Chapter 6: Abandon All Hope

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, if I did, it won't be Vrains, more like 5ds arc 2.

Location: Domino City

"Can you feel it?"

The man before Drake laughed in his shrill tone, while he dug his nails into his skull, drawing a considerable amount of blood that dripped down his face. The monster on his side of the field was an atrocious sight. Its scent of Carnage, rotting human flesh, dying blood, and its sluggish and decaying body would make anyone vomit. Even Drake's dragons look smaller and intimidated by the massive pile of meat. The throne it sat on was especially large to contain the emperor and its massive, blood stained sword.

"Hope…fading?"

Life Point Counter:

?: 3100

Drake: 1500

The boy looked at his hands. They were shaking, and it felt like the darkness of the barrier was about to consume him. He clenched his fist to keep himself in focus.

"I activate Emperor Archfiend's effect. I can banish a fiend-type monster from my hand or graveyard to destroy one monster you control. I banish Trance Archfiend to destroy your Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

Translucent images of the banished monster appeared before the Archfiend Emperor's sword was raised and two big blows landed on the dragon, shattering it like glass.

"In face of overwhelming odds, any human will lose hope. Even the strongest man cannot help but surrender. Emperor Archfiend attacks your Lord of D. Abandon all hope, Ye Who Enter Here… Hopeless Hell Slash!"

Before Emperor Archfiend's sword could come in contact with Lord of D. and Drake, Mahad broke through the barrier overhead, shattering it. Then, his staff shone bright and erased any trace of the horrific monster, and the man schreeched pain as the light pierced his eyes and skin, halfway burning them.

Atem and Joey run to Drake, who was on his knees, tears silently falling down his cheeks. He seemed to be in another world, as he didn't make any movement to run for the cover under Mahad and Atem, neither did he acknowledge that the duo was running to him.

"It would seem we have made a grave mistake…" the man said.

Atem ran to block Drake from anymore onlaught. Emperor Archfiend began to reform again.

"Who are you?!" he asked. "How did you unseal the shadow realm?"

The man seethed with rage. "It was a simple matter, Pharaoh, however, you will not live long enough to hear of it. Again, Emperor Archfiend!"

Atem looked at Drake's field and saw a face down card. He took hold of the boy's duel disk and activated it.

"Reverse card, open! This negates your attack, and redirects it to you!"

"What?!"

"I activate his card, Magic Cylinder!"

Emperor Archfiend's sword released a wave of dark energy that was redirected towards the man, causing him to slam against a building.

"T-Turn," he coughed blood. "End."

Atem shook Drake back into reality. The boy looked up and saw the face of the King of Games. His face was worried. Drake felt his body convulse as he vomited on the ground, but he felt better.

"Do ya feel fine?" Joey asked him.

Drake assessed himself.

"Well, my mouth tastes terrible."

"Yeah, you're alright."

"Can you duel?" Atem offered him a hand.

The boy stood up. Even though his legs were wobbly, he remained standing. He nodded. Atem and Joey went behind him.

"My turn, draw!"

Life Point Counter:

?: 100

Drake: 1500

Turn 7 and 8

Drake looked at the card in his hand.

"I activate Treasure from Heaven. Both players draw cards until they have six in their hand!"

With newly refreshed hands, both of the Duelists were depending on whether Drake drew the cards he needed. He smiled.

"I activate Flute of Summoning Dragon!"

Two Blue Eyes' entered the field.

"By sending both Blue Eyes' to the graveyard, I can special summon it's more powerful form."

The man grit his teeth. Then smiled grimly.

"You will lose hope."

"Blue Eyes Twin Burst Dragon!"

The Blue Eyes fused on the field to create a two headed monster that had comparable size even to Emperor Archfiend's.

"Blue Eyes Twin Burst Dragon cannot be destroyed by battle, and it can attack you twice. Twin Burst Stream!"

As the blast neared his opponent, the mysterious man disappeared, leaving only a Locator Card.

Life Point Counter:

?: 0

Drake: 1500

Winner: Drake

Drake walks over to his opponent's side and picks up the card. His face contorts in horror as under the card was a message written in blood. Atem and Joey both join him and their eyes met.

Humanity must end

Kaiba also broke through the dark barrier surrounding the motel. His Blue Eyes White Dragon looked menacingly to other people, but Kaiba couldn't help but smile in pride.

"Wait, Kaiba, you actually believe this is real? Not just a mind-trick?"

"Shut up Tristan." He said condescendingly. "How could I deny the fact that I rode on the hide of a Blue Eyes White Dragon, and seen its power first-hand?"

"I don't know, you seemed completely skeptic about Ishizu then."

Kaiba pretended to not hear Tristan and ran up to the room where May was. He kicked down the door and summoned Lord of D. The dragon spell caster used its bone armor to destroy the saws that approached the girl.

Mai untied May from her seat and tore off the gag over her mouth, and the first words out of her mouth were…

"Where's Drake?!"

She grabbed her duel disk.

"Where is he?!" she asked more sternly. Mai looked at her.

"Yugi and Joey has him."

Without warning, May bolted out of the apartment to search for her friend. Kaiba stood with Mai and Tristan in the small room with his arms crossed.

"Not even a thank you?"

May ran to the square where Drake was, and they embraced each other tightly, as if they haven't seen each other in years. However, the heartwarming reunion was followed by a loud, reverberating slap from May.

"What! Were! You! Thinking! Going! Out! Without! Me!"

Each word was accompanied by a punch to Drake's shoulder, which became increasingly numb.

"Hey, owe, stop ok? all that matters is…" he showed her the clear Locator Card.

The next punch hit him square in the face, with the full force of her duel disk behind it. He fell down on the floor, knocked out.

Mai, Tristan, and Kaiba arrived just in time to see and hear the loud cracking sound when May's fist came in contact with Drake's face.

"Youch!" Joey exclaimed.

"That's what you call tough love."

Kaiba approached Atem. "We meet again, pharaoh."

"Kaiba."

They stared at each other for a while, before Kaiba turned his back on him.

"Make sure to stay until the tournament is over. I will beat you. But first, I have to see who is messing with my stuff."

"Of course, a rival is still a rival." Atem switched back to Yugi.

"Thank you everyone for helping us."

"No problem." Yugi replied. "But do you have an idea why that man would target the two of you? Him specifically?"

May shook her head. "No clue. We entered this tournament because we wanted to. I don't have anyone against me, and neither does Drake."

"Are you sure?" this time, it was Mai. "That man was incredibly dangerous. People die in shadow games."

"Yes. We don't why he would do that to us."

"Either way, we need to keep an eye on you two." Yugi suggested.

"I can go with them." Mokuba raised his hand. "I can contact Seto when things happen again."

"Are you sure?"

Mokuba nodded.

"That settles it." Joey announced.

May and Mokuba looked at each other for a while before shaking hands.

"We'll stay behind." Atem said in Yugi's ear. "That man, whoever and whatever he is, is not dead yet."

Soon after, a Kaiba Corp helicopter swooped down on the group. A ladder was thrown to them. Mokuba climbed on and beckoned May to follow suit. She kicked Drake to wake him up.

"Ow… My head and my stomach hurts! Damn it May!"

"Serves you right, now get on the helicopter."

Location: Unknown

Marcus helped the man up. He was barely alive. Breathing very erratically, his body could fall apart at any moment. Marcus helped him lean on an alley wall.

"I… failed."

"You did well."

"No. I failed. I… got too carried away."

Marcus knew this man from a long time ago. He was an old friend. However, they both took different paths. Marcus fell into despair, yet the man fought back the sadness, and strived for a better future.

Alas, he fell deeper into the world's despair.

He saw many deaths. Many by his own hands. Many by reasons he did not understand until it was too late. Fed with lies, he thought he fought to create a beautiful world where no one would cry anymore.

Tears fell on his face.

"I… wanted to awaken the God… as soon as-" he screamed in pain. "P-possible. I wanted the ideal world… I've sought for so long…"

"Old friend. You must rest. I'm sorry for putting you through this."

Marcus felt the man's hand on his wrist, and cards hit his palm.

"I've shown that boy what I saw as hopelessness… I imagine he couldn't understand yet. That's why I failed. That's why… Marcus…"

"Yes?"

"Show him… You, show him. Why the world needs to change."

Slowly, the man's eyes closed, tears on his cheeks. His hand went limp, and even though Marcus held the cards, two cards still fell from his grasp. A worn out card. He recognized it immediately. It was… Despair from the Dark and… Cannon Soldier.

"Rest now. My friend. We will change the world. I guarantee you that."

Marcus buried him somewhere no one would ever see him. His grave saying his name, and the words Marcus left on them. One card as it's marker. If someone were to ever see it, it would have a copy of "Cannon Soldier" on it. Weary from age.

His name read "Michael Hans", and underneath, it read "A friend, who wished for a smile, but I never could give it to him. A soldier, who wanted peace, yet held a gun at every point. A man, who wanted change."