Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh isn't mine. If it was, I'd be as rich as Seto Kaiba himself. (Well, probably not, but you get the idea…) And this fic is beta-read by Pamster. Thanks a lot to her for checking it and her advice.

Author's Note: Yes, I know horses from Egypt were weak, but think of them as Arabic horses or something. They're used in the anime and manga. I hope you like this chapter, especially the ending.

Summary: Mahaado's quest to defeat Bakura ends in tragedy, and the royal court grieves as Set and Akunadin look on. During a private discussion, Akunadin chastises Set for his actions and worries about the state of his son's soul and mind.

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Chapter 30: Visions Of Black And White.

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Back in court, Neith walked past the entrance to the audience chamber, the two Medjay watching her as she hung around the entrance. She wondered what was happening inside. Set had vanished somewhere on 'State business', and now she found herself locked out of an audience with the Per A'a. Mahaado had left to take care of Bakura, leaving Atemu two priests down. Everyone was running around and it worried her.

Startled, she quickly jumped backwards and watched on as the soldiers parted, bowing to those who filed past them. Akunadin came out first, followed by Shadah and then Karim. Finally came Isis. She walked up to the priestess, seeing the worried look in her eyes.

"Isis, are you all right?" she asked, noticing a silvery trail of tears. "What's happened?"

She looked fearfully at her, Atemu walking out last of all.

"It's Mahaado! I've been shown a vision of him losing to Bakura. Neith, I think he's going to die!"

"By the Netjer! Is that why everyone's on the move?"

Isis nodded, running off after Atemu, Karim and Shadah. She watched them all leave, save for Akunadin, who was hanging near the entrance of the palace to her left. She walked up to him, his eyes flicking to her briefly as she gazed at the four horses soldiers were leading past the entrance.

I don't believe it. Mahaado. Dead?

--

Several hours later, Set was riding up to the palace on the back of his horse, the villagers bowing on their knees as he and his militia went past. They were all on foot, of course. He looked forward to seeing Neith again, and she, along with everyone else, would be none the wiser to the true nature of his absence.

He had been perfectly willing to wipe out that enemy camp. He was no cold-blooded murderer, but they had threatened Kemet. That place had not been a city; he knew a camp when he saw one.

They had to be dealt with, and I was the one to do it.

He stopped in front of the vast palace doors, waited for them to be opened, and then he smiled as he guided his horse into the courtyard. To sacrifice a little piece of himself to safeguard the country's future did not worry him. He sacrificed things every day to protect the Per A'a and his people. And he could count on those of his men who had accompanied him to keep their silence.

"Set! Set!"

He looked around the packed courtyard and smiled as he saw Neith running up to him, waving her hand. She came up to him, but his smile dropped when he saw the panicked look on her face.

"What's happened?" He looked around him, saw all his men and quickly dismounted. He then grabbed her arm. "Never mind. You can tell me somewhere more private."

He led her past all the gathered soldiers, towards the entrance hall.

"It's not the baby, is it?"

"No, thankfully."

Leading her inside the cool hall, he led her further inside, set her down near a pillar and then grabbed her shoulders, turning her to face him. He then looked her in the eyes. That way, there would be no secrets.

"Right then. It's not our child. That's good. Now tell me what's happened."

"It's Mahaado. I think he's dead! Isis was shown a vision of him losing to Bakura, so Atemu and everyone else have gone off to the tombs. Akunadin and myself are the only ones here."

Taking all of this in, he closed his eyes and bowed his head. It was a shame to hear that a fellow protector of the country had probably died, but it seemed as if Bakura had done him a favour. Not that he cared for the self-righteous magician, of course. That man had been a thorn in his side for far too long.

He thought about what this would mean, Neith watching him. She knew he would be glad to be rid of his rival at court, because now his advice would no longer be so easily shunned without the annoying presence of the most loyal servant to the Per A'a.

"And Isis saw it, you say? My, this is most interesting." He cupped his chin, thinking deeply as he suddenly found himself being addressed.

"So, you've returned. Come with me; we need to have words."

Looking over Neith's shoulder at Akunadin, he frowned. He held her close, protectively embracing her, knowing exactly why his mentor wished to have words with him. He walked off with Neith, and she clung to his arm as he clasped her hand. He could only put the meeting off for so long.

"Allow me to put my lady to bed and I shall come to your room within the hour."

He led her away on his arm, Akunadin watching him as he left.

--

True to his word, he had seen Neith to their room and put her to rest, after which he had walked the short distance to his mentor's quarters. He was now seated across from the old priest, who had an irate look on his face. He knew that Akunadin knew what he had done, and it was funny. It was funny because Akunadin had been the one who had taught him the importance of pre-empting war.

"Set, I'm disappointed in you. Why didn't you tell me you were going to do such a thing?" He glanced at Akunadin before he folded his arms and turned his head to the side. "Look at me when I'm talking to you!"

He snorted dismissively, still not looking at his mentor.

"Please! No disrespect, Lord Akunadin, but surely you already knew of my intentions before I set off? Otherwise you would not have let me go."

He then clicked his fingers, calling a slave into the room. He held up his empty vessel, the two of them remaining quiet until it had been filled and the slave had left the room. Drinking deeply, he sighed and swirled the vessel in his hand, the wine eddying as it flowed around inside.

"But at least I shall no longer have to face he whose existence I detested," he said smugly, taking another sip before raising his vessel in mock salute. "Here's to Mahaa. Long may he be honoured in the Afterlife."

"You don't even know if he's dead yet. Don't get ahead of yourself. You've already stained yourself; there is no need for another notch to be made on your character."

He chuckled softly.

"Do you see anything on me?" he asked, spreading out his arms. "If you worry about my soul then don't. I'm the same man I always have been. The only thing that matters to me is Kemet. All else comes second."

"Even Neith?"

He froze, anger welling up within him.

"That's different. You know that." His tone was cold and defensive.

He then rose from the chair, dusted off his long kilt and offered the old priest a hand out of the chair. He pulled him up with a firm grip, only letting go when he was sure he could stand firm. He then bowed politely.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I find myself in dire need of a bath after my long journey."

"So your deeds do weigh you down after all."

His hand froze on the door. A gleeful smile alighted his face as he pushed it open.

"No, you misunderstand. Sand has worked its way between my toes. It's highly irritating."

--

Days later, Neith awoke to find herself alone. Out of curiosity, she rose from the bed and walked out onto the balcony. The sun still had to rise and banish Apep's darkness. But at least Nut herself was covered in bright stars, and Set had vanished yet again.

Suddenly, she heard a sound. Set was running through the gardens below at breakneck speed. Something had to have happened.

"What's going on?" she called out, rubbing the corner of her eye with a balled-up fist.

He stopped, turned and looked up at her as Akunadin walked past him, the old priest not saying a word as he headed for the front of the palace to her right. She leaned over the railing to hear what Set was saying.

"Get back inside and stay there!" he told her, looking around the garden. "Atemu has returned; alone. That should be all you need to know."

He then ran off after his mentor, leaving her alone to think.

It has to be Mahaado.

Heading back inside, she sat down on the edge of the bed and debated with herself whether she should follow him and see for herself what had happened. It was not a wise idea; he loathed to be disobeyed. She pondered this, eventually deciding that there was not much he could do if she went down there. In her condition, he was unlikely to take it out on her for fear of the child. And she would be in public.

One little peek can't hurt.

She rose to get dressed, an apprehensive feel to the night's air.

--

Once downstairs, she had to sidle up quietly alongside the row of pillars to hear what those assembled were saying. From what she could see behind the pillar, Set and Akunadin were standing together on the opposite side of the large atrium, a quiet sobbing coming from somewhere to her left. Peering further around the pillar, she saw that Mana was bent over a stone tablet, her body shaking.

"Why'd he have to leave us, Atemu? Why'd he have to die?" she heard the young apprentice wail. Set looked bored as he stared at the scene, his eyes suddenly meeting with hers.

Oh blast it.

He quickly marched over to her, a look of fury on his face. Perhaps this was not such a good idea after all. Those present had not noticed his change of direction, such was the sombre mood. Akunadin had to have noticed, but he was keeping to himself. She turned to run away but a hand securely grabbed her by the wrist.

"What are you doing here; I thought I told you to stay upstairs!" His grip went even tighter, his voice cold as his other hand rose, poised to strike. "You insolent little – "

She was about to answer when Atemu walked over. Set hurriedly dropped his hand, let go of her and turned to face the young Per A'a.

"What are you doing here, Neith? I thought everyone was asleep," the young ruler mumbled.

Set quickly looked at her.

"You wanted to come and pay your respects; didn't you, lotus?"

She nodded, a sympathetic look in her eyes.

"I wanted to offer you and Mana my condolences on such a tragic loss," she announced, Set's snake-like eyes flickering between her and Atemu. "I'm sure it must be affecting you deeply."

Atemu nodded, his eyes red as he looked over his shoulder at the tablet.

"Thank you for your concern. But he hasn't left me, not really."

Curious, she looked up at her husband for an explanation.

"Mahaado had a plan. If he were to be defeated, then he would sacrifice his life to combine with his Ka. That's why there's a tablet," he explained, looking at the tablet in the middle of the hall. "No one knows what's happened to Bakura. We presume that he's still alive, unfortunately."

"He wanted to protect me even in death," Atemu breathed.

"Per A'a, Bakura is a menace to all of society. We need to find him before anymore harm befalls us. He already has the Sennen Ring."

Her breath caught in her throat. Had Set said what she thought he had said?

"Did you say he took the Ring?" He nodded, and her hands clasped over her mouth in shock. "Oh my gods! Isis, is this true?"

She looked over at the priestess, but froze when she saw that her eyes were closed, her hands raised to her necklace. She was having another vision.

--

Isis found herself thrown into darkness as she was shown what was yet to be. The unnerving feelings of alarm and dread beat fast within her heart as she watched her vision unfold. Compared to the tearful one she had seen of Mahaado, this one chilled her to the bone.

The very place she was in reeked of death, the wails of the condemned echoing in the background. Her heart suddenly froze as the ground crumbled away beneath her feet.

Hurriedly stepping backwards, she walked carefully along the scorched ledge, feeling suspended in time. The place she was in was sapping away her energy, making her feel tired and lethargic. A platform lay in the centre of the bottomless pit to her left side, topped with a layer of cruel, gleaming metal spikes. Two unoccupied thrones lay in the distance.

She walked towards them along the ledge, her Tauk glowing faintly.

Suddenly, a flash of bright light forced her to shield her eyes. Opening them, she gasped in amazement when she saw that a white dragon now hovered above the pit. But that was not the only surprise her vision had in store. She looked at the dragon's target, which was standing in front of the thrones, and gasped loudly.

Set!

He had a psychotic grin on his face, his foot resting commandingly on the back of a body with long white hair. He held the Sennen Rod in his right hand, his fingers coiled tightly around a gleaming object in his left. His eyes showed no compassion or kindness and she wondered what had to have happened to make him so desolate.

She watched on as the dragon roared loudly; beating its wings at an alarming speed and taking off into the air, ready to launch an attack. There was then a loud rumble; a blank tablet had risen to Set's left. He had brought his hands together; still holding his items, he was chanting, his fingers moving in time with his incantation.

Whatever attack the dragon had prepared to launch vanished when it was trapped within a black circle, its markings that of a hexagram. Set then made a sequence of gestures with his fingers, and the circle began to drag the white dragon towards the tablet.

Once caught inside the stone, she could only watch on in horror as he then unsheathed the Sennen Rod. He then stopped down to pull the comatose figure up by its hair, a deranged smile on his face as he plunged the dagger straight into her heart.

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