It started to
dawn him that he wasn’t in his bedroom. He’d simply
assumed he was at home; they hadn’t been that far en route to
school. The colors around him were warm yellow and sandy brown, very
much unlike the sky blue and light gray of his bedroom. When he
– carefully – turned his head, he saw a wooden
dresser, the golden knobs crafted to resemble certain animal heads. A
small, embroidered piece of linen covered the dresser, protecting the
wood from the porcelain water bowl on top of it. Anzu dipped the cloth
into the bowl, squeezed it and put it back on his forehead again.
“Where
are we…?”
A door opened
as if to answer him, and Anzu startled, standing up from her chair and
clasping her hands together, almost like a kid caught with her fingers
in the cookie jar. A girl, slightly taller than Anzu, walked over to
him, a warm smile tugging at her lips.
“How
are you feeling, Prince?”
“Pr…Prince?”
The confusion on his face spoke volumes, and his eyes went even wider
when he saw the girl approach. Now that he saw her up close and
personal despite his fuzzy vision, he blurted out: “Black
Magician Girl?”
Her smile grew
wider, her eyes mirroring the warmth, her friendly face open and
honest. Her large, round eyes took him in, examining him, and she shook
her head briefly.
“You
are the Prince, not the Pharaoh,” she said and her voice
sounded…dejected. Chestnut hair in wild bangs framed her
face, her traits exactly as he remembered it from the card in question
– which was absurd. No one could resemble a fictional person
from a card game this well.
Yuugi stared
at her, noticing how she was dressed in a robe, almost majestically,
that flowed around her body, loosely tied at the waist with an
embroidered sash. The long sleeves hid her hands from view, just as the
formless robe hid the outline of her body; the mass of fabric rustled
around her as she sat down, reaching forward to take the damp cloth
from his head.
“I
apologize,” she said. “It wasn’t
my…our intention to meet you so soon. We were only wandering
around…when we saw what was about to happen to you. Forgive
us for acting so rash, Prince. We were only trying to do our
best.”
“I
don’t understand a word,” Yuugi said, throwing a
questioning look at Anzu, who wore the same baffled, confused
expression. “I just want to go home, I don’t
understand…”
“Everything
happened so fast,” the girl continued, ignoring his words.
“My master wasn’t able to prevent you from hitting
your head, but he did get you out of the way before any…more
damage could’ve happened. You’ll meet my Master as
soon as you have rested.”
Yuugi frowned.
Master? What was the girl talking about, and what
was this “Prince” and “Pharaoh”
thing? Shouldn’t he be in a hospital instead of with
strangers? Out of habit, his hand went to his chest, fumbling around
for…
“Your
Puzzle is close to you,” the girl said, eyes flickering over
to the right. “Don’t worry, we won’t take
it from you. If anything, we’re protecting you from losing
it. You’ll need it, Mutou Yuugi. Prince.”
“Why
do you keep calling me that?” This was getting stranger by
the second – if his head wasn’t pounding so much,
he would’ve stood up and made himself scarce.
“Because
you are the Prince,” she answered, rising
up from the bed, mattress squeaking. “There’s time
to discuss this later. For now, you need to rest.”
Anzu rushed
immediately to Yuugi’s side again as soon as the other girl
had left the room, closing the door silently behind her.
“Who
are those people? Why are we here?” He looked up at her,
hoping that she would know the answers.
Anzu gave him
a confident smile, masking her own insecurity. “She told me
to call her Mana, but she didn’t tell me how to call the
man…the one that saved you. He was incredibly fast getting
you out of the way of that oncoming car, but I’ll be
eternally grateful for his quick action. She refers to him as
‘Master’, and he said
‘Apprentice’ to her once. He hasn’t
spoken much but insisted taking you here, telling me that the
‘Pharaoh needed care and rest’. He said that they
were the only ones able to give him that…”
“I’m
not a Pharaoh,” Yuugi protested.
“I
think they realize that by now as well,” Anzu
couldn’t help but remark dryly, then she adjusted the damp
cloth on his brow again. “If they would do us any harm, they
would’ve done so already, Yuugi. I don’t know about
you, but I feel strangely safe here…as if nothing can harm
us.”
Yuugi nodded,
drawing comfort from her gentle touch, and sharing her sentiments. It
did feel safe here, comfortable and warm, with no need for panic or
fear at all. This strange woman, and her even stranger
‘Master’, hadn’t touched the Puzzle or
tried to keep it away from him. From this angle, he could see it
sitting on a stool, the heavy chain curled up around it.
Anzu threw him
a quizzical look. “Why did you say ‘Black Magician
Girl’ to her?”
It took him a
few seconds to answer. “Because she looks like her?”
“Yuugi,
I don’t spend that much time looking at
Duel Monsters cards. Not everyone can dream the game like you
do.”
He smiled a
little sheepishly. “She looks the same but for the color of
her hair… the way it falls, the way she looks, her
eyes…”
Anzu poked him
gently. “I think you’re more than just obsessed
with the game, Yuugi. Duel Monsters don’t come to life but
during duels, and only thanks to the technology Pegasus used.”
“Yeah,”
Yuugi mumbled. Duelist Kingdom ended only a few weeks ago, though it
felt like merely yesterday to him. The gaming tournament had made him
more aware of his Other, the spirit of the Sennen Puzzle, or his
‘other self’ as he used to refer to him. Together
they had won the tournament and freed their grandfather’s
soul; a feat they couldn’t have accomplished without the help
of their friends.
If it
weren’t for the high stakes of the game, Yuugi
would’ve enjoyed the thrill of the duels, the holographic
technology Pegasus had used to bring the Duel Monsters to life, the
excitement of winning or losing…but in the end, Duelist
Kingdom had taught him that evil forces were at work, unfriendly people
who were after his Puzzle or his life, and wouldn’t stop for
anything.
“You
better rest,” Anzu said. “I’ll go see if
I can call our parents, all right?”
Yuugi nodded,
his eyes already sliding close. He was feeling a lot more at ease now
that he knew where his Puzzle was, and she scowled a little. She
didn’t quite always understand the bond between Yuugi and the
Puzzle, but she knew about who was residing in the object. Yuugi’s
Other.
Straightening herself, she waited until his breathing steadied before
turning around to leave the room.
As the man had
carried Yuugi to their dwelling, Mana had carried Anzu’s book
bag, and she had been too busy fidgeting over the semi-conscious Yuugi
to pay attention to it. She didn’t know where it was, and it
held her cell phone - she needed it to call the others, who would
probably be worried sick; it wasn’t like them to miss school.
There was no
one in the hallway, and delicious food scents wafted towards Anzu
– was it already lunch time? She had lost sense of time ever
since the accident; she hadn’t even taken a look at her
watch, constantly guarding Yuugi.
Who
are these people?
She was curious, yet careful. They had both been very adamant in taking
Yuugi to their dwelling, insisting that they were the only ones being
able to give him the right care and treatment – and Anzu had
no choice but to follow them…not that they stopped her from
doing so.
“Lunch
will be ready soon,” a female voice piped up behind her and
Anzu almost screamed, turning around swiftly, head snapping.
“I’m
sorry, I didn’t meant to scare you,” the girl said
and smiled at her. It was such a friendly and warm smile that Anzu was
compelled to return the gesture, though hers was a little wary.
“My
name is Mazaki Anzu,” she introduced herself.
“Mana,”
the other answered, and left it at that. “It’s an
honor to meet you, Mazaki Anzu.”
“I
thank you for your care,” Anzu decided to opt for the polite
approach. “We really need to go home…our parents
will be upset if we’re late.”
“I
understand, but the Prince needs to recover, and we will not let him go
before we know for certain he’s feeling well
again.” She didn’t say it in any threatening way
– she was looking so open and honest to Anzu that the other
girl understood it was genuine concern and care, not any malicious
intent.
“Why
do you keep calling him ‘Prince’?” Anzu
couldn’t keep herself from asking, curiosity burning.
Mana’s face turned a little sad, and she was silent for a
moment. Suddenly she moved her hand up, pointing to the open door
leading to the living room. Anzu nodded in agreement and went ahead,
stepping over the threshold and entering the large room, bearing the
same colors as the bedroom - sandy brown, warm yellow and light orange.
Her eyes immediately fell upon the man sitting in the corner, wearing
similar robes as Mana. His were a dark bluish purple, and just as
formless and covering the outlines of his body. He looked up the moment
she entered the room, and she blushed a little. His gaze was
scrutinizing, dark brown eyes with golden flecks piercing through her
as if she was x-rayed. His chestnut hair was tied back in a loose
ponytail and he was wearing something around his neck, obscured by the
large folds of his robe. It looked like a golden collar to Anzu, but
she didn’t inquire - it would be way too impolite, and she
was more curious about them than their accessories.
“Apprentice?”
His voice was low and curt, but not unfriendly.
“Master,”
Mana answered, “Mazaki Anzu has the right to know.”
“To
know what?” she asked meekly.
“The
answer to your question,” Mana said matter-of-factly and
smiled.
Anzu blushed
deeper, feeling extremely silly.
“We
are sorry to have caused this much confusion and grief,” the
man said, though his intonation barely indicated any apology.
“We will leave soon, as not to…”
“Master!”
Mana interrupted him. “We can’t leave, not
now!”
For a moment,
Anzu thought that he was going to yell at Mana as he narrowed his eyes,
a disapproving look on his face for being interrupted.
“If
we cannot find our Pharaoh, we have no business staying here.”
“We’ve
come so far, Master,” the girl pleaded. “We have
found the Prince! He has the Puzzle – he
must know where the Pharaoh is!”
He remained
silent, hands resting on the book in his lap. He’d been
writing; next to his armchair was a small, low table with old-fashioned
writing utensils. Anzu could make out a pot of ink and the small pieces
of a material she couldn’t identify to write with;
hadn’t these people heard of laptops?
“It
is our duty and responsibility to research each world for the presence
of our Pharaoh,” he finally said. “If we cannot
find him, the world is doomed and we have no business staying
here.”
“We
found the Prince,” Mana objected stubbornly.
“Master, we have to be careful in our research. We
can’t condemn a world to a certain fate if we
haven’t studied the circumstances and facts
profoundly.”
A very small
smile showed at the man’s lips. “Very well,
Apprentice. I am glad that you have paid attention after all.”
Anzu still
felt silly, having no clue where the two were talking about. She could
feel the mutual respect between them, a bond that was so strong it was
almost tangible. These two had been through a lot, she was certain of
it; but they hadn’t given up, forging the strength of their
bond with every experience. It was still difficult to grasp what was
going on, and it astounded her why they referred to each other with
‘Master’ and
‘Apprentice’…her mind went back to what
Yuugi had said. She had thought it was because of his concussion that
he thought he saw the Black Magician Girl instead of Mana,
but…Of course. Where the apprentice is, is the
teacher…the Master.
“You’re
the Black Magician,” she stuttered. This wasn’t
possible – this couldn’t be possible. People
didn’t resemble fictional Duel Monsters, it was just a card
game. As the man turned his head more towards her, as his attention had
been focused on Mana, she was, however, very sure - the same stern
look, the wisdom etched in his features, the intensity of his eyes.
“My
name is Mahaado, Mazaki Anzu,” he said. “I do not
know this ‘Black Magician’ you are speaking
of.”
“Who
are you…?” She was squeaking.
“We
have introduced ourselves. That will suffice.” He closed the
book, indicating that the conversation was over.
“Master,”
Mana said, “they have a right to know. We have found the
Prince, he has won the Duelist Kingdom tournament, and he’s
wearing the Puzzle. We know Mazaki Anzu from other
worlds…this world still seems intact.”
“What
other worlds?” Anzu asked, her mind racing about the
possibilities. Mahaado stood up, setting the book aside, next to his
writing utensils. He was quite tall, but not as tall as Kaiba - Anzu
wondered why she briefly thought about the CEO.
“If
the timeline here is not broken, we still have a chance to make things
right,” he nodded. “You are right so far,
Apprentice. If we truly have found the right world, we can work from
here to tie everything together.”
Mana’s
smile had become dazzling, and she clasped her hands together in
excitement.
“Really,
Master? Have we finally found the right world?”
“It
looks like it, if our Pharaoh is present
here,” Mahaado said. “We have to ask the
Prince.”
“Will
we finally see him again? That would be incredible!” Mana
sighed as if she was swooning over this Pharaoh, and Anzu was seriously
thinking she was dealing with very mentally unstable people, no matter
how friendly they were.
Mahaado’s
face was perfectly neutral, though Anzu saw something smoldering in his
eyes. A certain hunger, a desire…this man was very
dedicated, but she wasn’t sure to who or what. To this
Pharaoh? But they kept referring to Yuugi as
‘Prince’…that might mean…
“Are
you talking about Yuugi’s Other? The spirit of the Sennen
Puzzle?” Naming him like this felt strange to her, as she
barely spoke to anyone about it, even between her and Yuugi. They
hardly discussed it; all that Yuugi had told her was that the spirit
had lost every memory he had, not even knowing his own name. He had
helped Yuugi to get through Duelist Kingdom, and she could distinguish
between the two of them if only for his voice…his confident,
deep voice.
“Other?”
Mahaado turned towards her, gazing at her again. “The Prince
knows…he has another personality?”
“We
simply call him the Other Yuugi,” Anzu said, a little meekly.
“We don’t know much about him…he
doesn’t even know much about himself. He has lost his
memory…”
“Gods
protect us,” Mana said and laced her fingers together,
lifting up her hands as if in prayer. “They have shown us
finally the right path…”
“Such
pain.” Mahaado heaved a sigh. “He does not know,
and I am not allowed to tell him.”
“Master…”
“Apprentice.
We have to ask the Gods for their blessings and strength, for we have
finally found the right world. It cannot be any different. We have work
to do.”
Mana looked
upset, her lips quivering and grimacing, while her eyes were shining
with hope and fear at the same time. Finally, her face was set in
determination, and she turned around to leave the room.
“Wait…!”
Anzu cried. “What’s happening? You were going to
give me answers!”
“They
will be given,” Mahaado curtly answered and was about to
follow Mana, when he suddenly halted. Anzu was about to ask again, when
she suddenly noticed the same: Yuugi was standing in the door opening,
a confused expression on his face. She closed the distance between
them, standing next to his side as he held on the doorpost for support.
“Prince,”
Mahaado said and bowed his head, robes flowing around him. Mana made
the same bow, her hands still clasped.
“I’m
just Yuugi,” Yuugi said, “and I’d like to
know what’s going on.”
“You
need to rest,” the girl said. “My healing took your
scrapes and bruises away, but not the pain in your head. You need to
replenish your energy.”
As if on cue,
Yuugi’s stomach growled embarrassingly, and his face flushed.
They were used to lunch at school, and he didn’t have
anything to eat in his backpack. He’d completely forgotten
about food, being in this strange environment, with these strange
people who resembled the Black Magician Girl and…he
didn’t want to think of it. It wasn’t possible
anyway.
Mana suddenly
laughed, a pleasant sound. “I think we need to feed our
Prince before we can talk any further,” she cheerfully said.
“Why don’t you take place around the table?
I’ll be serving you soon!”
She left the
room, laughing softly. Mahaado looked slightly embarrassed, and he
quickly made a movement with his hand, showing Yuugi and Anzu out of
the room.
“If
our Prince would follow me…?”
The dining
room was small, and the only light available was from a rather
old-fashioned chandelier. Anzu liked the atmosphere; the heavy wooden
furniture blended well with the soft yellow colors, and it struck her
that none of the colors were outspokenly bright. It fit them somehow;
maybe they would reveal later how they acquired all this.
Mana came into
the room carrying a huge bowl. She took off the lid and picked up a
large spoon to stir through the food. It was bamya, a
meat and okra stew with a very distinguished scent. Before tasting it,
Anzu could tell there were lots of spices, garlic prominently, in the
dish; curiously, she watched how Mana served Yuugi first, then Mahaado,
then her and finally she took care of her own plate. There were small
side dishes of pita bread and lemon wedges, and Anzu was thankful for
the large pitcher of water in the middle of the table.
“Eat,”
Mahaado said and everybody picked up their utensils - and waited for
Yuugi to start. He noticed the eyes resting on him, and with a faint
blush, Yuugi put his spoon into the stew to taste a little.
“I
hope you like it, Prince,” Mana said, beaming at him. He
returned the smile, taking a sip of the water.
“It’s
quite different than what I’m used to,” he said
politely. Mana nodded, enthusiastically eating.
“I
like the fish here,” she said, “especially rolled
up in the rice! It’s sticky, but very tasty!”
“Oh,
you mean sushi?” Anzu asked, barely refraining from coughing.
The hot spices burned her throat and almost brought tears to her eyes.
“Sushi,
yes! There are so many varieties, and they’re all so
nice!” Amusedly, Mana took a slice of the pita bread and
nibbled on it. “The ones with the egg in it
are…”
“Apprentice,”
Mahaado said and she immediately went silent, though she
didn’t seem bothered by him cutting her off.
Chapter 3 | Chapter 5