It felt like waking from a dream. That feeling of returning to the real world from somewhere that had seemed like more than it was. As Yuugi opened his eyes and glanced around the room, he was surprised to feel an odd weight on his lap. He glanced down at found Kiri sitting there, blinking his large eyes in confusion.

"What are you doing here?" Yuugi muttered.

"You summoned him," Ishizu replied.

Yuugi looked up at her and tilted his head to the side, trying to understand what she meant. Before he could say anything, though, motion caught his eye. He looked to his left and found Marik standing up ramrod straight, eyes dark, fists clenched.

"Marik, what-" Ishizu began, but her brother cut her off with a shake of his head. He opened his mouth as if to speak, then snapped it closed and just shook his head again. He repeated this odd sequence one more time before giving up and stalking from the room.

Rishid moved as if to follow. Before he could take more than two steps, Atemu took over Yuugi's body and said, "Wait."

All eyes turned to him as he rose to his feet. "I should be the one to talk to him. What he has learned... It is information that I will share with all of you soon, but not until I know that he is alright. Until then, you should reacclimatize yourselves to reality. If you have the time, and you likely will, I would also suggest bringing Rishid and Ishizu up to speed on what we have learned. It will save me a good deal of explaining upon my return."

With that, Atemu nodded and headed towards the door that Marik had left through. Before he could leave, though, Ishizu called out, "You do not want my or Rishid's assistance?"

He turned back and smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. "No. This is not something that you can help with. Once you learn what he has, you will likely be just as useless. After all, when I learned it, my near-immediate reaction was to seal my soul away with a demon."

With that, Atemu turned and left with Kiri floating right behind him. In their wake, all that remained was stunned silence.

Yuugi appeared by Atemu's side as soon as they'd left the sitting room. The former pharaoh could sense his partner's concern and curiosity across their link, but Yuugi gave voice to neither of these. Instead, he simply asked, "Do you want me to stay silent, distract you, or listen to you rant?"

"Distraction, please," Atemu replied. "Perhaps the details of how you returned my name and memories, now that such things can truly stay between us?"

Yuugi nodded and launched into a brief summary of what happened after he ran from the fight. By the time he was done, Atemu was smiling. "You never cease to amaze me, love, and you have quieted at least one fear. I do not think that the enemy will solve that one any time soon."

"I don't know. It wasn't that difficult," Yuugi said bashfully.

"No, not difficult at all. Anyone could do it. It is not as if there was a secret organization dedicated to the task for the past three-thousand years or anything," Atemu teased as he pushed open a door and stepped out into the late-afternoon sun. In the distance, he could see an archery range where a single bowman stood, rapidly firing arrows at a series of targets.

"Do you want me to leave you two alone for this?" Yuugi asked as Atemu stalked towards Marik.

"All I ask is that you remain silent. If you can commit to that, then your presence will be nothing but welcome. I have always found you a source of comfort, now even more so."

Yuugi nodded, smiling shyly. Atemu returned the smile, then took a deep breath and hardened his features, coming to a stop by Marik's side. After a moment's consideration, he asked, "Do you have a second bow?"

Marik paused, lowering his weapon and looking Atemu over. The sight of Kiri floating by the former pharaoh's side made the teen raise an eyebrow. Then he shrugged and tilted his head towards a nearby shed.

Atemu nodded and walked to the shed. A plethora of weapons hung from the walls, several of them well-made bows. Atemu took down the smallest of these, testing it's tension. It was clearly a training bow meant for a beginner or young child. Someone who had yet to develop an archer's muscles. Had Atemu been in his own body, it would have been far too weak for his tastes. However, it was perfect for Yuugi's untrained arms. He took the bow and a quiver of arrows, then glanced around the shed with a warrior's eye. Many of these weapons were unknown to him. Even the wall of bows had several unfamiliar options.

Gods willing, I will learn each of your names and functions before I leave Kemet, Atemu promised. Then he turned and left the shed, returning to the archery range. He soon lost himself to the familiar practice of nocking arrows and letting them fly. He was pleased to learn that, while he lacked his usual strength and speed, he still had his training. The arrows flew true, even more so than their ancient counterparts.

When the last arrow had hit its mark, he smirked and said, "Truly, the bowmen of my time would have wept to have weapons such as these. The consistency is incredible!"

"Modern manufacturing," Marik explained. "We don't use fletchers anymore. It's all made in factories using precision machines."

"The craft is dead?" Atemu asked, stunned.

Marik shrugged. "Mostly. People still do it, but it's more of a hobby, not a trade."

"I am starting to think that awakening without my memories was a blessing. Had I had them from the start, this would have all been overwhelming," Atemu admitted. As Marik chuckled lightly, the former pharaoh grinned and added, "Mind you, it still is in a sense, but far less so than it could have been."

Then he motioned to the distant targets. "Shall we retrieve our arrows and start anew?"

"Sure," Marik agreed, heading out onto the range. The duo went about their task in silence, gathering the arrows mechanically, then returning back to the firing line. When they had both depleted their quivers once again, Marik turned to Atemu and asked, "Why didn't you warn us? Warn me?"

"Warn you?" Atemu echoed, confused.

"About- about- you know. Bakura. What happened to him? Did you think it wouldn't come up?"

"I did not warn you for the simple reason that I did not remember until I regained the full force of my memories," Atemu explained, leaving Marik momentarily stunned.

"You got them back?"

"Yes. It was how I managed to summon a second god's monster."

"How?" Marik demanded.

"I shall be keeping the details of that to myself for now," Atemu decreed, tone serious. "We do not know if the enemy has some means of watching us."

For a moment, Marik looked like he was going to argue. Then he sighed and nodded. "Yeah, fair point, best to be paranoid. Still, congratulations. That's gotta be... honestly, I have no idea how it would feel."

"It was not a pleasant experience," Atemu admitted. "My missing memories contained the knowledge we so desperately need. They also contained a great deal of pain and anguish, both physical and mental. You likely understand that better than most, having unfortunately experienced one similar memory this day."

"Yeah," Marik muttered, looking out at the range. Then he sighed and sat down on the ground. Atemu joined him, but said nothing, allowing Marik to lead this conversation.

Eventually, the other teen took a deep breath and started talking. "I know that the ancient world wasn't a kind place. There's more than one story of horrific brutality being carried out by the rulers of Kemet, but it was all ancient history. This? This feels so much more real. I mean, I've been carrying that, that thing around my neck, not knowing- and Bakura. He looks so much like Ry and his name is Ry's last name and I'm terrified that my best friend is caught up in this somehow. Please tell me I'm wrong. Tell me he died in a fight or something."

Atemu grew solemn. "I will not lie to you like that. There is every chance that your friend is caught up in this. As far as I am aware, Bakura survived the attack on Kemet. Last I knew, he was also in possession of the item that you call the millennium ring. If my cousin and sister managed to pass their items down to their descendants, I see no reason why he should not have done the same."

Marik leaned forward, hiding his face in his hands, taking deep steadying breaths that shuddered on every exhale.

Kiri, who had been watching this all in silence, flew down, nudging at the anguished teen's hands. The unexpected contact seemed to calm Marik somehow. His harsh breathing gentling as he lowered his hands and studied the kuriboh with a curious look.

"Yuugi has given him the name 'Kiri', which he seems to approve of," Atemu explained. "He is quite friendly and overly fond of being pet."

Marik made a strange face. Then he reached out and cautiously scratched Kiri on the top of his head. Kiri let out a happy chirp and then flew down to perch himself in Marik's lap. The teen smiled and began to pet the kuriboh in earnest while muttering, "Sure, make yourself at home. Thanks for asking."

As Marik pet the kuriboh, Yuugi came to sit by Atemu's side, resting his head against his partner's shoulder in a silent show of support. Atemu smiled, placing his hand on his leg, palm upwards. Yuugi placed his transparent hand on top, palm downwards. The closest they could get to holding hands when they were in these forms.

Eventually, Marik spoke again. "Based on how quickly you showed up, I'm guessing you haven't filled the others in?"

"No. I thought it best to give them some time to reacclimatize first. I was also concerned for your well-being. I know what it is like to learn the truth from Bakura's lips. He does not soften the blow."

"Yeah, I'll say," Marik agreed. Then his face grew pensive. "How was he able to tell you, anyway? It's not like he could just waltz into the palace."

"His association with my uncle gave him access to places and things that should have been unattainable," Atemu replied, eyes darkening. "The two of them were able to find a way to... acquire the millennium ring. Our confrontation occurred soon after, when grief drove me to act rashly."

That statement made Marik and Yuugi stare at Atemu, both reaching the same conclusion. Yuugi remained silent, leaving Marik to ask, "Wasn't that Mahado's item?"

Atemu nodded, smiling sadly. "If one ignores my powers, he was easily the greatest threat."

"I'm sorry," Marik whispered.

"It is strange," Atemu replied. "Sealing my memories has apparently kept them painfully fresh. I know that millennia have passed and I have spent many months awake in this time, yet I also feel as if I only just cast my spell. As if Mahado has not yet been surrendered to the men of Anubis."

"You two were pretty close, huh?"

"I believe the modern term 'best friend' is the closest equivalent to what he was to me, though our respective roles made the relationship a strange one. I could not confide in him as I would have liked and he had to act with a level of reverence that I often found uncomfortable. The appellation still applies, though."

Silence fell again. Now that he was no longer focusing on keeping his voice steady, Atemu could feel waves of love and comfort flowing across his bond with Yuugi. He glanced down at his partner, smiling a silent thanks. Yuugi returned the smile and leaned up, pressing a ghostly kiss to Atemu's cheek. Then he returned to his previous position and the couple waited for Marik to speak again.

When he did, he did so while rising to his feet. "Okay, let's get this over with. If we're right, Ry's potentially in a world of danger. My pity party isn't going to save him. We need a plan and we need it soon."

An unpleasant feeling settled in the bottom of Atemu's stomach as he stared around the assembled group. This was not a conversation that he was looking forward to. He almost wanted to call Kiri to join him, but the kuriboh had been glued to Marik's side ever since the archery range. The Egyptian teen seemed to find comfort in the attention, so Atemu let the pair be.

The even better option was to have Yuugi curled against him, but the chair was too small to allow for that. It's location between a couch and a side table also made it impossible for Yuugi to stand by Atemu's side. At least, not where he could be seen and there was little point to purely physical contact when one could not feel the other.

Yuugi seemed to be having similar thoughts. He was currently standing in front of Atemu, taking in the situation with a frown. Eventually, he said, "I have an idea, but it might be a stupid one."

Atemu was intrigued. "You have said such things on many an occasion, yet not once have your fears proved true. Your ideas may sometimes be strange, but they are always brilliant."

"Okay, but you can still tell me if this won't help," Yuugi replied with a pointed look. Then he sat down in Atemu's lap, positioning himself so that he was sitting curled around his partner, arms wrapped around Atemu's neck. It was a position that would have been uncomfortable for both of them had Yuugi's ka had any kind of physical component. However, as it was, it was perfect. Atemu found himself fighting back both a smile and a blush.

"Still sticking to that whole 'brilliant' claim?"

"Yes. I quite like having you like this. It gives me a way to ground myself, should the need arise."

Yuugi nodded and smiled, curling closer and closing his eyes. After their time in the memory world, it felt a bit weird to look at Atemu and see his own face. However, when he closed his eyes like this and just listened to his partner talk, he could almost hear Atemu's true voice. There was something about the way his partner spoke that was so uniquely Atemu. Yuugi knew he could pick him out of a crowd of thousands based on speech-pattern alone.

As Yuugi got comfortable, Atemu took a deep breath and called the group's attention to himself. "It is time that we began. Before I delve into the details, you should know that my memories have been fully restored. The specifics of how this happened will not be discussed. There is no benefit to sharing them, only risk.

"What you need to know is the truth of both the items and our enemy.

"Magic flows in each of us, binding us to the great god Heka, one of the primordial deities of Kemet. All magic comes from him and his power is without limit. The very means by which the gods created life. The same cannot be said of his gifts to man. No mortal can hold the force of a god. All we can hold is a sliver. A drop in the Nile. Performing magic such as opening a portal or summoning a creature with god-like powers? That requires a great number of people to join together. Or, at least, the joining of the magic of a great number of people.

"This is where the items come in.

"They are amplifiers. Taking the abilities of a single person and multiplying them a hundred fold. Such a power cannot come from nothing, though. My uncle-" Atemu paused, let out a sigh, and then continued, "My uncle created the items through a barbaric act of sacrifice. He went to a small town in Kemet and took the lives of every person living there, save one. This well of power allowed him to open the gate to the world of duel monsters.

"That act alone would have been an atrocity against our people, but he did not stop there. Instead of honoring their sacrifice by providing them with proper burial, allowing their souls to cross into the duat, he somehow took them and fused them into seven items of great power. Whoever wields one of these has access not just to their own magic, but to the magic of a seventh of the town's population. It is through this power that we are able to wield duel monsters, keeping their powers to a select few. Without them, summoning most monsters would require an army of priests working together."

Atemu fell silent, allowing the information to sink in. He could see the shock and horror in his audience's eyes, but no one spoke. After a moment, he braced himself and glanced down at Yuugi, expecting to see a similar look on his love's face. Instead, he found Yuugi curled against him, eyes closed, hand draped over his own. There was a tension there, but the emotion coming across their link wasn't horror. It was concern. Concern for Atemu and how this was affecting him.

That simple act of love was enough to bolster Atemu, allowing him to continue his story. "When I first heard the tale of the dark god, I remember wondering how he came to know of our world. The answer is simple. He was all but summoned here. The ritual to open the gate was powered by death and brutality. Everything that he stands for. It is no wonder that he sensed such a spell and answered its call.

"I only know these stories through a second-hand recounting, so the exact details of what happened are unknown to me. For the spell, that is as it should be. The knowledge of how to open the gate and forge the items should remain lost amidst the desert sands. However, regarding the dark god, this lack of details adds an unfortunate layer of difficulty to our task.

"What I do know is this: he came through the gate, but only in the same capacity as the other creatures of his realm. A duel monster cannot survive without a living, human host. The same was true for him. There was one key difference, though. When we summon duel monsters, our items act as a barrier. They protect us from direct interaction with the monster. Instead, our life energy channels through the item to the monster, giving them a link to this world. We have to maintain that channel at all times. This is why falling unconscious causes monsters to vanish. When the dark god came through, he somehow bypassed this safeguard and became directly attached to a human host.

"I do not know if this was some act done by my uncle through his item or if the mere presence of all seven items allowed the bond. All I know is that, somehow, the dark god became permanently bound to Ryou's duplicate. A man known as Bakura, the sole survivor of Kul Elna. Though an existence bound to a creature like that can hardly be called surviving.

"Bakura was still a mere mortal, though. Possessing only a small amount of magic. I believe this meant that the dark god existed in a weakened state. Unable to use most of his magic, such as that which would allow him to form a magically sustained physical body like an item-powered summon would.

"For fifteen years, my uncle and Bakura worked in secret, trying to find a way to bring their new-found god back to his full power. Trying to find a way to allow him to separate from Bakura. My uncle's millennium eye must have been too weak to power such a spell, for their plan seemed to rely on gathering the power of several items.

"The night that I... died, Bakura and my uncle attacked. They summoned three great and previously unknown creatures from the other side of the gate in a surprise assault. These creatures were equal in strength to my god's monsters, but powered by two summoners instead of one. I tried to fight back, but I could not overcome their combined strength. Through a stroke of luck, our battle ended with me falling into a great chasm in the desert. They did not search me out, likely believing me dead. They already had four items by that point. Apparently, they did not need another. As I lay dying, I could see their plans coming to fruition. A great, demonic figure appeared towering above Waset. I knew that this must be the dark god. That the end of all was upon us.

"In a final act of desperation, I crafted a spell. I took my uncle's idea of sealing souls into the millennium items and used it against him. I trapped his god in my pendant, offering the pieces of myself as a means to fuel the spell. A god for a god, so to speak. Ren, ba, ka, shuyet, khet, and ib. I gave them all and stole his in return. The world has persisted these past three millennia, so it appears to have worked."

Silence fell again. This time, Marik was the one to break it. The Egyptian's voice was deceptively casual as he said, "He neglected to mention that those memories came back fresh. Three-thousand years have passed for us, but for him it's been, what, three hours since you died?"

Atemu stared at Marik with a lost expression. He could not fathom how that information was relevant to helping them in this battle.

That opinion did not appear to be shared by the assembled group. As soon as Marik finished speaking, faces switched from horror to concern and Anzu asked, "Are you okay, Tem?"

"Yeah man, that's heavy stuff. Do you need to, I don't know, lie down? Punch something?" Jounouchi suggested.

Honda nodded eagerly. "If it's punching stuff, I've got you covered! After eight years of judo, my abs are steel!"

"I can help you prove that he's delusional, if you like," Jounouchi counter-offered while giving Honda an amused once-over.

Atemu didn't say anything. He just looked at them, stunned, until Yuugi spoke up, softly pointing out, "I told you, they're your friends, too."

The words made the former pharaoh smile. "Thank you, all of you. Your concern is..."

He trailed off, uncertain what to say. His newly regained memories told him to be a pillar of strength. To never show his emotions. In the face of these, being surrounded by such compassion was overwhelming. Yuugi sensed this and gently took over. Then he gazed around the group and smiled. "Thanks guys, but I think what Tem needs now is a break. He's been going at it pretty hard for over 16 hours, mentally speaking."

"I believe that we could all use a break," Ishizu agreed. "There is more that we must discuss, but Yuugi is correct. You have all just finished a great ordeal, on the backs of which you learned some very upsetting pieces of information. I believe it is for the best if we table this discussion for now and give ourselves time to prepare our questions and think on our next steps. I say this assuming that the return of my pharaoh's memories does not mean that the enemy has been freed?"

After a moment's silent conference with Atemu, Yuugi replied, "As far as we can tell, no. Tem says that he treated his spell like a mirror. For each thing he gave, the enemy lost the same. However, he didn't really design a way for the spell to break apart, so to speak. He designed it so that it would last for eternity. Tem has regained his ren and memories, but one thing is still missing: the enemy's name. We think that means that the enemy's ren is still sealed, though the seal may be greatly weakened. We should still work to solve this, but the situation isn't dire enough that we should be pushing our limits."

Ishizu nodded and then addressed the group at large. "Another meal will be arriving soon. You may take this here or in your rooms. You may also avail yourselves of anything our home has to offer. There are training grounds outside, a library, and a music room, all of which are at your disposal. Whatever will help you most, please, do not hesitate to ask. If it is within my power, it will be granted to you. We will plan to reconvene tomorrow morning at the same time as today."

When she finished speaking, Marik sat up straight, and asked, "What about Ry?"

"Ryou?" Ishizu guessed, looking confused.

"They told you that Bakura looked like Ry, right?" When he sister nodded, Marik explained, "Tem and I both think that means Ry might be involved. We don't know how, but-"

"But we must not act rashly," his sister interrupted. "I understand your concern, but we must approach this logically. We cannot assume that he will be at greater risk tomorrow than he is today."

Marik sighed and slumped back in his chair, staring down at Kiri. He didn't say anything, but it was clear that he didn't have a counter argument.

Yuugi rose and placed a hand on the Egyptian's shoulder. "If he's in trouble, I'll do everything I can to help him. Right now, that means making sure that Tem's fully processed his memories so that we can come up with a good strategy."

The promise made the ghost of a smile flick across Marik's face. "Thanks. You mind if I keep this little guy with me? I'm growing rather attached."

"If it's alright with him, then it's fine by me," Yuugi replied, glancing down at Kiri. After the kuriboh gave an affirmative trill, Yuugi addressed the rest of the room, "If anyone needs us, we'll be in our room."

Then he bowed to his hosts and hurried off, desperate to enter his soul room and see Atemu face-to-face once more.