DECLARAION: - This story has been written and produced by Cathrath (FanFiction. net ID: 609465). Distribution of any kind is prohibited without the written consent of Cathrath. If you should see this story posted anywhere other than FanFiction .net or under any other name it has been stolen so please notify the author. I do not own Yu-gi-oh.
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Chapter 12 – A New Fate
The suns rays streamed though a small window and fell upon the body of a young boy tied and gagged on the floor. Yugi slowly opened his eyes as the warm sun woke him. It took a little while for him to realise his situation. He began to panic, pulling against his bonds. They would not budge whoever had tied him up had done a good job of it. He forced himself to calm down realising that struggling only meant he would hurt himself. He twisted onto his back and using his hands, which were tied behind his back, he pushed himself up into a sitting position. Seeing the wall not far away he shuffled over so he could lean up against it. Still not perfect but at least it was more comfortable than lying on the floor.
'Where am I?' he thought.
'How did I get here?'
He thought back to the last things he could remember and he shuddered as he recalled the terrible chamber he had been led to and trembled even more as he remembered kneeling waiting for the executioner to deliver his final blow.
'I must be dead' he thought.
He looked up to the small window and felt the warmth of the sun on his face. No this felt too real for him to be dead. But if he wasn't dead then how had he survived? He closed his eyes as he struggled to remember. The man in the black hood had walked over to him with a sword and he remembered the cold of the blade against the back of his neck. The executioner had raised the blade for the finally strike and he had heard the swish of the sword...but there had been no blow, instead only a cry and the sound of something falling behind him.
His eyes snapped open as he remembered. A hand had held a cloth over his mouth and he had passed out. His eyes widened further, it had all happened so quickly...but he remembered the face of his attacker, it had been Seto, the High Priest.
'But than means that Seto saved me?'
Yugi shook his head. What was gong on? Seto had been the one to relish in the idea of Yugi's execution, why would he then save him. It didn't make sense.
Yugi looked around finally taking in his surrounding's. He was in a small cell with a large metal door and a small window with bars. There was a little straw on the floor but not much else. The more pressing fact was that he was tied hand and foot and heavily gagged. Whoever his jailer was he had no intention of Yugi escaping or attracting attention by crying out. Footsteps outside the door caught his attention. The heavy bolt was drawn back and the door swung open. Yugi shrank back fearfully against the wall at the sight of the person who entered. It was Seto.
"I see your finally awake boy", he said as he looked down at Yugi.
"I'm sure you must be wondering why you still have your head. Well it wasn't out of the kindness of my heart that I saved you".
He took a few steps closer and bent down to Yugi's level.
"No, I have something much better in store for you. Who would have thought that a small runt like you would be the chosen one?"
He reached out a hand towards Yugi, who pulled back against the wall. But Seto did not strike as he had expected. Instead he pulled down Yugi's gag so he could talk.
"I'm sure you have many questions and right now I'll be happy to answer them." He stood back up.
"Where am I?" Yugi asked.
"On the outskirts of the city."
Seto saw the look of hope of Yugi's face as he glanced at the window.
"Oh, there's no point trying to attract attention, we are deep in the old part of the city, no one ever comes here. If the robbers and cutthroats don't get you then one of the collapsing buildings will. You could shout for help all day and no one would ever hear you."
The tone in Seto's voice told Yugi that he was probably telling the truth.
"What do you want with me? What did you mean by chosen one?" Yugi said bravely.
The cruel smile crept back onto Seto's face.
"No, I suppose Yami didn't get a chance to finish telling you the story."
Seto turned to look out the window.
"Did Yami ever tell you of the 'power of the Pharaoh' and the legend surrounding it?"
Yugi nodded.
"He told you of how this power could be used to seal away a great evil that threatened all Egypt?"
Yugi nodded again.
"I know you have seen the seven millennium items that reside in the palace temple and I'm sure Yami explained that they are the key to the 'Pharaohs power' and that he is the one prophesised to weald them."
Yugi continued to nod, not sure where this was going.
"What I suspect he didn't get a chance to tell you was that there was another prophecy made."
Yugi waited.
"This prophecy told of the coming of seven guardians who would claim and wield the seven millennium items when the time was right."
He turned to Yugi.
"Five of the guardians I know have been found and are under the protection of Ishizu. She is searching for the sixth. The seventh guardian, who is destined to wield the millennium puzzle, is Pharaoh Yami. However, in addition to the seven guardians the coming of another was foretold. A chosen one."
He took a step closer to Yugi.
"This chosen one is said to possess the secrets to unlocking the powers of the shadow realm".
He closed his eyes in rapture as he began to quote a memorised text.
"As the life of the chosen is sacrificed, the way to the dark realm shall be opened, the power of the shadow realm will be brought forth and controlled by the one for whom the sacrifice is made".
Seto continued to approach Yugi as he finished, an uncharacteristic smile crossing his face.
"You boy, are the chosen one. Do see now what delightful fate I have in store for you little Yugi?"
He bent down to Yugi's level again.
"Three days from now when the moon is at its fullest I will have great pleasure in sacrificing you on the great alter at Hamet. As your life flows away, the full powers of the shadow realm will be released to me."
He smiled with pleasure as he looked into Yugi's wide frightened eyes.
"You will not only help me destroy Egypt and your precious Pharaoh Yugi but the world as well. There is no hope of rescue, everyone at the palace, including your Pharaoh, thinks you are dead and my reports tell me that Yami has been overwhelmed with grief and guilt at his part in your 'death' and locked himself away. So you see there is no hope for you. Your life is mine."
He stood up.
"I don't know why Ishizu didn't protect you as well as the others. Perhaps she thought we wouldn't try to harm you whilst you were so close to the Pharaoh. It matters not. Her mistake will be hers and all of Egypt's undoing."
Seto started to walk through the door when Yugi called out.
"Wait, I have one more question."
Seto stopped and turned to him. Yugi didn't like the look on his face and took a deep breath to steady the rising fear.
"How did you convince Yami that I was the one who attacked him?"
"Ah, now that was the best part of my plan. Let me introduce you to someone."
He gestured to someone in the corridor to enter.
Into the room stepped a small boy about the same height and build as Yugi but with longer dark hair and deep clear blue eyes. Yugi looked at the boy and then back at Seto. The similarities between the two were obvious, especially their eyes
"Yugi let me introduce you to my little brother, Mokuba."
"Your brother!"
"Yes, you see it was he who attacked your precious Yami. With a little bit a restyling and dye it was easy to make his hair look like yours and as you can see you are of similar build and size. Even in the dark it wasn't hard to convince that fool you were his attacker and now he's played right into my hands."
With his arm around Mokuba's shoulders he walked towards the door. He turned one last time to look back at Yugi.
"Enjoy your last moments of life Yugi because soon you will be dead and the wealth and power of Egypt and the whole world will be at my feet."
He slammed the door behind him, his laughter echoing down the corridor.