After his duel with Chazz Harry quickly settled in to life at Duel Academy with relative ease. He would attend his classes and perform to the best of his ability before wandering the island until dinner. He only had Mahad for company most of the time though as he hadn't seen the others from that night. Chazz had taken to sulking under the shadow of his entourage. Alexis, Syrus, and Jaden on the other hand, had their own adventures dealing with. Apparently Syrus had forced Jaden to duel Alexis by being caught out at night. After that Jaden had been forced to duel Chazz who was using a deck full of rare cards. Harry was a little shocked at Chazz having those cards and figured he must have bought them after nearly losing to him on their first night.

As Harry wandered the island on this night he spotted Alexis walking with purpose. Not wanting to be seen as nosey he simply walked away. At least until he heard her scream.

"Mahad!" He hissed to nothing causing the Dark Magician to appear before him. In a flash of purple light the two disappeared only to reappear where Harry had seen Alexis. Running in the direction of her scream Harry found nothing but a rose and an Etoile Cyber card which he guessed to be hers.

"Harry!"

Looking to where he saw Jaden Syrus and another Slifer he soon found out to be named Chumley running towards him he pocketed Alexis's card and hoped they knew where she was.

"I take it you heard the scream?" He asked to which they nodded. "Good, take me to it."

"What?!" Chumley asked. "You want to go towards the screams? Are you nuts?"

Harry turned to Chumley with fire in his eyes. "That scream means somebody is in danger. That somebody is one of us. We go"

No more could be said after that. The group of three led Harry to the abandoned dorm. But as they grew closer, Harry began to take the lead of the group. He could feel the raw energy emanating from the building and was being drawn to it like a moth to a flame.

He began to run. Not caring if the others were following him. If Alexis was in there then he needed to get there fast. That dorm was dangerous.

As he walked along the dorm halls he looked at the drawings and markings in fascination.

'Mahad' He called. 'Look at these. Seem familiar?'

The Dark Magician looked at the walls. Illuminated by moonlight he could see the depicted images of the millennium items, detailing the shadow games in all their glory.

'This is not possible. Nobody but us know the details of the millennium items.'

'Not necessarily.' Harry replied. 'Yugi told me that the items changed hands an awful lot. Shadi orchestrated events so that they ended up with whoever should hold the puzzle. Who's to say who had them before he did?' Even as he said this he thought of his adopted father and his experiences with the millennium eye.

The two continued into the dorm looking for Alexis seeing steps leading down to the basement Harry walked down and saw more and more strange symbols as he did so. Seeing candles on the wall Harry nodded to Mahad who lit them with the tip of his staff. When they reached the bottom of the stairs the two stopped.

'Oh Ra' they both whispered.

It was a ritual chamber. What it was they were working towards they did not know but both of them were well versed in the shadow magic and knew a ritual chamber when they saw one.

"Alexis" Harry called when he saw her lying in one of the coffins. He went to reach her only for fog to cover his view and an evil laugh to be heard.

"Move any closer and see what I do to her." A voice sounded from within the fog.

"Harry" Jaden's voice sounded from behind him. "What's going on?" He asked upon reaching the bottom of the stairs. Chumley and Syrus soon appeared behind him echoing his sentiments.

A hand rose from the indoor fog pointing away from Harry and straight at Jaden.

"You." The voice repeated. "You are the one I will duel. Should you lose, your soul is mine."

Jaden opened his mouth. No doubt to accept. But a voice far different from the one emanating from the fog sounded "Enough"

It was Harry. A shadow had begun to creep over his body, darkening it until nothing but his eyes, which were glowing green, were all that could be seen. His body's outline solidified enough to distinguish his arms being raised and soon the fog parted.

Standing opposite from them was a man. He stood beside the coffin containing Alexis wearing an iron mask, a hat and a large jacket. The jacket contained a variation of a duel disk similar to Dr. Crowler's but none of this was important to Harry for what he held in his hand was all that he could see. An item looking very similar to the millennium puzzle.

"Who do you think you are child? I am Titan, and I am a shadow duellist." The man said finally giving a name to be put to a face.

"Be silent you insolent worm" Harry retorted before he vanished in a flash of purple light only to reappear beside Alexis. Seeing the chains holding her in place he deployed his duel disk and rose his arm. A violent crashing sound later and the chains were snapped in two as the blade sliced through them. Picking the girl up bridal style, he slowly walked back towards the others and placed her in Jaden's arms. "Jaden, you will take her and you will get her help."

"I'm staying with you" Jaden shouted.

While Harry admired his determination to help. He was having none of it. "She comes first. I will handle this pretender. Now go."

Jaden didn't look too happy about it. But he left with the other Slifers in tow leaving Harry and Titan alone.

"Are you so eager to lose your soul? With my millennium pendant, I cannot lose." He boasted raising the aforementioned item.

'Mahad.'

The pendant exploded into a thousand pieces as Titan screamed in shock.

Harry raised his duel disk. The aura of shadows slipping away slowly but Harry paid them no mind. He didn't even know they were there. "Duel me now Titian, I swear to you, you will not get the chance to go near them."

Titan deployed his duel disk with a hopeless look on his masked face, he knew he wasn't getting out of here unscathed. Especially since Harry blocked the way out. Harry opened his briefcase and took one look at Titan before looking at Mahad and taking out the black case.

'Get him' he told Mahad, who disappeared at his words.

Titan: 4000/Harry: 4000

Harry drew five cards before drawing the sixth without a word to Titan, he would spare no mercy to the pretender, shadow games were not toys and anybody who dared to use them, or pretend to, needed to be dealt with.

"I play Queen's Knight in defence mode."

Rising from an arcane circle the majestic lady stood before crouching and raising her shield in defence.

"Next I play three cards face down. That will be all."

Titan drew his card while Harry simply waited. He could feel the room reacting to the duel and his usage of shadow powers and knew he would have to end this quickly. Even now he lamented that Yugi and Kaiba were not here. They were the two that he could duel against and not have to rush.

"I play Infernal queen Archfiend in attack mode. And since my archfiend is on the field all other archfiends gain an additional 1000 attack points." The archfiend swelled in size as it gained power. "Now reduce his monster to scrap"

Harry shook his head before pressing a button on his duel disk. "You triggered my trap, spellbinding circle."

The glyph appeared around the archfiend locking it in place before Titan could blink.

"Fine, I play pandemonium."

'So much for him killing himself' Harry thought grimly as he drew his card.

"I activate my trap, royal decree. Now all trap cards are useless. Next I play kings knight," Beside queen's knight he appeared with a nod to his female counterpart. "And since Queen's knight is on the field when King's Knight is summoned. I can play Jack's Knight straight from my deck."

Harry looked at the blank card in his hand and waited.

In another part of the spirit world….

"Tell the brat I said no."

"He needs your help."

"Then he shouldn't have denied me all those years ago"

"He never even had a choice he was too young."

"He could have called me."

"That's why I'm here."

"No, tell the boy it's too late."

Back with Harry…..

"With my three knights I can now activate my other face down card. Go, Polymerization!"

The vortex of polymerization appeared behind Harry. Harry could feel the powers of shadows creeping in to the card. The vortex behind him began to emit gusts of winds.

"Now I can fuse my three knights to create a monster of incredible power, I summon the one, the only, Arcana Knight Joker!"

The room began to shake as the monster towered above the two facing opponents.

"Now my Knight, destroy his pathetic archfiend and take his life points with it.

Titan: 2100/Harry: 4000

"Your deck wasn't built to handle raw power. You think the world is full of special effects just like you and your fake item."

"I am a shadow duellist!"

"You are nothing but a fraud! Now make your turn"

Titan drew his card.

"I play Terrorking archfiend in defence mode. And end my turn."

Harry shook his head. Before staring at the blank card once more. He knew what he had to do.

"Be lucky I don't show you what true shadows are you coward." He hissed as he played the card he drew "Go pot of greed, now I can draw two cards"

"Arcana, destroy it."

Titan's monster was soon destroyed by the slice of the gargantuan monsters sword.

Titan knew he was going to lose. This child had rare cards that even Yugi Muto never had. Deciding to cut his losses, he ran, not to the way out, which would have led him towards Harry. No he ran deeper into the chamber not knowing what he would cause in doing so.

'Mahad!' Harry mentally screamed at seeing Titan run.

Back in the shadow realm

"You fool. He is a chosen of the gods, you let him summon you and when the others took you away you ran."

"The brat could have stopped them."

"He was no more than a child."

"I don't care_"

Mahad raised his hand to stall the tirade that he had heard a thousand times. He heard the plea of his friend and summoner.

"Do what you wish, he's in trouble and because of your stubbornness I'm not there to help him." With no more words, he vanished.

"Trouble..." The other spirit muttered.

Back to Harry

That fool has no idea what he'll wake up. Harry thought as he ran after the mercenary.

No sooner had the words crossed his mind then the room began to shake and glow. The Eye of Anubis appeared on the floor and on Harry's forehead, not that he noticed the latter. He did however notice the floor and stopped behind Titan who had also stopped.

"TITAN YOU FOOL!" He screamed as the shadows crept around them forming a cage. "DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'VE DONE"

"Harry!" Jaden's voice called.

"Jaden stay back!"

The shadows engulfed Harry and Titan no sooner than he had said that.

"It's time to finish this duel" Titan's voice called out. Harry could hear the dual layering in his voice, it wasn't Titan. "It's my move" Drawing his card.

"I play the spell card lightning vortex. By discarding one card from my hand I can destroy your Knight." Harry flinched as the very real lightning struck his monster. He called to Mahad once more but he couldn't feel his presence. "Next I play another Terrorking archfiend in attack mode. And I'll have him attack you directly."

Titan: 2100/Harry: 1500

The locusts of Terrorking hurt. Harry had never felt anything like this, even when he had felt the fire of another mine burning by his hands. He sunk to his knees and cried out in agony.

"Is this what Yugi went through." He muttered to himself. "No, Yugi had his friends, he had Mahad, even if he was just a card at the time. I'm on my own." And then he saw it.

On the edge of the shadows, a silhouette he would recognise anywhere at any time. Mahad was outside the barrier, he couldn't get in. If he had been with Harry when it was erected it would have been fine but he had sent him away. Staring at the still blank card in his hand he knew it had been for nothing.

"I draw." He staggeringly called. I play Dark Blade the Captain of the Dark world in defence mode. And I'll end my turn."

"My turn. I sacrifice my Terrorking in order to summon my Skull Archfiend of Lightning. And to welcome him how about we destroy your monster."

Harry could feel his monster slip away to the graveyard. It hurt almost as much as the locusts, though now that he thought about it, it hurt more in his heart.

"I draw."

"I activate card of variation. This card lets me draw two cards, but if I don't put one card in the graveyard at the end of the turn. I lose 3000 life points."

Harry stared at the blank card.

'I'm sorry,' He mentally whispered.

In the spirit realm…

He had heard that as if it were screamed. He had disavowed the boy in all forms but the connection had been formed.

'Summon me,' he whispered back.

Harry's eyes widened and a grin formed on his face. The Eye of Anubis glowed brighter on his head. The blank card wasn't so blank any more.

"It's time to end this Titan. I activate cost down, now all monster cards on the field and in our hands drop two levels, all I have to do is discard one card. Now, I activate the spell card black Luster ritual."

The ritual chamber beneath them erupted in flames.

"By removing Royal Straight Slasher from my hand I can summon the Black Luster Soldier in attack mode."

Clad in his midnight armour, the knight rose from the flames.

"Now I remove my Blade Knight, and My Arcana knight from my grave. And summon another Black Luster Soldier, THE ENVOY OF THE BEGINING"

"Now my Soldier, destroy his monster." Harry took a slight amount of satisfaction when he saw the Archfiend disintegrate.

Titan: 1600/Harry: 1500

Harry smiled at his other Soldier knowing he had another friend who would stand by him.

"Do it" He told the monster. "With the Envoy of the beginning I end this duel."

Titan screamed as the shadows began to take him but the two soldiers protected Harry form the negative effects. When it was all over the curtain that separated them from the world was gone, and so was Titan.

"Harry" He heard the voice of Jaden. "What happened?"

"Nothing Jaden." He replied, "Just a disagreement."

"Where's Titan?"

"He ran away. He'll probably come back for that." Harry replied pointing at the pandemonium card laying on the floor.

The Slifer and the Obelisk left the abandoned dorm in silence. Only when their paths diverged, Harry heading towards his dorm and Jaden the same, did the say something. That something being goodnight.

Harry didn't go back to his dorm though. Instead he went straight to the main building and to the infirmary. Seeing Alexis sleeping soundly he smiled in relief before withdrawing the Etoile Cyber card from earlier, and laying it on her bedside table. He then vanished in a flash of purple light.

'I suppose I'm stuck with you two now aren't I.' The Chaos Luster Soldier said as Harry lay in bed.

'After you saving me like that, no way am I letting you go.' He replied. Mahad nodded in agreement until he heard the next part. 'Besides, Mahad gets lonely.'

Mahad just swatted the air where Harry's head had occupied. It now lay on the pillow.

"Goodnight guys" He whispered as he fell asleep.

The two spirits returned the sentiment silently before vanishing back to the spirit world.