.:Author's Note:. Here we are, the third chapter. Yeah I know by now most of you are like WHERE THE HELL IS AKEFIA! Well he's coming! Be patient! Not this chapter, but probably the next! I haven't written it yet, but I think he'll snap a debut in the next chapter. Though it'll be less than snappy if you ask me. Anywho, this chapter is more dialogue than anything. But yeah. IT HAS A POINT.
-DxH
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Chapter Three: Duties
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He lied to me again. The frail boy whispered. Despite the dark, I was able to make out Marik's shape. He seemed t glow from the inside with a strange light that… felt so very appealing, and that drew me to him.
Who? I asked. Your father?
No Rishid.
Rishid? You mean that young man?
Yes. I always really thought of him as my brother. I really cared for him.
I paused, thinking. But he lied to you. I said. I heard the boy's hair shift softly as he nodded.
I know.
You can't trust him if he lies to you. I held out a hand and touched him on the shoulder. He was so very warm, and that light inside him seemed to grow even brighter.
But I want to trust Rishid. He whined. I narrowed my eyes.
But can you not trust me? I asked, stroking a few wisps of stray hair along his cheek.
Of course I can! He cried desperately, his hand touching mine delicately, with a grip as if afraid to break something but still fearful of letting it go. You're the only one I can trust!
I looked down at him, he whose eyes and blood and shining soul tempted me like blood for a beast. But then again, aren't we all just prey waiting to be consumed by a bigger brute than ourselves? He buried his head in my open arms, clutching at my shoulders with small, slight fingers.
You're the only one who understands me, and who helps me. Without you, I would be so lonely. Everything would hurt. You have to stay with me forever! You promised! He cried in a voice filled with desire and longing and fear and an intense desperation that brought a cruel smile to my lips.
Of course I'll be with you forever. I will protect you against those who bear you ill will. I will hold you when you cry, stay with you when you need a friend. I will be there when everyone else has disappeared. You are mine, and I am yours, my little Marik.
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"Marik, pay attention, will you?" Marik opened his eyes, looking unabashedly up at Aknadin. The man appeared taller and more intimidating than usual as he glared down at the young tombkeeper. Despite the dark, threatening aura in the man's eyes, Marik looked up at him with an even gaze and blinked slowly.
"I'm sorry." He said, moving his mouth around the words with sharp derision. Aknadin's eyes darkened but he made no movements.
"Answer my question. How did the Pharaoh defeat Zorc Necrophades?" Marik sighed and propped his elbow on the desk, resting his chin on his hand.
"He used a spell by using his name and then sealed Zorc into the Millenium Ring, and himself into the millennium puzzle to protect the spell from ever being used to resurrect Zorc." Marik repeated. Aknadin nodded.
"Very good. Now, what are these items called and how many are there." Marik sighed loudly.
"The items are known as the Sennen, or Millenium items, and there are seven of them total."
"Name them."
"The Sennen Puzzle, key, Necklace, Ring, Eye, Scale and… um… Rod." Marik finished. Aknadin nodded.
"We own three of these items. Two have fallen in to the hands of various thieves during times of chaos. Upon my death, protection of the Rod shall be passed on to you, and the Necklace to your sister."
"What about Rishid?" Marik interjected. Aknadin's eyes narrowed.
"Rishid is not my heir." He said sharply. "He inherits nothing." Marik glared pointedly at Aknadin and dropped his head on the desk.
"The remaining items," Aknadin continued, "are protected by Shadi, who owns the Sennen Key and Scale. He has protected the items since their creation under the rule of Akhenamkhanen." Marik raised a skeptical eyebrow.
"So what is he, a ghost?"
"Something of the sort. More like a spirit guardian who looks over the items." Marik rolled his eyes.
"Wonderful job he did there, what with three of the items missing already."
"Shadi's powers are not limitless, Marik, especially as a spirit. That is why we have been entrusted with the task of protecting the Pharaoh's secret." Aknadin placed a firm hand on Marik's shoulder. The boy shrank away from the touch, his eyes growing dark and the hairs on the nape of his neck tugging sharply at his skin.
"This is why you must protect this secret with your life. In the wrong hands, the Sennen Item's powers could be used to resurrect Zorc and unleash destruction upon the entire world, you understand?" Aknadin said gravely. Marik glared darkly at him and averted his gaze sharply.
"Yes." He spat between clenched teeth. Aknadin's mouth twitched into an approving smile which failed to reach his eyes. He patted Marik on the shoulder and withdrew his hand.
"Where's Rishid?" Marik asked. "He said we were going to play bocce ball today." Aknadin gave him a disapproving glare.
"This is no time to be playing games, Marik." He said darkly. Marik glared back, but before he could open his mouth to complain, Rishid scurried inside the room.
"Father," he said, bowing to Aknadin. He glanced at Marik and motioned for Aknadin to follow him, and the two left the room. Marik immediately leapt up from his desk and scurried to the door, pressing his ear against the soft, cold wood.
"The thief has been captured." He heard Rishid say in a hushed voice. "It seems that he decided to return after his last raid two weeks ago, but we were ready for him."
"I see. How many did we lose?"Aknadin asked, his voice even.
"Three were killed, at least a dozen were wounded. He was a tough one, young too. I don't recognize him though, from any of the local reports. He must have traveled here from the west." Marik heard Aknadin shift and his heart began pounding louder.
"Where is he now?"
"We locked him up in the dungeon room. We had to knock him out to get him anywhere, and we cuffed his hands and feet to ensure his couldn't escape."
"Alright. I want you to send a message to the Palace. They should have him cleared out in ten days time." Rishid nodded and turned to leave but Marik opened the door and called out to him before he could leave.
"What about bocce?" He demanded. "You promised, Rishid." Rishid looked back at him helplessly, regret scrawled upon his face."
"I'm sorry Marik. Later this week, maybe. It's been a busy month." Marik pouted and turned away angrily.
"Liar." He muttered. "You skipped out last time too." Rishid gave him one last apologetic look before walking down the corridor, leaving Marik with his father. Marik stepped back into his room and slumped face down on his bed.
"Marik, we aren't done yet." Aknadin reminded him.
"I've had enough for today." Marik muttered in the pillow. Aknadin took a step towards the boy.
"Listen Marik, this is important information. You can't keep –"
"I said I've had enough!" Marik yelled, turning his head towards Aknadin. Marik's father blinked and took a step back. The intensity that emanated from the boy's glare sent a jolt of nerves running through his body. There was something dark and merciless in that glare, something that told him it was best he leave at that moment. With an angry huff, Aknadin gathered a few scrolls off Marik's desk and stormed out of the room.
Marik buried his head back into his pillow and sighed.
"Why won't they tell me anything." He mumbled angrily. Marik clenched his fist and sat up decidedly. He grabbed his drab brown cloak and threw it on, hiding his hair beneath the hood of the cloak. Marik left the room, closing the door quietly behind him, and started down the dark corridor.
Having lived in the underground tombs for all of his life, Marik knew his way around them rather well. Meaning that he also knew where many of the hidden passages created by the original architect were located. Years before, Marik had fallen upon a hidden room located at the end of the corridor, beside the book room. In this hidden room was a chest holding a copper and gold cylinder the size of a sword sheath, and in it, an old map, faded and yellowed, but still intact, mapping out the entire makeup of the tomb including all the hidden passages – those he knew, and those he didn't.
Some rooms Marik was easily able to access. There he hid when he felt overcome with grief or rage, or simply needed somewhere ostracized from the rest of his family to vent his frustrations and have time to himself. Other rooms he could not access either because they were locked away or had become blocked by rubble from when the room had collapsed upon itself, having decayed away to unstable fragments. One passage Marik had located on the map led up to the Outside, but when he'd checked the entrance, any door or shifting barrier had been covered by a newly built wall, blocking it.
Holding his cloak tightly against his chest, Marik scuttled down the corridor and stopped a few meters from the end. After checking the corridor for signs of movement and straining his ears for any warning sound, Marik pressed one hand on the wall below the fifth to last torch and leaned heavily against it. A block of the limestone shifted in, permitting Marik to tug the door to the side. A thick door about five feet tall slid to the side, allocating for Marik to slip through and close the door behind him. He pushed the jutting block back into place above him and looked around. Marik found himself in a familiar, small and square, no bigger than his own room, but covered in ornate, though faded, carpets and ancient trinkets of unknown value and use. A large, deep brown table of Acacia and Palm bark stood bravely in the center of the room, its feet chipped with age and worn with use, covered in scrolls and maps. A large chair, carved from limestone and covered in sheep pelts, faced the entryway with pride, glittering white under the faint flickering of four lone torches, hung in the middle on each wall of the room. Marik removed his hood and walked to the far right of the room, where he crouched in front of a medium sized wooden chest, bolted with silver nails and lined with leather sashes. He opened the unlocked chest and pulled out the copper cylinder, pulling the silver cap off and dumping the map into his hands. Marik walked back to the table and spread the map out over it.
Perusing the map, Marik followed the various passages crisscrossing each other, passing hither and yonder. When he'd found what he'd been looking for, Marik slapped a victorious hand on the map.
"The dungeon room." He said, smiling triumphantly.
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