Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Except the bad guy of this story...but who wants him anyway?
Author's NotesAhem...Yes – I killed more than half of the YGO crew in one single chapter! ÷gasps÷
But, not to worry, Amby-chan, it's not permanent. How I plan to revive them? Heh, you'll see...Oh, by the way – did you know that you're only five days older than I am?
Oh, and to answer Reenas' question – I have no idea why people don't like Tristan...I'm guessing it's because of the hairdo? I don't know...
I'd like to thank everyone else for reviewing; it really means a lot more than you think.
The Legend of the Three Souls
Chapter XXVII – The Final Verdict
by Alena S. Anigor
Shadi was crouching next to the large rock of the Ruins of the Doomed, watching the sky with a mixture of awe and relief in his eyes. He allowed himself a small smile and then blinked at two loose strands of white that were swaying to and fro in front of his eyes. He raised his hands, lifting the strands up to tangle them back into the turban, wiping away all the dust and dirt that got stuck on his face after that. He winced slightly when he touched the sore bump on the back of his head, wondering briefly how he even got it, but dismissed that thought when he saw the ancient Priest, staring wide-eyed at the sky and cowering back in fright.
Shadi's lips lifted into a barely visible smirk when he stood up and dusting his robes in the process, glanced at the three, magnificent figures on the sky and then at the three reincarnations of the Souls.
Yuugi, Bakura and Kaiba were still in the same spot and the same position but their bodies were now floating slightly over the sand, making the specks fly and swirl under their feet. Shaid couldn't tell what they were feeling; but he could imagine judging by the looks on their faces. After all, when he first encountered the Gods and connected with them, he fainted from the surge of sheer power that swept through his body. The three of them, however, were a completely different story; they were the reincarnations of the ones who had the strength and power to channel the divine energy through their bodies.
But Shadi's eyes saddened slightly when he remembered what happened afterwards, when Amukh and his army were defeated and the desert quieted down after the chaos that took too many lives with it...
He looked up, watching the colorful rainbow swirling, mixing and playing over the sky like someone spilled several buckets of paint, using the sky as the background to create a piece of abstract art. But, if history really repeated itself, like he had been taught...would the same destiny await them again?
He took a deep breath, angst and anxiety washing over him now when he looked at the sandy-haired Egyptian, the brown-haired girl and the young woman, known to him as the Instigator from his visions, lying peacefully on the ground. A few bones in his back cracked when he straightened up, glancing at Amukh who was backing away slowly from the three figures on the sky.
Emerald orbs were mere dots now, shimmering unsteadily in fright. He glanced at the Gods, lining up slowly above him and then at Kaiba, Yuugi and Bakura who had their eyes closed and arms raised up towards the sky, hands encircling the busts that were floating above their heads, rotating slowly.
When their lips parted, the light around the busts increased, blinding the ancient Priest and Shadi who closed his eyes, knowing very well what followed next.
The busts stopped spinning, the light entering their bodies, those small, lost fragments of their souls finally merging together and their eyes opened wide, the colorful flames around them intensifying. Amukh lowered his hand slowly to squint at the scene in front of him, a rush of fear and panic sweeping through him suddenly. He narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth – this had happened before and he hissed and trembled with barely suppressed fury - he was so close to achieving his goal; his visions of the perfect future under his reign were almost touchable just a few minutes ago...He growled, eyes flashing dangerously at Kaiba, Yuugi and Bakura who were looking at him calmly, the bright light still dancing around them magnificently.
"Amukh," they spoke, their voices strangely deep and mixed together, creating a frightening tremor echoing around them. The light from the busts started to diminish slowly after a while and when the last pieces of their souls were absorbed, the busts cracked and fell apart, little clay pieces disappearing amidst the gusts of wind and sand that were still flying and swirling around them.
Yuugi was the first to look up, amethyst eyes looking at the falcon-headed god Horus. The divine creature blinked, making Yuugi do the same and pointed his finger at Amukh who lowered his head and glared at the spiky-haired boy. For some reason, he couldn't look at the ancient God; his insides were turning and twisting at the sheer thought of looking him in the eyes.
"We have warned you," echoed through the sky and over the desert, Yuugi's lips moving as well in perfect synchronization with the God's. "But, it was a mistake to grant you another chance, Amukh."
Kaiba's lips opened after that, blue eyes staring at him sharply. Amukh looked up slightly to squint at the figure to the left and recognized it as Osiris, the one who granted him the chance for another lifecycle. His eyes narrowed, fury building into something akin to dread and anxiety. Not too far away from him, Shadi lowered his head and stared at the sand thoughtfully, realizing that even Gods made mistakes. He just wished they hadn't made one with the ancient Priest.
"Look around you, Amukh," Kaiba whispered in a low, accusing voice, voicing out the thoughts of Osiris. Amukh lowered his head, glancing askance at the remains of the battle, his cloaked minions and the leftovers of the Jackals, lying scattered around together with numerous spears. "Look what you have done again."
"This time," Yuugi added, the falcon-headed God opening his beak, eyes flashing slightly above them, "We shall not forgive you."
"We shouldn't have done that in the first place," Bakura finally spoke, white tresses billowing behind him, the jackal-headed God speaking for the first time, red eyes flashing dangerously at him then at the remains of his army. Bakura's eyes narrowed when Anubis' narrowed as well, seeing just what kind of damage his loyal guardians have suffered. Bakura's eyes closed then opened a moment later to glare at him ominously. Amukh swallowed, looking around frantically, trying to find a way to escape and perhaps, still finish what he originally wanted to do. Anubis growled, making Bakura growl and clench his fist. Kaiba and Yuugi were merely observing him with sharp, keen eyes, not saying a word.
"Amukh," Bakura snarled at the Priest who glanced at the white-haired thief in fright when he spoke his name in a dangerously low voice. Anubis raised his arm, his palm outstretched, a powerful whirlwind sweeping over the desert, catching and raising spears in the air. With one swift motion of his hand the lances slashed through the air, whistling sharply, and Amukh gasped, jumping backwards just in time to avoid the sharp tips splitting him in half. The spears landed a few feet away from him, sinking in the sand and swaying slightly from the impact and the powerful thrust they were sent down with. Amukh's eyes widened drastically, realizing what the action meant. He took a step back, his hands shaking slightly. Looking up, he met Anubis' penetrating gaze and sharp, white fangs glistening at him. He had managed to awaken the God's wrath again.
"Your time has come. Now." Anubis finished and turned his head slowly to look at the other two who simply nodded, their facial expressions serious and grim.
"You shall be punished Amukh," Osiris spoke through Kaiba, his own voice mixed with the deep, profound voice of the God of the Underworld. "Your soul will never be granted entrance to the Underworld, your body will never walk the earth again and you will spend the eternity wandering around and never finding your peace."
Amukh stared at the God, completely immobile and stiff, his shoulders tense and his jaw set firmly. He fell to the sand the next moment, knees hitting and sinking into the soft layer, staring blankly at the three reincarnations that were looking at him calmly, sentencing him to the worst punishment one could ever get – to never find peace in afterlife.
"No, I..." he croaked, voice cracking slightly. He looked up again, mixed emotions of fear, dread and despair playing across his face. "I swear, I shall never-"
"You have sworn to live in peace once, Amukh," Yuugi said suddenly, Horus' eyes flashing in a reprimanding manner at him and cutting him off. He opened his mouth to say that he was sorry but Osiris shook his head, Kaiba's brows furrowing angrily.
"You are not sorry, Amukh! You haven't learned anything from your mistakes; your punishment is irreversible." He ventured, turning his head to look at Yuugi, Osiris glancing at Horus. Anubis stared gravely ahead, red eyes glaring at him silently.
"But, but I-I shall, I shall not disappoint you again, I-"
"SILENCE!" Chorused across the desert, making Amukh shut his mouth with a clap and Shadi flinch slightly. He thought Amukh knew better than to challenge Gods and put their words in question.
Amukh took a deep breath, staring indifferently at the three figures then at the spears rooted into the sand in front of him, almost creating a fence between him and the three of them.
"Your punishment will be executed now, Amukh," the Gods and the three young men spoke in unison, "do you have any last words?"
Silence followed in which Amukh glared at the sand beneath his feet, emerald eyes narrowing and lips twisting into a sickening smile. He half-raised his head, glowering at Kaiba, Yuugi and Bakura, hating the way the lights still played and swirled around them magnificently, the condemning, appalled looks they were giving him. He let out a chuckle, maniacally cackling under his breath, making Shadi look at him warily.
"Last words to say?" Amukh echoed the question, raising his head fully to look at the Gods, traces of fear and despair suddenly replaced by mockery, something wild and animalistic glistening in his eyes. He chuckled again, Shadi's eyes widening slowly when he realized that he was up to something.
"How about..." He whispered menacingly, taking a slow step forward and eyeing the spears zealously, a malevolent smirk playing on his lips. "You all DIE!"
"No!" Shadi screamed when Amukh grabbed and yanked the spears out of the sand, making his way towards Kaiba and Yuugi who were simply standing in front of him, unmoving and unfazed. With a maniacal laugh, he pointed the spears at the two, running towards them madly and making the sand flipping and flying behind him. He would kill them, he would stab them and destroy them and make sure they never rise again if he can't have what he wanted! He would make them scream and suffer and squirm in pain!
He let out a yell and leapt forward, determined to plunge the spears into them.
Shadi looked at the Gods, noticing the slightly alarmed and perplexed look on their faces, but when they raised their arms in the air, Kaiba, Yuugi and Bakura following the example, Amukh stopped dead in his tracks, the light in the sky increasing, washing over the desert and blinding him completely.
He let out a piercing scream, dropping the spears only a few feet away from Yuugi and Kaiba, raising his hands to stop the familiar wave from tearing him apart. He tried to block the upcoming light with a mental shield but he could only scream blindly into the light, feeling the pure energy washing over him like a tidal wave, burning his skin and tearing his flesh, his soul disintegrating and shattering into oblivion.
Shadi hid behind the rock of the ruins, covering his ears and closing his eyes shut tightly, shaking and trembling together with the desert, blue of the sky completely obscured by bright white, chasing the remaining clouds away and lifting up a giant sandstorm that covered the bodies of the cloaked ogres. Cloaks disappeared beneath the sand, the Jackals and the tips of their spears also vanishing beneath the raging wave of sand, the monstrous dune wiping and swallowing everything that dared to stand before it.
Shadi let out a yelp when he felt something solid and heavy slide by him. He opened his eyes, seeing Marik slither down the rocky ground and quickly outstretched his hand to catch the brim of his shirt. He pulled him back, grabbing Ishizu by the hand and leaning slightly over Tea's body to save them from flying away together with everything else. The wind rustled their hair and threatened to rip his turban away, as well, forcing Shadi to close his eyes and recite a small prayer in his mind to the Gods to be merciful and, if possible, spare a few lives in the process. A few seconds later, the wind stopped blowing, the light dispersed abruptly and the storming mound of sand dropped down flaccidly, covering the last piece of evidence that remained of the battle.
A clapping sound tore through the sky, followed by one, last, tremendous tremor and then the quake stopped suddenly, leaving only dead silence behind.
After a few minutes spent in a somewhat uncomfortable position, Shadi dared to open his eyes, peeking first to the right and to the left to see if Ishizu and Marik were still there. He let go of them a moment later, his fingers aching from holding them so tightly. He glanced at Tea, who was still lying peacefully beneath him and then sighed heavily, looking up to see the blue sky. Slowly, he stood up; dusting himself off and then took a few wobbly steps forward to peek behind the wall of the ruin.
Osiris, Horus and Anubis were still illuminating the sky, looking at him calmly. Shadi's mouth fell when he saw the new arrangement of the desert, now with more mounds and hills than ever. He only hoped they didn't let the dune cover up the pyramids; that would definitely ruin the Egyptian tourism.
He was about to look at the three young men when the Gods spoke and gained his attention again.
"Shadi," they spoke and he could hear them in his head clearly, realizing that that meant that they had stopped using the reincarnations to speak through.
Shadi squinted at them, the light still blinding him a bit. "Yes?"
"Thank you. You have completed your mission well."
Shadi blinked and nodded slowly, feeling odd emotions surge through him. When he gazed at Kaiba who was the tallest and the most visible in the cloud of dust that still rolled around, he took a deep breath. Horus and Anubis craned their necks slightly, Osiris looking at him questioningly.
"I...I know you are about to leave, but...I...well...uh...y-you see..." He was spluttering, not really knowing how and if he should dare to ask a God for a favor. A small smile appeared on Osiris' face as he looked at his companions. Shadi blinked in confusion when Anubis made a small movement of his hand and then almost yelped, seeing him pulling something out of the sand.
He took a few steps back, avoiding the falling sand. Four figures appeared in front of him and although they were partially covered with sand, Shadi still recognized Mai's blond locks and the hem of Joey's shirt. He could even see Tristan's and Serenity's face, slightly dusty and dirty. His heart skipped a beat when Osiris closed his eyes and opened them a moment later, looking at Horus who bent down slightly to put a glowing hand over the ruins. A flash of golden light appeared, and Shadi let out a gasp when he saw Joey's body jerk, Mai and Serenity flinch slightly and Tristan opening his mouth to breathe.
He turned around briskly to see Marik opening his eyes, blinking in confusion at the strange source of light above him. A few feet away from him, Ishizu and Tea breathed in, gasping for air quickly.
A huge grin lit up Shadi's face and he dropped down on his knees and his hands, resting his forehead over the sand.
"Thank you," he whispered, smiling happily at the glistening specks of sand right under his face. "Thank you."
He felt the warm light disappear and looked up to see the Gods fading away slowly, leaving only traces of blue, golden and red behind, creating a beautiful rainbow over the desert. When he looked at the three reincarnations of the Souls, he gasped and wanted to stop them from leaving, wanting to know just one more thing, but the light disappeared around them, too, leaving them to float limply over the sand before they fell down with a thud.
"The Souls!" Shadi exclaimed, panic evident in his voice. He wanted to dash up to them to see if they were alive, when somebody's hand on his shoulder stopped him and he turned around, coming face to face with a confused looking group of people who were staring at him blankly.
Marik popped up behind the wall of the ruins, together with Tea and Ishizu who were frantically searching for any signs of skeletal hands around their necks.
"Uh, Shadi?" Tristan spoke after a long minute of silence. "What just happened here?"
Marik approached him, inspecting a bloody dagger in his hands and his bloodstained robes. He blinked and then looked at Shadi dully, violet eyes clouded with confusion and disbelief.
"I'm...alive?"
