Twilight Rising
Chapter 20
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At a logging mill, the group of monks were on their way towards it where Jack waited for their arrival. Donning quite the peculiar setup of a Hollywood director, he waved for his bots to get ready before looking up as Dojo finally appeared overhead. "Right on time." he muttered as he stood, looking to the camera-bot that waited on his command and grinned. A documentary of his achievements against the monks would be his greatest project yet. And with the Shadow of Fear in his hands, oh the plans he had in mind with it. But first...
"Jack-bots, attack!" he ordered, bots coming up with cannons loaded with logs that were aimed for the dragon. Dojo screamed as he went to dodge the logs aimed for him, one just grazing over his head and Yugi winced as he held on tight to Clay's back. "That's gonna smart." he whispered as the dragon continued his dive to land. But to his displeasure, a launched log had collided with the bottom of his jaw, sending him reeling before landing over his head and interrupting all senses in keeping himself airborne. "Dojo! Dojo please! Pull up!" Yugi cried as Omi went to remove the log with the use of the Ruby of Ramses. Shaking his head to rid of the momentary dizziness, Dojo growled as he continued on his way while Jack grumbled in annoyance but not for the reason one would think. Grabbing the camera-bot that was focused on the monks, he brought it back to face him, demanding that the camera was to stay on him the entire time. He had to get the best angles before demolishing his enemies.
Wuya growled before getting Jack moving instead of wasting time with his filming escapades and he huffed to her constant nagging before he flew along. With the dragon leveled, Yugi glanced down to the river of logs and pointed out the Wu gleaming on one. Clay nodded, waiting for the smaller teen to settle back before he brought out a line of rope to lasso the Wu into their hands. The cowboy grinned as he swiped the Wu from Jack who growled and flew after it but instead of catching it, the blades of his helipack cut the rope instead, the Wu landing soundly back on a different log. "Guess we're taking this to the logs." Yugi whispered as Dojo dove down, letting the five jump off, Yugi giving a slight yelp as he nearly slipped but Valtyrion was quick to keep him planted on the log. Clay, who was the closest to it, glared as Jack landed as well, both standing off with the Wu in between them. "Make your move, Spicer." Clay demanded and Jack grinned before calling upon his bots.
To Clay's befuddlement, a bot built to be a makeup artist decorated his face in makeup, coughing as he swiped the bot away while Jack chuckled. It was an improvement from the stony face expression, perhaps a little too much blush, but there was no time for perfection as he sent the camera-bots in. Horrified blues looked to the bots, feet frozen in place while Jack snatched the Wu from where it was left. "Oh no...Clay didn't mention he had a terrible case of stage fright!" Yugi gasped before looking as Jack was getting away. Looking to Omi, the two gave a nod before the small monk called on the power of the Orb of Tornami. With a slam of the controlled water, he made waves in the river to send the cowboy, who sputtered to a splash of water hitting his face which removed the makeup, surfing on the log he was on to catch up to Jack but saw instead he was on a collision course with a dam set before them. Yugi squeaked before waving to Raimundo who held the Sword of the Storm in hand, sending a powerful gust of wind to remove the logs but unveiled a waterfall that was right behind it.
Yugi reached behind him, pulling the Lotus Twister from his belt and looked to it. It was one of the odder sets to use but it was magic and as long as it did its purpose, who was he to question the oddities of stretched limbs. "Lotus Twister!" he called, arm stretching out and shot it for Clay, reaching over the falls and grasped the other before he could hit the shallow waters below. "Ergh...don't think I got the upper body strength for this-eep!" Yugi began before giving a mild squeak as he nearly lost his footing on the log but was righted with Raimundo's help while Jack stood triumphantly above them, brandishing the Wu in hand as he commended himself over his victory. Wuya of course wished for the boy to be more focused on world domination than a little movie but at least they were given a decent Wu to make use of soon enough. With Jack gone, they decided to head on back to the temple, climbing aboard Dojo as he came down to pick them up.
Yugi rested a hand onto the cowboy's shoulder, the other truly disappointed of how bad he froze up to a camera in his face. Camera shy was the last thing he expected of himself to be frightened of. Omi made to tell him that even if it was a humiliating defeat, there was no shame in it as it will help to make him stronger. Clay sighed, knowing he was right indeed as they always found a means to overcome whatever beat them before but it still left a weight in his stomach that he hated. Yugi sighed a bit before tapping a finger on Dojo's side, asking for the scroll to see exactly what the Shadow of Fear did since they had no time to read up on it before leaving. The scroll was tossed to him and he opened it, looking to the Shadow of Fear. "It says that whoever wields it can delve into someone's dreams and bring to life their greatest fears." Yugi murmured, Omi peeking from behind Clay to claim he had no fear to trouble himself with so the Wu would be useless against him.
Dojo sighed, making a sharp turn that left the monk standing on air before he began to fall, Yugi clapped a hand over his mouth. "Omi!" Clay sighed before bringing out extra rope to lasso the boy back in place, rolling his eyes briefly as he mentions he held no fear to such. "I'm sure as you got closer to the ground, you'd be afraid to become a smear on the grass." Yugi sighed as they continued on their way to the temple. /He isss quite a prideful one but I'm sure even he hasss a fear that he wishesss to hide./ Valtyrion muttered and Yugi nodded in agreement.
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Upon their return, the master got them back into training, their goal to reach the finish post while blindfolded. Each held their own set of obstacles to get through while blinded and Omi, ever amiable, made it through his course and rang the bell. The moment the bell rang, the other moving obstacles came to a stop, Yugi letting out a breath before yelping as a swinging sack knocked into him from the momentum. Fung, who sat above them on a tall platform, gave them a small lesson. He told them that the strongest monk isn't one who harbors no fear but one that could harbor the means to overcome their greatest fears. Omi as he always is, wanted to prove that he had no fears to worry about and even if Jack tried anything to them with the use of the Shadow of Fear, he would find nothing to use against him.
Yugi removed his own blindfold, the master's words hitting home as he looked at the black cloth in his hand. The dark threads reminded him of his own fears. Of fire and smoke, the scent of ash in the air. The primal darkness that he still knew nothing about but was told he had their full support. From what, he still wondered, but he could only sigh in abject despondence. Guess he'd find out someday but after the talk he and Dojo had, even with Valtyrion's assurance that Dojo was wrong, his heart was still torn on the good or evil about them. Wrapping up for the day, everyone helped to prepare and serve dinner before eating then were off to prepare for bed. Yugi gave a wave to the others as he went to his room, Valtyrion waiting upon his pillow once he arrived. /Did you have a nice bath, little oneee? Cleared your mind of sssuch troubling thoughtsss?/ It questioned.
"Yeah. Hopefully they weren't too busy for you. You need your rest." Yugi replied, settling onto his futon before his head plopped down on top of the shade almost playfully, knowing the creature was safe from harm and would just return where it belonged within his soul. But it didn't quite yet, moving to appear from a pool of shadows on his chest, single red eye gazing into Yugi's violet hues. /I will rest just fine. I want to be sure that you do, little one. I know this talk of the primal darkness has been a source of discomfort but I swear to you, they are understanding. I am connected to them in such a way and their greatest desire is to finally meet you. But the time for it hasn't arrived yet. You have to grow stronger for them. Once you do, then you will be ready./ Valtyrion spoke. Yugi hummed, feeling there was more Valtyrion didn't reveal but still, the shade was the only closest and most reliable source he had. Confirming such thoughts, Yugi watched as the shade sunk back into his body, speaking that he should contact his grandfather soon.
A slow shiver coursed through him as Valtyrion settled in the core of his soul before nodding. It was a while since he sent a letter after all the chaos that had befallen the world recently. After the Wuya incident, he hadn't checked the state of Domino City. "I should do that...tomorrow..." he murmured, yawning softly before his eyes drifted closed and fell into a peaceful slumber. The candles blew out silently as the darkness shifted around him, the slender head of a serpentine shadow gazing down to him tenderly before it was gone, the whisper of Yugi's name on the air all that noted there was another presence there before it was gone just as silently as it had arrived.
Later that night, a less sinister presence appeared, the hum of the camera-bot the only sound that betrayed the one that was snooping about the temple so late. Jack smirked as he made it to the sleeping quarters of the monks, creeping inside slowly before making it to the room. Oh how fun this would be to see the hidden fears of the monks and use it against them. He waved for the bot to come close before entering the room. When hunting down unsuspecting monks, he was as quiet as a cat...should that cat have its tail stepped on as Jack tripped over his own uncoordinated feet. The scream to leave him would've been concerning but Kimiko, the first of his targets, was a deep sleeper and didn't wake to the noise he emitted. Seeing he lucked out from his "graceful" fall, Jack grinned as he crept into the den and pulled out the Wu. Glancing to the eagle-shaped statuette in his hands, he grinned as he looked to Kimiko before him. Raising the Shadow of Fear, the redhead activated its power and slowly entered into Kimiko's subconscious.
He dug through the depths of it, searching deep until he found exactly what he was looking for and grinned, the girl in reality whimpering before crying out in horror as her deepest fears were pulled from where they were buried for so long. With his goal found, Jack returned to the den with a grin, leaving the girl to suffer in her nightmares as he moved onto Clay. The cowboy groaned pitifully as Jack dug out his greatest fear and did the same to Raimundo next door. "Three down, two to go~" Jack whispered as he stepped out from Raimundo's room and looked to the last where Omi was settled. A grin passed the evil genius' lips as he descended onto the small monk with the use of the Wu. As the redhead expected, the inner sanctum of Omi's mind was self-indulgent, the monk standing atop the highest plane, a monument erected in his image, and heralding praises to himself as he did so. His perfect image of his future, perhaps without the inclusion of hair, that signified that he would become the next grand master dragon as Dashi before him.
Jack rolled his eyes before ascending the winding staircase. He was so close to the hidden fear Omi tried to hide that he could very well taste it. Red eyes shined in glee, a single steel door set in the monument with big red lettering claiming that behind it was the greatest fear Omi tried to keep locked away. Omi had halted in his dream state training, feeling the disturbance below and leapt down to see Jack there. He knew the other came in uninvited with the use of the Wu he gained from earlier and was ready to battle him if it meant to kick him out. He would not allow him to find out his deepest fear. He would not allow him to use it against him. He would not...
The slide of the door opening made Omi glance to the darkness hidden behind the door, whimpering as glowing orange eyes glared at him from inside, holding an animosity for being locked away for so long. "No...no...it cannot be!" Omi gasped as Jack laughed. Of all things, THIS is what the great and prideful monk was afraid of?! The villain couldn't help but laugh, the monk shuddering in fear as he stared the creature within down, frozen in place as a claw extended out for Omi and outside, Omi screamed in fright as he shot up from his futon. The haunting laughter of a successful invasion echoed in the room, Jack's presence long gone from the rooms as he still had one last target to find who didn't share the same space as the others. It wouldn't do him good to ruin everyone else's night and not the one that proved to be the pickiest.
Yugi was nearby which was good to save him plenty of footwork and film, peeking into the den to see the boy peaceful in slumber. "Oh, this is too easy~" Jack whispered as he moved to the boy's futon, looking down to him. This would've been the perfect time to just steal the boy from the temple and put him to work but knowing what watched over him, he didn't want to put himself at risk when he didn't have the backup necessary to handle it. So instead, playing this schoolyard prank on him would do him just fine, or so he thought as Jack began to enter into Yugi's subconscious. Red eyes glanced about, seeing him standing in darkness with a slow mist rolling in around him and blinked. "This is it!? I expected something different..." he hummed before freezing as a cackle came from behind him. "Well well~ If it isssn't the little cretin~" A familiar voice spoke before a red eye rolled into his field of sight, making him cry out as he jumped back.
"Using the Shadow of Fear to find the little one's deepessst fear, are you? Oh, how foolisssh you are~ His greatest fear is also his greatest ssstrength but instead of trying to explain that to you, why don't you try looking for it yourself~ I don't even need to get myssself involved to deter your idiocy." Valtyrion continued before the eye closed and the moment the red was out of his face, Jack was met with the twisting paths of a maze that was an extensive replica to M.C. Escher's House of Stairs. The heights and paths were already dizzying and Jack couldn't even begin to think of how to navigate the space without going insane doing so. So, he began to run. Up a set of stairs only to emerge out from the side, another and he was upside down.
Down to the ground or up in the sky, Jack was as lost as he was panicked and nearly cried out for Khial to let him go who only continued to heckle him as it had while he went through the maze of stairs. Eventually, Jack was left to pause, panting hard while his eyes watered with the tears he wanted to hold back. Why was it always Yongi that gave him the most hell when trying to commit nefarious deeds?! It took him a moment before he realized that all was silent around him, not even Khial was speaking to him. Looking around, the darkness was back but slowly, over the horizon, a reddish-orange glare shone before he was met with fire and smoke, ash in the air.
"Is this...?!" Jack began as a burning village stood in his eyes, structures slowly breaking away from the burning supports while there were no villagers in sight. But if he had to hazard a guess behind the fire...a thick swallow met his worrying thoughts before a dark shadow in the distance rose from the searing wreck of houses. A roar sounded from one as another rose after the first then two pairs of eyes holding an intense fire that was unmatched by the flames around them turned to Jack. "No...please...please! I didn't do a thing to Yongi! I didn't!" he cried before sharp rows reflected in his gaze and Jack was left to scream in terror before clamping his mouth shut as he found himself back in the room. Heart pounding against his ribcage as he slowly left the room, he counted his lucky stars that he didn't piss himself from the dream. It was all too real and clear that the primal darkness really was attached to Yugi. Without him, their influence wouldn't be as strong but it goes without saying that Yugi was still oblivious to a few things in dealing with them.
"Wuya...ya gotta know something about this...this is getting too surreal...and I don't think my heart can take much more of being scared to death..." Jack wheezed as he finally left the temple, half his goal completed but now was the matter with the primal darkness. Were they coming back? And if they were, was something about to burn like that village? If so, he really hoped it wasn't going to be his house.
His parents would kill him.
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The next morning, breakfast was a bit of a disaster with four of the five monks rather out of it as they were preparing breakfast. Yugi was busy kneading dough for some rolls when he heard the clatter of a pan hitting the floor and Kimiko's yelp as she slipped on a puddle of orange juice. He turned quickly to see the mess, Raimundo giving a light groan as he pulled a flapjack from his face as Clay apologized for it. "Did you guys get no rest last night?" Yugi asked in concern, Clay nodding to his inquiry as he helped Kimiko from the floor. The master walked in as Yugi went to clean the mess from the floor, seeing that aside from him, the others held reasonable bags under their eyes of a restless night. "Seems my young monks had trouble sleeping last night." he murmured, Raimundo nodding though he made it clear that it wasn't so much restless as it was disturbing as he was reminded of the biting laughter from Jack as he appeared in his dreams.
Hearing the name, Clay and Kimiko glanced over to him. "He appeared in your dreams too?!" Clay exclaimed and Raimundo nodded while Kimiko was the same, highly peeved that they all seemed to have shared the same case of obnoxious evil boy genius invading their sacred space. Omi shuddered in mild horrors as they spoke while Fung told them with him having the Shadow of Fear, the villain was able to come and go as he pleased to see their greatest fear and capitalize on it. Yugi looked away, gripping the cloth in hand as he went to stand. He hadn't seen Jack like the others did but he wouldn't put it past him to try the same with his dreams. Perhaps Valtyrion did something to keep his influence from waking him in the middle of the night but...did he see what he feared? Deep in his heart he had accepted those images as a premonition, a story that was untold. Valtyrion claimed it was but a vision but even its words were suspect.
He wanted to ponder more, perhaps ask the shade, but his train of thought was broken as Omi valiantly claimed that he had not been scared of what Jack tried to get out of him. His deepest fear was nothing that would scare him. But such bold confidence had Fung put him in charge of watching the temple vault to prove such. With Jack knowing their innermost fears, he would use it against them to steal Wu in the dead of night. Omi swallowed but was committed to the guard while Yugi could only stand to the side and watch. He was worried as he could see it in his eyes that the small monk was scared to do the guard alone. So bad did he want to take Omi's place but as an order from the master, Omi would obey. 'Please...be careful, Omi...' Was the last thought in his mind as they continued on with breakfast and went about the day with their daily tasks and training.
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That night, Omi was ever vigilant as he marched before the door leading into the vault. All was silent around the temple and no sign of Jack making his grand entrance to film. This was to be an easy guard and he had nothing to fear. A tap to his head made him stop and glanced up to see the last being he wanted to set hanging before him, a wicked smirk pulling across his face as Jack made to land before him. Ordering the bots to get into position, he made sure the stage was ready for his next scene. Omi groaned as he watched the dramatics before he prepared himself to fight. Jack saw this and grinned, holding up the Wu that would bring about his defeat. A darkened mist seeped from the statuette, filling the room before the red eyes met Omi's vision again. His lip quivered as he tried to stand his ground to the sight, the screech of the creature within finally breaking his iron will and he ran from the vault in terror while Jack laughed at a good scene and how easily it was to get Omi out the vault for all his bravado of being unafraid of his fears.
"Now for the spoils but Wuya, you got some chatting to do." Jack spoke as he went into the vault with the witch following. The constant screaming had alerted the others and knowing it had to be Jack getting into the temple vault had them running over to see what the commotion was about. Seeing Omi nowhere in the vicinity of the vault left them to believe the worst and went to head inside, seeing Jack emerge from the vault with the Heart of Jong, Monkey Staff and Fist of Tebigong. "We can't let him get away!" Yugi called as the others got into formation, Wuya reprimanding the boy that he took too long with his foolish filming escapades. Jack rolled his eyes at her feeble cries before sending in the bots to attack, activating his helipack to make his grand escape while they were distracted. Slamming a bot down by its arm, Yugi panted as he looked up to Jack as he escaped and bemoaned in defeat. /Little one...should I chassse after him?/ Valtyrion asked, knowing it had the means to do so with the power it obtained from being closer to the light. Yugi shook his head, wanting to find Omi first before they worried about what to do with Jack.
Clay had checked the vault to see what was stolen, seeing that it wasn't much but a successful attempt to begin meant more would happen as long as he had the Shadow of Fear in his hands. "He's right. But for now, we need to find Omi. He was supposed to be watching the vault but it's clear something happened during his guard." The others nodded before heading out the vault to search for the smaller monk, eventually finding him cowering behind a tree and Yugi knelt down to see what was wrong. They were at different levels of concern, wondering just how bad Jack got to him that made him such a quivering mess. Kimiko suggested to get him inside and they nodded, Clay picking up the boy as they went to head back inside to think of a game plan for the upcoming fight. Their disadvantage was that Jack knew their fears and could use that knowledge against them.
But they also knew Jack was still at times an uncoordinated weakling and they had that advantage over him. Yugi let out a relaxed breath as he stretched in preparation for the fight, violet hues coming to land on Omi who stood far from them and, surprisingly, not gearing up to take the fight to Jack. "Omi, what's wrong?" he asked and the slew of excuses to leave his mouth was unbecoming of the young monk. Omi, the Omi, wanted to stay behind and take care of menial chores in the middle of the night instead of fight? That alone raised a few flags for the rest and Kimiko moved to step toward him, asking what was up. "Nothing is the matter! It's not like I'm afraid or anything!" Omi assured though Yugi saw through the weak lie. Omi was afraid and it was likely due to Jack's influence. He wrung his hands a bit as the boy tried to escape but was eventually dragged to follow them by Clay. It wouldn't do well for them to split up at such a crucial hour as whatever had Omi rattled would likely come back to, in all sense of the words, haunt him.
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At the lair, they had crashed into a prepared set by none other. Yugi glanced around silently, on edge of what was to happen next as a clapper sounded and Jack began to film once more. Why the boy was so obsessed with this little filming escapade, he likely will never learn but with the Shadow of Fear in his hands, he had his own set of worries to be concerned about. Kimiko was the first to make a move, leaping in to take on the bots in the way with a practiced Judolette Flip, the heat of her flames making easy work of the bots before she landed before the others. "Good, good. Very dramatic...but so is this!" Jack spoke as he raised the Shadow of Fear and cast its magic around them. The insipid aura began to fill the room, surrounding the group slowly and Omi shuddered in fright once more. No, he didn't want to experience this again...not again! Yugi gasped as he covered himself from the magic, blinking slowly when he saw nothing different until the familiar scent of smoke and ash permeated around him. 'No...I...I don't want this to be...what I fear...' Yugi wasn't the only one as the decrepit voice of a childhood doll had Kimiko backing away in fright, the half-melted face and chilling voice making her whimper. "Lil Chica..." she breathed, making a move to bolt from the huge manifestation of her fears only to be caught by the ankle and dragged towards the doll.
Clay froze as an elderly voice sounded, one filled with a frigid reminder of his younger years and turned to his own illusion. There stood the towering form of his grandmother, clearly more horrifying than one was sure she wasn't but to any young child afraid of having his cheeks numbed for well over a month would twist the image of a sweet old lady into a scary beacon of fear just from the sound of her voice. Raimundo began to back away at the sight of the fears turned real, hitting something very malleable and gooey. He swallowed a bit before turning, seeing the mutated form of his own fear standing behind him. It was nothing like the real thing but his mind was willing to concoct the image of a jellyfish turned monster easily. They were such a problematic case when surfing so only fair the idea of being stung by one thanks to the many horror stories would paint such an image to an impressionable mind. And for poor, sweet Omi...he could feel his teeth clatter as he went to back away. He wanted to believe that his fears weren't made a reality. That he escaped the Wu's illusionary tactics but alas, his back collided with a soft surface and was quick to look up to what was assumed an innocent fact of the common brown squirrel.
A shame that such a cute fact didn't stay for the boy as it twisted into a frightening facade of foaming jaws and wicked orange eyes that scared the poor monk into running. The others weren't far off as Yugi tried to escape the looming shadows but his paths kept getting blocked by a tail before a shadowed head lowered, a crimson gaze looking into his own. A seam made itself known as the jaws opened wide and fearing the worst, Yugi scurried back as quick as he could before squeaking as a rope landed around him. "You're not on the menu today but we gotta get outta here, pardner!" Clay called as the teen was yanked rather quickly from the two shadows, the monks running from the lair with their tails between their legs at the sight of their fears. Jack could only laugh in victory once again, stopping the filming while Wuya commended him on a job well done. The Shadow of Fear was truly proving to be beneficial and as long as the little goody two shoes monks had something to fear, then fear will make sure they are rendered useless.
"Now about those two..." Jack hummed, looking to the shadows who made hardly a second move since the smaller teen was yanked from their presence. Wuya looked at them as well. She knew well they were remnants of the primal darkness solicited by the Wu's power to become reality from Yugi's fears of the unknown but she felt there was something rather different to them in comparison to the other personified fears. She couldn't place her ghostly finger on it but while the others were bound to scaring the living daylights out of their respective host, something about them made it out to not scare the boy as the others did. "Maybe it's the element in the little boy...mythos says the primal darkness seeks the light. Perhaps the Wu replicates that fact rather well." Wuya hummed before shaking her head. It still goes without saying to command the primal darkness if they were to try again, they would still need Yugi as a bargaining chip but to do so, they would need a few more Wu to ensure they got just what they wanted.
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The next morning, all sat within the temple vault to lament on their clear weakness in the face of their own fears. The master walked among them, looking to each before making note of their revealed fears. Yugi had his head buried in his knees, only glancing up momentarily as Kimiko managed to dig out a camera that had been dislodged from one of the bots during the raid. "Perhaps this will shed a bit of light on a few things." she murmured, setting up the camera and let the film play. They watched everything from start to finish, their first concern being the revealed fear of Omi's as Yugi made to stand. "Why didn't you tell us that you had something to fear?" Omi looked down, dejected, as he spoke that he was ashamed that for all his talk of not being afraid, Jack still found something to use against him which led to the situation they were in now. Hearing such, they knew well they couldn't fault him for the thought as Omi was a prideful one, with a touch of vain, and wouldn't dare to admit such secrets easily to prevent himself from looking weak in front of his peers.
"Understandable...but I do have a bit of concern for another. Kimiko, if you could rewind a little." Fung spoke and she nodded, rolling the film back until she was told to pause and the image there was exactly as he feared. "The primal darkness..." he murmured, making the girl look towards him. "The primal darkness? What's that, master?" Yugi curled up a little as he explained of the various myths and legends of the primal darkness, two figures which had started out as monks in the past but their element had twisted their morals, turning them into vengeful creatures that destroyed anything in their path be it Xiaolin or Heylin. "And they looked to be trained on...Yugi." They all looked at him and he flinched a little.
"Ok...I have much to explain but at the same time very little." he murmured as he went to stand. "I had just begun to learn about this primal darkness stuff myself...but in reality, I have had dreams since I was younger. Those shadows have always been prominent in them, standing among a village on fire. I've been told many things but nothing has been concrete about it. I have no idea if they are good or evil with so little to go on with those dreams." he explained, Dojo rubbing his chin. "As the master says, there are so many convoluted tales that no one knows their real motives or goals. Just needless destruction that puts Wuya to shame and she's already put to shame as it is in comparison. They would demolish her in a power struggle of magic. They were a hassle, I can say that for certain." Dojo hummed. Kimiko examined the footage again before humming. Way back to the Sapphire Dragon incident, she remembered an article she read. The clickbait article that spoke of a black dragon and had forgotten to ask Dojo about the article being legitimate with what little it had.
Guess something about it was true but that still left many other questions that were clear they couldn't be answered if Dojo couldn't even make heads or tails of the tales to roam about. But the time to ponder over a new case harboring in Yugi was left to be on standby as Dojo began to fidget as a new Wu went active and the master went to bring out the scroll, revealing the Crouching Cougar. Gathering what they needed from the vault and a prompt word from Fung that realizing their fears was the first step in facing them, they were on their way, Yugi sitting in the back as Dojo flew towards the mesa that was their location. /Valtyrion...do you have anything to say about what was talked about earlier?/ he asked softly to the shade that had been awfully silent during. /I implore you, little one...to not doubt meee. Everyone daresss to perceive the dark as evil. They do ssso with their lack of knowledge of it. It painsss me to know such pandering of ideals still carry to this day when they do not understand. But they will soon learn...they will all learn their mistake for seeing wrong of the darknessss.../
The words Valtyrion spoke lit a spark of unease in the teen and knew that eventually, he would have to find what he could of the primal darkness. Find out the truth in their story himself and see if they were evil or just misunderstood for their title.
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"I'm all for listening to master Fung's wiseness but facing my fears isn't going to work, it would just get me eaten!" Raimundo whined, displeased at the thought of having to face the giant mutated jellyfish enough to make him shiver. The idea of facing their fears was indeed a heavy weight to bear and Jack knew that well enough to continue to use it against them. For their age, to feel like literal children hit a sore spot when they couldn't even begin to fathom in how to handle them. Omi tapped the scales of Dojo's back before a simple thought came to mind and suggested swapping their fears. If they couldn't face them head on, they could at least fight someone else's to keep a level playing field. Yugi blinked before nodding. "It sounds crazy enough to work. That's the plan then. We each swap our biggest fear then we take them down." With a unified agreement, they were steeled for what was to come, seeing their location up ahead.
Down below the mesa, Jack was getting ready himself, cameras set and ready to go. The notion was being overdone and Wuya was growing impatient, seeing the dragon coming close and urged Jack to hurry. "Calm down! They won't get far." he spoke before raising the Shadow of Fear to bring their nightmares to life once more. Each of them stepped off from Dojo before seeing the ominous fog coming towards them, the illusions of their fears growing solid as they drew in closer. "Remember the plan...and switch!" Omi called, each taking position of another just as the fears landed. Omi handled Lil Chica while Raimundo had his hands full with Granny Lily. Yugi breathed a short breath as he watched the movements of the jellyfish, jumping from the whip of its tentacles before grasping them and flung the creature into the wall. "Good thing you aren't a lethal nightmare or I wouldn't be leaving this with my hands intact." he whispered as Kimiko readied herself for the incoming lunge of the mutant squirrel that leapt for her only to be met with a flurry of kicks to the jaw.
Jack watched as the creature was flung to the ground, pouting angrily as he flipped through his hard-worked script. "No fair! Who says they could switch fears!" he grumbled while Clay found himself in a predicament. Two on one was definitely not on the list of things he had to handle and it didn't help either that their intensity to get him out the way for their real target. He ducked a claw aimed for his head, watching the deep gouges made from them and gulped, sliding a foot back slightly as a hiss emerged from the second, angered scarlet glaring down at him before large fangs dripping with saliva made to snap at him. "Seismic Kick: Earth!" he called, slamming a foot down and brought up a column of rock, hitting the shadow hard in the jaw and sent it flying while the rock underneath the second crumbled. Crimson glared towards the cowboy, claws extending out to grab him but Clay sidestepped, leaving the shadow to grab nothing but air as it fell. "Clay, are you alright?!" Yugi called from above.
"I'm good! I was never one to fail roping a brazen bull!" Yugi sighed in relief though the shadows were quick to reclaim their ground while Wuya got Jack moving to claim the Wu. Miffed that his final curtain call was being ruined, he did as told, flying up to claim the cougar only to huff as he was lacking the close-up he wanted to make it the perfect claim. Distracted with his fiddling of the cameras, the others, nightmares included, raced to the top of the mesa. Yugi heaved a breath as he fell behind, nearly whipped by the jellyfish with its ascent before he found something grasping at his leg while the others reached the Wu in a staggering 8-way showdown. Looking down, he gasped as a claw grasped his ankle and looked down to see a scarlet gaze meeting his own. /Master...no...thisss is just a cheap imitation made by the Wu...but the longing...it's ssstill reflected, little one./ Valtyrion spoke as above, the Wu was wagered and the challenge given.
"biAw..." The shadow whispered, ready to drag him down but the terrain for the showdown pulled them apart, the land shifting around them as the mesa raised high into the air, becoming an arena for the free for all sumo match suggested by Jack. Yugi moaned as he raised his head from the floating platform he was on, crawling forward to look down and watch as the showdown commenced. Jack too hung from above, grinning with glee as each monk had to face their worst fears this time and after their show when in front of them before, he expected nothing short of failure.
The battle commenced and both sides were rather evenly matched though for something that knew nothing about the Wu they held in their hands, the nightmares were quick learners. Omi tried his best to blot out the nightmarish face of the monstrous squirrel that had slipped through him with the use of the Serpent's Tail, shuddering as he looked to the creature that was ready to make a pass at him again, this time ready to knock him from the ring. His head and his heart were beginning to see another humiliating defeat at the hands of his worst fear when the master's words echoed back in mind.
"The bravest monk is not the one who fears nothing but the one who is willing to face what he fears most."
The words sparked conviction back into his heart and Omi made to stand, ready to face the fear that had crippled his psyche long enough. "I still fear you but I do not fear to face you head on!" he challenged, the squirrel growling back before charging forward to take on the small and temporarily portly monk only to meet face first into the solid surface of the Two Ton Tunic. It screeched a terrible cry as it was flung from the ring, Omi claiming the lost Serpent's Tail while Yugi cheered from above. The low hiss of the shadows from the opposing side showed the nightmare's ire but it was more towards the one that falsely summoned than the showdown laws that prevented them from crossing to the teen across the field. Jack was a foolish boy indeed and if he wasn't so far from them, they would show their displeasure of such an undignified call. Such an illusion was weak...powerless...it does nothing for the goal so close yet so far.
Claws dug into the rock as the doll and grandmother were next to be flung from the ring, leaving their Wu behind for Clay and Kimiko to pick up. Jack huffed, flying closer to the shadows, scarlet eyes pointedly looking at him with malice before it struck. Jack made a sound unbecoming of him, a hole torn in his coat as the Shadow of Fear was held in its jaws. "Hey, give that back!" he snapped, reaching for it only for his face to pucker as the Wu was swallowed whole and eyes daring him to try and get it back with a flick of a forked tongue. "No, no-no. I've been in a belly once, I ain't doing it again!" he grumbled as he moved from the shadows before the other decided that he was an in-flight snack. The last was the monstrous sea animal who, after getting knocked to the side as Lily was flung through the ring, made to stand once more.
Raimundo had glanced down however and snickered before motioning to the "foot" of the creature which stuck just the barest inch into the barrier that surrounded the ring. "You're out!" he called, the creature appalled as it was sucked through and the showdown won, leaving Wuya to snap at the redhead for causing them nine Shen Gong Wu. He gritted his teeth in anger before shoving a hand to the camera, refusing to have his defeat recorded. Stomping through the air petulantly as the terrain returned back to normal, Yugi was ready to run to the others when the landing of a dark form before him caused him to skid to a stop. He stepped back quickly as he looked to the darkness before him, scarlet eyes gazing down to him. "I-I don't fear you...but I fear what your true self is..." Yugi whispered. The shadow was silent before it lowered its head, a lump visibly forced through its throat before the Shadow of Fear landed before Yugi from its jaws. He shivered before seeing the nightmare fade away like dust in the wind but without a whisper to follow behind.
Light and darkness shall become one...
A small part of him didn't like the sound of that after seeing the Shadow of Fear come from its mouth. "Yugi!" Kimiko called as she ran over to him while he picked up the Wu. "Ick..." she whispered as she looked to the slimy Wu. "Ick is right...but congrats on winning the showdown. Now let's get out of here...and get this cleaned..." Yugi muttered, pulling his hand away from the statuette and groaned as the sticky slobber stretched in between the Wu and his hand, much to Valtyrion's amusement.
0
Safe and sound back at the temple, they set their collection of Wu on the table, Kimiko commenting that after all they went through against their fears, they didn't seem as big as they had imagined them to be. They were big physically sure, but as the master spoke, the challenge in facing them was truly the reason they were able to overcome them. "Yeah, but it makes me wonder what Jack Spicer's fear is. Guess we'll never know." Raimundo commented as they lacked the Wu to do so. "Never say never." Yugi spoke as he came into the room, holding a cleaned Shadow of Fear and set it on the table. "Go nuts. I'm going to head over to the Meditation Chamber for a bit." Raimundo nodded, taking the Wu in hand with a smirk and a glance to the others, all in agreement to the plan Raimundo was concocting in his mind. As Yugi stepped into the chamber, he didn't quite sit down and instead looked to his shadow.
"Valtyrion...come to me, please."
The whispered call had the shade emerging from the teen's shadow, moving to sit before him and looked to him with its single red eye. There was silence between the two before Yugi closed his eyes and let out a soft exhale. "I heard one side from you and one side from Dojo. I don't know which to believe in more so as one who has been at the side of the primal darkness...tell me why you are here with me, Valtyrion. Are you here to lead me to understanding...or ruin?" The shade was silent but Yugi didn't falter to its silence. It knew the stories, knew what was true and what was false after a thousand years. But Yugi didn't want to keep dancing around the subject much longer. He couldn't risk putting the others in danger like this. "Please, Valtyrion, tell me what you know." Yugi begged and the shade finally moved.
/As you wisssh, little one. Begging is unbecoming of you and even I can't allow that in sssuch a manner./ It whispered before it left the chamber with Yugi close behind it. Making sure none of the other monks or the master was roaming about, Valtyrion headed for the temple library and headed inside. Yugi stepped in after him, looking upon the sizable selection of scrolls that were in their alcoves, some stuffed with more compared to others. Valtyrion easily scaled the shelves, reaching into a lone compartment at the very top that held a dusty scroll before flying back down. Landing before Yugi, it held the scroll up to him. "Thisss is part of a collection of the past for the primal darkness. Each part was handwritten by the ether mistressss. There are more like these but this one was given to the temple in hopessss that the light element will find and understand their plight. The importance of balance and why they are ssso dependent of the light."
Yugi looked to the scroll in its hand before looking to Valtyrion, asking if the monks could read these themselves and the shade shook its head once the scroll was taken from it. As the grand master of the past didn't wish to adhere to her warnings which lead to the destruction of the dark element, she had enchanted the scrolls that held the bits and pieces of hidden history to be only opened by the one that harbors the light. "She wanted to be sssure that their story is understood. She did not want to sssee them hurt again for the thing they desired most and that in this life...is you, little one. I as their most loyal only want to sssee the past right from the wrong they sssuffered..." Valtyrion murmured, slipping away in silence as Yugi looked to the scroll in hand. He let out a soft breath before leaving the library with the scroll in hand, catching the eyes of the one that had written such and she smiled.
"I know your heart still wavers about the purpose of the primal darkness but if all is how I envisioned...then balance will be righted in the cosmic order and they will find peace at your hand. I trust in you, young one, to help Atemu and Nenrion be quelled of their pain and suffering from other's misunderstanding." Keara whispered, lifting her staff before departing from the temple roof to head back. She still had a tomb to guard and if what awaits on the horizon is true, then their revival will soon come to be.
