A/N: Fair warning, the beginning of this chapter may seem tedious but it is important. The last part will contain feels. Also, the unnamed boy in the Light Triad who is mentioned in this is Honda Hiroto. He's only called 'unnamed boy' because the character this chapter follows hasn't met him so he doesn't know him.

Side note, Akhenadin is a pompous windbag.

Chapter 51 summary: In which a Trial takes place and a guilty party is punished.

The Trial of...

Arrow saw and felt the Shadows around him calm, slowing their frantic racing down to a much calmer speed. Set lowered his hand leaving the Millennium Scales to hover in the air at chest height and in plain sight of everyone present. He crossed his arms and balanced his weight on both feet evenly. It was very reminiscent of the KaibaCorp CEO, but the power this person radiated was much more powerful than Kaiba's aura had ever been. It intimidated Arrow.

"Since I'm sure you're well aware of how a Judgment Game works, I won't belittle you by explaining it to you," Set said with an audible sneer. "As the traditional rules stand, only one person can be Judged by the Scales at a time. For this reason, I cast aside Shadow Thief and place him in the capable hands of Ammit until the Judgment of the one called Traitor is complete."

Shaadi closed his eyes and began murmuring in hieratic. Arrow watched in growing horror as a black abyss opened up beneath the Shadow Thief and a monster the likes of which the vigilante had never seen before nor ever wanted to see again emerged from the deep. It looked like an unholy cross between an alligator and some other creature Arrow did not want to think about. The creature oozed something like slime and large clawed hands grabbed both of Shadow Thief's arms and dragged the villain kicking and screaming out of the glowing triangle to dangle helplessly at the perimeter.

"Silence him," Set commanded.

Ammit gurgled something and it opened it's gaping, razor toothed mouth and breathed on the struggling victim in its grasp. Shadow Thief coughed and gagged until finally falling silent and still. Arrow noticed how the other Shadow Monsters went out of their way to give Ammit a wide berth casting uneasy glances at the creature. From what he had just witnessed, the vigilante could not help but reciprocate the feeling. Something about Ammit was just wrong. Morbidly curious, Arrow opened his Shadow sight and had to fight back the urge to vomit. Whatever that creature was, the Shadows surrounding it were the blackest Arrow had ever seen. The vigilante was tempted to say these Shadows would give the Pharaoh's Shadows a run for their money.

"Now," Set said yanking Arrow's attention back to the situation at hand. "I call my first witness, Ishizu Ishtar, formerly High Priestess Isis and wielder of the Millennium Tauk, now Priestess of the Triad of the Balance of the Shadow Court. Priestess, of what do you accuse this man, called Traitor?"

"You really can't say my name, can you boy?" Akhenadin said, something that was too twisted to be a smile but not quite disdainful enough to be a sneer stretching the old man's lips.

Ishizu ignored the old man and stepped forward. "I accuse this man of making a deal with the Dark God that very nearly ended in the destruction of our kingdom of old; of betraying the Once Nameless Pharaoh; of murdering my former lover Shada; of being complacent in the murder of my former brother Karim and that of my friend Mahaad; nearly driving my dear friend Set insane; raising the Dark God from his prison; setting him loose on the populace of our kingdom of old resulting in the death of thousands of innocents including those of the Once Nameless Pharaoh and later Set; starting the Shadow Games here in Starling City; being directly or indirectly responsible for the kidnap of my brother Marik Ishtar, called Priest of the Dark Triad of the Shadow Court; and driving Kaiba Seto, human head of the Triad of the Balance and Regent of the Shadow Court and Earthbound Shadow Kingdom, and Seth to cut themselves off from the Shadows temporarily in fear of you."

"So Seth is the name of my son's other soul," Akhenadin murmured.

Arrow blinked when that little tidbit was the only thing Akhenadin latched onto as the accusations kept coming. This old man really did all of that and all he cared about was Seth's name? Did he regret nothing? Forest green darted to the god residing within the Regent's body hesitantly. Set did not react to the Priestess's words. Ageless blue eyes stared firmly at Akhenadin, still pinned to the ground by the Gravity Bind Trap where the Eye of Ra gleamed. When Ishizu fell silent, only then did Set move.

"As you say," he said. Set waved a hand and the forced holding the accused down lifted. "Traitor, what do you say to these accusations?"

Akhenadin picked himself up slowly as the Gravity Bind finally ceased. A single living brown eye and unseeing glass orb stared down Set with disdain. "You can't even say my name," he said. "You call me Traitor. Is this truly a fair trial if you are so obviously already biased against me?"

Arrow was glad he had years of practice masking his emotions because right now he wanted more than anything to throttle the old bastard's neck.

Set, however, remained unmoved. "Is that all you have to say?"

Akhenadin shrugged. "I suppose, yes."

"Then you have been heard. Priestess, you may step back," Set said.

A metallic clink echoed in the silence and Arrow was relieved to see the gold pan without the feather dangling ever so slightly beneath the pan with the feather.

"I call my second witness," Set said, "Shaadi, formerly called Shada, now Adviser of the Triad of the Balance of the Shadow Court. Shaadi, of what do you accuse this man?"

Shaadi stepped forward, face unreadable, and his arms tucked in his sleeves in what Arrow had come to recognize as a pensive gesture. "I choose to endorse Ishizu Ishtar's accusations as well as add my own."

Set nodded. "So be it."

Shaadi's eyes narrowed. "I add that this man, called Traitor, started a psychological Shadow Game in Kaiba's and Seth's mind and attacked Kaiba and Seth indirectly once more during our confrontation before this Game's initiation. I accuse this man of using Swords of Revealing Light to prevent myself and other allies from coming to the defense of Kaiba and two of the Justice League, Green Lantern and Hawkgirl, for casting the Spell Chain Energy on Kaiba to the point of strangulation, and allowing Shadow Thief to do as he pleased to the three of them."

"Do you know what Shadow Thief did, Shada?" Akhenadin asked casually.

Both Seto and Shaadi ignored the old man. Set simply said, "As you say. Traitor, what do you say to these accusations?"

Akhenadin shrugged.

Set's eyes narrowed. "You have nothing to say?"

Akhenadin just smiled to which Set twitched in the faintest show of annoyance before closing his eyes and continuing with the Judgment Game.

"You have been heard," Set said. There was another metallic clink and Shaadi's lips quirked up in a smile that was dark even for him. "I call my third witness," Set said, "Arrow, the vigilante of Starling City, called Green Arrow by the Justice League. Arrow, of what do you accuse this man?"

Arrow answered the compulsion to step forward and speak willingly. "I stand behind Ishizu's and Shaadi's accusations and add this. I accuse this," he forced himself to use polite speech, "sorry excuse for a man of playing Shadow Games in my city, killing innocent people-"

"Innocent," Akhenadin scoffed under his breath.

"-ripping some apart," Arrow continued, eyes narrowing in rage, "devouring others, and causing general mayhem and terror in my city. I also accuse this man of indirectly threatening my family and myself when he gloated over knowing my civilian name."

Akhenadin chuckled. "So childish."

Arrow bristled but said nothing, allowing Set to speak instead. "As you say. Traitor, what do you say to these accusations?"

The accused man smiled beninely. "Nothing."

Something about this was wrong. Arrow could not fight the feeling they were all missing something painfully obvious. Set seemed to notice it too, but since there was nothing they could do as of yet, he only said, "You have been heard." The empty pan of the Millennium Scales clinked lower as Arrow stepped back and Set continued. "I call upon my fourth witness, Mai Valentine-"

Akenadin snorted. "Be my valentine?"

"I'd sooner fuck Ammit," Mai said stepping forward.

"-called Sorceress of the Triad of the Balance of the Shadow Court," Set continued, but Arrow could see his lips quirk ever so slightly at Mai's cruel rebuttal. "Mai, of what do you accuse this man?"

"I stand by all of the previous accusations and accuse him of scaring the living shit out of me from halfway across the entire freakin' United States with his Shadow Games. Damn near caused me to crash my Harpie when the first Game started. I also accuse him of putting Mokuba through hell having to watch his older brother suffer because of this cretin's meddling."

Arrow noticed a curious crease in Set's brows at the mention of Kaiba's little brother. Come to think of it, where was Mokuba? Forest green flickered cross the Shadow space and found no hint of the small boy.

"As you say," Set said with a curious hint of confusion in his words that caught Arrow's abrupt attention. "Traitor, what do you say to these accusations?"

"Nothing," Akhenadin said.

"You have been heard." Mai stepped back and the empty pan clinked closer to the ground. Set continued. "I call Bakura, formerly Thief King-"

"AHEM!"

Everyone turned to white haired person of interest startled by the loud interruption. Even Set looked surprised but kept speaking, "-now called Thief of the Dark Triad of the Shadow Court."

Bakura stepped forward with a sharp toothed grin. "Sorry, just a cough. A tickle in my throat, you understand," he said, waving away the attention casually.

Arrow raised an eyebrow in disbelief then paused. The crazy Thief had 'coughed' at the exact moment Set had said his ancient name, drowning it out. Arrow bit his lip in amusement and murmured, "Clever bastard."

"I speak for myself, Ryou, and Marik Ishtar," Bakura said seriously.

Set turned to the other members of the Dark Triad. "Is this true?" he asked. Marik and Ryou nodded in confirmation. "Very well," Set said turning back to Bakura. "Speak."

"We stand by the previous accusations and add a list of our own." Bakura's voice seethed with malice. "I accuse this man of masterminding the destruction of my home village of Kul Elna; the rape and murder of my mother and sister; the butchering of my people and the harnessing of their souls to create the thrice-damned Millennium Items resulting in my eventual possession by the Dark God; the Dark God's release and attack on Ancient Egypt; and generally starting this whole god-forsaken mess."

Arrow blinked, mouth falling open in shock. All of this… Akhenadin was behind all of this?

"We also accuse him of indirectly kidnapping Marik with the intention of using him as bait to cause further... disagreements, shall we say, between the Shadow Court and the Justice League." The caniving grin returned in full force. "That's a rather impressive rap sheet you have piling up," he added to Akhenadin with a cheeky smirk.

"As you say," Set said calmly, ignoring the Thief's snide remark. "Traitor, what do you say to these accusations?"

Akhenadin merely smiled and Arrow was again struck by the feeling they were all missing something painfully important.

"You have been heard," Set intoned. The empty pan of the Millennium Scales dropped lower. "I call upon my sixth witness, Katsuya Jounouchi, called Knight of the Triad of the Light of the Shadow Court. Jounouchi, of what-"

"I speak for the entire Light Triad and we want the King and the Pharaoh to speak for us," Jounouchi said, cutting Set off prematurely.

Set blinked at the interruption but nevertheless turned to the other two Shadow monarchs. "Is this acceptable?"

Both Yami and Yuugi nodded. "It is," they replied simultaneously.

Set nodded. "Then speak."

The Pharaoh and the King stepped forward gaining Akhenadin's sudden rapt attention. "Ah," the old man said. "So you are the other whose soul was split in two. I would almost say it's good to see you again Pharaoh, or is it Pharaohs? You'll have to forgive an old man his slips," he said chuckling fondly.

Yuugi stood tall, or as tall as he could, beside his Ka and spoke. "We stand by all previous accusations," he said. "And we add these: we accuse the Traitor of attempting to kidnap me before taking Marik as the bait for the Justice League, of causing our Regent, Kaiba Seto, and his other half Seth debilitating stress and driving them to distraction."

"As you say," Set intoned. "Traitor, what do you say to these accusations?"

"Fascinating," Akhenadin murmured, his one eye studying Yami and Yuugi disturbingly close. "Did it hurt when your soul was ripped apart?"

Yuugi reached back feeling for Yami's hand, catching it and squeezing it. Yami squeezed Yuugi's hand comfortingly and sent a burning crimson glare at Akhenadin. Neither monarch felt comfortable with that eye on them.

"You have been heard," Set said, perhaps a bit louder and more curt than he needed to, but it succeeded in distracting Akhenadin who looked away from Yami and Yuugi long enough for them to step back to the relative safety of the corners of the glowing triangle where their respective Triads waited.

"So," Akhenadin asked unconcernedly. "How many more witnesses do you intend to call? This is growing rather tedious, you understand."

"As many as needed," Set replied in the same tone. Arrow bit back a smug laughter bubbling up inside him when he saw Akhenadin's eyes narrow just slightly at Set's tone. It seemed two could play this game.

"I call my seventh witness," Set said, eyes darkening.

Arrow suddenly felt very uncomfortable and intensely glad those electric blue eyes were not focused on him. Arrow opened his Shadow sight and his eyes widened. The horizon of power that was Kaiba's Shadow signature suddenly seemed much clearer, more intense; as if he was seeing it in high definition. But this time, a line of roiling storm clouds lined the far horizon with pink and blue lightning flashing silently within them. A jagged, naked bolt snaked out from one of the thunderheads striking the ground close to where not-Kaiba's silhouette stood unresponsive.

"I call on Kisara, formerly a citizen of Greece and later my lover and confidant," Set said softly.

Those words wrenched Arrow back to reality. Kisara? But did she not die 5,000 years ago? Apparently not.

The Blue Eyes White Dragon stepped out from behind Set and rumbled in its throat. It took a moment for Arrow to understand what was happening. When it finally clicked, the vigilante felt like he had been hit by a ton of bricks. The Blue Eyes White Dragon was Kisara.

The dragon met Set's eyes calmly, crooning something the vigilante could not understand. Set's eyes softened and a small smile formed on his lips. He unfolded his hands and rested the palm of one hand on Kisara's nose between here sapphire eyes and nodded.

"I will speak for both Kisara and myself," Set said, returning his gaze to Akhenadin who had been watching the scene with a disgusted look.

"So the bitch still lives, does she?" the old man asked.

Set's eyebrow twitched but he showed no other outward sign of emotion. His hand remained on Kisara's nose, however. "We also endorse the previous accusations against you and now add our own. We accuse you of abandoning my mother and me in a village far from the capitol, penniless and without any family or friends to lend us a hand. We accuse you of kidnapping Kisara from my care in the palace and attempting to extract her Ka, the Blue Eyes White Dragon, from her using torture. We accuse you of attempting to subvert me and turn me against the Pharaoh, my cousin and dearest friend, then attacking me and overthrowing my mind when I refused. We accuse you of using me as your puppet, murdering Kisara in front of me when she tried to save me, then forcing me fight my cousin for a throne I never wanted using the bonded Ka and Ba of the woman I loved."

"Yes," Akhenadin said. "Something you're still doing I see."

Set's glared. "As we say. Traitor, what do you say to these accusations?"

Akhenadin laughed softly. "That you talk much but have few actions backing up your words. This 'Seth' I keep hearing about, may I see him?"

"You cannot."

"No?"

"No."

Akhenadin smiled tolerantly. "I assume this 'Seth' was the one my Ka fought against in the Shadow Game played in your mind."

"It was," Set said and Akhenadin nodded intrigued. "But it was not my mind the Game was fought in."

Akhenadin started. "Really? Strange. I distinctly remember sta-"

"It was Kaiba's mind. I am not Kaiba nor am I Seth. I am both and neither," Set said.

Akhenadin blinked just as Yuugi and Yami paled. "So," Akhenadin breathed. "You really are my son."

"I am not," Set replied. "I never was nor will I ever be."

"Set." The god in Kaiba's body lifted his eyes to meet Yuugi's passively. The King was shaking and wore an expression of sadness. "Set, you can't stay like that," the King said. "It will kill you."

Set nodded slowly. "I am aware."

"Then stop this," Yami exclaimed. "Separate your soul so you can handle the power before it rips you apart from the inside out."

Set flinched as did Arrow. Forest green eyes stared hard at Set only now noticing the way the god was trembling minutely. The power was killing him?

"I can't," Set said softly. "I am sorry, but I cannot do that."

"Can't or won't?" the Pharaoh asked sternly.

Set hesitated. "Both." He shook himself and turned his attention back to Akhenadin ignoring his fellow monarch's pleas. "Is that all you have to say?"

Akhenadin bowed his head. "I would like to hear you say my name."

Set shook his head. "I swore an oath I would never do that."

"Then I have nothing more to say."

The empty pan of the Millennium Scales clunked on the golden base signaling the end of the Trial and the beginning of the Final Judgment.

"I will speak now, however," Akhenadin said, eyes gazing at Set evenly.

Arrow felt his senses tingling, again warning him something was wrong.

"No matter what you say now, your Penalty Game will still be cast," Set warned.

Akhenadin merely tilted his head to the side. "I wonder." Set stiffened but nodded and remained silent, waiting for the old man to continue. "I believe I have the right to ask my accuser or accusers a single question which must be answered honestly before I am sentenced, correct?"

Set hesitated. "You do," he said reluctantly.

"Then I would ask my question to you and you alone, Set."

Arrow's fingers twitched, itching to draw a bolt from his quiver and fire it at the man responsible for so much misery but was unable to do so. The Shadows refused to let him break the rules of their Game. He cast an uncertain glance at Set and read the same apprehension and disgust on the god's borrowed face when he nodded. Akhenadin smiled then and Arrow's senses screamed at him to do something.

"Who is Atum?"

Set flinched, eyes bulging in what could only be seen as terror. He stepped back one step before the Shadows stopped him, holding him in place. Set whipped his gaze down at the Shadows looping around his ankles in shock. These were not his Shadows, nor were they Akhenadin's or anyone else's. These were the Shadows of the Judgment Game and they sensed a rule breaker.

"Atum?" Yami asked suspiciously.

"It...could be a mispronunciation," Jounouchi offered hesitantly.

"Or not," Bakura growled suspecting what Akhenadin was getting at. "You know who Atum is, you sick bastard," he hollered at Akhenadin. "Why would you waste your last question on something like that?"

Akhenadin's grin grew but his single eye pinned Set in place as thoroughly as the Shadows around the god's ankles. "Because I want to hear Set say it. Who is Atum?"

Set struggled against the imprisoning Shadows. They crept up his legs to his arms, binding him and preventing him from fleeing. A pressure began growing in his chest from the urge the speak as well as the urge to remain silent. An oath sworn by the Shadows long ago fought against the rules of the Shadow Game now, each wanting their result to hold true over the other.

"Anyone have any idea what's going on here?" Batman asked struggling to force his hand down to his utility belt but finding it increasingly difficult to fight against whatever force was holding him still.

"The only Atum I'm familiar with in relation to Egyptian mythos," Wonder Woman said, "is the Egyptian god of creation. He's also supposedly the one who will destroy everything at the end of time."

"How reassuring," Green Lantern mumbled.

"God of creation?" Hawkgirl asked.

The Amazon princess nodded. "Supposedly, according to mythology, he birthed the other gods of the modern Egyptian pantheon by either masturbating or fornicating with his shadow. It depends on which version you read."

"Dear Osiris," Marik murmured in dawning horror just as Yuugi and Yami stood rigid, beginning to understand.

"I'm still lost," the brown haired boy in the biker jacket to Yuugi's left said. Honda glanced back at the girl. "Anzu-chan, any idea what this is about?"

Anzu shook her head but was biting her lip. "I think…" She shook her head trying to deny the thought that seemed to fill her head.

"I'll ask again," Akhenadin said slowly with all the patience in the world, as if speaking to a child. "Who is Atum?"

The pressure was growing, reaching the point of pain. Set's throat closed as the Shadows from his oath attempted to prevent him from speaking. The Shadows of the Shadow Game in turn squeezed his lungs and compressed his chest forcing his body to gasp in demand for air the oath Shadows refused to give. It was a duel between Shadows within Set's body. Whichever side won would determine the fate of Set.

"Why would this be such a bad question?" J'onn asked, confused by both the information and Set's reaction to the question. "Is something wrong with Atum?"

"It's not the person," Mai said, twitching as she tried to move herself. "It's the name."

"What is wrong with the name?" J'onn asked, tilting his head curiously.

"And why is this Akhenadin so insistent about knowing who he is?" Batman asked in growing annoyance.

"Possibly because Atum is also known by a different name," Wonder Woman said.

Akhenadin's smile grew feral as he dueling Shadows begin to wear Set down and asked the question one more time. "Who is Atum?"

"What name would that be?" Batman demanded.

"Colloquially, Tem," Wonder Woman answered clearly. "Otherwise, -"

"Atem," Set gasped as the Shadows enforcing the rules defeated the Shadows of the oath. Immediately, Set's eyes darted to Yuugi and Yami who stared at him in horror.

"Set," Yuugi whispered, tears pooling in his eyes.

"You swore an oath," Yami breathed.

Set's eyes closed and his head bowed just as his body sagged, falling to his knees in defeat. The Shadows which enforced the rules of the Shadow Game grew, lacing around Set's body like oil slick ropes anchoring him in place, waiting to enact a suitable Penalty Game.

Arrow watched in dismay as the Shadows enveloped Set. His muscles bulged as he fought the Shadows holding him still, preventing him from coming to Set's aid. A quick assessment of the others nearby revealed the same results. Shaadi had managed to raise an arm before the Shadows locked him in place. Ishizu's eyes were wide and she had been in the process of reaching out to grasp Set's shoulder when the Shadows stole her mobility. Mai had reached for her Deck but had gotten no further before she too was caught and held motionless by the Shadows.

"What oath?" Arrow demanded, finding he could still talk at least and move his eyes.

The Pharaoh shook visibly as he tried to fight the Shadows' hold on him and run to his friend's side. "Before we died, we made Set swear an oath bound by the Shadows to destroy all evidence of our name. It had to be that way for the spell to work."

"What spell?" the vigilante demanded harshly.

"The spell we cast to banish the Dark God," Yuugi answered. "We used our name as the key so it had to be hidden, removed from all memory in order to insure the Dark God would never be reawakened."

"But it's pointless now," Bakura snapped. "Necrophades was reawakened and then you destroyed him forever by recovering your name. The oath should be pointless now."

"It would have been," the unnamed boy by Yuugi's left said, "if the Pharaoh had released him from it."

"Which we never did," Yuugi said, tearing slipping down his face. "We didn't think I would cause problems. No one knew our name anyway."

"No one but Set," Akhenadin said with a triumphant smile on his face. Kisara roared at Akhenadin and flapped her wings but he simply stared at her in disdain. "Be still filthy beast," he commanded. Kisara roared in defiance but was unable to move in her former lover's defense. She was just as bound by the Shadows' rules as everyone else.

"Why?" Yuugi asked softly, his tear blurred vision pleading with his friend for an answer. "Why?"

Set lifted his head and met Yuugi's eyes in sad resignation. The look pulled the King's heartstrings. The god in Kaiba's body suddenly looked small, young, and scared.

"I missed you," he said softly just as the dome surrounding them began to crack.