Authors' Note: Due to a probably unnecessary snow-day, we bring you this update! Yay!

Chapter 25

"Dreams Part 4:Breaking Point"

"You just lie down for a while," Dedi said, "We'll come and get you when it's time for the feast to start, and hopefully you'll be feeling good enough to join us tonight."

Chaldea gave her father a final hug, "Get better, okay Papa?" she said.

Yami returned the hug and gave her a small push, urging her to follow her mother. He proceeded to place his puzzle down on the small table beside his bed and lie down, much more tired than he realized he was.

The sounds of the open air outside his window filled him with nostalgia, and he closed his eyes, wondering mildly if, when he opened them again, he would not have returned to the real world He opened them and the ceiling of the bedchamber greeted them. No, it was not going to be that simple to get home.

But wasn't this home…? He rolled over on his side, and drifted to sleep pondering this most-haunting question.

* * *

"The "Betrayal of the Mind", or "nightmare prison": this spell was first used by Basu Maeda during the reign of Yami the First, banishing any criminals or servants that were unsatisfactory to be trapped within their dreams forever. Once their souls were trapped, it was only a matter of time before their bodies wasted away of starvation." Shadi flipped the page to his book, Void still listening intently. The older man sighed and marked the page, then snapped the book shut, "This is the closest I have been able to locate to the Pharaoh's current condition."

"Well, we know his host body won't starve," Void said, "But his spirit may still begin to fade. Is there anything in that passage on how it is performed or reversed?"

Shadi looked up at his apprentice grimly from his chair, "There is no counter-curse. One the enchantment is upon a being, only the person who cast the spell can choose to release it."

Void hung his head. This search was becoming more and more hopeless the further they progressed.

Shadi stood and wiped his dusty white robes with his hands hastily, "I wonder…" he said to no one in particular as he crossed to the shelves once again. He removed a thick, dust-encrusted volume from its place and cracked it open. He flipped through its fragile-looking pages quickly and then his face brightened. "Here Void, listen to this: Betrayal of the Mind, though deadly, could only be kept upon a victim as long as the magical energies of the one who performs the curse remains higher or equal to that of the victim. Should the prey's magic be stronger, that person could actually remove themselves from the prison by force of will alone."

"Then there is still hope," Void said, pale eyes shining, "If Seline could be weakened, Yami would be able to free himself!"

The Egyptian man began to walk around the room, gathering up his most useful reading materials, "Come Void, I believe it is time to return to the Queen. I believe she may need to hear some bit of good news."

* * *

"Darling…wake up," Dedi's voice broke through Yami's light slumber.

The Pharaoh's eyes fluttered open. He didn't feel any better than before he had begun his REM cycle. Now, rather, he actually felt worse. Something was definitely wrong here, "Yes?" he asked drowsily.

"I was coming to see if you were feeling up to coming with us to the feast, but you look terrible," she leaned down and kissed him gently, "I'll tell Chaldea you're still resting. And I'll send the physician in to see you, alright?"

Yami shook his head slowly, "I doubt my seeing a healer would do much good."

"Perhaps I'll bring Seti back with me when I return," she suggested, then seeing his expression darken, "I don't understand what's wrong – you've never disliked him before."

Too many years of not trusting Kaiba must have bled through to the surface, "It is nothing, my love. I will do what you see fit for my health," but it would not help…

Dedi frowned, "If it is nothing," she said, "why do I sense such a change in you? You're acting like you'll never recover from this. I've never seen you give up on life like this in all our years of marriage…what is really happening to you, Yami?? Please tell me…" Her face was contorted in confusion and pain, and she stroked his face tenderly, "Don't shut me out…if something's not right, please let me fix it…"

Yami sat up, wondering if it was best to tell an illusion the truth. She would not understand, "Do you trust me? Would you believe me if I told you?"

"Of course I would," she said, putting a hand on his arm, her voice choked with tears, "I love you…I just want to know what's wrong…"

Recounting the tales of his new life took quite some time (perhaps longer than he had planned), but much had happened between him and Yugi that was of importance. It was the conclusion that was the most difficult, "And now…I believe I'm fading away now in my world, somehow trapped here, away from Yugi. Without his body or connection to the Millennium Puzzle, I cannot sustain my existence. Thus, as I die, I become weaker and sicklier here."

"By the gods…" Dedi shook her head, "This all seems so strange and yet…in my heart I know it must be true…I know you would never lie to me…" She kissed him again and then said, "We have to get you out of this place…I don't want to give you up, but I refuse to sit by and watch you die like this…it's just not fair…"

"But I don't know how," Yami told her dejectedly, trying to word his situation properly, "I don't even know what spell Seline could have used to do this. The last thing I remember is lying down to rest. When I awoke, I was here."

"We'll figure out something," she said, embracing him, "I promise…"

The door to their room opened slowly and they turned. Chaldea was peeking around the door, with Shem's familiar figure right behind her. "Mama?" the child said, entering the room, "What going on? Papa, are you going to be okay?"

"I caught her sneaking away from Ona again," Shem explained, "She was very insistent that she see you before we left for the feast. Is everything alright in here?"

"Yes, we're fine," Yami said, masking his worry with a false smile.

The little girl climbed up onto the bed, squeezing between her parents and hugging her father tightly, "I want you to get better, Papa."

"Thank you, Chaldea," The King told her, returning the hug, "Now, why don't you and Shem go join the feast downstairs. You're a growing girl and you need to keep up your strength."

"Can I come back up and see you again before I go to bed?" she asked.

The two leaders of Egypt exchanged a quick glance, then Dedi patted her daughter on the head, "Of course you can. Just be sure to be extra good tonight, okay? And don't run away from Ona again."

"Okay," Chaldea nodded. She got to her feet, planted a kiss on Yami's cheek and then climbed down off the bed, "Come on, Shem! I'll race you!"

The young bodyguard bowed swiftly to the King and Queen, and then jogged after his young charge.

Yami watched the two leave, a sad thought crossing his mind, 'Isn't this where I belong? Isn't my presence needed here as well? Once I return, I'll never get to see that happy little child again…the one I barely even knew I had…'

* * *

"So you're saying, all we have to do is boost Yami's magical energy and he'll be able to break free?" Dedi asked.

Shadi shook his head sadly, "It will not work, my Queen. We have tried making contact with him in this state, if you recall." The Egyptian man squatted down, looking through a large duffle bag he had brought with him. Yugi (the only other person in the room besides Void) leaned over from his spot near the bed, trying to catch a glimpse of what Shadi was looking for.

The man pulled a large, dusty, gray book from his sack and began flipping through pages, "However," he began, dragging the word out slightly so he could find the correct page, "We have successfully located the origins of the Romans' modified version of the curse, and have uncovered a flaw. Rather than forcefully decreasing the magical energy of the victim, it boosts the power of the one performing the curse – but this is only temporary. If the curser was weaker than the victim originally, then when the curser returns to his or her original state, the victim shall have no trouble breaking through the barrier."

"But Yami doesn't know that," Yugi said, "How are we supposed to tell him what going on?"

"The Pharaoh is a resourceful, determined man," Void told the young man with certainty, "He will find his way back to us."

"I still wish there was something else we could do…" Dedi said sadly, "He's fading faster than before…"

Shadi nodded, "We must have faith in the pharaoh. Hopefully, he will return before his magical energies drop too low. Otherwise…" there was no need to finish that sentence…

* * *

It was quite unusual to need sleep in a Realm of dreams, but Pharaoh Yami the II couldn't seem to keep his eyes open. His strength was failing him rapidly. Whatever curse had trapped him within this world was doing its job effectively. Once more, the man succumbed to his body's insistent pleas for rest…

He was floating…flying really…through infinite space – but he felt no wind, no pressure upon his body at all. Was he even really moving? He chanced to look down and his eyes widened. He could see Yugi's room, the small space crowded with people. All of his friends, gathered around his host's bed. What were they looking at…?

The space below him enlarged, drawing itself nearer to him or he to it. With an inaudible gasp, his gaze came to rest upon his own form, lying on Yugi's bed, encased in translucent black energy.

"We're running out of time," Athena was saying, "Even if we don't have Yami with us, we still need to strike against the museum before it's too late."

"But, what can all of you do that Barak couldn't?" Bakura's spirit, weak and feeble-looking, asked.

"We can work together," Dedi said, though she did not sound confident, "One may not have been enough, but we may have a chance if we work as a team."

"But no team would be complete without Yami…" Yugi said quietly.

Silence followed, none of the others able to think of a way to comfort the young host of the Millennium Puzzle. On the bed, the Pharaoh's spirit had his eyes closed, the eyelids darkened by whatever curse had befallen him. High in the air, Yami watched in horror as his "body" slowly began to disappear. Already, his hands and feet had vanished, threatening to consume his entire body into nothingness.

"Yugi!" he cried, wondering just how far away from his friends he really was.

There was no response – they couldn't hear him. Suddenly he heard Dedi's voice again, though the image below him began to fade, "Yami…where are you…we all need you here…"

"Dedi! I am here!" he shouted, though he realized that he could not be heard. The scene of his friends and family began to grow smaller and smaller, as if he were unable to keep up with their speed, "NOOOOOOOOOOO!"

With a start, the Pharaoh awoke from his short slumber. Sweat covered his forehead and the back of his neck. He shivered, despite the warmth of his room. His body was failing quickly; he had to act soon. Yami stood, surprised at the difficulty of the task, and retrieved his Millennium Puzzle from his nightstand. He had to find a way back to his body, and the only way he'd be able to bring himself to do such a task was away from the illusory Dedi and Chaldea in this Realm. That's what Seline (it must have been her that cursed him) had been counting on: that he wouldn't be able to bring himself to leave because of them.

The magic of his familiar Item began to glow, a dim, weak golden light beginning to surround his body. He had to get back to Yugi, his friends were counting on him! If the Realm had magical origins, then enough magical energy should be able to disrupt the spell creating it around him.

"Brother? What are you doing?" came a gravelly voice from behind him. Barak stood in the doorway, his Millennium Ring pointing violently at the active Puzzle.

"I'm leaving," Yami said, "I have to. You will let Dedi know, won't you? She'll understand."

The one-time thief nodded, though not quite sure what his half-sibling was talking about. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. Finding the right words to say was difficult, "Where will you go?"

"Back to the future," Yami said, "To where I belong." He stopped his magical concentration for a moment and approached the illusion of his older half-brother, placing his hands on Barak's shoulders. "I will never forget the time we've spent together – I only wish that our relationship in the future was as harmonious."

The former temple raider cracked a reluctant smile, "What poison has befallen your mind, brother? Your speech makes little sense."

"I don't expect you to comprehend what I must do…" Yami said, "Even I don't understand it fully…I just wish you to know that I value the friendship we have."

Barak shook his head again, "Very well. Do you require assistance in your plight, brother?" The Pharaoh did not seem to be himself. He was sweating hard, and his breathing was heavier than normal, despite the small amount of magic he had begun to gather together.

Yami thought to refuse the offer, but then smiled. Perhaps he could use Seline's own curse against her. "Yes…thank you, brother," he said, "I'm having trouble gathering energy this evening…perhaps you could aid me in that?"

Barak let out a short laugh, his Millennium Ring glowing, "I always was the better conjurer, brother," he grinned and patted his sibling's shoulder, "I shall help you, if it is truly important to you."

"It is…" Yami said, his expression one of true gratitude, "I thank you."

The older magician nodded, taking several steps back from his brother, "Time to rid you of this illness, brother!" he cried, spreading his fingers around the Millennium ring and surrounding himself with a golden aura. In a blinding flash of light, the gathered spell energy began to rise off of the wild, white-haired man. It arched upwards, then fell towards the Earth, surrounding the mightiest of the Pharaohs.

Yami shut his eyes, feeling his strength slowly returning. The Millennium Puzzle around his neck floated a few inches away from his chest, his own pale yellow adding to the bright golden aura of his half-brother. "Yes…" he said, "It's working…excellent, Barak – thank you!"

The man nodded, his eyes closed in concentration. It had been a long while since his magical energies had been required. He did not wish to see his brother suffer, no matter what reservations he still couldn't quite bury between them. If his kin was in need of his assistance, he would receive it.

Yami let his hands hover around the Puzzle, reaching out with his mind, trying to find the connection between himself and his host. It was weak…barely there at all, but he could feel it. He needed to feel it; needed to reestablish the connection. He poured all of his concentration and energy into it, seeing his young host's face clearly in his mind. It started out weak, nearly invisible. And then as if drawing nearer through a fog, it became clearer. "It's working…" he said aloud.

Barak could feel his pores begin to release their salty fluid, a sure sign of hard work and strain, "Let us hope it works soon."

Yami opened his eyes again, looking down at himself. His own body had begun fading. "Barak!" he cried as the illusory world around him began to blur, "I thank you! Please pass on my love to my wife and daughter…I will never forget this time with them…"

It was too late. Broken and fading, the dream world dissolved as the curse lifted. For an instant, Yami remained alone in the blackness of limbo, his golden light still roaring about, but causing no shadows. A free-fall began just as quickly as the darkness had enveloped him. His normal, spirit body was rushing towards him (or rather, he was falling towards it). His true home awaited!

* * *

Yugi looked up from the homework he had been trying in vain to concentrate on as a surge of magical energy rushed over him. He turned to see the black dome around Yami crackling and fading. With a rush of wind, it disintegrated completely and the Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle began to become whole again, his arms and legs reappearing quickly.

"Yami!!" the young teen cried, scrambling out of his chair, nearly knocking it on the floor.

The Pharaoh's eyes fluttered opened, and the older man sat up slowly, rubbing his head. He blinked in surprise to see his host was waiting for him. The digital clock read 1:22 AM, after all, "Yugi!" he responded in surprise, spreading his arms to accept the young man's hug.

Due to the extra magical energies rushing through him, Yami's form was solid enough without him having to concentrate, and Yugi as able to fling his arms around the spirit's middle without even sinking in. "I knew you'd come back! I knew it!" the boy cried, his voice cracking from the excitement.

Yami grinned. He still felt fatigued from his ordeal, but it was night after all. They could deal with Seline tomorrow, "Of course I came back! You didn't think a curse would hold me down forever, did you?"

"No…" Yugi said, brushing tears away from his eyes, "I never gave up hoping…but we were all really worried."

"I am sorry for that," Yami told him, rubbing the back of the boy's head with one hand, "I had very little control over my situation."

"I know, I know," Yugi nodded, "I'm just glad you're back…I felt so…empty without you."

The ancient Pharaoh smiled, "It's good to be home."