"This is not a dream that I'm living
This is just a world of your own
You took me from all that I knew
Shown me how it feels to hope"

– "Lion" by Rebecca St. James

Chapter 17

The Egyptian artifacts surrounding us made me tense. They reminded me of the parents I had lost. At the same time, I could not ignore the burning curiosity I had buried deep inside of me. It was time to dig it up.

"Are you going to be alright?" Yami asked, sending me a concerned look.

I nodded. "I'll be fine. I have to do this." At least he was there with me. We could make it through together. I did not know where to start, so I let him take the lead.

Yami paused in front of a door that led downstairs. It was blocked off by a rope, and an arrow pointing to the left had been posted on the door. I sensed that something important was down there, and I could tell that Yami felt it too. We exchanged a knowing look. We had to go down there.

Yami took the lead, and I followed close behind. The way down was dark, causing fear to flicker inside me. I focused on the person in front of me and continued. Thankfully, the room at the bottom was well lit. I gasped at the glass-covered plaque I saw in front of us.

"Is that an ancient Egyptian stone?" I said, stepping closer to examine the plaque. There were two men carved in the stone with two figures above them: a dragon and a magician.

Yami nodded. "Those look like Duel Monsters."

"That guy has hair just like you and Yugi!" I said, pointing to the man on the right. "He looks very… royal." I remembered what I had learned from Pegasus. My ancient ancestors served the pharaoh…

"Look, around his neck."

A gasp escaped my lips. "The Millennium Puzzle?" I turned to Yami with wide eyes. "Is that guy you?"

"I believe you are correct. This appears to be me playing some form of ancient Duel Monsters. This is exactly the kind of clue I've been looking for, but I wish I were able to decipher its meaning." His eyes darted around as he searched the stone. "Who am I dueling against, for a start? What was this age-old game all about? Was it even a game?"

My throat had gone dry, but I willed myself to speak anyway. "I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually. There's no rush, right?" I did not understand why I was slowly filling with trepidation.

"Yes, I suppose you're right. It's simply frustrating." A tight smile crossed his lips. "Just when I find one answer, a thousand new questions arise."

I tentatively touched his arm. "I'll help you answer them."

"My pharaoh: I've been expecting you."

Both of us turned to face the female speaker. A woman emerged from a darkened room, and I immediately saw from her clothes and skin tone that she was Egyptian. My senses drew my eyes to the gold object around her neck that had the same symbolic eye as the Millennium Items. Then a pang hit me in the heart. There was something extremely familiar about her, almost like I had met her before…

"Who are you?" Yami said as the woman approached, staring straight at him.

"I am Ishizu," she said, "and I have uncovered many mysteries of you and these ancient carvings using the magic of my Millennium Necklace."

Yami looked at her in surprise. "Another Millennium Item!"

"I knew it," I said under my breath. At least I felt no evil from this one – just the normal uneasiness I felt around all the Millennium Items.

Ishizu touched the necklace. "Like your Millennium Puzzle, this Necklace affords me certain powers. With it I can gaze at least 5,000 years into the past to a time when evil sorcerers threatened to destroy the entire world."

I gasped. She could see the past? Then she must have all the answers! I waited with baited breath to hear what else she had to say.

"However, there was one king who possessed a magic powerful enough to stop this evil threat."

"And who was this king?" Yami asked.

"The pharaoh who saved the world was you, Yami, and now the time has come for you to rescue mankind once again."

"To rescue mankind? From what? How do you know the world is in danger of being destroyed again?"

"My Millennium Necklace also shows me visions of the future." She touched her necklace again as sadness threatened to take over her. "Oh, my pharaoh… The events of the past will occur once again, and that same great evil will return to threaten us."

"How will I recognize this evil?"

"I know that your memory has faded, my pharaoh, and that you seek many answers. I also know a Duel Monsters tournament is beginning. If you win it, you will find your answers."

This new information brought a swarm of questions to my own mind. If she could see the past, did she know how and why the Millennium Items were created? Why did I feel at least a hint of foreboding around all of them? Why was I immune to them? Why did I get the feeling they were a key component to everything? And the Ring…

"I have not forgotten you, Samia," Ishizu said, snapping me out of my thoughts. A faint smile graced her lips. "It is nice to see you again after all these years."

"You two know each other?" Yami said in surprise.

So, I wasn't just imagining things. "I met you when I was in Egypt, didn't I? Back when I was seven."

Ishizu nodded. "That's right. For centuries our families lived together, guarding the same secrets, until one day your grandmother made the choice to migrate to Japan. Her decision was questioned then, but now I can see there was a divine purpose behind it all, for you have been united with the pharaoh as was foretold."

I furrowed my eyebrows in thought. So even my grandma had been compelled to make choices that would lead to this conclusion. What sort of powerful purposes were at work here?

"If you would like to examine the carvings, my pharaoh, Samia and I will talk in private."

Yami glanced at me, and I nodded. "That sounds fine," he said.

"Let us go into this room," said Ishizu. She led me into the room she had first emerged from and flipped on the lights.

"What more can you tell me?" I said when she turned to face me. "My mother hid everything from me, and my grandma never had a chance to say much. I just know I'm an empath who's supposed to help the pharaoh." And what kind of help, I had no idea. If he was so powerful, why couldn't he do it on his own?

Ishizu nodded. "That is correct. I have seen your ancestor who lived with and served Yami."

I instantly perked up. "Really? What was her name?"

"Unfortunately, I was not able to gather that information. However, I do know she was a courageous young woman who used her powers to assist the pharaoh and the people of Egypt."

I clenched my fists and bit back my frustration. "But how? I know I can affect people's emotions, but can that really change the course of anything?"

Ishizu smiled warmly. "I can think of at least one person you were able to greatly affect just by being yourself."

I widened my eyes when I realized what she was talking about. I remembered the dreams I had been having. At least parts of them were memories. "You're talking about your brother, right?" Yes, there had been too of them. I wished my memory was not so faint. "I can't remember much about him, not even his name…"

"Marik."

"That's right! Where is he, anyway?" I glanced around the room as if expecting to find him hidden somewhere. "Still in Egypt?"

"He's… on a trip," Ishizu said evenly. A slight shift in her emotions made me uneasy, and I knew she was hiding something from. "That does not matter. It is important for you to know that he does remember you and is grateful to you for everyone you did for him back then. You have a greater power over people than you know."

"O-Okay." I still did not understand, but right now I was more focused on what Ishizu concealed from me. She was excellent at hiding her emotions, but I could still detect sadness. Did she know more than she was letting on? "So, what exactly am I supposed to do?"

"Help the pharaoh in whichever way your intuition leads you. Trust your instincts to lead you down the right path." She paused as if considering something. "There is one more piece of information you should know, Samia. The empath served under the pharaoh, yes, but she was also independent of him. Other advisors sometimes feared to speak their minds if meant opposing the pharaoh's opinion, but the bond between the pharaoh and empath allowed the empath to speak and act freely without fear of retribution.

"This means you do not always have to stay by the pharaoh's side and follow his lead. You need to trust yourself and your own powers. The empath assists the pharaoh by dealing in the realm of emotions. Your struggle is different from his, and in many ways your future will be filled with more pain. I do not envy you in the least."

I bit my lip as the uneasiness grew. Well, that was just great. "So, my friends will be put in danger again?"

"Necessarily, but that's not the pain I speak of. There is a greater struggle to overcome than seeing your friends in simple physical danger."

Her smile did not reach her eyes, and I felt the sadness again. She spoke like someone who knew this pain herself. My mind whirled with thoughts and emotions. What could be worse than seeing and feeling my closest friends being nearly killed? "I – I don't know if I'll be able to handle it."

"You'll find your courage when you need it. Now, Samia, it is time you rejoin your friend." She started to turn her back on me.

"W-Wait! There's something you're not telling me. What else do you know? What is this danger?"

This time Ishizu did not bother to hide her sorrow as she shook her head, a sad smile on her face. "I'm afraid that is all you can handle right now. Just remember that there are some things only you can do, Samia. Believe in yourself." Then she slipped into the next room, leaving me alone.

I felt numb as I returned to Yami. He had been gazing intently at the stone but looked at me when I approached. "What did she say?" he asked.

"Just some more stuff about being an empath." I shrugged. "She just left me with more questions than before."

He chuckled lightly. "Then we're in the same boat. Shall we make out departure?"

I nodded, and we headed for the stairs.

We decided to return to Yugi's place. There we found an invitation to a Duel Monsters tournament just like Ishizu said. We had to go to the Domino City Station to find out more information. The instructions were so mysterious that I had a feeling I knew who was in charge of this thing.

We talked about what we had learned as we walked together. I summarized the information Ishizu had given me while leaving out some of the personal stuff. If even I did not understand it, how could Yami? At least he knew what he had to do. To follow his destiny, he had to win this tournament. Now if I just knew where I came in. For now, I decided to just stick by him and help any way I could.

We were stopped at the station when suddenly I heard a strange laugh. I looked at Yami and knew he had heard it too, however, everyone else seemed completely oblivious. Yami shook his head. Maybe our trip to the museum had just spooked us out.

"Hey, Yugi!" a feminine voice called out. "There you are!"

"It's Mai Valentine," Yami said.

Mai ran towards us with a grin on her face, waving her arm energetically. "I know you guys missed me!"

"Of course, Mai," I said with a small smile. "It's good to see you again." Honestly, her energetic attitude was a relief amid everything I had been feeling that day.

"You too, Samia." Mai flung her arm around my neck, nearly choking me in the process. "You're looking snazzy. Is this a date?"

I flushed. "N-No." I wiggled out of her grasp and stepped away from her.

Mai looked from Yami to me and smirked. "Sure, it's not."

"I assume you've come here for the tournament," Yami said. Something was bugging him all of a sudden, but I could not figure out what.

"But of course," Mai said. "I presume you got an invitation also."

"Yes, I did, but it didn't say who it was from. Do you know who's hosting this tournament?"

"I have no idea. It's a mystery. Nobody seems to know. Everybody I spoke to got an anonymous invitation. But there is a buzz going around that it's someone with a ton of cash and an obnoxious attitude. I'd guess Kaiba."

Yami gasped, and something flashed in his eyes. "That must be why Ishizu told me to enter!"

I blinked, feeling totally lost. "Huh?"

"Didn't you notice the second carving we saw today looked like Kaiba?"

I shrugged. "Kind of, I guess."

"If the events of the past are going to happen again, I must face Kaiba in this tournament."

I titled my head to the side and considered this conclusion. "Maybe… but I get the feeling that he's not our primary enemy… and maybe not an enemy at all."

"What are you two mumbling about?" Mai said. "Anyway, nobody knows for sure who it is that's throwing this thing."

"I suppose we'll find out soon," Yami said.

"It's pretty safe to say it's not Pegasus again."

"Speaking of Pegasus," Yami said, looking around at the duelists gathered in the streets, "this is beginning to look like Duelist Kingdom all over again."

"You can say that again. There certainly are a lot of familiar faces in this crowd, most of whom I'm not too happy to see."

I recognized many of the duelists as well, most of whom gave me an unpleasant feeling. I hope there would be no unnecessary mishaps in this tournament.

Suddenly, big and bright TV screens all around the plaza lit up, showing the face of none other than Seto Kaiba. "Greetings, duelists," Kaiba said from the TV. "Welcome to the town of Domino. But more importantly, welcome to my tournament. I see you each received your private invite to Kaiba Corp's very exclusive Duel Monsters tournament, and you had enough brains to show up here tonight. Being that you are all elite duelists, I've added special rules to my tournament just for experts. For example, you will duel using these new improved duel disks. Another new rule that I designed for the tournament is that, before each duel, both players must ante up their rarest card, and the loser of the duel forfeits his card to the winner. My competition will make Pegasus and his Duelist Kingdom Tournament look like a joke."

A strung wind picked up, and an engine was heard throughout the plaza. We all looked up to see a helicopter descending, and Kaiba stood on the landing strut.

"Kaiba!" Yami exclaimed, locking eyes with him.

Kaiba pointed his finger to the sky and declared: "Don't forget to register and pick up your duel disk 'cause, exactly one week from today, my Battle City Tournament begins!"

"You're on, Kaiba!"

Kaiba returned to the interior of the helicopter, and it flew off. Yami relaxed only slightly. I touched his arm and suggested we return home. We had a lot to think about. After bidding farewell to Mai, we headed back to catch a train.

Yami insisted on bringing me all the way home to my house. It really did feel like a date as we stood on my front stoop saying goodbye.

"I had a good time today, Samia," Yami said, now calm and at ease. "I hope we have the chance to do this again sometime."

I smiled. "Me too."

"I am not sure what Battle City has in store for us, but I hope I can count on you to stay by my side."

I did not have to think about it this time. "You can. I won't run away. I want to be with you to help you."

"Thank you."

Yami's smile warmed my heart. I remembered my mother's warning, but she never told me it would be so hard to resist. Before I could decide against it, I wrapped my arms around Yami in a hug, which he immediately returned. Peace and contentment flooded my body. My mother must have been wrong.

The following week turned out to be eventful. Yami obviously told Yugi everything he had learned at the museum, and Yugi in turn told Tea, Tristan, and Joey about Battle City. Joey was determined to enter as well in order to help Yugi and Yami save the world – from who or what we still did not know, though I had a bad feeling about it.

Joey's sister Serenity's eye operation was on Tuesday. Joey barely made it there in time. Apparently, he was attacked by a guy calling himself a Rare Hunter, and after he defeated him in a duel, he took his rarest card – the Red Eyes Black Dragon. He was bummed about it but determined to win his card back in the tournament. At least Serenity's operation went well, though she was told to remain in the hospital for a few days before removing the bandages around her eyes.

I invited Yugi over on Saturday evening to have another look at the puzzle box my grandma left me. I had a feeling it would be of good use to me in the tournament. After not having any luck, Yugi switched places with Yami to let him have a go. The Spirit studied the box for several long minutes. Then he moved some pieces around, and I heard a 'click' sound.

"Did you get it?" I said, my excitement rising. We sat on my bed in my room, my cat next to me.

Yami smiled and handed me the box "See for yourself."

The picture appeared complete, and I could remove the lid. "Thank you! That would have taken me ages on my own."

He chuckled. "You would have figured it out eventually. So, what's in the box?"

The box held two small objects. I picked up the first: a smooth, white stone that fit in the palm of my hand. I felt a surge of energy the second I touched it, causing my eyes to go wide. "Whoa."

"Let me have a look."

I passed him the stone, and this time we both felt the spark. While he examined the stone, I picked up a small, golden key. "I wonder what this opens." Probably another puzzle, knowing my grandma.

"There is something special about this stone," Yami said as he gave it back to me, "though I cannot figure out what. Keep it with you."

"I will." The stone felt almost warm in my hand. If I found whatever the key opened, would I find my grandmother's explanation? I slipped the rock and key into my pocket for safe keeping.

"Your grandmother sure was mysterious."

"Along with everyone else in this whole mess. Do you want to step outside? I feel like seeing the stars."

Yami nodded. "That's not a bad idea."

I got off the bed and made my way through the house. The summer air felt good on my skin. I stopped in my yard and lifted my head upward. Twinkling stars dazzled the night sky, making me glad there were no clouds. Yami stood beside me, and silence passed between us.

Finally, Yami spoke in a calm, even tone: "Are you ready for tomorrow?"

I took a minute to respond. "I'd be readier if I knew what to expect. My role in all of this isn't exactly clear." And Ishizu's words frightened me. Was my fate so terrible that I would seek to avoid it if I knew the truth?"

"Neither is mine. But we can face whatever comes as long as we stay together. And we also have Yugi, Joey, and all our friends."

"I suppose you're right." I felt his gaze on my, but I kept my eyes on the stars.

"I am glad I may now speak openly with you, Samia. It was hard to keep my distance, but I still watched over you."

I bit down on my lip and hoped I did not blush. "S-Sorry about that." I paused. Something about his emotions and the way he spoke struck me. "Did you think I would want to talk to you again?"

"I hoped so, and I had a feeling you would. I do not know what the future has in store for us, but I sense it will be big."

I snuck a glance at him and smiled. "Yeah, me too." Despite everything, I could not ignore the warmth I felt standing next to him. For the first time, I allowed myself to believe I really could face my destiny… as long as we were together.

A/N: Thanks for waiting, everyone! I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. We're getting to some good stuff. ;)