Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ The Young God ❯ Chapter 11 ( Chapter 21 )

Chapter 11

Anksuna knew that she'll pay for this. She knew the wrath of Belumfel was unstoppable. Even so, she went on, allowing Seto to borrow the Millenium Rod.

She was afraid though. She didn't know what Seto would do.

Seto knew exactly what he was going to do. He saw the danger now. The Shadow Games are a threat to human kind. He felt the Pharaoh's burning anger and the panic when he couldn't find the young god.

He knew the consequences and was doubtful of himself. He never won against Belumfel, but never tried either. Now he didn't know his own abilities. And the Pharaoh, in his anger, might play more ruthlessly than before, and Seto didn't know what consequences await him if he lost.

Reaching out with his mind, he felt Belumfel advancing towards the open door.
" Lady, quick! Hide!" He whispered. Anksuna nodded and hid among the golden artifacts. Seto faded into his surroundings.

The Pharaoh came in, his red eyes glaring with madness. The Millennium Puzzle called out to him and the Pharaoh looked at his direction.

Seto shivered. It was almost as if the Pharaoh could see him-
" I know where you are, Seto. Do not try to hide from me." Said the Pharaoh in a dark voice. Seto, very unsure of himself, materialized into view.
" That's better. Who let you in?"

" N-No one." Seto answered, as calmly as he could.

The Pharaoh's Sennen Eye began glowing. Seto backed away a little. He knew the Pharaoh had this power.
" You lie." Belumfel growled.

" I'm telling the truth." Seto built a barrier quickly around his mind. " I found the door and was curious. So I looked in."
" What are you doing with the Rod?"

Seto was silent for a moment.

" You know what it is."

Silence.

" You know you shouldn't touch it."

Seto was quiet, but in his mind he was racing. What is the Pharaoh going to do?

" Give me that."
" No."
" I'm commanding you now, Seto. Give me the Sennen Rod."
" I don't care if you're commanding. You don't deserve it." Seto hid the rod behind him.

The Pharaoh started to approach him and Seto backed far into the far ends of the room, his blue eyes never leaving the Pharaoh's red ones.

He's gone mad...

" Rishna," Seto called softly, desperately, " Ashika, teleth nin, teleth nin!"

The Pharaoh suddenly stopped and looked to the side. Seto gasped.
" Pharaoh, no!"
" Anksuna." He said calmly. " So you were the one who wanted to betray me."

Anksuna was terrified of the changed Pharaoh and too backed away. Seto wanted to run but couldn't. He can't abandon the Queen now! He had to help her!

" That was not very wise." Said the Pharaoh, deadly and calm. Anksuna backed to the far wall and the Pharaoh kept on approaching, beginning a mutter a powerful spell under his breath. Seto caught several words and suddenly started crying.
" Pharaoh! No! You can't! She's the Queen, and, and, it's my fault! I forced her! Pharaoh! Please!"

But the Pharaoh never heard his words. Perhaps he even forgot Seto was there.
" I, King of Games, Lord of Egypt, condemn you, o traitor, to the confines of the very gift you bring with you!"

Anksuna knew. She knew as well as Seto what the Pharaoh was going to do to her and unlike Seto she knew she wouldn't be able to stop him. But the pain she found as unbearable as Banat had, a type of pain that burns the soul and tears at the flesh. She screamed, a high pitched scream, raw and unnerving, but the Pharoah, the Pharaoh did not flinch at his wife's body as it collapsed to the ground, Millennium Tauk beside her. Her eyes were lifeless, dull and cold. Her skin became unnaturally white.

But inside Anksuna huddled from the cold, knowing finally why Seto had tried to protect Banat and also tried to protect her.

Eternity in Hell...

The Pharaoh turned back to the stunned child and started to approach him. This time, Seto did not turn back or run away. He stared at the fallen body in a dumb stupor, the rod loose in his hand.

" Child..." The Pharaoh knelt and caressed the young one's face. " Child..." He murmured.
" Pharaoh..." Seto's eyes were blank, and the king gently took the rod from Seto's hands. The immortal's fingers closed suddenly around it and he yanked it out.
" You monster!" He cried, tears finally spilling over. " I can't believe you did that! Of all the mortals in the world," He finally started sobbing, " I trusted you! I trusted you out of all the mortals in this world!"

The Pharaoh stood up slowly.

" Give me the Millennium Rod." He commanded.
" Never!" Seto cried. " You're not touching any of the Sennen Items! You're not using any more of your powers! You're not going to play the Shadow Games any longer!"
" Who are you to say?" The Pharaoh's quiet anger was rising. " Do you have such power over my doings, little one?"
" I challenge you to a duel!" Seto cried, and everything was suddenly silent as the god and the most powerful of men glared at each other, one calm and another shaking with tears.

" I challenge you to a duel. Whoever loses is to obey the commands of the victor."
" So let it be."

" What are we supposed to do?" Rishna asked. " The Pharaoh's gone mad!"
" Seto just challenged him into a duel." Ashika said worriedly. " He'll never make it. I hope the Pharaoh still has mind enough to not hurt him!"
" The Dark Magician can't stand up to the Exodia. Nor can the Blue Eyes White Dragon." Rishna paced back and forth. " We have to find some way to...to open the gate!"

The two immortals rushed out of the room to look for someone who can help. Down the hall was Shadi, Guardian of the Sennen Items.

" Master Shadi!" Ashika cried, and the man froze, turning to them.
" What is it that you need?" He asked warily.
" We need your item." Rishna began, " And all the other items, somehow. Seto has the rod. Belumfel has the puzzle. We need all the items to open the gate."

Shadi paused. " The Pharaoh will not like that."
" I'm sure everyone else will like that when we release a plague." Ashika threatened, " You're talking to two gods here. We have every power to completely destroy this country. I'm telling you, if you don't do as I say, or as Rishna says, you'll end up like that tomb robber and that Queen. We'll have to find Malik, and the two other millenium items, along with the Millennium Eye."

Shadi hesitated. " Alright. I will help you." Taking his item he handed the treasure to Ashika.
" You'll get it back. So far you're not corrupted by it." Ashika said, and the three of them made their way to the Golden Chambers.

" I call upon the Dark Magician!" The young child cried.

" This is the Millennium Eye. It goes on the Pharaoh's forehead, and the Tauk is there. Don't mind the body." Shadi said. " Malik is in the prison downstairs. We'll have to hurry."

The immortals gathered the two millennium objects before following Shadi downstairs into the dungeons.

" Your Dark Magician has been vanquished!"
" This isn't over yet, Pharaoh!"

" Malik," Rishna panted, " We need your millennium item. Now."
" Why should I give it to you?" Malik asked.
" Do you care about Seto?" Ashika stopped. " Don't answer that. Do you care about Banat? This might be his only hope. I don't know if we can free Banat immediately, but I assure you, we'll free him sometime in the future. We have to get Seto back into the immortal realm before he fades completely."

Malik sat there in silence for a brief moment.

" Do it, Malik." Shadi persuaded. " It will not do you harm. I surrendered my item to their care."

Malik nodded slowly, taking off his item and handing it to Rishna.
" Come on! Let's get you out of here." Ashika opened the door, and the four of them rushed out.

" I summon the Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

" Where is the Ring?" Rishna asked.
" The Ring?" Shadi blinked. " Search the palace. Hurry."
" I'll search the eastern quarters." Malik offered.
" I'll search the northern quarters." Shadi said.
" We'll search the south and western." Rishna and Ashika nodded to each other. " South."
" Western."

The four parted ways.

Seto felt stunned as the great Exodia obliterated his Blue Eyes White Dragon. He stared in awed silence as dust crowded the room. The Millennium Rod dropped out of his pale hand as he saw what he had lost.

The Shadow Games. They'll go on.

He did not notice the Pharaoh come. He remained there, on his knees, trembling at his loss. The Pharaoh, furious, mad with fury, yanked him to his feet, picking up the rod along the way. Seto allowed himself to be led.

The game that was the doom of many...it will go on...

" I'll teach you the consequences of disobeying the Pharaoh," He heard Belumfel hiss in his ear. Starting out of his stupor, he noticed he was being led down the hall.

Crying, he tugged at the fierce hand on his wrist. The Pharaoh, eyes flashing, flung him to the ground. Seto cried out as his head came in contact with the floor, white light flashing before his eyes. He felt fierce and crushing hands on his collar, yanking him to his feet. Thrashing again, he murmured a spell, but the Pharaoh dodged.

" Mind Crush!"

That was all it took. The young child was too far faded to resist the spell any longer and he fell, truly crushed to the floor, but not in soul. Exhausted, he lifted his head as the Pharaoh yanked him by the hair, and they entered the room Seto had grown to be familiar with.

The Pharaoh's chambers...

He felt himself being thrown on the soft bed and instantly flipped over. A body covered his and a mouth pressed against his lips, bruising them, as a strong and determined tongue pushed past his lips into the cavity behind-

" I found it!" Rishna grabbed the Ring hanging on the table. " Ashika! Call Shadi! Call Malik! Now we have to find the Puzzle, as well as Seto."

The two of them found Shadi in the hall with Malik.

" Where is Seto?" Malik asked.
" Perhaps still dueling." Rishna said, her frenzy making her unable to use her powers. " Hurry, let's get to the dueling arena."

The four of them ran to the door and opened it.

Dust and silence.

" What happened? Who won?" Ashika asked.

Rishna sniffed the air. " Smells like the remains of the Blue Eyes White Dragon. There are signs of an attack from Exodia. Who has Exodia?"
" The Pharaoh! Dear god! The Pharaoh won!" Ashika cried.
" What did he do with Seto?" Rishna asked, then stretched out her mind, calming herself. She felt a terror creep to the back of her mind.

" The Pharaoh's Chambers!"

Seto pushed against the heavy Pharaoh, too weak from the most powerful attack in the world to summon any of his own. Weeping, he bit down on that tongue. The Pharaoh lurched back and slapped him so that his face went sprawling to the side. Then the Pharaoh ducked his head and began sucking at the child's fair neck.

The door opened violently.

" Ashi tore!"

The Pharaoh's body was immediately sent flying to the far wall. Seto supported himself with his elbows, face wet with tears. Rishna rushed to him and gathered him in her arms.

" Shidame, Sana, shidame. Ke kolo shiheliu." She said softly, before picking up the forgotten rod.

" The puzzle!" She called to Ashika.
" It won't come off." Shadi answered. " Not without the will of its master."
" Then we'll just have to take the Pharaoh with us, then." Ashika answered, then, dragging the shakened and mad Pharaoh, they hurried down the hall out of the palace grounds.

Seto was thinking now of how Belumfel once was. He remembered the first time the Pharaoh saw him duel and smiled in approval. The first private meeting in the Pharaoh's chambers. How the Pharaoh stood up to him against attacks from other priests during the attack of the savages. The time when he woke up to Taknash telling him that he was wounded by the Mind Crush and found himself in the Pharaoh's bed, the Pharaoh having watched over him. The various games they played. How the Pharaoh warned him of the evil minds of politics. The jokes he played on the Pharaoh for the last three years.

What changed all that?

" The Sennen Items!" Shadi called. Seto blinked to find a grand statue, with inserts for ever item, sitting calmly against the wall, dust beginning to gather on its surface. Shadi began rapidly putting the items into the slots, and when he did, each item began glowing a soft gold. One by one, they glowed and formed a light web that stretched out in many directions. Rishna now put him down and turned to the surprised Pharaoh.

" Belumfel!" Ashika cried, " Offender to the gods. Give us the Millennium Puzzle and we might spare you."
" Never," The Pharaoh snarled, his pride deeply wounded now, his eyes flashing in madness.
" Don't force him." Seto said, his eyes suddenly dry. His voice was calm and collected. Suddenly, all was silent. " It's over."

Condemning Banat was one thing. Condemning Anksuna was another. But trying to do what he just did to Seto out of all people cannot be forgiven. Knowing what he must do, Seto like the god that he was, walked up to the fallen Pharaoh.

" Give us the item." He said. " For if you do not all outcomes will be the same. Before, you had a chance. To end the Shadow Games and live your life in peace, though fate has spoken otherwise. I could have helped you change your future. But you proved undeserving of such blessing."

The puzzle was lifted from the Pharaoh's neck and it came into the child's hands.

" I, Seto Kaiba, Child of Light and Purity, of Life and Blessings, condemn you, offender of the gods, to the item you so dearly protected. You will remain in dark loneliness like the rest of those you condemned, but you will suffer forgetfulness. When the Shadow Games end, you'll end up in the very object you protected, without any memories of your greatness, only the guilt of your wrongs. Your name will be erased from history and no one will speak of your name. Your powers, your splendor. You will only be known as a nameless traitor who dared challenge the gods."

The child inserted the final item into the statue and a round gate appeared, glowing like the sun, the gold carved with fine details of the paradise that awaited them. Slowly it opened to reveal a world where the soil was made of clouds and the grass was greener than jade. Shadi and Malik were behind the Pharaoh, but the immortals were in front of the portal, ready to accept them. Rishna entered, followed by Ashika, and Seto started forward, without turning back. But just as he was about to enter, he stopped, pausing for a brief moment.

" Farewell, Pharaoh." He whispered, and stepped through.

As soon as he did, the gate began to close, the light blinding all mortals began to dim. Belumfel cried out and reached for the gate just as it shut, and the entire portal shimmered and faded away. The light of the Millennium Items dimmed into nothingness until there were only the fires from the lighted torches to light the dim room.

There was a hushed silence as the wretched Pharaoh fell to his knees and stared at the ground in stupor. He watched as every item began falling out of its slot, its duty completed. He looked at where the child once stood and casted the curse on him. He took the puzzle in his hands.

A strong hand rested on his shoulder and he looked up into green blue eyes. It was the Dark Magician, one of Seto's favorite monsters other than the Blue Eyes White Dragon. Why it was still here with him instead of with its master Belumfel did not know. He dimly guessed that Seto, in his last act of pity, left the Dark Magician to him.

Suddenly clutching the magician's shoulders he poured out all the love that he had been refused to give over the past few days of madness.

" All, all is yours, the love I should have given the child, in the days when he needed me most. The love I should have offered in pity, to those who also love him- yours alone, all yours."

Sobbing, he pressed his shamed face into the Dark Magician's shoulder. The shoulder provided cold comfort but he did not expect forgiveness. The flames twitched and the light shimmered around them. Belumfel sobbed. He sobbed for all his wrongs, his madness, his love for a child that caused his loss, his cursed fate.

The Dark Magician did not cry. He did not utter a word, only wrapped his arms around his new master, forever loyal, even as the future unfolds and the child had gone forever, never to return.