Apep and the Sacred Scrolls of Duat

Chapter 16: An Audience with Apep


It was the early hours of the morning when Atemu finally emerged from Seto's chambers having explained what Isis had seen. His heart was heavy and it hadn't been easy for him to leave his cousin alone. Even now, he glanced back at the closed doors, wondering if he should return.

Seto had assured him that all was well, that this was an enemy they had defeated before, and therefore they could do so again. But this enemy had been borne from the darkness in his own father's very soul and it had used and manipulated him. It was truly an unfair burden for the kings' beloved cousin.

Each step back to his own chambers was fraught with indecision and tiredness. If he was lucky, he might be able to rest for an hour or two before dawn came, then it would be time for the execution. If it was possible at all to sleep after the discussion he'd just had, that is…


…It wasn't.

At dawn, in the middle of the city in a vast open space, packed with people and a hastily assembled platform, the prisoner was bound, surrounded by royal guards

The king himself sat astride his impressive white horse, both adorned in gold and shining in the first rays of sunlight. He and his priests and the vizier stood at the head of the crowd, along with the Sea People and their King as well as the people from Canaan.

An execution, as Atemu had told Yugi and the others, was a rare event and as it would remain through centuries of human history, it was also a very public affair.

There were people stood atop the smaller houses and larger buildings all around them, people were peering out of their doors and windows, some even sat atop the market stalls and hanging canopies all to catch a glimpse.

"Witness here today, the execution of a heinous criminal of the lowest order. A murderer whom we now expel from our lands forever. By order of the great pharaoh and for the good of all the peoples of Egypt, you are hereby condemned to death," Shimon declared. "Your name and body will be forfeit. Your soul in this life and the next, is over," he said.

Watching from his horse, Atemu's heart heat so loudly he feared that everyone around him could hear it. He watched, with a stern expression and unwavering jaw as he knew he must.

The prisoner was forced to his knees and his head bent low by the guards. Another, raised a sword and waited, he then turned to the king.

Silently. Atemu nodded and raised his right hand.

In the blink of an eye, the sword cleanly sliced the prisoners' head from his shoulders and it landed uselessly onto the wooden platform with a disquieting thud. The body itself fell a second later.

A great cheer went through the crowd at the sight. It was loud enough that it could be heard in the palace and beyond. The very ground was shaking with the excitement of the people stood around the city.

The body and head were wrapped in a sheet, which quickly stained through with blood. It was then loaded onto a cart without fanfare.

"Let this wretch be expelled from our lands and forgotten. We do not tolerate such crimes as these and justice has been done. While we honour those we have lost, we must also look to the future. Our allies from the sea join us in our fight against the darkness and now, we honour them as well as our friends from Canaan. Let this mark the beginning of our festivities to welcome them to our home," the king declared and was met with even more raucous applause and cheer.


"It's over," Mana declared as they heard the cheers from the palace. She took a bite of out a piece of fruit, clearly nonplussed and leaned back on the soft pillows she was sat on.

"Why are they…happy?" Yugi asked, confused. It had bothered him all night, thinking about the execution.

"Because it's over," Mana reiterated.

"It's simply the way things were, Yugi," Solomon told him. "Even thousands of years later, executions were public. Almost a sort of entertainment, you could say as well a deterrent for further crime," he said.

"…I guess I'll never really understand that," Yugi sighed.

"Me neither," Teà said and Serenity nodded as well. "But…there's nothing we can do and…it's over," she said sadly.

Joey, Tristan and Duke were dozing not far from them, lying amidst a cocoon of cushions and blankets. It evidently didn't bother them as much as it did Yugi and they'd been none too happy at being woken at dawn.

Rebecca was tired too, hardly able to keep her eyes open after the late night they'd all had. She yawned but remained beside Yugi doing her best to comfort him in his distress even if all she could do was gently hold his hand.

"I'm going back to bed," Mai declared, then left.

"You'll miss breakfast!" Mana yelled after her. "Hmmm…more for me," she shrugged.

"Wha…did someone say breakfast?" Joey blinked his eyes open, groggily. "It's chow time?" he mumbled, then rubbed at his eyes.

"…Food?" Tristan yawned from the floor.

Yugi couldn't help but give a little smile at their typical selective hearing, but it quickly faded.


Unable to refuse an offer to take breakfast with King Taresh, his eldest son and the princess, the pharaoh was sat at their table in their appointed chambers, surrounded by bowls of fresh food.

"I believe our best course of action now would be to strike at the serpent before he decides to act first," king Taresh remarked.

"I agree. We cannot remain idle," his son and heir prince Sethre said with confidence. He was a young man, no more than fifteen but bold and brash with an unyielding expression and all the confidence of youth and privilege.

"We have not been idle thus far," Atemu said, calmly. "We have struck at this enemy many times only to have it return. I am not opposed to an attack, but we cannot act rashly," he said.

"Then we will die," the young prince scoffed at him.

"I wouldn't be too sure. I for one am far from admitting defeat. And indeed, it is because of your arrival that we have discovered a weakness of the serpent and his agents. They are weak to the Nile, they cannot cross it, or even touch it," Atemu stated.

"How does this help us? We cannot simply launch the river at them and be done with it!" Sethre shook his head.

"Would that we could," the pharaoh lamented. "But it helps us a great deal. To know the enemies' weakness is a valuable tool."

"Agreed," king Taresh said with a scolding glance at his brash son. "But can the creatures be destroyed by it or are they merely weak to it?" he pondered aloud.

"It is the opinion of my sorcerers that destruction would be possible," he said.

"This is most excellent news," Ayten declared.

Atemu raised an eyebrow at her. "Yes, and it has been hard won. The serpent has been idle these past hours but that is not likely to last. Something must be done but until they appear we are powerless again them. They cannot simply be summoned here. To attack what is not there is impossible," he summarised.

"So here we are to wait…amidst the festivities of the people," Sethre hissed. "Let them carouse in the streets with the dogs; this fight must be won!"

"It is they who will fight alongside us to defeat this menace. Do not deny them a moment of peace when it has been so hard won," Atemu told him. "Your people and mine celebrate together in the streets, do not forget that," he said.

"That is true enough," Taresh said. "We shall fight soon enough, and when the enemy surfaces again, he shall face the force of our combined might," he added with a menacing grin.

Atemu nodded and continued to pick at his breakfast. It had been a long night, and it was, from the looks of things, going to be an even longer morning.


As Atemu began to leave their chambers, the Princess Ayten walked by his side.

"The execution and declaration combined with this perhaps display our alliance enough to outshine even an accompanied ride through the city," she remarked quietly to him. "Though I do confess to being a little disappointed that the opportunity was taken from us," she added.

"There shall be time for such a display, during the festivities, perhaps. Though I take little joy in the death that marked it," he remarked dryly.

"I find joy in the defeat of my enemies, as should you. An enemy of the state is an enemy of us all and he has been vanquished."

"Indeed. I should hate to be your enemy, princess," he remarked sarcastically.

"And I yours, pharaoh," Ayten replied with a smile that resembled her father's. It was menacing and cruel, there was a joy in her eyes at the mere thought of victory. "But allies we are, and shall remain. There is far more benefit for us in that than the opposite is there not?" she asked.

"Quite true," he said and she nodded.

"My brother is young and impatient, but he will learn. You showed much patience with him, more so than many others would. You have both mine and my father's gratitude."

"As you say, he will learn," Atemu replied simply.

The doors opened and she bowed. "Good day, pharaoh," she said, no longer whispering.

"Good day, princess," he replied and left.


After leaving the chambers of the royal family of the Sea People's, Atemu was met by Karim and Shada.

"You breakfasted with king Taresh, how was it?" Karim asked him, curiously.

"Fraught with peril," he replied dryly. "The princess is a viper and the prince is hungry for battle. Still…as brash as he may be…he is right about one thing. We cannot simply wait to be attacked any longer. We must be offensive. But how? We cannot attack what is absent."

"And now we also face the Shadow Magus," Shada remarked, heavily.

"Maybe Isis is right," Atemu sighed. "That the darkness can never truly be destroyed, only kept at bay. I've seen many evils 'destroyed' only to see them return."

"He will come for you and for Seto," Karim told him.

They made their way to Isis' chambers and she was stood with the others over a large circular pit of fire. It was decorative and ceremonial and she used it to peer through into the future for her visions.

"I know. And we shall be ready for him," the pharaoh replied, standing at the head of the group which was gathered around the fire.

His court was assembled there, looking grim but determined. Around him, stood Mahad, Mana, Seto, Isis, Karim, Shada and Shimon.

"The motives of the Shadow Magus, we can at least understand," Seto declared. "However, should he attempt to manipulate me once again or threaten our king, he shall find only his own destruction," he added.

"It is his connection to Apep which concerns me at present. Are they allies or…what are they to each other? Apep once told me that there was a shadow stirring in his realm. A shadow over which he had no control and yet his actions in freeing Aknadin only strengthened him," Atemu said, pensively.

"And which of them has the strength and indeed, even the knowledge to call the souls of the living here?" Shimon wondered.

"Apep certainly has the skill but would he have the understanding that it would be a drain on my power to keep them here?" the king asked

"It is in both of their interests to see you weakened, pharaoh," Seto said.

"True enough," he admitted.

"And the fact remains, it is done. We cannot yet return them from whence they came, or even the knowledge of it it can be done. Not so we have the resources to devote to such a problem. Our enemies must be eliminated first," Seto then added.

"As conflicted as I am on that statement, I do agree with it," Atemu sighed. "If we fail to defeat our enemies because we spent too much time on sending them home, and are destroyed in the process, it will do none of us any good. On that note I should like to propose a solution," he said. "To attack an enemy that is absent, as I have said, impossible, therefore we must draw out the enemy…"

"Pharaoh…" Mahad began in a wary tone.

"Whenever we venture out they appear. It is the only solution. I shall ride outside the city walls and wait for them…"

"We cannot, nay, will not use the king of Egypt as bait!" Shimon shook his head in disgust at the idea.

"Have you another idea, Shimon? The prospect does not fill me with joy, but what else can we do? We cannot sit here waiting to be destroyed," Atemu said.

"And what if this is his plan; to lure you out and take you from us?" Seto asked.

"He could have taken my soul as I spoke to him in my dream. He was the one who called me to his realm," Atemu said with a deep furrow in his brow. "There is something about this…something which does not make sense. The serpents of Apep steal the souls of our people and yet with all of that amassed strength he does not emerge from his realm. He frees the soul of Aknadin and for what? To strengthen the shadow magus? It makes no sense!" he insisted and rested his hands on the stone pit surrounding the magical fire.

"Are we sure it's not him behind all this?" Mana asked with a raised hand and a nervous voice.

"Could the shadow magus be usurping a god? For all that we despise Apep he is, in fact, a god," Shada remarked. "Who can say for sure that such a thing is possible," he mused.

"We could…ask the god of chaos ourselves," Isis said cautiously in a quiet tone.

"And how do you propose we do that?" Seto asked.

"The serpent spoke to the pharaoh once, through a dream. He is trapped within his realm of shadows while his serpent servants wreak havoc upon us as they please. He cannot come here. But…we could perhaps…venture to him, this time of our own design," she said.

"Such a thing is surely impossible," Karim said.

"Our combined strength may be sufficient," she remarked.

"Yes," Mahad mused aloud. "Combined, all of our millennium items may be powerful enough to do such a thing. But it would be difficult. And ill advised."

"What would be the use of expending such strength? Even if such a feat were to be accomplished, the serpent has no obligation to speak the truth," Seto protested.

"That is certain," Shimon agreed. "It could be just as much a trap as using your majesty as bait," he said.

"So…we now have two options," Atemu drawled and crossed his arms. "I act as bait outside the city walls or I journey to the realm of chaos. Both sound equally delightful. Have we any other ideas?"

The royal priests glanced at each other but could think of nothing. They were equal parts frustrated and dismayed.

"Very well," Atemu said after a moment of silence had passed. "I shall journey to the realm of chaos and speak with Apep," he declared.

"Pharaoh…" Seto began to protest.

"We have no choice," the king assured them. "This must be done," he said.


Having decided that however, did not make the task any easier to accomplish. Together, Atemu and his royal priests spent several hours spending their power but eventually, they were successful.

Finally, Atemu opened his eyes and once more, beheld the realm of chaos. It was exactly as he remembered; a cave of black stone, burning with fire. Screams echoed from all directions. The air was stale, foul and like water, seemed to fight his movements at every turn.

He was tired and drained but Atemu took several cautious steps. The millennium puzzle was glowing and it illuminated his way forwards.

Suddenly, behind him, dark magician and dark magician girl appeared in a ray of golden light and he gave a sigh of relief. At least he was not alone.

"Apologies for the delay, my king," dark magician said with Mahad's familiar voice.

"It took us some time to find our way through the darkness," dark magician girl added.

"I am relieved beyond measure to see you, my friends," Atemu said to them. "Now…into darkness once more," he said and continued onwards.

After a few minutes of trudging over jagged rocks, stepping over slithering snakes, and avoiding fire that burned with all the brightness of hell, a deep chuckling began to echo through the stagnant air.

"This is an occasion for the ages," Apep remarked, laughing. "I receive visitors so scarcely," he said.

"Such a…wonderful neighbourhood, I can hardly imagine why," Atemu retorted which only amused Apep even more. He glanced around in all directions, trying to find the source of the voice.

Then, he could just about see two glowing red eyes, high above him, seemingly floating in the darkness.

The serpent god Apep, with his burned and blackened hide, glowing with hieroglyphs, emerged before them.

"Pharaoh," the god greeted him with mocking respect. "Mortals so rarely surprise me. You are all predicable and weak. This however…has surprised even me…my congratulations," he said.

"I'm flattered."

"As you should be," the serpent hissed at him with a smile. "However, it could be argued that venturing willingly into my realm is nothing more or less than the height of folly. I released you when we last spoke. Why should I do so again?"

"Imprison me here then, but answer me one question and answer it honestly," Atemu said, dismissively.

"You would bargain with a god?" Apep laughed. The face of the god of chaos slithered towards the king and the snout of his serpent head was now mere inches from the kings'.

Mana and Mahad readied their magic behind him but Atemu held up a hand to stop them.

"Ask your question," the god of chaos hissed.

"You freed the good in Aknadin's soul when you could simply have destroyed me after bringing me here in my dreams. Why?" Atemu asked him simply.

"To prove my power."

"Power that you claimed is waining enough that it is unable to support your own creatures of shadows. You're lying," Atemu insisted, daringly.

"And what if I am?"

"You are weakening. You said so yourself. And yet you freed him. You gained nothing from it.

Nothing at all," the king said with a frown.

Mana; dark a magician girl, wafted her hand in front of her nose and pulled a disgusted face at the smell of Apep's breath. Mahad's ensuing expression of disapproval did nothing to stop her.

"No…that's not quite true. You did gain something…we only began asking these questions after that. You gained our…interest? He's…not your ally," the king uttered after a moment. "The shadow magus…we assumed this other power was working with you…but what if it's not?

"So…you finally begin to see," Apep said in a long suffering tone.

"See what?" Mana asked.

"That you are all fools," the god replied. "This creature, it is of mortal making and yet it toys with us all. You, pharaoh are my sworn enemy. For all of time, until the end of eternity and beyond, we shall forever be at odds, but for now…"

"You need me," Atemu finished for him with an expression of utmost surprise.

"I need nothing!" Apep sneered at him.

"Then we shall leave," Atemu said but the large coils of the serpents body encircled them.

"I think not. You are a fool and your end is nigh. You understand nothing," Apep said.

"It must wound your pride," Atemu smirked at him.

"Pharaoh…" Mana whispered in warning, but he ignored her and continued.

"I've enemies aplenty and any one of them would have destroyed me by now, were I to stand willingly in their midst. You…can't, can you?" Atemu asked and drew his sword.

He reached out, intending to tap the end against the body of the serpent but instead it went straight through him. "I thought as much," he uttered.

"Even in his own realm he has not the power,"

Mahad breathed, stunned.

Apep roared in anger, thrashing against the cave around them, shaking the very ground the king stood on. A god throwing a tantrum, albeit even a powerless god, was still impressive.

Small slabs of rocks tumbled around them, jagged edges fell from the cave roof above their heads. Mahad cast a hurried spell and a glowing golden light shelled then both and their king from harm.

"A curse upon the vile usurper who hath wrought this!" Apep hissed. "That I must now consort with my sworn enemy!" he lamented.

"Usurper?" Atemu repeated. "Ah…so that's it. The shadow magus is attempting to usurp your realm. Your power is dwindling…because he is stealing it. Your power cannot support your servants so they flee and steal the souls of my people…power which he then takes from them. He what…tricked you, perhaps…into freeing the light from his being," he breathed as it finally began to make sense.

"The shadow magus is trying to…become the god of chaos?" Mana whispered, stunned.

"By all the gods," Mahad swallowed.

"Now you foolish creatures finally understand. Had you been capable of seeing the truth sooner, this could have been prevented. But alas, it was not so. This…shadow magus…as you call him, will bring destruction to you all,"

Apep said.

"And to you," Atemu remarked and the serpent hissed at him.

"I am eternal. Try as this wretch might, I cannot be vanquished," the god said.

"Are you certain of that?" Atemu asked.

"He appears to be doing well, thus far," Mahad said to Apep.

"Was it he that slaughtered your priests? We found them dead at their temple," Atemu asked the god.

"I thought snakes killed them," Mana said thoughtfully.

"My servants were commanded…the orders were not mine," Apep admitted with great reluctance.

"He's probably lying," she whispered.

"Why should I end my own worshipers?"

"Gods have done foolish things before. And you are not known for your kindness," Atemu remarked.

"Whether you believe me or not, you have seen for your own eyes the results of the usurper," the serpent said and slammed his large tail against the ground for effect. He then swung it towards the pharaoh but it went harmlessly through him like a ghost.

That didn't stop the ensuing dark magic attacks from the magicians hovering behind the king, but again, both attacks simply went through the god of chaos and hit the cave walls instead.

"Believe me or not," the god reiterated. "This creature will see an end to us both. And then, neither of us shall reign supreme in our unending battle for supremacy."

"If I choose to believe that you are truthful…what is it that you propose? An alliance?" Atemu inferred.

"What? The enemy of my enemy?" Mana snorted, indelicately.

"The choice is yours," Apep somehow managed to shrug. "I would see your destruction…in due course, but it shall be of my making, of that I am resolved."

Atemu saw, before he could reply, one solitary glowing eye, deep in she shadows. It was as always, shrouded in a cloak of shifting mist. He could even hear this creature take a breath and it sent a chill down his spine. More so than even coming face to face with the god of chaos, it unsettled the king.

"He has come for you. Make your choice," the serpent chuckled.

Around his feet, Atemu could both see and feel the snakes slithering nearer and one suddenly slid over his foot. He kicked it away and took a step back.

The glowing eye seemed to be moving closer and which each step, the shadows darkened.

"Mahad, get us out of here," Atemu said to his friend.

The dark a magician raised his staff and began to chant.

"We shall speak again," Atemu told the god of chaos.

"I've no doubt," Apep said and everything began to fade.


Returning to the palace in a blinding flash of light, Mana, Mahad and the pharaoh fell to the floor and were caught quickly by those around them.

"That was weird," Mana declared, standing back up straight away and shaking her head as though shaking off a sense of dizziness.

"Agreed," Mahad smiled slightly.

Atemu closed his eyes against a pounding headache. His limbs felt as heavy as lead weights and he was leaning heavily against Seto who had caught him when they had returned.

"Pharaoh," Seto said, sounding concerned

"I'm fine, I'm unharmed," he assured them and tried to stand, only to fail again. Luckily his friend caught him quickly.

"This foolhardy mission has drained you," Seto remarked and moved to allow the king to lean back against the stone fire pit.

"Not 'foolhardy', Seto. We learned a great deal," Atemu said. "You heard?" he asked.

"We did," he nodded. "But is such an agent of darkness to be believed?" Seto asked.

"Would a god admit to weakness unless he had no other choice? I think not," Mahad said.

"He does not seek his own destruction. He is as much as risk as we are," Atemu mused.

"We cannot surely ally ourselves with the serpent, even to save ourselves," Shada shook his head.

"I don't like it either," the king sighed. "We already have a nest of vipers in our midst, one more cannot make much difference," he added, thinking of the Sea People's royal family.

"All the more reason not to further tempt fate," Seto protested.

"I shall make no decision yet," Atemu assured him. He rested his head in his hands and let out a deep sigh.

"Pharaoh, I believe that rest would be the best course of action for you at present," Shimon said, diplomatically.

"Yes…perhaps you are right. I had little sleep last night and was already drained. This has not helped matters but it was necessary," he said with exhausted confidence. "We now know more than we did," he said.

"If it is to be believed," Mahad pointed out.

"It is the only explanation that has make any sense thus far," Isis said with a furrowed brow.

"I-regardless, it means all nothing if the discovery of this information costs us our king," Seto said. "I shall escort you back to your chambers," he added.

"I'm not quite done for yet," Atemu smiled at him. "But, thank you. I think some rest would be beneficial," he added and they knew, simply from him admitting that, that he was even more drained than he was letting on.

Atemu pushed himself off the stone he'd been leaning against and swayed on his feet a little. Seto placed a supporting hand on his shoulder and Atemu gave him a grateful glance.

"We shall attend to matters of state," Shimon assured the king.

Atemu nodded and thanked them quietly. Both Seto and Mahad walked on either side of him as they left just in case he needed support but they hoped that he wouldn't. It wouldn't do any good for people to see the king being all but carried through the corridors.