Heads-up: After second break there's a bit of a time-skip to a bit later.

"Wait…why would a mythical creature be waiting for me?!" Marik asked in a mix of shock and confusion.

Kat shook her head. "I'm not certain. She wouldn't tell me. The Hind only stated that it was imperative that you were to follow her."

"Okay…" Marik said in uncertainty. His gut was sending very confusing signals about all of this.

Kat kept her gaze to the distance, producing a long, low whistle. Akasa emerged in a flash of fire before them seconds later.

Kat looked awkwardly at Marik. "I apologize in advance for this."

"Apologize for wha-holy shit!"

Kat had literally grabbed him by the back of the shirt and waist of his jeans to pick him up and place him onto the horse's back. He somehow kept forgetting that she possessed superhuman strength.

"A bit more warning next time before you man-handle me!" he chastised.

Kat hoisted herself up behind him, reaching around to grab Akasa by the mane.

"Why do you think I pre-apologized?" Kat asked, kicking her heels into the mare's sides.

They rode at a quick pace towards the golden creature that stood waiting for them.

"I have to ask, have you ever ridden a horse before?" Kat questioned as they drew closer to the Hind.

"Does right now count?"

Marik heard Kat quietly groan behind him as what he assumed was her forehead landed between his shoulders..

"Listen, we're going to have to keep up, which means Akasa is going to be galloping pretty hard and jumping over any obstacles. Just lean in and hold on as tightly as you can to her mane. I'll help to keep you from falling off, but it'll make things much easier if you're not getting tossed up into the air every other second," Kat said in mild annoyance.

Marik simply nodded as a reply.

He could feel the tensing of muscles beneath him as Akasa's pace quickened, her smooth gait interrupted by what could only be described as a dance of excitement.

"Alright," Kat said. "Hold on tight."

Marik wove his fingers higher up into the mare's mane, holding on as tight as his fingers allowed as Akasa's gait changed again to follow the deer that had begun to move.

Kat reached one arm around him, placing her palm flat on the space between his chest and stomach, her other hand threaded through the mare's mane below his.

As they approached the first of the stone walls that dotted the landscape, Marik felt Kat's body tighten around him, her knees drawn up as she lifted the both of them up slightly off Akasa's back.

After the jump, Marik quickly caught on to what Kat had done, and moved along with her as the next wall came into view.

Akasa picked up pace again, trying to keep up with the Hind.

Once Marik had figured out how to move his body in time with the galloped gait and jumps, he was able to look around at the scenery that flew by. The rolling fields were beginning to flatten out, the stone walls appearing less and less. Up ahead, a forest came into view. Magic visibly emanated around it in glittery and incandescent light that appeared at random.

The instant they crossed the 'barrier' that surrounded the forest, Marik could feel the intensity of the magic as well. It was suffocating, and he began to feel light-headed as a result.

"I need…a…"

He wasn't able to finish his sentence as his vision clouded around the edges, the world quickly growing dark.

"...marik…"

"...marik…please wake up…"

"...Marik!"

The cloud slowly dissipated, his ears ringing loudly and his eyes feeling heavy. He managed to partially open an eye momentarily. He tried again, and both fluttered slowly a few times before he was able to hold them open. His mind tried to process the figure in front of his eyes, along with the strange background behind her.

"Are you okay?" the girl in front of his face asked.

Was he okay? He wasn't sure. Things were still a bit fuzzy.

It took longer than it probably should have, but Marik finally realized that he was lying on his back, and that the girl hovering over him was his girlfriend.

"Kat?" he asked in confusion. Why was he on the ground? What had happened?

"Yeah," Kat replied. "You fell just after we entered the forest. I didn't take into account the intensity of magic here and how it might affect you," she explained.

He turned his head slowly to the side, trying to look around and gather more information. "How?" He'd meant to ask how he was awake right now if the magic was what had caused him to lose consciousness, but he was still having difficulties forming words.

"Please don't be upset," Kat said, having obviously understood his lack of articulation. "I know how you feel about the Rod being in your possession, but in this case it's helping to shield you from the overwhelming magic in this part of the Fae realm."

Marik forced himself to sit up, swaying a bit from the dizziness it created. The mentioning of the Rod had fueled a sudden wave of anger within him, and the last remnants of cloudiness in his mind quickly vanished.

"You shouldn't sit up just yet," Kat said while attempting to coax him back into a lying position.

"I'm fine," Marik said in annoyance, shoving her hands away. He became focused on the golden relic on his lap, picking it up and staring bitterly at it.

"This accursed thing again…why does it keep finding its way back to me?" he spat.

"I don't know how or why the Items choose their wielders," Kat stated. "You would have to ask Kura. He knows more about them than anyone."

"Yeah, well I wish this one would stay the fuck away and find someone else to bother! All the Rod does is cause problems for me!" Marik shouted, drawing out the hidden blade and brandishing it.

He stared intensely at the cursed thing as he thought about how it had been used to mark his back and to kill the man he had once called 'father'.

His entire focus had been on the blade, but the sound of Kat gasping loudly as if startled prompted him to look past it in her direction.

Kat was no longer sitting beside him. It appeared she'd tried to quickly shove herself away from him, but was stopped by a tree stump that she was pressed tightly against as she continued in her attempt to get away from…he wasn't certain? Her eyes were wide with a fear Marik had only seen in the eyes of those who had stood between him and his goal of trying to rule the world.

"(Don't look down…don't look down…)" Kat said quickly in the old tongue, her eyes still wide as she curled her knees to her chest and grasped her head.

Marik looked down at the ground between them. There was nothing there other than the forest floor. Kat's behavior didn't make sense.

Put the blade away.

Apep sounded as if it were struggling against some form of extreme discomfort in the back of Marik's mind.

'I don't understand?'

Our vessel…the blade…it is a reminder…her mind is in two places…it hurts!

Marik quickly placed the blade back inside the handle of the Rod. He stared at the object in his hand, then over at his girlfriend who was visibly shaking.

He hooked the relic through a belt-loop like he'd done during Battle City, then made his way over to his girlfriend. He tried to reach out to comfort her, but she recoiled away from his touch.

"Habibty, tell me what's wrong…please?"

"(It was an accident…I didn't mean it…)" Kat said quietly, still speaking in the ancient tongue. She closed her eyes tightly. "(I'm sorry!)"

Marik felt the temperature begin to rise around them, and it was evident that the forest felt it as well. The moist earth beneath them began to dry out, the leaves on the trees withering and crumbling. The animals in the area fled for safety…with the exception of Akasa and the Hind. The trunks of the nearest trees groaned and cracked from the sudden heat, scorch marks forming on the bark. Marik looked down, noting more scorch marks forming on the ground beneath them, radiating from the obvious epicenter. It was then that he realized that there was about to be a repeat of what had happened in Rome…only this time he was right next to the source of the impending inferno and would have no time to escape its blast.

Kat was breathing rapidly in a panicked state when Marik saw her take that dreaded lungful of air. He did the first thing that came to mind…quickly closing his eyes and wincing in preparation. He waited for what felt like minutes, even though he knew it was probably more like seconds.

Arms wrapped around him, gripping tightly to his shirt. He slowly opened his eyes, looking down at the girl he'd pulled into a tight embrace as a last ditch effort to calm her down. Kat's face was buried into his chest, so he couldn't tell if she was crying or not.

"I'm sorry," Kat said quietly, once again speaking in a modern tongue. "I didn't mean to start losing control. It's just that while I've come to tolerate the Rod's presence, the blade within…that is another matter entirely."

"I don't understand?" Marik stated in confusion, trying to piece together her reaction.

Kat brought her head away from his chest, but kept her gaze low. "You've seen the stele…so you've seen my brother's likeness."

Marik had seen the Tablet of Memories enough times that he could recall every tiny detail. On one side stood Atem with the Puzzle around his neck. On the other, was his Vizier who possessed the-

"Your brother was the one who wielded the Rod in ancient times," he said in realization.

Kat nodded slightly.

Marik recalled what Atem had said about Set stabbing him, and how there was only a single dagger between the bodies after both were found dead.

"It wasn't an ordinary dagger that killed Set and Atem, was it? It was the blade within the Millennium Rod."

Kat nodded again.

Gods, he felt stupid now. He'd become so fixated on the pain that the relic had caused him, that he'd never stopped to think how it might have affected the lives of those who'd come before.

The Hind snorted impatiently behind them, bright flames bursting forth from its nostrils.

Kat slowly removed herself from Marik's hold, standing while keeping her gaze low.

"She's right. We've wasted enough time here. We need to get going,' Kat said while walking back over to Akasa.

Marik wanted to apologize for his selfish behavior, but he was certain Kat would dismiss it and say it wasn't his fault for not knowing. In a way it wasn't, but at the same time he felt it was.

He approached Akasa, pulling himself up before Kat could 'help' this time, then offered his hand down so his girlfriend could join him on the mare's back.

Kat didn't reach for the extended appendage. "I think you'll be fine without me. You seem to have figured out what to do," she said while still looking at the ground.

"I thought you said to keep you in my sights?" Marik asked in confusion.

"You lost sight of me the moment you passed out. You have the Rod on you now. You should have no trouble determining if it's me or not."

Before Marik could say anything else, Kat slapped Akasa on the hindquarters while shouting a command, prompting the mare to take off. The Hind quickly caught up, once again leading them to wherever.

Marik looked back to see Kat standing in place for a moment longer before her form flickered and vanished.

Marik wasn't certain how long he and Akasa had been following the Hind, but he was glad when their pace began to slow.

The colors of the forest around them had begun to change from bright and vibrant shades of green, to the intense yellows, oranges, and reds that he'd seen recently appearing around Domino. Had they crossed back into the mortal realm? Based on the magic that still visibly glimmered in the air, most likely not.

Akasa slowed to a walk while the Hind sprinted on ahead. Marik was confused at first, until they got closer to an area where the trees parted.

Everything was on fire.

The trees, the ground, even the animals in the area…all of it was on fire.

The strange part? Nothing was burning. The flowers and leaves of the trees and plants were entirely intact. The critters that scurried about seemed oblivious to the flames that engulfed them. Even Akasa paid little mind to the flames that licked at her hooves.

"What is this place?" Marik asked aloud as he continued to look around

He was a bit baffled as to how he could be in the presence of so much fire, yet feel so little heat emanating from it. The heat he felt was a pleasant warmth, much like when he'd first come above ground and felt the sun on his face for the first time.

"If I'm not mistaken," Kat replied from not far away, "this is a Phoenix nest."

Marik looked in the direction of her voice, watching as she dropped from a nearby flaming tree.

"I've heard descriptions of them, but I've never seen one with my own eyes."

Marik didn't need the Rod to know that it was her. He saw the way her eyes glittered in awe as she continued to look around. He remembered what she'd said about not finding the place she belonged, but it was obvious to him that in this moment she temporarily felt at home.

He dismounted and walked over to her, finding it strange that the flames didn't touch him.

"I'm going to guess that Phoenix nests are rare?"

Kat nodded without looking at him. "Extremely. They only appear when the Phoenix is about to be reborn, and since there is only one, witnessing its rebirth is a rare occurrence."

"I guess I should consider myself lucky then, though it doesn't really explain why it was so important for me to be here," Marik stated.

"No, it does not. Either way, you are here."

They walked over towards where the Hind had stopped, its head lowered near an object on the ground. The oval shaped object sat in the center of a pile of ash, glowing brightly beneath its shiny obsidian surface as though there were an inferno raging within.

Kat's eyes widened in amazement. "The egg of the Phoenix itself," she said quietly, speaking to no one in particular.

The Hind snorted flames on it, causing the outside of the egg to glow momentarily like molten glass before it dulled back to smoky, glowing obsidian.

Kat knelt down to investigate. "Something isn't right. It's not hot enough."

Marik knelt down beside her. "How can you tell?"

"You saw how it momentarily took on a molten appearance. I think it's meant to be like that consistently."

"Okay…so why would it need me here? Wouldn't you be the better alternative?"

Kat reached out, placing her hands on the egg and focusing. Marik watched as her eyes glowed brightly, the egg glowing along with them. She pulled back after a few minutes, breathing heavily and her eyes returning to normal.

"I would have to be in a state of lost control to give it what it needs, and even then I don't know how long I could keep it up."

She looked over at Marik. "I wonder if it's your connection to Ra that's needed? He and Apollo are the only ones capable of matching the intensity of the Phoenix' flames."

"So why not have one of them come here? What can I do?"

Kat appeared just as baffled. "I don't know…maybe…touch it? See if it reacts or something?"

"Um…okay. I guess it can't hurt…I hope."

Marik hesitantly reached out, but before he could touch the egg the fire within flickered to a bright purple color, then extinguished. He pulled his hands away quickly as the obsidian shell cracked and fell apart.

"Uhhh…was it supposed to do that?"

Kat slowly sifted through the remains, her brow furled in concern. "There's…nothing here…"

"Is that good or bad?"

Kat grasped some of the shards in her hands, breathing heavily. She appeared angry.

"I don't understand!? The Phoenix is supposed to be reborn from its own ashes! It's supposed to be such an amazing thing that it leaves those who witness it speechless! It's an eternal being, it can't just…die."

Marik placed a hand on his girlfriend's shoulder to calm her. "I'm sure it's not 'dead'. It's probably just…somewhere else…"

"Like where?! Where else could it have gone?!"

"Why are you yelling at me?! I don't know how this magic stuff works!"

Kat took in a deep breath, then released it in a heavy sigh. "Forgive me. I didn't mean to yell. I just-...I don't understand. Why were we brought here? What happened? None of it makes any sense."

The Hind pawed the earth behind them, prompting both Kat and Marik to look up. The forest around them was no longer on fire. It was now the same vibrant green as the rest of the forest.

Kat spoke to the golden deer, and it replied by bowing before sprinting off.

"What did she say?" Marik asked.

"A bunch of nonsense that I can't make heads or tails of," Kat replied.

"Figures. Maybe we should head back home now? I don't know about you, but I think I've had enough weird magic stuff for the day."

Kat sighed sadly. "I couldn't agree more."

Marik stared out the car window, watching the forest fade from view. Things had been relatively quiet and awkward between him and Kat after they'd left the Phoenix nest. He didn't have to guess, to know that what had happened with the egg still weighed heavily on her mind, and he was certain brandishing the Rod's blade prior to that didn't help.

He glanced over at his girlfriend, who's eyes were focused on the road ahead.

"Habibty, I'd like to apologize for the way I reacted to the Rod's presence."

Kat's eyes narrowed. "There's nothing to apologize for. You didn't know. It's my issue, not yours."

Marik placed his hand on top of the one resting on the shifter. "It doesn't matter if I knew or not. It was selfish of me to think that I'm the only one whose life it's affected. And it's not just your issue. It hurts me knowing that I've done something, even inadvertently, that brought back painful memories for you."

The car slowed and came to a complete stop on the shoulder of the road. Kat removed her hand from Marik's, applied the parking brake, leaned back into the seat, and sighed heavily with her eyes closed.

"It's more than just the blade. It's like lately I can't escape what happened. That I'm being forcefully reminded almost daily. I've heard my brother's name more times in the past week than I have over the past few centuries." She opened her eyes, looking straight ahead. "Kura said he thought he saw Set. I want to believe him…but I can't bear the thought that he could be wrong. I just…I don't have it in me to hope any more."

Bakura's plea to not mention Mabon to Kat or Atem was starting to make sense. Mabon looked identical to Kaiba…who looked identical to the image of Atem's Vizier. Could it be that Mabon and Set were the same person?

Some of the things Mabon had said did align with the stories he'd been told about what happened. Then there was the way Mabon had looked at Kat's house as he traced the scar on his face. He'd mentioned that he still found the source of his unpleasant memories 'terrifying'. How the longer it took him to face the source, the more afraid he became. Was Mabon…or whoever he was…afraid that too much time had passed for him to face his sister about what had happened?

"Not to keep bringing him up, but on the off-chance that your brother is still around…what would you do if you saw him again?" Marik asked. Maybe he could get the answer then hunt down Mabon and help the two reunite.

Kat sat silently for a long moment before answering.

"I'm not certain. Probably rush up to him in tears while begging for his forgiveness. I can only imagine the intense amount of hatred he must harbor towards me to have remained hidden for so many millennia."

Marik placed his hand back over top of Kat's. "Maybe he doesn't hate you. Maybe he's just afraid."

Kat's head fell a bit. "I wouldn't blame him. He probably thinks I'll become fueled with rage and attack him again."

"I doubt that's the case. He's probably afraid that you won't forgive him for the secrets he kept."

Kat gave Marik a side-eyed glance. "And what would you know of my brother's secrets?"

Marik panicked. "Oh…I just meant…based on what I've heard…that there were a lot of secrets…from both him and Atem."

Marik internally facepalmed. 'Fuck…that was really smooth…'

Kat narrowed her eyes, studying him, then looked ahead as she removed her hand from his again and released the parking brake before merging back onto the road.

"I really fumbled this entire day," she said, changing the subject. "Maybe I'll leave future date planning to you. I obviously have no idea what I'm doing."

"What are you talking about? I had a great time. How many guys can say they went on a date to the Fae realm?"

"Have you forgotten the first part of the day with the zoo?"

"I was just moody because I was tired," Marik said dismissively. "You shared a lot of interesting facts. I would have never guessed that leopards are the smallest of the large cats."

This prompted a small half-smile out of Kat. "How do you like that? Even the animal kingdom picks on me for being 'small'."

Marik mocked a gasp. "Don't they know who they're dealing with?"

"Right?!"

Both laughed, the tension between them vanishing as though it had never existed in the first place.

Next few chapters are going to be a bit chaotic as we've finally encountered the 'storm' I keep talking about. These chapters area huge turning point for several characters, and I have been dying for them to be posted. Remember, you can always hit me up over on Tumblr to discuss story stuff, or ask questions, or whatever. I love receiving reader engagement :)