A/N: well, I promised lots of Amber Spyglass-related stuff, so here you go. I twisted quite a few facts, but I feel I DO have a right to, seeing as this is a fanfic and all. Also, I wouldn't have felt like I was a proper writer if I simply copied all the detail and happenings from the original.
This is fairly long by my standards (over six thousand words!) and I can safely promise the chapters will get longer and looooonger from now on. With some justification, obviously, seeing all the things I've got planned for you people. Mwahahahaha…
Oh, also, this is NOT a straight forward abuse or abuseapology fic, OK? C'mon people, give me some credit. You think I would give you one of them? No chance.
……………
Chapter Ten: The World of the Dead
Bakura wisely decided to give Ryou and Malik time to calm down, and it was nearly an hour later when he went to find them. He had got up carefully from the sofa, flinching when his wounded leg touched the ground. As he was a spirit, it had already started to heal, and he managed to hobble slowly out of the room.
He spent a while searching the inn for them, having to stop every few minutes to regain his breath. That was another reason to find his hikari – if he could just go back into the Ring and sleep for a few days his leg would heal a lot faster.
The Ring-spirit eventually found them outside on a bench, talking quietly. He was too far away to hear exactly what they were saying, which was probably just as well.
………….
"This is all my fault," Malik was saying miserably. "If I'd been able to hold him back for a bit longer then none of this would have happened."
Ryou put an arm around him. "But you held him back for days, even weeks. If it makes you feel any better, I've never been able to push my yami back enough. He always takes over whenever he feels like it."
Malik didn't answer.
"No one blames you for what your yami does," the Ring-holder said fiercely. "I don't even remember most of the things mine's done."
"But my yami's insane!" Malik whispered desperately. "All he ever does is kill people! I can't stop him!"
"Look, I know how you feel. Always having to be watchful, wondering if he'll try and take control, knowing that eventually he'll come out and do something, and that you can't stop him. But it's not your fault, okay?"
There was the sound of approaching footsteps, and both turned to see Bakura standing cautiously in front of them. Malik's face was carefully blank; Ryou was slightly angry at the unwelcome intrusion. This anger multiplied tenfold when he saw who it was. Ignoring this, Bakura went back into the Ring and wrestled control from his lighter half.
Ryou felt his yami enter the Ring, and immediately struggled against him. His efforts were, as usual, futile, and he was calmly pushed aside. Bakura arranged their body into a more comfortable position and looked at Malik.
"Are you annoyed with me?" he asked cautiously.
Malik shrugged uncertainly. "…Why do you treat Ryou like that?" he said suddenly.
Bakura stared at him blankly. "Like what?"
The Rod-holder knew exactly how Ryou felt, but couldn't put it into words. "Like…like he doesn't matter. Like he's just a vessel."
"Because he is," the spirit said simply.
His friend gave up, knowing nothing he said would make any difference. Bakura shrugged, and went back into his soul room. To Ryou's surprise, he was unexpectedly given back control.
Malik noticed the change, and Ryou said hopelessly, "I think I'd better go."
"Yeah." Malik's tone was understanding. "It was nice talking to you, by the way. Thanks for being so, well, understanding about stuff."
"It's okay." Ryou gave him a watery smile and walk back to the inn.
…………
It was five days later, and Bakura was now fully healed. His hikari had been increasingly rebellious over the last few days, which he found rather irritating. Bakura had got rid of Ryou's new-found defiance very simply but effectively: he had locked them in the room when he knew they wouldn't be disturbed, and hit his host ruthlessly until he finally gave in. It had taken over three hours, and both were exhausted by the end of it, but Ryou eventually broke, his defiance shattered, leaving behind a sobbing, beaten wreck. After this 'lesson,' the worst in over a year, Ryou stayed in his soul room, barely talking or even moving. His hatred of his yami was buried deeply under layers of terror and misery.
Bakura had become expert at acting like Ryou, and he easily fooled even Malik. Yami, the one person who would have stamped out this behaviour instantly if he had known, never suspected a thing.
…………
Bakura, Malik, Yugi and Yami, (who for the time being had separated from the Puzzle) were seated on various worn-out chairs in a big circle in one of the bedrooms. Will and Lyra sat in the middle with serious expressions on their faces. They had just finished explaining their plans to the group, who were feeling rather dazed by what they were being told.
"Could you remind us why we're here again?" Yami asked slowly. "There are still some things I don't understand." He played with the Puzzle as he spoke, feeling the warmth it gave off. There was no mention of a duel anywhere in this plan, so he really wasn't all that interested.
"OK, basically this is the situation," Will began. "Lyra and I want to go down to the World of the Dead together using the knife. This is 'cos there are ghosts down there that we want to talk to. Also, the alethiometer says it's the right thing to do. Lyra thinks that by going down to the World of the Dead we may be fulfilling an ancient prophecy made by the witches. The main question is this: do you want to come with us?"
His question, blunter then the first time he had explained their plans, resulted in silence as the three teenagers and one spirit (actually, it was two teenagers and two spirits, as Bakura was deliberating blanking his host out, but everyone thought it was Ryou in control) though hard.
"What happens if we say no?" Bakura asked suddenly. "Then what?"
"If you decide not to come with us, then- " Will had actually been hoping they would say yes - "well… I could open a world of your choosing and you could – "
"Looks like we don't have a choice then." There was a slight sneer in the Ring spirit's words.
"Well, if you feel that way about it-" Lyra began heatedly, but Yugi interrupted her.
"We'll come." He looked at his yami. "Aibou?"
Yami jumped guiltily and let go of the Puzzle. "I'm in." He hadn't actually been listening to what Will or Lyra had been saying, and only had a vague idea of what was going on.
"Malik?"
"…Yeah, okay."
"Ryou?"
Bakura nodded silently; aware that he would have to take care to act more friendly, or risk arousing Yugi and Yami's suspicions. Though the Pharaoh didn't seem to be paying attention, and his little pet was so naïve anyway that he would probably think that Ryou was just in a bad mood.
"I have a question."
Lyra looked at Malik quizzically. "Yeah?"
"What's this alethiometer thingy you keep mentioning?"
Lyra realised with a jolt that she hadn't actually explained what the alethiometer was or how it worked to her new friends. She hastily swung her rucksack round and took out her most prized possession. Unfolding the black cloth carefully, she took the object inside it and held it out for everyone to see. There was a scraping of chairs and a shifting of positions as everyone leaned in a closer look, except Will who had seen it many times before.
It was a strangely impressive sight. The heavy, compass-like instrument which lay in Lyra's lap had beautifully delicate hand-painted pictures around the outside (thirty-six to be exact) and three slender black hands that lay still and unmoving, locked into place for now. The fourth hand swung around independently.
"This is my alethiometer. I think there are only six or seven ever made."
"What does it do?" Malik asked impatiently.
"It tells you the truth. Ask me a question, and I'll use the alethiometer to find the answer. It doesn't matter how complicated or difficult it is."
The Egyptian teen thought for a second. "All right, tell me…tell me what I used to do before I met them." He indicated Yugi and Bakura.
Lyra nodded eagerly, already pushing the hands into place. Pan, in his mouse shape, helped her. The fourth hand swung round and round, faster than the eye could follow, stopping at pictures and then continuing its journey.
Eventually Lyra looked up, blinking and sighing as if she was coming out of a trance. "I don't understand all of the answer," she began cautiously. "But it was something like this. You created a gang called the Ghouls, and at some point you raided a museum to steal something valuable - cards, I think. But it didn't go quite right, because you didn't get everything you wanted. Someone stopped you, a close relative, possibly your sister, and-"
"Okay okay, you can stop now," Malik cut in. He could feel his cheeks turning slightly red.
"That's a really powerful instrument," Yami said in some surprise. The alethiometer seemed to have focused his attention back on Lyra, and he had stopped fiddling with the Puzzle. "How does it actually work?"
"Um…it's powered by something called Dust, I think. I don't really know. That's another reason why I want to go to the World of the Dead – so I can ask Will's father about it. He was a shaman."
"How do you actually plan to get to the World of the Dead?" Yugi questioned. "Apart from dying, obviously."
"Lyra's alethiometer just says to follow the knife," Will confessed.
The Puzzle-holder nodded slowly, digesting all of this information carefully. "Then lets do this."
Will nodded, and reached up into the air with the knife. He paused, evidently searching for something, then cut very slowly along. The air felt strangely thick and heavy, as if it were resisting the knife.
The window he had cut opened into a world that looked like it had been taken from a black and white film. Everything was different shades of grey, and there was no colour at all. Will tried to step though the window and found it difficult, feeling like he was pushing against something invisible. Then, with a sudden tug, he was through.
"You okay?" Lyra asked.
Will nodded slowly. "Yeah. It's hard to get through, though."
Malik was next. He found it even harder, and eventually Will had to pull him through. Yami tried, and found that he couldn't get through at all. It was like there was an invisible force field. He couldn't make any headway at all, which he found exceedingly frustrating. Yugi stepped through easily, so Yami simply went into the Puzzle and then reappeared next to him. Bakura had an inkling of what was going on, so he handed control to his hikari (with plenty of threats of what would happen if Ryou did anything other than what Bakura told him) and let him go through. It was still slightly difficult, but he managed. Lyra had to hold Pan in her arms as she was pushed and pulled through.
Will uttered a gasp of surprise as he looked down at his hands, which had turned a pale grey. Something in this world had leeched the colour from them all, turning everything fuzzy shades of grey. The only bit of colour around them came from Pantalaimon, who was a bright green dragonfly, and from the Ring and Puzzle. Everyone turned to survey their surroundings carefully, but there really wasn't anything to look at. They started walking.
Several hours later, everyone had almost fallen into a stupor. Bakura was so bored he let Ryou take over, and sat listlessly in his soul room. His host was moving his feet automatically, wanting something, anything, to happen. Their surroundings hadn't changed in the slightest – grey rotting trees and a few deserted houses. Occasionally they saw dark figures standing around talking quietly, but no one really wanted to go up to them. Despite the many miles that they must have walked, they didn't seem to have actually gone anywhere at all.
Eventually Malik said, "Haven't we passed that tree already?"
Everyone turned to look without interest. Will shrugged. "Who knows? Everything here looks the same."
Malik took of the bottom of the Millennium Rod, exposing the dagger hidden inside, and made a criss-cross marking in the trunk.
They walked a few more paces, then Yami let out an exclamation and pointed to the tree in front of them. It had a large X on it. "We've been walking in circles!" he announced.
"It can't be!" Lyra protested. "We-we've only walked a few steps!"
"It's almost like this world is repeating itself," Ryou said thoughtfully. He traced a pattern in the dusty ground with the toe of his trainer, and when he walked forward there was an identical pattern in front of him.
Bakura split off in exasperation. "For Ra's sake, why doesn't anyone ask these people we keep seeing? I'm sure they know what's going on."
"Why don't YOU ask them?" Yami snapped.
"Fine! I will!" Bakura marched up to a group of grey people who were huddled together. They drew back slightly as he approached, and one or two exchanged doubtful glances. The spirit ignored this. "You know how to get to the World of the Dead, don't you?"
The 'people' nodded silently.
The Tomb Robber turned and gave Yami a triumphant look. "Ha! In your face, Pharaoh!"
Yami looked away disdainfully. "Whatever."
The others came up and stood next to the Ring-spirit. "Please would you be kind enough to tell us how?" Yugi was as polite as ever, and this seemed to please the mysterious figures.
One broke away from the huddle, and they saw that it was wearing dull, shabby clothes and was as non-descriptive as it was possible to be. "We are Deaths," it said quietly. "Every person ever born has a Death, but few see them until they are about to die. If you want to go to the World of the Dead, you must all call upon your own Deaths to show you the way."
The group looked at each other nervously, and Malik raised an eyebrow. "Ooookay…"
Will gave him a look, before stepping forward reluctantly. "Very well."
As he spoke, the door for one of the houses opened and more Deaths glided out. There were five of them, and they were similar to the ones the group had already met - plain and unremarkable. They silently approached the teenagers and stood next to them.
Yugi looked at his Death doubtfully. "Are you really my Death?"
The Death inclined its head. "Yes. I have been with you every moment of your life, although you never saw me. A Death is the person who knows you better than yourself – your special and devoted friend."
"What?!" Yami exploded.
Yugi looked at his Death desperately. "But-but my yami is my special and devoted friend! I don't want another one!"
Yami put his arm around Yugi in both a loving and jealous gesture. "Don't you come anywhere near my aibou!"
Bakura laughed mockingly. "My yami is my special and devoted friend!" he mimicked."That's so sweet, Pharaoh."
Yami glared at him. "Shut up, Thief. Don't make me hurt you."
"I'm so scared," Bakura sneered. "Anyway, I know my special and devoted friend will protect me." He looked at Ryou, who backed away nervously.
"Can we go to the World of the Dead now?" Will interrupted loudly, not wishing to witness another fight. His Death nodded, and started moving forwards. Everyone followed him uncertainly.
They had barely started walking when there was a flash, and they were standing in front of a massive lake. It was a murky non-colour, and the slopping of the sludgy water echoed loudly around the cavern. The ground was the sickly khaki colour of a bogey.
Ryou's Death looked at him. "Once you cross the lake, you will arrive in the World of the Dead." It hesitated. "I must leave you now." All the Deaths disappeared, and Yami relaxed slightly.
By the edge of the lake was a small boat, with a solitary person sitting in it. He looked up at them, and they saw that he was aged beyond belief, his hands permanently bent over a pair of rotting oars. He moved to one side to make room.
"Are…are you going to take us to the World of the Dead?" Ryou asked apprehensively.
The boatman sighed, turning his ancient eyes towards him, and Ryou saw a fierce pity in them. "Why are you here? You are not dead." The white-haired hikari didn't say anything, unsure how to reply.
"We still want to go," Will said firmly.
"All of you?"
"Yes."
The boatman shook his head slowly from side to side. "I cannot take you all." He raised a decaying arm and pointed at Pantalaimon, Yami and Bakura. "They must stay behind."
"WHAT?!" Yugi demanded. "I'm not leaving my aibou here!"
"Then you cannot come."
Pantalaimon whimpered in Lyra's arms. She whispered, "But I can't leave my dæmon behind!" I'd die!"
"Isn't that what you want?"
There was a horrified silence as the full impact of what was happening sank in. The boatman added, "If you decide to leave them behind, the dæmon must stay on the bank and the yamis must take off their Items."
Malik protested. "This is ridiculous! Why can't they come?"
The boatman indicated Bakura and Yami. "They are already dead. I cannot take spirits such as them. Also, there is no way for dæmons to travel to the World of the Dead. No souls are allowed to come."
His eyes flickered to the Millennium Rod, which Malik was holding in one hand. "I sense that you have a yami who does not live in your Item. You must leave that Item behind, and he will be forced into it."
Malik had absolutely no problem with leaving his yami behind, but knew Yugi and perhaps Ryou would. The Egyptian didn't like his yami at all, but was rather fond of the Rod, so he asked, "How do we get them back? Can we return this way?"
"I have taken unaccountable billions to the World of the Dead, and none ever came back." He paused. "I have seen that your friends will be coming. You had better go and comfort them."
Malik scowled, and took out the Rod with the intention of making him let the yamis come, but the boatman read his intentions in his eyes and shook his head. "That won't work, I assure you. Do you think everyone I take to the World of the Dead comes willingly?"
The Egyptain glared at him and walked over to Will. "So, are we still doing this?"
Will shrugged helplessly. "I want to, and I know Lyra does. But I don't know if she's actually going to leave Pan behind. I mean, they've been together their entire lives."
The two boys stood awkwardly to one side as their friends struggled with the impossible decision that lay before them.
Yugi and Yami were hugging tightly, as if they never wanted to let go. Yugi was crying silently. Yami was beyond crying as he clung to his other half. "Don't leave me aibou…" he whispered. "Please."
"I have to," Yugi murmured wretchedly. "It's something we have to do. Yami, I'll find you again, I promise…" His voice trailed off into nothingness as he hugged his yami even tighter, and then suddenly broke off. "Could you –"
"Please don't do this to me." Yami looked at his aibou pleadingly. "Anything but this…"
Malik and Will were really starting to feel awkward now, but not half as awkward as Ryou and Bakura. They simply stood apart, staring at each other strangely. Ryou had never liked the way Bakura had treated him, but some part of him didn't want to leave his yami.
"Please just say something," he begged suddenly.
Bakura continued to stare at him in silence. Eventually he snapped, "Well, what do you want me to say? You'd just better come back for me." His words were angrier then his tone of voice, which was almost…upset?
"Yami, you know I will."
Yami turned to Bakura, and his face was pale. "What will happen to us if we take off our Items?" he whispered haltingly.
The Tomb Robber shrugged. "Oblivion, I guess."
Yami gave his light one last hug. "Yugi…I know you're going to find me again. I trust you."
Yugi pressed himself further against his yami, unable to speak. "I'll miss you aibou."
"Shall…shall we do this now?" Lyra asked, her voice cracking. She was clutching her beloved dæmon so hard that he whimpered. They all nodded. Lyra gently disentangled Pan's cat claws from her jumper, and set him down carefully on the bank. "I'll come back for you Pan, honest."
Yami looked into Yugi's eyes for the last time, crimson meeting amethyst. "Goodbye aibou." He slowly reached up and took off the Puzzle. His body vanished, and the Puzzle fell to the ground. Yugi didn't take his eyes off it. "I-I can still feel him. A little."
The boatman nodded. "When you get into the boat, your mental link with him will be severed and his soul room will disappear from your mind-"
"Shut up!" Yugi screamed.
There was a slightly surprised silence then Bakura said, "Well, I guess this is it. Have a nice time in the World of the Dead, hikari."
"Goodbye yami," Ryou replied softly.
"Try not to get killed or anything while I'm gone," his dark half said loftily, and Ryou sighed, knowing that was about as close to a 'goodbye' as he was going to get. Bakura reached up and took the Ring off. The spikes jangled, as if saying their own farewell. The Ring fell to the ground, next to the Puzzle.
Malik took out the Rod slowly with the intention of dropping it next to the other two Items, but hesitated when a cold voice cut through his head. ((Weakling, you even try and leave me here in this shit-hole and I'll kill you. And it will be slow, believe me.))
(…Okay.) Malik made as if to put the Rod back in his pocket, but suddenly threw it to the ground.
((Traitor…))
The hikari shuddered slightly.
Ryou climber into the boat with everyone else, and gasped as he felt the last remnants of Bakura wrenched from his mind. With his yami gone he was only half a soul really, and it was a strangely lonely feeling. He noticed that Yugi was still crying and put an arm around him gently.
"Just a little longer," the boatman murmured, without taking his eyes off the lake.
It felt like the longest journey Ryou had ever made. He kept thinking the Ring was still around his neck and there was a fresh pang every time his fingers reached up of their own accord, only to close on thin air. He felt giddy and slightly light-headed without the Ring on, but there was also a comfortable warm feeling in his chest. Ryou had never realised before just how cold the Ring was, until it was taken off. He didn't know why he was missing Bakura so much, especially after how he had treated him, but he was so used to his yami's presence that it felt wrong without him.
Engrossed in his own thoughts, Ryou didn't feel the boat stop, and he only realised when everyone else had got out and were standing there waiting for him. "S-sorry." Blushing slightly, he climbed carefully out, and Malik out a hand to help him. Ryou took it gratefully.
There was a large wooden door in front of them, wide and tall enough to admit several people at once. It had intricate designs carved around the frame, depicting stories of people before them. Several languages were represented, all of them ancient, including Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and Egyptian hieroglyphs. My yami would be able to read some of that, Ryou thought. Or maybe even- He tapped Malik lightly on the shoulder. "Do you know what that says?"
The Egyptian glanced at the symbols. "Hieroglyphs? Of course." He scanned the writing rapidly, and his violet eyes widened.
"What? What does it say?" Ryou asked impatiently.
"Hang on, hang on. Let me read it again." By now everyone's attention was centred on Malik as he reread the inscription upon the door. Then he turned, and his face was a mixture of awe, shock and frustration.
"What does it say?" Ryou repeated.
"It-it mentions us. This is kinda scary. It describes all of our adventures so far, and how everyone acted and felt and everything. It also says that we were meant to come here, for a purpose. We have something to accomplish in this place and we can't leave until we've done it. Also, it gives a clue here, but I'm not quite sure how to say it in English." Malik peered at the text, frowning slightly, and muttered various Arabic phrases under his breath.
"Say it in Japanese," Yugi suggested.
"I'll try…" Malik thought hard and then spoke some Japanese words slowly and carefully. "I think that's what it is."
"Death is going to die?" Ryou translated. "Uh, isn't that a contradiction in itself?"
"Well, that's what it says here, anyway. Also, there's a load of runic symbols that I can't read either. Anyone here read runes?" Malik asked hopefully.
To his surprise, Ryou nodded. "Hai, boku. I've always been into occult based stuff. What do they look like?"
"Here, look." The Egyptian pointed carefully to the inscriptions upon the door.
Ryou walked up and ran his hands over them carefully. He murmured the names quietly to himself, then raised his voice so everyone could hear. "This one's called Raido…it means journey. (A/N: Raido looks a bit like a capital R) And this is Gebo, meaning a gift…" (Gebo looks like a X) He paused and frowned. "A gift? That can't be right. Um…"
"A gift?" Yugi repeated blankly.
"Yeah…wait! I get it! Gebo can also mean an offering or sacrifice. Like-like when we had to leave part of our souls behind…" More hesitation. "A-anyway, this one here is called Dagaz, and it symbolises the light of the Gods, or sometimes just light-" He stopped again. "That's us! Cos we're lights, aren't we? Or omotes, or hikaris, or however you want to put it. (Dagaz looks a 'lil bit like this: // ) And the last one is Nauthiz. It has several meanings, but they're all quite similar: trouble, misery, unhappiness…Um, are there any more?"
"Na'am. (Arabic: yes) Here, and here." The Egyptian pointed. "Apparently they're telling us about the future, and what's supposed to happen next."
"This one is called Hagalaz ( H ) and it means destructive forces, like thunder, but also battles. This one is actually a rune as well, even though it just looks like an empty space. The Rune of No Meaning. But…uh…it does have a meaning." That sounded stupid now, didn't it? "It's saying there will be a period of uncertainty, and anything could happen. And the last one…Wunjo. That's a good rune. It symbolises happiness, bliss, and triumph. Hmmm. Now how do we open this door?"
"I could use the knife," Will offered. "We could cut our way through."
"H-hang on! Give me a moment." Ryou scanned the door quickly. He knew what he was looking for: a rune called Kano, or Kaunaz. One of its lesser-known meanings was opening or unlocking. (It looks like this: )
"What are you looking for?" Yugi asked.
Ryou explained, and the Puzzle holder saw it almost immediately. "Here!" He pointed at the rune, and as he touched it the door swung open.
………….
They stepped through, and found themselves in a massive colourless space, a long flat grey plain that went on and on for miles. There were also billions and billions of ghosts. Faint, translucent figures occupying every square inch of the ground; mostly standing, but a few were sitting down or resting. No one was laughing or playing, and there was a general air of gloominess and misery over them all.
When the group appeared among them the ghosts immediately came crowding round, whispering excitedly in their thin, soft voices. Ryou edged back nervously and, expecting more resistance than he met, toppled through the mass of ghosts and nearly fell over. "Everyone that's ever died…they come here?"
"I guess." Will was staring around him, mesmerised. "I wonder which one is my father?"
Yugi looked around with slightly widened eyes. The sheer amount of ghosts pressing around them was overwhelming. "If you're looking for a specific person it might take you a while," he commented quietly.
Will obviously wasn't listening. "Uh huh. Meet you back here in an hour." He instantly dashed off into the bulk of ghosts, calling his father's name. Ryou was under the impression that Will had become slightly mad, and he sat down on the ground carefully. There were just so many ghosts – it was almost impossible to accept that they had all once been alive. Yugi plopped down next to him.
"Anyone here you want to look for?"
"Not really. I can't really remember what my mother looked like, and my sister Armane would probably be too young to remember me."
Malik came over. "Lyra's gone to look for her friend Roger."
"Don't you want to talk to your father?" Yugi asked cautiously.
The Egyptian pulled a face. "Laa. (Arabic: no) My yami killed him, remember? And my father was drunk at the time. He probably thought it was me. Yeah, a splendid reunion that would be. He probably thinks I'm crazy."
"Poor you," Yugi said in sympathy.
"Mmm. Has anyone got any ideas what we have to do for this task so we can get out of here?"
"Iie." Yugi traced the outline of the Millennium Puzzle idly in the dust.
…………..
Considerably more than an hour later, Will and Lyra came running up, closely followed by two ghosts. "I found my father!" Will exclaimed triumphantly. He stepped aside to reveal a ghost only slightly taller than himself, but with the same black hair and jutting jaw.
"And I think I know what we have to do to get out of here! Oh, and by the way, this is Roger." A bemused ghost of about Lyra's age stood there with an embarrassed grin on his pale face.
The blonde girl lowered her voice. "I think that what we have to do is cut a window out of this world and free all the ghosts!"
She looked at Ryou, Malik and Yugi for their opinions. The Egyptian nodded approvingly. "It makes sense."
Will's father, John Parry, began to speak. His voice was tense with urgency. "Listen to me. There isn't much time. If you want to free the ghosts you will have to do it quickly. Will, you must cut a big window in the air so they can escape. Then, feel in the air and cut another window, as massive as you can. It must be big, because as soon as you cut it the window will begin to shrink. Inside you will see your dæmons and-"
"I will have a dæmon?" Will interrupted in amazement.
"Yes, yes, but to continue, inside you will see your dæmons and the Millennium Items. Your three other friends should go first, and then you and Lyra. Once you have grabbed the souls you will each be flung into random worlds. You must all stay where you are so Will can cut through with the subtle knife and find you." He added thoughtfully, "They will not be hard to find…try nearby worlds first."
He looked at the group. "Are you ready?"
"Wait!" Yugi cried. "How do we get home?"
John Parry looked at him evenly. "You must find that out for yourselves."
Everything was happening so fast, and Ryou's mind was spinning as he tried to keep up.
"Ryou? Did you get all of that?" Malik waved a dark hand vigorously in front of his face.
The white-haired teen blinked. "Um…yeah."
"Excellent, because I didn't. Something about getting the Items back, I think. Come on." He pulled the hikari upright.
Will glared at them. "Hello? We happen to have a time schedule here. Do you have any idea what's happening?"
"No," Malik answered cheerfully. As he didn't have his yami to worry about, he was in a very good mood.
"Well, for those of you who weren't listening, the plan is this: I'm going to cut a window and free all the ghosts, fulfilling the instructions on the door (we hope). Then I'm going to cut another window that you three have to go through very quickly and grab your Items. You will get sent into random worlds, and have to wait there until I find you. Okay?" Will was clearly on the verge of shouting, and everyone nodded meekly. "All right then."
Will cut a large window in the air that led to the outside world. He then explained very slowly and clearly to the ghosts what was happening. For a few moments there was a peculiar swooshing sound as all the ghosts cried out in happiness. The noise sounded like wind blowing through branches in a stormy night.
As the masses of ghosts poured through the window, Will watched them go with a strange sense of achievement. His father and Lyra's friend Roger were among the last to go. There was a final farewell, and then they were gone. The group was alone again. Truly alone.
"Aren't you going to close the window now?" Yugi asked.
Will shook his head. "I've got to leave it open for all the people that are going to die."
"What will happen to the ghosts when they go outside?
"Lyra asked the alethiometer earlier. All their particles will dissolve, and they'll disappear into the air, becoming part of everything."
He reached up wearily with the knife, attempting to open the world which would reunite them with their souls. But after a few moments he looked at the knife, sighed, and stopped.
"Problem?" enquired Lyra.
"Um…yeah. I hate to say this, but I'm too tired to try and look for this new world. I simply can't summon the energy. G-guess it'll have to wait a bit." He sat down miserably. "I'm really sorry everyone. I tried."
After a minute, Malik leaned over and shook his shoulder. "Can I try?"
Will blinked. "W-what?"
The Egyptian put on his talking-to-idiots voice. "Can I try and use the knife to cut through?"
"…It wouldn't work. The knife only works for me."
The corner of Malik's mouth curved upwards in a slight smile. "Just let me have one go. No harm done if I fail, right?"
The black-haired teen sighed, then reluctantly held out the subtle knife, handle-first. Malik took it carefully. He was determined for this to work as well as it had done before.
Remembering to let his soul flow out to the very tip of the knife, treating the weapon as if it were a part of him, he felt carefully in the air. At once he sensed the little ripples of thousands of different worlds, just a cut away. But one caught his attention more than the others did. When he touched it, he could almost hear a faint voice calling to him. Making his decision swiftly, he cut along and down, as far as he could, making the window several metres wide.
As soon as he stepped back the window began shrinking, not very quickly, but steadily. Malik gave the knife back to its rightful owner, trying unsuccessfully to keep the smugness from his voice. "That wasn't so hard."
Will gaped at him, his face a picture of comical surprise. "How did you…?"
A shrug. "I don't really know. Come on, you two." The Egyptian stepped elegantly through the window, closely followed by Yugi and Ryou.
…………
Immediately they found themselves surrounded by an unnatural whiteness, as if trapped in an unused colouring-book. Their eyes were drawn to the low wooden table just ahead, the only thing which wasn't white. Beside him, Yugi felt Ryou's pace increase slightly. In an unusual moment of understanding, he wondered if the boy just wanted the Ring back as soon as possible, because Bakura would punish him further the longer it was taken off. The table was nearer than it appeared, or else they were walking much further than they thought, because one moment they were several metres away and the next they were standing right in front of it. Yugi took one look at the objects on the table, and cursed, a thing that rarely happened.
The three Items lay in front of them, just a hand-span away. Each emitted a fierce white light. Unfortunately, the light was so blinding it was almost impossible to look at the Items directly, let alone tell which was which.
"What do we do now?" There was a distinct undercurrent of worry in Ryou's voice. They were all fully aware that while they dawdled the window grew ever smaller, making it harder and harder for Lyra and Will to get through.
"Pray to Ra that we choose the right ones?" Malik suggested. It seemed like a good enough idea to him. "Or just close our eyes and guess?"
Three pairs of eyes met, and they all shrugged. "Pick an Item, any Item," Ryou muttered.
Three hands reached slowly forward.