Hey, welcome to Fight for the Shadow Realm, a story that I hope you enjoy! Also, to state the obvious, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.
A cloaked figure walked down the stone stairs, torches lighting the way up on the wall. The black cloak brushed against the ground, sweeping the dust along. Only the sound of the person's steps could be heard. The hood covered their head, as well as cast a shadow over the wearer's face.
The person entered a large clearing with torches all around the room. With a mental command, a large blue outline of a circle appeared in the empty room on the floor. The cloaked magic user knelt on the ground in front of the circle, opening an old leather book. After reading over the words written on the page, the figure closed the book.
"Prodiit auctores alterius saeculi. Nunc vincere magnum malum. Rex ludos resurget ad impunatio!(1)" a voice chanted. The circle lit up, letting the one who casted the spell know it was a success. "Now, I wait."
"Hey guys!" Yugi greeted his friends. The group turned to see the King of Games walking towards them. The group consisted of Tea, Joey, Mai, Ryou, Tristan, Duke, and Serenity. The usual group had expanded ever since their last adventure in another dimension with an unusual girl being the cause.
"Hi Yugi," Tea greeted.
"So what's the plan for today?" Joey asked, rubbing his hands together. "Pizza? Burgers? Hotdogs?"
"That sounds more like lunch to me," Mai commented.
"Well Mokuba should be joining us any minute," Yugi informed his friends.
"Does that mean Kaiba is going to be joining us?" Tristan asked, his distaste evident at the thought of Seto Kaiba ruining their day.
Kaiba had also joined the group for their adventure. He had undergone a great change there. Seto had become slightly more friendly to the group, and it wasn't due to Mokuba or magic. However, once they returned, he denied everything he said there, claiming it was some sort of mind trick that had caused him say what he did. No one bothered to try and prove him wrong, remembering how stubborn he could be.
"Moneybags thinks he's too good to hang with us," Joey stated, almost growling at his mental picture of the CEO's smug face.
"Shouldn't you be on a leash Mutt?" a voice remarked, causing the group to see the two Kaiba brothers.
"Why I ought-" Joey began before a bright flash surround the group. When the flash was gone, so were the ten people who had previously stood there.
Ten people fell from above and landed in one giant pile. There were various groans coming from all over the large mass. The person who happened to be on top slid off of her friends. Tea then helped Yugi up, who had cushioned her fall. The two helped Joey, Mai, and Serenity to their feet. Seto, Mokuba, Tristan, Duke, and Ryou got up on their own.
"Where are we?" Mokuba asked, clinging to his brother.
"This place feels familiar," Ryou said, looking around. His eyes stopped on the cloaked figure starting to get off the ground. "Who are you?"
Everyone else turned to see the figure practically jump up. They quickly stepped backwards. Seto, Joey, and Tristan stepped forward, causing the figure to step back once more, but this time onto their black cloak. The person fell back, landing against the bottom stair. The hood fell off, revealing their identity.
A brown haired girl stared at the people before her. Her green eyes were wide with shock. Her bun had loose stands, revealing the length of her hair, which confirmed the fact that they knew her. After all, one did not forget someone like the girl before them easily.
"ANGEL?" they explained. The last time they had seen her was over two months again, when she had sent them all home for some unknown reason. A pair of blue eyes stared right back at her green ones. The two owners of the eyes had grown quite close during their time together. Neither had confessed how they truly felt to the other.
"Um, hi?" Angel weakly greeted.
"Angel!" Mokuba ran towards the older girl, tackling her into a hug. "We've missed you!"
"Do you mind telling us what in the world we're doing here?" Mai questioned, dusting herself off.
"Well, you aren't supposed to be here," she began. "I must have done something wrong if I got you guys instead of Atem and his court."
"Why were you trying to get Atem but not us?" Tea asked, frowning as Angel got up.
"Looks it's a long story, I'll explain everything tomorrow," Angel replied. "For now, we might as well eat some dinner and rest up."
"DINNER?" Joey and Tristan exclaimed. "But we didn't have lunch yet!"
"Time works differently here," she shrugged. "It's been a little over a month since I last saw you guys. It's dinner time here and that spell took a lot out of me."
"'Spell'? You actually know how to use magic?" Duke said.
"Well it sure helps when it comes to ruling a magic dimension. Besides, it's become a necessity to even stand a chance of survival here," the usually optimistic girl solemnly replied. "Like I said earlier, I'll explain everything tomorrow."
The group followed Angel up the stone stairs, forced to either walk alone or in pairs due to the narrow staircase. It was obvious something was going on, since the girl seemed to be acting different. To be honest, it was as if someone had stolen her flaming spirit and replaced it with a dying ember.
The group arrived in a large dining room. A long table with eleven seats was in the center of the room. No food was out, in fact, only one place was set, which was at the head of the table. The chairs and table were all made of dark wood. However, the chairs had violet cushioning to be more comfortable to those who sat in them.
"This is the dining room," Angel spoke. "Feel free to pick a seat, as long as it isn't at the head of the table."
On the right of the head spot, which everyone assumed Angel would sit at, were Serenity, Joey, Mai, Tea, and Yugi. On the left were Seto, Mokuba, Ryou, Tristan, and Duke. Angel walked over to her spot but didn't sit down.
"Regina Umbrae ante cibus idoneus convivium. Haec milites fortes esse bene pavit. Apparebit autem convivium amicos nobiles,(2)" Angel chanted. Seto looked at her, recognizing the language as Latin. Various dishes began to appear on the table. All strangely enough happened to be Italian food such as pizza, pasta, lasagna, and garlic bread.
"Whoa," Joey and Tristan said, both looking at the food hungrily. Angel sat down, looking a little drained. She nodded to let them know it was alright to eat. Everyone took what they wanted and there was some small talk among the group. Yugi, Duke, Tea, and Tristan talked about how things were in Domino, while Joey, Mai, Serenity, Mokuba, and Ryou talked about getting Ryou a girlfriend. Seto and Angel silently ate their food, neither one looking at the other. After all, one does not easily forget their first love.
After dinner, Angel lead her guests to a hallway. At the end of the hallway was a pair of large oak double doors. Along the corridor were many single oak doors. Angel turned to face the group, her cloak twirling slightly. She had worn it the whole time, not once even motioning to take it off.
"Pick any room you want that's along this hallway. My room is through the double doors at the end if you need something. Every room has its own bathroom. I'll find you clothes in the morning," she explained.
With that, she went to her room, not bothering to see who was in what room. The group ended up picking the rooms that had corresponded with their place at the tables. They knew Angel would remain true to her word and explain things in the morning. Hopefully, she would be in a good mood, since Angel wasn't known to be a morning person.
Angel's spells:
(1) "Come forth, champions of another world. Now is the time to defeat a great evil. The King of Games will rise to the challenge!"
(2) "Appear before the Queen of Shadows, food fit for a feast. Let these mighty soldiers be well fed. Appear now, a feast for noble friends."
Well? How's that for a start to an epic tale of adventure, friendship, and even some romance? If you haven't read The Torture Show the YGO Way, some things may end up being confusing for you. For example, how the group knows Angel, why Angel is who she is, and other references that might be added. So I suggest you take a brief look at it, you don't have too but it's suggested.
