Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or anything related to it what-so-ever. The only characters in this fic that are truly mine are:
Lady Aurora Phoenix (Hart), Lady Natara Fear (Cooper), Lady Sapphira Star (Raine), Dorian "Chaos" (Stanson), Bryant "Havoc" (Westbrook), Sanura, Zahara, Adais, Shadow, Panther, Lord Theron (yup… they're back… and all the characters beginning with Lady Aurora Phoenix are copyrighted to me)
A/N: I understand many will not agree with a lot of what is written but that is why this is in the fantasy genre and not in just the general one. This is purely a concoction out of my own head and I am just going where the ideas lead me.
As warned, this version of Doma is going to be different. The same duels and characters and events, yes, but a lot of changes, Partnerships, twists and turns… I tell you this up front so you know. OC's will have more free range in here, things will happen that most likely would not have happened in the real story… Some parts will have add-ons, and others will be completely created right from the start. Hopefully, you will like what you read. But if not, I don't expect flames as you have been warned that this will be completely different from what we all saw in Doma. That being said; please read and enjoy!
Chapter 2
Ancient History
The silver convertible sped through the streets of Domino as Aurora made her way toward the pier. She could feel the ancient powers of her people pulling at her. Whatever was going on included something much darker than Yami had faced before.
"If Ironheart's warning was about the creature of darkness my people faced ten thousand years ago, I only hope that Yami is ready to face such power," she murmured to herself. Her tires squealed to a stop and her eyes widened at the sight of a transparent shield of green. She gasped in recognition. "It can't be! No, they didn't!" Swiftly, she leapt from her car and hurried down the alley, stopping suddenly behind Yugi's friends. They had been so captivated by the duel that faced them, none of them had even heard her approach.
"Now, Bronze Knight, eliminate his queen!"
"Queen's Knight, escape!" Yami called out hurriedly. There was a brief flash as his Queen faded from sight. Yami's opponent looked on in shock.
"She's gone? But how?"
"The magic of Magical Academy allowed me to call back my queen and replace her with my Dark Magician Girl." Cheers and claps were heard from Yugi's friends as the sorceress appeared on the field with her dazzling smile.
"That's not fair!"
"You're the one playing a card that allows you to have more monsters on the field then typically allowed and you're saying he's not playing fair?" Téa commented in disbelief.
"My magic card makes the move quite fair, actually," Yami informed him calmly. "What's more is my Dark Magician Girl will clear the field of all your monsters and bring me to victory."
"Impossible!" The opponent cried out, taking a step back. "There's no way one monster could destroy seven!"
"Face it, it's over. First, she receives three hundred more attack points thanks to the Dark Magician in my graveyard."
"She's going to need more than that if she expects to defeat my warriors."
"Don't worry, she'll have plenty of what she needs to defeat you," Yami assured him as he drew another card from his deck. "I activate Diffusion Wave Motion!"
Above the sounds of the battle, Aurora's keen hearing caught the sounds of two additional voices. Looking up, she saw three figures gazing down on the battle from a nearby rooftop. She could see the shock on their faces as the card was put intoplay and the Dark Magician Girl began her attack. One by one the opponent's monsters fell like dominos. With each one down, the opponent's life points quickly fell to zero.
"I-I lost," he gasped. His eyes widened a moment later when the seal began to close in on him.
"No!" Aurora cried out, startling Yugi's friends as she rushed passed them. They watched in silence as she lifted her hands and uttered a few words in a language none of them recognized. She closed her eyes when she realized it was too late for the older man and the seal disappeared, leaving the man souless on the wooden platform. Her hands clenched into fists.
Theron, I know you had something to do with this. I can't let you continue taking souls and lives of those here on Earth. Not like you did back home. It has to end now, she thought. Behind her, Yami's eyes had drifted close in exhaustion and he fell to his knees, gasping for breath.
"Yugi! Are you all right?" Téa called out to him. Slowly, Aurora turned and he looked at her. She saw the questions and sudden distrust in his eyes before he turned to look up at the rooftop.
"Now, give me the god cards!" Yami demanded of the three men Aurora had taken notice of earlier. He stood straighter. Once again, Aurora saw the look of royalty upon his face.
"Sorry, you didn't hold up your end of the deal," the blonde one informed him in a gruff voice.
"I accepted and won the duel. I kept my end," Yami insisted.
"Ah, ah, you have to defeat all of us," the other replied. "Not just one of us. But you know what? I think you deserve something for being such a good sport about it all." The man pulled out two duel cards and tossed them down at Yami's feet. Aurora noticed two green glowing orbs as they pulled from the cards and disappeared into the night. Yami looked down at the cards.
"Rex Raptor and Weevil Underwood?"
"I've released your friends' souls as a gift."
"I'll give ya a gift!" Joey hollared up at them as he and the others raced up behind Yami. "It's the gift that keeps on givin'!"
"Joey, please," Téa groaned in exasperation. Another man with brown hair chuckled.
"That's one's got spunk. Reminds me of me self," he said. A slight hint of an English accent could be heard in his words and Aurora wondered briefly if he and Ryou were not by chance from the same country. "Only dumber and not nearly as attractive. Toying with that guy's gonna be fun," he added as a side thought. Aurora bit her lip and forced herself not to roll her eyes. She hated that the men seemed so flippant over what they were apart of.
"Now wait a goddamn minute! Don't you turn your backs on me!" Joey shouted back as the men turned to leave. Yami moved forward and Aurora watched him inspect his opponent thoughtfully.
"Be careful, Yugi," Téa pleaded.
"Something tells me that guy's not gettin' up too soon," Tristan assured her. Yami reached forward silently and retreived a card that was lying near the man. Slowly, he turned the card around to see the picture, and noticed that his opponent's face was there behind the symbol of the Orichalcos.
"So, uh… does dat mean da old guy's dead?" Joey asked. Yami reached to feel for a pulse, but Aurora stopped him with her words.
"He's not dead. But he may as well be. His soul has been taken from him."
"What's this?" Téa stooped down to lift a glowing piece of crystal from the other side of the older man. "It's pretty."
"And dangerous," Aurora informed her softly. Yami looked up at her, but remained silent and Téa approached and handed him the crystal.
"Where does this power come from?" Aurora looked away. She was not ready to divulge this information, though she knew it would have to be spoken soon. She glanced back when she heard Yami draw in his breath. She noticed the look in his eyes and grew concerned.
"You must be careful with that crystal. If you aren't, it's power will control you. The consequences will be great." Distracted from the crystal, Yami let his eyes drift toward her.
"I think it's time you and I had another chat." She lowered her gaze. "This time, I want to know everything I can be told. No holding back." She nodded silently.
"What she can't tell us, Rex and Weevil may be able to," Tristan suggested. "It's almost day now, I'm sure we can find them." Joey agreed and they took off down the alley. Téa hesitated a moment and looked back at Yami and Aurora.
"Go on with them, Téa," Yami told her. "I'll catch up to you."
"Are you sure?" He nodded solemly and she did as she was asked. He turned toward Aurora again.
"Tell me what they told you. I will fill in the rest," was all she said to him as she started to head back toward her car. He moved along side her.
"The Seal of Orichalcos, is a seal used to collect the souls of those defeated in duels. It allows the controller of the Seal to increase their monsters attack strength as well as have more than the legal limit of monsters on their side of the field. It is a power that has been around longer than my Millennium Puzzle. So strong is it's power that it overwhelmed my puzzle and left me powerless against it. No one can leave the seal and no one can enter it once it's in play.
"I was also informed by them that the Age of Destruction was at hand. The Earth is going to be covered in darkness and my own soul would be the cause. He mentioned a great beast that was weak but was making an attempt to wake from it's slumber. It is returning to finish what it began centuries ago."
"But before it can, it needs souls to give it strength," Aurora finished softly.
"So you do know about this."
"I suspected as much."
"How long have you known?"
"About this particular event? The fact that the seal was being used once again?" Aurora hesitated. "I only learned of it's existance here on Earth tonight before arriving to your duel. I had a… ghostly vision, you can say. In it, a man of ancient times told me of a great beast that crashed here to Earth roughly ten thousand years ago. It made it's existance known then and granted a great deal of power to an unnamed man." Aurora stopped near her car before climbing in. Yami walked around and climbed into the passenger side.
"You had no knowledge of it before tonight?" She lowered her eyes.
"I had not known for certain the power was here. My friends and I have been searching for it. We knew our enemy, Lord Theron, would be looking for it as well, in hopes to use it to destroy us once and for all. We were hoping to find it before he did. I had the key needed begin the first of many rituals that would set it free. A crystal that was passed down within the members of my clan. During Battle City while you were trapped within the vitual world, my friends and I were attacked. The crystal was stolen from me. We have since made attempt after attempt to retrieve it, but to no avail; and now the power has been activated."
"So that is what is going on here. Your enemy has crossed over to prevent me from learning who I am?"
"Not exactly. Lord Theron typically works alone. Plans everything and executes every plan with only himself to question. But this… he needed an outsider's help. He needed the one who knew where the great beast slept. Yami, this time, our enemies have joined forces. He would go after me if he could, but my blood, my soul, would not help his cause. It is the blood and souls of my ancestors that forced the beast away the last time. They needed new blood and new souls to wake it this time. But not just any souls…"
"What do you mean?"
"For the beast to wake completely, Theron and whoever he is working with will need the souls of the strongest people on Earth. The strongest people of Earth. Yours would be among those needed."
"So the Seal, it is not an Earthbound power?"
"No, it is one of Eudora, my home planet. It was used a different way back then, however, that is why it surprised me to see it. It was not used in duel's like this. It was a spell that was cast over a person. The person who modified it, gave it a more... honorable purpose. Honor is not Theron's way."
"I see." Yami was silent a moment as Aurora started her car and they drove through the streets searching for his friends. "Aurora?"
"Yes?"
"Can you stop it? The Seal? The Beast? Can it be stopped?" Aurora stopped at a red light and waited. She drew a reluctant breath.
"It can be stopped, but it won't be easy. As for the power, itself…It's a matter of one's will. Their hearts have to have the purest of intentions, but even then the Seal can corrupt them. That crystal in your hand, is a piece of the original Orichalcos Crystal. It is meant to bring out the darkness within a person's soul and make them more likely to fall prey to the Seal, itself." She stopped speaking when they pulled up alongside Joey and Tristan as they held Rex and Weevil up in the air. Yami opened the door, but it was Yugi who joined them. He passed a galnce back at Aurora and she nodded before driving off.
Be careful, Yugi and Yami. This could be far more dangerous than you are prepared for.
Adais passed by the Pharaoh's Tablet once more to check on Solomon before returning to his office. He noticed his father-in-law was no longer alone. Another elderly gentleman stood beside him. Beside the gentleman was a blonde girl Adais could only think was a grandchild to the newcomer. He drew nearer to them when he gentleman turned toward the little girl.
"Rebecca, would you be a dear and go find Yugi? There is some information I would like to share with him."
"Yes, Grandfather," Rebecca said brightly as she turned and hurried passed Adais. She bumped against him slightly as she moved and she paused momentarily to bow her head in an apology. He inclined his head as well as she turned to leave once more.
"Arther, allow me to introduce my son-in-law, Adais. He is the curator for the museum and has taken pains to see this Egyptian exhibit is as accurate as can be with the information available to us." The gentleman turned and extended his hand toward Adais, who took and shook it firmly. Now that he was closer to the gentleman, he recognized him from the newspapers.
"Professor Hawkins?"
"That is correct. It is good to finally meet the father of the world's Duel Monster's champion." Adais chuckled.
"That would all be from Solomon's teaching and training, believe me. I'm too used to things covered in dust to focus much on the game play. Sadly, I probably couldn't duel my way out of a paperbag," Adais admitted with a soft laugh. Solomon joined in the laughed and patted Adais on the back.
"You could if you allowed me to train you."
"I heard how you trained Joey Wheeler, Solomon. I think I will stick to the artifacts." He gave his father-in-law a wink before turning back to Arther. "I see you have taken an interest in the Pharaoh's Tablet."
"Yes, indeed I have. When Yugi and my granddaughter return I will explain more about why I have come all this way." They did not have to wait long before the men heard the group enter the exhibit room. Téa was openly scowling at how Rebecca had latched on to Yugi and Adais could not help but smirk at the unusual shade of red coloring his son's face.
"Welcome back."
"Hey, Dad," Yugi said with a nod as he made an attempt to pull free of her vise-like grip.
"Yugi Motou," Arther greeted. "It is so good to see you again. I have been meaning to speak with you. You see, I believe that all these monster sightings have something to do with you." Yugi gasped and Adais narrowed his eyes.
"What do you mean, they may have something to do with me?" Yugi asked him. Arther turned back to the tablet.
"Seeing these carvings confirms what I have been suspecting all along. Yugi, I suspect that you share a common bond with that of a three thousand year old Pharaoh." Adais' eyes bulged and he quickly turned the choking sound he was about to make into a cough. Yugi's eyelids half-lowered as Arther continued to speak. "Do you have any idea what this means?"
"Yeah, my life's more confusing than most kids." Adais hid his smile behind his notebook.
My son, you have no idea how much more confusing it is about to become, he thought. Arther chuckled at Yugi's response.
"Perhaps I can help you understand a bit more. Though it is true that I am a professor and architect, I have spent the latter part of my career studying the origins of Duel Monsters." This caught Adais' attention and he lowered his notebook and turned to listen more intently. "You see, it had started out as more than a mere game. Egyptian sorcerers managed to find a way to seal real monsters within stone tablets. Periodically, these sorcerers would release these monsters in an attempt to display their great power. The more monsters that were collected, the stronger the sorcerers' powers would become. Eventually, the Shadow Magic spun out of control and threatened to destroy all life on Earth. There was only one man with the power to face this darkness and lead the world back into light. That man is the great Pharaoh who's power you wear around your neck." Yugi pondered the professor's words a moment.
"But how does that explain what is happening now? Did these ancient monsters come back, or something?" A grave expression passed the professor's features.
"I'm afraid so, but before you can go forward to try and stop it, there is another piece to this story you need to know. Tell me, have you ever heard of the lost city of Atlantis?" Adais frowned as he tried to make the connection. Téa looked up.
"I read a great book about it once."
"What?" Joey and Tristan asked in disbelief. She rolled her eyes.
"What? You think I get all my information out of you two? I do happen to enjoy reading from time to time. I can get more accurate information that way," she added with a smirk.
"You nerd," Joey teased. She gave a defeated sigh and shook her head as Arther chuckled.
"In my latest expedition, I may have discovered that very city." Eyes opened wide in shock all around and all teasing ended as they all grew interested in the professor's words. "It is an underwater world that existed long before Ancient Egypt. That was a surprise, sure, but what gave me the greatest shock was what I found there. There were carvings there on the walls." Arther reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and produced a few photographs he had made sure to take while inside the ruins. Yugi reached for them and peered down.
"No way! They look like Duel Monsters!" He gasped.
"My thoughts exactly. What I have come to realize now is that these monsters did not originate three thousand years ago in Egypt, in fact they seemed to have originated ten thousand years ago within the city I believe is Atlantis."
"So you're saying Atlantis is real?" Téa asked. Solomon looked up at his old friend.
"Do you realize that your discovery could rewrite history?"
"If he can find enough people to believe him," Adais murmured as he glanced at the pictures. Arther lowered his head, his excitement faded.
"Your son-in-law is correct, I'm afraid. That and there is still so much I don't know. Before I can even begin to think about sharing this with the other scholars, I must first further my research to be sure that my thoughts are correct."
"What about this carving?" Yugi asked as he shuffled through the pictures. "It almost looks like the monsters are attacking the city."
"Actually if you look closer at the picture, you will find that only some of the monsters are destroying the city." Yugi looked again.
"Yeah, you're right." He looked up. "Okay, so only some of the monsters seem to be evil, does that mean that the other monsters are good?"
"Sadly, I have yet to collect enough evidence to confirm that," Arther told him. "However, I do believe that there is a parallel universe of monsters that lives alongside our world. I believe that is how throughout history some people were able to call upon these monsters. While some have tried to help mankind, others have made attempts to destroy it." Tristan groaned and grabbed his head.
"Oh come on, you nutty professor- Ow! The pain!" Adais hid aother smirk as the professor's spirited granddaughter kicked Tristan in the shin and threatened to harm him more for disrespecting her grandfather.
"Now, Rebecca, is that the way a college student acts?" Rebecca instantly settled down and lowered her gaze to the floor. "Please forgive her. She's protective of me. However, I am no stranger to ridicule, and it does seem to be a bit of a far-fetched theory."
"But it's true!" Rebecca insisted.
"I believe ya, Professor," Joey admitted, earning himself several disbelieving looks. Tristan rolled his eyes. "Face it, after all da weird stuff we've been through, I believe anything." He looked down, lost in thought. "Like when I fought Marik in dat Shadow Game. Allthose monster attacks felt pretty real ta me. And Tristan, did you forget about all da times dat both Mai and Bakura got blasted into da Shadow Realm? Let's face it, dere's plentya stuff out there dat we just can't explain."
"You mean like how there's a Pharaoh living inside my Puzzle?" Yugi asked his friend. Joey nodded. Adais bit his tongue. He had heard the stories growing up, but he knew the time would come soon enough for all the mysteries to be revealed.
"Anyway, the point that I am trying to make here is this," Arther continued. "When the Egyptian sorcerers conjured these monsters three thousand years ago, the Pharaoh was there to save man-kind from destruction. Now, Yugi, it seems that Pharaoh has been reborn in you, meaning man-kind needs his help once again." Yugi bowed his head.
"But Professor, I have no idea even where to begin. I mean, do we try to get all these monsters to return to their own world? Or do we try to figure out what that weird motorcycle gang is up to?"
"I wish I could help you more than that, but unfortunately, this is where my knowledge of the situation ends." Yugi's eyes widened a moment and he reached into his own pocket.
"Wait a minute! I may have a clue. Ever see anything like this before?" Yugi produced the glowing, green crystal Aurora had warned Yami about earlier and showed it to the Professor.
"Wow, that's awesome!" Rebecca gasped.
"Let me take a closer look, Yugi." Arther reached forward and lifted it from Yugi's palm. "What is it?"
"I'm still not completely sure. The guy I dueled against last night left it behind. I was able to learn a little about it from someone else I know, but I wanted to know what you thought as well."
"This stone looks remarkably similar to something I saw during my expedition. Do you mind if I hold onto the stone for a little while, Yugi? I would like to take it back to my lab and take a closer look at it."
"Please feel free to, Professor," Yugi allowed with a nod. "Especially if you think it might help."
"It just may hold the answers to many of our questions." Arther looked down at his watch. "Oh my, I suppose Rebecca and I should be on our way before we miss our flight."
"I'll ride to the airport with you," Solomon offered. His old friend nodded and they all left the exhibit to greet a taxi waiting out front. "You kids be good now, I'll return soon."
"Okay, Grandpa," Yugi said.
"See ya, cutie!" Rebecca squeezed Yugi tightly and pecked a kiss on his cheek, stopping his next sentence from being heard as his face turned about three shades of red. Téa growled, but Rebecca took no notice. "Ta ta!"
"Good riddance," Tristan grumbled as the taxi pulled away.
Please! Help me! Adais and Yugi blinked and looked at each other before looking around. Joey glanced down at his shorter friend.
"You okay, Yuge?"
"Did you guys hear someone call for help?"
"Huh?" His friends asked in unison. Yugi looked into his father's eyes and realized he was at least not the only one. Adais frowned thoughtfully. He knew he did not have the same gifts as his sisters, but he did have sensitve hearing that allowed him to hear some things others could not. He figured the gift had been passed on to Yugi as well.
"Sorry, Yugi, but I didn't hear anything. This place is a ghost town," Tristan commented as they, too, looked around.
"Please, after all that's happened, don't say ghost," Téa begged.
"Come on, guys. It's been a long day. I think it's time to catch some z's." Joey replied with a yawn. Tristan and Téa turned to follow him as Adais and Yugi continued to glance down the street.
"Easy for you to say," Téa muttered. "After everything that's happened, it's going to be nightmare central for me." Adais placed a hand on his son's shoulder.
"I just have to lock up the museum, Yugi. If you want to wait just a few more minutes, I can take you home." Yugi looked up at his father gratefully and nodded. The voice continued to echo in his mind. He knew he had heard the voice before, but he could not place just where.
Please, Yugi! I need your help!
I want to thank my faithful readers and reviewers again for continuing along on this little journey. DDCfreak, Atemu Fangurl, Ishizu-san, Pastelblue, Change of Heart Twins, Luna Dusk, Marik 360, ASJ, Moxy, yuzznut, Yami Val, and Pharaohyamifan; thank you all!
Just a side note here... my Word program has gone a bit screwy on me, I did my best to catch any and all errors, but I may have missed a few along the way. I apologize for them now. I am hoping to find a way to get it fixed here soon.
See you next chapter!
LadyPhoenix99
