A/N: This chapter took notably less time than last chapter, and for good reason. This chapter, no matter how hard I tried, would not come out the way I wanted. It had it in its mind to come out a certain way despite me, and it did. And I like it, although it wasn't what I expected. So enjoy. Things are about to get a little more interesting.
Disclaimer: I said, "Guy who wants to give me the rights to Yu-Gi-Oh! says what" really fast to Kazuki Takahashi, but unfortunately he replied with, "Pardon?"
Chapter Twenty-One: Forward Motion
The group strode into the apparently empty infirmary and placed Seto on his chest on the table. Quickly, the Empress and Naphar set to work repairing the pair of injuries along Seto's back, while Pacias stood back. The girl seemed to be stricken by the injuries, and anyone would have said that she was squeamish. Together, the odd pair worked tirelessly bandaging the wound, finally backing away from the prone prince.
"That should do it. Those wounds were more grievous than you let on, prince," the Empress informed him.
"It was nothing. You needn't have troubled yourself with it," Seto protested.
The Empress nodded, but both knew that the urgent reparations had been more for the Empress' peace of mind than Seto's health. Suddenly, the Empress' clear eyes clouded over and she glanced out into the newborn night. "When do you plan… on following through with the ritual?"
"I need a few minutes to compose myself. What time would you say it is now?" Seto asked, his voice hollow.
With a shrug, the Empress glanced out the window as if to estimate by the sun. It seemed irrelevant that the moon had already begun rising; her eyes saw nothing anyway.
"Eleven, perhaps," Naphar guessed. "It doesn't feel quite cold enough for midnight yet. Perhaps it would be best – for all parties involved, of course – if we waited an hour before the ritual. I think we could all use the time to prepare ourselves."
Naphar's eyes, which had fallen on the door of the nearby emergency ward when he had mentioned all parties involved, shifted back to Seto and an understanding passed between the two of them. "Fine," Seto grunted. "But no later."
The Nocturne bowed low, "Of course, Dragon Prince. Empress, may I escort you back to the throne room?"
Stunned by the suggestion for a moment, the Empress looked at Naphar's offered hand and then to Seto. The prince avoided her questioning gaze, staring instead at the night scenery outside. Another moment passed, and then the Empress accepted Naphar's hand. "Yes… that would be fine," she said, dejectedly.
"Come, Pacias," Naphar called as he and the Empress glided out of the infirmary.
Seto silently traced the forms of moonlit trees with his eyes, exhaling slowly as he rose to sit on the table. A moment later, the door of the emergency ward swung open and two identical Serenities entered the room. The prince smirked slightly, "Hello Countess, little mirror girl."
"How bad were your injuries?"
"Not bad, Countess," Seto protested as the noblewoman investigated his wounds. "I took a few unfortunate hits. That's all." He glanced up as Serenity averted her eyes from him, and the Countess quickly caught the meaning in that glance.
"I'll go see Sagaelen, then. He'll be wondering how I'm getting along," the Countess offered, leaving the room before either of her companions could protest.
Seto glanced up at Serenity again, and then hopped off of the small table. "I'm glad I entrusted this to you. Damien is in the next room?"
"He's sleeping," Serenity told him. She opened her mouth again, before hesitating and closing it again.
"What?"
Serenity paused, for a moment. Then she finally asked, "Aren't you nervous?"
"About the half-refining? Can't be avoided," he replied, dismissing the notion with a slight gesture.
"You didn't answer my question," Serenity commented. "Why is it that you claim to be so interested in me, Seto?"
The prince quirked an eyebrow, as though the answer ought to have been obvious.
"I… I just need an answer."
Slowly, the prince closed the distance between himself and the small redhead. "Because you ask questions like that, and I want to give you an answer. Because you possess that rare trait, that inner light that sets the exceptional apart from the mundane. Because right now, there's no one in the world I feel I need to impress more than you, and yet there's nothing I want more than to admit to you that I'm terrified to go into that ritual."
"You… what?"
He placed his hands on her arms and rubbed up and down them. "Serenity, why is it you think I care about you?"
The small girl recoiled slightly, "Pity. All my life people have always been worried about how to help poor little Serenity out. I'm sick of it. I need… to stand on my own two feet."
"Pity?" Seto scoffed, "You don't know the first thing about love, do you? The poet's will tell you all about it, how love is the most selfless, devoted thing a person can think or feel. The truth is, love is selfish. It's for me that I have to be around you. It's all for me. Because when I'm around you, that's the only time I don't worry about you. Because when I'm with you, I get this weird warm sensation I can only assume is happiness. Because when I'm around you, I'm not thinking about everyone I've failed in the past. All I'm thinking about is you."
Serenity stared blankly at Seto for a moment. She almost started towards him, but she desperately reminded herself that he wasn't real. Feverishly, she tried to steel herself against him. But… her face warmed at the thought that… it was her he wanted. It was what she had to offer, what she already possessed that a prince aspired to.
The prince tried to read her eyes, but they seemed blank. He turned to stride away, but Serenity reached out and grabbed his arm. As the prince turned back, Serenity threw herself toward him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her lips against his. They were both stunned by the kiss, briefly, and then Seto curled his arms around Serenity's waist.
The kiss ended, and their mouths parted. Seto stared into Serenity's warm brown eyes, and the girl couldn't help but crack a smile. Pulling the thin frame of the girl towards him, Seto lifted her into his arms as Serenity slid her fingers into his hair. The momentum dropped Seto back onto the table, but neither cared. For a few brief moments there was no differentiating between the two forms, entwined in a soft, heated embrace. A moment later they parted again, and the prince again searched for answers in the eyes of the woman in his arms.
Serenity simply blushed, staring back coyly at the stunned face of her prince. "I… I'm sorry," she muttered. "I don't know why I did that."
"Don't apologize," the prince interjected. "Don't ever apologize. We've too little time to waste on such things." He smiled lazily at her and cradled her head with one hand. "The point is, did you mean it?"
For a moment, Serenity hesitated. Then finally, she found her answer. "Absolutely," she replied. "I've been fighting… every impulse I've had toward you since the beginning. I just suddenly realized… that there's no reason why. I… I want to be here right now. I want to fall in love with you."
Another kiss arrived a moment later, and Serenity began to wonder how much time she had wasted.
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"I'm sorry," Seto stated suddenly.
"Why?" Serenity asked, leaning against the wall and glancing from the starscape to where Seto leaned against the rail of the balcony.
"I just realized that this is the first time you've been to Venyore. And here I've subjected you to nothing but covert activity and thoughts of impending death. It's a beautiful country."
The redhead shrugged. "It's… not that important."
Seto grunted. "It's Remiel. This world is full of priceless sights… and he wants to destroy it. That's why I have to do this. Because there is much worth protecting."
It was obvious that he was trying to convince himself more than explain the situation to her, but Serenity nodded along anyway. She'd been drawn to Kaiba's world at first, but she was beginning to realize how foreign it was to her. Both Yugi and Tristan were gone, and she was genuinely alone now.
"Tomorrow, after this is all over, I'll take you to see the Silver Lake. It's close by, and you won't see anything else like it. Then perhaps we'll go south…" Seto trailed off, as he caught the blank expression on Serenity's face. "What?"
Serenity glanced up at the prince and forced a smile. "Sounds lovely," she said softly. She had been caught in the realization that as soon as Remiel was defeated, that would be the end of the test. Suddenly, she was loath to leave the virtual world, and thoughts of the sticky stairs up to her dismal apartment filled her mind.
"Prince," came a sudden low call from the doorway to the private balcony. "It's time," the voice, Naphar's, continued. "I've come to escort you to the ritual chamber."
With a nod, Seto disembarked from his rail and crossed the balcony to Serenity. He placed a soft kiss on her cheek and then followed Naphar out. The girl almost called out for him not to go, but something held her back. Instead, she waited until the two exited and then slid to the cold, unfeeling floor.
Silence enveloped her, and she was stricken again by the pervasive loneliness of it all. Sitting alone on that balcony under the starlight, she might have been the only person in the world. For a moment she fantasized that she might be alone in the world, that everyone she had met before was a dream, or a phantom for her benefit. Then she understood what Seto had meant when he said that love was selfish, and wondered how alone the prince who lived in an empty castle must have felt. A voice rose up in her mind to remind her that he wasn't real, but she suppressed it and instead thought about the life the prince must have led. So instead she fantasized that she and Seto were the only two people in the world, and that was enough.
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The room in which the ritual was to take place was a circular room with a single door, accessed by stairs along the north-facing wall. The floor was flooded, and the centre of the chamber accessed the fountain typically used for soul refining. Dim torches that provide a magical blue light lay in sconces along the walls, and a pedestal that served as a receptacle for the refined card stood along the south-facing wall. Seto removed his boots at the top of the stairs and descended into the fountain, where Pacias and the Empress awaited him.
"It's not too late to change your mind," the Empress reminded him.
"We both know that isn't going to happen," Seto replied.
"Know that we appreciate your nobility, Seto," Naphar stated coolly, "But I would not exchange positions with you even if I could."
Pacias nodded solemnly.
With a slight smirk, Seto stepped into the fountain and made his way to the deep depression in the middle. The Empress smiled softly, and guided him to the hole in the centre. She lay him down in it, and he floated on the surface, beside where the Empress stood at the edge of the hole. "You will need to hold your breath," she advised, exerting a mild pressure on his chest so as to communicate what would follow.
Seto nodded, and took a sharp intake of breath. Immediately after, the Empress pressed him down into the water. He reached the edge of the hole that led deep underwater, but lying down was too broad to fit into the passage. As he descended to that point a glow began to issue forth from the opening, and rose quickly to consume him. But the gap was too great and the Empress was forced to let Seto up for air before it reached him. The prince caught his breath, and the process was repeated, but again the light came too slow.
"Put me in the hole," Seto ordered.
"No," the Empress answered flatly. "You could get lost down there too easily. Once you go past that hole there is no returning."
"Put me in the hole," Seto repeated with a tone that left no room for debate. Quickly, he cast aside his armour and cape onto the steps, leaving himself in only his black pants.
"I won't do it," the Empress protested. "I won't! It's too much of a risk already. Seto, I… You've been all I put my hope in for so many years. I can't bear the thought… that you wouldn't be there anymore." Quietly, she began to cry. She only paused when she felt Seto's cool, wet arms around her thin frame.
"I'm not what you think I am," he stated levelly. "I'm no saviour."
"But you could be, don't you see?" she protested. "You have so much potential, and such a strong heart. You can be callous but… but you care so much… and…"
Seto tilted the Empresses chin upwards and locked eyes with her. "This is the only thing I can do now. I have to at least try. If it costs me my life, another can make the summon."
"But why does it have to be you?" she whined.
"This is the destiny I've made for myself," Seto answered.
The Empress tried to protest, but couldn't find the words. Seto stepped away from her, and began lowering the rig commonly used to commit bodies to the pools from the ceiling. "The rig takes up the entire opening. There's no way we'll know when the time to withdraw you is," she argued finally.
"Naphar will," Seto rebutted. "It's irrelevant, in any case. We must proceed."
Lifting his hand from the crank, Seto moved to the centre of the room. He stepped into the thin, metal box. It was open along the bottom and one side, and made of some thick black metal that hardly seemed brightened by its repeated exposure to the light of the pools. Bracing himself, he turned his head toward the silent woman near the edge of the pool.
"Pacias, if you would do the honour," he called.
The blonde girl nodded and moved to the crank, slowly continuing its course that Seto had began, lowering the box into the water. The water level rose and flooded the box, and Seto took a sharp intake of breath. Then he disappeared from sight. Pacias continued the movements, accelerating them as best as her weak arms could to limit the amount of time Seto needed to spend submerged. The Nocturne stared blindly at the hole, his full array of senses honed in to the singular moment.
"Now," Naphar barked, and Pacias stopped the descent. Silently, the black-haired man focused on the hole. "Ready yourself, Empress," he advised, "The light will reach him in a moment. And… now!"
The Empress began to chant, and slowly white light filtered out of the opening and drifted slowly to the pedestal. Pacias watched it intently, waiting for the full form of the card to materialize. As the Empress continued the incantation, the others waited with held breaths. Finally, the vague outline of the card formed. It was enough, but the Empress' incantation needed to complete before the magic would hold the incomplete soul in a corporeal form.
"Peace, Pacias," Naphar admonished, noting the slight sheen of nervous sweat of the small sorceress' forehead. "Seto can hold his breath a little longer."
Pacias nodded, but her eyes never left the Empress' frantically moving lips. Finally, she reached the end of the spell. She continued to repeat the last line softly, but the life energy from Seto was needed no longer. The crank squealed under the strain of the sudden movement, but Pacias frail arms drove the rig upwards. Finally, with one last groan of protest, the rig rose out of the water.
Seto stepped out of it, drenched to the core and more than a little ragged. He seemed about to say something, but instead he collapsed forward. Naphar stepped forward and caught the slumping form of the prince over his arm, drawing the royal form out of the water and towards the Nocturne's own drenched cloaks.
"I must admit, I'm impressed. I didn't think the prince had it in him," Naphar admitted.
The Empress came out of the chant, satisfied that the card was stable. "You underestimate Seto's resolve."
"Not his resolve," Naphar disagreed, "Only his spiritual fortitude. I can't say I would expect anyone to survive the strain of a half-refining. He's breathing, however. We should get him to where he may rest. The hard part may be over, but we aren't done yet."
"Yes. Hopefully, Serenity will be able to cast the card properly. Otherwise, this will all have been in vain," the Empress replied.
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Over the great sea, under the cover of darkness broken only by the soft twinkle of stars, the royal fleet of Kaiba cruised toward their objective. The new flagship, only commissioned a week before and now on its maiden journey, headed the armada. Known as the Villicus, the massive ship was nearly a match for a Venyoran battleship. It was captained by Nakir, the commander of the Holy Guard of Sandalphon. It was aboard that ship that Yugi Moto found himself.
"Where am I?" Yugi sputtered as he came awake.
"You are aboard a royal ship, over the great sea," came the reply.
Yugi strained his eyes to find the form in the darkness that had spoken, but they protested at their slightest use and he found he could see little. "Who are you?" he asked tensely.
"I am one of Lord Azreal's blackguard. I am speaking on behalf of Nakir, a man whose acquaintance you will likely make shortly. And now that I have introduced myself, I trust you will extend me the same courtesy. What is your name?"
In his daze, Yugi had a vague impulse that he ought to say nothing, or at least to lie to the man. But his mind was so hazy, he felt that saying his own name might be as much of a help to himself as it was to this other man. "Yugi Moto," Yugi offered, trying to offer a hand to shake and finding he couldn't move his.
"Yugimoto, is it? Strange name. Tell me, Yugi. Are you familiar with the Forbidden One?"
"Yeah," Yugi answered, unsure of his answer. He didn't know exactly what the man was talking about, but it seemed that the name was familiar enough. Suddenly, he recalled vaguely what the man was talking about. "I used him to defeat Kaiba, once," he added.
A strange, startled noise echoed from the shadows. "You… what?" the man demanded. "Explain yourself."
"Kaiba had all the Blue-Eyes, but I had all five parts of the Forbidden One, so I beat him." He giggled slightly, "He never saw it coming."
For a moment, the blackguard was silent. Then, he spoke again. "Yugimoto, what is the name of the Forbidden One?"
"The name?"
"Yes."
Yugi paused for a moment. "You should know that. It's on the card."
"What?" The man's exasperation was clear in his voice. "There is no writing on the cards, besides the attack and defence."
"Oh," Yugi said, as though this was a new discovery for him. He tried to focus his mind on the name, but found that he couldn't. "I don't remember. Serenity would know, or Tristan. Oh, but the Red-Eyes got Tristan."
"Where is Serenity?"
"She was on the boat," Yugi replied. "The boat got broken."
The blackguard grew silent again. He knew of the shipwreck that had resulted in the discovery of this boy. He also remembered that the others on the boat had ended up in the Serendipity Islands, and from there had gone to Venyore. It was likely that this 'Serenity' was with Prince Seto. So, they could kill two birds with one stone. This girl was a carrier of The Secret.
"Yugimoto, you should go back to sleep. You need your rest. I enjoyed our little conversation."
"Okay," Yugi replied cheerfully. Sleep sounded awfully enticing, especially considering the buzzing in his head. In a few quick moments, the boy had drifted back to sleep. The blackguard left the room with a few useful bits of information and several questions to ponder. More than that, he was beginning to hatch a plan.
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"Is he okay?" Serenity asked nervously as Naphar toted the body of Seto into the guest rooms.
"Yes," Naphar replied, "Just exhausted. Calm yourself. You are needed for the next step, Miss Serenity."
"What? I thought the ritual was over."
Naphar smiled obliquely. "No. The ritual allowed us to procure a card that contained part of the essence of Seto's soul. However, that card is currently blank. In order to make it useful, the card must be cast into a usable form by a summoner. You."
Serenity stepped back from the edge of Seto's bad and glanced nervously from the prince to Naphar. "Me? Surely there must be another. I'm just a beginner."
"There is no other. A human becoming a summoner is detestable, or at least it is thought to be so in Venyore. Few choose to do so, and those that do become pariahs."
"Why?"
"To summon is to bind another's soul to your will. It is nothing less than a form of slavery. Surely, you did not know this when you became a summoner. Nor do you mean anything harmful by summoning, and you use your summoning to great good. I know. I see you in this darkness, Miss Serenity. But many of the greatest summoners in the history of Venyore have used their abilities to become tyrants and dark rulers," Naphar explained. "So we do not support summoning. We use summoning cores, and only if we must. This way, the monsters that we summon are not subject to anyone's will but the commander of a craft, someone that they serve under in either case."
"But… I can't," she murmured. "What if I fail? I don't have the power to do this."
"Miss Serenity," Naphar articulated, "It is written: 'There is enough power within a grain of sand to destroy the world, if all that power were truly accessed. If such power is within so small a thing, how much more power do you have within you!' You have the power to do this thing. It is within you. Give yourself the chance to use it."
"… Alright," Serenity acquiesced. "I'll do it."
"I know," Naphar replied.
Taking the girl by the hand, Naphar led her down the halls of the castle until they reached the base of a tower. They began climbing the steps, pausing momentarily at each landing for Serenity to catch her breath. Shallow and steep, the steps seemed to stretch up for eternity. Finally, the reached the summit of the stairs and Naphar led Serenity into a circular chamber. In the centre, atop a small wooden stool, sat a blank card. Other than that, the room was empty.
"Is there no one else here?"
"The Empress is downstairs attending to some business of her own. And Seto, as you know, is in no condition to observe this. I trust you are unfamiliar with how to cast a card."
Serenity nodded slowly. "Yes," she answered. "I've actually never heard of it until now."
"Don't fret it. I will explain what you must do. Sit in front of this card and watch it. In time, as you watch, you will be able to see the image of a monster form within it. When you do, simply call out the name of the monster and the card will be cast into a solid form."
"It takes a summoner to do that?"
Naphar nodded. "Only a summoner can cast a card. Wait until you know what the image is before calling anything. If you don't, you may miscast the card and it will dissolve and rejoin Seto."
"But, we already know what it is, don't we? I mean, Seto said it was a..."
"Shhh!" Naphar hissed. "We cannot be certain. The Prince simply suspected what it might be. If you say an incorrect name, our efforts until now will be wasted."
Serenity nodded. "And if he was wrong?" she asked.
"Then we will have to find another way."
Again, the redhead nodded her acknowledgement. She sat in front of the card and focussed on it as Naphar made himself comfortable next to one of the windows of the tower. At first, Serenity found the shimmering surface of the semi-ethereal card enthralling, but its novelty quickly dimmed. She remained focussed on the card, and an hour passed by without any sign of change in its surface.
"The sun is dawning," Naphar observed suddenly, breaking the pregnant silence of the tower. Light cracked over the infinitely distant horizon and instantly struck the tower, and the air began to warm. Serenity wondered for a moment how Naphar had known of the light even before the warmth hit the tower, but the wonders of the blinded man took second priority to the card in front of her.
Before long, light had flooded the tower. Beneath, the castle seemed to be surrounded by an infinite sea of green, a lone iceberg against an engulfing sea of life. The clouds, tainted soft orange by the dawn light, drifted idly by and everything seemed a placid, silent oil painting. It struck Serenity that this world must have begun as Kaiba's image of a perfect world, and only evolved into a game. She imagined Kaiba, in his white trench coat, strolling through the virgin forests of the world yet uninhabited, a vestige against what the CEO's life was likely filled with. She imagined him smiling, an expression she had never seen the real Kaiba wear but which had often graced the face of her virtual version.
The image of Prince Seto, the virtual Kaiba, stuck in her mind as she returned her gaze from the window to the card. As she did, the image in her mind seemed to project onto the card for the briefest of moments. Then, she saw the monster take form on the card and shouted its name at the top of her voice. And then the card shimmered no longer, and Naphar stooped to take it in his hand.
"So this is the fruits of our labour," he muttered to himself.
Serenity nodded, looking at the card in the Nocturne's hand. It was a card she had seen rarely before, but she new Seto had a predelection toward the card. That's why she had recognized it: The Lord of Dragons.
A/N: So there's that. I hope it turned out as well as I think it did. It was a necessary step in where I was going, and the language turned out a bit more extravagant than I had originally figured. In any case, there it is. Why don't you let me know what you thought?