The Dark Prince and Kidnapped Princess
It was just as predicted; Bakura and Max returned to the palace when the moon was high. But they couldn't afford to be careless. In fact, they knew the royals would be expecting their return and knew how to avoid any traps. Using dark magic, the two thieves made themselves invisible and started sneaking past the guards and into the palace.
Max and Bakura made it inside with ease, but they had other matters to take care of. The princess wasn't the only one they were planning to attack. No, it was time to take apart another sacred guardian. Max guided Bakura to the tablet shrines, certain that one or some of them would be there saying their prayers.
As it turned out, there was only one sacred guardian praying in his sanctuary. It was Aknadin. Seto found him first and told him the status of today's task. "Our mission was a success, Master Aknadin. We searched the land for Shadow Creatures dwelling in our citizens' hearts and our findings were greater than I could have imagined. You should be proud."
"Well, I am not. Now release those innocent people immediately," he firmly demanded.
"You cannot be serious!"
"Silence," the old man protested. "You must do as I say. You are starting to tread down a dangerous path, Seto. You are a follower of Millennia and you must act like one. Free those people, for you have disgraced the name of the Great Goddess."
"Never!" debated Seto. "I did this to protect her family! It is the only way we can defeat Bakura and Max! I do not regret it at all!" This seemed like the better option for Seto. Even he lacked the power necessary to use the Millennium Star to fight. And with the Cobalt Star in Bakura's possession, the heir of the Dark Lord would only grow stronger in power. This was all Seto could think of to make his team stronger and have a chance of defeating the two thieves.
But Aknadin continued to oppose the situation. He tried to reason with Seto, but was turned away. "Seto, wait," Aknadin called as his student exited the shrine, "you're making a mistake!" He didn't wait for Seto to turn around. He instead got down on his knees and sighed in a disappointed manner not towards his student, but himself. "I should know," the old man scolded. "Not long ago, I made the same mistake myself." Recalling how he himself developed a lust for power and almost lost everything dear to him, Aknadin groaned in frustration.
Suddenly, Aknadin felt a strange pulse beating below him. "Who's there?" he asked, standing in alert. He faced the shrine's exit and saw Bakura and Max standing near it. The thieves grinned and chuckled, ready to attack.
Inside the palace, Seto returned to the room where Kisara and Freya were resting. Seto saw Joseph and asked, "Are they awake?"
"No, Master," he answered. "Not yet." The two cousins had not yet woken up since they were brought home.
"Very well," said Seto, and he sat down beside his friend. Seto was actually just as upset with his fiancé and her cousin for disobeying the queen and putting themselves in danger, but he was grateful that they were home safe again. But would it last? As long as Kisara and Freya were unconscious, their powers would be easily detectable and even break loose. Even though they had learned to keep them contained even in sleep, the two cousins would still be in danger. They were promised that their powers would not be seized, but would the rest of the royals go back on their word? Desperate times call for desperate measures, but Seto and Joseph would never selfishly sacrifice the women they love.
Seto broke the silence by starting on a new subject. "Joseph, where is the princess?"
"She's asleep," he told him. "The queen is watching over her tonight. Even she is not taking any chances."
Seto shakes his head. "None of us will rest easy tonight." He smiles at Joseph and tells him, "Joseph, you should go and help guard the princess. Let me watch over Kisara and Freya."
Joseph wanted to oppose the idea. For one, he would be unprotected against the dark magic Max and Bakura possessed. Even Seto knew just as much, so why would he make that suggestion? Then again, if the queen would refuse to fight, he would have to fight for her.
"Go ahead," Seto insisted. "Why should we both stay?"
Joseph kept quiet because even he knew that his master knew the answer. Neither one of the two men wanted to leave their lovers. They both shared the same fears and after what happened yesterday, they didn't want to go through the same thing Mana did when Mahad sacrificed himself. But Joseph gave in and decided to obey his master. He had been watching the two cousins all afternoon by himself anyway. It seemed fair that Seto should watch over them for the remainder of the night.
Back in the tablet shrine, Bakura and Max continued to attack Aknadin. They got him lying on his back and stepped on him to keep him from getting up. "We meet again," Bakura growled. "Only this time, you didn't bring along any of your friends to fight by your side. I, on the other hand, did." Then Diabound and the Angel of Death appear and start destroying the shrine. Bakura finished cackling and asked, "You're not quite as impressive without your younger counterparts to hide behind, are you? I could seize your Millennium Eye in an instant, but I have something more amusing in mind. After all, we still have a score to settle."
Max speaks up and asks, "Perhaps you recall a little incident occurring in the village of Kul Elna several years ago?" Max was told that her village got caught in the wars, but she learned from Bakura that Aknadin was responsible for its attack. He sent the royal guard to burn the village to the ground and capture every citizen, human and monster alike. "We know all of your secrets, Aknadin. We know what you did at Kul Elna."
"You crushed our people and abandoned your son," Bakura told the old man. "A young boy named Seto!" Aknadin gasps hearing that. Were these two thieves talking about the boy he took as his student many years ago? The one who grew into the man working alongside him in the royal court?
Aknadin couldn't take much more. "Release me at once," he groaned.
"From where we're standing, it looks like you're in no position to be making demands," said Bakura.
The old man groans again and promises, "You won't get away with this."
"Wrong," debated Bakura. "I've already destroyed one of your cohorts and I have the Millennium Ring to prove it."
Aknadin gasps once again. "Then it's true!"
"It's painful, isn't it, old man?" Max asked. "To lose someone you care about? Well, try losing your home village," she growled, rasing her voice to let him understand the pain he caused them.
"Please," Aknadin begged, "if you'd just let me explain!"
Bakura removes his foot from his chest and picks him up by the neckpiece of his cloak. "You destroyed my homeland, took away my family, and left me with nothing! Now it is time for you to pay the price; by serving the Dark Lord."
Max chuckles and tells him, "We know that you have a dark side, Aknadin. It just needs to be unlocked. And who better to unleash it than the heir of Cobalt himself?" Then Bakura places his hands over Aknadin's eyes, making him see nothing but shadows.
In their chamber, Atem and Mystery both sensed a great dark presence. They knew that it was the darkness of the Cobalt Star; meaning that Bakura and Max returned to the palace. Feeling a tremor and hearing what sounded like collapsing rubble, they went to the balcony and saw that Aknadin's tablet shrine was under attack. Atem told Mystery to stay with the baby while he would check it out. Mystery promised him that they would be all right and told him to go with caution.
Sensing the same evil force, Seto went to his master's aid along with Karim and Shada. Max and Bakura were gone, but the shrine had been destroyed and nearly reduced to rubble. Seto found Aknadin lying on the ground and carefully lifted him up.
"He… must be… stopped," Aknadin groaned.
"What happened here, Master," Seto asked. "Speak to me."
"Who did this?" questioned Karim.
Aknadin groaned once again and answered silently, "Pure evil."
After seeing him collapse, Seto asks worriedly, "Are you all right?"
Shada takes Aknadin's hand to check his pulse. Feeling that it's stable, he answers, "Yes, he is going to be fine. He has just been under incredible strength."
Seto gently places Aknadin down and growls. "We cannot let those rogues continue to get away with these despicable acts." He stands up and declares, "Let us take them down once and for all!"
"They shall pay," Karim vowed.
Inside the palace, Max sensed the Millennium Star and navigated Bakura to where it was. He followed her directions and came to the royal chamber. Now the heiress of Millennia and heir of Cobalt were standing face-to-face. Mystery wasn't going to hold back, however. Knowing her daughter's life was at stake, she had to fight. Ready to perform a spell, her hands and eyes start glowing into a white light. Not yet ready to attack, but just giving him a warning to turn back.
Bakura wasn't worried. He didn't wield the powers of the Cobalt Star, but he was able to keep Mystery convinced that he did with the help of Zoroark's illusions and with Max able to fight as long as she was out of sight. Black shadows surrounded Bakura's hands and his eyes glowed into a purple light. The illusion was successfully working on Mystery. Max took this opportunity to temporarily dispel the queen's magic; making her unable to attack or defend herself. This gave Bakura the chance he needed to strike her. He lunged his hand towards her and released what the queen thought was a force of dark magic; forcing her against the wall.
There was no time to celebrate. The queen would make a quick recovery and be able to perform magic again, so Bakura picked up the child from her cradle and disappeared as shadows surrounded him.
Suiguintoh's twin sisters saw what happened. They were also fooled by Zoroark's illusions and didn't see the beast or Max help Bakura. For all they knew, Bakura had attacked the queen and stolen the princess.
"Come on," Souseiseki whispers, facing her elder sister, "we've got to find out where he's taking the princess."
Suiseiseki wanted to debate. She loved Queen Mystery and would do anything to help her, but she was afraid of Bakura. Other than that, she didn't like seeing her twin get involved in dangerous matters like these. But she knew that once her sister's mind was made up, there was no way to change it. So the twins summoned their guardian beasts, Lempicka the Scyther and Jade Dream the Shellos. Unfortunately, neither of them had a plan, but they couldn't sit and delay. That was when they decided they needed help. They heard that Barasuishou had been going to the desert to spy on the two thieves, so they decided to gather as much information as they could from her before leaving.