Chapter III

Duel in the Shadow Realm

Her hands shake unstoppably, she gulps upon the sight of the strange intruder as if she knows exactly who he is. Ed frowns, stretching his arm in front of her, indicating he does not have any intentions of surrendering, he takes the initiative with a cautious stance:

"Who are you and what are you doing in my apartment?"

The man squints his eyes scornfully and glares at the girl behind him raising one of his scythes, pointing his blade at her.

"Traitor priestess, I came here to enforce your judgement. It's time for your demise."

His grave voice sounds for the first time, a shiver goes down her spine. Ed immediately reacts shouting back at the man:

"Who do you think you are to say such things?!"

"Don't stand in the way, or I will also eliminate you." His gaze is more than just severe, the eyes of someone who has no qualms about spilling blood.

Besides that, there is something off since this man entered. His clothes, Ed is sure he saw it somewhere else. But where...? His line of thoughts is broken when he feels the grip on his clothes releasing.

"P-please wait!" she steps in front and puts a hand to her chest "I am the one you want. I will go with you, so, please release him from this realm… I will follow your orders."

"This realm…?"

Ed looks around, indeed he feels an overwhelming pressure coming from all around and the fact that there is no sky or building or anything outside but darkness might mean more than he is giving credit for.

The man crosses his arms, one scythe pointing to each side and squeezes his eyes even more looking at her, maintaining a neutral stance with his body. She steps forward, ignoring the glass shards that perforate her skin under the feet, with a pained step, she plans to continue, but a hand pulls her back.

"Wait right there! Where do you think you are going?" Ed's voice is extremely annoyed, but his angered glare is directed towards the man this time "I won't let you do whatever you want in my home!"

He literally throws her back with a strong pull and push movement and steps in front of her, his eyes burning in determination and irritation. He won't let anyone have their way in his house ever again. He is not a child anymore, he can fend for himself.

Below the cloth mask he can swear he sees a smirk appearing on the face of that man, he uncrosses his arms and points at the pro duelist with his blade:

"I like the fierceness in your eyes. Fine, let's settle it according to our most ancient rules: a duel in the darkness!" he laughs in a low tone "Your soul will be given as a tribute to our gods and I will accomplish my job of assassinating this traitor."

He is speechless, he heard rumors, but he never entertained the thought the dark duels could be real. From the walls, shadows come out and gather around his arm taking the shape of a duel disk, the same happens to his opponent that has a big smirk, convinced of the victory.

The bewilderment on Ed's face gives room to worry, he doesn't fully understand what is happening and even if it can be real, but he certainly can feel the eerie air circulating. A warm hand grabs his shoulder.

"Master Ed, you can't! It's dangerous!"

"Quiet! You're such a troublemaker… Just stay behind me, I will win this duel just like the others." he moves his shoulder freeing from the grip and she steps back with an anguished and terrified expression.

"Duel!"

The man starts. From the moment he places his first monster: the guard of the pharaoh, he notices what has been bothering his inside for a while. This man looked exactly like the duel monster card "the executioner of the pharaoh". Was he cosplaying? No, it is impossible. What about that creepy realm they were in?

The windows broke, but there was no sign some staff from the building or neighbor came to check on them even though the noise should've alerted everyone around. Were they really in a different dimension…? Right now he can't afford to pay attention to the details, he must concentrate on this duel, that guy gives him a bad feeling.

The first monster Ed places, the Diamond guy is destroyed, with the assistance of another card, he deals perforating damage. The monster in question is a dark priest, he listens to the monster chanting unholy words and then, a burst of magic strikes his body.

For a brief moment his eyes open wide as the lighting strikes it electrifies every fiber of his muscles, it is tortuous, his mouth open on its own as he shouts in pain.

"Master Ed!" she rushes to his side as he stumbles trying to keep on his feet.

"Ugh… I told you to get away! Do you have holes instead of ears?!"

He again vents his anger like that, as she steps back, he touches his pained chest, in truth he is acting pathetically. How can he feel real pain? Shouldn't it all be just holograms? Why does it feel like he is being attacked by true magic?

Continuing the duel, he writhes in pain upon receiving damage, but unlike him, the tough assassin is more resistant to it. His vision blurs, he cannot lose there, he is a pro and his destiny is to win until he meets his father's killer.

The surprise comes even more when the man in question summons himself to the field. His suspicions were not wrong, he not only looks like a card, but he is the card! He looks at it with disgust. How could a card be alive? And why did it want that girl? He casts a brief glance, her expression is as panicked as when they started their duel, her eyes are filled with worry and hope.

"So cumbersome..." he mutters to himself.

His destiny rides in a single card he draws, completely destroying the opponent without further problems. His eyes squint in impassiveness as he watches the man getting destroyed.

When the duel ends, he sees the spirit of the assassin card floating in the air, the enemy smirks satisfied and uses a menacing tone:

"Very well, you won… But this is not over yet… Our mission, we will fulfill it. Wait in fear, traitor priestess! And you too, master of duels."

Casting the last words as a curse, he looks at the girl behind the duelist and his soul disappears into nothingness. The darkness surrounding the place dissipates, Ed flinches when he catches a glimpse of the starry sky revealing itself outside the broken window.

He clenches his fists and casts a doubtful gaze at the priestess behind, she is startled, but as if coming to reality and noticing it is over, she again tries to rush towards him. A sharp pain spreads from her feet to her leg and she stumbles over on the first step, preventing a full faced fall with her own arms.

She sits on the ground stretching her legs to the side, Ed gasps, coming and kneeling in front of her, he pulls her feet and inspects it. Some shards of glass entered it and it bleeds profusely. Unlike the pain he felt, this one was not only in the mind.

"Idiot!" a drop of sweat rolls down his face "Why aren't you using house shoes?!"

"Master Ed… Are you alright?" She ignores his annoyance and looks into his eyes, genuinely worried.

"Me? Why wouldn't I be?! Would you look at it?"

He sneers but a faint and slightly pained smile sprouts on her lips after seeing his bad mood is just the same as usual, much to his shock, his eyes flicker. The moment is interrupted by the sound of the doorbell ringing. The whole building is in disarray. With the glass shattering for no apparent reason and scaring even the ones walking outside.

"We heard a sound!"

"But the sound was long ago… I even had a full duel, then how…?"

He keeps those thoughts to himself, he is sure a lot of time passed since the first window broke, but the people that heard it swear it was but an instant from the moment they heard it and came running there. Some are still in their pajamas, indicating they didn't even try to change clothes before coming to aid him.

It is all very puzzling. He calls a doctor and some staff from the building help him clean the mess, with an angry frown at the girl that flinches wondering what she did wrong this time, he sighs deeply.

Putting her arm around his shoulders, he takes a firm grip on her arm and places a hand under her knees and lifts her on his arms.

"Kyah! Master Ed! W-what are you doing?" her cheeks gain a red color and her piercing scream just aggravates his annoyance, making a vein pop out his face.

"Do you want the glass shards to enter your feet even more?! I like this as much as you do!"he stomps the ground towards her room.

"B-but I don't deserve such treatment. A lowly priestess like me..."

She fusses over it even more, ashamed of the good treatment given, his short patience meets its end, with a stronger grip he declares even more angered:

"Can you stop screaming for a moment?! You were almost kidnapped and killed and this is all you're worried about?! Don't you get a hint?!"

With a startle she is left speechless, he finally has some peace walking to her room whose conditions are no better than his own room, though. Dropping her on the bed like a sack of flour as soon as he can, he huffs, crossing his arms. She sits on the edge of the bed, her feet dangling from the tall mattress, watching over him as he taps his finger on his own arm impatiently waiting for the doctor.

The same medic from before enters through the door, he is not very surprised to see her hurt again, and also not amused by Ed's grumpy and grave expression. He disinfects the wound but has to remove the shards manually, she lets a groan of pain escape and recoil her feet after the first one.

With no more room to let her stupidity abide, Ed approaches the bed and holding her shoulder firmly, he orders:

"Stay quiet, this is for your own sake! I don't want to hear a word of complaint from you, understood?!"

With wobbly eyes she lowers her gaze in resignance and the doctor raises a brow, switching his glance in between the two teens, then doing his job in silence. She still flinches every time, but once it's over and bandaged she breathes in relief.

The doctor gestures with the head, calling Ed aside to talk in particular, they go to a farther corner of the room while still keeping half watch on her. William approaches from his ear and covers the sight of his mouth with one hand:

"I got her exams and everything seems fine with her body, bruises and cuts aside. But… If I were to give you professional advice, you should search for a psychologist or psychiatrist, her experiences might have caused mental harm."

He closes his eyes, sighing deeply. Not that he didn't expect to hear it, the doctor again gives him a recipe and a load of medicines. Just how much more will she cost him?

"What about you? Shouldn't I examine you too? You seem stressed."

"I am fine. You can go now. Thank you for your services again."

With a worried grunt, the doctor takes his things and leaves, leaving the two of them alone. The pro duelist cast a sharp, distrustful glance at her, approaching menacingly. She is astonished for a moment, but lowers her head in sadness.

"I am sorry, master Ed. It is my fault that..."

"I have no time for your excuses." he cuts off her pitiful speech and gets to the point "Who was him?"

"An assassin sent to take my life, but because master Ed was with me, they..."

"I said spare me from your lamentations! I don't want to hear it. Explain to me, what just happened, the place we were… It was not my apartment, was it?"

"It is called the shadow realm." she has a nervous look "A place in which all the spirits can reside and a place in which darkness consumes souls."

"Souls, huh? Does that mean that man just now wanted your soul?"

"Yes… I told you before, master Ed… They will come for my life because I am a traitor to their eyes..."

In fact, she did say that when he questioned her earlier, even if he didn't believe an ounce of what she said, the more things happen, the more he has less and less reasons to doubt or even evidence to disprove her.

"I didn't want to believe you… But you felt that man was coming before he arrived, didn't you…?"

"Yes!" she clasps her hands together, seeing a beacon of hope amidst his skeptical self. "Just like I felt your presence before you entered this palace!"

"Tell me… Will more of those 'assassins' come for you...? Or me…?"

"I don't know." she shakes her head in sorrow, feeling useless "I was sure they would send at least an assassin after me… But since he couldn't accomplish his mission, it is possible more will come after him..." her eyes flicker "Master Ed, am I a nuisance? I endangered your life… After all the hardships I've caused you, am I really allowed to stay here? I should be left in the dungeon to not cause any harm…"

The question hits him with surprise. Why was she asking such a thing? He is not good at dealing with certain subjects. His frown increases as he answers honestly:

"Yes, you are a nuisance!"

Her shoulders drop again in disappointment and anguish, his voice becomes lower and the tone soothes a bit with the next part:

"But I knew that the moment I put my eyes on you first, so what?! I still have things to ask and that I must understand, until then, I'll be keeping an eye on you closely."

"Does that mean I am allowed to stay?" her eyes flicker in expectation and he frowns.

"What? Did you really think I'd bring you all the way here just to dump you in the middle of the city? I am not that heartless, you know..."

He puts a hand to his head, just which sort of impression did she have of him? A tyrant? A slave master? Given the scars on her body, he could understand a little bit why she would think that, but was he really that bad looking in her eyes she'd think like that?

"Thank you!" she smiles brightly again. "I am so glad! Master Ed is such a kind person!"

He has no words to say, she was almost killed and her feet got badly hurt, yet she just smiles like nothing ever happened, it is so infuriating. How can she be this happy when there is nothing to be happy for? His fists clench, he just cannot comprehend where her cheerfulness comes from.

Turning around, he leaves the room without further questioning, closing the door with a thud. She looks at the glass windows, they're destroyed to pieces. Her eyes follow the rays of moonlight with a melancholic shade in them. Even though everything was fine and Ed Phoenix won the duel, her heart is in pain.

It is because of her presence they were attacked in the first place, and because of her, because of her uselessness, it could all have taken a darker turn in destiny. Will she really be able to help him and prevent the destruction of the world or is her existence here just making it all worse?

She lies on the bed, crying her thoughts and worries out until she falls asleep. In his room, he sits down on the bed, a frosty breeze blows ominously, he looks at the remains of what used to be his windows, it is covered with some sort of plastic until it is repaired.

The scenes of the duel are still fresh in his head. He stares at his trembling palm. What is it that he feels? Fear? No. It is vexating. The pain he experienced and all that man has said. If she is really a priestess then which change can she bring to his destiny? He needs to know more and if this is connected to the card stolen from his father.

His eyelids close heavily, under them a nightmare he cannot escape from. His younger self chasing after his dead father that will never come back. He runs desperately, but the silhouette of the man whose back he chased disappears and in place of it, the silhouette of a creature akin to a demon stands in front. The child cries in fear in front of that creature as it looms above him.

At that moment, Ed wakes up with a flinch, sweat dripping from his chin, he combs his hair with a hand, still feeling the bad sensations from the dream. A voice startles him:

"Master Ed, did you have a nightmare?"

A pair of coral orbs stare at him, it's her again, she is sitting on the ground, her hands on the edge of the bed as she raises her childishly curious eyes to look at him. He is struck with a shiver.

"What are you doing in my room?!"

His hand comes to his forehead, in a bad mood. She lets go of the edge of the bed and lowers her gaze, pouting.

"I woke up in the middle of the night and felt restless, I could feel master Ed's uneasiness from far away..."

"Not this again..."

He sits on the brim, putting his hands on the smooth blankets. Taking a deep breath and looking at the girl that again, sits on the bottom. The wind that blows from outside is making his sweat become even colder. With a worn out and intolerant gaze, he asks strictly:

"What do you want in the middle of the night? You must have come here for a reason. And why did you walk here, your feet were hurt! You should have avoided walking like the doctor recommended!"

"My feet are fine, they are healed! The gods healed them!" she proudly points at her bare feet without any bandages and there are no signs of a wound there.

"How…?" he is puzzled, but it doesn't seem like she could give him a feasible explanation, so he gives up on the topic "Why did you come, then?"

It's still half dark outside, the sun is rising, but the warmth is yet to reach out the heights of the apartment. Did she stay awake the whole night or did she come here first thing in the morning? It is pointless to reflect on it.

"I pondered about what happened, master Ed… I was worried. I walked all over this place while thinking and then, I saw this..."

She takes a newspaper, a drop of sweat rolls down his face. That looks like the daily printed version that is put under his door, it should be at the entrance as it's left for the morning reading.

Did she really just walk around aimlessly and rummage through the whole apartment while he was asleep?

"Fo-Forgive me, master! I know I shouldn't have touched anything, but..." she nervously tries to explain herself after noticing his dire look.

"Whatever. What is so important about the newspaper?"

"I am intrigued by this..."

She points to a picture, it has an egyptian statue and the announcement the local museum will hold an event displaying relics, artifacts and akin from ancient Egypt as well as a full fledged egyptian themed cards deck. A headache attacks his brain.

"Master Ed, this looks exactly like the idols my people have… But my world and yours should be different..."

"This is an exposition of the past. Did you not read the part where it says they'll just display remains of an ancient age in the museum?" he casts a glance in disbelief.

"I cannot read your language..." she lowers her head.

His eyes open wide, finally awakening from his half-sleep state, but his grumpiness is still the same. Flabbergasted, he takes the newspaper from her hands, quickly reading through the lines. It was written in normal japanese, how could she not read it?

"I can read this… This is the language of my people..." she stands on her knees to have enough height and points at the hieroglyphs while taking a peek at his face.

He is in a state of utter astonishment. She cannot read simple japanese, but she can read the ancient egyptian language? This is a twist. With expectant eyes, she brings her hands close in a plea.

"Master Ed, could we go to this place? I feel like I could get guidance from the gods there."

"I don't have time for that."

He tosses the newspaper on the bed and looks at her with a scolding glare. His arms cross naturally and he puts a leg over the other, giving more austerity to his posture. She feels the pressure of his gaze.

"First, you shouldn't be entering other people's rooms without their consent at your age, even more so if it's a man's room, not even if it's me, do you understand?!"

She nods aplenty, but he feels she is doing it out of fear more than understanding what he means. His brows twitch in irritation as he sees her wobbling eyes like a puppy being berated.

"Second, stop acting like a dog! Why are you always on the ground?! I already told you, people should talk with their eyes the same height."

She nods but doesn't change anything, at this point he asks the universe why he met such a cumbersome person and why he even bothers trying to explain everything. Putting a hand to his forehead and shaking it, he slides down the bed and leans his back on it, sitting on the ground like her, she is gaped for a moment and scared when he casts a side glance.

"Third, let's just stop with the 'master' title. I couldn't care less about such titles your people give. My name is Ed Phoenix, just choose whichever of the names you prefer and call me like that. If you keep calling me master everywhere, it is bound to cause misunderstandings, more than just that, it bothers me profoundly. I am a pro duelist, not anyone's master."

"Ed Phoenix..." she repeats the name as if trying to pronounce it correctly, then peeks at his face "E-Ed?" it is written all over her expression she just chose the easiest name to pronounce.

"This is much better." he sighs in relief, at least this part is solved "I know you introduced yourself before, but let's just forget it and consider this as a proper introduction since we are talking face to face right now. What should I call you?"

"I am Zara the priestess." She tilts her head.

"What about a surname?"

"What is a surname? Priestess is the title bestowed upon me. My name is Zara."

She doesn't even know what a surname is? Now that he thinks better, she never really gave a second name, only her title and credentials of coming from the Pharaoh.

"Right, Zara it is, then." he thinks about which other rules he should make. "You said that man came from your world… Did he also have to cross the gate you mentioned?"

"Yes. Anyone who wants to come must cross the gate..."

"You also said your dreams foresaw the destruction of the whole world. If it was this serious, why did you not come before but only now?"

"I… was confused."

"Confused?"

"Hm." she nods, lowering her gaze, her eyes seem somewhat saddened, wavering "My father was angry at me and very nervous when I first told him. But as a priestess, my dreams are mostly sent by the gods. Even so, he urged me to never tell anyone else..."

"Did he know you would be considered a heretic?"

He casts a side glance, her eyes open wide in surprise and she nods. How did he predict it? She was impressed by his wisdom.

"Humph." he closes his eyes in response with a cocky sneer. That was just obvious, if it was her father, then… Wouldn't he just want to protect his daughter? Plus her people didn't seem the brightest and more open minded.

"Nonetheless… I kept having those dreams of Ed and others, and I didn't understand it… The more I told him, the more desperate he sounded, until… He fell sick..."

"Your father, did he..." his eyes showed genuine interest in the story now.

"He was very ill, no one could tell where his illness came from, but he told me it was punishment from the gods. I asked permission to be relieved from my duties for a while to stay beside him and take care of him..."

She closes her eyes in pain, as if she can remember him under her eyelids. He can see her tears dropping down. He averts his gaze, a strange conflicted feeling makes him feel unwell. She wipes her tears and continues her story:

"Then, one day, my father called me near, he touched my hand crying. I never saw my father cry before that. He told me he did not deserve to be my father. That he was never worth sharing his blood and flesh with me and that I do not belong to that world and I am not his child... I didn't understand it…"

Upon those words his expression is shocked. Her father felt guilty for something? He is not her biological father? Who was he then? And why would he say odd things? He could relate to being raised by someone who is not his real father. He understood that pain too well. Differently from her, that was the only father she knew.

"Wasn't he just delirious?" The tension in the mood swells with the question.

"I thought so, but he insisted… He told me I was a baby when he found me, an orphan with no parents. He said my parents were killed by bad men and that it was destiny that he found me…"

His chest feels tight, as if his heart is being directly squeezed, why is it so hard to even talk about such a topic? He is still angry about his father, the same child crying and yelling at the world for his loss, but… It also bothers him to see others in a similar situation. He can't stand this unfairness.

"Do you not resent your father for deceiving you for so long…?"

"No… He did not deceive me." she smiles faintly, but there is so much fondness in her eyes as they flicker "Normally I'd be sold or left alone to die in the desert, but since he took an interest in me, he raised me as his own child… My father truly loved me and I also loved him. Is this love not enough to be called his child? When I was young, he was caught and sold as a slave, and because of that I became a slave too. Our life was not the easiest, but we had each other. Then, when I was five, I had a sudden fever. He thought I'd die, and after trying everything he could, he snuck into the temple of the Pharaoh and bathed me in the sacred fountains… That was when my powers first awakened. It changed our lives."

"A sacred fountain, huh..." he raises a knee and places his arm on it, casting a glance at her. "Didn't you say your world had many rules? Can you enter temples just like that?"

"No… He was caught by the guards and I was too, but when we were about to be taken, my powers suddenly awakened. I was enlightened by the gods and blessed with those powers. Because the gods only choose a few for that, they could do nothing but tell the Great Pharaoh about it and upon the announcement, I was declared to not be touched or harmed."

"Are priestesses that important in your world?"

"Of course! We are the ones in contact with the gods, even though… Currently I..." her shoulders lower in disappointment, but she slaps her cheeks to disrupt her own mood "After that, I begged to let my father come with me and I became a priestess in training. My father became a guard at the temple and I later was bestowed the title of priestess." she smiles as if relieved in telling the story, her cheeks are still pink from the earlier slap.

"What about the dreams?"

"Ah… After a few years as a priestess I had a vision while praying in the temple… It was… About an apocalyptic world. I felt dreadful at first, but it all became hazy in my head when I noticed that place was different… The more I prayed and had those visions, the more I realized it was not our world… It had such different nature and constructions and… People with strange garments… You and other people from your world..."

She looks at him, he raises a brow, not like he couldn't say the same about her when they first met. She chuckles, but the act is empty, her expression becomes gloomy as soon as she continues:

"I saw utter destruction… Death, sorrow and pain… It felt so real… I couldn't understand why my father wanted me to keep it for myself. But the more I disregarded the vision and dreams, the more often they would come… Then, when my father fell ill, he seemed regretful. He apologized many and many times, as if he's done something wrong. I don't understand why… He just wanted to protect me, right? I would never hate him for anything."

She looks at him with wavering eyes, hopeful to hear a confirmation of what she believed, he opens his mouth for a second, stunned, but he averts his gaze, unable to give a definite answer.

"I don't know..."

"He told me he shouldn't have taken me, but it was his destiny and that my destiny was not in our world, but in yours. He said the gods punished him because he tried to change what I was destined for and that I should not run away from it, but embrace it wholeheartedly. Then, he smiled and closed his eyes, just as if he could sleep in peace right there... " she closes her eyes in sorrow "That was the last time I talked to my father or saw him…"

His eyes divert to the ground in a thoughtful mood. Her parents supposedly died and her foster father also died. He could relate and empathize with her pain. But how is it connected to what happens in his world? And why was her foster father saying such words about her destiny being here and not in her homeworld?

"I decided to tell everything and ask permission to come and save this world, because it was my destiny to prevent the chaos who would consume your and my world. But when I told everything, they called me a heretic and said the gods have abandoned me. I was imprisoned and sentenced to death. In that dark dungeon, light blessed me once more… My father's friend came and rescued me, he told me about the gate and told me to cross to the other side and that of the world I saw in my visions, he said I would meet my destiny here… I wanted to come with him, but… He stopped the guards as I forced the gate open. And that is how I came here..."

Her honesty gave him some amount of insight into her life, but his main question still remained. If she came from somewhere else, how does she connect with his destiny or the destiny of this world?

"Do you know anything about a card called Ultimate D?"

"Ultimate D?" her head tilts to the side "No. There were no 'cards' in my world, people battled with their own bodies and sometimes, with powerful spirits sealed in stone tablets."

They fought just like that? Stone tablets? He hears this is how they did it in ancient times. Could it be that in truth she didn't come from a different world, but rather from the past…? If so, then is she some sort of ancient priestess?

The story she told described an unfamiliar world with Pharaohs and sorcery, just like it was in the past, but it feels somewhat different from his world. Then where did she come from exactly? And how come whatever gate she used was there at the academy? With a ponderative semblance, he tries to delve into that mystery.

After all he has heard, he can't simply not involve himself in the matter, if he's doing it, he needs to find out the truth behind her appearance in this world and what it entails to their fates and the destiny of the world itself.

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Thanks a lot for your reviews! The cards named in the chapter are not real, they are part of the plot that will be developed later, but they're based on the gravekeeper's deck.

presea221: Thanks for the reviews! We got even more background on Zara, but what Ed will conclude from this we will see. My headcanon of Zara is a fluffy thing you just want to cuddle and love! I'm sure Ed will feel the same (...maybe). But this story is getting more complicated with other worlds still involved. Detective Phoenix to the job! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

ToBlazePurple: I thought It'd be nice if the story involved other dimensions (since it's a big plot point in the GX), plus I had the other story with a student OC already XD!I also got a crush on crossovers, but if I connect the story, more likely it will be through mentions later, perhaps extras. The names of the stories are also hinting they happen in the same universe hehehehe.