Chapter XXXIX: History

"I don't…ever want to go back there again."

Atem looked over, surprised. Timaeus paused steps ahead and Yugi froze. Both of them took a second to turn around, clearly startled. Yami stared up at Atem, ignoring them, head slightly lowered as if he were pained to admit it. Atem studied him a moment, then nodded.

"Then you won't."

Yami hesitated. "Someone was messing with me the entire time."

Atem glanced at Yugi in his peripheral. He'd felt similarly, as if someone were toying with his senses or trying to claw their way through his thoughts. He'd felt the urge more than once to snap when there was no need, to spit and snarl and even launch himself at Rafael or Seto for fun. The thoughts had been foreign. He'd known that much. They hadn't…been his. They'd been unprovoked and disturbing and nasty, and at some point he'd thought of bloodshed without reason. He'd considered it, thought about attack without purpose and even pictured launching himself at Akunadin.

He hadn't told anyone, but he'd felt it. He'd felt it as if there were claws against his flesh and someone were snarling in his ear.

He'd used Yugi as his focal point to avoid the loss of temper, amazed it worked but so grateful it had almost knocked the wind from his lungs. He'd been so grateful he'd wanted to whimper. And Yugi had no idea he'd done something so amazing…

"What did you see?" he asked finally. "You were staring at the ledges. You started shaking, and then you told Yugi you didn't know if you believed what you saw."

Yami blinked and then looked at Atem with a shamed expression. He bristled faintly, shivered, and then turned away with a shake of his head. "I saw… I saw something, but it doesn't make any sense. I… It sounds crazy."

"I can't think it's any crazier than the fact two male dragons of completely incompatible species managed to produce an egg," Atem teased, hopeful it would spur Yami into speaking. The words seemed to have the opposite effect for a few moments. And then Yami blinked, turning away. His eyes glazed over and the gem on his forehead turned darker. "It's okay. Whatever it was, it's okay."

"I saw Patty—with Echo." Yami blinked. "And Patty lured Echo away from the nursery and across the walls. She got her to the other side of the camp and she asked if Echo still wanted to be with her forever. She…changed somehow. She…became larger. She had her adult claws and teeth and she tore Echo open, which made her fall off the ledge."

Atem almost laughed, stunned. "What?" he breathed. His eyes shot to Yugi and Timaeus again, and he almost barked a laugh again. The impulse was sharp and terrible, making his stomach burn. "You saw…"

"It's… I don't know what I saw."

"You told us what you saw," Yugi said gently. "But what do you mean she changed and became larger?"

Yami glanced at Atem almost as if he expected him to snarl and snap, as if he were afraid he'd be disappointed. "She…became an adult Blue-Eyes. It only happened for a few seconds. But it was… That's what I saw. And I don't know if it's true. Someone was…messing with me. They tried to make me fall over the side of the wall so I'd land like Patty did. I thought she'd fallen, and when I was up there… But she didn't fall. Someone attacked her, too."

Atem looked at Timaeus. The Wind Dragon blinked and tilted his head, watching Yami with a curious expression. Yugi was staring at Yami with a puzzled look, trying to figure out what was going on. Atem turned back, searching his son's face. Yami looked as if he expected them to make fun of him, to mock and ridicule.

"So, then you felt it as well?" he finally said. "You felt like someone was trying to influence your thoughts and movements?"

Yami blinked wide eyes. "They did that to you, too?"

"Yes. They did it again. Every time I've been there, something has happened to make me think I've felt their presence before." Atem looked away. "But if it's true, it's one of my siblings. It's only ever been upon exposure to them that I've felt something. I don't know which one, however, and it's constant when I'm there. They wanted me afraid enough to attack when I was there the first time to see them. And then they wanted me angry enough to tonight."

Yami was silent for a long moment. "That's why I could talk to you so easily. They'd already made contact. I didn't realize I was using…their connection to do that."

Atem tilted his head. "I didn't feel it when they did it this time."

"They're getting better at it," Yami mumbled. "They're getting better at picking victims and influencing them without catching attention. It's just that they get so restless when it doesn't happen immediately that they lose their patience and try to force it even more. And that's why you notice them there."

"I'm sorry," Timaeus announced, "but I'm not privy to whatever you're talking about, so if you could possibly explain this to me, that'd be amazing."

Atem chuckled and turned to him. "Sorry to exclude you," he laughed. His friend smirked and Atem shook his head. "One of them has abilities similar to Yami's. But they're advancing at a rapid rate, if I'm understanding this correctly. He's…dug his way into my head before, when I first visited and interacted with them. And he tried to get me scared enough to attack and kill Seto or Kisara. This time around they tried to make me angry, but I didn't feel them until they got impatient and tried to push harder. At one point they put it in my head to kill Rafael when he was laying down and settling for rest. Obviously nothing came of it, but they're stronger than they were before and I'm not sure who it is."

"They showed me what happened on the cliffs. They were proud of themselves. I just…don't know which part of it was real and which wasn't. I… Maybe they can project images like I can walk through dreams. I don't… I don't know. But I don't understand, because Patty touched Echo once before she…changed and killed her." Yami paused. "But they weren't happy to have killed her so quickly. There was this small flash of anger, before the vision faded. They'd wanted her to lay there and bleed out, but her neck had snapped when she hit the ground. She was dead instantly, which wasn't what they'd wanted."

"You're saying that one of those little brats is a Divine Dragon?" Timaeus snarled. He bristled and bore his teeth. "You're saying one of them is responsible for the other two deaths?"

"I'm saying that, yes," Atem agreed. "I know for a fact that one of them is capable of more than the rest. I don't know who, which is the real problem, and it seems neither does Yami."

"But…they're hatchlings! Why in the world would they want to harm anyone?"

"They're related to Seto," Yugi scoffed. He ducked his head when they all looked at him in surprise. "I shouldn't have said that, but you can't tell me no one else came to that conclusion. Let's all remember how disgusting his brothers are for a moment, shall we?"

"Bakura is twice as nasty," Atem agreed. "He just knew restraint back then whereas Seto lost his temper and wanted me too wounded to last even with our parents' help."

Timaeus hesitated. "The level of disgust varies between the three of them," he said quietly, "but they're all monsters. I can see why you're so willing to believe it."

"You sound surprised."

"Sometimes I forget," the Wind Dragon admitted, looking at Yami, "because your father is so much better than them. Of course, with a role model like me, it's impossible to be less than amazing."

Yami laughed and rushed forward to rub beaks with him. "You're a turd," he snickered. He turned to Atem after a moment. "I don't want to ever go back there."

"Then you won't."

Yami hesitated. "I tried to find out who it was, but…Zigfried and Noah are both just as nasty as each other. And Dimitri slept the entire time. Mokuba was too nice and was too busy playing, and Leon seems a lot like Mokuba in that sense. So, it's… I think it's Zigfried or Noah. Dimitri couldn't have done anything if he was asleep."

"You can do things in your sleep."

"Yes, but it's only in my dreams and someone else's." Yami shook his head. "And the images they sent me…and the emotions they tried to force on us both… There's no way. If they can do that in their sleep, they're all but infallible."

Atem looked over at Yugi, ignoring the urge to snap that no one could be labeled such. His chest warmed when he locked eyes with the Gandora. "You didn't feel anything? They didn't mess with you?"

"No. I was just mad at your brother and disgusted with Rafael. But that's my usual feeling for both of them," he answered, and Atem smiled at the wry words, relieved. Yugi looked over at Yami, tilting his head. "But you're okay? I know you're still shaken up, but there's no…residual or something?"

"I think they're limited to the same rules as I am," Yami confirmed. "I no longer felt them a few minutes after we were airborne. I think his victims have to be close by."

Yugi nodded and licked his forehead. "Good."

Atem looked to Timaeus. The teal male shook his head. "I don't even know how to explain how messed up this entire thing seems to me," he said. "And I'm feeling all kinds of upset now that I've been excluded."

Yami snickered. "Don't be. It's miserable."

Yugi raised his head when he heard Atem come through the entrance again. He was holding a deer in his mouth, dropping it to the ground as soon as he jumped from the ledge. He shook himself out and wandered a few steps away. Yami hurried over to dig in, purring as he ate ravenously, and Yugi smiled as he moved to the other side to take a bite. Timaeus looked up from where he'd been resting and stretched with a yawn before curling up again.

"If you purr any louder, I think they'll hear you from the northern region," he teased. Yami paused mid-bite, then licked his lips and purred somehow louder. Timaeus laughed and raised his head, looking over as Yami grinned at him. "I didn't think you'd manage that."

"I know. That's why I had to do it."

Atem chuckled and shook his head, turning away. He licked blood from his paws and face and settled comfortably. Yugi tore the haunch off the deer and went over to him. The God Dragon raised his head, and Yugi plopped down beside him.

"You haven't eaten yet."

"Why would you say that?"

"Because you would have cleaned yourself before you got back and you'd be tired." Yugi grinned at his startled expression, then pushed the haunch toward him. "Here you go."

Atem smiled but looked exhausted, lowering his mouth toward the meat and slowly taking a bite. He angled the leg between his paws and began gnawing dutifully. Yugi waited until he polished the bone of its flesh and went to Yami's side again. Yami had hollowed the majority of the ribcage out, most of the organs long since devoured.

"Did you eat the heart yet?"

Yami blinked and licked his lips, then ducked his head down and burrowed a little further into the carcass. After a moment he popped his head up again and dropped a mass of bright red and blue, flat as a river stone when it hit the ground. He looked mortified for a second, then smiled. "Is it your favorite or something?"

Yugi shook his head. "No. I like the lungs more." Yami opened his mouth, but Yugi ignored him. He plucked the organ from the ground and hurried forward to Atem once more, dropping it in front of him. "Here, have my heart."

Atem blinked, startled, then burst out laughing. He shook his head, glaring at him around his amusement, and slowly plucked it from the stone it'd landed atop. "You're ridiculous," he chuckled, and Yugi's entire body felt warm as Atem slowly devoured the weeping organ. He licked his paws clean again, then stretched his legs and lay his head down once more. When he blinked, Yugi could see he was groggy.

Yugi was proud of himself. He'd found if he gave Atem an organ or two and a leg, sometimes he filled up faster. And then he'd be tired and happy after. He'd fall asleep if he got the right balance of meat, which meant he was full and he wouldn't need more later. Yugi found it was easier to keep him from getting sick from too much red meat if he gave him organs.

"Father?"

Atem blinked and raised his head. "Yes?"

"Seto called me a Divine Dragon." Yami had gotten up, groomed himself, and now he sat neatly inches from the deer carcass watching them both. "Yugi said that's when a God Dragon produces offspring. But he said there's also usually more than one. Is that why one of Seto's hatchlings might be able to do all these things, too?"

Atem didn't answer for a long time. "No, that's not…how it works." He shifted his weight and then leveled Yugi with a cold stare. "Divine Dragons don't come from a God Dragon's sibling. They only come from a God Dragon themselves."

"So, then how could one of his clutch have abilities like me?"

Yugi suppressed a flinch at the glacial look on his mate's face. But Atem closed his eyes and turned back to Yami without opening them. "I don't know. But there's always a pair of God Dragons, so likely the same pertains to Divine."

Yugi studied his son's face. Yami was trying to piece together the suspicions he had. But the moment passed and he finally continued to the next question.

"When was the last time there was a set of Divine Dragons?"

Atem opened his eyes. "I don't know. I…I don't know. I don't remember. I just remember being told of fifth and sixth God Dragons. Divine Dragons are second generation and usually stronger than the parents. And I don't know that the fifth and sixth dragons were Divine or just God Dragons. The term wasn't used when my parents told stories. I only heard it just recently."

Yami shifted his weight. "Oh." He hesitated. "Well…what happened to the fifth and sixth God Dragons?"

Atem seemed to debate answering or feigning a lack of knowledge. Yugi searched his face, then looked toward Yami again. "If I remember correctly, they…died. The necessity for more than four God Dragons expired. I don't quite remember the details of it all, but the balance only required four."

"Oh."

Yugi felt his heart clench as he saw Yami's face crumple. Atem looked at his paws in his peripheral. "It's not often spoken of. A lot of dragons prefer to pretend there were only ever four God Dragons, because it makes it easier than admitting there might have been something that changed so drastically."

Yami blinked and stared at Yugi. "What do you mean?"

"He means Atem knows exactly what happened to the other God Dragons and why," Timaeus scoffed.

"I already knew that," Yami said softly, eyes trained on Atem. "Your aura changed. I could see you were trying to hide something."

Atem curled his lip to show a more prominent ridge of his canine. "Is it so wrong I don't want to expose my son to information that holds no bearing on anything?"

"He has a right to know," Yugi said quietly, turning to Atem. "He deserves to know more about why Jaden isn't allowed to know he exists. We can't hide it from him forever, just like we can't expect his existence to stay hidden."

Atem scowled at Yugi for a moment. Then he turned to Yami and spat, "Jaden is a superstitious pile of dung, and he deserves to have his organs rot for some of the stunts he's pulled in search of cleansing what he considers omens and portents. But, if you must know, most Divine Dragons are killed before their first twenty years, because some God Dragons are afraid that the Divine will take over and the balance will crumble. Others are eaten alive by their own parents when they display abilities, for fear they'll turn on them when they're older. That's…another reason Ironheart told me you'd be hunted like a deer."

Yami blinked and nodded slowly. "I remember."

"If you wish for history, I'll tell you. The world began with six God Dragons, one of each species—Water, Ice, Fire, Earth, Sky and Lightning. The world was different then, and the regions were all connected into one large chunk of land. But war began when the dragons began to pair off and breed. The land wasn't large enough and the sea wasn't as calm then as it is now." Atem scowled and glared down at his paws. Yugi wished he knew how to comfort him, but keeping Yami in the dark on the situation seemed almost childish. "War began between two species, Ice and Fire. It caused problems for each of the species, even though they were not directly involved. The war stretched for a thousand years and the other species became anxious the fighting would never end."

Yugi shifted his weight. Yami was staring at his father with wide eyes.

"They prayed for an answer and the desperation to end the fighting made them all agree there had to be a resolution without another Great War." Atem fell silent for a long moment, then raised his eyes. He looked at Yami, picking his words slowly. "The fifth God Dragon chose to offer herself as a sacrifice to teach each species mercy and compassion rather than allow them to continue their endless bloodshed."

"Why would they…? Was that the only way?"

"She chose to teach them about one another and the knowledge brought them to the conclusion they could afford to continue living together rather than killing one another. She gave them each a piece of knowledge and compassion so that each time a dragon species declared war, they would remember and change their minds. Warring parties still sometimes invoke her name, so as to make sure they understand and prevent further war."

Yami bristled. "What about the edicts?"

"Edicts?" Atem repeated, then growled softly. "She's long since passed, Yami. It's no wonder so many have forgotten her name and teachings. Jaden was…likely the closest at some point due to his healing abilities, but he's not…capable of service the way she was."

"But the sixth God Dragon…what happened to them?"

Atem fell silent. "I don't… I don't know. I don't know that story."

"The fifth is spoken of more often," Timaeus said quietly. "Had Atem not mentioned them, I would have forgotten there ever was one. I know the fifth God Dragon far more than I know the sixth."

"His name was Amun," Yugi said when Atem and Timaeus both looked at him. He shuffled his paws. "His name was Amun and he was the one that bound humans to dragons."

Atem bristled visibly. "I'm sorry?" he snapped. "What?"

Yami peered at Yugi in bewilderment. "Bound humans to dragons?"

Yugi glanced at Atem. "He's the reason we can change into humans, why humans can accept our hearts when they would otherwise die, and why the humans worship the God Dragons."

"Why do you know that story?"

"The humans taught it to me," Yugi admitted, feeling almost anxious for a split second. His eyes shot to Yami and then Timaeus and finally back to Atem. He knew Atem remembered the name. He knew Atem recognized it and seemed suspicious now. "It's a…longer story."

Yami nodded enthusiastically. "Okay!"

Yugi looked away. "It was a while after the fifth God Dragon died. The world was one region, and all of the species coexisted in the mountains. The humans claimed the valley beneath the nest of dragons. They rarely interacted at first as the dragons hunted prey far too large for humans to catch on their own. Their lack of interaction bred disinterest."

Atem snorted and Yugi glanced over. He was staring at his paws again.

"One day there was an uproar. The dragons decided to investigate. They elected a Sky Dragon named Amun, with the ability to turn invisible. He went down the mountain and through the valley and found a human body bound to a large pillar of wood with fire beneath. The human on the wooden pillar was long dead and Amun was confused. A boy named Alexander announced he was the new king of the village now due to his father's death. The humans cheered and got louder and louder."

Yami seemed puzzled when Yugi looked over, but he didn't speak even when Yugi waited for him to. The Gandora sighed softly and continued.

"He watched them crown Alexander and he listened to the speech Alexander made. He told them they were no longer going to be confined to the valley and they would travel freely and move about the world as they wished. He said they'd slay the dragons where necessary and leave them where it wasn't. The humans went into a frenzy of approval and Amun watched until they collapsed from exhaustion."

Yami nodded when he paused.

"He told the dragons and suggested they leave and travel elsewhere. The humans were landlocked and they weren't. But others argued and eventually they cast a vote to remain there and fight. The following years the fighting was relentless. Casualties were huge on both sides. The humans turned to conquering the territory and killed relentlessly. Alexander led the majority of attacks, usually atop the horse he'd managed to tame." Yugi paused. "The God Dragons were at the forefront, with Amun in charge, when Alexander breeched the top of the mountain. They fought so hard they became the only two in a series of days. Amun summoned storm after storm and Alexander refused to back down."

Atem shifted his weight as if to rise, but when Yugi looked over he had lowered his head to his paws.

"The inevitable happened. Amun pierced his armor and Alexander his chest plates. They were immobilized, unable to fight any longer. The others had fled long before. Only one human remained to drag Alexander home, but Amun did it instead. He had lost a heart and decided to cease the bloodshed just as the fifth had been determined." Yugi looked to Yami. "He granted mercy in taking him back. The humans were confused and shocked, but thanked him by caring for his wounds. When he was healed, the dragons on the mountain were bewildered by the humans' retreat. Eventually another dragon was sent to investigate and found Amun there. He was declared a traitor and the other four God Dragons were sent to deal with him."

Yami blinked, startled.

"They killed endlessly. Amun became desperate to stop them. He fought them off and used his magic to change to a human. He taught them to craft bows and arrows and to aim for the wings of passing birds. He taught them to trap prey to avoid further interaction with the dragons." Yugi paused. "One of the deities came after Amun again, but Alexander took the mortal blow. When he did, Amun killed the other God Dragon, and…forced his own heart into Alexander's chest. It saved him, but it destroyed Amun. He couldn't heal as fast, he couldn't use most of his abilities, and he decided that if his magic would fail him and he was going to die the next time they came, he'd rather cease the bloodshed by his own will. He turned himself over to the other dragons. And they…tore him to pieces. Alexander was found dead at the same time Amun was killed and the humans offered his body to quell the bad blood. Alexander was eaten and the story was…all but abandoned by the dragons. If you say Amun's name, you usually get a few looks of surprise and maybe a couple of disgust. The Fire Dragons see him as weak, the Wind see him as a hero, and the others seem rather indifferent."

"But if he did so much…"

"He sided with the humans at the end," Yugi said gently. "Not everyone sees a reason to think good of him for it."

Yami shook his head. "He saved them from further bloodshed."

"Yes, but his methods weren't as they wished."

"That's stupid."

"Why didn't you tell all of that in front of Critias?" Timaeus asked abruptly.

"It wasn't Critias I didn't want hearing it," Yugi mumbled.

"Me?" Atem asked, not bothering to open his eyes. "Why not tell it in front of me?"

"Because you're so wary of the humans. And I hate to think of you at war—with suitors or otherwise. You're always alone when it comes to things. And sometimes the story just reminds me of you." Yugi hesitated. Atem's eyes had snapped open. He'd raised his head, staring at him in open bewilderment. "It reminds me of you because you try to do the right thing and someone like Jaden is blind enough to try to kill you for it."

"He's never—"

"No," Yugi agreed spitefully, hatred seeping into his tone, "he hasn't yet. But how long until he does?"

Atem didn't answer but for blinking and looking away.

Next chapter rating will go up for bloodshed and violence.