Chapter 11: Restoration

There was a moment of silence as Kai took a breath and said, "What do I need to do?"

Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon was the one who answered his question, "You should not be so impatient. There is an important place that you need to see first."

"Very well. Where is that place?"

"You will know when we get there. It will be faster if I flew you." Before Kai could react, Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon scooped him in its arms and took to the skies. As the neared a large stone structure, Kai was dropped from around six feet in the air, but managed to land on his feet without any difficulties.

As he gave the stone structure a better inspection, it looked more like a large step pyramid to Kai. It feels familiar. I've been here before. Suddenly, memories came rushing back into him.

Kai remembered the time he used to visit that place, back when he still had his parents. He used to visit occasionally, when his parents were not around, with … Who was it again?

Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon left Kai to ponder on his memories while it landed on the top of the stone pyramid. Ancient Fairy Dragon appeared a few seconds later and circled around Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon. Are you ready to pull through with this plan?

Whether I am ready for it or not is not the matter, if we are to win this war, sacrifices must be made.

But we cannot risk a half-hearted effort on your part, especially when we only have one chance.

I do not fear what will happen to me when I commit to the plan if that is your thought. My only concern is how this will affect him when he finds out the truth.

He will have to endure, just as we all. Good luck. I shall await your return. Ancient Fairy Dragon flew off in the direction of the settlement.

Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon leapt to the skies once again and landed in front of Kai. How much have you remembered?

"Just bits and pieces. There used to be another person here, someone who was always by my side. No, it wasn't a person, it was … I can't remember." Kai pounded his heel into the ground and let out an exasperated sigh.

I may be partly to blame for that. By blocking your memories of the time we spent here, I could prevent the rift that formed from separating us into two entities.

"So you hold the other half of my soul. I was right to think that all of this wasn't just a coincidence. But coincidence or not, we have a job to do. What happens to my dragon when our consciousness merge?"

Don't worry. This dragon is just a vessel so it can still roar though it will no longer be able to have any conscious thought.

"As long as I can still fight, it doesn't really matter. Well then, what are we waiting for?"

Are you sure about this?

"I won't change my mind if that is what you are implying. When our consciousness merge, both aspects of our personality will be one. The person I am now will no longer exist; in a way, it's like dying. I'm not afraid of death, especially since I experienced it once before."

You're wrong. You won't lose your sense of identity. My memories and powers will be yours, other than that, there will be no other remnants. Brace yourself. In a blinding flash of light, Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon disappeared.

Kai held the card in his hand. He had seen it so many times before, but never had it looked so dull and lifeless. Goodbye, my friend. May your memories never be forgotten. Even if you are no longer here, I will always keep this reminder. Slipping the card into his deck, Kai faced the horizon. "It's time I headed back."

Alone, Kai had plenty of time to sort out his newfound memories:

I stood alone on the top of a ridge, facing the the setting sun. Out on the horizon, the darkness began to smother the red of the sunset, slowly devouring the strands of light. On the ground, armies of monsters, shrouded by shadows, marched relentlessly towards the city behind me. Releasing my breath, magic unfurled at my fingertips.

The winds picked up, scattering the sands into the advancing army's line of sight. With each passing minute the winds became more excited, whipping into a frenzy and tearing the army apart. Some managed to survive the onslaught, but I was far from done.

Lightening became my daggers, the wind my sword, the sands my shield. Only a few survived the storm I waged, but they were the strongest. My hands fell limply to my side. Guess I used up all my magic. I picked up the spear I brought early. He's not here yet. I need to buy them more time. Raising the spear, I charged into the remaining forces.

A couple of them fell to the end of my weapon, already weary from battling my magic. I turned my attention to the one at the head of the pack. Compared to all the grotesque monsters surrounding it, it looked … human. I couldn't afford to get distracted at a time like this. Tightening the grip on my spear, I charged into battle once again.

The shaft felt heavy with their blood and my feet could not find stable ground in the puddles that formed around me. I directed my attention to one I knew for certain was the leader- the human looking one. My arm raised, poised to throw. A sharp crack resounded across the back of my head. Too late, the spear left my hand.

My body crumpled to the bloody ground. I felt the bite of cold metal as it slid into my abdomen. I closed my eyes readied myself for the next attack to come, but it never did.

"No need to kill him. He will be useful. I have not seen magic like that in millenias." It was the leader. He was still alive, even with a spear sticking out of his head. He pulled the spear out of his head and raised it above my heart. "Once you are dead, you will be revived in my army."

"Get away from him!" An arrow shot the spear out of his grasp.

I felt arms cradle my head and murmured, "I kept my promise. I'm still alive and you're here now."

My brother tightened his grip. "I am sorry I took so long. If I had gotten here sooner, none of this would have happened."

"You did what you had to do as our king. It's not your fault, -"

Kai found himself standing in front of the building he woke up in earlier. Smiling, he saw Kaito leaning against the doorway. "Nice to see you up and awake, Mr. Sunshine. Next time you try to die, make sure it's somewhere in the tropics."