A/N: A ZILLION thanks to those who are still reading this and being kind enough to review! You guys are wonderful! By the way, there will be a lot of explanatory notes at the end.

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Atemu was startled awake when the boat hit shore. Once again finding himself waking in an unknown place, he tried his best to determine where he was. The sleep did nothing for the pharaoh and he was just as exhausted as his eyes first closed. It appeared, however, that he wasn't going to be allowed any more rest.

"You must make the rest of this journey alone." The cloaked figure spoke for the first time and Atemu was surprised to hear a female voice. The figure lowered her hood to reveal a lioness' head. Her yellow eyes looked upon him with compassion like a mother to her son. "My name is Weret-Hakau. I am your kin, but I cannot protect you past this place."

He was sure he'd heard that name before but he had difficulties accessing his memories. Many things were fragmented, others blurred, while still others were downright impossible to recall. Weret-Hakau ushered him off the boat and gracefully climbed back into it, seeming to prepare for the next soul to enter her boat.

"Watch your footing and tread carefully," she said with great sympathy, "But fear not, the magician is with you." With that, the boat glided away with the same ominous smoothness he recalled from before. Her ambiguous words signalled to Atemu that he was no longer of the living and he was overcome with despair and fear. Whatever this "magician" that she mentioned was, was nowhere in sight and he was convinced he'd have to traverse this land on his own. Before him was a vast desert and despite a complete lack of wind, the sands looked like they had never been walked upon. Atemu took a step forward to test the depth of the sand and found it shallow enough to walk through without much difficulty. He was not comforted by the relative ease of this journey and felt an increasing sense of foreboding, anticipating danger with every step.

Despite his hypervigilance, the first threat came upon him unexpectedly. Atemu reflexively slammed his eyes shut as he found himself suddenly shoved to the ground and pinned down by an unbearable weight. He opened his eyes to the sight of yet another lioness but this one with far more malice in its eyes than the previous. How this creature appeared out of nowhere was a fleeting thought as it's blood-red eyes narrowed at him and its serpent tongue lashed dangerously at his face. It soon became obvious why he had trouble breathing. The lioness' enormous front paws bared down on his chest with intentional force rather than just sheer weight and its long claws dug into his skin. Through its thick lips, he could see impossibly long and pointed canines which dripped with saliva. The creature spoke but the incredibly raspy tone was difficult to understand. Terror took him in a stranglehold and he immediately knew he was going to die, despite the previously established knowledge that he was already dead.

The lioness grazed her fangs against the pharaoh's throbbing artery and he shuddered at the sensation. Intent on drawing out her prey's suffering; she lapped and teased his tanned neck with her forked tongue, invoking ambiguous sounds from her victim. Underneath the blood and sweat, she could detect his true scent, an attribute which all humans possessed but only deities could perceive. It was one of a true leader, a descendant of a strong bloodline, a virile male who died in strength and not weakness. The goddess purred into his ear, whispering things he could no identify. She thought herself lucky to be the first at this one, unfortunately, she had a duty and this mortal would not last long. She prepared to clamp her jaw down on Atemu's neck but a groan from the man stopped her.

"Leave me… Pakhet, one who tears apart."

As if physically attacked, the feline goddess immediately withdrew from Atemu's body, allowing him to suck in a precious gulp of air. She cursed herself for not having struck sooner and stole away. Atemu sat up, bracing himself with one arm and holding his hand to his chest with the other. He looked around, completely oblivious to what had happened. A noticeable chasm appeared in the desert that he was sure wasn't there before. Somehow his experience gave him a new vigour to continue and Atemu felt his loneliness and fear slowly dissipate.

It wasn't an illusion. From where he stood, a large cliff separated him from the rest of the land, a place he knew he had to cross over. He peered down from the edge but, as expected, could not see the bottom. To his left and his right, the crack in the land stretched to infinity. A wave of dejection washed through him and he fell to his knees in defeat. 'Would it have been better,' he thought, 'To be torn to shreds, than to be trapped here for eternity?'

Although many souls had reached the place he knelt at now. Few triumphed over it and the vast majority were driven insane and threw themselves over the edge. Where they ended up was difficult to determine but these souls would never have the chance to reside with the great deities: Osiris, Ra, Thoth and Hathor. Fingering the edge of the cliff, he broke off a piece of earth and threw it into the darkness, feebly attempting to measure its depth. No sound came back.

In the midst of the emptiness, Atemu could hear a faint voice. He whipped head around to locate the source but found it impossible. Strangely enough, the voice came from within him and as it increased in clarity, he realised it was some sort of spell. Again, he felt an uncanny familiarity to this but couldn't figure out why. The hypnotic voice certainly wasn't his own and there was no way, in his current condition, could he recall such a complex incantation. Whatever this phenomenon was, Atemu was sure he wasn't being controlled but rather guided. Despite his estrangement to this spell, he felted compelled to synchronize with it, more specifically, solidifying its strength by speaking the words in unison with the unknown voice.

The spell flowed out of his mouth like running water. He placed all his faith in something he couldn't understand or control but that seemed to be a requirement in this world. Something suddenly leaped at him from the depths of the chasm and he fell backwards in shock, afraid of another attack. The figure landed gracefully beside him and bowed deeply. She was another cat, and Atemu began to wonder if there was anything other than cats in this world. Unable to trust her right away, he backed away as she approached him.

"I believe you already know my name, my Lord," she spoke eloquently. Her movements were more of a woman than a feline and it was difficult to distinguish which she was more similar to.

"My Lord?" Atemu gave her a quizzical look. He could neither recall being a lord nor a kin to this creature.

To his dismay, the Pharaoh had to admit that something about her purposely exuded a veiled sexual appeal. It wasn't an aggressive or overtly seductive aura but one that seemed to come with her naturally. Her amethyst eyes, brimmed with thick lashes, held certain sadness in them but he could not pinpoint the reason for this. Unbeknownst to Atemu, this beauty had been his blessed guardian since birth and continued to watch over him for the nineteen years that followed.

"Bastet." The word forced itself from his throat.

She'd been acknowledged by the one she protected for almost two decades but this did not alleviate her sense of melancholy. The person before her, the one who'd been taught in childhood of her role, abilities, history, of how she loved him and fought for him, had no idea who she was. Although this was expected, Bastet accepted it with reluctance.

"Climb on my back, my Lord, and I'll carry you across the gorge." Bastet bent low to allow him easy accessibility.

There was something unsettling about mounting this creature and Atemu couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed about it. Her appearance seemed to shift between the form of a cat and a woman, like a physical manifestation of an optical illusion. If he was to be honest with himself, he was quite shy about physical contact.

Of course, Bastet anticipated this and, with some amusement, solidified to a more acceptable form. Atemu half-heartedly swung a leg over the feline's back and slowly lowered his weight on her. She was incredibly soft, perhaps purposefully so. Without hesitation, Bastet leaped high in the air, almost knocking Atemu off and sprinted toward the cliff. Atemu couldn't believe what she was about to do. The distance from one side to the other was virtually impossible to traverse for anything that couldn't fly (or at least he thought so) and Bastet was going at it at full speed.

"What are you doing?" He asked breathlessly.

"You can trust in me, my Lord." Bastet bounded off the edge of the cliff with her hind legs, pushing Atemu forward on her back and causing him to grasp desperately onto her neck. Just as it looked like she was going to cross the expanse in one leap, she was overtaken by gravity and fell forward. Atemu lost his grip and slid off her back but Bastet managed to grab his arm with her jaw and throw him back on. It looked as if they were both going to fall to their doom but Bastet was not inexperienced with this dangerous move. She threw her weight towards the side of the cliff and found a narrow ledge by which to propel her body upwards. Running vertically now, she hopped from one uneven protrusion to another, using her speed to overcome the powerful force pulling her downwards. Atemu held on as tightly as he could, no longer doubting her abilities but eagerly looking forward to a more stable sense of safety. With one last jump, she pulled both of their bodies impressively far onto the other side of the cliff.

The Pharaoh relinquished his chokingly tight grip on the feline's neck and rolled off her back in exhaustion. Bastet didn't seem fazed. She walked over to her charge and affectionately licked his face. In response, Atemu stroked her head warmly, causing Bastet to purr. She felt happier already. Somehow, re-establishing their relationship, or at least establishing a new one, compensated for his lack of recognition before.

"This is the most I can do for you, my Lord," Bastet spoke softly in his ear.

"It was more than enough." Although Atemu believed this, it wasn't really him who said it.

"The magician is good." She said with a gentle smile.

"What do you mean?"

Realising she may have said too much, Bastet gave a respectful bow and took her leave. Atemu watched as she strolled casually toward the cliff and more or less drop off its edge. This was the second mention of "the magician" but Atemu could not, no matter how hard he tried, recall any affiliation to any magicians.

As if on cue, he felt a strong urge to keep going. Still taxed from the ordeal, he brought himself to his feet slowly and surveyed the scene before him. Nothing changed, even though he half expected it to. There was, however, the sound of running water. In his current state, water would have been a welcoming sight. Having nowhere to go but forward, that was what he did.

The unmistakable sound of running water had to be coming from somewhere but there was nothing but desert all around him. 'Could I be… hallucinating?' He thought, looking around for the source of sound every few seconds. The next step answered his question. He suddenly lost his footing when he stepped on, what felt like, water and fell forward, thrashing his arms to keep above the surface. The substance around him was no different from the rest of the land (being desert) yet it felt like water. The completely foreign experience left him wondering what to do to but this thought lasted very briefly as he was strongly compelled to react as if he was fighting against water. Despite the strong current, he was adamant on finding the shore (and he believed there was as shore) and fought against it to move forward. Against his skin, it was cold and "wet" like water but what entered his already dry mouth, was sand.

"The Duatum is merciless." A hallow voice came from within its depth, blurred by the sand trapped in his ears and throat.

Atemu continued to thrash against the waves, initially ignoring what he'd just heard. This land certainly wasn't forgiving to humans but he'd established that a long time ago. It wasn't until something wrapped itself around his ankle and forcibly yank him beneath the surface that he acknowledged a second danger.

The sand rushed at his face and he could scarcely breathe much less see anything. A scaly tail whipped against his side and he winced in pain, reaching out in an attempt to locate his attacker. It moved swiftly, skilfully inhibiting his attempts at reaching the surface while keeping itself elusive at the same time. Just when he was about to give up in exhaustion, the thing grabbed him by the torso and threw him onto solid ground.

Atemu almost passed out from the impact of his landing. Fortunately, the turbulence helped to force out the sand lodge deep in his throat. He painfully flipped onto his stomach and coughed uncontrollably. Just as he thought he was beginning to understand this world, he was thrown back to a state of confusion. This creature, which had easily kept him at its mercy, just saved him. Of course this raised the question of whether it was possible to die in this world at all.

"You die a Second Death." Came a bone-shuttering voice.

Atemu was stunned at the realization of how easily this beast could have "killed" him. Even the sound that emanated from it caused his whole body to freeze in terror as if a reaper was passing right through him. He kept his head bowed, fearing the trauma that would ensue at the sight of it. Somehow, this submissive position felt foreign to him but he could not fully understand why.

"We claim your soul for Lord Seth to strengthen his forces against the minions of Sun God. My Lord is so despised that this has come to be known as the Second Death."

"You are Ap… Ap…Ap…"

The pharaoh dug his fingers into the dirt to anchor himself as the beast came closer to him. His breathing quickened and his heart raced as he felt the overwhelmingly strong aura almost choking the bit of life left within him. There was no doubt that this was a god.

"But there is one whose unsettled vengeance is so deep he cannot die until he has your life. I will grant my servant's prayer."

"Diabound…."

The god stood so close to him now that Atemu could see the tip of his scaly tail. He felt himself curl in a ball and shake violently at the proximity of such a dreadful being. A wave of nausea washed over him and he wanted nothing more than to escape into unconsciousness.

"Can the magician utter my name?"

"You. Are. Ap- Ap-A-a-p…"

This was enough for the god and he glided past Atemu. It wasn't until he was well in the distance that the pharaoh could relax again and regain his composure. He waited several moments for the imposing god to disappear before he dared looked in that direction. Although the threat was apparently over, he couldn't let go of the unsettling feeling lingering in the back of his mind. This time, he was spared by his attacker instead of having actually overcome the ordeal. In addition, he felt certain that if the god wanted to "kill" him, he would have done so. The inexplicable force that buffered against the perils of this world did not show the same strength it did before. Lastly, someone wanted revenge against him and this person was so desperate that even the god yielded to his wishes.

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There is a belief that, despite individual differences, a mortal soul can always recognize the gates of Osiris' temple. This was why Atemu allowed himself some rest after his arduous journey. Ahead of him was a set of golden double doors highlighted in contrast to the dark stone that made up the rest of the temple. From this distance, it looked as if this gateway stood alone in the middle of nowhere, a symbolic portal to another world. He took his time approaching it, prematurely assuming he'd reached the end of his journey but too wiry to think otherwise. The dog-headed guards on either side of him opened the massive gates as he approached, demonstrating that they were stronger than they looked.

The first thing he noticed upon entering was the lit pathway from the door to the more elevated level where the throne of Osiris sat. However, when he turned his attention to either side of the atrium, he noticed a host of people, or perhaps spirits, lined on either side of the room. Whether they had a purpose or not, he couldn't tell, but their presence increased the sense of intimidation he was sure the gods intended to convey.

Osiris, sat at the far end of the room. This was the great god who ruled the Egyptian underworld and the eldest son of the earth god Geb and the sky goddess Nut. Despite his pharaoh-like position, his appearance was far from pleasant. His body was wrapped in burial cloth like a mummy with only the face and neck left uncovered. The skin that showed was black and green, the colours of purification and death. He wore an atef crown and carried a crook in one hand and a flail in the other, both crossed over his chest. At first glance, it was easy to mistake him for a corpse, but his surprisingly vibrant ice-blue eyes said otherwise. To his right stood Anubis, the canine god who presided over the mummification of bodies and guarded burials. He stood erect, with the toned body of a man but the head of a black jackal. He wore a red and gold headdress and held a long crook in his right hand and a set of scales in his left. To the left of Osiris was, of course, was his sister and consort Isis. She was immensely beautiful by the standards of both the divine and the mortal. A thin linen dress draped over her lithe form and hugged the delicate curves of her body. Her silky black hair was, ironically, held in a braid tossed over her shoulder.* As mother to all humanity, she was the most widely worshipped of all the Egyptian deities.

A single canopic jar stood at the end of the walkway held up by a tall, narrow stand. As Atemu came closer to it, he could hear a throbbing sound coming from within. His familiarity to it was disturbing. Osiris gestured toward the jar with his crook and one of the "spirits" from the side grabbed the jar and brought it up to him, making sure to keep his eyes averted and backing away slowly in an almost over-the-top manner.

"Do you know what this is?" The underworld god eyed Atemu with his unusually light blue eyes. He did not speak too loudly but the baritone in his voice carried it far.

The pharaoh shook his head.

Osiris seemed satisfied with this and turned to either side of him, making sure they were all in agreement. He handed the jar to Anubis, who roughly unscrewed the top and withdrew the soft, delicate organ within. Atemu flinched at the sight of the beating heart, not fully aware of his connection to it but feeling agitated at Anubis' lack of care. Without any prompting, another "spirit" from the side brought Anubis a large, billowing feather on a silver platter, offering the same reverence as the one from before. As soon as Anubis took hold of the feather, the scales in his hand glowed and a pair of disembodied eyes could be seen from behind him. A form slowly shaped around the eyes but remained unidentifiable.

"This," said Anubis in a solemn tone, "Will judge the fate of your ba. If this feather outweighs your heart, you shall pass into the Field of Reeds, but if the opposite is true, you will fall prey to Ammut."

Atemu eyed the feather nervously as Anubis placed it on the right side of the scales. This barely tipped the equilibrium, if it did at all.

"Do you have any inquiries before I judge you?" Anubis asked, hovering the pulsing heart asymptotically close to the other side of the scale. This question usually acted as a décor since a mortal enters the underworld with no memories of his past and, even if he wanted to, cannot escape the judgement. However, this was the protocol.

"I do have one, your Greatness."

All three gods were surprised by this and a murmur erupted from the crowds on either side of Atemu, nonetheless, Anubis was willing to acknowledge him, "Speak."

"I would like to know," Atemu began slowly, selecting his words with care, "If my son will be… protected, in my absence."

The entire room fell silent.

Osiris rose from his seat and pointed his flail at the pharaoh, "Repeat your question."

Unable to tell what he did wrong, Atemu obeyed, "I would like to know if my son will be protect in my absence, my Lord."

The murmuring picked up again, more violently than before. Isis had a slender hand over her mouth and Anubis could barely hold the scales still. Behind Anubis, the shadowy creature flared uncontrollably. Osiris stood up from his throne, and regally stepped toward Atemu. He towered over Atemu with his incredible height.

"What is your name?"

Atemu stopped, "I… don't know."

"What was your status in the living world?"

"I don't know, my Lord."

"Were you good or evil?"

"I don't know, my Lord."

Atemu began to shake under the overbearing pressure from the god but he could do nothing but tell the truth.

"Did you sire a child?"

"Yes, my Lord."

Osiris stood back and stared directly at Atemu. It was difficult to determine what he was looking for.

"Did you have a wife?"

"I don't know, my Lord."

"But you sired a child?"

"Yes, my Lord."

"By whom did you sire this child?"

"I don't know, my Lord."

"Did you do so with a woman?"

"I suppose that must have been the case, my Lord."

A number of people in the crowd coughed. Although Atemu was starting to sound illogical and repetitive, he was too confused to figure out what was going on.

Osiris spoke slowly, "What is your boy's name?"

"Yuugi."

The god walked back up the steps and eased himself on his throne, he turned to Anubis. "Place his heart on the scale," He commanded.

Anubis' hand floated on top of the unoccupied side of the scale but he could not lower the organ onto it. There was nothing overtly unusual about it; however, he could not complete his task. In the end, he relented to this resistance and placed the heart back in the jar, sealing it up. Anubis turned to Osiris for an answer.

Osiris, however, did not offer an answer. He was occupied with the mortal in front of him. This was something he hadn't experienced before and, for the first, he had no idea what to do.

…to be continued

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A/N: Atemu's journey through the underworld was something I dreaded writing but I had to get it over with. Mythological references were taken from "Egyptian Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Goddesses, and Traditions of Ancient Egypt." By Geraldine Pinch.

1) After death, souls of the deceased wander through the Duat (Egyptian underworld) to reach the presence of one of the gods who could grant eternal life. Some deities were helpful, while others were hostile. The soul of the deceased had to act like a magician and overcome threats by knowing protective spells and the true names of the beings he or she would encounter. In this case, Atemu didn't have this info but the one who guarded him (guess who!) did.

2) Weret-Hekau, Pakhet and Beset are all feline deities associated with some form of protection to the royal family. For the purposes of this story, Pakhet was made evil.

3) Apophis: The most dangerous of the chaos monsters who constantly threatened the divine order. He was sometimes described as a huge crocodile but was usually shown as a giant snake.

4) Field of Reeds: A temporary paradise for souls.

*Before a girl reaches puberty, she keeps her hair in a braid. After this point, she lets her hair down.

Note: The Second Death is actually a reference to what happens who the heart his judged as evil and devoured by Ammut. I just used it differently here.

Yami: Wait, were you hinting at bestialit –

Me: No I wasn't.

Yuugi: Fada??

Me: There is going to be an Olympic break here in Vancouver this coming February. I'll write the next chapter then. Meanwhile, please leave some comments!