Rise of Destiny

Chapter 20

The Conjure Soldier

Atem faced a dark, narrow hallway, a flight of stairs at the end. He hesitated a moment before walking in. Kaiba, Mokuba, Honda, Shizuka, and Anzu followed.

Atem rushed up the stairs, determination in his eyes. The group followed, with equal determination amongst them. They finally reached the top of the stairwell, to find a doorway.

"Should we go in?" Honda asked. "This doorway doesn't feel too pleasant from where I'm standing. I feel...cold...empty..." His voice trailed off.

"I feel the same, Honda." Atem replied. "But I also feel a strong feeling. Our destiny lies behind this door. We must go in."

Reluctantly, Atem pushed the door open. The six friends walked in. It was a very cold, dark room, like an ancient temple. Surprisingly, there was a large, square opening in the wall, leading to another room with a door embossed with angel wings and golden linings.

Honda ran forward toward the opening, only to crash into what appeared to be an invisible wall. He was knocked back, and landed on his rear end on the ground. He rubbed his nose in pain.

"What the hell..." Honda muttered, getting up gingerly. Suddenly, small white orbs of light appeared from nowhere in the opening, and started flitting around the room, like butterflies. Kaiba swatted at one as it passed him.

"What is this?" Atem asked in awe as he gazed upon this stunning sight. "They look like...souls..."

As if that last word were an incantation, the souls flitted back to the opening in the wall, and flew faster and faster in a circle around eachother, until they formed a torso...arms...legs...a head...an spinning whirlwind of souls formed into the shape of a body. A Duel Disk materialized on it's right arm. It flourished the Duel Disk, and then uttered a word that seemed to be made up of several different voices, both male and female, young and old.

"Duel."

Atem stepped forward, placing the Sword of Milleniums between the mass of souls and his own body. "I don't know what I'm fighting, but I do know that we must defeat it at any cost! Open Soul Cards!"

Sky Dragon of Osiris and Dark Magician appeared behind Atem.

"Halt!" A deep, slightly British-accented voice shouted. Bartholomew Auros walked out of the mass of souls.

"Greetings, Pharoah. Greetings, all." He said, smiling as if nothing were wrong. "This is my Conjure Soldier, a body made of lost souls. He will be your next opponent!"

"Very well, Auros." Atem said. "We'll play your little game. But we will defeat you in the end."

Auros laughed. "That's far out of your grasp at the moment, Pharoah. You still have to get past my Conjure Soldier. So step forward and Duel him, Pharoah!"

"Very well!" Atem said as he switched his Duel Disk to Duel mode. The Conjure Soldier's Soul Cards appeared behind it.

Let me duel him, Yugi said as he came out in Atem's place. Yugi took a deck out of his pocket and loaded it into the Duel Disk, taking out Atem's deck first.

Aibou... Atem said uncertainly.

I'll be fine.

DUELSTART

Yugi: I'll start off by setting this monster face down in DEF mode, and two other cards face down as well.

The souls start rippling, like water in a lake after you throw a stone in. A figure walks out. He is a muscular teenager with brown skin and spiky white-blond hair. He has very dark, evil eyes. He is wearing a black tank top and tan pants. A Duel Disk is on his arm.

Yugi: You are...Yami Malik!

Yami Malik: Correct, foolish little boy.

Yugi: But...how...?

Auros: Ah. The Conjure Soldier can conjure up the dark side of someone's soul from anywhere on Earth. Powerful souls can even intercept the Duel and escape the Conjure Soldier for awhile.

Yami Malik: I too will set a monster in face down DEF mode and end my turn.

Yugi: Eh...I set one more card face down and I end my turn.

Yami Malik: I summon Granadora(1900/200) in ATK mode! And by his effect, I can gain 1000 Life Points.

A strange reptilian lizard with no arms and a grotesque malformation of a head covered in sharp, silver spikes and yellow orbs appears on the field. Yami Malik's Life Points go up.

Yugi/4000 Conjure Yami Malik/5000

Yami Malik: Granadora, attack his face down monster now!

Granadora lunges for the face down monster, and takes a chunk out of it with it's teeth. The monster is revealed to be a small creature resembling a marshmallow with a smiling face.

Yugi: You flipped my Marshmellon, which cannot be destroyed in battle. Also, you lose 1000 Life Points when Marshmallon is flipped up.

Marshmellon self destructs, and Yami Malik's Life Points drop. Marshmellon immediately regenerates.

Yugi/4000 Conjure Yami Malik/4000

Yami Malik: Now, I'll flip up Newdoria(1200/800), and destroy your Marshmellon immediately. Laughs

A pink fiend with a spiked metal helmet and a grinning, demonic face appears on the field. He's wearing a chestplate to cover his bare skin.

Yugi: Next, I'll choose to set one more monster face down and end my turn.

Yami Malik: Granadora, attack his monster again!

Yugi: You attacked my Witch of the Black Forest(1100/1200), a Dark type monster!

Yami Malik: I don't care what type your monster is. All that matters is that it's gone. Anyway, I set one more monster face down and I'll end my turn.

Yugi: Now, I remove from play a Light monster, Marshmellon, and a Dark monster, Witch of the Black Forest, to summon my strongest creature...Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning(3000/2500)!

A tall man completely covered in blue armor appears on the field. His armor is lined with gold, and he has two gold spikes protruding from his shoulders. He has a red ruby encrested in his breastplate. He is holding a large sword in his right hand and a shield with a ruby in the middle in his left hand. A gold viser obscures his eyes.

Yugi: I end my turn. You've got only one turn to live, Malik.

Yami Malik's eyes bulge as his form shifts and swirls. The Conjure Soldier appears again for a split second. It's form ripples and shifts, and a leg steps out of it, followed by an arm, a torso, and a head covered by a mop of blond hair...

Jounouchi: I'm taking over the Duel, now! These weaklings can't do the job of a True Duellist!

Yugi: J-Jounouchi!

Yugi notices the dark lines under his eyes, and the cold, blank look in his eyes. Jounouchi's face is twisted in an evil sneer.

Jounouchi: I've found my true calling, now. With Auros. I'm going to help him create this Paradise. I'm going to help him create the Haven! And I'll start by defeating you!

Shizuka: Katsuya! What are you doing? Why are you saying these things?

Honda: It's not Jounouchi, Shizuka. Don't worry. It's just some kind of trick that looks like him!

Jounouchi: throws his head back and laughs No, it's me, alright. I just found where I belong in life. Anyway, Yugi, can we continue this Duel?

Yugi: Uh...sure...it's your turn now.

Jounouchi: Now, I sacrafice all three of my monsters to summon Gilford the Lightning(2800/1400)! And since I tributed three monsters, all of your monsters are destroyed!

A tall, tanned man with bulging muscles appears on the field. He wears silver armor that covers most of his chest, and also a long red dress covering his legs and boots. He carries a huge sword in one hand. Gilford raises his sword, and a lightning bolt crashes down from the sky and obliterates the Black Luster Soldier.

Yugi: No!

Jounouchi: Now, Gilford, attack Yugi's Life Points with Thunderbolt Blade!

Gilford flourishing his sword, and it radiates with lightning as he slashes Yugi, dramatically decreasing his Life Points. Yugi screams in pain as he falls down. Jounouchi laughs.

Yugi/1200 Conjure Jounouchi/4000

Jounouchi: One more attack 'till you die, Yugi! Make your last move.

Auros: I must interevene...

DUEL END

"Yugi." Auros said, smiling devilishly. "I'll only let you live on one condition. That you surrender Kawai Shizuka to me. Shizuka! If you want your friend Yugi to live, you will walk to Jounouchi with your hands behind your back."

Shizuka gasped, and Honda clenched his fists.

"No...I'll continue the duel...I'll accept my fate if I lose..." Yugi muttered, getting up, and wincing in pain.

"No." Shizuka said as she stepped forward. She shrugged Honda's hand off her shoulder as she walked toward the darkened soul of her brother Jounouchi. "I cannot place Yugi in danger. He's much more important to this whole thing then I am."

Jounouchi placed his arms around her, supposedly drawing her into a brotherly hug. She looked very surprised. It didn't last long, as Jounouchi then picked her up in bridal fashion, placing one arm under her knees and another under her torso. She was forced to place her arms around his neck to maintain balance.

"Looks like that's one more soul for the Haven." Jounouchi said. He threw his head back and laughed. Shizuka tried to squirm out of Jounouchi's grasp, but he tightened his hold. "Not so fast," He said, looking down on her with cold eyes. "You already made your pact to Auros. There's no way you're backing out now."

Auros smiled. "Yugi," He said. "You've escaped this time. But it looks like you lose in the bigger picture."

He walked through a wall. Jounouchi laughed again, and then walked through the Conjure Soldier, still tightly holding on to Shizuka.

The setting is in a small, dark room. Auros is sitting in a large, leather chair behind a desk with two jars. Both jars have a strange green mist flowing out of them.

Jounouchi walked through a wall, Shizuka in his arms. She scowled at Auros.

"Put her down right in front of my desk." Auros ordered. Jounouchi did so, standing close behind her so she couldn't run away.

Auros muttered some incantations under his breath, then placed one hand over each of the jars. Shizuka's eyes drooped, and she fell back into Jounouchi's arms again. Her soul was gone.

Auros chuckled. "Only a few more souls and the Haven will be complete."

Jounouchi nodded. He shattered into many small white orbs of light, all of which disappeared through a wall.

The Conjure Soldier disappeared, leaving an open door. Kaiba and Mokuba immediately walked through. Anzu and Honda rushed over to Yugi, who was now on his knees, looking at the floor with blank eyes.

"Yugi, man, it's okay. I know how you feel." Honda said. "But right now we have to find Auros."

Yugi didn't say anything. Suddenly, his form changed, and Atem surfaced.

"Let's go." Atem said with a serious look on his face. Honda and Anzu followed as they traveled through the next door...

To Be Continued

NEXT: Board the Winged Ship! Part 1