~Chapter XXVI~
Mahad walked through the streets of the city with Seto at his side.
"The Pharaoh is sick," Seto announced. "I fear that his time is coming."
"Do you think Atem is ready for the throne?" Mahad queried.
"He must be," Seto replied. "Otherwise Egypt may become subject to invaders again."
"When we become his High Priests, we will protect him," Mahad reminded. "And we will advise him if he ever needs our help."
Seto turned to face Mahad as he walked. "Do you know which item has chosen you?" he asked. Mahad nodded, a somewhat sad look on his face.
"The Millennium Ring," he answered.
"Hmph," Seto reacted. "The one wielded by Nefertari's father."
"Yes," Mahad nodded. "It would have been hers if she remained loyal to the throne."
"She was corrupted," Seto told him.
"Of course," Mahad nodded in agreement. While he sounded certain in his words, his expression seemed saddened; he grew up with Nefertari and believed he was close to her, but looking back he could see that she was always a distant person. Though... she also wasn't entirely evil.
A scream was heard, causing both men to come to a halt. Seto reached for the hilt of his sword, gritting his teeth, while Mahad took a few steps forwards. A woman ran towards the pair, looking terrified.
"Please!" she pleaded. "You must help! Nefertari's advisors... they're attacking the city!"
"Akuma and Kiro?" Mahad questioned to himself. Seto frowned hatefully.
"So she's now using violence against the city," the apprentice assumed. "We must defeat her advisors, then we will pay the Queen of Outcasts a visit!"
Mahad almost seemed bothered by the thought of going after Nefertari, but he didn't hesitate. He ran ahead, with Seto just behind him, following the sounds of screams, blasts and laughter. People could be seen running in fear as an inn burst into flames, and emerging from the fire was Kiro as she flew up to Akuma's side.
"Have we finished warming up yet, sister?" the woman with black and red hair asked.
"You've turned up the heat, but let's play some more before we attack the palace," Akuma answered. Kiro pouted at her words but Akuma grinned, glancing down at Seto and Mahad. "Let's play with them, shall we?"
"What's happened to them?" Seto asked Mahad, keeping his eyes locked onto the two women. "They're neither themselves or their Ka!"
"No," Mahad agreed. "They fused with their Ka. A trick only I know." The spellcaster narrowed his eyes slightly. "The only other person who knew about such a trick was Nefertari, and that is because she learned from me."
"She merged her advisors with their monsters," Seto hissed. "Such a vile act from a vile woman."
Akuma floated down, almost landing on the sand to face them. "Hello, boys," she greeted. "How about we play a game? A little game I like to call 'Snap'?" She suddenly appeared right in front of them, her face almost touching Mahad's. "It's where I snap you both like little twigs. The winner screams the loudest."
Seto shoved Akuma away from Mahad, pointing his sword at her. "Back down, you vile wench, or I shall cut you down and butcher the rest of your kind!" Akuma merely burst out laughing.
"Ahaha! Oh, you are a funny little man!" she chortled before her laughter died down to a mere smirk. "There are no other beings like us anywhere."
"There are always monsters like you lurking in Egypt," Seto announced. "And your queen is one of them."
"Haha!" Kiro laughed. "We have no queen anymore!"
"We live by our own rules," Akuma added, raising her scythe. "We kneel to no one!"
"Not even each other!" Kiro giggled as she raised her sceptre. She struck Seto with a blast of green lightning, pushing him back but not knocking him down. However, a low growl and a grimace showed that he had been hurt.
"Seto!" Mahad reacted before scowling. "You fiends... You will not get away with any of this!" The young man raised his wand and chanted a spell, one which was supposed to freeze the pair, but they were immune to the attack. This left Mahad in shock.
Seto, having recovered from his injury, charged forwards and yelled as he attempted to strike Akuma, but she simply flew up into the air to join her non-related sister.
"Cowardly dogs!" Seto shouted up at them both. "Come down and face us in an honourable manner!"
"We don't need honour," Akuma chuckled. "In a true battle you fight with everything you have at your disposal!"
Mahad raised his hand, and on his wrist his DiaDhank glowed. "Illusion Magician! Come forth and defeat these creatures of darkness!" His command was heard by his Ka, which emerged and used its own Dark Magic Attack on Akuma, but she simply used her scythe to deflect the blast.
"Poor little Mahad," Akuma sympathized falsely. "You have no idea what you're up against, do you? Allow me to show you!" She swooped down and raised her weapon before digging it deep into Mahad's chest. Mahad gasped at the stinging sensation, believing this moment to be his last as darkness engulfed him.
But he found himself not losing consciousness; instead he appeared in an alternate environment. Alone.
He glanced around at the shadows which vaguely resembled the palace courtyard. He had no idea why he was here, but his heart started racing when he heard the loud and echoed hissing of what must have been a large snake. His assumptions were confirmed when out of the shadows slithered a large asp, bigger than him, only growing in height when it reared up and gazed down at him with red eyes.
Other venomous snakes slithered around him, circling him. He was trapped. Mahad tried to draw out his wand, but he didn't have one anymore. He had nothing to defend himself with. All he could do was stand there, surrounded by the very creatures which made him tremble. One snake bite had almost killed him in his youth, but Prince Atem saved his life. Now he really disliked them; not only because of the bite, but also because of Nefertari. He feared her wrath. He feared her power. Everyone did; she had power unlike any individual living in Egypt, obviously because of her evil heart.
The reptiles closed in, but the large one trapped Mahad in its jaw and dug its fangs into him. Mahad let out a wail of agony, trying to free himself from the maw of this beast but failing. As he screamed, however, he heard the echoed laughter of Akuma.
"Does it hurt, Mahad?" the voice asked. "I can sense your fear. I can feel your pain."
Mahad snarled and looked around but saw no sign of Akuma, but he couldn't focus on searching for her for long due to the growing pain in his body. Poison was spreading and those fangs were digging deeper into his flesh and bones.
"This is your soul room," Akuma explained. "This is where you deepest and darkest fears reside, and I can use them to my disposal to destroy you from the inside!"
An illusion. That was it. None of this was real; these were just illusions. If Mahad could beat them then he could escape this nightmare and return to the fight.
"You should not... play tricks... on a spellcaster..." he warned through grit teeth. "I... do not... fear... your... shadows...!"
If Akuma could use magic here then so could he. None of this was really happening, so anything could occur. His wand appeared in his hand and he cried out to his Ka: "Illusion Magician! Illuminate the darkness!"
The Illusion Magician waved its own wand, casting the shadows aside to reveal the palace courtyard and Akuma herself. Akuma glowered, appearing to be highly irritated at Mahad's resistance.
"You pest," she spat. "You will drown in darkness!"
"No," Mahad refused. "You will!" He looked to his Illusion Magician. "Fuse with me, Illusion Magician! Let us use the same magic she is using so that we can defeat her!"
Illusion Magician seemed to fly into him, causing a flash of light. The large snake hissed and shrieked, throwing its head from side to side as it suddenly burst into beams of light, and there, in the bright flames from the snake's corpse, floated the enhanced Mahad. He grasped Illusion Magician's large wand and gave Akuma a challenging stare, ready to use Illusion Magician's powers with his own hands.
...
Nefertari rode towards the Capital on horseback, not having told anyone about her sudden departure. She had to stop Akuma and Kiro before they did too much damage, and she was better off accomplishing the task alone.
She didn't want to kill them. They were once her friends. One day they may remember that.
There was something else she planned to do.
...
Kiro fired another bolt of green electrical energy towards Seto, but he dived to the side to avoid the attack. He could do nothing to save Mahad; he was trapped in a spiral of dark energy and appeared to be frozen. Same for Akuma, who still had her scythe digging into his chest. All Seto could do was focus on defeating Kiro.
"Give up now, throne-lover!" the winged woman taunted. "You stand no chance against me, for I am no ordinary human like you!"
"I was trained to protect the Pharaoh and his son," Seto growled. "I have been taught how to destroy powerful monsters, so do not underestimate me!"
"All talk and nothing else," Kiro mocked, grinning. "I could destroy you right now if I wanted to, but I think you should live long enough to watch your wizard friend return to consciousness as a broken man."
Seto's eyes widened and he turned to Mahad, then returning a hateful gaze to Kiro. "He is powerful," he argued. "He will defeat Akuma, and I will defeat you!" He held up his hand, revealing his DiaDhank. It began to glow, and the priest apprentice called out: "Galestgoras! I summon you to protect the people and defeat this fiend!"
Far away, a beam of light illuminated the already-bright sky, and then landed between Seto and Kiro. A large lizard appeared and roared up at the woman, large enough to reach up and swat her out of the sky. Not expecting the move, Kiro crashed down to the ground. However, she was quick to recovered and spread her wings, floating back up into the air.
"Good move, but not good enough!" she reacted, pointing her glowing sceptre at the large beast. She hurled a ball of lightning at the reptile, but it was not enough to fully destroy is. So, as a second attack, Kiro charged up an electrical ball of energy and fired it at Galestgoras' head, eliminating the beast. The destruction of Galestgoras weakened Seto himself, causing Kiro to snicker.
"You don't look so proud and mighty now," she pointed out. "You look like a weak dog!"
Seto had to think about his next move; was it safe to bring out another beast?
...
Mahad sent a wave of knives hurling towards Akuma. She attempted to use her wings to defend herself, but they were sharp and pierced her. Akuma fired sharp feathers in retaliation, but Mahad easily destroyed them. The spellcaster then flew towards her and grabbed her.
"Take us out of this world!" he bellowed. The world around them faded away and the pair of them glowed, thus returning them to reality.
...
Nefertari, now off her horse, ran towards the commotion. "AKUMA!" she roared. "KIRO! YOU WILL BRING NO MORE HARM TO THESE PEOPLE!"
The four fighters all turned to look at her. Nefertari paid no attention to Seto and Mahad, focusing only on Kiro and Akuma. The two females merely started to cackle.
"You are powerless against us, little princess!" Akuma teased.
"I created you," Nefertari reminded. "I am..." The woman's eyes flashed green, appearing like viper eyes for a split second. "YOUR GOD!"
On the ground around her, a circle began to glow. A magic circle, but not one anyone but Mahad was familiar with. It belonged to the Forbidden God of Chaos, Apophis.
"She's possessed..." the young spellcaster murmured under his breath, eyes wide. Seto had heard his words.
"You do not deserve death," Nefertari told the two corrupted women, "but you cannot continue on like this! To protect everyone, including yourselves, you will be sealed away within your items, never to return to this world as your corrupted selves!"
Akuma and Kiro looked at each other before feeling their items grow in power. A strong force seemed to be sucking them into their respective weapons.
"No!" Akuma shrieked. "This cannot happen! I must win this game!"
"We have not yet shed any blood!" Kiro added. But their words were hopeless; they were dragged into their own items, and both the scythe and the sceptre fell to the ground. No item was glowing anymore.
The circle beneath Nefertari's feet faded away and she fell to her knees, panting tiredly. Seto gave her a cruel glare, pointing his sword at her.
"Nefertari of Outcasts, you are under arrest!" he announced. Mahad looked at him.
"Seto, she sealed them away," he said. "She saved the city!"
"She's possessed," Seto countered. "I heard you say it yourself. Besides, she created those amalgams. We cannot let someone with her power defy the Pharaoh any longer!"
Mahad knew he was right. Nefertari was possessed by Apophis, the worst deity out there. His spirit was waiting to be released, and Nefertari would be the one to release it.
She had to die.
Nefertari heard Seto's words and lifted her head, watching him walk towards her. She had no plans to die today so quickly staggered back up to her feet, stumbling backwards before breaking into a sprint.
"After her!" Seto yelled. "Assemble the guards! Do not let Nefertari leave the city!"
But it was too late. Nefertari had already mounted her horse and had fled the city, but she was not heading back to El-Isfet. She could not return there as a wanted woman; she had to hide. Alone.
...
Kubui was sitting by Kekku's burial spot which had been marked by a mount. For once the charming former thief had tears in his two eyes. Normally he was only blind in one, but the tears caused his remaining good eye to be blurry. Kekku was like a brother to him. Together those two were impossivle to separate. They had their manly squabbles, but together they could just be guys. And now he was gone, buried beside his younger sibling who had honestly been dead for years due to how much Apophis had changed him.
Servus, who had already been crying, approached Kubui and sat beside him. "I miss him," the teal-haired boy whimpered. "Together... all of us... We were friends. We were a group. Haku, you, Kekku and I... we were the four protectors of El-Isfet. Kekku was the strange young man who made the darkness lighter... He was crazy, and that's what we all loved about him... and now... he's..."
"He's with his family now," Kubui finished for him, refusing to let his tears escape. "Besides, he's probably looking at us with disgust right now." The partially-blinded man turned and smiled sadly at Servus. "That's why I'm gonna keep smiling. Kekku knew me as the man who made both women and men swoon; even some of the Pharaoh's guards were hesitant to harm me back in my days as a street thief in the Capital. Kekku wouldn't want me to cry for him; I know that if I was the dead one he'd be kicking my burial mound and calling me every name created by the gods."
Servus almost giggled, but he wasn't as strong as Kubui. He was weak. He was nothing but a weak slave boy.
Kubui clambered up to his feet and stretched. "Well, I'm gonna do some chores," he said. "I'll go get some water, and later I'll get some food from the Capital without paying; even if I wanted to pay I'd only be recognized and arrested."
The black-haired man ruffled Servus' hair before bidding him farewell and walking away, leaving Servus to tremble beside the two burial mounds.
"I'm sorry, Kekku..." he wavered, tears starting to roll down his cheeks again. "I couldn't remember who I was quick enough. If I had known my identity from the start, I would have destroyed the dragon before you even confronted your brother."
He closed his eyes, sniffling a little as he tried to restrain himself. "Anku, Safira and I... are the last survivors from a village of spellcasters destroyed by the Pharaoh long ago..." he revealed, trying to force a smile. "I-I bet you never knew that, d-did you, Kekku...? You never knew that... Servus... was actually... the son of... one of the greatest spellcasters... And my cousin... is Mahad's apprentice... Mana... that girl who is friend's with Aknamkanon's son, Atem..." He wiped his eyes a little. "Servus... was no name... and you knew that, didn't you? It was just a title from a foreign land given to me to represent my status as a servant... and I bet you came from a land which spoke the tongue my slave name came from... My real name... is... Tauren... I-I hope... you can hear me... so that... when we see each other again... You'll call me by my true name... A-And I hope... by then... I won't be a weak person in your eyes... I hope... I'll be a strong spellcaster... A-And I promise... I will always remember you until I see you in the afterlife... If I ever have any children I will name one after you..."
Servus, or Tauren, doubted himself. How could someone like him like children? He never wanted to be with a woman. But, if he could not honour Kekku with a child named after him, then he would have a statue of him built in El-Isfet. He would name his wand, which Anku had returned to him, after Kekku. And, when the buildings in the village were rebuilt, his home would be reconstructed in his memory as a sanctuary for the other villagers.
While everyone else worked on restoring the village, Akuto stood by the outskirts on the back of a horse. The queen had not returned, but that was not his problem. He did not belong here, he was brought here as a prisoner after his gang of bandits attacked the village in an attempt to capture the queen. But he had no intent on return to his thieving ways. His group was dead, and that was the only group he would ever work for. They were like his family.
Akuto glanced back at El-Isfet one last time before riding away into the desert. He believed that nobody saw him, but Haku had. And, being the merciful man he was, he let him go. It was for the best.
~End of Chapter~