Spirit of the puzzle (book 1)

Chapter 2: Fateful encounter

"Grandpa!" An excited voice calls out, forcing my eyes to snap open in surprise. My eyes are greeted by the nostalgic darkness that has surrounded me for centuries. Yet something feels different. The shadows have a different flow from what I'm used to. They aren't as potent as the shadows that have surrounded me in the past. "Welcome home." A warm chuckle reverberates through the puzzle making me shudder. I slowly drift away from the shadows and into the mortal plane.
"I missed you too, Yugi." Solomon says fondly as he ruffles the boy's hair. The boy's amethyst eyes glow brightly as they stare up at the old man. I can't help but stare at this boy as I circle him. He and I look almost identical. The only differences were our heights, slight variations in our hairstyles and our eye colors.
"How was Egypt?" He asks excitedly as he rushes to help his grandfather carry in his bags.
"It was beautiful Yugi." He says with a smile. "You would love it there. I could almost feel the history with every day I spent there." Feel the history? What nonsense. This man is too sentimental for his own good.
"I would love to see it someday." The boy says with his light cheerful voice. Solomon smiles fondly at the boy and pulls out the sack that holds the millennium puzzle pieces. I can't control my shock or disbelief when he hands the bag over to the boy. The boy looks at it stunned and peeks inside it in confusion. He pulls out a piece of the puzzle and inspects it in the light. "It's so beautiful." He murmurs.
"Yugi," Solomon says, recapturing the boys attention. "I want you to try and piece the puzzle back together." I stare at him in shock. Is he insane? He is entrusting my millennium puzzle in the hands of a child! This boy will never be able to solve the puzzle! Solomon has lost all of my respect by simply handing over my puzzle to this boy. Yugi's face lights up with excitement.
"I can really try, grandpa?"
"Ofcourse." He says. " Who knows, perhaps, you'll be able to solve it. A young mind may just be what is needed to solve the puzzle."
"I'll do my best grandpa!" He says as he grabs the bag and runs up the stairs. I feel my soul being forcefully pulled up the stairs behind him. Struggling against the intense pull causes a sharp pain to spread through my chest. It feels similar to having a chain attached to my heart and having it brutally yanked on. After a few seconds I give in to the pull and am dragged into this boy's room where he is already at work attempting to piece together the pieces. His childish face is blank as he concentrates whole heartedly on the puzzle.
Small, thin fingers dart amongst the pieces, feeling the edges and matching their grooves. Not a single sound escapes this boy, if I hadn't known any better I would have said that he wasn't even breathing. The steady rise and fall of his shoulders is the only indication that he is still taking a moment to breathe. I sit on the edge of the desk right beside him, carefully watching his every move. The boy's eyes never stray from the puzzle, yet his body flinches away from me as if he can sense my presence next to him. It seems that, despite his youth, this boy is more perceptive than I had anticipated.
His skilled fingers have already constructed the entire left corner of the millennium puzzle. Even though several hours have passed I am still impressed by this boy's progress. It has taken men years to come to the same point that this boy was able to accomplish in a matter of a few hours. This boy is far more interesting than I had originally thought. He obviously has some sort of intelligence considering his steady progress with the puzzle. His determined expression brings back memories that have been buried for so long that I have trouble discerning if they are real. I glance out the window to gauge what time of the day it is. The noon sun had just reached its throne in the sky. Impressive.
"Yugi!" Solomon calls from somewhere in the distance. They boy's head snaps up and I can tell that his train of intense concentration has been broken. A faint flicker of irritation flashes through his dark purple eyes before it vanishes as quickly as it had appeared.
"What is it grandpa?" Yugi replies, not stirring from his desk as he continues to fiddle with the puzzle. His fingers clumsily manipulate the pieces only to have them not fit together. An annoyed hiss escapes his lips.
"It's time for you to take a break my boy." He says sternly. "You have been sitting up there alone for four hours now, it's time for you to at least eat something."
"Alright grandpa." The boy says with a small smile filled to the brim with happiness and affection. "I'm coming." And just like that Yugi abandoned my puzzle. Annoyance crackles through me as he walks away from me. Even if he cannot see me Yugi should not take me lightly. I do not appreciate being put on the back burner, especially by a boy who could very well be my clone.

Shadows twirl around me as I manipulate the pieces. Boredom has long since taken me prisoner and my only entertainment is the construction of the puzzle. I gradually build onto the segment that Yugi had constructed. There is now a solid golden triangular side of the puzzle completed. At this point I couldn't care less if Yugi notices the sudden change of progress or not. I am more interested to see just what will happen when this boy finishes it. No mortal has been able to truly construct the puzzle from scratch. Someone would attempt it and fifty years later I would have to jump in and finish their half hearted attempt.
Yugi is different though. I can sense that he's different. He was able to construct a large portion of the puzzle on his own without my interference or guidance. To say that I am amazed would be an understatement. I am greatly intrigued by the promise the boy shows. Could it be that the gods had lead me to him because of his capability? Is he the one to grant me my freedom?
The idea of having my own physical form is tantalizing. Being able to feel the soft rush of wind on my skin and the intense warmth of fresh blood splattering on my palm. Shivers of anticipation race through me as I imagine it. It has been so long since I have had those simple pleasures.
"What happened here?" Yugi mumbles softly as he inspects the puzzle. I had been so deep in thought that I hadn't even realized that he had returned. His eyes are narrowed quizzically as he picked up the piece. Yugi glances around the room suspiciously, looking for any sign that someone besides himself had been here.
I don't know why you're even bothering to looking around. You won't be able to find anything of use. His eyes come to rest on the spot where I presently preside. He is staring intently at me as if he can see me. The thought of him being able to see me thrills me as I stare back. We remain like this for a few moments before he drops his gaze and sits down at the desk to continue his work.
An intense sense of disappointment fills me as I analyze him. I cannot allow myself to overestimate this boy's capabilities. For he is only a mortal. The mere thought of him being able to see me without my consent seems ridiculous and impossible ,yet I can't shake the feeling that there is more to this boy. Something that wouldn't be possible without some divine intervention. Something so supernatural and bizarre that it thrills me. My heart pounds in my chest as I continue to stare at this boy.
"What makes you so special?" I muse.

The sun has long since set. Soft, cool moonlight has replaced the harsh sunlight, basking the golden pieces in its silver glow. Yugi and I sit in the darkness as he persists to complete the puzzle in the moonlight. His eyes glow an even brighter shade of purple in the silver light. In the light I can see his determination sparking in his eyes and I can't help but feel a thrum of contentment course through me. Very soon I will be able to what I please without being forced into the confines of the puzzle. I will have my own form, and I can wreak as much havoc as I please, just as I had in the past.
Yugi sighs contentedly as he picks up the final piece of the puzzle. The eye of Horus glinting in the silver moonlight. His thin fingers gently position it into place and I feel the insistent pull towards the puzzle intensity. This time I do not resist and allow myself to be pulled into the depths of the puzzle. Electric shocks of pain jolt through my body as I feel something in my soul shift. It feels as if I am no longer the only soul inside the puzzle. There is another presence that attaches to my essence and stuns me as our essences begin to merge.

My crimson eyes open as I look about the deserted room. It is obvious that the room belongs to Yugi due to all of the pictures of himself and some other children. I stagger to my feet and smirk as I notice that I now have a solid form. I am human once more. This is everything that I had desired for thousands of years, yet something feels wrong. The clear window pane shows me my reflection and I am stunned by what I see. I look exactly the same but just over my shoulder I can see the furious face of Yugi. I glance down at my clothes and notice that my outfit matches Yugi's...you have got to be kidding me...this isn't my own body. I somehow only swapped forms with Yugi. The gods seem to be in a rather humorous mood this evening.
Yugi glares at me viciously. The look in his eyes mirrors mine. It's almost like staring into my reflection and expecting to find an answer there. His anger and confusion is overflowing into me and is making my muscles tense. He keeps staring at me as if expecting some sort of explanation from me...well, this should be interesting.