.:.The Pharaoh sits alone once more in the hall. The attendant he had sent up to the room a few minutes ago returns with the desert. "She returns it with a message, my Lord." He says. "She says she thanks you for thinking of her and she is happy that you have, but that she remains firm in her decision and will not change it. She wishes to tell you that she still loves you very much, but she will not give up her actions until you have given up yours."

The Pharaoh sighed. "Very well then." He said, getting up. "Thank you." He tells the man and begins walking up towards her old suite once more.

Entering the room he sees her laying down in her bed. "Why do you insist on such things?" he asks her. "Why do you?" she returns to him. "You need to eat." He tells her. "I haven't seen you at mealtimes in a week. If you don't stop this you will die."

"And if you don't stop the Shadow Games I will die. It will happen eventually. The only cruel part is that my death will be easier than the thousands of others that die in the hands of these monsters." "Nothing is going to happen!" he says again. "Yes, Yami, it will. I have seen it." She tells him.

"But…refusing to eat?" he says. "Come now, don't you find that silly?" "It is getting your attention, isn't it?" she says. "I'm not going to eat one thing until you stop the Shadow games." "You will to." He tells her. "I don't care if I have to feed it to you myself, you are eating something! Look how pale you are already!" he tells her, sitting down on the bed and holding her hand.

"I'm not afraid to die." She tells him. "I think that's the problem." He says. "Why don't you just stop this nonsense?" "Why don't you?" she asks him. "Yami, I know it is because of your friends." She says to him. "I've heard them talk to you. If it weren't for them you would have listened to me and seen the reasoning in this. I'm not trying to stop you from having fun. You know that." "Of course I know that." He says, sighing and laying down next to her. "And you know I'm not trying to control you." She says, snuggling into him. "I know that as well." he says, hugging her to him. "So why would you not stop them?" she asks him. "Unless you are afraid your friends would think so, even if they are wrong."

"I don't want to." He says, trying to ignore the thinness he already can see and feel creeping into her. "And because I don't feel like having the whole kingdom know that I allow myself to be pressured into things by my wife as I have been told they are beginning to believe." He thinks to himself."I am as stubborn as you are." He tells her. "For once you will just have to give in to me."

"No, Yami, I won't." she says, falling asleep. He noticed and began stroking her hair, thinking of the conversation he'd had with his friends.

"Your woman has you wrapped around your finger. It's supposed to be the other way around."

"She does not."

"Oh no? Look at what you've done already."

"What?"

"Everything!"

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"That's besides the point. What will people think if their Pharaoh allows himself to be pushed around in such a way?"

"They won't think that."

"But they already are. And to be honest, Yami, I think they're right. You're nothing like you used to be. You're so much weaker now."

"Just because I take care to consider what people have to say doesn't make me weak."

"Then consider this: I'd bet my life that you're considering stopping the Shadow Games, harmless as they are."

"So what if I am? They're just a game."

"They're a symbol of the Pharaoh's power. Remove that and it's like you're saying you're no better than anyone else."

"No it isn't, and so what if I am?"

"I bet that you can't change her mind on anything. She has you right under her thumb."

"No, she doesn't."

"Oh really? Than why don't you prove it?"

"How?"

"Simple. Don't give in this time. No matter what she does."

"But what if she's right?"

"Can a god be wrong?"

"I'm not too sure they can't."

"Just watch. She'll give in to you eventually. And if she doesn't, better off anyway."

"Whatever. You're crazy."

"No, don't give in. You'll see what happens."

"Fine. Though I don't think this is proving anything."

"Swear it."

"What?"

"Swear it! That you won't give in."

"That's just stupid. No."

"There you go being weak again."

"I am not weak!"

"Then swear it!"

"FINE! I swear it!"

'"Way to go, Yami. Be a man again. Let's go. I'm bored."

He wanted to groan when he'd thought back on the conversation. He'd allowed himself to be manipulated so easily. Thinking back he'd sounded so stupid. He swore it though, so he would keep it.

Looking down at his sleeping wife he said quietly "I wish you would stop this. Maybe than I wouldn't have to. I pray that you are wrong. May you realize it before it is too late."

"Or me."

.:."What?" Tristan says. "What does that thing do ?"

"Orycalcos Deuterosu allows me to gain five hundred life points for each of my monsters on the field. And considering I have two…" he says and his life point counter goes up. "I receive one thousand life points."

"That's crazy!" Tristan shouts as he watches the counter rise. "No, just fortunate." Dartz says, smirking. "Now then, Gil Gars, attack master of Dragon Knight." "But the night has more power." Tristan says. "What's he doing?" Tea asks.

"Each time it is destroyed it comes back stronger." Alyssa says. "So by allowing it to die, he only makes it return as an even better monster. And with his Kyutora absorbing all the damage, his life points remain safe." "Oh no!" Tea says as the Knight counter attacks, destroying Gil Gars once more.

"I'll place one card face down." Kaiba says. "And summon my Blade Knight." The monster appears on the field. "When it is summoned as the last of the hand, its attack power goes up by four hundred." He informs the group. "With that I'll end my turn." He says.

"My turn now." Yami says, drawing his card. "I play energy reflector!" Kaiba says, revealing his face down card. A mirror comes behind Dartz on the wall. "Yugi, attack with Master of Dragon Knight." He tells him. "It will reflect the damage back to Dartz-his Kyutora can't absorb it."

"Right!" Yugi says. "Master of Dragon knight, attack using the Reflector!" Master of Dragon Knight does. "I knew my big brother could do it!" Mokuba says as he watches Yami's monster attack. "What?" Kaiba shouts again as the attack bounces of the reflector…and hits Gil Gars!

Gil Gars is destroyed and Dartz once more has no damage done to him. "Orycalcos Deuterosu allows me to sacrifice a monster to negate a direct attack." He explains. "And now I'll fire your attack right back at your Master of Dragon Knight!" he shouts. "I play depolymerization!" Yugi shouts, turning the Knight back into the Chaos soldier and Kaiba's Blue Eyes.

"When the second seal is on the field, we can't even direct attack!" he thinks to himself nervously. " Unfortunately, since Gil Gars wasn't destroyed in battle it can't be re-summoned. Now I'll play the Orycalcos mirror, and by sacrificing my Time Eater I can summon four knights!"

The four mirror knights come to the field. "One of the nice things about this, besides the fact that my life points rise to seven thousand five hundred from all these new monsters…" he rubs in as his counter goes up. "Is that the knights can equal and absorb all the attack power of whatever monster rests in their mirrors."

"Knowing that, mirror Knight one, attack the Blue eyes Ultimate!" the knight lashes forward and the blue eyes is destroyed. "Knight number two! Attack the Chaos soldier!" this knight does so as well. "My last two knights, attack their life points directly!" the knights both leap forward and do so, each of the two duelists life point counters decreasing with the attacks.

"But shouldn't the Mirror Knights be destroyed to?" Tristan asks. "So long as my descent of Mirror Knights is on the field, they each receive a shield, so that no damage is done to the knights." Dartz explains. "Oh. That sucks." Tristan says.

"I play Treasure of Life." Kaiba says. "Allowing me to draw five cards. First I'll play silent death, allowing me to return my Blade Knight from the graveyard. Next, I'll sacrifice that to summon Kaiser Glider. I'll lay one card face down and end my turn."

"Mirror force" The Pharaoh thinks, laying it face down. "I summon Big Shield Guardner, in defense mode." The Pharaoh says. "Then it's my turn now." Dartz says and his life point counter goes up again. "I play Ring of destruction!" Kaiba says, revealing his face down card and destroying Descent of Mirror Knights.

"Both our life points go down by five hundred," Kaiba says. "But at least the shields can't be regenerated." The shields and helmets of the Knights crack. Where the helmets were are the faces of Mai, Joey, Pegasus, and Yugi. Everyone gasps. "If I had played mirror force I would have destroyed them!" The Pharaoh thinks to himself, horrified.

"What's the meaning of this?" Kaiba asks crossly. "I thought I'd have a little fun." Dartz says. "I need your souls after all. Will you destroy your friends?" "Their souls! They're not on the wall anymore!" Tea says,s hocked. "This is ridiculous." Kaiba says. "Maybe so." Dartz says.

"Mirror Knight Yugi." Dartz says. "Attack the Pharaoh." Everyone gasps as Yugi raises his sword. "Hmm?" Dartz says as the small soldier does not move forward. "You don't want to? Oh come now. Attack!"

Little Yugi does nothing, remaining motionless. "Oh well." Dartz says, realizing he might not control him entirely. "It's still fun to watch. I wonder how long he can keep this up. I'll end my turn with this face down card."

"Fine. Then I'll summon Pot of Greed." Kaiba says, playing the card. "Next I'll play cost down, which downs a monsters level by two stars, allowing me to summon Twilight Zone Dragon. Now, attack Mirror Knight number three! Destroy it's shield!"

"Kaiba, no!" Yami says as the dragon attacks. "Now, Kaiser glider, attack the Mirror Knight again!" "Kaiba, are you mad?" the Pharaoh shouts. "What are you doing?" "Do you understand our situation here, Yugi?" Kaiba asks him. "If we lose we can't save anyone's souls. Glider, attack!"

The Kaiser Glider goes forward to attack the defenseless Mai as the rest of them watch, waiting to see what will happen. Joey, however, steps in front. His own shield is destroyed but Mai remains unharmed. "It's so amusing to look at what this friendship between your group will do." Dartz says.

"Attack the Knights, Yugi." Kaiba says. Yami prepares to, but thinks of all the memories he's had with his friends. "I can't." he tells him. "I…I end my turn."

"WHAT?" Kaiba shouts angrily as Dartz laughs. "Dartz, stop this. Play fair!" Tristan says, fumbling for something to say. "Poor Pharaoh." Tea says. "He can't attack them."

"I play the card Two Archers Kantauros!" Dartz says after his life points once more rise. "Now, it will choose either your Kaiser Glider or my Mirror Knight. Whatever attack damage it does is dealed directly to the player. Now who will it choose?" Dartz says as they watch. "Looks like this time it chose you." Dartz says, laughing as the monster destroys Kaiba's Glider, bringing his life points down to six hundred. "I'll end my turn, as I can play no other cards." He says.

"Attack Mirror Knight two!" Kaiba shouts to his Twilight Zone dragon. Little Yugi comes up and protects Joey with his shield, and Dartz once more chuckles at the bond.

"I play Cyclone." Yami says. "Which will destroy your archers. After that, I end my turn."

Dartz summons a monster called Orycalcos Diablos. "If Dartz attacks Seto this turn, his life points will go down to zero." Mokuba thinks worriedly.

"Attack the Twilight Dragon!" Dartz says. "Barrier of Conducting te attack!" Kaiba shouts, looking at Yami. "Transferred to Big Shield Guardner!" Yami shouts. The attack is taken away from Kaiba. The card allows the points of the monster to raise by six hundred, but even still Dartz receives no damage.

"I place my twilight zone dragon in defense mode. I lay two cards face down, and end my turn." Kaiba says as it comes to him. "Attack the Knights, Yugi." Kaiba tells him again. Yami hesitates when he hears Yugi begin to speak. "Come on…Pharaoh…" he says. "You…can't…let yourself…do this…Don't worry about us…the whole…world…is counting… on you…just…attack…already!"

Yami is shocked and hesitates more. "Big Shield Guardner…defense mode." He says. "I'll lay one card face down, and end my turn." He says quietly.

"Dartz!" they hear a voice shout. Turning, they see Raphael enter the room. "Ah, Raphael." Dartz says. "Dartz, stop this. This is nonsense, and release their friends! You were wrong." Raphael tells him. "Oh? And what of the others?" Dartz says, motioning towards the frames of Alaster and Valin. "Alaster…Valin…why are they in here? They did not have dark hearts...ever!" he says. "I needed them so I took them." Dartz tells him. "Let them go, or I'll-" "Or you'll what, Raphael?" Dartz asks him. "Are you so sure that your dark heart is really gone?" he asks him.

"My heart will continue to be pure, without you." Raphael says. "the Pharaoh helped me with that. He showed me where the darkness truly was, and it's only with you and this Orycalcos." "But you were happy to believe in the darkness." Dartz tells him. "Of course, I needed to give you a little push…"

"What do you mean?" Raphael asks.
Oh come now, you don't really think I could have gotten you to believe such things without a few special events? Oh come now, be serious." He says, seeing his confusion. "It was simple really. Disguising myself as Gozaburo Kaiba I was able to fool Alaster into my cause." He begins. "What?" Kaiba says angrily. "Well now I've another score to settle with you." He says. "And Valin. I framed him for his first crime. Eventually he turned down the path. It was all too easy to pick him up after that."

"You…you…" "And you, Raphael." Dartz says. "I knew that to get you I'd have to take you away from a supporting family. It was I who created that storm, I who made the waves that crashed the boat. It took a while before you were ready but you were molded into an Orycalcos soldier."

"You…you….I'LL GET YOU FOR THAT!" Raphael shouts, angrily. "You ruined my life…I'll make you pay for that." "I needed more power to fight against the chosen duelists and dragons. You were all tools. Nothing more."

Raphael whips out his cards. "Guardian Iatos! Seal of Orycalcos!" he shouts. "Raphael, no!" the Pharaoh says. "Don't let yourself fall in your anger!"

"Arg!" Raphael shouts as the Seal burns onto his forehead before closing around him. "But he wasn't even dueling yet!" Tea shouts as the Seal removes his soul. The image of Raphael appears next to that of Valin's, and his body lays on the floor.

"No one can stop the Seal once it has been implanted." Dartz says. "He couldn't run from it forever. But I wouldn't worry about that." He says as he looks across at them. "Kaiba, Pharaoh, prepare to see the true power of the Orycalcos, for now I activate it's third level, Orycalcos Toritosu!"