Hey guys, so first off I would like to apologise for how long it took for this chapter to come out. Between Christmas, health issues and other general end-of-the-year stuff, I haven't had much time to write. Fortunately I've managed to get this done, so I hope you all enjoy!


Chapter 28 – The Calm Before the Storm

When Tanion's eyes fluttered open and took in his surroundings, he couldn't help but feel as though he was in heaven. The chirps of birds in the trees was music to his ears, the forest around him lush and wondrous. As he looked around, he seemed to recall having seen this forest before. It just on the edge of my memory… If I could just remember what it was…

"You're awake."

The voice came from behind him, and Tanion rolled around to see Jaden walking towards him, a welcoming smile on his face. However, much to his shock and surprise, the monster known as Yubel was walking by his side, just as real as Jaden was. How in the hell…

"I see you're surprised at Yubel," Jaden noted.

"Do not be afraid," Yubel said to him, orange and green eyes are calming as was possible for her. "I won't hurt you unless you try to do something to Jaden."

"Where are we? How is that possible?" Tanion asked, petrified, pointing at Yubel.

Jaden took a seat beside Tanion. "I watched your duel from afar, aware thanks to Yubel that you had requested after me," he said. "So when the moment was right and you had done all that you could, I pulled you in here. To the Spirit World."

"Wait, I'm in the...?"

"You are," Jaden confirmed, nodding. "You took a while to wake up, but that's not unusual for a person's first real trip to this world. You may have been here before, but not like this."

My dream… "So this is the Spirit World huh," Tanion wondered aloud, taking in his surroundings even more than before.

"Come with me," Jaden said, standing and offering Tanion a hand. "There's something you need to see."

As the Fusion user led Tanion through the forest, he began to realise just how immersed in the world of the spirits he was. As they walked, he spied many of the different monsters from the card game wandering around, like Valerifawn from the Mystical Beast archetype and The Fabled Unicore. Not only that, but he was finally beginning to come to grips with the living, breathing Yubel that was just on the other side of Jaden. I knew that they were real, but to actually see it… Eventually, they made it to what seemed like a cliff-side overlook, and as the valley before them opened up, Tanion soon realised why he had recognised the forest.

"I know that castle," Tanion said, pointing at the giant structure in the valley below. "I was there. With Stardust, and Edilisna… Royal Knight is down there."

"It appeared when you did," Jaden said, looking down at the castle. "They fitted seamlessly into the structure of this world, but I'm still unsure as to whether I trust them yet."

"What do you mean trust them?"

"Duel Monsters are living, breathing creatures, people sometimes, just like you and me," Jaden said, gaze unchanged. "They will have their own agendas, their own plans. In this world, I make sure that the natural balance is not changed. For all that I know, the Knights could be a threat to that balance."

"Do you believe that they are?" Tanion asked.

"At the moment, no," Jaden admitted. "But we haven't had new spirits appear in this world since the war began, so forgive me for remaining slightly sceptical."

Tanion thought on Jaden's words as they looked over the picturesque valley before them. Although he had been playing the Knights for quite some time, he had obviously never really considered them to be their own people. So they're just like the people out of fantasy stories and legends, huh? Tanion thought. I wonder how they all interplay in their lives down there, and whether their card forms have anything to do with their personalities.

"Hang on," Tanion said, realisation suddenly dawning on him. "If those are my Knights down there, doesn't that mean that the ones I'm yet to own or use are down there as well?"

"Possibly," Jaden admitted. "However, it's more likely that even if they were there, they wouldn't show themselves to you."

"Why would they do that?"

"You may own their cards, Tanion, but you are not their master," Jaden replied. "They will decide when the time is right for you to gain more of their strength."

Just like Jorann and Zera said… "I see."

"In my duel against Erial, he summoned a monster the likes of which I'd never seen," Jaden said, switching the subject with a hint of concern in his voice. "A Deity with powers beyond anything I've seen in this world, rivalling that of the God Cards. However, in my time here, I'm yet to find any trace of his presence at all."

"Your time here?" Tanion asked with a raised brow. "The confrontation at Yugi's mansion happened no more than two days ago."

"And yet I've been here for two weeks," Jaden countered, turning to look Tanion in the eyes. "Time moves differently here, although for immortal spirits like the ones who live here it is irrelevant."

"So how long have we been gone then?"

"It's been almost a week since I pulled you in here," Jaden told him, much to Tanion's surprise. "Fortunately humans need no nourishment while in the Spirit World, and I've had Yubel watch over you while I've continued my investigation. But it's probably been around a day in the other world, so not that long."

"I need to return there immediately then," Tanion said. "Elise and Darrien are probably very worried as to what happened after they left. Who knows what happened after I left."

"So are you ready then? Shall we return to Stromberg?" Jaden asked him.

Tanion took one last look at the castle. If only… "Yes, let's go back," he said finally, much to his own dissatisfaction. "We have to tell the others what happened with Zera, since I doubt either Elise or Darrien know what happened."

"The use of both summoning methods is troubling," Jaden admitted. "But it is simply something we will have to figure out later. For now, let us return. Now hold still, take deep breaths, and close your eyes."

Closing his eyes as Jaden had instructed, Tanion waited for him to do something akin to counting them in to the teleportation. Instead, his stomach lurched as Jaden immediately dragged them across the different planes without warning, and once his insides had returned to their allotted position and he opened his eyes, he found them inside the dining hall of Stromberg Castle. Unfortunately, it appeared that it was currently night time, as Felirae, Jorann, Yusei, Yugi and Elise were all staring at them from their seats at the table.

"Oh," Jaden said in surprise. "I didn't realise…. Hi."

"You could've warned…" Tanion cut himself off as his realised the stares they were getting.

"You're alive?" Elise whispered. "Tanion, what –"

"What do you mean I'm alive? Of course I am."

"But… yesterday," the young blonde stuttered. "We saw a phoenix… and then an explosion. You didn't come to us afterward, so we thought that you had fallen and had to return. We only got back a couple hours ago."

"He would've if I didn't pull him into the Spirit World," Jaden cut in. "Sorry for not coming back earlier. It took him a while to wake up."

"You took him into the Spirit World?" Jorann asked warily, his interest piqued by this.

"If I didn't, he would've been killed. Sue me," Jaden replied. "I had been doing my own research into some interesting developments in that world anyway before I pulled him in."

"It's just good to see you both are alright," Felirae said finally. "After the incident with Darrien, it's good to see not everyone is out of commission."

"What happened with Darrien?" Tanion asked, concerned, recalling how the man had looked the last time he had seen him.

"He's recovering," Elise said slowly. "He been in and out of consciousness, but the last I saw him he was just sleeping. Despite what happened with that possession, he still has the new Fusion monster that he summoned, so his trip was seemingly a success."

"That's good to hear," Tanion said with relief.

"The two of you should get some rest," Felirae offered. "Tomorrow morning there will be a debriefing of the events at the Ad Deir monastery and what you were searching for in the Spirit World, Jaden."

"As you wish," Jaden said, nodding slightly. "Yugi, Yusei, may I speak with you in the meantime?"

"Of course, Jaden," Yugi said happily.

"What about?" Yusei asked.

"It's a private matter," Jaden replied. "Is there somewhere we can talk?"

"Use my quarters," Felirae offered. "No one will disturb you in there."

"Thank you, Felirae," Jaden said gratuitously.

Once they were gone, Jorann turned to Tanion. "If you want to see Darrien, he is resting in his room under medical surveillance," he told him. "The kitchen is open to you as well. Take what you need."

"I will," Tanion said with a thankful nod. "I'll get going then. And, uh, sorry again for the interruption."

"I'll take you to see Darrien if you'd like," Elise offered. "I've finished my meal anyway."

"I'd like that," Tanion said.

Jorann and Felirae sat in silence as Elise and Tanion followed The Three out of the dining hall. Their meal was still lukewarm despite the interruption, but it was evident that neither of them were interested in their meals any longer. Instead, both of them seem deeply troubled by the words that had been spoken.

"He took him to the Spirit World," Jorann muttered in disbelief once he was confident they were alone. "Is he mad?"

"He would've been careful," Felirae countered, trying to not jump to conclusions. "Jaden isn't stupid."

"He also seemed very sceptical when we told him about the warning that he spouted, despite his position on the safety of the Spirit World," Jorann reminded him.

"The boy has shown little to no evidence of corruption ever since he arrived here," Felirae said. "Jaden of all people would know if something was amiss with him."

"So are you suggesting we do nothing?" Jorann asked angrily.

"I'm saying we watch him carefully, just as we have been," Felirae responded. "I don't think there will be an issue now that The Three are with us, but we must, and will, remain vigilant."

The next week came with a degree of calmness that Tanion had not experienced since arriving in this world. The debriefing had been the most intense part of the week, with Felirae, Jorann and the other higher-ups showing visible concern as Tanion recalled what details he could about his encounter with Zera. These emotions were only heightened as Jaden told them about his encounter with Erial and his Mythic Deity. It seemed that no one in the room had been fully aware of the power that the Twin Commanders possessed, something that Tanion found hard to believe at the time.

"They've never had to step onto the battlefield before," Felirae had explained. "They are the ones at the very top of The Grand Order's forces. We've fought those that have answered directly to Erial and Zera before, but they have never made an appearance personally."

To think that have never once felt the need to fight themselves… just how strong are those two? It was a question that Tanion had pondered long and hard over the week, as he felt confident that Zera hadn't shown him her full power during their fight. It seemed that Felirae too had felt the same, and so, with the help of The Three, had managed to contact the leaders of the other rebellion groups together for a meeting that was to begin within the hour. Jaden had been the main line of communication during all this, as he had been able to locate some groups that had previously fallen out of contact. Thanks to this, the leaders of the rebel groups in Australia, China and Brazil were now all present within Stromberg Castle. They had been brought up to speed on everything that had happened with Theta, including the revelations about Irene, but it was now time to figure out how to press forward. I find it odd that the Chinese Rebellion didn't help with Theta, Tanion thought to himself. It's always possible they were against it like we were, but never got dragged into it like we did…

He was currently seated on the edge of the bed in his quarters, his deck splayed out of the sheets beside him, duel disk behind them. Darrien had physically made a full recovery from the possession he had endured, but even he admitted that he had not fully recovered mentally from being thrown out of his own body. Elise had been pandering to his every need during this time, personally making sure that he got better as quickly as possible. Tanion felt a small smile grow across his face as he recalled the blonde's pandering and Darrien's insistence that he was alright during the week. War won't stop people from caring for each other, it seems.

A knock at the door. "Who is it?" Tanion asked, putting his deck back together and into its box.

"Draven," came the voice. "The meeting is about to start. Your presence is requested."

"One moment."

Tying up his boots and putting his deck box into his pocket, Tanion exited the room to find that Draven was in the company of Teleor, Elise and Darrien, all of whom seemed to be in a rather serious mood. Tanion, however, was simply pleased to see that Darrien truly appeared to be back to his normal self.

"It's good to see you've recovered, Darrien," Tanion said.

"It's good to have my body back to normal," the man with golden eyes admitted. "At least I got what I went for, despite the troubles that we ran into. Thanks again for saving us."

"I got lucky," Tanion confessed.

"Just like with your draws?" Elise piped up.

"You know what I meant," Tanion said with a hint of playful anger in his voice.

"We should be moving," Teleor cut in.

"Better to not keep them waiting," Elise agreed. "Lead on."

It was evident as they entered the room that they were the last members of the meeting to arrive in the meeting room. Around the table sat Felirae, Jorann, Yugi, Yusei, Jaden as well as three representatives from the other rebellions, one of which Tanion assumed was the leaders. As the trio took their seat at the table and Teleor and Draven took their positions outside the door, Tanion noted that the mood in the room was icy.

"And for final introductions, this is Tanion, Elise and Darrien," Felirae said formally, before indicating to the groups from the other rebellions. "As you can see, the other leaders are accompanied by guards. To my left is Quinn of the Australian rebellion. To his left is Rafael of the Brazilian rebellion, and to my right is Ming of the Chinese Rebellion."

As they exchanged greetings, Tanion noted that their accents weren't quite as thick as he had expected. Rafael had a rather high-pitched voice for such a large man, whereas Quinn, despite his thin, tanned frame, had quite a deep voice. Ming was in contrast to both of them, as the middle-aged woman seemed to fit the stereotypical Chinese physique and voice quite well.

"Shall we begin then?" Felirae asked the room.

"I hope you understand the risks we are taking in coming here, Felirae," Quinn said immediately.

"We are all well aware of the risks," Yugi cut in before Felirae could answer. "We would not have asked you here unless we thought it necessary."

"We are here at your behest, Yugi Muto," Ming said curtly. "I suggest you be the one to speak."

"Agreed," Rafael said with a nod.

"Alright," Yugi said. "You have all been called here because I am of the belief that we need to formulate a strategy as a team. I may have been out of the picture for some time, but I know if I know anything it's that a divided team is a weak one. We can no longer be fulfilling our own agendas if we are to defeat The Grand Order."

"And how do you suggest we do that? Another Theta?" Quinn scoffed.

"I am still angry that you operated in our area of control without informing us, Yusei and Felirae," Ming spat.

"This is my point!" Yugi said before either could reply. "There is no way for us to gain any ground if we treat each rebellion as separate entities. We have to band together."

"And die together," Rafael commented. "If your plan is anything like Theta, then you will doom us all."

"That's not –"

"No, Yugi, he's right," Yusei cut in grimly. "I was so sure that I could handle whatever was thrown my way, and my arrogance led to many people being either captured or killed. I was wrong in initiating Theta. I let my emotions cloud my judgment, and my friends paid the price. Its horrors cannot be allowed to repeat."

"I'm not asking you all to do something like Theta," Yugi said in an attempt to retain control. "But look around you. We are the leaders of the last remnants of the world of the past. If we are to stand any chance at all against the Order, we can remain divided no longer."

"Then what do you suggest we do, Yugi?" Felirae asked him.

"We create a main base of operations," he answered. "All of your current bases become secondary bases for the larger rebellion. Co-ordinated attacks. Shared equipment, resources and research. I understand you all have different ways of fighting The Grand Order, but alone they aren't working."

"We've lost no ground to The Grand Order for nearly a year now," Quinn countered. "I'd say our little rebellion is doing pretty well for itself."

"How long until that's no longer the case, though?" Jaden cut in. "You will run out of resources eventually. The Grand Order won't. Right from the beginning of the war, they did everything they could to hoard resources and destroy anything else. They captured warehouses and cities, converted thousands by the day to their cause, and halted all production of new cards except for their own. For the common soldier, their resources will run out. It is only a matter of time."

"We will find a way," Quinn muttered.

"We are offering you one," Yugi continued to argue. "I'm not asking you to throw away everything you've held onto and start anew. I'm just asking you to pool your resources together for everyone's betterment."

"I am willing to entertain the idea," Rafael said eventually.

"As am I," Ming agreed. "But only after Felirae, Yusei and I talk about their actions during Theta."

"Quinn?" Yugi asked.

"I fail to see what can be gained from this arrangement," the man answered. "If anything, we will simply be stretching our resources even thinner by agreeing to this. You think The Grand Order won't notice that? You think they won't press even harder if we agree to this?"

"They will anyway. It's in… in… what the –"

Alarm spread through the room as Yugi shrieked in pain and collapsed, Jaden being the first one to reach him as he had been sitting next to the man. Standing to get a better view of what was going on, Tanion recoiled in horror as Yugi's eyes began to glow white, his body seemingly stiffening of its own accord. However, just as Yusei got ready to try and help him, the glowing vanished and his body went limp. Before any of them could wonder what it all meant, the man seemingly came back into consciousness, grabbing his head as he did so.

"Yugi, can you hear us?" Jorann asked in a concerned manner.

"The Order," Yugi murmured barely louder than a whisper. "They're…"

"What did you see?" Jaden asked, realising that whatever happened may be linked to the power that Yugi had been gifted.

"Energy… an unearthly spike…"

The doors crashed open, and the company turned to see a woman holding a screen under her arm. "What is it?" Felirae demanded.

"Sir, our surveillance team near Eravand just picked this up," the woman said, beginning to press buttons on the screen.

A projector above the table whirred to life, and within moment the image that Tanion could see on the woman's screen was being clearly projected onto one of the walls. In it, he could see the easily recognisable city of Eravand in the middle-left of the screen. However, what concerned him and the rest of the company in the room was the sheer amount of activity taking place just outside the city that surrounded a giant object of some kind that Tanion was sure hadn't been there before.

"What the hell is that?" Rafael demanded.

"An Energy Conduit," Yugi managed to say.

"Of that size?" Quinn asked, disbelieving. "It's at least ten stories tall. How did they even keep that hidden?"

"Wait a minute," Yusei whispered. "The Grand Order… they've been capturing Synchro Users and other powerful duelists since the start of the war. You don't think that…?"

"No," Jaden muttered. "No, no, no. That can't be possible."

"Care to enlighten us?" Jorann asked.

"Irene is not from this world," Yusei said, his eyes glued to the projection as his mind went into panic. "If she has amassed enough energy, she could create a portal to that other world."

"But we deduced that to be impossible years ago!" Ming protested.

"No, we deduced that it would require the entire planet working together for a year in order to possibly achieve such a thing," Jaden said. "The Grand Order have had five long years to gather all the resources needed to pull off such an accomplishment. If that truly is an Energy Conduit, then…"

"What do we do?" Quinn demanded.

"We stand and fight as one," Yugi said, getting to his feet.

"They've too many men to take on individually, but together we might be able to get through and put a stop to all of this," Felirae said.

"I can have my men there in an hour," Ming offered.

"We will fly there as one. My jets are the fastest," Rafael offered.

"I will order everyone I can to make for Eravand," Felirae said. "We will meet up with your men as soon as we can, Ming."

"This may very well be The Grand Order's endgame," Yusei warned them all. "Make sure everyone knows this. For if we fail here and now… this may be the end for all of us."


Coming Soon - A Rebellion United