THE ENCOUNTER OF LOST SOULS
Chapter Thirteen: The Mission
It was thirty minutes before sundown. The helicopter that Emrys arranged to use for tonight's mission flew out of the Domino Arena's heliport.
"Is there something that you don't know how to do?" the other Yugi good-naturedly asked as she piloted the helicopter.
"Well, I don't know how to cook," Emrys sheepishly replied.
"I'm not going to comment on that," the other Yugi said with a chuckle. He remembered and felt his spirit vessel's utter dissatisfaction when he tasted her handiwork. "For Aibou to push his meal away and wash it down with glass after glass of milk and juice, your cooking must be really awful."
A smile of embarrassment crept from Emrys' lips. "I swear that I wasn't trying to poison anyone. I'm just a bad cook."
"I don't know if he, or I, should believe you. Milk neutralizes ingested poison, you know..."
Emrys' pursed lips then curved into a grin as she glanced at him. "After all of this is over, I want to taste your cooking and spend some quality time with you. That's the punishment that you get for that barb of yours."
A naughty smirk curled from his lips as the other Yugi said with a wink, "Anytime, as long as you don't cook anything for anyone."
After catching a small glimpse of the islet and the lighthouse, Emrys concentrated on their rescue mission. Pointing out what she saw, she commented, "If all goes well, we'll be at the lighthouse by twenty minutes."
The other Yugi and Emrys arrived at the islet ten minutes before sundown. He led the way as they walked inside the abandoned lighthouse. Guided by the vision they earlier saw, he lifted the metal handle protruding from the floor.
There were metal stairs leading underground.
Upon reaching the bottom of the staircase, they walked towards an open space. The burning torches mingled with the shadows and gave the place a more sinister glow.
A hooded figure appeared from the shadows and spoke with a deep voice. "We've been waiting for you. Come with me."
The two new arrivals cautiously followed the sinister guide with clenched fists as the three of them walked through a long series of cavernous hallways. The long walk ended in total darkness.
"Our guests have arrived, Master," the hooded guide announced as his voice bounced against the walls.
Then, bright lights illuminated the entire area and revealed a dueling arena in the middle of the huge cavern.
The other Yugi and Emrys were stunned. They braced themselves as a pentagram-shaped light formed on the cave wall in front of them and heavy fog covered the ground.
"Welcome!" another hooded and masked figure emerged from the heavy fog. What differentiated this figure from the rest was the brighter color and richer texture of his brown robe.
The hooded guide prompted them to go on their respective duel platform, which they did.
"Where's my grandfather? Where are our friends?" the other Yugi demanded.
"In due time, Mutou Yugi…. In due time…" the hooded master responded with sarcastic calmness.
The hooded master then looked towards Emrys' direction. "Ah, we meet at last, crest-wielder. If you come with us now, we will let everyone go. We would even stop pursuing the God Cards and the Millennium Puzzle."
"What part of 'no' do you bastards not understand?" Emrys retorted with her arms crossed in front of her chest.
The hooded master sneered. "Young people are so haughty yet so naïve! Tonight's duel will be done in the Shadow Realm. All participants will feel pain and torment during the duel. There will be two duelists on each side. The victors will get what they want."
The two new arrivals respectively glowered at the hooded leader.
"Maybe meeting your opponents would make either one – or both – of you change your minds."
Immediately after his words, the Master loudly clapped his hands twice.
Two additional hooded figures joined them. Upon taking their respective places in the duel arena, the two took off their masks and hoods.
The other Yugi, Yugi, and Emrys' hearts sank once they recognized their opponents.
"Jii-chan! Jonouchi!" the other Yugi yelled at the top of his lungs.
The two captives – each having a pentagram-shaped light glowing in the middle of his forehead – malevolently stared at them.
The other Yugi slammed his fists against the duel platform. Tears freely flowed as he looked down at his bruised fists. Outraged, he slowly lifted his head and fiercely pointed at the hooded master. "What the hell did you do to them?"
Yugi's heart ached as he cried upon seeing his grandfather and best friend. He pondered, "They're under his control!"
Visibly shaken, Emrys firmly held on the sides of her dueling platform and helplessly looked at her teammate.
"We'll fight this together!" the other Yugi implored as he saw his companion.
Tears streamed down Emrys' cheeks. "I won't let you fight them! We don't have a choice anymore..."
"Just come with us. I promise that everyone else will leave this cave unharmed," the Master quietly coaxed.
Clenching his fists, the other Yugi turned to face Emrys and pleaded, "Don't listen to him! Don't give up without a fight!"
Falling down on her knees, Emrys uncontrollably wept. In the midst of the tears and confusion, her ring and her pendant glowed and transported her consciousness into another dark realm.
"You do, Alexa…. You do have a choice," said the comforting voices from within Emrys as they echoed and bounced at the recesses of her heart and mind.
Two white balls of light - the source of the voices - floated and illuminated the dark void.
Before Emrys' very eyes, the balls of light slowly took shape. As their respective forms solidified, the human-like figures approached her.
As the light became brighter, Emrys looked up and stared. Rising from her kneeled position and gasping in disbelief, she asked, "Mum? Dad?"
The translucent figures of Dylan and Ariadne – now standing before Emrys and looking as vibrant as she remembered them – warmly smiled at her.
With a myriad emotions crashing within, a light grin escaped from Emrys' trembling lips. Her feet, slowly and instinctively, pushed her to approach the two ghost-like figures.
"That's just not like you, Alexa. You've not a quitter," Dylan gently pointed out.
Biting her lip and clenching her fists, Emrys said in a quivering voice, "I'm so tired, Dad. I don't want to put anyone at risk anymore. I just can't."
Ariadne's eyes expressed such hope and solace. "Honey, please don't give up - especially now. You've been entrusted with a powerful force. Who could be better to possess it but someone with a good heart?"
An incredulous Emrys replied, "I've made too many mistakes. I'm not good. You both know that…." She then cupped her hands over her face and wept.
Dylan empathetically placed his hand on her daughter's shoulder. "There's nothing wrong about making mistakes or surviving. Mistakes are part of growing up. You've done the best that a person in your situation could possibly do, especially since we're not there for you."
"I failed to save you! What if I fail Yugi now?" Emrys tearfully looked up to them. Every fiber in her being never felt so weak and as hopeless as it did now.
"Quitting is the only way that you'll be failing Yugi," Dylan replied. "What matters is that you've done your best...win or lose..."
"Your Dad and I were meant to die at Thera. No power on earth could ever change that. You didn't fail us because you came out of that cave alive. You might have made many mistakes, but you're doing your best to learn from them..."
Emrys cried her heart out as she tightly hugged her parents.
Planting an affectionate kiss on Emrys' forehead, Dylan reminded his daughter, "We love you. We're very proud of you. Don't give up your future because of what happened to us in the past. Believe in yourself and your deck will listen…."
Ariadne then kissed Emrys on the cheek. "We're always with you in your heart. Now you have a choice to make. We know that your heart would guide you to the right one."
The translucent figures slowly lost their respective shapes as they waved farewell. Eventually, the light disappeared – leaving the entire realm covered in darkness.
Emrys opened her eyes and still felt the warmth and comfort of her parents' kiss and embrace. When she stood up and looked around, she figured that her meeting with Dylan and Ariadne lasted for a couple of seconds.
The hooded leader arrogantly asked, "So what would it be, crest-wielder? Have you come to your senses and choose to join us?"
A brief pause followed the imperative question.
The other Yugi kept his intent gaze on Emrys as he braced himself for her response.
After letting out a deep sigh, Emrys then told the Master, "If you want me, you have to do it over my dead body."
"We could easily arrange that," the hooded master countered.
Directly looking at her teammate, Emrys murmured, "I want us to fight...win or lose..."
The amethyst-eyed duelist gave Emrys a tightlipped smirk. "We'll get them back. We'll lend strength to each other. All we need to do is believe…"
The Master's loud clap echoed throughout the cavernous duel arena. "Let the games begin!"
Darkness, cold, dampness, and fog slowly crept throughout the duel arena like an amoeba. This process continued until only the four duelists were visible.
Sugoroku was opposite Emrys on the left-hand side of the arena. Jonouchi was opposite the other Yugi on the right-hand side.
"You should have accepted our offer. One way or another, you'll both lose," Sugoroku taunted her.
"We're done listening to your lies, even if you're using my grandfather to say them," the other Yugi deadpanned.
"We forgot to invite our other esteemed guests. They'll join us in our pain." The mind-controlled elderly man then snapped his fingers.
Three additional figures appeared from the thick fog. Each of them was tightly bound against an obelisk-shaped stone. Anzu appeared between Sugoroku and Jonouchi. Honda materialized by Emrys' side. Bakura showed up by the other Yugi's side.
"Yugi!" Anzu screamed.
Amethyst eyes widened. "Anzu! Hang in there, everyone! We'll save you!"
Seeing that the champion duelist was about to rush and aid his friend, the Master raised his hand. "Once you set foot off your platform, your team forfeits the duel."
"Great…more pressure," Emrys mused. "They know that I'm the weaker duelist, so they'll take advantage of that. I can't let Yugi down. We have to keep our focus and win this duel, no matter how hard it would be…."
Jonouchi interjected, "The rules are simple. We each start with 4000 life points. To win, you must zero-out the life points of both your opponents. If you win, you'll get back the precious captives. If we win, the God Cards, the Puzzle, and the crest-wielder are ours. I will go first, then Yugi, then my partner, and then the crest-wielder."
As the other Yugi and Emrys' eyes meet, each gave the other a nod. Afterwards, they braced themselves and shifted their gaze at their opponents.
All for duelists instantaneously cried out, "Duel!"
End of Chapter Thirteen
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, and 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.