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. Comments will come in the next chapter.

Summary: Atemu lost everything – his family and his friends. Then he discovered that Set was his cousin. Will the two men be able to work together to stop the evil that threatens them or will they be destroyed?

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Chapter 45: Second Duel Of Destiny

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Nervously stepping backwards, Neith held Sobek close to her chest. The boy's mother was scared; Set, her husband, was looking at her with a wicked smile on his face. He looked like Set, but Neith knew that her husband was no longer the man he once was. It was as if everything that had made Set who he was had disappeared. It had been like this ever since Set had killed his own father, an evil man whose blood now clung to Set's robes, making him look macabre.

Neith held Sobek even closer and gazed sideways at Kisara. The white-haired girl had a look of abject terror on her face, and Neith herself could feel her heart beating away beneath her chest.

"Set, are you all right?" the brunette asked cautiously.

Set remained silent, and Neith stepped back into the wall as the bloodstained Hem Ntjr stalked past her, totally ignoring his wife. Neith's husband was headed for Kisara, a cruel look on the man's face as he reached out with his left hand and cupped the frightened girl's cheek, stroking her jaw with his thumb.

Neith then jumped as Set's face turned sour. Her husband swiftly grabbed Kisara by the throat and began violently choking the life out of the poor girl. Kisara weakly tried to pry his hands from her neck, her face began changing colour as she was denied air.

"Set, what are you doing?" Neith asked, afraid of the answer.

"Something I should have done a long time ago," Set replied coldly, an evil smile of satisfaction on his face. "Now sit down and shut up. There's something I need from this girl, and now I intend to take it."

Set continued to pitilessly throttle Kisara, and Neith could see the white-haired girl was beginning to lose consciousness; Kisara's hands fell away from Set's and her eyes fluttered briefly before closing. Neith ran over to her husband and attempted to pull his hand off Kisara's throat, except she found that it would not budge. Set's grip was unnaturally strong. It did not help that one of the young woman's arms held their crying son, so that she only had the use of her right hand and arm.

"Set, please! Stop it! This isn't like you!" Neith protested, still tugging on Set's hand. "Don't you remember? You saved her from this place!" Neith tugged even harder, managing to peel off a few fingers from Kisara's throat. "Please, let her go!"

"Stop getting in my way or you'll be next!" Set growled in a cold, cruel voice that was not his own, sending chills up her spine.

Neith cried out as her husband hit her hard across the face, his heavy hand leaving a stinging pain in her cheek. But even this did not deter the desperate woman; she ran back up and attempted to do the same again, unwilling to accept that it was already too late to save the poor girl she had only just begun to think of as a friend. Tugging on Set's arm, the man's snake-like eyes narrowed sharply.

"You foolish woman!" he roared. "You dare disobey your husband? Then you must be punished!"

Neith then screamed as the power of the Sennen Rod blasted her backwards. The helpless young woman hurriedly buried Sobek close to her chest for safety as she flew towards the wall, her concern for their child's safety the last thing on her mind as she struck the wall and was knocked unconscious. Set glowered down at Neith, who lay still and motionless, and the crying child she had cradled close to her chest before grabbing the unconscious Kisara and dragging her out of the room.

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"You foolish woman!" he roared. "You dare to disobey your husband? Then you must be punished!"

Upon hearing his own voice, Set grimaced in pain and bowed his head forlornly, closing his eyes. The young man did not know where he was anymore. In fact, he felt quite confused. What had happened? Why was he no longer alone? For that was the first thing Set's mind had noticed: his unwelcome yet oddly familiar new roommate.

There was a sickening crack, and Set cried in anguish as he sensed Neith's pain. He did not know what had happened exactly, but he could feel in his heart that it was something bad.

The Hem Ntjr frowned as he felt Akunadin come up behind him and he struggled vainly against the heavy weight that seemed to be pushing down upon him from all sides. As soon as Set had realised his father's presence, he had been unable to do a thing, not with Akunadin holding the Sennen Rod. All he could do was watch, wait and hope.

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Meanwhile, Akunadin gazed down at his son, the Sennen Rod clasped in the old priest's hand. He really had not wanted to do this, but his son had left him no choice. Zork would reach the capital anytime now, and Set ending up with nothing was not an option. Set had to become the new Per A'a!

Akunadin's possessed son was following all of his father's demands, dragging the now half-conscious Kisara down the torch lit corridor by her hair, ignoring all of her pleas for him to wake up. Not that Akunadin himself cared for Kisara's fate. All he wanted her for was the white dragon, which would provide Set with the power he needed to defeat Atemu.

The old priest smiled within his son's soul room as they reached the underground chamber, a place he intended to put to good use once Set became the new Per A'a of the world of darkness.

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Currently, Atemu, Isis, Karim and Shadah were stood where Set had left them, and Atemu sighed as yet again another of his guards reported to him. Set was still missing, unable to be found. The Per A'a worried for Set's safety. Just what had happened to him?

"You can't come in here. Hey –!"

Atemu's head shot up as a guard's voice echoed throughout the large audience chamber. The Per A'a's eyes then widened as Neith came bursting into the audience chamber, a frantic look on the young woman's face. Atemu's ears then pricked up when he realised that he could hear a baby crying. Isis had approached Neith, the priestess of the Sennen Tauk looking down with a smile at the baby Neith held in her arms. Karim and Shadah just looked on silently, moving closer to be able to look upon the tiny child's face.

"Get the woman a chair," Atemu ordered one of the guards present, the threat of an approaching Zork still weighing down heavily on the Per A'a's mind.

Neith almost jumped out of her skin when the guard returned with a chair, Isis guiding the young woman to sit down.

Atemu walked over to the two women and his face held a curious expression as he looked down. This small child was Set's son? Looking down at the agitated blue-eyed boy, Atemu could see the resemblance. It was hard for him to believe that this child was the offspring of his cousin. That Set's own father, the man he had trusted as a devoted priest turned traitor, would keep such knowledge from not only himself but Set as well troubled Atemu deeply. As he gazed down at the upset child, the Per A'a thought sadly about how things might have been different had either he or Set known of their true relationship.

Atemu felt such an overwhelming sadness remembering what Akunadin had stripped away from him as the child bawled in his mother's arms. Was the child crying because he sensed his mother's anxiety? Atemu frowned as he rested a hand on Neith's shoulder, noticing for the first time that there was an ugly bruise forming on her cheek. That damned Akunadin! The braggard did not care if he hurt women and children. Akunadin and the God of Evil he had summoned had to be stopped, whatever the cost.

"Neith, what is it?" Atemu squeezed Neith's shoulder, the upset woman almost falling into pieces. "Is it Set? Has something happened to him?"

Allowing Isis to take Sobek from her, Neith finally bent over and burst into a round of tears.

"He's gone insane and I don't know why or how! I was so scared!" the young woman cried.

Atemu gasped as Neith filled them in on what had happened. The young ruler turned to grimly face Isis, Karim and Shadah, who was deep in thought nearby.

"Isis, can you please take care of Neith and her little one? Keep them safe," Atemu asked the priestess, who nodded. "Right. Shadah, Karim; let's get going. Goodbye Neith, I wish you and your son well."

Atemu looked over at Isis again; he could see she understood that he would not be returning. Whether or not the Sennen Tauk had shown Isis the future he had decided to face head on he did not know, but he saw no other way to put a stop to the aberration brought forth by the deranged man who was in fact his uncle.

I swear Father; I will stop that evil being Akunadin brought forth into the world, somehow.

Atemu knew of only one way he could accomplish this task, and with Karim and Shadah at his side, the two priests and their young ruler left the audience chamber behind them.

-o-

Set smiled as he folded his arms and awaited Atemu's presence. Standing on a bridge that connected the palace to a shrine, the tall priest gazed down at the dry ground meters below. Soon, he would have everything that he desired, the throne, power, everything he ever dreamed of would come to pass. Set continued to gaze ahead, his lips curling when Atemu arrived with a concerned look on his face. But he was not alone; Shadah was to Atemu's right and Karim to his left. All three men looked determined to do whatever was necessary to thwart Akunadin's plans.

"Look who it is; it's the Per A'a and his two bleating sheep come to be slaughtered," Set remarked sarcastically.

"Set, what are you doing here?" Atemu asked.

The Hem Ntjr's smile widened at the commanding tone in Atemu's voice. Yes, well the dear Per A'a would not nearly be so confident once his white dragon struck down the pointy-haired runt. Set laughed and pointed the Sennen Rod at Atemu and the two useless priests.

"Killing you; it's pretty obvious. But then, you always did have the intellect of that useless Kuriboh you love so much," the Hem Ntjr sneered.

A burst of energy shot towards the three men, splitting before hitting Atemu, sending two powerful waves of energy at the boy's sides. It forcefully knocked the two priests off the precarious bridge to plummet helplessly to their deaths, just as Set had planned. The screams of the dead priests still echoed around them as Set then threw his arms wide, a tablet rising behind him. Upon it was the image of the ferocious white dragon, its fangs bared. Atemu pulled an arm across his chest in response, calling upon the purple-robed mage that soon appeared. It hovered in front of Set, who snickered. That pathetic Mahaa!

Set then put his right foot forward, the same familiar voice that had been present inside his head urging him onward.

Destroy him, Set! Do it now and you'll be the next Per A'a! his father exclaimed, unrelentingly. Kill him and you'll be rid of him forever!

The young man followed his father's instructions and ordered the white dragon to attack. There was a furious burst of lightning from its mouth that the Black Magician unsuccessfully tried to avoid. Set's eyes widened in delight and he cackled as Mahaado screamed in pain. The enemy he so detested vanished; yet Set knew Mahaado would return for so long as his tablet remained intact.

Yes, well that'll be the first thing to go once I become Per A'a, the young man thought gleefully.

Set then ordered the white dragon to attack the defenceless Atemu, waiting for victory with an expectant smile of delight. His smile faded when he realised that there was nothing; no attack, nothing. That stupid beast dared to defy its master!

"What are you doing? Attack him now!" Set demanded.

Set's eyes widened as the dragon started to dissolve into nothing, specks of light illuminating the dark sky.

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Inside Set's mind, Akunadin's face fell as he realised that his hopes were fading along with the white dragon. What was going on? He did not understand. Akunadin stepped backwards, the old priest's eyes widening in alarm as he found himself staring down the angry throat of the beast he had claimed for his son. So this was how it was to end?

"Set, my son. I'm so sorry. I never stopped loving you."

The old priest screamed as he was engulfed by a burst of lightning. His body dissolved into nothing, save for the Sennen Eye. It clattered to the floor of Set's soul room, vanishing in a puff of smoke.

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There was a smile on Set's lips as he felt himself freed of the insidious presence of the man who had called himself his father. He looked up at the white dragon that hovered before him, its light illuminating the blackness of his mind.

Set reached out with a hand, imagining those white scales were flowing locks of long white hair.

"Kisara."

"Lord Set, your soul is no longer possessed by the darkness..." with that, the image of the white dragon disappeared.

-o-

"Set? Set, are you all right?"

Set's eyes flickered open when he heard Atemu's voice calling him. His mind hazy, the Hem Ntjr realised that he was on his knees, a hand stretched out in front of him for balance. What had happened? Set raised a hand to his forehead; the last he could remember, he had thrust the Sennen Rod's dagger into Akunadin's chest.

"I'm fine," Set growled, batting away Atemu's outstretched hand. "I can get up by myself. I'm not an invalid."

"Of-of course," Atemu stammered, unsure of what had happened. Why had Set so suddenly ceased his attack?

Rising to his feet, Set blinked once more to check he was truly awake, after which he gazed at Atemu. His rival was standing before him with a relieved smile and Atemu sighed heavily. The Per A'a was another beside himself who had fallen victim to Akunadin. And Kisara.

"Kisara," he mumbled quietly.

"Set, are you sure you're all right –?"

"I'm fine! Just leave me alone!" Set snapped, interrupting Atemu.

Atemu clutched the Sennen Puzzle close to his chest with both hands, and Set could tell that something troubled the spiky-haired Per A'a. He then glanced up at the dark sky, feeling fragile. Akunadin had been dealt with, but the God of Evil he had unleashed still existed. A god his own father had tried to enslave him to.

No, he wasn't my father, Set thought, shaking his head. But then why does it feel like he was?

"Is something wrong?" he eventually asked Atemu.

Atemu sighed in response, looking down at the Puzzle.

"I hardly have energy left. Ever since Subira's death I've felt so tired. Obelisk and Osiris have fallen victim to Zork's power and I have no energy left to summon Ra. There's only one option left to me now. We lost the war, and I know that it won't be easy to rebuild all that was destroyed, but you can and will do it, Set. You are next in line to take the throne, and your son after you. I won't let Zork have his way; his evil must not be allowed to prevail and remain in control of our world. I'm almost out of time, cousin." Atemu then looked at him, and Set wondered what it was that Atemu wanted of him.

The ground shook as the monstrous figure of the monster Akunadin had summoned began to whip its second serpentine head around the town below the two young men, it's fanged mouth blowing a plume of scorching fire through the city streets as its tail slammed into scorched buildings, smashing them to bits. All over the town, people were running and screaming and Set could not understand what Atemu meant in saying he was almost out of time.

The beast seemed to recognise that Atemu was waiting for it and Set watched in horror as it came stomping towards them, gleefully smashing parts of the palace as it did so. It roared at the two men stood on the bridge, and then it sped up, smashing more of the palace in its wake.

I hope Neith and Sobek are safe, this thing will destroy us all if it isn't stopped right now, Set thought to himself.

Set's eyes then widened as Atemu reached for his shoulder, squeezing it in a brotherly gesture that took the Hem Ntjr by surprise.

"Set, I need you to promise me something. Always hold true to the light that exists within your heart," Atemu requested, letting go of Set's shoulder. "I was wrong about you, cousin. For that I am truly sorry. I should have considered your counsel over the years you served Kemet so faithfully."

Set raised an eyebrow as Atemu closed his eyes and focused upon the puzzle. His skin started to crawl with the outflow of magical energy as a golden light emanated from the puzzle. What was Atemu doing? He made a move to snatch the puzzle and stop this madness but Atemu's eyes snapped open.

"Set, I want you to promise me something else. It's very important that you'll make sure no-one will be able to remember my name. No one must be able to unseal Zork's power once my work is done. Please cousin, in this you must not fail; the fate of the world depends on you or else all is lost," Atemu announced.

"Atemu, I can't – What do you think you're doing? Atemu! Cousin!" the young man exclaimed.

Set's eyes widened, as there was a flash of bright light. The horrible beast roared and as the light faded, Atemu's lifeless body slumped to the floor; all signs of the God of Evil vanished. The destruction it had inflicted remained; the palace and the town below were devastated.

But without your name you can't enter the Afterlife, cousin. By the Netjer, this is sheer madness! Why is it only upon your death that I fully realise what you meant to me, and all you tried to teach me, Set thought sadly as he leaned down to cradle the corpse of the man he'd served for so long.

A single tear fell down Set's cheek as he carefully carried his cousin's body back inside the palace.

I shall not forget your noble sacrifice Atemu; I was wrong about you, cousin. The courage you displayed today protected us all from that beast and I will keep my promises to you. I swear it.

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