I have three things to apologise for: 1) for this update coming so late I've forgotten when the last one was 2) that this chapter has reverted to the length of the first few and 3) that this is now going to be on hiatus for the time being. I do have reasons which will be outlined below. I'm really sorry but, if you can't be bothered to read below, in short I have no time.
Other than that I hope you enjoy this chapter. I really struggled with it.
Joey had never thought that he would find himself wishing for the next day to never come and yet here he was. Usually he didn't let himself fall into despair. His father decided to beat him up again? His friends would always be there to cheer him up and listen to his rants over how his father's drink consumption was going to get them thrown out of their house. His sister was going blind? Find some way to raise the money with the help of Yugi and his pals. Even meeting Atemu for the first time hadn't been this terrifying. And yet in the past few days his life had somehow gotten even more hellish than before.
Akhnadin didn't return until late in the afternoon and Joey had spent most of the day sitting in the corner of his cell, his stomach churning. What kind of test did Akhnadin wish to put him through? He wasn't reassured by the look on the man's face. He appeared within Joey's cell with two thuggish-looking guards who sneered at him. This time Akhnadin didn't even bother with Japanese, snapping out instructions in Wesret. The two thugs unlocked the cell and one of them dragged him out. Joey was unable to resist, all the strength in his body gone with a sudden fear of what Akhnadin had in store for him. This was a man who would do anything to get what he wanted and Joey was nothing but another pawn in his plan.
He was taken through several different corridors, each looking much the same. Joey was lost before he had even begun and he wondered for a brief moment if he would ever see the sun again. Somewhere above him, Yugi was facing the life of a royal in this strange and almost barbaric place while in a moment Joey might not even be alive any longer. They finally emerged in a chamber in which three rather dodgy people Joey would have avoided on the streets were facing each other on platforms above a pit. Above the centre of the pit hung another platform, this one covered in spikes with room for one last person to stand. At the edge were two thrones and a cage. Joey was shoved within the cage as Akhnadin took his place and gestured for whatever it was to carry on. Two instantly began preying, whilst the third began preying. For a moment Joey wondered why before the world stopped making sense.
The two shouting what Joey assumed were insults at each other suddenly glowed (and how on earth people glowed Joey couldn't wrap his mind around) and something shadowy emerged from the pair. The shadows raised and began to form two creatures that Joey had only ever seen within the creepiest of Duel Monsters' decks. He didn't know the names of either monster since he had never wished to place either in his deck even if he had seen them briefly in the Game shop. One seemed to be a giant worm with a mouth full of sharp serrated teeth. The other Joey couldn't even begin to describe other than to say it was big, bug-like and shadowy.
"Welcome to the Shadow Games," Akhnadin said with an air of satisfaction. "Your test awaits in the ring. Watch and learn, boy, for soon it will be your turn." Joey stared at what Akhnadin had termed 'the ring' and felt whatever miniscule hope he may have had before shrink into nothingness. He had no doubt that facing these guys would mean death, impossible creatures or not. But he also had the feeling that if he were to jump off the platform once upon it, he would face a fate worse than death. Akhnadin gave him a sadistic grin, although Joey could only note it was not as scary as Bakura's.
"Let the Games begin!"
Akhefia reined up on the mountainside over the city and stared down at it, wondering for a moment, as he did every time he returned to the palace, whether it was worth it. Surely it would be far more beneficial overall to just say 'screw it', leave everything here behind and go fight for his brother in Japan? He had evidence to say that Ryou was his biological brother and he could technically charge for kidnapping on the side. How he would love to see Hashini's face during that trial. He knew how the world saw him and saw no reason to change that image. In some ways it helped to get people to leave him alone.
But then reality forced itself back upon him and he urged his horse down the treacherous path descending the cliff. He couldn't leave New Thebes. It was the only safe refuge from the creature still bound within the Millennium Ring that hunted for his soul. His brother had been supposedly safe but a quick trip to the Thief Court to contact the (rather illegal) sources he had in Japan had not helped to put his soul at ease. All reports stated that the house where his brother lived had been attacked and his apartment ransacked. Ryou was missing, the Hashinis had been hospitalised and neither showed any sign of waking, a classic symptom of losing your soul to the Shadow Realm. Having fought in too many to count himself, there were only two options when winning a Shadow Game. You either send a person insane (the kindest option) or steal their soul. Akhefia had never taken the latter option in his life. Sending people insane didn't turn his stomach as much as ripping a vital part of a human being from their body and throwing it into the deepest darkest cavern of the underworld. If the pair lived, they would never be sane again.
Akhefia had made the trip between New Thebes and the Thief Court so many times that he had lost count but this time it was different. There was something in the air, a presence he hadn't felt since that one horrendous night all those years ago. Even Shuresh seemed to feel it as she shied away from rocks she would barely have noticed before. Something was going on and he didn't like it. Running one hand calmingly down Shuresh's neck, he attempted to guide her back to the city before she decided to bolt but the horse was having none of it. Spooked at the atmosphere that permeated the world around her she reared and attempted to do just that. Had Akhefia been a weaker rider, he would have been thrown and out of a horse with half a day's walk ahead of him. As it was he barely clung on, swinging himself purposefully out of the saddle as she plunged and bucked at the end of the rein. Still keeping a firm grip on the end of the reins, he spoke softly to her, having calmed enough of her terrified antics when the pair had been much younger with little more than a few calm words and a treat. Unfortunately the latter would have to wait until they returned to the palace since he was out of the latter.
"Hush, Shuresh, there's nothing to be afraid of," he murmured, reaching out a hand to the mare's muzzle. She snorted, eyes rolling, calming only slightly, but enough that she was no longer attempting to kill him. "Shhh… That's it girl, you're safe now." There would be no getting back on her. She was skittish and was eying anything that had a possibility to move at her. Sighing, Akhefia resigned himself to the walk back to the palace, gently running a hand up and down Shuresh's neck in order to keep her as calm as he could.
"It's going to be a long walk home," he murmured to her as he began to lead her away from the cliffs. He had news for the pharaoh and none of it was good.
Yugi stared at the little ball of fluff in front of him as it happily bounced around him, almost seeming to clap its hands in delight at having been summoned.
"Wha… How…" Yugi stuttered as Kuriboh floated around him, nuzzling his cheek affectionately.
"Kuri!" it stated happily. Atemu laughed quietly, scratching it slightly on the top of its head.
"I thought you would want to be introduced to someone a little less daunting than some of the others," Atemu stated. "It can be overwhelming at first if you haven't grown up with it."
"So Kuriboh is what? Your Ka?" Yugi asked as Kuriboh began exploring. Atemu shook his head.
"No, Kuriboh is just a friendly spirit. As I said, there are different levels to the Shadow World. Kuriboh is easier to summon than most simply because he isn't very powerful and he isn't very destructive. So long as you play with him, he's happy." Atemu smiled softly and Yugi wondered if Kuriboh had been a childhood companion to his brother when his friends couldn't be there for him.
"So if you want to summon a Monster that isn't your Ka, you have to use the Diadhank?" Yugi asked, eyeing the thing on his brother's arm. Atemu nodded as Kuriboh returned.
"Kuri! Kuri!" it stated again, bouncing up and down on the spot before whizzing off somewhere else. Yugi almost laughed as if peeked around the corner it had flown round.
"Yes. All Shadow Creatures come from the Shadow World and, depending on both how good you are and how skilled at using the Shadows, depends on which monsters you can control. In a Shadow Game you can access almost any monster you want so long as you can control them, although most people prefer to just use their Kas," Atemu explained.
"So what's your Ka?" Yugi asked curiously. Atemu blinked and then shrugged.
"I… don't know," he said slowly, eyes on the floor. "Everyone who reaches the age and ability to use the Shadows has their Ka told to them by Shadah. His Millennium Key enables him to look into a person's soul and tell which monster they are forever bonded with. For example, Mana is bonded with Dark Magician Girl, Mahad with Dark Magician and Kisara with Blue Eyes White Dragon."
"Whoa, wait, Seto isn't bonded with Blue Eyes? But that's his favourite monster!" Yugi said eyes wide. Atemu sniggered, raising an eyebrow.
"Haven't you noticed how interested those two are in each other? Blue Eyes was only Seto's favourite monster after he met Kisara some four years ago."
"Oh." Yugi thought about and giggled a bit himself. He had only known Kisara for a week or so and even he could tell the pair were into each other. "So how come you don't know?"
"Shada couldn't tell. For some reason his sight was blocked." Atemu had instantly sobered an almost sad look in his eyes. For a moment Yugi felt that his brother was still holding something back, but Kuriboh then butted into his legs, almost knocking him over. Laughing, Yugi rubbed the top of the creatures head as Atemu smiled once more. "For now, though, I think it is time someone went home." There was a deep flash of light and Kuriboh disappeared from whence he came. Yugi sighed and shook his head, trying to process it all. As shocking as it was that he was a prince of Egypt, discovering that the world of Duel Monsters was based on a real world of monsters was weird.
"So how do you play a Shadow Game?" Yugi wondered aloud and Atemu instantly stiffened.
"Not easily. It's a game where there is only one winner- the one who lives." Yugi felt cold at that statement and shuddered. And I was just beginning to like the idea of real Duel Monsters he thought. He was about to say something else when the strangest feeling swept over him. Atemu staggered slightly, clutching at his head.
"Wh-What was that?" Yugi stammered, feeling as if the world had stopped but he had continued spinning. The floor didn't feel quite as real as it should have done. Atemu was quite a moment as Hotep stirred from where he had been snoozing to wind himself around Atemu's legs, a concerned look within his dark eyes.
"I'm not sure, but whatever it was had something to do with the Shadow Realm. And I think I know where to find the answer to that."
Akhefia couldn't believe his bad luck. Not only had he had to walk all the way back to the city, but he had also been captured by Akhnadin's spies as well and dragged to the Priest's dungeons. Now he was waiting his turn in the ring, a place that Akhefia and every other self-respecting thief avoided like the plague. It was kill or be killed and Akhefia didn't need to think about that right now. The cell was as it usually was a boring brick room with a metal cage inside but there was something darker about it, as if the Shadows of the ring were permeating even in here. It put Akhefia on edge, the same way the presence that had been hanging over the city was.
"Free me…"Akhefia recoiled from the voice that seemed to come from nowhere and yet everywhere. It was the presence but now it seemed to come from within. Gasping, he dropped to the floor, fighting to get rid of it. "Free me and I will spare your brother…"
"No," Akhefia whispered, shocked. It couldn't be true. But he knew that Ryou was missing and who was to say that some creature from the depths of the Shadows hadn't worked its way free for a moment to kidnap him. With the news that the Millennium Ring was still unaccounted for, a fact the pharaoh was keen to keep from his sons and his people, it was a real possibility that agents of the Dark One were aiming for the resurrection of that foul creature. A creature that he and Ryou had ties to… who could only be freed by their hand. With one puzzle piece falling into place a whole lot of other started making a sickening sense but before Akhefia could put it into words, he was suddenly dragged to his feet.
"Time to face the Ring Thief King," one of the guards mocked and Akhefia let them drag him away. His brother was gone and he barely had the strength to fight them. He would need it for the ring, for the Game ahead. But clearly, the gods hadn't finished with their shocks yet as he was thrown into the holding cage with a very familiar partner.
"Bakura?" Joey yelped, eyes wide. Akhefia raised an eyebrow.
"Yes?" he snapped. This was really not his day.
"What are you doing here?" As frightened as the teen looked, Akhefia had never been one to gloss over the facts.
"Well, I do believe we are about to be fed to the lions in the pit of Shadows. Or at least, we wish we will."
So please review, this chapter I know its been a while. Feel free to rat at me for now making you wait even longer.
The main reason that this is so late is because I simply have no time. Between my homework, my job, my volunteer job so I can get a real job, my two main hobbies and the extra work I do in school, I have had no time nor inspiration to write, especially for this one. I am sorry, but until I can find the time and motivation to update this, I am putting it on hiatus. That does NOT mean that I am abandoning it completely. No, I am putting it aside for now until I feel I can do it justice.
So in answer to the lovely people who have stuck by me until now:
Aqua girl 007: Thanks for both the advice and the review. It helped a bit. as for Kuriboh being Atem's Ka, I think I've explained why it isn't, I just wanted a last fluffy moment for a while to be in there. His real Ka comes later along with the point of Yugi (I don't mean that in a bad way. He has more of a use than a plot exposition device I promise.)
vaselover: That question has been through my head several times. I'm not going to answer it because I haven't decided yet. Other than that I'm glad you enjoyed the previous chapter as much as the others.
angiembabe: I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter because I struggled with that too! I wish this chapter was longer but I just couldn't get it that way without feeling like it was either dragging its heels or full of pointless bits. I hope you still enjoy it however.
Guest: Thank you. In all honesty you woke me up to how long it had been since I updated.