Twilight Rising

Chapter 14

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A cold front came upon the temple, Yugi enjoying the blanket of perfect scenery outside. Not a single flake was disturbed, leaving the grounds pristine after the night's snowfall. He breathed in a calm breath before turning back to head into the Meditation Chamber. The other monks were at peace, meditating, at least the idea was to meditate. But to their ears was the loudest, most grating sound that could outbeat nails on a chalkboard. Even Yugi had to wince at the sound as concentration was finally lost to them and looked to the source of it. "It would be nice to meditate without this most irritating of noises!" Omi groused, falling from his perfect balance upon his head while Dojo huffed, opening the sliding door to snap that he'd LOVE to see how the monk would handle a rash as vicious as the one he had now. Apparently the reason behind such a breakout was a huge pile of Wu was on the verge of going active. Yugi was curious about it, remembering how bad it had been before when the four Wu that was active during their little tete a tete but granted him his elemental Wu.

As Dojo slithered into the room, Yugi reeled back with a little repugnance. He felt truly bad for the dragon that was now covered in blistering sores peeking through the gaps in his scales. Red and spotty, he knew the dragon needed some serious medicinal creams but likely lacked that around the temple at the moment at least in the case of his specific conditions. Dojo, who had been using the friction of the ground to get at his back raised his head to tell them one of the Wu had just lit up in activation, leaving the monks to head off to grab the scroll and see what had revealed itself. "The Crystal Glasses is said to reveal the future of anyone that wears them." Yugi murmured as he read the information on the scroll before giving a nod. The Wu itself made him interested. If he used it, would it reveal the purpose of his dreams? Would it give him knowledge to handle the threat, if it was a threat, by viewing such? All that and more floated through his mind but he put that in the back of his mind as he rolled the scroll back up once the others had gotten ready to leave.

Their location was somewhere in the region of Russia so they needed to bundle up nicely for the cold.

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"I'm sure the Fist of Tebigong was not made for this task." Omi stated with a hint of revulsion in his voice. To avoid being a rather giant target should Jack be heading their way, they took Dojo to get them to the location over the Silver Manta Ray but this was met with a bit of apprehension as the dragon was still covered in sores. Yugi had the foresight to bring a blanket to sit on for himself but was tasked alongside the others to scratch the irritating boils while the dragon flew. Kimiko gagged a little as a scale peeled off and sighed, hoping that the Wu all revealed themselves before the dragon ran out of scales to keep himself covered. As the air temperature began to drop, Yugi looked down to the stylized buildings below. The dreary browns and greys was offset by some of the colorful onion domes of a few buildings and Yugi could admire them all day if he could. Pictures in his old history books did no justice for the real thing, reminding him once more that what could've been pricey trips if he worked for the publishing company was made easy thanks to becoming a Xiaolin apprentice. Seeing a local marketplace that granted the greatest pull towards the Wu had Dojo descending for it, staying out of sight of the vendors as he made his landing.

Once they were settled on the ground, they decided a quick stop to find some salve for Dojo could take a quick priority before they went searching for the Wu. Looking about, they came across a heavyset male at a stand and Yugi, brushing up on a little of his English, asked if the vendor had anything that could help with rashes. "We need it for our pet...uhh...gecko." he mentioned as he looked to Dojo that scratched viciously along his back once more. The vendor grinned a little before nodding, taking a waterskin of a family-made recipe that could help. Dojo was willing to try anything if it works as he said. Kimiko dug into her pocket, luckily having some money on her to pay for the salve. Once he was paid, the vendor went to load the dragon up with the thick remedy and Omi asked if it was doing anything for him. Dojo whined that nothing was happening but that thought was quickly silenced as the salve did its work, the intense scratchy feeling gone in an instant. Yugi chuckled a little but was happy that the salve was working as they hoped. "Now about that Wu..." Yugi murmured as he looked around before hearing Dojo mention the general direction of the Wu which the vendor followed.

"Ah, he points to old town temple. About two kilometer from here. You can't be missing it." The vendor spoke, thick accent rough but gentle. "Ah, thanks." Yugi replied as they started off for the temple. The walk was a bit lengthy but the sight of the temple wasn't hard to miss. Even Clay commented one had to be seriously blind to miss such a place as they made it to the large double doors and Raimundo pushed them open to head inside. The interior was dusty and filled with old memorabilia of Russian officials, leaving Yugi to examine them in wonder as the others headed past him, eventually spotting the glasses perched on a statue in the center of the room. This would be an easy grab and there was no Jack in sight to get in their way. But of course, such wishes were short lived as a dull buzzing was heard, making Yugi look up as a snowmobile broke through a glass pane, sliding across the floor before Jack looked to them. Stepping off from the machine, Jack grinned as he crossed his arms and the others armed themselves, ready for the fight.

"Hey, hey. How about we make this interesting~ Me against you, no weapons." Jack claimed and Yugi blinked. Considering his clone bot was a pile of scrap metal, he was sure this was just regular Jack standing before them and no way he could take them all on, even without weapons. But if he wished to do it that way, it would just get him out of the way quicker. Jack gave a wider grin before pressing a button on a wristband, his snowmobile shifting and changing, grinding gears transforming the vehicle into a large robot as Yugi stepped back a little. "I'm positive that goes against your "no weapons" request." he bit back as the bot raised its arms before slamming down on the spot the monks once occupied, quickly jumping out the way with Clay grasping Yugi to bring him to his side. "Thanks." Clay nodded as Jack told them they were a bunch of suckers to expect any sort of fair fight from him, taking off with his helipack to claim the glasses for himself. Omi growled as he ran for the evil genius as he began to take off, just missing the grab for his winter coat as the bot went to swing for the others once more.

Kimiko huffed, whipping out the folded tunic to slip on. "Two Ton Tunic!" she called, the soft fabric activating and becoming a sturdy armor that repelled the bot, watching as it stumbled on its feet. "Let's see how well you go for the rebound." Yugi whispered as he pulled out the Tangle Web Comb. He looked to the Wu in hand then to the bot that was slowly getting itself back up. Rolling his shoulders, the teen planted his feet on the ground before activating the Wu, sending out the tangling teeth of the comb and grasping the bot around its legs. 'I can do this...I can do this!' he thought to himself as he pulled. The bot slowly grew unbalanced before Yugi had the bot swinging in a high arc. Gaining momentum and calculating the move he was about to make, Yugi nodded as he had the comb release the bot, watching it fly and ricochet into the opening that lead up the center tower of the temple that Jack was using to escape. The sound of the bot coming his way made the evil genius squawk as the bot slammed into him, crashing through the roof and sailing into the distance. But Jack was safe, coughing pitifully as he clung to the hole in the domed roof.

"Damn that Yongi..." he muttered as he climbed out. Seeing his escape wasn't hindered, Raimundo nodded to Omi before bringing out the Sword of the Storm, stirring up a gust of wind to carry the small monk through the same path to catch up to Jack before he could get away. Yugi panted as he watched before turning to Kimiko as her hand touched his arm. "You ok?" she asked, worried the boy had strained something for the maneuver he made. "I'm alright, really." he replied, smiling to the girl and thanking her for the concern. He didn't think that he could take on whatever the bots were made of head on but his strength was beginning to peak. Yugi wouldn't call it superhuman yet but at least he was slowly growing to be on the path of strength that the others trained themselves to have and honed with the training they did prior to his arrival. Maybe in due time, he'll actually see his skinny limbs show some mass compared to the wimpy self that struggled to accomplish the rope climb in gym.

Not to say that anyone had perfected a method to climb that damn thing to the ceiling without suffering massive rope born for sliding back down halfway.

A harsh sound had him looking up, seeing the smaller monk fall heavily into Clay's arms, a nasty purple bruise meeting his eye and he gasped in horror, covering his mouth. "Omi!" Yugi cried. "I've been Tebigong-ed." he whimpered, the erratic laughter of the redhead meeting their ears before the untimely realization of the onion-shaped roof and nothing to grip on had the male sliding off the roof from the snow, landing hand on top of a cart belonging to the vendor that assisted them earlier. Making sure the small monk was alright, they were heading out the temple to see that the vendor was certainly not happy with his cart and wares in shambles. Jack was gripped in large hands and the Crystal Glasses settled over the vendor's head who still glared at Jack, looking ready to tear him apart. Jack's teeth chattered to the sight of the burly vendor. He was bigger than Clay and he was already a mess from the fall. He couldn't handle him and the monks all at once so he made the quickest decision his big brain could come up with.

The vendor howled in pain as Jack bit his thumb, causing him to release the redhead and he was gone out of sight with Wuya close behind. "Well, there they go." Yugi murmured as the others complimented the vendor for reclaiming their Wu and scaring away Jack, believing that he could be a new addition to the team. Yugi tilted his head at the thought. More manpower would be helpful and the vendor was indeed a strong one, perhaps even stronger than Clay. But could they really afford it? And what would be his chosen element should he improve and grow into it? After consulting the dragon about it, Dojo shrugged and said that the master would likely be alright with it, even if he didn't gain an element. Strength and cunning can be just as useful to them to outpace their foes. The shade growled a little as it watched the vendor as they were returning back to the temple. There was nothing wrong with a little extra brute strength but even it was skeptical of him.

Would he really be useful to them? That was the real question and if so, would he upstage Yugi? That was something it couldn't afford. It would watch him closely and if the other had any suspicions of Yugi over the others, it had the Indigo Pyramid to fix things.

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Master Fung greeted the new recruit, Vlad, warmly though Omi had his skepticism of so openly accepting him. Yugi proved his worth in staying so the small monk had no complaints to his presence but for Vlad, it was singing a different tune. Would he be better in prowess compared to him? He was always happy to help those under the apprentice level but he also didn't think of the case of the trainee growing faster than the apprentice. While he didn't expect Vlad to get better than the rest, he also didn't want to think of the temple cluttered with too many recruits and stifling his great Xiaolin warrior chances. The others gave a sigh, all but Yugi who want lost in thought to himself. "Yugi?" His head shot up to Vlad's voice and he smiled sheepishly. "Don't worry. I'm alright. Just thinking to myself." he assured and the other nodded while Raimundo decided to hand down the lesser chores to him. Anything to get him out of doing them. As such, Vlad proved that things such as dusting, sweeping, mopping, even changing a lightbulb here and there was nothing to him. "Maybe we should keep him on permanently." Raimundo commented as they left once they saw Vlad was perfectly fine in doing what was asked.

"Let's not get hasty now. We'll see how he handles things in training at least." Yugi added. Once they were out of earshot, Vlad slipped behind a column silently. Suspicious it would be if anyone was there to see it but since the hall was empty, he was able to do what he truly came there to do. A double agent one could say, bringing out a small device to get a hold of the person he was in contact with. The infiltration was a success and now all he had to do was take the next step of the plan he was given. "Great. Don't forget the side job either. Oh and Vlad, next time you need to fake a fight...don't make it so convincing. I still have bruises on my bruises." The voice whined over the line and Vlad nodded.

"I will mister Jack Spicer." he whispered, tucking the phone away before he was off to meet with the others. Once the line went dead, Jack set the device down and whimpered as he sat in his rollaway chair. "So...tell me again why we watching Yongi?" he mumbled as he looked to Wuya. The boy hated that he had to be stuck with her again but she promised to make up for her transgressions before with promise the world can be his...just with her as an advisory to make sure he made no stupid decisions once the world was in his hands.

"Because, dear Jack. That boy has something that no one could control before. I, of course, never saw it with my own eyes but if it appears as I expect it to then there is a powerful force waiting to be on the side of Heylin." Wuya explained. "O...k...and what exactly is that, pray tell?" he asked again. "The real darkness. The primal of all elements. One acclaimed to destroy all in its path. But it requires a key to prevent that last fact from happening. That fact resides in the boy. We get him under our umbrella and the greatest power to surpass even me will be in your hands." Jack rubbed his chin, the idea of such power enticing. If what Wuya said was really going to happen, he had to plan accordingly. Being ripped apart wasn't on the menu for him but that controlling aspect of the deal, he was all in for that.

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In the vault, they decided they wanted to give the Crystal Glasses a try and see if its future-seeing power was really all it was chalked up to be. Of course, there was little discourse on just who had the right to use them first. Yugi watched the bickering with slight amusement as they had their back and forth though he himself wondered if seeing his future would be a blessing or a curse. He imagined that his future would be prosperous as he worked under the tutelage of the temple and become a great warrior. Telling his friends and family back home of his achievements and keeping the world free of evil intentions. Then there was that niggling in the back of his mind. The dream of fire and smoke. Of ash and shadows. If that was his future if he was the reason for any part of it, he did not want to see just what his position in that entailed. He didn't feel evil in his heart though somehow, there was a pull that led him to the shadowy forms. Were they good or evil was the part he could not discern from the dreams and that split is why he felt underlying fear towards the dream.

Eventually, his was startled from his thoughts as the master appeared, offering a simple challenge for use of the glasses. Since they couldn't decide among themselves, then trying things this way will do it better. All they had to do was touch his tunic and the glasses would be given to that person. They thought it to be easy, thinking nothing of it but they underestimated just how well the future was predicted with the glasses as well as Fung's natural skill; avoiding all their attacks. Seeing how easily the others were avoided, Raimundo decided that he would take no part. "I knew you would say that." Fung replied, Yugi snickering a little before the glasses were brought back to the vault. The power was to never be underestimated and for proper use of them would take a skilled dragon to do so. Receptacle closed, they all made to leave thought Raimundo stuck behind, looking to the container with the Crystal Glasses and smirked a bit.

Back outside, the others resumed their training while Vlad watched, still on chore duty and Raimundo stepped out with a pair of shades over his eyes. Omi had questioned curiously of why the boy was wearing sunglasses on a day with such an overcast and Raimundo pointed out that he wanted to look cool. Yugi shrugged as he flipped through a couple pages of his journal, hearing Raimundo posing a challenge to Omi to strike him as hard as he could. That made him raise a brow as he looked up to see Omi having a hard time in hitting the other, eventually revealing the reason behind it was Raimundo snagging the glasses from the vault to play with. Omi huffed petulantly as he swiped the glasses from Raimundo, taking them back to the vault.

"You know that wasn't nice, Raimundo." Yugi murmured as he watched him. "Aw, c'mon, you can't tell me that wasn't a little funny with mister high and mighty dragon apprentice." Yugi pursed his lips before ducking his head back into his journal. The dragon of wind made a good point...but it still wasn't nice. With the two occupied, they didn't see that Vlad had disappeared from the spot he stood, following Omi back to the vault silently. Omi looked to the glasses in hand, tempted to try them for himself but knew he should not disobey the master and his ruling on them.

A step from behind as well as Vlad's voice had him turn quickly to assure he was just locking up the vault. But that didn't matter to the Russian as he told him that the others were blind to the proper use of the glasses, that he was wiser than them and wouldn't have his mind clouded to such tomfoolery. That perked the small monk up and made him wonder if he would have a grand and promising future. Vlad grinned, filling his head with more deceptive lies of grandeur, convincing the boy that one harmless peek would do no harm. Oh how wrong he was as the glasses were placed on. The vision to greet him was of fire and burning wood. His friends locked up and filthy. The temple was destroyed and the evil that done so ridden in on horseback. He wanted to know, see who had done such a thing but the image to grace his eyes was the worst he could ever hope to see.

Omi couldn't believe it.

Wouldn't believe it.

But the glasses wouldn't lie to him. There, upon the back of the stallion...was Omi. Older and clearly wiser but that wisdom took a path down the wrong road and led his future to become shadowed in evil. "The great evil...is me..." he whispered as he removed the glasses, nearly dropping them. Vlad was silent where he stood but slowly, he tucked the Reversing Mirror away while Omi held his dejected gaze down to the temple floor. That mood carried him back to the presence of the others and when asked, he told of what had caused his mood to be so downtrodden.

"But...that doesn't make sense. You are the most honorable character I ever did meet. There's no way you'd turn to the path of evil." Yugi spoke. "Definitely not a shred of evil in your body." Raimundo added, knowing that well enough after his own episode. It would take a lot and he couldn't stress the "a lot" part of his thoughts that something would make Omi turn evil. Kimiko made to ask why the monk thought to look through the glasses in the first place and that made the boy think that single moment of disobedience was the beginning of his dark path.

If he could cow so easily to that, Omi couldn't imagine what else he would do. He couldn't bear the thought in hurting his friends and was quick to make the decision to leave. It was the best option to ensure the safety of the temple and the others. Kimiko looked back to the others as Omi ran off, nearly running into Vlad who looked to him despondent. "There is only one path for you now." he spoke as Omi looked to him. It was clear that there was no other path for him. That evil was truly the path he must walk. But Vlad shook his head, offering one other option. "In my country, man of honor take long walk. Alone. To never return, that is honorable thing." It did sound honorable enough to Omi and with a nod, he walked off to get what little things he had. The quicker he left, the sooner his budding evil will be squashed. Vlad watched him and grinned before looking back into the room as the others talked among themselves, watching Yugi specifically. He just had to get him alone...

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Omi looked at the framed picture that rested on the chest holding all his robes. A soft sigh left him as he closed his eyes, wiping away the single tear. He didn't want to leave his friends, but he had to for their safety. The winds howled in the night as a terrible storm fell over the temple, stirring snow and ice and Omi was prepared to disappear with it. Grabbing a cloak, the small monk bundled himself with the heavy fabric and was out into the night, taking a mild glance back to the temple, his home. A silent goodbye was the best and he was soon gone under the cover of the night. Yugi sat in his own room, hand over the journal cover as he looked into the light of the candle that lit the room dimly. Everything that happened just didn't make sense. Would Omi truly turn evil and take over the temple? It just seemed impossible in his mind. But a Wu wouldn't lie. That isn't how the magic worked. He sighed before looking up as the door slid open.

"Vlad?"

"See young Yugi is sad as others." he murmured as he stepped into the room. Yugi sighed as he looked away. "I am. I just can't believe Omi to be evil. I mean...I'd say I have a better chance turning evil than he would." Vlad arched a brow to his words before plopping down beside him. "But you are dragon of light. How can you be evil?" he questioned. Yugi sighed as he sat back. "There is something...about me. Something I still have no understanding about. I can't go into details for my sake and position but if I ever found out the truth in it...I fear I would cause irreversible harm." he whispered before feeling the large hand on his shoulder.

"I believe you to be great dragon. No evil in sight. But if evil does bloom, take walk. Alone. Someone will find worthy of you." Yugi hummed as he looked to Vlad briefly before nodding. But within the shadow, the shade hissed. No...NO! This isn't what should fill his mind! Omi was weak and would listen to such things but Yugi shouldn't! He cannot and will not cast away his destiny for some lesser worthy fair. The light belonged to the darkness and it was to guide him towards it. The shade was speculative of what Vlad's purpose to being there was and it felt that there was more to the Russian that no one is seeing.

'If he has a hand in with that blasted witch, I must change his thinking. She will not deter the path lain out for him. I will not allow it.' The shade thought as Vlad stood and went to leave Yugi alone to his thoughts and as he left, so did the shade. Vlad grinned. To hit two birds with one stone was so easy. Both seemed rather gullible to the thought of evil clouding their hearts. His job was done and now he just had to keep needling the violet-eyed teen to realize that there was only one single place for him and it wasn't the temple if he believes that evil will take him as it had "taken" Omi. A laugh left the other before he stopped.

The sound of skittering around him made him look around the dark hall. "Who is there?" Vlad whispered, the darkness around him seeming to close in on him. "So...you dare to fill mindssss with the idea of evil? Just who are you to do sssuch a thing when joining the temple?" A voice rattled and Vlad raised his fists, ready to fight. A snicker met his defensive stance before red filled his vision. "The light has a purpose. A purpossse you cannot change. So therefore I asssk you...do you think him truly evil?" Vlad moved to step back, his rock solid composure thrown off. What was this? He was never told of such a thing! This wasn't part of the deal he made with mister Jack Spicer!

"He is, isn't he?!" The cackle to meet his words was soon drowned out as an item appeared in his vision. "A fool you are. But allow me to chaaange that. Indigo Pyramid!" The light of the Wu shone in the icy blue hues of the other, causing him to gasp in fright and catching Yugi's attention from the room. "Vlad!" he called as he went to stand. The shade lowered the Wu and looked to Vlad. "Yugi isn't evil, am I right?" The Russian nodded silently and the shade grinned with blackened teeth. "Good. You are freeee to do whatever your wicked heart desires, I won't tellll...but you tell nothing to Yugi about thisss." It whispered before the red eye snapped opened, erasing its presence from Vlad's mind before the hall lost the crippling pressure of the dark as Yugi found the other. "Vlad, is everything ok!?" he asked worriedly. The Russian blinked and rubbed his head before nodding. "I am good, Yugi. Suppose late night snack was mistake. I head to bed now." he spoke and Yugi nodded, watching as Vlad left while the shade returned to his shadow. Now it can rest easy that his presence was snuffed away for now. It will have a word with that witch soon enough but it had to bide its time until that.

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The next morning, Vlad was left to sweep the temple floors while Yugi, Kimiko and Clay meditated. They were disrupted as Raimundo came running in, telling them that Omi had left the temple overnight. "You don't think he really left?" Yugi asked as he looked to them. Clay suggested the other was perhaps in the storeroom practicing one of his moves but Raimundo shook his head. While that would be typical Omi behavior, it was clear his future vision really rattled his nerves. He showed them the note that was left behind and Yugi took it to read while Kimiko questioned if anyone knew that he had disappeared.

They all shook their heads, even Vlad, and she bit her lip in worry. Raimundo tapped his chin before getting an idea. "I know how we can find him!" he called before running out the meditation chamber and was quickly followed by the others. Finding the master, he asked for permission to use the Crystal Glasses and Fung nodded. Such a decision was a wise one, to find the location of an ally. Raimundo nodded as he took the glasses and put them on, peering into the future to find where Omi was heading. White blinded his vision for a moment before the snow lightened, revealing the small monk as he traversed tirelessly through the snow.

"We'll find him by a frozen river...near Hawk Rock!" Pulling the glasses off, he looked to the others and they confirmed they were ready to bring the monk back. Evil or not, he didn't deserve to be out in this snowstorm alone. Dojo whimpered, pustules coming back with an angry force and decided to see if Vlad was around to give him more of the homemade salve remedy. Slipping into his room but found no sight of the Russian, he decided to look through things himself. Digging through the rucksack of belongings, Dojo pulled out a variety of items before his gaze landed on the Reversing Mirror.

The last he remembered seeing it was in Jack's hands. So why would Vlad have it? The gears began to turn before the realization hit him like a rock. Vlad was working for Spicer! He could tell him all their secrets and take them out! The dragon had to warn them but the realization was too late for him to do such, feeling a heavy weight strike him over the head and left him unconscious on the floor before the mirror was pulled from him. Vlad grinned as he held the mirror. It wouldn't do him good if that little bit of information got back to the others before they went to look for their wayward friend.

But with Dojo knowing this, he'd overstayed his welcome. Throwing his things back into the sack, Vlad was gone into the snow unnoticed.

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Wuya was undulating something fierce, telling Jack that the treasure trove of Shen Gong Wu had revealed itself. He grinned, pleased with such knowledge but to really make his day was to hear those promising words from Vlad that said-

"Mission accomplished!" Vlad spoke from the stairwell above and Jack clapped. "Right on time!" Jack complimented as the other walked down. Wuya smirked, glad that all went well and that Omi was out of the picture, providing a reasonable distraction that would allow them to collect the Wu before they found out. "Now then..." Wuya whispered as she moved to Vlad while Jack went to get ready for takeoff. "Did you convince the boy?" Vlad blinked as he looked to the witch. "What do you be meaning?" he questioned and Wuya gritted her teeth. "The boy! Did you convince the boy to come to me?!"

"You did not tell of me to bring Omi to you."

"Not him! I-!" Wuya growled in annoyance and knew that Vlad must've been led astray by the shade. But how!? How did it change his mind of the job he was to do!? "Forget it. That thing is smarter than I expected..." she mumbled as she floated away as Vlad scratched his head. He was supposed to do something else during his infiltration? Well he had to admit there seemed to be a blank in his mind of something he should remember but no matter how much he thought to concentrate on it, it never came to pass. A shrug of his shoulders left Vlad to forget about it.

If it was nothing he had to worry about, he wouldn't force himself to remember it. Vlad a minor concern as they all gathered, the group of monks headed out to search for the smaller monk, reaching the destination and soon found whom they were in search for. Bringing him to a nearby cabin, Kimiko got a fire going to thaw Omi though he was persistent that searching from him was a pointless endeavor. Kimiko huffed as she told him that the matter of him being evil wasn't important. His well-being was more important to them than a little prophetic notion. Raimundo nodded to her words, reaching to grab some more wood for the hearth but jumped as Dojo poked his head from the chest, telling them that Vlad was truly in leagues with Jack and had them all fooled.

"I can't believe this." Yugi murmured, unable to believe that Vlad had them all fooled. He did have his suspicions but his gentle nature was the ticket that quelled the thoughts. Though the teen supposed that talk the night before should've clued him in but at the very same, he felt that his words had some meaning. Would it be better for him to run as Omi had, to protect his friends? He shook his head to rid himself of that thinking as Dojo added that his rash was getting severely worse as the trove of Wu was growing more active. Growing in size which loosened an alarming amount of scales to the floor like feathers, he looked down to them.

"Hop on." They looked at each other with increasing amounts of dread but alas, they had to hurry along. Climbing onto Dojo with Omi securely tied on so he wouldn't fall, they were on their way. Omi gave a slight sigh as he looked to them. "Leave me. I will only slow you down." he mumbled. "We would but we can't. Being alone isn't something I can take to heart." Yugi spoke as he looked back to the still frozen monk. Looking down, their eye caught an old temple on the edge of a cliff and Dojo descended down to get them inside before the Wu was collected.

Inside Jack was grinning from ear to ear, collecting all the Wu nestled in the cavernous trove. Some were unknown but unique and he was ready to play with a few once he was back home in his lair. Vlad smiled as he watched the male gathered everything before turning as a sound told him their unwanted guests were about to appear. Sliding in on the ice block that was Omi, they leapt off while Clay demanded to get their hands off the Wu. Jack rolled his eyes, happily content when they weren't there to ruin his successful moment, calling upon his Jack-bots to deal with them accordingly.

Raimundo, Kimiko and Clay ran in to deal with them, Yugi looking back to Omi worriedly before joining them. Vlad leapt before Yugi, grinning down to him and he glared towards the other. "We trusted you...and this is what you do instead." Vlad laughed before sweeping a kick at the teen who leapt over it. "You trust too easy. It will be downfall one day." he spoke and Yugi gritted his teeth as he went to fight then other. During the fighting to keep the bots at bay, Raimundo and Clay worked to collect the Wu from their spots though the wind dragon ran into a bit of a problem as he was carted off by one and ran into a stalagmite.

The bot was taken care of and he breathed a sigh of relief before hearing a sharp crack echo through the cavern. "Oh no..." Looking up, the hairline fracture on the stone caught his eye before it broke free from the roof and he was quick to climb up to save himself a crushing defeat if he had to get literal of the term. Kimiko jumped in to help Yugi with the use of the Two Ton Tunic to attempt to body slam Vlad away from the boy but the Russian caught onto her ploy, grabbing the armor itself and dragged her out from it before tossing her aside.

"Kimiko!" Yugi called as he ran over before finding himself caught in ropes. He fell to his knees, turning his head quick to see the impact of the sharp rock into the cavern floor, breaking an underground water vein that began to spill water into the cavern. Jack casually swiped what he could get, grinning softly as he watched the incident transpire. This was almost too easy. They leave with the Wu and the monks will drown. Clearly a satisfying victory. Vlad grinned a little himself as he stood before the Wushu Helmet. "With this Wu, our victory over weak minded little ones will be complete." he stated. Jack nodded, waving for Vlad to get the Wu before he gloated too much.

But Vlad of course, didn't know when to stop, having revealed all that happened, of how the future Omi saw wasn't one he was to see thanks to the Reversing Mirror. That the small monk was a fool for thinking that he would turn evil and so easily too. Jack groaned, clapping a hand over his face. "And this is why gloating should be left to the professionals." Omi was appalled, Yugi the same as he helped Kimiko from the water. "So he wasn't going to be evil after all! I knew it!" Yugi called and with renewed vigor, Omi broke himself free from the block he was trapped in and ran for the last Wu trapped in the cavern, grabbing hold of it along with Vlad. Glaring at the Russian, he called for a showdown in which Vlad gave the challenge; to escape the cavern before it filled up with water. Omi agreed, wagering the Crystal Glasses and Vlad the Two Ton Tunic he had snagged from Kimiko and the challenge was set, the helmet shifting the land around them. Water stirred and rocks formed into golden idols and paths, Yugi yelping as the solid ground he was on broke off and separated as the water level started to rise.

Moving to the edge of the ground, he watched as the two went to start the showdown, running along paths and throwing the golden idols around to deter the other. Vlad was determined to win this, throwing all he could to throw Omi off his game but the two come to realize that finding the exit wasn't going to be as easy as they thought and the water was rising ever closer. The concern heavily expressed on Vlad's face as he met in the center with Omi was matched with calm reservation from the smaller monk. This was his element and he had nothing to fear. Before the water could reach Vlad's chest, a simple command from Omi had the water dispersing from them. Vlad grinned and Yugi gasped, the Russian claiming that he had gained victory with Omi's assistance and tossed him aside to continue the search for an exit. "Omi!" Yugi cried and he glanced to him. A smile met worried violet before another command had a geyser of water sweep Vlad into the torrent. Knocked into another golden idol, he landed hard on a path, finding himself trapped among others and growled angrily as Omi walked towards him.

"You'll never find way out!" Vlad snapped as he glared at the boy and Omi chuckled. "You clear underestimate the power of water." he spoke before summoning the element to his aid, swept away into a torrent that carried him away. The monk snagged the bag of Wu that was unreachable to Jack's hands and the others, Yugi laughing warmly as they were carried out from the flooding temple and to where the helmet waited above. "Cover yer head, pardner." Clay warned and Yugi did so, hearing the roof crumble with their exit and Omi grasped the helmet with it. "Awright!" Raimundo cheered before Yugi and Kimiko called for Dojo, the dragon coming to their aid and collected them onto his clear back, free of the rash that had tormented him and was off for home. Yugi patted Omi's shoulder, smiling softly. "I'm glad you're back with us, Omi. It just didn't seem right without you." Omi nodded, looking down to the Crystal Glasses that he took from his head.

"I'm glad to be back. I was a fool to think that I could become evil." he whispered before setting the Wu into the bag held by Kimiko. Things were back to the way it was and their collection back to par. They found they were short the Tangle Web Comb and Fist of Tebigong as they were putting things away but it was a minor sacrifice to get a surplus back after what Jack took before. That night, Yugi sat in the Meditation Chamber, lost in thought as he decided on doing a late night session to meditate. With the mirror back in their hands, there was nothing to fear about bad visions but there was the question now, in his mind, of checking his own future. While the smaller male had no need to take Vlad's words seriously after what he had caused for them, he still wondered if his future would be good or bad with the uncertainty of his dreams. "Maybe...I should check..." he murmured as he stood and went to open the vault. Heading down into the dark, Yugi reached the container holding the glasses and was about to open it when a claw landed on his hand, startling him.

"Yugiii, why do you need to ssssee what fate awaitssss you?" The shade questioned, red eye watching him carefully. "It's just...my head and heart has been filled with questions. Questions that would be answered with just a little peek." Yugi whispered before the shade laughed, taking his hand from the container. "Oh dear little oneeee. I sense that your future will be as bright as the light that issss your element~ It is but a vision and a vision is all that it is. Who'ssss to say visionsss like that are to come true. You have your friendsss, one that has overcome evil before and took it down. With them, you are guaranteed to do the sssssame once more." The shade could feel bile rise in its throat to speak such about the monks but to ensure Yugi forget about the glasses then it has done right. He didn't need to see what is likely a promising future...for them.

The shadows need the light and will destroy any that gets in the way. From that vision, it was sure that the monks will find reason to challenge them for Yugi's safety. They will suffer for it but Yugi didn't need to know their helplessness. He didn't need to leave before his element was honed properly. Just a little longer under their tutelage, it thought, long enough for him to harness all the light has to offer. Yugi hummed as he contemplated the shade's words before nodding. "Alright, I'll take your word for it." he whispered as he moved from the container and left the vault again. "Trust in my wordssss. I wish only to help and guide you, little oneee." The shade murmured.

Guide you to the darkness...and let them be whole to take what is rightfully theirs...

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Zypher: a...ha. what is time lapse in this show again? know well that most of these chapters will have maybe a couple days their time in between them as my headcanon cause the show NEVER tells exactly the passage of time except when you physically see night and day play in the background. also timezones...cant forget that either