We have the next review shout-out winner! It's Ganzademon! Congratulations! Next shout-out will be at the 850 review!
Special thanks to Zweig for giving me ideas for this mini-arc!
The chapter begins in Aki's point of view.
Disclaimer: I do not own any Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's characters! I only own my OCs!
Chapter 56: Sins of Arcadia – Part 6
It was dark and spooky as I walked down the corridors, but I somehow knew where I had to go because I could sense this powerful source of evil energy. It almost felt like it was calling for me, as if it wanted to meet and taunt me.
I wasn't going to allow anyone take control over me ever again, like the time when Sayer manipulated me during the Shadow Duel with Misty.
"Be careful, Aki…", Black Rose Dragon's voice echoed in my head. "This presence is coming from Sayer, but it's extremely powerful."
I nodded softly, heeding her warning. I soon came face to face with a twin door that was decorated with golden ornaments and two big ruby jewels. The aura came from behind those doors, so I braced myself and pushed them open violently.
There was a desk in the middle of the dark room where the back of a chair was facing me. I could see someone was sitting on it and I knew exactly who that was.
"Sayer Divine…", I growled through gritted teeth.
The chair slowly turned around to reveal my former mentor. His hair covered the left side of his face, but I could still see the scar he was hiding.
"Izayoi Aki…", Sayer spoke slowly with a voice that sounded like smooth honey. "My little Black Rose Witch."
I used to flinch or grimace whenever I heard that nickname, but not anymore. I had moved on from my past and had a new nickname.
Sayer rested his elbows on the desk and intertwined his hands before placing his chin on top of them. "It makes me relieved to see you return to your true family; the Neo Arcadia Movement."
"Who said I'm coming back to your disgraceful organization", I said sternly as I glared at him. "I have my real family and I'm no longer the Black Rose Witch! I'm the Pure Rose Maiden!"
"Your real family? Pure Rose Maiden?" Sayer repeated amusingly. "You are being delusional, Aki. It's not good for your mental health."
I took a step back as he got up from his chair. I had a suspicious feeling he was going to do something else than just grab his Duel Disk, so I turned on my earphone.
"Aki from Team Omega! I found Sayer!"
"Estelle to Aki! Are you by yourself or is someone with you?" Estelle responded, her voice cracking a little.
"I'm on my own, but-"
My earphone was snapped out of my ear by the quick movement of Sayer's Lifeforce Harmonizer. The Duel Monster crushed the device into pieces before it flew back to my former guardian.
"Ah, ah, ah, Aki", Sayer said with a wagging finger. "This is a family matter that needs to be settled between the two of us. We don't need any interference."
I growled through my teeth as I glared at him. "Family? With all those lies you fed me and how you were just going to use me as your brainwashed soldier?! You call that family?!"
"I offered you a home when your parents abandoned you, Aki", Sayer continued with his manipulative voice. "I was the one who taught you how to control your powers-"
"No!" I yelled, frustrated. "That's a lie! You tricked me to unleash my powers by losing control of myself and my emotions! I gained control by protecting my father! Protecting people is a power much stronger than the desire to hurt and destroy everything and everyone around you!"
"Protecting people is a sign of weakness. You disappoint me, Aki. You've become weak."
I growled again, but I couldn't let Sayer manipulate me like last time. "Enough! Your Neo Arcadia Movement is going down today!" I raised my left arm with the Duel Disk. "Duel me, unless you're afraid, Sayer."
"Me, afraid?" Sayer snorted sarcastically. "I am not afraid of a withering rose that's losing its beauty and power. Let us Duel and I shall guide you to your proper home, Aki."
XXXXXXXXXX – Yusei's POV
Okita was definitely a tough psychic Duelist. He managed to Synchro summon one powerful Monster and summon this Darklord Tezcatlipoca, which he said in the summoning chant was the Deadly Sin of Envy.
Hyper Psychic Blaster, Level 9: ATK 3000
Darklord Tezcatlipoca, Level 9: ATK 2800
Besides the two powerful Monsters, he had one Trap card facedown.
Okita: 3300 LP
Yusei: 2400 LP
I had Stardust Dragon and Gauntlet Warrior on the field, both in defense mode, with three Trap cards facedown. One of them was Scrap-Iron Scarecrow, which I had used for the last few turns to protect my only Monster on the field.
Stardust Dragon, Level 8: DEF 2000
Gauntlet Warrior, Level 3: DEF 1600
"Battle…", Okita said mindlessly. "Hyper Psychic Blaster… Attack Stardust Dragon…"
The Synchro Monster buzzed as its laser guns crackled by green lightning. It aimed the weapons at my dragon before it fired two large lightning bolts.
"I activate my Trap; Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!" I declared.
The scarecrow flew out from said card and shielded Stardust Dragon from getting destroyed. Once the attack was over, my Trap card flipped down to remain on the field.
"A nice try, Signer", Darklord Tezcatlipoca chuckled. "But you cannot save your precious dragon from me."
"Darklord Tezcatlipoca… Attack Stardust Dragon…", Okita commanded.
The Darklord chuckled as he opened his wings and flew towards Stardust Dragon with a purple-glowing fist.
"It's been a pleasure knowing you!" the evil Monster laughed.
He punched Stardust Dragon right in the stomach. My dragon cried in pain before he shattered into pieces. The shards scratched my uniform as I used my right arm to shield my face.
"I activate my other Trap; Miracle's Wake!" I yelled. "I target one Monster that was just destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, so come back, Stardust Dragon!"
A light erupted from above among clouds before the Signer Dragon descended. I got this Trap card in a trade shop I visited not long ago. When I saw the card, I couldn't but feel it was associated with Estelle and her powers as the Crimson Star Priestess.
Stardust Dragon roared in relief as he returned to the field.
Stardust Dragon, Level 8: ATK 2500
"Pah! It doesn't matter whether you brought back your dragon, Signer", Darklord Tezcatlipoca snorted as he crossed his arms.
"I end my turn…", Okita mumbled.
"My turn! Draw!" I called, drawing Junk Synchron. "I summon Junk Synchro in attack mode!"
Junk Synchron, Level 3, Tuner: ATK 1300
"While I control a Tuner Monster, I can Special summon Quillbolt Hedgehog from the Graveyard, but he will get banished when he leaves the field!" I continued.
Quillbolt Hedgehog, Level 2: DEF 800
"I tune Level 3 Junk Synchron with Level 3 Gauntlet Warrior and Level 2 Quillbolt Hedgehog! Clustering fighting souls will awaken the raging wicked God! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro summon! Obliterate, Junk Destroyer!"
Junk Destroyer, Level 8: ATK 2600
"Junk Destroyer's effect! When he's Synchro summoned, I can target cards on the field, up to the number of non-Tuner Monster used for his Synchro summon! Since I used Gauntlet Warrior and Quillbolt Hedgehog, I can destroy two cards! I target Hyper Psychic Blaster and Darklord Tezcatlipoca! Go, Junk Destroyer! Use Tidal Energy!"
"Activate Trap…", Okita declared. "Psychic Soul… I tribute Hyper Psychic Blaster to gain Life Points equal to its Level times 300…"
Said Monster transformed into lime green energy that enveloped the hypnotized Duelist, causing his Life Points to increase a lot.
Okita: 3300 LP – 6000 LP
Yusei: 2400 LP
The Darklord laughed amusingly before he got punched by Junk Destroyer. The evil Monster transformed into a purple aura that went back to Okita to regain control of him. The man's eyes shone in light purple as a wicked grin appeared on his lips.
"It was a lovely try, Signer, but you cannot end this Duel with your two Monsters", Dark Okita chuckled. "They aren't strong enough to defeat me with my amount of Life Points."
"Maybe not… But I have my other Trap; Synchro Strike!" I called, flipping up said card.
"What?!" Dark Okita gaped in disbelief.
"I target Junk Destroyer who gains 500 attack points for each Synchro Material Monster used to summon it, until the End Phase!" I explained. "I used three Monsters in total, so he gains 1500 attack points!"
Junk Destroyer, Level 8: ATK 2600 – ATK 4100
"No! It can't be!" Dark Okita gasped in shock.
"It's over!" I yelled determinedly. "Stardust Dragon, Junk Destroyer, attack directly with Cosmic Flare and Destroy Knuckle!"
Stardust Dragon fired his signature silver breath as Junk Destroyer rushed towards Okita. The two Monsters attacked him and caused him to fall down on his back and lose consciousness.
Dark Okita: 6000 LP – 0 LP
Yusei: 2400 LP
The purple aura of the Darklord steamed from Okita's body before it vanished with a deep chuckle. My Monsters vanished as my Duel Disk went in standby mode. I took a deep breath in relief before I rushed to check Okita.
He was unharmed, so I pulled him gently to the wall before I went to check the surveillance footage. I reached for my earphone and activated it. "Yusei from Team Omega! I'm in the surveillance room!"
"Estelle to Yusei!" the earphone beeped. "Can you locate Aki?! She said she had found Sayer, but after that we lost contact!"
"I'm on it!" I nodded as I began working by the main counter.
XXXXXXXXXX – Aki's POV
The Duel with Sayer was pretty calm to say the least. Almost too calm. It really wasn't his style to be kinda laid back and focusing on keeping his low-level Monsters on the field. He did Synchro summon Thought Ruler Archfiend before, but he sacrificed it to increase his Life Points with Psychic Soul.
Aki: 2200 LP
Sayer: 5200 LP
Sayer currently had Pandaborg and Dark Rose Fairy on the field, plus two Trap cards facedown.
Pandaborg, Level 4: DEF 1400
Dark Rose Fairy, Level 2: DEF 1000
I felt disgusted when I saw how Sayer had this Dark Rose Fairy in his Deck. It felt like it was meant to represent me or he tried taunting me with this Monster.
"My turn!" I called, drawing my next card.
I had Queen of Thorns on the field which I had Synchro summoned on my last turn.
Queen of Thorns, Level 6: ATK 2200
"I play Rose Bell of Revelation!" I continued. "I add one plant Monster with 2400 or more attack points from my Deck to my hand! I choose Fallen Angel of Roses! And then, I banish Fallen Angel of Roses from my hand and Queen Angel of Roses from my Graveyard to Special summon Rosaria, the Stately Fallen Angel from my hand!"
Rosaria, the Stately Fallen Angel, Level 8: ATK 2900
"Fallen Angel, huh…?" Sayer chuckled darkly. "It certain represents you, Aki."
"I haven't fallen yet, because I have a family and friends who will always bring me up!" I retorted. "Queen of Thorns, attack Dark Rose Fairy!"
My Synchro Monster created a whirlwind of petals before she aimed it at Dark Rose Fairy. The petals blew towards the tiny Monster.
"I activate my Trap; Negate Attack!" Sayer called.
I held back a small growl as the Battle Phase ended. This was the third time Sayer managed to protect his Monsters. It was getting annoying.
"I place one card facedown and end my turn", I said as I put Half Counter facedown.
"Feeling frustrated, Aki? You should be", Sayer spoke with a calm taunting voice. "Draw." The second he drew the card, my Mark began hurting as a dark aura surrounded the whole field. "Yes… It's finally here."
"What's going on?!" I grunted as I grasped my right arm.
Sayer began chuckling before it escalated into dark and evil laughter. I had never heard him sound like that before.
"My little witch… Allow me to show you the true power that will conquer the world!" Sayer laughed darkly as his whole face turned malicious. "I release Dark Rose Fairy and Pandaborg to Tribute summon the Deadly Sin of Pride; Darklord Morningstar!"
"Queen of Thorns' effect!" I quickly declared. "You must pay 1000 Life Points for the Monster you're summoning from your hand, unless it's a plant-type Monster!"
"And I gladly pay!" Sayer called maliciously.
Aki: 3200 LP
Sayer: 5200 LP – 4200 LP
His two Monsters shrieked in pain as they transformed into dark energy orbs. They fused together before the main orb shapeshifted into a whole new Monster. It looked like a real fallen angel with black body and black wings.
Darklord Morningstar, Level 11: ATK 3000
"Darklord Morningstar's effect!" Sayer continued. "When he's Tribute summoned, I can Special summon 'Darklord' Monsters from my Deck, up to the number of Effect Monsters you control! I Special summon the Deadly Sin of Wrath; Darklord Amdusc, and Darklord Superbia!"
"Queen of Thorns' effect!" I added quickly.
Aki: 2200 LP
Sayer: 4200 LP – 2200 LP
Two shadowy auras appeared next to Darklord Morningstar before they revealed the physical forms of the new Darklords.
Darklord Superbia, Level 8: ATK 2900
Darklord Amdusc, Level 6: DEF 2800
"What are these?" I questioned as I eyed the three dark Monsters.
"We are shadows living among the Army of Shadows", Darklord Morningstar spoke up, surprising me. "But we fight according our rules and not the Earthbound Immortals."
"Earthbound Immortals? Sayer, what is this?!" I said in frustration.
"Well… It is a long tale, but long story short…", Sayer spoke with amusement in his voice. "When Earthbound Immortal Ccarayhua digested me, I ended up in the realm of banished shadows. I met Darklord Morningstar and he offered me power to rebuild my Arcadia Movement and conquer the world. How could I resist the offer? But I had to pay a price…"
"What price?" I asked, feeling my stomach turn by a bad feeling.
"Let's just say…I exchanged something valuable that keeps me alive", Sayer replied.
"Keeps you alive…", my stomach dropped when I figured it out. "You exchanged your own life to acquire the Darklords' power?! Are you out of your mind?!"
"Yes, I am!" Sayer yelled harshly, causing me to flinch back. "Throughout my whole life, I've been neglected by my own family because I was born with psychic powers! Everyone was afraid of me and I never had a place I could call my own! I never experienced love or a single inch of kindness!"
I had never seen Sayer act like this before. He was out of control and ranted of how he had been alone his whole life and how his parents disowned him because of his psychic powers. It briefly reminded me of my own parents, but that had been some kind of misunderstanding which had now been resolved. I was back with my family and we loved each other, and they accepted my psychic powers which I now had complete control over.
Sayer breathed deeply as he took a break from the ranting. I waited to see what he was going to do next, but instead of continuing the Duel he continued his monologue.
"But then…", his lips turned upward into a hideous smile. "I found other people who were just like me! Angry at everything and everyone in this world! We came to an agreement to build the Arcadia Movement to create a 'home' for other psychic Duelists on the outside, but we were instead gathering Duelists like us and manipulated them to become mindless soldiers to spread chaos and fear and bring the world down on its knees!"
"You're crazy!" I exclaimed irritably. "So when you saved me from the streets, you just wanted to use me as a pawn in your plans?! You actually never cared about me! How could you, Sayer?!"
"Remember, Aki; at that time, you were desperate to find a place you could call a home", Sayer calmed down after his recent rant. "You should be grateful that you had at least someone you could rely on when you were just a defenseless child." His malicious expression returned as a dark aura enveloped him. "And it is time I bring you back to where you belong! I activate my Trap; Darklord Uprising! I send one Darklord from the field to the Graveyard to Fusion summon one DARK Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck, using Monsters from my field as Fusion Materials!"
"I activate Rose Archer's effect in my hand!" I quickly declared as I picked up said card. "When you activate a Trap card while I control a plant-type Monster, I can send this card from my hand to the Graveyard to negate the activation and destroy it!"
The transparent form of Rose Archer flew out from my Duel Disk and loaded its rose thorn bow with an arrow. It aimed at the Trap card that had been flipped up and released the arrow. The arrow got enveloped by rose petals as it flew through the air. It hit the Trap card and shattered it into pieces. Sayer shielded his face with his right arm as the shards cut his clothes.
"Well, well… You actually managed to stop me from Fusion summoning Darklord Morningstar's true form", Sayer chuckled. "But I can still battle! Darklord Morningstar, attack Rosaria!"
The Darklord opened his wings and flew towards my fallen angel as he drew out a sword from one of his black angel wings. Rosaria summoned a whip made out of rose vines and blocked the sword, but he still struggled to stop the attack.
"I activate my Trap; Half Counter!" I called, flipping up said card. "During damage calculation, if a Monster I control is being attacked, I can target said Monster and it will gain attack points equal to half the original attack points of the attacking Monster until the End Phase!"
Rosaria, the Stately Fallen Angel, Level 8: ATK 2900 – ATK 4400
My Monster was enveloped by a bright aura as his attack points increased. He got enough strength to push back Darklord Morningstar before he swung his whip again that hit his opponent. The Darklord grunted in pain before he was destroyed into pieces.
Aki: 2200 LP
Sayer: 2200 LP – 800 LP
As soon as Darklord Morningstar disappeared from the field, Sayer began coughing strongly. My eyes widened in horror as I saw he was throwing up blood!
"Sayer?! What's wrong?!" I called worriedly.
"His soul is connected to Darklord Morningstar due to the contract they made", Darklord Amdusc spoke up. "Which means if Sayer loses this Duel… He will die."
"WHAT?!" I exclaimed in shock.
"The only way Sayer can survive the Duel is for him to win or…you forfeit", Darklord Superbia added.
Forfeit the Duel? But if I did that, then… Sayer would surely somehow gain control over me and his Neo Arcadia Movement would invade New Domino City and turn it into a war.
I wanted to stop Sayer, but another side of me wanted to catch him alive. He did play a big role in my life, so I wanted to show him mercy and drag him to jail where he belonged.
Oh, what should I do?!
I snapped my head up when I heard Queen of Thorns cry in pain. I looked up in time to see Darklord Superbia had destroyed my Synchro Monster. The remaining shards of my Monster hit me, cutting my outfit. I grunted in pain as a shard scratched my left cheek.
Aki: 2200 LP – 1500 LP
Sayer: 800 LP
"Be careful not to let your mind slip away, Aki", Sayer spoke up, the left corner of his mouth tainted by half-dried blood. "Or… Are you genuinely worried about me?"
I bit my lower lip as I looked aside, not knowing how I should answer the question.
"I'll take your silence as a yes", Sayer chuckled. "Before I end my turn, I play two Hinotama! I inflict 500 points of damage to you for each card!"
Two fire balls appeared on the field before they were thrown toward me. I shielded my face with both arms. I knew this was going to hurt because Sayer's psychic powers were stronger than mine. I opened one eye when I felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around me and a body against mine. Rosaria was protecting me as the fire balls hit his back and caused an explosion. The smoke around us was thick, so I had to fan it away as I coughed harshly.
Aki: 1500 LP – 500 LP
Sayer: 800 LP
"We both have now less than 1000 Life Points, Aki", Sayer chuckled as Rosaria let go of me and flew back to the field. "And I end my turn with a facedown."
Rosaria, the Stately Fallen Angel, Level 8: ATK 4400 – ATK 2900
"Now, what shall you do?" Sayer said amusingly. "Will you show me mercy…or will you kill me and carry the sin?"
Kill Sayer… Carry the sin… Like the sin I had when I was the Black Rose Witch…
No… I didn't want to hurt people anymore! I didn't want to kill Sayer! I couldn't do that!
"Aki!"
I flinched when I heard Yusei's voice. I looked around to see where the voice came from. "Yusei?!" I called, feeling I was close to hyperventilating.
"Not him again!" Sayer growled loudly.
"Yusei, where are you?!" I called, trying to calm down. "I don't know what to do!"
"I'm in the surveillance room!" Yusei's voice spoke through an intercom of the hidden hideout. "Listen, Aki! I heard everything throughout the Duel. If you win the Duel and Sayer…dies, it's not going to be your fault!"
"Quiet, Fudo!" Sayer yelled angrily.
"It's his own fault for making that contract with Darklord Morningstar in the first place! He sealed his own fate because he's hungry for power and domination! If you choose to defeat him, then show him the same warm kindness Estelle showed you when she saved-"
Darklord Superbia shrieked before it attacked the loudspeaker with a purple beam, blasting it into pieces. I ducked as I shielded my face from the flying smoking debris.
"There we go. No one can interfere now", Sayer said with a poker face. "Don't take Fudo's words to your heart, Aki. He doesn't know what he's talking about."
I couldn't hear Sayer because Yusei's words echoed in my head. He was right.
It was Sayer's own mistake for sacrificing his life in exchange of gaining the Darklords' power to conquer the world.
What saddened me as I kept thinking about it was he had never once experienced love and kindness; acceptance, more or less.
I took a deep breath to clear my head and opened my eyes with a determined glance, which didn't go unnoticed by my former guardian.
"I can see it in your eyes, Aki", Sayer chuckled. "You're going to kill me, don't you?"
"I will do something much worse than that", I said with a monotone voice. "My turn! Draw!" The card I had just drawn was Gigaplant. "I activate Rose Bell of Revelation in my Graveyard! I banish the Spell card to Special summon a plant-type Monster with 2400 or more attack points from my hand! I Special summon Gigaplant in attack mode!"
Gigaplant, Level 6, Gemini: ATK 2400
"Next, I play Glow-Up Bulb's effect in my Graveyard!" I continued. "I send the top card of my Deck to the Graveyard to Special summon it!"
Glow-Up Bulb, Level 1, Tuner: DEF 100
"I tune Level 1 Glow-Up Bulb with Level 6 Gigaplant! Chilling flames engulf the entire world. Pitch-dark flower, set into bloom! Synchro summon! Appear now, Black Rose Dragon!"
Black Rose Dragon, Level 7: ATK 2400
"Your signature Monster has arrived!" Sayer laughed maliciously. "But you won't be able to end the Duel with her! I activate my Trap; the Sanctified Darklord! I send Darklord Amdusc to the Graveyard to negate the effects of Black Rose Dragon until the end of this turn, and I gain Life Points equal to her attack points!"
Darklord Amdusc transformed into purple energy that surrounded itself around Black Rose Dragon. She growled angrily as her effects were negated. The aura then traveled to Sayer and restored his Life Points, but it didn't remove the blood on his face.
Aki: 500 LP
Sayer: 800 LP – 3200 LP
"I activate Rose Lover's effect in my Graveyard!" I declared. "I banish her from the Graveyard to Special summon one plant-type Monster from my hand! I Special summon Tytannial, Princess of Camellias in attack mode!"
Tytannial, Princess of Camellias, Level 8: ATK 2800
"So you are going to murder me with your cursed roses", Sayer laughed. "Or will you show me mercy at the very end?"
"You will see what I will show you", I said softly. "Battle! Rosaria, attack Darklord Superbia!"
Rosaria summoned his whip and flew towards the enemy. Darklord Superbia flew forward and clashed with my Monster. Both of them struggled back and forth before they were destroyed together.
Sayer's field was now completely empty!
"Black Rose Dragon, attack directly!" I yelled.
Black Rose Dragon flapped her wings, causing the air to blow intensely around us. Some loose equipment was flying around, but the wind wasn't as violent as it used to be when I had no control over my psychic powers. The Signer Dragon flapped her wings to create a whirlwind of magenta rose petals that blew around Sayer. My former guardian looked confusedly at the attack as the petals barely scratched him to cause as little pain as possible
Aki: 500 LP
Sayer: 3200 LP – 800 LP
Once the attack was over, the whirlwind calmed down and the petals fell down to the ground, creating a sea of rose petals around Sayer.
I took another deep breath to brace myself for the final part of the Duel. "Tytannial… End the Duel." I opened my arms as Tytannial floated in front of me. "But… Show Sayer there's more to the world than just negativity and coldness."
Tytannial nodded to me before she flew toward Sayer with her arms open wide. My heart throbbed a bit in pain as I felt a tear run down my cheek.
"I'm sorry, Sayer…", I whispered. "But… Let me show you there is kindness and love in this world… This is my last gift to you…"
XXXXXXXXXX – Sayer's POV
I couldn't believe it. Aki was actually going to kill me. Her mind had been twisted by her family and friends. She couldn't tell what was right and wrong anymore. And as soon as she was going to see my dead corpse, she would get hit by a big slap of guilt and lose herself in the darkness she belonged in.
She was going to lose everyone around her again, and that was partially my goal if it came down to this.
Become lonely again, Aki! Become the Black Rose Witch! That is your true self!
I watched how Tytannial came towards me. I stretched out my arms to take the attack and being ripped apart.
"Come!" I yelled, encouraging the Monster. "Kill me! Rip me apart and let my body lie in a pool of blood!"
I laughed maliciously as the scent of roses overwhelmed my sense of smell. Tytannial came at me and…
My body froze up as Tytannial caught me in her arms and embraced me. Not in a killing embrace, but an actual embrace. The world stopped around me as I swore I saw the surroundings around me transform into a garden full of beautiful roses in all kind of colors.
Aki: 500 LP
Sayer: 800 LP – 0 LP
Was this…a hallucination before my death? But why did I feel this warm tinging feeling in my chest?
"Sayer…"
I slowly glanced at Tytannial, but I saw instead Aki's figure. She was embracing me tight as she looked at me with glassy eyes.
"I'm sorry you had such a painful past…", Aki's voice echoed as she smiled with tears running down her cheeks. "But you were so strong to endure it, even though you fell into the darkness… I'm really happy I met you. You gave me a home and a family, even when you just wanted to use me as your soldier. Thank you…for taking care of me as your daughter."
My eyes widened slightly in disbelief. Did she really just thank me, even though she knew what I had done to her?
Aki's face showed genuine happiness. I didn't know why, but my heart clenched in pain when I saw her pretty brown eyes looking so sad. I weakly reached up my hand to wipe the tears off her left cheek.
I had never done this foreign action before, nor had this feeling in my chest. Was this what it felt like to be a parent? Feeling the urge to comfort one's child when they were sad?
Had I been so blind by the desire to destroy everything and everyone who hurt me that I missed seeing what really mattered in this world?
"Aki…", I mumbled weakly as I once again felt the taste of blood in my mouth. "Thank you…for showing me…the kindness I never…received…"
The blood flowed from the corner of my mouth as my lips twisted up into a tiny smile. With one last short breath, I closed my eyes and allowed myself to fall into the darkness with an inch of warmth in my heart.
XXXXXXXXXX – Normal POV
Tytannial held Sayer's lifeless body in her arms as she released multiple rose petals from her flowers to create a flower bed on the floor. Once it was done, the Duel Monster gently placed down the dead man on the mattress of rose petals.
Aki tried looking away, not wanting to see her former mentor's dead body, but she couldn't. Tears flowed down her cheeks as reality slowly began striking her.
Sayer was dead, and it was partially her fault. She couldn't save him from the contract he had made with the Darklords, but if she had allowed him to win… She could have turned back into her old alter ego, and she didn't want that.
"Aki!"
The Signer didn't look up as running footsteps echoed behind her. A group of Securities rushed in with Trudge in the lead. Estelle, Yusei, and Jack were right by Aki's side as they took in the surroundings.
Tytannial and Black Rose Dragon had bowed their heads to Sayer to show him one last inch of respect and mourn his death before they dissipated along with the rose petals. One Security declared the leader of Neo Arcadia Movement dead before another removed their jacket to place it on top of Sayer's face.
"Aki…", Estelle whispered softly. "Are you with us…?"
Aki nodded slowly, her eyes now traveling down to the floor.
"You did your best, Aki…", Yusei mumbled as he gently rubbed her back. "We know you tried saving him, but… He was doomed at the very beginning of the Duel. It wasn't your fault."
"I know…", Aki mumbled before she finally released a sob and began crying.
Estelle immediately turned the crying girl around and held her tight, shushing softly as she rubbed her back, trying to comfort her.
"Let's get out of here", Jack said. "Our job is done. Trudge and the others will take care of the rest."
Estelle nodded before turning to Aki. "Can you walk, Aki…?" Said girl just nodded against her collarbone. "Come. Your parents are waiting for you… They will take you home."
"Home…", Aki repeated apathetically before nodding. "Yes… Home…with Mom and Dad…"