Hey everyone. This is the last story in my trilogy. I'm coming to terms with my friend's death, so I feel better now.

Mainly because of Kelly. She has helped me through this so much. Thanks a lot.

This fic is dedicated to Cassie, Kelly, and one of my favorite authoresses, Koujo.

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A young girl twirled around, her silk scarves flying. The carved stone steps she was dancing on were wide and flat.

Rivulets of water cascaded over them, making long, snaking patterns on the stone.

Pools of clear water were home to dozens of amphibious creatures.

The springs fed the miniature rivers, making the steps slippery and damp. Pictures of legendary creatures were formed from the water.

The dancer's feet flew over the stone steps, splashing in the pools and just as quickly moving away again.

The charms and bells hemming her skirts jingled, lit up by the evening sun.

Her long black hair had been braided with red thread, coiled up on top of her head.

A silky veil ended just below her mouth, hiding most of her face, including her smoky-gray eyes.

Atemu watched the girl with a mixture of curiosity and admiration. She pirouetted on one foot several times, and then dropped down to a crouch.

A crowd of onlookers clapped and cheered as they dropped gold in a small pouch at the side of the steps.

Weaving his way through the throngs of people, Atemu made his way towards the girl.

The dancer looked up as he approached. "Good evening sir, I hope you enjoyed the entertainment."

She offered the pouch to him meaningfully. Grinning sheepishly, Atemu held up his hands.

"Sorry, I don't have any gold whatsoever. I'm flat broke."

"Then what are you doing in Port Cesjaine? Only people wishing to trade come here, unless they are beggars, thieves, or men looking for a good time."

The dancing girl eyes Atemu suspiciously, tucking the pouch into her belt.

"Trust me, I'm none of those. I only wondered where exactly I am. Last thing I remembered I was being sent to the 4th world, but this doesn't look like the 4th world."

"What do you mean? Of course it's the 4th world, silly. What did you expect?"

"Well, I thought it was a place of endless, barren plains, haunted by ghouls."

"You thought right then. Port Cesjaine is the last place before the desert. Many people come here to stock up on things before making the journey."

Atemu sighed and rolled his eyes. "Well this is just brilliant. So is there any way to get out of this place?"

"There is one way. Everyone who crosses the desert goes to the Desjaree Fortress. From there, people say that once the Illusionist Soul comes, we can all go home."

Atemu's shoulders dropped. "Did you just say the Illusionist Soul?" He asked weakly.

The girl sniffed. "Why, yes. But I don't believe such nonsense. How could just a powerful being be real? I bet he's stuck up and conceited."

"Hehe, I bet he is." Atemu gave a hollow laugh. 'Great, not only does everyone know the name of me, they all think I'm arrogant. Which I am most definitely not.'

"So where are you heading then? Are you going to the Desjaree Fortress as well?"

The dancer cocked her head on one side and watched Atemu intently.

"Uh, I guess so. I may as well if everyone else is going there too."

"Great!" The girl said enthusiastically. She linked her arm through Atemu's and smiled up at him.

"You can be my bodyguard! I'm going there too, but there are bandits in the desert, so I need someone to look out for me."

"What!? I am not going to get dragged along by some slutty little dancing girl!"

"How dare you!" Outraged, the girl slapped Atemu round the face. "If you insult me one more time I will personally castrate you."

Rubbing his stinging cheek, Atemu nodded. "Okay. Sure. Anything you say. Just please don't ruin my chances of being a father."

"I'd hate to see what the children would look like. They'd be the ugliest things since the Chimera."

"The what?" Atemu asked quizzically. The girl rolled her eyes. "The Chimera. A great beast ugly beyond all reason."

"Oh. Never heard of that thing. Sounds a bit like Ammut though. Now she is ugly."

"Ammut?" The girl questioned. "Are you Egyptian?"

"No, I'm Scandinavian." Atemu said sarcastically. "What race do you think I am?"

"Sorry. Its just not all people are from Egypt here. There are people from all over the world. Greece, India, Babylonia, Persia, even the Norse."

Atemu blinked, taking this all in. "But isn't this part of Egyptian legends? Not Baby-lotion?"

"This world is part of all religions, whether you like it or not. Souls from all over the world come here. The world doesn't revolve around Egypt, you know."

"Strange." Atemu murmured. "Father always said the world revolved around me. How odd."

"You really are conceited. Probably the most conceited person I've ever met."

"Look," Atemu sighed. "I've been through this before with Nekh. I am not conceited. Because conceitedness is a flaw, and I have no flaws."

The girl stared at Atemu. "You're something else." She said, shaking her head.

"I know." Atemu smiled. "I'm a very special person. Or at least everyone says so."

"Come on, pretty boy, we'd better get going if we want to catch the best shops before nightfall."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming. And don't call me pretty boy."

"I'll call you what I want. Now hurry up. I'll show you round town, and then we'll get the stuff we need, and then we'll camp for the night."

"Camping? I don't like camping."

The girl looked Atemu up and down. "You look like you've never camped anywhere in your life. What'd you do, spend all of your time indoors?"

"Most of the time. I didn't have to go outside much. All I had to do was sit and look gorgeous for the scribes to do excruciatingly long portrait sessions."

"I'm guessing you were some sort of noble then?"

"No. I was Pharaoh. Until I died, that is."

"You, Pharaoh? Please. Don't make me laugh. You couldn't rule your way out of a paper bag."

"I could too!" Atemu insisted. "Besides, what's paper?"

"Never mind. It's too much of a complex matter for your small mind to handle."

"That's not very nice." The thought occurred to Atemu that he didn't even know his new companion's name.

"Hey, I don't even know what to call you. Idiot works for me, but I suppose I have to know your name anyway. I'm Atemu."

"Nice name, but I think I'll just stick to pretty boy. Jazii. My name is Jazii."