Seto's eyes flutter open as he sits up against a boulder. It is eerily quiet compared to what the atmosphere was like prior to him being knocked unconscious. He grimaces, struggling to stand to his feet and he looks at his surroundings. A huge crater lies in the middle with demolished buildings in the background and a huge cloud of smoke in the air.
"What is this…?" he asks himself, seeing the Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl slowly descending to the ground with their heads bowed. "Pharaoh? Queen?" He looks in either direction for any signs of them until his eyes spot them standing together. Both of them look up to the sky at the cloud of smoke and he wonders what has happened.
Yugi, Téa, Joey and Tristan also look up to the sky after the attack initiated by Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl. "Cairo…" Yugi says, sensing the outcome. Joey and Tristan lower their eyes while Téa averts her gaze, covering her mouth as tears stream down her cheeks.
High in the sky as the smoke disappears, Cairo slowly falls toward the ground with the Magician of Black of Chaos nowhere in sight. Her body is motionless as it plummets and her eyes are closed.
Mana causes a pink aura to appear around her and the pharaoh and they both levitate into the air toward their daughter. The pharaoh progresses forward, catching Cairo and holding her in his arms. Mana joins his side moments later. They both float in the sky, viewing their daughter's nearly lifeless body. There are still hints of her being alive, but she is fading fast.
Yami and Mana land at the bottom of the crater, out of view from everyone. Her body has severe wounds all over and she can't move even if she wanted to. Seeing her in this state is heart wrenching for the both of them. Their daughter, who was once full of so much positivity and light, is dying right before their very eyes.
Cairo's lids partially open, revealing her dull, purple eyes. Mana brushes some of her black bangs from her face and rests her hand to cup her bruised cheek. "Cairo…" Mana manages to say, blinking her eyes and causing more tears to fall while Yami stays silent. She can still sense the darkness, but as her energy depletes, more of Cairo is shining through.
"M-Mom…Dad…" Cairo responds hoarsely and Yami quickly turns his head, the tears beginning to fall freely after holding it in. He knew this wasn't going to be easy. The pain that he feels is indescribable. He feels light headed from his heart racing for what seems like the hundredth time today. His body feels numb. This moment doesn't even seem real, even as she lies in his arms.
"We're here, Cairo," Mana says softly.
"Am I…dying?"
"It's going to be okay…" Mana replies, not wanting to directly answer that question. But even so, she knows that Cairo is aware of what is happening to her, even after asking that. "We love you…so much."
"My soul…" she says, causing Yami to turn his head back to her. "Will it…go to the Afterlife…?"
He takes her hand in his, staring her in the eyes. "Know this…we will see you again," he says, his voice trembling. Her eyes begin to flutter until they close completely, never opening again. "Cairo?" his eyes widen and his heart plummets. His body trembles more visibly and he shuts his eyes, allowing more tears to fall. He places her down on the ground and Mana cries out her name, collapsing into his arms.
Seto appears at the top of the crater, his heart immediately dropping at what he sees. He gets down on one knee and bows his head, mourning the loss of the princess.
"It's not fair!" Mana sobs, crying into his chest. "She didn't deserve any of this! She was a child! An innocent child!"
Yami takes a deep breath, taking his hand and sliding it down his face to wipe the tears and pull himself together. He has to remain strong. Not only for her, but for all of Egypt. The sky above begins to rumble and he narrows his eyes. His sorrow morphs into anger, sensing the Dark One's presence on this earth.
It has finally awakened.
And he would make him pay for what he has done to Cairo and Egypt.
"Listen to me," he says, gazing down at Mana with a serious expression. "I need you to get somewhere safe."
She looks at him with a mixture of surprise and disbelief. "But—"
"Mana, please. Way too many people have gotten hurt…or worse…" He looks over to his deceased daughter before firmly gripping Mana's shoulders. "Just…wait for me at the palace."
"You and I both know that I'm not gonna do that," she says stubbornly.
"Zorc's power far surpasses anything that we've ever faced. His evil knows no limits. Even going as far as possessing a child to help carry out his dirty work. And I'm not going to let him get away for what he's done."
"She was my daughter too!" Mana exclaims tearfully with narrowed eyes, leaving him speechless. "Cairo was our world! And there's no way that I'm just gonna run and hide!"
"Mana…"
"The Dark One approaches!" Seto says, seeing a tall, dark, demonic figure with horns off in the horizon.
Yami nods his head before turning his attention back on Mana who wipes her tears. It is clear that she isn't going to back down from this. But a big part of him worries about her. He has already lost his dear friend, Mahad. Karim and Aknadin have perished. And perhaps his biggest lost is his daughter. His hands slide up from her shoulders to cup her cheeks. "I can't lose you too…"
She shakes her head. "Years of training have led up to this very moment," she says. "I've told you before…You and I are a team."
He sighs and reluctantly decides not to push back any more. "Very well. But do not leave my side." She nods her head.
Yugi wipes his remaining tears before looking to the others with determination. "Come on guys. We need to finish what we've started."
"Is he gonna be okay?" Téa asks with concern, looking toward the deep crater.
"This is the pharaoh we're talking about," Tristan says. "He'll get through this."
"And once we find his name, he'll be able to beat this Zorc guy and free Cairo from the Shadow Realm," Joey concludes and they all nod.
Mana kneels down, placing a sheet over her daughter's body. She closes her eyes, inhaling deeply before exhaling. It's taking everything within her not to break down again. But she has to be strong. She gasps lightly when she feels Yami's hand on her shoulder and looks over to see him crouched down next to her. He remains strong on the outside, but she knows he is hurting just as much as she is.
Mentally he is getting himself together for what's to come.
Egypt is counting on him.
Cairo is counting on him.
The outcome of this battle can affect the whole world. So it is imperative that they are victorious.
"Let's go," he says, standing to his feet.
"Wait…" She slowly rises to hers and grabs his hand. He looks at her questionably until he feels some of his strength returning. The bar on his diadhank begins to increase and his overall health improves.
"Mana…what about you?"
"The more time that passes by, the more my body has the ability to heal on its own," she explains. He vaguely remembers Shadow Cairo mentioning that in the present world when her own body was in bad shape. It should be no surprise that Mana can do the same. "I may not be one hundred percent, but I have enough to replenish some of your health at least."
He nods his head. "Thank you, Mana."
Standing alongside his priests and in front of his soldiers, they look out further into the desert as Zorc, the Dark One approaches. It is a dark, demon figure with horns, red eyes, sharp teeth and a dragon in its lower abdomen. With each step, they can feel the ground beneath them trembling from its enormous size.
The pharaoh narrows his eyes, readying his diadhank to summon his monsters while the priests proceed to summon their own. Mana crosses her arms over her chest, summoning the Dark Magician Girl and the soldiers ready their weapons.
"Foolish pharaoh," Zorc's booming voice echoes through the air. "You are no match against me! My power is infinite and I shall plunge the entire universe into darkness!"
"Your reign of terror ends here!" Yami shouts. So much is on the line and everyone is counting on him. It is finally time to do what he has been going out for this entire time. Fulfilling his destiny. He has uncovered many secrets about his past and now it has all lead up to this.
The time has come.
Clenching his fists he stares the monster in the eyes. "I'm going to make you suffer for what you've done…"
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The sun beams brightly in the sky after what seemed like centuries enshrouded in darkness. There were losses along the way, but the Dark One himself has finally been defeated. The pharaoh gazes up at the sky, covered in various wounds, at the powerful monster he summoned in order to gain victory. With a fusion of the three Egyptian gods, they became The Creator of Light, Horakhty, also known as the Ultimate God.
Zorc was consumed by the light and peace was once again restored to Egypt.
Pulling out a cartouche that was previously given to him by Téa, it shows a slightly different appearance. Before it was blank. But now, after the hard work of Yugi and his friends, it contains his real name, which also played a major key to his victory as well. If it weren't for that, all would have been lost.
None of this would have been possible if it weren't for the help and sacrifices of his friends of the present world and the Millennium World.
"So…Atem is your real name," Yugi says and the pharaoh nods.
"Yes," Atem replies. "Thank you. All of you. I couldn't have done it without you. You are all heroes." He gives a slight bow in gratitude.
Joey smirks. "Come to think of it, I am a hero!"
"He was talking about me," Tristan says, nudging his friend on the shoulder.
Yugi chuckles. "He's talking about all of us, you guys."
"So now what?" Téa asks.
"I don't have any memories beyond this point. So I can no longer exist in this world," Atem replies. "But before I go, I will make certain that Egypt has a strong and suitable pharaoh to rule in my place…and ensure my daughter receives a proper burial."
Atem looks over to the battered entrance of the palace. The walls that once surrounded it are partially crumbled and the village around it has taken substantial damage as well. He is surprised, yet relieved when he sees Mana standing at the entrance, holding onto her arm and sporting injuries of her own. After healing him at a critical time in the battle, followed by her Dark Magician Girl taking a huge hit, she fell unconscious and he was forced to fight on without her.
"We'll wait here phar—Atem," Yugi quickly corrects himself and Atem turns to look at them.
"Yeah, do what you gotta do," Joey chimes in.
Atem nods his head before joining Mana's side, walking into the palace hand in hand, relaying to her all that had occurred, including his name. He hadn't realized that she never addressed him by name during his time there, but when it was revealed to her, it was almost as if she already knew and saying his name came natural to her. Perhaps something was unlocked within her when he uncovered his name in this memory world. But he decides not to question it. More importantly, the evil Zorc has been locked away.
The next conflict soon greeted them when it came to the arrangements for Cairo. Though his chief adviser, Shimon, had perished in the battle with Zorc, his other advisors suggested they not bury Cairo in a place specifically for family within the pharoah's tomb as previously planned. Many saw her actions as betrayal, seeing her as not worthy to be buried anywhere near the royal family. They foresaw the gods not accepting Cairo into the afterlife and instead, being surrounded by darkness for all eternity. Nevertheless, Atem insisted the original plans stay in place.
Atem and Mana stand in a dark sanctuary alone, with Cairo's covered body resting in the middle on top of a tall, elevated platform. There would be many more ceremonies to come for his fallen priests and that of the soldiers and innocent villagers whose lives were also lost. But he will not be present to see any of them, for his time is nearly up.
A light gasp escapes his lips when he feels Mana interlocking her fingers with his. He slowly turns his head to look at her and her gaze is fixated on their daughter. There are no tears, but a silent strength emitting from her. Although he can see a hint of sadness in her eyes.
"Atem…"
"Yes."
"We were always taught that we would see our loved ones again upon reaching the afterlife…but…what if the advisors are right? What if she truly will be trapped in darkness? Like in that dream I had?"
"I won't allow it."
She turns her head to him, a mixture of confusion and shock on her face. "What do you mean? How—?"
"I need you to trust me," he replies, fully turning to face her now. He takes her other hand in his and gazes down at her with a stern look. "And I also need you to be strong."
She slowly nods her head, not quite understanding where his last statement just came from, but choosing to stay silent and listen on.
"I'm afraid my time here is coming to an end," he reveals, causing her eyes to widen. "Seto will be the new king of Egypt. And I need you to fight by his side, just as you did for me."
Mana closes her eyes, breathing a deep inhale and exhale. "I didn't tell you this before…but I also had a dream of you. And it showed me that you did not have much longer to be here. I wish it were only a dream. But…" She looks over to Cairo's body. "After what happened to our daughter, I guess I should have known that you departing this earth soon would be inevitable too."
He looks down at her with a sorrowful gaze. He knows it must be hard for her to lose so many people that were close to her in such a short period of time. But the expression on her face is not sad one. It is filled with acceptance, no matter how much it hurts and pains her to know that he won't be there.
The lower part of his body begins to disappear and he brings her closer to him, pressing his forehead against hers. Noticing his body fading, Mana bites her lip, becoming overcome with emotion. As the seconds pass, she can feel less of his body pressed against hers. The strong arms that have her in his embrace begin to lose its firm hold and it's as if he isn't holding onto her at all.
"Promise me..." she says in a slight whisper.
"Mana…"
"Promise me I'll see you and Cairo again…"
"I promise," he says without hesitation.
Before the top half of his body fades, she tilts her head up to capture his lips and his eyes widen briefly before he finds himself closing them, gently kissing her back for as long as he possibly can until his body feels numb. When he opens his eyes, he realizes he is floating in the air, levitating toward the ceiling as Mana gazes up at him.
"Good bye, Mana…"
"…Until we meet again, Atem…"
And with that he nods his head, fully ascending until she can't see him anymore. Then he joins his friends as they all rise into the sky to return to the present world.
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AN: Will Atem keep his promise? Stay tuned! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Leave a review!