Yu-Gi-Oh! Into the Darkness Chapter 2: First Moves Made, a yu-gi-oh fanfic

The duel may be a little confusing, but please note. This is likely going to be the only chapter in which Marik and Dartz will each be referred to as a Yami version. You'll see why.

Marik Ishtar was doing something he hadn't done in a while. He was staring at the dark half that had plagued most of his life. The being that got happier and happier the more pain he caused. The fear that was running through him was immense, though he was not the only one.

Ryo Bakura and Dartz were also both staring at what felt like ghosts. For Bakura, it was a side that he knew all too well. For Dartz, it was the evil that was purged from him by the Pharaoh, and the side that had been corrupted by the Orichalcos.

Yami Marik smiled at the fear he could sense from the three. Activating his Duel Disk, he began to speak, the Millennium Rod glowing as it did.

"What's the matter? Seeing a ghost? Do not worry, you will not be here for long, my weak side. It is time the world embraced the better Marik Ishtar."

Bakura was next to activate his disk, his ring slightly glowing as he did so. "You see, you three pose a problem to us. Your bodies are much more in touch with this world, and we require them so dearly. Allow Dartz, our resident soul stealer, to explain what is going to happen."

Dartz activated his Chaos Duel Disk, smiling as a stone attached to a necklace glowed upon him, flowing great power through him. "We will now have a three on three match. The winners will have permanent residence within your body, while the losers shall sacrifice themselves towards The Great Leviathan."

The trio of good trembled, but activated their own disks nonetheless.

(Ryo: 8000, Bakura: 8000, Marik: 8000, Yami Marik: 8000, Dartz: 8000, Yami Dartz: 8000)

Ryo drew first, starting the duel from Hell itself. "I will not let you pull us back into hell. And I will show you the power we have grown to! I summon The Agent of Mystery – Earth in defence mode. (2/1000/800)"

Appearing before the six duelists was a young woman. She had pale skin, and wore green and navy robes. She carried an essence of beauty to her. Almost immediately, she began chanting to herself as Ryo fetched a card from his deck, sliding another card into his disk after doing so.

"Earth allows me to fetch another Agent from my deck. And with my Quick Summon, they'll be arriving sooner than expected. Come on out, The Agent of Creation - Venus! (3/1600/0)"

Another female fairy appeared alongside the first one. She has gold skin, with her hair almost touching the floor. Her wings spread as she too began to chant.

"At the cost of 500 life points, I get to summon a Mystical Shine Ball, and I think I'll go for the full three! (2/500/500) x3"

(Ryo: 6500, Bakura: 8000, Marik: 8000, Yami Marik: 8000, Dartz: 8000, Yami Dartz: 8000)

Next to Ryo's two angels appeared three bright spheres. They threatened to blind everyone in the room. Ryo slid two cards into his disk, nodding at his counterpart that he ended his turn. The spirit drew his card, and was immediately hit by a large beam. Ryo was heard chuckling.

"That was my Solar Ray trap card, which inflicts 600 points of damage for every Fairy on my field. With a full field, you take a giant hit! Take this!"

Bakura merely smirked, as his light side had yet to notice the card glowing in his hand.

(Ryo: 6500, Bakura: 5000, Marik: 8000, Yami Marik: 8000, Dartz: 8000, Yami Dartz: 8000)

Bakura's smirk kept as he slapped the glowing disk onto his hand.

"You activated the effect of my Hell Mage (5/2000/0)! When I take effect damage, it gets Special Summoned to my field. Then, I gain the damage I just took, and you take an equal amount! Inch closer to your doom!"

A mage covered in bloody robes appeared and fired a blast at both counterparts of Ryo Bakura. Bakura smirked as he recovered his lost life points, but frowned upon further examination of the life point counters. "What's this?"

(Ryo: 6500, Bakura: 8000, Marik: 8000, Yami Marik: 8000, Dartz: 8000, Yami Dartz: 8000)

Ryo smiled as the dust cleared, showing he was unarmed. "That would be my Damage Polarizer, which negates an instance of effect damage and allows us all to draw a card." He then proceeded to draw his extra card, as did the other 5 duelists.

Bakura merely shrugged. "No matter, you will die in the end. I summon Hell Soldier, (4/1400/1200) which gives all my "Hell" monsters an extra 400 attack points! (4/1800/1200) (5/2400/0)"

A warrior, covered in blood like the other monster, appeared. Raising his sword, he empowered himself and his comrade. Bakura slid three face-down cards, ending his turn and giving Marik a chance to fight the darkness.

"I will purge my own darkness. I start with the spell card Solar Recharge! At the cost of a Lightsworn monster, I draw two cards, then send the top two cards of my deck to the graveyard!" Doing so, he smirked as he saw one of the cards milled. Motioning to his field, a large wolf-man hybrid appeared, sporting a large axe.

"This is my Wulf, Lightsworn Beast (4/2100/300), and when he's sent from my deck to the graveyard I get to summon him! I'll follow this up with my Jain, Lightsworn Paladin (4/1800/1200) in attack mode!"

Appearing next to the wolf-man was a white-haired man of quite a young age, he bore a white armour, with a shield and sword to match.

"I then set my own two face-downs and end my turn, causing my Jain to send the top two cards of my deck to the graveyard." Marik smiled as he saw the results of the milling. "Not only did I send another Wulf, but I also milled a Lightsworn Sabre, which I shall equip to my Jain to give him a 700 attack point boost."

A duplicate of the wolf-man appeared on Marik's field, along with two brown-backed cards. Meanwhile, Jain's sword began to glow, empowering him. (4/2500/1200).

Yami Marik merely shrugged and drew his next card. "It is time you felt true pain for banishing me, you fool! I activate Double Summon, then summon two copies of my Torture Demon – Blood Whip! (4/1500/1000) x2 in attack mode!"

Twins appeared on the field. They had a menacing grin on their face and snapped some blood off their black whips. Yami Marik smiled as they cracked their whips around both copies of Wulf.

"My monsters, when summoned, select a monster. While they remain face up on the field, the selected monster cannot attack, and during my End Phase the controller of said monster takes damage equal to the level of the monster x100. And what's more, I activate Torture Reinforcements, allowing me to summon my third Blood Whip since I control the other two. And he shall target Jain."

Marik barely had time to register what this meant as a third one appeared and cracked his whip, making Jain cry out in pain.

Yami Marik smirked as he slid yet another card into his duel disk. "Now I activate the Spell Pain Charger! I declare one card name. As long as my charger remains on the field, any damage from that card is doubled. I call Blood Whip! Finally, I set a card and end my turn! Feel true pain you weakling."

At the end of Yami Marik's turn, the whips tightened on their monster, and Marik screamed in pain as he felt his body become compressed, as if the whips were affecting him.

(Ryo: 6500, Bakura: 8000, Marik: 5600 Yami Marik: 8000, Dartz: 8000, Yami Dartz: 8000)

Dartz frowned at the pain of his companion, but made his move nonetheless. Drawing his card, he immediately went into action.

"I play the spell card Double Summon, allowing both my monsters to hit the field at once! Meet my Seraphim Saber and my Seraphim Blaster!"

Two angels appeared, their brightness threatening to expel the surrounding dark. However, they differed on their weapon. One had a long sword in its hand, which it emphasises by swinging in threateningly towards Dartz's evil counterpart. (4/1600/1500). The other fairy instead aimed a large gun at the dark half. (4/1800/1200). Immediately, they both gained a significant boost. (4/3700/1500) (4/3900/1200).

Dartz smiled as he also inserted a Field Spell into his disk. "To answer for my Seraphim boosts, both of my monsters gain 300 ATK for every Fairy on the field, so that includes Ryo's monsters also. And I'll then end my turn with The Sanctuary in The Sky Field Spell, which negates any battle damage involving Fairy-Type monsters!"

All of a sudden, the scenery changed. The field was now a heavenly setting, with the duelists now standing on air. But the most notable feature was the floating kingdom. Both Seraphim cards as well as all of Ryo's cards moved towards the Kingdom, with both Dartz and Ryo Grinning.

Dartz's dark side snorted in laughter. "Still pathetic, I see. My draw!" He drew his card with such force that the 3 lighter halves were all forced back slightly. "I must thank you, Ryo, for that Damage Polarizer. It makes crushing you all so much easier. I'll activate my Orichalcos Mirror Spell Card! Now at the cost of both Orichalcos Gigas (4/400/1500) and Orichalcos Kyutora (3/500/500) I can summon my almighty Orichalcos Mirror Calling (6/0/0)!"

A crystal, very similar to the one surrounding Dartz's neck, descended down upon the field. However, as the 3 light duelists tried to examine it closer, it glowed brightly, and spat out 4 monsters. All 4 were the same, silver knights, armed with the usual sword and shield.

Dartz smiled. "Upon being summoned my Mirror calls out four Mirror Knight Tokens. (1/0/0) x4. And just like that I have gathered an army. However, I think it's time my companions and I reclaim our bodies. I activate Switch of Fate!"

As Dartz spoke, a sudden power swept through the area, bringing the 3 Light duelists to their knees. They noticed, however, that their decks were glowing. Above everything, they heard Dartz clear as day.

"This powerful Spell card can only be activated during a turn in which I do not attack, and when the duel features 3 or more duelists. First, we all pick one card from our decks and place it on top."

All six duelists complied, and the 3 good halves felt reassurance at that moment.

'My dark half always loved the brute power, I'll take Honest to overcome whatever he throws on my turn.' Dartz thought, placing the card on top of his deck, feeling hope for the first time since before he was possessed.

'He's likely to clear my field. Judgment Dragon should be useful, since I know I can get enough Lightsworns in my grave.' pondered Marik, wishing to finally dispel his darkness.

'Knowing him, he's going to have a powerhouse of trap cards waiting for me, so I'll use Master Hyperion and begin to clear his field.' Ryo thought, using the experiences he had when joined with his other half.

The dark halves however, seemed not to care what cards they places. The evil grins never left their faces.

"And now for the other effect of my Spell. I begin a new turn, then the turns play in reverse order. So now it's me, my pitiful side, Marik, his lighter side, Bakura, and finally his pathetic host. But I assure you, it will not matter! I draw again!"

As Dartz drew, the three victims of darkness felt their hope begin to fade, especially when Dartz's features darkened.

"You know, while we were trapped in that accursed dimensions, we acquired a few upgrades. That being said, I got to hold on to a good friend. Say goodbye to your Sanctuary, and hello to my Seal of Orichalcos!"

The 3 light duelists gasped, as the card that plagued the world appeared. In moments, the sanctuary was gone, replaced by the familiar circle, and the accompanying symbols on the Dark Duelists' heads. Dartz, however, clearly was not done.

"My Orichalcos gives my monsters an extra 500 ATK, but they aren't sticking around. As for the upgrades, allow me to show you power thought long gone! At the cost of three of my tokens, I can call forth the mighty Egyptian God, Obelisk the Tormentor! (10/4000 + 500 =4500/4000)"

Before anyone could even comprehend Dartz's words, three of the knights vanished, with a giant vortex appearing where they once stood. From it emerged a behemoth that seemed to take up the entire space. It was entirely blue, with arms that made the Seraphim monsters, no matter how powerful they were, seem pathetic by comparison. It was fear all wrapped up in a single monster.

Dartz smiled as his Obelisk wrapped its fists around both the stone and the knight. "And now my monster's effect. At the cost of two of my monsters, I can obliterate away all three of your fields, and deal 4000 points of damage. However, my Damage Focus spell shall change things. When an effect activates that would damage multiple players, I can instead focus that Damage on a single player, meaning my half will now take 12000 points of damage. The drawback is having to take the same amount of damage during my next Standby Phase, but I doubt we'll get that far. Obelisk, reclaim my body for me."

No sooner were the words spoken that Obelisk made his move. His fists came downwards, covering the entire playing field in smoke. When it cleared, the monsters of the light duelists, as well as Dartz himself, were gone. Meanwhile, the darker Dartz looked stronger than ever.

(Ryo: 6500, Bakura: 8000, Marik: 5600 Yami Marik: 8000, Dartz: 0000, Yami Dartz: 8000)

Dartz smiled. "Now I feel much better. I end my turn, and since my weak side can't take his turn anymore, it goes to Marik. Your turn, my friend."

Marik smirked, snatching the top card off his deck. "With pleasure, and thank you for allowing me access to my power sooner than ever." Drawing, he smirked as he examined his four card hand. "I sacrifice all 3 of my Blood Whips in order to bring out the almighty Winged Dragon of Ra! (10/?/?)

The whip bearing monsters disappeared, only to be replaced by a giant yellow sphere. Marik, however, seemed undisturbed by this.

"Ah, of course, my monster decided to test my worthiness again, no matter, I remember the old chant." He laughed at the look of terror on his lighter side's face before spreading his arms wide.

"Great beast of the sky, please hear my cry. Transform thyself from orb of light and bring me victory in this fight. Envelop the desert with your glow and cast your rage upon my foe. Unlock your powers from deep within so that together we may win. Appear in this Shadow Game as I call out your name, Winged Dragon of Ra!"

At first, the sphere showed signs of cracking, then all of a sudden a bright light filled the room. When the light subsided, a new monster was on the field. Its colour matched the sphere. It stood as tall as Obelisk, and its wings took up most of its appearance. Its claws looked ready to cut through anything, and it seemed it would be cutting through Marik. His dark half smiled as he slid two cards in to his duel disk. (10/4500 + 500 = 5000/3000)

"I activate Sacrificial Benefit and Chain my Mystic Wok! Sacrificial Benefit activates when I make a Tribute Summon, and it allows me to gain Life Points equal to the sum ATK of the monsters tribute. And since Mystic Wok allows me to sacrifice Ra to gain another 4500, which it got from having the ATK of the monsters used to summon him, I now gain 9000 points!"

(Ryo: 6500, Bakura: 8000, Marik: 5600 Yami Marik: 17000, Dartz: 0000, Yami Dartz: 8000)

Both Marik and Ryo gasped as the dark Marik grew in strength, letting out a great big laugh as he did. Finally, he slid the final card into his duel disk.

"And now I activate my Monster Reborn to bring back Ra, and use Ra's effect to transfer all but a single point towards him. And since I have no other cards, I'll just let him attack with Blaze Cannon!"

All of a sudden, Ra reappeared, then just as sudden, Marik began to merge with his monster, until only his eye remained where he originally stood. (10/16999 + 500 = 17499/16999). Just as sudden, it opened its mouth and blasted Marik down. By the time Ryo could see anything, he was all alone. As the now true Marik ended his turn, his God disappeared, though Ryo knew he was far from safe.

(Ryo: 6500, Bakura: 8000, Marik: 0000 Yami Marik: 1, Dartz: 0000, Yami Dartz: 8000)

Bakura laughed as he drew, now having three cards in his hand, though his three set cards still posed a threat. He pushed a button on his duel disk, revealing one of them.

"I activate the Trap card Hell's Duplicate. I select a LV 4 or lower Hell monster and get to summon this card as a monster with the exact same stats. Duplicate, take the form of my Hell Soldier."

Ryo watched as a second word-wielding demon appeared, and he knew what would come next. (4/1800/1200)

Bakura smiled as he slid one of his cards onto his duel disk, his monsters disappearing as he did. "Now, at the cost of three monsters, I bring out the final Egyptian God, Slifer the Sky Dragon! (10/X000/X000)"

Appearing now was a red beast. It seemed as if its body went for miles, and it curled itself around its master. It has two mouths, with both baring sharp fangs looking ready to tear Ryo apart.

Bakura smirked as another trap was revealed. "Slifer gains 1000 ATK and DEF points for each card in my hand, so normally he would have 2000. But I reveal my Trap card Hell's Boost, allowing me to banish a Hell monster to draw cards equal to the level. So say goodbye to my mage and hello to 5000 extra attack points."

Ryo tried to keep his fear away, but it was hard to do when watching the behemoth grow in power. (10/7000 + 500 = 7500/7000)

"Now, my Slifer. Reclaim what is rightfully mine, with Thunder Force!"

As the attack surged towards Ryo though, a single card in his hand began to glow.

"At this moment, I reveal the effect of The Agent of Defence – Neptune! When I am attacked directly, I can summon him in defence mode, while also stopping him from being destroyed in battle!"

Appearing before Ryo was a monster that would have dwarfed his other monsters. Its size was impressive, and it was clear at its stats why it was like this (5/0/3000). However, it seemed to shrink in size as Slifer opened his second mouth and blasted it. (5/0/1000)

Bakura guffawed at the monster. "In case you forgot, my monster can wipe out 2000 of your monster's defence. Luckily, your monster survives, but I can hardly say the same about you! I reveal my trap card Meteorain, which allows my Slifer to deal Piercing damage, so say good night my friend."

Ryo barely had a moment to think before the blast enveloped him. While his monster was able to withstand the attack, the same could hardly be said for Ryo, as he was gone by the time his field was visible again.

(Ryo: 0000, Bakura: 8000, Marik: 0000 Yami Marik: 1, Dartz: 0000, Yami Dartz: 8000)

Bakura let out a laugh before turning to his companions. "Now, let's get back to business."

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Joey smiled as he relaxed in his room. It was good that he was no longer in anyone's shadow. He had become his own duelist. Also, while he and Kaiba still weren't best friends, Kaiba now treated him as he would Yugi; like a true duelist.

His thoughts however, were broken as a searing pain went through his head, and a voice came through that sent a chill down his spine.

"Hello duelists," spoke the voice of the long gone Marik Ishtar. "It's so nice to hear from you all again. Now ley my companions and I explain to you what's going to happen."