It felt like an eternity being out there in the desert. For a virtual setting, it sure was hellishly hot. Cora felt beads of sweat rolling down her face and her skin stuck to her armor, which was baking in the hot desert sun. It was steaming-hot to the touch, and every second was agony. And her thighs were getting raw from being mounted on that Niwatori Chicken monster for such a long time. As she watched her friends, she started to ponder something.

Prisoners who left earlier this morning? No. That simply couldn't be. Kaiba had been gone in the real world for quite a long time. There was no way they would have just been in town this whole time. But if the prisoner was not Kaiba, then who could it be? She wanted to speak up but thought it best to hold her tongue. Mokuba was riding ahead of them, hollering as he kicked his Niwatori to go faster and race Candy and Artemis. No, she shouldn't bring his spirit down. Not now.

"How long until we get there?" Mai asked.

"Seriously!" said Alexis. "We've been running through this desert for what feels like hours."

"The woman said there was a temple across the desert!" Mokuba called over the winds. "I bet you anything that's where they're keeping my brother."

"We should tread cautiously," said Artemis. "The Dark Clown could be in there. It might be a trap."

Alexis groaned. "Ugh, no way. I hope we don't run into his ugly ass again. Just looking at him makes me wanna puke."

"Don't let that distract you from the fact that he's dangerous," said Cora.

"I don't care!" yelled Mokuba. "I've got to find my brother."

After they ran for another twenty minutes, they could see mountains in the distance. And then a valley with old buildings that were being eaten slowly by the desert. Right ahead was the entrance of the temple the woman spoke about.

"We made it!" Candy cheered. "Hooray!"

"Finally!" Mai said. "I was starting to sweat up a storm."

As soon as they dismounted from the Niwatori Chickens, the monsters vanished, and now they were to walk on foot once again. In a terrible stroke of luck, the sands shifted and the winds blew. Something was ready to send them back to where they started.

"Not again!" shouted Mokuba. "NO! NO! NOOOO!"

"What in the hell is that?" Kasumi cried.

The sands dispersed and revealed the creature responsible for sending them back earlier on.

"It's a Sandstone monster!" Cora cried.

Kasumi suddenly burst out laughing. "Oh, is that all, huh? This chunk of rock was the thing giving as a hard time all along? Please. Allow me to show you a true monster." She drew a card from her extra deck and kissed it twice. "Go, Berserker of the Tenyi!" She summoned her ace monster. He looked down at her and nodded, knowing full-well what he needed to do. "This oughta take care of him! Destroy that thing, Berserker!"

The humanoid wyrm grunted and sprinted across the ruins, sending sand into the air in his wake. He jumped and punched the monster right in the center, smashing it to pieces with great ease.

"YEAH!" the party cheered.

"Good thinking, Kass!" Mai said. "Cora, you sure do know how to pick 'em, hon."

"Let's hurry!" Mokuba shouted, running into the temple. "We've got no time to lose."

Mai hurried into a sprint as well. "Ugh, that boy is going to lead us into more trouble if he keeps rushing into things like this."

Crusadia Avramax and Kanan joined him at the front of the group, while Artemis and Candy stayed behind at the rear, bows at the ready in case of trouble from behind. Once they set foot through the doors, they went down a cavernous tunnel that went on for quite a long time. Finally, they found a red and gold door ahead. Avramax opened it with ease and checked around for signs of trouble. He stopped. A look of worry formed on his face.

"You're not going to believe this," he said.

"What is it?" Cora asked. She stepped through the doors and gasped. "Guys, look! It's a labyrinth!"

"No, we must turn back now!" said Kanan. "The Labyrinth Mountains is where we are. This is a cursed place."

"What! No way!" Mokuba shouted. "We have to press forward. We just have to."

"No!" Avramax yelled. "We must go back. We never should have come here."

As soon as he spoke those words, the door slammed behind him.

"NO!" Cora yelled.

Kasumi ran for the door and clutched the handles. She pulled with all her might, but they didn't budge. "We're trapped. We have no choice but to move forward."

"Isn't that obvious," said Alexis. "This is a game after all, so I guess the only way to go is forward, not backward."

"So much for open world," said Cora. "We should have a choice to fast-travel or something."

"LET'S GO!" Mokuba shouted impatiently.

Into the maze they went. The corridors took them left and right and back and forth. Even around in circles. Cora took note of a white stone that lay underneath a torch before they went sprinting off into the maze again. Moments later, they found themselves back in the same spot with the same white stone and torch.

"It's useless!" said Alexis. She leaned against the wall. "We've been going around in circles."

"Can't you fly over it?" Candy asked.

"Don't you think I tried? My flying ability has been disabled in this place. I'm going to assume that all monsters with that skill will also be affected."

"But we can't give up now!" Mokuba said. "We could be so close."

"Or we could be getting farther and farther," said Kasumi. "I hate to say it, but I think this maze has trapped us here. There's no way out of this."

BOOM! The Labyrinth shook.

"Oh, now what!" shouted Mai.

A bright light struck them and almost blinded them. Cora held her hand over her face. She could hear the sound of a large engine coming from down the corridor. "What in blazes is that?"

"It's a Labyrinth Tank!" Mai cried.

"RUN!" Avramax shouted. "This way!"

They followed him and the Labyrinth Tank's engines roared loudly, fire flashed from the large exhaust port in the pack. The Labyrinth Tanks crimson red drill began to spin and made a horrible sound that terrified the group. Artemis tried to stall it with her bow, but the mechanical monster's metal plating was too strong. She fired another arrow. Direct hit, but it still bounced off. The machine grew angry and went even faster.

"Sorry! Sorry!" she said and sped away.

"Gangway!" Cora called, running past the others. They turned to the left and ran into another Labyrinth Tank. "SHIT! ANOTHER ONE!"

"No, no no!" Mai cried. "Come on, this way!"

They followed her and found themselves trapped by a third Labyrinth Tank.

"OH! COME ON!" Alexis roared. "GIVE US A FUCKING BREAK!"

The three tanks were coming closer and closer, boxing in the whole group. Cora held up her Blue-Eyes, hoping that it would stop them. But nothing. The level prevented her from summoning anything that could fly. Mokuba then called on Battle Ox and Battle Steer to get rid of them. The two monsters ran for the tanks, but their weapons were no use. The tanks shot 9mm canons from their tops and shot down the creatures. Kasumi summoned one of her Tenyi monsters and Alexis summoned a Cyber Angel.

It was no use.

"We're done for!" Mai cried.

Suddenly, a monster called Sword Breaker jumped through one of the walls. He raised his fist and smashed it on one of the Labyrinth Tanks. Then he turned, raised a battle axe from the collection of weapons on his back, and used it to strike down the second. He then jumped and stomped the third one with his foot.

"Who summoned that?" Kasumi asked.

A figure walked right through the mist. When he fully appeared, the group huddled together and raised their weapons. It was the Inquisitor from the Shadow Colosseum. He stopped and held out his hand, as if telling the group to lower their weapons.

"We're on the same side, you jerks," said the black knight. He removed his helmet and revealed himself to be a boy with brown hair.

"Hey," Cora said. "Hey, wait a minute, I know you! Yeah, you're that duelist from the academy's Duel Jam the other day. Andre, was it? Yeah, Andre Martin."

"From the noble house of Martin?" Alexis asked. "What's he doing here? I thought he'd be out west helping out against the confederacy. Not playing games here in Domino."

Andre laughed at her and put his helmet under the crook of his arm. "Well, the Termnnian Alliance have been kicking too much ass lately. They worked together to bring peace to Riftgaard and Akuuda. Avi burned down half the Naralian army already with her dragons, too. There's not much hero work to be done with those guys running around. I'd like to help, but I'm no Termnnian Prince."

"So, they've literally put the bad guys at bay?" Kasumi asked.

"That's right, beautiful. Naralia's forces have been put at a complete standstill. Any of you heard of the Treaty of Dragonfire?"

"I have," Kasumi answered. "It's a law set up by the Dragonheart Family. It literally puts a leash on Avi's capabilities to summon dragons. She can't use them for war unless the opposing side poses a threat."

"There were supposed to be some loopholes to that law for Naralia to take advantage of. But their troops are scared. I mean, I don't blame them. Prince Michael with his Archfiends. Ryon Balor the Wizard Prince. Prince Jon and his thunder axe."

"Don't forget about him unlocking Gearfried the Swordmaster," Alexis added. "I battled alongside Jon when I helped out with the crisis in Akuuda. Let me tell you, that warrior shakes the earth every time he swings his sword."

"Yeah, that's right," said Andre. "And then they have to deal with Jeayoung and his Senka Warriors, Prince Stas and his pegasus knights, and Prince Marcel burning down foes with his Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon. And then Prince Ven controlling the seas with Jasmine."

"I think you're forgetting about its newest member," said Alexis. "Queen Maria. Thanks to Lady Avi, she's got three prehistoric dragons guarding her kingdom."

Andre burst out laughing. Truly, it was a terrible time to be against the Alliance. "Yeah, you can already tell nobody wants to make a move just yet. So, seeing as how the kids of the Alliance are taking care of things, I'm here in Domino on vacation."

"Hold on," said Mokuba. "How did you get in here, Andre?"

"Your brother didn't tell you? Since my family supplies Kaiba Corp with Mana Crystals, he came to me and paid me a big lump of gold to beta test his VR helmet. It's kind of like the virtual pods you guys probably used to get here, but one you can use at home. I wired myself in a few days ago. This game is wicked fun. Well, until you guys showed up and dropped me into the abyss."

"Oops," Candy said, her face flushing pink. She stepped back, hunched her shoulders, and placed her hands behind her back, then swung her hips back and forth. "Sorry."

"What's going on?" Andre asked. "I didn't think Seto would have Cora test his game out. So what do you think, Cora. Isn't it fun?"

"We're not here for fun, dude. My dad's in trouble. Alfred Knox from the Church of Yeyu has imprisoned his mind here in the game. His body is in limbo in the real world. They promised this creepy clown with ownership of my dad...I mean Seto's body if he can kill us."

"Yikes. And it looks like he almost did," said Andre. "Thankfully, I came to the rescue."

"We're thankful," said Artemis. "But how the hell did you get here so fast?"

"Yes," Kanan wondered the same thing. "The capital city is now many leagues behind us."

Andre grinned at her. "Well..let's just say I know my way of getting around."

"Can you get us out of this maze?" Artemis asked. "Please, we must find the brother of Lord Mokuba."

"Lord Mokuba?" Andre asked. He snickered. "Yeah, no surprise the NPC's would be naming you that. I think I do know a way out of here. There's a secret to getting out of this place. I've beaten this level like six times trying to farm for good loot."

"Then lead the way," Mokuba said. "We need to get to my brother fast."

"Okay, have you guys noticed the glowing moss on some of the walls?"

"Yeah," Mai answered.

"Follow those. They show you the way out, come on."

Andre led them out of the maze in no time, but before they could thank him, trouble showed up again. There was a creature standing at the exit of the labyrinth, making sure that even those lucky enough to escape the maze never saw the light of day again.

"GATE GUARDIAN!" Mai yelled.

Alexis shivered upon seeing the beast. It brought back terrible memories of when she was kidnapped by the mage gang and was under the guard of that very monster. "I was hoping never to see that thing again."

"We're never going to beat a monster with those attack points!" said Kasumi.

"Oh, this is terrible!" Mai cried. "Everything has been rigged against us. It's no use!"

Cora burst out laughing. "Is that all you got, Knox! Oh no, don't worry. I've got just the thing to get past this!" She held up three Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards and summoned them all. "I activate Polymerization! Fuse them together and become Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

The three dragons were sucked into a vortex and from it emerged the three-headed beast of House Kaiba. Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon stomped on the ground. All three heads screamed directly at Gate Guardian, warning him to back away before they destroyed him. Gate Guardian did not heed their call and conjured a spell that was a mix of lighting, water, and wind. He held up his claws and launched the spell of Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. It did nothing but anger the beast. Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's heads stretched up and they combined their Burst Stream of Destruction attacks to create the all-powerful force, Neutron Blast.

BOOM!

Gate Guardian was completely atomized in a matter of seconds and the blast was so powerful, the labyrinth behind them began to crumble and was no more.

When all was silent and the dust settled, the party began to cheer. Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon roared victoriously and vanished. Kasumi jumped on Cora, wrapped her arms around her neck, and kissed her. Kanan and Artemis embraced one another, thankful that the danger was all gone.

"That was...a pretty amazing display," Andre said. "Man, I'm just glad you're on our side, Cora." He noticed that both she and Kasumi were still locked in their kiss. "Uh...I'm just gonna..." He walked away.

"GOT YA!" Ghost Kaiba shot out of the sands, his hammer held up high. The party scattered as he fell down, smashing the hammer on the ground. "Damn, I missed!" He said and then cackled.

"What in the hell is that thing!?" Mai shouted. "Ugh, it's so gross!"

"I've just about had it with you!" Cora yelled at the ghost.

"I feel exactly the same way!" Ghost Kaiba giggled. He shouldered his hammer. "So why don't I do us both a favor and just end your miserable existence already, Cora?"

Mokuba had his fingers already set to his deck. "If there's anyone around here who's going down, it's you, bozo! Leave us alone, right now! Or else!"

Ghost Kaiba flashed his nasty teeth. "Hrrrgggh. Or else what, you little pipsqueak? I've got a monster you cannot hope to beat! Courtesy of the programmers loyal to the Church of Yeyu." He held up two of his fingers and then a card materialized between them. "I call on you, Legendary Fiend!" he shouted. The ground trembled. The winds began to pick up violently and then four golden cauldrons rose from the sands. They burst with purple fire and then the form of a giant monster slowly appeared before them. He was a towering behemoth with four arms, sharp black wings, and a strong body.

Ghost Kaiba cackled like a madman and then he jumped onto the monster's shoulder. "This is the end for you!"

"I think not!" Avramax said. He jumped off his mount and summoned his sword. "It's finally time for you to die, Dark Clown."

Artemis got off her Nitwatori and whistled, blowing on her two fingers. Her bear mount magically appeared from a glyph and stomped beside her, snarling angrily. He was ready to fight the clown again. And this time, he was hell-bent on destroying him. "We'll take him down together!" she said, summoning Apollousa.

"Cora," Kanan said. "Can we rely on your dragons to help us defeat this creature?"

Cora beamed at her and shook her head no. "No way, Kanan. This piece of shit is not worth it. We can take him down ourselves."

"I'll show you! Go, Hyozanryu!" Mokuba called, summoning his rare dragon. A giant diamond appeared above him. It flashed from the inside and burst, revealing a shimmering, white, dragon with diamond scales and claws and horns made of precious stones.

"Oh, is that all?" Ghost Kaiba sneered.

"No, it's not!" Kasumi said. "I summon Berserker of the Tenyi!"

Cora held up a card and it flashed. "Purify this world of all evil with your holy light! I summon, Radiant Seiyaryu!"

Ghost Kaiba became nervous. "What? All those monsters? You...you...YOU ALL CHEATED!"

"Excuse me!" shouted Kasumi. "You're the one working with hackers who are turning everything against us. Now it's time for you to get a taste of your own medicine! Your hideous beast is no match for our monsters and our combined strength. Accept defeat and leave, you ugly farce of a spirit!"

"NO! I want Seto Kaiba's body! My body! And I want it now! Legendary Fiend! Attack!"

The giant monster swung its claws at the ground. The party members and the monsters that were summoned jumped out of the way. Andre flew out of the dust, aiming his mace at the clown's head, but he sped away like a purplish-black blur. Andre missed and the clown smashed his hammer on his back, sending him plummeting to the ground and losing a huge chunk of Life Points.

"Hey, be careful!" Mai shouted, activating her spell, Blue Medicine to heal him. "We've got to take him down together."

"Ow, ow," Andre groaned as he massaged his back. "I'll remember that. Thanks for the healing, Mai."

"No more stupid moves from any of you!" Mai said. "I don't have that many potions, so we've got to be smart about this."

Clown Kaiba heard what she said and made fun of her for it. "Plan all you want!" he sneered. "My Legendary Fiend and I have very special skills we've equipped ourselves with just for this battle."

Radiant Seiyaryu appeared from a glowing blur. It was ready to strike the Legendary Fiend from the back, but the monster grabbed the dragon by the throat and tossed it toward the ceiling. Berserker of the Tenyi ran towards him from the left. Legendary Fiend saw him coming and punched him away.

"What's going on?" Mai yelled.

"My Legendary Fiend can see all," said Ghost Kaiba. "Don't expect to sneak up on him to get the best of him. He will see you and counter before your strokes can even fall. And so can I." He smashed his hammer at Avramax, attempting to strike the clown from the shadows. Kanan flew towards him and he grabbed her by the breastplate and kissed her before he kicked her away. Artemis notched three arrows and shot them at the clown. He blocked one. And to show off how strong his armor was, he puffed out his chest and let them strike him. They did little damage to his health and they bounced away like match sticks. "So useless!" he said. "Summon all the monsters you want, fools! You can never defeat me! Never! Surrender now and become followers of the Church of Yeyu, and I promise your lives will be spared!"

"I'd rather be deleted in this hell hole of a game than convert to your stupid cult!" Cora said.

"So be it!" said the clown. "Back away, you!" he said, kicking Andre away. Andre landed on his feet and summoned Sword Breaker to help with the fight. As strong as he was, he was no match for the Legendary Fiend. The creature reached around and grabbed his mace, then bashed him on the head with it. And with each victory the monster got, he got stronger.

"What are we going to do?" said Kasumi. "It's useless. He's programmed himself to be too strong. We can't beat him like this."

Cora stood where she was, trying to figure out what to do. She said: "Fuck it!" She called back Radiant Seiyaryu and summoned one of her Blue-Eyes White Dragons. "Volerion!" she pleaded. "Please, help us! Destroy that beast!" Volerion screamed, shaking the cave and he took flight to begin his fight with the monster. Legendary Fiend just deflected its attacks or moved away quickly before being struck by White Lightning.

"No fair!" shouted Cora.

"Fighting fair isn't an option when you have all the best resources at your side!" boasted the clown. "Get him!" he shouted, pointing at Cora's Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Legendary Fiend grabbed the dragon by the throat and yanked its neck, ready to rip its head off. Volerion squirmed and wriggled around in Legendary Fiend's grip to try and escape, but even he wasn't strong enough to fight off his grip.

"VOLERION! NO!" Cora yelped.

"Allow me to do the honors," Ghost Kaiba said. He raised his hammer in the air. "This beast's head will make a fine trophy, don't you think?" The hammer came down and then, just inches before it could touch the dragon's neck, it froze. Ghost Kaiba and Legendary Fiend were starting to look like static images. His voice cracked as his image became more and more distorted. A giant black diamond with a red exclamation mark formed right over the Legendary Fiend.

"What...WHA...WHA...WHA...WHA...WHAT...IS...HAP...IS...IS HAP...IS HAPPEN...IS HAPP...IS HAPPEN...HAPPEN...HAPPEN...HAPPEN...HAPPEN...HAPPENING...NING...NING...HAPPENING!"

"Forgot about me, bitch?" Kara said from her computer back in the lighthouse. The glowing token Della gave her was glowing around her neck. "I finally figured out a way to exercise you from the game. Oh, no. Wait. I'm not gonna do that. You just turned yourself into a collection of ones and zeros. So you're pretty much just a nasty little virus. You know what I do to viruses?"

"NO!" the clown wailed. "YOU...YOU CAN'T!"

"Yeah, getting rid of viruses just happens to be my specialty. And thanks to the holy magic of my pendant, now I have a way to deal with spirits if they ever decide to mess with our tech again. It's like a fucking superhero comic book! This is just too easy. Makes me wish I could have gotten rid of you sooner but..."

"Kara!" Alexis laughed. "We get it! You're good. Do us all a favor and get rid of him."

"Even better," Kara said. She started typing. "You can get rid of him. I've lowered both him and his ugly beast to Level 1. Knock yourself out, Cora."

"With pleasure. Volerion! Kill that son of a bitch! Burst Stream of Destruction!"

"No! No! Nooo!" The clown yelled. "I was so close! I needed his body! Please! Don't!"

Cora pointed at him and shouted: "Never again will you ever haunt my father's footsteps. He's a better man now! He doesn't need you anymore. With this last attack, I expel you from our lives. NOW STAY OUT!"

Volerion shot out his Burst Stream of Destruction attack with all his might.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" The clown wailed. He became nothing but a silhouette in the brightness of the attack. The silhouette then sprinkled into pieces, followed by the ruin of the Legendary Fiend.

The Ghost of Seto Kaiba's dark side was defeated. And this time...he was gone for good.

"Is...is it safe?" a timid voice asked.

"Who said that?" Cora asked.

"Wasn't me," Candy replied.

A fairy called Key Mace suddenly flew around them. She circled around Cora's head and pointed at a group of rocks nearby. "What do you want?" Cora asked the fairy. Key Mace chirped and continued to point at the rocks. Cora listened carefully and heard someone breathing heavily in the shadows. "What is that? Where are you?"

"I'm in here," said a girl. She peered from behind a rock, timid and shaking from the sheer violence of the battle. She wore an exquisite pink and white dress and wore a jeweled crown on her head. She had long black hair and closely resembled...

"Mokuba?" Cora said.

"No, I'm right here," Mokuba said. "Whoa, this is just creepy."

Kasumi burst out laughing and patted Mokuba on the shoulder. "I don't know. Shouldn't you be flattered your older brother based a princess off of you. Wow, except for the dress, the resemblance is almost...oof, what my father would say if I told him about this."

Mokuba ignored her and stepped away. "Who are you?" he asked the girl.

"I'm Princess Adena," the girl replied.

"The Princess!" Kanan gasped.

"Princess Adena!" Avramax said.

He, Kanan, and Artemis knelt for her.

"What are you doing outside of the palace!" Kanan said as she got up. "You know these are dangerous times. What on earth are you trying to do, young lady?"

"I apologize. I didn't want to cause any harm. I was in the forest finding herbs for the potions master when these shadowy figures kidnapped me and brought me to the capital just yesterday. Then they brought me to this awful place."

"Ah, so she's the prisoner who was taken away this morning," said Cora.

"Oh...no," Mokuba said. "That's who the old woman was talking about. Man..."

"Do you live far from here?" Alexis asked. "We could take you home."

"Oh, thank you," Adena said, clasping her hands together. "I live in the city of Sin Lou. I'm the heir to the throne and future ruler of Gouland. Thank you, brave warriors. You...you saved me from those horrible monsters. I don't know what they would have done had you not come when you did." She looked at Cora and gasped. "And you." She bowed. "You summon the Legendary Dragon of Blue-Eyes. That beast was said to only reside in legend. But now I see those legends are true. Thank you, so much."

"Aw, it was nothing," Cora said.

"Adena!" more voices echoed from the exit of the cave.

"Adena!"

"Adena where are you?"

The group noticed torches burning through the darkness and then a small army of knights in iron armor came walking out, led by a woman in old medieval clothing. Her mouse-gray hair was tied into a bun and she carried a longsword in case of trouble.

"Adena!" the woman said. "Oh, bless the Gods, you're okay!"

"Ana!" Adena said.

"My lady, we've been worried sick about you!" said the woman. "Oh, and I see you've met some new friends."

"Yes, one of them is the Summoner of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. This one! The girl right here. She summoned them and they defeated all the terrible monsters in the maze!"

"She summons the Blue-Eyes White Dragon?" Ana gasped. She went on one knee. "Hail!" she said.

"HAIL!" the knights said as they knelt down as well.

"Well, aren't you the special one," Mai said. "Should I call you Mary Sue?"

Cora bit her lip in anger. "If you weren't Yuri's godmother, Mai..."

Adena and her knights escorted the group out of the cave. It was such a blessing to see the sunlight and the clear blue sky again. Adena had carriages pulled by a Duel Monster called Droll Bird waiting just for them. She, Ana, Kanan, Avramax, and Artemis got in the first one. Mokuba and his party sat in the other. The birds took them up a mountain where a city was built all around it. And standing at the top was Adena's castle.

"Wow!" Candy said, sticking her head out the window. "Look at that!"

"Excellent!" Kasumi said.

Cora scooted away from Andre, who was snoring right beside her. Clearly, he was tired from all the adventures he'd been on today. Cora. looked at her hand and moved her fingers around. "Wow. For a moment there, I suddenly knew how Lady Avi must have felt like when she summons her dragons."

"She's a force to be reckoned with," Mai said. "I've seen her summon those things in the Battle of the Emerald Marches. How Naralia is still intent on waging war against us is beyond me."

"Goes to show how stupid and determined that king is," Alexis said. "The Church plays politics in the shadows while he gets to engorge himself with the plunders of the fallen kingdoms he conquers. The man wants three things, Mai. Wine, gold, and women. Especially women. I was there when that dumbass, Evan, lost the Emerald Marches to Forrest's son, Prince Malcolm. You should have seen the way he humiliated Princess Evelyn."

"Oh, I can only imagine," said Mai. "Poor thing."

"What did he do?" Cora asked. "I've heard so much about that incident and I happened to have met Evan at school last semester."

"It was terrible, Cora. All Evelyn wanted was her brother back. Forrest said he could on the condition that she crawls towards him like a dog in front of his entire army, and...pleasure him. She did. And all she got in return was her brother's severed head."

"FUCK ME!" Cora roared. "No!"

"The man has no respect for women," said Mai. "Just like you, I've also had the displeasure of seeing him face-to-face. It was during the big Duel in which Malcolm would face Yugi for control of the Emerald Marches again since Avi's dragons pretty much took them from him. Speaking of which, Avi was sitting next to me when he came in. He said he wanted us. Wanted us like we were nothing but toys. I can't believe he comes from such a long line of distinguished monarchs. The Covenant of Yeyu truly has ended thousands of years of history with their terrible religion."

"Ugh, if only I could summon my Blue-Eyes like I can, here in the game," said Cora. "I would never have allowed him to treat Princess Evelyn that way. Or let him talk to you and Lady Avi the way he did. I could sure change the world if I was a dragon summoner like her. Maybe...maybe even Seto would love me a little more."

"How can you say that?" Mokuba said. "Seto did a lot for you."

"He likes having me around, Mokuba. Because of my ability to use the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. But that's all. I don't think he loves me. I want him to. I really, really, want him to. But...I think I'm just a means to his own ends. I refuse to be nothing more than that. Uncle Mokuba. If things don't change...I'm going to relinquish my dragons and leave. I can't do this anymore."

"But you can't!" Mokuba urged her. "You just can't! Not after all we've been through."

"Cora, you know what you're doing, right?" Mai asked. "If you leave House Kaiba, you'll never go back. Plus, I don't think you can just relinquish those dragons. They have a bond with you."

"I love them, too. But everything Seto puts me through. It's always challenge after challenge. I complete those challenges and he's still not pleased with me. I'm one of the top students at school, just like he told me to become. I grew to be one of the most talked-about Duelists in Domino City. I routed out corruption from Rosenkruz Academy, kicked the asses of those losers with the Banner of Yeyu, and it was thanks to me that Korinthia and the Legendary Dragon of White were able to find us. Kori has strange white-magic skills. Stuff I've never seen before. She was able to heal Seto of the Rosenkruz Syndrome and get Mai and Ms. Goldwine out of the Shadow Realm like it was nothing. That still wasn't enough. What more does he want!"

Kasumi held her hand.

Mokuba leaned on the back of his seat. "Man, I didn't think it was getting this hard for you, Cora."

"What's up with this Korri girl anyway?" Kasumi asked.

"I don't know," Cora answered. "She stays alone in her room all day and then at night, she vanishes. Quite frankly, I don't care. The less I know her, the better. She gives me the creeps."

"Same," said Alexis. "I remember her when she commanded Krissa to..."

"Mmm-mmm," Kasumi said, trying to get Alexis from finishing her sentence.

"I don't know what else I'm going to do," Cora said. "What if this has all been for nothing?"

"Don't go saying things like that," said Mai. "You're stuck and Seto Kaiba is nothing but a mountain for you to overcome. Not, scratch that. You have overcome his challenges And that's why I think he's so bitter towards you. He wants you to fail. No offense to you or Mokuba, but I think he just wants the Blue-Eyes White Dragon all to himself. Huh, Goddesses help him if he was ever born during the time of the Vollanti when they all had their own Blue-Eyes."

Mokuba couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah, that would have been hard for him. But Mai's right, Cora. There's no need to please Seto. Believe me. I've known him far longer than you. Trying to please him is like taking a walk on the surface of the sun. You can't. So don't try. But, think about this. He feels something for you. Do you think he would have spent all this time and all this money if he didn't think you were worth it? You were nothing but some smelly girl in rags when he found you. Any other person, he would have just ignored. But you're not any other person, Cora. You're special. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon thinks so too. Seto does as well, he just has a strange way of showing it."

"I guess so," Cora said. "I just can't take the stress anymore. I'm always in fear of wondering what he's going to make me do next."

"You've got three powerful dragons and a strong group of loving friends behind you," said Alexis. "You've got everything you need to be a Kaiba. And if Seto doesn't think so, rest assured that I do."

"Me, too!" said Mokuba. "You're family in my book, Cora. I've got to say, these past few months with you around sure have been interesting."

"Whoa! Whoa!" said the driver of the carriage. The carriage came to a halt in a courtyard, right in front of a tall blue door.

They had arrived at the palace.