Ascension [A Yu-Gi-Oh! FanFiction]

27: Stone

Satiah stared into the moonsplashed lowland, where the seven Wedju Shrines stood like silent sentries, guarding hundreds upon hundreds of borrowed spirits. She hadn't been back inside them since her second day in Thebes, when Atem had called on his mother's ka. Thinking back now, Satiah felt an unexpected knife of guilt at how she'd turned away from the benevolent spirit, who had done nothing but offer up a small token of compassion in a time of sorrow. But the wounds of Metka's death had been so fresh then — and her anger still so raw. Now, she almost felt a thrill at the thought of walking inside the towering hall — to finally be reunited with her spirit after two long months apart.

A moment later, she heard hushed voices approaching, and she turned to see her husband emerging from the palace with a small attendance in tow — her father, Shimon, and Seto, whose Millennium Item would be needed to release their imprisoned ka.

Satiah tried to temper the smile that broke unbidden to her face as they approached, but when she saw a similar grin plastered on her father's features, there was no hope of concealing her excitement. They stood beaming at each other for a moment before Atem lifted his arm to her. "Shall we?"

Satiah threaded her hand beneath his arm and turned, still grinning, to descend the steep stairwell nearby. When they leveled off into the lowland, Satiah couldn't help but lift her eyes up to the towering obelisk over the Shrine designated for the Pharaoh. It truly was immense and beautiful, even if hauntingly so.

Her smile fell slightly as they entered it, her attention drawn instantly to the back of the chamber, where two stone tablets had been erected — one carved with the visage of her father's ka, and the other bearing the image of her Shieldmaiden. Her heart began to beat wildly against her ribcage, like a bird eager to be free.

Atem turned to her and offered a curt nod, then released her arm to move toward the perimeter of the Shrine. His presence was replaced a moment later by that of her father's. The sight of his smile warmed her fluttering heart again.

"Step forward."

Seto's sharp voice cut across the Shrine, causing Satiah to stand up straight. She squared off against her ka's tablet, then took several long paces toward it, her father doing the same with his. They stopped in the middle of the Shrine, directly beneath the yawning, hollow obelisk.

A moment later, Seto stepped up beside the tablets. He lifted his Rod, its spherical head glowing darkly before two beams of light erupted from it, racing out to strike the stone slabs.

Satiah winced back as the chamber was suddenly swallowed with bright warmth, but she didn't need her eyes to see what was happening before her. In her heart, she felt it — the familiar, smoldering glow, the arcane whispers in a language only she could understand. When the light finally dissipated, she looked up to find herself face-to-face with her spiritual reflection — dark, fierce eyes shaded by the pelt of a lion, cascading down battle-worn armor, with rigid arms bearing her spear and impenetrable shield, which had saved Satiah more times than she could count. The spirit smiled proudly as she looked upon her former master, as if she knew exactly why she had been summoned this night.

Beside the Shieldmaiden, her father's ka also stood, but Satiah felt a flicker of worry to see the Servant of Ptah had completely sealed itself inside its gilded sarcophagus. She looked to her father, finding anxiety painted on his face as well. But a moment later, the cover of the sarcophagus cracked open, swinging outward to reveal the spirit within. Mummified arms unfurled themselves, reaching out to Metjen as if expecting an embrace.

Relief washed over Satiah when she saw her father's face break with a very pleased grin, but their eyes were redirected again by the sound of Seto's voice.