The guards were quick to capture the newest intruder, immediately suspicious. Ryou Bakura's white hair, a quality shared with the thief, was more than out of place in that part of the world. His hands and feet, already bound in iron shackles, indicated that he was dangerous. And having appeared so close to the time of the thief's attack, there was a good chance they were working together.
"Seize him!"
Ryou yelped as the guards thrust him over the statue's base, his chains dragging against the gold.
"Who are you?" they shouted. "What is your association with the tomb robber?"
The prisoner was frozen with fear.
"I don't think the scoundrel wants to talk, Patem." One of the guards laughed. "Or perhaps someone already cut out his tongue for us."
Ryou gulped.
"We'll ask you again, whelp. What is your association with the tomb robber? And where is he now?"
"I… I don't know where he is…" Ryou finally spoke, timidly. His hands covered his face, in case he was going to be struck.
"But you know who he is, don't you!" the guard shouted, causing his captive to tremble. "Tell me! Or I will kill you where you stand!"
"Patem, the high priests will decide this." Another guard stepped in, thwarting what would have been a hooking punch into Ryou's left jaw. "That is a direct order. All prisoners with possible connections to the thief are to be immediately brought to the palace for trial."
The guard sneered. The order disappointed him. He would have taken great pleasure in beating the wanted information out of the poor boy. But he handed over the chains anyway. It was the order of the pharaoh, after all.
The other guard dragged Ryou into the royal palace, and into the main hall. Despite the chaos, the pharaoh Atemu was still sitting on the throne. His father's sarcophagus had been removed from the chamber, and was probably on its way back to its resting place. The six high priests looked especially vigilant.
"What is the meaning of the intrusion?" Priest Set spoke up, demanding the room's attention.
"Have you caught Bakura already?" the pharaoh stood from the throne, before being motioned back down by his vizier.
"No, my lord. But we have caught another intruder at the gates of the palace." The guard answered. "He was already in chains. He must have attempted an escape during Bakura's attack."
"We do not have time for petty criminals right now." Set scowled, and turned his attention back to the pharaoh.
"Wait, Set." Priest Mahaado gasped, as his millennium ring glowed painfully. "There is something about this prisoner that we must attend to."
"Your millennium ring?" Priestess Isis. "Is it acting strangely again?"
He nodded, as the guard thrust the prisoner onto the cold gold floor.
"We think this one might have a connection to Bakura. They do bear a certain resemblance to each other."
"Isis, has your necklace told you anything about this intruder?" Set interrupted. Ryou slowly attempted to push himself from the ground, but the guard pushed him back down on his knees.
"No. But much of the future has been unclear lately."
"It doesn't matter." Set growled. The millennium rod twirled in his hands before pointing at Ryou. "If you are working for Bakura, then our items will tell us. And you will be cleansed."
He turned back to the pharaoh.
"May I have permission to proceed, my liege?"
"Of course." Atemu answered, not a hint of hesitation in his voice.
"What is your name, peasant?" Priest Set demanded, as the other priests quickly surrounded him.
"…R..Ryou…" he stopped short of saying his full name.
"A strange name." Priestess Isis commented. "Kalim, do your scales sense any imbalance?"
The priest held forth the millennium scale, and the room grew silent. It could, however, produce no clear answer.
"It is as if he does not exist, Isis." Preist Kalim replied. "Either his soul is in perfect balance, or I cannot read it. The scales are malfunctioning."
"It is probably the latter. Shadaah, reveal his ka." Set tapped his foot impatiently. "We cannot afford a delay."
"Of course." The other priest replied, and held up his millennium ankh.
"…Wh..what are you doing?" Ryou managed to speak amongst the confusion.
"Silence, criminal. You are being judged."
"Priest Set. There must be some mistake." Shadaah interrupted the lesser guard.
"What do you mean?" The other priests took a step back.
"Is something the matter?" Pharaoh Atemu gasped as well.
Shadaah glared forward, seeing the soul of the young prisoner appear in his field of vision. Amongst the unending shadows was a tiny spellcaster. A small being, with simple white hair and white robes, sat cross-legged, as if completely oblivious of the incredible darkness he found himself in. A wing of white feathers sprouted from his left shoulder. A leathery black wing sprouted from his right. On the center of his robes was a tiny heart.
"His ka…" Shadaah gasped. "It is small, but powerful!"
"What?"
"Mahaado, it may even rival that of your illusion magician!" he continued, causing the priest of the millennium ring to gasp. His magician was the image of his own soul, commanding far more power than any of them knew.
"Impossible…" he whispered under his breath.
"It is truth." Shaddah replied.
"Then bring forth the sealing tablet. I shall extract it at once!" Priest Set smiled. This creature would be a fine addition to the collection. And it would greatly aid in his plan to battle Bakura.
"Set, wait!" Shadaah interrupted before the priest could activate the power in his rod. "You cannot do that."
"Why not?" he asked, as Ryou quivered.
"His soul is not tainted. It is perfectly pure." The priest revealed. "We must do nothing to him. He is an innocent man."
The rest of the court was dumbfounded. A prisoner, with so much resemblance to the thief Bakura, was actually innocent of all crimes?
"What!"
"That is the way of the pharaoh, is it not, my king?"
"I say we return him to the dungeons!" Set attempted to argue. "He has knowledge of Bakura. He may know where he is. And he must be made to talk."
"No." Pharaoh Atemu shouted over his arguing council. "His soul has been judged, and it is pure. He just be let free."
The guards did as the pharaoh requested, unlocking the shackles from Ryou's wrists and ankles.
"Th..thank you…" Ryou whispered, and bowed to the pharaoh, so as not to be arrested again.
"Go now."
Ryou nodded, and silently made his way out of the throne room. Behind his back, he could hear the priests still arguing. One of them wanted him followed. Another wanted him dead. Ryou just wanted to get away from the palace as fast as he could run.