[Tell me again, was it fate that stole my soul-]
[When you left with the wind down that cold and lonely road?]
[Stripped of our leaves, an eden overthrown]
[Caught in a dream, where the streetlights fade and all I know is]
[Home]

Home (feat. Essenger) - Dabin

Chapter Seven

All This Time

Rain faceplanted into crude cobblestone. Her knuckle rubbed against her lip as she pushed herself to her feet. Torchlight casted shivering shadows. Rain recognized the carved symbols, the cut columns, and the curved architecture.

The cavern belonged to Atlantis. Her heart palpitated. Atlantis was meant to have sunk, buried beneath thousands of meters of ocean water. What did it mean? Was it possible she was walking a drowned grave?

A couple of shaky steps back allowed her a look at the portal. The lavender wall blocked off the rest of the area. She guessed exiting would require the same leap as entering. That in mind, she gulped and mentally prepared herself to face whatever lay in the chamber. Rain turned around. She kept her eyes shut at first, but she sure did turn around.

She opened her eyes. Her shaky exhale echoed throughout the drowned catacombs.

At the center of the chamber, Rahlin floated within a purple-tinted diamond. The chalk circle drawn around the base had been ruined by footsteps. Red-Eyes Black Dragon had been tossed to the side. The two spell cards required to complete the ritual were in their correct places but didn't seem to be affecting anything.

Strangest was the third individual present. Rain expected Paradox to await her. There were no signs of him or his gargantuan duel runner. No, the person passed out on the floor was none other than Bakura. His dark coat had vanished, and the fires threw red onto his white-and-blue striped shirt.

Rain tiptoed around Bakura. To the back of the cavern, a trio of stone snakes spat their forked tongues. Above the snakes was a sight that dug up ancient memories. Rain padded towards the wall of souls. Once upon a time, she and her patron filled the wall with hundreds of visages.

At the moment, the wall held a single soul. The recognizable human had Rain's brow furrowing. The person pushing on the borders of the slate as though desperately vying for escape was the King of Atlantis, Dartz Orichalcum.

How? Dartz was meant to exist only as vessel to her patron, Divine Serpent Geh. Dartz's soul existed, but how could it have been offered? That would mean Dartz interacted with the Seal of Orichalcos. Dartz had no option to. His body was used as a puppet by Geh.

And Geh never acted on the front lines – as was the nature of patrons. Rain's head tilted. The prince had mentioned Dartz. The information must have worked together, but the prince was an oathkeeper. With his lips sealed, Rain wouldn't figure it out anytime soon.

She turned her attention to Rahlin's prison. She picked up the two spell cards meant to free Rahlin and ruin her in tandem. Rain ripped the cards in half and tossed the scraps. She scuffed the chalk circle further to be certain of its demise.

Two items lay within the circle: Rahlin's dragon-engraved cane and the large Orichalcos pendant sealing her memories. Rain picked up her foot and threw her whole weight into smashing the pendant.

Orichalcos cracked and shattered. Ghostly green meandered through the air, permeated the diamond, and shimmered around Rahlin. Rain swore she saw Rahlin's brows lift. She reached for the floating glass. "Rahlin? Are you there? Can you hear-"

Zap! Static lashed her from Rahlin's prison. Rain whined and sucked on her burnt fingers. Tears stung the corners of her eyes. No more touching, she thought. Absolutely no more touching.

The echoes of her own whine reached her. Her arm slacked. The sound seemed to continue eternally. Except for the waving flames, all was still.

Atlantis truly was a drowned grave.

She shook her head and told herself that was why Rahlin had to be freed. Her focus returned to the untouchable diamond. Who had put her there in the first place? Paradox? Where had he fled to?

Rain glanced at someone who might have answers. She rounded Bakura so she was between him and the portal. Rain grasped his shoulder and squeezed. No response. She gave it a little shake and whispered, "Hey, Bakura?"

He stirred, groaned, and coughed. Bakura propped himself up on an elbow. Blinking, he mumbled, "Where am I? How did- Gosh, I'm famished."

His golden necklace scraped against the tiles as he moved to a sitting position. His hand rested on his tummy. Rain said, "What happened to you? You told me you'd wait for me then left! Did you see Paradox here?"

Bakura's jaw slacked. His brown eyes shifted back and forth as though studying her face. He said, "You're Rain."

"Um. Yes. We just spoke a few hours ago… Did you get hurt or something?"

An awkward laugh tumbled out of him. He scratched his head. "Goodness. I didn't think I'd have a chance to meet you. I was sure he would- Rain. I'm so happy to meet Rahlin's sister. My name is Ryo."

The way his smile upturned his closed eyes was nothing short of comforting. He extended his hand, and Rain accepted it. "I thought your name was Bakura?"

His glee decayed. "My sincerest apologies. The person you met was masquerading as me. My full name is Ryo Bakura, and my friends like to call me by my last name. The Spirit of the Ring uses it to throw them off and blend in."

"Spirit," Rain breathed. What the prince told her was starting to make sense – that the Bakura she met wasn't who he appeared to be. "You're Ryo, and you knew Rahlin, too. Um. I guess I'm assuming. Did you know her?"

Sparkles lit up his eyes as he leaned up on his knees. Ryo paused; his line of sight dropped to the ground, and he flopped back. His irises appeared dark. His whisper was barely audible.

"I think so. She- Rahlin was right next to me, and she vanished. Despite you and everyone else speaking to her memory, I doubt myself an awful lot. Many times, I wonder if it was some sort of elaborate dream. I wonder if…"

His head dipped low enough for his bangs to shadow his face. "If Rahlin existed."

"Ryo?" she said, matching his quiet tone. No response. "Hey, Ryo. Chin up."

His hands quaked. "I'm not sure I can."

"No, I mean literally look up! I have to show you something important."

Slowly, Ryo lifted his head. Rain pointed past his shoulder. Curiosity won. He angled his head to peer behind him.

He shoved to his feet and sprinted forward one step, two. His exhales trembled like his eyes, wide in their sockets. Ryo's hand hovered in front of his mouth. "I- I- I thought you were gone forever."

"Um." Rain kept her distance far to his right. "She can't hear anything right now-"

Ryo clapped his hand to cover his mouth. Tears streamed over his fingers, which muffled his sobs. He stood in place and cried to himself. "I f-figured I drove you away, or made you uncomfortable, and perhaps I should not have carried you or bothered you about your stories or been a bother at all. I thought you might've been something pleasant I dreamt up. Rahlin."

He sniffled and let out a tiny, tiny laugh. "You, you look so peaceful, I feel it'd be a shame to wake you."

The gentle sound of bawling to his right distracted him. He glanced to Rain in confusion. Ryo asked, "What's the matter?"

"Y-you seem real sad is all. L-like you could use a hug!"

His laugh regained some heartiness. The sheen of tears on their cheeks matched. "You aren't very much like Rahlin, are you?"

"Why does everyone keep saying that?"

"I wouldn't have called her emotional." Ryo gazed at Rahlin. "I know she felt plenty of things, but you never could tell by looking at her. Her poker face was one of her many skills, I'd say."

Composure returned to Rain as she swiped her forearm across her wet face. "Out of the people I've met, you're only the second to say something nice about her."

His brows lifted. His lips curled down in his best attempted at an angry pout. It was not very effective. "What have they said about her?"

Rain said, "Bakura- the Spirit, I mean, would only say how she was infamous for stealing so many souls. Joey said the same and wanted to get back at her. There were some others who seemed… afraid of her. Do you think she was so horrible?"

"Horrible?" He trained his stare on the imprisoned girl. "I met Rahlin when she had her accident. She was shaking and bleeding and in unimaginable pain, but when I handed her water, she used it on my dying plant. Rahlin gave me gardening advice before she passed out and lost the ability to walk forever. Before fighting Yugi in tournament, she returned his stolen god cards because it was the right thing to do in her mind. Whenever we spoke, she knew exactly what to say to calm whatever worries I happened to have. She had the wisdom to ask for help despite embarrassment and the strength to act despite fear. Speaking of strong – you should have seen her climb an entire construction crane as though her disability meant nothing. Besides all that, she was an incredible duelist and storyteller and had the greatest taste in tea, and you wouldn't find a better conversationalist and, and no one else is capable of telling you this because she wanted everyone to see the worst of her. She made no efforts to repair her reputation. She wanted to go down in infamy for God knows why, and she deserves better. I'll tell the billions of them the truth because the whole planet should know how wonderful Rahlin Orichalcum is."

Deep breaths from his heaving chest echoed throughout the underground cavern. Their rhythm matched the faraway metronomes of dripping water. Darkness warped with dancing flames in sconces. Finally, Rain spoke. "Ryo…"

He tore his stare away from Rahlin. "Yes?"

Smiling, Rain dropped her Decoy Dragon backpack, zipped open the back, and retrieved a sleeved card. "Does this happen to belong to you?"

His grasp on the card was tender and precious. "I lent this Change of Heart to Rahlin."

Rain's grin was wide. "Iiii knew it! The future I come from is years and years ahead of you. The pendant over there – the one I broke – was meant to keep Rahlin from remembering what happened here. Didn't stop her from holding onto that card, though. Rahlin could never forget how much she loved you!"

"Y-you are being awfully presumptuous!" he exclaimed. He squinted at the card, and his eyes glazed. "You mean it? She kept it all those years? And she- did she tell you that she felt that way?"

"'All this time' were her exact words. Of course she kept it, and she didn't have to tell me anything."

His smile trembled. He rubbed at it with his fist. "How do we get her out of there?"

"That's what I was trying to figure out. At least with Paradox and the black goop gone, we're not on a time limit."

His eyes unfocused. "Black goop. That's what the Spirit stole."

"Eh?"

"The last thing I remember seeing from the Spirit's eyes was him absorbing the ink."

The corners of her mouth curled downward. She grasped the arm of the white coat around her waist as she said, "That can't be good. I don't fully understand what the stuff is, but I know for sure it's powerful. If the Spirit's up to no good like you said and has that…"

Ryo peered at Rahlin. His fingers curled into fists, and his stare dropped to his feet. "You'll figure out how to free her; I'm sure. I'll chase down the Spirit."

"Ooo! You look like you have a plan! Me, I had no idea how to find him."

"I have something he needs," Ryo explained. He glanced at his wrist, and his eyes tilted down. "Pity. He seems to have nabbed my deck."

Rain lifted her arm. The deck in her disk glowed green. She released the stack of cards and passed it to Ryo. He sifted through the deck. His breath caught. "She used this against me once. Zombies were her favorite, she said. Oh. I don't recall her using this. I've never quite seen a card like it."

"That's a Synchro!" Rain said. She excitedly explained the mechanics, and her thumb slid beneath the relevant terms like tuner and non-tuner. "I'll bet she was sad to not be able to use Synchros. She was supposed to blend in, right?"

"Erm, she was very much conspicuous."

"Then, um." Rain blinked. "Sorry. I'm not very good at figuring things out."

"It's fine! I'll use this. Thank you very much, Rain. I'll have the problem taken care of, and you'll have nothing to worry over."

"When you come back," Rain said, "she'll be so happy to see you."

Rain found his bashful look at the tiles nothing short of adorable. He said, "Okay. Okay, I'll see you soon."

Ryo disappeared past the portal. The displacement danced up the massive, magical wall like a ripple in a lake. The transportation enthralled Rain for several passing seconds. The soles of her tennis shoes whispered upon the stone floor. She stared at Rahlin, her focus shifting between her eye and patch.

Her backpack still lay on the floor. She fished through the contents and produced one of two larger items: a sheathed saber. Her eyes bounced down the three Atlantian letters engraved upon the blade.

A green glow coated the sword. "Let's get you out of there."

She slung the blade at Rahlin's prison. A brilliant explosion impacted the diamond. Rain was knocked back onto her butt, and the saber clinked beside her.

No scratches stained the glassy surface.

She scowled and palmed the sword again. She slashed and slashed at the prison. A scratch would appear and regenerate in the next second. Rain's breathing was heavy when she backed away. Her hand cramped, and her hilt fell from her grip amidst the spasm.

"What is this thing?"

Frustration leaked through her question. She clutched her temples and ruffled her hair beneath her hat. How could she not even cause a dent? She'd struck the same point, too, with no success.

The look she gave Rahlin was helpless. She squeaked, "What do I do?"

Rahlin had suffered thousands of hopeless situations. When faced with the unsolvable, she created new opportunities. Rain's exhale carried the weight of eons. Her friend Yusei had a mantra like Rahlin's ability to produce infinite probabilities; he said there was always another solution, another answer.

The problem was having the wits to find it.

"I think a lot about what you would do," Rain murmured. She couldn't quite look at her sister. "You're the smartest person I've ever known. It sounds like you were lonely here, too. But, but if you were to be yourself, I bet you'd make lots of friends! I've been through situations I'd never had survived myself. Because of my friends, though-"

Her eyes widened, and her breaths paused. Rain sprinted towards the portal and called, "I'll be right back!"

The portal spit her out in the boardroom. Carpet burn reddened the skin of her arms. She leapt to her feet. The prince, Rahlin's friend, stared at her. He said, "Is everything alright? I spoke to Bakura when he left-"

"She's trapped in this glass magic thing and I don't know how to get her out! Do you have any ideas?"

His eyes drifted up as he thought. His brow set as though an internal debate raged in his mind. The prince nodded to himself. "I have the answer you're looking for. Take this to her and use the bottom point. It should be able to break any seal."

The prince removed his golden inverse pyramid necklace and dropped the treasure into Rain's open palms. Her mouth fell open as she held its weight. "Um. Wow. Thanks-"

Her brows jumped. The prince was a lot shorter all of a sudden. He shut his eyes and shouted, "Give that back!"

"S-sorry!"

Thrusting the chain back towards him had him laxing. He said, "Oh. Really? I thought you were trying to steal it. A bunch of people have tried before."

"No, no! You just gave it to me- er, if that was you." She blushed as she wondered if she had mistaken identities for the second time today. "If it makes you feel better, you should keep it."

The smaller prince shook his head. "If he gave it to you, there must've been a good reason. Take it."

The cold metal landed in her palms again. Chewing her lip, she said, "Mkay. I'll bring it back as soon as I can."

She took a step back. He reached for the pyramid, faltered, and scratched the back of his head instead. "Force of habit; I promise! I'll be waiting at Domino Square, okay? My name's Yugi, by the way."

"Yugi. I'm Rain."

"Rain! My friends told me all about you! Gee, I hardly recognized you with that cute hat on, but you sure do look like Rahlin!"

She beamed to an embarrassing degree. "Thank you! Thanks so much. I'll get this right back to you, and Rahlin and I will meet you together."

He slipped his thumbs beneath his backpack straps and grinned. "Sounds perfect. See you then!"

When he left, he seemed far less nervous compared to their initial meeting. Rain observed the golden item in her hands and wondered what made it so important. The eye embedded in the center seemed to stare back. She kept a careful hold on the object as she entered the portal.

Rather than the usual tossing and turning like a nosedive through a hurricane, the portal operated like stepping through a doorway. The change from fluorescent lights to dim torchlight forced her eyes to adjust.

Rahlin awaited.

Rain marched forward. Wavering flames reflected off the gold pyramid. She posted up in front of her imprisoned sister. Rahlin's pinched face must've meant she suffered a horrible nightmare.

An instance of doubt caused hesitation. Bakura's – no, the Spirit's – words plagued her. The prince warned her not to linger on them. Ryo's opinion of Rahlin must have been the truest account. That's the only explanation why Change of Heart, in the future, managed to…

Rain closed her eyes. The Spirit was trying to trick her, not Rahlin. The Rahlin she knew from the future would never do something like that.

Her hand brushed the white coat at her waist. But that other person, the Rahlin who-

She shook her head. There was one Rahlin, and she had said "I defy your ending" three thousand nine hundred and forty-five times.

It was about time she received the same in return. Rain lifted the prince's gift. The bottom tip angled towards the diamond. The shutting of Rain's eyes showed her internal prayer as she drove the inverse pyramid downward.

Dink!

She gasped and backed away a step. A single crack had formed. Another stretched beside the first. The break started a slow crawl outward. Rain's smile grew, and her eyes shone.

A crash sounded behind her. She gulped and wondered what she broke this time. The slow shattering of Rahlin's prison continued. A voice from behind called, "So you are the familiar presence. What a blessing. Who could have guessed we would meet again so soon, my child?"

Rain's shoe squeaked as she spun around. The portal had fallen into shards around the newcomer's feet. The slit pupils of his two turquoise eyes scanned her up and down.

"Rain Orichalcum," Divine Serpent Geh said. His human form bowed, and fangs showed from his smile. "A warm welcome back to the world of the living."

"You're here," she breathed. "I figured you were trapped in the Spirit World. How did you reach this realm? And what happened to Dartz? I saw his soul on the wall. While we're at it, do you know what happened to Rahlin, and and-"

"Peace be. I live in the human realm because of the vessel you provided me – that of Dartz Orichalcum. His soul is locked away due to treason. I apologize to have to deliver this truth, but your other half has turned traitor.

"Rahlin turned against me, and I lost a clash of combat on Sealed grounds because of her interference. Since there were two souls within this vessel, I offered up Dartz instead of myself. Naturally, I had to be certain Rahlin would not ruin my plans again. Grace still seems to exist, for I have arrived soon enough to prevent her freedom."

Rain's eyes darted between the grooves separating different floor tiles. "You were reaping souls. You and Rahlin. You're saying she changed her mind?"

The exhale through Geh's teeth unmasked his fury. "A change of heart, she called it. Blind fool may as well have lost both eyes. I am morbidly curious as to what threw her off track. It is my belief too much mingling with the humans poisoned her state of mind.

"I placed thousands of years of effort into pouring her monstrous soul into a human body. Listen to how she repays me; she claimed her only priority was freeing Timaeus, Critias, and Hermos behind my back. She wasted my gift of time searching for humans to fulfill the conditions of breaking their curse!"

Awe chilled Rain. Rahlin had saved the knights and stopped humanity's ruin from the inside as a double agent. She couldn't wait to tackle her sister in a hug and go on about how smart she was to trick Geh, who had the ability to read her and Rain's emotions.

"And why, pray tell, do my woes bring you such glee?" Geh asked.

Rain, however, was not so shrewd. "I, um, I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't, but it does make me happy to hear about Timaeus, Critias, and Hermos. I still think of them as friends, so…"

Geh loosed a frustrated sigh. "They are monsters, at least. Enough with the turmoil. Allow me to share good news. My child, you hold in your hands the key to fulfilling our purpose. We shall extract and capture the soul in the object you have brought. It is enough to fuel the Great Leviathan all on its own."

Her head tilted as she observed the golden pyramid in her palms. "A soul? In this?"

"That of an ancient Egyptian pharaoh capable of calling upon the gods," Geh explained. "He is a powerful human, and the energy of his soul reflects that fact. A petty part of me wishes to see Rahlin freed so I might let her know her foolish act was all for naught. Keep the Millennium Puzzle safe while I re-seal Rahlin's trap."

Rain gazed into the Puzzle's eye. The soul he spoke of – was it the prince? She couldn't betray him even if she still wanted humanity gone. Like Rahlin, though, she had changed.

No human would be erased on her watch.

"Patron, I have to ask you to reconsider."

His stride toward her paused. "Reconsider what exactly?"

"I know it seems like it to you, but people aren't all bad. I'm from the future because I wake up a long time from now. I've come to call plenty of humans my friends, and they've supported me through thick and thin. You and I both have been tricked into seeing pure evil where there's good, too."

Geh's fist opened. He gazed at the cavern's dark heights. A drop of seawater fell and burst between his eyes. The drop of water rolled down like a single tear. "My child, this is… harrowing news."

"Harrowing?"

The sadness scrawled over his features cracked her heart. Geh said, "For both children to be poisoned of mind – a harrowing tale indeed. If you will not give me the Millennium Puzzle, if you choose to defend the mindlost Rahlin, you are forfeiting your own soul."

"W-what do you-" She dropped the Puzzle so she held onto its chain. "Please, you have to believe me! Nothing's wrong with Rahlin. She just realized the truth! You could, too, if you took the time to get to know the humans!"

"So a human has never harmed you since you awakened in your future?" Rain's thoughts raced. Scenes of arrest, torture, brainwashing, abuse, and a horrible crash flashed through her mind's eye. Geh's exhale showed disappointment. "I hear the echoes of your pain, my child. You know the truth."

"The truth is a few mistakes shouldn't determine humanity's fate."

"Similar to the human you thought you loved," Geh said, "you have been further manipulated. It is alright, my child."

The duel disk at his wrist extended in its sickle shape. The reaper loomed. "I will free you from your suffering."