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 skies of modern day-Egypt, the Blue-Eyes jet was still on its way somewhere.
(inside…)
In the jet's cockpit, Spencer took a quick look at the sandy grounds below.
"Egypt…" he thought to himself, "Now that I'm here, I have only a trio of people to go and see."
(elsewhere…)
Soon, the jet made a landing outside the new mansion home of the Ishtar siblings, Marik, Ishizu, and Odion. The cockpit hatch opened, and Spencer jumped out. Marik, Ishizu, and Odion each said nothing as they watched the arrival walk over.
"Looks as though all of you knew I was coming," said Spencer casually, "However, I didn't come to look for either of you three. I've come for the thing inside."
"I apologize, but what you're looking for is not inside," apologized Ishizu, "The stone palette that is displayed here is a mere replica."
"Then where will I find the real thing?"
"The real tablet has been returned to its proper place," The Egyptian young woman answered, "What are you planning to do after hearing it?"
Spencer responded by taking the Millennium Eye out of his coat pocket and showing it to the Ishtar siblings.
"That's…!" gasped Ishizu.
"The Millennium Eye!" added Marik.
"Montague handed this to me and gave me some ridiculous challenge," explained Spencer, "Moreover, he also told me that I have a special connection with 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon'. So, naturally, I accepted his challenge."
"Montague?" quizzed Marik, "Apart from us, he's the only one who knows the secrets of the Millennium Items," He then realized something, "I see! Maybe he's also… Sister!"
Ishizu nodded, "Go to where the stone tablet is, Spencer!" she requested, "You will know the truth when you are there!"
Spencer frowned slightly, but complied.
(elsewhere…)
Back in the Memory World version of Egypt… All was as quiet around the city as ever. Standing on the balcony of the palace was Isis, and she, with her eyes closed, was using her Millennium Necklace to sense the future—or using her power to search the canyon area beside the Nile river.
Title: Ghosts of Kul Elna
In another part of the Nile river, Mana could be heard laughing excitedly. As it turned out, she was bouncing up and down on Bobasa's large stomach like a trampoline. The best part? Bobasa not only didn't seem to mind, he was smiling and laughing just as much.
"Amazing!" cried Mana, "Bobasa is amazing!"
Over with the party…
"Wow, Mana sure is too relaxed for such a critical time," commented Gordon.
Mana and Bobasa both then started to play tag, with Bobasa running playfully from Mana.
"Tommy…" said Emily, "Was your Millennium Puzzle taken by Montague?"
Atem, with Thomas in control, could only sigh unhappily after being reminded of how Montague had taken the Millennium Puzzle from him last night.
"Yeah," confirmed Thomas, "but I'll make sure I get it back. That's an important thing that Atem's Father left him."
"His Father?" pondered Emily, "What do you know about him?"
Thomas shook his head, "Only a little bit…" he replied, "It may have been just a dream though."
A flashback ensued.
FLASHBACK
Young Atem reached Flashback Aknamkanon and started to cry.
"What I saw," narrated Thomas, "was the warmth as Atem was held by his Father."
END FLASHBACK
The flashback ended.
"His Father left behind the Millennium Items to protect the people of this country," continued Thomas, "He dreamed of a peaceful country."
"Huh?" blinked Henry, "Wasn't the Pharaoh's Father the one who created the Millennium Items?"
"Yeah," Thomas agreed solemnly, before clenching a fist in determination, "That's why I can't let them be used for Montague's ambition."
"Thomas…" whispered Emily.
"Oh, right!" interrupted Percy, "We're here because we're searching for the answer to a riddle."
"Riddle?" quizzed Thomas, looking at his best friend.
"It's something Bobasa told us while we were on our way here," put in Mavis, before going over the riddle, "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?"
"He said it's connected to the Pharaoh," said Toby, "Hey, maybe you know the answer to it?"
Thomas could only shake his head, meaning he had no idea what the answer to the riddle could be.
"Even you don't know, huh?" sighed Edward.
"Say…" interrupted Gordon, "Where did James get off, to?"
It was then everyone else noticed that James had disappeared in a way. Mana and Bobasa both were now swimming in the river, having a great time.
(elsewhere…)
Inside the nearby cavern, Anzu was lying against the rocky walls still asleep, while James was busy admiring how beautiful she was (just like Emily). In fact, the red-haired boy was so busy that he didn't hear footsteps…
*SMACK!*
…and a paper fan smacking him in the back of the head. The paper fan was wielded by Emily, and she looked positively annoyed over James gazing at Anzu for obvious reasons. Standing beside Emily were both Thomas and Percy.
"Hey, James, did you forget a little something?" said Emily sarcastically, "Anzu and I are practically one in the same."
"Hehehe… Sorry, I kinda forgot," chuckled James in embarrassment.
Emily sighed, "Oh, James…" She then turned to Thomas, "Thomas, are Anzu and Atem…really married?"
"Yeah," confirmed Thomas, "Other than my moments encountering Montague, I have been only able to watch through Atem without having any input," He then stopped slightly, "And… err…"
"Thomas?" pondered Emily.
You see, there was one thing Thomas was reluctant to bring up, and it was the fact Atem and Anzu had sex twice already, even though they were only 16-years old. So, to make sure neither Percy nor James could hear, he pulled Emily aside and whispered what he saw into her ear. As expected, Emily blushed with stunned realization.
"I can't believe you had to do something like that!" she exclaimed, trying her hardest to be quiet but failing.
"Look, I had no control or say in any of it, so there was nothing I could do about it," insisted Thomas quietly, "I simply had to endure and think of Anzu as you throughout the lovemaking."
Meanwhile, near the cave entrance, Percy and James both wondered what Thomas and Emily were talking about, but decided that it was none of their business and remained quiet about it.
(elsewhere…)
Back inside the royal palace, Seto was visiting Kisara in her room. Currently, the pale-skinned young woman, with her hair turned back to a bluish white color, was resting in her bed after using the destructive power of her powerful Ka ('Blue-Eyes White Dragon').
"The 'White Dragon' resides in Kisara…" thought Seto.
A flashback ensued.
FLASHBACK
Flashback Kisara's eyes began to glow bright blue as a powerful bust of light surrounded her body. Flashback Aknadin and the soldiers all reacted to what was happening. The blue light soon left Flashback Kisara's body and soared around the chamber until it was near the ceiling. Flashback Seto gazed in admirement, seeing the energy forming into the body of a dragon.
"It is most likely that the 'White Dragon' is a 'Ba'!" said Flashback Aknadin, He then made a dangerous request, "Seto! You must steal that Ka from that woman! Kill that woman and extract the 'White Dragon' from within her! You will wield a 'God'!"
END FLASHBACK
The flashback ended.
"Lord Aknadin always showed mercy, even to the worst sinners…" Seto told himself mentally, "He's the highest of all priests…"
Another flashback ensued.
FLASHBACK
In his room, Flashback Seto was busy reading some books. He then looked up and saw Flashback Aknadin, holding out a hand while smiling. Soon, Flashback Aknadin was kindly helping Flashback Seto with the studying.
"Aren't you the one…who imparted a lot of knowledge to me when I was still a greenhorn?" narrated Seto.
END FLASHBACK
The flashback ended.
"Why would you…say something like that?" Seto asked himself mentally.
Just then…
"Lord Seto!" The voice of a soldier called out. He then ran into the room, "We've managed to locate the Pharaoh and the Queen!"
"What?!" gasped Seto, turning to face the soldier, "The Pharaoh is-!"
"Yes, sir!"
With that said, the Egyptian Spencer took a look at Kisara one last time, before, with a swirl from his cape, leaving the room.
"Very good!" said Seto importantly, before adding a stern… "Now, don't tell anyone of this woman or her location, except for me!"
"Yes, sir!" The soldier obeyed.
In the throne room, Braheem and Shimon both had gathered the soldiers, servants, some of the priests, Ryo, and Mia to give them all the wonderful news…
"Isis's Ka, 'Spiria', has sighted the Pharaoh and the Queen!" announced Shimon.
"The Pharaoh is hurt, but he's alive!" added Braheem.
A chorus of cheers ensued.
"Atem's okay!" said Mia happily.
"He and Anzu both will be home soon!" added Ryo.
"Shada is the closest to his position," Isis pointed out, still using her power, "I've asked him to head where the Pharaoh is."
Shimon agreed, "Finally, we can breathe a sigh of relief," he nodded, "Soon, our rulers will return home, and we can be at peace once again."
Karim smiled. Aknadin, meanwhile, didn't seem pleased that Atem had been located, although he said no word about that. His mind was a different story…
"The Pharaoh…is alive?" thought Aknadin.
Seto silently gazed at his longtime master, wondering if he had a problem with Atem being found. It was then Isis had something more to say…
"But…" As the priestess spoke, she opened her eyes, "…it is possible that Montague has stolen the Pharaoh's Millennium Item."
This left everyone in the throne room worried.
(elsewhere…)
Back near the Nile river, Thomas was busy picking some fruit off the nearby trees.
"Hungry?" joked James, when he saw how much fruit had been gathered in three minutes or so, "There's enough food for all of us."
"This food is for Anzu," corrected Thomas, "She hasn't eaten anything in hours since she searched for me."
With that said, he, with some help from James, Toby, and even Mana, carried the fruit to the cavern where Anzu was still sleeping in.
(inside…)
Inside the cavern, the trio of boys carefully laid the fruit on the ground beside the sleeping Anzu.
"So, what's the game plan?" asked Toby.
"If what you've said about this riddle is true, then you and the others have to find it, while I deal with Montague," said Thomas seriously, "This is a Shadow Game Montague set up, and the Montague in this world is not the Montague we know of; he's a very dangerous man whom we just can't figure out. If the riddle is the only way that I can truly win this fight, then I implore you guys to focus on finding the answer for me."
"No sweat, man," smirked James, looking and sounding confident, "We'll find the riddle's answer, or my name's not Jaden Yuki—which it isn't."
"Umm… Jaden Yuki?" quizzed Mana, looking and sounding confused as heck.
"Err… Nevermind."
It was then everyone heard Anzu started to wake up, and Thomas, now back as Atem, noticed this to great relief.
"Anzu!" he cried, kneeling down, "Wake up; it's the afternoon."
Anzu's eyes flickered open, and when her vision came back she saw both Atem and Mana standing over her.
"Atem…?" groaned Anzu, "Mana? Wh-What are you doing here?"
Obviously, she could not see Toby or James (and everybody else), but could clearly see Mana.
"Well, I was out practicing my magic by the river," explained Mana, while taking care not to bring up Emily and everybody else who helped her find Atem, "As I did that, I found the prince's cape floating along and then I found you two."
Anzu smiled, "Thank you."
"Now, you must be hungry, so I gathered some fruit," said Atem, pointing to the apples, pears, and bananas, "Eat up; you'll need your strength."
Anzu nodded and started to eat while Atem and Mana both joined in, as Toby and James left the cave.
(outside…)
Ten minutes later, as Emily and the others watched, Atem, Mana, and Anzu each emerged from the cave, with the last feeling much better after some needed sleep and a good meal. Flying through the sky, without anybody noticing, was 'Spiria', still making a search for Atem and Anzu. Soon enough…
"PHARAOH!" The voice of Egyptian soldiers echoed, as several cavalry men rode up.
"Huh?" peeped Atem, noticing the arrivals.
"It's Shada!" realized Anzu.
Soon, the soldiers and Shada were standing before the Pharaoh and his Queen whilst kneeling in respect to the two rulers of the kingdom.
"My Pharaoh, my Queen, are you two alright?" asked Shada.
"Yes," replied Atem, "Sorry to have made you all worried."
Suddenly, Percy approached and waved a hand in-front of Shada's face to see if a reaction was made.
"This guy can't see us…" whispered Percy.
"Hey!" Shada suddenly exclaimed, standing up and startling Percy. However, his attention was instead to… "Where are you going, Mana?"
"Eep…" gulped Mana, who was trying to tiptoe out of there, "Well… um…"
"Since you were together with the Pharaoh and the Queen, why didn't you inform us?" scolded Shada.
"I'm very sorry!" apologized Mana.
Shada shook his head, "Pharaoh, we've located Montague's whereabouts," he continued, "Upon tracking down the roof prints, the troops found out that he's heading for the village of Kul Elna."
Atem's eyes widened in surprise.
"Montague is heading for Kul Elna?" asked Anzu, "We must stop him now!"
"Agreed," added Atem, climbing onto the horse that was given to him, "Come on, let's head to the Kul Elna village!"
Before everybody could depart…
"Hey, what about us?" asked Gordon.
"You guys have your own mission," Atem, back as Thomas, reminded, "You have to find the answer to that riddle."
"Good point," said Henry.
"Good luck out there," added Bobasa.
Thomas, back as Atem shortly after, then watched as Anzu climbed onto the horse as well.
"Anzu?" wondered Atem.
"I'm coming with you," replied Anzu, "I know it will be very dangerous, but I have 'Wingweaver' to help me in case I need her."
"You've done enough while looking for me," Atem pointed out, "You need some more rest. I can't afford to risk losing you to that Thief King."
"I'm not afraid of him. More than that, I won't let him destroy our kingdom or hurt the people for his own sick amusement."
The blue-haired Egyptian boy, after thinking it over, finally nodded.
"Alright," he accepted, "But please take care when we do find Montague."
Suddenly, Mana climbed onto Shada's horse (to the surprise of Shada himself), aiming to come alone as well.
"I'm going, too!" insisted Mana, "I will avenge my master!"
Finally, the small army took off into the distance, namely to find the village of Kul Elna.
"There he goes," sighed Toby.
"I hope he stays safe," added Mavis.
"Same here," agreed Emily, "For now, we have a mission to undertake, and it's to find the answer to the riddle."
"But where do we even start looking for it?" groaned James, "Hold the phone… Maybe we can check the palace now? With Thom-err, Atem, gone, we can slip through the walls, right?"
"In that case," declared Percy, "let's head back to the city!"
And that's what everyone did.
(elsewhere…)
Back in the throne room of the palace, Isis was still using the power of her Millennium Necklace, and Shimon had a strong feeling about it.
"So… Montague is in Kul Elna village?" he observed.
"Indeed," nodded Isis, "The Pharaoh, the Queen, and Shada each are already on their way there."
Shimon nodded, while Braheem issued an order to the priests currently in the room…
"Priests, prepare to set off!"
"Right!" obeyed Karim.
The soldiers all raised their spears and howled a battle cry in agreement. Aknadin, however, seemed stunned when he heard the name of the place they were going to be heading to.
"Kul Elna…" The stern-looking priest mumbled.
(elsewhere…)
Back in the desert, Atem and his army were approaching the dead village of Kul Elna.
"Kul Elna, dead ahead!" cried Anzu, pointing ahead.
"Stay alert, everyone!" warned Atem.
The whole village was deserted; no people, the buildings mostly in ruin… It was practically a ghost town. The party wandered cautiously through the area, expecting an ambush at any given moment.
"Ooh, I don't like this!" shivered Mana fearfully, "Something…seems to be here…"
"So this is the village of Kul Elna…" said Shada stoically, "What a sinister aura this place has…"
It should be sinister, considering the dead souls and spirits of the village continued to roam the place. Atem and Anzu both looked around carefully for any sign of Montague, but they couldn't see any sign of him.
"Since I came to this village," thought Atem, "I feel like I can't breathe… Like something's tearing out my heart."
"It's as if this village has a cursed presence to it," thought Anzu, "What happened to this village?"
As the group continued to travel slowly through the ruins of the village, a skeleton hand emerged from the ground beneath one soldier's horse.
"LOOK OUT!" The soldier yelled out, before being thrown from the horse, "Argh!"
More skeletons started emerging from the ground or appearing from destroyed buildings, some with scimitars in-hand.
"Th-They appeared!" wailed Mana.
"What in 'Ra's' name are these things?!" demanded Shada.
Soon, everyone got surrounded by the 'inhabitants' of the ruined village.
(elsewhere…)
In an underground chamber, many ghostly spirits were floating around while Montague sat on the large stone slab which would contain the Millennium Items once the Thief King got his hands on the rest of them. However, the Millennium Ring instead chose that moment to react.
"The Millennium Ring is responding," smirked Montague, "You are indeed alive, Your Highness. Welcome to my birthplace. This is 'my' home field. That means 'I' have the advantage this time."
He let out a sinister chuckle as the spirits continued to fly around the area.
(elsewhere…)
Outside, a battle was brewing; skeleton soldiers were being cut down by the living soldiers, who were in-turn being killed off one-by-one. Only Shada was fighting without getting hurt.
"My Pharaoh! My Queen!" he called.
Meanwhile, Mana was still on Shada's horse, wondering what she should do even though she was terrified.
"The Prince needs my help," Mana thought to herself, "Master…!"
The skeletons soldiers were continuing to be destroyed, but more continued to appear.
"Don't be afraid!" encouraged Shada, speaking to Mana, "Protect the Pharaoh and the Queen!"
"Mana!" added Anzu.
Mana could only tearfully shut her eyes in frozen fear, but then…
"Mana, I entrust the Pharaoh to you," The voice of Mahad echoed.
"Master?" gasped Mana, opening her eyes. After a moment of silence… "Prince, Anzu, please leave this place to me!" She jumped off the horse and took out her wand, swinging it and destroying a skeleton soldier, "I, too, have been training hard! I can fight properly!"
"Right!" agreed Anzu.
"But-!" Atem tried to protest.
"You two go on, quickly!" interrupted Mana, "If my master was around, he would have done the same thing. That's why I'm doing this! Please believe in me, prince!"
"Mana…" whispered Atem, unsure on what to say next.
"I Summon 'Two-Headed Jackal Warrior'!" chanted Shada, activating his Diabiankh
Appearing on the field in a beam of light, was the two-headed jackal in Egyptian armor. Using its axe-like weapon, many more skeleton soldiers were being taken down.
"We will stop these things here," said Shada, "Please go on ahead!"
Atem nodded, "We'll leave this to you, Mana! Shada!"
"Stay safe!" added Anzu.
And so, the Pharaoh and his Queen rode off, leaving Shada and Mana both to face the skeleton soldiers.
(elsewhere…)
Back in the underground tomb, Montague continued to wait patiently for Atem to arrive while the restless spirits continued to float around.
"The spirits are restless…" The Thief King commented in amusement, "Have they sensed the vile Pharaoh is heading this way? Hehehe… Soon, you can exact your revenge!"
(outside…)
Outside the tomb, Atem and Anzu finally arrived at the entrance, and so they climbed off the horse and entered the underground lair of Montague.
(inside…)
Inside, as Atem and Anzu both climbed down the stairs trying to find Montague himself, several of the ghostly spirits floated around the pair.
"Stay back!" demanded Atem, shielding Anzu from the spirits.
Soon, they reached the bottom of the steps. After looking around, Atem and Anzu both heard cackling laughter.
"Come on in, 'Great Pharaoh'!" The voice of Montague offered, who then walked out of the shadows, "The Millennium Puzzle I took from you is right here around my neck!"
Atem and Anzu both stood in defiance.
(elsewhere…)
Back above ground, several skeleton soldiers tried to attack Mana, but she shut her eyes and tried to cast a spell using her wand. The orb glowed pink, causing several magic bubbles to be unleashed, striking the skeletons and reducing them to dust. Opening her eyes, Mana noticed that the skeleton soldiers were gone.
"I…got 'em," she breathed.
"Mana, you…" began Shada, before being caught off-guard by a glow in the air, "What?!"
Mana also looked up. There, she and Shada noticed something floating in the sky, and it looked somewhat like the 'Dark Magician Girl' Emily mentioned earlier on, but much different. While this female Spellcaster shared the same blue and pink outfit, her skin tone was a shadowy purple, her mouth was missing, and her eyes were blank.
"Oh, wow!" gasped Mana, overjoyed.
(elsewhere…)
Back underground…
"Welcome back from the brink of death, Your Highness!" greeted Montague, with his arms spread out in welcome. He then noticed Anzu standing beside Atem, "Oh? And who might that beautiful young lady be?"
Anzu scowled in response.
"Keep Anzu out of this!" warned Atem.
"Hold your horses and look at this thing!" requested Montague, still standing on top of the stone slab.
Atem gasped, "Seven hole shapes like the Millennium Items…!" he remarked, "It's the Stone Tablet of the Underworld!"
"This is the cursed tablet which connects this world to the next…" explained Montague, as several more ghostly spirits began appearing all around him, "Yes! The vengeful spirits of those who were killed still linger in this place. The soldiers used the residents of this village as living sacrifices in order to create the Millennium Items!"
"Did you say…living sacrifices?!" stammered Anzu.
"Is there an echo?" Montague asked mockingly, "Yes, living sacrifices! Living people were slaughtered as though they were mere animals. And it's all because of your Father, Pharaoh! Oh yes… You should be able to see them as well…" He then pointed at Atem, "These vengeful spirits that won't leave until they exact revenge on the royal family!"
"My Father, Aknamkanon, created the Millennium Items in the name of peace…" mumbled Atem, "You can't mean…!"
"A Pharaoh with his Millennium Puzzle stolen doesn't have the power to Summon the 'Gods'!" confirmed Montague, "Dead spirits, go get him!"
The vengeful spirits began to swarm and charge towards Atem and Anzu, intending to exact revenge on their wrongful deaths. Before the two could react, they cried out in pain from being mentally attacked by the ghostly spirits, therefore bringing them to a knee while Montague laughed madly at the sight.
"How's that?" yelled Montague, "Can you hear their vengeful voices?!"
"A-Atem…" spluttered Anzu weakly.
"Tell me, Father…!" thought Atem, "Were the Millennium Items really…?"
"You will pay for your Father's sins with your death!" proclaimed Montague, raising his left hand and making a claw-like gesture with it, "As for your dear wife, I think I'll keep her around as a potential slave until I have no further use for her."
"Then you might as well kill me now!" retorted Anzu, "I'd rather die than be a slave to somebody like you!"
"Very well," With that said, Montague snapped his fingers.
The spirits's mental attack intensified, causing Atem and Anzu both a lot of severe pain. Atem, not wanting Anzu to die, didn't know what to do to try and protect his wife or even himself.
(elsewhere…)
Inside one of the tablet shrines back at the kingdom, the tablet of 'Mahad'/'Illusion Magician' started to glow.
(elsewhere…)
Before it was all over for both Atem and Anzu, the former started to glow.
"What?! What's going on?" exclaimed Montague in surprise.
Suddenly, one of the spaces on Atem's Diabiankh glowed. This caused a shockwave of light to envelope both Atem and Anzu, wiping out the spirits attacking them. When the light faded, a very familiar figure lowered from mid-air, aimed his scepter at Montague, and glared intensely at the enemy.
"Y-You-!" stammered Montague.
The figure wearing the 'Illusion Magician' outfit, still as a Ka, was none other than…Mahad.
"My spirit is always with the Pharaoh!" he announced, making his arrival quite clear.
"Mahad!" Atem and Anzu both cried out in surprise.
Montague was furious, "With the Millennium Puzzle stolen, it's impossible for Mr. King here to Summon the 'Gods'…" The Thief King thought to himself, "But… the Ba of the dead Mahad has become a spirit and is serving as the Pharaoh's protector!"
"Mahad…" stammered Atem, being the first to speak about the priest's return, "I can't believe it… You're… you're…"
Mahad didn't say a word at first; he just turned and looked at the blue-haired Egyptian boy.
"Please stand up, my Pharaoh," requested Mahad.
"Mahad… is that really you?" asked Atem wearily.
"It is. I am here because of your determination… Without your will to fight, I will disappear…"
"My will to fight?" The blue-haired Egyptian boy repeated, "I've always believed that the Millennium Items were created in the name of justice."
"Heh! Justice? Don't make me laugh!" dismissed Montague, "Your Father is a total sinner! I witnessed the whole tragedy…from start to end."
A flashback ensued.
FLASHBACK
Years ago, several Egyptian soldiers were surrounding the villagers of Kul Elna village, and soon the killing spree commenced.
"I say this because I was the only survivor of this village," narrated Montague, "There's no mistake. Everyone was killed in order to create the Millennium Items."
As prisoners were being led down into an underground chamber by some of the soldiers, they were soon thrown one-by-one into a large cauldron full of burning hot molten liquid. Hiding behind a large pillar was Young Montague, watching as his fellow villagers were viciously killed to help supply the molten liquid enough human sacrifices for whatever it was for (creating the Millennium Items).
END FLASHBACK
The flashback ended, and Atem was left in shock over what he heard.
"N-No," he murmured, looking devastated, "My Father…actually did such a terrible thing…"
"Deny it all you want," yelled Montague, "but the truth of the matter is that the tragic death of this village never would have happened if it had not been for your son-of-a-bitch Father!"
"Keep silent, you cur!" demanded Mahad, before looking back at Atem, "Pharaoh, I'm afraid it's true that the Millennium Items were created using the lives of many,"
"You knew it?!" cried Atem.
"I could feel the evil residing in the Millennium Ring," acknowledged Mahad, "Through it, I learned of the origins of the Millennium Items. I already knew of this…atrocity. But the former King didn't know of this truth."
A flashback ensued.
FLASHBACK
In the throne room of the palace, Flashback Mahad was currently speaking to Flashback Aknamkanon.
"One day after I became a priest and contained the evil thoughts of the Millennium Ring," narrated Mahad, "I confronted Aknamkanon."
"Are you speaking the truth…?" asked Flashback Aknamkanon in shock, "To think that such a thing happened… How could it have happened?"
(new scene…)
Eventually, Flashback Aknamkanon fell gravely ill, and Flashback Mahad was currently visiting him.
"I have made a grave mistake…" said Flashback Aknamkanon solemnly, "But I do not want my son to bear my sins. I beg you, Mahad… Please protect my son."
"Yes, my lord," promised Flashback Mahad.
END FLASHBACK
The flashback ended.
"I told him the entire truth!" continued Mahad, "Pharaoh, your father felt the same pain that you feel now… That was the reason he fell ill…and died…" He closed his eyes shamefully, "If I hadn't told him the truth that day, maybe he would…still be alive."
"Father…" whispered Atem.
"Atem…" came from Anzu, who remembered that Atem's Father passed away from illness (an illness of guilt).
"The former King had wanted peace for all," insisted Mahad, "There's no mistake about that. And you have inherited his will as the Pharaoh!"
"I have…?" wondered Atem.
"If the Millennium Items fall into Montague's hands, this country will be plunged into shadows! Pharaoh, if you don't stand up to him…"
"Stop all that talking!" hissed Montague, "I'll kill you as many times it takes!" He then gave a command to the restless spirits, "Go on, dead souls! Tear the Pharaoh, his Queen, and that magician to shreds!"
The dead souls obeyed the command, charging again at Atem's group. Atem, meanwhile, could only look up as he had a flashback to when his Father took him to that shrine…
FLASHBACK
Young Atem stood as he watched Flashback Aknamkanon make a prayer.
"I have committed an unforgivable sin…!" pleaded Flashback Aknamkanon, "This thousand year sin… No! Please put the blame of the creation of the seven Millennium Items on me!"
END FLASHBACK
The short flashback ended
"My Father has always been in pain and suffered over this," said Atem, now realizing the full truth. He then stood up, "But he still taught me… To think for the country, and to protect this country!"
Mahad held his right hand out, causing the spirits to be stopped from attacking Atem and Anzu.
"I believe in my Father!" boomed Atem, "And I will inherit his determination and continue to fight as the Pharaoh!"
"Tch!" scowled Montague, before smiling smugly, "Well, it doesn't matter all that much to me… I don't give a damn about exacting revenge for these dead souls," He then started to activate his Diabiankh, "I'll show you both my Ka!"
From there, a symbol glowed on the Diabiankh.
"It's coming!" cried Anzu.
"Arise - 'Diabound'!" commanded Montague.
And so, appearing on the field was 'Diabound', but having further evolved since it last fought.
"It's evolved even further since it fought the 'Gods'!" remarked Thomas.
"I've used the resentment and vengeance in the Millennium Items to make 'Diabound' evolve!" explained Montague, "I have the Millennium Ring and Millennium Puzzle in my hands now!"
'Diabound' let loose a demonic roar in total agreement.
"Well, let's see it take this on!" interjected Anzu, who activated her own Diabiankh, "Appear - 'Wingweaver'!"
Appearing on the field from a beam of pure light, was the humanoid, six-winged fairy. Unlike last time where he was shocked, almost horrified, to witness this Ka, this time around Montague was excited to see 'Wingweaver' appear.
"So, she shows up…" he commented, "This actually should be fun!"
"Be careful, Mahad!" warned Atem, as Mahad went into battle, "'Diabound' can copy the abilities of those it fights!"
"My technique…" thought Mahad.
"That's right!" confirmed Montague wickedly, "Not to mention the power of the 'Gods'…" He then spoke out loud, "Let's go!"
And so, the big fight finally commenced…
"Take this!" cried Montague, "THUNDER FORCE!"
'Diabound' obeyed, charging a powerful blast of thunder and thrusting it towards the two Ka's. Mahad, however, raised his scepter at the incoming attack.
"AFTERWORLD WARP!" he announced.
Suddenly, a wormhole appeared in front of him and 'Wingweaver' as the Thunder Force attack entered through it instead.
"What?!" recoiled Montague.
"I should have warned you, Montague," taunted Mahad, "I have trained in the afterworld and increased my heka… My skills in the art of magic have grown greater! For instance, the energy sent into the Afterworld Warp is ejected from another point in space…"
Montague cringed, knowing that it means he could be attacked from anywhere.
"Careful, Mahad!" requested Atem, "'Diabound' can walk through walls to dodge a direct attack!"
"In that case…" mused Mahad.
Before Montague knew what was happening, another wormhole started to appear above him. When finally instincts kicked in, Montague turned and saw the Thunder Force attack starting to come out. However, it ended up missing and striking the nearby pillar instead.
"Heh! Too bad. You missed…" laughed Montague.
"Are you sure about that?" grinned Atem.
Montague's smug look became one of pure horror as he saw the pillar crumble and begin to fall towards the stone slab.
"$*#%! The pillar's going to fall on the stone tablet!" panicked Montague, "'Diabound', protect the stone tablet!"
'Diabound' obeyed, wrapping its lower body around the pillar and preventing it from falling and crushing the stone tablet.
"That sure was a close one," sighed Montague, relieved. But then his eyes widened at something he thought of, "W-Wait a moment-!"
Mahad flew up near 'Diabound', who was defenseless while carrying the stone pillar.
"As long as it's holding the pillar," Atem pointed out, "'Diabound' can't hide within the walls! It's defenseless!"
Mahad smirked at 'Diabound' and wagged the right finger of his right hand teasingly, knowing that 'Diabound' couldn't fight back at the moment. Finally, he raised his scepter at the enemy Ka…
"MAGIC BLAST!" cried Mahad, firing off a number of magical blasts from his weapon.
'Diabound' was hit, causing it to roar in pain while also causing Montague to clutch his eye and scream.
"My turn!" announced Anzu, "Attack 'Diabound', 'Wingweaver'! LUMINOUS SPARK RAIN!"
'Wingweaver' obeyed, creating a showering rain of light towards 'Diabound', who was still holding onto the pillar and being unable to evade or fight back.
"Montague!" called Anzu fiercely, "The stone tablet is your tombstone!"
"'Diabound' will have no choice but to drop the pillar and dodge, or take the hit and risk both you and it dying together!" added Atem, "This battle is just about done!"
Montague growled, "Damn… I took that one straight to face, but…" While speaking, he removed his hand from his face, revealing it was bleeding a little bit, "…that didn't even hurt me in the slightest! And besides, you won't get me twice! 'Diabound', defend yourself with the pillar you're holding!"
'Diabound' obeyed, crushing and shattering the pillar before using the debris as a shield to protect itself from the attack.
"He shattered the pillar to use the fragments of stone as a shield!" frowned Anzu.
"Ha! For all the heka you've used up…" taunted Montague, "…all you've done is make 'Diabound' mad!" He then eased up a bit, "Still, that was a smart idea… I didn't expect you to attack the stone slab… After all, I need this to make my contact with Zorc Necrophades…"
"Zorc Necrophades?" repeated Atem.
The spiritual version of Thomas, meanwhile, remembered hearing of Zorc while within Atem when he (Atem) was briefly visited by Hasan.
"It's what that man said…" he thought to himself, "Montague is trying to bring this Zorc being out."
"That's right…" slurred Montague, "My true powers are sleeping behind this door," he then activated his Diabiankh once more, "I Summon a new Ka to protect the stone tablet - 'Bone Snapper'!"
Appearing out of a beam of light and in the place of the stone tablet, was a huge, fiendish turtle with its shell made entirely from bones.
"A second Ka?!" cried Atem.
"Now I can concentrate on defeating the three of you," said Montague, "I activate 'Diabound's' special ability! DARK CAMOUFLAGE!"
'Diabound' roared as it started to turn invisible.
"It disappeared…!" worried Anzu.
"Mahad, don't let it get away!" ordered Atem.
Mahad nodded, "THOUSAND MAGIC BLASTS!"
With that announced, he started firing off magic blasts at the walls and ceiling of the underground chamber, causing Montague to cackle as beams of light shined through the holes in the ceiling.
"There's no point in randomly lashing out at the darkness!" he pointed out, "You're dead with this strike!"
The roar from 'Diabound' could be heard coming from behind Atem, but he merely smiled in response to it.
"I beg to differ," The blue-haired Egyptian boy remarked coolly.
The beams of light could partially reveal the invisible 'Diabound'.
"Gah! You missed it on purpose?!" cried Montague.
And so, Atem went on the offensive…
"Your 'Diabound' has nowhere to hide now!" shouted Atem, "Now, Mahad!"
Mahad obeyed, firing another series of blasts (Thousand Magic Blasts) towards 'Diabound', striking the enemy Ka repeatedly as Montague, with his body smoking from the loss of Ba, cried out as he stumbled back a little bit before falling onto his rear end.
"Did we get him?" asked Anzu.
Montague, injured, started bleeding from his mouth and face as he tried getting back up.
"I see…" The Thief King mumbled, not about to admit defeat against the Pharaoh and his Queen, "Your level has gone up quite a bit… Your sorcerer's blasts also pack more of a sting… But that is not enough to defeat me!"
"What?!" exclaimed Anzu.
"Oh yes, I'm completely invincible!" bragged Montague, "Like so…" He gave a command to not his Ka, but the spirits all around the area, "Dead spirits, come into me and grant me your powers!"
A flood of dead spirits erupted and began to absorb into Montague.
"All the evil vengeful thoughts that are residing in my body…will increase 'Diabound's' powers!"
From there, 'Diabound' began to glow in a dark aura as it grew even stronger. Mahad, not to be outdone, aimed his scepter at the monstrous-looking Ka.
"THOUSAND MAGIC BLASTS!" he commanded, firing more magical blasts at 'Diabound'.
Before the blasts could hit 'Diabound', it summoned a shield of sorts (consisting of the dead spirits) and absorbed the attack instead.
"What?!" cried Atem.
"Hurry, 'Wingweaver'!" commanded Anzu, watching as 'Wingweaver' summoned Cestus of Dagla, "Attack while 'Diabound' is distracted!"
'Wingweaver' flew towards 'Diabound', readying to attack with both her weapons. However, 'Diabound' was faster on the draw and swatted 'Wingweaver' away with its left hand, smacking her into the nearby walls and injuring both her and Anzu.
"Anzu!" worried Atem, "'Diabound' is so much faster than ever before!"
Mahad tried attacking 'Diabound' again, but Montague decided that playtime was all over with.
"HELICAL SHOCKWAVE!" yelled Montague.
'Diabound' obeyed, charging and firing a powerful shockwave. Mahad shouted in pain as he smashed through three pillars before falling onto the floor. Atem also got injured himself over his Ka taking significant damage, but he was more worried about Mahad being hurt rather than himself.
"Mahad!" The blue-haired Egyptian boy called, "Are you okay?!"
"I…can't move!" groaned Mahad, being unable to get up.
"I'll crush you into pieces so small, you'll never be able to enter this world again!" thundered Montague, readying to finish Mahad off for good, "SUMMON THUNDER BULLET!"
'Diabound' fired several blasts of thunder towards Mahad. With no strength left to move, this looked to be the end of Mahad.
*BOOM!*
An explosion rocked the area. When the smoke cleared, the spot where Mahad was laying was reduced to rubble with a small crater left behind, and Mahad himself was nowhere to be seen.
"Mahad!" cried Atem.
"No!" added Anzu, thinking Mahad had been killed (again).
Montague cackled in triumph, "So much for that lousy sorcerer!" he boasted, "Now, to finally get rid of-"
"I'm not gone, Montague," The voice of Mahad echoed in response.
"What?!" exclaimed Montague, wondering where Mahad was.
It was then both Atem and Anzu looked up towards the ceiling when they heard the voice. There, they saw Mahad being carried upward by a brand new female Ka.
"Who is that?" wondered Anzu, trying to get back up.
"I thought you guys could use a hand," came a familiar (female) voice.
Curious over who it could be, Atem and Anzu both looked further up at the hole on the ceiling, and they saw, standing outside with her eyes closed, wand in hand, and currently focusing, that it was none other than…
"MANA?!"
The new female Ka, named 'Dark Magician Girl', meanwhile, continued to help lift Mahad out of the area, while Mahad himself smiled over who it was that rescued him.
"Well done, Mana" he praised.
Mana, from that point, opened her eyes and smiled at 'Dark Magician Girl', who smiled right back at how she and her container both managed to save their teacher from certain doom.
"I got here on time!" proclaimed Mana, giggling playfully.
I think the tide of battle has turned, don't you think? Will the arrival of Mana and her new Ka, 'Dark Magician Girl', be enough to finally defeat Montague and 'Diabound', or will the strength of the remaining priests be needed to stop them for good? Stay tuned to find out!