"What is this?" Yugi whispered as he stared at the looming prophecy.
In front of him was an ancient and cracked stone slab that depicted three people. From left to right, it showed a male with intense yellow eyes decked out in black armor, a small green-haired girl with a claw marking on her arm. Then the figure that got Yugi's attention in the first place, a spikey-haired man wearing what was undoubtedly the Millennium Puzzle.
Each figure had duel monsters surrounding them and a door separating them from the other humans. The armored man had many duel spirits around him. Still, the most detailed was a demon-humanoid that seemed to either be embracing him or strangling him. The little girl was hugging a Kuriboh to her chest and had a sizeable fairy-like dragon protecting her. Yugi's mouth dried as he studied the rightmost figure. Behind this figure was a giant black and red dragon roaring to the sky. To each of his sides was a spellcaster crossing scepters above him; to the left stood a silver and blue woman, standing taller than the rest. To his right was a floating pink and blue mage that could only be Dark Magician Girl. Below each of these figures was a language Yugi couldn't read. The only words he could make out were blazed across the top of the stone in bold carved letters.
"The Duel Spirit Heroes Prophecy!" Silent's words made Yugi jump as they appeared right in front of his nonblinking eyes. Yugi pulled his gaze away, looking to the tiny mage for answers. She had to wade through the Kuribohs before making it to his side. Once she got to him, she too, stared at the carving in awe. Even the Kuriboh in Yugi's arms seemed entranced by the depictions.
"It's changed." Silent wrote.
"It has?"
"Yes, when I was learning about prophecies, this slab only read 'Duel Spirit Heroes' and had vague human-like figures. I heard the version in the human world had more carvings, but I haven't seen that one. This is clearly our version, and it's never been this detailed before!" She soundlessly gasped.
"So, you don't know what this is about?" Yugi asked as he held Kuriboh a little tighter.
"Of course, I do! This was made to foretell of humans and their partners that would save the duel spirit world." Silent grew a humongous smile as she ran up to the slab. Yugi was sure that if she could make a sound, she would have squealed. "Look, look! This has to be us! I wonder if it's this very moment or something in the future... We can worry about that later. JUST LOOK! I'm actually in a prophecy!" She turned back to Yugi, expecting him to be just as excited. Yugi, though, kept his eyes on the rightmost figure with a firm frown on his face. Silent's smile lessened when she noticed.
"I promise this isn't a bad prophecy. It doesn't foretell our deaths or anything like that. Well, it also doesn't explain how in the stars' guiding light, we are supposed to save everyone. But it does say we will succeed." She wrote.
"I've found destiny is never truly set in stone," Yugi said, shifting Kuriboh from arm to arm as he glanced to the floor.
"Well yeah, that's how seeing the future is. No matter how many with the gift see it, a prophecy is never guaranteed. It's why the prophecy makers have their own little dimension to themselves. So, monsters with the gift can work together and research to make the clearest predictions possible with our ever-changing futures." Silent then gestured around the great room. "But I promise you, to get a prediction in Dark Magician's castle, it has to be pretty big or pretty assured."
When Yugi didn't react and instead returned his gaze to the stone with his frown, Silent sighed. She then started wildly gesturing at the prophecy like a gameshow hostess. "Come on! I know you've experienced prophecies with the Pharaoh, but just because it's not new for you doesn't mean it's not cool. The great prophecy makers thought we were important enough to carve into rare magic stone, enough that their human counterparts made a similar depiction in the human world." Silent wrote. The Kuribohs around the room burst out cheering for the two, Yugi's Kuriboh patting his shoulder. This made Yugi look around in surprise as Silent jokingly bowed to the crowd. Yugi blinked a couple of times before he eventually smiled, much to the relief of everyone else.
"That's the spirit. It's a great honor for us monsters to be in a prophecy. You should be enjoying it too." Silent grinned. Then, to everyone's surprise, Yugi shook his head.
"That looks very much like you, Silent. I won't deny that. But that human isn't me." He said.
The Kuribohs quieted to a dead silence as everyone turned to Yugi.
"Really?" Silent asked as she looked back at the stone, her mouth then turned down. "How can that NOT be you? It's not like all humans have a massive pyramid necklace as a fashion statement. Look, the name for this hero is even 'The Dragon of Restoration.' It must be referencing your relationship with the Dragon of Destruction name, from both our and the human world."
Yugi once again found himself staring at the figure. He wasn't blind. He could see what Silent was talking about. But there was something undeniably different about this figure in the stone. He stood straight and tall, one hand on his hip and the other reaching out as if to help the onlooker up. He wore a long coat that seemed to be a cross between Yugi's school uniform and Seto's white jacket. The figure was benevolently smiling out of the carving, a gentle spark in his eyes. Yet, there was something about his stance; he was in charge. He was the king, and he knew it. That wasn't Yugi. Even on his best day, he was nowhere near that kind of aura. Add on; this was supposed to be someone that could save the entire monster dimension.
"That's not me. It has to be the Nameless Pharaoh. I'm not the type to end up in prophecies." Yugi said. Silent's mouth gaped open for a few moments. Then she started wildly summoning words. Before Yugi could read them, he wiped them away. "That came out wrong. Before you start lecturing me that I'm just as worthy as the Pharaoh, trust me, I know. It took years to get it through my thick head, but I got it. I'm just as equal to the Pharaoh. What I mean here is that… I'm just a normal kid. Before the Pharaoh, things like this didn't happen to me. I'm not the type to save an entire dimension. He is. It's him that all these magical events circle." Yugi said.
Once again, the room went silent. Yugi didn't quite know why they all seemed so shocked at something obvious to him. As he thought it over, a lightbulb went off in his head. "Wait, maybe this means the Pharaoh will be here soon! You'll get to meet him finally. Maybe that's how this prophecy is fulfilled?"
Silence
"You really believe that?" Silent asked, her annoyance disappearing. "That it's only the Pharaoh that can be part of something like this?"
"I mean, I help as much as I can on our adventures, but I'm not the main hero. I'm not the type for this kind of thing to focus on." Yugi said as he forced a small smile. "As I said, I'm very much equal to him. Just look at this adventure I've been on with you. I think we've been doing just fine on our own. But I am only here on accident. If destiny was going to choose someone to save this world, it'd choose him."
Once again, everyone was silent. Yugi was starting to become a little uncomfortable under all the eyes. Then suddenly, all the Kuribohs squeaked louder than they ever did before. Yugi jumped in surprise. He turned to Silent, hoping for an explanation. She merely pointed her thumb towards the front of the room. All at once, the loudly squeaking sea lifted Yugi.
"Hey!" Yugi yelped. His Kuriboh then leaped out in front of the wave, readjusted their slipping jewelry, and led the mob as they pushed Yugi to near the front of the great room. Yugi initially tried to fight them, fearing he might be seen being so close to the hallway, but the current was too strong. Eventually, the mob dropped him unceremoniously in front of another large stone. Silent came running up and helped him to his feet. He quickly thanked her and was about to demand what was wrong with everyone when his eyes ended up glued to another carving on the wall.
It was the same depiction as the stone the Pharaoh had to eventually present the Egyptian God Cards to. Yugi gasped at the familiar scene of the Nameless Pharaoh and his priest dueling. Then Yugi noticed all the other prophecies that surrounded him. They all showed the Pharaoh and even Yugi's friends in their many adventures. A small jar was depicting the summoning of Exodia, a tapestry woven with the highs and heartbreaks of Battle City, even a towering statue that carved the battle between the Great Leviathan, Joey, Seto, and of course, the Pharaoh. Yugi's breath seemed to stop. All his friends' adventures, beautifully detailed, seemingly thousands of years ago.
Silent grabbed Yugi's hand as his Kuriboh jumped into his other. Yugi looked at them with a tilt of his head. They then pointed back to the carving of the ancient Pharaoh dueling his priest. They then led Yugi to look at the other specific depictions of the Pharaoh. Yugi noticed that no matter the craft, the Pharaoh was always made in the same style, even in a 3D space. He always had darker skin when color was present, and he still wore his Egyptian clothing, even among his modern friends. Silent then pulled Yugi to one last prophecy. In a small corner was a simple painting. It was only about the size of a binder, yet seeing it made Yugi swallow hard, a slight pull at his heart and his headache throbbing a bit harder.
On its canvas were two similar-looking men dueling. Beside them was a group of people watching closely. In this small group, Yugi could easily pick out Téa's attempt to smile while fighting back tears. Joey was standing tall when he was trying to seem tough. Tristan's silent strength as he leaned on Joey for something to ground him. Even Bakura was there, not the evil dark spirit, the sweet and polite friend Yugi missed so much these last few months. Yugi knew his friends' expressions better than anyone. What he didn't recognize as well were the two duelists.
One was definitely the Nameless Pharaoh. He had the same looks as the earlier prophecies depicted. What wasn't familiar was the Pharaoh's stance. He wasn't confident. He almost seemed sorry to be dueling. Then there was his twin across the way. This was the same figure as the Duel Spirit Heroes, with his long blue coat and Millennium Puzzle. He seemed just as hesitant about this duel as the Pharaoh, tears starting to fall down his face as he yelled for his monster to attack.
"You get it?" Silent's words reappeared. It was only the flickering letters that could have pulled Yugi away from that picture. There was a tremendous bittersweetness that radiated from the painting's simple golden frame. It was so stunning to Yugi. It seemed to resonate with him on a much deeper level. Looking at it, Yugi found tears starting to rim his eyes, even if he didn't know what exactly this painting was depicting. He quickly wiped the tears away and turned back to Silent. Yugi wanted to respond to her, but he found his throat drying up. So, he instead looked back at the whole section of prophecies about the Nameless Pharaoh.
"While the prophecy makers often take creative liberties with the creatures they depict, they always depict them the same from picture to picture." She pointed to the one dueling the Pharaoh in the painting. "Who agreed to climb a mountain for some jerk of a wishing well? Who stood face to face with a raging Gandora and didn't blink? Who looked past these same dragons' reputations to befriend one? Revealing to one magician that maybe all dragons weren't the same savage beasts she had died to? Who is still determined to help these spirits despite being far from home, all with no thought of reward?! You! You are just as much of a magical hero as the Pharaoh, you idiot!"
Yugi could only stare at the group of monsters around him. All the Kuribohs, including his own, agreed with various squeaks. A warm light seemed to seed in his heart and slowly radiate through the rest of his body.
It was him. It was him on there.
Yugi needed to repeat it a few times just for it to sink in. He never realized just how much it had become an ingrained thought that only the Pharaoh had the strength for magic. It wasn't that Yugi didn't think he was worthy of such a task. But it seemed to make more sense, or more likely, it was easier for him to say all this magic was here because of the Pharaoh. So, it could only be the Pharaoh that would be great enough for such prophecies.
'I guess I still have a lot of entrenched insecurities about myself, even if I know I'm just as strong as the Pharaoh.' Yugi thought as he looked out at the crowd. They seemed eager for him to speak, and Yugi knew he shouldn't keep them waiting.
"Ok, so it's me," Yugi said. Silent and all the Kuribohs once again stood in shock. Then they all sighed. A few Kuribohs even laying down in relief.
"That's good. We thought it'd be harder to convince you." Silent wrote with a slight smile. "I had a few more friendship speeches ready when you tried to reject this one."
"Well, I've been through this dance before. Maybe this time it'll finally settle in?" Yugi couldn't help but chuckle. "You guys were very adamant about this, which I'm glad for, but why?"
"The way you were talking, it sounded like you believed all magic, including us, only existed because of the Pharaoh. It'd be a bit of an insult if our entire society was only here because one human kid happened to stop some dark magic."
"I didn't mean it like that at all!" Yugi quickly backtracked. "I hadn't even thought that might come across! I am so sorry if I offended any of you-" Silent started flashing a series of "no" in his face until his incoming apology sputtered to a stop.
"I wish I could wipe away your words as easily as you do mine." Silent soundlessly sighed. She then looked at him with a smile. "We knew that wasn't your intention. What we were also angry about was that you so immediately disregarded yourself. Even before this prophecy revealed more, you AND the Pharaoh have been heroes to us monsters. There's humility, and then there's self-doubt. We didn't want our friend falling into the wrong category."
Yugi grinned back at Silent and hugged Kuriboh tighter. "Right. I'm glad I have you all here." The Kuribohs returned to cheering as Yugi looked back to the painting. "It's just that everything seemed to start when the Pharaoh came. I guess I just internalized that…." Yugi then looked down at his quartz puzzle. It wasn't the golden puzzle he knew, but it was still his connection to his dearest friend. "So, I won't lose all this if he leaves…." Yugi whispered.
At that thought, he felt as a significant weight flew off his back. He smiled; he hadn't even realized how that little thought had worried him so. He wouldn't lose his connection with Duel Spirits if the Pharaoh wasn't around. One, that was an absolute assurance that he wasn't crazy seeing those spirits growing up (He would have to find a time to tell his dad about that. That would be such a relief to both of them). Two, this led to an uncovering of one of Yugi's deepest subconscious thoughts. He wouldn't lose all his growth if the Pharaoh wasn't around. Yugi's experiences, his friends (spirit and human), and his strength. Now that Yugi was actively thinking about it, he knew it was such a silly worry. Of course, all of that wouldn't just disappear without the Pharaoh. But it had been an ever-present concern in Yugi's darkest self-doubts. After his friends and the Pharaoh spent years working with him on his self-confidence, that last irrational worry was finally gone. Just another reason to thank his dear friends when he got home. He didn't need the Pharaoh to have all this.
He didn't need the Pharaoh.
Yugi's heart suddenly twisted, all his good feelings rushing out in a whirlwind, leaving only a pang of intense guilt. How dare he think that?! This thought had been plaguing him even before this specific adventure, starting around the KaibaCorp Grand Championship. Of course, he buried it deep whenever it came up, so deep even a spirit sharing his mind would have no idea of it. He would always need the Pharaoh, and the Pharaoh needed him. They were partners to the very end. How dare he even consider being separated from the spirit.
"What's going on?" Silent wrote.
"What do you mean?" Yugi pulled away from his thoughts and plastered on a smile.
"I've seen you do this the entirety up the mountain. Every time you think of the Pharaoh, you grow happy, then it all falls away. What's worse, it seems like guilt replaces whatever light was there before. Did you two have a fight or something before Gandora wished you away?"
"Oh, no. Nothing like that." Yugi quickly said as he unconsciously raised his hands in a defensive gesture.
"It's not nothing. What-" Silent's words were then cut off by distant banging echoing around the castle. Yugi looked to the Kuribohs to see if more of their buddies were coming. The little puffballs instead started to surround the two slowly. Worry clear on their faces, as they seemed to crowd Yugi for safety. His Kuriboh then hopped out of his arms but stayed glued to his pant leg.
The banging became louder, the sound of tipped-over armor and other items clattering to the ground followed. Unlike the earlier Kuriboh mob, this didn't have the roar of a hundred little clawed feet hopping down a hall. This was one big mass rampaging through the castle.
"Maybe we should get to hiding again?" Silent's words read. She wrote them tinier, and they glowed less than her last words. Her words soon turned to glitter as the walls began to vibrate with every crash.
"…Yeah…" Yugi whispered as he and Silent tried to slink to the back of the room. The shaking Kuribohs wanted to follow, blocking and tripping up the two humanoids. While Yugi tried to keep himself from stepping on them, Silent gave up on being polite and started rudely throwing balls of fluff. This just made the mob more frenzied, crowding the two more.
Yugi tried to calm down the mob silently, but a great roar shook the walls. It made Yugi's ears ring. 'That's a familiar roar, but it's not Gandora.' Yugi thought, then his eyes widened. He had forgotten to keep that thought below surface level.
"YUUUUUGGGGGIIII!" The roar finally made a coherent sound as the great catastrophe could be heard plowing its way towards the room. Yugi and Silent had nowhere to hide, so they clung to each other for support as all the surrounding Kuribohs did the same to their legs.
"THERE YOU ARE!" Great white teeth snapped through the archway, right in front of Silent and Yugi. The jaw snap had enough force to blow both Silent and Yugi's hair back. All the two could do at that moment was scream in surprise. In another white flash, both Yugi and Silent found themselves yanked from the prophecy chambers. Only Yugi's Kuriboh could keep hold of Yugi's leg thanks to their jewelry accidentally clasping onto Yugi's jeans.
"You have a lot of explaining to do." The now pristinely calm voice said.
Yugi blinked in surprise to find some set of living teeth had not eaten him. He was instead standing in the hallway, still hugging Silent desperately, with Blue-Eyes towering over them. She wildly whipped her tail back and forth as she stared down at him.
"Err, hi, Blue-Eyes." Was all Yugi could get out between gasps for air. Silent then opened her eyes. She looked up at the irate Blue-Eyes, decided she didn't particularly want to see that now, and closed her eyes again. She let go of Yugi, allowing him to face the dragon, Kuriboh still attached to his leg by both their accessory and out of fear.
"I told you that you were not done healing. Yet, you still left. Do you know how far back you could have set your healing process?! Add on you go and play in the prophecy chamber. You could have broken something." She huffed, seeming angrier that Yugi didn't listen to her more than any damage he might have done.
"I wasn't playing in there. Silent, and I needed a private conversation, that's all." Yugi stood on his tiptoes, so he was just that bit taller. This honestly reminded him of arguing with his mother about his bedtime when he was much younger. It was that same unbalanced feeling of trying to convince an adult that had already written him off, despite him having an excellent point this time.
"A conversation you two couldn't have in the healer's room?"
"He did say private conversation, right?" Silent added, slowly peeking once she realized Yugi was the one getting yelled at.
"Humph." Blue-Eyes snorted. "There is nothing you couldn't have said in front of me."
Yugi and Silent glanced a knowing look at each other. "Sure." Yugi breathed in a sarcastic tone. At this, Blue-Eyes raised her head and even started to show her teeth. It was then Yugi realized he did not want to set off yet another dragon. He quickly put on an apologetic face. It was time to put his panda eyes to use for once.
"I am sorry, Blue-Eyes. But it was important to my friend and me." He said as he put his hands together, making himself seem as small as possible. "I just needed time to make sure my new friend was safe. That's all. The last time I saw her, she was hurt to the point of passing out."
Blue-Eyes looked over him, her annoyance not leaving. Yugi then looked down at the ground, seeming defeated. This look the Pharaoh dubbed "the heart-melter." Yugi did it when he was disappointed but didn't want to be a burden. The spirit said it was such a sad look that he was pretty sure even heartless villains would feel bad. Yugi never intended to guilt people to get what he wanted. But apparently, he had been doing it for years with this expression. Now he hoped he could get the same effect by doing it purposefully.
Blue-Eyes continued to stare Yugi down. It looked like she was about to start to lecture him when she closed her mouth. She then sighed and looked at Silent. "Fine, I suppose that is a worthy reason. Though I am still not happy that you had to trick me with a band of other monsters."
Silent smiled and rubbed the back of her neck. "The Goblin Attack Force owed me. Now we are even. You helped balance our relationship if that makes you feel better." She wrote. Blue-Eyes didn't seem impressed but chose not to comment.
"Come now, let us get back to healing," Blue-Eyes said as she gestured with her wing down the hall.
"But I'm fine. I don't even have scars anymore." Yugi tried, real dread filling him at the thought of being stuck in that bed again.
"Then why are you still out of breath from a simple scare?" Blue-Eyes asked. Yugi put a hand to his chest and realized the truth to Blue-Eyes's words. Somehow, he was still breathing hard from yelling a few minutes ago. It wasn't as if there was a weight on his chest or his throat was clogged. It was more he was too tired like he had just run a marathon. And of course, his headache was still as hot as before, but he chose to keep that extra fact from Blue-Eyes.
"You are just that good at being a terrifying monster." Yugi joked with a kindly smile. He finally got control of his breathing, but both Blue Eyes and Silent still seemed worried. It didn't help Yugi's case when his headache throbbed just that bit harder.
"Hmm, while I love the compliment, you still need to heal more if your body became tired that quickly. Come." She said with a flick of her tail. Yugi knew there was no argument, so he followed behind. At this point, Kuriboh managed to get themself untangled from his pant leg. They then jumped into Silent's arms as she caught up with Yugi.
"I thought you were healthy. I would have waited longer if I knew you were still sick." She wrote.
"I'm fine. I was in a coma for a while, remember? It's just taking my body a bit to get used to moving again." Yugi smiled, trying to hide how he was just as unsure as Silent.
"Ok… I don't want your body to fall apart on us. That'd be hard to get back to the human world." Silent wrote as she nudged Yugi playfully. Yugi laughed, ignoring the sudden dark pulse that came from the Millennium Puzzle. It had to be his imagination; the puzzle hadn't reacted to him personally in years.
…
"What do you mean I can't tell him what those prophecies meant?' Silent's angry words floated in front of Blue-Eyes.
The group had been walking through the castle for a bit. Blue-Eyes had been spending the majority of the time finding the least packed passageways. Even then, they had to pass by some monsters that wanted to get to know Yugi, badly. It was only Blue-Eyes's strength and revere that kept Yugi from signing a million autographs. While they waited as Blue-Eyes scouted ahead, Yugi started asking about the prophecies he hadn't already live through, more specifically, the small picture of him dueling the Pharaoh and the Duel Spirit Heroes. Right as Silent was about to explain what they entailed, Blue-Eyes came back and demanded she stop.
"Prophecies can only be explained in detail to humans by the prophecy makers, a domain leader blessed by the prophecy makers, or the holder of the Millennium Necklace. Since you are none of those, I suggest you stop." Blue-Eyes said in a way that let them know it wasn't a suggestion.
"That is a dumb rule, and you know it. He has the right to know what his future has in store for him." Silent wrote back.
"If done at the wrong time, such explanations can ruin a prophecy's chances of happening. If he saw the prophecies I think he is referring to, you know how much we will need them to happen. So be smart, remain quiet."
Yugi and Silent could only sigh. Then Yugi lit up at an idea. "Hey, wait, I have the Millennium Necklace at home. Doesn't that make me the holder of that item?" Yugi asked, deciding not to bring up the fact the item lost its power.
"So, you do," Blue-Eyes said after checking the memories Yugi mentally sent her. "You are correct; you do have the right. Go ahead and tell Silent what the prophecies mean."
Yugi could only grumble as Silent crossed her arms. Blue-Eyes controlled herself enough to not laugh at them, but Yugi saw a small smile come to her face. This was then cut off by a clatter from behind them. Blue-Eyes snapped to attention; teeth bared. Behind them, a few Kuribohs in front of the mob had accidentally knocked down a vase. They quickly put it back on its pedestal, and the whole horde frantically hopped out of sight.
"Your friends aren't too good at stealth." Silent wrote to the Kuriboh in her arms. Kuriboh annoyedly squeaked as they waved their hand dismissively. Yugi would have chuckled if he wasn't trying to control his breathing. He felt exhausted from only walking across the castle.
The four then turned into a long hallway. Glass windows surrounded the last passageway before the healer's room. Yugi looked out into the perfect forest, ignoring that old unnerving sensation, to see a small town of monsters he hadn't noticed before. He would have spent more time staring at the duel spirits going about their day if he didn't feel a little creepy about it.
"We are almost back. As soon as we get to the room, I want you to jump into bed-" Blue-Eyes ordered before suddenly being cut off. As the group made it to the end of the glass hallways, a great crash shook the castle. It made both Yugi and Silent lose balance. Even Blue-Eyes had to spread out her wings to catch herself.
"What was that-?!" Yugi began to say before another dragon roar ripped through the air. "That's Gandora! Our Gandora!" Yugi shouted as he hopped to his feet and pressed his face to the window. Out in the forest, near the village, a cloud of smoke could be seen drifting by as a massive pine tree fell from view. Another roar, drenched in heartbreak, filled the air. Yugi couldn't stand it anymore. Not when she was within his reach. "We have to help her!"
"Not her again," Blue-Eyes growled as she found her way to her feet. "Ignore her, Yugi. You have to focus on healing."
Yugi looked desperately to Blue-Eyes. When he found no sympathy in her face, he turned to Silent and Kuriboh. Each looked just as conflicted as Yugi. It was Kuriboh that was the first to move. They snapped their claws and pulled on Silent's collar. They pointed at the window, then down the hall behind them. They also squeaked a flurry of commands that Yugi couldn't make out. Silent seemed at first horrified, but eventually, she shook her head.
"Well, I already kidnapped him once." She wrote with a sigh.
"Wait, I demand you stop right this instance-!" Blue-Eyes began to roar.
"Hold onto your puzzle and be thankful Dark Magician Girl is planning another early domain reset." Silent's words flashed in front of Yugi so fast he almost didn't make them out.
As Blue-Eyes shot forward to grab Yugi, the mob of not-so-sneaky Kuribohs suddenly surged forward. At the same time, Silent lifted one of her hands, azure blue cracks suddenly appeared all over her body, making her seem like a broken porcelain doll.
Right as Yugi felt Blue-Eyes's teeth graze the back of his shirt, a great magical force pushed him. He was thrown back as the window behind him shattered before he even touched it. Instead of the usual blue aura surrounding the things Silent used her magic on, each was suddenly covered in the same glowing blue cracks as her body. Blue-Eyes was pushed by the force also, the same cracks covering her as she was pinned to the wall.
Silent then let go, letting everything, including Yugi, fall. As Yugi began to question his life decisions, the Kuriboh horde flowed from the broken window. On this wave rode Silent and Kuriboh as they directed the hurricane. Yugi was quickly caught up in the waterfall of fluff as the Kuribohs used their abilities to make the landing pillow soft. They then kept flowing towards the smoke. Once Yugi realized what in Slifer's name was going on, he waved to Silent. The magician nodded to him, and he was levitated to her side. The blue cracks appeared on both her and Yugi again as she floated him over. Yugi was about to ask why when he was cut off by yet another dragon roar.
"YUGI!" Blue-Eyes yelled, but the hole in the window was not big enough for her. While Yugi knew she had more than enough strength to make a bigger hole, he had a feeling the prim and proper dragon wouldn't cause more damage. Knocking over suits of armor was one thing. Breaking a domain leader's castle was another. Yugi could only hope she would forgive them later.
As Blue-Eyes grew smaller in the distance, Yugi looked ahead as the trees parted. The Kuribohs flooded into a blackened clearing. At the center was Gandora, covered in rubble, desperately trying to put together the remains of an exploded building. Tears in her eyes and wounds across her body.