showing him where to find you."
Yugi was wreck less but everything came at a reason. Didn't matter if his life ended here and called to duel. It would last long enough for Atem to get here, Mana was with him no doubt, and the seven keepers of the items would eventual catch up to him.
He now shared his life with Atem, and half the kingdom. What kind of king would he be if he wasn't willing to lay down his life for his people?
Mahad looked past his opponent to see who was standing there. Yugi wasn't the person who usually needed to be saved. He had a very strong side. Diligent and very observant. He saw him shuffling his feet through the sand, never picking them up from the ground. Yugi was educated on this place. Sacred train temple of the mages. There were traps everywhere in this place.
And the thief king had just stepped on one, and that activated others.
~XxX~
Mana and Atem dismount the horse and look at the entrance of the sacred temple of mages. He wasn't going to get away with what he has done. Atem goes to enter only to have mana yank him back
Mana waves her wand as a falcon "I summon my falcon, Anzu! Warn the other priests! We need their help!"
~XxX~
There was nothing more he could do. He wasn't going to win and this thief had made it so the pendulums were swinging in his favor. His energy was weak, his life force was drained. He couldn't dodge another attack that this monster was dealing, and with the Diabound growing stronger from the hatred in his opponent's heart, he didn't have the life-force to keep going at it.
And there was a pendulum ready to swing right into him. Ready to kill him.
In a desperate move to keep himself alive, he infused his life force with his sacred monster, bonding with it, and abandoning his body. With one swift attack the DiaBound is struck down.
The millennium ring falls to the floor and the thief grabs it and makes his swift exit. Running past the Pharaoh and mounting his horse. 'Time to pick my next target. The Pharaoh has to be last.'
Atem lets the thief go, more concerned for his friend at the moment, however Mahad is no longer a mage, but part of his protector.
"Mahad! No!" She falls to her knees in a despair and in tears. "What happened!?" Atem demanded.
"I had to seal myself with my monster to stop his. It worked." Mahad smiles before being sealed into a tablet of stone. "Pharaoh! Yugi! My soul is your eternal guardian."
Speaking of Yugi.
"And you!" Atem approaches his better half in frustration and rage. "What were you doing out here!? Answer me, Yugi!"
"I came out here to help you! You may not realize it, but I'm part of your life now, so your people and kingdom are a part of mine. And this guy is endangering you, me and everyone around us. Your kingdom, our kingdom lies on the line!" Yugi narrows his eyes. "And I was the one who called Slyfer to show you where to go, and the gods gave you that dream for the same reason!"
"I didn't know… I…"
"We all lost a dear friend today, and arguing is just going to split us apart. We need to get back to the palace immediately and speak with the other priests. Decide what we need to do and go from there." Yugi looks out to the desert. "We can't risk a search now, it's dark and he could be anywhere. He knows the sands here and that leaves us at a disadvantage."
"Even worse now that he has a millennium item." Atem looks to his puzzle. "I don't know much about them, but they all seem to link somehow. Him having one could be his undoing… or our downfall."
~XxX~
The thief king washed himself in a river bank of off the Nile. Soaking his feet as he looks over the item in his possession. Now, he had to come up with a plan for the other six.
He places it around his neck, as it glows. The initiation that it accepted its new wielder.
His DiaBound was destroys by Mahad but could be called forth again later, and this item would help improve on the power monster that was already feeding on dark energy from him. Now it had dark souls of those who were used to create the ring to feed off of as well.
The necklace wasn't his pain priority, and even if it was, it had the ability to show the wearer vision of things that might happen what you might not be able to see. Isis might actually see him looking into her necklace and he couldn't blow his cover like that. She would see him when he wanted her to see him.
Also, he had to make each one turn on each other, cause conflict within the court, split them, divide and conquer.
The key would be very easy to take, his DiaBound could strike Shada down easily. One he had a second item. The key would be the third to grab.
What about the eye? It was linked to the mind and he could very easily manipulate someone like that. He was good at mind games.
Come to think of it, the chosen one for the eye looked very familiar… when his village was attacked! He was the man leading the invading army. He killed his people and only family. He was the Ex-Pharaoh's brother.
When he met him in the palace, he sensed he had dark tendencies. He could be the key to split everyone apart. He would be the wedge to drive everyone apart and min them against one another. He would access his mind right now using the ring to penetrate his mind silently. Wouldn't start messing around in there until he got some leverage against him.
The thief king stands and closed his eyes. He then focused his energy into the ring.
he sees a lot, and most it is just despicable acts and ideas. This man had done more wrong than right. An abandoned son, and s lot of anger and rage directed toward his late brother, Atem, and Atem's beloved.
He was the perfect candidate.
He opens his eyes and smirked. Aknadin was the reason he lost his family, now he would be the reason Atem lost his.
