Chapter 2:

Your eyes fluttered open as you felt small fingers tickling your sides. You batted your hands at your sides and sat up. You saw a few kids dive under the table, and you rubbed the back of your head. Your hand hit bandages and you winced from the pressure. "What the...Where am I?" You glanced down at your arm; there was nothing strange going on anymore.

A door creaked open and you snapped your head towards the sound. Your neck cracked and you winced again. A boy with black hair that stuck up on both sides walked through the doorway with a mug. "Hi," you said, looking him up and down. You weren't trying to be rude, it was just something you did out of habit. He smiled and handed you the mug.

"Here, have this. It's hot chocolate."

"Thanks. So, who are you anyway?"

"My name's Yusei. And you're Raven, if I remember correctly."

"Remember?"

"Crow told me."

"Oh, so you're the famous friend who knows all the answers, huh? Nice to meet you," you scoffed, taking a sip of the hot chocolate.

"I wouldn't say all..."

"Look, if you've got more info than I do, I like you. Kay?"

"I guess. By the way, Crow's waiting for you guys outside," he addressed the kids. They jumped back out from under the table when they heard Crow's name mentioned. You couldn't help but smile at how happy they were managing to be in a place as desolate as the Satellite. You waiting until they left, then addressed Yusei.

"So, do the names Arcadia and Yliaster mean anything to you?"

"Yeah, why?" He looked as though he had just seen a ghost.

"My parents disappeared because of them. I don't know the details, but I'm sure they had something to do with the fact that they're missing. What do you know?"

"Well, there are five people who are known as signers. We each have a mark of this thing called the crimson dragon. It saved the world a while ago. Anyway, we're battling this group called the dark signers. They want to destroy the world. We were apparently destined to save the world, but the dark signers can just recruit people, which makes them even more dangerous. That's the basic gist."

"Wait, we? Are you a signer?"

"Yeah," he confirmed, pulling up his sleeve to reveal the red mark on his arm.

"Stay still," you commanded, and he raised an eyebrow. You moved your arm closer to his and the pain slowly started to creep back up your arm. You took a deep breath and closed your eyes. "Grab my arm."

"What?" he sounded rather puzzled. You snapped your eyes open and gave him a death glare, only partially intending to.

"Just do it," you told him and shut your eyes again. He did as he was told and you bit your lip to hold in a scream. The pain grew more intense the longer his hand lingered there. You clenched your free hand into a fist and pressed your nails against your palm. It didn't take long for your palms to start bleeding from the pressure.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Suddenly, the pain receded and you opened your eyes. Yusei stood and clambered backwards. Your arm had started glowing again, but this time the infinity symbol was replaced by Yusei's mark. You unclenched your fist and raised your bleeding hand to your face. You stared at it in amazement as the blood flowed upwards back towards the wounds and they slowly started to heal themselves.

You glanced over at the windowsill and noticed that there was a flowerbed, and the flowers didn't look like they were alive anymore. You glanced at your hand, then back at the flowers, wondering if you could bring them back to life. They immediately perked up and started to bloom. This could be rather useful. You stood and glanced over at Yusei, who gulped in response. He reached for the door handle, then dropped his hand and pointed at your arm. The mark on your arm was glowing purple and you suddenly felt very tired.

The mark vanished and you failed to contain another scream as the infinity symbol was carved into your arm once more. Red and purple lines carved themselves into your arm, all the way up to your shoulder. The door burst open and Crow ran through the door. Yusei jumped out of the way just in time and Crow addressed him, "What happened in here?" Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Yusei point to you and Crow's jaw dropped.

You were floating just off the floor and red and purple lines continued to carve themselves into your skin. It didn't hurt anymore, and you were only half aware of what was going on. You were just sort of staring at the ceiling, and your arms dangled by your sides. The lines disappeared and you heard a soft voice whisper, "Four shall fight and four shall succeed, each in their own way."

You dropped softly to the floor and looked at your arms. The lines were gone and you weren't sure exactly what had just happened. "What the hell does that mean?"

Yusei and Crow exchanged a glance before Yusei asked, "What does what mean?"

"You guys didn't hear that?" They both shook their heads. "Oh, great, now I'm hearing voices too." Crow took a step forward and addressed you.

"What did the voice say, Raven?"

"Four shall fight and four shall succeed, each in their own way."

"Huh?"

"Well, I don't know what it means." You frowned and glanced down at your arm, wondering what role you played in the fate of the world. A tall, blond man walked through the door and crossed his arms. The two of you stared at each other for a moment before the blond rolled his eyes.

"So this is Raven, huh? She doesn't look all that important."

"Jack, be nice," Crow muttered and punched him on the arm.

"Jack Atlas. Hello, your highness," you spat sarcastically, mirroring his pose. The tension in the room just about tripled and Yusei and Crow moved to one side of the room.

"Excuse me?"

"You're the king, aren't you? Oh, wait. My bad. You've been dethroned. By your friend Yusei over there, if I'm correct. And I am, aren't I?" He didn't respond, just continued to stare at you. You smirked and sat back down, feeling a bit drained. Yusei and Crow exchanged a glance, them walked back over to the door and shut it.

"Okay, so you're obviously linked to the signers somehow, but how?" Crow asked. You just shrugged. Jack strode over to you and grabbed your arm, bringing it level with his face. You were yanked off the couch as the pain returned. You bit your lip and whimpered. Jack released your arm and turned to his friends.

"How do we know she's not faking?"

"Jack, look at the flowers."

"Yeah, they're just flowers. What about them?"

"They used to be dead."

"They still are. What's the big deal?" He glanced over and his eyes widened. "Never mind, then. How did that happen?" Crow raised an eyebrow and nodded his head toward you. Jack stared and you gave a little wave.

"I still don't believe you."

"You want proof?" you asked, hoping that this wouldn't backfire.

"Yes, I do."

"Are you a signer?"

"Yes, why?" he glanced suspiciously as your arm glowed faintly. You held out your arm.

"Go ahead. Touch my arm. See what happens."