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Ancient Rites	By : Silvershadowfire Category: Yu-Gi-Oh > General Views: 898 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh!, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Ancient Rites
- 1
A/N: This is a
sidestory/prequel to Maggiemay’s story Immortal Promise. It tells what happened in Ancient Egypt.
WARNING:DARK! Character death, gore and violence. NC-17 for a reason.

Ancient Rites

The desert
night was cold and silent save for the howling of the jackals as I descended
the stairs to the room of ritual I had prepared over the last year, with magic
and blood and tears, the stone warm from the rays of Ra under my bare
feet. This was the night; the two year
anniversary of the Great Rite that had culminated in the sacrifice of the
Nameless Pharaoh and the ascension of myself to the throne of the Pharaoh.

If the Gods
were willing, tonight would see Atem returned to the world of the living. Then he could resume his role as Pharaoh,
destroy that annoying country that insisted I marry their whiney little bitch
of a youngest daughter and make her Queen as a price for peace. I’d take care of the matter by other means,
but the Council was starting to get on my nerves, and much as I would like to,
it wouldn’t be practical or sensible at this point to replace them all. Which means I couldn’t use means that were
not… proper for a Pharaoh.

I HATE
politics.

It had taken me
a season to research the spell, and a year finish the ceremonial circles,
carved into the rock with my own hands; the four cycles of Death and
Rebirth. Sacred images of Osiris, Lord
of the Dead; Anubis, the Finder of Souls; and Isis, the Lady of Rebirth, stood
in their places; east to the Land of the Dead, south to the spring of the Nile,
west to the setting sun. Soon they would
be possessed by the spirits of the Gods themselves.

It hadn’t been
easy to get the mummified body of my cousin either – in the end I had hired a tomb
robber. The irony of that was enough to
make me ill.

Still, at least
he would only be carrying his secret to Anubis – who would know soon enough
anyway. With a last deep breath, I
stripped myself of my ceremonial garb; I may be the Son of Ra now but humility
would get me further than arrogance.
Which, as Jono would say, is stretching things far enough.

I spare a thought
for my lover and soulmate; Jono, my Greek beauty, who - thank you Ra! - is far
from here and doesn’t know the danger I am putting myself into tonight. This ritual is forbidden for a reason… no one
has ever gotten to the third test, but the first two tests have deadly
consequences – my life for the test of Osiris and all my future lives for the
test of Anubis. He would be having a fit
if he knew – which is why he’s cruising the Nile
right now, towards the Delta, supposedly only to deliver a message for me. He will never know of the danger if I succeed
– and if I fail…

But I will not
fail. I cannot. I am Pharaoh and High Priest, one of the most
powerful of the Shadow Magic users, second only to Atem himself. I will succeed.

I scan the
setup carefully, making sure everything is in place, before I set foot on the
lines, chanting prayers of homage and worship as I walk to the first apex of
the arc.

Kneeling in
only my shenti and a belt to hold my dagger, I bow to the image of Osiris, taking
the ceremonial blade from its place at my side.
I lift my voice in a song of prayer and appeal. “The stone around You is
sown with my blood, cold now…but still powerful. I call to You, Osiris – God of the Dead,
Keeper of the Seal between this life and the next. The ancient symbols cross the landscape; they
echo my call. Now…with this
offering…blood hot from my living flesh, offered as sacrifice, I plead You, come
to this vessel, mighty Osiris.” And
slash my palm, cutting the skin and allowing the blood to pour down on the
image.

As my blood
streaked down the painted, jewelled idol, I could feel the heavy, cold force of
the God of the Dead as his spirit entered the holy vessel; the eyes began to
glow, blue sapphires coming alive. Three
times I bowed to Him, giving homage due, before rising and walking the arc
toward the second idol: Anubis.

Kneeling again,
I take a small bowl of dirt from beside the idol and sprinkle it around the
base in a slowly tightening spiral, packing the remainder around the base. Not a song this time – a cry, a challenge to
the God. “Anubis, Guardian of the Dead.
I seek one under Your protection.
I ask You to return him to this existence. I have brought the black soil of Khemet mixed
with the bones of a jackal as offering.
I ask You to enter this humble container. Come forth, mighty Anubis!”

A cold wind,
the breath of the God, blew over me, cold and bitter as the grave; the howls of
the jackals became louder as the idol’s eyes began to glow a deep crimson. I bow again, three times to the incarnation
of Death, before rising and walking the lines to the third and final
image.

Isis, Queen of
Heaven and Goddess of Rebirth. She who
brought back Osiris from the dead. I
could only hope She would have pity on my prayers. I kneel again, the final time, a sing-song
plea rising through me. “Isis, Goddess of Resurrection, as you brought your
husband back to life, I ask you to bring back the one I seek. As payment and homage I bring blessed water
from your sacred river. I entreat you,
please come to this humble vessel.” Raising the bowl of water set there in
preparation, I pour it over the statue’s head; the scent of lotus and bitter
herbs comes to me as the statue begins to glow, eyes a bright and vibrant
green, like the fields after Inundation and planting. I bow three times again, thanking the
Goddess.

Rising, I move
along the lines to the intersection of the four circles, pausing only to lay a
kiss on the cold brow of my beloved cousin.

I stand in the
centre of the pattern, feet spread wide and blade raised high. I close my eyes and take a deep breath before
calling aloud;

“Mighty and
sacred Gods! All my life I have followed
your laws as a priest to Your brother, Set!
I have sacrificed my blood and life, carving the eternal symbols of your
power…The Never-ending Circle; Symbol of Life and Death. The Eye of Horus; All seeing, All Knowing,
Power of Judgement. The Sacred Triangle;
the form of sacred balance. This night I
call you with the sacrifice of blood, earth and water. By my
right as Pharaoh and High Priest, I entreat you, appear and hear me!”

The earth shook
with the force of the power unleashed. I
brace myself, knowing that the Gods would be judging my every move. Lightening and thunder crash across the belly
of Nut as the circles glow blue, red and green, burning gold where they intersect. My eyes narrow as burning, sacred flame caresses
my body, testing my worth to stand before Them.
But I have observed the laws – for three days no food save bread and
water have touched my lips. No hair
graces my body; I have washed and abstained from sexual contact for three days
– another good reason to send Jono up the river. The flames die down; in their place I see
three human forms instead of the statues and bow in homage to the Living Gods.

“Mortal son of
Ra, I am Osiris, Lord of the Realm of the Dead.
Do you know the price of the favour you ask of Me?”

“I do, Ancient
One. My life is forfeit if I fail the
riddle and test You set me.”

“Very
well.” Osiris studied me for a long
moment. “Black and gold and white are
we, who climb into the skies and swim the sea.
What are we?”

“Seagulls.” I answer with authority. After all, I’ve spent half my life studying
the tomes of knowledge.

Osiris nods,
his wrapped and mummified body stiff.
“Offer to Me your most joyous memory.”

I nod in
response, bowing my head in thought… but it didn’t take much. That memory sang in my heart and mind… the
day I had raised my beloved Jono from the status of slave to Consort.

<flashback>

“Let the court
begin.” I watch as the scribes take
their places, ready to write down every word of my proclamations, so that a
copy could be taken to every corner of the Empire. “Let the slave known as Jono be brought
forth.”

Poor Jono – he
had been framed by some members of the court who didn’t like the thought of a
foreigner being so close to the Pharaoh.
Fools – they didn’t realize who he was to me, or the worth I held him
in. I had known from when I laid eyes on
him in a line of slaves given to me as tribute that this was the one destined
to be my soulmate… his eyes, defiant and daring, shone with his spirit as he
stared at me. Golden Jono.

I took him as
my personal slave – and in a year, wooed him to my bed and won his heart. Now… someone had dared to try and frame him
for murder.

I would not
allow it.

“I find the
slave Jono innocent of the crime of which he has been accused.” The court murmured as he stared at me in
shock. After all, the evidence had been
overwhelming and damning.

Unless you were
a genius. Like me.

Reaching down,
I touched him with the crook of my office – a high honour. “Release him.”

The guards
jumped to obey. Jono watched me as I
raised him up with my own hand, to the astonishment of the court. “Behold, I am the morning and the evening
star. My word is law for the people of
the Two Lands. I hereby declare, in the sight of all assembled, that Jono the
Golden is freed from his status as slave and raised to that of my Consort. So let it be written; so let it be done.”

I will never
forget the look of joy on his face, nor the look of shock on the faces of his
enemies.

<End flashback>

Osiris’ crook
of office touched my head as the memory replayed itself. “Indeed, you have known true joy. You have passed My test.”

I bowed to
him. “Thank you.”

“I release the
seal between this world and the next…”
He waved his flail and a golden door appeared over my cousin’s
body.

The first test
passed. I bowed again to Osiris and
turned to face the jackal-headed God of the Dead, who bared his teeth to
me. “Why should I let you take that
which is rightly Mine, mortal?”

“For the sake
of this land – and for the sake of a life taken too young. Atem was – is - the best one to lead these people – I would
do better as the power behind the throne.
There are things that need to be done that the Pharaoh cannot do… but I
can.” I bow to him in respect for the
one force that no man may defeat forever.

“He died to
save your land.” Anubis stated. “Would you undo that sacrifice?”

“No… but I
would bring him back to fulfill his destiny.”

“Then you are a
fool.” The God spat. “But you have performed the ritual; know that
if you fail to answer My riddle and test, I will take your soul to Ammut to be
consumed, and you will never again be reborn.”

“I
understand.” The price Anubis demanded
terrified me – not only would I die, but Jono would be forever bereft. Still, I met the eyes of the God of Death in
challenge – the least little weakness and Anubis would take me anyway. Such was His way.

“Very well.” The God growled. “What is the name of the God of the Hebrews?”

I blinked at
that. It certainly wasn’t one of the
traditional riddles… and not many priests would know the answer to this; for
one thing, it was a trick question.

“The God of the
Hebrews has no name known to mortal men.” [*]

The Jackal God
snarled. “Correct. Now, mortal – you must give Me your most
painful memory.” Without warning, he
lunged at me, teeth ripping not at flesh but at heart, mind and soul…

<flashback>

The Temple of Ma’at.
How I hated this place.
Everything that Atemu had done and sacrificed for his kingdom wasn’t
enough – the Goddess demanded his life.

“Atemu, if you
love me, don’t do this. We will find
another way…”

“There is no
other way.” Atemu shook his head,
cradling the Puzzle in his hand. “We
have tried everything, Seth. The Shadow
Realm is out of control. It must be
sealed – and this is the only way.”

“Atemu…”

He held up a
hand, stopping my protests. I could feel
my heart breaking as he stepped away, into the centre of the temple. He was so young… and his eyes were so tired.

So be it. I would watch this – and I would
remember. I would do what had to be done. Atemu stepped into the middle of the pattern
inlaid in the centre of the temple floor, bowing once in homage to Ma’at before
putting both hands to the Puzzle and beginning the chant. The other priests sang, incense rising, the
rattle of sistrums shaking the air as the power built.

He turned, and
caught my eye. A bittersweet smile
touched his lips before I saw him mouth the words “Goodbye, my beloved cousin.”

And the Puzzle
shattered.

Light turned to
dark as the world exploded. I kept my
eyes on my cousin; the sight I saw there will haunt me forever. His spirit parted from his body – then
darkness ripped the Ka violently from the Ba.
My gorge rose as the former was drawn screaming into the darkness by
chains of burning ice, the latter lost in the Spirit Realms to wander lost
until it could find the rest of its soul.

The Scepter of
a Thousand Years dropped from my numb hand as the darkness faded into normal
light, leaving only my cousin’s lifeless body, and the scattered pieces of the
Puzzle.

<end
flashback>

Tears landed on
my fists as I relived the horrific memory of Atemu’s death. Bad enough he had to die – worse to go
through that… My gorge rose again and I fought it down, along with the
soul-retching pain. I would rescue him
from that prison; bring the scattered parts of his soul back into place. I looked up at Anubis, who looked almost
surprised.

“You are
stronger than I thought; you have taken your pain and made it into strength. Very well – you have passed My test.” Anubis howled, the sound wild and free. Through the door to Osiris’s kingdom floated
a wisp of a soul – small and tattered, with innocent amethyst eyes. And from the darkness of the very night came
another soul, wrapped in chains of burning ice, a soul-fragment that writhed in
constant agony.

Bowing, I rose
to my feet, wiping the tears from my eyes.
Now – the final riddle and the final test. I
stared at the divided soul… the smaller one was so light and fragile, the
other… Gods… The torment in those crimson eyes hurt to see.

The smaller one
wrapped around the other, trying to rejoin that which had been torn asunder,
but the chains repulsed him, keeping them apart.

I turned
resolutely from the heartwrenching scene to face the Goddess of Rebirth.

“You have come
further than any mortal.” Isis murmured, green eyes solemn. “But can you succeed now? Do you dare?”

“I must, Lady
Isis. Please. I can’t leave him like this.” I gesture to the soul fragments behind me. “Atemu is my cousin and best friend… I love
him. I don’t want to see him left like
this…”

“Will you pay
the forfeit if you cannot pass My riddle and My test?”

“Yes.” It didn’t matter now – what could the Goddess
take that was worse than seeing my cousin in torment?

“Then answer Me
this riddle… who is the true mate of your soul?”

“Jono. My Jono is the mate of my soul.”

“And so it is,
I see.” Was that pity or triumph in her eyes?
“You have answered My riddle – and so failed the test.”

“WHAT!” I shook my head in denial. “But you haven’t even told me what it is!”

“The only
reason I was able to bring My Beloved back to life was though the arts taught
to Me by Thoth… and My bond with His soul.
He is My true soulmate, and I His true Consort.” Her eyes narrowed. “I have little love for the priests of Him
who killed My Husband Osiris and sent him to the Underworld.”

I felt my eyes
widen… that cheating BITCH! I had never
had a chance to succeed…

“Now the
forfeit… for 5000 years you and your soulmate will be at odds with each
other. In life after life, you will be
both be reborn… and you will know him, servant of Set. You will know him and love him even as he
will hate you with passion unending.”

“NO!” I felt my heart crack and shatter at her
words. “No, please, Goddess… Jono has
nothing to do with this… take my life, take my soul, but please…spare him Your
curse.”

Green fire
blazed around me – I welcomed it. The
pain of death would be nothing to the pain of losing him…

“Do you think I
would show you even that slight mercy?” Isis’ voice was cold.
“No… you will live, Priest of Set – Pharaoh of Khemet. You will live for a very long time… but your
precious Jono will not.”

A scream cut
the night; I looked up to see Jono, my golden Jono, arms and legs akimbo as the
green fire carried him to the circle.
“No… Jono!” I tried to reach him;
tried to touch him one last time… but the fire surrounded him.

“Seth! What is…” His voice cut off in a scream of
agony as the flames dove down his throat.
He writhed, eyes huge and pleading.

“Now you will
know what I felt when your precious master killed My Beloved.” The Goddess hissed, gesturing with one hand.

“NO!” My scream echoed off the stones as I lunged
forward, cradled him close; those golden eyes looked at me with love and
confusion that turned to hard and bitter hatred.

Flames exploded
out of Jono’s body; eyes, nose, mouth – the very pores of his skin. His body was a dark heart in the centre of
the inferno. I tried to hold him; tried
to die with him… but the flames never touched me.

Then they were
gone, and so was Jono… and my heart. Not
even ash survived the divine wrath of the Goddess.

One by one the
Gods vanished, taking my cousin’s shattered soul with them; I knelt on the
stone, not knowing, not caring. All I
could see was the hatred in Jono’s gaze.

My eyes
narrowed as they landed on the smiling image of Isis
and I snarled, backhanding it. No
more. She would have no more prayers, no
more sacrifices; not while I was Pharaoh of Khemet.

--Thirty years
later—

It is getting
harder to get up in the mornings. The
cold desert nights don’t help my joints or my lungs. Osiris will be calling me soon… Maybe the God
will have the mercy his wife had not shown and let me see my precious one in
the Afterlife. A snort escapes before I can censor it – not that I expect
anything from the Gods.

Levering myself
to my feet, I rise slowly and move towards my breakfast. Watered wine and gruel… I hate getting old. One of
my attendants helps me sit before the board and hands me a cup. I take it with relief – my pain medication
for the morning should be mixed in with the liquid. Drinking quickly – it is foul stuff, but I
can’t function without it – I set the goblet down and begin to eat my gruel,
waiting for it to take effect.

Minutes later,
pain flares in my heart. I drop my spoon
as it takes my breath away, a band around my chest. The pain radiates outward, leaving numbness
it it’s wake.

Poison?

One of my
attendants takes my arm – cries of alarm start to fill the air as I slump
bonelessly to the floor, my strength running out of me like water. The attendant takes my hand – I look up into
a smile of vicious satisfaction on the face of a seven year old boy. His eyes filled the world – gold, like the
eyes of my Jono…

Green fire
flashed across the irises for a moment. The curse…

“Jono…”

[*] If this was five
thousand years ago, it would be in the Old Kingdom of Egypt. Which means it’s pre-Joseph; the Hebrews didn’t have a name for their God
until the time of Moses, over two thousand years later during the reign of
Ramesses II
- 1
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Ancient Rites