DISCLAIMER: Yuugiou/Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters belongs to Takahashi Kazuki.

Since it was my "birthday" last June 9, I was inspired to commemorate it by writing a fanfic. At the same time, I challenged myself to write a short one (which, judging by its length, is a failure, in my opinion). Oh well, I'll try again when I get another chance.

By the way, this oneshot is based on the anime in its original version. So, I'm using Millennium Torque instead of Millennium Necklace (and Millennium Pendant before it shattered and was renamed Millennium Puzzle, by extension). Also, take note that while the Memory World is based on Atem's memories, it's not an exact replica of the actual events three thousand years ago. (It's not just because Kaiba's vision of Priest Set holding Kisara in his arms has two versions. The glimpse of the past Kaiba saw, care of Ishizu Ishtar, is completely inconsistent with what was shown in the Memory World; Set wasn't even possessing the same Millennium Item.) So in the context of fanfiction, Atem's past is pretty open for writing according to one's imagination. Which was what I did.

And another note: Since the setting of ancient Egypt in Yuugiou/Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters is a fictional history of mixed real timelines that clashes with the ancient Egyptians' actual concepts and beliefs and those in contemporary times (and since Takahashi has a different adaptation of ba and ka), the shadow, the soul, the life force and the name are treated as separate aspects here. And due to this fictional history, and also to stay as canon as possible to the Yuugiou universe, Atem seals himself and Zorc using only his personal name.

Last of all, flashbacks are italicized.

Enough said. I hope you'll enjoy! =)

DESTINED

He was unaware of where he was.

Darkness blinded amethyst eyes. A strong sense of foreboding kept seeping through Atem's skin, yet somehow he knew standing in the middle of the unknown had nothing to do with it. It was something else. Something about this darkness, something like… threat. One that he could not ignore. And with this threat that he must overcome, he felt compelled to accomplish something.

Must give up something.

Then despite the omnipresent blackness, grains of gold glittered everywhere, some sinking slowly from above, some falling like heavy mud bricks. Sandaled feet took the wondering pharaoh nearer to let the scintillation drop into an open palm. He studied the gold in his hold, realizing it was a disassembled piece of… He studied the rest of his surroundings. Countless shattered pieces of the Millennium Pendant, the embodiment of a reigning pharaoh's power. In an instant, his glance dropped to himself, finding nothing. His hand flew below his chest. Indeed the Pendant was no longer with him.

For what felt like eternity he wandered, not knowing how long he had been doing so. Not knowing where to go, where he should go. The sand that he paid no notice earlier now felt coarser and coarser against his soles, gathered more and more around his feet as he traversed it. Was he walking barefooted? He could only feel it but never see. Perhaps it was the work of the imagination. The endless descending pieces were his only grasp of reality. Of existence.

Until he saw a brief gleam ahead of him. He wondered, his feet pushing through the sand as they led him straight to the source before he halted. A round copper mirror towered him as though merely waiting for his arrival to pass judgment on him.

But the object reflected none of him.

It confused him. Mirrors symbolized vitality and regeneration. Was he not one among who lived now?

But before he could discern any answer, an unseen power lifted his right arm. Despite not being reflected by the disc of copper, being in its presence enabled him to see himself again, his arm… only to find it stripped of gold. He turned still, then looked at himself, all in his full bare glory. But his confusion about it was quickly erased when he felt something direct his right hand to extend himself to the cold metallic surface. His glance switched to the mirror to see if his reflection registered.

Indeed, there was an image, every feature of his face-to-face with him.

Or so he thought.

To his surprise, he saw his own face less sharp than expected, violet eyes rounded by innocence, skin lighter by tones. The Atem before him was fully clothed, the garments all foreign and wrong for a ruler of Egypt. Add to the fact that despite this strangeness, the Millennium Pendant was shown to be in his possession. It was him but it was not him at the same time.

It was like another self.

A gentler version at that.

The smile of this Atem bore tenderness that stirred the pharaoh from within. He could not explain it but somehow this smile reduced his feeling of being completely alone.

Who was this self?

Atem wanted to know. No, he had to know. Yet even so, the image seemed fragile, as though a mere light touch could crack and shatter it. So slowly, carefully he extended his palm, and so did the boy reflected by copper. As he watched his bare hand make contact with the polished surface…

His chosen priests could not answer him with interpretations.

Isis, even with the power of the Millennium Torque, had foreseen nothing of what he had, no matter how she had repeatedly exhausted herself before the fire in the purest of her concentration. All other Millennium Items, handled to pass judgment on evil before the pharaoh, should not be used on him. Not on a god.

Mahado, his most loyal servant and friend, had knelt before him in shame, with the deepest of apologies. The dream of a currently ruling pharaoh, of a god was beyond the power of the Millennium Items, he had said. Driven by a stronger yet unseen hand that could rule over even the gods themselves.

Atem's eyes narrowed.

What power was this?

"Was it a nightmare then?"

He glanced up.

Mana, who was playfully balancing her weight between her feet, bounced off from the edge of the pond she was standing on. The moment her light body landed before the pharaoh, she peered at his serious expression and blinked. "It is not like you to look this troubled, Ouji. How frightening was your dream last night?"

"It was not frightening." His gaze extended to the pillars at the opposite side of the courtyard. "It was something beyond my comprehension." Still, it was not something he could not share. Atem was pharaoh to his subjects, to his priests; but like Mahado, he and Mana were of the same level as friends. Without any reason to doubt the girl, he left no detail untold.

Mana appeared to be extremely confused by those details at first. But in a moment a look of determination washed away her confusion. "Let me help you with this, Ouji. Do not worry about it!" A magic book materialized before her at her summon, and she carefully flipped through the pages in concentration. "Let us see, there must be a spell here that could help…" Moments passed and each turn of a page grew in speed and later on frantic. "Where is it? Why cannot I find it? Ouji, just give me a few more seconds—!"

"Mahado had tried already. He could not do anything either."

Her fingers trapping an old sheet frozen, the book still suspended in air, Mana blinked again. "Oh? Oshishou-sama already gave up?" Her tool of aid vanished at her will. "But he is the most powerful sorcerer in all of Egypt! There is no existing magic that he could not handle!"

"Mahado admitted to me that this dream was above the power of the Millennium Items. This revelation only heightens its mystery."

"But a reflection of you in those strange clothes and with those strange features?" His friend fell silent then, appearing to search hard for an answer in her head. The creases on her forehead soon increased and much later she was scratching her head in result.

Leaving her for a while, Atem strolled. As he passed along the edge of the pond, he found himself bending a little to see his reflection. And as with any time that he had done so, a pharaoh Atem was all that stared back at him. No changes at all. That dream was…

"Ouji."

Mana's reflection appeared approaching his, and he turned to his side, slightly surprised. Mana usually skipped or practically galloped like a horse to close the distance between them. Now, however, her footsteps were controlled and silent in a rare moment of seriousness. "Mana."

Mana's face had already lost some of its playful expression. "Ouji, I know I do not have a Millennium Item like Isis-sama, and I am not as strong in magic as Oshishou-sama. I do not know what your dream means or how to help you interpret it. But if Isis-sama or Oshishou-sama could not break its secret with the power they have, I just could not help thinking…"

Atem waited.

"…what if it was meant to be understood only by you?"

Screams of terror constantly pierced the air. Everywhere were scattered, unrecognizable ruins. The hot sun of Egypt was lost in layers of darkness that greedily claimed every inch of heaven with its reach.

Atem's breath came in ragged pants, and he fought the urge of his knees to buckle underneath him. Not before this towering embodiment of darkness and evil that promised devastation of everything that lived. Not when Atem was the only remainder of hope in the middle of all the chaos.

Not when only one step remained unfulfilled.

The dark god mocked him for his futile efforts, taunted him for the three illusion gods that had failed the young ruler with their immense power.

He could not defeat this evil. The gods had been overcome, the defeat draining him of his ba.

But he would not break. He refused to break, even though his own body longed to betray him. Not now. So much had already happened. Countless homes had been reduced to useless rubble. Innocent lives had been obliterated without effort. Set had already collapsed to the ground, beaten and powerless, fierce loyalty for his king the only driving force sustaining his life now. Mahado, Isis, Kalim, Shada, Akhenaden—Atem's mind briefly hissed at the last priest—and even Siamun were now dead. The sacrifices of his faithful followers to protect Egypt would not be in vain, he vowed.

And now it was time for his sacrifice.

The sands of time never ceased in motion.

"Mana," he called out to the girl who had just rushed to Set's side, his eyes not leaving the dark nemesis known as Zorc. "Take Set and leave this place."

Mana glanced at him in worry. "But what about you?"

"I must stay here. The great sacrifice needs to be offered to end this."

"Sacrifice?" She looked around their devastated vicinity, confused. "But I do not see any offering anywhere." Her eyes fell on the empty space around Atem, then on him, and they widened in realization of horror. "Ouji, you are not going to—"

"Mahado must have told you before the extent of this sacrifice and its aftermath. You know what is to happen." Atem's voice remained steady.

"You cannot do this!" she protested vehemently. "If you do it, you will—!"

"There is no other way. Now go desert this area."

"No, Ouji! I am staying here with you! I do not care if I d—!"

"Mana!" He turned and pierced her with a glare, his tone steel. "I command you." It was the first instance he became a pharaoh to her, and he knew it would also be the last.

Mana stepped back at his forceful action. "Ouji…" Her eyes watered but she blinked, then swallowed hard and reluctantly nodded.

Atem's glare softened. His friend finally understood. Thank you, Mana. He turned next to Set, his gaze serious.

Set, I'll leave Egypt in your hands.

Set appeared stricken, fully reading the silent message. "Pharaoh…"

Atem stood his ground firmly and closed his eyes. His arms raised themselves to chest level, palms facing each other, his voice low with concentration as it formulated words locked away in the most forbidden of rituals. It was a ritual that could be performed only once by its user. A ritual so deadly, only a divine king had the right and power to do. The ominous chant commenced just above a whisper, then gradually grew louder, stronger, until all of Egypt could hear its echoes. His lean body heated madly, holding tightly on to what little amount of ba he still retained. Extracting and mustering all of what remained of his power—from his body, his shadow, his life force, his soul. And now…

His name.

The key to strengthen the act of sealing to its fullest.

"By the highest power of the last ruling god…"

Name—the bearer of one's power. As pharaoh, he bore the title of a god. The power of a god. As he who ruled over the three illusion gods, using it against the threatening dark god was the only way to guarantee the safety of the entire world.

Set's eyes widened with horror. "Do not do it, Pharaoh!" He struggled to rush to his king but collapsed instead. Mana picked up his arm over her bare shoulders. "There must be another way to stop him!"

"To bind the great evil and the soul of the pharaoh to my will…"

Name—the key to one's existence. The solid foundation of memories, both good and bad. But very soon that foundation would crumble, collapsing everything built on it to a heap of unrecognizable pieces.

In cruel reality, it was a double sacrifice, a rather one-sided situation on the performer's behalf. The ritual was invisible scales, seeking balance regardless of the weight of the chosen action—to bind a powerful entity, an equally strong one must be given up as well to the same fate. But without the name to effect the actual sealing, the imprisonment would be weak and futile.

Mana's eyes grew wide as well. "Ouji!" she cried, then turned to the fallen priest, tugging him. "Set-sama, we have to get out of here now!"

Set resisted the help and words of Mahado's apprentice. "No, Pharaoh! I am not leaving your side! May the gods punish me should I abandon you now!"

"Set-sama, please listen to me! I do not want to leave Ouji either!" Tears began spilling from Mana's big eyes as she choked back a sob. "But we cannot help him anymore! Ouji wants us to be still unharmed after what he is going to do! I do not want him to worry when he leaves us!"

"To seal both existences into the confinement of the Power that hangs around me…"

The Millennium Pendant began to shake in response, the land beneath Atem's sandaled feet trembling, and at the back of his heart he could only pray that Set would listen to Mana and flee with her far away to live. The final step was almost complete. Once the key word would escape his lips, everything would be over. He was aware, yet had already accepted, that the future meant more than darkness and solitude, more than just death. The only future that awaited him was one that had no actual existence at all. His life passed before his eyes, memories—of playing with Mana, of Mahado kneeling in servitude before him, of his father standing by his side and of everything else—flashing in succession. And he knew he would see nothing afterward, right before his soul would depart from his body. It must be the will of Shai, the god who held the course of his life and of his people. Raising forth his right hand, he prepared himself for his very final words and his eyes snapped open. "I sacrifice—!"

But instead of nothingness or even the looming darkness, they saw his own reflection hovering before him, its left hand extended to meet his own.

The sands of time stopped moving.

Atem's tired body froze, eyes fixated at the illuminating figure of himself before widening in shock.

He knew he had seen this scene before.

It was himself with that gentle face, those round childlike orbs, those strange dark clothes that clung to his petite form. His other self. Why was he witnessing this image now? Surely, this could be just a fragment of his imagination, of a dream that would soon be erased from him. A final chance to view a fleeting memory.

But when his foot stepped forth, his image neared as well. Atem felt the need to touch this reflection right before he would die. He ventured his hand to meet the illusion's own…

He felt warm skin.

And it stunned him. Even more so when the fingers of the image clasped the back of the pharaoh's hand, and the familiar wave of reassurance washed over him. This had been the message shown by the god of destiny before, and it was still the same message he received now. His gaze fell on the Millennium Pendant around the reflection's neck, very safe, very whole. Would you be the one to rebuild me and my power?

This mirage was an existence. Real. If this was the future that awaited him…

His reflected self smiled encouragingly, then nodded.

Atem's fingers clasped his reflection's hand in return.

Then I believe in this future. This young man was his future, and he would see him again.

The image dissolved into grains of light, dispersing before his view until they literally faded away.

The sands of time resumed.

Yes. He believed and would continue to believe no matter how much of the sands he had to get through to reach it.

"I sacrifice the name of the son of Akhenamkhanen. I sacrifice the name of the Son of Ra, the name of Atem!"

The tremors of the ground intensified even more, yet the pharaoh remained unshaken from his spot. Likewise, the Millennium Pendant rocked violently by itself, threatening to reach its breaking point at any moment. Ominously strong winds coursed through the devastated land, howling wildly as though completely enraged. Amidst the distant cries of Mana somewhere, blinding light that shot out from the Eye of Horus blanketed everything but not before Atem witnessed chains of power imprison the struggling evil being. The pharaoh felt himself being bound as well at the same time, not physically but like his inner side was being choked by a great force.

"May the Pendant around my neck break apart to lock away the secret of the key of sealing from all generations of life!"

The chains pulled and pulled, drawing Zorc closer and closer, despite his endless string of curses. His monstrous form, overcome by the immense binding power, dematerialized into a shapeless mass of black.

"May the name Atem that commits to the sealing be wiped out from every tablet and wall, be erased from all records of history!"

The winds grew stronger, the earth forming extensive cracks in all directions now as the dark god was finally sucked into the Eye. The Egyptian ruler, on the other hand, made no move to struggle against his own chains, against all that was violently occurring. He felt himself being ripped from his material form, being pulled straight into the Eye.

"Pharaoh!" Set yelled out fiercely to him, his voice distant yet loud enough the reach Atem. "Egypt will not forget your great sacrifice! I swear this upon my life and my honor, before all the gods that bless and curse this nation!"

The pharaoh glanced in the direction of the source of the strong vow, then at his body one final time, as the last contact between it and him was lost. The light in those royal amethyst eyes dissipated as his now soulless frame collapsed, in ever slow motion, on its back. He allowed himself to be led to his prison.

But even in his surrender, he would never forget the future to whom he would owe everything.

When I meet you...

The future he would now cling to so tightly that he swore an eternal oath.

I will protect you, not only with my power...

He passed through the eye gate to a different dimension external to the physical realm.

...but with my life.

Overwhelming darkness awaited him.

But until then…

The moment he entered, he felt a distant yet striking disturbance snap outside the endless bounds.

I will be waiting for you.

The Millennium Pendant had already shattered.

- The End

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