Sleepwalker

This is set after the movie Dark Side of Dimensions, and contains spoilers for it and the end of the series.

The text in bold italics are lyrics from the song "Sleepwalker" by Adam Lambert.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

I saw a picture of you

Hangin' in an empty hallway

-Sleepwalker, Adam Lambert

The dream was always the same, and it became such a regular occurrence Yugi could count on having it at least a few times a week. In fact, he looked forward to it. It... made him feel close to the Pharaoh. Yugi wondered if it actually was a memory of his, somehow left behind.

It was a temple in Ancient Egypt, the rough stone walls were familiar to him from his visits to Yami's, or should he saw Atem's soul room. Yugi knew it was his given name, knew how much he had struggled without his memories, how much he had longed to remember who he was and where he came from, but it felt strange for Yugi, to call him that.

No name ever felt right, really, and if he could, he avoided using a name at all, just "him," which was odd, not to be able to address a spirit who had shared your body by his name. How could they have been so close, yet... not?

Not that it mattered much anymore. Spirit, Yami, Pharaoh - Atem had gone to the afterlife, and that was why Yugi enjoyed this dream, as a way to still feel close to him, to still be connected, he didn't even have the Millennium Puzzle, only the box it came in as a keepsake, and the decks they had shared.

In the dream, he was standing in a temple, it was dark, night time, candles lit the room, figures in robes - priests - were making arrangements, burning incense, chanting, drawing symbols and Yugi just watched, as they laid them out on a stone altar, in preparation for some ritual.

Yugi wasn't sure what for, but by the mood in the room, it didn't seem to be a celebration, it didn't seem to be asking for something, a prayer or request, no, it was a sacrifice, an appeasement, yet there was an excitement too, it was not a sacrifice out of guilt, but for transformation.

For a long time, that was all Yugi saw. Week after week.

Until one night, when it started to change. Where before he was a witness, a bystander, now he was a participant, standing near the altar. At first he wasn't sure what his role was, until the priests approached him, anointed him with special oils, on his forehead, on his palms. Somehow he knew that he was the one who needed to get on the altar, he was the final piece, of this ritual, this puzzle, and suddenly, he no longer enjoyed this dream.

Yet it kept coming, now nightly, but locked there for a time, repeating over and over, leaving him only with his wonderings. What would happen once he got on the altar?

Then, another night, nothing significant about it that Yugi could figure, but the dream changed again, this time a continuation. He noticed a door, a chamber he had not seen before, and from it emerged a figure, a man, wearing the mask of a jackal, skin deeply enriched by the sun, bejeweled with arm bracelets and chains, the priests were reverent - a jackal, a symbol of the dead in Ancient Egypt, Anubis, the jackal headed god - it seemed to confirm Yugi's knowing, some sacrifice, some death, was required.

The man approached, steadily, confidently, powerfully, even if the priests had not shown reverence, Yugi would know, this man commanded reverence, authority, and Yugi's fear was overtaken by his natural curiosity, wanting to figure out what was happening here, even why did he keep having this dream, and he felt this man would explain it, that this ceremony, whatever it was, was about to begin.