Chapter 5: A Memorable Transformation
Atemu followed the sneaky-looking eel-tailed mermen, Rex and Weevil, through a dark, sinister canyon of underwater volcanoes, trying to ignore the chilling sensation that went down his spine as he approached the entrance to the castle of Dartz, Warlock of Orikalkos.
Unlike his father's grand, majestic coral palace, this castle was small and made of black pearl, and the jagged walls that bent inward into the structure acted as a sort of terrifying birdcage. Against the black pearl walls were stone slabs with scared and desperate-looking merpeople carved into them, their hands pressed against the stone as if they were trapped inside the artwork.
When Atemu finally tore his eyes away from the terrified stone faces and looked forward once more, he found himself faced with a man with long blue-green hair accompanied by spiky bangs, sharp-lidded eyes (one sea-green and the other gold) and a blue-green shark tail. He was sitting on a black zircon throne and around his neck was a turquoise pendent with a six-pointed star surrounded by a circle, and Atemu realized for the first time that it was the same symbol he'd noticed etched on Rex and Weevil's foreheads.
"Welcome, my child," Dartz greeted in a cold-sounding attempt of warm as he got up from his throne and swam over to greet the merprince. "Welcome to my home. Come here, sit down…"
With a flourish of his hand, another black chair appeared.
"…I won't bite."
Atemu thought inwardly that Dartz probably could've conveyed friendliness a little better were his blue-green and gold eyes not shining with a less than friendly glint. Nevertheless, the prince slowly sat in the chair he was offered, putting up a brave front to hide his intense foreboding; Dartz, on the other hand, did not sit back down.
"Now," he stated in a business-like tone, his shark tail swishing through the water restlessly, "you have come here because you have fallen in love with this human, Prince Yugi…"
He brandished his hand in a sweeping gesture, and a crystal-ball-like bubble appeared with a moving image of Yugi playing Duel Monsters against someone.
"…And you have chosen him as your aibou, against King Aknamkanon's wishes, and despite the fact you two are separated by species…"
In the bubble's image, Yugi's opponent threw his cards down on the table in sour defeat as Tea and Tristan patted Yugi on his shoulders to congratulate him.
"…Am I missing anything?"
Atemu couldn't help but notice the sad, pensive look on Yugi's face very unlike his usual innocent, cheerful expression as he looked down at the Duel Monsters playing field.
"No," he answered.
Dartz smiled a wicked smile that could easily make someone shutter; Atemu, however, firmly kept up his confident front.
"I don't blame you at all, little prince," the Warlock murmured, caressing the bubble with Yugi's image like a shark looking over his current prey. "He is quite a catch, isn't he? So pure of a soul…very hard to come by these days…"
Dartz must've noticed the dangerous flash in Atemu's eyes, for he popped the bubble and went straight back to business.
"Well, my little blackfish, the solution to this dilemma of yours is actually quite simple…"
He settled down again on his throne.
"The only way to get what you want…is to become a human yourself."
Atemu's eyes widened. "You can do that?"
Dartz's mouth curled up in a smirk.
"Why, my boy…that's my job, what I'm here for…do you honestly think you're the only merman who has had problems with life down here? You see Rex and Weevil here? Once greatly respected and wealthy, only to have their money and fame stolen away from them by one business scandal. They were poor, unfortunate souls, just like you…and here, they were welcomed with opens arms into the family of the Orikalkos."
The Warlock put a cold, spider-like hand on Atemu's shoulder.
"And the Orikalkos can help you too, Atemu…all you have to do is trust it…and it will make all your dreams come true."
Despite his promises, Atemu couldn't help but look back at the terrified merpeople etched into the stone slabs by the wall, but Dartz's cold hand gripped his chin and made him face forward once more.
"Now listen carefully," the shark-tailed merman said seriously. "I will cast a spell on you that will transform you into a human for three days…just three, so make them count, little blackfish. Before the sun sets on the third day, you've got to make little Yugi fall in love with you. In other words, he must give you his first, binding kiss…the kiss of true love. If he does kiss you before sunset on the third day, you will remain human for the rest of the eternity…but, if he doesn't, you'll turn back into a merman and…"
His eyes grew a dark, menacing glint that made Atemu shrink back as he tapped the Orikalkos pendant around his neck with one of his long pale fingers.
"…Your soul belongs to me."
"NO, ATEMU!"
Atemu turned around at the sound of Seto's voice.
His cousin and friends had been about to swim over to him, but were stopped by Rex and Weevil at the doorway of the throne-room. Joey was struggling to pull Seto out of Rex's grasp as he shocked the High Priest with electricity from his eel tail; Weevil held Ryou in front of himself like a shield so Bakura wouldn't go any further, either to hurt Weevil or to stop Atemu from negotiating with Dartz.
"Don't hurt them!" Atemu shouted, starting forward, but Dartz grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back.
"Forgive them," the Warlock told him. "I prefer to keep the meetings with my clients private…after all, your decision deserves to be your own, not your friends'…"
He extended a hand to Atemu.
"So…have we got a deal?"
Atemu looked away from Dartz to look at the floor, thinking.
"If I become human…" he muttered pensively, "I'll never be with my friends or family again…"
"That's true," Dartz granted. "But…you'll have your aibou, won't you? And isn't he the one you love? Isn't he more important than anything?"
Atemu felt an odd sort of guilt flood him.
'Of course he is…how could I think of the others instead of Yugi? He's my aibou…but…is this really the right thing to do…?'
He forced that thought from his mind.
'I love him…even if Dartz is dangerous, I have to take that risk…for Yugi's sake…'
"Oh," Dartz said suddenly as if he'd just remembered something. "There is one more thing we must discuss…payment."
"I'll pay as much as you want-" Atemu started desperately.
"Ah, ah, ah," Dartz interrupted him, waggling his finger at him as if he were telling off a child who had done something wrong. "Don't go talking to me about money, little prince. I'm not one of your father's citizens…your kingdom's system of money is useless to me. Therefore, we must conduct a trade…I've always been one for a bargain. But you've not to fear…what I ask for a trifle: for my spell…your memory."
Atemu's face scrunched up in confusion.
"My…memory?"
"You've got it, little blackfish," replied Dartz. "I'll give you the chance to be with your aibou…if you just give up all memories of your home and your past."
"But if I don't have my memory, how will I remember my love for Yugi?" Atemu demanded. "How will I remember the terms of our deal?"
"Not to worry," Dartz assured him. "As soon as you see Yugi again, your feelings for him will reawaken…the only memory you'll have beyond that are the contents of my spell. If you think about it, little prince, it makes everything so much easier; you won't have to worry about anything about your father's kingdom accidentally slipping out…"
"Yugi would believe me," Atemu argued fiercely. "He would never hurt anyone!"
"But who knows who might overhear you or Yugi talking about merpeople?" Dartz asked quietly. "Who knows who might take advantage of such information? Not all humans are bad, of course…but would you really want to take the risk that a bad human could learn of your father's kingdom…and that it would be all your fault?"
Atemu turned away, not wanting to show Dartz the pain in his eyes.
'I may be angry with Father, but…after what happened to Mokuba…to Joey's sister…'
He closed his eyes.
'I can't let anyone else get hurt.'
He turned back to Dartz.
"Very well, Dartz…I accept your terms."
"Atemu…no!" choked Ryou, still struggling to get out of Weevil's grasp.
"DON'T!" Joey and Bakura shouted in unison.
Dartz smirked and held up his pendant as the water around him and the prince made a swirling wall of purple and black bubbles around them, blocking them from the sight of the others.
"ATEMU!" Atemu heard Seto's voice echo outside the wall. "ATEMU!"
Dartz extended his pointer finger to gently touch Atemu on the forehead as he started chanting his ominous spell…
"Reject your past;
Embrace the night;
Remember naught
But your sole light;
Be not fish;
Forget the sea
And instead become
What you wish to be!"The words slammed through Atemu's head as if he were having a migraine, making it hard for him to focus. His vision had gone black and the voices of his friends blurred together in his mind…his head was throbbing so hard…all he could feel was that single cold finger on his forehead…
'What's…happening…to me…? Why…does my head hurt…so much…?'
It hurt so much to think…to try to understand…
Tears streamed down the prince's face and he shouted out in pain, struggling to pull away from the cold finger and this pain…but no matter what he tried, he just couldn't make it stop…
'Just take the pain away…please, just take the pain away…'
Suddenly the cold finger on Atemu's forehead withdrew, taking the pain along with it.
His vision slowly returned, to recognize a strange, turquoise-haired man with a sea-green shark-tail where his legs should have been.
"Remember," the strange man cooed coldly, gripping the strange pendant around his neck in an odd type of triumph. "You have only three days to make Yugi fall in love with you…"
Darkness again engulfed Atemu's mind as pain shot through him like he was being ripped in half. Atemu cried out in pain, only to choke on water…he couldn't breathe…he couldn't think…
Weevil and Rex let go of the merprince's friends and Seto, Bakura, Joey and Ryou swam to Atemu's aid, pulling him as fast as they could toward the surface as Dartz roared with insane, victorious laughter. Atemu choked, struggling to breathe…and then, finally, Ryou shoved him above water.
They pulled the now human Atemu onto the shores of the beach, to find their friend lying motionless on the sand, his eyes closed. Seto slapped Atemu's face, trying to get him to wake up.
"No…Atemu, please…open your eyes!"
"C'mon, man," muttered Joey desperately, "wake up! You're okay!"
The prince coughed up some seawater, before his red eyes slowly peeked open and he blinked up at them.
"You're alright!" cried Ryou, jumping on Atemu and glomping him tightly. "I thought you…oh, thank the gods!"
Bakura's eyes flashed a little seeing Ryou glomping Atemu, but he nonetheless smiled slightly.
"Don't ever scare us like that again, little prince…you'll give Aibou here a heart attack."
Atemu looked blankly at Bakura, and then at Ryou, then Seto and Joey.
"What's wrong?" Ryou said in concern, pulling away from Atemu and seeing the confused look in his red eyes. "Are you okay?"
The merprince-turned-human sat up and looked around at them all once more, as if he wasn't sure if he was dreaming.
"What's wrong, man?" Joey recurred.
Atemu stared at Joey, his eyes squinting at him in confusion.
"Who are you?"