Thank you all for the wonderful reviews, and continuous support for this story. It makes me very happy to see that so many of you are interested in reading, and it pushes me forward to make this story as amazing and great as possible. I do hope that you all stay interested, and I do hope that I get more of your love. Thank you! I hope you like this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. So, without any further delay…

Enjoy!

Secrets Underground

Chapter 3

My eyes drooped shut as I tried to stare at the television screen, listening half-heartedly to what the people on screen were saying. Sitting on the couch and trying to keep my mind busy was proving to be difficult since it was just so hard to watch TV when the language wasn't in Japanese, or English. It seemed to me that if I wanted to pursue Archaeology and still be able catch up on the world, I may have to start learning Arabic because I just couldn't understand what anyone was saying.

Flipping through the channels, I finally gave up and stopped on what seemed to be a news channel, then tossed the remote away and propped my bare feet up on to the coffee table in front of me. I groaned, rubbing my eyes with my hands before moving them away to blink a couple of times. I was becoming lazy, and that was something I refused to let happen to me. There had to be something productive for me to do to help pass the time. A good book would suffice, but, what kind… Ah ha!

Getting up quickly, I walked through the small hotel and into our shared bedroom, and began to search for those books Grandpa had told me about before he left two days ago. He had tons of books filled with information about Pharaoh Aknamkanon and the history of those before him, so it wouldn't hurt to read them. Now that the thought dawned on me, I wondered why I hadn't thought of doing so before. Learning about Egypt was my life! It should have been the first thing on my mind when I decided to just stay home.

As soon as I made it into the bedroom, I scratched my head with confusion as I scanned the messy room for Grandpa's suitcase. He had all his favourite books in there, so it would be a good place to start looking. Walking up to the white sheeted bed, I glanced underneath and pulled out the olive coloured suitcase. "Please be in here…" I mentally begged.

Since Grandpa was away on the dig with the group for the past two days, it was up to me to find where the books were hidden in the huge mess. If I couldn't find it, well, I would have to wait until he called me. He would be too busy to even talk to me right now, if I called, because they were getting closer to figuring out what's behind that mysterious door. Luckily he called me a couple of times a day because I had left him pretty shaken up when I had went with them on the first day. I've never seen him look so alarmed and worried. Pausing my search through the suitcase, I closed my eyes and cringed as the memories surged forward.

I had never screamed and cried as much as I did that day, nor have I ever felt so scared. It frightened me so much that I refused to return to the tomb no matter how much and how long Grandpa, Kevin, and Sabrina stayed behind and tried to assure me that what I saw was probably just my imagination. That was impossible though. I know what I saw, and it was very much real. Too real.

I grinned when I finally spotted them, and I dropped the shirt that was in my hand on to the floor and quickly grabbed the books which were buried at the bottom. There were four books, so one by one I took them out and packed one on top of another in the crook of my left arm. Standing up, I shifted the books to get a better grip. They were big, so I had to hold them while I carefully walked back to the living room.

It was all terribly confusing. And the biggest part of all was that robed man who was the cause of all my stress. Who was he anyways? What did he want? And, what did he mean by, "he's waiting"? Who's waiting?! And why did he want me to go? I clenched my eyes shut, feeling a dull, painful throb in my brain. Great. A migraine. Just what I needed.

My eyes snapped open and my heart shot up to my throat when I heard a loud thud on the floor, but now that I wasn't clenching my eyes shut I realised that it was I who caused the sound. I had seemingly dropped the books where were probably slipping off of each other without me knowing since I was thinking too much instead of concentrating on what I was doing.

I inhaled and exhaled deeply before slowly getting down to one knee to pick them up. If I just stayed here in the hotel, I wouldn't be able to see, or think about seeing the robed man again. Besides, I had disrupted the crew's work enough already. They were on the verge of a huge discovery and I don't want to be a thorn in their side which was stopping them from achieving their goal.

Shaking the thoughts out of my mind, I took a few more deep breaths and made my way back to the couch after dodging all the papers and piles of books that were scattered around the place. Flopping down, I put the books on the coffee table and grabbed the book on top of the pile. I was alone, but thankfully the sounds from the TV made up for the loss of noise, filling up the eerie quiet.

With the book on my lap and both my hands resting on the brown, hard cover, I couldn't stop myself from leaning my head back on the couch and allowing my eyes to slip shut. Now that I was finally relaxing, I emptied my mind. My entire body slowly loosened from their stiff posture, and I just allowed myself to drift off into the darkness. A content smile graced my face, and just when I thought that all my worries were gone, a flash of gold exploded and disappeared behind my eyes.

Immediately I stiffened and tried to open my eyes, but it felt as if I was frozen in place. My eyes wouldn't open, and my body just refused to move. Shouts of men and the hiss of a whip smacking on something rang through my ears while flashes of different scenes took over my mind. Sand was seen for miles, but then the images changed into something more specific. The vision switched to a tanned face where a smirk played on the person's thin lips. Hair like lightning bolts clouded my view, making me see stars, and red, thick blood was splattered everywhere.

Desperately I tried to open my eyes, but they were still held shut. I could feel my body struggling, only to be magnetically pulled back to the chair, locking me in place. It was as if someone wanted me to stay here, to watch these visions. They didn't want me to try to break away from this hellish nightmare because no matter how much I struggled, my eyes couldn't open. I couldn't make a single sound even though my face was twisted into fear, and even if my heart pounded against my chest like a ramming post against a door.

I watched unwillingly as the smirk of the person disappeared and transformed into a fearful cry, and crimson eyes shooting open in terror. Blood was strewn across closed eyelids with thick lashes, marring the tanned skin, and it was then when I finally bolted up from the couch, breathing heavily, my blue t-shirt soaked with sweat. Now that my eyes were wide open and the dream was gone, I raised my hands and clenched them tightly as they trembled. My body shook, absolutely petrified by what I just saw, and I slouched forward and buried my face into my hands which were propped up on my knees.

"What's happening to me?" I asked myself shakily, struggling to control my erratic breathing.

Pulling my face away from my hands, I stared into my palm for a short moment before dropping my gaze to the floor. I sniffed and brushed my hand through my hair in hopes that it would calm me down. It helped a little, but it only gave my brain the opportunity to raise tons of questions.

"What was that? Why did I have such a vision? What was it about?!" I knew I would get no answer, and that thought scared me even more. It was all just too strange. If I didn't get an explanation as soon as possible, I was pretty sure that I would go insane. First of all though, I needed to calm down.

Moving the book off of my lap and on to the couch, I got up and slowly inched my way to the kitchen after I picked up the remote and turned the TV off. I was feeling lightheaded all of a sudden, so I was forced to hold on to the walls for support as I moved. Once I reached the kitchen, I went to the fridge and pulled the door open, taking out the jug of cold water that was inside. Wiping sweat off my upper lip, I poured some water into a glass and leaned my body against the cupboard, feeling even more exhausted than before. My heart was beating so fast that it felt as if I had just ran a marathon.

Squeezing my eyes shut and shaking my head once, I took a gulp of water, feeling the cold liquid run down my throat and into my stomach. I was starting to feel even hotter than before now. Drinking all the water, I went to the sink and turned the cold water on and splashed my face with it. I used the icy cold water to wipe my neck and arms, and I just kept on repeating it until my hair was almost soaked. Breathing deeply, I was about to throw some more water on my face when I froze. I watched uneasily as the water poured out from the tap and spiraled down the drain, the rushing water and the beating of my heart the only thing I could hear. Taking deep breaths to calm myself as I started to lose my composed self again, I gripped the sink tightly.

Someone was behind me.

The first thing that I thought of was the presence of the robed man, and as soon as the thought crossed my mind, I grabbed a long knife that was lying next to the sink and spun around with it raised to attack. Only problem was that there was no one there.

Trembling, the knife fell from my hands since I loosened my grip, and it clattered to the wooden floor. In disbelief I too dropped, my knees hitting the surface before I could process anything. I just sat there in shock, feeling tears welling up behind my eyes when I realised that I was just being delusional. I was still terrified. Nothing had changed. Bringing my hands to my forehead, I brushed my hair back fretfully. "What's wrong with me?!" I mentally screamed.

This place, this place was messing with my mind. The more I stayed here the more I would go crazy, or seem to go crazy. I haven't had a single good night's sleep for the past few days, and just when I thought things were getting better they spiralled even more out of control as soon as I closed my eyes. Literally. Maybe I should just go back to Domino. Hopefully then I'll be able to forget about all of this. Yes. I'll just go home and forget about this entire trip.

My head snapped up when a cackle was heard coming from the living room. It wasn't laughter. It was the sound of the television. And to prove it, I heard excited voices coming from the box. But, how could that be? I had turned the thing off when I got up.

Shaking, feeling extremely nervous, I slowly got back up to my feet. My eyes didn't move from the direction of the living room and as I began to walk with my eyes trained on the back of the couch, I heard the excitement of the voices getting higher and words spilling out of whoever's mouth even faster. I didn't understand a word of what they were saying, but I was able to see the TV from beside the couch. With my eyes on the screen, I didn't need anyone to tell me what was going on. The images explained everything.

On the screen, it was easy for me to identify where they were at. They were in the Valley of the Kings, very close to where the tomb of the Nameless Pharaoh was. The person, a man, was talking very quickly as he probably explained what was going on, and it was then when I leaned closer to take a look having seen an English headline roll across the bottom of the screen.

STONE SLAB HAS BEEN UNCOVERED IN THE TOMB OF THE NAMELESS PHARAOH.

I held my breath as a pre-recorded video of the said slab was shown, and it was then when all the blood in my body turned to ice. The slab was huge. They showed a long shot of the stone, but as they zoomed in closer I saw many, many pictures carved into the thing. Three images that looked to be monsters were on it, and there were two people, each with a distinct monster over their head. The person on the left looked to be a priest of some sort, but the person on the right… I gulped deeply, my vision returning to my mind.

The person depicted on the right side of the slab looked a lot like the person in my nightmare. Spikes like lightening bolts shot out of his head, golden bangs in my vision, and fierce eyes that were revealed in my dream to be blood red. And, now that I could see this person fully, I shivered when I grasped the fact that the person looked like a striking image of myself. I unconsciously touched my hair as I stared at the person on the screen. It was impossible. It was too real, and too much to be just a coincidence. Was that it? Was that what they found in the hidden room? I began to step backwards, my eyes still glued on the screen. It can't be real.

Ring~ Ring~

I jumped, my insides feeling as if they were going to spill out of my mouth when the sound of the phone scared the living daylights out of me. I stumbled over to the phone, and with shaky hands I picked the receiver up. Somehow I found my lost voice because I answered very hesitantly, my throat suddenly scratching.

"H-Hello?" I stuttered, still unable to hide the fear that was layered thickly over each syllable.

"Yugi! My boy, you wouldn't believe what we had uncovered!"

I slouched against the wall, relief flooding my system as I realised that it was only Grandpa who had called. Managing to break into a smile, I shut my eyes momentarily before responding.

"Yeah, I was just watching the news. So you guys managed to open up the door, huh?"

"Yes, Yugi! It was incredible! That was why I was unable to call you. We've been so busy around here. I managed to break away to give you a call and tell you the good news, but you found out all on your own!" he chuckled lightly and I could practically imagine him standing on the other end, shaking his head as he laughed.

"So, Grandpa, what is the slab about?" I asked, trying to sound as calm as possible so that I wouldn't worry him.

First I have that freaky vision, and then I find out minutes later that the slab found in the place where I had seen the robed man had the person in my vision on it. They all connected too easily. It was so strange that I suddenly had the urge to find out everything about it. Who was that person I saw on the slab and in my vision. That was my main concern. Was the person on the slab and in my vision the Nameless Pharaoh? And if so, how? How was that even possible? No one has seen his face before, and no one knew who he was until just now! It was all making my head hurt. I hoped none of this connected to the robed man.

"There are two people on the slab. The one on the right is the Pharaoh, and the one on the left is his cousin, Set, who was the Pharaoh after him! Yugi, I'm telling you. We've hit it! We've made history!"

As soon as Grandpa said that, once more the vision popped into my mind and I felt all my blood drain down to my legs. I had a vision of the Pharaoh? The Pharaoh?! No, this was way too crazy to even try to process. I just had to be dreaming. This entire day, I had to be having an awful nightmare. Unfortunately for me it was no nightmare. It was real.

Grandpa continued. "Their names were carved at the bottom, that's how we knew about Set, but, the one on the right, his name was scratched off. It's just an assumption as of now, but we're pretty darn sure that the person there is the Nameless Pharaoh. What else could explain his name being gotten rid of?"

I nodded, gulping deeply, my entire body trembling once again. "Th-That's great, Grandpa. It's incredible."

"It is! Yugi, my boy, I wish you were here to see it. It's so fascinating once you see it up close. There are hieroglyphs everywhere. You would be a great help in deciphering it."

Overwhelmed, I felt tears slipping down my face as I clenched my eyes shut, my hand gripping the phone. "G-Grandpa, I-I can't…"

A pause. "Don't tell me you're still afraid, Yugi? I swear, everything is fine. There's nothing to be afraid about! Please-"

"N-No!" I pleaded, and a sob unleashed from my mouth. It was then when I knew that I couldn't hide it for any longer. "I-I can't stay here anymore!"

"Yugi? Yugi, are you crying? Please, calm down, stop crying. Everything will be fine."

"No, they won't. Grandpa, they would just get worse. I can't stay here. I'm…" I took a deep breath before just saying it. "I'm leaving. I'll book a flight for tonight, and go back home. I just can't take this anymore. I'm too scared. I'm scared that I'm losing my mind the more I stay here."

"Yugi, please, wait. I'll come home and we'll talk about this. Don't do anything rash, please wait. I'll be home as soon as I can, okay? And we'll talk about it."

He sounded concerned and very worried, and I almost felt bad that I wanted to just pack up and leave all of a sudden. But, I knew that this was what I had to do. I would going to go insane if I stayed here for much longer. I couldn't hide and continue being afraid. Hopefully once I left the country, everything will go back to normal.

"I'll be leaving tonight," I said firmly, and it was then when I stopped my pacing to look up, only to drop the phone in shock. Before me stood the robed man, staring directly into my eyes with those hypnotising orbs of his.

"He's waiting. He's been waiting for so long," the man said, approaching me slowly. I couldn't move. I was rooted to the ground, breathing erratically, my mind shattering on the inside from fear as I stared at him, horrified.

"No…" I whispered, taking a tiny step back. "No, no, stay away from me!" I shouted, and with another step I found myself backed up into another wall.

"You can't leave. He's been waiting long enough for you. You have to go. The Nameless Pharaoh is waiting for you." And without blinking nor changing his tone at all, the man reached out to grab my arm. Before he could touch me though, my eyes rolled back and I crumpled to the ground, my vision being plunged into darkness, Grandpa's voice the last thing I heard, and the robed man's face looking down at me the last thing I saw.

"Yugi? Yugi!"

And there we go! Another cliff hanger (I think) for another awesome chapter. Did you like it? I liked it! Was "the robed man's" presence okay? Was everything believable? Was the chapter good according to you? How do you like it? Please tell me by leaving a lovely review. I will certainly reply, and I will try to update again soon.

Keep on enjoying! There's more exciting things to come.

Bye!