"You have come to our aid once again, dear Pharaoh," Timaeus said.
The group stood in shocked silence in the Muto's yard. Seeing the Legendary Knights up close was new to even Yami. No one knew what to say or even where to begin. They all knew the Knights were powerful forces of good. They'd have to be with them being the original guardians of the barrier between dimensions. Still, after appearing out of nowhere, the three spirits ended up being quite intimidating. Each Knight was much taller than the average human (practically giants to the short Mutos), and they each had a sword strapped to their side. What's more, the Knights had an unmistakably strange aura about them. They radiated power, but not like how other duel spirits did. These three felt closer to the out-of-place energy Dark Magician and Seto's Blue-Eyes gave off.
The teal knight Timaeus had a face so similar to Yugi's, and in turn, Yami's face, but the Knight's was a hardened visage. He had a deep scar over his missing right eye and clearly many more hidden beneath his thick armor. Timaeus kept his expression in a scowl, the haunted face of a soldier that had seen too many battles.
On Timaeus's right hand was Critias, the Knight that had been partnered with Seto. Critias was the tallest of the Legendary Knights and wore blue and black armor. Yugi noticed that Critias also had a scar going from his upper lip to his neck. He gave a friendly smile to Yami, which the Pharaoh couldn't help but shiver at. It wasn't that Yami didn't trust Critias's smile. In fact, he seemed the most outwardly friendly of the Legendary Knights. Critias's uncanny similarity to Seto made the Pharaoh's earlier anger towards Kaiba bubble back towards the surface.
The final Knight was Hermos, Joey's partner. He wore red armor and was waving to his young counterpart. Joey seemed too shocked at the moment to do more than give a tentative wave back. Yami then noticed something he didn't know how he missed before. Hermos was missing his right arm. Yami remembered the Knights having all their limbs when they fought Dartz. Did he lose that recently thanks to the wishing well's banishment or something else?
After many more moments of unsure silence between the two groups, Junior inhaled deeply and stepped forward. "Ok, first question. Is there a reason these ancient knights from Atlantis have the faces of my son and his friends, or is that just a fact of magic I have to accept?"
This helped break the group's tension as the others smiled, and Critias began laughing a very raspy laugh. He then began communicating to the group in a sign language Yami didn't recognize.
Hermos chuckled and translated. "Critias states that, truthfully, the three stole these good looks from us. They are our platquen-, erm... They are our descendants." Hermos paused as he tried to translate his Atlantean into English. "I assume that you are the father of the Pharaoh's vessel? That technically makes you a descendant of my nephew as well, sir…." Hermos gestured to Timaeus and then trailed off so Junior could introduce himself.
"I'm Solomon Muto," Junior said as he lifted Yami a little so the Pharaoh could better look at the Knights.
"And I'm Solomon Senior," Grandpa added as he walked forward. He was followed by Pegasus and everyone else.
Soon they all introduced themselves to the Knights and began catching the three up on what was happening in the spirit world. As soon as the Knights learned that the Lockdown was causing so much trouble, they couldn't meet the humans' eyes.
"I knew we should have dismantled the Lockdown spell once the Great Leviathan was defeated. But we worried Zor-" Timaeus paused and glanced at Yami, who was still clinging to Junior. "…That another evil might attempt a siege on the spirit's dimension."
As Timaeus talked, Critias had been looking over the Pharaoh, his expression growing troubled. He then signed something to Timaeus. The teal knight nodded and turned to Yami.
"You do not look well, Pharaoh," Timaeus said as he kneeled down to be eye level with the boy.
"I-I think I need Yugi," Yami muttered, not having the voice for much more.
"Right you are." Timaeus sighed. "I do not trust the darkness swirling inside you."
Téa stepped up to Timaeus's side and tapped his shoulder. "Sir Knight? Yugi's in the duel monster world. Can you take us with you when you slip through the Lockdown using this new card's connection?" She pointed to the Blue-Eyes card still in Grandpa's hand.
The three Knights grimaced. Critias signed something else as the other two spoke what Yami could only guess was Atlantean to each other. Their grave expressions did not give much hope to Yami or the others.
Timaeus then said in English. "While you have done well creating this Blue-Eyes White Dragon card, it will not let the Pharaoh or any of you come with us."
Yami felt an ice block slide into his heart. It seemed to grow the cold force still radiating from the Millennium Puzzle. In the back of his throat, he felt a familiar acid start to burn.
"Why?" Pegasus asked. "If the card needs to be changed, I will be happy to do so."
Timaeus shook his head. "The card is perfect. Once it dries and a renewed connection to the spirit world is forged, only we may use it. The completely human Pharaoh could not utilize it. In fact, not even other duel monsters could. It is only us half-duel-spirits that could use this magic."
Junior pulled Yami closer to him as he whispered. "Half-spirit?" No one else seemed to hear Junior as they all shouted their anger.
"What? How does dat make any sense?!" Joey's voice raised over the crowd.
"It is simply how the magic works. Now you know why Dartz turned us into dragons. Not only did he weaken us, but he turned us into full duel spirits. Meaning we couldn't access our own protective magic." Timaeus then sighed as he rubbed his head. "That card will dry at any moment. When the Blue-Eyes White Dragon makes a path for us to follow, we will hasten and bring Yugi back as soon as we can."
Hermos grumbled. "Too lengthy may be our time. It will take days to get the Barrier open again. That is time I do not think we have for the Pharaoh or the duel spirits."
The three Knights then glanced at the weakened Red-Eyes across the yard. Joey's dragon had wholly collapsed with Dark Magician trying to get him back on his feet. The only reason Seto's Blue-Eyes and Dark Magician were still standing was because they knew how to save their energy. But even they seemed to be more lethargic. Yami didn't want to think about how the other spirits in the human world were faring.
"But dere has to be somethin' we can do! Since we're all together, can we just break through dat Barrier or somthin'?" Joey asked. The Knights perked up at Joey's comment. The three looked nervously at each other as Critias then hesitantly signed to the two.
"I only know of one way to 'break' the Barrier like you are suggesting. That was Dartz's way." Timaeus answered whatever Critias said. At the name Dartz, everyone but Yui and Grandpa froze. That name brought back too many bad memories.
Hermos then tentatively spoke. "Joseph may be on the right track. Instead of traveling along the connection the Blue-Eyes White Dragon will make, perhaps we may use it to tear a hole. It may cause some damage, but we will fix it later. We only need it open enough to let the Pharaoh and other duel spirits through."
"Are you truly suggesting we break our Barrier? With ancient evil magic?" Timaeus said with a cutting sharpness to his tone as he stood up to face his fellow Knights.
"We are not using the Orichalcos's magic. We will simply be using a similar method. We do have the original creator of this method on… I believe the modern phrase is 'speed dial.' I am sure we can modify the spell so it doesn't use forbidden magic and so it does not alert the pangde qut Exodia." Hermos added.
The Knights then began seriously discussing the idea of breaking the Barrier. They often switched back and forth between English and Atlantean, leaving the rest confused about where they were going. It seemed like it was Timaeus that was most against the plan. Yami didn't particularly blame him. This plan just went from sneaking around the Lockdown to full-on ripping through it. All with magic similar to what Dartz used? Yami found himself clinging a little closer to Junior at that thought. But then Yami's eyes rested on Red-Eyes again. The duel spirit wasn't reacting to anything Dark Magician tried to do to get his attention. Red-Eyes's only movements were the shallow and shaky risings of his chest. Even Seto's Blue-Eyes (though she tried to hide it) seemed worried about the dark dragon's state.
"Please!" Yami managed to say to get the Knights to stop arguing. "We… Time." Yami gasped as he bobbed his head towards the nearly knocked-out dragon. He gritted his teeth, but he couldn't force his static-filled body to do much else.
The three Knights looked a little embarrassed for squabbling.
Timaeus then spoke. "Right… the Pharaoh is right. We don't have time to argue like this. But I still do not like the idea of breaking the Barrier." Timaeus then sighed. "…He may teach us how to do it, but his power got to feed on the darkness of human hearts for over ten thousand years. Unless you have millions of dark hearts in your satchel, we cannot break through the Lockdown that way."
Critias's eyes then landed on the Millennium Puzzle dangling from Yami's neck. He tapped on Timaeus's shoulder and pointed at the Puzzle.
"Then again… we do have a dark-heart aged over five-thousand years," Timaeus whispered.
Timaeus didn't seem particularly thrilled as he walked to Junior and Yami. He then gestured to ask if he could pick up the Puzzle. Yami nodded. Timaeus reached out but then hesitated. He kept his eyes on the rocky necklace as if it would bite him. He then touched the pyramid with only two fingers. The Millennium Item sparked with a dark bolt of energy, and Timaeus quickly pulled away.
"It is still strange to me, seeing this item fully made. It was only ever supposed to be an iamst." Timaeus murmured as he continued to study the object.
"What?" Yami asked.
Timaeus studied the Pharaoh and then gave a sideways glance to Dark Magician, almost as if he was asking for permission from the spirit. Dark Magician gave a slight nod to the Knight and then went back to keeping Red-Eyes conscious.
"The Millennium Items were one of Atlantis's… darker ideas. In fact, it was outright forbidden by the Crown. It and many other uses of shadow magic were restrained only to be discussed in iamst, magical theories researched under guard. Strange, what survived of our civilization. All our great and useful advancements were lost to time. But a book of our most forbidden spells somehow ended up in ancient Egypt." Timaeus said with a shake of his head.
"I think a certain dracquan dicusk made sure of that," Hermos grumbled.
"Uh, Knights… The card's nearly dry!" Grandpa added as he held the Blue-Eyes card to the setting sun to see what wet patches were left.
The three Knights once again glanced at each other apprehensively. The two taller Knights then nodded to Timaeus, silently letting him take the lead.
Timaeus kneeled down again, so he could look Yami in the eyes.
"Pharaoh, this will be your choice. We can do the original plan and go around the Barrier. But taking down the Lockdown that way may take days in your time, even taking into consideration the spirit world's time difference. But using the darkness of the Puzzle plus Blue-Eyes White Dragon's new connection will have just as many risks. We know in theory how the Puzzle will react to us using its darkness, but nothing in practice."
"Not to mention how the pangde qut Exodia…." Hermos noticed how the modern humans looked lost. He cursed under his breath as he tried to remember the translation."…The wishing well? Is that what they are calling it now? Whatever its new name, it may still be set on keeping us banished." Hermos added.
Yami slowly looked down at the Puzzle. The item still felt so cold to him. It was more than just a crumbling rock now. It was a block of ice weighing down his neck and soul.
Yami felt as vague memories surfaced of a twisting ruin collapsing around him and himself falling into a bottomless abyss. He couldn't suppress his shiver. His eye then fell on the fainted Red-Eyes. The dragon looked nearly drained of life. Yami thought about how every other duel spirit in the human world would soon be experiencing the same thing.
"I trust you three. If it's the quickest way to stop the Lockdown, then do it. Just save Yugi." Yami managed to say.
"Are you sure, Yami?" Junior said. Yui came over to them and gently moved the bangs out of Yami's face. His new parents' eyes showed more genuine worry than any words could convey.
"Yes. I may seem weak, but I know I can keep the Puzzle together." Yami said with a surprising amount of force. Yami had felt that kind of strength before, but not in days. It felt like his voice was backed by another.
The three Knights looked to each other, a smile making its way back to Critias's and Hermos's faces.
"You know who we have to contact. He is the only one left that would know the correct way to modify this spell." Hermos said as he looked down at Timaeus.
Timaeus let out a long sigh. "Yes, yes. And I suppose you want me to be the one to talk to him?"
"You are his oldest son," Hermos said with a sideways smile that Critias mirrored.
"And you two are his brothers. Surely he will listen to you two just as he would me?"
"Younger brothers being the modifying word. Even after all this time, he still has a hard time getting out of the mindset of 'oldest sibling knows everything.'" Hermos chuckled.
Timaeus exhaled a long breath and turned to the humans. "Do one of you have a phone we can borrow?"
"A cellphone? Why would ancient knights need a cellphone?" Téa asked. Even so, she still held out her flip phone.
"We have been free for over half a year. We managed to catch up with the times." Hermos said proudly. "We just have… never bought a phone."
"This better not be a long-distance call," Téa added.
"We need to save the magic we would usually use on communication. I promise I am only contacting family. A family that is in Domino city, if you will believe it." Timaeus said as he took the sparkly phone. Yami had to admit seeing the massive armored knight attempt to type on the pink telephone adorned with many tiny charms made his day a little brighter.
After Timaeus dialed the number, he turned away from the group and talked in Atlantean. He would occasionally switch to English, but never enough to give context to what he was saying. Timaeus didn't look comfortable talking to this person. Still, the other two Knights seemed quite excited to listen to the phone call. Yami strained to hear who would be on the other end but couldn't make out their voice other than it was a male, and he seemed about as excited as Timaeus was about this spell. Yami then noticed the others seemed to be eavesdropping too. They realized at about the same time that they were all snoops and gave strained smiles.
"This plan got much more complicated." Junior sighed as the group pulled away from the Knights. "That's never a good sign."
"Have a bit of optimism, honey." Yui tried. "This isn't one of your missions. This is a magical quest. I'm sure it will be fine." Junior didn't look particularly convinced, and neither did anyone else. All their eyes ended up on the crumbling Puzzle hanging from Yami.
The group's discussion was then cut off. Suddenly, they all felt a massive wave of pressure roll over them. The area right next to Grandpa was radiating a tremendous force. This made Seto's Blue-Eyes perk up and excitedly stand near the space.
"The card has dried! This is probably the Blue-Eyes!" Pegasus shouted to the Knights. The three were too engrossed in their phone call to answer.
With bated breath, the group watched as a white ball, initially only grape-sized, appear over the Blue-Eyes card. Grandpa looked frantically to the others for what to do. Then, bright bolts of energy suddenly surged from the card. Grandpa yelped in surprise and dropped the card. Junior pulled him away and made everyone back up. Even with the building power surrounding it, the card fluttered gently to the ground. Then the white ball of energy above the card began to slowly grow larger. It made no sound as it did this, but the pressure around everyone became heavier. When the ball was about basketball's size, it suddenly expanded exponentially, its light blinding everyone.
Yami couldn't see it, but he felt as two of the Knights jumped in front of the group of mortals. Yami didn't know what they did, but somehow, the pressure lessened as the light dimmed.
Yami forced his eyes open, and past Critias and Hermos was the curled form of a white dragon. Slowly, blinking away the light just as the humans around were, the Blue-Eyes opened her eyes and looked around. Once she realized where she was, she hopped to her feet. This Blue-Eyes had a large scar across her body, but otherwise, she was just as Yami remembered from his first months of rebirth.
The scarred Blue-Eyes looked around woozily. The first creature she focused on was Seto's Blue-Eyes. Once she managed to get some sort of balance, she ran over and nuzzled the other dragon.
"I am so happy to see half of you again, old friend!" The new Blue-Eyes said in a joking tone to the other duel spirit. Seto's Blue-Eyes really leaned into the other dragon, seeming truly happy to have her here. The scarred Blue-Eyes then pulled away, her gaze jumping to the huddled humans. She roughly pushed the other dragon aside without a second thought and raced to the Mutos' side.
"How in the stars did you do it?!" the scarred Blue-Eyes roared as she barreled towards the group. Both Junior and Yami braced for impact but felt nothing. The scarred Blue-Eyes was still only a spirit, and as such, she couldn't affect anything. The Blue-Eyes leaped right to Grandpa's side and started happily circling him as a puppy would.
"I am back. I am truly back!" The scarred Blue-Eyes breathed as she danced around a very confused Grandpa.
"Did it work?" Joey asked.
Yami realized that the others had only seen the blinding light, not the duel spirit that came out of it. "Yes." Yami gasped as he watched as the spirit practically pranced around the family.
"The Blue-Eyes spirit is right here. She is quite happy to be with her spirit partners again. Especially the senior Muto." Pegasus snorted.
The scarred Blue-Eyes was content to bounce around for a bit, but then she paused. She slowly turned from Grandpa to Junior. Yami felt as Junior stiffened under her eyes, even taking a step back from her. The scarred dragon's gaze narrowed as all her excitement left her body in a heavy sigh. She then stalked towards them, her steps slow and timidly placed. When the Blue-Eyes got to the two, she stood, towering above them. Yami, who was at first quite happy to see the spirit, now felt a twinged of worry. Did the dragon blame him for her ripping? Maybe if he and Yugi had been faster that day, they could have stopped Kaiba? But Yami soon shook that thought away; the Blue-Eyes was not staring him down. All her judgment was on Junior.
"Hello again." Junior's voice was a whisper. He was still trying to hide that he was talking to a duel spirit.
"I am afraid I could not make that out." The Blue-Eyes said.
Junior shifted uncomfortably and held Yami closer to him. "Thank you for coming when we called you." He said in a louder yet still very uncomfortable tone.
The scarred Blue-Eyes continued to silently study him, her expression neutral. Yami watched the whole exchange, utterly confused. He looked at Pegasus and the others for any sort of idea of what was going on. Pegasus could only shrug with a twisted smile on his face. He was clearly enjoying whatever juicy drama was going on between Junior and the new Blue-Eyes. The others, who still couldn't see anything, were impatiently waiting for some explanation.
The Blue-Eyes spoke. "You are protectively holding this child as you did your own son, but… you must know that this is not Yugi."
Junior held Yami tighter, to the point Yami almost couldn't breathe. "Well, he's here now. I hope you don't mind another soul running around the shop."
Blue-Eyes perked up. "You want my presence in the shop again?" She tilted her head. "No thrown plates?"
Junior let out an embarrassed chuckle. "No plates."
The scarred Blue-Eyes absolutely lit up at those words. Her tail started wildly wagging, and her earlier energy seemed to course back with renewed vigor. All regality went out the window as the dragon just couldn't seem to hold still.
"Dear false Gandora! I am so happy to see you in a better state!" She just about yipped as she did her best to nuzzle Junior, even though he felt nothing. Her attention then switched to Yami still in his arms.
"And little Pharaoh!" She beamed as she was about to try and nuzzle him too when she brushed the Millennium Puzzle. The stone item sparked just as it did for Timaeus. This made the spirit pull back. Her eyes widened as she stared at the object. She then stormed over to the Knights.
"What am I doing?! We have to get going now! Things are a mess in the spirit dimension!"
"We know, this group was kind enough to-," Hermos began, but the scarred Blue-Eyes cut him off.
"No! It is even worse in the Dominion of the Beasts! Gandora are fighting for their very freedom! The Silents are attacking! Yugi is falling apart!" Everyone jumped at that last statement.
"Yugi's what?!" Yui yelped.
The scarred Blue-Eyes then began explaining what was going on in the spirit world. The entire time Yami felt his heart sink deeper and deeper. 'What did I leave my partner to? Yugi's gone for only a few days, and now he's leading a full-on war?!' Yami thought. His emotions were a mixture of concern and surprised pride in the leadership role Yugi so easily took on. That pride was quickly swallowed when Yami learned that the last thing Blue-Eyes heard from Yugi was him and his Gandora partner ramming into Silent Swordsman.
"I have to get back to him!" Yami struggled in Junior's arms.
"And we will get you there, Pharaoh," Hermos said as he came to Junior's side and helped keep the wriggling Yami in place.
"… qut vendelza…Yes, send my regards to Chris and Grandfather… Pla." Timaeus ended his call and gave Téa back her phone. He then stepped forward to be in the middle of the group.
"I believe we can indeed break through the Barrier. And now it sounds like we have to more than ever. But there is one more issue."
Everyone let out a collective groan.
"What is it?" Grandpa asked, trying to keep his voice more optimistic.
"Breaking through the Barrier by using the Millennium Puzzle will pull duel spirits stuck here through, which is what we want." Timaeus began.
"It will even suck in us half-duel-spirits; however, it will be forcefully. Just as if we were full duel spirits," Hermos gestured to Dark Magician and Seto's Blue-Eyes. Both spirits nodded.
Timaeus then continued. "But humans are another story. They have too much physicality. Pulling a human through will create a lot of strain on the dimensional tear we are about to make. We can only let the Pharaoh come with us."
"What?! Why?" The Mutos plus Yami's friends demanded. It was only Pegasus that seemed to expect this.
"We won't leave Yami and Yugi alone in dis!" Joey said.
"We understand your apprehension, but we have to balance this power very carefully. If we break too much, we could injure the Barrier beyond repair or even harm the Puzzle." Timaeus pointed to the crumbling item.
Yami's hand fell to the Puzzle's chain, it still frosted at his touch. He then felt as Junior squeezed him close again.
"I don't like this…." Junior said, the family echoing him.
"We would not bring humans with us anyway, not with a war potentially in the Dominion of the Beasts," Hermos added. "We will specifically make this spell, so it does not affect humans in the slightest."
"But, we can help!" Téa shouted.
"We're running out of time!" The scarred Blue-Eyes added as she gestured to her card, now held by Critias.
"She's right." Yami sighed. Both Joey and Téa seemed the most surprised by Yami giving in so quickly. Yami hated leaving his friends and family like this. If he learned anything from his past adventures, it was that he really did need them by his side. But at this moment, he didn't see another option.
Yami turned and patted Junior on his shoulder. "I know this is… not the best situation to be in. But... I trust the Knights, and I trust Yugi..." Yami said the words with more conviction than he had.
Junior could only look at him helplessly as he walked over to Timaeus and let the Knight take Yami.
The Pharaoh clutched Timaeus's chest as he averted his gaze from his friends. He could tell everyone didn't like leaving him like this, but they didn't know what else to do.
"We will be back with the Pharaoh and Yugi as soon as we can. We promise they will be unharmed." Hermos said as he, Critias, and Timaeus all unsheathed their swords.
"I'm keeping you to your word," Yui said in a surprisingly threatening tone for the sickly woman.
"We would not dream of lying, Madam Muto," Timaeus added as the Knights' swords began glowing in their specific colors. Then the three Knights began chanting in Atlantean. Yami couldn't even begin to translate their words, but the magic they emitted was familiar to him. It felt just a little too similar to the power he felt when the Egyptian God cards were drained of their energy by Dartz. Yami then felt another change. Even through his body's heavy static, he felt heat from the Millennium Puzzle. He looked down to see bolts of black electricity surge from the item.
Soon the two Blue-Eyes and Dark Magician stepped forward. While Yami hated leaving everyone behind, he felt much better when Dark Magician floated to his side and gave him a quick pat on the shoulder. It was only the mage's comforting presence that kept Yami calm as he felt the Millennium Puzzle's power used without his control.
The scarred Blue-Eyes stepped up to the space between the three Knights' swords. She took in a deep breath and spread her wings. She then leaped high into the air, the tip of the glowing blades following her. In an instant, she disappeared into the purple starry sky. At first, nothing seemed to happen, and Yami feared that something went wrong. Then, like a sword slashing through the air, a great tear split the very fabric of the dimensions aside.
This hole through dimensions began sucking in everything around it. The Knights and stronger spirits seemed to barely hold their place as they made sure the spell worked. As the Knights stabilized the rip, the limp Red-Eyes was pulled by the pressure and went flying into the tear. Yami watched in awe as the dragon disappeared into the swirling kaleidoscope of colors that was the rip. Yami then looked to his friends and family. They had moved to the opposite side of the yard and were standing firm. They didn't seem to be pulled or tugged by the magic of the rift. In fact, Yami didn't even know if they could see the tear as he did.
"We will be back in a blink of an eye to you," Timaeus yelled. The three Knights nodded as they let the force of the tear lift them up. Seto's Blue-Eyes and Dark Magician followed suit. They were about to travel through the rip when they heard yelling from the humans. The Knights had to fight hard against the force just to turn to the noise.
The human group was still huddled on the other side of the yard. Yui had been clinging to her husband as she looked away from her disappearing son. But then she felt as Junior pulled away from her. Or, to be more accurate, he was jerked from her grasp.
"Ah, guys?!" Junior yelped as he felt himself being dragged by the rift's force. He tried to fight back, but with every step he took, the rift pulled him back three more. The Knights and spirits could only stare in complete shock as a human was yanked into the air by the magic and dragged straight towards them.
"No, you don't!" Yui shouted as she grabbed onto her husband's hand. She refused to let go, and he honestly didn't want to lose hold of her either. Then Grandpa managed to grab onto Yui's leg. The magic seemed unaffected by the two's added weight and it, thanks to pulling Junior, hauled all three into the spell's vortex.
"Oh, no!" Téa shouted as she and the others tried to catch the Mutos, but the family was too far out of their grip. The three on the ground could only stare in horror as the magic didn't affect them in any way.
The Mutos then violently collided with the stunned Knights. The force of the dimensional magic was too strong to be fought any longer. The Knights, spirits and humans went tumbling into the interdimensional rift.
…
Yami never knew how to describe feeling nothing, but he knew he despised it. He had felt it too many times to not recognize it. The state of being surrounded by nothing, not even air. Yami was alone in his own head. It was too easy to start believing one was nothing when they couldn't feel anything but. However, Yami was rescued when all his senses returned to him. He wasn't so happy, though, when they hit him all at once.
Sight. It was too bright. The sun's rays now stretched across the purple sky as they would at high noon. Hearing. His family was screaming. He was also screaming. Feeling. They were falling, falling far and fast. Smell. It was the pungent aroma of a concentrated forest. Like being hit in the nose with a brick of leaves. Taste. Metallic, was that blood in his mouth?
Yami barely had time to register more as his family was pushed through the rift into the spirit world. All four were miles above the ground, falling towards a great mountain. Then three great roars shook the air as two Blue-Eyes and one Red-Eyes circled them. They wanted to catch the falling family but couldn't find a way to without seriously hurting the humans. Then Dark Magician came flying out of the tear. He immediately dove into the midst of the plummeting family and raised his scepter. Yami felt as his drop was slowed; he was a paper on the wind. Then the dragons swooped in and grabbed the Mutos.
"Thank you, Red-Eyes." Yami sighed once the dragon had flown under him and let Yami land on his back.
Below, the two Blue-Eyes managed to catch the other Mutos. Grandpa was riding on the scarred Blue-Eyes, and Yui was on Seto's Blue-Eyes's head. Junior was the last catch and was currently clinging for dear life onto the scarred Blue-Eyes's tail.
"WHAT THE-?!" Junior's curse was cut off as the scarred Blue-Eyes lifted her tail so Junior could safely scramble onto the other Blue-Eyes's back. "-WAS THAT?!"
"I could ask you that!" The scarred Blue-Eyes roared at Junior. "Did you not hear when the Knights said no other humans could come?! You four could have done major damage!"
"I didn't wake up today planning on jumping into a wormhole!" Junior shot back as he struggled for a better perch, Yui helping pull him up.
"What he is trying to say is we didn't mean to follow. We saw him get pulled in and tried to help." Grandpa explained a little more calmly.
"Yes, I thought humans weren't affected by the spell," Yui added. She then saw as Red-Eyes flew over to the group. "And are you ok, Yami?!"
Yami looked over himself. The Puzzle was still intact (though its cracks had grown). He found he had more control over his body, and he could actually hold himself up. But the heavy static still pricked his every nerve. He also didn't dare check on the ice he was repressing.
Yami simply nodded. "All thanks to Red-eyes and Dark Magician."
"I should be thanking you! I was nearly a goner there. But being back home has re-energized me!" Red-Eyes grinned, shooting off a blast towards the mountain for effect. He then looked around. "So, we got you guys, but where are the Knights?"
A sudden crash from the mountainside forced all the dragons to right themselves in the air. All turned to see a massive pit open up on the mountain.
"Trap Hole?" Red-Eyes asked. At that same moment, the blast Red-Eyes had shot off struck the mountain. Almost immediately, many attacks responded from the thick forest covering the mountain. These monster attacks seemed random and unfocused. Most of these energy strikes fell far below their goal. The key words being most.
"Incoming!" Junior cried.
Red-Eyes and Seto's Blue-Eyes roared in pain. They hadn't been able to dodge with the more unwell humans riding them. Yami couldn't see the damage Seto's Blue-Eyes took, but he did see the holes in Red-Eyes's wings.
Yami could only hold on as Red-Eyes began plummeting towards the mountainside. The dragon did his best to make his landing more controlled, but Red-Eyes could only do so much with damaged wings. Seto's dragon soon followed, with the scarred Blue-Eyes trying to help guide both of them. Amid this chaos, Yami was hit by a familiar and deep feeling in his heart. It was a distant cry, yet it might as well have been a blaring foghorn.
"Yugi's in trouble!" Yami shouted as he started scanning the mountain shadowing the group.
"I feel it too!" The scarred Blue-Eyes roared.
"Great! But we're crashing!" Red-Eyes bellowed.
Dark Magician then appeared by Yami's side and pulled him off of the crashing dragon. With Yami off his back, Red-Eyes was free to do more desperate maneuvers and better balance his fall. This let the dragons somewhat aim their emergency landing away from their attacker.
The massive trees came up to catch the dragons as they crashed near where the hole opened up earlier. Dark Magician tried to gently bring Yami down, but when a trunk collided with Red-Eyes, his tail whipped right into Dark Magician's back. With a pained groan, both Dark Magician and Yami went tumbling into the bushes.
Yami blinked the dirt and leaves out of his eyes as he found himself huddled under Dark Magician. The mage saw when Yami opened his eyes and shifted so Yami could sit up, a relieved smile on his face. Then the mage fell back into his neutral expression as he staggered to his own feet.
Yami looked around to see all three dragons had crashed near them. Red-Eyes was knocked out at the base of a tree. Seto's Blue-Eyes was stuck in the skyscraper trees branches above. And the scarred Blue-Eyes was focused on getting all the humans to the ground safely.
Yami was absolutely relieved to see Grandpa and Yui were the first on their feet. They were the physically weakest of the group. If they could stand, Yami was sure Junior would be ok, wherever he landed.
"I think I threw my back out again." Grandpa cringed as he pushed on his spine. "This is why I'm supposed to be retired from adventuring."
"Oh dear." Yui sighed as she helped Grandpa hobble over to Yami and Dark Magician. "Are you ok?"
"I think? Where's Dad?" Yami said as he searched around.
Yami was immediately hit by just how creepily perfect everything was. Even with just crashing, this forested mountainside felt too staged. Nothing felt real to Yami. It was one step from being nothing, and the other humans caught on to this. They couldn't help but stare, unmoving and completely distracted. Just where were they? The only thing that could have pulled them away from the scenery was the beeping of a distant voice.
"…My ability is that nothing under eight stars can damage me. Not any trap, not any spell, and especially not you as a zero-star human! You have no chance of-!" This was followed by a dull but painful-sounding thwack. Then the clanking of metal.
"Yugi?"
Junior's voice made everyone stand to attention. It sounded like he was just past the thick clump of trees beside them. Yami immediately began trying to run towards his voice, but his legs failed him. He felt as frustrated tears started to form in his eyes. He was so close! He could practically feel Yugi just beyond his vision, but he still couldn't move. Then Yami felt a gentle hand rest on his shoulder. He looked up to see Yui ready and willing to get her son to his feet. Yami sucked back his tears and wrapped an arm around her. Dark Magician had already taken Grandpa's weight as the other dragons helped each other up. They all slowly made their way through the densely packed undergrowth.
The leaves parted, and Yami found all his breath left him. He tripped and fell forward but was caught by Yui. Yami didn't even register his fall as his eyes were only on the boy in front of him. Yugi was desperately hugging Junior, clinging to his father like he would disappear into the wind if he let go. Then Yugi's eyes landed on Yami. Those same magenta eyes Yami had seen so many times in the mirror, the eyes that were and were not his own.
The ice that had been radiating from the Puzzle suddenly turned to a burning flame. At this, all static fizzled away from every one of Yami's cells. Now his very soul was screaming for Yami to move. The Pharaoh leaped from Yui's grip and dashed to Yugi. His partner did the same, and they embraced in an overjoyed wreck. They both fell to the ground but found they didn't care. The fact they were holding each other took every one of their thoughts.
Yugi felt so warm to Yami, so real. He felt his fluttering heart beneath his chest and the tender tears his partner shed. Yami held on to this warmth as any remaining chill left his body in a rush. He could move, he could feel, and he could clutch his brother close.
Yami vaguely heard as his other family members yelled something. Yami was then swamped by more hugs. Yui and Grandpa came over and wrapped the two in their own embrace. Yui then held Yugi's face as she seemed to be scolding him with tears in her eyes. Yami was still too dazed to make out her words.
Yami continued to cling to Yugi as the spirits made their way to the two. Yami couldn't help but smile at Yugi's wide eyes as he saw two Blue-Eyes, Red-Eyes, and Dark Magician come into the clearing. Then Junior bent down to take Yugi in another great hug. Yami saw the way Yugi melted into his embrace and realized this was probably the first time Yugi had seen his father in over a year. The Pharaoh thought about pulling away, but Yugi tightened his grip on Yami's arms and kept him in place as Yugi pushed into his father's hold.
Then a clatter from elsewhere in the forest brought the reunion to an end. It made the trees around shake as the spirits all surrounded the family.
"We are not safe here." The scarred Blue-Eyes said.
"Let's move to more protectable ground," Junior said as he began scanning their surroundings. "That area where the hole appeared, it's covered now."
Yami then turned to see that, sure enough, the great hole was filled in, leaving high banks around its edges.
"Yeah, that was my trap," Yugi said.
"Will it open up again if we travel over it?" Junior asked.
Yugi looked to the scarred Blue-Eyes, and she shook her head.
"No. That trap only works once."
"Good, let's move then," Junior said as he helped Grandpa onto one of the Blue-Eyes back and then turned to his wife to help her onto another creature.
"I know there is a cave nearby where we can hold up." The scarred Blue-Eyes said.
"But wait! How did you guys even get here?" Yugi gasped as Dark Magician got to the two before Junior and magically lifted them onto the other Blue-Eyes.
"We can explain that when we are on safer terrain," Junior said as he ensured his wife was situated. He then looked to the still knocked out android and then sighed. He lifted the heavy metal monster and slung him over his shoulders, fireman style. "We can't leave this potentially dangerous monster to follow us."
Yugi held tighter to Yami as the group began moving to safer ground. "You guys are really here," Yugi whispered.
"We are, dear partner." Yami happily sighed. "And it all started when our friends and I met Grandpa at the museum…."