The lone traveler patted the neck of his sandy colored horse and grinned. "Just a few more miles. Aah, I can't wait to sleep in a decent bed again."
The horse snorted in response, longing for a nice, dry stable itself. The trail was hardly recognizable, but Akeifa (1) had been here before and he had an excellent memory; he only needed to see things once to remember it for the rest of his life. He clacked his tongue, encouraging the horse, getting bored of the steadfast, though monotonous travel. His maroon red robe with white borders on the sleeves was large enough to cover the two protruding packs, strapped behind him on the horse’s back.
Whistling a non-particular tune, his thoughts went back to his recent looting. He'd pilfered some priest's tomb and had hit a veritable gold mine- he couldn't wait to show off the pendant he looted to Mariku. He grinned, and the scar on the left cheek on his face crinkled. It'd almost cost him his left arm, but that was the exhilarating danger of robbing tombs. He lived for the excitement of disarming traps, of outsmarting those snotty priests who tried to come up with new thief-discouraging systems. He lived for the challenge of unearthing an artifact, the physical rush when stealing artifacts, or planning a new heist. This one had been particularly difficult. Mariku knew much about artifacts; he was the right person for information. Akeifa grinned again.
"One more hill, horse." The animal obeyed and slowly arrived at the top, providing a wide view of the valley. Akeifa looked down apprehensively- the Ersh'Alaam oasis had just been a simple resting place, in hands of the esteemed Ishtar family for centuries, until the eldest of the sacred tribe of Tomb Keepers evicted all of his family and turned the place into a fortified stronghold. It was but one of the many traditions and rules Mariku Ishtar had broken.
The white plastered settlement came into sight. After separating from his underground living family, Mariku had build the first three-story house on his own, adding defensive walls with a massive gate, stables and other buildings for cookery, crafts and animals for the people he enlisted in his service. Akeifa grinned, thinking of his friend. Mariku had established a nice reputation and business as a tradesman, but that was just the surface. Lots of people knew Mariku operated outside every known law, but few knew what and how exactly he was doing.
Akeifa noticed a third stable for camels and horses under construction- business really was going well for his Egyptian friend. He couldn't wait to show him the golden trinkets he acquired; if there was one man who could get an excellent price for them, without any trace backtracking to him, it was Mariku. The gate was open, and two burly guards looked up at him. One was about to say something, but he was cut of by a loud voice.
"Effendi (2) Akeifa!"
Akeifa waved at the corpulent man coming towards him. He let go of his reigns and climbed off the horse.
"Bobasa! Sadik (3)! So good to see you."
"Muallim (4) Ishtar will be so glad to see you again! It's been so long." Bobasa grabbed Akeifa by the wrists. "Welcome! You look great!"
"Thank you Bobasa," Akeifa said and threw his backpacks at him. "Take care of that, will you?"
Bobasa bowed. "I'll make sure that your rooms are prepared, effendi." He straightened himself and snapped with his fingers. Another servant approached Akeifa.
"Effendi, this way."
Akeifa followed the servant to a guestroom in the main building, already reveling in the cool shade of the hallway. Traveling through the scorching desert had tired his horse and him. He pulled his maroon red cloak together and flicked his chopped, shoulder length, white hair aside. The servant motioned for him to take place in the waiting room, mentioning he was going to get some water. Akeifa heard voices coming from the adjacent room, one of the three reception rooms of the house, and peeked through the separating screens.
"And it's imperative that you tell me," he heard the low, clipped voice of his friend. Two young boys stood in front of Mariku, who was shielded from view; one with raven black hair in a ponytail and locks framing his face, one with short pointed brown hair. They both two wore light gray cloaks, carefully masking their clothes. Spies, Akeifa had no doubt about that, and probably from the Pharaoh’s palace. Mariku was infamous for having spies everywhere. The two young men took a bow and where about to leave, when Mariku motioned a scribe to come over. The elderly man gave the two a piece of papyrus; they would get their payment back in town. They finally left the room, passing Akeifa and he gave them a second look, out of an old, die-hard habit. The servant had returned with two recliners of ice cold water and motioned Akeifa to walk in front of him.
"If you please, effendi…"
He had hardly stepped into the room when Mariku noticed him.
"Akeifa!"
"Mariku! Long time no see, you dog!"
"Shut it, rat!"
Laughing, they embraced each other. Mariku was in full "master and commander" dress, as Akeifa liked to call it: a shenti that reached mid-calf, with a pleated sleeveless shirt, held in place by a loin pendant in the colors of the Pharaoh- light blue with an embroidered white border.
Combined with a hooded robe and a dark purple cloak that reached the floor and wearing extensive jewelry - five bracelets in a row on both arms and ankles, and bracelets on the upper arms and a heavy choker on the neck, all solid gold -, Mariku Ishtar surely was impressive. His long sun bleached hair, almost white in certain strands, stuck up in various angles and his lavender eyes rested on the thief.
Why Mariku still wore a loin pendant in the colors of the same Pharaoh he hated was a riddle to Akeifa, but he didn't comment. He knew the reasons why the eldest Ishtar hated the Pharaoh, just as he had his own reasons to hate him. Kuru Eruna. His revenge wouldn't be forgotten.
"How are you?" Mariku pulled him closer, and patted him on the back.
"Ana kowayes (5)," Akeifa answered, returning the embrace with all his strength. Mariku smelled of the sun and spices, a scent that was almost intoxicating to Akeifa. The thief inhaled deep.
"It's been so long," he said, and knew better than to expect an affirmative answer. It didn't annoy him, but sometimes he was a little bit irritated by the lack of response from the blonde Egyptian. They didn't have an official relationship and Akeifa didn't want commitment in any form- but once in a while, it would be nice to hear that he had been missed too. He squashed the thought. The King of Thieves did not do any sentiment.
Bobasa entered the room with a golden tray filled with drinks, placing it on the low wooden table.
"Effendi, Muallim Ishtar," he said, motioning towards the drinks and a small, decorated bowl with cut figs. They both took a seat, while the corpulent servant awaited further orders.
"Word on the street has it that you were looking for me?" Akeifa said. In his short visit to Thebes, he'd heard several rumors that the eldest Ishtar son requested his services.
"Hopefully the word on the street wasn't too loud," Mariku answered dryly, picking up a fig.
"Well, the vendor was pretty loud. You could hear him far outside of town."
Mariku snapped with his fingers and Bobasa immediately came closer. "Have our market contact replaced." The large man didn't bat an eye.
Akeifa took a sip of his beer. Anyone in the service of Mariku Ishtar knew what happened when he -or she- was sloppy or made mistakes. The vendor was too conspicuous and, literally, too loud- he'd signed his own death warrant by flaunting around too much. Akeifa made no illusions though; no matter how fond Bobasa was of him, the man would kill him in order to protect his master, Mariku. He sipped the last of his beer. He still had difficulties discerning whether how much of Bobasa's fat was really muscles. The man probably was a lot stronger than he looked. He decided not to occupy himself with that right now.
"I don't do business well on an empty stomach, you know that."
"You're just in time for lunch. Bobasa?"
"Everything is ready," the burly man bowed. One of the gaddams (6) approached Mariku and took the heavy purple cloak and the hooded dress of him, leaving him with the more comfortable shenti. Mariku turned around to show him the way, and Akeifa's eyes were immediately drawn towards his back- the thief's eyes spotted the golden object tucked in the upper band of the loin pendant immediately. It was hard to miss because of its size, this strange object- a rod of some sort, tipped with a golden sphere with winged tips and the Eye of Horus in the middle of the sphere.
"What's with the gold back there?"
"A part of the business I want to discuss with you. We'll talk a bout it later, after lunch."
Akeifa's mind raced back to the pendant he'd found in the tomb, donned with the same eye, and patted him mentally on the back for tucking it away. He had no doubt Bobasa would search his packs, but he was sure the man wouldn't find the double pouch, carefully hiding the artifact. His clever thief's intuition connected the two items together- there were too many similarities. Maybe they came from a certain lot of items, and Mariku wanted to collect them?
Akeifa smiled. He would found out soon enough, but first the idea of lunch appealed to him more.
He followed Mariku into the large dining room, where the gaddams just finished setting the table. Bobasa walked towards the windows and opened one of them for a refreshing breeze, then shoved a chair backward for his master.
At the snap of his fingers, the gaddams started serving drinks and food; sweet wine, fresh beer, raw olives, several types of bread, goat cheese, dates, and for Akeifa a portion of raw meat, coated in warm honey and sprinkled with lots of herbs. Exactly as he liked it and he barely refrained from tearing into the meat. Mariku crumbled a piece of cheese on his plate and wrinkled his nose.
"Tell me why I stomach this from you."
"Because you need me," Akeifa answered and dipped the meat juices up with a thick slice of bread, slurping for extra effect. Being a vegetarian was probably the only tradition of his family Mariku maintained in his life.
The blonde Egyptian accepted a small glass of wine, put it down in front of him and enveloped it with two hands before putting it onto his lips and taking a sip. They didn't talk much while eating; it had been a long time for Akeifa since he had a proper lunch. After the last female servant put down a bowl of roasted nuts and assorted sugar coated snacks, Mariku reclined in his chair and Akeifa, not minding much about his table manners, yanked a raw onion from the table and started eating it.
"Only the best for you," Mariku said and Akeifa grinned.
"So… how about that business of yours?"
"We'll talk in my quarters. Are you finished?" Mariku stood up.
Akeifa threw the last bits of the onion on the table. "Finished for now, but have your servants ready to cook up some more, for later."
"You heard him," Mariku addressed one of the servants and was answered with a deep bow. Servant girls bustled about to clear the table and sweep the floor. Both men walked through the large hallway, Akeifa putting up some extra strength to keep up with Mariku’s large stride.
Bobasa accompanied them and opened the large wooden doors of the room and closed them behind the Egyptians. Akeifa was curious. He knew Mariku made sure that 'business' always was discussed in a separate room, but this was his own, private antechamber. This business was obviously very important. He took a look at the mass of papyri, strewn all over the mahogany table, while Mariku gave orders to Bobasa. Carefully, he peeked at the ancient books and a leather-covered bundle of scriptures, all tucked together. He knew Mariku came to stand behind him, and he withdrew his fingers.
"Pretty important, I’d say. What are you up to?"
"Have a seat."
Akeifa took a seat opposite Mariku and frowned when his friend pressed some of the scriptures in his hands.
"You know I can't read."
It was Mariku's turn to frown. He'd had an extensive education before he severed every tie with his family, and though general education was free in Egypt, not everybody was in the position or had the possibility to make use of it.
"It's about the Items. What do you know of them?"
"Nothing but that the Ishtars have the most extensive knowledge of them."
"Pretty smart, Akeifa."
The thief suppressed his irritation. Sometimes he just couldn't get a grip on the way of thinking of the eldest son of the once sacred Tomb Keeper tribe. Mariku's mood swung most of the times from one extremity to the other, and often a bit too unpredictable to Akeifa’s taste.
"There are seven Items, forged by the late Pharaoh Akunamukanon and one of his High Priests, Akunadin." He cleared his throat. "The purpose of these Items are unknown, except for the Puzzle, that's worn by the current Pharaoh, Atemu. It's believed to hold the power of the Pharaoh, whatever that means."
"Take a look at these." Ignoring his answer, Mariku gave Akeifa a wad of papyri with drawings on them. The thief leafed through the papers, his keen eye memorizing each and every one. It were drawings of golden objects; an eye, a large scale, an upside-down pyramid, an ankh-shaped object, a necklace of some sorts, and-
"This is the one you're carrying around," he pointed out. The drawing of the sphere with the winged tips mounted on the large stick of gold was too easy not to notice. Mariku didn't answer, so he went on to the last picture. Akeifa took great pride in not showing any surprise or recognition. The last drawing was of the pendant he looted from the unknown tomb; his pendant with the triangle in the middle, the five golden prongs and the Eye of Horus in the center.
"Seven drawings," he muttered, "seven… Items? These are the Items?" He'd never suspected his pendant to be a part of something great.
"Scales, Eye, Puzzle, Tauk, Ankh- I want you to return these Items to me," Mariku said as if he was ordering a new glass of wine. "I have the Rod myself, and the one you're looking at is the Ring."
Akeifa pretended to study the pictures, while he urged himself to remain calm under the scrutinizing gaze of his partner in crime. He'd die before admitting that sometimes Mariku's gaze was creeping him out; those pupil-less, lavender eyes, with even more hate and anger in them than in his own. His hand went to the right, fumbling around for his drink. He took a sip of the fresh, cool water.
"You were right- these Items were forged by the late Pharaoh and one of his High Priests. They're the same Items who were guarded by the Ishtars; or better yet, were supposed to be guarded by the Ishtars."
"What happened?"
"You know what happened," Mariku snarled. "When I broke up with the family, I took the Rod. The Tauk, or necklace, is wielded by the only High Priestess of the Pharaoh, Aishizu, also an Ishtar- far acquainted, I believe. I guess she must've taken it when the family broke up or when she got her vocation for Priestess."
"How come these Items are so scattered? Do you have any more information or details about the locations of the Items?"
"Some are in the Royal Palace- and one hangs on the neck of our almighty Pharaoh himself. A real challenge for the King of Thieves."
Akeifa looked up, lips drawn into a snarl. He didn't like it when his title was pronounced in a mocking tone of voice- especially when it came from Mariku, who already had the infuriating habit of clipping every word. He also didn't like it that Mariku didn't give him straight answers, and had evaded another one of his questions.
"And?"
"Your payment," Mariku said and before Akeifa noticed the movement, the taller Egyptian threw a leather pouch to him. It landed hard on the table top, unmistakably clattering with gold.
"So.. this for the return of all the seven items?" Akeifa weighed the pouch. He didn't show the surprise on his face, but the bag was pretty heavy, probably filled with enough coins to buy his own mansion.
Mariku shook his head. "This for the return of each item. One pouch for each item."
Now he was unable to keep the surprise out of his voice. "What?"
"You heard me the first time." Mariku said. He shifted in the chair and when he moved his head a little, some strands of his hair shifted too and Akeifa noticed again something gold, a small object resembling a brooch, pinned on the border of Mariku’s sleeveless shirt. The thief didn't like it- it was already pretty difficult to fathom the blonde Egyptian, but now he felt like he was even more left in the dark than usual.
"What's with the Items? What am I dealing with?"
"I'm studying the scriptures as it is, but there's much to learn, much to discover. Apparently, the Items were forged to ban or to control power, but I don't know what kind of power exactly. Unfortunately, Akunadin went mad and was put to death for his treason, and Akunamukanon died too early to execute the plans. His son, Atemu, hasn't got a clue about the working or the purpose of the Items either, but I think I can figure it out- one thing where being an Ishtar finally comes in handy."
Mariku eyed Akeifa carefully, who took a sip of his water again. "Oh, and something about opening the Gates of Hell and another thing called the Shadow Realm, but nothing more."
If it wasn't for his quick reflexes, the thief would've spit out all the water over the table and the priceless papyri.
"Wha- what? You're going to open the Gates of Hell?"
"Of course not." Mariku drummed with his fingers on the table. "What am I supposed to do when Hell is unleashed on this world?" He leaned forward, grin on his face, lavender eyes glistering. "We're talking power here, real power, my friend, power beyond the Pharaoh's! I have to study more and learn of these scriptures to figure it all out, but I tell you right now- it's something really, really big."
He shoved some of the papyri out of the way and leaned even closer. Tapping on the pouch with his slender fingers, he looked Akeifa right in the eye.
"This gold is enough to get comfortably settled. Remember, you get this much gold for each and every Item you bring me. Think about it, Akeifa. You can buy your own mansion, train your own successor... retreat to a more calm life, after you've struck a final time, as the King of Thieves."
Akeifa hesitated. The prospect of that much gold lured to him, but there was this small voice in the back of his head that told him to get the hell out and leave Mariku Ishtar in the wadi (7) where he had buried himself.
"If you think that robbing the late Pharaoh's tomb was an achievement, then robbing an Item from the living Pharaoh will be an even more magnificent performance! Of course, when you get captured, we deny any relations to you- and if the Pharaoh doesn't kill you, I will." Mariku spoke soft and slow, but loud and fast enough to understand. "You can think it over, but don't take too long."
He weighed the leather pouch once again. Even though he was the King of Thieves, Akeifa had never let himself be blinded by gold before. The greatest, more satisfying part of any deal he struck was the exhilarating adrenaline rush of the upcoming theft; the preparations, the challenge, the fulfillment. Gold was nice, but if it was impossible to get the Items… he started to grin, crinkling the scar on his left cheek. The King of Thieves had never considered something impossible before. He let go of the pouch.
"Okay, I'll think it over. First, there's something else I want to comfortably settle," he said and rose from his chair. Mariku showed a little bit of surprise, that fast enough became comprehension when Akeifa walked up to him, stripping of his cloak in the process and placed his hands on his chest. Immediately he leaned forward to grasp their lips in a bruising kiss. Akeifa buried his hands in Mariku's long, sandy hair and deepened the kiss.
"After a good meal and a business deal-" he snickered about the little rhyme - "there are other matters to attend to."
"It's been too long," Mariku murmured and yanked at the belt of Akeifa's hooded robe.
"Too long," Akeifa repeated and he shoved in one single fluid movement the shirt over Mariku's head, almost tearing the fabric. The sight of the golden neck choker and bracelets on the upper arms of the Egyptian turned the thief on in more ways than one; he almost dragged Mariku out of his chair to the floor.
"Bed...room," Mariku croaked, yanking on Akeifa's hair and sending shivers over his spine. The thief started working on the loin pendant while Mariku half-carried, half-dragged him to the room adjacent to the antechamber, crashing chairs and a desk in his path.
"He~llo?" Ryou wandered into the store, lowering the hood from his head. There weren't any customers and Malik Ishtar and his adoptive brother Riishid were his friends, who knew about his white hair anyway. "Masa'a alkair (8)!"
"Ryou! Ya aziz (9)! Over here!"
Malik shoved a thick curtain, separating the store from the workshop, out of the way and closed the distance between him and Ryou by taking the latter in an embrace.
"So good to see you! You've been to Azzamehmid?"
Ryou nodded. "It was a bit boring, but he's a great teacher."
Unlike Yugi, Malik was more of Ryou’s height so he didn't need to look down. The Egyptian's blonde hair was an unique feature, but combined with his lavender eyes and the excess of golden jewelry he always wore, made him really stand out. Malik had a lavishly use of kohl, not only around the eyes, but also a typical line that went a little bit over the cheekbone. Ryou had never asked about the origin of those lines; he just assumed it came from some ancient tradition of Malik's family- the one he wasn't talking about.
Despite his striking features, Malik was just a commoner, working as an apprentice goldsmith, together with Riishid. Ryou knew that it bothered Malik, but he didn't know exactly how much- he knew about the hopes and dreams of his long life friend, and those didn't compass working at a hot furnace in Thebes. Ryou was far more moderate with his ambitions, and even though Malik made a pretty composed and calm impression, there was something simmering under his bronze skin; smoldering, waiting for the right spark to ignite.
Malik eyed the bags Ryou was holding. "You went shopping?"
"I had to stop by the temple to get some more incense," Ryou answered.
"Yugi's grandfather?"
Ryou nodded again. Malik hopped onto one of the benches and shoved some tools of his trade aside.
"I can ask my sister to pray for him or to consult her Tauk, you know."
"I'm sure Yugi'd appreciate it, but Solomon is an old man and frankly...though I don't want him to go, he's had a good life. He's at the end of his line now, and there's nothing we can do about it. The only thing we can do is to relieve the daily discomfort. The incense alleviates his coughing, so..."
"How's Yugi doing?"
"He doesn't want to see it. He denies...he denies that it's soon time for his grandfather, and then...I don't know how he'll cope."
"Yugi's strong. He'll pull through. It'll be a tough time, but that's hardly surprising. The man's his only family."
"We're his family too."
Malik smiled. He wasn't that close to Yugi as Ryou was, but they were certainly friends. Their friendship would've probably been stronger if theycould meet more often in person, but Malik couldn't leave the shop behind and Yugi didn't venture out much because of his striking resemblance to the Pharaoh.
"Malik! I thought I heard...Ryou, what a surprise!"
"Riishid," Ryou greeted the tall man, who entered the shop via the curtain. He was Malik's adoptive brother and a pretty good goldsmith. Ryou often wondered how Riishid could work with the fine precious metals; nothing was small or little about this man, and certainly not his hands.
"Malik, Ryou, do you want something to drink? Are you staying for dinner?"
Malik looked with anticipation to Ryou, and hid his disappointment when his friend declined.
"Thanks for the offer, but I have to go home. Yugi'll want to have the incense as soon as possible."
"His grandfather?" Riishid inquired. Ryou answered affirmatively.
"Thank you for stopping by," Malik said. "Come see us again soon. Won't you come over for dinner, sometime? Take Yugi with you."
"That'd be wonderful," Ryou answered. "I'll keep you posted about the situation."
"Sure. Bye!" Malik and Riishid said and waved their friend goodbye.
"Ryou thankfully doesn't change," Riishid said, while busying himself with cleaning some of the tools. Malik had picked up a broom. "He’s sure grown up to a kind, compassionate young man."
Malik snorted. "How admirable those traits might be, they won't come in handy if he really wants to be a judge. He'll has to apply the regular laws and regulations, and won't be able to do justice with his heart.”
"The legal system will be too harsh for Ryou. He'd make a fine Priest though," Riishid said.
"He certainly would," a female voice chimed in. "We can always use a stable, reliable person who can keep his head straight."
"Aishizu!" Malik fairly screamed, and dropped his broom to charge at the slender woman, and embraced her so tightly she started to squeal.
"Malik...brother...I need air!"
He put her down, apologizing for his rough treatment. She smiled, but her eyes quickly scanned the store, darting from left to right.
It was common use that family ties were severed when one became a priest or priestess; after all, he or she belonged to a different social class. There were classes amongst priests themselves, almost forming a little society on their own. The priests of the temple were very much different from the ones of the Royal Palace, who fulfilled more an advisory task to the Pharaoh and kept high ranks in military or political factions at the same time. The position and function of the temple priests were shrouded in mystery; and because of their vocations, the common people kept them in high regard. Most of the time, temple priests were all but worshipped because of their knowledge and power, and they did nothing short but keeping up that mystified position.
"Who was that boy?" She asked, while she took off her coat. Malik looked up.
"Huh? Oh, that was Ryou. He's studying for becoming a scribe."
"Remarkable..." The young woman said, while staring at the door where Ryou just left through. She shrugged uncharacteristically and quickly went to embrace Riishid. She held great love for both her brothers, supporting them in their decision to leave the extensive Ishtar family. She knew how much it hurt them; even though their branch of the family was far acquainted from the most "pure-blooded", direct descendants from the main Ishtar line, the traditions and rules of the Tomb Keepers clan wasn't something easy to leave behind.
"Malik, you need to listen to me."
"Sister, please sit down, I'll get you something to drink."
"There's no time. Riishid, stay, please, you need to hear this too."
"Something wrong?" The tall man's face scrunched up in a worried expression. "Aishizu..."
"Riishid, Malik, we share the same background. A blessed and a cursed background. I've come to tell you that our family name will come to haunt us once again."
"What? Are you implying that the family wants us back? But.. but they told us they'd leave us alone! I'm too far at the bottom of the line of direct descendants for the.. the ritual!"
"Malik, please, calm down." Riishid came to stand next to Malik, as the protective brother he'd always been. "Let your sister finish."
She shook her head. "The Tauk granted me visions… visions of the future, in which the Ishtar family will come closer and be torn once again. We're going to play a great part in this future- and not a very good one, I'm afraid."
"Aishizu..."
"I've seen so much hate, so much golden hate. I don't know what to make of it. I've seen you in my visions, Malik. You were in the middle of something gold, and there was something resembling a big, no, giant bird, almost dragon-like. I think, no, I'm sure… I'm sure that you’re the half of a soul, Malik."
"What?"
"You have to find your Dark half," Aishizu continued. "The other half of your soul. You have to find it before it's too late. I don't know how much time there's left..."
"Sister, that prophecy was old before long," Malik interrupted her. He knew what she meant with her saying 'being blessed and cursed'; the Ishtars were renowned and famous for their historical knowledge and obsessive love for books and their collection of old artifacts. The blessed part was that the Ishtars had access to and formed large networks of extensive knowledge. Through one of these networks, Aishizu once had learned what Malik had dubbed "the Dark halves prophecy", though from what the Priestess had gathered, it looked more like a rumor, a fable, to him than a prophecy.
"Don't, Malik, just please, don't." She looked up, her blue eyes filled with determination. "Don't do this to me. I know it's true, and I know it's going to pass. All the Dark halves and the Light halves are present and close to each other. They're here to form the wholes of a being that’s going to put a stop to the Shadow Realm and its monsters.”
Malik bowed his head. He'd heard the rumors on the streets, and knew that the reporting of monsters was more and more common. Both he and Riishid knew to distinct fantasy from reality; the threat of the Shadow Realm was real.
"The Pharaoh is wise in his decisions, but he's blind in the dark and doesn't know which way to take. He's going to need every bit of his strength, every helping hand he can get. I have to talk to him, warn him, and make him clear what's about to happen. These are going to be dark times, Malik. Promise me, that whatever happens...you'll believe."
"I believe, I promise," Malik answered her, sounding very young and childlike.
Aishizu smiled, a pained expression flashed over her face.
"I have to get back to the Palace," she said, voice barely a whisper. "I'll pray for you, my little brother. I'll pray to every deity to protect you in these dark times."
She was gone as fast as she'd entered, leaving the two Ishtars baffled. It was until now that Malik realized he held a death-like grip onto the broomstick. As if he was burned, he dropped it to the floor.
"Riishid…"
"I know."
He turned around and left for the workshop, chores forgotten. Malik gritted his teeth. He'd promised to his sister, but what was there to believe? Those bits and pieces of her visions, granted to her by a golden object, that was not to be trusted from the beginning?
It was because of those cursed Items that the Ishtar family broke up and that caused so much grief. If only he had one of those Items himself… he shook his head. He was already glad he didn’t have to subject to that Tomb Keepers initiation ritual he heard so much about; that was only ‘destined’ for the son and heir of the clan. Malik wondered for a slight moment.
Dark halves, dark times... Aishizu really was a pessimistic person. His sister could be pretty gloomy because of her duties and tasks, but she'd always maintained a calm and levelheaded attitude. These visions must've gotten more to her than she wanted to let on.
Footnotes:
1) Akeifa : I'm refering to Thief King Bakura like this, as I liked the name and thought it was more suitable for this fic. I'm aware of it being a fanon name.
2) Effendi : it's in fact a title of respect in Turkish, meaning "sir", but I liked it. ^__^
3) Sadik : very informal way of saying "friend"
4) Muallim : Egyptian for "Master" (of the house)
5) Ana kowayes : I'm fine
6) Gaddam : servant
7) Wadi : valley
8) Masa'a Alkair : Good afternoon
9) Ya aziz : Friend, in a very affectionate way
Chapter 1 | Chapter 3