Crystal

Tartarus lit up the night in hues of bright orange as the flames towered up and up into the darkness. Crystal stared back at the flaming resort and rested her head against one of the cushions of the couch that lined the rail of the boat. She breathed heavily, happy to be alive and to have escaped whatever those things were that had attacked her and her friends. Cartoon characters with murderous intent. A prince who can summon hundreds of swords. A now monsters running amok all over Athens one of her favorite cities in the world. She could still hear the cries of those still stuck on Tartarus soaring into the night as though they were tortured souls trapped in the mythological prison for which the resort was named after. Sirens wailed and explosions still burst from the ship's structure. Each one signaling the death of another handful of people. That thought filled her mind with dread. Crystal wished for a way to help them.

"Wow," said Nick. He stood up and stared at the sinking ship from the stern. "That battle did more damage than I thought." He looked at Michael and Loxley, both of whom standing mysteriously in the moonlight whispering their business with one another. Nick had an acute sense of hearing and used this ability to make out the word 'Yuri' being used over and over again. These two strangers knew who Yuri was and possibly where he was. And he wanted to know now. Nick and the other may not have been part of whatever flimflam was happening with those black-coated goons and the monsters, or this Other World they kept talking about, but damn it, Yuri was his best friend. A brother even. And he was not about to be left out of any info that could help Nick and the others find him.

"Just who in the hell are you guys?" He said approaching them.

"That's classified," said Ren, coming up from the lower deck with a mug of tea for Jeannie. "We're not supposed to discuss matters of our world here."

"Either way," Amistad said, steering the boat towards the docks. "You have a lot of explaining to do."

"What part of we can't explain our world didn't you understand?" Michael asked, staring at the flaming ruins of Tartarus.

"Our lives just turned into hell!" said Amistad. "The least you can do is explain to us how you know Yuri."

"I cannot say," said Michael.

Amistad lost his patience. He would not take Michael's defiance any longer. "What are you kidd…" A sword materialized in front of him. Amistad stopped and gave a gasp of fright. "Okay…all right."

"Stop fighting you guys!" shouted Crystal, she cradled Jeannie in her arms. "As if things couldn't get any worse."

Ren nodded. "She's fine. Let's just get you guys out of here as soon as possible. We can explain more as we get back to America." He handed Jeannie her mug. She whimpered like a frightened puppy and hid her face in Crystal's neck. She started to cry.

"What's wrong?" Ren asked.

"You...you're one of them?" Jeannie asked timidly. "You're from this Other World, too?"

"I am," said Ren. "But I'm still the same person."

"No you're not," Jeannie wept.

"Okay, Jeannie, don't cry," said Amistad. "We're going to be just fine. But, Ren, can you at least explain what it is they want with Loxley and Crystal."

"They want a really powerful card from me," said Loxley.

Nick found that hard to believe. "You mean they trashed one of the single-most expensive projects in recent years for a stupid Duel Monsters card?"

"It's not that simple," said Loxley. "This card has magic. A magic more powerful than the one you just witnessed in the resort. They need it badly because it's the key to saving Yuri."

"What do you mean saving Yuri?" Crystal asked in desperation. "Is he hurt? Is he in trouble? How can we save him?"

"By not getting caught," said Loxley. "Especially not Crystal. Her destiny, however, is a matter for another time. What we need to focus on is getting you guys a flight out of this country. We're not safe here. They will never stop hunting you, Crystal, and likewise, they won't stop coming after me. They need me to get to Yuri, too. So, if anyone can book a ticket out of Greece, please do so immediately."

"I can do that," said Amistad. "Leave that to me. Once we dock, we can head back to our hotel and regroup."

"I'm coming with you," said Mario.

"Why?" asked Patty. "You're not part of any of this."

"No," said Mario. "But my hotel is quite a walk from here. I cannot go back there alone. It's too dangerous. I've been mingled with assassins, sorcerers, fucking cartoon characters come to life, sword-summoning emo-freaks! And I'm not sure if you've noticed, but monsters are popping up all over Athens!"

"If you insist," said Amistad.

"Look, I'll travel to France with you," said Mario. "And then I'll book my own flight home."

"Very well," said Amistad. "Looks like we're all in this together." He dialed his travel agent to see what flights were available out of Greece.

"And what about you, Loxley?" Michael asked, staring at the moon.

"I'm going to get the Titan from my friend Darius and then head back to Termnnia."

"What's this Termnnia?" asked Crystal. "Is that where you live? Is that where Yuri is? How can we get to him?"

"None of your business," said Michael.

Nick didn't like his tone. "She didn't ask you, asshole!"

"You okay, sweetie?" Patty asked, putting her hand on Jeannie's shoulder which trembled like a rattlesnake.

"N-no!" sobbed Jeannie. "It was horrible. Their faces. Those masks. Why? Why?"

"You were supposed to keep an eye on her MARIO!" shouted Ren.

"What was I supposed to do!" shouted Mario. "You can't seriously be blaming me for this, are you?"

"You are sure?" Amistad asked the agent. "Okay. All right. That will have to do." He hung up the phone. "Okay, the good news is, I found us a flight out of Athens. The bad news is, that it doesn't leave until tomorrow morning."

"You've got to be kidding?" said Carter. "But…those hooded goons are still out there."

"Yeah man," said Tyson. "We'll never survive the night! They're too powerful!"

"Well," said Patty. "We've got pretty boy over there with his hundred swords. And Loxley it seems has some secret powers of his own."

"Yeah, I guess I do," said Loxley. "But have no worries. I'll do what I can to keep you guys safe. First off, we need to head to my friend Darius's place to pick up the card. I promise I'll explain everything before you leave for Aquarius. Hmm, funny. There's a city in our world that has a similar name."

"That's enough, Loxley," Michael said coldly.

"Uh, right," said Loxley.

Amistad gave a nod. "We're nearing the marina everyone. Tyson, help me secure the boat."

"Right-o," said Tyson. "Hey, hold up. There's someone standing there. Someone big."

"Huh?" said Crystal. "Oh god, he's one of them!"

The figure standing on the marina was a giant of a man. He was an Eldori with bright glowing eyes and donning a black, belted coat and a black bandanna with wild black hair protruding from the back.

He laughed at them. "Going somewhere?"

"You'd better get out of our way if you know what's good for you!" said Michael. He summoned five swords. "Move, or I cut you to shreds."

"I fear your swords will do no harm to me," said the figure. "I am PaniK the Eliminator."

"Who gives a fuck!" said Amistad. "We have not the time to deal with you!"

"Oh, but you don't have a choice, pretty boy!" said PaniK. "See, I've been hired by Master Marik to personally take you down in a game of shadows!"

"We don't have time for games!" said Michael. "Out of the way now!"

PaniK would not take no for an answer. He held out his hand. Their boat rumbled violently and was suddenly lifted out of the water.

"What's going on!" shouted Tyson. "What did he do?"

PaniK used telekinesis to launch their boat onto the docks, smashing it to bits. Then, he slammed his fist on the ground creating a wall of purple fog. He trapped them.

"If you want to see the light of day, I suggest you do exactly as I say," said PaniK. "We have ourselves a Duel. Right here. Right now!"

"If that's what you want," said Ren. "I'll take you on."

"Ha!" laughed PaniK. I think not! I will choose who will be the victim here. And I choose the girl with the blonde hair and the brown streaks. I sense darkness in your heart. A lot of darkness. Something tells me you're no ordinary earthling. Let's find out, shall we?"

"You want to Duel?" said Patty, jumping out of the wreckage of the boat. "Fine, but leave my friends alone!"

"Oh, but I promise your friends are going to be just fine, that is only if you can defeat me, which you won't."

"We'll just see about that!" said Patty, taking her deck out of her purse.

"Patty!" Tyson called. He unzipped his backpack and tossed her his Duel Disk.

"Thanks," Patty said, putting on the Duel Disk.

PaniK held out his wrist and a shadowy Duel Disk in the form of a tombstone appeared over his wrist.

"Duel!" they shouted.

"I shall start first," said PaniK. "I set a card face-down and then play the spell-card Polymerization, fusing together my Lord of the Lamp and Invader from Another Dimension into the all-powerful, Soul Hunter!"

Soul Hunter

ATK/2200 DEF/1800

LV 6

"And!" PaniK said loudly, "since we're playing at night, he gets a field power bonus, raising his attack to 2500! And here comes another addition to the fray! I summon the dreaded Opticlops with an attack strength of 1800! But, thanks to the field power bonus, it raises up to 2100!"

PaniK began to laugh until he heard a whip cracking out of the night. "What's this!" he shouted.

"When you special summon a monster, I'm allowed to special summon this card," said Patty. "Chaos Hunter!" (ATK/2500 DEF/1600 LV 7) "She may have cost me a card from my hand, but that's a small price to pay. Are you done, or can I begin."

"Arrgh," said PaniK. "You got guts. Do you want to know what happened to the last person who showed me guts? I ripped his head off! Make your move!"

"And so I shall!" said Patty. "Draw! I summon Doomcaliber Knight!"

Two turns later, PaniK performed an Xyz Summon, Adreus, Keeper of Armageddon. PaniK removed an Xyz material from the fiendish monster and destroyed Patty's Chaos Hunter. It was her turn, and she performed a ritual summon, calling forth her Granondolf, King of Destruction, who could destroy all face-up monsters whose DEF was equal to or less than his ATK. Adreus was blasted away, leaving PaniK wide open, but he ensnared Gandondolf with Mirror Force, destroying him.

He was no easy opponent, and he loved playing games with her mind, especially about the so-called Darkness inside of her.

"I can feel it deep inside you, Patty!" sneered PaniK. "A sense a creature of great power living in that blackhole you call a heart! How is it that you have not been able to see this great monstrosity? Have you ever made anything happen? Has anything strange happened around you when you felt angry or scared?"

"That's none of your business!" said Patty.

"Oh, but the darkness is my business!" said PaniK. "I can see the beast now, looming over you. Yes! Yes, it is! No doubt in my mind he's the legendary Zera the Mant!"

Jeannie gasped, still wrapped in Crystal's arms. "Wait, isn't that Patty's favorite monster? How does he know about it!"

"The beast has chosen you for his vessel, for your heart is clouded with pure darkness! I do not lie, for the darkness reeks off your body so much, that I can taste it!" He licked the air with his tongue. "But it begs the question. How did a creature from our world manage to find its way here into this pathetic universe and choose a simple earthling girl as a vessel? Or perhaps, there isn't anything simple about you after all?"

"What are you talking about you big lummox?!" shouted Patty. "I'm just a normal girl! I was born here. I was raised here! And so what if Zera the Mant is my favorite monster?"

"He wasn't always," said Nick.

"What are you talking about?" Patty said looking back at him.

Tyson nodded in agreement. "Before you became a goth-punk in high school, you were a very happy girl, Patty. Your favorite monsters were the Five Kuriboh Brothers! They were the only cards you played. And even though you always lost the matches, it brought such a joy for you summoning them. But as we got older, something happened to you."

Carter fixed his glasses. "You became all moody. You started to change your look. You did drugs, drank yourself stupid at parties, and had sex with random guys in the streets. Sickos who were far older than you."

Patty bit her lip, fighting back the tears. She was too proud to admit her mistakes and the sudden change in her character when she entered high school, but she knew her friends were right. Something dark possessed her. The dreams about Zera the Mant began to make sense. Perhaps the card did change her from the bright delightful youth to the dark and depressed young lady she once was…still was. Even with the makeover that Crystal gave her. Her change of clothes and hair color. It mattered not. She still felt cold and empty inside. She felt as though unhappiness and sin clouded her mind.

Nick continued. "You let guys do things to you, Patty. Horrible things. The light inside the Patty we once knew faded away. The cute girl with the pink bow in her ponytail changed into a sad gothic punk. The Five Kuriboh Brothers weren't your favorite cards anymore. Your dueling style became aggressive. The fairies and puffballs you once summoned turned into demons, and nightcrawlers, and zombies. That wasn't you. That wasn't the Patty we grew up with. I think this asshole is starting to make sense."

"Of course what I say makes sense," said PaniK. "This girl was never of this world to begin with!"

"What?" said Patty.

"There is shadow magic festering inside of you," said PaniK. "Pure evil. Zera the Mant is the key to unlocking it. You really are a Termnnian aren't you!"

Patty almost dropped her cards. "No! No! You're lying! I have a mother and a father. They may have been two pieces of shit, but I have memories of them!"

On PaniK's next turn, he performed of series of combos that allowed him to summon King of Yamimakai and an Infernal Hammer. Patty saved herself from a game-ending direct attack with two of her trap cards, and then it was her turn. She drew Card of Sanctity and refilled her hand, even though PaniK did as well. Using a variety of dark spells Patty special summoned and she special summoned and special summoned until she got the beasts she needed. One the field stood Zera the Mant, Dark Ruler Ha Des. Diabolos King of the Abyss, and her new Number Monster, Number 24: Dragulas the Vampiric Dragon.

PaniK laughed and clapped his hands, staring down the four monsters. "So, it seems that you have beaten me. But rest assured, little Patty, this will not be the last you hear of me. Master Marik was right about you. It seems the shadows favor you. Look at the devils that you summon. Look at you. All the hardships you've been through, yet despite that, you remained tough and defiant. The whole world bent you over and thrust itself into you. But you fought back and showed them that you are not one to be messed with. The darkness is strong within you. The beast can unlock powers beyond your wildest dreams. You need someone who can help you unleash the darkness in your heart. You need a teacher. I can show you the ways of the Shadow Realm. The place where you belong."

"SHUT UP!" shouted Patty.

Zera, Diabolos, and Dragulas worked together to strike PaniK down.

PaniK laughed like a maniac as the flames swallowed him. They dispersed, and he was gone.

But for Patty, the victory was bittersweet. "He's wrong," said Patty. "He's so wrong."

"Mama mia!" cried Mario. "That was some of the scariest Dueling I've ever seen. The darkness in your decks was just so rich. The auras that came out of you, Patty. I felt like I was never going to be cheerful again."

"Shut up, dude!" snapped Nick. "Can't you see she's distressed?"

"He's wrong Patty," Crystal said, squatting down to be next to Patty. "You're not evil. That can't be. I don't believe it. I refuse to believe it. You're a good person."

"Am I, Crystal?" sobbed Patty. "Look at all I've done. What I did to myself. What I did to my friends." She looked at the bottom of her deck to look at Zera the Mant. "Something inside of me did change when this card came into my life. It was just there in my night table; I thought my father must have put it there as a present for my fifteenth birthday. I did feel something was up with this card though. Because as soon as I touched it…I felt something awaken inside of me. The world wasn't so clear anymore. I felt like everyone was against me."

"Get rid of it!" said Jeannie. "You must!"

"I can't," said Patty. "This card means a lot to me."

"But look at what it did to you!" cried Jeannie. "You heard what PaniK said."

"Fuck what he said!' snapped Patty. "I can take care of myself. I'm not some evil being from another world. I'm still the same person."

"I will decide that for myself," said Michael. "You're not the only one whose life was changed by fiends. You know, in my House, our family mostly uses machines. But, because I had a destiny with the Sacred Beasts, I was chosen to house the Archfiends in my deck. This world is far too plain for something like a card to change the way you lived your life, Patty. I believe you're a Termnnian as well. But how did you get here, I wonder."

"Believe what you want," said Patty. "This place is my home. These guys are my friends. Loxley, do us all a fucking favor. Find that Titan, get us out of Athens, and then get the fuck out of our lives. The whole world used to make sense before all this!"

"Yuri said the same thing when it was his time to go home," Michael said, turning around and heading for the nearest exit out of the marina.

Exhausted from the terrors of the evening, Crystal Anderson followed her friends out of the marina and sought to catch a taxi back to her hotel. Sirens wailed in the night as the fire and police departments raced towards Tartarus to search for survivors and investigate what had caused the floating resort to catch flames. Crystal prayed with all her being that they would not figure out what really happened. Discovering there was a world out there full of monsters, magic, and even walking, talking, cartoon characters still chilled her to the bone. And the people of the world were dumb, dangerous, and panicky animals who would not adopt well to change that takes them out of their boring, daily, lives. Unless that change was a new phone, a video game, or a talentless internet celebrity, the world was not adaptive to change, sometimes seeing change as a very lethal enemy. Would the leaders of the world seek to make peace with this 'new world' where Yuri supposedly resided? Or, take the more obvious route and go to war to keep the other world out of their happy lives or harvest the land's resources for all they've got?

Either way, there was no avoiding the outcome. Somehow, someway, on this night, the world was going to learn they were not alone.

"What's the time?" Tyson asked, cracking his back.

"It's half-past two," said Jeannie, still trembling from her ordeal with Lumis and Umbra. And the sudden revelation with Patty, who was still not talkative after her Duel with PaniK.

"I don't think we'll find cabs all the way out here," said Nick. "Let's go deeper into the city."

"He's right," said Ren. "And we'll mix in with the crowd. Those hooded goons will have trouble finding us there."

"Two, huh?" said Tyson. "And how long before our flight leaves?"

"It's leaves at eight in the morning," said Amistad, carrying Jeannie on his back.

"That's still a long time to go," said Mario. "I don't feel safe with those goons out there."

"None of us do," said Crystal. "But if we're going to survive the night, we have to stick together."

"Yeah," scoffed Michael, still brandishing a blade in his hand. "Do lets."

Loxley still kept an eye out behind the group, in case someone sought to ambush them. Rare Hunters. Bonz and his gang. They may have escaped the battle of Tartarus, but now he and his new friends had to traverse through the streets of Athens at night in order to get to safety. Their enemy could have been anywhere. Tyson gave a tired but agreeable shrug with his shoulders as they finally left the marina behind them. They saw cars flowing in front of them, and even music could be heard in the night. Suddenly, Loxley's deck was glowing in his jacket pocket.

"Ra!" he gasped. "Your back!"

"What's that?" Mario asked, noticing the illumination.

"A friend of mine," said Loxley. "His job is done. Let's just leave it at that."

"You Termnnians just love speaking in riddles," scoffed Amistad. "Why can't you make sense for once."

"Hey, whatever," said Tyson. "At least it can't get any worse."

A woman in a car screamed when she spotted the monster stomping towards her. She put the car in reverse and zoomed away, as did other drivers who saw the big, black, beast coming down the street.

"What the hell?" said Amistad.

"Could it be?" said Nick.

"No," said Crystal. "Couldn't be!"

A loud and all too familiar roar answered them. People scurried in all directions to get away from the monster, snapping at them with his jaws to keep moving.

Black Tyranno! Black Tyranno was here on Earth, stomping down the streets of Athens, Greece.

"AAAAH!" screamed Mario. "OH, MY GOD! It's like Jurassic Park! He's gonna kill us!"

"Black Tyranno?" Crystal gasped. "That must mean…. YURI!" She ran after the monster.

"Wait!" shouted Amistad.

Police sirens wailed in the night chasing after the beast. E.K.A.M units swarmed out of their vehicles and fired at Black Tyranno to no effect. Amistad tackled Crystal to the ground as a hail of bullets flew over their heads, shattering car windows. Black Tyranno's massive tail swung over them as he turned to face the E.K.A.M officers. He heaved a jet of flames in front of them, blocking them from coming any further. Knowing that they weren't dealing with an ordinary beast, they scrambled back into their trucks and sped away calling for the military to take action against the monster.

"ARE YOU CRAZY!" Amistad shouted over the chaos.

Crystal struggled to get free. "I HAVE TO FIND YURI!" she sobbed. "LET ME GO!"

Black Tyranno gave a battle cry when he saw the counter-terrorism units still remained to take him on in battle. He snarled ferociously and charged at them. Crystal and Amistad were too busy struggling with one another to notice the prehistoric behemoth stomping towards them.

"CRYSTAL!" shouted Loxley. "AMISTAD! MOVE!"

But it was too late. Amistad and Crystal looked up in horror and saw Black Tyranno's massive foot coming down towards them. Their troubles would soon be over in two seconds flat, and they were too late to move. The both of them screamed as the foot came down with a thunderous stomp.

"MOVE!" Loxley shouted.

Amistad grabbed Crystal and rolled them both out of the way just in time. Black Tyranno's foot stomped on their position with a thunderous slam that shook the earth. Car alarms beeped all around. Black Tyranno released another wall of flames from his mouth, finally scaring the counter-terrorism forces away.

Even from the ground, Crystal could feel the immense heat burning her skin. She felt like she was standing in front of the door of a very large furnace. She and Amistad crawled away from the monster back towards their friends.

"Yuri's here!" Crystal cried. "He has to be here! That's his monster. That's his Black Tyranno. Did you see his right eye? It was glowing green."

"Why the hell would Yuri summon Black Tyranno in the middle of Athens?" Tyson asked, dragging her back up to her feet.

"Who cares!" shouted Patty. "Don't you ever do something so stupid again! What were you thinking?"

"Yeah," said Nick. "Goddamnit, Crystal you could have been killed. We lost Yuri, we can't lose you, too!"

"But we didn't lose Yuri!" Crystal said happily. "He's here! Yuri's here!" She looked at Loxley and embraced him in a hug where she broke.

Loxley stood in shock and patted her head.

"Thank you!" she said. "Thank you! You must know where Yuri is, right? He must have summoned that monster to keep us safe. Right?"

"I…I," Loxley said, not finding the heart to tell Crystal he didn't know. He was just as confused as everyone else as to why Black Tyranno, a Termnnian Duel Monster, was stomping around wreaking havoc around Athens. Black Tyranno stomped his way further into the city.

"What's going on, Loxley?" asked Carter. "That is Yuri's Black Tyranno. And you said you know Yuri. Well, where is he?"

"Loxley," said Michael. "You know we have to stop that thing, right?"

Loxley nodded. "Yeah, I know. Every second he's here, the safety of our world is at risk."

"How can you guys think of confidentiality now?" Amistad asked. "As far as I'm concerned, you guys are fucked. There is no way anybody is going to forget that."

"You'll be surprised," said Ren, leaning against the wall in the darkness. "Our people just might surprise you. But, uh, Loxley. What of that Ancient Beast card everybody is looking for? We have to get that card. It's why you're here."

"I know," said Loxley. "But I was not anticipating the Rare Hunters, a gang of renegade Summoners, and Yuri's Black Tyranno was going to be here in Greece. I was totally unprepared for this."

"That's no excuse," said Nick. "You said your friend has the card. Why not just pick it up and get this over with? Why did you have to drag us into this mess?"

"Because of her," Loxley said looking at Crystal. "I can't leave Greece without Crystal."

"Me?" said Crystal.

"What do you want with my friend?" said Jeannie. "You can't mean to tell us you came all the way out here just to take her from us."

"I have to," said Loxley. "She's not from this world."

A silence fell over the group.

Crystal put a hand over her mouth to cover her open mouth. "Wh-wh-what?!"

Nick, grabbed Loxley by the collar of his leather jacket.

"Nick!" shouted Amistad. "Let him go!"

But Nick would not listen. He had been attacked by magical assassins. His world was under siege by Duel Monsters. He learned that there was another world somewhere out there. But to learn that both his girlfriend and Crystal were supposedly not of this world infuriated him.

"All right, you! Start explaining! I'm tired of all this secrecy! We all are! Be straight with us, Loxley. We know about your other world, okay, fine, I get that. But now you mean to tell me Crystal is one of you? Start talking!"

"Just tell him," said Michael. "Black Tyranno sure as hell doesn't give a fuck about discretion."

Loxley nodded and pushed Nick away. "First off, don't you ever grab my jacket like that again." He straightened his apparel. "This cost more than your life, asshole. I was sent here to find a card known as a Titan. These are powerful beasts unlike anything you have ever seen. They are tamers of an ancient power that could potentially end our world. However, I could not just take the card with me, because the Rare Hunters might catch us."

"What do you think they'll do if they catch us without it?" said Amistad.

"The same thing they'll do if they catch us with it," said Loxley. "When I learned about Crystal, my mission changed. I just had to find her."

"Why me?" Crystal asked.

"It's a long story," said Michael. "And we don't have time for long stories. Let's find a way to contain that Black Tyranno first. Then, all your questions will be answered."

"But what can we do?" asked Nick. "We can't face that thing. The E.K.A.M couldn't even fight him."

"E.K.A.M aren't Termnnians," said Michael, summoning a ring of six swords. He dashed down the street following the trail of carnage Black Tyranno left behind.

"Come on," said Ren, dashing after them.

The others sprinted after him.

Mario was not too pleased, for he was getting rather tired from all the running he had done that night. He had not the strength to follow such a beast, nor the courage for that matter. Before his eyes, he saw a team of counter-terrorism operators forced into a retreat by a wall of flames. Black Tyranno's brute strength and his sharp teeth were enough to worry about. The roar enough was enough to tell Mario to keep his distance from the beast. Deep down, he couldn't help but feel the need to impress Crystal, who was more than determined to find the creature and find this Yuri fellow. She was incredibly beautiful, this he could not ignore.

There was almost a fantasy-theme with her beauty. Her skin, so kissed by the sun that it was almost a shade of gold glowing marvelously in the moonlight. Her heterochromia eyes were what he adored about her the most. Two beautiful marbles of green and blue. He knew of her relationship with Amistad, but the need to show off was still ever-present inside of him. He could not afford to look weak in front of her. If this was going to be his last night, and he was sure it was, he wanted to go out as a hero just like Michael, Ren, and Loxley.

"Taxi!" shouted Amistad, trying to flag down a ride, but every driver in the city were fleeing for their lives.

Black Tyranno began to chase a bus down the street. He slammed his head next to it when the person he was looking for wasn't inside. The hull bent like a soda can and smashed into a nearby store. He smacked an officer with his tail, sending him flying into a tree with horrible impact.

People stormed down the streets in a stampede of fear. They jumped onto cars, stormed inside stores and restaurants for shelter from the beast chasing after them.

"Oh my god," Patty said, looking at all the destruction. Helicopters soared overhead shining their lights at Black Tyranno attempting to lure him away from the people. Snipers fired to no avail, but they at least got the monster's attention. They followed Black Tyranno deeper and deeper into the city, though they lost sight of him in no time. But he was not hard to follow. All they had to do was follow the carnage and the screams.

A cloud of purple mist enveloped them, followed by a hideous cackle that caused Mario to scream in such a high pitch he almost sounded like a little girl.

"Oh, what now!" Amistad shouted, shielding Crystal in his arms, causing Mario even more discourse and envy.

Three figures emerged from the fog. They were Eldoris.

Bonz, Zygor, and Sid.

"So, there you are!" said Bonz. "I hope none of you have plans of finding that Titan tonight!"

Loxley pushed forward. "What the hell are you talking about!?" he shouted.

Bonz and his gang sniggered. Bonz reached into his pocket and pulled out the card.

"NO!" shouted Loxley. "Give it back! You have no idea what you hold in your hands."

"Mua-ha-ha-ha-ha!" Bonz gave off his trademark laugh.

"Ya want it!" Zygor said ramming his fist into his palm. "Well yer gonna hafta get troo me, pretty boy!"

Loxley removed his lightforged sword from its scabbard and held it dangerously close to Bonz's face. "I'll have no problem cutting you down, Frankenstein!"

"Give the card to him!" Crystal pleaded. "I need it to find my friend, Yuri."

Bonz and his gang howled like wolves.

Sid clasped his hands together and mocked her. "I need it to find my friend Yuri!"

"Yuri's dead, bitch!" sneered Bonz.

"What!" Crystal cried.

"Shut up!" shouted Ren.

"Yeah," said Zygor. "He's bin dead fer months. Don't tell me yer so-called friends didn't tell ya da news."

"Loxley…Ren…" said Crystal, tears welling in her eyes. "It's not true! Tell me it's not true!"

The two of her so-called friends stood silent. The stillness of the night ruined by sirens and the distant roar of Black Tyranno who was many blocks ahead of them now.

"Tell her the truth!" Amistad shouted. "Can't you see you're hurting her! I can't believe the villains who try to kill us have been more truthful than you!"

"What's going on?" Patty sobbed. "Is he alive or dead? Goddamnit! What happened to my friend? Answer me you assholes!"

Loxley sadly nodded his head. "Yuri was killed just a few weeks after he found the Divine Beasts. He was assassinated by the same hooded fiends who attacked us on Tartarus. I'm sorry, Crystal. I know I should have told you."

Crystal said nothing, but her face scrunched in sorrow, anger, and disbelief. She squeezed her eyes shut, flushing tears down her cheeks. "NOOOO!" she shouted into the night.

"But you said you've seen him!" said Amistad. "How? How could you do such a thing? Bringing a girl's hopes up just to dash them with this outrage! And you!" he looked at Ren. "I thought you were her friend. Her brother. She loved you enough to trust every word you said. As far as I'm concerned, you two are no better than the monsters who hunt us down!"

"And what of Michael?" said Tyson. "Why couldn't you just tell us."

"Because it's none of your business!" said Michael. "We were supposed to find the Titan, convince Crystal to come to Termnnia, and continue our business from there. But you two idiots decided to get all sentimental. You put her feelings before the mission and now you completely fucked things over for all of us. Now they have the Titan!"

"But we still have the last Golden Egg," said Ren.

"You shut up!" shouted Tyson.

"No, he's right!" said Loxley. He turned to look at Bonz. "You can take the card, but the real power lies behind Crystal."

"We know that," said Bonz. "She's the reason why we've been sent here. But her purpose to be found is mostly political. We don't care for her all that much because we know those Sisterhood babes will eventually hunt you down and slaughter your friends like they did, Yuri."

Crystal grimaced at the statement, no doubt it was Bonz just trying to get to her.

"As soon as we heard about this Titan card, our goal changed!" Bonz held the card over his face. "With this card, I'll begin my own quest for the other twelve Titans. Once I have them, I'll be the most unstoppable Duelist in the world."

"Delusions of grandeur," said Loxley. "Even if you did find them, you can't use them. Only those of the Delgado blood can summon the Titans."

"Blah, blah, blah," said Zygor. "Yer just jealous dat all da fame and glory is ours now!"

Sid folded his arms confidently and sneered at the group. "But just because we've got the Titan, don't mean we're just gonna abandon our mission. We got ya where we want ya! Oy, and I've got to say that Golden Egg is a hot one."

"Yeah," drooled Zygor. "She sure is pretty. Now hand her over."

"I'll gut you where you stand!" said Loxley. "What have you done to my friend, Darius?"

"Bakura is dealing with him," said Zygor.

"No!" shouted Loxley. "Out of my way!"

"Not a chance," said Bonz. "Don't think your little shiny sword is gonna harm us. Bakura gave us some powerful shadow magic. We can vanish into the darkness before your stroke can fall. And if we do, you'll never see the Titan again. And then Crystal will be hunted down by the assassins. She'll be taken for their purpose, and you'll be dead."

"So, what are you saying?" asked Ren.

Bonz laughed and formed a Duel Disk out of darkness. "We suggest a Duel. The card for the girl. We win, and she's ours. You win, and the Titan is yours no question asked. Do we have a deal?"

"You do!" Crystal said, releasing herself from Amistad's embrace.

"Oh," hooted Zygor. "The Egg wants to face Bonz, eh?"

"I do," said Crystal. "You can have me if you win, on the condition that you'll tell your bosses and their goons to leave my friends alone. I win, you give us the Titan card, no questions asked."

"Why do you care about the Titan all of a sudden?" asked Patty.

"I don't fucking care about that stupid card, Pats," Crystal said, seething with rage. "I'm angry right now, and I want to kick someone's ass, and I don't care who's."

Amistad was shocked. "Baby, what's gotten into you?"

"My best friend is dead, and someone I held close to my heart lied to me the entire night.'

Ren looked away in shame.

"Oh, da little girl tinks she's all big and bad," sneered Zygor.

"I like it," said Bonz. "Meet us up there in that ancient temple!" He pointed at the Parthenon. "We'll have our Duel up there!"

"Why?" asked Jeannie, clinging tightly to Patty's arm.

"Because Black Tyranno has caused some unwanted attention down here," said Bonz. "The last thing these people need is seeing the likes of us, right now. Remember, the Acropolis is where we'll have our Duel. We'll be waiting."

Bonz, Sid, and Zygor laughed. The purple mist enveloped them, and they vanished. Their laughter echoed through the night.

"You sure you want to go through with this, babe?" Amistad asked.

"I haven't been surer of anything in my life," said Crystal, storming in the direction toward the Acropolis.

"Crystal, wait!" Amistad shouted.

Suddenly, a convoy of black-armored vehicles drove down the flaming, ruined streets. Someone was standing out of the top of the lead jeep yelling through a megaphone in both Greek and English to come out of hiding and seek them for medical attention. Sure enough, the injured and the frightened came hobbling out of stores and restaurants trusting the mysterious soldiers who came hopping out of the back of the jeeps.

They were unlike anything Crystal or the others had ever seen. Their armor was trimmed in glowing blue neon, and they wielded heavily modified rifles giving an indication that these troops were private forces. Now that just left the question: Who were they? And who sent them?

"The fuck is all this?" Tyson asked.

"Whoa, hold on!" Patty cried, feeling herself getting tapped in the back by a cold barrel.

"Move here for your safety ma'am," said the soldier.

"Hold on, hold on!" said Loxley. "You've got it all wrong."

"What's this?" asked a stern-looking gentleman approaching the friends. An FN SCAR was in his hands. His gear clicked with every step. He had a large forehead with a receding hairline and cold, brown eyes. His eyebrows scrunched in an ever-constant scowl.

"Commander Meloni," said the soldier. "Check this guy out."

Meloni nodded his head, examining Loxley. "Yeah, yeah, I know," he said pointing out Loxley's glowing eye of burning teal. "That there's a mark of divinity. You, sir, are partially divine. And you." He pointed at Prince Michael. "You're a long way from home, Your Highness, what are you doing here? Everyone thought you were dead."

"I got better," said Michael.

A young girl came to Meloni's side. She was blonde with two long braids going down over her shoulders. "He probably knows about that Black Tyranno, daddy."

"Daddy!" said Nick.

"Is there a problem?" Meloni asked, giving Nick a deadly thousand-yard stare. "Oh no," he said when he spotted Ren. "I don't believe this. Every time there's trouble, I run into you."

"It's been a while Commander," said Ren.

"So, this is the agent who failed his mission," said Meloni's daughter. "You really fucked up, Ren."

"Language, young lady!" Meloni said, doing all he could to keep from shouting.

"I can't help it, daddy. This hotshot got our High King killed."

"I had nothing to do with his murder!" said Ren. "You can't frame me, I didn't do anything!"

The girl sneered at Ren. "You got that right, asshole, you didn't do anything!"

Crystal crossed her arms, trembling with fury. "Looks like I'm not the only one this jerk betrayed," she said coldly.

"Crystal…" Ren said, eyes glistening with hurt.

"What is going on?" shouted Tyson. "For God's sake, we need answers. My pal, Yuri, is dead! I've been attacked by assassins! Cartoon characters are walking about like Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and now there's a fucking dinosaur on the loose!"

"Wow," said the girl with a smirk. "Sounds like you poor bastards had one hell of a night."

"You don't know the half of it, sister," said Patty. "You guys sure do know a lot about this other world. I take it you're part of it, too."

"That's right," Meloni's daughter responded with a nod. "We're Termnnians. You say you've been attacked by cartoon characters. F.Y.I, they're known as Eldori. Who were they?"

Jeannie swallowed before she spoke. "Uh, first there were these scary guys named Bakura and Marik."

"Marik!" Meloni said. "I thought Yugi defeated him for good in Battle City."

"Well, he's back," said Ren. "And even worse than he was before. The darkness took control of him again, and now he's that monster who tortured Yugi and his friends during the tournament many years ago."

"And Bakura you say," said Meloni's daughter, rubbing her chin with her glove-covered hand. "The Grim Reaper is here, too. Why? And why have they been chasing you guys around so much you're on a first-name basis with them?"

"They said they're looking for some card," said Patty. "A Titan or something. Some group of these…uh…El-door-ee?" she asked. Meloni and his daughter nodded. "Right, they stole it from some guy we were supposed to meet and challenged my friend Crystal to a Duel for it at the Parthenon. The leader, a small ghoulish-looking guy, he was referred to as Bonz."

"Looks like there are stakes involved," Meloni said, shifting his weight to his other leg to be comfortable. "What do they want?"

"They want me," said Crystal.

"What would they want with an Earthling girl?" said Meloni.

"Other than the fact that she's really hot," his daughter commented, grinning at Crystal. She gave a wink upon seeing Crystal's cheeks blush pink.

"What did I tell you about that, Bailey!" snapped Meloni.

"Aw, dad, you never let me have any fun."

"What do they want with you?" Meloni asked again.

"I'm apparently some Golden Egg or something."

Meloni and his daughter went silent. The soldier under his command stepped forward.

"Sir," he said, almost in a whisper. "Should I inform command about this?"

There was a long pause. "Negative," said Meloni, recovering from his shock. "You take your chalk into the city and see if there are any more witnesses. Luckily, Black Tyranno hasn't covered too much ground. Find him and take him down before anybody else sees him. Now, before the Hellenic Army gets called into action, command can't stall them any longer."

"Yes, sir!" The soldier saluted and stormed away.

Meloni looked back at the kids. "You mean to tell me you had a Golden Egg of Andelera all this time and didn't say anything to anyone?"

"Hey, we didn't know," said Carter. "We had no idea any of this existed."

"And after tonight, I guarantee you won't," Meloni said.

Once there was a large crowd around the convoy of Termnnian soldiers, Illusionists, dressed in mage robes that had a tactical theme elegantly came out of a large tank-like APC. A baby blue aura began to light up their hands and they waved them around as they cast a spell that began to alter the memories of the people. Their heads spewed out balls of glowing orbs which were their memories made into a physical object. The Illusionists began to collect them in black bags. The civilians began to drop to the ground, knocked out from the spell. The Termnnian soldiers picked them up, one by one, and put them in cots in the trailer of a large truck so they could rest, be identified, and sent home.

"What are you doing?" asked Crystal.

"Making them forget," said Bailey. "They're not going to know there was a Black Tyranno here. By tomorrow, the streets will be clean, their properties fixed, and they go on with their happy little lives."

"My God," said Jeannie. "You guys are a cleanup crew or something."

"So to speak," said Meloni.

His daughter nodded her head repeatedly. "Uh-huh, units like ours are stationed all over the world. Because every once in a while, there's going to be rouges like Marik who come through The Gates to cause trouble."

"Dang," said Carter. "You got here before the press could even eat this up."

"That's our job," said Meloni. "The less you know about our world, the better."

"You can't just erase our memories!" said Patty. "Wait, what am I saying, please do!"

"Patty!" said Jeannie. "I know that PaniK jerk talked a lot of bullshit, but that doesn't make it true."

"Doesn't make what true?" asked Meloni. "And did you say PaniK?"

"He was supposed to be in prison," said Bailey. "Damn, that Marik. The Iron Tower of Domino is supposed to be impenetrable."

"What did PaniK say to you, young lady?" Meloni asked.

Patty grimaced, but the intimidating presence of the otherworldly soldier in front of her kept her from being defiant.

"He said I'm one of you. But that's just not true. I can't be true. I was born and raised here all my life."

"Hmm," said Meloni. "Perhaps you were, perhaps you weren't. No disrespect, but there's no time to solve your mystery. Now, you say this Bonz character challenged you to a Duel, correct?"

"Yes," said Crystal. "They want me. If they lose they give us that Titan card everyone is after. I don't know what makes it special, but if I can end this hell tonight, and get on with my life, I'll play their game."

"You won't have to," said Meloni. "Bailey, escort these guys to the Acropolis. Take Baker and Anderson with you. Once this Bonz guy gets ready to get his game on, swarm in, arrest them, and take the Titan." He looked at Crystal. "As for you, I don't think you're going home, young lady."

"I don't care what you think I am," said Crystal. "I'm staying here!"

"That's not up for debate," said Bailey. "Whether you like it or not, you're coming to Termnnia with us."

"The hell she is!" barked Tyson.

"This doesn't concern you guys anymore," said Michael. "She's one of us. She's one of the keys needed to turn the tide against our enemies."

"I don't care," said Crystal. "I'm not going anywhere."

"We can discuss this another time," said Meloni. "In the meantime, go to the Acropolis and lure those guys in. The sooner we get this night over with, the better. You kids hold those spooks down while my men and I track down that dinosaur and erase memories in the process. Move out!"

Bailey led Crystal and the others into an APC and commanded the driver to take them to the Acropolis post haste. Rain began to fall, and thunder bellowed in the sky. The city streets glowing with the spells of the thousands of Illusionists wiping the memory of Black Tyranno from the people of Athens.

Patty looked at Michael with a stern look on her face. "Now that we have a moment to sit down, do you mind telling us what's the deal with Crystal and this 'Golden Egg' business."

"I think we all deserve a right to know," Bailey said from the passenger seat, gripping her custom AR anxiously while she scanned the streets for Bakura, who was the Grim Reaper to the Termnnian people.

Michael sighed in defeat.

"A few years before Yuri was born, a clutch of golden eggs, filled with great power, were lost after a long and bloody rebellion was won. Before they disappeared, the eggs were brought to Termnnia from Felgrand, the Capital of Normandia; it is a continent west of our homeland. It is a land where great beasts, known as True Dragons, once reigned supreme. The ancient people who lived there during their time worshipped them as gods and even made some of them their kings. But, there was a sudden purge to their kind, led by a Church of lunatics who hunted them brutally. Safaani, the Goddess of Dragons, could not bear to watch her children be slaughtered anymore, and called for them to come home. But that was thousands of years ago. Alongside the True Dragons, an order of mages, whom we call Summoners, also perished. Summoners are highly-trained mages who can command monsters from other worlds to do battle."

"You mean there's more worlds out there?" Jeannie asked.

"More than you know," said Michael. "The Summoners I refer to could summon dragons into battle."

"You mean like Game of Thrones?" Tyson asked.

There was an awkward silence.

"You never saw that show?" he asked, getting nervous from Michael's cold stare.

"No," Michael said at last. "I don't watch crap."

"No more interruptions, damn it!" said Amistad. "Go on, Your Highness."

Michael nodded and continued the tale. "Dragon Summoners have not been seen in our world for thousands of years since the True Dragons flew home. That was until this girl named Avellana appeared. We call her Avi for short; I know her personally. She was the first one to Summon True Dragons since forever. And since her arrival, True Dragons have been returning, slowly but surely. Soon, another girl was discovered to harness this power. Cora Kaiba, who could summon the mighty Blue-Eyes White Dragon."

Nick snapped his fingers in recognition. "Hey, that's the dragon Leon used against Yuri in the Millennium Tournament three years ago."

"Right," said Michael. "It was then that we realized the dragon Summoners were the long-lost eggs of Andelera. There were supposedly five of you. But Lady Andelera and Ser Argrave Blackwing must have kept you a secret all these years which means your father and mother must have been part of their plan, too."

"My father?" said Crystal. "Does this mean he's Termnnian, too?"

"In a manner of speaking," Michael said, not having the heart to keep going and revealing the truth to Crystal. He gathered courage and continued. "Andelera was the last living descendant of the greatest king to ever live, Tiberius Pendragon, who united our lands after years of internal conflict."

"What makes this Andelera so special?" Tyson asked. "What role did she play in keeping those eggs?"

"Those eggs were hers," said Michael.

"Say what!" said Nick. "This doesn't make any sense. Was this Andel-Ondolora-whatever-her-name-is a dragon or a woman?"

"Both," said Michael.

"You lost me," groaned Nick, slumping in his seat.

Michael grinned. "I didn't think your feeble earthly mind could comprehend the magic of our world. You've been stuck in those boring, plain, world for so long, you fail to comprehend something amazing even if it's looking you in the face. Andelera. She possessed a very rare gift. Just like there are people who can summon dragons, there are those who can turn into one."

"Like a werewolf?" asked Patty.

"No, not really," said Michael. "A werewolf is a curse that forces its form onto the poor soul it has poisoned every full moon. Mages who are strong enough and blessed by the Dragon Goddess can eventually wield the power to become a True Dragon at their own will. It's called Polymorphing."

"No fucking way," said Carter. "Is it possible for anyone to learn this gift?"

Michael sneered. "No, not just anyone. And no, Earthlings can't learn the magics of our world. Anyways, Safaani was the one who created the Summoners inside the eggs. She placed them inside of Andelera who later laid them in the Felgrand Castle. Crystal, you were one of those eggs."

Crystal went silent while her friends gasped in unison.

"Holy shit!" said Amistad. "Hah! Looks like my mother-in-law is part dragon. So that means…"

"Crystal can summon dragons, too!" gasped Patty. "You're really not from this world!"

Crystal looked like she was about to cry. "So, my mother and…and my father weren't really…"

Michael sighed.

"All this time," she said in a sorrowful whisper.

No one said a word.

"I'm sorry, Crystal," said Michael. "There were awful people after you and your 'sisters' so to speak. Your mom, your real mom, had her reasons for hiding you."

"But she didn't have a mate," said Tyson. "You said the eggs were magically given to this woman. Which means that…"

"Shut up, Tyson!" snapped Patty. "Don't say anything more. Crystal, you going to be okay?"

Crystal remained silent. "So, my whole life was nothing but a lie?"

"You have my pity," Bailey said, sticking a piece of gum into her mouth. "We're almost there, guys. Looks like we have to hoof it the rest of the way."

Amistad put an arm around Crystal and rubbed her shoulder gently. "You going to be all right?" he asked.

"No," said Crystal. "I'm going to be sick."

"Ugh, not in here," Bailey groaned. "We just cleaned this thing yesterday."

"Crystal, we're here for you," said Tyson. "Believe me, this news is hard on all of us."

"Easy for you to say," said Crystal, glaring at him viciously. "You're not some freak born from a magical egg."

"No," said Michael. "Your gift is not mutation. It's a miracle!"

"Just shut up!" Crystal sobbed. "I don't want to hear anymore! I'm Crystal Anderson. I'm the United States Champion! I'm a college student! I'm going to be CEO of Phobos Corp next week. I'm going to get married to the man I love!' she squeezed Amistad's hand. "And I want to have kids in Aquarius! Not Termnnia! Not whatever hell hole is out there! I'm staying here. Loxley, when I beat that Bonz in our Duel, take your stupid Titan card and just leave! And you, too!" she shouted at Michael. "GO! Get out of here! Get out of my life!"

Crystal buried her face in her hands and heaved sorrowfully. Patty leaned over and hugged her. She kissed the top of her head and rubbed her back.

"Drama queen," Bailey muttered, blowing a bubble with her gum.

"We'll be at our location in ten minutes," said the driver.

"Ten minutes!" Bailey called.

"You should get some sleep," said Amistad. "Ten minutes is long enough for a nap."

"I'll sleep when this is all over," said Crystal, raising her head up, eyes swollen with weep.

Amistad smiled and began to hum a familiar tune.

"Don't," whined Crystal.

Amistad chuckled and started to sing The Girl from Ipanema.

His voice was so soft and soothing. It reminded Crystal of being graced by a cool summer breeze as she lay on a hammock by the beach in her backyard. She could feel the warm rays of the sun that made it through the thick palms of the tree above her.

Crystal yawned and leaned on his shoulder, falling asleep to his song.