A/N: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF DREAMFALL CHAPTERS OR YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! ALL I OWN ARE MY OCS!
Chapter 25: Planning Stages
Yusei and Ayumu slowly woke up on a rocky ground in the outfit they had worn when they were in Storytime. Yusei's being an exact, more masculine version of Ayumu's. Around them was like a tunnel of spiraling energy. They stood up when were quick to noticed Crow.
"Crow?" Yusei greeted shocked. "Is that you?"
"I think so. I'm- I'm supposed to show you something," the bird replied.
"What? Why? What're you doing here?" Ayumu asked. "Or better yet, where is here?"
"I don't know. I don't even know how I got here, I'm- I'm, ah, a bit… a bit… I don't feel right. I'm not sure what happened, and… I'm not sure I'm all here. If that makes any sense?" Crow replied.
"Not really," Yusei responded.
"No, yeah, no. I can see how that makes no sense," Crow responded.
"What are you supposed to show us?" Ayumu asked.
"Oh! I almost forgot! So the ghost in the machine told me to do this thing. This one last thing. The ghost said this has been my destiny all along," Crow replied. "I don't expect you'll know what I'm talking about?"
"Crow, we don't even know where this is. A minute ago, we was inside pods in a lab, and now-" Yusei was cut off by the bird.
"We're inside the quantum weave that makes all the stories. This is reality's blueprint," Crow explained. "Uh… how did I know that? What does 'quantum' mean? What's a 'blueprint'?"
"That explains everything," Ayumu responded sarcastically.
"That was sarcasm. I detect sarcasm," Crow responded annoyed.
"That… ghost in the machine you mentioned. Who was it?" Yusei asked.
"No idea. I remember nothing before meeting you here… aside from a ghost telling me to show you what I'm about to show you. And I don't even know what that is," Crow replied.
"Show us what? There's nothing here," Ayumu questioned.
"Let's go find it," Crow suggested before they began their trek along a stone path. They soon found themselves in a memory like area that seemed like a room in an old monastery. "Does this look at all familiar to you?"
"It looks like an old monastery," Yusei answered.
"There you go! Maybe that's it!" Crow exclaimed.
"That doesn't really help," Ayumu retorted.
Yusei noticed a diary on a desk. "That's a diary." He walked up and began to read it with Crow and Ayumu: "I am at a crossroads between waking and dream. One path leads back to the world I left behind. The other path… The other path leads to a place of shadows. Between the familiar and the unknown, between certainty and doubt, my choice would seem obvious. Any sane man would turn around, return to the world he knows, forget what he has learned, and live his life in blissful ignorance. But in truth, it is too late. My choice was made many years ago, when I first embarked on this journey. I cannot turn back. I am at a crossroads, but for me, there's only one path. I leave behind these words in the hope that, someday, they'll serve as a map for someone else. To whomever reads this, Godspeed on your journey. If you ever decide to follow in my footsteps, look me up. Brian Westhouse."
Ayumu then questioned, "Brian Westhouse? Our Westhouse?"
"The plot thickens!" Crow exclaimed.
"Or gets more confusing," Ayumu responded. "I don't know what this is supposed to tell us."
"That Westhouse is involved?" Crow suggested.
"I guess there's that," Yusei replied.
"Come on. There's more," Crow responded before flying out with Yusei and Ayumu following.
As they walked, they heard a voice say, "We're ready, traveller. Your journey is about to begin." They neared another door and heard the voice say louder and closer, "The ritual is ready. Step onto the dais, traveller." Yusei and Ayumu turned the corner with Crow and they saw Brian surrounded by a blue portal like area before disappearing.
"Okay, so what just happened?" Ayumu asked.
"Portals. They're all over the place," Crow answered. "Let's follow him."
"Wait!" Yusei called but it was too late and they found themselves in what appeared to be Storytime.
They came up and saw Brian talking with the Vagabond. "What're you doing here? You cannot be here. It will find you," the Vagabond told the man.
"I… don't… Where am I? What is this place?" Brian asked.
"How did you get here? Go back the way you came. Quickly. You cannot stay," Vagabond told him.
"I don't… know how to go," Brian told him.
"It is here. What have you done? What have you done?" Vagabond responded.
"What do you mean? What?" Brian questioned.
"The Undreaming," Vagabond answered and they turned to see a black, mist like cloud appearing.
"God… What is that? What?" Brian stated backing up fearfully. It approached him and Brian tried to run. "No. No! No!" He fell onto his back and it entered him.
"What is that terrifying thing?" Crow asked.
"That's the Undreaming… I know it is. I feel it," Yusei answered. Ayumu nodded.
"Well, that's going to give me nightmares for a long, long time," Crow responded.
"The Undreaming entered Brian," Yusei commented.
"It sure did," Crow agreed.
"Was he looking for it? Is that why he came here? Or was it an accident…?" Ayumu wondered.
"I guess that's what you're supposed to figure out," Crow answered. "Come on. We have more places to visit."
They found themselves back on the rocky path that they were originally on. They walked forward a bit before another memory came into view. It was Brian sitting on a bench by a building.
"Shut up. Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Brian exclaimed quietly. "Will you not stay silent for one bloody minute? I can't-" He took a sip of a bottle of wine or some sort of alcoholic drink, "I can't think, I can't sleep, I can't dream. I can't have you inside me. You're eating me up. Why are you not doing what I've asked you to do? You're supposed to give me power. You're supposed to serve me. Not-Not the other way around. Stop… whispering! Magic must be destroyed for the worlds to become one. For Stark and Arcadia to reconnect. For me to return home. You must help me accomplish this. You must listen to me. You see, if magic leaks into Stark, it'll cause chaos and mayhem. Millions will die. I-I don't have a choice." He put on a mask. "We don't have a choice. It must be done." The scene then disappeared.
"So Brian is the Prophet! That's a twist I didn't see coming. Who am I kidding, of course I saw it coming," Crow commented.
"Brian's possessed by the Undreaming and he brings it to Arcadia. And then it starts… talking to him? Controlling him?" Ayumu wondered.
"Sounded to me like he wanted to control it," Crow responded.
"Why, though?" Yusei wondered.
"Uh, to destroy magic?" Crow suggested.
"There has to be more to it than that," Yusei replied.
"I'm just repeating what he saw. Come on. There's much more," Crow called. They moved forward more.
They came up on another memory and saw a familiar woman, the White Dragon, and place. "We've been here before," Ayumu commented.
"The Dark People's library. Something happened here that-" Crow stopped as the scene began to play out.
"Who's there? Hello?" the White Dragon greeted. She turned to look behind her. "Funny bird, is that you? Oh, I didn't… see you. Are you looking for something?" Brian stepped into a picture with a spear ready to strike it down on her. "Wait, no, what are you-" She screamed as Brian killed the White Dragon and the scene vanished.
"He killed the White Dragon," Yusei realized.
"Yeah, and I was there. I saw Mr. Westhouse… and he saw me," Crow responded. "He tried to kill me, too, but- I was struck with something from that pointy magic stick of his, and I-I blacked out. Next thing I know, I was stowed away on a ship to Sadir. I must've crawled into a barrel or something. I didn't remember any of it until… until the Prophet grabbed me. I hurt him, there was blood, and- I don't know what happened next, but his blood… That's what helping me pull you into these memories. The Prophet's blood! Is that weird?"
"Not any weirder than anything else I've experienced within these three years," Yusei answered.
"And especially this week," Ayumu added. Yusei nodded.
"Welcome to my life," Crow responded before they continued their walk.
They soon came up on another memory. "Do you question the Goddess, Utana?" the Prophet asked an older woman.
"Of… Of course not. I just want… I need to understand why all non humans must be destroyed," the woman, Utana, replied.
"Magic is an aberration. It has no place in the cosmos. It's chaos. And chaos interferes with logic, with the Engine. With Her plans," the Prophet answered.
"This I understand. Reunification cannot happen as long as Arcadia is ruled by magic. But the non humans-" Utana was cut off.
"If we are to fulfill the wishes of the Goddess, we must purify the world. Only then can the mechanical Engine serve Her. Do you understand now?" the Prophet interrupted.
"I… Yes, Master," Utana agreed. "My Office will establish camps and ship non humans to the islands. And I'll find someone to spearhead the program to… eradicate magicals."
"Good," the Prophet responded. "I'll be leaving for the Northlands soon, to oversee the final construction of the Tower and the Engine. I trust Azadir is in good hands."
"The Masked Council listens to me only. The Six will continue to heed our advice. Sadir belongs to us, Master Prophet," Utana assured.
"And this new Emissary?" Prophet asked.
"Sister Sahya will join you. She's young but clever. And loyal. She'll serve you well in Marcuria," Utana explained.
"I trust your judgement. Send word when the camps are ready, Utana," the Prophet ordered. The scene then disappeared.
"Did you understand that?" Ayumu asked her bird friend or brother.
"No, but that was Mother Utana. She took me in after I arrived in Sadir. I did some work for her. She helped me get back to Marcuria. Kian and her appeared to be very close, until… until she stabbed him," Crow replied. "With a knife. To the belly."
"She did what?" Yusei asked shocked.
"That… that just happened. Out there. Before the Prophet wrung my neck and- Oh, Mother of Ravens! I remember now. I remember what happened! I-I think I died. Am I dead?" Crow asked.
"You're here. That's all we know," Ayumu answered. "So, Mother… Mother Utana served the Prophet and the Prophet orchestrates the destruction of magicals. Which means Brian is responsible for… for actual genocide."
"I feel weird, guys. I don't like this feeling. I'm… I'm scared," Crow told him.
"Sorry, Crow," Yusei responded before they moved forward.
They reached the end of the road when a scene of the Prophet appeared. He used a stone and the Undreaming came out of him and into the stone.
A wizard they recognized as Roper Klacks came up and told the Prophet after a bit of talking before hand, "That… place. It was-It was filled with… with numbers. And… calculations. An eternity of equations. I couldn't find my way out. It was terrifying. So much power… I owe you my life, sir."
"And now you will serve me," the Prophet stated.
"How?" Klacks asked.
"You'll help me build something. A mechanical Engine," the Prophet answered.
"Like that 'calculator' I was trapped in?" Klacks asked.
"Something like it, but much greater. On a scale never before seen," the Prophet answered. "In return, I'll grant you power."
"Power… What kind of power?" Klacks inquired.
"The kind you once knew, Necromancer King," the Prophet answered.
"That was a long time ago… In another age. One in which magic meant something," Klacks answered. "I accept your proposition. So what's next-" Klacks stopped and gasped as the Prophet placed the stone in the wizard. "What did you do? What did you put inside me?"
The Prophet took off his mask. "Something to keep safe. Something that must remain hidden."
"It whispers to me," Klacks stated.
"Don't listen to it. The Undreaming has ambitions. Best we don't let those ambitions look on the world," Brian responded. "Not yet. Tell no one of this. There are those willing to commit murder to get what's inside you."
"My- My lips are sealed, Master. I swear," Klacks assured.
"Only the sceptre can shatter the shard of the soul-stone you carry within," Brian told him.
"The soul-stone? My soul-stone?" Klacks asked in awe.
"It was never yours, wizard… But, yes. A piece of it," Brian replied. "This sceptre and the soul-stone were forged from the same Dream, at the beginning of everything."
"Is that- Is that the Silver Spear of Gorimon?" Klacks asked. "Where did you find it? It harbors great and ancient magics. Could I-?"
"No," Brian denied before the wizard could even finish. "And not magic. This is an object older than magic. It can both control and destroy magic. It's capable of slicing through the fabric between worlds."
"It's… so beautiful," Klacks complimented.
"I spent decades looking for it. I found it with one of the Draic Kin," Brian explained.
"It looks… alive?" Klacks commented.
"It's been fed the blood of dragons, charged with the oldest magic of them all," Brian explained. "It's finally ready. And once the Engine's been built, the sceptre's true powers will be revealed. You'll stay close to me in Marcuria. I'll call on you when I need you. With the help of the Azadi nation, you'll build my Engine. They're eager for the power they believe it'll grant them. They'll serve me… their Prophet. In exchange, you'll have everything you could ever want. You'll be there, next to me, reshaping worlds."
"I look forward to it, Master," Klacks agreed before the scene vanished.
"I figured that wizard couldn't be trusted," Yusei commented.
"I could've told you that. Wait! I did," Crow responded. "He was there. Klacks. When the Prophet broke my neck. He's working for the Prophet!"
"So Klacks has a shard of the soul-stone inside him. And that soul-stone must be the same one we brought Lux," Ayumu commented. "Why does the Prophet need to keep it safe?"
"Something to do with the Undreaming?" Crow suggested.
"The Undreaming…" Yusei muttered. He then realized something. "It's inside the shard. It's not inside Westhouse because they it'd be controlling him. And he's controlling it. You were right, Crow."
"I was? I was!" the bird exclaimed. "I think… I think this is what I was supposed to show you."
"Okay, so what's next?" Ayumu asked.
"We keep walking, I guess," Crow replied. "I mean, maybe there's more to see." And sure enough the once dead end extended farther and they could see someone painting in the distance.
"April?" Crow responded landing on the easel as they came up to her.
"You. We should've guessed you'd be here. Or… It's not actually you. This place is strange. You're probably just an… an echo. A ghost," Yusei stated.
"What was that whole thing about 'find her, save her'? We found you. But we didn't save you. We didn't save anyone," Ayumu asked.
April turned to them. "You did," she answered.
"How?" Yusei asked.
"I was trapped. You freed me," April answered.
"You died," Ayumu responded.
"And was reborn," April told them.
"Reborn… How?" Yusei asked. April stayed silent. "You're either not telling or this echo is incomplete. I know this can't be you, not really. Because you're dead, and this is just-" He sighed. "So, what do we do now? We're supposed to save the Dream, but we don't know how."
"What have you learned?" April replied.
"We don't know… Brian brought the Undreaming to Arcadia. First it was inside him, but then he put it into the soul-stone shard. He became the Prophet, and he manipulated the Azadi people and freed Klacks, and… Klacks! The shard's inside Klacks. Which means the Undreaming is inside Klacks and the spear can shatter it," Ayumu realized.
"The one that killed the White Dragon?" Crow asked.
"The Silver Spear of… Gorimon. That's what you were supposed to show us, Crow. The key to destroying the shard and unleashing the Undreaming," Yusei replied. "The Undreaming isn't the real danger here. Yes, it is dangerous, but only because Brian is using it. Controlling it. We need to unleash the Undreaming."
"That sounds a teensy weensy bit risky to me," Crow responded.
"I know, but- This is what has to happen. I know it," Yusei responded.
"We know it," Ayumu corrected. Yusei nodded. "I don't know why we know. Maybe it's because Lux knows and Lux is a part of us now."
"We find the spear, murder Klacks and unleash the Undreaming, all by ourselves?" Crow asked.
"We can't. We need help. We need-" April cut Yusei off.
"Kian," she told them.
"Kian! If I can get word to Kian, then- There's still hope! I need to get out of here," Ayumu responded. "How do we get out of here?"
"Good luck, Yusei, Ayumu," April replied before they saw themselves glow and found themselves vanishing.