The mage awakens

It was a day like the others for young Yugi Muto. Wake up, go to school, make a bingo grid out of his exam sheet, stay in class rather than going to play basketball… The usual. Until he decided to play with his favorite puzzle and the case was snatched by Joey. Annoyance rose in Yugi's chest. It wasn't the first time the diminutive teenager suffered from the bully. Far from it. But that Joey had targeted his puzzle made him, for some reason, especially angry. Great Dragon, it was his treasure!

Wait, where did this come from?

And where did he get the idea of bouncing on the wall to catch the case in midair like he was a free-runner?

He could look for the answers later. For the time being, he decided to use Joey's surprise to flee the classroom. There was a spot on the school's roof where he could work the puzzle.

On a building's roof, a bipedal white dragon with an artificial arm looked at the school. An Egyptian in linen robes came to his side.

"His memories are returning."

"It is a little later than usual." The dragon frowned. "Usually, they return when he is thirteen."

"Signers recover their memories during teenage. Never before, and never after. You know this, Silence."

"I do, Shadi. The period before a Signer recovers his memories is always the most dangerous for them. They are unaware of their true identity and lack the experience and abilities that make them so feared. Then the Mark appears, their memories trickle down and their foes start hunting them. A chance we're there. There is little that can stand in the path of a dragon, even today."

Shadi smiled. At the age of tanks, machine guns, guided missiles and fighter jets, Signer dragons still managed to prevail, combining pure firepower with – depending the Signer – up to several millennia of experience. Dragon of Silence would hit his third millennia in a few decades. He himself was only one generation younger. His own partner, Oath-Keeper Dragon, landed to his side. The creature was bipedal as well but bronze of scales, spotted two sets of wings and wore jewelry. The jewels looked Egyptian, a set of wrist and ankle bands etched with hieroglyphs with a horned diadem on his brows and a heavy cartouche for a necklace.

The dragon wasn't called Oath-Keeper for nothing. He and Shadi had made a vow and the hieroglyphs were a constant reminder of it, just like Dragon of Silence and his partner hardly spoke, but every word they said mattered. There were four others, all equally meaningful, but only Wild Hunter Dragon and his partner were awake among them. Shadi had contacted the Signer. Their reunion had been very heartfelt. They always were. Over the ages, reincarnating Signers developed bonds close to family. Coming back to it was always a joyful, often tearful thing. Some Signers even developed existence-long romantic bonds that led to the tales of the reincarnating lovers. Among the Viridian Signers, the Hunter and the Assassin were that kind of couple, just like the Star and the Thorn were among the Crimson Signers and the Golden Paladin and Healer.

Back home, Yugi kept working on his puzzle. He was proud to say he made good progress, and Trudge, though a bit scary, was actually pretty nice. He had still turned down his offer to deal with his bullies. A bundle of confidence in his chest reassured him he could take care of them if Joey and Tristan started again. The next day was where things went south.

For starters, Trudge had beaten Joey and Tristan. Then he had the guts to ask Yugi to pay him for the deed. Yugi saw it for what it was: extortion.

"I'm not paying money for something I never asked for in the first place." He retorted coldly. "You won't have a single cent from me, Trudge."

"Really?"

Trudge's goons closed on him. Unfortunately, Yugi was small. Small enough people mocked him for it. But being small also meant being hard to catch. The teen slipped between the goon's legs like an eel and ran away, too fast to be caught. He heard Trudge curse loudly after him but he didn't care. He made a beeline for his home and worked on his puzzle again. Caught as he was in his foul mood, he didn't notice the foreign words that slipped in his mind, mingling seamlessly with his thoughts. In the meantime, his hands were working on the puzzle, slotting the pieces together. Adjust here, fasten there, slip it over and… the final piece was missing. The curse that escaped the teen was in three different languages, including Nahuatl and Sanskrit.

Yugi sighed.

"What a day…"

Nearby, unseen by all, Dragon of Silence held the missing piece.

"The Millennium Puzzle… Shadi, this is bad."

"I know, Silence. We aren't ready."

"Three thousand years ago, Sinuhe made the vow to find a way to counter the magic of the Millennium. Eons have gone, and we found a grand total of nothing. There isn't a single magic we found that could counter the Millennium Items. And now, they are waking up…"

Shadi frowned deeply.

"The puzzle contains the Prime Evil and the soul of our pharaoh. If it were to be complete…"

"The Puzzle contains His soul, but it isn't the only thing that contains the Prime Evil. No, its main vessel is the Ring. The Scepter and the Eye have also been corrupted, but not as much. The Puzzle and the Ring are the ones we should pay extra caution to."

"Are you going to give the piece back?"

Dragon of Silence considered.

"We aren't ready. We haven't found a magic capable of countering that of the Millennium. On the other hand, we aren't alone anymore. Sinuhe was the first Viridian Signer. Over the ages, more joined us until the Viridian Dragon had all six agents: The Head, the Front Claw, the Heart, the Wing, the Rear Claw and the Tail. The Viridian Heart, the youngest of all Signers, was chosen in 1919, one year short of a century ago. This incarnation will be their third."

"On the other hand, we are somewhere around three millennia old – a bit younger for me. And our allies are powerful in their own right."

"Yes, that's the crux of the problem." Dragon of Silence frowned. "Can we currently afford the risk of completing the Puzzle and awaken the Great Evil and the Nameless Pharaoh? On one hand, we haven't found a magic to challenge the Millennium. On the other, we aren't alone and the support of the other Signers could help us prevail. So, do we risk it?"

Shadi took the Millennium Key. In the incarnation before he became a Signer, it was his Item. He remembered its power. Looking back at it, the whole idea of the Millennium Items had been stupid. Sure, Pharaoh Akhnamkhanen had used them to bring peace to Egypt, but it had come with a cost. Said cost had bit them back shortly after the Pharaoh's eldest son had succeeded him, in the shape of a young man with immaculate hair, a fierce desire for revenge and the powers of a profoundly evil entity.

The War of the Millennium had ravaged Egypt. It had cost the live of all of them. First had been Mahad, at the hand of the Thief King. Then his sworn brother, Kalim, who had given him his own life force. Then Isis and old Siamun Muran, who bought time for their Pharaoh to reach the Great Evil. He himself had died taking a blow for his king, shielding him with his body. Then, by peering in the past, he had learned that Akhenaden had fallen under the sway of the Great Evil and his own son, Seto, had died taking him along. Finally, their Pharaoh had sealed away the Great Evil and his own soul within the Millennium Pendant, giving up his life and his name in the process.

There had been only two survivors: Mahad's apprentice Mana, and Sinuhe. But not for long. After making the preparations for the tombs of the Pharaoh and his Court, Sinuhe had gone to a temple and prayed. He had never left it, not alive. Instead, he had become the first Viridian Signer, losing his life to be reincarnated. When his memories returned in his next life, he had made a vow: that he would know no rest until he had found a way to save the Pharaoh and put an end to the magic of the Millennium. Then he had met Shada, who had become a Signer shortly after.

Now, here they were, with a dilemma on their hand.

"Let us risk it." Shada decided. "Worst comes to pass, we can always seal them again. I am functionally immortal, anyway. The only way to remove me from the board is to seal me, and the last time it happened, the other Signers were furious. I will keep watch like I always did."

"Like you always did… The reason the Millennium is waking up is because you weren't watching closely enough!"

Shada massaged his right arm. A dragon's head of vibrant viridian color was drawn on it.

"It is more than that. Fate is at work. It isn't just my lack of caution, the Great Evil is rousing from its sleep. The Millennium is meant to awaken now. Whether we crush it or seal it will be up to us. I would prefer it be destroyed..."

"Then let us awaken the Pharaoh. We will need his help."

The next day, Yugi found the missing piece on his desk. He swiftly pocketed it and decided to complete it home. But, as always, Fate had something else in mind. His arm started aching during midday, shortly after lunch. It was also the time Trudge cornered him, about the same time Joey and Tristan found him. What happened afterwards was extremely quick.

Trudge, furious that Yugi kept giving him the slip, decided to give him a beating.

Joey and Tristan wanted revenge on Trudge and talk to Yugi about how he had stood up to the bully.

Yugi wanted to run like hell.

The ache on his right arm became a flare of pain, as if someone was branding him with hot iron. The teen collapsed, screaming.

"It burns! It burns!"

Joey turned to Tristan.

"Take him away! Find some cold water! I'll deal with Trudge."

Then he turned to the bully who raised a brow.

"You think it will happen any differently than last time?"

Joey balled his fists and rushed him. He didn't win.

Meanwhile, Tristan took Yugi to a bathroom and opened the faucet, leaving cold water soothe the burning. What bothered him, however, was the mark that was glowing an eerie red light on the smaller teen's arm. It had the shape of a toothy face. Finally, the mark stopped glowing to reveal a beautiful green shade. Yugi fell on his knees.

"Ow, this hurt."

"You tell me. You looked in genuine pain."

"It felt like someone was putting hot iron on my skin. Thanks, Taylor."

"You're welcome. Come on, let's check on Joey. Either he or Trudge should have won, by now. Though my bet isn't on Joey."

Knowing how big and bulky Trudge was, Yugi agreed. They were right. They found Joey battered and bruised on the ground. Tristan carried him to the infirmary. Inside, Yugi was livid. He, Joey and Tristan may have their disagreements and the pair might even bully him at time, but they had never beaten him or done something like extortion. Silently, he wished he had a way to get back at Trudge.

"Speaking of, well done back then. Not many who have the guts to stand up to that bastard. You don't look like it, but you're pretty brave for someone so small."

"Thanks."

That night Yugi took his puzzle and the missing piece. Outside, Shada and Dragon of Silence watched.

"It happened. His Mark has appeared. It is only a question of time until Sinuhe's memories return in earnest."

Shada smiled.

"Baring the Crimson Signers, Sinuhe is one of the oldest of our kind. One of the strongest as well. Not many who can match the Archmage of Silence in terms of power."

"The Supreme Kind of the Elements could. The two of them worked together to codify Elemental Magic. A shame what happened to him."

Shada closed his eyes. Since they reincarnated, there weren't many ways to keep a Signer out for long. Unfortunately, they existed and, for all their might, Signers weren't invincible. They could be defeated, they could be sealed and, if they met an entity powerful enough – like the Light of Destruction or the Earthbound Immortals – they could suffer in their soul and their Mark.

In his room, Yugi made his mind and completed the puzzle. Then he felt his mind fall in a black hole and be embraced by a warm, comforting presence.

Don't worry, my other self. I will protect you. I promise. No one will ever hurt you again. I won't let them.

Yugi let himself be embraced by the presence. Then he knew nothing. He awoke the next day like nothing happened and went to school as usual. Except he found Trudge, deliriously playing with fallen leaves as he rambled about money. It was clear he had lost his mind, but no one knew what had caused it.

In the meantime, Tristan and Joey seemed friendlier than usual. They had even stopped bullying him. Yugi decided to count his blessings and welcome their friendship. They were joined midday by Yugi's oldest friend, Tea Gardner. The girl was fierce but kind-hearted, and quite pretty on top of that. It surprised the teen that she was still willing to hang with him. Because, between his short size, mellow demeanor and fondness for games, Yugi wasn't exactly popular.

Shada and Dragon of Silence watched with worry in their eyes.

"Well, that happened."

"Our Pharaoh has lost none of his skills for games." Shada winced. "On the other hand, he is much darker than I remember. And, of course, his memories are gone. That he can possess your partner like this is more than a little worrisome."

"Don't sell Sinuhe short, Shada. For now, our Pharaoh can possess Yugi because none of his magical talents have come back. But Sinuhe and our Pharaoh were close. Once Partner remembers who he is, he will not only be able to block the possession, but also remind our Pharaoh of his true identity."

"Except for that part."

"Right. His name. Awake or not, our Pharaoh cannot remember his name, not until we have a means to defeat the Great Evil and end the Millennium permanently."

Shada sighed.

"Wait and see."