A Tour of the Egyptian Kingdom

Having rested enough, Lion-O was eager for a tour around the palace. Atem kindly showed the Thunderian prince the many different halls and chambers. Lion-O marveled at the Egyptian writing and images all over the walls. There were images and statues of the many Gods and Goddesses of Egypt and the many different parts of the kingdom. During the tour, Atem was also teaching Lion-O the ways of the Egyptian people; how they dressed, how they ate, how they worked, everything about their culture. It sounded a little unusual to the Thunderian prince, but Lion-O knew he was going to have to adjust to the customs here if he was going to be staying here for a while.

Even Mahad was kind enough to show Lion-O other parts of the palace, like the battlefields where Magical Creatures trained for combat and sport. They even arrived just in time to see a battle between Bagon and Sakuya.

Snarf was confused at what he was watching. "I though Bagon and Sakuya were friends. Why are they fighting like that?"

"They are friends," Joseph answered. "They're just battling for sport. Magical Creatures battle each other to gain fighting experience and learn new abilities."

"Doesn't fighting like that hurt them?" Lion-O asked.

"Not always," Mahad answered. "They may take a little damage here and there, but it's never anything too serious."

Bagon used Dragon Breath, spewing a green flame at Sakuya. The effects of Dragon Breath ended up paralyzing the Umbreon. This caused her special ability Synchronize to kick in, paralyzing Bagon as well. Sakuya tries to stand on her paws and launch her Shadow Ball attack. Bagon cuts through it using Dragon Claw, then he finishes the battle using Head Butt, knocking Sakuya down.

"Sakuya is unable to continue," Mystery announced. "Bagon is the winner."

Freya gently lifts Sakuya from the floor. "You did good, Sakuya. Rest now." She faces her opponent and says, "You win again, Seto."

"It was a good match, Freya," he told her. "Sakuya's getting better."

"Thanks, but it may still be a while before we can finally beat you and Bagon," she replied. "Let's take our partners inside so they can be healed." Seto agreed and they went inside the palace together.

"Well, that was interesting," said Lion-O.

"Battling also helps us to connect with our partners and understand them better," Mahad added. "But enough about that. Why don't I show you something Mystery and I worked on together before we came to Thundera?"

Lion-O eagerly nodded and the young mage brought him to the storehouse where potions were kept. The potion he and Mystery worked on was finally ready. Now Mahad could demonstrate its power to Lion-O and Snarf. Mahad poured a small amount into his mouth and felt it changing from a liquid to a fume. Then he scooped up some sand and as he exhaled, the potion turned the sand into an icy wind.

Lion-O and Snarf were both amazed. "What was that?" the Thunderian prince asked.

"The potion you saw me use has the power to change the material form of anything it comes into contact with," Mahad explained. "It can change into anything as long as you think about what you want it to be."

"Awesome," said Lion-O. "Can you show me some of your magic spells too?"

Mahad nodded. He figured he knew one magic spell that would surely dazzle Lion-O and Snarf. He incanted a magic spell and produced a small fireball in his hands. As he moved his hands around rhythmically, the fire began to change from bright orange to dark blue. "Go ahead and touch it, Lion-O."

Lion-O was about to touch the flame, but Snarf lifted himself up and touched it first. As he did, he noticed that it wasn't hurting him. "This fire's cold," he observed.

"Yes, Snarf," Mahad replied. "As the fire changes color, so does its temperature. It comes in different textures too." He was right. The pink fire felt soft and the green fire felt sharp and the purple fire felt smooth.

Joseph found them and told them it was time for dinner. "I helped out with the cooking and I made something I'm sure you'll like, Lion-O. It may not be like anything you've had in Thundera, but I hope you'll like it."

"I guess the only way we'll know is if we try it," Snarf figured, and they all went to the dining room together.

The plates were filled with meat and cooked grain along with a few vegetables. Lion-O sampled a bite of his food and smiled. It wasn't like anything from back home, but it still tasted good. During dinner, Lion-O and Snarf began telling the pharaoh about Thundera and the people there. Of course, the other ThunderCats were mentioned as well. It was still a shame that they couldn't come along, but the king understood why. Atem was pleased with how smoothly this was going. He was especially glad to see his father and Lion-O getting along with each other. Jaga was right, the Egyptian prince thought to himself. One of the benefits in having friends is the chance of forming an amiable alliance. He also figured that even though the Egyptians and the Thunderians were of different worlds, it could still be possible to form an alliance between them.

The following day, all of the Children of Millennia began to show Lion-O and Snarf the Egyptian kingdom. Kirara was carrying Atem, Freya, and Kisara on her back and Mystery was carrying Lion-O and Snarf while she was flying. Mana and Mahad were riding on twin dragons named Latias and Latios. As for Seto and Joseph, they would be riding on the white Mana Dragon they befriended a short time ago.

The children all waved 'hello' to the townspeople as they were passing through the houses and markets. Looking down, Lion-O noticed that some folks looked a little different. "Hey, some people down there look like they're part animal or something," he observed.

"They are half-demons," Mystery explained. "They are the offspring of human and demon parents."

"Half-demon," Snarf echoed. "You mean some of the folks here are half human and half monster?"

"It's very common in our world," Atem said as Kirara flew in beside Mystery. "For thousands of years, humans and monsters have coexisted in harmony and have had intimate relationships with each other. At times, it's been admired and respected, but there are still many people who scorn the concept." He looks at Lion-O and adds, "Even some of the children who live and work in the palace are half-demons. They were taken in after their parents were lost to disease, violence, tragedy, and all other means."

Lion-O was saddened at that. Then it dawned on him. Maybe that was why some of the royal servants and nobles weren't bothered by his appearance. Maybe they thought he was a half-breed. Maybe this was what Joseph meant the other day when he suggested blending in.

The children showed Lion-O the many different corners of the kingdom. They saw the Nile River, the pyramids, the temples, and the Valley of the Kings. Kisara wanted to show Lion-O her most favorite place in all of Egypt. It was a hidden village populated by Moogles. It had actually been a long time since she visited the village and she wanted to see how the Moogles were doing.

They walked through the caves and came out into a clearing with small huts. The Moogles saw the Children of Millennia and welcomed them; especially Kisara. The children laughed as the Moogles were hugging them.

"Welcome back, Queen Kisara," one Moogle said. "Welcome back, Children of Millennia."

"Thank you," Kisara said.

"We miss you, Queen Kisara," said another Moogle. "We love you."

She laughed and said, "I know, and I love you all too." She remembers her manners. "Moogles, I want all of you to meet two very special guests: Lion-O and Snarf."

The Thunderian prince bowed. "Pleased to meet you."

"Hi, Moogles," said Snarf.

The Moogles began overlapping their welcomes to Lion-O and Snarf. It was a little overwhelming, being crowded like this, but the Thunderian prince didn't mind. He thought these creatures were cute.

Lion-O and Kisara sat down together near the pond. "Kisara, why do the Moogles call you their queen?" the Thunderian prince asked, petting Kirara.

"I honestly have no idea," she replied, dipping her feet in the water. "Maybe it's because they're grateful to me for saving their lives." When Kisara first brought here friends here, the village was attacked by some vicious monsters. Mystery and Mahad tried to fight using their magic, but they were overwhelmed. Even the Magical Creatures didn't stand a chance.

"I was scared," Kisara was saying. "Scared for my friends and scared for the Moogles. But it was because I was scared that I felt I had to do something. When I stepped in, I felt a great power taking over me. I think it was my light."

"Your light?" Lion-O asked.

Now that she had let it slip, Kisara knew she had to talk about it. "Lion-O, I have a strong power inside of me. Whenever I'm in danger or I want to protect someone I love, that power is released in the form of a great White Dragon. I think it was born from the light within me because the White Dragon is a creature of light. That is why I call it my light. It's a part of me and it protects myself and everyone I love."

Lion-O looked at Kisara's amulet and noticed that it had the symbol of light. "That's why you represent the element of light, isn't it?"

"Yes," she answered. "My light saved the Moogles and the village. The Moogles are also creatures of light and I think it's because of my light that they think I'm their queen," she said and laughed. Lion-O laughed with her. "But you know, I can also communicate with creatures of light. That's another one of my powers."

Lion-O smiled, then he thought about Freya. "Kisara, I know you and Freya are cousins. Is she like you? Does she have a power within her the same way you do?"

"Yes, Lion-O," Kisara answered without hesitation. "Like me, Freya also has a powerful gift. But what she has within her is dark power. That power appears in the form of a fierce Black Dragon. But Freya has been trying to use her power for good. I know the Great Goddess knows that too. If not, she wouldn't have acknowledged my little cousin as one of her children."

"What does the symbol on Freya's amulet stand for?" Lion-O asked.

"Hope," Kisara answered. "I think it was to teach Freya to not be afraid of the darkness within her, but to find hope within the darkness; to hope something good will come from it." She also knew that her cousin was a very hopeful person. Though insecure, she hoped that she would have a place in this world; to be accepted. She hoped that despite her differences and abilities, she could belong somewhere with someone.

The Thunderian prince smiled. "You know, Kisara, you are Freya are really something special."

Kisara smiled back. "Thank you, Lion-O. Not many people would say that about us." She stops smiling. "But you know, there may come a time when Freya and I will have to use our true powers. When that happens, I'm worried about how it will affect our friendship with you and the other ThunderCats."

Lion-O places his hand over Kisara's and gently squeezes it. "Well, Kisara, no matter what happens, we'll always be friends."

She didn't want to doubt him, but she had to ask, "Do you promise?"

"I promise," he said with conviction.

It's really one thing to say you promise when it can turn out to be empty words. But Kisara trusted Lion-O. She really wanted to keep being friends with him. And while Lion-O had no idea how extraordinary Kisara and Freya's true power were, he was going to keep his promise and not let anything affect his friendship with the cousins or the rest of the Children of Millennia.