The scorching sun beat down on Serena and Evo as they walked through the
market place of a smal Egyptian town on the way to meet with whoever it was
that Evo was planning on introducing her to. Serena's eyes darted around as
she took in the sights of the merchants peddling their wares, crowds
gathered around performers and children dressed in little more than rags
darting back and forth between people. Serena had never felt so out of
place in her life. The sights and sounds were so foriegn to her. Even the
smell and taste of the air didn't feel right.
"You're not even paying attention to me are you?" Evo asked her.
Instantly she snapped out of her daydreaming trance and looked at him. "I'm sorry," she replied. "What were you saying?"
"I was just commenting on how strong these people are as a culture," he continued. "Egypt was one of the 'hot spots' during The End."
"Hot spots?"
"During the few days before the conclusion of The End there were several areas of the planet where the abnormal geological and meterological turmoil was at unbelievably high levels. Places where the planet was literally tearing itself apart. The devestation in those areas was worse than any others. Casualty levels were almost one hundred percent. But look," he getured around them. "These people stayed to rebuild. Even in hte face of all hte havok and carnage wrought upon the land they strive to prevail."
"People can do amazing things to protect the things they love."
"Indeed they can"
The two walked along the street in silence for a few more minutes and Serena went back to taking in the surroundings. She noticed that there were a few more people stopping what they were doing to stare at the strangers that walked among them. Serena could understand why; these people probably didn't recieve many visitors, especially not duelists. She hadn't understood Evo's reasoning behind bringing his deck and Duel Disk but she had followed his lead. She wouldn't admit it to any one, but it made her feel a little better.
It was then that she turned a corner and bumped into an old man, knocking him to the ground. "Oh my," she apologized as she helped him to his feet. "My mind was elsewhere. I wasn't watching where I was going."
"That's quite alright child," the old man replied in a soft voice. "I must admit that I too was not watching where I was going. But in my state, it it something that cannot be helped." He then help up a long thin cane, indicating his blindness.
"Again, I'm so sorry. I should have been paying better attention."
"Your thoughts are burdened immensely for one so young," he told her.
"How did you...?"
"I may not have sight, but I am not so blind to the world around me. Is there anything this old man can do to help?"
Serena let out a little laugh and then caught herself. "No, but thank you." She turned back to the direction she had been heading and tried to find Evo in the crowd but she couldn't spot him. She turned back to the blind man, "Hey did you see..." she started to say and then realized how ridiculous her question was. It didn't matter though. The old man was gone as well. Serena wondered where he could have gone to so quickly but her mind soon came back to the more important issue. She had to find Evo again.
As she wandered the crowd in vain, trying to catch a glimpse of her unlikely associate she din't have any luck. She tried asking some of the locals for assistance but all she recieved were dumbfounded stares and perplexed looks at her failed descriptions.
She had been looking not too long when she heard the sound of children laughing in the alley behind her. Curious, she peered around the corner and saw a small group of four children huddled together. She moved closer to them and was surprised at what she saw. Two of the young boys were sitting on the ground across from each other and laid out in front of them were small rectangular stone tiles with images carved into them.
When she got closer the boys turned and looked at her, suspiciously at first. Then one boy, who had just finished collecting his tiles from the dirt looked at her arm and his face lit up. He rushed over to her, and was followed by his friends.
"Y-y-you," he stammered out. "You're a duelist right?"
Serena smiled, bending over so she was at eye level with the boy. "Yes I am."
His smile widened. "I am too ya know."
"You are? I'll bet you're really good," she said humouring him.
"Yeah! I've got lots of stong monsters," he continued. He handed her the stack of stone tiles. "Look!"
Serena began to look at the tiles one by one, examining the images engraved into the stone and the intricate detail closely. After she had flipped through four or five she came across one that made her smile once agian. "The Blue Eyes White Dragon," she announced. The image of a large dragon with its powerful jaws and wings and triple head ridges was unmistakable.
"You know it?" the boy asked her, surprised.
"I should," she replied as she handed the tiles back to the boy. Her hand then reached for her deck and she drew the top card off it to reveal one of her three Blue Eyes cards to the children. "It's my favorite card," she told them.
"That's so cool," the boy said in awe. He then quickly shuffled the tiles around and produced another one. "This one is my favorite," he said. "It's really strong." Serena stared at the image for a few seconds but she just couldn't recognize the monster depicted in the rock face.
Just then the boys let out a startled cry and pointed back down the alley to where Serena had just come from. Serena whipped around and saw a dark figure with the sunlight directly behind it blocking the entrance to the alley. Their eyes were glowing read with the same energy and vacancy that Serena had seen in the eyes of Ms. Donelly.
"Stay behind me," she ordered the boys, placing herself between the stranger and the kids. She had seen a kind hearted housekeeper brutally try to kill her boyfriend not too long ago, she wasn't going to take any risks with this stranger.
"Here," the first boy said, panic in his eye. He was holding out his favorite tile to her. "It will protect you."
Serena took the tile and placed it in one of the pockets of her belt and nodded to him with a resassuring smile. "Now stay back," she said as she turned back to the person. "What do you want?"
"You fight against that which you do not comprhend," came the reply. It was the same voice that Serena had heard from the mouth of Ms. Donelly.
"I won't let you harm these children," she said with a stern voice.
"Thier lives are meaningless. You're desire to protect them is worthless. When The End comes again you will all die. The children will die. Everyone in this life will vanish in the blink of an eye. But you will not have to worry about that. You will not be alive long enough. Your time is close at hand Serena Kaiba. We are the shadows, we are death, we are The End."
"Who are..." Serena coughed, cutting off her question. Right in front of her eyes the stranger had vanished and the next thing she knew there was a sharp pain in her stomache. She looked down to see that a knife had been jabbed into her abdomen, already growing crimson as the blood spread. She could sense the stranger behind her. Gripping the knife, she turned around to look into the face of her attacker and her eyes went wide with fear.
Standing in front of her was Serena Kaiba.
"You're not even paying attention to me are you?" Evo asked her.
Instantly she snapped out of her daydreaming trance and looked at him. "I'm sorry," she replied. "What were you saying?"
"I was just commenting on how strong these people are as a culture," he continued. "Egypt was one of the 'hot spots' during The End."
"Hot spots?"
"During the few days before the conclusion of The End there were several areas of the planet where the abnormal geological and meterological turmoil was at unbelievably high levels. Places where the planet was literally tearing itself apart. The devestation in those areas was worse than any others. Casualty levels were almost one hundred percent. But look," he getured around them. "These people stayed to rebuild. Even in hte face of all hte havok and carnage wrought upon the land they strive to prevail."
"People can do amazing things to protect the things they love."
"Indeed they can"
The two walked along the street in silence for a few more minutes and Serena went back to taking in the surroundings. She noticed that there were a few more people stopping what they were doing to stare at the strangers that walked among them. Serena could understand why; these people probably didn't recieve many visitors, especially not duelists. She hadn't understood Evo's reasoning behind bringing his deck and Duel Disk but she had followed his lead. She wouldn't admit it to any one, but it made her feel a little better.
It was then that she turned a corner and bumped into an old man, knocking him to the ground. "Oh my," she apologized as she helped him to his feet. "My mind was elsewhere. I wasn't watching where I was going."
"That's quite alright child," the old man replied in a soft voice. "I must admit that I too was not watching where I was going. But in my state, it it something that cannot be helped." He then help up a long thin cane, indicating his blindness.
"Again, I'm so sorry. I should have been paying better attention."
"Your thoughts are burdened immensely for one so young," he told her.
"How did you...?"
"I may not have sight, but I am not so blind to the world around me. Is there anything this old man can do to help?"
Serena let out a little laugh and then caught herself. "No, but thank you." She turned back to the direction she had been heading and tried to find Evo in the crowd but she couldn't spot him. She turned back to the blind man, "Hey did you see..." she started to say and then realized how ridiculous her question was. It didn't matter though. The old man was gone as well. Serena wondered where he could have gone to so quickly but her mind soon came back to the more important issue. She had to find Evo again.
As she wandered the crowd in vain, trying to catch a glimpse of her unlikely associate she din't have any luck. She tried asking some of the locals for assistance but all she recieved were dumbfounded stares and perplexed looks at her failed descriptions.
She had been looking not too long when she heard the sound of children laughing in the alley behind her. Curious, she peered around the corner and saw a small group of four children huddled together. She moved closer to them and was surprised at what she saw. Two of the young boys were sitting on the ground across from each other and laid out in front of them were small rectangular stone tiles with images carved into them.
When she got closer the boys turned and looked at her, suspiciously at first. Then one boy, who had just finished collecting his tiles from the dirt looked at her arm and his face lit up. He rushed over to her, and was followed by his friends.
"Y-y-you," he stammered out. "You're a duelist right?"
Serena smiled, bending over so she was at eye level with the boy. "Yes I am."
His smile widened. "I am too ya know."
"You are? I'll bet you're really good," she said humouring him.
"Yeah! I've got lots of stong monsters," he continued. He handed her the stack of stone tiles. "Look!"
Serena began to look at the tiles one by one, examining the images engraved into the stone and the intricate detail closely. After she had flipped through four or five she came across one that made her smile once agian. "The Blue Eyes White Dragon," she announced. The image of a large dragon with its powerful jaws and wings and triple head ridges was unmistakable.
"You know it?" the boy asked her, surprised.
"I should," she replied as she handed the tiles back to the boy. Her hand then reached for her deck and she drew the top card off it to reveal one of her three Blue Eyes cards to the children. "It's my favorite card," she told them.
"That's so cool," the boy said in awe. He then quickly shuffled the tiles around and produced another one. "This one is my favorite," he said. "It's really strong." Serena stared at the image for a few seconds but she just couldn't recognize the monster depicted in the rock face.
Just then the boys let out a startled cry and pointed back down the alley to where Serena had just come from. Serena whipped around and saw a dark figure with the sunlight directly behind it blocking the entrance to the alley. Their eyes were glowing read with the same energy and vacancy that Serena had seen in the eyes of Ms. Donelly.
"Stay behind me," she ordered the boys, placing herself between the stranger and the kids. She had seen a kind hearted housekeeper brutally try to kill her boyfriend not too long ago, she wasn't going to take any risks with this stranger.
"Here," the first boy said, panic in his eye. He was holding out his favorite tile to her. "It will protect you."
Serena took the tile and placed it in one of the pockets of her belt and nodded to him with a resassuring smile. "Now stay back," she said as she turned back to the person. "What do you want?"
"You fight against that which you do not comprhend," came the reply. It was the same voice that Serena had heard from the mouth of Ms. Donelly.
"I won't let you harm these children," she said with a stern voice.
"Thier lives are meaningless. You're desire to protect them is worthless. When The End comes again you will all die. The children will die. Everyone in this life will vanish in the blink of an eye. But you will not have to worry about that. You will not be alive long enough. Your time is close at hand Serena Kaiba. We are the shadows, we are death, we are The End."
"Who are..." Serena coughed, cutting off her question. Right in front of her eyes the stranger had vanished and the next thing she knew there was a sharp pain in her stomache. She looked down to see that a knife had been jabbed into her abdomen, already growing crimson as the blood spread. She could sense the stranger behind her. Gripping the knife, she turned around to look into the face of her attacker and her eyes went wide with fear.
Standing in front of her was Serena Kaiba.