Fader looked up at the full moon from the balcony outside his bedroom. it
was about two in hte morning and he couldn't sleep. It has been four nights
since Shadi had left behind the last pieces of the Millennium Puzzle and
dissappeared. Since then something unsettling had happened. The nitemares
that had been plauging him since his return from Battle City had stopped.
What was more unsettling though was that he had stopped dreaming
altogether. His nights had become restless tossing and turning and staring
into nothing. His dreams were blank; pitch black voids of nothingness. He
thought that he had been free but instead he found himself with something
even worse.
He looked back over his shoulder at Serena, lying peacefully asleep in bed. He hadn't told her about this new dilemma yet. It had been awkward enough to tell her about his experiences in his shadow game with Shadi (he had convientely left off the part about her Dark Magician Girl outfit). he didn't want to both her with this new development until he knew more.
She wasn't talking too much about it, but Fader sensed that something was going on at Kaiba Corp that had her worried. The past four days she had spent over five hours a day on video meetings with hte board of directors about something that Fader didn't know about. He wasn't going to bother her though, she could take care of herself and if she needed help she'd ask for it.
Fader turned back to the full moon. It was somehting he had alwasy done since he was young as a way to relax. He could just stare at the sky for hours and everything in the world would just not matter anymore.
"It is time," came a voice from no where. Fader looked around for the source of the voice. He couldn't see anybody. Serena was still fast asleep and the voice seemed to be coming from all around him.
"You know what to do," the voice continued. "I'll be waiting."
"I'm losing it," Fader said to himself. He came in from the balcony and closed the french doors behind him. As he walked across the room something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. There was a weird amber glow coming from the hallway. Fader exited the bedroom to try and follow the source of the light back to its point of origin. He walked down the hallway until he reached his study and stepped inside.
On his desk the pieces of the Millennium Puzzle were glowing. As Fader reached the desk and sat down the glow faded. Fader felt wierd. He couldn't explain it but he felt different somehow. Absently he picked up two pieces of the Puzzle and connected them. They fit perfectly.
Since Fader had recieved the last three pieces of the puzzle he hadn't spent very much time trying to put them together. He had tried a few times but to nothing had heppened. Now wtihout even trying he had put two of them together. He reached for a third piece and was surprised when it joined with the first two. He then picked up a fourth. then a fifth. A sixth. A seventh. He wasn't even aware of what he was doing at this point. His hands were moving of their own accord.
When he finally opened his eyes he found only a single piece of the Millennium Puzzle resting on the desk. The first piece that he had found in the delapidated game store. Beside it rested the nearly completed Millennium Puzzle itself with only a single gap missing in the front where the last piece fit. Fader snapped the piece into place restoring the pyramid shaped object to completion.
There was a flash of light.
* * *
The light faded and Fader found himself in unfamiliar surroundings. No surroundings would be more accurate. He was in a vast rocky expanse that extended to the horizon in all direction; except for a set of low cliffs to the west. Boulders and other rocks seemed to be the only other things decorating the landscape.
"Welcome," someone said. Fader turned to the right to see a young man about Fader's age leaning against a large boulder. He was dress in the same garb as Fader and had the Millennium Puzzle hanging by a chain around his neck. Fader looked down to see that he too was now wearing the same item. The man's hair was differeent then Fader's, a mix of red, black and blond. The five spiked points of his hair looked reminiscent of a hand Fader thought to himself as he walked over to the stranger.
"Nice place you've got here," Fader remarked sarcastically, gesturing to the landscape. "Going to explain who you are?"
"You can call me Yami. That's what Yugi called me."
"Yugi? As in Yugi Moto, Duelist Kingdom and Battle City champion?" Fader paused for a second as he took in the information. Realization hit. "You're from the Millennium Puzzle. Yugi Moto always wore that thing around his neck. You're one of the spirits that Shadi told me about."
"That's right. My spirit is that of a Pharoah from five thousand years ago."
"Your voice," Fader said. "I've heard it before. In my head. You're the one who was helping me out back in Battle City. All those times a voice in my head was telling me to trust in my heart and in my deck, it was you, right?"
Yami nodded. "It was very difficult. Without the Puzzle completed it took a great deal of energy to communicate with you. It became easier as you gained more pieces of the Puzzle."
"Then I suppose I owe you. You helped we win not only that tournament but you helped me rescue Serena from Evo; or whatever spiriit had taken over his body."
"I did nothing except show you the truth that was in your own heart," Yami replied. "You were the one that saved her by believing in that power. It is that belief that has proven your place as the next bearer of the Millennium Puzzle."
"So what does that mean?"
"It means that you're going to save the world. With me. We're going to work together."
"You're kidding?" Fader asked. Yami stared at him with a blank, serious expression. "You're not kidding."
"Look around you, is any of this place familiar?" Yami asked him.
Fader looked around again. "This is the place where I met Shadi at the end of our little Shadow Game. He said that it was the turning point of The End."
"It was. It was a cataclysmic battle betwwen Yugi and myself versus..." Yami's voice trailed off.
"Against who?"
"I can't remember," Yami said with distress. "My memory is failing me. I can only remember certain things. I can remember what happened, but names and faces are escaping me."
"So what happened? If this was supposed to be the be all end all of battles, what happened?"
"A draw," Yami explained. "We let loose with every powerful card that we had at our disposal and we were evenly matched."
"'The End was, but was not to pass. It will come again'." Fader recited from memory. It was what the note had said when the tomb in Egypt had been destroyed. "You just delayed it seventy-five years, didn't you?"
"Yes. And that anniversary is fast approaching."
"Alright so we fight this evil, defeat it and what, fulfill destiny?"
"Sounds simple doesn't it?" Yami replied. "We must be careful though. if they were paying attention to the Battle City tournament then they may already be coming for you."
"I'll be ready."
"No you wont. You are going to be faced with nothing that you could possibly imagine. Nothing you could be prepared for."
"I'll keep that in mind. But I am prepared."
"Let's just see how prepared you are."
"What?"
Yami lifted his arm in front of him and one of the older model Duel disks appeared, from the days of the first Battle City tournament. "It's time to duel."
Fader smiled. "Duel a five thousand year old Pharoah? Should be interesting." Mimicing Yami he lifted his own arm and his own Duel Disk from his era appeared. "Let's dance."
Fader: 4000, Yami: 4000
He looked back over his shoulder at Serena, lying peacefully asleep in bed. He hadn't told her about this new dilemma yet. It had been awkward enough to tell her about his experiences in his shadow game with Shadi (he had convientely left off the part about her Dark Magician Girl outfit). he didn't want to both her with this new development until he knew more.
She wasn't talking too much about it, but Fader sensed that something was going on at Kaiba Corp that had her worried. The past four days she had spent over five hours a day on video meetings with hte board of directors about something that Fader didn't know about. He wasn't going to bother her though, she could take care of herself and if she needed help she'd ask for it.
Fader turned back to the full moon. It was somehting he had alwasy done since he was young as a way to relax. He could just stare at the sky for hours and everything in the world would just not matter anymore.
"It is time," came a voice from no where. Fader looked around for the source of the voice. He couldn't see anybody. Serena was still fast asleep and the voice seemed to be coming from all around him.
"You know what to do," the voice continued. "I'll be waiting."
"I'm losing it," Fader said to himself. He came in from the balcony and closed the french doors behind him. As he walked across the room something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. There was a weird amber glow coming from the hallway. Fader exited the bedroom to try and follow the source of the light back to its point of origin. He walked down the hallway until he reached his study and stepped inside.
On his desk the pieces of the Millennium Puzzle were glowing. As Fader reached the desk and sat down the glow faded. Fader felt wierd. He couldn't explain it but he felt different somehow. Absently he picked up two pieces of the Puzzle and connected them. They fit perfectly.
Since Fader had recieved the last three pieces of the puzzle he hadn't spent very much time trying to put them together. He had tried a few times but to nothing had heppened. Now wtihout even trying he had put two of them together. He reached for a third piece and was surprised when it joined with the first two. He then picked up a fourth. then a fifth. A sixth. A seventh. He wasn't even aware of what he was doing at this point. His hands were moving of their own accord.
When he finally opened his eyes he found only a single piece of the Millennium Puzzle resting on the desk. The first piece that he had found in the delapidated game store. Beside it rested the nearly completed Millennium Puzzle itself with only a single gap missing in the front where the last piece fit. Fader snapped the piece into place restoring the pyramid shaped object to completion.
There was a flash of light.
* * *
The light faded and Fader found himself in unfamiliar surroundings. No surroundings would be more accurate. He was in a vast rocky expanse that extended to the horizon in all direction; except for a set of low cliffs to the west. Boulders and other rocks seemed to be the only other things decorating the landscape.
"Welcome," someone said. Fader turned to the right to see a young man about Fader's age leaning against a large boulder. He was dress in the same garb as Fader and had the Millennium Puzzle hanging by a chain around his neck. Fader looked down to see that he too was now wearing the same item. The man's hair was differeent then Fader's, a mix of red, black and blond. The five spiked points of his hair looked reminiscent of a hand Fader thought to himself as he walked over to the stranger.
"Nice place you've got here," Fader remarked sarcastically, gesturing to the landscape. "Going to explain who you are?"
"You can call me Yami. That's what Yugi called me."
"Yugi? As in Yugi Moto, Duelist Kingdom and Battle City champion?" Fader paused for a second as he took in the information. Realization hit. "You're from the Millennium Puzzle. Yugi Moto always wore that thing around his neck. You're one of the spirits that Shadi told me about."
"That's right. My spirit is that of a Pharoah from five thousand years ago."
"Your voice," Fader said. "I've heard it before. In my head. You're the one who was helping me out back in Battle City. All those times a voice in my head was telling me to trust in my heart and in my deck, it was you, right?"
Yami nodded. "It was very difficult. Without the Puzzle completed it took a great deal of energy to communicate with you. It became easier as you gained more pieces of the Puzzle."
"Then I suppose I owe you. You helped we win not only that tournament but you helped me rescue Serena from Evo; or whatever spiriit had taken over his body."
"I did nothing except show you the truth that was in your own heart," Yami replied. "You were the one that saved her by believing in that power. It is that belief that has proven your place as the next bearer of the Millennium Puzzle."
"So what does that mean?"
"It means that you're going to save the world. With me. We're going to work together."
"You're kidding?" Fader asked. Yami stared at him with a blank, serious expression. "You're not kidding."
"Look around you, is any of this place familiar?" Yami asked him.
Fader looked around again. "This is the place where I met Shadi at the end of our little Shadow Game. He said that it was the turning point of The End."
"It was. It was a cataclysmic battle betwwen Yugi and myself versus..." Yami's voice trailed off.
"Against who?"
"I can't remember," Yami said with distress. "My memory is failing me. I can only remember certain things. I can remember what happened, but names and faces are escaping me."
"So what happened? If this was supposed to be the be all end all of battles, what happened?"
"A draw," Yami explained. "We let loose with every powerful card that we had at our disposal and we were evenly matched."
"'The End was, but was not to pass. It will come again'." Fader recited from memory. It was what the note had said when the tomb in Egypt had been destroyed. "You just delayed it seventy-five years, didn't you?"
"Yes. And that anniversary is fast approaching."
"Alright so we fight this evil, defeat it and what, fulfill destiny?"
"Sounds simple doesn't it?" Yami replied. "We must be careful though. if they were paying attention to the Battle City tournament then they may already be coming for you."
"I'll be ready."
"No you wont. You are going to be faced with nothing that you could possibly imagine. Nothing you could be prepared for."
"I'll keep that in mind. But I am prepared."
"Let's just see how prepared you are."
"What?"
Yami lifted his arm in front of him and one of the older model Duel disks appeared, from the days of the first Battle City tournament. "It's time to duel."
Fader smiled. "Duel a five thousand year old Pharoah? Should be interesting." Mimicing Yami he lifted his own arm and his own Duel Disk from his era appeared. "Let's dance."
Fader: 4000, Yami: 4000