Chapter 8: Bonds and Brotherhood

Was he knocking? The howl of the wind made it kind of tough to hear the sound of the door and very tough to feel if the wood was actually solid enough to make noise. What if his gloves were too thick and actually absorbed all the force behind his fist, and his knock came out as a gentle "thud" instead? How long should he keep knocking before he gave up? With temperatures well lower than freezing, he could die out here!

Suddenly the heavy door slid open and Matt felt the natural pull to enter the small foyer. It was the size of a coat closet, and its entire purpose was to provide a buffer between the exit door and the actual living space. He jumped inside the foyer and helped slam the door shut against the heavy wind, immensely grateful for the rush of warmth. He'd stepped into an oven by comparison.

"You're late."

Matt shuddered heavily with the cold, but even behind the layers of winter clothes covering his face, he recognized Zeke as the one who opened the door. It really was almost like looking in a mirror, except some things were a little off. Zeke's hair was thinner and longer than Matt's and his eyes were a little lower on his face, giving him the appearance of a slightly larger forehead. He probably grew his hair long to help cover it, Matt figured.

As Zeke urged Matt into the house, he added, "I expected you ten minutes ago."

"You knew I was coming?"

Zeke made a face. "You and I could be twins. Of course I knew you were coming. What took so long? I anticipated you would want to run a background check on me to ensure my authenticity, but I also expect you couldn't gain internet access here."

"That's a lot of anticipating," Matt said, impressed with his twin's foresight. "I managed to get one bar in the middle of town, so I called a friend and asked her to run the background check for me and text me the results."

"I'm surprised you had the perseverance to find reception here. It's awfully cold."

Matt laughed more than was necessary for such an obvious overstatement. "Yes, it definitely is. I think I got lucky by the time I managed to get the phone's voice commands to recognize Cary's name. Must have tried forty times before I finally connected, and there was no way I was poking it with my bare fingers."

Zeke led Matt into the house's sitting room. It was a simple room with wooden walls decorated by animal pelts and mounted heads. The Brantley place looked similar. The pelts helped to keep the cold air from piercing the walls. "Come on in. Sit by the fire and warm up." The fire did look inviting.

"Actually, I don't know how much good that will do me. Can you just light my coat on fire?"

"If you really want me to. Less competition for me in this tournament."

"True," Matt noted. After he got comfortable beside the fire, he looked back at Zeke, who was watching patiently from the couch. He looked like he didn't have a care in the world. "You aren't curious how I found you?"

"There are only thirty-two buildings in this town. That's how I would have found me."

Matt huffed. He thought that technique would sound more impressive the way he was going to tell it. "Do you also know why I'm here?"

"Yes. We're both twenty years old and have never met before we saw one another in that citadel." Gently, he added, "I was told you died in infancy."

"Really. Then you knew about me?"

"Only that you existed for a moment and then died at birth," Zeke explained. "I had no reason to think Mom and Dad lied about that."

"Mom and Dad…" Matt repeated thoughtfully. He'd met both Leona Moxley and Oscar Apple, the people who bore him, but even though he realized his filial connection, he never considered them to be Mom and Dad. "They raised you, did they?"

"Yeah. Sorry to find out they didn't keep you around. Who raised you?"

"Hah!" Matt apologized for his outburst and explained it was a sneeze. "I was thrust into foster care. The man paid by the state to keep me alive—that's as close as I can get to claiming he raised me. He was a drunkard who lived off of child abuse and gambling. The house was always filled to the brim with foster kids. Some of them were lucky enough to get carted off to better homes, but I had a chip on my shoulder and never won over any of the social workers. The only person around who helped me become a decent human being was my little sister Lindsay. She's such a cute kid who's freaking brilliant and as level-headed as Gandhi." Suddenly Matt looked sullen. "She probably could have been adopted in a flash if she tried. I know it's egotistical, but sometimes I wonder if she didn't stick around just so she could keep me sane."

Zeke had a bit of a smirk on his face. "She sounds like an incredible young lady."

"Don't get the wrong idea. She's my little sister. I have a girlfriend back at Duel Academy."

"Yeah? Anyone famous?"

"Hardly famous," Matt laughed. "We're all a bunch of students. None of us is really famous."

Zeke shrugged. "I don't know about that. Lucy Mercer has definitely made a splash among duelists what with being hired by Industrial Illusions before she even graduated. Rumors abound that she's the one who developed the idea for Xyz monsters. Is that how she got hired?"

"She's pretty creative," Matt admitted. "My friend's actually engaged to her."

"Hers is a well-known name. And you've made a pretty good name for yourself with the tournaments you've won."

"I guess I have had a decent career so far," Matt admitted with a smile. "That's actually how I met our mother."

Zeke nodded. "When I heard about the tournament in Gathas at the casino Mom owns, I knew there was zero chance you hadn't met her. Did she tell you in person that she was your mother?"

"No. I found that out last year when a friend ran a background check on me."

"Is that the same friend currently running a background check on me?"

"She is."

Zeke chuckled. He leaned back on the couch to stretch and then got comfortable across all three cushions. "Then I guess it won't do me any good to hide things from you. Should we start with the question you really want answered?"

Matt sighed. There were so many things he wanted to know. He knew he and Zeke could spend the entire night talking about their lives and comparing their idiosyncrasies. Already, he noticed that Zeke had the same tendency to pop his ankles, which was something Matt started doing in grade school after his foster father beat him badly enough to break his ankle. But they only had a few hours' recess before the tournament would pick up again. He wanted to focus on the most important questions, and spend a little time bonding until they could get together someplace south of Yasna.

"What was it like growing up with Leona and Oscar?"

"That's not the big question," Zeke argued. He watched Matt until the initial confusion passed. As he sat, the air around him steamed. The feel of the energy pouring from him felt much the same as that coming from the spirit of the Uncreated.

"You've also got a spirit inside you," Matt said.

"Yes."

"Who is it?"

Zeke laughed a hearty laugh. "I wasn't expecting that," he said as he wiped a tear from his eye. "Just like you and I are twins, the spirits within us could be considered twins. He goes by the name Angra Mainyu. And he has strong feelings about Ahura Mazda."

Matt recognized the name Ahura Mazda. The spirit within him only ever referred to himself as "the Uncreated." The name resonated with the spirit and gave Matt a warm feeling. Having it gave him a sense of connection with the Uncreated.

"Did Leona and Oscar have spirits?"

"Yes. They still do. Those cards you hold are not the hosts for their spirits. They simply enable you to carry a piece of your parents with you at all times. The spirits of Spenta Mainyu and Zurvan still very much lie within Mom and Dad."

"So you knew about the spirits all along?"

Zeke grinned. "I always had an extra voice in my head. He introduced himself to me when I was seven. It made spelling class a lot more interesting when he's looking over my shoulder pointing out my mistakes."

"He talks to you?"

"Angra is not exactly a chatterbox, but he always has something to say. I take it Ahura doesn't say much?"

"No. I'd say he's quiet, but a vow of silence makes someone quiet. He's a freaking recluse inside my own head. He saved my life once when the Shadow Realm consumed my body, he briefly introduced himself when Oscar made me the object of some giant alchemy project, and there was one brief encounter we had over the winter break."

Zeke made a face. "Well, if he's only going to talk during a blue moon, at least he makes it something important. You obviously haven't developed any of your spiritual ability. Just enough to survive the Shadow Realm and see things from time to time. You can't do it at will, though, can you?" The look on Matt's face answered the question for him. "I thought so. Dad may have awakened Ahura's power for you, but he couldn't merge the two of you."

"No, I guess not. For a while, I thought Oscar was the one who did this to me. Actually, I wondered whether I was even real or if I were just some alchemical experiment. The campus saw more than its share of me when Oscar made five more."

"He needed to make homunculi with the right kind of energy in order for the ritual to work. Few people still live who have that kind of power, and fewer still who would help him," Zeke explained. He seemed to understand right away about the ritual Dr. Apple used to awaken the spirit of Ahura Mazda. Good thing, too, because Matt still wasn't sure he could explain it well. But he did remember the out-of-body experience after the ritual began.

Matt wrapped his arms around himself in a bear hug to reduce the pain he felt from the ritual. He felt like his insides were being rearranged, displaced to their limits without ever actually being broken. When he opened his eyes, he didn't see Oscar standing in front of him, and he didn't see the deadnettle grove where their duel began. All he saw was white everywhere, stretching to infinity in all directions. His body still had color, and his coat was still a vibrant midnight blue, but all other color in the world disappeared.

One other person appeared suddenly when Matt's gaze circled around a second time. He also stood out, though not as prominently: a man dressed in a white cloak and a white hat, riding atop the body of a grand eagle. Matt couldn't see much of his face behind the enormous white beard. He could only notice the bright, blue eyes. They perfectly contrasted the feathers of the man's headless mount.

"All this spiritual energy," the man's deep, booming voice echoed. "I will finally awaken. My power will return and I can share more freely. My purpose will become clear to me. What remains is for your spirit and mine to merge."

Matt felt a familiar air coming from this man. "I know you?"

"You borrowed a portion of my power to counter the Shadow Realm."

A lost duel against the Wicked Gods meant suffering the force of the Shadow Realm undefended. But he wasn't undefended: He had felt a warm light cloak him as the Shadows pounded his body and attempted to ravage his soul. "You kept me safe when I forfeited against Maya," Matt realized. "Who are you?"

"I am the Uncreated. My breath formed the spirits of this world. It is through my revival that the world will be saved."

"Saved from what?"

The man in white began to fade and Matt felt himself pulled away. "You will understand when the time draws nearer. For now, return to my father and use my newly awakened power to defeat him in battle."

Zeke tilted his head, curious about an inconsistency he heard within Matt's story. He closed his eyes for a moment, but Matt noticed no change in the air. "Awakening Ahura Mazda shouldn't be where you stop. You need to go so far as to subjugate his spirit." He broke eye contact to glance at the clock on the mantel several times, but Matt pretended not to notice. He wasn't ready for the conversation to end just so her could get a little sleep.

His brother leaned forward and said emphatically, "Take control of him and make him a part of you! That's what it's going to take for you to have the real power of a god."

Matt looked simply dumbfounded at the thought. For a full minute, he didn't even blink. Zeke chuckled at him. "I'm not saying it'll make you omnipotent, but you'd never have to worry about losing a duel again in your life. That should be helpful when you go pro."

"I actually hadn't thought about being a professional duelist," Matt admitted.

"Seriously? A guy with your record?"

"According to you, my record might be tainted because Ahura Mazda has been helping me win." Matt suddenly felt guilty. He had already learned how to focus his energies into his deck to ensure he drew exactly the card he wanted. It wasn't a way to guarantee victory, but it helped tremendously.

"Actually, what I said was that you could have him help you. It's possible that the energy he releases unconsciously has given you an edge over the years, but you've got to have some actual talent in order for his power to mean anything, anyway."

"Well, I have learned to use a little bit of his power already," Matt admitted coyly. "I have to know my deck inside and out and understand completely the situation in front of me in order to be successful, but his power helps me when the opponent starts to build power against me."

"I felt you do it outside the citadel earlier. One of the Numbers mentioned that you dueled Jean-Paul Poirrot before entering. I knew it was you once I saw that we were twins. Ahura's power feels like an exact mirror of Angra's. You've learned how to tap into his power to some degree already. I'm guessing it was that last conversation you mentioned. Care to share the experience?"

Matt shuffled uncomfortably, but with a sly grin—a poor attempt to hide his pride in himself. "How did you do it?" he asked in attempt to sound humbler. Zeke recognized the false modesty, but he opted to play along.

"When I was twelve, I wanted Angra to make me strong enough to win a race against a guy who annoyed me. He refused because he didn't care about the outcome of that race, so I demanded his help. He became combative. We had a mental tug-of-war in which I made a bet with him: If he gave me the boost I needed to win and didn't enjoy the sensation of winning, he could withdraw for as long as he wanted. As it turns out, he likes to win as much as I do." He nodded toward Matt. "So how'd you get a little bit of Ahura's power?"

Matt took a deep breath and remembered all the stress he dealt with recently. "Last semester, Bryan and I fought against a god who threatened to bring forth Judgment Day on the entire world. Now, I can't be absolutely certain that entity would have destroyed the world if Bryan and I hadn't won, but I felt that power as it ripped apart the field where we were having our Spirit Day celebration. And I heard that event opened up doors to the Shadow Realm, and even to planes outside of earth or the Shadows.

"There was some kind of ghost that haunted Avesta over the winter while Bryan and I were home. It transferred itself from person to person through touch. It started out in possession of Josh Marbury at the bus station. It took over Lucy Mercer while she was visiting us, possibly searching for Bryan and his god card. I allowed the ghost to take control of me. I didn't understand at the time why it decided to stay, but now I assume it's because I hold two god cards and a whole other god inside me.

"Before the ghost could destroy my psyche and permanently take control of my body, Ahura Mazda finally stepped in and fought back. We got rid of the ghost, which should have been good enough. But for some reason I'm not certain of, I was frustrated with him. Ahura just stood aside and allowed the ghost to torment me relentlessly until the very last moment. He's never been willing to answer the simplest questions I ask. I snapped, and that's when I pounced on him. It sounds weird to describe it that way considering it all happened inside my head. A telepathic full nelson gave me a powerful feeling. It was the same way I felt when he helped me win against the Apocalypse, and since that incident, I've found that I can initiate that feeling at will."

Zeke leaned back and stared at Matt with a grin of amusement. "Congratulations. Subjugation is part of the game when you want to become a god. I'm going to assume you've never achieved corporeal form. And I mean for Ahura Mazda."

Matt was ready to make a snide comment about the form of that question, but Zeke cut him off from it. It seemed more and more obvious these guys were born of the same genetic material. "You're telling me you can give Angra Mainyu a physical manifestation? In his own body?"

"Actually, he can manifest himself as an astral projection—kind of like a ghost. But I've also learned how to merge his spirit with mine so we share this body."

"You give him your body?"

"Even better. I become Angra Mainyu!" It was the first thing Zeke said with any passion in his voice. He'd anticipated Matt's visit and the questions Matt asked, but his relationship with Angra Mainyu was his greatest accomplishment.

Matt decided that if Zeke and Angra Mainyu were close enough to become one, maybe they'd share something Ahura wouldn't. "Why would these gods choose to dwell within us? I mean… Why would a god want to limit himself to the confines of an earthly body he has to share?"

"Academic fascination," Zeke answered. "The lives of humans are fleeting by comparison with a god's, yet they can be so fascinating. To you and me, our lives seem long, yet the lives of fruit flies are short and seem pointless. The same analogy can be viewed from the gods. Compared with eternity, our ability as humans to accomplish anything within the span of our lives is fascinating. Beyond that, the gods are primordial and guide the wellbeing of all creation. Humans, on the other hand, have the freedom to act however they wish and make decisions for pleasure rather than because the laws of nature depend on it. Living the life of a human is an extravagance of freedom, and one the gods have earned."

He dipped his head just slightly as he spoke. "Actually, it sounds like Ahura Mazda is simply happy watching a human life, studying vicariously. That's why he doesn't talk to you often. He doesn't want to influence your decisions the same way an animal researcher doesn't want to influence the environment he studies. By contrast, Angra Mainyu enjoys taking control a bit and living life directly with me. What's the point of being on vacation if you don't immerse yourself in the culture?"

Matt was speechless. He felt a tickle deep in his chest. The idea of having a god live inside him was already bizarre before he knew the god was there simply to observe him and watch the way he lived his life. The thought made him self-conscious. How would Rory feel knowing that a god was watching them make out in the evenings? How would Bryan react when he found out a god was aware of all his practical jokes? He even knew every occasional dirty thought to cross Matt's mind.

Very suddenly, Matt experienced a severe case of vertigo. The sensation was as if he were falling while his body rose through the air. His vision blurred for but a moment; it did not return completely. The world before him appeared in grayscale and felt as if time slowed to a crawl. Zeke sat before him in the same position, his chest taking a full minute to rise and another to fall with each breath.

"Brother! We have been apart too long!"

Nothing could have prepared Matt for what he saw. He expected to find Zeke was the one speaking to him, but the voice was much too clouded, with an embedded echo. The author of the voice stood beside his frozen brother, and he bore a strong resemblance to the god card Zeke played an hour earlier. Standing tall as a basketball player, with a lean body armored by hardened skin, was Angra Mainyu. His was not an expressive face: Though his mouth moved and his cheeks rose when he spoke, his eyes were stoic and narrow. The grand wings he had during the duel were folded neatly on his back and all flames were extinguished. His enlarged, clawed hand appeared natural and not an equipped weapon, as Matt had originally guessed.

Ahura Mazda floated a few paces in front of Matt, his brilliant aura shining white against the gray environment. When he spoke, his voice was much softer, like when he spoke to Matt before.

"It feels as though only a moment has passed."

"A moment to us is an eternity to the human perspective, brother. Surely you have acclimated by now."

There was an air of sadness around Ahura Mazda. Matt could see it now. The god living inside him wasn't withdrawn out of a sense of mystery or disdain for socializing: He was depressed. His whole life, the only time Matt felt any warmth from Ahura was when he himself felt dysphoric, simply because Ahura understood the emotion.

"Why are we here?" Ahura asked of Angra.

"Have you forgotten why we created man? Or is it your current dwelling within a human body that you do not understand?"

"I do not remember why I chose to take on a life as a human."

"No wonder you have kept your ward at a distance," said Angra with good humor in his voice. "You and I have long admired humans. Having free will gives them opportunity to inflict the greatest of evils or to perform the grandest of gestures. No two humans are alike, and even the same human across his lifetime will be several different entities. As gods, our fates are set; as humans, we can experience life as they do."

"I do not possess the power of a god here."

"Power exchanged for freedom," Angra explained. "You have, since you started time, been slow to adapt your surroundings. After imposing order upon the darkness of existence, you rested for a thousand years before you took notice of the evolution around you. Do not concern yourself with the limitations of human life. Your power will await you in full when you leave this mortal plane. The experience is unique and rare for a god, and it will end before you reach full enjoyment. Begin immediately. Connect with Matt and accompany him through his experiences."

Suddenly Ahura's body jolted upright as steam wisped from his skin. "What is—?"

"Be well, Brother," Angra spoke. "I am merely giving you a little push to help young Matt feel less lonely while you invade his body. He was not offered, after all. You forced your way in. The least you can do is to show him who you are."

After awakening from his thousand-year sleep, Ahura joined his brother Angra for a journey across the plane. Angra wished to show his brother the changes experienced by the world in his absence. Existence had given birth to life—creatures and plants more variable than the mind could fathom. Events and cultures had come and gone already, and beings comparable even to the gods themselves contributed to the never-ending history. But such grandeur could not simply be described: It must be experienced!

And thus, Ahura and Angra journeyed along the plane, beginning to the east. They traveled forth, noting the world's development until the darkness of night fell upon them. By that time, the pair had traveled deep within a forest, and so they sought shelter within an immense building. Through the night, terrible earthquakes plagued the forest. Awakened, Ahura and Angra ventured outside to search for something amiss.

"This building," Ahura realized. "It is alive!" Upon second examination, the pair recognized the building in which they took refuge was actually the body of a giant, and they had slept within its fist. With each breath, the giant's fierce snores caused violent earthquakes.

"You are right!" said Angra. "I will halt the earthquakes." Angra leapt into the air and landed a powerful punch on the giant's head. The force contained within that blow wrought the sound of bones crunching, yet the giant was unharmed. The attack succeeded only in awakening the giant.

With a horrific grumble, the giant wondered, "What's this? Have the trees above my head begun to break and fall upon my head?"

Frustrated by his failure, Angra demanded of the giant, "Who are you? And why do you impede our progress through the forest?"

"My name is Zahhak, travelers, and I simply lay down for a nap."

The giant Zahhak appeared to be nothing more than a giant human, large and bulky with a wide girth and a belly large enough to hold a feast for three. Ahura was struck that such a seemingly simple creature could resist his brother's might.

"Stand aside, Zahhak," Angra commanded. "We would continue our journey without further obstruction." The sun had begun to show over the horizon during the commotion, and it was time to resume their previous task.

Taking two giant-sized strides, Zahhak offered a path for Ahura and Angra to continue. "If you would allow advice from an obstruction such as I?"

"Keep your advice," Angra growled.

Ahura, however, was more patient. "Please continue, Zahhak."

The giant spoke, "Farther ahead in the forest is the citadel of Azi Dahaka. If one were to approach him full of superiority, he would not endure it. He and his followers will respond with extreme measures. Such conceited travelers would be better served to turn back and avoid his dwelling."

"Your advice is noted," Angra replied, "but your words sound as a challenge. My brother and I would not lose contests of strength, speed, or wit to any mortal. Perhaps we will stop by merely for the entertainment."

Zahhak turned away. "I have said my piece. To pay heed or not is one's own choice." With those words, he walked away with clumsy, lumbering steps that continued to shake the planet.

"Perhaps his word is worth adherence," Ahura suggested.

Angra answered, "Do not concern yourself, my brother. You are the Uncreated who imposed Order upon the Chaos and gave birth to Existence. We should seek out this Azi Dahaka and accept his challenge. We need simply journey through that valley."

"How curious. Was not there a mountain present in the distance when we settled to sleep?"

"There was. Perhaps it was an illusion of the giant just as the building in which we found shelter. Think upon it no longer. We must continue our journey through the forest."

Through the day, the pair continued to journey, taking in the sights and sounds brought by the forest's ecosystem until night began to fall once again upon their path. For the second time, they sought shelter while they slept, and this brought them to a castle so big even it could not be viewed in its entirety from up close. Pressing upon the gate, Ahura found himself unable to open the way. Only through shared struggle alongside his brother could the door to the castle be opened. They proceeded inside into a great hall. Two long tables adorned the room, and their size suggested their use was reserved for giants.

At one table sat a gargantuan black dragon. A three-headed beast, two heads continued to eat while the third turned to the two intruders. "Visitors ain't allowed here," spoke the gruff voice of the dragon.

"We simply seek shelter for the night," Ahura requested. "Perhaps we can come to an accord."

All three heads turned to face the visitors. "The only way visitors can find shelter in the abode of Azi Dahaka is to show me somethin' interestin'. You feelin' up to a little challenge?"

Angra stepped forward. "There is no challenge for my brother and me. We will complete your request and, in return, you will shelter us for the night. Are we agreed?"

Azi Dahaka's dragonic faces peeled back into grins. "Agreed, strangers. Name yer challenge."

"Very well," spoke Angra. "Seeing as I am already hungry, bring forth a great feast. I can eat faster than anyone."

"That would be a feat indeed," agreed Azi Dahaka. He called forth a line of servants to bring a wooden trencher full of meat, and a being called Atar. He appeared as a red eagle, and his presence resonated within Ahura Mazda, though he did not realize the being's identity at the time. "Let us see who wins."

Angra and Atar began on opposite ends of the trencher, both consuming the meat within at incredible speed. When the two met in the middle, their progress was tallied. Angra had consumed all the meat from the bones on his half of the trencher; however, Atar had consumed not only the meat but the bones as well, and even the trencher beneath.

"It looks like your loss," Azi Dahaka noted with a chuckle. "Anythin' else?"

Ahura felt remorse for his brother's obvious loss. But Angra was not yet beaten. He protested, "Even with my belly full of meat, my feet are swifter than any in creation."

"That remains to be seen." He called forth a being named Aka Manah, a tall and lean creature with little muscle but a stern visage. "Thrice around the castle perimeter. Go!" Angra and Aka Manah took off at speeds invisible to mortal eyes, yet Ahura could see they were neck-and-neck through the first and second laps. Aka Manah gained the edge at the very last leg of the race and finished mere inches in front of Angra.

"Ye'r oh-for-two," Azi Dahaka chuckled. "Perhaps ye'd consider the drink?"

Before Angra could volunteer, Ahura stepped up. "My brother will rest. I will participate in your drinking contest."

"Good for you, quiet stranger. Finish this mug of ale to get caught up." Hesitantly, Ahura took the mug and threw back his head. But after taking only three mighty gulps, he was unable to continue and dropped the mug.

Azi Dahaka looked unimpressed. "A single mug was too much for yer tiny body. Do you even have any physical strength in there?" He points Ahura to the corner of the hall where he finds a large cat. It was not a violent creature, yet try as he might, Ahura's immeasurable strength was not enough to lift the cat from the floor but for a single paw. The dragon's three heads all turned away. "Both of you get out of here. You strangers aren't worth the time."

"Again," Ahura protested. As patient as he was, the Uncreated could not experience complete failure at the hands of a simple dragon. "Allow me to fight someone. I am undefeated."

"Fighting one so weak he can't drink a single mug is a waste," scoffed Azi Dahaka. "Four failures are enough."

"No!" Ahura commanded. "One more."

All three heads turned just enough to leer. "If you truly wish for one final challenge, I will accept." He called for his housemaid, an elderly woman named Asto Vidatu. She was unimposing and appeared decrepit, but she agreed to wrestle with Ahura instead of a direct fight. With every struggle, Ahura found the battle even more difficult, almost as if the woman were gaining strength as he lost it. Just as his knee hovers above the floor, Ahura Mazda finds the strength for one mighty throw, and he brings the woman to her knees instead.

Ending the match, Azi Dahaka announced, "That'll do." The elderly woman left the hall as more servants brought forth food and drink for the visitors. "One victory is impressive enough for yer victory. When ye've had yer fill, ye'll be shown to yer rooms. Sleep well, strangers." Tired and frustrated from their losses, Ahura and Angra rejoiced in the one victory they managed. The feast was as good as any they'd ever eaten.

In the morning, the pair awoke and prepared to continue their journey. Azi Dahaka was nowhere to be found, and Ahura could not thank him for his hospitality before their departure.

"I am bewildered by the power within that castle," he told his brother. "This event reminds me that my power is limited after all, and the Existence I brought forth to this plane continues to evolve even without me. Perhaps one day, the creatures I gave birth to will become even more powerful than I am."

When the pair crossed the gate back into the forest, they encountered another being, one whose robed body appeared triangular because of his wide shoulders and slender body. Immediately, the being bowed his head to Ahura. "My lord!"

"Vohu Manah," Ahura recognized. "Why have you come?"

"Spenta Mainyu heard your journey may cross your path with the giant Azi Dahaka. We are relieved his mischief did not bring you to harm. As the angel of truth, I have seen the challenges he posed to you and your brother. If I may explain, you were tricked, my lord."

Incredulously, Ahura asked, "Tricked how?"

"Azi Dahaka is infamous for his mischief and trickery, stoking the pride and curiosity of travelers through his identity as Zahhak."

Angra noted, "The giant we met was the same entity as Azi Dahaka."

"My lord. Angra Mainyu competed in an eating contest against fire personified. Against such pure destruction, no living entity could be victorious. The footrace was, in reality, against thought itself. Angra Mainyu ran nearly as quickly as Azi Dahaka could think. My lord Ahura Mazda shook the entire planet when he tried to lift the cat—truly the Leviathan which holds the world in place. Removing the beast from its place would have destroyed this plane. And my lord's drinking contest included a mystical mug that reached into the ocean itself. As each sip felt slow to sink, the level of the ocean fell tremendously. At the emergence of this forest, you will find a sandy beach has appeared.

"Most impressive was when my lord Ahura Mazda defeated Asto Vidatu, who is Death, previously thought to bring all members of creation to their knees. For my lord to avoid her grip was surely a feat accomplished by none less than the Uncreated."

Angra suddenly shouted in rage, "What deceit! Such treachery will not go unpunished!" He turned toward the castle, but it no longer existed where it once stood—only a wide prairie in the middle of the forest.

"Come, brother," Ahura spoke. "The event is behind us. Let us learn from this mistake and move onward with our journey. If I am not to be deceived by such delusions again, I must see what Existence has created during my sleep."

"As you wish, brother."

With a hum accompanying a pleasant memory, Angra's visage relaxed. "Rest now, Brother. Be with Matt while he duels. Your memory will return in time."

Ahura spent a moment in quiet contemplation. Angra gave Matt a favorable nod. Almost instantaneously, both godly entities faded away and Matt's vision of the lodge room returned to normal. Zeke had barely moved, but the grin creeping across his face suggested he knew what happened. He and Angra really were as close as he suggested; the god already relayed the event.

Matt uttered, "I had no idea… I knew Ahura was a god, but to have such power within him that the life of the planet is threatened by his might? He's clearly even more powerful than I thought he was."

"He and Angra both are powerful entities capable of feats that are nothing short of god-like. It's a shame Ahura Mazda has lost his memory."

Matt mumbled, "I never realized. He doesn't say much."

Zeke leaned toward Matt as if to offer comfort. "Here's a little exercise for you to try that Mom and Dad recommended to me when I was seven. Go find a quiet space with a little bit of white noise and just meditate. That hypnogogic phase of consciousness right before you fall asleep is one of the most attuned states your mind will ever be in. That's when you're most likely to see Ahura."

Thinking back on how he spent most of his free time during the fall semester, Matt commented, "I've had enough meditation for a while. It didn't work for me. All I figured out is how to use some of Ahura's power to influence what card I draw."

"That's helpful. But when you and Ahura finally become one, you'll already know how the duel will go." Zeke sighed and offered a gentle shrug. "If meditation isn't your thing, what's always helped me is taking a deep breath."

"That's it?" Matt asked, giving his twin an incredulous expression.

"A deep breath when you're stressed can make the world slow down. That can make it easier to hear what your spirit has to say. Of course, it helps if Ahura actually wants to talk, so you could just be out of luck. But seriously, that should be your goal. When you and Ahura Mazda are able to merge even for a moment, you'll see things you've never seen. Spirits abounding, the colors of duel energy, thoughts and emotions tinting the air around people…"

In all the time he'd known about Ahura Mazda, Matt never knew such things were possible. Yet it made so much sense in hindsight. There was a god living inside him! With a few sips, he lowered the oceans. He wrestled Death into submission! Even if Ahura never sought to merge spirits with him, if he could gain even a sliver of that power—to see the world through the eyes of a god! What must that be like?

"Hand me your phone," Zeke requested. After some effort it took for Matt to get his phone out of his thick pockets while still wearing his thick gloves, Zeke input his contact number. "We'll probably see one another again before this tournament ends, but I must excuse myself and get a few hours' sleep before the next duel. Merging with Angra Mainyu makes me a powerful opponent, but it wears me down. I suggest you take advantage of all the breaks to rest. You'll need it to survive."

Matt pointed to the window, which was still bright. "Is it really ten o'clock? It's still bright outside."

"Up here, 'day time' is also called 'nine months out of the year.' Do your best to take a nap. You're at the Brantley place, right?"

"How did you know?"

"Thirty-two buildings, remember? When you go through that door, circle around the house and the Brantleys' will be straight ahead of you. Northeast, if that helps." He noticed that Matt seemed especially resistant to leave, and Matt couldn't help feeling that way. Yesterday, he didn't even know he had a blood brother, and now he wanted to learn everything about him.

"Can I ask one more question?"

With a yawn, Zeke said, "Next time."

"Fair enough." Matt stood and looked at Zeke awkwardly. He wasn't sure exactly how to say goodbye. Should he limit physical contact to a handshake or just avoid it altogether? He usually hugged Cary, Bryan and he hugged fairly often, and Zeke was his blood brother.

Zeke solved the conundrum for him by raising a closed fist. Amused, Matt returned the fist bump. "Rejoin your friend and get some sleep, brother. You will both need all your energy for the next round."

Matt nodded, wrapped himself up tightly, and headed out into the cold, taking the shortcut to Brantley's place. But he knew Bryan wouldn't be there. Not yet.

Two more chapters this week because they were rewrites. I have one more rewrite and then we're on to material not previously covered! For those curious, the original outline of this story put the arc at 22 chapters. With my revisions, the estimate is 31. Longer is better, right? That means we've still got a lot of ground to cover before this piece of the puzzle is over. The next chapter will tell/remind you of the primary objective in this arc, so stay tuned!

Trivia: The idea of Ahura Mazda being the Creator but not being omnipotent is one of the real tenets of Zoroastrianism, and the idea also makes him seem like such a more interesting god. Infallibility bores me because nothing can go wrong. But an entity with that kind of power and the ability to make mistakes? Intriguing, isn't it?