A/N: Boy, has it been a while.

But it's back now, the epic I began a whole 2 and a half years ago ^^ And it's rewritten and all! New and improved, with a lot of the grammatical errors inconsistencies gone. AND some more emphasis on the GX characters, even though, as with the first story, the first half will focus mainly on the 5Ds folks.

This chapter doesn't differ, to a great extent, to the first one. Yes, there are some noticeable differences, but that's nothing compared to what's coming in the next chapter, seeing as that one's going to be brand-new ;)

And as with what has become customary, there will be a novel-length explanation of this chapter in the closing notes. So all will be explained from the very beginning.

*sigh*… so I took an unexplained leave of absence. And the apology I offer is the story again, revamped ^^

Like? Dislike? You know I love reviews :D

Disclaimer: I didn't own it then, and I certainly don't now.

Chapter 1- Of Kings and Saviors

A young boy sat at the edge of his bed, his soft brown eyes focused on nothing in particular. Had anyone walked in on him at that moment—whether it be one of his servants, his guardian, or one of the members of his army—they most likely would have presumed that he was deep in thought about the title and responsibility he was set to take on in a matter of hours. Having faith in the young Prince, they would have assumed that he was contemplating on the ways in which he could improve the Kingdom of Neospace, or better yet: maybe he was already plotting on how he would save them all from their latest threat.

However, he was thinking of none of that—at least not precisely. Just as all of Neospace would be watching him as he took the crown and became their new ruler, at that moment the Prince had his mind on prophesy. He thought of his upcoming responsibility, the burden he was set to carry, one that would be far bigger and heavier than any of his predecessors had to contend with. He was about to take on a very dark path in life. He would become enshrouded in it, the Darkness. It would eat him away and he would become Darkness just as Darkness would become him, and he would use it's endless power to destroy it's malevolent counterpart, the Light.

But only when he was ready, of course. And as the Prince sat there brooding over what he was born to do, he began to wonder if one could ever be ready for such a thing.

Suddenly, a pair of oversized hands came into his field of vision, covering his eyes. "Guess who!"

The voice which spoke to him was high-pitched, innocent and child-like. To anyone who didn't know better, they would have falsely believed that the voice belonged to a small child (of course, they all soon learned better). His mood automatically lifting, the Prince smiled. And why wouldn't he? This voice, a voice which he loved, belonged to his best friend, his companion, his soul mate. His guardian. He placed his hands over hers. "Yubel!"

Somehow, he knew what kind of face she had on: pouting in mock-disappointment. "Aw! What gave me away?" The hands came away from his eyes, and a moment later she was standing in front of him: the lilac skinned, statuesque monster with dark, bat-like wings and heterochromatic eyes. With the way she looked, she was rarely allowed inside the castle, despite her elite position as the guardian of the Prince. Even today of all days, she would not be allowed in for Judai's ceremony. Few understood how much he loved her. How his heart wouldn't be in it; to him, there could be no ceremony celebration without her.

"So, what is it? Is everything okay?" the soon-to-be-King asked.

Yubel frowned slightly. "What, do I now need an urgent reason to see you?"

"No, no, it's nothing like that! Take it easy!" he exclaimed, holding his hands out in front of him, claiming innocence.

She looked at him for a moment, before asking "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." He replied shortly, nodding his head curtly as if trying to end the conversation before it began.

Yubel look notice. "You don't need to lie to me, Judai."

"I'm not lying! Nothing's bothering me, can't a guy just take a moment to think every once and a while?" he asked, sounding slightly exacerbated as he flopped down onto his bed, stretching his arms out as he stared up at the ceiling.

She walked over quietly, almost demurely, and sat down next to him. She turned slightly so that she may look at him, her turquoise eye looking at him intently, as if staring into his very soul. "What are you thinking about?"

Judai sighed, rubbing his eyes and yawning slightly. "Eh, I don't know. Everything's changing, you know? I'm just trying to get myself ready."

"Good. You should be mentally preparing yourself. You are going to be the King now. The fate of these lands lies in your hands."

The words echoed across the room. The truth was, he did think about how he was about to take on the thrown, but on that subject he thought of little besides his impending role as the representative of Darkness. He hadn't much thought of his duty to his people, how they looked up to him, how he would soon be the leader of an entire Kingdom. It was funny that, out of everyone, Yubel was the one to remind him of it.

Judai sat back up. "Hey Yubel, which do you think is more important: my duty to Darkness, or my duty to the people?"

She answered without pause. "Your duty to Darkness."

"Yeah… that's what I thought."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "No you weren't."

"Yes I was."

"How come I don't believe you?"

He shrugged. "I don't know."

She narrowed her eyes at him, but said nothing more. She walked back towards the open balcony, spread her wings and took off.

Meanwhile, upon the lands just below Neospace, another ceremony was about to take place.

On a huge, open balcony that overlooked his lands, a King of a different kind stood before an enormous crowd, composed mainly of his subjects. To his left stood his two eldest sons, Blitz and Nerve; his two younger sons, Taka and Rally, stood at his opposite side. The five of them were surrounded by guards, servants, and royal officials, all of whom stood poised to defend the royal family should their unseen enemy from above suddenly decide to attack.

But this day wasn't about them. Today was the day when King Godwin would present to his subjects their soon to be saviors, the five people who possessed the power necessary to overthrow their greatest threat to date. Their arrival had been prophesized countless centuries before, and now they were finally here. Godwin's eyes held a sense of determination in them that his sons had never seen in him before. So, this is it, he thought to himself. This is what we've been waiting for.

He gave the signal to his guards to let the signers out.

"And with that, ladies and gentlemen," concluded Ryo, a small, rare smile playing on his lips. "I present to you, our Herald of Darkness, King Judai!"

Judai sat down on his throne: by traditional standards, this made everything official, solidifying his place as ruler of the Kingdom of Darkness. As soon as he did so, the crowd before him erupted into cheers of thunderous applause. The noise they all collectively generated soon morphed into a praising chant that would come to haunt the young King for years to come:

"All hail, the Supreme King!"

But at that moment, Judai thought of none of the horrors he would without a doubt see, as he was now set to fulfill his birthright and become the defender of Darkness. He simply let it all set in, all the cheers, all the applause, all the praise. Their undying loyalty. He hoped he would be able to save them all, and though he was well aware that he could not afford to fail, he still wore the face of a light-hearted teenager that everyone expected of him. He was Judai, after all.

And at the core of it all, his innocence had not yet been broken.

They held a celebration afterwards, one which Judai stood at for all of 10 minutes before deciding that it was time to go. Save for Ryo, his second-in-command, none of the other members of his elite army had been present at his inauguration ceremony. The Kingdom of Neospace possessed an army which in number stood well into the tens of thousands; however, Judai's own personal army had but eleven members, chosen by him personally. They were chosen for the abilities which they possessed, gifts given to them by the gods upon birth. They were the charmed ones, his true army of Darkness. He was proud to say that they would one day fight alongside him, and even prouder still was he to call them his friends.

Asking Ryo to cover for him, he slipped out of the party hall. He intended to go down to the under-floors of the castle; knowing his friends, they were most likely down there, discussing, planning. Even more so than usual, no doubt. Judai knew that there were rumors circulating around the Kingdom: some were speculating that the five fabled "signers" had been found down below, in the world of Light. The five humans who were not really humans at all, but dragons born to fight for the sake of the Light's revival. Judai himself doubted that the rumors were true. He knew that the Light was set to return, there was no doubt in that: his very existence was proof that the second war between Darkness and Light was approaching fast and strong.

He simply doubted the existence of the signers. They were, after all, fabled creatures.

As soon as King Godwin gave his guards the signal they had been waiting for, they opened the large, double-brass doors which lead to the inside of the palace. One called out the name of the first signer so that she could finally make her appearance to the world she was set to save.

But for a savior, she was only a young girl, no more than 11 years old. She wore her mint-green hair in high pigtails which sat at the very top of her head, and wore a pure white dress that, in her eyes, displayed her dedication to the Light and it's worship and revival. Though poles apart, she possessed a trait similar to that of Judai's Yubel: her heterochromatic eyes, the left the same tone of pink that her cheeks would turn whenever she became flustered, and the right just as blue as the sky had been the day she fell from it.

The King turned around to face the young girl, giving her his kindest and most reassuring smile. He held out his hand to her, and she took it tentatively, as if she already knew that the King was luring her into a trap. As if she finally realized how her life would never be the same after this.

Godwin pulled Ruka towards him until she was standing close enough to the edge so that the crowd could see her. Standing behind her, Godwin raised his arms into the sky, and proudly proclaimed, "May I present to you, the first signer, Ruka!"

The cheers and applause previously generated by the crowd, which had been provided in abundance for Godwin, faltered considerably when they saw Ruka. Although she would never admit it, it had been a stab to her pride. Already an admitted pessimist, she hadn't been expecting that. Did they not like her? She was to risk her life to save them, so why didn't they like her?

Completely ignoring the crestfallen look that the youngest signer wore on her face, Godwin looked back and nodded at his guards; with that, they called out to the next signer to make his appearance. The boy who soon emerged from the depths of the palace was much older than Ruka, around 17 years of age. He had wild and spiked red-orange hair that he kept away from his face with a blue headband. His face, covered in tribal markings that he received upon his coming-of-age, told the story of a childhood spent far away from the luxuries of the Royal City. But unlike Ruka, he wore a huge smile on his face, his happiness shining out of his charcoal-grey eyes as he went out to meet his people and his future.

Needing no encouragement from the king, he walked straight up next to the edge of the balcony, looked down at the crowd below him, and waved eagerly at them. Godwin frowned at this, but still went on with his introduction. "May I present the second signer, Crow!"

The crowd's cheering and applause had faltered for Ruka; however, it nearly stopped altogether when they laid their eyes on Crow. But he kept his grin on and didn't seem fazed at all. He had been expecting such treatment, his markings serving as a social handicap when he was around those who didn't belong to the Kingdom's satellite tribes. They all looked down on him as a lesser being, but he had already forgiven them long before. He was sure that once they got to know him, they'd love him. He just knew it.

After a few moments of silence, next signer was called forth. She looked about the same age as Crow, but possessed an air of grace and maturity that he simply did not have. Her hair, a striking shade of magenta, blew in the wind and almost knocked out the pin she wore to keep her long bangs back; holding it in place, she continued down her path in her delicate gait. Her jet-black eyes scanned the balcony, the guards, the officials, the King and her fellow signers, her gaze judging and almost accusatory. But none of them took it to heart. They had long grown accustomed to the way the third signer was.

She walked silently to the edge of the balcony and graced the crowd with a small smile and wave. Godwin placed a hand on her shoulder, and shouted, "The third signer, Aki!"

The same crowd which had gone silent for Crow erupted in thunderous applause for Aki. They went wild over her, the loudest cheers coming from most of the men in the crowd and even some women. She was quite the beauty, of course, the rose of the royal city. She was envied by some, desired by many, feared (to an extent) by all. Some saw her beauty as a gift, though if they were to ask Aki herself, she would readily tell them that it was more of a curse than anything else.

As soon as the applause died down, the guards called forth the fourth signer. He appeared to be older than Crow and Aki, but not by much. Just as he towered above most people in height, so also he believed himself to be above most people in value as well. His pale skin and bright blonde hair created a sharp contrast with his deep, blood-red eyes, as sharp as daggers regardless if he was angry or not. He wore a long white coat, but unlike Ruka it was not due to his bond with the Light. Ironically, he was a creature of Darkness, the aura of his attribute following him everywhere like a plague.

Once he approached the balcony's edge, Godwin grinned and put his arm around this signer, his obvious favorite. The signer stood there, ridged as a pole, as the King proudly announced, "The fourth signer, Jack!"

The crowd fell completely silent, save for some screaming that could be heard in the distance. Jack smiled and waved down at them, though not in the same pleasant manner as Aki had. He had long ago learned to love the effect he had on some people.

Godwin cleared his throat, feeling more than a bit awkward, not quite knowing why he had expected a different response for Jack. But he would change all of that, in a few short moments. The guards called out to the last of the quintet, and out came a tall, tan-skinned young man who appeared to be around the same age as Jack. He wore mostly blue and black; his dark hair was spiked in a rather unique fashion, sporting blonde highlights. He held a serious look in his bright blue eyes, one that was stern but also laced with kindness, sincerity, and empathy. He gave off the impression of someone who was reliable. Anyone who was close enough could almost see the gentle aura which came out of his pours, and the small smile which had graced his lips.

"And the final signer, my own son, Yusei!"

The crowd, still shocked from Jacks appearance, gave an almost universal sigh of relief when they laid eyes on their beloved Yusei. It was surprising to find that one of the Prince's was also a signer; after all, why put the life of royalty at risk in such a way? But of course, they would never question the will of the Light.

All was silent and still for a few long moments before some brave soul cried out, "Long live the Third Prince!"

The crowd then erupted into roaring cheers that surpassed even Aki's. Yusei grinned. He did love the nickname his subjects had given him. Being the middle of five sons, it only made sense.

Godwin held his arms out, addressing the crowd. "My loyal subjects, you are looking at the saviors of this Nation. No matter your own personal feelings concerning age, race, or outward appearance, the fact still remains that the five people standing before you possess the power of the prophesized Divine Dragons. You must swear your allegiance to them, just as you have to me, because through their combined efforts will be reborn The Light!"

A/N: There isn't much to explain in this chapter, but I will explain anyway:

Nothing much changed in the first part: just Judai being less upset over being the Herald of Darkness. He's way more accepting of it, he just isn't sure if he's quite ready (and really, who ever could be for something so huge?). I just figured, he should be proud to fight to Darkness, because he is the representative of Darkness.

As for the signers, things remained relatively the same. The only change I've made it with Crow: at the time that the first version of the story was written, Crow was confirmed to be a signer, but he had no signature dragon. So most of the fandom assumed that his dragon would be the "missing" 5th one (later confirmed to be Life Stream Dragon). But then he got Black-Winged, and Rua was confirmed as the sixth signer, so now Crow will have more of the physical affiliations with Black-Winged and will be transforming into said dragon and all…

And that's it. Review?