A/N: First of all, I apologise profusely for the delay in this chapter. Yes, I had started it before I posted the last one, as I claimed. I then had a nice thick block set in. That, coupled with the need for research and writing fics for the Yaoicon Fiction Anthology and Fiction Contest, led to the afore-mentioned delay. So I apologise muchly for that. There is further reason for the delay, and there is a link to said reason in my profile (I recommend you read this first chapter though). It's the link under 'Important Announcement'.

Also, the 'Judgement of the Heart' scene in this chapter is vastly, vastly shorter than is detailed in the Papyrus of Ani and The Theban Recession, which together compile The Book of Going Forth By Day ('The Book of the Dead'). I have simply kept in enough for authenticity, since I don't suppose you'd want to struggle through 30,000+ words of translated scripts.

All translations (mostly terms spoken to the netjeru and prayers) are by Dr Raymond Falconer, taken from The Egyptian Book of the Dead by Dr Ogden Goelet. As ever, if you want more info, I'm only an email away!

Also, please note – this is set 20 years after the last chapter. Hence why it is an epilogue. This is stated in the writing, but that's just in case you miss it.

"So I'm really dead?"

Anubis, stood at the bow of the ark, nodded his confirmation. "Your ka left your body not long after the moon peaked," he stated. "You will be found in the morning."

The former High Priest Set Nebkheprure sat silently for a moment, digesting this information. It certainly wasn't the sort of news you heard every day of your life, after all. "And we're journeying west right now, then?"

Anubis nodded again, still steering the ark through the sky. He'd been through this discussion countless times before, and barely even had to think about his answers. "We will reach the Hall of Judgement shortly, where your heart will be weighed against the feather of Ma'at. I'm sure a man of your stature knows what comes after that."

Set nodded softly, leaning over to look down on Kemet from the ark. It was amazing how different his country looked from the air – even the great pyramids on the Saqqara plainslooked somehow unlike what he was used to. From on the ground, they were just… well, to the untrained eye, they were just immense buildings. From above, though, there was something far more alluring about them. It was like you had to be above them, to see them as the netjeru did, to appreciate their true splendour.

The Nile, too, looked far more awesome from here. It was incredible just how vast an expanse of land it crossed. The gentle shimmer the moon's light provided it with meant it could be picked out as far away as the horizon, wending like a gigantic iridescent serpent through the desert. At one end, he could just pick out where it flowed into the sea, while at the other it split, before disappearing into the mountains.

Had he have been in a more positive mood, Set might have remarked on the beauty of the landscape by night. He might have deigned to ask questions of it, or even to ask the world at large what lay beyond Kemet's borders. As it was, despite these questions crossing his mind, Set merely acknowledged the view with a soft huff.

Truth be told, he wasn't feeling particularly positive. It was something of a difficult mood to achieve when you were safe in the knowledge that your soul was about to be devoured by Ammut.

Sighing, Set leaned back against the rear of the ark, turning his head so he could gaze across the landscape once more. If he was to be damned for all eternity, he may as well take some nice memories with him.

"He's right…" Yugi whispered softly, squeezing Yami's hand lightly in the hope of soothing him. "If you take your own life, you'll never pass the weighing of the heart. For you to come with me…" Yugi gave a small, regretful sigh again. "Someone else must damn themselves."

"We're here."

Set didn't need to ask where 'here' was – after all, the ark only led to one place. Without a word, he stepped off the ship and onto the awaiting stone steps. "And now?" he enquired, turning to face Anubis with a questioning look.

"Up those steps, you will meet the Gods of the Tribunal," he answered. "Before them, you must declare your innocence of each sin. You will then go on to have your heart weighed by Thoth, where-"

"It will be decided if I journey to the afterlife or my soul is fed to Ammut," Set finished for him. "Yes, I remember that part," he added dryly.

Truth be told, it had weighed on Set's mind almost every day since he'd been made Pharaoh. He may have been forgiven for allowing Seth to take control of his body, but how could he be forgiven for murdering the Pharaoh? It was among the greatest of sins, and even Yugi had said that whoever did it would be damning themselves. No matter what he did to atone for it, no matter how much penance he paid and prayer he offered, the guilt was still there. It weighed heavily on his heart, and he was sure it could only tip the scales one way.

Every day for the last twenty years, Set had woken to the prospect of his soul being fed to Ammut. Every night, before he slept, it preoccupied his mind. In a way, he supposed, it would be a relief. No longer technically existing had to be preferable to existing with that sort of suffering.

Kneeling before Anubis and bowing down, touching his forehead to the floor, Set stood and bid him farewell before turning and beginning to ascend the stairs. He knew what was coming: a vast hall, where forty-two gods awaited his declaration of innocence, leading to the scales where his fate for the rest of eternity would be decided.

'Fantastic,' he mentally grumbled. 'It just delays the inevitable. I already know what's coming, so why not just let me pass by and get it over with?'

It wasn't long at all before he reached the top of the steps, and as he raised his head to look into the hall, he froze, awestruck. The hall was… well, 'magnificent' didn't cover it. It wasn't gilt. It wasn't inlaid with diamonds or rubies or sapphires. It was vast, there was no denying that, but that alone didn't account for the impression it left. It was perhaps the intricately carved glyphs on the walls, or the ornate architecture, with towering pillars wrought with elaborate artwork that put even the finest temples to shame. Or maybe it was just the way the entire structure seemed to radiate its own soft light, like a halo.

Whatever it was, even the High Priest immediately felt humbled by it. Perhaps that was the aim.

Bowing his head again, Set walked a little less confidently than usual into the hall, not raising his eyes again until he felt the presence of the first god before him. Looking up, he swallowed thickly as he saw Re.

Drawing in a deep breath, meeting the god's gaze directly and immediately feeling a chill run through him at the awesome power he radiated, Set began to speak, his voice somewhat hoarse. "Oh Wide-Strider, who came forth from Per-Re," he began. "I have not done wrong."

This done, he knelt down before Re, touching his head to the floor, and stood and moved on to the next deity. This time, it was Atum who towered before him, a stern look on his face as he awaited the High Priest's testimony.

"Oh Fire-embracer, who came forth from Kheraha, I have not robbed."

Again, he bowed down, before moving on to the next god – Thoth. Set couldn't help swallowing another lump in his throat, knowing that he now stood before the god who would later decide his fate.

"Oh Nosey, (1) who came forth from Khemenu, I have not stolen."

Again, Set bowed and moved on. He completed this task before all forty-two deities, refuting various sins before each – knowing several to be untrue, particularly if he included his time under Seth's power – until he finally came to the Scales of Judgement. There, waiting for him, stood Thoth, with the feather of Ma'at in his hand. The Great Ennead – Hu, Hathor, Horus, Isis, Nut, Geb, Tefnut, Shu, Atum and Re – sat to the side, observing the trial, and further along sat Osiris, with Ammut by his side.

Thoth stepped forward to Set, one hand raised in front of his chest, and looked down on him sternly. "You, Set Nebkheprure, are now to be judged in the presence of Ma'at, of Thoth, of the Great Ennead and of Lord Osiris. Your heart shall be weighed against the Feather of Ma'at on the Scales of Judgement, where we shall see if your heart is true. If the scales balance, you will be permitted to proceed to Sekhet-Hetepet, where you shall roam with the netjeru for eternity. However, should the scales tip, your soul will be fed to Ammut the Devourer and your body cast down into Duat. Do you understand?"

Set acknowledged this with a simple nod, before closing his eyes. He didn't particularly want to see what was coming.

Without a further word, Thoth reached into Set's chest, his hand passing through his body as though it were a spectral illusion, and calmly plucked his still-beating heart out from his chest, removing it painlessly from the High Priest before returning to the Scales. There, he set the heart down on one side, Ma'at's feather on the other, and stepped back to await the result.

Caught in a last moment of desperation, Set found himself furiously whispering a final prayer, pleading that he might be spared.

"Oh my heart which I had from my mother, oh my heart of my different ages, do not stand up as a witness against me, do not be opposed to me in the tribunal, do not be hostile to me in the presence of Ma'at, for you are the ka which was in my body, the protector who made my members hale. Go forth to the happy place whereto we speed; do not make my name-"

Suddenly, a much friendlier voice cut Set off, a voice he recognised well. "You're wasting your time, you know."

The High Priest's eyes shot open wide. 'Yugi!'

Looking up, startled, Set's jaw dropped as he saw Yugi stood by the scales, smiling at him. "Yugi… you're…"

Set raised a trembling hand – trembling in shock, more than anything else – and pointed shakily at the plate the feather was rested on. "You're… the scales…"

Yugi looked down at the scales, and grinned widely again. Standing there as if it were the most normal thing in the world, Yugi had the tip of one finger poised gracefully on the same side of the balance as the feather, intentionally keeping the two level. "Oh, you mean that?" he asked, gesturing vaguely with his other hand and giving the priest a coy wink. "Well, you know…"

Seeing Set's complete lack of understanding, Yugi's smile wavered a little. "Let's say I pulled a few strings, and nothing more," he explained in an almost conspiratorial tone. "They're willing to overlook my intervention, but they can't if we don't let it drop – you follow?"

Before Set could answer, Thoth cleared his throat loudly, indicating that he'd like to continue the ceremony. Turning to face the Great Ennead, Thoth spread his arms in a wide gesture. "Hear this word of truth. I have judged the heart of the deceased, and his soul stands as a witness for him. His deeds are righteous in the great balance, and no sin has been found in him. He did not diminish the offerings in the temples, he did not destroy what had been made, he did not go about with deceitful speech while he was on earth."

As the other members of the Ennead nodded their acknowledgement of this statement, Horus stood to speak. He was cut off, though, as Yugi grabbed Set's arm. "Which means Ammut can't have him, he can go with us, nothing to fear – he knows this part, so can we please hurry on?"

Before any of the other deities could object, Yugi was dragging the stunned priest away with a small laugh, past Osiris and off to the doors in the distance which led to the afterlife.

The lord of the underworld sighed heavily, leaning back in his throne and pinching the bridge of his nose. "Horus," he groaned in a laboured voice. "He did that with the Pharaoh, and he did it with Set too. If you can't keep my grandson under control, I'll not be held responsible for my actions."

Beyond the doors, the former High Priest's eyes widened a little as he took in the world he'd been led to. "It's… It's just like Kemet…" he breathed softly, gazing up and down the length of what appeared to be a farm on a bank of the Nile.

"Almost," Yugi smiled. "It's better. We all have our same roles as on Earth, but life is easier. There's no pressures, no worries, and if you can't do the job for any reason, the shabti buried with you can do it instead. It's just…" Yugi turned his gaze up to face the priest. "It's nice…"

"So… you are still the Pharaoh's slave?"

Yugi blushed at this question. "I… guess you could put it that way," he admitted somewhat nervously, flapping a little with his hand.

"And I am to be his Priest?"

Yugi nodded at this, cheeks still aflame. "Perhaps not with exactly the tasks as in Kemet, but yes, that will be your official role."

"Then where is my Pharaoh?"

"Here."

Jumping a little at the voice that suddenly came from behind him, Set spun round and broke out into a wide grin as he finally set eyes on his Lord for the first time in twenty years, a sight he never thought he'd have the honour of seeing again. Yami no longer wore his crown, but the white tunic and red cape remained, as did all his other jewellery. He also still had that same strong but friendly glint in his eyes as he regarded his friend. "Good to see you again, Set."

The High Priest, unsure of exactly how he should react, managed to extend a hand to his lord, the same wide grin still stuck on his face. "Good to see you too, my Pharaoh."

"If you two are done," Yugi said as they shook hands. "I think we have to show Set round the place. There's a lot he needs to pick up."

Yami laughed softly at Yugi's attempt at showing authority, pulling him into a hug and pressing his face against his chest, ignoring the muffled indignant squawk the boy made as he tried to struggle free. "What's the rush, love?" he asked softly, ducking his head to one side with a chuckle as the boy swung an arm wildly. "You should know best of all…"

The pharaoh favoured Set a small smile. "We've got all the time in the world."

End

(1) This is the translation given in the book. I can only assume it's meant in the least insulting way possible!

A/N: And there it is! The culmination of well over a year's work. It's almost like saying goodbye to an old friend, seeing it finished… but it had to happen, right?

To everyone, whether you've reviewed once or every single chapter, I thank you all for your support, and hope to see you in the future. I also hope it was as much fun to read as it was to write, because believe me – it's been a blast!