WORLD OF DARKNESS
Legal Note: I would just like to inform all who read this fiction that I do not hold copyright on any of the non-original characters featured in this story, nor am I affiliated in any way with their creators, sponsors, or any of the other parties affiliated with the previously mentioned characters. I do, however, own copyright on all of my own original characters that are introduced into this story, of which I also hold copyright on. This fiction was only meant for the entertainment of others and is not meant to promote any of the characters, that are not my own, that are introduced into this story.
PLEASE READ: Simply take these few notes while reading:1 – The character, Yugi, in this story looks and sounds like Yami, but is still called Yugi (for those of you who know who they are).
2 – I will be including some of the characters from my other Yugioh! Fiction, "Yugioh! Retold!"
3 – I'll be using the characters' Japanese names. I will describe each character as they appear, but if you need translations, either E-mail me a request or look them up online (They're pretty easy to find).
R&R, please. Enjoy!
BEGINNINGS
Once, long ago, in ancient times untold, the Earth was a place where only darkness was truth. Malevolent spirits, maddened by their hatred for humanity, infested the land and preyed upon the weak. Sadness, pain, death were all too common a term in this pitiful, wretched world of impending darkness.
In a small, run-down house on the wheat farms in the Zeldebet fields lived a young man named Katsuya Jonouchi. With him lived his mother, his sister, Shizuka, and his friend, Hiroto Honda. They all prayed in the dining room, lit by a candle, the wind howling outside. They were a poor family, one of many, and tonight, they would feast on their usual bread.
Jonouchi was a strong boy of 18. His eyes were green, and powerful, just as his father's, and his short, blonde hair shined like the wheat on the farm during harvest.
His sister, Shizuka, was a petit girl of 14, with long hair, red like fire, and gentle, passionate green eyes, just as her brother. It was clear that she inherited her appearance from her mother.
Honda was the same age as Jonouchi. His eyes were brown, his hair, ebony, and his skin was noticeably darker than the Jonouchis', whose complexions were very fair.
"Amen," said their mother, "So, Katsuya, was work productive today?"
"'Fraid not," answered Jonouchi, "another one of the steers died last night. Honda and I could only make up for about half the work load."
"Oh," their mother responded, a depressed look about her, "That is… unfortunate."
"Mama," began Shizuka, "who was that man in black that came by earlier?"
Their mother didn't answer, and her expression suggested that she wished her daughter hadn't asked.
"It was the bill-collector, wasn't it, Mom?" asked Jonouchi, "What'd he want this time?"
Their mother sighed and then placed her bread on her plate before speaking.
"Well," she began, "as you all know, we haven't been able to meet the quota at the market. So…"
"Just give us the short version, Mom," Jonouchi interrupted.
"…They want their money by the end of next week," their mother answered, lowering her eyes, "or we are going to have to find another place to live."
"You're kidding," said Honda, shocked.
"AHHH DAMMIT!!!" shouted the furious Jonouchi as he stood up out of his seat and threw his plate into the wall where it shattered into a myriad of tiny shards.
"Katsuya!" shouted their mother.
"Hey, Jonouchi!" exclaimed Honda, "Relax, man!"
"What for?!" responded Jonouchi, "Just where the hell else do they expect us to go?!"
"Katsuya! Stop it!" exclaimed their mother.
"Come on, Mom!" responded Jonouchi, "You know what's gonna happen if we get kicked out!"
Their mother stood up and looked straight into her son's green eyes.
"I am NOT going to discuss this with you!" their mother snapped, "Not at the dinner table, and not in front of your sister! Now STOP IT!"
Shizuka sat tensely in her seat with her fragile eyes looking up at Jonouchi. Jonouchi looked back into those sad, green eyes and realized that his fit wasn't going to help anything.
"I'm…" began Jonouchi, lowering his head, but before he could finish, the entire family was startled by a vicious roar coming from the woods. It made the horses stir in the stables and the rest of the animals herd to whatever side of their pens was furthest from that terrible sound.
Jonouchi and Honda went up to the window to see what was happening while Shizuka clung to her mother's dress as her mother held her close. Jonouchi strained to see through the blackness of the night and not only discovered the creature that had produced that terrifying roar, but also that it was battling with a man in a black hood.
"There's someone out there!" exclaimed Jonouchi, "Honda, get the Trident!"
"Katsuya, you're not going out there?!" exclaimed their mother.
"That guy needs help, Mom!" answered Jonouchi.
Honda came to Jonouchi with a long, stone staff with three blue crystals strung to one end and handed it to Jonouchi.
"Here you go," said Honda.
"Thanks," replied Jonouchi, "Stay here and watch them, ok?"
Jonouchi then looked at his mother and sister and said, "And you two, don't go outside for anything. Understand?"
As Jonouchi ran outside, he told Honda to lock the door. Honda wished Jonouchi luck, and then did so. Jonouchi ran through the blackened fields to the woods where the hooded man was still holding his ground. The monster was at least fifteen feet tall and greatly resembled a bulldog. Its muscles were freakishly exaggerated, and its left eye glowed yellow and was larger than its right eye, which remained black, as did its enormous, razor-sharp teeth.
As the hooded man moved, he seemed to glide across the ground as the beast relentlessly lunged at him. Jonouchi reached the battle site and smacked his Trident against a large rock, which made it spark, and then glow brilliantly as he brought it to arms. The Trident lit the battle site and the light shined off of Jonouchi's face. Jonouchi said, "Here we go," and then he charged at the beast.
Jonouchi first jumped onto the beast's back and thrust the end of his trident into the back of its head. It flashed and whaled as it sent a surge of electricity rippling throughout the beast's body. The beast reared up and threw Jonouchi as it let out another roar, and then turned to face him as he landed on his back. The hooded man was greatly surprised by Jonouchi as the beast charged for the downed boy. Jonouchi lifted his head to find the beast, its jaws, wet with saliva, ready to devour him, running toward him, roaring ferociously. Jonouchi took hold of his Trident and plunged it into the beast's mouth as he rolled to the side, and the Trident sunk into the back of the beast's throat as its own weight drove the Trident even deeper. The beast was in an extreme amount of pain as the pulses of energy shot throughout its system. It roared and thrashed and tried desperately to remove the Trident, but it was to no avail, and the Trident continued to electrocute the beast.
Jonouchi was ready to claim victory, but it was all too soon. As Jonouchi sneered at the beast, it looked at him, and then extended its long, leathery tong, wrapped it around the Trident and began to slowly extract it. Jonouchi looked on in horror as the beast finally removed the Trident before snapping it into its jaws and shattering it instantly after what looked like only a nudge from its paw. The shards sparked and spasmodically screeched as they flew in every direction, and then faded. The beast sneered at Jonouchi, and then it charged at him, surely to kill him.
But, as the beast was nearly on top of Jonouchi, the hooded man suddenly leaped onto the side of the beast's head and smashed a stone into its ear. The creature let out a short roar before knocking the hooded man away with its deformed paw where the hooded man was slammed into a tree. As he did, the Scimitar that had been strapped to his waste had been freed and it landed beside Jonouchi. Jonouchi picked it up and charged at the beast, arming the sword. He had nearly launched his assault, but the beast suddenly turned and did to him what it had done to the hooded man. Jonouchi's entire body stung unbearably as he struggled to regain his footing. He looked up to see that the beast had him in its sites, and it lunged at Jonouchi with a murderous look in its eye and an immeasurable savagery in its voice. It leapt high into the air, and it seemed as though Jonouchi's time had finally come.
But suddenly, as the beast was ready to land the fatal bite, Jonouchi lifted his hand, and a bright light flashed from it and threw the beast as it lit up the night. The hooded man now was even more surprised as he watched Jonouchi stand up, his hand glowing white. The beast shook its head as it regained its footing and lunged at Jonouchi again, another roar escaping its jaws. Jonouchi, as the creature lunged at him, shot the light in his hand into the ground, and jumped to the side as an enormous boulder rose from the soil in front of the beast. The beast was slammed, face-first into the boulder by the momentum of its own assault, and it was shattered as the beast drove straight through the immense stone. The beast then rolled as it came crashing to the ground, its neck, broken.
Jonouchi could hear the air escape from the beast's lungs as he walked over to the hooded man.
"You all right?" asked Jonouchi.
"I'll be fine," answered the hooded man, his voice deep and soft, "What you did back there, that was no ordinary Magic trick, was it?"
Jonouchi was conflicted as he looked at the hooded man, his face hidden in the shadows.
"Relax, Jonouchi," said the hooded man, "Your secret is in no danger here."
"What?!" exclaimed Jonouchi, "How do you know my name?"
The hooded man held out his hand, and a green light appeared over his palm. It lit the bottom section of the hooded man's face, and Jonouchi could see the small grin present on it.
"What the…" said the confused Jonouchi.
"Take me to your house, Jonouchi," answered the hooded man, "I will explain everything there."
Back at the house, Honda cautiously stepped up to the window and peered outside.
"It's too dark out there," he said, "I can't see anything."
"Mama," said the shaking Shizuka, "I'm scared."
"It's alright, baby," her mother assured her, though she herself was just as terrified.
Everyone was startled by a nock on the door. They heard the words, "It's me," come from outside of the door, and Honda immediately opened it.
"Katsuya!" exclaimed their mother as Jonouchi stumbled into the house. She rushed over to him, but he flinched as she tried to hold him.
"Oh! You're hurt!" she said, worried, "Honda, boil some…"
"Wait," interrupted the hooded man as he walked through the door, "let me."
The hooded man stood behind Jonouchi, lifted his arm, straightened his fingers, and then placed his hand on Jonouchi's back. A soft, green light was emanated from it, and Jonouchi could feel his pain completely disappear. The hooded man took his hand back, and the green light dissipated as it surged back into his body through his arm.
Everyone looked curiously at the hooded man as he finally removed his hood to reveal his young, pale face. He was dressed from head to toe in black leather, with the exception of his shoulders, his arms, and his right hand. His blood-red hair was long and largely spiked, and his bangs were a rich gold. His long eyelashes parted to reveal his deep, purple eyes, and he smiled at the Jonouchi family.
"My name is Yugi Mutou," said the young man, "Your son helped me out of a difficult spot, Mrs. Jonouchi. I am most grateful."
"He knows," said Jonouchi, looking at his mother.
"Yes," replied Yugi, "and that is why I asked you to bring me here. You may want to sit down, Jonouchi, because what I am about to tell you is nothing short of unbelievable."
Jonouchi sat down and his mother put her hand on his shoulder.
"Alright," began Yugi, "the reason why I didn't panic when I witnessed your gift, Jonouchi is because I, too have this gift. It is because of fate that we posses these powers, and it is because of fate that we are compelled to use them."
"Fate?" asked the confused Jonouchi, "What do you mean, fate?"
"Fifty years ago," continued Yugi, "this darkness that now surrounds us swallowed the Earth and stained the blue sky red. No one knew from where it originated, or for what reason, but when it came, it was clear that life on Earth was going to undergo a drastic change for the worse. Now, we all have to live in this filth we call an existence as it only continues to rot and fester as time drags on and the darkness becomes stronger as it continues to suffocate this world. You and I, Jonouchi are part of a sacred race of Warlocks, created as a catalyst to this darkness. We are known as the Shade."
"The Shade?" asked the confused Jonouchi.
"Yes," answered Yugi, "We are the negative to this darkness, Jonouchi. Its shadow. We were created in succession to it as a means to balance the share of power between it and us."
"If that's true," began Honda, "than how come the darkness is still here?"
Yugi's expression became regretful as he answered, "Unfortunately, though the Shade were made to contrast it, many of them became corrupt, and their hearts were polluted by the darkness."
"And you're an exception?" asked Jonouchi.
"Yes," answered Yugi, "We both are."
"Katsuya…" said their mother, looking down at her son.
"So why are you telling me this?" asked Jonouchi, "I don't see any point, if what you say is true."
"I am on a journey, Jonouchi," explained Yugi, "A journey to find other Shades just like me to join me in my campaign to undo the benevolent forces behind this darkness and tare it away from this world. I want you to come with me."
"Whoa," said Jonouchi, standing up out of his chair, "Sorry, pal, but one, I can't be sure if all you're feeding me is a bunch of bull shit, and two, I've got my own problems to worry about. I can't be going around trying to save the world when my family's about to lose everything we got."
"But, Jonouchi," replied Yugi, "It's your destiny. You're a Shade."
"You don't get it," responded the annoyed Jonouchi, "I don't want to be a Shade. Let the rest of the world handle their own problems, I'm staying right here. Got it?"
"I see," began Yugi, "So, you won't come with me then?"
Jonouchi sighed and answered, "Look, Yugi, my family's about to lose our home, and my dad ain't around to help out anymore. You know what it's like out there at night. What do you think's gonna happen if we get thrown out?"
"Hmm…" responded Yugi, "So, its money you require, then?
Everyone looked confused at Yugi as the young Shade took a tiny pouch off of his belt and tossed it onto the table. It landed sideways and popped open as what started out as a few gold coins soon became hundreds, and then thousands of gold coins, spilled out of the little brown wallet. Everyone stared in aw as the entire table was covered in gold coins that continued to pile up until they nearly overflowed off of the table before they eventually stopped.
"Whoa!" exclaimed Shizuka.
"Mom," said Jonouchi, nearly struck speechless, "there's gotta be enough money here to pay the house off twenty times over!"
"And you may take as much as you like," replied the smiling Yugi, "But I want something in return."
Jonouchi already knew what came next.
"Join me on my quest to free the world from the evil that plagues it, Jonouchi," began Yugi, "and I will make sure that your family is financially secure from this day forward. The choice is yours."
"As if," answered Jonouchi, "I'll get packed."
"No need," answered Yugi, "We travel light."
"Katsuya," said the glossy-eyed Shizuka, walking up to her brother, "you're leaving?"
"Sorry, sis," answered Jonouchi, "I have to go. If I do, you and Mom and Honda'll be safe. You won't have to leave home."
"But," began Shizuka, nearly crying, "I'll miss you."
"I know," answered Jonouchi, placing his hands on his sister's shoulders, "and I'll miss you too. But I'll write you letters. Just 'cause I'm going away doesn't mean I'm gonna disappear, and we'll see each other again. So don't you worry, ok?"
"Ok," answered Shizuka, wiping away her tears.
"You're not going anywhere looking like that," replied Yugi.
The young Shade snapped his fingers and Jonouchi's cloths changed from his torn, dirty rags into a long-sleeved, white, button-up silk shirt with gold trim, a pair of black, leather pants with a pair of steel-toe, belt-up boots, and a black, hooded cape, all of it close-fitted. Everyone but Yugi was amazed by Jonouchi's new look.
Jonouchi's mother walked up to him with her hands held up. She first ran her fingers along the edges of his cape, and then through his shimmering, golden bangs, not knowing what to say. She and her son were both silent for a moment, and then they hugged one another.
"Must you go?" she asked her son, softly.
"Yeah," answered Jonouchi, returning her tone.
"Don't worry, madam," assured Yugi, their mother looking up at him, "I will take personal responsibility for Jonouchi's safety. You will see him again, and when you do, this world will be a place of light and glory, I promise."
Jonouchi's mother kissed his cheek and hugged him once more.
"I love you," she said to him.
"I love you, too," he answered.
Jonouchi said his goodbyes to Honda and Shizuka. Before they could continue, however, Yugi was going to have to prepare his new companion for the long journey ahead. He informed Jonouchi that their first destination would be a place known as Duke's Subterra, and the two Shades raised their hoods as they stepped out of the house, and into the world of darkness.