I wouldn't have believed it if I wasn't seeing it with my own eyes...this fic is actually gaining momentum! Not to mention interest.

Thus, I am extremely pleased to offer to you all another chapter. Even though its probably not very good.

Disclaimer: Authoress does not own Yugioh

Claimer: Authoress owns plot, concept, and Terra


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"Ooh, what a nasty step-brother he's got, yeah?" Terra remarked.

She clapped her hands together, crying, "Fast forward!"

The scene blurred. Now it was late afternoon, the village long gone from sight. The weird-haired teenager was standing in the shallows of the Nile River. A white bird - a Ibis? - was flying away from the area, no doubt scared off by the human intrusion.

As the three observers watched, the eighteen-year-old turned to walk back to shore, but was suddenly surrounded by a living veil of shadow and darkness. A veil that thickened and grew wider and darker until the background was no longer somewhere in Egypt.

"This is the Shadow Realm!" Pegasus exclaimed.

"Shush! This is the important part," Terra scolded.

A voice came out of the blackness of the Realm. It was addressing the teenager.

"Hello, mortal," said the voice, "Welcome. Would you care to play me in a little game, if you have time to spare this day?"

Although freaked out by these weird events, the weird-haired young adult managed to recover his composure remarkably quickly.

"If you could kindly introduce yourself, good sir," the man said, "I would do the same. Otherwise, speaking of games cannot be considered proper, I believe."

"Well spoken, and especially for one in your youth," agreed the voice.

The figure that appeared was vaguely man-shaped. But instead of a human head, a black wolf's head with slits of glowing yellow for eyes was what this creature had. His arms were furry as well, and each finger ended with a razor-sharp claw. The wolf-man wore a long robe that shimmered like purple silk in the light of the Shadow Realm.

"I am called Hel-Carasus," greeted the wolf-man, "A lord amongst those who dwell within this Realm of Shadows."

Even more shocked now, still the weird-haired teenager managed to be polite.

"I am called Athorl," the teenager replied, "But in my own lands, I am not anyone special."

"Well then, Athorl," Hel-Carasus said, "Now, as for the matter of the game…it is unfortunate that you are such a polite lad. If you refuse to play, or lose this game to me, you forfeit to me your life and soul. Such are the stakes for myself as well."

"Oh…" Athorl hesitated, "Then, I suppose we should begin."

"In this game," Hel-Carasus explained as he pulled forth something large and golden from a pocket of his silken robes, "We must summon forth monsters. They will battle, and the one that defeats the other wins. Observe my creature!"

There was a bright light as Hel-Carasus wielded the power of the strange golden objects he had pulled out. And then a monster appeared. It was a purple wolf with two heads.

"…That's a Twin-Headed Wolf," Pegasus said to himself.

Athorl seemed to be thinking, before plucking a hair from his head and pulling out from a pocket…a large black feather? It was glowing, and therefore was quite obviously not an ordinary feather. Athorl placed the hair on the feather and concentrated.

Glowing, the hair was shot into the air, and changed shape as it was turned into a monster. A serpentine beast with leathery wings sprouting from just behind its head. Electricity was crackling around it.

Before you could say, 'Thunder Dragon', the Twin-Headed Wolf lunged forward with a growl. The Dragon dodged around its first attack, but the second head changed its direction enough to sink its fangs into the Thunder Dragon's body. Or it would have, if not for the Thunder Dragon's thick and scaly hide.

In the few seconds before the wolf would have realized its critical error and taken the chance to jump to safety, the Thunder Dragon let loose with a blast of lightning. The Twin-Headed Wolf was sent flying, and landed in a heap at Hel-Carasus' feet.

When it got up, it gave Hel-Carasus a decidedly apologetic look, before facing Athorl and bowing in submission. The Twin-Headed Wolf knew, after only one attack from the more powerful and higher level Thunder Dragon, that it was not going to win.

"Oh…so, it appears that I lose," Hel-Carasus sighed, "And as is promised, my life and soul are at your disposal."

Athorl blinked, then shook his head.

"Nay," Athorl replied, "I would prefer not to have your death on my hands. I give you back that which you have lost to me."

"Human youths are really quite astounding these days," Hel-Carasus laughed as he approached Athorl, "Yet, you have still won the service of this fine monster -" Hel-Carasus indicated the Twin-Headed Wolf, which was now sitting side-by-side with the Thunder Dragon - "And these as well, for your spoils of victory."

Hel-Carasus handed over the golden objects he had produced earlier. Each object was a flat, vaguely pyramid-shaped pendant the size of a newborn baby, all strung up on a strong piece of iron chain like a massive necklace.

There were seven of them in total.