As Ryou fitfully slept, rolling dramatically from his left side to his back, a myriad of images and voices assaulted him…
A tan skinned man ran along a deserted beach under a scorching sun. The man appeared to be in his twenties, although his rough skin, deep facial scars, and shaggy white hair gave made him look much older. His eyes darted back and forth, constantly looking over his shoulder as though he were being pursued.
"No! You won't catch me!" he shouted. His feet kicked sand into the water as he ran. Although he had been running for what felt like days, he had yet to find an end to either the beach or the water. "I won't go!"
"Your time is up, Bakura." A voice bellowed from water.
A thin boat with a bipod mast appeared on the horizon. Its shape and size was similar to an ancient reed boat. The stern and bow were decorated with lotus blossoms.
"No!" he shouted back, trying to outrace the sea-faring craft. The wind, however, seemed to always be in its favor.
"There is no one at whose mercy you can throw yourself now, Bakura." The voice bellowed again. "And you cannot run from Ma'at."
"We'll see about that!" he shouted again, struggling to quicken his pace. The hot sand burned his feet, but he didn't dare to stop running.
"Your time has come, and you will be judged accordingly." The voice continued. The familiar jackal-headed god of the underworld appeared above the mast of the ship, revealing himself. "There is no escape. You will accompany me to the Hall of Ma'at."
Bakura glanced over his shoulder again. Anubis towered over the surrounding desert, his massive arms stretching across the horizon. In his left hand, he held a golden ankh, the ultimate symbol of life itself. There was no escape in sight, only certainty of capture and the trial of his soul.
"Leave me alone!" he shouted again, as if to convince himself that there was still hope. "You won't take me alive!"
"You are already dead." The god answered back, and shackles materialized on the thief's wrists and ankles. Holy chains ran through them, yanking Bakura backwards as he jumped forward in a last ditch effort to free himself from the god's grasp. "After three thousand years, your soul is finally able to stand trial for the crimes committed both before and after death."
Bakura felt his joints separate upon impact, the chains binding him. Anubis took the other ends in his human hands, and began walking back to the boat.
"You do not have a choice in this matter, Bakura." He added, bowing his head in the face of Ra. "The forty two judges of the dead await your confessions."
"Never!"
He attempted to struggle, but it was clearly futile. Anubis's palm wrapped tightly around the chains, pulling the beleaguered Bakura towards the boat. As Anubis walked over the water, Bakura thrashed through the waves.
"Help!" he finally cried out, not knowing what else to do. "Somebody! Anybody!"
"Silence." Anubis grew impatient, and the chains spun the thief's body, keeping him still. "You have disgraced the gods enough in life. Now hold your tongue."
"Hikari! Help me!" he screamed, before metal completely covered his mouth. The chains pulled tightly against his skin, rubbing it raw. "Hikari!"