The sun beat down mercilessly upon the witnesses of the upcoming duel, bringing sweat to their brows and casting their opposition in sharp relief. On one side of the temple courtyard stood the priests of Memphis, and on the other, the royal envoy. In the center of this makeshift arena, Metjen and Aknamkanon stood face-to-face, laying out the terms of the duel. Behind them, Atem had to strain his ears to pick up the contents of their conversation.
"This will be a clean duel," the Pharaoh decreed. "Under no circumstances will the duelists themselves be targeted."
"Fine," Metjen agreed. "But you must promise one thing in return, Pharaoh. Neither you nor any of your fellow duelists may use the power of your Millennium Items. We duel only with the might of our own ka."
Atem watched as a bead of sweat streaked down the side of his father's face. A moment passed, then the Pharaoh nodded. "Name your duelists."
Metjen looked back at his followers. "I call on my children to support me — Satiah and Metka, come forth!"
The nomarch's children exchanged looks, then came to stand beside their father. A moment later, however, they were tailed by the white-haired priest Atem had seen earlier. He jogged forward and kneeled before Metjen.
"Noble nomarch," he said. "Please, let me join you and your children in this battle. I promise to defend you against your accusers."
Metjen smiled. "You are brave, young Bakura," he said. "I would gladly have you by my side, if the Pharaoh will allow it."
Metjen looked back at Aknamkanon, who inspected Bakura briefly before nodding. As Bakura stood, a wicked smirk came to his face; the sight of it caused Atem to shudder where he stood. The Pharaoh then turned to where his envoy stood gathered behind him. "I name Mahad, Tefnak — and Atem to join me in battle."
Atem felt a bolt of fear run from the top of his head to the soles of his feet. His was the last name he would have expected to come from his father's mouth, especially when the powerful Sacred Guardians, Aknadin and Isis, were standing right beside him.
"Very well," Metjen said. "Let us prepare."
The nomarch returned to his Conclave of priests, and the Pharaoh did the same. Atem searched for his father's eyes, but the king had lowered them as he removed his Millennium Pendant. When he reached his envoy, he handed the Pendant to Isis, who clutched it tight, giving her king a solemn stare. Aknamkanon then placed his hands on Mahad's and Tefnak's shoulders - he didn't speak, but they understood him just the same. Both men gave nods of silent agreement before stepping forward to prepare for the duel. It was only then that the Pharaoh turned to Atem. He must have seen the fear in his son's eyes, for he bent to one knee and clutched Atem's shoulders.
"Remember what I told you, my son," his father whispered. "You have more courage than you know. I have faith in your abilities, and there is no one I would rather have at my side to help me settle this score."
Atem inhaled deeply to steady his ragged breaths, then gave his father one gallant nod. Satisfied with the silent exchange, Aknamkanon squeezed Atem's shoulders, then stood and moved out to where Tefnak and Mahad were waiting. Tefnak took his place at the far right of the courtyard; Aknamkanon stood beside him on his left, followed by Atem, with Mahad at the far left side of the arena. Across the way, their positions were mirrored by the nomarch and his family: Metka stood opposite Tef, flanked by Metjen, then Satiah, with Bakura in the leftmost position.
A silence fell over the audience, as if the gods themselves had turned their ears to await the coming battle. Out of the corner of his eye, Atem saw his father raise his hand, then, his voice rang out: "DIAHA!"
Eight streams of light cascaded into the temple courtyard as magic surrounded the duelists.
"I call upon the Servant of Ptah!" Metjen announced. Before him materialized a pale, humanoid figure with its arms crossed over its chest, standing in what looked like the bottom half of a golden sarcophagus. It took Atem only a moment to realize the figure was not pale, but rather it was wrapped in linen — mummified, with only its gaping mouth exposed.
"Come forth, Shieldmaiden of Sekhmet!" Atem's eyes were drawn to Satiah now, who summoned a surprisingly fearsome creature — a female warrior wearing the head and pelt of a lioness, crouched behind a broad shield, formed to resemble a sun disk with two moon disks above and below it. The Shieldmaiden brandished a long spear in her other hand.
"Defender of Nefertem, heed my call!" Metka's voice cried out, summoning forth a tall, slender humanoid with green-blue skin and piercing eyes as clear as the waters of the Nile. He held clutched in one hand an enormous bow made of twisted roots and vines. Upon his back was a quiverfull of arrows tufted with feathers in a rainbow of colors. The Defender wore leather armor similar to his master.
"Diabound, show yourself!" Last to summon for the rebels was the mysterious Bakura, whose ka was even more fearsome than its counterparts. Diabound was a pale, towering creature, with wings as white as an ibis and four times as large, sprouting from his back and his hips. His humanoid head was set with a crown of horns and a pair of black, glinting eyes, just like its master. But more terrifying than its top half was what lay below — from the bottom of the creature's torso sprouted a coiled, rearing snake, its fangs bared and pink tongue flicking in hunger.
Eager to meet his opponents, Tefnak surged forward and called upon his ka. "Go, Tomb Guardian!" A creature as tall as the walls of the temple appeared before Tef — a formidable warrior with the head of a ram and dressed in full gilded battle armor. The Guardian stood on back-bent legs with cloven hooves and carried a warhammer almost the length of his body. It snorted menacingly while readying the hammer in its hulking hands.
"Wise Sphinx, reveal yourself!" King Aknamkanon announced the arrival of his powerful ka — a creature with the body of a lion and the head of a man, though its true face was hidden behind a golden pharaoh's mask. The Sphinx sat proudly with its flicking tail curled around its front paws, which though covered in fur, appeared to have somewhat human-like fingers.
Beside Atem, Mahad stepped forward. "Magician of Illusion, come forth!" From the shadows, Mahad's ka revealed itself — a dark, ethereal spellcaster cloaked in violet armor and holding a pearlescent staff. It touched down lightly to the arena, then crossed its arms almost leisurely in anticipation of the action.
Taking his cue from his friend and mentor, Atem extended his hand, calling forth his own ka at last. "Go, Magician's Apprentice!" Robes of rich purple unfurled themselves, revealing a young man not unlike Atem in build and stature. He wore a collar guard and pauldrons similar to Mahad's Magician, but carried a spellbook instead of a staff.
With the last of the creatures summoned, an anxious stillness settled over the battlefield as each duelist sized up the others' ka. Atem blinked sweat from his eyes and swept his gaze across the line of monsters before him. It was easy to see whose was the biggest threat — Diabound towered over his companions, its snakelike tail coiled and ready to strike. Atem would bet anything that the rebels would want to use its might early and strike first. Would he be ready if Diabound chose to target his Apprentice?
Thankfully, Atem didn't have to wonder for long, for it was not the rebels who struck first, but Tef, who shouted: "Enough waiting! Tomb Guardian, strike their leader!"
Atem snapped his eyes to his right, just barely catching the flash of gold as the Guardian launched itself into the air and came down hard on Metjen's creature. There was a sound like metal on metal, and both of them were swallowed in a whirlwind of sand for a moment. When it cleared, Tefnak cried out in shock: instead of standing triumphant over his foe, the Guardian was face-to-face with Satiah's Shieldmaiden. Her warrior had forced her shield up to absorb the Guardian's blow as if it weighed no more than a feather. Atem thought he saw the creature smirk before she drew her free arm back and drove her spear into the Guardian's side. It cried out in pain before falling back a few paces to a safe distance.
Satiah laughed. "Foolish mistake," she said. "My Shieldmaiden can easily block such predictable and brutish attacks."
"And now, you've given us the perfect opening!" Metka cried. "Defender of Nefertem, loose your arrow!"
Atem braced himself as Metka's blue-skinned creature pulled a green-tufted arrow from his quiver, nocking it and loosing it in one smooth motion. Already injured, Tef's Guardian couldn't react in time — the arrow landed squarely in the open wound Satiah's Shieldmaiden had left.
The Guardian grunted in pain, but looked mostly unfazed. He lifted one hulking hand and ripped the arrow out before throwing it to the ground. "You'll have to do better than that," Tef said. "Your Shieldmaiden may be able to block physical attacks, but let's see her stop this!" Tef thrust his hand at his Guardian, who lifted his hammer and brought it down hard on the ground in front of him. Bolts of lightning erupted from the spot where the hammer struck the earth, traveling in jagged lines all the way across the battlefield. Miraculously, Metka's Defender managed to leap out of the way at the last moment, sending the bolts harmlessly into the wall of the courtyard.
It was Metka who laughed now, as Tef's Guardian suddenly doubled over, hanging its head and groaning in pain. "Poison," Metka explained. "My Defender may lack brute strength, but it will still send your ka to the afterlife all the same."
Tef clenched his fists in frustration. It was just then that an idea struck Atem.
"Don't worry, brother!" Atem cried. "Magician's Apprentice, use your healing magic on the Tomb Guardian!"
The Apprentice nodded and leapt across the battlefield to where the Guardian lay hunkered and writhing. The sorcerer muttered an ancient spell and held out his hand, drawing the poison from the Guardian into a ball of black light.
"No!" Metka exclaimed.
"And that's not all," Atem went on. "Apprentice, transfer that power to Mahad's Magician of Illusion!"
The Apprentice turned and flicked his hand, sending the dark energy into the chest of Mahad's creature, who first doubled over, then erected himself with a vigorous cry.
Mahad grinned at Atem. "Thank you, my prince," he said. "Now, Magician of Illusion! Attack… Diabound!"
The order took the rebels by surprise as the Magician sent his dark magic streaking across the field. Bakura did not have time to order his creature to dodge — the spell hit Diabound dead-on, lighting up the battlefield with clouds of black and violet.
When the smoke cleared, Atem felt his stomach turn: Diabound still stood, looking almost unharmed. The creature lifted one of his hands and wiped a trail of blood from the corner of his mouth and smiled.
"Pathetic," Bakura whispered. "Diabound, teach that silly jester a lesson!"
Diabound raised its arms, its snake-head raising with it, and sent out a powerful, twisting shockwave, which came to strike the Magician with full force. Mahad himself even had to take cover as the blast sliced through the air like an axe.
Atem grunted as the Magician fell to the ground, gravely injured. "Apprentice, heal your ally!"
"Not so fast!" It was Metjen who finally spoke, gesturing for his mummified creature to do his bidding. "Servant, show those pitiful sorcerers what the magic of the gods looks like!"
While Atem's Apprentice muttered his healing spell, the Servant of Ptah swept its arms in a wide circle, causing the very ground beneath its feet to rumble and crack. Suddenly, two huge boulders were pulled up from the earth, floating in front of the Servant as if suspended by invisible kites. Atem could only watch in horror as Metjen's creature flicked its withered hands forward and sent the boulders flying across the battlefield at the defenseless Apprentice.
Suddenly, an ear-piercing sound filled the arena, causing all the duelists to flinch in pain. When Atem opened his eyes, he looked over to see that his father's creature, the Wise Sphinx, had reached up and removed its pharaoh's mask. Beneath it was a void of swirling, spiraling shapes and lights, as if all the stars of the heavens lay within the creature's face. It was so mesmerizing that Atem almost forgot about the boulders hurling at his ka, and he had to dive out of the way to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
Grunting and rolling onto his back, Atem looked up, bracing himself for the carnage, only to gasp in shock — Satiah's Shieldmaiden had somehow been pulled from her side of the field and now stood guard over the Apprentice and Mahad's Magician, having successfully blocked the boulders with her impervious shield. When Atem looked closer, he saw the Maiden, too, had stars in her eyes — and Atem suddenly remembered the special ability of his father's ka.
"Hypnosis," Aknamkanon said. "Even the strongest creatures can easily fall victim to it."
Metjen gritted his teeth. Suddenly his son surged forward, pointing wildly. "How dare you steal my sister's ka!" he cried. "Defender, draw your bow!"
Metka's creature obeyed, pulling a yellow-tufted arrow from his quiver this time. He nocked it and drew it back, but instead of aiming it at his opponents, the Defender loosed it into high the sky. All eyes were drawn to it as it arced upward, then suddenly exploded into a flash of pure white, blinding everyone on the royals' side of the field.
Atem covered his eyes, reeling in pain and shock. Though he couldn't see, he heard as plain as day what was to happen next. "Diabound, now!"
Through blurred vision, Atem saw another shockwave streak across the field and strike his father's ka, sending it tumbling backward. Aknamkanon fell to one knee as his creature writhed in pain beside him from the full-force attack.
"Father!" Tef cried, and he rushed to his father's aid, but Aknamkanon held out his hand and struggled to his feet. Tef turned, and Atem had never seen such violence in his eyes. He swept his arm out toward his monster, screaming, "You'll pay for that, traitor!"
The Tomb Guardian responded instantly to his master's command, raising his warhammer high above his head. Again, he struck the earth with the force of a god's hand. The blast that followed streaked across the ground faster than a swooping falcon, colliding with Bakura's Diabound in a flash of green light. Atem squinted, and he thought his eyes were cheating him when the lightning was suddenly redirected and sent flying in violent arcs behind the feral creature, where the line of opposing spellcasters stood. Metjen dived to avoid it, taking Satiah with him. There was a sound like a war drum being struck, then silence.
When the smoke cleared, the first thing Atem saw was Diabound, hovering braced but unharmed above the battlefield. For just a brief moment, Atem thought he saw an ethereal shield of what looked like ghosts floating before the creature. But a blood-curdling scream drew his eyes away, down to where Satiah was lying on the ground, still clutched by her father. Satiah screamed again, pointing wildly over her father's shoulder and scrambling to free herself from his grasp.
Atem followed her finger, and his heart fell into his stomach at the sight of Metka's mangled body lying in a crater of burnt sand. Above it, the Defender of Nefertem stood rigid and still, its earthly body dissolving into the air, until finally, it disappeared completely.
With his son's ka gone, Metjen let slip a sound of utter agony, as if someone had just driven a spear through his heart. He released Satiah and crawled pitifully toward his son's body. Carefully, as if handling a newborn, he rolled Metka over and pulled him into his lap, brushing his son's hair from his lifeless eyes.
"No," Metka moaned, as Satiah came to join him. "No, no, no… Not my son… Not my son!"
Atem felt his throat start to tie itself in a knot, and instinctively, his eyes traveled to his own father. For just a moment, Atem glimpsed the same sorrow that wracked Metjen misting in the Pharaoh's eyes. But he blinked, and it was gone — replaced with resolute conviction.
Aknamkanon suddenly spun, walking to where Isis stood, dumbfounded, a few paces away. She jolted as he took the Millennium Pendant from her grasp. He then turned back to the battlefield and marched out into it, holding the Pendant high above his head. A flash of light blinded Atem temporarily, and when he opened his eyes again, all the monsters had gone, leaving nothing but the quiet stillness of sorrow drenching the hot sands.
The Pharaoh walked toward the grieving family, casting his shadow over them. Slowly, Metjen raised his gaze to his king, and Atem could clearly see the shine of tears in his eyes. What felt like an eternity passed as the fathers looked at one another, until finally, Metjen lifted his son and transferred him to the arms of his daughter. He then stood, coming within arm's reach of his king. For a moment, Atem thought they might strike each other down. But at last, Metjen lowered his head and fell to his knees before the Pharaoh. Sobs wracked his body as he reached up and removed the gold circlet from his head, casting it down at his king's feet.
Aknamkanon was silent for a long time, the Millennium Pendant swinging by his side. "I accept your surrender," he said, looking from the nomarch to the rest of his followers, now gathered around Metjen's fallen son. It was just then that Atem noticed the suspicious absence of Bakura. He must have fled when his creature disappeared, fearing the retribution about to be levied against his nomarch. "Never again will there be conflict between the crown and Ineb-Hedj," Aknamkanon went on. "As punishment for your treason, you will be stripped of your title, and you and your surviving kin will be henceforth forbidden to cast magic in the kingdom of Egypt."
Metjen looked up, his face wet with tears. "No!" he cried, bringing his hands together in a sign of prayer in front of him. "Please! Punish me, my king, but do not sentence my daughter to the same fate. She is innocent of these crimes — magic is her life—!"
"To ensure a lasting peace between Thebes and Memphis," Aknamkanon interjected, "and to make amends for the injury done to your family by this senseless act of violence … your daughter will be married to my youngest son, Atem."
At first, Atem didn't even register his father's words, his focus now turned to Satiah, whose body had been shuddering wildly since being told she could never cast magic again. It wasn't until Satiah's shoulders settled and her seething gaze drifted to Atem that he began to process the king's commandment.
"Their children will be untainted by your treason, and as such, their use of magic will not be restricted. When your new heir comes of age, they will be allowed to replace you as nomarch of Ineb-Hedj, preserving your family's noble heritage. Until that time, my High Priest Aknadin will preside as acting nomarch over these lands. He alone will have authority over those who are anointed to priesthood."
Atem could feel his heart beating in his throat as he looked over to where Aknadin stood, arms crossed. He looked almost pleased by the news.
"Come here, child," the Pharaoh commanded, pointing at Satiah. Atem could feel the fire in her eyes as she stared at her king. Carefully, she lowered her brother's broken body out of her lap and stood, walking forward and sinking to her knees beside her father. Aknamkanon then raised his hand, lifting the Pendant to hang above their heads. Though Satiah's face was still wet, no tears came to her eyes as she raised them to look at the glinting gold pyramid.
In a booming voice, Aknamkanon spoke a few sacred words, and the Pendant began to shine with its own light. A gentle rumble shook the courtyard, and Atem felt his stomach lurch before a pillar of light suddenly cascaded down from the sky and shined itself on Satiah and Metjen. Father and daughter clasped their hands together and flinched in pain as their ka were drawn agonizingly out from the tops of their heads. The Shieldmaiden and the Servant rose up into the pillar of spectral light, almost dissolving into nothingness before being sucked into the Eye of Wadjet carved onto the Millennium Pendant. A moment later, the pillar of light dissipated, and the traitors doubled over, heaving — their ka forever gone from the world of the living.
AN: Sorry for the long chapter! I really wanted to showcase each of the character's unique ka, while also preserving that emotional scene at the end. If you've made it this far, thanks for sticking with it, and hope to see you in the next installment!