~CHAPTER ONE~

Wind hustled in the air, making a whisper of death. The air was foggy and sticky. No clouds were in a blue sky, just a black void that had no ending, and there a witch lied. Her identity was a mist, her appearance unseen. There in the middle of the night she planned to get possession of what was a powerful item, and item that combined with other items, she would have possessed the most powerful magic in the entire world.

Deep in her thought the plan was brewing, like a steaming pot of iron. She tapped her red tipped fingernails on a stone ledge as she looked at the planet Earth from her moonset balcony. She smirked under her coiled hood of a dark green cloak. Soon she would make the greatest plan ever known, and the ones who the plan triggered on wouldn't even be prepared for what she held in store. She would get what she wanted; she always had and always will.

It was early morning, the sunset a gold above the horizon. The city was peaceful and the day begun, but our hero Joey Wheeler didn't know what to expect on a sunny day with blue skies and something evil a mist. The phone rung and Joey woke up with his hair disheveled and slowly crawling out of his bed. He twisted away from the blanket surrounding him and walked to the phone. It rung again and he picked it up and said, "hello?" Yugi, his friend from school was on the other line; his voice a buzz on the phone's static.

"Hey Joey, it's me. You awake?"

"If I was a sleep, I wouldn't have answered the phone. So what's up?"

"Yeah I guess you're right," he laughed for a minute and continued, "Well me and Te'a are going to the park, want to come along?"

"Yeah that sounds alright, let me get ready. Oh yeah, what about Triss. Ain't he coming too?"

"Oh, you haven't heard? He's at camp, he'll be gone all summer, but maybe Bakura would want to come."

"Alright, I'll be over there in a sec. See ya there Yug."

"Meet you there Joey, bye."

Joey hung up the phone and ran to his room. It was that of a normal room, somewhat messy and then again clean. He withdrew an outfit from his wardrobe, the usual blue jeans, white shirt, and green jacket. He threw them on promptly, hurrying as best he could. He didn't want them to wait too long or they might lecture him on how he should've been there sooner.

As he was leaving the house, he noticed something in the mail. He threw a brown box on the table inside and resumed his walk to the park. His hand's in his pockets, and a steady gaze on the path ahead. The birds sung in the trees, a whistle in the air as the sun gleamed brightly in the morning sky. It was not that late yet, just a few hours before the afternoon.

Joey met up with Yugi, Te'a, and Bakura standing under some trees as the wind blew leaves out of the shaking branches. They were in a conversation as he walked up to them. They all turned in little surprise and waved to him. Yugi seemed to have grown a bit since last time Joey saw him. It was a week after school ended and summer vacation begun.

"Hey Joey, glad you came," Yugi said with a smile.

"Yeah, it's no problem after all you guys are my friends," Joey replied.

"Hey there, remember me?" Te'a said as she clasped her hand on Yugi's shoulder and smiled brightly.

"It's been a while, huh? I mean since we all got together again. It'll be like at school or when we got back from all this adventuring. I'm glad we're finally getting a break," Bakura said as he too came into the dialogue.

"Yeah, I like breaks," Joey paused and then continued, "I have to visit my sister tomorrow. I haven't visited her since the surgery and I'd like to spend more time with her, you know?"

"We understand Joey. Hey I have an idea, why don't we go with you? It'll be fun," asked Yugi.

"Good idea, but I have to visit my grandma," Te'a laughed slightly and continued, "Guess we all are gonna visit someone, huh?"

Yugi nodded, "What about you Bakura? You going anywhere?"

Bakura shook his head, "No, I'll ask if I could come."

"Well I have no choice then. That'll surely make me feel a little better with all of you guys there, well with the exception of Te'a."