I don't own Yu-gi-oh.
Seto's pov
Fang slammed into Rorex's left flank, nearly unseating all of us. I actually had to hold the slave girl to prevent her from plummeting to her death.
I used a dragon whistle to summon Ibris. Even though she was young, she would be able to carry my weight as well as the pale slave's without slowing her too much. She was ten feet tall and sixteen feet long; she probably weighed about five tons. I was still concerned about her carrying so much weight. Her skeleton wasn't fully developed, and her wings still weren't strong compared to an adult's. Ibris was precious to me; I considered her to be a large, scaly sister. In order to get on her, I would jump from Rorex and have her catch us. However, there was no telling how long it would take for her to reach us.
Rorex battled Fang relentlessly, clawing and biting whenever he got too close and throwing his fiery breath when Fang wasn't within range for physical attacks. Let it not be said that Red-Eyes Black Dragons were poor fighters.
I constantly scanned the horizon for Ibris, but there was no sign of her. Then again, with the chaos of the fight and constantly shifting positions, it would be hard to spot anything in particular. Aksira's connection with Rorex was flawless; she could control him at will, but they built up enough trust to work independently.
The slave girl was still clueless as to what was going on around her. She almost seemed as if she were watching a play from within, watching the action up close without being part of it. She had no idea of the danger she was in.
After what seemed like hours, though it was only about eight minutes, I finally saw Ibris's outline coming from the mountains. It would still be a few minutes before she could reach us, and it would be dangerous for her to get close to Fang's battle with Rorex.
Fang relished combat; if he were easily controlled, he could be a good war mount. He was powerful – Tyrant Dragons always were – and with his insatiable bloodlust, nothing would be left behind.
Soon the battle grew from melee combat into pyrotechnic warfare. Rorex's fire was much hotter and more powerful than Fang's, but Fang outweighed him, and given enough time, could probably outmuscle him when the battle returned to melee combat.
Ibris had only crossed one-third the distance between us. I was afraid she was fighting the wind. If she were, she would be even more exhausted with the slave girl and me on her back. I wasn't sure how long she would last.
By now, the battle still hadn't let up. If anything, it had intensified.
"Aksira."
"What?"
"I'm about to jump with her. Keep Fang away!"
"Are you crazy?"
"Just do it."
Right then, Rorex flipped in mid-air to rake Fang's belly with all of his talons. I hadn't expected it, so the slave girl dangled while I was holding onto her wrist. Unfortunately, her weight, combined with a sudden lurch on Rorex's part made me fall off. There was no choice now. I had to use my ba to summon Ibris.
She appeared just above me and grabbed my cape with her right forepaw. She crooned when she saw I was safe. To let us on her back, she gained altitude and turned sideways so I could climb up.
"Hold her in your claws until I get up."
She grunted in response and grabbed her with her left forepaw. Once I was secure, I grabbed the girl and hoisted her up. I still didn't think she knew what was going on.
"Can you carry us very far?" I asked Ibris.
She grunted. A yes.
"Follow the trail of refugees."
I noticed as we were flying that she was a lot slower than normal. The slave, light as she was, weighed Ibris down, and we slowly sunk through the air until she consciously made an effort to fly higher. The desert was unforgiving.
"Don't push yourself, Ibris."
A downdraft pushed her down. Just when I thought she would plummet, an updraft and tailwind pushed her up. She relaxed slightly, but I could tell she was getting tired. Sunlight streamed on her white scales, almost blinding me. The desert sun was merciless to the body. Soon, I would need water, but we were a long ways away from an oasis.
My armor started to overheat, aggravating the burns I had already received that day. After a while, Ibris descended into a cave.
"Are they in here?" I asked.
She shook her head and padded towards a pool of water. I didn't blame her. She drank for several minutes before settling down near the mouth of the cave to rest.
I took several swallows before I noticed a green light shine in the bottom of the pool, followed by several more until the entire pool shone green. Then I saw something strange form on the surface of the water once it settled.
An image of ruins formed on the surface, desert sands billowing around an entrance to what appeared to be a gate. The vision shifted forward through the gate and down a long tunnel lit by torches. It went down for probably a half-mile before it opened to a chamber. It looked like an ancient temple, forgotten for thousands of years. Then I saw three statues of dragons that looked like they were made of diamond. Then I noticed a sword in each of the statues in an odd place. One was lodged in a dragon's claw. Another was stuck in the right eye, and the last one was in a dragon's mouth, right where the fang would be if it were open. The image zoomed in on the dragon statue with the sword in its mouth, and I saw a dark blue dragon with lavender eyes roaring in the night sky, releasing a blast of ice. The sword was noticeably absent from its mouth. The dragon looked me in the eye, and the word "Critias" popped into my head. Then the image faded from the pool, and most of the green stones stopped glowing, although a few still sparkled green in tiny flecks. It took a while for my eyes to adjust to the darkness.
When they did, I saw a hermit with long green hair step out of the shadows. He wore linen robes with strange markings on the front and blue boots.
"I see you've found my scrying pool," he said. "The orichalcos stones have responded well to you. Perhaps they'll show you something else if you disturb the water again."
"Who are you?"
"My name matters not. I suppose I could tell you, but it wouldn't mean anything."
I narrowed my eyes.
He continued, "You could say I'm a Guardian of this realm."
"Why should I trust you? For all I know, you're trying to trap me."
"I wouldn't be so foolish as to try harming you with the King of White Dragons so close by."
"Ibris is female."
"I was referring to Azrael, not that tiny runt."
Ibris growled.
"Azrael?"
"You do realize that the girl slumped against Ibris is the host of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon? I suppose you would have; why else would you have enchanted that necklace with those particular spells and placed it on her? I guess Azrael went on a rampage and that was the only way you could suppress him, wasn't it?"
I gaped. How did he know that?
"Even with Azrael subdued like that, I wouldn't harm you… or especially his Keeper. Dragons have long memories, and I don't want the King of White Dragons after my blood. Escape would be… difficult at best. Besides, he plays a vital role in saving the world from Zorc Necrophades."
"Zorc what?"
"The Demon King, Lord of Darkness, creator of the Shadow Realm. The Thief King Bakura plays a major role in his revival. Bakura will sacrifice his Ka, Diabound, to undo the seal on Zorc."
"Wouldn't that kill him?" I asked eagerly.
"If he'll survive, he'll be left without a fragment of his soul. Eventually, his mind will decay, triggering incurable insanity and eventual death. If he were born without Diabound, his soul would be unaffected. If the darkness in one's heart creates a Ka, it becomes like a tumor, growing in strength and overwhelming the host until it is removed. However, Bakura is not so fortunate, and when he sacrifices Diabound, he'll permanently damage his own soul."
My heart pounded. Was I born with Duos or not?
"How do you know this?" I asked.
"You're not the only one the pool responds to."
I noticed a green stone on a pendant that reminded me of the stones in the pool.
"What is that stone?"
"A seer's stone, Atlantian crystal, an orichalcos stone, whatever you wish to call it."
"Orichalcos?"
"It translates to water mirror stone in Atlantian."
"Surely you don't mean Atlantis is real?"
"It is. Or rather, it was. I am one of the few surviving descendants of that lost civilization."
I looked him over. For the first time, I noticed that his eyes were different colors.
He must have seen me scrutinizing him; he was too observant. "My eyes are different colors to symbolize my Guardianship."
"Guardian?"
"I already told you I'm a Guardian of this realm," he said testily.
Ibris yawned and released a blast of white lightning. More of the green stones glowed on the walls.
"These stones are unusually active with your presence. You'll probably see another vision in the water," he continued.
I glanced at the scrying pool. Now I saw the slave girl. She had put on some weight, so now she looked healthy. She was wearing an aqua dress with slightly darker aqua and white flowers embroidered on the sides. Her hair had been braided around her head like a wreath of laurels (a new term, waterfall braids, entered my head), and everything below the braids was curled. She had the most radiant smile I had ever seen. As she twirled, I looked at my surroundings. There were several dancers around me, so I assumed it was one of the balls Gozaburo held to raise the army's morale. Among the dancers was Aksira, dancing with what appeared to be the prisoner with full-body bruising, except he was fully healed and had regained muscle tone. I noticed a look on Aksira's face I had seen only when she gazed at one of the better-looking soldiers shirtless. Of course, I looked better than all of the soldiers put together, but she was never stupid enough to give me that look. I didn't notice Gozaburo among the people, though he never danced. He just showed up every now and then for the food and went back to his chambers. Parties were probably too full of happiness for him to stand. The Thieves Guild was notably absent.
I finally got a good look at myself. I was wearing one of my nicest suits (white pants, shiny black boots, and a black jacket with white embroidery on the sleeves, pockets, and lapels – it's Robert's outfit at the ball from the movie Enchanted). I seemed content, a feeling I rarely experienced.
Then the girl had the audacity to come in and hug me. To my shock, I buried my head in her hair and hugged her back. We stayed like that a few moments, and I was afraid the vision would show us kissing. It would be absolutely unprofessional for the second-in-command of an army to show public affection, especially on that level.
Luckily for me, the vision ended, and I was back to myself. I went to go to Ibris, but I was frozen. I couldn't budge.
"What have you done to me?"
"I have seen a vision in the scrying pool. Your comrade, Aksira, placed that necklace on Azrael's keeper to suppress him. However, it has shown me that if I do nothing, when you get back to your army, the leader will search your memories and find that she enchanted the necklace and have her remove it. Then Azrael will break free and destroy you as well as everyone in the vicinity. I have seen that the only way to prevent this is to modify your memory. You'll even forget I enchanted you in the first place."
I was mortified. Memory spells were extremely dangerous, and there was nothing I could do to prevent one cast on me.
"You'll thank me later. Maiaridus."
I mind went blank, and I couldn't remember what I was doing in this strange place. Suddenly, an image of the green-haired man filled my head and I saw him place the necklace on the girl. Her dragon chased Ibris into the cave, where this stranger suppressed him with the necklace. Immediately, the dragon named Azrael vanished. Aksira and Rorex had stayed behind to fight Fang.
How did I forget about that? Did I stay out in the desert sun too long?
Then I remembered my visions I saw in the scrying pool.
That must be why my mind went hazy.
"Thanks for suppressing that dragon."
"It was nothing," he said. "Azrael would have destroyed all my possessions. Well, if you'll excuse me, I must leave at once. The King of White Dragons will surely send out an army of his subjects after me since I've suppressed him. I'll take my leave now."'
With a flash, he vanished into thin air.
This man, whoever he was, was extremely dangerous; I knew I only found him because he wanted to be found. Teleporting was extremely complex, and performing such an act with that much (apparent) ease was a feat in itself.
That, and he claimed to be a survivor of Atlantis.
Atlantis had been destroyed ten thousand years ago. There was no way he could be ten thousand years old.
It was said that Atlantians were long-lived. But they couldn't live that long and still look so young without magic.
And what the heck was a Guardian? I'd never heard of them.
Shaking my head, I looked one more time at the scrying pool. I saw a giant demon fighting a gargantuan black wyrm with a purple belly and fins that almost looked like hair. I noticed the dragon Critias as well as two others, a maroon and a green, flying around the wyrm, attacking the demon. Then I saw a Blue-Eyes White Dragon and a Red-Eyes Black Dragon attack the demon. Both had received many wounds, almost as if they had battled it out with each other before attacking the demon. The vision zoomed in of a man with the weirdest hairstyle I'd ever seen (black with red tips that shot straight up and yellow bangs) summon three monsters that reeked of power. One was a blue humanoid with wings, another was a serpentine red dragon with two mouths and a black belly, and the third was of a golden dragon that resembled a bird.
The vision ended there, but I knew there was more to it. Those three monsters would definitely fight that demon, but the outcome of the battle was unknown.
I sat up with a slight headache. Those visions were probably affecting my mind.
I looked at the slave girl, whom I had forgotten about. She had fallen asleep against Ibris, which was strange, because Ibris would normally scare off any human that got too close to her besides me, and every now and then, Aksira. Ibris had wrapped her wing around the girl's sleeping form and was watching her protectively, another unusual behavior aimed at a stranger. She looked at me as I approached them, but she didn't budge.
"Come on, Ibris. Let's find the others."
She blinked but still didn't move.
"Ibris, let's go."
To my shock, she snapped her jaws at me.
"What's gotten into you?" I demanded. She was behaving almost like… almost like a mother dragon guarding her young.
"You've got to be kidding me."
She gazed at me as if to say, "You'd better believe it."
"Ibris, we've got to get her to a healer so she doesn't die on us."
She snorted. Hmph.
"At the very least, we need to put her in the pool for now so she doesn't overheat."
She gradually lifted her wing, giving permission to move her. I lifted her very gently, since Ibris would watch my every move like a hawk. When I started to walk towards the pool, Ibris shot straight up and followed me there, her snout inches behind my neck.
I'm sure you can imagine that having any predator following you would be unnerving. A lion or tiger stalking you from a distance is one thing, but having a five-ton Blue-Eyes White Dragon padding inches behind you and feeling its hot breath down your neck is a different ballgame.
I set her in the water. The Orichalcos stones began to glow again, so I assumed I would have another vision. I didn't.
The dried blood in her white hair washed away, and I saw the wound on her head heal before my eyes.
What other powers do these stones have?
She remained asleep. As I held her, the stones flashed, and an image of a darker-skinned me wearing linen and blue silk lined with gold showed up on the surface of the water. I was weeping in front of a tablet with a carving of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon and holding a pale, white-haired girl in his arms as a piercing sadness filled my being. It felt so miserable that I almost cried myself.
Ibris lay down next to me and watched the slave.
I supposed that the reason that Ibris was so attached, bordering on foster motherhood, to the slave was that she looked like a human version of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. She looked frail, which would induce pity, but I had a feeling that it was something else, something that I didn't understand that drew Ibris to her.
I gradually fell asleep due to the refreshing water and exhaustion from the battle. My dream was of a white haired-girl and the darker-skinned me, though I couldn't remember what actually happened in my dream when I woke up.
It was later in the afternoon that I heard claw clacks in the cave. Ibris was still against me, her wing over the slave girl and I like a blanket.
I opened my eyes and saw a familiar Red-Eyes Black Dragon approach. Rorex had received a good number of wounds from the fight with Fang, but it appeared that he had won. Aksira was standing in front of him holding a flat rock.
"What's that?"
"I collect flat rocks to use as tablets for spells or artwork."
I nodded, any suspicions thrown off. "Let's go, Aksira. Gozaburo will have our heads if we don't find him soon."
"We don't have to return to him, you know. If he thinks we're dead, we can be free."
I thought for a while, but Aksira continued, crestfallen. "Of course. You're not one to relinquish power so easily, are you?"
"You can still leave."
"I won't. Who will watch over my friends?"
"Friends?"
"You call them slaves, but they're still human beings. Ayari and Mana are the last ones who need to be Gozaburo's slaves, or I suppose concubines."
"I know you have more slaves than those two."
"Friends, not slaves. I get their respect through kindness, not fear."
"Whatever you say. Let's go."
I picked up the slave girl (I was determined not to remember her name for fear of attachment) and set her on Ibris's back as I climbed on myself. I held her in my arms as Ibris took off with Rorex.
XXXXXXXXXXX
Aksira thought about the tablet she picked up in the cave and smiled.
That was a close one.
Okay, so that was a really overdue chapter. I had writer's block and school halfway through, but it's finally up. What do you think?
And what's the deal with Aksira's tablet?
