Time for the rest of the battle between Ra and the others. I apologize profusely in advance for the massive PoV whiplash in this chapter. There are just so many things happening at once!

"Now my pet, destroy that abomination!"

'Pet? I am no PET!'

The pain Malik felt had subsided. He discovered why upon opening his eyes. He was standing in a sea of darkness. In the distance appeared a distorted image floating ominously against the ineffable nothingness.

'NO!' he shouted into the void. He knew this place…and this feeling. He had shifted and was no longer in control. Worse yet, he knew who was in control. Ra had taken his collar, and with it would undoubtedly force him to hurt...no...kill...those he cared about.

He could feel the movements of his own body, and the distorted view made it clear that both Bakura and Kat had placed themselves between him and Marik. Bakura had shifted, his ears flattened and fangs bared. Kat on the other hand appeared concerned and was apparently trying to see if she could break through.

"Please! Let me see if I can get through to him! I know he doesn't want to do this!" Kat stated in a shaky voice. She was worried for him.

Malik watched as Bakura reluctantly stepped back a pace, keeping his guard up the entire time. His own body stopped before the tiny elemental, staring down as if contemplating. Kat reached out towards him, seeking his hand. Malik instinctively tried to reach back, and felt his body react in kind.

"Do you know who I am?" she asked softly.

Malik's heart felt heavy. He knew what his friend was attempting to do, but he was afraid that this time it might not work. 'Ka-ib…' he replied, and was relieved to hear the word come from his body and not just his mind.

"That's right. I know you don't want to do this, so just calm down and we'll figure things out...okay?" she asked calmly.

Malik felt the unmistakable pull of his collar. Unlike when those he trusted had taken hold, it felt as if he were being choked.

Get rid of her. She is interfering. You obey only me. That thing is an abomination and must be destroyed.

Malik felt his body move, and realized too late what it was about to do. He watched in horror as the image showed a large clawed hand quickly grasped the tiny elemental around the neck, simultaneously snapping it and tossing the body aside.

'NO! KA-IB!' He tried to reach out, but his outer body did not respond. He heard the growl of the wolf-dog as it lunged towards him. His body caught the white beast by the face, holding tightly and digging claws into its skull as the canine struggled to release itself from the lion's grasp. He heard the unmistakable sound of bone cracking and shattering. He watched as white fur became stained the same color as the thief's robe, and as the body itself went limp. 'Dammit Runt! How could you have fallen so easily?!'

Marik and Atem watched in horror as the mind controlled lion quickly eliminated the only two people capable of standing against it.

"This isn't looking very good for me…" Marik stated nervously, taking a few steps back. "Pharaoh, we should probably get out of here..."

Atem couldn't hear the Tomb Keeper. His focus was on the pair of empty sapphires that stared in his direction. He knew she wasn't actually dead, but that didn't stop the flood of emotions that filled him. He'd never seen her die before. Kat had casually brought up some of her 'deaths' when filling him in on the events of the years that had transpired between hosts, but actually seeing it stirred up the same feelings of helplessness and guilt he had felt when he sat at her bedside when she had been sick. His heart was heavy, and his body was torn between staying in its frozen state or running to hold her lifeless form.

"Pharaoh! Pharaoh!" Marik began shaking Atem's body, trying to shake him from his state of frozen shock. "Dammit! ATEM! SNAP OUT OF IT!"

Atem still couldn't tear his gaze away from the lifeless figure. "She's…she's not….but...her eyes...her eyes…they're….empty…"

"Yeah, and ours are gonna look the same if you don't do something!" Marik shouted.

"I...I can't do anything…" Atem continued, still in a shocked stupor.

Marik growled in irritation. "What do you think she's going to do when she wakes up and you're dead again?!"

This made Atem suddenly panic, and his gaze turned off to nowhere in particular. "Oh gods...she'll hunt me down in the Afterlife and shove me down Ammit's throat!"

"Thanks for finally returning to the land of 'We should be doing something other than standing here'!" Marik shouted in irritation as he tried to drag Atem away from where they were standing. He was very grateful that Malik's mind-possessed body appeared to be approaching at a hesitant pace, making him wonder if the Ishtari was internally trying to fight the hostile mental takeover.

Both ran quickly back towards the palace entrance, but were stopped by a shimmering barrier that surrounded the immediate area.

"Come now. Face your death with some dignity. You should feel honored that I have even considered it worth my time to kill you," Ra taunted.

Marik's mind raced, trying to think of something that would buy them time until the two elementals were back up on their feet. "Pharaoh, I have an idea...but first I need to know if you can summon Ka like Bakura did the other day?"

Atem appeared affronted that he'd even asked. "Of course I can. Honestly anyone can do it. It's just that those with innate magical talent can do it more easily."

Marik stared dumbfounded. "Innate magical talent? Are you fucking telling me now that you know fucking magic?!"

Atem replied with an expression of that particular fact should have been obvious from the start.

"I'm starting to see why Kat is always annoyed with you," Marik stated dryly.

"Shouldn't we be focusing on the approaching mind-controlled lion?"

Marik wanted to wring Atem's neck, but unfortunately the Pharaoh was right about focusing on the current pressing matter. "Yes. So...I need you to give me a crash course on summoning Ka."

"A crash course?! You can't just learn something like that in a matter of seconds! It takes a great deal of patience and concentration to even be able to detect the Ka within you!"

"Well, do you have a better idea?!"

Atem grumbled, knowing that Marik was right. "Fine. But I'm putting the blame on you if we both end up dead."

Marik stared blankly, wondering if Atem had heard the words that came out of his own mouth. "Suuure...go for it. So, crash course? How to summon Ka?"

"First you need to sense it. Feel it within you. Hear the words needed to call it forth. Then you need to offer up a portion of your Ba. Once you have done these things, you can call forth your Ka. But be warned: The larger the Ka, the more Ba that is required."

"I kinda figured that part." Marik stated about the warning. "Listen, I need you to buy me some time. Do you think you can summon Slifer?"

Atem appeared offended. "You're asking if I can summon my own God Ka? What kind of fool question is that?" He focused internally for a second, and as he did dark clouds accompanied by lightning appeared, blotting out the sun. The lion halted his approach, looking skyward.

Ra took notice of the strange weather, and turned his focus towards Atem, scowling in irritation at the interruption. "I know you. You're the Nameless Pharaoh that the Daughter of Anubis spent millennia wasting her time on. Such dedication is admiral, but foolish."

Atem opened his eyes, gazing smugly at his rival. "Dedication is never foolish. It means you believe in something or someone. There is nothing wrong with that."

"So what now, Nameless Pharaoh? You seek to take advantage of my lack of Ka to attack me? How fortuitous of you. I thought a Pharaoh would have better manners than to attack a God."

Atem continued to stare with his smug expression as the lightning overhead intensified. "You are a God, whereas I am nothing more than a mortal Pharaoh. Surely you can see that I am simply evening the odds."

"Hmm...I see your point. No matter. Nothing you can summon will be able to stand against me." Ra stated with confidence.

"We'll see about that. By the way, it appears you are unaware that I am no longer the Nameless Pharaoh. Allow me to properly introduce myself. I am Atem, son of Akhenamkhanen. And now, it is time for you to meet my Ka." Atem reached a hand skyward, calling out. "Force of thunder and destruction, I call you forth from darkened skies! Come to me, Slifer, the Sky Dragon!"

Lightning flashed rapidly and brightly all around the gardens. Above, red coils began to shift between the clouds, slowly descending towards Atem. Ra appeared to panic momentarily until the Ka's head came into view. Slifer came to rest, hovering above Atem and staring intently at the sun god.

Ra recomposed himself, then smirked, pretending to be unfazed at the sight of the Ka as he began to clap slowly. "Bravo, bravo. That was quite the show. I had forgotten that there was a third God Ka. Personally, I don't care. That one is hideous. Too...serpentine….for my liking. So what now Pharaoh Atem? Do you propose we duel in the old way against one another? I can use my little pet in place of a Ka. Maybe I'll get lucky and you'll destroy him for me. If not, then both you and your Ka will be destroyed. Either way, I win," Ra taunted.

"Actually, I'm not your opponent. He is." Atem nodded his head sideways towards Marik, who had just raised his head from his internal searching, indicating that he was ready.

Ra took one look at the Tomb Keeper and burst into laughter. "HIM?! He is something that shouldn't have existed in the first place, just like the one that sired him. Like both my worthless bastards, he is a mistake that I will eradicate one way or another. He cannot hope to possibly stand against the likes of ME. I. AM. RA. He is nothing but a pathetic mortal. What little of my blood that may flow through his veins will not be enough to protect him."

Marik smirked smugly, his face matching that of Atem's. "It might not...but I have something that will."

"I will indulge your worthless last attempt. It amuses me." Ra stated, chuckling sadistically.

Marik took a deep breath, then held a steady hand skyward. "Great Beast of the sky, hear my cry! I give a piece of my soul, O god that sleeps within! Come forth, Winged Dragon of Ra!"

A blinding light pierced through the thundering clouds, a large golden orb descending within and coming to rest just above Marik.

Ra's smug expression quickly transitioned to a mixture of shock and fury. "You…" he seethed. "You have MY Dragon!?"

Marik pretended to be casual about the floating golden sphere above him. "Oh, that? Hm...it appears I do. Wonder how I got it? Must have been that weird light that flowed into me when the Pharaoh was revived."

Ra grit his teeth, his face contorting in rage. "Kill...that...thing...NOW!" he demanded towards the lion.

Malik's body resumed its forward advance towards Marik.

Atem leaned towards Marik, speaking so that (hopefully) only he could hear what he had to say. "This was your plan, so what now?"

"Look at the way Malik's body moves. It's jarring, like a badly controlled puppet. As a former 'puppet-master', I can safely assume that the mind within is fighting hard to regain control. I don't want to attack him if we can help it. Ra is on edge, which means his focus will be easy to manipulate. We just have to find the right thing to manipulate it with. Once he's distracted enough, I have an idea of how to break through to Malik."

"So what do you need me to do?"

Marik thought for a moment. He felt the slither of Apep in the back of his mind. The serpent was worked up about being in the presence of Ra. Marik looked up towards Slifer. Ra hadn't liked seeing the serpentine dragon.

We can help. We just need permission.

'What can you do? And what will it cost me?'

No cost. We would do this just to see the fear in Ra's eyes up close.

'Once again: What can you do?'

Marik felt Apep nudge in indication towards Slifer.

Ask the Pharaoh to borrow his Ka. Only he can relinquish temporary control over to you. We will do the rest.

Marik nodded slightly. "Pharaoh, I need to take control of Slifer."

Atem looked both confused and slightly appalled at the idea. "You want me to relinquish control of my Ka?"

"Just for a few moments. Ra doesn't like Slifer's appearance because it reminds him of Apep. I think there may be a way to use that to our advantage."

Atem hesitated and groaned, not liking the idea, but reluctantly caved to the request. "Very well. I hope you know what you're doing. That's not a duel monster over there. That's an actual God."

"I know that, but like Bakura reminded me the other day: This is no different than an actual Shadow Game. The only difference is when our life points hit zero, we actually die. No Shadow Realm...just the Afterlife."

Atem sighed, closing his eyes and internally ordering his Ka to follow Marik's command. Marik could feel the immense flow of power immediately upon being granted control over the God Ka.

'Alright Apep. Whatever it is you're going to do, make it quick. As soon as Ra is distracted I'll make my move over here.'

Marik felt the serpent slither, combining its essence with the God Ka. The eyes of the massive Ka changed, a slitted pupil forming in the center where there had been none. Slifer raised its massive head skyward, roaring loudly before returning its gaze towards Ra.

"Hello brother, it has been a long time since we last faced one another," boomed a deep distorted voice that appeared to come from the massive Ka.

Ra's eyes widened. "It can't be…" he stated in shock. "NO! You were imprisoned!"

"Yes, we were. Such a nice, cozy little prison too. So nice and HOT. It burns us in a way that not even you can."

"How is it you are freed!? There's no way you could have gotten your scales on the third key!"

Slifer boomed with laughter. "We have our ways. Lucky for you, we are not actually free. We are simply...borrowing."

"Marik! What is going on?! Why is my Ka conversing with Ra?!" Atem questioned in a loud whisper.

"Long story. Can't talk about it. Just trust that it will work," Marik replied.

Malik's hesitantly jarred walk became even more jarring. His eye twitched repeatedly as he erratically shook his head as if trying to dismiss a fly that bothered him. The lion came to a halt before Marik, slowly attempting to raise a clawed hand in preparation to strike while the other clawed hand repeatedly attempted to stop it.

Malik had seen from his side the summoning of the two God Ka, and his shock matched that of Ra's, minus the fury. He had felt the sharp tug of his collar as it choked him, causing him to nearly blackout. Just as quickly as the collar had begun to choke him, it loosened. He gasped for breath, looking towards the floating distorted image to see what had caused Ra to suddenly loosen his grip. He was surprised to hear Slifer talking. Whatever the reason for the God Ka's sudden linguistic skills, Malik knew that he wouldn't get another opportunity to break free from Ra's hold. He tried to feel and take control of his body.

One of his arms and hands responded, the control in that particular limb appearing to be very weak. Ra had probably placed most of his focus in just the one with the intention to strike Marik down. His body had come to a complete stop before the Tomb Keeper. He was running out of time. He needed to regain control of his body now.

Malik saw the smaller Ishtar look upwards, his gaze just as soft and empathetic as his ka-ib's had been when she had attempted to help bring him back.

"I can see that you are still fighting in there. That's good. It means you're still fighting to protect me and keep me safe. That's why you left me in the caves, right? You were trying to keep me hidden from Ra," Marik said, speaking gently like Kat had done.

'Marik, you fool! Did you not see what I did to Katrina when she tried this?!'

Malik felt a small surge of renewed control take over. Ra was getting desperate. He could sense it through his collar.

I don't know HOW, but that thing has somehow not only stolen my Dragon, he has somehow managed to give form to my eternal enemy! YOU WILL DESTROY IT RIGHT THIS INSTANT!

Malik cried out, his mind feeling as though it were fracturing again. "NO! NO! I will NOT do it!"

You will, because I have commanded it!

Marik watched as the lion grasped both sides of its massive head, roaring out in agony and stumbling about erratically as it internally fought against the mental control Ra had on it. He knew he had to press on.

"I don't know what's going on in there, but I'm sure you can hear me. Keep fighting. You're not weak. You're not worthless, or useless, or a mistake. You're not anything that Ra claims. You are Malik Ishtar, personal Ishtari to Pharaoh Atem and his Queen." Marik hoped his words were helping the internal mind that struggled. He had seen first-hand Malik's internal self-struggle, and knew this was not much different. The only real difference was the mind Malik was currently fighting against wasn't his own.

Malik's body stopped struggling, his gaze becoming blank and expressionless again. It returned to standing before the Tomb Keeper, staring down with its blank yellow eyes while raising a clawed hand in the air to strike.

Remind him of who he is…

'Don't you think I've been trying?!'

The serpent made a sound of irritation.

Remind him of who he is...to you.

Marik's mind temporarily halted in the moment.

'Well, worth a shot. Worst case scenario, he comes back to his senses and kills me just for bringing it up,' he shrugged internally.

The black clawed hand began its quick descent downward.

Marik raised his hands instinctively to protect himself. "Father, stop!"

He felt himself being lifted off the ground by the neck of his hoodie.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Malik half shouted, half roared.

Once the initial shock had faded, Marik found himself smirking smugly. "Welcome back."

Malik appeared surprised, only now realizing he was in control of his physical faculties again. He scowled, bringing the teen in close to his face. "We'll talk about this later," he said bitterly, slightly growling. He lowered Marik close to the ground, dropping him abruptly once he was a few feet away then quickly turning on heel, marching towards Ra. He. Was. Pissed.

Slifer chuckled darkly overhead.

Malik glanced at the God Ka, growling a warning. "I don't know why you are talking, Ka, but know this: Ra is mine."

"By all means Ishtari. We will not interfere. We enjoy seeing the fear in Ra's eyes," the Ka stated.

Malik resumed his pace towards the sun god, his face contorted in murderous rage.

"Back beast! I hold your collar! You obey ME!" Ra shouted in panic.

"Wrong. I obey no one but myself now," Malik growled.

"Lay a single claw on me and I'll drag you before the Tribunal!"

"Been there. Done that. Not afraid."

The sun god took a few steps back, trying to stay out of range of the pissed off lion.

"I AM RA! YOU CANNOT HARM ME! I SIRED YOU!"

Malik lunged forward, barely catching the retreating god by the wesekh around his neck. He lifted Ra off the ground, causing the sun god to drop his spear and the collar he still clutched. Malik brought him in close. "Go after my heir again, and I'll give you something far greater than a pathetic serpent to fear. Don't you ever set foot in this sanctuary again."

Ra struggled, attempting to break free of the lion's grasp. Unable to do so, he resorted to releasing the chain that held his wesekh together, allowing himself to fall to the ground. He shook with rage at having been bested. He looked at the red Ka glaring down at him, then towards the one that had summoned it.

Imhotep bounced back and forth rhythmically, dodging the walls of light that came towards him while simultaneously slashing at the colored blocks that approached. He'd missed a few of the notes, but he didn't care. This game combined two things he actually enjoyed outside of standard gaming: swordplay and electronic dance music. He was on his third song, with no intention of walking away…that is, until the Shadows whispered to him. He quickly removed the VR headset, shifting his gaze back home where the Shadows had indicated that something was wrong.

"Everything alright?" Yugi questioned, confused at his twin's abrupt behavior.

Imhotep's face was contorted in confusion as he appeared to stare off into nowhere. "No...for some reason Ra is at the palace. Shae and the pale guy are both incapacitated, and the Ishtari appears to have Ra in a position of backing down. I see two of the God Ka hovering...but something still seems….off."

He continued to look around, following the direction the Shadows were pulling him towards. They showed him Ra looking skyward towards the serpentine Ka, then Ra looking straight forward, his face showing that he was contemplating something. A last ditch effort? Imhotep turned his gaze in the direction that the sun god had, his eyes widening as he quickly looked back at the god. He watched as Ra subtly began to move his hand, his golden weapon beginning to hover off the ground beside the massive black lion that stood over him.

Atem's mind was still processing what had just occurred in less than a fraction of a second. Something gold came hurling towards him, then stopped not far from his body, falling to the ground after it had momentarily hovered in suspense. Ra was bound in dark chains that appeared to continuously constrict about him, trying to strangle the life from the sun god. A dark entity had risen from the ground, the body that appeared to be living Shadow had taken on a familiar form.

"mau-watu!" the shadowed form growled.

Atem recognized the voice...but at the same time didn't. It sounded too dark…too full of hatred...to be Imhotep. The declaration of 'I'll kill you!' in the old tongue didn't help. He watched as the shadowed form held an outstretched fist, twisting it slightly while the dark chains wrapped about Ra reacted in kind.

"MAU-WATU!" the figure shouted even louder, even more hatred and loathing filling its voice.

Gold and midnight flashed, wrapping itself around the dark entity from behind. "Im, that's enough," Kat spoke softly.

The shadowed figure shook and growled, slowly lowering its hand and releasing the sun god from the dark binding. Ra fell to the ground, gasping for air. The dark entity removed itself from Kat's hold, stepping forward and walking towards Ra, the Shadows retracting from its body. Imhotep came to a stop in front of the god he had attempted to strangle the life out of, staring down in bitterness and loathing.

"Consider yourself lucky that Shae stepped in. Next time I'll bind you in the Shadows so that it can feed off of your fear for all eternity," he stated in a dark, even tone.

Ra shook unsteadily as he attempted to rise. He glared towards Marik. "I've waited this long for the return of my Ka, what's a few more decades? In the end, the Winged Dragon will be mine once again." He took a few steps back, vanishing into a pillar of blinding light.

Imhotep turned away from where the sun god had been standing, looking up at the two god Ka. He focused on Slifer, then turned a quick gaze towards the Tomb Keeper. He walked up to Marik, getting in his face while scowling. "You. Are. Stupid. Retrieve the beast and return Slifer to its master," he said quietly enough that only Marik could hear him.

Marik suddenly felt both shock and panic. Could Imhotep detect Apep? He subtly nodded, closing his eyes and calling the serpent back. He felt the spine shuddering slither as the serpent coiled itself neatly back into his mind. It was a sensation that he had no intention of getting used to. Simultaneously, he felt the flow of power from Slifer diminish as the God Ka returned to Atem.

Marik stumbled back a step when he reopened his eyes. Imhotep's face had come even closer to his.

"I won't tell her, but if she ends up hurt...just keep in mind your striking resemblance to the one I could have easily put in a place of eternal suffering. The Gods themselves are not immune to the Shadows. I alone hold greater power over that place than any other being. Got it?" the dark teen said bitterly.

Marik paled and swallowed hard, nodding that he understood.

"Good." Imhotep stated.

'Snake, you should have warned me that others could sense you!' Marik internally chastised the serpentine entity.

We were unaware. Perhaps the pieces of our-self within the boy of Shadow alerted him? Regardless of how he knew, he has agreed to keep our secret...for now. We will have to be careful around him.

Marik internally nodded in agreement.

Imhotep turned his attention to Kat, who had stopped not far away and was staring up at the floating golden orb above the Tomb Keeper. She spoke softly in the tongue of the immortals, as if speaking to the orb itself.

"What is she doing?" Imhotep questioned aloud.

"Speaking to the Winged Dragon," Atem replied. "Did you not know that she has the capability to speak to Ka?"

Imhotep turned his gaze towards Atem, appearing confused. "No. I didn't. She never told me and I've never seen her do it before."

"Ka are physical manifestations of a piece of our souls. It only makes sense that the Daughter of Anubis can speak directly to those manifestations."

"Can't you understand what she's saying?" Marik questioned, knowing that Imhotep understood the language Kat spoke.

Imhotep looked back towards his mother. "Actually, no. The Godaeshan language is very complex, and only immortals seem to be able to speak and understand it. Probably because it's a weird combination of several ancient tongues. But what she's speaking...it's nothing I've ever heard. It sounds more like a song than anything."

"Because it is," said Bakura, having finally risen and joining the others. "Music is the language of the soul. Surely she's at least taught you that much."

Imhotep glared with a dull expression towards the pale elemental that had reverted back to his human appearance. "Please...put some pants on. I saw more than enough of you last night."

A tinge of pink formed across Bakura's cheeks. "R-right. Good idea," He said, quickly vanishing into his element.

Imhotep then turned his focus back towards Atem, who had a nice shade of pink across his face as well. "Seriously...him?"

Atem paled slightly. Was he being chastised by his own offspring? "I-it wasn't…"

Imhotep waved a hand in irritated dismissal. "Whatever. No wonder Shae keeps telling you to fuck-off." He looked back towards Kat, who was still speaking (singing?) to the orb. "I did what I came here to do. I'm heading back. Kind of left Yugi and the others hangin. Don't want them to start worrying." Shadow engulfed his form and he vanished.

Marik looked towards Atem in mild confusion. "That was...weird."

"I would...have to agree," Atem replied. "Never thought I would be scolded by my own son...though to be honest, I never thought I would have one to begin with."

"Yeah, well...seems we're all strangely connected," Marik stated, looking back towards his girlfriend.

Atem chuckled, then looked towards his Ka and gave a small nod. Slifer stared back for a brief moment, then ascended into the clouds of lightning above, the clouds vanishing immediately once the God Ka was out of sight.

A strange sound came from overhead. It sounded metallic, like something unlocking. The seams of the golden orb began to split apart, opening and unfolding into the Winged Dragon's full appearance.

"She unlocked it? How?" Marik wondered out loud.

Kat stepped forward, petting the God Ka that had brought its head down before her. "This way you won't have to expend more Ba in order to release it in the future. It's much more useful to you this way."

"I'm still confused on how you did it. Isn't the Winged Dragon my Ka now?"

"Ka such as this can change their allegiance at will, as you've clearly seen. Technically speaking, it belongs to no one but itself. If Slifer so chooses, it can leave Atem. Clearly it still finds him worthy of being its master."

"Wait, really?" Marik puzzled, looking towards Atem for verification.

Atem nodded. "That is correct. The God Ka are no ordinary Ka. They were gifted to mankind by the Gods themselves."

"So then, does that mean Slifer isn't your actual Ka?"

"That is also correct. My initial Ka takes on an appearance that is similar to the Duel Monster, Black Luster Soldier."

"And here I was thinking it was Dark Magician, seeing as that was one of your favorite cards," Marik commented dryly.

Atem chuckled. "No. Though Dark Magician does hold a special place in my heart. It reminds me of a friend I studied magic with in ancient times."

Marik's face fell a little. "I still can't believe no one ever thought to mention that you knew magic," he said, directing the words 'thought to mention' loudly towards his girlfriend.

Kat turned her head, appearing confused at the insinuated accusation. "All the scrolls you've studied on Atem and you didn't know? Looks like someone wasn't paying attention."

Marik turned his head in a pout. "Maybe I hated studying those stupid scrolls…"

"Don't blame you. They were written by the world's biggest nerd," Kat chuckled. She then turned her focus back towards the Winged Dragon. "Ready to send your new Ka away?"

Marik looked up at the golden entity, still somewhat awed by the fact that it had chosen him of all people. "Yeah, I think so. Not entirely sure how to do it though."

"Just focus on the energy flow between the two of you. While you can verbally command your Ka, using this flow to impart your will silently is much more beneficial in battle."

"That makes sense. Can't let the enemy know your every move."

"Precisely."

Marik focused internally like Kat had instructed, silently thanking the Winged Dragon for its presence and stating that it was no longer needed at this time. He felt what could almost be described as a sense of respect and a bow from the God Ka, and though no words were spoken, he knew it had pretty much stated 'Do not hesitate to call for me should you have need again'. When he opened his eyes, the God Ka had already begun its ascent, vanishing into the brightness of the sun.

Prepping for Rome. It's close!