Author's Note: This is part two. Also, keep in mind that some cards played are not of my creation, but I simply don't have the patience to list them anymore.

Chapter Eight: The Midnight Meeting, Pt. 2

A single cleave of the curved sword detached the younger dragon's head from its neck. The rest of the body collapsed without the mind to support it, the stump of the neck spurting blood out onto the black ground. "Let's see you recover from that." (RLP: 300)

The dragon user looked down at his deck, and then back up at his opponent. "So you prepared to face me specifically? Regardless of that, it doesn't matter. It's time I show you that even as a firefly amongst stars, I still outshine you by far!"

He glanced at the drawn card, and then snapped his fingers, causing the four monsters on his field to explode. "These dragons are good…but not good enough. So I sacrifice them in order to summon Tiamat, the Queen of Dragons(5000/5000)!"

An enormous dragon emerged, five differently colored heads glaring down at Buster Blader who was suddenly looking very appetizing. Imoto just shook his head in amusement, well aware of his Blader's power. "Your monster is powerful, but Buster Blader has fifty-six hundred attack points. You can't beat that."

Ryu closed his eyes and bowed his head…and then snapped his head up and smirked. "Actually…it has sixty-six hundred attack. Since Tiamat was summoned I get to select two level seven or higher dragons from my deck and summon them to the field."

Two more cards popped out of his deck and he caught them, slapping them down onto the plate of his duel disk. "Coral Dragon(2600/2500) and Moonstone Dragon(3000/500)!"

A dragon with a body formed of ridged coral, and another that glowed with an inner blue light now stood one to each side of Tiamat, but neither anywhere near its size. Buster Blader immediately raised its blade, siphoning energy to gain attack points. "What's the point of this?"

Ryu smirked and pointed at the powerful warrior, and immediately Moonstone Dragon roared. "Moonstone Dragon, attack Buster Blader with Lunar Strike!"

Shards of stone pelted the Blader, whose armor started to crack under the force. In a rage the blader threw his sword, piercing into Moonstone Dragon's chest and destroying it. But shortly after the Blader collapsed and faded away. "What…what the hell? You should be dead and my blader should be alive!"

"Actually, when Moonstone Dragon battles another monster, regardless of damage calculation that other monster is destroyed. And as long as Coral Dragon is in play, I don't take life point damage when a dragon is destroyed in battle. So with the field clear…Tiamat, Five Point Dragon Flare!" Five separate streams of energy converged on Imoto and blew him away, clearing out the darkness as well. (ILP: 0)

Ryu took his cards and shuffled them up, shaking his head as he did so. "I forgot to mention Imoto…that I'm a much better duelist than anybody ever gives me credit for."

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"The time has come to introduce you to the Infinite Deck Drain Combo! I sacrifice Eternal Dead to special summon a level three or lower zombie from the cemetery to the grave. Using its effect I special summon another Eternal Dead(800/700)!" The zombie was replaced by an identical one, and Dalin lost two more cards.

"Do you see it? By continuously sacrificing my Eternal Deads I can drain every last card off your deck, leaving you with nothing to draw! In a straight out duel I doubt I could beat you…but even you can't win now! It's impossible!" She smirked coldly as the last cards in his deck went to the cemetery, leaving him with an empty deck tray and only five cards in his hand.

Ebony folded her hand of cards together, signaling the end of her turn. That meant that Dalin's turn was about to start, and as soon as he tried to draw his fingers would touch nothing, and he would automatically lose. Yet despite that, he was just as calm as ever. 'Flinch damn you!'

With his hand hovering over his empty deck tray, Dalin's eyes met hers and she felt like they pierced directly into her soul and read every aspect of her being. "There's something you should understand right now. When I'm involved…nothing is impossible."

With eyes closed, he drew, and held up a card with its back facing Ebony. Her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as she saw that he had just drawn a card. "What…what is this? It's impossible!"

"As I said before, nothing is impossible when I'm involved. Allow me to explain: the card I just drew is called Cycle of Heaven, which when in the cemetery at the start of my turn is placed at the bottom of my deck. So when I drew, with no other cards the bottom was the top, and I drew it." Ebony grimaced, realizing that just that single card prevented him from ever decking out.

"Now, I activate its effect. I take three angels or angel related cards and shuffled them into my deck." He held up Mars, Angel of Power, Mercury, Angel of Wisdom, and Pluto, Angel of Weakening. Then he shuffled the three cards together and placed them as the only three cards in his deck.

"Next, I summon Neptune, Angel of Emancipation(1700/0) to the field. I'll activate its special ability to pay 500 life point increments and shuffle angels either into my deck, or into my hand. So I pay thirty-five hundred life points." Seven cards popped out of his grave and he showed them to her, and then shuffled them back into his deck. (DLP: 500)

"Activate magic card, Temporal Disruption. I destroy all monsters on the field, and each player draws one card for every monster destroyed in this manner." All three monsters exploded, and Dalin drew one card while Ebony drew two.

"Quick-play magic card activates, Tears of an Angel. Since Neptune was just destroyed I may take it and fuse it together with an angel from my hand or field. Neptune now fuses with the angel I just drew, Mars. Together they create…Cyrus, Angel of Tears(2500/1300)!" A tall blonde man with elegant white wings stood in the place of Neptune. He had a razor edged spear in one hand, and a sorrowful look in his eyes.

Ebony suddenly realized that she was in trouble, because her field was totally empty. "Cryus attacks you directly." She cried out in pain as the spear stabbed into her shoulder, driving her to one knee. Cyrus wrenched it out, tears at the corners of his eyes as he floated back to Dalin's field, upset about the blood leaking from Ebony's wound. (ELP: 1500)

Dalin nodded his head to her, and she drew, giving her a grand total of six cards in hand thanks to Dalin's Temporal Disruption. "You…I'll crush you in battle if that's what I have to do! Matching Power lets me select one monster on your field, and then I can summon a monster from my deck with equal or lesser level. So I special summon Despair From the Dark(2800/2000)!"

A massive shadowed shape stood in front of her, ready to launch an attack. "The monster summoned in this way can't attack during this turn. So I'll set one monster in defense mode and one card face down. End turn."

Dalin's features were as stony as ever as he drew, knowing full well that the card he pulled would be a monster. However, he didn't appear worried in the least. "The duel is over. I activate Cyclone from my hand, destroying your set card."

Ebony frowned to see her Mirror Force blown away so easily, but her Despair was still the strongest monster in play, so there was no need to worry. Plus her face down monster would be useful. "Cyrus attacks the set monster."

Her monster exploded, and then was almost immediately replaced by a massive brute with bones hung around his neck. "You destroyed Pyramid Turtle(1200/1400), letting me special summon a zombie from my deck with two thousand or less defense points. I chose Ryu Kokki(2400/2000)!"

"That doesn't matter. Cyrus's first effect is that when he battles a defense mode monster that has a lower defense than he has attack points, the opponent takes the difference as life point damage. In other words, he has a trample effect." Ebony realized that most of her life points had just drained away, but Dalin only had five hundred life points left and one card in her hand she didn't know about. It was hopeless for him. (ELP: 400)

"Just you wait, next turn I'll blow away Cyrus and finish you off. I must admit that I'm impressed by you; you've proven to be the strongest opponent I've ever faced. But we're in the same ballpark in level that I can still win!" She was ready to burst out in evil laughter, but was forestalled when Dalin's lips quirked up in what was obviously amusement.

"Ballpark? In matters of ability you might as well be playing an entirely different game. You see, Cyrus's second ability activates now. He is one of the most damaging angels in the entire game because of this. When he destroys a monster, that monster's attack points are deducted from the opponent's life points. Sorrow's Blade!" Ebony screamed as Cyrus jammed his spear into her gut, her life only saved by Blood draining itself to protect her. (ELP: 0)

Her vision swam in and out, and when she looked up she found Dalin standing directly above her. To her eyes it appeared as if he was a malevolent demon, grasping for her soul. "Leave me be! Please, don't kill me!"

"It's time you answer a few questions for me."

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Growling in annoyance he pressed the activation button for his duel disk, triggering it immediately. "You may not know who I am, but that won't stop me from walking all over you. I'll show you my power and you won't walk away from it at all."

Colin sneered, already assessing his hand. "Ken, you don't stand a chance. Let me show you exactly what I mean!" He drew, and smirked at whatever he saw.

"My name is Kai!"

Colin just shrugged and pressed a button on his duel disk, opening up the field card slot. "Whatever you say Kei, I'll still crush you. Activate field card, Cloning Vats!"

The darkness around them shifted, and they were suddenly in a giant laboratory, surrounded by massive cylinders filled with green liquid. Various half-formed creatures could be seen floating in them. "It's Kai, not Kei!"

"You know, I really don't care what your name is. I just want to finish you off and get this over with. So, first I'll explain Cloning Vats. Whenever either of us special summons a monster we create a Clone Token with the exact same stats and effect as the original. However, if the original is destroyed, so is the clone." Kai nodded, registering the effect and keeping it in mind.

"You…you'll barely survive my first turn with this hand. Activate Radiance Burst! For every increment of six hundred life points I pay I can special summon a certain monster from my deck to the field. So I pay eighteen hundred life points to special summon all three!" Energy seeped out of him, and three of his monster zones exploded into flames. (CLP: 2200)

"Meet the three Solar Flare Dragons(1500/1000 X3)! And since I special summoned them, two of them get clones! Cloning Vats, do your stuff!" Two nearby vats churned, bubbles forming in them, and after several seconds they exploded, letting two serpent-like creatures slump the ground. They shook themselves off and then their bodies ignited like the other three.

"With my monster zones full, I'll end my turn by setting one card face down. But now…now their effects activate! During the end phase of my turn each Solar Flare Dragon deals you five hundred damage. So now you take twenty-five hundred life points of damage!" Each dragon's maw opened wide and flames swirled out, surrounding Kai. (KLP: 1500)

When the flames cleared, Kai was revealed looking slightly toasted but otherwise still intact. He shook himself off, and then drew. "I won't let you crush me quickly, I'll break your strategy in this turn. One card face down, and then Card Destruction!"

Colin raised an eyebrow, surprised that Kai had just tossed away his opening hand so quickly. "Crappy hand huh? Well even if you get a better one, it won't do you a lot of good. You can't even attack the Solar Flare Dragons as long as I have a pyro monster on the field, and since they're all pyro, you can't attack."

Kai's eyes hardened and he snapped up one of the new cards he had drawn. "Shut up and watch! Tiny Pound Hammer lets me shuffle it and any amount of cards from my hand into my deck, and then I draw an equal amount. So here goes my whole hand!"

He shuffled the four cards into his deck and then drew again. At what he saw, he looked a bit more satisfied. "Like I said, I'll break you here and now. Monster Breaker(1600/1000) in attack mode! And since I normal summoned him he gets a counter, raising his attack by three hundred."

The black armored breaker raised his sword, the capped jewel glowing with the counter on it. "I sacrifice his counter to destroy one of the original Solar Flare Dragons!"

A slash of Monster Breaker's blade and the pyro dragon exploded, followed shortly after by its clone. "Next up, I activate my set normal magic card Spell Production! This creates one magic counter on a monster on my field."

Once more the breaker jewel was charged. "Monster Breaker, use your special ability again!" And just like before one of the originals exploded along with its clone, leaving just one Solar Flare Dragon on the field. Colin looked dutifully surprised.

"Monster Breaker, attack the final one!" The sword wielding spellcaster rushed forwards and with a quick slash of his sword decapitated the pyro dragon. That single strike left Colin's field devoid of monsters. (CLP: 2100)

"Lastly I set one card face down. Your turn Cameron." Colin snickered, not bothered by Kai's play on how he had kept mistaking his name.

Colin slid a card off his deck, and then directly into his duel disk. "I play the continuous magic card Special Delivery. This card counts all monsters I summon as special summons. Next I reveal my trap card, D.D. Tribute. I can now remove monsters from the game as tributes."

He held up a Solar Flare Dragon, which faded away to make room for his next monster. "Let's give a round of applause as my favorite monster makes its entrance. Big Bang Dragon(2200/1800)! And since it counted as a special summon I get a clone!"

In mere moments Colin had created two identical monsters, both dragons made completely out of fire, and each one staring over at Kai. "Big Bang Dragon's effect lets me forfeit its attack for the turn to blow up one card on the field. So I forfeit each one's attack to destroy the two cards on your field!"

Each of his fire dragons spat out a ball of flame, engulfing his set card and his monster and turning them instantly to ash. "With the presence of my two dragons you have no choice but to sit back and let me kill you, because if you even try to defend I'll just cut through your defenses with their effect!"

Kai grimaced, knowing that Colin was right. However, there just might be something he could do. Taking a single from Colin, who had finished his turn by setting a card face down, Kai started his own turn. "My turn, draw!"

Quickly he formulated a plan, and knew exactly what to do. "I set a monster in defense mode and one card face down. End turn!"

Colin smirked and shook a finger back and forth in a manner usually reserved for a mother scolding a child. "You obviously didn't listen to me when I said defending wouldn't work. Activate trap card, D.D. Tribute!"

Another Solar Flare Dragon faded away, and Colin slapped one of his hand cards down. "Meteor Dragon(1800/1600) in attack mode! Now Special Delivery and Cloning Vats make me another Meteor Dragon!"

Two fat bodied dragons, whose bodies did in fact look like meteors, stood to each side of the Big Bang Dragons. "I'll forfeit the attacks of my two Big Bang Dragons in order to destroy the two cards on your field!"

Both Kai's set card and his defense mode monster were blasted by the dragon's flames, leaving his field completely empty. "Meteor Dragon, direct attack!"

Kai reached his hand out and a card ejected from his cemetery. He held it out in front of him and energy lanced out, stabbing into the dragon. The dragon exploded immediately into dust, and the clone of it crumbled as well. "When I'm attacked directly I can activate Voice from the Dust from my grave to destroy the attacker."

Colin's eyes widened as he realized what had just happened. 'This guy…he deliberately defended knowing that I'd destroy his set card and forfeit my dragon's attacks. He lured me into a false sense of security so he could use Voice from the Dust!'

With that realization, he understood that his opponent was more skilled than he would have guessed. But for the life of him he still didn't recognize the guy's name. "If that won't work, I'll just play Polymerization! I fuse my two dragons together into Big Bang Twin Dragon(2600/2400)!"

The only difference in the new monster and its predecessors was that this pure flame dragon had two heads instead of one. "Since a fusion is a special summon, now I get another one!"

Now he had two powerful monsters, but since he had created them in his second main phase they couldn't attack this turn. "And unlike their previous selves, these guys can break two cards on your field at a cost of an attack. So with just them I can kill up to four cards on your field per turn!"

Kai frowned, knowing that he had to get rid of the opposing monsters quickly or risk defeat. But the exact method for doing that eluded him. "Turn start, now I draw!"

He stared down at his monster…and then slammed into onto his duel disk. "This monster…he's different from the rest of the breakers. Breaker the Sword Dancer(1600/1000) gains a counter when normal summoned, just like his brethren!"

A silver armored breaker, with its armor much sleeker and refined than the others was generated by the darkness. It held one curved sword in each hand, and eyed the dragons carefully. "Like his brethren he gains three hundred attack for each magic counter on him. But unlike them, his maximum isn't one. In fact…he has no maximum!"

Colin shrugged, looking bored. "So what? If that's his only effect it just means he can carry a lot of counters. At least your other breakers have useful effects. This one's pathetic."

"You don't get it at all. Because he has no counter limit, his attack power also has no limit, that's what makes him special. So I activate Magical Essence! This card lets me remove magic cards from the grave, up to five total, to place magic counters on monsters on the field!" Four cards slid out of his graveyard, revealing Spell Production, Card Destruction, Arc Burst, and Breaker's Sneak Attack.

Four points of energy merged with Breaker the Sword Dancer, raising his attack points to thirty-one hundred. "Now, he attacks the original, destroying it and the clone!"

He zipped forwards, slashing his swords, and then stopped directly in front of Colin. There was a brief pause, and then the two dragon's four heads dropped off, and they exploded into particles. "End turn." (CLP: 1600)

Colin growled in irritation, it was starting to bother him that this guy was taking him down like this. But still, the one card in his hand would give him victory as soon as he drew. "Get ready to make your way to defeat."

He drew, barely looking at the card before holding out his other. "I use Monster Reincarnation to pick up Solar Flare Dragon from the grave." He slid the activated card and the drawn card as cost, and then grabbed the pyro monster from his grave.

"I normal summon Solar Flare Dragon, and get a clone token. And together, they create the Solar Defense Burn Lock. You can't attack them, and they'll drain you of a thousand points each of my turns. So…I end!" As soon as he did, Kai was engulfed by twisters of fire just like he had been on Colin's first turn. (KLP: 500)

When the flames died out Kai was looking a little worse for wear, his flesh slightly singed and his clothes a bit charred. "You're good Colon, but it's not going to be enough. I'll defeat you right now for comparing me to Drake at all!"

He drew, and then slid the card into his grave almost immediately. "Mystic Study is the spellcaster's version of Reinforcements of the Army, in other words I get to add a level four or lower spellcaster from my deck to my hand!"

A card popped out of his deck and he caught it. "Now I summon Effect Breaker(1600/1000) who gains a counter and raises his attack!" This breaker wore blue robes and armor, his sword held high.

"Like his effect would suggest I can now remove his counter to remove the effect of one monster on the field. So I remove the effect of one of your Solar Flare Dragons, leaving it open to attack." The flames of the pyro monster died out, leaving it just as a serpentine monster.

Colin looked horrified as he realized just what that meant. "It looks like I underestimated you…Kai."

"You did, and for that it's time to bring you down. Breaker the Sword Dancer, attack Solar Flare Dragon for game!" Making an x-shape out of his two swords the silver armored monsters dove at the dragon and snapped its head completely off. (CLP: 0)

Colin dropped to his knees, looking up at Kai in astonishment. "You…do you think I could have beaten Drake?"

Kai paused, and then decided he would have to give an honest answer. "No."

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Unaware of how the others were doing in their duels, Hikari had only been able to focus on her duel. Her opponent had been decently skilled with his machine deck, but in the end Hikari had managed to finish him off with a blow from Hercules. "Why is it that so many of m opponent's use machines? I hate machines…"

"Perhaps it's fate. Perhaps it was something you should have seen coming, perhaps it's a sign that terrible things are about to happen. I wonder if you'd ever considered that?" Hikari jerked around as someone walked out of the darkness that had yet to fade.

He was handsome, and appeared to be a handful of years younger than her. Dark red hair framed his face, cascading wildly down to his shoulders, giving him an almost feral look. His eyes were an almost unnatural shade of blue, the color of a robin's egg. And as she had noticed first, he was very handsome. "Who are you?"

"Oh I'm just someone who is interested in the goings on of the world. I spend most of my time drifting about, in and out of the shadows to see what's going on. You could say that I'm a collector of information, someone who enjoys seeing what's going on and taking note of it. And I've taken note of you, because you used to live here." He smiled, looking quite happy and amused. Something about that smile chilled Hikari to the core.

"What do you mean I used to live here? This is only my second ever Darkness Game, so how could I have ever lived here?" The man tapped the side of his head, still looking happy and amused as he began to explain.

"When a person enters a coma, they're basically trapped in their own mind. At least if that coma is natural. But if the coma's source is supernatural, they are usually sent to one of several dozen different supernatural zones. The person who caused your coma obviously was experienced in the Darkness Games, and so you got sent here. I'm not surprised you don't remember your time here but…we've met before." She shook her head, still not quite sure she understood.

"We met? In the darkness? But seeing you doesn't bring back any memories, and I'm sure that those memories would have to be somewhere if it happened." A shiver ran up her spine as the man's smile widened, and he walked to within a few feet of her. Casually she stepped backwards.

"I'm not surprised you don't remember, because I didn't look like this before. As I said, I'm someone who travels through the shadows and makes it a business to know things and make sure certain things go as they should." Hikari eyed him cautiously as he extended a hand, still smiling that eerie smile of his.

Cautiously she accepted the hand, shaking it. He grinned ever wider as she released his hand and asked a question that had been dying to be asked. "What's your name anyways? All you've told me so far is some cryptic stuff about what you do."

"Me? Oh you can call me Ikijigoku, I like that." The moment he said the name, Hikari felt another chill run up her spine, and it seemed like the darkness began to freeze. Something about this man was more unnatural than the darkness she was in.

'Living Hell? What kind of person would be named that? Okay, something is officially not right here.' He didn't seem to be making any odd moves towards her, nor did he appear threatening at all. He was still smiling, and seemed to be doing so to placate her fears.

"So why did you come here? What's your interest in me?" Ikijigoku smiled and walked right up to her and tossed an arm around her shoulders, surprising her. She tried to jerk away, but his grip was incredibly powerful.

"I'm glad you asked that dear girl, because I've come to offer you a business deal. You see, as I said I'm a collector of information of sorts. So, any time I can get someone who has experienced the darkness to help me gather information it's really helpful. The more eyes and ears I have the better. So all you have to do is agree that whatever you hear and see will be granted to me as knowledge, and I can give you something in return." He smiled again, and the temperature in the darkness once more dropped by a few degrees.

"Like what? What could you offer me?" Ikijigoku chuckled and gestured with his right arm, the one not around her shoulders, at the expanse of darkness around them.

"I collect things Ms. Ihachi, that's something of a specialty. Anything in the darkness or in the world at all that you want, I can give it to you. All I ask in exchange is that you be a relay for information. It doesn't even require effort on your part, merely agreement. So, what do you say?" She mulled it over in her mind, the possibilities seemingly endless.

"Prove that it can be anything. Show me something that nobody could easily get their hands on. If you can give me anything, then that will be proof." He released her shoulder and clapped his hands together, looking happy and amused.

"Okay, I know just the thing. A trinket taken from the tombs of Egypt, buried deep under dozens of tons of sand after their purpose was served. None other than the Millennium Puzzle." He pulled his hands apart and, as if by magic (which it was), sat the golden upside down pyramid that Yugi Moto had known to have carried.

Hikari reached out and touched it, seeing that it was solid and not a fake. "So, what's the answer Ms. Ihachi? The deepest hidden desire of your heart can be yours on a whim, and all you have to do is say yes."

"Give me a minute, this isn't something I can just easily decide." Ikijigoku shrugged his shoulders, raising his hands as if to say 'think nothing of it'.

"Take all the time you want Ms. Ihachi. I've got all the time in the world…

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With the duels finished, and their opponents gone, unconscious, or soulless, the group reconvened in Dalin's living room. "As I was previously saying, there is someone we must locate in order to learn more about this Apocalypse. But locating him won't be easy."

Autumn raised a hand, and Dalin nodded to her like a teacher to a student. "Okay, but who is this guy that we need to find?"

"I can't even say that he is a 'guy'. This entity that we must find has been referred to throughout the millennia as The Puppeteer. His mere existence acts as a gravitational pull that has the world inevitably slouching towards Bethlehem. The Puppeteer's existence means that all events required for the Apocalypse to occur are carried out." Autumn lowered her hand, satisfied with the answer but confused.

Takuya learned forwards, rubbing his chin in thought. "So if we can find this Puppeteer, couldn't we just destroy it to prevent there from ever being Armageddon? That seems simpler than just asking it what this coming end of the world is and what's the source and how we stop it."

Drake sneered and kicked his feet up on the table, resting his arms behind his head. "Don't be naïve. You think that a being that has existed for possibly billions of years or more is something we can just kill? If it was killable it would probably have been destroyed ages ago."

Dalin sighed, hoping that he wouldn't have to prevent another fight from breaking out. "Drake is, unfortunately, correct. There is no guarantee that the Puppeteer is even a tangible being that we could fight, let alone kill. We just have to find the Puppeteer and learn what we need to know."

Since everyone else seemed to be taking their turn to say something, Ryu felt that now was his chance to ask a question. "Yeah, okay, I get that, but I've got a different question. What's the significance of those hot spots of darkness you mentioned?"

"I'm glad you asked. If these hot spots are leaks from some other plane of existence, one of evil, then removing the hot spots will most likely slow whatever is causing this. It seems that all it takes is a slight concentration of magic to do so. All we would need is to communicate with people capable of using magic all around the world and have them do so. That will be your job, as well as Autumn's." Ryu and Autumn glanced at each other, then turned away. They would do it for the world.

Hikari spoke up for the first time since they had reconvened, looking a bit apprehensive. "What about the rest of us? What will we be doing?"

Dalin began to speak again, pointing at each of them in turn as he named them. "You and I will be heading to Tibet in order to speak to a monk with the capability of seeing the rest of the world. Potentially he can give us more information on the Puppeteer."

He pivoted on his heel, addressing some of the others. "Takuya and Kai will go to New Zealand, where my studies have shown may be the location of a buried ancient artifact capable of recording all changes in the balance between darkness and light. It may prove pivotal."

Finally he turned to look at Drake, who was still sprawled out on easy chair, looking really arrogant and lazy. "Drake and Kirani will take a trip to Madrid, Spain. There, beneath the cathedral are buried many of their kings of old. Rumors have said that a book called The Concordance of Legends is buried with one of them. This book should have specific information about the Puppeteer and the Apocalypse. Finding it is critical to stopping the Apocalypse in its tracks."

The assembled men and women all looked at each other, gauging their reactions. There was a brief period of silence, and then Dalin spoke again. "I'll give you all files containing more specifics when you leave. Now, are there any questions?"

Ryu tentatively raised a hand, and Dalin immediately acknowledged him. "Yes Ryu?"

"Err…I was wondering again, what's with the filing cabinets?" Dalin responded with that bare smile that he usually used in place of a more genuine one. He pulled open one of the cabinets and reached inside, pulling out a folder. It was clearly labeled '1210-1220 C.E. Africa'.

"These files contain information I have gathered over the past six years, since after Battle City. Information recorded in them is on legends, history, and when possible actual records of events and mystical items, and other similar things. This research is how I know what I have told you. It was gathered with aid from Isis, as well as Kai's own efforts. Some of them also contain records I use personally, in order to uncover the truth of who I am." Ryu stared at him blankly for several seconds, and then finally decided to respond.

"You have a lot of time on your hands, don't you?"

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As all the others headed out, files in hand, Kai stayed behind to talk to Dalin briefly. "I've got some information I wanted to give you, but I'm not sure if it plays any relevance. This is a translation of a broken tablet my team found recently."

Dalin accepted the piece of paper that Kai handed him, and briefly read what was written there. Finally he spoke. "Thank you Kai, I'll take this into account. I'll pass it on to Isis and Rishid, as they are scouring Egypt and the Tomb Keepers for more information."

Bowing briefly, Kai turned to depart for his car, only stopping to say one last thing. "Does something seem wrong with Drake to you? He was acting a bit more…aggressive than usual."

"Something strange is going on, but his attitude is most likely caused by personal problems. I'm certain that Kirani will be able to keep him focused and on task when they depart for Madrid. We have more important things to worry about than Drake being grouchy." Kai stopped a grimace from coming on, knowing it wouldn't look right to act so negatively about a teammate at such a critical juncture.

As soon as Kai had gone, leaving Dalin as the only one there, Dalin spoke again. "You can come out now. Hiding is pointless."

The bushes rustled, and then someone clambered out. It was a blonde girl in a blue sun dress, pouting prettily. "I was that obvious huh? I thought I was getting better at hiding when I needed to."

"You've proven to be very sneaky time after time Alice, the fact that you're here at all attests to that. But you should know by now that few things slip by me." The blonde girl, obviously in her early twenties, smiled and latched onto Dalin's arm.

"Sumatin-senpai, can I help out? You know I'm a good duelist, after all, you've helped me out. I could be really useful to you." Dalin didn't even blink, as he had grown used to the girl's clingy manner.

"I'll consider giving you an assignment on one condition. Tell the rest of the fan club you formed that they aren't included." Alice pouted, gripping his upper arm even tighter. Of course the pouting didn't affect him; it never had and probably never would.

Stepping back she struck a pose, pointing up at the sky as she did so. "Of course, because I am after all the true ultimate Dalin Imaki Sumatin fan girl, Alice Terry!"

Dalin glanced at her briefly, and then walked back into his house. 'Somehow, this gets more annoying every time. And right now…the stakes are just too high to have her around. Alice, if you aren't careful you'll get yourself killed.'

He paused at the window, and then looked up, watching the stars. 'However, in a period of time when it seems that endless night is all that awaits us, I cannot find it in me to dash the spirits of a girl who is always full of light and life. She is perhaps my way of hoping that the world can continue despite the coming darkness.'

The hand that gripped his window sill tightened, causing the plaster to creak under his powerful grip. 'Nor do I have it in me to tell them that the Apocalypse is something we almost certainly cannot stop. I can feel the end of the world coming, and even our efforts may fall short of stopping it. It is…inevitable.'

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Author's Notes: And now for something completely different.

Next Time: The plan has been set in motion, but the wrong Drake is in on it. Meanwhile the original Drake finds his life twisted by Kirani's departure. But as more and more begins to happen to him, he is sent on a downward spiral towards a place of suffering in his soul.

See it all in, Downward Spiral!

Review Response

Time Mage: I explained some stuff to you, so you know that. As you can see, Kai did reveal his findings (which aren't very much btw).

G.O.T. Nick: Only a few actually, but one perfect method for preventing deck out.

The White Mage: Poor Kirani? Your logic for that one escapes me. Weren't you hoping for her to die just a chapter ago?

WolfGeneral: Perfectly understandable.