Hello, everyone. How are you? I hope you are safe and well. I'm here with Chapter 14. I've been more active with my writing lately. So, hopefully, chapters will come easier. I've actually decided to join Nanowrimo once again this year with this story. Last year, the result was about 7 chapters. Let's hope this year will be the same!

As always, I want to thank everyone who took time to read this story. I especially want to thank my Bakura and Julia for their lovely comments, and I want to tell Kathy that I miss her so much. I feel that this story is for you, my dear friends.

Enjoy!

Chapter 14

White noise seemed to fill Yuugi's mind as he tried to process what Marik had just told him. Magic. Was magic the answer to all the questions? Did Marik really believe what he had said? Did his grandfather believe it, too? The old man had always been a lover of myths and the supernatural, a love he shared with his grandson, but to believe a spell was casted on all information concerning Atemu's reign was a bit too much. Or was it?

Yuugi turned his eyes towards the one person who would never believe such things if he hadn't experienced it himself; Seto Kaiba. Their eyes met, and Yuugi's world was destroyed and rebuilt in mere seconds. The brunette slightly nodded his head, returning Yuugi's gaze with great intensity. Kaiba believed it, too. Therefore, Yuugi had to either believe everyone in that room was insane or that magic existed. Trying to regain control of himself, he took a deep breath through his nose and exhaled.

"Alright. Let's say some kind of spell was cast allowing someone to hide what happened to Atemu." The thought was crazy and yet speaking the words made it more real. "My grandfather and I are an exception to the rule for some reason and that allowed grandpa to find information about a pendant that was passed from Pharaoh Aknamkanon to his son before his death. Since Joey is here and part of this situation, he probably can retain this information, too. So, the real question is how did you find out about this magic spell?" He directed the question to his grandfather.

A wide smile was shaped on Solomon lips seeing how composed his grandson was. The old man had tried hard to keep Yuugi away from all these, and he would still try to ensure his boy wouldn't be in danger, but he was so proud of him for taking everything in a stride. However, this made things even harder for him. Solomon would explain things to his grandson since he had been entangled in this story but he hoped Yuugi wouldn't fight him when he would ask him to be only a keeper of the secret instead of a participant. Solomon hadn't missed the fact Yuugi seemed to have already created a connection with all three magic wielders, and if Joey's assessment was correct, his boy was probably developing feelings for Atem.

"These pages are part of one of my postgraduate papers." He answered his grandson's question, retrieving the paper. "My professor was quite meticulous. While reviewing it, he wrote notes about every part of it but those referring to the scholar's account and the pendant. While discussing the paper, he kept ignoring any reference I made to those two things." Back then, he had thought his professor didn't think the source was reliable or the incident important. It was only when he tried to discuss the matter with a couple of friends and professors receiving the same reaction that he started wondering if something was wrong. "My paper eventually reached some people that were quite interested in my discovery. Initially, they didn't approach me but someone made sure I'd be included in a two months trip the university took to Egypt. There, I spent my time meeting the right people and visiting an archaeological dig."

Solomon proceeded telling them how during the dig one of the archaeologists let him see the tablet they had found. The tablet was about some monster-like creatures; an elfish man holding a sword and a dragon. The tablet was damaged so probably there were more depictions there that were forever lost, but what caught Solomon's eye was the Eye of Horus. There was one by the dragon. When he asked the archaeologist what he thought about the Eye being there, he gave Solomon the oddest of looks and didn't answer his question. The next day, he was asked to accompany him as he examined the desert ruins site that they had discovered. There were hieroglyphics on some of the walls.

"Apparently, he could sense their presence there but he couldn't see or read them. Later on, I found out he was there to test me. But based on those hieroglyphics and a generous funding that helped my research, three years later, I found the tomb that skyrocketed my career. It is a well-known fact. And then I took a break. Since I was newly webbed, I told everyone that I would take my wife for our postponed honeymoon to France. Your grandma and I actually stayed in France for some months but eventually we travelled to other countries, too."

Here Solomon paused for a moment. His eyes took in the tricolor haired boy called Atem. Joey had told him everything about Atem's visit at their house and how casually Atem had mentioned that Prince Atemu was visited by both princesses and princes of other kingdoms. How could he know that? Maybe it was just part of the tale that had reached the boy so Solomon decided to be elusive.

"Even though I was travelling with my beloved wife, I often troubled myself with the mystery of the empty tomb. When we returned to Japan because your grandma was pregnant to your father, I accepted a position as a professor in the university of Domino City. It provided me with a steady income, the comfort of being close to my wife and access to all the information I needed to continue pursuing the truth. As Haru was growing older, I started joining different excavations in Egypt. It was during one of those that Arthur, Professor Hopkins for you," both Yuugi and Atem were surprised hearing their professor's name being mentioned, "and I were trapped in a tomb. We had activated a trap and found ourselves being thrown in a hole. There was no escape. The entrance was sealed. Our only hope was for our team to find us. All we had to do was wait."

No, they had done more than waiting. After checking themselves for injuries and finding a way to light a torch they found, they had explored the chamber they found themselves in. It wasn't a big one but its secret was. The light of the torch showed that every wall was decorated; decorated with scenes of monsters similar to those found on the tablet. Solomon had softly run his hand over them, trying to understand their meaning. He quickly turned to ask his friend and fellow archaeologist what he made of them but he was rewarded with a blank look. The other man couldn't see them. For him, the walls were bare.

"Dear Arthur thought I had hit my head during the fall." Solomon chuckled at the memory. After being rescued, he had tried to show the pictures to their team. No one could see them. "I thought I was going crazy. The doctor said I could have a concussion and asked me to stay in my room and rest for some days."

It was then that he was visited by a young Egyptian who kept looking around as if every shadow could jump him. The man had approached him while he was taking breakfast and requested they talk somewhere private. He spoke in Japanese; something that really surprised the older man. Solomon was always a kind man but he was also cautious so he didn't want to bring a stranger to his room. It was then that the man told him he knew about the pictures on the walls. That made Solomon curious enough to risk it. The man seemed harmless, a young boy no older than twenty. Arranging with the reception to have two cups of coffee sent to his room, Solomon had the young man follow him to his room.

"My name is Amon Adio." The man had introduced himself, taking a seat on a small chair Solomon had shown him. His accent was strong but he spoke in a soft calm voice, careful of the words he used so it was easy for the older man to understand him. "I understand my visit must be a surprise but I had to see you." He seemed to struggle to find the right words and it had nothing to do with using a foreign language. "I know you've discovered a chamber filled with pictures no one else can see."

"I'm not sure how you could know that." Solomon calmly said, but he wasn't surprised. There was always the chance someone in his team discussed the older man's strange behavior. "Or how that concerns you." His voice remained calm, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Amon seemed to hesitate. It was a great risk coming there but his dreams had led him to the Japanese archaeologist. He had to trust them. "I had a dream last night revealing to me your discovery and how people reacted to it." Seeing the other man's raised eyebrow, he felt his stomach dropping. "I know it sounds crazy, but for the last four years I have been having dreams that show me things I shouldn't know." His eyes pleaded for him to understand, to believe. "I'm risking a lot coming here to talk to you. My clan…won't take it lightly if they find out I came to talk to a foreigner about our secrets. But that dream told me you could be trusted. It was revealed to me that I had to talk to you about things that later on may be vital to you or someone else."

The anxiousness Amon felt was palpable. It was easy to understand the man believed what he said. Solomon took some time thinking if he should keep listening or send the man away. When the coffee he had asked for was delivered, Solomon had made his decision. Serving them both a cup, he motioned for the man to continue talking.

"He had introduced himself to me as Amon Adio but later on he had to change his last name, to hide from his people; to protect his family. Your father was a really nice man." Solomon told Marik, his kind eyes taking in the way Marik refused to look at him. When Solomon mentioned his father, Marik had considerably tensed. "Both he and Lapis were kind and smart people who were caught in something they didn't understand."

"My parents never mentioned this visit you are talking about." Marik's voice was strong, but it was obvious the boy was trembling. "How do I know you are telling us the truth?" How could he know his father's real last name? Or that he had those dreams?

"Grandpa isn't a liar." Joey hissed, his hands forming fists. "You should be thankful, prick. He was the one who helped your parents come here."

That threw Marik off. Yuugi pinched Joey's shoulder, hard. How could Joey be so insensitive? He should have a talk with his brother as soon as that discussion was over. No matter what had happened in the past, and it seemed a great deal of things had happened, Joey should have seen that Marik was shaken by the revelation his grandpa knew his parents.

"My mother often spoke of a Japanese professor who helped them when they first moved here." Marik reluctantly admitted. It was true. Lapis would talk about the kind professor who had helped her husband find a good job and a nice house. But she had never told them that he had helped them move to Japan or anything else, and she had never mentioned his name.

"It was agreed that we would keep each other's secret and stay away from each other so no connection could be made between us." Solomon's calm reply came. "Amon betrayed his clan by talking to me but his dream had revealed to him I was his one chance to save his son. He never revealed more than what was necessary but he made me understand that his people belonged in an ancient clan who believed they were the keepers of an important secret. The clan believed Amon's kids would be gifted, something that apparently is true. Since your father didn't agree with their way of life, they were planning to take away your brother and train him as they saw fit." Solomon sighed, feeling the heaviness of his words. "Amon knew that if his family stayed, it would be destroyed. The clan had already threaten to kill your mother when she refused to give Rishid to them. But that went deeper than Rishid. Amon had found out that somehow the clan knew one day your mother would give birth to another boy and that boy would have powers that would be wanted by the clan. Knowing that if he stayed, he could lose his wife and have his children imprisoned, Amon decided to trust his dream and seek me."

Marik couldn't believe what he was hearing. Deep inside, he knew that the old man was telling the truth but it was too much. It was way too much. Abruptly, he stood up and, without looking back, he left the room. Outside the office stood one of the men with the black uniforms but since the man didn't try to stop him, Marik ignored him. He walked through the long corridor until he found the stairway. His feet carried him all the way to the entrance. Another man was stationed there but once again he wasn't stopped as he opened the door and walked out. He walked until he reached the great fountain they had seen when they got there. There, he finally stopped.

He sat on the edge of the fountain, hoping the sound of running water would sooth his nerves. It was dark outside but the place was dimly lit and Marik could see quite well in the dark. His reflection stared back at him with bewildered eyes as he ran a hand through his hair. Already on edge, he tensed when he heard footsteps behind him. He thought Bakura or Atem would follow him but he had hoped they wouldn't. So, when he felt a soft hand touching his shoulder, he turned surprised.

"Yuugi?" His voice was unsure, as if the boy by his side could be an illusion.

Illuminated by the dim lights and the moonlight, Yuugi looked like one. His smile was soft and inviting, and Marik felt some of the tension leaving his body. The younger boy took a seat by his side, his eyes trained on the water. "Quite a day, isn't it?" He said, not expecting an answer. "Maybe we shouldn't have left Makoto's shop."

The Egyptian boy smiled and the other boy returned the smile. "It seems as if that was days ago. It was nice." It was more than nice but Marik didn't have the strength to say more. "Now everything is complicated once more."

"Then, we will make it easy." Yuugi said, decisively. Everything was a real mess but he knew that like the pieces of a puzzle, once he had all the information, the parts would fall together and create something new. Maybe then, they would be able to deal with whatever was happening. "But until then, I'm here if you need a friend."

"So, you still want to be my friend?" Marik asked, almost afraid that Yuugi would tell him no. Was he only offering to be there as a friend out of pity? "I meant what I said in that café."

Yuugi smiled more. "Me too." After a moment of silence, the younger boy gathered his thoughts enough to ask. "So, magic…" He still couldn't wrap his mind around the fact magic existed, but his grandpa's words weren't those of a madman. Having heard that Marik's family had some kind of magic too made Yuugi curious. He had a thousand questions to ask but there would be time so he asked the one he was most curious about. "How does it feel?"

Marik chuckled. Out of all the questions Yuugi could ask him, out of all the implications being able to do magic could bring, Yuugi seemed to focus on the excitement of being a magic wielder. How did it feel? That was a difficult question to answer but Marik tried his best. He described how it was tiring and yet exciting and how his body felt hot and his mind fuzzy. He also described how it was scary doing things others couldn't but also exhilarating. Yuugi heard without interrupting and Marik could see that the boy was analyzing every new information Marik gave him. And yet, Yuugi never asked what exactly Marik could do, and if he expected him to tell him, he didn't show it.

The sound of running water filled the silence that erupted when Marik stopped talking and wrapped the night like a comfortable blanket. The two boys stayed there for a little while longer but soon the coldness of the night had the younger of the two trembling. It was almost Christmas after all and none of them was dressed to be outside.

"Let's go inside." Marik's voice was steadier now.

He felt steadier. He knew that whatever else would be revealed in that room, Yuugi would be fair in his judgement. Marik knew he could rely on the younger boy. They would return to that office and hear the rest of the story. They would discover new things together. And when the others would stop talking, even if Atem decided they would leave the town, Marik would find a quiet place to talk with Yuugi and would tell him about his magic.

Marik! Why are you so charming in this story? Why? I have been trying to work on the plot of this story, slowly giving you hints. It'll take forever for everyone to get all the pieces of the puzzle but I hope you aren't bored. I'll post a new chapter soon!