AN: Hi there! I'm back!? Sorta. Not promising reliable updates at this point-had the urge to write and post. In the meantime, I own none of what I post below except for what plot twists I make. Thanks for reading, please review.
Neo Domino City limits, shoreline underneath the Daedalus Bridge. Early morning, a few hours before sunrise, ocean spray and winds making any passerby feel cold. Not too far off the shore, jagged rocks jut out of the waves, ready to tear into any unprepared or unsuspecting travellers. One crumpled form lay on the sand, its fate uncertain.
Greiger lay in a heap, clothing torn, scrapped, chipped and broken...like most of his body after the steep fall. In this early hour, his life lay in a daggers' edge, held together by pure luck alone...or perhaps something more..
A shadowy form moves out of the ocean towards Greiger, approaching him as it once did another. Reaching into his mind, it seeks to make a bond, trying to save a life..
"Greiger...my boy, are you really going to give up this easily? After all you have gone through, all that you have suffered through...you are going to let go, when you just made a decision to actually succeed for once in your life?"
This caused Greiger to stir, which unfortunately cause painful spasms to course through his veins, leading to convulsions and coughing.
"No.." Forced to pause by coughing, Greiger tries to cope with the pain, on a whole new level...something he has never experienced before. "I do not want to give up..anything but, especially with what I have learned in the last few days. I am finally in a possition to help my family...and then this. You...you have the power to save me, I presume?"
"I do.." Hiding a gleeful look, the Shadow cannot help but be satisfied, as turning Greiger seems already far easier than any of the others were. "Of course I can help you, preserve your life, give you the strength to get what you will done. With the help of an immortal..."
"These immortals...I'm sure they do not give their aid, not without some sort of payment.."
"No, not for free, but not for payment. More like mutual benefit."
"Mutual benefit?" Gasping for breath, Greiger realizes he does not have much time left..what strength he has left is fading. "What could you possibly want from me.."
"Your dueling prowess, nothing more. Give me your word, join your fate with that of the Immortals, we can give you what you need to get things done. This will be your only chance."
Greiger struggles for breath, fighting with his last reserves to get in a reply...holding off the darkness at the edge of his vision.
"I will join you.."
Neo Domino City, the same Shoreline an hour or so later.
Tetsu Trudge walks to the waters edge, contemplating all that will belong to the shadows before too long. Turning back to Greiger, Trudge watches as the restoration process starts, repairing the man who has become so broken.
"I see you have gained another pawn Roman...your spider drones, careful or you might strain yourself."
Looking around, Trudge sees Misty Tredwell approaching from up the beach.
"Yes, I have gotten another pawn, and no I will not strain myself. You know as well as I do that our powers come from the shadows, they also grow stronger with each day...as our hold in this city grows stronger."
"We do grow stronger, I suppose, even if not all of us feel it. Your latest...acquisition is an interesting choice, a member of Sector Security-and a high ranking officer at that?" Looking Trudge over, Misty almost looks interested.
"Yes, an officer second to the Director...I needed someone able to be a spy for us, not necessarily willing to aid us in our goals...but under my control, coerced into getting the information we need. The Director seems hell bent on stopping us, by gathering those that bear the marks of the Dragon...we only know the identities of two members, which is not enough."
Glancing down at the spider mark on his arm, Trudge smirks and begins to chuckle at the possibilities. Far across the water separating City and Satellite, Roman continues to plot, thinking of ways to further strengthen his hold over the peoples of Neo Domino. Thousands of ideas surging through his mind, Roman can only begin to start planning.
"Without the identities of the other signers, of both light and dark, our plans can-no, must, remain in the beginning stages. We must gather one more...one more to our cause, another being willing and powerful enough to bear the mark of the Hummingbird...before the Dragons unite against us."
"There are supposed to be five, aren't there? One for each dragon...Stardust, Red Dragon, Ancient Fairy...which are the other two?" Pinching the bridge of her nose, Misty tries to strain her memory, seeking the information...
"The only other one that has been seen inside of ten years is Black Rose...the fifth has been missing. We have trapped Ancient Fairy Dragon in the shadows, preventing them from truly being united. Without their precious fourth, they lack the power necessary to combat our forces.."
Abandoned subway tunnel, Satellite Sector.
Kalin leans heavily against the wall as he walks, exhaustion clearly etched into his face, determined to see daylight before he rests. His clothes are tattered, hanging off his limbs, even torn or ripped in other areas. Walking alongside the rails, he does not spare the energy necessary to look over his shoulder, despite the feeling of being watched.
"This has to be the way... I spent too long focusing on my prey, and not enough on my path." Grimacing, Kalin pauses to lean heavily on the wall. "Those duels were rough, I barely won them. Was that damage...real?" He rubs the back of his neck, trying to wrap his mind around the very idea that holograms could harm someone. "It defies all that I have experienced before, but my current state is proof enough I suppose. The lack of signs of life since I left my opponents could be considered further proof. To think, my search for friends of Yusei's would lead to trouble like underground dueling...well." Smirking, Kalin pushes off of the wall to continue walking. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised by underground duels, this is the satellite after all..all duels here are illegal."
Before too long, Kalin reaches the next platform, what once was a subway terminal. It looks as if some people lived here, one of the few sustained living areas in all of satellite. Inside is divided into a few different compartments, some for sleeping and others for different purposes. One of the smallest rooms contains a few pieces of furniture, centering around a computer desk. Upon closer inspection, the computer reveals that it was used to write programming code, code used to design and control a duel runner.
Kalin walks outside of the domiscile, stretching, trying to release some of the pent up tension in his back. Looking around at the rubble, he searches for signs of life, signs that someone was here recently. Approaching the stairs leading to street level, where a scrap of blue fabric waves in the light wind.
Neo Domino City.
Carly sits at her computer, feverishly searching for a new story, to keep her editor happy as well as sate her curiousity. Scrolling through the various blogs in search for answers, Carly begins to think that her search is futile. Any feed that she scrolls through contains more rumours than facts, making her more and more frustrated.
"Signers. That's the only fact that all of these blogs have in common, even as the explanations for what the signers are meant to do vary. How can one...order? organization? team? Have so many different ideas...answers to the same question?"
Hours fly by, as Carly continues her search, trying to sift through the many lies that bloggers may unknowingly spread.
Neo Domino City, hours later.
Yusei bolts awake, mark of the Dragon raging, alerting him to danger. Kicking off the bedsheet, he climbs out of bed scrambling for his dueling gear. Still not quite aware of the source of danger, Yusei heads to the window. Across the street a cloaked figure rolls up their right sleeve, revealing a mark of light, pulsing with a violet color. Almost in tandem, Yusei's mark begins to pulse. Only one thought crosses his mind as he starts running outside after the figure.
"I don't know who that is-but there is only one way to find out why he has a mark.."
Parking complex, Neo Domino City, some time later.
The cloaked figure has led Yusei on a chase to be remembered for some time, seemingly in circles all around the city. Every time that Yusei thought he had lost his target, he would see the tail end of the cload vanish around a corner...almost like there was no attempt to escape.
"I cannot stop to think now, not when I could be getting answers!"
Coat flailing in the wind, Yusei runs up a series of stairs towards the shadow.
"What took you so long Yusei? The shadows grow ravenous!"
"Just who are you?" Walking closer, Yusei stops when he sees an angry glint in the figures' eye. "Are you a signer?" He continues to barrage the mysterious figure with questions until...
"Enough Yusei Fudo. You want answers, the shadows want you. Duel me and maybe you will get the answers you seek."
With this statement, he throws open his cloak revealing his activating duel disc, and his pulsing signer mark.
Yusei reaches to his side, taking out his ground deck and activates his duel disc as well, mark of the Dragon pulsing faster as he prepares to duel.
Satellite Sector.
With a deep breath, Kalin takes in the scenery around him. Some would look upon his homeland and see nothing but rubble-which to an extent is true. To those that grew up in the Satellite however, it is the building ground of greatness, whether it be in the dueling fields or in some technological path. Stretching out with his senses, Kalin relishes in the familiarity of his surroundings. On one side of the path, lay remnants of old residential buildings; on the other is the edge of woods.
"That fabric just had to be a part of Rally's jacket...but if it ripped off..."