Just to address a query I've been getting recently about the seemingly fast pace of this fanfic, I would like to say that I do not intend for this to be drawn out to 100+ chapters. I intend to write this story as I feel is natural, and try to include as little filler as possible. Therefore, it may seem like the fic is moving at a fast pace, but rest assured that there is plenty more to come and it will continue to be as plot-driven as it has been so far.

Anyway, now that that has been addressed, please enjoy the latest chapter!

Chapter 21: Reunion

Cold. White. Drained.

As Tanion flickered in and out of consciousness, these were the three things he could make out as his body refused to listen to him. He could hear nothing, say nothing, and see very little. It was as if he had been robbed of his senses, his whole sense of self. He could remember nothing, only that which he would see when every now and again he would seem to wake for a rare moment, and then he was under again.

It was an odd experience. He was neither asleep nor awake, seemingly balancing on the precipice. He was slightly aware of his situation, almost like the real world before him was like a memory he couldn't touch. He could not think, could not formulate any sense of thought or feeling. It was like he was apart from the world, and yet a part of it.

And then he felt nothing.

"Where… where are we?"

It had been two days since the events at Eravand. As Jorann finally awoke, he peered around the room, and could see Yusei lying in a bed opposite his, unconscious. The beds themselves were made of wood, which lent to the rustic feel that the room gave off. Beside Yusei's bed, Jorann could see Jaden sitting there, watching over Yusei with a worried eye.

"You're in a safe place," Jaden answered quietly. "All three of you are injured badly, both physically and spiritually. You need time to recover."

"Where's the boy?" Jorann asked, his head throbbing. "Where's Tanion?"

"He's in another room, being tended to by someone else," Jaden said. "I don't know how he's alive."

"What do you mean?"

"His Duel Energy is next to gone, and it doesn't seem to be returning," Jaden answered slowly. "I've never seen anything like it. I've seen people drop dead with far more energy left than he has, and yet he's still alive. Barely."

"Where is he?" Jorann asked, swinging his legs out of bed. "I have to –"

His legs collapsed under him as he tried to stand, and if it hadn't been for Jaden, he doubted his arms would've been able to stop the fall either. Breathlessly, he could feel that his body seemed useless, and as Jaden helped him back into the bed, he noticed the bandages wrapped around his torso and left arm.

"What happened to me?" Jorann asked. "What happened to us?"

"What's the last thing you remember?" Jaden asked him as he pulled a stool over to sit on.

"We dueled Seto and Irene, and then Tanion summoned a horse," Jorann recalled. "After that, we were being chased, and then… then I was here."

Jaden simply nodded. "I teleported the three of you here," Jaden answered. "It was risky, but I had no choice. Teleporting all of us at once… it was not a good idea."

Jorann nodded in understanding at this. He could piece together everything that had happened since the duel started, and he was grateful to Jaden for saving them when he did. But he couldn't stop himself from thinking about Tanion, or where they were.

"Did you see the duel?" Jorann asked him.

"I did not," Jaden said. "I only came in at the end, when I was told that a huge amount of Synchro Energy had been depleted and that I needed to go and help them."

"Who told you?" Jorann asked.

"I did."

The voice came from the doorway. Turning to face the newcomer, Jorann was ready for just about anything. However, upon seeing who it was, his jaw dropped, and he silently cursed himself for not recognising the voice beforehand.

"It is nice to see you are awake, Jorann," Yugi Muto said with a smile. "I was wondering when you would come around."

"You… all three, here…" Jorann was struggling for words.

"Is it really that much of a shock to you that we would all keep in touch?" Yugi asked as he moved toward Yusei. "How is he?"

"Yubel reckons he's stable, but his body seems to be in shock," Jaden answered factually. "His Duel Energy is fine, but his body is going to take a while to recover."

"Nothing I can do for him then," Yugi said. "Do you want something to eat, Jorann?"

"I want answers!" Jorann said, flabbergasted. "Where have you been all this time? Where are we? What's going on?"

Yugi simply smiled. "I think it's best to go for a walk to explain this all, wouldn't you agree?"

"But I can't stand."

"You've been awake for a while now. Try again."

Following Yugi's wish, Jorann swung his legs out again, with Jaden ready to help him if needed. However, unlike last time, his legs, although shaky, held firm underneath him, and could feel his muscles stretching and releasing as they seemed to regain energy as he stood.

"There, isn't that better?" Yugi said happily. "Jaden, please go and see to Tanion. See if Yubel can do anything different this time."

"Of course," Jaden said, walking past Yugi and heading out of the room.

"How is the boy?" Jorann asked. "Jaden is surprised he's alive."

"So am I," Yugi admitted. "He has only a flicker of Duel Energy left in him, no doubt a result of his reckless summoning at Eravand."

"He was doing what he thought he had to do," Jorann defended him.

"A man must know his limits," Yugi said. "Tanion did not, and now he might pay the price."

"Will he live?"

"We can only hope," Yugi said sombrely. "Can you walk?"

Jorann gingerly test out his legs. "I think I'll manage," he answered eventually.

"Good. Come with me, and I'll answer what questions you may have."

Jorann followed Yugi out of the room slowly, and he realised that the building they were in was much larger than he would've thought. It seemed to be almost mansion-like, with the room emptying out onto a walkway on the second floor, a bunch of doors scattered along the path. Down the hall, he could see a stairwell leading to a large vestibule, and as they approached, he could see that to the right of the vestibule was a dining hall of sorts.

"The best way to answer your questions is to start at the beginning," Yugi said as they walked. "Around 7 years ago, I defeated Seto in the finals of the Standing Duel Grand Championship. Afterward, Jaden and Yusei approached me and asked for my help. Although we already knew each other at the time and were referred to as The Three, no one, not even us, knew how important that would become. For Yubel had sensed something off in our world, and so we came together to pool our abilities and figure out what the problem was. Although we were still all quite young then, in our early 20's, we still had many connections in the world due to our dueling prowess. After over a year of researching the phenomenon Yubel had detected, I was then led to Seto Kaiba."

"He mentioned that Irene approached him after that duel…" Jorann recalled.

Yugi nodded. "I tried to convince him otherwise, but it was no use. He had made up his mind, and you know how Kaiba is with things."

"So you knew about Irene and The Grand Order then?" Jorann realised. "Why didn't you do anything?"

"I couldn't. I tried," Yugi answered. "But it was no use. No one would believe that the world was in danger in a way outside of our own making. But then, just before the war began, He appeared before me."

Jorann's eyes widened as he realised who Yugi was talking about. "You don't mean…"

"Atem," Yugi nodded, with a slight sadness permeating his face. "He returned from the afterlife with one final task; returning the God cards to me. He said they would be needed for the war to come."

"You have them with you and you don't use them? Why?" Jorann demanded.

"The Gods are angry," Yugi said ominously. "They can sense the disturbance in our reality better than I ever could, and I soon vowed to never release that anger upon anyone. They were powerful enough before, but now…"

"They could've turned the war and prevented much of it from happening," Jorann protested. "Hell, even now –"

"No!" Yugi snapped. "I am not using the Duel Monsters for war. That's not what they were meant for. That's not how things should be."

"But that's how they are," Jorann reminded him.

"The Gods gave me the power to feel the world's energy," Yugi said. "If I concentrate, I can sense all of those who don't belong. There is, and always was, too many for me alone."

"Those who don't belong?" Jorann echoed. "You're not suggesting that The Grand Order are from another world, are you? Our scientists –"

"Our scientists said that it was possible with enough Duel Energy," Yugi continued. "You saw Irene perform an XYZ Summon. I think that is proof enough."

"Why come here? What do they want?"

"I am not omnipotent, Jorann," Yugi said. "I do not know their motives nor their agenda. I've been here ever since the war began, keeping the Gods away from the fighting and the bloodshed. I will not allow their anger to pour onto the battlefield."

"So you've been here all this time?" Jorann wondered aloud. "Wherever here is."

"Look out the window," Yugi said, pointing the large one ahead of them. "Tell me what you see."

Peering through the glass, Jorann gasped as he took in the spectacle. Below them was a mountain range covered in snow, and in the distance, he could make out what seemed to be an old city of some sort. He racked his brain for where they could be, until eventually he came upon an answer.

"We're in the Himalayas," he realised. "So close to Eravand…"

"Thanks to the Gods' gift, I've learned to mask my Duel Energy," Yugi said. "When the war started and I explained to Jaden what my wishes were, he had Yubel create this mansion from materials found from the city below. Although we are kind of close to Eravand here, this mansion dug into the mountainside is perfect for me. Not to mention that it's cloaked by an enchantment Yubel placed on it. No one can see this place unless I allow it."

"That Duel Spirit is very versatile," Jorann noted.

"Thanks to the bond she shares with Jaden, she can do things I had never thought possible," Yugi admitted. "Thanks to that bond, I've been able to live here since the war began. Jaden would occasionally appear with food and other resources and news, but other than that I've lived alone."

"What about your friends?" Jorann asked. "What were their names… Joey and Tea and everyone?"

"I don't know," Yugi admitted. "I haven't heard from them in years. We went our separate ways after the incident with Aigami, Tea going to America to dance, Joey entered the pro circuit like I did, and Tristan went into the army I believe… but since the war started, well, Jaden's found out nothing about them."

They continued onward for a time in silence, until Yugi led them to a door that led downward. As they headed down, with Jorann taking his time on the stairs, he noted that the room they were heading into seemed to be almost a basement of sorts. No natural light entered the room apart from the stairwell, and candles and lanterns lit the room. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, though, Jorann could sense something horribly powerful on the other end of the room.

"I am aware of your ability to communicate with spirits through their cards," Yugi said. "It's quite a rare ability, you know. Because of that, you must be able to feel the Gods' anger, correct?"

"It's overpowering," Jorann admitted. "It's almost like they're trying to break out of the cards."

"This is why I never released them," Yugi said. "Their power… I don't ever want to see that kind of anger unleashed. I realise for normal monsters, this anger could be contained in a normal duel…"

"Yusei broke through that barrier with his emotions alone in the duel against Seto and Irene," Jorann remembered. "The Gods would have no issue doing so."

"Precisely," Yugi said. "The fact of the matter is, I couldn't just get rid of them. They would almost certainly find their way into the hands of someone who couldn't handle their power and they would be corrupted by it. So, I've had to remain here, making sure they never see the light of day."

"Just like good old Pegasus tried to do," Jorann said with a light-hearted chuckle.

"Pretty much, yeah," Yugi admitted.

"There's one thing you haven't told me," Jorann said. "Will Tanion live?"

Yugi simply sighed. "I don't know," he answered. "His condition is unlike anything I've encountered. Normally, in such a situation, I'd be able to redirect Duel Energy from the world around us into his body, forcibly regenerating his own reserves, but he's from Eden. His Duel Energy is different. Although it does still absorb ours, he is like a bottomless hole in our world."

"What does this mean for him?"

"Geez, how do I explain it…" Yugi pondered, scratching his chin. "His Duel Energy will refill to the point in which we would consider it to be 'full'. However, as you know, with practise, one can expand their Duel Energy reserves, although this can be tricky for some and everyone's maximum is different. For some, it's quite small, for others its large. Because of his nature, Tanion has no limit."

"Do you know what archetype he uses, Yugi?" Jorann asked him, worry spread across his face.

"I do not."

"He uses the Knights."

"I see," Yugi said grimly. "And you knew this when you brought him through from Eden?"

"He was the best candidate, and the only one who past the trial duel," Jorann answered. "He was all we could get, and I'm yet to see any signs of trouble from him."

"Nevertheless, this is troubling news," Yugi mumbled. "However, before we can worry about that, he has to still survive his ordeal."

Just as he said those words, footsteps could be heard barrelling down the stairs behind them. Turning away from the God cards, Yugi and Jorann came face to face with Jaden, who seemed out of breath and quite panicky.

"What is it?" Yugi asked.

"Tanion," Jaden gasped. "His Duel Energy is thrashing out wildly. Yubel can't control it, although she's still trying to. She needs your help."

"His Duel Energy?" Jorann asked worriedly as he noticed Yugi's face going pale.

"It's a survival mechanism," Yugi answered. "It's fight or flight, a base instinct. It's not sentient, if that's what you're wondering. Think of it as your body going into survival mode in order to live. His Duel Energy is on its last legs, and so instead of giving up, its reacting dangerously, thrashing out in an attempt to draw in energy from the body."

"I've never heard of anything like this before," Jorann said as they hurried for the stairs. "What danger does it pose?"

"If we don't get it under control, it'll tear Tanion apart from the inside out," Yugi answered as he took two steps at a time. "And even if we get it under control, if it stops fighting entirely…"

"Spit it out!" Jorann ordered.

"If it stops fighting entirely, Tanion will die."

Coming Soon: Chapter 22 - Bond of Synchro