A/N: I'M BACK! Thank you so much for being patient these last few months. I really needed the break. I hope you all had some lovely holidays.
To get back to the story, once again I will be releasing every other Friday. I hope you enjoy this extra-long, released slightly early, character chapter (we'll go to Yami's side of the story next time) as a thank you for being patient. As always, I love any comments/reviews big or small. Even if you're just here to say hi or mention what I can do better, I would really appreciate it. Love you all!
"We don't need mercenaries. Especially from an archetype like yours." A massive warrior known as Buster Blader grumbled.
"You never know. What we heard on the divine wind was that you're losing Gandora. Perhaps we could help round them up?" A small warrior with a massive silver sword wrote in similarly silver lettering. Hakairyuu, as was her Gandora name, peeked over her tail. She was supposed to be sleeping. Gandora gave off more body heat when resting, thus allowing her clutch of eggs to hatch faster. But how could she sleep with their handler talking so loudly in the nursery? Sure, she was the only dragon there, but with the warrior army so worried about the next generation, she'd think Buster Blader would be a bit quieter. Not that the warriors ever particularly cared about being kind to the Gandora.
"We are not letting any of the beasts escape." Buster snapped.
"Oh? Then by this empty hatchery, I suppose they are all out in battle?" The little monster wrote.
Buster Blader grumbled and turned from the warrior. Gandora recognized his expression and body language well. He was about to swing his sword at the visitor. But for once in his life, he held back.
"The Gandora are dying out. There's nothing for you to find." Buster Blader started walking away from the warrior with a dismissive hand wave. "They're not even worth your valueless time. Get out. Just letting you in was more of a kindness than the Silents ever gave us in this domain." he then turned in such a way that the sword on his back hit a hanging bucket. It toppled right onto the tiny warrior with a clang. The swordsman threw off the bucket, his teeth grinding.
Hakairyuu held her breath, was a duel about to start right next to her eggs? She flinched. They weren't "her" eggs. They were the warriors'. Thank the stars the mind readers weren't here. She had seen other Gandora punished for thinking less rebellious thoughts. She then glanced at the swordsman again. Buster Blader hadn't noticed the warrior's anger. In the Silent's magenta eyes, she saw a deep hatred. Hakairyuu wanted to pull back but had to remain on the eggs below her. She held her breath, preparing to take the stray attacks that would undoubtedly come her way. But to her surprise, the swordsman let out a long sigh, and he was back to being smiles and respect.
"Really? Not worth it? Are they not the only reason your army can get into the dragon territories the 'Great Knights' set up?" The warrior said the Knight's name with as much venom as a viper.
"Ha! Great knights indeed. They were clearly greater than you, Silent Swordsman, for you to stoop so low as to come to us after all your kind did."
Silent Swordsman's face remained a calm smile. "Yet, we Silents never tried to stop your righteous war. Even as the warriors and dragons of other domains begged for you to stop. We at least knew simply putting up borders would never end years of hate, unlike the Knights!" The swordsman's voice raised to a furious shout. But he quickly recomposed himself. "But let's move from that. Perhaps we Silents, a neutral force in this war, could help with what is killing your weapons?"
Buster Blader stopped. He glanced at Hakairyuu, who quickly closed her eyes. "We were finally starting to win this cursed war when we began sending in Gandora. The dragon forces figured that out pretty quick and hired a spellcaster and fiend to spread a plague."
Hakairyuu barely had time to reopen her eyes when the giant warrior roughly shoved her off the clutch and into the cave wall. She had to bite her tongue to stop from yelping. Buster Blader hated any whining, especially from Hakairyuu. She silently watched as he went through (not her's, she had to catch herself) precious eggs. She couldn't fight him, despite being larger than him. Buster Blader's ability, plus her stored power being at zero, rendered her useless.
In the nest, nearly three-fourths of the eggs were an ashy grey. Hakairyuu couldn't help but gasp when she saw only two eggs were left that were the obsidian black Gandora eggs should be. Buster Blader was also surprised, but it quickly turned to annoyance. He ran a finger over the shell of one of the ashy eggs. Its shell crumbled as if made of sand.
Hakairyuu looked fearfully at Buster Blader. It was supposed to be her job to clean out lost eggs. She thought she felt something off the night before, but she hadn't dared look. Now the remaining eggs were at a higher risk. Buster Blader's red eyes narrowed. He may not have had a mouth, but Hakairyuu recognized the growing rage.
For many years, this disease slowly destroyed every other broodmothers' nests. To the point, most females couldn't even lay eggs anymore. All except eggs from Hakairyuu. They had always survived. It was the only thing that kept her alive. Despite being one of the biggest Gandora, she was horrible at fighting. She would have certainly died in battle if the warriors hadn't kept her back to keep laying eggs. As of recently, though, more and more of her eggs had been turning grey. Whatever resistance she had been passing on wasn't working anymore.
Buster Blader's hand started to drift towards his sword, but then he glanced at Silent Swordsman, who was still waiting patiently behind him. He sighed and yanked Hakairyuu down, so she was at eye level. "Clean it out." Buster Blader said in a low voice.
Hakairyuu leaped to her feet and frantically pulled out the cold eggs. Her heart sank as she held them close to her chest. These would have been her hatchlings- the warriors' hatchlings.
"I can see that wiping out entire generations." Hakairyuu glanced at Silent Swordsman's words before she stepped out of the cave-like structure. Once outside, with the smog-covered sky bearing down on her, she found she couldn't get her feet to move. She glanced back to her nest at the two eggs remaining. She then saw and heard more of the conversation.
"Let's see... a mysterious disease caused by two different races. Yes, we can help. For the right price." The swordsman wrote.
"Don't you Silents have a spellcaster of your own? The warrior army will pay if they can reverse it." Gandora noticed how Silent Swordsman stiffened slightly at the mention of a Silent spellcaster. But as before, he hid it well enough for Buster Blader not to notice.
"While we do have many powerful Silent spellcasters, they are still young. They haven't even lost their voices yet. Dispelling the disease would take a great deal of finesse. But we do have contacts…."
Hakairyuu couldn't stand to overhear this anymore. While it might mean this horrible epidemic would be over, it did nothing to lift her spirits. With feet made of lead, she traveled along the black rock cliffs typical to the warrior's end of the Crags. The sky above was a mix of smothering grey and blood red. It had always been that color, getting worse as the war grew closer and closer. Hakairyuuu vaguely remembered a place where the sky was blue. But that had been when she was but a hatchling. She turned from the sky to the rock below her, watching her steps closely. She currently had magical binders on, meaning she had to be careful not to fall. She couldn't fly, and a slip would mean a half a mile drop until the barrier would stop her fall, abruptly. Its anti-dragon magic surrounded the entire complex in a dome.
As Hakairyuu walked to the lava pits, she slightly perked up as distant shouts, and pained roars grew louder. She looked up to see the barrier briefly separate as a horde of Gandora were forced into the enclosed cliffside.
"Hakairyuu!" The largest of all the male Gandora called from above, his Gandora name being Giga. Hakairyuu breathed a sigh of relief. Her mate had survived yet another campaign. She tried to focus on that instead of the much smaller number of returning Gandora corralled into their cliff dens. A warrior tried to force Giga into a cave, but the dragon ignored her. The warrior seemed ready to summon her magical anti-Gandora webbing, but another warrior stopped her. Giga was as close to a leader as the Gandora were allowed to have. As long as he kept the others in line, he was granted some privileges.
Hakairyuu nodded to Giga and kept walking along the cliffside, not wanting him to see her continued failure. It didn't take his searching eyes long to see the ash eggs. Hakairyuu lowered her head when she saw the pain in Giga's eyes. However, he hid his feelings just as quickly as the honey-tongued swordsman from before. It would reduce his fighting spirit to care about lost eggs. Hakairyuu could practically hear his past attempts at raising her own "fighting spirit."
"They were simply too weak to be born." Or "This just means we have to be even stronger for the next clutch." Hakairyuu grumbled at the memory of Giga's attempted motivation. Fighting spirit, fighting spirit. The cursed idea that the warriors had ingrained in their species since they first enslaved them. No Gandora wanted to kill, even with that fighting spirit. A leftover from when the Gandora were at their most powerful, centuries ago. Then their ancestor was the chosen partners of a great Pharoah, a surprisingly pacifistic pharaoh for connecting with such destructive dragons. The Gandoras' want to not kill was something the warrior army could never quite get rid of, so they buried it in this twisted fighting spirit. The need for Gandora to prove they were strong, despite being at ATK 0 most of their lives. To the point, they revolved their lives around removing any sign of weakness. Hakairyuu didn't know how the others fell for that ideology so hard. Perhaps whatever immunity she had that let her eggs live was what enabled her to see past the stupidity of it all. Then again, she could just be insane.
Most Gandora simply wanted to prove they were stronger than anything else, yet Hakairyuu didn't even want that. She wanted to be left alone to raise a family in peace. Definitely not the picture of strength the warriors molded for them. That was a dragon that continually went into battle and came back victorious, or at least took out as many others as they could. Most of the hatchlings that came from Hakairyuu soon fell into this need to remove weakness as well. Letting the warriors easily manipulate them. While the Gandora wanted out of captivity, they would never fight for it unless an exit fell out of the sky. Running was cowardice. Even thinking about escaping lowered their "fighting spirits."
'Am I even a Gandora?' Hakairyuu thought as she came upon the last outcropping of cliffs. The heat from the lava below caught the wind and blew past her. She closed her eyes and, for a second imagined flying freely through the air. Then, she opened her arms. She dropped the ashy remains of her latest failures, letting them fall from the cliff face and into the lava pits far below. They could fall through the barrier; they weren't considered dragons anymore.
'Maybe it would be best to let go.' Hakairyuu thought as she stared at the glowing pits. The Gandora could never leave this war that was not theirs. It might be better to let the need to prove her strength, that "fighting spirit," consume her. Then she wouldn't have to think about-
"Mom! Hey, Mom. I lived!" That bubbly, almost casual tone was the only thing that could make Hakairyuu smile. She heard as he flew to her side. She had his smile memorized. A smile she would follow to the ends of the world to see again.
"Hello, little one." Hakairyuu quickly turned from the cliff and picked up her most recent living hatchling. He had no Gandora name at the moment because he had no mate or won any battle yet. He was so much bigger than before, nearly being half her size now. She immediately noticed the new scars he had on his once pristine scales and frowned. He often had new injuries thanks to his refusal to follow the law of no familial connections. Still, even the warriors had since realized they couldn't beat the habit out of him. Him being the last of his age group also dissuaded them from any extreme punishments. His new scars were different; these were unhealed battle wounds. He, however, was smiling wide, his sharp teeth gleaming in the lava's glow. Hakairyuu then noticed an impatient warrior on a higher cliff. The webbing now molded into a whip gripped in her hand.
"We should get you to your den, but how are you doing?" she asked as she led the child up the cliffs.
"Oh, I can't wait to tell you, Mom! We had to take over this wizard village, and…." The little one always skipped the fighting. "Anyway, when we were looking for loot, I found this old book! It had such tiny lettering it was kind of hard to read, but I quickly got the gist of it. It was filled with things like jokes, but instead of laughs at the end, they were questions you had to figure out."
"Riddles."
"Huh?"
"Riddles, those are called riddles, it is something spellcasters and fiends like to make to protect their treasures," Hakairyuu explained.
"Oh! Well, these riddles weren't protecting anything. I spent so long trying to figure them out that Dad had to pull me out of the building. I think I scared him, not reporting for so long." The two were at the younglings' cave at this point, and the warrior guarding the area gestured forcefully for him to go in. "Anyway! Dad and I are safe, and I can't wait to tell you some of those riddles later." Hakairyuu silently nodded at him and took a step back. The cave used to be rather cramped with all the younglings shoved inside. Now it was only this little one.
The orange barrier then activated, separating the two. Hakairyuu rested her hand on it. Her son soon copied her action from his side, though he still smiled wide. That smile, it was the thing that kept Hakairyuu going. To know she wasn't alone in hating this war. To know, at least she didn't fail him like all her other hatchlings. Those hatchlings wouldn't even look at her anymore, thanks to her low fighting spirit. She felt like she could survive this underworld with him there.
Hakairyuu quickly returned to the nursery. The guards didn't like any free rooming Gandora. When she got back to her nest, she found Buster Blader and Silent Swordsman to be gone. She quickly checked her remaining eggs, only to find a strange slip of paper wedged between them. It was humanoid-sized, so Hakairyuu had to squint to read the silver lettering. Yet, on it read,
The Domain of the Beasts. A domain in which only monsters of 1500 ATK or lower can enter. It is a land of peace and perfection for those tired of fighting. This domain will protect its inhabitants from the continual wars going on around them. If one does not fit the conditions, special permission can be given from the Three Legendary Knights for passage. On the back of this paper was a map of how to get to a portal to the domain. It even seemed to show a fault in the dragon barrier.
Hakairyuu quickly realized she was not supposed to have this. Gandora weren't to know of other domains. Yet, here it was, sitting in her nest. She frantically looked around for somewhere to hide it. She was so focused on looking innocent; she didn't think about how odd it was for a literal map out of her imprisonment to be laying in her nest. But this was it! This is what would finally kick the others into rebellion. A way out, gifted to them by the stars. Thanks to her low fighting spirit, many of the others wouldn't listen to her. They would at least listen to Giga, and she could convince him with this!
As Hakairyuu laid on the clutch, she caught the end of the conversation Silent Swordsman was having with Buster Blader outside.
"Yes, the dragons of this domain did try to hire us to weaken your army, but being a warrior myself, I felt I could never betray my race. Do remember, if you ever lose these Gandora, we will be happy to chase them down. For a price, of course."
…
'I will destroy that wishing well.'
The last few days had been some of Gandora's worst. First, she finally has her child again. Then she gains other comrades, more than just other Gandora. Friends even. But it all came crashing down. Eviscerating any joy she had won and turned it into deep, burning pain.
'I will make it so that the mountain never existed!'
Gandora curled up inside a skyscraper-sized, hollow pine tree. This forest was the only place large enough for her to curl and hide.
It was a few hours ago Gandora ran from the castle. Yet, it felt like days. Her tears had long run out. She was now filled with nothing but boiling anger. She was planning over and over how she would blow the mountain and its cursed wishing well to pieces — taking much pleasure in imagining its rubble. She ignored what it would do to the other monsters in the area or what Yugi would think of her for wishing such destruction.
No, I'm not leaving you, Mom!
You are in no way, my mother.
Please, be free for me.
I am not your hatchling.
Those words echoed in her head. They hurt. They hurt. Just thinking of both their smiles made the pain real again. She was a failure as a mother. So, she drowned their memories in her fury. She let them burn in her hatred for the Silents, the other Gandora, even the unnerving domain.
I am not your hatchling.
I am not your hatchling.
I- "-don't care. We have to do something about her."
Gandora stirred. Beyond the massive tree was a group of monsters trying to hide in the bushes. Each beast was only about the size of one of Gandora's palms. All but one were wearing strange vests made of reflective stripes that glinted in the sun.
"There is no way I'm tryin' to move that dragon!" A stuffed toy dog with a tiny top hat barked. Gandora recognized his species as Madolche Cruffssant, common to the domain next to this one.
"But you have one of the highest attack points in this domain's workforce! I don't need you to move her, just get her attention. I can take it from there." What looked like a living dollop of pink marshmallow said to Madolche Cruffssant. Gandora squinted at the candy monster not wearing a vest. That was Marshmallon, but she couldn't recall why she would know them. They weren't from this area.
"1500 attack ain't gonna do deck against a full dragon! You should call Dark Magician Girl or that pharaoh kid to get her out. Ain't they spirit partners now or somethin'?" The dog growled as he pulled a lollipop from his mouth. The monsters around Marshmallon seemed shocked at Madolche Cruffssant's words. Or, more accurately, they were shocked that he spoke them to Marshmallon.
Marshmallon took it all in stride. They didn't seem the least bit deterred. "I've been through scenarios like this many times before. I know well how it will end. Please just get her attention."
"Well, I don't have yar crazy ability, nor a death wish! What's more, you shouldn't even be tryin' to build at a time like this! For one, this whole domain is entirely too creepy. Two, with those Silents and Gandora rarin' to trade blows, any new construction will be decimated! Three, this star-forsaken lockdown will stop us from getting the materials we need!"
"Oh, I believe we have more than enough to build. And I'm sure it won't come to blows. The Pharaoh will stop them long before that happens. I've seen enough prophesied heroes to know the drill." Marshmallon said with a toothy smile. Gandora shuddered; that thing had entirely too many teeth in their mouth.
Just then, a gasp came from one of the other monsters beside Marshmallon. Gandora hadn't realized she had raised her head to look across the clearing. She would have liked to continue pretending to sleep, but what was done was done. All the tiny monsters' eyes bulged when they realized she was awake and listening in on them. She took a sick satisfaction in knowing they feared her. But that joy was checked by Marshmallon, who looked more excited than ever at her presence.
"I am not moving," Gandora growled. She then put her head back down, laying her tail in front of her to block the light. She hoped that they'd run like every other monster that came this way. Only Silent Magician was brave enough to come closer, and even she gave up eventually. Yet, Gandora heard the shaky, unmistakable footsteps of two monsters coming closer.
"Look here! Yar on my boss's property and yar blockin' their work area! All us monsters now know how you guys actually have 0 ATK, so…! Move it! Or I'll beat you down!" Madolche Cruffssant barked.
Gandora lifted her head with a twisted smile. She saw how the little dog was shaking, so she flicked her tail in his direction. She didn't even touch him before he ran, whimpering away. Gandora chuckled to herself at the monster's retreat. Then she noticed Marshmallon's dopey smile still plastered on their face.
Marshmallon hid their rows of teeth as they spoke. "Greetings! Are you ok? Your voice sounds rather raspy for a dragon. Are you sick?"
Gandora's eyes narrowed as she looked down at this minuscule monster. Did this creature really ask how she was doing? She growled and flicked her tail in their direction. She then gritted her teeth as her tail sailed over them. Marshmallon hadn't budged an inch. Gandora tried another warning flick. They still didn't move; they didn't even blink. Gandora snarled and whipped her tail right at the blob, hoping to push them away. Her tail went right through the monster, ripping them in two.
Gandora yelped as the pieces splatted on the ground. She immediately bent down to try to help. She nudged the pieces worriedly, not knowing what to do. Her heart began racing as she had to fight back new tears. Then her building panic abruptly halted as the pink pieces began to shake. With a plop, the parts reconnected, Marshmallon never losing their smile.
"Don't worry! You can't hurt me. Nothing can." Marshmallon said in what was supposed to be a cheery voice, but Gandora heard an undercurrent of deep fatigue. However, that thought was pushed aside under her wave of relief. She almost smiled before she caught herself. She could care less about this world or its monsters. It deserved to all be rubble anyway.
"I think you should go," Gandora said in a low voice.
"You're not sick, huh? Must have been crying then. Are you lost? Were you separated from the Pharaoh?"
"I have nothing to do with that boy! I really think you should go." Gandora growled, deciding it was time she showed her own set of razor teeth. To the candy monster's credit, they didn't flinch, but they did back up.
"Well, I would like to, but you're blocking our work zone."
Gandora blinked, not recognizing the phrase. She looked around the large hollow area. "Work zone? Do you mean your den?"
"Oh, no, no. Or at least it won't be my den. My home is in the Clear World." Marshmallon said. Gandora's eyes widened as she was the one to back up this time. The Clear World was one of the most dangerous domains. It was an ethereal plane only the strongest monsters lived. Marshmallon must have seen her surprise because they chuckled.
"Well, it's where I was created. I don't visit it much these days. Not when there are projects and villages to build." Gandora could only stare at the little creature once again. Villages? She thought only humanoid monsters made things like "villages." Gandora's anger was briefly forgotten in her utter confusion at just what in the star's guiding light Marshmallon was. If they were trying to trick her, why make all these outlandish lies?
"Who are you, and why are you here? The humanoids of this domain already have a village."
"I am Marshmallon. You may have heard of my many great exploits, like collecting the eleven treasures of the dimensions?" Gandora remained silent. "Finder of the three rifts?" Still nothing. "Inventor and perfecter of transportable magic?" Gandora huffed, letting her warm breath coil over the monster. "Right… Well, those titles might be a bit old for you. You young folk might know me better as the mad builder."
Gandora's tail swiped back and forth. While this was the first time she would be considered "too young" for something, she did recognize that title. Something the warriors used to talk about, usually either during jokes or in hushed breaths. "I may have heard of that."
"There we go." Marshmallon regained their smile. They then whistled to the monsters in the back. Two looked frozen with fear, but another high-pitched whistle made them run forward. They quickly threw glitter confetti around their boss as Marshmallon continued. "After years of doing everything the dimensions had to offer, I reached my limit. I saw all there was to see and had done just as much. So I, being the kind monster I am, set about making the world a more interesting place!" They proclaimed as if they were announcing they had just saved the universe from absolute disaster. "I build what others cannot. What is stuck in one dimension I recreate in another. All in the name of making the dimensions more connected."
Gandora watched as those scared workers continued to throw confetti as Marshmallon pontificated in utter awe. This had to be the most idiotic monster she had met. Yet, she didn't sense insincerity or stupidity in them.
A piece of confetti finding its way into Gandora's nose cut off Marshmallon's continuing monologue. While their workers were blown back by the dragon's sneeze, Marshmallon managed to stay in place, even with no limbs to hold them.
"The leader of this beautiful domain has asked me to turn this tree into a human-like town. Humanoids here already have a village to the north. But I understand most non-humanoids don't go to that specific village — something about it being the birthplace of a rather nasty archetype. Dark Magician Girl wanted something for those too weak to spend their energy to go to the human world. A human place they could live in and explore. And thus, we return to you." Marshmallon said, looking up the hollow tree. Gandora followed their gaze. Above she noticed a few wooden walkways connected to some stairs that circled the entire tree's height.
"You're building at a time like this?" Gandora had to ask.
This comment seemed only to make Marshmallon grin wider. "You'll find I'm a determined sort."
Once again, Gandora could only stare. "I'm not moving." She reiterated, all her earlier anger returned.
"You don't have to," Marshmallon said. Gandora was taken back. Weren't they going to force her? "I don't mind you resting here if that makes you feel better. We will be working above you, so if you move a smidge to the right and don't mind some construction, we can get on our way."
Gandora glanced behind her. Sure enough, there was a little crafted stairway leading up the tree's trunk. She then glanced down at the still smiling Marshmallon. She was stuck in a confusing state of wanting to snarl at the monster and fall over laughing at them. It was silent for many moments between them. Then, Gandora grunted as she shifted to one side of the hollow trunk.
"Thank you." Marshmallon gave a slight bow before hopping back towards the clearing. "We'll do our best to give you space."
"You better." Gandora rumbled. She looked over the little monster one more time before reluctantly murmuring her approval and laying back down.
Pretty soon, Marshmallon was back with the slightly shaking Madolche Cruffssant and many other small monsters. They all had various bags filled with a liquid-like magic Gandora had never seen before. The magic reflected the world around it like a solid mirror, yet it sloshed in their sacks. Gandora tried to hide her sudden interest as she listened to their plan.
They did as Marshmallon had promised and gave her a wide berth when they eventually made their way up the tree. Marshmallon stayed on the bottom to direct. Then multicolored sparks started flashing above her. Gandora couldn't help but stare as these tiny monsters suddenly had entire walls or doors they didn't have before. They then used some more magically inclined monsters to levitate the pieces into the tree's wall. They used the flashes created by the magic, and the light reflected off their vests to communicate quickly. They tried to do this as quietly as possible; however, Madolche Cruffssant did let a few choice words fly when one of the monsters accidentally teleported a whole wall on the dog's foot.
Gandora tried to ignore them and return to her revenge plans. Yet, she kept glancing up to watch the monsters slowly move up the carved stairs, leaving entire buildings and streets attached to the trunk. She never had space where she could decorate or change as these monsters had. In fact, she had never seen construction like this before, period. With their teleportation magic, they were able to summon whole building pieces and connect them to the inside of the tree. Then they would create pathways between the buildings. Some even stretching across to the other side of the trunk.
"Roads." Gandora whisper to herself. She couldn't keep her eyes off the growth.
"Since most domains are filled with endless fighting or monthly resets that set back long-term projects, building in the human style is often made with premade pieces. All to be quickly teleported in." Gandora turned to see Marshmallon talking to her as they looked over a clipboard. A clipboard they didn't have a few seconds ago and somehow held in their rolls of fluff.
"What?" Gandora asked.
"You seemed interested. Well, not just interested, enraptured." Marshmallon said. "And, I do love describing the process I helped perfect."
Gandora blinked and looked back up. "How does that magic work? Why don't they use it to teleport themselves?"
"Oh, I can't tell you the details there, trade secret. But I can say that magic doesn't quite work on living things. It'll randomly teleport them somewhere in the domain instead of our controlled placement. Could never quite calculate where they'd end up. You'll have to rely on spellcasters if you want that kind of power."
Gandora grunted in acknowledgment as she kept staring at the teamwork between the monsters. She then swallowed hard.
"May I ask why you're so interested in construction? Most monsters find it quite boring." Marshmallon asked as they not so slyly scooted closer to Gandora. The clipboard was suddenly gone in a flash of pink light.
Gandora remained quiet for a couple of heartbeats before slowly opening her mouth. "I'm of the archetype, Gandora the Dragon of Destruction. I...we... we don't build much."
"Oh," Marshmallon said in a softer voice, nodding their head. They then looked up the tree trunk, then back to Gandora. They did this in a cycle for about a minute. Gandora realized that the little monster was debating something. She stiffened. Were they finally going to force her to leave?
"You know, you could join in if you wanted." Marshmallon slowly began, the most unsure they sounded the entire day. "Most of the roads haven't been built yet, and since we have no winged beast today, you holding them up while we cement them in will speed up the process." Gandora stared down at the candy monster incredulously. At this point, the workers above had heard Marshmallon's offer, and all froze. Gandora could feel their eyes burning through the back of her head.
Gandora paused. "I could help you create?"
"Ah, sure." It was clear on Marshmallon's face they didn't think that would work. "I mean… I thought a fellow construction enthusiast might like to get their hands dirty?" Gandora's eyes narrowed. This, said by the monster who had been ordering everyone else around all day. They didn't even have hands to get dirty.
"Very few creatures are as accommodating as you are right now. Especially to an archetype that just decimated most of the domain." She waited for Marshmallon to look guilty or back down. But instead, their grin slowly returned, rows of sharp teeth and all.
"Any destruction has been since reversed and… Maybe I've lived so long I'm tired of all the hatred and mistrust that gets thrown around. Maybe I want to know better a fellow building enthusiast." They said, gaining that theatrical gravitas to their voice again. Gandora narrowed her eyes further. "Or, maybe I rather keep a reportedly dangerous dragon busy. Specifically, when I'm behind schedule and have no monsters over 1500 attack on my workforce." They said in their normal squeaky voice. "Whichever reasoning you believe more." To that, Gandora grumbled but accepted. They were trying to get free labor.
"Watch out!" Above, one of the workers was distracted by the two's conversation. She hadn't noticed as the bag strapped to her side tipped too far. The liquid magic spilled out in a large puddle before it sparked.
In a flash, a whole storefront appeared too far from the walkways. It only floated a moment before tumbling down towards the bottom. Marshmallon could only look up in horror as Gandora immediately went into action. She sprang up and caught the falling store. Despite its small size, it was incredibly dense. She felt as the force of the catch shook her body. Her knees were about to collapse when her orbs began to glow. The pain was converted into power, enough to lift the storefront like it was nothing. She then fully stood up and glared at the trembling monster that dared drop a store on her. She snorted and looked to the location they were trying to place the store. There were grooves carved into the tree for specific peg-like studs in the store walls to connect.
Gandora started to push the store into place when she paused. She could easily crush this. She then looked to her sharp claws, corded muscles, and glowing orbs. She was made to destroy; it was wired into her every cell and need. In fact, she would need to destroy soon to stop herself from building too much energy. But hadn't that been her flaw before, her inability to be a true Gandora? She never seemed to live up to the embodiment of destruction the other dragons did. That fighting spirit...
With a slight tug at her lips, Gandora slowly connected the building into its place on the tree. Imagining as if she was moving fragile eggs. When she removed her claws, the building stayed firmly attached to the tree wall. She then glanced at the other monsters staring at her.
"Aren't you going to connect it to the tree fully?" She asked. This seemed to wake the monsters up, and they ran over to better cement the building into place.
"That was amazing!" Marshmallon cheered as Gandora sat down on the bottom level. She looked over the strange little monster, somehow being both childish and yet probably older than she could imagine if they were to be believed.
"You really want my help?" She asked dubiously.
"Sure! I knew you could help us the moment I saw your reaction to cutting me in half." Marshmallon grinned as they started hopping towards the stairs. "You'll be working with Madolche Cruffssant and the road team-"
Gandora didn't know what to say. She listened as they explained her role in shocked silence. A small part wanted to go back to brooding in the corner, but Gandora couldn't do it. She needed to move. She needed to forget those words.
I am not your hatchling.
…
"Over to the left."
Gandora inched the large wall to the left, which was harder than it sounded as she couldn't see her path. She was stretched out on her tiptoes as she attempted to move the building into place. Her view was blocked by the crisscrossing walkways that now stretched all over the inside of the massive trunk. She had to rely entirely on the other workers and her ability to be gentle.
Working with these other monsters had been interesting, to put it mildly. They all worked like a well-oiled machine archetype. At first, Gandora seemed to wreck this. The others didn't know how to tell her what to do — making any project end in silent chaos. But Marshmallon lived up to their declaration of being a determined sort. They forced their workers to talk to Gandora and continually told them how kind and hardworking she was (despite not knowing the truth of that statement themself). She even thought she heard them whisper they'd give raises to those that spoke to her. As time went on, it became more comfortable for everyone. The other workers began to trust her more, especially when she saved many of them when a walkway collapsed. A few even started to joke with Gandora, be it be very strained jokes.
Even if Gandora couldn't understand why they warmed up to her so fast, let alone be kind to her, Gandora found she liked this — working with others to build instead of coordinating to destroy. The labor turned out to be another bonus. Anytime her thoughts dared wander towards the past or her failures, she simply threw herself into the next task. A static numb covered her mind. She was creating, not destroying. Creating.
"Stop! Now hold it there."
Gandora grunted. She was now balancing on one foot to get the right height for the building. If she fell, she would take down many walkways and even full buildings with her. The monsters were fast, thankfully, and once she heard the adhesion spell uttered, she carefully collapsed at the ground level.
"And I thought it was going to take much longer to get to this point." Marshmallon's voice came from outside the trunk. Gandora didn't open her eyes and tried to focus on the warm light. "I really do have to thank you. You turned a big production into a breeze." Marshmallon said as they hopped closer.
"When do we get more buildings, or are we constructing more walkways?"
"We're taking a break!" Madolche Cruffssant yelled from above.
"We must keep going." Gandora gasped.
"While I applaud the work ethic, I don't believe we can keep up with your pace anymore," Marshmallon said. Gandora noticed that new monsters had set up a few tables of food and drinks in the clearing outside the tree. She then looked up at the nearly constructed village.
"But we are so close to being done."
"I know, all thanks to you, but we must rest. I suggest you do too. Not even a monster as great as I can work forever,"
Gandora looked down at the little pink blob with wide eyes. "I-We have to keep working."
Gandora heard as footsteps on her newly constructed walkways signaled her losing battle. The monsters still gave her some distance as they passed. Though they did smile in her direction. One even warned her that kids would be coming, and he would be happy (well, happily uncomfortable) to introduce her to them. Apparently, it was a tradition for the children of these workers to come for the midday meal. Gandora declined and was relieved when they took no offense. She really did need space at that moment. Her shining orbs were proof of that.
The food provided was much too small for Gandora, not that she was hungry. She felt a stronger urge. It was only because she had stopped her frantic pace that she noticed how close her built-up power was to erupting. She first made sure the other monsters were really done for the moment, then started heading into the forest. She was almost gone when a group of children ran up to the workers — all without seeing her.
"Is it true?! Is there really a Gandora here?" One of the child monsters asked. It was only then the kids noticed Gandora. Each grew just as bug-eyed as the adults when they first saw her. Gandora gave an awkward wave and attempted to smile without showing her teeth. She didn't want to scare them. From their fearful reactions (including hiding behind adults or trying to start attacks that ended up blowing up in their faces), she might have frightened them more.
"Don't worry. Marshmallon said she was a good Gandora. And so far, she has been." One of the workers said as they collected the kids and ushered them to their respective parents. "Come, little ones."
"Little one." Gandora unconsciously whispered. They really thought she was good? She took a step towards the group, then stopped and turned away. Her emotions made the need to explode even more intense. This had been very reckless of her. She was a grown Gandora. She should have known better when she needed to destroy instead of holding off for so long.
"Marshmallon, can you make the other Gandora good too? I want to go to the ravines again," A puppy asked. Gandora froze mid-step. She didn't even notice as her ruby orbs started to dim.
"Oh, well…" Marshmallon stuttered, their unflappability finally falling as they glanced at Gandora. "I didn't make this Gandora do anything."
"There are no good or bad Gandora," She said in a low voice. Her rumble slightly vibrating the table. "Just stupid ones that don't understand they shouldn't treat others the way they were, simply because they are the stronger ones now."
"Right! That's an excellent lesson for anyone. See? She is simply a nice monster." Marshmallon said.
"Oh, is that why the Pharaoh took her as a spirit partner?" The puppy asked. All the monsters froze. That had been the one question they all had but were too smart to ask.
"He isn't my partner!" Gandora turned around and roared, ignoring the tears pricking her eyes.
Immediately all the children were pushed behind the adults as the higher ATK monsters stood in front.
"Hey, let's calm down now." Marshmallon quickly hopped in front of everyone. "Let's just eat and get ready to start building again. Make sure you don't drop your bags of magic. We don't want more accidents."
Gandora watched as the children were ushered away. Marshmallon was distracting her so they could get the kids to safety. She released her gritted teeth as she realized what this looked like. "I-I," she wanted to apologize, but the growing heat inside her was becoming suffocating. "I have to go." Gandora immediately turned from the shocked workers. She had to get away before she-
There was Dark Magician Girls castle, a clearing in the trees let Gandora see straight to it. She hadn't looked at it since her flight from it. The castle was built in two parts, being connected by a few hallways lined with glass. And there, in one large window, was Yugi. He was talking and laughing with Silent Magician. Gandora's entire body froze, even as she was put under unimaginable pressure.
That smile.
"Are you ok?" Marshmallon asked as they hopped to Gandora. When Gandora kept staring at the castle, they tried to get her attention by bumping into her foot. By the time Gandora realized Marshmallon's mistake, it was too late. Gandora was technically a 0 ATK monster, meaning Marshmallon's measly 300 ATK was enough to be considered an attack. Gandora absorbed the pat as damage. And as such, her body turned it into a tiny amount of power. A power she could no longer contain.
Gandora's orbs lost all their light and turned a deep black. Then each shot out a streak of crimson light. Gandora could only roar in pain as her body forcibly exploded around her.
…
"We're almost to the border!" Giga shouted as what was left of the Gandora flew through a stormy valley. Just as Hakairyuu's mysterious map had shown, the portal that led to their escape was only a few miles ahead. They could see it glowing in the mountainside, even through the torrential downpour. They were almost there.
"Watch out!" The warning of the falling boulders came too late for Hakairyuu. She didn't even see the Giant Soldiers of Stone as they flung their attacks at the fleeing Gandora. Hakairyuu didn't have time to think about why the giants would be so angry at them. Instead, she had to focus on not being crushed.
The other Gandora were much faster than her and more adept at flying. Thus they were able to weave through the storm of rocks. Hakairyuu tried to power through the hits, even glowing a bright crimson, but it was a large rock the size of her body that ended those plans. Hakairyuu did indeed explode, but the thrown boulder suppressed the force and was soon joined by more chunks. Hakairyuu was being buried alive, all her strength wasted in her accidental explosion.
Hakairyuu watched as the other Gandora escaped, a small part begging for them to come back, another thankful that they were going to be free. A lightning strike made Hakairyuu close her eyes. She wasn't planning on opening them again until a voice broke through the storm.
"No! I'm not leaving you, Mom!"
Hakairyuu's eyes popped open as her little one fought his way back to her. He could dodge the attacks while getting to her, but once he stopped to move boulders aside, he was taking hit after hit.
"Please go! I'll be fine!" Hakairyuu tried, but her child merely shook his head.
"No." He said with no room for argument in his words.
Just then, a great shadow covered the two. Hakairyuu watched in horror as the largest giants seemed to rip a nearby mountain peak and throw it at the two. Her child saw it too. He stood still, despite Hakairyuu's continued pleas. His orbs then glowed their brightest, making them shine almost white. This wasn't an ordinary explosion. This was a Gandora's most potent attack. Their death detonation.
"Please, be free for me." It was all he said before he went flying towards the coming attack. Another lightning strike added to his massive blast. The rocks that were once burying Hakairyuu became her shield as they took the brunt of the explosion and dissolved. The last she saw of her hatchling was white light.
Hakairyuu didn't know how she caught up to the rest of the Gandora. She was too numb. She had done it again; she had failed. She had lost another loved one, and not even in the war. It was her own weakness and escape plan that took him.
She didn't react when the Giant Soldiers of Stone ran away or when three humanoids wearing plate armor suddenly appeared. The Gandoras' protests as the three blocked off their exit were nothing more than dull buzzing in her ears. She barely registered the knight missing an eye pointing at her. It was only Giga shaking her that made her realize.
A way out. She was the only one with a way out.
She could see it in Giga's face. He didn't expect her to leave them behind. But at that moment, she didn't care. She silently pulled away from him and walked through the portal, roars of betrayal sounding flat.
When Hakairyuu found herself in the unnervingly perfect domain, with a blue sky once again above her head, she still didn't feel a thing. She was hollow. Cut open and left to bleed in the shining domain. But she didn't stay hollow. No, that'd be too kind. The coming month on that mountain, she was slowly, forcibly, filled. Guilt over her lost child. Guilt over her abandoned people. Guilt for being born. She couldn't stand it anymore. She couldn't even look at herself in the river without the sickly pain flooding back.
So, she made her way to the wishing well that was on the top of the mountain. She heard about it from the chattering Ivy Tokens when they didn't know she was there. She had even secretly listened to the littler dragons' gossip about the well's guardian. She put on the mask of what a dragon of destruction should be. She would fight, threaten, and demolish if it required. She would be the picture of what a strong Gandora was. Even if she lost herself in the process. As far as she was concerned, Hakairyuu had already died. It was just Gandora now.
…
Gandora came too in an ash-covered scar. She quickly looked around and recognized that this was once the clearing that surrounded the skyscraper trees. She then frantically searched for any of the other workers, not caring about the damage done to her body in the accidental explosion. Every muscle screamed at her, and she welcomed the pain.
When Gandora found no sign of the little duel spirits, her heart stopped. Not even Marshmallon. Had she…?
Gandora's eyes then locked on something that seemed to rip the rest of her hope out of her chest. The great hollow tree, the tree they had worked so hard to fill, had fallen. Its large size created its own path of destruction when it fell. Building scraps mixed with blackened bark littered the grey clearing. Gandora stood frozen, a war of fire and ice raging inside her. Then her tears returned. Her whole body shivered as she forced herself to move.
She ran over to the tree as if she could somehow put it back together. She picked up random pieces and, with blurry vision, tried to fix this. Every time the pieces touch, they crumbled into dust. As she looked at the crumbling remains in her hand, what should have been an internal meltdown suddenly stopped. Her gaze slowly raised as she surveyed the destroyed area. This was her work, her power. Her only power. Her "fighting spirit."
"Gandora!"
Gandora didn't move, not even as the distant rumbling of a Kuriboh stampede came closer. What was that little human to her? It wasn't her son, and now, he certainly was not a comrade or friend, whatever that little being had called it before.
Back on the mountainside, when Giga first brought her to fight Yugi, her ex-mate was trying to help. To prove to her people that she wasn't a cowardice traitor that only saved them because she couldn't live with her failures alone. It was the first time in Gandora's life that she actively tried to fight someone that wasn't the original attacker. She had thought maybe, just maybe, she could drown herself in this fighting spirit. Perhaps then her faults wouldn't hurt. She had tried to keep this façade up the mountain, even after she rescued the group. Yet, that boy's kindness made it all fall away. He and his friends made her feel for once in her life that maybe she was worth something more than a failed egg maker.
Yet, where did that get her?
"Gandora! We were so worried about you!" The boy yelled. Gandora didn't react as the whole clearing was filled with multicolored puffballs. She didn't turn to read Silent Magician's writing, even as it flickered right in her face. Another sign of the dragon's failings. If she could have been stronger on the mountain top, maybe the mage's magic wouldn't be this faint. A sign of lasting damage done to the spellcaster.
"Gandora?" She felt as the boy touched her side. She didn't acknowledge him, yet he kept persisting. Her boiling rage had long since frozen over. Everything was cold. Everything was an enemy.
She snarled, and this time didn't do a warning flick as she used her tail to whip him away. He was human, a famously frail race. She wasn't surprised when someone of her strength made him go flying across the clearing.
"What was that for?!" Gandora couldn't help but read those flickering letters this time as the mage ran to the boy's side, a brown Kuriboh following suit.
This was it. It was time to forgo these attempts at being anything other than what a Gandora was. A dragon of destruction. Not a friend, not a mother, not even a duel spirit. A monster of pure destruction. Gandora turned with teeth-bared. A true monster of destruction couldn't have connections like these three were trying to make. She turned with the resolution to make them leave and never come back. To make them pay for causing her pain!
Then there he was.
Yugi's wide eyes, that worried frown. Not caring about being attacked, not even concerned about the clearly angry dragon with dangerous intent. So was the little mage, the same archetype that was currently hunting her people down. She looked up at the great dragon as she helped Yugi to his feet, the same caring look in her eyes. The Kuriboh stood tall under the dragon's gaze, even with their inability to communicate in a way she understood. They were all worried for her. They wanted to still stand by her, despite her failures. Then Yugi smiled. A gentle smile that Gandora would follow to the ends of the earth to see again.
Why did she fail at everything she ever tried? She couldn't even be a monster.
Hakairyuu collapsed, letting all her pain flood in. Her tears flowed as Kuriboh, Silent Magician, and Yugi immediately ran to her, with no fear or hesitation. She continued to sob as she clung onto them like her soul depended on it. Because it truly did.