Yu-Gi-Oh: Sacred Darkness

A/N: This chapter went through several edits, but only minor ones. For those who read this, I apologize. For those who read this before the edit, read it again. The edits are mostly in the first part. Thank you for your time.

An Unexpected Gift

His breath was ragged, coming in short stops as he was on his hands and knees, keeping his body from crashing down onto the sand below him. Sweat covered his entire body as it soaked into the very cotton that he wore, sticking to his body, even chafing against his brown skin, adding to the pain he already felt course through his body. However, he persevered through it all, and slowly, painfully, but surely, he stood up to his feet, and amidst the sea of sand, he glared down his opponent fiercely as his brown hair framed his face, while that very opponent sneered in malevolent joy.

"I always knew you were a fool." The evil force snickered. "But I never thought you were this much of a fool. Oh well, at least you'll be out of my life for good now. Then I'll be free to overthrow the Pharaoh, and take my rightful place as the true ruler of this realm!"

"I won't let you!" The young hero gritted his teeth. "I'll die before I'll let you destroy the Pharaoh!"

"That can be arranged." The evil force chuckled malevolently.

"You really think it's going to be that easy to just destroy the Pharaoh?" The young hero asked. "I'm saving you from yourself, for you'll end up getting yourself killed."

"That's where you're wrong!" The evil force chuckled maniacally, his blood red eyes gleaming dangerously. "I am more powerful than even the most powerful of magicians or Guardians,! And once the Pharaoh has finished defeating the Dark One, with that very power, along with my three new powerful beasts that you so graciously 'donated' to me, I will swoop in and overwhelm the Egyptian Gods, destroying the Pharaoh once and for all! And soon the entire world will follow!"

"I doubt that…" The young hero chuckled with strain, his chocolate brown eyes glowing brightly. "I have faith that if it came down to you and the Pharaoh, you will fall before him."

"Then why do you insist on getting in my way if that is what you believe?" the evil force snarled.

"Because this is my battle." The young hero answered simply. "You and I are connected, that much I know, and you know that as well. And now that you have taken the path of chaos, you must be stopped. I am the only person to have the power to stop you aside from the Pharaoh, and since he is fighting the Dark One, it falls upon to me to stop you! And if it means banishing BOTH of us to the Shadow Realm in the end, then so be it!"

"Tch, once a fool, always a fool." The evil force stated. "True, you have a power that truly rivals that of the Pharaoh's, but my darkness far surpasses yours. And once me and my beasts banish you to the Shadow Realm, I'll finish my original task. Although…perhaps I'll take your love first. Forcing her to bed, seeing her squirm and beg as I pleasure myself, and then destroy her will be a great joy indeed, knowing that you can do nothing in hell while I tear her apart limb from…"

He never finished that sentence as a sudden gust of energy barreled against him. Not expecting it, he was knocked off his feet and fell back onto the sand. Surprised, he stood back up to his feet, only to see a powerful purple aura surrounding the young hero, creating ripples of energy around him. His head was bent down, his eyes shadowed by his hair, teeth gritted as his mouth formed a raging snarl.

"I won't…let you…HURT HER!" the young hero roared, raising his head with a dangerous gleam in his eyes. "You will pay for even suggesting that very idea! You have brought upon your own doom! Prepare to face my ultimate creature!" He raised his right hand in the air, the aura surrounding him beginning to stream towards there, gathering as he closed his eyes and began speaking.

"Oh, being of black magic, I beckon you. Hear my call, and rise as you do. Deem myself worthy, then show my foe your fury. Defend all with your power, and defeat my opponent with a magic shower. When you awake, leave chaos in your wake. Let your power of darkness be used for light as I summon you for this fight."

After he finished his chant, his hand was completely covered in the black aura, and with a mighty roar, he threw his arm downward, the black aura detaching from his hand in the process and striking the ground. Once it did, it immediately formed a swirling black vortex, several colored bolts of lightning coming out of it. Suddenly, a figure began to emerge from the vortex, and as it did, the sky darkened ominously as the young man called its name.

"Come forth…MAGICIAN OF BLACK CHAOS!"

Rising out of the vortex, the one summoned looked like a man, much taller than his summoner with light blue skin, black markings under his mouth and eyes, which were colored red with yellow irises. He was garbed in tight fitting, dominantly black cloths with light red highlights all over his wardrobe. His long black hair reached down past his waist as he wore a menacing headdress with the same color scheme as his cloths, two pointed horns pointing downward at the ends. His arms were crossed over his chest, holding a black magical staff in them that had a large bluish-green orb at the very tip. His expression seemed emotionless; however, his eyes were as determined as one could be. He stood in front of his master, as if to protect, waiting for him to give his command.

"I won't let you hurt the one I love." The young hero proclaimed. "She's going to become the greatest magician of all time, and I'll be damned if I let you take that away from her! My Magician of Black of Chaos will stop you once and for all!"

"Impressive." The evil force stated, crossing his arms over his chest. "To think that you harbor such a powerful beast within you, and can summon it with such ease without a DiaDhank to focus and contain your power…you've definitely improved your power considerably. However, that doesn't change the fact that you will fall before me! I will not waste my new pets on you however, for that will lose my element of surprise against the Pharaoh if someone sees them! So therefore, I shall call forth another beast, one of my personal favorites!"

A dark purple aura suddenly surrounded him, as he suddenly clapped his hands together as if though in prayer, and closed his eyes, falling deep into a trance. He began chanting in an unknown language, the aura around him growing larger with every word spoken. Suddenly, a small purple ball of energy formed behind him, and as he chanted more and more words, it suddenly grew larger and larger. And suddenly, it was now a massive vortex, four times larger than its creator, and that very person spoke up.

"Dragon of darkness, heed my call. Obey my command, and all shall fall. Arise from you dominion, and show my foe domination. Let darkness swallow light, and bring me victory in this fight. Show this fool true fear as the end inevitably nears. Show all your mighty roar as I summon you, the dragon of lore!"

The vortex behind him suddenly burst forth with darkness, a giant foot stepping out as the evil summoner snapped his eyes wide open, bringing his clapped hands up before bringing them down to his sides as he called the beast's name.

"DARK ARMED DRAGON!"

At the call of his name, the beast emerged from the vortex, howling into the night sky as its dark glory be could seen fully. It was a giant, metal grey dragon with a menacing helmet with two spiked horns covering its face, glowing orange eyes giving it sight. A large, scythe-like blade protruded from its back, with smaller scythe blades protruding from its neck as well. It wore spiked shoulder pads and wrist bands, and guillotine blades also protruded from its wrists and shoulders, as well as screws coming out of its elbows and knees. It had razor sharp claws, and the end of its long tail resembled a battering ram, with curved spikes coming out of it from all sides. The Dark Armed Dragon roared once again before setting its sights on the Magician of Black Chaos, who only stared back at the dragon with his emotionless expression.

"My Dark Armed Dragon is one of the most powerful Shadow monsters to ever exist!" the evil summoner cackled. "Its power is unmatched, and so is mine. Your puny magician doesn't stand a chance!"

"Size isn't everything, and looks can be deceiving." the young hero smirked. "And if your power is unmatched, then how come you're taking so long to destroy me? It seems like I'm really giving you a hard time."

The evil summoner growled. "Irrelevant. Soon, with my powers, my secret weapons, and my soon-to-be army of monsters, even the Pharaoh will bow before me! Nothing will stop me…least of all you!"

"That's where you're wrong." The young hero stated determinedly. "True, your Dark Armed Dragon is powerful, but you don't even care for it. You would throw it away in a heartbeat for a more powerful monster. I may not be the strongest, the richest, the nicest, or even the friendliest guy in this world, but I have a connection with my monster that far surpasses your dragon's strength, a connection that gives us strength you can't imagine, and together, we will stop you! The Pharaoh has his own battle to fight with the Dark One, and if I let you get involved, it may be the end of all of us. I will stop you here and now!"

"How naïve!" The evil summoner facepalmed, laughing maniacally. "You honestly think your 'connection' will stop my Dark Armed Dragon? Soon, I will be the most powerful force the world has ever known! I will wipe out you and the Pharaoh in one swift stroke! Your magic pales in comparison to mine! And once I take back what is mine from you, all will fall before me!"

"If that's so, then please go ahead." The young hero challenged. "You'll be surprised at what I'm capable of."

"Very well…" the evil summoner replied.

The two foes stared each other down, purple and black auras enveloping them as their monsters readied themselves: the Dark Armed Dragon raised its claws threateningly, while the Magician of Black Chaos thrust his arms forward, clasping his staff between his hands.

"Let the Shadow Game continue!"

The Dark Armed Dragon charged forward, its feet pounding and roar deafening as the Magician of Black Chaos took flight, jumping off the ground and flying towards the dragon. The Dark Armed Dragon reared back its head, a sphere of dark energy forming in its hand, with the Magician pulled back its staff, the tip being enveloped in a forming sphere of darkness. The two monsters stared each other dead in the eye, and in that very moment, their masters shouted out their lungs.

"ATTACK!"

The Dark Armed Dragon threw his hand forward, firing his Dark Sonic Sphere, while the Magician of Black of Chaos thrust his staff forward, firing his Chaos Scepter Blast. The two powerful spheres of darkness collided, and soon the two were at war, struggling to destroy the other and reach their target. Suddenly, the two could not take any more strain, and they self-destructed instantly. Both of the summoners shielded themselves as both light and darkness completely consumed them.

5,000 Years Later

The sun shone down brightly, its light giving way to the warm day that was now upon everyone. The summer breeze lightly struck against the trees, their leaves pulling out from the stems and flying through the sky. As they were carried by the wind to their destination, they passed by a medium-sized school building, two stories long and colored grey all over with blue highlights everywhere. And in this building was a certain classroom on the second floor, white walls and grey floor tiles adorning it. Desks were lined up in rows, nearly all of them nearly aligned. Windows graced the left side of the room, allowing anyone to get a gorgeous view from above. In this room, nearly every student in the class had formed a circle around a pair of desks, intently watching as two students a card game. However, one student did not take part in all of this.

He was a young male, roughly about 17 years old, with shoulder length brown hair spiked at the ends and jutting downwards, and chocolate brown eyes seemingly uninterested in what was going on around him. His attire was relatively simple, as he wore the school uniform: a blue blazer with a black undershirt, black pants, and a pair of sneakers. His final accessory was a small gold token tied around his neck with a string. He sat in his desk, his arm propped on top of his desk, supporting his head as he stared out of the windows with almost bored, uninterested eyes. A sigh escaped his lips, wondering if anything truly interesting would happen.

"Yet another pointless day of my life about to come and go." He thought inwardly. "I hate school."

A sudden chorus of awe broke the young boy out of its thoughts, and he flicked his eyes over to the gathering of students around the desk. Through the sea of students, he was able to see two particular students sitting opposite of one another in desks, and they were holding cards in their hands and placing them on the desk. They were obviously playing a game, and the boy knew all too well what game it was.

"…and now I summon Serpent Night Dragon in attack mode!" the duelist with black hair called out. "And now I attack you directly! That's game!"

The opponent could only hang his head in defeat as the winner celebrated his victory, and chatter began to spill among the students about the duel. The boy looked at the scene for a few moments with disinterest before turning his attention back to outside the window. One student noticed the boy's reaction, and just raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"What the hell is with that guy?" the student asked. "There was just an exciting duel here, and he goes and just brushes it off. Does he not know what Duel Monsters is?"

Another student was confused at his statement, and turned towards the direction with facing. Once he saw the young boy, his expression turned very solemn as he turned towards his fellow student.

"Oh, he knows what Duel Monsters is, alright." The second student stated solemnly. "That's Kaosu Cross. You're new here, so you don't know anything about him, so I'll tell you. Not only does he know what Duel Monster is, he used to play the game."

"Seriously?" the first student asked.

"Yeah, and he was a pretty good duelist on top of that." The second student nodded. "Not a lot of people could beat him. He was one of the best around here."

"So, let me guess, he thinks he's too good for this little small-time game?" the first student asked angrily. "That's why he's acting like that?"

"No, it's not that." The second student shook his head. "He loved the game of Duel Monsters very much, and he was a pretty cool guy. He was actually more talkative back then, and helped a lot of us out. But one day, he just…stopped playing the game."

"Stopped playing?" the first student exclaimed.

"Yeah, none of us couldn't believe it either." The second student stated quietly. "It started off like any other day, but then he came in, ignored all of us, and sat in his seat. We all were confused until he said 'I'm done with Duel Monsters. I'm not playing it ever again.' That was all he said, and it's been one year since that day. He hasn't played the game since."

"Unreal." The first student murmured. "He was one of the best, and just upped and quit out of nowhere one day? And hasn't played for an entire year?"

"Yep, and we never found out why." The second student confirmed. "We tried to find out why he quit for about six months after he announced it, but no matter what we did, it was always the same answer: 'I'm done with Duel Monsters. That's that.' Eventually, we gave up, and he's been like this ever since."

"Man, I can't believe all of this." The first student sighed. "What could've happened that made him quit Duel Monsters all together? It must've been pretty rough."

"Yeah, that's what we guessed." The second student nodded. "But it's obvious we're not going to get any answers, so zip your lip about it. It's already bad enough I had to go through it again, so no need to make him do so too."

However, Kaosu was not as deaf as the two would like him to believe, so he heard every single word that the two had said. He sighed deeply, closing his eyes as memories came back to him; memories that he would rather forget about it.

"They wouldn't understand." He thought solemnly. "I just don't have it in me to duel anymore. Not since that day. I just can't. It doesn't even matter anymore anyway."

He was broken out of his thoughts once again by the sound of footsteps, and they sounded like they were coming closer ever second. And everyone knew who was coming, so all the students began scrambling like crazy around the room, getting into their seat and moving the desks as fast as they can. And just a second after they were all seated, their teacher came striding in. A lovely woman with flowing blonde hair, ruby red glasses, dark brown eyes in a black suit and skirt walked right behind her desk and looked over her students with a suspicious eye. Nearly every student squirmed under her gaze, unknowing of what will happen.

"I know you all were playing Duel Monsters." The teacher stated knowingly. "And while I do know that it's a popular game, as long as I teach this class, there will be no card playing in my class! Understood?"

"Yes, Ms. Wilson!" the students announced unanimously.

As the class began under the tutelage of Ms. Wilson, Kaosu simply looked at the front of classroom with his usual uninterested expression before giving out a long, deep sigh.

"You know, for once, I wish something interesting would happen."

Little did he know, he was going to get more than he bargained for.

Kaosu walked along the sidewalk with closed eyes, carrying his school bag beside him as a few cars passed by him on the streets. On the right side of him was the local park, a green lush plain with several winding stone roads and populated by several trees, separated only by a black metal fence. Several people walked right by him, heading in the opposite direction, but Kaosu paid them no mind as he continued down the path, having memorized the way back home easily.

"Same boring school day, same boring walk to school…" Kaosu thought to himself. "I am committed to giving up Duel Monsters, but why in the hell did all excitement have to go with it? Seriously, for once, something out of the ordinary happen!"

As the young school student inwardly talked to himself, he instinctively turned right at a corner of the sidewalk, having taken this route many times before. However, when he opened his eyes, he was surprised to find a small table set up down the sidewalk. A purple blanket covered it entirely, both its surface and its legs, the symbol of a golden eye on the front portion. Several artifacts, likely of Egyptian heritage, were placed across the top of the table, but the most notable was the bright crystal ball placed in the very center. Sitting behind this very table was an old man, seeming to be in his late 60s, with a full, thick gray beard, very visible wrinkles featured across his face, and dark purple eyes that seemed like they could stare into your very soul. His clothing was a dark purple robe that covered just about his entire body, a hood placed over his head, grey hair falling out of the hood, indicating he had long hair. With hands clasped together on the table, he seemed almost like a statue as he sat there, waiting for someone to walk by. Kaosu blinked a few times in surprise, wondering if his eyes were deceiving him.

"Well…I guess that is out of the ordinary." Kaosu thought confused. "I certainly don't remember him or that stand being on this path before. What is all this?"

While severely confused, he still needed to get home, so he chose to just ignore this development and continued walking. Yet just as he was in front of the stand, ready to pass it, a voice called out to him.

"Hold on, young man."

Kaosu stopped in his footsteps, slowly turning his head towards the owner of the voice. He eyed the old man sitting behind the table with a raised eyebrow, yet the old man seemed to just stare back with a gaze that inwardly disturbed Kaosu.

"What is with this guy?" he asked inwardly. "It's like he's staring into my soul or something."

"I truly am sorry to disturb you, my good man, but I was wondering if I could interest you in something?" The old man asked.

"Yeah, and why just ask me this out of nowhere?" Kaosu asked suspiciously.

"You have a…different aura about you." The old man answered cryptically. "There is something truly special about you, something that defines you from everyone else. And it is that very reason that I wish to tell you a fortune."

"Sorry, but I'm not really a believer in fortune-telling or destiny." Kaosu replied casually. "So this sort of thing doesn't really appeal to me."

"Please, just let me give your fortune." The old man pleaded. "This is something that you must experience. If nothing else, at least satisfy an old man's curiosity."

Kaosu sighed in response. "Well, I guess. I may not be very approachable, but I'm certainly not a jerk to turn down such a request." He fished through his pocket, until he pulled out some money and threw it onto the table. "Here, this is for you."

"I don't need your money." The old man stated calmly.

"I insist." Kaosu replied just as calmly. "If you're going to do this, then you should at least get something out of it."

"I appreciate your kindness, young man, but telling your future will be enough for me." The fortune teller stated with a smile; he raised his hands over the sides of the crystal ball. . "Now do as I say. Slowly place your hands over the crystal ball, and keep them there until I say."

Kaosu, though still skeptical, did as he said and moved his hands, hovering them over the crystal ball. But as he did so, he failed to notice the man's forehead suddenly glow with the same golden eye symbol that was printed on the blanket. The old man observed Kaosu, anticipation clearly seen on his face as the student waited for the next instruction.

"Now, close your eyes, clear your mind of all distractions, and let peace and insight take over."

Kaosu raised his eyebrow again in suspicion, but he did what was asked of him and slowly closed his eyes. Slowly, he began to drown out all the noise, distractions, and thoughts around him, clearing his mind of everything. As he did, he suddenly felt calmer, lighter as a result, like he was now able to see something that he could not see before. It was strange, almost puzzling, but it was not a feeling he didn't welcome.

"Now…place your hands on the orb, and your eyes shall be opened."

At his command, Kaosu slowly brought his hands down on upon the crystal ball, and a few seconds later he touched it. The moment he did, the orb suddenly began to glow, the golden eye symbol appearing on it as well. Suddenly, the orb began to burst forth with a powerful golden light, enveloping Kaosu in its bright glow. The school student gritted his teeth as he felt intense pain shoot through him, yet for some strange reason unknown to him, he refused to open his eyes, keeping them closed for as long as he can. Suddenly, he felt something pop in his mind, forcing him to open his eyes as his head was knocked back by an unknown force. The golden eye appeared on his forehead as well as his eyes suddenly gained a golden glow, and before he knew what was happening, images began to appear before his sight, flashing for seconds.

"I can't lose to you! I just can't!"

"There's so much more to this than your own damn ego!"

"Your soul is mine, for I play…"

"You mean to tell me that you still haven't figured it out?"

"Be consumed by the Shadows!"

"Do you truly respect your cards like I do, or are you just like everybody else?"

"She's more than a card to me, you bastard!"

"Do you wish to know the answers to your past?"

"With these three cards, I will be unstoppable!"

"NO! KAOSU!"

"FOR AS LONG AS I BREATHE, YOU SHALL NOT HURT HER!"

Kaosu was suddenly ripped from his vision, his hands violently breaking contact from the crystal ball. He took a step back as the golden eye on his forehead disappeared, sweat dripping down his face as he breathed heavily, the golden glow in his eyes fading. He could only stare at the crystal ball, trying to grasp what he had just experienced.

"What…what was that?" Kaosu thought as he tried to regain composure. "Just now…all those images...what did they all mean? Were they even real?" His gaze lifted towards the old man. "Just what did he do to me?"

With the soul-searching gaze of the old man upon him, it almost seemed too much for Kaosu to handle. Unable to make heads or tails of what just happened, he turned to leave as quickly as he could, but once again he was stopped.

"Wait."

"WHAT?"

Kaosu, still coming to terms with the recent events, whipped his head angrily at the old man, yet imagine his surprise when he saw a small, red rectangular box with a golden eye on the lid, the size of a jewelry box, being extended to him by the old man, who had not once changed his expression.

"I am truly sorry for having to put you through that." The old man stated sincerely. "As a token of my apology, please accept this gift."

"Why are you giving this to me?" Kaosu asked, his anger melting away into confusion.

"I have held onto this for quite a while." The old man explained. "And I have been waiting to give this away for just as long. However, I have not been able to find the right person to give this to…until now. You are the one that should have this, no doubt. So please take it."

Kaosu eyed the random gift with an exasperated and suspicious look, not knowing what to actually make of it. Eventually, he raised his hand over the small box carefully, and for a few seconds, let it hover over before hesitantly grasping it and slowly pulling it away from the old man.

"Your destiny begins here, Kaosu Cross." The old man stated cryptically.

"Wait, how did you know my name?" Kaosu asked with wide eyes. "I didn't tell you what it was. And what do you mean by 'destiny'?"

The old man only gazed at Kaosu with the same look as before, and after a few seconds, it became clear to Kaosu he wasn't going to get an answer. So he turned his own gaze at the small box in his hand, slowly grasping the lid by its side with one hand while he held it with the other. Then carefully, almost apprehensively, pulled the lid off, and the contents caused Kaosu to stiffen in shock, his chocolate brown eyes widening to the fullest.

"A…A Dark Magician Girl card?" Kaosu exclaimed, the box shaking in his grip as he stared at the card. "But…but this is one of the rarest cards in the entire game! Most people don't even have one! How in the world did you…" He stopped mid-question, realization suddenly dawning on him, and closed his eyes, almost in regret. "This is a truly amazing gift, and I appreciate it, but I'm sorry. I can't accept it. You see, I don't play Duel Mon…"

However, as he turned to face the old man while he was speaking, he could only stare in disbelief as he was no longer there. In fact, the entire fortune-telling stand had disappeared along with its owner. He had vanished, without a trace, without a sound.

"What…the hell?" Kaosu managed to get out. "What just happened? He was here a minute ago, and now he's…Damn it, what the hell is going on here?"

He held his head as a headache from all this shock began to weigh down upon him, yet when he glanced back at the card in the box, he found he couldn't take his eyes off of it. Looking at the image of the card, the blonde-haired magician girl clad in blue and pink clothing smiling confidently, seemed almost hypnotizing. He turned his head back to fully look at it, and before he knew what he was doing, he placed the lid underneath the box, and soon his free hand began to inch closer to the card. With a gentleness that even he didn't know he possessed, he grasped the card and picked it up out of the box.

The moment he did, he felt a sudden power emit from the card, an invisible wave that gently pushed him back a bit. Taken back, Kaosu was once again at a loss of words, trying to figure out what had just happened. To him, it felt like something had just awakened to him, like a new sense being opened, but he wasn't entirely sure. As he stared at the card almost trance-like, he heard something.

"Is that you?"

Kaosu whipped his head around as the sound of the voice; however he could not locate the owner anywhere. He blinked his eyes several times, wondering if his mind was playing tricks on him.

"What was that just now?" Kaosu spoke out. "That sounded like…a girl's voice. What is going on?"

Kaosu could only shut his eyes in frustration as he whipped his head back around to once again stare down at the Dark Magician Girl card in his hand, only able to speak these words.

"Well…I did want something interesting to happen."

A/N: Welcome to my first ever Yu-Gi-Oh fanfic. This will be a grand project, as it will not only contain a story, but it will also do its best to have compelling card duels like the show. I hope I can do Yu-Gi-Oh justice, and that this opening chapter is one you all will enjoy. If you felt I did something wrong, then please, feel free to tell me, and I will do what I can to make justice. Also, for those experienced with writing out duels, please give me advice, as I could use it. Also if you have any OCs you would like me to use for the story, just give me the info, along with what kind of deck they use if they have one, and I will see what I can do.

Kaosu's adventure has just begun, and he doesn't even realize it. What is his ultimate destiny? What does his visions mean? And what is the meaning of the Dark Magician Girl card? The next chapter will hopefully reveal more.