Chapter 1: Life, Again

In a strange way, it was beautiful.

He'd never imagined he would call death beautiful, but that was the only way to describe this suicidal walk. White light, the very purest kind, washed over him, enveloping him, drowning him, smothering him, dragging him down into the very depths of the afterlife. He was dying, and loved every minute of it.

After all, he had already died three thousand years ago.

As he continued walking, sensations dulling with every step, he felt a little regretful about leaving Yugi behind. He reassured himself with the fact that Yugi had his loyal friends supporting him. He didn't need a ghost to stand up for him anymore. (In another, stranger way, he never did.)

He would miss Yugi, yes, but he would have his long-lost friends and family, and that made up for the loss of his lighter half. And one day, hopefully in a far, distant future, Yugi would join him, and he would be complete once more.

As he continued on - was he even walking anymore? He didn't know - he was sure that he would see his Egyptian friends ahead of him any time now. He had never been one to blindly trust, but this he knew, because his skin was tanned and adorned with gold, even if he couldn't feel it anymore.

(He was already dead.)

…

He went on.

…

He didn't know how much time had passed, but he went on.

…

Then, ahead of him in the light, he made out a crumbling archway. It was ancient-looking, although he had learned to never assume things by their appearance, and a worn, white veil hung over it. The veil was completely still, which was odd, but he supposed that the archway must have been stronger than it looked.

Some part of him wished to enter the archway, but he knew he wasn't supposed to, (his friends would be just around the next bend, he deserved his rest after three thousand years), but to his horror, he found that he was approaching it, and could not stop. He mentally struggled against it, but he couldn't feel anything either, and the archway loomed closer, and he saw that the archway was much larger than it had initially appeared.

The white veil was closer, coming close, close, right in front of his face and horror freezing his soul, he stumbled through it, and he was -

-alive.

The world swirled around him and he shut his eyes tightly closed, clenching his fists to block the pure pain that raced through his skin. It seared like fire, a burning fire that was cold and light and calm, and ran to the tips of his spiky hair. Spots of light danced before his eyes, and he stumbled forwards, feet slipping on a stone floor.

There was a yell, and shouts of surprise, although he couldn't hear them, and a voice called out something strange, his world swirled into darkness, and he unconsciously crumpled to the floor.

Remus Lupin gasped, unconsciously letting go of Harry. Sirius had just fallen through the Veil. That wasn't what had made him gasp, though. Oblivious to whatever had shocked Remus, Harry raced off to get revenge on Bellatrix, who he believed had just killed his godfather. Remus stood there for a couple more seconds, what he had just seen still trying to get through his brain.

Someone had just come through the Veil.

It wasn't Sirius, that was for sure. That was what Remus had first thought when he saw the shadow behind the cloth. Surely it was Sirius, coming back to help defeat the Death Eaters. No. It wasn't. He was gone, and was never coming back. Who was it, though?

Whoever it was looked very beautiful. The first thing Remus noticed about him was his hair. The main part of it was charcoal-black and was fringed by red that faded into purple. It stood up in a star shape that seemed impossible without bottles of gel, but he could tell by the way the light shone on it that it was natural. Golden spikes shot up into the three main points, while his face was framed by golden bangs.

The next thing Remus noticed was his attire. A creamy cotton tunic framed his body, with a blue sash around his waist and a crimson red cloak draped across his shoulders. He wore enough gold jewelry to ransom a king four times over. The main piece, though, seemed to be an upside-down pyramid with the Eye of Horus in the center. Egyptian, then. A royal, too, based on the expensive quality of his clothing.

After getting over his hair and clothes, Remus then noticed the man's face. It held a look of shock and pain, but underneath was weariness and regality. The sharp but smooth angles of his face and the kindness that seemed to sweep off him in waves made an interesting combination. His skin was tan. Not the beach tan one gets from going on vacation, but the pure, dark, Egyptian tan. Slightly muscled arms ended in long, graceful fingers. Power seemed to be draped around him like the cloak he wore, but Remus knew instantly this man was not one to abuse this power. This would be the type of man to use it to see his people to a better future. Remus had stared, not realizing Harry had rushed off to get his revenge. He had stared at this man who had so suddenly appeared.

At least until the strange man slipped and fell.

Quickly, Remus rushed forward to help. As he came closer, he noticed a few things. The first was that the man was twitching as if in a nightmare. The second was that he was muttering under his breath in a foreign language that seemed somehow familiar. The last was that now Remus was closer, and the man was unconscious, he seemed much younger. His posture, face, and the general attitude he radiated had made him seem much older. Now that he was asleep, it could be seen that his body was young. He couldn't have been more than 17 years old.

The man's face screwed up in pain and he cried out. What was going on? Where was he hurt? Quickly Remus picked him up. He had to get the newcomer to Dumbledore. The headmaster would know what to do. He looked around. Everyone else had followed the fight-and Harry-upstairs. That was where Dumbledore would be.

The Shadows hissed in pleasure as Remus carried their master upstairs. He had truly returned, and now it was time for them to return also.

(Edited and updated Nov. 25th, 2015)