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 within a hidden chamber in the dungeons, all Seto could do, when he saw the pale-skinned young woman in the cage stare at him in fright, was stare in shock with an open mouth before a yell from the nearby prisoners caught his attention. Some of the Ka's controlled by the prisoners were grappling with each other, while one of the prisoners atop the platform accidentally slipped and fell to his death in the abyss below. Unable to take it any longer, Seto ran towards Aknadin with some serious questions on his mind.
"Have you snapped, Lord Aknadin?!" demanded Seto, clearly shocked, "Forcing prisoners to kill one another in meaningless combat is nothing but slaughter!" He then turned to the soldiers nearby, "Listen! What are you waiting for?! Stop this at once!"
"Be silent, Seto!" insisted Aknadin, "This is what you yourself wished for! Now behold!"
It was then Seto saw the victorious Ka grow both in size and power.
"The Ka grew…!" he gasped.
"Seto… The owner's desire to live is what makes these Ka grow in power," said Aknadin.
"The will to live…?" repeated Seto.
"The fear of death… Those feelings of wanting to avoid death!" Aknadin went on, "These things enable growth and give birth to new, more powerful Ka!" He glared at Seto, "I do believe I mentioned this when we discovered that our new Queen had developed one of the strongest Ka's when she was put into a situation where her life was on the line."
On the occupied platform…
"You're next!" The alive prisoner yelled, looking at another fellow prisoner.
"NO!" The picked prisoner freaked out, "I don't wanna die!"
The man's fear caused the Ka next to him to grow in size and strength. Aknadin, not paying attention or really caring what was going on with the prisoners, kept speaking to Seto…
"Seto… Without the Pharaoh present and our Queen currently trying to find him," he was saying, "the kingdom is in need of a Godly figure to keep things in order."
"I feel the same way!" argued Seto, "That is why we must focus on finding the Pharaoh!"
"That alone will not be good enough!" snapped Aknadin, "What we require now is not the current Pharaoh…but a 'new' Pharaoh!"
"A new…Pharaoh?" thought Seto, being unsure on how to respond to such a statement.
When the Egyptian Spencer said nothing to him about wanting a new Pharaoh, Aknadin continued speaking…
"Only the missing Pharaoh can Summon the three legendary Divine-Beasts," he explained, "Unless you acquire Ka even greater than that of the three legendary Divine-Beasts, you cannot become the new Pharaoh! Seto, gain the power surpassing the 'Gods'!"
"Lord Aknadin…wishes for me to become Pharaoh…?" Seto asked himself mentally, still unsure on what to say about all of this.
At last…
"Our entertainment has ended," announced Aknadin, before giving a command to the nearby soldiers, "Toss that woman over there into the ring!"
"Yes, sir!" One of the soldiers obeyed, walking towards the cage.
He opened the cage, where the pale-skinned young woman laid in wait, gazing fearfully at her captors. Seto, realizing what was about to happen, was quick to object to Aknadin about it…
"You mean to treat that woman in the same manner?!" asked Seto, looking and sounding none too happy.
"Is she not the same woman who's heka could not be measured by Shada's Millennium Key?" replied Aknadin coldly, watching as the young woman was dragged out of the cage by two soldiers, "Then she must be hiding a very powerful Ka within her."
While the pale-skinned young woman was led to a make-shift bridge leading to the center platform, Seto and Aknadin were arguing about the whole scenario.
"Please wait!" begged Seto, "You cannot possibly put her through this! Even if it's you, Lord Aknadin, I will not sit by and-"
"Huh?!" growled Aknadin, "How naive! You're too naive, Seto! If we do not have resolve on par with that of the 'Gods', you will never be able to obtain power surpassing the 'Gods'! Open your eyes and watch that woman tremble in fear! Watch her shiver, cry, and plead for her life!"
Speaking of which, the young woman turned her head to look at Seto, also pleading for his help.
"Seto…" she whispered, seeing Seto as his younger self.
The pale-skinned young woman was then pushed across the wooden bridge towards the spikey platform. Looking up, she saw two Ka looking ready to kill her when given the word to do so.
Title: Ripples in the Shadows
The young woman, as the bridge behind her retracted, had no idea what to do to save herself from what those Ka planned to do to her.
"A woman?" One of the men commanding the Ka remarked.
"It doesn't matter who it is!" Another Ka-using man retorted, "Let's take her out first!"
"Yeah!"
The two monstrous-looking Ka looked eager to begin their onslaught. Over with both Aknadin and Seto…
"Woman… Show me the power of your Ka!" demanded Aknadin.
Seto, on the other hand, was stunned by what his master and lord was doing.
"Lord Aknadin…" thought Seto, before looking back at the young woman on the center platform, "What are you waiting for? Call out your Ka! If you don't, you'll…"
"This is strange…" thought Aknadin, "Even on the verge of death, she's still resisting…? Is there really a Ka within this woman's body…?"
Deciding to be sure, his Millennium Eye activated. Trying to scan the young woman, the stern-looking priest saw some light emitting from her body.
"What…is this light?" Aknadin winced, before covering his eye in pain.
Meanwhile, one of the enemy Ka launched itself towards the pale-skinned young woman, spitting out a string of web that entangled her; she made no effort to fight back in any way.
"Woman! Call out your Ka!" ordered Aknadin, "Now! Do it now!"
"What are you doing?!" asked Seto mentally, still looking at the young woman, "You're going to die if you keep this up…!"
The young woman turned to look at Seto once more, before he started wondering something about her…
"Don't you have a Ka…?"
Finally, the two Ka's belonging to the two prisoners made a leap towards the pale-skinned young woman, who stared in horror without making an attempt to avoid the attack and possibly falling off the platform to her doom. Unable to stand by this cruelty any longer, Seto activated his Diabiankh and decided to step in and help the young woman (again).
"'Duos'!" shouted Seto.
In a flash of light, the mighty swordsman Ka appeared in midair as Seto dove onto the platform, guarding the young woman from harm after using his Millennium Rod to cut her free.
"Woman… what is your name?" Seto asked calmly.
"Kisara," The pale-skinned young woman answered.
"Kisara, stay behind me," requested Seto, satisfied with the answer.
The two Egyptian men on the upper platforms weren't worried about Seto joining in the battle; in fact, they seemed mighty pleased about it.
"Never woulda guessed a priest would be joining us here," The first prisoner snickered.
"We got grudges worth years of suffering!" The second prisoner added, "Ain't it about time you paid for it!? That woman can't even call out a Ka…"
"Since it's two-on-one, we hold the advantage!" The first prisoner bragged.
"Yeah!"
"You scum!" hollered Aknadin, outraged that the two men aim to try and kill to his pupil/son, "Don't you dare harm Seto!"
"Don't move a muscle, geezer!" The first prisoner warned, which caused Aknadin to stop, "We're good as goners! So why do we care if we drag one little 'Holy Priest' down with us to Hell?!"
"Hmph! Then give it a try!" dared Seto, looking very unafraid.
"WHAT?!" The two prisoners yelled in surprise.
And so, the battle began…
"'Duos'!" commanded Seto, "AURA SWORD!"
'Duos' obeyed, slashing at the platform's chains with his sword. This caused one of the two prisoners, one of the Ka, Kisara, and Seto all to begin falling into the abyss.
"SETO!" cried Aknadin in horror.
Fortunately, Seto and Kisara both did not fall into the abyss belong; Seto was hanging onto one of the chains and holding onto Kisara's hand.
"Kisara, are you alright?!" he said to Kisara.
Kisara nodded fearfully, but then the pair heard a sinister laugh. They looked up and saw the fat-looking prisoner webbed to the wall by his own Ka.
"That was close!" The second prisoner declared mockingly, "I was saved by this Ka, Mr. Holy Priest! And as you can see, 'your' Ka wound up like that!"
'Duos' could be seen all webbed up and trapped on the wall.
"'Duos'!" gasped Seto.
"Hehehe… I bet a Holy Priest's gotta be scrumptious!" The second prisoner commented sadistically, before giving a command to his Ka, "Gobble 'em up!"
The spider Ka obeyed, slithering towards both Seto and Kisara.
"SETO!" screamed Aknadin.
Seto could only glare on in defeat. But just before the killing move could be made, Kisara's eyes began to glow bright blue as a powerful bust of light surrounded her body. Aknadin and the soldiers all reacted to what was happening. The blue light soon left Kisara's body and soared around the chamber until it was near the ceiling. Seto gazed in admirement, seeing the energy forming into the body of a dragon.
"That's… the 'White Dragon' from that time!" The Egyptian Seto whispered, as he flashed back to when he, as a kid, saw that legendary dragon.
Once the light faded, there, flying in the air, was the legendary 'White Dragon'—or, better yet, 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' if you're from the future. Meanwhile, everybody else in the chamber was either amazed or shocked to see this Ka appear.
"The hell's up with that dragon?!" The second prisoner, still webbed to the wall, cried out in horror.
"That 'White Dragon' is the Ka this woman gave birth to…?" Seto asked himself.
Kisara was no longer glowing, but her eyes were dull and full of anger and determination to save herself and Seto.
"Dammit…!" The second prisoner snarled, before giving a command to his Ka, "KILL THEM!"
The spider Ka obeyed, lunging towards both Seto and Kisara, while ignoring 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon'.
"Seto!" called Aknadin.
However, 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon', compliments of Kisara beginning to glow all blue once more, wasn't going to let neither Seto nor its container be harmed. The dragon charged and fired a powerful blast of whitish electricity (Burst Stream of Destruction), vaporizing both the spider Ka and the second prisoner on contact. Aknadin and the soldiers all looked up in sheer amazement at the power that 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' had, having destroyed a Ka and killed a person at the same time.
"This is the attack of a 'God'…!" mumbled Aknadin.
(elsewhere…)
Outside near the palace gates, the soldiers were reacting to a massive pillar of destructive energy shooting from the ground towards the sky. Shimon and Braheem both were walking near the balcony when they took notice of the energy in the distance.
"What is that light?" wondered Shimon.
"I…don't know," replied Braheem, "But it isn't anything I've ever seen before."
(elsewhere…)
Back in the dungeons… With the threat eliminated, Seto regained his strength, and pulled himself and Kisara back up to safety. 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' faded away when Kisara finally fell unconscious due to her pushing herself too hard, and Seto was carrying her body in his arms across the make-shift bridge to where Aknadin and the soldiers were waiting.
"Let her rest in her room for a while," requested Seto, looking at one of the soldiers.
"Yes!" The soldier agreed, taking hold of the unconscious Kisara.
"Seto… that 'White Dragon's' power may exceed that of Montague's 'Diabound' and even our Queen's 'Wingweaver'…" said Aknadin, before adding… "No… Even the three legendary Divine-Beasts of the Pharaoh. That Ka is different from any other!" It is most likely that the 'White Dragon' is a 'Ba'!" He then made a dangerous request, "Seto! You must steal that Ka from that woman!"
Seto was shocked, "But… if her Ka really is connected to her Ba," he objected, "stealing the 'White Dragon' means the death of that woman!"
"Desperate times call for desperate measures," insisted Aknadin, before growing impatient with the hold up, "Why are you hesitating!?"
"No! I refuse to do that," defied Seto, "This woman saved my life when my village was destroyed and my Mother was taken from me. Killing her would be nothing more than a slap-in-the-face for her kindness."
"Kill that woman and extract the 'White Dragon' from within her!" snarled Aknadin, "You will wield a 'God'!"
"Lord Aknadin…" recoiled Seto, completely stunned by his mentor's attitude.
"Only at that moment will the throne accept you! As the new Pharaoh!"
"P-Please wait a moment!" The Egyptian Seto stammered, "We are still yet to locate the missing Pharaoh…!"
He then felt his upper left arm being grabbed by Aknadin, who was clearly not going to take 'no' for an answer.
"It matters not where the Pharaoh is," said Aknadin harshly, "If the current Pharaoh or his Queen both do not return, who will inherit the throne?! Don't you understand, Seto?! It's you!"
"That is enough!" bellowed Seto, shaking himself free, "I do not wish to wield a 'God' or become Pharaoh; I can never replace him, and I'm okay with that! Our 'true' Pharaoh is still alive out there, I just know it. And, like our Queen, I will not rest until he has been found and is safe. And, I'm truly sorry to say it, Lord Aknadin, I wish to hear no more of this from you!"
With that said, Seto stormed the dungeon, leaving Aknadin behind to do some thinking.
"If you will not seize your destiny," Aknadin thought to himself, "then at some point I must seize it for you… my son."
Oh, wow…
(elsewhere…)
Later in the ruined village of Kul Elna, all was quiet minus the blowing wind.
(elsewhere…)
Within a hidden underground chamber, Montague was hard at work doing something? What kind of something? That's easy… he was placing the Millennium Puzzle into a large slab of rock.
"What a nice view," The Thief King commented, standing back up, "I can't believe I got my hands on the Millennium Puzzle this quick. Aknadin has already become my game piece. All that remains are the remaining priests and the other small fry. You can all just sit quietly and await your deaths."
From there, he removed the Millennium Ring and placed it into the stone slab. The Millennium Ring briefly glowed for a moment when it was placed in the ring-shaped hole, causing Montague to grow worried for a moment before smiling and laughing.
"You're ecstatic, aren't you?!" said Montague to the slab, "And with good reason! When all of the Millennium Items are gathered, the Door to the Underworld will open. And my original body, Zorc Necrophades, will revive! And when that moment comes, the Eighth Key will appear as well! Once I know its location, I'll be able to break the seal and revive Zorc in the real world!"
All of a sudden, darkness started emerging from the slab until it became a large, clawed hand. Before Montague knew what was happening, the hand grabbed and began crushing him.
"Why are you getting so irritated?!" he yelled out in pain, which only caused the hand to crush him more tightly, "I said that hurts…!"
From there, the dark hand hurled Montague across the room onto the floor.
"What are you not happy with?" questioned Montague, sitting up and watching as the darkness fizzled away, "Wait… The Eighth Key… Damn it! Wasn't the Eighth Key the key that sealed Zorc away 3000 years ago?! So that means… The moment the seal on Zorc is broken and he emerges back into this world… We need the Pharaoh!"
As the Thief King ranted, he approached the slab and stomped on the Millennium Puzzle in a fit of frustration.
"But that Pharaoh was just killed!" complained Montague, before stopping, "No… wait! The game still continues… So that must mean the King left a clue behind in his death," He picked up the Millennium Puzzle, "Let me think… 3000 years ago, the Pharaoh used the Eighth Key to seal Zorc away and his memories inside of this. After that, he wouldn't want anyone to find the Eighth Key ever again… If it was me, what would 'I' do? Why, I'd erase all the evidence. Hold on, I seem to recall something… Yes! I remember what he did after erasing those memories."
A vision started up.
VISION
In this vision was the Millennium Puzzle, and a voice (male) could be heard chanting in the Egyptian language.
END VISION
The vision ended.
"He left something in the form of a riddle," mused Montague, "That's all I can remember, but I have no idea what the answer to that riddle 'was'," The Thief King clenched his fists on the Millennium Puzzle in anger, "Dammit! Why couldn't he ever make things easy for me?!" He stood up from his spot and smiled wickedly, "Although I'm not too bothered by that detail… seeing as I'll figure out what the riddle's answer is before long."
With that said, Montague burst into quiet, and then loud, sinister laughter.
(elsewhere…)
Somewhere along the Nile river, Anzu had to relucantly abandon her horse due to it dying earlier on. The hot sun was beating down upon the Egyptian Queen. She was exhausted, desperate, and immensely upset after searching all through the night and into most of the morning and afternoon, still refusing to believe that Atem was dead.
"So…tired…" whispered Anzu, coughing a little bit, "But I cannot rest now… Atem…needs me…"
And so, the journey to find Atem continued.
(elsewhere…)
In another part of the area, Emily, Bobasa, and the rest of the group had arrived, having fully evaded Montague's henchmen (or so they thought).
"Is this…the Nile river?" pondered Edward.
"That it be," confirmed Bobasa.
"It's huge!" admired Henry.
"Could Thomas be here somewhere?" asked Emily.
Nobody had an answer—not at first anyway.
"Hmm…" pondered Percy, "That cliff led to the river… So, if we follow the Nile, we might find him!"
"Nice idea, Percy," praised James.
With that said, the group made their way down one of the hills towards the river. However, they were not alone… Standing on the other end of the gorge were several horses, and riding them were the same ghoulish fiends, having not given up their search for their enemies.
(elsewhere…)
Hidden in one of the caves alongside the Nile river, was an unconscious Atem laying against the walls. Soon, he started to regain consciousness, opened his eyes, and started to get up.
"Agh…" groaned Atem, still injured from the fall, "Where…am I?"
As his vision finally came back, he saw somebody standing over him. It wasn't anybody he recognized; the person wore white robes and wore a golden, Egyptian-styled mask of a sort.
"Who are you?" asked Atem weakly.
"My name is Hasan," The masked man answered.
"Hasan?" repeated Atem.
"Pharaoh, Zorc Necrophades is about to revive," warned Hasan, "Only 'you' can defeat Zorc."
"Zorc?" quizzed Atem, wondering who that was.
"The former King, Aknamkanon, is also watching over you."
The blue-haired Egyptian boy looked up, "You knew my Father?" he asked, "Tell me what you know!"
Suddenly, Hasan was gone.
"Hasan!" called Atem, looking around, "Was he…real, or an illusion?"
Without a choice, Atem slowly limbed for the exit of the cave. While on the way outside, the spiritual version of Thomas was wondering what to make of both Hasan and Zorc.
"Hasan… Zorc…" mumbled Thomas, "The more I watch, the more questions I'm left with."
(outside…)
Soon, Atem emerged from the cave, briefly wincing from the bright sunlight before accepting it. Upon taking a look around, he saw somebody walking alongside the river.
"Huh?" pondered Atem, squinting his eyes to get a better look, "Who's that?"
The person was shown to be female; her clothes were hot and sweaty, and she herself was exhausted from walking through the desert all night and into the new day, hunger, and her eyes were red from likely crying so much. Despite that, Atem instantly recognized exactly who it was…
"Anzu?"
Indeed, the 16-year old Egyptian girl, now Queen of Egypt, was Anzu. If she went any further, she would collapse there and now. However, there would be no need for any of that. Once Anzu wearily looked up, something in front of her caused her to stop moving and her eyes to widen.
"Atem?" whispered Anzu.
For a long time, Atem and Anzu both looked at each other while not saying a word. At last, Atem broke the silence and spoke up first…
"Anzu… You came out here to look for me," Atem said proudly.
"Atem…" murmured Anzu, thinking the sun was playing tricks on her brain, "Is it…really you? Are you standing right in front of…me?"
"Yes," smiled Atem, "It's me."
It was then the floodgates opened; fresh tears welled up in Anzu's eyes as she broke into a run towards her lover and leaped into his arms.
"Oh, darling, thank the 'Gods' you're alive!" sobbed Anzu, as she and Atem shared a long, emotional embrace, "You have no idea how happy I am to see you again! I honestly thought that when you fell down that cliff, I had lost you for good!"
"Well, I'm 'not' gone," reassured Atem, despite his injuries stinging, "I'm still alive, if also sore, and I will never leave you like that again."
The Pharaoh and Queen both then looked up into each other's eyes, before they brought their lips together and shared a long, passionate kiss, deeply relieved that they were reunited once more after enduring such a scare last night.
(inside…)
Before long, Atem, now nude, laid down on the floor of the cave, while Anzu, also nude, climbed on top of him. Seeing as Atem was still not in the best of shape, it would make sense for Anzu to be on top for the lovemaking this time around. They both were silent throughout the process, but Thomas sure had a few words of his own to think about…
"Here it goes again," he thought to himself, "I just have to think of Anzu as Emily, and everything should be okay."
Before long, Atem and Anzu began a lengthy make out session as a start for their lovemaking.
(elsewhere…)
In yet another part of the Nile river, Mana was standing by the edge with a wand (which resembled 'Dark Magician Girl's' wand) in her hands and a look of determination on her face. After Mahad, her master, had died, she was more determined than ever to become a first class sorceress. Just then, a fish leaped from the water.
"It's here!" cried Mana, readying her wand.
With a wave of the magical item, a magic aura struck the fish, freezing it in mid air.
"Got it! How's that?"
As Mana celebrated the success of her spell, she used her magic to sway the fish back and forth in the air as a means of making it dance.
"Lightly… lightly… lightly…" sang Mana, "It's floating! Good! Progress, progress!"
But, suddenly, the fish stopped moving, much to her surprise and irritation.
"Hey! What's wrong?!" gawked Mana, "Hey! Move, will you?!"
The fish soon started puffing up like a balloon much to Mana's concern, just before letting the air out and zooming all across the area and slapping Mana across the face.
"Ow!" cried Mana, rubbing the spot where she had been slapped.
Alas, she had no time to retaliate against the fish, seeing as it went back into the river and swam away. Disappointed, Mana fell onto her hands and knees.
"I failed again," she complained, looking into the lake as tears welled up in her eyes, "No matter how hard I try, I just can't make it… Master…"
Before the poor Egyptian girl could cry, she suddenly saw images of unknown people staring at her through the water's reflection.
"That girl looks rather familiar," said Percy.
"Yeah," agreed James, "She almost looks like 'Dark Magician Girl'…"
Mana stood up and looked back at the group—particularly Emily, Percy, James, Edward, and Mavis.
"Jono? Hondo? Anzu? Ryo? Mia?" she asked in surprise, "What's happened to you guys? Your skin looks so pale, and you're dressed in strange clothing."
"Huh?" quizzed James.
"Anzu, we know of, but Jono, Honda, Ryo, and Mia?" came from Gordon, "Who are they?"
"And why is your hair colored all yellow, Mia?" continued Mana, getting up close and personal with Mavis while staring at the color of her hair, "I thought it was black with yellow streaks?"
"Err… my hair's not 'yellow', it's 'blonde'," corrected Mavis uneasily, "Now, could you do me a favor and please give me some personal space?"
"Wait a second," interrupted Emily, looking at Mana, "You can see us?"
"Of course, I can see you," insisted Mana, waving her wand slightly, "I may be air-headed, but I'm not blind or stupid, you know."
"Umm… Bobasa, you have any idea what's going on?" asked Toby, looking towards Bobasa, "I thought you said we couldn't be seen or heard in this timeline except for by Thomas."
"To be honest, this is something I'm completely unsure of myself," sighed Bobasa, shaking his head, "For some reason, this girl is capable of seeing us," It was then something else caught his attention, "Look! There's something floating down the river!"
Indeed… Floating in the river was clothing of some sort. Without hesitation, James dove into the river, swam up to the clothing, grabbed it, and swam back to shore where both Henry and Gordon helped him out.
"What is it?" pondered Gordon, after James shook his head to get the water out.
The red-haired boy held the clothing up, "It looks like a cape of sorts," he answered, before putting it on, "How does it look on me?"
Before anybody could comment…
"Wait, James!" cried Emily, "That's Thomas's cape!"
"Who's 'Thomas'?" blinked Mana in confusion, before taking the cape from James, "And why would he be wearing the prince's cape?"
"It's a long story," replied Edward, "Would you believe us if we said we were from the future or something?"
"And besides," put in Percy, "who's this 'prince' you're referring to?"
"Uhh, that's not right… I meant 'Pharaoh'!" corrected Mana, looking sheepish.
The answer finally hit our heroes like a brick wall.
"Atem!" Emily and the likes all gasped at once.
Yup…
"Does this mean Thomas is around here somewhere…?" asked Mavis.
"I hope so…" said Henry, "But he may have been washed away by the river…"
"Hey, don't try to make things more complicated," scolded Edward.
"Sorry…"
"No matter," smiled Emily, "Thomas must be close!"
Bobasa nodded, "If that's the case," he said wisely, "we can find him if we continue walking down the river bank."
"Wait!" cut in Mana, with all eyes now on her, "What happened to the prince? Is he okay?!"
"We don't know, but he's missing," answered Toby.
Mana smirked, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?!" she asked, before a serious look appeared on her face, "I'll help, too!"
Just then, there was a horse neigh, catching the attention of everyone in the area. Charging into the area were Montague's henchmen on horseback.
"Oh no, they found us!" worried Bobasa.
"Those guys are the ones who killed my master…" said Mana, narrowing her eyes, "They are Montague's henchmen!" She then looked to the group from the future, "Are you guys really the prince's friends?"
"We are!" promised Emily.
"Then you're 'my' friends, too!" declared Mana.
The ghoulish-looking horsemen continued to charge, but Mana, looking unafraid, stood in front of the group with her wand in-hand. With a cry, the brown-haired Egyptian girl waved the wand about and caused a large wave to come from the river, slamming into the henchmen and sweeping them into the river, washing them down stream.
"Amazing!" admired James.
"Now, let's go look for prince while we have the chance!" suggested Mana.
"Right!" agreed Emily, before she and Mana took off.
Bobasa and everybody else was not far behind.
(elsewhere…)
In the upper section of the river, Karim and many Egyptian soldiers were riding boats while searching for Atem.
"Pharaoh!" called Karim, "Where are you?!"
There was no answer.
(elsewhere…)
Somewhere on the cliffs with the river below, more cries of "Pharaoh!" were coming from several Egyptian soldiers riding horses plus Shada. Soon, one soldier rode up with a message for Shada…
"Lord Shada," The soldier began, "we searched all over the surrounding area, but we haven't found the Pharaoh anywhere."
"I see…" whispered Shada, before looking off the cliff's edge, "Regardless, no one is to give up until the Pharaoh is found," He then had a question of his own to ask… "Has the search team for Montague reported yet?!"
Before an answer was given…
"Lord Shada!" A second soldier rode up, "We've found Montague's footsteps!
"What?!" gasped Shada, before noticing 'Spiria' flying through the sky, "That is…'Spiria'! Isis… You must find the Pharaoh."
'Spiria', meanwhile, flew down the river, searching for any sign of Atem. Speaking of Atem, let's go and see how he and Anzu both are doing…
(elsewhere…)
Over in another part of the river, Atem, still fully nude, was currently splashing some water onto himself to try and clean both the dirt and sweat off. Anzu, meanwhile, was so tired out from the combination of getting no sleep, being hungry, the desert sun constantly beating over her while she searched for Atem, plus having sex with her husband that she fell fast asleep once the lovemaking was finally over.
"Anzu's been through so much to try and find me," Atem said to himself, splashing some water in his face, "She deserves as much rest as she desires."
But just so Anzu didn't wake up all smelly while he was as fresh as a daisy, Atem had carried her out of the cave towards the river's edge to be cleaned as well. Once he was finished with cleaning himself up, he started splashing some of the water across several parts of Anzu's naked body while carefully scrubbing them, knowing she wouldn't mind having her body being touched and cleaned by him and only him.
(inside…)
Later inside the cave, Atem, now dressed again (minus cape since it was lost in the fall), had finished dressing Anzu while she slept like a baby at peace. As Anzu continued to sleep, Atem sat near the exit of the cave whilst doing some thinking about how he lost the Millennium Puzzle and what Montague told him and the priests during the night of his first attack…
"The Millennium Puzzle…" thought Atem, "It was stolen by Montague…"
The flashback commenced.
FLASHBACK
During the attack of the palace…
"Cut out that nonsense!" interrupted Flashback Montague angrily, "'Sacred Pharaoh', my foot! Aknamkanon…is the last person I would call that!" He then picked up the mummified corpse and held it out again, "Didn't he create the Millennium Items you're all wearing to gain the power of darkness?! It's true that the holders of the Millennium Items gain great powers, but those items also respond to the darkness in the holders' hearts…and drags them into the world of darkness known as the Shadow Realm! Quite the problem-makers they can be!"
(new scene…)
It also flashed to when the palace was attacked a second time…
"But you know, Mr. King…" giggled Flashback Montague, "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…?" Flashback Atem asked himself.
"If you obtain all seven Millennium Items you can rule this world…" continued Flashback Montague, "I can hear the thieves' grudge from the depths of Hell within the Millennium Items,"
END FLASHBACK
The flashback ended.
"Father, why did you create the Millennium Items?" Atem mentally asked himself, closing his eyes as images of the Millennium Items floated all around him, "Didn't you know these items would bring nothing but pain and misfortune to the world? Is there no way you can answer me now?"
It was then he let sleep take over…
DREAM SEQUENCE
Many years ago, Baby Atem had just been born.
"We will name him Atem," The wife of Aknamkanon proclaimed, holding the newborn baby in her arms.
"That we will," agreed Flashback Aknamkanon.
"The prince is so healthy!" cried Flashback Shimon, walking over while carrying Baby Mia in his arms, "Your heir as Pharaoh has finally been born!"
"And we have an heir for the role of Queen as well," reminded Flashback Aknamkanon.
"Oh yes, yes!"
(elsewhere…)
From there, the Pharaoh and his wife both walked onto the balcony to introduce the kingdom to both Baby Atem and Baby Mia (who was only a year old).
"My people!" began Flashback Aknamkanon, holding Baby Atem up, "May I present to you the heir as Pharaoh!"
The citizens below all cheered at the sight of Baby Atem as a ray of sunlight shined upon the newborn child.
(new scene…)
Two years later, Young Atem, officially 2-years old, was shown learning to walk in the palace garden.
"Come on, my son, you can do it," called Flashback Aknamkanon.
Young Atem carefully walked towards his Father, but halfway over he fell onto his face. Looking up, Young Atem looked ready to cry, but managed to dry his eyes and get back up and continue walking towards Flashback Aknamkanon.
"Yes, Atem, that's the way," encouraged Flashback Aknamkanon.
Despite successfully making it to his Father, Young Atem started to cry as he embraced him.
"It's alright, my son," comforted Flashback Aknamkanon, "Everyone falls once in a while. But that's what makes us stronger."
(new scene…)
At the age of nine, Young Atem was accompanying Flashback Aknamkanon into a cavern filled with skeletons of fallen soldiers. The atmosphere frightened Young Atem to tears.
"Must I go with you, Father?" asked Young Atem, sounding scared, "I do not like this place. Why are we even here?"
"This is something you 'must' witness, my son," explained Flashback Aknamkanon, managing to sound brave but was likewise scared, too, for a different reason, "As the heir to the throne, you must not say something like this!"
"Yes… Father…!"
And so, both Flashback Aknamkanon and Young Atem both continued down the dark tunnel. They soon arrived in an underground shrine of some sort.
"Father…! I can't do this!" groaned Young Atem.
"You 'have' to," said Flashback Aknamkanon sharply, before moving forward, "Now, let's go!"
"Wait, Father!" called Young Atem, following his Father once again.
As the pair crossed the stone bridge, Young Atem stepped on a broken section of bridge and nearly fell off, holding onto the edge for dear life.
"Father…!" he cried out.
"You can make it," insisted Flashback Aknamkanon.
Young Atem stared at his Father carefully, and then managed to climb back onto the bridge and safety. Flashback Aknamkanon and his son then continued on their way. As they entered another tunnel, they found Egyptian sculptures painted on the walls.
"Who are they?" asked Young Atem, referring to the Sculptures.
"Pharaohs who came before," explained Flashback Aknamkanon, before he stopped near some stone steps, "Souls of our great ancestors… I have committed an unforgivable sin…! This thousand year sin… No! Please put the blame of the creation of the seven Millennium Items on me! By bringing the Millennium Items into this world, I have destroyed and taken the lives of thousands of innocence. I will bear full responsibility for these actions," He fell to his hands and knees as tears began to stream down his cheeks, "But please… spare my son. Do not punish him for my misdeed. Please let me take all the suffering!"
"Father…? Are you crying?" asked Young Atem naively, before he started to shed tears, too.
Just then, lightning began to strike all around the shrine, causing Young Atem to yelp and take a step back out of reflex.
"Do not be afraid, my son," said Flashback Aknamkanon, "You are safe now," He then resumed his pleading, "I will take all of the consequences on my shoulders!"
"Father…" whispered Young Atem. In his thoughts… "I can't lose you or Mia either, not after our Mother died."
END DREAM SEQUENCE
The dream ended, as Atem woke up from his little nap.
"My Father…" The blue-haired Egyptian boy remembered, "He surrendered his own safety to ensure mine," He then remembered something else, "That man, Hasan, said that Father is watching over me… But how? Father passed away the year before I succeeded him as Pharaoh."
From there, Atem, noticing that Anzu was still sleeping soundly, decided to go outside for a moment.
(outside…)
Outside the cave, Atem walked up to the river, where he saw a Father and son catching fish together in a net.
"Father," thought Atem, "I will try my hardest to protect that which you struggled to build."
It was then Thomas started commenting about Hasan speaking about Zorc.
"As I recall, Hasan also mentioned this 'Zorc Necrophades'," he commented, "Was this the great evil Atem defeated 3000 years ago? If so, how did he do it, and how dangerous was it? Perhaps this is what my role in the Ultimate Shadow Game is, to defeat this entity and save the world…"
At this point, who knows?
(elsewhere…)
Farther down the river, Emily's group was still on the search for their friend.
"Okay, so let me see if what you're saying makes sense," said Mana, looking mainly towards Percy, James, Mavis, Edward, and Emily, "While you five look like friends of mine, you're actually from someplace called the future?"
"Pretty much so," confirmed Percy, "That would make us their 'descendants'. And our friend Thomas happens to be a descendant of your friend, the prince—err, the Pharaoh."
"Hey, what we saw you do against those creeps…" cut in Toby, sounding interested, "Are you studying magic by any chance?"
"Yeah, but I'm not good enough," sighed Mana, looking glum, "I had hoped that by training well under Master Mahad, I could become a great sorceress and always be there for the prince. But after my master died, my studies have gotten worse."
"Ooh, that's too bad," sympathized Henry.
"You know," interrupted Emily, "Back in our world, there's this thing called a card game. There's this card character girl who looks just like you!"
"Really?" asked Mana, "I never thought there would be a moment where I would get that kind of recognition."
"You should be lucky about that!" grinned James, while running off his mouth once again, "This girl who looks like you is really, really sexy in appearance! In fact, she has big-"
*SMACK!*
As expected, James, before he could ramble on, found himself getting whacked in the back of the head by a paper fan, compliments of Mavis.
"Don't you ever keep your mouth shut?" she asked in annoyance, "And besides, what would Molly think?"
"Force of habit," remarked James sheepishly.
Mana merely blinked, not daring to ask what was up. Either way, Emily kindly decided to explain a few things…
"The card in-question is called 'Dark Magician Girl'," The dark green-haired girl pointed out, "She is a very powerful girl Spellcaster. If you work hard, you can be just as strong as her."
"For starters," suggested Gordon, "think you could magic up a sandwich or two? I'm starved!"
"S-Sorry… I can't do anything like that," apologized Mana, rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment, "Mainly because I haven't gotten to such a level yet."
"Oh, pooh!" Gordon pouted, clearly disappointed.
"By the way, we didn't get your name," said Edward.
"It's Mana," answered Mana.
"Then you're the same Mana we saw in that vision," realized Emily, having a mental flashback to when she and her friends were given a tour of the past by Ishizu, "I remember it!"
"Same here," added Percy.
Mana didn't pay attention, "'Dark Magician Girl', eh?" she mused, thinking about the name of the Duel Spirit before smiling brightly, "That has a cool ring to it! In which case, I'll work extra hard to become as strong as she is!"
"That's the spirit!" praised Mavis, "A little girl power all the way!"
Soon Bobasa, who was leading the pack, stopped suddenly walking, causing James to bump into the tubby Egyptian man's backside by accident.
"Hey, Bobasa, don't just stop!" whined James, holding onto Atem's cape, "We're trying to find Thomas, aren't we?"
"I think we 'have' found him," declared Bobasa, pointing in a direction, "Look down there!"
Down a hill, the group could see Atem standing by the river's edge as if he was doing some thinking.
"The prince!" cried Mana, "He's okay!"
"Heeeey!" called Percy.
Over near the river, Atem continued to look out into the water when he heard familiar voices calling out to him…
"Thomas!" The voice of James hollered.
"Prince!" The voice of Mana put in.
Atem, with Thomas taking over, looked in the direction of the voices and smiled big when he saw his friends standing atop a large hill.
"Emily! Mana! Bobasa! Everyone!" exclaimed Thomas, clearly overjoyed to see everybody again.
On the hill…
"You're still alive after all!" cheered Percy.
"Oh, Tommy… Thank God you're safe and sound!" finished Emily, nearly in tears after seeing her boyfriend once again.
It was then Percy, Bobasa, and the likes all started sliding down the hill for a reunion with Atem/Thomas. However, they shouldn't get too comfortable, since Montague was still out there, hunting Atem/Thomas down. For now, our heroes could enjoy reuniting with their friend after almost losing him the night before.
Here we are, the first major chapter of 2021! Now, I wish to respond to a review one of my stories ("Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sodor Chronicles (Extended)") received recently: Yes, John Wilkins, we are still in Season 6. However, that deleted scene you read was not based on "Dark Side of Dimensions", it was actually based off of a Japanese scripted duel featuring the voice actors of Yugi (Shunsuke Kazama) and Kaiba (Kenjiro Tsuda). Not only that, LP at this point is still at 4000 by default, and they won't become 8000 until we actually get to the film adaptation. And regarding "Dark Magician's" redesigned appearance, I'm sorry to say this but it won't appear in this series.