THE ENCOUNTER OF LOST SOULS
Chapter Twelve: Of Mystics and Mythology
To search for the missing using the Millennium Puzzle, the other Yugi switched with his young spirit vessel.
Yugi and Emrys were now sitting akimbo opposite each other on the bed. The other Yugi invisibly joined in.
Holding the Puzzle with both hands, Yugi muttered, "Please, Millennium Puzzle. Please tell me where everyone is."
The Puzzle did not activate.
The other Yugi now placed his invisible hands to join his spirit vessel. "Aibou, try again…."
Yugi closed his eyes once more and requested the Puzzle, "Please tell us where everyone is…."
The Millennium item activated this time.
When a clear vision of where everyone was being held captive was about to appear, darkness and a thick fog slowly rolled in. Eventually, it completely blocked their view.
The same pentagram-shaped light they saw in their nightmare pierced through the darkness and fog.
A malevolent voice boomed, "There are two of you. I did not expect this surprise."
The light coming from the pentagram shone brighter. The same malevolent voice echoed, "Your Puzzle may be powerful, but the magic that precedes the Puzzle's source is more powerful still."
The overpowering light completely swallowed the darkness and the fog, until there was nothing to be seen.
As the vision ended, Yugi opened his eyes and saw her eager face. In response, he shook his head. "We saw something, but they blocked us."
"What did you see?" she asked.
"It was the pentagram-shaped light that I saw in my dream. We heard a voice, too. It said that their magic precedes the power of the Puzzle."
She deeply sighed. "If that voice you heard is telling the truth, the power that he was referring to may have something to do with the Atlanteans."
"We need to figure out another way."
"We'll try again, Yugi. Only this time, have her join us," the spirit suggested.
"He told me that you should join us," the younger Mutou explained.
As soon as she gave her permissive nod, three pairs of hands now held the Puzzle. They all closed their eyes.
Once again, the Puzzle was about to show them the way.
Yugi and the other Yugi saw themselves standing side by side in the void. The darkness and fog that preliminarily barred them rolled in, and the pentagram-shaped light reappeared.
The same evil voice coming from the pentagram taunted them again, "I will trap both of you inside this realm for eternity, for the power of the Puzzle is never going to be enough to save you!"
A fierce twister formed. It menacingly approached both Yugis.
When the twister was positioned about five feet in front of them, a huge pentagram formed around them – brightly spewing out blinding lights of green, gold, and red. Upon touching the protective pentagram's rim, the twister's intensity weakened until it completely disappeared.
"Perfect timing!" the other Yugi beamed, as he glanced behind him and saw a familiar face.
Yugi also gave the newcomer an appreciative look.
As she walked out from the fog and darkness, Emrys gazed back at her companions with a knowing smile.
"Ah, the crest-wielder…another pleasant surprise," the evil voice boomed with amusement. "You may have prematurely figured out how to tap into some of your powers. However, your parlor tricks are no match against someone who has mastered them for millennia. As soon as I trap your souls, my powers will increase!"
Inching closer to both Yugis, she quietly asked, "Do you, or the Puzzle, have a power that packs a punch?"
The other Yugi affirmatively nodded.
"Use it and aim it at the barrier wall," she whispered.
The other Yugi smiled, as he easily figured out her plan. He then instructed his spirit vessel, "Hold the Puzzle with both hands as high as you could, on my mark."
A sinister-looking robed figure came out from the fog, and hailed another twister.
The second twister had more potent magical intensity than the previous one. Once the twister formed, it menacingly approached them at twice the speed as it did the first one. It was now touching the protective pentagram's rim, but its strength did not diminish.
"Aibou, hold up the Puzzle!" the spirit yelled at the top of his lungs, and then signaled her to begin her work.
While Yugi did as he was told, she enforced the pentagram's mystical powers with some of the Millennium Puzzle's magic.
Eventually, the protective pentagram's light radiated upward, and transformed into a defensive barrier between them and the twister. The barrier eventually absorbed the twister without causing them any harm.
While focusing her energies at the pentagram, she yelled, "Now!"
He raised his right hand – aiming at the mystical wall. "Mind Crush!"
The magical barrier absorbed the power of Mind Crush. It then formed into a more menacing twister before them.
The protective pentagram, on the other hand, reverted into its original form.
"There are three of us, and one of you. Let us see who the master is!" Using some of the Puzzle's power, she then mentally commanded the twister.
In furious speed, the fully charged twister turned on its owner. A loud, piercing scream reverberated. It was then followed by the deafening sound of crashing glass.
Once the surrounding glass shattered and its myriad slivers disappeared, the Puzzle provided them a crystal-clear vision.
They now stood in front of the old, abandoned lighthouse at a small island facing Domino City. The trip by air between Domino City and the small island would take about twenty minutes, and an hour by boat.
Then, the Puzzle showed them the path leading underground. They saw exactly where Sugoroku and the gang were held captive. Each of them was bound, blindfolded, and gagged.
Men donning the same robes that the intruders in the Mutou household wore surrounded them.
Yugi and Emrys opened their eyes and relaxed their hold of the Millennium Puzzle. They felt heavily drained from their otherworldly ordeal.
He gave her a perplexed look. "Where did you learn how to do magic?"
"Every thing has been weird since my parents died. What I did back there was the first time I ever did it. The past two visits in that realm added to that knowledge, too."
"We need whatever help we could get to rescue everyone."
"It's the Puzzle's power that was used. I just simply redirected its energy..."
Noticing her unsettled expression, he then asked, "What's wrong?"
"I'm afraid of…" her voice then trailed off.
Frowning, he asked, "What?"
"What scares me is the power that those scrolls spoke of. The Atlanteans dabbled with the most potent forms of forbidden magic. I'm just afraid, Yugi. What if I couldn't handle it?"
A brief moment of silence followed her words.
The younger Mutou then deeply sighed. "You have a good heart. Just as you said, it's up to the wielder to use that power for good or evil."
"How do you expect me to trust a power that killed my parents? How could any good come out of wielding that same devastating magic?"
"Every thing takes time. You have to forgive yourself, most especially since your parents' death was not your fault. We have faith in you, and you need to have faith that your heart's bigger than all of this."
It was around three in the afternoon. The cab waited outside the Mutou household, as it was ready to take Professor Hopkins to Domino Airport.
"Goodbye, Uncle Arthur," Emrys said, as she exchanged hugs with her former guardian.
"I really don't want to leave, especially since Sugoroku's still missing," the professor ruefully said.
"Jii-chan will understand, Professor. This visit of yours means a lot to us."
"Please call us, Uncle Arthur, once you get to the United States."
The elderly professor affirmatively nodded. "I will. Take care, as always, my dear. When you do get to the United States for your concert, then it's your turn to give us a call."
"Give our regards to Rebecca," Yugi said with a wide smile and a respectful bow.
"I'll let her know. She'll be elated," Arthur acknowledged. As he got distracted and snapped his fingers, he then dug inside his coat pocket. He then produced a flat rectangular silver container, and handed it to her. "Pegasus J. Crawford wanted me to give this to you…."
"Pegasus?" Yugi incredulously echoed.
She opened the container, pulled out the white linen paper, and read the note inside:
To Alexandra Emrys
Just like your parents before you,
Your invaluable findings brought me closer to my goals.
As a token of my gratitude, please accept these humble gifts.
I, unfortunately, know how it is to lose a loved one,
I empathize with your great loss. Your parents were a wonderful couple.
I now bestow these to you. I know they would want you to have them.
Each card is one of a kind in the entire world.
Each one is my inspired creation, as well as homage to your rich heritage.
Forever grateful, Pegasus J. Crawford
She looked inside the container and took out two duel monster cards, one magic card, and one ritual monster card. Astonished, she murmured, "Duel monster cards depicting Greek mythological figures? Amazing!"
Yugi then asked the professor, "Why does Pegasus want to give her these cards?"
"He was interested in my last archaeological excavations – the ones that uncovered the petroglyphs and the scrolls. I told him about Alexa's contribution to the project. He mentioned that he knew her parents very well, and had asked their advice numerous times when he explored Egypt. He handmade those cards and intended to give them as a gift. When he found out that they died, he kept those cards under lock and key for many years. Now, he wanted me to give them to Alexa."
"Unbelievable!" the younger Mutou exclaimed.
"If you do see Mister Crawford, please give him my thanks," she said to Arthur, as she handed the cards to Yugi for inspection.
The professor nodded. "I'll let him know. Please take care of yourselves." After he went inside the cab, he rolled down the window and told Yugi, "Please take care of Alexa for us, okay?"
She smiled, being all-too familiar with Arthur's fatherly ways.
Yugi also grinned. "We will, Professor. Have a safe trip!"
The cab drove off, and they waved goodbye to each other until they were no longer in each other's sight.
"As much as I didn't want him to leave, it'll be better off this way," she quietly commented. She then turned around to go inside the Mutou home.
Yugi followed her. "What do you mean?"
She comfortably sat down on the couch, crossing her legs and drumming her fingers on the couch's arm. "I do my best to keep Uncle Arthur from getting involved. I don't want Rebecca to get any crazy ideas, and I don't want him to worry about me…."
He sat on the love-seat, opposite her. "Blood, or no blood, you're his daughter and he's a father to you. You couldn't just ask anyone who cares about you to stop worrying."
Deeply breathing, she then looked at the silver container she received from Pegasus. "I'm still baffled about this…."
He slightly frowned and gave her a meaningful glance. "Don't trust him. He used the Millennium Eye to steal Jii-chan, Mokuba, and Kaiba's souls. We had to duel against him in the Shadow Realm, and win to get them back."
She got up from the couch, and pulled out her cell phone. "Excuse me, but I need to call Pegasus and Mokuba. Afterwards, the three of us need to put our heads together and figure out a way to save everyone."
After the telephone calls with Pegasus and Mokuba, Emrys grabbed two black nylon duffel bags from her car. She then placed her bags on the floor, sat at the end of the couch, and woke Yugi from his short nap by tapping on his leg.
"I fell asleep…" Yugi apologetically said, as he slowly sat up.
She gave him a compassionate smile. "Don't worry about it. I'd be napping, too, but I couldn't sleep. By the way, Mokuba and Kaiba arrived hours ago in the United States. I also made arrangements to use one of their helicopters tonight."
"Thanks. The helicopter will save us some time."
She leaned on the couch at an angle, facing Yugi. "I also called Pegasus to thank him for the cards."
"I'd still be cautious with Pegasus, if I were you," he commented with a beleaguered sigh.
"I will," she replied with an affirmative nod. "So now, what do you think we should do tonight? There are three of us – and lots of them…."
"Let me answer that for you!" a feminine voice said from behind them.
Yugi and Emrys abruptly turned around.
A pentagram appeared on the wall and a robed specter materialized in front of the pentagram. Fog, coming from the pentagram, slowly crept in and filled the floor.
"Since you now know where they are, we challenge both of you to a duel. If you want a chance to save them, you'll come to the island when the sun sets."
The Millennium Puzzle activated, allowing the other Yugi to emerge.
Amethyst eyes burned in fury. "We'll crush you!"
After sarcastically laughing, the hooded woman said, "Do you think that your threats would scare us? As I have told the crest-wielder, she can put an end to all of this. If she voluntarily comes with me, the captives will be freed and there will be no duel."
"No, she's not coming with you! We'll duel tonight!" he unflinchingly confirmed, as he held Emrys back.
The intruder snickered. "And you will both lose tonight, as well." The fog then lifted upwards, entirely covering her up.
The pentagram filled the entire living room with blinding light, and disappeared – leaving the other Yugi and Emrys behind.
'They're using everyone as bait," he noted with his arms crossed in front of his chest.
Deep in thought, she slumped on the couch.
Seeing her concern, he sat on the couch and inched his way closer to her. He then held her hand, and gazed at her with deep empathy. "The three of us will figure it out and face whatever comes along the way – together."
"Thanks for helping me out with these bags, love" Emrys said to the other Yugi.
"Any way to help," he replied with his trademark cunning smile. He placed the bags down on her bedroom floor.
"It looks like I'm moving in here, but I'm not," she noted in jest, as she unzipped one of her bags and emptied out its contents on her bed: five thick leather binders and ten rectangular tin boxes.
"Are those what I think they are?" he animatedly asked, as he absentmindedly sat on the bed next to her.
She glanced and gave him a nod. "Yes, my card collection and the decks I've built in the past. Is your deck ready for tonight?"
After responding with a nod and a smile, he asked, "Do you mind if I sit with you, while you build your deck?"
"Not at all," she warmly smiled. "I need all the help that I could get to win this."
"Are you planning to use those cards that Pegasus gave you?"
"I'm modifying one of my favorite decks to include them. I also want to include that card I bought from you."
"The Maiden of the Aqua card," he noted. "What type of deck theme are you going to use?"
"Not so sure yet, I just have to see…" she quietly responded.
"May I take a look at those cards that Pegasus gave you?"
After she handed the cards to him, he examined each of them – analyzing and determining each card's respective strengths and weaknesses.
Rhea
Rock / Effect / Level 4 (ATK 1800 / DEF 1900)
When Cronus is on the field with this card, increase its ATK and DEF by 600 points.
Cronus
Spellcaster / Effect / Level 4 (ATK 1900 / DEF 1800)
When Rhea is on the field with this card, increase its ATK and DEF by 500 points.
The Birth of Poseidon
Magic / Ritual Card
This card is used to Ritual Summon "Poseidon, Lord of the Seas." You must also offer monsters whose total Level Stars equal to 8 or more as a Tribute from the field or your hand.
Poseidon, Lord of the Seas
Aqua / Ritual / Level 8 (ATK 2500 / DEF 2500)
This monster can only be Ritual Summoned with the Ritual Magic Card, "The Birth of Poseidon." You must also offer monsters whose total Level Stars equal 8 or more as a Tribute from the field or your hand.
ATK and DEF increases by 500 points for each Rhea or Cronus sacrificed during Ritual Summoning or as a tribute to activate power increase. If both Rhea and Cronus are on the field and are sacrificed together during Ritual Summoning or as a tribute to activate power increase, increase ATK and DEF of this monster by 2000 points. If Poseidon is destroyed, and Rhea and Cronus were used as tributes for Ritual Summoning, Rhea and Cronus will return to the field as Poseidon goes to the Graveyard.
"Done!" she contentedly said.
He handed her the cards that she received from Pegasus, and she inserted them in her deck.
"Would you kindly take a look at it?" she asked him, as she gave him her dueling deck. She returned her loose cards back in their respective binders, and then placed every thing back in her duffel bag. She went outside the room, with the other duffel bag in tow, to use the bathroom.
After examining her deck, he placed it on the study table. He went in Yugi's bedroom to change into his regular royal blue outfit, and then grabbed his deck and dueling tray.
A couple of minutes later, she came back in her room wearing a black t-shirt, black leather pants, black boots, and a wide black belt with a leather deck holder.
Now sitting on her bed, he commented, "Your deck's strong. I'm surprised that you asked me to look at your deck."
"I think we're dueling tonight as a team," she replied while tying her hair into a ponytail.
With a faint smile, he said, "I had the same feeling, too. So, here's my deck."
Mesmerized, she stared at his deck before she took it from his hand. Her eyes went wide, as she went through each card. After a couple of minutes, she handed it back to him – her satisfied smile combined with complete awe. "Good Lord, Yugi! No wonder they call you the King of Games! I just need a minute, and then I'm ready to go, too."
As he placed his deck in his own leather belt deck holder, he looked at the clock and noted that they had forty-five minutes left until sundown.
She unzipped one of her duffel bags, took out a leather binder, searched through the plastic-sleeved pages, and pulled out two cards. She added these two cards to her deck, placed her modified deck in its holder, zipped the leather binder shut, secured the binder once more inside the duffel bag, and carried her duel tray.
Giving her a determined look, he then said, "It's time to save them."
End of Chapter Twelve
Author's Note
Rhea, Cronus, The Birth of Poseidon, and Poseidon Lord of the Seas are not real cards from the Yu-Gi-Oh trading card game.
If you want to find out more about Emrys' parents, how they die, and how she takes it, read my short story There Will Come Soft Rain – a prequel set two years before the events narrated in The Encounter of Lost Souls.
Normal Disclaimer
Yu-Gi-Oh is the copyrighted property of Kazuki Takahashi. Alexa, Yoshiko, Koji, Rhea, Cronus, The Birth of Poseidon, Poseidon Lord of the Seas, and this fan fiction are the properties of the author. This fan fiction is written for entertainment purposes only – thereby releasing the author from any liabilities.