Author's Note: You'll learn real quickly what this story is about. You can even read this without having read What Was, What Is, and What Shall Be, but some things tie together and I'm sure anyone reading this would enjoying reading the other. Anyone who reads this but hasn't read the aformentioned story should know that this story starts off close to the end of said story. And now, here we go.
The Echoes of Days Past
Prologue: A Memory Tomb
There was laughter in the air, time to spend and a relaxed nature to spend it on. That and the water was fun to mess around in, splashing about and having a generally goofy time. It was in fact the first time that Drake had relaxed in...well since just after Kirani's duel with Taichi. Amazing that the duel had taken place not even twenty-four hours earlier.
Pulling back from the brief water fight he leaned back against a rock and put his hands behind his head, contemplating. Kai was about five feet away, floating lazily on his back, staring up at the sky. Either that or he was asleep, Drake couldn't see the other duelist's eyes so he couldn't be sure.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Drake blinked and dropped his eyes to the figure approaching him. Serenity swam her way over, which of course wasn't necessary in water that was about four feet deep, and then leaned up against the rock, right next to him. He gave her a brief smile, and then continued to stare up at the sky, lost in his own thoughts.
"I was thinking about today. Its amazing that all of these things, Shadi, Kirani, Hinata...Taichi. All of it has happened in under a day. I'm not even sure if its still the same day actually. But all of these things, the very fate of the world....its all being determined in a day's time. Doesn't that seem a bit odd to you?"
She shrugged and brushed a lock of brunette hair from in front of her eyes. He watched her stare into her reflection in the water, a troubled look on her face. Then just as quickly as the look had appeared, it vanished and she looked back up at him. "I guess so, but think about this. Which is odder, the fate of the world being determined in one day, or the fate of the world being determined by a card game?"
With this said he burst out laughing, he just couldn't help it. She joined in with his laughter, the water soaking up their worries as they lounged beneath the sun. It was true, he hadn't really thought about it before. "You're right Serenity, the fate of the world being determined by a card game is absolutely ridiculous. But then again, I always thought that Armageddon would come from a giant meteor or maybe nuclear war...not from a fifteen year old kid inhabited by some ancient evil demon-thingy that's millions of years old."
Serenity was the first of the two of them to laugh this time, and he joined her. To his surprise she splashed him with water, and soon the two of them were having a water fight again. As the water fight moved, Kai got caught up and joined into the fray, splashing water back and forth between the two of them. It was a three way war.
Of course he hadn't said the complete truth. His mind had been on what he had been sensing since he got to this realm, the reason he had been pushing onwards. Ihachi, the spirit that had taken control of his body when he had fallen in the duel against Taichi. She was here, her unique energy was pervading the entire place. It was like this section of the Shadow Realm was of her creation.
There were certain things that he was curious about, certain things he needed to understand. He had decided to take this time to relax because he couldn't get those answers stressing himself out. Rushing into a conflict with Ihachi in a place like this could be devastating for his health, and probably wouldn't accomplish anything. He had to learn a few things first.
He needed to know her weaknesses. Needed to know just how to defeat her, how to throw her off balance. He also wanted to know how much she might have been involved in his sister's coma. Had she accomplished such a thing just so she could put the Millennium Disc around his neck? And if so, then why?
Eventually they quieted down, tiring themselves out and finishing the water fight. It was time to simply relax yet again. The three now lay there, basking in the glow of the sun, soaking up its warmth through the cool water around them. Everything was perfect for that moment. There was absolutely nothing that could shatter the moment.
Drake blinked as a shadow fell across his face, blocking out the warmth of the sun. He picked himself up, dropping his feet to the sand at the bottom of the water and found himself looking up at two tall figures in simple brown robes. "Hey there. You here to get some water?"
The first of them grinned, pulling back his hood to reveal a handsome face, brown hair in a buzz cut, and brown eyes. The second one followed suit, revealing an identical face. Twins then. The first one spoke up. "Actually we came here because we are seeking duels. The ten straight victories and all that. We wish to make a challenge to one Kai Kaethen and Serenity Wheeler."
The two of them glanced at each other in surprise, and then turned back to the two twin duelists. This was hardly what they had been expecting. "Us? Why us?" The two duelists laughed at this and activated their disks.
"Because we already know every card in Daisuke Ihachi's deck, therefore he would be no challenge to us. You two are more of a mystery to us." Upon hearing himself declared as no challenge Drake stood to his full height and stepped out of the water, only in shorts. Kai followed suit, also only in shorts. Serenity stayed in the water, down beneath her shoulders, keeping herself out of their view.
"Listen up! I refuse to allow you to duel Serenity. She isn't ready for a duel of such a caliber. I'll take her place, and if you want a challenge I'll alter the cards in my deck to give you challenge. Two on two, me and Kai versus you two. Up at the top of the waterfall in fifteen minutes so we can get ready. Agreed?"
The twins nodded in acceptance and marched off, obviously heading towards the top of the waterfall. He and Kai started preparing themselves, drying off and getting dressed. Once they were ready in that way both of them prepared their decks, assembling in the way they had before. After ten minutes they were ready. "Me and you. Ready Kai?"
His partner nodded, activating his DD2, and started up towards the top of the waterfall. He thought this was just a normal duel, but Drake knew the truth. There was more to this than just getting ten straight victories. He would have to accomplish what he needed to, but he couldn't make it look bad. "Drake...you don't have to keep protecting me. I think I'm ready for a challenge like this."
Drake turned back to Serenity, who stood there, still dripping a bit because she hadn't fully dried. He shook away bad thoughts and grabbed his jacket, tossing it to her. She caught it with one hand and looked down at it questioningly. "I'm not protecting you because I think you're weak. I'm protecting you because I feel I should. This is a duel that needs to happen, and I need to do this."
"Then...what's the jacket for?" He grinned as she held it at arms length, obviously unsure of what to do with it. He pantomimed putting the jacket on, and she followed suit, sliding it over her arms. It fell into place, looking slightly like a dress on her since it was much to big.
"For keeping warm. I'm heading up, wanna come?" She gave him a bright smile and followed him up, joining Kai and the twins at the top of the waterfall. Shortly the duel would begin, but first some formalities needed to get out of the way. Like...their opponent's names.
"Mind introducing yourselves so you aren't just unnamed duelists that we have to crush?" The twins laughed, twin smiles etched on their features. Yes, they were definitely true duelists, not minding the pointless threats and comments. This was what duelists did, this was how it worked.
The first one pointed to himself with his thumb, and then next at his brother with his thumb, declaring their names as he did so. "I'm Uni and that lug is my twin brother Onn. And to do this double duel we'll rotate, starting with you, then me, then Kai, and finally Onn. Agreed?" Drake and Kai caught each other's eyes and then gave silent ascent, agreeing to the terms. The duel was on! (DLP: 8000, ULP: 8000, KLP: 8000, OLP: 8000)
The duel was a blaze of action, the four of them pulling off deadly combos, sending attacks shifting between duelists at a heightened pace. Most duelist wouldn't even be able to keep up, but these four were going toe to toe. Unfortunately after what was either luck or cheating the two Union Riders managed to get out their ultimate union monster, whose power achieved a heigh of sixty-two hundred using the effect of another card.
Drake and Kai dueled bravely against the power union creature, keeping themselves alive as they struggled to find a strategy to defeat the deadly beast. Eventually one of Drake's combos knocked Onn out of the duel, angering his brother who eagerly went after Drake to finish him off. Drake managed to even things up a bit with the power of Obelisk, but he quickly saw the chance for a fuller victory in one of the cards he had drawn.
It was called Hope of Desperation, and it would let him increase a player's life points by the attack or defense strength of one destroyed monster. He thought up a plan, and placed the card on the field, awaiting Uni's next attack. The duelist wouldn't keep him waiting, and he knew what would happen. He was counting on it.
GOD HAND CRUSHER!" The huge god creature punched with such force that a huge blue aura erupted around its fists, and that huge fist crashed into the much smaller union creature, who was hurled backwards into Uni, in a crushing blow that would reduce Uni's life point to zero, winning them the duel. (ULP: 794)
Uni struggled to his feet, and gestured to his two deck masters who had unioned together. Drake and Kai gasped as Aishi-Koitsu rose up through the smoke, unharmed. But how did Uni still have life points? "The final combined effect of my brother's deck master and mine is that if an attack on a completed union monster would win the duel....I could reduce my life points by half to save myself, but then we'd never be able to use our deck master's effects again."
Drake just shrugged, understanding exactly what was going to happen. Slowly he let his gaze settle out in the distance, where he knew she waited. With this next attack the duel could be won for either side, and he knew that to accomplish his goal he would have to do something he had never expected to do.
Uni raised one arm, palm thrust out and fingers spread wide apart, and declared his final attack of the duel. Now was the moment of victory, now the end would come! Now he would get vengeance for the loss of his brother! "Aishi-Koitsu, finish Kai off, I want to leave Drake for last!"
"Not so fast! I'll defend with Obelisk the Tormentor!" Uni and Kai both looked at him like he was crazy, but still the giant beast moved in the way of Aishi-Koitsu's attack, which ripped right through Obelisk's belly and out the other side. Finally Aishi-Koitsu swerved around and came to a rest in front of Uni, and Obelisk shattered into tiny pieces, with it would go the last of Drake's life points.
"I've got somewhere to be, so I'll leave this duel to you Kai. But first I'll help out with this last trap card. Hope of Desperation! This will increase a player's life points by the amount of points a destroyed monster had. And since Obelisk had four thousand, you gain the same amount. Until we meet again....later to both you and Serenity!" (KLP: 4100, DLP: 0)
He felt the darkness consume him, felt it lift him up and pull him away. He knew in that moment that his plan was a success. He didn't know what would happen in the duel, but he was certain that Kai would come out on top. He was a good duelist, so there shouldn't be a problem. For the moment, Drake would have to worry about himself.
His soul, lacking a corporeal body, was brought to the one place that it would be brought when the corporeal form was shared by a single person....sort of. He was pulled straight to Ihachi, and reaching out with his magic he placed a barrier between himself and her soul, to keep him from being absorbed into her completely. Instead he simply fell for what seemed an eternity.
When he regained awareness, he found that he was inside what had to be some kind of tomb. Egyptian hieroglyphs lined the walls, and the jars used to contain the bodily organs of whoever got mummified were off to one side. The room was huge, easy a few hundred square feet or more, but it seemed to expand to even greater heights. The ceiling above was held up by a golden arch.
The interesting piece of the room was what was at its epicenter. A pool of water, and at the center of that circular pool there was a giant sarcophagus. But who's tomb was this? What exactly was this place? "Well, I'm here for answers, so I might as well investigate."
He moved forwards until he came to stand at the edge of that pool. He crouched down, looking into the crystal clear liquid. Drake could have sworn he had seen movement in the waters, but now he was sure. Reaching out with one hand he gently stroked the surface of the water. To his surprise the water started glowing, a green light that shined up and past him.
In the waters time flowed backwards. That was the best way to describe it. Images of wars long past, going farther and farther backwards in time with each passing moment. The rise and fall of the Roman Empire, ever moving backwards. Then the images settled on a specific setting, a place of sand and sun and giant figures. It was Egypt.
The view settled on an image of a city, specifically the palace at the center of the city. The buildings were rough things of stone and little wood, but the palace was a structure of polished stone, marble, painted in fancy colors. Drake let out a little yelp as something took hold of him, tugging at him, and then he found himself falling forwards into the waters.
He never hit. Instead he was falling through the sky, falling towards that palace. He spread his arms out and felt his speed slowing, but not by his effort. His body held no weight in this strange place, wherever and whenever it might be. Drake's body passed through the ceiling of the palace and into a room. Lights rose up, and then everything changed.
Drake blinked his eyes and discovered a few things. One, he wasn't wearing his normal clothing. Two, he was in what must have passed for a hospital bed, though it was mostly made of stone with some mattresses to soften it. Lastly the arm that he saw at his side, his arm, was much more tanned than his own. The coppery color of an Egyptian..... "Oh crap." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Author's Notes: Hahahaha, and so it begins. Drake has fallen into the Pool of Memory, and now he's about to get a history lesson. Next chapter you'll see things get kicked off.
Original Cards....none! Ha! There won't be any duels in this story (as far as you know) so I won't be listing any original cards. So there you go.