~Awakening - Arcadia Movement~
~CHAPTER 1~
The innocent cry of a youngster filled the forest, swaying peacefully. She was running. Running with them. Three young mages sprinted as quickly as their short legs could carry them from the monkey creatures clutching the dreaded staffs. The needles spun in place like the hands of a clock, freezing the lagging pair. The third, leading them with a large purple hat resembling that of the legendary Dark Magician from the tales of the King of Games, just ran on, fearful of his own life. Nobody was safe; nobody could afford to put others before themselves.
Fear ruled this world now.
The cerulean-haired girl stumbled, landing on her knees, the pigtails and fringe hanging obscured any view of her face. But she remained there, on her hands and knees, panting. This wasn't where she was supposed to be.
"Someone…" she whimpered. "Someone please… help me…"
Standing not far from them is a young feminine boy of sixteen with straight snow-white hair and cerise eyes. His ivory skin glowed in the only sunny place of the forest, whereas the other parts had been shrouded in darkness. He had no idea how he came here nor why but the moment he saw the young child, he wanted to help but his legs wouldn't obey. He tried calling but no sound came out. All he can do is stand there.
Like as if he's watching a show and he's a spectator who could only see the events unfolding before his eyes, before darkness enveloped his vision.
XXXX
The room was cold, the blips of various machines pushed against the wall broken the silence without any rhythm. The man smirked, his auburn hair styled in a large quaff above his right eye. Dressed in a black shirt and a sage green vest with a white tie over his torso accompanied with grey trousers beneath, he gave the impression of a professional within the building. The truth being that was the case. His hands, covered by black gloves, hung as a couple behind his back, his dull grey-gold eyes scanning the subject before him. Dressed in the standard uniform of the Arcadia Movement, he laid in a pod with a glass roof open over his still body and an electronic visor that is hooked to the pod.
Over his shoulder, another woman stood, wearing the same uniform as the subject. A wide navy collar surrounded her slender neck, lined with fabric of a murky gold shade. The collar was only the top of a long robe, the shoulder pieces and edges the same darkened shade of blue surrounding a teal center stripe that continued until the bottom of the piece hanging lower than her knees, lined with the same dim shade of gold. Beneath the piece, she wore a white shirt, accompanied with trousers of the same color – the standard Arcadia uniform worn by all Psychic Duelists under the roof of those in charge, such as the man. Her hair was of a brighter shade, pushing it into the territory of titian with hazel eyes.
She stood at a panel of flashing keys and data stretching across the monitor in front of her, the tips of her slender fingers touched the keys gently, but hard enough to push them down. She turned to the man with a neutral face contrasting his devious smirk as he observed the records of data on a small transparent monitor in his hand, held in place by the metal rod in his palm.
"Divine-sama," she spoke. He turned to face her. "There's a change in the subject's body."
"What do you mean, Seria?" Divine questioned her, cocking an eyebrow. Since he had turned around, he didn't see the mark on the boy's right arm glowing crimson.
The woman pointed to a curved pattern repeating itself across the monitor, some kind of measurement. "This pattern seems to indicate that the subject may be communicating with the Duel Spirit World."
"So… it seems that they were talking truthfully." Divine mused, grasping his chin with forefinger and thumb, his eyes falling. "Fine, it seems that our research hasn't been wasted on delusions. I was beginning to really question the value of this one."
"Sir, what are you saying?" the woman asked gently, her eyes plastered onto the face of her superior's head.
"I'm saying that we should finally accept this one into the majority of the Arcadia Movement." Divine replied, lifting his eyes to meet her face. "He's been here for some time now, undergoing tests to see what worth he has to Arcadia and trying to contact the Duel Spirit World. Now that he has, we can finally integrate him with the others. Which is a relief since I don't want the others to question where he had went if he had failed."
"I'll trust your judgement, Divine-sama." Seria murmured, bowing in front of him.
Divine smirked; everything was going according to plan. Sure, contact with the distant world considered a fable had taken far longer than he had hoped, but it had finally happened regardless. He glanced at the boy in the corner of his eye, technically, there was something wrong with him in comparison to the others, but the gift was valuable, and another under investigation had a similar tale. In his eyes, that made them Psychic Duelists, those that would be isolated by society if their truth was uncovered. Just like those he embraced as family.
"None of the others are to learn of this one's ability." he added. "Technically, he doesn't count as a Psychic Duelist, but like the others, he has a gift and he needs caring for properly. There is no guarantee that he would be accepted into society any more than those we already have here, especially with his condition."
"Yes sir." Seria responded, bowing once again.
"Good. For now, I'll make preparations for tomorrow." Divine continued, setting his eyes onto Seria's still and obedient face. "When this one wakes completely, take him back to his room."
The orange-haired woman said nothing as she watched Divine cross the room, and the recovering subject, towards the steel blue door which slid open automatically. He didn't glance over his shoulder at either of them as the senior unhooked the young boy off the pod and sat him straight once he came to.
"Are you feeling alright?" Seria asked, leaning forward slightly, pressing the palm of her hand against her chest. The younger of the two nodded, albeit a bit groggy. "Do you need something?"
The boy frowned, as if thinking of something before shaking his head in a negative.
Seria smiled sadly. Ever since Divine brought this sweet, young boy to the movement three years ago, the older female had felt a motherly sensation overcome her when she first laid eyes on him. She frowned when she remembered what Divine had done to this poor boy, but she couldn't go against him as he is her superior and the founder of their organization. So she had made sure the fragile boy has a great life in the Arcadia Movement.
Though he was anything but fragile, as she had found out one day when the albino was dueling another fellow member, if anything, he was a glass cannon. Outside, he was a sweet and polite young gentleman, albeit shy but once in the dueling field, he unleashed his claws to show his opponent not to underestimate him. Especially when he's using a deck not his own.
She wondered how much stronger he can be if he had used his own deck.
She turned back to the monitor that had his profile report.
Rikugo Wynn. A sixteen year old boy with albinism. Stricken with amnesia, he was found by Divine wandering the streets after being kicked out by his family. With nowhere else to go, Divine brought him into Arcadia Movement.
That was her backstory. A fake backstory.
"Seria-san?" Said woman turned back to the young boy who tilted his head. She couldn't helped but comment in her head on how adorable he looks, "Isn't it time for me to go back to my room?"
"A-Ah, that's right." Seria stuttered. "Sorry, I was thinking about something. Let's get you back to your room. Liquid and Okita should be back by then."
Wynn nodded with a smile, happy to see two of his friends and roommates.
XXXX
As they were walking back, Wynn perked up when he saw another friendly face walking towards them.
"Aki-san!" He called.
Said girl looked up and smiled at the white-haired boy, "Wynn, already done with your screening?"
"Hai," He nodded. The only person other than Seria and Divine who knew of him being able to contact the Duel Spirit World was Aki. "I was able to get a glimpse before I blacked out again."
"I see." Aki said.
"Are you heading out again?"
"Hai, by Divine's orders."
"Alright, be careful then."
"I will."
They waved to each other as they walked to different directions. Seria smiled at their interactions; Normally, the other members of the movement wouldn't go near Aki, not because of fear but of respect and admiration, while the burgundy-haired teen wouldn't let others get near except for Divine. The lone exception was Wynn for they had their own similarities.
Wynn is the only known albino in the whole of Neo Domino City, thus making him an outcast, even to the movement members since he stuck out like a sore thumb. Aki is their strongest Psychic who has little to no control over them, making her stand out from the rest as well. There's also the fact they both possess the Marks of the Crimson Dragon.
When the two met for the first time, they didn't know what to do; Wyn has no memories so he didn't know how to interact with other people, coupling with his shyness, while Aki felt insecure about meeting new members. But after a while, it was Aki who had broke the ice and the two chatted for a while. You can imagine to both Seria's and Divine's surprise that the two became fast friends in a span of three minutes.
Seria was glad that the two had made a friend in each other while no one knows what Divine was feeling.
Ever since then, the Black Rose Witch had taken the liberty to chat with the young albino when ever they meet up. Of course, the other members weren't exactly pleased with that since it's unusual to see their ace being so chummy with someone but they eventually got used to it, lest they want to receive Aki's wrath. The burgundy-haired girl can be quite protective when she needs to be, even if it's against her own kind. And she had come to think the young albino as her own little brother, even though they are of the same age.
XXXX
Meanwhile, in the Director's office, Rex Godwin was overlooking his beloved city of Neo Domino when his assistant, Yeager, walked in.
"What do you have for me?" He asked while swirling his glass of wine, not bothering to face him.
"I was going through our reports on the Arcadia Movements, sir. In case there is another candidate. Being one of your so-called rival, his security network is lacking."
"And?"
"I had double-checked every of the member's background when I found one that didn't match at all." Yeager said as he looked down at said report. "It's written that Divine found him after he was kicked out of his family for his psychic powers, but there had been no such family recorded. In fact, this particular one isn't registered as a Neo Domino citizen."
"Oh? And their name is?" Godwin turned to face him, curious about this.
"Rikugo Wynn."
It could be his imagination, but the assistant swore the man's eyes widened a fraction of a second in shock and surprise before reverting back to their stoic state. He mentally shook his head before handing the report to him.
Godwin stared at the picture provided on the report before closing his eyes, "I see. Yeager, send out another invitation. Make sure it gets to this Rikugo Wynn."
"As you said, sir." Yeager bowed before heading out.
Godwin turned back to his floor-to-ceiling window with the report in hand, not once his eyes strayed from the picture of a sixteen year old albino boy with big cerise eyes.
"After ten years, I've finally found you."
XXXX
"Welcome back, Wynn." Okita greeted as the two entered the room they shared.
It was an awkward moment for the three newbies to get used to each other when they first met; one is that Liquid and Okita had known each other beforehand, two is they had never seen an albino before and three is that Liquid didn't want to get along nicely with the younger boy who looked like he could topple from a slight breeze. Of course, after seeing Wynn totally trashed a senior who had speaking badly about them, they started to get along fine.
"I'm back." Wynn smiled.
"Alright, you three." Seria clapped her hands to gain their attention. "Divine-sama will be coming in shortly for a brief meeting so make sure you're prim and proper."
"Yes ma'am!" Seria nodded and exited the room.
"What do you think it's about?" Okita asked.
"Who knows? Could be for the Duel of Fortune Cup tournament. I mean, our movement's ace, Izayoi Aki, was chosen to participate." Liquid replied. "Hey, maybe we get to go with them!"
"I don't think that's possible, Liquid." Wynn said. "The most we can do is observe the tournament. We can't participate since we don't have the invitations."
Liquid huffed, "Guess you're right. But it'll be cool if that happens."
The albino laughed nervously. Then their room's door swished opened to reveal Divine walking in. "Psychic duelists, listen up!" The three of the immediately stood in attention. "The next operation to be carried out by our very own Arcadia Movement had been decided upon! Our target will be the Sector Security event, the Fortune Cup! Apparently, a large number of duelists with amazing skills will participate in this tournament. Sector Security... I can't let them go about their business without any oversight now, can I?"
He then cleared his throat after realizing he went off-topic. "As you all know, Aki will be participating in the Fortune Cup that is coming up in three days. While I have no doubt she will win the preliminary rounds, the finals are where the hard part begins. I need the three of you to infiltrate the rear of the event hall in order to support her."
Liquid quietly whooped before he recomposed himself. Divine chose to ignore that and was about to say something else when the door opened again to reveal a movement member.
"Pardon the intrusion, sir. But a letter came for Rikugo Wynn." He said as he took out said letter.
Divine raised a brow, "Oh? Who is it from?"
"From the head of the Special Investigation, Yeager." He said. "It's an invitation to the Fortune Cup."
"Eh?!" Liquid and Okita exclaimed. Said boy was speechless; Sure, he's confident about his dueling skills but he had never went outside of the movement, much less duel so how did the director know about him?
Divine clicked his tongue, "I knew that man wouldn't keep his hands to himself. He must have hacked into the movement's network." He then turned to Wynn. "No matter, looks like we'll have to show him true fear. Right, Wynn?"
"U-Um, are you sure it's a good idea? Aki-san's already entering. And I'm not too keen on dueling in front of a crowd of people." Wynn muttered.
"There's no need to fear, my boy." Divine said as he clasped both hands on his shoulders. "Besides, Aki will be there for you."
The young boy was still hesitant but nodded nevertheless after hearing his 'big sister' will be there as he accepted the letter. Divine dismissed the member and continued his speech, "Well, it seems we have two of our Arcadia members who will be joining the tournament. That said, your mission still stands, Liquid and Okita."
"Yes sir!"
Wynn blinked; he could have sworn he saw a smirk appeared on his face for a split second.
"Until then, get ready for your exercises!"
With that, Divine departed from their room. Once the doors closed behind them, Liquid and Okita rounded on the albino.
"I can't believed you got chosen, Wynn!" Liquid said. "Man, how I envy you!"
"You have my congratulations." Okita nodded.
"Thanks, guys. Though you think the others will be thrilled with me?"
"Why wouldn't they? We all know your dueling skills are way above ours, maybe on par with Izayoi Aki." Liquid praised before slinging an arm around his shoulder. "And can you believe it? We get to go to the Fortune Cup! I told you it's gonna happened!"
Okita chuckled, "Yes, I almost forgot of your partial clairvoyance."
"Hey,what do you mean 'partial'!"
"He means that it only happens when you're not dueling." Wynn explained. "And it's not always you have them."
Liquid only huffed away in annoyance. "Yeah, whatever."
XXXX
At Saiga's hideout, Yusei was doing a maintenance check on his D-Wheel while making sure to keep the volume low, lest he wake the whole neighborhood. Too engrossed with his D-Wheel, he didn't see or heard Saiga walking in.
The older man leaned against the door frame while watching the young man worked his magic. He didn't need to be a genius to know that Yusei was thinking about the Black Rose Witch. The old man Yanagi had explained the Marks of the Crimson Dragon to him and Himuro, and seeing the Witch's reaction to Yusei having a mark as well, he can tell she's not happy.
Though there was one thing he didn't understand.
"You as well." The Witch said once she noticed the glowing mark on Yusei's arm.
"You as well?" Yusei parroted as he tried to walk closer to her but she flinched away.
"Stay away from me! Wretched Mark! Not only did you cursed me but that poor boy as well!" The Witch then drew a card. "I will not let you get away with this!"
With that, she disappeared in a blinding light.
'Was there another who was marked as well?' Saiga thought.
"Saiga?" He turned to Yusei who looked up from his D-Wheel. "What are you doing here?"
"Couldn't sleep so I thought maybe I could check up on how you're doing. After what happened moments ago."
Yusei nodded and gazed back at his bike. His hands didn't moved as they stayed limp by his side. Saiga raised a brow. After a few minutes of nothing, Yusei finally dug into his jacket's inside pocket and took out an old photograph. He knew it wasn't the picture of his friends back at Satellite since he already had it so he's curious what it held.
"Yusei, you alright?"
"...It's nothing. Just reminiscing an old friend of mine." He muttered, his eyes never swaying from the picture.
"You mean, Jack or someone else?" Yusei's eyes narrowed at the mention of jack but softened at the 'someone else'.
"...Someone else." He replied before showing the photo to him.
It showed the picture of when he was a young kid, about eight years old with a nine year old Jack and a seven year old boy with spiky orange hair. Both had an arm slung over his shoulders while his are wrapped around a smiling six year old boy. To his surprise, the last boy is an albino, not someone you meet every so often.
He hummed, "So who am I looking at? I recognized you and Jack but the other two..."
"One is Crow, another friend of mine who is living in Satellite as well. It was a good thing Godwin didn't know about him since he rarely comes by." Yusei replied.
"And the other?"
"...He disappeared around three years ago. No one knows where he had gone to."
"You didn't think he came into the city like Jack did?"
Yusei shook his head, "He doesn't have any memories prior the day we found him. And even if he did managed to remember something, he would have told us." He then took back the photo. "But all we found was his Duel Disk and deck."
"Well, that sounds suspicious. No matter how much a person misses their memories, a duelist never leaves behind their deck. You don't think he was kidnapped or something."
"That's why he's one of the reasons why I wanted to come to Neo Domino. I might find a clue on his whereabouts."
"I see." Saiga said before smiling. "I'll ask some of my connections to see if they had seen an albino boy around."
"You sure? I'm already troubling you with Rally and the others."
"You're no trouble at all. Besides, I told you before, haven't I? These are your bonds, right?"
Yusei blinked before huffing with a smile, "Thank you."
I know I've already written a YGO 5D's story but I had been playing the DS games and I quite like the Stardust Accelerator, Reverse of Arcadia and Over the Nexus. Note that this will possibly be a Slash story so don't continue if that is not your thing. Also this story is actually a combined story of both Stardust Accelerator and Reverse of Arcadia since they somewhat share the same timeline while Over the Nexus is during the WRGP. The next thing to note is that Wynn will be using a deck that isn't featured in the games.