"We were wrong," Edam said as he shuffled his deck and shut down his Duel
Disk. He walked behind the altar and picked up a wooden case. It was a
plain case, in a deep wood finish that looked very old. Adora picked up the
Millennium Scales as Edam placed the box on top of the altar. "This is your
destiny," he said to Serena.
She had shut down her own Duel Disk and placed her deck into its slot on her belt. She approached the altar and reached out to the case. She paused before opening it, her hand resting in mid-air above it.
"Go on," Evo told her. "It is your right to claim it."
Serena turned back to the box and slowly opened it to reveal a long golden scepter laying before her. She reached into the box to pick it up. As soon as she did it began to glow with a bright light so intense that all those around had to cover their eyes. After a few seconds the light dissapated.
"What is it?" Serena asked as she exmined the item.
"It is the Millennium Rod," Edam explained. "It belonged, at one time, to my grandfather Marik Ishtar. Before that, thousands of years ago, it belonged to a priest who served the Pharaoh of Egypt. That priest was a direct ancestor of Seto Kaiba, your grandfather. That item is from your bloodline."
"My ancestors?" Serena was staring intently at the rod.
Evo stepped forward. "Like all Millennium Items, the Millennium Rod holds within it great power."
"What power?"
"The Millennium Rod has the ability to control pople's minds, bend them to the user's will. Marik used it to create his Ghouls, an army of rare card hunters who streched across the entire planet gathering powerful cards for their master."
"Control people's minds?" After Serena heard this she rushed over to Edam and grabbed him by his robe. "You were using it weren't you?" she shouted at him. "You used the rod to control Ms. Donelly and had her attack Fader, didn't you?"
Adora stepped to her borhter's defense, placing a hand on Serena's shoulder. "I assure you that no one has touched the rod itself in decades. My brother's honor and oath to the tomb of the Pharaoh would not allow him to be corrupted by such ambition."
Serena slapped Adora's hand away. "Why should I believe you? You didn't want me to have it in the first place. I....I..." Her voice trailed off. She clutched her forehead and dropped down to her knees.
"She is drained," Evo said. "Both physically, emotionally and mentally. The Millennium Rod's power is filling her now. That strain filled with her concern for Fader's well-being is taxing her system to its limits. She needs to rest."
"I will take her to my room," Adora said as she slipped Serena's arm over her shoulder to support her as she helped Serena to her feet. "She can rest there."
"Good," Evo answered. Adora began to move away with Serena, slowly, to a doorway at the back of the temple.
Edam walked up to Evo. "She is strong."
"She is at that," Evo replied still watching the two girls slowly move together to Adora's bedroom.
"Strength will not be enough," Shadi added as he joined his companions.
"That girl has survived the Shadow Realm, without the aid of a Millennium Item. I did not expect her to. It was only afterwards that I discovered what her destiny was. There is no doubt in my mind that she has the fortitude to face what is coming for us all."
Just then the large wooden doors to the sanctuary burst open and a figure in a deep robe stepped in from the sunlight. Everyone in the temple spun around to face the stranger, including Adora and Serena. Because of the light from behind the stranger and the hood over the face, none of them could get a clear look at him.
"Such sentiment," the man said as he walked further into the temple. "It sounds so strange coming from the Spirit of the Millennum Ring."
"That voice..." Evo said.
The stranger stopped where he was, just inside the entrance standing about fifty feet from the others. The doors closed myteriously of their own will behind him, slamming shut with a sound that resonated inside the temple walls. "The players are all accounted for," the stranger said. "The game will finally begin."
'This is a sanctuary," Edam shouted at the stranger. "You are not welcome!"
"Watch your tongue boy," came the reply. "I will tolerate only so much disrespect."
"Your voice," Evo said. "It's the same one that came from Ms. Donelly when she was possesed." The Millennium Ring began to glow.
"Don't waste your time," the voice said. "I am no puppet. I am the real thing, and I did not come here to be annoyed by insects like you."
"Then why have you come?" Shadi asked.
"Always the questions Shadi," the stranger continued. "You are the same as you were thousands of years ago." He paused. "I have come for introductions and the common courtesy to tell you what is about to begin."
"What are you talking about?" Adora asked from hte back of the temple.
The stanger turned his hooded head to look at Adora as he walked deeper and deeper into the temple. "Ah, Miss Ishtar. You are more beautiful than I thought." He stopped, now not very far from those gathered in the sanctuary. "The answer to your question is The End. It is coming again. And this time it we be resolved and the Earth will shatter."
Evo spoke up, "You seem very sure of yourself."
"I have nothing to fear from the likes of you. The bearers of the Millennium Items all tried before to stop The End and their efforts were in vain. They were no match for us."
"Who is 'us'?" Evo asked.
The stranger chuckled to himself. "The game would be no fun if I gave you all of the answers, now would it?"
"You must be worried," Edam said. "If you've come here now."
"You come very close to over-stepping your bounds," the stranger told the young tomb-keeper. "The only worry we may have had came not from the likes of you."
"Then from who?"
"The Pharaoh. Together with the bearer of the Millennium Puzzle they were able to delay The End last time. And it was the Pharoah who was able to evade us as we hunted the bearers of the Millennium Items in the wake of The End. But that threat no longer exists."
"Why not?' asked Evo.
"Because his piece has been removed from play."
"F...F-Fader..." Serena stammered out as she leaned on Adora. He head then fell loose on her shoulders as she succumed to unconciousness.
The robed stranger then turned to the girls once again. "Dear, sweet Serena. You came all this way to recieve the Millennim Rod to save your lover, but it is too late. He is gone."
"I have a hard time believing you came all this way to gloat," evo said.
"You are a credit to this pathetic group Evo," replied the stranger. "No I have not come to gloat. I have come for her," he said pointing at Serena.
"No!" Edam shouted. "She is a holder of a Millennium Item. I won't let you harm her!" Acting with the brazen rashness of youth, the male Ishtar dove at hte stranger, taclking him to the ground. The stranger kicked the young man off of him and rose to his feet. His hood had now fallen off his head to reveal his features which were unmistakable. The hair was colored differently, a redish-grey hue as opposed to the normal purple coloring, and the eyes were much darker, but it was still him.
"That was the final straw boy," the stranger shouted, the anger seeping from his eyes. "I cannot harm a bearer of the Millennium Item within these walls." He paused. "But you do not bear an item right now." The air around him began to glow and crakcle ominously with energy. He brought his hand up, palm facing outwards, directed right at Edam. The energy surged and Edam was sent flying into the doors of the temple.
Adora screamed as Shadi rushed to the boy's side to check him. He turned and looked to Evo and shook his head.
Fader had just killed Edam Ishtar.
She had shut down her own Duel Disk and placed her deck into its slot on her belt. She approached the altar and reached out to the case. She paused before opening it, her hand resting in mid-air above it.
"Go on," Evo told her. "It is your right to claim it."
Serena turned back to the box and slowly opened it to reveal a long golden scepter laying before her. She reached into the box to pick it up. As soon as she did it began to glow with a bright light so intense that all those around had to cover their eyes. After a few seconds the light dissapated.
"What is it?" Serena asked as she exmined the item.
"It is the Millennium Rod," Edam explained. "It belonged, at one time, to my grandfather Marik Ishtar. Before that, thousands of years ago, it belonged to a priest who served the Pharaoh of Egypt. That priest was a direct ancestor of Seto Kaiba, your grandfather. That item is from your bloodline."
"My ancestors?" Serena was staring intently at the rod.
Evo stepped forward. "Like all Millennium Items, the Millennium Rod holds within it great power."
"What power?"
"The Millennium Rod has the ability to control pople's minds, bend them to the user's will. Marik used it to create his Ghouls, an army of rare card hunters who streched across the entire planet gathering powerful cards for their master."
"Control people's minds?" After Serena heard this she rushed over to Edam and grabbed him by his robe. "You were using it weren't you?" she shouted at him. "You used the rod to control Ms. Donelly and had her attack Fader, didn't you?"
Adora stepped to her borhter's defense, placing a hand on Serena's shoulder. "I assure you that no one has touched the rod itself in decades. My brother's honor and oath to the tomb of the Pharaoh would not allow him to be corrupted by such ambition."
Serena slapped Adora's hand away. "Why should I believe you? You didn't want me to have it in the first place. I....I..." Her voice trailed off. She clutched her forehead and dropped down to her knees.
"She is drained," Evo said. "Both physically, emotionally and mentally. The Millennium Rod's power is filling her now. That strain filled with her concern for Fader's well-being is taxing her system to its limits. She needs to rest."
"I will take her to my room," Adora said as she slipped Serena's arm over her shoulder to support her as she helped Serena to her feet. "She can rest there."
"Good," Evo answered. Adora began to move away with Serena, slowly, to a doorway at the back of the temple.
Edam walked up to Evo. "She is strong."
"She is at that," Evo replied still watching the two girls slowly move together to Adora's bedroom.
"Strength will not be enough," Shadi added as he joined his companions.
"That girl has survived the Shadow Realm, without the aid of a Millennium Item. I did not expect her to. It was only afterwards that I discovered what her destiny was. There is no doubt in my mind that she has the fortitude to face what is coming for us all."
Just then the large wooden doors to the sanctuary burst open and a figure in a deep robe stepped in from the sunlight. Everyone in the temple spun around to face the stranger, including Adora and Serena. Because of the light from behind the stranger and the hood over the face, none of them could get a clear look at him.
"Such sentiment," the man said as he walked further into the temple. "It sounds so strange coming from the Spirit of the Millennum Ring."
"That voice..." Evo said.
The stranger stopped where he was, just inside the entrance standing about fifty feet from the others. The doors closed myteriously of their own will behind him, slamming shut with a sound that resonated inside the temple walls. "The players are all accounted for," the stranger said. "The game will finally begin."
'This is a sanctuary," Edam shouted at the stranger. "You are not welcome!"
"Watch your tongue boy," came the reply. "I will tolerate only so much disrespect."
"Your voice," Evo said. "It's the same one that came from Ms. Donelly when she was possesed." The Millennium Ring began to glow.
"Don't waste your time," the voice said. "I am no puppet. I am the real thing, and I did not come here to be annoyed by insects like you."
"Then why have you come?" Shadi asked.
"Always the questions Shadi," the stranger continued. "You are the same as you were thousands of years ago." He paused. "I have come for introductions and the common courtesy to tell you what is about to begin."
"What are you talking about?" Adora asked from hte back of the temple.
The stanger turned his hooded head to look at Adora as he walked deeper and deeper into the temple. "Ah, Miss Ishtar. You are more beautiful than I thought." He stopped, now not very far from those gathered in the sanctuary. "The answer to your question is The End. It is coming again. And this time it we be resolved and the Earth will shatter."
Evo spoke up, "You seem very sure of yourself."
"I have nothing to fear from the likes of you. The bearers of the Millennium Items all tried before to stop The End and their efforts were in vain. They were no match for us."
"Who is 'us'?" Evo asked.
The stranger chuckled to himself. "The game would be no fun if I gave you all of the answers, now would it?"
"You must be worried," Edam said. "If you've come here now."
"You come very close to over-stepping your bounds," the stranger told the young tomb-keeper. "The only worry we may have had came not from the likes of you."
"Then from who?"
"The Pharaoh. Together with the bearer of the Millennium Puzzle they were able to delay The End last time. And it was the Pharoah who was able to evade us as we hunted the bearers of the Millennium Items in the wake of The End. But that threat no longer exists."
"Why not?' asked Evo.
"Because his piece has been removed from play."
"F...F-Fader..." Serena stammered out as she leaned on Adora. He head then fell loose on her shoulders as she succumed to unconciousness.
The robed stranger then turned to the girls once again. "Dear, sweet Serena. You came all this way to recieve the Millennim Rod to save your lover, but it is too late. He is gone."
"I have a hard time believing you came all this way to gloat," evo said.
"You are a credit to this pathetic group Evo," replied the stranger. "No I have not come to gloat. I have come for her," he said pointing at Serena.
"No!" Edam shouted. "She is a holder of a Millennium Item. I won't let you harm her!" Acting with the brazen rashness of youth, the male Ishtar dove at hte stranger, taclking him to the ground. The stranger kicked the young man off of him and rose to his feet. His hood had now fallen off his head to reveal his features which were unmistakable. The hair was colored differently, a redish-grey hue as opposed to the normal purple coloring, and the eyes were much darker, but it was still him.
"That was the final straw boy," the stranger shouted, the anger seeping from his eyes. "I cannot harm a bearer of the Millennium Item within these walls." He paused. "But you do not bear an item right now." The air around him began to glow and crakcle ominously with energy. He brought his hand up, palm facing outwards, directed right at Edam. The energy surged and Edam was sent flying into the doors of the temple.
Adora screamed as Shadi rushed to the boy's side to check him. He turned and looked to Evo and shook his head.
Fader had just killed Edam Ishtar.