The Platinum Knight - Abyssal Noctix of Yuri's Heart
The knight coughed as he sat in front of the fire. He could taste the iron flavor of his blood on the top of his tongue. He did not want to get up from his spot in front of the fire, but he knew he had a job to do.
The new Crown Prince of Termnnia depended on him. He removed his helmet so he could eat the last of the stale bread rolls inside his pack. This was it. If there was no food inside the castle, looming eerily above him from the top of the mountain, he would starve.
Crickets chirped in the long, yellow grass all around him. An owl screeched from somewhere in the forest of dead trees. Lightning flashed in the blood-red sky, followed by a blast of thunder that disoriented the knight.
He did not want to get up. Too long had he been in this shadowy abyss. Too long had he been without seeing the sunlight. Since hearing the sweet melody of birds.
He did not remember the touch of grass. The taste of cold water from the river. The taste of food. Good food. Hot meats roasting on the fire with a tankard of golden ale made of juniper berries and topped with cream seasoned with cinnamon.
Then again, save for the Prince's spirit guiding him, he had no memory of pleasant company. No.
For over a decade he had been trapped here in the dark recesses of the Shadow Realm searching. Searching for pieces that led to a great and wondrous treasure. And one of those pieces was hidden inside that dreaded castle.
The thought of finding food and water in its dark halls brought some strength to his legs. He soon found himself standing up and heading for the castle.
As he wandered through the cemetery, he encountered horrible undead Duel Monsters, such as the annoying Clown Zombie, who would bounce out from behind tombstones and dance atop his acrobatic ball. It made a horrible cackle and attacked the knight with its rusty scythe. The Platinum Knight encountered about a dozen of them and slew them all one by one. Then, out from the ground, arose a skeletal warrior with a giant claymore for a weapon. Then another and another, each of them draped in ragged tunics of purple, teal, black, or red.
The 13th Grave. Following them were battalions of Zombie Warrior, skeletons with iron pauldrons, and sharp axes.
Those beasts proved a nuisance, but it was nothing the knight could handle. One swing of his giant diamond blade and he slaughtered them, scattering their bones all over the cemetery. It was a long and difficult journey into the castle, but he finally made it.
He stopped in front of the castle steps to regain some energy and catch his breath. But he would not rest for long, for a fiery portal opened and from it appeared the guardian of the castle entrance.
Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss.
The boar-like monster was gigantic in size, with muscles like boulders and large wings to create gusts of wind that caused trees in the courtyard to collapse and fall.
Cir thumped his chest and squealed, challenging the knight to combat. He had no choice but to accept the monster's challenge. They battled for hours on end, neither one showing any signs of stopping. The knight, even though clad in colossal armor, moved like the wind, proving difficult for Cir to catch.
He landed a few lucky blows every now and then during the fight, but he proved no match for the knight's speed. Their battle shook the foundations of the castle. Bells, hanging sadly in their towers, rang loudly. Cir was bleeding magma-like blood from its wounds.
The knight's armor was cracked and chipped in various places. His magic cloth-of-gold cape, which shielded him from the cold of the Shadow Realm, was tattered and dirty. No matter how tough he was, no matter how badly Cir wanted to win, the Platinum Knight would not allow the monster to win. Never!
Finally, The Platinum Knight saw his chance. He struck Cir on the knees, causing him to kneel forward in agony. The Platinum Knight jumped and held up his sword, infusing it with the holy light of Horakhty.
The blade started to glow and grew ten-fold its original size. And finally, he struck the monster and decapitated it. Cir's head flipped over the castle walls and rolled down the mountain. His body writhed about for a few seconds before it collapsed, smashing the ruins of a once beautiful fountain. Dust slowly rose into the air.
Seeing that the battle was over, the knight felt his legs turn to jelly. He fell on the ground, exhausted. He crawled towards a tree and leaned on it, gasping for air. An arcane circle formed next to his resting place. He grabbed his sword, ready to strike whatever came through the gate. He sighed with relief when he saw that it was his old friend.
Yami Yugi appeared, covered in a brown and tattered cloak as well. "You have done well," he said. He examined the knight. "Hmph. You look terrible. Here."
He gave the knight a purple handkerchief with three buttered scones inside. The knight grabbed them at once. He took off his helmet and scarfed them down. The shadow of the tree above concealed his identity from Yami. The Platinum Knight chewed his morsels loudly and grunted with each bite. Yami smiled and opened another sack, taking out a bottle of wine to wash down the scones.
"How long has it been since you had food?" Yami asked, helping himself to a buttered scone.
"Too long," the knight replied.
Yami grimaced as he bit was getting worried about the knight. "You need to rest."
"I'll rest when I find all the pieces," the knight replied, eating the last of the scones.
Dante handed him another napkin, this time with apple slices, grapes, and cubes of sweet cheese.
"Thank you," the knight said wearily. "Besides, there is no rest to be found here. Every shadow is a hiding place for some kind of a monster. I fear more will be on their way now that I have killed the guardian."
"They will not come here," said Yami. "Not now that I have arrived. The blessed light of Horakhty and the Almighty Andu radiate through me. I will go with you into the castle and seek the piece you desire so much. But first..."
Yami cast a spell that mended the knight's wounds, regained his energy, and even fixed the cracks in the knight's armor. The knight suddenly found himself jumping up and stretching.
He felt rejuvenated. He even dared to fight with Cir two more times with his bare hands. "Thank you, old friend," the knight said. "The curse. It's even worse than I thought."
"What has he done?" Yami asked, looking around the vast wasteland of death and decay underneath a burning amber sky. "What is this?"
"It's a Noctix," said the knight. "A dream world created by Bakura when he cursed the child many years ago. He tore the light in Yuri's heart into many pieces and gave each piece of the light to a terrible monster to guard. Each monster is king to a random hell Bakura created in this Noctix, and they all feel lightyears apart. That's why I've been wandering here for so long. Ten monsters to destroy, yet I've only felled five after all these years."
"He tore his light to pieces and gave them to monsters?" Yami asked. "I cannot be."
"It is. Without his light, Yuri will never find courage. Without his light, Yuri will always dwell in fear and doubt. Without his light...he and I cannot bond."
"You do seek him?" said Yami. He sat down next to the night and rested his back against the same tree. "My friend Serenity has possibly discovered the location of the Pendant of the Kings. I know this is good news for you...Ser Norman. Or should I say Narmondülus Elliartum. The Conqueror."
The knight put his helmet back on and sadly shook his head. "Not anymore. Not in my state. Call me Ser Norman."
"I am sorry you've suffered all these years, Ser Norman," said Yami. "I'm sorry we've only been able to reach you until now. It wasn't until a year ago that Serenity saw you in her dreams."
"I slew the fifth monster at the time," said Ser Norman. "Enough of the darkness masking Yuri's heart was lifted so that I could make contact with her. But I was only able to slay the other four after I managed to get the aid of other heroes. Zane Truesdale. Yuya Sakaki, Alexis Rhodes, Aster Phoenix, and many others. And now it looks like enough evil in the Noctix has been cleared so that you can set foot into this awful place. Bless you, for coming here so willingly."
"It is an honor, Ser Norman." He then chuckled. "And now I fully understand why Serenity was obsessed with you over the past year. Again, I'm sorry we couldn't reach you sooner. This changes everything. But...politics. The greatest poison to ever befall mankind. People who are more concerned with their own power and pockets are doing everything they can to keep Yuri trapped in the Standard Dimension. I feel like such a fool sending him there."
"But be of good cheer, Pharoah. You did what you had to do to save him. With Denethon the Black and the Sisterhood of Odiva running freely in the world of the living, he would have surely died. His death is something that must be prevented no matter the cost. And it will also please you to know that with each monster I've defeated, Yuri's desire to be cold and evil is gone. But he's still so full of fear. So much so that not even the God Cards will want him as their High King."
"I must help you."
"No!" said Ser Norman. "You cannot. There is much that you must do in Termnnia. Your friends need you. And Yuri needs you. Let me handle the corruption in his heart."
"You cannot do this alone."
"I am not alone. I'm never alone. With each monster I defeated, Yuri and I become much closer. I must defeat them all! I must KILL them all!" He stood up and placed his giant sword over his shoulders. "I will make them beg for death."
"Let me join you at least once," said Yami, drawing his glowing sword known as an Anjai. It was as bright and hot as the sun and whenever the wielder swung it, it let out a sound like a thousand angels singing at once, which was why it was often called The Singing Sword.
"Now that's a weapon I haven't seen in ages," said Ser Norman.
"Come," said Yami. He offered the knight his hand. "Let us help Yuri...together."
The knight took Yami's hand and he was raised back up to his feet with incredible strength. Then two companions went inside the dark castle. Upon entering the atrium, they were ambushed by a terrible monster.
Dark Balter the Terrible! He was a Fiend with dark brown armored flesh, shielded by plates of golden armor. He wore a green cape and a white decorative collar. On his brow shined a crown with rubies and emeralds.
He let out a terrible laugh and pumped his fist. His ragged, gray mane whipped in the gust he created to unleash his slicing wind attack. Dante and the Platinum Knight dodged the attack. Dark Balter the Terrible was a towering beast - the top of his head almost reaching the ceiling. The rusty iron chandeliers that hung from the stones above waved back and forth, fiercely.
"You cannot stop us both!" shouted Yami. "Hand over the light and we will let you live!"
Dark Balter the Terrible reeled back in laughter, then started swinging his claws all over the chamber. They were lit on fire to deal terrible damage to his two foes. "Watch him!" shouted Yami.
Back and forth for more than an hour, the three combats went. Dark Balter was not keen on giving up his piece. No! He could not. The Pink-Haired Master was relying on him to keep the piece safe. But he failed. After another grueling hour of battle, Dark Balter was slain by the Platinum Knight and Yami with a powerful double-team attack. He fell with a loud crash on the ground and disintegrated, leaving behind a rusty, iron safe.
"At last," said the knight.
"Good work," Yami panted, trying to catch his breath. "That should be all for the evil that lingers here," he said, checking for enemies with a life-detection spell. Meanwhile, the knight smashed the safe with his fist and pulled the door open. "There you are," he said, reaching inside.
What he pulled out was a great treasure indeed. A photograph of Yuri and his friends when they were at the beach in Greece during their trip across Europe last summer.
"So trivial a thing," said Yami. "Will that save him?"
"It brings me one step closer to him," the knight responded, putting the photo in one of the compartments in his cape. He looked at one of the cracks on the floor. A beautiful flower was beginning to grow out of it. From it, a ghostly image of Yuri smiling at him came to view and vanished quickly.
"Soon, Yuri. Soon." He looked at the flower blooming out of the crack and knelt down to examine it. "I have you to thank for this miracle as well. But there is still much work to be done. Please. Don't let us down, Della."
Brett - Salazar Towers Luxury Suite/Aquarius
"Where did you come from?" Brett just stared at the replay of Yuri and Randal's Duel all morning, admiring the Black Tyranno and the powerful effect that easily ended the match. Attacking Life Points directly if the only monsters his opponent had were defense position monsters? Combine that with spells like Harpie's Feather Duster, Heavy Storm, and Mystical Space Typhoon, and he would be a force to be reckoned with. With the LP count at 2000, he could be a one-turn-killer.
"I must have that card — will you guys keep it down back there!" he shouted at two of his friends playing air hockey at the back.
The two friends put the strikers away and walked off. "Sorry, Brett. No, problem."
Brett tapped the remote on his chin before rewinding the part where Yuri summoned it again. He heard someone giggling. Crystal was sitting in front of his desk reading a fashion magazine with an irritating smirk on her face.
"What the hell's so funny?" he asked.
"You," Crystal replied defiantly, eyes still locked on the page she was reading. "You're really losing it, Brett."
"Losing it, huh? You're really happy about this, aren't you?"
"I can safely say that I am. After what you did to him all those years ago, I'm glad he can make you quiver in your boots. Yuri and that Black Tyranno are going to change the game around here."
Brett opened the mini-fridge underneath his desk and opened a can of lime soda. "Not if I have anything to say about it."
"What are you going to do about it, Brett? If you lay a finger on Yuri again, your uncle's going to toss you into the ocean. He's already mad enough as it is after he learned you were playing golf with my mouth." She rubbed the corner of her mouth with her finger, showing that it was fully healed. "Bruises heal, Brett. But I don't think there's much you can do to recover from whatever Uncle Lucio has in store for you if you ever try to hurt me again. Nephew or no nephew. He's done worse to his brothers and his cousins."
The magazine she was reading was suddenly pulled from her fingers. Brett crumpled it up with his grip and tossed it aside. "You really think Uncle Lucio is going to help you forever, Crystal? Things are gonna change around here really soon. And for your sake, you better stay on my good side."