The Last Celtra
The gates to the estate were pounded violently by the army of orcs on the other side. Gabriel the Black could hear the screeches, grunts, and roars over the stone walls of Karad-Antha. He heard his baby boy crying from the bundle of blankets in his lover's arms. The symphony of war and the great claps of lightning were frightening him.
"Where are the Black Luster Soldiers?" Luthia cried out, cradling her child.
"They're all dead!" Gabriel cried out. "You must get out of here, dearheart. The fortress has fallen and our allies are many leagues from here. They will never make it in time!"
"No, I'm not leaving you!" Luthia shouted.
Gabriel walked to her and grasped her cheeks. "You never will! Get out of here. Leave me. Give my son the chance to leave. For if you don't, my death tonight will be in vein. Please, Luthia."
The gates were bashed again by the hammer of a large troll covered from head to heel in rusty iron armor. The gate splintered and the iron bent from the incredible impact. Another powerful blow and the gates fell forward, surrendering to the strength of the troll.
Like rats in the plague, orcs began to pour into the courtyard of the mountain fortress. The all gave great battle cries and charged for Gabriel and his beautiful wife.
Luthia grasped her baby close to her breast and watched as Gabriel nocked three black arrows with sharp mithril heads onto his exquisite silver bow. He let go, launching them towards the orcs. One was struck in the eye, the other in the heart, and the third through the mouth. But they kept pouring in.
Gabriel, again, launched three arrows at his foes. Luthia muttered an enchantment that made the three arrows turn into thousands. The attack caused the oncoming orcs to drop dead all the way to the end of the gate.
Despite the devastating attack, the orcs just kept coming, pouring through the ruined gate like and endless flood of black iron. Luthia had not the strength to perform such a spell again. The baby still cried, begging for the noise to stop.
Gabriel dropped his bow and drew his two scimitars that were sheathed on his back. "GO!" he shouted at Luthia.
He took one last look at her. It hurt him deeply that this could be the last time he would see her heavenly jet-black hair, speckled with Silver Mountain Bells. Never would he see her bright blue eyes or the silk gowns she always wore. Luthia bowed to Gabriel. Large drops of tears flew from her eyes. She turned to leave, but was grabbed by the wrist.
"You would let me depart this world without one final kiss?" he said.
Luthia sobbed while forcing a smile. She kissed Gabriel quickly. The heavy footsteps of the orcs were getting louder.
She darted for the castle then stopped and held out her hand. She charged a mighty spell that blasted the orcs back with devastating force, killing and maiming a few to give Gabriel a fighting chance. She prayed her spell would give her the chance to see him again while running back into the fortress, clutching her baby close.
Gabriel gave a mighty war cry while holding up his scimitars. They burst into sparkling silver flames. He dashed for the orcs. He leaped for the first one, arching his arm to point the blade at the creature. He jabbed the orc in the shoulder. The flames searing his insides bringing a slow and painful death.
Gabriel freed his sword from the orc's neck and performed an elegant spin towards two more of the beasts. He stabbed both orcs in their gullets with his blades. He released the scimitars from their throats and jabbed one of them up another orc's mouth and the other he used to cut off the side of second one's head like an apple.
He charged towards two orcs. He put all his weight on his right leg to perform a mighty leap which turned into a spin. He flew and became a tornado of blades, cutting away at his enemies.
But they kept pouring in.
Just then, a surviving force of Black Luster Soldiers jumped down from the walls and joined Gabriel in battle.
The orcs whimpered in fright at the sight of the tall black-armored warriors whose swords were as long as a man. But the orcs had orders to fight no matter what.
They didn't want to go to war today, but the Lord of the Land said nay, nay, nay!
The had to march all day. The crack of the master's whip forced them to march and fight all day.
When there's a whip. There's a way.
Luthia watched the battle from her bedroom tower. For the first time that night, she smiled. Victory was near. But then a giant figure slowly walked into the courtyard. He was armored in heavy, colossal black iron armor. The helmet was shaped like a jackal with glowing red eyes. He carried a massive hammer with red glowing patterns. The handle was longer than a man and the hammer itself was the size of a juvenile dragon's skull. The orcs cheered behind him, raising their weapons and shouting in Dark Speech.
The boots from the man's armor thundered with each step. The Black Luster Soldiers formed a wall in front of Gabriel.
"Anubis!" whispered Gabriel. "It's you!"
Anubis looked down at the soldiers. A metallic growl erupted from his helmet. There was something glowing on his chest piece. It was blue and shaped like a pyramid with the golden Wdjat of the Pharaoh sealed on the front.
Without warning, Anubis swung his hammer, sweeping away ten Black Luster Soldiers into the air. They were tossed violently over the walls of the fortress. Another swing from the hammer and five more were swatted away. The soldiers bellowed in pain while they twirled violently to their doom on the other side of the wall.
Anubis slammed his hammer on the ground, creating a large crater. The force tossed five more over Gabriel's head. The screamed while flailing through the air. All that was left was Gabriel.
A low, thunderous chuckle boomed from inside the helmet. Anubis lunged his hammer at Gabriel.
The Eyar back flipped, the hammer missing him by inches. Gabriel landed on his feet and took a spring up the large hammer, then to Anubis's forearm where he made another leap and jabbed the evil sorcerer on the neck.
"ARRRGH!" Anubis roared.
Gabriel leaped off Anubis's large pauldron.
"You will not take my son!" Gabriel said coldly.
Anubis laughed.
"Neshka oorü et nen beya mekra-soon!"
Gabriel ran for him but was struck back by the powerful force of Anubis's hammer. He flew towards a tree with so much force he bent it. Trying his best to stay conscious, he breathed heavily. But his body gave way and he was greeted with darkness.
Someone was laughing at him.
Gabriel opened his eyelids. They felt like stone as he forced them open. His weary eyes saw the malevolent grin of Bakura.
"Hmm, I think you might have overdone it, My Lord," Bakura said, getting up.
Two orcs grabbed Gabriel by the arms and dragged him towards the center of the courtyard. Orcs were all around him, cheering in their fell language. It started to rain heavily. Lightning flashed in the skies above. The orcs carrying Gabriel stopped.
He looked at the state of his home. The monstrous hell spawn of Odiva the Jealous were all around him, cheering for his capture. He noticed another figure walking in circles around him.
Yami Marik.
He looked down at Gabriel with a smile that bared his sharp, devilish teeth. A glowing Wdjat shone on his forehead.
His heavy black armor plating groaning with each step he took around the fallen Eyar. The Orcs behind him snorted and grunted, waiting for blood. Marik's black cape flew in the violent wind.
"Hello Gabriel," Bakura said, walking from behind Gabriel. He had his hands behind his back while casually strolling next to Marik. His armor was jagged and plated. It was jet black and glowing with red designs. Curved arches extended from their armplates and greaves. Bakura's black cape was torn and clasped to his gorget by a brooch in the shape of a bat.
"Lovely night, isn't it?"
Gabriel said nothing. A woman's desperate grunting was caught by his ears. He searched desperately for the her in the ugly mob of orcs.
Antilles Dragonheart was leading her towards the mob by her wrist. Her baby was cradled in the nook of her arm.
"Ah," said Marik. "Here she is now. The last of the Celtra in our grasp."
Antilles threw her in front of Gabriel. She willfully landed on her right side to avoid falling on the baby. "That should be all then," he said to Marik.
"Indeed," Bakura answered instead.
Marik brandished his Millennium Rod. "Bring her to me!" he ordered the orcs.
"Wot's that ya got there!" an orc shouted, grabbing the baby from Luthia's grip.
Luthia screamed, protesting that the orc let go of her child. Bakura held up his hand to stop the orc.
"Ah, ah, ah. I'll be taking that."
The orc kicked Luthia in the stomach. She fell to the ground moaning in agony and clutching her belly. She had just given birth an hour ago, and her womanhood and stomach were sore. Blood started pouring out of her mouth, for the orc ruptured one of her ribs with the iron-plated tip of his boot.
"LEAVE HER ALONE!" shouted Gabriel.
Dartz came from behind and whacked him in the head with his elbow. "No theatrics, Gabriel," said Dartz. "You'll only prolong your suffering."
"Dartz?" said Bakura. "So you've joined us after all."
Dartz grinned. "I did not think you would succeed, my friend. I admit I was wrong in my worry."
"YOU!" shouted Gabriel. "How could you betray the order!? Horakhty summoned us to cleanse the world of darkness!"
"We have other plans," said Bakura. "Horakhty and the Goddesses are weak."
The baby cooed in his arms. Bakura smiled and rocked the child gently. He cackled vilely when he looked at his eyes the color of hazel. "He has his mother's eyes."
"Give me back my baby!" sobbed Luthia. "Please. Please. Give me back my child."
"Let him go!" shouted Gabriel. The orcs holding him down laughed at him. "Let go of my son!"
"But he is not your son!" said the cold and dark voice of Anubis. He walked towards the group still clad in his armor. His jackal helmet concealing his face. The earth shook when he walked. Many of the orcs in the ranks whimpered in fear of their Lord and Master, backing away and shivering.
Bakura bowed, getting down on one knee and holding the baby up to his master.
Anubis walked towards the child, cackling like the villain that he was. "This boy is not your son. He is a bastard. A bastard created by the seed of Exodia the Lord of all Monsters. And from the lust of your wife."
"What!" gasped Gabriel.
The orc army laughed. Antilles chuckled and rubbed his beard.
Marik walked circles around Luthia.
"The handsome elf she lusted for in the woods was Exodia the Forbidden One," said Marik, coming from behind Luthia. "She had such a lust for the creature that she went deep into the forest and created the boy you see here."
Marik enjoyed the look of despair on Gabriel's face. He licked Luthia's neck all the way to her chin. "A bastard god," he said.
Gabriel's fury could no longer be contained. He ripped the arms off the orcs holding him down and punched them so hard with magically enhanced fists that their heads went soaring away. He grabbed Marik with telekinetic magic and slammed him on the ground five times. Then he created a powerful blast of magic that sent Dartz flying towards one of the guard houses, smashing it to pieces.
He went for Anubis, but his dark powers were too great. He grabbed Gabriel by the arm and broke it with a squeeze.
"ARRGGH!" shouted Marik. He raised his Millennium Rod and used its ancient magic to lift Gabriel from the ground and toss him through the air. He slammed him into trees, smashed him into shrines and dragged him across the walls leaving trails of blood.
"Enough!" shouted Bakura.
Marik roared violently and slammed Gabriel to Luthia's feet. He was battered, bleeding and broken. He lost an eye and his jaw was dislocated. He gasped for air. Blood came out of his mouth instead.
Dartz lifted him up with telekinesis and dragged his mangled body in front of Anubis.
Anubis held out his hand.
"OBLIVION!" he shouted.
Luthia shouted at the top of her lungs when the vile spell was cast. Gabriel's body was gone, shattered like glass from the multi-colored blast of dark magic. His arm fell sadly to the ground, clinking and clanking. Luthia wailed at the loss of her husband.
Antilles grabbed her by the hair and dragged her to the nearest stump.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" said Bakura, still cradling the child.
"I've never made love to a Celtra before," sneered Antilles. "It's best I do before they go extinct."
He spread open Luthia's legs and ripped her dress. Before he could unbuckle his belt, he felt a sword slide under his chin.
"There will be none of that," said Bakura. "I think she's suffered enough this night."
"And why do you care all of a sudden?" said Antilles.
"Back away from the Celtra, or I will cut your throat, Antilles."
"Very well," said Antilles, backing away from Luthia.
A horn blew in the distance. It blew again. The orcs grew worried. They started grunting and whimpering.
"Form ranks you maggots!" shouted Anubis. "Form ranks!"
"The Horn of Arath-Inthel," said Dartz. "A relic of House Taylor. Yugi Muto's allies have arrived. Whatever you plan to do, Anubis. Do it now. You cannot fight them in your state."
"Give me the boy!" said Anubis. "I must take his power and add it to my lifeforce if I am to combat Yugi's friends."
Luthia shouted in protest and with a great force of will, got up from the stump. She clawed Antilles in the face and charged at Anubis. But she ran into Oblivion. Her body shattered. Her torn, bloody dress flew away in the wind and disappeared into the darkness of the mountains.
"Pity," said Antilles.
Anubis held his hand over the baby. A blue aura slithered out of its body and into Anubis's fingers. The baby shivered and coughed.
"Yesssss," hissed Antilles. "The infinite power of Exodia is mine at last."
Lightning flashed in the sky. A choir started to sing from the heavens.
"That song!" shouted Dartz. "No! It can't be!"
Blue fingers parted open the clouds like a curtain. The cold stare of Obelisk the Tormentor glared down at them from their realm. Slifer and Ra were screeching behind him.
"Let him go Anubis!" shouted Dartz.
Antilles was not one to argue. He darted out of the fortress and got on his horse, riding back to the other side of the mountains where his army was waiting. Obelisk loomed down at Anubis snarling.
"What sorcery is this!" Anubis hissed from inside his helmet. He looked down at the baby, shaking with confusion and fear when he saw the child's left eye was glowing green.
"NO! It cannot be!" He shouted and raised his hand over the boy while charging his deadly spell.
"OBLIVION!"
A flash of light, followed by a cry of agonizing death.
Crystal
"YURI!" Crystal shouted, sitting up in her bed.
Only the ocean crashing against the shore outside her window answered her call. Her nightgown was soaked in cold sweat. She could feel herself shivering from her night terror. Crystal placed a hand over her heart begging for it to be still while trying to control her breathing. The heavy gasps of air she took in dried her throat and tightened her chest. When she gathered her nerves, the realization of the violent deaths in her dream overcame her, and she buried her face in her hands to sob.
The terror was so real. It felt like she was witnessing those images through a memory. All those creatures and those men who seemed to be living, breathing characters from a cartoon show. She remembered Yuri complaining about night terrors the year before he departed Aquarius and was gone. Had it not been for the love she got from Patty, Nick, Tyson, Carter, and Jeannie, she would have broken to pieces long ago.
To lose either Ren or Yuri was heartbreaking, but to lose both of them? She felt like she had lost the support to keep her life together. Ever since their disappearances, she cried herself to sleep. She never ate. She never did a thing, save perform in her concerts so as to make her living, now that she was free from the Martinettis, a powerful family of mobsters who practically owned her life. After Brett lost in the Millennium Tournament (the last night Yuri was ever seen again), the family never contacted her.
Even without their influence, Crystal was still a pop-music sensation and a beloved Duel Monsters icon. There was a score of agents begging her to do work with them, and with a variety of new dragons in her deck, Crystal was even more sought after than ever. Her fans began to beg that she and her teammates, The Sensational Dragon Sisters, reunite. And they were going to very soon.
With so many wonderful things happening in her life, Crystal knew she should be happy, but what was the point if Yuri and Ren were not with her. Despite her making more money than she's ever dreamed, Crystal was still a mess. And those night terrors she kept having weren't making her any happier.
"Bakura?" she whispered. She pondered that name for a moment. She gasped when it dawned on her that Bakura was a name Yuri used to mutter when they were little children.
-I'm not afraid of the dark, Bakura will take care of me.
-Those bullies got what they deserved. Bakura sure showed them.
-I can walk home by myself. I know Bakura is watching me.
She hoped her dream was just a mere coincidence. The Bakura she saw was no guardian angel. He was a bloodthirsty monster with a ravenous smile and a lust for suffering in his cold, hazel eyes. The things they did to the man and his wife caused her to sob again.
The baby with the glowing green eye who called the monsters from the sky was the one who intrigued her the most.
"Was that baby…Yuri?" she wondered, placing a finger on her lip. Mayhaps the dreams she was having had something to do with his disappearance. She congregated what strength she had and got out of bed, tossing the sheets away. She walked to her desk, perched in front of the window and took out a notebook from one of the drawers in her desk.
She turned on the lamp and took a pencil from a cup that Jeannie bought her when they traveled to Las Vegas for the Dragon Duel World Championship Qualifier (A tournament only for young kids) to root for Sam, who had grown into quite the duelist.
She searched through her notebook for an empty sheet of paper before she jotted down the clues of the strange mystery that was haunting her dreams.
Yuri and Ren
Anubis
Bakura
Marik
Dartz
Antilles
Gabriele
Woman with black hair –possibly Yuri's mother.
Monsters in the sky
She didn't want to forget their names. Perhaps there was something paranormal about Yuri. His glowing green eye was a biological mystery for even the best physicians. Then he started getting cards from nowhere. That reminded her to write down the names of the beasts who turned her life upside down since Yuri first played them.
Black Tyranno
Ultimate Tyranno
Horned Saurus
She paused but quickly snapped her fingers when she remembered the next monster involved with Yuri's vanishing.
Exodia the Forbidden One
She recalled Marik calling the baby boy a bastard. A bastard of Exodia? That couldn't be. It was just a card. Right?
Marik talked about the woman's sexual affair with the monster as though it were a real creature. Something alive and very powerful, for Anubis was keen in taking the life force of the child in his arms.
"Who are you, Yuri? None of this makes any sense."
Her phone began to ring but jingled with the theme song of the anime Sailor Moon. Crystal groaned and shook her head, realizing Jeannie was playing around with her phone again. She quickly answered.
"Hello?"
"Morning!" sang the cheerful voice of Patty McKnight. "Guess what?" she said with excitement.
"This couldn't wait till morning?" Crystal asked, tapping her pencil on her desk.
"It is morning, girl."
"I mean when the sun comes up," Crystal groaned. "It's four A.M."
"Look, hear me out, you're not going to believe this, but I just got a pass into the qualifiers for Phobos Corp's big tourney. The European Grand Prix!"
That bit of news intrigued Crystal. She sat upright, wanting to know more. "Really?" she said. "Well, so am I. Damn, girl, this is big news! We could form a team."
She heard Patty scream. "You took the words right out of my mouth, Crystal! Of course, I still need to win the qualifiers, but meh. It's me."
"Well, I'm happy for you, girl. Let's hope we can enter together and form our own team." Crystal sighed, closing her notebook. "I've been meaning to ask, have you –"
"Crystal, I told you already, I haven't heard a word. Can you just let it go? Yuri and Ren have moved on."
"But to where, Patty? They can't just have vanished!" She slid her hand up her silky golden hair. "Patty they loved me. They would never just leave without saying goodbye. It's so unlike them. I swear something strange is going on here. First, those monsters in Yuri's deck started showing up. Then those Rare Hunters start hunting him before the big tournament. Ren and Yuri vanish. And now these dreams!"
"What dreams?"
Crystal moaned. "You wouldn't understand."
"You really need to lighten up, honey. You're starting to act really weird. It's not healthy. All that stress can kill you, you know. Look, I'll head on over as soon as we can and then we'll have some fun with a bit of Duel Monsters. Deal?"
"Yeah, sure, whatever."
"Good, now get some sleep. See ya."
"Bye," said Crystal, hanging up her phone.
She looked back at her list. Then she started to look at things realistically or tried to. But it was hard to dispute so many coincidences. Then again, cartoon characters, orcs, Yuri some sort of demi-god?
It sounded too fantastical to be real. Or was it?
Before Crystal could ponder about it anymore, she heard the sound of gravel crunching outside her driveway. She slowly got up from her desk and tip-toed to the window. She gasped with relief when she spotted the black/gold Lamborghini Aventador park next to her Murcielago.
It was her newfound love, Amistad Clemente, the Duel Monsters champion from Spain. He used a well-crafted deck of warriors known as the Noble Knights of the Round Table. He used that deck to win Crystal's heart when they met in Monaco the year before, becoming of the few who could defeat her in a Duel. When those monsters were summoned and stood all around him, it gave him a kingly appearance that Crystal couldn't help but admire. The night was so heavily lit with bright silver she could see him coming out of his car. She could make out his well-kept gelled hair the color of mahogany, and his neatly trimmed beard.
A gold chain shimmered around his neck, a precious keepsake from his grandmother who passed away two years ago.
Crystal watched him trek across the white stone path surrounded by a forest of palm trees, lit by a line of garden lamps. When he crossed the bridge over her moat, Crystal jolted to the mirror to fix her hair and then grabbed a white silk robe from the rack behind her door. She put it on as she ran down the stairs. As she reached the bottom step, the doorbell rang. She tied the rope around her waist. Crystal saw the silhouette of her lover behind the water windows around her door. She preened herself one last time in the mirror of her lavish foyer and answered the door.
"Hey," Amistad said with a whisper. His lips formed a heavenly smile that made Crystal's soul melt. A blast of minty air escaped his snowy-white teeth and hit Crystal's nostrils.
"Hey," she replied softly. "What are you doing here?"
"Came to check up on you. I couldn't sleep ever since you told me about those night terrors. They sound…awful."
"You have no idea," Crystal said, letting him inside. The leather of his jacket stretched and groaned to keep up with his well-built upper torso. The scent of his cologne slithered into her nostrils causing her womanhood to tingle with excitement. They had slept together before, and his lovemaking was as soothing as a spring day. He was so gentle with her, treating her like a princess when they made love. The kisses he planted on her skin was like being touched by flower petals.
She hoped with all her being that he was here for that. She needed him right now, especially after seeing all the death in her latest dream.
Crystal shut the door behind him. Amistad purred and grabbed her, bringing her in for a long, wet kiss. When their lips parted, she gave him the lead to the kitchen to talk.
"Nice butt," she said, admiring his derriere.
"What?" he said looking back her, chuckling.
Crystal attached a USB cable to her phone and connected it with the speakers at the corner of the gray marble counter.
Holding back the years.
"It's Yuri's favorite song," Crystal said in a whisper.
"He's got good taste," said Amistad, wasting no time in raiding the fridge. "That was one of my favorites when I was a kid."
Crystal helped herself to a glass of water while Amistad chose to chug down an ice-cold beer while he sat on the barstool in front of the island counter. They had only the light of the fading moon and the three dim, round ceiling lamps above to see in the dark.
She warmed him a veggie pizza in the microwave. It beeped, announcing the food was done. Amistad started eating it using a fork and knife.
"Any word on your friend Yuri?" he asked, still chewing his food.
It touched Crystal deeply to know he cared. She shook her head no. "What about you?" she asked.
"I have asked around like you requested," Amistad said, putting a clean cut of pizza into his mouth. He finished chewing before he spoke. "But, I'm sorry, mí amor, there was not a word about him in Spain. I contacted my friends from Brazil, Paris, Peru. Nothing. They haven't seen anyone with a glowing green eye or this Black Tyranno card you speak of."
"What about Ren?"
"Nada," he said. He ate another cut of pizza.
"Figures," Crystal whispered in sadness. She blinked to stop her tears from welling up in her heterochromia eyes. "I miss them."
Amistad smiled. "Yuri will be back. I know he will come back."
"You really think so?" Crystal beamed at him.
"With all my heart, Crystal. You talk about him so much that it feels like I know him. Every time you tell the stories of the adventures you had, it makes me want to meet him more and more. And I know he'll come back to you because he gave you the beautiful musical necklace."
Crystal smiled and held onto the item around her neck. She opened it so the song could play. Her pretty pink lips formed an ear-to-ear smile as the tune graced her tired ears and warmed her weary soul.
"He didn't give it to me," she sighed. "He just let me borrow it. As a promise that he would come back to Aquarius."
Amistad finished his pizza and formed a smile too. He often said that Crystal was a work of art when she smiled, and he did all he could to make her happy so she could keep it on her face.
"So you have nothing to fear, Crystal," he said, "Yuri's not the kind of guy that will abandon his friends. Ren neither. But, you don't talk about him as much as Yuri."
Crystal felt guilty when he said that.
"There was a deep love for Yuri in you," Amistad said, pointing at her with the fork.
"Of course I loved him," said Crystal.
"No, darling. I mean LOVED him."
Crystal went red in the face again.
Amistad wiped his bearded chin with a burgundy cloth napkin. "If he ever came back, would you…"
"No, never," said Crystal, knowing immediately what he was trying to say. "I love you."
"As do I," said Amistad. "But when Yuri and Ren get back, I think we should sit them down and have a little chat."
"Oh, you have no idea, baby. I'm going to give it to them good for doing this to me."
The kitchen phone rang, startling Amistad. He turned to look at the number on the blue screen. "Montgomery." He said.
Crystal rushed for the phone and answered. Montgomery? So late at night? Her heart gave a leap, begging that it was news about Yuri. "Hello!" she said. "Oh, hi Miss Paula...No you didn't disturb me, I was already awake? Huh? Miss Paula, are you crying? What's wrong?"
Crystal paused, grasping her chest with sorrow and disbelief. Amistad could hear the disgruntled voice on the phone.
"Oh, God, I'm so sorry. When did it happen?"
Another pause.
"I see. Well, if there's anything you need, you know you can contact me, okay? Take care of yourself, we're going to get through this. Love you, too. Bye."
Beep. The phone went when Crystal hung up. She bit her bottom lip and tapped the phone against her shoulder. "Yuri better come back soon."
"What happened?" Amistad asked.
Crystal looked at Amistad with tears forming in her eyes. "His father passed away."