Author's Note

Just pointless drabble. Enjoy.

As the Pendant Falls

Set during episode 145. During Aster's final moments, he reflects on himself and his friends, and decides on his course of action.

Edo P

As soon as I saw her pendant fall, I knew it was over. Her duel energy had been entirely absorbed by the spirit of Exodia. I had failed her.

For just a moment, I saw her, standing behind me.

'I'm sorry you're caught in the middle of this,' she whispered. 'All I wanted…was to prove to Adrian…that I'd do anything for him…'

I turned to face her as she continued.

'Despite what's happened here…it's all…for the best.'

'Echo, how can you say that?' I exclaimed. 'Look what he did!'

Too late, she was already gone.

'Echo? Echo?' Despite the futility, I looked around, but then her body turned into particles of light and scattered in the air.

Adrian lowered his arm and his eyes, to glance at the two cards he held, before selecting one and playing it. He hid his gaze from me; whether on purpose or not, I did not know.

'I play Rage of the Forbidden One,' he declared. I turned to him, expression calm, knowing full well that he was about to counter the effect of my trap. Knowing that my duel energy was about to be absorbed by the stars that shed light on the darkness of the Dark World.

Adrian revealed the final card in his hand, Exodia, The Forbidden One, before discarding it. 'And with the last of Echo's duel energy absorbed, Exodia is now mine to command, and my bond to Yubel is broken.'

He lifted his arm, and the last remnants of the deranged spirit's control was shattered to dust. Adrian stood tall, as the darkness fled from his body. Tall and proud, his declaration was put forth for all to hear.

'And now…I am king!'

Exodius' attack points rose to 5000, and the spirit of Exodia appeared behind it; Exodius' final special ability. I was finished; I knew. Plasma could now stop the Forbidden One now.

I heard him declare the final attack. 'Destroy Aster and his friends!'

And my friends? I glanced at my slowly depleting life points, then at them. Doctor Crowler, who had once been the worst nightmare of most students, had grown and shown he truly cared for their wellbeing, no matter how he tried to hide under his snobby exterior. Syrus, who had once been a scared kid who hid in a trashcan, had found the courage to stand up to both his brother and his best friend when they had lost their path. Zane, who had one lost all respect, had regained his honour and gained wisdom he otherwise would not have gained. And Jaden, who had defeated the Sacred Beasts, extinguished the Light of Destruction, and defrosted many icy hearts, including my own, had fallen into the darkness of his own heart due to the death of his friends.

Friendship, he showed me how valuable it was. And life was too short to be thrown away so rashly. Yubel still had to be beaten, and Jaden had to be the one who defeated her.

My life points had decreased under 500 now, and I knew what I had to do. I ran to the others, shielding them from harm with my own body. If the others survived, the wrongs of the past could still be rectified. Justice would be delivered, and the one who suffered most at the perpetrator's hand would be the one to deliver it.

I heard Jaden cry out something behind me, and I turned to him.

'Jay,' I said, smiling warmly. 'Get going.'

He stared at me in shock. 'But you…you can't stay here?'

'He has no choice,' Zane rebuked, dragging the reluctant brunette away with Crowler's help. Zane's teal eyes met mine for a second, and he knew what I was doing, what I had to do. He knew, as did I, that Jaden would be the one to take Yubel down. But his light, the one that had one shone brightly enough to create miracles in the past, the one that had been extinguished by the darkness that had plagued his soul, had to be restored. And I had faith that his friends, my friends, would accomplish that task.

Turning back, I declared Plasma's attack. A futile effort, I knew, but if I was going to die, I would rather die fighting to the last.

And the essence of eternal sleep flickered over me, I saw my past. My parents, me as a young child, the Destiny Heroes, and the empty room after Plasma had been stolen. Then, my Pro years, winning duel after duel, and all the emptiness inside. And finally, the last two years of my life which had changed me forever.

I screamed as my life points hit zero, and pain coursed through my body. I felt my energy leaving me, but my body felt tranquil.

I had given my life to save my friends; that's how deep those bonds go. And I was dying now, a hero's death, dying her friends that had given me more than I could ever repay.

Even in death, those ties will remain intact.

…or maybe now, I thought, looking around. Where am I?