Galloping through the village of Kul Elna, Seto, additional soldiers and most of the priests push forward, despite the skeleton foes that try and block their path. They are surrounded on both sides and as they ride further, a group of the skeletons stand in their way.
"There's too many of them sir!" a soldier calls out.
"Just ride!" Seto commands, turning his head back briefly to shout the order. But when he turns his head back, a skeleton lunges forward with its sword, preparing to attack.
"Seto, watch out!" Karim warns.
Seto grits his teeth, preparing for the sword to make contact until a familiar voice calls their monster to defend him.
"Jackal Warrior! Protect him!" Shada calls out and his monster does just that, slashing through their foe with ease.
Shortly after, Seto, Shimon, Karim and Isis meet up with Shada who still eyes his opponents with Cairo standing closely by his side. She wields her wand, occasionally shooting counter attacks when needed while Shada takes on the brunt of the work. Shimon breathes a sigh of relief, seeing that the princess is okay and in good health after being kidnapped by Bakura.
"Princess! Thank goodness you're alright!" Shimon says before looking to Shada. "She needs to be taken back to the palace. It's not safe out here for her, especially after the stunt Bakura pulled."
Cairo frowns and pouts. "Aw come on Shimon! I can handle myself! I promise I won't get in the way!" she exclaims and then she looks at Shada, hoping that he will tell Shimon about how much she has helped out. But instead, Shada shakes his head.
"I'm afraid he's right," Shada agrees. "We can't risk you being in harm's way again."
She sighs heavily, hunching over and rolling her eyes. In her mind, they need all the help they can get. She can totally help them out if things get tough, but she knows trying to protest further will land her nowhere. She wonders about the well being of her parents, hoping that they are fairing off well against Bakura and his powerful monster.
"You all continue forward and help our pharaoh and queen. I'll hold things down here and join you when I can," Shada says. "I'll ensure that one of the soldiers escorts the princess back to the palace safely as well."
"Be safe, Shada," Isis says and he nods. Then they ride off in the direction of the pharaoh and Mana, hoping they are not too late.
The pharaoh grimaces, dropping down to one knee after Dark Magician is hit with a blast from Diabound that is so strong that it sends him flying into a wall, leaving a large crater. Mana quickly crouches down beside the pharaoh, looking at him with concern. "Are you alright?" she asks.
After arriving at the scene and getting the pharaoh out of a tough spot using her Dark Magician Girl, they have been fighting side by side attempting to defeat Diabound. But as minutes go by, it seems that Diabound has quickly adjusted to fighting the two magicians and is starting to overpower them once more.
Bakura lets out a laugh, seeing the pharaoh down on his knee and cringing in pain as Mana tries to hold him up. "It all ends here!" He sends his Diabound to attack with one of its powerful blasts and Mana raises her wand defensively.
"Not if I can help it!" she exclaims, quickly chanting a spell that hides them underneath a magical hat and two others appear beside it. The blast makes contact with one of the hats and fortunately she and the pharaoh aren't underneath it.
Bakura sucks his teeth, feeling annoyed by the little trick Mana has just pulled. "Oh please! I'll attack them all!" Diabound shoots multiple attacks at the hats until it hits the one they are hiding under, sending them hurdling back and crashing on the ground. "Give it up! You're no match for my Diabound!" He laughs as his Diabound charges up for another attack while the pharaoh and Mana struggle to get up after such a powerful blast.
Mana grunts, laying on her stomach and partially raising her upper body using her arms. "I'm running out of tricks under my sleeve," she says, gritting her teeth at the sight of a powerful blast forming at Diabound's mouth.
The pharaoh props himself up on his elbows, narrowing his eyes at his enemy. "We have to hang in there!"
YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO
In the desert, Yugi and the others try to figure out where to go from here. They feel helpless knowing the pharaoh is out fighting on his own, but what can they do to help? Only certain people can see them in this world and they haven't been able to touch anything.
"We gotta figure something out and do our part," Téa says. "Think you guys!"
"Well let's see…" Yugi says, looking down with thought. "When the pharaoh first saved Egypt, he mysteriously lost all his memory."
Tristan folds his arms and says somewhat absentmindedly, "Well what if he did it on purpose?"
Joey raises an eyebrow. "Why would he even do such a thing, Tristan? Come on. The pharaoh is smarter than doing something like that!"
"Hold on guys," Yugi says with realization. "I think the answer has been in front of our noses this whole time!"
Téa tilts her head questionably. "What do you mean?"
"What if the pharaoh was protecting some sort of secret that only he knew about?"
"I'm totally lost here," Joey says.
"The pharaoh didn't just forget his past. He wiped his memory clean so that no one could bring back the evil he locked away!"
"What do you think he was trying to hide?" Téa asks before gasping. "His real name!"
"Right! His name had to stay a secret!"
Feeling more confused, Joey places a hand up to his head. "And how did you guys figure this all out?"
Yugi turns to him. "Think about it! His name was removed from the stone tablet in the museum, remember? He must have used his name as some sort of password to lock that evil creature away! And now Bakura is trying to resurrect that monster to take over the world! So once Bakura gets a hold of all the Millennium Items and sets that thing free, the pharaoh can only stop it if he knows his real name!"
"No way!" Tristan says.
"So we gotta find it and tell the pharaoh!" Joey exclaims and Yugi nods.
"And unfortunately we're running out of time!" Yugi says.
"Well how are we even gonna find it?" Joey asks, scratching his head. "It's not like we can look it up in some sort of ancient Egyptian phonebook."
"Yeah, but I have an idea on where to start. If we go back to the palace, there's bound to be some records there that will lead us in the right direction!"
"Alright, then let's go!" Tristan slams his fist into his palm. "Like you said, time is running out!"
YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO
After being escorted back to the palace by one of the guards, Cairo wanders around the palace with her arms crossed over her chest and her face in a pout. She still doesn't understand why she couldn't stay behind and help out. Besides, it seems like they need all the help they can get and she is more than capable of holding her own.
Her mind flashes back to her encounter with Bakura and she cringes. "Okay, maybe I still need to practice a few things," she says to herself. "But I can still help!" She walks into her room and out to the balcony, leaning over with her chin in her hand. The palace is still guarded, but not as guarded as it typically would be on a normal day. Maybe, just maybe, she can sneak past the remaining guards and join her parents in battle.
She groans. "I doubt it will be that easy." Plopping down on the floor with her arms and legs crossed, she looks down with thought. After a brief moment of thinking, she slaps her forehead. Outstretching one of her hands, she makes her wand materialize. "Now how did that teleportation spell go again?"
Before she can proceed, something at the palace walls catches her eye. She watches as someone phases right through the solid wall and she stands up straight, tilting her head to the side. From the looks of the spiky hair that resembles her father and the odd clothing, she recognizes the person as Yugi.
Soon after, Téa, Joey and Tristan go through the wall as well, a look of surprise on all of their faces after not being able to get through the wall before.
"Eh…I'm confused. What just happened?" Joey asks.
"Maybe it's because the pharaoh is aware of our presence in this world now," Yugi guesses. "It would make sense because he didn't know we were here initially when we tried to come in the first time."
Still not quite understanding, Joey only shrugs his shoulders at this point. There are a lot of things that he doesn't understand or things that may not make sense to him, but the main goal is to help the pharaoh and that's that. "If you say so!"
"You guys, maybe we should get a move on," Téa suggests.
Tristan chuckles lightly. "Aw come on, Téa. It's not like anyone can see u—"
"Hey," a small voice says, causing them all to nearly jump out of their skin and turn around to whoever said that just now. Cairo places her hands behind her back, grinning from ear to ear and they breathe a sigh of relief. "How did you guys go through the wall like that? Do you have powers too?"
"It's…kinda of a long story," Tristan answers, still holding onto his chest from the recent fright that Cairo gave them just now.
"Cairo? When did you get here?" Yugi asks.
"Yeah, we thought you were still with your parents," Téa chimes in.
She places her wand over her shoulder. "Well I was. Then I got sent back here due to safety concerns. But I've found a way to get back! They need as much help as they can get!"
Yugi tugs his collar nervously, thinking back to when Yami told him of Cairo's fate. Maybe it's a good thing they have sent her back. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"
"Yeah, I think your parents will be able to handle it!" Téa chimes in, understanding where Yugi is coming from.
Tristan growls in frustration. "Can't we just tell her already?! It might make things easier on the pharaoh if we do!"
"Easy Tristan," Joey cuts in, trying to calm his friend down, but Tristan is having none of it.
"I can't stand by and just let this happen!"
Cairo looks at him questionably. "What's he talking about?"
Tristan opens his mouth to speak once more, wanting to reveal what will become of Cairo, but suddenly stops. A rainbow aura appears around him and his body becomes stiff with his mouth agape. Cairo then looks at Yugi and the others and their bodies are also frozen in place.
"What's happening?" She goes over to wave her hand in front of Yugi's face, but there is no reaction. "Guys?" A thought hits her and she begins to fear for the worst. What if this very phenomena is happening to her parents and the priests that are in Kul Elna? They would be powerless against Bakura. Although she doesn't know what Tristan is about to say, she has a feeling that her father and the others are in big trouble.
She points her wand and it glows briefly before a portal shows up in front of her. "I hope this works!"
After an intense battle against Bakura that included the pharaoh, Mana and the priests, it seemed things were going in their favor once they seemingly defeated him. But there was one thing they didn't count on happening.
Aknadin's betrayal.
He froze all of them in place, making it easy for him to steal the remaining Millennium Items and returning them to the stone from whence it came. While frozen, a bad feeling overcomes Isis, feeling the presence of evil pulsing beneath them. A bright light appears that is soon replaced with darkness, and a demon figure with horns appears in a ghostly form.
"So, the mortal responsible for creating the Millennium Items has returned," the dark one says. "Now denounce your allegiance to Egypt and pledge your loyalty to me. Do this and everything you desire shall be yours!"
"My only wish is for a new pharaoh to take the throne!" Aknadin says, facing the dark figure hovering over the stone tablet while everyone watches helplessly. "And that person will be my own beloved son…SETO!"
At the sound of his name, Seto's heart drops into his stomach, not knowing that Aknadin was his father all along.
"Your transformation from sacred guardian to lord of darkness is now complete," the dark one says, aiming his hand at Aknadin and surrounding the former priest in a purple aura. A transformation begins to take place as Aknadin's appearance changes into something more demon like. His grey hair is now red, his face is covered by a mask with a replica Millennium Eye and his fingers are long, pointed and sharp.
"Now great Shadow Magus…banish the pharaoh to the darkness so that your son may take the throne!"
"This is what I've always wanted for you Seto!" Magus exclaims before laughing, knowing the current pharaoh is powerless against him in his current state.
'Why after all these years of loyalty would Aknadin turn on his own family?' Shimon thinks to himself. 'Bakura must have preyed on the jealousy Aknadin always felt for his brother…'
"Seto, my boy! No longer shall we have to live in the shadow of my brother Aknamkanon! Heed my words!" He raises his hands, emitting a purple electricity that surrounds the whole area. "The era of King Seto has now begun!"
Yami's eyes go wide in realization. Not only is this recent reveal shocking to him, but he remembers this very turn of events from Cairo's memory. As Magus shoots a powerful blast of electricity in his direction, the pharaoh shuts his eyes, knowing what the outcome will be.
'This is it…'
The blast makes impact and Magus laughs, feeling victorious. But soon his moment of triumph is turned to disbelief, seeing Cairo standing protectively in front of the pharaoh, holding out her black wand.
"I won't let you harm him!" she yells with narrowed eyes.
'Cairo…no…you shouldn't be here…' His mind flashes back to the happy girl playing by the river without a care in the world. His heart shatters at the mere thought of having to be the one to defeat her once and for all. The innocent girl standing protectively in front of him will soon be no more.
"How dare you interfere!" Magus prepares another attack until the dark horned figure behind him intervenes.
"She is a powerful child. And someone with that amount of power shall be of great use to me," it says.
That's when the pharaoh finds his voice. "Cairo! Run now!" Why does this have to happen? Why must he relive this terrible event again? He knows no matter how much he tries to warn her, it will happen. And they will have to face each other.
The princess turns to him and it is then that he can see the mixture of fear and determination in her eyes. But regardless of her fear, here she is, trying to protect them from harm. It shouldn't be surprising to him because if he were in her footsteps, he would have done the same. But knowing what the outcome will be, he wishes that she were somewhere else. Somewhere safe. Away from what will eventually cause her demise and her ultimate sentence to the shadows.
"But what about you?!" she asks.
"Listen to him, Cairo!" Mana yells. "Just go!"
Yami gasps, watching as Magus suddenly appears behind a distracted Cairo, snatching her up by her long locs of hair. She cries and squirms as she tries to break free from his grasp, but to no avail. "You will serve me now," the dark one says and she screams as a dark, purple force shoots through her body to everyone's horror.
'It's happening…'
Not only does she feel a great amount of strength surging through her, but a great amount of darkness as well. She still continues to fight and she knees Magus in the stomach and he cries out in pain before using his sharp claws to swipe at her. At the last minute, she moves just in time, although a large chunk of her hair is lost from that quick motion, leaving her with spiky shoulder length hair. She drops to her hands and knees, panting heavily.
"No…what have you done?!" the pharaoh yells. His heart begins to pound when she lifts her head, revealing her pitch black eyes to everyone's shock.
"Cairo!" Mana cries.
"She serves me now!" the dark one says. Cairo slowly lifts her wand, and a dark ball of energy forms at the tip. "Now…ATTACK!"
A sinister smile appears on her face and she releases a powerful blast. It appears that it will be the end for the pharaoh and everyone standing behind him, but once again, something stands in the way of the dark one's victory. Cairo gasps lightly, seeing a tall, strong, muscular figure wearing a cape and golden mask deflecting her attack with his hands.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Magus yells. "Identify yourself!"
"It's you!" the pharaoh says, recognizing him from the time when he fell down the chasm.
"I am Hasan, protector of the pharaohs. For centuries I have defended the honor of Egypt's kings," Hasan says as he continues to deflect Cairo's attack. He turns his head slightly to look at the pharaoh who stands behind him. "So fear not, your highness. I shall shield you from the darkness…just as I shielded your father and his father before."
"If you truly are the protector of the pharaohs, then you should be protecting my son, Seto! He is the true King of Egypt! Not the imposter cowering behind you!" Magus snaps.
After the two powers of Cairo and Hasan collide, Hasan is finally able to fully deflect the attack. Then he turns to the frozen group behind him, breaking the spell so that they all can finally move.
Magus growls and looks back to the Millennium Stone. The dark one known as Zorc hasn't fully been reborn yet, thus his current ghostly form. And with things taking a turn like this, he knows he will need to buy more time. With the pharaoh and priests not being frozen anymore, they have a high chance of defeating him.
That's when it hits him.
He looks over to the small child standing in front of him. He grins, sensing her power increasing with each passing moment. He has always known Cairo to be strong for her age, although she still had a lot of training to do to amount to strong magicians like her mother or Mahad. But with the dark powers she has been possessed with, she could be the key to weakening the pharaoh and the priests, and giving Zorc the time he needs to be reborn in the meantime.
"Cairo!" Mana calls out, beginning to run over to her. But she is soon blocked by Magus and she gasps, taking a step back. The pharaoh quickly runs up, standing in front of Mana with his arm outstretched protectively. Looking over his shoulder, Mana sees the emotionless expression on her daughter's face. The shape of her eyes are more narrowed and no longer have that innocent gleam. Mana then turns her gaze to Magus and she clenches her teeth angrily. "Reverse whatever you did to her right now!"
Magus laughs. "You're in no position to be giving orders. Besides, she belongs to the dark one now."
"No…"
"And now to divide and conquer…"
A dark haze begins to fill the room and slowly but surely, Cairo begins to disappear from their vision. "Cairo!" Mana cries.
Yami grits his teeth as the room around him grows more dark and the last thing he sees is Cairo's glowing, purple eyes before his world goes dark.
YGOYGOYGOYGO
AN: Whew, that was a bit of a doozy to write. But it has finally happened. Everything has finally led up to this moment. What do you think will happen?
Hope you enjoyed this newest chapter and leave a review!
