Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!, but I do own my original characters. Anyway, here's Chapter 12!
Chapter 12: Dangerous Fight! Waking The Silver Phoenix Dragon!
The ancient structure loomed high above us as we neared our destination. There was a strange language carved on the temple walls and it looked dark inside. We entered the temple as torches lit our way.
"They're expecting us," Pluto advised. "We must walk cautiously."
Painted drawings covered the walls around the corridor, some were very mysterious. The drawings were of the sun, moon and stars and the rest looked Egyptian. Maybe the Millennium Guardians were right. They were the earliest ancestors of the Egyptians.
Meanwhile, Artemis was watching us through her mirror. She traced her fingers around the silver framing and sapphires, and her moon amulet was casting rainbow light. She hid her necklace inside her robe and looked back at Zephyrus.
Go to them, an eerie and cold voice said in her mind.
"No…" Artemis responded and her tone was harsh.
An invisible force pulled her up from her feet and began strangling her. The air was getting tighter, thus making it difficult to breath. Suddenly an ominous glow enshrouded Artemis, liberating her from the being's grasp. She fell to the floor, gasping for air, and she glared at a shadow-like figure standing beside her.
"What more suffering do you want to create, you monster?" Artemis shouted. "I don't take orders from you!"
You and me are more connected than you think, the being began. You've been battling me for far too long. Let go of your pitiful defenses and join the eternal darkness.
"Your gift is nothing more but a curse!" she spat.
I sense your heart grow colder the more you succumb to the darkness and that Wind Sorceress is preventing you from crossing over, the being continued.
"There's one thing that I desire from you…" A sly smile came upon Artemis' face.
I know what you want… To kill Ra…
An orb of black light materialized in front of Artemis. She grabbed it as the orb covered her in a veil of darkness. It seeped into her body as the being vanished.
Artemis' eyes were cold and dark and she turned around to face Zephyrus. She walked over to him and slightly pulled herself close to his face. Artemis brushed her lips onto Zephyrus before disappearing into the darkness.
"Where did you two think they're hidin'?" Joey asked.
"At the end of the corridor." Pluto answered.
"I just hope the others will be alright without us…" I said sadly.
"Let's just hope they'll be all right without us." Yukai replied.
Finally we noticed light which meant we were nearing the end of the corridor. We entered the chamber to find Nidoki, Forseti, Orpheus and Apollo unconscious on the marble floor. They were badly injured, and the Final Five were standing beside them. I looked over at someone who had amber eyes and brown hair and his robes flailed as he approached his comrades. This had to be Seiryu judging by the angered glares from Yukai and Pluto.
I noticed he held the Millennium Puzzle in his hand and I sensed something wasn't right about it. I felt a dark aura enshrouded it. Pluto revealed his Millennium Ring and Yukai took out his Millennium Rod. The Millennium Necklace shined in the pocket of my jeans and I took it out.
"The two remaining Millennium Guardians," Seiryu spoke first. "One is against you and the three before us have failed in their duties."
"Seiryu, what did you do to them?" Pluto roared.
"Pluto, control your anger…" Yukai warned.
"Maybe that should concern you too." Stella suggested. "Genesis are the only ones who can use Berserk but for you, it's rare to find an Titan to do it."
"Stella, you know Yukai can become enraged easily and that is why he is able to use Berserk," Sonja explained. "It's like facing a dragon's anger, and he knows he can't control it."
"Taunting us won't work!" Yukai declared.
"How about if I have my revenge on all of you?" A familiar voice said.
Standing on top of a balcony was Artemis, but something was different about her. Her eyes stared directly at me and she leaped from the spot she was at. A dark atmosphere covered her body as she walked towards me. She smirked at Yukai and Pluto, and suddenly the air around me felt cold.
"What has happened to you?" Yukai asked worriedly.
"Artemis, you can't kill me!" I said. "I know the real you is still in there!"
Artemis froze and she touched me with her icy hands. It sent shivers down my spine, and I noticed Joey and Kaiba staring fearfully at her. Could it be the aura that I'm sensing around Artemis that was scaring them?
"Yugi, I used to love you but I said when we meet again we will be enemies!" She reminded.
"My little light, you must look deep within your heart and see that Yugi won't hurt you," Luna pleaded. "So it has won… and I failed…"
"What won?" Joey asked as he looked up at Kaiba.
"Does it look like I know the answer to that, mutt?" Kaiba growled.
"Seems we have all of the Keepers of the Millennium Dragons," Seiryu mused. "One who has fallen into darkness, two who refuse to work with each other and one who is having difficulty with his love."
"Yugi, this ends now!" Artemis cried.
A huge, dragon-like creature appeared behind her and it looked similar to Ra. It was Artemis's Ka, and it flapped its silver, phoenix-like wings and roared loudly. Wait! There was a black aura covering it, like Artemis. The Silver Phoenix Dragon was no longer on our side, and what of the other Ka? Were they evil too?
Seiryu began leaving, and the rest of the Final Five left with him. Pluto saw this and flew after them. He stopped Seiryu as Yukai followed.
"I thought you all wanted to get rid of us?" Pluto taunted.
"I rather have your sister destroy you all. Besides, we will have our battle soon…" Seiryu said. "Now step aside!"
He drew out his sword from his back and he summoned lightning to crash down. He was directing the attack on both Pluto and Yukai. The attack succeeded, and the two collapsed onto the floor, but they were okay.
The Final Five left as Artemis stared angrily at me. Both Kaiba and Joey looked on in horror of what had just happened. I forgot that Seiryu took the Millennium Puzzle with him, and he still had it! Damn! Why couldn't I take it?
"How could you summon Mesenet without sacrificing your energy to do so?" Luna questioned.
"The dark master gave me the power I needed," Artemis explained, implying the Galactic Dragon had a hand in this. "Well, Yugi, ready to meet you demise?"
"Not quite!" I said as Ra appeared before me.
The two Ka glared at each other and I shot back a look towards Artemis. She smirked at me, and Joey and Kaiba backed away from us.
Ra and Mesenet both attacked at the same time, but the mighty power of these two dragons was a stalemate. They seem to be evenly matched. How could I stop Artemis before she resorted to using Berserk like the last time with Phoenix Mode?
"There's another ability I should show you that will devastate all of you!" Artemis replied.
"We got to do somethin'!" Joey yelled.
"Mutt, we haven't got a chance against Artemis. Even if we could summon Ammon, we would be unconscious like the Millennium Guardians deciphered in the text." Kaiba said.
"There's gotta be another way!" Joey exclaimed. "Maybe… If we work together, we can summon da the Bronze Phoenix Dragon!"
"What are you getting at?" Kaiba mused.
I noticed the black aura around Mesenet began to grow stronger as Dark Magician Girl and Mikazukinoyaiba appeared beside Artemis. Her two Ka were also enshrouded in the veil of darkness, and my eyes widened to shock. I saw that the Ka's energy was being absorbed into Mesenet, and I sensed its power becoming too powerful.
"Next, I'll summon one of the most feared creatures known to all!" Artemis said. "Come, God Phoenix!"
The fiery bird appeared from a flash of fire and its wings waved in a blazing manner. Its roar echoed throughout the chamber, and it awoken both Yukai and Pluto. They were stunned to see the God Phoenix and the rest of the Millennium Guardians also began to wake. The God Phoenix combined with Mesenet, and now there stood a new creature. Its silvery, flaming wings burned bright and its blue eyes glared at us. The black aura was still shrouding the Ka.
"What did you do?" I asked fearfully.
"I created a new creature born of my anger and my two loyal Ka!" Artemis explained. "There's no way Ra can destroy me now!"
"Want to rethink that?" Joey said out loud.
A huge, bronze creature loomed beside Joey and Kaiba. It looked similar to Ra and Mesenet. That had to be Ammon the Bronze Phoenix Dragon! How did Kaiba and Joey summon it without going unconscious?
"Looks like we may have underestimated these mortals," Pluto muttered.
"I just want this to be over!" Apollo whimpered.
"Not until Artemis' Ka is destroyed!" Yukai stated.
"No, that is not possible!" Artemis growled. "My mighty beast, annihilate them!"
Mesenet built up enough power, and shot its attack towards Joey and Kaiba. I shielded my eyes, but I realized that nothing happened.
"What?" I cried in disbelief.
The attack was deflected by the six Ka of the Millennium Guardians. Hyozanryu, Des Vostalgh, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Red-Eyes Black Dragon, Slifer and Obelisk blocked Artemis' attack. She looked at them angrily and she suddenly trembled to the floor. Her breathing was heavy and her Ka vanished. Probably all her strength was drained.
"Now we will stop you!" Joey yelled.
"Ammon, destroy her!" Kaiba ordered.
Their Ka obeyed and mustered up all of its power. The attack was aimed for Artemis, and it unleashed its vicious force. Smoke filled the atmosphere and as it cleared, Artemis was still standing. How was that possible?
My belt where I kept my deck was glowing, and I took it out. I searched my deck to find that it was the Maiden of the Moonlight card, which was glowing. I stared at Artemis and found the card defending her. These two were connected. The card disappeared as I ran up to Artemis.
Something blocked me from getting closer to her, and I realized it was Artemis. She was conjuring a barrier to prevent us from reaching her. Her eyes stared at me with a cold look. She then vanished from view.
"She's gone again!" Pluto yelled.
"I thought Artemis would be weakened after we attacked her…" Joey replied.
"She's nearly unstoppable once she has the God Phoenix and Mesenet fused together," Kaiba said.
"Who summoned our Ka while we were still weak after our battle with the Final Five?" Orpheus asked.
"You mean you didn't?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Then it is true!" Nidoki cried out. "The Bronze Phoeniz Dragon is able to summon an army of Shadow Monsters from the Shadow Realm!"
"This is just gettin' too weird!" Joey gave a look of confusion.
"Anyway, we should get out of here if we want to go Round Two with the Final Five," Yukai decided.
We began leaving the temple as I noticed something on the ground where Artemis stood. I picked up the item and I was surprised to see her moon amulet.
"She never takes it off!" Luna gasped.
"I don't understand why the Maiden of the Moonlight appeared to protect Artemis…" I pondered.
"Yes, that is also what I am wondering," Luna agreed. "Perhaps our next encounter we will get the answer we seek."
Once again Artemis had abandoned us and she still wanted to destroy me. Now she was able to combine all of her Ka with Mesenet and become even more lethal. The dark battle still continued, and who knew what fate had in stored for us next.
Author's Notes: The mysterious being Artemis spoke with is indeed the Galactic Dragon. Thought I'd make that clear. Well, here's what happening in the next chapter:
The Final Five has failed to obtain Ra's power from Yugi, but that doesn't stop Artemis! She has a deep desire to kill him, but at the same time she loves him. The Millennium Guardians are back together, and the rest of the gang are being lured into betrayal. It's like déjà vu for the Guardians once the gang are against them. Oh, Yukai, you have a lot of explaining to them before they make a fatal mistake! Next time on Chapter 13: A Traitor Among Friends!