Cora
The wind began to pick up as the rainstorm hovered closer to Domino City. In the battle, Cora lost her jacket. Her blouse was ripped to shreds, leaving her shoulders and arms exposed. Thankfully, it was a short walk to the luxury towers where she lived.
"What do you want with me?" Yumi asked True Exodia, who was marching in front of them in a goofy manner.
Nixie scoffed. "Maybe the little pussy is a hobo who needs a home."
"No, pussy, I'm here because she needs my help," True Exodia said. Yumi came up from behind and picked him up. "Whoa, what gives?"
"Pretend that you are a toy. I don't think many people, in there, are going to take kindly to a miniature version of Exodia walking about. And I don't mean to offend, but you are rather freaky-looking."
They walked through the foyer without incident and finally made it upstairs to their suite.
"We're home," Cora said.
M, watching TV with Jericho, Amy, and Brandy was stunned to see them in their current state. They had cuts, were soaked, cold, and their clothing was ripped beyond recognition.
"What the HELL happened to you?" M yelled in horror.
"Oh, my!" Amy said, covering her mouth with her hand.
Jericho stirred her fork in a cup of steaming ramen noodles. "Hmm, it looks like we missed some action out there. Was it a Banner Duelist?"
"Duelists," Nixie corrected her, removing her torn sweater and tossing it away in the trash. "Plural! A gang of Duelists. There were like fifteen of them or something."
"And you survived?" Jericho asked, slurping the last of her noodles.
Yumi nodded and help up True Exodia so the rest of the others could see. "Because of this guy," she said.
"'Sup," True Exodia said with a salute.
"What in the hell is that?" Kasumi said, running down the stairs. She saw them enter from the balcony on the third floor.
"He calls himself True Exodia," Cora replied, rubbing her hands up and down her shoulders. Her teeth chattered. "He says he's here to help Yumi."
Madeline heaved three times and let out a petit sneeze.
"We'll have to get to that later," Kasumi said shaking her head. "Look at you. Come on, let's get you girls into a hot bath and some new clothes. Now, before you catch a death of cold."
Madeline and Nixie didn't want to argue with that. Jericho, wanting to hear the story, followed them upstairs. Amy and Brandy rushed up to join them. They hurried upstairs to the bathhouse so they could warm up and heal from the battle earlier. But Cora and Yumi didn't move. They were both paralyzed with sorrow.
"I might as well be dead," Yumi said sadly. A big tear rolled down her cheek. "They...they defeated Mai in a Banner Duel."
M jumped over the couch. "What? Come on, Yumi, that isn't funny."
"I'm not joking!" she yelled. "They defeated Mai and took her soul."
"Ms. Goldwine, too," Cora added, putting her arm over Yumi's shoulder. "We lost them. Those cowards ambushed us the way they did us. They didn't stand a chance." Cora buried her face in her hands and sobbed. "They're gone, Kass."
"Aw, man," M said. "Mai Valentine."
"And Miss Goldwine," Kasumi added. "Oh, no. This has gotten way out of hand. M, why don't you and Jack prepare us some dinner? We're going to have a little talk upstairs. I'm in need of a warm bath myself."
"You mean…"
"Yes, we're going to bathe together!" Kasumi snapped, not in the mood for immaturity. "Either you cook us some food or go out looking for it!" She pointed out at the storm, splashing the windows with ice-cold water. "Either way, if I don't find dinner by the time we come down, I'll smash your balls the way I did that jackass, Prince Clovis."
"Oooo," hooted True Exodia. "You need to do as she says, pal."
"Touchy, touchy," M said, backing off. "Is it your time of the month or something?"
"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," Cora said, walking upstairs. She helped Yumi along the way. True Exodia was allowed to wander the suite at his own luxury. Meanwhile, M and Jack got to work trying to prepare something nice for their friends.
Jack and M
"Man, I can't believe they forced us in the kitchen," he said, looking through a holographic screen detailing the recipe for gourmet hamburgers. He knew how to dabble in the kitchen, for he hailed from a line of chefs from the capital of Akuuda, serving the Walston Royal Family. In fact, M once had dinner with Prince Marcel. They were friends for a short while, but as life pressed on, they drifted far apart.
"Well, we must do what we must," Jack said cutting lettuce. "Seems like they're the ones in charge of this whole operation."
"I have as much reason to be here as they do," M said, flipping to another page with a swipe of his finger. "Those Yeyu bastards took my soul and sent me to some horrible nightmare world. I can't get those images out of my head, man. It was hell or something, know what I'm saying? It makes my hair stand on end."
"The girls in our group do have more value in terms of power and magic than we do," said Jack. He picked up the cutting board and pushed the lettuce into a bowl with his knife. "Cora is the daughter of Seto Kaiba, Yumi, the daughter of Yugi Muto, Kasumi is the Princess of Gō-Ak and of the few people in the world to master the Tenyi fighting style. And I believe your girlfriend Nixie has the soul of a powerful dinosaur living in her. You and me, we're just some generic rich kids. Not exactly what those Yeyu guys are looking for."
"No, but they'll come after us regardless just to put our friends out of their game. We can't let that happen."
"You already did," Jack chuckled. "You lost your Duel. And by some mercy, they brought you back. Hmm. One can only hope Mai and Ms. Goldwine get the same. Cora and Yumi looked devastated."
"Yeah, and that's just what those bastards want. They know they can't fight our girls at 100%, so they have to find cheap ways of getting to them. You'd best watch out, Jack. You being so close to Kass and all makes you a prime target."
Jack chuckled. "She and I are no longer a thing, M. I have my eyes set on a far greater prize."
"What?"
"Cora, of course. I had my doubts about her at first. She seemed like a spoiled nobody when she first came to school. Not worth my time. But once those Blue-Eyes White Dragons came into her deck, it was a whole different story. That girl has power as well as beauty. Not to mention wealth; far more than the fortune Kasumi's family has."
"Hey, hey, hey," M said, turning around. "That ain't cool, Jack. You can't just dump Kasumi like that. Girls aren't toys, man. You can't just play with one and then leave it when a shiny new one comes out. They are people, too. They have lives, feelings just like you believe it or not."
"You must think me a chauvinist," Jack said, sliding his hand down his gelled hair. "No, M. I don't treat women like toys. I respect them, if they deserve my respect that is. Kasumi is a beautiful girl and one with a big heart. But she never captured my heart. Remember, our marriage was arranged for the benefit of the East Termnnia Trading Company."
"But you never hesitated parading her in skimpy outfits and kissing her for photoshoots, eh?"
"You just said so yourself, M. It's just business. Honest and truly, I've been wanting to get out of this marriage for a very long time. I was just waiting for the perfect bride to come along. And Cora Kaiba is the one."
"I know you're just bullshitting me, Jack. You said earlier you didn't like Cora until she started to display her power as a Kaiba."
"Sometimes it takes a while to see the worth in your significant other, M. Love, at first sight, are silly things we read in books. Kasumi and I didn't love at first sight. We still find it hard getting used to each other. See, Kasumi doesn't like me. Well...men in general."
"Say what?"
"I saw her in a romantic relationship with a girl not too long ago. A secret, you know. A Thunder Dragon player by the name of Fanny of House Chricton. I saw them kissing by the fountain one night when I was walking home after studying in the library all day. And again in the pool of our mansion in Costa del Sol. Fanny snuck in through the back gate and Kasumi went down to greet her. Sadly, their relationship didn't end well. Fanny and her family had to move back to Emboldor for senatorial matters. Never heard from her again. Poor thing."
"You're out of luck," said M. "You know Cora is also into girls, too, right? do you think she kisses that girl Krissa for fun?"
"I won't give up," Jack said confidently. "For all I know, her relationship with that girl won't last long. She's a nobody. We don't even know if she's even from the temple. Trust me, M, I have a way with girls. In time, I will make her appreciate me. I have a lot to offer her."
"Good luck to you then," said M. "I'd kick your ass for telling me this, but I want to personally watch Cora and Kasumi do it when they find out what a sleazeball you really are."
"You're going to tell them?"
"Yeah. And don't you try and stop me."
"Then I challenge you to a Duel under the rules of the Dueling Pact. Noble vs Noble, yes?"
"What?"
"Yes. I'd rather it this way. I have resources that can make you...disappear. I don't want to do that, I like you."
M had no choice but to accept. He followed Jack downstairs to the main floor arena to have their match.
"You should have kept your mouth shut, M," Jack said drawing his card. "I summon Dark Grepherby discarding a Dark monster, who just so happens to be Danger! Mothman! When discarded, we both draw a card and then we must discard one."
"I'm all set," said M.
"Good. Now the monster I discarded earlier is Orcust Knightmare. I will banish him to target my Dark Grepher and increase his attack points. And I send a Dark monster to my Graveyard, who happens to be Orcust Harp Horror. I banish Harp Horror to summon another Orcust Knightmare to my field. Then, I will sacrifice them both to Link Summon Orcust Galatea, the Orcust Automaton!"
He summoned a girl with long lavender hair, flowing behind her like a cape. She swung a scythe to intimidate M.
ATK/1800
LINK-2
"She's cute," said M. "What do you plan to do with her?"
Jack replied by pulling off what M thought was a strange combo. During his play, he was able to bring out the Field Spell, Orcustrated Babel. He then Xyz Summoned a 3000 ATK monster named Dingirsu, the Orcust of the Evening Star just to Link Summon another Galatea.
"Really, Jack?" said M. "All that work just to summon the same monster again?"
"You think that's all I've done, M? Go ahead then. Show me the error of my ways. I set a card face-down and end my turn."
"I draw!" yelled M. "I play Charge of the Light Brigade. Now I send the top three cards from my deck to the Graveyard and —"
"My Ash Blossom has something to say about that."
"No need to explain," M said in frustration. "Man, I hate that card. All right, let's see what else I can do here."
"Well, why you figure that out, Galatea's effect activates. I return a banished monster to my deck and set a card face-down."
"All right, not bad. But one of the cards I discarded was Glow-Up Bulb. With its effect, I can special summon another one to the field. Then, using the effect of the Jet Synchron I have in the Graveyard, I can discard a card and Special Summon him to the field. Now, I will send them out to Link Summon my Knightmare Phoenix! And I'll use its effect to discard a card so I can pop one of your face-downs."
"The card you chose to 'pop' was Orcust Crescendo. With Galatea on the field, I am allowed to negate your Phoenix's effect and destroy it."
M covered his ears to protect them from the loud blast of his Knightmare Phoenix blowing up. He quickly got back to the Duel and summoned Raiden, Hand of the Lightsworn, which then allowed him to summon Wulf, the Lightsworn Beast. Then he Overlayed them to summon Minerva the Exalted Lightsworn. She was an angel garbed in white and chased with gold. Her wings spanned almost fifteen feet long and she had a snowy-white owl for a familiar.
ATK/2000 DEF/800
Rank 4
M then activated Minerva's effect by sending away an Xyz Material. But Jack countered using the effect of one of his Orcust monsters in the Graveyard. He banished it and revived Dingrisu. The mechanical monster towered over M. It looked like a construct of musical pipes made into a humanoid mech with a lance mounted on a mechanical stallion. With 3000 ATK, M was a little nervous of its appearance, and for good reason.
Jack was able to destroy M's Minerva with Dingrisu's summoning. He was wide open for the moment, but he had what he needed to summon a powerful new creature. He banished three monsters of different types from his Graveyard to summon a newly released monster called Archnemesis Eshatos, a dragon that was a hybrid of multiple creatures from sea serpents, wyverns, and a Kraken.
"What a freak!" said Jack.
"Wait till you see what this freak can do, Jack! I use his effect to destroy all of your monsters!"
"What! No!"
Archnemesis Eshatos released a purple beam from its mouth and blasted all of Jack's monsters. He attacked directly, dealing 3000 points of damage to him.
"Not bad," Jack complimented him. "You have made use of the new archetypes and the Fifth Master Rule. Must be easy to get what you want without the need to Link Summon first, eh?"
"You bet, and now that I can summon my Extra Deck monsters in an area other than the Extra Monster Zone this time, it's like my deck is in the fast lane now. The way it should be. I hated how Links had to be the way to unlock the power of the Extra Deck beforehand. They're cool and all, but they controlled the flow of my deck way too much, know what I'm saying."
"Indeed," said Jack. "I must cater my deck to the new Master Rules as well when the time comes. But for now, I will start my turn. I flip up my face-down card. Orcustrated Return. I discard an Orcust monster and draw two cards. Next, I banish Orcust Crescendo to add a card to my hand. Then, I summon Mathematician. I will use his effect to send a Level Four or lower monster from my hand. I end my turn."
"Is that all, man?" M laughed. "A math master?"
"Math opens the doors to many things, M. In this case, my victory and your silence."
"If you say so. I hope you weren't relying on him to get you something. Cuz Eshatos will activate his effect again and wipe him out. Now, I'm targeting you directly."
"I think not. I banish one of my Orcust monsters to revive Dingrisu."
The dragon's attack ceased when the musical automaton arose. It's mechanical stallion whinnied, rearing up on its hind legs to stop the monster from attacking.
"You know what happens when Dingrisu is summoned, yes? Your Eshatos is destroyed."
"Aw, no!" cried M.
Dingrisu charged towards M's dragon at full speed and jammed its lance in the dragon's chest.
"I end my turn," M groaned.
"And I will banish an Orcust monster to summon Knightmare back to the field. My turn. I use another Orcustrated Return and draw two cards by discarding this card. Now, I summon Orcust Harp Horror. And then, I'll banish an Orcust from the cemetery and revive Galatea. I'll use her and Knightmare to Link Summon Longirsu, the Orcust Orchestrator (ATK 2500 LINK-3). Next, I banish eight cards to Special Summon Gizmek, Orochi, the Serpentron Sky Slasher!"
ATK/2450
He then raised Longrisu's attack to 3000 and attacked with all his monsters, save for Longrisu. M was reduced to a small portion of his Life Points. When the bombardment ended, he drew his card. Nothing good came out of his draw.
M sighed and placed his hand on the top of his deck. "All right, all right. You win. I won't tell them anything. But like I said before, I hope Cora and Kasumi give you your just rewards. Don't think for a second you'll get anything good from either of them. They're too good for a person like you."
The monsters disappeared and the arena was still. "I have to try, M. I love Cora."
"You love what she is, not her as a person. You told me yourself that marrying her would be more beneficial to the company."
"That's just to please my folks, M. Cora's just so strong, so passionate, so beautiful. She's the one I've always wanted to share my life with. I want to marry her."
"You're not going to change who she is because you love her, Jack. It's a dumb quest. One that will leave you maimed and in pain forever. You're Jack Ganon, man. You're a pianist known all over Termnnia. You can have any girl you want if you made the effort."
"The only girl I want is Cora."
M sighed. "It can't happen, man."
Jack screamed, slamming his hands on both sides of the Dueling Pod. "Why does it have to be so complicated, M?"
"It's just the way it is, man. It doesn't matter how much money you've got in your pocket. There are just some things in life that you can't have. Cora is one of them. Look, Kasumi, despite how you feel about her, she's grown to like you."
"No, she hasn't. She wouldn't have been secretly dating other girls if that were the case. I'll set her free if that what she wants. I know it's what I want. I want to be free to marry who I want."
"And you're going to take away Cora's freedom to love who she wants because you want her? That doesn't make a whole lot of sense, man."
"I'm not taking anything, M. I know who she is and what she desires, but I still want to try at least. Funny how you say this doesn't make sense. Love tends to take away sense in people."
"It sure does," M said. "I lost my mind and kissed a girl who turned primal the other day."
Jack laughed. "I see. Well, that truly is jumping the gun. Still, you are to remain silent about this. I want to do this without any sort of interference. I want this to be between me, Cora, and Kasumi."
"For the sake of my health, I won't say a thing."
Jack chuckled again. "I was kidding about the whole assassination thing, M. I don't do that to people."
"You could have just asked."
"Would you have kept your word if I told you to promise any other way? No, I thought not. Per the Dueling Pact, you made an oath to the Goddesses to keep your word. So you will not say a thing anyway."
"I'm a man of my word, Jack. I promise to leave this matter between you and the girls. Trust me, I don't wanna get involved or be around when Kasumi gets pissed off. You're a good guy, Jack. Just be careful. That ain't love you're feeling for Cora. It's lust. And lust is even more dangerous than love. Love makes you confused. Lust can turn you into a monster."
The two of them went back to the suite to finish cooking their food and later played an online shooting game. Still, Cora and the others didn't come out of the bathhouse. He thought they went up there to calm down from their battle and deal with the pain of losing Mai and Ms. Goldwine to the Banner Duelists. He guessed the somber moments didn't last long, for as soon as the second match of their game started, they heard splashing, playful squealing, and laughing coming from behind the stone door.
"They've been in there for over two hours," M said looking at his wristwatch. "I thought Jericho was going to add nightshade to the water so it could calm them down. Now it sounds like they're having fun in there."
"Let them enjoy themselves," Jack said. He jumped. "Haha! I secured my care package!"
"Awesome, tear 'em down!" said M.
He heard a rhythmic cartoony splattering like multiple suction cups being pulled out at once. It was the so-called True Exodia. "Nice place she's got here," he said.
"So what are you?" M asked.
"I'm True Exodia."
"No, you're not," said Jack. "Exodia is….bigger and….cooler."
"Believe what you wanna believe, my dude," True Exodia said, sitting down to watch the match.
"So what are you doing here?"
"My business is with Miss Yumi. Daughter of Yvonne the Raven."
"And the daughter of the King of Games," M added.
"If that's what they say nowadays," True Exodia said with a shrug. "What those matters are, I'm afraid I cannot discuss unless Yumi is present." He heard playful whooping upstairs and water being splashed. "And she's busy so it seems. What an odd way to mourn someone."
"Let them have some fun," said M. "They've had a rough night. Yumi's heart is full of grief and she needs her friends to pull through. Getting her depressed will cloud her mind with emotions, and that's what those Banner bastards want to do. Cora as well. You know her father is in his death bed?"
"Aw, gee," True Exodia said, changing his tone. "I didn't know. How long does he have?"
"A couple of weeks," Jack replied. "And that's only if we're lucky. The Rosenkruz Syndrome is quite a mystery."
"One that wasn't meant to be solved," said M. "I wish there was something we could do, you know. I don't want to see Seto Kaiba die. He's a strict man, but he's the last bastion of sanity we have left in this fucking city. He's the one keeping those Yeyu bastards at bay. And now that he's dying, they're taking over as though they've won the place. I passed by St. Megan's Park the other day. It was full of weirdos in white robes and women dressed in nun-looking garments. I wanted to Duel Nixie there but we got kicked out. They claim we can't play there anymore because the lawmakers in the Senate have banned Duel Monsters in certain places of the city. We know those congressmen and senators are in the Emerald Fire Party. Not even a month in office and already they're changing things to accommodate only those of their faith. It's getting too far out of hand, man."
Jack breathed out of his nose to expel his rage. "Makes me wonder why King Eldon doesn't do anything about it. The only person who has the balls to stand up to them is Prince Michael. Oh, and his pal the Cyber Knight, I guess."
"You mean, Zane? Yeah. But there's only so much two men can do against an ideology followed by millions. Pretty soon we're going to be dressed like those mindless robots I saw in the park."
"It won't get to that point," Jack replied. "I just know Eredas won't surrender to Yeyunism that fast."
"I hope so," M said with a sigh. "I hope so."
Yumi
She sat on the windowsill, arms wrapped around her legs and chin to her knees, watching True Exodia munch on a bag of chips. Cora and the others were sound asleep, the sound of rain tapping on the glass put them into slumber not long after they got out of the bathhouse and changed. Even though she had fun horsing around with her friends, Yumi was still in mourning at the loss of her godmother. Tears slowly streamed down her cheek and her nose was as red as a strawberry. Warmed from being in the tub for so long, she wore only a long, white off-the-shoulder sweater.
"Is there no way to get her back?" she asked, staring at the keepsake bracelet of gold with heart and star-shaped diamonds dangling from it. That bracelet was all Yumi had left of Mai Valentine. "I miss her." She said, her voice cracking with sorrow. She sniffed and wiped a few tears away with her sleeve.
"I have no knowledge of such things, sweetie," True Exodia said.
He looked around for something to cheer her up. There was a white teddy bear on the chair underneath the sill where he and Yumi sat. He picked it up and handed it to her. Yumi didn't know why he would do such a thing, but he was being very kind and took it. She embraced it tightly and brushed some strands of her raven-black hair off her face. The ruby heart hanging from the side of her black choker sparkled alongside her weepy heterochromia eyes. Lavender and royal purple were lovely colors, he thought.
True Exodia then felt his stomach melting. She was very beautiful and it warmed his heart to see she found comfort in the bear he gave her. He patted her leg and said: "Maybe we'll figure something out. But for now, I'm here for you."
Yumi wiped away one final tear with the tip of her fingernail and nodded."Of course. There's so much I want to know about you. First off, who sent you?"
"Your mother did."
Yumi gasped. "Do you know where she is?"
"I'm not at liberty to say. See, I wasn't expecting this whole Banner Duelist saga taking place. I was hoping to take you with me and walk the roads of Termnnia. There's stuff we need to take care of. Stuff concerning your destiny."
"My destiny?"
"Yes. Listen good and hold on tight, because if all goes well, this could grow to be something far bigger than that girl out in the west who can summon dragons. Yumeko. I was supposed to take you out of here because of him." He pointed to the head of Exodia on the top of Yumi's deck. "You have been chosen by the Lord of all Monsters to summon him. Just as your ancestors did thousands of years ago during the reign of the Pharoahs."
Yumi blinked rapidly. She looked left and right frantically, wondering how in the world she was going to respond to this. "I? A Summoner of Exodia?"
"Yes. It's in your blood. Long ago during the War of the Giants, Norman the Conqueror and his Divine Beasts were losing the battle against Zorc Necrophades. Offspring of the Perfect Goddess. They lost their only allies, the Ancient Beasts, who had to be destroyed because of their own greed. So, Horakhty, knowing it was dangerous, summoned her son, Exodia to deal with Zorc. But he was so full of himself, that he would not come to the world for free. He demanded a sacrifice. So the Celtra — The Gardeners of the World — offered themselves as a tribute for his summon. Almost half a billion souls were lost to please Exodia. This angered the Goddesses. After Exodia defeated Zorc, Horakhty bound him with Talaste, Undros, Miyonna, Morundos, and Zantos. Powerful chains forged by the Goddess of the Smiths. And then, he was cut into five pieces, each sealed away in a new dimension Horakhty created just to imprison him."
"Ah, so that's why you need five cards just to summon him, right?" Yumi asked.
"Yes. Yes. As further punishment, he was to be a slave to a family of priests who were heavily devoted to Horakhty during the chaos of the War of the Giants. Every age or so, a new priest would take the mantle as the Summoner of Exodia. But, they fell into extinction when the Great Leviathan flooded the world. And the power to Summoner Exodia was lost and turned to legend. That was until a mage named Simon unlocked the power to summon him when Zorc returned one last time. When he died, the power to summon Exodia was lost again. Until now. Your mother is a long-lost heir of the Priests of Exodia."
Yumi's face turned green. All of a sudden, she started growing cold.
"It's true," said True Exodia. "Why else did your mother wander the ends of the earth to find you those cards? Many think that Yugi Muto is the one to call upon him, but that's not the case. But let's face it, he got lucky is all. Heart of the Cards my golden ass."
Yumi began panting heavily. She felt as though she had won a billion pounds of gold. "Why didn't she use this power for herself."
"It took her some time to learn of her ancestry," said True Exodia. "By the time she figured out where she came from and who she was, something terrible happened. Not only does this destiny tie you with Exodia, my darling, but it also puts Prince Yuri in it, too."
"But how?"
"Well, his parents, Luthia and Gabriel, were great friends with her. After they escaped persecution of their forbidden love, Yami and King Antar gave them their own lands to rule when he named Gabriel Delgado Duke of Karad-Antha. And because your mother was so loved by Gabriel and Luthia, they had her named as their official House Carl and dubbed her to be Yuri's godmother. But their happiness was cut short when Anubis attacked. Your mother blamed herself for failing to protect them and leaving Yuri orphaned. She felt so ashamed by her failure, that she fled into the wilderness and swore to Horakhty that she would never use the power of Exodia. But it looks like that legacy can continue because of you."
"And you wanted to take me on a quest to do what?"
"To unlock more of Exodia's power, my dear. There are many forms of him you are destined to unlock."
"Like that dark monster that Banner Duelist summoned, right?"
"Exodia Necross is his name," said True Exodia. "But do not fret. The monster he summoned to try to defeat you and your friends was just another trading card. The real one is much worse. Much, much worse. He will answer to no one but the chosen summoner. You."
"I understand. But my friends need me. I can't leave them now."
"I won't have you do such a thing. It's clearly obvious that they need your help. But you must promise me something."
"Anything."
"When this task is complete you must come with me, no questions asked. Am I clear?"
"We are," Yumi said with a nod. "And if I do come with you, will you help me find my mother?"
True Exodia sighed. "We shall see what happens. That woman does not want to be found. But I will do my best to have you both meet."
"Thank you. Thank you so much!"
"Shh, you'll wake your friends. Come now. Off to bed. We have a big day tomorrow."