Bit of a shorter chapter this time, but I don't think you guys will be able to complain ;)
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh GX or Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's
Warning: This chapter contains vague spoilers for the second season of Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's.
Part I: America
Chapter 3: Peru, Nazca
They hit the ground in a disorderly heap; Juudai on the bottom with his arms wrapped around an unconscious Yubel. His bag rolled a few feet away and Pharaoh, hissing angrily, made his way out of it and started grooming himself. Juudai carefully lifted Yubel and laid her on the ground next to him.
"Yubel?" he asked, touching her face softly. "Yubel, can you hear me? Yubel?"
She didn't reply. Juudai anxiously checked his link with her. It was silent, but at least it was still there. She was okay.
He carefully got up and noticed, to his surprise, that he could barely carry his own weight. He was absolutely exhausted. But Yubel was doing even worse, and she was more important now. He reached his bag and took out a bottle of water and a towel, then slowly walked back to Yubel. She was still unconscious, and for a second he wondered if he should let her take on her spirit form again, but he didn't have enough power left, and he wanted to take care of her. He poured a small amount of water over the towel, and carefully placed it against Yubel's forehead, using his other hand to softly stroke her hair.
"Juudai-kun, are you alright?"
Juudai looked up to see Daitokuji-sensei hovering over him. Pharaoh nudged his leg lightly and laid down next to him.
"I'll be okay," Juudai said quietly. His throat felt dry and he quickly drank from the bottle he'd brought with him. "I'm… Yubel's more important now."
He stared at her unmoving form. Why had she insisted on protecting them? It was a stupid question, he knew, but if she hadn't overexerted herself, she wouldn't be like this. And even the spirits…
"I couldn't save them all," he mumbled. "What kind of Herald am I, if I can't even save the ones who rely on me?"
"You mustn't blame yourself, Juudai-kun," Daitokuji-sensei said fervently. "You have given everything you have! If not for you, all of them would still be trapped!"
"I gave them hope, and then I failed them… What about the ones who saw the hole close before their very eyes? The ones who thought they were going to escape, only to be trapped again at the very last moment?"
"Juudai-kun…" Daitokuji-sensei said, reaching out to him. "What about the ones who did escape? You are very powerful, but also very young. Your powers still have to develop. In time, you will learn to control the power inside you."
"That doesn't help them," Juudai whispered, carding one hand through Yubel's hair. He finally lifted his head and looked around. They seemed to be in a large, rocky desert. Night had fallen, and he saw unfamiliar stars. Very close to him there were hills and in the distance he could see a highway, but there was no way he would be able to reach it. Not like this.
He took out his deck and tried to feel for his monsters. They were there, but he couldn't talk to them. Had he really used that much power? Even when he'd been at his weakest, he'd never lost the ability to talk to them.
"Do not worry, Juudai-kun," Daitokuji-sensei said again, looking at him going through his deck. "You can still see me, can't you? You will regain contact with your deck soon enough."
"I guess…"
Yubel stirred slightly under his hand and Juudai looked down. She was still unconscious. Juudai sighed. What could they do? He was too weak to walk, let alone teleport. They'd have to wait here until Yubel regained consciousness.
Where was here anyway?
"Daitokuji-sensei, do you know where we are?"
"I have no idea," Juudai's teacher replied. "I believe us to be high up, though. Are you still feeling sick?"
Juudai focused. He had a headache, but it seemed to be from his exhaustion rather than from altitude sickness. But to be sure, he still checked the small bag he had with him. He still had several coca leaves left. Hopefully it would provide him with protection against the shadows too. If they showed up now, he wouldn't be able to fend them off.
"Juudai?"
Juudai's head snapped down. Yubel had opened her eyes and slowly turned her head to look at him.
"Yubel! Are you okay?" Juudai said, quickly grabbing her hand and holding it close.
"Not so loud…" she whispered, entwining her fingers with his. "I'll be okay. How are you?"
"I'm fine now," Juudai smiled. He was feeling better. Now the link with Yubel was active again, he felt like part of his mind had been reopened. His powers were returning, the connection with Yubel giving him more strength.
"What happened, Juudai?" Yubel asked quietly. Juudai looked down.
"You fainted," he said softly. "I teleported us out before the shadows could reach you."
She squeezed his hand, feeling what was bothering him without having to ask. "It's okay. You did all you could."
Juudai sighed and stared at the highway in the distance. He didn't like this place, but at least it was an improvement compared to the Cerro Rico. Still, there was something off about it. Something very old, but not connected to his Darkness or even the shadows from before. He shrugged. Hopefully he would've recovered before he'd had to find out. At least his sensitivity was returning.
About fifty feet away from him, a shallow trench seemed to have been dug in the ground. Juudai followed it with his eyes. It went on for some time, curving and often turning around completely. Weird.
Yubel shakily pulled herself in a sitting position and looked around. Juudai supported her quickly.
"Desert?" she asked. Juudai nodded.
"No idea where we are. I'm not sure if I like this place, though."
He could feel clearer now, and it did not help his sense of unease. What was this place? His eyes were drawn to the trench again, and he unconsciously grabbed his deck. Almost like a figure…
"Daitokuji-sensei?" he asked after a while, pointing at the trench. "Do you know what that is?"
The teacher looked up and followed Juudai's finger. He slowly went over to the nearest part of the trench and bent down to get a closer look, then got up again and followed the trench.
Even from the distance, Juudai saw him freeze completely.
"Juudai-kun!" he shouted urgently, returning to them at full speed. "We have to leave immediately, we are in great danger!"
"What? How?" Juudai tried to stand up and wobbled slightly. He quickly slotted his deck in his Duel Disk. "What's the matter?"
The last time he'd seen Daitokuji-sensei this afraid was when Darkness had appeared. But there was no trace of him now, Juudai was sure he would've known. Yubel tried to stand and Juudai hurried to support her. His bag was a few feet away from him and once he was sure Yubel could support her own weight he went to grab it.
"No time for that!" Daitokuji-sensei urged him on, but Juudai had already picked up the bag and thought it useless to leave it now. "Just go, go!"
Pharaoh, sensing something was up, came back immediately and Juudai picked him up. Making sure everyone was with him, he focused on the Darkness…
… And didn't find it.
"I can't do it," he said, shock filtering through his system. "I can't teleport. It's like I'm being blocked by something."
It wasn't just the exhaustion. There really was an almost physical barrier keeping him in place. Juudai tried again, pushing what was left of his powers against the barrier. It didn't work.
"That's what I was afraid of…" Daitokuji-sensei whispered. He sank down onto the ground. Juudai and Yubel did the same.
"Sensei, what's so bad about this place?" Juudai asked. He was definitely suspicious now, but the bad feeling he got was very muted. If not for his inability to leave, he wouldn't have taken it seriously.
"We're in Nazca," Daitokuji-sensei said, defeated. "The lines there," he pointed at what Juudai had assumed to be a trench, "are said to represent different creatures. Only that's not true," he paused. "The lines don't represent the creatures, they are the creatures. In the Nazca Lines, the Earthbound Gods are sealed."
"Earthbound… As in bound to the earth?" Yubel asked. She eyed the Lines warily. "How many are there?"
Daitokuji-sensei nodded. "Bound to the earth, yes. As for how many… This entire desert is part of the seal. But not all the Lines are Earthbound Gods, some are for protection."
Juudai groaned. "I don't suppose we're lucky enough to be sitting in one of the protection seals, are we?"
"Judging by the shape of the Lines, and by our surroundings," Daitokuji-sensei pointed at the cliffs right behind them, "we are sitting on top of Aslla Piscu, the Hummingbird."
Pharaoh meowed sadly and jumped onto Juudai's lap. Juudai stroked him absently.
"Still, they're sealed, right?"he asked. "Even if we can't teleport, can't we just walk out?"
The lines flared bright orange. Juudai groaned.
"Right, should've known. Run!"
Daitokuji-sensei returned to Pharaoh while Juudai picked up the cat. He rantowards the nearest Line as fast as he could, Yubel following him at a slightly slower pace. If they could just cross the Lines… The highway wasn't too far away, if they could reach it…
Pharaoh jumped out of Juudai's arms and over the Line, landing safely on the other side. Juudai sighed in relief and followed together with Yubel. The Lines flared orange again, and Juudai lost sight of the rest of the desert.
He tried to move forward, but hit the same barrier as before. Yubel, besides him, touched his hand. They were trapped.
Hello Heralds. How nice to meet you.
"I demand you release us!" Juudai shouted. He let what little power he had recovered show.
The voice did something that could only be described as giggling girlishly.
Why should I? It has been so long since we've been entertained. This is such a lonely place, Herald of Darkness…
"I will not stand for this!"
You are powerless, Herald of Darkness. But you need not worry. The honor of your defeat will not be ours to claim. Nor are you destined to stand against us.
Juudai got a sudden flash of a young woman on a motorbike dueling a tall blond man. The scene changed to show the same man and woman ruling over a destroyed world, the man now having the same black eyes as the woman. Finally there was an image of a gigantic monster rising from the sea and moving towards a destroyed area of a large city.
Yubel put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. Juudai looked up, gasping.
"What was that?"
The orange lines flared again, more strongly than before, and the voice of the Earthbound God laughed triumphantly.
That was the future, Herald of Darkness, and you are powerless to stop it. Us Earthbound Gods, we will rule the world again.
The creature was mocking him, and Juudai wouldn't stand for it.
"You have been sealed, Aslla Piscu!" he called, remembering the name Daitokuji-sensei had used. "You cannot hurt me or this world! What will you do then? How will you destroy the world if you can only play parlor tricks?"
So naive… If the Earthbound God had had a body, it would've shook its head. You think you know so much, that you are so powerful, but you cannot even protect your own world.
"What do you mean?" Yubel asked, deceptively calm.
Ah, she speaks! Your little protégé isn't doing much at the moment, dear. Can't even restore the balance of the world he seeks so desperately to protect…
"What do you mean?" Yubel repeated again, her voice lowering dangerously.
But then again, how could he? Look at him, only one side. And of course the other side doesn't know a thing. Oh, you silly beings…
Aslla Piscu giggled shrilly.
But isn't it so much better for us? When you fail, Herald of Darkness, we will be released. Don't you see? The seals are already breaking. And you cannot stop it.
"Let us go," Juudai growled.
Oh, if you insist.
And suddenly the power of Aslla Piscu disappeared. Juudai and Yubel fell forward and landed outside the geoglyph of the Hummingbird. When he looked up, the orange glow had disappeared, but he could still hear Aslla Piscu mocking him in the back of his mind.
"Juudai-kun! Are you alright? What happened?" Daitokuji-sensei said anxiously. "Are you hurt?"
"I'm okay, I think," Juudai said, getting up carefully. He had recovered some of the power he'd lost at the Cerro Rico, but the encounter with Aslla Piscu hadn't done him any favors. He looked at Yubel, who was slowly getting up as well.
"Maybe you should return to your spirit form," he suggested. "You need to recover."
Yubel shook her head. "I'd prefer to wait until we're away from that… That thing." She cast a disgusted glare at the geoglyph of the Hummingbird. The lines started glowing faintly orange again.
That's not very nice, dear. Not all Earthbound Gods are as kind as I am.
"Let's go, Juudai," Yubel said, pointedly ignoring the voice of Aslla Piscu. She started walking towards the highway without looking back at the geoglyph, and Juudai picked up Pharaoh and quickly followed her.
Oh, Herald of Darkness? I would be careful, if I were you. You still have a long way to go before you reach the end of the desert, and not all of us will just let you go like I did. Ccarayhua has been complaining about the traffic here, you know. That one's in a very bad mood.
Juudai resolutely ignored Aslla Piscu's mocking voice and started walking towards the highway. It would take them some time to reach it, but once they got there, they could follow it to the nearest town. Maybe they'd be able to teleport away then.
"What did it tell you?" Daitokuji-sensei asked, casting a nervous glance at the still faintly glowing Hummingbird geoglyph.
"Nothing important," Yubel replied in Juudai's place. "It was just trying to bait us."
Juudai wasn't so sure, but Yubel seemed adamant to drop the subject. Still, the information Aslla Piscu had revealed was interesting… And familiar. It wasn't the first to mention balance. But they had that balance, hadn't they? There was his Gentle Darkness and the Light of Ruin, balancing each other out. Polar opposites, Darkness versus Light. Good versus Bad.
… Only that picture wasn't complete.
Juudai groaned and rubbed his head. His headache was increasing and he was beginning to feel like his altitude sickness was returning. He took out a few coca leaves and started chewing on them, immediately feeling better. It seemed like the coca leaves were good for warding off the influence of the Earthbound Gods too. He would have to keep them close.
They walked slowly, carefully avoiding anything that so much as resembled a Nazca Line. Daitokuji-sensei had said that some were beneficial, but they couldn't be sure, and Aslla Piscu's warning was still resonating in Juudai's ears. One encounter was more than enough.
It took them more than an hour to reach the highway. Juudai and Yubel were still exhausted, and there were more Lines than they'd had foreseen. The road was abandoned when they got there. In the distance he could see a watchtower, probably intended for tourists. Why anyone was trying to make money off of Earthbound Gods was beyond him.
"And now?" Yubel asked.
"We'll follow the road till we get somewhere," Juudai decided. He turned to Yubel. "Maybe you'd better dematerialize? If people see you, they might be shocked."
Yubel frowned, but nodded. "Okay. But at the smallest sign of trouble, you rematerialize me, agreed?"
"Agreed." Juudai said, and Yubel disappeared. He could still see her spirit, of course. She was standing right next to him, looking out over the highway. There were hills behind them, as well as in front of them. Which way should they go?
The question was solved when a jeep drove down from over the hills and slowed down to a halt next to them. The driver leaned out of the window and stared at Juudai, then at Pharaoh in his arms.
"Hey, kid, what're you doing here all alone? No offense, but you're not looking too well."
"I've been doing some exhausting things," Juudai said, trying to give the driver his customary smile. He only half succeeded. "Sir, could you tell me where the nearest town is?"
The man shook his head. "You really don't look good… Well, there's a village right across those hills behind you, but you don't seem like you can get there. Tell you what, I'm going to Nazca on the other side of this desert. Get in, I'll drive you there."
Juudai nodded gratefully and clambered into the back of the jeep. The man started the car again and drove on at a slow pace.
"I never go fast here," he told Juudai. "It's the lines, you see? I like watching them," he pointed at the watchtower Juudai had seen before. "You can see the Hands from there, and the Tree. The Lizard too, but they built the road over it. Right shame, if you ask me."
Yubel made a startled noise and Juudai stiffened. Aslla Piscu had mentioned something about traffic…
"Juudai-kun!" Daitokuji-sensei said anxiously, reappearing again. "The Lizard… That's where Ccarayhua is sealed!"
Even at the slow rate the driver was going, they were nearing the watchtower with alarming speed. Juudai leaned over to talk to the driver.
"Sir, I'm not sure if it's a good idea to drive over the Lizard…"
"Can't be helped, I'm afraid," the man said, shrugging. "They've already put the road here, the damage's already done. Now if I could help it…."
But Juudai wasn't listening anymore. He could see the Lizard geoglyph and they were about to cross it. If they could go round it…
They crossed the geoglyph. For a moment Juudai thought they'd made it safely, that Ccarayhua wasn't going to wake up after all. Then the geoglyph flared with green light.
The road beneath them shattered and exploded violently. Juudai braced himself as the car was flipped over by the force. He was thrown out of the jeep and hit the ground, feeling pain shoot through his left shoulder. Pharaoh was still in his arms and it was that which saved the cat. But the driver, Juudai quickly realized, hadn't been so lucky. The man was hanging limply in his seat, his head bent at an awkward angle. His neck had been broken on impact. There was nothing they could do for him.
Juudai clutched Pharaoh and ran away from the destroyed road, trying to get out of Ccarayhua's sealing place. Behind him, the road was breaking up violently, rocks flying past him. One of them hit him in the back, and he fell over.
"Juudai!"
Juudai struggled to get up as Yubel frantically called his name. His shoulder hurt more than ever, and they still hadn't left the geoglyph.
"Come on, Juudai, you have to get up!" Yubel shouted desperately. The green glow increased exponentially, draining away Juudai's powers.
"Can't," he groaned. "Too painful."
"Juudai!"
Is that all you've got, Herald?
"Ccarayhua, let him go!" Yubel shouted. With an incredible burst of willpower, she managed to materialize without Juudai's help. "He's not your enemy!"
Enemy? What do I care about enemies? I will destroy them one by one.
Juudai suddenly got another flash, this time of two women dueling. One of them, a red-haired woman, only had a face-down card on the field and was backing up in fear. Juudai could see why; the other woman had just summoned Ccarayhua.
That is what happens to my enemies. I crush them. I crush them like they tried to crush me.
"He's done nothing to you!" Yubel said.
Stupid Herald, don't you get it? They imprisoned me, they sealed me away for centuries upon centuries. And even that wasn't enough, Ccarayhua sounded disgusted. They built a road over me! Trapped for eternity and I can't even sleep!
Its voice lowered, taking on a teasing tone.
But you! You haven't done your job, Herald of Darkness. You're letting us go free! What will you do now, huh? Oh so powerless…
"I…" Juudai gathered all the strength he had and stood up again. He had forgotten about the coca, but the bitter taste in his mouth reminded him once again of its protective powers. He kept a close hold on Pharaoh with his right hand, and reached for the small bag with his left hand. "I won't let you… You won't get free!"
Ccarayhua laughed loudly.
What will you do, Herald of Darkness? Shout at me? Powerless, hurt, just a little boy far away from home. Well? What will you do?
Juudai clenched the hand that wasn't holding Pharaoh. His left arm hurt, and the extra weight of his Duel Disk wasn't helping, but at least he had his deck nearby. And now he could feel the spirits again. Even if his body was hurt, his powers were coming back. If he could reseal Ccarayhua… The little bag in his hand gave him an idea. He carefully fished out one leaf and reattached the bag next to his deck holder.
"Juudai?" Yubel asked.
"I have an idea," he told her. "I don't know if it'll work, but brace yourself."
Useless, little boy. So very useless.
Juudai didn't pay attention to Ccarayhua's mocking, but instead focused solely on the small leaf. If the coca could offer him protection, maybe it could also protect this area. If he gave it some help.
"Yubel, I need you to dematerialize again," he asked, deceptively calm.
"Why?"
"Just trust me," Juudai replied, still concentrating on the small leaf. Slowly, he began infusing it with his powers. The leaf darkened, but didn't turn entirely black. Yubel disappeared again and Juudai felt her support in his mind. He tightened his grip on Pharaoh. The cat must've noticed something was going to happen, because he didn't struggle.
Alone now, Herald?
"Not quite," Juudai grinned, acting more confident than he felt. He added more power to the leaf, and walked slowly towards the glowing lines that formed the Lizard geoglyph. He stopped right before the green glow could touch him and braced himself, channeling all the power as he could spare into the little leaf. This was going to hurt…
Herald? What are you up to?
It was the first time that Ccarayhua sounded unsure. Juudai's grin stayed fixed on his face as he squeezed his eyes shut. He twisted so Pharaoh didn't touch the green flare and slapped the coca leaf right in the middle of the geoglyph, releasing all the power he'd stored into it across the line. Pain shot through his already injured left arm and spread through his entire body, but he refused to scream. The Darkness was spreading over the geoglyph, over the destroyed highway to the Lizard's tail and returning again towards the little leaf that was generating the power. Ccarayhua was lashing out at him in a last ditch attempt to make him stop, its power trying to break through the seal, and Juudai gritted his teeth in agony. He couldn't… But he had to…
The Darkness reached its starting point again and Ccarayhua's power was dimmed abruptly. Juudai fell down on his knees, exhausted, but the Earthbound God wasn't giving up yet. The earth started trembling and breaking up under his feet, and Juudai fell backwards. His consciousness was already fading, he had to get out…
In a last-ditch attempt to break through he hurled himself towards the Darkness the coca leaf had generated, searching out the pure form of the power that flowed through him. He felt the barrier the Earthbound Gods had erected, but with a strength that could only come from desperation he smashed right through it and into the realm of Darkness.
Silence. Darkness. Blessed Darkness.
Then water.
Juudai struggled to reach the surface, still clutching Pharaoh in his good arm. His left arm was next to useless, hurt as it was and weighed down by his duel disk, and he only made it to the surface because Yubel was egging him on desperately in his mind. The water was engulfing him, and he realized that if he'd fallen into the ocean, he would die. But he hadn't. Vaguely, very close by, he could see a wooden walkway. He released Pharaoh, who immediately jumped on land, and grabbed the wood with his right hand. He felt his vision blurring, but with the very last of his strength, and with Yubel's encouragement, he dragged himself onto the walkway.
His last thought before losing consciousness went out to his deck. He really hoped the cards were waterproof.
Notes:
1. Nazca, Earthbound Gods: The visions Aslla Piscu gives Juudai are scenes from 5D's episodes 59 and 64. I know part of it didn't/won't really happen, but Aslla Piscu was toying around. The one Ccarayhua gives comes from episode 39. And yes, I couldn't quite resist including the Earthbound Gods. They served their purpose and they were fun. And for the record, the Pan-American Highway was indeed built over the Lizard geoglyph, which seems a good enough reason for Ccarayhua to be pissed off.
Okay, I'm done torturing Juudai. For now.
