5000 years ago, there was a great battle. A demonic creature known as Red Nova ravaged the world. Thankfully, it was sealed away by the Crimson Dragon, and its five Dragon followers. With its defeat, peace returned.

But it wasn't long before a new threat emerged: the Earthbound Immortals and their leader, the King of the Netherworld. Once again, the Crimson Dragon and its followers battled, and the Immortals were sealed, becoming what we know today as the Nazca Lines.

But in the modern day, in Neo Domino City, there was an incident: the Zero Reverse. This incident awoke the Immortals, and they prepared their revenge. Possessing a few recently deceased, turning them into Dark Signers, the Immortals began their true revivial.

So once again, the Crimson Dragon prepared to fight, awakening its signs in 5 special people called Signers. However, only 4 have appeared, with the remaining one unknown.

And one of the existing 4 was about to alter the course of the battle ahead.

xxxxxxxxxx

This was not how Akiza had hoped her day would be going. After watching her mentor Sayer defeat the boy Leo, all she wanted to do was return to her room and go to sleep.

But she had been stopped by a woman. She had only seen her a few times on billboards, but she knew this was Misty, the world's top model. Misty wished to destroy the Arcadia Movement. Akiza did not know why, but she didn't have a chance to wonder, as Misty challenged her to a duel, revealing herself to be a Dark Signer.

The duel had gone... poorly for Akiza. The field was almost completely empty, save for a Field Spell Misty had played, and Akiza's life points were lower then Misty's.

"How nice it is to see the Black Rose Witch be the one struggling. To know that she'll be the one to suffer instead of others." Misty said. "To know you'll pay for what you did to my brother."

"Your brother?" Akiza asked, confused.

"Don't play dumb!" Misty yelled. "He saw you duel! He said he spoke to you! He said you told him to join the Arcadia Movement! He did, and then he..."

"Misty, I don't know your brother. I tell everyone to consider joining the Movement. They help others, like they helped me." Akiza said.

"Help others? Is that what you call destroying a stadium? Is that what you call terrorizing innocent people? IS THAT WHAT YOU CALL TEARING A BOY AWAY FROM HIS FAMILY?!" Misty screamed. "All you care about is destruction and pain!"

Akiza froze. That... that was... she didn't want to hurt anyone. She just wanted a normal life, free from pain, free from suffering.

"It's my turn! I draw!" Misty said. "I activate the spell card Reptile Spawn. By removing Reptile Gorgon in my Graveyard from play, I can summon two Reptile Tokens!" As she said that, two Reptile Tokens indeed appeared on the field. "This is your last chance, Black Rose Witch. Tell me where my brother is!"

"I am telling you! I don't know your brother!" Akiza yelled.

"...then suffer." Misty said. "I release my two tokens, to summon my ultimate monster. O Demon, who granted me new life. Break free from the spell that has held you prisoner! Come forth, Earthbound Immortal Ccarayhua!"

The two monsters became purple orbs and flew out the window behind Akiza. They turned into a strange heart shaped contraption, which then began turning people down in the street and within the Arcadia building into streams of purple light and absorbing them. Akiza turned back to look at Misty.

"What's going on?!" Akiza asked, horrified.

"Do not worry Akiza. Your soul will not be taken... yet." Misty said.

The streams eventually stopped, but no monster appeared.

"Hm? Where is the monster?" Akiza asked.

"He's just arrived. Look behind you." Misty said.

Akiza turned around, and saw nothing but black... before the black opened to reveal an enormous green eye. Akiza gasped in horror.

"I gave you a chance to admit the truth, and you refused." Misty said. "Ccarayhua! Attack Akiza directly!"

The ground began to tremble, as the massive creature stepped back from the building, revealing it to be an enormous lizard. The lizard raised its hand, and a stream of darkness was fired from it. The darkness broke through the window, and tore right into Akiza, draining all of her Life Points and piercing her heart. The duel over, Akiza slumped to the ground.

As the Field Spell faded, Misty smirked, ignoring the cries of horror and anger from the group that had shown up earlier and seen what happened (she did note, though, that the one girl in the group was another Signer). Slowly, she walked up to Akiza, whose life was slowly fading.

"So the Black Rose finally falls." Misty said. She then felt another rumble from above her, before seeing a body fall from the corner of her eye. "Seems our newest member is finished with your mentor. How fitting, to know that your final thought will be that you failed to protect him, or yourself. Ccarayhua, return to me!"

As Misty raised Ccarayhua's card, she noticed the massive monster seemed... curious about Akiza, before it finally began sinking into the ground. Misty paid it no mind as she began to leave, again ignores the screams of anger from one of the group. She had another Dark Signer to recruit.

xxxxxxxxxx

Dark.

That was all Akiza was seeing. She knew what it meant. She was dying. All the years she spent hated for her power, her time with Arcadia, the Fortune Cup, meeting that boy Yusei, his attempts to help her... all of it led to her bleeding out on the floor.

If she had more energy, Akiza would have cried. This can't be how it ends. She still felt she had so much to do. To think that this was her end made her so angry...

"How tragic."

Akiza could barely make out a voice. Deep, yet somehow soothing. Through the darkness, she could see a shape. It vaguely looked like the monster that killed her.

"Such a sad past. So much pain caused. So much suffering. All because of that mark on your arm." The voice said. "The Arcadia Movement could not help... but perhaps I can. I can end all your pain and loathing. I can free you from that marks curse. Free you from the wretched destiny set for you. I can give you the life you so wish for. If you'll allow me."

Something about the voice felt... honest. She'd finally be free of her cursed mark? Never have to worry about hurting others again? I took all of her remaining energy to answer.

"...y...yes..."

"Wonderful. Uru will certainly be surprised that I have a second host while he does not." The voice said. "Let the mark of the dragons claw leave you... and take the mark of the lizard."

xxxxxxxxx

In a helicopter somewhere over Neo Domino City, Sector Security officer Tetsu Trudge and Mina Simington, Jack Atlas's personal secretary, were watching the Arcadia Movement tower, having seen the geogylphs of the Lizard and Hummingbird.

"Two Immortals... This is incredibly bad." Mina said. "Take us back to the Satellite. Call Jack and let him know-"

Mina's order was cut off by a searing pain in her right arm. It only seemed to last for a brief moment. Mina looked at her arm to see what had happened... and was shocked to see one of the Crimson Dragon marks on her arm, the Mark of the Claw.

"Mina, are you alright?" Trudge asked.

"...I think things just got worse." Mina said.