It was a fierce battle between the pharaoh and his priest, Seto. After Aknadin managed to take control of Seto, they engaged in a battle that included a blue haired woman by the name of Kisara, who is the host of the Blue Eyes White Dragon. It seemed the pharaoh would be powerless against such a powerful monster, using his Dark Magician to aid him in battle. But the bond between Kisara and Seto proved to be too strong for Aknadin to retain his control over Seto and she was able to snap him out if it, though she ended up losing her life in the midst of it all and ended up sealed within the tablet of the Blue Eyes White Dragon.
The pharaoh watches Seto place a sheet over the deceased woman, giving him a moment to mourn. He feels anxious to get back to Mana, knowing that she is more than likely facing off against Cairo at this very moment. Knowing the potential of Cairo's power, he doesn't want her to face Cairo alone.
"Has the Dark One fully awakened yet?" Seto asks, walking up to him.
"Not yet. But we have another problem." Seto looks at him questionably, but before he can ask any further questions, their eyes quickly go to the sky. Off in the distance, Cairo lands a heavy blow to Mana, sending her hurdling through a building. The impact is so strong that the already debilitated building begins to collapse.
"What in Ra's name is going on?!" Seto exclaims as he and the pharaoh look on, stunned by the scene unfolding in front of them. "Why are the queen and princess engaging in combat?"
The pharaoh grits his teeth. "It's the Dark One. He took control over Cairo. My guess is he did it to try and weaken us and to buy himself more time to fully be reborn."
"Mana may not be as skilled as Mahad, but she should still be able to handle it," Seto says. "So why does it appear that she is struggling?"
"That may have been the case in the past. But with Cairo's new dark abilities, it looks like she has received a significant boost in power."
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Mana grunts as she crashes through the building and hits the floor. She is barely given enough time to recover when she feels the surface beneath her begin to crumble, as well as the ceiling above. "GAH!" she screams, shutting her eyes and crossing her arms over her face. She grips her wand tightly as it begins to glow, causing her to stop falling midway and a protective magical bubble surrounds her while the debris fall around her.
Still floating in midair, she opens her eyes, only to see that Cairo has sent a powerful blast her way. "Aw, come on!" Mana yells, bracing herself once more for impact. Luckily for her, Hasan quickly steps in, deflecting the attack and standing protectively in front of Mana.
"She will not be easy to take down." Hasan says, keeping his eyes on Cairo who descends down to the ground.
"Yeah, no kidding."
"Perhaps we should try attacking together."
Mana stands tall and twirls her wand a few times before placing it over her shoulder, narrowing her eyes as the possessed Cairo begins to walk toward them. Seeing those darkened eyes of hers is heart wrenching. Why does it have to come to this? The last thing she wants to do is go face to face with her daughter, but what choice does she have?
"Mana!" the pharaoh calls out to her, running alongside Seto to their location.
"You're back!" Mana exclaims, relieved to see them both, especially with Seto having gone missing.
"What a mess," Seto comments, noting the destroyed buildings with smoke still rising from them, despite the fires being put out. "What's the plan?"
"Uh…" Mana blushes and rubs the back of her head and Seto face palms.
"You don't have one?"
"These are very unique circumstances, Seto," Mana grumbles under breath with a pout. "I'm up against my own flesh and blood here."
"Trust me, I know the feeling…" Seto responds, thinking back to his now late father that was recently defeated in battle.
"There is still a faint trace of the princess," Hasan says, bringing all of their attention of him. "But there's not much time."
"I knew it…" Mana says to herself. That's when an idea pops into her head. Clearly just talking to Cairo might not do the trick since she doesn't seem to be responding. Nor is knocking some sense into her. "I think I got it."
"What do you plan to do?" the pharaoh asks, noticing the sudden look of determination in Mana's eyes. Has she come up with a plan to save her? Would that even be possible?
"It's requires a lot of energy, but I'm going to try and enter Cairo's mind," Mana says. "I just need someone to buy me some time."
"Very well then," the pharaoh says, stepping forward to summon his most trusted monster.
"Wait, my king," Seto steps in front of him with his arm outstretched. "You took a lot of damage from our previous battle. You need to rest."
Mana raises an eyebrow. "Your previous battle? You two fought each other?"
"It's a long story," the pharaoh looks away and Mana blinks with confusion.
Cairo's fists begin to emit a purple hue as she slowly makes her approach toward them, immediately putting them all on guard. Seto raises his diadhank into the air. "Come forth, Duos!" In a flash of light, a monster wielding a gigantic blade appears in front of him, pointing it at Cairo who is unfazed by its appearance. "GO!"
The monster dashes toward the girl, lifting it's blade into the air and Cairo only stands there calmly. Mana grits her teeth, in fear for Cairo's life as Duos is a powerful monster. She finds herself wanting to jump in and save her and her feet begin to move on its on, slowly edging forward until she feels a hand on her wrist. Looking over her shoulder, she sees the pharaoh. His naturally narrowed eyes still hold that stoic gaze that he is known for, but it also shows a hint of worry as well.
"You must focus," he says, remaining strong despite what's going on.
"But…"
"I know…" He gives her wrist a gentle squeeze. He knows how hard this must be for her to watch this, because it is hard for him as well. He has seen Cairo engage in combat many times, fighting off an evil foe. But this time around is different. This time, she is the one they're up against.
Mana turns her head back, watching as Duos is about to strike. It almost seems as if Seto's monster will make contact, but Cairo simply raises one hand, catching Duos's blade with ease, causing everyone's eyes to go wide.
"Impossible!" Seto exclaims. With an emotionless look on her face, she uses the blade to lift Duos completely off it is feet before shooting a dark blast to its torso. Seto clutches the same area his monster has taken a hit and he grimaces.
"Seto!" Mana yells with concern.
"Don't worry about me. Just focus on what you need to do so we can bring her back!"
Hasan leaps forward, just as Cairo is about to land another blast to Duos and he manages to knock her back into a building with a punch. Mana trembles a little, watching Hasan engage in combat with her daughter. She knows that Cairo is under the control of the dark one, but it doesn't make it any easier. In fact, her anxiety is sky high, wondering what the outcome will be. Will her plan work? Or will it fail?
She shakily crosses her arms over chest and closes her eyes, trying to block out any outside distractions. The pharaoh watches as a pink aura surrounds her while she chants a spell. Maybe, just maybe she can prevent Cairo from doing any further damage and snap her out of it. He can only hope at this point.
'You're our last hope, Mana.' If her plan doesn't work, he shutters to think about what will come next.
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Previously looking for any clues on the pharaoh's name, Yugi and the others emerge from the palace after hearing the explosions and commotion from the outside. They watch as several of the pharaoh's priests guide any survivors from the village inside the palace walls, where they will be safe.
"What's happening?" Téa asks as several people run past her.
Yugi looks through the entryway of the gates and looks to the small silhouette in the air, engaging in a battle. "That looks like Cairo…"
"Hm?" Joey looks to Yugi and then in the direction of where he is looking, just as Cairo gets knocked down. "I think Cairo's in trouble!"
"Then what are we waiting for?" Tristan asks. "Let's go help her!"
"Hold on you guys," Yugi says, just as the three of them are about to run in the direction of the fight.
"What's up Yug?" Joey asks, looking over his shoulder.
"I think this is it."
"What do you mean?" Téa looks him questionably, not knowing what he is getting at initially.
"Think of it you guys! Cairo was banished to the Shadow Realm for a reason!" Yugi points out. "This must be the battle that led up to it!"
"So that would mean the pharaoh is in danger!" Téa concludes to which Yugi nods his head.
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Cairo emerges from the building that she was previously knocked into and begins to engage in hand to hand combat. Hasan is able to block her attacks, while managing to land a few hits of his own initially. But as time goes on, Cairo begins to take the upper hand.
"This isn't good. She's learning as she fights," Yami observes, his eyes darting from left to right in order to keep up with their quick movements.
Duos intercepts just as Cairo is about to blast Hasan and barely slashes her on her right side. She lets out a growl before placing her palm on Duos's face and blasting it directly. Seto cries out, grasping his face and hunching over as smoke emits from it.
"No, Seto!" The pharaoh runs to his aid and looks at him with worry. "Are you alright?" He glances over at Mana who is still charging up her spell, knowing that they are running out of time. The more time that goes by, the more Cairo adjusts and gets stronger. And not only that. She will sink further into the darkness and any attempts of snapping her out of it will fail.
After landing a flying kick at Hasan, Cairo eyes Mana and suddenly charges at her to Yami and Seto's horror. "Mana, watch out!" Seto warns, unable to move quickly enough due to the previous damage he has sustained. Just as Mana opens her glowing pink eyes from chanting her spell, she witnesses the pharaoh tackle Cairo just as she is about attack her. The father and daughter tumble and roll as they hit the ground before coming to a complete stop.
As soon as the pharaoh recovers from the fall, he quickly rolls to the side to avoid a punch from Cairo. Her fist lands right next to his face, creating a small crater in the ground and he grits his teeth. He catches a glimpse of her eyes that show absolutely no emotion or any type of remorse for her actions. They're almost robotic as if someone else is handling the reins.
"Cairo, listen to me!" he says and he dodges another punch, stumbling to his feet and creating distance between them. "I know you're in there!" His eyes widen in horror when she outstretches her hand and shoots a dark energy ball at him.
"NO!" Mana yells.
"Pharaoh!" Seto clings onto his face, grimacing.
Yami dives out of the way and the blast hits the ground inches away from him and blowing him back in the process. He lets out a grunt, hitting the ground hard. He attempts to stand, but his legs collapse under his weight and he falls to his hands in knees. The previous battle with Seto has left him drained, his breathing is labored and his heart is pounding. Seeing a shadow appearing above him, his heads shoots up in alarm and he draws in a breath, seeing Cairo's glowing palm only inches away from him.
'No…' He narrows his eyes as the light becomes bigger and the heat emitting from the magical sphere becomes nearly unbearable to be around. 'Not like this…'
Right at the moment where Cairo is about to launch her attack, Mana suddenly appears behind her, placing both of her palms of her hands on Cairo's temple, causing the girl to scream as static appears around the both of them. Feeling a shockwave shoot through her own body, Mana lets out a cry as well as she attempts to enter Cairo's mind.
"Mana!" Even with her glowing pink eyes, he can see that this spell is causing her a lot of pain and anguish. Without thinking, he reaches out his hand and makes contact with the electricity, and his body jerks back abruptly. As his world becomes dark, the last thing he sees is Seto and Hasan running over to his aid.
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Cairo's Mind—
"AUGH!" He can feel himself falling through an endless amount of darkness and he braces himself for any impact that may come. Hearing another voice screaming, he looks to the side of him, seeing Mana falling as well. Regaining his composure, he is able to move toward her as they free fall and he grabs hold of her hand.
Not expecting him to be there too, she gasps. "How'd you get here?" Before he can answer, their falling comes to a complete stop and soon they find themselves standing on a flat surface. The sound of Cairo's screams echo all around them, immediately putting them on alert. "Where is she?"
Yami looks ahead and sees a gray door at a distance. He doesn't remember it being there a few seconds ago, appearing to have just popped up out of nowhere. "I have a feeling she's just beyond that door." Her screams continue and they begin to run toward the door that sits in the midst of all the darkness.
"We're coming, Cairo!" Mana yells out, picking up the speed and surpassing the pharaoh a little.
"Careful Mana," the pharaoh warns her as they continue to run. "There might be..." Suddenly, there are a flashes of lightning and thunderbolts that shoot down to the ground, making them stop. Multiple skeleton figures appear, all wielding swords and they edge up to the pharaoh and Mana, preparing to attack. "…Traps…" the pharaoh finishes his initial sentence.
Mana whips out her wand, feeling impatient and anxious to get to Cairo, and she shoots a magical blast toward one of them, disintegrating them and only leaving the sword it once wielded. That simple motion leaves Mana out of breath and she hunches over to her hands and knees, breathing heavily.
"Are you alright?" the pharaoh asks, growing concerned.
"I think I may have underestimated this spell," she pants, referring to the spell she used to get them there in the first place. "I don't know how much longer I can keep us here."
The pharaoh stands up and eyes the sword that is laying on the ground and he clenches his fists. "Then let me handle them." He charges at the skeleton figures, picking up the sword in the process, and he begins engaging in sword combat, dodging attacks before landing finishing blows, one by one. They are quickly running out of time and he knows it. This is their final chance to attempt to get Cairo back to her normal self before the darkness fully takes over.
"Behind you!" Mana warns, charging behind the skeleton that is about to attack the pharaoh. She whacks it with her wand, stunning it for a second before it lifts up its sword to counterattack. The pharaoh grabs Mana by the arm, quickly maneuvering so that she is behind him and he blocks the attack. He then kicks the skeleton back and slices it in half, leaving none left.
"Let's go!"
They burst through gray door and the atmosphere is seemingly the same as before, not to mention empty. Hearing a grunt, the pharaoh's eyes go up and he gasps, seeing Cairo above them, stuck to the ceiling and appearing to be consumed by thick, black liquid. Only her face, torso and part of her arms and legs are visible while the rest of her body is covered in darkness.
"Mom! Dad!" she cries out, with tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Hang on!" Yami yells up to her.
Mana closes her eyes, causing an aura to appear around the both of them and they levitate up to where Cairo is. Then they both grab hold of her exposed arms and try to physically remove her. But the more they try to, the more she begins to sink. "This isn't working," Mana grumbles between clenched teeth.
"Fools," a demonic voice echoes through the air. "She belongs to me, now!"
"Let her go!" the pharaoh demands, recognizing the voice as Zorc.
"I'm sorry…" Cairo whimpers and the pharaoh and Mana turn their sights back on her. "I should have just stayed home. I'm sorry." More tears stream down her cheeks as more of her body begins to disappear through the darkness.
"This isn't your fault," Mana assures her, brushing her black bangs out of her face and wiping her daughter's tears.
"What's happening to me?" She begins to sink deeper and Mana can see her eyes are losing the light it once had. Her expression is blank and even though Cairo is looking in her direction, she feels as though she is looking right through her.
Mana quickly whips out her wand and points it at Cairo, chanting a spell and an aura appears the girl. "If we can't move you physically, then perhaps my magic will do the trick!" She grunts, using all her strength to attempt to free Cairo. Slowly, she can see Cairo's body beginning to emerge from the darkness, but it isn't moving quick enough and using a lot of her energy in the process. She begins to feel light headed and her body begins to feel weak. "I'm…not…giving up…"
Seeing another pair of hands on her wand, she gasps and looks up to see Yami holding on to the wand as well. "Hang in there!" he yells out to Cairo before looking over at Mana with a determined look in his eyes and nodding. That simple motion gives Mana a burst of energy. No matter how strenuous this may be, they can't give up. Cairo is counting on them.
With the combined strength of the pharaoh and Mana, Cairo begins to emerge even more from the darkness as they both let out a cry, using all the strength they have. "We're almost there! Don't give up!" the pharaoh yells. He finds himself wondering if this current event leads up to Cairo's demise. Maybe, just maybe, this strays away from what happened 5,000 years ago and they are miraculously able to change what happened, saving Cairo and freeing her from the darkness. Maybe she won't have to be locked in the Shadow Realm for all eternity.
The more they free her, the more he becomes optimistic. She is now free from the waist up, which is more than she was when they initially got there. But that optimism soon fades when flashes of lightning begin striking around them, wavering their focus.
A laugh echoes around them. "You think I'm just going to let you take her that easily?" Zorc says. A bolt of lightning shoots down, striking the both of them and sending them hurdling to the ground, followed by more laughter from Zorc.
The pharaoh grimaces and struggles to get to his hands and knees. He hears a light groan and his head whips over to Mana, who is also having a hard time getting up. "Are you alright?" he asks. But before she can answer, they hear a scream from up above as Cairo is completely absorbed by the darkness to Mana and the pharaoh's horror.
"CAIRO!" the pharaoh yells.
"NO!" Mana screams as tears form in her eyes.
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Yami's eyes flutter open and he grimaces. Seeing a few blurry figures hovering above him, he blinks a few times to fully regain his vision. He is shocked to see Yugi and the others surrounding him, looking at him with concern. "Yugi…?"
"Are you alright?" Yugi asks, his eyes filled with worry.
Feeling a little discombobulated, he sits up and puts a hand up to his head. Nearby, Seto lies unconscious, leaning up against a boulder after a brief standoff with Cairo and Yami's gasps. "What happened?"
Téa lowers his eyes. "It's Cairo. It looks like she's completely lost control and has lost all sense of who she is or anyone else for that matter."
His eyes go wide and it suddenly hits him. "Where's Mana?" They were previously together trying to free Cairo from Zorc's evil grasp. But the last thing he remembers is his daughter sinking further into the darkness after that surprise attack from Zorc.
So does that mean they have failed?
His answer comes in the form of an explosion from up above, causing all of them to look up as Mana and Cairo collide fists in midair, trying to overtake the other. How long has he been out cold for?
"They've been going at it for a few minutes now," Tristan says. "But Mana is holding her own."
"Yeah, but for how long?" Joey questions, noticing Cairo is slowly beginning to take the upper hand as time goes on.
Cairo aims a punch at Mana who quickly dodges, managing to restrain both of her daughter's arms while floating behind her.
"Foolish woman," Cairo says with a demonic voice mixed with Zorc's. "The daughter you love is far gone now."
In a last attempt to sense Cairo's presence, Mana's eyes briefly glow pink. She can feel her heart shatter when she can no longer feel Cairo's energy. As much as it pains her to admit it, Zorc is right. No matter how much she tries to concentrate, there seems to be no trace of Cairo left.
Yami grits his teeth, overhearing the words exchanged with Mana. "No…it can't be…" Their efforts of saving Cairo have failed and his worst fear is beginning to come to light.
Feeling Mana's grasp weakening, Cairo slams her head back into Mana's face. Mana cries out, clenching onto her bloodied nose with one hand and using her free hand to block a kick. "There's only one thing you can do to stop all of this," Cairo says, grinning before attempting to land another punch, but she is blocked once again. "Go ahead. Kill me."
"There's one thing you can do as well. Release my daughter!" Mana counters, roundhouse kicking the smaller magician, sending the girl hurdling to the ground. She refuses to believe that killing her is the only way. She still holds out hope that she can break through somehow. But the more she tries to sense Cairo, the more her heart begins to race. Has she really failed? Is her daughter really no more and completely controlled by the darkness?
Her body begins to tremble and she holds her arms, her eyes lowering to the ground as she continues to float in the air. Now what?
"Mana…" Yami gazes up at her, seeing her body shake even from where he's standing. From her strenuous spell to her current emotional state, he doesn't know how much longer she can go on. He looks over to Cairo who is beginning to get up and he stands protectively in front of his friends. He still hasn't fully regained the strength to summon monsters, but he will not allow any harm to come to Yugi, Téa, Tristan and Joey.
Cairo stands with her hand outstretched toward the pharaoh and the others. Most people in this time haven't been able to see Yugi and the others, but with the Dark One's abilities and mind infused with Cairo's, he is able to see them just fine. And assuming they're around the pharaoh, they must be his friends. "Since it appears the queen doesn't have any more fight left within her, I'll finish you off with ease now that you're defenseless." She snickers and looks up at Mana who seems to be frozen with fear. "It's a shame. I would have expected more from the Queen of Egypt. Oh well…"
And with that, she shoots a powerful blast at the huddled group. Yami closes his eyes, waiting for the immense pain that he is sure will come. But at the last possible second, Mana swoops down, using her own body as a shield and she cries out, feeling the blast burning through her skin. An explosion follows after, blowing everyone back in different directions.
An amused expression fills Cairo's face, watching as Mana stumbles to her feet, hunched over and bloodied. "So you still have some fight left in—" Mana suddenly shoots a powerful blast of her own to Cairo's surprise, blowing the girl back. Before Cairo has time to recover, Mana charges forward, landing punches and kicks at a quick pace, using whatever strength she has left.
"Pharaoh!" Yugi yells and he runs up to him and helps him up to his feet. Joey and the others begin to stand after the impact of the blast and join their side as well.
"I can't believe she's still going after that critical hit she just took," Tristan says with disbelief.
"This is Cairo's mother we're talking about," Joey points out, though still shocked himself. "And if they're anything alike, she's gonna give it all she's got til she can't fight no more."
"Are you alright?" Téa asks the pharaoh, who watches with a panicked expression.
"I can't let her go on," Yami replies between clenched teeth. Even with her being battered and bloodied, she still fights on. But he knows she is pushing herself well beyond her limits and he has to step in. He begins to take steps forward. "If this continues then she'll…" With each step, it progresses from a steady walk until it becomes a run. "I'll just have to use whatever I have to summon a monster."
"Pharaoh, wait!" Yugi calls after him.
"HYAHH!" Mana screams, blasting Cairo once again, who goes flying toward a nearby building. But soon, Cairo comes zooming back with a counter attack of her own. Mana crosses her arms over her body, being pushed back a few feet. Then she shoots a barrage of magical blasts at Cairo, who runs and dodges them until she is hit by a stray one.
Sensing someone running up from behind, Mana looks over her shoulder, seeing the pharaoh coming to her aid. Her eyes glow pink and she quickly whips around, aiming her hand in the pharaoh's direction to everyone's shock.
"What's she doing?" Téa asks, confused by Mana's actions.
The answer to the question is answered when a large force field appears around Yami and the others, just as he is about to reach her. "Mana, no!" the pharaoh protests, banging his fists against the shield. "Don't do this!"
Mana looks at him and smirks weakly. "Just buying you a little more time."
"MANA!" the pharaoh continues to protest, banging on the shield as hard as he can.
While Cairo is still down, Mana closes her eyes, focusing her remaining energy on this last attack. Her arms go across her chest and an aura appears around her. At this point, she has done all she can. Any chance of defeating Cairo will all fall on the pharaoh now, but if she can at least weaken her, that will still help immensely.
She feels a great amount of guilt, not being able to free Cairo. She has replayed events in her mind, wondering what she could have done differently to prevent this from happening. But her daughter was determined to help. She loved and hated that Cairo got those traits from both her and her father.
"I don't know if you can hear me…but I'm sorry Cairo," Mana begins as Cairo stands up and makes her way toward her. Her eyes open, revealing her glowing pink orbs and she glares at the evil being that now inhabits Cairo's body. "And to you…you're pathetic…using an innocent child to stall for your actual awakening. It may not be by my hands…" She glances back at the pharaoh and smirks. "…but your time is coming." Her body begins to glow brighter and she prepares to release all the energy that she is harvesting.
"Mana!" the pharaoh begs of her one last time for her to stop whatever she is about to do.
As Cairo comes charging, Mana lets out a large battle cry, throwing up her hands into the air and releasing a powerful explosion of energy that rocks the entire area. Yami and the other's are soon blinded by a huge light, while simultaneously trying to keep their balance. Trying to squint through the light and the smoke, Yami grits his teeth, worrying about the outcome. Who would be left standing? Would anyone be standing, for that matter?
He gasps as the smoke begins to clear and the force field around them disappears as well. The first thing he sees is a large crater right in front of where the force field once stood. But he doesn't see any signs of Mana or Cairo.
Yugi lifts his eyes and they soon go wide when he sees the outcome of Mana's final attack. "Oh no…"
"Did she win?" Tristan asks and Téa lowers her head, fearing the worst has occurred.
"This is awful…" Joey says, clenching his fist.
Yami hesitantly walks forward until he stands at the edge of the crater. His heart drops when he initially doesn't see any signs of life. He drops to his knees.
'Did Mana really sacrifice herself? Is she really…?'
He can't even bear to finish that sentence. And then his mind goes to that of Cairo. She is nowhere to be found either. The blast Mana let out was a powerful one and it appears that Mana may have been successful at actually defeating Cairo.
He feels a hand on his shoulder and looks up to see Yugi, Téa, Joey and Tristan surrounding him. "I'm…so sorry…" Yugi says. He knows the pharaoh is dealing with a lot of pain and anguish at this very moment. He has lost two important people in his life. His daughter and his wife. He can't even imagine what the pharaoh must be going through right now and the amount of heartbreak that he is currently feeling.
"So is that really it?" Tristan asks in disbelief. "We couldn't save Cairo and now Mana is gone too…?"
The wind blows softly and there is silence.
Téa's eyes lower to left portion of the crater as the dust blows through the wind. The more the wind blows, the more it seem to uncover something that was previously buried underneath. First she sees clothing, then an arm and leg and finally a face.
"Mana?" Téa says out loud, causing everyone to look at her before looking down to the crater.
With her body covered in numerous injuries and blood and bruises all over body, Mana lies lifelessly on the ground. The only things that are in motion are her hair and her clothes that blow through the wind.
"Mana!" the pharaoh cries out, quickly standing up and sliding down the crater while keeping his feet sturdy for balance. Once he reaches the bottom, he runs over and drops to his knees, using his hands to dig the rest of her body out and carefully lifting her up into his arms. His eyes water as he looks down at her with worry. No matter how many times he calls her name, she doesn't respond and her body feels frail.
"Why…?" he whimpers. "Why did you do that? Why did you stop me from helping you?" He slams his fist into the ground as the tears continue to fall. "No…I can't lose you too…"
He brings her closer to him, burying his face in the crook of her neck, silently beginning to sob. Much of his memory of Mana may still be somewhat blurry, but he always felt this immense bond with her from the moment he came back to this world. Her bubbliness, her humor, her strength and her love for her family are but a few things that describes her.
And now she's gone.
Or so he thinks.
Mana grimaces and coughs, much to Yami and the other's surprise and he quickly lifts his head to look at her. Her half lidded eyes look back up at him and she shakily raises her hand to cup his cheek, using her thumb to wipe his tears and he overlaps her hand with his.
"She's alive!" Joey exclaims, noticing movement from the older magician and Yugi, Téa and Tristan both sigh in relief.
"I thought I lost you," the pharaoh says, gazing down at her worriedly. He then looks across the length of the crater and Mana does the same. A fist bursts through the ground to everyone's shock and the pharaoh grits his teeth as Cairo begins to emerge with her eyes set on the both of them. Her body is also covered in injuries, but in comparison to Mana's, they don't seem as severe.
"It's up to you now," Mana says hoarsely and he looks down at her.
"But…"
Mana nods understandably. "I know…This isn't how I wanted things to go either," she says, her eyes beginning to water, but she quickly blinks them away in order to remain strong. "But if you don't…all of Egypt…and possibly the world…will be destroyed…"
"Pharaoh!" Yugi calls out to him as they all join him and Mana below. Yami stares at Cairo whose body begins to glow. She is hunched over, holding onto her arm and her eyes are narrowed at him. The moment he has dreaded has now come. It is time to defeat his daughter once and for all.
He lifts Mana up and turns to his friends.
"What do you need us to do pal?" Joey asks.
"Look after Mana for me," he replies.
"I got her," Tristan volunteers and they lift Mana onto his back.
"Be careful," Yugi says, watching as Cairo begins to approach and the pharaoh nods.
He turns to face Cairo as the others leave the crater and he narrows his eyes. It has all come down to this moment. And he has made a promise that he intends to keep.
"This ends now."
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AN: All of the chapters have led up to this moment! We are quickly approaching the conclusion to this story and I hope you're all enjoying it! Leave a review! ^_^