Two royal guards stand before the large stone doors that lead into the throne room. Upon seeing the pharaoh, they both place their hand over their hearts, giving a bow of respect. With his arms crossed and his eyes closed, Atem takes a deep inhale before exhaling. After leaving the shadow realm and returning to the afterlife, it is back to business as normal. He and Mana were given a night to recover before having to resume their normal duties.
After waiting for a moment, one guard exchanges an anxious look with the other. Then he gulps and opens his mouth to speak carefully. "Shall we wait for the queen, my pharaoh?"
The guards flinch a little as Atem opens his eyes. He has never been the one to be harsh to his loyal subjects, but there were rumors of an intense exchange between him and his wife. And to add to that, there is a huge possibility of the princess not returning.
"No," Atem finally replies, his eyes forward. "Open the doors."
As he walks through with a stoic expression, being greeted by his high priests, his mind is weighed down by his wife's words and the fact that Cairo is right back where she started when they first 'met.' Despite remaining confident, the truth is, he doesn't know whether or not Cairo will be freed again. The only thing he can hold onto now is faith.
Once he sits down on his throne, he breathes out a heavy sigh, placing his hand on his head. Standing several feet away from his throne, Mahad looks on with concern. He knows how much it pains Atem and Mana for their daughter not to be there.
Last night, Mahad walks through the courtyard with his arms crossed over his chest. First Atem and Cairo were gone. And then Mana, leaving Seto to watch over the palace in their absence. But he has started to worry after multiple days and nights have gone by. As he reaches a corner of the courtyard, he hears what sounds like someone sobbing, causing him to pause briefly. Another deeper voice follows and his heart jumps.
Pharaoh? Mana?
He quickly turns the corner and sees none other than Atem and Mana in the middle of another part of the courtyard. Mana sobs into Atem's chest, not caring who hears her cries. She is so overwhelmed with emotion that it feels like her legs are going numb and she drops down to her knees with Atem wrapping his arms around her for support as he crouches down as well.
At first Mahad is about to approach them, but then he quickly notices that Cairo is nowhere in sight and he believes something horrible has happened.
"This just isn't fair!" Mana sobs. "She doesn't deserve to be there! She deserves to be with us!"
Atem stays silent, rubbing her back consolingly. What can he say? Nothing is going to make Mana feel better unless he can somehow make Cairo appear right at this very moment.
"You promised me…! You promised!" she continues as tears stream down her face and she lightly hits his chest.
"I'm…sorry Mana…"
"Mana," Mahad intervenes, causing Mana to lift her head slightly and Atem looks as Mahad walks over to them, having put two and two together from witnessing their brief interaction. "I'm sure the pharaoh did everything in his power. Please don't be so hard on him."
"When did you know she wasn't going to come back?" Mana continues, gazing up Atem teary eyed. He only averts his eyes, only causing her to grow more emotional. "You knew, didn't you? Didn't you?!"
Atem doesn't respond. If he does, it's only going to set her off even more. The truth is, he did know. But he didn't come to that conclusion until right before their battle with Yami Marik and it was something he was still trying to come to terms with himself. And to avoid getting her hopes up, he doesn't mention his brief interaction with Aknadin.
Sniffling, Mana abruptly gets up and turns her back, preparing to leave.
"Mana, wait," Atem says, reaching his hand out to her.
But with a snap of her fingers, she is gone.
Slowly standing to his feet, Atem breathes out another sigh, lowering his eyes.
"Just give her some time," Mahad tells Atem who slowly nods.
As Mahad watches Atem carry out his duties and remain strong despite the heartache he is feeling, he remembers how Atem told him how they ran into Aknadin. It was incredibly shocking to hear. Not the fact that he was there, but the fact that he showed his face.
He can only imagine the whirlwind of emotions Atem and Mana are going through right now.
In addition to that, what will happen to Cairo, who is stuck with someone that is partially responsible for her capture and her eventual imprisonment in the shadows?
After royal duties have concluded, Mahad finds himself following Atem outside at a distance. Atem had barely said goodbye when he left the throne room, only causing Mahad to grow more concerned. They are once again in the courtyard where he first found Atem and Mana. But this also happens to be an area where the pharaoh frequently clears his thoughts.
Not being able to take the silence anymore, Mahad decides to speak up. "My king."
No response and the walking continues.
Mahad frowns and tries again. "Pharaoh?"
Still nothing.
Mahad stops, a drop of sweat forming on his forehead as he clears his throat. "Atem…?"
This time, Atem stops and Mahad sighs with relief. He figured Atem wanted to be addressed by his actual name as he's told Mahad on multiple occasions not to address him by title due to their friendship. But it seems Atem was just not in the mood to correct him verbally this time around.
"Yes, Mahad…?"
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
Atem looks at him from over his shoulder. "Sadly, there isn't. But thank you, Mahad."
Mahad lowers his eyes. "I see…My apologies."
Atem shakes his head, fully turning around. "To be honest, I'm not sure what to do, at this point. Cairo is trapped. And I have let her and Mana down."
"Atem…"
"I told Cairo I would see her later. But did I only give her false hope?" He looks up toward the sky, wondering what she is doing or even thinking at this very moment.
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A soul lets out a scream after Cairo calmly blasts it to keep it in its place. The openings have all been sealed, but some of the souls have gotten rowdy, forcing her to fight back. She swipes off the blood that trickles down her forehead from a blow one of the souls managed to get. Then she looks over to Aknadin, who has surprisingly been fighting by her side. As he intimidates the last soul which just a look alone, Cairo turns her back and begins to walk away after confirming all is back to 'normal.'
She looks ahead and manages to find her normal perch that she would sit on when she was a soul keeper. It seems like she will be returning back to that role. She brings one knee up, staring out into the darkness. The word that keeps coming to mind is 'cruel.' All of this is cruel.
To be able to taste freedom and gain it, only to be a prisoner once again just seems so cruel. Is this truly going to be permanent?
"The Dark one truly gave you the best portion of his abilities," Aknadin says, coming up beside her as she sits with her legs crossed and eyes forward. "And you have honed them so well."
"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" she questions flatly.
"Just an observation is all."
Silence follows shortly after, but Aknadin still stands nearby, not moving one bit. This only adds to Cairo's agitation. It seems her great uncle would like to have a chat, but she isn't in the mood. Does he think just because he helped her just now means that he is forgiven? Why doesn't he just crawl back into the shadows so she doesn't have to see his face?
She closes her eyes and flinches at that thought. Is that harsh, even for her?
"To be honest, I'm not sure how to apologize for what I've done or where to start," Aknadin says.
"So spare us both," Cairo replies coldly.
"I've watched you grow up in the palace, becoming as bright eyed and spirited as your mother, and noble and brave like your father…"
"Then why did you do it?!" Cairo snaps, whipping her head to look to him with narrowed eyes. "You weren't just one of the high priests, you were family! And yet all that time, you harbored such negative emotions toward my grandfather and my father! You are the reason why I'm like this! You're the reason why I've been trapped here! Not only did you take part in snatching away my childhood, but your actions won't even allow me to rest! What did I do to you?!"
That last question seems to echo through the darkness and hits Aknadin to his core the most. But he doesn't allow it to show. Any hint of weakness would cause the shadows to come crawling back and another showdown ensuing.
"You were…just at the wrong place at the wrong time unfortunately…" Aknadin answers.
"That's it? That's all you can say?"
"I do not wish to give any excuses and upset you even more. All I can say is I shouldn't have let my jealousy cloud my mind and my heart. You didn't, and still do not deserve this. I wish I can take it all back. But the reality of it all is I cannot."
Cairo sighs heavily and turns her head. She has felt these feelings of anger, resentment and at one point, fear, toward Aknadin for thousands of years. But she doesn't want to continue to be weighed down by this. In a way, expressing herself to the one that hurt her and telling him how he made her feel has been somewhat therapeutic. Maybe, just maybe, this is the final step in finally moving on.
"I still don't fully understand why you did what you did," Cairo speaks up, finally looking over to him. "But if I haven't learned anything else, it's that at some point I have to stop reliving this experience and stop dwelling on it. I'll never be able to truly move on like that."
There is a beam of light that shines down in front of them and Cairo raises an eyebrow. "What now…?"
"Several souls have escaped into the afterlife." the gods say.
Cairo hunches over and rests her chin in her hand with a pout. "And I suppose you want me to retrieve them and come back here to watch over the souls?"
"There is no need," Aknadin intervenes to Cairo's shock.
"You have a better solution after she ceased the existence of another soul keeper?"
Cairo grins anxiously and rubs the back of her head. "Well if you witnessed everything that occurred, which I assumed you did, you'd know that was justified," she mutters.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do," Aknadin replies. "Cairo will return the evil souls that are in the afterlife. But, once she is finished, she will remain there for all eternity."
Cairo's eyes widen and her jaw drops. "What…?"
"I shall take her place as soul keeper."
"This cannot pass."
Aknadin gets down on both knees and bows his head until it touches the ground. "Please. I have had a lot of time to reflect on the things I've done and she deserves to rest in paradise once and for all. Place fault in me for what she did all those years ago. She was a victim. While I willingly let the darkness consume me."
"Aknadin…" He is really pleading to take her place?
"It is the least I can do after all the trouble I've caused. So please. Allow me to repay my debt," he continues. "And honor the pharaoh's request."
Cairo gasps. What does he mean by that? She does remember her father saying something to Aknadin briefly before he and her mother left. Did he request Aknadin to stay here in her place? "Dad…" Even now, when he isn't here, he is helping her. "Thank you…"
There is a short pause before the gods reply with an answer.
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The large full moon greets Atem as he walks out to the balcony in his room. He remembers when he returned to the afterlife the first time around, standing at this same balcony as he wondered about Cairo's well-being and whether or not she would be allowed to rest in the afterlife as well. She had surprised him just as he was about to walk away and she was floating on the other side of the balcony with the warmest smile and tears of happiness eventually began to fall from her eyes.
Deep down he hopes she will suddenly pop up out of nowhere just like she did before. But the more he waits, the more dismayed he becomes. With his hands on the balcony, he balls them up as his body begins to tremble and droplets of tears fall from his eyes, unable to contain them anymore. He silently cries to himself and bows his head as he grits his teeth to bite back the sobs that threaten to come out.
"Atem...?"
He gasps softly and looks over his shoulder to see Mana standing right behind him with a concerned frown. He quickly wipes the tears from his eyes, turning around to fully face her. "I didn't hear you come in."
"Sorry. Perhaps you prefer to be alone right now," she apologizes, preparing to leave until he grabs her by the hand.
"Stay," he tells her.
"I…wanted to apologize for what I said the other day," Mana says lowering her eyes. "I knew you did everything you could. But in the moment I was just so upset and…"
"You don't need to apologize, Mana," he assures her.
"But I do," she insists. "You always put on this tough face because of the position you're in and sometimes I forget that you have moments where you get emotional too…"
"I'm fine," he says stubbornly.
Seeing the stress written on his face, Mana suddenly grabs both of his hands and he looks at her questionably. "Let's go get some fresh air," she suggests.
"But…"
"Come on. It's clear we're both stressed and I doubt either of us are thinking about sleeping. So let's go to the Nile and clear our minds. Like we used to when we were younger," she says, smiling sadly.
Atem ponders over it for a bit. She certainly brings up a good point. With both of them being stressed, he doesn't see how either of them will get any sort of rest. Maybe going to the Nile and hearing the water sway may help them relax, even if it only provides a little bit of relief.
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As the sun begins to set, a girl drags her feet through the sand, breathing heavily with her body slightly hunched over. The sun hits her face and she closes her eyes, enjoying its warmth as opposed to the cold atmosphere of the Shadow Realm. She is grateful the gods didn't shoot her out into a body of water like they typically do. Although she was slightly annoyed they required her to finish one last task before she can finally rest.
She drops her wand before dropping to her knees. A few drops of blood stain the sand and she takes note of the scratches on her arms and hands. But her assignment is done. After going toe to toe with escaped souls, who also happened to be the souls from Kul Elna with special abilities granted to them by Dartz, she is finally finished.
Her eyes glow briefly as her body begins to heal itself. The wounds disappear and the blood becomes dry, though she is still left feeling exhausted. Collapsing on her side, she sighs heavily as her eyes flutter and close. "So tired…"
At the Nile, Atem stands on the waters edge with his arms folded, watching as the water glimmers under the sunset. The wind is calm and gently sways his hair and navy blue cape. Mana looks down at her reflection, placing her hand up to her spiky brown hair. Thankfully the change of appearance that she experienced in the present world wasn't permanent. She peers over to Atem, who still appears to be on edge and she frowns. As much as he insists he's okay, she knows that's far from the truth.
"Cairo used to hold things in as well. Just like you," she brings up as he stares ahead. "And just like you would tell her that it would eat her up inside, I'm here to tell you the same."
"I'm f—"
"Atem," she shakes her head before wrapping her arms around him. "I saw your tears as clear as day. You're hurting just as much as I am. And it tears you up inside that Cairo isn't here."
"You're right," Atem sighs. "I keep hoping I'll turn around and she'll appear. Or that you'll sense her."
"Believe me, I've tried seeking out her energy. So I totally understand."
"Maybe I could have done more. Like not allowing her to be taken away in the first place."
"You and I both know that would have been impossible. There's no way we could have fought against the will of the gods," Mana points out. "They needed someone to help out and knew that Cairo was the most reliable."
"You're right…"
"Besides…your friends of the present world were potentially in danger due to the souls escaping there. I have a feeling, even if she wasn't taken against her will, she would have agreed to go so she could protect them," Mana continues before letting out a half chuckle.
Atem raises his eyebrow with curiosity. "What?"
"I'm always saying how much she's like you, but sometimes I wonder what quality traits she got from me besides my magic and sense of humor," she says jokingly.
Atem smiles softly. "I'm afraid you give me too much credit."
Mana blinks. "Eh?"
"You don't think she also gets her bravery, her kindness, and her altruistic traits from you as well?"
Mana blushes and rubs the back of her head, grinning.
Atem smirks and then looks out toward the horizon as the sun completely goes down. "We should probably head back before anyone notices we're gone."
"We're adults now. We can't get in trouble," Mana giggles as he helps her up on his white horse.
"Yes, you have a point," he says, hopping up and she wraps her arms around his waist. "But that won't stop Mahad from scolding us anyway."
Mana dims her eyes before leaning over to look at the horse, patting it lightly. "If you get us back quick, I'll feed you all the best fruits we have."
Atem chuckles before signaling the horse to go. He is grateful for Mana forcing him out. Although it was short, getting some fresh air outside the palace definitely improved his mood a little. She rests the side of her head on his back and breathes out a sigh while he interlocks one of his hands with hers.
As they gallop through the desert, being able to see the palace at a distance, Mana lifts her head after sensing something. She gasps and looks from left to right, trying to pinpoint where exactly it's coming from. "Atem, stop for a moment."
He glances over his shoulder, seeing her concerned expression and he obeys. "What is it?"
"Something is calling out to me!" She jumps off the horse and suddenly darts off to his surprise.
"Mana, wait!" he calls after her. He grunts and jumps off as well, following her.
Her eyes are glued to the sand, scanning every inch. Wanting to get a closer look, she drops to her knees, swishing the sand around with her hands as her eyes quickly look in different directions. Atem kneels down beside her. "Talk to me. What is calling out to you?"
Her eyes flicker pink and she whips her head over to look at him. "Cairo."
Atem's eyes go big. "You sense her?"
She starts digging while Atem does the same until his hand brushes up against something. The wind aides in removing the remaining sand, revealing who lies underneath. Mana's eyes immediately water up while Atem's mouth goes agape, still not believing his daughter is right here, in the afterlife.
"Cairo!" Mana cries as Atem lifts their daughter up in his arms.
He nudges her a little to wake her up. "Cairo! Cairo, speak to me!"
At first she doesn't respond, sending them both into a panic. "Did something happen to her?" Mana questions, tears beginning to fall. "Why couldn't I sense her before? Maybe I could've helped!"
"Let's stay calm," Atem says. "We'll take her back to the palace and…"
A loud growl fills their ears and they both exchange confused looks before looking down at Cairo as the growling noise happens again.
From her stomach.
"So…hungry…" Cairo mutters weakly, causing Atem and Mana nearly to fall over with disbelief.
Mana suddenly snatches Cairo up into a bear hug, the tears falling freely now. "Don't ever scare us like that again! Do you hear me? We were so worried you weren't coming back!"
"Mom, if you keep holding onto me like this, I'm gonna transition out of the afterlife, if that's possible," Cairo groans, beginning to lose air.
A drop of sweat goes down Atem's temple as he watches Mana cry tears of joy, nuzzling her cheek against daughter's while Cairo looks away, blushing with embarrassment while a smile simultaneously creeps on her lips.
Atem breathes out a sigh of relief before smiling as well. "Come on you two. Let's…go home…" he says in the midst of Mana's sobbing and Cairo's protests.
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A man stands on a ladder that is leaned against his house as he patches up some cracks the next morning. He glances back, seeing the village as busy as it normally is, with people carrying about their daily tasks, selling fruit and other goods or playing simple games. Wiping the sweat off his brow, he looks up toward the sun and exhales.
"I'd better hurry up and finish," he remarks to himself. "Looks like it's gonna be another hot one."
Several kids who are kicking a ball back and forth play around his ladder, causing it to wobble. His heart jumps as he clenches onto the handles, trying to keep it steady. One kid kicks the ball away, but in doing so, the other two kids accidentally nudge the ladder again, making it tilt over.
The man screams, shutting his eyes and bracing himself for a devastating fall, but he suddenly stops moving. Hesitantly opening his eyes, he sees a certain princess standing below as her eyes glow purple, keeping the ladder from falling magically.
The villager looks up and gasps. "Y-You!"
Cairo studies him for a moment before realizing he is the same villager who berated her, pleading to the gods for her to be sent back to the shadows. Fortunately for him, she just so happened to be coming back from a short little field trip that she initiated herself, before she has to be present in the throne room with her parents.
Coming down from the ladder, the villager drops to his knees and bows his head. "Please forgive me! I—" He stops when she unexpectedly reaches her hand out to him to help him up.
"Are you harmed?" she asks to his surprise.
He slowly shakes his head. "N-No, I'm fine…thanks to you."
Cairo nods, then takes off toward the palace, leaving the once disgruntled villager with a new, positive view on her.
Phasing through the palace walls, she nearly runs into her father who folds his arms and tilts his head, wondering what she's been up to. "Do I even want to know what you were doing outside the palace?"
"I was outside the palace walls?" she asks, grinning anxiously, knowing that has always been a rule she isn't to break, even in the afterlife.
"We've established lying is your weakness."
"Affirmative."
Atem smirks and shakes his head as he tries to hold back a chuckle. Some things really never change and there's no way he can be even the slightest bit of upset.
Her return back to the palace was just as joyous as it was when she first arrived to the afterlife. He could even argue that everyone was more enthusiastic and relieved that she was there. For good.
As soon as they got back, they had food waiting for Cairo, much to her delight. Then came a much needed bath, followed by her mother combing her spiky shoulder length hair. She could have very well did it herself, but he could tell Cairo allowed her mother to do it for old times-sake.
"What made the gods change their minds?" Atem asks as they continue to walk toward the throne room.
"There were a few souls from Kul Elna that were able to escape here. They also happened to be the souls left over that Dartz granted powers to," she reveals.
"Is that so?" Atem asks, shocked.
"So I had to get rid of them as my last assignment. Thus the reason you found me in the desert. But the reason why I'm free, is because the gods appointed Aknadin to be the new soul keeper," she tells him. "It was actually his idea. Partially"
"You don't say."
She looks over to him. "You had something to do with that, didn't you? He brought your name up while he was pleading his case. Said he was trying to honor your request. What request did you make?"
"I merely told him to do the right thing," Atem tells her. "And it looks like he was able to do just that."
Cairo's eyes widen. "Wow. You sure have a way of convincing…" Atem subtly motions to the crown on his head and Cairo chuckles. "Ah, yes. I guess that is a very important quality to have as king."
They stop and face each other.
"So you're free for good? No more surprise summons from the gods?" Atem asks.
"To my knowledge, yes. As long as Aknadin doesn't decide to turn bad again," she shrugs her shoulders.
"I have faith that he won't."
"You know...I was so prepared to spend the rest of my days in the shadows with no way of getting out again, but you saved me again. So, thank you."
Atem gets down on one knee. "You don't need to thank me, Cairo. You're my daughter. And there's no way I was going to let you remain trapped there forever. Your mother and I would be lost without you."
Cairo can feel her eyes watering up and she quickly blinks them away, but her voice still trembles. "I know I don't say this very often, but…I love you, dad."
Atem smiles warmly and embraces her as she sniffles. "I love you too, Cairo."
Hearing another pair of sniffles, they pull away to see Mana and Mahad standing there. Mana wipes a tear while Mahad smiles with his arms folded across his chest.
"That was so sweet," Mana says with a smile.
Atem and Cairo turn red with embarrassment, not being the type to always express themselves. Standing up, they quickly storm off as Mana follows, playfully teasing them.
"Think we can outrun her?" Cairo asks.
"Absolutely," Atem says and they suddenly dash off to the sounds of Mana's protests.
Mahad shakes his head and decides to walk as he watches the once separated family, reunited again in the afterlife.
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AN: And there you have it! That is the end. Kinda monumental because I've been on this site for at least a decade lol. But this is my last multiple chapter story. I do have a few open stories that aren't finished and if I'm motivated, you may see me pop back in to finish them or I'll do a random oneshot if I'm feeling inspired.
I'm actually focusing on my own comic book that I'm currently in the process of writing and dabbling in voiceovers as well. My dream is to one day come out with a successful comic/manga and it gets adapted into animation. So wish me luck because I'm serious about this!
Anyway, I want to thank everyone who has read along, whether you were here ten years ago or just started reading now. I hope you enjoyed this story (and my other ones).
Until next time!