Timeline
III, known universe: Domino City, Japan
Cold.
Wet.
His hair started to turn damp from the continuous drizzle of rain, and
the wind tugged at his shenti, the fabric too thin for this type of
weather. His cloak was all that was keeping him warm and he tried to
wrap it around himself as much as possible. The slippers on his feet
were already soiled by mud from the garden he was trespassing in, twigs
snapping and leaves crumbling as he walked, searching for that weak
light he saw earlier.
The hunger
pains were worsening by the second; he was using the last of his
strength to even move, to put his one foot in front of the other,
forcing himself with pure willpower to stand upright and walk.
He was approaching the light, his thoughts wrapped in prayers to the
Gods for food, dry clothing, people…if there were any
people, he could ask them where he was, what was going on. Even if they
didn’t know all the answers, they would be able to give him
at least some kind of information, wouldn’t they? Pushing
some low-hanging branches out of the way, he made his way through what
he thought was a garden, finally ending up on some kind of
path…a path filled with pebbles. Too distracted by the
hunger pains to feel his hurting feet, he stumbled towards the light,
which was shining from some kind of dwelling.
It was made
out of wood, the planks dripping from the steadily increasing rain. He
searched for a door, finding it on the north side, and he banged his
hand on the door, barely realizing he was crying out in his native
language, to please open up. There was no answer. Desperately, he tried
the door handle himself, and to his relief, it opened immediately. His
luck would be more complete if he would find something to eat, and he
smiled in deep gratitude when he saw the Gods hadn’t left
him, after all. The shed - there were all kinds of tools here, and
nothing indicated any inhabitation - was also room to a rickety table
and a chair, and on the table was some kind of box and a strange
looking goblet in screaming red and yellow colors.
Quickly he
went to the table, opening the box. There was bread inside, and
forgetting all his manners, he hastily took a few large bites, so hasty
that he almost choked. The funny goblet had a large cap onto it and
when he took it off, its content revealed to be milk. Gratefully
drinking, he sat down, relief evident on his face. He was so occupied
by his food that he failed to notice two pairs of curious eyes,
carefully watching him.
Yami
wasn’t so sure what he was supposed to be thinking. For
millennia, he’d been trapped in a golden object, and for the
first time since millennia, he had possession of a body again, able to
walk and move around as much as he wanted to, to pick up things
himself, to turn on the TV if he wanted to…he felt strangely
naked despite being clothed, and strangely out of balance.
After Mana had
left and Yuugi rushing after her, apparently having forgotten something
to ask, he had wandered around the apartment while Anzu had gone to the
kitchen to fix them some tea, simply finding ways to pass the time and
grow more used to his new body.
Yami stood in
front of the large bookcase, the large volumes on history immediately
catching his attention. Was all this talk about timelines true? Did he
believe them, those two who bore such uncanny resemblance to two
monsters from a popular card game? He should believe them, after all
he’d seen involving the Sennen Items - the memory of Pegasus
and his Eye was still fresh. Curiously, he reached for a book and
plucked it from the shelf, opening it. It felt so…heavy in
his arms.
“Mou
hitori no…I mean, Yami,” Anzu said as she entered
the study, carrying two cups of tea. It didn’t surprise her
that he was standing in front of a bookcase, with a large book on
Ancient Pharaohs in his hands.
“Anzu,”
he said, closing the book and returning it to its place on the shelf.
“Ah, tea.”
“I
thought we both could use something warm,” she said. Her
stomach was a little unsettled from the warm and spicy food she had for
lunch, but it was nothing worrisome. She glanced out the window - it
was raining. She moved to sit on the windowsill, patting next to her
for him to sit down.
“How
do you feel?”
“I
feel…awkward,” he said as his fingers fumbled for
the tea cup. “When I was still sharing aibou’s
body, everything came so naturally to me. It is like I have to learn
everything all over again.”
“Still,
it’s a great opportunity,” Anzu said, smiling over
the rim of her cup to him.
“That
is true,” he agreed, blowing at the hot liquid. “I
am curious as to how long this spell will remain, though.”
“Let’s
just…not think about that already.” She placed a
hand on his knee, keeping her gaze focused on him.
“You
are right,” he said. “Let just think about the
matters at hand for now.”
“Are
you going to run off to save the world again?”
He looked a
little quizzically at her, then down at her hand lying on his knee, but
he didn’t comment on it.
“If
that is what is expected of me, I will do so, Anzu. I am here to find
my name and my memories, and to save the world from
destruction.”
“You
already went through so much,” she said, her fingers tracing
idle patterns on the fabric of his pants. “And according to
Mana, there’s even more awaiting you.”
“If
I am truly a Pharaoh…then I will face what is awaiting me
with pride and dignity,” he said, sipping his tea.
“I cannot sit down and watch idly while others do the
fighting.”
“You’ve
already fought so much. Duelist Kingdom…”
He looked at
her, crimson red eyes unreadable. “I would not have gotten
this far without you,” he said.
“You’re
a Pharaoh,” she said, smiling as she put her teacup down,
barely emptied. “You’ll face whatever challenge
that’s on your path and you’ll conquer them
all.”
“I…”
He was about
to answer, but Anzu had closed the distance between them and softly
kissed him, her lips barely brushing his, tasting the tea
he’d just been drinking.
“Anzu…Anzu?”
She
immediately pulled back, cheeks flushed, and shook her head, sending
her dark bangs flying.
“It’s
nothing, I just wanted to do that,” she said, immediately
grabbing her cup of tea again to have something to hold onto. Yami
brought his fingers to his lips, tracing the outline as if he wanted to
seal her kiss into them. She lowered her eyes, waiting for the
rejection to come.
They’d
never spoken about this with each other before…the few times
they had interacted had been during Duelist Kingdom. He was occupied by
the tournament, and she hadn’t found the opportunity to talk
to him about this - the situation never adequate to pull him aside and
talk to him in private.
Had she just
ruined any chance she had? Had she thrown away the rest of her own
dignity by just kissing him out of the blue?
As he remained
silent, her hopes started to wither away. She took another sip of her
tea, almost burning her tongue. It was too stupid to even
think of.
“Anzu,”
he finally spoke.
“No,
Yami, it’s fine,” she hurriedly said, not looking
him directly in the eyes. Shivering lightly, as if the temperature had
considerably dropped, she remained sitting on the windowsill, enjoying
the other’s company. As no other answer came, Anzu knew
enough and she stared at her cup of tea, a silence settling over them,
though not uncomfortable.
Yuugi was on
his way back to the living room when a door on his right opened and
Mahaado came out, tugging at his robes as if huddling close to them. He
looked troubled, but he schooled his face in a carefully neutral
expression when he saw Yuugi.
“Prince,”
he simply said.
“Mahaado,”
Yuugi greeted him, “I hope you rested well?”
He nodded
affirmatively, a ghost of a smile on his lips. “Yes, I was
able to get a little rest. Has my Apprentice left you all by
yourself?”
“Mana-chan
had work to do,” Yuugi said. “I was on my way back
to the living room.”
“Let
us go there, it will be much more comfortable and warm in the living
room than standing in the hallway.”
Yuugi walked
quietly with him, curiosity on his mind. “Mana-chan told us
about two timelines that still needed to be restored,” he
struck up a conversation. “She said one was an Ancient
Egypt…”
“She
told you too much already,” Mahaado interrupted him,
growling. He quickly bowed to him. “Forgive me, Prince. I
thought that my Apprentice was aware enough of the situation to not
divulge that kind of information with you, out of fear
of…”
“Not
disturbing the timelines anymore,” Yuugi finished his
sentence. “Don’t worry, she told me barely enough
to even try to imagine what the timeline could be.” Our
Pharaoh there is hard and evil. It was hard on him to
believe it - but he blindly trusted Mana’s honesty, as he had
felt safe and comfortable in both Mana’s and
Mahaado’s presence. He believed them on their word, no matter
how fantastic their stories might be.
The tall
magician clicked with his tongue, not amused at all, but he
didn’t comment on it. Yuugi looked up at him, his eyes wide
and questioning. Mahaado noticed, and a little reluctantly, he asked
what Yuugi’s question might be.
“I
just…I just wanted to know what the other timeline
was,” he said, suddenly halted as Mahaado made no further
movement as to open the door to the living room. Yuugi blinked a few
times as the other lowered his head, sighing gravely.
“Prince,
in that timeline, your Puzzle was never completed. That world is
doomed.”
“Oh…”
Yuugi knew Mahaado was telling him too much already, just like Mana had
said. His hand went to his chest to touch the familiar chain where the
Item would be dangling from - a shot of panic surged through
him when he realized it wasn’t there until it dawned him that
Yami was the one wearing it. Smiling sheepishly, he waited for Mahaado
to open the door, but the words came softly as if he didn’t
have any control over it.
“How
could that be? Jii-chan took the Puzzle with him from Egypt, and
brought it to Domino, where I solved it…was
it…was it because of me that it was never solved?”
“I
am sorry, Prince,” Mahaado said. “It was because of
Jounouchi Katsuya, who took a piece of the Puzzle away and threw it
into a swimming pool. As such, the Puzzle was never completed, denying
the Pharaoh from coming into that world, and the events were twisted
and torn beyond repair.”
“Jounouchi-kun…”
Yuugi was baffled. He could recall it all to well, the time when he
still went to school with lead in his stomach and feeling awkward and
outcast, way before he would be friends with the others. Jounouchi had
been nothing short of a bully, together with Honda, and
they’d picked on Yuugi a lot. One day, Jounouchi had mocked
him and teased Yuugi about the golden box he brought with him to
school, to solve the puzzle in it during recess. He suddenly made the
link between him missing the center piece just before he was about to
finish it - and how his grandfather had given it to him, telling him
that a ‘friend’ had stopped by, soaking wet, to
deliver the piece. Jounouchi had thrown it in the swimming
pool?
“If
it is any consolation, Prince, he isn’t the same Jounouchi
there as you know him here. Unlike in this timeline, he never left that
gang of bullies, and never joined you in friendship.”
“I
can’t believe it…”
“I
am upsetting you,” Mahaado said. “Enough has been
told. For everybody’s sake, I will not talk about the other
timelines any longer. We…” His voice suddenly
hitched. Yuugi quickly looked up as he’d been crestfallen
about this other Jounouchi, aware of the magician blacking out for a
moment. Just like before, he thought, before
Mahaado had cast the spell to separate him and his
Other…Yami.
“Are
you all right?” he asked. He could bring Mahaado back to his
bedroom for some more rest, and he was about to suggest it when he
forcefully shook his head.
“I
am fine, Prince. It is just…something about this timeline
that sets me off every now and then. I do not know why…when
we arrived here, I thought this was the untainted, perfect timeline we
were searching for, so we could work from here to restore the others.
Something is still…outside of this world and I cannot figure
out why or what.”
“Let’s
sit down for a moment,” Yuugi urged him, afraid the tall man
would fall over again. He hadn’t been resting for that long,
and it was obvious how much everything was taxing him. Mahaado opened
the door and they entered the living room.
Yuugi beamed
at Yami and Anzu who were sitting in the windowsill, enjoying a cup of
tea. It wasn’t only for his own curiosity that he’d
gone after Mana, but also to leave Anzu and Yami alone. He
wasn’t blind; he knew what his best friend was feeling for
his Other. His Other.
“Mmm,
tea!” he said.
“There’s
enough left,” Anzu said, returning a brilliant smile though
it didn’t reach her eyes, and she jumped off the windowsill.
“Oh,
I’ll get it!” Yuugi reached the white porcelain
tea-set simultaneously with her, but Anzu was a little faster, already
holding the large teapot up. Lowering her head, she proceeded to pour
two cups, one for him and one for Mahaado. Yuugi looked at her
quizzically as she held her head angled away from him…was
she on the verge of crying?
When she
handed him the cup, he noticed that Yami had come to stand close to
him, whereas Mahaado sat down in his seat again. Anzu smiled rather
faintly and went to bring him a cup, turning her back to Yuugi.
Confused, he
glanced at Yami. His Other’s expression hadn’t
changed, not knowing what was going on, Yuugi went with him to the
large table, taking a seat themselves.
“I
thank you,” Mahaado said as soon as Anzu handed him the cup.
“You’re
welcome,” she replied and refilled her own as well, pointedly
skipping over Yami. She sat down as well, and the only sound for a
moment was the stirring of the teaspoons.
“Have
you called home?”
“Yes,
we told them that we were staying at a friend’s for the
night,” Anzu answered. “My parents don’t
mind much, and Yuugi’s grandfather was fine with it as well.
I texted Jounouchi that he didn’t need to worry, and that
we’d tell him all about it later.”
“He’ll
be pretty mad if he knew what kind of adventure he’s
missing,” Yuugi said, sipping his tea.
“This
is not really an adventure,” Mahaado objected. “My
Apprentice and I will do the work of restoring the timelines, and make
sure that nothing happens to you in the meantime.”
“Mana
left to attend to…some business,” Anzu spoke up,
not knowing that Yuugi already had informed him. “I hope she
will return soon.”
“She
will,” Mahaado said with confidence in his voice.
“She is strong and she knows what she has to do to restore
the timeline in question.”
“And
what is that?” Yami asked, as he saw an opening to learn more
about these timelines and the situation at hand. Mahaado gave him a
pained look, berating himself mentally for his slip of the tongue.
“She
needs to restore an Ancient Egypt timeline,” he chose his
words carefully. “The jump to there is easier for her to make
as we both have ties to Ancient Egypt, of course. It was not necessary
for the both of us to go. She has to do this...alone.”
“How
sad,” Anzu said, not liking how Mahaado had spoken his last
sentence. “Intervening so drastically, all alone.”
“How
can an Ancient Egypt timeline be disturbed? That is such a long time
ago,” Yami said, exchanging a look with Yuugi. He
didn’t pay that much attention to classes when they were at
school, but by visiting the museum and listening to the history teacher
as an exception, he knew that the era of Ancient Egypt had been at
least three millennia ago.
“Believe
me, it is still happening,” Mahaado answered. “New
worlds are born, old world are dying when they are completed according
to the Great Timeline…and every world needs their pivotal
moments when they start to take shape.”
“And
solving the Puzzle…or rather, me getting sealed in the
Puzzle was such an event,” Yami said. Yuugi patted him on the
knee reassuringly.
“Exactly,”
Mahaado said, sipping his tea, relaxing back into the large chair.
“What
went wrong so an Ancient Egypt timeline was disturbed?”
The magician
closed his eyes, placing the cup on the low table next to his chair.
This was the question he’d been dreading, and really
didn’t want to answer. He could tell them again that he
couldn’t divulge this information, but this was his Pharaoh.
He couldn’t deny him, and he had a right to know the truth; a
right to know how his loyal servant had failed him utterly. I
can live with his contempt. I cannot live with this heavy heart.
Mahaado looked
away from the others and abruptly rose to his feet, crossing the
distance between his chair and the window, turning his back to them. He
crossed his arms in front of his chest, his guilt too much to even try
to look them, his Pharaoh foremost, right in the eyes.
“In
that time…” he whispered, voice wavering.
“The Mahaado of that time fled for the consequences when he
accepted his vocation for Priest. He fled the Royal Palace, forsook his
duties and obligations and…”
As he fell
silent, the others remained silent as well. Yami had placed his hand
over Yuugi’s on his knee, and they were both squeezing. Yuugi
had taken Anzu’s hand to her surprise, rubbing gently over
her fingers. She was thankful for the soothing gesture and
would’ve shown him a grateful smile if she wasn’t
so focused on Mahaado’s story, literally sitting on the edge
of her seat.
“I
was a coward!” Mahaado barked, shaking his head furiously.
“I fled from the Palace, abandoning my duties and my
responsibilities, leaving the others to deal with the consequences. The
Mahaado of that time...I despise him!”
“But
you are not him,” Yuugi said. “You are another
Mahaado, the one and only Mahaado, who is restoring timelines and
making up for another one’s mistake…”
“I
hate him,” Mahaado gritted through clenched teeth, ignoring
Yuugi’s words. He stared out the window, watching the last
colors in the sky as the sun settled, preparing for the night.
“He should never have fled. It was his cowardly behavior that
disturbed the timeline and caused such grief and horror.”
“What
happened?” Anzu’s voice could barely be heard.
“When
he fled, that Mahaado took the Sennen Ring with him and disappeared,
out of reach, out of sight. The King of Thieves, Bakura, was supposed
to get the Ring by battling him.”
“Bakura,”
Yuugi repeated, memories of Duelist Kingdom springing to his mind. I
am a thief and a stealer of souls…
“As
Bakura didn’t get the Ring, he went back to the Palace to
battle the Pharaoh,” Mahaado continued.
“And...?”
“The
thief was killed, and the Pharaoh survived.”
“That’s
a good thing, right?” Anzu heaved a sigh of relief, this time
gently squeezing Yuugi’s fingers. He immediately returned the
gesture.
“No,
unfortunately not.” Mahaado stubbornly stared out the window.
“It pains me very much to tell this, but the Pharaoh needs to
die to save the world. In his death, he will seal the darkness with him
that threatened the world. As the Pharaoh continued to live, the Sennen
Puzzle started to corrupt him. Slowly, very slowly, the darkness
consumed him, attacking him starting with his heart. He was strong, my
Pharaoh…he really was…but even those with the
strongest of minds cannot hold the darkness at bay for so many years.
As he…as he continues to live, he will become an instrument
of darkness like Bakura was supposed to be, thus setting the timeline
off.”
“But
now that the thief is dead, Mahaado can return to the Palace,
right?” Anzu asked. “And stay with the
Pharaoh?”
“No,
Anzu,” Yuugi said. “The Sennen Ring was supposed to
be with Bakura, but he never got it, and thus he could never initiate
the other string of events leading up to the Pharaoh sacrificing
himself and sealing his soul and that darkness in the
Puzzle.” He glared at the Puzzle around Yami’s neck
as if he could burn the darkness out of it. Never in a million years
would he have thought that the Item served evil as well as good; the
notion horrified him.
“That…that
means that…you have to die,” Anzu said, widening
her eyes when realization settled in. “You were supposed to
die for Bakura to get the Ring, and the Pharaoh…”
“We
are already dead, my Apprentice and me,” Mahaado said.
“What we are is a reflection of our strong willpower and our heka
keeping us alive to make up for the mistakes we made and to correct the
timelines. As soon as every timeline is restored, we will cease to
exist.”
“Oh
no,” Yuugi gasped, and Yami looked shocked.
“Even
if I have to die to seal any kind of darkness, I would gladly do so to
save the world,” he said fiercely. “As long as I am
the one to die, not anyone else…”
“No,
Yami,” Yuugi said, voice hitching. Anzu blinked furiously a
few times to keep her eyes from tearing.
“It
can’t be so! There must be something we can do!”
“The
Pharaoh was never meant to live long,” Mahaado spoke up,
pointedly staring at the darkening sky. “Neither was
I.”
Both Anzu and
Yuugi looked at Yami, who stiffened and straightened, sitting upright.
“The
Gods have decided,” the magician said. “Fate and
destiny…and we helped them along the way.”
Yuugi pressed
closer to Yami, feeling absolutely miserable. He didn’t dare
to ask what had happened to the Mahaado of that time, and looking at
the man standing by the window, he understood what he meant by
‘helped them along the way’. The other Mahaado, how
cowardly or faulty he had been, had paid for his mistake very dearly.
Anzu was crying now, and he wanted nothing but to follow her example.
This all had been too much to take, and why Mahaado had told him all
this after all perplexed him, unable to see or understand the
man’s guilt.
No one really
cared for how much time was passing at that very moment. Arms wrapped
around their shoulders, trying to offer each other comfort, the three
remained seated, whispering softly words of solace, hugging every now
and then. As Yami sat in the middle and he was leaning on both of them,
the Puzzle dangled in between, the Item gently rocking back and forth.
Yuugi didn’t know whether to hate the Item or still be proud
of it. He settled on gratitude after all, because if it
weren’t for the very same Puzzle, he wouldn’t have
met Jounouchi, Honda, and most of all, his Other, who was sitting next
to him.
Anzu was the first to break up their circle, if only for the cramped position she was in, her back aching from leaning forward for so long. She squeezed Yuugi’s hand for the last time before standing up and searching in her purse for a handkerchief, fiercely rubbing at her face.
“I’m…I’m
going to freshen up,” she said to no one in particular,
almost tiptoeing around Mahaado who still stood in front of the window,
unmoving.
Yuugi stood up
as well, patting Yami on the shoulder. He kept an eye on Yuugi as he
went through the living room to switch on the lights. Yuugi went to
Mahaado, but when he saw that the magician was completely in a trance,
eyes closed and hands folded, he decided to not to disturb him.
“Mana-chan
isn’t back yet,” Yuugi spoke softly.
“Maybe I can find something to eat, or we can call for
take-out?”
“Very
well, aibou,” Yami agreed and stood up as well, not about to
let Yuugi do all the work.
“Let’s
go to the kitchen.”
As they left
the living room, Yuugi suddenly heard someone cry. Bewildered, he
searched for the source - it was Mana, smothering her sobs against
Anzu’s shoulder, a wet handkerchief in her hand.
“I…I
found her like this,” Anzu said, her other arm firmly around
the girl to support her. “I was in the bathroom when I heard
her, and when I went into the hallway she was standing there,
crying…”
“Mana-chan…”
Yuugi walked to the girl, placing his hand on her back. She flinched
from the touch, but didn’t pull away. Instead, she started to
bawl harder, pressing the soaked handkerchief to her face.
“Maybe
Mahaado can help her,” Yami suggested. It was obvious that
the girl was extremely upset, unable to even speak up, the tears
flowing like a dam that had been broken. Anzu nodded. “Yes,
we better go back to the living room…what were you doing out
here, anyway?”
“We
were looking for the kitchen,” Yuugi said sheepishly.
“To find something to eat…” It sounded
childish and spoiled compared to Mana’s apparent grief.
However, Anzu nodded again.
“As
soon as she’s calmed down, I’ll call for some
take-out,” she offered. “We need our strength, and
we don’t help ourselves if we starve.”
They walked
back to the warm living room, holding the crying Mana in between them,
trying to console her. She had stopped wailing, but there was no end to
the river of tears streaming over her cheeks; Yuugi quickly gave the
girl his own clean handkerchief and took the damp one away.
“Mana-chan…will
you tell us what happened?”
“I
can’t,” she managed to say between sobs.
Frustrated, Yuugi gritted his teeth. Whatever had happened, it had
shaken her bad, and she didn’t deserve it at all.
“You’d
better sit down and take it easy,” he told her. “We
bring you something to eat, all right? You’re not going
anywhere tonight…you’re staying with
us.”
Mana moved her
head a little, but he couldn’t figure out if she was nodding
as she turned away from him to sit down. If she already had noticed
Mahaado standing in front of the window, not looking up or around him,
she wasn’t commenting about it. Instead, she gratefully
accepted another clean handkerchief, pressing it to her swollen, puffy
eyes. Yuugi stacked a few cushions behind her back in an attempt to
make the girl as comfortable as possible. Whatever happened in Ancient
Egypt, it was bad enough to make her upset like this. She leaned back,
shivering.
“I’ll
go get a blanket,” Anzu said, despite the temperature being
rather high in the room. Yami sat down next to Mana, and
didn’t comment when she grabbed his sleeve.
“Pharaoh…”
“Mana,”
he spoke, keeping his voice low. “Will you tell me what
happened?”
“I’m
not allowed to…”
“I
am sorry,” he said and that caused another flood of tears.
Helplessly, he looked at Yuugi who also was at his wit’s end.
Mana tightened her grip on his sleeve, fingers clutching at the fabric.
Yami couldn’t do anything but to allow it; she apparently
needed that reassurance, and he wasn’t about to pull away and
upset her even more.
Both Yuugi and
Yami looked up as Anzu leaned between them, draping the warm woolen
blanket all over Mana.
“Poor
girl,” she said. “Your loyalty…both
yours and your Master’s…will kill you.”
She looked incredibly sad as she spoke, and Yuugi’s heart
almost broke. He reproached himself for not thinking about that sooner,
for not seeing sooner what was troubling both of them. Master and
Apprentice, Black Magician and Black Magician Girl. Loyal to their
Master, the Pharaoh. Yami.
“I found the anomaly,” Mahaado suddenly said, breaking the silence. Everyone but Mana startled, having forgotten about the magician who had been quiet in his trance for so long.
Mana looked
up, knees drawn to her chest, wrapped in the blanket.
“Master?”
“Apprentice,”
he said. “He is here, and he is in danger. We have to go,
now!”
“Wait
a minute!” Yuugi exclaimed, a hint of anger to his voice. Was
Mahaado really blind to his Apprentice’s grief? The girl was
tear-stricken and looked pale - she needed rest, not to run off
to…wherever again! Yami backed him up, not moving from
Mana’s side.
“Wait,
Mahaado! Who is here, and where do you have to go to?”
“Our
Pharaoh,” Mahaado said, and his smile was genuine, warm and
happy. “I finally found him. He is really, really
here!”
“Another
Pharaoh?” Yuugi looked dumbfounded.
“Really?”
Mana cried out, revived. She even tried to push the blanket off,
wrestling with the the slips of
the large, heavy piece of fabric.
Anzu put her
hands on Mana’s shoulders. “You better sit down and
rest…”
“No!
If our Pharaoh is here…he’s really here!”
“How…how
can you be so sure?” Yuugi asked.
Mana was
tired, but her smile was worth a thousand watts as she spoke up.
“Master can find our Pharaoh and his every incarnation
wherever he is, no matter what timeline or world. We’re
connected to each other, and even though it sometimes can take a little
time, Master always finds him. Always.”
“But
how can that be?”
“That
has to wait,” Mahaado interrupted. “We have to go, right
now! He is in danger, and if we do not save him, all is
lost!”
“We’ll
go with you,” Anzu said, taking her hands away from Mana
because she was unable to stop the girl. She immediately threw off the
blanket, kicking at it. She rubbed her eyes, irritating them even more.
“We
will return soon enough,” Mahaado refused sternly.
“We do not know how much we endanger this timeline as we
speak by having you meet the Pharaoh. We already told too
much…”
“We
are going with you, end of discussion,” Yami interrupted.
“Whatever version of me or another Pharaoh is out there, if
he is in danger, we must help him.”
“You’re
right,” Yuugi supported him, “we can help you!
You’re both exhausted, and all this is taking such a great
toll on you - we’ll help!”
“We
really do not have time for this…” Mahaado
hesitated, his mind running about the possibilities if he brought the
two Pharaohs and Yuugi together, in a public place…but it
was late in the evening, and every second he discussed and deliberated
this, was one second adding more to the danger closing in on his
Pharaoh.
“We
go,” he finally gave in, but not enthusiastically.
“Apprentice?”
“I’m
ready, Master,” she replied, clutching her wand to her chest.
Both their determination was more than apparent and despite the earlier
signs of exhaustion they both moved with considerable speed, and Yuugi,
Yami and Anzu had to hurry to keep up with them.
Timeline
I, Khemet
“…which
concludes the General’s report.”
Set’s
voice was neutral, as always. It would take many years of knowing the
High Priest personally to discern the small hint of disdain in his
voice, the aversion only audible to those who knew him very, very well.
Mana picked up on it, despite not being intimate friends with Set - she
had spend more than enough hours in his presence at the Court to at
least tell the difference in some of his tones of voice, the way he
spoke his words, to know that the High Priest was a very unhappy man.
Aishizu was
standing next to her, breathing steady and easy as usual.
Mana’s previous admiration for the woman had turned into
irritation. The Priestess was just standing there,
her eyes staring into nothing, her Tauk resting between her
collarbones, accepting everything calmly as it came. Mana felt
restless, wanting to do something, to scream something…but
there was nothing that she could do. She was still a Priestess at
Pharaoh Atemu’s Court, and she wasn’t allowed to
leave unless she was discharged by the Pharaoh himself.
Maybe that was
the only reason why Set was still here, she thought bitterly. If he
were to leave the Palace, Atemu would send out troops to bring him
back, forcefully if need be, just as he had done when Mahaado
disappeared - but where the magician Priest could shield himself with
his heka, the High Priest wouldn’t stand
a chance of hiding from the efficient army.
“Thank
you,” Atemu said, his voice lower than usual, calm and
composed as if absolutely nothing had happened, as if he
hadn’t killed the woman his High Priest had obviously cared
for.
Chapter 9 | Chapter 11