Prologue: The Legend of the Pharoah

"Once upon a time, in a land covered with desert sand, a young king lived in a majestic palace."

The red-eyed boy lying inside the bed underneath his quilts mouthed the words as his mother spoke them. He had heard the story many times before and knew it by heart. This was how the tale always began.

His mother's pink lips turned into a soft smile as she gazed at him fondly from her spot on the edge of his bed. Her pale hand, brushing through his thick shoulder-blade length black hair while she recited the tale.

"He was fair and just. Under his rule, his people lived peacefully, knowing he would protect them just as his father had before him. The glorious kingdom prospered."

"But?"

His expectant question was followed by a series of violent coughs. The smile on his mother's lips turned into a troubled frown as she reached for the glass of water on the wood nightstand next to the bed. He sat up and took hold of the cup to consume some of its contents while she rubbed circles on his back. After he had handed the glass to her, he laid back down while she placed it on the nightstand.

She gazed at him a moment with her red eyes to make sure he wouldn't go into another coughing fit before resuming the story. "But then, a group of priests decided to rebel against the king and his magicians.

"It was once believed that misfortunes were caused by evil spirits, fear, and the suffering that existed within people's hearts. The pharaoh and his magicians used spells to trap these evil spirits inside stone tablets sculpted with pictures of their monstrous forms."

"The origin of Duel Monsters," her son whispered, his eyes bright.

"That's right," she replied with a nod, her long brown hair falling over her shoulder as a result. "Over time, the sinister power within the sealed tablets began to grow. The priests used the evil spirits within them to fight, and the pharaoh was given no other choice but to react in kind to defend his people. These Dark Games erupted into a war that threatened to destroy the entire world.

"Legend states the young, powerful pharaoh gave his life to seal the dark power away inside of seven magical items to save the world. However, his sacrifice came at a terrible price. The spell he used locked his soul within the Millennium Pendant, and he lost all recollection of whom he had once been.

"Soon after, the Millennium Pendant was shattered and placed in his tomb where only someone deemed worthy could pass through the obstacles within to reach the inner chamber. And the nameless pharaoh could only wait inside the newly formed puzzle for the day when someone would put the pendant back together and free him once again."

A gust of wind blew through the open window near the bed. Both mother and son looked in its direction as the curtains fluttered in the breeze, and cool air pervaded the room. The boy began to cough again and shivered from the cold. His mother, with some difficulty due to her bulging belly, went to stand to close it.

"Stay there, Sophie," a man said from the doorway, "I'll get it."

They watched him in surprise as he made his way into the room and approached the window, discarding the gray jacket of his suit in a nearby chair. His hip-length jet-black hair swayed in the breeze when the man stood in front of it. He tried closing the window, but it jammed halfway. After several more attempts and a few choice curses, he was able to force it to shut with a loud slam.

"It looks like I need to do something about this window," he muttered with a frown.

"What are you doing home already, Leo?" Sophie asked.

His piercing green eyes landed on his wife's form as he turned around to gaze at her. "Ian convinced me to take the rest of the day off."

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"Why do I have a feeling that it didn't take much to convince you?"

He gave her a sheepish smile in return, a light blush dusting his pale cheeks.

She emitted an exasperated sigh and rolled her eyes. "Nothing is going to happen to me. In case you've forgotten, I've already had one child."

"That was nine years ago."

"Are you saying I've grown too old and feeble to have another?" she asked with a pointed glare.

"No!" he replied hastily in order not to incur her wrath. "I'm just saying it's been a long time."

She didn't look convinced.

"Was he ever set free?" their son asked, breaking the tense silence between them.

"What?" his parents asked in confusion.

"The pharaoh, was he ever set free?"

Although he had heard the tale many times, they'd finally reached the part he'd never had a chance to learn about. It was always too late to continue, he'd fallen asleep before the end, or she was too busy to answer. He wanted to finally discover what became of the pharaoh he'd spent his childhood hearing about.

He also thought it was a good idea to break into their conversation before an argument had the chance to begin. No matter how gifted his father might be at charming his way in or out of situations, his mother wasn't the type to fall for it. She was too smart. He'd only end up digging his hole further.

Sophie stared at him for a moment, then nodded. "He was," she said, Leo visibly relaxing now that her attention had shifted away from him. "Three thousand years later, the pendant was recovered from inside the tomb. A boy in his teens eventually solved the puzzle, unlocking the dark magic contained within it and releasing the pharaoh from his prison. Together, they faced many ordeals until the nameless pharaoh regained his lost memories and defeated the evil sealed within the Millennium Items.

"Then, at the end of their long journey, they had to face one last trial. The pharaoh couldn't be granted access to the afterlife while still being undefeated in battle. He had to duel one final time and lose.

"Our ancestors were present during the duel. It was their duty to guard the pharaoh's tomb and its legacy in preparation for his return, so they could help him regain his memories. They told of an epic battle where the young boy defeated the three Egyptian Gods, leaving the pharaoh with no other alternative but to fight without them.

"Who won?" the boy asked, curiosity getting the best of him.

"The pharaoh was the one who was defeated. After three thousand years, the great king was finally able to rest. Our ancestors' purpose had come to an end."

He stared at her in astonishment. "What was the name of the pharaoh?"

"Atem."

"You certainly know how to weave a tale," Leo said with a frown. "Has this story really been told through the generations?"

"Of course," Sophie replied with a nod. "My family has made it a point to pass down the story of the nameless pharaoh, so he will never be forgotten. His legacy would have been lost in time if it hadn't been for the tomb keepers who fought to keep it alive. All records of his existence have been destroyed."

"Did they always tell it as you do?"

"What do you mean?"

"If this Atem guy wasn't just part of your family's legends, I would be wondering if you had a thing for him."

She stared at him with an incredulous expression in response. "Surely you're joking."

"You don't talk about me like you do about him."

"Are you jealous?"

"Why does it look like you're trying not to laugh?"

She tried to keep a straight face but began to laugh when his pointed look became worse. Her laughter came to a stop when she felt a kick inside of her stomach. She gazed down and touched it gingerly through the cloth of her light blue dress, a look of surprise on her face.

"Did she kick you?" Leo asked, a grin on his face.

"What's that look for?"

"She isn't even born yet, and our little girl has already chosen my side."

"We'll just have to see about that. After all, who's the one who tells the stories before bedtime?"

"Are you going to tell her about him too?"

"Why wouldn't I? I'm confident she'll be just as enchanted by the pharaoh as I was when I was little. If a girl falls for anyone, it should be someone as strong and courageous as him."

"Children are too young to have crushes."

"What about Luke? He—"

"Mom!" the boy in the bed shouted in embarrassment, only to end up coughing again as he covered his head with his quilts.

"Don't worry, Luke," his father said with a mischievous smirk. "We'll get even with her."

"You better not if you understand what's good for you," she threatened with a feeling that she knew what he had in mind.

That didn't deter her husband. In fact, his smirk only widened at the challenge. She gave a scowl as she scoffed and turned her head away.

"I'm a pregnant woman. You shouldn't be trying to do anything to me."

He snorted in amusement then walked over to her. "Now you pull the pregnant card after telling me you're fine?"

She stayed quiet as she continued to pout.

An affectionate smile appeared on his lips before he bent forward and kissed the top of her head. "I love you."

"...I love you," she muttered.