The Ritual
Arc 1-Suffering: The Ritual
Location: Unknown
Date: Unknown
How long has it been? How long has he wandered this dark desert? Hours? Days? Or has it already been a month? Atem has no idea. All he knows is that he's been following the cub for some time now while thinking about magic. Occasionally he would take a break, despite not needing it for some reason, and play with the cub. They would pretend to be hunter versus prey, with the hunter having to run into the darkness until they cannot be seen by the prey before turning back to sneak up on the prey. Meanwhile the prey would have to try and find the hunter before he pounces on them.
At first, Atem lost completely. The cub seems to know how to hide her presence and how to sneak up on Atem while also using the complete darkness surrounding them to her advantage. Meanwhile, Atem struggled to find the cub as a prey and as a hunter. He would hide himself in the darkness only to lose sight of the cub that had somehow found him but also snuck upon him from behind.
The more they played however the better Atem became at navigating in the darkness. At first it was simply finding the cub in the darkness, then it was knowing when the cub was sneaking up on him, and eventually he began to sneak up on the cub himself. Granted he has never won a single time yet, but he was making progress and he was able to distract himself from his current situation, even though he knows that he will inevitably return to the clutches of the sorcerer. Not only was he able to distract himself, but it also helped him alleviate most of the mental and emotional baggage from the past few days.
Soon this became his routine, follow the cub while thinking on how to use magic, take an unneeded break to simply sit or lay down on the sand while cuddling with the cub, play hunter versus prey with the cub, and return to walking. It is like this that Atem spent an unknown amount of time in this dark desert.
Shaking the questions of how long he has spent here out of his head, Atem proceeds to lower his stance into a crouch as he slowly navigates himself through the darkness. This time it is his turn as the hunter, and Atem is sure that he will finally win. He has already found the cub and is maneuvering himself to face her back. Despite being completely silent and being hidden in the darkness, he seems to have somehow attracted the attention of the cub as it turns around and faces him with a tilt of her head. Having already anticipated this, Atem grabs a handful of hot sand near his feet and throws it to his left.
The sound of sand landing on sand attracts the attention of the cub and she turns around to face that direction that it comes from. Making use of the momentary distraction, Atem breaks out into a sprint as fast as his four year old legs can take him. As he prepares to pounce onto the cub who has realised too late that he's been had, something lunges onto Atem's face.
Startled and somewhat fearful, Atem grabs the culprit and prepares to throw it as far away from him as possible. Before he can however, he recognises the soft texture of the cub while his eyes take note of the fact that the culprit's body resembles the night sky. Recognising the cub as being related to his friend, Atem allows it to rub its face against his before gently placing her down next to her sibling.
"There's two of you." observes Atem with a smile that quickly turns into a slight frown. "I'm going to need to name you two. I can't call you cub one and cub two." he says as crosses his arms over his chest while his friend mewls at him excitedly and the second one bears her tiny and almost nonexistent fang at him. "You will be Bastet." says Atem as he points at his friend, the first cub. "And you will be Sekhmet." he names the second cub. "They're the names of two cat goddesses, one is a protector while the other is a warrior." explains the boy with a satisfied smile, his only responses being tilted heads before the cubs nod and mewl in acceptance. Since that day, the duo had become an interesting trio, a boy and his two cubs.
While traveling with the cubs, Atem quickly came to the realisation that the two are quite different from one another despite seemingly being siblings. Bastet is playful and loving, and does not hesitate to shower Atem with affection by licking his face, gently rubbing their faces together, or even cuddling with him.
Sekhmet on the other hand is quite fierce and loves nothing more than playing hunter versus prey where she dominates the game regardless of whether it is her against Bastet, her against Atem, or her against both Bastet and Atem. Like Bastet however, she enjoys being on the receiving end of Atem's affection but is too prideful to openly show it.
It is like this that Atem spends his time with the two cubs. They walk, take a break, play, and resume walking. At times Atem would talk to the two of them of his situation, and at other times he would have to mediate between the two when Sekhmet antagonises Bastet into a fight, or when Bastet makes Sekhmet jealous by cuddling with Atem and smugly staring at Sekhmet as if to say 'he loves me more'.
Eventually however Atem finds himself in front of a white light that he is sure will take him back, and despite knowing what awaits him on the other side he finds that he's no longer afraid. The only thing that he feels currently is a determination to get back to Adanna, and a feeling of rage towards his enslavers.
"It looks like this is it." says Atem as he kneels in front of the cubs with a sad smile on his face. "I'm going to miss you two." he says as he pulls them into a hug where Bastet proceeds to lick his face while Sekhmet stares deeply into his eyes. "Take care of yourselves. Bastet, keep your sister out of trouble, and Sekhmet, protect your sister. Don't fight too much with each other." he orders as he places them back on the ground before standing up. In response Bastet mewls back at him while Sekhmet simply looks at him as if she understands his orders.
With a smile on his face, Atem turns around and walks into the light where he knows that an untold amount of suffering awaits.
As he passes through the light, Atem finds himself laying on a bed, staring at an unrecognisable white ceiling while an old man quietly observes.
"You're awake, good." comments the old man as Atem tries to get up from the bed. As he moves, Atem realises that his vision is not the same as he remembers. Panicked, the boy brings a hand up to his left eye where he feels a scar running from eyebrow down to below his eye and parallel to the bridge of his nose.
"My eye." whispers Atem to himself.
"It is now useless, however you have more important things to worry about." replies the old man before pointing a finger at Atem's good eye. "Now go back to sleep." he says as a wave of sleepiness overcomes Atem despite his best efforts to combat it. Not long after, the boy falls back on the bed, unconscious.
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Saint-Domingue, Cayes-Jacmel
Fort Quintus
October 17, 1794
When Atem wakes up once again he finds himself inside a dark room kneeling inside what seems to be a magic circle, with his arms opened wide by a chain connected to the ground outside of the magic circle. As he observes the room, he finds the sorcerer standing in front of him outside of the magic circle with a small metallic rod on a chain in his hands.
"You are awake, that is good." says the sorcerer as he steps forward and forces the metallic rod into Atem's mouth before tying the chain behind the back of his head. "My name is Basilius Quintus, and within this chamber you will be reborn." he says as he steps away from Atem and back outside of the circle. "Like God created the Angels to serve him, I will create the new you to serve me. Whether it be as a warrior, a messenger, or simply a test subject, you will serve me faithfully. Even if I order you to kill that woman that you cherish, you will obey." explains Basilius.
Hearing the words of the sorcerer, the deep fiery rage within Atem makes itself known as he attempts to get up and lunge at Basilius with a growl. Unfortunately for the boy, the chains do not even move, forcing him back down on his knees. Looking at the chains holding him, Atem releases another growl as he tries to pull them up from the ground. His efforts cause the cuffs to painfully dig into his wrist, yet despite the pain Atem simply tries harder to the point of causing himself to bleed. He cares not for the pain, nor the blood however, only that he frees himself before it is too late. He already knows that Basilius has some way of forcing others to do his bidding, and he would not be surprised if this is the ritual's purpose. It would turn him into a puppet, a toy for the sorcerer to do as he wishes, just like that boy he fought in the arena. If that happens, he will never see Adanna again and might be forced to kill her.
"Already rebellious." comments Basilius. "It seems that you have chosen your new name, Samael." he tells Atem who simply ignores him in favor of figuring out a way to free himself. "Let us begin." he says as he begins to whisper a chant while Atem simply looks on in horror before attempting to free himself again.
Before he can even try however he feels a pain far worse than anything he has ever felt before in the depths of his very soul. It feels as if something is ripping him apart while also trying to put him back together. Unable to feel anything beyond the pain, Atem stops trying to free himself and screams into the metallic rod as loud as his vocal cords allow.
With this new pain, Atem's rage quickly turns into hatred as he looks at Basilius through tear filled eyes. With his newfound hatred he begins to fight back to the best of his ability. He refuses to submit to anyone, much less a vile sorcerer like Basilius. No, as far as Atem is concerned death is a better option than being the eternal slave to Basilius, and if that is the fate that awaits him for fighting back, then so be it. It's better to be dead and never see Adanna again than to be Basilius' eternal slave and kill her because of the sorcerer's orders.
With renewed vigor, Atem fights back against the ritual. He might not know magic, or how to use the power of his soul, but he has an instinctual feeling that is telling him to push back. And since it's better than simply allowing himself to be turned into a mindless slave, he will push back even if it means death.
"Do not struggle!" orders Basilius' voice within his mind. "If you keep struggling then your soul will tear itself apart and you will never see the woman again!" exclaims Basilius.
Hearing his theory confirmed, a small pained smirk appears on Atem's lips and he stares deeply into Basilius' eyes.
"Good." mentally responds Atem with a calm voice as he continues to defy Basilius. "Better dead than being your eternal slave, and the killer of Danna." says Atem as he renews his struggle with vigor.
"If you die or continue to rebel then I will have her tortured, slowly, painfully, until her mind is completely broken before turning her into my plaything. She will no longer care for you, and will only want to please me in whatever way I wish." darkly replies Basilius with a glare.
Hearing Basilius' words, Atem stares at him with wide eyes as his resolve is shaken. Images of Adanna suffering and crying filter through his mind, causing him to slowly stop his struggle. Before he can completely stop fighting however, a deep wizened voice speaks within both of their minds.
"You will do no such thing." commands the voice, shocking Basilius.
"Who, no, what are you?" questions Basilius as the shadowy figure of an old man appears within the room. He wears a white robe that completely covers his body along with a hood that covers his head, showcasing only his face. He has brown skin as dark as Atem's, a gray goatee and mustache, a golden eye where his left eye should be, and a wizened old face that glares at Basilius with a burning hatred and a promise of pain.
"I am Aknadin, Sacred Guardian of Pharaohs Aknamkanon and Atem, High Priest of Darkness, creator of the Millennium Items, wielder of the Millennium Eye, and I order you to begone from his soul!" exclaims Aknadin as his golden eye flashes and the entire room is enveloped in a bright golden light.
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AN: Here's the chapter, as usual tell me what you think and comment on your theories, I love reading them. Also, if you can please support me on my Pat re on which is (pat re on .com / servantambrosius). I will begin to post more chapters there before posting here.