Disclaimer: I told you guys! Who's back with another chapter? Come on, who's back with another chapter? Lol! Alright guys and girls, I'm really sorry about the long wait, but I hope this makes up for it. We're back with another awesome chapter, filed with nothing but awesomeness. I hope you guys enjoy it.
Sega: No he didn't Rakaia!
Me: Yes he did Sega!
"Jaden walks up confused about what the two duelist were arguing about this time."
Jaden: Hey guys, what's up?
Sega: Dofus! Here (Points at Rakaia) is saying that his creator is the reason that my name is as big as it is today!
Me: Well duh idiot! That's because it's true! If it wasn't for my creator you would still be in your story doing god knows what? Probably something boring like chasing after Isabella or something. (Crosses arms and nods head.) Yea that's what you'd be doing. Oh and losing….Lots and lots of losing.
Sega: TAKE THAT BACK! (Face starts turning red from anger)
Me: Come on you know it's true.
Sega: Ra…Ka…Ia.(Starts hissing under her breath)
Jaden: Rakaia I think you better back off. (Starts slowly backing away as Sega slowly picks up a Sledgehammer and drags it over towards Rakaia)
Me: Come on Jaden, you read it. Laugh with me Jaden (Points at Sega and laughs)
Sega: DIE YOU BASTARD! (Raises sledgehammer and tries to smash Rakaia's head with it, but he dodges and runs for his life)
Me: WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH SEGA! (Keeps running)
Sega: DIE! DIE! DIE! (Keeps swinging Sledgehammer and breaks everything that she hits, while still chasing Rakaia)
Me: JADEN!
Jaden: YEA BUDDY!
Me: START THE STORY!
Jaden: WHAT!?
Me: START THE STOR….. (A loud pounding his heard as Rakaia goes silent)
Jaden: Guess he wants me to start the story (Shrugs and presses button)
Chapter 31
A Rookie's Ambition, A City in Chaos
A gentle, but cold gust of wind blew over the dark, wet cemetery, filled with the graves of innocent children used for inhumane experiments, conducted by the lunatic that left Luna in a state of turmoil, anguish, and despair.
With Harpie's Magna Dragon, her Duel Monster friend, using her body and wings to shield her duelist from the lingering downpour of rain, Luna sat in front of an empty grave, belonging to her best friend and the love of her life. Her mind was still reeling from what had transpired earlier with Alister, remembering what he had said and promised.
"I… I lost. I couldn't beat him… I couldn't stop him…" Luna muttered softly, her eyes fixed to Rakaia's headstone.
The brown wyvern let out a soft, worried growl, while using her snout to nudge her duelist in a reassuring manner.
Not even acknowledging her dragon's attempt to get her attention, Luna clenched her fists on the ground and began to cry once more with teardrops falling to the wet dirt. "I couldn't stop him… I wasn't strong enough to stop him… And now he's… He's… He's going to kill Rakaia… And I couldn't stop him…" She burst into a full-blown sob, using both hands to cover her face.
Harpie's Magna Dragon could only watch helplessly as her duelist continued to cry her heart out. She groaned, which was more like a rumble in her throat, before using her snout again to nudge Luna reassuringly, wanting to comfort her duelist the best she could.
Despite her sobs, Luna managed to look at her dragon and have a rather weak smile, before returning to look at the grave in front of them. "Magna Dragon," she called to her dragon as she lifted her gaze to look at the rest of the headstones within the cemetery. "How could anyone be so cruel? These were just innocent kids… It's just…" She stopped as her sobs shook her body to its core, so much so she threw her head back and yelled with a choked sob.
"Rakaia!" The pouring rain had already reduced to a light pour, but that didn't stop the raindrops from falling lightly on her face, mixing themselves with her cascade of tears. "You've been through so much… I just wanted to protect you, but I've only manage to screw things up for you instead. It's no wonder you don't want my help." She dropped her head back to look at her boyfriend's empty grave.
Her dragon let out a low moan, watching her duelist with a pained expression. "I haven't really been any help to you at all. It seems that I either hurt you or just stand in your way… I'm so sorry, Rakaia…" She sobbed, cradling her upper body with her arms as her tears continued to stream down her face. "I was never strong enough to protect you. I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry…"
Only a few more minutes had passed before the rain finally had let up. The dark clouds disappeared into the distance, but a few lingered behind. Harpie's Magna Dragon stood up, moving backwards a few steps to let her duelist stand up. The wyvern growled softly and worriedly, watching Luna wipe the tears off her face and glance up at the bright-lit moon high above. With a defeated sigh, Luna turned away from the empty grave, turning towards the nearest exit out of the cemetery.
Her dragon growled again, bringing her head down in front of Luna and pressing her snout against the girl. She let another softer growl escape as she nuzzled her duelist, trying to reassure her in a dragon's way that everything will be ok.
"Magna Dragon…" Surprised by her dragon's actions, Luna brought a hand up to soothingly touch her dragon's large snout, which made the dragon growl again. "I'll be ok. Don't worry. I just need some time to think… You know, to get my head straight." She said softly even as her dragon growled and nudged her in protest, as if it was saying "I don't want to leave you alone."
As if she understood her dragon perfectly, Luna smiled sadly, pulling away to look into the dragon's yellow eyes, filled with concern for her. "I'll be fine, Magna Dragon. Just give me some time to be alone, ok?" Harpie's Magna Dragon locked eyes with her duelist before nuzzling her again and pulling her snout away to use the tip of her tongue to lick Luna's face in an affectionate, but reassuring manner.
Luna let out a small, quiet giggle, accompanied with a small smile. "Ok. Ok. I love you too. Thank you, Magna Dragon." She gave one last pat to Harpie's Magna Dragon's snout before the dragon lifted her head, spreading out her wings and letting out a roar in response, all while her body began to glow in white as she faded away back into her card.
After her dragon vanished from view, Luna turned back to look at the empty grave belonging to Rakaia. Fighting back tears forming in her eyes, Luna forced herself to look away and head out of the graveyard, but not before saying something to herself. "If only I was strong enough to stop him, Rakaia…"
Meanwhile, as Luna began to walk out of the graveyard, two pairs of eyes have been watching her since Alister first confronted her from on top of an abandoned warehouse. The cemetery was surrounded by many abandoned buildings, some taller than others, so it was no wonder the two figures had gone unnoticed by Luna and her Duel Monster.
"Whoa... That… That was brutal." The shorter figure spoke up, crouched on the edge of the building, his hand over his eyes. He let out a low whistle, while his taller companion stood in silence, his arms crossed over his chest, but he held a smirk on his face. "Ethan, man, don't you think that was–"
"That was great!" Ethan exclaimed, interrupting his younger companion. "That's how you take care of worthless insects, Jason." He grinned madly, turning his attention to Jason to cast a look to the younger boy.
Jason looked at Ethan for a moment before turning his head to catch a glimpse of the girl leaving the cemetery behind her. "I don't know about that, Ethan. I mean, don't you think that was kind of, well wrong?" Ethan rolled his eyes in response but it went unnoticed. "She was only trying to protect someone she cares about, so Alister didn't have to go that far…"
Ethan let out a sigh as he placed two fingers on his temple and rubbed it. "Jason, Alister was doing Orion a big favor by making sure she doesn't get in his way. He had to take things far. Think about it. She cares for the person Orion's after, so she's going to stop him from getting to that boy with the Hybrid. Luckily for Orion, Alister found her first and put her in her place right where she belongs. Out of the way like a weak little insect." He smirked, closing his eyes. "It's brilliant. Alister's truly amazing."
Jason watched Ethan for a moment before looking back at the now empty cemetery. "I don't think that's what Alister was aiming for…" He replied a bit nervously, standing up straight from his crouched position. Ethan gave him a quick glance as Jason continued. "I mean, Orion and Alister never got along very well, so it doesn't make sense that Alister would stop that girl from getting in Orion's way. It's not like him." Ethan let out an agitated sigh, which made Jason whirl his head and cast a look at him. "Come on, Ethan, you don't seriously believe Alister's the type to help Orion, right?"
Ethan simply closed his eyes for a moment while letting out another agitated sigh. "Alister did what he had to do, Jason. And it's a good thing he did."
"But–"
"Look, Jason, we're not here to give mercy to anyone who gets in our way. Alister made an example of her. She got in his way, and he crushed her like a worthless bug." Ethan stated, turning to face Jason fully. His eyes narrowed into a glare. "If you can't understand that, then you shouldn't have come. You would only get in Orion's way if you keep thinking like that."
Jason averted his gaze away from Ethan, looking at the concrete rooftop. "But still… It's wrong…" He muttered under his breath.
"Get it through your thick skull, Jason!" Ethan shouted, spooking Jason into looking at him with wide eyes. "Geez, you're such a headache sometimes. Why couldn't Orion just leave you back in the castle?" He sighed frustratingly as he turned his back to Jason, stuffing his hands into his coat pockets. "Such a helpless, pathetic baby…"
He began to walk off before Jason called out behind him. "Hey! Wait! Where are you going?"
Ethan stopped, turned his head back and spoke. "I got other things to do than to feel sorry for every person that crosses Alister's path." He turned back to walk off again, but Jason shouted behind him.
"You know Alister went too far, Ethan! Just look what he did to her!" He glared at Ethan, who turned his head back and cast his own glare. A quick gasp and a hand clasped over his mouth for a moment, Jason averted his gaze again towards the ground. "I… I… I mean, we have to do something. We can't just leave her alone. What if Alister comes back and really finishes her for good?"
"Let's get one thing straight, Jason. We don't have to do anything." Ethan pointed out, his glare still directed at Jason. "She's not our problem, and I definitely don't care about what happens to that broken doll." He ended and walked off again. "Now, let's go. We got work to do."
"But Ethan…" Jason called out softly from behind.
"I said let's go!" Ethan shouted without turning around to face his younger companion. When he didn't hear Jason speak again, or hear his footsteps following him, Ethan turned his head slightly back. He found Jason with his eyes glued to the rooftop, with a sad and guilty expression on his face. Shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly, Ethan turned his head forward and walked off again. "Fine then. Stay here for all I care. I'm leaving."
"But you can't leave me here!" Jason quickly stated in shock, his eyes locking onto the retreating back on Ethan, who didn't even bother to look back. "Not by myself! Orion said–"
"I don't care what Orion says!" Ethan yelled, cutting Jason off. "Honestly, I got better things to do than hang around and babysit a baby like you." He hopped onto the far-most ledge of the abandoned warehouse. His coat swayed with the wind blowing as he stood, ruffling his white spiky hair as well. "You want to help that broken excuse of a doll, then so be it. Just hope that Alister doesn't catch you helping her." He turned slightly to look at Jason and smirked darkly, sending slight shivers up Jason's spine. "You might end up just like that girl, and Orion won't be around to save you." He let out a curt laugh before leaping into the air, and vanishing in a flash.
"Ethan!" Jason shouted, watching in shock as Ethan vanished and left him behind. For a few moments, Jason stood there, letting the cold, wet wind hit his face, before dropping his gaze to the floor again. "Oh man… He left me… He really left me…" He turned towards the cemetery, looking at its entirety from where he stood, before glancing over to the direction where the girl went.
He took a deep breath for a moment, letting out a sigh as a result. "Could Ethan be right? Should I just leave her alone, or should I try and help her?" He spoke to himself in a whispered tone, as if he didn't want anyone to hear him. He closed his eyes briefly. "Hmmm, what would Orion do?"
As if the answer came to him on a golden platter, Jason brightly smiled with a fierce look of determination set in his gaze. "Alright. I know just what to do." He stated, as he hopped off the warehouse and onto another and another, trailing right after the girl.
Elsewhere in the city, the rainstorm continued to pour down and would not let up not even a bit. However, it did not bother the two duelists who found shelter from the storm in a parking garage. They instead were staring wide-eyed at each other, completely and utterly surprised to see one another.
Rakaia couldn't believe that Neveah, of all people, was standing right in front of him, even after he left her and Luna at Luna's aunt and uncle's place. He blinked and blinked once more just for good measure as he stared at the Duel Academy freshman duelist. "Ne… Neveah? Wha… What are you–?" He began to question her but stopped in midsentence when he felt her arms wrap around his waist suddenly and she buried her face in his chest.
"I finally found you…" Neveah muttered almost inaudibly, tightening the hug she was giving her senior. "You don't know how hard it is to find you in a big city like this… You have me and Luna worried sick, you idiot!" She looked up at him with teary eyes, but when she did, Rakaia's eyes were shielded by his messy bangs and she couldn't tell if he was happy to see her or not. "Rakaia..? What's wrong?"
"What are you doing here, Neveah?" Rakaia snapped coldly, making Neveah's eyes bolt wide open at his question.
Confused, Neveah released her grip from around his waist and took a step back from him. "Huh? What do you mean what I'm doing here? I've been looking everywhere for you, you jerk and so has Luna. Do you know how freaking worried she was when you left?" She pointed at him accusingly, even when he turned his head away from her. "You should be ashamed of yourself, Rakaia. We came all this way looking for you, and what do you do? You ditch us again!"
"I didn't ask any of you to come and find me!" Rakaia yelled loudly, making Neveah flinch and look at the senior duelist in shock. At the same time, Priscilla, who couldn't be seen by Neveah, looked at her friend with concerned eyes. "You guys shouldn't have followed me. You should have stayed where you were, out of sight and out of my way." He faced Neveah and glared at her. "I want you to leave, find Luna and go back to where I left you guys."
Neveah stared at him wide-eyed but after a moment, her wide-eyed stare turned into a narrowed glare. "Hell no! You seriously think after spending a day looking for you, I'm just gonna let you go just like that? No. I'm bringing you back with me whether you like it or not." She declared with a cross of her arms.
"I'm not going anywhere. I don't need you two looking for me all over the city." Rakaia scolded with a sigh. "Just leave me alone."
"You can't be serious?!" Neveah shouted angrily as she glared at her senior even more. "You can't tell me that us coming all the way out here to find and bring you back means nothing to you? Luna's out there somewhere still looking for you because she wants to help." Rakaia narrowed his glare at the sound of Luna's name coming from Neveah's mouth. "She wants to help you, Rakaia, with whatever it is that's bugging you. I do too. We want to help you, Rakaia, but how can we when you are like this?!"
"Because I told you I didn't want your help!" Rakaia fired back. "You'll only get in my way!"
"Then tell us why, you idiot!" Neveah yelled back. "You keep saying how you don't want us to follow you and that you don't want our help, but you won't tell us why. What's going on with you, Rakaia? Does it have to do with that creepy guy we found you with or is it something else? Why won't you tell us anything?"
"Enough, Neveah. I don't need to answer to you or to anyone else!" Rakaia stated icily, his glares not letting up. "What's going on with me and my life is my business and my business alone. You wouldn't understand even if I explained it to you. I don't need your help. I don't need you guys following my every step, and I sure as hell don't need some kid bossing me around." He ended his tirade and turned away from Neveah, not even noticing the distraught look on the young girl's face.
Priscilla looked at Rakaia with worry. She knew that Rakaia was not about to tell his friends the truth to his behavior, but still, seeing him act cold and distant to them is heart breaking.
With her head bowed, and her eyes covered by her bangs, Neveah spoke in a soft, pained tone. "Do we really mean nothing to you now, Rakaia? Are we really just a burden? What are we to you? Aren't we your friends? Don't friends help each other out?" Rakaia gave her no answer, which made her grit her teeth in anger. "Answer me DAMMIT!"
With his back still facing her, Rakaia lowered his head slightly and let out a sigh. "…It's like I said, Neveah. You just wouldn't understand."
"That's not true. It's a damn lie and you know it!" Neveah shouted, shaking her head as she did. Her hands clenched into fists as she tried to hold back tears from falling. "What the hell happened to you, Rakaia? You weren't like this when I met you. You weren't like this before you disappeared. You've changed… You're not the same guy as before…" She went to wipe the unshed tears from her eyes. "When you disappeared, everyone believed you were gone for good, even your own sister, but I didn't. I didn't want to believe that. Funny thing is, I don't really know why but I guess I just had a lot of faith in you. I thought when you came back, everything was going to be fine." She shut her eyes as tight as she could as her memories of the days when Rakaia disappeared circulated her mind.
"But then a week passed, and even I began to lose hope in you coming back to us. You… You don't know what that week was like for us, Rakaia." Neveah admitted, her eyes now glued to the floor. "Luna kept blaming herself for what happened. Alexia was trying so hard not to break down. Chazz was moping around, and Jaden tried to keep everyone's spirits up. We were all trying so hard to keep our faith in you, and just when we were about to lose hope, you came back." She looked up to Rakaia, even though with his back still turned to her. "You came back. Hell, I didn't even know you came back until I overheard Luna and Alexis finding out you ran away."
She paused for a moment to let all her words sink into Rakaia's head, hoping that he would understand the pain and misery he was causing to everyone and herself. "Rakaia, I know that I get on your nerves a lot because I'm always constantly challenging you for a duel, but I do want to help you. You're my friend, Rakaia, and I care about you. So please… Let us help you." She waited for Rakaia to face her, to acknowledge what she said.
But, he kept his back facing her. He didn't even bother to face her as he spoke. "You can help–" He started, earning a relieved look from Neveah. Priscilla looked at him with slight surprise, but that was short-lived by his next words. "–By leaving me alone. I told you I don't need anyone's help and I mean it. I don't need you guys sticking your nose where it doesn't belong. You're only going to cause more problems for me in the end." He turned slightly to look at Neveah, and sent her a darkened glare.
Neveah's eyes widen in shock at what he had told, and she watched him as he began to walk away from her. "Ra… Rakaia…"
Priscilla eyed the young Duel Academy student with sad eyes for a moment before looking away in guilt and then floating right after her childhood friend, leaving the girl behind them.
Neveah brought her gaze to the floor, as tears poured out of her eyes. "Why… Why is it so hard to get through to him? No matter what I say, he refuses to accept help from us. This isn't the same Rakaia I knew from Duel Academy!" She cried to herself in her thoughts, balling up her hands into fists. When she looked back up, she couldn't help but let more tears pour out even when she shut them close. "And now… Now he's leaving again… And there's nothing I can do to stop him…"
"Your friend is dying." Orion's voice echoed in her mind suddenly, making her eyes shoot open. "He's dying from the inside out, as we speak." Her mind remembered his words from only an hour ago. Her eyes landed on Rakaia who was still walking away from her.
"That's right…" Neveah whispered to herself as she thought of the conversation she held with Orion.
"That guy said Rakaia was dying… And that's the reason why Rakaia is dying is because of his–!" She thought to herself as she straightened her posture, wiped away the tears that stained her cheeks, and after she did, she put on a determined look. "It's his Hybrid… His Hybrid is the cause of all of this. Rakaia…" She gritted her teeth as she placed her hand on her deck box, remembering the special card Orion gave her to defeat Rakaia's Hybrid and save his life.
"You didn't have to be so mean to her, Rakaia," Priscilla said to the boy as she floated next to him. Rakaia didn't bother saying anything back. His eyes faced forward, and had a distant look to them. Priscilla looked at him carefully, with a soft, sad expression on her face. "Rakaia…"
"RAKAIA!" Rakaia froze mid-step at the sound of his name being yelled by Neveah. He had a slight surprised look on his face, though it went away when he turned to look at Neveah. Priscilla was also taken by surprise by Neveah's shout, and eyed the girl who had a fierce determined look on her face. "I know why… I know why you're acting like this…"
Rakaia raised a brow questionably. "Neveah, what are you talk–"
"I KNOW YOU'RE DYING!" Neveah shouted with all her breath.
Completely taken by surprise by her statement, Rakaia stared at Neveah with wide eyes and a mouth opened slightly. Next to him, Priscilla had the same expression, but Neveah couldn't see her anyways.
"Ne… Neveah…" Rakaia said in almost disbelief. "Where in the world..?"
Neveah looked at him with a smirk, knowing that she got his full attention now by judging the look on his face. "I know you're dying, Rakaia, and it's all because of that Hybrid of yours!" She stated, earning another shocked look from Rakaia. "Your Hybrid is draining your life, isn't it? Is that why you don't want anyone to be around you because you don't want them to know the truth? I bet it was your Hybrid that caused you to disappear from Duel Academy, am I right?" Neveah finished saying with another smirk on her face.
Rakaia didn't know whether to look shock because of what she said or that she literally hit the nail on the head. He blinked for a few moments in stunned silence before he could talk. "I really don't know what you're talking about, Neveah. No one is dy–"
"Stop lying to me, Rakaia!" Neveah cut him off, sending him a dark glare. Her outburst caused Rakaia to stare at her even more in shock. "Just stop it. I know you're lying, so stop keeping it a secret."
"Neveah, I'm not dying. I don't know where you heard that from, but it's not true." Rakaia responded coldly as he began to glare at her as well. "I told you whatever is going on with me is my business, not yours."
Neveah gritted her teeth at Rakaia's remarks. "Quit playing dumb with me, Rakaia. You know I'm right. That's why–" She brought her duel disk to chest-level, activating it in the process. "I'm going to beat that Hybrid of yours and save your life!" She shouted with all her might, while Rakaia stared at her with vacant, dull eyes.
Letting out a sigh and shaking his head, Rakaia turned fully to face Neveah. "If this is your way of trying to get me to duel you, Neveah, it's not going to work."
"I told you to stop playing stupid!" Neveah yelled in frustration, making him look at her questionably. "I'm not dueling you just because I want to. I'm dueling you because I have to!" She added, as she pointed to Rakaia. "I'm going to save you, Rakaia, with everything I got. You can count on that!"
Rakaia gritted his teeth in aggravation that the girl would not give up on him like he wanted her to. Priscilla looked at him as he proceeded to activate his own disk. "If I were you, Neveah, I'd stop this right now before you seriously get hurt."
Neveah gave him a small smirk as she spoke. "I don't care. You're my friend, Rakaia and if you're in trouble, then you know I'm going to do whatever I can to help!" Rakaia coldly glared at her, but she chose to ignore it. "Even if it means that I have to stop your Hybrid from taking your life, then you can bet that's exactly what I'm going to do!" She declared, her eyes telling Rakaia that she wasn't going to back down at all, and she was ready to put everything on the line.
"Guess I don't have a choice then." Rakaia closed his eyes for a moment, and took a deep breath before reopening them. "Don't say I didn't warn you, Neveah."
Neveah smirked at his words as the two stared each other down, both their duel disks activated and ready to go. All the while, Priscilla glanced over to Rakaia, noting his expression was as equally as determined as Neveah, but his eyes hinted something she couldn't tell. Was it sadness? Regret? Guilt?
Thunder roared over the multi-story parking garage, and the storm didn't let up in the lightest. A cold, wet breeze blew between the two duelists, picking up some trash and litter on the floor. And with that, the two duelists yelled, "DUEL!"
The number, 4000, appeared on their respective duel disks as their Life Points, and each drew five cards from their decks.
Neveah went on to place a hand on her deck to draw the top card. "I'll go first!" She shouted, drawing a card and placing it in her hand. She picked up another card after a quick glance, and set it on her disk. "And I'm going to start things off by changing the scenery with this–" A slot on her disk opened up. "The field Spell, Birth of the Universe!" She shouted when she activated the card, and the scene around them changed from a parking garage lot to an exact replica of the solar system.
Birth of the Universe
Card Type: Field Spell
Effect: All "Cosmic Star" monsters you control gains 300 ATK and DEF. Once per turn, you can discard 1 card from your hand to Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Cosmic Star" monster from your Deck or Graveyard. That monster's effect(s) are negated. If this card would be destroyed by the effect of a Spell or Trap Card, you can Tribute 1 "Cosmic Star" monster you control to negate the effect and destroy that card.
Rakaia took a quick note of the change Neveah's Field Spell caused. He could see the thousands of stars that always filled the nighttime sky, including shooting stars. Even the nine planets that made up the solar system were there, floating right above them.
He's never seen something like this before, not even Jaden's Neo-Space looks anything like this.
Neveah let a smirk appear on her face, as she picked up another card to play while her turn continued. "You probably want to know the secrets behind my Field Spell, but the universe never gives all its secrets at once. So you'll have to wait. In the meantime, my Cosmic Star Earth Dragon will keep you company!" She declared as she played her card on her duel disk.
Rakaia narrowed his gaze, but the sight of one of the nine planets floating above their heads caught his attention as it began to glow brightly. It was the planet Earth, and it fired a white beam of energy to the field in front of Neveah. As it dissipated, a blue, medium-sized, slender-built dragon appeared on all four legs, its two wings tucked close to its body.
Cosmic Star Earth Dragon
Card-Type: Effect Monster
Attribute: Earth | Level: 4
Type: Dragon
ATK: 1500 | DEF: 1000
Description: If "Birth of the Universe" is face-up on the field when this card is Summoned, Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Cosmic Star" monster from your Deck. That monster cannot attack this turn. Once per turn, if this card attacks while you control another "Cosmic Star" monster other than "Cosmic Star Earth Dragon," increase the ATK of this card by 400 until the end of the Battle Phase.
Rakaia quirked a brow, though it was hidden by his bangs, as he stared at the dragon she summoned.
"You probably never have heard of this deck before." Neveah stated. "Basically, it's a one-of-a-kind deck made by Pegasus himself, and I'm pretty lucky to have it." She pointed to him, smirking widely. "I'm not going to hold back on you, Rakaia. I'm going to give everything I got. I activate Earth Dragon's Special Ability!" She declared, pointing to her dragon for a moment. "When my dragon's special summoned while my Field Spell is on the field, I can summon another Cosmic Star dragon from my deck. So come out and join us, Cosmic Star Uranus Dragon!" She pulled out a card from her deck and played it, and as she did, one of the larger planets shined exactly as it did before.
A beam of light flew down to the field next to Cosmic Star Earth Dragon, revealing a new dragon. This time, it was green in color, had two large, curved black horns, and lacked wings. Like Earth Dragon, it was slender-built and stood on all fours.
Cosmic Star Uranus Dragon
Card-Type: Effect Monster
Attribute: Wind | Level: 4
Type: Dragon
ATK: 1200 | DEF: 700
Description: If "Birth of the Universe" is face-up on the field when this card is summoned, draw 2 cards. When this card is attacked, randomly destroy 1 card in your opponent's hand.
Both dragons glared at Rakaia, while he simply stared back at Neveah. "Is that suppose to impress me?"
"No, but maybe this will. I activate Uranus Dragon's Special Ability!" Neveah shouted. "Just like Earth Dragon, when Uranus Dragon is summoned onto my field while my Field Spell, Birth of the Universe, is in play, I can draw two cards from my deck." Rakaia narrowed his gaze as Neveah proceeded to draw two cards in addition to what she already had in her hands. She smirked at him as she continued to explain some more. "And that's not all. My Field Spell's effect lets me special summon another Cosmic Star monster from my deck by simply sending a card from my hand to my graveyard."
Rakaia gritted his teeth as he thought to himself. "Dammit… How many times is she going to summon a monster in this one turn?"
Neveah sent a card to the graveyard, while another card popped out of her deck. "I summon my Cosmic Star Pluto Dragon!" She shouted, making the smallest of the planets above them to shine brightly like the other planets did when she summoned a Cosmic Star Dragon. Soon, after the white beam of light disappeared, a small purple-scaled dragon, with membrane-like wings appeared.
Cosmic Star Pluto Dragon
Card-Type: Tuner Monster
Attribute: Dark | Level: 1
Type: Dragon
ATK: 400 | DEF: 100
Description: If "Birth of the Universe" is face-up on the field when this card is summoned, this card can attack your opponent directly.
Rakaia gave Neveah an irritated look before gesturing to her Field Spell. "Let me guess. It has a Special Ability that activates when it's summoned with this on the field."
Neveah nodded. "You catch on pretty quick. Yes, you're right, but if you haven't noticed, all my Cosmic Star monsters have a Special Ability that relates to my Field Spell, Birth of the Universe. But, what I've forgot to mention is that when a Cosmic Star monster is summoned by my Field Spell's effect, its Special Ability is negated, so you don't have to worry me activating Pluto's anytime soon. Which is kind of a good thing." She chuckled.
But, Rakaia looked unimpressed by her first couple of moves. "Oh? Why is it a good thing?"
Neveah stared back at him with a smirk. "I'm not telling you. Remember, the universe doesn't give us all the answers. You gotta wait and see to find out."
"Wow. She sounds a lot like you when I used to duel you, Kaia." Priscilla said with a small smile on her face.
"Not now, Priscilla." Rakaia sent her an irritated answer telepathically, while giving Neveah a cold glare.
"What? I'm just saying." She responded nonchalantly, as she floated besides him, watching the duel continue.
"Fine. At least, your turn is done, right?" Rakaia asked harshly, but Neveah shook her head, earning a questionable look from him.
"Nope. I'm not done just yet." She pointed to all three of her dragons. "I tune Cosmic Star Earth Dragon and Cosmic Star Uranus Dragon with Cosmic Star Pluto Dragon!"
"A Synchro Summon?!" Rakaia's eyes widen slightly in surprise.
Pluto Dragon let off a roar and leaped into the air, turning itself into tuning rings. The other two dragons turned into stars as they combined with Pluto Dragon. Suddenly a comet shot through the sky, flying right over Rakaia's head, before exploding in front of Neveah. "I Synchro Summon Cosmic Galaxy Guardian!" Neveah shouted as a gargantuan monster with several pair of angelic wings, and splendid space blue and white armor appeared. It wielded a large spear and a massive shield so it can use to protect and serve the galaxy.
Cosmic Galaxy Guardian
Card-Type: Synchro/Effect Monster
Attribute: Light | Level: 9
Type: Beast-Warrior
ATK: 2800 | DEF: 2500
Description: 1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters
While this card is face-up on the field, your opponent cannot select other monster(s) you control, except for this card, as an attack target. Once per turn, you can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Cosmic Star" monster from your Deck. That monster's effect(s) are negated and it cannot attack during the Battle Phase.
Rakaia eyed the Guardian studiously before shifting his gaze back to Neveah. "Not bad for a first turn–" He complimented, making Neveah smile brightly. "–But it still won't be enough to beat me."
Neveah gritted her teeth in response. "I play one card face-down and end my turn." She set a card in her duel disk, while narrowing her gaze at Rakaia.
Neveah
LP – 4000
Cards in hand – 5
Monsters on the field – 1
Cosmic Galaxy Guardian – ATK/2800 DEF/2500
Face-Down Cards on the field – 1
Spell Cards on the field – 0
Trap Cards on the field – 0
Cards in the Graveyard – 4
Cosmic Star Earth Dragon (Monster Card)
Cosmic Star Uranus Dragon (Monster Card)
Cosmic Star Pluto Dragon (Monster Card)
Unknown Card
Cards Out of Play – 0
Field Spell – 1
Birth of the Universe
Rakaia
LP – 4000
Cards in hand – 5
Monsters on the field – 0
Face-Down Cards on the field – 0
Spell Cards on the field – 0
Trap Cards on the field – 0
Cards in the Graveyard – 0
Cards Out of Play – 0
Field Spell – 0
Rakaia shook his head, placing a hand on top of his deck to draw a card. "My turn!" He shouted as he drew a card, placed it in his hand and picked up the one he wanted to play first. He gave Neveah a cold stare as he held up the card in his right hand at eye level. "I summon Vanguard of the Dragon in attack mode!" He shouted as a white light flashed on the field before revealing to be a medium-sized, bipedal, wingless, blue dragon wielding a spear in one hand and a round shield on the other.
Vanguard of the Dragon
Card-Type: Effect Monster
Attribute: Earth | Level: 4
Type: Dragon
ATK: 1700 | DEF: 1300
Description: You can send 1 Dragon-Type monster from your hand to the Graveyard to have this card gain 300 ATK. When this card you control is sent to the Graveyard by your opponent's card effect, you can Special Summon 1 Dragon-Type Normal Monster from either player's Graveyard.
"You know, Neveah. You're not the only one who can summon powerful monsters in your first turn." Rakaia stated but his words made Neveah look at him all confused. "I remove my Vanguard of the Dragon from play!" Neveah's eyes widened as the dragon Rakaia summoned gave a roar before dematerializing from the field. Suddenly, a large black portal appeared over Rakaia, and before Neveah knew, a new dragon with metallic armor floated downwards, revealing itself to be–
"I summon Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon!" Rakaia shouted as one of the strongest of the Red-Eyes dragons appeared, staring at Neveah before letting out a loud roar.
Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon
Card-Type: Effect Monster
Attribute: Dark | Level: 10
Type: Dragon
ATK: 2800 | DEF: 2400
Description: You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by banishing 1 face-up Dragon-Type monster you control. Once per turn: You can Special Summon 1 Dragon-Type monster from your hand or Graveyard, except "Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon".
Neveah looked in awe at the large Red-Eyes dragon covered in what seems to be metal scales. "You were able to summon that on your first turn?" She shifted her gaze to Rakaia, her eyes seemed to be awe that Rakaia was able to pull off a move to bring out a dragon with equal attack powers as hers.
Rakaia closed his eyes for a moment. When he reopened them, Neveah couldn't help but gasp at the cold, empty glare he was giving her. "This will be over quickly." He simply said with a cold, harsh tone as he and his dragon stared Neveah and her monster down.
[On the runway of the Austin Airport]
Mya stared in absolute shock, as the black wolf with white lines etched on its entire body as symbols turned into the woman she has known for years. She could only lock eyes with Cassidy, though Cassidy's eyes were filled with regret and sadness.
Gulping some air, Mya opened her mouth hesitantly for a moment but fumbled with her words as she spoke. "Cassidy… Wha… Is that… Is that really you?"
Cassidy averted her gaze from Mya for a moment, deeply saddened and ridden with guilt that the girl has seen her other form, something she wanted to hide from her forever. Letting out a sigh, Cassidy looked back at the Ice Barrier duelist. "Mya… I…" She said at first but quickly her gaze shifted towards the wolf Hybrid behind her who was getting back up onto her feet.
"You better have a good reason for attacking me like that, demon." Syberia growled, bearing her canines at the woman before her.
"You would be wise to behave yourself around me, Syberia. I am only here because you were getting out of hand." Cassidy addressed firmly to the Hybrid as she turned towards Syberia. "More importantly, I'm not going to allow you to put Mya in harm's way just so you can satisfy your personal vendetta against Celeste."
Syberia scoffed and took a step forward towards Cassidy. "You have no business here. If you want to take the girl and flee, be my guest, but don't get in my way again!" The wolf snarled.
Despite the obvious threat, Cassidy did not appear to feel threatened; she simply looked at Syberia square in the eyes, her blue eyes turning into a darker glare. "Cease the fighting, Syberia, and return back to your card."
Surprised by her words, Syberia looked daunted and growled maliciously. "Don't you dare order me around, you demon!"
"Look, Syberia, I did not come here to start a fight with you," Cassidy replied calmly, unfazed by Syberia's malicious comment. She turned to Celeste, who looked prepared to put on a fight at a moment's notice. "Nor with you, Celeste. I have no wish to start anything between us. What was done in the past will stay in the past."
Celeste stared at the woman carefully before speaking. "It has been a long time since we last saw each other, has it not?"
Cassidy gave the phoenix a soft smile. "Yes, it has. It's good to see you doing quite well in this new world."
"Aye, and you yourself."
"You certainly have found yourself a worthy partner, Celeste." Cassidy continued to smile at the phoenix Hybrid despite the sound of Syberia growling behind her. She glanced back, casting a look to the wolf Hybrid. "As for you, Syberia. You should know better than to use the girl for your selfish gains."
While Mya and Alexia couldn't help but be confused and lost to what was going on in front of them, Syberia roared in anger, causing the girls to flinch and look at the wolf, while Celeste and Cassidy looked on in calmness.
"Shut up! I will not let a demon like you tell me what I can and cannot do. My business is with Celeste and Celeste only. I don't need that foolish girl now, so just take her and go!" Syberia yelled, crouching lower to the ground as an icy mist suddenly formed around her front paws.
"I indeed came for Mya, but I came for you too, Syberia." Cassidy scowled at her defiantly. Syberia growled to the point of bearing her fangs at her. "Look at what you've done. You have put many lives in harm's way, including Mya's and Alexia's. You're being reckless and insufferable, Syberia. I will not stand for it any longer. Put your petty vendetta to the side, and return back to your card!" She demanded once again, more forcibly.
"I'm being reckless? You finally show yourself in your true form, and attacked me, and yet you talk about how I am the reckless one here!" Syberia quickly argued in defense. "Did you forget that your kind is not wanted here? You're the ones who are the threat to this world, so you showing up here is quite reckless of you."
Cassidy kept her glare on Syberia, before she let out a sigh and closed her eyes for a moment. "While the words you speak of my kind are true, I'm not the one acting childish and putting so the lives of many in danger."
Syberia took a step forward, still growling and glaring at Cassidy. "Speak for yourself. If it wasn't for your kind, we wouldn't be here now. Celeste and I wouldn't have to fight, and that girl wouldn't have come to hate her former friend. So don't you chide me." She snarled. "You don't have the right to get in the way of two Hybrids fighting."
Mya looked at her Hybrid for a moment, before casting a quick glance to Alexia, and then at Cassidy as the older woman spoke up to the snarling wolf Hybrid. "You're right, Syberia. I don't have the right. However, since Mya is involved in this, I have every right to keep her safe from the likes of you. You can say all you want about my kind, but make no mistake, Syberia, you are beginning to act like one of us."
Syberia's eyes widened in disbelief to what she have heard. Even Celeste looked surprised. "What?!"
"Fighting someone who clearly does not wish to fight you and forcing her to because you're acting mindless and selfish for no reason. And what's worse, you threatened the life of her partner, and yours." Cassidy stated as she and the wolf Hybrid locked eyes with one another. She let out a sigh before she spoke again. "If Albion was here, he would be ashamed of you, Syberia. He would tell you not to fight your friend. He would tell you to forgive her for what she has done."
Syberia was left stunned by Cassidy's words to the point where she stared at the woman with wide eyes and a mouth agape. Celeste stared at her longtime friend and fellow Hybrid in silence, knowing that what Cassidy was saying was exactly what she was saying earlier to the wolf Hybrid.
"Don't you think it's time you let the past go and move on? I know it's hard to accept what had happened, but it happened, Syberia. There's nothing you can do about it." Cassidy spoke more gently, but her voice quivered slightly. "Nothing you do now can change what has happened in the past. No matter how much you try, it won't change a thing. We all have made mistakes. The best we can do is learn from them and move forward." She ended, as she glanced over to where Mya stood next to Alexia.
Her words made a mark in the two girls who heard it, but her words seemed to have a more profound effect on Mya, since she was staring back at Cassidy with a mixed expression of hurt and shock.
Celeste gave a nod, although it went unnoticed. "She speaks the truth, Syberia," She spoke to the wolf Hybrid. "As I said before, I can apologize over and over again, but there is nothing I can do that can change what I have done in the past. What matters now is that we are here, and we have people we have sworn to protect."
With her head bowed and her ears laid flat against her head, Syberia casted an irritated look at Celeste before looking away. "Siding with the enemy... How unlike you…" She grumbled as her body began to glow in a light.
Mya stared in shock as her Hybrid began to glow, but soon her eyes fell to her deck that began to light up at the same time. She stared at it in confusion, but brought her eyes back up to Syberia, who was slowly disappearing.
"Syberia…" Celeste called to her friend sorrowfully, but shocked that her friend was still going against her.
"Save it, Celeste. The last thing I need is your pity." Syberia snapped as her body faded back in her card in Mya's deck.
Celeste closed her eyes mournfully while Cassidy let out a brief sigh of relief after Syberia returned to her card. She turned her head towards Celeste. "My, she's quite a handful, not that I can say my family is any different."
The phoenix opened her eyes to look at the woman giving her a reassuring smile. "Thank you for your help. If you had not showed up, the fighting surely would have continued." Celeste gave Cassidy a curt nod.
"There is no need to thank me, Celeste. After all, we are looking after those we care for the most." Cassidy responded to Celeste, before she brought her gaze towards the girls standing a distance away from her.
Her eyes landed on Mya first, who stood there watching her with a shocked expression. She looked at Mya with sorrowful eyes and a small smile to match, before walking up to the girls, her eyes shifting to Alexia.
Alexia, on instinct, was on the defensive and took a step back. "Do not worry, My Lady," Celeste quickly interjected, seeing Alexia preparing herself for something. "She is not an enemy. She will not hurt you by any means."
"She's right. I mean you no harm, Alexia." Cassidy added, greeting Alexia with a friendly tone as she stood just a foot or two away from the two girls.
Alexia looked at Cassidy studiously for a moment, before allowing her guard to lighten up a little. "Wait… I… I've seen you before… Back when I was a part of Dante's Shadow Stalkers." Alexia said quietly as she pointed to Cassidy.
Cassidy gave a nod. "Yes. At that time, you were still quite young when we met." She surveyed the girl from head to toe, and gave a smile. Alexia gave the woman a half-hearted smile in return. "You've have grown up so much since then."
Beyond shocked, Mya couldn't help but look back and forth between Cassidy and Alexia. "So… She was telling the truth…" Mya said in a mix of disbelief and hurt. Cassidy looked at Mya with a guilty expression. "Everything Alexia said… It was true… Wasn't it, Cassidy?"
Cassidy looked away for a moment before looking back up to the girl she calls her daughter. "Mya... I…"
"Why didn't you tell me?!" Mya snapped, as she glared at Cassidy, who's expressed hurt, regret and sadness in her eyes. Alexia looked at her friend with concern, even as the Ice Barrier duelist went on. "Why haven't you told me the truth? And what the hell was that just now?!"
"Mya… Please… I can explain…" Cassidy said calmly, her pained blue eyes shined with regret.
"Explain what? That you've lied to me all this time. You kept things from me!" Mya fumed, despite the stinging tears in her eyes. "You've lied to me, Cassidy. You've lied!" Tears spilled out of Mya's face since she couldn't hold them back anymore. Cassidy looked down shamefully. "And now I feel like I don't know you anymore… I don't even know if you're human or a monster!"
Cassidy's head snapped up, and her eyes widened in shock to what Mya said. "Mya…" She said almost too pained to talk to the girl in front of her.
"Mya!" Alexia jumped in, trying to calm her friend by placing a hand on her shoulder but Mya shrugged her off. "You're going too far!"
"No, she lied to me, Alexia!" Mya shouted, turning her attention to her childhood friend. "She knew all along about what happened to you and she kept it from me!" She whirled her head to look at Cassidy, who looked so dejected and hurt. "What else have you been keeping from me, Cassidy?" She shook her head vigorously, her tears cascading off her face non-stop. "Answer me! Why did you lie to me, Cassidy? Why! Why! Why!" She screamed and choked as sobs shook her body.
On the verge of tears herself, Cassidy bowed her head with her eyes closed so she couldn't bear to look at Mya crying in front of her. "Mya… I'm… I'm so sorry…" She whispered as she raised her head and opened her eyes to look at Mya.
As she did, her eyes flashed in a bright light, and Mya's eyes instantly rolled to the back of her head and her body fell limp into Alexia's arms.
"Mya!" Alexia shouted, catching Mya's unconscious body before she hit the ground. She stared at her friend with concern in her eyes before she whirled her head to Cassidy and glared at her. "What did you do to her?!"
"She's alright, Alexia. She only lost consciousness," Cassidy answered sadly as she walked up to Alexia. Her eyes were glued to the girl she knocked out. "It's temporary. I just needed her to calm down so I can take her back to our home."
"Take her back?" Alexia's eyes widened and her grip on Mya tightened. "No… You can't… I won't… I won't let you take Mya away from me!" She yelled, making Cassidy to look at her agonizingly.
Her Hybrid glanced down. "My Lady…" She spoke somberly.
Alexia whirled her head to cast a wide-eyed look to Celeste. "She just can't, Celeste! Mya's my friend… No… She's more than that… She's my sister… And I can't let her go, not after finding her again." Alexia's eyes welled up with tears as she looked down at the unconscious Mya. "We're together again after all this time… I just…" She shut her eyes to keep the tears from flowing out, but it failed as she held Mya tighter to her.
"I can assure you, Alexia, it's not my wish to keep you two separated after you have found each other again," Cassidy spoke up after a brief moment. She glanced down to look at the unconscious girl. "But I do need to speak to her on my own… She deserves to hear the truth from me as well…" She looked at Alexia wiping her tears from her face to stare up at her. "…From there, she can decide on her own what she wants."
Alexia looked at Cassidy for a long moment, before she glanced down to gaze concernedly at Mya. "If she wants to come back to you, I will–," Cassidy gave a hesitant pause, her eyes wavered with unshed tears. She exhaled, glancing away to hide her own anguish. "–I will let her go. I'll let her be with you, Alexia, where she belongs."
Alexia looked away from her childhood friend and looked at the woman. She glanced away, biting her lower lip as she closed her eyes tightly. "Do you promise to keep her safe till then?" Alexia whispered as she turned her head back to Cassidy.
Cassidy's eyes widened slightly, obviously taken back by the question, but she managed to give a warm, soft, and assuring smile to Alexia, a genuine smile. "You have my word, Alexia." She said with a nod.
Alexia gave a smile as well, and then looked down at Mya. "Ok…" Cassidy approached Alexia, and gently picked up Mya bridal style from her arms. Mya's head gently rested on Cassidy's shoulder as the woman took a step back while Alexia stood on her own feet, looking on sadly.
"Don't worry, Alexia. Mya is safe with me. I practically raised her." Cassidy said, noting the somber look on Alexia's face. Alexia glanced down at the ground with tears threatening to pour out from her eyes once again. Cassidy saw this, and after a moment, smiled softly to the girl. "You know, she never stopped talking about you."
Alexia raised her head up and looked at Cassidy with slight surprise and confusion. Smiling, Cassidy glanced down at Mya. "She would tell me about all the things you two did when you were just little girls all the time. She had always idolized you, Alexia, and I can see why." She turned away from Alexia and Celeste, and as she did, her eyes flashed in that bright light again, causing a warp portal to open up from nowhere.
Alexia looked on in slight shock even as Cassidy turned to glance at her. "Come to think of it, I don't think Mya has ever come to hate you, Alexia." She gave one last smile, turned away, and walked into the portal.
Celeste smiled and looked down at her partner, who began to smile as well. "Your friend is in good hands, My Lady. Cassidy will keep true to her promise."
"Yea…" Alexia smiled softly as she watched the portal close behind Cassidy and Mya, and disappeared into thin air. She looked up to Celeste after a few moments, her eyes holding slight confusion. "Say Celeste. Cassidy… Is she..?"
Celeste glanced down at her partner and friend, catching on to what she was saying. With a nod, she spoke. "A Duel Monster? Yes, she is. The creature you saw her transform from is her true form."
Alexia widened her eyes and inquired, "Her true form?"
"She is a creature I have faced before in the past. An Earthbound Immortal." Celeste started with a nod of her head. "In the past, we were once enemies. The Immortals were nothing more than mindless murderers that killed Hybrids for no reason other than bloodlust. They would have driven us to extinction if it was not for Albion."
Alexia inhaled sharply as her eyes widen in fear and realization. "If that's the case, then I shouldn't have let Mya go with her!"
"Be at ease, My Lady. She is quite different than the ones I have fought against before. I trust her enough that I would leave you in her care." Celeste admitted.
"Do you really trust her that much, Celeste?" A deep, masculine voice rang out from behind Celeste and Alexia. Quickly, Celeste narrowed her eyes as she and Alexia whirled their heads to look at the man who called out to the Hybrid. "Enough to know she would not bring harm to your precious partner?"
Standing 60 yards away from them, on the broken pavement, was a well-dressed man with mid-long, silver-white hair and neat bangs, and dark red eyes. He had a smirk to his face, his eyes fixed on the Hybrid and Alexia, and one hand in the pocket of his trousers.
"You…" Alexia glanced over to Celeste and saw the phoenix grow tense as if she was preparing for another round of fighting. Seeing that, Alexia gritted her teeth as she stared back at the unknown man. "What are you doing here?" Celeste pushed on, making the man chuckle.
"Is that any way to greet an old acquaintance?" He smirked, eyeing solely on the Hybrid. "Look at you. You haven't changed a bit over the last six thousand years."
"And you have changed greatly since the last I saw you." Celeste answered. "Walking around in a human form I see."
"Celeste, do you know him too?" Alexia whispered to the Hybrid, casting a side look.
Without taking her eyes off the man in front of them, Celeste replied to her partner's question. "Yes. He is a member of Cassidy's family. He is also an Immortal like her." Alexia widened her eyes slightly and looked at the man again in surprise.
The man smiled wickedly as he cast a look to Alexia, and then back at Celeste. "Is that all you're going to tell her? Don't tell me you won't tell Alexia of our tragedy, Celeste?" He grinned as Celeste started to glare at him.
"How the hell do you know me?" Alexia snapped as she glared at him.
Casting another look to the girl, he smiled again. "Oh yes. You were once part of the Shadow Stalkers but I do believe we never have properly met. I am known as Delqno in my Immortal form, but you can call me Devon. It's the human name that I've chosen to go by." He dropped his smile as he stared at the two seriously.
"Now that the pleasantries put to set aside, back to my question, Celeste. Have you told her about what you and your family of Hybrids did to my family?" Celeste darkened her glare while Devon began to raise his voice. "Have you told her that you were the ones to take everything away from us when we did nothing wrong?!"
Alexia looked to Celeste for some answers. "What is he talking about, Celeste?"
Celeste ignored her partner and answered to the man and creature she has faced before a long time ago. "It is understandable for you to hold a grudge over a mistake we have done. Yes, what we did to your family was indeed a tragedy. It could have been prevented but it did not, and for that, I am sorry."
Devon narrowed his gaze upon hearing Celeste's words. "Do I look like I want an apology from you, Celeste? A sorry doesn't cut it. A sorry won't bring the justice my family deserves!" He yelled. "Do you even know what it feels like to have everything taken away from you in one single moment that you didn't have time to react?" Celeste opened her mouth to answer, but he cut her off. "No, you don't, but you will soon enough. When the life of your partner comes to a tragic end, you will then know what it is like to have something taken away from you so suddenly, Celeste." He faced away from them, ignoring the blunt, wide eye stares from Alexia and the narrowing glares from Celeste.
"And when that moment comes, my family will finally have the justice they deserve. So until then," he cocked his head over his shoulder to send the Hybrid one last look, "Enjoy your final moments with your partner, Celeste, because even you would not be able to stop what's coming to you." He began to laugh as he faced away from them again, and then disappeared in a flash.
Alexia gritted her teeth at the man's threat while Celeste remained silent, her eyes not wavering from the spot the man had left. "Celeste…" Alexia called out in a low voice after a few moments, looking up to her Hybrid.
But the Hybrid did not say anything in return.
[In NYC]
"SHIROHARA, DESTROY SEGA AND HER HYBRID!" Michelle shouted, pointing at the stunned and shocked Sega. Behind her, the looming figure of her Hybrid, Shirohara, opened his mouth and let out an imposing roar that rocked the packed arena, scaring the people inside and having them run out the building and into the streets for safety.
"Michelle, stop this right now!" Sega shouted, but Michelle did not bother to listen. She simply had a deadly smirk on her face, a crazed look in her eye, and the dark aura emitting from her body, which swayed back and forth.
"Michelle!" The young girl, who stood between her friend and Sega, cried out as well, watching on in horror.
With eyes glowing red, Shirohara raised one of his mighty front paws, his claws extended out, as he lashed out towards where Sega stood.
Sega watched with wide, fearful eyes. "TIBURSCIA!" She cried out her Hybrid's names, and almost immediately as she did, her deck shined brightly in the holster before a powerful stream of light shot out towards Shirohara's paw.
Shirohara's glowing eyes widened when the light stream struck his paw, stopping it from rushing any closer to Sega. He gritted his teeth and growled when the light morphed into the solid form of the Tiger Hybrid.
"I won't let you hurt her, Shirohara!" Tiburscia roared, slamming his own body into Shirohara.
"GRRRRRRAAAAHHH!" Shirohara roared out as both Hybrids were forced backwards, slamming right into the barely empty stands.
"Tiburscia!" Sega yelled despite the loud screams from the remaining people running out the arena.
Michelle looked back and gritted her teeth as she saw Tiburscia jump back down to the arena floor, with Shirohara rising up from the demolished stands.
The two Hybrids glared at each other, gold eyes meeting glowing red. Shirohara jumped down to the arena floor, growling and baring his teeth to his enemy.
"Shirohara, stop this right now." Tiburscia spoke with a growl.
Shirohara turned a deaf ear and started to rush towards Tiburscia; the stone blades on his head and shoulders began to extend outwards and grew sharper than what they were before.
Tiburscia managed to dodge the first rush, by jumping into the air and landing elsewhere, but the Lion Hybrid was committed to striking him down with his stone blades, lunging towards the new spot the Tiger Hybrid landed. Despite Tiburscia dodging each rush, Shirohara did not let up, roaring in frustration as he gave another rush towards Tiburscia, only for him to dodge it yet again.
Jumping into the empty stands, Tiburscia watched his former friend lock eyes with him. He gasped as Shirohara contracted his blades and began to launch a barrage of sharp-pointed rock shrapnel towards his direction.
Tiburscia gritted his teeth and cursed mentally as he ran across the stands with the barrage of shrapnel following right behind, piercing seats, the structure of the stands itself and walls. He then jumped right into the air and fired his attack, his own barrage of concreted light spheres. "SHINING IMPACT!" He shouted as he focused his attack on Shirohara, who didn't even bother to dodge the attack, and instead allowed himself bombarded with flashes of light.
Smoke filtered into the air, obscuring the arena floor as Tiburscia readied himself to land, but his eyes widened when Shirohara burst out from the smoke and rammed himself right into Tiburscia's center with a rush of speed, sending both of the Hybrids right into the roof of the arena.
Sega watched wide-eyed as her Hybrid crashed right into the roof, causing materials like glass and concrete to rain down overhead. "Shit!" Sega cursed before running slightly forward to grab a hold of the arm of the young girl in front of her.
"Hey! Let me go!" The young girl cried out again, trying to resist and get away from Sega's grasp.
Sega didn't look back at her; she simply held her grip tighter on the girl's forearm. "Listen kid, unless you have a death wish, we need to get out of here!" She shouted as glass and concrete from the roof fell right behind them.
"But Michelle–" The scared girl tried to look back to see the said person, and when she did, her eyes widened to the sight of evil smirking Michelle standing in the same spot with the building crashing down all around her. "Mich–"
"Watch out!" Sega shouted suddenly, making the girl spin her head towards the duelist and looked up to see falling debris right above them. On instinct, the two girls closed their eyes tightly, with the young girl using her hands to cover her head as if her hands were shields to protect.
"Sega!" Tiburscia's voice rang out as a large white paw slashed all the falling debris away from the two girls.
Sega opened an eye and smiled widely when she was greeted with the sight of her Hybrid. "Tibursica!" She cried out in joy and relief, but noted the few cuts and scratches on him already.
"You two need to get out of here now! It's too dangerous!" Tiburscia demanded, eyeing his partner and the young girl next to her.
"I already know that, Tiburscia! What do you think I was doing?!" Sega retorted back.
The young girl looked at the two partners at first, before she turned her head to look away and towards Michelle. "Michelle…" She whispered, snapping Sega and her Hybrid to look at her and then at Michelle.
Despite the rubble falling all over the arena floor, Michelle stood perfectly still in the same spot, where nothing hardly fell and landed close to her. And looming over her was the viciously growling Shirohara; his eyes locked on Tiburscia's form just as Michelle's eyes were locked only on Sega's.
Sega gritted her teeth as she glared back at the dark girl and her Hybrid. "Dammit. This is bad… Do you know what's wrong with them, Tiburscia?" She looked up at her Hybrid, who eyes were looking forward.
"I can't say for sure," He responded. "It's almost as if… As if they're possessed…"
Sega's eyes widened. "Possessed? You mean like–?" She whirled her head back to Michelle and Shirohara.
"It's a possibility." Tiburscia said solemnly, exchanging a look with Sega for a moment.
"This is all your fault, Sega!" The young girl shouted, whirling around to face Sega and pointing an accusing finger at her. Sega raised a brow as the girl continued her rant. "She was supposed to beat you but you beat her and now look at her." She pointed to Michelle. "You and your Hybrid did something to her to make her like this, didn't you? Fix it! Return Michelle back to normal!"
"Whoa kid. How is it my fault that she's gone cuckoo crazy? I had nothing to do with this!" Sega retaliated with a glare.
The young girl returned a glare of her own. "Yes you did! Ever since you guys beat Master Dante, you think you're invincible now," She stated, earning wide-eyes from Sega and Tiburscia at the mention of Dante's name.
"Dante?" Sega managed a whisper, still slightly shocked.
Tiburscia narrowed his eyes after recovering quickly from his initial shock. "How do you know that monster?"
Ignoring them, the girl turned away from them, huffing and crossing her arms. "First, you kill our Master, and then you go and kill innocent kids, and now you possess my friend…" Tears began to fall out of her eyes and stream down her cheeks. "You Hybrids and your partners are nothing but monsters!" She whirled around with full-blown tears streaming down her face as she shouted, shocking Sega and Tiburscia some more.
"Look, kid–" Sega started to say.
"SHIROHARA, I WANT THEM GONE!" Michelle demanded furiously, earning looks from her targets and the other girl. "ELIMINATE THEM!"
Shirohara raised his head, opening his mouth as he drew a deep breath before letting out another sound-barrier breaking roar.
The roar was extremely powerful as the first roar when Shirohara was first summoned only moments ago. The arena rocked and quaked with the power of the roar, and even caused Sega and the young girl to cover their ears because of the intensity of the roar. Even Tiburscia had to press his ears back, as he tried to keep his eyes open and locked on Shirohara.
"Ah!" The two girls cried out in pain, their hands covering their ears still.
And if things couldn't get worse, the ground began to crack right underneath their feet before it caved in, sending the three of them falling 50 feet straight down into an abandoned subway rail system.
"AH!" The young girl screamed, her eyes widening in fear as concrete turned into layers of soil and concrete again.
"TIBURSCIA!" Sega yelled, watching her Hybrid free-fall faster than her and the younger girl.
"On it!" Tiburscia shouted before landing on the dusty, rat-infested grounds of the abandoned subway underneath the arena. He looked up to coordinate his body to catch the two girls still falling.
"Oof!" Sega landed on the back of her Hybrid's neck, only for the young girl to land on top of her back as well. "GAH!"
"Are you hurt?" Tiburscia inquired, cocking his head back to cast a worried glance.
"No…" Sega muttered sounding out of breath as she sat up on the crook of Tiburscia's neck, with the young white haired girl sitting behind her. Mumbling, Sega rubbed her head and looked straight up above her. "Shit, that was some fall. Good thing you were here to catch us, Tiburscia." She glanced at Tiburscia and smiled, earning a nod from her Hybrid. Sega looked back at the kid behind her, who was looking up as well. "You ok, kid?"
"Y… Yea, I'm fine…" She said looking at Sega with wide, fearful blue eyes. "And my name is not Kid. It's Stephanie." Sega gave her a nod and looked back up to the large gaping hole 50 feet above them. The young girl next to her began to look around before finally looking back at Sega. "How are we gonna get back up there?"
"I don't know, kid. Tiburscia's not a good climber and he'll need space to jump on out of here." Sega stated, squinting her eyes for a moment. "Hmmm… Huh?" Her eyes widened at the same moment Tiburscia tensed underneath her and began to growl, his eyes fixated to what was above him, catching a glimpse of a silhouette, and knowing immediately who it belong to. "Crap." Sega cursed as the silhouette jumped down towards them.
Tiburscia gritted his teeth before running down the abandoned tunnel towards who knows where. As he did, he, Sega and Stephanie looked back when a loud crash was heard behind them, accompanied with a vicious growl and a mocking laugh.
"Don't think you can run from me forever, Sega." Michelle stated from the top of her Hybrid's head. Her eyes were wide and maniacal, and she had a sadistic smirk on her face. "I'll find you and your Hybrid and tear you apart!"
Her words echoed down the tunnel Tiburscia was running in, making Sega look over her shoulder and grit her teeth at the sound of Michelle and Shirohara following them. "Dammit, she's not going to give up until she has my head…"
"Sega, we need to get out of this tunnel," Tiburscia panted as he ran. "In here, we're nothing but sitting ducks."
Stephanie held on tightly to Tiburscia's fur as he ran while Sega bit her lip and looked at the worn out, rotting, neglect walls of the tunnel. "I think we're in an abandoned subway tunnel, so…" She looked up at the roof for a moment, and smiled almost instantly. "I got it!" She bent a bit to get closer to Tiburscia's left ear, while pointing towards the roof of the tunnel. "If you blast a hole big enough on the roof, we could get out of here."
"Sounds like a plan." Tiburscia replied, opening his mouth wide to charge up a large orb of light energy.
"Segaaaaa." Michelle's sadistic voice echoed behind them.
Sega turned back to see Michelle and Shirohara gaining ground on them. Eyes widened, Sega turn back to her Hybrid, gripped his fur and yelled. "NOW TIBURSCIA!"
Without further encouragement, Tiburscia stopped in his tracks and fired the large orb of light towards a portion of the roof a few feet away. The blast connected, causing a rather good size explosion and for debris and dust to fill the abandoned tunnel.
The two girls coughed loudly, opening their eyes slowly as the dust settled rather quickly. Before they could even look to see if the blast created the escape they needed, Tiburscia leapt towards the opening, causing the girls to yelp in surprise and hang on to his fur tightly as bits and pieces of debris and dust hit their faces.
The sounds of blaring car horns, screeching tires, and panicked voices soon welcomed their ears, making the two girls open their eyes and see their surroundings. The escape Tiburscia created led them right onto a busy street within the city near the Empire State Building. Tiburscia skidded, his claws digging deep and leaving long ragged marks on the tarmac, while countless of drivers tumbled out of their cars and joined others in running for their lives.
Sega looked back behind her and noticed the pillar of smoke coming from the direction of the arena. She bit her lip and looked back down towards her Hybrid, tightening her hold on his fur. "Come on, we gotta go."
Tiburscia gave her a quick look. "I can't really run, Sega. Not with all these people here."
"Right now, Tiburscia, I don't think we have a choi–!" Sega started to yell but was interrupted when a huge blast went off behind Tiburscia. Reeling around, the Hybrid and his passengers noted a dark figure emerging from the dust and debris and it was none other than their pursuers.
From atop of Shirohara's head, Michelle cracked a toothy grin filled with malice and amusement. "Running away from me, Sega? That's not like you."
"Michelle…" Sega gritted her teeth, and cast a glare at the girl smirking in obvious amusement. "You need to stop this right now. People are going to get hurt!"
Scoffing, Michelle placed a hand on her hip. "And why should I care if these people get hurt? I'm only interested in seeing you get hurt…" She smiled manically as Shirohara leapt towards Sega and Tiburscia. "By ME!"
"Dammit!" Sega shouted, holding onto Tiburscia's fur for dear life as the Hybrid managed to dodge at the last second.
Crushing several cars with his weight and size, Tiburscia made a run for it, dashing down the street north of the tall skyscraper, with Shirohara running close behind, ramming through anything that gets in his way without a second thought.
"Come on, Tiburscia. FASTER!" Sega shouted with hurry, even with Stephanie now clutching the duelist's waist for dear life.
"I would love to but I can't, Sega!" Tiburscia said with a heavy pant or two, his eyes shifting to look at all the people running out of the way as fast as they could in front of him.
"Dammit…" Sega whirled her head back slightly to cast a look over her shoulder. Michelle and Shirohara were still behind them, charging right into an 18-wheeler, with Shirohara breaking the vehicle right in half. "There's gotta be something you can do, Tiburscia!"
Tiburscia turned a sharp corner to the right, managing to not trip over his own feet. "Tiring him out is the best I can do right now, Sega." The tiger said, glancing back with Sega and the other girl, to see Shirohara missing the sharp turn and crashing into a small 2-story building.
"Michelle!" Stephanie yelled, quickly letting go of Sega's waist and hopping off of Tiburscia's back.
"What the hell! Kid, get back here!" Sega yelled while Tiburscia came to an abrupt stop a few feet away.
Stephanie landed on the ground like if it was nothing and took off towards where Shirohara crashed into the building. "Michelle! Michelle!"
"Kid, get away from her! She's dangerous!" Sega shouted from the distance, making Stephanie turn angrily to glare at the other Hybrid wielder.
"She's not dangerous! She's my friend!" She defended angrily. "You did this to her! You made her like this!" Sega was taken back by what the girl said but quickly overcame it with a quick grit of her teeth.
Approaching the rubble of the once-was building without second thoughts, Stephanie's eyes managed to catch a glimpse of the Lion Hybrid standing back up onto his feet again. Smiling happily to see her friend on top of the Hybrid otherwise unhurt, Stephanie exclaimed, "Michelle! You're alright!"
"That little bitch…" Michelle muttered to herself, her eyes dead-set on Sega, but when she heard her name, she looked down and scoffed in disgust at the sight of the young white-haired girl nearby the rubble. "Stephanie… What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at the pathetic island playing house with Rebecca?"
"Well I uh… I followed you, Michelle, so I could cheer you on," Stephanie responded with another smile, seemingly unfazed by the dark look Michelle was casting her. "I really wanted to see you win... But then, you didn't win…" She dropped her gaze slightly as well as her head, not noticing Michelle tensing up and gritting her teeth in anger. "And now… You're like this… I don't understand. Did Sega do this to you?"
Michelle said nothing at first; instead she closed her eyes, suppressing her anger a bit as she smiled with her teeth exposed. "Yes, Sega did do this to me. She took away what I held most dear to me, and when I tried to take it back…" Michelle opened her eyes again, her gaze locked on the distant form of Sega on her Hybrid's neck. "I'll make her pay for what she did to me… I'll make her pay with her life!" She yelled so loudly what she was sure Sega could hear her.
Stephanie widened her eyes, obviously shocked to hear Michelle wanting to take a life. "Michelle…"
Having heard Michelle direct another threat at her, Sega gritted her teeth but glanced over to where Stephanie stood. "Listen kid, she's not herself. She's been possessed!" She yelled at Stephanie, who turned slightly to look at the Gladiator Beast duelist.
Stephanie blinked, her expression perplexed to what Sega had just said. "Possessed? What?"
"She's possessed by the bond she shares with Shirohara," Tiburscia spoke up, his eyes locking with the raged lion Hybrid before him. "They're incompatible."
"Incompatible? What does that mean?" Stephanie questioned.
"It means that the two are not a perfect match for each other. At first they were since they had the same goal in mind, but now it seems to have weakened." Tiburscia explained, narrowing his gaze slightly. "Shirohara must have only chosen to partner with Michelle to extract his revenge on me, but now, he doesn't need her anymore. Same with Michelle. She only needed Shirohara to get back at Sega. That caused the bond between them to become unstable, and as a result, the two of them became possessed by the power of their broken bond."
"So in other words, the Michelle you see before you–" Sega spoke up, continuing Tiburscia's explanation but putting it into simpler terms. "–She's nothing but a loose cannon right now, and so is her Hybrid." She ended, sending a glare to Michelle while Stephanie whirled her head back to look at the blonde-haired girl with wide eyes.
Michelle scoffed, brushing her bangs away from her face as she glared back. "Come now, Sega. As you can see, I'm perfectly fine. In fact, I've never been better. But if you don't believe me, why don't you come over here and find out for yourself how much of a loose cannon I am?" She smirked darkly, while Sega gritted her teeth but didn't budge to her taunts. She laughed manically. "What are you so afraid of, Sega? Are you afraid that I'll extinguish your life and enjoy every moment of it?"
"Michelle, you can't take her life!" Stephanie shouted. Gritting her teeth, Michelle cast a dark glare down at the young girl standing near her and her Hybrid. "Just because you lost doesn't mean you have to be a sore loser about it. You're still a strong duelist, and I know you can get even stronger. You just have to try and try again, and then one day, you will beat Sega in a duel. I just know it!" She said quite cheerfully, not even noticing the devilish shadow cast over half of Michelle's face as she spoke.
"Shirohara…" Michelle spoke darkly after a brief moment of silence. The lion Hybrid growled menacingly in response, shifting his gaze from Tiburscia to the young girl before him just a few feet away. Lifting her head up, Michelle glared icily, her face contorted with anger. "Get her out of my sight!"
Stephanie's eyes widen almost instantly as Shirohara raised his left paw right over her, ready to slam it down on her with tremendous force. Her mind screamed to move and get out of the away, but her body froze with fear.
"Shit!" Sega cursed with wide eyes as Tiburscia wasted no time in speeding towards them. "Don't do it, MICHELLE!" was all Sega could say as Shirohara slammed his heavy paw right where Stephanie stood, causing the ground to be crushed with the force of his blow.
Sega and Tiburscia, coming to a quick halt due to his own shock, stared wide-eyed at the spot that was now nothing but broken tarmac and concrete blocks. Even a looming cloud of dust rose up from the massive crater the Lion Hybrid created.
"Ha! Serves her right!" Michelle grinned manically, while her Hybrid raised his paw up to survey the damage.
Sega gritted her teeth and glared at Michelle, while Tiburscia growled darkly. "How could you, Michelle? She was just a kid! She didn't deserve that… Not even from you!"
Placing a hand on her hip, Michelle smirked and lifted her right hand up to taunt Sega and her Hybrid to come at her. "If you have a problem with it Sega–," She stopped mid-sentence with her gaze shifting to the side and narrowing into a glare. Even Shirohara reacted the same way, eyeing the top of a four-story brick building near them.
Sega blinked in confusion for a moment, wondering what was going on with Michelle and her Hybrid. Quickly, she glanced down at Tiburscia, and as she opened her mouth to speak, she noticed his gaze directed towards the same building as well. Surprised by this, Sega glanced at the direction everyone else was looking at, and gasped lowly in shock.
Crouching on the edge of the building was a woman with long, steel-colored hair and a causal outfit consisting of a long sleeved shirt and cargo jeans. Her back was towards the two Hybrids and their human partners as she stood up straight. Stephanie was in her arms, wide-eyed and staring right at the face of the woman who saved her from an imminent death.
Sega's eyes grew wide as she caught the sight of the woman. "R… Reba!?"
The steel-colored hair woman turned her head slightly towards Sega's direction for a moment, locking eyes with her before smirking slightly as she looked away to face Michelle. "Well, well, well. If I remember correctly, you said something along the line about putting that bitch in her place, and yet it seems she put you in yours." The woman snorted, holding back a chuckle as she put Stephanie down on the flat surface of the roof. She then turned to face Michelle, giving her a slight smirk. "Didn't I tell you, you were gonna need luck to beat Sega?"
Michelle instantly gritted her teeth at the familiarity of the woman's voice and growled the name that the voice belongs to. "Rebecca…" She growled and clenched her fists for a moment before letting a smirk run across her face. "Hehe, what the hell happened to you, Rebecca? You look way uglier since the last time I saw you and that's saying something." She gave a curt laugh and smirked at the woman, who didn't seem fazed by the insult.
"Is that so? Then I guess I should change back to how I usually look," the woman, Rebecca, looked over to Sega who stared at her in disbelief. She let a smile appear on her face as she closed her eyes, and as she did, her body began to glow in a bright light.
Sega widened her eyes as Reba's appearance changed to a white-haired female with striking red eyes. Her outfit changed to that of a white, long-sleeved buttoned up shirt and a black mini-skirt with a red belt and a pair of red low-heel boots. Other than that, the rest of her features stayed the same.
"What the…" Sega stammered in shock. She watched on as the woman shifted her gaze back to her with a smirk on her face.
"Surprised, Sega? You should be. I didn't want to really show my real self just yet, but certain circumstances made me." She shifted and narrowed her gaze at Michelle, who still held a smirk on her face.
Sega blinked in confusion. "Reba… You…"
"The name's not really Reba. It's Rebecca. The form you just saw me in was nothing more than a guise I was forced to take up." Rebecca stated, turning her attention back to Sega. "Now listen here, Sega. I'll deal with you and your pathetic Hybrid personally, but after I deal with the angry princess over there, so don't go anywhere."
"Deal with me? What the hell did I do to you, Rebecca?" Michelle shouted suddenly, sending a glare at Rebecca, who turned slightly to cast her own glare at the Hybrid user.
"You know exactly what you've done. You tried to hurt Stephanie." Rebecca remarked sternly, keeping her glare on Michelle. Behind her, Stephanie, who was sitting on the rooftop in complete shock of what just happened, glanced up to look at Rebecca. "And now I'm going to hurt you." She threatened, sharpening her glare.
Michelle gritted her teeth and glared back at Rebecca, with Shirohara growling as well. "No one hurts my family and gets away with it." Rebecca shifted her gaze to Tiburscia, who gritted his teeth as well. "No one."
Whoa! The gang is really going through a lot right now. How can Sega get out of the mess that she's in? Can Neveah finally get through to Rakaia? And what about Alexia? Find out next time on Yu-Gi-Oh GX!
Me: (Sitting on the sofa with a neck brace around my neck)….I hate you….Sega.
Sega: Hey Rakaia! How are you feeling today? (Comes and sits by Rakaia on the couch)
Me: (Glares at Sega) Go die.
Sega: Oh come on Rakaia I said I was sorry. (Smiles brightly)
Me: (Glares back and then leans forward for my Sandwich, but I cannot reach)
Sega: (Sees my struggles and smiles again) See let me show you how much of a good friend I am by helping you out with that. (Leans over and knocks sandwich on the floor and walks off.) Bye Rakaia
Me: (Whimpers as I am stuck reaching for my Sandwich)….. (And then I fall over)