Chapter 9

A Secret's Truth

and the Death Plan

Later that night, while Yugi is happily being with his beloved Atem, Ryou happily spending time with Bakura, Seto and Jonouchi talking about their lives, and Malik and Marik being together while giving the others their privacy, Dartz stands before the magic mirror in his chamber with the red box in his hands. Ever since Honda returned with the box having the supposed heart of his stepson, Dartz has been celebrating by himself that he is now the most admired in the kingdom that night, deciding to stand before his magic mirror the next night with the box.

Standing tall in front of the mirror, Dartz said, "Magic Mirror on the Wall, who NOW is the most admired?"

"Deep in the woods, just outside the desert, in the mansion of the five Egyptians, dwells Yugi Mutou, the most admired." reply the mask in the mirror.

"Yugi Mutou lies dead in the forest, where he's being finished off by the Man Eaters. One slave has brought me proof of that." Opening the box, Dartz showed the heart to the mirror. "Behold, his heart."

One not to lie to his king, the mirror continued, "Yugi still lives, the most admired in the kingdom. 'Tis the heart of a wild boar you hold in your hand." Then to show complete proof that the young Prince is still alive, the mask vanished and was replaced by a scene that to Dartz was very strong proof; Yugi is holding hands with the bronze teen he met yesterday morning in the court yard, he appeared to be laughing as he and the bronze teen chased each other in a garden next to a mansion deep in the woods.

Furious that Honda had lied to him, Dartz became very fumed as he looked at the heart in the box, now knowing that it wasn't Yugi's. "A heart of a boar! Then I've been deceived!"

Now determined to get rid of the prince, Dartz left the mirror chamber and went down to a secret room where he kept his potions and spell books deep down, near the castle dungeons. Slamming the door, he had awakened a crow that was nestled on top of a skull. Looking at the closed box, Dartz said to himself then to the crow who was ruffling its feathers, "The heart of a boar; that friendship loyal fool!" Furious at the slave that is no longer here, Dartz tossed the box very hard off to the side.

Now talking completely to the crow, Dartz said as he walked over to a shelf of spell books and pulled one off the shelf, wiping a spider web off of it, "I'll go myself to the Egyptians' mansion in a disguise so complete no one will ever suspect it's really me."

Taking the book over to a stand, Dartz opened the book to find the right disguise that he'll use. Finding the exact disguise that he thought would be perfect, Dartz said as he looked at the page, "I'll change my kingly raiment to a peddler's cloak." and so, listing the ingredients he needs, he took a goblet and started to get what he needed in the specific order; starting with mummy dust to make him old, the black of night to shroud his clothes, an old man's laugh to age his voice, a scream of fright to whiten his hair, a blast of wind to fan his hatred, and finally a thunderbolt to mix the ingredients well.

With the potion ready, Dartz brought the goblet to his lips and with a single gulp drank the entire potion. With the last drop down his throat, Dartz dropped the goblet and grasp his chest as the potion quickly took affect. The room was spinning as the transformation took place, starting with his sky blue hair turning white and straight, then his hands went from smooth, young skin to old, wrinkled hands. Lastly as his royalty robes changed to a black shrouded cloak, Dartz felt his voice change as well.

When the transformation was complete, Dartz turned toward the crow, laughing and appeared as a scary old man, saying, "A perfect disguise!" Seeing his master completely different, the crow fell into the skull and looked at his master through one of the eye socket holes to see him have a different spell book in front of him.

"And now, a special sort of death for one so fair." And looked through the book for a perfect form of death to do for Yugi. After leafing through a few pages, one spell caught Dartz's eye. "A poison apple; Sleeping Death." Chuckling at the choice, Dartz read the description for the spell with a picture of a red apple with the skull of death on it. "A single taste of the poisoned apple, and the victim's eyes will close for eternity in the sleeping death…" Now that he had an excellent disguise and found the perfect death spell for Yugi, Dartz felt completely in power that he is close to being the most admired in the land.