Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Everything else is a lie! O.o
A/N
[scratches her head] Uhm...yes, well... Shadi lives! Isn't that a shocker? To most of you it was...muahahahha! [cough] Ahem...anyway, it was all a...oh, no, no, no, I'm not telling it here; you'll have to read the chapter to know what's really going on. Thank you for being wonderful reviewers and of course, I encourage you to keep reviewing! Now, let's get it on! (God, now I sound like that bald guy from Celebrity Deathmatch...O.o)
The legend of the Three Souls
Chapter XIX – Revelations
-by Alena S. Anigor
The Ruins of the Doomed were standing motionlessly in the middle of the desert, as well as a group of people, gaping and staring at the man with turban, sitting nonchalantly on one of the rocks above them. Some of them stared in disbelief; some of them in shock, and some of them were on the verge of fainting, like Serenity and Mai. Tristan and Yuugi gawked blankly at Shadi who was smiling politely at them, not saying a word. While Kaiba's eyes widened just barely in astonishment, Ishizu gasped and clasped her hand over her mouth. Tea's lips were parted slightly while Bakura observed the whole situation, frowning in confusion. He already wanted to ask him what he was doing here when he was supposed to be dead when Joey interrupted him, pale and pointing at Shadi with a shaky finger.
"He...he's a ghost! A ghost! These ruins are really doomed!" He yelled in panic, and grabbed the first person next to him that happened to be Yuugi. The spiky haired boy blinked in wonder at the blond Egyptian, trying to calm him down and restrain him from shaking him apart. Tristan, being the more rational and composed one from the two of them, snapped out of his stupor and told him to calm down. When Joey continued on hyperventilating and mumbling all sorts of mantras in Egyptian, Ishizu suddenly blinked as well, and turning towards him and Yuugi, grabbed Joey's hand and without hesitation, slapped him across the face.
Mai and Serenity let out a soft gasp while Kaiba, although still pale from experiencing the visions again, secretly smirked at her action. Others simply stared, too confused and still too shocked by the whole situation to do anything besides that.
"Joey, stop it!" Ishizu yelled at him and Joey calmed down slowly, gaping at her, stunned and slightly shocked. He released Yuugi slowly, who breathed in relief. Joey blinked a few times then slowly touched his, now slightly swollen cheek. When Ishizu apologized after that, he just nodded mutely and stared at the sand blankly, still not comprehending what just happened.
Bakura turned his attention back to the Prophet, who was still sitting on the rock casually and observing them keenly. His smile vanished now, and was replaced by a stern look.
"Aren't you dead?" Bakura asked him in a tone that carried no sympathy at all. Tea gave him a dirty look but others agreed with his question. Kaiba crossed his hands firmly, after he smoothed his trench coat carefully.
"That's why I'd like to know, as well," he added while others were looking expectedly at him, waiting for an answer. Shadi was quiet for a few moments, turning his head to look to his right, in the direction where the city was. Ishizu took a step forward, relieved to see him again, but also wanting to know what really happened back at the museum.
"Shadi?" She voiced quietly, on which he turned his attention back to them and hopped off the rock, landing easily on the soft sand in front of them. Involuntarily, they all took a few steps back, just in case. Shadi looked at them and stopped, almost offended by their act. He narrowed his eyes at them suspiciously.
"You think I'm here to hurt you?" He asked them firmly, fixating his serious gaze on them all, scanning them with perceptive, blue eyes. The little group of people exchanged worried glances among themselves then Ishizu shook her head slowly.
"No, we..." she started, not knowing what to say to a man she thought was dead, and now he was standing in front of her, chatting with them all.
"Just want to know what is going on here." Kaiba finished instead of her, one hand flying unconsciously to his forehead. Tristan agreed, along with Bakura and Yuugi. Joey decided to keep quiet and concentrated on trying to find any indication that Shadi wasn't actually real. The girls were quiet as well, watching everything with interest and curiosity now. Shadi took a deep breath, but not before glancing one more time towards the city where the outlines of buildings were still visible.
"All right," he replied, taking a step forward and relaxing when no one took a step back. He noticed Serenity flinching slightly, though, but he decided to ignore that, "I guess I might as well explain it all to you. We still have some time left."
That seemed to alert everyone and Yuugi frowned in worry. "Time left until?" He asked cautiously, already dreading the answer. Shadi gave him a blank look then sat down on the sand, crossing his legs in a lotus position.
"You will listen now," he replied sternly, making Yuugi shut his mouth, "when time comes, you will all know what to do."
Brief silence followed after that in which they all stared at the man in front of them like he was some kind of world wonder, ready to reveal its secrets to them. They weren't far away from the truth with that, though. Shadi closed his eyes and inhaled. Just when he was about to start, Joey decided to join the living and opened his mouth.
"I thought you were dead," he suddenly said, making Shadi look at him oddly, and Ishizu resisted the urge to hit him on the head, "Dead!" He repeated, stretching his arms as if that was supposed to prove his state of shock and disbelief.
"Joey," Tristan said in a low voice, "shut up."
The blond Egyptian frowned, then plopped down on the sand angrily, crossing his legs as well as his hands over his chest. Serenity sat next to him, giving him a sympathetic look. Everyone else sat down as well, except Kaiba; he decided to stand in his spot, waiting for an explanation. Shadi looked at every one of them then opened his mouth to speak.
"I know you're all wondering how come I'm still alive," he started and immediately raised his hand to keep Yuugi from interrupting him. The young man shut his mouth quickly and lowered his head sheepishly. "But in order to truly understand what happened, I must ask you to listen and be quiet." He added, looking at them and silently asking them to do so. They all fidgeted slightly in their positions, but kept quiet, looking at him eagerly. When Shadi saw it was safe to go on, he put his hands on his knees and closed his eyes again.
"As you know, and as I already told you, I am the Prophet, but I was a higher Priest before," he started, opening his eyes to see the eyes of the people in front of him, staring at him almost excitedly. "And as a Priest, I had divine powers at my disposal. When Amukh started the battle a few thousands of years ago, I was fighting with the three of you," he said softly and looked at Kaiba, Yuugi and Bakura. They all raised their eyebrows in confusion, although Kaiba's brows were raised in a more skeptical manner. Shadi smiled slightly, as if reminiscing his old days then decided to continue.
"I fought against Amukh's army of thieves, robbers, murderers and other priests he managed to convince to join him," there he stopped for a brief moment then took a deep breath again. "I was wounded by Amukh when I tried to save your life, Yuugi Mutou," he looked at the spiky haired man and he inhaled sharply, "when one of them wanted to harm you. You were too important to die then; you were one of Pharaoh's most valuable and appreciated subjects, and it was my duty to value your life like the life of Pharaoh's. I was unable to fight further, and I still remember the way Amukh laughed and told me he was going to leave me to bleed to death, slowly and painfully..." He stopped there and looked at the sand, leaving everyone else to stare at him in disbelief. "Amukh is a ruthless, cruel individual; he knows no mercy and he will not show mercy to anyone," he said with a note of bitterness and even hate in his voice before raising his head again to look at them with sharp gaze.
"I couldn't do anything, I was weakened and I could barely stand on my feet. I saw the three of you fighting, until one of the Amukh's henchmen wounded you, Seto Kaiba." He looked at the taller man, standing stiffly a few feet away from him, and frowning at him in uncertainty. "You were injured very badly, and you almost did die if there wasn't for Yuugi and Bakura who helped you."
Kaiba suddenly remembered his first set of visions where he was lying on the ground, half-dead until he saw...Yuugi's face offering him his hand and then there was Bakura in more recent visions, slashing the hideous man trying to kill them both...
Shadi observed the inner battle in him, and the way his face was contoured in a mixture of anger and confusion.
"What did you see, Kaiba?" Yuugi asked him quietly, looking at him with a pair of wide, inquiring eyes. When Kaiba refused to say anything, afraid the visions would come again and make his head spin, Shadi decided to continue instead of him.
"I saw the two of you," he looked at Bakura and Yuugi, " picking him up, discussing something fervently and then saying something to Seto Kaiba. I wasn't able to hear what you were saying but I presume you decided to ask the ancient Gods for help because soon after that, you knelt down and raised your hands up in the air." Shadi kept on talking, keeping everyone almost captivated by his story. "The last thing I remember is a tremendous light, appearing on the sky and three figures, so bright and so powerful that I had to close my eyes...I felt the earth shake and roar, I felt the wind blow, the sand flying vigorously around me, but I didn't dare to open my eyes because I knew what was happening."
"The Gods...helped you?" Ishizu asked quietly, almost in a whisper, forgetting all about not interrupting him. Shadi nodded firmly and lowered his head again.
"When I dared to open my eyes, I saw only sand around me and everything else was...gone. I couldn't see the three of you anywhere, only the three Gods, hovering on the sky above me. One of them looked at me suddenly and I was able to hear his voice in my head. It was so overwhelming that I almost lost my conscience, but I managed to stay awake and focused.
"From that day on, I was given a task to exist as a Prophet, a being held by no boundaries of life or death. I am something close to what you would call an immortal." He explained when everyone gave him an incredulous look. "I am the guardian of the Souls and I am the one who was told that history repeated itself and that one day, the Souls would rise again, the Souls that saved the world back then, as well as the soul of ancient Amukh. And now, we are here once again."
Shadi finished with his story and silence seemed to stretch on and on, until Kaiba broke it with his remark.
"That's all nice and interesting but that still doesn't explain why am I the only one who has to experience those bloody visions!" He barked angrily, already sensing the headache coming on again. Everyone's attention was now on him and the Prophet. Shadi was looking at him for a good few moments then sighed.
"Remember the visions, Seto Kaiba, because they are the answer itself." He replied calmly but that seemed to aggravate the CEO even more.
"What the hell was that supposed to mean? That doesn't explain anything!" He roared and Tristan, who was the closest to him, jumped slightly and inched back a bit to join Joey who finally came to his senses now after hearing the whole story. Shadi realized there was no good in trying to make him understand on his own, so he decided to explain. He got up and approached him, putting his index finger on his forehead without even blinking. Seto Kaiba, however, blinked in astonishment as well as the rest of the group. Shadi seemed irritated now.
"Remember your visions Seto Kaiba! Remember how you felt when you were wounded, how you felt when you saw what happened to everyone around you. Anger, disbelief, misery, despair, suffering! Because of all that, you became bitter and as that, you died when you merged with the Gods and your soul was locked in the bust. When you reincarnated and came back as Seto Kaiba in this life, your mind has forgotten about your previous life, but your soul hasn't!" Shadi was talking; his voice raised a bit now. He realized he simply had to put some sense in his stopped up mind.
Yuugi and Bakura gaped at them in wonder while other's tried not to burst out laughing at the baffled expression the CEO wore.
"That is why you are so bitter today, that is why you are so skeptical and cynical and resentful! The visions had to come to remind you of who you were and who you are! They were necessary to show you that you should stop acting like a fool and start believing in something your own mind tells you! Do you understand now, Seto Kaiba?"
Shadi finished with his speech, breathing heavily now from all the yelling. Seto Kaiba stared at him blankly, not even blinking now. The small group of people behind them waited for something to happen, but after Shadi lowered his hand to rest by his side and looked at him with a more father-like expression, Kaiba finally blinked and looked at him as if he just saw him standing there for the first time.
"Nobody else has had visions, Seto Kaiba, because nobody else was so dubious and disbelieving like you were. They ensued to show you and convince you to believe."
The people gathered around the ruins were silent again, observing Kaiba and Shadi carefully and waiting for their next move. Ishizu remembered something and decided to ask the Prophet, curious.
"But, then...why did you...I mean why..."
Shadi looked at her and smiled almost mysteriously, making everyone apprehensive. "Why making everyone believe I was dead?" He finished for her and Ishizu nodded, others gathering around her to hear what he had to say on that. Shadi smiled again and closed his eyes briefly.
"It had to be like that; it was a part of the plan." He answered simply as if that explained the whole thing. If anything else, now they all wanted to know what the plan was. Shadi, almost sensing their curiosity, opened his eyes and practically smirked at them.
"Amukh was not supposed to know what has been planned for centuries and centuries. He doesn't know I'm immortal, he still believes I'm dead again just like then, that my soul was reincarnated like his and now put back to rest again."
"Oh, so it's a trap of some kind of?" Yuugi asked, realization dawning on him. Shadi nodded curtly and then frowned, sensing something that made him slightly nervous. Others noticed it.
"What? Are they coming again?" Joey asked, alarmed and ready to flee again. Shadi stood in front of them for a few seconds with his eyes closed then shook his head brusquely.
"No, not yet, but...Amukh is in a possession of the Third Soul now." He replied in a very serious manner and kept his frown for a while. He redirected his eyes to Tristan who was still having the little bust tucked neatly under his shirt. He snapped out of his stupor and quickly retrieved it from beneath, offering it to him. But Shadi only stared at it for a while then took it wordlessly and stepped in front of Kaiba, raising the little bust slightly in the air. Kaiba looked at him somewhat impassively then at the bust, suddenly sensing that strange desire to reach for it and hold it. Shadi smiled a barely visible smile.
"If you are willing to embrace your past and your future, Seto Kaiba..." he said and offered the bust to him. "It is, after all, a part of you."
Everyone watched in wonder how Kaiba took the bust and stared at it in awe, turning it in his hands. Almost affectionately, he slid his fingers over the face of a man and over the crown on his head with an embedded scarab on it. The Second Soul, the bust of Osiris.
"You mentioned some kind of merging," Ishizu started, already slipping into her role of a scientist easily, "did Kaiba merge with Osiris back then?"
Shadi nodded sternly and stepped back, leaving the CEO to marvel in the bust quietly. When he looked at the Prophet, his eyes softened for just a second, before he frowned again in confusion.
"I... what?" He asked, puzzled. Shadi smiled and wanted to explain it, when his face suddenly became serious again, his expression alerted and worried. Ishizu and the guides already had a vague idea what might happen next but it wasn't until Kaiba confirmed their suspicions suddenly, looking at the outlines of the city.
"They're coming," he said in a low voice and Shadi nodded. Mai and Serenity let out 'oh, no!' in unison while Tea paled. Yuugi and Bakura exchanged anxious glances, Bakura stepping in front of Tea immediately. The creatures were coming.
"We have to hide somewhere!" Tristan suggested in a hurry, seeing how Serenity and Mai started to panic already. Joey and Yuugi agreed, but the question was – where to hide? Shadi reacted quicker than anyone else and stepped in front of Tea. He turned one last time towards the city and his eyes widened slightly.
"Tea, you know where the chamber is," he said and she nodded quickly, somewhat absentmindedly. "When I tell you, you will take the girls and you will hide inside, do you understand?"
Tea nodded mutely again and swallowed hard. Bakura didn't like the idea of separating himself from her, but at least she would be safe there. "And don't worry, my friends will protect you." He added on which everyone looked at him in confusion.
"What friends?" Yuugi, Bakura and Kaiba asked him in unison on which Shadi only shook his head.
"No time for explanations now, step aside!" He ordered and everyone moved away from him, anxious and worried. They all wondered what he was going to do now when he stepped away from the ruins, turning his back to them and raising his hands in the air. That warm, pleasant wind appeared again, rustling everybody's hair and making them close their eyes due to the flying specks of sand.
When the wind became so strong that even Kaiba bent slightly to avoid falling backwards, they heard Shadi's loud and clear command, carried with the wind.
"RISE!"
Light flashed in front of their eyes and out of the swirling sand, figures rose, dark and ominous in the middle of the night, the moonlight illuminating them perfectly and making everyone gasp at the sight of them. Shadi turned to look at them and noticed their perplexed and terrified expressions. The figures, hundreds of them, standing all around them were tall and slim, but muscular, holding spears in their hands, but their heads were dog-like, making them look almost intimidating and monstrous.
"Jackals," Ishizu and Yuugi breathed in shock, observing the creatures like they just came out of a horror movie. Mai and Serenity were speechless and on the verge of collapsing, while others simply stood there, petrified and afraid to move. When Shadi told them to get ready, the creatures obeyed, spears flying into the air and then back to their hands.
"Shadi..." Ishizu managed to utter and the Prophet came to them now, looking serious but calm.
"Are they...the friends? Yuugi asked; his gaze glued to the creatures. Shadi nodded and called the two of them to come to him. The creatures obeyed and came to him, walking effortlessly through the sand. They stopped abruptly when they reached him, making everyone step a few feet away. Shadi sighed.
"Don't be afraid of them," he said calmly, "they belong to Anubis; they're his army, and have been called here to protect you. Don't tell me you meant to fight against Amukh's army on your own? He has already gathered his minions." He added and ordered the two of them to protect the girls. The jackals went straight to Tea who yelped slightly, coming face to face with a dog-headed creature. Bakura was already ready to protect her, but Shadi stopped him.
"They are here to protect, not to harm, Bakura!" He yelled once again and the thief stepped back. Besides, he didn't really know how could he attack a much taller jackal with a dagger when the creature had a spear in his hands.
Tea shrunk away from it as much as she could, but the creature only inched towards her further. In the end, she stopped doing that when she realized she reached the cold wall of the ruins.
"Tea!" Shadi exclaimed and she gulped, averting his attention to him, but only for a second, she still wanted to keep an eye on the creature.
"Y-yes?" She asked and Shadi shook his head.
"I already told you, they are here to protect you, not to harm you!" He replied hastily, seeing how he probably should've told them about his other plan involving the ancient army of Anubis. "Now, you remember what I told you?"
Tea nodded quickly, trying to get used to the jackal, towering over her. "On your mark I take the girls and hide in the underground chamber!" She said quickly and Shadi nodded.
"Good," he replied and sighed helplessly when he saw how Serenity and Mai tried to scamper away from the creature but didn't know where to run at all; they were all around them. Ishizu clasped a hand over her mouth in worry; has it really come to this? To a war?
Shadi approached her, after he gave a few instructions to the boys and told them to stay put until he said otherwise. When the situation finally calmed down a bit, he stood next to her, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"It was destined to be, Ishizu Ishtar," he said quietly, almost trying to console her with his words, "there is indeed, a war ahead of us, but we are not the ones the blame. Don't forget that." He said and Ishizu took a deep breath, trying to smother the fear and anxiety rising inside of her.
"One more thing," he said, his voice sounding almost regretful now, "be prepared for a loss."
With that, he turned away and went to the boys again, who were still staring in wonder at the higher creatures, standing next to them. Ishizu wondered briefly what he meant by that, but then went to the girls and tried to calm Serenity and Mai down.
"I don't care what you say," Mai shrieked, "that thing has a dog's head on his shoulders!"
"They're jackals, Mai! They are supposed to look like that!" Tea objected, trying to calm her down as well. Ishizu put a hand on her shoulder and Mai let out a moan.
"Anubis himself is a dog-headed God, you know," she said in a soothing manner that managed to make Mai calm down a bit. She still backed away from the creature and hid slightly behind Tea who sighed heavily.
Shadi approached Kaiba and looked at the bust in his hands. "It will be hard to take the busts from Amukh," he said and Kaiba gave him a stern look.
"What should I do with this?" He asked, eyeing the bust in his hands with a frown, "I can't fight with it." Shadi shook his head and pointed at the jackals.
"You're not here to fight, they are," he said firmly and then looked at the outlines of the city once again, now barely visible through the herd of dog-headed creatures. "Your role in this is different."
When he turned around and sensed a change in the air, he took a deep breath and stood behind one of the jackals. Turning around, he looked at the girls and ordered Tea to move. Bakura gave her one, serious and worried look before they disappeared behind the walls of the ruins with two jackals following behind.
Shadi then turned his attention to the five young men next to him and looked at them gravely.
"Be careful and listen to my orders if you want to live," he said and they nodded firmly, Joey and Tristan gulping audibly. When Shadi turned his head to see the herd of cloaked monsters not so far away from them, he lowered his head and closed his eyes, reciting a small prayer mentally. Then he raised his head again and opened his eyes, whispering.
"It is time."
