Ascension [A Yu-Gi-Oh! FanFiction]

21: Heresy

"What?!"

Satiah slammed her hand down on the table so hard, it knocked over one of the paperweights holding down the scroll, causing the corner to roll up on itself.

Atem looked stunned at her outburst, and Satiah felt a small twist of guilt when he suddenly lowered himself into one of the chairs beside the table. "This book..." he said, tracing the glyphs spelling out the tome's name. "I can't be sure, but I believe this is referring to the Millennium Tome. It's an ancient spellbook that's been under lock and key in the palace since before I was born."

"You mean to tell me," Satiah barked, "that the Pharaoh knows about this hidden chamber, and he lied to my face?"

"No... That's not possible," Atem whispered, more to himself than to her. "That's not how it happened."

"What are you talking about?" she pressed, anger still brimming on her voice.

Atem looked up, his violet eyes swimming with uncertainty. "The Tome wasn't found in any tomb or chamber."

"Well then where was it found?"

Atem lifted a hand and pressed it hard into his forehead, as if trying to draw forth his memories. "Two decades ago, the area around Thebes was struck by a series of earthquakes," he said slowly. "The same tremors that destroyed Ramesses' mortuary complex also struck the Valley of the Kings. Most of the tombs were unharmed...except for the sites along the southern ridge."

Satiah lowered her eyes, the wheels of her thoughts turning. "Ramesses' tomb," she whispered.

Atem nodded. "His burial chamber survived, but many of the tunnels and antechambers were upheaved. The workers who were sent to repair the damage found dozens of relics and artifacts strewn about the southern ridge — and the Tome was among them."

Satiah shook her head with disbelief. "I don't understand," she said. "How has your father been able to keep such a discovery secret all these years? Why hasn't he invoked any of the spells it contains?"

But then it hit her. Satiah lowered her eyes to the Millennium Ring around Atem's neck.

"The Tome is written in a language unknown to even the most skilled linguists in these lands," Atem explained, finding his confidence again. "It took the royal conclave seven years to translate just one, single spell from the book."

Satiah sucked in a deep, quivering breath. The pieces were all beginning to fall into place, but the picture they painted was even darker than she feared.

"For a long time, my father was hesitant to even use the Tome at all," Atem said, lowering his head. "But when the Nubians attacked, he knew the kingdom was in danger of collapse. He agreed to let his priests conduct the ritual they'd translated... And thus, the Millennium Items were born." Atem brushed his fingers along the dangling spikes of his Ring. "After the Nubians were repelled, peace was once again restored in Egypt. So my father saw no reason to continue translating the spells within the Tome. He had it locked deep in the palace, swearing never to open it again."

Satiah slumped down in a chair beside her husband, her eyes dancing across the surface of the scroll. "So your father never knew of the true origins of the Tome."

Atem shook his head. "Knowing him, he likely had his suspicions," he said. "But he feared the power in its pages all the same. Had the kingdom not been under siege, I don't think he ever would have used it at all."

Satiah looked up when her father grunted in frustration. "Damn," he said. "I always knew there was something wrong about those Items."

"But Father, we don't know that the spell the Pharaoh used was the one penned by Amenhotep," Satiah urged, though she had her own doubts. "If this scroll is to be believed, then the Tome was originally a gift from the Gods of Light. The chances are much more likely that the spell was benevolent... Right?"