Welcome back everybody! I hope you're all staying safe!
So here we are, a whole month ahead of schedule. I had a lot of trouble ending this chapter. Actually, I had trouble with all of the scene transitions, but I think it worked out relatively well. At least, it's gotten to the point where I don't want to mess with it any longer.
Enjoy!
Deep in an underground chamber beneath the palace, a sacred ceremony was taking place. The chamber was by no means grand or ceremonial in any regard. In fact, it was rather small, though it was certainly big enough to hold the thirteen people privy to witness this event.
Yami knelt in front of his father's – no, his Priests. His fellow Mages knelt behind him, despite the arguments the Priests laid out about this being a private, secret ceremony. They'd been a part of his life much longer than any of the Priests, and rightfully deserved to witness this event. He'd have it no other way. Out in the corridor, Shimon, Mana, as well as several other advisors and scholars employed in the palace, waited with anticipation.
Reverently he accepted the Millennium Puzzle from Akhenaden – his uncle, he had since learned in the past seventy days through Bakura – trying to hide his desire to snatch the Puzzle out of his hands. This was the most dangerous part of the private coronation ceremony according to the other Item Bearers; if the Puzzle did not accept him, then his soul would be ripped apart by the Shadows.
While the Court in front of him waited with baited breath, but Yami and his Secret Court knew better. There was no way the Shadows would disown the one they recognized as their true Pharaoh. They waited with a different kind of anticipation: they were waiting to see what happened when Yami reclaimed his power.
The Mages had all come to terms with the dark history of the Items over the past seventy days, vowing to never let another event like that happen again. It did explain why the Shadows seemed so keen on justice and fairness though. The souls of those damned ninety-nine, while they indeed make the Items stronger, also seemed to impart their final wishes to the Shadows in their desire for justice against those who wronged them.
The moment the Puzzle rested fully against his chest, Yami felt the power of the Shadows surge as they welcomed him back. They rejoiced and flared excitedly, drawing alarm from the other Bearers. Yami smiled as the Shadows wrapped themselves around him; it was like a hug from an old friend, assuring him that they held no grudge against him for the crimes committed by his father's advisor. He had no doubt that his friends behind him were wearing grins as wide as his own.
The Priests backed away as far as the room would let them, not so much in fear, but with a healthy dose of caution as the Shadows danced wildly. The Mages, on the other hand, sat calmly in the middle of it all, drinking in the power of the Shadows they had lost contact with ever since they entered this world.
"Pharaoh?" Isis's uncertain voice broke him out of his euphoria at the reunion.
He stood up and quickly dismissed the Shadows with a wave of his hand to ease the concerns of the Priests. If their faces were anything to go by, they were having flashbacks to the incident just before his thirteenth birthday.
"I'm fine," he assured, still smiling. The Shadows still danced around his feet, but did not flare up noticeably. "The Shadows were just eager to welcome me."
"Did you expect this to happen, Pharaoh?" Mahaddo asked cautiously, "You are taking this rather well. I thought you might be more … apprehensive … considering your past experiences."
He heard stifled scoffs from the Mages behind him. Decades of experience with the Shadows would hardly make him adverse to them, however, Yami knew the incidents Mahaddo was referring to and understood his concern.
"No, I wasn't expecting something like this," Yami answered honestly. He hadn't known what to expect when he walked in this room, but given all of the negative outcomes that ran through his mind just before, he was happy that this was the one that happened. "It feels as natural as breathing," he continued, "I was expecting a learning curve."
"Phenomenal," Akhenaden gasped, "Not only favored by the gods, but also the Shadows. It is the only explanation I can give for our Pharaoh's quick acceptance by the Millennium Puzzle and his prowess with the Shadows."
"I wonder if it has something to do with the events ten years ago," Seto mused, "You controlled the Shadows without an Item then, even if it was for a short time and under extenuating circumstances."
"But still, to control the Shadows so quickly and so easily..." Shadda muttered, brow furrowing as he tried to make sense of things. "Not even the Secret Court was harmed, and they did not move away at all!"
"I agree with Akhenaden," Kalim said, "It only shows how favored ***** is by the Shadows. They will be even more powerful now that he holds the Millennium Puzzle. I don't know about you guys, but I get the vague sense that they are very happy."
Yami frowned at that. Kalim could only feel a "vague sense" that the Shadows were happy? Could they not sense the complete and utter jubilation echoing through the Shadows? "What do you mean 'a vague sense'?" he asked carefully.
"It will come with time," Shada assured, "The Shadows are difficult to understand. The best we can do is hope we interpret them correctly."
"That's not what I meant," Yami shook his head, "On occasion, I felt echoes of whispers from the Shadows even without the Puzzle, and now things are so much clearer. I can hear them more consistently now. The Shadows are incredibly happy right, I was surprised that nobody could feel it."
The Priests stared at him like he had grown another head. Considering what he just admitted, Yami supposed he couldn't blame them; there was a lot to unpack there.
When a full minute passed and none of the Priests said anything, Yami spoke again. "Perhaps we should discuss this later?" he suggested, "I'm sure there are other ceremonies we must attend to before tonight."
"Y-yes," Seto shook himself out of his stupor, "Of course. Forgive us, Pharaoh. There is one more thing we must take care of."
Kalim stepped forward, offering a DiaDhank.
"We need to teach you how to summon."
Yami sat elevated on his throne, a couple of feet above everybody else in the room, enjoying the festivities in front of him. He relished in the familiar weight of the Millennium Puzzle around his neck and crown on his head. His Priests stood, imposingly on either side of him with Mahaddo on his immediate right and Seto on his immediate left.
His eyes kept flicking over to where the Mages stood hiding in the shadows of one of the massive pillars in the room. He subtly raised his cup in their direction, silently toasting their friendship and loyalty which allowed him to reach this point. They seemed to get the message and the Mages returned the toast.
Before his cup reached his lips, however, he felt a sudden warning flare up in the Shadows.
"Mahaddo!" Isis cried less than a second later, Millennium Necklace flashing.
His vision filled with white as Mahaddo whirled around and threw his cape in front of him. The light sound of a needle hitting the stone floor reached his ears and realization sunk in: somebody had just tried to kill him, likely with a poison dart.
"There!" he heard Seto shout.
Mahaddo did not move from his protective position in front of Yami until the palace guards had secured the would-be assassin. The makeshift barrier fell and Yami's eyes immediately found the guards restraining the intruder on the upper level.
Confident that things were being handled well, he turned his attention to the Mages. Yugi looked very much like he wanted to run over to make sure he was okay himself, but was held back by Ryou's hand on his shoulder. Yami gave a small, reassuring smile to let them know he was alright.
"Pharaoh," Seto addressed and the guards brought the man down, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, thanks to everybody's quick actions," he praised.
"How did he get in?" Kalim directed at Mahaddo, "You are in charge of security, are you not?"
Mahaddo swiftly knelt in front of Yami. "Forgive me, Pharaoh. It's true that I was in charge of security tonight. Please rest assured that I will get to the bottom of this failure and punish those responsible."
"You are forgiven," Yami replied, knowing this display was mostly for show anyway. There were any number of ways for an assassin to enter the palace, even if it was crawling with guards like it was tonight.
As if summoned by the mere thought of them, the guards who apprehended the intruder appeared at the doors to the throne room with their prisoner between them. Quickly, the Court moved back to their positions as the guards brought the man forward, forcing him to kneel at the appropriate distance from the throne.
"How dare you?" Isis seethed, "An attempt on our Pharaoh's life. What a despicable act!"
The man had no response other than to glare hatefully at Yami. Yami stared cooly back at him. Assassination attempts were nothing new to him, though this was the first time someone had tried with a dart. It seemed sloppy compared to what he'd seen before.
"Pharaoh," Seto stepped forward, "Allow us to rid the palace of this lowlife."
Yami considered him carefully. "He shall be subjected to Trial by Shadows and offered the same choice as the Syrian spies from ten years ago. If he tells us who he works for and why he wanted to kill me, his life shall be spared in favor of a prison sentence. If he refuses, his life is forfeit."
The Mages shifted around curiously. Yami realized that, while he had told them about these trials, they had never witnessed what was about to happen. It would be quite a show.
"I suggest you take the Pharaoh up on his kind offer," Akhenaden said darkly, "Chances such as this do not come often."
The man remained tight lipped, though a fearful glint entered his eye. After thirty seconds of silence, Yami spoke again.
"I see. Then you shall be sentenced to death by the very means you hoped to use against me after your Trial by Shadows," he declared, "Bring in a tablet!"
A team of no less than six servants rolled out the large stone tablet. On his left, Yami spied the very dart that had been shot at him. While his Priests began the trial, he used the Shadows to surreptitiously bring the forgotten weapon to him. He had missed the powers of the Shadows more than he realized, he contemplated as he rolled the object between his fingers, careful to avoid either end. Idly he wondered what poison was the dart in his hands dipped in. It must be something strong, Yami decided, for it to be an effective choice to use against the pharaoh. That was good, it would mean a more merciful death to this man.
He was brought out of his musing by Seto sealing the Ka beast into the stone tablet. The would-be assassin lay slumped over on his side. Yami could speak from experience that this process was one that took a lot of energy out of you. Looking around the throne room, he realized that all of the civilians had left in the panic that occured when the assassin was first captured.
"The Pharaoh has decreed that you are to be put to death the same way you intended to kill him," Seto announced, though Yami was fairly sure the man was only part way listening by this point. He knew his life was forfeit. "Mahaddo, you knocked this criminal's dart to the ground, correct?"
"I did," Mahaddo nodded and turned in the direction it was before Yami had claimed it, "It should be somewhere over here."
"I have it," Yami said, holding up the dart for them to see. He ignored their surprised expressions as he rose from his throne and addressed the assassin while pretending to examine the object in his hand, "I assume the poison on this is fast-acting, otherwise you would have the risk of having the antidote administered in time to save my life. This should bring you some comfort, it means that your suffering won't be long."
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Bakura and Kaiba pull the hikari's behind them. Yami grimaced but quickly smoothed out his features before anyone noticed. Originally, he had planned to do the deed himself, but he had forgotten who exactly was in the room when he made that plan.
"Take him away!" Akhenaden commanded when Yami did not move any further.
The guards started to follow the command, but the assassin recovered from the Trial far quicker than anyone else Yami had witnessed. Was it possible he had two Ka beasts within him? Would the Trial by Shadows sense something like that? Maybe he just had a dark soul, like Yami. He made a mental note to ask the Priests later.
"Too afraid to do it yourself?" he taunted, only letting out a chuckle when one of the guards backhanded him across the face, "Afraid to stain those hands of yours?"
"My hands are far from clean, as you should know if you truly are one of my people. You chose dishonor when you chose to try to kill me," Yami answered darkly, the Shadows darkening the room as he spoke. Inwardly, he wanted nothing more than to throw the dart from here and hope it was a slow-acting, agonising poison. "Your death shall be the same. You do not deserve a death in my throne room, nor in my presence. You will die alone and your body left in the desert for the scavengers."
"Take this blasphemer from our sight!" Seto ordered.
The guards resumed their quest, though not before ensuring their prisoner wouldn't spout off anything else to the Pharaoh. Yami relaxed as soon as the man was out of sight and released his grip on the Shadows. Carefully, he handed the dart to one of the lingering guards, instructing him to be very careful of the end.
Yami sat back on his throne and closed his eyes for a brief moment before straightening up. He could not afford to look anything other than strong and composed right now, no matter how justifiable any other reaction was. The Priests watched him carefully, trying to see if he would allow the celebration to continue tonight or not. A short nod from his was all the confirmation they needed.
"Let the celebrations continue!" Seto declared, "Make it a celebration so grand that it makes the Pharaoh forget the unpleasant events of the evening!"
As hard as they tried, the atmosphere in the throne room did not return to the carefree celebration it had been before, though Yami appreciated the effort. It helped him to keep up appearances and he was sure by tomorrow there would be stories circulating about what happened tonight.
People's eyes kept flickering to the dark corners of the room as if expecting another intruder. Yami forced himself not to do the same. Mahaddo had excused himself briefly to tighten security around the palace and begin his investigation as to how the assassin got in, so he knew they were safe. Not to mention he had six pairs of invisible eyes keeping watch as well.
Yami was about to declare the night over when the doors flew open and a guard rushed in frantically.
"Sir! Thieves have entered the palac-"
The guard didn't get to finish his warning before he was run through by a sword. He fell limply to the ground, revealing a familiar sight. He heard something shatter and his eyes darted to where Bakura stood, a broken cup at his feet and his posture tense. Fortunately nobody else seemed to notice the sound. But if Bakura were still standing over there, then this must be —
"Akefia?" Yami gasped, fully taking in the appearance of the thief. There were some notable differences between Akefia and the Bakura he knew.
The first thing he noticed was a rather impressive scar running under his eye. The madness on his face was something he had not seen in a long time, but it definitely spelled bad news for Yami. He wore what seemed to be an expensive cloak and was dripping in gold accessories. Something was being dragged behind him that Yami couldn't quite make out but seemed awfully familiar and filled him with a sense of dread.
"I'm honored the mighty Pharaoh has heard the name of a lowly thief like myself," the thief gave a flourishing bow, grinning wickedly.
"Seize him!" Seto ordered before Yami could give the command himself.
Akefia easily avoided the guards, taking them out as they rushed forward. After three guards lay dead at his feet, the charging stopped as the men warily kept their distance but stayed between him and the Item Bearers.
"None of that now," Akefia crooned, "Not when I have brought gifts. I just had to make a quick stop to get them first." His foot stomped on something and only then did Yami realize it was a sarcophagus.
"You dare to desecrate the tomb of the former Pharaoh!"
Yami gasped in surprise and horror. His father, put to rest only a few days before, lay in the sarcophagus under the thief's foot. No wonder it looked familiar. He glanced back to the corner to see Bakura growling ferociously, being held back by Ryou's arms wrapped around him and the other Mages standing in front of him.
"Yes, I would have paid dear Aknamkanon a visit sooner, but you see, I decided to wait until a new king was on the throne. A better justice is served this way: the son pays for the sins of the father."
"You have a lot to answer for, Thief King," Yami growled, glaring at the man. His accusation elicited a gasp from the other Item Bearers. They all remembered the attack several years ago and had never been able to find the one responsible. Now Yami was publicly declaring that this man was the one responsible for that attack.
Akefia laughed maniacally. "You finally figured out who I am! It only took seven years! What does that say about you?"
"Says the man who had to send a henchman to kill a defenseless kid...and failed," Yami shot back.
Akefia sobered quickly at the flippant response, though he was just as quick with his reply.
"I should have known not to trust someone else to do the job. But now, I don't have to!" Akefia pulled the sleeve of his coat back to reveal the Dia Dhank that was placed in Aknamkanon's tomb. "Come to me, Diabound!" Behind him, a huge snake-like monster emerged from the shadows on the wall.
"Impossible!" Isis gasped, "He shouldn't be able to control monsters without a Millennium Item! What is he?"
"A menace," Seto growled, stepping forward and summoning Battle Ox, "Pharaoh, allow us to get rid of this thief. He doesn't stand a chance!"
Battle Ox was not a weak monster, but Yami worried that it might not be strong enough to fend off Diabound. It turned out his worries were completely founded as Diabound easily destroyed Seto's monster and left him kneeling on the floor as his energy was drained away.
"Seto!" Yami cried out and made to get up but was stopped by the other Priests standing in front of him. Each of them summoned their own monsters, but Yami's attention was drawn to the one summoned by Mahaddo.
Illusion Magician was a monster he was unfamiliar with, but what stood out was that it looked very similar to Dark Magician. Yami had to wonder if perhaps this monster was what gave rise to Dark Magician in the modern world.
The Priests led a well coordinated attack on Diabound, one that Yami was sure would work especially after Illusion Magician bound Diabound in a spell that looked an awful lot like Spellbinding Circle. However, Akefia was more clever than he expected and Diabound more powerful. With a mighty roar, Diabout broke the binding spell on it and destroyed every monster that had been summoned.
Yami watched in horror as his priests fell. He'd had enough. The Shadows were pulling him into action and he wasn't about to refuse them. Ignoring protests, he stepped in front of the fallen Court, glaring at the thief.
"This has gone on long enough!" he declared. The Shadows danced eagerly around him as they fed off his anger, making for an impressive display of raw power. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Yugi nod encouragingly, seeming to know what Yami had planned even though they did not have their bond right now.
Akefia laughed. "Have I angered the great Pharaoh into action?" he mocked, "Your priests are hardly standing and Diabound can counter anything you throw at him. You've lost!"
"We'll see just how long Diabound stands when faced with a god!"
His words sent a wave of shock through those gathered. When he had been presented with his DiaDhank, the Priests had given a cautionary warning: if he tried to summon a monster more powerful than what he could handle, then the monster would destroy him instead. He had nodded along at the time, promising to be careful while knowing full well that at some point it would come to this point.
The Mages quickly moved away, taking shelter behind the pillars furthest away from him and Akefia. The priests started to murmur amongst themselves, which Yami ignored. Instead, he held his left arm high, activating his DiaDhank. Power surged through him as he reached for the Shadows to summon in this world for the first time and the name of one god settled on his lips.
"Come to me! Obelisk!"
Lightning struck behind him, the power of it blowing his cape and hair around wildly. When it faded, Obelisk's eyes glared out of the smoke that remained, striking fear and awe into his priests and terror through Akefia.
"Obelisk, attack!" he commanded, not giving Akefia time to recover, "Fist of Fury!"
"Diabound, Burst Stream of Destruction!"
Yami grit his teeth. Akefia countered a lot faster than he thought he would, but it should have been okay anyway. Afterall, Obelisk was a god, and Yami could only name three or four monsters that could stand up to an attack like that and survive.
The attacks met, causing a large explosion that Yami was quickly shielded from by Mahado who had made his way back to his feet. When it cleared, Akefia and Diabound were gone. Obelisk dissolved back into the Shadows with the threat he had been called for gone. Apparently the two monsters were equal in strength here.
That was bad news for him. He had an opponent who wasn't Zorc, who'd he had been expecting, but was still on the same power level as a god.
"Find him!" Seto was already shouting orders, "Search the palace and the town!"
"Your majesty!" a messenger ran in, "The town -"
Yami didn't allow him to finish. He rushed passed his priests and his guards before they could stop him and ran to a nearby balcony. The sight that met him stopped him cold.
Flames rose up from the houses surrounding the palace, the smoke giving the sky an orange color as it reflected light from the fires. It seemed to highlight that sky pyramid that only he could see; an unnecessary reminder of what was at stake here. On a far off hill, he saw the silhouette of people on horses riding away. His gut told him it was Akefia and whatever backup he managed to find in these times.
"Pharaoh!" Mahado rushed out, "It is not safe out here. Please stay inside."
"But -" Yami protested, looking helplessly at the burning houses.
"The fires will be put out. We will organize search parties to find Akefia and begin efforts to rebuild the town," Mahado assured, gently guiding Yami back inside, "You are not Prince anymore, your duty lies here. You cannot lead us if you are dead and you have not yet named a successor until you produce your own heir."
Yami let out a sigh. Mahado was right, there was nothing more he could do today. "I know. I just wish I could do more…"
Mahaddo frowned, falling into step behind Yami as he headed towards his new chambers where he knew the Mages would be waiting for him. There were plenty of explanations to be given on both sides tonight.
"You have done plenty," Mahaddo assured, "You saved all of our lives from Akefia's monster and sent him running for the hills."
"He'll be back," Yami said, "He wants revenge on me for something my father did, he won't give up."
"You speak as if you know him," Mahaddo said suspiciously, "You even recognized him in the throne room."
"I know someone who knew him," he replied evasively, "I suspected a confrontation might happen, but I never imagined anything like what happened tonight."
"One of your Secret Court?"
Yami hesitated and then nodded shortly. "Remember, those six have, without a shred of doubt, proven their loyalty to me. They are in no way responsible for the events of tonight."
"I didn't think they were," Mahaddo assured quickly, "Do you know what your father did that made this man want to seek revenge so badly?"
"Unfortunately, I do, and I can't say I blame him, only that his anger is misplaced."
"...You won't tell me will you?"
"It's not because I don't trust you. It's just that it's not my story to tell."
Mahaddo seemed to accept this answer and the two walked in silence the rest of the way to Yami's new chambers. Yami's thoughts turned to the overall events of the evening. Break-ins to the palace were rare, but not unheard of. With all the celebrations and open gates today, Yami figured he really shouldn't have been too surprised that an assassin had managed to find his way in. However, two intrusions in a single evening… either he had the worst harbinger for the start of his reign, or fate was not hesitating to kick events into high gear.
"Did you find anything out when you went to check on security earlier?" Yami broke the silence. There were just around the corner to his chambers now.
"Ah, yes, actually," Mahaddo said awkwardly, "You see… Mana had been practicing some spells – without my permission or supervision of course! – and it appears she may have frozen some of the guards without knowing the counterspell."
"Mana?" Yami asked in disbelief. Mana was ultimately responsible for letting in an assassin? He knew his friend could be a bit of an airhead, but he thought she had more sense than to freeze guards on the evening of his coronation!
"She will be punished thoroughly, my lord," Mahaddo assured quickly, "Even though she is our friend and my apprentice, there is no excuse for her actions!"
"Does anybody else know what happened or who was responsible?" Yami asked, stopping in front of his door. Mahaddo shook his head, so he continued, "Keep it that way, and deal with her in private. I trust that you can make her see the errors of her ways and that we will not have a repeat of tonight. I don't need rumors started that one of my closest friends tried to have me killed. Nor do you need the reputation that your apprentice was somehow an accomplice to my attempted murder."
Mahaddo bowed gratefully. "Thank you, Pharaoh. Only you can be so forgiving."
"Perhaps," Yami mused quietly, "Or perhaps I am being selfish in not wanting to have to publicly humiliate and renounce one of my oldest friends."
"Either way, I am grateful for your kindness. I will leave you now and go make sure Mana fully understands the consequences of her actions as well as the grace you are extending to her."
"Make sure you rest tonight. With Akefia out there, we may not get much of it in the coming days."
"We will not let him get away, *****," Mahaddo assured, "He caught us off guard tonight, that is all. With the Millennium Items and the power of the Shadows on our side, he won't be a threat for long."
"For the sake of Egypt, I hope you are right."
I know the Mages didn't really have a big role in this chapter, but they'll have bigger roles later on, promise.
Did you know that the coronation of pharaohs usually lasted a year because of all the ceremonies and festivals they held? 'Cause I sure as heck didn't. It kinda throws a wrench in my writing if I take into account that actual historical fact, so we're gonna pretend that it doesn't exist in this universe.
Please review :)