Slender fingers brushed against his cheek, the voice soft as a feather lightly tickling his ear with a warm breath. "…you must wake up…" The fingers brushed the bangs from his face. "He can't be allowed to continue along such a dangerous path…" His brows furrowed as the lids of his eyes cracked open. That voice was faintly familiar, belonging to someone he had once known, but who were they talking about? Yugi was beside him and looked just as confused as he felt.
The darkness rippled, becoming a beach with pure white sand and waters so clear you could see the multiple shells and marine life going about their business. Their heads were raised by the mysterious hands that had been stroking their faces, a few blinks and their breaths caught. Kneeling in the sand was a human woman who conversed lowly with a mermaid, both smiling fondly as they watched two young merchildren play with a toddler within one of the tidal pools nearby; one with a gold tail and the other with bronze. They had to be no older than four at the time, judging from how their scales were so small still, and realization came crashing down on them as clouds of ink tainted the water and a figure rose from the waves with a sneer so cold that it froze those upon the beach for several seconds.
"And what have we here?" Bakura hissed, licking his lips when he spotted the trio.
The mothers instantly appeared between them, the human mother wrapping her arms around the three while the other had her sights upon the siren. "You have no business here, Siren King, and I warn you only this once to turn away now."
"As if you could ever pose a threat to me, little minnow, you're already half dead without my held, now move aside. I am hungry and wish to feed upon the human child." His duo colored tongue flicked out to moisten his lips. "The younger the flesh the more one has to gain, you wouldn't believe what the last child of man I devoured did for my magical abilities and I can't wait to see what this one will unleash for me next."
"Lay so much as one finger upon the girl and you'll wish you'd never been born." They chorused.
The sorcerer's head fell back with a laugh as his hand rose to the sky, which darkened as black energy swirled upon his palm. Their mother glanced over her shoulder so that her gaze meet those of her offspring then rose to meet that of the human woman. "I will do my best to lure him away but you have to get farther upon land if you don't want to get swept out to sea." Her hands rested briefly upon each son's head, pressing her lips against their foreheads in turn then one upon the human child. "I shall do my best to protect you all but in case I fail, never forget the bond that you all now share."
All it took was a blink and the scene was changed, causing their hearts to give a painful squeeze as absolute destruction stretched out across the once beautiful beach; the water was now clouded, the sky overcast, the glittering sand now littered with debris. They drifted forward across the waves as soft cries rose from somewhere higher upon the beach, horror filling them as they spotted several corpses scattered across the shoreline, and sat upright, pulling away from the hands that had been supporting their heads, as the discovered that the wails were coming from the toddler girl who was sandwiched between the younger versions of themselves, a golden barrier surrounding them that had somehow saved them from the carnage around them.
"I would have passed earlier on if not for my dear human friend." They first looked to each other then their gazes rose to meet the warm amber of their deceased mother who watched with saddened eyes as Solomon rose from the waves to collect the twins as a human boy stumbled over one of the dunes to answer the cries of his younger sister. "The medicine of the humans made my final few months less painful, helped me to enjoy the little time I had left with you boys and to strengthen my friendship with her. I tried my hardest to ensure the repercussions wouldn't reach the shore but I was not match for the king of sirens in my weakened state." Her eyes drifted down to meet those of her sons as tears slipped down her cheeks, the waves that were her hair glistening as if made of pure gold. "Please forgive me for leaving you too soon." Her expression became one of shock as they suddenly launched forward, their arms wrapping tightly around her frame. A choked sob caught in her throat. "My goodness, you two have surely grown up, haven't you?" She pulled away after a moment, one hand cupping each of their cheeks as they struggled to swallow the lumps of emotions within their throats. "Just as handsome as your father, the both of you, I cannot begin to tell you how proud I am of you." Their lips parted, earning a shake of her head as she pulled them into a tight embrace. "I'm afraid that's all the time we have, my darlings, but I'm afraid you two still have unfinished business." Golden light surrounded their forms as she whispered lowly in their ears, causing their eyes to clench shut as magical energy flooded their beings.
They knew the spell, one of the most ancient known to their kind, and now it was time to use it.