Yugi had spent the remainder of the evening and a large portion of the night still at the table, unmoving but for the frantic scanning of his eyes and the occasional flick of his hands as he turned page after page. His eyes were sore, his whole body ached from the long stay in the uncomfortable position, but he could not be bothered to move. Bakura had left hours ago, leaving his findings for Yugi to examine at his leisure, hoping that maybe he could discover something they had overlooked.
He had devoured page after page, text after text, scanning pictures, textbook scribbles, newspaper clippings, anything he could, searching for clues; any clues. But his efforts were in vain, he found nothing that made mention of sacrifices made for anything other than the 'Dark Games'. If the monsters that lived beside their world had demanded some sort of offering for their continued protection and servitude, there was no mention of it anywhere.
His grandfather had once tried to urge him into retiring, (a weary mind would find nothing new, he warned) but if Yugi, lost in his reverie, had heard him then he did not show it. He continued on, his steady determination keeping his eyes roving, though he absorbed little. Random words jumped out from the pages and seemed to snatch at his eyes until he flipped the page and they were lost again. Soon those collected words began to form a dense cloud behind his eyes.
He fell into a troubled sleep, his head resting on the notebook he'd been glaring at and yet more papers clutched in his outstretched hands. His lips twitched; a faint line between his brows shadowed his whole face. Clearly his subconscious was not at rest even asleep, struggling to unravel the mysteries that he sensed were just beyond his reach.
His dreams were a tangled mess. Shapes and colourless shadows darted this way and that, demanding his attention, teasingly plucking at the farthest reaches of his memory. The final piece of an elusive and eternal puzzle was near, within reach, if he could only solve the riddle of these ever shifting shadows.
Wait... He thought lazily, his consciousness buried under the weight of exhaustion. Puzzle?
He began to sort through the twisting conundrum almost without thought, some inner part of himself recognizing the challenge for what it was and rising up to conquer it. Each individual shape and blot began to piece together, forming a solid whole. He worked his brain to the limits, reaching for the solutions he knew were there, blurry with the coating of sleep. And as he worked, more and more pieces of the puzzle began falling into place, until they almost lined up of their own accord.
Finally, the solution clicked within his head.
"It's the same thing..." Yugi mumbled, still asleep. His eyes flickered under his eyelids and became still as he was pulled deeper into the realm of sleep than he had gone in a long time.
~0oOo0~
Yugi...
Yuugiiii...
Yugi groaned and rolled over, trying to ignore the call. Didn't they realize he was asleep?
It's probably Grandpa... he thought lazily. Maybe he needs something?
Yuuuugiiiiii...
I'm coming. He tried to say, but his tongue was thick in his mouth; unresponsive. Yugi's eyes fluttered and opened.
For a wild, panicked second, he thought he had gone blind. Only, it was... wrong.
He bolted upright, grasping at the air before his face as though hoping a stray sheet of paper was stuck to his forehead. The table was gone, the kitchen was gone, and in their place there was nothing but a vast, empty whiteness.
Where am I? Again, the words refused to come from his mouth, he could only think them. He tried many times to speak, each without success. Yugi glanced left and right, wondering where on earth he was, and how he could get back home.
Yugi.
There was that voice again! It was not his grandfather. The voice was deeper, more commanding and powerful. It sounded neither friendly nor hostile, so he couldn't be certain of the wisdom in answering. Curiosity prodded him to call back, but he still couldn't figure out how to speak in this place.
Yugi... Come to me.
Once more, he hesitated. But he knew he was never going to get out of here on his own, and whomever was calling him must have a good reason for doing so. Yugi cautiously began to work his way forward, tensed and alert for the first sign of danger. As he walked, the white space began to dissolve around him, leaving an inky blackness in it's wake. His vision was suddenly limited to this black tunnel, through which a single beam of light could be seen. And with every step, the voice calling to him grew louder, seeming to come from that small space.
You're almost there. Come to us, come to us.
Yugi paused on the threshold, unable to see anything beyond it. Us?
A sudden, violent tremor rocked him and he overbalanced, pitching forward into the hole. His silent scream was lost behind lips that still refused to open as he plunged into the light. A rainbow of brilliant and vivid colours assailed his eyes as he twisted and turned, making him nauseous. Just as the thought that he was going to be sick crossed his mind, his feet his solid ground. With his head still spinning madly, Yugi couldn't register the return of his balance fast enough to avoid overbalancing and falling forward again.
Strong arms caught him, holding him steady until the world stopped revolving. All Yugi could see was a blur of turquois and silver. He tried to stand, but groaned and only slumped further into the arms of his support. He tried to mumble an apology, too disoriented to feel embarrassed.
"Give it a moment. Your body will adjust."
Yugi froze. He knew that voice. The shock helped to clear his head, and his eyes focused as he pushed himself upright.
"Timaeus!" He cried, able to speak once more. Timaeus stepped back and bowed, his one blue eye holding a tiredness, a sorrow that was much more pronounced than when last they had seen each other.
"Welcome, young warrior. It has been a long time since the Dominion of the Beasts was graced by your presence."
"The Dominion of the Beasts? Is that where I am?" For the first time, Yugi was able to get a good look at his surroundings. Hundreds upon hundreds of Duel Monsters stood around them, encompassing them in a tight ring. He put a hand to his head, completely baffled.
"How did I get here? And what's going on?" He asked, scanning the crowd for any familiar faces. He could see many monsters that he recognized, but he was startled to note that most of their faces were twisted into looks of anger and fear.
"I called you here." Timaeus told him. "I bear a warning, and some advice. Look around you, partner of the Heart. What do you see?"
Pain. Fear. Rage the likes of which he'd never known. Hate. Love. And many, many tears. A familiar face began pushing her way through the crowd, and before he knew it the Dark Magician Girl was before him, reaching out and clasping his hands. She didn't not speak.
"What's going on?" Yugi repeated gently, trying to look her in the eye. She shook her head and swallowed, fighting back the sobs that shook her slender frame.
"We are at war."
The words pierced Yugi like an icy dagger. He could not draw breath for many moments.
"There have been numerous groups of Monsters that have gone astray, fallen from the path to the Heart." Timaeus continued. "Of these, many have decided that they have not been getting the respect they deserve. They have decided to take action."
The Dark Magician Girl interrupted him, speaking with a shaking voice. "They are disregarding the safety of all our lives. Our two worlds depend upon one another to survive! But these Monsters have decided to end that union. Given the chance, they will destroy everything!"
Her voice cracked, and she had to spend a second composing herself. "They have broken away from the Heart of the Cards, and they are going to punish all those that have not given them the respect they desire. We have tried to stop them, we have tried..."
She collapsed into sobs, burying her face in Yugi's shoulder. He couldn't move, couldn't think. At war? Duel Monsters seeking revenge? But how? How was this possible?
Timaeus gently pulled her away. She did not fight him. Still crying, she stepped back and quietly dabbed at her eyes.
"It is true." He said, bitterness clear in his voice. "The Heart has torn itself asunder. The one half seeks to destroy the whole." He opened his arms to the assembled crowd. "What you see here is the last stand. These monsters alone remain loyal to the Heart and to their masters and friends."
So few... Yugi thought, his heart despairing. How could this have happened?
A sliver of thought, a razor edged realization thundered through his head. The completed puzzle popped into his mind.
"Timaeus..." He began slowly, unsure how to phrase his question properly. "Is the Shadow Realm connected to the Dominion of the Beasts?"
Yugi almost felt him stiffen in surprise, and his voice carried just a hint of strain to it that wasn't present before. "That is not a question to ask lightly, Yugi Moto."
"I know." He said solemnly. "I wouldn't unless I had to. Please Timaeus."
The dragon warrior sighed, the tenseness fleeing his suddenly exhausted form.
"Long ago, before the pyramids of Egypt were raised, before even the great stone seal rained fire from the skies, man and monster walked the earth as partners. We lived in harmony with mankind, protecting them from threats and dangers that intruded from beyond their dimension, asking in return nothing more than companionship." Timaeus paused, looking at Yugi from the corner of his eye. "It was the kind of companionship that is not so easily granted, I suppose. You had one such bond, with the spirit of that ancient pharaoh from millennia past."
Yugi started as though someone had come up and touched him with a live wire. "The pharaoh? What did he have to do with this?"
"Nothing. Everything. You see, you and the pharaoh were bound to one another through your minds, connected by ties to the soul. You lived as much in his heart as he in yours. Ages past, this was not so uncommon an occurrance.
"But one day, when we were all young and brash, just getting to know each other, some limits were crossed and some consequences exacted. Man began to see us as no more than fairy-tales to be brushed aside, treated us as no more than elaborate fantasies. Some of them abandoned us outright, cutting us from their minds and hearts like some unwanted growth. We were cast aside, left alone to die.
"Some of the most powerful monsters gathered a counsel together that day, myself and my brothers among them. We knew that we would never survive in their world alone, and there were not enough still loyal to us to support us all. We thought of only one option, and that was to branch off into a neighboring dimension and create a new home. We discovered that the necessary human energy that we needed could still leech through to us, though the hardships would be many and we knew that those who could not adapt to the changes would die. It was a hard decision, but we felt we had no choice. It was either this or succumb to a life of servitude, pleading at the end of a chain for the love that once poured freely from the hearts of men."
Yugi felt his heart grow cold as he listened to the tale silently. He thought of all of the people he had met that acted as if their own monsters, their own fighting companions, were no more than ink on cards. For the first time, he felt alienated from his own race, from those that had convinced themselves that this whole other world did not exist at all. Timaeus continued after a reflective pause, heavy with the somber atmosphere.
"When we separated, we encountered something that not even the wisest of us could have foreseen. A dimension of blackness, shrouding the world in a thick blanket of poison. This, though we did not know it at the time, would later become the Shadow Realm.
"It fit snuggly over the earth like a second skin, and we were horrified to learn that the souls of men were being sucked into it's depths with increasing frequency. We never understood why, whether the realm itself was a sentient, living thing, or if something inside of it was feeding on the angry and corrupted energies that human beings had spawned within themselves. In any case, the only way to get to our new home was through this black cloud, and we were strict about keeping as close to the light as we could. But alas, for all of our precautions, many monsters became lost in that dark day. Those who's weal was already poised to darkness slipped away, corrupted. Some managed to steal others with them. For all of the monsters you have ever seen in your life, and all those you yet haven't, understand that they are no more than a fraction of those that left with us that day. It was a tragic time, and we have never recovered from the scars it left behind."
Yugi had almost forgotten they had an audience. Every creature's face now was streaked with tears, though fewer bore the expressions of cold anger that they had worn when first he entered. No, those faces had transformed into faces of pure, unadulterated anguish.
"You ask if the Shadow Realm is connected to the Dominion of the Beasts Yugi." Timaeus said, his voice shaking. "Now you know."
"I never..." Yugi faltered, his own pain for the hardships these creatures had endured tightening his throat. "I'm sorry. I never knew that your past was so haunted, so pain filled."
Timaeus placed a warm hand on his shoulder. "Do not apologize." He said sternly, though not unkindly, gripping him tight. "We were just as much to blame. We grew too lax, to lazy and unguarded. We Children of the Heart, 'Duel Monsters' as we are called in modern times, have but one weakness that man can exploit. Aside from personal battles with each other, which were few and far between back then, there was only one thing alone that could truly harm us." Timaeus stopped for a moment, and Yugi was shocked to see him on the verge of tears. He wanted to say that he did not have to go on, that if it was too painful, Yugi would not ask. But after a moment the proud warrior collected himself and pressed forward.
"We survive on love. Some of your kind refer to it as 'thought energy', others as the imagination. In some ways, all of that is correct. We are like legends, myths. Without someone to believe in us, we become lost and forgotten, dying true deaths. The respect that duelists have for us, the partnership we forge with them is founded with love. A mutual understanding for one another that grows to form a connection so deep and strong that at times there is no telling between who it the monster and who is the duelist. Sometimes that line can disappear completely, and an unbreakable trust is formed. Like with you and the pharaoh, we can merge ourselves together with those that the Heart chooses as worthy. It was how we lived in the beginning. We became so close to men's souls that their vibrant spirits gave us life, sustained us. It is still like that now, though the connection is not nearly as strong. Only in special cases, as with you."
Timaeus smiled, a rare sight. The Dark Magician Girl suddenly stepped from her place among the crowd and embraced Yugi, briefly.
"Thank you." She whispered, her sea green eyes sparkling like jewels. Then she turned and was gone again.
"She and her master, the Dark Magician, have been blessed by the Heart indeed to have found a duelist like you." Timaeus explained into Yugi's clearly baffled expression. "That both you and the Pharaoh resided in one mind provided the two of them a level of happiness that is seldom seen in these dark days. As you have seen before, they would have done anything to protect you. The Dark Magician especially. Though he would never admit to such, he loves you both and is indebted to you for giving the girl a chance at life that he thought she could never have."
"I am honoured." Yugi mumbled, hanging his head meekly. "He has been a true friend to me, they both have. I know that the pharaoh would have said the same."
"I do not mean to turn from pleasant topics, but I feel I must ask." The dragon warrior locked gazes with Yugi again. "What prompted you to ask such a thing of me?"
"Well..." Yugi began. "It started earlier today when my friend Bakura stopped by my house with an interesting bit of information..."
Yugi continued to explain all that they had unearthed, trying to elaborate as much as he could about why Bakura was so convinced that there were sacrifices that existed for the sole purpose of giving power to the Duel Monsters. And then, all at once, what he was saying seemed to actually register itself for the first time.
"It's the same thing." He repeated, stunned. If Timaeus had picked up a tree branch and whacked him over the head with it, it would have produced no greater effect. Suddenly he understood.
"It all makes sense!" Yugi cried out, spinning to face the warrior with an expression filled with both understanding and cold terror. "All this time I've been looking for some sign, some clue that rituals or sacrifices or something were being enacted to give strength to the monsters on the other side of the barrier. But now I realize I had my answer the whole time! There are sacrifices being made, and they're all the same. They're all the result of the Shadow Games!"
Timaeus did not seem to share in his revelation. "But the origin of the Shadow Games began in Egypt, with the creation of the Millennium Items. That was only a short time ago. If the monsters have been growing in power as long as you claim, then why have we not seen it before now?"
"Because before the Shadow Games existed, there was still a way for the monsters to get inside the hearts of men. Just because the games did not exist doesn't mean the Realm itself didn't. I remember the pharaoh telling me about this when we travelled into the world of his memories. The Millennium Items drew out the monster that was feeding off of a person's soul, sealing it within stone tablets so that it could be put to good use. But what about before the Items were created? There would have been nothing stopping a monster, any monster, from forcing someone to become corrupt, creating more darkness to feed from. Those monsters must be the same ones that fell into the blackness the first time!"
"By all the Gods above and below." Timaeus breathed, sinking back as though he had been deflated. "Are you saying that our brethren that we lost that day are still alive?"
"Yes." Yugi whispered delicately. "And no. They are not as you remember them. They have fallen in with the lost souls of the human world, and they are using whatever link that crosses our two dimensions to enter the hearts of men and poison them."
"If you are correct," He said, and Yugi gathered from his tone that he desperately hoped otherwise. "It would mean that the monsters in the shadows have been gathering power since the day we left the earth. If you are correct..."
Yugi finished for him, his face grim and pale. "Then we know where the other half of this war is getting it's power from, and what it's going to be used for."
"They're trying to cross over."
A/N: You guys need to help me out here. Is this making any sense at all? This almighty idea came to me in the dead of night and kept me up until four a.m, but I think it may contradict what I was trying to say before. Let me know, will you? I'll go back and try to fix the previous chapter(s) in the meantime.
