Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the characters from Yu-Gi-Oh or GX. However, the OC's and the fantasy world in which they live are of my creation. Thanks to Aisa Bellvard for the fan art!


Part 1:

The Heart of Helios


Zane


May 5th

Year 17 4AOS

Billionaire. Good looking. Quiet. Those were just a couple of words to describe the future Steward of Eredas, Zane of House Truesdale.

At a young age, Zane was groomed to become the Right Hand of the King as the Steward of Eredas. For generations, House Truesdale had served the Daltons, and soon it would be Zane's time, for his father promised that if anything were to happen to King Eldon, he would step down as Steward and bless Zane with that title, with the family's legendary Cyber Dragon deck serving as his badge of office. Zane benefited a lot from this prestigious title he would soon earn.

Three years had passed since he graduated Duel Academia — the most prestigious Dueling high school on the continent. These days he walked about the streets in flashy clothes and drove expensive cars to various dueling arenas so he could play in the daily tournaments held there, and destroy the competition with his beloved Cyber Dragons.

But despite rolling around in such luxury, Zane was someone who prefers to keep to himself.

The press - like leeches, feeding off the lifestyle of the Dalton Royal Family and their Stewards - sadly did not find him walking out of theatres, casinos, or clubs with a gorgeous model in each arm. No, instead, he would calmly walk out of libraries, museums, and art galleries alone or with his friend, Michael Dalton the Crown Prince of Eredas and ruler of Domino City.

Zane and Prince Michael were quite the duo. A brotherhood forged since the day they were born. Be it the royal court, the streets, or even the battlefield during the Gate Wars, Zane and Prince Michael were inseparable.

Some nights (If they got bored) they gathered armies of magicians, summoners, and wizards downtown to battle the threat of mage gangs known as the Aeons.

Zane was neither a magician, a wizard, or a summoner, so he let his Cyber Dragons do the talking in Duels.

Zane's Dueling skills were top-tier; said to rival that of Seto Kaiba and even Yugi Muto, with an impressive undefeated streak at the academy.

Now, he would advance to the university levels and learn new methods of Dueling, magic, and politics so he, along with his peers, could grow to become good leaders in the future. Zane was good with the politics of the kingdom, but it was in Duel Monsters were he excelled most of all.

For this, the Aeons never really stuck to their end of the bargain per terms of the Duel because, to the surprise of no one, Zane always won. They would go into a rage and attack, not that it mattered to Zane. If things got heated up -and the always did-, Michael and his army would deal with the gangs with their magic.

The gangs almost always ran when their leader ordered them to attack. They ran from Michael especially, due to his strange ties with the paranormal. His ability to conjure strange beasts from the realm of shadows known as Pandemonium sent the troublemakers into a panic and flee from battle, thus freeing many districts from their control.

Zane's involvement in the turf wars against the gangs painted a huge target on his head. The Aeons wanted blood. His blood. And they would gather their best officers together to devise a plan that would change Zane's life forever, and transform him into one of Domino City's greatest heroes.


It all began one rainy summer's eve, a year before the return of the Exiled Prince. This night was important because it was the birthday of a dear friend of his.

Alexis Rhodes the Princess of Lorin and ruler of the Principality of Aquarius.

Thanks to the media, romantic rumors about the two friends spread like wildfire. They are seen walking out of malls and having lunch together by the sea when Alexis's mother arrived on her seasonal visits to the city.

The pair were often seen having strolls through the flowers and hedges of the lavish Dragon Gardens District; Zane sometimes blessing the beautiful princess with an occasional rose. When studying at Duel Academia, they were always spotted standing by the lighthouse at night where they would talk until the wee hours of the morning.

Some well-known members of the press often say the both of them have a 'thing' for each other. Don't pay them no mind. Zane and Alexis are nothing more than close friends. But what are celebrities without the occasional gossip every now and then, right?

"Trying to woo me again are we?" Alexis said, opening her gift. A bracelet made of diamonds and glowing mana crystals. "Must have cost you a fortune."

"It was on sale," Zane assured her, steering his sleek, stealth-black, car through the streets of the Dragon Gardens District.

He followed the GPS on his dashboard, trying really hard to find the bar Alexis wanted to go to and celebrate. It was hard for him to keep his eyes on the road with her sitting next to him. Especially in that short, white party dress with the plunging open back that she was wearing.

Her tiara, worth a million in Star Chips, glittered on her head, as did the stilettos on her feet covered in real diamonds and mother of pearl. She looked like an angel sent forth from the Goddess of Love herself.

She sensed him looking at her and glanced at him with a smile. "What?"

Zane cleared his throat. "I know how much you've always wanted one," he said referring to his gift. "If I'm not mistaken, that will boost your Mana by a significant amount. You can finally summon something a lot more impressive, I wager."

Alexis gave a soft breathy laugh and put on the bracelet. "You're not going to stop until I summon a Cyber Blader, are you?"

"I just want my friend to be the best," said Zane. "Nothing criminal about that, is there?"

"No, but A) Ever since I told you I had an interest in the arts of Summoning, you've showered me with trinkets that boost Mana. And B) You are going to tug on the heartstrings of your fangirls and create a hubbub on their blogs. I can't even hold your hand without it becoming headline news. You know, there are rumors going around about marriage."

The car jerked as Zane hit the breaks. Alexis felt herself being strangled by her seatbelt. The car behind them honked at the sudden breaking.

"Yeah," Alexis said, confirming what she just said. "They're calling our pairing Zalexis."

Zane grunted. A flash of lightning lit the cityscape. "Don't these people have anything better to do than to poke their noses where it doesn't belong? I'm getting awfully tired of this. And your mother doesn't like me. My family served as a White Rose in the civil war thousands of years ago. The honor of the Red Rose still burns hot inside of her. Every time I come to dinner, she gives me this horrible stare."

Alexis burst out laughing.

"I'm serious," said Zane, fixing his black tie, which he felt was starting to strangle him. "Every time these losers post an article about us, things escalate between me and your mother."

"She still loves you," Alexis answered, looking out the rain-splattered window, marveling at all the different night clubs to enjoy. She just hoped Zane would park soon so they can relish in Domino's nightlife themselves. "And she always will. Don't let that silly War of the Southern Roses bother you too much. My family is over that. The Daltons were White Roses, too, but she still sees them as an ally to the kingdom. She won't let past differences get between us."

"She will if it involves her beloved little girl," Zane added. "Ever since Atticus disappeared, she's been awfully protective of you and your purity. She'll have my head if she finds out I'm taking you to a nightclub. You know she hates you going to those places. Quite frankly, so do I. It's no place for a lady, let alone a Princess."

"Don't worry about me and don't mind her," said Alexis. "Atticus's disappearance was a severe blow to my family. He was to be king after all. Don't blame her if she becomes…selective of the people I meet. Especially the men of my life."

"What if those men included Prince Yuri?" Zane asked.

Alexis's fingers curled up. The rings flashed. One of them was a beautiful signet she got from the King of Games himself, Master Yugi Muto.

"That's a little too deep," she replied. "Territory I'd rather not go into. Evelyn is already having to deal with that. Poor thing."

Zane chuckled. "Despite him being a Delgado, he was adopted by a member of House Wallcroft. He's a Plantegrast from a certain point of view. A Red Rose like your mother. I'm pretty sure once Yuri comes back, she'll have you join in on the Princess Wars to secure your right to him."

"Those wars are crap," Alexis replied spitefully. "Hundreds of knights and thousands of brave warriors are dying in droves because of spoiled princesses fighting to marry the Prince."

"Not just any Prince," said Zane. "Yuri is THE Prince. The Prince who will become High King of Termnnia and master of the God Cards. Not to mention the billions and billions of tons of gold in the old vaults underneath the Spire of the Kings could do well for your economy. Yuri is a fine prize for any girl to marry. Even you."

"No thanks," Alexis said, shutting her eyes and sticking her nose in the air. "My only love is Dueling."

"You really are the Ice Princess," laughed Zane. "No one can get through to that cold crystal you call a heart."

"Ha!" Alexis said, snapping her fingers."And I intend to keep it that way. I belong to no man, and neither does my kingdom. I can rule it myself without any help."

"If you say so," said Zane, trying to quickly think of another topic. "So, you geared up for Broxiton University? Prince Yuri is going to be there."

"I am, but Mother wants me in the White Dragon Dorm next time. I have to attend that fancy prep school called Rosenkruz in order to join."

"Same here," said Zane.

"Really? That's good. I got word that Jaden and the others might be there, too. Luckily, Evelyn is going as well, so I won't be alone. As for Prince Yuri joining us in Broxiton, I don't care."

Zane lightly snorted and made a left turn towards a plaza full of fountains. "Of course you don't," he said.

Alexis shook her head. "Are you studying to be in the dorm, too?"

"I'm already there," Zane said, stopping in front a black truck that halted for the red light.

"Good graces of Prince Michael's father, no doubt," Alexis replied whimsically.

"Very funny," laughed Zane. "I'll have you know Michael and I studied for a long time to get into that dorm."

"I'm not sure blowing up gangs of rogue mages is considered a curriculum for the dorm."

They were quiet after that remark. Zane listened to the rhythmic sound of the wipers against the window, and the soft tapping of the rain against the roof of his car. Alexis knew this red light was infamous for taking the longest to turn, so she took this time to re-apply her makeup in the mirror. She looked at Zane and saw that he looked a tad worried.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Zane drummed his fingers against the steering wheel. "The light turned green a minute ago. This guy is still not moving."

"Honk at him."

"No...no, we need to get out of here. I have a bad feeling about this."

Alexis felt a chill going up her frame. She started to shiver in fear from the expression of concern Zane had. "Zane? Zane, what's wrong?"

"I'm going to try and back up,"

"ZANE!"

Before Zane could react, it was too late. A black van stormed out of the alleyway next to them and smashed into their car, causing it to roll towards a garden nearby.

Zane and Alexis hung upside down from their seats. Their heads were burning and their limbs ached.

"You okay?" grunted Zane.

"No...no, I'm far from okay," Alexis answered.

Zane heard the sound of doors opening, followed by footsteps and victorious laughing. Then silence. Zane had a feeling he knew who the assailants were. Aeons. Only they would be this bold to attack the Princess and the son of the Steward. He felt foolish for dodging their security. He wasn't as clever as Prince Michael when it came to that.

Even if Michael was unfortunate enough to be caught in an ambush, at least he had powerful spells and a Terrorking Archfiend to protect him from his enemies. Zane only had a pistol and a dagger enchanted with lightning. But he couldn't reach for it. His elbow was in ever constant pain. He looked at Alexis.

She was struggling to get herself down. Her party dress was torn and stained with drops of blood. The left side of her face was covered by it. From the shattered window, Zane saw dozens of pairs of feet making their way towards the car.

"Alexis!" Zane groaned. He spat out blood. "Alexis! Run! Get out of here."

"I can't," Alexis sobbed. "Oh, Goddesses! Help us!"

The door was pulled open. Like tentacles from a monster, hands slithered into the car, grabbing her. Someone cut her seatbelt. She slumped to the roof of the car, her legs sticking straight up; for both her feet were stuck to the floor. Alexis tossed and turned, moaning in agony before she was finally dragged out, kicking and screaming.

"ZANE!" she cried. "ZANE! ZANE, THEY'RE TAKING ME AWAY!"

Zane tried to reach out to her, but the world around him was one big, foggy, blur. He heard the Aeons laughing, jeering, and whistling as the Princess was finally in their clutches. Someone doused a cloth in chloroform and smashed against Alexis's mouth.

She gasped. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head before she finally fell limp. A nine-foot-tall brute sporting a blue mohawk and wearing a sleeveless vest glowing with blue neon streaks lifted her over his shoulder and carried her to a nearby van, where he unceremoniously tossed her inside. He and a few others jumped inside.

Though he was horribly dazed, Zane heard someone in the van calling out a reward for the person who brought him Zane's head. A door was shut and the van chugged away. And then, he heard what sounded like a cord getting yanked fiercely and the brief hum of an engine.

Damn! Zane knew what that was. Someone outside the car was revving up a chainsaw. The Aeons were cheering. They started rocking the car back and forth in an attempt to scare him. Finally, the door swung open.

The gang of mages ripped him out of the car, dragging him through the mud. Some of them conjured balls of electricity to zap him. Others snapped their fingers, creating flames which they used to burn his clothes and his skin. They finally dragged him to a tree stump and slammed him against it. A punk wearing glowing red goggles held his arms and stretched them across the stump.

Finally, the maniac with the chainsaw came into view. He giggled viciously and swung the chainsaw around to intimidate him. Just when Zane thought it was over, the maniac was hit by an icy blast of absolute zero. He stood where he was, frozen rock solid. Then, a spray of bullets shattered him to small, bloody pieces.

A girl in tactical gear jumped over the wall of the garden where Zane crashed. She carried a SAW in one hand, while the other blasted the Aeons with deadly ice spells.

"Crowe," Zane whispered.

Somehow, by some miracle, Prince Michael's hardboiled love interest had found him, and saved him. But what about Alexis? Where was she? Did she save her, too? He couldn't see her take down the fools, for he was so overcome with the shock of almost losing his life that he blacked out.


"He's waking up!" Crowe shouted.

Zane squinted and grunted. Her voice seemed amplified as though she was yelling into his ear with a bullhorn.

"Not so loud," Michael said, leaning against a pillar of black marble, one of many in his bedchambers, which seemed large enough to be a city plaza. "He's still dazed from the drugs the doc gave him."

Zane's eyes finally opened. Above him hung a crystal chandelier from the ceiling many feet high made of green marble. He realized he was laying in Michael's bed. And he was naked, save for a few bandages across his abdomen.

"Michael," he whispered.

"You screwed up," Michael said. He held out his arm. Something clear and translucent landed on it. It finally took shape in a winged beast with feathers of silverly steel. A Yata-Garasu. It squawked at Zane.

Michael approached his friend. He was clad in a shadowy black blazer and tie with a black cloak damasked in gold patterns hanging over his shoulder. His crown shimmered like flames on his brow. The devil-lock hanging over the left side of his face swung to-and-fro with each step he took.

"Why did you dodge security?"

"It wasn't my idea," Zane groaned, slamming his head against his pillow. "I...I knew better. But that girl has a way with words."

"Taught her everything I know," Crowe boasted, sucking on a blueberry-flavored lollipop. "What did she want to do with you so bad that she didn't want the guards seeing you?"

"It's not what you think," said Zane.

"In any case, the Aeons have Alexis," Michael said grimly, stroking the feathers on Yata-Garasu's chest. "We need to do something now, or else the Queen is going to send every soldier she has into Elleria. I know Daria Rhodes well. She will burn Domino City to the ground in order to find her daughter. If my father sees her with her troops at our doorstep, he's going to take that as an act of war."

"So what do we do now?" said Crowe. She scratched her short, ragged, black hair and sighed. "The Queen wants little Alexis back home safe and sound by Monday, which gives us three days to find her."

"We have to do what we need to," said Michael. "We gather our friends and march downtown."

"I seriously doubt King is going to keep her in the usual spots," said Crowe, finally crunching on the lollipop. "He's smarter than that. He must have taken her somewhere else."

"You give the Aeons too much credit," Michael said pretentiously, spinning around as he strolled towards the window. His cloak wooshed.

"And you don't take them seriously enough," said Zane. "They were smart enough to coordinate an attack to steal Alexis."

"A plan that wouldn't have succeeded had you not avoided your security escorts," said Michael. "Either way, we've got the whereabouts of a van matching the one you saw parking in an old fish-packing plant."

"I'll go with you," grunted Zane.

"You will do no such thing," said Michael. "You sit here and rest. We'll get Alexis back ourselves."

"But…"

"Zane," Crowe said, slowly shaking her head. "No. Be a good boy and get some sleep. You can't take on the Aeons anyway, you can't cast magic. Hey, Michael. Rock, and the others are waiting for us downtown. Let's meet up with them and kick some Aeon ass."

Yata-Garasu squawked and beat his feathers eagerly, for he wanted to claw out their eyes.

She made her way for the door out of Michael's chambers. Michael patted Zane on the shoulder and followed her out, leaving him alone.

"Damn," Zane whispered, collapsing against the silky pillows. "You've really done it this time, Zane. Queen Daria's going to have my head for sure. Alexis is in the clutches of those monsters and there's nothing I can do about it." His eyes suddenly widened. "Unless."

Zane quickly got dressed and left Michael's bedchambers. He took the elevator up to the 80th floor of the House of Gray and marched to his room. Holographic screens turned on all around him once he walked in.

"Begin the final stage of Project Cyber Knight," he commanded the robotic arms that whirred around the grand chamber.

Zane took a quick shower as the machines and his AI, Nel-E, were putting the final adjustments to the machine he was working on.

"There is still much to do," Nel-E said urgently. "Sir, there is no way the weapon will be combat-ready now. There is still much to be done."

"Just do what you can," said Zane, coming out of the bathroom, cloaked in a fog of steam. "My friend is out there and she needs my help."

"You dodged security again, didn't you?" Nel-E asked,

"Nel-E…"

"Was Princess Rhodes with you?"

"Nel-E…."

"You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Zane. It was your duty to protect her."

"Get to work!"

"Ugh, so bossy. Your father will have me scrapped if he found out we were using resources from his lab to make weapons."

"Seriously?" Zane said, dressing into a black tank top and black cargo pants. "We've been working on this project for months and you worry about this now. What else is needed to be done?"

He put on a holo-lens which flashed windows of data, graphs, and charts with complicated mathematical formulas that he was able to do in his head. "Looks easy enough."

"I wish I shared your confidence," said Nel-E.

"You need to be positive, Nel-E."

"You be positive, sir. I'm going to be realistic. Your tools are already on the desk. May the Goddesses be with you."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Zane said, sitting down on his chair. An orange holographic keyboard projected in front of him. He started typing up a storm and searched through his files for the weapon he was developing.

"Coffee?" Nel-E asked.

"Caramel, make it very sweet as always."

"At once, sir."

A robotic arm lowered from the ceiling with a black mug in hand. Zane took it as he typed with one hand. "Thank you," he said and took a large sip.

"Not bad," said Nel-E, examining the improvements to the plans for his machine. "I think we might be able to pull this off."

"I told you not to doubt me," Zane chuckled. "Alright. Let's see what we have so far."

He got up from his chair after making a few - actually a hundred - minor adjustments to the weapon. A metallic pod slid out of the wall and opened, revealing a crude but highly advanced exoskeleton, which he needed to control the weapon, now being assembled in the upper levels of Zane's room.

He put it on, checked the systems, its functionality. It was working just fine.

"I detect damage to your rib," said Nel-E. "Have you been injured?"

"It's just a bruise," Zane replied, moving his arms and legs. The exoskeleton moved with him fluidly. It was working flawlessly. "Nice."

He lifted his arm. A photon cannon rose out of the gauntlet. He fired a few shots at empty soda cans he set up on a shelf. Again, his inventions were working at maximum efficiency.

"Why does your father not hire you to work with him again? This is nothing short of amazing."

"I'm too good," said Zane. "Even he acknowledges that. Besides, some of the things I build both amaze and terrify even me. I'd rather not have them sold to companies like Paradias or Rosenkraz. Some of my father's buyers support the Church of Yeyu. The last thing we need is for them to get their hands on my work. Last time that happened, the Church wiped out the Mountain Elves of the Selnandra Peaks. They were all using machines based on prototypes I gave my father. I'll never forgive myself for that."

He started hammering a steel plate that was going to be used for the body. Sparks flew out of it. The hammer itself was enchanted with molten flames.

"It wasn't your fault," Nel-E said sympathetically.

"I built weapons, Nel-E. I knew what they were capable of. I didn't care for limitations. My mind was pumped with too much knowledge for it to be restrained. If there's a barrier, I intend to break it. You now that more than anyone. People have suffered for that. I intend to fix my mistakes with this."

"Good luck to you, sir."

Zane hurried upstairs to the second floor of his lab where the mechanical beast he was building for months was finally coming to life. He heard a roar coming from a cloud of thick, white, fog. Electricity flashed all around the circular platform at the center of the lab.

The creature, a long mechanical serpent, hissed. Cables filled with a glowing orange liquid were attached to various parts of the mechanical serpent's body. There were orange glowing lines outlining its jaws. It had one tooth on each side of the lower jaw, and even a synthetic tongue. A round orange lamp on the top of its head served as the creature's eye.

Zane smiled and crossed his arms, feeling proud of his creation.


Proto-Cyber Dragon

ATK/1100 DEF/500