He wasn't sure how long he was out, but when he finally woke, Don found himself in an unfamiliar place.

The first color he noticed was green, sickeningly bright and vibrant and full of a variety of shades. The next was dark browns, and then...

Eliphas glaring down at him. "Look what you've done!" He hissed.

Don pushed himself upright. "What..?"

"This is all your fault!"

Then his meaning sank in. "I didn't do this!"

Eliphas snorted. "Oh sure. Like you didn't bring us somewhere else to escape execution!"

Don supposed Eliphas did have a point, but he still had nothing to do with this!

"I am not the cause of those attacks or portals." Don told him.

Eliphas obviously didn't believe him. "Lies..." He muttered.

Don growled in frustration. "I was not behind it!" He insisted, though it came out as a snarl.

"Why should I believe your words?" Eliphas asked, though was equally as hostile.

Don opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off at the sound of something rustling in the underbrush.

"What's that?" Don asked, only to get Eliphas's hand clamped across his mouth.

"Shut up, you dumbass!" Eliphas growled quietly.

"I'm not a dumbass!" Don spat, shoving his hand away.

"Shut. Up!" Eliphas snapped, once again covering his mouth and this time dragging him behind a tree.

Don considered yelling again, but thought better of it and kept quiet. For the first time since waking up from the fall did he get a truly good look at Eliphas and himself.

He had tanned skin and his golden hair with crimson bangs like his True Form. Eliphas too, looked much like his old form, but had paler skin. They were in some sort of human guise.

The thought didn't please him, but he chose not to dwell on it for the moment.

He wasn't sure what he expected to come out of the bushes. Some animal most likely, since this place looked much like the Human World. But what came out was much worse.

A Duel Monster.

Mechanical Hound.

And it wasn't just one. A whole pack came sniffing down the path, drawing nearer.

Their presence shocked Don. Duel Monsters don't walk freely on Earth like this. So how..?

He noticed Eliphas beside him holding his breath, looking equally as confused.

Suddenly the lead dog jerked it's head up, looking directly at their hiding spot and growled. The rest of the pack started towards them.

Knowing hiding was no longer an option, Don stepped out from behind the tree and went to fire an energy sphere, only to discover he couldn't.

"The hell?! What's happened to my powers?!" He yelled.

Eliphas suddenly grabbed his arm and drug him backwards from the rapidly approaching Mechanical Hounds.

"Run!" He snapped at Don.

Don didn't really think they could out run them, but he followed Eliphas anyways. It was better than trying to fight the entire pack and getting ripped apart.

After a few minutes of running, the Machanical Hounds started gaining on them.

Don noticed Eliphas's panic growing.

"Now what?! They'll catch us before long!" Eliphas gasped out.

Not far ahead, Don saw a slightly tilted tree that looked like it could be climbed quickly and easily.

"Climb that tree!" He ordered.

Eliphas looked at him like he was insane. "What?!"

"Dogs can't climb trees, moron!" Don spat.

Looking a bit irritated at Don's insult, Eliphas took his advice and launched himself up the trunk, getting out of the way just in time for Don.

The Mechanical Hounds leaped at the base of the tree, scrambling with their paws for a hold and snapping their jaws, but couldn't continue their pursuit. Whining and growling, they circled the tree, looking up at them and occasionally trying to jump up again.

Eliphas looked a bit relieved before glaring at Don. "Alright genius, now what? We're stuck."

Don shrugged, ignoring the insulting remark. "Wait for them to get bored and leave."

Annoyed, Eliphas tried to relax a little, figuring they didn't have any other options.

After about 20 minutes of awkward silence, a sudden sharp whistle broke the quiet.

All of the Mechanical Hounds jerked their heads up and rushed towards the sound, leaving Don and Eliphas without a second thought.

"Now's our chance to get out of here..." Eliphas said, like he thought Don had no idea.

Rolling his eyes, Don jumped out of the tree after him. "What's your plan now, oh smart one?" He asked sarcastically.

Eliphas shot him a glare, then tried to reply, but was cut off by someone yelling, "Freeze! Don't move!"

Ignoring the warning, don turned around to face the voice.

There were 4 humans, the pack of Mechanical Hound at their side. The situation certainly didn't look good.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" One man from the group asked.

"Let me handle this." Eliphas said, apparently thinking Don would screw up by insulting them. He couldn't say he wouldn't, though.

"Greetings. I am Eliphas, supreme ruler of the Astral World. And this is Don Thousand, ruler of the Barian World." Eliphas introduced formally, though a hint of disgust crept into his voice on the last part.

The man looked at him like he was out of his mind. "What the hell are you going on about?!"

Eliphas looked peeved. Before he could reply, Don spoke out, "Who are you? And what is this place?" Oddly enough, Don felt like he had seen these people once, but couldn't place where or when.

"All that matters is that you're in our territory and you must leave immediately. Or else." The man threatened. The Mechanical Hounds growled.

Where the hell are we supposed to go?! Don wanted to yell, knowing they'd definitely carry out that threat.

"We're not sure where this even is! We're not even sure how we got here!" Eliphas said in their defense.

Again, he got looks from all the group members, clearly stating they doubted his sanity.

"I would assume you walked...?" The lead man pointed out.

Eliphas and Don exchanged glances, not entirely sure what to say next. So Don simply told the truth. "We fell through a portal. We believe it brought us to this alternate dimension, though we;re not exactly sure where this is..."

Don expected the 'He's insane!' looks to be directed at him now, but instead the group suddenly looked furious.

"You should have left when given the chance. I'm afraid you'll have to come with us." The lead man said. Don couldn't decide if it was more a threat or an order, but it still made him nervous. What had made them so angry at the mention of the portal? Something wasn't right, and judging by Eliphas's expression, he thought so too. Neither dared say anything, as they were already surrounded and being forced in the direction the group had approached them from.

Something was certainly not right here.

Don wasn't sure how he could be so certain, but he just knew.

These people know about the portals and attacks on Astral World.