Coalescence

24) Warnings

Summary: Seto is warned of stuff by Isis; Yami is warned of stuff by the Dark Sage.

Seto Kaiba, upon arriving at his office after school, threw himself into his work, seeking to effectively distract himself from any thoughts about his lover... and his lover's light half. Letting his mind be absorbed in piles of marketing statistics and financial statements was an escape he welcomed, and one his agile mind could well handle.

Mokuba had followed him into his office, wanting to be near his brother, though he recognized that Seto was not in the mood for chatting, so he busied himself quietly with a magazine, lying on his stomach on the couch in the office. Every once in a while he glanced over to where his brother was feverishly working. [Seto works too hard... I wonder if something's wrong...]

The phone rang. Seto, his eyes never leaving his computer screen, picked it up as Mokuba watched. "What is it?" he inquired of his secretary, as it was his business line, not his private one. He listened, then grimaced. "Put her on."

"Konban wa, Seto-san," Isis Ishtahr greeted him pleasantly.

Seto had been expecting her call... just not so soon. "Konban wa. What can I do for you, Ishtahr-san?"

"We did not finish our discussion of the other day," Isis explained. "I must speak again with you promptly."

"Just me? Or will Yugi be there, too?" Seto asked, feeling his heart lighten at the thought that he might get to see Yami.

"Just you. Actually, if it's more convenient, I can meet you in your office. My car... is in the area."

"What else did we need to talk about?" Seto asked, frowning.

"Rare Card Hunters," Isis replied. "And the grave, deadly danger they represent."

Seto did not reply right away, but took out from the inside pocket of his jacket the four cards she'd given him. [Obelisk the Tormentor... they'd be after this card for sure. Why DID she give this to me? Oh, well, I might as well get the full story.] The other cards appeared the same: Bond of the Protectors, and the two blank cards. [Two of Yami's new cards have already changed...] "Very well," he responded to her finally. "I'll have you escorted to my office."

"Thank you."

After making another call to his security manager, Seto glanced up to see his brother standing at the edge of his desk, looking at him intently... wistfully. "Mokuba," he said with a sigh, "we're about to have company." He told him briefly of his previous visit to the museum with Yugi, leaving out about the three new cards she'd given him, and the details of the stone tablet that indicated he'd had a previous life in Egypt.

The mention of God cards made Mokuba's eyes grow as big as saucers. "God cards! Wow, nii-sama, those would make you unstoppable - you'll be world champion again!"

Seto blinked at his little brother's shining eyes for a moment. [I craved just that so recently, and I still itch for it, but that lust is tempered by another... and not just a sexual lust. I hunger to bask in the sheer magnitude of the Pharoah's presence... my beloved Yami. But just as I must control my natural urges to accumulate power for the sake of the larger picture, I must also contain my need for him... for the same reason. Isis did not give me Obelisk just to build up my deck. There's more to all of this... and I doubt that I'm going to like it...]

"Mokuba," he said gently, touching his brother's shoulder, "I don't think this is just about gaining rare, powerful cards. Isis has indicated that two of the God cards have been stolen by a group calling themselves Rare Card Hunters. I think she's going to warn me that they could be after my own rare card collection."

Fifteen minutes later, the lovely young Egyptian archaeologist was standing before Seto's desk. Pleasantries had already been taken care of, including introducing her to Mokuba. "Seto-san," Isis murmured, "I apologize for ending your previous visit to the exhibit so abruptly. I have a personal stake in this matter as well. But more importantly, I did not yet explain why I gave you Obelisk the Tormentor. No matter what destiny you follow now, the situation is still critical."

"You mean these Rare Card Hunters," Seto broke in, frowning. "They're after Obelisk and probably my own rare card collection, is that it? You've come to warn me?"

Isis blinked, but was not deterred by the young executive's obvious impatience. "If only it were that simple... if only it were indeed a matter of a warning which you could heed by increasing your own security. But there are dangers afoot of which you know nothing... and I will tell you that your life and the life of Yugi Mutou are likely also in danger. Indeed, the safety of the entire world is at stake, Mr. Kaiba!"

Seto's frown deepened as he noted that she'd dropped the more casual address, switching to a formal Western one. "How can Rare Card Hunters affect the entire world? Surely you're exaggerating... Miss Ishtahr!"

Abruptly there was a flash from her Millennium Torc. "Do not belittle the powers that are afoot, Mr. Kaiba! You have, I believe, witnessed the powerful magic that is contained in the Millennium Puzzle that Yugi Mutou possesses... as well as in the Millennium Eye that Pegasus possessed! And in my Millennium Torc which has shown you visions of the past!"

Seto grimaced at the unwelcome reminder of when Pegasus had trapped Mokuba and himself in cards, or so it had seemed. Obviously it was some sort of brainwashing, hypnosis, and not any sort of magic. The Puzzle, on the other hand...

He could not deny the powers of the Puzzle. Seto had come to accept that Yugi and Yami were separate persons, and that Yami's spirit was trapped in the Puzzle, empowered through that Millennium Item to be able to manifest himself through his host, Yugi. That was no trick of hypnosis; Yami was not an alter-ego of Yugi, despite how they referred to each other as "dark half" or "light half". Yugi Mutou did not have a multiple personality disorder. Yami was real, alive... the living spirit of an ancient Pharoah of Egypt. While Seto's keen scientific mind struggled with the concept, his heart and soul *believed*...

[I believe... in Yami... in Tutmeryamun...] Seto mused, clenching a fist protectively over his chest as he bowed his head, closing his eyes for a moment. [She spoke before of a prophecy...]

He recalled her words: "The prophecy states that when all seven Millennium Items are gathered as well as these three God cards, they will unlock the Pharoah's memory and he will then be able to seal away again the dangerous magic that is threatening to be unleashed upon the world in this time." [It's why Yami has come to this time... I don't understand about the past, but if this is all true... if there is terrible magic about to unleashed in this time and Yami is here to stop it... then I must help him at all costs... for the love I bear him...]

He thought, too, of the strange new cards... and Yami's vision of the Bond of the Gods ritual and the prospect of the Dark Manifestation card. [It's real - the magic is all real! Kami-sama, but I can scarcely believe it! But it has to be... there is no other explanation.] Seto opened his eyes and withdrew the Bond of the Protectors card from the inner pocket of his jacket. [This card... somehow I think this is critical to the matter about which she speaks... a bond between Yami and myself? Between... between Set and Osiris? No, not that... the future is changed... that could never be... it's something else, then...]

Isis had waited patiently, seeing that the young man before her was struggling with what she'd told him. When he removed the new magic card from his jacket, she gave a start, wondering what he was thinking. [That card! Why is the Scepter on that card? What does it all mean? And he cannot even tell me...]

Seto glanced down at his brother finally; Mokuba had been watching him avidly, fear evident in his eyes. "Mokuba," he spoke gently, "do you believe in magic?"

"N...nii-sama," Mokuba breathed, the memory of the horror of his soul being locked away in a card all too fresh. "Y...yes." The boy looked at the woman, folding his hands into fists. "I saw magic with my own eyes, Ishtahr-sama. w anw an evil thing that claimed to be my brother, but Yugi defeated it and sent the dark spirit back to... wherever dark spirits go. I saw him do it!"

"The Shadow Realm," Isis murmured. "Yes, the Millennium Puzzle grants him the power to lock a spirit away in that dark place. All of the Millennium Items have various powers that effect the mind, heart, or soul. There are other... dark spirits... still afoot." She turned to Seto. "So, you believe me, Mr. Kaiba? You are ready to hear what needs to be done?"

"You told me; the Millennium Items and the three God cards will unlock the Pharoah's memory and he will seal away the evil powers forever. Or so you say. I confess I still have trouble believing in all this. But... it must be so." Seto shook his head, wondering.

"Pharoah?" Mokuba asked, bewildered.

"I'll explain later, Mokuba," Seto murmured, sighing. "Yes, Ishtahr-san, I don't know if I believe everything, but... do continue. What must be done?"

She sighed, relaxing a little. "The other two God cards were stolen and are in the hands of the Rare Hunters. In order to retrieve them, there must be a way to attract the Rare Hunters... here. Although I believe the exhibition will draw them here as well. Nevertheless, I believe you hold the key to retrieving the God cards."

Seto gasped. "You mean, host a tournament! Even better yet, if rare cards are prizes, then they will certainly come to try to see what they can salvage." He drew out Obelisk with a flourish. "And they will want this."

"Precisely, Mr. Kaiba," Isis responded. "I see you do understand me."

"I understand dueling... and rare cards," Seto snapped. "I will host a tournament here in Domino City."

"Very good... Mr. Kaiba," Isis murmured, then quietly took her leave of them.


Yami returned to the innermost chamber of his soul room, where Dark Magician met him silently. "I must talk to the Sage again," he said to his most loyal servant.

Dark Magician bowed reverently. A moment later, Time Magician appeared to effect the transformation of the wizard into his more ancient self.

A few moments later, Yami stood again in the Crypt of Osiris. He turned around to face the Dark Sage. "I did as you asked," he said breathlessly. "Now, tell me the rest... about the High Priest. And the other cards..."

The Dark Sage looked down at him with a measuring gaze. "I may not speak of those at this time."

Yami frowned, biting his lip with frustration. "You told me to come see you again!"

"I did, my Pharoah." The ancient wizard bowed deeply, then straightened to explain. "I will tell you how to bring out the High Priest who is to perform the Bond of the Gods Ritual. But first, a warning."

"A warning?" Yami echoed, a strong note of consternation in his voice. [This ancient mage is so difficult to talk to,] he thought, remembering his first encounter with the Dark Sage. [He talks in riddles...]

"A warning," the Dark Sage echoed back. "Your second warning... that dark forces are about to descend upon you, Pharoah. You know this already."

"I do?" Then Yami remembered and nearly smacked himself for forgetting. [Here I thought we had all the time in the world... but in fact the Puzzle has already been in peril! We forgot completely about Bandit Keith stealing the Puzzle... worse, a Bandit Keith who seemed to be possessed by another spirit! I wonder - could it be another like me? Another wielder of a Millennium Item?]

Aloud he said, "The dark force which possessed Bandit Keith. This is what threatens us still, you mean?"

The mage nodded gravely. "That mind controller will return... soon. Your defenses are significant, my Pharoah, but not invincible. The Rituals will counter the threat now posed to you."

"Rituals..." Yami breathed. [That's right, there are three new Ritual Cards: Bond of the Gods, Bond of the Protectors... and the third blank one that Seto holds,] he mused, remembering. "All three Rituals must be completed in order to defeat this threat?"

Dark Sage held up his hand. "Not like you think. There will be new confrontations taking place very soon. The Bond of the Gods and the Bond of the Protectors must be completed before these confrontations turn deadly, which they will without this powerful shielding that the Bonds will provide. The final Ritual must only be completed before... the end."

"The end of what?" Yami asked, unthinking.

"The end of the bridge between the Living World and the Shadow Realm, of course," Dark Sage murmured. "The end of the danger of the evil magic. When magic no more will threaten the world, save the magic reserved at the end which will bind the seal on the evil forever, never to be endangered again. The final Ritual will set the stage to create that seal. It will also, as you might guess, involve the return of your memory."

"But are these Rituals critical? Are they the only hope, then?" Yami wanted to know. [If Yugi cannot agree to the Bond of the Gods, the rest cannot follow... and I can still get my memory back if I have all three God cards and the Millennium Items...]

"No... but it will be highly dangerous," the wizard explained solemnly. "There is a strong chance that minds will be shattered... souls trapped... and lives will be lost."

[Which we cannot risk,] Yami fretted. "The danger is not only to myself or Yugi, I assume..."

"Many whom you know will be affected," Dark Sage replied, nodding. "All those whom you and your hikari hold dear."

Yami sighed deeply, bowing his head as he contemplated the wizard's words. [I don't want to risk anyone... least of all Yugi... but neither can I force him to enter into the Ritual against his will. I would rather he choose it freely... not because of this danger. That would create trouble much later between us, I fear. So for now I will tell him nothing. I only hope he can let his heart open wider to accept Seto into his life... and accept this Bond with me...]

To his wonder as he glanced up, the Dark Sage was peering at him shrewdly. "You know well not to underestimate the strength in your light half, my Pharoah. He has strength of heart to surpass yours. Your heart is mighty, my liege, but your greatest strength lies in your will and your spirit. You trust in the Heart of your Cards... so also trust in the Heart of your Light."

[Yes, Yugi's heart is very strong,] Yami considered, understanding at last. [My will is mighty... and I have a spirit strong enough even to withstand the darkness of the Shadow Realm. But Yugi's magic is in his love... yes, I must not forget that...] Straightening, he closed his hands into fists. "I understand what you are telling me, Sage. I will trust in the Heart of my Light. Now... tell me how to bring out thgh Pgh Priest for the Bonds of the Gods Ritual..."

The Dark Sage bowed again reverently and began to explain.


(tbc)