Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh
Author's Note: Yeah, this wasn't posted for a long time since I was unable to work on any of this stuff during the larger part of summer because I was behind on work for getting into college. So my dad told me I couldn't do any writing until I was caught up. So here it was at last!
Quote of the Chapter: "I hope that when you're my age you'll be able to say, as I have been able to say: we lived in freedom; we lived lives that were a statement, not an apology." -Ronald Reagen
Chapter Thirty: Soul of Duelists
"What do you mean Pegasus has vanished? You saw him duel that Devlin brat right? So where did he go after that?" Ihachi's voice resonated with power, a pure force of energy that dropped Malik to his knees as he stood in her awesome presence. Of course being on her bad side was hardly pleasant.
"I'm sorry mistress, I remember watching him try to push past the crowd after his duel with Devlin and then the next thing I remember was Dalin defeating Mako Tsunami in their brief duel. Nothing about Pegasus and what might have happened to him." He cringed, fearful of the terrible power she controlled. If he had irritated her, she could easily destroy him. He had already faced absolute destruction once at the hands of Dalin, but facing it again was beyond him.
Ihachi grimaced, not even bothering to hide her irritation. Something was happening out there, but she couldn't tell what. Whatever force acted against her it was ancient and hid itself so well she could not sense it. It had also edited the memory of anyone who might have seen it act, so even her strongest deputy knew not what had happened.
"Return to watching the duels, if you get back out there in the next minute you will see that prick Bakura defeating Weevil Underwood and Espa Roba. Now get out of my sight!" He scurried away, leaving her to her raging. He was in fact in time to see Bakura defeat the two other duelists, in time to understand that this was not the weaker Bakura, this was the Bakura that his weaker half had cut a deal with.
"So he managed to survive even his destruction at the hands of the Pharaoh in that four-way duel they had huh? I swear that thief is indestructible. Oh well, now to see what duels will be next." He stood now at the top of the temple steps as he had before, and he watched the next duel be arranged. He didn't understand how this duels were being arranged, but he knew exactly this. The duels were enjoyable to watch, particularly the carnage.
He scanned what remained of the crowd, and his jaw nearly dropped. It made no sense whatsoever. There were more missing! That girl Autumn, she was now gone as well and with no explanation either. It must have happened while he was in the temple!
Keith Howard was lying lifeless on the ground, the body of one of the Pharaoh's lackeys, the spiky haired one lying nearby. Standing over the body of Keith was one of the new ones, this Kai Kaethen. There was no Mai Valentine either....the numbers had dwindled....and he had no way of knowing what had happened to those who couldn't be seen.
Only one duelist remained to be challenged, only one of them remained untested, unproven. This was a task that would fall to one specific duelist. Slowly a feral grin spread across his face and he started down the temple steps, intent on revealing something special to the gathered duelists.
Suddenly a blaze of light erupted from behind him, golden power pouring out of the temple doors. He whipped his head around to find the source, but all he could see was a figure standing in the doorway, the lights making it impossible to tell who it was. "Mistress Ihachi?"
"Not quite....but close enough." The golden light surged forwards, consuming him within its greatness. The light shot down the steps, covering the entire false paradise in that eerie golden light. Nobody even got a chance to let out cries of despair, for the light came to fast to be stopped, it was unstoppable.
When the light faded, everything was as it was, but yet everything was also different. Kai Kaethen looked up and away from Keith, and turned his gaze upon the temple itself. His gaze was hardened, more solid then ever. "Now everything changes."
(Moments Earlier)
The blaze rolled over Kai with all the force of a hurled cinder block, and with equally as much stopping power. He managed an 'oof' before everything faded into oblivion, leaving him spiraling into the endless horrors that awaited. Flashes of his various Battle City duels surged through his mind in those many moments, and he had no idea how long it was that he remained this way.
When he awoke, blinking back the foggy residue of unconsciousness, he lifted his head and looked around. Instead of finding a paltry copy of some twisted woman's vision of paradise, he now saw something completely different. Something he recognized from books he had read.
"My god....it's a tomb." And he was right, for all around him were hieroglyphs, depicting the story of whoever's tomb this was. The pots used to hold the organs of a mummified corpse lay several paces away, and golden arches held the entire room up.
The center piece of the tomb was a pool of crystal clear water that appeared to be only a foot deep, and at the very center of it was a massive sarcophagus, with gold and jewels adorning it. Sitting on top of the sarcophagus was a very familiar figure. "D....Drake?"
"Got it in one." The punk duelist hopped off the sarcophagus, dropping down into the water beneath him. Kai couldn't help but notice that his fall caused not even a ripple in the pool. Slowly the other duelist started walking towards Kai, until they were facing each other at a distance of about a dozen feet.
"This is a tomb, you're right about that one as well. But it's a bit more specific then that. I doubt you'd know the actual name since it was rarely spoken of or written about." He smiled, and then started to open his mouth to explain exactly what the room was. But Kai had already realized without a shadow of a doubt that this was exactly what he thought it was.
"It's a Memory Tomb. They were used by the Egyptians for storing the lives of people who were either very famous....or very infamous. Only the most respected or most hated people could possibly have a Memory Tomb made for them. But....nobody has ever actually found a Memory Tomb, only seen hieroglyphs explaining them and images depicting them."
Drake's eyes widened briefly, but then he grinned. It was a good thing that Kai knew something about Memory Tombs. It made this a lot easier for him. Explanations always took up a lot of useless time. "The reason nobody ever found a Memory Tomb was because they were constructed within the minds of the person, and their memory would pass through that construct into an equivalent in the Shadow Realm where the memory would remain forever. And as for whose Memory Tomb this is....well its Ihachi's actually, and mine of course."
Kai jerked his gaze up from the water, his two different eye colors locking with Drake's violet gaze. The look on Drake's face was completely sincere....but what he was saying was impossible. He said as much, and Drake just shrugged before motioning to the pool. "Its true really, because I am or was....I'm really not sure which now, the leader of the Royal Guard in Egypt thirty-five hundred years ago. Ihachi, though her name was different at the time, was my twin, and she was one of whom they called The Seven."
Kai absorbed this new information, trying to sort it out with what he already knew. There was a mention of some people called The Seven in some ancient texts, and they did date from around the time Drake was talking about. The Seven were written about as something like gods, guardians, and monsters. The text switched mannerisms, going from awed reverence, to mere respect, and lastly to pure disgust and fear. "How....how do you know?"
Again Drake pointed down at the pool, and as Kai's gaze connected with the waters....it rippled. The image became clear, and Kai understood how Drake could know these things. For the key piece of the Memory Tomb were the Tides of Memory and the Sarcophagus of Memory. The Tides of Memory, which was the pool, would create a magic nature that allowed anyone entering the Sarcophagus to absorb into themself all the memories. There was mention of something called a Memory World, but nobody knew what that meant.
The images now displayed in the pool was of someone who looked almost identical to Kai, only he was slightly older and he wore white robes with gold gilding. Standing in front of this strange Kai clone was a very familiar monster, and it appeared to be in battle with another familiar monster. The image flickered, and his opponent was revealed. It was Ihachi, wearing brilliant robes of scarlet and gold. "This was me in the past?"
Drake nodded, and then the image faded away, leaving the pool crystal clear once again. Drake sighed and moved away, going to lean up against the giant sarcophagus. "I've got to pass a few things on, and I can't really explain everything I've learned. I let myself lose because I knew I would be absorbed into Ihachi in this world, which would allow me access to all her secrets. I hadn't guessed on the Memory Tomb because I didn't know there was such a thing....but now I know everything I need to."
He sighed and shoved his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket. His eyes slid shut and his head lowered as if he were falling into a deep sleep. His chest rose and fell with a steady rhythm, but Kai knew he wasn't asleep. Slowly Drake began to speak. "I need to make sure a few things happen, because my time is limited. I'd rather not have to force it on myself, because it terrifies me. I want someone else to defeat Ihachi, and I think that you could be the one. If I have to do it....I might break down from fear of what will happen to me."
"What....what do you mean? What would happen to you? I really don't get this at all." Drake's hollow chuckle reached Kai's ears, and the waters beneath him reflected his grim thoughts. Images of bodies strewn across destroyed streets filled it, blood billowing in clouds along with the smoke. Then the pool became clear as soon as Drake started talking.
"Less then a day ago I died. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I did, I died in a duel with Taichi. Ihachi used her magic to take over my body and repair it using the powers of the Shadow Realm. My soul had become part of all those around me, and when they entered the outer parts of the Shadow Realm my soul automatically took action to restore itself, and I got back control, once again fine. But that was just a lie, because everything in the Shadow Realm is a lie. Everything that I am is a lie."
The pool flickered again, displaying the events that Drake spoke of. The blades of blood that ripped into his side, his last moments as blood trickled down his chin, bubbling up from his mouth. The moments when brilliant points of light converged on Ihachi, and Drake was reborn. Yet from this Kai got a strange feeling of dread.
"The Shadow Realm makes lots of things possible, and one of those is the essence of the lie. I exist in this realm as merely an echo of who I truly am. I exist merely as a soul, functioning under the will of those who wish me to be alive. But when this realm crumbles around us and everyone is free....I will truly be dead. And I'm afraid of that because when Taichi killed me, I discovered that there wasn't anything. I'm not afraid of the process of dying, never have been. But I'm afraid of it....stopping. I don't want to stop existing....I'm afraid of not existing, because there's no heaven and no hell awaiting me."
Suddenly Drake pushed himself off the sarcophagus and then he threw his head back. The echoes of his booming laughter filled the room, and Kai could only stare, completely confused. The person he had started to come to know was just an echo? "Look at me, moping around when I had a reason for bringing you to the Tomb of Memory where time functions differently. See, you're confident as a duelist, but you lack the true determination and purpose that is needed. I'm going to give you that so you can either defeat Ihachi or help whoever is meant to do it. To do that....we duel."
Kai's eyes widened as a DD2 appeared on Drake's arm. The other duelist shuffled the deck within it and then replaced it where it belonged. Then with a snap of his finger, he made them a playing field. The entire sarcophagus simply melted into the floor, making the pool their dueling field.
Drake walked to the other side and then turned around, facing Kai once again. Both of them gave each other a nod of acknowledgment, Kai understanding that even if he didn't perfectly understand Drake, this was something he had to do for Drake's sake. "I've altered my deck for this duel, so I hope you enjoy it. Oh, and I've already selected my deck master." (DLP: 8000)
A surge of golden power erupted from Drake's deck and shot out behind him, forming into a purple skinned humanoid with black leather clothing. The Chaos Sorcerer was to be Drake's deck master. In that case Kai knew exactly what monster he was going to choose. "I'll defeat any deck you've made, and I'll do it using my deck master, Breaker the Magic Warrior!" (KLP: 8000)
The gold and red armored magic user took shape, granting extra confidence to Kai as it stared down the sorcerer across from them. Drake grinned and started drawing his opening hand, and Kai followed suit. Once they were both set Drake took out a coin and tossed it into the air. "Call it."
"I'll call tails." Drake nodded and snatched the coin out of the air. He opened his palm to look at the coin, and then he grinned, showing it to Kai. The coin had landed on heads, so Drake would be going first and Kai would be going last. Now the duel was on for certain!
Drake drew his card and examined his hand of six cards. He let out a slow sigh, apparently disappointed with what he had drawn. But Kai knew better, it had to be a bluff, he had to be trying to throw Kai off balance. "I'll set one card face down. Now its your turn Kai."
Kai blinked, nearly losing his balance he was so surprised. Apparently Drake's hand was that bad. If he couldn't use any of the other cards it probably contained virtually all high level monsters, or at least magic cards that couldn't be used yet. "Heh, well I'll show you how its done when I summon X-Head Cannon(1800/1600)."
The large machine monster was summoned, and then it trained its cannons on Drake who didn't even shrug. The next part was going to make certain that Drake couldn't stop this attack or turn it back on him. "I discard one card to use my deck master's effect!" He deposited his card into the grave and then watched as Breaker sent a wave of red light streaking towards the set card.
"I respond by chaining that card, which is Magician's Circle! And if you pride yourself as a spellcaster duelist, then I'm sure you know what this card does." Drake was right, Kai did know. Magician's Circle let both players special summon a magician to the field, but neither could attack in that turn. If Kai was going to get this right he had to choose the perfect monster.
Drake's strongest magician was his Black Magician of Chaos, and Kai had no normal monster with that kind of attack power. His only monsters of that power were XYZ and Dark Paladin, neither of which he could bring out right now. But he did have a card that could break Drake's strategy, all he had to do was make it look like he was summoning his strongest magician, and Drake would walk right into the trap. "I'm choosing to special summon my Dark Magician(2500/2100) to the field!"
The purple robed mage blinked into existence, standing strong and at the ready. Though Kai couldn't attack with him yet, he knew that this was going to work perfectly. At least he thought so.... "I also choose to special summon the Dark Magician." Another magic user in purple robes was summoned, making the field nearly even. Kai didn't understand why Drake hadn't summoned his Black Magician of Chaos, but he was fairly certain that Drake intended to use Baptism of Light and Dark to summon it, and get back some magic card he would use in the next turn.
That was fine with Kai, he'd just have his trap ready and waiting to take out Drake's attacker. This was going to be easy. "I'll set one card face down, and since I can't get past your magician I'll just end my turn." Drake nodded and drew his card, returning his hand to its original size of six cards. The pool beneath them flickered with the images of a mighty monsters clashing with the darkness.
"I begin my turn by playing Band of Brothers! At a cost of one thousand life points I can special summon two level four monsters of the same type as one monster on the field. These monsters cannot attack, but they can be summoned. Therefore I summon Skilled Dark Magician(1900/1700) and White Magic Summoner(1200/500)!" The two monsters, one dark and one light, appeared next to each other. They flanked the taller and more powerful Dark Magician, giving Drake three monsters.
Three monsters? Hadn't Drake summoned a monster in their duel against the Union Riders that required three tributes? Well even if Drake summoned it, Kai's trap was going to take it out. "I shall now summon the creature that will be the one to defeat you, so I swear it. I apologize for this Kai, I didn't want it to be this way, but you have to understand the nature of power if you are to defeat Ihachi. And there is no better way to study power then to witness it first hand in the form of Obelisk the Tormentor(4000/4000)!" (DLP: 7000)
Columns of light erupted from the waters, wrapping around the three monsters and turning them into three spheres of energy. The energy spheres swirled around each other before finally colliding, and the resulting blast of light blinded Kai momentarily. As soon as he got his vision back he saw the creature that had frightened him before, the awe inspiring Obelisk.
"There's more. As you used your deck master's effect last turn, I shall now use my deck master's effect. By discarding one card I can remove any monster on your field from the game. Therefore I discard two cards from my hand to remove X-Head Cannon and Dark Magician from play!" Kai gasped in horror, understanding that he had fallen into a trap of Drake's making. Drake had wanted him to summon a strong monster so he could remove it from the game!
The Chaos Sorcerer raised his outstretched hands and fired off twin beams of octarine light. The chaos energy collided with the two monster's on Kai's field and they both ceased to exist. No struggle, no explosion, they just vanished. Kai sighed and pocketed the two cards, waiting for Drake to continue his move.
"You don't stand a chance against this kind of power. For now with one attack I will end this duel. Obelisk, God Hand Crusher!" The mighty god monster raised its fist and plunged it down at Kai, a blue aura erupting around the descending hand. If that punch connected then Kai would feel its devastating power first hand, and he would lose half his life points. But that wasn't going to happen.
"You've walked into my trap! Activate Mirror Force!" The trap card flipped up, bringing to life a deadly barrier that had meant the end to many a powerful monster before in various duelists decks. It was a highly effective trap card, so effective that it was restricted to one per deck, and of course it was increasingly rare. However that rarity meant nothing to Obelisk.
To Kai's horror that huge fist shattered his barrier as if it wasn't even there, and then it continued on towards him. The blow collided, and Kai understood power in that brief moment. For that second time stood still, as Kai's body was lifted up by the force of the blow. Then the moment ended, and he was hurled across the room, crashing into the stone wall and making a Kai-shaped indent. (KLP: 4000)
Seconds later he dropped down from his indent and fell face-first to the stone floor. However he did not move, there was no way he could. Drake sighed, knowing that when Kai awoke he would be returned to Ihachi's Eden, and perhaps then he would understand true power. For Kai didn't have the willpower or the strength to get back up after such an attack.
Drake let out a sigh and started to turn away, his feet not touching the water even as he moved. But because he turned away he didn't see a very similar scene unfold in the waters, didn't see the prone form of Kai's past self lying lifeless on the ground. But as they scenes connected, there came a heart beat.
It was a pulsing of energy that so resembled the beating of a heart as to be unmistakable as the same thing. In tandem the two Kais slowly pulled themselves up into a kneeling position, hands steadying themself. The heartbeat grew stronger, and Drake turned around, astonished to see Kai pulling himself unsteadily to his feet. "I can't believe it....he's already starting to understand without even realizing it!"
Kai drew in a shallow ragged breath, each one he took easier then the last. Slowly he felt himself starting to recover, but he still felt weak. However inside he was strong, and that was what mattered. "I won't lose...I can't lose. No matter what you do I won't give up. So I'll show you the truth of my power! I set two cards face down and summon Skilled White Magician(1700/1900) in defense mode. Whatever you try, I'll win, I'm going to prove that I've got the power to defeat you and Ihachi!"
Drake picked up one of his cards, glancing down at it briefly. A small smile flickered across his features and then was gone. Sighing he shoved the card into his cemetery, and began his move. "Power can't just be created by a person's will, so it will require more then a few cards to stop Obelisk and I. Now watch and learn as I banish your magician!"
Chaos Sorcerer raised one hand and cast out his chaos spell, vanishing the white robed mage with quaint ease. But this was not to be the end, Kai wouldn't let it be. One of his face down cards flipped up, revealing a card that Drake recognized. "I activate Trap Level 4, letting us both special summon a level four monster from our decks!"
Drake arched an eyebrow at the move, but gladly took one of his cards from his deck and placed it onto the field. Across from him Kai did the same, summoning his Magician's Valkyria(1600/1800), a female magician who was almost identical to the Dark Magician Girl. "That won't help you, because my deck master can still use its effect. And of course I get to summon Skilled Chaos Magician(1800/1600)!"
Drake's monster was a tall magician in robes of black and white, and holding in his hand a pure black staff. Kai smiled, knowing that even if he hadn't brought out a magician, he could have counted on Drake to do so. "Since we've both special summon a magician it makes using this card doubly as easy. My remaining trap is Magician's Ordination!"
Drake smiled, hiding his joy that Kai was truly determined and prepared to bring him down no matter what. There was nothing left for Drake to do, since Magician's Ordination ended his turn when activated, and it cold only be activated when a spellcaster was special summoned. Then it allowed Kai to draw a card. "Good move, but its just delaying the inevitable. You'll need more then that to win this duel."
Kai drew in a deep breath, fully aware that Drake was right. At the moment he didn't have the cards needed to even survive the next turn, and unless he managed to draw a good card, he'd be finished come Drake's next attack. Slowly he drew the card, trusting in himself and his own power. And he was rewarded with, "Pot of Greed!"
He grinned and slapped his next card onto the field, revealing a warrior with sharp blades and dark armor. This was a deadly monster with a dangerous effect. "I summon Makyura the Destructor, and I equip him with Damage Shield!" Makyura was suddenly equipped with a shield made of light, which simply appeared on his left arm. It wouldn't prevent Makyura from being destroyed, but it would prevent Kai from taking life point damage when Makyura was destroyed.
"Makyura, attack Obelisk!" The dark warrior jumped at the mighty blue god, but its power was nothing compared to Obelisk's. With a swat of its hand, Obelisk smashed Makyura into nothingness. Drake let out a laugh, obviously not realizing what Kai had in store.
"Since Makyura has been destroyed I can activate traps from my hand in this turn. I activate Chain To Rivaling Souls, which lets me special summon one monster from each player's cemetery in whichever mode I want! They lose five hundred attack points and require a discard to be sacrificed, but all I need them for is to be a defense shield for me!" Drake grinned, watching as his own Dark Magician appeared on Kai's side, weakened to two thousand attack. Following it was Makyura appearing once again, with its power drained to eleven hundred.
"How does that help, all I have to do is discard my three cards in this turn to remove your monsters from the game, and then I'll attack directly to finish you off. Its perfectly useless." He grinned, folding up his cards and shoving them into his cemetery slot. With that his deck master cast a swirling tornado of energy out at the three monsters. It twisted about them, and then banished them into nothingness, leaving Kai completely defenseless.
It was at this moment that Kai noticed something. The Skilled Chaos Magician had three orbs on it, just like Skilled Dark Magician and Skilled White Magician. The ones on its shoulders were glowing, meaning it had gained magic counters. If that was the case....then once Drake had three Kai was certain that he could sacrifice it to special summon Chaos Magician. "Obelisk, finish this once and for all."
For the second time in the duel the powerful blue god unleashed its deadly attack, intent upon finishing the job it had started in Drake's second turn. Moments before impact its fist collided with a wall of furry brown creatures, which shattered into nothingness. "Kuribo! I see, your last card must have been a Kuribo that you discarded to negate the damage. Well that only works on one attack, so I'll set one card and follow up with Skilled Chaos Magician!" The blast collided with Kai's chest, dropping him to his knees as it depleted his life points. (KLP: 2200)
Kai rose back up to his feet, fully aware that he had no cards in hand and no way to stop Drake's attack. If he drew a monster he'd be finished, if he drew some useless trap then Obelisk would just smash through it. He had to draw something useful, otherwise he was finished as soon as Drake took his turn. "I'll set one card onto the field and end my turn."
Drake raised an eyebrow, then shrugged it off, confident in the power of Obelisk. No trap could destroy Obelisk, the only power great enough to defeat one of the god cards was another god card. But that wasn't totally true...he had defeated Obelisk without using another god, but it Kai had only one card, Drake had used a combination of two unique cards to do that. "Obelisk attacks!"
"Open trap, Cloning!" Drake let out a cry of surprise as the trap card activated. As it turned out Drake had been right, it was a god that was needed to defeat Obelisk. The god that was going to defeat it was itself, or rather the giant duplicate that appeared in front of it. The god and its clone clashed with each other, powerful fist crashing into powerful fist. An explosion of energy burst forth, shattering the two mighty monsters and clearing the field of all but one card.
"That was an excellent move Kai, but this turn isn't over and you have no way to defend yourself. Skilled Chaos Magician will attack directly to bring you one step closer to defeat!" A burst of magical energies erupted from the mage's staff, blasting into Kai's chest for the second time. He grunted, driven backwards by the power. However it was nothing against the intensity of Obelisk's attack that he had taken, so he was able to remain standing this time. (KLP: 400)
Kai grimaced, activating his next card, a familiar card to Drake who had seen it in his duel against Taichi and then opted to put it in his deck afterwards when given the opportunity. It was Payment of Debt, which allowed Kai to draw three more cards at no cost to himself. "I set two cards face down!" The two cards appeared in front of him, creating a barrier that could save him....as long as he had guessed right.
Drake drew his next card and grinned, knowing what he was about to do. "I'd have to thank you for activating that card, because it gave my mage its last counter. Now I sacrifice Skilled Chaos Magician and its three counters to special summon Black Magician of Chaos(2800/2600)!" Kai's eyes widened in surprise as the black magic user was summoned to the field. He had been thinking Chaos Magician, but this was even worse, and now Drake got back a magic card from his graveyard!
"I won't lose now! Activate Grave Spell!" His trap flipped up, and it shimmered into view, taking on the effect of his Magician's Ordination. Because Drake had special summon the Black Magician of Chaos he was able to reuse Magician's Ordination to end Drake's turn and allow him to draw one card. Once again the same strategy had worked for him. And as Drake's turn ended, both Grave Spell and Magician's Ordination were removed from the game.
Kai drew again, and then smirked, knowing exactly what he could now do. Now was his moment of recovery where he could even things up, and give himself some breathing room. To do it all he had to do was summon one monster to the field. "I summon Witch of Healing Arts(1500/1100). By sacrificing her I can deal damage to your life points equal to the attack of one of your monsters!" The black robed witch appeared and then immolated herself, inflicting damage to Drake. (DLP: 4200)
"Now I gain life points equal to that amount! And since my spellcaster type went to the cemetery I can activate Spell Theft, placing one magic card into my hand!" His deck ejected the needed card as a wave of energy washed over him, slightly restoring his energy and his life points. Now things were definitely more equal, and Kai stood more of a chance. (KLP: 3200)
"I'll set one card face down, and then I play Change of Heart, commandeering your Black Magician of Chaos. Go, Chaos Scepter Blast!" The magician moved to his side of the field, and then struck out with its staff, sending a sphere of magical power streaking towards Drake. However at the last moment Drake's face down card flipped up and green swords flew across the field, intercepting the attack and freezing the magician in place.
"My Dark Magic Revival allowed me to activate Swords of Revealing Light from my cemetery, and of course at the end of the turn it'll go to your cemetery." Kai shrugged it off, ending his turn and allowing Drake to take his move. As he did so the swords faded, and Drake picked up the card and tossed it to Kai. Then Kai shoved the card into his cemetery, evening things up a bit.
"I play Mystical Space Typhoon on your set card!" Kai responded to the bolt of lightning by activating the targeted card. It turned out to be Waboku, preventing Kai from taking battle damage that turn. In this way he was safe from any attack Drake might make. Drake shrugged and placed a single card face down before ending his turn.
Kai drew a card, starting to become well aware of the fact that his strength was waning. He could last for a while, but if it came down to pure physical life force, Drake was going to win. Drake hadn't taken any attacks yet, so physically he was fine, whereas Kai was injured and weakened by the three attacks on him. "I lay two cards down and summon Drillago(1600/1100) in defense mode."
Drake plucked another card from his deck, but he didn't get a chance to do much because Kai instantly activated one of his face down cards. "I activate Dark Renewal, sacrificing Black Magician of Chaos and Drillago to summon Witch of Healing Arts to the field. Now you can remove her from the game, or you can wait on it, but either way I'm gaining the advantage here." The witch once again appeared on the field, coming out of a black coffin, making her the only monster on the field.
"This won't be a problem. The usefulness of our deck masters has been outlived, but my deck master has one last ability that can serve me. Chaos Sorcerer, activate Dimension Bomb!" The sorcerer raised his arms above his head, slowly summoning a growing ball of chaos energy. After nearly a minute of charging the sphere was several feet across, and looked ready to explode, rippling as it was with octarine light.
"Do it now!" With that the Dimension Bomb exploded, sending a wave of energy rippling across the field. Kai threw up his arms as a meager defense, but he was unable to stop it from covering him. Of course when the energy faded away, there were no monsters around whatsoever, not even the deck masters!
"Dimension Bomb removes all monsters on the field from play, including both deck masters. Then it grants me life points equal to the total attack strength of the removed monsters. Now I've got the advantage once again!" A wave of energy surged around Drake's body, making his hair and his jacket whip about wildly. Kai calmly counted up the attack points of their monsters, and discovered that he really was going to be at a disadvantage. (DLP: 9900)
One thing that Kai didn't understand was why Drake had given away his biggest advantage. The effect of Chaos Sorcerer had proved critical in this duel, so it made no sense for Drake to toss it aside, even for a large bundle of light points. 'What is he up to?'
"I'll now set one monster. Now I shall activate the magic card I returned through my magician's effect. It is a card that is critical in this duel, and has greater meaning then you can guess. The card I activate is Destiny's Way!" A pathway of stars erupted, cluttering the water with bright pinpoints of light, and filling the air around them with similar lights. Whatever effect it had, Kai was certain it wouldn't end well for him.
Kai grimaced and plucked a card free, easily recognizing the monster he had drawn. He summoned it to the field, bringing out Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer(1800/400). The half-man half-ghost brandished his ofuda, ready to eliminate Drake's monster. "Attack!" The priest cast his ofuda at Drake's monster. Light crackled around it, and it shattered, briefly revealing an Apprenticeship Magician before another monster was set.
Drake's hand increased to a size of a bare one, which at the moment was greater then Kai's hand. Now was the moment when the effect of this strange key card would be revealed, and Drake knew that it would turn this duel again. "By paying life points in increments of two hundred up to a total of one thousand I can make both of us draw cards equal to each amount of two hundred. I also must declare one card type, magic, monster, or trap. All cards of the named type we keep, but all those not of that type are discarded."
Kai's eyes widened in horror as he came to understand the horror of this card. It could be potentially disastrous, but it could also save him. There was no telling who it would help, but no matter what it wouldn't bode well for him. "I name magic card, and pay one thousand life points! Now we learn whose destiny is stronger!" (DLP: 8900)
Both duelists drew five cards, Kai's hand becoming five and Drake's becoming six. They both surveyed their hands, and picked free the ones that weren't magic cards. Kai discarded three cards, frustrated that he had lost three good cards. Drake on the other hand only discarded two cards, allowing him to maintain a hand of four cards.
"I now play a card with an upkeep of one thousand life points per turn, a card which I will forever pay the upkeep of. That card is Recycling Bin, and I'll pay for it constantly using Dian Keto the Cure Master!" A giant green bin appeared in front of Drake, floating above the water. With a rush of wind something hurtled into the bin, but what it was Kai wasn't certain. Also a happy old man handed a glowing bubble to Drake, restoring his life points. (DLP: 9900)
"I play one card face down and pass the turn to you." Kai drew his next card, glancing at his hand of three. He knew that he had a move available to him, but it was risky. However it would also allow him to get two monsters, hopefully two good ones. If this move truly worked, he'd gain the advantage for the first time in this duel.
"I sacrifice Kycoo to summon Vampire Lord(2000/1500)!" His priest was replaced by a gaunt figure in seventeenth century clothes. The pale faced man was really creepy looking and not very powerful, but his effects were what was going to do his work for him. Well, as long as this worked that is.
"Now I use one of the magic cards I got from your Destiny's Way. Its called Monster Gate!" Vampire Lord was sucked into a giant vortex and Kai started drawing cards. According to the effect of Monster Gate he could now draw cards until he reached a monster, which was then special summon. Now he just had to hope for a good card.
He drew it, and happily slapped it down onto the field. Now was going to be his moment of truth! "I special summon Star Mage(2700/1400)!" The mystical figure leapt out of the gate just before it closed, and landed in a crouching position. Slowly he rose to his feet, revealing his true appearance. He was a young man in robes of blue and white which gave the appearance of the sky.
As suddenly as the mage appeared, one of Drake's face down cards flipped up. "I activate Trap Reflector, which allows me to reuse the effect of one trap that you've used in this duel. The trap I use is Magician's Ordination!" Kai grimaced as a burst of light covered his field, preventing him from making any further moves. Drake also drew a card into his hand, making things a bit more even.
Drake started to draw his card for his turn, but he was interrupted by Kai's voice. "Now that your turn has begun my Vampire Lord will rise again!" He smirked and waited for his vampire to be resurrected by its own effect. He waited....and waited...but nothing was happening. "What's going on?"
Drake grinned and pointed to the giant green bin, and an image of the vampire shined above it briefly before returning to the bin. "When Recycling Bin was activated all cards in both player's cemeteries went into the bin. From now on there is no cemetery for either of us, and all cards that would go there go to the bin instead, and since Vampire Lord isn't in the cemetery its effect can't revive it." Kai grimaced, but kept heart knowing that his stronger monster still remained on the field.
"Now allow me to reveal the true meaning behind my previous words. I can constantly pay for my bin by using one of its effects. Each turn I may return one card in the bin to my hand, and I choose and activate Dian Keto the Cure Master!" A burst of light erupted from the top of the bin, spilling forth and covering Drake. As it did so his life point meter rose, canceling out the payment he had to make for the bin itself.
"Now I pay one thousand life points for Destiny's Way, and this time we shall draw for trap cards!" Both duelists started drawing their cards, reaching a total of five drawn cards. Kai glanced down at them and grimaced, again having to discard three of his five cards. Drake on the other hand dumped his entire hand into the cemetery. (DLP: 8900)
"What a wasteful move, you just lost five cards for no purpose!" Drake smirked, not even bothering to explain his reasoning. It was simple logic that he wouldn't draw many traps, because in his deck he had replaced traps primarily with quick-play magic cards, which were more difficult to counter. And of course he could recycle them easily to put the beating on his opponents.
"I don't need to explain anything to someone as weak as you, you don't deserve my respect until you prove your strength, which you haven't yet. Now lets continue, I shall play Ultimate Revolution! By sacrificing my set monster I can force both of us to reshuffle our hands and face-down cards into our decks. The only cards that don't go in are face-up cards like Destiny's Way and Recycling Bin." Drake's monster shattered, and both players started their reshuffling.
"Now I can draw five cards!" He swiftly drew the cards free, granting him an entirely new hand and clearing Kai's field of all but his Star Mage. At the moment that was good enough, but it wasn't going to necessarily save him. He just had to hope that Drake didn't get any good cards.
"I play one card face down. Now I summon Skilled Chaos Magician(1800/1600)!" The familiar gold clad mage was summoned to the field, ready for action. However as soon as he appeared the Star Mage fired off a beam of bright silver light which struck the other mage in the chest, knocking him down into the water. Kai gasped as the water splashed outwards from the fall.
It made no sense! How could the water be touched by a hologram if it wasn't touched by Drake. Did that mean that these weren't holograms....or that they were just more real then Drake was? Either way, he still held the advantage. "You've just fallen prey to Star Mage's effect. Whenever you summon a monster he will shoot that monster with his magic, dropping its active stat by five hundred. So Skilled Chaos Magician drops to thirteen hundred attack power."
Drake shrugged and passed the turn to Kai, who gladly drew his card. Upon doing so he nearly jumped for joy, recognizing the familiar image of the Mystical Space Typhoon. With this card he could destroy either the Recycling Bin or Destiny's Way....but which one? 'Wait a second....if I destroy Recycling Bin then all the cards in it should return to their respective cemeteries. That means I'll get Vampire Lord back onto the field. That's the one!'
"I play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy the Recycling Bin! Watch as your strategy comes crumbling down!" The vortex appeared, sending a bolt of power at the bin. It exploded and a huge number of cards shot out from it, swirling around in a tornado of Duel Monsters cards. Now everything was going to be set right.
Suddenly the cards shot at them, flying straight into their decks! Kai watched in horrified fascination as each of the cards was reshuffled into his deck without his own will. The same was happening on Drake's end! "What just happened! The bin was destroyed so our cards should have returned to the cemetery!"
"You guess wrong Kai and because you did, you did exactly what I wanted. When Recycling Bin is destroyed all cards that were in it are shuffled back into their correct decks. I then gain life points equal to the total cards reshuffled times one hundred. Now watch my power rise!" Drake held his DD2 aloft, clearly displaying the white numbers as they shot up, soaring high above what Kai had. Now the advantage was even more with Drake then it had been before. (DLP: 14200)
"It doesn't matter! Star Mage will still destroy your magician and deplete your life points!" The robed man chanted a brief spell and then cast it out, sending a beam of golden light at the smaller magician. However it was not alone, for Drake's placed card flipped up, revealing the Shrink card. The golden beam dropped in size, and though the magician was still destroyed, Drake hardly took any damage. (DLP: 14150)
Drake drew a card, and then smiled as he gestured to Destiny's Way. "I choose to destroy Destiny's Way, which then forces you to discard five cards from the top of your deck." The patterns of starry lights surged into one luminescent pinpoint and then shot towards Kai. It exploded in front of him sending him stumbling backwards and away from the field. He sadly picked up the five cards on top of his deck and placed them in the cemetery.
"Now I intend to revive my Black Magician of Chaos. First I'll play Monster Reborn on Skilled Chaos Magician!" The magician rose back onto the field, and was immediately struck by the power of Star Mage. But Drake's words made no sense, because Black Magician of Chaos was removed from play. He couldn't resummon it!
"I play Graceful Charity, granting it the first magic counter. I'll continue by playing Shot From the Dark to reuse my Monster Reborn to revive the discarded Chaos Magician(2400/1900)!" The familiar black robed magic user appeared next to its smaller counterpart, and was immediately shot by the magical draining attack, reducing its power to a measly nineteen hundred, not enough to defeat Kai's Star Mage.
"You should know that I can bring Black Magician of Chaos into play from out of the game using the effect of Skilled Chaos Magician. So I'll sacrifice it and its counters to renew him once again!" The smaller magician went up in a blaze of light, and was replaced instantaneously by the more powerful black robed magician wielding an ebony staff. His two coned head-dress shook as he was drained of power by the Star Mage.
"Now I play the magic card I returned from my magician's effect, and that card is Shrink! And with your Star Mage reduced to such a measly power, I'll destroy it and remove it from the game with the power of my Black Magician of Chaos!" The weakened black mage launched a sphere of deadly energies at the mini version of Kai's strongest magician. It was instantly vaporized, damaging Kai's life points. (KLP: 2250)
"Chaos Magician will attack directly! Chaos Magic Attack!" A blaze of red power erupted from the end of Drake's remaining magician's staff. Kai used his arms to block most of the power, but it still forced him backwards and nearly up against the wall. When it faded he dropped to his knees, breathing heavily. He was almost completely out of strength, this duel was just too taxing on him! (KLP: 350)
Kai grimaced and drew a card, happily playing the Pot of Greed, thankful that Drake had reshuffled it into his deck for future us. Upon inspecting his two new cards he realized that he had a move he could make. This was going to work awesomely! "I play Soul Exchange to sacrifice your monsters for this card....Light Magician(2500/2100)!
A white robed version of the Dark Magician was summoned to the field, his robes glowing brightly and his golden staff shining in the false sun that blaze through a hole in the ceiling. Now with this monster he had a chance! "I use its effect now! I can activate one magic card in my cemetery during each of my turns, but then its removed from play. So I use Pot of Greed!"
He tucked the now overused magic card into the pocket along with his other cards that had been removed from the game. He drew two new cards and glanced down at them, calmly understanding what his move would now consist of. Since Soul Exchange meant he had no battle phase in that turn, he'd have to wait. "I set one m/t. Back to you Drake."
Drake drew and then sighed, knowing what would happen next. "I play Change of Heart!" Light Magician moved over to his side of the field. Then it casually waved its wand, and a giant ankh raised out of the ground. Kai recognized the Monster Reborn card and knew that it was what Drake was reusing with Light Magician's effect.
Chaos Magician exploded onto the field in all his dark glory, powerful beyond anything Kai could handle right now. Two monsters going for the direct attack would be just too much for him in his current state! "I attack with both of my magician's!" The two mages sent their respective energy attacks at Kai, who grimaced and flipped up his face down card.
"I use Soul Spell to return my Light Magician to my hand, and special summon Skilled Dark Magician(1900/1700) in defense mode!" In a blaze of light the Dark Magician clone vanished and returned to Kai's hand as a bubble of energy. Then the black robed weaker counterpart to Dark Magician appeared, only to take a blast from Chaos Magician and being destroyed.
Kai drew and activated Card of Sanctity, forcing them to draw until they had six cards. He looked at his cards and sighed, selecting three of his cards to use in this turn. "I'll set two cards and play a monster in defense. End turn." It would have to do to protect him from now, but he doubted it would help much. Drake was deadly, and giving him more options was not a good idea. Unfortunately he hadn't had any choice in the matter.
"The end is closing in! I play Heavy Storm to clear the field of extraneous cards!" A burst of powerful wind swept through the wind, picking up the waters violently. It roared over his placed cards and blew them all into oblivion, making his only defense the monster he had placed down at this very moment. Now things seemed nearly hopeless.
"Next I use Magic Dimensioning! I can remove one magic card in my deck from the game and then place it on the top of my deck at my command!" A card floated out of his deck and hovered above him, the back facing straight towards Kai himself. Unless Drake had a card that allowed him to draw, this move made no sense whatsoever.
"My new card is Magical Textbooks! I shuffle my hand into my deck and then draw one card! If it's a magic card I can instantly activate it, if not I simply keep it. But once I finish shuffling my deck I'll move the card I chose onto the top of my deck!" Drake shuffled his cards into his deck, and then as soon as he was done the hovering card floated down, merging with his deck and becoming his top card. Now Kai understood perfectly.
"I activate the card I drew, Play of Rebellion! This forces your monster to attack you and finish this duel once and for all!" Kai grimaced as his monster flipped up, revealing the Skilled White Magician(1700/1900). Its power was easily great enough to finish him off. Now with a look of regret on its face it was firing a beam of energy directly at his chest, ready to end the duel.
The blast was easily intercepted by a wall of Kuriboh, revealing one of the cards that Kai had drawn using Card of Sanctity. For the second time in this duel the little brown fluff-ball had saved his hide, keeping him from a premature defeat. He was determined to win, and Kuriboh was helping him with that. "Thanks little guy."
Kai drew his card and grinned, knowing what he could now do. "I play Card Pulsation! By discarding my hand and paying half of my life points I can place any three cards in my deck into my hand! This is it, I'm going to win this duel!" He shoved his cards into the cemetery slot and then ejected his deck, searching for the necessary cards. He could win with these cards, he knew that he could! (KLP: 175)
"Now its time to face your defeat, because your field is totally empty of cards! I play these two cards in combination, Spell Economics and Dimension Fusion! Spell Economics means neither player has to pay life points to activate magic card, and Dimension Fusion allows me to summon any number of monsters from out of play by paying two thousand life points. And with their combination I'm getting back all my best monsters!"
The air in front of him swirled, pulsing with the amazing energy trapped within. He reached deep into his pocket and pulled free the cards that had been removed from the game. He gladly selected the five he wanted and slapped them onto the field one by one, allowing them to appear in all their glory. "Its almost over Drake, I've got you cornered!"
Standing in front of Kai was an armada of monsters with varying power. There was his Star Mage, his Dark Magician, the Skilled White Magician, and Magician's Valkyria. These four magicians were joined by the powerful X-Head Cannon, who followed the magician's examples by training his weapons on Drake. "All my monsters, attack full power!"
A barrage of various attacks lit up the Memory Tomb, covering Drake in a spray of energy and pure power. The force of the strikes he was taking would have to be at least as damaging to him as Kai getting smacked down by Obelisk, it had to be! (DLP: 3850)
The smoke cleared and there stood Drake, standing almost as if he had been perfectly unharmed. In fact he was unharmed, for in front of him was a glowing golden barrier, its power erupted from the golden disc that hung around his neck. Drake's leather jacket flared out behind him due to the pure power he was radiating, and it gave him a truly intimidating appearance. "Set one card and end."
Drake casually drew his card, letting the golden barrier reside. He slipped the card into his duel disk, pressing the activation button as he did so. He looked up from his duel disk and cast Kai a grim smile. "I hope you now learn the lesson I intended on power, because this is the final moment of truth when absolute power will be revealed! To do so I activate Altar of Resurrection!"
Drake drew two cards according to the effect of Altar of Resurrection, then he was allowed to activate one magic card from his cemetery. Whatever it was, it wouldn't be good for Kai, that was for sure. "I activate Band of Brothers, and thanks to your Spell Economics I don't have to pay any cost for it!" Kai grimaced, certain that Drake was going to sacrifice for a monster to destroy one of his.
Skilled Dark Magician and Neo the Magical Swordsman appeared in front of Drake, ready and able to do battle, though truly unable to attack thanks to Band of Brothers. It was going to work for Kai, he was going to win. 'The instant he attacks I'll just spring my Trap of Black Magic. All I have to do is sacrifice one magician on my field and I can end his battle phase, dealing damage to his life points equal to the attack power of my sacrifice monster. It'll work for certain!'
"I activate Instant Replay, which lets me reuse the effect of my last played magic card. So I shall replay Band of Brothers!" Again Drake ejected two cards from his deck, and then slapped them onto the field. One was the familiar face of the Mystic Elf, and the other was a magician in flowing black robes that had twinkling stars on it.
"One of the monsters I summon is Guardian Magician of the Night(1900/1400), who apart from having another effect allows me to instantly special summon Guardian Magician of the Day(1400/1900)!" An almost identical magician was summoned, only this one wore flowing blue robes with white sections that move. They were clouds!
"This is my destiny Kai, this is my power, this is the strength that was bequethed to me upon my victory against Seto Kaiba! It is my destiny to teach you the meaning of power, and it shall be your task to give it to its next destined wielder! Watch its power rise once again to end this duel as I had predicted, for by sacrificing Skilled Dark Magician, Neo, and Mystic Elf I can summon Obelisk the Tormentor(4000/4000)!"
The area in front of Drake exploded with energy, and the powerful blue god rose up, struggling to even crouch in the Memory Tomb. He was so huge that his wings were striking the wall at the other end. But it wasn't the size that frightened Kai, it was the effect he had seen Drake use against the Union Riders! He was safe though, because his trap could negate the attack.
"Because Guardian Magician of the Night and Guardian Magician of the Day are on the field together I can destroy all of your magic and trap cards at a cost of one thousand life points." The two twin magicians raised their hands and held them in front of themselves, chanting and gathering energies. Then they called out the final part of their spell, and together they sent the completed magical attack at Kai, blasting his set card into oblivion.
Kai slumped, understanding now what true power was. This was true power standing in front of him. It wasn't Obelisk, it was Drake. Drake had the power needed to make whatever he wanted to happen. He had the unfair advantage of a god monster, and this was what he had to know about Ihachi. He would have to defeat any unfair advantages she had, and she was bound to have them.
"Now its ended! I offer Guardian Magician of the Night and Guardian Magician of the Day to Obelisk! Soul Max!" A golden aura exploded around Drake, twisting the water into a huge vortex. Obelisk let out a mighty roar as a golden glow started coming off of it, for now it was one with Drake once again. This time it was not in anger and hatred, but simply in pure determination. This was how it was meant to be used, this was its true strength.
Kai let out a harsh cry as the monsters in front of him were blown away by the awesome powers of Obelisk's might. He saw the fist coming straight towards him, and light exploded in front of his eyes. Then he knew no more.
Drake stared at Kai's prone body and sighed, relaxing at last as the duel ended. He walked over to Kai, his feet never once stirring the water, and knelt at the other teen's side. It had been harsh doing this, but it was necessary. He took Kai's hand with his, and then placed something in it with the other hand. "Swear to me that you'll do what is needed to beat Ihachi. Swear to me that you'll give this card to who it truly belongs to. I'm entrusting this all to you. So good luck."
(Moments Later)
The light faded, revealing the scene to those who had been blinded by it. To everyone else it had been a mere instant, too short a time to be counted. To him it had been a long and strenuous duel, but now his strength was back.
Kai Kaethen looked up from the prone body of Keith and stared up at the temple, his gaze more hardened and solid then ever. He had a mission now, he knew what he had to do. He knew that no matter what he would do his part, and that was what mattered. "Now everything changes."
Author's Notes: Huzzah! I finished it at last, and I hope you enjoyed it.
Original Cards
Drake: White Magic Summoner, Destiny's Way, Recycling Bin, Ultimate Revolution, Skilled Chaos Magician, Trap Reflector, Shot From the Dark, Magic Dimensioning, Guardian Magician of the Night, Guardian Magician of the Day
Kai: Damage Shield, Payment of Debt, Trap of Black Magic
Submitted Original Cards(By Time Mage, who created Kai Kaethen)
Kai: Chain To Rivaling Souls, Magician's Ordination, Spell Theft, Soul Spell, Witch of Healing Arts, Star Mage, Light Magician, Grave Spell
Cards from Various Anime Arcs: Band of Brothers(Egyptian), Magician's Circle(Egyptian), Trap Level 4(KC Grand Prix), Play of Rebellion(Egyptian), Magical Textbooks(Battle City Finals)
Author's Note: Yeah, this wasn't posted for a long time since I was unable to work on any of this stuff during the larger part of summer because I was behind on work for getting into college. So my dad told me I couldn't do any writing until I was caught up. So here it was at last!
Quote of the Chapter: "I hope that when you're my age you'll be able to say, as I have been able to say: we lived in freedom; we lived lives that were a statement, not an apology." -Ronald Reagen
Chapter Thirty: Soul of Duelists
"What do you mean Pegasus has vanished? You saw him duel that Devlin brat right? So where did he go after that?" Ihachi's voice resonated with power, a pure force of energy that dropped Malik to his knees as he stood in her awesome presence. Of course being on her bad side was hardly pleasant.
"I'm sorry mistress, I remember watching him try to push past the crowd after his duel with Devlin and then the next thing I remember was Dalin defeating Mako Tsunami in their brief duel. Nothing about Pegasus and what might have happened to him." He cringed, fearful of the terrible power she controlled. If he had irritated her, she could easily destroy him. He had already faced absolute destruction once at the hands of Dalin, but facing it again was beyond him.
Ihachi grimaced, not even bothering to hide her irritation. Something was happening out there, but she couldn't tell what. Whatever force acted against her it was ancient and hid itself so well she could not sense it. It had also edited the memory of anyone who might have seen it act, so even her strongest deputy knew not what had happened.
"Return to watching the duels, if you get back out there in the next minute you will see that prick Bakura defeating Weevil Underwood and Espa Roba. Now get out of my sight!" He scurried away, leaving her to her raging. He was in fact in time to see Bakura defeat the two other duelists, in time to understand that this was not the weaker Bakura, this was the Bakura that his weaker half had cut a deal with.
"So he managed to survive even his destruction at the hands of the Pharaoh in that four-way duel they had huh? I swear that thief is indestructible. Oh well, now to see what duels will be next." He stood now at the top of the temple steps as he had before, and he watched the next duel be arranged. He didn't understand how this duels were being arranged, but he knew exactly this. The duels were enjoyable to watch, particularly the carnage.
He scanned what remained of the crowd, and his jaw nearly dropped. It made no sense whatsoever. There were more missing! That girl Autumn, she was now gone as well and with no explanation either. It must have happened while he was in the temple!
Keith Howard was lying lifeless on the ground, the body of one of the Pharaoh's lackeys, the spiky haired one lying nearby. Standing over the body of Keith was one of the new ones, this Kai Kaethen. There was no Mai Valentine either....the numbers had dwindled....and he had no way of knowing what had happened to those who couldn't be seen.
Only one duelist remained to be challenged, only one of them remained untested, unproven. This was a task that would fall to one specific duelist. Slowly a feral grin spread across his face and he started down the temple steps, intent on revealing something special to the gathered duelists.
Suddenly a blaze of light erupted from behind him, golden power pouring out of the temple doors. He whipped his head around to find the source, but all he could see was a figure standing in the doorway, the lights making it impossible to tell who it was. "Mistress Ihachi?"
"Not quite....but close enough." The golden light surged forwards, consuming him within its greatness. The light shot down the steps, covering the entire false paradise in that eerie golden light. Nobody even got a chance to let out cries of despair, for the light came to fast to be stopped, it was unstoppable.
When the light faded, everything was as it was, but yet everything was also different. Kai Kaethen looked up and away from Keith, and turned his gaze upon the temple itself. His gaze was hardened, more solid then ever. "Now everything changes."
(Moments Earlier)
The blaze rolled over Kai with all the force of a hurled cinder block, and with equally as much stopping power. He managed an 'oof' before everything faded into oblivion, leaving him spiraling into the endless horrors that awaited. Flashes of his various Battle City duels surged through his mind in those many moments, and he had no idea how long it was that he remained this way.
When he awoke, blinking back the foggy residue of unconsciousness, he lifted his head and looked around. Instead of finding a paltry copy of some twisted woman's vision of paradise, he now saw something completely different. Something he recognized from books he had read.
"My god....it's a tomb." And he was right, for all around him were hieroglyphs, depicting the story of whoever's tomb this was. The pots used to hold the organs of a mummified corpse lay several paces away, and golden arches held the entire room up.
The center piece of the tomb was a pool of crystal clear water that appeared to be only a foot deep, and at the very center of it was a massive sarcophagus, with gold and jewels adorning it. Sitting on top of the sarcophagus was a very familiar figure. "D....Drake?"
"Got it in one." The punk duelist hopped off the sarcophagus, dropping down into the water beneath him. Kai couldn't help but notice that his fall caused not even a ripple in the pool. Slowly the other duelist started walking towards Kai, until they were facing each other at a distance of about a dozen feet.
"This is a tomb, you're right about that one as well. But it's a bit more specific then that. I doubt you'd know the actual name since it was rarely spoken of or written about." He smiled, and then started to open his mouth to explain exactly what the room was. But Kai had already realized without a shadow of a doubt that this was exactly what he thought it was.
"It's a Memory Tomb. They were used by the Egyptians for storing the lives of people who were either very famous....or very infamous. Only the most respected or most hated people could possibly have a Memory Tomb made for them. But....nobody has ever actually found a Memory Tomb, only seen hieroglyphs explaining them and images depicting them."
Drake's eyes widened briefly, but then he grinned. It was a good thing that Kai knew something about Memory Tombs. It made this a lot easier for him. Explanations always took up a lot of useless time. "The reason nobody ever found a Memory Tomb was because they were constructed within the minds of the person, and their memory would pass through that construct into an equivalent in the Shadow Realm where the memory would remain forever. And as for whose Memory Tomb this is....well its Ihachi's actually, and mine of course."
Kai jerked his gaze up from the water, his two different eye colors locking with Drake's violet gaze. The look on Drake's face was completely sincere....but what he was saying was impossible. He said as much, and Drake just shrugged before motioning to the pool. "Its true really, because I am or was....I'm really not sure which now, the leader of the Royal Guard in Egypt thirty-five hundred years ago. Ihachi, though her name was different at the time, was my twin, and she was one of whom they called The Seven."
Kai absorbed this new information, trying to sort it out with what he already knew. There was a mention of some people called The Seven in some ancient texts, and they did date from around the time Drake was talking about. The Seven were written about as something like gods, guardians, and monsters. The text switched mannerisms, going from awed reverence, to mere respect, and lastly to pure disgust and fear. "How....how do you know?"
Again Drake pointed down at the pool, and as Kai's gaze connected with the waters....it rippled. The image became clear, and Kai understood how Drake could know these things. For the key piece of the Memory Tomb were the Tides of Memory and the Sarcophagus of Memory. The Tides of Memory, which was the pool, would create a magic nature that allowed anyone entering the Sarcophagus to absorb into themself all the memories. There was mention of something called a Memory World, but nobody knew what that meant.
The images now displayed in the pool was of someone who looked almost identical to Kai, only he was slightly older and he wore white robes with gold gilding. Standing in front of this strange Kai clone was a very familiar monster, and it appeared to be in battle with another familiar monster. The image flickered, and his opponent was revealed. It was Ihachi, wearing brilliant robes of scarlet and gold. "This was me in the past?"
Drake nodded, and then the image faded away, leaving the pool crystal clear once again. Drake sighed and moved away, going to lean up against the giant sarcophagus. "I've got to pass a few things on, and I can't really explain everything I've learned. I let myself lose because I knew I would be absorbed into Ihachi in this world, which would allow me access to all her secrets. I hadn't guessed on the Memory Tomb because I didn't know there was such a thing....but now I know everything I need to."
He sighed and shoved his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket. His eyes slid shut and his head lowered as if he were falling into a deep sleep. His chest rose and fell with a steady rhythm, but Kai knew he wasn't asleep. Slowly Drake began to speak. "I need to make sure a few things happen, because my time is limited. I'd rather not have to force it on myself, because it terrifies me. I want someone else to defeat Ihachi, and I think that you could be the one. If I have to do it....I might break down from fear of what will happen to me."
"What....what do you mean? What would happen to you? I really don't get this at all." Drake's hollow chuckle reached Kai's ears, and the waters beneath him reflected his grim thoughts. Images of bodies strewn across destroyed streets filled it, blood billowing in clouds along with the smoke. Then the pool became clear as soon as Drake started talking.
"Less then a day ago I died. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I did, I died in a duel with Taichi. Ihachi used her magic to take over my body and repair it using the powers of the Shadow Realm. My soul had become part of all those around me, and when they entered the outer parts of the Shadow Realm my soul automatically took action to restore itself, and I got back control, once again fine. But that was just a lie, because everything in the Shadow Realm is a lie. Everything that I am is a lie."
The pool flickered again, displaying the events that Drake spoke of. The blades of blood that ripped into his side, his last moments as blood trickled down his chin, bubbling up from his mouth. The moments when brilliant points of light converged on Ihachi, and Drake was reborn. Yet from this Kai got a strange feeling of dread.
"The Shadow Realm makes lots of things possible, and one of those is the essence of the lie. I exist in this realm as merely an echo of who I truly am. I exist merely as a soul, functioning under the will of those who wish me to be alive. But when this realm crumbles around us and everyone is free....I will truly be dead. And I'm afraid of that because when Taichi killed me, I discovered that there wasn't anything. I'm not afraid of the process of dying, never have been. But I'm afraid of it....stopping. I don't want to stop existing....I'm afraid of not existing, because there's no heaven and no hell awaiting me."
Suddenly Drake pushed himself off the sarcophagus and then he threw his head back. The echoes of his booming laughter filled the room, and Kai could only stare, completely confused. The person he had started to come to know was just an echo? "Look at me, moping around when I had a reason for bringing you to the Tomb of Memory where time functions differently. See, you're confident as a duelist, but you lack the true determination and purpose that is needed. I'm going to give you that so you can either defeat Ihachi or help whoever is meant to do it. To do that....we duel."
Kai's eyes widened as a DD2 appeared on Drake's arm. The other duelist shuffled the deck within it and then replaced it where it belonged. Then with a snap of his finger, he made them a playing field. The entire sarcophagus simply melted into the floor, making the pool their dueling field.
Drake walked to the other side and then turned around, facing Kai once again. Both of them gave each other a nod of acknowledgment, Kai understanding that even if he didn't perfectly understand Drake, this was something he had to do for Drake's sake. "I've altered my deck for this duel, so I hope you enjoy it. Oh, and I've already selected my deck master." (DLP: 8000)
A surge of golden power erupted from Drake's deck and shot out behind him, forming into a purple skinned humanoid with black leather clothing. The Chaos Sorcerer was to be Drake's deck master. In that case Kai knew exactly what monster he was going to choose. "I'll defeat any deck you've made, and I'll do it using my deck master, Breaker the Magic Warrior!" (KLP: 8000)
The gold and red armored magic user took shape, granting extra confidence to Kai as it stared down the sorcerer across from them. Drake grinned and started drawing his opening hand, and Kai followed suit. Once they were both set Drake took out a coin and tossed it into the air. "Call it."
"I'll call tails." Drake nodded and snatched the coin out of the air. He opened his palm to look at the coin, and then he grinned, showing it to Kai. The coin had landed on heads, so Drake would be going first and Kai would be going last. Now the duel was on for certain!
Drake drew his card and examined his hand of six cards. He let out a slow sigh, apparently disappointed with what he had drawn. But Kai knew better, it had to be a bluff, he had to be trying to throw Kai off balance. "I'll set one card face down. Now its your turn Kai."
Kai blinked, nearly losing his balance he was so surprised. Apparently Drake's hand was that bad. If he couldn't use any of the other cards it probably contained virtually all high level monsters, or at least magic cards that couldn't be used yet. "Heh, well I'll show you how its done when I summon X-Head Cannon(1800/1600)."
The large machine monster was summoned, and then it trained its cannons on Drake who didn't even shrug. The next part was going to make certain that Drake couldn't stop this attack or turn it back on him. "I discard one card to use my deck master's effect!" He deposited his card into the grave and then watched as Breaker sent a wave of red light streaking towards the set card.
"I respond by chaining that card, which is Magician's Circle! And if you pride yourself as a spellcaster duelist, then I'm sure you know what this card does." Drake was right, Kai did know. Magician's Circle let both players special summon a magician to the field, but neither could attack in that turn. If Kai was going to get this right he had to choose the perfect monster.
Drake's strongest magician was his Black Magician of Chaos, and Kai had no normal monster with that kind of attack power. His only monsters of that power were XYZ and Dark Paladin, neither of which he could bring out right now. But he did have a card that could break Drake's strategy, all he had to do was make it look like he was summoning his strongest magician, and Drake would walk right into the trap. "I'm choosing to special summon my Dark Magician(2500/2100) to the field!"
The purple robed mage blinked into existence, standing strong and at the ready. Though Kai couldn't attack with him yet, he knew that this was going to work perfectly. At least he thought so.... "I also choose to special summon the Dark Magician." Another magic user in purple robes was summoned, making the field nearly even. Kai didn't understand why Drake hadn't summoned his Black Magician of Chaos, but he was fairly certain that Drake intended to use Baptism of Light and Dark to summon it, and get back some magic card he would use in the next turn.
That was fine with Kai, he'd just have his trap ready and waiting to take out Drake's attacker. This was going to be easy. "I'll set one card face down, and since I can't get past your magician I'll just end my turn." Drake nodded and drew his card, returning his hand to its original size of six cards. The pool beneath them flickered with the images of a mighty monsters clashing with the darkness.
"I begin my turn by playing Band of Brothers! At a cost of one thousand life points I can special summon two level four monsters of the same type as one monster on the field. These monsters cannot attack, but they can be summoned. Therefore I summon Skilled Dark Magician(1900/1700) and White Magic Summoner(1200/500)!" The two monsters, one dark and one light, appeared next to each other. They flanked the taller and more powerful Dark Magician, giving Drake three monsters.
Three monsters? Hadn't Drake summoned a monster in their duel against the Union Riders that required three tributes? Well even if Drake summoned it, Kai's trap was going to take it out. "I shall now summon the creature that will be the one to defeat you, so I swear it. I apologize for this Kai, I didn't want it to be this way, but you have to understand the nature of power if you are to defeat Ihachi. And there is no better way to study power then to witness it first hand in the form of Obelisk the Tormentor(4000/4000)!" (DLP: 7000)
Columns of light erupted from the waters, wrapping around the three monsters and turning them into three spheres of energy. The energy spheres swirled around each other before finally colliding, and the resulting blast of light blinded Kai momentarily. As soon as he got his vision back he saw the creature that had frightened him before, the awe inspiring Obelisk.
"There's more. As you used your deck master's effect last turn, I shall now use my deck master's effect. By discarding one card I can remove any monster on your field from the game. Therefore I discard two cards from my hand to remove X-Head Cannon and Dark Magician from play!" Kai gasped in horror, understanding that he had fallen into a trap of Drake's making. Drake had wanted him to summon a strong monster so he could remove it from the game!
The Chaos Sorcerer raised his outstretched hands and fired off twin beams of octarine light. The chaos energy collided with the two monster's on Kai's field and they both ceased to exist. No struggle, no explosion, they just vanished. Kai sighed and pocketed the two cards, waiting for Drake to continue his move.
"You don't stand a chance against this kind of power. For now with one attack I will end this duel. Obelisk, God Hand Crusher!" The mighty god monster raised its fist and plunged it down at Kai, a blue aura erupting around the descending hand. If that punch connected then Kai would feel its devastating power first hand, and he would lose half his life points. But that wasn't going to happen.
"You've walked into my trap! Activate Mirror Force!" The trap card flipped up, bringing to life a deadly barrier that had meant the end to many a powerful monster before in various duelists decks. It was a highly effective trap card, so effective that it was restricted to one per deck, and of course it was increasingly rare. However that rarity meant nothing to Obelisk.
To Kai's horror that huge fist shattered his barrier as if it wasn't even there, and then it continued on towards him. The blow collided, and Kai understood power in that brief moment. For that second time stood still, as Kai's body was lifted up by the force of the blow. Then the moment ended, and he was hurled across the room, crashing into the stone wall and making a Kai-shaped indent. (KLP: 4000)
Seconds later he dropped down from his indent and fell face-first to the stone floor. However he did not move, there was no way he could. Drake sighed, knowing that when Kai awoke he would be returned to Ihachi's Eden, and perhaps then he would understand true power. For Kai didn't have the willpower or the strength to get back up after such an attack.
Drake let out a sigh and started to turn away, his feet not touching the water even as he moved. But because he turned away he didn't see a very similar scene unfold in the waters, didn't see the prone form of Kai's past self lying lifeless on the ground. But as they scenes connected, there came a heart beat.
It was a pulsing of energy that so resembled the beating of a heart as to be unmistakable as the same thing. In tandem the two Kais slowly pulled themselves up into a kneeling position, hands steadying themself. The heartbeat grew stronger, and Drake turned around, astonished to see Kai pulling himself unsteadily to his feet. "I can't believe it....he's already starting to understand without even realizing it!"
Kai drew in a shallow ragged breath, each one he took easier then the last. Slowly he felt himself starting to recover, but he still felt weak. However inside he was strong, and that was what mattered. "I won't lose...I can't lose. No matter what you do I won't give up. So I'll show you the truth of my power! I set two cards face down and summon Skilled White Magician(1700/1900) in defense mode. Whatever you try, I'll win, I'm going to prove that I've got the power to defeat you and Ihachi!"
Drake picked up one of his cards, glancing down at it briefly. A small smile flickered across his features and then was gone. Sighing he shoved the card into his cemetery, and began his move. "Power can't just be created by a person's will, so it will require more then a few cards to stop Obelisk and I. Now watch and learn as I banish your magician!"
Chaos Sorcerer raised one hand and cast out his chaos spell, vanishing the white robed mage with quaint ease. But this was not to be the end, Kai wouldn't let it be. One of his face down cards flipped up, revealing a card that Drake recognized. "I activate Trap Level 4, letting us both special summon a level four monster from our decks!"
Drake arched an eyebrow at the move, but gladly took one of his cards from his deck and placed it onto the field. Across from him Kai did the same, summoning his Magician's Valkyria(1600/1800), a female magician who was almost identical to the Dark Magician Girl. "That won't help you, because my deck master can still use its effect. And of course I get to summon Skilled Chaos Magician(1800/1600)!"
Drake's monster was a tall magician in robes of black and white, and holding in his hand a pure black staff. Kai smiled, knowing that even if he hadn't brought out a magician, he could have counted on Drake to do so. "Since we've both special summon a magician it makes using this card doubly as easy. My remaining trap is Magician's Ordination!"
Drake smiled, hiding his joy that Kai was truly determined and prepared to bring him down no matter what. There was nothing left for Drake to do, since Magician's Ordination ended his turn when activated, and it cold only be activated when a spellcaster was special summoned. Then it allowed Kai to draw a card. "Good move, but its just delaying the inevitable. You'll need more then that to win this duel."
Kai drew in a deep breath, fully aware that Drake was right. At the moment he didn't have the cards needed to even survive the next turn, and unless he managed to draw a good card, he'd be finished come Drake's next attack. Slowly he drew the card, trusting in himself and his own power. And he was rewarded with, "Pot of Greed!"
He grinned and slapped his next card onto the field, revealing a warrior with sharp blades and dark armor. This was a deadly monster with a dangerous effect. "I summon Makyura the Destructor, and I equip him with Damage Shield!" Makyura was suddenly equipped with a shield made of light, which simply appeared on his left arm. It wouldn't prevent Makyura from being destroyed, but it would prevent Kai from taking life point damage when Makyura was destroyed.
"Makyura, attack Obelisk!" The dark warrior jumped at the mighty blue god, but its power was nothing compared to Obelisk's. With a swat of its hand, Obelisk smashed Makyura into nothingness. Drake let out a laugh, obviously not realizing what Kai had in store.
"Since Makyura has been destroyed I can activate traps from my hand in this turn. I activate Chain To Rivaling Souls, which lets me special summon one monster from each player's cemetery in whichever mode I want! They lose five hundred attack points and require a discard to be sacrificed, but all I need them for is to be a defense shield for me!" Drake grinned, watching as his own Dark Magician appeared on Kai's side, weakened to two thousand attack. Following it was Makyura appearing once again, with its power drained to eleven hundred.
"How does that help, all I have to do is discard my three cards in this turn to remove your monsters from the game, and then I'll attack directly to finish you off. Its perfectly useless." He grinned, folding up his cards and shoving them into his cemetery slot. With that his deck master cast a swirling tornado of energy out at the three monsters. It twisted about them, and then banished them into nothingness, leaving Kai completely defenseless.
It was at this moment that Kai noticed something. The Skilled Chaos Magician had three orbs on it, just like Skilled Dark Magician and Skilled White Magician. The ones on its shoulders were glowing, meaning it had gained magic counters. If that was the case....then once Drake had three Kai was certain that he could sacrifice it to special summon Chaos Magician. "Obelisk, finish this once and for all."
For the second time in the duel the powerful blue god unleashed its deadly attack, intent upon finishing the job it had started in Drake's second turn. Moments before impact its fist collided with a wall of furry brown creatures, which shattered into nothingness. "Kuribo! I see, your last card must have been a Kuribo that you discarded to negate the damage. Well that only works on one attack, so I'll set one card and follow up with Skilled Chaos Magician!" The blast collided with Kai's chest, dropping him to his knees as it depleted his life points. (KLP: 2200)
Kai rose back up to his feet, fully aware that he had no cards in hand and no way to stop Drake's attack. If he drew a monster he'd be finished, if he drew some useless trap then Obelisk would just smash through it. He had to draw something useful, otherwise he was finished as soon as Drake took his turn. "I'll set one card onto the field and end my turn."
Drake raised an eyebrow, then shrugged it off, confident in the power of Obelisk. No trap could destroy Obelisk, the only power great enough to defeat one of the god cards was another god card. But that wasn't totally true...he had defeated Obelisk without using another god, but it Kai had only one card, Drake had used a combination of two unique cards to do that. "Obelisk attacks!"
"Open trap, Cloning!" Drake let out a cry of surprise as the trap card activated. As it turned out Drake had been right, it was a god that was needed to defeat Obelisk. The god that was going to defeat it was itself, or rather the giant duplicate that appeared in front of it. The god and its clone clashed with each other, powerful fist crashing into powerful fist. An explosion of energy burst forth, shattering the two mighty monsters and clearing the field of all but one card.
"That was an excellent move Kai, but this turn isn't over and you have no way to defend yourself. Skilled Chaos Magician will attack directly to bring you one step closer to defeat!" A burst of magical energies erupted from the mage's staff, blasting into Kai's chest for the second time. He grunted, driven backwards by the power. However it was nothing against the intensity of Obelisk's attack that he had taken, so he was able to remain standing this time. (KLP: 400)
Kai grimaced, activating his next card, a familiar card to Drake who had seen it in his duel against Taichi and then opted to put it in his deck afterwards when given the opportunity. It was Payment of Debt, which allowed Kai to draw three more cards at no cost to himself. "I set two cards face down!" The two cards appeared in front of him, creating a barrier that could save him....as long as he had guessed right.
Drake drew his next card and grinned, knowing what he was about to do. "I'd have to thank you for activating that card, because it gave my mage its last counter. Now I sacrifice Skilled Chaos Magician and its three counters to special summon Black Magician of Chaos(2800/2600)!" Kai's eyes widened in surprise as the black magic user was summoned to the field. He had been thinking Chaos Magician, but this was even worse, and now Drake got back a magic card from his graveyard!
"I won't lose now! Activate Grave Spell!" His trap flipped up, and it shimmered into view, taking on the effect of his Magician's Ordination. Because Drake had special summon the Black Magician of Chaos he was able to reuse Magician's Ordination to end Drake's turn and allow him to draw one card. Once again the same strategy had worked for him. And as Drake's turn ended, both Grave Spell and Magician's Ordination were removed from the game.
Kai drew again, and then smirked, knowing exactly what he could now do. Now was his moment of recovery where he could even things up, and give himself some breathing room. To do it all he had to do was summon one monster to the field. "I summon Witch of Healing Arts(1500/1100). By sacrificing her I can deal damage to your life points equal to the attack of one of your monsters!" The black robed witch appeared and then immolated herself, inflicting damage to Drake. (DLP: 4200)
"Now I gain life points equal to that amount! And since my spellcaster type went to the cemetery I can activate Spell Theft, placing one magic card into my hand!" His deck ejected the needed card as a wave of energy washed over him, slightly restoring his energy and his life points. Now things were definitely more equal, and Kai stood more of a chance. (KLP: 3200)
"I'll set one card face down, and then I play Change of Heart, commandeering your Black Magician of Chaos. Go, Chaos Scepter Blast!" The magician moved to his side of the field, and then struck out with its staff, sending a sphere of magical power streaking towards Drake. However at the last moment Drake's face down card flipped up and green swords flew across the field, intercepting the attack and freezing the magician in place.
"My Dark Magic Revival allowed me to activate Swords of Revealing Light from my cemetery, and of course at the end of the turn it'll go to your cemetery." Kai shrugged it off, ending his turn and allowing Drake to take his move. As he did so the swords faded, and Drake picked up the card and tossed it to Kai. Then Kai shoved the card into his cemetery, evening things up a bit.
"I play Mystical Space Typhoon on your set card!" Kai responded to the bolt of lightning by activating the targeted card. It turned out to be Waboku, preventing Kai from taking battle damage that turn. In this way he was safe from any attack Drake might make. Drake shrugged and placed a single card face down before ending his turn.
Kai drew a card, starting to become well aware of the fact that his strength was waning. He could last for a while, but if it came down to pure physical life force, Drake was going to win. Drake hadn't taken any attacks yet, so physically he was fine, whereas Kai was injured and weakened by the three attacks on him. "I lay two cards down and summon Drillago(1600/1100) in defense mode."
Drake plucked another card from his deck, but he didn't get a chance to do much because Kai instantly activated one of his face down cards. "I activate Dark Renewal, sacrificing Black Magician of Chaos and Drillago to summon Witch of Healing Arts to the field. Now you can remove her from the game, or you can wait on it, but either way I'm gaining the advantage here." The witch once again appeared on the field, coming out of a black coffin, making her the only monster on the field.
"This won't be a problem. The usefulness of our deck masters has been outlived, but my deck master has one last ability that can serve me. Chaos Sorcerer, activate Dimension Bomb!" The sorcerer raised his arms above his head, slowly summoning a growing ball of chaos energy. After nearly a minute of charging the sphere was several feet across, and looked ready to explode, rippling as it was with octarine light.
"Do it now!" With that the Dimension Bomb exploded, sending a wave of energy rippling across the field. Kai threw up his arms as a meager defense, but he was unable to stop it from covering him. Of course when the energy faded away, there were no monsters around whatsoever, not even the deck masters!
"Dimension Bomb removes all monsters on the field from play, including both deck masters. Then it grants me life points equal to the total attack strength of the removed monsters. Now I've got the advantage once again!" A wave of energy surged around Drake's body, making his hair and his jacket whip about wildly. Kai calmly counted up the attack points of their monsters, and discovered that he really was going to be at a disadvantage. (DLP: 9900)
One thing that Kai didn't understand was why Drake had given away his biggest advantage. The effect of Chaos Sorcerer had proved critical in this duel, so it made no sense for Drake to toss it aside, even for a large bundle of light points. 'What is he up to?'
"I'll now set one monster. Now I shall activate the magic card I returned through my magician's effect. It is a card that is critical in this duel, and has greater meaning then you can guess. The card I activate is Destiny's Way!" A pathway of stars erupted, cluttering the water with bright pinpoints of light, and filling the air around them with similar lights. Whatever effect it had, Kai was certain it wouldn't end well for him.
Kai grimaced and plucked a card free, easily recognizing the monster he had drawn. He summoned it to the field, bringing out Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer(1800/400). The half-man half-ghost brandished his ofuda, ready to eliminate Drake's monster. "Attack!" The priest cast his ofuda at Drake's monster. Light crackled around it, and it shattered, briefly revealing an Apprenticeship Magician before another monster was set.
Drake's hand increased to a size of a bare one, which at the moment was greater then Kai's hand. Now was the moment when the effect of this strange key card would be revealed, and Drake knew that it would turn this duel again. "By paying life points in increments of two hundred up to a total of one thousand I can make both of us draw cards equal to each amount of two hundred. I also must declare one card type, magic, monster, or trap. All cards of the named type we keep, but all those not of that type are discarded."
Kai's eyes widened in horror as he came to understand the horror of this card. It could be potentially disastrous, but it could also save him. There was no telling who it would help, but no matter what it wouldn't bode well for him. "I name magic card, and pay one thousand life points! Now we learn whose destiny is stronger!" (DLP: 8900)
Both duelists drew five cards, Kai's hand becoming five and Drake's becoming six. They both surveyed their hands, and picked free the ones that weren't magic cards. Kai discarded three cards, frustrated that he had lost three good cards. Drake on the other hand only discarded two cards, allowing him to maintain a hand of four cards.
"I now play a card with an upkeep of one thousand life points per turn, a card which I will forever pay the upkeep of. That card is Recycling Bin, and I'll pay for it constantly using Dian Keto the Cure Master!" A giant green bin appeared in front of Drake, floating above the water. With a rush of wind something hurtled into the bin, but what it was Kai wasn't certain. Also a happy old man handed a glowing bubble to Drake, restoring his life points. (DLP: 9900)
"I play one card face down and pass the turn to you." Kai drew his next card, glancing at his hand of three. He knew that he had a move available to him, but it was risky. However it would also allow him to get two monsters, hopefully two good ones. If this move truly worked, he'd gain the advantage for the first time in this duel.
"I sacrifice Kycoo to summon Vampire Lord(2000/1500)!" His priest was replaced by a gaunt figure in seventeenth century clothes. The pale faced man was really creepy looking and not very powerful, but his effects were what was going to do his work for him. Well, as long as this worked that is.
"Now I use one of the magic cards I got from your Destiny's Way. Its called Monster Gate!" Vampire Lord was sucked into a giant vortex and Kai started drawing cards. According to the effect of Monster Gate he could now draw cards until he reached a monster, which was then special summon. Now he just had to hope for a good card.
He drew it, and happily slapped it down onto the field. Now was going to be his moment of truth! "I special summon Star Mage(2700/1400)!" The mystical figure leapt out of the gate just before it closed, and landed in a crouching position. Slowly he rose to his feet, revealing his true appearance. He was a young man in robes of blue and white which gave the appearance of the sky.
As suddenly as the mage appeared, one of Drake's face down cards flipped up. "I activate Trap Reflector, which allows me to reuse the effect of one trap that you've used in this duel. The trap I use is Magician's Ordination!" Kai grimaced as a burst of light covered his field, preventing him from making any further moves. Drake also drew a card into his hand, making things a bit more even.
Drake started to draw his card for his turn, but he was interrupted by Kai's voice. "Now that your turn has begun my Vampire Lord will rise again!" He smirked and waited for his vampire to be resurrected by its own effect. He waited....and waited...but nothing was happening. "What's going on?"
Drake grinned and pointed to the giant green bin, and an image of the vampire shined above it briefly before returning to the bin. "When Recycling Bin was activated all cards in both player's cemeteries went into the bin. From now on there is no cemetery for either of us, and all cards that would go there go to the bin instead, and since Vampire Lord isn't in the cemetery its effect can't revive it." Kai grimaced, but kept heart knowing that his stronger monster still remained on the field.
"Now allow me to reveal the true meaning behind my previous words. I can constantly pay for my bin by using one of its effects. Each turn I may return one card in the bin to my hand, and I choose and activate Dian Keto the Cure Master!" A burst of light erupted from the top of the bin, spilling forth and covering Drake. As it did so his life point meter rose, canceling out the payment he had to make for the bin itself.
"Now I pay one thousand life points for Destiny's Way, and this time we shall draw for trap cards!" Both duelists started drawing their cards, reaching a total of five drawn cards. Kai glanced down at them and grimaced, again having to discard three of his five cards. Drake on the other hand dumped his entire hand into the cemetery. (DLP: 8900)
"What a wasteful move, you just lost five cards for no purpose!" Drake smirked, not even bothering to explain his reasoning. It was simple logic that he wouldn't draw many traps, because in his deck he had replaced traps primarily with quick-play magic cards, which were more difficult to counter. And of course he could recycle them easily to put the beating on his opponents.
"I don't need to explain anything to someone as weak as you, you don't deserve my respect until you prove your strength, which you haven't yet. Now lets continue, I shall play Ultimate Revolution! By sacrificing my set monster I can force both of us to reshuffle our hands and face-down cards into our decks. The only cards that don't go in are face-up cards like Destiny's Way and Recycling Bin." Drake's monster shattered, and both players started their reshuffling.
"Now I can draw five cards!" He swiftly drew the cards free, granting him an entirely new hand and clearing Kai's field of all but his Star Mage. At the moment that was good enough, but it wasn't going to necessarily save him. He just had to hope that Drake didn't get any good cards.
"I play one card face down. Now I summon Skilled Chaos Magician(1800/1600)!" The familiar gold clad mage was summoned to the field, ready for action. However as soon as he appeared the Star Mage fired off a beam of bright silver light which struck the other mage in the chest, knocking him down into the water. Kai gasped as the water splashed outwards from the fall.
It made no sense! How could the water be touched by a hologram if it wasn't touched by Drake. Did that mean that these weren't holograms....or that they were just more real then Drake was? Either way, he still held the advantage. "You've just fallen prey to Star Mage's effect. Whenever you summon a monster he will shoot that monster with his magic, dropping its active stat by five hundred. So Skilled Chaos Magician drops to thirteen hundred attack power."
Drake shrugged and passed the turn to Kai, who gladly drew his card. Upon doing so he nearly jumped for joy, recognizing the familiar image of the Mystical Space Typhoon. With this card he could destroy either the Recycling Bin or Destiny's Way....but which one? 'Wait a second....if I destroy Recycling Bin then all the cards in it should return to their respective cemeteries. That means I'll get Vampire Lord back onto the field. That's the one!'
"I play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy the Recycling Bin! Watch as your strategy comes crumbling down!" The vortex appeared, sending a bolt of power at the bin. It exploded and a huge number of cards shot out from it, swirling around in a tornado of Duel Monsters cards. Now everything was going to be set right.
Suddenly the cards shot at them, flying straight into their decks! Kai watched in horrified fascination as each of the cards was reshuffled into his deck without his own will. The same was happening on Drake's end! "What just happened! The bin was destroyed so our cards should have returned to the cemetery!"
"You guess wrong Kai and because you did, you did exactly what I wanted. When Recycling Bin is destroyed all cards that were in it are shuffled back into their correct decks. I then gain life points equal to the total cards reshuffled times one hundred. Now watch my power rise!" Drake held his DD2 aloft, clearly displaying the white numbers as they shot up, soaring high above what Kai had. Now the advantage was even more with Drake then it had been before. (DLP: 14200)
"It doesn't matter! Star Mage will still destroy your magician and deplete your life points!" The robed man chanted a brief spell and then cast it out, sending a beam of golden light at the smaller magician. However it was not alone, for Drake's placed card flipped up, revealing the Shrink card. The golden beam dropped in size, and though the magician was still destroyed, Drake hardly took any damage. (DLP: 14150)
Drake drew a card, and then smiled as he gestured to Destiny's Way. "I choose to destroy Destiny's Way, which then forces you to discard five cards from the top of your deck." The patterns of starry lights surged into one luminescent pinpoint and then shot towards Kai. It exploded in front of him sending him stumbling backwards and away from the field. He sadly picked up the five cards on top of his deck and placed them in the cemetery.
"Now I intend to revive my Black Magician of Chaos. First I'll play Monster Reborn on Skilled Chaos Magician!" The magician rose back onto the field, and was immediately struck by the power of Star Mage. But Drake's words made no sense, because Black Magician of Chaos was removed from play. He couldn't resummon it!
"I play Graceful Charity, granting it the first magic counter. I'll continue by playing Shot From the Dark to reuse my Monster Reborn to revive the discarded Chaos Magician(2400/1900)!" The familiar black robed magic user appeared next to its smaller counterpart, and was immediately shot by the magical draining attack, reducing its power to a measly nineteen hundred, not enough to defeat Kai's Star Mage.
"You should know that I can bring Black Magician of Chaos into play from out of the game using the effect of Skilled Chaos Magician. So I'll sacrifice it and its counters to renew him once again!" The smaller magician went up in a blaze of light, and was replaced instantaneously by the more powerful black robed magician wielding an ebony staff. His two coned head-dress shook as he was drained of power by the Star Mage.
"Now I play the magic card I returned from my magician's effect, and that card is Shrink! And with your Star Mage reduced to such a measly power, I'll destroy it and remove it from the game with the power of my Black Magician of Chaos!" The weakened black mage launched a sphere of deadly energies at the mini version of Kai's strongest magician. It was instantly vaporized, damaging Kai's life points. (KLP: 2250)
"Chaos Magician will attack directly! Chaos Magic Attack!" A blaze of red power erupted from the end of Drake's remaining magician's staff. Kai used his arms to block most of the power, but it still forced him backwards and nearly up against the wall. When it faded he dropped to his knees, breathing heavily. He was almost completely out of strength, this duel was just too taxing on him! (KLP: 350)
Kai grimaced and drew a card, happily playing the Pot of Greed, thankful that Drake had reshuffled it into his deck for future us. Upon inspecting his two new cards he realized that he had a move he could make. This was going to work awesomely! "I play Soul Exchange to sacrifice your monsters for this card....Light Magician(2500/2100)!
A white robed version of the Dark Magician was summoned to the field, his robes glowing brightly and his golden staff shining in the false sun that blaze through a hole in the ceiling. Now with this monster he had a chance! "I use its effect now! I can activate one magic card in my cemetery during each of my turns, but then its removed from play. So I use Pot of Greed!"
He tucked the now overused magic card into the pocket along with his other cards that had been removed from the game. He drew two new cards and glanced down at them, calmly understanding what his move would now consist of. Since Soul Exchange meant he had no battle phase in that turn, he'd have to wait. "I set one m/t. Back to you Drake."
Drake drew and then sighed, knowing what would happen next. "I play Change of Heart!" Light Magician moved over to his side of the field. Then it casually waved its wand, and a giant ankh raised out of the ground. Kai recognized the Monster Reborn card and knew that it was what Drake was reusing with Light Magician's effect.
Chaos Magician exploded onto the field in all his dark glory, powerful beyond anything Kai could handle right now. Two monsters going for the direct attack would be just too much for him in his current state! "I attack with both of my magician's!" The two mages sent their respective energy attacks at Kai, who grimaced and flipped up his face down card.
"I use Soul Spell to return my Light Magician to my hand, and special summon Skilled Dark Magician(1900/1700) in defense mode!" In a blaze of light the Dark Magician clone vanished and returned to Kai's hand as a bubble of energy. Then the black robed weaker counterpart to Dark Magician appeared, only to take a blast from Chaos Magician and being destroyed.
Kai drew and activated Card of Sanctity, forcing them to draw until they had six cards. He looked at his cards and sighed, selecting three of his cards to use in this turn. "I'll set two cards and play a monster in defense. End turn." It would have to do to protect him from now, but he doubted it would help much. Drake was deadly, and giving him more options was not a good idea. Unfortunately he hadn't had any choice in the matter.
"The end is closing in! I play Heavy Storm to clear the field of extraneous cards!" A burst of powerful wind swept through the wind, picking up the waters violently. It roared over his placed cards and blew them all into oblivion, making his only defense the monster he had placed down at this very moment. Now things seemed nearly hopeless.
"Next I use Magic Dimensioning! I can remove one magic card in my deck from the game and then place it on the top of my deck at my command!" A card floated out of his deck and hovered above him, the back facing straight towards Kai himself. Unless Drake had a card that allowed him to draw, this move made no sense whatsoever.
"My new card is Magical Textbooks! I shuffle my hand into my deck and then draw one card! If it's a magic card I can instantly activate it, if not I simply keep it. But once I finish shuffling my deck I'll move the card I chose onto the top of my deck!" Drake shuffled his cards into his deck, and then as soon as he was done the hovering card floated down, merging with his deck and becoming his top card. Now Kai understood perfectly.
"I activate the card I drew, Play of Rebellion! This forces your monster to attack you and finish this duel once and for all!" Kai grimaced as his monster flipped up, revealing the Skilled White Magician(1700/1900). Its power was easily great enough to finish him off. Now with a look of regret on its face it was firing a beam of energy directly at his chest, ready to end the duel.
The blast was easily intercepted by a wall of Kuriboh, revealing one of the cards that Kai had drawn using Card of Sanctity. For the second time in this duel the little brown fluff-ball had saved his hide, keeping him from a premature defeat. He was determined to win, and Kuriboh was helping him with that. "Thanks little guy."
Kai drew his card and grinned, knowing what he could now do. "I play Card Pulsation! By discarding my hand and paying half of my life points I can place any three cards in my deck into my hand! This is it, I'm going to win this duel!" He shoved his cards into the cemetery slot and then ejected his deck, searching for the necessary cards. He could win with these cards, he knew that he could! (KLP: 175)
"Now its time to face your defeat, because your field is totally empty of cards! I play these two cards in combination, Spell Economics and Dimension Fusion! Spell Economics means neither player has to pay life points to activate magic card, and Dimension Fusion allows me to summon any number of monsters from out of play by paying two thousand life points. And with their combination I'm getting back all my best monsters!"
The air in front of him swirled, pulsing with the amazing energy trapped within. He reached deep into his pocket and pulled free the cards that had been removed from the game. He gladly selected the five he wanted and slapped them onto the field one by one, allowing them to appear in all their glory. "Its almost over Drake, I've got you cornered!"
Standing in front of Kai was an armada of monsters with varying power. There was his Star Mage, his Dark Magician, the Skilled White Magician, and Magician's Valkyria. These four magicians were joined by the powerful X-Head Cannon, who followed the magician's examples by training his weapons on Drake. "All my monsters, attack full power!"
A barrage of various attacks lit up the Memory Tomb, covering Drake in a spray of energy and pure power. The force of the strikes he was taking would have to be at least as damaging to him as Kai getting smacked down by Obelisk, it had to be! (DLP: 3850)
The smoke cleared and there stood Drake, standing almost as if he had been perfectly unharmed. In fact he was unharmed, for in front of him was a glowing golden barrier, its power erupted from the golden disc that hung around his neck. Drake's leather jacket flared out behind him due to the pure power he was radiating, and it gave him a truly intimidating appearance. "Set one card and end."
Drake casually drew his card, letting the golden barrier reside. He slipped the card into his duel disk, pressing the activation button as he did so. He looked up from his duel disk and cast Kai a grim smile. "I hope you now learn the lesson I intended on power, because this is the final moment of truth when absolute power will be revealed! To do so I activate Altar of Resurrection!"
Drake drew two cards according to the effect of Altar of Resurrection, then he was allowed to activate one magic card from his cemetery. Whatever it was, it wouldn't be good for Kai, that was for sure. "I activate Band of Brothers, and thanks to your Spell Economics I don't have to pay any cost for it!" Kai grimaced, certain that Drake was going to sacrifice for a monster to destroy one of his.
Skilled Dark Magician and Neo the Magical Swordsman appeared in front of Drake, ready and able to do battle, though truly unable to attack thanks to Band of Brothers. It was going to work for Kai, he was going to win. 'The instant he attacks I'll just spring my Trap of Black Magic. All I have to do is sacrifice one magician on my field and I can end his battle phase, dealing damage to his life points equal to the attack power of my sacrifice monster. It'll work for certain!'
"I activate Instant Replay, which lets me reuse the effect of my last played magic card. So I shall replay Band of Brothers!" Again Drake ejected two cards from his deck, and then slapped them onto the field. One was the familiar face of the Mystic Elf, and the other was a magician in flowing black robes that had twinkling stars on it.
"One of the monsters I summon is Guardian Magician of the Night(1900/1400), who apart from having another effect allows me to instantly special summon Guardian Magician of the Day(1400/1900)!" An almost identical magician was summoned, only this one wore flowing blue robes with white sections that move. They were clouds!
"This is my destiny Kai, this is my power, this is the strength that was bequethed to me upon my victory against Seto Kaiba! It is my destiny to teach you the meaning of power, and it shall be your task to give it to its next destined wielder! Watch its power rise once again to end this duel as I had predicted, for by sacrificing Skilled Dark Magician, Neo, and Mystic Elf I can summon Obelisk the Tormentor(4000/4000)!"
The area in front of Drake exploded with energy, and the powerful blue god rose up, struggling to even crouch in the Memory Tomb. He was so huge that his wings were striking the wall at the other end. But it wasn't the size that frightened Kai, it was the effect he had seen Drake use against the Union Riders! He was safe though, because his trap could negate the attack.
"Because Guardian Magician of the Night and Guardian Magician of the Day are on the field together I can destroy all of your magic and trap cards at a cost of one thousand life points." The two twin magicians raised their hands and held them in front of themselves, chanting and gathering energies. Then they called out the final part of their spell, and together they sent the completed magical attack at Kai, blasting his set card into oblivion.
Kai slumped, understanding now what true power was. This was true power standing in front of him. It wasn't Obelisk, it was Drake. Drake had the power needed to make whatever he wanted to happen. He had the unfair advantage of a god monster, and this was what he had to know about Ihachi. He would have to defeat any unfair advantages she had, and she was bound to have them.
"Now its ended! I offer Guardian Magician of the Night and Guardian Magician of the Day to Obelisk! Soul Max!" A golden aura exploded around Drake, twisting the water into a huge vortex. Obelisk let out a mighty roar as a golden glow started coming off of it, for now it was one with Drake once again. This time it was not in anger and hatred, but simply in pure determination. This was how it was meant to be used, this was its true strength.
Kai let out a harsh cry as the monsters in front of him were blown away by the awesome powers of Obelisk's might. He saw the fist coming straight towards him, and light exploded in front of his eyes. Then he knew no more.
Drake stared at Kai's prone body and sighed, relaxing at last as the duel ended. He walked over to Kai, his feet never once stirring the water, and knelt at the other teen's side. It had been harsh doing this, but it was necessary. He took Kai's hand with his, and then placed something in it with the other hand. "Swear to me that you'll do what is needed to beat Ihachi. Swear to me that you'll give this card to who it truly belongs to. I'm entrusting this all to you. So good luck."
(Moments Later)
The light faded, revealing the scene to those who had been blinded by it. To everyone else it had been a mere instant, too short a time to be counted. To him it had been a long and strenuous duel, but now his strength was back.
Kai Kaethen looked up from the prone body of Keith and stared up at the temple, his gaze more hardened and solid then ever. He had a mission now, he knew what he had to do. He knew that no matter what he would do his part, and that was what mattered. "Now everything changes."
Author's Notes: Huzzah! I finished it at last, and I hope you enjoyed it.
Original Cards
Drake: White Magic Summoner, Destiny's Way, Recycling Bin, Ultimate Revolution, Skilled Chaos Magician, Trap Reflector, Shot From the Dark, Magic Dimensioning, Guardian Magician of the Night, Guardian Magician of the Day
Kai: Damage Shield, Payment of Debt, Trap of Black Magic
Submitted Original Cards(By Time Mage, who created Kai Kaethen)
Kai: Chain To Rivaling Souls, Magician's Ordination, Spell Theft, Soul Spell, Witch of Healing Arts, Star Mage, Light Magician, Grave Spell
Cards from Various Anime Arcs: Band of Brothers(Egyptian), Magician's Circle(Egyptian), Trap Level 4(KC Grand Prix), Play of Rebellion(Egyptian), Magical Textbooks(Battle City Finals)