Shielded Destiny

By Matt Morwell

-------

Author's Note: This is an Alternate Universe fic, based on an eclectic assortment of media, including video games, Shonen Jump, and the television series that hits the airwaves of CN and WB!. Yu-Gi-Oh! belongs to Kazuki Takahashi and all those good ol' boys over in Japan... unless for some odd reason, they would like to hand over rights to their franchise. I wish; that way I could make money writing this story. As it is, I hope you enjoy. Please review.

-------

Five thousand years ago, there existed a great nation, considered the most powerful nation in the world: Egypt. In the time of the Amenhotep dynasty, Egypt sprawled with beautiful lands and uninhabitable deserts alike. These were the times when magic was most prevalent... when men could call to this world powerful creatures known as Duel Monsters through magic-imbued stone tablets even more ancient than the civilization itself.

But the power and the creatures raged out of control, forcing the heir to the Amenhotep dynasty to go to drastic measures to ensure the safety of his people. The people were sharply divided during these times. One sect wanted nothing more than to see the Duel Monsters sealed away, never to be revealed to the world again. Others wished that the Duel Monsters, and the powerful summoning magic thereto, forever remained a part of the world.

The young Pharaoh's own court mages rose up against him, and there was civil uprising across the great nation of Egypt, bringing down chaos all around the innocent, the greedy, the seeing, and the blind.

In the midst of the chaos, the Pharaoh ordered his army to sate the uprising and bring peace to his troubled country even as he dealt with those who had chosen to betray him. To his general, he entrusted a hastily forged item that, it was hoped, would be able to contain the furious powers of the shadow.

-------

General Khensthoth knelt before the Pharaoh. "My lord, it is, as always, an honor to serve Your cause."

"You apparently enjoy reveling in the glory of the tasks I offer you, Khensthoth, but there is little glory to be had here. These are your people, as well as mine, that suffer and war with each other. We cannot afford such losses by our own hand. Even one life lost is too many. I would hope that you would not disappoint me now. I place my faith in you that you may find a way to stop this from going any further."

Khensthoth bowed his head further. "My lord, I will not disappoint You. I swear it."

"Then take this."

Khensthoth looked up at his supreme commander, and saw that the Pharaoh bore a golden shield. Across the center was the image of the Eye of Horus, a symbol worn by those of the dynasty.

"I know not how it may lead you to victory," said the Pharaoh. "I know only that it has been created with one purpose in mind -- to halt the power that now runs rampant across our land, and save our people from that power. It shields the people, not just yourself."

Khensthoth raised his hands reverently and took the proffered shield.

"I present you with the Millennium Shield. May it guide you to peace and victory. Now go and lead your army. Make our people see reason."

Khensthoth stood and obediently left the chamber. He was reluctant to do so. He knew that the mages would come for his king, soon enough, and when that happened, the Pharaoh would be defenseless.

No, not defenseless. He wields a power even I cannot comprehend. I can only pray that his fellow gods will grant Him the strength necessary to face the mages.

He slipped his arm through the anchors on the back of the shield and noted that it rested quite comfortably on his arm. He moved quickly to where his loyal second-in-command, Theoris, awaited.

"What are our orders?" Theoris asked.

"Take the army out to the streets and stop the fighting. The Pharaoh wants us to make sure the people understand why He is doing what He is doing."

"We're leaving Him entirely?"

Khensthoth shook his head. "No. Never entirely. We will remain with Him in spirit." He stared at the shield he'd been given. "As He will remain with us."

"What about the mages?"

"We have our orders. And you have yours. So carry them out."

Theoris nodded reluctantly and stepped away to direct his army to the streets.

Khensthoth also moved to where his division waited. He'd divided the army into three sections for strategic purposes, trusting one to himself, one to Theoris, and one to his third in command.

He pulled his scimitar from its sheath and inspected it for a moment. Strange... I've devoted my life to beating an enemy back with a sword, not a shield. I can only hold faith in the pharaoh.

He raised his weapon to the sky and shouted out to his men. "Men of Egypt, we fight a different war today! We fight against evil and greed and possibly power overwhelming! But we must not lose faith in our King, who has seen us through all of the hardships that we have faced for years past! Now, we must see Him through the hardships of years to come!"

He allowed his sword arm to drop to his side, and he raised the other arm into the air. "The Pharaoh needs this army for more than just attacking others and defending itself. This army must defend and protect our people! Behold the Millennium Shield, which will guide us to our victory!"

The army broke into raucous cheering, and Khensthoth couldn't help but break into a grin. If there was one thing he could do, it was fire them up to fight for or defend whatever cause he chose. And his choice was always the choice of the pharaoh.

"Now, for the safety of your families... your children... and your Pharaoh, onward to victory!"

He kept the shield high in the air and moved quickly towards the streets. The army behind him cheered and moved forward with him, their determination as fierce as his to end what was happening.

At least there is little division in the ranks of the army, Khensthoth thought. They are bound by the laws to obey the orders of the Pharaoh, the Most Holy of them all.

If only the people could see that, as well...

Khensthoth wished that the people were not nearly so divided over all this. The mages beyond the palace walls had already made things worse by trying to rectify the situation. All they ended up doing was fighting each other using those abominable Shadow creatures.

Worse, some of the creatures could not be controlled. Now they rampaged across the great capital city of Egypt, destroying anything so presumptuous as to get in their way. The final blow was that the mages were now powerless to do anything about it. Therefore, the creatures could not be sent back.

As they marched through the battle-torn streets, Khensthoth's soldiers rushed to ensure the safety of the families huddled inside their homes. There was nothing more precious to the Pharaoh than the people of Egypt, and it was their sworn duty to make sure they were protected.

Even from themselves.

There was no clanging of metal weaponry... the army had been ordered not to use their weapons so as not to kill any of the Egyptians. The last thing the Pharaoh wanted was to hear that His people had died by their own hand.

By His own hand.

Khensthoth directed the men still with him -- who were considerable in number -- towards other residences, where families waited in fear and anxiety... waited for the chaotic storm to pass them by. He hoped Theoris was doing the same, but knowing his second-in-command, the thought had likely come to his mind at the same time. He liked to think that he had trained Theoris well enough for such a task; though Theoris was more a tactician and a warrior, he knew well the rewards of being compassionate, especially towards his own people. Khensthoth had taught him the value of such knowledge.

And Theoris was also a family man... he had already learned from personal experience what family meant.

A man rushed out of one of the homes, shouting incoherently. He stumbled into Khensthoth, and for a moment, the men advanced on both of them, intending to rip the man away from their leader. However, Khensthoth threw up one hand in their direction, seeing the panic in the man's eyes. This was not a man who would harm him... he had not the capacity for it.

The man had a death-grip on Khensthoth's shoulders. "I beg you," he breathed, "protect us!"

"We shall," Khensthoth assured him. "Believe in the Pharaoh... He will see us through."

A deafening explosion resounded above them just then. Khensthoth and the man looked up, to see a pair of pale beasts riding massive wings expelling bursts of blinding white lightning. Later generations would say that such a description hardly does the true event justice, but it was exactly as much as anyone below could comprehend. Their battle seemed to be with each other, for the moment... but that could change at any time.

Khensthoth extricated himself from the man's grip, and quietly urged, "Go back inside. Be with your loved ones. Be strong for them."

The man nodded shakily, and did as he was told.

Khensthoth looked up at the beasts that flooded the sky, and muttered, "Blasted creatures... go back to the Shadow."

And it seemed as if the Shadow itself had heard him.

A creature also afloat on great wings soared low over them, and at first, it had seemed as though it was completely ignoring Khensthoth and his men; but upon Khensthoth's utterance of those words, it stopped in midair, wheeled about, and faced them.

More specifically, it glared down at Khensthoth.

It landed on the ground directly in the path of the army. Its body was dark and jagged, looking as though its very creation was to herald the destruction of all else. It was almost impossible to make out against the darkness of the horizon beyond, but for the explosions that rocked the skies above, which glistened off its body, giving it the definition it commanded.

It growled menacingly at him, its face split with a grimace of unholy vengeance.

Khensthoth couldn't help but stare into the creature's burning red eyes... they were a more intense red than that which was painted on the clouds during a sunrise... a red with more malice in it than the blood of any murderer within Egypt's dungeons.

Its great maw opened wide, and a glowing, demonic red light appeared from within the depths of its long, jagged throat.

Khensthoth could feel it with every fiber of his being.

I am going to die...

The horrendous creature emitted a stream of fire more intense than any that Khensthoth or his men had ever seen... blinding, savage, straight from the maw of the netherworld itself.

Khensthoth raised his shield, hoping to save whatever life he had left to emit a final prayer.

Pharaoh... my life is in Your hands...

And at that moment, the Millennium Shield responded.

The flame that the flying creature had loosed landed fully upon the shield, yet Khensthoth could not feel any change in temperature, as he would have expected to. Instead, he felt a great pressure on it, as if someone were pushing very hard against him. The fire was wide enough and tall enough that the rest of his body ought to have been incinerated... yet the fire stopped where the shield began, and did not advance any further.

He grunted and held on. He didn't know what power fueled the shield, nor did he care at this point. It was keeping him and his men alive.

And as he held his ground against the attack, the shield did more.

The stream of liquid fire began to change color at the contact point on the shield. If Khensthoth had been standing behind the creature now attacking him, he might have been able to make out the Eye of Horus that adorned the shield glowing in response to the inferno.

The contact point began to glow a very distinct gold. The gold spread up the length of the stream, flowing towards the creature.

The golden glow washed over the creature itself, which immediately stopped its attack and cried out. The closest comparison Khensthoth could make was the sound of a million scimitars scraping against each other.

The attack on Khensthoth had stopped, but the stream of golden light still remained, and it became even brighter. It also brightened along the creature's entire body, and its cry grew louder, and louder still.

Khensthoth shut his eyes against the sound of the creature's roar.

And then it became silent.

One of his eyes pricked open, and he dared to glance over the top of the shield.

The creature was no longer there.

He turned around to face the men still with him, and he noticed -- unsurprised -- that they had actually ducked and huddled into themselves, in anticipation of being burned to crisps right there in the middle of the street.

"Men!" he shouted. His voice shook slightly, but what else could one expect? He didn't understand the creatures much more than any of the men he now beheld did. "Men! To your feet! The Pharaoh will see us through!"

The men did indeed get to their feet, albeit somewhat shakily. Khensthoth couldn't blame them. It was hard for him to maintain his courage and faith in the midst of all this chaos, and he couldn't imagine that it was any easier for the soldiers here.

Khensthoth marched forward, holding the shield high for all the men to see. Held entranced by the power it seemed to possess, the men followed.

He felt a strange confidence that he had not felt before. Perhaps it was because it had stopped one of those horrific creatures in its tracks; perhaps it was because the Pharaoh Himself had bestowed this powerful object upon him; he didn't know, but the confidence was there, nonetheless. He could feel strange warmth coming from the shield... a power beyond that which he was able to understand.

Feeling that power, that confidence, allowed him to march forward with more and more strength and pride in his stride. It was infectious, too, for the men quickly reassembled themselves into neatly ordered rows, departing where they needed to in order to help whoever needed it.

Ground-based creatures of the same terrible origins came on a quick-footed approach towards the army, and for a few terrifying moments, Khensthoth was afraid that his men would have to combat the monsters. But when he brought his shield-arm down to guard himself against that threat, he felt more warmth and more confidence. It was as if the shield itself was giving him strength, though how, he didn't know.

He took a defensive stance, more on instinct than anything else.

This time, the entire shield began to glow with that same golden light. Khensthoth stared at it, as did his men, as it glittered more and more brightly by the moment. Their weapons became forgotten even with the prospect of battling the creatures.

It emitted a great stream of the same golden light, enveloping the creatures that were so quickly approaching. The mismatched opposing army collectively cried out in all forms of screams, screeches, and roars.

Khensthoth and his men watched the creatures as they keeled over from whatever strange power his shield possessed.

The creatures shattered into millions of shards, as if made of glass.

The shards vanished.

Suddenly, the Egyptian army was much more afraid of the Millennium Shield than the creatures it was apparently meant to combat.

Yet all Khensthoth could feel was more and more confidence in himself. Perhaps the shield is stronger than the sword...

Without thinking, he raised the shield over his head, the Eye of Horus looking toward the sky... the creature-filled sky, swarmed with pesky irritants as well as horrific giant beasts.

The shield again glowed and let loose another great golden stream of light. Khensthoth waved the shield -- and the beam -- back and forth and around, causing the beam to pass over countless creatures. As soon as they were touched, the creatures disintegrated into the same shards they'd seen before.

Not only that... but the dark clouds were pierced, leaving a snake-like path in which a clear night could be seen, filled with all the familiar stars... and among them, blessings from the gods.

The army beyond Khensthoth gasped at the beauty of the stars, which they had not seen for many days now.

He smiled. Yes... the shield truly is mightier than the sword here...

-------

Theoris stared at the golden beam slicing through the clouds and the creatures above. His eyes were seeing clearly, he was sure... but he was equally sure that they were betraying him.

It must be the general... something about that shield that he had... did the Pharaoh give it to him?

He didn't know. But what his eyes told him was that some mysterious power was destroying the warring creatures.

It is almost too good to be true. As if the hand of Ra reached down and touched us all...

He couldn't help but smile.

-------

Khensthoth and his men moved quickly through the city. Khensthoth made sure to keep his cadre with him, because one never knew what could happen to him. As much faith as he seemed to suddenly have in the shield, he knew that such power was extremely dangerous and could backfire at any time... as it had with the mages, and the prestigious men who had played the Shadow Games beyond that.

Yet time and time again, the shield protected them from the creatures that attempted to horde them. And after every encounter, Khensthoth felt his strength and conviction increase.

As they approached the outskirts of the capital city, Khensthoth was again compelled to aim the shield towards the sky. The lancing golden flame struck more and more creatures... Khensthoth wasn't sure if it was because of his aim, or because the shield itself was somehow guiding him. Just hours before, he would have hotly debated the latter; however, now that he felt the power flowing through the shield, and him, he was sure it had some hand in it.

Again and again, the beam pierced the dark clouds and brought more starlight to bear on the majestic city. Khensthoth could only hope that the Pharaoh was watching from the palace; no doubt it would be a grand sight. A heartening sight.

And to gain the satisfaction of the Pharaoh, Khensthoth would gladly sacrifice anything.

"General!"

He was snapped from his thoughts upon the voice of his second-in-command. He turned to see the young man gasping for breath; no doubt this had been a trying night for him. He saw that Theoris was eyeing the shield warily.

And well that he should, Khensthoth thought, bringing forth a grim smile for a moment. "Yes?"

"My division is securing people in their homes... hopefully they will be safe from the creatures."

Khensthoth nodded, and then hefted the shield. "With this by our side, those creatures will never terrorize our nation again."

"And if they never terrorize us again, it shall be far too soon."

Khensthoth snorted in appreciation. "I am glad to see you have acquired a sense of humor."

"It is the only way I can stay sane in these times."

"I suppose it would be."

"A Millennium item!"

Khensthoth and Theoris both turned, and their gazes landed on a man shrouded in a midnight blue cloak. A scraggly white beard protruded from beneath the hood, but no other features were distinctly visible.

The man stepped forward. "Never had I thought I would see such a thing in my remaining life..."

Khensthoth became acutely aware of what he could only call a bad omen ringing within his mind. Suddenly the warmth of the shield and the confidence that had been flowing within him were giving way to suspicion and mistrust. "Sir, you should return to your home... it's still very dangerous out here."

The man seemed to ignore Khensthoth's words, instead stepping further forward. He extended a hand toward the shield, as if to touch it. Khensthoth, both by instinct and by a compelling force that he could not explain, recoiled from the man. "Sir, please, return to your home."

The man continued to move toward Khensthoth, his hand extending further. "If I may but touch the item..."

Khensthoth again recoiled, and this time he knew there was something definitely wrong. He wouldn't feel this way with almost anyone else, but there was a certain aura about this man. "No... go home."

Suddenly, the man lunged. Several things seemed to happen at once, all in slow motion... Khensthoth threw himself back; Theoris tried to grab the man's robe and pull him back, the man began shouting in some strange tongue Khensthoth didn't recognize, the army behind Khensthoth began to swarm to Theoris's aid, the man's extended hand was surrounded by some kind of purplish light...

A mage...!

Khensthoth had to squint his eyes against the blinding flash of purple light, and the cries of his men reached his ears... including that of Theoris.

Khensthoth had fallen ignominiously on his rear, and then onto his back. He heard the snap of fingers, and suddenly, it felt as though a huge boulder was crushing his chest. He cried out in pain.

He could just barely see the old man through the haze of pain. The old man was now hunched over, and dark red stains stood out on his robe... perhaps Theoris and his men had wounded the stranger.

"I must have the power," the man gasped. "I must have it..."

That same purple light surrounded his hand again, and Khensthoth knew beyond a doubt that whatever breath he drew now would be his last.

Pharaoh... I commit myself to you... I hope I have not failed you...

He took a shuddering breath, struggling against the extreme pressure on his chest.

And he spoke his final words.

"I... do not... fear you."

The burning light singed Khensthoth's eyesight...

And he saw nothing more.

-------

Questions? Comments? Reviews? I'll take any and all. Just click the little "Go" button!