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Kindred Spirits Part II: Collision

Prologue

It was unexpected. As his weaker half surrendered the duel to the Pharaoh, Marik expected some sort of release before he was cast into the void: the separation of his essence from the weakling's body to have some feeling to it, but there was only his rage. He had come so close.

He screamed in rage at his loss for what seemed like an eternity. That's when the atmosphere hit him, a dark, musty presence filled the air, and he was shocked to find that he didn't need to breathe. The area around him was miles of bare, flat rock. He glanced up and saw a dark sky above him, a solid grayish purple. There seemed to be no reason for there to be enough light to see, but there was.

Marik took a step forward, testing this new place. The land was unforgiving, and the single step was tiring. He heard faint voices, deep and many. They seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. It would be maddening to someone else, but Marik dismissed them. He turned and surveyed the land around him. There was some dark shape in the distance, and Marik couldn't tell what it was. He started out towards it and kept walking.

Gradually the shape got larger, and Marik could make out some sort of structure. The voices intensified as he got closer. There were purple lines of color on the ground now, weaving and twisting into strange pictures. It was an ancient language; one he didn't understand.

The structure was close now, a solid gray arch, covered in the ancient text. There was a staircase behind it, going down into the earth. The voices grew to a louder pitch, inviting him to descend into the unknown. Marik was unnerved by the feeling of powerlessness that now went through his body, but he knew that if someone was out there, it was someone Marik could manipulate. The thoughts of harming his hosts entertained him as he descended the staircase. The thoughts left him when he saw who his hosts were.

There were eight figures in all, in the huge cavern he entered. The first seven were easy to see, bright lines of color travelled over their gray hides, revealing what looked like a spider, a monkey, a lizard, two birds, a whale, and a giant hulking figure. Each creature's lines were different colors, and Marik sensed a chaotic darkness coming from them, one several times greater than even his own. In fact, the entire atmosphere seemed to originate from these seven beings.

The eighth was in the shadows, deep in the back of the cavern. All Marik could distinguish were two bright red eyes that belonged to a gigantic creature.

It was indeed unexpected, but it was all Marik could want. It was proof that everything his father taught him and everything that the Pharaoh stood for was a lie. For once in his existence, Marik didn't mind being powerless. It meant that regaining his power would be all the more rewarding. Amidst the dark center of the netherworld, Marik was content.