0713MM: Hi all! And I welcome you to the 3rd story of the trilogy!

Yuma: (cheers).

Shark: (sighs).

Mizar: This involves those weird people from the epilogue of the last story, correct?

0713MM: (nods)

Girag: This should be fun. (cracks his knuckles).

Trey: 0713MM doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal, only his OC's.

Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal Book 3: Darkness Awakens

Cast

Heroes

Yuma Tsukamo...Main Protagonist

Tori Meadows...Friend of Yuma's

Cathy Katherine...Friend of Yuma's

Bronk Stone... Friend of Yuma's

Caswell Francis... Friend of Yuma's

Kite Tenjo... Friend of Yuma's

Hart Tenjo...Friend of Yuma's

Trey, Quattro and Quinton...Friends of Yuma's

Nash/Shark... Brother to Marin/Rio

Dumon...Friend to Nash and Marin

Marin/Rio...Nash/Shark's sister

Vector...Mischievous Barian

Alito...Friend to Girag

Girag...Friend to Alito

Mizar...Arrogant Barian

Umbral...Eighth Barian Emperor (Michael Bakura as a human)

Villains

Xavier...Main Antagonist, Leader of the eight Dark Emperors, brother to Michelle-part Barian

Yen...Second-in-command of the eight Dark Emperors-part Barian

Michelle...sister to Xavier-part Barian

Heather...sister to Vector, just as insane as Vector is-part Barian

Jake...part Astral being

Tina...sister to Amelia-part Astral being

Amelia...sister to Tina-part Astral being

Yaven...part Astral being

Chapter 1: Captured

Yuma was sitting in his room looking over his deck. Astral watched him as he looked through his deck.

"Hmm..." Yuma muttered. Astral turned to face Yuma.

"What is it, Yuma?" asked Astral. "Is something wrong?" Yuma turned to his head to look at Astral.

"Actually, there is something wrong." Yuma admitted. "It's about what Chaos said after he was defeated by Rio, Mizar and Michael." Astral nodded.

"Go on." Astral encouraged. Yuma cleared his throat, then continued.

"I don't think this world is safe." Yuma said. He turned to face his friend, then added, " And neither is yours." Astrals' eyes widened at that statement.

"What do you mean, Yuma?' Astral asked.

"Do you remember when Rio, Mizar and Michael defeated Chaos, and when the eight Barian Emperors destroyed Chaos?" Yuma asked. Astral nodded.

"Of course I do." Astral replied. "I was there and so were you."

Meanwhile, in the dimensional rift...

The eight figures were standing around a black table in the center of the darklit room. The first figure was the tallest of the bunch. With jet black hair coming out from his hood. The second figure was standing next to him, the second figure has brownish-black hair, and wearing a black tunic, and to top it all off, wearing black boots. Same with the first figure. The third figure is around the same height as the first figure, having long black hair coming to the waist, wearing the same tunic and black boots as the other two figures. (Do I have to describe what they're wearing? I'll tell you this though, the hair color of the fourth-eighth figures are somewhat similar to first four). The names of these villains are as followed: Xavier, Yen, Michelle, Heather, Jake, Tina, Amelia and Yaven. Xavier turned to face his friend, Yen.

"Yen, what info do you have on Yuma Tsukamo?" Xavier asked. Yen was looking over a profile of Yuma Tsukamo.

"Let's see... He's the World Duel Carnival Champion, he stopped the Barians from destroying Earth and Astral World, stopped the Barian Deity, stopped our Master, and to top it all off, Astral taught him how to duel properly." Yen read, giving Xavier the important stuff. Xavier put his hand to his chin.

"Hmm..." he muttered. Then, he got an idea.

"Yaven!" Xavier called out. Yaven turned to face Xavier.

"Yes, Xavier?" Yaven asked.

"Go to the Human World, and capture Astral." Xavier commanded. Yaven nodded,

"Of course, Master." Yaven bowed. He was about to leave, when Xavier said something else.

"I'm also allowing my sister to go with you." Xavier added. He turned to face Michelle, who in turn, nodded.

"Very well, brother." Michelle grinned, showing her black teeth. Xavier grinned evilly and created a portal for them, which they went through to the Human World.

Back to Yuma and Astral...

Astral watched Yuma fiddle with his deck. Yuma then sighed and put his deck aside and took something else out, his Emperor's Key, the item that his father gave him. Astral watched closely.

"Yuma, what are you-?" Astral started to ask before he was shocked by an invisible force.

"Ah!" Astral cried out. Yuma turned around, and gasped in shock.

"Astral!" Yuma shouted in fear. Yuma then scanned his room to find the source of what was causing his friend to scream in pain. He spotted something in the back of his room. He narrowed his eyes.

I found you! Yuma thought, and he charged. The invisible force revealed itself and blasted Yuma.

"Ah!" Yuma cried out as he hit the floor. When he got up, he was standing face-to-face with a figure. The figure chuckled.

"So, you must be the great Yuma Tsukamo." the figure said. "Yes, I heard a lot about you." Yuma narrowed his eyes again.

"Who are you?" Yuma asked. The figure chuckled.

"My name is not a concern to you right now." the figure said. "But, I got what I needed." He snapped his fingers and teleported away. Yuma could hear Astral talking to him telepathically.

I left the Numbers with you. I know you'll make the right choice with them. Yuma heard Astral say before his voice faded away completely. Yuma closed his eyes and a small tear fell down his cheek.

"Astral..." he muttered softly.

Back in the dimensional rift in Astral World...

Yaven and Michelle returned just as Xavier expected they would. Xavier walked over and gave Yaven and his sister a high five.

"Excellent work you two on getting Astral!"Xavier smirked. Michelle shrugged.

"It was no biggie." Yaven agreed. Just then, Heather walked in, with an evil grin on her face. Xavier turned to face Heather. He frowned at her.

"What's with the evil grin?" Xavier asked. Heather's grin grew ever wider. Yaven backed away slowly.

"I don't like that grin!" Yaven cried out as he stepped backward. Xavier turned his head to see Astral struggling on escaping from the chains. He smiled evilly, then he pointed at his sister and Yaven.

"Take Astral to the prisoner chambers." Xavier ordered. Michelle and Yaven nodded.

"Alrighty." Yaven said while saluting to Xavier. Soon after that, Yaven and Michelle dragged Astral to the prison chambers. After they were out of sight, Xavier turned back to face Heather.

"What is it, Heather?" asked Xavier.

"I'm going to Ruins where Number 65 was." Heather said. Xavier cocked his head.

"But why?" he asked. "The Number is no longer there." Heather smirked.

"I know." she replied. "Otherwise I wouldn't want to go there in the first place." Her grin grew wider, which surprised Xavier a bit, but eventually, he sighed.

"Alright." he said, defeated. He snapped his fingers and created a portal for Heather.

"Come back whenever you wish." Xavier said. He turned to leave, then he added, "Call me in case of an emergency." Heather nodded, then went through the portal.