CHAPTER ONE

Long, long ago… when the pyramids were still young…

Ancient kings and sorcerers played a game of great power- combining magic with monster in a battle for power and glory so fiercely that world was soon caped in the war of the shadow games! Chaos and destruction spread all across the world, until a brave a mighty pharaoh locked the dark magic away and cleansing the world of all of the darkness.

Now five-thousand years later, all have forgotten about these dreaded shadow wars, but it is still believed that one day they will return to finish what they started five millennia ago.

…

"Beast Boy, come on! Make your move." Terra said impatiently.

Her husband snapped out of his trance "Sorry was just getting caught up in the drama. Anyways, Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth attacks you directly, Terra."

Beast Boy and Terra sure loved playing Duel Monsters. It was only the coolest game ever mad... according to Beast Boy, and it did keep them busy and gave Terra something to do. Now the baby was only expected in no more than a month.

Still, the other Titans didn't seem to be into it that much and were all playing scrabble at the table instead, and it was Starfire's turn. "Quidnunc?" asked Cyborg "Challenge!"

Starfire was confused.

"Quidnunc…?" Robin said "Star that sounds Tameranian."

"It is." Starfire admitted "On my world it describes one whom enjoys carnivorous appetites."

"Starfire, we told you… you can't use Tameranian words." Raven reminded her for the umpteenth time. However, when Copy-Cat checked the dictionary they were using, "It is here!"

"What?!" the others all asked in shock. "Give me that!" Cyborg snatched the book and saw it was real "Quidnunc: One whom enjoys gossip."

An awkward moment of silence happened, but nonetheless, Starfire got two triple-word scores, plus fifty points for using all her letters in that one turn, and because she was challenged and the others failed she got another turn. "There's goes my shot at the win." Cyborg sighed.

His victory wasn't the only one stolen. Beast Boy let out of shocked scream as Terra made a move in their game "And that brings your life points to zero." she said cockily. Beast Boy turned red as an overheated kettle, but it was just a game. "Good one, honey."

"Thanks…" she said and kissed softly.

"I would've beaten you if I had him in my deck."

The other Titans knew what was coming; Beast Boy's quest to complete his deck. The game was more than just about playing and trading, it was about collecting. Beast Boy was a huge fan of the duel monsters card game and had been collecting for a long time trying to assemble a deck that he believed was like him.

Of all the kinds of monsters there were to make a special deck with, he liked the crystal beast cards because the represented some of the animals he could turn into. Copy-Cat examined the cards himself "Such distinguished art work in the painting. It amazes me."

"Yeah…" Beast Boy said "But my collection is nothing without this!" and he held up a picture of monster card called "Rainbow Dragon- The biggest bad boy of them all. If I can just find him… my quest will be at an end, and I can stand on top and tell all the people… "My crystal beast deck is complete!"

Raven flicked his ear bringing him back into reality. "We've heard this story enough times." she complained. "It's just a card game, and don't give us all that Ancient Egypt stuff again."

The card game was made in Japan, but Beast Boy and also Terra were convinced that the Egyptian legends of the game were real. They just had no absolute proof, and sometimes they did think of letting go of the whole thing and focus on the day their baby would arrive, but also for the doctor to call with new results.

After Terra's recent examination, something seemed different that hadn't been noticed before without a proper exam. Now the results were due any time.

"Nothin' to do but wait…" Cyborg said.

"And make the most of it." Robin said.

…

Meanwhile, in town, three adolescent males were on the run from the cops after a simple shoplifting- not much of a job for the Titans to get involved.

These punk kids ran all through town to get away from the cops, finally outwitting them by escaping into the sewers where they wouldn't be found. "That was close guys, way too close!"

"Next time they may get us for sure."

One of the other punks just wanted to get back to their hideout quickly. So they all took a route down the sewer way and emerged in an alley up town where they could safely move out in the open. Then they noticed the museum was just across the street and a new shipment was coming in for a new Egyptian exhibit. "Check it out."

They saw a whole bunch of Egyptian artifacts and treasures being unloaded. All that stuff had to be worth millions, or even billions. There was even a gigantic tomb being unloaded by the movers, with ancient writing inscribed on the stone, and an odd looking symbol.

"Look at that! It must be some kind of giant treasure chest."

"Or it could be… oh… a mummy's sarcophagus."

The punks decided that they'd go and try and steal some of that loot and maybe hold it up for a hefty ransom. "Yeah…! Then we could finally shake of this rotten gutter life and hit the big heights."

The movers were heading out to lunch and a break, but the museum guards promised to take care of everything. "I've got an idea." said one of the punks, and the crept along making their ways to where the guards were, and managed to knock them all out cold. "Too easy…"

Now they were all free to move and take whatever treasures there were, but they had to move fast. One of the punks insisted they open the giant sarcophagus. "Uh… do you really think that's a good idea?"

"Do you want to be a street punk all your life?"

"Well no, but I…"

"Then let's hurry!"

All the punks tried their hardest, but the lid didn't seem to budge an inch. "Man, what's with this thing?"

"Keep trying!"

Suddenly, the box began to vibrate, and the large symbol on it began glowing. "Whoa…!" What's happening?"

That's when black and purple smoke hissed from under the lid and blasted it right off as several glowing and evil shapes of dark light escaped from the tomb howling and laughing evilly as the flew around all over the place and then just scattered off all at once in the same direction. Then they were gone, and the punks were so frightened out of their wits that they ran for their lives, right to the police station and begged to be locked up where they felt I would be safer.

If only they had known what they had just done, they probably would never have tried to go anywhere near that tomb.

That night, while a young teenage boy slept peaceably in his bed while clutching a duel monsters card deck in bed with him; He suddenly heard a low hissing which woke him up. "Who's there?" he asked nervously, but upon seeing no one was there he merely dismissed a felt it was just the wind blowing through his apartment window. He got up and crossed over to close it, still clutching his cards, but suddenly a dark a spooky creature with glowing red eyes appeared right outside his window and gazed at him. The boy gasped, dropped his cards, and before anyone knew it... his scream had echoed through the neighborhood.

His parents burst in through the door to find their son out of bed way past his bed time, and acting very strangely! He acted like he was in some sort of trance, and before long had blasted his folks with a strange magic knocking them completely unconscious, and then he actually leapt out the window and into the night.