Lion's Mouth: Part 2 (Yu-Gi-Oh)

Chapter 17

"This is not a dream that I'm living

This is just a world of your own

You took me from all that I knew

Shown me how it feels to hope"

– "Lion" by Rebecca St. James

Chapter 17

The Egyptian artifacts surrounding us made me tense. They reminded me of the parents I had lost. At the same time, I could not ignore the burning curiosity I had buried deep inside of me. It was time to dig it up.

"Are you going to be alright?" Yami asked, sending me a concerned look.

I nodded. "I'll be fine. I have to do this." At least he was there with me. We could make it through together. I did not know where to start, so I let him take the lead.

Yami paused in front of a door that led downstairs. It was blocked off by a rope, and an arrow pointing to the left had been posted on the door. I sensed that something important was down there, and I could tell that Yami felt it too. We exchanged a knowing look. We had to go down there.

Yami took the lead, and I followed close behind. The way down was dark, causing fear to flicker inside me. I focused on the person in front of me and continued. Thankfully, the room at the bottom was well lit. I gasped at the glass-covered plaque I saw in front of us.

"Is that an ancient Egyptian stone?" I said, stepping closer to examine the plaque. There were two men carved in the stone with two figures above them: a dragon and a magician.

Yami nodded. "Those look like Duel Monsters."

"That guy has hair just like you and Yugi!" I said, pointing to the man on the right. "He looks very... royal." I remembered what I had learned from Pegasus. My ancient ancestors served the pharaoh...

"Look, around his neck."

A gasp escaped my lips. "The Millennium Puzzle?" I turned to Yami with wide eyes. "Is that guy you?"

"I believe you are correct. This appears to be me playing some form of ancient Duel Monsters. This is exactly the kind of clue I've been looking for, but I wish I were able to decipher its meaning." His eyes darted around as he searched the stone. "Who am I dueling against, for a start? What was this age-old game all about? Was it even a game?"

My throat had gone dry, but I willed myself to speak anyway. "I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually. There's no rush, right?" I did not understand why I was slowly filling with trepidation.

"Yes, I suppose you're right. It's simply frustrating." A tight smile crossed his lips. "Just when I find one answer, a thousand new questions arise."

I tentatively touched his arm. "I'll help you answer them."

"My pharaoh: I've been expecting you."

Both of us turned to face the female speaker. A woman emerged from a darkened room, and I immediately saw from her clothes and skin tone that she was Egyptian. My senses drew my eyes to the gold object around her neck that had the same symbolic eye as the Millennium Items. Then a pang hit me in the heart. There was something extremely familiar about her, almost like I had met her before...

"Who are you?" Yami said as the woman approached, staring straight at him.

"I am Ishizu," she said, "and I have uncovered many mysteries of you and these ancient carvings using the magic of my Millennium Necklace."