Blue Eyes White Dragon: Kisara's Shadow
Blue Eyes White Dragon: Kisara’s Shadow
Legend spoke of majestic and powerful soul-creatures known as the Blue Eyes White Dragon, fused with the souls of four unique individuals. For centuries, wielders of these soul-creatures have sought out the power of even one of these dragons, with very limited success - save one.
The first Blue Eyes White Dragon was discovered on the streets of the capital by two of the Six High Priests: Seth and Shada. The girl who possessed the soul of the Blue Eyes White Dragon, Kisara, was brought to the palace and cared for by Priest Seth. He and Kisara faced the evil powers of Zork, which resulted in Kisara’s death and the Blue Eyes White Dragon to be sealed away for eternity. Pharaoh Atem defeated Zork and Seth’s father, Priest Akhenaden, was freed from his control. There were no casualties amongst the Six Priests and the kingdom continued on.
Two years later, amongst the ruins of Kuru Eruna, the second Blue Eyes White Dragon is found, deep in the heart of a mysterious albino boy.
CHAPTER ONE
Within the depths of the palace, Pharaoh Atem was holding court with the assembly of officials, surrounded by the Six High Priests flanking him on either side of the throne. Around each of their necks was the Millennium Item they possessed, the gold from which they were made glinting in the torchlight. Together, the seven of them made an intimidating sight and the silence in the throne room was as much out of fear as it was reverence.
The morning’s business seemed at an end and the sun was nigh at its peak. Several of the lower officials standing before the dais had already begun shifting restlessly on the spot, trying to hide their movements under the folds of linen. The Pharaoh noticed all of this from his place on the throne high above them and looked around at the Priest.
“Is there anything else we need to address in this morning’s assembly?”
The Priest on the far right from the throne stepped out of his place and knelt in front of the throne, the gold headdress glinting. Atem nodded to him in acknowledgement.
“You may speak, Mahad.”
“My liege,” Mahad began, his voice carrying through the cavernous room effortlessly. “There have been reports of movements from the ruins of Kul Elna. Not enough to be considered a militaristic threat, but I believe enough to be worth sending a search party to survey the area.”
A knife could have cut the tension that followed as the Priests recalled the last time they had overlooked Kul Elna as a threat. The kingdom was still recovering from the war that had ensued and those involved had yet to forget the horrors they had experienced in those dark years. The silence was broken by a condescending snort from the tall Priest in blue shadowing the throne on the left. Atem shot Seth a warning glare before turning back to address Mahad.
“I hear your request and shall grant you, Mahad, permission to lead the first squadron on an investigative mission to Kul Elna.” He motioned to the Priest on his far left, a man with glyphs tattooed across his otherwise hairless head. “Shada shall accompany you.”
“Yes, my liege,” Shada replied with a bow.
“Bring back anything or anyone suspicious.”
“As you wish, my Pharaoh.”
Court was dismissed from the throne room with a wave of Atem’s hand. He and his Grand Vizier, Siamun, proceeded down the aisle towards the huge doors on the other side of the throne room, the Six Priests following. The lesser officials touched their foreheads to the floor as the Pharaoh passed, pressing their lips to the cold stone reverently. Mahad and Shada bowed as they parted ways from the procession and headed towards the stables.
----
The citizens of the capital watched on with interest, curious and excited murmurs filling the air, as Mahad and Shada led the first squadron through the dusty streets on horseback. They all wondered what the occasion was that required two of the Priests to be dispatched with such a large party. Shada did not miss the grim look on Mahad’s face and the tense setting of his shoulders under the cloak.
“What is bothering you?”
Mahad drew his cloak around himself and frowned.
“The Ring has been sensing a powerful force and it grows as we approach Kul Elna. It isn’t dark or evil - but not entirely pure either.”
Shada nodded, leaving Mahad to his contemplations. The last time he had set out with a group of more than eight men, he had been out to face Bakura and almost had not returned alive. Isis had come to him before he had set out. She had told his future was bleak and to be careful. But he had won and returned alive - barely, but alive nonetheless - hadn’t he? And he had increased the power of his Magician tenfold in the battle, even if he hadn’t managed to defeat Bakura.
They reached the outskirts of Kul Elna before long. The village was a mess of rubble and ruin, without a single definable structure in the stretch of land that the village comprised. Mud huts with their interior structures burnt out stood like crumpled hollow husks piled on the streets. It was hard to believe that this had once been a den of thieves and tomb robbers, the village that had spawned so many evils and been the home of Bakura.
When they reached the centre of the small village, Mahad ordered the men to search every nook and cranny for any sign of life or irregularity. They responded with a salute and dispersed in every direction, scouring the ruins thoroughly. As he and Shada joined the search, the Millennium Ring around his neck warmed and began to tremble, emitting a soft glow. The needlepoints around the edges rose, lifting the Ring with it, tugging softly in the direction of a dilapidated hut to his right.
“Shada,” he called over his shoulder as he moved to inspect the wreckage. The other Priest, having ventured farther out than he, cantered forward on his horse to join him. “The Ring has detected a presence.”
Together, they moved aside the larger pieces of rubble that covered the remnants of the hut’s doorframe, mindful of the fact that there was something potentially dangerous lurking in the shadows. The Ring continued to glow and tremble violently and, as more of the rubble was cleared away, the Ankh began to follow suit. Shada frowned.
“Whoever is inside must carry a soul-creature within them,” he said softly, a hand moving to clutch the slender neck of the Ankh.
They heard a groan as the light of the sun streamed into the now open doorway and a pale arm came into view. Both Priests tensed.
“Who is there?” Mahad barked, a hand going to his sword.
Slowly, the rest of the person came into view. It was a thin, unusually pale youth dressed in rags, his silvery and waist-length hair dirty and matted. Soft blue eyes blinked several times to accustom to the sudden increase in lighting. Mahad felt the blood roaring in his ears as he took in the boy’s appearance.
“Mahad.” The urgency in Shada’s voice snapped him out of his shocked reverie. The other Priest had the Ankh pointed at the new boy, eyes widened in disbelief and fear. “This boy - his soul-creature! It is impossible!”
“What is your name, boy?” Mahad asked, feeling his insides clench unpleasantly.
“Ryou, my lord,” the boy rasped.
“I am Mahad and this is Shada. We are Priests of the Millennium Items and advisors to the Pharaoh.” The boy fell to his knees quickly, throwing himself at their feet in fear. “You have something we require, Ryou, and we would like you to accompany us back to the palace.”
“I know nothing, my lords,” Ryou told them, desperation in his voice even muffled by the dirt floor. “I’m afraid I may not be useful to you.”
“We will be the judge of that, I’m sure,” Shada replied, lowering the Ankh and bringing his emotions in check. He waved a hand commandingly. “Now come.”
----
Seth strode through the dimly lit hallways towards Mahad’s chambers, mentally going over the strangeness of the message that had been sent to him by the older Priest. There is something you must see. The slave who had brought the message shakily informed him that that was the entirety of the message, relayed word for word without omissions, which only made it all the more curious. Whatever it was referring to, it was definitely enough to shake Mahad enough for him to relay such a curt and contextually lacking message.
He was surprised to find, however, that the Pharaoh was also present in the hallway outside Mahad’s chambers, accompanied by Siamun. He bowed to Atem, the hand holding the Rod held across his breast in respect. Atem nodded to him, smiling warmly in welcome, while Siamun bowed. Mahad came out of his chambers and took a deep breath when he saw them.
“My liege, Seth, thank you for arriving so promptly.”
“What have you found, Mahad?” Atem asked him. “What is so urgent?”
“It may come as a shock to you both,” Mahad warned them, glancing at Seth. “But we discovered something - someone - living in the ruins of Kul Elna.”
He ushered them into his chambers and motioned for the slaves to shut the door on their way out. The lights had been lit in the side chamber and that was where he led them, to find that a temporary bed had been erected in the corner. A thin figure lay prone upon it, covered by a thin blanket. Even in the dim lighting both Seth and Atem could make out the silvery hair.
“Who is this?” Atem asked softly, aware of Seth’s suddenly laboured breathing beside him. He approached the bed quietly until he could look upon the face of the person. A youth, no more than twenty, with pale hair and paler skin - a youth who looked like…
"What's going on here?"
A pale girl lay curled up on the ground, shielding her face with her arms. The people circling her had been pelting stones and pebbles in her direction, calling her a witch and making a commotion. Behind him, Shada gave a cry of horror, the Ankh trembling violently.
"Her Ka is so powerful," he cried. "What kind of power is this?"
“Seth.”
He found her huddled on the bed, wrapped in a thin blanket, shaking as she looked on his shadow in the doorway with wide-eyed apprehension. He distinctly remembered those pale blue eyes, large and soulful, set in that thin, haunted face. It was the face that haunted his dreams, his memories of the White Dragon that had saved him as a child. He had finally found her.
“Seth!”
The Priest felt a hand on his shoulder, shaking him once and jolting him from his recollections. Both Atem and Mahad were regarding him with a worried expression, glancing back and forth between the youth on the bed and him. They had, he knew, made the same connection. He cleared his throat and turned away from the bed, motioning for Mahad to continue.
“The boy’s name is Ryou. We’re assuming he is from a different nation, with his strange complexion and features. He tells me he was captured as a child and sold as a slave, before running away from his master two years ago and finding his way to the village ruins.”
“But that’s not all, is it?” Atem wanted to know. “You wouldn’t have brought him here to see us if it were.”
“No, my Pharaoh.” Mahad cleared his throat uncomfortably, shooting a quick look in Seth’s direction. Seth refused to meet his gaze. “The Ring detected him hidden in a ruined hut, shielded by rubble. Shada tested him with the power of the Ankh and found...my liege, the boy’s soul houses the spirit of the White Dragon.”
All eyes turned to Seth. He had frozen in place, mind reeling at the new information. No two people’s soul-creatures were the same - it was fundamentally impossible - because each individual’s habits and natures were different. He clenched his fists in an attempt to stop them from shaking and found they had broken out into a cold sweat. Atem took pity on him and turned back to Mahad.
“The last time the White Dragon appeared before us, it heralded a war that almost brought the kingdom to its knees,” he said grimly. “Measures must be taken to control it, lest the events of last time reoccur.”
“With all due respect, Pharaoh, the events of last time were due to the manipulations of the evil Zork Necrophades,” Seth bit out. “The White Dragon was only a tool used to aid his cause.”
It wasn’t Kisara’s fault, was the unspoken retort. Atem gave an assenting hum in his throat and nodded sympathetically.
“Nevertheless, something must be done,” Mahad said. “My Pharaoh, you could give the boy into the care of one of the High Priests, who will monitor him for any adverse behaviours until we can determine whether or not he is a threat.”
“We should remove the boy’s soul-creature immediately,” Siamun protested. “Why wait for it to become a threat?”
Seth felt a sudden unexplainable sense of anger burning in the pit of his stomach, directed at the Grand Vizier. Sealing away the boy’s Ka when he was still so weakened would kill him - surely the man could see that? And anyone could see that the boy would not pose any possible threat, because the White Dragon was not a creature of Darkness. If anything, a safe environment should be provided so that he would not feel as if he were being threatened - at least enough so that he would not unleash the Dragon against them. All he needed was a safe place to stay, just like Kisara had…
“I disagree, Pharaoh,” Mahad said firmly. “The sealing will kill him.”
“Then what would you suggest, Mahad?”
The Ring-bearer turned to him with eyes full of understanding and all at once Seth realised what he was about to suggest. He was about to disagree, when ghostly lips brushed his ear and that achingly familiar voice whispered: help him, my lord. Like you helped me. The protests died on his lips. He nodded, throat tight.
“Let him be given into Seth’s care,” Mahad suggested. “He has had close dealings with the first White Dragon. He is the best equipped to help the boy.”
“Seth?” Atem looked to him questioningly. “Are you willing?”
Help him, my lord. Help him.
They were distracted by a soft groan from the bed. The boy stirred with a frown, a hand twisting in the thin blanket. His eyes opened, blinking blearily up at them in confusion. Pale blue eyes. The breath caught in Seth’s throat and a knife twisted in his chest.
Kisara.