"I've imagined you so many ways
You are kind, you are tall, you are old
But in all those pondering days
I did not imagine you heartless and cold."
(Daddy Long Legs)
"Listen to me," I don't hesitate to grab onto Yusei's arm before he can walk out of the garage. "Godwin was trying to use you and me to summon the Crimson Dragon."
Yusei stares at me far too long without saying anything. It's making me…nervous. "Is that why?"
"I threw the duel?" I bite my lips. My hand is still on Yusei's arm. I swiftly remove it, my gloved hand moving to wipe the feeling of him off on my pants. "You can think whatever you want about what happened."
"You had the field set up. That duel was yours-" Yusei cuts himself off to swipe a hand through his hair out of pure irritation. "You didn't do a damn thing. You stopped it." Yusei slowly blinks. "I can't imagine how out of everything, you were the one scared of summoning-."
"Get your head out of your ass and think about the bigger picture. There's still your duel against Jack to summon this son of a bitch," I remind him in a low whisper. I hesitate. My hand flies towards my phone- to hand to Yusei. "Call Lucy for me. Tell her to get the kids and get out."
"I guess you're going to talk to Godwin," Yusei reads me like a book. He always does. His hand sets itself over mine, forcing me to transfer my phone to my other hand. "Call her on the way up. I'm going with you."
"Fine," I don't argue with him. There was no point when he had already made up his mind. In one of my hands, I'm still holding on to Yusei, while the other is quickly dialing Lucy Anderson-Yuki's number. She answers on the second ring.
"Welcome to Lucy's, what's your order?"
"Get the kids and get out," I spit into the phone. Yusei uses his free hand to press the button for the elevator.
"That's not a very creative order, ma'am."
"Godwin's grand plan is to summon the Crimson Dragon. Learned that from Bommer. Take the kids back to their place and watch over them. Okay? It ain't safe here." Lucy is the only one I can trust. I know they'll be safe with her.
"Count on me, darling. I'll take Lux. I'll text you when we're there. Chill out in the meanwhile, babe. I saw you throw that duel." With that, my pain in the ass hangs up on me. I breathe out a sigh of relief. Yusei's hand tightens around mine, squeezing once, maybe to reassure me. I squeeze back, just once, so he knows I'm there too.
"We're okay," He says.
"We're okay," I repeat back. The doors open. We both let go of each other's hands at the same time. I'm the one who marches forward to the large doors, where two bodyguards await. It feels like the monsters outside of a dungeon before the final boss battle.
"State your business," The larger one has his hands in front of him, his posture straight. I imagine the dark sunglasses inside blinded his vision to who I was.
"I'm going in," I state specifically. The two guards move closer to the opening of the door. I let out a hiss of breath. "I'm Kallen Godwin," I emphasize my last name. "And I'm going in."
"Due to a situation, Godwin has no intention of allowing outside guests in," The other bodyguard spoke in a monotone voice. I let out a sigh. Right. When I rushed in after Bommer tried to kill my uncle. Oof.
I have no intention of leaving. There was only one thought running through my head.
Immunity.
My hand slips. Somehow, my fist connects right against the smaller's temple, knocking him straight out. Then, my foot accidentally flies forward in a way that forces the other one to the ground. My elbow connects to his forehead. Both are lying on the ground unconscious. I adjust my gloves as Yusei opens gapes at me. I almost want to reach forward and close his mouth for him.
"What?" I snap. "They were in the way."
"Figured you wouldn't remember how to fight," Yusei comments snidely.
"Should I punch you too?" I joke. Yusei shakes his head. "Are you comin'?" Without waiting for a direct answer, I take my time to open the doors and stroll in. It's how I hear Ushio yelling at Godwin.
"Niece," Godwin greets me with a pleasant smile. "I didn't expect you."
"I imagine. Next time, warn your officers," My eyes met Jack's as I pass by him.
"I will remember that," Godwin agrees. "Yusei Fudo. A pleasure."
"Sure. Can you get rid of him?" Yusei eyes Ushio with a wrinkled nose.
"Very well," Godwin looks to the officers who are just now waking up. "Escort him out."
I don't hear the verbal abuse Ushio is sprouting. Frankly, I don't care. My eyes are trained right on my Uncle.
"How may I be of service to you?" Godwin stands in front of his desk, without a care in the world.
"You're going to let go of my friends," Yusei is tense. "If you want me to duel in your championship, they're free."
"I agree," Jack interrupts from his spot on the couch. My eyes swirl to his only out of shock. "I want our rematch to be ours. No tricks. No blackmail."
"That's not possible," I'm the one who twitches- my hand, just because of my nerves. "You're tryin' to summon the Crimson Dragon. Just like you did in Peru." I take a breath. I don't want to look at my Uncle's reaction. But I have to. My eyes look up to his. "Why?" I ask.
"Why?" Godwin echoes my question with an amused lilt to his voice. "This is destiny's will. The Crimson Dragon has his five chosen candidates. Your signs- the ones that mark you- are the only proof he exists. To bring him out would be an honor."
"We had proof already," I fight back, my gold eyes narrowing. My duel. The one that caused the blackout.
"And yet, we received no word from the god. A message should have been sent," As always, Godwin's words are vague. "With a duel, we may learn the Signer's true purpose."
"Shouldn't you already know?" My words are bitter. He knew everything else.
"I don't want this duel to be about some purpose or god," Jack seems irritated. "This is about Yusei and I. Not anything else."
"Do we have a choice?" Yusei, the one who was by my side through it all, seems defeated before the duel even starts.
"Seems not," I shake my head. "Godwin," I take a deep breath. "Who is the fifth Signer?"
No one answers the question. It's a tension that spreads throughout the room. Yusei's anger is felt- along with Jack's annoyance, and Godwin's indifference. He won't answer. It could be that he doesn't know, but I don't believe that. He has to know.
"Don't fuck with me, I know you know," I have to control my tone to not snap. I don't think it worked.
There is only more silence.
"Answer me this," Yusei breaks the silence. "Do you know why Kallen came to Neo Domino City?"
It's a question that surprises me. I'm not sure how Godwin would know.
"I wonder that too," Jack says. "Yeager showed me a picture of Kallen alive. I was promised by that clown I would find her if I came." Jack's violet eyes were unreadable. "That's why I did what I did. I was told all I had to do was show up at a specific location with Stardust Dragon and Red Daemon's Dragon. That's why Yusei came to the city through the sewers. He was following me."
"No. That's not why. He came because I stole Yusei's d-wheel," I murmur in realization. "Are you tryin' to say all of this is connected?"
Neither boy says a word. I think, for a moment, maybe they're right. Maybe I was offered some kind of deal like Jack was. Maybe I was offered glory.
Then I shrink back down to reality. All I got was a broken d-wheel, a fractured body, and no memories.
"No," I say before Godwin can speak. "That's not it."
"Kallen is right," Godwin confirms. "Neither I nor Yeager offered any kind of deal to her, as you said. It is under my assumption that she traveled on her own. I only learned of her existence upon her arrival at the city's hospital."
"None of this makes sense," I swipe my hand through my hair, pausing my rhythm only so I could tug on the ends. "Somethin's missin'."
It was right there. Something was glaring at us right in the face, obvious to everyone but us, but none of us could see it. It was the final piece of the puzzle that would make all of this make sense.
"Mr. Atlas and Mr. Fudo?" Elodie was by the door with her clipboard in her hands. "It's time for your duel. If you don't mind, could you follow me backstage so we could set up and get started?"
Jack and Yusei nodded. They started to follow. I didn't move from my spot. Yusei was the first to notice. Jack stopped right behind him.
"Kallen?" Yusei spoke warily. "Are you comin' with us?"
"No," My answer surprised everyone in the room, myself included. This was something I had to do. "I'll stay to watch the duel here." My eyes traveled to my uncle. "Can I?"
"Whatever your heart desires, niece," Godwin seems pleased. "There are some words I wish to have with you. Perhaps we could…clear the air, so to speak."
"Yeah. Let's." I look at Yusei and Jack. My steps carried me towards them. Yusei first. I try to smile. "Good luck, Ace."
"Be careful," Yusei warns me.
"And you, hotshot," I smile wickedly. His hand moves towards me, his head tilting down, but I step out of his path. It wasn't the time. Disappointment hit down my mind right to my stomach, leaving me finally confused, but I shrugged it off. Not in front of Yusei. I can't.
"…You finally got your duel," I couldn't smile at him. Something felt. Weird. Off.
"Yeah," Jack nodded. This was his time to settle the score, a preach he had been spouting for weeks now, maybe years to himself. His handsome face holds a mixture of anger and sadness I couldn't explain. His hand reaches for mine. This time, I allow it. His hands brush over mine, gently. He lifts my fingers to his lips where he places a kiss that sends a vibration down my entire body. It felt. Pleasant. Yes. Very nice.
Then, he storms off without Yusei or Elodie. Elodie only raises an eyebrow. Yusei shakes his head.
"You know," I have to say something. The air felt too. Bad. "Jack said if he won, he'd take me on a date."
Yusei looks like he considers my words. His nose wrinkles. He says, so casually, "Guess I'll have to win."
And then he's gone. Elodie is the last to leave. She gives me a thumbs-up before closing the door behind her. I let out a soft chuckle that comes only out of pure exhaustion by what this day has brought, and has yet to bring.
"You wanted to talk to me about something," I turn my head to the point where I could let my uncle see my eyebrow raise. "Talk."
"Your bluntness likens to Airi. Your Mother," Godwin never looks displeased. It's something that pisses me off.
"I know my Mother's name," I lift my chin in the air.
"I'm afraid not. That's all you know of her." Godwin moves slowly behind his desk, beckoning me to follow. I don't. "You wish for answers."
"Not if it comes with more riddles," I stay rooted in my spot. "Tell me somethin'- and tell me the truth. I deserve that." I take a deep breath. The words don't feel like my own. "Am I the fifth Signer?"
"No," Godwin's reply is swift. There's no hesitation- no room for other thoughts. "However," Godwin still has his arms behind his back. "I would say that it…runs in the family."
"Tell me it isn't you," I deadpan.
That seemed to get a good chuckle out of Godwin. I'm surprised he was capable of laughing, given he was actually part robot, down to the controlled personality and legit metal arm.
"It is not," Godwin shakes his head with a small smile.
"But you know." If it runs in the family, who else could it be? My brother?
"Yes. I do." Godwin admits as he takes a step back. "If you wish to know, all you would have to do is search."
I don't trust his words. Last time, I found out I was related to the slimy bastard. He had another secret he wanted to tell.
It was just about the fifth Signer, I had to tell myself. This knowledge would benefit my friends. Maybe it would help in the long run.
I couldn't learn anything worse than knowing I was related to the rat bastard Director.
I took a deep breath. Slowly, I made my way beside Godwin. He was looking at me. Once he saw I was glancing back, he gives me an encouraging nod to continue.
I'm drawn to the large cupboard of his desk. It's a single large drawer that looks as if it could contain a package the size of a crate. Six Pharaohs could probably fit in that, and my cat was not a slim boy.
Something was calling to me. Something was in there. That was the secret. My gloved hand reached out to curve around the handle. It came upon.
And I let out a shriek. My body fell back on its own accord to where I landed right on my ass. I wanted to throw my hands over my both, but my limbs wouldn't move.
A canister was inside. It held a fucking arm. A dismembered arm in liquid. A real-life fucking arm. An. Arm! An arm.
As I took a closer look, this arm was tanned, bearing a mark similar to the Signers. My hand moved to touch the base, but I pulled back just as quickly.
"What the fuck is that?" I whispered out into the air. My tone sent a chill up my spin. "Why do you have this?"
"You are the one who wishes for answers," Godwin's voice still holds that calmness to it. "Search."
I don't know how I'm supposed to do that. That damn thing keeps calling me. Against my better judgment, I lay the palm of my hand against the surface of the glass.
My head screams for a single moment. There's white. Then nothing.
I can't move a single part of my body. I'm not in control. As I glance around, I see a nicely furnished interior of a house. This body moves on its own. I'm just a passenger, I suppose. As they turn a corner, I see a woman. Tall. Dark skinned. Black hair that radiates blue under the sunlight that streams through the open windows.
"Airi," The voice isn't mine. Yet, I've heard it before. Deep. Masculine. Slightly terrifying.
"Don't speak to me," The woman, Airi, is packing a bag.
"I understand you're upset-"
"Upset? Upset?" The woman turns. I see her narrowed pink eyes and wish I could let out a gasp. The woman was my Mother. Which meant this body…
"It was necessary to complete the project," The voice, who I believe to be my Father, pleads.
"Fudo was right. This damn thing is going to knock out everyone in the city." Air is pissed. She looks like…well, like me. Exactly like me. We have the same face when we're angry. "You didn't see it. The last occurrence. Fifty came to the hospital- we were understaffed- and you want to keep the project alive-"
"This is for the good of the city. Please."
"For the good of the city," Airi echoes with a harsh laugh. "You'll chase your God to the end of the Earth. I'm putting our family, my family, first over your idealistic dreams." Airi glares straight at me. No. At my Father. I'm seeing things out of his eyes. His memories. "I pray, Rudger, that your Crimson Dragon was worth it. I know my children are worth more." Airi picked up her bag.
"Airi, wait-" Father, Rudger, tried to follow, but the door slammed in his face without my Mother moving it. A Psychic. Like me.
The image fades to black. This only gives me a few moments to process what the fuck just happened.
My Father…had a mark. A Signer mark. He was the Fifth Signer. He had to be.
But why was that arm in a jar, with the mark still intact?
Another screen of white appears before the scene settles. I don't recognize the area. I see walls created with warped wood. Paper is strewn all over the floors, taped or stapled to the walls, with a clumsily built computer on a desk.
Then…there's a girl. A bit shorter than me with black hair pulled back into long two braids that touch the middle of her back, scrawny to the point of being unhealthy, and wearing torn clothes. I see her pull a card from her deck. XV. The Devil.
This girl is me. No. Her.
Rudger steps forward. The girl I used to be turns, her gold eyes widen with shock before they glare forward. She doesn't seem surprised, nor does she seem scared.
"Hey, Dad," She greets venomously. "See you're still evil. Just like Mom described."
He says her name. Her glare grows more with fury. She rolls her eyes. "Yeah, you being absent doesn't mean you get to say my name like that. Are you here to kill me too? Yusuke ain't here if you wanted him to join."
"Not at all," His voice is smooth. "I heard you enjoyed Greek Mythology."
"I know the story where Kronos ate his kids to avoid havin' to give up his throne," The girl slowly blinks.
"Ah," Rudger lets out a chuckle. "You think this interaction will be something similar."
"I'm not joining you," She seems so calm and…arrogant. A trait I wish I could say I shared. "You can go on and fuck right off to hell."
"You shouldn't swear at your Father."
"You aren't my Dad. You're dead," She sneers. "You're a piece of shit who joined the dark side. It's 'cause of you everyone's dead, and we're stuck in this prejudice shithole."
"Your Mother fed you lies," Rudger circles her. "Why don't I show you? If you come with me, I'll-"
The voice cuts off abruptly. The vision around me shatters like glass. "Ah-ah! Spoilers!"
I can't see anything. My body returns to me. I can move again. "Who the hell are you?!" I yell out into the open air.
"Me? Who am I?" The voice snarks out in a rumbling tone. "You should ask yourself that before you ask me! Who are you?"
"This ain't funny. Come out," I growl. "Show yourself."
"Testy. All you need is a mirror. After all…" She steps forward. I take a jump back out of pure shock. "I'm you."
Me she was. This version had long hair as opposed to my short. That was the only difference.
"Did you bring me here?" I demand. "I want out."
"I may not have brought you here, but I got you out. The darn snake almost showed you too much. Then you never would have helped our side!"
"Whose side?" My mind is trying to make sense of all that happened. The girl accused Father of being evil. His arm was cut off. Was he not a Signer anymore?
"Who? Who?" The other me was mocking. "Good or bad? Light or dark? Can you tell the difference anymore?"
"You're not me," I snarl. "You are not me."
"How would you know?" The girl pouts. "Poor widdle Kallen. She's stuck in the middle of a war with no idea what the other side has in store for her. You're just ignorant!"
"Fuck you."
"Is that all you are?" She steps closer. It's then I notice her eyes starting to shift to a pure red. Like the Crimson Dragon, I think. I want to believe that's what it is. "You're stuck between light and dark. How long are you going to run away, Miss Asakawa R-"
I gasp. The light burns my eyes. I'm suddenly back in my uncle's office. My whole body is shaking. Godwin is watching me carefully, I assume to gauge my reaction.
"What did you see?" Godwin asks after a moment of pause for me to catch my brief. I try to climb back to my feet, but I have to lean against the desk to gain my balance.
"How did you know I could see anythin' at all?" I'm short of breath.
"A simple guess," Godwin doesn't seem surprised by the turn of events that just transpired. "You have the gift of precognition. This was a test to see if you also had the ability of psychometry- the gift of seeing past events."
I want to swear at him. I'm angry I was used in his own plan. I grit my teeth to hold back my tongue. After all, this double-edged blade did give me the answers I wished. "I saw your brother's memories," I couldn't meet Godwin's eyes. "One with his wife. And one…with me." I don't mention the Other Me I saw. There was no reason to.
Godwin nods. "That's not the only thing on your tongue, is it?"
"When I asked before what role I was in the story," My words are quiet. "You never said my Dad was a Signer."
"It was not the right time," Godwin steps closer to me and sets his hand, his real hand, on my shoulder. "You have a destiny, Kallen. You have a choice your Father shared- the gift to choose your own pathway. Destiny has foretold you have two options in your existence."
"Why doesn't he have the arm anymore?" My Dad wasn't dead. I saw him. She said. She said he died. In the memories, she said he was dead, but he was there. She was talking to him. "Why aren't you saying anythin'!?" My voice comes out to a screech.
"You have a wonderful gift," Godwin doesn't move closer to me. I feel like I'm breaking down. "You could have the blessing to carry on your Father's duty."
"No. I don't want that. I never asked for that." I'm shaking my head at this point. My hands are shaking. My whole body is shaking. "Why doesn't he have it? Where is it?" I want to reach forward and shake my uncle- just to change that stupid look on his face. "Mother said he was bad. The past version said he was evil. Where is he?" Godwin doesn't answer. "He's not evil, is he?" Nothing. Beats pass. It feels like an eternity. "FUCK, say SOMETHING!" I shout as my hand claws my neck. I must have pulled too hard. The chain on my pentacles necklace breaks. The pendant falls straight to the floor. I don't move to pick it up. I can barely see through the years in my eyes.
My hands reach up to grip the sides of my head. The pain is…immense. I drop to my knees, but another vision is already taking place. It's Yusei and Jack dueling. This is the present. I hear the roar of the Crimson Dragon. I feel the pain in my arm. And…I see the destruction of a ruined city. Something in me screams to help. I don't know this place. I don't remember. There are dragons. There's a duel. It's too much to keep track of. I can't think. I can't handle it. It's all going by too fast to catch on what's happening, a blur, a-
I'm back. Everything is too hot. I'm sweating. I'm sobbing on the floor as it all hits me with tidal waves of emotions.
My Father had the same mark as the spider destroying the city.
He was no hero. He was a villain. He is a villain. Like me. Like how I could be.
"I don't want this," I'm begging someone. I don't know who.
"Your destiny has been picked," Godwin looks outside the window. "It seems the duel is over."
I pause. My hands curl around my pentacles pendant. I hear it. The silence of the crowd. I force myself to crawl over to the window so I can see the outside. Jack's d-wheel, the Wheel of Fortune, is tipped on its side in a pile of rubble and smoke. Jack is sprawled on the ground.
He crashed.
Something in me breaks. I'm not wearing my stabilizer. Seeing Jack down there, lying on the ground, unmoving…
This was so-called Destiny's fate for us. For the puppets of the Crimson Dragon.
The windows in Godwin's office break. I know I'm the one who did it this time. I can't breathe. I can't breathe.
"I don't want this," I say one last time. "None of us did."
"No," Godwin agrees. "But you must."
I don't hear anything else. I stand up. And I run. I run as fast as I could. I don't look back. And I don't stop.
Above all, I hear Rise's voice coming from the speakers overhead.
YUSEI FUDO HAS JUST WON THE FORTUNE CUP AGAINST JACK ATLAS! HE IS OUR NEW KING OF TURBO DUELS- THE WINNER OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE! SATELLITE'S SHOOTING STAR HAS WON!