Step out of the Shadows and Walk in the Sun


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He got up as soon as the sun was rising, before any of the servants could come in to wake him. It was a habit he had developed and cultivated over the years. He enjoyed the quiet, silent hours before the usual rush of the day would start: the noise and chattering of the servants doing their work, his fellow Priests bothering him and wanting his advice, people nagging at him about something unimportant and to top it all, a boring Pharaoh wearing more gold than was available in the national treasury.

Zoning out as the Pharaoh was talking while maintaining a perfect look of interest on his face was another habit he had developed and cultivated; fortunately, he was quick and intelligent enough to immediately pick up on the subject at hand whereas the Pharaoh would drown in an ocean of words. He wondered for a brief moment if every time the Pharaoh excused himself with having a headache it was because of his incessant talking or because of the weight of his overly large earrings.

Set didn't care to get dressed immediately in his robes that were fitting for his function as High Priest; before the servants would arrive, he simply walked around in a long shenti until the time had arrived to get properly dressed. Besides, no one saw him in these extremely early hours-- the whole Palace was quiet, except for the guards making their rounds, and they were selected and trained on making as little noise as possible. His eyes darted over to his desk, a few piles of papyri and carefully rolled-up scrolls neatly divided into 'to do' and 'to study'.

He was a man of discipline, of structure- the only one approaching him in that fashion was Shaada, or maybe Aishizu or Akunadin- he couldn't recall Karim being ever so tidy, Shimon trusted his personal assistants to keep track of everything and Mahaado... well, that bungling half-assed spirit sorcerer couldn't even keep the most lowest of thieves out of the royal tombs. It was a disgrace, and if it were up to him, Set personally, he would've long stripped Mahaado of his rank and status. Just because the man was an early childhood friend of the Pharaoh, he shouldn't be receiving any special treatment. It didn't matter now anyway- the man had died, and nothing good about the dead, right?

In the corner of his room stood a small, wooden table; carved with a flower pattern, the stems traced with a little bit of gold- truly the work of a very skilled craftsman. It only had one drawer for the most basic utensils of personal grooming; a brush and a comb, adorned with the same pattern as the table. The table top was made from some kind of light-weighted stone, sturdy enough to support the massive golden water bowl, but not too heavy to strain the slender table legs. It had been a gift from Akunadin when Set moved into these quarters, close to the Pharaoh's own personal chambers as he was the High Priest. The old man had mumbled something about "an appropriate gift for the future Pharaoh".

Set had wondered what his fellow Priest was talking about, but he appreciated the small, efficient piece of furniture even though he loathed the monstrous golden bowl- where that one had come from, he didn't know. He dipped his hands into the water, along with a piece of cloth, to freshen himself up. He never heard the servants enter his room in the middle of the night to change the water, which was for the better- being disturbed in his sleep equaled a very cranky High Priest in the morning.

While washing himself with the cold water, his mind wandered off- usually he would go over the duties of the day ahead of him, but now he was too occupied with recent events. Mahaado's death was a blow to the nation, and his Sennen Ring had fallen into the hands of the self-proclaimed King of Thieves, Bakura. Self-proclaimed or not, that man was dangerous, especially the ka he possessed. Diabound. Even the most strongest of Gods had difficulties defeating him, if one could speak of defeat- it had been merely a stalemate, ended by Bakura disappearing through the wall. The thief had strange powers; combined with the strength and abilities of his ka, he could prove to be a very difficult problem to take care of.

It was of this demonstration of the thief's power that he had suggested to go to the city and test the commoners there for possible presence of a ka- if one was hidden within a person and had the potency to grow and become powerful, he wouldn't shun any method to make it grow and surpass the power of Diabound, of the Gods themselves. This was war, not a scuffle- if they allowed the thief to rob the tombs of the late Pharaoh, if they allowed him to barge into the Throne Room to provoke and challenge them all, they were far from an easy fight. Next time, Bakura would show even more of his power, and were the Gods able to stand up to him by then? It was hard to tell, and Set wasn't the one to stand by and patiently wait until the events would unfold.

He closed his eyes, not wanting to develop a headache from all these thoughts before the day was about to start. Dropping the cloth in the water, Set turned away from the small table, towards the large, comfortable chair wherein the servants had placed his robes, clean and neatly folded. As his hands touched the familiar fabric, he couldn't help but think of yesterday- the day when he and Shaadah had effectively visited the city, looking for any hidden ka. The other Priest had been aghast when learning Set's plan, offering the same argument as Akunadin had done: the Pharaoh would never approve of this, using commoners to detect and determine their ka and, with proven power and abilities, 'encourage' their ka to grow and strengthen.

Set had never given Shaadah a distinct answer, only his opinion that the Kingdom was in danger, and that drastic times demanded drastic measures. What else were they supposed to do- stare into some blue flame over a large tub and mumble incomprehensible words like Aishizu did when probing her Sennen Tauk? The woman wasn't even able to determine the future anyway- whatever she saw, it was shrouded and unclear, and Set disliked anything remotely shrouded and unclear. He was a Priest of the Pharaoh's Court, trained to determine and research facts and results, and his Sennen Item- the Rod -had never been faulty! It had never hesitated in doing its work, and it had never disobeyed its owner. Set snorted- sometimes he really was the most efficient of this whole Court together.

Dressing himself, his mind trailed back to yesterday's events- the girl they had found in the city, on the ground, dehydrated and exhausted, and the commoners throwing rocks at her. It was strange to see such a beautiful girl lying on the ground- even though she was covered in dirt and bruises, her features were distinct enough to show off her beauty, and Set had barely been able to refrain from gasping. He knew her... the girl from his village..?

He hadn't been able to wonder about his thoughts, as the panicked crowd started yelling about some monster, about how the girl brought bad luck, how her pale skin was sickly and strange, how she would bring doom and destruction. It had taken quite some bellowing for the people to calm down, and the guards had to raise their shields and spears. Two Priests of the Pharaoh's Court and quite a handful of guards, and the mob had finally quieted down- but the fear had been tangible.

Shaadah had tested the girl, using his Sennen Ankh to determine her ka- and almost fainted on the spot. Her ka was so powerful that it was hard to see its limits, and Set knew she had to be even more special. Her name... Kisara... was as special and beautiful as she was. It was no wonder that he ordered the guards to take extremely good care of her, that the girl was in no way to be harmed... and if she was harmed, they would have to deal with his wrath.

She was brought to the part of the Palace where she could heal and rest up in peace, without being bothered by anyone, and in the meantime he could... study her face... no, her ka of course, that was the most important part. He suddenly realized that he had dressed himself in his official robes anyway when he put on his hat, the gold ornaments firmly in place. Huh. I guess I'm more distraught than I thought.

It still was extremely early when he left his quarters, the few servants already busy with their chores not in the least disturbed when seeing him walk around at this time of hour. Set passed them without greeting, his thoughts with Kisara. Blue eyes... long, white hair... and a ka powerful enough to surpass the Gods. It had to be... she was the one she was looking for, and he would use it. Her. The ka. Her. No, he wouldn't use her- only her ka! Akunadin had mentioned something about extracting the ka, and even though it had been Set's original plan, he knew that with extracting a ka it would mean the death of its holder. There had to be another way, and he was going to find it. Was it because she was a girl, and not some lowlife peasant who would die early anyway from his hard work at the lands? Was it because she was beautiful, and not some commoner toiling and sweating? Was it... because he knew her? He'd seen a white dragon before...

Mumbling a greeting in return when some official bowed for him in the hallway, Set made his way over to the quarters where he'd ordered Kisara to be brought to- away from Akunadin, away from anyone meddling, away from noise and unrest. The room was quite dark, but silent- there was nothing more than a bed, two chairs, and a small table in it. Any other decoration was scarce; a few cushions and comfortable carpets had been laid down. His footsteps didn't make any sound when he approached the girl in the bed, still she suddenly turned her head towards him, eyes closed.

"Kisara. Are you awake?"

She didn't answer him, and he dismissed the movement of her head; it was probably some subconscious reaction.

"Kisara, I..."

He was a High Priest at Pharaoh Atemu's Court. He was renowned, praised widely for his devotion and dedication, consulted each and every day for his practical wisdom, and he was standing in front of a sleeping girl not knowing what to say. Only the same vicious circle of thoughts was playing in his mind- to protect the Pharaoh, the Palace and the people he needed a strong ka, no matter what, even if he had to sacrifice the life of the wielder... but seeing this girl, weak and helpless, had made him reconsider his plans. What justification did he have to draw so much power from her ka that would leave her for dead?

Was it justified in the eyes of the Gods to kill an innocent to save millions? It is. Power is above anything. Power is above everything. We need that power... or we will be killed ourselves!

Her lips parted, just a little. She was exhausted and drained, but after a short examination the healer had said that she would recover completely. They didn't have the time to have her rest until she was back to full strength; the King of Thieves could strike any time, and they needed power, the power and strength of the white dragon... the ka hidden in this woman weak from dehydration, so strong that it would rival the Gods.

His hand moved on its own, grabbing the Sennen Rod he always carried, and with a small click, the dagger inside was revealed. In order to protect the Kingdom... he would go very, very far. This girl's ka was stronger than any power he'd ever known or seen, and with it, he would be able to protect the city from every attacker, Bakura first.

Unsheathing the dagger, Set kept his eyes on the woman. She wouldn't die. Not now. Not... ever? How would he be able to control the power within her, how would he be able to use it to the benefit of the city, to guard and to protect it? How ironic was it that this weak woman harbored such an incredible force?

"Please don't."

Her voice was soft, yet it sounded like giant bells in his head. He stepped back, caught off guard by her wide open eyes, her lips slightly parted.

"I- I wasn't going to kill you."

"Please don't," she repeated. Lying still, turning his head towards him some more with the slightest of movements, she blinked. "High Priest..."

Kisara. The whisper of her name, the briefest ghost of a memory, the barest of touches...

"You're stronger than this," she said, her voice lilting, carried by the wind. Her lips were barely moving, yet her voice was audible without any trouble.

"What do you mean?" He asked, suddenly realizing he still had the dagger out in the open, and shoved the cap back on, a little too roughly, and screwed the two pieces together. She smiled at him- a mother's smile, a lover's smile. It tugged at her lips, and a soft sigh escaped her.

"There's no need to do this."

She was hallucinating... dreaming, not lucid. She couldn't possibly know what he was thinking, what he was intending. She was lying still as a corpse, her pale skin not giving any indication of her health, and her eyes were open, but not really seeing. They were focused on him, but did they really see him? He felt as he was being observed, being probed, as if she was gauging him.

"I wasn't going to kill you," he answered brusquely. He didn't care what she thought. She was the key to this country's survival, and he was going to use... no, he was going to wield it!

Another sigh escaped her, but the smile didn't disappear from her lips. Her voice was strained now, as if she was exerted from talking.

"Step out of the shadows and walk in the sun, High Priest. It's beautiful outside."

Silence fell, and he instinctively knew that she had fallen asleep. Her breathing was peacefully even, and her eyes had closed again. A few stray strands of hair were plastered against her cheek, the strange white color matching the pale complexion. Step out of the shadows. Set clutched at the Sennen Rod, pressing the Item so hard against his chest that the tip of the winged blades almost cut in the fabric of his robes.

"It's not that easy," he muttered, as he suddenly turned away and stalked out of the room, barking orders at the two guards that if anyone should disturb Kisara, their heads would roll. It was later than he thought, and he was running behind schedule. He, High Priest Set, running behind schedule because of a girl! Because of a strange woman with strange words and a strange ka, that held the promise of great power.

He almost wanted to disdainfully dismiss it, but found he couldn't. There was a path of darkness right open for him, if he truly considered killing her or using her to death for her power. He would sink into the shadows, murdering in the name of protection, killing in the name of all that was good, and staining himself with the blood of innocents, soothing himself that the need of the many prevailed the need of the few.

Looking to the west, he noticed the sun rising. It was going to be beautiful outside- a nice warm temperature, the Palace basking in the golden rays of the sun... He had considered using her. He had considered killing the wielder of the ka powerful enough to defy Bakura and any other attacker, if that would mean the country, the Palace, and his Pharaoh would be safe.

He would've dealt with his final judgment himself- after all, he owed his soul only to the Gods, not to anyone else... not even to the blue-eyed, white-haired woman. Kisara. Stronger than this? Yes, he was stronger. He was going to find a solution to this predicament, and he was going to see the white dragon, the ka that she harbored... but she would show it to him when she was ready, and he would see it when she chose to show it. The white dragon was of light, about to be released to fight the darkness, and no darkness would taint it before it would spread its wings and fly to the heavens.


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23:09 16-1-2009