Apep and the Sacred Scrolls of Duat

Chapter 11: Old Friends and New


Sitting silently while the others talked, Mai was staring back and forth between Yugi and the Pharaoh. While they both shared many physical similarities, there were so many differences too. Not to mention the fact that the Pharaoh looked regal and commanding while Yugi couldn't have looked less commanding if he'd tried.

"It's kinda strange, isn't it?" Serenity whispered to her. "Both of them…like this…" she added when she saw Mai's confused expression.

"That's not all that's strange," Mai scoffed, glancing round at the sumptuous palace around them.

"Yeah," she nodded in agreement.


"I'm still not convinced that this is a dream or not, but either way, I don't intend to waste the opportunity," Solomon said, standing up. "I want to see everything. Everything," he said.

"I wouldn't advise straying too far," Atemu told him, "There is danger here."

"He's right, gramps," Yugi said.

"Fiddlesticks," Solomon shrugged. "When I was your age, I laughed at danger. Why, I've done more dangerous things than you could ever imagine…"

"Like, being sent to the land o' the dead by freaky snakes?" Joey scoffed.

"Well…no…but…"

"We can go into the city, right? We did before and it was fine so…maybe we can just take a walk around. No offence, but I'm getting real tired of those court meetings," Tristan said.

"You're not the only one," Mana scoffed. "I'll take them," she said, eagerly. "You don't have to worry about a thing…erm…about this thing, anyway."

"Shirking your court duties, Mana?" Mahad asked.

"I'm acting as guard for the Pharaoh's guests, it's an important task," she insisted.

"You will be careful?" Atemu asked Yugi.

"Sure," he nodded.

"And if there is danger…"

"We'll call 911," Joey rolled his eyes.

"This is hardly a joke," Atemu sighed.

"What's 911?" Mana furrowed her brow as she whispered to Teà.

"We'll…erm…tell you later," she answered.

"Very well, if this is what you wish," Atemu relented. "However, please do remember to call upon the shadow creatures should anything happen," he said.

"Sure thing, dad," Joey mocked.

The pharaoh gave him a sardonic look while his vassals looked on in shock at what they would see as a lack of respect.

"Perhaps it would be wise for you to at least attempt the bearing of a Prince. And for the rest of you to act with some degree of respect befitting a Prince's vassals," Seto said to Yugi. "This sort of behaviour will reflect poorly on the king if you do not," he added.

"I'll erm…do my best," Yugi said, sheepishly.

"A Prince?" Solomon Mouto turned to his grandson.

"Come on, grandpa, we've got a lot of explaining to do," Yugi sighed. He gave a small smile to the king as they all left with Mana in tow.

"By the way, kids, I really do like the costumes," they heard Solomon say as they were walking away. "Is there one for me by any chance…"


"Are you certain that it is wise, pharaoh, to let them out of our sight?" Shimon asked once they were gone.

"They are not my prisoners, Shimon," Atemu replied. "And I've found it impossible to stop them once they have made up their minds. Even about something as simple as wandering the city. It's best not to waste my efforts in trying," he said, dryly.

Shimon pursed his lip, smiling a little and he nodded. "I shall take your word on that," he said.

"Mahad," Atemu said, much more seriously. "Are you well rested?" he asked.

"I am," the sorcerer nodded.

"Good. I need you to make this a priority. We cannot allow this to continue, I'll not have the entirety of the living world transported here. We need to know why it is happening and how to reverse it," he said.

"It shall be done," Mahad said. Then, with an elegant bow he left the room.

"Karim, go with him, if you will. This will not be an easy task," the king said.

"Yes, pharaoh," Karim said and left.


"Is there anything else of importance for me to address?" the King asked.

"Not at present," Shimon answered.

"Then I shall speak with Aknadin and then join our guests in the city," he declared and stood.

"And I shall accompany you to the city," Seto said.

"Yes, I thought you might," Atemu smiled at him.


Alone in the palace library, Master Aknadin was surrounded by scrolls of all shapes and sizes as he read silently.

"Aknadin?" Atemu called out as he entered the room alone.

The place was a mess and it was impossible to see the older man in the chaos.

"Pharaoh," Aknadin exclaimed and leapt to his feet. He was sat at a desk and a dozen scrolls slid off onto the floor as he moved.

"There you are," the king smiled and walked over to him.

"Forgive the…mess, pharaoh but I…"

"Nothing to worry about. It can be righted. Have you made progress?"

"Well…I may have a theory. I was only initially

researching the serpent but I believe I may have an answer as to why we have living souls able to survive here where only the dead reside. Though I'd rather continue my research to be sure. I may require Mahad's expertise in the matter," he said.

"Fortuitous," Atemu remarked. "I have only moments ago asked him to make this his priority. I'll have him sent over here at once."

"Thank you," Aknadin inclined his head.

"I wanted to ask you…Uncle…are you well?" Atemu asked slowly, after a moment.

Aknadin stared at him, surprised. "Yes," he answered, still confused.

"Why do you look shocked? I'm not ignorant to your…unique situation. Things are difficult and…"

"All I wish for is to be useful to you. That is all I can hope for," he replied, solemnly.

"I don't believe that. You deserve to be happy.

You are not simply a tool to be used at the whim of others."

"You and my brother were always far more optimistic than I."

"Have you spoken to Seto?" Atemu asked

"No, and I don't suppose that I should. I have no desire to cause my son more harm than I already have."

"I see," the king sighed. "Very well. If you have the time this evening I should like to hear this theory of yours."

"Pharaoh," the older man nodded.

"Will you do one thing for me at least?"

"Your highness has but to name it."

"Speak to someone. About anything or nothing. After thousands of years alone, it can do nothing but help you," Atemu said, knowing it.

"I earned my isolation," Aknadin said.

"Your penance was paid. Admittedly things will not be easy, but I believe you capable of earning back the trust of those around you. You already have mine," he assured his uncle.

"Your highness thinks far too much of me."

"It is not difficult. You are at heart a good man. You helped and guided me as a child. You protected me…"

"And then I betrayed you to your greatest enemy. You cannot simply brush aside my betrayal."

"I will do as I see fit," the king said.

"You are king, that is your right, however in this instance…"

"Not another word. My mind is made up, I will not renounce my decision. You will prove me either wrong or right as you wish," Atemu said in a tone which left no room for argument.

Aknadin sighed heavily but said nothing.

"Goodbye Aknadin," Atemu said, leaving the room.


"You heard that, I assume?" Atemu asked as he rounded a corner and saw Seto waiting for him. The man nodded, silently. "And? What are your thoughts?" the king asked.

"On this matter, I have none. On another matter, we should leave, I have ordered for our horses to be saddled at once," Seto replied.

"Very well," Atemu said.


Mai was wandering the sand covered streets warily. After all of her negative experiences with magic; the shadow realm and the Oricalcos, she was much more wary than the others who had simply grown used to strange things happening to them.

With some degree of unease, she'd changed her clothes to an airy dress of white cotton. Professor Hawkins and Solomon Mouto had taken to the change with much more gusto than she had and had been eagerly trying on and marvelling at the ancient clothes.

The ancient streets of Thebes were a maze of buildings of all shapes and sizes. It had grown unplanned and so, it was easy to get lost but it seemed that everyone around them knew where they were going. They were strolling down a wide street, wide enough for several buses and there was small stalls on either side, selling food, jewellery, cloth and pottery.

"Mai, are you ok?" Serenity asked, walking beside her. The younger woman liked Mai, that was clear for all to see and she'd noticed the uneasy expression in the blondes' face.

"I'm fine," Mai assured her.

"You really do look pretty in that, y'know," Serenity said.

Mai gave her a small smile in thanks.

"It's kinda nice here isn't it?" Serenity asked.


Ahead of them they watched as Joey, Tristan and Duke argued loudly with an older woman about her asking price for a sweet smelling dish of food.

"No way is that worth this solid gold ring, you're outta your mind, lady!" Joey yelled. "And what'd ya mean y'don't know what money is?!"

"Joey…" Yugi tried to calm him down.

"The Egyptians had a barter system," Solomon explained, "Not money."

"Relax, man," Tristan rolled his eyes at his friend.


"This is all just too…crazy," Mai sighed, looking around. "Every time I keep thinking it's all over…"

"Yeah, I know," Serenity said. "Joey said this kind of stuff happens to us all the time and he's kinda right…at least since I started hanging round with them. I don't really like all the scary stuff but I wouldn't change anything. They're my friends and he's my brother. And it's not like it's anyone's fault or anything."

"Hmmm," Mai hummed.

"And at least we're all together," Serenity said with a kind smile. "We missed you y'know," she added.

Never one to deal with genuine kindness very well Mai turned away but that wasn't enough to deter Serenity. The younger woman gently looped an arm through one of Mai's, surprising her.

"We should probably go over there and stop my brother from getting arrested or something," Serenity suggested.

"I guess so," Mai let out a sigh and couldn't help but smile a little.


Riding out of the palace on his magnificent white horse, both decorated in gold and with his blue cape flying out behind him in the desert breeze, the young king made for a striking sight. Particularly with Seto riding just behind him, and then behind him, followed a handful of soldiers, all armed of course.

People stood aside to let them pass and bowed as they did so.

"He said he had a theory," Atemu mused aloud as they rode on down the avenue of sphinxes. "Aknadin, I mean," he clarified. He'd slowed down his horse to ride side by side with Seto.

"I heard," Seto replied.

"He has far more experience with magic than any of us. Perhaps he has managed to discover something that we have missed, and with Mahad's help, we may finally have an answer."

"Perhaps."

"You don't sound convinced."

"Perhaps it is a trick."

The king smiled at the answer. In many ways his cousin Seto was much like Kaiba. Or should that be the other way around, that Kaiba was much like his beloved cousin.

"Yes, it could be," Atemu replied.

"But you don't believe so," Seto stated, confidently.

"No, I don't."

"We shall soon see," he said after a moment.

Atemu sighed and saw the guarded expression on Seto's face. But he knew better than to believe the emotionless mask that his cousin had long since perfected.

"I'm sorry to cause you such distress," the king said.

"I am not distressed," Seto insisted.

"Your poker face is as impressive as always," Atemu shook his head and his cousin furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Poker? I don't understand, pharaoh."

"Never mind," the king let out a quiet chuckle. "What I meant to say is that you have my word that I will make it up to you, whatever the cost."

"There is nothing for you to…"

"Seto," Atemu interrupted him and his cousin said nothing further. The king turned his attention to the soft grey mane of his horse and he gently ran his fingers through it. "When was the last time we had a race? Just the two of us?" he asked suddenly.

"Many a year ago," Seto replied. "Though I fail to see the significance of such a question."

"It's is of great significance."

"As you say," Seto sighed.

"We used to…all the time when I was young," he said with a wistful smile. "Why did we stop?"

It had usually been Atemu's idea and Seto had been roped in, but he'd always enjoyed it even though he'd always been reluctant to admit it. Of course that had been when Atemu had been a young prince and had been much more carefree. As he'd grown he'd become increasingly focused on his duty and having 'fun' seemed to be a luxury he could no longer afford.

"Duty," Seto answered, as though reading his mind.

"Yes," he sighed. He brought his horse to a stop so Seto did the same, as did the soldiers behind them. "I don't think that one more race between friends will compromise our duties, do you?"

"It is not befitting for a king to race around the city."

"It's not forbidden," Atemu raised an eyebrow.

"…No," Seto reluctantly said.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?"

"My king…"

"No harm will come of it, and we could both use a little fun."

"It is unadvisable."

"Naturally, it is. But you will enjoy it, as will I."

"I would do no such thing. More to the point, we have far too many duties to simply act like children. We cannot cast aside our responsibilities so easily now."

"Seto, neither of us can ever be accused of shirking our duties. But I am not a ruthless dictator and you are not my servant. I don't want either of us to simply be beings of duty. I want you to live a full and happy life."

"And racing through the streets will achieve that?"

"It would be a start," the king said, trying to convince himself as well as Seto. "Ah, of course…" he began in a much more sarcastic tone. "As I recall, I won our last race all those years ago and the overall score ended in my favour. I understand your reluctance completely," Atemu nodded.

"I do not recall the score being in your majesties' favour. I simply…"

"Nor do I recall it being in yours."

"You wouldn't," Seto retorted and Atemu chuckled quietly at him.

"Now that's the Seto I remember," he smirked.

"I suppose honour should dictate that we rectify the score," Seto said, acquiescing.

"Of course," the king said.

"Very well," Seto gave an exasperated sigh but his eyes were sparking.

"Guards," the pharaoh called out and the soldiers stood at attention. "Wait at the palace for us, we will be perfectly fine," he said and the bowed in acknowledgment.

Then, the king turned to Seto with a small grin. "After you," he said, "You'll need the head start, after all."

The corner of Seto's lip twitched just the smallest amount and to anyone who knew him, that was on him, equal to a giant grin on anyone else.

"I have no wish to embarrass the king," he taunted back.

"Nor I you. You are a highly respected member of the court. Not to mention; my cousin and a prince of Egypt. Your reputation would never recover."

"We shall see," Seto said.

"So…together, then?"

Seto nodded. "One," he said.

"Two," Atemu said.

"Three," his cousin finished and with that, they both urged their horses down the dusty road, swirling up a sand storm behind them as they raced.


"I'm tellin' you guys, that old lady was crazy," Joey insisted.

"Uh huh, sure she was the crazy one," Tristan said, dryly.

"Maybe we shouldn't go around picking fights, Joey," Serenity said. "The Pharaoh's mom said we need to blend in out and Yugi is supposed to be a prince. Kaiba…I mean, Seto, said we shouldn't be making a scene in the streets."

"Can we please not mention that word…" Yugi flushed.

"Yeah, no one wants to talk about that stupid rich, jerk Kaiba," Joey gave a dramatic shudder.

"I meant the word; 'prince'," Yugi clarified.

"Serenity got the brains of the family, huh?" Tristan mocked his friend with a grin.

"And the looks," Duke added.

"Watch it, dice boy!" Joey yelled.

"Absolutely stunning," Solomon muttered.

"Err…grampa?" Yugi blushed and his friends stopped in their tracks.

It was only when they turned to look at Solomon Mouto that they realised the old man was remarking in the beauty of a hanging tapestry rather than Setsnity Wheeler.

The two archaeologists had been stoping at regular intervals. They stared at buildings, turned back and looked at the view, they even stopped once and knelt down to sift the sand through their fingers.

"Oh," Joey let out a sigh of relief and shook his head. "Think they've got heatstroke?" Joey asked for the third time. "Guys, you're not gonna check out the sand again, are ya?" he called back to them. "Sand's just sand, y'know?!"

"But it's remarkable," professor Hawkins said, stained. "It's a beautiful work of art. And this is exactly as I've always pictured ancient Egypt," he said, looking around.

"It's an archeologies dream!" Solomon said, excitedly.

"Geez, they're like kids in a toy store," Joey shook his head and the others smiled.

"Hey guys, erm…does the ground feel like it's shaking?" Yugi furrowed his brow.

"What?" Joey asked.

"Feels like…I dunno, an earthquake, maybe?"

"Say what? Gramps, did they have earthquakes in Egypt?" Joey exclaimed.

"Certainly they do," Solomon nodded. "But it doesn't feel like an earthquake to me," he added.

"It's the snakes! They're back! It's a snake-quake! Everybody run for it!" Joey yelled.

It wasn't only their friends who stared at him, but also everyone around him too.

"So much for keeping a low profile," Teà lamented.

"It does kinda feel like the floor's shaking," Serenity remarked after a moment.

The people bustling around in the street also stopped and looked around but it soon became clear what was causing it. Two riders were racing down the wide street, leaping over any obstacles and swerving around the people. Most people had simply stopped what they were doing to cheer on and watch the race as they stood back out of the way, clearing the path ahead.

"Is that…the Pharaoh?" Yugi squinted at one of the riders.

"Hey, yeah," Joey nodded.

"And that's Kaiba," Duke said.

"Think they're running from something?" Serenity asked.

"Well, they don't look scared. It looks like they're smiling," Yugi said.

"So…they're having a race?" Teà inferred.

"I guess," Yugi nodded. "And it looks like everyone else thinks so too," he said, looking around at the cheering crowd.

"Oh, yeah, and the Pharaoh's winnin!" Joey exclaimed, happily. "He's kicking Kaiba's ancient butt!"

"How exciting. A race right through the ancient streets of Thebes! I feel like I've died and gone to heaven," Solomon said and moved so that he'd have a front row seat when the race reached them.

"Erm…we kinda have…" Tristan muttered.

"If only I had a camera," the old man lamented, seemingly ignoring Tristan's sarcastic comment.

It wasn't long before the Pharaoh and Seto's horses made their way down the street. Soon they were close enough so that Yugi and his friends could hear them both laughing. The hooves of their horses were pounding along the ground and kicking up a small sandstorm, though no one seemed to really care. They could hear the gold and the beaded ornaments on the kings' horse chiming against each other as the horse bolted forwards, almost like a manic wind chime.

"To the end of the Main Street and back?" Seto asked the king as they rode on.

"To the gates, Seto. Those are the rules," the king cried back.

Having been so caught up in their race, they'd both failed to see the obstacle ahead until the people around them began shouting and pointing to it.

"We may need to change our plans, my king!" Seto said and pointed ahead.

Not far ahead of them was, what appeared to be a building site. A large wall of a building had collapsed onto the road and was blocking their way. People were working to clear the mess but they had cluttered the path with building material and debris to do so.

Both the King and Seto pulled back on the reigns to slow their horses and they came to a stop with a few feet to spare.

Atemu and Seto turned to one another and smiled. The king chuckled quietly for a second before he turned to the people and thanked them for warning him.

"So, who won?" Atemu asked his cousin.

"I believe it was a draw, Pharaoh," Seto replied.

"Hmmm," the king gave him a look of disbelief. Then he turned back to the collapse blocking their way. "I wonder what happened there," he said.

"You there," Seto called out to one of the men working on the task of clearing up the debris. "What caused this?" he asked.

The man turned around and fell to his knees, in a respectful bow.

"We're working to fix it as quickly as we can, Pharaoh," he replied.

"That wasn't what the king asked," Seto said.

"I do not know the cause, mighty Pharaoh. I was hired simply to work," he answered.

"Very well, continue," the king said and he did so.

Atemu turned back to Seto and walked his horse to stand right beside his. "He knows what happened," he whispered.

"And he does not wish to say," Seto nodded in agreements.

"The serpents?" Atemu suggested.

"Perhaps."

"Drunken brawl," an old voice called out.

It came from an old man. He was wearing an old black wig which had seen better days but his sandals and his white tunic were spotless. His weather beaten skin was tanned from the sun and had a smattering of old scars.

He was sitting outside what looked like someone's house but acted as a cafe, serving drinks and food. He wasn't alone either. There was group of men, rather old men, all sitting around a small wooden boardgame, it was less than half the size of a chess set called a sennet board.

"What did you say?" Atemu asked.

"Drunken brawl last night. They tore up the building," came the reply.

"Must've been some fight," Joey scoffed.

"People are scared. Can you blame them for acting out?" the old man said.

The king walked his horse slowly over to them. "Did you see it?" he asked.

"I did. And I stopped it. With the help of a few guards."

"Was anyone injured?"

"The kid who started it came off worse, but I think his pride was hurt worse than his body," the old man said. "He'll live."

"Were you injured?" the king asked.

"I'll live, too," the old man said and the king shook his head.

By now, Yugi and his friends had walked over to stand beside the king.

"Do you err…know him?" Yugi asked quietly.

"Yes, he's an old friend," Atemu replied with a fond smile.

"I was already old when you were young," the old man scoffed.

"What does that make you now, Menna?"another asked.

"I'd rather not think about it," the first man, Menna replied.

"Rubbish," the king said, dismounting his horse elegantly and handing the reigns to Seto. "You don't look a day older to me," he said.

"Hah, make that a law in stone and I'll be a happy man," Menna laughed.

"Apologies, all posed changes to proclamations must be submitted in writing," the king said, gazing at the sennet board. "Seto, would mind?" he called out, sounding disinterested.

"I fear I am without scroll or quill, my Pharaoh," Seto said, just as dryly.

"Perhaps next time," Atemu shrugged. "You're winning," he remarked, gesturing to the board.

"That's usually the case."

"Conned me out of a decent mug of beer, he did not five minutes ago," the other man harrumphed. "Said he was on a loosing streak, huh."

"Err…how'd you know these guys?" Yugi asked, sitting down next to Atemu.

"I snuck out of the palace when I was a young boy and I came across a group of people playing sennet," Atemu told them. "My father was furious, he'd lead a frantic search for me, thinking I'd been kidnapped and there I was playing games…"

Yugi snorted and tried his best to hide his smirk, but he failed.

"Sneak out a lot, didn't ya?" Joey muttered.

"Yes, I'm ashamed to say I did," Atemu replied.

"Your father almost fired me," Menna remarked.

"He never would have fired you," Atemu assured him. "At least not for long," he added. "He valued your work too much, as do I. Though, I am sorry that I ever got you into trouble."

"Bah," Menna said dismissively. "It made me famous, never mind my work. I was the best overseerer for royal tombs but everyone knows me as royal kidnapper."

"Hardly kidnapping," Atemu scoffed.

"You came here every day for a week."

"Yes," the king gave an elegant shrug.

"When you should have been in the palace."

"I was scolded enough, must you do it too?"

Menna rolled his eyes with a quiet laugh and pointed at the sennet board. "Does your royal highness wish for a game?" he asked haughtily.

"If you would be so kind," he nodded.

"This is the foreign prince we've been hearing about then, is it?" Menna asked as he moved the small, battered pieces around the board.

"It is," Atemu replied. "A distant relative of mine. Yugi, this is Menna. Overseerer of the construction of all royal tombs."

"He's picked a bad time for a reunion," the old man remarked.

"Bad luck runs in the family," Atemu said, dismissively.

"Does the prince play sennet?"

"No, but his grandfather does," Solomon Mouto remarked. He sat down, with some difficulty and eyes the board. "Though it's been a while," he admitted.

"Related to the vizeer, are you?" Menna asked, nothing his striking resemblance to Shimon.

"Yes, he is," Atemu answered quickly.

"Small world," he remarked. "Your move,

Pharaoh," he said after he'd set up the game pieces.


Lunchtime in the royal palace was not to be missed. The throne room was transformed with golden tables and chairs and every surface was heavily ladened with delicious smelling foods.

Bowls of roast duck and fish, all flavoured with exotic spices, as well as fresh fruit like dates and grapes and vegetables, too. The room smelt amazing. There were people handing out both wine and beer and there were loaves of bread everywhere.

The king was sitting at the head of the largest table, directly in line with his throne and his advisors and friends sat around him.

"Man, I'm never leaving this place," Joey said and he eyed all of the food, practically drooling.

"Hey, has anyone seen grampa?" Yugi asked.

"If he doesn't hurry, there'll be no food left," Duke remarked sarcastically.

"I believe I saw them in the hall of kings about an hour ago," Isis told them. "They may not still be there but it is worth checking," she explained, "The guards will direct you."

"Thanks," Yugi smiled at her. "I'm going to go and get them," he said to his friends.

"See ya," Joey said, sounding uninterested and he picked up a large piece of roasted meat.

"Come on," Serenity said.

"W…but…the food…"

"It'll be there when we get back," Teà said.

"Fiiiiine," Joey sighed.

.

"There you are, gramps," Yugi breathed a sigh of relief. "Professor. I'm so glad we found you."

"Why's this place have to be so big," Joey panted, out of breath as he leaned over and rested his hands on his knees. "You're...late for dinner, guys," he added.

"We've only been down here for..." Solomon trailed off for a moment. He turned to look at one of the large candles that was across the room. It had horizontal lines running all along it and burned a certain amount for every hour; an ancient clock.

"Oh dear," professor Hawkins blanched, "An hour and a half."

"Oh," Solomon flushed. He turned to his grandson who didn't look at all impressed. "Sorry, Yugi, we might've gotten a little carried away," he said.

"I'll say," Joey rolled his eyes. "Is all this chicken scratch really that interesting?" he said, gazing at the wall of hieroglyphics that had them so transfixed. "Just looks like a bunch of funny pictures to me," he said.

"A bunch of..." Solomon repeated, indignantly. "This, young man, is the line of succession of the kings of Egypt. Every single one. Well, up to the Pharaoh, at least, given that this is supposed to be happening for people right now."

"Huh," Joey hummed, looking up at the wall of text.

"It's really quite fascinating. The whole history of Egypt is written on these walls. It goes back all the way to the very first king of Egypt, king Narmer. He unified the country and made it the world's very First Nation state," Mr. Mouto said, excitedly as he put his palm on the part of the wall with the name of king Narmer at the far left.

"Right up to the Pharaoh Atemu," the professor said, pointing to the far right end of the wall.

"It's an opportunity of a lifetime!" Solomon said, happily. "I've spent my entire life studying and uncovering lost civilisations and now to actually be in one! I intend to read every single hieroglyph while I'm here! Even if I don't get a wink of sleep! Who knows when we might simply vanish?"

"But it's chow time up there!" Joey complained, "It's food fit for a king...y'know, literally!"

"Just a few more minutes," Mr. Mouto said.

"It's not like all that food is gonna disappear in five minutes, Joey," Teà replied and he sighed.

"Unless Bobassa shows up," Tristan muttered.

"So who else is on the wall, grampa?" Yugi asked.

"Well, there's...oh, king Djoser. He built Egypt first pyramid. And Khufu, he built the great pyramid. Meryt-Neith, she might've been the first female Pharaoh. Oh, and king Mentuhotep II. He reunified the country after decades of civil war and unrest and founded the dynasties of the Middle Kingdom. Which is where we are now. It was a golden age for Egypt and produced some of the most well known kings."

"They were some of the finest warrior kings of the ancient world, too," the professor added.

"Warrior kings?" Yugi swallowed, nervously.

"Oh yes," his grandfather nodded. "Almost every king of Egypt was a warrior. If not, they at least portrayed themselves as one. The Pharaoh's father...over there," he pointed to a cartouche at the far right. "King Aknankanan, famously lead Egypt to victory over its many enemies and brought about a great age of peace. The pharaoh himself went into battle and lead his army against the Hittites."

"I err...guess that kinda makes sense," Yugi said. "I mean...he always took over if there was any kind of trouble or a fight or something. He could fight better than me even without his memories," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah, and lets face it, Yug, you're not all that scary," Joey snorted.

"Hey!" Yugi blushed, embarrassed.

"He's right, dude, sorry," Tristan shrugged and Yugi sighed.

"Talk about 'no pressure'," Duke scoffed, still looking at the, to him, illegible hieroglyphs.

"Must be a lot to try and live up to," Serenity remarked, a little sadly.

"You're kidding, right? He kicked Zorc's evil butt twice and saved the world I dunno how many times!" Joey said. "And now he's eating the worlds best food and we're missing it, so let's go," he added.

"Alright," Solomon rolled his eyes while Professor Hawkins smiled.

"I am rather hungry," the professor said.