Empire of Shadows, a very long YuGiOh! epic by Tsunami Storm
Chapter 21: The Final Battle
"I just remembered something." Seto observed as all of the winged Guardians prepared to take off, this time accompanied by several dragons who would carry those that couldn't fly. They were immensely grateful for the freedom from the mind-enslaving power of the Shadow Hunters, and were eager to assist their liberators in any way they could. It was also their way of apologizing for their actions while under the influence of the evil magic.
"What is it, Seto?" Mahaad asked, looking over from Curse of Dragon's back.
"Wasn't the Castle on a floating island when we came here before to free the then-Nameless Dragons? How come it's on the ground now?" He asked the magician.
"Bandit Keith." Mana growled, the expression foreign to her normally sunny attitude. "He broke all the wards and spells around the Castle that kept the island afloat and crashed it into the forest north of the Fountain. His forces were too many to travel to the Castle on dragon-back or winged beast, and humans cannot fly without some type of magic. So that murderer decided to wreck our home instead."
"He jus' got lucky dat da whole Castle didn' fall apart when it crashed inta da surface." Joey frowned, glaring down at their destination from the back of his Red-Eyes. There had been quite a few tearful reunions when Seto finally broke off the memory bracelets that kept his friends' memories locked away. They still had all of their Ka's memories as well, so it was a bit difficult keeping everything straight. But it wouldn't be too much longer until they would regain their human forms and become separate beings once again.
But there was one Guardian who was secretly glad that he wasn't in his original form. If he had been, he wouldn't be able to move his entire lower half. That last attack from the Orichalcos Gigas had shattered at least three thoracic vertebrae in his spine and had severed his spinal cord entirely. Malik prayed that- with the advanced technology of the Dominion- his mobility would be restored to its original state. He didn't want to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair and have others take care of him. That would be humiliating. [Nothing against paraplegics or other paralyzed folks. I have the utmost empathy for you. It is very humbling when it happens to you through an accident or something, though.]
"Ahh, thanks Kaiba. This feels much better!" Malik sighed happily as he twisted his gelatin body into every possible shape and contortion conceivable now that his midsection was no longer frozen to keep the bracelet in place. "I love being able to morph into any shape I want! Flexibility is awesome!"
"Yeah, being a living bunny was okay, but I think I still prefer a humanoid body- even if I'm a robot now." Noah shrugged from beside his Ka. Seto looked down guiltily, but his stepbrother surprised everyone by putting a hand on his upper arm. "You did the best with what you could, Nii-san. Better than most, actually. I don't blame you. I'm just happy to be out of that glitch-ridden VR world."
Everyone else voiced their thanks for their freedom, and the dragon hero merely smiled and nodded. That's what friends were for. Then each of the winged beasts took off- some carrying passengers, others flying solo. Seto himself took a deep breath, then transformed his cape into dragon wings and gauntlets and boots into dragon claws, reveling in the painless transformation. He frowned when a dragon's tail curled around his right leg from the base of his spine, but then shrugged. He didn't really need a tail for just gliding down to the Castle, but it didn't really harm anything either, so he decided to just go with it. Then he too jumped off the edge of the floating island.
"They did WHAT?!" Pegasus cried, utterly horrified by the news given to him by his guest. The young woman nodded slowly. She'd known that Keith Howard was not a man to be trusted and that he seldom played by the rules, but even she didn't think he'd go this far.
"I'm afraid it's true. It's like they surrendered to their lowest instincts when they conquered that place, and lost their humanity in the process. The worst ones actually nearly became cannibals, and I only say 'nearly' because the intended victim was rescued at the last minute. 'Toon Black Magician Girl' got really lucky that Wheeler was in the area." Vivian Wong explained, happy that Joey had saved the Duel Monster's life, but disgusted with the behavior of some of her former cohorts. It was an unwilling partnership, but she couldn't help her actions when she was under mind control. Her actions were not her own. "And that's just the tip of the iceberg, I'm afraid." She added.
"This is truly upsetting. A troubling matter indeed." The creator of Duel Monsters mused, swirling his glass of wine in one hand as he tapped his chin with a finger of the other. "I do hope Kaiba-boy and all the others are all right over there." He said worriedly, genuinely concerned for the young man and the rest of the Guardians.
"They seemed to be in fairly good health when I encountered them." Vivian shrugged. "But that was days ago, months in that world. They could be anywhere in that whole realm by now." She added worriedly, but then brightened up. "But something tells me they're all still all right. Knowing Kaiba, he's probably confronting Keith as we speak."
"I do hope so, for the Dominion's sake. I don't think they can take much more of that madman's rule." Pegasus sighed. "If Kaiba-boy doesn't see to it, I shall personally make sure that every single true Shadow Hunter is punished for his or her crimes. That's not including you, my dear, because you were controlled by their dark arts." He smiled at her, and she sighed gratefully and with relief. "All who were enslaved against their will shall be pardoned- if they survived the battle." He added with a worried frown.
"Something tells me that Kaiba would show mercy to the ones who had no choice." Vivian nodded. "He is a hero, after all." She smiled proudly. But then she frowned again. "I just hope that he himself comes out of this whole 'Empire of Shadows' unscathed." She looked down at her sandaled feet in worry.
"I'm sure he will. Kaiba-boy's surprisingly resilient. If anyone can make it through this and free the other Living World, it's him." Pegasus beamed, his chipper mood returned. "Now, where do you suppose the defeated Shadow Hunters came out in our world?" (Just FYI, most are trapped in Duat in their own personal Penalty Games.)
Seto and the other twenty Guardians waved goodbye to their dragon mounts as they flew back to their home in the skies, roaring their 'farewells' back. The dragon hero sighed as he transformed his wings, tail and claws back into pieces of his armor and cape, then pulled open an enormous oak door with his considerable strength and marched into the Entrance Hall of the Castle. He looked back with a small smile at Mana and Joey, who nodded back. "We've come full circle now." The young spellcaster sighed. "It's been so long since we've been back here. It almost feels like a lifetime. So much has happened."
"Yeah. Now our company is twenty-one-strong instead of just three of us." Seto nodded, also feeling a sense of homecoming. Mokuba was imprisoned in this Castle, and so was Hana. Somewhere.
"Yer brother's pro'ly in da stables. Dat's where most a' da horses an' half-horse monsters stay." Joey observed wisely, and Seto nodded. That would make the most sense. Without another word, he ran over to the stables adjacent to the Castle and broke open the stable doors, splintering the barricade like it was a toothpick.
"Mokuba!" Seto gasped, running over to the stall where his brother was dozing lightly.
"Seto!" The boy cried, overflowing with joy to see his elder brother after so long. Seto broke the lock on the stall door and ran right in, tackling his brother around the waist in a bear-hug. It felt a little strange being the shorter one hugging the taller one for once, but it wasn't unpleasant.
"Mokuba. I've missed you so much. I thought about you every single day that we were separated." Seto breathed, a few tears pricking at his eyes.
"Same here, Nii-sama." Mokuba answered, getting a little teary himself. "I prayed to all the gods I knew to keep you guys safe on your journey, and I guess they heard me." He chuckled, and Seto smiled. "Believe me, there were definitely times when I needed it. Thanks for looking out for me, kiddo."
"Anytime, Nii-sama. You've looked out for me all these years, it's about time I started returning the favor." The young centaur joked, making his brother smile again.
"So, kid, ready to get outta here and get in a few good kicks during the battle?" Seto grinned, and Mokuba's smile turned positively evil. "What do you think?" He asked rhetorically, and both brothers laughed. Even some of the Guardians joined in. And with that, the hero and twenty one Guardians filed out of the stables and marched right through the front doors of the Castle, ready to confront the Shadow King, 'Bandit' Keith Howard.
-In the throne room-
"You lowlife scum! You broke my back!" Malik roared by way of greeting at the smug Shadow King as the heroes approached the dais where Keith sat. Seto looked around the room briefly, and took a small step backward in shock when a certain sight met his gaze. The three Dragon Knights- in their human forms- and the Duel Monster 'High Priestess' were chained to four 'Nightmare Cross' traps set up in the throne room, forced to watch helplessly as the Dragon Hero would battle the Shadow King in this last decisive bout. As he looked, Critias smirked sheepishly at the hero in fond recognition, happy to see his distant descendant but embarrassed to be in such a compromising state. Seto smiled softly to himself. At least the Knights were back to their old selves now.
"So what? You're a spineless blob of jelly anyway! You don't even need a backbone!" The card shark shot back, still proud as a peacock over his accomplishments.
"He'll need it when we get out of here." Seto growled, glaring daggers at the usurper. The phrase 'If looks could kill-' suddenly sprang to mind. He'd be Swiss cheese by now. Seto thought absently with an almost infinitesimal smirk. That was a pretty amusing mental image.
"That's assuming you can beat me, Prince Dragon-pants." Keith spat, standing up from his throne and drawing his sword, transforming it into a Duel Blade, strapping the handle onto his wrist and adjusting the portion that covered his hand. That part had a slot for the Graveyard.
Seto raised his eyebrows. "Interesting design. You're left-handed?" He asked, and Keith grinned evilly. "Not originally, but I learned to fight with both hands during my conquest. And if you're hoping I've gotten rusty since then, think again. My skills are still as razor-sharp as my blade."
Once again, the dragon hero looked slightly surprised. "That just gave me an idea. Hold on a sec'." He drew his training blade and sheathed his true sword, turning the regular sword into a sturdy shield emblazoned with the symbol of the White Dragon.
Now it was Keith's turn to raise his eyebrows, but Seto answered him before he could open his mouth. "You're wondering what I'm gonna use as a Duel Disk, right? Like I said with Umbra way back when this whole quest started, I don't need a Duel Disk to defeat the likes of you. I might need a shield. You never know."
"Still as arrogant as the day I met you." Keith growled. "You haven't changed at all. Even after all these years."
"You'd be surprised." Seto growled back, thinking how much he had in fact changed since back then. He'd pretty much defined 'creep'. Now he liked to think that he was a bit more grown-up and sociable. Well, I was only thirteen then. I've grown up quite a bit. Maybe not much physically, but mentally definitely.
"Enough with the witless banter. Let's get this over with. Once I crush you, I'll be able to commence my Millennium reign of Darkness." Keith grinned, slotting his deck into his Duel Blade and leveling it at Seto.
"You really think you'll rule for a thousand years, huh?" Seto growled as he drew his own sword, the blade crackling with white lightning.
"I will! Before I had my men destroy that monstrosity, I took a drink from the Fountain of Youth. I'm gonna live forever, and there's nothing you can do about it!" Keith laughed uproariously, confident beyond a shadow of a doubt that his plans would succeed.
Seto shook his head. "That water doesn't work. I took a drink from it myself when I restored that area, and it didn't do anything special. It's just pure H2O. It doesn't do anything for regular humans like you or me." He told him, causing Keith to suddenly halt in his gales of laughter and gape at the dragon prince.
"Wh-what? But- but it makes Duel Monsters immortal! Why doesn't it work the same way for me, the Millennium King of the Shadows?!" Keith spluttered, completely taken aback.
Seto shrugged. "Dunno. That's just what Mahaad told me on our journey. It does nothing whatsoever to humans. It's just really good water." Then he thought about his answer. "But- now that I think about it- there may be trace amounts of healing magic in it. It can fix up small wounds or poison in a matter of seconds. Doesn't work for big wounds, though. Like sword-wounds." He added, looking at his own blade for emphasis.
Opposite him, Keith was still sputtering. "You're lying. You gotta be lying! My reign will last for a thousand years, even longer! I myself will carve my name into the Dominion's history for all eternity! I will be legendary! I will be a god!" He vowed, snarling at the hero and assembled Guardians.
"Fat chance." Seto muttered to his friends, some of whom snorted in agreement.
"You'll pay for trying to deceive me, you bastard! I'm gonna send you straight to Hell where you belong! Since I'm the ruler of this world-" Keith smirked, "-it's only natural that I pick the rules."
"Have it your way. We both know it won't be going your way for much longer." Seto muttered, ready to beat this idiot.
"We'll start at 4000 Life Points like you're used to, but use the rules of Duelist Kingdom." Keith grinned evilly behind his shades.
"What?!" Most of the Guardians cried.
"That means you do not need to tribute summon, Seto. That is a good thing, right?" Mahaad said with a comforting grin. At his words, Seto relaxed a bit. The magician did have a good point.
"Yes." Keith sneered. "But this way I can also crush you easier."
"Less talkin', more duelin'!" Joey yelled impatiently.
"I'm the king and will go first!" Keith yelled, pulling out his first card so forcefully that he nearly tore it. "I summon 'Bowganian' [1300/1000] in Attack mode!" The eyeball-like monster with a crossbow appeared with a wink.
"Not a bad opening move. For him, anyway." Seto muttered.
"Before my turn ends, say goodbye to 600 of your Life Points!" Keith howled with laughter as Bowganian shot its crossbow, slicing Seto's upper right arm and actually piercing through his armor. Seto gripped his arm in shock and pain as his Life Points decreased to 3400.
"Seto!" The female Guardians cried out in unison, horror-struck.
"I'm fine." Seto growled as he pulled his sixth card. "Shada, [1800/1500] you're up." He waved Souto no Jackal Senshi forward.
"As you command." Shada's left head answered humbly. "I am ready." The right echoed.
"Destroy his monster!" Seto ordered and Shada charged and cut Keith's monster in half with one swing of his double-bladed ax. Keith had 3500 points remaining after that.
"I wouldn't be celebrating." Keith growled. "I still have more Life Points than you, brat."
"Yeah, I know. But that's gonna change real quick." Seto replied as he placed two cards face-down.
"My turn!" Keith called. "I summon 'Drillago' [1600/1100] in Attack mode and place a card face-down." The drill monster appeared with all of its drills spinning. Behind it, the covered card appeared.
"I'm almost a hundred percent sure that's a trap." Yugi said worriedly. "The only problem is that card."
"I end my turn." Keith said with another smug smirk.
"Well, sometimes you gotta spring the trap." Seto answered his ultimate dueling rival, pulling out his next card. "First I'll summon Noah [700/500] in Attack mode!"
"Ready to hop all over him!" Noah squeaked almost threateningly as he jumped out in front of his stepbrother. He was already incensed that his Nii-san got hurt by this fiend. How did that monster manage to pierce Seto's dragon armor, anyway?
"A bunny?!" Keith laughed incredulously. "How is that pathetic thing gonna help you win?"
"I'll show you." Seto growled angrily. No one insulted his family and got away with it! "Noah, attack him directly and make sure it hurts."
"Right!" Noah agreed, leaping in the air with the help of his rocket and striking Keith right in the gut, dropping his Life Points to 2700.
My progress is slow, but I'm getting there. Seto thought pensively. "Now Shada, attack Drillago!"
"At once!" Both of Shada's heads agreed, throwing his axe at the drill monster.
"Not happening!" Keith snarled as one of his covered cards flipped up. "Go, 'Magic-Reflection Armor - Metal Force'!" A metal coating covered the drill monster and its attack increased to 2000. Drillago retaliated by drilling into Shada with its right arm, destroying him and sending him to the Graveyard. In response, Seto's Life Points ticked down to 3200.
"Noah, back to the group." Seto ordered and Noah obeyed, albeit grudgingly. He wanted another shot at that creep. "Next I place two face-downs and end my turn." The cards appeared before their duelist as always.
"I summon 'Pendulum Blade Torture Machine' [1750/2000] in Attack mode!" Keith called and the pendulum monster appeared. "Yikes. Dat ting looks sharp." Joey grimaced, secretly glad he wasn't on the field right now. "Now attack him with 'Slashing Blade Attack'!" The pendulum swung toward Seto.
The girls gasped as one, but Seto remained calm as always. "Too easy. I play 'Holy Barrier - Mirror Force', which I'm sure you're familiar with." Seto smirked as his left card flipped up and both of Keith's monsters shattered.
"Damn it!" Keith roared and stomped his feet, looking just like a petulant child sent to Timeout. "I play the spell 'Resurrection of the Dead' to get my 'Bowganian' back onto the field."
"Great." Joey muttered sarcastically, grimacing at the one-eyed cretin machine.
"Bowganian, take 600 points outta Kaiba so I can take his life! Let's see how cocky he is after that!" After taking a bolt to the left thigh this time, Seto had 2600 Life Points remaining. He staggered backward from the impact and glared at Keith like he wanted nothing more than to march right over there and knock some of his teeth out.
"Cheap shot." Seth snarled, and Seto heartily agreed with him.
"Before we continue, I suppose you're wondering how my monsters' attacks are piercing through your armor." Keith smirked, but Seto only continued to glare at him. "You've heard that diamond is the only thing that can cut through other diamonds, right? Well, dragon scales work the same way. I made special bolts for my Bowganian's crossbow, and I washed each of my other metal servants in a bath of dragon's blood to make them more powerful than ever." He crowed proudly, causing every one of the Guardians and the dragon prince to gasp in shock and horror, then glare at him in fury beyond words.
"You monster!" Mana cried, nearly flying at the Shadow King- but stopping when her master and brother held her back. "You killed those dragons to get their blood, just to make your monsters stronger to hurt Seto?! You are sick! You have completely lost your mind!"
"Your turn, Kaiba." Keith answered smugly, not even remotely fazed by Mana's outburst.
"You have no soul. You're not even human, Keith." Seto growled, pulling out a card from his deck. "I summon Joey [1800/1600] in Attack mode."
"Ready ta burn 'is face off!" Joey yelled, running onto the field and leveling his blade at his smirking opponent.
"Oh great, that moron." Keith muttered, rolling his eyes.
"Yeah, it's me. So flattered ya remember. I hope ya also recall dat I kicked yer ass twice in da real Duelist Kingdom, so don' go underestimatin' me!" Joey snarled back.
"Well said, Joey." Seto chuckled, and the warrior grinned back at him. "Next I'll play the spell card 'Salamandra' to power you up." He added as Joey's sword burst into flames. "Now make him pay. Roast his monster and reduce his points."
"Here comes da fire!" Joey called as he melted down Bowganian into liquid and Keith's Life Points to 1500.
"That's all for this turn." Seto growled, finally calmed down a bit after hearing only one of the atrocities that Keith had committed in the Dominion. And Seto would make sure he paid for every- single- one of them.
"Well, since you have some new cards, it's only fair if I show you some of mine!" Keith smirked, pulling out his card, but at the same time sneaking one card out of his wristband. "I play the spell card 'Salvageable Components'!" [fake]
"That doesn't sound good." Mai grimaced worriedly.
"Right you are, Mai dear." Keith smirked. [Yes, I put that pun in on purpose.] "This lets me summon back any Machine-type monster in Defense mode, so long as I remove the same number of cards in my deck from play." Keith explained as he discarded three cards and slid them into a pocket. "I summon Bowganian, Drillago, and Pendulum Blade Torture Machine!"
"Why defense?" Mokuba asked with a tilt of his head, confused.
"Or a better question is, why that many monsters?" Atem squeaked in answer.
"Next I summon 'Machine King' [2200/2000]!" The robot monster marched up to the field. "This monster gets 100-"
"-Attack points for every Machine on the field, so it's attack increases to 2500." Seto interrupted and finished for him. "Honestly, how much of a novice do you think I am?" He sighed impatiently, tapping his foot.
"Dat's da same strength as me." Joey observed nervously.
"Yeah, that's kinda the point, Blondie." Keith growled, not happy about being interrupted. "Machine King, attack that FIRE-attribute pain in my ass!" Both Joey and Machine King shattered into pixels, Joey gasping in pain after his opponent struck him in the ribs and probably broke a few. Seto winced, but he knew that Joey would be okay after the duel ended. Duel Monsters always recovered before they were needed again in a duel, whether it was the same one or a different battle. The same was not true for him, however. The deep gashes on his arm and leg still hadn't stopped bleeding, and there was already a sizable pool of red on the floor at his feet.
"Two face-downs will do it for now." Keith smiled as the two cards appeared, glad that he'd managed to hurt the duelist who'd thoroughly schooled him twice now. How dare he bring that up again!
"We'll see." Seto growled, pulling the next card from the top of his deck. "First I summon Mana, [2000/1700] then the spell card 'Sage's Jewel' to call out her master as well, Mahaad! [2500/2000]" The magicians floated to either side of Seto.
"Let us end this now." Mana growled, gripping her staff so hard her knuckles were turning white.
"Patience." Mahaad chided calmly, but he was smiling too. He was proud of her bravery and her desire to avenge the noble dragons, but Seto had to order an attack before they could do anything. Those were the rules of battle, after all.
"Next the spell card 'Diffusing Wave'! I pay 1000 Life Points to get rid of every monster on your side of the field!" Seto called as his Life Points decreased to a mere 1600. Mahaad charged up his own staff and let the magic fly. All of Keith's monsters shattered as they were struck and sliced in pieces by the waves of power. "Mana, finish this nightmare." He ordered grimly, and Mana nodded.
"It would be my pleasure." Mana smiled dangerously, releasing her own magic at a smirking Keith. Clearly he was planning something.
"I play 'Reincarnation of the Dead' to bring back my 'Slot Machine AM-7' [2000/2300] in Defense mode!" Keith called with a maniacal laugh as Mana screamed in shock, denial and pain. As she disappeared to the Graveyard, Seto's Life Points dropped to 1300.
Seto growled to himself. This is infuriating and going nowhere. He thought angrily. "I end my turn."
"Good, because you're goin' down!" Keith laughed, drawing his card and one out of his other wristband. "I play my '7 Card' spell card and increase my monster's Attack points!" The left slot moved to the number seven and Slot Machine AM-7 now had 2700 Attack points.
"Not good." Ryou grimaced.
"And just for fun, I'll activate a new little beauty from my hand called 'Grimhilde's Jealousy'! [fake] When I activate this card, Queen Grimhilde likes to be the only one getting attention on the field. So if she's not, she takes 1000 Life Points for every monster on your side of the field! And unlike with Snow White, I don't think her Huntsman will have any problems cutting out your heart, Kaiba!" He laughed as the wicked Queen of the fairy-tale appeared on the field and pointed an imperious finger at Seto. Her Huntsman ran up and slashed the dragon hero across the chest- cutting right through his breastplate and his chain mail- drawing a thick line of blood from his left shoulder to his right hip. Seto gasped and cried out in agony as his life energy twisted out of his back and dropped his points to only 300, and he crossed his arms across his chest in a vain effort to try to stop the bleeding. He was nearly forced to his knees from the unbearable pain, but he managed to stay upright through sheer force of will.
"And for the icing on the cake, I switch my monster into Attack mode." Keith grinned. "Attack that other pathetic magician and bring me that much closer to my victory!" He ordered.
Mahaad gasped as he was destroyed and Seto echoed his friend, his Life Point counter ticking down to a mere 100 points. He was barely standing at this point, and all the Guardians behind him were watching him with trepidation, fearing he would collapse at any time.
"Really not good." Yugi squeaked back to his albino friend.
"That's all for this turn. Nothing you can do will beat me!" Keith crowed, thinking he was going to win.
"I beg to d-differ." Seto growled out as he drew his final card. "I play th-the c-card 'Dual Summon' and c-call Kisara [3000/2500] and Mokuba, [1300/1550] b-both in At-attack mode."
"Ready to finish this, sis?" Mokuba looked back at the White Dragon after galloping to the front, rearing a challenge to the man who'd dared hurt his beloved brother so badly. Kisara nodded curtly, then bowed her head and closed her eyes, concentrating on something. Immediately, she was enveloped in an aura of bright white light, emerging seconds later as a female knight with Blue-Eyes White Dragon armor- a feminine version of Seto's own. Then she drew her own 'Sword of White Lightning' and stepped onto the field, though her blade looked like a scimitar rather than a broadsword.
"Nothing would make me happier." Kisara growled, an expression of terrible fury on her normally sweet face. Her outrage was so fierce that Duos actually took a step backward, away from his terrifying dragon warrior.
"Kisara, use y-your 'White Lightning' on 'Slot Machine AM-7'." Seto ordered weakly, barely able to call the attack. He wouldn't last much longer at this rate.
The attack of the Blue-Eyes White Dragoness Knight [Not a real monster, btw.] destroyed Keith's monster and left him with 1200 points, the perfect amount for Mokuba to finish him off.
"Mokuba." Seto breathed to his brother. The young centaur looked over with a small, worried smile. Seto smiled back with love shining in his eyes. And a bit of red that Mokuba couldn't explain. "Finish him." He whispered. Mokuba ran at Keith as fast as he could, kicking him in the head and dropping the false king's Life Points to zero.
As soon as Keith lost consciousness and was dragged down into the crimson Seal like all his other cohorts, a black mist seemed to rise off of the spectators- the Legendary Knights and the 'High Priestess'- and the 'Nightmare Cross' traps evaporated with it. As one, they all put a hand to their heads as if they had a sudden migraine, and their eyes turned back to their natural colors. Hana looked around in confusion- wondering what in the world was going on- but then she spotted the Hero of the Dominion, breathing raggedly and looking unsteady on his feet.
"Seto!" Mokuba cried, managing to catch his brother as he collapsed, succumbing to his wounds. Mahaad- newly returned from the Graveyard- helped the boy to gently lower his brother to the ground. The dragon hero was bleeding badly, and his breath was coming in short, harsh gasps. Everyone was gathered around the two brothers, tears budding in everyone's eyes. The prince's eyes were wet too, but- instead of a clear liquid running from them- his tears were thick and crimson.
"Tears of blood-" Joey gasped as he knelt beside his friend, trying in vain to stem the flow from his grievous chest wound with the orange cloth tasset he wore about his waist.
Mokuba knelt down on his forelegs and took his brother's left hand in both of his, just as he had done so long ago in the ambulance when Seto had been shot and all of this madness had started [See 'Another Chance']. Holy Elf knelt down next to the hero and began to pray, but Seto put his other hand on her folded ones. "Don't." He commanded in a hoarse whisper. "S-save your strength, Isis. It's too late for me." Isis gasped in despair, but sadly nodded. She knew that one of her dearest friends was dying, and she was unable to do a thing about it.
The Hero looked around at his team, smiling bravely. "I couldn't have done any of this without you, and that is the honest truth. You are just as deserving of the title of 'hero' as I am. I see each and every one of you as my closest friends, and feel truly blessed to count some among you as my family. In a way, we're all family. That being the case, I have one final request- for all of you." He paused, closing his eyes for a moment as he took in another painful breath. "Take care of each other. Don't let the bonds you've formed on this journey fade. Keep them close to your heart, and know that I will do the same."
Seto turned to Mokuba then, knowing that he didn't have much time left. "Mokuba- listen to me. Don't ever think that any of this is your fault. I couldn't be more proud of you, of the courage you've displayed." He breathed weakly, his right hand still over his largest wound. Mokuba gasped, tears coursing from his eyes. "Don't try to talk, Seto. Save your strength. You can get through this, I know you can."
Seto smiled weakly. "Not this time, kiddo. I- I can already feel myself fading. I don't have much time left. That's why- why I need you to listen. Everything I've done- the good and the bad- I did for you. In Duelist Kingdom, I fought my hardest to get you back. In that Adventure Land fiasco, you were the only thing that kept me going. In Battle City, you were my greatest inspiration. In the VR world, I felt like my very soul would shred when you didn't recognize me as your brother. In the Orichalcos war, I wasn't fighting to save the world, I was fighting to keep you safe. And in that Memory world thing, I fought my hardest to make sure that you were all right. Not to mention what happened with the Pyramid of Light and with that Aigami Diva. You've always been my greatest strength. I- I'm sorry for leaving you, little brother, but I'll give your love to Mom and Dad, shall I?" He asked in a strained whisper, and Mokuba tearfully nodded. Seto took in what he knew would be his last breath- his sapphire eyes glazing over- and breathed, "I- l-love- y-you, M- Mo-kie." He finished as he closed his eyes for the last time.
"No- NO!" Mokuba gasped, throwing himself over his brother's body and crying his anguish to the heavens in heartbroken sobs. "I- I love you too, Nii-sama." He wailed softly, closing his eyes and weeping into his brother's chest.
Critias put a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder. "I am truly sorry, Mokuba. Seto was- a hero, in every sense of the word. We shall never forget his deeds, what he has accomplished here. He saved us all, even at the cost of his own life. I-" He paused, looking to his spiritual brother's face. "I am proud of you, my son." He breathed, his hair falling over his eyes and hiding his tears from view.
[AN: For full enjoyment of this scene, I recommend listening to 'New World Symphony' starting right here. I'm pretty sure you can find it on YouTube.]
Just then a melancholy tune split the silence from somewhere outside of the circle of Guardians, and Mokuba turned to see 'High Priestess' playing a song on an ancient looking ocarina, tears running down from her closed eyes. Mahaad- his own eyes shining with tears- looked up at his former student and nodded his approval, smiling sadly. Mokuba turned his gray-blue eyes to the spellcaster, and he explained. "It is an ancient form of magic, music. Older than even Atlantis. That song is a prayer for his spirit to find peace and rest, wherever he is. He has more than earned it."
Seto woke to a bright white light shining all around him, and he put his arm over his eyes to shield them until they adjusted. After a time, he sat up from his position on the ground and looked around in confusion- having never seen anything like his surroundings before. The space he was in was pure white- with no ceiling, walls, or even a distinguishable floor that he could see. Everything was white, like a blank canvas.
When he looked down at himself, he noticed that he was also garbed in white. His feet were bare, but he was wearing a clean pair of white dress slacks, a white t-shirt, and a white collared shirt over it, unbuttoned. His locket- which he had almost never removed in life- still hung about his neck and rested over his heart. This surprised him. He was dead. He shouldn't have anything with him from the mortal worlds! He grasped the pendant gently in his right hand and opened it, smiling sadly at the picture within. "Forgive me, Mokuba." He breathed, a silent tear dropping from his blue eyes.
He took another look around him and noticed a pair of stairways before him that he could've sworn weren't there a second ago. One stairway led upward, and shafts of light shone around it like rays of sunlight from above the clouds in the mortal worlds. The other staircase led downward, to a dark and foreboding place that smelled faintly of sulfur. Seto backed away from both staircases, not exactly sure where he was supposed to go. Plus, he was afraid to go down the second staircase, though he'd never admit it aloud.
He turned about suddenly and looked down- having noticed a faint light glowing behind him- and gasped when he saw that he could look down on the Dominion of the Beasts. He smiled sadly as he watched his brother and his friends standing around his body. Some were embracing- holding each other in their arms- and some were holding hands, but all were crying. Seto smiled faintly when he saw that his last request was being honored, but that smile faded as he saw the pain in everyone's eyes that his death had caused. He knelt down and put his hand over the image of his brother, feeling an invisible barrier between his fingers and the scene he was trying to reach. It felt almost like the film on the surface of water, but- no matter how hard he pushed- he couldn't break through it.
"The worlds of the living and the dead are separate, and they should never mix." Seto's memory reminded him of something Seth had told him once, and he scowled. "No matter how much one on either side might want to influence the other, they cannot change destiny. No one can. No one but the gods."
-After what seemed like an eternity-
Seto stood up and turned away from the window to the Dominion of the Beasts- walking toward the staircase that led to Duat, almost positive that this was his final destination. He'd almost reached the first stair when a familiar, alarmed voice behind him called, "Where are you going, Seto?!"
The young man gasped and wheeled around, his eyes meeting those of a beautiful woman in a pure white dress. Her long brown hair looked just like Mokuba's, but shared the color of his own. Her eyes mirrored his in their color, and their sapphire depths were alight with emotion; a mix of surprise, alarm and love, but mostly the last. She stood at about 5'8'', and her facial structure was almost exactly like his little brother's, but slightly more angular. Her dainty feet were bare.
Seto felt more tears prickle in his eyes, and he breathed out a disbelieving, silent laugh. "Mom?" He gasped. "Is that you?"
The woman smiled, opening her arms. "Of course it's me, my little dragon. Come here. You need a hug." She laughed, and Seto ran to her- as eager as he was when he was five years old- and embraced her, picking her up and twirling her around in joy. "Mom!" He laughed. "I've missed you so much!"
"I've missed you too, kiddo." She laughed back when he finally put her down. "Guess I can't call you 'my little dragon' anymore, though. You're so tall!" She teased, reaching up and ruffling his hair. "My little boy's become a man." She beamed.
Seto smirked. "Just as tall as Dad, huh?" He asked, though he didn't really state it as a question.
"Taller, actually. I'm only six foot." Another voice laughed from the base of the upward stairway, and both family members wheeled to face the newcomer, joyful smiles on both their faces. The man walking toward them was tall and thin, dressed just like Seto was only with his shirt buttoned and white sandals protecting his feet. His raven-black hair was styled in the same way as his oldest son's, only a bit messier- as if someone had ruffled his hair too many times and it had permanently grown that way. His eyes matched his younger son's in their color, but his facial structure was like Seto's, slightly more angular.
"Dad!" Seto cried happily, embracing his father in what would've been a bone-crushing hug- had they physical, 'earthly' bodies. Instead, their souls had instinctively created 'spirit-bodies' that they could use.
"Hey, kiddo. Long time no see." He laughed. "Eleven years ago, you didn't even come up to my hip, and now look at you! Surpassed me by a whole inch!" He chuckled, clapping his son on the shoulder. Seto blushed and looked down, still smiling.
-Some time later-
"Where are we right now?" Seto asked as he enjoyed his parents' company. "I mean, this can't be Paradise, can it?"
"Nope. That's Upstairs over there." His father pointed, to the staircase leading to the light. "And I'm sure you can guess where that one leads." He pointed to the downward staircase. "That demon that styled himself as your stepfather went that way a few years ago, and no one's seen him since. I'm glad young Noah isn't following in his father's footsteps." He frowned, proud of the boy but disappointed with Gozaburo's choices that he'd made in life.
"Where were you going earlier, Seto? When I came here?" His mother asked, and Seto turned to her, looking guilty. "I haven't made the best choices in my life. I figured that Downstairs was my destination too. I deserve it." He answered, not able to meet her gaze.
She gasped, shocked. "What in the world would give you that idea, Seto? It couldn't be further from the truth! Sure, you've made some mistakes- but you've already atoned for them. Everyone's a little messy in life, but that doesn't mean we are all bound for that place!" She hugged her son again. "You're supposed to go Upstairs, when the time comes. Upstairs with us."
Seto looked at her in surprise, but it quickly turned to confusion. "What do you mean, 'When the time comes'? Isn't that time now? I mean- I'm dead."
His father shook his head. "No you're not. Or at least, not permanently. This is the space between spaces, or a form of 'Purgatory' if you will. You've actually been here before, briefly, during that Orichalcos incident. It's where those souls who are unsure of their destination wait, or those who wish to move on with their loved ones when they arrive. You're not supposed to be here, kid. Come back in eighty years or so." The man laughed, clapping his son on the shoulder again.
"You- you mean- I can go back?" Seto breathed, completely shocked. I can see Mokuba again? He thought, a wild hope rising in his chest.
"Of course!" His mother answered, laughing lightly as well. "Someone's gotta take care of the family. You've been doing a great job of it so far. Why stop now?"
Seto smiled and closed his eyes, a grateful tear running down his face. Thank you. He prayed. Thank you so much.
-An eternity later (time doesn't exist in the gap between dimensions)-
Seto bade a tearful farewell to his parents as they prepared to return upstairs. He hugged both his mother and his father, whispering, "I love you both with all my heart, and so does Mokuba. I- we miss you so much."
"Ditto, Seto." His mother replied, wiping away her own tears. "But you know that a mother's love never dies, even when she's not around anymore. I'll always be right here-" She put a hand over his heart. "-in your heart and Mokie's. And you two will always be in mine."
"Same goes for me, kiddo." His father added. "And tell Mokie that I'm so proud of him, of the man he's becoming. Just like his Nii-sama."
Seto smiled, then kissed his mother and father and backed away toward the portal to the mortal worlds. "I will. I'll see you around, Tou-san, Kaa-san."
"See you around, Seto-chan." His mother waved, and his father put an arm around her shoulder. "Stay outta trouble, okay?" He joked as they both faded from sight.
The teenager rolled his eyes. "You too, Dad." Then he too disappeared from the Dominion of Souls back to his body in the Castle of the Sun in the Dominion of the Beasts.
[AN2: Start listening to 'Lugia's Song' from 'Pokemon 2000: The Power of One' at this point. I guarantee you'll get plenty of feels. It's on YouTube if you need to find it.]
The first thing Seto sensed after returning to his body was a song being played on an ocarina. It was a melancholy tune, and he realized it must be some kind of dirge for his death. All around him, he could hear gentle sniffling and ragged breathing- indicating that his friends and family were still grieving over his death- and he felt a twinge of guilt for keeping them in the dark. As he continued to listen, more instruments joined the ocarina, and he felt that the song was rapidly losing its sad tone. In fact, now it sounded almost happy. As if it somehow knew that he had returned.
He opened his eyes and looked around at the myriad of sad faces and tears falling to the marble floor of the courtyard. Mokuba had released his hand and was kneeling beside him, an arm in front of his eyes as he wept. As the music continued to grow in volume, Seto felt something rising within him, causing him to stand to his feet and transform his cape into dragon wings. No one seemed to notice that he had returned, so deep was their grief. With a mighty beat of his white wings, he shot up into the sky like a rocket, spinning around once and smiling down at his family and dearest friends.
Mokuba looked up as a sudden gust of wind buffeted him and ruffled his hair- just like his Nii-sama used to do- and gasped when he saw that the space in which his brother's body lay was now empty. Where'd Seto's body go? Did it just vanish? Then- How're we supposed to bury him now? I'm sure he wanted to be buried next to Mom and Dad- Then he looked up into the sky and received the biggest shock of his fourteen-year-old life. His brother was alive, and he was flying right above them!
"S-Se-Seto?" Mokuba breathed in disbelief, and the airborne drake grinned broadly, bending into a dive so his brother could look at him properly. He landed gently on the stone courtyard, and the boy ran to him and embraced him as if he'd never let him go again. "Nii-sama! Nii-sama!" He cried.
Seto smiled- true joy in his eyes to be back among those he loved- then gently pried Mokuba's arms off his waist and backed away so he could transform fully. After a few short seconds, a giant blue dragon eye winked at the raven-haired teen, and the beast twitched his head in a signal for the boy to get on. Mokuba laughed joyfully and ran to his brother's side, clambering up the wyvern's hind leg and sliding into place just above the wing joint. With a joyful roar, the dragon took to the sky once more, his little brother on his back.
To their surprise, the brothers weren't the only ones who took to the skies. Those who could fly soon joined them, and those who couldn't were carried up into the air by various dragons- which included the redeemed Knights of Atlantis. The winged beasts and Duel Monsters wheeled around in an elaborate dance- celebrating the victory over the Shadow King and their oppressors- but also celebrating the return of the hero who had freed them, whom they had thought was dead.
Even the land itself rejoiced. Ra shone brighter than ever down on the heroes, and the waves of the sea to the south crashed happily against the restored pristine white shores of the beach. Every single part of the Dominion that had been covered by the dark hand of the Shadow King had been restored, and each section literally glowed with a beautiful, shining light. It was almost as if the land itself was thanking the Dragon Hero.
Back in the courtyard, the 'High Priestess'' song reached its climax, then started to decrease in intensity as it drew near its end. Seto landed gently beside her and let Mokuba slide off his back, and the other dragons and winged creatures followed suit- letting their passengers dismount and flying back to their respective homes- all but the Legendary Dragons, who assumed their human forms once again.
As the Duel Monster finished her song, she dropped to her knees as if she were exhausted and would have collapsed entirely if Seto hadn't caught her. She looked up into his concerned blue eyes and frowned. "You're alive?" She asked, confused. "I'd thought for sure-"
"Oh, I died alright." Seto clarified with a smile of relief that his friend wasn't hurt. "But you can't keep a hero down for good. I think it was your song, actually. That song restored my strength. My very life."
"Huh." Hana huffed, still a bit skeptical. "I don't think it was just me." She muttered, looking up at the sky. Coincidentally, the Winged Divine Dragon of Ra flew by overhead, looked down at the group and winked- very deliberately- right at her. Yep. Pure coincidence.
"Something tells me that Lord Ra had something to do with your resurrection, Seto." Mahaad smiled knowingly. "He is the god of rebirth, after all. Among other things."
"Well I don't care who did it." Mokuba said defiantly, walking up to his brother and hugging him again. "What matters is that you're back. You're back, and the Dominion is free. We can go home now, Seto!" He beamed, and Seto smirked at him. "You sure you want to? When we go home, you'll be shorter than me again." He teased, ruffling the hair of his brother's astral projection.
"Eh, I'll grow." Mokuba shrugged. "You'll see. One of these days I'll hit a growth spurt and be taller than you, Nii-sama!" He grinned.
Seto's smirk widened. "It'll have to be one heck of a growth spurt for that to happen, kid. I take after Dad, and he was tall. You take more after Mom. She was about as tall as Hana." He smiled fondly, knowing that both of their parents were smiling down on them from Aaru. "That reminds me. Both of them send their love." He told him, and Mokuba gasped. "You mean- you really saw them? Did you get to see what Heaven looks like?"
"No. They came down from Upstairs to see me. I was in sort of an- in-between space. Dad called it 'the Dominion of Souls'. There were two staircases- one going up and one going down- and a sort of- window that I could look back through- but other than that, everything was white." He explained, not entirely sure if he was allowed to speak of that place. But when nothing happened, he guessed it was okay.
"A window that you could look back through?" Mokuba asked, surprised. Seto nodded. "Well, it was more like a portal- like a puddle of water that I could look down through at you guys, and- my body. Only, when I touched the surface, I couldn't push through. It felt like liquid, but- at the same time- it was solid. Impenetrable." He glanced at Seth briefly. "As a wise man I know once said, 'The worlds of the living and the dead are separate, and they should never mix. No matter how much one on either side might want to influence the other, they cannot change destiny. No one can. No one but the gods.'."
Seth smiled at him for the indirect compliment, as he'd remembered saying that very phrase to Seto months ago.
"Well, they did change destiny." Mokuba smiled, tears of joy budding in his eyes. "You're alive, and we can finally go home where we all belong." Seto grinned at him and ruffled his hair again.
"Couldn't have said it better myself, Mokie."
End of chapter 21
Next chapter teaser: Home Again
Jeez, this is a long chapter. D'you think I should split it into two parts? Or should I just leave it? It's eighteen pages on Word, for cryin' out loud!
Nappa: Hey, Vegeta, what does the scouter say about the word count for this chapter?
Vegeta: It's over 9,000!1!1!
Nappa: Whut, 9,000?! There's no way that can be right! There's no way Tsunami wrote that much!
Me: Sorry 'bout that, had to do it once! XD
Of course, the next one's only four or five pages, so it evens out, I guess. *snrk*
I debated for a long time over what to call Keith's 'fairy-tale' card. I thought about calling her 'Regina' from Once Upon A Time, since I adore that show, but then I decided to go with the original name of the Evil Queen, so 'Grimhilde' it is. lol
Wow. I actually made myself cry when I started writing the middle-ish part of this chapter (the death scene). And it's not that easy to make me cry. (Surprisingly.)
Seto: So- I actually died? I mean, really died?
Me: Don't act so surprised, Seto. It's not like you haven't done it before. Duelist Kingdom, Adventure Land, Noah's VR world, the Orichalcos War, the journey to the Memory world, the Dark Side of Dimensions- the list goes on. Not to mention the times in my stories.
Seto: I was just in a coma in 'Another Chance', and then I had that 'out-of-body experience', but you're right about 'Brothers in Time'. I almost died in 'Christmas of Memories'- I guess I see your point. I have had quite a few brushes with death over the years. Maybe I need to take it easy in the future. *chuckles lightly*
Me: Heh. With the life you have? Not likely. XD
In my imagination, 'High Priestess' is playing the 'New World Symphony' at the start, and it gradually morphs into 'Lugia's Song' from the second Pokémon movie. I claim no ownership of these beautiful songs. They belong to their respective composers. *is too lazy to look them up at the moment*
Those of you who have read my Inuyasha story on here, 'Reborn', may recognize a line or two when Seto's with his parents. Yep. I plagiarized myself again. XD
I actually have a picture in mind for the appearance of Seto and Mokie's parents. It's 'Hello, Mokuba' by 'Cleopatrawolf' on Deviantart. Little Seto is so cute!
Hana: Somehow my song had a healing effect on the Dragon Prince. I don't know how it happened, but I'm not complaining. I thank you, Lord Ra, from the bottom of my heart.
Translations:
Tou-san: Father, Dad.
Kaa-san: Mother, Mom.
Duat: Hell to the Egyptians. A place of shadows, torment and endless blackness where the souls of those whose hearts have been devoured by Ammit go for all eternity. Sound familiar? Yep. It's the Shadow Realm.
Aaru: Heaven to the Egyptians, also known as the Field of Reeds. A place of tranquility, light and all things good where the souls of those whose hearts were lighter than the feather of Ma'at go to enjoy eternal rest.
See you for the next and final chapter!
God Bless!
Itonami Hana(as 'High Priestess')/
Hero and Guardians