Wanda watched as the world shifted yet again from the stage that she had been into a dark hallway. " I don't remember this place."
"I sure hope not, it's not your memory Wanda." Agatha informed her, amused and curious. "It's the boy."
"What?"
"You know, Eli or Yuma or whatever. My darling little nephew? The kid you blasted yesterday?" Here the smile on Agatha's face grew. "I came across him while I was getting to Westview. It was for a split second but I could feel it, so much power. The kid didn't want to talk either so I decided to toss him in your little world and let you wear him down for me, two birds with one stone. Didn't think he could have snapped out of it though."
The end of the hall where light emanates from a wide-open room. Wanda's eyes widen when he comes face to face with a smaller and much younger Yuma clinging to a woman.
"Mom, please don't go." The boy begged as he sobbed. "You'll be gone, just like my dream."
The woman gently rubbed his head. " Don't be like that, Yuma. I have to find your dad. The both of us will be home safe and sound, you'll see."
The boy, Yuma, only held tighter to his mom.
The scene shifted again, this time showing Yuma walking home, a seemingly normal suburban house amongst other more technological architects, from school. He opened the door with a cheerful greeting before noticing the somber look on his grandmother's face.
He ran.
Wanda gasped when the boy phased right through her and watched as he ran through what looked like a forest, his body glowed red and suddenly he slammed into someone.
The man, strangely dressed with nearly all of his face covered and chains floating around him naturally was surrounded by a faint red aura. He gently held the boy close as Yuma cried.
" Clairvoyance and summoning at such a young age and by pure will no less. Interesting." Agatha mused.
Wanda continued to look at the crying little boy. "Why are you showing me this?"
" Two birds one stone, it's more convenient to bring you along." Agatha said as if it was obvious. "Besides you helped make this happen, don't you want to see the fruit of your labour?"
Before Wanda could reply, the world changed yet again, Yuma was sitting on the roof of his house. He was a teenager now and floating beside him was some sort of specter.
"Oooh, a non-human partner." Agatha nudged Wanda with her elbow. "I bet this one also got killed twice."
Wanda didn't answer, not wanting to remember that painful day. Instead, she focused on the smiling boy.
" So there's Stardust Dragon, Red Dragon Archfiend, Black Rose dragon, Ancient Fairy Dragon, Black-winged Dragon." Yuma listed off as he pointed up at the seas of stars. " And they all come together to form the Crimson Dragon. In the middle of the circle is the heart, Life Stream Dragon."
The boy's partner only tilted his head. "But why is the Crimson Dragon's heart outside its body? Shouldn't Life Stream Dragon be between Black Rose Dragon and Ancient Fairy Dragon."
"That's because in the story as the Signer Dragons fought with the Earthbound Immortal, they seeked help from humans. And the Crimson Dragon, seeing both the bad and good of humanity through the eyes of the Signer Dragon, learned to care for the people of earth and not just view them as a necessity for balance." Yuma explained. " Life Stream Dragon was born from that, the symbol of the Crimson Dragon's appreciation for life."
The blue specter appeared to be perplexed by the story unbeknownst to Yuma.
"That's a nice story, isn't it?" Yuma turned to smile at Astral. Barely noticeable, Astral's face softened.
" But my favourite had to be the millennium puzzle." Yuma pointed at another clump of stars. " Did you know it used to belong to the 'King of Games'?"
" The 'King of Games'?" Astral asked.
" Yeah, Yugi Mouto. He was the best duelist ever back in the early day of Duel Monster. Legend had it that he had never lost a duel ever." Yuma explained excitedly.
Astral's eyes widened."Not even one ?"
"Nope, and it's not just duel monster either. There was no game that Yugi couldn't win." Yuma laid down on the roof tile. " And that's why he was called the 'King of Games'!"
"Is that what you want to be? A 'King of Games'?" Astral floated closer to the boy.
"Nah." Yuma waved off. " I want to be the best duelist ever but being the King of Games isn't really my style. Sides, I've lost a duel plenty of times before, pretty sure that automatically disqualified me from the title. You're a pretty good duelist, maybe you can be the 'King of Games'."
Astral just shook his head. "I don't believe I qualify for such titles. My lack of memories prevents me from determining whether I had lost a duel in my past, there's also the matter of….."
Both boys stayed quiet, the mood turning somber before Yuma said. "You're still worried about Kaito, huh?"
Astral didn't answer, he looked up when Yuma reached out for him only for his fingers to go right through.
"You don't have to be afraid, we'll beat him next time. The two of us, together! " Yuma said with a bright smile. " Kattobingu, remember?"
"Kattobingu." Astral repeated.
A part of Wanda was reminded of the days when she was still on the run after the Sokovia Accord debacle. When she and Vision would meet up whenever they had time, all of those late-night dates and walks.
Agatha just laughed. "Oh, this is going to give me a cavity but, still, not what I'm looking for. To the next stop!"
The scene shifted, the sky turned yellow and the earth red. Surrounding them were pillars made out of scarlet crystal. Yuma was once again by Astral side. With Yuma having scratches and torn clothing, Astral on the other hand didn't seem injured nor tired but was visibly worried for his partner.
"What is this place?" Wanda asked out loud.
"Your guess is as good as mine." Agatha shrugged. " It's not any of the realms I know off. Could be another planet, I mean, look at that beast."
The said beast was some sort of humanoid creature that Wanda had never seen before, with features that reminded her of a mosquito it towers over the two boys. The three of them were locked in a card game of some kind, Duel Monster if what Tommy and Billy told her is correct.
The beast-man commanded his monster to let out a beam at the boys who barely dodged out of the way. Wanda froze when she saw the damage the beam left behind.
" Can you feel it, Wanda? " Agatha giggly whispered. "Even in a memory, even from the eyes of an ignorant child, to wield such power with just a game….why, it's beyond my expectation!"
Yuma and Astral recited some kind of chant before a red and blue aura engulfed the two boys turning them into beams of lights. The red and blue light swirled in the air before merging. As the light died down a new being, an amalgamation of both Yuma and Astral, emerged.
"Fascinating, simply fascinating." Agatha said in breathless awe.
The new being defeated the beast-man in one turn, and as their opponent turned into stardust the pair separated into their own body. Wasting no time, Yuma rushed to the thick crystal vines cluster on the other side of the field. As the boy tried to pull the thorny vines off the wall, Astral studied the plant for a moment before placing his hand on it.
Instantaneously, the vines pulled away to reveal a small humanoid girl. Wanda hesitated to call the child an alien, but with her rock-like green skin and the lack of a mouth, alien appeared to be the only description that fits.
The girl scrambled back when she saw her savor, Yuma held up his hands in response.
"Hey, It's okay. We only want to help."
"You're lying!" The girl snapped, holding back her hand which was injured. "I know who you are! You're the weapon of the Astral World and the Key Bearer! You're here to destroy Barian World!"
"Hey, Astral is not a weapon." Yuma stepped up to his partner's defense.
"And we are not here to destroy the Barian World." Astral added on. "We're here to stop Don Thousand and end the war between Astral World and Barian World."
Hesitantly, the girl inched closer. " Really ?"
" Really." Yuma earnestly replied, holding out his hand. "Can we have a look at your hand? We may be able to do something about it."
"Do you promise you're not gonna harm King Nash?" she asked.
" We promise." Astral replied.
Slowly, she showed them her hand. A small red crystal stuck on her tiny wrist, spreading black tendril that seemingly caused the girl's skin to rot.
"This is a type of parasite." Astral deduced. " it's draining the chaos from her body and since Barian requires chaos to sustain themself…."
" It's killing her." Yuma finished. " Can't you use your shining power to remove it?"
Astral shook his head. "Such parasites can be used to kill Astral beings as well. It would just absorb my power should I try."
"What if we overfeed it?" Yuma held out his hand. "Here, let me try something."
The boy put a finger on the crystal. His face scrunched in concentration, and slowly a familiar red mist formed around his fingers.
"That's….?" Wanda whispered.
"Chaos Magic? Oh, yes." Agatha confirmed. "Like I said, you weren't the only magic user around."
The crystal wasted no time moving some of its tendrils upward at the mist, greedily consuming the scarlet chaos, and proceeded to crack into dust. Yuma gently touched the girl's skin-restoring it to normal, well, what Wanda assumed to be normal for an alien.
"See? It's all good, now." Yuma said with a smile while Astral and the girl stare at displacement with wide eyes.
" What's your name?" Yuma asked.
The girl, still now quite sure what she had just seen, slowly answered. "Iris, my name is Iris."
The world blurred and now Yuma and Astral were facing yet another alien. Iris stood on the sideline being held back by another girl and screaming for the alien, Nash, to stop.
"Shark please, I don't want to do this." Yuma's voice poured out of the angel-like being. " We can-."
" Don't waste your breath, Yuma." Nash sharply cut him off. " I refuse to yield until all of my comrades' dreams are realized."
The merged being closed his eyes and in a flash of light one became two. Astral and Yuma looked at each other for a moment before Astral nodded. "Very well, if that is what you wish I'll stand by you."
The statement appeared to give Yuma strength because, despite the bruises all over his body, the boy stood up straight. " I summon the level 4 [Gagaga Girl] and overlay him with my level 4 [Gagaga Gardna] to call upon my guardian. I need your help[Gagagaga Magician]!"
Wanda witnessed, for the first time, as Yuma ( and Yuma alone) brought forth the same magician as he had so long ago. His clothes were much more extravagant and there were more chains around him but Yuma looked at him as if he was an old friend.
"By detaching one of [Gagagaga Magician] I can bring back an XYZ monster from the graveyard so long as their effect is negated. Come on back [Number 39: Utopia]!"
Yuma was panting now but still, he continued. Briefly, Wanda wondered how he'll get himself out of the situation. Will he fuse with Astral once again? Or perhaps upgraded Utopia like he had done so many times before.
The answer was neither. "I formed the overlay network again! Take flight, future king of hope and carve out the path to tomorrow. [Number F0: Utopic Future]."
There was hope in his eyes, Wanda could see that. The boy commanded his monster to attack and she had expected something to happen, for a moment her mind flicker to Vision's dead body, but nothing came. In fact, the other monster formally on Nash's side now appeared on Yuma's field.
"[Number F0: Utopic Future] can not be destroy by battle nor do I take any battle damage that involves him." Yuma revealed. "I'm not going to defeat you Shark but have no intention of losing either. Even if it takes an eternity I'll keep this duel going."
"Dueling forever? You only have 50 LP!" Nash, Shark, pointed out.
"I've never said it was easy," Yuma replied, smiling despite all the bruises and injuries. "But you're my best friend Shark and I'm willing to make it possible for you. So come on, let's duel!"
Nash paused, it was hard for Wanda to read his face but then he let out a chuckle. " Oh, Yuma. You were always a dreamer."
He then activated a spell which returned his monster to him, empowering even more and ….. Immediately his life points turned to zero. The ground beneath him erupted in bursts of flames, as the embers died down Nash, now somehow a human laid smiling on the ground.
"No."
"You've won Yuma." The once fierce said softly. " This is where my long journey ends."
"No."
"It's a shame that I can't be there to see where yours will lead."
"No, no."
All of the children rushed to the fallen alien's side, before any of them could touch Nash the boy burst into stardust. Cards, white and glowing, flowed to Yuma circling him. Astral gasped as cards flew out of himself and joined in the circle. Yuma, however, was too distressed to notice.
Something reached out to pull Yuma and Astral back, taking Wanda with them. They were dropped off at a cliffside within a void. The landscape was foreign to Wanda but the boys appeared to know where this was. Yuma walked forward-facing a huge gate with glowing eyes and razor-sharp teeth. The door opened, bright light emanated from it.
Yuma, face still stained with tears, gave Astral a look before stepping forward. The moment he crossed through the gate it slammed close. The backlash sent both her and Agatha flying back. Wanda's body hit the cold hard floor for the real world.
Agatha was nowhere to be found. With shaken legs, Wanda pulled herself upward. She looked around the basement, frantically searching for her children. She wanted to find Yuma, but her priority was her children first.