https://youtu.be/ZbjK52EkzEE

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"Okay, this is a whole ass mess and I don't know what to do." You confessed, "I tried summoning the Leviathan, but I don't want to be Dartz and selfishly use it. I want to help Yami, but I really can't do shit. I literally don't know anything about this whole thing, I woke up in this cave with people screaming at me."

"....so pretty much your average day if you didn't have memory loss?" Hermos joked and got elbowed by Critias.

"Is that why I don't understand anything? Cause of my damn memory loss?" You asked,

"Not quite," Timaeus answered, "This whole situation has context that not even the Pharaoh is aware of."

"Cause he has memory loss." You nodded,

"Not exactly." Timaeus shook his head, "Even with his memories, the Pharaoh doesn't know the full context."

".....so is it dad?" You referred to Akhenamkhanen. "Does he know this whole thing?"

"Yes. He did...indirectly...start this whole thing." Hermos confirmed,

Suddenly, you remembered what Bakura had said when he was at the Throne Room,

"Have you ever heard the name of the village of Kul Elna? That village is now a ruin, but a secret shrine is hidden there....and in that shrine is a tablet of the afterworld. The one who places all seven Millennium Items in that stone tablet will be given the power of the shadows by the evil God Zorc Necrophades!"

"....and I assume this has to do with Zorc and the village of Kul Elna?" You watched the knights tense at this, "...you know something, don't you? What even is Zorc?"

"Zorc is filled with nothing but evil and cruelty. It sent the Pharaoh through hell and back last time." Critias answered,

"...and I guess it was so bad, he had to seal Zorc with him in the Millennium Puzzle?" You asked and watched Critias nod,

"Yes. The Millennium Items give it full power, it's the consequence for Great Pharaoh Akhenamkhanen's decision on using the Millennium Items."

"....why did he even use these items in the first place?" You were developing a headache, your hand gently massaged your head, "If there's such a bad cost, why use them in the first place?"

"Great Pharaoh Akhenamkhanen had to use the Millennium Items to protect Egypt from a great invasion that aimed for a book known as the Millenium Tome. That book has been passed down by the high priests since ancient times. That book has the power to bring armies on their knees with its magical power. These magical powers are acquired through a ceremony that creates seven items, each item would grant mysterious powers." Timaeus explained,

"...thus the Seven Millenium Items.." You connected the dots,

"Exactly," Timaeus confirms, "Great Pharaoh Akhenamkhanen had only seven days to make the decision, as the invasion was arriving quite soon. He had no choice but to proceed with the ceremonies performed by his brother, High Priest Akhenaden."

"Who is High Priest Seto's father." Hermos slyly added while glancing at Critias,

"....wait." You paused and stared at Hermos with wide eyes, "...you mean to tell me Seto and Yami are cousins?!"

"Yeah." Hermos smirked,

"....pause." Your mouth gaped open, ".....hold on....hold hold..." You made even more dots connect, "...Yugi and Yami look awfully similar, right?"

"Because Yugi is the Pharaoh's reincarnation, yes." Timaeus answered with a small smirk, "And so is High Priest Seto with the present Seto Kaiba."

"....so they're cousins too?!" You gasped and watched the three knights nod, "...damn...so the tournaments Kaiba has hosted are pretty much resulted from family drama then?"

"...yeah...pretty much." Hermos answers,

"We're going off-topic." Critias informed, "Anyways, aside from the family business, High Priest Akhenaden performed the rituals in the village of Kul Elna."

"...where Bakura is heading.." You muttered, "But how did Bakura even know of this whole thing?"

"Because he witnessed it. He's from the village Kul Elna." Critias answered,

".....oh..." You tensed at this new information, "...this....turned dark real quick."

"Seven days after the ritual, the armies came for the invasion. They were all destroyed under the power of the Millennium Items."

"And that's how they were born....with Zorc up their ass." You frowned and took a deep breath, "Alright...let's do this then. Timaeus," You looked at the blue knight, "I want you to go and find Yami for me. I don't know what happened in the battle between him and Bakura, but be there to aide him if he needs anything. Let me know when you find him."

"Yes." Timaeus nodded,

"Critias," You looked at the black knight, "I want you to find the village of Kul Elna. Once you find it, come back here and take me there."

"...yes." Critias nodded,

"Hermos," You looked at the red knight, "I want you to meet up with the High Priests and see what their plans are. Let me know of their plans so we can coordinate."

"Yes." Hermos nodded,

"Alright then, scatter." You commanded as the three knights glowed up and quickly leave the cave, as they transformed to their dragon forms and scattered to do their duties.

You sat alone in the cave to think about this whole entire thing. Bakura could've been literally a kid, and he had to witness genocide and a ritual from his own village.

That....explains a lot about his character. You mentally noted with an eyebrow raised at Bakura's behavior throughout not only this whole situation but even when he was in the present world. There was always something about Bakura that screamed more than his horrible mental state. It also explains why Bakura is so keen on getting these Millennium Items to resurrect Zorc, it's all for revenge.

"...i'm worried for him.." You nervously rubbed your hands, thinking about what happened between Yami and Bakura. Sure, you were confident in his abilities and you trust his judgment, but not Bakura. He's seen way too much as an average civilian. You nervously paced in silence in hopes to hear at least from one of the three dragons you sent. These thoughts were blessed when you were interrupted by the Seal of Orichalcos appearing before you, but the color soon changed from neon green to black.

"My Queen," You heard Critias from the Seal, "It's Critias. I've found the Village of Kul Elna."

"You did?" You perked up,

"Yes. I am on my way to take you there." Critias confirmed with the black Seal fading from view. You stared at the dissipating Seal and bolted out of the cave. You waited next to your horse, feeling a little bit bad that you're leaving your horse like this. You took off the leash from the rock and faced your horse to look at you,

"I need you to find someone who looks like the Pharaoh." You instructed, "Find him and be with him until I get back." You gave the horse a slap on the back and watched it take off into the desert in the direction of the kingdom. Right as the horse took off, you noticed a familiar black dragon quickly fly over to you and rest on the sand, waiting for you to hop on. Sitting on Critias' back, the dragon took off and flew straight back from where it came from. Right as it took off, another Seal of Orichalcos appeared before you, but it turned from neon green to blue,

"My Queen, it's Timaeus. I've found the Pharaoh."

"How is he?" You asked,

"He's hurt. I found him bruised and cut in a cave with no Milennium Puzzle." Timaeus gravely answered,

You tensed up at this, "I...I...Is he awake?"

"He is."

"....Good." You took a sigh of relief as another Seal appeared next to the blue Seal, that turned from neon to red,

"It's Hermos, I'm with High Priestess Isis and she wants to know of our situation," Hermos informed,

"I found the Pharaoh," Timaeus informed,

"And Critias and I are on the way to the village of Kul Elna." You added,

"G-Great Queen, this is Isis speaking." You heard Isis from Hermos' Seal, "Why are you heading to Kul Elna?"

"Because that's where Bakura's most likely at. He has most of the Millennium Items, so he'll be lurking in there." You answered,

"Are you going alone?" You heard Yami ask from Timaeus' Seal. Raising an eyebrow you glanced at the blue Seal,

"Well hi to you too, and yes." You nodded,

"(y/n), that's dangerous." Yami sternly warned,

"Well, yeah, it is." You nodded, "But I need to go and see what's up with this guy. Besides, there are some questions I have for him."

"We will meet you there, Great Queen." Isis spoke from Hermos' Seal,

"No," You shook your head, "Hermos, take the High Priests over to Timaeus and the Pharaoh."

"Alright," Hermos spoke,

"Timaeus, remain with him and make sure he doesn't hurt himself even more. Converse with Hermos to meet up. Critias will drop me off at Kul Elna and meet with you later to take you to the village."

"(Y/n) no." you heard Yami and practically felt him vigorously shake his head, "You're not going alone."

"I can easily contact Critias, Hermos, and Timaeus about what's happening while they meet up and bring all of you here." You compromised, "Think of it as like a spy of some sort."

"Sure, except the fact you're my wife and I can't afford anything happening to you." Yami spat in response,

"Trust me, I know what I'm doing."

"...if anything happens to you," Yami tensed, "You've given me more heart attacks than kids."

"Nothing will, okay?" You assured to the blue Seal,

"We trust your judgment, Great Queen." High Priestess Isis spoke as the red Seal dissipated.

"See you then, Isis." You nodded before the red Seal was gone and turned back to the blue Seal, "Rest up and wait for Hermos to bring the High Priests. Timaeus, make sure he does so."

"Very well." Timaeus spoke,

"...I trust you, but not Bakura." Yami narrowed his eyes, "Who knows what he's scheming."

"And I'll tell you in advance so you're prepared." You grew irritated on repeating yourself, "'Kay?"

"...I love you." Yami nervously said,

"....Love you too." You nodded as the blue Seal finally faded from view. Taking a shaky breath, you soon found yourself close to a destroyed village with white fog roaming the pathways.

"...Is this-"

"This is the Village of Kul Elna." Critias confirmed, "Remain safe and let us know of your situation."

"...I will try." You honestly answered as you hopped off Critias once he landed. The moment your feet rested on the floor, the black dragon took off to meet with Hermos and Timaeus. You took a second to observe your surroundings, destroyed and abandoned homes were all around with white streaks floating amongst the houses. The atmosphere was so tense, you couldn't help but feel extreme discomfort. You felt nothing but evil and despair all over this place, and to make it worse, you could tell these weird white streaks were souls.

This place is a ghost town.

"...this is where it all happened, so it makes sense.." You muttered to yourself as you forced to walk ahead to find the only living person besides yourself.

"Well well well....I'm surprised you're here before the Pharaoh." You heard a certain voice creep in the shadows. Tense, you averted to the source of the voice to find it inside one of the abandoned homes. Mustering the courage, you walked inside the house and cautiously stepped around to find the source.

"Don't you think it's time to finally rest? You've been through so much stress lately...I almost feel pitiful for you." The voice cooed further inside the house,

"Bakura." You called out, "Don't you think it's enough? I understand why you're doing all this. This whole place is your home, and it was all destroyed because of a risky decision." You were greeted with silence, "...Look, this isn't the way. You're putting Egypt at risk with your actions."

"...you act like I don't know that." Bakura sneered, "Of course I know. That's the whole point."

"...you're willing to put this whole kingdom at risk?"

"I will destroy Egypt, then the whole world. They will understand their 'risky' decision." You felt Bakura rolling his eyes,

"Look....I get where you come from, if I were you, I would've done the same-"

"The only difference between the two of us is we were greeted with different paths. We were greeted with bloodshed, but you continued with royalty. Whereas I was greeted with bloodshed and vengeance and dwelled with the spirits that you walk past. It sometimes makes me think....what would've happened if we both shared the same path? What if you were alongside me? What sort of power and advantage would I get with you next to me, sharing the same mind?"

".....You'd get another Dartz." You muttered, "Selfish, arrogant, and cruel towards the balance of this world and the Domain of Monsters." You answered as you found stairs that descended down, where the voice was coming from.

"Dartz was an old delusional man filled with madness and jealousy. Do not even think to compare yourself to him." Bakura hissed as you were greeted with complete darkness as you reached the bottom of the stairs, "But since you claim to understand me so much, why not accompany me?"

"What?"

"If you're so keen on understanding, surely you'd know that my plans are merely obvious and unavoidable. So rather than fight, why not just give up and join me?"

"Have you gone mad?" You asked, "You already set us into war, I'm not leaving Yami's side no matter what."

"You're setting yourself up, (y/n). I thought you were smarter than that." Bakura teased, "Don't you get it? He can't beat Zorc even with the Egyptian God Cards."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because I have something the Pharaoh doesn't."

"Which is?" You raised an eyebrow, now stopped in place,

"Why...his name of course~" He teased, "He can't beat Zorc, for he needs his name to finish off Zorc. And oops~ it looks like no one knows his name other than me~"

You froze at this new information.

"And I'm not letting any vessel prevent my plans from succeeding, so this is where we bid our farewells~" He muttered as you felt the ground before you break and fall empty. Gasping, you found yourself falling into an abyss and crashing onto sand. Panic seized you as you tried to escape the sand to find yourself stuck and sinking. You quickly looked up to find a torch that was held by a familiar figure that had been talking to you,

"Familiar with quick sand~?" Bakura teased, "Don't even think about trying to get yourself out of there, you're stuck and doomed to die."

"You..." You hissed,

"I truly enjoyed our conversation, I really did." Bakura smirked, "But now you know too much about my plan, so I have to take care of that. You're smart, but not smart enough."

You found yourself to be sinking rather quickly and you watched as Bakura lifted a few wooden panels with a smirk,

"Sleep well, Great Queen of the Orichalcos~" Bakura hummed as he placed the wooden plans in the hole as to prevent anyone from seeing the hole. You gasped and tried your best to remove yourself from the sand but couldn't even budge. In fact, the more you struggled, the more you sank as the sand began to fully engulf you. You found yourself unable to breathe as the sand attacked you and seized you entirely.

'Am.....am I gonna die? Right now?' You thought as you felt your throat clench and close up from loads of sand. You felt you needed to scream, but so much sand was engulfed around you, you couldn't. You could only feel your consciousness slip and fade.

"You have taught me the means of humanity." You heard a growl from behind as your vision changed from black to a neon-green light,

"You have taught me the balance of good and evil, you gave me eyes to see the balance of this limited world. Yet here you are....refusing to let me teach you true strength and true power."

You felt the sand pour away from your body, and you arose to find yourself in an empty landscape full of sand. Coughing up sand from your mouth, you looked up to find a familiar slit glaring down on you,

"How pitiful. It seems you need more than the present to guide you...."

"...What's that supposed to mean?" You asked it while trying your hardest to not show your fear of its anger,

"I think it's time to give you a blast from the past, don't you agree?" It sneered as strong winds blew past you, so hard you couldn't even keep your eyes open. Feeling the sand attack you, you tripped and found yourself being sunk further into the sand with total darkness taking over your vision.

"Chains and the cold.

That's all she ever felt.

Uncomfortably sat on the dirty sand that reeked with the smell of metal, stained with the color red. The little girl stifled a sob under the cold chains, shivering under both the cold and the grotesque scene that remained before her.

Infront of her lay bodies. Five bodies to be exact. The bodies were scattered and rotting in their position, the bodies were bloated with blood leaking from the nose and mouth with foam and other bodily liquids spurting occasionally. The left-over skin from each body turned from tan to green with some flies hovering over them. The cave she was stuck in already showed signs of mold, the smell breaching inside the walls and making its presence in other means. The smell was rotten, and it was the only thing the little girl could smell for God knows how long. She could only bury her face in her knees in hopes to only smell her own skin rather than the skin of the rotting flesh. The chains were at least friendly enough to let her hide from the corpses, but the cold thought otherwise. The little girl was trembling under the cold, her whole body ached for proper nutrients as she lacked clean water and healthy food.

'Things shouldn't have ended like this...' She shook her head in hopes that this is a dream. She had hoped this since the beast arose from the shadows and chomped a large portion of each person in the cave, killing them in the spot. Yes, the little girl had been prepared as she was laid down, but she was not told of what the beast would do once the ritual was complete.

She couldn't even recognize her parents despite their bodies being the closest to her.

"In here!" She heard someone shout and rapid footsteps that followed the voice. Gasping, her head lifted from her knees and she stared wide-eyed as royal guards ran in and aimed their spears as though they awaited an attack. The spears were quickly lifted up in shock as the guards stared at the scene before them; some immediately covered their mouths from the foul scent and took a few steps towards the entrance of the cave.

"D...Don't come in here, Great Pharaoh Akhenamkhanen...it's...too grotesque for you!"

"Don't tell me what to do." A loud, strong voice boomed from above the cave as footsteps walked down to the guards. Such a powerful voice sent chills down the little girl's spine as she stared at the entrance of the cave in shock. She soon locked eyes with a tall, strong man who was familiar to you. The little girl cowered before the Great Pharaoh Akhenamkhanen, who locked eyes with you in shock,

"....This is the Vessel of the Orichalcos?" He mumbled,

"Indeed," A woman nodded,

"...How old is she?"

"She is seven, Great Pharaoh."

"....such a horrible beast to lie like this..." He shook his head and stared at the little girl with pity in his eyes, "...she's been in here for far too long. She has no clothes and this room reeks of death." He approached the little girl and knelt infront of her, his hands clenched onto the chains that held her hands uncomfortably up.

"What is your name, little one?" He gently asked,

She dryly gulped, "...(y)...(y/n)..." She croaked,

"Prepare cold water when I bring her out." His eyes narrowed as he yanked the chains out of the wall to give her hands freedom. Finally no longer feeling her arms tightly above her, she let out a dry sigh of relief as Pharaoh Akhenamkhanen took off his purple cloak and wrapped it around her. Warmth was embraced as he lifted her onto his arms in an embrace, as she felt his hands gently wipe off the sand from her bosom.

"G-G-Great Pharaoh Akhenamkhanen! A-Are you sure this is a good decision?!" A guard perked up, "Th..That thing is-"

"She is a child, not a thing." The Pharaoh sneered, "And she will be with me and my son."

The guards stiffened in silence as their ruler walked away from the cave, "Be sure this cave is clean." He commanded

"Y...Yes Great Pharaoh.." The guards nodded and uncomfortably stared at the corpses.

Pharaoh Akhenamkhanen took her immediately to his pyramid after giving her cold water to drink. He sat her down and stared at her,

"You bear a big responsibility, (y/n)." He warned, "You control the magical world of monsters, and I need that control for my potential plans. There is a lot of weight on your shoulders, and I want to remind you that despite that responsibility, I will do my best to treat you as a daughter."

"...O...Ok.." She weakly nodded as a feast was bestowed upon her,

"Eat slowly, little one." He advised, "Don't eat too much in a short amount of time."

For the first time in days, she was able to eat healthy food. Listening to the Pharaoh's advice, she ate slowly and enough to last her for at least a full day after. She bowed heavily out of respect for the Pharaoh, but he merely laughed and rose her to her feet,

"Arise, little one. You have done far greater than I have. I should be the one thanking you. I shall take you to your new room, come."

With that, he took her to a new room all for herself. He smiled as he watched her look around the room in pure awe, jumping on the bed when she saw it and playing with the blankets.

"Do you like it?"

"Y-Yes.." She responded,

"Good." He nodded, "Rest, you need it after all that time locked in the cave." He nodded and gently closed the door behind him to leave her to rest. She stared at the door before she climbed out of her bed and took another look around the room. She couldn't believe she managed to live inside the pyramid. She stared at the door as though someone will barge in and proclaim it's all some experiment or-

The door barged open and in came running someone who looked an awful lot like Pharaoh Akhenamkhanen, just younger. His crimson eyes quickly darted around the room as though he was looking for something, then locked with hers.

"ARE...ARE YOU THE VESSEL?" He squealed,

"Y-Y-Yes.." She squeaked,

"OH MY GODS!" He gasped, "YOUR EYE! THAT'S SO COOL!"

"U...Uh.." Uncomfortable at this sudden entrance, she stared at him before realizing who this boy is. She recognized the golden crown that had one eye blankly staring in the distance,

"H....G...G...Greetings, G-Great Prince."

"THAT'S A COOL EYE!" The Pharaoh's son gasped as he stared at her different eye, "WOW! That looks better than those items dad has been playing with!"

"Items?" She tilted her head,

"Do you play games?" The Pharaoh's son suddenly asked,

"H-Huh?" She was taken aback by his sudden question,

"Do you play games?"

"I...I haven't been able to recently.."

"Did you before?"

"...B-Briefly..."

"Do you know how to play Senet?"

"No.." She shook her head and watched him gasp,

"It's the BEST!" He cheered, "They say those who win are protected by Ra, here, let me teach you the rules! St-Stay here, Ima get the board!" With that, he rushed out of the room and darted towards his chambers. Confused, the girl sat there in silence for at least a few minutes until she heard panting and rushed footsteps back inside the room. The Pharaoh's son rushed back in with a wooden box with playful figures. Eagerly sitting infront of her, he placed the box between himself and the girl and stared at her,

"Okay...here's how you play..." He briefly scattered the pieces and began instructing her how to play. The first round began, and the Pharaoh's son had to watch the girl beat him on her first try; which he stared at the board in shock, then rested his chin on his thumb,

"......did you cheat?" He asked,

"Why would I cheat?" She frowned, "I played on how you taught me."

"....did I do a horrible job explaining then?"

"No, you did a great job, Great Prince." She shook her head, "You're good at explaining rules."

He frowned at this and rubbed his chin, "...let's play again."

And another round began with him losing...again. He impatiently tapped his knee as he stared at the board game once again, "....Again."

And another round was played....with him losing....again.

".....to be fair," She nervously spoke, "...you did almost beat me this time."

"....tell me your tactics." He locked eyes with her, "I want to know what I'm doing wrong."

"Oh...well-" Right as she was going to speak of her strategy, the Priestess of the Millenium Eye peeked in the room,

"Great Prince? Your father is expecting you."

"Now?" He whined and watched her nod. He let out a loud groan and turned to the girl before him,

"Vessel, what's your name?" He asked,

"My...name?" She blinked,

"Yeah."

"...I...it's (y/n)."

"(y/n)..." The Pharaoh's son's eyes narrowed, "...I will win this game, mark my words."

"...Okay, Great Prince."

She bowed as he got up and (dragged himself) walked over to the Priestess to see what his father wants.

The Vessel would spend her free time with Mana in the meantime. Interested in magic, she watched the apprentice try some tricks....and fail them....but she still tried, and the little girl acknowledged the effort. Because of that, Mana was another friend to the Vessel.

However, there were times when the Great Leviathan would become active and attack the Vessel, indirectly sending her to an enclosed room until the episode was over. Growls echoed in her brain and her body trembled as the beast hungered for souls to eat - souls of the worst people in Egypt. Although Pharaoh Akhenamkanen provided the worst prisoners for the Leviathan, it still enjoyed sending her to a spiral of madness and fear. So, some episodes could be simply entertainment for the beast rather it demanding more souls. Even so, this did not stop a stubborn boy from barging into her room in one of these episodes and sat down in front of her.

This....did in fact startle the Vessel. So much so that she even lifted her booming head from her knees and stared with nothing but confusion and shock. She was greeted with determined eyes that sneered at her, as he whipped out the very same senet box and pointed at it.

"(Y/n), we're playing again."

"....M...My Great Prince, my...my head kinda hurts."

"It'll be a good distraction from the beast," He compromised, "Papa told me once that playing games help distract the mind....well...unless you're playing a smart game."

"...we...are....playing a smart game." She reminded and heard him nervously laugh in response,

"Well...a good way to exercise the brain to ignore the negative stuff!" He huffed in response before eagerly preparing the game, "Now come on, let's play!"

And so, another game was played. Fortunately for the Pharaoh's son, he won the first round.

"Congratulations, Great Prince." She weakly bowed, "You won-"

"No." He was displeased, his arms crossed and he huffed in response, "..I didn't."

"....You did."

"You weren't doing your best." He frowned,

"...Well...be-because my head hurts-"

"If we go on a walk, will your head stop hurting?" The Pharaoh's son asked, "I want to win when you're thinking your best!"

"...didn't...didn't you say I should play to distract myself from the pain?" You asked,

"Yeah," He nodded, "But I can't accept a victory when you're in pain! Let's go on a walk! Mana told me walking helps with headaches!"

"....I'm not supposed to leave this room, Great Prince." Her eyes narrowed, "Until the Great Leviathan calms down, I can't-"

"Don't let some old dragon tell you what to do." The Pharaoh's son frowned, "If it bullies you, let me know and I'll punch it. I'll protect you!"

The Vessel couldn't help but stare at him in shock, "....I...don't think you can do that."

"Bring it!" He quickly rose to his feet and went in a fighting position, "I can beat it up! Where is it? I want to play a fair game with (y/n), Leviathan! So stop bullying her!" The Pharaoh's son screamed as though the serpent was right infront of him. Soon after, he stared at you and gave her his hand, "let's go for a walk! I'll give you a tour!"

"....Am I even allowed to?" She tilted her head and watched him tense up with his face going red,

"Y...Yes.."

"...Are you sure?"

"...Positive."

"...o...okay.." She hesitantly took his hand and left the room on her own for the first time. The Pharaoh's son took her on a walk, and it soon became a walk with nothing but meaningless conversations. From talking about strategies to talking about pets, the Pharaoh's son and the Vessel seemed to start a....rather interesting relationship. It mostly started with him barging into her room and demanding to play Senet, and each game, he demands to play again whether he lost or won.

And that game kept those two together for years.

"Hey, (y/n)?" The Pharaoh's son frowned, "Why do you always call me 'Great Prince'?" He asked as he watched you clean up the table in the cave where she performed rituals. The Vessel wound up returning to the cave a few times a year for rituals to keep the Leviathan at bay - as it was her duty. Occasionally, the Pharaoh's son would accompany her when the ritual was complete, he would just sit and watch her clean up, helping her out with a few simple things from time to time.

"Because that's how I'm supposed to call you?" She responded with an eyebrow raised,

"But don't you know my name?" His head tilted as he helped wash the cloth,

"Yes...but I'm not supposed to call you by your sole name." She responded,

"Why?"

"I am not in the same position as your father, Great Prince." She responded, a little surprised he's asking for an explanation on a very straight-forward situation, "I cannot call you no other name other than your title-"

"Why though? Mana calls me by my name." He asked again with a sneer, "I want you to call me by my name."

Startled, she stared at the Pharaoh's son, "...is that even allowed fo-"

"Of course you are." He rolled his eyes, "Honestly I'm mad Mana is saying it before you. I'd love to hear you say my name."

".....Because Mana is normal." Her eyes narrowed and she stared at the hieroglyphics that shared her story, "...I am not that. Even the Royal Court thinks so."

"But my dad and I don't." He narrowed his eyes, "And neither does Mana. And if I am gonna be honest here, I think input from my father and I are more important than the Royal Court."

"...What do you even see in me?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, "How is it you and the Great Pharaoh see me normal?"

"What's there not to like about you?" He asked, "You're...intelligent...and you're very caring...and gentle...and very nice to talk to...and you're beautiful-"

There was a brief pause before you watched his face go red within seconds. Loudly coughing as to bury his words, he composed himself and stared at you,

"So...s-s-say my name." His voice cracked and intently stared at her, expecting to hear a certain word from her kissable lips.

She cleared her throat and stared at the table, "...do....do you think we have any future together?"

He tensed up at this and stared at her for a while. It was so sudden of her to ask such a question that he never actually thought of it. That is because he didn't find the need to, he had already indirectly answered that question in the past years he's been with her. After about a minute of silence, he walked towards her and placed his hands on hers,

"...Yes. I do." He nods, "But before we can even go there, don't you think it's time to remove the formalities?"

Lightly blushing at his hand, she bit her lip and clenched her fists.

"...O...Okay...A...Atem."

There was nothing but silence in the room after she said his name. He simply stared at her in shock with his heart fluttering in ways he could not explain. His body trembled under her words with eagerness filling his heart before he held both her hands and stared at her with excitement,

"YES!" Atem cheered, "THAT'S IT! F-F-From now on, you are to call me only by my name! Just like that!"

She tensed up and stared at him with her face going red, "A...Are you...are you sure it's-"

"Yes! Absolutely!" He eagerly nodded, "You are to only call me by my name and nothing more! Okay? That is your new job!"

"J-J-Job?!" She gasped,

"Yes!" Atem nods, "It's your job, your sole duty, to tell me my name! Even if there comes a day I forget my own name, I want to hear it only from you!"

"Y...You don't want anyone else to do it for you?" She got a little concerned of how he's acting as though this is a pretty big responsibility.

"No. I want you to be the one." Atem shook his head, "...I...I want to hear your voice when my name is being called!"

"...Why are you acting like you're gonna forget your name?" She asked,

"Cause even my father forgets his name!" Atem laughed, "Sometimes when someone calls him by his name, he looks so confused! Like he's all 'who is Akhenamkhanen?' at first until he realizes it's him! I don't want that happening to me, so when we grow up together, I want you to say my name. Say it as many times as you want, I really don't mind!"

"I...Is everyone going to be okay with that?"

"Who are they to determine how you call me? You're not some servant or slave. You're (y/n), someone I care deeply for. Even my father agrees, so I don't think anyone has a place to try to have you formally call me." He shrugged his shoulders,

"....huh..." Her eyes narrowed, "...o-kay then-"

"Please promise me, (y/n)." Atem came forward and briefly tightened his grip on her hands, "...Please say my name. When I forget my name, please say it. Promise under Ra's name if you have to!"

She blinked at him, before taking a deep breath and nodding her head, "I promise, Atem."

"Promise to Ra as well?" He asked, "Once you promise to Ra, then that's it. You can't call me 'Great Prince' anymore. You just call me Atem. My name."

"....I promise to Ra I shall call you Atem." She promised, "When you forget your name, I will be the first to say it."

He smiled at her with his crimson eyes glistening."

In the distance of this forgotten memory, the same girl watched with wide eyes, now older than how she was with the Pharaoh's son.

That same girl watched with a single tear rolling down her cheek.

That girl, that was you.

You promised to say his name.

How stupid are you to forget such a moment like this? You wiped the tears from your eyes, and when you opened your eyes you were greeted with nothing but the same vast empty sand landscape.

You clenched your fists in both rage and disappointment in yourself, how is it you forgot this? Are you going to die here, right as you realized your importance to him? Just like that?

No....not like this. You stared up at the familiar eye that eagerly awaited to hear your command.

"Arise, O' Great Leviathan."

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A/N: Merry Christmas and have a happy holiday!!

https://youtu.be/zJQRLjnX7MM