Hey everyone. Yes, finally, I updated. I am so sorry keeping you waiting for so long, and for making you think that I have abandoned this story. Also, I know I said I would hopefully update by the end of the weekend, but didn't. I'm sorry. I was sick, (still am) and then school started, and then I was super tired because I was out for an entire week trying to get my life back together… My world was too chaotic for fanfiction. Deep apologies for making you all wait so long. But, I am back and I'll try to update again as soon as I can. Hopefully you won't have to wait for almost a month again.

Anyways, please enjoy the story, and thank you all so, so much for all the love and support you've been giving me. I really, truly appreciate it. :)

RESPONSE~

i - Thank you once again. I fixed up chapter seven to the best of my ability, so I hope it is better. I will try to keep the "search and find" thing in my head as the story goes on because it does make a lot of sense and I want this fanfic to be as enjoyable as possible. I do want us all to explore Ancient Egypt with Yugi, and I agree that there should be a balance with fiction and non-fiction. :) As for chapter five, haven't touched that much yet. Will let you know when I finish re-editing it. But, thank you so much for all your help. Once again, it is really appreciated and your suggestions are taken into account.

Enjoy everyone!

Secrets Underground

Chapter 8

With my eyes locked on the village, I half ran and half jogged along the edge of the sandy cliff to find a lower or less steep hill to slide down to get to the bottom. I needed to see this village up close because I just couldn't believe my eyes. It was so unbelievable to even begin to make sense of. Was I truly sent back in time? My stomach did flops as my eyes went back to the huge palace the loomed over the town, and each time I looked at it the more scared yet excited I got as it confirmed what I was seeing. There was a golden-like palace right before my eyes! There was an ancient Egyptian village just a short distance away! Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that I could have a chance to see how these people lived. Never. Yet, possibly, here I was.

Using the back of my hand I wiped away the bead of sweat that rolled down the side of my forehead, and smiled triumphantly when I finally spotted a less threatening cliff to go down. To find it did take me quite a while, and it did take me a bit farther from the village, but it was the only way to get off the cliff without injuring myself. Tucking the necklace away into the inside of my jacket and holding it tightly, I jumped down and skidded down the sandy hill towards the bottom. The hot sand pierced my skin as I suddenly lost my balance and stumbled, falling and then sliding the rest of the way down on my side since I miscalculated how steep the hill was. Thankfully it wasn't too bad and I landed at the bottom with just a few scratches here and there. With sand now coating my body, I stood up and brushed my pants and t-shirt off before looking up to squint into the distance to see the palace standing tall, the scorching sun burning down on everything.

I let out a dry cough as dust floated around me from my fall, and without waiting a second longer I picked up my jacket from the ground and began to make my way back to the village. I had some idea as to what I would expect once I got there, but I couldn't be sure. Now that I was here, this could possibly be a make or break of all the facts and discoveries archaeologists had found throughout the years. We learned how they lived through the murals they left behind which could be found in many tombs. We were able to read hieroglyphics, their now dead language. We've seen their furniture, their books, we've translated all that we could find. We uncovered their homes, palaces, temples, explored the tombs, seen the pyramids… We knew and saw so much, but there could and is so much more that we do not know or haven't seen before.

The Nameless Pharaoh's tomb that I had discovered –after Shadi pulled me in- was a perfect example and one huge mystery that proves that there is much we as archeologists still aren't aware of. We've seen many tombs that were all pretty similar structures, made with a similar layout underneath, guarding the deceased person's treasures. But it was only the Nameless Pharaoh's tomb that was different. What made it different? Another mysterious question would be the one concerning why magic was so abundant during his time when there were hardly any traces of it during King Tutankhamun's time, Khufu's time, Cleopatra's time, Khafre, and so forth. Just when we thought we found and seen it all, I manage to come across this.

Closing my eyes as I began to hear shouts from the village as I got closer, I sighed deeply before reopening them again. Grandpa and the others were searching the Nameless Pharaoh's tomb for a very long time, and I, I was just a newbie that was given this opportunity to see his tomb. Why? And then there's the deal with the curse, the prophecy, the spirits and the ghosts and the blood… It was all so different. I don't know how to handle this kind of situation. I've never studied what I should do when I come across these kind of stuff. So how could I possibly go into this village and expect to see the things we know, or think we know with such little knowledge although it may seem like a vast amount?

I slowed as I got to the edge of the village, and not wanting to allow anyone to see me yet, I hid behind a house. As soon as my hand made contact, I hissed and pulled back since it felt as if it was burning into my flesh. The sun was even hotter than I thought, and from feeling the surface alone, I could tell that it was made from mud that had dried for a very long time before being used to build this person's home. Although, I already knew that. Egyptians built their homes using mud which would be laid into bricks. They would leave it in the sun to dry, and once it was hard, they piled and stacked it to create their home. More mud is used to stack them together, and once everything was sun-dried, it was absolutely sturdy. Even the Egyptian palaces were created using mud because it was just easy to use and easy to find since the Nile runs so close by. The only difference was that the palace was bigger, grander, and created more extravagantly than the one storey homes in the village. Colours, wood, and valuable stones were even used to create the golden-like palace. Everyone was the same, only, the palace kicked it up a couple hundred notch.

Pulling my gaze away from the building that I was inspecting but ultimately hiding behind, I peeked out and took a long look at the sight in front of me. Villagers bustled about, moving from the stall to stall and shouting things that I couldn't make sense of with all the noise. Men and women all alike stood at their stalls selling what seemed to be fruits, bread, and barley, along with traces of wheat and fish. There was even pork and lamb available for people to buy. I watched with an interested smile as cattle was ushered down the street by a group of boys, and as I looked up my eyes began to follow one man who was pulling a donkey down the small, dusty road which was split up into smaller, thinner tracks that would no doubt lead a person even deeper into the village.

From everything that I've been observing so far, I could tell that we had gotten a little bit of the Egyptian life correct, especially the fact about how the Egyptian's cared a lot about how they adorned themselves. Even if they were poor and couldn't afford the fancy gold and silver things, their jewellery was still magnificent. Beads made from coloured pottery were used to create necklaces, earrings, rings, and bracelets which all ornamented women's neck, arms, and ears. It added a lot of colour to their simple, pleated, sheath dresses which were called kalasiris. These dresses were held up with one or two straps and worn all the way down to their ankles, grazing against their leather sandaled, but usually bare, feet. The men on the other hand wore a shendyt, a wrap-around skirt which was belted at their waist, and it was sometimes pleated at the front. The shendyt's used to be short up until around 1600 B.C., if I remember clearly, until it was worn longer. However, from the looks of how these men were dressed though seemed to show that the time period that I was in was somewhere around 1420 B.C. because some men were wearing tunics and long shendyts. Either way, one thing still remained throughout the years. Their makeup. Kohl around their eyes and colour mixed with animal fat around their lips, for the women. And now that I was thinking about their cosmetics, I could faintly smell the scent of henna leaves which were used like nail polish here in Egypt. Unlike nail polish though, henna stains the nail with a quite pretty orange colour. It fades a bit, but doesn't come off until your nails grow out and you cut them. Don't ask me how I know that though. The memory of Tea trying henna out for the first time and splattering it on Joey, Tristan and I was not something I wanted to return to. It took weeks for it to get off our arms and face.

I allowed a grin to break out on to my features when I noticed a group of kids run by, chasing each other with laughs and smiles, all covered in dirt. No matter the time period, boys would always be quite wild with their games. Just like any kind of sport, they would split up into teams, just trying as hard as they can to win and defeat each other. When it comes to games and Ancient Egypt, I could call myself an expert, but I had no time to ponder on that when I finally noticed the sky turning darker, and the shadows growing longer. It was a sure sign that night was approaching, and the people in the village seemed to have noticed this as well because women were beginning to gather their children and making them help to clean up, packing away the things that their husbands and fathers had farmed. One by one they were starting to trickle back into their homes, and my smile was wiped away when I noticed that built men, no doubt guards from the way they held sharp spears in their hands, come out and take formation at the end of streets. I stepped back cautiously and looked up into the sky anxiously, holding the wall of the side of the house as I began to think about the new problem I had to now deal with.

Worrying, I took another look at the sun when an orange haze enveloped the village. What should I do though? I can't stay the night outside. It's cold, dark, and most importantly it was the time when tomb robbers and thieves came out to do their dirty work. My heart thumped in my chest as I took another look around to see that almost everyone was gone. I couldn't possibly go up and ask someone to stay a night at their place. I can't speak their language, I hardly know them. And for one, I'm a complete stranger. I was a foreigner, and in Egypt, foreigners from other countries weren't accepted warmly so easily. I couldn't even blend in because I had pale skin, and clothes that would look otherworldly to them.

Back then, foreigners were exploited and just used to be dominated by the Pharaoh's and the higher ups. Of course, they weren't killed. They were just humiliated greatly so that the wealthy could prove their power over them. This continued on until the Middle Kingdom where foreigners were finally seen in a better light. They had status and was accepted into the community unlike the many before who had to struggle greatly to gain their respect. Sure, Egypt had ties with other countries like Nubia, Syria, Ancient Greece, but that wasn't until really later. And now, I'm still not sure as to whether or not I was safe to be seen. I may be in 1420 B.C., but I just couldn't remember during what time Egypt became better with outsiders. I clenched my fists, frustrated with myself. Now my little knowledge and small amount of experience was starting to show itself: my lack of ability to get the years to correspond with my other knowledge. It may seem as if it was the first few things I should have learned, but it was something I struggled with greatly. As for now though, I would have to be very careful. If I was spotted and I wasn't in the "good" times, I could be captured instantly.

Gazing around, desperately trying to find somewhere to stay even though it was clear to me that it would be impossible, I took a look behind me only to stare with surprise. Riding up towards the village were three familiar looking men, on horseback, coming straight towards me. With my heart dropping down to my stomach and my chest pounding fiercely, I ducked down behind a stack of clay pots that were stored in a corner and just froze from fear. I clenched my teeth and stared at the men with wide eyes as they entered the village. They were the same people I had seen race by when I was at the Nile, and now that I could see them better, they looked to be nobles. One of them looked like a priest actually from the way he was dressed. All were wearing fine linen with gold jewellery decorating their arms, hands, neck, legs and ears. I was unable to have a better look at their faces since they stopped once they entered the village, turned away from me. The important looking one with a blue coloured cloth on the front of his tunic, his headdress matching the blue of his tunic with what seems to be a gold emblem at the top. He was turned to face the other two, blocking their faces from sight as well.

Slowly I stood up and leaned a bit closer to get a better look at them, all the while trying to stay as calm as possible. One wrong move and I could be dead. Their horses shuffled from one foot to another, and I watched as they gained control of their steed with ease. They seemed to be conversing with each other, and I could sense that it was serious. I could feel tension radiating off of them all, but they were too far away for me to hear what they were saying to figure out what they were so worked up about. But even if I could hear what was coming out of their mouths, I doubt I would be able to understand a word of it. So, I just watched quietly and composed, until the one in the blue pulled out a familiar looking object to show to the other two, immediately causing all the blood in my body to turn to ice.

A whimper managed to escape my lips, and in just mere seconds I frantically searched the pockets of my jacket, only to see nothing. It was gone. The circular necklace with the five pointers I had was gone. It must have fell out during my tumble and I picked up my jacket and left without rechecking the pockets. They must have found it.

I stared at them as they inspected the object carefully, and trembling from worry and dread, wondering what was going to happen to me when or if they traced it back to me, I wasn't watching where I was going. I was snapped out of my trance when I knocked into the stack of pots in front of me, and just like that they crashed to the ground, shattering. Both of my hands went to my mouth from shock, and I just took one look up to see four pairs of eyes staring at me. One boy stood before me, pointing an accusing finger directly into my face, and daring to take a quick look at the man on the horse, my purple irises locked with the deepest colour of blue I had ever seen.

"Thief!" the boy shouted, and that was what got my brain going again. Not waiting for anyone else to react, I broke out into a run.

I forced my legs to go as fast as they could, and with the only close destination I knew in mind, I headed straight for the Nile. I took one glance behind me when I heard the sound of horses, and I inhaled sharply to see that they had begun to chase after me, all three of them. I pushed myself harder and in no time I reached the slope. I dashed up as fast as I could, using my hands to grip into the sand to pull myself up faster while digging the heels of my boots into the ground when I heard them get closer. From the back of my mind I heard someone shout, but with the way my blood was pounding through my skull, I didn't slow down a single bit. Hastily I scurried up and took off running yet again as soon as I got to the top. Since they were on horseback, surely it would be a bit more difficult for them to get up. However, I wasn't going to underestimate their abilities. I tried to go as fast as I could, and just like I had predicted, it didn't take them long to get up. I was just in time though because as soon as they started galloping towards me again, I stumbled my way down the side of a hill that led down to the riverbank of the Nile. I kept on turning back every few seconds to see if they were following me, and as I turned around when I ran down, I was unable to see where I was going, so it didn't take long for me to crash into something, or someone.

With a shout and shriek of surprise, I rolled down the side of the hill and I could feel the weight of someone on top of me, tumbling down with me. As soon as I hit the bottom, adrenaline took over once more and I slipped away from whoever fell with me. I took one quick look up at the top of the hill. My eyes shot open and instantly I swerved into the nearest bush to hide myself. With shallow breaths I watched from between the leaves as the man with blue eyes scanned the river. Luckily though I was quite a distance away, and probably well hidden, so a while later I viewed him with a held breath, cold sweat racing down my back as he turned around and sped away. I waited another moment just to make sure that they were truly gone, and as soon as I felt safe enough, I crawled out of the bush and flopped down on the sand, relieved, only to suddenly remember something that forced me to sit up rapidly and look around. Immediately my gaze fell on a girl.

She was sitting on her knees a short distance away from me and was rubbing her arms and wrist, inspecting herself with a small, irritated frown on her lips. She took no notice of me yet so I just sat still, unsure of what to do. It was my fault she was hurt after all, and no matter how important it was for me to get away, I couldn't bring myself to just leave her. Her brown hair was dishevelled, her short, pleated dress was a bit torn at the sides, and there was even a small scratch at her temple. To make it even worse, she seemed to be a scribe, or a noble of some sort due to the amount of gold she had on her wrists, dress, and around her neck. I gulped nervously, only to be startled when she shouted, not looking at me.

"My Prince! Why can't you watch where you're going? Ow, ow, that hurts," the girl mumbled as she touched her arm, but I on the other hand sat there, frozen and shocked out of my mind. Did I just, understand her?

"Priest Set had been looking for you all over! You are going to be in so much trouble. Your father has the entire palace upside down searching for you. Where have you been all day?" she yelled, and it was then when she looked up to stare at me. He olive green eyes went wide, and she too froze.

"You're, not, the Prince…" she said slowly, and somehow I managed to shake my head numbly. I could understand what she was saying?! How? How is that even possible?!

"Oh my, I am so sorry!" she said quickly, and in just a second she was up at her feet, taking quick steps back until she was a safe distance away. Not wanting to be the only one on the ground, I too stood up.

"I'm sorry," I said without thinking, and she just looked at me. "I… I wasn't paying attention to where I was going and…" I stopped, swallowing the rest of my words.

More awkward silence brewed between us as she just stood there, examining me from head to toe. I began to fidget nervously, and I bit my lip to stop myself from saying anything else. This was not good. Not good at all.

"You look, just like my friend," she finally said, and my head snapped up to look at her once again.

Friend? How could I look like her friend? Surely I had to be the only one with this kind of crazy hairstyle, unless… Wait a minute. She called me "Prince" just a while ago. Does that mean…

"Do I look like your friend, the Prince?" I ask hesitantly, still not sure if she can understand me, and I watched with wide eyes as she nodded cautiously after a while.

So, she was able to understand what I was saying, and I was able to understand her. How could that be? Her words sound like English to me, and then there's the fact that she's understanding every word that I'm saying. How?! Did Shadi have something to do with it? Did he send me back in time? Was this how I was supposed to follow my "destiny"? Surely there's some kind of magical source at work here. This was all just too unreal for me. Putting a hand to my head as I felt a headache coming on, I stared at the sand only to look up when the girl replied to my question.

"I'm not supposed to say, but yes. You do look like him. A lot, actually," she said, and she smiled warmly at me. Seeing her smile eased some of the worry in my heart, and out of habit whenever I meet someone new, I introduced myself without thinking properly.

"My name is Yugi," I said, and I watched as she bobbed her head in understanding, the quickly darkening sky making her eyes light up.

"Yugi? Well, that's a strange name." She stopped for a short moment. "Are you a foreigner? You don't look like you're from here," she then asked, and the weight of the worry I had just taken off slammed right back into me. Not being able to lie at this point, I just nodded.

"Yes, I guess I am," I said. "Now you'll probably take me to the authorities…" I muttered regretfully, staring back at the sand with dismay only to be startled yet again when I heard her let out a short chuckle.

"The authorities? Why would I do that? You're not a criminal," she said, only to suddenly hear her voice turn grave. "Right?" she asked slowly, and noticing and fearing the little grim look in her eyes, I shook my head furiously.

She shuffled back a step at my response, and I heard her give a little hum of approval before looking back at me. "Well, I don't know where you're from, but trust me, we aren't going to have you captured or anything. We're not like the old times, if that's what you're worried about since it's pretty clear that you haven't come here before." She crossed her arms to stare at the sand, no doubt thinking deeply to herself. However, as soon as she brought her hands to the front of her, I noticed the thing she was holding tightly in her grasp. It kind of looked like a wand. It was blue with a yellow sphere at the bottom, two pink rings at the base of the blue rod, and a small yellow spiral at the head. I stared at it with an unreadable expression on my face. Was that a real, magical wand?

"Our Pharaoh is a great and powerful man. He rules Egypt with vigor, honor, and we all respect him momentously for his high interest in the prosperity of the land. He may be harsh at times, but he's no fool when it comes to the rules and regulations that needs to be followed in order to keep his kingdom and those who inhabit it safe. He's respected throughout, and he values peace, a reason as to why he shares no enmity with any neighbouring countries, nor does he like excluding anyone from our village," the girl continued seriously, and I could see the look of pride and determination in her eyes. "He's very kind, so please, do not be afraid, mister Yugi. You're safe here."

From the way she described the current Pharaoh in this time period, it sounded a lot like Pharaoh Aknamkanon. Agreed, we don't know a lot about him, but he did rule for quite a long time. The things she said were traits of how generous and kind he was as a ruler of Egypt, and especially the part about his immense power and authority. Pharaoh's were indeed kind of like walking Gods to the Ancient Egyptian's, but when it came to Pharaoh Aknamkanon, he was the most cherished of all. I took another glance at the wand in the girl's hand. If this was his time, then it does explain her wand. It was, in fact, during his time when magic began to be used profusely.

"Mana!"

I snapped out of my thoughts and suddenly looked up with fear as I heard the cold voice shout out, and a sweat rolled down my cheek as I stared up at the blue eyed man that towered above me. Instinctively I started to slowly take steps back.

"What's wrong?" I heard the girl, Mana, asked me, and I swallowed deeply before responding.

"Those people, they were chasing me. That's why I ran and bumped into you, and, and now they're back," I explained hurriedly, and just when I was about to dive back into the bush, I felt her grab my arm.

"Hey, it's just Priest Set. No need to be so scared," she explained to me, and I heard her make an amused sound. I turned to look at her before cautiously looking up to see the blue eyes boring into my own yet again.

"He's glaring at me," I whispered fearfully to her, and from the corner of my eye I watched Mana wave at him.

"Don't worry. There could only be two reason's as to why he's following you," she said. "He either mistook you for the Prince since he was after all sent out to look for him. Or…" she sighed and shook her head, "he knows that you're a foreigner and he's just curious. He loves learning about other people, so seeing your light coloured skin probably surprised him."

I nodded to myself unsurely. I still didn't know if I should trust him. He was cold, and as soon as I locked eyes with him, I just felt afraid. But of course. It was natural for me to be terrified of this man. I looked back up to see him signalling Mana. He glanced at me before turning back to her, his hand raising to point towards the village. I just stared, knowing exactly who he was. "He was Priest Set during this time, and he would eventually become Pharaoh. Pharaoh Set, the one who ruled after the Nameless Pharaoh." I looked at Mana, watching as she scowled up at Set, probably by what he was telling her. "The Nameless Pharaoh is her friend." I looked on until he galloped away, the two men also on horses following him as he left.

"Well, it looks like I have to head home now," Mana told me, her arms raising to touch the sky as she stretched and then let out a yawn. She sighed and took a look up at the sky that was slowly turning from dark blue into black, stars already beginning to litter the sky like ants. "Besides, we should get going," she continued. "It's not safe here, especially at night." I looked around, the silence echoing around me. It was quiet. Very quiet. The only sound was the Nile splashing against its bank, and ever so faintly I could hear rattles. Of what? I really didn't want to find out.

"Let's go," Mana said, and I followed her back up the slope. I looked at her, curious as to who Mana actually was. What was her status? I've never heard of her before, so it was unclear to me if she played some vital part to the history of this time period. She had to be important though because she knew Pharaoh Set, and the Nameless Pharaoh, two very important and fascinating people during this time.

"How do you know him?" I asked, my feet now starting to ache from all the walking, running, and climbing I had to do, but I looked at her, the need of hearing her answer and expression more important than worrying about my pain.

"I'm a magician," she confessed, turning to look at me, and my eyes widened, my theory of magic just being confirmed. "Well, a magician in training." She paused. "I was here practicing for the last few hours. I'm not very good yet, but I'm trying my hardest. Hopefully one day I shall stand in line with the priests in the Pharaoh's court, helping to protect the village. Just like my teacher," she vowed to herself, and I looked on as she held her wand to her chest with the same look in her eyes when she told me about the Pharaoh. Truly, she was very loyal to her village, and the Pharaoh.

"I'm sure you'll get there," I said quietly, making my way over the sand carefully while trying to dodge the holes and piles of sand in the dark that was formed due to the wind. We were almost back at the village, and although I met someone, it doesn't solve my problem of what I was going to do for the night. I could ask her, but, we just met. However, what choice did I have?

As we neared the village, I could see someone on horseback holding a torch, and looking closely I saw that it was Set, watching us intently. I stepped behind Mana, not sure how I was going to face him. I've seen his tomb, seen his dead body on display in the museum in Cairo… it was too surreal. How could I possibly look at him without crumbling?

"Thank you, Set," Mana started, and she walked up to him with her expression showing nothing but respect. "Did you manage to find the Prince?" she asked, and at the question Set just grumbled, shot me another look, and then turned around and began to trot away. I watched Mana who sighed and shook her head sadly to herself. Thinking that she was just going to leave, she turned back to me.

"Do you have somewhere to stay?" she asked, and I mentally cheered. I shook my head.

"No. I… I arrived today. I don't know anyone here and-" I began to stutter. Lying wasn't really my cup of tea. However, Mana just smiled knowingly.

"It's alright. I think I know somewhere that you could stay. You seem to be a nice person so I'm sure they won't mind having you with them."

"Thank you so much, Mana," I said gratefully, and she just nodded.

"It's no problem at all. Come, I'll take you to them. He's a farmer, his wife's a baker, and they're the ones who supply the palace with food. I know him pretty well and he's very trustworthy too. You're in good hands with him. Plus, he has a son. He's a bit younger than you, but I'm sure you'll all get along just fine," Mana assured.

"So, um, did Set, I mean, Priest Set locate the Prince?" I asked hesitantly, and I watched as Mana shrugged.

"I'm not sure. He didn't say, but I guess I'll go and find out. If Pharaoh Aknamkanon is still yelling about his missing son and Queen Ankhhi is tensed until she's falling ill, then no. I guess they did not. But, this is normal in the palace," she admitted, and I watched as a small frown appeared on her face, her gaze falling to the floor to stare at it forlornly. "The Prince disappears every so often, exploring the village and the deserts when he's supposed to be doing his lessons. He's the next one in line for the throne after his father, and it worries people to see that he's not taking it as seriously as he should. And, although we don't talk a lot or even see each other most of the time, I am the first to be asked as to where he could be. Sometimes blamed as well," Mana told me, and I nodded in understanding.

The Nameless Pharaoh didn't sound evil. Just, very adventurous and like any other boy. Then again, what exactly is he doing out all day? Where is he? And, how old is he anyways? I shuddered, the image of his tomb returning to my mind and the blood red irises of his eyes boring holes inside my skull. The smirk that played on his lips in my first vision was still burned in my memory, and the splatter of blood on his face didn't help put me at ease either. Just what am I supposed to do?

"Are you okay? You seem tense," Mana asked, concerned, and she stopped to knock on a wooden door.

I didn't reply to her. I just watched half-heartedly as the door opened up and a man welcomed her, and listened only for a short moment as she began to explain to him that I needed somewhere to stay. His brown eyes looked up and down at me, but eventually he smiled and nodded his head.

"Okay, I'll be going now," Mana said to me, and I watched as she waved and left. I looked on for a bit as she walked away, and my eyes slowly trailed up to look at the palace that loomed over me in the distance. I took a deep, shaky breath. I wasn't dreaming. This was all real. This was really happening to me. I'm in Ancient Egypt during the reign of Pharaoh Aknamkanon, saw the future Pharaoh, and I'm probably only steps away from the Nameless King. This was all, ninety-nine point nine percent real.

My eyes wavered as I took a last look back at the palace before turning around to give a small smile to the man who looked at me, ushering me into his home. I stepped in and looked around with a somewhat heavy heart. It wasn't because it was staying with him for the night. No. It was because of my situation. I'm in a strange land with strange people, in a place where I don't belong. It's exciting and all, but I couldn't bring myself to be thrilled. This was serious, dangerous, and just being here only made me afraid of the days to come.

So there. The end of the chapter. How do you like the new characters? Were they okay? How about the chapter? -sigh- I tried my best. I added a lot of facts about Ancient Egypt, I think I expanded and talked about almost everything that I possibly could. I hope that there isn't too much repeats, and that things aren't happening too quickly. I feel as if I introduced Mana too quickly in the story, and made Yugi aware of her connection with Atem too fast. I don't know. Tell me what you think. If you see anything out of place of have any feedback, please let me know. It really means a lot to me.

Oh, and i, I've listened to you and tried to add as much history as I can. I just imagined what you would advise me, and just did it before uploading. Search and find. That's what this story is about. I hope there was searching, and Yugi finding. :)

Anyways, review everyone! The story is heading in a very wonderful direction. I will try my best to update soon. Thank you so much for the support. Luv you all.

Bye~