WOW! It's been a bit over seven months for this story. I am ashamed of myself.
Mmm, this one is pivotal. I took forever, different WIPs, I have a brain made of goo, and I astral-projected into an alternate history where I was a heat-mongering lizard. Much prefer the lizard life, tbh. The wait is over!
FUN FACT!: If you didn't know already, "Ma'at" is pronounced "Mayet." Now you know.
Here we go.
Midafternoon comes. The queen is still kept in the birthing chamber. The palace is secure, with each bearer of a Millennium Item doing everything they can to keep the peace and find any trace of Bakura. Isis stays in constant meditation with the Necklace, attempting even some glimpse of the future. She eats and sleeps little, knowing that any hint could be the vital clue their existence hinges on.
Mahad is setting out for the tombs. None are aware of the plan he's set down. Mana might keep staring at him, but he didn't even divulge to her. The few medjay needed to implement the plan are some of his most trusted and loyal, and even they will not be fully aware of the scope of it until it is laid in motion. He's had enough of waiting, of apologizing, and of hearing that more and more people are in danger.
He'd just left a brief meeting with Pharaoh and the others. It was merely to say that preparations are complete, that the tombs are fortified, and that he will be leaving to oversee the rest of the work. His king continued to be gracious, forgiving him and allowing him to keep his status. Seth had more cutting words about his failures, but he couldn't deal with him right now. He had to keep his strength for the battle ahead.
Knowing that Isis can only see darkness with the Millennium Necklace, Seth kept any of his own ideas to himself, handing out snide comments for anyone who asked. Something is taking his concentration away from scouring the city once more, leaving Mahad with his window of opportunity. Pharaoh can only wait for the enemy to come to him. With the tense air around the palace only furthering his friend's stress, he calls for the medjay and begins.
He can feel him now, after all. Skittering in and out of his range of awareness, Mahad feels the Millennium Ring around his neck quiver. He knows that the thief is doing so to infuriate him. He wonders what Bali's advice would be. Ever since their fearsome queen had gone into labor, darkness peeked around every corner. Did Bakura wait for her to be away like this, was it planned? Or was it purely circumstantial?
"No, it must be Re's warning. This is fate," Mahad mutters under his breath. The group of men behind him await his signal to move out. He will do his duty to his king, one way or another.
The march begins. It seems that the parade down the boulevard to their awaiting boat drags much longer than usual. Mahad doesn't dare look around, keeping focused instead on what lies before him. That is, until he hears his name called from behind.
"Mahad! Mahad, please wait!" Isis bounds up. Even her immaculate application of kohl can't hide the exhaustion in her eyes. When she catches up, he has a feeling that she doesn't bear the best news.
"I just received a fragment of what will happen! You can't do this, I can't let you go alone," she gasps, placing a hand on his shoulder. Without a word he gently clasps his hand over hers and keeps it there for just a moment before releasing. Isis slides her hand off to place it over her heart. Her head drifts down to hide her anguish.
"This is something I must do, no amount of persuasion can keep me from moving forward. Pharaoh has been too kind in letting me waste time here. I am the greatest in the Black Lands at sorcery, and it's time I prove it."
Isis darts her gaze up, ready to protest.
"You can't mean that everything that Seth said has gotten to you! It isn't true, not at all!"
He takes a deep calming breath, before smiling wryly. He stares directly into her eyes with an air of regret. Isis reads his expression perfectly and protests once more.
"No! You know, but you're going to—"
"Isis, I already told you. This is something I must do. I will have truly failed everyone, and myself, if I don't," he states again. Tears leak from her eyes as she steps away.
"I know... I know."
"I am curious, however... You are unable to see the futures of holders of Millennium Items... How did you come to see even a glimmer of mine?" he asks with a sidelong glance. Isis' face reddens.
"I... I tried focusing on Mana, and she gave me the smallest detail." The admittance makes him laugh, even the smallest bit. He turns to get back to his mission, to turn away from his home at the palace for the last time.
"Know that you do return to the palace, Mahad," she says, keeping anything else she desires to say firmly locked away.
"Thank you, Isis. Until then." He leaves her in the empty causeway with his smile fading into a look of determination. Once at the front gate of the palace, he senses a familiar presence hiding in one of the many giant decorative pots lining the passage. His face turns stern, and he orders the rest of his group to carry on without him instead of waiting this time. Once alone, he turns to the suspicious pot.
"Mana, I know you're in there. Using the same trick twice isn't like you," he calls. He receives a tiny gasp from inside before she slowly pops her head out. She giggles. As she climbs out, however, he knows her carefree, nonchalant act is masking her immense worry.
"Sorry, Mahad, I just couldn't resist."
"You do realize I'm still 'Master Mahad' to you even when we're alone, right? And you should be practicing, not playing around. You didn't use magic on the guards again did you?"
"Hey, we've known each other too long for that to matter right now! And I happen to be your top student, which is why I came here to ask why you're going out there without anyone of real substance to help you! I mean, I know about—"
"Mana! Be discreet: The walls have ears."
She heaves an exasperated sigh.
"You're never going to change, that's for sure." Her posture changes, turning the mood from light to serious in a heartbeat.
"You'd better beat him. Otherwise I'll unleash the greatest magical havoc on the palace and you'll go insane when you get back." Her threat is enforced with a wag of her finger. Mahad smiles for his student and one of his best friends.
"I will do my best. Watch over the palace while I am gone, and don't get into too much trouble. The time may come soon when Pharaoh and the Queen will need your power to help fight the evil plaguing us." He moves to ruffle her hair, but it becomes a soft pet. Mana nods dutifully. She won't allow dark thoughts to cloud her faith in him, and when he sees this, it gives him the courage to turn away.
The journey to the tombs felt like an eternity, but the opening to Akhnemkhanen's old tomb lies before him at last.
"Remember what I have instructed. Ensure that no one else enters," Mahad says, reminding the captain of the group of specific details. Once all is confirmed, it's time. Without hesitation, Mahad strides inside the empty tomb alone.
On top of the cliff overlooking the tomb, Bakura lounges easily against a rock outcropping. Around him, Korket and his followers sit, awaiting an order. They followed the thief down here. There was no explanation, only a snappy command to get moving.
"A stray priest has come out to play. Looks like fun," Bakura mutters, talking around the onion he's eating. Korket says nothing. Bakura swallows and throws the rest away.
"Distract the rest so I can get in without a hassle. I don't feel like wasting my time with fodder like them," he says, jabbing his thumb in the direction of the soldiers left outside the tomb.
"Not a problem. Be sure to take possession of that priest's Millennium Item, Master Bakura. It will enhance your power beyond the scope of your imagination," Korket replies simply. Bakura grunts.
Without any further instruction needed, they move out.
"So, you have finally arrived."
Mahad's voice echoes through the cavernous hall. He doesn't need much light to sense the evil presence of the Thief King. Said villain snickers.
"Ah, I figured it would be something like this. However, I'm not here for you, Little Magician, I am here for the item around your neck."
Mahad glances down to the Millennium Ring, his frown growing deeper. It's been difficult to control, and now Bakura is starting to answer why.
"The Ring was meant for me, and it holds dark powers that would incinerate anyone lesser," he bellows in return, unwilling to accept that any loss in control could mean that Bakura might have some claim to it. He readies his ba to summon his Illusion Magician. Even more, it's time. The immense power he locked away years ago can finally be unleashed.
"Yes but it was destined for me. Now let's see what you've got!" Bakura summons Diabound to the chamber. Mahad gasps. Diabound's markings and size have changed drastically, and that doesn't touch the change in intensity of its power.
"What is this? How has your monster changed so much in so little time?!" he questions, hastily rethinking his strategy to take the Spirit Ka down. He never underestimated Bakura before, but with such an immense power up… It would require him to think on his feet.
He grits his teeth. He's up against someone who's built his entire monstrous life off thinking on his feet.
"No! No doubts! I came here to end this, because this is what I can do," he thinks, shifting his stance to brace himself more.
"Hatred, little priest, it's that simple! Each time my hatred grows so does my beast's power. Killing you will make it even better than it is now," Bakura explains, though he eyes the Illusion Magician warily. It's also changed, though more subtly. Something unstable and tricky but well-hidden, a scheme opposite to using brute force. Mahad picks up on his sudden hesitation to attack.
"My father and I locked away an enormous amount of my own power inside the Millennium Ring, and now I have released it to manifest itself inside my Spirit Ka. Whether I live or die in this battle, I will make sure that neither of us leave this place," Mahad says, regaining his confidence. This will be the end, one way or another.
Mahad wills his monster to attack, heaving massive amounts of heka into each spell. His chants are so fast and well-rehearsed that they would be indiscernible to normal ears. Illusion Magician's movements work in a similar blur, its form now grown to fit its increase in power. Explosive blasts of ba encapsulate Diabound before it can move away. Or so it seemed…
Bakura's monster disappears into the dust the explosions caused, and the thief still stands.
"Heh heh, how unexpected! You gave your heka to double the power of your attack. Only spirit sorcerers can do that, which makes you a rare and talented individual," he compliments, none of it sincere. Mahad ignores his words, keeping wary senses out for Diabound.
"So that wasn't a fluke before, it can walk through walls...?" he ponders, but his eyes snap to Bakura when he begins moving.
"As a thief, I also have ways to give special abilities and attacks to my monster, you know," he reveals, stepping forward onto a button. A trap of bronze pendulum blades sweep across their narrow battlefield. Bakura jumps up to ride the pendulum nearest him while Mahad dodges forward hastily to avoid the worst.
"I remember everything about this tomb, you arrogant fool! What use will the same traps be for you for what I've already pillaged before?!"
Mahad cringes, keeping still in a crouched position. The wind of the pendulum behind him is close enough to be a constant reminder that he must tread carefully. Illusion Magician floats nearby, waiting for further commands, and on guard for Diabound.
"You're wrong, Bakura. This tomb is empty, with the Eminent Pharaoh Akhnemkhanen now resting somewhere else. This one belongs to you and me," he says. Even if he falls in battle, and Bakura's Diabound can shift through stone, there will be no escape. He has to believe in his plan.
"If I am attacked by Diabound now, I will die. There's nothing I can do now but attack before that happens!" Mahad thinks, drawing in a calm breath before commanding his Illusion Magician to surge forward to attack Bakura directly.
"Not so fast, my friend!" Bakura calls.
Illusion Magician is stopped from his assault, as Mahad's heart leaps into his throat.
Diabound is above him.
He can hear Bakura ordering his creature to kill them, but his mind is elsewhere. He can see them all, his memories…
His family.
His friends.
All the people who look to him for his magic.
"Great Pharaoh, My Queen... Please forgive me for what I must do."
Mahad takes the attack.
Only pure determination allows him to complete his spell over the tremendous amount of pain. He completes his transfer in time, before the next downswing of the pendulum toward his body.
"H-hahaha! I can't believe my intentions are playing out so beautifully before me. One by one I'll kill you priests and take your Millennium Items, and just like that you're lucky number one," Bakura cackles, but he stops short.
Despite seeing the blood-soaked walkway and sheared body, all the proof he needs that his opponent is dead, the Illusion Magician remains.
"Ha, merely a death echo. Diabound, get rid of it."
Bakura watches in anticipation for the attack to succeed. He's already caught sight of the Millennium Ring. It's free of its old master now, waiting for him to snatch up…
No words more are said, only an incredible magic blast thrown in Diabound's face. The force causes both Bakura and the ring to go toppling off the pathway and into the plunging darkness of the pit below.
He catches one last glimpse of Mahad's face as Illusion Magician before the former High Priest fades away, his duty complete.
Evening falls and a courier carries the worst of news.
"Pharaoh, My Lords! Lord Mahad, in the dueling antechamber!" he bellows, disturbing the rigid and lull dinner. Isis is absent. They hadn't heard of Mahad's whereabouts until now… They could only wait for something like this.
Without many words between them, they rise. The adrenaline pushes them into an unconscious race: Who can get there faster to see what terrible fate has befallen their compatriot? They rush into the training hall, Pharaoh in the lead. Hours… Sparse hours! And now one of their own is–!
The men Mahad had led to the tombs under the guise of protecting them from Bakura sit, scattered and sullen and shaken. Physicians dart around tending to their injuries. Atem listens to Seth address the battered captain of those men, a skilled magician by his own right.
"The Ones-in-Black… They attacked us, allowing for Bakura to pass into the empty tomb as Master Mahad desired. We were ordered to keep any others from entering, but they had no interest. We were told only to return when we received that sign," the captain explains, wiping sweat from his face before pointing to a lone stone slab, one that had gone ignored. Atem snaps his attention to it and feels the floor fall from beneath his feet, even though his legs lock into place.
Mahad. He can hear others gasp and groan around him at the picture now carved on the stone before them, but they're far away. His old friend… Gone? Someone so strong, just like that, without anyone around to help him?
"Did he take Bakura down with him, and what of the Millennium Ring?!" Seth bellows, turning back to the downtrodden magicians. They shake their heads.
"No one escaped from there, but we can't be sure of anything else," one mumbles sadly, the rest nodding their agreements. Seth curses under his breath and paces away, muttering to himself. In his own way, he too is shaken by the visage of Mahad on the stone tablet.
Atem doesn't stray from his focus on his friend. Through this focus, he can hear it.
"I have fulfilled my role in that former life. Now in this form, the Dark Magician, I may perform my true purpose as your eternal servant, My Pharaoh, and my greatest friend."
"Thank you. From all of us, thank you," Atem murmurs. His friend will never be far away. He at last turns away to see his priests arguing over the validity of Mahad's actions, Bakura's chances of survival and the possible whereabouts of the Millennium Ring. They become less heated upon earning his attention.
"I cannot sense Bakura with my Necklace. I will send Spiria to search the land around the battlegrounds to find any traces that he's alive," Isis suggests, hiding her grief and turmoil beneath a cool and calm mask. Atem nods.
"We leave it to you."
"Pharaoh, there is also the risk that he is already back roaming the city. Allow me to search with troops, to smoke him out should he be here," Seth adds, though an underlying tone in his voice has Atem thinking it over longer.
Before he answers or lays down guidelines for the search, a disruption at the entrance to the hall garners their attention, a voice crying out in protest against guards.
"I'm here to see my master and you short-kilts aren't going to stop me!" Mana shrieks, preparing to use magic if necessary.
"She has no business here, throw her out!" Seth orders, irate that his plan has been stalled. Atem contradicts and overrules him immediately.
"No, wait. Mana is Mahad's student, she has the right to be here."
The guards, miffed at being called "short-kilts," step aside as ordered. Mana dashes to the stone, too full of worry to even thank her friend for allowing her entrance.
"It can't be... It can't be! He had all that power, he was a spirit sorcerer! He can't be gone, how am I going to become elite without his help?! Why...?" She garbles, before breaking into wracking sobs, dropping to one knee in both reverence and grief.
"Mana..." Atem kneels next to her and places a hand on her back for comfort as she shakes. The rest of the room has gone silent but for her wails.
After a tense minute she begins to still, and peeks up at Atem.
"You... You can summon kas from their stones, can't you Pharaoh? Please, I just want to see him..." She moans, her head bowing down so none can see her face.
Isis steps forward and bends slightly to rest a hand on Mana's shoulder, causing the apprentice magician to look up.
"Mana, Mahad's spirit is resting now after a terrible battle. Your level of Heka is not yet great enough to meddle with ka, nor do you house a spirit Ka. I believe that should you train harder for Mahad you'll be able to see him again and fight by his side," she comforts, gently reminding the young woman that Mahad entrusted his magical legacy to her. Mana's eyes widen, and she scrubs her tears determinedly out of her eyes before staring up at her master's stone tablet.
"I will become great. I will." Her promise is a serious one, and without hesitation she rushes back out of the room. Isis and Atem can only hope that her determination holds out over her grief in the trials to come.
"Agh, that's enough! These tears and moping about in sadness will get us nowhere. Bakura is a threat and we must act! I must go into the city to find him," Seth cries, his impatience finally wearing him down. Atem once again stares him down while carefully considering the options.
"Let me save them." Seth's earnest addition makes Atem glance back to Siamun.
"As we have no true confirmation of Bakura's death, it would be wise to stay on our guard, and protect the city from even an appearance of the Ones-in-Black out for revenge," Siamun comments quietly. It's enough to sway. Atem looks sharply back at Seth.
"I will allow you to station troops! However, your priority is to protect our people. Should I hear that they come to any strife because of our soldiers, there will be severe consequences," Atem rules, never letting up any pressure on the high priest now kneeling before him. Seth places his left hand on his heart, and raises his right.
"I swear I will not disappoint you. I will protect everyone!"
"So let it be written, so let it be done. If there is nothing else I will be in the library," Atem says, dismissing Seth and sweeping off to walk alone. Once he's aware he's alone, he sighs.
"Bali, how will I tell you about the death of our friend? How do we get out of this mess..." he trails off, running his fingers through his hair in aggravation. The next question he's led to comes out of frustration.
"Why do we keep getting into these messes in the first place?"
The only answer he gets are the echoes of Bakura's voice:
"...Ever since your warrior queen showed up it's been one thing after another, hasn't it?"
.
..
...
Holy Popsicle Stick, we're in for some interesting kinds of turmoil after this. Remember when Bali was in this story? Me neither!
Thanks to those who are still around, those who are new, anyone reading really. Favs/follows/ reviews are ALWAYS appreciated.
Til Next Time,
-A