Chapter 39: The Information Seller

Invader of Darkness stood in the the throne room of the Gravekeeper's temple, the Goblin Force standing by the throne. Normally the Gravekeepers didn't allow anyone to sit in the throne. It was meant to be a symbol that represented the various late Pharaoh's. However, seeing as how all the Gravekeeper's were either killed or enslaved in the Different Dimension, they couldn't exactly protest it at the moment.

"Is it just me, or is he really late?" One of the goblins asked.

"Yeah! I want to crush some skulls already!" Another complained.

"Be patient. He'll arrive shortly." Invader of Darkness told them.

A few minutes passed beofre a portal opened up. A young man with blonde hair walked out. The man had a metallic right arm and right leg, and was wearing a tattered cloak over his body. He was holding a Duel Disk in his hands. Over one of his eyes was the Eyepatch Shadow Charm. "Sorry to keep you waiting." He said.

"Alright! Time to crash the human dimension!" A goblin yelled.

"You only brought one Duel Disk, Chain Thrasher." Invader of Darkness said.

"Nobody calls me that anymore. Anyway, I only gathered enough money to buy one. I haven't had a lot of time to make many deals in the human world." The blonde man answered.

"Wait, so only one of us can cause havok at the human world?" A goblin asked in disappointment.

"Can't we just go crush some skulls the old fashioned way?" Another asked.

"Thinking about it though, we only have one eyepatch. Only one of us could go either way." A goblin said.

Invader of Darkness stood up and walked to the blonde duel spirit. "I can grant you one month worth of extra freedom for this. However, do these next two tasks for me, and I can extend it by three more months."

"The more time away from the Different Dimension, the better. What do you need me to do?" The blonde man asked.

"It's simple." Invader of Darkness generated a glowing red sphere in his hand. The red sphere floated towards the cloaked duel spirit before going inside his body. "You'll need to go to the human world and find out how Giga Gagagigo can freely take physical form."


After classes, Damian walked through the hallway, heading to Sheppard's office. Damian wasn't surprised that he was called into the office. After all, last night he openly declared himself an enemy to the Key Keepers, and injured Crowler in a Shadow Game. 'Wonder if they'll expel me. Might make things a bit more annoying if that happens..' He thought to himself.

"Did you hear about the merger between North Academy and West Academy?"

Damian turned his head and saw two Obelisk Blue girls talking.

"Sort of. All the North Academy students have been transferred to West Academy, right?"

"Not exactly. The Princeton Brothers decided to tear down the old North Academy building, and are now sharing a building with West Academy. They're still treated as two different schools."

Damian raised an eyebrow at the news and shrugged. Looks like Chazz's brothers were sick of having a school in the arctic. He wondered how different things would go now that Jesse's gonna meet Axel and Viper beforehand. Then again, who knows if they'll even be in the dimension long enough for that to matter.

Damian walked into the office, seeing that Jaden, Chazz, Bastion, Alexis, Scott, and Ghassan were all there as well. And of course, the headmaster himself. "You wished to see me Sheppard?"

"Damian Abunura. According to Scott, you, him, and Ghassan are all from a dimension where our world is a work of fiction. Correct?" Sheppard asked.

Damian was surprised. It's not that he cared anymore whether or not the Key Keepers knew the truth. But he wasn't expecting Scott and Ghassan to have revealed it before him. "Yeah. What about it?"

The other students, sans Scott and Ghassan, were taken aback by Damian's answer. They weren't expecting him to confirm that so casually. "Wait, slow down. So this stuff about you three being from another dimension is true?" Alexis asked.

Damian nodded. "Naturally, we were shocked, and there's no way we could just say that. People would think we were mental."

"The money we had on us was only the equivalent of about 60,000 yen. Luckily for us, we were able to apply at Duel Academy and passed, so we had a roof over our heads. And with the money we got from selling Synchro and Xyz monsters online, money stopped being an issue for us." Scott said.

Bastion suddenly realized something. "Wait, so when Seto Kaiba came to duel you Ghassan..." Bastion began to say.

"Yeah. He wanted to question us about the sudden arrival of Synchro and Xyz monsters." Ghassan answered. "We answered questions from him and Pegasus, and they let us go."

"And you intend to use the Sacred Beasts to return to your home dimension?" Sheppard asked.

"That was his idea. We had nothing to do with that." Ghassan quickly said.

"We've been away from our home dimension for about half a year now. Our friends and family back home have to be worried sick about us." Damian said.

"But unleashing the Sacred Beasts could bring calamity to OUR home!" Alexis shot back. "Don't you know that?"

"I do." Damian answered. He didn't say anything else, but the implication was clear. Damian was more than willing to bring this dimension to ruin if it meant returning home.

Sheppard closed his eyes. "Quite honestly, I still find this hard to process. However, if you three come from a world where we're a television show, I take it that means you knew about the Shadow Riders?"

Damian nodded. "Not like we could have told you though. If we did, you'd immediately guess that we're part of the Shadow Riders."

'Though to be fair, that is the case.' Scott thought.

"Yes. I can understand why you didn't bring it up before. However, does that mean you know who the other Shadow Riders will be?" Sheppard asked. "Jaden and Ghassan have both beaten one of the Shadow Riders, but that still leaves five more. Apparently, you knew far more about our, erm, show than Ghassan or Scott did."

Ghassan and Scott were both pretty nervous while waiting for Damian's response. They didn't bring up anything about Kagemaru or the true ways to awaken the Sacred Beasts because that would be counterproductive to their own goals. But now that Damian's went renegade, who's to say he wouldn't expose them and Adrian here and now? Then again, Damian wants to awaken the Sacred Beasts himself, even if he's no longer working with The Light of Destruction. So maybe he won't tell them the whole truth.

"Sure. Well, there's been a bunch of changes from how the show went while the three of us were here, so I don't know if this will be the case. But within the show, other than Nightshroud and Camula, there was an amazonian woman named Tania, a duel spirit named Don Zaloog, a masked man named Titan, a pharaoh from ancient times called Abidos the Third, and Professor Banner."

Jaden, Chazz, Alexis, and Bastion were all stunned at the last name mentioned. "You mean...Banner is-" Jaden began to ask.

"Yeah. He's a Shadow Rider." Damian answered.

The room was silent for a while. Ghassan and Scott mentally let out sighs of relief. It was a good thing Damian didn't reveal that Sacred Beasts awaken through duel energy, or that the cards could be on the surface just fine. Otherwise Sheppard would just destroy the cards before they could be awakened.

Sheppard finally decided to break the silence. "Now for the matter about you in particular."

Damian saw this coming. "This is about the incident last night I take it?"

"Correct. You revealed yourself as a Shadow Duelist, endangered Professor Crowler's life, and announced that you're attempting to resurrect the Sacred Beasts. Normally I would have you not only expelled, but arrested and jailed."

"But then we brought some things up that led to second thoughts." Alexis said.

"Let me guess. The idea that Camula's hypnosis corrupted me?" Damian asked.

"Not quite. It's something that Chazz noticed during your duel with Giga Gagagigo, after the Nightshroud incident." Bastion said.

"Huh?" Damian asked.

"Nobody except for me and Chumley noticed it, but at the volcano a few nights ago, there were two Duel Spirits there. Invader of Darkness and Lightning Punisher."

"Oh right. You and Chumley were talking about them." Damian remembered.

"Anyway, after the end of the duel, Invader of Darkness stuck a hand inside Damian's body. Damian glowed with energy briefly before it faded, and then those duel spirits left alongside the lizard."

"Wait, Duel Spirits popped up after my duel with Nightshroud? How come I didn't see them?" Jaden asked.

"You were unconscious." Alexis reminded him.

"Oh yeah."

"Point is, I'm pretty sure that's the reason you changed so suddenly." Chazz told Damian.

Damian shrugged. He couldn't see Duel Spirits, so maybe that stuff did happen. "Could be. So, what's gonna happen?"

"Despite your goals, it would be fair to believe that the Shadow Riders would be an enemy of yours as well, correct? Your actions against Camula and how you intend to take the Sacred Beasts for yourself point in that direction." Sheppard said.

"I get what you're saying. You want to make an alliance with me. I help you take out the Shadow Riders for now, and then when they're dealt with, THAT'S when I face off against the Key Keepers."

"Correct." Sheppard answered.

This took the room by surprise. "Wait, we're making a deal with him? He nearly killed Crowler!" Scott pointed out.

"And if it was a Shadow Rider, Crowler WOULD have died. Damian's actions are deplorable, but right now, the Shadow Riders pose a greater threat. Additionally, given both his skills as a duelist along with his knowledge of our world, we would be able to know about the Shadow Riders' next moves. And given the probability that his mind has been corrupted, I can't punish him in good conscience. However, the decision doesn't rest solely on me." Sheppard turned to the other students. "Depending on how many of us agree to work with Damian will decide our course of action. If three or more of you agree with my decision, then we'll ally up with him. Otherwise, we'll expel Damian and have the authorities arrest him."

Sheppard turned back to Damian. "However, even if we decide to work with you, don't think it means you'll get off scott-free. You'll be under constant surveilance, and the only duels that will be allowed for you are during monthly exams and against Shadow Riders. In addition, you'll be confined to your dorm room during all periods of time except for meals and classes. If you break either of these conditions, you'll be expelled and arrested immediately."

"Fair enough I guess." Damian answered.

"Yeah, I'm absolutely against this idea." Scott said. "No offense Sheppard, but teaming up with someone who openly admitted to trying to awaken the Sacred Beasts just screams that he's going to betray us. Under surveilance or not, this is way too dangerous."

"I agree with Scott on this." Ghassan said.

"Seriously? But he's your brother!" Chazz said.

"Which is why it's for the best that he gets detained until we fix whatever's messing with his mind. Otherwise, he'll be putting both himself AND the other students in danger with the Shadow Duels he envokes."

Ghassan and Scott were both only being half honest. They did believe that it was a danger to make the alliance with Damian. But also, since he was against The Light of Destruction, they needed to make sure he wouldn't get in the way of The Light's plans. Having him detained would make sure he's out of the picture without needing to kill or brainwash him. However, it was looking more and more likely that situation might have to occur.

"Well I 'm going with Sheppard's idea." Bastion said. "We should try to fix whatever's corrupting his mind, not expel and jail him." Chazz nodded in agreement.

Alexis took a breath. "I...don't think we should take the deal."

"But Alexis, you saw that-" Chazz began to say.

"I know. I'm well aware that Damian isn't doing this by choice. And I agree with Bastion that we should ry to fix whatever's messing with his head as soon as we can."

"You know, you don't have to talk about me as if I'm not here." Damian spoke up.

Alexis ignored Damian. "But Ghassan and Scott are right. Whether or not he's as big as one as the Shadow Riders, Damian is still a threat. That doesn't mean I think we should expel him and get him arrested though. He could be placed in Belowski's personal dorm room indefinitely until we get everything cleared up."

"Who?" Chazz asked.

"Long story." Alexis told him. "The point is, getting him help and detaining him aren't mutually exclusive."

"Hmm. Fair point, but having Damian on our side would still be a tactical advantage due to his knowledge about our world." Bastion replied.

"I guess that's true. Still, I don't think I can agree with this plan."

"Well, it's all up to you now then Jaden." Bastion said.

Jaden paused for a little while. "I...think we should make the deal with him." Jaden decided.

"Surprised it took you that long to decide. Was expecting you to immediately say that." Scott said.

Jaden said nothing, but eyed Scott and Ghassan uncomfortably. 'Camula said that both of these guys are trying to cause the world's destruction. I'm sure Sy, Chumley, and Bastion don't believe her. I wouldn't believe it either but...' Jaden thought back to the aura that surrounded Scott during the triangle duel, and Ghassan during his duel with Camula. He still couldn't recall where, but the malicious energy of it was just all too familiar to him. 'Something tells me that anything they want would be more threatening than working with Damian.'

"Then it's settiled. Damian, you will continue your enrollment at Duel Academy. However, you will be confined to your dorm at all times with the exception of classes and meals. And during the few times you're out of your dorm room, you'll be under constant supervision." Sheppard said to Damian. "Do you understand?"

Damian nodded. "Will that be all then?"

"Yes. All of you may leave now." Sheppard told the students.

Damian left the office immediately. Soon, the key keepers began to leave as well. As Scott and Ghassan left, they both heard The Light of Destruction in their heads, telling them the same thing.

"It's official. First opportunity you can get him alone, you need to brainwash or kill Damian."


Chazz was lying in his dorm room bed during the evening. The weekend was coming to an end, but after all the crazy stuff that's been going on the past few days, it felt like it went to soon. Hearing about the Sacred Beasts, an attack from a cybernetic lizard, Damian's sudden change, an attack from a vampire, finding out about other dimensions. He needed some rest and relaxation. Of course, a Slifer Red dorm room wasn't exactly the most comfortable room to sleep in. How he missed the Obelisk dorm.

"Hey Chazz, you there?" Jaden's voice asked from outside.

"What is it, slacker?" Chazz asked.

Jaden opened the door to Chazz's room. "I think we're about to be attacked." Jaden answered.

Chazz widened his eyes and rose upwards. "Wait, what?!"

Chazz and Jaden immediately ran out of the dorm. Jaden turned around, and pointed to the roof of the dorm. "You see that?"

Chazz took a look. Floating above the dorm was a transparent cloaked figure, looking around the area. "A duel spirit." Chazz said.

"Yeah, but take a look at what's in his hand." Jaden said. Held in D.D Survivor's right arm was an eyepatch made out of yellow metal. In the center of it was the Eye of Wdjat. "That's the same symbol as my pendant and Camula's choker."

"A Shadow Rider huh? When did you notice him?"

"Just a couple minutes ago. I was coming back from detention for sleeping in class all the time, and Winged Kuriboh pointed him out to me. You were the first person I told since you were the closest Key Keeper here."

The spirit of Ojama Yellow appeared next to Chazz. "Hey, I know that guy! That's the info seller, D.D Survivor."

"Info seller?" Jaden asked.

Ojama Yellow nodded. "He's a Duel Spirit who's been memorizing the ins and outs of all the spirit worlds. He has a lot of info, and he sells it to other spirits for any goods or services he feels like having. But he almost never shows interest in the human world."

"I don't care if he's a merchant or a king. If he's a Shadow Rider, he's going down." Chazz turned to the duel spirit. "Hey, Shadow Rider!"

The duel spirit turned down to Chazz and Jaden. "Are you talking to me?"

"Who else would I be talking to?"

D.D Survivor floated to the ground. "Well for starters, I'm not a Shadow Rider."

"Huh? But you have a Shadow Charm." Jaden pointed out.

D.D Survivor smiled before he put the eyepatch on. He slowly became less transparent, before physically appearing within the plane of existence. "This eyepatch was stolen form the Shadow Riders by another duel spirit, Giga Gagagigo. A series of events just led it to make it's way to me."

Chazz widened his eyes. "That's the lizard monster that attacked us a few nights ago."

"Hey, by any chance, do you know where my brothers are?" Ojama Yellow asked.

"And what are you even doing here anyway if you're not a Shadow Rider?" Chazz demanded.

D.D Survivor turned around. "Information isn't free. I can answer both of those questions. But it'll come at a price."


D.D Survivor was sitting in the dorm room of Jaden, Syrus, and Chumley, eating from a plate of fried shrimp. "Mph! Even better than I was expecting!" D.D Survivor said enthusiastically.

Chazz, Syrus, and Chumley weren't quite sure how to react. Jaden however was hapilly eating alongside the duel spirit. "Yeah, these are pretty good huh?"

"So...you're really a duel spirit?" Chumley asked.

D.D Survivor swallowed what was in his mouth. "Yeah. I take it this is your first time seeing one with a physical form?"

"Well, second time." Syrus answered. "First time was this creature called Giga Gagagigo that attacked us a little while back Second time was yesterday when we are dragged to this weird world where monsters were real. Jaden dueled against a spirit called Kaibaman."

"Me, Chazz, and Chumley can see duel spirits. But it's still kinda weird to see them have a physical form." Jaden said.

D.D Survivor nodded. "Well, thanks for the food. Been far too long since I had a cooked meal."

"So, you gonna answer why you're here or what?" Chazz asked.

"And if you know where my brothers are." Ojama Yellow said.

D.D Survivor took off his eyepatch. Soon, he returned to his spiritual form. "What the-?" Syrus reacted, no longer able to see him.

"This eyepatch prevents me from seeing duel spirits for myself. Anyway, first the Ojama's question. I don't know if they're there for sure, but I noticed that there's a well on this island where several duel spritis are trapped in. That's probably a good place to start."

"Alright! You hear that boss?! We finally have a lead!"

"I'm so happy for you." Chazz said sarcastically.

"How did you find that out so fast anyway? Didn't you just come to this island?" Chumley asked.

"Directly anyway. However, I regularly send drones across the worlds I gather information about. You know them as the monster, D.D Scout Plane."

"And they return the information to you?" Jaden asked. D.D Survivor nodded.

Things were fairly weird for Syrus. Seeing as how he couldn't see Ojama Yellow's or D.D Survivor's spirit, he wasn't able to follow what the conversation was about.

"So, what about for why you're here?" Jaden asked.

D.D Survivor put the eyepatch back on, returning to a physical presence once again. "It actually relates to something that was brought up earlier. The monster Giga Gagagigo."

"You know him?" Chumley asked.

"Not personally. But I've heard how he was able to come to the human world while having a physical presence. WITHOUT this Shadow Charm."

"I get it. You want to find out how he did that." Chazz said.

"Correct."

"But what for?" Syrus asked.

D.D Survivor shrugged. "My employer wants to know how to do it." D.D Survivor stood up. "Anyway, I'm off. It was nice meeting you guys." D.D Surviovr was about to take off his eyepatch, but Chazz stood up.

"Hold on a second. So your employer knows about Gagagigo coming here?"

"Hm? Well, yes. That's why I was hired to get information."

Chumley realized where Chazz was going with this. "That cloaked duel spirit back at the volcano...he's the one who hired you, isn't he?!"

"You're working for the duel spirit that made Damian go insane!" Chazz accused.

D.D Survivor raised an eyebrow before sighing. "Shame. I really was grateful for the food." D.D Survivor held out his mechanical arm in front of the Slifers, a crimson red orb being generated from it.

"What the-?!" Syrus reacted.

D.D Survivor fired the orb. Crimson energy engulfed the room


Jaden was coming back into consciousness., rising up "Ugh...what was that about?"

"Kuri, kuri, kuri!" Winged Kuriboh's voice said.

Jaden opened his eyes and turned to his duel spirit. "Hey pal. Looks like we're..." Jaden noticed that Winged Kuriboh was no longer transparent. It had a physical form, just like when the four were dragged into the Spirit World by Kaibaman. The second thing he noticed was the area they were in. He was in a strange blue and black void with a grid-like pattern all over it.

"Where are we?" Jaden asked.

"Boss! Boss, you ok!?" Ojama's Yellow voice asked. Jaden turned his head and saw that Chazz, Chumley and Syrus, were unconscious nearby him. However, Chazz was slowly rising up. Des Koala was standing over Chumley, looking at him in worry.

"Can it already." Chazz told the Ojama. Chazz stood up and turned to Jaden. "That duel spirit must have sent us here."

"But...what is this place?" Jaden asked.

"You're up earlier than expected." Jaden and Chazz turned around. The area from where the voice came from began to morph before D.D Survivor walked out of it. "Normally, humans would be out cold for three days before waking up. Maybe those keys that you're wearing are giving you protection."

"Why'd you bring us here?!" Chazz demanded.

"I told you. You know my employer. Can't let you give others a warning."

"What is this place anyway?" Ojama Yellow asked.

"The Different Dimension. It's entrance to be more specific. You can leave by drifting forward a bit, but all that'll do is have you arrive in the Different Dimension itself."

"But you know how to get to OUR dimension, right?" Chazz asked. He got out his duel disk, and put it on his arm. "If I win, you send us back home."

"Why would I agree to that? I already have you out of the picture."

Chazz gritted his teeth. "You bastard!" Chazz charged at the Duel Spirit, but suddenly found himself back to where he was standing. "What the-?!"

"How did that-" Jaden began to ask.

D.D Survivor turned around. "You can head to the Different Dimension, or stay here drifting for eternity. You won't have to worry about eating or drinking while here. It's your choice at the end of the day." The area around D.D Survivor morphed before he suddenly vanished.

Jadnen and Chazz didn't know what to do. They were completely stranded.


Damian headed back to his dorm room after eating dinner. He was followed by security of course. Kinda sucked that his movements were so restricted, but given what happened with Crowler, he suppose he should have been grateful that he even had this much freedom.

Damian laid down on his bed for a few minutes before he heard a ringing on his PDA, answering it . "Hello?"

"You knoq, the plan was supposed to be that YOU picked it up." Adrian's voice said over the PDA.

"Hey, I didn't know that I was gonna be put under house arrest." Damian replied. "Still, I set up the meeting with him, didn't I? Did you get his gift by the way?"


Adrian was standing in a cave. Behind him was Kagemaru's stasis tub, tipped over on the cave foor. Next to it was a balding old man with a huge white beard, lying on the ground. Smoke was emitting from the machine. Sticking out from it was the card Short Circuit. "I'm about to. I had plans to do it weeks ago anyway." Adrian said.

Adrian hung up and walked up to the old man. "Personally, I was hoping I wouldn't have had to kill you directly Kagemaru. Originally, Damian really was going to be the one meeting you, but it is what it is."

Kagemaru let out a weak groan. "What...what do you have to do with any of this? Are you from the same dimension as those three boys?"

Adrian shook his head. "No. Just a guy with a little knowledge of the future." Adrian kneeled down and took of a ring from Kagemaru's finger that had the Eye of Wdjat. Kagemaru's Shadow Charm.

"Ugh...what's your aim? Going to use the Shadow Charm to stop the other Shadow Riders?" Kagemaru asked.

Adrian shook his head. "You don't get it. I'm after the same thing as you, the Sacred Beasts. Only difference is, I'm not gonna work for you to get it."

"Hmph. Just like that Damian boy. But if you're not from another dimension, what are you going to use the Sacred Beasts for? Are you doing this just to try and get your friends back t their home?"

"I only have one friend, and it's definitely not any of those three."

"You still..." Kagemaru winced in pain. "You still didn't answer my question. Why do you intend to use my Shadow Charm for?"

Adrian put the Shadow Charm in his pocket. "You were planning on using your Shadow Charm to kill Jaden Yuki and obtain his Gentle Darkness, right? Let's just say you're not the only one with that plan."

Kagemaru chuckled a little bit. "A lot of coincidences, huh? Intending to awaken the Sacred Beasts, intending to steal Jaden Yuki's power of darkness. I even planned on killing Damian at this meeting, just like how you plan to kill me. Still, your goals can't be entirely the same as mine. You're already plenty young as is. I doubt you need your youth restored."

"You're right. I don't care about immortality. I care about changing the world." Adrian kneeled down and put a hand over Kagemaru's neck. "Anymore questions?"

Kagemaru sighed. "No more questions. Only regrets."

Adrian tightened his grip over Kagemaru, choking him. Kagemaru flailed, but he was far too weak to escape Adrian's grip. A few minutes passed before Kagemaru stopped struggling. Adrian let go, and put two fingers over Kagemaru's neck. No pulse.

"Looks like that's over with." Adrian stood up and walked towards the exit of the cave. 'Just wait a little longer Echo. I'm going to save you.'


No dueling this chapter, but quite a bit has happened. Initially, the plan was that D.D Survivor would have confronted the Slifers in one of the Spirit Worlds shortly after Jaden's duel against Kaibaman. Part of me wishes I still done it, but ultimately, I decided against it due to not having a good reason for why D.D Survivor would be go there to begin with given his mission.

Jaden, Chazz, Syrus, and Chumley are stranded in a dimensional void, and Adrian has succesfully killed Kagemaru and stolen his Shadow Charm. Meanwhile, The Light of Destruction is ordering Ghassan and Scott to eliminate Damian as a threat. What's gonna happen next? And what are Invader of Darkness' plans?

Hope you enjoyed the chapter and are looking forward to the next one!