Hello Lovelies! I know it's been a while but hopefully everyone is ready for this giant chapter I have for you guys! I'm trying to establish a lot of my own lore and stuff and I hope you guys like it!

Read and review! Love to hear what you guys think!

Bakura sat by the sleeping princess' side watching as her face contorted in pain and replaced the cool rag on her forehead with another. She'd been like this since the day before with no change. To say he was worried would've been an understatement; he was terrified. He'd just found her after all these years of doubt and self-hatred, he couldn't lose her again; not if he could help it.

He glanced down at the giant, dusty tome he'd pulled from the wreckage of the library years ago. He thanked the Gods that it was enchanted against fire; though he turned around and cursed the same Gods that he wasn't able to read anything in it. This spell book had belonged to his family for generations, it just had to contain a way to save Myra. It had to.

Just as he began to wonder what was taking Marik so long, Neko appeared in the doorway with fresh clothes for Myra, "Marik is back, sir. And…" She said, shifting from foot to foot uneasily; in a way Bakura knew meant that she had news that would upset him.

"Come now, Neko, spit it out. What has that fool done now?" He said, barely containing his anger. She flinched, "You'll want to come see this, sir." Was all she said as she placed the clothes down and led him down the hall to the room Myra had been brought to when they captured her.

As soon as they rounded the corner, he saw Marik pacing in front of the door.

Never a good sign.

Marik looked up as they approached, "Alright, I have good news and bad news. I got the Ring," He rambled the words off quickly, holding up a sack and Bakura took it gently, eyeing him suspiciously, "What's the bad news?" He asked, reaching for the door handle.

Marik winced but didn't stop him from opening the door.

OoOoO

Atem couldn't believe what Seto had told him. Mahad's cloak had been found behind the temple, no trace of the Ring, Mahad, or Mana.

So now he was missing a princess, a millennium item, and two mages.

And the men he'd sent to search the ruins to North had returned with nothing.

Fury overtook him and he swept everything off the table in anger, sending goblets of wine, bowls of fruit and papers to the ground. Seto remained kneeling and he grit his teeth, reminding himself that he could not argue with the Pharaoh.

Atem's chest was heaving with rage, and he took a moment to compose himself before turning to Seto, "Assemble the council, the theft of the Millennium Ring is an attack on this kingdom."

OoOoO

Myra watched in the mirror as Mana brushed her hair and styled it, all the while humming cheerfully. An unpleasant feeling sat in her gut, there was a wrongness here that she couldn't place. Just when she thought she had gotten a grasp on it, it was gone.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Mana clapping her hand on her shoulders as she proclaimed that her hair was done, and it was time to get into her dress. Myra blinked and really looked at her hair in the mirror. It was styled into a long braid that ran from the left side of her head and trailed off down her right shoulder. Mana had braided lotus flowers into it, the pink and white petals contrasting nicely with her vibrant auburn hair.

She looked beautiful.

"Oh, Mana, I love it!" Myra exclaimed, wiping at the sudden tears in her eyes. Mana hurriedly dabbed at the princess' eyes, "No crying, princess, we don't want your makeup to run." She giggled.

Mana led Myra from the chair and to the corner of the room where her dressing screen stood, "Now, to get you into your dress." The lady's maid pulled back the screen to reveal a gorgeous white gown. It was sleeveless with lace straps that tied in the back of the neck and cascaded gently down the open back. The body of the gown felt like soft silk or satin beneath Myra's fingertips as she reached out to touch it. It was a plain dress, but she noticed there was a delicate pattern of lace interwoven in the bodice and running down the soft skirt.

Myra eagerly pulled the gown down and allowed Mana to help her into it. She was mesmerized as she stared at this beautiful princess in the mirror, who couldn't possibly be herself. Mana gently lifted her veil from the pillow on the table and placed it onto her head, securing it to place with pins before stepping back to assess her work.

The princess bride slipped on the silken slippers and giggled as she twirled in front of the mirror, her necklace glittering lightly in the soft sunlight. Mana giggled with her, "You look so beautiful, Myra! I'm so happy for you!" She grasped her hands and took in her best friend, "I still can't believe you're getting married! That Bakura is a lucky man!" She beamed.

Myra smile faulted for a moment, marrying Bakura? Then a warm, gentle feeling washed over her, and her smile returned. Of course, Bakura was marrying her! She vaguely remembered him asking for her betrothal and her father giving his blessing.

A knock at the door made both women turn, and Mana went to open it, "It must be your father! So, he can bring you to the ceremony."

The door swung open and there stood Myra's father. His hair and beard were still all salt and pepper, more salt than pepper now, but his emerald eyes still held that same mischief that was reflected in the eyes of all his children. King Alec stood in the doorway in his finest clothes, adorned in navy blue tones throughout. His eyes softened when his youngest daughter stepped out from behind the dressing screen, "You look so much like your mother, more and more every day, Qutaita." He whispered, wiping a tear from his eye.

Myra smiled, stepping forward to embrace her father, "Thank you, Papa." She inhaled his scent deeply, something deep inside her pulled on the scent memory and forced her to stay in the embrace longer, hoping to memorize the smell of smoke and lightning in her mind. Her father's arms wrapped tightly around her, enveloping her in comfort and safety.

The king released her and offered her his arm, "Well, best not to keep everyone waiting." Myra took his arm and the two began their walk down the hall to the ballroom.

OoOoO

"Who the hell is that?" Bakura snarled, turning his glare from the unconscious mage to his subordinate who shrugged, "You told me to get a mage, I got a mage, and I got the Ring." Marik tried to sound nonchalant, but he barely bit back a wince at the anger in his leaders' eyes.

Bakura pinched the bridge of his nose, "I see you have the Ring, but where's it's owner? Where's the master mage?" Marik cleared his throat, looking irritated, "I was told to get a mage and the ring…you didn't tell me to get the Master mage! I barely had enough time to knock him out and take the Ring before that mage came walking around the corner and saw me. No witnesses, right?"

They both looked over at the young mage in question, her face soft with sleep. Bakura rolled his eyes but took a breath, "I don't have time for this. A mage is a mage, right?" Marik shrugged again as Bakura approached the mage and shook her awake. She blinked awake blearily, mumbling incoherently.

"Wake up," The Thief King hissed, "Relax, we aren't going to hurt you. How are you at reading incantations?"

OoOoO

Myra walked along the hall with her father, shivering with excitement. Her father's steps were soft and heavy but sure as they walked along, her hand firmly held on his arm. After walking for a few moments, he stopped just shy of the double doors of the ballroom. Myra's brows knitted in confusion, "What is it, Papa?"

King Alec turned towards her, holding both her hands in his, giving them a squeeze, "Qutatia, this isn't real. I'm not here, Myrina." He said and shushed her softly when she opened her mouth to refute that. It felt so real, he was here with her! The warm rosy color of her surroundings seems to dim as he continued.

"I'm long dead, Qutatia, but I'm so glad that I get to see you here like this. Something I never thought I'd be able to see." He placed a soft but heavy hand on her cheek as tears formed in his mossy green eyes.

He took a breath, "You be careful, Myrina. There are forces at play here that you don't understand. That Bakura boy is playing with fire and if he's not careful, he's going to get burned." Myra's heart sank as her father's harsh words washed over her, the walls dimming all the more, appearing dustier with broken bricks and plaster.

Alec sobered and smiled softly at her, "But if he makes my princess happy, you have my blessing, Qutatia." He took another deep breath, and the world grew warm once more as the dread in Myra's stomach evaporated and a smile appeared on her face once more.

"Now, let's give you away, hmm." Again, her father offered her his arm and she took it. Myra's chest was warm and full as they began to walk towards the ballroom once more, two guards opening the doors as they approached.

A bright light emanated from the room and Myra fought to cover her eyes as her father kept walking forward unblinking into the light. The light subsided and she was in a large room, her father no longer with her. In fact, the longer Myra looked around, the more she noticed that she was alone in the room. She turned around towards the door, but there was no one.

That knot appeared in her stomach again.

"Hello, Kitten." The voice came from behind her, and she whirled around once more, the satin of her dress shifting with her movements.

He stood at the other end of the room, dressed in a fine red cloak lined with golden trim. His silver hair still looked as disheveled as usual as he held his hand out towards her, his face shrouded in shadow, "You look beautiful."

She took a small step towards him, but stopped, unsure of herself. She saw his head tilt curiously, "What's the matter, Myra?"

She took another step forward and was hit with a wave of nausea as blurred images of the night sky and white hair swept across her vision, causing her to stumble, "Heard you had a bit of an adventure today…"

"'Kura?" She muttered as she staggered forward, reaching out to the wall for support, but her hand met another. She looked up and saw the same grotesque monster as before, "Come with me Myrina."

OoOoO

Mana looked over the dusty book, squinting to make out the ancient scrawls. Her eyes drifted up to the two men as they paced back and forth. They said they were friends of Myra, but they looked just like the thieves that had taken her away. She turned another delicate page as the taller one with ashen hair, the one who'd taken her, gently grabbed the other man's arm and pulled him into the hall. She focused on the page in front of her and a pit formed in her stomach.

She couldn't read any of this.

Another thief appeared in the doorway, eyes wild and searching. Mana couldn't hear what was said but whatever it was got the two men in an even more irritated mood. With a look over his shoulder, the white-haired man hurried away down the hall while the ash-haired man turned to her.

"Looks like your friend has arrived. Come on, we have to prepare."

OoOoO

Bakura angrily stormed down the hall towards the entrance of the hideout. He knew he couldn't leave something as important as this to Marik and now he had to clean up this mess.

When he reached the gates, his men greeted him with another man knelt before them, his arms tied behind him. He was slightly bloodied and bruised but Bakura knew the colors of those robes regardless, "Ah, Mahad, was it? I'm glad you could join us!"

The man spat at his feet, blood spattering across the sand, "Princess Myra is in danger. Bring me to her."

Bakura almost rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to give a harsh retort, but he was interrupted by Myra's piercing scream from inside. His head whipped around towards the palace, and he took an instinctive step towards her. Behind him, Mahad grunted, "I can help her. We don't have much time."

Bakura's brow furrowed only for a moment before he signaled to release the mage, "I'll keep a sharp eye on you, no tricks."

Mahad rubbed at his wrists as he got up and nodded, following Bakura towards the screaming princess.

OoOoO

Marik rushed into the room with Mana just in time to see Myra start screaming and clawing at her head. Her face was contorted in pain and anger, her skin flushed and slick with sweat. Mana beelined directly to her friend and Marik followed, "Hold her down, she's hurting herself!" Mana instructed, as calmly as she could manage.

Marik followed her instruction, grabbing hold of Myra's wrists and pulling them away from her head as gently as he could. But she fought and scratched at his hands as he did. Marik grunted but ignored the pain, "Myra, calm down. We're here. We're here."

Her eyes didn't flutter open but, instead, screwed shut tighter and her skin grew warmer in his hands, "Her fever is getting worse!" He said and Mana shook her head, pulling one wrist down just as the door flew open to reveal Bakura and Mahad.

"Mahad!" Mana cried, holding Myra's wrist down to the bed. A sense of calm enveloped her as she felt his heavy hand on her shoulder, gently pushing her out of the way. He was more or less silent as he made a series of arm movements over the princess' writhing body and eventually her cries and jerking movements subsided.

He stepped back slightly out of breath and turned to Bakura, "I've stabilized her for now, but it's only a matter of time before it happens again and worse. You said you had a tome you couldn't read?"

Bakura remained silent, but his expression was wavering; almost like her couldn't be sure if he could trust the mage or not. But Marik stepped forward and held out the dusty book, much to Bakura's dismay. Marik shot him a dirty look as Mahad took the book from him, "He's our one shot, I say we take it."

The mage sat on the floor next to the princess' bed and opened the book, its delicate pages seemed to crackle in excitement as he traced his fingers along them, "Master Mahad, what's happening to her?" Mana asked, taking a seat next to him.

Marik explained to them that Myra had come into contact with some old magic from the village, "It's called essence, it was made by seers in our village for the royal family. It was supposed to grant the user to see the future. Some of it survived after all these years somehow-"

"But since the destruction of the village was so brutal, the essence has been corrupted." Bakura finished for him, "Myra was of the royal family, so she has a sensitivity to the magic here and didn't have to consume it to feel it's effects."

Mahad nodded and flipped through the pages before landing on one that had intricate drawings on it, "I can help, but I'll be needing a few things."

OoOoO

Myra's heart dropped into a pit in her stomach as the creature paced around her once more, "There has to be something you want…" its voice was gravely like before, but its form was more humanoid this time. Its skin was still dark and purple with a black mane and horns growing from its head.

But it looked like Bakura.

"I assumed that you'd submit to this form, find it a bit more appealing." Its voice began to change, become softer, more familiar.

Myra turned slowly, her wedding dress shifting as she did. She felt her chest grow warmer as the heat burned its way down her arms.

It sounded like Bakura.

She fixed the creature with a glare, "You assumed wrong." Her voice wavered slightly, and the creature chuckled, a familiar sound. It crossed its arms, "I'm not so sure that I did, Princess."

It circled her, fingering her dress, "I must say, you look ravishing in that gown. A pure Princess, indeed." It chuckled as Myra pulled away, turning to face it as the fire raging hotter inside her.

"Why am I here? Why are you showing me these things?" She shouted as vapor began to rise around her. She didn't have to look down to know that embers were beginning to lift from her skin. The creature did not look impressed and instead flashed a brilliant set of fangs in a cocky smirk,

"I'm merely showing you what could be, Myrina." He turned and waved a dark arm, conjuring sand to create illusions of her father and her walking down the hall like they had just then. She stepped forward, "Papa…" the word left her mouth without her permission as she starred at the image. He had felt so real; warm and real. But his words echoed in her head, "I'm not real…I'm long dead."

She stepped back, "No, he's dead. No one can bring back the dead." She shot a glare at the creature, "Not even you. It's impossible."

It didn't say anything, merely waved its claws again and her fathers' face shimmered, another scene replacing it. In this one, she saw herself and Bakura at their wedding. He dipped her and they shared a kiss as the crowed stood, clapping, "'Kura…"

"Darling, you don't know what's possible. I can make your dreams come true…just come with me." Its claws gently grazing her bare arms as she starred at the images. The warmth had dulled to a smolder as she reached out to touch them. But it disappeared, falling to the ground in grains of sand.

"Give yourself to me," It wrapped its claws around her shoulders, its breath tickling her ear, "And it can all be yours." The voice has an edge to it and Myra starred where the illusions had just been. The wall behind it shimmered slightly and her necklace thrummed with energy as the heat bloomed back into her body.

Another illusion.

OoOoO

Bakura paced outside the door, he had been shooed out by the girl mage, Mana. Marik had been too, but he didn't like not knowing what was happening. Neko was allowed in and out to fetch water or other ingredients. It had been hours and no news.

When Neko left the room this time, she had a grave look on her face. Bakura's gut twisted.

"What?" He asked, his voice soft, dreading the answer.

Neko didn't meet his gaze and wrung her hands together. She took a deep breath, "She's not responding to the spell. Mahad is not sure when or if she'll wake up."

Bakura's heart dropped into a pit in his stomach, and he numbly pushed past her and into the room.

The mage was in a deep trace, his form floating and surrounded by a dark purple energy. Mana looked up at Bakura when he entered, she was knelt next to Myra's bedside, gripping her hand tightly in her own. She had been crying.

He fell to his knees in the doorway, for the first time in his life, at a loss for what to do next.

OoOoO

Myra shivered at the hot breath that tickled her ear, her eyes steady on the shimmering barrier across the room.

"Why?"

The creature stepped away from her, "Why?" it echoed, and Myra turned, taking a step back as well, "Why do you need me to give myself to you? To go with you?" It didn't say anything. She continued, taking another step back.

"You keep asking me to go with you in exchange for all of these…impossibilities, lies. Why?" She asked. She had to keep it talking, distract it just long enough for her to reach the barrier.

It seemed that her plan worked because another brilliant smirk appeared on its face, "These are no lies, Princess. They're promises."

It took a step forward, "I need your help, Myrina. You're the perfect vessel for my return."

That made her stop, ice in her veins, "Vessel?" Another chuckle, "Yes, so that I may return to Earth and my reckoning can begin."

That did not sound good, she began to back up again, "Why me?" she asked, her voice wavering as the creature began to step towards her.

"Because, little Princess, I can feel how powerful you really are. The fire that rages within you calls to me," She felt her back touch the barrier just as it reached her, "The cunning you possess entices me," It placed its arms on either side of her caging her in, "But your destructiveness is like a nectar to me and for that I must have you."

Its crimson eyes bored into hers but the heat in her chest rose back to the surface and a confidence that was not hers, surged forth. She pushed the creature away, flame enveloping her figure, her dress turning into ash. The creature laughed, "There, that passion, the power! You will be mine very soon, Myrina."

The energy turned her around and pressed a palm against the barrier, shattering it. A gust of wind knocked her back as everything around her began to dissolve into grains of sand. The ground shook beneath her feet as she tried to gain her footing, but it was too late. The ground beneath her seemed to evaporate, sending her tumbling into uncertain darkness.

"You can never escape me, Princess. I am inevitable."

OoOoO

Myra's body felt heavy as her green eyes fluttered open, blurry colors and shapes filling her vision. She blinked, attempting to clear the images, but it was just so bright that she had to shut her eyes with a wince.

She heard voices but they were muffled and overlapping. She felt someone grab her hand, theirs rough and calloused, tracing shapes on the back of it. Another soft hand brushed her hair from her face, and she felt a cool cloth meet her burning forehead. A warm, rough voice murmured something, though she couldn't make it out in her hazy state. She couldn't make out what they were saying, but they comforted her as she fell back into unconsciousness.

I hope you guys enjoyed it! Lemme know what you guys think! Hopefully it won't be another year long wait for the next one!

Until Next Time Lovelies,

~Shikamaru'sLove