There is something about knowing I am nearing the end that makes me want to keep coming back more. And this one is so close...
Disclaimer: I don't any any of the YGO characters or plots. I only own Aurora and her family and friends.
The gold light disappeared as Yami drew his his next card. His eyes widened in shock when a glance showed him that the card drawn was the one Pegasus had given him. A sly look crossed his chiseled features and he could feel pride emanating from Aurora just behind him, separated only by the Seal. She knew. It was time to end this duel once and for all.
"Do you know what card I am holding, Dartz? It is the key to unlocking the secret of the Legendary Dragons." He held the card up for Dartz to see, only as they watched, the image on the card changed. Instead of blank white, it revealed the image of three dragons with three swords and a title "Legend of Heart" . Yami knew he would be taking a chance to activate it as he needed 1000 life points and a sacrifice, but it was a chance he was willing to take.
"Now I call forth Critius, Hermos, and Timaeus, in their true form!" Dartz's look of arrogance shattered as he looked on, eyes open in fear. The three dragons began to emerge, flying upward and into a cloud of smoke. The energy in the room pulsed and sizzled around them just before a booming voice could be heard from above.
"At last we are free from captivity!"
A cracking flash of lightning struck the ground in the center of the seal and three knights of blue, green, and red, appeared. The green knight bore a scar over his right eye. He revealed himself as Timaeus as he drew his sword. The Blue Knight announced himself as Sir Critius and the Red Knight Sir Hermos. Each held 2800 attack points. There was a flash of light as they touched their swords over their heads in united fashion.
"In the name of Atlantis, we have been reborn!" Their swords struck the ground and all three levels of the Seal shattered around them. Dartz's monsters all lost their boost, bringing the duel back to a more doable level.
"The Seal is powerless around us," Sir Hermos' thunderous voice declared.
"Have you forgotten our last encounter, Dartz?" Sir Critius asked.
Timaeus scowled as he touched fingertips to his scarred eye. "I know I sure haven't. We have a score to settle."
Yami glanced over his shoulder at Aurora who nodded with a smile. "Help him carry out that score," she told him in a soft command. Understanding that she was merely echoing what was in his own thoughts, Yami nodded in return.
"Timaeus, attack Orichalcos Aristeros!" Yami's life points took a hit as the monster's defense rose 300 points more than Timaeus. He continued the attack by using Critius and Hermos to strike Aristeros. By the time all attacks had been done, Yami's life points were dropped to 250 and he ended his turn.
"Such a shame," Dartz chided him. "You gave nearly all of your life points, but it will not save you. I promise you, your death will come in this next round." Dartz drew his card and then ordered Shunoros to attack Critius.
Yami shook his head. "That attack won't work, Dartz. Thanks to the special ability of Critius, I can bring back one trap card from the graveyard. I now choose Mirror Force!" The magic of Mirror Force lit up the ground at Critius' feet and he touched his sword to the light, absorbing it's magic into the blade. He brought the sword back up in time to send Dartz's monster's attack blasting back to the other side of the arena.
Dartz watched on in horror as all his monsters were distroyed and his life points were knocned down to 14,100. But after a moment, he simply smiled. "That was an excellent move, Pharaoh. But you see, my Shunoros has a special ability as well." His monster cracked and began to fall into pieces, bursting into flames as an added touch. But no sooner had the monster disappeared, had a snake-like monster appeared to take its place. "Welcome my Divine Serpent, Pharaoh. Now granted, there is a price to pay for bringing him to the battle. I must discard my entire hand, and give up all of my life points."
"But that would mean that you lose," Yami said, his eyes slitted curiously as he tried to figure out why Dartz would make such a sacrifice.
"Correct," Dartz acknowledged. "Under normal circumstances, however. But so long as my Divine Serpent is on the field, I shall remain in the game. But if you can find a way to destroy it, then the battle would be yours." Dartz chuckled again. "The catch? The attack force of my Serpent is infinite! There is not a monster in your deck that can defeat it. The moment my Serpant strikes your Knight, your soul will be mine!"
Yami stared down at his duel deck. Closing his eyes, he said a silent prayer to the Heart of the Cards before reaching to draw his card. Opening his eyes, he realized he had drawn Dark Magician Girl. He drew a breath and calmed his nerves again. "I made you a promise, my friend. I won't fail you now." He placed his card face down and ended his turn.
"You put up a good fight, Pharaoh, but now it's time to end this." Dartz discarded ten cards from his deck to allow his Serpent to attack Timaeus. There was a growled shout from the knight before he faded from sight and Yami's life points fell to zero.
Aurora's eyes widened as she watched the attack. The Seal reappeared on the field and began to shrink down around Yami. Instantly, she used her Power to seek out and keep a hold on Yami's presence, reaching for him the only way she knew she could as per the rules of the duel. Her breath returned when she realized his presence was not disappearing from her. She squinted through the cloud of dust from the attack and smiled when she watched the Seal snap into pieces once again. Dark Magician Girl floated in front of Yami, a determined look on her normally innocent seeming features. Her staff held tautly in front of her.
"But... how?" Dartz asked in disbelief. "How is it possible for you to survive?"
"With the help of my trap card Relay Soul. Like your Serpant, my trap allows me to remain in the game when my life points drop to zero by summoning my Dark Magician Girl. I have trusted my fate to her hands. This leaves us both in the same situation. One monster keeping us in play until one or the other is destroyed.
Dartz glared hard at him. "So the rules have been changed for this duel, but it does not increase your chances of winning."
"But unlike you, Dartz, I am not alone. I have the strength of all of my friends behind me, driving me."
"I don't need anyone behind me, Pharaoh. I still have more power than you and your friends. Now I shall prove it." Dartz drew his next set of cards before playing Impact Revive. "I choose to bring back Timaeus!"
"Timaeus? But why?"
"This is how I will prove to you just how powerless you really are." He discarded his ten cards once again and ordered the Divine Serpent to attack.
The attack surged toward Dark Magician Girl, but Yami showed no fear as he activated Hermos' special effect, Sword of Renewal. Hermos absorbed the power of Obnoxious Celtic Guardian to protect him from any monster's attack of 1900 or more. Swiftly, Hermos moved in front of Dark Magician Girl, intercepting the attack from the Serpent. All three knights standing on the field yet again, they force back the Serpent's attack, keeping Yami safe.
"You made such a big deal about infinite attack, but in the end, attack points won't mean a thing," Yami told him.
"You dodge one attack and you think you are king of the world?" Dartz scoffed.
Yami closed his eyes against, concentrating hard. He knew he had to count on all of his friends for this. They all had to work together. Behind the black shade of his closed eyes, he caught the vision of soft hand upon his. His spiritual self looked up to see the serene face of Aurora gazing upon him.
"I am never alone," he murmured to her.
"Never alone," she whispered. "You can do this..." She placed a light kiss upon his lips and faded from sight as he opened his eyes.
"Critius, Hermos, attack Divine Serpent with Sword of Wisdom and Sword of Renewal!"
"It's a wasted attack. They are too weak!"
"Are you so certain, Dartz? Why don't you take another look."
Dartz frowned as the knights attacked with no destruction to themselves. "They should have been destroyed the moment they attacked my Serpent."
"You forget that each knight has their own hidden power. Dartz, you believe in the limitless darkness of the heart, but the power of the light within a heart is just as limitless. Critius absorb the power within my trap card Attack Guidance Barrier and transfer your attack to Hermos. Hermos, I activate your special effect by sacrificing my three magnet warriors to triple the attack and send it back to Critius. By sending it back and forth like this, their power strength matches Infinite!"
"There is no way their attack is greater than my Serpent's. They are stuck in a constant loop between each other."
"I'm not done yet," Yami informed him. "I still have one more knight left. I now use Timaeus' special ability so that he can merge together with Hermos and Critius. Together, they are all a force that is beyond infinity as they become, the Knight of Destiny!"
"Impossible!" Dartz shouted in shock.
"See for yourself. Knight of Destiny: Attack with Sword of Justice!"
Aurora watched as the knight dashed forward and slashed at the serpent with his sword. An opening appeared that showed a space where nothing but orbs of light could be seen. The Serpent went up in flames as Dartz gave an anguished cry.
"Your quest is over, Dartz!"
"No! I have come too far, I am too close! I only need one more powerful soul and the Great Leviathan can rise from the depths of the earth!"
The Serpent disappeared, leaving the rip in space behind. The Knight of Destiny disappeared as well, leaving the three knights individually on the field once again. They stood facing Dartz with fierce scowls on their face.
"Release my friends, Dartz!" Yami commanded.
Dartz growled and the temple around them began to crack and crumble. Aurora gasped as the Leviathan crashed through the wall and snapped Dartz up into its jaws, plunging through the floor and back into the water. Aurora ran to Yami's side as they turned to face the hole in the wall together, watching as a cyclone began in the water. Yami gripped Aurora's hand as the wind whipped around them. He pulled her close to him and was slightly surprised when she allowed him to hold her in a protective manner. His attention never wavered until he felt her body suddenly still in his arms.
"What is it?" He asked her.
She pulled back just enough to point toward the rift the knight had created during the duel. Three orbs of light blasted from the rift and appeared over the hands of each knight.
"You have been freed to that you may return to where you belong," Timaeus explained to the lights. One orb sails passed Yami and Aurora and out of the temple. One orb passes toward Seto and the other floats over Yami's hand. The knights nod to Yami before they fade from sight.
Yami stared down at the orb, almost fearful of it. Aurora gave his hand a squeeze and he looked up at her again. They knew Yugi's soul was in his hand. They could both feel it. Aurora offered him a light smile.
"Are you ready?"
"Not just yet..."
Aurora blinked at him in shock as he looked back down at the orb. "What do you mean?"
Yami was silent a moment. "I've missed Yugi, don't get me wrong. And I am glad that I have him back."
"But?"
Yami looked up at her again with those smoldering eyes that made her knees weak. A part of her knew what he was going to say next. "A part of me was grateful I had... a body of my own... so to speak... for a while."
Aurora tilted her head just slightly, not sure just what to say to that. A part of her had longed to be close to him for so long. There had been one moment that she was able to allow because of the situation. She suddenly understood him. If he allowed Yugi back into his body, they could never have that kind of intimacy again. At least not for a good long time... unless...
She reached out and placed a hand upon his, her other lightly caressing his cheek. "My dear Pharaoh, I understand what you are trying to say. It is hard for me to hold back as well. Especially since..."
"Yeah," he murmured with a nod.
"I'll make a deal with you..."
He frowned and looked back up at her. "A deal?"
She nodded. "Yes... Our time is almost near. Things are about to be very different. After we deal with the Leviathan... and we will deal with it together... using the magic of our people, I will break one of my own rules..."
"What do you mean?"
Aurora lightly tapped a finger on the Millennium Puzzle. "You are not the only one with access to mazes within the Puzzle... I know where to find your chamber within it." Closing her eyes a moment, she swallowed her heart and leaned in to give him one more kiss. "I will find you..." she whispered against his lips. "Just leave it unlocked for me, okay?"
There was a new light in his eyes when she pulled back and he offered up a smile to her. He nodded. "I will."
"Then for now, let us all join together and finish this... I will go wake my friends and meet you to face that Leviathan." Her face warmed when her reached out and touched her chin briefly with a nod. She turned to leave as he closed his eyes and allowed the orb to absorb itself into his body.
Off to get another chapter... I won't promise that it is the last one, but I will promise it is getting closer lol