Next chapter, people! Thanks for the reviews!
Taking some advice from a certain reviewer, I'm going to try and make the sections longer.
And here comes my muse with the 2X4, so I had better get writing, ne?
{shadows speaking}
thoughts
Trans. Note: Kekui neb-heba.w = Dark Master of Games (Ancient Egyptian): Title used by Duelmonsters for Atem
Hikari no Yugi-sensei = Light Master of Games (Japanese): Title used by Duelmonsters for Yugi
Chapter 5 - Shadow Madness
Atem pulled a card from his deck without looking, casting blindly as literally dozens of monsters appeared from the black depths of the maze. No sense of time intruded on this place: he had no idea how long he had been fighting. His skin was covered in shining silver scars where the hungry shadows had healed his wounds.
The Feral Imp appeared and the Pharaoh swore harshly. The monster wasn't strong enough to hold off the onslaught - the only creatures in his deck that might do the trick were the Egyptian God Cards. Adrenaline washed through him, boosting his waning strength even as his Shadow powers seemed to grow. He focussed on the attacking monsters, but didn't summon anything yet. The Egyptian God Cards were wilful and difficult to command - he didn't dare think of what might happen if he lost control of such powerful creatures here.
The imp died with a scream, echoed a moment later as Atem's flesh was rent by the attackers. Red blood flowed over his ruined shift before the shadows latched onto him. He whimpered, but not from pain - a new wave of power washed through him, leaving purest ecstasy in its wake. Breathing harshly, he moaned as his body shook with reaction. Cold rage burned in his heart, along with the desire to destroy.
{Hunger.} Voices whispered in his mind. Atem vainly held his hands over his ears. {Feed us, Dark King. Feed us blood.} The voices - they had never been human; even demons had more of humanity about them. The shadows murmured in his mind, disrupting his focus, feeding on his blood and his mind.
"Get out of my head!" he wailed, hands buried in his wild hair. The next attack came, slashing him with pain that turned to sweet delight when the shadows drank his blood again. The more he fed them, the more the shadows granted him of their power. And of pleasure…oh Ra help him!
{Feed us.} He knew what they wanted. He knew what they needed; that same need ran through him like wine. His blood was no longer enough. They wanted more; he wanted more. They were part of him now and he was part of them and there was no light anywhere just monsters and shades and the voices and the power andandandand… Panting with painful effort, Atem pulled another card from his deck - this time his luck came through.
"Swords of Sealing Light!" Atem pulled back from the brink of madness, holding the magic card before him, calling the spell into reality. The monsters clawed at nothing as the bright swords walled them away from their prey. Blinking eyes which had become almost completely crimson, Atem got to his feet slowly. He stared at the creatures; raw magic seethed in his blood, demanding release. The shadows wrapped lovingly around him, whispering in his mind.
{Feed us, Shadow Lord. Feed us.}
He moaned again as his body shook with exhaustion - soon the Swords would vanish, leaving him vulnerable. He would lose…his hikari would die…no…not Yugi-koi, his love, his light, the other half of his soul.
With a groan somewhere between anguish and bliss, Atem raised his arms. There was no card for this, but he knew what to do.
He felt the Sennen Eye on his forehead begin to glow as he dropped the barriers that held his power. The darkness around him moved, restless, anticipating.
"Let the Shadows consume you." Voice ringing, Atem threw his head back as the Swords flickered and died. He didn't see the shades around him lurch forward, consuming the monsters utterly - he didn't have to. Dark energy flowed out of him, granting strength to the Shadows.
{Sweet so sweet death pain joy} The Shadows rejoiced in their feast. The Pharaoh dropped to hands and knees, shaking, stomach churning. His heart pounded, loud as a drum in his ears. He shuddered in the dark as the monsters died.
{Gift for you, Shadow King} Darkness wrapped itself around him, gentle as a lover.
Yugi-koi, aibou... Atem closed his eyes. Tendrils drew him upright, caressing, demanding. Something warm and salt-sweet poured into his mouth - he swallowed on reflex and choked. The coppery tang of blood filled his nostrils, but more than the physical taste was the emotional taste; fear and anger and helpless despair. It disgusted him - he wanted more. Anything to fill the emptiness left behind.
Koibito, please, be safe.
Finally sated, the shadows withdrew, leaving Atem kneeling on the cold stone. No trace remained of the monsters. He groaned and threw up, rubbing his hands over his arms as though he could remove the stain that covered his soul. Foul. Tainted. Evil. The taste of blood remained on his lips, overcoming the sour bile. He resisted the urge to lick it off.
Struggling, he made it to his feet and stumbled a few meters further through the maze before physical and mental fatigue combined and he collapsed.
From out of the swirling shadows three figures approached, seemingly forming from the sable air. If Atem had been awake, he would have recognized all three as Duelmonsters. The first was very small, a brown puffball of fur with four tiny green legs and bright eyes. It floated towards the unconscious King of Games, making a worried 'ku' sound.
The other two appeared human, at least initially. On the left was a beautiful woman, dressed in long pale green robes. Her blue skin and delicate pointed ears contrasted with her long, blonde hair. She moved so gracefully it seemed she didn't even touch the ground.
Beside her a man with equally blue skin and wild, black hair stepped out of the shadows. Very tall, he was dressed in black leather covered in ornamental buckles and straps: on his head he wore a wide hat that resembled backswept horns. He frowned as the woman moved away, kneeling beside the figure of Atem. The puffball made the same worried sound again.
"Hush, Kuriboh." the woman murmured gently to the puffball, which floated down beside Atem and rubbed against his head. The woman touched the Pharaoh's skin and shivered.
"He is very weak, and freezing." she said to the man. Then she looked at Kuriboh. "You were right to bring us here. I know you want to help; may I cast a spell on you?"
"Ku." It was the same sound, but now the little Duelmonster sounded cheerful.
"What are you going to do, Mystical Elf?" the man - known to all as the Magician of Black Chaos - asked, hunkering beside her, staff across his knees. "Kekui neb-heba.w is very sick - the darkness in him is fouled."
"I cannot aid in that - my power is not nearly great enough." the elven spellcaster shook her head. "But this should help." Raising her head and closing her eyes, she sang, the music of her voice echoing in the dark labyrinth. Kuriboh suddenly started to multiply, one turning into two, and four, and so on until forty of them stared at her.
"Keep him warm." The hairy little monsters did as the elf commanded, cuddling up tight to Atem, forming a living blanket. They even managed to get under him, lifting him from the cold stone. The Pharaoh sighed as their warmth covered him and, reaching out sleepily, pulled one closer to use as a pillow. The little monsters 'kuu'ed and snuggled closer to their dark master.
"He will need new clothing." The Magician waved his staff and leather gear matching his own outfit appeared beside the sleeping Pharaoh, minus the hat. The Mystical Elf nodded and sang again, bringing food and drink to lie beside him as well. Atem moaned something that sounded like 'aibou'.
"There is little else we cannot do unless Hikari no Yugi-sensei comes." the Magician noted. "Kekui neb-heba.w seeks him but cannot find him. They cannot feel each other any more since the Puzzle was broken. Their power is unbalanced."
"Have a little faith." the elven spell caster smiled down at her master. "He is strong, and so is Hikari no Yugi-sensei. They will find each other." She looked up at the dark mage. "We can help them, can't we?"
"Perhaps…if Hikari no Yugi-sensei accepts his powers. Then maybe, just maybe, we can rejoin what was severed."
"Do we have enough strength?" the Elf asked with some concern. Below her, Atem sighed as he drifted into deeper sleep. "Compared to a Millennium Item…"
"I don't think we have much of a choice. As long as they are separate, they are more vulnerable to anything that might seek to do them harm." The magician twiddled with a lock of his black hair in an uncharacteristically nervous gesture. "In truth…I do not like these scars, and I fear for what might be happening to Hikari no Yugi-sensei."
"Hai." The Mystical Elf stroked Atem's wild hair. "You arrange help here. I will gather aid as well, and attempt to reach Hikari no Yugi-sensei. Stand ready - the window of opportunity may not last long."
The elf rose gracefully to her feet, put her hands together as though in prayer, and vanished.
The chains were weakening. There could be no doubt now. Ore-sama Akuma laughed softly to himself.
A thousand years, he thought. A thousand years it had been since the Celestial Emperor had bound him here with chains of golden light. Chains that could only be destroyed by 'One who is both Mortal and God, Darkness and Light.' The fool in his maze qualified - mortal body, considered a living god when he ruled Egypt, a being of darkness whose true name nevertheless meant 'light'. An added bonus lay in the boy's own magic prowess. Ore-sama Akuma laughed wildly in the darkness. When the Mouth of Yomi opened...
Yes, I know that in the card game and the English dub anime its 'Swords of Revealing Light' but in the original Japanese this is the name of the card and it works better in this situation.
This has been somewhat edited from the original, with a whole lot more foreshadowing and a bit more plot development. Hope you like!
Please R&R! Arigato!