A/N: Surpriseeee! It's a bit of a shorter chapter than my usual, but there is a LOT going on in it so I decided I would publish it now. I know there's a lot going on in this one, so feel free to ask me any questions! Thanks for reviewing! Enjoy!
A forced summon.
The gods had called him forth without any consent, regardless of the situation.
It was known as a forced summon.
As the depiction of god on earth, pharaohs must be aware that they may be summoned at any time to have a meeting with the gods regarding an earthly matter.
Atem knew this. It had happened to him once before when he was alone in his suite after his carnation. The gods wanted to speak with him personally regarding his new title and the responsibilities he would bare. The situation was similar—extreme heart pains to the point of collapse. It was a way of extracting the soul temporarily until the gods were done with what they had to say.
The gods lowered themselves to a meeting point that would best fit the needs of the situation. Their summon left both Atem and themselves in a cloudy, pearly dimension that existed merely to take up space.
Upon arriving, Atem smiled. He couldn't help but feel happy when witnessing the glory of the gods presence and their divine works. Light pink clouds and a scent of fresh fruit drifted through the air. Light sparkled on the clouds to form marvelous crystal reflections. It was indeed a beautiful sight.
"Pharaoh."
It was an airy voice. One that came so smoothly Atem wasn't sure if it was even said at all. He cocked his head around to look for the source.
"Pharaoh."
It was much clearer this time around. Atem kneeled in respect, bowing his head as he awaited what would come next.
"Pharaoh, you have returned."
Don't raise your head unless asked. Never stand unless ordered to. Do not ask questions; merely answer them.
Rules of a summoning ran through Atem's mind to the point where he wasn't even aware the gods had spoken at all.
"Pharaoh!"
Atem jolted, nearly bringing his head up in habit, but quickly lowering it once he was aware of what he was doing.
"At your will!" Atem answered with a shake in his voice.
There was a heavy hesitation. One that nerved Atem to no return, but he continued to keep his composure.
"You have returned."
"I have."
"Are you aware of the consequence your return has signified?"
A little tingle ran through Atem's neck, begging him to raise his head and confront whatever was above him. Even if there was no one there at all.
"I am aware that my return leads to a call for action, but I have an alternative option that will spare both my soul and Yugi's if you would please take heed."
"There is no alternative, Pharaoh. You have already exercised the unconventional option."
Atem's eyes widened as he kept his face towards the ground. Well, I knew it wouldn't be that easy.
"Holy Gods, the alternative that I have discovered could only have been established due to the unconventional option that was offered to me. Please hear my hypothesis regarding an exception."
"Pharaoh, it was made clear the day of your sacrifice that there are no exceptions to this rule."
"My Gods, please hear my-"
"Did you think we summoned you to discuss more ways you could avoid a light sacrifice? There are no paths left to be chosen."
"I am not choosing a path, I am creating one," Atem bargained.
A moment of hesitation overtook them.
"Pharaoh, raise your head."
With a sigh of relief, Atem raised his head to address the Gods.
As predicted, no actual being was there. Just bright light.
"You dare to accept this summon with a rebuttal towards the inevitable?"
"Yes."
Silence. Long, dreadful silence. The lingering of it caused Atem to shiver in worry.
"Pharaoh, we accept your plea to communicate an alternative. However, be aware there is little to no chance it will be plausible."
"I understand," Atem replied softly, not willing to believe his own words.
"Proceed."
Atem took in a deep breath, taking a second to dwell on the words he wanted to say.
This is it.
I only get once chance.
And what happens if I fail?
What happens if they deny my request?
What happens then?
….No….
I can't allow that. For Yugi's sake, and for mine.
The gods must accept. They will hear and be impressed.
There is no room to fail.
I-I just have to…I just have to…
"Pharaoh?"
Say it.
"Holy Gods," Atem began, confidence radiating in his voice, albeit forced. "First, I must express my thanks. Because of your grace in allowing me the opportunity to dwell in an alternate dimension, I was able to find an exception to the inevitably of eternal sacrifice for both Yugi and I."
Take breaths in between large statements. There's nothing wrong with thinking about what you will say before you say it.
"As Pharaoh, you separated light from my soul at my birth in order to manifest a whole new creation. This being, Yugi, would become a sacrifice in future days if earthly destruction called for it in order to put darkness at bay. It has happened for generations before me, and will continue to happen for generations after.
"The darkness that is a current threat to our kingdom is Zorc. I am now aware that Zorc's existence is due to the rage of hundreds of lost souls in the massacre of Kul Elna. Their souls were exterminated to create the millennium items, which were used to defeat invading enemies at the time. However, now those souls have manifested into our greatest threat.
"I am aware that the Thief King was the only survivor of that massacre, and that all of the rage of these souls possessed him. He is now the host body for Zorc. When I was bound to him in the alternate dimension, the Thief King became absent of his demon and became easy to capture. He now resides in the palace dungeon awaiting execution."
"Pharaoh, all you have stated are facts that we are aware of. Where is your proposal?"
"Holy Gods, when I became a sacrifice in Yugi's stead, you extracted pieces of souls in order to create a new dimension. You told me this ahead of time, so I knew what to expect. However, one thing that I did not expect was that the Thief King would be developed into two bodies in my alternate dimension."
Okay…here we go.
"My Gods, when you went to extract the darkness from the Thief King, you found light that you could not bind to the darkness. A small move for you, but a huge key in sparing Yugi and I. You took the light that you found in the Thief King and manifested it into a new being. The light of this soul expanded during its time in this alternate dimension, enough for him to stand alone in this universe. If you transport this new soul into Egypt, then he could be the light that puts the darkness at ease for the Thief King, which would inevitably diminish Zorc's rage! Just as Yugi balances out my darkness, Ryou can balance out Bakura!"
The hesitation that followed Atem's proposal nearly made him sick. He should have expected it, but it was just the realization that he had to await a response that made him grow in worry.
"Ryou? The light has a name, does it?"
That's it? That's all you have to say?
"As was his name in the alternate dimension," Atem bowed.
Nothing. No response.
Silence.
The type that eats you alive. Even when you don't want to know the answer, it makes for a better option than baring deathly silence.
"You cannot avoid the light in Bakura's soul that has expanded, my Gods. Choosing to leave it out is merely setting my kingdom up for danger."
"You will speak when you are spoken to, Pharaoh!" A harsh voice spat.
Atem suppressed a growl from his chest.
"An intelligent proposal, Pharaoh, but your request has been denied."
….
Denied?
Denied?
"Denied?!" Atem repeated in terror.
"Correct. Now, let us continue with our primary discussion regarding the next step now that you have returned to Egypt. In order to—"
"You cannot deny my proposal," Atem mumbled, weak in the knees.
"Excuse me, Pharaoh?"
"You cannot deny me of my proposal!" Atem groaned loudly, attempting to hide the tears that ran down his cheek. His fists clenched automatically in utter disgust and anger, channeling all of his energy from his body into a place that ultimately had no effect on reaching the gods.
"Pharaoh, how dare you speak back to us in such a manner?"
"How dare you!" Atem growled, jumping to his feet, completely displaying his angered emotions. "How dare you deny me without so little as a reason? That is no way to treat the Pharaoh!"
"You DARE to jump to your feet in our presenc-"
"Cease! Let us provide our Pharaoh with explanation," a different god interrupted. "It's the least we can do after his suffrage."
Atem stood tall on his feet, muscles tightened and jaw molded into the largest frown in existence. He bore no tolerance, not even for the gods.
"Pharaoh, we cannot accept your request simply because it is not up to us to separate the Thief King's soul and create a new person using his new founded light. We must ignore its new existence."
Atem tensed more so, "Excuse me? What sense does that make?"
"Pharaoh, please-attempt to understand."
"Rather, be aware of who you are speaking to," a god spat with distaste.
"Pharaoh, we cannot transport Ryou into this dimension because he was not created here. Because Bakura is not a pharaoh, we never separated light and darkness from him at his birth the way we did for you. Therefore, we cannot separate his light and darkness without his consent."
A moment of intense confusion overcame Atem, to the point where he wanted to throw himself off a high place just to understand what the purpose of life was to begin with.
"You are Gods! You created this world! You created my alternate world! Can't you do this for the greater good of my kingdom?"
"Pharaoh, we are not responsible in making decisions for people. If we were going to take action every time things got difficult, the world would be a perfect place, wouldn't it? Perfection is for the afterlife, Pharaoh. In this world, we work with tradition. We already bent the rules for you once, we cannot do it again."
"This is not bending the rules, this is doing society a favor with what you have already created!"
"We will repeat it only once more, Pharaoh. The only individual we come into contact with in your world is YOU. The Pharaoh is the representation of god on earth. There is NO one else we are responsible for. Therefore, we can NOT separate the light and darkness of Bakura's soul without him consenting to it."
"But he would never consent to it! He is powerful as darkness! He would never accept that type of defeat. I'm sure he has already found a way to escape our dungeons as we speak now that Zorc has repossessed him!"
"That is not our problem, Pharaoh. These are the repercussions you must face."
"What will become of Ryou? The light of the Thief King? What happens to the only good that Bakura ever spawned?"
"He is cast away, Pharaoh. Just as the tokens of your alternate dimension. To remind you, he barely existed to begin with."
Atem collapsed in failure, sobbing all the while. His whole body shook in sorrow. He lifted his hands up to sight, attempting to see them through his tears, not being able to steady them at any cost.
"What have I done?" He wept, attempting to understand everything that was happening.
"Pharaoh, please. You knew the consequence of returning. You took the chance despite it. Please, prepare for inevitable."
"Pharaoh, we will let you return to your palace. You have five days until the required sacrifice. Be prepared."
Prepared? Prepared?
How could I ever prepare to tell Yugi of the horrible mistake I have made?
How will I ever account for these sins?
What. Have. I….Done?