Chapter
3
The stranger then walked closer to Illidan, saying "I
see now that you are the one that I came to seek out."
Illidan curiously asked "Who are you? And more importantly, why did you demand to duel me?"
The stranger chuckled slightly, and replied with "I will answer all your questions young Illidan. You see, my name is Shadi. I am the guardian of the seven Millennium Items."
Those words sounded familiar to Illidan for some reason, but he really didn't know why. He then asked "Seven millennium what's?"
The stranger slightly chuckled and silently said to himself "And to think, this was the one that long ago that would tease me about my memory being so bad."
He then spoke up and said "Please, allow me to explain. You see, long ago in ancient Egypt, there was a powerful magic created. It allowed people of that time to play duels, but not like how we duel nowadays. In those days, they used what is called the Shadow Powers to call forth their monsters, and sometimes they would open up a dimension known as the Shadow Realm for their dueling arena. In the Shadow Realm, or in the real world when they used their powers, the monsters were made real, as real as me or you, and these monsters had terrible powers. This magic to open a portal to the Shadow Realm was thought to be far too dangerous for the people of Egypt to control."
Illidan then cut in and said "What was it so dangerous? If the people could control the monsters and had fun, why not allow it to continue?"
"The reason was because the loser of a duel, if they were in the Shadow Realm, would be banished to the Shadow Realm. Once a person is banished there, the person's soul would suffer for eternity. Also, they could never escape on their own. Only the person that banished them there could release their soul. Most of the time, the person that lost was never released. That is why what were called the Shadow Realm Games was put to an end. The Shadow Games were put to an end by a brave young pharaoh named Yami. Yami and a force of seven others took it upon themselves to put an end of the Shadow Realm Games. Soon enough, the pharaoh and his seven followers took all the dark Shadow Magic in Egypt and sealed it away in eight Millennium Items..."
Illidan quickly interrupted yet again, saying "Wait a minute, you said you guarded seven Millennium Items. What do you mean there was eight?"
Shadi could only chuckle and replied with "Patience my young friend. I will explain all if you give me a moment. Now, after the eight Millennium Items were created to house the evil of the Shadow Magic, the filling of the items began. The first seven were easy to fill, but there was much evil left once they had been completed. It was then decided by the pharaoh that the eighth item would have to house a majority of the evil, but it would be built so that the evil could not be tapped into easily. Therefore, the final item was created and designed to house a majority of the evil. It was also determined that this item would be sealed, thus limiting it's power for all time. The other seven items were to be used by the pharaoh and his faithful servants, but the eighth was to be closely watched, for it was feared it would grow uncontrollable if left unchecked. Only they would have power over the Shadow Magic. Once they all had died, the items were to be stored and then later given to their reincarnations."
Illidan, still puzzled, yet intrigued, said "Ok, so the items are given to reincarnations of the pharaoh and his followers. So, why do you have an item? Are you one of the reincarnations?"
Shadi shook his head and said "No. You see, I am the guardian of the seven Millennium Items. It was bestowed upon me many years ago. Until recently, all seven Millennium Items had been sealed away with me…"
Illidan then interrupted, saying "Until recently? Do you mean that the seven Millennium Items have been stolen or something?"
Shadi could only chuckle at Illidan's curiosity, and said "Patience my friend. No, the items were not stolen. They were given back to their rightful owners. First the Millennium Necklace and the Millennium Rod were given to a family of Tomb Keepers long ago. They were in charge of guarding the pharaoh's tomb, so those two items were necessary to help insure it's safety."
"Next, the Millennium Eye was given to a man known as Maxamillion Pegasus. After he received the eye, he then revived the game of Duel Monsters. He got the idea originally from the ancient inscriptions on the walls of the tombs where he came to get his Millennium Eye. It was pretty much a revival of the Shadow Games, but a revival of it in a good way. The way he designed the cards was so that the monsters wouldn't be able to take a real form."
"Next, the Millennium Ring was given to a man. He was told to give it to his son, who was destined to own it."
"Then the Millennium Puzzle was given to a man whom I met. I told him to give it to his grandson. I later learned that the boy put the Millennium Puzzle back together, which unlocked the spirit of the pharaoh, Yami."
Illidan looked at the Shadi with a strange look and said "Whoa, hold on a second. You mean that the pharaoh's spirit was inside of this Millennium Puzzle thing?"
Chuckling at Illidan's choice words, Shadi replied with "Yes, it was. The pharaoh sealed himself in the puzzle to preserve his spirit. It was the only way to do it."
"Finally, there is one item to which I'm still destined to guard. I currently guard the Millennium Key, which I'm currently wearing, and then there is my own item that was always mean for me. It is called the Millennium Scales."
"I was destined to guard the Millennium Key till its real owner reappeared. Recently, I was told by the one that controls the Millennium Necklace that the true owner has been reincarnated though. That owner is you, Illidan."
Illidan, shocked by that last comment, pointed at himself and said "Huh, me? Why me?"
Shadi calmly replied with "Because you were destined to own it. It has been waiting for you for centuries. When the items were originally created, you wielded the Millennium Key. You then gave it to me for safe keeping, and said that you would one day need it again. It is now time for it to reunite with you."
Illidan looked at the golden key that was around the stranger's neck. True, he did feel as if the odd key was calling out to him, and it seemed to be awakening something deep within him, but what he wasn't sure.
Slowly, Illidan then asked "Wait, I have just one question about this Millennium Key. Does it house a spirit of some dead guy?"
Chuckling, Shadi shook his head no.
Illidan breathed a sigh of relief and said "Good, cause I don't want to share my body with some dead guy. So why do you think I'm it's owner? Couldn't you be mistaken and someone else is it's owner?"
Shadi shook his head and replied with "No, there is no denying it. This Millennium Item is yours. It even guided me to you tonight."
Illidan only looked at Shadi with a strange expression and said "You mean you used it to track me down? Wow, weirdness."
Shadi could only laugh at Illidan's choice of words and said "Yes, the key homed in on you. That is just the proof that I needed to have to know for sure that this Millennium Key is yours. So now, I wish to give it to you."
Shadi then lifted the Millennium Key over his head and then handed it to Illidan. Illidan slowly took the key in his hands and stared at the key. Something deep inside of him seemed to be slowly awakening to the feel of this golden object.
Illidan then curiously asked "You're sure no dead guy's spirit is in this key, right?"
Shadi could only laugh at this question and responded with "Yes, I'm very sure."
Illidan sighed and said "Alright, I'll have to hold you to that. If I get possessed though, I won't be very happy."
Illidan then took the Millennium Key and slipped it over his head to around his neck. The key felt rather light. He was amazed that for an object that looked to be pretty heavy that it was light as a feather. As he laid it to rest on his chest, the key slightly glowed golden, as if it recognized the one who had taken control of it.
Illidan finally looked back up at Shadi and asked "So, now what Shadi?"
Shadi calmly replied with "Now I'll tell you why I had to test you for this tournament that is coming up. The reason is the eighth Millennium Item has been reawakened. It has been brought out of its eternal slumber."
Illidan cocked his head to the side and said "Do you mean the eighth item has been given to somebody?"
Shadi shook his head and said "No, it was stolen from its chamber. I have not entered the chamber in which it stored for five millennia, but I had to the day it was stolen."
Illidan quickly asked "Wait, couldn't it be possible that whoever was there was destined to possess it? How can you say it was stolen?"
Shadi sighed and then said "Simple. I was there when the chamber was broken into and it was stolen. The man behind the theft was none other than Gozaburo Kaiba! I attempted to stop him as he stole the item, but I was unable to stop him."
Illidan only nodded and then said "So, what kind of powers does this eighth Millennium Item have? And by the way, what powers does this Millennium Key have?"
Shadi responded with "The Millennium Key has two powers, which I know of. First, it allows you to become invisible. Nobody has ever seen me once I've used that power. I'm not sure though if other Millennium Items can see through the barrier of invisibility. The second power that I know of is that it enables you to unlock a person's mind. Basically, you can enter a person's mind and discover anything that they know of. Also, it allows you to lock a person's mind. You can even trap a person's mind within itself. I would not recommend doing that one though. It is easy to unlock their mind again, but it is a cruel fate to be locked within your own mind."
Illidan nodded, knowing that would be a cruel fate. He then said "Ok, I understand. Do I have to learn to use these powers, or will I just automatically know?"
Shadi quickly replied with "You will learn over time. At any rate, here is what the eighth item's powers are."
Before Shadi could continue, Illidan cut him off and asked "Wait, what is the eighth item's name?"
Shadi replied with "It is called the Millennium Crown. It is a terrible item. Its power is truly evil. It has the power to grant one wish of it's controller."
Illidan cocked his head to the side and said "Grant one wish? Like a genie or something?"
Shadi shook his head and responded with "No, it is not quite the same. You see, to get a wish granted, it takes true work. To get the Millennium Crown to work, the one controlling the crown must defeat one of the most powerful duelists in the world. That is the reasoning behind this tournament. Gozaburo hopes to lure ten of the best duelists in the world into a set of duels. That way the ten will push each other to the brink of their limits. Then he will take the top duelist and duel them. And if he wins, he'll be able to unlock the Millennium Crown's true power. That is why you must not let this happen. Please Illidan, I beg of you, you must stop Gozaburo."
Illidan then asked "If he's gathering ten of the best, why is he gathering me and Marie? Neither of us are as famous or as strong as the other eight."
Shadi only responded with "I have no idea. Gozaburo may think for some reason that you two are worthy of the challenge."
Silently, Shadi said to himself "Or it could be he knows who you two really are."
Illidan only sighed and said "I will do all I can to stop him. I promise you that Shadi."
Shadi nodded and said "There is something else you should know Illidan. The holder of the Millennium Necklace also saw the future of this tournament. She has been checking it's future constantly, but there is a problem."
Illidan only gave a puzzled look and said "And that is?"
Shadi sadly said "The visions keep changing."
Illidan only looked at Shadi and said "What do you mean they keep changing?"
Shadi slowly said "They change. She has looked five times so far. Out of five times, she has seen you facing Gozaburo two times. The other three times, she has seen three different people facing Gozaburo. One of the others is the pharaoh. Another is the one you call Marie. The …"
Illidan quickly interrupted, saying "Hold on! You mean Marie was in her vision!"
Shadi silently nodded, saying "Yes, I do. The final other one was Marik Ishtar, another item holder. He holds the Millennium Rod."
Illidan only looked up at the sky for a moment and then said "So, you're saying that it is possible that one of the four of us will win the tourney?"
Shadi shook his head and said "No, I'm saying one of the four of you all will face Gozaburo. She can not see the results of the duel though. So, you must do your best to try to win. It maybe destined that the pharaoh is to win though. She just isn't sure. But you must do your best to try to win."
Sighing, Illidan finally said "Alright, I will Shadi."
Shadi nodded and said "Thank you my young friend. It is getting late. I should go. Good luck, my young friend."
Illidan nodded and replied with "Thank you Shadi. And I promise to do all I can."
Shadi smiled and said "Good, cause the world will need you to. Good night."
With that, Shadi walked away from Illidan, leaving him there to contemplate all that had just been said. Illidan stood there for a moment, thinking to himself how this whole tournament now meant so much more than a cheesy title of world's strongest. It now meant the fate of the world would be decided. Finally, Illidan decided it was time to get home and sleep. Tomorrow would be a big day.