Luna and the Prince of Darkness

Not all was peaceful for everybody. Luna had been eavesdropping on every story told today by Seto and the others. She heard a village had been burned down and destroyed. For all she knew, it could have been her hometown. That made her even more determined to escape from the palace and see for herself. She had never actually reached the village because soldiers would always catch up to her and bring her back to the palace. But that was years ago when she was little. Now she was older, wiser, and more determined.

The crescent moon was high above the city and Luna knew the time was right to leave. She decided not to bring anything along with her. Carrying unnecessary baggage would weigh her down. Taking a royal horse or monster would also give away the impression that she had escaped. All she had to do was be careful not to leave a trail.

Luna made it outside the palace walls and was ready to walk through the city. Wearing a black hooded cloak, she snuck past those who were still awake unnoticed. She moved quickly, but silently and carefully. She didn't even feel tired or have a need to stop. As she was heading out to the desert, she knew she had to be careful. Out there, she was unprotected. The wide open desert had no houses and few trees and bushes to conceal her. Other than that, there were no roads or paths. The sand would be too exhausting to cross. But she had to make it to the outskirts before the royals could catch up to her. Surely they would've found out by now that she was missing again.

The desert sand was beginning to take its toll on Luna's legs as her feet were sinking deeper. Other than that, she was feeling thirsty and there was no water in sight. Her tracks were being swept away by the desert wind, but the sand was irritating her eyes. Luckily for her, there was a palm tree. That gave her an idea. Luna approached the tree and started climbing it. Looking from above, she saw that her assumption was right. Soldiers and their Magical Creatures were looking for her. The tree provided little protection, but she refused to go back to the palace. She had to wait for as long as she could and try not to attract unwanted attention.

Monsters were running around in circles, trying to pick up Luna's scent, but kept finding themselves confused as if her trail had stopped and she flew away. The soldiers gathered them around and started back on their path to the outskirts. For all they knew, she had made it to the village already. Luna knew that if she followed them, she would only be getting herself in trouble once again. They would quite literately have her head. No, she had to start a new path. Finally, when everyone was out of sight, she took the southwestern route. It would still lead her to the outskirts, but there was a shortcut that would ensure her safety.

Luna finally made it, but she still had to be careful. Soldiers were still looking for her. Also, the outskirts were a domain to wild beasts, thieves, murderers, and fugitives. Luna had nothing to protect herself. All she had were her battle skills. But she was very cunning and very quick. Every struggle she put herself in, every punishment she endured, all she had put up with did hurt her, but at the same time, made her stronger and smarter.

She found herself on a path. The ground was hard, meaning she was getting closer to Kul Elna. She couldn't wait to see it for herself. The path stopped above a hill. Looking from above, she was in disappointment. Everything she had anticipated was not as she hoped. In fact, it was in ruin. All of the houses had been destroyed. Walking through the streets, she noticed that the village wasn't recently destroyed. Rather the damage looked like it had been done long ago.

"Hello," Luna called out. But her voice was silent and broken. She tried again. "Hello? Is anyone here?" She kept her voice down as she called because she feared some soldiers and their monsters were hiding and about to surprise her. Curiously, she peeked through the doors of every house she passed. They were all empty. Thankfully, there weren't any soldiers hiding. She couldn't even hear them. But at the same time, the silence was eerie and disturbing.

Now Luna finally understood why the soldiers always captured her before she could even reach the village. She also realized why the royals were insistent on keeping her in the palace. Kul Elna had been reduced to ashes and all of its inhabitants were gone. There was nothing left for her. First her parents were killed, now her birth village and people were gone. But she couldn't go back to the palace either. The people there weren't her family and the palace wasn't her home. All that she had fought for was nothing worth fighting for. Luna sat down in the square and started crying. Soon she lied down on the ground and curled up. She was tired and upset; left with nothing but the clothes on her back. Crying to herself, she drifted off to sleep.

Dawn started to break. Luna stirred and groaned. Feeling something wet, she opens her eyes and groans. Seeing a dog licking her face, she immediately sits up and yelps. The dog yelps as well and jumps back. Looking around, Luna finds herself inside an old house that had been cleaned up and restored as much as it could be. There was a table and some chairs, a bed with blankets, and baskets of food.

"I see you're awake," said a voice.

Luna faces the table and sees a young dark-skinned boy with short white hair and lavender eyes. He also had a scar on his right cheek. Looking at him, Luna senses something familiar about him as if she had met him before. She comes back to her senses and asks, "Did you bring me here?"

He doesn't answer. He fills a bowl with warm stew and brings it to her. "You must've gotten lost. Eat this and go back to where you came."

Luna takes the stew. She hadn't eaten anything in so long. Tasting it, she finds it delicious. "This is where I come from. But I see there's nothing left."

The boy shakes his head. "No, there isn't. I believe you, however, about being a villager like me. I've seen you out in the desert several times trying to come here, but the soldiers would always seem to find you and take you back."

Luna was surprised to hear that. "You're a villager? Then maybe you can tell me what happened here and where everybody is."

"There's no one left but us," he answered. "This village had been attacked and destroyed long ago. But you wouldn't know because you never lived here."

Luna was getting suspicious. She sets her empty bowl aside and asks, "All right, what it this? Who are you and how do you know so much about me?"

He finally makes himself known to her and identifies himself as Bakura. He called himself the sole survivor of the village of Kul Elna. After losing his family, he was left with nothing but his five Magical Creatures. He had three dogs named Poochyena, Houndour, and Growlithe, a little back fox named Zorua, and a ghostly creature named Darkrai. "As for how I know all that I do about you, I told you, I've seen you attempt to come here. I've even heard the soldiers mention your name."

Luna still felt like he hadn't been answering any of her questions. "You still haven't told me what happened to this village."

Bakura sighs and tells Luna to follow him. He leads her to a sacred shrine below the village and shows her a large stone tablet. It had a peculiar shape and looked like it something could fit inside it. "Let me explain," he began. "Eight years ago, royal soldiers came and burned down every house, drawing every villager, human and monster, out into the open. Monsters were captured and imprisoned, but all the humans were brought down here. I escaped and saw what was going on. A ritual was being performed and everyone was sacrificed. Men, women, children, it mattered not. They were served to the Great Goddess and their spirits had been harnessed to form a strange power."

Luna stood frozen with fear. The people who raised her attacked her people and destroyed her home. And according to Bakura, this happened eight years ago, which was around the same time her parents had been killed. Could they have been part of the ritual as well? No, she had been told that her parents had been found out in the desert slashed and covered in blood. "What happened next?"

"When the ritual was complete, seven treasures were forged," he answered. "After that, shadows started blanketing the entire area. A border between this world and the Shadow Realm opened. Something tried to cross over into our world, but was sealed away in the stone you see before you." The seven treasures Bakura was talking about were called Millennium Items. Because only the true heiress of Millennia could control the powers of the Star itself, the Items were forged to borrow Millennia's power and bring about peace.

"Unbelievable," Luna whispered. She faces him and asks, "So you've been here all alone for eight years?"

Bakura nods. "I had nowhere else to go and no other living family members. I was left with nothing but the clothes on my back and my Magical Creatures. I've had to fight to survive and keep my emotions from getting in my way."

Luna understood what he was saying. She had also been fighting for her survival and keeping her emotions from getting in her way. Like her, Bakura had lost everything. But he continued to fight to become stronger. He had to steal to feed himself and keep in comfort because he had no one to look after him. But he wasn't completely alone.

"Follow me," said Bakura, "I have something else to show you." He leads her back to his house and takes out a small black case. "Brace yourself," he tells her as he opens the case.

To her amazement, inside was the Cobalt Star. "You… you're the true heir of Cobalt?"

"I am," he says and closes the case. "I'm sure you're curious about why I keep it in this case and not inside my heart, correct?"

Luna was curious. If he was the true heir of the Dark Lord, why hadn't he given himself to him the same way Mystery gave herself to Millennia?

Bakura's story was personal, but he decided to explain. He was three years old when the Cobalt Star came to the outskirts. All the boys of the village lined up orderly to determine who the heir of Cobalt was. When the Cobalt Star came into contact with Bakura, he decided he wasn't ready to accept his powers yet. So he instead decided to keep it safe until that time would come.

When Bakura was five, his personality had completely changed. He gained great pleasure in stealing and often joined his fellow villagers in raiding villages. He even knew how to kill anyone who stood in his way. For a little boy, he could control all of his negative emotions and didn't understand anything about the good ones.

After Bakura lost everything when the ritual had been performed, only the Dark Lord watched him. Bakura was loyal and true to the Dark Lord, but he remained the way he was. Cobalt continued to watch over Bakura from outside his heart and keep him safe.

"The thing is, Luna, I know that the people who took everything from me are Millennia's followers and I do want revenge for all the pain they had caused me, but I don't want to give myself to the Dark Lord if it means fulfilling his wishes alone. I have my own priorities."

"I completely understand," said Luna. "I would do the same if I was in your place."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, because the powers of light and darkness are equal, why fight a war that's just going to go on forever? One you can never win or lose?"

A strange feeling was coming over Bakura. He and Luna had just met and already they understand each other. She really was different from the village girls he knew. He wondered if it was because she had been raised by Millennia's followers. That gave Bakura an idea. Luna may know some things about the Great Goddess that she could teach him. Perhaps he could use her.

"Bakura," said Luna. He faces her to listen to what she has to say. "I can't go back to the palace. The king will have my head. If it's not too much, would it be all right if I stayed with you? I know you're the last of my kind, but I would rather be with my kind than with the enemy." Before he can say anything, she adds, "And you don't need to worry about me. I can protect myself. I also know how to steal without being noticed and-"

"All right," he interrupted. "You've convinced me. You can stay with me. You and I really are all that we have left of our kind. And since there's still so much you're probably curious about, I can teach you what you need to know."

Luna knew how to take care of herself after spending so much time alone. She wouldn't get in Bakura's way if she joined him in stealing or got into any trouble. But as much as she was smart and a fast learner, she was very curious and curiosity leads to trouble. Still, that was nothing new to her. There wasn't a situation she couldn't get out of. She now had her freedom, but she was also a wanted fugitive. Bakura assured her that the royal army wouldn't find her as long as she remained in Kul Elna. The ruins were haunted by the souls of the villagers who were offered to the Great Goddess. Those spirits would protect their surviving children and keep intruders out of their domain.

It was clear that Luna's mind was made up. Once that was done, there was no stopping her. Even though she said she didn't want any friends, she was wrong and she knew it. She even admitted to herself that staying with a friend was better than having to put up with people who didn't understand her, let alone try to. At the same time, she felt like they were trying to change her into something she wasn't and couldn't be. But being with someone who did seem to understand her and who she could be herself around seemed like a much better idea. Not that she thought she had any options. Bakura seemed just as satisfied with Luna staying with him. Perhaps she was the one he had been waiting and searching for.