The title for this chapter is inspired by part of the lyrics from the Pokémon song "Viridian City".
Special thanks to FlowersHeart17 who gave me an idea that is featured in the chapter!
The chapter begins in Estelle's point of view.
Disclaimer: I do not own any Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's characters! I only own my OCs!
Chapter 103: On the Road to the Ark Cradle
The mood wasn't the best after we received the news from Paradox about Yusei losing his life if he were to enter the Ark Cradle. The twins were especially upset and didn't want him to go, but my crush comforted them and promised he wasn't going to die. I was pretty upset myself about this turn of events. I knew Yusei made it back alive in the anime, but everything that happened in this world since my arrival had been twisted and turned upside-down. I could no longer predict whether the love of my life was going to die or not. However, one thing was certain; I was going to protect Yusei until the very end and make sure he wouldn't perish!
While everyone was trying to calm down and figure out a way on how we could reach the Ark Cradle and stop it with positive spinning Ener-D, Yusei walked out of the department to be alone and comprehend the situation. It was understandable he was upset by the warning that Paradox told him, but there was still a chance to change that future by some sort of interception.
I waited about five minutes before I silently walked after Yusei to see how he was doing. I found him in the cafeteria sitting by one of the large windows. He kept looking outside and eyed the Ark Cradle that kept coming closer for each passing minute. He never noticed my presence because I stood by the entrance of the cafeteria and watched him from afar, my right hand resting against the door frame.
"Father, I've made my decision", Yusei spoke out loud to himself. "I can't let a tragedy like Zero Reverse happen again. Even if it costs me my life."
The last sentence sent a knife into my heart. I refused to let Yusei sacrifice himself to save the city he worked so hard for to save from the Dark Signers and Iliaster. He was still young and deserved to live his life fully to the end.
And I wanted to share that time with him as his friend and lover.
I silently but quickly walked over to the table while Yusei wasn't paying attention. Feeling the desperate urge to comfort him, I embraced him from the side and gently pulled his head to my shoulder so my lips were buried in his hair. I felt his body grow rigid by the unexpected action. "E-Estelle?" he stuttered in surprise as he placed his right hand on one of my arms wrapped around him.
I inhaled deeply and smelled Yusei's hair. There was a small hint of sweat and remnants of the champagne that got sprayed on him before, but I was still able to smell the natural scent emitting from his body. It both comforted me and made me yearn for more. After we both got so close to confess to each other, I felt a little bolder to express my love for him, so I listened to my inner voice that I have hold back for months.
"I won't let you throw your life away, Yusei", I spoke in his hair, my lips touching the scalp. "We can save New Domino City without losing you."
Yusei was silent for a couple of seconds before he responded. "Are you sure…?" he mumbled as the hand on my arm slightly tightened its grip.
I nodded against his head before pulling back. "Yes, because that future won't happen if I'm going with you."
I felt him moving in my arms, so I pulled them back before he turned to me with his usual stoic and serious expression. "No", Yusei shook his head. "I can't let you go-"
"Stop!" I exclaimed with a glare and held my right palm up in front of his face, which made him silent with eyes wide by the sudden outburst. "We've been through every single obstacle together ever since the Fortune Cup. None of us were killed because we were there supporting each other." I gently cupped his cheeks as we kept the eye contact. "You always try to carry everything on your shoulders because you think it's your problem and only you can fix it. That's wrong. We fought the Dark Signers and the Meklords together by sharing that burden. I promise, not only as the Priestess, but also as your friend, I will go with you and protect you so you can return home and keep protecting the future with everyone…including me."
Yusei looked at me with glassy eyes, but he never shed a tear. He placed his right hand on top of my left hand that cupped his cheek and closed his eyes. He remained silent for a while before he opened his eyes shining with new hope. "Thank you, Estelle…", he smiled softly.
I smiled in return and did another bold move. I planted a kiss on his forehead before pulling my hands back so I could hold his hands. "So… Will you let me go with you?" I asked.
"Yes", Yusei nodded as he squeezed my hands before he got his thoughtful expression. "But how can we reach the Ark Cradle?"
"With some help from my new 'brothers'", I responded.
"Brothers?" Yusei repeated.
"Yusei. Estelle", Harald's voice called.
I let go of Yusei's hands and turned around to face Team Ragnarok while my crush remained in his seat. The trio had serious expressions, but their aura had become softer now that they were our friends. Johan and Judai weren't with them, so I assumed the GX adults were with the others in the analyze department.
"När man talar om trollen (Speak of the devil.)", I said with a soft chuckle.
"We'll build a bridge to the Ark Cradle", Harald informed us.
"What? You can do that?" Yusei asked in disbelief.
"In Norse mythology, the Rainbow Bridge Bifrost connects the world of the gods to the world of the humans", Harald explained while showing us the Spell card representing the rainbow bridge. "The god of light Heimdallr stands guard at Bifrost's base. Today, the symbol of light is…"
Yusei thought about it before he realized what the modern era's symbol of light was. "Are you talking about the old Ener-D?" he asked.
"That's right", Harald nodded. "We will use the old Ener-D Reactor's energy to create Bifrost."
"We will use the powers of our Duel Runners and the three Aesir to fix the old Ener-D Reactor's negative energy", Dragan added.
Brave held up a holographic notepad and showed me and Yusei a map with the Daedalus Bridge at the center. "We'll build the bridge here", he said.
"That's the Daedalus Bridge!" Yusei exclaimed in surprise.
"The bridge will be built by the end of the old Daedalus Bridge and go all the way to the Ark Cradle", Harald said. "While we have the knowledge of technology, we need help from your super-mechanic Bruno."
"I'll call him", Yusei said before fishing his cell phone up from the pocket of his jacket.
"Why not go back and tell him directly?" Dragan wondered.
"I don't want to involve the others", Yusei stated while dialing Bruno's number. "Estelle and I will stop the Ark Cradle ourselves. I refuse to put my friends in danger."
The three members of Team Ragnarok grew silent as they shared a glance after Yusei's statement. I remained silent as Yusei made the call. He and Bruno had a short conversation before the call ended. Less than two minutes later, Bruno showed up in the cafeteria while looking over his shoulder with a nervous expression. "I'm here…", he announced. "I told the others I needed to go to the bathroom. What's going on?"
"We'll tell you on the way back to the garage", Yusei said before standing up. "We figured out a way to get to the Ark Cradle."
"You did? Shouldn't you tell the others?" Bruno asked confusedly.
Yusei said nothing as he walked past the mechanic and out of the cafeteria. That was enough explanation for Bruno, which he understood, before the rest of us followed the Signers to the outside. The temperature had dropped a lot, so I was shivering now.
"We need to gather some parts from the garage for this to work", Yusei explained while he put his helmet on.
"Okay…?" Bruno said as he adjusted his helmet.
I sat down on my Duel Runner after I put my helmet on. "I'll go home first to change my clothes and grab my Deck", I informed Yusei. "I'll be back as fast as I can."
"Okay", Yusei nodded. "Let's meet up by the Daedalus Bridge when you're done, Estelle."
"I'll see you there", I nodded before turning to the other men. "And if we don't meet again… Please, be careful."
"We will, Estelle", Harald nodded.
"You better be careful too, sis", Brave grinned.
"Make sure to support Yusei", Dragan added.
I nodded in response before I drove away from Sector Security's parking lot. The roads were crowded with abandoned vehicles that it was difficult to drive on the main road. I had no other choice but to drive on the empty sidewalks. I knew I shouldn't worry about breaking the law during a city emergency, but I still felt bad about it.
It didn't take long before I made it to Goodwin's mansion. Nobody was inside and the doors were locked, so I used my card key that I swiped by the entrance and entered the code to unlock the front doors. My footsteps echoed in the silent mansion as I ran up the stairs to the bedrooms. It was dark and spooky like the traditional ghost mansion in horror movies, but I didn't let my mind wander away. I had a mission to concentrate on until it was over.
I stepped inside my bedroom and immediately pulled my waistcoat and shorts off to replace them with black jeans and the red biker's jacket that Setsuko had made for me. I removed the sandals and replaced them with my long black boots. I turned to my nightstand where the star necklace I got from Yusei was placed. I didn't put it on me today because of the Grand Prix. As soon as the necklace was on, I grabbed both my Ground Deck and Turbo Deck and stashed them in the pockets of my jacket. I picked up my dragon Duel Disk and carried it in my arms out of the mansion. I put the Duel Disk in the seat compartment before I got on the Runner. I turned around with the vehicle, ready to take off, but I stayed a couple of seconds to eye the mansion behind me. Goodwin may have been an antagonist at the beginning, but he had become a gentle man who adopted me and gave me a home when I had nowhere to go. I appreciated everything he had done for me and now I was going to pay it back by saving New Domino City and the rest of the world while protecting Yusei from his presumable death.
"Tack för allt… (Thank you for everything…)", I whispered before I drove off.
At this point, we had less than eleven hours left to stop the floating island.
I made it to the new Daedalus Bridge and drove toward Satellite for the old Daedalus Bridge. I spotted a red Duel Runner ahead of me, so I picked up the pace to catch up. I honked at Yusei as I drove on his left.
"Estelle!" Yusei called in relief.
"I didn't expect we would meet up here", I said in return with a tiny smile. "Did you and the others get the parts needed?"
"Yeah. Team Ragnarok and Bruno took the shortcut to the old Ener-D Reactor", Yusei explained. "They could get ready any minute now, so we better hurry."
"Gotcha", I nodded.
Next thing we knew, we received a joint call from Sector Security. Yusei answered it first while I answered it without facetiming. "Yusei, where are you going?" Jack's voice echoed inside my helmet.
"We'll build a road that connects the Daedalus Bridge to the Ark Cradle!" Yusei responded.
"What? Why didn't you tell us?" Jack responded.
"I'm sorry. I'm going to the Ark Cradle alone", Yusei explained. "Hurry up and evacuate!"
I now used the facetime function and saw Jack's face getting red in anger for each second. "Don't worry, guys! I promise I'll protect Yusei and make sure he returns alive", I told them.
"You can't be serious!" Crow exclaimed in the background.
Yusei had disconnected himself from the call, but not me. I took a deep breath to gather my thoughts for the last message. "May the stars of miracle shine upon you all and New Domino City", I said before ending the call.
Yusei and I stayed silent for the rest of the ride to the old Daedalus Bridge. We parked in front of the gates to the bridge that had been set up after the inauguration of the new bridge. The old bridge had become a symbol and the city wanted to preserve it as a memento of what once was and what had been achieved. Yusei and I pulled the gates open so we could drive onto the bridge once Team Ragnarok and the three Aesir had built the rainbow bridge. We sat on the Runners and waited for the seven colored bridge to appear.
"Daedalus Bridge…", Yusei broke the silence. "Satellite's legendary hero flew towards the future at this bridge."
"Goodwin's main objective may have been to see his brother again, but another side of him wanted to see the light of the future", I added. "That's why he chose to live on by carrying Roman's legacy and assemble the Signers and the Priestess to stop the Earthbound Immortals from destroying the world."
"And now… We'll travel on the same path he took to rescue Satellite", Yusei said before turning to me. "Estelle… This is your last chance to turn around and leave."
I shook my head in response. "I'm going with you and that's final", I told him before I held my right hand out to him. "Besides, you haven't told me what you wanted to say when you got interrupted by the Ark Cradle. I want to hear it when we return to the city."
Yusei smiled softly before he reached his left hand out and grasped mine. He squeezed it as our eyes were locked at each other. "I promise I will tell you when we make it back… And I also haven't heard what you want to tell me, so I'm holding you on that", he chuckled.
"I'm a woman of my words", I chuckled. "Let us fight…together."
Yusei and I snapped our heads up when we heard the familiar rumble of the three Aesir. We looked over our shoulders and saw the three northern gods standing around the underground Ener-D Reactor. They raised their arms and absorbed the energy from the old Reactor, which in turn caused a chain reaction. The Ener-D combined with the presence of the Aesir summoned beautiful northern lights among the heavy clouds in the grey sky. Seconds later, a rainbow colored road of energy expanded from the end of the Daedalus Bridge and went all the way up to the Ark Cradle.
"They did it!" I exclaimed in joy.
"Yeah", Yusei nodded. "Let's go!"
Just as we were about to take off, we heard the sound of engines behind us. We looked over our shoulders and were greeted by the sight of our friends. Jack, Crow, Aki, and Sherry were driving their Runners while the twins carried their Duel Boards on their back and the Duel Disks on their arms. Leo sat behind Crow and Luna sat behind Aki.
"The legendary hero is my idol!" Crow shouted as the others parked behind us. "Don't think you can cross that bridge without telling me!"
"We're coming with you", Jack stated determinedly.
"Yusei!" the twins shouted simultaneously.
"How did you get here?" Yusei asked.
"I know more shortcuts in the B.A.D. area than you", Crow responded. "We drove here at full speed!"
"The road was still bumpy because of the abandoned vehicles, but that didn't stop us", Sherry commented.
"I'm glad we made it in time", Aki nodded.
Yusei turned his back on them. "I'm going alone with Estelle", he said. "I don't know what dangers await and I don't want to put your lives at risk."
"Yusei, we won't try to stop you", Jack told him. "Because we know that would be pointless. But it's the same for us! Even if you try to stop us, we're still going! We won't sit back and watch you die!"
"I've experienced many life-threatening situations while Mizoguchi and I were fugitives", Sherry confessed. "Back then, we fought to survive and avenge my parents after Iliaster killed them. But now…" Her soft expression changed into a determined one with eyes glowing by her fighting spirit. "The world that my father protected from the organization is by the death's door and I refuse to stay back and watch it unfold! I'm going to carry my father's legacy until the end of my life!"
"Sherry…", I mumbled softly.
"Yusei, we promise to change your future", Aki said.
"That's right, Yusei! I'm also a member of this powerful team!" Leo said determinedly. "You should count on me!"
"That's right. We've always fought together", Crow added. "That's what Team 5D's is all about!"
Yusei and I shared a glance after hearing our friends' determination. It was clear they refused to budge and they were coming with us, whether we said yes or no. They were also right about one thing; if we went together to the Ark Cradle, the chances of Yusei dying would greatly reduce because we were going to protect him.
"Okay!" Yusei nodded with a determined smile. "Let's save New Domino City!"
"We better go now!" I shouted as I turned my Duel Runner toward the Daedalus Bridge. "The Aesir won't be able to keep the bridge up for long!"
"Yeah!" everyone cheered.
XXXXXXXXXX – Normal POV
Yusei drove ahead with the others following behind him in a row; Estelle, Jack, Crow, Sherry, and Aki. The leader of Team 5D's drove on the old Daedalus Bridge, which was a little bumpy, but the ride became smooth as soon as the wheels of his Duel Runner touched the rainbow bridge of Bifrost. They barely had time to be in awe that they were driving up in the sky; they needed to quickly get up to the Ark Cradle before Bifrost would vanish.
XXXXXXXXXX
Back at Sector Security, Goodwin, Lazar, Carly, Mizoguchi, Yugi, Kaiba, Judai, and Johan watched everything unfold with the help of the surveillance camera. They were relieved to see the heroes of New Domino City had found a way to reach the Ark Cradle. Carly quickly grabbed her camera to record the current events.
"Vlog number 2 of the event; Ark Cradle. With less than eleven hours left for the Ark Cradle to destroy New Domino City, it appears Team 5D's has found a way to reach the floating island with the help of a rainbow bridge that has been summoned by the Aesir with the help of the old Ener-D Reactor. Yusei, Jack, Crow, Estelle, Leo and Luna are being accompanied by the two members from Team Royal Knights, Sherry and Aki. There are no helicopters or other aerial transport around the Ark Cradle, so they only have one chance to do this. Team 5D's, Team Royal Knights, we're rooting for you! Save New Domino City before it's too late!"
XXXXXXXXXX
Two figures stood on top of the roof of the Sector Security building and watched the city that had fallen into chaos. The Ark Cradle was floating above the center of New Domino City and cast a large shadow over every living being that was evacuating as fast as they could. Children's cries echoed across the streets while their parents did their best to comfort them while carrying their heavy backpacks. The animals, both wild and tamed, have grown silent as they sensed the danger that was threatening their own lives. Some pets had been, unfortunately, left behind by their owners, but many refused to part from them, so they were carrying their cats, rabbits, and other critters in cases. The larger dogs were being pulled along by their leashes since they often stopped to smell the scent that had fallen upon the city from the Ark Cradle itself, which frustrated many of their owners.
The smaller figure on the roof hugged itself as its eyes shone by unshed tears. "Our home…", the figure spoke in a shaking feminine voice. "I can't believe this is happening…"
The taller figure wrapped an arm around the smaller figure's waist and pulled her to his side. "I know Yusei and his friends did everything they could to stop Iliaster from bringing that floating structure into our era", the figure spoke in a deep masculine voice while his dark grey-blueish eyes glowed in concern. "But… In the end… Iliaster was somehow able to collect enough Momentum to summon the structure…that could lead to the destruction of our world." He raised his other hand up to his nose and pinched it in disappointment. "None of this would've happened…if I didn't discover the Planetary Particle and constructed the first Momentum. Our son would've lived a peaceful life with us and never had to endure hardships. Countless of people wouldn't have lost their lives and the city wouldn't have split into two and create meaningless discrimination." He now covered his face with the hand that pinched his nose to hold back his emotions, but a tear still ended up by the corner of his right eye. "All of this…is my fault, and Yusei has to carry my sin…"
"Honey…", the woman spoke softly as she turned to her beloved and raised her left hand to wipe the tear from the man's closed eye. "None of this is your fault. It was your dream to contribute to the city you called home to make a cleaner environment for everyone. You wanted to make the world a better place by connecting people through bonds, just like the Planetary Particle." She cupped the man's right cheek with a small sad smile while he removed his hand from the face and opened his eyes to look at his partner. "None of us could've predicted the Momentum was going to affect the mankind negatively in the future…that people would become greedy and selfish and forget to be kind to one another. If their ancestors knew about the consequences…they could've made changes to make the future safe, but alas…" The woman looked down with a sad expression. "Instead of warning our son and everyone else about the apocalyptic future… Iliaster chose to take matter in their own hands and foolishly believe that the destruction in this era will bring a bright future…"
The man embraced his wife and pulled her close to his body. The woman didn't hesitate to wrap her own arms around her husband as they took a moment of silence to enjoy their brief connection. Their hearts beat as one as they both sensed the spiritual connection they had for one another. They had endured many hardships to be together in their mortal life, but they knew they were meant to be with one another, and they were certain their son felt the same toward the woman who had caught his heart.
The couple pulled back from each other, but the husband still had an arm wrapped around his petit wife's waist as they looked at the Ark Cradle, seeing the rainbow bridge which the Signers were driving on to stop Iliaster from destroying their home.
"Everything is up to Yusei and his friends now", the male said with a solemn expression. "I pray that when he meets Z-one…he won't lose hope and fall into the abyss of darkness."
The female rested her head against her husband's chest, hearing his heart that pounded fast by the worry growing within him. "He won't", she assured her partner with a tiny smile. "He's got his friends and lover with him. They will surely remind him he's not alone and pull him back onto the right path. And he is your son, so he clearly inherited your stubbornness."
The man chuckled in response after his wife mentioned his trait that had been the key for them to be together after the disapproval from his family. "And he inherited your selfless kindness, Arisa", he replied. "Our son has grown into the type of man I wanted him to become, and I hope he stays the same after he and his friends save our city."
Arisa nodded against her husband's chest. "Me too, Ikuto. Me too…"
A strong wind blew by and ruffled the lab coat and jacket the couple wore as their spirits slowly faded away with four last words being carried in the air as a last whisper to their son.
"Good luck, our son…"
XXXXXXXXXX
The Turbo Duelists made sure not to look down and get dizzy by the sight below them. However, Leo couldn't help but peek down once and screeched in fear as he clung onto Crow and prayed they wouldn't get off course and fall down to their doom. "Crow, drive safely!" the boy cried.
The closer the group got to the Ark Cradle, the more they saw of the ruins attached on the structure. They weren't going to allow their city and the rest of the world to fall down into destruction. They were determined to stop Iliaster and create a safe future.
Yusei checked the live footage of his Runner's rearview camera to see how everyone was doing. He quickly noticed another Duel Runner was driving up the rainbow bridge and recognized the shape. "That's…Dark Glass?" he mumbled to himself.
"Guys! Bad news!" Estelle shouted as she saw the rainbow beam from the old Ener-D Reactor fade away. "Team Ragnarok is down!"
Yusei looked over his shoulder and saw how the rainbow bridge quickly dissolved from the end of the Daedalus Bridge and it kept going in a fast pace. "Bifrost is vanishing!" he exclaimed before he accelerated to get to the Ark Cradle.
Sherry looked over her shoulder and noticed Aki's Duel Runner was far behind the group. "Aki!" she exclaimed before she rapidly decelerated so the rose maiden could catch up to her.
Yusei, Estelle, Jack, and Crow made it to one of the spiral edges of the Ark Cradle and braked so hard the tires on their Runners screeched against the concrete.
"What happened?" Jack asked in disbelief as the group looked over the edge.
"The road is disappearing!" Crow exclaimed when he saw the bridge disappear behind Antinomy who was driving several meters behind Aki and Sherry.
"They won't make it at that speed!" Jack stated.
"This is bad! Aki's Duel Runner has the lowest horsepower!" Crow gasped in realization.
"And with Luna's weight, it slows the Runner down even more!" Yusei added.
"Luna!" Leo screamed in devastation.
Estelle activated the Duel Disk of her Duel Runner and went through her Extra Deck to prepare some of the cards. "I'll summon my Monsters in the worst case scenario!" she called.
XXXXXXXXXX
Sherry drove next to Aki as the burgundy-haired girl pushed her Duel Runner to the maximum speed. "Are you okay, Aki?" the French blonde called.
"Sherry, I can't drive any faster", the Signer replied in defeat.
Sherry turned to the little girl who held onto Aki with all her might. "Luna, jump over to me!" she called.
"What?!" Luna gasped in shock.
"My Duel Runner has more power!" Sherry explained. "If you have less weight, you'll speed up, Aki!"
"But we're driving too fast to jump!" Aki cold sweated.
"If you don't, you won't survive!" Sherry exclaimed with raw emotions in her voice.
Luna was still frozen in fear, but she snapped out of it when she heard the blonde woman's voice. She realized Sherry was sacrificing herself to save her and Aki and it wasn't because they were allies. There was something else hidden in Sherry's eyes that the little girl couldn't identify, but whatever it was it must have taken lots of courage for the blonde to help them when she knew she was putting herself in danger.
"I'll do it, Aki!" Luna called in determination.
The female twin grabbed Aki's shoulders and carefully stood on the seat behind the rose Duelist. Sherry lifted up the left handle of her Duel Runner to make space for the small girl to jump safely. Aki drove as close as she could to Sherry without bumping into each other. Luna suddenly got cold feet and hesitated to jump, but Sherry encouraged her by holding her left arm out. "Hurry! You can do it!" the blonde called.
Luna bit her lower lip and braced herself. "Here I go!"
Taking a leap of fate, she jumped off Aki's Duel Runner and flew into Sherry's arm. The blonde used her only free arm and forced the little girl to lie on her stomach against the blonde's lap. Luna held onto Sherry's clothes to make sure she wouldn't slide off.
Aki sighed in relief at the sight when she heard the noise of a Duel Runner engine behind her. Antinomy drove so fast that she first feared they were going to collide, but the male skillfully drove past the two female Duelists and remained in front of them.
"Ladies, get in my slipstream and follow me!" Antinomy yelled.
"Understood!" Sherry shouted. "Aki, follow me!"
"Okay!" Aki nodded.
XXXXXXXXXX – Estelle's POV
The boys and I sighed in relief when we saw Luna had successfully jumped over to Sherry's Duel Runner to lessen the weight on Aki's Duel Runner. Antinomy then drove between the Runners and created a slipstream for them to drive on so they could accelerate a little more. I then realized something very crucial as the three Duel Runners were meters from us.
"Make way, make way!" I panicked as I turned my Duel Runner to not block the road. "Or else we're gonna crash!"
"Crap, you're right!" Crow called as he moved his Duel Runner to the side.
Yusei and Jack followed our lead and opened a path for the girls and Antinomy. The male made it up first and drove ahead on the path before Sherry made it to the Ark Cradle. Aki had just made it up to us when Bifrost vanished entirely. She almost got stuck by the crumbling edge of the Ark Cradle, but she pushed the Runner forward to safe ground.
My body had been so full with tension and anxiety by the situation, so I let out a huge gasp of relief after everyone made it up to the Ark Cradle. Leo and Luna hugged each other as they both cried in relief that the female twin was okay.
"Aki, are you okay?" Sherry asked in concern.
"Yeah", Aki nodded in a shaking voice while she pushed the visor of her helmet up to get some fresh air.
"Let's never do this again, okay…?" I let out a weak laugh.
"Agreed…", Aki nodded with a sheepish smile.
Yusei turned to Antinomy and gave him a nod. "Thank you", my crush told the android.
"What are you doing here?!" Jack asked Antinomy in a demanding voice. "Why are you helping us when you're with Iliaster?!"
"I've lost my memories", Antinomy replied. "I came here to find them."
"You forgot about your involvement with Iliaster?" Aki asked.
"This smells way too fishy", Crow frowned. "But if you really have lost your memories, then you're fine as long as you're not our enemy!"
"Let's go, everyone!" Yusei called. "We're going to the center of the Ark Cradle! That's where Z-one is!"
The twins climbed back onto Crow and Aki's Duel Runners before we drove together to the center of the floating island. The road was transparent with the light of Ener-D glowing beneath us, which was a little irritating for my eyes even with the tinted visor. The spiral around the structure almost felt endless, but we reached our destination in a few minutes. The center of the Ark Cradle was a transparent dome that contained a massive amount of Ener-D.
"There's no entrance here", Sherry pointed out as we looked for an opening into the Ark Cradle.
"What do we do now?" Crow asked.
I was about to open my mouth to warn everyone when the ground opened underneath us. We fell into the darkness as we clung onto our Duel Runners for dear life. Leo and Luna lost their grip on Aki and Crow, so they were falling in the air close to Jack. I looked down and spotted three platforms that appeared in a section where there was light.
I used my body weight to push my Duel Runner to the closest platform. I even extended the wings of my Duel Runner to try gliding through the air for a safe landing. The front tire bounced onto the platform in an angle that forced the Runner to make a forward somersault. Fearing I was going to get crushed by my Runner, I tightened the grip on the handles and pulled its weight to the right side, only to realize in the very last second that I was falling off the platform.
I didn't react in time and fell through the air again while still holding onto my Duel Runner. The platforms quickly vanished from my sight as the darkness once again swallowed me. The gravity forced me to lose the grip on my Duel Runner, so I flew off of it while still falling to my doom.
I couldn't hear myself yelling in fear as I had no idea what was going to happen to me. My brain was overloading by the circumstances that I didn't even think about using my powers to transform into my Warrior Form and use the wings to fly. It became too much for me to comprehend that my brain shut down and I fell into unconsciousness.
One clear thought remained in my head before my mind disappeared in the dark abyss.
Everyone… Please, be careful.