This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Credit to author AaronCottrell97 for a few ideas and character suggestions. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:
Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel
The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry
Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami
Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown
WARNING: Once more, this story is rated entirely M for strong violence, blood and gore, frightening scenes, sexual content, and nudity. Reader discretion is strongly advised.
In the desert of the recent morning, Isis, riding a horse, was silently making her way to the site where the battle between Mahad and Montague had taken place.
(elsewhere…)
Outside the now sealed Sorcerer's Training Hall, both Atem and Mana were in the middle of grieving over Mahad's death, with Seto, Shada, Karim, and Aknadin all instead bowing their heads solemnly. Soon, Isis arrived in the area and climbed off her horse.
"Mahad!" called Isis, running towards the tablet containing 'Illusion Magician'/Mahad.
Seto, Shada, Karim, and Aknadin saw the priestess approaching, but Atem and especially Mana both didn't hear her at first.
"Master! Master!" sobbed Mana, trying to stand back up but instead fell to her hands and knees once again, "Master…!"
"Mana…" said Atem quietly, having calmed down slightly. He walked over, knelt down, and laid a hand on the poor Egyptian girl's back, "It's going to be alright."
"Prince!" Mana begged, turning to face the blue-haired Egyptian boy as tears continued to stream down her face, "You can call the spirits from the stone slabs, can't you?! Please…! Please let me see my master again!"
"Mana!" said Isis, finally getting everyone's attention, "Until Mahad is able to heal his wounded soul from the previous battle, no one will be able to call for him," She then closed her eyes, trying her absolute hardest to retain control of her emotions, "Besides, even if we could call Mahad… your heka isn't great enough for you to see spirits yet!"
"Lady Isis…!" mumbled Mana, feeling further heartbroken to hear that.
"You must train harder, Mana," continued Isis firmly, walking towards the tablet of 'Illusion Magician'/Mahad, "This way, you can inherit Mahad's will!"
Mana, still tearing up, stared at Isis before looking back at the tablet.
"Master…!" she wept, falling to her hands and knees once more while continuing to cry, "I swear to become a great sorceress! I swear!"
"Isis… was that really…the right thing to say at a time like this?" asked Atem solemnly, "Right now, Mana is grieving over the loss of her master."
No response.
"Isis?" Aknadin spoke up, before noticing that Isis began to shake with grief of her own, "Isis… are you-?"
"Mahad…" Isis, with her head bowed, whispered in sadness, ignoring Aknadin while finally allowing her own tears to fall as she continued to stare at the tablet of 'Illusion Magician'/Mahad, "I… I…love…"
Mana, who managed to stop crying, looked up and saw Isis actually falling to her knees in-front of the tablet while beginning to cry herself. Seto, Shada, Karim, Aknadin, Atem, and even Mana all were surprised by the sight, since they never actually saw Isis cry before. Clearly, since Isis was in-love with Mahad, she, despite trying to be strong initially while basically telling Mana to train and become stronger, was positively devastated over his death.
"Mahad! MAHAD!" Isis screamed repeatedly, sobbing hard.
"Isis…" said Atem, feeling sympathy for the lone priestess.
"Lady Isis…" added Mana, who stood up and laid her hands upon the shoulders of the crying Isis.
And so, everyone stayed a little longer so they could continue paying their respects to Mahad, one of the seven priests chosen to wield the Millennium Items—and the first to meet his or her end at the hands of Thief King Montague.
(elsewhere…)
Meanwhile, inside the Millennium Puzzle's maze, Emily and everyone else found themselves staring at a vast Egyptian land down below like they had opened a massive door or something.
"This is…the Memory World!" admired Emily.
"Bust my Buttons! We really did it!" breathed Percy.
"Congratulations," praised Bobasa, "You all have found the True Door."
"Well, now that we found it," cut in Henry, "what do we even do about it?"
"Easy! We enter the world by jumping into it!" answered Emily.
"From this high up?" gasped Gordon.
"I'm not jumping! You're crazy!" refused James, before being scooped up in the arms of Bobasa, "H-Hey!"
"It's okay, we won't get hurt!" reminded Bobasa, watching as Emily jumped down first, "We don't exist in this world, remember?"
"D-Dammit! I'm not-!" objected James, but was unable to finish when Bobasa jumped down with him in tow, "Aaaaaaahhhh!"
With that said, the rest of the group all jumped off the edge of the maze (with James screaming like a girl in the process) and into the whole new world - the Memory World, that is.
"Hang on, Tommy," thought Emily, as she soared through the sky, "We're finally on our way!"
Now that our heroes were on their way to the Memory World, their adventure could truly begin.
Title: Maiden with Eyes of Blue
Back in the Egyptian city a few hours later, everything seemed to be peaceful at the moment with repairs soon finishing.
(elsewhere…)
Within the throne room of the palace, the remaining priests, along with Shimon, Braheem, Atem, and Anzu, had gathered for a discussion regarding Montague's whereabouts.
"The problem at hand is whether Montague is dead or not," began Seto, "If he escaped, it's highly likely he stole the Millennium Ring. We'll need to search the Sorcerer's Training Hall and find the corpse of that bandit."
"No… we mustn't act too fast," warned Karim, "If he's still alive and is still lurking in the tomb, we don't know if he'll catch word of our plan and take his opportunity to escape. Besides, it could take several weeks to remove all the rubble."
"If Montague takes hold of the Millennium Ring during that time frame…" added Shada, "…it will certainly lead to tragedy."
"Agreed," Aknadin interjected, "He might have even escaped from the tomb already…"
"Montague…" thought Anzu, feeling very uneasy at the moment.
"Isis… I know these last few hours haven't been easy for you, but can you see Montague's future with the Millennium Necklace?" asked Shimon.
Isis, closing her eyes, activated the Millennium Necklace. A few seconds later, the glowing Millennium Item ceased functioning, and Isis, disappointed, opened her eyes.
"No…" The priestess sighed, "I can't see anything."
"Damn!" swore Seto, "This is all because of Mahad's incompetence!" He then turned and glared sternly at Isis, "Isis, I am most certain you saw Mahad's actions in the future before this happened."
Isis recoiled, "I… I can't see the future of a person with a Millennium Item," she stammered, trying her hardest to not breakdown into tears again, "Seto… I… I'm sorry."
"The fact that you cannot see Montague's future is rather questionable…" commented Braheem, "Hmm… It looks like we need a new plan to be absolutely sure about Montague."
"If it helps," offered Isis, "I'll send my Ka, 'Spiria', to the valley and use her Clear Voyance to search while I stay here."
"We'll leave it to you, Isis," agreed Atem.
Isis bowed slightly.
"My Pharaoh!" called Seto, getting Atem's attention, "This has become quite an urgent matter after what we have experienced. As such, I would like to take my troops so we can scour the city."
Aknadin silently gasped when he heard those words, since he knew what Seto was planning to do.
"If we let this continue," continued Seto, "we will continue to let our tears of sadness flow into the Nile! We must 'act'! Please allow me to head a search for Montague!"
Shimon had to agree, "Certainly, since we do not know if Montague is alive or dead," He looked at Atem, "a search would be for the best."
"Understood," acknowledged Atem, before giving Seto a stern command, "But whatever you do, you must not threaten the people."
"Right," agreed Anzu, "Are we clear on that?"
"Yes!" The priests all said in unison.
(outside…)
Outside the palace, Emily and the group finally landed in the streets of the city.
"Duuude…" gawked James, looking around.
There were people, food stands, wagons, you name it, all around the area.
"We really are in Ancient Egypt," admired Percy, "You guys see this too, right?"
"Yeah," confirmed Gordon, "Unbelievable… The streets… and the people… They look like the real deal!"
"Let's worry about that another time," interrupted James, looking up ahead, "Look over there! That big palace up is ahead!"
In the distance was the royal palace.
"That must be where the Pharaoh, Atem, used to live 3000 years ago!" realized Emily, "In that case, it must be where Thomas is ruling as Pharaoh!"
"When you put it that way…" declared Percy, starting to make his way towards the palace, "Let's go and see Thomas!"
"And where there's a King, there's bound to be tons of food!" added James, following Percy.
Alas…
"No, we can't!" refused Bobasa sternly.
All eyes were on the tubby Egyptian man.
"Why not?" demanded Emily, clearly upset.
"As I've mentioned," said Bobasa, "we don't exist in this world. As a result, nobody can see or hear us."
"Pfft! You're kidding, right?" dismissed James, "Of course people can see us!" He then turned and saw an attractive young Egyptian woman seemingly approaching him, "Say, miss, you can see us can you n-"
Before the red-haired boy knew what was happening, the young Egyptian woman walked right through him like he was a ghost or something.
"Meep…" thought James, looking spooked while sweatdropping, "She… she walked right through me!"
"We can't touch anything from this world," reminded Bobasa, "And we can't speak with others."
"WHAT?!" Emily and the likes cried out.
Bobasa nodded firmly, "Under these conditions, we must locate the answer to the ultimate riddle, " he went on, "We must find it at all costs!"
"Right… finding the answer to that riddle is why we came here in the first place," Emily was saying to herself mentally, remembering the whole riddle Bobasa told her, "And we will find it before too long."
In case anyone wants a reminder on the riddle… here it is:
"I cost nothing, but I am worth everything.
I weigh nothing, but I can last a lifetime.
I cannot be owned by one, but I can be shared by many.
I am not the easiest to obtain, but I am always worth fighting for.
What am I?"
"But hey, it's not all bad!" chortled James, "We're kinda like super humans, right? We can just make our way to the palace and still see Thomas!"
Bobasa closed his eyes and shook his head in disagreement.
"What?! Why not?" demanded James crossly.
"There are some places we can't enter in the Memory World," explained Bobasa, "The palace is protected by the Pharaoh's strong will. This is as close to the palace as we can get!"
"Oh no…" groaned Mavis in disappointment.
"We can't see Thomas if we're this far away…" added Edward.
"We're Thomas's best friends!" argued James, "We're more important than a damn palace!"
"How in the world are we supposed to find the answer to the riddle?" thought Emily, being as unhappy as her friends were, "This is a huge problem…"
"Heeey!" One Egyptian man called out, attracting the attention of the townsfolk, "Somethin's happenin'! Troops from the palace are headin' this way! The priests and their army are coming to patrol the city!"
This got the attention of Emily and the likes.
"Priests?" pondered Emily.
"I heard they're hunting for a man named Montague…" Another Egyptian man remarked.
"Montague!" A third Egyptian man gasped, "You mean 'the' Thief King Montague?!"
"Montague?!" Emily, growing alarmed, exclaimed.
Meanwhile, the citizens continued to talk about Montague and all of the horrific things he had done in his lifetime.
"You know," The first Egyptian man was saying, "he's stolen even the burial gold from the King's tomb…! They even say he'll murder hundreds in a blood festival!"
"And he's in this city…?!" The third Egyptian man worried.
(elsewhere…)
Meanwhile outside the palace itself, several dozen troops were marching down the road, with Seto and Shada both being carried by a few other soldiers. The citizens knelt when the two priests came by.
"Seto, do you truly believe that Montague is still alive?" asked Shada.
"What a foolish question," snorted Seto, "His Ka had enough power within it to fight against a God on equal footing," He then turned to look at Shada, "Did you not witness that yourself back then?"
Shada recoiled with a hard gasp, having a mental flashback to when Montague and 'Diabound' both fought with Atem and 'Obelisk the Tormentor'.
"Mahad died in vain," continued Seto, "As it stands, the situation has gotten even worse."
"You mean the Millennium Ring was-?" Shada started, but never finished.
"I do," confirmed Seto, "If he puts on the Millennium Ring, I have no doubt that his evil will grow. If we do not reinforce our alignment of Ka, he will eventually become something we cannot handle," He then started to go over his plan… "Shada, there's a reason I wanted you to come with me to the city… your Millennium Key has the power to search people's souls."
"Y-Yes-?" said Shada, waiting for more of the explanation.
"Among the commoners, there must be some who have powerful Ka within their souls,"
"That's absurd!" The Egyptian Odion objected, "Even if we are Holy Priests, we are not permitted to look into the souls of the innocent!"
Seto knew he'd get a reaction like that from one of the priests. Nevertheless, he was determined to see his plan through every step of the way.
"Then tell me this… If we were to fight Montague again now that he holds the Millennium Ring in our present state," questioned Seto, "do you believe we could oppose him? Or do you intend to put the Pharaoh, along with his Queen, in danger once again by relying on the power of the 'Gods'?"
Shada couldn't think of anything to say to answer the hard question. Soon enough…
"Stop here!" Seto ordered the guards, and they obeyed. He jumped off the seat and looked at Shada, "Shada, Mahad's actions were foolish. Even so, we cannot allow the will he had to fight against Montague's God-like powers by himself go to waste."
Shada still remained silent, while the Egyptian Spencer turned and gave orders to the soldiers.
"Search anyone and everyone!" he yelled out, "Those dressed suspiciously, those unprecedentedly, insubordination… I want you to round up anyone who seems questionable, regardless of their age…and bring them here on the double!"
(elsewhere…)
Far away outside the city in a lovely oasis, lots of water was shown in the lush, green area, which included a waterfall. Soon, something (or someone) was emerging from the water, coughing and spluttering from having been underwater for a long period of time. That something (or someone) was revealed to be…Montague.
"Still not enough…" thought Montague, with the Millennium Ring now hanging around his neck, "I need more fear and despair!"
He then, with a sinister laugh, climbed out of the water and went for a little stroll in the area.
(elsewhere…)
Back in the palace garden, Anzu, with her Diabiankh activated and 'Wingweaver' floating beside her, was facing Aknadin and a humanoid snake warrior-type Ka called 'Embodiment of Apophis'. Currently, the dark green-haired Egyptian girl was beginning the next phase of her training to use the power of a Ka.
"Are you ready, my Queen?" asked Aknadin firmly.
"Ready!" confirmed Anzu, "Go forth, 'Wingweaver'! LUMINOUS SPARK RAIN!"
'Wingweaver' obeyed, raising hands up and sending down beams of light from the sky upon the field. 'Embodiment of Apophis' managed to avoid the ongoing attack before leaping up with its sword, ready to strike 'Wingweaver'.
"Hurry and block the attack with 'Cestus of Dagla'!" ordered Anzu.
'Wingweaver' obeyed, summoning and blocking the sword weapon of 'Embodiment of Apophis' with two familiar d-shaped blades.
"Very good," acknowledged Aknadin, as 'Embodiment of Apophis' leaped onto the ground in a fighting stance, "You're getting better at commanding your Ka."
"Thank you, Aknadin," nodded Anzu.
"However, you will still need to become stronger if you want to defend yourself if you were to face opponents fully intending to do you harm like Montague."
The dark green-haired Egyptian girl agreed, knowing that her training was far from being over with.
(elsewhere…)
Later inside the Winking Camel Bar, it was business as usual there…
"'ey, where's my booze, dammit?!" One male customer complained.
Over at the counter, one Egyptian man was busy enjoying his drink while talking to somebody who was cleaning up the counter.
""I'm tellin' ya… I to'ally saw't ou' there!" The Egyptian man slurred.
At another table, another customer was cheerfully downing his booze, while another Egyptian man was trying to tell him something.
"Did you hear?" The third Egyptian man was saying to his friend, "There're troops waltzin' around th' city!"
"*hic* th' hellzat?" hiccuped the second Egyptian man, "Ferget yer troubles 'n a bar!" He then randomly burst into drunk laughter, "Ya crazy bastard! Ya ever seen mah Ma? She 'is' an army! Gahahaha!"
Over at the counter…
"You were parched like a mummy 'fore you came, son," The bar owner remarked to the customer sitting at the counter, "Drink up!"
"The hell?" snorted the first Egyptian man, "Listen when a person's talkin'! Saw't wit' mah own eyes… A 'White Drag'in' flyin' up 'n th' sky, it was."
A flashback ensued.
FLASHBACK
The Egyptian man was weakly walking through the desert when he heard a loud roar. Upon looking up, he saw a large dragon flying above the bright afternoon sun.
"Like some sorta 'God'," The Egyptian man narrated, "It answered mah prayers… T' git outta th' desert alive…"
END FLASHBACK
The flashback ended.
"'n lookit! Lookit me now!" The Egyptian man went on, "I'm good as e'er! Dear God, I promise I won't do anythin' bad e'er 'gain! I swear!" He then started weeping for some reason, "Why can' I fly like tha' drag'in, huh? How I wish I could…"
The bar owner shook his head, "I dunno…" he said, still cleaning the counter up, "Do you have any money, son…?"
"All folks 're born in chains… chains call'd life…" The Egyptian man sighed in depression, "'less you a 'God'… Y'ain't ever free…"
*SMASH!*
Suddenly, the entrance to the bar was smashed open by a number of soldiers. Before long, the Egyptian man sitting at the counter had spear tips near his neck.
"You're an exiled criminal…!" One of the soldiers exclaimed, "What are you doing back in the city?!"
"You're coming with us!" A second soldier commanded sharply.
"Please have mercy!" The Egyptian man, a criminal, begged, just as he was being led out of the bar, "Please! Anywhere but th' desert!"
The bar owner watched the scene; he merely shrugged absentmindedly and resumed cleaning the counter.
"Heat musta gotten to the boy's head…" he remarked, taking a glass and wiping it dry.
(elsewhere…)
In another part of town…
"Ah, Lord Priest!" An Egyptian man, a possible criminal, announced, being forced onto his knees by two soldiers before Seto and Shada, "Just what crime am I being suspected of?!"
"You have yet to commit any sin," said Seto coldly, "But the chances of you doing so eventually are very high."
The Egyptian man gasped, "Th-That can't be!"
Before anything more could be said…
"Lemme go, Goddamn you all!" A loud voice (male) swore, catching the attention of the remaining soldiers and the two priests.
Nearby, the same soldiers carrying the same criminal from the Winking Camel Bar threw their prisoner to the ground.
"Lord Seto, we have captured an exiled criminal from the local bar," The first soldier reported.
"Heh! I can't believe you actually found a criminal…" smirked Seto, before looking over to Shada, "Shada, search this man for a Ka!"
Shada approached and raised his Millennium Key towards the Egyptian criminal.
"Millennium Key!" he began, "Show me this man's soul!"
The captured Egyptian criminal whimpered as his soul was searched. Sure enough, Shada found that there was a Ka deep in the man's heart and soul. It resembled a Duel Spirit known as 'Saggi the Dark Clown'.
"An evil Ka has been created within this man's wicked mind," said Shada, "It's not a very strong one, but it could become a potential threat if it were to grow."
"So it's trash then…?" frowned Seto, "But if there's any chance for it to grow stronger…" He then gave the soldiers an order, "Lock him up!"
"Yes, sir!" The soldiers obeyed, preparing to take their prisoner away.
Shada, meanwhile, started to grow frustrated with the whole plan, and turned to scold Seto for what he was trying to do.
"Just stop it…" demanded Shada, "The Pharaoh and his Queen both would never forgive you!"
"Shada… We need to reinforce our authority to protect the kingdom's structure from rebels," reminded Seto, sounding slightly annoyed, "We don't know if there's a second Montague like that out there! We need to prevent a second one at all costs!"
Before the soldiers started to lead the Egyptian criminal away, he broke away and tried to reason with Seto in a way…
"Pl-Please! I just made it out th' desert alive!" The Egyptian criminal wailed loudly, "I swear I haven't committed any crimes after doin' so!"
"The very fact we confirmed an evil Ka resides within you," Seto pointed out, "more or less confirms that you've committed crimes."
"'ats freakin' outrageous!" The Egyptian criminal wailed, being taken away again, "What yer be flauntin' 'round ain't authority! You'll all be judged by 'God'… By th' 'White Drag'n'!"
From the very mention of 'White Dragon', Seto's eyes widened as memories of a familiar-looking dragon flying above a burning village flashed before his very eyes.
"'White…Dragon'?" stammered Seto, before reapproaching the criminal, "Tell me, 'what' 'White Dragon' are you referring to?"
"I have seen it wit' mah own eyes!" The Egyptian criminal confirmed, "It's a 'God' flyin' 'round right smack 'n th' middle of th' desert! It was thanks to it I 'at I was able to survive and make it back to th' city! I wasn't mistaken, no sire! Th' 'White Dragon' is 'n 'is city! I know for a fact 'at it's 'round here watchin' over me 'is very minute!"
"The 'White Dragon'…is in this city?" murmured Seto thoughtfully.
"How dare you!" One of the soldiers snapped, jabbing his spear in the prisoner's back roughly, "Open your mouth again, and we'll cut your tongue out!"
"We won't let you confuse our superiors with such garbage stories!" The second soldier added harshly.
After a moment of silence…
"Let's go, Shada," huffed Seto, turning and walking away.
Shada began following, but the captured criminal wasn't finished with his warnings…
"You're really gonna be punished for 'is!" he called out, making empty threats, "You're gonna be punished by th' 'White Drag'n'!"
(elsewhere…)
In another town, Montague, still wearing the Millennium Ring, laughed psychotically as buildings burned all around him and innocent citizens laid dead upon his feet. Flying in the sky above the town…was 'Diabound', and it was causing more and more chaos and destruction than usual.
(elsewhere…)
Back in the city, Bobasa, Emily, and the rest of the party were busy looking around the streets.
"Soooo… Where do we start looking for the answer to that riddle?" asked Percy, looking around.
"It's not like we can ask any of the townsfolk for assistance," reminded Mavis.
"It's times like these I wish we were in an RPG game of sorts," groaned James, "At least there you get shown a map list of where to go and what to do."
Henry and Gordon both sighed in defeat. Before Emily could say something about the whole thing…
"HEY! GET OUT OF HERE!" A voice (male) yelled out in a hostile tone.
That shout certainly got our heroes's attention.
"What was that?" pondered Emily.
"It sounds like a fight's about to go on," said Toby.
Within a circle of spectators, a young woman wearing Egyptian peasant clothing and a cloak and hood was being harassed simply because she had been asking for some water.
"Go away!" One Egyptian man demanded angrily, "There is no place for people like you!"
"You won't swindle water from us!" A second Egyptian man added, "Go back to whatever hellhole you came from!"
"Help…me…" The young woman mumbled weakly, looking up as rocks were being thrown at her.
Outside the circle, the group finally arrived.
"Look there!" called Edward, running through the citizens.
"Edward, wait up!" called James, as he ran through the audience as well. He then saw what was happening, "W-Whoa!"
"Looks like we came at a bad time," figured Edward.
And they did…
"Get the hell out!" The Egyptian men were yelling, "You're a bad omen!"
"Get the troops over here!" One Egyptian man suggested, "This woman is a witch!"
From there, the group of villagers continued to throw stones at the poor young woman while she was weakly lying on the ground, in addition to making some rather derogatory comments about her.
"Look at her! Her skin is pale white!" Another Egyptian man accused, pointing at the injured young woman, "And her eyes are blue! She's a disaster!"
"Dun look her in the eyes, she'll curse you!" A young Egyptian boy said to his younger sister.
"That's so scary," The young Egyptian girl whimpered, hugging her Mother in comfort.
Despite being injured, the pale-skinned young woman managed to get to her hands and knees, not about to give up trying to get some help.
"Please… Water…" The young woman begged, "I promise I'll leave…"
"Heh! Water, you say?" Another Egyptian man sneered, before viciously tossing a bucket of water all over the poor young woman, "There! You happy now, witch? Now go the hell away!"
That was all that James could take…
"Hey, you racist bastards!" he hollered angrily, "What the hell are you guys doing?! Leave that chick alone!"
James's words were ignored; the audience continued to hurl stones at the pale-skinned young woman.
"They can't hear us, James," Henry reminded.
"Dammit!" cursed James, charging towards one of the men harassing the young woman, "I'll kick your ass for this!"
Unfortunately, this only resulted in him going right through the Egyptian man and falling right onto his face.
"Weren't you even listening to Bobasa earlier?" scolded Mavis, "We don't exist in this world, you moron! They can't see or hear us!"
"$*#%… Then what are we supposed to do?!" grimaced James, still reeling from smacking into the ground.
Edward knelt down and looked at the injured young woman. Although the intelligent, blue-haired boy couldn't touch her, he was able to see she had some scratches and bruises across her face, arms and legs.
"This woman… she's got bruises all over," Edward said direly.
"Anyone got an answer on how we can help her if we can't even touch or talk to her?" asked Toby.
Fortunately, the group didn't need to do anything…
"What's going on here?!" A familiar (male) voice called out.
The crowd looked over and noticed the arrival of Seto, Shada, and their troops. The sight, however, shocked everyone else (except Bobasa) to the core.
"You gotta be kidding!" cried Mavis.
"Is that guy…" began Gordon.
"…Spencer?!" finished Percy.
The sight of Seto really got some of the people harassing the pale-skinned young woman scared.
"T-The priests!" The first Egyptian man stuttered fearfully.
Seto ignored those words and looked upon the badly injured, soaking wet young woman. Finally, he turned and spoke to the audience.
"What have you fools done to this woman?!" Seto demanded angrily.
"Well, umm…" The Egyptian men stammered, trying to figure an excuse out, "Y-You see-"
"Save the excuses," interrupted Seto, turning to a soldier, "Get this woman some water, now."
The battered young woman coughed weakly, but still managed to retain consciousness (for now). It was then Seto noticed some rocks lying on the ground around the young woman, getting a clear idea on what transpired before he and Shada both arrived to stop the disturbance.
"You threw rocks at a defenseless woman?!" shouted Seto, looking at the audience members who did the deed (which were mostly adult males), "I should cut all of you for this felony!"
The men who had been harassing and throwing rocks at the pale-skinned young woman were practically cowering before Seto by this point. Emily and the others, meanwhile, couldn't help but be impressed with what they were seeing regarding the Egyptian Spencer.
"If you are ever caught being harsh to this woman again," warned Seto, "each and every one of you will suffer the consequences. You will serve as a warning to anyone else who would dare attack those who look different! UNDERSTOOD?!"
Nothing was said by the audience, but Seto immediately took the silence as obeying the warning not to do something like this again…or else. He then saw two soldiers carrying a bucket of water towards the young woman.
"Here," offered Seto, "Drink up."
"Th-Thank you," The injured young woman panted hard, reaching for the bucket of cold, fresh water.
"She's very weak," One of the soldiers remarked, "What do we do with her?"
"Make sure you're extra careful with her," ordered Seto, "Bring her back to the palace for some much needed rest."
As Shada approached his fellow priest, his Millennium Key reacted to something—something regarding the young woman.
"Wh-What is this…?!" cried Shada in horror, "Th-This woman's heka…is far too much for the Millennium Key to measure! It's an enormous heka!"
He then cried out and fell to his knees.
"Shada!" exclaimed Seto.
"I-I never would have imagined she would be holding so much heka…!" spluttered Shada.
"What?!" As he said that, Seto took another look at the young woman, "Heka inside this woman?"
"Lord Seto, what should we do with her?" A third soldier wondered.
"We will take her into custody," answered Seto, "However, instead of being placed in prison, she will rest in a more comfortable room. You will provide her with food and water, and make sure she recovers her strength."
From there, Seto gently picked the woman up in his arms.
"Scurry along, you vile beasts!" he yelled at the audience, "Otherwise, I will arrest every single one of you remaining here!"
And the audience broke apart, not wanting to suffer the wrath of one of the most powerful priests of the land.
"Well, that was impressive," remarked Gordon, "The guy who looks like my cousin is certainly a heroic guy."
"That's Spencer's Egyptian ancestor," thought Emily, "I remember first seeing him during the field trip, and then when Thomas, Spencer, and I saw that vision. Finally, he was also carved onto the stone slab of memories."
"Hey, do you see what those two guys are holding?" asked Toby, "That Spencer guy is carrying the Millennium Rod, and that Shadi guy who talks like Odion is carrying the Millennium Key."
"We can see that," replied Percy.
Meanwhile, Seto was issuing new orders to the guards…
"No one is to speak of this to either the Pharaoh or the Queen!" commanded Seto, "We don't have the luxury to be merciful and lenient as in the past," He then looked to Shada, "Shada, let's return to the palace."
With that said, Seto walked importantly away while carrying the now unconscious young woman in his arms, while Shada soon recovered and followed from behind. Emily and the likes watched until they were alone.
"Hey…! I think he just said 'palace'," reminded Percy.
"So, if we follow them…" began Henry.
"…we can find Thomas!" finished Mavis.
"Then let's get going to the palace!" requested James, "On the double!"
From there, the group began following the soldiers.
(elsewhere…)
Outside the palace gates, Seto, Shada, and the soldiers were returning. Following from behind were Emily and her friends.
"Oh man… Look at this!" admired James, "It's so fancy!"
"This place is too much!" added Gordon.
"We can't waste time looking at our surroundings," said Mavis, "We need to get inside," She then grew alarmed with something up ahead, "Hey…! The gates are closing!"
True to her word, the gates of the palace began to close the moment the soldiers entered. Before the group could make it, the doors slammed shut.
"Nooooo!" wailed Percy, "We'll never get inside now!"
"Hey, don't get your undies in a twist!" laughed James, as he started approaching the closed doors, "We're super humans, after all! We can just walk through this door! A measly little door ain't stopping nobody like us."
He broke into a run towards the doors…
*BASH!*
…and quickly fell onto his back, clutching onto his nose.
"AH, COME ON!" shouted James in frustration, "I gave it all I got, only to wind up on my back with a sore nose to boot!"
"We can touch this wall," realized Gordon, touching the walls and feeling the stone material.
"It's no good," frowned Emily, "We can't get inside."
"That's the strength of the Pharaoh's will!" said Bobasa, "Intruders aren't welcome here!"
"What?!" cried James, "You mean…none of us can see Thomas?! But we're not intruders; we're his best pals!"
While the rest of the group was dismayed by their detour, Emily turned and laid a hand on the wall while looking up sadly.
"Tommy… I really want to see you again," she thought to herself.
(inside…)
In the throne room, Atem suddenly looked up in total surprise.
"Huh?!" he stammered.
"Atem?" asked Anzu, looking at her husband.
"Is something the matter, Pharaoh?" asked Shimon.
"No, it's nothing," reassured Atem.
However, the spiritual version of Thomas had other thoughts about what happened just now. While he wasn't sure what it was, it still felt faintly familiar to him.
"It's almost as if a voice called out to me just now," remarked Thomas, "Could it possibly have been…Emily?"
It was then Shimon saw something ahead; Seto, Shada, and the soldiers were showing up.
"It looks like the priests are back from the city," said Shimon.
Yup… After delivering the pale-skinned young woman to a comfortable room for some rest, Seto, Shada, and the soldiers went to see the Pharaoh.
"We have returned," reported Seto, "We were unable to confirm Montague's death… but we have strengthened the guard. Not even a mouse could get into the city."
"Very good," nodded Anzu.
"But," interrupted Atem, "I can't help but feel something unsettling…"
Seto looked up, but did not bother asking what it was.
"I could swear I heard a voice…" thought Atem, holding onto his Millennium Puzzle, "It was trying to tell me something…from my Millennium Puzzle."
(elsewhere…)
Later in the city during the evening, the citizens were roaming around cautiously while guards were busy roaming around keeping an eye out for Montague.
"Any sign of Montague?" One guard asked another guard.
The second guard shook his head, "No… he's nowhere…" he answered, "He's probably already dead."
"Who knows…?" The first guard shrugged, "We still can't let down our guard."
Quite so…
(elsewhere…)
Inside a pub (of sorts), various people were enjoying their meals when they heard the door slam open. Walking inside was…Montague. He walked over to the counter and slammed a golden armlet onto the counter.
"This is my payment!" exclaimed Montague, "Now bring me food!"
The man at the counter took the armlet nervously, but his eyes widened when he saw that it was genuine gold.
"Y-Yes, sir! At once!" The pub owner obeyed, looking very excited. In his mind… "This is gold! It's worth more than my whole life!"
This got the attention of the customers in the diner. Just who was this man who had so much gold yet bore no proper manners?
"Hey… Sorry to keep you waiting," The pub owner said, finally placing a plate of food onto the table, "P-Please enjoy."
Montague grunted a quick "thank you" and started to eat messily. Before long, several of the customers started surrounding Montague greedily.
"Hey, buddy…" One of the (male) customers grinned deviously, "Don't you have lots of trinkets there?"
Montague, who stopped eating, looked up silently, watching as the customers drew out knives, swords, and other weapons.
"This guy ain't your everyday thief…" The second (male) customer remarked.
"Shall we kill him?" A third (male) customer suggested.
"Hey!" The fourth (male) customer requested, as a fifth (male) customer shut the front door, "Close the door so that no one comes in!"
Montague, despite being surrounded and being threatened, merely let out a dark chuckle before mumbling a few choice words in the Egyptian language.
"Huh?" The second (male) customer blinked, "What'd he say?"
"I…think he said 'want…to…die?'," The fourth (male) customer answered, translating what Montague just said.
The fifth (male) customer's gasp was barely audible, and, before long, he and the other customers (including the pub owner) in the building were all killed in a single, bloody stroke. As Montague resumed eating, his Millennium Ring ceased glowing—which he used to kill everyone in the pub. Soon, the Thief King let out a belch once he finished eating his meal.
"I'm full," he said casually, while standing back up and looking at his Millennium Ring with triumph, "I've absorbed the evil power of the Millennium Ring! No one can stop me! Now to get revenge on Mr. King… It's time for the second act of the 'Palace Tragedy' to finally begin!"
With that being said, Montague turned and left the pub, leaving behind a pile of blood and severed limbs (gore) of what used to be people.
(elsewhere…)
Later that night, the guards were still in the middle of their patrol.
"Is it midnight yet?" One of the guards asked.
"Yeah, the moonlight has spread far," The second guard answered, "If something happens, we'll notice immediately."
"Very true," The third guard agreed.
(elsewhere…)
Meanwhile, outside the palace, more guards had gathered to protect the place from being rampaged by Montague again. Speaking of Montague, the Thief King was hiding behind a large pillar.
"This time I attack at night," Montague told himself, "Like a thief 'should'. In our Ultimate Shadow Game, something big that happened 3000 years ago is about to happen in a few days. The Pharaoh's already called one of the three Divine-Beasts of this land that were not able to be Summoned prior. I need him to have him call out the others right away. But, I have one more thing I must prepare…"
As he watched more guards show up, the smile on Montague's face grew with greater delight.
"They've certainly increased the guard…" he remarked deviously, "But it's nothing for me… One hundred soldiers and one hundred stone walls still wouldn't be enough."
Montague then came out of hiding and turned himself invisible, walking through the area. The footsteps attracted the attention of the soldiers, but they couldn't see who it was that was making the noise.
"Who's there?!" One of the guards demanded.
No answer, just footsteps continuing to be made.
"Are we hearing things?" The same guard pondered.
"No… it's definitely footsteps," Another guard insisted.
Alas, because of a potential power Montague gained, the guards were completely oblivious to whatever was walking through the area.
"After getting the Millennium Ring and furthering the evolution of 'Diabound'…" thought Montague, "I can now erase my very presence right under your noses."
Once he reached the wall, Montague took out a rope and grappling hook, using them to scale the wall of the palace. Once he was standing atop the wall…
"Last time, I was reckless," said Montague aloud, "I wanted all the Millennium Items, so I tried to take on the Pharaoh and all of the priests at the same time… I'll take it slow and steady this time…" He then stared at one of the nearby shrines, "First off is 'that' one…"
(elsewhere…)
Inside the Shrine of Wedju, Aknadin was currently alone when he heard a voice (male) calling out to him…
"Lord Aknadin! I have returned."
Aknadin turned around and saw that Seto had returned from spending the day in the city.
"Seto," The stern-looking priest acknowledged.
"I bring you my report," said Seto, "The Ka hunt in the city went much better than expected. As I thought, there were many people in the city hiding superior Ka."
"Don't tell me, Seto…" gasped Aknadin, clearly shocked, "You man you 'arrested' those people?!"
"You mean to say I shouldn't have?" quizzed Seto, "They've been confined to the prison tower. The Pharaoh won't find them… He never goes there."
Aknadin frowned, "Seto, it's not too late," he insisted pleadingly, "Let those innocent people go free! Sin creates fear in one's heart! Fear leads one to endless darkness!"
"Lord Aknadin," interrupted Seto, "When you compare us to the commoners… What do you propose the difference between us? Faced with the fall of the dynasty, we, too, are faced with immeasurable fear! All that I do is for the Pharaoh, our Queen, and our great country of Egypt! I do not believe I have done anything wrong!"
"Seto…" whispered Aknadin
"I still have work left to complete," Seto pointed out, turning to leave, "Excuse me."
With that said, the Egyptian Spencer turned and left the shrine. Once he was alone, Aknadin collapsed to a knee with a horrified, almost ashamed expression on his face.
"Oh, Seto… You're…" quivered Aknadin, "…try to walk down the same mistaken path I once took?"
All of a sudden, a clatter of a Millennium Item was heard, which caught Aknadin's attention. He turned and saw someone standing at the bottom of the stairs.
"Y-You're…Montague!" gasped Aknadin, recognizing who the intruder was.
Montague never responded, but he was smiling and cackling with malicious intentions.
(elsewhere…)
In the palace, Seto had entered a room. On the way in, he spoke to one of the guards protecting it.
"What is the woman's condition?" asked Seto sternly.
"She is still asleep, but seems to be improving in her recovery," The guard answered.
"I see."
Once he entered the room, Seto looked over at the sleeping young woman in the bed. Most of the bruises she sustained from the thrown stones had gone away, but it was likely she would remain in a sleeping state for a little bit longer.
"White hair and blue eyes," thought Seto, "No, that's not all…" He gently laid a hand on the young woman's cheek, "The being that lies within her heart… It's as if I know this woman…!"
A flashback ensued.
FLASHBACK
Several years ago, Young Seto, who was shown with silver hair, was riding a horse across a desert valley at night. His horse managed to jump across a gap and onto the other end. Young Seto looked pleased, but then gasped when he saw a camp up ahead. The camp contained a large group of bandits (or rather slave traders), all chuckling and laughing over their latest heist—and it was one that was going to make them filthy rich.
"We picked up somethin' nice," One of the bandits commented.
"It's pretty rare for this country," A second bandit added, "Havin' white hair and blue eyes like that. We're so lucky!"
Sitting in a nearby cage as a prisoner was a young girl with pale white skin, long white hair, and blue eyes. Deciding to get the girl out of the cage, Young Seto carefully hid in the bushes until the coast was clear, in which he got out and approached the cage.
"Huh? Who are you?" The pale-skinned young girl wondered.
"Shh!" hushed Young Seto, opening the cage door, "I'll let you out. Come on…"
Once the door was open, he helped the young girl out of the cage. Just as the two kids were about to make a break for it, one of the bandits (third) ended up catching them in the act.
"Hey you!" The bandit yelled out, trying to attack Young Seto.
Young Seto, however, ducked the punch and flipped the older man onto his back.
"Hurry!" exclaimed Young Seto, taking the young girl by the hand and pulling her along.
"Hey, you guys!" The third bandit, once he was back on his feet, "The girl's gettin' away!"
By the time the bandits gathered their bearings, Young Seto and the young girl both were riding far away on the former's horse.
"Are they following us?" asked Young Seto.
The young girl took a look over her shoulder, but thankfully found that none of the bandits were chasing after them.
"No!" she answered at last.
"Good," nodded Young Seto, "I'll give you this horse. Go alone from here! If you keep straight on this path, you'll reach the nearest town shortly. Then you'll have to do what you can to escape!"
With those instructions given, he jumped off the horse.
"Go!"
"Wait! What is your name?!" The pale-skinned young girl called out.
"Seto!" answered Young Seto.
"Thank you, Seto!" The young girl responded back, "Thank you!"
(elsewhere…)
Soon after abandoning his horse, Young Seto turned and looked off the cliff to find, to his horror, a nearby town on fire (his home town).
"That's…" mumbled Young Seto, "…my village!" He then realized who might have done the deed, "Damn them…!"
He jumped down some of the stone edges of the cliff and ran for the burning village in the distance.
"Damn them!" yelled Young Seto, "Mother!"
(elsewhere…)
Within the burning village, several bandits were searching for something while the citizens ran for their lives.
"Hurry!" One of the bandits hollered, before grabbing one fleeing male villager by the throat, "Where's that blue-eyed brat?!"
"I-I don't know…!" The male villager choked, before being tossed away.
As the villagers fled, Young Seto finally arrived.
"Mother! Mother!" he called out.
Soon, the bandits took notice of the silver-haired young Egyptian boy's arrival.
"You're the kid from before!" The third bandit accused, "Where'd that girl go?"
"And you'd better give us an answer if you know what's good for ya!" A fourth bandit warned hotly.
"Get out of my way!" demanded Young Seto, pushing through the bandits.
"Stop right there!" A fifth bandit snapped, grabbing Young Seto's right hand.
Two other bandits then grabbed hold of Young Seto and held him in place.
"You're not goin' anywhere!" The second bandit growled.
"Let me go! Let me go!" Young Seto kept shouting.
The leader of the band then lit a torch and set fire to the remaining house (Seto's home), showing what would happen if they, the bandits, did not get what they wanted.
"Let me go!" panicked Young Seto, "Mother! Mother!"
Just then, bursting out of the flames and into the sky came a humongous (yet familiar) dragon with blue/white scales, wings, and blue eyes. 'White Dragon' let out a roar to let the bandits know to stand down or else face the consequences.
"Wh-What the hell's that…?!" The second bandit wailed.
"It's a monster!" The third bandit cried out, "Run!"
The bandits dropped Young Seto and began to make a run for it. The legendary 'White Dragon', not about to forgive those thieves for their actions, simply charged up a blast of bluish white electricity (Burst Stream of Destruction) from its mouth and fired it off at the bandits, striking them and causing an explosion that sent some debris about and claimed their lives. Young Seto defended himself from the powerful explosion's backlash, while 'White Dragon' let out a final roar as it flew over the burning village. Young Seto, meanwhile, stared long and hard at the majestic creature.
END FLASHBACK
The flashback ended.
"That's right…" thought Seto, remembering the whole scenario, "This is the same girl from that time… And I've seen the legendary 'White Dragon' myself…"
Wow… Who knew that Seto would see the holder of the 'White Dragon' again after so many years? It must be a one-in-a-million chance, wouldn't you agree?
And there we go! This will be the final chapter to be worked on before Christmas. Hopefully, we'll get another chapter done and uploaded before the year finishes up. Well, I guess I'll put an end to this AN by wishing everyone out there a Merry Christmas!