[ELASTIC MEMOIRS OF A HUMBLE PRIESTESS/2] [5,000 YEARS AGO]
The darkness that the girl had grown so used to was gone. No longer did the air hang thick above her, so suffocating it was like trying to swim through sand. What was once a black veil that weighed her eyes down now forced her lids open at their bright, brimming colors. No matter which direction she reached out, there wasn't a rough, earthy wall to feel. Only smooth carvings and widely place columns.
The hole she was in now was completely different. It was like stepping into a different world - as if she had transcended into the afterlife. There was no place her eyes didn't - couldn't - wouldn't - wander. The figure of deities carved into the walls. Hieroglyphs. Stories. Tales grand enough for no less than the Pharaoh, none of which she could read. She squinted as if doing so would suddenly make her literate.
Each side of her had a guard attached to it. Neither of which had a face worth memorizing. Aside from one's sharp nose and one's boney cheeks, they were nearly the same. The same royal guard uniform, the same threatening looking spear, the same stern expression plastered on each of their faces.
This day was long overdue. Ever since the girl witnessed the terror of The Ka, she knew what her eventual fate would be. No matter what he told her about the nature of her Ka, it was only a matter of time until it too martyred for chaos.
That was the nature of monsters after all.
The guards ducted her through a door barely big enough to hold the three. 'They should enlarge that,' she thought, 'else a criminal could knock his guards against the frame and escape.'
With each step further into the Pharaoh's place, the decor became grander and grander. Great round columns held the ceiling so high up that one might hop on Ra's chariot from the top. Carvings were replaced by bright splashes of color. Suddenly the men depicted on its walls not only had shape; they had life. A pallet of color breathed movement into the hieroglyphs.
The woman let out a breath. What a way to go - trialed and destroyed inside these beautiful walls. It's golden gleams reflecting from her irises. She didn't deserve such a blessing.
That breath was soon sharply sucked back in when a large pot behind her moved. Well, not so much "moved" as shook in circles around its bottom rim, as if it something bumped it. Neither guard looked back, and the woman could only crank her neck far enough to catch the rear end of the wall. Only the clanking of the guard's armlets filled up the space of the hallway.
Then they reached a grand opening. Beyond it lay none other than Pharaoh Aknamkanon's throne.
As the door finished coming to a complete opening, she shifted her view from the room's long walls and empty balconies, to the people inside. Most of which were men, some large, some small. The first was somewhat tiny compared to his brethren as if age has started to shrink him. He was conversing with the Pharaoh, though that seemed abruptly stop as she entered.
Another man on the other side of the room seemed to have an eye made of gold. The girl's blood froze the moment she laid eyes on him. No matter where she went, no matter how far she walked, it's gaze never shifted. She was nearly too distracted to take note of his firm chin line and a long beard. Otherwise, he was completely enveloped in his white robes. Something about him rang chillingly familiar.
Nearby him was an older man, who's black hair cut neatly above his shoulders. But that was all that was neat about him. The patch of beard projecting from his chin was pointy and wirey, the same that could be said for his mustache.
Then, there were a handful of surprisingly young individuals. So young, that at first glance, they couldn't have been more than five years older than the girl. And that was a generous estimate. One appeared to be calm and dignified, while the second seemed to be wild and untamed - as if he had something to prove. And then, there was a woman. She was the most surprising. Back straight, chin up, the woman was trying hard to look the part of a High Priestess. Trying too hard perhaps. All three were awkward among their much older peers.
Each one held a gold item, most of which housed the same glaring eye as the hooded man's... eye. The same sleek design, same gold forge.
And then, of course, was the Pharaoh himself. Her stomach churned, and her blood turned cold. The freeze numbed every muscle, right up to those that supported her tighten jawline. Her body was torn, with eyes that wanted to look straight at him and a brain that screamed otherwise. The result was a slow trail, up the edges of the throne, tracing along his arms, and landing on a pendant, hanging around Pharaoh Aknamkanon neck.
The guards were surprised. They both reached out to force her shoulders into a bow and only met with air. Her knees already hit the dirt, and forehead was bowed as far as it could go. Small drops of tears rolled off her nose and hit the ground, evaporating faster than they could be made. She held this position in silence until Pharaoh Aknamkanon raised his hand. "Enough. Rise."
Hesitantly, she raised her head, then her knees, and finally her feet. No matter how hard she tried to straighten her back, it refused to unclick. Still, Pharaoh Aknamkanon continued, "You are before this council as a common thief. Do you understand this."
The girl nodded, words dried up by the sun above.
"Today, we will hold you on trial for your crimes, and reveal the darkness in your heart that allowed you to commit them." It occurred to the girl that her vision blurred, the outline of Pharaoh's shape and pendant were coming in and out of focus. Her throat dry, rasping, grainy, any of the shock she meant to swallow down lumped painfully in her neck. Aknamkanon's words rang, almost incompressible. "It seems the Gods have blessed you, young thief," he continued, "trials have changed from days of old - to a now more peaceful method of judgment. One of my council bore witness to the disturbance within you that caused this criminal behavior. He and powers of my court will look into your heart and extract the evil inside."
The calm, dignified young man seemed to perk up from his rigid stance uncomfortably. Around his neck rest his strange looking item, a large ring of sorts. He seemed to be alerted by something, and looking closely at the ring it could be seen why. It ever so slightly hopped and jumped from its chest. Aknamkanon paused, "Is there something amiss Master Mahad?"
"N-no my King…" he began to fumble, before carefully considering his next words, "Well… perhaps... it appears my Millenium Ring is reacting to something."
The other young man stepped forward from his place, raising a queer-looking rod above his head, "It must be the shadow within this thief's heart causing such trouble. We should try her immediately, do you not agree Master Aknadin, Master Shimon."
The short man, Shimon, next to Aknamkanon hesitated to answer. However, with his golden eye gleaming, the other elder did not. "Calm yourself, Master Seto, we're the Pharaoh's royal court. We act only when he deems it so, not a moment sooner. You would do good to remember that."
"It's alright, Aknadin, the boy is not wrong. We shouldn't delay any further."
The girl felt faint. Her vision moved until it fixed on Mahad, and the menacing ring staring back at her. Aknadin's Millennium Eye was commanding, but she suspected that was not only due to the item but because of the old man's own relenting stare. It was simply an extension of himself. The Ring, however, felt different. It felt independently alive, pulsing. The girl squinted, strain appearing on her face, as she tried to focus on it… and the… feeling oozing from it.
She tried to pin just what that was. Hefty. Poisonous. Almost festering like an infection. There were no means as to why these dark thoughts came to mind. It was simply a gold ring, after all, yet even knowing this couldn't keep it from feeling any less alive. Sweat danced down the edges of her temple.
"Please, Master Shimon, proceed," Aknamkanon gestured.
Shimon and his item took center stage. His item was curiously different than the others. Its shape was something she recognized, a hieroglyph she had seen multiple times on the way to the throne. Looping at the top and creating a slim handle make it look sleek. As if it were a standard piece of jewelry. Its surface was smooth, undecorated, and didn't seem to contain the same eye as the others. "With the power of my Milluemme Key, I shall unlock your heart and see what lies within."
To almost everyone in the room, the only thing that changed was a glow from the key. But for Priest Shimon and the prisoner, a bond was created. His thoughts, guided by the key, weaved into her heart. Several images flashed before him, creatures that looked to be almost human if not for their discolored skin. The girl saw them too, gasping. Although she wasn't sure whether it was at the images of the creatures, or the feeling of being thrust open that made her do so. There was no other way to describe it; it was as if someone had pulled the curtains away and exposed her naked self.
Shimon appeared unshaken. There was wisdom in his eyes and calmness in his voice. "There is indeed a dark shadow within her. We should extract it immediately. Master Aknadin?"
"Of course." Aknadin replaced Shimon as he bowed out of center stage.
'Yes, yes, please. Do something about it.' she mulled through her haze. This thing with seductive, soothing lips that you could almost lose yourself in, but skin black and devoid of comfort. She had seen it many times in her dreams, she'd feel its presences when she was furious.
"I shall now invoke the energies of the Millennium Eye," the robed man stated, "thus revealing and extracting the being that dwells within."
The girl felt her body shake and twist as the creature within her struggled. Her body began to glow in sync with the eye, just as the key had done not moments earlier. Like a hand, the eye's power slithering down her throat and making her gag on the energies' density. It didn't need to search long, finding her soul, and wrapped hits claws around the darkness.
The sensation was much like pulling hair. No matter how much it tugged, the creature remained attached to its roots. Each time it pulled caused the girl to convulsed through her gag.
Until the being finally snapped. Out of her mouth came a dark cloud with no concreted shape. As the last of it left her, the girl crippled to her knees. Her vision consisted only of the priest's feet sticking out from under his robes. Even that began to blur, moving in and out of focus.
Above where she once stood the cloud took form. First hands, then shoulders, and the monster's face and body became simultaneously one. Aknadin's feet shuffled out of view, only to be replaced by another.
A handful of guards worked together to lift a large rock tablet. Nothing was carved on its surface. "Finish it Master Seto." Aknadin said.
"I would be honored."
The girl cranked her neck past Priest Seto, as he raised his Millennium Rod to meet her eye level. Instead, she gazed at Mahad, who himself was paled. The ring around his neck was all but ripping itself off in frantic thrusts. Regardless of how Mahad tried to hold down, it only ripped his arms up and down with it.
With a flick of his wrist, the power of the Millenium Rod took hold of the creature. As Seto moved, so did it. It couldn't fight being dragged towards the stone tablet until they had fused together.
Once the creature hit the stone, it was absorbed. Trapped, it's image slowly appeared on the slab to face the courtroom. While the smallest details were lacking, the monster's form and tone were impressively accurate. It's light skin, and light hair was clear.
In an instant, all the energies in the room evaporated. The ring sat still in Priest Mahad's hands. The rod's light diminished. The room fell silent.
...
"Oh wow! Did you see th - mmfp -" An excitable female voice suddenly echoed through the room. Each priest snapped their focus to where it had come from, seemingly one of the room's upper balconies. Those whose Millennium Items were wielded by hand had their mystical weapons out and ready.
The balcony appeared still. Not grain of sand in the air seemed to move from where it floated. "You up there, I order you to come out immediately," Aknamkanon declared, even rising from his throne to do so, "This is a sacred trail, and your intrusion upon it will be treated as such if you do not reveal yourselves now."
Slowly, two guilty looking youths crawled out in the open. One, a girl whose wild dark hair matched her skin, and the other a boy adorned in many gold trinkets. Although their guilty grins were the same, they were clearly two very different status of people. Aknamkanon lay his hand over his face in an exhausted sigh. Funnily enough, Priest Mahad did the same. The youths looked at each other and laughed nervously.
A few moments later the guards parted ways, allowing the two to enter the ground floor. They met the priests face to face. Although, not with happy faces. She scratched her cheek unsure on how to proceed, and he kicked his heels the whole way there.
"Mana! What were you thinking?" Mahad told the girl, "You know citizens are forbidden from entering the room during times of council."
"But Mahad!" began the argument of champions.
Meanwhile, Aknamkanon stood over the boy, freshly exasperated, "What have I told you about these trials? You are not yet ready to attend them."
"But father," continued the argument of champions.
"Mahad told us he was attending his first trial." Mana pipped up, brightly. Mahad kindly offered her a sharp glance that said 'hey, how about we don't interrupt a conversation between the king and prince of Egypt.' She buttoned.
"I mean, he didn't technically tell us," the prince interjected quickly, "but he excused himself from class. And seeing as he was just advanced to High Priest, Mana and I were simply gathering information to accurately assess the situation. It would be irresponsible of me as a student, nhey, as a future ruler, to not investigate my concerns."
Of course, this statement, despite the prince's charming face and charismatic eyelash batting, went nowhere. Aknamkanon stared at him silently before rubbing his temple. The young prince knew his crap staying on the shelf - no one was buying it. With his first tactic proving unsuccessful, he moved on to Plan B. "Oh come now, father! I don't see what harm we caused! We simply wanted to support our teacher!"
All that resulted in Plan B was causing Mahad to get on his knee before Pharaoh Aknamkanon, "I'm very sorry. It appears ignorance to my duties has caused this. I should have been more careful around the young prince."
The prince huffed, "Mahad, it wasn't you. We snuck into the court."
"I still take full responsibility for this blunder."
"Peace, Mahad," the Pharaoh assured him, "the only one responsible for my son's missteps is himself. His actions and the actions of those that follow him lay on his shoulders."
More proud of this statement than he should have been, the prince puffed up his chest, "You should not go taking the blame for me or anyone else. Our errors are our own."
"That's a lot of big talk from someone in big trouble."
"But father -"
"Once council disperses, you and I are going to have a long chat."
"No, father, I mean look! There's something wrong with the thief -"
Focused, honed in on only the tablet, the world outside did not exist to the thief. She hadn't heard or seen the prince and his companion. From the moment she laid eyes on the stone's image they dared not move. Time had not approached the space between her and it.
Not interrupted by her knocking knees, curing stomach, or streams of sweat, was one inaudible sentence. Almost like a whisper in her ear. 'This is not right…' Even as her vision clouded with a dancing haze of black did the thought remain. Calling out to her in dread one last time.
'This is not the right one.'
[[A/N: So that's the first four chapters of Beautiful Items.
One of my largest concerns was the pacing. It's not until the next chapter that we get into actually Duel Monsters territory, save for the one snippet of Joey and Yugi's duel from the first episode that played out differently. For those of you that didn't come from the original draft, I wanted to make a callback to Season 0 with the Chono incident but put a Duel Monsters spin on it. The duel has some lasting effect, most oblivious being Yugi trading the monster he won Duelist Kingdom with to Amy (which, don't worry, he won't be getting back). But I also wanted to use it as a way of introducing Duel Monsters as a problem solver in this universe.
I know I've also yet to introduce the concept of 'other selves', but hopefully I did well enough that you were able to recognize the one appearance Yami has already made in the second chapter, even if he wasn't called by name. Don't worry, the Yami "reveal" is coming. Hopefully in a way that feels more natural to the narrative than "Oh by the way, there are two Yugis" or the ever classic "This wasn't Yugi, I could tell, but someone else."
I hope the few of you that have read the story all the way through so far, the nine people or so, are really enjoying it. I hope that the upload week style made at least one of you excitedly wait for the next day.
I know some of the things I need to work on include being overly wordy and trimming the fat, but that's what we're all here for, right? To learn how to write and have fun reading. I'll make sure to make both happen, just stick with me!
I wanted to thank LoyalReview, who left helpful feedback and encouraging commentary on the Orginal Draft of BI that helped make this rewrite possible.
Also to tudorgirl941 who's been my writer partner in crime for a few years now for a few years now. The closest I've ever gotten to a beta reader and who always listens to my babbles and outlines. She too has something sweet brewing in her stories that's worth checking out.
And Atarya QueenofEgypt who was nice enough to leave the first comment. If anyone reading has anything to say, concerns, tips, thoughts, reviews, please leave them. Feedback is what helps me grow. Until next time!]]