Notes: Some of Raphael's lines in the last scene were borrowed from a role-play with Aubrie. They were so good, beautiful, and perfect for this that I had to use them.

Chapter Eleven

Alister crossed his arms, looking down at his friends with the continuing evil gleam in his eyes. He felt no pity and no compassion for these sorry souls laying before him. They were holding him back. They were keeping him from obtaining what he truly desired—to purify this mad world of all its wickedness. And he would not stand for it. Whether they wished it or not, he would go ahead with his plans. Not even he himself could stop this, even if he wanted to. The darkness had consumed his heart.

"I'm finally free," he hissed balefully. "Your strongest efforts couldn't prevent the work of the Orichalcos! It's taken over anyway. What do you think of that?" He reached down to grab Valon up by the back of his shirt. Angrily the Australian responded by slapping his hand away.

"I think it's all crazy, is what," the brunette snapped. "This isn't you, Alister! You know you didn't want this to happen!" Though he spoke harshly, his heart was being twisted. For so long now he had watched Alister suffer, and now it seemed that all of his fighting had been in vain. The Orichalcos still claimed him as a victim because of his hatred over watching his friends being hurt. And now . . . now Alister was gone, buried underneath the ancient force's evil power. But still Valon had to believe that their Alister still existed, somewhere. He could not bear the thought that this treacherous, miserable entity was all that was left of a man who had been strong of heart and mind. "You wanna know what else I think?" the Australian cried out suddenly, forcing himself to his knees in spite of the pain. "I think that Alister is still here. He couldn't be canceled out just like that."

"You're a fool." Alister bent down, striking Valon across the face. "I'm Alister now. Your Alister was weak. He depended on other people for his happiness. Without them there, he felt that he couldn't be happy. And yet he had once vowed never to care about anyone again. He should have stayed with that philosophy. After all, he was right. Loved ones all die eventually, and then you're left behind to go through life alone! Why not stay alone to begin with and bypass the heartache?" He looked toward Raphael. "What does it profit you to know and love people if in the end you know you'll be separated from them anyway?" This was Alister's dark soul, twisted by the Orichalcos's effects. In Alister's darkest moments, he had pondered upon all of those thoughts and had agreed with them. But there was still a difference between that Alister and the one who was now being controlled by the energy. Alister had indeed believed that there was not a point in caring about people, but if he had started to care anyway, he would never have wanted to end those persons' lives. Under the control and possession of the Orichalcos, however, this Alister was willing.

Raphael snarled, narrowing his eyes as he also struggled to rise. "Alister came to realize that pain is a part of life," he said darkly. "He couldn't hide from it. And even with the pain that comes from losing someone, it's better to have been with them for a while than to never have known them at all." That was how Raphael felt about both his first family—his biological family—and his second family—his surrogate brothers. But even though some part of his common sense screamed that Alister was lost to them now, he refused to believe it. He was not going to turn his back on a friend who had been dear to him. "Alister opened his heart again, and he was happier for it."

"Do you know that?" Alister half-turned, speaking in a voice that was both bitter and triumphant. "Do you know he was truly happy? Maybe his life was consumed by thoughts that you would both die and that he would be alone again."

"That's not true!" Valon yelled, but then froze. How did he know it was false? Alister was so quiet . . . and he did seem melancholy most of the time. What if Alister had never been happy there, with them? Valon swallowed hard. Don't listen to him, he told himself. This isn't Alister. Our Alister was happy. He wanted us to be here with him. He didn't want us to go away!

It seemed so long ago now, but Valon began to remember the conversation the two of them had had on the day when the letter from the law firm had come. He had gone to the redhead, wanting confirmation that he would be missed if his parents took him away. "Yes," Alister had answered him, "I would, actually. I would miss you." It pained Valon to remember that later, on that very night, Alister had been poisoned by the Orichalcos stone. He had never been the same since.

"Alister was happy!" Valon screamed then, shaking with anger as he struggled to stand. He swayed badly, but Alister offered him no assistance. At last Raphael, who was also attempting to get up, steadied the boy. "Alister loved us like we were his brothers! It took me a long time to realize that, but . . . I finally did." But was it too late? "And just because you got your mind warped by the Orichalcos doesn't change that!" He poked the older man in the chest. "Our Alister's still fightin'."

Alister allowed this to happen, but he was seemingly unaffected by the Australian's words. Instead he turned, heading for the door. "Do you really think so? Do you think he could withstand the hatred . . . the pain . . . the awesome wonder of the Orichalcos?" He did not wait for a reply. "No! He could not. He was weak! He was pathetic. And I'm glad to finally be rid of him."

"SHUT UP!" Valon wailed. "I hate you! I hate you for taking him away! And I hate the Orichalcos!" He gripped the edge of the table, forcing himself to continue standing as he looked around at all of the people sprawled throughout the room. They were not dead . . . were they? He felt dizzy at the thought. It was not necessarily that he wanted his parents to remain among the living and to be continuing to bring heartache to people—including to himself, but he could not stand the thought of Alister delivering the fatal blows, especially out of pure hatred. It frightened him.

"Hate it all you want," Alister smirked. "Hatred is what lost your friend to you, not me. I'm part of him, you know—the darkest part." He turned back, the eerie green aura surrounding his form once again. Outside the thunder crashed loudly, signaling the arrival of another storm.

Raphael was not impressed. "That's only partially true," he said coldly, blinking as he felt an immense headache coming over him again, just as it had in the past when he and the others had fallen through the Orichalcos barrier. "You're mostly the Orichalcos itself. You've twisted Alister's dark side until it's all out of balance." But he did agree that hatred was what caused the Orichalcos to erupt and gain control. In a moment of weakness, the darkness would always take hold of the opportunity to get free. He shut his eyes tightly. He had to stay calm somehow, if he wanted to save Alister. He could not make the same unwilling mistake that the redhead had. "Actually, I think you're the pathetic one."

Alister laughed. It was a rough, uncaring sound that made his friends shudder. "I don't really care," he replied. "But if you care to follow me, be my guests." With that he ran out of the house, leaping on his red motorcycle and speeding off. Both of the others called after him, but in vain. The thunder clapped again loudly as Alister rode away, almost as if to signal an ending. Valon was haunted.

"He's going," he said, clutching the doorframe. "Just like that . . . he's going!" He wanted to hit something. Alister was not supposed to leave like that! But then, he was not supposed to be taken over by the Orichalcos either. None of it should have happened to him. It's all because of Doom Reborn . . . and my parents, the Australian thought bitterly. They made him go nuts! They're all responsible for this!

"He said for us to follow him," Raphael reminded. "So let's go." His blue eyes narrowed resolutely. They were going to rescue their friend. Somehow, they were going to find a way. They would not allow Alister to fall to the darkness! Raphael would not believe that it was too late for him. They had all conquered the darkness before and they would do again. Alister, Raphael vowed, would not wind up like Hans.

Valon nodded, starting to walk outside, but then turned back. "Hey," he realized, "what about all those . . ." He trailed off, discovering that his parents and their minions had all vanished. They would, unfortunately, be hearing from those criminals again.

"There's nothing to do about them," Raphael growled. "Come on. Alister turned toward the downtown district. Let's find him before he causes any trouble to anyone." He petted the confused Liu apologetically before quickly leaving the house with Valon and locking the door behind them. He prayed that there would be three returning to the home instead of two.

Much to their horror, they found that it was not hard to find exactly where Alister had gone. All along the way they found people laying dazed from the blasts caused by the Orichalcos's energies. Apparently, Raphael and Valon determined, their friend's passionate side had come out again and he had attacked anyone whom he thought was committing some sort of injustice. Among the ones sprawled on the sidewalk were several members of a local gang.

"Crikey," Valon whispered, swallowing hard. "It looks like Alister's been here. . . ." He ran a hand through his fluffy bangs. Things were just getting worse all the time. If the gang remembered that Alister had attacked them, they might come after him later. If there is a later. . . .

Raphael shook his head. "It looks like it." He revved the engine of his motorcycle again. "And the way things are going, it almost looks like he's heading toward KaibaCorp." He sped off again before Valon could reply. He was almost frantic to catch up with their wayward friend. What could he want at KaibaCorp? Is he going after Kaiba again? But surely that was not it. Still, Alister's actions completely baffled the older man. Why would he go there?

Valon stared after Raphael in disbelief. "KaibaCorp, eh?" he muttered. "Well . . . if you're gonna make some kinda mischief there, mate, we're just gonna havta stop you." Come on, Alister . . . don't let us down. Heck . . . don't let yourself down! He started his own motorcycle's engine, hurrying to follow after Raphael in their quest to save their friend.

When they arrived at the Kaiba Corporation building several minutes later, there was no sign of Alister's probable presence other than his motorcycle parked in front. Quickly the other two bikers parked their own and hurried into the building to look for him. The thunder crashed ominously around them as they went into the revolving door.

After a brief glance around, the duo found that the only sign of life in the lobby was a night receptionist, who looked up at them both with wide, startled eyes that bespoke of a recent shock. "Can I help you men?" she asked quaveringly.

"Did someone else come through here a few minutes ago?" Raphael asked gruffly.

"We're lookin' for a redhead with a trenchcoat and a midriff shirt," Valon put in, pushing his goggles up on his head.

The receptionist swallowed and nodded, pointing to the elevator. "He went up to the fifteenth floor," she informed them. "That's where they have the latest shipments of duel disks." Wide-eyed, she watched the two run to the elevator themselves. "Do you know what he's up to?" she exclaimed. "I was just about to call security."

Raphael shook his head. "Don't bother," he said. "We'll get him." Truthfully, he was afraid of what Alister might do to the security guards, in his crazed condition. And Raphael did not want anyone to get hurt unnecessarily. What was more, if they were going to hope to help him, it would be better if there were not other people around. Alister was not a social person by nature and crowds annoyed him. Raphael and Valon would have a better chance of getting through to him if they were alone.

Once the elevator doors clanged shut and they began to be propelled upward, Valon turned to look up at his friend. "What do you think he's up to, Raph?" he asked. Is he gonna duel Kaiba? Naturally they did not still possess the duel disks from Paradius, so if Alister wanted to duel, he would have to get one made by KaibaCorp. But did he now have the Seal of Orichalcos, too? Valon swallowed hard, but then remembered that he actually had not seen any of the Doom Reborn members with that card. Maybe they did not know how to create it yet and that was part of the information they wanted from the former "Musketeers of Doom"? Valon supposed that was possible.

Raphael shook his head. "I really couldn't say," he replied truthfully, but he was starting to have a terrible sense of foreboding. "Do you have your deck with you?"

Valon blinked at him. "Well, yeah," he admitted. "I mean, I usually do carry it. . . . Wait a minute! You mean you think Alister's gonna challenge us!" His blue eyes went as wide as saucers. That had not been a possibility he had considered. He was still having trouble acknowledging that Alister had turned against them. He wanted to believe that it had not truly happened, but he knew that Alister would never be rescued with such an attitude. Valon knew that he had to accept what was in order to begin to help the now-unruly young man.

Raphael sighed sadly. "I'm afraid it's possible," he said as the fifteenth floor was reached. Immediately he ran out into the corridor, Valon swiftly following on his heels.

They learned a good deal from a confused employee who watched over the new merchandise. Alister had indeed been there, and he had collected three duel disks. When asked what he was going to do with them, he had sneered and responded, "What do you usually do with them?" Then he had gotten on the elevator again and had pushed the button for the roof.

"This kind of thing has never happened before," the boy berated. "Mr. Kaiba will be furious if something outlandish happens on his roof!" He wrung his hands, then looked up at Raphael and Valon with his bespectacled gaze. "What are you going to do?"

Valon was already running back to the elevators. "We're gonna catch him, is what!" he retorted. "He doesn't know what he's doing!" He waited impatiently for Raphael to get back in, then pressed the button for the roof and watched the doors close. Whatever's gonna happen up there isn't gonna be pretty, the Australian teenager knew. And he had a bad feeling that he and Raphael were going to be on the receiving end of some sort of harsh punishment. He shut his eyes tightly, willing their Alister to keep fighting against the Orichalcos's force. I know it's hard, chum . . . but you can't give up now. You can't!

Thunder boomed loudly as they reached the roof and flung the door open. At first it was too dark to see anything more than a dark silhouette, but then lightning flashed and lit up the night sky, revealing Alister standing with crossed arms and facing the door. He had obviously been expecting company. On his left wrist he bore a duel disk. Two boxes were on the floor of the roof, at his feet. His expression was void of any mercy or kindness. He looked the way that someone did when possessed by the ancient evil—malevolent and vicious.

"I've been waiting," he said smoothly. "You certainly took your time getting here. Was I really that hard to find?" His red eyes gleamed in the darkness.

"Actually, no," Raphael retorted. "It was easy enough." He looked into the red eyes, searching for any remaining trace of his and Valon's dear friend. The man soon realized with a sinking heart that there was nothing. The stranger was still in complete control. "What do you want with us?"

"I'm certain you already know, don't you?" Alister pointed to the boxes. "The both of you are going to duel me in a penalty game. I may not have the actual Seal of Orichalcos card, but I do have the power to create a game of darkness." His trenchcoat whipped about in the wind as he bore his teeth in a wicked smirk. The green aura quickly gathered around him, preparing to explode into an entrapping Seal across the roof.

Valon clenched his fists tightly. "What's the point of it!" he demanded. Again he felt a certain dizziness. So it had come down to this. They were going to be forced to fight each other. But he refused to! There had to be another way. Somehow there had to be!

"I don't need you," Alister returned. "It's time that all unnecessary items are disposed of." He drew his deck from out of his jeans' pocket. "The loser in this duel, or losers, as the case may be, will die."

"Oh, so we're unnecessary items now!" Valon cried. "After all we've been through!" He could not stand it. Without thinking, his fury and frustration were unleashed. "You idiot! We're all you've got. Do you wanna destroy the only family you have? What would your brother think of you!" He glared at Alister and saw the younger man waver for only a moment before he shrugged the remark off. Truly, this was not their friend. If Alister was in control, that comment would have pierced his heart.

"I don't care," he snorted. "I only have myself. That's all I need. Isn't that your philosophy, anyway, Valon?" The brunette boy stepped back at that, not having expected that response and not quite knowing how to answer at first. Alister had struck a nerve, and he knew it. "I thought so." Deciding that he was tired of waiting for them to take their duel disks, he then picked up the boxes and threw one at each of them. "Catch."

Raphael snarled as he managed to grab hold of his box. "This is pointless, Alister!" he protested. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Valon catch the other container. "You have to stop this." He closed his eyes, shaking in trepidation. He knew very well what would happen if someone lost. Alister was not playing games—he meant what he said. But how could Raphael allow anyone to perish? If he and Valon lost, then Alister would continue his reign of terror and perhaps never be able to break free. And even if he could, he would be alone and with the knowledge that he had brought about his friends' deaths, even though he would never have wanted to do so if he had truly known what he had been doing. And if Alister lost, then Raphael and Valon would have lost their friend for certain. But how do we know he isn't lost to us already? It seems like a lose-lose situation no matter how we look at it!

"I don't think there'd be any fun in that." Alister spoke in a cold, low tone that made his words sound all the more deadly. He gave another wretched smirk.

Valon looked up at Raphael, the same thoughts that were plaguing Raphael obviously having been tumbling through Valon's own mind. "Raph," he whispered in a choked voice, "I can't do this! I can't fight him! You're right—it's pointless!" Several desperate tears came to his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. "Alister's an idiot! He can't do this!" It's true—I did used to only look out for myself. But that was all in the past! It's different now. Now . . . now I really don't wanna see the people I care about gettin' hurt. . . . Not that he ever had. He had cared about Mother Mary and had tried to protect her, as he had later tried to protect Mai and prove that he loved her. Valon, though he had often before looked out after only himself, was a genuinely good person with a caring heart. He could not bear the thought of fighting Alister now.

"Unfortunately, he can and he is," Raphael responded quietly. He ripped open the duel disk box and removed the contents. "And he's not going to give us any choice, Valon. We're going to have to do this and just pray that somehow we'll be able to save him in the process." As he affixed the disk on his arm and drew out his deck, he suddenly felt the presence of Guardian Eatos beside him. He turned to look at her and she smiled kindly, though her eyes were sad. They had been through so much together over the years, ever since she had watched over him on the island. . . . He had not seen much of her of late, since he had become closer to Valon and Alister, but now he realized how much he had missed her.

Valon bit his lip, still struggling with his decision, though he knew Raphael was right. There truly was not much that could be done. "Fine!" he yelled abruptly, yanking the duel disk out of its box. "We'll fight you, Alister. But let me tell you somethin', mate—you're gonna regret this." If you lose . . . I'm never gonna forgive myself. And if you win . . . I'm never gonna forgive myself. Inwardly he screamed in desperation. How would dueling Alister release his mind from the viselike grip of the Orichalcos? It would only bring about someone's demise in the end, and no matter who perished, Valon was going to feel sick over the outcome. He swallowed the lump forming in his throat, but it only returned.

In the next moment Alister's aura exploded around them, forming the dreaded Seal of Orichalcos. The redhead grinned in delight, drawing his first hand. "I'll start us off," he announced, "and lucky for you both, I'm just going to place this monster card in defense mode. Now, show me what you can come up with." He studied his two opponents. The duel would not be an easy win, but it would be worth it. Once he was free of the shackles binding him down, he could get on with the other goals he wanted to accomplish—especially bringing about the purification of the world. The end would justify the means, after all. It did not matter what happened in the process of ridding the world of evil.

If I really want to do that, though, I'll have to kill myself before the end. The Orichalcos's possession is making me evil. I can't stand it!

He blinked in confusion. That was his own voice. Wait . . . what was going on? What was he doing? He felt as though he was regaining consciousness from a long slumber. He looked back up as Valon was reluctantly finishing his turn after summoning Psychic Armor Head to the field. I'm dueling them! he realized then, starting to shake. The Orichalcos had blocked his knowledge of what was actually happening, but now he had broken free enough to realize it. But I don't want to! I can't! Someone's going to die if this goes on! I have to stop it! But he found that he could not sever the Orichalcos's hold over him. As Raphael's turn began, Alister continued to struggle, feeling panic welling up within his heart. I've been taken over by the Orichalcos! I have to break free . . . I have to. . . . He strained harder and suddenly felt pain rip through his entire body. Then he felt as though part of him was blacking out once again, leaving his dark soul to continue the duel.

And it was a heartwrenching duel for all parties involved. Everyone strived to do their best, knowing that they could do nothing less. Raphael and Valon continued to plead with Alister to break free of the Orichalcos, even as their monsters were being destroyed and as they were forced to attack him when they could. At one point Alister managed to target Valon's lifepoints directly and the boy cried out in pain, crashing against Raphael.

Valon moaned weakly, shaking his head as he tried to shake off the affects of the violent blow, which had been made worse by the presence of the Orichalcos. "Raph," he choked out sadly, looking up at the older man, "is he gone? Is the Alister we knew really . . . gone?" He gave a shudder, trying to get enough strength to stand up straight. Raphael had just managed to deliver a serious bit of damage to Alister's own lifepoints, and now this was how the slender man had retaliated. His eyes had been full of nothing but hatred as he had destroyed their last defense and then had attacked Valon.

Raphael felt his heart being squeezed mercilessly. His family was being torn asunder, forced against their will to battle each other to the death. This could not continue! It simply could not! And yet . . . Raphael knew that he and Valon were doing all they could to help their poor friend. It was up to Alister to do the rest, but he did not seem to be even trying. Still, Raphael was certain that he had to be. Alister would not have given up . . . and he had to still exist! "He can't be," he said finally. "That's all there is to it, Valon—he has to still be with us."

"But he's trying to kill us!" Valon cried, and Raphael had to admit that it was so. "This shouldn't be happening, Raph! It shouldn't be happening!"

The blonde man growled, supporting his dazed friend as he looked up at the other, insane friend. His eyes widened when he saw that Alister's hand was shaking. He's still there! He doesn't want to do this! The realization was encouraging to Raphael as he helped Valon regain his balance. There was still hope. Alister was, indeed, continuing to fight against the Orichalcos's evil influences.

Abruptly Alister clutched his cards tightly, the shaking coming to a halt. He looked up at the other two with a wild, mocking expression. "I'm ending my turn here," he hissed. "Now, to see what fruitless attempt you'll discover next." Even as he spoke, his eyes were flickering violently and it was obvious that he was battling to break free. But then the Orichalcos prevailed again and his eyes went back to their full blood-red.

The duel continued for some time after that. Raphael and Valon were managing to hold their own, and at a critical point it looked as though they had a strategy that could work in their favor—but they were reluctant to go through with it. If they attempted it, they could wind up winning and Alister would die. But if they did nothing, then Alister would be able to bring their lifepoints down to zero within a matter of minutes and they would lose.

Raphael shut his eyes tightly, weighing their options. Either way, the chances of someone dying by Alister's next turn were great. How could Raphael deliberately lead either of his friends to his destruction? This situation was horrible, with none of the outcomes being what they wanted to think about. I can't do this! he mentally screamed. How can I be expected to go through with this? It's too much! I can't get Valon or Alister killed, if I can help it.

Slowly a gentle peace settled over him. Raphael blinked in surprise. It was as if he was being told which decision was the correct one and that no matter what happened, everything would be alright. When he opened his eyes, he found Sonia, Julien, and Miruko all standing in front of him. The children nodded gently, their smiles soft and kind. Then they shimmered and vanished from view, but the message they had brought with them was clear.

Raphael let out a deep breath, looking to the anxious Australian. "Alister would want to be stopped," he said at last. "We don't want him to suffer, and we don't want to do anything that will bring about his death, but he would never forgive himself or us if this nonsense was allowed to continue." He knew he was speaking the truth, but still he felt a certain reluctance creeping within his soul. Can we really go through with this?

"So you're saying we've gotta get him killed!" Valon cried in disbelief and alarm, his cerulean eyes awash with grief-stricken emotions. We can't do that! No one should have to die! No one. . . .

Raphael clenched his teeth. "I hope not," he replied. "We're just gonna have to go with this and see what happens." But a new worry was growing. Even if Alister broke free of the control, would the duel be able to be stopped? What if it could not unless someone won? Then, even if they got Alister back, they might have to lose him—or he would lose them, and perhaps kill himself out of self-hatred. . . . "And . . . we'll have to keep praying, too," he added darkly.

Valon tried to will himself to not balk at Raphael's guidance to go ahead with the attack. "Yeah," he answered quietly, "I know." He narrowed his eyes, knowing that Raphael was correct. This could not continue. Alister would never want that. "Alright!" he yelled. "Let's give this our best shot. The rest is up to our chum." Eyes flashing, he drew his next card and he and Raphael set about trying to put their strategy together.

But unfortunately for them, Alister had been ready. When they attempted to attack, he retaliated ruthlessly. With his own, previously planned strategy, he managed to destroy their carefully placed cards and to lay extreme damage to their lifepoints. Valon, who had already taken a bad hit before, was suffering the worst now. As the blast hit both him and Raphael, the brunette cried out in pain and lost his balance, falling to the floor of the roof. He struggled to get up and failed miserably, collapsing back again.

Raphael was thrown against the barrier, hissing in pain as it crackled around him. Slowly he forced himself up, taking in the scene around him. Valon was laying hurt while Alister laughed maniacally, enjoying his moment of victory. As Raphael calculated the damage they had taken, he realized in horror that Alister would destroy them with another attack—which he already was about to unleash. And the blonde could not take it any longer.

"ALISTER! LOOK AT WHAT YOU'RE DOING!" Raphael was shaking as he bent down, helping Valon get up. The fact that they were in a penalty game only made the attacks more brutal and real. It was no wonder that the poor boy looked close to passing out. Raphael held him up with a strong arm, continuing to scream at their red-haired friend. "YOU HAVE TO SNAP OUT OF THIS!"

"Sorry," was the reply, though it seemed forced, "it's Game Over." He began to call out the attack, but then grimaced, closing his eyes tightly and raising a hand to his head. Desperately he clawed at the Orichalcos symbol, as if hoping that he could magically remove it by doing so. His heart was racing wildly. Throughout the entire duel he had been fighting so hard, but it seemed as though it had all been for naught. Am I really this weak? Does the Orichalcos really have this much power over me? He swayed, unaware that he had dropped almost all of the cards in his hand.

They're going to die. . . . I'm going to kill them. . . . They'll both die by my hands! The thought was too horrible for him to bear. His struggle only became all the more frantic, but the more he strived to get loose, the more the Orichalcos prevented him. At last he let out a terrible, hideous scream that caused the others' blood to run cold. His other hand flew to his head as he doubled over, shuddering uncontrollably and putting all of his energy into overthrowing the treacherous power. But still it all seemed to no avail. The Orichalcos was going to claim his mind once again and cause him to call out the attack that would completely devastate his opponents—his friends. He could not allow it, but he did not know how to prevent it. It was the most horrible situation that he could think of to be in. He was not in control of his own body, and now he had caused a fatal penalty game to be played against the only living people he truly cared about. He felt the Orichalcos rake through his soul.

"GOD . . . HELP ME!"

The plea rang out directly from his heart, but he did not realize that he had screamed aloud. He remained where he was, trembling as he continued to fight against the Orichalcos. Then, slowly, as he felt a change come over him, he opened his eyes and looked up. The power was still there, but he had managed to push it back for an indeterminable amount of time. His eyes changed color furiously now, switching from red to gray and back again. The Orichalcos symbol was likewise flickering, though it was still clear upon his forehead.

"Alister?"

"Alister, is it you?"

He breathed heavily, focusing upon his friends. Valon was dazed and barely able to stand up. Raphael was bruised from the various attacks, but he was able to stand better than the Australian. Both were looking at him hopefully, their blue eyes intense.

Alister felt abhorrence rise in his soul. He had done this! He had caused their misery! Even though he had not wanted to ever hurt them, he still had. And there was no way out of this duel . . . no way that he could save them . . . except one.

"I'm sorry," he choked out, not knowing how much time he even had left before the Orichalcos grasped him again. "I . . . I didn't want this to happen. . . . I never wanted this. . . ." His voice was broken. "I didn't want to hurt either of you!" His heart twisted again as he watched them. All he had wanted was to protect them, but his hatred had gotten the better of him. That was when the Orichalcos had been able to reign freely over him and to cause this.

"I know," Raphael said softly, a morose look in his eyes. "I know you didn't, Alister." He did not blame Alister. This was the friend that he and Valon remembered and had been praying for. But Raphael could also see that the Orichalcos was still there as well. He had no idea what would even happen now, and from Valon's expression, he also did not. But the sinking feeling in Raphael's heart had returned.

"You've gotta stop this!" Valon told him now, shuddering as he watched the gray-eyed young man. Alister was back. . . . He had managed to break free. . . . For however long it would last, he was with them again. But it did not appear as though it would last for very long. Valon did not feel that he could rejoice in his friend's victory at this point.

"I'm going to," Alister replied sadly. He knew what he had to do. He knew the only way that he could possibly rescue them. But he looked up at them again before he enacted it. He wanted to see them again . . . one more time, as his normal self, not as the crazed, possessed man he had been only moments before. He knew that they were likely to be upset at what he had to do, but he knew that he must do it anyway. He refused to allow his friends to die.

"I'm not going to ask for your forgiveness," he told them, his bangs blowing gently in the wind, "because I don't feel that I deserve it. Even though it wasn't me doing this, it was my body. I couldn't control what the Orichalcos did to me." As Raphael and Valon stared into his eyes, they were stunned at how empty the orbs looked. "I can't say I'm sorry enough, so I won't even try. All I can do is make one last effort to save you both." He raised his hand, shaking as he tried to lower it onto his deck in surrender. The Orichalcos was growing stronger. He had to act now or he might not be able to at all.

It was as if an arrow had slammed into Raphael's heart. Alister had not said what he meant to do, but Raphael had carried a suspicion, and now that Alister was trying to surrender, the suspicion was confirmed. He ran forward, desperate to stop him and screaming his name. "It can't end this way! Alister, you can't do it! There has to be another way. . . ." But he knew there was none, not unless they could struggle to create a draw—and in the circumstances, there was no way that was possible. They were going to lose their friend.

Valon, still somewhat dazed, could not comprehend at first what Alister was doing. But then it hit him and his eyes widened. Even though it pained him to even move, he struggled to run over as well. "You idiot!" he wailed. "Alister, no!" I don't wanna lose you! You're my friend! I don't wanna lose either you or Raph!

Alister looked at him with a wry, rueful smirk that was purely the creation of the Alister that Valon and Raphael both knew. "I'm always an idiot to you, eh, Valon?" he remarked (though he knew that Valon did not mean it), as he at last succeeded in placing his hand down and sealing his fate. "We all know that this is the only way. Please . . . don't grieve over me, either of you. I wanted to do this. I had to do it to save you from the madness that I created." The barrier closed in around him, preventing the others from getting to him. They could only stop, shaking and staring at him with a mixture of alarm and panic. There was nothing they could do. He gave a slight shudder as he knew what would happen now. "Goodbye," he whispered.

"No one should have to die!" Raphael screamed, his heart and his self-control shattering into millions of pieces. He could no longer struggle to be the strong one, not with one of his friends sacrificing himself in this way. I never wanted it to come to this! And he felt anger rise within him. Why had he and Valon enacted their strategy? That could not have been the right thing. Maybe if they had not, Alister could still have broken free and he would not be about to die right now!

Alister smiled sadly at both him and Valon, but he had no chance to respond before he was violently electrocuted. He gasped in pain, wanting to scream, but the resulting blasts drained him too much to even do that. As the Seal faded away at last, it gave him a final, punishing blast that sent him toppling backwards over the guard rail. This was the end.