"The Dark Ritual to forge Seven Mystical Treasures…" Akila recited, frowning as she realized that this ritual was talking about about the seven Millennium Items. She hesitated, knowing that this is the origin of everything they'd gone through.
"Keep going, girl," Akhenaden ordered.
She took a deep breath and kept reciting. "The Seven Mystical Treasures… Those who wield them, will wield the powers of Darkness. They are to be forged in Gold and Blood. Seven days… and ninety-nine human sacrifices…" Akila's voice shook as she read the dark alchemy recipe.
"Girl!" The chief advisor raised his voice and banged his fist on the table, making the Dark One's priestess jump and gasp in fear. "Who told you to stop?"
"This… This is dangerous…" Akila's voice trembled, not wanting to read any further.
Akhenaden's face contorted in barely contained rage. "You will do as you're told. And if you stop another time, I will personally pluck one of your eyes out!"
The young girl shook her head in terror. "I'm sorry! I'll keep going!"
Akila kept reading, her face pale with fear. She knew then that she had just condemned ninety-nine human lives for the dark ambitions of the man before her and because of her cowardice.
Akhenaden kept Akila there to translate the rest as he went to his brother, asking for his permission to conduct the ritual. Unwittingly, the Pharaoh allowed it, not knowing it would require human sacrifices. Akhenaden knew of a village of thieves, murderers, and criminals called Kul Elna. He ordered the village be massacred, their blood, bones, and flesh melted into the gold that would be used to forge the seven Millennium Items. The items were then given to the Pharaoh's priests, with Akhenaden keeping the Millennium Eye. With their new powers, they summoned an army of monsters that repelled the invaders. When the Pharaoh, however, found out about the sacrifices made by his twin brother, he offered his soul to the Egyptian gods as penance, to spare his son from any future retribution. Unbeknownst to them all, however, was the fact that Bakura, the one from that era, was the only survivor of the village, and swore revenge for what was done to his village.
After Akila was done translating the Millennium Tome, she became a slave in the palace. It was rough, but she was not treated too harshly. Akia was starting to lose her sense of self as she lived in this new life. It had been already a year since she'd arrived in the World of Memories and she hadn't seen anyone that she recognized. The young Prince was kept away from the public's eyes until his coronation in a few years.
One day, as she was carrying scrubbing the palace floors, a familiar voice called out to her.
"Akia…?" It was a young voice, a voice that she had heard in her life as Akia, when she was about the age she was now as Akila.
She turned her head slowly towards the voice, scared that it was all a dream. When she saw who it was, however, her eyes watered and she cried uncontrollably. "Marik…!"
It was Marik, or more like him as a child in the version of him in the World of Memories. He ran to her and hugged her. He had been transported to this exact moment when their souls were sucked in.
"I thought I'd never see you again…!" Akia sobbed.
"What do you mean? What's going on? Didn't you just come here now?" Marik cupped her face and wiped her tears.
She shook her head. "No… I've been here for what seems like a year already… It was all so horrible, Marik…"
"Oh, Akia…" He hugged her tightly.
A slave master then spotted them and yelled out. "Slaves! No socializing! Get back to work!"
Akila jumped and immediately went back to work, now almost conditioned to do so out of fear. Marik decided to help her, since it seemed like he was also a slave in this timeline. They kept quiet, but glanced at each other from time to time, Akia feeling a lot safer now that she had Marik by her side again.
Once it was dark, they were allowed to stay in the courtyard for a few hours before retiring to their quarters. Akia and Marik sat beneath an acacia tree, hands entwined.
"How did you recognize me? I look a little different, don't I? Especially that we're children right now…" Akia asked softly, playing with Marik's fingers in her own.
"You look exactly the same, but in different clothes and with a tan," he brushed a strand of her long black hair out of her face. "Besides, I remember how you looked when we first met… in the future."
"Yeah, it's confusing… Here I'm called Akila actually," Akia informed him. "Are you still Marik?"
"Yeah, that didn't change at least," the young boy chuckled. "Akila, huh… It'll get some getting used to."
"So I'm guessing this is the day our past selves met. Then we grew together as slaves, and became attached… fell in love…"
Marik looked into her eyes fondly. "Like it's meant to be…"
"Akila… had a tough life, though," Akia whispered.
They kept talking, finding comfort in each other's company. The young girl told Marik about everything she went through as she relived Akila's memories.
The days following were a lot easier to bear for Akia, since Marik was now with her. One day, Akia woke up, only to find her body much more grown. She was now sixteen and she was very confused as to how that happened.
"Hurry. It's the new Pharaoh's coronation today. We must hurry and get things ready," one of the other slaves said.
Akila got up and tried to spot Marik who was sleeping in different quarters. When they all got out, she found him as grown as her and ran to him.
"What happened…?" She whispered to him.
"I don't know… maybe a time skip?" He let out a small laugh.
"Why didn't I get one of those when I was a slave for a whole year on my own…" Akia grumbled.
Before they could talk any more, they were ordered to prepare for the coronation. Akia had hope that she'd be able to finally see Yugi's other self and that he would hopefully still have his memories like both her and Marik.
She was finally able to see him as he looked extremely confused on his balcony as everyone cheered for him. That was when she knew that he had just arrived in the World of Memories.
As the festivities went on, Akia was able to sneak off and see Marik.
"Akia…! Is that Ishizu over there?" He whispered to her.
"Oh, yeah… She's one of the priests, like Kaiba. There's also someone who looks like grandpa… But they both have no recollection of the future. I think it's probably because their souls were not sucked into the World of Memories. They're called Isis and Seto here," the young woman explained, since she had tried to get both Isis and Seto's attention before, to no avail.
"But the Pharaoh should recognize us…" Marik concluded.
They nodded to each other as they tried to make their way close to where the Pharaoh was sitting on his throne, as the festivities went on. When Akia was finally able to catch his eye, he looked at her in surprise and relief.
"Shimon, could you bring me these two people over there?" The Pharaoh asked.
When Shimon followed the Pharaoh's gaze to who he was referring to, he frowned. "Pharaoh, these are slaves. And even worse, the girl is the priestess of the Dark One. Do you really wish to speak to them?"
"Priestess of the Dark One?" The Pharaoh inquired.
"It wasn't exactly by choice… The girl's father offered her up to gain the Dark One's favour, only to be consumed by his flames," his advisor explained.
The Pharaoh frowned. "Please bring them to me. Both her and the young man with her."
Akia couldn't contain her smile as some guards came for her and Marik to bring them before the Pharaoh.
In the meantime, not so far from the capital, out in the desert, a man, bound by his wrists was being dragged by slave traders. The man had white hair, an impressive scar on the left side of his face, and had quite a striking likeness to Bakura. A light then hit him from the sky, dispatching the slave traders, and the Spirit of the Ring took over his consciousness.
"This is how I start the game?" Yami Bakura scoffed. He then glanced up at the sky where an enormous upside down pyramid was visible. "At least I am in the World of Memories now."
Hooded figures then appeared and sliced through his chains, freeing him, before bowing before him.
"I see… You've come to greet me," he grinned while rubbing his sore wrists where the chains were. "I'm starting to remember details from three thousand years ago," he walked up to the ledge which oversaw the royal palace. "But he's a Pharaoh while I'm a mere bandit. I don't like our status gap."
Back at the palace, the Pharaoh felt a wave of relief when he realized that Akia and Marik were the ones he knew, and not the versions of this world.
"I was starting to feel quite alone amongst all of these people," he whispered to them as they stood next to him.
"Tell me about it…" Akia sighed. "I spent a whole year all alone here."
They had all recounted to each other their experiences, trying to gather as much information about this strange world and trying to help each other recall their past lives.
"There's an advisor that looks like grandpa…" The Pharaoh subtly motioned towards Shimon and spoke softly so only Akia and Marik could hear him.
"Ishizu…" Marik added, looking at the woman who looked like his sister.
"And rich boy…" Akia mumbled, referring to Priest Seto.
"Not to mention both of you… You are in the bodies of your past lives. Grandpa finding the Millennium Puzzle, Ishizu and Marik being a Tombkeeper, Akia being my other self's twin sister… Maybe it wasn't just a coincidence."
As the Pharaoh shared his thoughts, Ishizu's lookalike, Isis, gasped as her Millennium Necklace alerted her of a man hiding in the shadows, about to blow a poisoned dart at the Pharaoh.
"Mahad!" She called out to another priest who was the owner of the Millennium Ring.
The priest named Mahad quickly used his cape to stop the dart's trajectory. Akia, Marik and the Pharaoh stood there, wide-eyed as the priests handled the situation as if they'd done it a hundred times before.
"Capture that scoundrel!" Priest Seto ordered.
The royal guards wasted no time in subduing the nefarious individual and brought him before the Pharaoh and his priests.
"How dare you try to assassinate the Pharaoh?" Isis rebuked him.
"This is a time of celebration, so just throw him in prison!" Mahad added.
"Wait," Priest Seto interjected, getting everyone's attention. "This is the perfect opportunity for the new Pharaoh to witness our powers. Do you agree, Akhenaden and Shimon?"
Akia's blood ran cold as she realized Akhenaden was there the whole time. She was so focused on Marik and the Pharaoh that she failed to notice that the man was eyeing her this whole time, suspicious of her intentions. Marik, feeling her anxiety, took her hand in his protectively. Akhenaden then looked back to Seto and nodded.
"That's a fine idea," Shimon agreed as well. "Let us judge his sins before the Pharaoh."
"We'll hold a public trial!" Seto announced.
The criminal scowled.
"A public trial?" The Pharaoh asked, voicing the question that Akia and Marik had as well.
"Egypt has recently become a powerful country," Shimon started explaining. "However, there are those who are envious of our prosperity."
"But don't worry Pharaoh," Isis continued.
"As long as we six priests are with you, no one will lay a finger on you," Akhenaden said, eyeing Akila again with his Millennium Eye.
"The Seven Millennium items will judge your sins!" Seto addressed the criminal.
Akila's face darkened as she remembered the cost at which these Millennium items had required and the prosperity that was built upon blood. She couldn't help the weight of guilt pressing down on her, making her chest tighten uncomfortably.
"Akia…" Marik whispered to her, knowing exactly how she was feeling, since she had explained everything to him when they found each other in this world. He moved his hand that was still holding hers and put it around her waist, pulling her closer and making her feel safer.
The first priest, Shada, stepped forth with his Millennium Key. "With the power of the Millennium Key, I shall see into his heart." The item lit up and Shada's eyes widened. "I see an evil monster in his heart."
He then moved along, giving way to Akhenaden. "I, Priest Akhenaden, will use my Millennium Eye to identify the monster!"
The man screamed and a mist shot out of his mouth.
"What is that?!" The Pharaoh exclaimed.
"This is your first time, seeing a Ka removed from a criminal," Shimon replied. "Anger and hatred gave birth to that Ka inside his heart. In order to gain power, evil Ka control their hosts to commit crimes so that their hatred and anger grow."
The Ka materializes into a green five-armed monster. Akia's eyes widened as she started putting two and two together. This was the same thing as the Red Eyes Black Dragon inside her, her Ka, as Shadi had told her when she went into her soul chamber, back when she was a child. She had wondered how and why her Ka was so strong and powerful, and, with Shimon's explanation, she feared it might mean that Akila went on to commit atrocities that made her Ka what it was in Akia's timeline.
"The translation… the sacrifices… Akila, no, I was responsible for their death…" Akia's mind reeled as she tried to make sense of everything. The ninety-nine human sacrifices that made the Millennium items… Their blood was on her hands, and she feared that this was only the beginning of her crimes which would feed her Ka.
"Which means… The Red Eyes Black Dragon must be an evil Ka…" Akia kept contemplating and thinking to herself.
Marik looked at her worryingly, seeing her expression become more and more troubled. The guards propped up a tablet as Seto took his place in front of the criminal, Millennium Rod brandished in hand.
"Watch as the priests, chosen by the seven sacred items, seal the Ka in that tablet," Shimon continued his explanation.
"Priest Seto, use your Millennium Rod to seal the Ka into the tablet!" Akhenaden told the man in question.
"A Ka this weak is barely entertaining," Seto scoffed as the monster tried attacking. The young man pointed his Millennium Rod at it. "Evil Ka, enter the sacred tablet!"
The Ka then got sucked into the stone tablet, becoming imbedded in it. The Pharaoh, Marik, and Akia watched wide-eyed as they witnessed the true power of the Millennium items.
"Good work, Seto," Akhenaden commended the young man.
"But it must've been boring for the Pharaoh," Seto smirked and glanced back at the Pharaoh.
"Shall we also tear him limb from limb?"
"The evil inside him is gone," the wielder of the Millennium eye retorted. "He may be a criminal, but priests must show mercy. Take him away!" He ordered the guards.
"Mahad, your security force is in charge of protecting this city," Seto turned to Mahad. "There have been many grave robberies recently. How do you account for these failures?"
The wielder of the Millennium Ring, Mahad, turned to the Pharaoh and kneeled. "Forgive me. Recently, the Millennium Ring has been behaving chaotically. So I cannot detect the criminals' evil intentions. Pharaoh, may I increase the security force to protect the city?"
"S-Sure, please do…" The Pharaoh stuttered slightly, still stunned by what he had just witnessed.
"Store that Ka tablet in the tablet shrine!" Seto gave out orders to the guards.
Akia was still lost in thought and Marik was at also at a loss as to what had happened, unable to fully wrap his head around it.
"Don't worry, Pharaoh," Shimon whispered to him. "I've taken the responsibility of building your tomb."
"M-My tomb…?" The Pharaoh replied in disbelief.
"No bandit will be able to evade the traps in your tomb. I promise that you'll sleep peacefully when you die." Shimon laughed conspiratorially.
"I see…" The young ruler sighed at the strange comment.
This seemed to snap Akia out of her thoughts as she realized that the one who made it so difficult for her grandfather to retrieve the Millennium Puzzle, was her grandfather's past self, causing her to let out a small chuckle. She looked at Marik and gave him a weak smile.
"I'm sorry to worry you…" She whispered to him. "I just… have a lot on my mind."
Marik nodded and returned her smile. "You'll tell me all about it once this festival is over." He brushed his fingers through her hair softly.
"Continue the festival!" Akhenaden declared.
"Wait!" Isis interjected.
"What is it, Isis?" The older priest inquired.
"My Millennium Necklace senses a disturbing future…" The woman closed her eyes and peered into her necklace's powers.
"What?" Akhenaden exclaimed.
"A disturbing future?" The Pharaoh repeated.
"An evil shadow is approaching the palace, one with incredible power." Isis elaborated.
"Evil…!" Akila felt a pang of pain in her chest, similar to the one she felt when she was anointed as the Dark One's priestess, but only a fraction of that original pain.
"Akia!" Marik and the Pharaoh looked to her worriedly. Akhenaden frowned, his face stormy as he started making his way to Akila, thinking she was responsible.
On the cliff overlooking the palace, stood Bakura, adorned with stolen gold and riches, along with his army, on their horses.
"Yugi, let's begin the ultimate shadow game!"
Happy new year everyone! I hope this chapter sheds some light on some mysteries and I'm so sorry it's taking me so long. We're nearing the end of this story, though and I plan on finishing it in 2025 for sure!