Note: Thank you to everyone who has stayed with me throughout this years-long journey, and to those just joining now! At long, long last, the third and final installment in the Millennium Death Note saga is here!

Hold on to your soul, because the power of the Orichalcos is upon us!

"Sorry, it's not very comfortable. Someone will be with you soon," Officer Touta Matsuda had said as he opened the door to the whitewashed cell.

Now, Light Yagami sat alone on a hard chair in front of a plain table. With the proliferation of farcical crime shows, even a fool would know where he was and Light had the fortune of having observed the questioning of a suspect first hand from the other side of a dark window, like the one that occupied an entire wall of his cell. But this was his first time sitting on the inside.

Though he had been left alone, presumably while the officers attempted to wrangle the card-game-fueled ego of child billionaire Seto Kaiba, Light knew that he was being watched. So he sat patiently, his back straight like a diligent honors student with something to prove, with a touch of nervous impatience here or there to complete the image. They would come to him eventually.

They had no idea what they were up against.

As the minutes dragged into hours - three hours, fifty two minutes, and counting - he began to consider demanding to see his father. It was becoming absurd. Everything had already been wrapped up for the police with a little bow, the only loose ends beyond their concern, but it appeared they were too obstinate to realize it. They were like dogs blindly pursuing a scent wherever it may lead. It was no wonder the world was falling apart at the seams.

Finally - five hours, six minutes - the intercom turned on with a quiet buzz.

A distorted, electronic voice sounded over it, "Name?" Light may have detected a tinge of impatience amid the blare.

He sat up straight and answered as though he was just being called on in class, "Light Yagami."

He wondered if all of the other participants in the Battle City tournament were receiving the same treatment, or if he was the only one being questioned by someone too important to appear in person.

"Describe your activities this weekend," the electronic voice continued shortly. The question was deliberately open ended, trying to catch him in a lie.

Light gave an awkward laugh. "That's the question. I was going to participate in the Battle City tournament with all the top Duel Monsters players in Japan, but the truth is, I don't remember most of it and what I do remember is hard to believe. I heard there was some gang trouble going on, with a group called the Rare Hunters, the only real explanation I can think of is that I somehow ended up getting drugged." He tinged his tone with regret, like he wished he could have done more.

However, he had hardly finished speaking when his questioner interrupted, "I know about the Millennium Items."

Light's eyes narrowed, if only for a brief instant.

No one would believe such an absurd story coming from a witless junior officer like Touta Matsuda, if he risked becoming a laughing stock to tell his superiors at all. The only other person who had seen their power first hand was his "accomplice" who had been foolish enough to get possessed by the Millennium Ring. Light could count the number of detectives with enough influence to pull something like that and come out with their reputations intact on one hand; Eraldo Coil, Deneuve, and, of course, the secretive L, who was rumored to be behind them.

This changed matters.

"You do?" Light asked in measured surprise.

However, it earned him no answer. Apparently, the detective, whichever he was, wanted Light to do the talking. That was fine with him.

"I'll tell you everything I remember, but there are a lot of gaps. I've been blacking out ever since I first got the Millennium Puzzle."

As Light expected, that got the detective's attention. "How did you acquire the Millennium Puzzle?"

"It was a few months ago. I was just on a date when I happened on it in an antique shop. I didn't realize what it was, I thought it was fake, but I was curious about the inscription and the puzzle, so I bought it. "

That seemed to be all the answer the detective needed, because then he went on to ask, "You said you blacked out, when did it begin?"

This was where the questioning truly began. Light had to be careful. At all costs, he could not contradict anything that the detective could glean - or possibly already had - from talking to Light's parents or teachers or any other potential witnesses. This was his opportunity to be helpful to the investigation.

"It started the morning that Takuo Shibuimaru was found having gone mad. I've been following the case of the comatose criminals in the Kanto region of Tokyo, near where I live, and I think that was actually the first one, it's just clumsier. I woke up that morning bruised from a fight I don't remember, with the Millennium Puzzle around my neck. It happened again the evening Jiro Jorogumo was burned alive. I thought I was getting sick; I lost weight and couldn't keep up at school, but even then I wondered. And I know the culprit must be someone with a connection to the police, like I have through my father, because one of the victims wasn't publicly known before he was found."

They went through all of Light's movements in minute detail for each time Light scoured another criminal from the waking world, but there was only so much he could say with the large gaps in his memory.

At last the detective asked, "Did you want it to happen?"

"No. The culprit's actions make him a criminal just as bad as the ones he went after, and he should be brought to justice!"

"Who do you think is responsible?"

Light hesitated. "I'm not sure exactly what to believe. It seems like it has to be the work of the Millennium Puzzle - or maybe I really am just being drugged."

The questioning continued. "Then you participated in the Duelist Kingdom tournament? Why?"

"I'm not sure. My sister, Sayu, was in a coma. I remember thinking Pegasus was responsible, but I don't remember why. I don't remember most of the tournament."

"What do you remember?"

"Only a vague impression, like I was going through it in a haze." Light let a little more frustration slip through. "The boat ride over was mostly uneventful. I remember an island, and Pegasus with his Millennium Eye. I think I met Yugi Muto and his friends there on the first night and spent the rest of it with them. At some point their friend, Ryou Bakura appeared with his Millennium Ring and I think there was a duel. I vaguely remember meeting Officer Matsuda there too.

"The weeks afterward were also a blur, even though I think the comatose criminals stopped appearing."

"And Battle City?" the detective asked.

"I barely remember entering it."

The detective poked and prodded at Light's story, but eventually he seemed to be satisfied and the intercom finally fell silent.

And then, with no more excuse to hold him, the door to the cell opened and Light was free to go.

Yugi Muto wandered through an impossible labyrinth of stone.

There were stairways on the ceilings leading nowhere, and passageways that, when he passed through them, took him somewhere completely different from what he had seen from the other side. He passed countless doors on the floors and ceiling and high up on the wall, but he didn't even dare open the ones he could reach for fear of what they might conceal. He may have gone in endless circles, but no two passageways were quite identical.

"Yugi," the Pharaoh, Yami, called to him.

He stood in front of Yugi, like the solemn guardian of the labyrinth. There was a striking resemblance between them, almost as familiar as looking in the mirror, but there were countless little differences that grew more pronounced the longer Yugi looked at him.

"What is it that you seek? What brings you to the chambers of my soul?" Yami asked when Yugi said no more.

"I- I don't know. You must have called me here, didn't you? Why?"

"No, I did not summon you. And you claim that you did not intend to come here?"

Yugi shook his head.

"If that is so, then it must be because of the connection that ties our souls together. Surely you feel it as I do."

A shiver ran down Yugi's spine. He couldn't help but wonder if this was how Yami had controlled Light.

"Yet, you search the labyrinth of my soul," Yami said. "Do you again seek the power of the Millennium Puzzle?"

Yugi hastily shook his head.

"Then what do you seek?" Yami's voice was serious, but not unsympathetic. He seemed to beckon Yugi, to draw him deeper into he knew not what.

Yugi hesitated. "It can't be true, can it, all those things you said about Light?"

"I have no need for lies or deception," Yami declared, affronted.

"But if you're telling the truth, that means everything Light has said is a lie, which can't be!"

"It is. Nearly every word he speaks is a falsehood, and that is far from the worst of his offences, all in the pursuit of power to fashion himself into a god."

Yugi balled his hands into fists. "He says nearly the same thing about you! That you controlled him and did all of those terrible things and lied to make it seem like he did it."

"He wishes me to face the consequences of his actions."

"No! You're both my friends, I can't believe it! Maybe it's all just a misunderstanding. Marik's dark side was able to take away Joey's memories during their duel, maybe that's what he did to Light when he sent him to the Shadow Realm and that's why he can't remember anything about the tournament."

"That does not undo his actions. He is no friend to you." There was something in Yami's severe gaze; his bright violet eyes, a shade brighter than Yugi's own, were mirrored in the engraving on the wall beside him of a jackal-headed man surrounded by a pair of scales, passing judgement on the Pharaoh's heart. "Before Marik was overwhelmed by his dark side, Light positioned himself as his ally and aided him in threatening your friends all in the pursuit of the power of the Millennium Rod."

"Marik must have been controlling him!"

"I felt no such influence. And his quest for power began long before Marik came to Japan. After you and I defeated Pegasus, Light used my power to claim his Millennium Eye for himself, which he still possesses."

Yugi shuddered at the thought of Light with one ordinary eye and one eye replaced by Pegasus's golden Millennium Eye. "How do I know you didn't make him do it? I felt your anger at Pegasus; you wanted to destroy him."

"And you did not after all he had done?"

"I just wanted to stop him!"

Yugi could see Yami's disbelief, and he felt his own suspicions bubbling no quieter than before.

Yugi blearily blinked into awareness at the beeping of his alarm. He just wanted to turn over and go back to sleep, but if he didn't hurry, he would be late for school. He pushed himself upright and tried to rub the sleep from his eyes with a yawn. He felt like he really had been walking in circles all night, though his legs weren't any more tired than the rest of him.

Everything was supposed to be back to normal. The Battle City tournament was over. Marik's dark side had been defeated, and the real Marik had resigned and finally given up his twisted quest for revenge. Even the Millennium Items had been confiscated and locked away where they could no longer pose a danger to anyone. Yugi's friends were supposed to be safe!

But still the Millennium Puzzle haunted Yugi in his dreams. He wondered if this was what Light and Bakura felt like, possessed by the Millennium Items…

"Yugi! Earth to Yugi!" Joey called to him from a distance.

"Are you in there?" Tristan asked.

Yugi jolted back to the present with a noncommittal acknowledgement.

"Oh, lay off him!" Tea said.

"No, no, it's alright." Yugi pulled himself away from his meandering thoughts. "Just tired, I guess…"

They were all hanging out after school, meandering downtown. Even Light had joined them.

"No wonder you're tired, after everything that happened at Battle City," Tristan said.

"Yeah, it took a lotta guts to kick Marik's butt and save everyone!" Joey threw an arm across Yugi's shoulders.

That elicited a small smile, though it didn't last long. "I couldn't just leave you like that."

"That's my pal, Yug!"

"Hey, what about the rest of us?" Tristan put in, in mock annoyance.

Everything was back to the way it should have been. Yugi just needed to relax.

"Those boys," Tea said with a shake of her head as Joey and Tristan ran ahead, bickering about something.

"Are you alright, Yugi?" Light asked, and Yugi jumped a little, though he knew Light was there.

"I- I'm fine."

"It's alright, I know better than anyone how much you've been through."

Light was right, but still Yugi hesitated. He wondered what it was Light really wanted. Light had been nothing but helpful and understanding, but for some reason Yugi couldn't get Yami's accusations out of his head.

Light lowered his voice. "Ryou told me that the Ring called to him, even after he lost it."

"Has the Puzzle been calling to you?" Yugi asked, genuinely curious.

Light hesitated - Yugi caught himself wondering if it was on purpose. "I've thought I felt it pulling at me sometimes… Has it been trying to get to you too?"

After a moment's hesitation Yugi shook his head.

For an instant, Yugi thought he saw Light's eyes narrow, but then it passed, as though nothing had happened. "At least you didn't have it for very long, hopefully it didn't have the chance to influence you too much."

Yugi gave a laugh - it sounded hollow to him, but Light didn't seem to notice. "I hope not. But the spirit of the Puzzle can't be all bad, can he? Afterall, he helped me out against Marik, and Pegasus."

"Are you sure it isn't influencing you now?"

Yugi was taken aback by Light's suspicion. "I don't think so... I don't feel anything strange."

"I'm afraid it only helped you because it wanted the other Millennium Items."

"What about saving me from Pegasus's eliminator, PaniK?" Yugi insisted

"The spirit of the Millennium Ring isn't the only one looking for a more obliging host. I fought to stop it through the haze it had me in and did what little I could to help everyone, but the Millennium Puzzle is too strong."

Light gave Yugi a little smile, as though he was the one who had saved Yugi from PaniK, not Yami, but somehow Yugi couldn't quite believe it. He tried to shake away the lingering doubt. "I'm sorry, I know you've been through a lot more than I have."

"It's a lot for anyone to handle," Tea put in sympathetically. "Everyone deals with things in their own way."

She glanced at Tristan and Joey, hurrying ahead, roughhousing like they didn't have a care in the world. Tristan noticed Yugi, Tea, and Light watching them, gave Joey a nudge and they both came racing back.

"What's taking you so long?" Joey exclaimed. "Not still worrying about those Millennium Items?"

Yugi attempted a smile, though it felt sheepish.

Light, however, remained serious. "We have a reason to worry. If the police underestimate the Millennium Puzzle and let it get too close to the other Millennium Items that they've confiscated, then we'll all be in danger."

"Then we'll just stop 'em all like you dealt with Marik, right Yug? Easy-peasy!"

"I don't know…" Yugi said.

"Supposedly the power of all the Millennium Items together is far greater than the combined power of each of the Items alone," Light warned. "It may even be enough to transform the world."

Yugi couldn't help but wonder if that power was what Light really wanted - or Yami.

"With us around, you don't have to worry 'bout a thing!" Joey burst through Yugi's unhappy thoughts.

"Yeah, you sure were a lot of help last time, lying around while the rest of us fought off Marik and Kaiba's crazy holographic step-brother," Tristan retorted.

"Hey! That's not fair! I'll show you helping!"

"Guys!" Tea attempted to intervene, but to no avail.

"Last one to the arcade is a rotten egg!"

There was nothing that made Yugi happier than seeing his friends like this. He only wished there was anything he could do to keep it that way, to protect them the next time Light or Yami or whoever got their hands on some terrible power that didn't even have anything to do with them. But there was nothing he could do.

Reluctantly, Yugi interrupted, "Sorry, I should probably go home. I have to get ready for school tomorrow and homework is already piling up, and I should also help Grandpa in the game shop."

"Yug, you're sure you don't want me to do your homework for you?" Joey asked. "You did save my soul from the Shadow Realm, and fair's fair."

"I bet Tea would be willing to give you her answers, so you even get a good grade," Tristan said. "If anyone deserves a break after everything, you do."

"It's okay, I'm just a little tired," Yugi said.

"Then lead the way!" Joey declared, already hurrying off in the direction of Yugi's home.

"I'll be fine," Yugi insisted, but his friends knew better than to listen.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Tea asked as they went.

"If anything happens, or if you just want to talk, you know where to find me." Light looked Yugi intently in the eyes; he was just as concerned as the rest of Yugi's friends, trying to help, and even without the Puzzle, it seemed there was so much more he could do to help than Yugi ever could.

"Thank you," Yugi said earnestly. He was really lucky to have such good friends. Yugi didn't know where he would be without them. He just needed a little rest, that was all.

Light watched him for a moment longer, as though waiting for him to say more, but something held Yugi back from taking him up on the offer just then.

"I'm okay," Yugi insisted, "It's just been a long few days."

"You can say that again!" Joey exclaimed.

L sat perched on a metal chair in the center of a whitewashed cell. On the table in front of him, gleaming directly under the harsh interrogation light, was a golden pyramid with a stylized eye in the center, staring up at him. Thin cracks along the pyramid's face revealed that it was a puzzle composed of carefully arranged pieces, like golden bricks.

L stared back at the Puzzle, the shadows and lines beneath his eyes even deeper than usual, his wild black hair perhaps wilder, sticking up at impossible angles. He betrayed no enthusiasm that the solution to a mystery was near at hand. He only peered at the Puzzle as though that alone could answer all of his questions, but no answers came, the light only shifted across its shimmering surface.

Finally, L reached out one finger and touched the edge of the Millennium Puzzle. "Who are you?" And then, after a pause, he said, "Speak aloud for the record."

In an instant, his features transformed; his posture straightened, with his shoulders back and his chin raised, and his eyes intensely narrowed, even his hair seemed to inflate. However, his expression remained serious rather than the spirit of the Millennium Ring's malicious grin.

L answered in a proud voice that was deeper than his own, "I was once Pharaoh of Upper and Lower Egypt. I will not serve you or your criminal accomplices."

When he had finished speaking, his posture deflated, his shoulders hunched, and his eyes widened.

"Criminal accomplices?"

Again, L gave way to the spirit of the Puzzle. "You cannot conceal the truth; I know that you are the accomplice of the murderer Taro Matsui, greedy for the power of the Millennium Items, which will be your demise. The spirit of the Millennium Ring may have been willing to lend you his power toward his own ends, but I am not so corruptible."

"Taro Matsui does not exist."

"What do you mean?" the spirit of the Puzzle demanded.

"He was a ruse; a lie created to lure out the individual responsible for putting criminals into comas."

"So that you could take the power for yourself?"

"I am a detective. I seek the truth to bring the culprit to justice."

"How do I know that this is not only another ruse to claim the power of the Millennium Puzzle?"

"I only seek answers. What do you intend to do with your power?"

"It is my destiny to save the world and right what is wrong."

"By punishing the guilty?"

The spirit of the Puzzle took control again, but it did not immediately reply. More hesitantly, it said, "I do not know. I believed so, but that may have been the influence of my vessel. My true memories are locked away."

I don't remember. That was what Light Yagami had said when L had questioned him.

But which was lying the truth and which told the truth...

However, all L said was, "Your vessel?"

"Light Yagami - but he had many false names. He wished to purge the world of all who poisoned it, and I was in accord with him for a time, but truly he only wished for the power to make himself a god and saw all others as beneath him."

"You worked with him?"

"Yes, I confronted those who he claimed defiled the world and sent their souls to the Shadow Realm as I was going to do to Taro Matsui and his accomplices. But now I question whether that is truly how I am meant to save the world, by punishing petty criminals."

It agreed with everything Yagami had said except in intent. Just as Yagami had attempted to implicate the Millennium Puzzle, it tried to lay the blame upon him. But which was the true mastermind? And Light knew there was an intelligence there, possibly even to rival his own, which had cleverly coordinated with him while he was possessed by the Millennium Ring.

"Do you recall the duel against the spirit of the Millennium Ring?"

"When you were its vessel? Yes, Light cheated by coordinating with you to sabotage the duel which he had instigated, all so he could claim the power of the Millennium Ring."

Again the Puzzle pointed toward Light Yagami as though it did not understand the significance of the implication - but that was the genius of it, if only it was intentional.

L inquired further into each deed the Puzzle claimed to have been complicit in. Every detail of its testimony was in agreement with the evidence L already possessed and at every opportunity the Puzzle further implicated Light Yagami. If it was a lie, it was a carefully crafted one, and if it was the truth, it must have been even more carefully crafted still, because which it was, L could not say for certain.

He needed more evidence.

Again Yugi found himself in the endless, twisting labyrinth, searching as though it held answers and not just more mysteries.

"Why do you keep bringing me here?" Yugi demanded.

The spirit of the Puzzle, Yami, faced him, silent and severe. "There is something that you seek."

"Is this how you were able to control Light?"

"I did not endeavor to control him. I only acted as I saw fit when he relinquished control," Yami answered proudly.

"That's not what he says. How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"I have already recounted my former vessel's crimes and the extent of his lies." Yami was becoming impatient.

"I didn't really notice it before, but Light has been afraid of you since we were at Duelist Kingdom."

"So you choose to trust his word that I am no better than the spirit of the Millennium Ring?"

"I don't know who to believe!" Yugi exclaimed, at the end of his wits. "If he's lying, then what is it you're really after?"

"It is my destiny to save the world and right that which has become corrupted."

"With the power of the Millennium Items?" Yugi asked darkly. "What would Light even want with them?"

"He seeks to become a god who will reshape the world to his will, but the Millennium Items are not his to weild; they rightfully belong to the Pharaoh."

It was all impossible for Yugi to believe. "I thought you didn't remember your past! Was that a lie?"

"You try my patience." Yami's voice had turned dire. "I will not stand unfounded attacks upon my honor, even from you."

"Why me?" Yugi demanded, throwing up his hands. "What do you want from me? An easier vessel, like Light said?"

"I do not know, I only feel a connection between our souls just as I feel that I was once a Pharaoh and that the Millennium Items are rightfully mine. If you wish to believe Light Yagami then I cannot stop you, but I have warned you that he is dangerous and will inevitably bring you harm."

"And what will you bring?"

"I do not know what our destiny holds."

Yami seemed so confident that it was difficult to imagine him lying, but Yugi knew how Light had struggled with the Puzzle and about Ryou's ordeal with the Millennium Ring. And if Yugi made a mistake, his friends would pay the price.

Yugi pushed open the door to the quiet chime of the shop bell.

"Yugi, you're home early!" Yugi's grandfather called to him from the back of the dark, quiet game shop where Yugi had spent more hours than he could remember. "I thought you were out with your friends."

"Good afternoon, Grandpa. I just decided to come home early."

"And you didn't bring your friends to pick up some more Duel Monsters cards?"

"Grandpa!"

Yugi joined his Grandpa at the back of the shop behind the counter. His Grandpa turned and really looked at him. Yugi could see his Grandpa's concern.

"Yugi, I don't mean to trouble you-"

Yugi waved it off and gave him the brightest smile he could muster. "Don't worry Grandpa, I'm doing okay, just tired is all."

His Grandpa was still eyeing him dubiously when the shop bell mercifully chimed again, announcing the arrival of a customer.

They both turned to see the hulking form of a young man in a long coat standing silhouetted against the light outside, so that he almost seemed to radiate with it. Then the door banged shut behind him and Yugi could more clearly make out spiky blond hair and a dark purple long coat like something Kaiba would have worn, with belts around the arms. He was at least a few years older than Yugi and twice as tall and wide. As he entered, he raised his sunglasses and looked Yugi in the eye with a piercing gaze that seemed to go right through him.

He walked straight to the counter without pausing to browse. "You're the Duel Monsters champion; Yugi Muto." He talked like an even tougher Seto Kaiba; unflinchingly straightforward.

"I am," Yugi said as bravely as he could.

"You have a lot of enemies."

"Excuse me," Yugi's Grandpa made an attempt to diffuse the situation before anything happened.

At the same time, Yugi exclaimed, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I know about the Battle City tournament. You did a brave thing, but at what cost?"

Yugi's Grandpa insisted forcefully, "If you're not here to buy anything, I have to ask you to leave. I will not let you stay here and threaten my grandson!"

"My apologies, Mr. Muto," he said, though he didn't sound very sorry, "I didn't make myself clear. I'm not here to threaten Yugi, but to warn him. Danger awaits you, but you have real allies if you know where to look. Just make sure you're on the right side." With that, he just turned and left.

Yugi belatedly recovered and ran out of the shop after him. Raphael was just mounting his motorcycle outside as Yugi shouted, "Wait! What do you mean? Does this have something to do with the Pharaoh?"

"This is much bigger than the Pharaoh. The power of the Orichalcos reveals his Millennium Items for mere golden trinkets."

Before Yugi could demand "What's that supposed to mean?" Rafael revved up the motorcycle and left him standing in the dust.

It couldn't be.

Yugi was on his way home from school when he saw a motorcycle stopped by the side of the path.

Yugi hadn't been able to get the man's cryptic warning out of his mind, but there was no reason for him to be here now. He had just been passing through - Yugi had certainly never seen him before. However, sure enough, beside it stood the same musclebound man. Apparently he had decided to stick around.

Yugi hesitated. He had spoken of a power that dwarfed even the Millennium Items, but Yugi couldn't risk bringing his friends into more danger, and who knew if it was even real.

The man had no such qualms. He looked Yugi unflinchingly in the eye, just as he had when he had come into the game shop.

Finally, Yugi stopped off to the side of the path and got up the courage to speak, "It's you again! I- I never got your name."

"Rafael, but I am only a servant of a greater power."

Yugi's curiosity finally overcame his reluctance. "It's all true then, what you said the other day?"

"Of course," Rafael said, like Yugi was a fool for doubting him at all.

"You called it the power of the Orichalcos? What is it?"

"It is an ancient power, older than your Pharaoh, that reveals people's true natures."

"You mean it can show if someone is telling the truth or lying?" Yugi asked eagerly.

"It does much more than that. It reveals who is good and who is truly evil and with it, we will save the world from those who threaten to destroy it."

"How? Could it even work on the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle?"

"You must first prove yourself worthy of its power."

Of course, it wouldn't be easy, but Yugi had to try for his friends. His hands clenched into fists at his sides.

"Master Dartz believes you have potential, but this world is full of evil, few are truly pure. As for the Pharaoh, he showed his true nature eons ago. He was an evil king who used the power of the Shadow Realm to destroy Egypt. It was only to save himself from his own mistake that he imprisoned himself in the Millennium Puzzle. Their power is evil, just like him."

"That's impossible!" Yugi protested on Yami's behalf, even though he didn't have any more reason to trust him. "Ishizu said that he was a good Pharaoh, who saved Egypt."

"It's easy to believe what you want to hear. Come back when you've decided what side you're on." The way Rafael said it, it sounded as though he didn't really care either way, but Yugi couldn't give up that easily.

"What did you really do?" Yugi demanded.

He had gone deeper into the labyrinth than all the nights before, winding through the stone passageways into the dark depths, until he found Yami in one of the thousands of chambers - somehow Yugi had known which door to open.

Yami was seated on a golden throne, befitting a Pharaoh, and there was no question that it was rightfully his. "I have done many things," Yami answered with the dignity of a king.

Yugi was not intimidated. "What kind of a Pharaoh were you? Did you really destroy Egypt or save it?"

"I do not remember. My past has been sealed away where I cannot reach it. It is only with the power of the Egyptian God Cards that I may be able to unlock the truth."

"Or maybe the Orichalcos can reveal your true nature, good or evil."

"The Orichalcos?" Yami mused. "The name is familiar, like a distant memory. You say that it can weigh the soul and reveal whether someone is good or evil? That is a great power indeed."

"With it, maybe I could have even stopped Marik or Pegasus before they had a chance to hurt my friends! Rafael says it can even defeat your Millennium Items."

"If it is as powerful as you claim, then it cannot be allowed to fall into the wrong hands."

Immediately Light jumped to mind and Yugi wondered if Yami was putting the thought into his head.

"What would you do with it?" Yugi asked suspiciously.

"I have no need for greater power except to defeat greater evils." There was an almost frightening righteous anger behind Yami's words, like when they had defeated Pegasus.

But Yugi could see what Yami was really up to. "You want the power for yourself, don't you, just like you want the Egyptican God Cards? How do I know you're any different from Marik?"

Yami rose to his feet. "Marik's soul was twisted by evil, which we vanquished together! If you truly wish to know, you must take the Millennium Items and raise the Egyptian God Cards before the tablet at the museum. And then we will have our answers."

Yugi and his friends had descended on the Kame Game Shop for the afternoon. Joey and Tristan were tearing through the shop; they hadn't knocked anything over yet, but it was probably just a matter of time. Tea and Light were watching with concern. Yugi leafed halfheartedly through packs of Duel Monsters cards, but he could only think of how none of the cards could have really done anything to help him and Yami against Pegasus or Marik and his Rare Hunters' deadly traps. His friends were still laughing and horsing around, somehow unaware that it wasn't all fun and games any more.

The door chimed as another customer entered.

Yugi didn't even glance over until the footsteps stopped and suddenly Joey exclaimed, "Hey! What do you think you're doing?"

"Yugi." A familiar gruff voice came from directly behind him.

He turned around in surprise. "Rafael?"

Joey stopped trying in vain to push Rafael away from Yugi - not that Yugi could blame him; Rafael was pretty intimidating. "Yug, you know this creep?"

Yugi nodded reluctantly, still watching Rafael's impassive expression. He hadn't told his friends about Rafael and wasn't sure he was ready for them to find out. "He's a friend of mine."

"You would do to pick your friends wisely," Rafael said. He hardly seemed to notice that the rest of Yugi's friends were still there.

"That's not fair! They've been through everything with me!"

But Rafael only silently picked up a pack of Duel Monsters cards and took it to the counter. Yugi's Grandpa quickly rang him up, probably eager to get him out of there before he stirred up more trouble.

On his way out Rafael stopped again just behind Yugi. "I will see you again, Yugi, if you are ready to see the corruption of the world as it really is." Then he left the game shop without another word to anyone.

"I'll show him!" Joey looked like he was about to run out after Rafael, but Tristan held him back long enough to cool off. "Sorry, Yug," he said, back on his own feet.

"Are you really friends with that guy?" Tea asked. "You're not in any trouble are you?"

"You know you can tell us if you are," Light said.

"'And we can make sure he doesn't mess with you again," Tristan added, brandishing a fist for emphasis.

"Don't worry," Yugi said at last, "it's okay. He just knows about the Millennium Items." He found himself reluctant to explain more. He just didn't want to worry his friends who had been through so much already - and his eyes kept wandering back to Light, who was watching him intently.

"Don't tell me there are more of them!" Joey said.

"No, nothing like that. I just want to be ready in case..."

"Whatever happens we'll be right there with you!" Joey slung an arm across Yugi's shoulder.

The others joined in in agreement, but none of them realized that was the problem. Yugi couldn't keep putting his friends in harm's way.

The furor had died down; Joey and Tristan got distracted by the newest cards, and Yugi returned to staring at booster packs.

Light stopped next to Yugi. "I know you're trying to protect them, but you know you don't have to do it alone."

Yugi hesitated. "I know. It's just…"

"You said that Rafael knows about the Millennium Items?" Light asked encouragingly, but Yugi had some feeling he had an ulterior motive, even though he was just trying to help.

Yugi nodded reluctantly. "Somehow he knows about the Pharaoh."

"I wonder what he wants with the Millennium Puzzle."

"It's not like that! He doesn't need the Puzzle." Yugi stopped himself short of revealing more. Even if Light was okay, there was no reason to worry him.

However, Yugi had already said enough for Light to ask, "What do you mean he doesn't need it?"

"He might be able to stop it," Yugi said quietly.

"Really? How?"

"I- I don't know exactly."

"That's okay, what did he tell you?"

"He couldn't say very much; I have to prove myself worthy first."

"I see," Light said with a smile. Suddenly, his expression turned starkly serious. "He seems like a dangerous man, if he has a power strong enough to stop the Millennium Puzzle. You don't have to meet him alone. I'll come with you next time and we can face him together."

"No, it's okay, he's not dangerous," Yugi insisted.

"Are you sure? He doesn't exactly seem friendly, and who knows what anyone could do with that kind of power."

"I know he doesn't seem friendly, but I trust him!" Yugi even surprised himself with his vehemence. He was sure he trusted Rafael more than he trusted Light, at any rate, as ridiculous as that seemed.

"I just don't want you to get hurt. You know you can always call me if you need anything," Light said, and then he backed off.

He was just being a good friend. But as Yugi turned back to the booster decks, he could still feel Light's eyes on him.

"I don't know who to believe," Yugi admitted.

He had run into Rafael on his way home from school again and now they were walking along the street, not going anywhere in particular. Rafael probably didn't want to hear all of Yugi's worries, but there wasn't anyone else he could talk to. His friends meant more to him than anything, and he couldn't burden them anymore with all of these things they shouldn't have been caught up in in the first place.

"The Pharaoh says he doesn't remember his past at all," Yugi continued. "He wants me to take the Millennium Items and the Egyptian God Cards and hold them up in front of the tablet at the museum and that somehow that might unlock his memories. I know, it sounds crazy! He probably just wants the God Cards and Millennium Items for something else, but what if he's telling the truth?"

To Yugi's surprise Rafael replied, "It will be the true test of the Pharaoh's soul."

"But isn't it too risky?"

"The ancient tablet is the gateway to the Pharaoh's past. It will show you his true nature. Then you can decide your allegiance."

"If you're sure it's a good idea…"

"Fine," Yugi said, confronting Yami in the winding labyrinth, "I'll bring the Egyptian God Cards and the Millennium Items to the tablet at the museum, and then I can learn the truth."

"I have nothing to hide," Yami replied proudly.

Yugi could feel Yami's confident self-righteousness, but Yugi couldn't be so sure. He hardly knew Yami's true motives now, he couldn't imagine what lurked in his past.

L wandered an impossible labyrinth of stone; the tomb of the ancient pharaoh whose soul was locked away inside the golden Millennium Puzzle. There were doors and passageways beyond number. Most of them concealed nothing, only traps to ward off any who dared enter, but some led onward and if he ventured deep enough, L was certain he would eventually reach the truth. He only needed to find the correct door.

...

"Watari, call Matsuda," L instructed.

L did not look up from the computer console as Matsuda entered his makeshift headquarters for the investigation. Taking up several screens were the Millennium Items locked away in glass cases, each in its own cell, just in case.

"I want you to take the Millennium Puzzle to the Domino City Museum."

"What? Why?" Matsuda asked in surprise.

L turned around in his chair to face Matsuda, a plate of cake in hand. "The spirit of the Millennium Puzzle claims that if Yugi Muto takes the Puzzle and holds up the three Egyptian God Cards in front of an ancient Egyptian tablet at the museum, it will unlock its memories of its past."

Matsuda sat down at another chair by the computer console. "Really? Why does it have to be Yugi? He's just a kid, hasn't he been through enough already?"

"The spirit of the Puzzle claims it has a particular connection with Yugi Muto for reasons it claims not to understand."

"Do you think it's just trying to escape?"

L took a bite of cake. "It is a possibility."

"It's already admitted to putting all of those criminals into comas, are you sure it's okay to let it loose on the world? Not that Yugi and his friends are criminals or anything."

"There are still questions remaining. I want you to bring the Puzzle to the museum and observe it." L took another bite of cake.

"I'll do what I can, though we still don't know how the Millennium Ring was able to escape like that. You're sure you're not being influenced by the Puzzle now?"

"It used a Shadow Game," L said, as he had explained before. "I haven't felt the spirit of the Puzzle's influence. It only reached out to inform me that Muto had agreed to meet it at the museum."

"That sounds pretty creepy, drawing Yugi to it like that! It's like what the Ring was doing with Bakura."

"I do not know. We need more information."

"Alright, I'll see what I can do." Matsuda pushed himself to his feet.

Before Matsuda left, L held out a plate to him. "Do you want some cake?"

"Oh! Sure!" Matsuda hastily sat back down with a smile.

It was just a trip to the museum, or so Yugi kept trying to tell himself, but he could almost feel the Egyptian God Cards in his deck. He couldn't let their power fall into the wrong hands - if only he could tell which hands were right and which were wrong.

"Yugi! There you are!"

Yugi nearly jumped at the sound of his friends shouting from the steps of the museum, waving to him. Joey, Tristan, Tea, and even Light had come to meet him.

Yugi hurried over to them. "What are you guys doing here?"

"You left school in such a rush," Tea began to explain.

Tristan interrupted, "Then we ran into Light, and he said he saw that big biker dude you've been hanging out with at the museum, so we came here and what'd you know!"

"Not too cool for us now, are you, Yug?" Joey teased, throwing an arm across Yugi's shoulders.

"No, that's not it," Yugi insisted. He just didn't want to put his friends in danger.

"Is everything alright?" Tea asked.

Out of the corner of his eye, Yugi saw Light watching him.

Yugi nodded. "I'm okay."

Tea looked like she wanted to say more, but before she had the chance, Tristan said, "So what're you doing at the museum?"

"I hope we're not going to that creepy tablet again, it gives me the heebee-jeebees!" Joey added.

"Sorry," Yugi said.

Before Yugi had to figure out what else he could say, a shout came from a little ways down the path as Matsuda came running toward them.

"Yugi! You're all here!" Matsuda stopped beside them and took a moment to catch his breath. Then, he lowered his voice and said to Yugi, "I've got the Puzzle, but you don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"Excuse me," Light spoke up, "what are you doing with the Millennium Puzzle? I thought it had been taken as evidence."

Matsuda looked between Light and Yugi, but Light's gaze remained affixed on Matsuda, his suspicions clear.

Yugi glanced up at the museum. Rafael was already waiting just outside the entrance, his arms crossed impatiently. It was time.

Yugi steeled himself and said to the others, "Lets go."

He silently led the way up the steps as his friends hurried after him. He just had to get this over with, and then at least he would have some answers one way or another. He only hoped nothing worse would happen.

They pushed through the double doors, into the museum. As they passed through the grand entrance hall, Yugi glanced back and saw Rafael following them a little ways behind. They all went straight to the antiquities section. Even though he wasn't wearing the Puzzle, Yugi could feel it pulling him toward the tablet. That was where they would find their answers.

The tablet was now on the main floor, with the rest of the exhibits. Thankfully, the exhibit hall was mostly empty that afternoon. They all crowded around the glass case. The tablet towered over their heads as impressive as he remembered and unfathomably ancient. On one side was a figure that Yugi now recognized not as himself, but as the Pharaoh, guarded by their Dark Magician. Opposite him was a magician that looked strangely similar to Light, but even more resembled Seto Kaiba with a Blue Eyes White Dragon above him. And above them both were Millennium Puzzle and the Egyptian God Cards.

If the secrets to Yami's past were anywhere, this would be it. Yugi took a deep breath and said to Matsuda, "Could I have the Millennium Puzzle, please?"

Matsuda took a moment to tear his eyes away from the tablet. "Oh, sure." He gingerly lifted the Puzzle out of his bag and handed it over to Yugi.

As soon as Yugi's fingertips touched the golden Puzzle, Yami's ghostly figure appeared in front of him.

"We will learn the truth." Yami's voice echoed in Yugi's mind.

Yugi nodded.

He put the Puzzle around his neck and stepped forward to face the tablet. Then, he took out the three Egyptian God Cards and he and Yami raised them up toward the tablet. He only had an instant to wonder if anything would happen at all, when the cards began to glow; they quickly became so bright that he couldn't make out the cards at all. The light burst from the cards and the eye in the center of the carving of the Millennium Puzzle on the tablet glowed back. Yugi peered into the light, searching for a glimmer of the Pharaoh's past, for any answers it held.

He was just beginning to wonder if he could make out the rolling sands of Egypt, when the tablet turned cold, encased in an ice-like aura. The glow faded and suddenly a jolt like an electric shock ran up his arm, so painful he nearly dropped the Egyptian God Cards.

"What did you do?" Yugi demanded. His hand shook with a terrible invisible force.

"What's going on? What's wrong?" Yugi's friends pressed in around him.

"I don't know! It was a trap!" Yugi's hand felt like it was on fire, as though all the power of the Egyptian God Cards was running through it.

"This was not my intent! It has been corrupted!" Yami insisted, but his game was up.

Then, just as the pain finally began to fade from Yugi's hand, they all heard a commotion coming from outside; rumbling and shouting, like an earthquake, but the ground wasn't shaking.

They all ran outside. Everywhere around the grounds of the museum and down the street, people had stopped in their tracks and were staring up at the sky, where half a dozen dragons soared overhead, and on the ground around them even more monsters raged, knocking over cars and running down light posts with terrible roars.

It seemed like the world had been overrun by Duel Monsters.

"I do not understand." Yami sounded bewildered, but now Yugi knew it was just another lie.

"You did this!" Yugi shouted back. "Why?"

"Perhaps I should be asking you the same!"

"I just did what you told me to! I should never have trusted you!" Yugi tore off the Puzzle and handed it back to Matsuda. "Lock it away, where it can't hurt anyone again."

"What do we do?" Tea asked, huddled with the rest just under the awning of the museum.

Yugi's friends were in danger and again it was all Yugi's fault.

Rafael stood off to the side, watching the monsters rain terror upon the city around them. He was the only one who seemed unfazed.

Yugi glanced back at his friends, bickering as though it was nothing more than a sudden downpour. He had to save them. Yugi ran over and Rafael met him with a challenging gaze.

"You were right," Yugi said, "the Pharaoh is dangerous. I need the strength to protect my friends!"

Rafael said nothing. Instead, an unfamiliar voice echoed in Yugi's mind. "You are ready for the true power of the Orichalcos, if you will accept it."

Yugi's doubt was gone, replaced by solemn certainty. "I accept."

A powerful green glow began to encroach on the edges of his vision. He gritted his teeth as he felt a sudden rush.