Author's Note: This is from the viewpoint of the priest Mahaado, also known as the Black/Dark Magician. It can be seen as loyalty, any type of love you want, or even religious zeal. But it's been bugging me to write something like this for a long time, so I thought I would. This could not have been done without the wonderful help of Seena and Mana. Thank you both! ^_^ I'm making up a lot of what is said here, but the fact remains that Mahaado is and always was completely loyal to the Pharaoh, perhaps even to the point of obsession. If you haven't been keeping up with the current manga in Japan, the Ancient Egypt Arc, you should go read up on that before you read this.
Shadi: Indigo does not own Yu-Gi-Oh, Mahaado, the Pharaoh, or anything else mentioned in this work.
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My Pharaoh
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You will never harm my Pharaoh. I see you your plots against him, you who know nothing of his shining greatness. You will not succeed while I exist. My Pharaoh is everything to me. He is my day and my night, my sun and my moon, my morning and evening star. His greatness knows no equal. I do not speak out of any desire to gain his favor, for I know that I have it already. I merely speak the truth. How anyone could think of betraying this great man, this god, is unthinkable.
The Pharaoh Akunumkanon has saved me. My family lost their honor and would have been put to death, but the Pharaoh spared their lives. A thief had stolen the goods we were to use as our annual tribute to the Pharaoh. But instead of damning us forever, our great ruler's look of disapproval pierced the underling who would have killed us like a spear into soft flesh. He saw some power in me when others, even I, could not. So he spared my family and he took me back to the palace. I studied there, and learned to read and write, and also the history of our golden land. I learned of the gods and their mysterious power. I also learned of the power they had blessed me with. I found that, with some training, I had the power to command one of the great magical Items that the Pharaoh and his brother, a great mage and priest, had made. I had never been so eager to learn, or so proud to be able to obey the Pharaoh's wishes. My advancing skills pleased him, he said. He said this to me himself. He sent no messenger, but graced me with his own great presence. I was truly honored, and my commitment grew with each passing day.
The Pharaoh's queen was a truly great woman as well, as befitted her divine husband. I rarely saw her, but when she was introduced to me her smile was like the sun's first rays on the Nile. Her beauty knew no equal, and her grace and charm were formidable as well. Although it was the custom for the wives of nobility to do no more than bear children at the time, she had an accurate grasp on current politics and issues, and assisted her honored husband from the side.
As time wore on, the Pharaoh's queen gave birth to a son. She had not been able to for quite a while, and so the Pharaoh was incredibly pleased. He praised her repeatedly at the strength and health of the son she bore to him. The process had weakened her, but she slowly recovered her former health and vibrant beauty.
The boy who was to be my Pharaoh was as beautiful as his mother, but with his own charm. His eyes were as red as a canna lily from the far south, and though he was young, they already began to have the slanted inclination of a true king's eyes. One could see greatness in his very features. But his most startling feature was his hair. While his father's hair had golden streaks and his mother's had a crimson tint to it, the boy's had all of this and more. By the time he was about five years old, his hair stood out in five bold points like a star fallen from the heavens. It was black as night, but edged in a brighter scarlet than his mother's hair. And his long thin bangs were a pale gold. I knew at once that this must be a sign of his true destiny: to be the morning and evening star of Egypt for all eternity. I was only only ten at the time myself, so I did not truly understand what this meant. But as I grew older, I came to see it for the truth.
This young Pharaoh loved to play games. He would seek me out on occasion to play with me. His luck and skill with games of any sort was astounding. It was truly a blessing from the gods the way he could play a game he had never seen before and catch onto the rules in time to snatch his victory away from any opponent. Far from being annoyed at this, I was in awe. I saw his great destiny, and saw that he would succeed at whatever he attempted in the future.
As he grew, so did I. My training slowly neared its completion, and I was not alone anymore. The Pharaoh himself held the Puzzle, which had powers surpassed by none. And there were six priests serving him. Lord Akunadin, who had created the magical gold Items, held the Eye, which could see into a person's mind. There was a young boy just a bit older than the Pharaoh. Seito held the Rod, which could control another's mind and body. He was Akunadin's son, and his power was greater than my own. I could not bring myself to like him much or to trust him fully, but I had great respect for him. I was a bit surprised when a woman, Aishisu, joined us with the Tauk, which could see glimpses of the future. Her grasp of its powers was truly formidable, and we all came to respect her quickly. Shadah was older than most of us, though not as old as the Pharaoh or Akunadin. He held the Ankh, which allowed him to view, enter, and change a person's soul. For a while the Pharaoh's chief advisor, Shimon Muran, held the Ankh, but it responded more easily to Shadah's touch. I always admired the way he followed the Pharaoh's wishes with complete dignity and poise. Karimu held the Scales, which could judge the worth of a person's soul and send an evil one to the Underworld. Such power would be truly dangerous in the hands of anyone, but Karimu's loyalty to the Pharaoh reassured us all that it was in good hands. And finally, I held the Ring. It could displace a person's spirit and soul, and could also point to the other Items easily with its spikes, while the others had to pull the hand of their wielders. Together we were thought to be an unstoppable force.
But when the Pharaoh's son was twelve and I was just barely seventeen, an unthinkable disaster occurred. The Pharaoh, to whom I owed my life, died. He had not died of sickness or in a glorious battle. He was murdered. How could a mere mortal kill a god? And who would want to harm our great Pharaoh? I mourned the death of my ruler and savior, as did his son. His wife threw herself from the garden wall and onto the sharp rocks below shortly after her husband's death. But we did not have long to weep, for unrest quickly occurs with the death of a leader. The boy now became Pharaoh himself, and had no more time to grieve. He was forced to rule the kingdom very suddenly, though Shimon and we priests did everything we could to help him. He slowly became accustomed to his role as the Pharaoh, and became a good and just ruler.
Around this time, I took an apprentice. She was nine, but already showed great promise for calling on the magic and power inside of her. Her name was Mana, and she was nowhere near as serious about her studies as I had been. Sometimes I despaired at her ever succeeding. But she was quick, despite her inclination to play rather than work, so she advanced, albeit slower than I would have liked. I was proud of her, nonetheless.
I wanted to always serve my Pharaoh this way, but not everyone shared my love for him. Seito's unrest at being unable to become the Pharaoh grew all the time, fueled by Akunadin's assurances that it was his right. It came to me that not all of the Pharaoh's followers could be trusted, so I vowed that I, at least, would never betray my Pharaoh. To this day I have kept that promise, and anyone who wishes to hurt him will have me to answer to.
When my Pharaoh was about sixteen, and I was twenty-one, another horrific situation came upon us. I had been assigned the task of protecting the tombs from robbery, and my soldiers and I were doing an admirable job of it, if I may say so. Only one thief continued to slip through our fingers: the Thief King Bakura. He was a scourge upon the land, taking what he wanted with no regard for the dead. No matter how I tried, I could not capture him. The Ring, which would often point me in the right direction to find something important, lay limp in my hands when I tried to pursue him.
But this demon did not stop there. He walked right into the throne room, into my Pharaoh's presence, dragging the spoils from his latest robbery. But the treasure was meaningless when we saw that he had also pulled Pharaoh Akunumkanon's dry mummy along behind him by a rope around the corpse's neck. I was so horrified and enraged that I could not speak... And Bakura proceeded to attack us. We fought back, of course. But to my shock, the Ring on my chest shook and gained a powerful aura at his entrance. It would not obey me in fighting him. I could not hide my horror at this betrayal. We managed to drive him away nonetheless, but we could not avenge the great wrong he had done. I went to my Pharaoh afterwards and knelt before him, begging his forgiveness at our failure. I was ashamed that the others did not. My Pharaoh seemed distant, probably thinking of his father, but he forgave me, in his infinite generosity. I wanted to serve him all the more because of it. And so I set a trap, using my impotent power to help me...
On my way to carry out my plan, I sensed Mana, my student, hiding in a nearby pot. I had to ask her to stop acting like a child and learn some dignity. She laughed at me, but she got out. After speaking to Shimon, I left the palace with my squadron of soldiers. We crossed the sands to the tombs, and there I had them roll a stone to the entrance of a tomb while I went inside. I knew the traps of this tomb. I knew my power. I would rely only on my Kaa today, and not let the Ring betray me again. I stood on a bridge and made the power of the Ring flare up as much as I could. I saw how it had called out to Bakura before, and I knew that, faced with its power, he could hardly resist coming to take it from me.
And come he did. The despicable thief king appeared before me, reeking of garlic. He panicked for a second as we heard the sound of my soldiers sealing us inside the tomb, but he quickly regained his devious composure. I knew that my troops would also have set up a large tablet to contain his Kaa, Diaboundo, when I defeated him. Shadah had said that his Kaa was good, and he knows about such things... I was sure that Bakura must have imprisoned this good Kaa through treachery. How else could such a black-hearted criminal have such a strong force of good at his command? And the tablet served another purpose as well. If I failed again, I would have truly failed my Pharaoh. I knew that Bakura would kill me, but if such a thing happened, when my Kaa escaped my body, perhaps I could still serve the Pharaoh, even after death. I told no one of this part of my plan, however. My helplessness at the time of the Pharaoh's plight put me in no mood for the sympathy of others. I had to help the Pharaoh, at any cost, and in any way I could.
And so the Thief King and I faced each other on that stone bridge, with razor-edged blades hanging above us. They waited to slice up an unsuspecting thief who did not tread with care, and this was another backup plan of mine. Though he had not been caught by this sort of trap before, perhaps in the heat of a battle he would not be so watchful.
With a bloodthirsty cry, Bakura summoned his Diaboundo. The serpent-tailed behemoth rose up behind him. Needing no vocalization, I put all of my anger and strength into summoning my own Kaa, the Illusory Wizard. It was normally a small, weak-seeming spell-caster. Today though, it looked like a formidable, full-sized mage in dark armor with a dark face and glowing eyes. I felt a sense of righteous pride through my red haze of rage and vengeance. And so we fought.
Soon the switch on the floor was pressed, and the blades swung down. I had to dodge out of the way to avoid having any limbs cut off, but the fiend I faced jumped easily on top of one of the blades, and mocked me from his perch. I did not see his Kaa in time to escape, and so I was struck down for a moment. My Kaa became wispy for a moment, and I saw that it suffered as I did.
I knew that my end had come. I could not fight any longer. And my Kaa was in no condition to do so either. Even in my agony though, I managed to pull myself to my feet to recite one final spell. Bakura's eyes widened as I spoke. He must have understood. I would not have expected such knowledge in a dirty thief, but I suppose he is resourceful, if nothing else. Feeling a new surge of pain, I doubled over. The thief's eyes widened even further as a blade swung down at me. My body hit the cold stone, as did my head. The Ring clattered to the ground as well. My Kaa began to glow with an uneven aura.
Bakura grinned in triumph, but his victory was short-lived. He gasped as I appeared again before him. In leaving my body, my soul was allowed to merge with my Kaa. And so, I had become my Illusory Wizard. I pointed my staff at him and directed a full black magic attack at the thief, and he fell into the abyss... ... ...
Later, the tablet of my Kaa, and now my very self, was brought before the Pharaoh. He grieved for me as I would have for him. The others voiced their regrets as well. Mana came to see if what she had heard was true, and the guards attempted to stop her, but the Pharaoh, in his kindness, allowed her to come forward. She cried for my death, and I was sorry to have hurt her and the others like this, but it was the only way I could continue to serve my Pharaoh. She was distraught, but the Pharaoh and Aishisu comforted her. They gave her new resolve to improve her skills. In this way, she too could serve the Pharaoh better.
I served my Pharaoh in many battles after that. During his lifetime I helped him face his enemies, and I was easily able to watch the world from my place in my new shadowy realm. There were many strange creatures here: strong and weak, dangerous and potentially friendly. Over time, Mana came to join me. She told me of the events following my death. I continued to teach her long past the Pharaoh's death. Only two thoughts kept me from losing my mind. I could not abandon Mana, and I could not stop serving my Pharaoh. I knew that he would return. I had always known that, but now it was what kept me together. I had to believe that the Pharaoh would rule for all eternity. It was all that I had to cling to.
Living in this realm of shadows was enough to drive anyone mad. The oppressive dimness, day after day, no true light but no true dark either, and the same, always the same scenery: gray hills. Gray sky. Nothing but gray, surrounding me on all sides. I had Mana, and I had hope of the Pharaoh. There was nothing else in my life.
After an eternity of time though, I found myself being drawn out again. Once more I battled with other creatures such as I, as I had in the old days. My master was like the Pharaoh, but also different. He lacked the regal power of the Pharaoh, but the similarities were obvious, nevertheless. He wore the Puzzle around his neck, and I could feel the Pharaoh in the Item. He was weak, yes, and not quite himself anymore, but he was still the Pharaoh I had loved. My heart sang for the joy of it. I had not dragged out my existence in vain! My beloved Pharaoh had returned...
I was now summoned from a paper card now, instead of a stone tablet. The boy, Yuugi, often dueled using me. But with increasing frequency, the Pharaoh came out of his Puzzle and faced the opponent himself. How I loved to serve my Pharaoh... And I was his favorite. I glowed with pride whenever he summoned me. But he did not remember me... He did not remember anything. I was merely a creature to be summoned, to him. But he did not remember my past devotion, and I never faulted him for this. He could not help being sealed into the Puzzle and having it shattered. The duels he fought were often for no great stakes. No, I am mistaken. He dueled to protect his honor, and that of his new friends who served him now. The Pharaoh's honor is truly a worthy cause. At times there was more at stake, however. The souls of others, or the fate of the world itself, appeared to be defended and reclaimed by him as they had in the past. Always, I stood by my Pharaoh, my master, ready to do his bidding. And Mana, my good apprentice, did the same. I was never more proud of her than when she was serving the Pharaoh.
Even in this place so different than my home, in the far distant future, my Pharaoh is here for me. As before, I will serve him for all eternity. I have vowed it. I will always love my Pharaoh, as I did before. I cling to the bright point in my life, who has gotten me through the Shadow Realm with my sanity intact, for the most part. For he is my morning and evening star, and he is all I have.
Shadi: Indigo does not own Yu-Gi-Oh, Mahaado, the Pharaoh, or anything else mentioned in this work.
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My Pharaoh
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You will never harm my Pharaoh. I see you your plots against him, you who know nothing of his shining greatness. You will not succeed while I exist. My Pharaoh is everything to me. He is my day and my night, my sun and my moon, my morning and evening star. His greatness knows no equal. I do not speak out of any desire to gain his favor, for I know that I have it already. I merely speak the truth. How anyone could think of betraying this great man, this god, is unthinkable.
The Pharaoh Akunumkanon has saved me. My family lost their honor and would have been put to death, but the Pharaoh spared their lives. A thief had stolen the goods we were to use as our annual tribute to the Pharaoh. But instead of damning us forever, our great ruler's look of disapproval pierced the underling who would have killed us like a spear into soft flesh. He saw some power in me when others, even I, could not. So he spared my family and he took me back to the palace. I studied there, and learned to read and write, and also the history of our golden land. I learned of the gods and their mysterious power. I also learned of the power they had blessed me with. I found that, with some training, I had the power to command one of the great magical Items that the Pharaoh and his brother, a great mage and priest, had made. I had never been so eager to learn, or so proud to be able to obey the Pharaoh's wishes. My advancing skills pleased him, he said. He said this to me himself. He sent no messenger, but graced me with his own great presence. I was truly honored, and my commitment grew with each passing day.
The Pharaoh's queen was a truly great woman as well, as befitted her divine husband. I rarely saw her, but when she was introduced to me her smile was like the sun's first rays on the Nile. Her beauty knew no equal, and her grace and charm were formidable as well. Although it was the custom for the wives of nobility to do no more than bear children at the time, she had an accurate grasp on current politics and issues, and assisted her honored husband from the side.
As time wore on, the Pharaoh's queen gave birth to a son. She had not been able to for quite a while, and so the Pharaoh was incredibly pleased. He praised her repeatedly at the strength and health of the son she bore to him. The process had weakened her, but she slowly recovered her former health and vibrant beauty.
The boy who was to be my Pharaoh was as beautiful as his mother, but with his own charm. His eyes were as red as a canna lily from the far south, and though he was young, they already began to have the slanted inclination of a true king's eyes. One could see greatness in his very features. But his most startling feature was his hair. While his father's hair had golden streaks and his mother's had a crimson tint to it, the boy's had all of this and more. By the time he was about five years old, his hair stood out in five bold points like a star fallen from the heavens. It was black as night, but edged in a brighter scarlet than his mother's hair. And his long thin bangs were a pale gold. I knew at once that this must be a sign of his true destiny: to be the morning and evening star of Egypt for all eternity. I was only only ten at the time myself, so I did not truly understand what this meant. But as I grew older, I came to see it for the truth.
This young Pharaoh loved to play games. He would seek me out on occasion to play with me. His luck and skill with games of any sort was astounding. It was truly a blessing from the gods the way he could play a game he had never seen before and catch onto the rules in time to snatch his victory away from any opponent. Far from being annoyed at this, I was in awe. I saw his great destiny, and saw that he would succeed at whatever he attempted in the future.
As he grew, so did I. My training slowly neared its completion, and I was not alone anymore. The Pharaoh himself held the Puzzle, which had powers surpassed by none. And there were six priests serving him. Lord Akunadin, who had created the magical gold Items, held the Eye, which could see into a person's mind. There was a young boy just a bit older than the Pharaoh. Seito held the Rod, which could control another's mind and body. He was Akunadin's son, and his power was greater than my own. I could not bring myself to like him much or to trust him fully, but I had great respect for him. I was a bit surprised when a woman, Aishisu, joined us with the Tauk, which could see glimpses of the future. Her grasp of its powers was truly formidable, and we all came to respect her quickly. Shadah was older than most of us, though not as old as the Pharaoh or Akunadin. He held the Ankh, which allowed him to view, enter, and change a person's soul. For a while the Pharaoh's chief advisor, Shimon Muran, held the Ankh, but it responded more easily to Shadah's touch. I always admired the way he followed the Pharaoh's wishes with complete dignity and poise. Karimu held the Scales, which could judge the worth of a person's soul and send an evil one to the Underworld. Such power would be truly dangerous in the hands of anyone, but Karimu's loyalty to the Pharaoh reassured us all that it was in good hands. And finally, I held the Ring. It could displace a person's spirit and soul, and could also point to the other Items easily with its spikes, while the others had to pull the hand of their wielders. Together we were thought to be an unstoppable force.
But when the Pharaoh's son was twelve and I was just barely seventeen, an unthinkable disaster occurred. The Pharaoh, to whom I owed my life, died. He had not died of sickness or in a glorious battle. He was murdered. How could a mere mortal kill a god? And who would want to harm our great Pharaoh? I mourned the death of my ruler and savior, as did his son. His wife threw herself from the garden wall and onto the sharp rocks below shortly after her husband's death. But we did not have long to weep, for unrest quickly occurs with the death of a leader. The boy now became Pharaoh himself, and had no more time to grieve. He was forced to rule the kingdom very suddenly, though Shimon and we priests did everything we could to help him. He slowly became accustomed to his role as the Pharaoh, and became a good and just ruler.
Around this time, I took an apprentice. She was nine, but already showed great promise for calling on the magic and power inside of her. Her name was Mana, and she was nowhere near as serious about her studies as I had been. Sometimes I despaired at her ever succeeding. But she was quick, despite her inclination to play rather than work, so she advanced, albeit slower than I would have liked. I was proud of her, nonetheless.
I wanted to always serve my Pharaoh this way, but not everyone shared my love for him. Seito's unrest at being unable to become the Pharaoh grew all the time, fueled by Akunadin's assurances that it was his right. It came to me that not all of the Pharaoh's followers could be trusted, so I vowed that I, at least, would never betray my Pharaoh. To this day I have kept that promise, and anyone who wishes to hurt him will have me to answer to.
When my Pharaoh was about sixteen, and I was twenty-one, another horrific situation came upon us. I had been assigned the task of protecting the tombs from robbery, and my soldiers and I were doing an admirable job of it, if I may say so. Only one thief continued to slip through our fingers: the Thief King Bakura. He was a scourge upon the land, taking what he wanted with no regard for the dead. No matter how I tried, I could not capture him. The Ring, which would often point me in the right direction to find something important, lay limp in my hands when I tried to pursue him.
But this demon did not stop there. He walked right into the throne room, into my Pharaoh's presence, dragging the spoils from his latest robbery. But the treasure was meaningless when we saw that he had also pulled Pharaoh Akunumkanon's dry mummy along behind him by a rope around the corpse's neck. I was so horrified and enraged that I could not speak... And Bakura proceeded to attack us. We fought back, of course. But to my shock, the Ring on my chest shook and gained a powerful aura at his entrance. It would not obey me in fighting him. I could not hide my horror at this betrayal. We managed to drive him away nonetheless, but we could not avenge the great wrong he had done. I went to my Pharaoh afterwards and knelt before him, begging his forgiveness at our failure. I was ashamed that the others did not. My Pharaoh seemed distant, probably thinking of his father, but he forgave me, in his infinite generosity. I wanted to serve him all the more because of it. And so I set a trap, using my impotent power to help me...
On my way to carry out my plan, I sensed Mana, my student, hiding in a nearby pot. I had to ask her to stop acting like a child and learn some dignity. She laughed at me, but she got out. After speaking to Shimon, I left the palace with my squadron of soldiers. We crossed the sands to the tombs, and there I had them roll a stone to the entrance of a tomb while I went inside. I knew the traps of this tomb. I knew my power. I would rely only on my Kaa today, and not let the Ring betray me again. I stood on a bridge and made the power of the Ring flare up as much as I could. I saw how it had called out to Bakura before, and I knew that, faced with its power, he could hardly resist coming to take it from me.
And come he did. The despicable thief king appeared before me, reeking of garlic. He panicked for a second as we heard the sound of my soldiers sealing us inside the tomb, but he quickly regained his devious composure. I knew that my troops would also have set up a large tablet to contain his Kaa, Diaboundo, when I defeated him. Shadah had said that his Kaa was good, and he knows about such things... I was sure that Bakura must have imprisoned this good Kaa through treachery. How else could such a black-hearted criminal have such a strong force of good at his command? And the tablet served another purpose as well. If I failed again, I would have truly failed my Pharaoh. I knew that Bakura would kill me, but if such a thing happened, when my Kaa escaped my body, perhaps I could still serve the Pharaoh, even after death. I told no one of this part of my plan, however. My helplessness at the time of the Pharaoh's plight put me in no mood for the sympathy of others. I had to help the Pharaoh, at any cost, and in any way I could.
And so the Thief King and I faced each other on that stone bridge, with razor-edged blades hanging above us. They waited to slice up an unsuspecting thief who did not tread with care, and this was another backup plan of mine. Though he had not been caught by this sort of trap before, perhaps in the heat of a battle he would not be so watchful.
With a bloodthirsty cry, Bakura summoned his Diaboundo. The serpent-tailed behemoth rose up behind him. Needing no vocalization, I put all of my anger and strength into summoning my own Kaa, the Illusory Wizard. It was normally a small, weak-seeming spell-caster. Today though, it looked like a formidable, full-sized mage in dark armor with a dark face and glowing eyes. I felt a sense of righteous pride through my red haze of rage and vengeance. And so we fought.
Soon the switch on the floor was pressed, and the blades swung down. I had to dodge out of the way to avoid having any limbs cut off, but the fiend I faced jumped easily on top of one of the blades, and mocked me from his perch. I did not see his Kaa in time to escape, and so I was struck down for a moment. My Kaa became wispy for a moment, and I saw that it suffered as I did.
I knew that my end had come. I could not fight any longer. And my Kaa was in no condition to do so either. Even in my agony though, I managed to pull myself to my feet to recite one final spell. Bakura's eyes widened as I spoke. He must have understood. I would not have expected such knowledge in a dirty thief, but I suppose he is resourceful, if nothing else. Feeling a new surge of pain, I doubled over. The thief's eyes widened even further as a blade swung down at me. My body hit the cold stone, as did my head. The Ring clattered to the ground as well. My Kaa began to glow with an uneven aura.
Bakura grinned in triumph, but his victory was short-lived. He gasped as I appeared again before him. In leaving my body, my soul was allowed to merge with my Kaa. And so, I had become my Illusory Wizard. I pointed my staff at him and directed a full black magic attack at the thief, and he fell into the abyss... ... ...
Later, the tablet of my Kaa, and now my very self, was brought before the Pharaoh. He grieved for me as I would have for him. The others voiced their regrets as well. Mana came to see if what she had heard was true, and the guards attempted to stop her, but the Pharaoh, in his kindness, allowed her to come forward. She cried for my death, and I was sorry to have hurt her and the others like this, but it was the only way I could continue to serve my Pharaoh. She was distraught, but the Pharaoh and Aishisu comforted her. They gave her new resolve to improve her skills. In this way, she too could serve the Pharaoh better.
I served my Pharaoh in many battles after that. During his lifetime I helped him face his enemies, and I was easily able to watch the world from my place in my new shadowy realm. There were many strange creatures here: strong and weak, dangerous and potentially friendly. Over time, Mana came to join me. She told me of the events following my death. I continued to teach her long past the Pharaoh's death. Only two thoughts kept me from losing my mind. I could not abandon Mana, and I could not stop serving my Pharaoh. I knew that he would return. I had always known that, but now it was what kept me together. I had to believe that the Pharaoh would rule for all eternity. It was all that I had to cling to.
Living in this realm of shadows was enough to drive anyone mad. The oppressive dimness, day after day, no true light but no true dark either, and the same, always the same scenery: gray hills. Gray sky. Nothing but gray, surrounding me on all sides. I had Mana, and I had hope of the Pharaoh. There was nothing else in my life.
After an eternity of time though, I found myself being drawn out again. Once more I battled with other creatures such as I, as I had in the old days. My master was like the Pharaoh, but also different. He lacked the regal power of the Pharaoh, but the similarities were obvious, nevertheless. He wore the Puzzle around his neck, and I could feel the Pharaoh in the Item. He was weak, yes, and not quite himself anymore, but he was still the Pharaoh I had loved. My heart sang for the joy of it. I had not dragged out my existence in vain! My beloved Pharaoh had returned...
I was now summoned from a paper card now, instead of a stone tablet. The boy, Yuugi, often dueled using me. But with increasing frequency, the Pharaoh came out of his Puzzle and faced the opponent himself. How I loved to serve my Pharaoh... And I was his favorite. I glowed with pride whenever he summoned me. But he did not remember me... He did not remember anything. I was merely a creature to be summoned, to him. But he did not remember my past devotion, and I never faulted him for this. He could not help being sealed into the Puzzle and having it shattered. The duels he fought were often for no great stakes. No, I am mistaken. He dueled to protect his honor, and that of his new friends who served him now. The Pharaoh's honor is truly a worthy cause. At times there was more at stake, however. The souls of others, or the fate of the world itself, appeared to be defended and reclaimed by him as they had in the past. Always, I stood by my Pharaoh, my master, ready to do his bidding. And Mana, my good apprentice, did the same. I was never more proud of her than when she was serving the Pharaoh.
Even in this place so different than my home, in the far distant future, my Pharaoh is here for me. As before, I will serve him for all eternity. I have vowed it. I will always love my Pharaoh, as I did before. I cling to the bright point in my life, who has gotten me through the Shadow Realm with my sanity intact, for the most part. For he is my morning and evening star, and he is all I have.