With the blessings of Cyber Commander, the creator of "Yu-Gi-Oh: The Thousand-Year Door," I am now able to post this work. Some might consider it part of his continuity, but I'd prefer to recognize it as a simply spin-off. I don't intend to take things any further after this is complete. Due to its size, it will be divided into six chapters. Keep an eye out for them. In the meantime, let us begin…

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was supposed to be the easy path to making it big…

It was supposed to be the fulfillment of my wildest dreams…

That's how it appeared to be portrayed, but if only I knew the truth…

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yu-Gi-Oh: The Pit of 100 Trials

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 1: Reckless Greed

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ever since the tournament on 'Monster Island,' the competition in which the heralded Three Heroes forever vanquished the dreaded Shadow Queen, rumors had spread of a great power that was locked away in the demon's deepest and darkest sanctum. Some believed the one who could reach the deepest part of the sanctum would be granted their heart's desire. Others thought a legendary treasure was kept there. Knowing that the Shadow Queen worked with magic, one had to believe that either idea was plausible.

Whoever wished to seek this treasure would not only have to face the dangers, but also tests, or 'trials,' as some wanted to call them. The only concrete bit of information was that traversing through the Pit would require the use of the game Duel Monsters, the same method of play used in the tournament itself.

Not long after the offspring of the Shadow Queen took over the reins of governing the nation, they warned everyone not to seek this Pit, or disaster would strike.

But no one took this warning seriously. Despite the rulers' warnings, expeditions were dispatched to try to locate this supposed Pit.

Several years later, it was discovered. It was little more than a simple cave entrance, with a sign made of oak posted in front. In blood-red letters were the words:

DANGER! DO NOT ENTER!

This doorway is the entrance to the Pit of 100 Trials!

Dedicated One-Turn-Kill and Stall decks don't work, so BEWAAAAAAAAAAARE!

Those who found it just laughed, and some had the courage to enter and try to claim what they considered their just rewards.

They were never heard from again.

Those who knew these poor souls spread the word of their fate, calling out the same warnings given by the rulers of Monster Island.

But still no one listened.

As time went on, countless more brave souls made their way to the sanctum, confident that they would be the ones to defeat the Trials.

Nearly twenty years to the date after it was discovered, 999 individuals had entered the Pit of 100 Trials. No one ever saw or heard from them again, so one could only assume they had all met the same fate.

On this day, another individual arrived at the entrance of the accursed dungeon……

His name was Uriel, a duelist in his early twenties. His clothes were a little unorthodox: a white t-shirt covered by a black vest, khaki shorts, and brown sandals. His lightly tanned skin and dark hair suggested someone of Turkish or Middle Eastern descent. Truthfully, he was Israeli, and he was not afraid to admit that fact.

Uriel's father was a soldier in the Israeli army, his mother a registered nurse. While neither was home very often, they did everything in their power to ensure family life was happy and comfortable. That all changed when his father was killed in a supposed enemy missile strike.

Distraught, the boy tried finding something to distract him from the sadness and insanity. He slowly but surely picked up the game of Duel Monsters, and it quickly became his primary mode of escape. At first he didn't have many powerful cards, but he traded what he had and spent what money he could afford to change that.

It took quite a while to complete his deck the way he had it today, but it was worth it. He had won several tournaments in his region, and was quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with in his part of the globe. With everything going right for him, he knew he was on top of the world…

Until he learned that his mother was one of six victims of a roadside bomb.

His world was turned upside down once again. Desperation had come; Uriel felt he had lost it all; even after moving in with his grandparents, suicidal thoughts ran through his mind. He was to the point where he was willing to give up everything to return life to the way it used to be.

This was when he first heard the rumors of the Pit of 100 Trials.

He knew it was a long shot, but if this supposed 'ultimate treasure' could change a person's life, he was more than willing to go after it. Doing some research and digging up savings from what was left of his account, he made his way to Monster Island without telling anyone where he was going.

When Uriel arrived on the island, no one he asked would dare speak of what they considered 'that dreadful place.' He brushed them aside, knowing exactly where to find it, anyway. He had heard the rumors of the hundreds of so-called 'victims,' and had seen the warning signs to keep out; but they were nothing more than blurs to him. He had faith in the heavens above that nothing was going to stand in his way of fulfilling his goal. If something did happen to him, he at least knew his parents would be waiting for him on the other side.

The duel disk on his arm was an older model than what most people were using at that time, but he didn't care. It worked, and that was all that mattered. He reached under his shirt and pulled out a unique necklace, a gift from his mother. He took the large silver pendant - a Star of David - and gave it a kiss for good luck. Exhaling deeply, he took a step towards the Pit's entrance.

"Hold it."

Uriel turned towards the source of the feminine voice. He saw someone standing under one of the trees. She, he guessed, was covered with a black cloak.

"I cannot allow you to go any further," the woman stated. "The place you plan to enter is hellish ground."

"Who do you think you are?" Uriel asked.

"I'd ask you the same thing," she replied. "Are you out of your mind? You're going to end up just like the other unfortunate people who thought they had a chance down there."

"What do you know?" Uriel exclaimed, his temper rising a bit. "I know the risks, and it's not like I have anything left to live for. It's my choice whether or not I take the plunge."

"And it will be a foolhardy choice," the woman said. "Don't you understand that you are messing with forces beyond your control? I don't see how you will be able to survive!"

By this time, Uriel's patience was wearing thin. "What do you know? You act as if you know everything about this place!"

"Let's just say I have my sources," the figure replied, "sources who used to work alongside the Shadow Queen, herself. We don't know much, but we do know that a great peril was kept down there."

"A great peril?" Uriel asked. "What exactly are you talking about?"

"I can't really say. What this 'peril' really is remains a mystery. No one was ever told what it looks like. They were told, however, that the Shadow Queen was originally planning to use it as part of her campaign of conquering the world, had she fulfilled her goal of eliminating the Three Heroes. Why it was locked away, we don't know. The Queen used a strong bit of magic to seal off all access to the dungeon, but once she was defeated the seal vanished into nothing. That's why her offspring put out those warnings in the first place."

"Is it truly that dangerous?" Uriel asked. "Sounds like a bit of bogus storytelling if you ask me."

"This is no joke," the woman explained. "While we may not know its purpose, we believe it could be a threat to everything if it ever made its way out. If you value your life, I highly suggest you leave now."

Uriel gave a cough, looking down at the ground. "Look, I appreciate you trying to steer me in the other direction, but my mind is already made up. I'm going down there, I'm going to trample through whatever 'trials' they have, and I'm going to claim this treasure! This is my chance to show the world that the rumors about people disappearing in there are only rumors, and that this so-called Pit can be conquered!"

The woman simply stared back at the boy. If he had seen her face, he would have seen a look of utter disbelief. "…and nothing else I say is going to make a difference?" When Uriel shook his head, she gave a heavy sigh. "Well…at least let me see the deck you'll be using. If you're planning on facing the trials, you had better have the necessary cards for it."

At first, Uriel was a bit skeptic of this request, but he handed over his deck. As soon as she saw the top card on the deck, the woman gave a hum of interest. Uriel looked on as she fanned through the cards, hemming and hawing every once in a while.

"Interesting," she commented, "I never would have imagined someone like you running a deck like this."

Uriel gave a shrug. "I guess it was my calling. I've always been attracted to this sort of thing, and once I picked up the game, these cards seemed right."

"I see…" The figure mused, handing the deck back to him. "It could use some improvements, though…" She reached into her cloak and pulled out two cards. "Here, consider these a gift."

Uriel was surprised when he saw the cards. "But…why? My deck is good enough as it is."

"Trust me. You may need these more than you know. They will most certainly help you when the going gets tough. Who knows, they might help you get through the final challenges." She could see that Uriel was still a bit skeptical. "If you won't heed the warnings I've been giving you, at least accept the help I'm providing. It could mean the difference between life and death."

A moment passed before Uriel made up his mind. "Fine, I'll take your word for it." He took the two cards and shuffled them into his deck. "But I doubt I'll actually need them."

We'll see, the woman thought to herself.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have a treasure to obtain." Uriel cracked his knuckles and added the deck to his duel disk. "Look out, Pit of 100 Trials! I'm coming for ya!" Before the woman could say anything else, the boy dashed into the cavern.

As Uriel vanished through the mouth of the pit entrance, the woman gave a groan.

"This is bad...Vladimir and the others are not going to be happy about this. We may have to be prepared for the worst…"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Soon after entering the cavern, Uriel climbed down a flight of steep stairs lined with torches. The thought of how people could stand going up and down something like this didn't occur to him; his mind was focused on making his way through.

At the foot of the stairs he turned to his right, and he found a large wooden door with the words "Level 1" inscribed in gold letters. They say that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and this was no different. The boy opened the door and entered.

He came into a fairly large open room. It was bare, except for lit candles hanging from the walls on either side of him. Uriel saw that, instead of a fourth wall, there was another flight of stairs. He looked down and noticed the floor was shaped like a dueling arena.

"What is this?" He thought out loud.

"Your ticket to an early grave…" A raspy voice replied.

Uriel jumped at the voice, looking around to find the source. He found it on the opposite side of the room, in the form of a specter rising out of the ground. Its form began to solidify until it became like a demon. A duel disk seemingly made of bone and decaying flesh was on its arm.

"Nice parlor tricks," Uriel said, "but if you think you're going to scare me off, think again."

"Who said anything about scaring you off?" The creature laughed. "You're not going anywhere." It waved a hand, and the door Uriel came through slammed shut. It also sounded like a bolt was slid into place, effectively locking it.

"Hey, what's the big idea?"

"There's only one way out of this room, now, and that's down the stairs behind me." It activated its duel disk. "Defeat me, and you may proceed. Lose, and your soul belongs to him."

"Him?" Uriel asked skeptically. "And what is this about my soul belonging to him?"

"I'd worry more about this duel than about meeting him," the creature said. "Make it to the 100th level, and you may have your chance to meet him firsthand, though I doubt that will ever happen…"

Uriel shrugged, activating his duel disk. "Fine…if that's the kind of game you want to play…"

"…Then let's play…"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Israeli duelist's quest begins, and he quickly advances through the Trials. But what does he face, and what is the 'Him' being suggested by the guardian. Well, one may call it a "Dragon Zombie." Stay tuned to find out…