Ascension [A Yu-Gi-Oh! FanFiction]

Epilogue: Name

Before the resurrection of Zorac, Seto had not known true Darkness.

Even the depths of a tomb seemed warm and welcoming compared to the crushing shadows which now drenched the kingdom of Egypt. It had been seared into his mind's eye — the moment when Zorac reached up and smothered the sun with an eclipse made from his own hand. Empowered by the darkness, he went on to smite all three of the Holy Ka, as easily as snuffing out the flame of a candle.

However, it was not just the absence of the sun which swelled Zorac's strength — but the absence of hope. From his vantage atop the highest pylon of the royal palace, Seto could see despair infecting priest and peasant alike, as potent as the venom of an asp, pervading the city of Thebes where it lay cowering before Zorac's impending wrath.

Though Seto had heard legends of the God's might, there were no words on earth which seemed capable of capturing Zorac's vile essence. In his corporeal form, he rose even taller than the Great Pyramid itself, his hulking body painted in scales as dark as the void between stars. Two great wings sprouted from his back, and from his sinuous core stretched out a dragon's head, which spit and spewed fire mercilessly upon the land.

Between white-hot flares of destruction, the only other glimmers to be seen on the horizon were the God's hungry eyes, shining like rubies against the black sky, and flashes of magic as scores of Egypt's finest spellcasters threw themselves at the towering beast, only to be cut down like wheat against the blade of a sickle. Shortly after the defeat of the Holy Gods, the Conclave's dwindling numbers had been reinforced by a battalion of priests from the north — led by the former queen's father and mentor. Bravely, they had covered their Pharaoh's retreat, who had been nearly drained of his ba after the utter destruction of his three most powerful spirit warriors.

Seto had never been so happy to see the priests of Lower Egypt, whom he had once regarded as no better than traitors. But even their selfless courage was proving to be little more than a nuisance to the Lord of Darkness, who reveled mirthfully in slaying their ka, one after another. Seto wanted to weep for them, but his spirit had been whittled to a whisper in his own struggle against Zorac. His heart ached to remember the White Dragon's last stand against the Darkness — Kisara's last stand.

Like so many, she had given her life to preserve what little hope remained in the face of such peril, joining the ever-growing count of casualties: Karim, slain while fleeing Kul Elna; Isis, fallen as she delivered the Millennium Items to safe hands once more; Shimon and Shada, struck down defending their king against Zorac's first advance.

And Aknadin. The man Seto had known as mentor for well over a year — and as father for only a fleeting moment. But it seemed a millennium now since Aknadin had revealed the truth of Seto's lineage — of his royal blood. Cousin to a king, he was — and son of a true traitor. For it was Aknadin's betrayal which had brought about the rebirth of Zorac, and which had almost tempted Seto to turn to darkness as well.

These thoughts stirred a tempest of guilt in his soul as he looked down the length of the parapet, where his king sat hunched on a crate, using his teeth to pull a bandage taut around a deep gash in his arm. Mana stood at his back, blotting another open wound with the edge of her skirt, the white linen drenched and dripping red. It was at that moment Seto began to feel the pains of his own wounds — the dull ache of a broken rib, the throb of deep bruises forming on his knees, the raw chill in his knuckles, skinned nearly to the bone. But whatever pain Seto felt was nothing compared to the desperation which painted itself so clearly on the Pharaoh's face, hollowing his eyes as he was forced to watch the utter ruin of his kingdom.

Suddenly, those eyes turned to Seto, who found himself drowning in their fathomless depths. He watched as thin lips moved, and though he could not hear words over the distant clash of battle, he knew his king had summoned him by name.