Jason hung on the wall, gasping for air in the mysterious chamber that he ran into to escape death at the hands of the two Spellcasters. As he struggled, Jason spotted a glowing object out of the corner of his eye. It was the Millennium Puzzle. It highlighted Yami's face in an ominous golden glow; his eyes were a harsh, burning lilac, a mix of his natural amethyst and the glow from the Puzzle.
He took a few steps forward, then, spoke in a harsh tone. "What have you to say for yourself, intruder?" As he spoke, his magical grip on Jason's throat became tighter, threatening to crush his esophagus like a Styrofoam cup.
Jason gasped and strained as hard as he could, but managed to force words to tumble awkwardly through his constrained throat. "Yami, it's me…Jason!"
Jason heard a sharp gasp as Yami released his grip on the blonde's throat. The duelist slipped to the floor and coughed as he tried to take in the deep breaths of air that he'd been deprived of for about a minute or so. Yami snapped his fingers and candles illuminated the ancient stone room.
He ran over to Jason and bent down to slap the duelist on his back, forcing air through his windpipe. "Are you okay? I didn't know that it was you," Yami said apologetically as he continued his assault on Jason's back.
"It's okay, pharaoh," Jason responded through coughs. He looked at Yami and smirked, letting the pharaoh know that he would be okay. "But do us both a favor and get yourself a new hobby. I was almost killed by two Duel Monsters on the way here."
"So that was you they were chasing," Yami replied as he stood up straight. Jason got to his feet, and Yami stared at him for a moment, then, a look of shock came over the pharaoh's face. "Wait a minute! What are you doing in here exactly!" he shouted.
Jason held out his hands in an attempt to calm the pharaoh down. The last thing he needed to do was upset Yami. He had already experienced a sliver of the pharaoh's power. "Yami, believe me as I tell you, it's a long story. Yugi might want to hear this too."
Yugi sat on the edge of the bed, nervously tugging at the buckles at the end of his jacket sleeves. Yami said that there was something he needed to tell him later today, and from the sound of the pharaoh's voice, it was important, so Yugi sat and waited for him.
Soon, Yugi heard faint footsteps in his room and turned around. Yami stood in front of his closet in his usual transparent form. "Oh, Yami. It's you. So, what was it that I needed to hear?"
Yami stood, trying to find the words to say. It wasn't easy telling Yugi that he might just have another spirit inside of him. "Maybe I should show you, instead. Come on out," Yami said, deciding that this would be the best way to do it.
The Millennium Puzzle glowed slightly and Jason appeared next to Yugi on the bed, in the same transparent state as Yami. Yugi looked over, and nearly leapt ten feet out of his skin. The boy fell over onto the floor and pointed at Jason with a shaking finger. "What is he doing in the Puzzle!"
Jason looked down at the floor in deep thought, trying to piece together the information in a way that Yugi could understand. "Yugi, things haven't exactly been good for me, or my body today. Tell me, have either you or Yami sensed anything funny today?"
Yami spoke up first. "Yes, I have. I felt a great disturbance in the energies of the Millennium Items earlier today." He folded his arms across his chest and looked out of the nearby window. "We went to check it out and decided to start with Kaiba."
"And it turns out that Kaiba lost the Millennium Rod in a duel," Yugi chimed in as he stood up and brushed himself off after the scare that Jason gave him.
Jason clenched his fists and punched the bed in frustration. Of course, he didn't make any noise since he was just a transparent spirit, but it still seemed to echo throughout the room. "Damn! He's working faster than I thought," Jason exclaimed as he began to calm down.
"Who's 'he'?" Yugi asked. The boy was afraid that some evil force was behind the disturbance and Kaiba's losing the Millennium Rod that he was given for safekeeping after Battle City.
"I'm afraid that 'he' would be Yami Bakura," Jason said with much regret in his voice. He felt somehow responsible for Yami Bakura's escape. He thought that he should have been able to do something more, since the soul stealer was in his body.
Yami and Yugi jumped back at the sound of that name. Yami Bakura was just one of several faces that neither of them wanted to see ever again. "That can't be! We saw the spirit of the Millennium Ring move on to another plane of existence with our own eyes," Yami exclaimed.
Jason shook his head visibly, then, looked down at the floor. "What you saw was only a trick. The real spirit is alive, well, and kicking around in my body."
"That would explain why Kaiba said that the one who beat him had the Ring, but looked different," Yugi said. Though it was only a start to solving the mystery of the disturbance, it was a good start. Now all they needed to figure out was why Yami Bakura needed the Rod.
"Yeah. He sent me to the Shadow Realm, but I remained connected to the Millennium Ring in order to survive. I moved throughout that miserable place until I spotted you in that duel with that guy. Since I was a spirit, you couldn't see me, so I jumped into the Millennium Puzzle and tried to warn you about the return of the Spirit of the Ring. You should really pay closer attention to the things around you. Anyone could get into your Puzzle, Yugi."
Yami looked down at the floor, grasping his Puzzle. Jason decided to tell him about the visions and the dream, to change the unpleasant subject that had come up. "Yami, how much do you remember about your past?"
"Only a few bits and pieces," the pharaoh answered quickly. "Ever since Battle City, everything has been falling into place. But I'm still unsure of my entire past."
"Well, Yami. I've got good news and I've got bad news." Jason took a deep breath and prepared to give Yami the information he had. "The bad news is that your past is what started this whole thing with Yami Bakura. The good news is that I have some information that might help you a lot."
Yami looked up at Jason, like a child looking to an adult for candy. Yugi looked at both of them, excited to hear what Jason had to say. "Yami, your real name is Atem. Pharaoh Atem."
Yami's eyes widened at the information. He walked to the window and looked out as if he were looking at a new world. He could feel doors opening and unlocking in his mind and Puzzle as he whispered his name to himself. "Atem. I am pharaoh Atem. Finally, I have a hard link to the past which can help me get back to where I belong."
"I'd hate to break up this good feelings extravaganza, but there is, again, some bad news about your past," Jason said, snapping the Pharaoh out of his euphoria.
Atem looked over at him, his face becoming serious again. "I'm afraid this next piece of news has to do with your father, Pharaoh Akunumkanon, and your uncle, Akunadin."
Atem's heart skipped several beats at these words. Yugi sat on the floor in utter shock at the information that Jason was speaking. Jason continued.
"Yami Bakura's real name is Seti Bakura. He came from a village called Kuruelna that existed in ancient Egypt. In order to create the Millennium Items, your father sent Akunadin to the village to gather people for a ritual. Unfortunately, your father didn't realize that the ritual involved the slaughter of ninety nine innocents, including Seti Bakura's family. Seti escaped, but swore his revenge on the pharaoh who condemned his people to death. When Akunumkanon passed away and you took the throne, Seti focused his efforts on you, trying to bring you down. You don't see it Atem, but he hates you more than anything in this world or the next."
Atem sank to his knees, and looked down at the Puzzle; his face was a mix of pain, confusion, and anger. "My Millennium Item…was created by the blood of innocents?"
Jason stared at Atem and Yugi for a few seconds, then, spoke uncomfortably. "Atem, if this is all too much for you to handle, I understand. I'll just retreat into the Puzzle and…"
"No. I wish to hear the rest," Atem said quickly, steeling himself for the next part of the story.
"As you wish, pharaoh," Jason started. "After the Items were created, Seti Bakura trained under a man named Salazar Midus in the dark arts. Does that name ring any bells to either of you?"
Atem thought for a moment, then, shook his head. Yugi placed his finger on his chin in thought, then, spoke up. "I know that name. I heard about him in history class. He was a wizard of some kind, who was sentenced to death by a pharaoh of Egypt."
"That pharaoh was you, Atem," Jason said. "He was caught by the royal court and tried. You found him guilty and sentenced him and his thirteen priests to death by being mummified alive. After that, Seti Bakura's hatred of you came to its apex. He vowed to one day claim all of the Millennium Items for himself and use their power to destroy you and your entire legacy. Whatever happened from there is a mystery to me. Up until the time my ancestor sealed him in the Ring."
"Jason, how do you know all of this?" Yugi asked, drastically changing the flow of the conversation. Something about Jason's knowledge of all these events seemed extremely suspect.
The blonde picked up on the feelings of the boy and tried his best to sound sincere. "Most of it came from snooping around in Bakura's head and his memories. The other half came from a dream that I had." When Jason was sure that he had Yugi's trust, he decided to change the subject again. "So, why don't you fill me in on some things. Who was that guy that you were dueling?"
"I don't know," Atem answered. "All I know is that his name was Amune-ra, and he was an ancient spirit resurrected by very powerful magic."
"Then Seti has found the book I take it," Jason said as he shifted his transparent form uneasily on the bed.
Jason's statement obviously threw Atem and Yugi off their balance. They looked at him deeply, questioning him with their eyes. "What book are you talking about?" Atem asked, voicing the silent question.
"I'm talking about the magic tome of Salazar Midus. I just barely managed to catch a glimpse of it in Seti's memory before he sent me to the Shadow Realm," Jason answered. "I'm afraid that it contains powerful magic, but I don't know what he plans on doing with it." Jason thought for a second before snapping his fingers, as if though something struck him. "Wait, did you say that the man's name was Amune-ra?"
Atem nodded, and Jason looked down, a worried expression crossing his translucent countenance. "I'm afraid that's not the last you've heard of an ancient Egyptian spirit. He was one of the priests of Salazar Midus that you sentenced to death. And if I know Seti Bakura, there's twelve more where he came from, no doubt resurrected by the power of the book."
Atem turned around and stared out the window blankly. Yugi stood up and walked over to him. He knew that the pharaoh was going through a lot at this moment, so he decided to talk to his partner and try to figure out a way to help him. "Are you okay? That was some pretty shocking stuff that Jason said."
The pharaoh sighed deeply and leaned on the windowsill. "I'll be fine. It's just overwhelming that I now have an identity, instead of my nickname, or just being known as mou hitori no Yugi, the nameless pharaoh." Atem stood straight up again and looked down at Yugi. "But what I'd really like to know is will you be okay?"
"What do you mean?" Yugi asked, looking his partner deep in the eyes. Atem's expression of deep concern was starting to worry Yugi, who rarely ever saw the pharaoh with a nervous look in his confidence-laden eyes.
Atem took a deep breath and looked back out the window to avoid the gaze of his young partner. "It's my fault you're in this situation. Your life and soul are in danger because of me, and my father, and I'll have no part in putting you in danger."
Yugi shook his head and moved closer to Atem. "I'm the one who put the Puzzle together again, so that means that no matter what I'm the one who's going to stick by you through thick and thin," the boy declared.
Jason got up off of the bed and walked over to the two duelists. "Yeah, he's right. And I'm here, too. I won't lose a friend because some power-tripping freak wants revenge. You can count me in on this."
"But Jason, you don't have a body. What are you going to do?" Yugi asked as he shifted his gaze to the blonde standing above him.
Jason sighed and looked out the window at the people passing by, unsuspecting of the coming events. "Don't worry about me, guys. I'm sure I'll think of something."
Ryou hung nervously from the wall. Seti had walked into the next room and left him there for a few minutes. However, Seti came back in, just as Ryou tried to think of a way to escape.The dark spiritlooked up at him with a look of amusement, which deeply concerned Ryou, because he knew what amused Seti. "Are you comfortable up there? If you are, you won't be up there for long. And if you aren't comfortable, then you still won't be up there for long."
Seti laughed and walked over to Ryou. He picked up the Millennium Ring and held it up, pointing it at Ryou's head. "Wait, what are you doing with that?" Ryou asked fearfully. He would've been shaking violently if all his muscles weren't paralyzed by the spell Seti put on him.
The dark spirit smiled with a deep, twisted malice, and held the Rind closer to Ryou's head. "I'm going to use you for a little task," Seti said, letting that same malice slip into his voice.
He focused his energies on the Ring and grabbed hold of Ryou's mind. Ryou screamed out and tried to fight, but it was of no use. Darkness seeped in all around him and he felt himself fall down a long precipice. He could feel control of his body slipping. But he wasn't going to the Shadow Realm. This was something else. Something far worse, he feared.