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.
Opening up in the middle of the Egyptian city, a purple blast of energy was fired and struck 'Slifer the Sky Dragon', causing it to roar in agony while Atem merely clutched his chest from feeling the damage.
"Now that your enemy's become one with the darkness," taunted Montague, "how do you plan on fighting 'Diabound', Mr. King!?"
Having taken one attack too many throughout this rampage, 'Slifer the Sky Dragon' didn't look like it was going to last too much longer if it were to be attacked again. This was something Atem was well aware of.
"The ability to camouflage itself in the darkness is remarkable…" he thought to himself, "If 'Slifer' gets hit by another ambush, it will be defeated…! Not only that… From the sky, 'Diabound' can attack anywhere in the city! I must protect those innocent lives!"
"Get it now…? Before my power, even the power of the Pharaoh is useless!" boasted Montague, thinking that he had won, "Whether they're men or 'Gods', all lives are in my hands!"
Atem remained silent.
"But you know, Mr. King… The craving for blood on my hands… My hunger for murder… All of it is because I'm obeying the will of the Millennium Items."
"The will of the Millennium Items…?" The blue-haired Egyptian boy asked himself.
"If you obtain all seven Millennium Items you can rule this world…" continued Montague, "I can hear the thieves' grudge from the depths of Hell within the Millennium Items," He then pointed at Atem again, "Now, I will tell you one last time, give me the Millennium Puzzle! If you don't, I will order 'Diabound' to level this whole city and kill every human being around!"
"Grrr!" growled Atem. In his mind… "'Diabound' is hiding in the shadows… It can attack the city whenever it wants to… I can't let any more innocent people die…"
Feeling defeated, be begrudgingly remove the Millennium Puzzle from around his neck. The sight pleased Montague greatly.
"No matter what you do," thought Montague, "I'm going to kill you anyway…"
Well, this was something Atem did not know about. All he could think about was how to get himself out of this situation.
"If Montague gets his hands on all of the Millennium Items, darkness will smother this world…" Atem said mentally, looking up and seeing that 'Slifer the Sky Dragon' was gravely injured and would not last one more big attack, "'Slifer still has some power left… There is one way to draw 'Diabound' out of hiding so I know its location…" From there, he held the Millennium Puzzle out, "Here! Take it!"
"Oh… So, you're going to give it up nice and quiet…?" joked Montague
Atem nodded, "So long as you promise to call off 'Diabound'," he agreed, firmly, "Four seconds… No, three seconds…while Montague's attention is on the Millennium Puzzle."
"Well, hurry it up!" demanded Montague, "Toss it up here!"
"Alright," nodded Atem, "Here it comes…" He gave the command, "…NOW!"
'Slifer the Sky Dragon', with its main mouth open, dove straight for Montague—much to his shock.
"What?!" The Thief King cried out, "Urk… I can't get out of the way in time!"
"This is my chance!" thought Atem, "He must call 'Diabound' to protect himself! Do it, Montague!"
Before 'Slifer the Sky Dragon' could eat Montague whole, it stopped halfway down from the sky. Atem was surprised by what he was seeing, unaware that 'Diabound' was about to attack him from behind. Montague, however, was perfectly aware of this and burst out laughing.
"Who said 'Diabound' was hiding in the sky, Mr. King?!" boomed Montague, which caused Atem to finally realize his situation, "Even the swiftest of the 'Gods' can't move a muscle while its master is held hostage… My highest priority is to steal the Millennium Items…! Mr. King, I'm going to slaughter you now."
"No…!" thought Atem, which was overlapped with Thomas's voice.
Montague licked his lips, "Muut…" he mumbled in Egyptian (the Egyptian word for 'die').
Before the killing blow could be dealt…
*SLASH!*
…'Diabound's' arm got cut by a sword, stopping it from finishing Atem off. The attack also caused Montague to yell in pain, seeing as he and 'Diabound' were one. Atem, recognizing the Ka was 'Duos', realized that help had arrived.
Title: The Sands of Time
Indeed, help was coming…
"PHARAOH!" called Seto, as he, Karim, and several soldiers were riding into battle.
"Are you alright, my Pharaoh?!" asked Karim, once his horse stopped.
"Yeah!" confirmed Atem.
On the rooftop…
"Tch…" grumbled Montague, clearly displeased that some new arrivals had come to spoil his victory, "Those priest scum…" He then turned his horse around and started to make his getaway, "'Diabound'!"
"Hold it!" called Karim.
Just then, 'Diabound' emerged from the ground in front of Atem, Seto, and Karim, startling the horses briefly before it flew into the sky and seemingly followed its master while fading away.
"It's disappeared," gasped Seto.
'Don't let your guard down," warned Atem, "'Diabound's' going to hide in the darkness for another surprise attack!"
Seto nodded, before turning to issue a command to the soldiers that accompanied him and Karim to rescue Atem.
"The cavalry is to follow Montague!" he barked, "The Guard is to evacuate the city! Open the palace to the refugees!"
"Yes, sir!" The soldiers obeyed.
Before long, the panicking citizens were running away from the burning buildings for the palace as instructed to by the soldiers.
"Hurry to the royal palace!" One of the soldiers instructed, "Don't dawdle around!"
While all of this was going on, Emily and the others were looking around for where Thomas and 'Slifer the Sky Dragon' were.
"Where? Where the heck did they go?" quizzed James, looking around.
"Over there!" cried Emily, looking up and pointing into the sky.
The party could see 'Slifer the Sky Dragon' high up in the sky, looking around for any sign of 'Diabound'.
"Thomas and Montague both have to be up ahead!" figured Toby.
"Let's move it then!" suggested Percy.
Before they could leave…
"Hurry! Get to the palace!" An extremely familiar voice (female) called out.
This surprised everybody except for Emily (initially) and Bobasa.
"Emily, was that you giving that order?" pondered Gordon.
"No, it wasn't me," denied Emily, shaking her head.
"That voice…it sounded exactly LIKE Emily's own voice," realized Edward, before his eyes widened, "You guys don't think-?"
Before long, Anzu, now decked out in a female Egyptian warrior outfit, had arrived on horseback in order to help oversee the evacuations. Everyone, except Bobasa, was utterly speechless over who they were seeing, as she had the exact same body structure and physical appearance as Emily.
"Is that…Emily?" whispered Mavis.
"Holy cow…" came from Edward.
"How goes the evacuation?" asked Anzu, speaking directly to the soldiers.
"Smoothly for the most part," The first soldier answered.
"We're following Lord Seto's orders precisely," The second soldier added.
"Very good," nodded Anzu, "Make sure not a single innocent citizen across the entire city is left in danger, and is instead safe and sound in the palace. Am I clear?"
"Yes, my Queen," The second soldier obeyed.
"We will not fail!" The first soldier promised.
With that said, Anzu took off on her horse to find Atem and hopefully assist him in fighting Montague and 'Diabound'. As soon as the dark green-haired Egyptian girl was gone…
"That… that was my Ancient Egyptian ancestor…" stammered Emily, completely stunned by what she saw.
"And did you hear how those men addressed her?" put in Henry, "They called her 'Queen', like she is of royalty."
"Correct," confirmed Bobasa, "That is Anzu, Queen of the whole kingdom."
Emily was even more surprised, "If my ancestor is Queen of this kingdom," she figured, "then it must mean that she and Atem are actually married."
"Whoa…" mumbled James, "The plot continues to thicken."
(elsewhere…)
Inside the palace, many of the people were gathered in the throne room. Among those who were present were both Jono and Honda.
"We should be safe here, right?" asked Jono.
"I sure hope so," sighed Honda, "These times have been too stressful for me."
"Jono! Honda!" The voice of Ryo called, as he and Mia both approached their two commoner friends, "Thank heaven you two are okay!"
"Same here," agreed Jono, "Hey, do you two know where Atem is?"
"My brother is off fighting that Thief King," answered Mia.
"What?!" The voice of Mana cried out, "If that's the case, then somebody needs to go and help the prince!"
The four Egyptian teenagers saw Mana running up to them, looking very worried for her friend (and crush).
"Mana!" exclaimed Mia.
"You don't need to worry," reassured Ryo, "Anzu has already left to go and help him."
"But is she powerful enough to control the power of a Ka?" asked Mana curiously.
"Let's hope so," said Honda.
"Yeah, same here," agreed Jono.
(elsewhere…)
Outside in the city, Atem, Seto, and Karim were busy searching around for any sign of 'Diabound'.
"Even if we can't see the enemy, we must not fear!" insisted Seto, before giving a command to 'Duos', "Go forth, 'Duos'!"
"'Helimai'!" commanded Karim.
'Slifer the Sky Dragon', 'Duos', and 'Helimai' (a chimera-like monster) all soared through the sky insearch of 'Diabound'.
"Montague! I swear I'm going to defeat you!" vowed Atem.
"Heh! Just you try!" An image of Montague in the sky dared.
Just then, a purple energy blast was unleashed from the image of Montague, which Seto noticed almost immediately.
"Evade it!" he hollered.
'Slifer the Sky Dragon' and 'Duos' both dodged the attack, but 'Helimai' wasn't so lucky and got vaporized by it. This caused Karim some major pain as he cried out and clutched his chest.
"Karim!" worried Atem.
"Don't give in yet, Karim!" encouraged Seto, "The moment we turn our backs to the darkness is the moment the kingdom falls!"
"I-I know…!" spluttered Karim, "I-I'll be fine!"
(elsewhere…)
At the palace gates, more and more citizens were being led inside by the soldiers in order to be kept safe from the ongoing attack.
"You're not in yet?!" One of the soldiers called out, "Hurry it up!"
"Hurry!" Another soldier said urgently, "This way!"
Standing atop the balcony of her tower, Isis was busy focusing and using her Millennium Necklace to figure out the future.
"Do you see anything, Isis?" asked Shada, as he walked out onto the balcony.
Isis opened her eyes as her Millennium Necklace stopped glowing.
"The Sky God is being engulfed by a dark shadow," answered Isis grimly.
"What?" gasped Shada, before looking off the balcony towards one of the active shrines in the distance, "The Sky God?"
(elsewhere…)
Back in the city, 'Slifer the Sky Dragon' and 'Duos' both were still trying to find 'Diabound'.
"There has to be a way…to drag the enemy out of the darkness!" thought Atem, frustrated. He then spoke aloud, "I'm going after Montague!"
"No, my Pharaoh!" objected Karim, "'Slifer' has little remaining strength from the enemy's attacks! Not only that… if you continue to fight, your life itself will be in danger! Leave the rest of this to us; you and the 'God' return to the palace for some needed rest."
"I'll fight until the end!" interrupted Atem, "That is the duty of the King!"
Karim was surprised by the Pharaoh's passionate determination even in his poor condition.
"But…" Karim muttered in great concern, as he thought of all the innocent citizens rushing to the Palace for safety; the Pharaoh's people, "My master…to the people, the Pharaoh is the living embodiment of a God. He is like the Sun God 'Ra' who shines with the light of hope. Your very existence lights the shadow of this world!"
Atem knew that his subjects viewed him as their savior, the reason to live, and he was devoted to ensuring their safety like his Father before him, even at the cost of his life. He knew his life was at risk and that just one more hit from 'Diabound' could kill him right then and there, but if it meant killing Montague once and for all and putting an end to his tyranny, it was a risk he was willing to take.
"I'm not a God…" muttered Atem weakly, "But…I'm not so human as to forgive our enemy that has led our people to darkness!"
With that said, the blue-haired Egyptian boy charged forth on his horse.
"Pharaoh!" called Karim.
"Let's follow him, Karim!" ordered Seto, as his horse moved to follow Atem.
Karim, without any choice, had his horse go after the horse being ridden by the Pharaoh.
(elsewhere…)
Before long, Atem was riding into the desert. Currently, there was no sign of 'Diabound' nor Montague, but Atem wasn't going to give up the search; he would be forever damned if he let his people down.
"Montague!" thought Atem, "I won't let scum like you get the best of me! I swear on the name of my ancestors that I will beat you!"
Up on top of the cliffs, Montague rode up near the edge and saw 'Slifer the Sky Dragon' flying in the distance. It was something he would relish, before finally taking the 'God' down for good.
"We will settle things up here!" thought Montague, eagerly awaiting for the arrival of the Pharaoh and his priests, "Get yourself ready, Thomas!"
Soon, Atem arrived at the cliffs, and he could see Montague standing on one of the upper levels.
"Go forth, 'Slifer'!" commanded Atem, as 'Slifer the Sky Dragon' flew into the sky. He then stopped his horse near the edge into a giant fault below, "The moment he attacks, 'Diabound's' sure to reveal itself," The blue-haired Egyptian boy then spoke aloud, "Montague, let's fight!"
Montague smiled evilly, "You idiot!" he said mentally, "I've already taken measures in an area you have no clue about!"
What did that mean? Welllll…
(elsewhere…)
Inside the Shrine of Wedju, Aknadin was shown staring at the three tablets of the three Divine-Beasts of Egypt. There was a look of malice on his face.
(elsewhere…)
Back in the desert, Seto and Karim both say that 'Slifer the Sky Dragon' was about to attack.
"The 'God' is about to be destroyed right before our eyes if he leaves it like this!" protested Karim.
"Does the Pharaoh intend to use the Sky God as bait to lure the enemy out?" pondered Seto.
On top of the cliff, all Montague did was giggle madly.
"Even the Ba of the King that controls the Sky God can be buried and reduced to ash in a single blow. Die alongside your 'God', Thomas!" he mumbled, before giving the command to 'Diabound', "'Diabound', attack! HELICAL SHOCKWAVE!"
Above 'Slifer the Sky Dragon', a purple blast was being charged and fired off.
"Over there!" called Atem, "Fire! SUPER ELECTRICAL CONDUCTION WAVE - THUNDER FORCE!"
'Slifer the Sky Dragon' obeyed, charging an electrical blast in its main mouth.
(elsewhere…)
Back within the Shrine of Wedju, Aknadin, grinning darkly, pulled out a scimitar and proceeded to hurl the weapon with all of his might at the tablet of 'Slifer the Sky Dragon' on the wall, impaling the tablet.
(elsewhere…)
Back in the desert, 'Slifer the Sky Dragon' stopped charging its Thunder Force attack and let out a roar of agony before it was hit by the Helical Shockwave attack. The 'God' was soon destroyed by the powerful attack by 'Diabound'. It was then Anzu arrived in the area on her horse, with enough time to witness 'Slifer the Sky Dragon' exploding due to its destruction.
"The Sky God!" The dark green-haired Egyptian girl exclaimed, "It was-!"
Unfortunately, the death of the 'God' resulted in Atem crying out in agony as he coughed up some blood.
(elsewhere…)
Back within the Shrine of Wedju, the sword sticking in the tablet of 'Slifer the Sky Dragon' was soon forced out as it crackled with electricity. From there, a bolt of lightning struck fired from the ceiling and struck Aknadin, causing him to scream and collapse. It was then Shada arrived and saw his fellow priest lying on the ground.
"Lord Aknadin!" The Egyptian Odion called, running over to tend to Aknadin.
(elsewhere…)
In the desert, Atem, with blood dripping down her mouth, was struggling to stay on his horse and not collapse or anything. Fortunately, he had enough strength to tell his comrade something important…
"Se-Seto…!" groaned Atem weakly, "Now!"
And take advantage of the moment Seto did…
"'Duos'!" The Egyptian Spencer commanded, "AURA SWORD!"
'Duos' obeyed, hurling his sword with all his might at the purple energy in the sky. The sword struck the glowing mark.
"That worked!" rejoiced Seto.
"D-Did you get it…?" wondered Atem, looking up wearily.
Montague chuckled, "Are you guys blind or something?" he asked teasingly, "Take a closer look!"
Alas, the attack had been for not, as it was not 'Diabound' that was attacked. Instead, it was a one eye-like Ka. Atem, Seto, and Karim each gasped in shock when they saw what was attacked.
"A different Ka…?" stammered Seto, "Impossible!"
"Ha ha ha ha ha!" cackled Montague, "Did you forget how many Ka an owner of a Millennium Item can call…? It allowed me to use that small fry as a shield so I wouldn't have to waste my Ba! I've seen through 'everything' you guys were planning!"
"M-Montague…!" groaned Atem, soon to collapse.
"Go to Hell, Pharaoh!" yelled Montague dementedly, "The Millennium Puzzle belongs to me!"
"S-So…this…is it?"
Unable to continue staying awake, Atem finally closed his eyes and began to fall off the horse, though not without some words being echoed from earlier on…
"'Ra'… The Light of Hope… Lights up the shadows of this world…"
Those words were said by Karim, and Thomas remembered hearing them as Atem began to fall unconscious.
"'Ra'!" he realized, before becoming defeated, "But my Ba is…already gone…"
All there was left…was silence. Finally, Anzu arrived in time to see her husband finally land on the ground.
"Atem, no!" she exclaimed.
In the darkness…
"Tommy!" The voice of Emily echoed, "Tommy, wake up."
Atem's eyes slowly flickered open, and when his vision came back he saw…Emily staring at him, looking worried. Not only that, Edward, Henry, Gordon, James, Percy, Toby, Mavis, and Bobasa all were present and accountable.
"E-Emily…?" whispered Atem, now speaking…as Thomas.
"Thomas!" Percy, Mavis, James, and Toby all said at once.
"It's you!" came from Edward.
"E-Everyone…" groaned Thomas, "You…came for…me."
On the cliff…
"Wh-What the hell…?" gasped Montague, "How?! How did those guys get into the Memory World?"
Back below…
"Hang in there, Thomas," reassured Emily, holding Thomas in her arms, "We're here with you!"
"That's right…" thought Thomas, "I still have power remaining… Power within my irreplaceable friends!"
From there, he began to glow in a golden light as he felt his Ba replenish. Fully energized again, Thomas stood up, ran towards the horse, and climbed aboard.
"Atem!" called Anzu.
"Pharaoh!" Seto and Karim both added.
Thomas, meanwhile, was directly his attention back to Montague…
"Montague, you've surrounded yourself with madness of darkness!" The blue-haired boy shouted, activating his Diadiankh once more, "I will disperse it with the descent of 'God'!"
Montague recoiled when he heard that another 'Egyptian God' was about to appear.
"Come forth - 'The Winged Dragon of Ra'!"
(elsewhere…)
Inside the Shrine of Wedju, one of the remaining Divine-Beast tablets on the wall began to activate.
(elsewhere…)
Back in the desert, the night sky got covered with dark clouds—before rays of sunshine started emitting from the clouds, which ultimately revealed 'Diabound'.
"Sunlight in the dead of the night…?" realized Montague.
"This light…!" commented Karim.
"This light pierced through the darkness that surrounded us moments ago…" added Seto, before understanding what was going on, "Could this be the third 'God'?!"
"It has to be!" figured Anzu.
Let's find out… Something golden yellow soon burst through the dark clouds, revealing it to be a giant golden dragon with red eyes. The 'God' let out a roar to signal its arrival.
"That's…!" began Karim.
"The Sun God!" put in Seto.
"'The Winged Dragon of Ra'!" finished Anzu.
'The Winged Dragon of Ra' lowered itself through the sky until it was staring 'Diabound' square in the eye.
"The Sun God?" thought Montague, "It can't be! Thomas's Ba was finished when I destroyed the Sky God!" He then looked down at Emily, Percy, and the likes, "He didn't have the power to Summon a new 'God'…" The Thief King finally realized the truth of the matter, "Is it because those guys appeared? Thomas is getting power from his group of friends?!"
Back below…
"I can feel it… The presence of Emily and everyone else…" thought Thomas, "My soul is being re-energized!"
(elsewhere…)
Back at the palace, rays of sunlight were shining through the clouds, just as Shimon, Mia, and Ryo each came outside onto the balcony.
"Look at that!" gasped Ryo.
"The sunlight is gracing Egypt even though it is nighttime!" added an equally surprised Mia.
"Night is changing into day…!" said Shimon, "It's the power of the 'Gods'!"
(elsewhere…)
Back in the desert, 'Diabound' winced from the sunrays and the presence of 'The Winged Dragon of Ra'.
"Without the darkness, 'Diabound' can't conceal itself!" Karim pointed out, "Now's our chance to defeat it!"
Montague was furious, "Like hell I'll let you!" he snarled, "'Diabound' already has the power of a 'God'! Take this! THUNDER FORCE!"
'Diabound' obeyed, firing the same attack as 'Slifer the Sky Dragon' towards 'The Winged Dragon of Ra'.
"Pharaoh!" called Karim.
Fortunately, Seto was faster on the draw…
"Go forth, 'Duos'!" he yelled, motioning his right arm about, "AURA FORCE!"
'Duos' obeyed, getting in front of 'The Winged Dragon of Ra' and blocking 'Diabound's' attack with his sword. Soon, the Thunder Force attack was deflected into the sky.
"By emitting all of my Ba and absorbing it with Aura Force," explained Seto, "I shall change the course of Thunder Force's strike!"
"Even though it was a 'God's' attack?!" complained Montague.
"Montague!" shouted Anzu, stepping forth near the edge of the fault and looking up at her enemy, "Your days of evil in this kingdom are done! I dare you to face me in battle!"
"You?!" growled Montague, "Stay out of my way, peasant girl!"
"I am no peasant, Thief King," Anzu stated sharply, "I am the Queen of Egypt!" She then activated her Diadiankh, "Come forth, the legendary fairy of light - 'Wingweaver'!"
(elsewhere…)
Inside the Shrine of Wedju, a new tablet on the wall started glowing a golden yellow.
(elsewhere…)
Back in the desert, Anzu cried out as a beam of light shot out of her Diadiankh and into the cloudy night sky. Once the beam finally died down, the familiar six-winged fairy was shown flying through the sky.
"That's 'Wingweaver'!" Henry pointed out.
"Anzu actually uses it like Emily!" added Gordon.
In the sky, 'Diabound' found itself greatly disturbed by the light being emitted from 'Wingweaver' own body, while Montague was downright horrified over seeing such a Ka he never saw before (and likely over how powerful it truly was).
"What kind of Ka is this?!" he wailed, "I've never seen the likes of it before!"
"This is a Ka that has the power to go toe-to-toe with the 'Gods'!" said Anzu firmly, "The darkness that is 'Diabound' is no match for a being of PURE light!" She finally gave the command for her Ka to enter battle, "Go forth, 'Wingweaver'!"
'Wingweaver' obeyed, summoning Cestus of Dagla and beginning to fight with 'Diabound'. Despite being weakened from earlier attacks, 'Diabound' was still strong and fought back the best it could by unleashing either Thunder Forces or Helical Shockwaves at 'Wingweaver', but the humanoid fairy Ka easily avoided them before flying swiftly in and slashing at 'Diabound' across the torso with both of her weapons, causing the enemy Ka to roar in pain.
"'Diabound'-!" winced Montague, also becoming injured himself.
Below with Emily and the likes…
"Look at 'Wingweaver' go," admired James, "In Duel Monsters, she's got no real strengths other than having a high ATK of 2750. Here? Here she kicks major butt!"
"From what I know," said Bobasa, "this 'Wingweaver' has the power to fight evenly with the three legendary Divine-Beasts."
"She's 'that' powerful?" gasped Emily, before looking back at 'Wingweaver', "'Wingweaver'…"
Over with Anzu…
"Now, 'Wingweaver', finish the job!" ordered Anzu, "LUMINOUS SPARK RAIN!"
'Wingweaver', raising her free hands into the sky, summoned rays of light from the skies and fired them upon 'Diabound'. 'Diabound', still reeling from being attacked, was hit by the rays of light and became even more weakened.
"Now is your chance, Atem!" Anzu said to Atem, "End this madness with one blow from 'Ra'!"
Atem nodded before turning to 'The Winged Dragon of Ra'.
"The effects of my flaming soul!" he announced, "I pour them all into this 'God's' one blow!"
'The Winged Dragon of Ra' flew through the sky as its whole body went on fire, which meant it became…'Egyptian God Phoenix'.
"'Ra', attack!" commanded Atem, "Go, 'Egyptian God Phoenix'!"
'Egyptian God Phoenix' screeched and flew towards 'Diabound'. Montague watched helplessly as his Ka was struck and set on fire as it fell towards the ground, causing him to scream and fall off his horse (while the animal tried to escape) as he himself was also set on fire.
"The 'God's' flames are burning Montague!" announced Seto.
"This will end it, Montague!" thought Atem.
Soon, the flames died down from his body, and Montague laid motionless on the ground, seemingly in defeat.
(elsewhere…)
Back in the city, the soldiers noticed 'Egyptian God Phoenix' flying in the sky, and 'Diabound' was nowhere to be seen.
"The Sun God…" A soldier murmured.
"It defeated that dark being," A second soldier added.
"We won!" A third soldier rejoiced, "The Pharaoh, our 'God' on Earth, has brought the light of peace to this land!"
(elsewhere…)
Back at the cliffs, 'Egyptian God Phoenix' returned to just being 'The Winged Dragon of Ra', letting loose a roar to signal that it was victorious. Emily and others, meanwhile, all watched the scene, happily knowing that Thomas was the winner.
"Thomas won!" cheered Percy.
"Booya!" whooped James, "That Montague wasn't so tough!"
Back over with Atem, while the spiritual version of Thomas had a few words about the whole thing…
"This time, things were way too close…!" he thought, looking up at 'The Winged Dragon of Ra', "It's only because my weakened soul was given strength…"
It was then Emily, Bobasa, and everyone else ran up to greet their friend once again. This allowed Thomas to take control once again.
"Thank you," he smiled gratefully, "All of you."
"It's no problem, man," insisted James cheerfully, rubbing his index finger under his nose, "We're all friends, aren't we?"
"You were never alone in this game," added Emily, "We all pitched in to try and help you."
"Emily… everyone…" whispered Thomas, "If you all hadn't come, about now I'd have become…" He then shook his head, "From the depths of my heart, you all have my sincerest of thanks."
Bobasa burst into tears, "Oh, I just love moments like these!" he sobbed happily, "They really move me!"
Over with the motionless, defeated Montague…
"Don't…screw with…me," The Thief King thought to himself, or perhaps it was another voice altogether, "I can't…allow myself…to die in a place like this…!"
(elsewhere…)
In an unknown dimension, an hourglass was nearly empty. Just then, it flipped over.
(elsewhere…)
Back in the desert, the celebration was cut short when a powerful earthquake ensued.
"Wh-What the-?!" yelled James.
"An earthquake?!" suggested Gordon.
Over with Karim and Seto…
"What's going on?!" demanded Seto.
Everything started rewinding, as if those events never occurred. This was something Thomas noticed straight away…
"Impossible!" cried Thomas, "Time is going backwards!"
Because of the time being rewinded, Emily and the rest of the group were being pulled away.
"Everyone!" Thomas called out, worried.
"Thomas!" panicked Percy.
It was getting to the point where 'The Winged Dragon of Ra' and 'Wingweaver' both never showed up to fight 'Diabound'. Thomas watched helplessly as Edward, Henry, Gordon, James, Percy, Toby, Emily, Mavis, and Bobasa all were pulled into the sky in order to be placed in a spot before they found Atem/Thomas. 'Duos's' attack on a random Ka was also undone, along with 'Slifer the Sky Dragon's' defeat—although like before, it stopped charging its Thunder Force attack and let out a roar of agony before being hit by the Helical Shockwave attack. The 'God' was soon destroyed by the powerful attack by 'Diabound'. It was then Anzu arrived in the area on her horse, with enough time to witness 'Slifer the Sky Dragon' exploding due to its destruction.
"The Sky God!" The dark green-haired Egyptian girl exclaimed, "It was-!"
Unfortunately, the death of the 'God' resulted in Atem crying out in agony as he coughed up some blood.
"Pharaoh!" called Karim.
Montague merely laughed maniacally, seeing as time had been rewinded to give him another chance at defeating Thomas and getting the Millennium Puzzle.
(elsewhere…)
Back in the city, Emily and the others were making their way through a crowd being evacuated to the palace, having been placed there after time got rewinded.
"Damn it! What the hell is going on here?!" cursed James.
"How did we end up back here?!" put in Percy.
Emily didn't know the answer to that, but figured Montague had something to do with it.
(elsewhere…)
Back at the cliffs, Atem, still riding his horse, was confronting Montague.
"Mo-Montague…!" said Atem weakly, "Stop hurting innocent people! They have nothing to do with this!"
Montague just simply snickered in amusement, "When your 'God' was defeated, you ran out of Ba, didn't you…" he remarked, "Now that you can't Summon monsters, you're here to lecture me…?" The Thief King then turned his attention to the royal palace in the distance, "Look! Do you see the palace? Squatting on the throne and throwing around your power, you've never seen it from afar like this, have you…? A ruler is such a pitiful thing…"
Atem didn't answer, allowing Montague to continue.
"But, to a thief, anything you see is something you can steal. Royal power… the city… human lives… even this view! If getting everything you want is all there is to being a king, then as King of Thieves, I am truly the King of Kings! Eh, Pharaoh?!"
Montague then burst into maniacal laughter over his own statement.
"You haven't gotten anything…" panted Atem, "You're only trampling on the lights of life in this city…on people's hopes!"
"It doesn't matter what you say…because I win," said Montague.
It was then Emily and the others arrived…again.
"Thomas!" called Henry.
This time around, Montague wasn't surprised by the arrivals.
"Whoa there," The Thief King slurred, "I won't let you interfere this time," He then gave the command to 'Diabound', "'Diabound', sick him!"
On cue, 'Diabound' appeared above Montague, causing Emily and the others to stop and look up in horror.
"Crap! He's going to kill us!" panicked James.
Unfortunately, Montague, after noticing somebody else arriving in the area, had another target in-mind…
"'Diabound', attack the girl!" he yelled, "HELICAL SHOCKWAVE!"
'Diabound' turned and started charging its signature attack. Atem, meanwhile, wondering what Montague meant by 'the girl'. His eyes soon widened when he realized who was behind him…
"Anzu!" exclaimed Atem, jumping off his horse, "Anzu! Hurry! Get away from here!"
Running up the canyon on foot was Anzu, trying to catch up to Atem. 'Diabound' finally fired off its Helical Shockwave attack towards Anzu, causing her to stop and stare on in terror. Before she could be hit, Atem got close enough and pushed her away—as the Helical Shockwave struck the ground near the two Egyptian teenagers and broke it apart. Anzu was safe on the other end of the newly formed gap, having been saved by Atem. Atem, meanwhile, was on the other end and had grabbed the edge to keep himself from falling. The horse, sadly, had fallen to its death.
"Pharaoh!" Karim and Seto both called out, seeing what was happening, "Pharaoh!"
Over with Atem, Montague, having got off his own horse, had approached where Atem was hanging. He then kneeled over and removed the Millennium Puzzle from Atem's neck.
"M-Montague…" stammered Atem.
"I'll be taking this!" chuckled Montague, holding up his prize (the Millennium Puzzle).
On the other end of the newly formed canyon…
"Atem!" shouted Anzu.
Back over with Atem and Montague…
"It looks like it's Game Over for you, Thomas," said Montague sadistically, "So long, Your Highness!"
Before Atem could say anything back, Montague stomped some of the ground where the blue-haired Egyptian boy was hanging onto and broke it apart.
"THOMAS!" Emily and the likes cried out, running over.
But it was too late, Atem screamed as he fell down the fault seemingly to his death. On the other end of the canyon, Anzu was completely helpless to do anything to try and save her husband's life.
"No…" whispered Anzu, as tears finally started dripping down her face.
"PHARAOH!" called Seto and Karim, as they both rode up to where Anzu was kneeling.
Back on the other end, Montague said nothing while Emily and her friends all ran up to where Atem/Thomas had fallen.
"Thomas!" Percy and James both yelled out.
"Nooooo!" wailed Emily, bursting into tears.
Scoffing, Montague turned around and started to make his way back to his horse. Over with Anzu, the realization that Atem was truly gone finally broke her completely.
"ATEM! ATEM! ATEM!" she screamed repeatedly, falling to her hands and knees whilst beginning to cry her shattered heart out, "Atem…!"
"My Queen…" whispered Karim, feeling horrible for Anzu.
Over with the Sudrian teenagers plus Bobasa…
"This can't be…" mumbled Gordon.
"After everything we went through to find him… In the end, we failed…" exclaimed Percy, "We failed to save Thomas!"
It was then James saw Henry trembling hard.
"H-Henry?" The red-haired boy peeped, "Are you…okay?"
I'm sorry to say Henry Stanier was NOT okay; he was shaking with rage over Thomas's death, and he blamed one person for it…
"Montague!" The tall, green-haired boy hollered in pure hatred, turning and running towards Montague in blind anger, "YOU MURDERER!"
"Henry, stop!" begged Mavis, but was ignored.
Montague, frowning, turned around and was met with a punch to the face. The punch was strong and hard enough to actually draw blood. Although he was initially angry and surprised by the punch, the Thief King soon giggled psychotically as he licked the blood from his mouth.
"Do you have a death wish, pal?" asked Montague dangerously.
Frightened at first, Henry quickly became angry over how uncaring Montague was acting and tried to punch him again. This time, his (Henry) fist was grabbed by him (Montague). Henry immediately became frightened again, this time truly frightened as he stared into Montague's black, piercing eyes. From there, Montague used his right hand to grab Henry by the throat and lift him up, choking him.
"L-Let me go…!" gagged Henry, being unable to breath.
Montague giggled once again, just as James and Gordon both ran at him to try and rescue their best friend.
"You bastard!" shouted James.
"Let Henry go!" added Gordon.
Montague responded by throwing Henry over to the two teenage boys, and they caught him successfully.
"You weaklings are an eyesore!" insulted Montague crossly.
"What did you say?!" growled James, sitting up. Just then, he heard a horse neigh, "Huh?"
Looking further up the canyon, the same fiendish-looking horsemen had arrived.
"Well, well, it looks like my friends are here," snickered Montague, before looking back at the group, "I hope none of you mind, but I have a busy schedule to keep. I have two Millennium Items at the moment, and I need to gather the rest before I can win the Ultimate Shadow Game. These guys will make sure that none of you get in my way."
The fiendish riders all had glowing eyes, which frightened Percy and James as they hugged each other out of fear.
"Run, all of you!" called Bobasa, "This instant! Hurry!"
With that said, The group all took off and followed Bobasa, but not before Emily stopped, turned, and coldly addressed Montague one more time…
"Montague!" began Emily, "Before this whole thing is all over with, you will repent for your unforgivable sins."
"Sins? Repent?" snorted Montague, turning around to look at Emily, "Let me tell you that I'm not a religious person," He then smiled, "Of course, I would be more than happy to take you on in a Shadow Game when that time does come."
Emily simply frowned before turning and leaving. Meanwhile, the ghoulish riders all began taking off to find our heroes. This left Montague behind to do some thinking on what happened.
"He returned just in time…" he thought to himself, as a flashback ensued.
FLASHBACK
Moments before time rewinded, Flashback Montague laid motionless on the ground.
"My cry must have radiated through the skies," narrated Montague, as several shots of the time rewind were then shown, "I called forth a miracle!"
END FLASHBACK
The flashback ended.
"It looks like he's set up quite an unbelievable game!" Montague went on mentally, before breaking out into loud, insane laughter.
Over on the other end of the canyon, Seto and Karim both watched solemnly as Anzu, still on her hands and knees, continued to sob over Atem's death.
"Atem… You can't be dead… you just can't be dead!" Anzu, still weeping, was now telling herself and trying to deny the reality in front of her, "I refuse to believe you are dead!"
"Your Highness…" whispered Seto.
"We-" began Karim, but was interrupted.
"I'm going to find him!" declared Anzu at long last, standing back up with her eyes dried of tears, "I'm not going to stand here and be helpless to do anything any longer!"
"No, you mustn't!" objected Karim, "The kingdom still needs a ruler, and currently that's you!"
"Karim is right," agreed Seto, "Return to the city, and leave the search to us."
"No!" refused Anzu, before turning and giving the two priests a hard stare, "I, and I alone, will search for my husband! If I don't find him or I find out he's truly dead, then I'll take my own life and join him in the afterlife!"
"Please, your Highness!" begged Karim, but he was ignored.
With that being said, Anzu ran away from the two priests to try and find her horse before beginning her search for any signs of Atem. With no other choice, Seto and Karim both looked to each other and nodded. From there, they took off back to the city with the remaining troops following behind them.
(elsewhere…)
In another part of the canyon, Montague's 'friends' were busy searching for Emily and the likes. Hidden under a stone bridge, the group was shown hiding out until the coast was clear.
"We should be okay now!" reassured Bobasa, taking a look, "They left!"
And the Sudrian teenagers all let out relieved sighs.
"That was way too close," remarked Toby.
"Dammit!" swore James, "That friggin' Montague bastard!"
"Did Thomas…lose the Shadow Game?" Mavis asked quietly.
All eyes were on the blonde-haired girl, wondering if what she said was true.
"Shadow Games are death games with your life on the line," recalled Percy, "Then that means that Thomas…"
"I refuse to believe he is dead," said Emily sternly, "I just know he's still alive somewhere in this area."
"Emily…" mumbled Edward.
"Besides," continued Emily, "Bobasa told us before we came here. This is the Pharaoh's world of memories."
"Yeah…" nodded Toby, "And?"
"But we're all still here. This world hasn't collapsed."
"That's…right," agreed Mavis, now realizing the whole thing, "You mean to say that the Pharaoh's memories haven't disappeared yet?"
"Because of this, he just has to be alive," nodded Emily, "Before we resume our search for the answer to that riddle, we have to find Atem—or Thomas."
"Okay!" added James, "Since we decided that, we can't waste time here! Let's hurry!"
"Agreed," replied Bobasa, "It's important that we find Thomas and make sure he's okay."
(elsewhere…)
Back in the city, the sun was truly beginning to rise as dawn was beginning to break.
(inside…)
Inside Aknadin's room, the stern priest was shown resting in bed with Shada watching over him.
"Isis's premonition bothers me…" Shada thought to himself, "Since I found Lord Aknadin at the Pharaoh's shrine…" He then moved the Millennium Eye over Aknadin, "What was he doing there?"
Alas, the Egyptian Odion had no idea what his fellow priest was thinking. It was then Aknadin finally woke up, which startled Shada as he withdrew his Millennium Key.
"Have you awoken, Lord Aknadin?" he asked in surprise.
"Shada…" murmured Aknadin, "How is the Ka hunt going?"
"Yes…" recalled Shada, "The truth is, we found a foreign woman whom contained heka unmeasurable even using my Millennium Key."
"Heka not even the Millennium Key could measure…" muttered Aknadin, narrowing his only eye.
He tried to sit up, but Shada forced him to stay down.
"You would be wiser to get some rest," requested Shada.
"Move aside!" snapped Aknadin, shoving his fellow priest aside and getting out of bed.
"Lord Aknadin!" protested Shada, watching as the stern-looking priest left the room, "Lord Aknadin, what's gotten into you?"
(elsewhere…)
In the throne room, there was some bad news from two of the soldiers…
"You still haven't located the Pharaoh?!" Seto was saying severely.
Also present in the throne room were Karim, Isis, Shimon, and Braheem.
"I'm afraid not!" The soldier answered, "I still have heard no reports of it!"
"Our Queen hasn't returned either," Another soldier added, "She still has not found the Pharaoh!"
Seto growled, "I want you to search until you've turned the Nile upside down!"
"Sir! The two soldiers vowed.
"Listen!" continued Seto, "The Pharaoh is most certainly alive! His dream to protect this kingdom has not yet faded!"
"What do you see, Isis?" asked Shimon, looking towards Isis as she activated her Millennium Necklace.
"I see a single ripple in dark waters…" The Egyptian Ishizu answered, once her focusing ended, "If only one, it will soon fade… But, if two or three ripples overlap… they will become a great swell that will drown us in tragedy."
"Is that…the future of our land?" asked Shimon urgently.
"Yes," acknowledged Isis, "That predication has already begun."
"Oh no…" worried Braheem, "Does that mean the divine order of Ma'at upheld by the seven Millennium Items has already begun to unravel? And all by the hands of a single thief?!"
(elsewhere…)
Later in one of the hallways, Shada and Seto were exploring the area.
"You say Lord Aknadin has been acting strange?" pondered Seto.
"Yes," said Shada, "When I told him of the foreign woman we found, he was acting as if he was another person."
The two priests arrived outside one of the guest rooms. When they peeked inside, the bed was shown to be empty. Frowning, Seto turned to glare at one of the guards protecting the room from unwanted visitors.
"What happened to the foreign woman?" demanded Seto.
"Well, you see, sir," One of the guards explained, "Lord Aknadin came and took the woman to the Underground but moments ago."
Seto raised an eyebrow, "Lord Aknadin did?"
"The Underground?!" added Shada.
"Yes, that is correct!" A short, ugly man wearing back robes said, walking up to the two priests, "Just as you ordered us not long ago," He then put a sinister smile onto his face, "Now, please come with me."
(elsewhere…)
Soon, the short, creepy man was leading Seto down the stairs to the dungeons of the palace. Soon, they both came upon a door.
"Open it, Lord Seto," Gebelk, as the man was named, suggested.
Seto did so, and found that the room beyond was a torture chamber, where prisoners were pressured and tortured to show off their Ka's.
"What is…?" Seto stuttered.
"I've been waiting for you, Seto!" called Aknadin, who was sitting on one of the nearby thrones.
"Lord Aknadin!" cried Seto, "What is the meaning of this?!"
"Whatever is the matter?!" retorted Aknadin, before pointing at the field and directing his attention to the prisoners, "This is not the time to be resting! If you wish not to die, you must fight! If your opponent is still breathing, you shall not be allowed to live! You must kill! Kill each other!"
Seto was honestly aghast over what Aknadin was doing, but what really horrified him was that in one of the nearby cages…was the same pale-skinned young woman he rescued from the streets not long ago, and this time her long white hair had changed to a more bluish color. She looked terrified, and was probably next to fight and/or die. Would this young woman be forced to do something like that? Let's find out…next time.
This time around, this IS the final chapter for 2020. It was a bad year all-around because of the pandemic, but at least Sodormatchmaker and I were able to get more of our series complete (with major help from AaronCottrell97) - namely finishing Season 5 and starting work on Season 6. For the new year, we're going to work harder than ever to get more of ithe story complete regardless of how long it takes us to do so.
Oh yes, and 2021 is the five-year anniversary of "Yu-Gi-Oh: The Sodor Chronicles", since this series first began back in 2016. We will find some way to celebrate it, but I'm unsure how we can do just that. Until then, stay tuned for the first chapter of 2021, and have a Happy New Years (when we get to it)!