Chapter 16:

The Three Gods

Rex Raptor and Ann Michi stood stunned at the events that had occurred recently. It was like waking up from a dream, Ann stated. Upon realizing that they were alive, Rex and Ann helped the other duellists escape the castle. They were the only ones left, deciding that despite how much they despised certain duellists, it was a win or lose situation. Which led them to a search of the castle for the missing group.

***

Yugi and co were resting up in a room, planning and plotting a way to get out of this mess. Deep in Yugi's heart, he felt that something horrible was about to happen, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get rid of that foreboding feeling.

***

Yami and Téa were found in one of bedrooms, talking. After their 'incident' a while ago, they had much to talk about.

"Yami, are you ok now?" Téa asked, while brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes.

Yami nodded. "Yes…I really…needed that.

Téa smiled fondly. "Everyone needs a good cry now and then." She said softly.

Téa, I'm just so sorr…" Téa placed a finger over his lips, cutting him off. "Enough with the apologies! You've been like this for days now! It's not your fault or anyone's for that matter. Please, let it go!" She removed her finger and clasped her hands together in her lap.

"You're right…I'm…"

Téa looked up quickly, daring him to say 'sorry' again."

He smirked. "I'm glad I met you!" He said, putting his arm around her and playfully tugged her towards him.

She laughed and leaned on his shoulder sighing. He was a very different person now. Much more open and willing to smile, but only for certain people, like her and Yugi for instance. But what will happen when it's time to return the items? "Yami…I" She began, but was soon cut off.  A shattering scream caused her to stop mid-sentence. "What was that?" She asked jumping up and running to the door.

Yami followed her. "Let me go first."

She nodded as they exited the room.

Yugi was already outside, looking around. "What are you doing here?" He asked in a slightly surprised tone.

Rex and Ann entered the room.

Ann was shaking and her eyes were opened wide.  "I…uh…him…he…"

Rex continued for her. "We were looking for you guys and came across a body in the hallway. Whatever got him…was ruthless!"

Ann nodded and sat down on the couch.

Yugi stepped out into the hallway, as Yami joined him at the door. "What do you think it was, Yami?" He asked, a shaky tone detected in his voice.

"I don't know…but it's obvious we're not alone!" He pulled Yugi back in the room and shut the door, placing a large chair by it, in order to block it temporarily.

Serenity, who was now standing up, was the first to ask. "What's gong on?"

Yugi explained the grizzly body that was Kemo, and she fell back in the chair, feeling suddenly nauseous.

Ann, who recognized her duelling rival, approached her. "So, the little princess is still here?" Serenity scowled at her, but refused to speak. Ann sighed and felt guilt welling up in her. "Listen, I know things were bad between us, but…I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I was…"

Serenity interrupted. "I know. Let's just forget about it, ok?" She said, smiling and reaching to shake Ann's hand. Ann smiled and accepted.

"Ok, it's so obvious we aren't safe here! So what's do you guys say about us getting out of here?" Joey asked quietly.

Before anyone could nod, the window in the room Ishizu and Shadi were in smashed open. Téa screamed and Yami ran to check it out. All everyone heard was a light shocked expression from Yami and swishing sound, and then a loud scream. Téa and Yugi ran into the room, gaping at the sight before them. A large 'Blues Eyes White Dragon' was holding an unconscious Ishizu in its talons. Shadi was knocked out on the floor, with bloodstains on his robes, and Yami was blocking its attack with his arm; despite the fact the dragon had cut it open. He winced from the pain shooting up his arm.

"Yami!" Téa and Yugi cried in unison.

Téa tried to run to him, but Yugi held her back. "No! It's too dangerous!"

The creature stretched out one of his wings, knocking Yugi and Téa off of their feet with a blast of wind.

"Yugi! Téa!" Yami shouted struggling against his would be captor. As if tiring of the tug of war, the dragon screeched and wrapped it's back claw around Yami's waste and hoisted him up into the air.  Feeling weakened from the loss of blood, Yami slipped out of consciousness and into the clutches of the towering dragon. It flew off with Yami and Ishizu in tow.

Yugi sat up, rubbing his head. "Either it's my imagination, or was that really was a Blue Eyes that kidnapped our friends?"

Téa sat up, tears threatening to fall. "Remember what you told us about Pegasus wishing to harness his power?"

Yugi nodded.

She looked at the broken window. "I think someone else had the same thing in mind…and Yami might not be able to survive it."

Yugi stood up and walked over to the window. "Yami…Ishizu…hang in there!"

***

Maxellus sat in his or should I say Pegasus's chambers, stroking a 'Baby Dragon' the door burst open and the 'Blues Eyes White Dragon' threw Ishizu and Yami at his feet. "Well, well." He said in an almost playful tone. "The fun is just beginning. "Now to start." He snapped his fingers and the wounds on their unconscious bodies, disappeared.

Ishizu was the first to wake up. "Who are you?" She gasped. Standing quickly, she noticed Yami on the floor. She kneeled down and the scowled at Maxellus. "What did you do to him?"

Maxellus stood up and approached her. "Nothing really. He wouldn't have been so hurt if he would have just cooperated with my dragon!"

Yami stirred and opened his eyes, seeing a worried Ishizu looking down at him. "Ishizu? Are you ok?" He asked sitting up.

Ishizu nodded. "I'm fine! But I don't think either of us will be for long."

"Right you are my dear!" Maxellus said in a sickeningly cheerful tone. "Now, shall we begin the ceremony?" He hovered over Ishizu, laughing menacingly.

***

"What?" Joey exclaimed, as Yugi and Téa told him what happened.

"That's right! Somehow those duel monster cards are alive, just like when the shadows games were played 5000 years before!" Yugi exclaimed.

Bakura looked over at Téa. "So, we didn't imagine the "Summon Skull' did we?"

Téa shook her head. "No…but are they all bad?"

Yugi took his duelling deck out. "I don't know. But there's only one way to find out!" He shuffled through his deck and pulled out a card. "I play Kuriboh!" He shouted.

 A light flashed in the room and a fuzzy little creature appeared. It took one look at Tristan and began rubbing its furry little body against his leg.

Serenity chuckled. "I think it likes you!"

Téa walked over and petted the Kuriboh, which purred contently. "What's causing this?" She asked looking up at Yugi.

Yugi crossed his arms and began to think. "I'm not sure, but if I remember what Pegasus said in that computer message…something about harnessing a power, by using the millennium eye and your ring. I think your ring is the key to all of this!"

Téa pulled it out of her shirt pocket. "My ring?" She remembered back to a few minutes ago after Yami and Ishizu were kidnapped.

***

"Yami…why did this have to happen? With your new body…you could die!" She saw a small light glittering on the floor near the smashed window. "What's that?" She asked curiously. She bent over and picked up a small ruby ring. "My ring! Yami…was holding onto it for me." She looked out the window at the setting sun, which had an odd looking dark cloud over it. "Yami…"

***

Téa gripped the ring tightly and slid it back into her pocket. "Pegasus said that if I wear this ring, it'd make me a slave. And, I over heard Yami saying, that it granted wishes to those who desired it most. But how does this connect with the monsters? Pegasus never got a chance to use it. It was always in my hands. Except once when Bakura's other half and Yami held onto it." She fell back on the couch with a sigh. "Nothing makes sense!"

The Kuriboh became so attached to Tristan, that it followed him all over the room, clinging to his leg like a leech. "Off! Get off I said!" He struggled with the purring creature.

Yugi nodded and then snapped his finger. "Wait!"  He paused to watch Tristan running around the room, trying to get the fuzz ball to let go.

"Pegasus was able to harness a power with his millennium eye! What if that power was able to bring the monsters from the shadow realm here? Instead of taking us there?"

Tristan finally got it off and slumped down in the loveseat. It sat on his lap, nuzzling him. He sweat-dropped.

Bakura shook his head. "It sounds right, but one thing doesn't make any sense."

Yugi frowned. "What's that?"

Bakura sighed. "If the monsters were brought out of the shadow realm…" He peeled back a long red curtain. "Why does the sky look like that?"

Everyone ran to the window.

Téa gasped. "You're right! I noticed it when I found my ring in Ishizu's room. I thought a storm was coming."

Yugi gripped his puzzle tightly. "Pegasus didn't bring the monsters to us, he warped the entire castle into the shadow realm."

Téa titled her head, a puzzled look forming on her face. "But, if someone just did this, then why did Bakura and I see a 'Summon Skull' the night before the duels?"

"It's simple." Said a voice from the door behind them. Everyone turned to see Shadi leaning against the door for support, his arm in a sling. "Pegasus was only able to do it a little at a time. He said in his message, that he was too weak to complete it, without the Pharaoh's help. But if you remember, you two found Pegasus's body in that other room. Pegasus isn't in control anymore. Someone with greater power is, someone who was able to harness the dark powers of the shadow realm 5 millennia ago. And the only person, who could do that, is the creator of the shadow games. He slept within Pegasus's body, waiting till he was weak enough to take over and finish him off." Everyone stared in silence.

Téa spoke up. "You mean, that Pegasus's ancestor is the creator of the shadow games?"

Shadi nodded. "And by absorbing all of the Pharaoh's powers, he can not only warp this castle into the shadow realm, but the entire world also. And with the entire world trapped within this nightmare, he'll be able to control all and rule over everything forever!"

Yugi glared. "With Yami's help…won't he die from being so weakened?"

Shadi nodded sadly. "Once he is able to drain all of Yami's powers, he will be too weak to live and he will be finished off."

Téa shook her head in disbelief. "If all of this is connected to the war 5000 years ago, then…who is the real betrayer? It was obvious I wasn't, Seto framed me.

Seto grunted and looked away.

Yugi refused to believe it, but it was true. "The betrayer who caused this whole mess…it was none other then the young prince of Egypt! Bel um Fal…"

***

Yami cried out in pain as he felt his life force draining from his very being.

"You're going to kill him!" Ishizu cried, fighting against her bonds.

"That's my plan!" Ishizu slumped back. "What do you want with me?"

Maxellus turned to face her. "You my dear, have an incredible power within you. A power that needs to be awakened. If I harness that power, I will be invincible. To harness the powers of gods is even better then those pathetic fools attempts to collect all of the millennium items and god cards! You have the powers of the Goddess Isis within.  This man has the power of Ra, and your young friend, Kaiba was it?"

Ishizu glared.

"He has the power of Set! Once I awake those powers and combine them, I will become a god greater then any god you have ever seen! And as you know, a god is unstoppable!" He caressed her cheek. "But you my dear, sadly won't survive!" He slapped her face, causing her head to fling back. She cried out.

"Ishizu!" Yami gasped. "Don't you touch her you bastard!"

Maxellus smiled. "You want some too?" He walked over to Yami and punched him in the face. Yami winced. "That wasn't very bright!" Maxellus said, taunting him.

Yami felt himself growing weaker. "Yugi…this is in your hands now!" He coughed, some blood trickling down his mouth.

***

"It can't be!" Téa cried. "How could he do that? He would never wish to harm a soul!"

Shadi nodded. "True, the prince's heart was almost as pure as gold, but after he lost Téana, that ring possessed him. His darkest desires awoken and he helped open the shadow games. But, once he realized what had happened and how many people's lives he took, his heart returned to him. He sealed himself in the puzzle, as his last act of good and punishment to himself for the sins he had caused."

Téa bowed her head. "No wonder he kept apologizing. He…he's caused all of this! And what happened in the puzzle…that's why he attacked us"

Yugi felt anger flaring within him. "He may have, but he's not like that now! He's helped us through everything! He's been our friend for so long! We can't just turn our backs on him!"

Joey put his hand on Yugi's shoulder. "We aren't, man. We know how much heart he has. We'll save him, no matter what! He's our friend, he's a part of us! We aren't going to just throw it all away because of something that happened in the past!"

Téa nodded. "Right! Yami's done so much for us; it's our turn to help him! Show him that we haven't given up on him." She clasped her hand to her heart. "And, that we believe in him, like he's always believed in us."

Everyone nodded. 

"I do have a question though." Téa said, holding her hand over the pocket the ring was in. "Why has Kaiba's, Pegasus's and even my ancestor's powers awakened?"

Shadi walked up to her. "It's because of the ring you hold.  Long ago, in ancient Egypt, a powerful sorceress placed a spell on the ring. She was a great prophet and knew of the dangers to come. She placed a spell that would awaken 3 gods of Egypt, so that when the world was in danger, they would use the powers to aid the Pharaoh in his quest to stop the war that was to come. She had predicted the shadow games long ago, and knew that it would destroy the world. Somehow it ended up in the hands of the queen. Some say her mother was the great sorceress, but no one knew for sure. All we knew, was it fell into your ancestor's hands, Téa. And it's now meant for you. So, within your soul is the true power of the sorceress."

Téa clasped her hand to her mouth. "Me? But, it belonged to Yami's mother!"

Shadi nodded. "Actually, only I knew what truly happened. Téa and Bel um Fal were childhood friends. Their families were close as well. Your ancestor's mother gave his mother that ring as a gift. Telling her not to tell anyone her secret, or she would be banned or worse killed for being a so-called witch. The queen kept it safe, and promised to give it to her son the day he became the Pharaoh, in hopes that the powers within would aide him in this war that was spoke of for a millennia. She told the young child that her mother had given it to her, but it was a lie to protect her son from the truth.  But something went wrong. Who ever wore the ring that had the sleeping powers of the god within it, would become possessed. Desperate to avoid losing her son, she told him to give it to Téana. But, no one except her mother and the queen knew that she had the powers of a sorceress within her as well. Bel um Fal, Seto and Isis all had the powers of the gods within them. When Seto chose the darker side, Set awoke within him, consuming him and granting his darkest desires. The same happened with the prince. The god Ra awoke and over took him. No one knows what happened to Isis, but she never encountered the ring in her lifetime. The queen never meant to harm Téana, but she felt that if her mother was a sorceress, then Téana could possible contain the powers within. Yet, once Seto stole thing ring, all havoc broke loose. He framed Téana, because of his dark desire to have her or no one else would. Once she was framed, the prince, enraged with the thought that his childhood friend and fiancé could have betrayed him, killed her and took the ring back. He put it on his finger and then released the shadow games. Everyone fought bravely, but soon died. Seeing his friends gone, the prince overcame the power and sealed himself away, to stop the madness once and for all. Which brings us to today. Yugi, you are the reincarnation of Bel um Fal, which is why the puzzle landed in your hands. Deep inside you, you hold the power of Ra yourself, but you are too inexperienced to harness it properly. When the time comes, you might have to let go. For a fear that Yami's time is almost up. And once he's gone, you'll be the only one left with the gift, and if you are destroyed, then all hope is lost."

Téa put her arm around Yugi, trying to comfort him. "Yami…is going to die?"

Shadi nodded. "Even if we left right now, it would still be too late by the time we got there. The shadow powers are growing stronger as we speak."

Yugi jumped up. "Then why are we just sitting here? Yami needs us! I won't just watch him die, thinking we abandoned him!" He tore a card out of his pocket and summoned it. "Curse of Dragon' arise!" He jumped on the dragon's back.

"Yugi, wait!" Téa reached out to him. "I'm coming with you!"

Joey and Tristan nodded. "We are too!"

Yugi felt tears welling up. "Thanks guys." He smiled.

Bakura walked over to him. "Maybe a little aid from a fellow millennium holder might help you?" Yugi smiled brightly. "Ok, let's go!"

Serenity smiled. "Be careful brother, we'll take care of things back here!"

Joey gave her the thumbs-up. "Alright!"

Shadi allowed a tiny smirk. "Good luck then…. young Yugi.

And with that said, the 'Curse of Dragon soared off into the darkness, searching for their lost friends, in hopes of bringing them home.

To be continued…