WHEN MEMORIES WOULD NEVER BE ENOUGH

Chapter Twelve: Over the Edge

Everyone fell deathly silent upon hearing Shadah's words.

Minutes later, a tightlipped Xandra muttered with cold firmness, "Isis, Karim - please go with Shadah to the place where the Pharaoh was last seen." As she glanced over to the handful of army and sentry commanders, she then told them, "You have five minutes to decide among you which half would be staying behind here at the palace."

As she tried to muster the last ounce of composure left within the tired fibers of her being, she then continued, "As to the ones who will go with the high priests in search for the Pharaoh, do not leave any stone unturned. I refuse to accept the notion that our Pharaoh could be defeated, let alone dead."

Isis bit her lip, feeling empathy for Xandra. "We promise to bring the Pharaoh back, my Queen. We would not come back, until we have found him..."

Second before her emotions were about to give in, Xandra murmured, "Too many incidents have occurred within the past days, and a cloud of suspicion now looms over me. If anyone of you wants to question my innocence, then do so after my husband is found. The Pharaoh's safety is our priority. Afterwards, I will be more than happy to face your scrutiny."

"We did not mean any disrespect, Queen Xandra," remarked one of the sentry commanders. "My men and I saw you last night, and you ordered us to let him go."

"I do not take any offense, Commander," she said with a quiet but reassuring tone, as she glanced towards the last speaker. "It is right for any citizen to question their leaders and hold them accountable for their actions, as long as there is legitimacy in one's claim."

Shimon then cleared his throat. "Time is of the essence. Now go, and may the gods be with you..."

She then interjected, "May I ask the men who scouted with High Priest Karim to stay outside with the guards? I will call upon you, once my conversation with Counselor Shimon and High Priest Set is done."

Almost everyone bowed before the throne and left the vast marbled room.

Once the heavy doors closed, the blue-skinned counselor's eyes glowered at the azure-eyed high priest. "How dare you? What you did to the Queen before our troops is insolent and treasonous! Who gave you the right to scrutinize her?"

"With all due respect, Counselor Shimon," said Set with a calculated tone and through gritted teeth, "Last night, blood was once again shed from countless lives. Our troops swore that she issued that butcher's release. For the love of the gods, I am a citizen! Do I have to wait for five more towns to be massacred before I let out a peep?"

Before the elderly man could retort, Xandra raised her hand. Looking more somber than upset with Set's words, hazel deeply gazed into azure as its owner remarked, "I have thought that years of friendship between us would have earned me even an ounce of your loyalty and trust."

Set kept his silence, as his eyes quietly burned in pent-up frustration and anger.

A tight-lipped Xandra then sighed. "Atemu and I have always put the friendship between the three of us first before our respective titles and duties. You have always been my most loyal advocate, especially when others whispered slander behind my back. Ever since we assumed our roles of Pharaoh, High Priest, and Queen, matters have greatly changed between us."

"I have to act according to our stations in life," he deadpanned.

"A subject's scrutiny to his ruler does not bother me. In fact, I welcome it - just as my people did during better and more virtuous times. However, a friend's distrust and scrutiny - especially when the other's innocence has not been upheld - hurts more than any form of punishment. Tell me, Set - what have I done to gain your anger? What made you change all of a sudden towards me?"

The fury within the high priest's eyes was doused a little, as he murmured, "Too many incidents have happened within the past few days. The thief now possesses three Millennium Items, Mahado is dead and Akunadin is injured, two towns have been massacred, and now the Pharaoh is missing. With the prisoner's release..."

With arms crossed in front of her chest, she raised an eyebrow and interjected, "Do you think that just because I am Atlantean means that I will give him his freedom without due process?"

Set, once again, fell silent.

She froze, as the two men before her also fell silent - with Shimon stewing in anger over the high priest's harsh words, and with Set keeping his gnawing guilt behind a facade of self-righteous anger.

"Counselor Shimon, would you kindly order a handful of troops to get ready, since they will return to the second massacre site with me. After I have my audience with Set, then I need to seek your advice in private."

Taking the cue from her, the wizened man glowered once more at the high priest before he slowly walked out of the throne room - leaving the two behind closed doors.

As she tried to gauge the current wavelength of his thinking, she frowned and then asked, "Tell me... Have my years of service for Egypt and the throne been that inadequate? Have my sacrifices been that insignificant, so that a single accusation mars everything that I have done for the land? Since when has my heritage been an issue of trustworthiness to you?"

Set coldly replied, "The guards saw you and heard you order his release."

In an instant, tears welled in her eyes, as she clenched teeth. She slammed her fists against the arms of her throne. "Damn it, Set! The three of us grew up together and have been friends for many years! We have been together through thick and think! You should know well enough that I did not order that madman's release! I wanted to kill him with my bare hands for what he did to our people!"

Azure eyes renewed their fire, as their owner deadpanned, "Why, then, did you not kill him when you had the chance? Why did you not spare your people by eradicating such filth? If this butcher has mystical powers, as rumor has it, then why do you not use your own power to protect the land and the people? Your people are getting slaughtered in their own homes, yet you do not do anything! "

His words gashed her heart and soul. The tears that she fought back trickled down on the marbled floor, as she replied, "The people should be the ones to pass judgment against Hyperion. That is why I held back in killing him. Atemu and I have the duty to uphold the law of our land. I did not release him from the dungeons. Please believe me when I say that."

The pang of guilt within him became stronger, as he saw her stand up and face the ornately decorated wall behind the thrones. He stared at her, as he saw his friend in her moment of open sorrow - something that he had not witnessed for many years.

In the middle of silent tears, she replied, "Whoever is trying to seep poison inside your heart is the one who should be scrutinized - not me..."

He approached her from behind and rested his hands on her arms, as he felt deep-rooted regret from listening to Akunadin's words.

She, in turn, reciprocated the consoling gesture by placing her right hand on top of his left hand while staring at the ornate wall. As she bowed her head, the tears then flowed more generously. The last of her composure finally crumbled, as she bit her lip and wept. "By the gods, Set, I am so tired. The only things that sustain me are Atemu and his love, your friendship, and Shimon's encouragement. I could not fathom the thought of losing any one of those treasures. I would not know what to do if something unfortunate happens to Atemu..."

He ascended a few steps, and then faced her. Azure deeply looked into hazel. Wiping away some of the tears and the smeared kohl from around her eyes, he then sighed and explained, "I did not mean to hurt you, or disregard our friendship. I did not know what came over me. I should have not insinuated my suspicions before the troops - as your High Priest, and most especially your friend. It would not happen again. I promise."

In an unguarded second, his lips planted a kiss on her forehead. She closed her eyes, lingered onto the feeling of peace within her from the affectionate gesture, and held his hand. Seconds later, as they felt drawn to each other, their eyes met.

Azure locked into hazel, as its respective owners were too shocked beyond words.

Before their lips made contact, she closed her eyes, looked sideways, and then withdrew from him. As her hand slipped away from his, she walked towards the door and said with lament and guilt laced within her voice, "The men are waiting for me..."

Set's eyes were now filled with partial understanding as he stared at her departure. It just dawned upon him as to why he distanced himself from his two closest friends, and was so conflicted inside. He then closed his eyes and clenched his fists as he yearned and regretted over matters that were never meant to be, and the gargantuan effort he had tasked himself with for as long as he could remember to maintain the two friendships that he treasured most.

But the eyes were windows of the soul, and now both of Set and Xandra know the truth...yet surrendered that truth to the gods. Who was to say, though, that it would always be easier to turn one's back when that truth faced that very person once more?

Set realized that as Xandra took each step away from him with a heavier heart, she still felt the same way for him - as a friend, as a brother, and much more than the two...those feelings of innocent love that could be traced back since she stepped into the palace and lived with Atemu and him under the former Pharaoh's protection. However, what came greater for both of them and gave them the strength to transform those feelings into a strong bond of friendship was their love for Egypt and Atemu.

And so for each step that Xandra took farther away from Set, the two entrusted that truth once more to the gods for their safekeeping in order to keep the bonds between the two of them as well as the bonds that each share with Atemu sacred as they have always been.

Enveloped within darkness, a pair of eyelids dully fluttered into consciousness after a myriad slivers of memories coursed through his mind.

Once Atemu's eyes adjusted to seeing, he tried to stand up from the ledge that he landed on. He felt throbbing pain from his right leg that shot through his battered body, making him wince as he fought to sit down without pushing himself further down into the abyss.

Now leaning against the wall, his leg dully throbbed. He also winced from the major and minor cuts and bruises that he received from his fall. His mind, as tired and as hazy as it was, struggled to remember why he was in a dismal and dark void. As his eyes picked up a distant hint of sunlight, the sight made him aware that he was hundreds of feet from the surface.

For a second, his amethyst eyes widened as he patted on his chest. Realizing that the Millennium Puzzle was no longer with him, fear struck within his heart as he groggily mused, "It is not a dream. Thief Bakura had stolen it from me."

"Stay still for a while. The thief could not harness the powers of the Puzzle, Pharaoh Atemu. He must defeat you in a duel first before he truly becomes the Puzzle's master..."

"Who is there?" the ruler with the tri-colored hair demanded, as his eyes scanned his dark, stale, and damp surroundings.

A bellowing voice responded, "Fear not, Atemu. I am here as a friend..."

He felt the stone wall that he used for support liquefy - causing him to fall hard against the cold cave grounds. Hitting his head for a second time made his vision lose its focus. Once his amethyst eyes readjusted itself from the impact, the sight that hovered above him froze his blood.

A tall, towering, and dense figure looked down on him. The mysterious figure wore an elaborate but bone-chilling golden headdress studded with lapis lazuli and other semi-precious jewels - similar in design as to the ones seen on the sarcophagus of the great Pharaohs before him. With the exception of the golden mask that fully covered him from head to shoulders, as well as the regal royal purple cape billowing behind him, everything else was swathed in the strongest and most exquisite linen.

Atemu reeled from the sight - not only from its death-like appearance, but also due to the stench of natron that pervaded his nose. As brave as he was, he shuddered inside as the figure bent down and knelt beside him. What shocked him was when the figure placed its broad hands behind his back, and made every effort possible to help him stand up on his feet with the least amount of pain.

Once the young Pharaoh was standing up, the figure remarked, "I am not here to kill you, young Pharaoh. If I was, then I would have not allowed you to awaken..."

"I am sorry," muttered Atemu, who was still dazed from the fall.

The towering figure waved his hand - changing the areas covered in natron-soaked linen into a strong and tanned body. Golden bands adorned his wrists and arms, and the smell of death left as if it never existed. "Is this much better for you?"

"It is, although you did not have to go through the trouble. I owe you my gratitude," stammered the young man. "Who are you, so that I know who to properly thank."

"You do not have to thank me, young Pharaoh. I exist to serve the rulers of this land, and most especially you." As the figure saw Atemu's puzzled frown minutes later, he chuckled. "No, my young friend, you are not dead yet. You still have many matters to fulfill."

Amethyst eyes widened, as its owner gasped, "You can read my thoughts?"

"It is part of my gifts," said the figure with a deep voice. "The beginning of a long war is about to start..."

Fear struck within the Pharaoh, as he held his breath and asked, "The Hyskos, or the Atlanteans?"

With his arms crossed in front of his muscle-bound chest, the figure replied, "Your enemies come from different directions, and they span through the course of time. There is much treachery afoot, and no one is safe."

Amethyst eyes reflected deep-rooted worry, as its owner muttered, "Xandra... I must warn her, and the others."

The figure ominously nodded. "Your Queen has her own battles to fight, yet your destinies are intertwined. Your battles must be fought in different levels, for you will both fight with mere men and dark shadows. You, the Pharaoh, are the supreme master of the Millennium Items as well as the monsters set in stone. You are also Egypt's champion, as well as the rest of humankind."

"You speak in riddles," Atemu gravely commented. "Who do I need to fight?"

In a tone full of foreboding, the figure responded, "A dark force is coming, young Pharaoh. That dark shadow will rise to destroy every living thing in this world, and no one is safe - from suspicion, or deception, or corruption. Your true intentions as ruler of the civilized world will stand trial. You now have to ask yourself who or what do you truly love the most, and are you willing to sacrifice everything to protect the one that you love most?"

The amethyst-eyed young man stared at the cold golden masked figure before him, as if trying to seek the answer. He then sighed and said, "I could not answer that question."

Strangely, Atemu felt that the figure smirked behind the golden mask as the latter said, "Now is not the proper time to respond to my query. The right time will come, and the right answer will come to you in a heartbeat. The Queen will also have to answer to the same inquiry by the gods."

"When will this fated war begin?"

"It had already begun, my young friend..."

Atemu's muscles tightened - causing spasms to course through his battered body. Ignoring the pain, he begged the figure, "I need to get out of this cave and retrieve the Puzzle from the thief. Then, I need to return to the palace and tell everyone to get ready."

"Keep your eyes and your heart open, young Pharaoh. Your mind and soul, as well as your intentions, have to be clear at all times. If you succeed, there is a different world waiting for you to see - as well as the past coming back to reunite with you. The world above, as well as below, need you and the Queen to respectively succeed."

Atemu looked down at the rough and stony ground he stood on, still dazed and confused from everything he had just seen and heard. "I may be the Pharaoh, mysterious friend, but I am just a man. I still pale, in comparison with the rulers before me."

The figure approached him and rested his left hand on Atemu's shoulder. He then looked down at the young man and said, "You have a strong and lasting legacy to leave behind. Your actions will chart the course of how destiny will play its part. No matter what happens, you will be remembered for your deeds - especially those whose lives you have touched."

As the towering man waved his right hand, a mystical portal appeared before him as he pointed out, "Salvation awaits for you at the other side."

A tightlipped but gracious Atemu said, "Thank you, my friend, for saving me. May the gods be with you..."

As the figure watched Atemu walk through the mystical portal, he then said, "May the gods be with you, as well, young Pharaoh - especially since the world's existence now rests in your hands..."

End of Chapter Twelve

Author's Notes

Yu-Gi-Oh is the copyrighted property of Kazuki Takahashi. Emrys / Xandra, Hyperion, and this fanfic are the author's property.

This fanfiction was written for entertainment purposes only, thereby releasing the author from all liabilities.