For a moment, Yugi was too stunned to speak. "So soon?" he squeaked.

Seth cocked his head. "I was under the impression that you wished me to hurry. Seto delivered the ingredients today, and I have spent some time preparing. Of course, if you have changed your mind…"

"No." The Pharaoh's voice was firm. "What does the spell entail?"

Seth picked up a jar from the table. It was filled with violet incense that writhed and pressed itself against the jar. Joey and the others recoiled.

"I will begin by reciting several prayers designed to call the attention of the gods. Then, if all goes well, I will use this incense and my other ingredients to restore your memories," Seth said. "I should warn you: the process will be painful."

"I cannot cause Yugi to suffer," the Pharaoh said. His voice was clearly regretful, but his face was determined.

'I'll be alright,' Yugi said bravely. 'I can withstand a little pain to help you regain your memories.'

"Yugi…" the Pharaoh began, but Seth was shaking his head.

"You won't need to. That is the other aspect of this spell. In order to restore your magic as well, I will need to separate you from Yugi and place you in a body of your own. Releasing large amounts of Shadow Magic into your current form would do incalculable damage to your host."

Yami was temporarily struck dumb. Separated from Yugi? I have been a part of him for so long that the thought pains me. He could feel Yugi's resignation.

'Go, Pharaoh. You deserve this.''

A feeling of gratitude swelled in the Pharaoh's heart. Still, he was concerned. "Are you sure?"

'Positive. We both knew that this would be temporary. Maybe your spirit can finally find eternal rest.'

"Thank you," Yami murmured. He turned to Seth. "Let us begin."

Seth nodded and stretched out a hand over Yugi's head. The Millennium Rod began to glow.

"Wait a moment," Joey yelled. He stepped up and grabbed hold of Seth's shoulder. "How do we know that we can trust him? I mean, he's using the Millennium Rod!"

Seth's eyes narrowed. "Let go of me," he hissed, his voice low and venomous.

Joey ignored him. "It's like I said before, Yug, he's just like Kaiba! And I wouldn't trust Kaiba to go using magic on you. Let's just think this over a bit."

"I can assure you, mutt," a voice came from the door. "Seth is nothing like me."

"Kaiba!" Tristan exclaimed. Joey turned, releasing Seth in the process. His mouth fell open in shock.

Seto Kaiba stood in the doorway, his white trench-coat flaring dramatically behind him. His eyes were cold, and his cheeks were flushed with anger. He ignored them, moving directly over to Seth, who stood stock still, a faint expression of surprise crossing his face.

"I thought I'd come and see this madness through," he said gruffly. Seth nodded, face blank.

"Be welcome."

Joey opened his mouth to protest, but Kaiba cut him off.

"Quit your yapping, mutt. If your lungs give out, I'm not taking you to the vet."

With a strangled cry, Joey hurled himself at Kaiba. Kaiba did not move, but watched in amusement as Tristan and Tea struggled to restrain their friend, who looked full ready to commit murder. The Pharaoh only watched with an impatient expression, as though angry that such a thing delayed him. By this time, Tristan and Tea had managed to calm Joey down.

Breathing heavily, though no longer struggling, Joey spat, "You don't care about Yugi or the Pharaoh at all, do you? You don't care if they get hurt or killed. You're just a spoiled little brat that likes causing pain! You're right about one thing, Richboy; Seth isn't like you. He has loyalty to something besides himself."

Nobody spoke. Seto kept his face expressionless only through an extreme act of will. Mokuba had said something very similar, and even coming from the mutt, it hurt. Anger was his instinctive reaction, but beneath that was another stranger emotion. Was that…shame? He forced it back.

To his surprise, the priest spoke. "Such remarks are beneath you," Seth said coldly. "You hurl insults like a petulant child." He glanced at Seto, as though to gauge his double's reaction, but Kaiba's face was an expressionless mask. "If you cannot control yourself, Joey, perhaps the comparison to a dog is accurate."

Joey turned away, muttering angrily. "I should have known you'd defend him," he said bitterly. He stood in the far corner of the room, his back to them all.

"He was stating the obvious," Tristan added, fists clenching. "You're not welcome here, Kaiba."

Seto's eyes narrowed. "You don't have a right to remove me. Just stay on the sidelines like a good cheerleader." Tristan took a step forward, and Joey whirled around.

Seth intervened. "I am the one performing the spell, and I say that he may stay. His presence may actually ensure the Pharaoh's safety; I will be able to concentrate more easily." He lifted his head in defiance. "Only the direct command of my Pharaoh can sway my decision."

Every head turned to the Pharaoh. "He stays," the spirit said. "But if you cannot be silent, Kaiba, then you are indeed unwelcome here."

Kaiba snorted, but said nothing. Seth lifted his hand above the Pharaoh's head as though nothing had happened. But the tension in the room had increased tenfold.

Seth began to chant, his voice low and compelling. The language was unfamiliar, but it struck a chord in the hearts of the spectators.

Ancient Egyptian presumably, Seto observed from his place in the corner. He could feel the floor beneath him shaking slightly.

The chanting became louder and more insistent. The room seemed to shrink as something large and powerful forced its way in. Huddled in a group, Yugi's friends could feel its presence like a tornado, ready to strike without warning.

Seth reached for a packet of herbs without glancing at it. With a surety born of practice, he took a pinch of the contents and sprinkled them upon Yugi's head, uttering another string of words, this time in English.

"Let two who are one cease to be one. Let them be sealed in separate flesh and blood and bone. Great gods of Egypt, I call upon your power. Let it be as I have commanded. Heed my call, I charge you!"

There was a crackling sound, and the Millennium Rod shone forth with a fiery light. Yami could feel his soul shaking itself free of Yugi's body, drifting to the side. It hurt, but not as much as he had expected. With the idleness of an observer, he watched as Yugi cried out and crumple to the ground. Tea made to run forward, but Tristan held her back. A whirling column of dust rose up from the floor and from within, Yami could see the vague outline of a dark shape, swiftly gathering form. Lightning bangs, crimson eyes, the body hung limply in midair, clothed in a strange black garment made of the howling shadows.

Seth, panting with the effort, extended a hand. Immediately, Yami felt as though thousands of invisible hooks had become embedded in his skin. He was dragged towards the body, and though he fought with sudden fear, he was absorbed by it. All was black for a few long moments, then the hooks released him, and he opened his eyes.

Yami blinked. He was on the floor. How he had gotten there, he couldn't say, but his head was spinning, and his lungs felt as though he had swallowed fire. Yugi lay a few feet away, his breathing harsh and erratic. Concerned, Yami leaned towards him, extending a hand…

He stopped and stared at his fingers. He could not see through them; they were no longer spirit. He flexed them. They moved willingly enough at his command, curling and uncurling. My hands. My flesh and blood hands.

Yugi stirred. Instinctively, he sought the Pharaoh's consciousness, usually so near his own. It was gone. For a moment, there was panic before his memories returned. He sat up slowly and looked around. To his relief, Yami sat a few feet away, staring at his hands. Yugi crawled towards him.

"Are you alright?" Being forced to use normal speech felt slow and clumsy. His tongue felt swollen.

The Pharaoh glanced up. His crimson eyes were wide with wonder. "I am alive, Yugi," he murmured. "I am real." Yugi's friends approached slowly, eyes wide, but all smiling.

Across the room, Seth gasped and sat down hard in a chair. Instantly, all eyes turned to him.

"Seth!" Yami forced himself to his feet and staggered awkwardly across the room towards the priest.

"I'm alright," Seth said faintly. "I just haven't done that much magic in five thousand years. I'm not as strong as I once was. Just let me rest for a moment."

Yami stepped back. Seth leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. His breathing sounded hoarse and erratic.

"It will be hard to get used to having to talk out loud," Yugi said with a small smile. He stepped up beside the Pharaoh. "Now I have to actually ask you what you're thinking about."

"Actually, you should be able to converse much as before," Seth said without opening his eyes. "It's just a matter of practice. You share the same soul still. No amount of magic will ever change that." He opened his eyes slowly; his breathing had almost returned to normal. "Unless of course the Pharaoh decides to return to the afterlife."

Kaiba's mind was racing. No amount of magic? Then can I ever truly be free of him? Suddenly he felt sick.

Five minutes later, Seth stood abruptly, taking them by surprise. Whatever weakness he had exhibited was gone. In its place was willpower and determination.

"Let us continue," he said firmly, waving his hand to cut off Yugi's protests. "I am ready." He looked at Yugi. "Do you have the strength for this, little one?"

Yami looked angry. "You said he would not be harmed."

"Physically, he won't be."

"I'll be fine," Yugi said bravely. "Don't worry about me."

Seth eyed him dispassionately. "You are strong. Very well then. Back away."

Yugi did, watching the Pharaoh anxiously. Seth raised the Millennium Rod; it glowed again with renewed vigor.

"Brace yourself, my king."


Through the heart, or through the head? It was a question that had been occupying him all the way down the street. He wore the hood; in this neighborhood, he could be recognized. The gun was concealed in the front pocket of the sweatshirt; its cool handle soon became slicked with sweat. Not of fear; the man had gone too far to stop now, but rather of excitement. Step by step, foot by foot, he proceeded doggedly towards his goal: the long black limousine parked in front of Turtle Games.


The very walls began to shake. Tea shrank against Tristan's side; he watched with mouth hanging open. The main room of the game shop was transformed. Great gaping tears appeared in thin air. Through these rents, Yugi could see a seething mass of shadows, eagerly pushing against an invisible barrier.

Seth stood in the middle of the floor. The Rod blazed so brightly that his face was hidden by the light. His entire body was aglow. As though from far away, they heard the roar of a dragon. The priest began to chant again, his fingertips reaching out to brush the Pharaoh's forehead. The language was different this time; it was harsh and primal and caused the spectators' hair to stand on end. The syllables tore at the throat, but Seth spoke them without pause. The Pharaoh stood immobile, his eyes half-closed.

With a swift gesture, Seth unsheathed the blade hidden in the Millennium Rod. His voice did not tremble as he sliced deeply halfway up his forearms. He had reverted to English again, but somehow that made the magic seem all the more threatening and all the more unfamiliar.

"I offer sacrifice to the gods, as is tradition." The blood was flowing freely down Seth's arms and spattering the Pharaoh's upturned face. Neither man moved. "I offer blood, that I may crave a boon from thee." He slashed again, these cuts parallel to the ones before. "A bargain long ago sealed the Nameless Pharaoh away until one should come to release him. I henceforth break all the bonds that imprison the Pharaoh's power, and unleash his true name!"

Then, reaching for the jar of incense, he brought it down upon the Pharaoh's head. And all hell broke loose. Glass shattered, covering the Pharaoh's face and neck with tiny cuts. The rents in the air widened, and Shadows poured from them in waves, gibbering in glee.

Master, master! they hissed.

As his friends watched in horror, the Shadows forced themselves into Yami's nose, ears, and eyes. As the former Pharaoh opened his mouth to scream, they slithered down his throat. His skin bulged and twisted with magic; he was gorged with it. Yami writhed with agony, and his cries tore at Yugi' heart. The boy tried to reach out to his friend, but Joey pulled him back.

"You don't know what that'll do to you, Yug."

"Let me go!" Yugi shouted, struggling frantically, but Joey held him tighter.

All at once, the Pharaoh fell silent. His skin fell back against his bones, collapsing into its proper shape. Slowly, deliberately, he turned to Yugi. Yugi gasped. In the crimson stare, he could see the Shadows.

Seth dropped his hand. The gashes in the air vanished as though collapsing upon themselves. The room, which had grown dark, brightened again. Except for a single patch in the center of the room, where the Pharaoh stood. There the light seemed strained, like flames struggling to burn beneath an upturned glass.

The Pharaoh gazed at Yugi for a brief moment without a hint of recognition. Yugi felt as though he was under a microscope, a mildly intriguing curiosity. He squirmed uncomfortably, pinned by those crimson eyes. When the Pharaoh finally spoke, his voice was choked with Shadows; it sounded as though he was speaking underwater.

"My name is Atem." The words were soft, but the Shadows in his eyes capered even more wildly, and the floor trembled a little underfoot. He seemed entranced.

"It will take some time for all of your memories to return, my king," Seth said. Despite his weariness, he knelt on the floor, his hands clasped tightly over his bleeding arms. His head was bowed, but his eyes shone with a fierce triumph.

Suddenly, the force surrounding the Pharaoh seemed to fade. He remained still, head high, but his face looked tired, and his shoulders drooped by the smallest of fractions. Blood still streamed from numerous tiny cuts on his face and hands, and suddenly he seemed to realize it. He reached up a trembling hand and touched his face. His fingers came away stained with red. His eyes met Yugi's once more. Was that fear? Then he turned and staggered out into the sunlight. Seth rose without a word and followed.

Outside, the Pharaoh stared at Seth in shock. The magic struggled against its chains; he longed to release it, to feel its power again. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before. It was exhausting. It was exhilarating.

"Seth," he said slowly, wonderingly. "I remember!"

A gunshot sounded.