Paradise Found

Although Mystery had been living in the palace since the past few months, she would still sometimes get nervous around the pharaoh. He wasn't cruel to Mystery in any way. In fact, he was very kind and loving towards her. He was like a second father to her. Even so, she still had to mind her manners around the king of Egypt. Aside from that, she would mentally berate herself for disturbing him with her problems when she knew he had more important matters to concern himself with. However, Mystery also knew it was better to talk about problems than try to hide them or brush them off.

Mystery came to the throne room and knelt before King Aknamkanon. Jirachi got down and bowed as well. "My Lord Pharaoh," she began.

He took notice of their presence and welcomed them. "Mystery, Jirachi," he said. "Rise, please." They obey and get up from the floor and back on their feet. "Is anything the matter?"

Mystery got to the point. "I humbly request an audience with you, Your Excellency."

"Of course, my dear," he permitted. "Tell me of your troubles."

She musters up her courage and begins explaining. "For the past few nights, Pharaoh, I have had a recurring dream." She closes her eyes, allowing the images to come to her mind. "I see myself standing in a dark void. Suddenly, a strange light appears, beckoning me to follow. I follow the light out of a dark cave and stand on top of a cliff and before me, I see a beautiful valley. There's so much greenery and lots of water. There are fields with colorful flowers and plants. The same voice calls out to me, telling me to come. And then I wake up." She opens her eyes and looks at the king. "I feel as though my dream means something, like there's someplace I'm supposed to be."

"What do you make of it?" Jirachi asked the pharaoh.

King Aknamkanon wasn't an interpreter of dreams, but he had a feeling he knew what it meant. "Both of you come with me. There is something you must know." Mystery and Jirachi obey and follow him out of the throne room and into his study. "Based on the way you described your dream to me, Mystery, my intuition tells me that the Great Goddess is trying to convey a message to you." He begins telling of a legend that had been passed down for many lifetimes.

Long ago, before Millennia was turned into a star, the Great Goddess bestowed upon her children and followers a secret world of her own making: the Pure Valley. She created this world to be a paradise and a sanctuary her people could come to for safety from the forces of evil. But ever since the Great Goddess Millennia and the Dark Lord Cobalt were turned into stars when their last battle was interrupted, the Pure Valley has been sealed away and no one has been able to enter it.

Mystery and Jirachi listened with fascination, but neither of them said anything. They didn't want to interrupt, knowing the pharaoh had more to say. And he did. "Now that you have the Millennium Star and the Great Goddess is among us again, I believe, Mystery, that she wants you to find it and she wants it to be accessible again."

It was a lot for Mystery to take in, but she would not deny the wisdom in her king's words. What he was saying was making a lot of sense. "But how will I find this hidden world?" she asks. "It could be anywhere."

"You have the Millennium Star," King Aknamkanon said again. "Call upon the Great Goddess and she will guide you."

Mystery nods in response, then says, "Before I take this quest, Pharaoh, with your permission, I wish for your son and all of our friends to accompany me."

The pharaoh had no objections against that. "It's only right and fair that they should. After all, you are all Children of Millennia."

"Our humblest thanks, Your Excellency," Mystery says, bowing.

"Thank you, thank you," Jirachi says happily.

As the pharaoh watches them leave his study, he begins to wonder to himself, If Mystery has been having this dream, surely my son and the others must have been having the same dream too. I did say that the Great Goddess created her secret world for all of her children. Surely she would want my son and the others to find her paradise too.

When Mystery and Jirachi rejoined their friends in the palace courtyard, they began sharing with them what they had discussed with Atem's father and how the king was able to figure out the meaning of Mystery's dream. Now Mystery was asking all of her friends to come with her on her new adventure.

"Let me get this straight," Seto was saying, "you want to go looking for a place you saw in your dreams, only you have no idea where to look, and you want us to come with you?"

"Well, no, that's not quite it," Mystery was saying.

"Oh, be reasonable," the older brunette groaned. "We don't know if this place really even exists."

Mahad spoke up. "If I may, I, too, have heard about Millennia's secret world."

"So have I," Atem interrupted. "And if my father's words are accurate, we should be able to find the valley."

"It sounds wonderful," Mana said, her face lighting up. "I want to help Mystery and Jirachi find it."

"Me too," said Kisara. "Truth be told, I've been having the same dream as Mystery and I want to help find this valley too." Her cousin agreed.

Even Joseph was eager to come along. "It'll be fun; an adventure!"

"And it would be for a good cause," Atem pointed out. "If we find Millennia's hidden world and make it accessible again, then out people will have a place they can go to for safety from any evil or danger."

All of his friends agreed. They all looked at Seto, waiting for his response. He sighed in defeat, knowing they weren't going to let him refuse. "All right, I'll come along," he replied, and everyone cheered. I'll only believe this place exists when I see it, he thought to himself.

The first thing the children did was stock up on supplies they figured they would need like money and snacks and medical equipment. When you're going on an adventure, there's no telling what may happen and it's always best to be prepared. Once the children made sure they had everything they figured they would need, they met up at the palace gate and stepped outside. Though Atem had the role of the leader of the group, he told Mystery to lead on this adventure.

She nods and places her hands close to her chest. "Please, Great Goddess Millennia, I beseech thee. Guide us to your secret world." Suddenly, she hears a voice in her head telling her where to go. As though unaware of her actions, she starts running ahead.

Her friends start running after her. "Mystery, wait up," Freya cried.

"I'm just as excited as you are, but there's really no rush," Joseph said as he was running.

They all stop as they come to a space between two structures. It was dark and none of them could see anything on the other side. Mystery hears the voice, telling her to pass on through. The others watch her disappear before following her into the darkness. Just like in the dream, they see a light up ahead and walk towards it, coming out of a tunnel.

The children and their Magical Creatures were in awe at the glorious sight before them. There really was a valley and now they were looking down at it.

"The valley," Mystery gasped, staring in wonder. "It's just as I saw in my dream, but only better."

"I can't believe it," said Seto. "It's really here." He starts apologizing to his friends for doubting them.

"We found it," Kisara and Freya cheered, hugging each other.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Atem asked. "Let's take a look around." And they all laugh and cheer as they run into the open.

Mystery was about to start exploring with her friends until she heard the same voice in her head, causing her to stop running. They all look at her and ask her if she's all right. Instead of answering, she places her hands close to her chest and releases the Millennium Star from her heart. The voice starts getting louder as it sings a song and the Star begins shimmering.

Listen, listen to what I sing

Pass, pass on through as I guide you on the path

Go on ahead, will you ever make it back?

Though you may be afraid to pass on through

Pure Valley is where I wait for you

Pass, pass on through, my Valley waits for you

Pass, pass on through on the secret path

As the song comes to an end, the Millennium Star takes on the form of the Great Goddess herself. None of the children could believe it. Never would any of them have imagined that they would get to see the Great Goddess in her true form. "Welcome," she greeted. "Welcome, my children."

They all get down and bow before her.

"No, please, that is not necessary," she insisted. "I am just delighted to have all of you here."

The children get back on their feet. "Great Goddess Millennia, seeing you in your true form, being in your presence, it is beyond anything I can describe," said Mystery.

"But I do not understand," Atem interrupted. "How is this possible?"

"It is true that I remain imprisoned in the form of a Star," Millennia was saying, "but here in Pure Valley, I am temporarily able to appear in my true form." She begins explaining the same story Atem's father told Mystery. "This is a world of my own making, separate from yours, yet accessible through secret measures all so my children and followers can have a safe place to escape to for protection from evil. Many have been able to come here to Pure Valley to relish in its delights and find peace and comfort. However, when my battle with the Dark Lord Cobalt was interrupted and he and I were turned into Stars, Pure Valley was sealed away."

"And now that you're here, your presence has made it accessible again," Joseph interrupted, causing Mahad to smack him in the back of his head. "Hey."

"Be more respectful," he snapped.

"But he is correct," Millennia interrupted. She obviously wasn't bothered by the blonde lad's demeanor. "And now you are all free and welcome to come here and enjoy the delights of Pure Valley as your ancestors did before you. That is why I brought all of you here. You can eat the food that grows here, the water is clean enough to drink as well as swim in, flowers and plants of all kinds grow here, and there are also caves and canyons and so much more. And whenever you wish to return home to your world, all you have to do is pass through the door."

Joseph looked around. "And where is this door?"

"The door will be in a location that is easy for you," Millennia answered. "It will also have its own mark."

It was all mysterious to the children, but they also knew it was no cause for doubt. The Gods can't always just give out the answers. That makes it too easy.

Mystery began stammering. "Well, thank you, Great Goddess, for bringing all of us here," she said shyly. The rest of the children give their thanks as well.

"Here all of my children are welcome," Millennia said again, "and so are your friends and family. And I will always be with you, should you need me." She returns to her form as a Star and returns to Mystery's heart.

"Whoa," Joseph breathed. "That was amazing."

"That's an understatement," said Mahad. "Finding Pure Valley is one thing, but actually seeing the Great Goddess–,"

"It's indescribable," Kisara interrupted. The others felt the same way.

Mystery nodded. "But you know, I think this is all cause for celebration."

All of her friends understood and agreed, and there was no better way to celebrate than to explore the Pure Valley and delight in its wonders. They all decided to split up so they could cover more ground and agree to meet back at the cave they came out from.

Kisara and Freya went to the fields to look at all of the different flowers. Some of them, they recognized, and some of them, they had never seen before. The cousins laughed gleefully as they tumbled and rolled around. Even Kirara and Sakuya were frolicking around playfully.

Mahad and Kirlia in another field were different kinds of medicinal herbs grew. He recognized them from the books and scrolls he looked through in the palace library and knew that these plants would be very useful in making medicines and potions.

Joseph was climbing trees as he was eating some of the fruit that grew from them. He admitted to himself that it was delicious. His giant red ant Trapinch agreed as he was eating the berries from a nearby shrub.

Seto and Atem and their companions Bagon and Riolu were passing by a few hot springs and mud pools as they were looking around. Much to their surprise, the mud was warm and smooth. After washing the mud off of their bodies at the nearby waterfall, they decided to relax in the hot spring close by.

Mystery was carrying Mana and Ralts on her back as she was flying around with Jirachi. At the northern border of Pure Valley was a canyon where the layers were in all colors in existence and the walls of the canyon shimmered from the diamonds and jewels embedded in them. This whole world was truly everything they were told of and more.

Having explored and played enough, the friends agreed that it was time for them to be getting home. Now that they had regrouped, they could find the door that would lead them back to their world. As the Great Goddess promised, the door wasn't hard to find. It was located just a few miles away from the cave they came out from, on the same rocky wall. Looking at the wall, the children saw that it contained the same symbol as the one on the Millennium Items – the treasures possessed by the pharaoh and the member of his royal court.

"This must be the door that the Great Goddess spoke of," Freya figured.

"I agree," said Mahad.

"Well, we haven't seen any other doors while we were exploring," said Joseph.

"In that case, we have nothing to lose," said Seto.

Mystery grasps the handle with her and gently pulls on it, opening the door. One by one, they all pass through and walk into the light. When the light died down, the children and their monsters saw that they were all back in the palace courtyard. "It worked," Atem said. "We're all back home." And they all cheered. "Come on, we've got to tell my father everything."

"Wait a minute," Seto cried, stopping him. "I agree that we should tell your father that we found the Pure Valley, but there's still so much about that place that we don't understand."

"Seto is right," Mahad agreed. "Perhaps it would also be best if we kept quiet about the Great Goddess appearing before us as well."

Mana spoke up. "We'll tell the pharaoh that we found the Valley and that the Millennium Star was guiding us. Then we can tell him about everything we saw and did."

"Good idea," Atem agreed. "Let's go." And they all head to the throne room.

King Aknamkanon was surprised to see the children back so soon. He said he had just watched them leave the palace a few minutes ago. But that couldn't be. Atem insisted that he and his friends had been gone for hours. Obviously, his father was confused at that.

"We found it, Father," Atem was saying. "We found the Valley."

"Are you sure, my son?"

"I speak the truth," the prince insisted. "The Millennium Star showed us the way." He explained how he and his friends came to a small space that was obscured by the darkness coming from the surrounding structures and that they all walked into the darkness and kept going until they came to the Pure Valley. That was when all of the children began talking about what they saw and did while they were exploring.

The pharaoh was amazed with what he was hearing and could not deny that his son and his friends were telling the truth. However, he was still baffled, wondering how the children could have been in the Pure Valley for hours when time hasn't even passed here.

That was when Shimon, the royal advisor, spoke up. "If I may, Pharaoh, the Pure Valley is its own world, separate from ours. Perhaps it is that very principle that causes time to move differently between over here and over there."

Mana tried making sense of the concept. "So if time passes for us while we're in the Valley, it stops for us back home?"

"That is my theory," Shimon answered.

"It's just as I told you," Seto was telling his friends. "There's so much about Pure Valley that we don't understand."

"Indeed, Seto," said King Aknamkanon. "However, I wish for all of you to continue to visit the Valley," he said in approval.

Atem's face beamed with delight. "Really, Father?"

"Yes, now that the Pure Valley is accessible again, it's only right and fair that you children should be able to go forth to your hearts' desires. And as you said yourselves, there is still much for you to learn about the nature of Millennia's paradise. Furthermore, I believe that this is what the Great Goddess wants."

All of the children were happy to hear that. They all get down and bow, expressing their gratitude.

That night, as the children were getting ready for bed, they continued talking about today's events. "Today was a great day," said Kisara. "I had a lot of fun." Kirara meows in agreement.

Her cousin agreed. "We found the Pure Valley and now we can go there whenever we want to."

"And we can do anything we want to," Joseph was saying. "We can eat, drink, explore, play, anything."

"And like my father said, if we can keep going, we can learn more about the nature of the Valley," Atem added.

"And we can talk to the Great Goddess too," Seto added. He looks down at his amulet below his neck. "I sure would like to learn more about the merits of our amulets." When the children first received their amulets from King Aknamkanon and his royal court, the pharaoh explained that the amulets were treasures that the Great Goddess herself created for her chosen children. The prince and his friends always felt it in their hearts that they were destined to meet and become friends and when they received their amulets, they all knew right away that it was bigger than that. But there were still some things that Seto was wondering about. Did the Great Goddess really know that he and his friends would be her chosen ones? Of course, Seto and the others already accepted that they were Children of Millennia and it was more than just a title for their group. Still, the thoughts wouldn't stop swimming around in his head.

"I suppose even I'm a little curious," Mahad admitted. "We've had our amulets for several weeks and we're still trying to understand their powers."

"Like how they resonate to the powers within us," said Kisara.

"Or if they have other kinds of powers," Freya added.

"Well, the Gods do work in mysterious ways, that's for sure," said Mahad.

"But if we keep having adventures like we always do and keep learning new things about ourselves, it'll all start coming to us naturally," said Joseph.

"He's right," said Mystery. "That's the way it's always been for me. And I look forward to more adventures with all of you." All of her friends return the gesture and bid one another good night and retire to their own rooms.