The two days following Youyu's departure were far from peaceful in the Egyptian Royal Palace.
It all began with Priest Set patrolling the streets as usual, casually wandering around, and unexpectedly bringing back a young woman.
Needless to say, this girl, with her fair skin, beautiful face, silver hair, and blue eyes, who was highly recognizable even in a crowd, was Kisara, the one who had a childhood encounter with Priest Set and was the true embodiment of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
The priests quickly discovered that the White Dragon Spirit within the girl Set brought back held extraordinary abilities. This caught the attention of Priest Aknadin, who had long been secretly plotting trouble.
Priest Aknadin was actually a royal member hiding his identity. He was the brother of the previous Pharaoh Aknamkanon, and thus, Dark Yugi's uncle. The priest Set, who saw himself as a commoner born, was, in fact, Aknadin's son and therefore Yugi's cousin.
Strictly speaking, Yugi and Kaiba were indeed blood-related cousins in their past lives.
Though Aknadin worshiped his older brother, he had a disdain for his brother's son. He believed the current Pharaoh was purely lucky, lacking the qualities to be a ruler.
Conversely, his own son—whom he abandoned and who earned the position of priest entirely through his own efforts and abilities—was a much more suitable candidate to rule!
Now, with Set bringing back a silver-haired girl whose hidden powers rivaled that of an Egyptian God, Aknadin saw this as a heaven-sent opportunity. He believed even the heavens intended for his son to ascend the throne, feeling as excited as if he had just found a silk scroll declaring "King Set."
Unable to hold back, Aknadin assaulted the room of his potential daughter-in-law that very night, abducting Kisara to the deep underground chamber of the palace, throwing her among a group of vicious criminals... for an intense and thrilling Pokémon battle.
His goal was to unleash her potential, summoning the White Dragon Spirit from within her for eventual sealing.
However, extracting such a powerful spirit forcibly from a human body could lead to the host's destruction.
The girl, gentle by nature and unwilling to hurt anyone, especially without the skills to control the spirit's power, cowered helplessly in a corner.
Aknadin laughed heartily, declaring that no one would come to her rescue in this area under his control, regardless of her screams!
Just as his taunt ended, his son burst through the door, witnessing the scene firsthand.
Set was shocked and hurriedly questioned Aknadin's actions. Caught red-handed, a nervous Aknadin quickly tried to explain, "Set, calm down and listen to me. I am your father..."
Set's face darkened immediately, "Aknadin Priest, you are crossing a sacred line we priests should never touch, and flattery won't help."
Aknadin, growing anxious, insisted, "Set, let me explain, I truly am your father..."
Set: ...
"Do you think the priests of our people would believe your nonsense?"
After much effort and persuasion, Aknadin finally managed to convince Set that he was indeed the father Set hadn't seen for years.
Set, shocked by this revelation, asked in confusion, "Then father, why did you secretly abduct Kisara?"
Aknadin swiftly pulled Set closer, saying, "Son, you've really found a treasure this time! This girl possesses a spirit comparable to an Egyptian God. If you kill her and extract the spirit for your own use, I will help you overthrow the Pharaoh and take the throne!"
Set was horrified, declaring that he couldn't accept any part of this plan, neither murder for power nor usurpation.
Unlike his father, Set's loyalty to the Pharaoh was unshakeable. Even if offered a crown, he wouldn't betray, and instead intended to rescue Kisara with force and report the matter to the Pharaoh.
Aknadin was furious with his son's stubborn loyalty, feeling all his years of preparation had gone to waste. Enraged, he was ready to use force to compel Set.
Fearlessly, Set readied his Dueling Disc to demonstrate a lesson of "tough love" to his father.
Set had always respected Aknadin but wasn't afraid to fight him. As priests, they often sparred, and Aknadin had never won against Set.
He was absolutely confident!
...
That night, Pharaoh Yugi also found it difficult to sleep.
He lay on his bed, barely able to close his eyes for a moment, and vague images began to surface in his mind.
He saw fragments, like blurred scenes extracted from a continuous film. In his haze, he felt he saw the White Dragon and Priest Set. The Millennium Item's eye shone with an eternal golden light, silently recording a duel that spanned centuries.
He couldn't help but sit up, rubbing his aching temples.
He knew this was another sign that memories from three thousand years ago were resurfacing; it wasn't the first time this had happened lately. Each bout of pain brought with it fragments of memory, helping him piece together the remnants of his past.
It was like assembling a puzzle.
Game felt restless and uneasy. He decided to get up, dress, and don a cloak.
Silently, he left the sleeping quarters alone, quietly passing through the palace.
An instinctive impulse guided him towards the palace's underground, as if he had an inkling of something occurring below. Just by descending, he could recover more fragmented memories.
The downward stairs seemed endless, with the torch flames casting grotesque shadows of him on the stone walls. Yugi continued down the staircase until he reached the heavy iron door.
The stabbing pain in his temples intensified, confirming that significant memories would awaken upon opening this door.
Taking a deep breath, he pushed open the iron door. The movement of the door set chains clattering, the sound of metal grinding echoed. As dim firelight flickered, casting light inside the chamber, the Pharaoh entered, seeing the one-eyed elder standing in the center of the room.
"Priest Aknadin?" Yugi suppressed the lethargic discomfort and approached, "What are you doing here?"
The elder in white robes said nothing, neither kneeling nor explaining, just silently turning around.
His expression was menacing, with the torchlight casting deep shadows on his face, making him appear intimidating. The golden glow of the Millennium Eye stood out even more against the torchlight.
At that moment, Yugi caught sight of his reflection and the figure behind him in the golden alchemical pupil of Aknadin.
His pupils contracted, he turned abruptly, and in that brief moment, he vaguely saw Priest Set behind him.
He saw Set raise the Millennium Rod like a golfer swinging a club. In the next instant, his head rang with a "buzz," the world spun, and everything went black as he collapsed.