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Shadow Wars	By : Silvershadowfire Category: Yu-Gi-Oh > AU - Alternate Universe Views: 1080 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh or any characters within. I am making no money from this work of fiction.

Chapter List
- 1-Shadow Wars
- 2-Chapter 1
- 1
- 2
Shadow Wars

Author:
Silvershadowfire

Betas:
DracOnyx, Ankh Ascendant

Rating: R (violence and language, some sexual
situations)

Summary: Alternate Universe treatment of the
YuGiOh mythos, pre-Duellist Kingdom to the Ceremonial Battle.

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction, based on
the anime Yu-Gi-Oh! by
Takahashi Kazuki-sensei of Tokyo, Japan. All characters taken from
that series are property of Takahashi-sensei and used without
permission. Original characters belong to me. I am making no money
from this work of fiction.

Notes: Please note that while I have done a
great deal of research into Egypt, games, YuGiOh and various other
sundry subjects and will try as much as possible to stick to gritty
reality, I have taken certain liberties for artistic and creative
reasons.

A glossary of terms not native to English will
be at the end of each chapter.

Enjoy!

Shadow Wars
– Prologue

“Come on.”
Seth grabbed his cousin's arm in defiance of all convention and
divine law, pulling him from the shaking building. Stone cracked and
crumbled, threatening to bury the two men in debris. The black sky
through the windows blasted icy wind from the depths of Duat, reeking
with chaos like the very breath of Apep. “We don't have a lot
of time.” Dust covered the High Priest's blue linen robes. He
had lost his hat and wig at some point and his make-up smeared around
exotic blue eyes, making him look like he'd been beaten around the
face.

“My people
are dying out there, Seth! I can't just leave them.” Pharaoh
Atem protested as he was dragged inelegantly through the falling rain
of plaster shaken from the palace ceilings. He knew he wasn't in the
best of shape either, with his ragged shenti, bruised and battered,
almost exhausted. But the Millennium Puzzle shone with preternatural
light around his neck, just waiting for him to touch the power
inside.

“You have
to. You are Pharaoh. You and the land are one. If you die, the
darkness wins.”

“You don't
actually believe that...” Atem tugged against Seth's grip but
his cousin was half again his height and stronger than he appeared.
Not really surprising for a devotee of Set but a serious pain in the
ass right now. “I can help them... let me go!”

“Not until
you're safe. That crazy thief and his god want to kill you, and if
you die then the whole resistance will go down. Now, come on.”

Logic be damned,
he couldn't just run away like a coward. “Seth...”

“One more
word and I will knock you out, Atem. This isn't just for you... it's
for everyone. We need to retreat and regroup. The capital is lost but
that doesn't mean the whole country has to be.”

He was right of
course. They couldn't beat a god like this, broken and panicking.
“Then go. Get as many of our people out as you can. I'll meet
you at the temple of Atum in Annu.” He didn't want to run, but
Seth had a point, damn his hide. The black sky erupted with roiling
lightening, thunder deafening them both for a long moment. The reek
of blood hung heavy in the air.

Seth paused, his
blue eyes boring into Atem's as though to gauge his intentions. “Your
word...”

“I am
Pharaoh, I do not lie.” He drew himself up and met his cousin's
glare square on. “Do not forget yourself, cousin.”

The tableau held
for a long moment, then Seth nodded. “Forgive me, my Pharaoh.
But it is vital you escape.”

“If I die,
you will be Pharaoh after me.” Atem replied. “By my
command, you are my heir. Let the gods witness it.”

Blue eyes widened,
then narrowed. “Then it is all the more vital you live, I have
no desire to be Pharaoh in such a way, cousin.”

“But you
will be a good one.” Atem retrieved his arm from Seth's grip.
“Go. You are Crown Prince now and speak with My authority.”
He slid a ring off his hand, pressing it into Seth's. “Save as
many as you can. I will see you at the temple. By my word, I will not
interfere.” The king's eyes were dark red with power and
sorrow. “I am trusting you.”

Seth looked at the
ring in his hand, then bowed to one knee. “By your command, my
Pharaoh.”

--------------at
Annu ------------------------------------------

Atem stumbled as
he dismounted his horse, but managed to catch his balance and walk
stiffly into the temple's outer courtyard. Priests and acolytes...
the temple had been abandoned, the city evacuated. Or mostly so. He'd
almost been ambushed by roaming gangs of thieves and bandits twice on
the way in here, people who saw only a lone man on a horse laden with
rich jewels, not their king. Atem might be exhausted but he could
still fight, and the very serviceable blade at his side went a long
way into making sure that he was unmolested. Here, miles from the
hell that was Ineb Hedj the sun was still
bright, the air brisk with wind off the Nile Delta. Exhaustion dogged
the Pharaoh as he guided his equally exhausted horse through the
quiet streets.

Seth shouldn't be
far behind him now, with the remains of the army. The should have no
problems getting here, and the power of the gods would protect the
temple itself from looters. He led his horse into the stables beside
the temple and brushed him down, murmuring soothing nothings in his
twitching ears. The gelding nuzzled his bare leg as Atem found grain,
hay and straw to make him comfortable, then dipped out water to fill
his trough. “Not too much now.” he chided, rubbing the
animal's crest gently before leaving him to his meal and going to
look for his own. This was one part of his childhood running around
in the kitchens to avoid his lesson helped with. Unlike probably 98%
of his ancestors, Atem was a decent enough cook. Granted he was out
of practise... the only ones who were holy enough to consume a meal
he made now were technically the gods and himself. But until Seth got
here that was all he had to feed anyway, so...With a mental shrug, he
descended past the sanctuary to the kitchens and living quarters that
served the priests who lived here. They would have taken all the food
they could carry, but chances were good that they had left the stores
untouched.

He was right and
wrong. They had plundered the stores but not completely, and there
was enough there to keep himself comfortably for a while, along with
whoever made it back here. The city of bread lived up to its nickname
still, it seemed. He sincerely hoped it was more rather than less,
and that they wouldn't have to be here long.

Starting a fire,
he mixed water with barley flour and lard to make simple cakes,
washing his hands after he set them to bake on the hearth. A crock of
honey would add the perfect touch to them if he could find it.

A bit of rummaging
found his treasure, and the Pharaoh smiled to himself. A crock of
honey and all his! Atem had a weakness for the sweet liquid, and it
was always in demand at the palace. Especially on barley cakes and
fermented as a sweet dessert beverage. But only rarely did he allow
himself to avail himself of it like this, straight. If he ate it as
often as he would like, he'd probably be as fat as a corrupt priest.
With a small evil giggle he cracked the wax seal and dipped a finger
in, licking it greedily. Yum. Feeling rather like a boy who had
stolen the the jar, Atem hefted it up and carried it to the hearth,
checking on his cakes.

They were still
cooking, so he left the honey by them and walked to the pump,
deciding to bathe. It was warm enough with the fire to do so after
all, and the lingering heat of the day. So he stripped off his
Pharaonic finery and ragged shenti, stepping into the cool water of
the wide sink with a sigh. Nice thing about being so small, he could
bathe in a dishwashing sink. There were no oils here, but he was
happy just to be clean.

He wet sand and
scrubbed it over tanned skin, digging out the grime of battle and the
stink of sweat, blood and smoke. When that was done he ran it through
his thick hair, scrubbing. Days like this made him just want to shave
it all off – it would be cooler – but no wigmaker could
make a duplicate and he had to confess to a certain vanity in the
exotic colours. Though, there was no time for vanity now. They were
at war.

The thought stole
the hedonistic pleasure from his bath and Atem sighed, stepping from
the makeshift tub and using his shenti to sponge the worst of the
water off himself. He let his thick hair dribble water down his back,
rinsing it a final time before scrubbing the worst of the dirt out of
the ragged linen. It really wasn't meant for this kind of abuse.
Draping the cloth up to dry, he paced back to the fire and poked the
cakes to see if they were done.

They were, so he
dribbled honey on them and ate quickly, washing it down with watered
beer. There wasn't much in the stores, so they would have to be chary
with it and his skills in the kitchen didn't extend to the brewing of
beer.

His belly full,
Atem leaned back and watched the flames, trying not to brood. Seth
should have been here, shouldn't he? Granted Atem had a head start
and one man travelled more lightly than and army. Still, as the light
through the high windows faded he started to really worry.

Rising, he threw
more wood on the flames and draped his cape around his hips as a
makeshift shenti. It was almost sunset; he could say the rites to
Atum, which would both keep his mind off fretting and bring the
blessing of the god of the sunset and creation on them, hopefully.

Taking the last
barley-cake, he padded barefoot out of the kitchen and through the
priest's barracks to the outer sanctuary.

The sun was just
setting, visible through the open front of the sanctuary, when Atem
emerged. He bowed to the setting sun, then turned and paced to the
forbidden inner court where the God's home was. Not that anyone could
forbid the Living Horus into any sanctuary; he was after all supposed
to be the link between Egypt and the gods. Not that Atem believed it
really – after all, shouldn't a living god have been able to
stop Zorc?

Shaking his head,
he bowed before pacing into the dim enclosure. Atum was the god of
the primordial mound and the setting sun, and Atem's namestake. His
sanctuary was dark, with only the one high window to illuminate it.
He bowed again, then glanced around for the statue. To his shock, the
alcove was set not with a filler statue but the true cult statue,
still dressed in fine linens and with offerings at his feet. The
Pharaoh paused, then paced over to study the painted stone. The god's
statue should have gone with the priests... why was it here?
Respectfully he knelt and chanted the prayers of welcome and respect.
It wasn't the same as it would be with the priests here, and he added
the chant asking forgiveness for that. Laying the cake down as an
offering, Atem bowed three times and sang the hymn of the Setting Sun
in his honour. Not that he was a terrific singer, but he did his
best, and the god would appreciate the effort if not the effect.

The last sliver of
the sun winked down over the horizon as Atem trilled the final note
of the hymn, leaning back on his knees to simply enjoy the quiet. He
rather enjoyed his times in the sanctuaries; the gods weren't known
for bothering mortals much unless they were annoyed and the priests
usually had other duties to attend to, which left Atem in the dark
and the quiet where he felt the most comfortable. It was then that
sometimes he thought he felt the gods; not in the elaborate
ceremonies that called and honoured them but in the quiet afterwards.

The darkness
settled around him like a cloak and he closed his eyes, humming under
his breath. He let his worries for his cousin and people go, giving
them to the God. For a moment, it almost felt like the shadows were
whispering to him, and then he felt a sudden, strange surge of power.
Opening his eyes he looked up, and almost fainted when he saw the
great statue moving. His namestake god looked down at him, his
features carved into a semblance of wisdom and knowledge beyond
mortal ken. The linen of his shenti whispered as he stepped down from
the dais. In one hand he held the was
staff of strength, in the other the ankh
of life. The Pharaoh trembled as the god paced towards him. “I
have heard your need, Son of Ra, and have come to offer you the aid
you require. But the price will be great.”

“The
price...?” Atem managed to stammer out.

“Yes.
It will be heavy, Son of Ra, and you must bear it alone.”

“I
understand.” It was after all the duty of the king to stand
between danger and his land. “Tell me what I must do.”

Atem
woke to the warmth of full day and a hand on his shoulder, shaking
him. “Atem, for the love of the gods, wake.” Seth snapped
irritably.

“Seth?”
Atem blinked slowly, then his dream came back to him and he sat up
with a start. The statue in the alcove stared down at them
impassively and Atem shivered. “How long have you been here?”

“We
got in an hour before sunrise. It wasn't a fun trip and the men are
resting now. What are you doing sleeping in here?”

“I
made the sunset offering and Atum answered.” He wrapped his
slender arms around himself. Even in the warmth of the day he was
cold... so cold. “He told me how to stop Zorc.”

“How?”

“I
must break the Millennium Puzzle, and trap Zorc within.” He
didn't mention the price to be paid for such magic, that he himself
would be trapped with the dark one; his ka would not fly to the
afterworld, his ba would be lost, with no body to inhabit. His very
name would be lost to time. Only his shadow would remain, locked in
eternal combat with the god. “He will be trapped there until
the Puzzle is solved. And you, cousin.. you must rid Khemet of all
references to me and to the shadow magics.”

Seth
glowered down at him. “Why must I do that?”

“It's
the only way to be sure that the dark one is never freed again.”

Seth's
frown grew deeper, but he offered Atem a hand up. “Is that all?
Simply break the Puzzle?”

Not
really. “No, but the rite must be performed by me alone. You
and the army will have to keep Zorc from breaking in here to stop it.
If he does, or if his thief minion takes the Puzzle, then the country
and our world is doomed.” The pharaoh shivered, dark dreams
echoing in his mind. The god had shown him the world if this did not
succeed. It was not a pleasant sight – chaos and darkness,
ruled over by a mad god and his pawns. “Priest Aknaudin is
leading them.”

“What?”
Seth stepped back, startled. “He's turned traitor...”

“Not
exactly. I think he's been possessed.” Which made him wonder
about the evil god's other pawn; was the thief possessed as well?
Could all this have been prevented if he had investigated earlier, or
taken more seriously the thief's accusations and not simply treated
him like a meaningless attacker.

Too
late now... “And Seth?”

“Yes,
my Pharaoh?”

“Make
certain that the Items are never used again.” Atem straightened
his shoulders and lifted his chin. “I will begin the ritual
right away... there is food in the kitchens, and a bit of beer. Make
sure the men refresh themselves.”

Seth
opened his mouth but then closed it again. When Atem took that tone,
he wasn't his younger cousin. He was the king of the largest empire
in the world, and his word was law. “As you command, my
Pharaoh.”

Atem
watched him leave. He didn't like ordering Seth around like that –
it seemed disrespectful somehow, as odd as that sounded. But in this
case, he didn't want Seth interfering. Odd as it was in a priest,
Seth would defy an edict from Ra himself if his heart told him it was
wrong. Atem respected him for that, for the sheer self will that
allowed him to serve the gods and the people but still be himself so
fiercely. In this case though... nothing and no one could be allowed
to interfere.

He
wouldn't do it here either. The inner sanctum of a god's temple
wasn't the right place. He wanted to see the sun as he died.

That
in mind, he paced down to the kitchen hearth and dressed himself in
his now dry shenti and the jewels and gold of his position. Nor was
it vanity that prompted him to do so; there were protective sigils
worked into his crown, his bracelets, the heavy broadcollar, his
earrings and even woven into the ragged hem of his shenti. He would
need all the help he could get to keep it together long enough for
him to finish the rite by himself.

That
done, he made his way back outside and paused, then cursed. South, on
the horizon, he could see the black clouds forming. Zorc was
coming... his darkness blotted out the very light of Ra. “Seth!”

His
high priest appeared as though by magic, his face grim. “I see
it. We won't be able to hold him back for long, but we'll give you
the time you need.”

“Blessings
of the gods be with you.” Atem murmured, touching his shoulder,
before dashing off towards the area behind the temple sanctuary. It
was hard to get to, and other than the cattle runs there was only one
way to get in and out. With luck, Atem would have the time he needed.

It
was a chilling thought that the world could rely on simple luck. Atem
forced himself to run faster, skidding to a halt in the open area of
the cattle pens. Abandoned now of the sacred bulls, they would give
him the room he needed to work the rite.

It
would have to be quick and dirty. Atem paced a circle over the dusty
ground, chanting under his breath a prayer to Isis and Wadjet, for
protection and guidance. Shadows swirled up under his feet, echoing
the circle. That done, he knelt in the middle and spoke the rites of
purification. His fingers trailed through the dust, forming symbols
in the magical language of the priests, said to have been invented by
Thoth.

“Isis,
great in power spread your wings over me. You have sent scorpions
against my enemies; you have guarded my throne. Your magic fills me
with determination.

Thoth great in
knowledge guide my hand; you have touched your power to my tongue;
you have borne the words of magic and poured them out over me. Your
knowledge guides my hands and heart.

Atum of the
sunset, great in power, you have given me your name. You strike my
enemies with your terrible breath, and with a gust of your nostrils
have destroyed them. You have given me the power to do your will.

Set great in
strength, you have raised the sands against my enemies. Your arm
reaches over the land to smite the enemies of Ra my father. You have
given me your strength to defeat my enemies.”

Atem
intoned the prayers and invocations, feeling the power of the gods
around and inside him.

Looking
up he could see the shadows growing longer, stronger. Hurry, the wind
seemed to whisper as it picked up dust and swirled it around him.
Hurry...

He
finished the preparations and stood in the middle of the circle,
letting the humming feel of magic soothe him. Carefully taking the
Puzzle of Unity from his neck, he raised it over his head and started
to sing.

The
clamour of battle, men and horses screaming, drifted to him on the
freshening wind. How could they travel so fast? And where was the
thief? Atem poured his power into the rising spell, watching the
Puzzle start to strain as his magic pushed at it. He would have to
hold it like this until the magic literally imploded. The trick of
course wasn't in shattering the sacred Puzzle, but in trapping Zorc
within. Which meant he had to link to the other Items, especially the
Ring that the thief had won from Mahaado.

He
closed his eyes and breathed, in and out. Breathe in power, breathe
out tension, one after another. When he was ready the Pharaoh spread
his hands and tendrils of power lashed out, vanishing much closer
than they should have. A cry of pain and outrage heralded the sudden
and unexpected appearance of the Thief King himself, not ten cubits
from where Atem stood in his circle. His monster roared in tandem,
appearing as well. Atem's magic latched onto the Ring and around the
white haired man. A second, weaker line jumped from Ba'Khura into the
darkness beyond; Atem had to hope it was the link to Zorc. His
fingers clasped the glowing Puzzle, white hot metal burning into his
fingers as he wrestled the magic into place.

“PHARAOH!”
It was a howl of rage and madness, Ba'Khura struggling to get free of
the holy magic wrapping tightly around him. Atem ignored him, his
limbs ablaze with pain as he burned his ba into pure power. The agony
drowned out the mere physical pain of the magic consuming his body.
The chant never wavered, the strength of his kau holding him
steady. One by one they appeared, only to have their spirits consumed
by the divine fire that blazed around Atem, bright as Ra come to
earth. Obelisk first, the stone monster cracking and dissolving into
blue dust that joined the wild dance around the magic circle. The Sky
Dragon next, roaring defiance as red and electric blue sparks erupted
from him. Finally only the Winged Dragon remained, gold and pure as
the sun, Atem held between his great paws.

Then
the Puzzle shattered and the magic imploded in on itself, the gold
pieces scattering around Atem like confetti. He never knew it
though... his red eyes were empty and blank as the imploding magic
consumed his body, soul and finally his name, leaving only his
shadow, wrapped around Zorc like a vine, trapping a portion of his
essence in the endless labyrinth.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Seth
stood defiant against the darkness, directing the few remaining
soldiers as he prayed that his cousin would succeed. There was no
sign of the thief, but at the head of the army of undead that marched
towards them the priest could see Aknaudin, High Priest no more. Now
he was an avatar of Zorc.

The
winds of magic carried the monstrosity that had been the holder of
the Eye past the soldier and down to the plaza where Seth stood.
“Son.”

Blue
eyes narrowed. “You are no father of mine. My father would have
died honourably in service to Khemet and the Pharaoh before he
allowed himself to become what you have.”

“You
don't understand...” the man gestured outward with both hands.
Seth could no longer see his face; only the Eye remained, staring at
him from a white empty mask. Black robes replaced white, and a heavy
cloak covered over all. “I did this for you! You will be
Pharaoh! You see? I did this so that you would have the throne I
never had!”

“You're
a fool.” Seth spat. “I never wanted the throne, old man.
The Pharaoh and I had a perfectly good system... he ruled and between
Shimon and I we actually ran things. You think I would WANT to be
Pharaoh? No... I'd be a terrible ruler. I'm the power in the shadows,
you old fool, and now thanks to this Atem has made me his heir. I'm
Crown Prince now... and you had nothing to do with it!”

“But...”
Aknaudin dropped his arms, obviously confused. Seth kept up his
verbal attack – he could see that with the other concentrating
on his words, he undead army was faltering.

“You
became a traitor, you gave up your soul. . . and all for what? For a
dream I never wanted, and certainly not at that price. Be honest. It
was not for me you wanted the golden throne. You were younger twin...
you always wanted to be Pharaoh! Instead your brother became Pharaoh
and that rankled you. It twisted you... made you bitter and greedy.
Fool! You could have been like me; the true power of Khemet is not in
the throne but in the priesthood!”

“You're
the fool! Kowtowing to that foolish child of my brother's! It is you
who do not understand true power, my son... the true power of the
shadows, and that of the gods. Not political power, but the power to
rule the world!” He gestured again and shadows leapt, swirling
around him. “Join me, join my lord Zorc! You will be Pharaoh
over all the world and our rule will never die!”

Seth
held up the Rod. 'Hurry, cousin...' he thought as he spoke. “Never.
You will not succeed here, old man. We will stop you.”

“Hardly.
By now the thief will have the Puzzle and put a knife through your
precious Pharaoh's heart. Clever of my master to convince him that it
was my brother who ordered his village put to the sword to hide the
genesis of the artefacts of Darkness, rather than myself.”

Now
it was Seth who was stunned. “You mean the thief spoke true?
His village was slaughtered to make these...?” He gestured with
the Rod.

“Oh
yes. Ninety nine souls sacrificed to the Shadows to power them and to
open the gateway to Zorc's realm. But I couldn't have any witnesses.
So I ordered the men my brother had sent with me to make sure that
there were none. Their deaths, the pain and anguish of it, only added
to their power. My innocent brother, the trusting fool, never asked
the price of Khemet's salvation. He took the Puzzle I gave him and
never realized that it would feed on his soul as the price of it's
power. He died from it... and now his son will die.”

Seth
made a gesture of warding. “I want nothing to do with such
evil.” With a flick of his wrist, he cast the Rod to the ground
and raised empty hands to his father. “I will depend on my own
strength to defeat you.”

“Then
you're more a fool than I dreamed, my son.” The Eye flared and
lashed out. Seth gestured, tracing a symbol in the air as he spoke a
single sharp word. The attack burst against the barrier he had raised
but didn't shatter, crawling along the invisible sphere. The shadows
were only visible to a mage, but to Seth's eyes they were dark black
and seeped in evil, their darkness a corruption that ate at his holy
magic. He spoke another word and the shield flared, throwing his
father's attack away. “Set, lend me your strength.” he
prayed. He only had to hold out long enough for Atem to finish the
ritual.

“Give
in to the darkness.” Another attack; Seth flinched back as this
one dug in and tore his shield to shreds. “You can't defeat it.
You can only give in.”

“Never.”
Seth traced another sigil in the air and dove aside as the former
priest attacked again, shadow lancing through the air where he had
been. The symbol glowed and then flared, bright as the sun to dispel
the shadows.

“Your
magic is paltry.” Aknaudin mocked. “No son of mine should
ever be so weak.” The Eye glowed again as Seth braced himself,
hands wide and ready to grab. He wished he had a sword; he'd see if
the darkness would protect the old man against three palms of bronze
in his guts. Instead he dodged again as the Eye lashed out. He'd
always been fast on his feet; now that dexterity was going to save
his life.

Aknaudin
made an audible sound of anger, though it was impossible to tell his
emotions otherwise. He spread his arms wide and this time instead of
a bolt, a wave of shadows hurtled towards Seth. It picked the priest
up and threw him hard against the stone of the Temple, stunning him.
With a gasp he dropped to the ground, all the wind knocked out of
what felt like a set of broken ribs. Faintly over the screams of the
men and the howl of the wind, he thought he could hear cries and
cursing from behind him... behind the Temple. He looked up to see the
dark priest pacing towards him. The older man stopped to pick up the
Rod, then continued his steady pace towards Seth. “Now, you
will accept your destiny.”

Seth
raised his hands in a last ditch defence, but Aknaudin stopped in mid
pace, head jerking up. Spears of red-wreathed shadow lanced into the
Eye seemingly from the Temple itself. Aknaudin screamed and clenched
at his head; he ripped the mask off to reveal a horror, the skin of
his face shrunken and cut, weeping blood and pus. His formerly good
eye was gone, leaving only an open gaping socket. Seth pushed himself
upright against the walls, unable to look away as the dark priest
tried to pull the Eye out of his face, his voice rising in an obscene
scream of agony. The golden Rod clattered to the ground; Aknaudin
went to his knees as another lance of power arced from him to the
dark god in his cloud of shadows.

And
not just from him; Seth saw six other lances in six different colours
of shadow pierce Zorc. The god screamed, his obscene dragon-headed
phallus thrashing as he tried to pull away the beams. They clung to
him though, and slowly his body started to dissolve into oily black
smoke that collected and streamed along the beams to the Items. Seth
got a good look at two of them, one to the Eye and one to the Rod.
Aknaudin's screamed filled the air as his body slowly collapsed
inward, finally dissolving into a pile of black cloth and hair. The
Eye rolled out along the stone, finally coming to a rest beside the
Rod. Both gleamed with an unholy radiance that made Seth's skin
crawl. Sliding off his tunic, he tossed it over the golden artefacts
and scooped them up, tying them into the makeshift bag.

The
undead army dissolved into sand and shadow, and Ra's light started to
burn through the dark shroud that cursed the land. Seth sighed; that
had to mean that Atem had succeeded, and that now the dark god was
trapped forever in the cursed items.

Dreading
what he would find, but knowing he had to go, Seth walked towards the
back of the temple, the cheers of the men ringing in his ears, to see
what sacrifice the gods had taken for victory.

In
the back stockyard, Seth found a strange mass of objects scattered
around a circle burned black on the ground. Gold glittered –
the pieces of the Millennium Puzzle, Atem's jewellery, and off to one
side in a pile of red and black cloth, the Millennium Ring shone with
the same malign glitter that marked the other Items. Of Atem's body,
there was no sign. Seth clenched the bag in his hands; he didn't even
have a body to bury. All he has was a broken country, and Atem's last
wish.

“You
have my word, cousin.” He heard soldiers behind him and turned.
“The Son of Ra has become Osiris.” the new king of the
two lands proclaimed. “Let the word be spread; he died to save
us all.”

------Glossary--------

Egyptian
terms:

Shenti:
A lightweight wrap made of linen. Ubiquitous garb of Ancient Egyptian
men, worn by everyone from the Pharaoh on down.

Annu:
Egyptian name for the ancient city and cult centre known in Greek as
Heliopolis (lit. City of the Sun). It has been occupied for millennia
and was a centre of sun worship. For more information, Wikipedia has
a very informative entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annu

Ankh:
Ancient Egyptian lit. meaning 'eternal life'. Symbolized by a symbol
resembling an English 'T' with a loop at the top and often held by
gods and pharaohs in art of the time.

Was:
(Lit. 'power') Ancient Egyptian staff with a stylized animal
head at the top and a forked base that symbolized power and control
over the forces of chaos. Associated with the god Set.

Pharaoh:
Anglicised version of the Greek and Latin term 'pharao', which is a
version of the Egyptian term pr-'3 (paro, more or less). Literally
refers to the palace of the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, used as a
formal title for the king from the mid-eighteenth and nineteenth
dynasties.

Khemet:
from km.t, the ancient Egyptian word for their land.

Duat:
Ancient Egyptian realm of the underworld, chaos and demons.

Ineb
Hedj: Ancient Egyptian name for
the capital city of Memphis, lit. “The White Walls”.

Cubit:
(more properly mahe
or royal cubit) Unit of measurement used in antiquity. In Ancient
Egypt, it was about 52.3 cm (Approx 20.6 inches) long.
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Shadow Wars