"We lived!" Hakairyuu cheered as she held Yugi close. Her power had long since dimmed, along with the shared energy the two had used to keep each other up. Now they were laid out in the Tree of Eden's grove as Silent Paladin did her best to heal the four.
Yugi stayed next to Hakairyuu, still shivering from the leftover adrenaline. He refused to be far from his spirit partners after all that. And since he was so determined to be by them, he wasn't surprised when his mother kept glancing back at him.
"It's ok, Mom, Hakairyuu won't hurt me," Yugi said, followed by a small squeak as Hakairyuu squeezed a little too hard.
"I know. Trust me, I know that by now." Mom said as she looked at the missing mountainside. "It's just… even though I've had to get used to monsters rather fast. It still worries your mother to see you clutched by one." She then smiled at Hakairyuu when the dragon gave her a hesitant, almost pleading, look. "Even if it's such a kind monster. Have I thanked you enough for protecting my boy yet?"
"If you should be worried for anyone, dear, it might be me," Dad flatly stated. This was followed by Mom's gasp when she turned and saw Giga holding Dad upside down by his leg.
"Giga! Be gentle with the human!" Hakairyuu growled. She tried to sit up but flopped back to the ground.
"I am! I just want to know how this human roared the ancient call." Giga said as he flipped Dad right-side up and let him drop in his palm. "Only our ancestor could call other Gandora like that. And he lived centuries ago. This is nothing more than a weak human." It looked like Giga was about to sniff Dad when he pushed away his snout.
"Yeah, no," Dad growled right back. He then stood on his palm as the other Gandora came to study him.
"Are you sure, father? He doesn't feel like a human." Ruin grunted.
"If I wasn't looking right at him, I'd think you were holding a very tiny Gandora." The littlest Gandora named Pieire said.
"I am a human!" Dad yelled. He swallowed hard as his hand drifted to where the Millenium Puzzle used to be on his hip. Dad then stomped on Giga's hand. Giga took that to mean he wanted off and put him down gently.
Dad walked over to Yami, who now held the puzzle in his hands. After everything, it was decided it was too dangerous for Yami not to have the puzzle on his person, even if he didn't like it. He needed to be able to move freely. But still, Yami refused to leave the item around his neck. So now he awkwardly held it, switching between clutching it close and only barely touching it.
Yami, at first, didn't look to Dad. He instead focused on making sure Dark Magician ate some of the magic fruit. So when Dad cleared his throat, Yami's grip on the puzzle tightened.
"Yami… Why did you give the puzzle to me originally?"
Yami kept twisting the item in his hands as he thought, now not meeting Dad's gaze.
"Yeah, what is going on, Yami?" Yugi asked. He looked questioningly at his healer, and Silent Paladin gave him the thumbs up. He thanked her and slipped out of Hakairyuu's grip.
"I don't know… And that's what worries me." Yami whispered. He then gestured around. "This split puzzle has caused nothing but trouble. From Yugi and I losing energy to you somehow using it to do some ancient Gandora shout. Does it also have to do with the ATK you suddenly have, or is it unrelated to the puzzle?"
"ATK? Ha! I don't care how strange this human is supposed to be. He has no ATK." Giga guffawed.
"As unprecedented as it is, he does indeed." Grandma Blue-Eyes said. She was still wobbly after her scar was attacked, but she and Zara were walking around freely.
Giga stopped laughing and scrutinized the tiny human. Dad glared right back at the massive dragon. Yugi almost wanted to smile at the attempted display of strength between the two. Even if Yugi didn't believe his father was a duel spirit, Yugi did think he would fit right in with the Gandora, personality-wise.
Giga snorted. "Really? Because I got none from his puny stomp. Remember I… " He then exhaled. "...have 0 ATK. If he had any monster strength, it would have been transferred to me as damage."
Dad's hands balled into fists, both shaking from the force he put into them. He then relaxed with a dissatisfied sigh. He shook his head and gestured to Dark Magician. "You mind sacrificing a shoulder again, Houdini?"
Dark Magician nodded and floated to his feet. He lifted his hand so his palm was flat and facing Dad. Dad then pulled back and threw a punch, not the weak slap from last time. Yugi flinched, thinking it'd be worse than the hit in the cave. But there was no thwack. In fact, there was no sound. The mage's hand didn't even move.
Dark Magician shook his head as Dad pulled back.
Dad stared at his hand and whispered. "Did I give it all to stop Silent Swordsman? Or did that call use it up?" He then looked to, of all people, Yami. The Pharaoh seemed to panic under his gaze and haphazardly stuffed the puzzle into his jacket pocket.
"Dad, what do you mean 'use it up?'" Yugi asked as he shook Dad's shoulder. "Is this actually connected with the puzzle? I thought it was something to do with the Knights' spell?"
Dad blinked slowly as he looked from Yami to Yugi. His expression was tired, something Yugi wouldn't be surprised by if it wasn't for the melancholy edge he took on.
Dad eventually took a deep breath. "I-I don't know either. I really don't. I have many things to… figure out. However, if my years in therapy have taught me one thing, it's not to jump into things emotion-wise until I've had time to sit down." He then turned to the Gandora and other Duel spirits. His eyes kept jumping from everyone, eventually landing back on his worried family. "But, know I can't do that ancient call thing again. So, don't expect another miracle from me. I only have the name Gandora now, nothing more."
Yugi took a step back. He had never heard his father talk so freely about that name before. It seemed he wasn't the only one astounded as Hakairyuu leaped to her feet (much to Silent Paladin's chagrin).
"Wait! You are the reason my wish didn't work!" Hakairyuu stomped over and bent down so her newly scarlet eyes could meet Dad's crimson. Dad stood his ground, but he didn't say anything to her.
"Gentle with the human, Gandora." Giga chuckled.
Yugi quickly followed as he put himself between the two. "Hakairyuu! That's my Dad, your glaring down."
"We want to make friends, right?" Marshmallon also jumped to Yugi's side.
Hakairyuu blew a smoky breath but nodded. "Right…"
"Besides, Hakairyuu." the flickering blue letters read. Silent Paladin finally finished with Silent Magician, and she was allowed to get up, along with Kuriboh. The fuzzball hopped into Silent Magician's arms as she came over. The spellcaster then gave a friendly pat to Hakairyuu as she gestured behind the group. "It was the wishing well and these 'fine' folk that ruined everything."
There, the three Silents were wrapped in the tightest bonds magic could make. Silent Lancer and Silent Beast Master were still struggling, even while being injured. But, Silent Swordsman was genuinely silent. He slumped in his binds and didn't raise his eyes from the ground, his face showing no emotions. That didn't make the attention to him lax. He still had the most guards on him via Silent Spy, the three beasts, and Zara.
"That's right," Giga growled as he looked over the Silents. "What are we going to do with them-?"
Before the big question could be discussed, Grandma Blue-Eyes stood to attention.
"I am getting something important from the older Solomon!" She announced to the group. "Dark Magician Girl! Open communications with your castle!"
"The castle?" Yugi asked. "Does that mean Grandpa and Red-Eyes got there safe?"
Dark Magician Girl directed Silent Spy to use his eyeglass to focus her magic. With it, she was able to send a bolt of pink energy down the mountain. The group waited a few moments, and then a bloom of sunlight appeared in the middle of the grove. The spell snapped into an image, much like looking into a floating mirror. Yet, on the other side of the pane was Grandpa as he sighed in relief.
"Thank goodness you're alright," Grandpa said as he rested his hand on his chest. His family just about toppled over themselves to get closer to the magic message.
"Grandpa!" Yugi cheered.
"They're finally in a safe place to talk? Great!" Red-Eyes nearly shoved Grandpa aside just to barely get his head into the frame.
"You're all ok!" Yui beamed.
"Yes, it was a surprisingly easy ride down," Grandpa replied.
"If you call controlling a whole pack of overly excited beast monsters easy," Red-Eyes added.
"We were more worried for you all. Especially when Grandma Blue-Eyes stopped responding to my thoughts."
"Yeah, it got… interesting." Dad nervously laughed. "But we are all ok now. We even have some of the Gandora with us."
The group then explained what had happened to them. The entire time Grandpa and Red-Eyes seemed to grow paler.
"That is truly something," Grandpa whispered. It looked like he was going to say more when a small feathered Silent came into frame. She whispered something to Red-Eyes and then quickly darted away.
"There are other Silents down there?" Yami asked.
"Yes," Red-Eyes said. "It turned out while we were going up the mountain, most monsters headed directly to Dark Magician Girl's castle, including all of the good Silents. There they worked with the citizens to figure out what was going on. Once Grandpa Muto and I got down, they happily let us take charge."
Grandpa nodded. "From there, we got infrastructure going so we could help displaced monsters and stop the enemy Silents' ambushes. We think we managed to collect most of the Silent archetype scattered around the domain. We even got that Silent Android from the cave-in. We haven't been as far up the mountain as you all have gone, but the monsters here say this is just about everyone. Anyone still siding with Silent Swordsman has been put in the dungeon below the castle. I expect we'll deal with them after all this."
"You did all of that?" Dark Magician Girl said. The other Silents looking just as amazed, including Silent Lancer and Silent Beast Master. "In that short of time?"
"They were very excited to prove that they had changed," Red-Eyes said. "A few said they wanted to live up to Silent Magician's example."
Yugi couldn't help but look at Silent Magician's reaction. She was unable to hide her grin as she held her hand to her mouth. Yugi smiled and grabbed her other hand so he could excitedly swing it with her. This had been her dream, after all, her archetype becoming the protectors they once were.
"And it's also thanks to the Silents searching through the domain that we, just this minute, found some vital spirits," Grandpa said, his expression growing serious. "I believe a long time ago Dark Magician Girl sent out some scouts to find the Three Legendary Knights."
Dark Magician Girl leaned closer to the message. "Yes, but that was before I realized we were in a lockdown."
"Well, those messengers finally got back to the castle. The Knights are indeed at the top of the mountain, and they need our help, now." Grandpa said. "I hate to say this, but your group is the closest."
…
The three Silents were sent to the castle with a large guard to ensure they made it down. The guard's lead was Zara since she could fly them down and had one of the highest ATKs. Along with her came the beasts as extra support. Most of the Gandora also went down. One, to help make sure the Silents didn't try anything, and two, they wanted to check on their comrades below. They were suddenly separated from them thanks to Junior's call. Giga led them, leaving Hakairyuu, Pieire, and Ruin with the group heading to the Knights.
Yami wished them all success. And while he knew Silent Lancer and Silent Beast Master would continue fighting, he highly doubted Silent Swordsman would. Silent Swordsman's utter inability to react to anything was something Yami recognized too well. It looked like Silent Swordsman was going through his own mind crush.
And so the family continued up the mountain. Grandma Blue-Eyes led the way, with Hakairyuu (who protectively carried Marshmallon and Kuriboh) not far behind. The magicians and the remaining Silents made up the back. Silent Spy used his spyglass to watch Dark Magician Girl's castle. He ended up not needing to warn the family of anything as no other monsters got in their way. In fact, nothing but the rain was an obstacle (probably all thanks to Hakairyuu's avalanche-destroying blast.) Yami should have been relieved that there was no trouble. Yet, his heart continued to thud as they crested the last ridge and a flat outcropping stretched in front of them. Since the peak was right below the rift, the rain and thunder were much heavier. But through the downpour, Yami saw the vague shape of the lone wishing well.
"Here we are again," Hakairyuu whispered. Yugi gave a comforting pat on her leg, and Yami recognized it as Yugi trying to calm himself.
"Blessings on you for coming so quickly!" Came a booming voice from above.
Everyone searched the dark skies but initially saw no one. Then in a flash of green light, Timaeus appeared. Yami could barely make him out thanks to the downpour and how brightly the rift shone beside him.
"I will skip the pleasantries. We require your assistance once again." Timaeus said. His voice was initially firm, but it wavered as the rift shook, causing another wave to crash through the sky. Timaeus unsheathed his sword and used it to pry into the portal. He had to put his whole weight into holding his weapon there.
Timaeus gritted his teeth as he spoke. "We have been fighting this ever since we came through. The rift is collapsing, taking the dimensional barrier with it."
"And that's bad?" Hakairyuu nervously asked.
"Of course it is!" Silent Magician wrote, her mouth agape. "Since the human world and this world are parallel dimensions, we are going to crash into each other! The damage will be apocalyptic!"
"What caused the rift to fail like that?!" Silent Paladin added, she and Silent Spy looking just as terrified.
"It perhaps was due to the humans that came through when it was not built to support them," Hermos snapped as he materialized in red light. He immediately joined Timaeus in holding the rift open with his sword.
The Mutos glanced guiltily at each other as the other monsters pretended they didn't know who the Knights were referring to.
In another flash of light, Critias reappeared. He gave a light slap on the back of Hermos's helmet and then signed something.
"Right, this is not the time to lay useless blame," Hermos breathed.
Timaeus nodded to Critias and then disappeared into the rift. Critias replaced him in keeping the portal from collapsing.
"Timaeus traveled to the other end to help hold the human-side open," Hermos explained. "We-" The rift trembled as more magic spread across the sky. The rain coming through the rift shuttered with it. The two Knights then yelled something in Atlantian as magic flowed through their swords. The portal stopped vibrating, and the rain stopped.
It became snow that swept the peak.
The humans and smaller monsters were blown back by the cold wind, only to be saved by Grandma Blue-Eyes's large wings. Yami could barely see through the white slurry, but he could make out the Knights losing control of the rift.
The purple sky suddenly took on a blue tint, and it was not from the snow. The color spread past the horizon as the blizzard lessened. The Knights seemed just as surprised by this as the others. As the wind died down, Yami was able to see a figure standing below the rift.
"Silent Magician?" Yugi asked.
Silent Magician stood in front of the group with her staff pointed up, blue cracks once again surrounding her. Her eyes were entirely focused on the sky. Though she stood tall, Yami could see the mage trembling. Sweat beaded down her face as her death grip on her staff tightened.
"What is she doing?" Yami asked.
"The Silent archetype used to be the border guardians," Yugi realized. He then gestured for the other two Silents to come forward. "She's attempting to hold the border together, isn't she?"
Silent Paladin nodded, her eyes wide as she stared at Silent Magician.
"Is that something you two could help in?" Yami asked.
The Silents glanced trepidatiously at each other. Then Silent Paladin gave an apologetic bow to Yami. "To be honest, great Pharaoh, Silents like us… The border will reject us. We have very little power over it."
"Now is not the time to hesitate!" Hermos yelled.
Both Silents immediately cringed away from the rift. Yami practically felt their fear as they eyed the Knights. When Hermos saw this, it seemed like he wanted to speak, but another shudder from the rift made him cry out in pain. Timaeus then reappeared and helped Hermos pull his sword out and travel through the portal. Timaeus then diligently took his place next to Critias.
"What my uncle meant to say," Timaeus said between clenched teeth. " I know the last time we met was under… unfavorable circumstances, and I apologize for that. But now is not the time for either of us to hold onto the past. The spirit world needs your help. If you can assist long enough for us to close the rift, we can end this."
Silent Paladin and Silent Spy still looked hesitant. Then Silent Paladin shook her head as she reached out. "No. All apologies fall squarely on us to give. Let me start one now."
Silent Spy copied her as he raised his hand too. In their outstretched fingers, a sliver of rainbow weaved, but it was only for a split second. It soon disappeared from both their grips.
"It's definitely falling apart." Silent Spy wrote, his shoulders slumped. "I don't think I could grab it even if I was still fully connected to the border."
"Try again." Hakairyuu humphed as she strode up to the two and grabbed their hands. "This is a weak performance from the archetype I witnessed save mine."
Silent Paladin pulled away from Hakairyuu and held her arm to her chest. "That's very different! Healing the Gandora's biological curse and keeping the entire dimensional barrier up couldn't be more separate!"
"Really?" Ruin asked with a tilt of her head. "You forget, we witnessed the kind of power you Silents have multiple times. We have also seen this kind of fear before. Why are you scared of the power that makes you Silents?"
Silent Paladin was slightly shaking, and Yami was sure it wasn't from the cold wind. Then Silent Magician moved somewhat. It wasn't a lot, but it immediately got the other Silents' attention. Silent Magician managed a small but confident smile. It was such a small gesture, but both Silents seemed to steel themselves after seeing her faith in them.
"We aren't scared… Just rusty." Silent Paladin wrote more to herself than the Gandora.
The two Silents took in a breath as they reached out at the same time. When they breathed out, the slight rainbow fabric wove itself between their fingers again. It was brighter this time and stayed firmly in their grip. They then summoned their soul items. The sheer material wrapped itself around their items as the two raised them to the sky.
The purple sky lightened, taking on a green and brown tint to it. Yami was about to breathe a sigh of relief when the Knights groaned again. Another wave of magic rocked the sky as Silent Paladin and Silent Spy were thrown on their backs.
"Are you ok?" Yugi asked as he and the others helped the two to their feet.
"We're just too out of practice." Silent Spy murmured. "I have only ever protected the border in the Necrovalley domain. While the border connects together, each domain still feels wildly different. And the only one in this reincarnation to have protected this domain was Silent Magician… and I guess Silent Swordsman in his youth."
"I'm sorry." Silent Paladin said, her voice weak. "It's responding to us again, but it won't be enough."
Everyone began worriedly talking amongst themselves as Silent Magician, and the Knights continued to fight the collapsing dimension. Yami began to feel the pressure too. He thought about what Silent Spy had written, his brown lettering still briefly in the air.
"Timaeus!" Yami yelled after rereading his words. "Is the rift destroying only this domain's part of the border, or is it in every domain?"
"The major damage is here, but yes, all the domains are affected."
"What if we brought all the Silents to the domains they're accustomed to and had them support the border there?"
Yugi lit up when he heard that. "It'd be like holding up the corners of a blanket instead of just standing at the center. Would that take the edge off you guys?"
The Knights spoke briefly amongst themselves. Even waiting for a switch so Hermos could listen.
"We would need every domain manned, but yes. It could work." Timaeus said.
"We have been fighting this rift for hours. One more will not end us." Hermos added.
…
Dark Magician Girl summoned another message mirror so the group could contact the castle. It would take a while to get everyone in place, but the Knights agreed it would be worth it. The Knights even spared a small amount of energy to allow tiny groups to move through the lockdown.
"If we are going to do this, they need my leadership down there. Not just through this message spell," Dark Magician Girl said.
"I can help too. I know just about every domain leader and backways into the domains." Marshmallon added.
"Ok, so are we all going back down the mountain?" Dad asked.
Grandma Blue-Eyes shook her head."I rather us not. I want to be up here to report on the Knights to Grandpa down at the castle. Just in case Dark Magician Girl's magic fails."
"I'm not abandoning Silent Magician and the Knights here to fight alone," Yugi said.
"And I won't be leaving Yugi again anytime soon," Yami added, the other family members readily agreeing.
The family stood together, even in the biting wind. Kuriboh kept hopping around them and snuggled where they could to fight the blizzard. They seemed even less interested in leaving. Dark Magician also chose to remain, though he gave Dark Magician Girl a proud nod.
"Then… I can get you down the mountain faster by flying." Hakairyuu sighed, clearly not wanted to leave Yugi's side.
"No, Mom, you remain here with your spirit partner. We'll take them down the mountain." Pieire said.
"Yeah, let us take them." Ruin said with a toothy grin. "Don't try to lie. You know we are much faster flyers than you, mother."
And with that, the two groups once again separated.
Down at the castle, the Silents immediately jumped to help. Even some of the Silents that had initially sided with Silent Swordsman stood ready. However, some still refused to help. They said that the "traitor" Silents were trying to trick them. Yugi had no idea how such a supposed plan would help in any way, but he knew logic didn't mix well with bitterness. With Silent Swordsman still being unresponsive, there was no way to convince them, even at that trying time.
"Can't win everyone over." Yugi sighed as the family looked through Dark Magician Girl's magic to help organize everyone. They were all bunched together under Grandma Blue-Eyes and Hakairyuu, trying to block out the cold.
"Didn't the Knights say they needed everyone?" Dad asked.
"We'll do our best with the Silents we have," Red-Eyes explained through the mirror. "There will be at least one Silent in every domain."
"It'll be hard on them, though," Yugi murmured as he glanced at the grimacing Silent Magician.
Once Dark Magician Girl finally got to the castle, she used her power as a domain leader to contact the other leaders. Most of these other domains were in chaos thanks to the lockdown. After everything was explained, some leaders had issues letting Silents control their domain's dimensional shielding again. But the destruction they saw hanging over their head quickly helped bygones be bygones. Even the Crags had stopped their endless war to focus on the barrier.
The Silents that helped the most with the next part of the plan was a petite harpy named Silent Messenger and Silent Paladin. Silent Messenger's ability connected Dark Magician Girl's magic with everyone else and sped up the communication process. Then Silent Paladin was able to move Silents where they needed to go. She had commented it would have been easier if Silent Lancer did this since he could teleport big groups. However, since he was still fighting his imprisonment, they knew he wasn't an option.
"It's been interesting to be back in the Crags," Giga said over the message mirror. Along with every Silent going to a different domain, they each had a Gandora or two to protect them, just in case the resentment monsters felt outweighed their intelligence. If there were any such cases, the giant and frankly terrifying dragons kept them away.
"And thanks to his knowledge of the area, he led us wonderfully." A female monster named Silent Shield Bearer wrote.
When everyone was in place, the family looked nervously to the skies. They didn't know what they were looking for. But once the Silents gave their power to the border, they immediately noticed a difference. The purple in the sky almost completely disappeared and was replaced by an aurora of drifting colors. Each Yugi was sure was one of the Silent's unique hues.
"It is… better..." Timaeus said as the three Knights were able to relax their hold. Timaeus then tentatively removed his sword from the rift. The other Knights had to focus entirely on the portal to keep it stable. Still, thanks to the Silents, Timaeus could begin closing the rift.
Yugi then felt something he hadn't felt in a long time. It was an inaudible snap, but he remembered the intensity behind it all the same. Yugi turned to see a red light shine from the depths of the wishing well. This light continued to pulse until it completely disappeared from the wishing well's shaft. This red light then surrounded Dark Magician Girl's message mirror.
"What is-" Yugi began to say as the mirror disappeared in that same flash of red.
Timaeus shuddered and froze midair. The other knights notice just in time to witness Timaeus disappear in a red flash soon after the mirror went.
"No! I refuse for this to happen again!" Hermos screamed as he let go of the portal. Critias grimaced as he threw all his weight into holding the rift alone. As he did that, Hermos began what looked like a complicated spell. The red magic returned but, this time, it spat out Timaeus. All the Knights seemed absolutely drained after that. However, they couldn't rest as the rift continued to tremble. They each had to put all their strength back into it, just to keep it secured.
"What is the wishing well doing?!" Yugi blanched.
This got everyone to turn as the depths of the well released another burst of magic.
"The pangde qut Exodia is trying to banish us again," Hermos grunted before he too abruptly disappeared.
Critias let go of the rift to bring Hermos back, Timaeus barely holding the portal. Yugi's blood then ran cold as he heard Silent Magician scream. She held desperately to her staff as her legs gave out, and she fell to her knees. However, she kept her eyes to the sky, and her magic never left the border.
"Silent!" Hakairyuu cried as she ran to her side. She did her best to hold up the mage as more cracks spread across Silent Magician. "She can't hold this for much longer!"
Silent Magician tried to reassure Hakairyuu with a pat, but she missed. Then Critias disappeared, and she couldn't spare any focus as the Knights worked to bring him back.
"Now that we are close to ending this… it awoke to fulfill... Red-Eyes's wish." Timaeus hissed.
"Can't Red-Eyes rescind his wish?" Dad asked.
"No." Grandma Blue-Eyes growled. The way she looked past everyone let Yugi know she was mentally contacting Grandpa. "The wishing well can teleport one thing at a time, so be careful."
"It's simply a trap, right?" Yami whispered. He then slunk out from under Grandma Blue-Eyes to get a better look at the well. "Can't we destroy it like a trap card?"
"More... than... a trap card. It will react worse… the more threatened it feels." Timaeus groaned. "It… will defend itself... and its wishes."
"Yami, back up." Yugi grabbed the Pharaoh's hand.
Yami looked towards the unmoving wishing well and shook his head. He then whispered to only Yugi. "Can I wish that we find a way to end it or something like that?"
"No. This wishing well wants to hurt-" Yugi began before the wishing well's inner depths started to glow gold. In that same flash of light, Yugi and Yami found themselves surrounded by golden magic.
Yugi heard as everyone screamed for them. But it was soon nothing more than distant calls as the wishing well sent the two away.
…
Yami suddenly found himself in a large but dim room. There were glowing runes all along the grey walls, the only bit of color in the place. Yami felt Yugi back into him. They realized at about the same time that they had been brought to a dungeon. A prison filled with shackled Silents.
"I'm getting really tired of being teleported around." Yugi groaned. "And I guess since we are half a person, we counted for the wishing well's one creature limit."
"Let's get out of here," Yami said. He still couldn't believe he did something as stupid as to wish on the well. That thing's hearing must have been excellent if it heard even his distant whispers. "This must be what Timaeus meant when he said the well defended itself. However, it won't get far if it keeps trying cheap tricks like this."
When the Silents realized the Pharaohs were there, soundless chaos erupted in the prison. All were tied in such a way they couldn't grab the Mutos, but some were willing to try. The others merely jeered or insulted them in both spoken word and writing.
Yami and Yugi held closer to each other, just out of reach of the prisoners. Yami then reached into his jacket pocket and found the rocky Millenium Puzzle still there, along with his Gandora crystal.
"We have at least this to defend ourselves," Yami said as he pulled out the gem.
The two slowly moved through the room. Yami at first thought it was odd that there were no guards that noticed them, but then he realized what the runes were for. They seemed to not only suppress the Silents' abilities and movement, but they also made a magic wall to stop any escape.
"Hey! We're not Silents!" Yugi yelled as he and Yami slammed on the barrier.
As the two called, Yami's eyes fell across the hallway. On one end was the stairs to the higher floors, and on the other was a single room. The runes got much more numerous as they traveled along the walls. They each glowed a different shade as they led to the center of a cell. There, was the slumped figure of Silent Swordsman. He hadn't reacted to any commotion and kept his vacant gaze to the floor.
"Yugi?" Both boys lit up as Grandpa limped down the steps. "Are you two ok?!"
"The wishing well teleported us here. It's currently trying to send the Knights away again. And that is making the border break more!" Yugi explained.
For the first time in hours, Silent Swordsman glanced up. He met Yami's eyes by accident and immediately looked back to the floor.
"Yes, Grandma Blue-Eyes filled me in," Grandpa said as he clumsily traced some symbols on the wall next to them. The barrier fell away, and Yugi and Yami stumbled forward. Then the magic returned, keeping all the Silents in place.
Both boys immediately hugged Grandpa. He was still sore in his back, but he happily reciprocated.
"Good to see you too." Grandpa began leading them up the stairs. "I mentally told the family that you two are safe. Come, let's find a way to get you to the others."
Yugi and Grandpa headed straight for the stairs, but Yami found his steps slow. His eyes kept going back to Silent Swordsman. His hand then flew to the puzzle in his pocket. Had it... vibrated? But when Yami felt it, it was nothing more than ice-cold stone. But that surprise stopped him in his tracks as he continued to study Silent Swordsman.
Silent Swordsman had been the only other Silent to control this domain's border. He also led all these fanatic Silents, monsters that knew a thing or two about teleporting.
"Yami?" Yugi shook his shoulder.
Yami pressed his lips together as he tried to articulate what he was thinking. How to make this not sound foolish?
"We need help up there. The Knights aren't going to be able to hold on forever."
Yugi tilted his head. He then saw where Yami was looking and quickly glanced from Silent Swordsman to the Pharaoh. "No, Yami… Don't start thinking he's supposed to be the answer to your wish. The wishing well was playing with us. It was just trying to get us away."
Yami closed his eyes and focused, trying to keep emotions from his thoughts. They didn't have a lot of options. While Silent Swordsman was an undeniably strong monster, he also had done nothing but hurt and manipulate others. Yami knew a simple friendship speech would not fix this. But Yami then recalled when he wasn't so different. When the shadows were all he knew. Yami then remembered Junior and the words his father had imparted to him while at the police station. This also brought along thoughts on Tetsu's and even Kaiba's own experiences.
"Let me take a look at him," Yami said as he walked over to the prison. Yami and Yugi had seen every type of evil in their eventful high school years. And Yami noticed something in all of them, the look they gave him after losing, especially those who were willing to help them. If he didn't see something similar in Silent Swordsman, he would leave immediately. But...
"Silent Swordsman, the border is collapsing," Yami said in an even voice.
The green boy laughed a joyless bark. "This just proves how useless the Knights really are."
"You actually believe us?" Yugi asked as he hesitantly stood next to Yami. The two glanced at each other, and Yami was thankful they had shared a brain for the last few years. Yugi seemed to tentatively follow Yami's logic or at least trusted the Pharaoh enough to jump in. "I heard most of your allies didn't."
"The others might not believe you, but I can feel the change in the border, even from here."
"Then why haven't you helped?" Yugi asked.
Silent Swordsman merely shrugged and wrote nothing more. Yami recognized what he was doing. From what he had heard from Yugi's stories, Silent Swordsman had been a negotiator when the Silents were mercenaries. Silent Swordsman was trying to force them to come to him, to give the warrior an advantage. Yami wasn't going to play that game.
"You want the dimensions to collide?" Yami asked. There was no real emotion in his voice for Silent Swordsman to use. Just simple facts.
"Of course not." Silent Swordsman wrote, still not looking up.
"It sure seemed like it," Yugi remarked. "You had lots of time to lead the other Silents into ending the lockdown. Yet, you focused on hurting the domain and the Gandora."
"We're not some genocidal fiends!" Silent Swordsman tried to lean forward but was pulled back by his shackles. This made him finally look up to Yami. And there, Yami saw what he was looking for. There was hate in the warrior's eyes (Yami would have been suspicious if he hadn't seen that), but there was also a light in there. Maybe it was the remains of what used to be the heroic Silent Swordsman. Or perhaps it was just desperation of knowing they might all die soon. Either way, Yami knew he had to speak to that part of the warrior.
"I did say everything was collapsing. And at this moment, you have the power to help." Yami stated. "Silent Magician is currently holding up this part of the border as the other Silents guard the other domains." Yami didn't miss how Silent Swordsman seemed to perk up at Silent Magician's mention. "The wishing well is also trying to teleport the Knights away. They are using their magic to fight it. But it would be better if they could spend their energy elsewhere."
Silent Swordsman's eyes drifted to Yami's crystal. Yami quickly pocketed it so it wouldn't interfere with their discussion. Silent Swordsman then straightened himself. Even wrapped in chains, he still managed to seem in control.
"I can help with that. Easy. Your border problem and even the wishing well's power. But for this help, I'd like something in return. I'll even wait until everyone is safe to negotiate on this."
"Yami, do we really trust Silent Swordsman?" Grandpa whispered.
Yami narrowed his eyes. "Perhaps not."
Silent Swordsman leaned forward. He then wrote with shakier lettering. "You think I'm crazy enough to let everyone die? Just for some grudge against you?"
"I think you guys are right. Let's go." Yami said.
Yami turned and walked away with the others. He saw silver words at the edge of his vision, saying how they needed him and how they were all going to die. But Yami purposefully ignored them. While he started this discussion, he didn't desire a negotiation. He needed Silent Swordsman to want this just as much as they did. That was the only way Yami felt he could trust him. And for a bit, Yami thought that might not happen. Maybe Silent Swordsman would let them leave. If that was the case, Yami began trying to think of a new plan.
Then they all felt the dungeon shake. This was followed by the sounds of monsters on the higher level panicking. It must have been another wave from the rift.
The three then heard something else.
"Wait!" Cried Silent Swordsman. He seemed surprised at himself for speaking. But then he shook his head and continued. "I… I hate when she's right."
Yami wasn't quite sure what that meant, but Silent Swordsman's following nod told Yami enough. He would help. But before Yami did anything, he looked to Yugi. As he was the one most hurt by Silent Swordsman. Yugi scrutinized the warrior. He then took a step forward and kneeled to face Silent Swordsman.
"I'll.. tell you… what you need." Silent Swordsman slowly spoke, his voice weak.
"Even if it doesn't get you free from this prison?" Yugi asked. "This is just to help the rift and the Knights. You'll most likely go right back to this cell once it's all over."
"Yes." the warrior said, his eyes returning to the floor. He then started magically writing again. "It's not much use to reincarnate if there's nowhere to be born. And I rather like everyone being alive. "
Yami wasn't so sure he fully trusted that reasoning, but then again, they've worked with villains in the past with worse motivations. Yugi seemed to be content with it as he stood and nodded to the other two.
"But what can he even do?" Grandpa asked. "If the wishing well is teleporting everyone that tries to stop it?"
"Get a summoning chain started." Silent Swordsman wrote.
"A what?" Yami asked.
"It's something we Silents have made a few times before. It uses two Silents with teleporting abilities to keep us on the battlefield, no matter what spell or trap displaces us. And all we need for this situation is Lancer and Paladin. Lancer teleports silents to other Silents, and Paladin pulls Silents to a place she pre-designates as the 'field.'"
"So you want your buddy out of jail so you can run?" Grandpa asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Paladin is still loyal to you, right? If Lancer tries anything, she can bring us back immediately. And I'd like to see this wishing well teleport faster than those too." Silent Swordsman wrote with a surprising amount of pride in his expression.
"But how will that help the Knights? I thought you guys could only teleport other silents."
Silent Swordsman hissed between his teeth. "Those freaks- The Knights are half-human, right?"
"We believe," Yami replied.
"True, their abilities only work on the Silent monsters. But our archetype is born with items so integral to us, they might as well be part of our body. Items that can be held by something that's not a monster. And if those not-monsters hold on tight to the items, well, they'll just have to be taken along. It's a trick Lancer and I came up with very recently. Silent Paladin hasn't even realized it yet."
No one trusted this. This seemed like a loophole found in the game based on this world instead of anything real. Silent Swordsman immediately noticed their growing distrust.
"Please." He managed to gurgle. It almost sounded like it was painful for him to make such a sound, yet he continued using his voice. "Leave me here if you must, but take Lancer. I can talk to him to make sure he works with you."
"He means it," Yugi said in a low voice.
Yami released a long breath. He might regret this later, but he wanted Silent Swordsman to come up the mountain with them. Yami knew to keep his enemies close, Silent Swordsman knew his silent companion's abilities better, and Silent Magician needed help. But, Yami wasn't going to let Silent Swordsman freely roam.
The Mutos talked it over amongst themselves, then decided to call Dark Magician Girl, Zara, and Red-Eyes from above. (Marshmallon wasn't by the castle at the time, they were out in the various domains helping the Silents). The three had been trying to contact the mountain after the wishing well took out their communication. They had been so preoccupied they hadn't noticed Grandpa leaving. To say the least, the three were shocked to find the Muto brothers down in the dungeon.
The sky continued to darken, and all heard how bad it was in the other domains from the other Silents. The whole dimension needed help, and it had to start from the rift. So after much more discussion, it was decided to try Silent Swordsman's plan. They called for Silent Paladin, and Grandpa relayed this plan up the mountain.
Dark Magician Girl followed Yami and Yugi as they went back to the dungeon. Silent Swordsman was released from his many shackles. He took a step forward and then collapsed, Yami catching him. When he helped the warrior to his feet, the monster began to grow in height.
"No! Stay in your LV 3 form!" Dark Magician Girl ordered.
Silent Swordsman nodded and then thanked Yami for his help. "I still haven't completely healed from the broodmother's attack." Silent Swordsman muttered as he readjusted the long blue and white clothing he wore.
Silent Swordsman was then flanked by Dark Magician Girl and the brothers as they walked him to the other cell. The Silents there gasped and cheered in equal measure. Silent Swordsman reacted to none and simply pointed to Silent Lancer.
Dark Magician Girl's finger lingered on the release seal. "Here we go." She whispered to herself. Then she magically brought the shocked Silent Lancer forward and through the barrier. Dark Magician Girl released his shackles but then pulled both Silents to face her. "If something is even a little bit off. You two will be going back to somewhere much worse than this dungeon."
Yami was surprised at how threatening the pink magic girl sounded. Silent Lancer seemed to readily agree, nodding to her multiple times. Silent Swordsman, though, remained stone-faced.
Silent Swordsman explained the plan to Silent Lancer. Yami expected more fighting from Silent Lancer, but he only stared at the now short Silent Swordsman. Once again, Silent Swordsman didn't change his blank expression.
"If it makes you feel better. This will be our chance to prove once and for all we are better than the Knights." Silent Swordsman wrote.
That seemed to be all Silent Lancer needed. Zara then came down with Silent Lancer's raptor. Yami worried when he saw it so limp, like nothing more than a puppet. But once Silent Lancer touched its scales, it sprang to life.
The group went to the castle courtyard. There Silent Paladin was, growing agitated when she saw the two other Silents.
"They're working with us," Yami said.
"And they'll happily run at the smallest chance." her pastel green words said
"Which is why you'll be here. I doubt you'll let us get far." Silent Swordsman wrote.
"Deck right!" Silent Paladin wrote with a soundless hmph.
"So, are Zara and I going to fly you up the mountain?" Red-Eyes asked. Zara nodded as she stretched out her wings for the long flight once again.
"It would be faster if we teleported ourselves up." Silent Lancer wrote as he began adjusting the saddle on his lizard. "I'll go up first, using Magician as a base. The two humans can fit on my raptor, and I'll bring them up at the same time. Then Paladin can use her ability to follow me and bring up Swordsman. That way, if I try to do anything funny, you'll all immediately notice, and Swordsman will still be in your clutches."
Dark Magician Girl then brought out the Silents' sword and lance. An odd paper seal was hung off each, something Yami thought stopped the Silents from summoning those items back to themselves. She handed them to Silent Paladin to hold.
"You should come up with us, Grandpa," Yugi implored.
Grandpa shook his head. "I'll be needed down here to be Grandma Blue-Eyes's relay point. But I'll be listening closely."
"If you need anything, we're all ready to jump in down here," Red-Eyes said.
And so Yami found himself on the back of a blue and white raptor with Yugi sitting behind him. The animal seemed not used to others, but Silent Lancer kept it calm enough.
"Good luck, you two," Grandpa said as the group disappeared in yellow light.
Yami blinked the wind out of his eyes to see the top of the mountain once again. The sky was still a rainbow of colors, but clouds were now circling the rift above them, becoming a frame for the Knights' struggle. Below, the humans and other monsters were still huddled together. They hadn't found another way to help the knights and were stuck as passive observers. Something Yami knew they all must have hated.
Silent Paladin was summoned to the top of the mountain, followed by Silent Swordsman. Silent Swordsman was immediately surrounded by Dark Magician and Grandma Blue-Eyes. He ignored their glowers and pointed to Silent Magician, who was still on her knees. They brought him over to her. If Silent Magician recognized him, she didn't move to acknowledge him.
Silent Swordsman looked over the scene, even his eyes raising to the Knights above. His face fell into a deep frown, the Knights reciprocating when they noticed him. Then, Silent Magician gave a small squeak of pain as the wishing well once again banished another Knight. As soon as Silent Swordsman heard that, his scowl deepened.
Dark Magician then gave back Silent Swordsman his weapon, but the made stayed glued to his side. Silent Swordsman took it without a word and raised it to the sky. The border gained his silver aura, and Silent Swordsman grew similarly colored cracks all across his skin. He cringed as he almost fell forward, but then he forced himself to straighten.
Silent Magician's eyes flew open. She looked around in confusion until her gaze fell on Silent Swordsman beside her. She stumbled back, a soundless gasp on her lips. She was then reminded of the fighting Knights and quickly resituated herself. She gave a thankful glance to Yugi and Yami, then returned to holding her staff to the sky.
The sky gained back its blue tint, and the Knights suddenly lit up too.
"The rift is almost completely stable, even without us." Timaeus breathed.
The wishing well seemed to not like that. Its glowing intensified, and Timaeus was surrounded by its power.
"Uh, hold this, please," Hakairyuu said as she threw Silent Lancer's raptor to Timaeus. The Knight only had a second to catch the wriggling creature before the wishing well sent him away. Silent Lancer's eyes flashed yellow as the Knight returned to his spot, still awkwardly holding the raptor.
"Here are more manageable items." Grandma Blue-Eyes said as she tossed Silent Paladin's shield and sword and then the lance. Each Knight caught one (Hermos having to hold the item in his teeth thanks to only having one arm). And sooner than the Knights could react, the wishing well tried banishing one of them again. But before the red light fizzled out, one of the Silents immediately brought the Knight back.
The wishing well pulsed, and Silent Lancer found himself surrounded in the same banishing power. Silent Paladin was ready for this and summoned him right back. The wishing well seemed to expect this and tried to use the time to quickly get rid of another Knight. But Silent Lancer was the one to catch it this time.
"That should buy us time," Yami breathed as he watched the rift grow smaller.
"But this won't be the end." Grandma Blue-Eyes groaned.
"Why?" Junior asked. "The Knights should have all the time they need to close the rift now."
"Even if we close the rift, the wishing well will probably continue to do what it can to fulfill Red-Eyes's wish. We can't keep teleporters around the Knights forever."
"Then let's try what the Pharaoh suggested earlier. We have to destroy that well!" Hakairyuu smashed her fist into her palm. "And I suggest we use my ability to do it."
"We have to be smart about this, Gandora. You can't throw yourself into this as you did with the avalanche earlier." Grandma Blue-Eyes snapped. "The wishing well has been here since the domain was created. Once a reset happens, the well will appear here once again. Ready to banish the Knights."
"But I am thinking!" Hakairyuu growled. "My destructive powers cause permanent change, even in this perfect domain. If I destroy the well, it probably won't come back. Or if it does, its wishes might be reset-"
A sudden shadow blocked out the sky for the family. Everyone had mere moments to look up and see a massive boulder summoned above them. Thankfully Dark Magician saw it and quickly went to the family's aid. He jumped next to them and used his magic to levitate the boulder and throw it down the mountain.
"What was that?!" Silent Lancer screeched.
"Is that what the Knights meant by the wishing well defending itself?" Yui gasped. "Hakairyuu must have been on the right path."
Grandma Blue-Eyes growled as she pulled who she could to her. It looked like she wanted to take the group off the mountain peak, but the two Silents needed to remain by the Knights, and the treacherous wind stopped her from safely flying. "Yes, it's why Dark Magician Girl and the Knights had to build riddles and hire Red-Eyes to deter creatures from using the well instead of getting rid of it a long time ago. It's cruel and vindictive for a little trap card. I imagine that rock was a warning shot, as it did with the Muto brothers. If it saw you get near it, Hakairyuu, it would do what it could to kill you."
Hakairyuu snarled as she pointed to the Silents still keeping the Knights in this dimension. "They could teleport me where I needed to go to be safe, and you all would then fight whatever else the wishing well brought to stop me. I could even do Yugi's and my fake death detonation to make sure none of it was left."
"Hakairyuu…" Yugi whispered. "All it would have to do is teleport something small into your heart or brain. We can't protect you against something like that."
Hakairyuu's hand fell to her central chest orb as she looked honestly scared. She then gripped her claws into a fist and turned to the wishing well. She took two steps towards it, and a high-pitched wail then broke through the wind. In another of the wishing well's summons, a Heavy Freight Train Derricrane appeared right beside her, its wild speed never decreasing. Before Dark Magician could levitate it away, Hakairyuu threw herself at the locomotive monster. She absorbed the damage as she grew in power. Her orbs had already been glowing thanks to the weather beating on her. Now they shined. She then threw the train off the mountain top, the monster disappearing in another teleport.
Hakairyuu looked over her orbs and nodded. "This will have to do then."
"Hakairyuu! Wait!" Yugi yelled.
"For what!? This wishing well is going to rip the dimension apart. If not now, then it will later with someone else's wish-"
"Does the wishing well read minds?" The silver letters surprised the group as they appeared between them.
"Huh? Of course not." Grandma Blue-Eyes said before she could think about who wrote that.
Yami turned to see that Silent Swordsman wasn't being guarded, thanks to Dark Magician and Grandma Blue-Eyes helping the family. Silent Swordsman no longer had his sword to the sky and instead flashed a series of foreign symbols to Silent Lancer. The rider looked horrified, but he nodded.
"Stop him!" Yami yelled.
In a flash of yellow light, Silent Swordsman was gone. Hakairyuu then roared as she fell forward. Silent Swordsman appeared on her back, and he stabbed right into her, but not with his sword. In fact, his sword was left on the ground by Silent Magician. Yami recognized his crystal in Silent Swordsman's grip. The Pharaoh immediately reached into his pocket to find it gone. Silent Swordsman must have stolen it from him when he had fallen onto Yami.
The crystal turned a scarlet red as Silent Swordsman pulled it out of Hakairyuu. He then jumped away in another flash of yellow light. Silent Lancer was then tackled by Dark Magician. The spellcaster had little resistance from Silent Lancer as he stared at the sky with unfocused eyes.
The wishing well took the chaos as its opportunity. Silent Paladin was encircled and banished, with Silent Lancer not being able to stop it. Then Critias found that same power taking him.
Everyone had their eyes in different places and on different creatures, not knowing which to worry about first. And yet, Yami knew precisely where to look. As soon as Silent Swordsman asked his question, Yami began to understand. He would only ask such a thing if Silent Swordsman was checking if the wishing well would only focus on the known threats. Not a sudden change of heart.
Silent Swordsman hadn't gone anywhere. He was sitting on the wishing well holding the brightly shining Gandora crystal. He then snapped it in half. Every other time Yami had been by the crystal's explosions, the Pharaoh had had some barrier or even another energy burst to disperse its power. There was no such protection for Silent Swordsman, especially in his LV 3, unhealed form. And the warrior seemed to expect this.
The following explosion would take out a quarter of the mountain peak. Still, before everything went white, Yami saw a small smile from Silent Swordsman as he met his eyes.
"Couldn't have had her do it, Gandora don't get reborn." was his only silver explanation.
…
Yugi often wondered how it'd feel to be reunited with Yami's spirit. He thought it'd be a calming experience, a warming blanket as his dearest partner returned to his heart.
That was not how it actually happened.
It felt like Yugi was launched into Yami as their skulls and puzzles cracked together. The coming migraine equaled the explosion from outside. Yami felt that too, but along with the violent recombination, he sensed his bodily static crackle and then get yanked out of him. The frozen feeling seemed to snap out of him right after. Perhaps his very soul was being untwisted, a long-frozen cord being pulled from him. But after the painful reunion, both felt immediate relief. Their shared love rewarmed Yami and ebbed Yugi's headache away. They were whole again.
The brothers found themselves in a dark area, standing across from each other. They both knew this was inside their mind space. Yet, it wasn't their soul room.
"Did we die?" Yugi asked with more curiosity than the fear that phrase should have caused.
"I doubt it. I think we are simply unconscious." Yami said. "I'm sure once we wake up, you'll be in charge of the body again."
"In charge of the body…." Yugi shook his head in amazement as he trailed off.
Between the two, a spark of red was made uncomfortably bright in the shadowy land. Both flinched away, but when they returned their gaze, they found something small floating between them.
"A card?" Yugi asked as he picked up the floating piece of cardboard.
"Yugi…" Yami warned. But this time, his worry was unfounded.
"It's… a Gandora card. Like from the card pack we were opening." Yugi breathed.
Yugi felt like he was dragged back, Yami staying distant as the black space disappeared. When Yugi opened his eyes, he found himself staring up at a blue sky. He would almost think he was back home if it wasn't for the extra two suns in the sky.
"That's… new." Yugi groaned as he did his best to block out the multiple light sources. He was still on the mountain by the looks of it. Thanks to the family being huddled together, Kuriboh's ability could keep them all relatively safe. In fact, only Yugi was knocked out by the way his family worriedly congregated around him.
"Yugi!" Hakairyuu roared as she picked him up and held him to her chest. She rambled about many things, clearly too relieved to think straight. She was soon joined in by the family. Yugi vaguely listened to them all as he stared at the wholly decimated mountain peak.
The wishing well was terminated, only rubble to show anything had been there. And for Silent Swordsman, well, Yugi had barely realized what had happened. There was nothing of his by the well, and for a few moments, Yugi thought he must have run away. But then Yami's spirit appeared by him. The Pharaoh shook his head and gestured to Silent Magician. She was back to her lowest level with her arms hung limply. She had pulled down her hat to hide her eyes. Under her brim, she did notice Yugi worriedly gazing at her. Silent Lancer also looked to her, quietly pleading. She didn't face any of them, but her slow words did appear.
"He's at the Silent Tower now. I felt him pass."
Yugi and Yami both didn't know how to feel. Yugi guessed he felt more sadness than Yami did. Neither wanted someone to die. But, they also weren't in the right mental state to handle more than that. Numbness was the day's order as everyone was just too exhausted.
The Three Legendary Knights landed on the peak, each tired but alive. They said nothing to the family as they used their magic to make Silent Paladin appear between them. Yugi continued to stare, not really registering anything. What brought him back to his awareness was the solid sensation between his fingertips. He looked down to see the sparkly card that started all this. He was the proud owner of an ultra-rare Gandora the Dragon of Destruction.
...
"Where is everybody?!" Dark Magician Girl was frantically trying to contact the mountain top with Grandpa and Silent Messenger panicking right beside her.
So many reports were coming in, nearly one from every domain. The good news: the border was stable. All the Silents felt it at the same time, and everyone saw that the rift was gone. The bad news: there was an explosion on the mountain top, and neither Dark Magician nor Grandpa received anything from the others. The weird news: there were now three suns in the sky.
After the border was stabilized and the lockdown ended, most Silents returned to Dark Magician Girl's castle. Following the Silents was the Gandora. They were all nervously assembled in the castle's courtyard. Zara and Red-Eyes were out with everyone trying to keep the peace. They seemed ready to fly up the mountain when they saw three large figures soar towards the castle.
The figures were revealed to be the three Legendary Knights in their dragon forms as they landed in front of the castle. They then transformed back into their humanoid bodies and raised their swords to the sky. Between the sword tips, appeared everyone from the top of the mountain, minus two.
"Guys!" Grandpa Muto cheered as he was desperately hugged by his family. They were each so tired that they had nothing to say, each simply leaned on their patriarch for support. Grandpa Muto was willing enough to be the rock they needed until he noticed one of the missing people. "Where's the Pharaoh?"
"He and I are back in one body again. See?" Yugi said as he lifted the metal Millennium Puzzle.
Dark Magician Girl stared in awe at the light reflecting off the item. While she was happy the Yugis were whole again, Dark Magician Girl began to worry for another. She begged the gods he hadn't silently left the dimension again as she raced through the crowd. She skidded to a stop when she found Dark Magician conversing with Zara. When he saw her, he smiled and gave a slight wave. Dark Magician Girl grinned back, holding back the need to hug him once again.
Dark Magician Girl then noticed two bleak faces. That of Silent Lancer and Silent Magician. They were mutely following a much brighter Silent Paladin.
"Let me tell you, being banished feels awful." Silent Paladin wrote to both, perhaps trying to make a joke? Neither lifted their demeanors.
"Silent Magician?" Dark Magician Girl asked as she put her hand on her back.
Silent Magician paused her steps, still seeming to stare at nothing. "I shouldn't be feeling anything. I'm not feeling anything. He was cruel for much longer than he was kind. In the end, he… did it to get away from the punishment and the disgrace he would face coming back. That was the easiest way out for him."
Dark Magician Girl didn't need to hear Silent Swordsman's name to know. He was the last person unaccounted for. She said nothing as she hugged Silent Magician close.
"It's ok to mourn the man he once was." Dark Magician Girl whispered. "His reincarnation will already be at the Silent Tower. He will have never touched the graveyard."
Silent Magician shuttered into Dark Magician Girl's shoulder. And after a few moments, she wrote, "I would like to help with his next reincarnation."
Before Dark Magician Girl could answer, the two found the three Knights standing in front of them.
"We would like to speak with all the Silents here," Hermos said.
Silent Magician pulled away and stood next to Silent Paladin. From there, the surrounding Silents lined up in a surprisingly orderly fashion. Even Silent Lancer stayed. Each was fidgeting in place as they looked up at the Knights.
"The Silent archetype has seemingly caused a great bit of damage in our absences; we won't look over that," Timaeus said as each Knight then bowed. "But they also have helped save us and the entire dimension. We each want to thank you."
Most of the Silents looked astonished. The other monsters around cheered for the Silents. Dark Magician Girl felt another pang in her heart when she saw how unaccustomed to praise most of the Silents were.
"We Knights would also like to apologize to the Gandora archetype." Timaeus continued.
Hakairyuu and Giga stood in front of their family. They also seemed surprised by the Knights' mention of them.
"This all started because we did not take the time to hear your archetype out as they were fleeing. We jumped to too many conclusions about your destructive nature." Timaeus said.
"Ehh, you weren't wrong." Giga nervously chuckled. "We did destroy the domain as you so feared."
"But we know better now!" Hakairyuu quickly added.
"Still, we will continue to strive to earn the 'Legendary' our title suggests. Your archetype's destructive tendencies were not out of malice. Something we should have realized before and facilitated a way for you to learn." Hermos said.
Critias began signing, and Hermos translated. "It is not an excuse for our impulsive behavior…. But waking up after thousands of years of captivity to find the world so changed… plus to come back and discover a corrupt system replaced us. We thought we had to be just as uncaring at first to keep the peace. But doing so has led to much more pain for innocents. That is why we wish to enact something similar to what this kind domain has done for its newest Gandora residence."
Timaeus then gestured to the Silents as he spoke. "We each have sins to make up for. Instead of punishing every hero here, we ask if the Silent archetype would work with us to protect the dimensional barrier once again. In doing so, we would have enough monsters to permanently disable the lockdown spell. All so nothing like this ever happens again!"
The Silents burst into unrestrained cheers. Those that could vocalize did so. Silent Magician seemed to be the most taken aback of all of them. Tears finally came to her eyes. Yugi, Kuriboh, and Hakairyuu were immediately by her side as they loudly supported her.
"But wait," Silent Magician's hazy words wrote. "What about the Silents that stayed with Silent Swordsman, the ones in the dungeon?"
"They will be given the same opportunity," Hermos said. "It's why we will be working closely with this archetype. We can keep each other accountable. If some Silents are still set on being… nuisances. Then they will face the domain's high court for their crimes, as they would have before. We want to give everyone the chances they need to be a hero."
Dark Magician Girl made sure this information was spread far and wide. There was still a lot of work to do to heal from the lockdown. But for the first time in weeks, she felt like peace was once again achievable.
She was almost entirely caught up in all she had to do, but then Dark Magician tapped her shoulder. He pointed to the human family cheering and meeting with the other monsters.
"Right! We have to get you guys home!"
A/N:There's a humongous epilogue coming next week. It's going to be longer than any chapter before. But I want it to stand on its own without me interfering with the mood. So I'll write what I wish to say here.
It's been two years, seven months, and two days (at the time of writing this) since I published the first chapter. It has been a fantastic ride. I am so thankful that you all have come along. Whether you were there in the beginning or joined later, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. This story has met so much to me, even with all my hiatuses and many, MANY schedule changes. I can't believe it's about to end. This story that was initially only going to be between 9 and 13 chapters has turned into so much more. The world has changed much in that time, yet this story has remained my safe place to return to. I hope it was for you too.
So, once again, thank you for reading. You all have truly made these last few years some of my happiest. See you at the epilogue.
~Daisythebird
(P.S Future Daisythebird here, I have another fic that takes place half a year after this story called "Healer of Spirits." It's not a sequel and focuses on different characters entirely, but if you want to read more of this Yugioh-series fusion universe, you should check it out.)