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 real world, the rest of the class (including Nia and Rebecca) were waiting patiently for any sign of their friends returning safely. So far, several hours had passed. The large tablet was still glowing all gold.
"How long have we been waiting?" asked Oliver.
Rosie checked her watch; it currently reads '7:00'.
"It's 7:00 pm at the moment," The cherry red-haired girl answered, "It's been hours since Emily and the others entered that tablet."
"I'm getting worried," said Rebecca unhappily.
"All of us are getting worried, Rebecca," replied Nia, taking her lesbian partner's hands, "But we got to continue having faith that they will ultimately return with Thomas."
Alas, having faith was not going to be easy when some of your own students disappeared, and then having to explain the situation to the principal once he and everyone else finally arrived.
(elsewhere…)
Back in the game world, Hasan, Atem, Anzu, Mana, and the priests all faced off against Great Shadow Magus.
"Seto…" whispered Great Shadow Magus.
"Lord Aknadin…" Seto whispered right back, "What you said earlier… Was it the truth? That I am your son?"
"It is the truth, my son," confirmed Great Shadow Magus, "Very soon, Zorc Necrophades will be revived. Come join forces with us to defeat that man. With that, you will be able to become the Pharaoh!"
Atem stared on in defiance, but Seto remained in a shocked trance of a sort.
"Lord Aknadin…is my Father?" he asked once more.
"Come, Seto!" offered Great Shadow Magus, holding his right hand out.
"Do not listen to this foolish man who has sold his soul to the Dark One," warned Hasan, looking at Seto, "Seto, you are a priest who serves the 'Gods'. You should fight hand-in-hand with the Pharaoh and his Queen to protect this country and the people!"
"Seto!" exclaimed Anzu.
"Stay with us!" added Atem, nodding at his rival.
"Seto…" interrupted Great Shadow Magus, "Listen to the royal blood that is flowing within you… You must heed to what this voice is telling you. You mustn't go against your fate."
Seto stood still, unable to figure out what to say next.
(elsewhere…)
Meanwhile, in the real world, Spencer had arrived and entered the underground tomb containing the stone tablet. While climbing down the stairs, he noticed an unconscious Duck/Montague lying on the ground.
"This guy is…Duck?" The silver-haired young man pondered, "Why is he here?"
"We might find out more about that if we head deeper into the caverns," suggested Maiden with Eyes of Blue, who made a brief appearance.
Spencer nodded and continued walking down the steps. Down in the main chamber, Stanley, Rosie, Molly, Nia, Rebecca, and the rest of the class continued to stare at the glowing stone tablet until they heard footsteps.
"Huh?" pondered Molly, "Somebody's coming."
Everyone turned to the nearby doorway, seeing Spencer walk in.
"It's Spencer!" cried Stanley.
"What's he doing all the way here in Egypt?" added Rebecca.
Spencer frowned, "So, you're all here?" he asked importantly, "What's the occasion? A field trip?"
"You could say that," acknowledged Nia, before motioning to the empty bodies of some of the other students, "Unfortunately…"
Spencer walked further into the chamber and noticed that the bodies of the Tidmouth Teens, plus Mavis, were all lying on the ground, unresponsive and their eyes being dull.
"What exactly happened here?" quizzed Spencer, wanting a couple of answers.
Everyone else looked at each other, not sure how they could answer the question. Before anybody could speak up, Spencer felt something glow in his coat pocket. He took it out and revealed the glowing item to be the Millennium Eye.
"What's that?!" exclaimed Stanley.
"A gift," explained Spencer, before turning to face the large tablet on the wall, "I got it from a man named Montague, who looks almost like your friend Duck."
The Millennium Eye started reacting to the tablet, causing Spencer to gasp and look up. When they heard the silver-haired young man gasp, Stanley, Rosie, Molly, Nia, Rebecca, and the likes all looked up at the tablet. Before long, the Millennium Eye was showing everyone visions of what was going on in the memory world.
"This is…!" stammered Spencer.
Nobody else knew what to say over what they were actually witnessing.
Title: Great Shadow Magus
Back in the game world…
"Seto, do not be misled!" warned Atem, "It's our duty to protect this land and our country! That is why we must defeat Zorc!"
"Agreed!" added Anzu, "How can we allow such evil to destroy our precious motherland?!"
"Hmph! Precious motherland?" scoffed Great Shadow Magus, "Who has been protecting this land… this country? You? No, that's not it… Then perhaps it is your Father, Pharaoh?!"
"What are you trying to say, Aknadin?!" demanded Atem.
Great Shadow Magus grunted, "My useless brother, Aknamkanon, was unable to do it!" he ranted, "It was all myself, his younger brother! It was all me!"
A flashback ensued.
FLASHBACK
Years ago, the citizens of the city had gathered outside the palace to honor the Pharaoh, Flashback Aknamkanon. They were on the floor, bowing in respect to the new leader of Egypt. Up on the balcony, Flashback Aknamkanon smiled and waved at the crowd below, while standing nearby was Flashback Aknadin, who was happy for his brother.
"Dear brother…" he was saying, "No… Pharaoh…"
(new scene…)
In the throne room, Flashback Aknadin's happiness slowly evaporated into resentment and jealousy when he was given some bad news from Flashback Aknamkanon…
"Denied!" Flashback Aknamkanon, whatever he was told, refused, "There has to be another option other than waging war in this country!"
"But, Pharaoh…!" protested Flashback Aknadin, "That country is eyeing our country and has started building up their military forces. If we do not strike them first-"
"Silence!" ordered Flashback Aknamkanon sternly, "Say no more, Aknadin…" He then softened up a little bit when he saw his brother bow apologetically, "I'm sorry, my younger brother. I know very well that you are concerned about me and this country. However, I do not wish to resort to wars to resolve our problems."
"Pharaoh…"
"Hatred breeds new hatred," The previous Pharaoh went on, "Such battles will continue forever without end. Please understand, Aknadin."
Alas, nothing more was said on the matter.
"But I was right in my views," narrated Great Shadow Magus.
(new scene…)
In a new scene, war had broken out in Egypt, and the kingdom's army did its best to fight off the invading troops to little success.
"Because of that foolish Pharaoh," Great Shadow Magus went on, "thousands of soldiers died on the battlefields."
Many of the kingdom's soldiers were slayed by the attacking army.
(new scene…)
Although the war was not over, the army had gathered outside the palace to celebrate one of their latest victories, while Flashback Aknamkanon waved to everybody standing below the balcony. The original set of priests stood nearby, with Flashback Aknadin glaring in shock and jealousy.
"Despite that, he was revered as 'God'!" narrated Great Shadow Magus, "He was no doubt the Pharaoh and nothing but that. I made up my mind then. That if my elder brother is the 'light', then I shall become the 'shadows'. Even if it means getting my hands stained with blood…"
(new scene…)
One night, Flashback Aknadin and a small group of cloaked figures had arrived outside a shrine of some sorts. Two of the figures open the doors, allow themselves, the other two men, and Flashback Aknadin to walk inside.
(elsewhere…)
As the small party walked through the hallway, they arrived at a pedestal with a book laying on top. Flashback Aknadin handed one of his comrades his torch and went to pick up the mysterious-looking book, opening it to read what was in it while everyone else stood around him and looked at the book with interest.
(new scene…)
At some point, the enemy army had surrounded the city, ready to burn it all down. They then charged into battle. Standing outside the walls were not troops aiming to make their last stand, but rather Flashback Aknamkanon, armed with the Millennium Puzzle, Flashback Aknadin, still with the Millennium Eye, Flashback Shimon, armed with the Millennium Key, and four other priests armed with the Millennium Scale, the Millennium Rod, the Millennium Necklace, and the Millennium Ring respectively. The seven Millennium Items activated, shocking the enemy soldiers. Behind the walls, a glowing light could be seen from within, causing the enemy army to finally stop their charge as they saw various monsters (ranging from 'Exodia the Forbidden One', 'Spiria', etc.) emerging from behind the walls.
"Subsequently, I used the power of the Millennium Items and the country was saved," narrated Great Shadow Magus, "No… my brother was saved."
Before long, the monsters defeated the enemy army, therefore saving the kingdom from being overrun.
END FLASHBACK
The flashback ended.
"Then why, Sir Aknadin?!" questioned Shimon, "If you cared for the former King, Aknamkanon, so much, why betray him now?!"
"Shimon!" growled Great Shadow Magus, "Do not use lowly terms like 'betrayal' to describe the relationship I had with my brother!"
"You only used King Aknamkanon," said Hasan firmly, "You are only deceiving yourself… You have darkness within you!"
"What are you talking about, Hasan?!" Great Shadow Magus demanded angrily, "If you really are the guardian of the former Pharaoh, you should be very well aware! About the details of the birth of Aknamkanon and me! You should know fully well that we were twins!"
"Twins?" repeated Atem.
"We were born at the same time… But the one chosen as the elder brother was Aknamkanon. And that was only because his cries were louder than mine!"
"You knew that much about it…?" asked Shimon.
"Aknadin…" whispered Atem.
"Even so," continued Great Shadow Magus, "I still served my elder brother with all my might."
A flashback started up.
FLASHBACK
Scenes of Flashback Aknadin leaving his wife and son (Young Seto) to go on a journey to create the Millennium Items, the arrival at the village of Kul Elna, the murder of the villagers, the creation of the Millennium Items, etc. were all shown.
"I deserted my wife and Seto," narrated Great Shadow Magus, "I went so far as to cover my hands in the blood of sin! My loyalty never wavered!"
(new scene…)
Back when Atem was 13-years old, Flashback Aknamkanon was now making Flashback Seto the newest wielder of the Millennium Rod. Present for the ceremony were Flashback Shimon, Flashback Atem, Flashback Mia, Flashback Ryo, Flashback Aknadin, and three of the previous priests.
"However, Seto, you came back," continued Great Shadow Magus, "You returned to my side."
END FLASHBACK
The flashback ended.
"Seto… don't you feel that this is the work of fate?" asked Great Shadow Magus.
Seto, with his eyes bloodshot, couldn't believe what he was hearing from who he thought was his master and teacher.
"I was brought up by my Mother believing that my Father died on the battlefields," Seto thought to himself.
Another flashback ensued.
FLASHBACK
Some clips of Flashback Seto studying in the library with some occasional help from Flashback Aknadin, and even sparring with him outside in the courtyard, were shown.
"I wanted to be a priest, in order to serve the Pharaoh and the country," narrated Seto, "It was always you, Lord Aknadin, who supported me during those times. In my eyes… you were like a Father to me. But…"
Flashback Seto was soon defeated in their duel, but Flashback Aknadin kindly offered a hand in order to help the Egyptian Spencer back onto his feet. From there, the two would resume their sparring.
(new scene…)
Later, Flashback Aknadin and the priests, including the newest one (Seto), had gathered in the throne room to speak to Flashback Aknamkanon.
"…you took extra care of me because you knew that I was your son!"
END FLASHBACK
The flashback ended, and Seto now had his eyes closed.
"Why tell me that you're my Father now?" he asked himself mentally, before opening his eyes.
"Before my weak brother, Aknamkanon, died," said Great Shadow Magus, "I attempted to make Seto the new King by creating an eighth Millennium Item."
"An eighth Millennium Item?" repeated Anzu.
"Yes. One for my son to wield," confirmed Great Shadow Magus, "To that end, I met with a sorcerer by the name of Anubis."
"What?!" cried Atem, "It can't be… You're not talking about 'that' Anubis, are you?!"
"Yes! This is the same Anubis who attacked the kingdom before you became Pharaoh!"
A flashback ensued.
FLASHBACK
Somewhere in the desert, Flashback Aknadin was meeting with Flashback Anubis within a cavern
"I heard rumors of a sorcerer who commanded evil monsters," narrated Great Shadow Magus, "When I located Anubis, I made a deal with him to assist in the creation of the potential item."
When the explanation was over, Flashback Anubis smirked and nodded, agreeing to help create a Millennium Item. Soon, he and Flashback Aknadin both were working on studying through the books on what to create for a Millennium Item.
"It took much research to figure out what to do," narrated Great Shadow Magus, "Afterwards, we used a similar form of alchemy to create a replica of the Millennium Puzzle."
Using what they learned, the pair created a blue version of the Millennium Puzzle.
"However, it was not truly a Millennium Item as I had hoped for," Great Shadow Magus went on, "It was a failed replica of the Millennium Puzzle that held power over light. Nevertheless, I was going to use this item to help make Seto the new Pharaoh."
Flashback Aknadin picked up the newly forged Pyramid of Light and gazed at its crystal clear structure. With something like this, Seto would have a power that was on par with the Pharaoh's Millennium Puzzle that held power over darkness, so that he (Seto) might defeat him (Aknamkanon) and assume the throne…
*BASH!*
…but it was not meant to be. Flashback Aknadin was hit in the back of the head by a large rock that Flashback Anubis had in his hands. The cruel smile on the dirty blonde-haired Egyptian man's face signaled a betrayal of sorts.
"I thank thee for creating this item for me," he praised sarcastically, kneeling over and taking the Pyramid of Light out of the unconscious Flashback Aknadin's hands, "With it, I can obtain ultimate power and destroy the world."
With that being said, Flashback Anubis let out a booming, sinister laugh.
(later…)
When Flashback Aknadin awoke, he noticed that he was alone in the cavern and that Flashback Anubis had taken the Pyramid of Light for himself.
"When I woke up, Anubis was gone with the replica of the Millennium Puzzle," narrated Great Shadow Magus, while Flashback Aknadin weakly stood up and limped to the exit, "It turns out, Anubis wanted someone to create such an item so he could begin his plans to destroy the kingdom!"
The stern-looking priest looked furious over the betrayal.
(new scene…)
At some point, Flashback Anubis attacked the kingdom. While speaking to Flashback Aknamkanon and Flashback Atem, two orbs emerged from the Pyramid of Light. As soon as the orbs neared the floor, they began to expand and turn into huge monsters.
"Come forth - 'Andro Sphinx' and Sphinx Teleia'!" ordered Flashback Anubis.
Appearing from the separate orbs and onto the field, were two large, terrifying beasts. One of the creatures had the body of a lion, large and feathery wings, and the head from the neck up of a woman with long, lustrous red hair. The next monster was nowhere near as pretty. He had the face of a ferocious canine, with soulless red eyes, and a wild lion's mane—however, he stood upright, and wore an armored breastplate over bulging muscles.
"These two creatures were created by my very being," boasted Flashback Anubis, "With them, all life as thee know will cease to exist!"
'Andro Sphinx' and 'Sphinx Teleia' both let out roars as they prepared to attack. Flashback Atem, however, stood his ground as he pulled a dagger from behind.
"Anubis, your magic is powerful, but, at the same time, it's fragile," he pointed out, "Your beasts can do me no harm, for I will cut through them with the Dagger of Fate… BEGONE!"
With that, Flashback Atem thrust his dagger towards Flashback Anubis and his two 'Sphinx' monsters. Soon, the dagger connected with the Pyramid of Light around Flashback Anubis's neck, causing it to emit blue sparks as Flashback Anubis felt his power becoming uncontrollable.
"You fool!" bellowed Flashback Anubis, "What have you done?!" He started grimacing as the Pyramid of Light started going out of control, "I… I can't control this power-!"
Both 'Andro Sphinx' and 'Sphinx Teleia' roared in agony before melting away into black slime. This was the result of the Pyramid of Light going haywire, and there wasn't anything Flashback Anubis could do about it. However, he did have a final trick to use… Before Flashback Atem or Flashback Aknamkanon could say anything, Flashback Anubis started chanting in Ancient Egyptian.
"Huh?" gasped Flashback Atem.
"What is he up to?" added Flashback Aknamkanon.
As the chanting went on, Flashback Anubis started glowing all blue as his own life-force energy was being drained from himself and being sent into the damaged Pyramid of Light itself.
"Victory is yours for the time being," Flashback Anubis chuckled weakly, finally speaking again, "But one day… I will return… When I do, thuy world will suffer the consequences!"
Eventually, the blue light faded, and Flashback Anubis's corpse fell to the ground, just as Flashback Shimon and the priests entered the throne room.
"However, Anubis never succeeded with his plan after he was defeated by you, Pharaoh," narrated Great Shadow Magus, just as Flashback Aknadin, while picking the evil-looking Millennium Puzzle and looking at it, nodded in silent agreement, "While I was the one to seal the Pyramid of Light away after his defeat, I knew that I would never be able to risk something like this again, and so it was sealed away in a tomb to never be found again, never to be wielded by Seto as I had desired in the first place."
END FLASHBACK
Back in the Domain of the Gods as the flashback ended…
"Even though the Pyramid of Light was sealed away," said Thomas, as faded images of the item being found and the trouble it led to were shown around him, "it was eventually discovered in the 21st century. This allowed for Anubis to be resurrected after 3000 years before I killed him and destroyed the Pyramid of Light for good."
Montague smirked, "Proudly bragging about killing someone. Spoken like a true murderer."
"I find your wittiness unamusing, Montague," remarked Thomas blankly.
Pretty much so.
(elsewhere…)
Back in the game world…
"Heh! In the end, he was just a mere sorcerer named after the 'God' of the Dead, deluded into thinking he was the actual 'God'," sneered Great Shadow Magus, insulting Anubis. He then looked back towards Seto, "Seto… Think about the 'White Dragon'! That great beast now drives your fate!" He spread his arms out, "Seto, you are the chosen one!"
Seto looked up, "The 'White Dragon'…"
A flashback ensued.
FLASHBACK
In the flames of what used to be the village Seto used to live in, bursting out of them and into the sky came a humongous (yet familiar) dragon with blue/white scales, wings, and blue eyes. 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' let out a roar to let the bandits know to stand down or else face the consequences. Immediately, the bandits dropped Young Seto and began to make a run for it. 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon', not about to forgive those thieves for their actions, simply charged up a blast of bluish white electricity (Burst Stream of Destruction) from its mouth and fired it off at the bandits, striking them and causing an explosion that sent some debris about and claimed their lives. Young Seto defended himself from the powerful explosion's backlash, while 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' let out a final roar as it flew over the burning village. Young Seto, meanwhile, stared long and hard at the majestic creature.
END FLASHBACK
The flashback ended.
"Does the 'White Dragon' symbolize my fate in becoming the Pharaoh?" asked Seto, clenching his left fist.
(elsewhere…)
Back in the real world, Spencer and the rest of Thomas's class watched the tablet still showing images of what was going on with Atem in the memory world.
"Does anybody know what they're saying?" asked Oliver.
"Beats me," replied Stanley.
Spencer, however, could hear every word as though the language was English.
"'White Dragon'…?" Spencer asked, just as Maiden with Eyes of Blue appeared beside him once again, "Does he mean 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon'?!"
"It's a possibility, Spencer," acknowledged Maiden with Eyes of Blue.
(elsewhere…)
Back in the game world…
"What nonsense!" yelled Atem, "If Zorc Necrophades revives, everything in this world will be destroyed!"
"He's right!" put in Anzu, "What meaning is there in becoming the Pharaoh after that?!" She then looked towards Seto, "Seto, do not get confused!"
The dark green-haired Egyptian girl then ran towards the priest, but Great Shadow Magus simply raised his hands and fired purple electricity at her. Although the attack did not connect, it did force Anzu to not get any closer to Seto.
"My Queen!" called Isis.
Seto, surprised that Great Shadow Magus attempted to hurt Anzu, turned to look at his former mentor in utter shock.
"Lord Aknadin!" he exclaimed.
"Do you still not understand, Seto?" pondered Great Shadow Magus, "When the almighty Zorc Necrophades revives, this country will become the World of Darkness. We will worship the Dark One as our 'God' and create a whole new world. And the Pharaoh who governs this new world is you, Seto! You must become the King of Darkness!"
"King of Darkness…?" repeated Seto.
"Come, your destiny is fixed. Come to me, your Father!"
"Father…" The Egyptian Spencer mumbled, before looking down and hiding his eyes.
"Seto…" said Atem, before seeing Seto begin to take a few steps forth.
(elsewhere…)
Back in one of the guest rooms of the palace, Kisara finally opened her eyes in shock. With all her might, she sat up in the bed, as though she sensed that Seto was about to do something he would possibly regret.
"L-Lord Seto…" whispered Kisara, "You mustn't go…"
(elsewhere…)
Back in the underground shrine within the village of Kul Elna, Great Shadow Magus was holding his hands out for Seto.
"Come on now, Seto," offered Great Shadow Magus.
"Seto!" protested Anzu.
"Father…" mumbled Seto, not hearing his Queen. He then saw something only he could see, "Huh?!"
In his own eyes, 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' suddenly appeared on the field behind Great Shadow Magus. Nobody else, either an exception to Great Shadow Magus, could see it because it was something made for only Seto to see.
"This is…the 'White Dragon'…" stammered Seto.
"Seto, you are the true King!" insisted Great Shadow Magus.
"Stop messing around!" snapped Atem, "There's no telling for sure if this land will be shrouded in darkness!" He then looked at Seto once again, "Seto, we must stand united and defeat Zorc Necrophades!"
"Seto!" called Shimon.
"Seto!" put in Isis, Shada, and Karim.
"Lord Seto!" cried Mana.
"Seto!" argued Anzu, "Remember who your true loyalty is towards!"
But Seto did not know who to listen to.
"Do not be swayed!" said Great Shadow Magus, "Come, Seto!"
"Aknadin!" interrupted Hasan, "You, who has been taken over by darkness, have no right to talk about the King!"
Great Shadow Magus growled, "I do not wish to hear that from you!" he retorted sharply, "If so, I shall wait for Lord Zorc's revival…and I shall kill the Pharaoh and snuff out all the light!"
With that said, he thrust his right hand out and fired purple electricity towards Atem, seemingly hitting him to the horror of everyone else watching.
"Let your soul rot, Atem!" declared Great Shadow Magus, "Join that cursed Aknamkanon!"
When the smoke cleared, it was revealed that Hasan took the blow (and was unhurt); he saved Atem once again.
"Hasan!" gasped Atem.
"Pharaoh, I will hold him off here," said Hasan firmly, "I will not let you get injured!"
"Hasan!"
From there, the blue-haired Egyptian boy looked towards Seto, who still looked like he was in a trance or something.
(elsewhere…)
Back within the palace, Kisara, despite still being weak at the moment, was in the process of sneaking out to try and reach Seto before it was too late.
"Lord Seto…" The pale-skinned young woman muttered, "I won't…let anything…happen to you!"
She continued on her way, not caring if the guards or castle staff were to spot her.
(elsewhere…)
Out in the desert, Emily and the rest of the group were still soaring through the sky, making their way to the Valley of the Kings.
"Oh wow!" cheered Percy, "Look at us! We're really flying!"
"If only Molly could see me now!" boasted James, "I feel like Superman!"
Mavis only rolled her eyes at the red-haired boy's declaration.
"Hey, Edward, any idea when we'll reach the Valley of the Kings?" she asked Edward.
"We should be there soon, I think," replied Edward.
"And you know," interrupted Toby, "I still can't believe that Bobasa was Hasan this entire time."
"I couldn't believe it either," agreed Gordon.
"None of us could," interjected Emily.
While everyone else was talking about Bobasa and Hasan, Henry was doing some thinking about the whole thing in his own way.
"This guy, Bobasa must've been a crucial part of the game's scenario by being an important 'switch' for the whereabouts of the Eighth Key," The tall, green-haired boy thought to himself, "If not for Emily and the rest, I likely would have missed this 'switch'."
As the party flew through the desert, a bunch of Thief King Montague's henchmen were shown standing by the edge of a cliff when they spotted the flying Sudrian teenagers. That was their cue to follow them. Back in the sky, Percy spotted something up ahead.
"H-Hey!" he cried out, pointing up ahead, "I think I can spot the Valley of the Kings up ahead!"
"Nice!" smiled James, "Let's hurry and land!"
And so, the group flew closer to the mountain area before attempting to make a landing. While Edward, Henry, Gordon, Percy, Toby, Emily, and Mavis all landed safely on their feet, James tried to show off when landing and ended up falling into one of the nearby sand dunes head first while getting stuck. Percy, Mavis, and even Edward each couldn't help but giggle at the scene.
"We'll get him out," said Gordon cheekily, as he and Toby approached the large pile of sand.
Grabbing onto a leg, Gordon and Toby pulled and got James out of the sand, while he began spluttering and spitting sand out of his mouth (due to the disgusting taste).
"Er… I 'meant' to do that," James sheepishly insisted.
Gordon rolled his eyes, "Meant? I bet you did."
"Come on!" exclaimed Henry impatiently, running on ahead, "The answer to the riddle has to be inside!"
"Hold up, Henry!" called Emily, but to no avail, "What's with him?"
"Beats me," shrugged Mavis, "But, for now, I'll agree with him on his theory. Let's head inside and see if the answer is there!"
"R-Right."
As the group approached the tomb, they found two guards stationed outside.
"Uh-oh! Trouble!" panicked James.
"We're ghosts, remember?" reminded Emily, "They can't see us."
James then remembered, "Oh, right." he said naively, "Come on."
With that said, the Sudrian teenagers walked right past the two Egyptian soldiers into the tomb, all without attracting their attention because they couldn't see 'ghosts'.
(inside…)
Inside the tomb, Emily and Edward both looked around first.
"So this is what the Pharaoh's tomb will look like?" pondered Emily.
"We'd best be careful," warned Edward wearily, "as a tomb as holy and sacred as Atem's is sure to have many traps that seemingly nobody could solve in order to stop graverobbers."
"No sweat!" dismissed James, "Think about it, we're ghosts in this world! That means we shouldn't have to worry about triggering any traps."
"I wouldn't be so sure," frowned Mavis, placing her hand on the wall, "Look at my hand; it's actually touching the wall."
"That can't be good," groaned Percy, "So this means any traps we encounter can actually hurt us," He then shuddered a bit fearfully, "This place is creepy… It's all dark… Say, Mavis, you go on ahead of me!"
"Oh, give me a break," grumbled Mavis, bringing a hand to her forehead.
"There are torches," reminded Edward, "At least we can see where we're going."
Eventually, Emily and the others arrived in the first trial of the tomb.
"Look over there!" called Gordon, pointing to a snake statue with two ruby eyes.
"There's another!" realized James, pointing to a similar state.
"Two snake statues?" quizzed Toby, "And they have rubies for eyes?"
Gordon and James both started to walk through the room, but Emily quickly stopped them.
"Emily?" asked Gordon.
"Don't move!" requested Emily, before looking to James, "James, do you have a small rock on you?"
"Err… sure," confirmed James, taking a small rock out of his pocket, "What do you need it for?"
Emily responded by tossing the rock. Suddenly, needles shot out from the mouths of the snakeheads and bounced off the small rock into the wall. This caused both teenage boys to freeze in shock.
"The game has just started," mused Emily, starting to walk forward.
"Game?" repeated Gordon, following.
"The rubies were placed here as a means to divert the greedy ones," explained Emily, "I bet that each room must be treated like a 'game', with the ultimate sacrifice awaiting those who lose being death."
"D-D-Death?!" stuttered Toby.
Emily nodded gravely. Over with Henry…
"Well done, Emily," thought Montague, "You figured this out so quickly… But, will you manage to make it all the way through alive?"
As the group continued on, they entered a room complete with no way forward.
"What's this?" questioned Percy, "We've reached a dead end."
All that was left in the room was a giant statue of a falcon-headed figure.
"That's…Horus, the God of the sky and the son of Osiris and Isis; the sun and moon were believed to be his eyes," realized Edward, "It also also represents the Pharaoh, 'The Opener of the Way'."
"Horus…" mused James, "It kinda reminds me of the 'Horus the Black Flame Dragon' archetype from Duel Monsters."
Edward nodded, "Said archetype is based on the Egyptian deity Horus."
"It doesn't matter to me," sighed Percy, "We're at a dead end, and have nowhere else to go to."
Emily, however, had a thought… She looked around and saw a seemingly blank tablet on one of the walls next to the statue. Upon closer examination, however, there was a receptacle for what seems to be a tar-like substance just below the tablet.
"Guys?" began Emily, "Could somebody grab me a torch from the walls, please?"
Edward handed Emily a lit torch from one of the walls. Using the torch, she directed the flames at the tar, setting it on-fire, causing ancient hieroglyphs to appear on the tablet.
"Oh man!" cried James.
"Look at those characters!" added Toby.
"You never cease to amaze us, Emily, admired Mavis.
Nearby, Henry smirked evilly.
(elsewhere…)
Back in the Realm of the Gods…
"Now it makes sense…" commented Montague.
"What are you smiling about?" scoffed Thomas.
"It seems your friends are resourceful," replied Montague, "With help from your beloved Emily, they're getting closer and closer to finding the answer to that mysterious riddle."
Thomas gasped, "Why do you know about that?!" he demanded, "Masters should have no way of knowing what the Non-Playable Characters are doing!"
"Oh, I have my ways…" grinned Montague, "I'm not one to give away my secrets," He then shrugged, "Well, let's continue to countdown to my—no, 'Zorc Necrophades's' revival! The climax is approaching! But if the main cast doesn't make a move…this will become boring."
Thomas scowled, but complied in a way.
(elsewhere…)
Back in the game world, Great Shadow Magus unleashed more purple electricity at Hasan, which he managed to block but was obviously getting hurt in the process.
"Hasan!" called Atem.
But while Hasan would not give up, Great Shadow Magus didn't let up either.
(elsewhere…)
Back in the Realm of the Gods…
"Your pawn is quite a tough nut to crack," remarked Montague.
"I won't let you run around doing as you please!" declared Thomas.
Montague said nothing, but he then got a little idea to make things…less boring.
"Let me add some twists to the game," The Spirit of the Millennium Ring requested, "If our lead actor isn't here to witness the revival of Zorc Necrophades… it would be too much of a waste."
"Lead actor?" quizzed Thomas.
"You used it once before," reminded Montague, "What you'd call 'Transferring Ba'! You got it from your friends before."
A flashback ensued.
FLASHBACK
It was the night when Flashback Atem was lost in the end…
"Hang in there, Thomas," reassured Flashback Emily, holding Flashback Thomas in her arms, "We're here with you!"
"That's right…" thought Flashback Thomas, "I still have power remaining… Power within my irreplaceable friends!"
From there, he began to glow in a golden light as he felt his Ba replenish.
END FLASHBACK
The flashback ended.
"Then I shall use that on my pawn as well!" declared Montague.
"Your pawn?" asked Thomas, looking a little confused.
"That's right. I've invited someone interesting. I'll bring him into this world and use some of his Ba," Montague then held his right hand out near the center of the table, "Time for your debut, Mr. President!"
Thomas recoiled, "You can't mean that Spencer's…!"
(elsewhere…)
Back in the human world, Spencer and the rest of the class was still gazing at the Memory Tablet when it started glowing all gold.
"What…is this light?" stammered Spencer.
"Spencer! Hurry and get away from there!" exclaimed Nia.
But it was too late. The glowing tablet started sucking Spencer's soul right from his physical body until it started entering the Memory Tablet.
"SPENCER!" screamed Stanley.
"Oh my goodness!" wailed Rosie.
(elsewhere…)
In a wormhole of some sort, Spencer and Maiden with Eyes of Blue both screamed as they soared deeper and ultimately emerged into their newest location; an Egyptian city from years ago.
(elsewhere…)
Before long, Spencer landed in the middle of the busy streets of the city.
"What?!" cried Spencer, finally noticing that he was back in time, "What is this place?"
(elsewhere…)
Back in the Realm of the Gods, Montague was very pleased that Spencer had finally entered the Ultimate Shadow Game…
"I'm gonna borrow your soul, Spencer…" giggled Montague maliciously, "Just a little, though."
(elsewhere…)
Back in the game world, Spencer was wandering around when light surrounded him. But it wasn't a painless light; no, this was a painful, energy sucking light, and it caused him to scream in pain while Maiden with Eyes of Blue appeared and watched in horror.
"Spencer!" she cried.
(elsewhere…)
Back in the underground shrine of the ruined village of Kul Elna, Great Shadow Magus was continuing with his attack upon Hasan.
"Seto!" begged Atem, trying to get through to his rival.
At last, Seto made a decision…
"I will still choose to stand by the Pharaoh!" declared Seto, defying his own Father.
"Seto!" hollered Great Shadow Magus.
But before anything more could be said, the same bolt of light energy smashed through the ceiling and struck the slab containing the Millennium Items, stopping Great Shadow Magus from trying to kill Hasan and Atem. Speaking of which, Hasan, Atem, Anzu, Mana, Shimon, and the remaining priests all watched silently at what was happening. In the center of the room, a spotlight shined as a sand whirlwind started up before forming the body, complete with the Millennium Ring, of a very familiar foe that had been defeated earlier ago, much to the horror of our heroes.
"I'm baaaack!" cackled Thief King Montague in a sing-song tone, "Did you miss me, Mr. King? A pawn will always remain a pawn. These guys aren't enough for a finale. Without me around, this game cannot come to an end"
"Montague…!" gasped Atem.
"It can't be!" cried Anzu, "We all saw you melt away into sand!"
"How can you be back!?" demanded Mana.
Nobody got an answer, because Thief King Montague started cackling slowly before erupting into psychotic laughter at his return from the dead. Just when we thought things couldn't get any worse for the Egyptian cast, this just happened…