Bakura sneered and set the book down.

"Now what could have caused that to happen, eh? Those are things that even I cannot explain. For once the Shadow Realm desires your soul, there is no running from your fate. Chazz will now wander the world as a ghoul for all eternity. Perhaps it was his inflated ego that made his soul too delicious to pass up. Pride can be a real killer of the soul, especially when it becomes all you run on. Speaking of pride, our next story is about a young duelist named Dimitri. Unlike Chazz, this boy did not grow up very privileged. Nor was he any good at Duel Monsters. He is known as a copycat Duelist. A player who uses the decks of other people to play. But it mattered not who Dimitri copied. Time and time again, he would lose. So obsessed was he in becoming the ultimate duelist, that he would stoop himself to an all-time low. He would commit an atrocity that would send him on a one-way trip into his darkest nightmares."


Curse of the White Dragon


"Did you hear the news?" Dimitri's mother said during dinner one rainy night. "Seto Kaiba passed away last night."

"I thought he'd never die," said Dimitri's father. "I wonder who he left all his money to."

"I don't know about his fortune. Many in town are saying young Mokuba is going to have that fortune. There are even whispers that Seto Kaiba is going to share a portion of his wealth with Yugi Muto."

"Now that's a lie if I ever heard one," said Dimitri's father. "Seto Kaiba respected Yugi, but I doubt even that respect will be enough to make him give the boy even a penny from his bank account. Hah."

"Well, I don't know. All I know is that they are set to have a funeral tomorrow morning."

"What about his Blue-Eyes White Dragons? A guy could become a real champ with those prized cards."

"I think he's going to be buried with them. There is no way a man so attached to his cards like that would ever dream of parting with them, even in death."

Dimitri stopped eating. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Now that beast would surely be the monster to grant him victory and end his horrid losing streak at school. Most importantly, wouldn't the girls be surprised to see him taking down Zane's Cyber Dragons with the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Or perhaps even destroy Jaden, who still managed to defeat him when he stole Yugi Muto's deck last year. There would be no stopping him, that's for sure. He just needed to get that deck.

When dinner was done and the dishes were cleaned, Dimitri went upstairs and went do bed, dreaming of the rewards that were coming his way. Harems with beautiful girls, tournament prizes, and most of all, respect. Yes, those dragons would be his meal ticket to the big time.

The next morning, Dimitri got on his bike and rode to the Domino City Cemetary where Seto Kaiba would be laid to rest. There, Dimitri waited behind one of the tombstones and listened to the eulogy. Yugi Muto and his friends were there. The beautiful Téa Gardner, the strong Tristan Taylor, and their friend Joey Wheeler, a legendary duelist in his own right. He was the only one there who didn't shed a tear for the bloke.

When the final 'Amen' was muttered, the guests got up and went home. Mokuba was standing beside the mausoleum of white where Seto's gold engraved casket was carried downstairs into a chamber. He was approached by Yugi by the fountain in front of the mausoleum, ha! What pomposity. They hugged and started talking to one another, asking how they felt and if they needed anything.

Dimitri moved closer, hoping he could get some information on the Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards. Sure enough, that's exactly what they were talking about.

"Where are they?" Yugi asked. "Did he give them to you, Mokuba?"

Mokuba grinned - or tried to. "Naw, you know Seto. He would never part with his Blue-Eyes. Those beasts are things he held very close to his heart. And that's where he intends to keep them." Mokuba winked. "You know him."

"Ah, I see," said Yugi. "Come on. We're going to get some ice cream. Want to come?"

"Thanks, Yugi, but I have a lot of work to do. And I'd like to spend a few more moments with my brother if you don't mind."

"Well, if you ever need anything, we're all here for you."

"Thanks, Yugi. Oh, by the way. Here's a check Seto wrote for you. You're going to get a million dollars every month for the rest of your life."

"Mokuba, I can't take this."

Mokuba laughed. "Come on, Yugi. You take water from the ocean with a bucket and what do you have left? We can get some pizza on Friday if you want."

Yugi smiled. "That'll be great. See you."

They shook hands and parted ways. Dimitri was mad. He didn't get the information he wanted. All he understood was that the dragons were something he wanted to keep close to his heart. Perhaps that meant they were in his pocket somewhere. Yes, that's it. Dimitri decided that tonight after dinner, he would ride to the cemetery, break into the mausoleum, and steal the Blue-Eyes White Dragons. It was going to be hard work, but he felt he could do it. He was a master of breaking into places that were designed to keep people out. Yugi's deck had far more security than the mausoleum, that's for sure.

That night, it began to rain heavily. Just his luck. But Dimitri was determined to get those cards. He snuck out his bedroom window and rode his bike back to the cemetery. It was dark and creepy there at night. The skyline of the city towered over the trees that surrounded the cemetery. Dimitri had no trouble spotting the mausoleum.

Pfft, who could? It was the most obnoxious-looking thing in the cemetery. Two floors, making it look like a museum or something. What an asshole. Even in death, Seto Kaiba loved to show off. Dimitri scampered up the hill to Seto Kaiba's resting place and used a custom lockpick he invented to open the lock holding the door tightly in place. He pulled the heavy door open carefully, not wanting to make any noise. The horrible creaking of the damn thing was loud as if it were trying to get a hold of someone; warning them that there was a thief in the midst.

Dimitri closed the door behind him, leaving it open with just a crack. Then he walked down a dark stairwell, lighting up the way with his flashlight. A flash of gold caught his eye. There it was, protected by a red velvet rope. Seto Kaiba's coffin. There was a portrait of him hanging on the wall right over the coffin.

At once, Dimitri got to work on the lock. The lock was a good one; a real test of his talents. He stopped when he heard a peculiar sound. Whispering. There was whispering all around him. He listened closely and then it stopped. All he could hear was the sound of the rain splashing against the door at the top of the stairwell. Dimitri shrugged.

"It was probably just the wind," he thought. "Must be blowing through the crack I left behind."

It took a while for him to get the lock, but eventually, he heard that satisfying click, congratulating him for a job well done.

This was it. There was no turning back now. He was going to rob a man's grave. And not just any man. This was Seto Kaiba. Dimitri didn't care; he wouldn't be down here if he did. The deck contained in this gold monstrosity of a coffin was going to change his life in more ways than he could ever imagine.

Slowly, Dimitri opened the lid. And there he was. Seto Kaiba, lying peacefully in his coffin. His skin was cold and deathly white, as was his suit. Underneath his white blazer was a light blue dress shirt and a white tie. Dimitri took a deep breath. It was time to begin the search. He held the flashlight in his mouth and started to fumble around Seto Kaiba's body, searching his pockets for the dragons. Nothing. They were all empty. He dared to even push Seto on his side and searched for the cards in the back pockets. Nothing. The cards were not here.

But Mokuba said they were going to be close to his heart. That should mean the cards were going to be close to his chest. He searched the blazer again, over and over again. Nothing. There was nothing there.

Then a macabre thought hit him. Close to his heart. Hmmm. Could it be?

Dimitri opened Seto's jacket, loosened his tie, and unbuttoned his shirt. There was a scar on his chest. It looked like it had been recently sewn up good and tight.

Oh, man! Dimitri thought. That was close to his heart all right. Only Seto Kaiba would be that demented. The dragons. They had to be deep inside his chest. So focused on his future fame and fortune, that Dimitri lost all reason and remorse. He had to do what he had to do. He took a knife from his back pocket — something he brought in case of emergencies — and performed the dirtiest deed of his life. He carved open Seto's chest. He shined his light inside the hollowed-out cavity and saw something gold flashing in the walls of blood-red tissue.

There they were. The Blue-Eyes White Dragons. They were his at last. But just as he was about to reach for it, something grabbed his wrist.

"AHHHH!"

Dimitri sighed in relief. His sleeve had just come down, that's all. He waited until his heart slowed down and took the deck box out of Seto's chest. It was wrapped in clear plastic foil, which he quickly undid. He opened the deck box and saw that his whole deck was in there. Neat.

He looked around. He didn't want to be here any longer. He closed the lid, locked it, and ran back up the stairs, with the feeling of something chasing him tickling his back. Just as he reached the entrance, he heard something.

Give back my cards!

He stopped and listened again. Oof, whatever it was, it was gone now. Dimitri closed the door to the mausoleum, ran out of the cemetery, and hopped on his bike, riding home.

When he got there, he climbed back into his room and turned on the light. He looked at the deck box, glimmering with gold scrollwork. He opened the deck and examined it under the light of his deck lamp.

"Wow!" he said. The deck was radiating with power.

Chaos Emperor Dragon -Envoy of the End. Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon, and so many more of the most powerful dragons in all of Duel Monsters. And, of course, his prize. The three Blue-Eyes White Dragons.

Give back my cards!

Again, the creepy sound filled his ears. He shook his head. "No, I'm probably hearing things probably because I've been out so late."

Dimitri put the deck under his pillow, dressed into his pajamas and got into bed. He did it. He actually did it. But before he could dream of going out with Alexis, he heard the noise again.

Give back my cards! Give back my cards!

That was not the wind. That was not his imagination. There was something in his room. Just then, he heard the front gate creaking open and the sound of footsteps sulking down the stone path in front of his house.

Give back my caaaaaardds! The thing howled.

The front door opened. Dimitri hid under the blankets and shivered. He heard the thing walking around the first floor of his house.

It shouted: Give back my caaaaardds!

Dimitri shivered uncontrollably. He heard the creature shifting around, dragging its feet across the floor.

Give back my caaaaards! It roared from the bottom of the steps.

Dimitri heard it grunting like a hungry beast as it went up the steps. Dimitri peered over his blankets and was shocked when he saw that there were blue eyeballs peering at him. There must have been thousands of them. They grew out of his walls, his floor, his closet door, and on his roof grew an even bigger one. It looked down at Dimitri, blinking at him menacingly. Then, he saw more eyeballs floating around his room. They were looking at him from the shelf, from the windowsill, and there were thousands, blinking underneath his bed.

GIVE BACK MY CAAAARDSSS! The thing roared.

The knob turned and shook. The door burst open. A shadowy, faceless mass was standing outside.

GIVE BACK MY CAAAAARDDSSS!

"No!" cried Dimitri. "I'll give them back! I'll give them back! Don't hurt me! Don't hurt me!"

All of a sudden, everything was still. And silent. Dimitri reached for the lamp in his night table and turned it on. The eyeballs were gone. The thing at the front of his door was gone, too.

Did he dream of this? He must have. But if he did, then this was a sign that those cards were just not for him. How he got them was wrong. Them being in this house was wrong. He promised that first thing tomorrow morning, he would return the cards back to Seto Kaiba. After making such a vow, the night was still and peaceful, and Dimitri fell asleep.

The next morning, the sun was shining brightly through his curtains. The birds were chirping outside his window and he could smell his mother cooking breakfast downstairs. Dimitri looked around. There were no eyeballs. They were all gone.

After breakfast, he got back on his bike and rode back to the cemetery, broke into the mausoleum, and hurried down to the chamber where Seto Kaiba was.

The coffin! It was gone. But where did it go?

Dimitri left the mausoleum and noticed Mokuba Kaiba walking away with his hands in his pockets. Dimitri closed the door and locked it and then ran towards him.

"Mokuba Kaiba?" he called.

Mokuba turned. "Who are you?" the boy asked.

"I'm so sorry about your brother."

"Thanks. So, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, I was just taking a look at the mausoleum. It's very nice. Is your brother buried there?"

"Not anymore," said Mokuba. "I don't want my brother in that creepy place. I decided to burn his body and keep the ashes in my manor. You know, so he can be close to home."

"Oh, I see," said Dimitri. "Well, good luck to you. I know you'll run the business well. Your brother will be very proud."

"Thanks. Well, I have to go. You take care now." Mokuba waved Dimitri goodbye and walked back to his limo.

"Burn the cards?" Dimitri laughed. He patted them in his pocket. "No. They're mine."

Dimitri walked out of the cemetery and got back on his bike. But before he could start pedaling, he felt cold, boney fingers wrap around his neck and squeeze it. Dimitri tried to fight back, but he couldn't. The thing was too strong. And just before he let out his last breath, the creature leaned right beside his ear and said:

I TOLD YOU TO GIVE BACK MY CARDS!