(A/N: Yes, I know, last chapter was a tear-jerker. Things will pick up in this chapter. You'll also get to meet the primary villain of the story, who I briefly mentioned one or two times in earlier chapters. So, without further ado, I present to you the next chapter.)
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 13: Choosing One's Own Destiny
"I summon four of the five Kuriboh brothers!" Karim cried. "Come forth Kuribi, Kuribu, Kuribe, and Kuriba!" The white, pink, green and purple Kuribohs appeared. "Next I summon Winged Kuriboh." The brown Kuriboh with wings appeared. "And now, with the power of my Millennium Scale, I shall fuse them together to create The Rainbow King, Kurigod!"
The five Kuribohs merged together to create a Kuriboh that looked like it had been fused with the Rainbow Blessing Magic Card with a pair of wings and a small golden crown on its head.
"Now attack!" Karim ordered the colorful critter.
With a squeaky battle cry, Kurigod flew towards the Hittite army. As all Kuribohs did, it exploded upon contact with an enemy, though it created an explosion several times larger than an ordinary Kuriboh.
"Well done, Karim!" said Shada. "Now it's my turn. I summon Ancient Gear Soldier!"
The large android-like Shadow Creature appeared and charged into battle.
"Dark Magician Girl, go aid him." Mana ordered.
Teana held up her DiaDhank. "And I shall summon Harpie Lady and Harpie's Pet Dragon." She smiled as the two Shadow Creatures appeared, then turned to Karim. "Care to use your fusion power again."
Karin nodded. "With pleasure. I shall fuse these two together to create Harpie Dragon Charmer."
Harpie Lady, now riding on Harpie's Pet Dragon's back, flew off to fight. Atem watched them go, having the utmost faith in them. This was only a small battle. The real big and nasty one was yet to come. He was hoping to avoid this by capturing General Mursili. He had already sent out Summoned Skull, Gaia the Fierce Knight, and Curse of Dragon to find him. They had yet to return. And to make matters worse, Curse of Dragon's symbol had vanished from his DiaDhank, meaning that it had been defeated.
"My king," said Dark Magician, appearing by Atem's side, "there is still no sign of either of them."
Atem growled impatiently. "Well, find them."
Dark Magician nodded and flew off again. Atem looked at his DiaDhank and saw, to his horror, the symbol of Summoned Skull fade away. Another one of his Shadow Creatures had been defeated. By who? Was it the Hittite army, or the dark force that Isis had sensed?
"Mystic Elf, come forth!" he cried, and the blue-skinned woman appeared as Atem's 'Life Points' decreased. "Mystic Elf, go to the battlefield and heal the wounded."
"My king," said Shada nervously, "do not push yourself too hard. You don't want to get consumed by the shadows. You should take some time to recover."
Atem shook his head. "There's no time."
"I think a break will be alright." Mana told him. "We're winning the battle."
Atem looked up, seeing Blue Eyes Whit Dragon flying through the sky. "Lets find out." He waved down the flying dragon, and Blue Eyes came in for a landing. "What news do you have?"
Seto jumped off Blue Eyes White Dragon's back. "The Hittite army is retreating."
"Excellent." Atem replied. "Then lets wrap things up here." He turned to Teana. "Order our troops to pull back."
Teana nodded and turned to Beta the Magnet Warrior. "You heard the pharaoh. Send out a signal to Alpha and Gamma to round up the soldiers."
The magnet warrior made a response then set out an electrical signal to his counterparts on the battlefield.
Atem sighed and looked up at the night sky. Tonight was the night. The one that would be the worst night of his life. The night Téa went home. Yes, tonight was the Egyptian New Year. She was leaving tonight, and he wouldn't even be there to see her off. Curse this war for pulling him from Téa's side.
"Pharaoh." Atem turned to Mana. "Petit Angel and Change of Heart have returned from their sweep of the area."
Atem turned to the two Shadow Creatures. "And?"
Petit Angel merely squeaked in response, but Change of Heart actually answered him. "Our areas are clear, but Graceful Charity was shot down before she could report back."
Atem grunted. "Then we'll have to wait for her to recover enough to recreate her body before she can give a report."
"Worry not, my pharaoh." Change of Heart told him. "Y Dragon Head and Great Moth went to investigate after she fell and took care of things."
Atem sighed in relief. "Then I believe we will be safe for tonight. Go attend to the wounded. And have Brain Control work his magic on the prisoners to find out what they know."
Change of Heart nodded. "It shall be done."
As the Shadow Creatures flew off, Atem finally sat down. He was exhausted. His strength was drained from lack of sleep and constant battle.
"My king, are you well?"
Atem nodded. "Yes, Teana. I am merely tired."
She frowned. "You are not just tired, my king, you are heartbroken. I know what today is."
Atem sighed and rubbed his eyes. "It's out of my hands. She's already lost to me." He got up and headed for his tent. "I wish to be alone now."
He entered his tent and dropped done on his mattress. So this was what they called heartbreak. They should call it heart rip, because it felt like his heart was being ripped out of his chest. And suddenly, his confidence that they would win this war was diminished.
'Things just seem so dark and bleak without you, Téa.'
He heard the flap of his tent open and someone enter. "My king."
It was Teana again. Did he not just tell her that he wanted to be left alone? "Why are you disturbing me?"
She bowed. "Forgive me, but Mahad- I mean, Dark Magician has returned with Gaia."
Atem's eyes shot open. He was suddenly up and out of his tent, eager to find out what had happened. He gasped when he saw Dark Magician supporting Gaia, whose horse was not with him. But what really shocked him was that Gaia was had aged greatly and looked half dead, as if someone had drained his life force and youth.
"What happened?" he asked.
Dark Magician laid Gaia down. "I found him crawling back in this condition. Summoned Skull and Curse of Dragon were nowhere to be found."
"They were defeated." Gaia grumbled. "A powerful force of darkness took them. Wiped them out like they were nothing."
Atem knelt down by Gaia's side. "Is that what did this to you?"
Gaia nodded. "Forgive me, my king. Next time I shall do better."
His body turned to sand and crumbled apart. Atem sighed and bowed his head. "No, you did well, my friend. Recover quickly." He stood up and looked out at the battlefield. 'What terrible force is Mursili involved with that could do this?'
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"My lady," Isis whispered, "it's time."
Téa sighed, smiling sadly. "So it is." She got up, taking one last look around her room. "Alright, lets go."
Isis nodded and motioned for Téa to follow her. "You do remember everything I told you."
Téa nodded. "Yeah, but hearing it once more won't hurt. I want to make sure this goes right."
Isis nodded in understanding. "Very well. The ritual will take a full day to complete. And once we begin it, we must complete it. That's very important. When the ritual is complete, you will be pulled into a warp hole that will move rapidly through time until the correct date."
"And that's what my clothes are for." Téa replied.
Isis nodded again. "Indeed. Something from the desired time period to use. You do realize though that your clothes will remain here."
Téa just shrugged. "I can always buy more. And are you sure that there's nothing I'm supposed to do?"
"Merely stay inside the circle until the ritual is complete. Standing is not necessary, but you must remain in the circle." She signaled to the guards, waving them over. "Lady Téa and I will be in this room performing a powerful ritual. No one, I repeat, no one is to enter until I say otherwise. Is this understood?"
The guards stood up straight. "Yes, ma'am!"
Isis nodded and closed the door. She began to set to work, drawing a circle on the floor along with magic symbols.
"What is Atem going to tell everyone about my disappearance?" Téa asked.
Isis continued drawing. "The people will be told that you have returned to the gods. They will be upset that one of the saviors of Egypt has left them, but they will not question the will of the gods."
Téa smiled humorlessly. "A messenger of the gods. I'm nothing but an ordinary girl lost in time."
"On the contrary, Lady Téa." Said Isis. "You are anything but ordinary. If you were to stay with us, I know you would bring great fortune to Egypt." She finished with the markings and dusted her hands off. "It's ready. Please stand in the middle of the circle."
Téa nodded and did as she was told. Once she was in position, Isis picked up Téa's folded clothes and moved to her position.
"Is everything ready?" Téa asked.
Isis nodded. "We are ready to begin." She gave Téa a serious look. "Are you certain this is what you want?"
Téa closed her eyes. She wasn't certain of anything any more. She wanted to be with Atem, but she also wanted to return to her family and friends in the future. Why did Isis have to ask that question anyway? This was hard enough without more doubt placed in her mind about the decision she made.
Taking a deep breath, Téa opened her eyes and nodded. "Yes, lets begin."
With disappointment clear in Isis' eyes, she began the ritual. A golden aura consumed her, seeming to originate from the clothes she held. She closed her eyes in concentration and said a quiet chant under her breath. Her Millennium Necklace began to glow and a beam of light shot out of the golden eye on it.
Téa flinched as the beam of light flew at her. It never touched her though. Téa suddenly noticed that circle that Isis had drawn was glowing, creating a dim tube of light surrounding her. The beam of light coming from Isis' Millennium Necklace struck this tube, creating ripples of light running along it.
"It has begun." Said Isis. "The only thing left to do is wait."
"For 24 hours." Téa whispered.
She wondered if her resolve would remain that long.
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Far from the palace, several Hittite soldiers returned to their camp with news about their latest defeat. After filling in their captain about what happened, they watched as the color drained from his face.
"Very well, I shall report this to General Mursili. You are excused."
As the soldiers retreated, the captain took a deep breath and approached the largest tent in the camp. He hesitated for a moment before entering, looking braver than he felt.
"General Mursili, I have a report on our most recent battle."
The other man in the tent held up his hand. "Please be quiet, Captain Hantili." He said coolly. "You know I like my quiet time." A cold smile crossed his face as he took a sip of wine. "But since you have interrupted me, tell me what you want."
Captain Hantili cleared his throat. "We've lost the battle."
Mursili, who had been lazily swirling around his cup of wine, stopped. He closed his eyes, seeming to ponder over this news. Hantili waited nervously, unsure how the general would react. The man never seemed to get angry, although there were times when he clearly was. This was one of them. Mursili was angry, but he still had that cold smile on his face.
"That is unfortunate." The general replied calmly. "Battles are only worth fighting if you know you're going to win. Did you not say that this battle would be an easy victory?"
Hantili gulped. "It was my belief, sir."
"I don't like beliefs, I like guarantees. This was a bad judgment call on your part. Those were your men out there. That makes this your failure, and failure is unacceptable. Because, as you know, failure is a flaw, and flaws need to be," he slowly tilted his cup and poured out his wine, "spilled."
Gathering his courage, Hantili gave the rest of his report. "Sir, the pharaoh and his Royal Court have joined the battle. They have monsters on their side. Not even our iron weapons can stand up to them."
Mursili chuckled. "Monsters? I have experience in dealing with monsters. In fact, many say that I am one. Of course, you know of what I really speak."
Hantili began sweating nervously. "Are you going to do what you did to those monsters that came here?" He had seen how easily the general had taken down Summoned Skull and Curse of Dragon, not to mention what he had done to Gaia the Fierce Knight.
Mursili sat back, carelessly twirling his thumbs. "That depends, what do you think should be done? Do you not deserve punishment for your failure?"
He snapped his fingers and a black ribbon seemed to appear out of thin air. It struck Hantili on the cheek, then vanished. Hantili didn't flinch, even though the ribbon had split his cheek open. He knew that to do so would be a sign of weakness.
"Sir, I have never failed you before-"
"And therefore I have never had to punish you before." Mursili interrupted. "No failure, no punishment. Failure, punishment. It's a rather simple way of doing things. However," he grinned, "I am rather fond of you, Hantili. So I will give you a chance for redemption. You say your failure is due to the unexpected arrival of the pharaoh, well then, dispose of him, and there should be no more failure on your part. Kill the pharaoh, and all will be forgiven."
Hantili nodded, feeling greatly relieved. "Thank you, sir. It will be done."
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Four hours had passed since the ritual had begun. Within that time, the tube of light Téa was in had slowly grown brighter. Other than that, nothing else had changed. That is, until Isis' Millennium Necklace gave off a flash of light. And after it did, Isis gasped, her eyes widening in horror and her skin turning pale.
Téa looked at her in concern. "Isis?" She received no reply. "Isis, are you ok?"
She made a move to go towards her. The movement seemed to snap Isis out of her trance.
"No, don't move!"
Téa froze. "What? What happened?"
"I told you." Isis scolded her. "You must not leave the circle."
Téa looked down. She had been just inches away from stepping out. "Right, sorry. I forgot."
"Well you must not forget." Isis told her. "Step out and the ritual will fail. Then we would have to start all over again."
Téa sweat-dropped. "And it's after the Witching Hour. I would need to wait until next New Years to try again."
Isis shook her head. "No, it's more complicated than that. This type of magic is very difficult. Time magic is incredibly powerful and has consequences. Once the ritual is complete, my Millennium Necklace will need to, shall we say, recover."
"So it'll be useless once the ritual is complete?" Téa asked.
"No, but I won't be able to perform this ritual again for 1000 years. My Millennium Necklace has been unleashing this powerful time magic for about four hours now, which means that if we stop the ritual now, we can't perform the ritual for about 200 years."
Téa gasped. Stopping now meant a 200 year wait before the ritual could be performed again? It was a good thing she hadn't stepped out of the circle; she would have been stuck here for the rest of her life, which certainly wouldn't be 200 years. She almost lost her only chance to go home.
"Ok, I'm sorry, I'll remember." She gave Isis a curious look. "But what happened? You gasped and went as pale as a ghost."
Isis just waved it off. "Forget about it."
Téa crossed her arms. "Come on, tell me. Did your Millennium Necklace show you a vision of the future?"
Isis closed her eyes. "Yes, I did get a glimpse. But it's nothing."
"It can't be nothing. You looked absolutely horrified. Now tell me."
"It's nothing to worry about."
Téa eyed her suspiciously. "Yes, it is, or you'd tell me. I want to know." Isis remained silent, so Téa took a step forward, closer to the exit of the circle. "Tell me or I'll come over there and rip that necklace off your neck so I can see for myself."
Isis wasn't convinced. "An empty threat, Lady Téa. I just told you the consequences of leaving the circle."
Téa groaned impatiently. "Isis, you can't send me back wondering what's scared you so much. I'll be worrying about it for the rest of my life, always thinking of the worst-case scenario. You can't just leave it at that."
Isis closed her eyes and sighed. Would leaving Téa to wonder truly be worse than the truth? Perhaps Téa did have the right to know.
"Very well. I have seen a horrible vision. General Mursili has sent out an assassin to kill the pharaoh."
Téa gasped. "Assassinate him? How?"
"Poison." Isis replied. "A very powerful poison placed in a dart. Extremely lethal, able to kill with a very small amount."
Téa's heart was pounding. "Will he succeed?" She received no reply. "Isis, will the assassin succeed? Is Atem going to die?"
Isis thought carefully before replying. "The future is not set in stone. My Millennium Necklace tells me what will happen in the future, but that doesn't mean that it's going to happen. By seeing the future, I can intervene and change it."
"But you're here." Téa told her. "You're not there to intervene. That means that…"
Isis closed her eyes and nodded sadly. "Yes, the pharaoh will die."
"NO!" Téa shouted. This was her fault. If she hadn't been here, then Isis would be with Atem and be able to stop this horrible future from happening. "You have to stop it! Send someone to go warn him."
"My Millennium Necklace would be needed to find him, and I need it to continue the ritual. Besides," she looked down, "it's too late. No one would make it in time."
The truth of it hit Téa like a speeding train. "No…"
It was all over. Atem was going to die. No matter what happened, Atem was going to die. Any attempts to save him would be in vain. Isis had confirmed it.
'Confirmed?' she thought, feeling a small spark of hope. "Isis, you've seen that no one will make it to Atem in time?"
Isis nodded. "Otherwise I would have contacted the guards already."
"You also said that just because you've seen the future, it doesn't mean that that particular future will happen, right?"
Isis gave her a curious look. "What are you getting at?"
Téa didn't reply. Her mind was racing. Isis had told her that Atem would die no matter what, but…
She closed her eyes tightly. 'Mom, Dad, Yugi, Joey, Tristan, Bakura, Duke, Mai, Serenity, Mr. Motou, Rebecca, everyone…' She took a deep breath. 'I'm sorry.'
Her eyes snapped open, filled with determination, and she stepped out of the circle. The tube of light shattered like glass and faded away. The circle disappeared and the beam coming out of the Millennium Necklace vanished. Isis gasped as Téa's clothes she was holding burst into flame. Dropping the clothes, she looked up at Téa in disbelief.
"Lady Téa, you… you…"
Téa didn't give her a chance to say anything. "You say you've seen the future and that Atem will die no matter what, but you also say that your visions are not definite. That means there isn't any no matter what. As far as I'm concerned, there's still a chance to save him, and I'm taking that chance. Now come on, we leave immediately."
She stormed past Isis with a determine look on her face. Isis just stared down at the pile of ashes that had once been Téa's clothes.
"Lady Téa," she turned to Téa, the look of shock still on her face, "do you realize what you've done. You've thrown away your only chance to get home. You can't go back now. You're stuck here."
Téa didn't even turn around. "I said we leave immediately! Now lets go!"
She pushed the doors open, accidentally knocking over the two guards. Isis remained where she was for a moment before a joyful smile broke out on her face.
"Yes, Lady Téa, at once!"
(A/N: There you go. Téa's here to stay. She gave up her one chance to go home for, what she believes to be, a minor chance to save Atem. Is everyone happy now? Now she's off to the battlefield. But will she make it in time? And if she does, how will the others react when they find out that she's now a permanent resident. And in case you haven't figured it out, General Mursili is the main villain in the story. But they'll be more on him later. So, who's going to be super cool and leave me a review? Next chapter will be under Yami Yugi / Anzu.)