Empire of Shadows, a LONG YuGiOh! story by Tsunami Storm

Chapter 9: Tomb of the Forgotten


"Kaiba? Wat's wrong?" Joey asked in alarm, looking at his friend with a raised eyebrow.

Seto couldn't answer. Every time he tried, another spasm would shoot through him and it took all of his concentration to keep from crying out. But he couldn't bite back all of his screams.

Mahaad calmly put a hand on his duelist's shoulder, both to comfort the pain-stricken young man and to find exactly what was causing the problem in the first place. What he found made him gasp. "There is an orb of 'Darkness Energy' that has lodged inside your heart. I would say it is about the size of a fist. And- from the looks of your wound- I would say that it has been there for quite a while. How in the worlds did you survive such an attack?" The spellcaster breathed.

Seto was in too much pain to consider Black Magician's words, much less reply. His breath came in ragged gasps, his heart trying unsuccessfully to beat with the orb obstructing its movement. His strength leaving him, he collapsed onto his back as the tremors worsened- playing havoc with his breathing and heart- which was already working extra hard to pump blood to all parts of his body. Eventually the strain and insufficient supply of oxygen became too much for the dragon prince, and his eyes closed as he lost consciousness.

"Master! What is- what is happening to him?" Mana cried, running over to two of her best friends. Her green eyes were wide with horror as she looked from one man to the other- one conscious and one not- and back again.

"I am not sure. But we have to remove that orb, or Seto will surely die. Quite honestly, I am surprised that he has survived even this long. This wound looks to be at least a year old, if not more. Once again, the dragon warrior confounds me." Mahaad removed Seto's limp hand from over his heart and placed his own on the spot, closing his eyes and tapping into his inherent magic. After an extremely tense minute, he looked up to where Mana was staring down at him and her duelist. Isis had joined the two spellcasters and was also surveying the situation with a worried expression. The four other boys and men were standing off to the side, explaining the situation to the newest Guardian- Téa- who was very confused at her tormentor's sudden disappearance.

"I am going to use my power to slowly remove the orb from within Seto's body, but I cannot do it alone. I know that you will not like this, Black Magician Girl- but I need you to use your 'Black Burning' attack to gradually burn through the layers of his heart while I draw out the orb. Holy Elf, it will be your job to heal each layer as the orb passes through it. I regret the pain that this will cause him, but I see no other solution." Mahaad admitted, looking at his scandalized apprentice with an apologetic and grim expression on his face. Isis nodded at once, and- after a while- Mana did as well, though her scowl clearly stated that she did not like the idea one bit.

"Hey, we wanna help too! Wat can we do?" Joey asked, walking over with the other Guardians and bending over the unconscious prince. Mahaad smiled up at them gratefully and suggested, "Hono no Kenshi, if you could hold his leg in place and keep him from thrashing around, it will help tremendously. Akhenaden-sama, you could do the same with the other leg." Why did I just call him that? Could I be slowly regaining some of my true memories? "My pharaoh, if you could hold his shoulders in place, it will prevent much unnecessary injury." He continued, and- though Akhenamkhanen looked at him in confusion for a moment at the title- he did as he was asked.

"What about me?" Téa asked, and Ryou echoed her query. Mahaad suggested that Ryou use his ability to lessen the pain of the 'emergency surgery' that the Guardians were about to perform. Téa would have a very special job. "Could you use your electrical ability to keep Seto's heart beating during the extraction process?" Both Guardians nodded, and Mahaad placed both of his hands on Seto's bare chest, leaving a small triangular gap between his connected thumbs and forefingers. Tapping into his powers of the 'Black Magician', Mahaad slowly drew out the orb of 'Darkness Energy' that Seto's dark side had placed there nearly a year ago- intending for the attack to kill his good half and destroy his soul. Beside him, Mana was concentrating as well, using her 'Black Burning' attack to eliminate a small circle of tissue as the sphere passed through each layer. As it left the heart, Isis healed each layer that had been either corrupted by the orb or burned away by Mana's spell.

As soon as the sphere had vacated Seto's cardiac organ, it began beating full and strong- just as it had been before the invasion of the foreign object. Mana smiled in relief when she heard the strong and healthy heartbeat, as it meant that the process was half over. The prince was gonna be okay! What's more, she was playing a vital role in saving her duelist's life. One thing was for sure- if they ever got back to the world in which they were supposed to live- none of the Guardians would ever forget this adventure, and she ventured that the prince wouldn't either.

After another hour of burning, extracting and healing, the 'Darkness Energy' sphere was completely out of Seto's body and could not harm him or anyone else ever again, for Mahaad had transported it to his Dark Magic Academy where he could study it at a later date. All of the Guardians were either standing or kneeling beside their duelist, watching and waiting for him to regain consciousness. And- eventually- he did.

"Unnh." Seto groaned weakly, putting a hand over his heart area again and wondering vaguely why his shirt had been removed. "Man. I feel like my heart was slowly burned out of my body. What happened?" He asked, looking around at all the Guardians, who were still kneeling beside and standing around him.

"Well, we got that 'Darkness Energy' ball out of you." Mana supplied helpfully, a sheepish smile on her face. "How did that thing get inside your heart, anyway?"

Seto groaned again as he sat up, still keeping a hand over the area after he had pulled his shirt back on. "It was a while ago. My dark side had teamed up with Marik and had kidnapped Mokuba, my little brother. I went to save him along with my other half, Seth, and my friends. My dark side attacked us and shot a ball of 'Darkness Energy' at Seth, and I jumped in front of him. I didn't want my brother to die. Everything went black after that. I guess I must've passed out. I don't know what happened, but- the next thing I knew- I found I had taken the form of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. I was scared, so I fled Domino City and hid in the forest to the north. That's where Seth found me." ['Brothers in Time' ch. 3 + 4.]

"And that orb of 'Darkness Energy' caused you to transform into a dragon?" Mana breathed, nonplussed at this revelation.

"That's what I assume happened." Seto answered with a shrug of his shoulders. He didn't know what to make of it either.

"Not so." Mahaad interjected after a moment of thought. Everyone turned to look at him- even Seto- and the magician elaborated. "The spell 'Darkness Energy' cannot cause a transformation in anyone, no matter who they might be. I suspect that the prince's dark side intended to kill Seto and destroy his soul with that attack. He would never suspect that Seto would choose to transform himself in defense."

"You mean- it was something I did?" Seto asked, flabbergasted. "But- but I don't remember doing anything like that!"

"Not consciously, perhaps, but since your Ka is the powerful Blue-Eyes White Dragon, it fused itself with you- body and soul- so that you would not die in that attack. It knew that you are destined for great things, my prince, and so it offset the orb's true purpose and altered your appearance to save you." Mahaad explained.

My Ka is the same as Kisara's? Huh. That's weird. Seto thought to himself. Then he realized, Hang on, is that how we were able to summon the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon in Atem's Memory World? One spirit came from Kisara, and one apparently came from me. The last one must have come from Seth! But wasn't his Ka 'Duos'?

"A person can have more than one Ka, my prince." Mana commented suddenly. When he looked at her in surprise, she laughed. "You were thinking aloud. Anyway, as Bearers, we could summon as many Ka as we wanted- though we could only summon a maximum of three at once. Kisara loved Seth- so much so that when she died, she gave her Ka to him- so that it would be able to protect him." She said, unknowingly tapping into her true memories to supply her duelist with the information.

"That might explain why Seth and Kisara have the same Ka, but it doesn't explain how I do too." Seto commented, still confused.

"Is it not obvious? You and Seth share the same Ka because you are related. You and Mokuba are his descendants!" The Guardian of Light laughed, and Seto's jaw dropped. My yami is also my ancestor?! He thought incredulously. Unbelievable!

After this, the dragon prince stood to his feet, swaying a little and shaking his head to rid himself of the feeling of dizziness. Everyone was still looking at him as if expecting him to pass out again. He smiled a little at Mana- who looked especially concerned- then addressed the entire group. "We're not gonna accomplish anything just standing around here. Let's keep moving. I bet we can at least get to the next shrine before sunset."

"Wait a second, Seto!" Téa called from the back of the group, and the dragon warrior turned to look at her in surprise- not expecting her to call him by his given name. "I almost forgot to give this back to you. It is rightfully yours, after all." She walked up to him and unbuckled something from the skirt of her dress. As soon as it had left the Guardian's waist, the piece of fabric changed to its true form- a piece of Seto's armor. "I stole this from Vivian a few days ago and hid it before she put me under that 'mindless zombie' spell. I knew that you would be coming eventually and that you'd need it." She handed the tasset to her duelist, who gratefully accepted it and buckled it around his own waist.

Eight down, thirteen to go. Not a bad start. Seto thought to himself as his strength increased once again. Then he turned to the north and started leading his friends toward the canyon that led out of the Warring Plains. A clap of thunder suddenly crashed over their heads, and a gentle drizzle of rain began to fall from the cloudy firmament. Mana laughed in joy that the curse had finally been broken and spread her arms out with her palms up, enjoying the playful droplets of water as they landed on the traveling group.

Not everyone was excited about the change in weather, though. Those who preferred not to get wet walked behind Mahaad, who had erected a barrier that acted as a giant umbrella. Mana continued to dance happily in the rain, laughing and catching drops in her mouth. Seto wondered how she could be so happy during a rainstorm, but then discovered the reason for her elation. The Warring Plains- covered with dead grass and trees- was beginning to show signs of life once again. Almost immediately, the brown, lifeless grass began to perk up and turn green before the travelers' very eyes. By now, the faint drizzle had turned to an outright downpour, and Mana hopped under the barrier to avoid the large droplets. Seto smirked at her with a teasing expression on his face, and she smiled back sheepishly.

"Have fun dancing in the rain?" He joked, and was rewarded with a playful shove from the female spellcaster. "Oh stop it. You would be celebrating too if your home was gradually returning to its former splendor." She growled in mock annoyance, but her wide grin ruined the effect slightly.

-About two hours later-

After the rain had stopped, everyone decided to take a break for lunch. The girls sighed happily as they sat down, tired of walking. Mana sat down on a large, flat boulder, took her boots off and massaged her sore feet- glad for the brief reprieve. The others took their seats beside her so that everyone was seated in a circle. Mana opened a portal to her pocket dimension and retrieved the bag of fruit scones, distributing them to each Guardian. She saved Seto for last, and he gave her a nod of thanks when he had taken an apple-filled one. Mana blushed a little and waved it off, then returned to her spot and eagerly bit into her own lunch, a cherry-filled scone.

After everyone had rested adequately and Mana had returned their supplies to the pocket dimension, the travelers resumed walking to their next destination. For hours they walked, always heading toward the narrow fissure that led out of the expansive plains- but never seeming to get any closer to it. This was just a testament to the sheer height of the canyon walls.

They finally reached the valley at sunset, the shining face of Ra sinking into the horizon to the left of them. Mana shivered suddenly, the tremor having nothing to do with the temperature. She had suddenly remembered what their next destination was, and she didn't like that area of the Dominion one bit. It had unnerved her even when the land wasn't cursed. How much scarier would it be under the influence of the Shadow Hunters?

"Wat's up, BMG?" Joey asked, looking at his fellow Guardian and friend. "Ya look like ya've seen a ghost."

The spellcaster shuddered again, holding her arms around herself and cradling her torso. "It is this place. The 'Necrovalley'. I always avoid this place, it gives me the creeps. This valley leads to our next destination, the Graveyard."

"Black Magician Girl is unnerved by the undead and zombie Duel Monsters." Mahaad elaborated. "Apparently she had a bad experience here once, but she has never talked with me about it. The 'Card-Hunting Shinigami' has haunted her dreams ever since."

"I do not know what it is about that guy, but he always scares me. It is really bad if you stay in the Graveyard during a duel for a long time. When he comes for you with that huge scythe- you know it cannot be good. I always run away from him." Mana admitted with a shudder.

"He is only doing his duty, Black Magician Girl." Mahaad commented gently, putting a hand on the distraught young woman's shoulder. "The Shinigami is there to make sure that defeated Duel Monsters do not accidentally stumble back into the duel when they were not purposefully summoned. He is actually a decent fellow if you get to know him. A little quiet perhaps, but not cruel."

"He still creeps me out." Mana argued stubbornly, folding her arms and closing the subject with a huff. Mahaad shook his head lightly and smirked at his headstrong apprentice, then looked to the east as they left the canyon- searching for the moon. After a few minutes of searching, he finally found it rising behind the mausoleum in the center of the enormous burial ground. The Graveyard was filled with a wispy fog that blanketed the overgrown weeds and surrounded the tombstones. As if all of this did not set the mood, on the headstones were carved the names of every one of the Guardians, the dragon prince, and other familiar names that meant something to the destined hero of the Dominion.

Suddenly Seto gasped, ran over to an older-looking tombstone and stopped in front of it, dropping to one knee and bowing his head. The others followed him after a while in somber silence, wondering to themselves who could have been laid to rest here.

"Da name's been worn away. How can ya tell whose it is?" Joey asked of his friend, who continued to pay his respects in silence. "Look at the bottom two names." He whispered after a minute, looking back up at the marker. The others followed his gaze, and some gasped when they discovered the truth.

"Your parents?" Téa guessed, and Seto nodded gravely [pardon the pun]. His mother's name and his father's- as well as their family name- had been worn away, but his own and Mokuba's looked like they had been carved only a few hours ago. The Guardian of Storms read the dates of the interred, and gasped when two of the dates matched. "Your mother-"

"Died in childbirth, when Mokuba was born." Seto finished for her, no trace of emotion at all in his voice. He stood up slowly and turned away from the grave, not meeting anyone's gaze. "It's been a long time since I've paid my respects to my parents. I suppose I should be grateful that Keith put that tombstone here to unsettle me."

"It was not by the Shadow King's design that your family's tombstone rests here. It is merely the nature of the Graveyard." Mahaad explained. "It is meant to reflect a person's heart; things they regret, and persons that were close to them while they were alive. The Graveyard is normally not meant to unnerve any visitors. It is supposed to be a place of reflection where one can pay his or her respects to the departed- which you have done."

"This place has always been one of somber silence, but it was never intended to frighten anyone. The Shadow King's influence has corrupted even this solemn sanctuary." Isis added, her countenance grave [again, pardon the pun].

"In any case, I appreciate this opportunity. I just wish-" Seto changed the subject slightly but then trailed off, not wanting to admit to any weaknesses, especially in front of the Guardians who were fast becoming his friends.

"You wish what?" Mana asked in curiosity, looking at her hero with an encouraging smile, glad that the subject had changed.

"I wish I'd had time to say goodbye. I was only five years old when Mom died, and not old enough to understand the complications of childbirth. And then Dad died in an accident three years later. It happened so suddenly that I barely reacted in time to save Mokuba and myself, but not him." He sighed sadly. [See 'Tragedy of the Past'.] "I just miss them so much." He rubbed a few budding tears out of his eyes, then put a hand on the top of the grave marker.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about it too much, Kaiba-" An eerie, raspy voice echoed through the deserted moratorium, even though it was spoken with a whisper. "You'll be seeing them again soon enough in Hell, when I send you and your friends there myself!"

The mausoleum gate opened with a grinding, screeching noise- as if no one had oiled the hinges since the structure was built- and out of it slid a giant casket. The wood was painted black and the handles were made of silver, but they were badly tarnished. An involuntary shiver ran down Seto's spine when the casket came to a stop, though he was not afraid in the least. The head of the coffin opened, and white smoke billowed out of it. Tch. Showoff. Everybody knows that's just dry ice. The dragon prince scoffed in his thoughts. But what he saw next unnerved him to no end. A skeleton-like hand rose out of the white mist, followed by the thinnest arm that the young CEO had ever seen in his life. Mana squeaked quietly and jumped behind her duelist, afraid of the sight before the heroes.

Eventually the form climbed out of the coffin- complete with his hooded black cape, razor-sharp scythe and skull-shaped mask. From what Seto could see of the Hunter, his hands were only bones with a layer of skin stretched over them- and possibly a few underdeveloped muscles scattered here and there. His legs looked like twigs, and his bare feet looked more like small rakes than walking appendages. Mana shuddered from her place behind Seto, thinking that this being was the dreaded 'Card-Hunting Death God'.

"This guy's too tall to be the 'Shinigami'." Seto whispered to the terrified Guardian. "Besides, a Duel Monster floats about two inches off the ground at all times no matter what attribute or type they are. And this guy's definitely standing on the ground. Though I am a bit unsettled by his skeleton-like appearance- Wait a second! I know who this Shadow Hunter is!" He gasped suddenly, turning to his opponent and addressing him directly.

"Guess I shouldn't be surprised. You're always hanging out in some type of boneyard. First it was Duelist Kingdom, then Battle City, now here. Still hanging out with Bandit Keith too. I would've ditched that creep long ago if I were you, given how that guy treated his underlings. Haven't changed much in your behavior, have you, Kotsuzuka?"

The Graveyard duelist merely smiled thinly and didn't reply, staring at his armored opponent with gaunt, sunken eyes that were concealed behind a mask. Joey shifted uncomfortably from his position to the right of his duelist and friend, recalling the first time he'd dueled this creepy kid in the graveyard-cave of Duelist Kingdom. He had won, but not before the undead monsters and even scarier duelist had thoroughly unsettled him. He'd even fainted on his feet during that duel, a fact he would never admit to aloud.

Suddenly the Shadow Hunter threw back his cape, exposing an unnaturally thin physique. The teenage boy was wearing only a pair of shorts under his cape, which were barely hanging onto his almost nonexistent waist by way of a drawstring tied in front. Man. Not even my dark side was this badly emaciated. Is this kid anorexic? Seto wondered to himself as the girls in his group of companions gasped in horror and sympathy.

"Heh. 'Judge not, lest ye be judged'." [Luke 6:37a] Kotsuzuka quoted with a hoarse whisper, which was all he could manage given his deteriorated state of being. Seto stepped back a bit when he realized that this young man had somehow heard his thoughts, and was more than a little unsettled by that discovery. However, he was not about to let this villain get under his skin.

"You know, thoughts are supposed to be private. And for the record, I wasn't judging you." Seto growled at his opponent, who just shrugged and activated his Dark Disk, which looked like it had been made out of bones. Seto did the same, magically transforming his sparring weapon into a copy of the technology that he'd designed himself.

"Battle City rules. 4000 Life Points." Kotsuzuka called before Seto could, setting the stakes for the duel. "That is what you wanted, right?" The teenager laughed, then coughed violently as his deteriorated body barely managed to produce the bark of ridicule.

"Sure, kid. Whatever you say." Seto growled. "Since you set the rules, you get to take your turn first. Give me your best shot."

"Oh I will, Kaiba. Believe me, I will." Kotsuzuka laughed, his voice suddenly full of energy now that a duel was about to take place. Something that looked like mist swirled around the young man's body, though- upon closer inspection- Seto discovered that it was actually a vortex of souls, the very same ones that Akefia had used as a shield in the ruins of Kul-Elna in the Memory World. He might be the next Guardian, Seto thought to himself. This place- it somehow fits with him. He looked at the nearest headstone and squinted a little when he couldn't decipher the name. It must belong to one of the citizens of his home village. I guess the Graveyard acts as a place of reflection for all who visit it, not just me.

"All right. Enough stalling." Kotsuzuka called, putting a card on his Dark Disk. "I summon 'Armored Warrior Zombie' [1500/0] in Attack mode!" The ground in front of Kotsuzuka began to shift and slide. A green hand reeking of rot appeared from the ashen earth, slowly pulling up a decaying corpse- the source of the horrid odor- dressed in cracked red armor with a broken arrow shaft sticking out of the back exactly where the heart should've been. One eye was larger than the other and most of the dark gray hair had decayed away. "Then I'll lay down one card face-down. End turn."

Joey and Mana both made noises like they were trying to hold back from losing their lunch, and the other Guardians grimaced.

"Fine then." Seto called, seemingly unaffected by the foul stench. "I'll summon Joey [1800/1600] in Attack mode!"

"Do ya really need me ta come out dere?" Joey asked, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "I mean, Holy Elf's got more defense points." The swordsman's remark earned him a glare from most of the surrounding Guardians. "Fine." Joey reluctantly stepped onto the field and drew his sword. "Make it quick-" He begged his duelist. "-'cuz dat zombie's gonna make me hurl."

"Joey, it's not that bad." Seto answered, but with a look of empathy in his eyes. "I'll set one face-down card and end my turn."

"WHA?! Ya can't leave me out here alone wid 'Zombie-breath'!"

"Joey, will you calm down and just trust me?" Seto asked, and Joey groaned. "Believe it or not, I know what I'm doing."

"Hn. 'Oh, ye of little faith'-" [Matthew 8:26] Kotsuzuka growled as he drew his next card. "Now then, I'll summon 'Murder Circus Zombie' [1350/0] in Attack mode! Turn end."

What's this punk up to? Seto thought. He could've sacrificed his monster for one that's way more powerful than Joey, or another one so he can have a second shot at my Life Points.

"Kaiba- eh, I'd appreciate some help out here-" Joey suggested nervously.

"All right, Joey. First I'll play the spell card 'Cost Down' in order to summon Akhenaden [1900/1000] in Attack mode!" Akhenaden stepped onto the field next to Joey. "Next, I'll equip Joey with 'Salamandra'. Akhenaden, attack his 'Armored Warrior Zombie' and Joey, take out his 'Murder Circus Zombie'!"

"Dat's more like it!" Joey crowed as his blade burst into flames. He grinned and charged at the undead circus performer just as Akhenaden ran at the Armored Warrior Zombie. The two attacks took 1550 Life Points away from Kotsuzuka, leaving the thin boy gasping for air as a thick tendril of gray energy poured from his back like blood from a knife wound. "That's enough for now." Seto commented, ending his Battle Phase. Kotsuzuka let out a low snarl at his loss, but- as he drew his next card- it turned to a grin and then a chuckle.

"I hope ya got 'nuff defenses up, Kaiba. I don' like dat look on 'is face." Joey remarked worriedly.

I don't either, and I don't trust it. Seto thought to himself.

"I play the trap card 'Rope of Life' and summon my 'Murder Circus Zombie' back from the grave. Then I sacrifice my clown to summon 'Ghost King - Pumpking' [1800/2000] in Attack mode!" The earth split behind Kotsuzuka's feet and a pumpkin with enormous, blank, black eyes emerged- vines swinging as if caught in a tornado. "Then I'll play 'Call of the Living Dead' and bring back my 'Armored Warrior Zombie'!" The undead warrior crawled out of the crack from which the Pumpking had appeared moments ago. "And finally I'll place one card face-down. Turn end."

Joey blinked in confusion. "Wait a sec. His Pumpking's got more dan enough Attack Points ta clean me out. Why didn' he-" Seto narrowed his eyes skeptically but shook his head.

"Akhenaden-" Seto began, but was cut off by his opponent.

"Activate spell!" Kotsuzuka cried.

"What?!" Joey and Seto cried out at the same time. The face-down card Kotsuzuka had placed appeared.

"My 'A Nightmare's Iron Cage' stops you from attacking for two turns, giving me the chance to wipe you out once and for all, Kaiba!" Seto growled a low snarl as the spiked iron cage materialized around him and his two monsters on the field.

"I'll summon Isis [100/2000] in Defense mode and place two cards face-down. Turn end." Seto announced, and Kotsuzuka smirked wickedly.

"I'll summon a monster in face-down Defense mode. Turn end." The young Shadow Hunter retorted, and Seto looked over his cards.

Not good. I've got nothing I can use to summon any of the stronger monsters like Mahaad or Téa without a sacrifice. And I don't have 'Resurrection of the Dead' in my hand either. Seto's fingers trembled against his will, making a single card shift to reveal the first letter of a card that had been hiding in the back. 'Cross Soul'! Perfect! Seto smirked at Kotsuzuka, who looked somewhat confused at the dragon prince's sudden confidence. "I'll summon Akhenamkhanen [1600/1400] in Attack mode and place one more card face-down. Turn end."

"My move then. And I'll start by flip-summoning 'Castle of Darkening' [950/1930] in Defense mode!" A sudden dust storm picked up, whipping debris, loose dirt and grass into the air. Once the winds died down, the gold-brown castle was hovering in the air. "And my castle comes with a very special ability: this card increases that attack strength of all of my Zombie-type monsters by 200 points every Standby Phase for the next four turns. And 'Pumpking' gets an extra 100 points for every Standby Phase that my Castle gives points to my Zombies."

"Dat's 300 points per turn." Joey breathed. "An' yer still stuck in here 'til da end a yer next one." He added to his duelist.

"I know that, Joey. Stop worrying so much. I've got a plan." Seto assured.

"Would ya care ta fill any of us in on it?" Hono no Kenshi asked, but Seto remained silent.

"I think I'll be nice though. Like they say; 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.' [Matthew 7:12] Turn end." Kotsuzuka continued.

"Strange, Kotsuzuka- I would've thought that you would know who you're up against, but clearly I was mistaken. I'm not one to just stand by and take a hit without a fight. So I activate the spell card 'Cross Soul' in order to take control of 'Castle of Darkening'. However, this structure won't be staying very long-" Seto said as the castle appeared on his side. "Because I'm going to sacrifice it in order to summon Téa [1800/1700] in Attack mode! Now then, I'll have Akhenaden attack the Pumpking, Téa attack the 'Armored Warrior Zombie' and Joey and Akhenamkhanen attack you directly. It's over Kotsuzuka!" Kotsuzuka looked around at his monsters in a panic as each of Seto's monsters came closer.

"NO! This can't be happening!" He cried as both Akhenamkhanen and Joey slashed at him with their swords, cutting the duelist's remaining Life Points down to 0. Mist swirled around Kotsuzuka's form as it did when the duel began, and Seto could see skeletal faces in the midst of it. So that's the soul-shield he was using earlier. They're going to make sure that he shares the fate of all the other Shadow Hunters that we've defeated.

As the harrowing duel drew to a close, Kotsuzuka was breathing hard- his breath coming in ragged, wheezing gasps- all the energy that he'd used during the course of the duel vanishing into the ether and returning from whence it came. Seto took a breath himself as his energy returned to him, suddenly feeling revitalized and better than he had before the duel- though his newly reclaimed rerebraces could've had something to do with that. He equipped the pieces to both of his forearms, then sighed when he remembered that he wasn't even halfway done yet. He turned back for one last look at his parents' grave as Kotsuzuka vanished into the ground like his confederates, but then turned back when a ghostly form caught his eye.

"Thank you, Kaiba." Akefia whispered, his astral projection standing beside his Ka, 'Diabound Kernel'. Seto nodded, then quietly excused himself from the group of Guardians, walking over to his family's marker and kneeling down in front of it to say goodbye. The rest of the group explained the situation to their newest addition and welcomed Akefia into the group with open arms. Mostly. Mana was still a little shy around the Guardian of the Dead, but he managed to assuage her apprehension with a simple explanation. "The souls laid to rest here are all at peace. They will not harm you or any of your friends, I will make sure of that. I have been entrusted with overseeing this area, and it is my duty to keep visitors to the Graveyard safe, so they can pay their respects to loved ones without fear. Death is just the next great adventure, a path that we must all someday take." He imparted sagely.

Mana nodded, then the troop navigated the cemetery, skirted the mausoleum- which, thankfully, had lost most of its eerie qualities- and continued out of the burial ground toward the Desert to the north.


End of chapter 9

Next chapter teaser: Desert Colossus

Nice change from the barren wasteland that was once known as the Warring Plains. And I totally went with the obvious with Bonz/Kotsuzuka as the boneyard baddie. Couldn't resist, guys. Sorry.

I was dealing with a touchy concept here, anorexia. It's really sad. People, you are NOT FAT! We love you just the way you are!

Huge, ginormous thank-you to Sailor Phoenix1997 for writing this awesome duel for me! Couldn't have done it without you!

Until next chapter!

God Bless!

Tsunami Storm