31 - End Of The Month Review

The next morning was much better than any other I had experienced since being assigned my Regional suite. 

The reason?

The lovely Egyptian beauty sleeping next to me. 

...Well...On me. 

Ishizu was a cuddler and enjoyed using me as a body pillow as she slept. I really didn't mind it as it meant I got to wake up to her face almost every morning. Her adorable soft snores and the slight pool of drool on my chest aside, she was an angel - 100%.

I smile down at her lovingly as I start lightly brushing strands of her messy raven black hair from her face. Sunlight from the window of my room sent god rays onto her face, making her bronze skin shine golden. 

I can't begin to thank this wonderful woman enough. I am so glad she stayed the night... That is until memories of what actually happened last night rush back into my mind and I cover my face with a hand in embarrassment. 

'Fuuuuuck. I acted like such a child...'

To summarize a situation I refuse to go into detail about, I was upset at the unfairness of World Champions getting unreleased cards. To be clear, I did know they got cards for winning, but I just thought they were super rare cards; I had no way of knowing they would be cards released years into the future in normal TCG chronology and unavailable to the public! 

How fucking broken was that!?! Ugh...

But, then, was life ever fair, to begin with? I knew that something fishy had to be going on behind the scenes for this whole system to work. Maybe these cards were a peak into that world...How else would world governments be able to be run on a card game? Obviously, those in power needed a reason to adopt this system and a way to ensure they keep power.

Wars happened here, but they were very infrequent. If nations were not militarily focused here, then it stood to reason that there would need to be another equalizer, and strong decks seemed to be the answer...even if it made no fucking sense to me right now.

Ishizu was very confused at how upset I was when I explained it, but she still did her best to console me like the Goddess she was.

See, this was not some secret information. It was common knowledge that this happened and was even publicized as a reason to join on World Championship flyers and advertisements. I was so confused about how I could have missed such an obvious thing for a split second-

And then, just like that, I knew everything about it. 

That same, strange, disconnected sensation I had felt when I remembered everything about Toshiaki for the first time. That same mental click that let me remember things about this body's original owner.

'I...didn't know about it because I didn't try and remember it? ...Was all of this because of my transmigration...?'

If that was the case then...All the things that were common sense here needed to be relearned...I have the information, but until I try to access it, I don't actually know it...How unbelievably frustrating...

But, then again, I wasn't from here so-

'I...I'm not from here...' I remember thinking with growing panic.

These weren't my original memories.

I mean, I'm pretty sure I merged with Toshi, so, in that sense, they are my memories...but I didn't actually live them. It wasn't "Me" at the time.

Why it hit me this hard so suddenly, I don't know, but, somehow, I had gotten distracted enough by Ishizu, my friends, and all that was going on that I forget all about it. I was still thinking in terms of "This new world," but it was becoming less and less some odd Iseaki and more and more...my home.

This world may be nuts and based on some kid's card game...but Ishizu is here. My friends are here...my new family is here...Plus, I really like being Anubis...

'I'm not ever going back...am I?'

The weight of that thought and the acceptance of the fact that I wouldn't, that I couldn't, ever leave them...her...was staggering. 

This was my new home. 

She was my new family. 

Not temporarily, but forever. I knew that, now that I had this, I would never give it up. 

At that moment I found myself completely overwhelmed with emotions.

As for what happened next...Ishizu comforted me as I sat there stoically and manly, accepting these world-shattering revelations with the iron will of a mountain. Then we cuddled and went to bed. 

Yup.

Really. 

That's exactly what happened, I swear...

If Ishizu says differently, she is lying...

Anyway! Back to here and now. 

Rubbing my face to remove the last dregs of embarrassment, I remove my hands from covering my eyes and nearly have a heart attack.

A familiar black box appeared before me.

'Fuck off...it's too early and I'm too crabby to deal with this right now.' I think after I get my heart rate under control again and wave the screen away. 

'...So you are ignoring me despite giving me the option, huh?'

I started at the screen in complete incomprehension. This seemed so...random! And it gave me so, soooo many new questions. Was this explained to me before?

I don't think so...but did I really expect whoever these people were to be forthright about this shit? I had already said it earlier, the world isn't fair...at the same time, I should have died in my last life...so maybe they actually gave me a second chance? I have no proof they are trying to harm me, either...

...There is also the possibility that I am in a hospital somewhere deep in a comma and this was only a dream...

'That thought can fuck right off, thank you!' I muse as my body shudders. 

Back to this Review.

How did they determine these criteria, anyway?

Was this all planned out in advance or did they make it up on the spot?

How did they know what was going to happen to me during the month? Were they orchestrating the events of this world like some sort of simulation?

Those were important things to find out, but I had no means to answer those questions unless the system decided to be nice about it. Besides, those were nowhere near as pressing as the next 2:

Who were the others they mentioned, and were they here currently, or does "in the past" mean that I was the newest replacement?

And...

What did they mean by "You really outdid yourself this time"!?! 

How long have they been watching me...?

Before I could lose myself in how creeped out I was starting to feel, something fell onto my chest near Ishizu's head with a soft thud. 

The beautiful sleeping woman on my chest didn't even flinch as she completely ignored it.

She is a very deep sleeper.

Rolling my eyes at her, I tuck my head down slowly and strain to look at whatever it was without moving, expecting it to be an insect falling from the ceiling or something of the like, only to see an unassuming silver-wrapped card pack. 

It had no designs or logos on it, but, as I watched, the silvery surface shimmered with some sort of strange energy. 

'Celestial Card Pack, huh?' I think as I slowly pick it up. 

Surprisingly, It felt heavy. Not in the sense of weight, but, rather, in a sort of pressure or aura it gave off. It was as if it was a live wire of electricity I was holding in my hands instead of a simple pack of trading cards.

It almost made me not want to open it.

Almost. 

I tore that sucker open in an instant...or at least I tried to. 

The material, whatever it was, wasn't like the usual plastic wrap used around most card packs. When I tried to tear at it, it bent with my fingers and flowed around them in an almost, smokey, ethereal way.

Before I had a chance to complain, however, The pack simply unraveled before my eyes on its own, and the material faded away into the surrounding air like sparkling silver dust in the wind. What was left behind was a single Duel Monsters card faced down on my chest. 

With trembling hands, I reach forward and pick it up lightly. Inspecting the back, it appeared as if it was a completely normal card. 

'Okay, so the pack was otherworldly, but the card is normal, got it.' I think sardonically. What else was I expecting? Something more flashy and magic-filled?

I chuckle at my silly thoughts as I flip the card over in my hand.

"What the...?"I start to say as I stare in confused fascination at the front of the card before me. The card had the framing and sections a normal Yugioh card had, but there was nothing else on it. No text or even an image. It was just a completely blank card.

Everything around me comes to a halt at once. 

The surroundings, my suite, Ishizu, and even my own body melt away into shadows that form an endless void of blackness around me. The only light I can see is a soft white glow that the blank card seems to give off. As if that wasn't strange enough, the card now appears to be growing larger and larger...what was once smaller than my hand has already grown to the size of a full TV. 

I would scream out in horror if I could, but I currently was without a body to do so. I am here, wherever "here" is...but how I got here, and what happened to my perfectly healthy body? ...That I have no answers to. 

Having nothing else to do, I simply watch in resigned silence as the card grows bigger and bigger until the edges of it start to leave my field of view. I seem to be moving closer to the black void that fills the card art section. 

'Hello!?! There is nothing here? What is going on!?! I thought this was supposed to be a reward!!!' I yell indignantly in my head after several more long moments of silence and darkness. 

As if to answer my thoughts, the black card art image, now the only thing in my field of view, starts to gain spots of color here and there in, seemingly, random locations. They soon begin to spin in a counter-clockwise circle, slowly at first, but gaining in speed with each passing second. 

More and more dots of color start joining the swirling vortex until it spins so fast that it becomes a single, still image again.

Hazy at first but growing clearer every moment, the picture of a well-lit chamber fills my field of view. 

It looks to be some sort of ancient meeting room, and I was looking on from the entranceway towards a large, circular, limestone table with several stone chairs surrounding it. The floor of the room was made of painted tiles and stylized pillars with Egyptian hieroglyphics were spaced evenly on either side supporting the massive stone ceiling above.

The lighting in the room came from candles inside of orange clay pots that sat atop iron tripod-looking holders near the walls every couple of feet. Because of the pillars, long shadows stretched, flicked, and cast their trails over the table making it looks like ghosts sat in the empty seats before me. It really gave a mysterious, ominous feeling to the place.

Lining the walls and inside carved-out alcoves all around the room were statues, pottery, or ornate weapons stored on pedestals with either glass cases protecting them or sitting on red velvet cushions.  

I made my way closer to the table, noticing that each chair was like a stone throne and was lined with cushions and furs. I also noticed that each seemed to have a personalized style to their comfort, meaning these seats were likely assigned to someone. On either side of the table were long, shallow wooden tables on which sat a large golden chalice, on the left, and a strange golden jar, on the right. 

The room was, otherwise, completely empty, so I walked...floated? ...I managed to move around somehow and inspected things as best I could. 

At first, I assumed this was nothing but a very well-done Egyptian museum exhibit, but as I moved around the room and started seeing more and more iconography, I realized that couldn't be the case. I didn't recognize some of the hieroglyphs on the walls and columns from what I remember of the exhibits I had seen, and, also, everything looked new and well-maintained. On closer inspection, the hieroglyphs depicted stories of past Pharaohs defeating terrible monsters or their devious opponents that summoned them through Spirit Magic.

'Hmm...This world's ancient Egypt then...Alright, but why am I here?'

I continued reading the interesting stories on the pillars until I came to one that was only partially carved at the very top. This one pertained to a Pharaoh named Aknamkanon and his son, Prince Atem, and was obviously incomplete. 

'Hol' Up. What the fuck!?!'

Now, to be clear, I wasn't shocked about seeing Atem on the column. Obviously, it had to be him since his rein is the only really fleshed-out ancient setting in Yugioh lore. It seemed that I was here a few years prior to his coronation.

Atem is the Pharaoh trapped in the millennium puzzle that Yugi wears, and he is a main character of this story. So, no, I was not all that surprised to find mentions of him being the ruler's son while I was here.

What I was surprised about was the fact I was reading these hieroglyphs at all. Now, when I say reading, I don't mean I was interpreting the images and extrapolating their meanings, I meant I was really fucking reading them. Like, I stared at a hieroglyph and a word or phrase jumped out at me as if I understood it perfectly.

Not to be a nitpicker here, but I am pretty sure neither myself nor Toshiaki was able to read ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs before now...What the fuck is going on!?!

*THUD*

A wooden door to the left of the meeting room slams open and several people rush in. 

"I wish you would have woken me sooner..." A deep male voice says in Ancient Egyptian...which I also somehow now understood...

"Sire, you so rarely take a break to sleep...I couldn't bring myself to do so." A higher-pitched, older male voice responded. 

"Bah, you worry too much Shimon."

6 people and one dwarf, all in white Egyptian ceremonial robes, followed a short, spikey-haired man to their seats around the table. Prince Atem, for there could be no other with that wild hair, wore a simple white, sleeveless robe with a golden rope as a belt. These were the 6 Priests: the Sacred Guardians, The Chief Adviser and Grand Vizier: Shimon Muran, and Prince Atem himself.

'...Sacred Guardians? Grand Vizier? Where did those names come from?... No...I guess I should just expect this from now on...' I think with an internal sigh.

The 6 Priests stand by their chairs and wait for Atem to take his seat before sitting themselves. All the while, Shimon coddles and flutters about the young Prince. I move in closer to both see them and hear what they are saying more clearly, but I freeze in place for a moment when I see something truly astounding. 

'Ishizu really is the spitting image of her.' 

The Priestess Isis...It was never officially confirmed, but many fans fully suspect that the main cast were reincarnations of these people. The resemblances aside, they even behaved very similarly. 

Next to her sat Preist Seto, Kaiba's double, and to the other side was Preist Shada, Shadi's double. Last of the reincarnated crew was Shimon, Yugi's grandpa's preincarnation...was that a word? If not, I just made it one...who sat just to the left of Atem.

Again, it was very surreal to see them in person when I was used to seeing them animated. I had interacted with Yugi, Simon, and, obviously, Ishizu, so the oddness of seeing their preincarnations was not as bad, but I had yet to meet either Kaiba or Shadi, so seeing them stunned me for a moment. 

I floated there in quiet contemplation, missing several of the things being said, as I processed this strange dream I was being forced to witness.

This still begs the question, however...Why am I here? What does this have to do with that blank card? Is this some sort of warning having to do with Ishizu? Guess I should pay attention, just in case.

"-so he should be arriving shortly." I tuned back in and heard Preist Seto finish what he was saying to the Prince. 

"You summoned Taleem for this? Surely a group of bandits is not worth his time." Priestess Isis said in a perfect match of Ishizu's voice. 

"He serves Egypt and the Prince. The bandits are hurting Egypt and local forces are struggling to quell them. It makes sense to bring in a heavy hitter." Seto reasons. He sounds snobbish, but not mean. I can tell there is a deep friendship between the people here.

"We all serve Egypt, Preist Seto. Does that mean you will go if I ask you to?" Isis retorts.

Instead of falling for the provocation, Preist Seto smiles widely and answers, "Yes! I have a new DiaDhank¹Ancient version of a Duel Disk. This is canon lore folks, I swear! lol I developed recently that needs testing."

Atem frowns over at his friend and rival as he says, "Seto, we talked about this. You could kill yourself if something goes awry and you use all your Ba²In Egyptian mythology this is a person's Spirit Energy. In Yugioh, it is a person's life force and what a person uses to summon monsters in a Shadow Duel. Literal Life Points, and if it hits 0 you die. There is Good and Evil Spirit Energy, both are called Ba.. Not to mention the fallout to come if your powerful Ka³Egyptian Spirit Monsters. These are the monsters that were made into stone tablets and then cards. You use your Ba, Spirit Energy, to summon them in a Shadow Duel. summons destroy our city walls again."

"That happened once when we were children, you worry too much," Seto answers, rolling his eyes and sending a smirk at Atem for mirroring his earlier statement. 

The Prince of Egypt sighs but shrugs his shoulders helplessly in defeat.

"Atem, will Taleem alone be enough to suppress the bandit uprising? Should we not call the other legendary warriors?" A male Preist I was unfamiliar with says from his seat to the right of Atem. 

...

*Groan*

Nevermind. He is Priest Mahad, a good friend of Seto and Atem's, and the mage who later becomes the Dark Magician.

...Wait.

He does what now?

I don't remember that!?!

'God, I wish I watched the last season of Yugioh more than once!!! I could buy it in the store, but it was hella expensive!!! Gaaaaah!'

"Yes, I have full confidence in Taleem's capabilities. Besides, my father called him, not me. He isn't known throughout the neighboring kingdoms for nothing, after all." Atem responds with a chuckle. 

I get a bit distracted as I notice Isis bite her bottom lip and smile just the tiniest amount when she hears the Prince's words of praise for this Taleem guy. Ishizu does the same thing while sneaking a peak at me sometimes when she thinks I am not paying attention, and I always find it heart-wrenchingly endearing and incredibly seductive when I notice it.

'Wait! Is this cheating!?! Begone demon! You are not but a cheap imitation! Your beauty is hollow and my Ishizu is infinitely better! Hahaha-'

Isis suddenly snaps her head and glares directly into my eyes with the scorn of a real demon as the non-existent blood in my non-existent veins freezes.

The rest of the group jolt at her sudden movement and Atem is quick to ask, "Is everything alright, Isis?"

Isis seems to scan the area she looked to for something, but after a second or two, she slowly shakes her head and responds, "Yes...Apologies, My Prince, I thought I sensed a malevolent Ka in that direction...but I must have been mistaken."

'Holy fuck, did her womanly instincts just break through space and time? Am I going to get scolded when I get back and Ishizu wakes up??? This is legit terrifying! Ishizu is scary when she is mad! I mean, I can usually get out of it fine, but still!'

Someone had to be messing with me, I refused to believe that was a coincidence. 

*Tink* *Clink* *Tink* *Clink*

The sound of heavily armored footsteps echoing from beyond the entranceway slowly grew in volume as they drew nearer, diverting the attention away from Isis. I also noticed a bright smile bloom on her face when she heard the sound.

Shimon smirked up at her and teased in a whisper, "Try not to look too upset to see him." 

Isis schooled her expression at once, but her cheeks still glowed a faint red showing her embarrassment. 

'Hoho! What is this? It seems this Taleem is someone important to her! Now I gotta see who my past competition was. I will totally find a way to tease Ishizu for this somehow. Mwahahaha!'

"Ah, good. Please see him in." The Prince instructs an attendant who stands near the entranceway I had started my ghostly tour from, and they nod in acknowledgment.

When did that guy get here? No, really, when?

I couldn't tell you. I never heard him enter, that's for sure.

'Ninja Guards?' I wonder internally before nodding a few times. 'Ninja Guards.' I confirmed my new headcanon. 

The sound of sabatons on stone came to a stop outside the door and, soon after, the servant opened it with a bow. 

Metaphysical eyes bulged at the figure I saw standing there. 

If I had a jaw, it would drop to the floor as the armored form of one of my favorite Yugioh cards ever printed marched crisply into the throne room.

"Here to see Prince Atem, Taleem, The Black Luster Soldier." 

It was the exact same midnight black armor with gold and platinum accents that I loved so much in the card art as a child. The iconic sword and shield he carried were both sheathed, with his shield strapped to his back, but it made him look no less intimidating. 

He steps into the room, calmly and confidently, and he seems to take command of it with his very presence alone. 

...I also didn't miss the way Isis squirmed and had to fight really hard to hide a smile. Someone definitely had a crush. 

Once Taleem was about 10 feet away from the meeting table, he fell to one knee in a graceful motion and saluted Atem with a hand over his heart.

'...Isn't that a Roman thing? Whatever, let's just enjoy the free filler episode.'

"Great Prince of The Nile, future ruler of our desert paradise, I have come at your behest. What might this lowly servant do for your Grace?" The Black Luster Soldier says in a smooth baritone voice. 

A...very familiar baritone voice.

'No...' I think, cocking my head back in surprise.

Atem sighs and rubs the bridge of his nose, "How many times must I ask you to just call me Atem, Taleem? Enough with the dramatics! We have been friends for years now."

Taleem's demeanor seems to shift and his ridged posture switches for a much more relaxed one as he stands back up in one fluid motion. 

"Aw, come on! I thought it made me seem noble!" Taleem quips back with a playful whine to his words. 

"I have known donkeys with more class than you," Seto says with a scoff.

The legendary BLS stumbles back a step and grabs at his chest as if he had been shot there with an arrow. "My dear, sweet friend, Seto...How could you wound me so? And when did you get so close to donkeys? Do I need to warn the stablemaster about you?"

Priest Seto growls as he glowers at Taleem.

"Kidding! Just kidding, your Priestly-ness! Besides, aren't I here to do you a favor? Where is my respect, hmm?" 

My mind stops functioning. 

'No. Fucking. Way.'

"You should be honored to be doing Pharaoh's work. You will gain some modicum of respect after your job is completed." Seto waves off his comment. 

Taleem sighs exaggeratedly and walks up to join the rest in front of the table. 

'This can't be possible. There's no way...'

"It is good to see you again, Taleem." Isis says professionally, clearly masking her excitement at seeing him in that short greeting. 

"Ah! My darling friend Isis, You are a cool breeze on the hottest summer day, as always. Is that a new robe? It looks exactly like your old one and suits you perfectly." Taleem flirts shamelessly. 

Isis blushes and stammers out a reply as the rest of the group laughs at her sudden shyness.

'I mean I knew there was a possibility since I had to be shown this for a reason...but this...There's fucking no way, dude!!!'

"Taleem, take off that garish helmet already. You'll stab someone's eye out with its spikes." Shimon chides in a fatherly tone. 

"Ah, grandfather! I missed you down there!" Taleem jokes as he bends down to give the old man a slight side hug. He receives a light wrapping on his pauldron for that comment, but most of the group chuckles. 

He then leans forward and removes his helmet...confirming what I already suspected. Ensuring that I wasn't going crazy. This really was fucking happening right now. 

Standing before me, his helmet removed and tucked safely into the crook of his arm was...me.

Arakaki Toshiaki was the reincarnation of the Black Luster Solider. 

As soon as the realization clicked, the room and everyone in it bled away into shadows once again. This time, I was completely swallowed by the darkness and I floated in a pitch-black void for what could have been seconds or hours, I had no idea. 

I didn't even notice the time I spent there...my mind was doing 5 kinds of gymnastics just to make sense of what I saw...Who I was...Why did it matter? What was the reason I was shown this? I appreciate the information, as it seemed important, but I didn't get anything from this but more questions...

Suddenly images started flashing before my eyes. Images of a life as Taleem.

***

I grew up on the streets of an ancient middle eastern city as a common pickpocket. 

I got caught trying to steal a golden necklace from a wealthy passerby, but I was not punished. Rather, I was adopted because they said I was special.

I learned the meaning of why I was special. I now knew my duty as the Keeper of the Forbidden One.

My home is destroyed in a war and I move to Egypt to find work.

I end up joining the military and I excel, even making it into a special Ka fighting unit. 

I kill thousands of Spirit Monsters and learn to harness their remaining Spirit Energy. I imbue it into myself, my weapons, and my armor. 

I grow more and more powerful and renowned, and I even get to meet Pharaoh himself. 

I form a friendship with Atem, the Prince, and the newest generation of Sacred Guardians, but I don't let myself get too close in fear of the secrets I protect.

I consider myself the unofficial 7th Sacred Guardian as an internal joke, but they can never know who I really am. That secret must never be told.

I fall in love with the Priestess Isis. She is cold to me at first but warms up very quickly with my persistent teasing and flirting. Her family won't allow us to marry because of my lineage, but we continue to meet and hide our relationship in secret. 

There is a bandit uprising and it quickly turns into a rebellion. Thousands die and the kingdom is in open revolt.

Pharaoh calls on me to suppress it, but a betrayal from within shocks me to the core and catches me unaware. After a gruesome battle, with once friends turned assassins, I had succeeded in killing them all, but was left mortally wounded. 

I spent my last moments with Isis as she cried over my dying body.

I make a choice: Love over duty.

A forbidden secret was shared and golden necklaces are entrusted.

A last smile and kiss are had.

My soul is split and becomes a Ka Monster so that it might always protect her.

...Then it was all gone.  

Darkness once more.

***

In the next instant, I blinked and found that I was, somehow, back on my bed where I had started in the same position I was in previously. 

My body shook as silent tears ran down my face.

In my hand was a blank, empty card no longer. Instead a beautifully sparkling copy of one of my favorite Yugioh Cards and one that I now had a much deeper connection to.  

Black Luster Soldier, Envoy of the Beginning

'What the fuck does this mean!?!'