Good Day Readers and welcome to the sequel to Pain of Betrayal, Pain of Loss! Thanks to all of you for the support and I hope that you all enjoy this latest edition of the Hope sisters. Thank you to EchoRoses for your review, to EchoRoses, I don't blame you for having mixed feelings about this arc since it is such a sudden shift in tangent from the previous Egyptian based arcs, but I quite enjoy it and it was really the only arc that I could work the backstory of Kylie's bracelet into, I also like the three Musketeers of Doma and I hope you'll enjoy meeting Chiharu.
Obviously I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh only Kylie and Katherine Hope along with the unique cards within their decks and whatever other OCs decide to crop up. Also italics symbolise a mind conversation. I would appreciate any responses that you have, please enjoy
Chapter 3: - Nameless Dragon
"Yugi-kun… no Nameless Pharaoh, when I looked at this palette, I confirmed my theory. I believe you are the only one who can solve the current crisis and save mankind from their coming downfall of destruction," Arthur explained. I furrowed my eyebrows together in confusion at those words, true things weren't good but how did this lead to Mankind's downfall of destruction, Yugi questioned what the old man meant.
"Me and Arthur-san have recently been studying the origin of Duel Monsters. There's much to tell from what we've found in the Ancient Egyptian Tablets. From what we've learned, High officials used spells to seal what they perceived as wicked spirits within stone tablets, then these High officials called the spirits from the stone tablets in order to protect themselves," Mum explained. I looked at Yugi and Katherine both of who seemed to be concerned by what was being said, it sounded like the start of the Shadow Games.
"These wicked spirits grew stronger until eventually they emerged from the stone tablets and evil power was created as a result. Because of this, an unbelievably tremendous power was born that threatened to destroy the world. The nameless Pharaoh was the one who brought this evil power under control," Arthur carried on. My eyes widened as I recalled the scene of destruction me, Yami and Seto had witnessed during Battle City's Semi-Finals, could that have been during Yami's sealing of this great evil.
"But that was a long time ago, wasn't it?" Yugi asked. The boy looked to be deeply unsettled by the words that had been spoken to us, Katherine reached out to Yugi's hand and gently took it into her grasp and I saw him wrap his hand around the one she offered. "How is it related to what's going on right now?" Yugi asked. A fair point and one I'm certain Mum and Arthur wouldn't make without good reason.
"We recently joined a research team while in America and may have discovered a lost civilisation," Arthur stated. Anzu had apparently seen this discovery in the news which surprised the knuckleheads, I'd hear rumours, but a certain dairy had distracted me. "Yes. Me and Chiharu closely examined the carvings resting there, but what we found was… far beyond what I expected. Take a look at these," Arthur added on. He extended photographs to us which Yugi took but I was able to see them and my eyes widened at the sight that was depicted.
"These are Duel Monsters!" Yugi exclaimed. I snapped my head up to Mum and Arthur who nodded their heads; if these carvings were accurate then that meant Duel Monsters had existed long before Ancient Egypt, in fact Arthur stated that the carvings they found appeared to be exactly ten thousand years old. All of us parroted the age back in complete shock especially given what information was known about regarding that time.
"Hang on! Ten thousand years ago people were only just emerging into the Neolithic in Asia! Europe was still in the Mesolithic!" Katherine exclaimed. I nodded my head, still numb with shock, at the knowledge we'd metaphorically been smacked with; heck even Suguroku tacked on that this discovery could very well rewrite all known history, naturally Arthur and Mum nodded their heads with solemn expression on their faces.
"Yes. This stone tablet is quite the find," Arthur agreed. Yugi looked back down at the pictures and started to move the image of Red-Eyes out but stopped when he saw the next picture, it depicted a group of buildings behind swallowed by a tidal wave of water and hovering above it was a malevolent yellow eye surrounded by a purple wreath. "Those engravings depict a part of our theory that suggests the Monster tried to destroy the world," Arthur stated. A scoff came and when no one else but Katherine reacted, I knew it had to be a Spirit, I turned my gaze and saw Andromeda floating there.
"We did no such thing! It was that damnable beast we tried to stop!" Andromeda snapped. I raised an eyebrow at the words that my partner had spoken, meanwhile Yugi assumed that the Monsters we'd seen swarming around Domino City yesterday had been another attempt by the Monsters to destroy the world.
"No. It's the eye they're attacking. Not the world," Me and Katherine spoke. Everyone turned to look at us in confusion and surprise, Andromeda had been adamant about their purpose and she'd never lied to me, all my Monsters and Katherine's cared about us too much to ever do that; a small laugh came and I looked over at Mum who was smiling slightly as she gazed at us.
"I thought you girls might contradict it," Mum spoke. Arthur turned to look at Mum, his confusion focused on her this time. "With your permission girls?" Mum asked. I knew what she wanted so I nodded my head and Katherine did the same thing, allowing Mum to turn her gaze to Arthur. "Arthur-san you know of my magic and my daughters'. But it appears they have another gift. They can see the Spirits of the Duel Monsters and communicate with them. Apparently, from what they said, our theory might be wrong. Instead, the Duel Monsters were attempting to protect this world from that eye," Mum explained. Rebecca was gaping at our Mum and then looked over at us, clearly surprised by those words whilst Arthur let out a huff of laughter
"Ah, that explains why you were determined to come to Domino. It was to ask the Spirits through your daughters for the truth," Arthur realised. The two archaeologists then turned their attention back to us. "Ten thousand years ago, as shown on those palettes… three thousand years ago in Egypt and the current situation now. Is it all a coincidence? Or…," Arthur began to theorise. It was a chilling prospect if this wasn't mere chance.
"Just wait a minute!" Honda yelled. We turned to look at the brunette boy, curious as to what the boy wanted to say. "Duel Monsters is just a game created by Pegasus, isn't it?! Someone must be playing a trick with the Monsters using the Duel Disks!" Honda protested. Me, Katherine and Mum all unleashed a heavy sigh as Anzu brought up the fact that Seto had stated his Solid Vision system hadn't caused this. "Anzu, you're not going to try and tell me Monsters are real, are you?" Honda questioned.
"There where the hell, did I get the burns from, if Monsters aren't real Honda!?" Katherine demanded. The injuries left by Ra had been very real and she was still taking potions to alleviate the pain that the healing wounds caused. "You've seen mine and my sister's magic! You've witnessed multiple Shadow Games and their consequences! Why is it so hard to believe that the Duel Monsters are real? Especially when me and Kylie told you so last night?" Katherine snapped.
"Katherine is right Honda-san," Mum commented. Everyone turned to look at our Mum who was focusing her dark gaze on the boy. "The Monsters are real, they are depicted within ancient drawings. The many gods, rituals, magic and spells are examples of human beings' desire to awaken the Monsters from a different world. I may not possess the sensory gifts of my daughters, but I know this for a fact. It might even be that the Spirits wish to use the Magicians power in order to prove their existence," Mum explained.
"Wait! Wait! What a joke!" Honda stated. In response to the insult, I whipped around with a snarl on my face as Katherine glared at Honda, but Rebecca beat us both to the punch as she sent a harsh kick flying right into Honda's shin causing him to start hopping on one foot as he hugged his injured shin. "What the hell are you doing?!" Honda exclaimed. Mum reached out and gently settled a hand onto Rebecca's shoulder as the girl snapped for Honda not to insult the theory.
"Rebecca-chan, there was no need for that. I've been disparaged far worse than being called a joke in my career," Mum stated. My snarl turned into a frown at those words; Mum had been through worse, but I still hated to hear it, especially from someone I considered a friend, it had resulted in the end of more than one friendship for me and Katherine.
"You do recall what was written in Pegasus' journal back in Duelist Kingdom, right?! He got his inspiration for Duel Monsters from ancient stone carvings!" I snapped. Honda looked to be terrified of me at that moment as he hesitated to argue with me, but Arthur cut across the argument by claiming it was fine, admitted that even he thought the theory was far-fetched.
"I believe you Professor Hopkins, Professor Hope!" Jounouchi declared. I snapped my gaze to the blonde as my eyes widened, even Katherine and Mum seemed to be shocked by those words; no one had so readily accepted Mum and Arthur's theories at their first meeting. "The Dark Games we fought with Marik in Battle City and the God Cards, the Guardians. After being attacked by Kylie's Guardians and watching Katherine's battle against Ra, I know. That wasn't just Solid Vision. Also no one else besides the chosen ones were able to use the God Cards and Kylie said Genbu had made his way to her back in Duelist Kingdom. There might be a world that we're unaware of," Jounouchi admitted.
"The Duel Monsters world?" Yugi wondered. Rebecca took over, explaining that there had actually been many theories relating to this possibility, stating there were many other dimensions than the one that we occupied; she even stated some believed there were parallel universes, Honda made a comment about Rebecca's vocabulary causing her to snap out that she was currently at university… frankly I wasn't surprised.
"Your apprentice is right. There exist many different worlds, even among Duel Monsters. Collectively they're called the Duel Monsters' Spirit World," Andromeda admitted. I turned to look at my partner who was simply standing there seemingly unconcerned with the news she was giving me. "Ten thousand years ago we actually inhabited this world alongside humans, but the events of that time forced us to flee to our own for safety," Andromeda added on. Whilst this was going on the knuckleheads and Rebecca had kept arguing.
"Well, this is the first time you mentioned it An, you could have told me years ago!" I growled. I normally spoke mentally to my Spirits but at the moment I was a bit to stressed to take that into consideration causing everyone to look at me strangely. "Sorry. Andromeda just dropped a couple of bombshells for me. I'm guessing what happened back in Ancient Egypt as well as now has something to do with the Duel Monsters Spirit World… that's what she called it," I explained.
"No one knows for sure, that's something only the Nameless Pharaoh can tell us. Why have you appeared in our era? What is the meaning to your rebirth?" Arthur questioned. I looked at Yugi but knew Arthur wouldn't get the answer he wanted, Yami had absolutely no memory of his time before Yugi solved the puzzle except for some tiny fragments that he managed to claw together from the events that had transpired during Battle City.
"Now that you mention it, those 'Musketeers of Doma' said something like that," Yugi admitted. I parroted what the men and women had said last night to us, Mum frowned at those words and her eyebrows pulled together in a tight furrow; our parents enjoyed doomsday prophecies about as much as me and Katherine did. "Professor, there's something else I'd like you to look at," Yugi commented. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the creepy green stone.
"What in all of reality is that?!" Mum asked. On impulse me and Katherine had hidden behind the knuckleheads with Mum have done the same thing but to Arthur even as Rebecca claimed it was pretty. "Be glad you don't have magic, otherwise you wouldn't think that way," Mum commented. I almost cracked up with laughter at hearing my words from last night to Anzu being spoken by another.
"Yugi-kun, what is that?" Arthur asked. Yugi explained where he'd got it from and Arthur reached out to pick it up to look at it; Mum peeked at it from behind her mentor and stared at it. "May I study this for a bit?" Arthur requested. Yugi agreed and he tucked it away, allowing all of us to come out of hiding. "Me and Chiharu-chan are heading back to America in order to further investigate these ancient ruins. If either of us find something out, we'll contact you," Arthur insisted.
"Before we leave there is another picture you need to see," Mum insisted. Yugi looked at the photos and moved the one with the eye away, allowing him to see some kind of crest, a circle with what appeared to be a serpentine dragon with its' wings making up the circle, inside were three swords and two sceptres crossed with each other; a gasp ripped from my throat as my eyes widened. "Yes Kylie. That image is the same one as one the back of your bracelet, it's quite possible your bracelet is linked to these ancient ruins," Mum admitted.
With that we left the museum and Suguroku offered to take the Hopkins and Mum to the airport with Rebecca kissing Yugi's cheek before she left, causing him to blush brightly as Katherine glared at the floor. I rubbed my hands over my face in exhaustion, especially when I heard someone crying for help; but I'm fairly certain that my mind was playing tricks on me because I seriously need some sleep.
*Yu-Gi-Oh*
I was standing in my Soul Room a strange feeling pressing upon me, the strange crest on the vanity appeared to be glowing slightly so I moved over to it and pressed my fingers against the carving. I wondered what this strange image could possibly mean and why it appeared within my Soul Room alongside my bracelet and those ruins, just what was that place that Mum and Arthur had found.
"Lady Kylie," A female voice called. I jerked backwards and whipped around to look at the source, it was Andromeda and she was holding her hand out towards me. "I need your help my lady, please come with me," Andromeda pleaded. Trusting her, I reached out to grasp her hand, Andromeda turned to a wall of the room and began to chant in a strange tongue that I couldn't understand.
A brilliant white door appeared and it was suddenly flung open, Andromeda leapt inside, dragging me with her and the two of us started to fall down a pitch black tunnel. Eventually a light could be seen at the end of the tunnel and I couldn't help but think that this might be a bad thing, soon me and Andromeda emerged from the tunnel and stopped to hover in the blue sky that greeted us beyond it.
A massive sprawling forest extended below me with plateaus floating in the air around me, a river snaked through the forest as white capped mountains surrounded us. Dominating the centre was a brilliant white palace with golden roofs, but in the distance, I was an inky black cloud that spread across the horizon, within the centre was a golden iris with a slit pupil and what appeared to be lightning crackling across the yellow surface; it was identical to the eye in the photograph and gave off the same creepy energy as that stone.
I saw what appeared to be creatures being sucked into the pupil, I gasped as Andromeda took a hold of my hand and proceeded to guide me down to the palace. We stopped at a room made completely of white constructs which was surrounded by pillars, in the centre was a pedestal with what appeared to be four frozen dragons and an empty ice platform.
"Fair Consort!" A female voice cried. It had been the same voice I'd heard crying for help earlier, I twisted around and my eyes widened when I saw Black Magician Girl standing there. "You finally came! Thank you, Andromeda!" Black Magician Girl spoke. My eyes blinked rapidly as I tried to comprehend what I was seeing.
"Black Magician Girl, what's going on?" I asked. Andromeda moved to stand beside the blonde haired Magician as I looked around and saw many other Duel Monsters had gathered to look down at us; Black Magician Girl had called me Consort which seemed to imply that title was well known to the Duel Monsters and not just the Tomb Keepers.
"Right now, both our world and your world are on the verge of being destroyed! Our world and your world coincide with each other through different dimensions. Our world was created by your world's Thought Energy. Therefore, our world depends upon your world. Both worlds rely upon each other. But something is causing the balance between both worlds to collapse. The Dark Sun has taken over our world, all of our companions are being devoured. All that's left are…," Black Magician Girl explained. I looked at the Monsters that surrounded me, so few and so weak, Kuriboh appeared and let out a cry.
"Is there any way I can help to protect our worlds?" I asked. If we were truly in such great danger, then there had to be something that I could do, Andromeda smiled and walked up to me taking my arm in order to turn me around; this allowed me to stare up at one of the frozen dragons and I saw this one had a sceptre that appeared to pierce straight into where its' heart would lay.
"These are five of the guardians of the Duel Monsters World, the Legendary Dragons. They exhausted all of their power in their last battle, now they're sleeping here. When did they get here? No one can remember their names except perhaps the other guardians, all who slumber or are trapped themselves," Andromeda explained. She then rose into the air and I went with her as Black Magician Girl followed after us.
"All that is left behind of these dragons is a prophecy. When our world and Human's world is on the verge of collapse, only the True Duelists will awaken us dragons," Black Magician Girl spoke. I looked at the sceptre pierced into the dragon. "I believe that you can free one of these dragons, Fair Consort," Black Magician added on. Nodding my head, I reached my hand out to the sceptre and wrapped both of my hands around it.
I started to pull on the sceptre, causing it to slide out of the ice and a light followed after it, soon the sceptre was pulled completely free and I went floating backwards as the light spread to encompass all of the ice. It shattered into pieces and allowed me to see the dragon held within it, a western dragon with lavender scales and pure green eyes; there weren't any spines on her back, but her tail appeared to be forked as horns curled down from her head like locks of hair… I blinked rapidly as I realised that I called the dragon her, somehow, I knew the dragon was female and I heard her name be whispered on the wind.
"Nameless Dragon! I know your name! Your name is Xanthi!" I declared. The dragon roared, accepting the name as power washed over me. "The Heart of Xanthi, you can unlock the hidden power of Monsters," I realised. I threw my hand out to reach up to the dragon as a light engulfed my form.
*Yu-Gi-Oh*
"AH!" I yelled. I stop upright, the silver duvet falling from my form as a light glowed within the corner of my vision, I turned my gaze and looked out my window seeing something that should have been impossible. "That's an aurora!" I exclaimed. I scrambled out of my bed and quickly threw on some proper clothing before I heard roaring, looking out the window once more I saw Duel Monsters flying towards the light. "That's a bad sign," I commented.
"KYLIE!" Katherine screamed. I turned and grabbed my Deck and Duel Disk, before running out into the hallway where I saw my sister standing there. "Outside! Now!" Katherine added on. We both darted out of the house and I took off towards the centre of town, where the Monsters were being drawn to; we met up with Yugi and found that the other three were already there.
Looking up I saw a mass of green crystal, giving of the same creepy vibe as the pendant, glowing pieces of light appeared to be being drawn to the crystal… no those weren't light… it was the Duel Monsters! They were being absorbed into the crystal structure which cracked apart and well down to reveal the Dark Sun that I'd seen in the Duel Monsters Spirit World.
The others started to freak out as I pulled out my Deck, I reached for the top card of it and flipped it over, but I didn't even both to be surprised when I saw the Heart of Xanthi there. I put my Deck away in its' pouch as I glared up at the thing that was threatening my world and the world that my beloved friends inhabited, a glow started to appear from within the pupil.
"I won't let you threaten this world or my friends' world!" I yelled. I threw up the hand that held Xanthi in its' grasp, the light flew down before expanding into a violent twister of wind that was coming straight for us; the other three freaked out as Katherine hugged my form tightly whilst Yugi kept staring at the twister just as I did. A sudden glow came from Yugi's Deck and I grinned, knowing where the missing dragon had gone as he pulled it free. "Together Yugi!" I cried over the wind. Yugi nodded as we held our hands up to the wind.
"Lend us you power, Xanthi/Timaeus!" Me and Yugi cried. The two dragons emerged, Timaeus being a blue western dragon with a blue-green eye, the other scarred over, small spikes on his spine, a normal tail, sharp back fangs and finned ears; the two dragons flew up to the Dark Sun which unleashed another twister but with a roar the two dragons unleashed breaths that collided with the twister.
The two pushed against each other as light echoed out from the centre of the clash; Timaeus and Xanthi discovered their strength and let out a stronger stream of power. It overwhelmed the twister and drove straight into the Dark Sun, causing it to shatter into two halves that transformed into green crystals. But in that moment a voice echoed that almost seemed to drill its' way into my skull and I was sent to my knees
"This isn't over child of light!" A voice roared. Evil, sickly and powerful were the only way to describe it, when it faded I was able to look back up and saw the two dragons fade away and return to their cards; a pink and silver glow appeared and I looked up seeing Black Magician Girl and Andromeda standing before us, Yugi also saw them and Katherine was gaping in shock.
"Thank you Master, Fair Consort. The portal to your world has been closed once again. But the evil power has escaped somewhere in your world. Our companions are also still captured. The Evil God will surely revive. Master! Fair Consort! Defeat that Evil God! Otherwise, both of our worlds will enter a path of doom!" Black Magician Girl pleaded. As she did, the two Magicians faded away and flew back up to the aurora which also vanished.
Glancing down at my bracelet I saw it was gleaming brightly once more, Mum's theory was probably right if how my bracelet had been reacting these last two days was any indication.