Chaos Theory

By Lucidscreamer

Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi.

This story is a part of my "Tales of the Three Realms" universe and is a side-story to Undercover Pharaoh.

It was a startled Dark Sage who gave his permission for the goggle-eyed porter to admit the Magician of Black Chaos into his private audience chamber. Chaos, in full limik-hide armor (though, thankfully, minus that ridiculous helmet), carried a small sack and strode into the chamber as if he owned the place. He wore a sober expression and appeared not to notice the chaos his arrival had caused among the courtiers gathered around the Dark Sage Tiriin.

Like setting a Fiend amongst the Fairies. It took some effort for Sage Tiriin to maintain his serene expression. Amusement and curiosity both wanted to break through the mask. At the moment, curiosity was winning, and the foremost question in his mind was what in the realm could have persuaded his reclusive brother to abandon his tower for the bustle of the capitol?

When the servants and advisers, slow in responding to his command to "leave us", had reluctantly filed through the outer doors, Sage Tiriin turned to wave his twin to the chair beside his own. He took up the delicate infusion-pot a servant had left and poured them both a cup. He lifted his cup to his lips, inhaling the floral fragrance of the herbal infusion. Ah, mahjpora. His favorite. He waited until his brother had stirred some sweetener into his cup and taken a sip before speaking.

"Well, you've given them all something to gossip about." Tiriin sighed. He sipped the mahjpora. Delicious. "You couldn't have called ahead and given me some advance warning?"

"My vox is down. Too much interference from the Shadows on the boundary." Chaos, who preferred his unique title over a hated personal name even when among family, waved a hand. Only Tiriin's years of experience allowed him to see that it was not a random gesture, but the casting of a privacy charm. "Perhaps, if you were to allow Mahaad to accompany me back to the Citadel, he could help me strengthen the shielding spells..."

"You know how I feel about my son going anywhere near the boundary with the Shadow Realm. It's too dangerous!"

A snort from his twin. "You cannot wrap the boy in protective charms and hide him in a stasis cabinet, however much you might want to." A knowing look came into those clever, bright eyes. "I understand he recently received his promotion to Dark Magician."

Pride warred with suspicion. "How did you-?"

"The boy talks to me," Chaos pointed out, his mouth twisting into something that was not, quite, a smile. "When the vox works."

"And I've no doubt he's been sneaking out to visit you, no matter how often I've forbidden it." Sage Tiriin glared at his brother. "Don't even try to tell me you have not been grooming him to take your place."

Chaos stared at him for a moment, eyes wide, before his expression closed down and became unreadable. He shook his head. "You're an even bigger fool than I gave you credit for, if you believe that."

"Why else would you always be dragging him into your insane experiments?"

"Necessary experiments and observations!" Chaos glowered at him. His long black hair flared about him as his magic stirred, making him look even more like one of the wild spirits that haunted the mountains where he made his home. "Do you think I like living in the wilderness with only the Shadows for company?"

"I had gotten that impression, yes." Tiriin crossed his arms over his chest and pretended he was immune to his brother's ire. Several millennia of exposure had not made it so, but it had made it easier to tamp down the unease that always churned in his gut when the two of them argued.

Chaos scoffed. "Just because I prefer solitude to the crowded cities you love so well does not mean I wish to cut myself off from all contact, brother. I do what I do so that no one will have to take my place guarding the boundary. We must understand the Shadows in order to prevent their further encroachments into our realm."

"And, in all the time you've been there in that forsaken tower of yours, what have you learned? We are no closer to holding back the Shadows than we've ever been. Just yesterday, we lost two more villages to the Monsters!" All those innocent souls, some utterly consumed by the Shadows, some transformed to become the very creatures that had destroyed their neighbors.

"I know." Chaos' eyes were even darker than usual as they met his brother's gaze squarely. "There is nothing we can do to stop the Shadows. We can only resist for as long as possible."

An all-too-familiar sense of helplessness seeped into Tiriin's bones and stole the starch from his muscles. He slumped in his chair, his gaze following a curl of steam as it rose from his cup. Even the steam seemed lackluster, its sweet fragrance diminished. "So. All is truly lost?"

"No."

At the softly spoken word, Tiriin's head came up and he stared at his twin. "But, you said-"

"We can do nothing more than what we have always done. But... There is hope."

"If there is nothing we can do, how can there be hope?"

"We will not be the ones to control the Shadows." Chaos took a dull green stone, about the size of his fist, from his bag. He set the stone on the table between them. "Our only hope lies in the Light Realm."

Tiriin's eyes narrowed. "One of the humans? How is that possible? Since the Sealing, magic has all but disappeared from that realm and, even so, what magic they possess is Light. How can one of them ever expect to control the Shadows?"

"There is one among them whose soul holds a portion of Shadow, as well as Dark and Light magic." Chaos tapped the top of the stone he had placed on the table. It sparked, revealing itself to be seeing stone, and a hazy image formed in the air above it. The image was of a small boy with messy, reddish-colored hair and sad eyes. "Behold the Shadow Mage, the Savior of the Three Realms."

Tiriin frowned at the image floating above the stone. "Is that not the child that Mahaad claims is the reincarnation of the Horus Atem, may his soul find its peace?"

A slow nod confirmed this supposition. Chaos tapped the seeing stone again and the image of the boy vanished.

Tiriin tried not to let his horror at this revelation creep into his voice. He was entirely unsuccessful. "Are you telling me the fate of our world lies in the hands of a human toddler?"

Chaos shrugged.

"What aren't you telling me?" Tiriin demanded, voice sharp with impatience.

"Many things." Chaos smirked.