Finding Family-

Chapter 38 - Evil Arises

They all stood in a long dark passage way made of hard granite and bricks stained with blood.

"So..." Amber spoke as she observed the floor, "Aroga and Erik have been busy." She winced at the pain in her arm. Joey was busy healing the others but Amber refused the healing.

"I don't need it. My arm will be fine." Amber continued ahead and scouted out the area. She came back in no time at all. "Well...we don't have a long way to walk for the next door but it seems that some of us are not up to fighting yet, so let the less wounded and those who are in top, or semi-top condition to fight. The ones who are wounded need to regain their strength." Amara looked at Amber, her eyes showing no compassion, "No one will hurt you guys again."

"Are you okay my light?"

"Yes. Why?" Amber asked in a slight hiss.

"No reason." Amara replied. Yugi let go of Yami and walked up to Amber.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Yugi placed a hand on her shoulder. She relaxed and fell onto her knees. She shook her head back forth and looked up.

"The evil in this place...it's taking over." Yugi helped Amber up and looked at her.

"What do you mean?" Amber pulled away and backed up against the wall.

"Yeah...you were fine just a minute ago until you spazed out." Joey walked up to Amber and looked into her eyes, "What's going on with you? What haven't you told us?"

"I'm afraid I'll have to answer that." Everyone turned to Amara. "You see, until now I did not know about it but with her father being Aroga and her mother being Harmony..."

"WHAT!"

Amara rolled her eyes, "She is nuetral in power. Because of this place though, she is swaying sides. Amber can be affected by this place so we have to keep her in check." Amber nodded and continued.

"Lets go so we can get out of here." Everyone cast a worried glance at each other before following after Amber.

They all reached the door and opened it. Walking into the room they found it was pitch black and cold. Joey bent down and picked up of the earth. "It feels cold."

"It feels like snow." Yugi said running his fingers through it. "Isn't snow supposed to be white though?"

"Yes." Amara and Yami bent down, "In all my life I have never heard of such a place." Amara looked at Yami, "I do not like this place."

"I must agree. Such a place I've never heard of."

"I do." Cala replied, " Sakura created this place to keep all the evil from seeping out of the shadow realm."

"Was there that much?"

"Yes." Sakura told Yami, "There is a great evil that resides here. An evil that never seems to die. This place contains the most powerful evil in the world. Most of the evil combined made this evil. The shadows could not hold it all and I'm afraid that if we're not careful, we could release it. I'm afraid to think of what might happen then."

"Didn't you lock it?"

"Yes. Some how though, Erik and Aroga found the key to this place."

"But how?" Amber asked wincing. The wound on her arm glowed purple. She fell to her knees, a look of pain crossing her face.

"Restrain her!" Amara ordered.

"Why!" Yugi asked blocking their way.

"Just do it!" Amara yelled.

"Yug! Look out!" Joey knocked Yugi to the ground just as Amber was about to thrust a dagger into his back. Yugi had a look of shock on his face. Kaiba and Seth restrained her while Cala and Caru errected a barrier around her. Seth and Kaiba stood up and left Amber in that barrier.

"Let me out you fools!" Amber screamed, "Let me out!"

"Yugi?" Yami bent down in front of Yugi who looked like he was in a trance. He was shaking.

"W-what's going on?" Yugi stood up with Yami's help, "Why is she being like...like this?" Yugi winced and looked at his shoulder. A long but not fatal cut ran across it. Joey tried to heal it but Amara stopped him.

"Why?"

"Joey, if you heal him now you let loose light magic and that will awaken him. Right now Amber is fighting to stop him from consuming her. He's distracted by her. Yugi's injury will have to wait." Joey sighed and stepped away.

In the barrier Amber looked like she had a little energy left. She was struggling to keep her eyes open. After a few more minutes of struggle she collapsed onto the snow. Kaiba walked up to her and hit her on the back of the neck. She groaned and collapsed again.

"What did you do that for!" Yugi asked Kaiba angrily.

"She still wasn't herself. I could sense the evil in her," Seth explained, "So that is why Kaiba knocked her out. We have to get out of this room. Who knows what effect it will have on us spirits." The other darks nodded. Kaiba picked her up and they continued. A blizzard struck up. Cala contructed a magic rope that tied them all together.

Sakura caught sight of a bright red door. She gulped as they reached it.

"Well...open it Yami."

"Sure." Yami touched the door handle. An explsion threw them all back. They looked behind them and saw the door they came through. "What the hell?"

Three hours later they made to the door again. Yugi used his sword to open the door, and it did. They all made it through the door. The rope and the exit back to that place disappeared. They looked around and found they were in another hall.

"Ow..." Yugi groaned.

"Here Yug." Joey healed Yugi and helped him up.

"Thanks, but what about Amber?" Yugi looked at his girlfriend. "Will she be okay?" Yugi ran a finger againts her hand, "Is she back to normal?" Amber began to stir.

"We're about to find out." Amara hoped she was.

Amber opened her eyes, "Where am I? What happened to me?" Her memory of the event came back vividly. "Yugi I'm sorry!" Tears filled her eyes as she hugged him. Her fingers traced the spot where she supposidly stabbed him. "Oh Yugi!" Yugi wrapped his arms around her as she cried. "I'm sorry! Sorry to all of you." Amber couldn't stop crying. "It hurt so much inside me. I felt like I was dying. There was presence, a dark evil presence...taking over me. I fought, I really did but I was so scared."

"It's okay," Yugi replied looking into her eyes to make sure. Lucky for him she was normal again. "Calm down. It's okay." Yugi gave a worried glance to the others.

"We should keep moving. The sooner we're out of this place the better it will be for all of us." Kaiba helped Amber up and the group kept going. "If we stay here much longer we're all in trouble."

"Yes. I agree." Yami led the wall to an arched door. "Be careful. We do not know what is next." Yami opened the door and a bright light blocked their vision...

TBC...