Chapter Twenty-Four

24

An Ominous Warning

This Chapter contains New Content!

The building loomed over the four friends. Old, dusty, and it looked like it had been ramsacked inside. Probably some ner-do-well students who also had the idea to come and sneak around the place. With every step, it seemed to creak, and it almost seemed like it moaned. At least that's how it felt to Connar. It sent shivers through her.

Though far be it that would scare Jaden Yuki away.

"This place is sweet!" he beamed exploring the place as he shined his light on every nook and cranny. Un beknownst to him, Jaden held firmly to Connar's waist as she continue to cling onto his arm while they explored. He was doing it to help her maintain balance as she seemed to be moving a bit wobbly from time to time, though to the eyes of those on the other side, it didn't seem as 'natural' as he meant for it to be.

"Man, why is she clinging on to him ?" Syrus groaned, pouting in his own hidden envy," I knew her longer!"

"Maybe we should lock them both in a closet and just run." Chumley joked.

Whenever Jaden wanted to push on further but Connar wanted to stay put, he would take a few steps ahead but makesure his hand stayed gripped onto hers, assuring she was okay before he went off too far.

"Now they're holding hands..." Syrus groaned.

"You know Sy...I don't even think Jaden notices what he's actually doing." Chumley chuckled.

"Yeah I guess that doesn't surprise me...I don't think Connie notices it either." Syrus chuckled. But it still weighed in him that his friend still didn't seem to be doing well.

"You know..." Jaden began to speak as he continued shining his light around,"A little paint, a couple of cardboard boxes and maybe a throw rug...and we could so totally move in here!" he beamed, his other two room mates however did not seem to share his enthusiasm.

"Or, here's a better idea..." Connar chuckled,"We could deck this place out like a princess castle and I~ could totally move in here!" she beamed.

"What!?" No way am I painting this place pink!" Jaden laughed.

"Awe, come on, I'll grant you all visitation~!"

"That's it, we're dueling for it!"

Syrus huffed a sigh and shook his head as he listened to his friends bicker jokingly about how they would decorate the place, giving a soft smile of relief as it seemed Connar looked to be doing a little bit better than earlier.

"You guys are kidding right?" he said,"This place is even worse than the Slifer dorms! I mean...what's all this stuff on the walls?"

"Awe, don't be that way SyRy, nothing a little elbow grease can't fix-" Connar froze as her blue haired friend pointed out the wall decor,"Hey, I know these markings..." she said softly,"I think these are hieroglyphs."

"Hieroglyphs?" Syrus blinked curiously,"You mean like Ancient Egypt?"

"I'm not sure if my translations are correct..." Connar said softly as she looked closer to the details,"But I think it might have something to do with the Shadow Games."

"The Shadow Games?" Jaden scoffed lightly as he moved closer himself,"You mean those supposed magical games that were played with Millennium Items? he asked,"I've heard about it, but it's not actually true."

"So you say..." Connar said softly as she looked closer to the markings.

"You said 'translations'." said Syrus,"You can't actually know how to read this?"

"Well, not fully." Connar chuckled," But I guess you could say I, uh, know someone, who had a bit of background knowledge on this sort of thing."

"Hmmm." Jaden pondered but he didn't seem too convinced.

"Jaden, don't stand so close to that!"

Connar let out a quiet snort as she couldn't help but think Syrus sounded like a mother scolding her child when he talked like that.

"You know...I think this shows the seven Millennium items." Jaden said as he leaned in closer to get a better view with the light."How cool..." he moved the light some more and let it rest on an old photo,"...And that shows someone I've never seen before."

"Hey...that's Atticus!" Connar blinked as she picked up the framed photo.

"Who?" They all seemed confused as to how Connar knew this Obelisk Blue student in the photograph.

"I recognize him from when he used to hang out with Zane."

"Really?" Syrus blinked,"I don't remember him."

"Well...I met them a few times before in past tournaments..." she chuckled,"Plus we did go to the sme school for a little while..." she stated, "I remember him being pretty good too...If I remember right, I think this is Alexis's brother."

"Are you serious?" Jaden asked as he took the photo to look at it himself.

"Yeah...we should take that with us...I think Alexis would like to...have ...it.." She groaned softly and held her head wobbling on her feet. Oddly enough the building seemed to be moving like ocean waves...at lest to Connar it seemed that way-

"Connie!" This time it was Syrus who caught her and helped her maintain balance.

"Another dizzy spell..." she said softly and began to breathe a little heavier as once again she heard the disembodied laughter that only seemed to hit her ears and no one else's.

"Connar? Are you good?" Jaden asked as he tried to shake her right again. She opened her eyes weakly and tried to open her mouth to respond but was cut off by the sound of a sudden scream that got everyone's attention.

"That sounded like Alexis!" said Syrus.

"Yeah, it did." said Jaden,"Let's go!" As they all prepared to take off running toward the direction of her scream. Connar's knees gave out however, and she fell to the ground panting and dripping in a cold sweat.

"Connie!" They all called out but she waved them away from her.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine!" she called out to them,"Go now and find Alexis!"

"But Connie!" Jaden called out as he ran and knelt to her level to speak so that only the two of them could hear,"I don't feel right about leaving you alone..."

"Don't worry Jaden..." she panted softly and locked her gaze on his giving him a knowing look,"I'm not alone."

Jaden stared back and gave an understanding nod.

"All right then." he said softly,"But stay here! I promise to come right back!"

She nodded her understanding and sent him off. Though Syrus hovered a bit with concern.

"Go with Jaden, SyRy he might need your help." she said to him,"I promise I won't go anywhere."

"...Okay Connie." he said,"Please don't disappear!" and with that Syrus too ran off after their friends while Connar remained still in the room she was volunteered to stay behind in, trying to regain her senses enough to follow them...but the dizzy spell was over powering.

What is this...?

She thought to herself, trying to understand her symptoms.

Why is this happening to me?

"Hey...can you see me?"

Connar gasped as she heard this voice once again. Clear as day. It echoed around her and she slowly raised her quivering eyes from the ground, upward toward the direction it came from. Standing before her, seeming to be hiding behind a pillar...stood a boy. He glanced at her with a shy expression, his pink irises quivering the same as hers, like an inverted mirror.

"It's you..." she said softly," You're that boy...from before!"

The boy gave her a smile and soon revealed himself from his hiding place. He looked just like her, and by the looks of it, he seemed to age the same as her as well. He wore a tight fitted purple turtleneck. Though it was sleeveless. On both arms had gold bands, wrapped around his biceps, as well as around his wrists. He wore faded blue jeans as well. At first glance, He would just come off as a somewhat edgy teen male, only with the same face as Connar's and his colors inverted with his shorter blue hair that had the same part in the front, and his rose colored pink irises. That...and the ominous glow that made him shine in the dark.

"So...you do see me~" He seemed to give her a relieved smile,"Thank goodness...I knew you would come back to me some day." he giggled.

"I see..." she blinked and narrowed her eyes curiously,"But...who are you?" It was clear to Connar that this was no ordinary person...yet at the same time...he seemed all too familiar...He remained silent and instead gave her a smirk before standing and taking off down a mysterious corridor.

"Hey...wait!" She called out to the boy and panted heavily as she stood to her feet and wobbled after him. There were so many sharp turns as he ran ahead of her. and she followed him.

This is so strange...

she thought to herself between bated breaths.

Has this dorm...always been this big?

Finally they came to a stop in a four walled room. It was just him, and her standing face to face. Like an inverted mirror.

"It's...so weird." she whimpered softly,"You really do look like me..."

"I told you once before, didn't I?" he said with a grin as he approached her and, and gently placed his palm over her chest. "That's because I am you~ "

It was in this moment, that Connar felt her heart constrict, where his hand hovered. She gasped and coughed, hunched forward trembling as she quickly tried to replace his hand- only to go right through it. This made her twitched.

I knew it...

She thought to herself.

This is a spirit...!

"I d-don't understand... what you mean by that..." she panted softly, when suddenly he removed his hand from her chest, and that pain and constricting had ceased. This time...he slowly turned it upward and offered it to her...

"Come with me." he said to her.

She still couldn't understand...

Suddenly their surroundings faded away, and her eyes faded over. She slowly reached her hand out toward the one offered to her, but was soon stopped by another tight grasp to her wrist.

" !" Kaibaman's voice snapped into her consciousness and re-awakened her from her odd trance.

"Kaibaman?" she blinked, shifting her gaze to the sudden panicked expression on the Duel Spirit's face.

"...Kaibaman..." The male infront of her let out a soft voice of melancholy.

Wait...

Connar blinked as she glanced back at the boy.

...He knows Kaibaman too...?

"So you can still see me too." said Kaibaman glaring through his visor at the mystery man that stood before them,"Therefore...you know exactly why I am here."

The boy twinged back a lonely and pained expression, retriving his hand.

"You can't hide forever." he said softly, Though who he was talking to was uncertain. His eyes, rested on Connar, so it was safe to assume it was her.

"Please...don't lock me away..."

Locked away!?

Connar grunted as she felt a sharp pulse beneath her chest and gripped at her uniform shirt. Her heart was constricting once more-

"Ms. Connar!?" her spirit partner called her name but she couldn't bring herself to speak. It was as though her throat was constricted while he continued to speak.

"The longer you shut me out, the more it will hurt when you finally break!" His voice snapped and echoed around her sending sharp stabs through her body as a sudden flash image of shattered glass played within the depths of Connar's mind, and like a blinding light, within a flash the boy was gone, and all went to black with the echoing thud of a body hitting the floor and the panicked cry of a subserviant Duel Spirit.

To Be Continued...