Between My Brother and Me: Alea Iacta Est

by Green Phantom Queen

Part of the "Between" series. Duels can happen any time, anywhere and against anyone. The duelists of tomorrow never have a dull moment with Duel Monsters nor does the fun stop after the duel ends. (Fifth Roll: Molly Hale spends a night in Domino City Museum trying to stop a thief from stealing the Sphinx's Heart!) Please Read and Review!

6. Night at the Museum

I love museums! Back when I was alive, my daddy and I would go into them and see all the pretty things inside! From paintings to statues and all the artifacts that come from the past, I never got bored at all because daddy would tell me the stories behind them.

Even now when I'm...different and have moved to Domino City, I always wanted to enter the museum and see what they had in store. Kamitsure-san told me that Domino has a lot of strange and mystical stuff, and so my class's field trip to the museum had me believe that, just like those funny movies, the museum exhibits could come alive and speak to me.

And I was right! One of the museum exhibits can come alive and it did speak to me…

But it seems like I wasn't the only one who was interested in it.

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Roll 5

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Night at the Museum

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"Whoa! Molly, look at this!"

Molly Hale feels someone tugging at her arm. She turns to see one of her fellow students, Zackie, grabbing onto her sleeve and pointing to a sarcophagus in the middle of the room. They, along with other students from Domino Primary School are on a field trip at the Domino City Museum, where they are holding an exhibit about Ancient Egyptian artifacts. Each student is dressed with a cyan jacket and yellow hat for easy identification and a nametag pinned over their hearts, and each of these eager-eyed kids are pointing and racing towards these artifacts with glee.

"Come on!" Zackie shouts, dragging Molly toward the center of the room. "Isn't it so cool?"

Molly blinks as she stares into the mummy that sleeps beneath the glass case. Some of the other students have crowded around it, some of them frightened at the dead body wrapped up in rotting linen bandages. Molly tilts her head to the side as she notes the strange magic surrounding it, as if it's hiding a secret.

"It looks kinda scary," A girl, Jackie, whispers. "Molly, what do you think?"

"It's like….like a baby!" Molly exclaims, pointing at the mummy's face. "Look, everyone! Doesn't it resemble a baby when it starts crying?"

The other children stare at Molly as if she has suddenly grown a giraffe's neck. Ever since she arrived at school in September, they have found her to be quite...unusual.

For starters, Molly was shown to be able to run faster and jump higher than any other child in their group. She could jump rope up to a hundred without feeling winded. She could throw a ball so hard that she can knock the wind out of an older student. She could run from one side of the field to the next in less than a minute. Whenever she was asked how she did it, Molly just answered that she "drank lots of milk" to keep her strong.

Then, there were that time during their Halloween party where she asked if she could help decorate the classroom. With just a few words and a dance, she blanketed the entire room with shadows and cobwebs, along with summoning large, yet friendly, spiders to join in on the fun. One or two kids fainted when a spider used its silk to form a makeshift jump rope.

Finally, there was also the type of monsters she used when she dueled.

Unlike many of her classmates, who showed off basic cards like Kuriboh, Beaver Warrior and Celtic Guardian, she presented a complete deck with monsters that she describes as "colorful". She was right that the monsters were very "colorful", but when she tried to make her classmates befriend these monsters, they always ended up running away in fear after she summoned them on her Duel Disk.

Still, that didn't stop Molly from making friends at school, and her fellow students eventually got used to her love of scary and creepy things. It also helped that she used those very "colorful" monsters during Open House when a bunch of bullies from a group known as Team Skull tried to make off with the Duel Disks and decks from other students they had beaten.

As Molly continues to ramble on about how the mummy looked similar to a crying baby, someone blows into a whistle, catching everyone's attention.

"All right, everyone!" says a cheery voice approaching the students. This comes from a beautiful woman with chestnut hair that falls past her shoulders, wearing a cyan buttoned blouse and white pants. "I think we've spent enough time here. Why don't we all go outside and have lunch!"

"Hai, Meanae-san!" The children shout.

Meanae smiles as she carries a little flag and leads the group out of the exhibit. The children form a line and follow Miss Meanae out, all while other museum goers looked on.

As they head outside, Molly hears something growl. Her ears perk up as she looks around, wondering what could make such a sound. Animals are not allowed in the museum, and there certainly aren't any exhibitions in regards to animals (or at least, there are none that she knows about).

"Hello?" she asks. "Is someone there?"

Nothing responds, but still she feels absolutely uncomfortable, like there is an itch on her back that she just can't reach. She takes a deep breath; she is a brave girl. She has a deck of Duel Monsters that other kids find spooky. She can do this.

Another growl reaches her ears. This time, Molly whips her head around and her eyes lock onto another wing of the museum. It is dark, but there she can see something staring back at her.

It is...a lion.

Or rather, it is a statue of a lion with a shaggy mane and large wings with a glare that causes her to freeze slightly.

"S...spooky…" Molly whispers, staring at the lion's fierce gaze.

The growls are louder, as if emanating from the statue and responding to Molly's comment. Molly takes another step forward, then another, and another, until she is standing in front of the lion statue.

She looks down at the little plaque, trying to decipher what it says. Thanks to her father, she learned a lot of large and complicated words, but sometimes she still has some trouble with them. That's why her father always told her to say each and every word out loud and slowly.

"This statue of a sph...sph…" Molly frowns at the word. "Sph…"

Sphinx. A deep voice echoes in her head.

"Oh, a sphinx!" Molly says just before she realizes that someone spoke to her in her mind. She lifts her head up. "Did...did you just speak?"

But the sphinx is silent.

Molly waits for another second before she looks down at the plaque. "This statue of a sphinx was donated to the museum by the Ish...tar...family," she reads. "Legends say that this sphinx carries a special jewel known as…"

"What are you doing here?"

Molly turns around to see a security guard with tan skin, blond hair and glasses turn her around. He shines his flashlight on her, causing her to wince and turn away, as he takes note of the nametag on her blouse.

"Oh," he says, turning his flashlight off. "You're here on a field trip today, little lady?"

"Yep!" Molly says. "My name is Molly. What's yours?"

The security guard points to the nametag on his left. "Name's Cliff. Now come on, let me bring you back to your class before your teacher finds out you're missing."

Molly smiles and slips her hand into Cliff's. "Thank you so much! I don't wanna make Miss Meanae worry about me."

Cliff chuckles as he leads the girl out, but not before he takes a glance at the sphinx statue.

"We'll be seeing you again, very soon," Cliff hisses.

And if one listens very closely, they could hear the sphinx roar in anger.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Lunch is at the garden outside of the museum. The students frolic in the sunshine, share food with one another, or talk about their favorite exhibits so far.

In one corner of the garden, Molly finishes her lunch, a few sandwiches and an apple juice box, before she places her lunch box back into her backpack. Something about that sphinx is making her want to see it again. She wants to know more about it.

She has plenty of time - in ten minutes, her class is going to a presentation about Ancient Egyptian history, so she can just take a minute or two to look.

Nodding her head in approval, she closes her eyes and concentrates. Her body slowly begins to fade away until there is no sign of a girl sitting on a stone bench at all. She smiles; Kamitsure has taught her how to become invisible just a few days ago, and now she has mastered the technique all on her own.

She races out of the garden and opens the door into the museum once more. She looks around, noticing some people walking about and looking at what the museum has to offer. There is an artist with yellow spiky hair and a red jacket hastily scribbling something on a sketchpad with a piece of a charcoal, and right next to him is a beautiful lady with coffee-colored skin and wavy black hair dressed in a blue sequin dress and a white feather boa around her neck, watching the artist sketch a small figurine in a display case.

Molly hides behind a statue of a guard wielding a spear before undoing the invisibility spell. She looks around, trying to remember where the hall was. She remembers going to see the mummy that looks like a crying baby, then Miss Meanae directing them outside…

There! To her left, she sees the imposing figure of the statue.

She giggles to herself and concentrates, cancelling her invisibility spell before she takes a step towards the statue.

But just as she is about to enter the hallway, she is stopped by someone placing a hand on her shoulder. She jumps and spins around, seeing a giant of a man wearing a black cap and a black jacket over a cyan janitor outfit tower over her. Across his right eye is a jagged scar.

"I'm sorry," the large man says. Molly notices that the nametag of the janitor reads "Gorg". "But can you not read the sign?"

He points to a sign near Molly, one that reads "Slippery Floor" and as a black stick figure flailing about with a puddle underneath.

"But...but…" Molly states, looking at the janitor. "I have to go."

"Why?" asks the janitor.

"Because…" Molly pauses. "Because I wanna see the sphinx statue that's inside! Please? Can I go?"

She clasps her hands together and stares into Gorg's eyes with the greatest pair of puppy eyes that she can muster. This sort of trick usually works at home, so she's certain enough that it'll work now.

Gorg stares at Molly's blue eyes for a few seconds before he succumbs to Molly's cuteness and sighs.

"All right, then," he says. "But I'll be going with you so you don't trip."

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" Molly cheers, hugging one of Gorg's legs. "This means so much to me!"

Gorg returns the smile with one of his own before he leads Molly into the hall, with Gorg removing his jacket to lay on the floor so Molly doesn't slip. The girl curtsies in return as she walks across the jacket and reads from the plaque once more.

"This statue of a sphinx was donated to the museum by the Ishtar family," she reads. "Legends say that this sphinx carries a special jewel known as 'The Sphinx's Heart' that is said to give the bearer eternal life. The sphinx waits for someone to unleash a fire within his heart and also to reunite with his be...be…"

"Beloved," Gorg reads.

"Oh, beloved!" says Molly. The girl looks up and raises her hand toward the statue, as if to pet the statue's nose. "Hmm...I wonder if it's true."

It is. A voice answers.

Molly gasps. "Mr. Gorg, did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" asks Gorg, scratching his head.

"I...I think someone was talking to me!" Molly answers, looking around. "Is it…" she stares at the sphinx. "Were you talking to me?"

But the statue is silent once again. Molly sighs.

"I should get back to my class," she walks over Gorg's wet jacket then looks at it. Then she picks it up and wrings out the water. "I'm sorry about your jacket, Mr. Gorg."

"It's all right," says the janitor, taking the jacket into his hands. "Now, get going."

"Okay. Thanks again."

Molly walks off, waving good-bye, retracing her steps back to the garden. As she does, the woman and the artist look up and share a smile with one another.

"There she is…" The woman purrs, staring at the artist's sketch of a sphinx. "She's perfect."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Hours later, school has come to an end.

After the bus drops Molly and her classmates at Domino Primary, Molly waits until a familiar voice calls out for her.

"Molly! Molly-kins! Are you there?"

Molly perks up from reading a copy of Where the Wild Things Are and sets it on the floor when she sees a young teenage girl with lemon yellow hair in a ponytail, dressed in a white and red top and skirt and sneakers. A bike helmet tops her head where her bangs stick out like wings of a bird. The older girl looks around before spotting Molly.

"Oh, there you are!" she says. "You know what time it is!"

"It's time to go home, Korni nee-san!" Molly exclaims, rushing to the older girl and wraps her arms tight around her

"Indeed it is!" Korni chuckles, looking at the other children staring at her. "Well, don't just stand there! Who else wants a hug?"

The other kids clamor around Korni as Korni wraps them all in her strong arms. She smiles as all of the children then return back to what they were doing as Korni holds onto Molly's hand.

"So," Korni states as she and Molly leave the campus. "How was your field trip today?"

"It was lots of fun!" Molly answers, a warm smile on her face. "We saw a lot of stuff from Ancient Egypt like cat statues and cat mummies and human mummies and a giant sphinx!"

"Oh, that must've sound like a lot of fun!" Korni giggles. "Do you have any homework to do today?"

"I do, I do! I have to make a drawing of my favorite exhi...exhi…"

"Exhibit."

"Yeah, exhibit!" Molly states. "And I'm gonna do one about the sphinx!"

"Ooh, tell me more, tell me more!" Korni states. "No but don't tell everything; Kamitsure would absolutely want to learn this story too."

"Okay! I also made some new friends today."

"Really? Like who?"

"Like Miss Meanae the tour guide and Cliff the security guard and Gorg the janitor! They were all super nice!" Molly blinks when she notices Korni stop walking. "Korni-san, what's wrong?"

Korni blinks. "Oh, nothing! It's just...those names...they're kinda familiar, but I might be overthinking it. Now come on, what say we get home a bit faster? Hold on tight!"

Korni presses a button on the side of her sneakers and out pop a pair of wheels. Then, she grins and so does Molly.

"Ready then? 1...2...3!"

And Korni speeds up with Molly holding onto Korni's hand tight as they race all the way home.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

After washing up and having supper, Molly is home at the Dark Signers' Sanctuary, happily relaxing like any child should.

Is it a surprise that Molly is one of the Dark Signers? One of the strange black hooded people who feed on the sins found in human souls? To many, she is a cheerful five-year-old girl with plenty of friends, a loving family and a large home that would be the envy of all of her classmates.

But in truth, she is actually an Acolyte, a Dark Signer in training. When it is time, she will take on the full mantle of the Dark Signer of the Spider and raise an apprentice of her own to keep the powers of the Earthbound Immortals strong. Until, she takes her life one day at a time with a smile on her face.

The girl is currently watching The Mummy: The Animated Series, having gotten curious on any cartoon series involving Ancient Egypt, while drawing her little art project of her and the sphinx under the watchful eye of her babysitter...Yusei Fudo.

One would question why the hell Yusei Fudo would bother babysitting a little girl when he can be doing other things like working on his D-Wheel, dueling, probably having a date with his boyfriend, Kiryu Kyosuke...but no, he's stuck on babysitting duty.

This is not his fault, as he was asked by Kamitsure, a popular DJ in Domino Below, the one who raised Molly from the dead and also the one who gave Yusei his powers after he died in Kiryu's arms - in more ways than one - to babysit for the evening since Kamitsure wouldn't be home till past midnight and everyone else were either a) busy with school or b) dealing with other activities that would lead them to be too busy to look after a five-year-old girl.

Thus, this situation has happened and Molly is happy to have company because, just as she died, the only thing that she wanted was her daddy to save her.

Alas, that never happened.

But back to the present, Molly smiles as she finishes her drawing, just as the laptop is playing the end credits, depicting a crayon scribble of her meeting up with the sphinx statue and a little heart between them covered in sparkly glitter. She smiles; this is perfect.

"Look, look, Yusei-san!" Molly cheers, scrambling onto Yusei's lap and showing him her drawing. "Isn't it cute? Kamitsure-san will love it"

Yusei tilts his head and stares at the drawing, trying to make heads or tails of it. He really doesn't want to be in this situation, but the threat of Kamitsure shoving her stiletto in a very uncomfortable place lingers in his mind. (It's not his fault, he's not that good with kids compared to Crow).

"It's...nice…" Yusei states, causing Molly to smile and hug him.

"Yeah, I can't wait to show it to Mr. Spooky next time I see him!" she squeals.

Yusei raises an eyebrow. "Mr. Spooky?"

Molly nods her head. "That's what I call the sphinx back at the museum because he looks spooky!"

"I see…"

Molly then starts to yawn, even though she is undead, and rests her head over Yusei's chest. Normally, one should be able to hear a heart beat softly against his shirt. But Yusei is undead, so he does not have one at all.

Still, Yusei understands this gesture and, after closing the laptop, he carries the girl off to bed.

"I'm not tired though," Molly groans.

"I'm not going to have another one of Kamitsure's heels stuck up my nose again," Yusei states, walking down the hall until he finds a door marked with the mark of a spider. His cobalt eyes glow black and he extends his arm out, a faint outline of a spider appearing on his arm while the door slides out. "The last time you wanted to stay up all night was when I wanted to watch Elfen Lied."

"Poor Nyu, though. She just wanted a puppy to be friends with."

Yusei sighs as he enters the bedroom, dimly lit with red christmas lights hanging above the ceiling arranged in a spider's web. He then sets Molly down on the large bed with its bloody red bedsheets before he goes to the large pyramid of plushies at the corner and picks up one of a yellow lion with bandages wrapped around his legs. He then takes the plushie into Molly's arms and tucks her in.

"Go to bed," he states. "Reiji is going to come by later to keep an eye on you, okay?"

"Can I at least get a story before bed?" asks Molly. "Please?"

She once again uses her innocent blue eyes on Yusei, begging for at least one story before bed. Unfortunately for her…

"Go to bed," Yusei repeats firmly, all while Molly has a defeated look on her face. This causes Yusei to feel slightly guilty before he hastily adds, "Next time I have to babysit, I promise I'll have a story for you."

"It better be a long one!" says Molly.

Yusei smiles before he kisses Molly on the forehead and sets Molly's drawing near the girl. "I promise. Good night then."

"Good night, Yusei!" Molly says before she lays down on the bed and Yusei walks out of the room, the door sliding shut as he leaves. She wraps her arms around the Fluffal Leo plushie, her mind dreaming of riding a large lion with wings high in the sky lifting her off to dreamland. Oh how she wishes that Mr. Spooky...

Molly…

Molly's eyes suddenly open at the voice in her mind. She looks around, but no one is there. Of course no one is in her room; only Dark Signers and their esteemed guests are allowed inside.

She feels it in her bones; it is late at night. It is a keen ability that all Dark Signers possess; the dead have all the time in the world, and have no inherit need for watches or clocks.

Molly…

"Who's there?" asks Molly, looking around. "Who…"

Molly...please...come to me…

That voice...Molly closes her eyes and tries to pick up on it once more. It's familiar…

I'm in the museum...please...The voice is urgent. Come to me…

"Are you...the sphinx?" Molly whispers, eyes snapping open. When she gets a low growl in approval. "O...okay then. I'm coming!"

Molly hops out of bed, pulls the blankets off of her, then rearranges the pillows to look like a sleeping body. Then, she covers the pillows with the same blankets before hopping out of bed, slipping her shoes on, before finally approaching the door. She raises her hand into the air and concentrates. Her blue eyes darken to the color of shadows, her mind imagining the field trip she had at the museum just a few hours ago.

With a bit of concentration, a large black portal appears in front of her, showing her the entrance to the museum. With a smile, she leaps into the portal before tumbling out of it seconds later in the garden of the museum.

"Oof," she mutters, placing a hand on her head. She has never traveled like this before; at least, not without supervision. She dusts herself up and looks around. The garden is so eerie, so quiet so...strange when at night. "Now, I have to get to Mr. Spooky and fast!"

But in her hurry to reach the sphinx, she doesn't see someone standing in her way. She bumps into said someone who shines a flashlight on her.

"Hey, kid!" they say. "What are you doing here?"

Molly up, seeing a man standing over her, wearing a brown trench coat, pants, white cravat and deerstalker hat above a head of violet hair and an eyepatch covering his right eye.

"Who are you?" asks Molly, tilting her head.

The man smiles. "You may call me Detective Zaloog, little missy," he answers, showing his badge. "I'm here because there might be a thief on the loose tonight."

"Really now?" asks Molly. "What are they trying to steal?"

"Who knows?" says Zaloog, shrugging his shoulders. "That's why I'm here to ensure that no one can steal it."

"Yeah!" says Molly. "Oh, I have to get going!"

"Where?"

"To the sphinx!" Molly says. "Can you lead me there?"

"What a coincidence!" Zaloog chuckles, patting Molly's shoulder. "I'm also heading there myself."

Molly smiles; how great it is to have someone guide her. The museum feels sort of like a mausoleum, to be honest.

"Now, stay close to me, Molly," Detective Zaloog whispers. "This could be dangerous."

Molly nods her head as the two approach the door that leads into the museum. Surprisingly, when Zaloog opens the door, no alarms blare out. But that isn't what Molly notices as the two walk inside. At night, the museum feels empty, ominous and chilling compared to the day time when people are up and about, staring at the artifacts with awe and wonder.

But as long as Detective Zaloog is here, Molly is safe. After all, a detective who knows her name right off the bat has to be someone she can trust, right?

Molly quickly realizes something.

"Wait a second," she says, stopping in her tracks. "Mr. Zaloog, how do you know my name?"

At this, Detective Zaloog freezes as he turns around.

"It's...well, of course it's your name, isn't it?" says Zaloog, sweat falling down his brow. At this, Molly's innocent gaze turns into a look of fear.

"But...but I never told you my name!" says Molly.

"You have a nametag on, don't you?" Zaloog stammers.

Molly looks down, but no. She remembers that she removed it when she got home.

"I don't…" Molly answers as it hits her. This is a trap, and she has fallen for it. "Oh no, I...I'm sorry, Mr. Zaloog. I have to go! See you later!"

Molly turns around and begins to run, but she doesn't get far as someone knocks her unconscious with a hammer and she falls into a crumpled heap. The hammer-wielder looks guilty at who they knocked out.

"This is the one who is gonna get that sphinx's heart?" they ask.

"Afraid so," says Detective Zaloog. "To think that someone like her would stoop that low for us to kidnap a kid like this."

"The sooner we get this done and give that boss her little heart, the sooner we can leave," says the hammer-wielder, carrying Molly over his shoulder. "Come on. Boss is waiting for us at the target himself."

Detective Zaloog nods as the two continue deeper into the museum.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Molly? I'm back!"

Kamitsure brings her arm towards the door marked with the spider, the violet mark on her arm glowing before the door slides all the way. She enters her bedroom with its red walls and red Christmas lights and tilts her head. It has been a tough shift at the Silver Eye Nightclub, and all she wants to do right now is rest and cuddle with Molly like the girl is her teddy bear.

But when she enters the room, there is no sign of Molly at all.

"That's odd," Kamitsure observes, looking around. She looks up at the ceiling. "And she's not planning to get the drop on me…"

She sets her purse onto the bed as she drops to her hands and knees. She looks underneath the bed, but there's no sign of a little girl hiding there. She stands up and notices something underneath the bedsheets. She pulls them away and finds a collection of pillows and a crayon drawing in Molly's place.

"Molly!" Kamitsure repeats, panicking. "Molly, where are you?!"

"Is something wrong, Kamitsure-san?"

Kamitsure turns around and sees Reiji standing by the door, carrying his lantern. She nods her head.

"Have you seen Molly recently?" she asks.

"I just checked on her about an hour ago," Reiji answers. "And no one can enter the Sanctuary without permission. So where could she have…" He pauses as he sees the drawing on the pillows. "Wait a minute…"

He approaches the bed and picks up the drawing. It shows Molly and a large purple cat with sandy-colored wings and a mane. In-between the two is a heart covered in silver glitter.

"Hmm?" says Kamitsure, tilting her head. "This looks like Molly's homework."

"Molly had a field trip to the Domino Museum today," Reiji explains. "Yusei mentioned that she called the sphinx 'Mr. Spooky'. You don't suppose...

Kamitsure stares at the picture one last time before she races towards her laptop. She turns it on, hastily types the password and begins typing words onto the search bar.

"Reiji, get me any and all books you can get from Wataru's library," Kamitsure commands, rapidly scrolling through various websites. "And if you can't get anything, go to the Sphinx Shop in Domino Below."

"The Sphinx Shop?" asks Reiji. "You mean that antique shop run by that old kook, Yanagi?"

"What other Sphinx Shop in Domino Below is there?" Kamitsure retorts. "And what are you standing there for? Go! GO!"

Reiji nods his head and hastily rushes off as Kamitsure stares at the article in front of her, depicting an artist's interpretation of a purple furry sphinx standing in the desert with his wings stretched out.

Why would a sphinx be so interested in Molly? Kamitsure thinks, placing a pointer finger underneath her bottom lip. And better yet, what kind of trouble has Molly gotten herself into?

I swear, if someone has decided to kidnap her as part of a ransom, I am going to have fun draining each and every drop of sin in their soul until they beg for mercy. And then I am gonna have even more fun gouging their eyes out with my stilettos.

As she says this, Kamitsure closes her eyes all while the spider mark on her arm glows.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Molly groans, feeling as if someone has dropped an anvil on her head.

When she wakes up, she finds herself staring at the statue of the sphinx.

"H-huh?" she asks. "How did I get here? What's going on?"

"Well, well, well...you're finally awake."

Molly turns around and sees someone approach her. It is a woman with black hair and coffee-colored skin, wearing a black crop top and matching leggings, along with a thorny whip coiled by her side. On her left arm is a Duel Disk that looks similar to a scorpion, with its poisonous tail acting as the tray. In fact, she even has a tattoo of a black scorpion stamped onto her right arm. The most interesting thing about her is the eyepatch that covers her right eye. It is gold with an eye that seems to stare at her without empathy.

"W...who are you?" asks Molly. Something about this woman is very familiar.

The woman chuckles. "Call me Barbara, Thief of the Thorned Rose."

Molly tilts her head as she recalls something from earlier that day. Back when she was trying to see the sphinx once more time...

"You were the one with that fluffy white feather snake and the sparkly blue dress!" she exclaims. "The one who was observing the artist making that drawing!"

"Correct!" says Barbara, applauding. "My, you are very observant, Molly."

"Um...thanks...but wait, why am I here?" Molly asks. "But where's Detective Zaloog?"

"Oh, he'll be arriving soon," Barbara chuckles. "Now, I need your help with something."

Molly feels a shiver fall down her spine. This isn't like Kamitsure asking her help to button her blouse or set the table at the Dark Signers' Sanctuary.

"You see this sphinx?" asks Barbara. "I need something from him...his heart."

Molly peers closer and notices with her enhanced eyesight that there is a mark of a heart over the sphinx's chest. It looks like a heart being bitten by a lion and two wings wrapped around it.

"I noticed how curious you were around him," Barbara continues. "And in fact, I'm curious too."

"R...really?" asks Molly, feeling a chill fall down her spine.

"Yes," Barbara purrs. "Did you know that this sphinx is actually alive?"

"...He is?" Molly whispers.

"Indeed he is! And only a special someone can unlock his heart and free him. That's where you come in, sweetheart!"

When she pets Molly on the head, the girl can't help but feel sick inside. It's a good thing she's undead...

"Won't you help me free the sphinx from his prison?" Barbara coos. "You'll be doing me a great favor!"

Don't listen to her! A voice says in Molly's mind. This woman is evil!

Molly looks around, trying to find out who is speaking to her. The voice isn't Kamitsure's, nor is it Barbara's. In fact, it sounds just like the voice who helped her read the plaque this morning.

So...that means…

Molly looks up into the eyes of the sphinx and gasps. She no longer sees it as a stone statue; instead, she sees it as a living, breathing thing with violet fur that looks black and large sand colored wings.

Have you been speaking to me this entire time? Molly asks in her mind.

Yes...The sphinx answers. This woman wants to take the Sphinx's Heart for herself. After you have done your part, she plans to kill you!

She does?! Molly gasps.

This woman has been patrolling the museum for weeks now, waiting for the perfect time to strike. You cannot let that happen. Please, Molly…

Molly pauses. How...how do you know my name?

I heard your name being called for during your field trip today. It is a very nice name…

Yeah, my daddy named it for me. Oh, I should call you a name too. Like Mr. Spooky! Can I call you that?

The sphinx chuckles. If you wish it. Now please, stop this woman before she gets her way!

Molly looks at the sphinx and nods her head. Okay, I will! I promise!

"Well, little girl?" Barbara asks testily. "Are you going to help me or not?"

Molly turns around and opens her eyes as red marks appear on her face. Her blue and white dress transforms into a black and red one with spider lilies embroidered at the hem.

"I won't help you!" she exclaims.

"W...what?" asks Barbara, a tic forming underneath her eye.

"You heard me!" Molly shouts, as a Duel Disk forms on her left arm, colored black with a rainbow-sheen on it as if it is made of oil. "You're a thief who wants to hurt Mr. Spooky, don't you? Well, I won't let that happen!"

Barbara snarls.

"No more Nice Barbara then," she states. "If that's how you want to play, fine! We'll settle this with a duel."

A violent wind surrounds the two before the shadows rise, closing off the exits between the two. The two girls activate their Duel Disks and draw their cards, all while Molly's eyes glow an eerie violet color before the light fades and her eyes are black like the scorpion inked on Barbara's arm.

"What you waiting for?" says Molly. "Let's Duel!"

(Molly: 8000) - - - - - - - - (Barbara: 8000)

"Age before beauty," Barbara purrs, drawing a card. "And I'll start with one face-down card along with a monster also face-down. That will be all."

Molly watches two holographic cards appear in front of her opponent. She knows from experience that a face-down monster plus face-down Spell or Trap means that the former is going to be used to summon something big and the latter is to protect the duelist from harm.

"My turn," says Molly, drawing her card. She looks at it and a big grin appears on her face. "All right, all right!" she shouts, jumping in place. "I just drew my favorite monster!"

"Oh?" Barbara asks, curious. "And what would that be? A Fairy? An adorable puppy or kitty? Or, don't tell me, Kuriboh?"

"No, no, and I have Kuriboh in my deck but no," Molly answers. "Now, I'll get to show you my favorite monster. I summon...Zure, Knight of Dark World in Attack Mode!"

In a pillar of smoke, a monstrous figure appears. It is a demonic knight with blue skin and a dark blue mohawk, dressed in blue-silver armor with a plackart shaped like ribs along with pauldrons that looked similar to claws. Draped on his shoulders is a dark blue cape and he cares a sword in his hands. (1800 ATK)

"What?" Barbara screeches when she sees the blue Fiend-type monster on the field. "A little girl like you plays a Dark World deck?"

"Yep, yep, yep!" Molly giggles. "And despite how he looks, Zure's really nice! Here, let me read what it says on his card -" She clears her throat as she reads, "The name of this illu...illu…'"

At this, Zure turns to her and states (much to Barbara's shock), "'Illustrious', Molly."

"Right! 'Illustrious knight is known by all residents of Dark World. He never opp...oppresses the commoners.'" Molly then looks up at the Dark World Knight. "Did I do that right, Zure?"

Zure chuckles and pats Molly on the head. "You did very well, Little Lycoris. Now, what say we go defeat this thief that has hurt your friend?"

"Yeah, let's do it!" says Molly. "Go, Zure! Attack with Blue Blade of Dark World!"

Zure charges towards Barbara's side of the field and slices the thief's face-down card, a large tomato with a menacing face on it. (1100 DEF)

Barbara laughs. "You just destroyed my Mystic Tomato, pathetic child. Now with it destroyed, I can Special Summon a DARK monster from my deck that has 1500 attack points or less. And the monster I choose is the leader of the Dark Scorpions. Come forth, Don Zaloog!"

With a laugh, Barbara's monster appears. It is Don Zaloog, but he no longer sports the brown deerstalker cap and trenchcoat he wore as Detective Zaloog. He now wears a leather sleeveless vest, a bandoleer across his left shoulder, red pants and grey and red cuffs. In his right hand is a knife and in his left hand is a thin rapier. And on his right arm is a tattoo of a black scorpion. (1400 ATK)

"Detective Zaloog?!" Molly exclaims. "But...but why?"

Barbara chuckles as she points to the eyepatch covering her right eye. "He's one of my servants," she says. "This Shadow Charm binds him and his little friends to my will. How else do you think I became one of the most well-known thieves ever?"

Molly tilts her head. "By being super good at it?"

Barbara cackles. "Your answers are too honest, child. Yes, I worked hard in honing my skills, but that's not always what is needed. A little luck goes a long way.

"You see, I was just beginning my career as a master thief when I stumbled upon the Shadow Charm and the Dark Scorpion cards. And just like Dorothy had the special cap that let her summon the Winged Monkeys whenever she wanted, I soon had my hands on a band of thieves that would make any of my competitors fork over an arm and leg just for even just one of these thieves.

"And after I heard about the legendary Sphinx's Heart that will grant immortality to whoever wears it, I knew that it had to be mine. So I sent my Dark Scorpions to infiltrate the museum to get a better look while I blended in with the other museum-goers today."

"Why do you need that Sphinx's Heart in the first place?" asks Molly.

"Because," Barbara smiles. "That is my ticket to immortality!"

"Immortality…" Molly whispers. "You mean, you want to live forever?"

"Exactly!" Barbara answers. "Then I will be known as the most famous thief of all time! Nothing would stop me from that and all I need is your help in getting the sphinx to awaken. What do you say?"

"I'm not gonna help you!" Molly shouts. "I won't let you hurt Mr. Spooky you...you...you, hag!"

At this, Barbara's mouth opens in shock. Meanwhile, Zure smirks and Don Zaloog looks like someone is about to be murdered. Barbara bites her bottom lip and clenches her fists so tight that her knuckles turn white.

"Little Licorice," she begins, her voice soft. "End your turn so I can show you what happens to those who messes with me."

"It's Lycoris like the flower," Molly corrects, slipping a card into her Duel Disk. "And I'll end my turn with a face-down card. Now, do your worst!"

"I will!" says Barbara, drawing her card. "And now, I can start off my ultimate combo! I play the Spell Card, Mustering of the Dark Scorpions!"

She plays the Spell Card, depicting Don Zaloog along with the four other Dark Scorpions in some sort of strange totem pole pose. In the middle of the pose there is Gorg, then Chick then Don Zaloog. Meanwhile, Cliff and Meanae appear on the left and right of the totem pole with their arms stretched out.

"When I have 'Don Zaloog' on the field, I can Special Summon as many 'Dark Scorpion' monsters I have in my hand. So now, let's have a role call! First, Gorg the Strong!"

The first member to appear is a giant of a man with a bald head and a giant mace in his hand. Molly instantly recognizes him as the janitor who she asked to see the sphinx statue even after there was a "Wet Floor" sign. (1800 ATK)

"Next, Chick the Yellow!"

The artist with his spiky yellow hair and red headband appears next, hopping on one foot. Strapped to his back is a wooden mallet. (1000 ATK)

"Third, Meanae the Thorn!"

Molly feels her heart break at the tour guide wielding her whip with a forlorn smile on her face. (1000 ATK)

"And last, Cliff the Trap Remover!"

Finally, the security guard appears, tossing a knife into the air before catching it with two fingers. (1200 ATK)

"W...what…" Molly doesn't know how to get the word out. "You...you're…"

"That's right!" Barbara laughs. "These four kept an eye out on you because they knew you would be the one to awaken the sphinx from his slumber."

"But…but…" Molly's eyes swell with tears. "Meanae was so nice...and Cliff lead me back to my friends and...and Gorg helped me read the plaque…"

"Oh, you thought that they were normal people who cared about a little girl like you?" Barbara sneers. "Well, tough luck! They don't care about you at all; all they care about is completing their mission and following my commands!"

"I...I…" Molly can't stop the tears from falling anymore as she sobs, large tears flowing down her face as the Dark Scorpions look at Barbara with the intent of murdering her.

"Come on, Barbara," says Chick. "That was low, even for a thief."

"Oh, what's this?" asks Barbara, raising an eyebrow. "The yellow-bellied Scorpion finally grew a spine!"

"Because I'm gonna take yours after we're done here!" Cliff replies, pointing his knife at the female thief. "We're thieves, but you don't even deserve to be called one for your callous behavior."

"That's right!" Don adds. "The girl doesn't deserve to be crushed like this."

"Don't worry, don't worry," Barbara yawns. "I'm only gonna roughen her up a bit."

"And that better be all you do," Meanae hisses, turning to Molly who is still crying her eyes out.

"WILL YOU STOP THAT INCESSANT CRYING?!" Barbara yells, causing Molly to whimper.

"We still have a duel to continue!"

"S...sorry…" Molly says, hastily wiping her tears. "So, uh...t...the Dark Scorpions don't look so tough…"

She looks at the attack stats of the Dark Scorpions. The only one that would give her trouble is Gorg, and that's only because his attack score ties with Zure.

"That's what you think, little girl." Cliff replies, tossing the knife in his hand into the air before catching it. "Do you know what the phrase 'thick as thieves' means?"

"Um, no," Molly answers, honestly.

"It means that we're close friends," Gorg states, lowering his gaze at the girl. "All for one and one for all!"

"I couldn't say it any better myself," says Barbara. "And to prove it, I activate my Trap Card, Dark Scorpion Combination!"

Barbara's card lifts, showing the five Dark Scorpions about to attack while Goblin of Greed rapidly flails his arms in the back.

"I can only use this card when I have all five 'Dark Scorpions' on the field. This turn, they can attack you directly for 400 points of damage. Ready?"

Molly gulps as she sees the five thieves prepare their weapons. Meanae looks at the girl with pity.

"Please forgive us, love." She says. "But we have no choice."

"Get her!" Barbara shouts.

Molly has no time to react when the five Dark Scorpions leap past Zure and attack. Meanae strikes first with her whip that hits Molly's cheek. Chick is next with his mallet that he bashes on Molly's head. Third is Cliff who draws his knife back before he thrusts it into Molly's arm. Fourth is Gorg with his mace which he swings and has it strike Molly in the chest, causing her to drop to her knees.

Finally, Don Zaloog walks towards the target, preparing his swords as he if he is ready to slice her head clean off. He places a blade underneath Molly's chin and lifts her head.

"Please don't do this…" Molly whimpers, tears forming in her eyes as Don Zaloog prepares his guns.

A normal person would melt at the sight of the young girl about to cry. Unfortunately, Don Zaloog just isn't that type of person.

"Sorry," Don Zaloog sighs. "It's what the card says."

And he delivers a knee to Molly's stomach hard enough to knock the wind out of her if she is still alive.

(Molly: 6000) - - - - - - - - (Barbara: 8000)

"Hmm," Barbara frowns. "Not how I wanted it, but now that my Dark Scorpions inflicted damage to your lifepoints, I can activate their effects!

"First, I'll have Cliff destroy that face-down card."

Cliff throws his knife at the card (Sinister Yoshiro) before it shatters into pixels.

"Second, Meanae will have me return one 'Dark Scorpion' card from the graveyard to my hand."

Meanae cracks her whip as the cracker now has Dark Scorpion Combination attached to it. Meanae then tosses the card into Barbara's hand.

"Then I'll have Chick take a look at the top card of your deck then send it to the bottom of your deck."

"Here we go!" says Chick, yanking a card from Molly's deck. "Oooh, what's this? Reign-Beaux, Overlord of Dark World? Yeah, he's definitely going to the bottom."

"No!" Molly shouts as Chick slips the card to the bottom. Zure snarls at the hammer-wielding thief, wishing to cut Chick's head off for causing Molly to cry.

"Gorg will return your...knight...back to the top of your deck," Barbara continues, apathetic to Molly's heartbreak.

"NO!" Molly screams again as Gorg slams his massive mace into Zure's stomach, flinging him back to the top of her deck.

"And finally…" Barbara's ruby colored lips curl into a sinister grin. "Don Zaloog shall send the top two cards of your deck to the graveyard."

At this point, Molly is absolutely speechless as Don Zaloog yanks the top two cards from her deck and slams them into the graveyard. Then, the five thieves return to their master's side, but none of them feel absolutely happy about what they've done.

"Oh, what's the matter?" Barbara coos with faux concern. "Be glad that they couldn't attack at full strength. That would've left a terrible mark, you know!

"But just to prove that I'm not so bad, I'll end my turn right there. Now, care to show me how you'll stop me from stealing that Sphinx's Heart?"

Molly slowly rises to her feet as she stares at her Duel Disk, tears forming in her eyes as she sees Zure in the graveyard.

This is bad! Molly thinks to herself as she looks at her hand. Those mean thieves will prevent me from activating my monsters' effects! And if I lose, they'll hurt Mr. Spooky even more! What do I do now?

Molly! A voice says in her head. Molly, can you hear me?

Molly blinks. Kamitsure-san! Is that you?

Of course it's me, Molly. Better question is, where are you?

I'm in the Domino Museum! Mr. Spooky is in danger by this mean old lady called Barbara who wants to steal his heart and she has these horrible thieves who wore costumes to infil...infil...

Infiltrate?

Yes, that! They wore costumes so that they could take a better look at Mr. Spooky before they and their boss came tonight!

Did they hurt you?! Kamitsure's frantic voice screams. How many lifepoints do you have? What are their names?

I'm okay, I have 6 and three 0s lifepoints and they call themselves the 'Dark Scorpions'.

Dark Scorpions?

Yeah, There was Don Zaloog the detective, and Gorg the janitor, Cliff the friendly security guard, Miss Meanae and Chick the artist and they made me send Reign-Beaux to the bottom of my deck and Zure to the graveyard! Zure was my favorite!

He'll be safe there, but I'm more worried about you. Molly, please tell me that you sealed the entire museum with a Shadow Barrier though.

Molly nods her head as she recites words that she has heard Kamitsure repeat numerous times. No one can enter or leave, no one can see nor hear us and the monsters and their attacks are real here.

At this, Molly can feel Kamitsure smile. I never wanted you to perform one of those until you were more experienced. But itt can't be helped now. Molly, do me one more thing.

What is it?

Kick that woman's butt and save Mr. Spooky from those horrible thieves.

Molly smiles. I will! I promise!

Kamitsure chuckles. That's my girl.

Meanwhile, the Dark Scorpions look in concern at how this girl has not said anything for the past few minutes.

"Um, excuse me?" asks Chick, noticing how silent Molly has become. "Are you...all right?"

"We must've hurt her pretty bad," Cliff assumes. "Gorg, go easy on the mace next time, okay?"

"Sorry," Gorg mumbles.

Molly blinks before she lifts her head and stares at the five slightly concerned Dark Scorpions and their slightly irate duelist. Then, she smiles.

"I made a promise," says Molly. "I'm gonna protect Mr. Spooky and stop you from stealing his heart! My draw!"

She draws her card with the skill of an expert duelist and looks at it. Then, her eyes lights up in a dark violet glow as she announces, "It's time to enter the Dark World! East, north, west, south, north...Gates of Dark World open!"

She slips the Spell Card into the Field slot of her Duel Disk. Then, the interior of the museum fades away before the duelists and the Dark Scorpions are transported into a black void. Behind Molly, a pair of massive ornate doors slowly open and lightning bolts rain from the sky, causing the five thieves to panic.

"All Fiend-type monsters gain 300 Attack and Defense points," Molly explains. "And if I just so happen to banish a Fiend-type monster in my graveyard, I can discard another Fiend-type monster in my hand and then draw a card!

"So first, I'm summoning Trance Archfiend in Attack Mode!"

With a roar, a purple skinned fiend appears with small pointed ears, thin noodle-like arms and large orange eyes that, true to its name, is entrancing a small green bird in his hands. (1500/500 -) 1800/800)

"Once per turn, I can discard a Fiend-type monster from my hand to the graveyard to increase Trance Archfiend's attack by 500!"

Trance Archfiend opens its mouth and unleashes a supersonic screech. (1800 -) 2300 ATK)

"And that's not all," Molly smirks. "The Fiend-type monster I discarded was Kahkki, Guerilla of Dark World. When Kahkki is discarded by a card effect, I can destroy a monster you control! Go for Gorg, Kahkki!"

A spectral version of Kahkki, a rotund Fiend with gangly arms, blue eyes and a smile that has a few teeth missing, appears before he charges towards the bald, burly mace-wielder of the Dark Scorpions, stabbing Gorg the Strong in the stomach with a knife. Gorg unleashes a groan as he disappears into the graveyard.

"And now, I'll Banish Kahkki," Molly continues, taking Kahkki's card into the pocket of her dress. Then, I'll discard Ceruli, Guru of Dark World to draw one card."

As she slips a card to her graveyard and draws another. Barbara gasps as a grey skinned fiend with a wicked smile and a cerulean cape rises onto the field. The fiend cackles as he plants his twisted tree-root staff onto the floor. (100/300 -) 400/600)

"What?" Barbara exclaims. "Why is it on my side of the field?"

"When Ceruli is discarded to the graveyard by a card effect, I can Special Summon in Defense Mode onto your side of the field. And since this was discarded due to the effect of Gates of Dark World, you have to discard a card in your hand."

"But the only card in my hand is…" Barbara stammers as she looks at Dark World Combination.

"Exactly!" Molly exclaims. "And without Gorg, you can't send cards from my deck to the graveyard. That's what you get, Miss Thief!"

Barbara bites her bottom lip as Ceruli unleashes a shrill laugh across the field.

This can't be happening! She thinks, slipping her only card to the graveyard. How is it that I, Thief of the Thorned Rose, am being played by a child playing Dark World monsters?!

"I'm not done," Molly continues. "Now I play Dark World Dealings!"

She places another card in her Duel Disk, depicting Reign-Beaux, Overlord of Dark World with a Duel Monster card in front of him.

"I'm sure you know what this does. We both draw one card, then we must discard a card in our hands. And I know my subtraction; one minus one equals…"

Barbar is on the verge of screaming as she draws a single card (The A. Forces) then sends it to the graveyard. Meanwhile, Molly draws a card then chooses one to send to the graveyard, leaving her with two cards.

"The monster I just discarded was Sillva, Warlord of Dark World," she announces. "And since he was sent to the graveyard, I get to Special Summon him onto the field!"

The doors of Gates of Dark World open slightly as a new figure emerges. Its body is a silver color with flared winged pauldrons and a large cape draped over its massive body. The Warlord's hair is tied into a ponytail. Its face is a combination of two skulls with one rotated upward to act as the forehead. In his hands is a knife with a long blade. (2300/1700 -) 2600/2000)

"All right, you two," says Molly. "Are you ready to get revenge on your Overlord?"

"For the glory of the Dark World!" Sillva roars.

"Then get them! Sillva, slice Cliff in half!"

Sillva rushes into battle and with three swift strokes, all that is left of the Trap Remover is his glasses.

(Molly: 6000) - - - - - - - - (Barbara: 6600)

"Your turn, Trance Archfiend! Bash Chick the Yellow's head in!"

Trance Archfiend lets out a screech before he hurls the strange green bird in his claw straight into Chick's skull, causing the boy to shatter.

(Molly: 6000) - - - - - - - - (Barbara: 5300)

"And I end this with one card face-down," says Molly, slipping a card face-down. Meanwhile, Trance Archfiend's stats revert to 1800 ATK. "Your move!"

"Indeed it is," Barbara growls, drawing her card. "Nothing, not the denizens of Dark World, or a little girl like you, will stand in my way from getting the Sphinx's Heart!"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

If anything, Reiji wants nothing to do with Domino Below.

The reason? He died there.

But he has no choice but to go and find the Sphinx Shop, get his information and leave as fast as he can. Even after all of the hard work the Dark Signers have done to prepare it for when the Gates of Hamunatpra open, there were still plenty of work to be done regarding on sprucing it up from a rather dreary Mad Max wasteland.

Work that, in his honest opinion, that he wants nothing to do with. Team Satisfaction are perfect for it since, after all, Domino Below is their home, but Reiji is okay doing menial tasks for Wataru than going back to what would've been his tomb if the Dark Signers didn't save him.

Stepping out to the dusty roads, Reiji eyes the storefront with a large sphinx guarding it and nods his head. This is the place.

Taking a breath, he steps forward and opens the door, confused as to why it is open at this hour, but that's fine. That means he doesn't have to wait.

"Hello?" asks Reiji, entering the shop. He sees bookshelves filled with history books, replicas of ancient artifacts and images of the Nazca lines crawling around the walls. "Is...anyone in there?"

"Over here!"

This is said by a little girl at the cash register, who can only be around ten years old, wearing a white blouse and blue dress, waving a hand but not looking directly at him. Her maroon hair is set into two pigtails and in her hands is a copy of The Kane Chronicles: The Red Pyramid.

"Welcome to the Sphinx Shop," says the girl, nose in her book. "My name is Callista, how can I help you?"

"Uh, aren't you a little young to be running a shop by all yourself at this hour? Where's your grandpa?"

"Grandpa Yanagi said he's trying to find the elusive Shira the Duel Reaper," Callista answers, turning a page. "He's been hearing rumors that Shira may or may not be dabbling in Ancient Egyptian magic and wanted to see it first-hand."

"I see...and, what about you?"

"What about me?" asks Callista, tilting her head.

Reiji narrows his eyes. "You're no ordinary girl, are you?"

Callista pauses before she slips a bookmark in her book and closes it shut. After setting it off to the side, she lifts her head to stare at a suspicious Reiji looming over her.

"No, I'm not," she answers sincerely. "I've been...displaced."

When Reiji doesn't reply, Callista sighs. "I've been the same age since Zero Reverse started, due to some temporal effects from encountering my future self. I'm capable of communicating with Future Me in my dreams and she told me that I was going to have a special visitor tonight and that would be...you. You're no ordinary person, are you?"

Reiji smiles sadly as he unbuttons his shirt, revealing the large purple condor etched onto his chest. "No, I'm not."

Callista's eyes widen as she reaches for her Duel Disk. "A Dark Signer? What reason do you have to go after grandpa and me? Grandpa's done nothing wrong! Okay, maybe he's gone and smuggled rare cards into Domino Below every now and then, but he's such an honest soul!"

"We're not here to attack. I was asked by one of my...bosses, Kamitsure, to get info about something about a sphinx," Reiji answers.

Callista looks at her customer, hand over her untouched Duel Disk. "What type of sphinx?"

"There's a sphinx statue that's in the Domino Museum right now and it carries something that is known as the 'Sphinx's Heart'..."

Callista gasps. "The Sphinx's Heart? Why didn't you say so? I know just the thing!"

She dashes off to one of the many bookshelves and crouches to the bottom shelf. She then pulls out a large tome and sets it onto the floor.

"That artifact has been sought out by hunters for years," Callista explains, flipping through the book with ease. "It's said to bring the user immortality!"

"Of course," Reiji mutters. "But what about the sphinx itself?"

Callista stops the book at an image of a young boy approaching the sphinx, the boy placing his tiny hand over the Sphinx's Heart, a jewel of a heart being bitten by the jaws of a sphinx with wings wrapped around it lovingly.

"It says that the sphinx wasn't originally a sphinx," Callista explains. "But...a human."

"A human?"

"Yeah, a human. Three thousand years ago, he was part of a family of tomb keepers who watched over the bodies of pharaohs who have passed onto the afterlife. He apparently befriended the future heir of the tomb keepers and then tragedy struck which led him to become the sphinx statue that he is today. The Sphinx's Heart is what keeps him alive until he can see that heir reborn."

Reiji rubs his chin. "The Domino Museum website mentioned something about the Ishtar family donating the sphinx for protection."

"The Ishtar family? They must be descendants of the original tomb keepers! But...why would they donate the sphinx when it should be with them?"

"Maybe the sphinx became too dangerous and they wanted it far away as possible?"

"But why Domino City of all places?"

Reiji shrugs his shoulders. "Beats me. Now, how exactly does one awaken the sphinx from his stony slumber? "

"It says here that the only way to free the sphinx is to unleash a strong fiery reaction in his heart," Callista explains.

"You mean like love?" asks Reiji.

"Well, that's one interpretation of it. Another way to do it is by a large burst of anger. Of course, no matter what method you use, you'll have to deal with a very irate and hungry sphinx that will devour the summoner whole."

"A large burst of…" Reiji pauses as it all comes to him. "Oh no, oh no, oh no!"

"What's the matter?" asks Callista, seeing Reiji pull out his cellphone from his pocket. Reiji immediately goes to the Contact List, presses for Kamitsure's number and places the phone to his ear. Three rings later, he gets a quick "Hello?"

"Kamitsure," he begins. "Get to the museum as soon as possible. Molly is in absolute danger of being devoured by a hungry sphinx!"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"A thief always wants more and more to themselves," Barbara begins. "And for this, I play my Spell Card, Card of Demise!"

She slips a card into her Duel Disk, depicting a green hooded executioner looking in horror at a deck about to be cut in half by a guillotine.

"Now I get to draw until I have five cards in my hand, but I must discard my entire hand four turns after I played this card."

She makes five more draws, fanning her cards out before a wicked smirk appears on her face.

"Next, I play the Spell Card, Monster Reincarnation! I discard one card in my hand to take a monster from my graveyard back into my hand!"

She's probably going to get another Dark Scorpion Card so she can use that Combination Trap Card! Molly thinks, watching Barbara send a card to the graveyard before another card pops out, giving the older woman a hand of four.

"And now, my love," says Barbara. "I play the Spell Card, Dark Scorpions - Tragedy of Love!"

The newest Spell Card confuses Molly. It depicts Meanae the Thorn surrounded by a multitude of briars, a tear falling down her cheek.

"This Spell Card can only be used when I have both 'Don Zaloog' and 'Meanae the Thorn' on the field. And when that happens, I can sacrifice Meanae to destroy every single monster you control. Say goodbye, freaks!"

"My monsters aren't freaks!" Molly retorts. But this falls on deaf ears as Meanae rushes into battle, lashing her whip as it coils around Silva. Meanae looks at Molly sadly.

"I'm truly sorry this time," Meanae whispers just before an electrical surge from the whip flows through Silva. Then, smoke fills the air as Meanae and both of Molly's Fiend-type monsters are destroyed.

"Trance Archfiend's effect activates!" Molly shouts. "When he's destroyed, I can take one banished DARK monster to my hand."

"A lot that will do you," Barbara sneers, watching the girl take a monster back to her hand. "Next, I sacrifice your pathetic Ceruli to bring back Gorg the Strong!"

Ceruli fades away before the burly mace-wielding Dark Scorpion emerges. (1800 ATK)

"And now I attack! Destroy her, you two!"

Don Zaloog whips out a pair of pistols and fires them at Molly.

"I activate my face-down card, Gateway to Dark World!" The girl exclaims. "And I'll use it to bring back Silva!"

Molly's face-down card flips, revealing a large black portal manifesting over some crumbling ruins. Then, Silva emerges, ready to shield Molly from the Dark Scorpions. (2300/1400 -) 2600/1700)

Barbara growls and dismisses the attack. "I'll end my turn with a card face-down."

"And I start mine!" says Molly, drawing her card. She briefly looks at the sphinx statue, hoping that he is doing okay. She then looks at the card she has drawn. "I activate my Spell Card, Trade-In! Now I'll discard a Level 8 monster from my hand to draw 2 cards!"

What is this girl planning? Barbara thinks, watching Molly play the Spell Card of a man handing two coins for a golden dragon statue before the girl sends a card to the graveyard. As Molly makes two draws, to make her hand contain three cards, she adds, There's only one Level 8 "Dark World" monster that fits this criteria…

"Next, I play Fiendish Rhino Warrior in Attack Mode!" Molly continues.

With a snort, the newest monster appears. It is a muscular figure with grey skin and elaborate diamond tattoos on his right arm, wearing a torn scrap of red fabric around his waist. Its head, befitting its name, is that of a rhinoceros. He wields a spear with the point made of a strange black and red rock. (1400/900 -) 1700/1200)

"And now I attack! Fiendish Rhino Warrior, destroy Don Zaloog!"

The rhino fiend snorts and charges towards Don Zaloog head on, the leader of the Dark Scorpions gritting his teeth.

"Not so fast! I play Defense Draw!" Barbara shouts. "Now all damage I take this turn goes to 0, and I get to draw a card!"

Molly frowns as Barbara makes another draw.

"I guess I'll end my turn with a face-down card," she says, seeing her hand reduced to one once again. "Your turn."

"Gladly," Barbara purrs, drawing her card. Then, when she takes a look at it, she can't help but laugh. "Oh yes, perfect! Absolutely perfect!"

Molly cringes. "W...what did you just draw?"

"You'll see," Barbara answers. "You're good at math, right? Tell me, do you know how many DARK monsters are in my graveyard right now?"

"Um, let's see…" Molly looks at her fingers. "Zure destroyed Mystic Tomato and then I destroyed Gorg with Kahkki, Cliff and Chick with Silva and Trance Archfiend and Meanae is in the graveyard now thanks to that Tragedy of Love Spell...oh, but you took Gorg back, so that's four."

"Correct. So now I'll play Monster Reborn to bring Meanae back onto the field. How many is that now?"

As Meanae returns (1000 ATK). Molly pulls one finger back.

"That's three!" she answers.

"Exactly! You see, I need exactly three monsters to Special Summon my most powerful monster!"

"Your Dark Scorpions aren't your strongest monsters?" Molly exclaims.

"Oh no, no," says Barbara, wagging a finger. "This is my strongest monster. With the power of darkness in my hand, I summon...Dark Armed Dragon to the field!"

With a loud roar like that of a train engine, a portal of shadows rises in front of Barbara. Molly steps back as she sees this dragon with green scales and spikes, drills and an axe head on the tip of its tail emerges, ready to slice and dice her until she is nothing but mangled body parts on the museum floor. (2800 ATK)

"Scary…" Molly whimpers, all while Silva snarls.

"If you think that's bad, wait till you see his effect!" Barbara exclaims. "Now I Banish one DARK monster from my graveyard to destroy one card you control. So, I'll Banish all three monsters to clean the field once and for all."

As three orbs of darkness circle Dark Armed Dragon, Molly looks in a panic. If all of her cards are destroyed, she'll lose all of her lifepoints and lose Mr. Spooky!

Molly! A voice cries out, but not Kamitsure's. Your face-down card!

Molly looks down and notices the card in front of her. Then, she nods her head.

"I activate my face-down card, Gift of the Mystical Elf!" she exclaims. "Now I gain 300 lifepoints for every monster on the field!"

The Trap Card of Mystical Elf surrounded by numerous glowing orbs transforms into Mystical Elf with five orbs surrounding her. She hums a song as Molly feels her body be renewed with energy just as Dark Armed Dragon hurls the dark orbs at Gates of Dark World and her two monsters.

(Molly: 7800) - - - - - - - (Barbara: 5300)

"Obtain all the lifepoints you can, kid!" Barbara cackles. "Now my monsters, attack her directly!"

Reluctantly, the Dark Scorpions rush towards Molly's side of the field. Molly raises her Duel Disk above her head as Gorg slams his mace, Meanae lashes out with her whip once more, the cracker striking Molly's cheek. Meanwhile, Don whips out his duel pistols once more with bullets that hits the girl's shoulder.

But it is Dark Armed Dragon who charges towards her, slicing the girl with his claws, slamming her with her tail and roaring at her face when the girl screams in terror.

(Molly: 800) - - - - - - - (Barbara: 5300)

"Oh, what's the matter?" Barbara asks, mockingly. "Do you want to go home to your daddy so he can make it all better?"

As the thief laughs, Molly slowly stands up, tears in her eyes. She can never go back to her dad, never go back to the life where he always read her bedtime stories of sphinxes and other mythical creatures. She can never see him again.

And she feels absolutely angry at this woman. She hates her, absolutely hates her!

Molly wipes the tears in her eyes and feels anger rising in her tiny body. Barbara does not notice the fury and rage in this girl until the girl raises her head…

And screams.

At this, the three Dark Scorpion monsters on the field look in fear as tendrils of red light form beneath Molly's feet, lashing out at anyone that would try to come closer.

"What's going on?" asks Barbara, frightened. "What are you?"

Molly wipes away the tears from her eyes. But instead of the sweet, innocent blue ones that make her resemble a doll, they are black as the shadows and make her look like she is a vengeful spirit ready to haunt those who killed her.

"I'm a Dark Signer Acolyte!" Molly answers. "And you just made me angry!"

"This type of power…" Meanae notes. "Don, Gorg...she's...she's a monster!"

"YOU'RE THE MONSTERS!" Molly screams, causing the thieves to step back in fear. "You want to hurt Mr. Spooky and you don't care about hurting someone like me."

"We...we have no choice…" Don Zaloog stammers, but Molly growls. "We really have no choice."

"As long as Barbara has that Shadow Charm, we have to obey her," Meanae pleads. "I don't want to do this either, but…"

"We must." Gorg states. At this Barbara snarls.

"You're sympathizing with the little brat?" she snaps. "You still have a job to do! Gorg, send the top card of her deck to the graveyard! Meanae, bring back Dark Scorpion Combination! And Don, send two more cards to the graveyard!"

The trio of Dark Scopion monsters look at each other before they obey Barbara's orders. Meanae takes Dark Scorpion Combination into Barbara's hand, and both Gorg and Don Zaloog tear three cards from Molly's deck and slips them to the grave.

Still, Molly is angry at them, and the glare this girl is giving off is absolutely unsettling.

"Now then…" Barbara says, trying to ignore the look of murder in Molly's eyes. "I play Pot of Acquisitiveness to return all three of my Banished monsters back to my deck and draw one card."

She slaps a Quickplay Spell Card of a strange black urn with a goofy face on it before three cards return to her deck. She then draws a card.

"And then, I shall set three cards face-down and end my turn. Good luck on trying to stop me, though. All I need to do is let your precious 'Miss Meanae' attack you directly and I win."

"More like Miss Meanie if you ask me," Molly spits out, causing Meanae to flinch. "My draw!"

She draws her card then looks at what she has drawn.

"I play Card of Sanctity!" she shouts. "Now we draw till we have 6 cards!"

"How nice of you," Barbara sneers as coins rain down above their heads. She draws until she has six new cards, while Molly draws five more times. "I'll make good use of this gift."

"No you won't!" Molly snaps. "Next I play Card Destruction! Now we have to discard every card we have in our hands to the graveyards and then draw the same number!"

"But if you do that...that means…" Barbara stammers, realizing just what is to come.

"That's right!" Molly answers, slipping all six cards in her hand to the graveyard. "Every single 'Dark World' monster in my hand gets can activate their effects! And I had four of them!"

Barbara bites her lip in horror as she sends her hand to the graveyard and draw six more cards. Then, four specters hover around Molly's side, one for each of the 'Dark World' monsters that was sent to the grave.

"First," Molly begins. "I have Gren, Tactician of Dark World destroy one Spell or Trap card, like that card on my left."

The first specter is a tall, thin fiend with grey skin and a bulbous head like an alien. The only article of clothing he wears is a long green cape with a high collar. He cackles as he fires a dark green bolt of lightning that destroys the face-down card Molly points at.

My Dark Illusion card! Barbara gasps.

"Next, my Kahkki, Guerilla of Dark World that I got from Gates of Dark World destroys one monster you control...like Dark Armed Dragon!"

Kahkki's spectral form cackles as he charges towards the fiendish dragon before the two are destroyed in a large explosion that causes Barbara to move to the side in horror.

"And my last two monsters are Latinum, Exarch of Dark World and Lucent, Netherworld of Dark World. When they get discarded, I get to Special Summon them onto the field!"

The last two specters leap in front of Molly. Latinum is a massive fiend with large wings where one can easily see the bones that connects the tissue together, his body a shiny metallic color with massive horns jutting out of his shoulders. Meanwhile, Lucent's body is the color of glass with two spikes on his shoulders and on his upper and lower arms. (Latinum: 1600 ATK, Lucent: 2400 ATK)

"And I'm not done!" Molly continues. "Remember Trade-In? The monster I discarded was Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World! And I can Special Summon him from my graveyard by returning Latinum in to my hand. And since Grapha was discarded by a card effect, I can destroy a card you control, like Gorg the Strong!"

Latinum smirks before he returns to Molly's hand. Then, Molly plays a card from her graveyard, and a large silhouette rises from the floor, that of a dragon, larger than that of Dark Armed Dragon, with a grey body mixed with the shadows that almost look as if the darkness manifests from its flesh. (2800 ATK) Then, the large dragon fiend opens his mouth and a burst of grey flames envelops Gorg before he burns into a pile of ashes.

"My monsters will survive..." Barbara mutters.

"Your lifepoints won't," Molly retorts. "I play Solidarity and use it to give my monsters an additional 800 attack points since the only monsters in my graveyard are Fiends!"

The Continuous Spell Card of the Ojama brothers in a circle appears behind Molly, all while Lucent and Grapha laugh at the power boost. (Lucent: 2400 -) 3200 , Grapha: 2800 -) 3600 ATK)

"Now I attack! Get them!"

Meanae and Don can only hug each other in fear before Lucant and Grapha destroy them with one fell swoop, taking most of Barbara's lifepoints with them.

(Molly: 800) - - - - - - - (Barbara: 1900)

"And I end this with one card face-down," says Molly. "Your move."

Barbara clenches her teeth and snarls as she draws a card. There is no way, absolutely no way, that she is going to lose her chance at immortality by a little girl and her Fiends!

When she looks at her card, she can't help but let out another laugh. The end of the duel is here!

"First," Barbara begins. "I activate my face-down card, Call of the Haunted!"

The famous Continuous Trap Card rises before Don Zaloog appears once again . (1400 ATK)

"And then, I'm playing Mustering of the Dark Scorpions one more time! Come forth, Dark Scoripions!"

Gorg, Cliff, Chick and Meanae rise on the field, none of them looking happy in the slightest.

"And then, my final face-down card, Dark Scorpion Combination!" Barbara screams in ecstasy. "Now Meanae, Don...attack directly and grant me victory!"

"...I don't think so," says Molly, bowing her head.

"Huh?" asks Barbara. "Oh, don't tell me that your little face-down card is going to destroy my monsters? I highly doubt that. I can tell by the look in your eye."

"It won't destroy your monsters," Molly replies. "But it will bring your lifepoints down! I activate...Ceasefire!"

Molly's card flips over and Barbara's eyes widen.

"You lose 500 lifepoints for every Effect Monster on the field," says Molly. "And I know how to count by 5 so let's see…"

She then begins pointing at the monsters. "5...10...15...20...25...30! And that's more than you have left! This duel is mine!"

Ceasefire explodes as Barbara howls in agony and 3000 points of damage causes her to drop to her knees.

(Molly: 800) - - - - - - - (Barbara: 0)

"I did it! I did it!" Molly cheers, staring at her Dark World monsters. "I defeated her and saved Mr. Spooky!"

Grapha chuckles and pats the girl's head. "You have made us Dark World monsters proud, Little Lycoris."

Molly nods her head. "Now let's go save Mr. Spooky!"

"Oh no you don't!"

Molly turns around just as Barbara lashes her whip at the girl, striking the girl in the stomach and causing her to fall to the floor in pain. Barbara approaches the girl, pulling out a gun from the from a holster strapped to a belt.

"I did not spend all this time to lose to a kid!" she snarls, glaring at the two Dark World monsters who stand in front of their master. "Out of the way now!"

"No!" says Molly. "I won't let you hurt Mr. Spooky!"

"Oh, so you even gave it a name?" Barbara asks. "As if it's going to save it from me!"

"Stop her, Latinum! Lucent!" Molly commands.

The two monsters launch into battle as Barbara lashes out with her whip with one hand, and smacking them if they get to close with her gun in the other one. As this goes on, Molly prepares to fight too, red strands of light rising on the ground.

No, Molly! The sphinx states in her mind. This is too dangerous! You have to free me!

"But doesn't that woman want your heart?" Molly asks, confused.

You're more important right now. Hurry, only a powerful emotion can free me and you are filled with that type of emotion.

Molly looks down at her hands. It is true. She is the Dark Signer Acolyte of the Spider, whose sin is of wrath. However…

"If I use my powers on you, I might hurt you!" Molly exclaims, looking at the statue.

Your monsters won't last longer! The sphinx roars.

He is right. With two gunshots, Molly's Dark World monsters shatter instantly. Barbara pants, baring her teeth like a lion as she charges towards Molly with the intent to putting a bullet in the girl's brain.

DO IT! The sphinx shouts.

Molly nods her head as she pierces a red glowing strand right into the heart emblem on the sphinx's statue. Then, a crimson glow washes over the sphinx just as Barbara is about to pull the trigger. The statue's eyes begin to open and then, cracks forms over its body.

"What the?" Barbara asks, stopping in her tracks.

The sphinx lets out an enormous roar as its rocky exterior crumbles, unfurling his massive wings before leaping out of his podium to shield the girl. The emblem of a heart now becomes a brilliant blue, made from lapis lazuli, bitten by a golden lion head with two wings.

"That's it…" Barbara whispers, seeing the stone in all of its glory. "The Sphinx's Heart...it shall be mine!"

"No!" says Molly, standing in front of the sphinx, arms stretched out. "You have to go through me first!"

"Molly, no!" The sphinx growls. "That gun...she'll…"

"I'm already dead," Molly states calmly. "She can't hurt me."

"You're already dead?" Barbara repeats. She replies with a loud, barking laugh. "Don't be ridiculous, girl! The dead cannot come back to life!"

"How about you tell that to me?"

Barbara turns around, only to be met with a stiletto heel going straight for the Shadow Charm on her right eye. The thief screams in terror as the same stiletto heel is pulled out, taking the Shadow Charm off and dropping it onto the floor. There stands a woman in a yellow dress, black leggings and yellow heels...or rather, one heel is on her right foot, the other is in her hand.

"Kamitsure-san!" Molly squeals, running to the woman. "You're here!"

"Molly, you're safe and sound," Kamitsure states in relief, hugging the girl. "You scared us like that!"

"I'm sorry," says Molly. "I just wanted to help Mr. Spooky, but then I got attacked by the Dark Scorpions and that mean lady! Please don't be mad at me!"

Kamitsure stays silent before she smiles and hugs Molly tighter. "I can never be mad at you. But please tell me or someone else before you go out, okay?"

"...Okay," says Molly, returning the hug with one of her own. Unfortunately, the feeling of happiness and relief is quickly replaced with one of horror when Barbara starts laughing.

"How cute," she sneers. "But did you forget that I'm still here, ready to shoot you down with a flick of my finger?"

"You're not going to lay a finger on Molly as long as I'm standing," Kamitsure snarls, a black aura flaring around her.

"Then let's fix that right now!" Barbara cackles, firing a bullet at the DJ that hits her right in the stomach. "Yes! Bull's-eye!"

"Kamitsure nee-san!" Molly cries, seeing Kamitsure stumble back. "Are you okay?"

Kamitsure looks down at the bullet that has hit her navel and frowns. Then, she grits her teeth as she reaches towards the bullet and pulls it out with her forefinger and thumb, much to Barbara's horror.

"What?!" she asks. "Y...you should be...you...can't be…"

Kamitsure drops the bullet onto the ground with a clatter, eyes glowing black as her dress and leggings turn into a form-fitting knee-length dress with red lines that mimic the appearance of a spider.

"Dead?" Kamitsure hisses. "Indeed I am. Now, put the gun down and let this little desire for the Sphinx's Heart go or else."

"NEVER!" Barbara screeches, gun pointing at the sphinx. "You are going to give me that heart or I will blow his brains out right now!"

"No, Mr. Spooky!" Molly exclaims. "W...what do we do, Kamitsure-san?"

Kamitsure stares at the enraged thief and her hostage before looking at the jewel around the sphinx's neck. Then, she looks at Molly after a few seconds that seem to stretch on for an hour.

"Molly," she says. "I think we should give this lady the Sphinx's Heart."

"What?" Molly exclaims. "But Mr. Spooky said…"

"Mr. Spooky is more important, right?" asks Kamitsure, winking at the sphinx. "If we give her what she wants, she won't hurt him."

"But...but…" Molly looks at Kamitsure then at Mr. Spooky before the sphinx growls.

"It's okay," he says. "I've had it for such a long time; it's time for someone else to feel what it is like to live forever."

Molly says no more as Barbara's eyes widens at the prospect of finally obtaining the elusive gem. Molly sighs.

"Okay then," she says. "Mr. Spooky, give her that heart."

"With pleasure," says the sphinx, yanking the Sphinx's Heart out with one of his massive paws before tossing it onto the floor. The thief's eyes widen as she takes the jewel into her hands, smiling with glee.

"I did it! At long last!" Barbara exclaims, placing the Sphinx's Heart around her neck. "And now, immortality is at hand!"

"Indeed it is…" says Kamitsure.

Just then, Barbara feels her whole body begin to stiffen. She looks down and sees that her legs slowly turn to stone!

"W...what?!" Barbara exclaims. "What's going on?"

"The Sphinx's Heart grants immortality," Kamitsure begins, slipping her shoe back on. "And what's more immortal than stone?"

"But...but…" Barbara's eyes widen with realization as she drops her whip and gun in horror. "No! NO!"

The petrification spell continues, crawling up the thief's waist, torso and up to her arms before spreading out to her hands. It goes up to her neck as her mouth open into a scream that will not be heard by anyone for a long time as the transformation covers her head, leaving a stone copy of the illustrious thief.

Kamitsure watches as the Sphinx's Heart also transforms into a fixture of the beautiful, yet deadly, statue before she turns to Molly.

"The Sphinx's Heart was used for Mr. Spooky to sleep until he reunited with his fated someone," she explains. "Other than that, anyone whose heart is filled with rage can have a nice time out to cool their heads."

Kamitsure looks down, picks up Barbara's eyepatch and smiles. "I highly doubt Barbara is gonna have a good use for this anymore."

Meanwhile, Molly tilts her head at the statue that was once Barbara, curious as to whether or not the woman could see or hear or even breathe. She reaches forward and pokes the woman's hand, but is glad to see it not move.

Meanwhile, the sphinx lets out a large yawn as his form begins to shift. He stands on his hind legs, grows taller, his mane sticks out like the sun's ray and then…

Molly gasps at what she sees. Instead of a sphinx, in its place is now a human with skin the color of mud and large glowing violet eyes. Dangling from his ears are earrings that look similar to golden diamonds, and around his wrists are golden bracers.

"W...what the?" Molly gasps. "You're...a human?"

The sphinx-turned-human chuckles, exposing his predatory smile all while Kamitsure smiles.

"Of course he is, Molly," says Kamitsure. "Mr. Spooky was once a human, transformed into a sphinx after something befell his loved one."

"That's horrible!" Molly gasps.

"Indeed it is, although…" Kamitsure tilts her head. "I don't think 'Mr. Spooky' is your real name, is it?"

"It isn't," The person replies. "Call me Marik for the time being." He then eyes Kamitsure's black attire with red trim. "I must say...your garments are peculiar. Tell me, how long has it been since I last slept?"

"Well, you were last statufied about three thousand years ago after your loved one bit the dust -"

"That's false," The person interrupts. "I actually met his reincarnation a while back."

"And what do you mean by 'a while back'? Hold old was he?"

"I'd say about seven or eight years old," Marik states. "He had just received the marks on his back from his...father…" At this, he growls low in his throat like the sphinx he once was.

"What 'marks'?" asks Kamitsure, taking Molly by her side.

Marik sighs. "Do you know the idea of 'soul mates'?"

"I do indeed."

"In Ancient Egypt, we believe that there are soulmates of light and darkness. As you can see, I am of the darkness and my significant was of light. My light, Malik,...he was raised to continue the legacy of the tomb keepers and that meant having his back marked with the glyphs that described what happened to the Pharaoh."

"Which Pharaoh?" asks Kamitsure. She can feel something within her tense up, something that tells her to be wary.

"Atem," is the only answer Marik can give, to Kamitsure's shock.

"You mean...the Pharaoh who once tried to be the vassal to the Dark King?" she asks, eyes wide. "Surely you jest."

"I wish I was joking," Marik states. "I was there at the time, already awakened, a shadow, a friend for him...but his father…"

Kamitsure tenses up, noticing how Molly is hanging onto every word of this story. "Malik's father wasn't like Molly's, was he?"

"Not at all," Marik states. "Malik's own sister was nearly beaten to death, until I came in and…"

The silence hangs in the air for quite some time as Molly understands what Marik means. Instead of screaming, she just slowly nods her head in understanding.

"Unfortunately, that was the worst thing to have done," Marik continues, placing a hand over his heart where that dreaded gem once rested. "Malik fainted at the sight of me and when he woke up...he no longer saw me as a kind, brave, noble sphinx…

"He saw me as a monster, a murderer, a killer."

Molly places a hand onto her mouth as Kamitsure shakes her head.

"That's when you decided to transform back into your statue form and the Ishtar family shipped you off to Japan so that Malik could live a life without having to relive that trauma," she says. "But…"

Marik nods his head. "I sensed his presence; Malik is somewhere in Domino."

"He is, is he?" asks Kamitsure. "I wonder why…"

"Maybe he still wants to see Mr. Spooky even though he forgot about him!" Molly suggests.

"Perhaps...but I have not sensed Malik for a while," Marik muses. "But he is alive, that I know for sure."

"And what are you going to do when you and Malik reunite?" says Kamitsure.

Marik shrugs his shoulders. "I suppose we shall wait for when Pharaoh Atem reawakens, and then we will live the life we were supposed to have. Together."

"That sounds cool!" says Molly. "I wanna help you find your light, Mr. Spooky!"

"You'll be plenty of help, Little Lycoris," Kamitsure giggles. "But not right now; it's been a very crazy night."

"Okay then," says Molly before she practically skips to Marik's side, a wide smile on her face.

"And as for you," says Kamitsure, turning to the Dark Scorpion monsters who have been watching the brawl this entire time. They step out of the darkness as Kamitsure tosses the Shadow Charm into Don's hand. "I only have one request."

"What?" asks Chick, eyes nearly bulbing out of its sockets. "You're letting us go? Even after we hurt that poor girl?"

"You already suffered enough under that woman's rule," Kamitsure explains, turning to see Barbara's petrified form. "And besides, this is what Molly would have wanted."

As she says this, the older woman smiles as Molly stretches her hand out over Marik's palm, a wide smile on the little girl's face before she hugs her new friend. The Dark Scorpions can't help but be relieved that Molly is uninjured after everything she went through.

"For my request," says Kamitsure. "Well, you heard what 'Mr. Spooky' told Molly; he's looking for someone named Malik."

"You have a description?" asks Cliff, adjusting his glasses.

"Even better. You five are joining Mr. Spooky on his quest."

The Dark Scorpions freeze as Kamitsure approaches Molly. "Molly, do you think that Detective Zaloog and his friends would be perfect in helping Mr. Spooky find his friend?"

Molly turns around and tilts her head at the Dark Scorpion monsters. Then, she smiles.

"Of course, of course!" she says. "The Dark Scorpions are brave, strong and fearless! They'll help Mr. Spooky out for sure!"

"And there you have it!" says Kamitsure, turning around and clapping her hands. "Problem solved."

"Quick question," says Meanae. "When Molly said she was a 'Dark Signer Acolyte'...what does she mean?"

Kamitsure frowns; she never likes bringing up the subject with anyone.

"She's dead," Kamitsure answers. "Killed by the last non-human thing that she considered a friend, hurled out of the attic of her old home and landing on impact."

This causes the group of thieves to look in horror.

"Why?" is Gorg's simple question.

"Why do you care?" Kamitsure asks, coldly. There is a pause before she shakes her head. "No, don't answer that. Now, I think you might wanna skedaddle before the cops find out that we're gonna have a statue missing very soon."

The Dark Scorpions take the hint as Don Zaloog straps the eyepatch over his right eye. Then, a soft glow covers the thieves from head to toe before they transform into five cards that fall into Kamitsure's open hand. She smiles before she hands the cards to Marik.

"These guys should be able to help you with whatever you need," she says. "I hope that you'll find that special someone of yours very soon."

The sphinx-turned-man nods his head as he slips the cards into a pouch hidden beneath his long cloak.

"Thank you," Marik states, covering his face with the hood of his tattered cloak, he then starts to walk away. "I should be going now."

"Wait, Mr. Spooky!"

Marik turns around as Molly approaches him, something in her hands. She smiles as she slips said item into her hand, causing Kamitsure's eyes to widen.

"You're giving him your deck?" she asks, noticing the empty deck slot in Molly's Duel Disk. "But you love the Dark World monsters..."

"I do, but I don't want Mr. Spooky to be alone anymore!" Molly answers, turning to Kamitsure. "He hasn't had anyone to talk to for such a long time, and the Dark World monsters won't mind his appearance. In fact, I think they'll all be good friends!"

"And what about you? What if some sort of person tries to kidnap you? Without a deck, you'll be defenseless!"

"Then I just have to get a new deck and practice with it so I can duel with Mr. Spooky the next time we meet!" Molly decides, standing tall. "I wanna get a deck that works just like the Dark World monsters, where I have to dis...discard cards in order to activate effects! Is there such a deck as that?"

At this, Kamitsure smiles proudly at the little girl.

"Of course there is," she says. She can't help but feel that her Acolyte is so grown up as she wraps her arms tight around the tiny girl. "That was a very nice thing to do, Molly."

Molly nods her head as Marik takes the deck into his hands. Then, he slips them into another pouch hidden in his cloak.

"Thank you, Little Lycoris," Marik whispers, patting the girl's shoulder. "Take care of yourself."

"I will!" says Molly, waving goodbye. "Let's play again next time, Mr. Spooky!"

At this, a tiny smile forms on the stranger's face. Then, he walks off, his body fading away into the shadows. Meanwhile, Kamitsure looks at the statue of the petrified thief and shakes her head.

"We're gonna need to take a visit to the Gates of Infinity for this," she notes. "And to make sure that the Sphinx's Heart cannot be activated by someone with a fetish for stone women."

"What's a fetish?" asks Molly, tilting her head. Kamitsure giggles; sometimes Molly is too innocent for her own good.

"It's if someone really really likes something," Kamitsure begins. "Now come on, I think it's time for us to go home."

"But I'm not tired…" Molly pouts.

"I know you aren't," Kamitsure says, lifting Molly into her arms. "But you scared all of us; who knows what would've happened if you disappeared. We'd all be so worried…"

Molly nods her head as she starts to yawn. Kamitsure giggles as the spider mark on her arm lights up. A portal of shadows appears in front of the two as Kamitsure turns towards the woman statue one more time.

"You've got your immortality," she whispers. "I hope you enjoy every single second of it."

And then, she and Molly head for home, the only sound heard being the click click click of Kamitsure's heels before the portal closes.

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"So," says the calm motherly voice of Natsume. "That's how you two met."

Molly nods her head as Natsume steps back, the little girl placing a hand on her forehead. Reiji also leans back with a groan, not used to having to see a different set of memories other than his own.

Meanwhile, the other people in that room - Shooti, Bel, Jun, Hikari, Shinji and Kamitsure - stay silent as Natsume turns to the other figure in the room. That of the one that Molly has affectionately called "Mr. Spooky" ever since she encountered him on that faithful field trip.

"That was...amazing…" Shinji says, breathless. "You did that all by yourself?"

"Never underestimate a Dark Signer," Natsume chuckles. "We're just full of surprises."

"I can tell…" Hikari grumbles, staring at Shooti. Shooti is oblivious to this, as he is quickly texting something on his phone.

"So, what exactly do we do now?" asks Jun, folding his arms across his chest.

"Well, I have to go see what I can do about our recent Faller's memories," says Natsume. "This could take some time as his mind must have a powerful mental block that prevents him from remembering everything."

"And in the meantime, why don't we pass the time with a duel?" Kamitsure suggests.

"Seriously?" Jun exclaims. "After all of that, you think we should duel?! We're in the middle of a crisis and all -"

"It'll be some time before Serena and the others will contact us," says Shinji. "Plus...I kinda wanna see how my brother deals with a little girl kicking his -" Kamitsure shoots him a glare. "...tail."

"I already dueled though," says Molly. "Oh, but Mr. Spooky hasn't! Come on, Mr. Spooky! Show Reiji how you and the Dark World monsters have become even stronger! Please! Please! Please!"

"Wait, he can duel?!" Hikari exclaims, noticing how Marik has produced a Duel Disk over his left arm. It is the color of desert sand with the head of a lion biting his tail and a wing of a giant bird acting as the tray. "When did that happen?"

"Oh, he sent me a letter that he's worked really hard!" Molly says, pulling out a piece of paper from behind her back. She giggles and bounces on the balls of feet. "Come on, Reiji-san! Duel! Duel! Duel!"

"Yes, don't reject this offer, Reiji," Kamitsure adds, a tic forming underneath her eye as she stares at the purple-haired teen. "Because I can't blame you if I decide to take my shoe and shove its heel up your -"

"Ahem," says Bel, pointing to Molly coaxing Marik to duel.

"...nose," Kamitsure states. "Now, go one, let's have a show."

Reiji sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose.

"Well, if you insist," he says, also summoning his Duel Disk from the shadows. "So, Marik...it's time to play the game."

At this, Shinji can't help but smirk. This was the line that Reiji used whenever he started his duels.

"You can't defeat us!" says Molly, going by Mr. Spooky's side. "We'll defeat you fair and square!"

"Is this a 2-in-1 duel I smell?" asks Kamitsure with a chuckle.

"No, I'm just here to cheer him on!" Molly giggles, watching Marik pull his hood back to reveal his wild and spiky hair. "Now come on, whatcha waiting for?"

Marik chuckles, licking his lips like a lion would just as it chases after an antelope.

"It's time to PLAY THE GAME!" Marik roars, lilac eyes glowing in excitement before he unleashes a wicked laugh.

"Ooh, I gotta record this!" Hikari exclaims, pulling out her camera. "This is gonna be an epic post for -"

"No," Reiji interrupts, glaring at Hikari. "I don't want word to come out that I'm still alive, not just yet."

"...Can I still record the duel though?"

Reiji shrugs his shoulders. "Sure. Do what you want."

"All right!" says Hikari, pointing the camera to herself. "Ladies and gentlemen, here's an exclusive duel that will surely make your blood pumping! So what are you waiting for? Let's light it up!"

"...Wouldn't have it any other way," says Reiji, drawing his cards. "Let's duel!"

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"I Understood That Reference!"

The title of this little story is based off of the "Night at the Museum" films, where our protagonist is the night guard for a museum whose exhibits come to life at night.

Molly's line of the mummy looking like a crying baby comes from Miho Nosaka from Yu-Gi-Oh! Season 0 episode 5. Zackie and Jackie are characters from the Pokémon Johto episode "A Bout with Sprout"

The disguises the Dark Scorpions don, barring Meanae's, comes from the GX episode "The Dark Scorpions". The only difference is that Meanae is a nurse instead of a tour guide.

Barbara comes from the Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds anime where she's a notorious femme fatale in Crash Town.

Callista comes from the Advanced Generation episode "Me, Myself and Time". Her grandfather, Yannagi, is also from Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds. I put them together because Callista is known to have a love of archaeology and Yannagi is known for traveling around and having a deck filled with interesting monsters that surely fit with Callista's love of history and artifacts.

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Next time: Serena finds her beloved Ghostrick monsters have disappeared! Aided by Mokuba and HIkari, the three journey into the Domino City cemetery and uncover the culprit. Mokuba decides to challenge the thief to a high-stakes challenge...because the door to the Spirit World is about to open…

"A Walk Among the Tombstones" coming soon.