He'd given up trying long ago. He'd struggle on the surface but he knew it was inevitable. He had no say in any of his actions, and he found it easier to block it out and hang on until the ride was done. He could feel his consciousness floating somewhere dark, imprisoned in the deep maze of his mind. He was simply squished into the corner and moved out of the way, ignored by his successor as they hungrily soaked up every inch of his being that they could. Here, he would forget the time he spent locked up, as well as the moments where he was free. While he was here, he felt as if this was the only way of living he'd ever known.
One could say this was his prison, but to him, he was just here. This was just where he was.
He had no memory of loved ones, and yet he was subjected to watching them suffer. He couldn't have regret or sympathy in this place, his emotions were no more than a scattered substance squashed in next to him, abstract and fleeing. He would watch his victims being tortured or worse, but he couldn't imagine that it wasn't him, that it wasn't what he wanted to do to them. Despite this, his light awareness that he had no control alerted him that he wasn't the one choosing to inflict anything onto his friends.
Yet the one who completed these deeds was him. Wasn't him. He wasn't him, but he was him. They were one, but didn't cooperate or share thoughts. Not one link was present between his controller and him, even though they were the same. Not the same. They were different yet balanced.
The one who locked him here since what he knew as forever wasn't his ally, yet he didn't struggle against him. He knew he was powerless here, he couldn't change a thing.
Rarely his captor would prod his consciousness as if speaking to him. He couldn't always understand the questions or curiousness which didn't belong to him that would pass through him and leave with results. When he had first been taken to this place, this prodding was more constant as his captor was trying to gain information, but it became less frequent until he had given all the answers he could.
A wave of cold yet warm satisfaction swarmed around him as he caught another victim, this time a young male wearing a duel disk.
His awareness wasn't always stuck inside this corner of the back of his mind, sometimes he was conscious of his actions while in here. Sometimes he would be pulled out of his head to watch the atrocities he would commit, as if his captor was trying to make a point.
He drew a card, smirked and placed it on his duel disk.
He was usually completely unaware of time, but could feel the victories that would pass, silently proving that events were still happening.
He laughed as he cornered a group of duelists.
He never expected this to stop. Even if he would be rescued and freed for a few moments up to many years, it was all forgotten here. All he remembered was being in this place.
He stood in an alley in the rain, unable to feel the wet raindrops on his skin, and a spiky-haired teen stood opposite of him.
As much as it was timeless, it was also endless.
Another was sent to the Shadow Realm and his triumph flooded into him.
All there was to do was stay and not think.
Panic slowly boiled inside him as his brain worked around the realization of this duel's outcome.
And try to block out the agony.
He felt the space in his mind growing larger and roomier. The darkness was shrinking and being sucked away.
The cold victory left him.
His captor was no longer there.
Would he risk it? Would he move towards the space? What if a trap wait for him, he would surely pay the price.
He was thinking. He didn't think in this place.
He had already taken the leap when he started questioning the risk.
He expanded throughout his mind, taking control of himself once again.
Bakura opened his eyes, finding himself in what seemed like a cave, sprawled out on some stairs. He heard voices from down the stairs and guessed that was his best option. He stood up and limped down. His friends came into view, Yugi, Joey, Tea, and Tristan. Oh, and Kaiba was there, too.
"Hello. Where are we?" Bakura swiveled his view around the room, but failing to identify his location. His vision was blurred and his head ached. He almost didn't hear Joey as the blond exclaimed that Bakura didn't seem a threat.
"Now, let me see.." he paused for a second as he recalled his last memory, "the last thing I remember was hearing a strange voice and then.." Bakura trailed away as his exhaustion caught up with him. Everything swirled and went dark and he felt himself fall towards his friends, who caught him.
His imprisonment was over, and he was free. He was in control of himself once again.