This is one of those "real world person winds up in the Yu-Gi-Oh! World" stories. I wanted to do something different with it than what I had seen other people do, and since it's Halloween and all, I decided I'd do a Halloween themed one.
This beginning didn't quite turn out how I wanted it to, but I think it's okay, even though it's a little short (and possibly a little cliched; I'm not sure). I hope it makes sense; if it doesn't, please tell me! I would love it if you would review~
In every world, in every universe, there are set ways of how things work. No matter how different or similar these worlds may be, there are some constants that bind them all together. In each world, there is a balance of opposites. Light and Dark, Good and Evil clash endlessly, each one struggling for the upper hand. And in each world, where the realms of Light and Dark meet, there is Shadow. This Shadow Realm is an in-between place that connects each world to each other while never truly touching anything. Some worlds have had more contact with the Shadow Realm than others, and the beings that live in those worlds found ways to use its strange brand of magic, both natural and created. But all worlds have access to this realm in one way or another, whether they know of its existence or not.
However, even those worlds that know how to access the Realm of Shadows do not know that there is yet another Realm that all worlds have in common, one that is closely related to the Shadow Realm. The Realm of Dreams. Lying in the space between the Shadow Realm and the living worlds, the Realm of Dreams is very small, yet can touch any world that calls to it.
An extension of the Shadow Realm itself, nothing can survive there for long, for nothing was meant to live in the shifting mists that it consists of. Although no one is truly aware that the Realm of Dreams is there, most beings from most worlds call out to it, letting its mists entertain them in their sleep, gently carrying them through to another day like a mother carrying her child. And, even though occasionally the mists of Dreams cause nightmares instead of sweet sleep, the beings of each world continue to call out to the mist each night, unaware of what they are doing.
But there is more to the Realm of Dreams than entertaining people each night. Occasionally it will reach tendrils of mist out to people during the day, distracting them or giving them ideas of things they could create. Some of these people share their dreams with others, unknowingly becoming a willing agent of Dream Realm. These people have been called many different things throughout history. Artists, authors, storytellers, bards. No matter what they are called, they continue to spread their dreams to others, inspiring them in turn to have more and more dreams and create more stories.
The special thing about stories is that they can be told through both words and pictures. Pictures are both harder and easier to use in storytelling than words, for they are often hard to create and can be interpreted in different ways, but even the simplest pictures can tell a story. Words on the other hand, can be harder to utilize, for the placement of words can be crucial for both enjoyment and understanding, and changing a even single word can irrevocably alter the meaning.
But both spoken and written words can contain great power, whether in conversation or in magic. Words are often essential for practicing magic, for they contain vast magic, and they often give spells the power they need to work properly. Many ancient civilizations knew the power in words, which is why people such as the ancient Greeks and Egyptians usually put great value in people who could write or tell stories. The Dream Realm is a large part of the reason why words have such power and strong magic contained in them. And so, even though it is part of the Shadow Realm, its tendrils of mist find ways to spread farther and deeper into the worlds they both influence.
But the Dream Realm has one more unique attribute. In each world in every universe, at a certain time every year, the normally inaccessible Dream Realm becomes a bridge between the rest of the Shadow Realm and the mortal planes. It is at this time that the denizens of the Shadow Realm can briefly cross over into the other worlds without the aid of a Shadow Mage. These monsters, which are leftover portions of human souls known as ka by the Egyptians, are usually barely noticeable by people, being made of Shadows. They dismiss them as merely being a trick of the light, brought on by the jumpy feelings that all beings experience on this day, a common side effect that most people experience when coming in contact with any bit of the Shadow Realm, as it is not natural to any plain of existence other than its own.
But sometimes, perhaps due to the Dream Realm's whim or other outside factor, a Shadow Realm monster will be more solid and noticeable than its fellows when it materializes in a mortal world. It is from these monsters that stories of vampires, ghosts, zombies, and other fiends most often come from. It is usually wise to not walk outside alone on this night, for if these more solid monsters catch you by yourself, they become more tempted to take you back with them. The denizens of the Shadow Realm can get very lonely, and most of the time a monster will not stop to consider the consequences of its actions and will forget that living beings do not belong in the Shadow Realm.
Thus, a monster will drag a living being back to its home in the Shadows, where it will usually become overwhelmed by the strain of trying to exist in such a place and die, becoming a monster itself. But sometimes, a lucky person can find their way back across the bridge, back to their world, bringing with them stories of a horrible, nightmarish place where monsters dwell.
It is from these stories and the arrival of those monsters from that mysterious realm that led to the legends and creation of that holiday so treasured by children, where the spirits of the dead are at their strongest, All Hallows Eve, Halloween. It is on this day, that celebration of fear and trickery, nightmare and fantasy come alive, that is both revered and hated by the people of every world. For it is on this day that they never know if a monster might unexpectedly take them away, to fight for their lives to come back to the world of the living. . .