Thank you for these characters and their stories, Kazuki Takahashi. Requiescat in pace.

Chapter Forty-Three

Dria

"Guards! Guards! Kill her! Kill the monster!"

Aknadin frantically cried for help when he realized Nassor was going to lose this duel. The head mage fell to his knees, more seriously wounded than anyone had expected. I had one cut above my eye, more from my own clumsiness than Nassor's attacks. He lowered his head, awaiting the death he thought I would bring him.

The guards grabbed me, pulling my arms behind me and forcing me to my knees. One put the tip of his spear against my back. I could hear the Prince yelling and pushing his way towards me. I sighed. I always caused so much madness. One guard raised his sword to strike my neck and end my life. I closed my eyes to accept the blow.

"Stop this instant!"

The Pharaoh shouted. Everyone froze and the yelling ceased. I reopened my eyes and gazed at the Prince behind me, who had taken down quite a few guards, many of whom were twice his size. I tried not to laugh since they were clearly caught off guard by his determination. He would be a great Pharaoh one day. I hoped I would live long enough to see it myself.

I turned my head back towards Aknadin, my vision becoming clear once again as the angry red dissipated from my eyes. He took a slight step back, probably worried about how I would respond.

"Guards, release my daughter this moment. She has the right to end the duel."

The Pharaoh spoke from his throne. They immediately let go, not daring to disrespect their King's orders. I stood back up and walked over to Nassor. I held back the tears that gathered in my eyes at the sight of his lacerated body, wounds that I caused in my rage. I sank down to the ground with him, wiping my bloodied hands on my tunic, and raised my hands towards him. A warm, white magic began to emit from them, healing each of his wounds. The people around me gasped in surprise. They had expected me to deliver one final strike and kill him in revenge for Priest Aknadin's deplorable actions towards me.

The white glow surrounded his wounds, quickly stopping the blood flow and sealing the lacerated skin. It also seemed to glow from inside his body around the various bruises that had appeared, as the internal damage I had caused was also healed. It amazed and frightened me that I could do this much harm, regardless of whether he was a truly innocent man or if he were Aknadin's underling in all this. I felt tears spill from my eyes as his pain subsided and the last bruise faded, realizing how fortunate I was to have not injured him beyond repair. The glow vanished as quickly as it appeared and, lowering my hands, I dropped my head into them. I unsuccessfully tried to control the cries that escaped my mouth as tears continued to slide down my face.

I had gotten pulled into Aknadin's circle of anger and hatred. His constant insults and threats caused me to become the one thing I never wanted to be: a monster. The crowd around us was silent even after the head mage's wounds were healed. Even he stared in shock as he examined his previously wounded body and discovered it as healthy as it had been when he stepped into the throne room. Someone from the crowd also approached him to ensure that it was not all just a clever illusion.

"She showed him mercy?"

"How dare she pity our head mage!"

"How kindhearted she is. To ignore the hatred and care more for the defense of the land."

"Perhaps she is not a demon. She not only spared Nassor, but she also healed him."

I tried to ignore all the chatter, keeping my head down. Part of me assumed Nassor would leave the area and never speak of this battle again, returning to the head magical guardian of the land. The other part anticipated that he would continue Aknadin's work and kill me here and now. At the moment, I wouldn't be surprised if he picked the latter. Suddenly, everyone gasped. I lifted up my head to see what the shock was.

Nassor was bowing towards me. No, not just bowing; he was on his knees in reverence? It was nearly the way a student would show respect towards his teacher when a wrong had been committed and forgiveness was being requested. Confusion filled my mind. This was not the outcome I was expecting. I stood as the other mages in the room followed suit when they saw what their leader was doing. I took a step back, wanting to escape the gaze of the awestruck crowd. Nassor raised his head and caught my gaze.

He smiled, "Egypt has a new magical guardian, my Pharaoh."

I opened my eyes as the memory ended. I had respectfully declined the position later that day, much to Nassor's surprise. I had not wanted any special ranking position. Some of court and kingdom disliked me enough for being a welcomed outsider. I reminded him of how odd it would appear for me to receive such a position at my age, and although he and the Pharaoh disagreed with my views, they knew deep down that I was right. My time as the guardian came soon enough. I shook my ancient thoughts away and instead looked at my surrounding.

An overly plush lounge chair lay beneath me in the middle of a beautiful garden. Roses, daises, orchids, and various other brightly colored flowers swayed happily in a warm breeze. Running water briskly made its way around the garden, down the waterfall, and back around again. A few conveniently placed trees shaded me from the direct rays of the burning star above me. A small table was beside me, and an iced drink of some sort had been placed on top.

I narrowed my eyes at this place. It wasn't real. It was too perfect. I got up from the chair, feeling a dull throb on the back of my head. I couldn't decide if it was from my earlier fall on the blimp or if this Noah had done something as I fell through the vortex, if I had really fallen at all.

I sighed, walking towards the small pool forming beneath the nearby waterfall. It didn't matter where my injury had come from. It didn't even matter that some kid had trapped me here. All that mattered was the Pharaoh. Where was he? Chances were one of the Big Five had already challenged him to a duel. I wasn't concerned that he wouldn't win, but he probably would struggle some with the new rules. There was no telling what special ability the Big Five had assigned to each monster.

Pharaoh. I sat alongside the water, staring at myself staring back at me. I hadn't changed much since that day so long ago nor had my love for the Pharaoh. Even though we were born nearly 5,000 years apart, I believed deep down in my soul that we were born for each other, that I had survived the destruction of my home to find him, and that he had come back to this world in part for me. I shook my head, pulling my knees to my chest and wrapping my arms around them. Maybe it was all just wishful thinking.

"So, you're the one my dear Seto loves so much. I do hope you like your garden."

A familiar young voice rang across the garden. I looked around from my spot in an attempt to pinpoint where his voice was coming from. Remembering that he could control every aspect of this world, I lost interest and stared back down at the water instead.

"You're different from the others. Don't you want to cry or scream for help? For your beloved Seto to come rescue you?"

Various duel monsters appeared around me. I ignored their swords, teeth, and sharp claws, instead continuing to stare at the water below me. This child couldn't scare me. It felt as if nothing could frighten me at this point. If the Pharaoh didn't want me around, I couldn't even serve my purpose of returning my necklace to him. My hand drifted up to grip the golden trinket, feeling the reassuring cold metal in my palm.

I heard a sharp sigh before the ground below me gave way, and again I fell into darkness. Everything around me was black. There was no sign of which way was up or down. I could only assume down was below me and up above me. I closed my eyes as Noah swept me through wherever I was. He could do as he wished with me. A sudden impact sent a rush of pain through my back. I groaned as I tried to sit up, stretching out my shoulders to shake off the pain. The child had been kind enough to drop me off in the middle of some maze. Perhaps there was a Minotaur nearby, waiting to consume me.

4 doors, each with a different number of stars above the frame, marked the different pathways I could choose from. I looked at each one curiously. There must have been some puzzle attached to them. Otherwise, the stars served no purpose. I rose to my feet and lightly dusted off my shorts as I continued to think. However, my time was cut short when I heard footsteps quickly approaching me. My body reacted before my mind could as I slid into a defensive position. Who, or what, was heading my way?

Yugi

We had to get through this maze of doors to continue searching for Dria and the others. There was no telling what sort of trouble she had gotten herself into. I knew she was more than capable of handling herself, but I couldn't stop worrying. Danger almost seemed to be attracted to her.

"I see another set of doors ahead!"

We had finally figured out the riddle to these doors and stars. Now we just had to get through it. The light in front of me grew brighter, forcing me to shield my eyes for a moment. I almost couldn't believe my luck when I saw the figure in the room. It was Dria.

She hesitated a moment before sliding out of her prepared stance and smiled at us, "Who would have thought Noah would have let us meet up so suddenly? Here I thought he'd keep us all separated until the end."

It was almost too convenient, but I didn't care at the moment. One dear friend had been found and she looked unharmed. I turned around, looking for the 3-star door. I wanted to get through this maze as fast as possible. I couldn't afford to lose Dria again. The faster we got out of here, hopefully the less at risk we would be.

"Swift Gaia, the Fierce Knight, attack!"

I didn't notice the trap cards until it was too late. Noah was trying to make our escape harder. I noticed Dria tilt her head slightly at my actions, but she didn't question anything. After a second try with Chimera, Dark King of the Abyss was defeated, and the doorway opened. Without turning to explain anything, I took off down the hallway. She would understand and figure it out quickly enough. If not, I hoped she still trusted me enough to follow. When we reached the next room, I looked behind me, hoping she was still there, but also searching for the 4-star door. She pointed straight ahead, and I had to stifle the laughter that almost escaped.

"Be careful, Yugi. There are 5 facedown cards."

You must be careful. This door has been equipped with 5 cards.

At the exact same time, with the exact same warning. I couldn't think of two more compatible people: strong, clever, kind, and unbelievably stubborn people. I sighed. I'd knock some sense into them as soon as we got out of here. The 4thdoor opened into an ice cave. I raced to the end of the cave and looked through the ice. Tea was dueling on the other side, and it didn't look good. There was ice forming around her legs and she had only one monster on her side of the field, who didn't last very long.

Dria

I leaned against the wall of the cave as Yugi watched the duel. The ice was chilly against my back, but at the same time, it was soothing.

Are you alright, Dria?

I looked up to see Yami floating in front of me, concern clear in his sunset eyes. These were the same eyes that had worried over me as I fought for respect in his kingdom and had loved me when few others did.

Yes, I'm fine, I smiled a little as we communicated. I can't say I'm too wild about being trapped in this place though, as lovely as this ice cave is.

He sent me a small smile in return. We stood together in silence for a few moments, waiting for Tea to defeat her Big 5 opponent.

I'm assuming you already faced and defeated someone?

Yes, we defeated Gansley. He was a difficult opponent, but we were determined to find you and the rest of our friends.

"Tea! It's not fair! She's not experienced enough!"

Leaving the spot on the wall, I walked over to Yugi and placed my hand on his shoulder. "She can do it Yugi. She's watched you duel hundreds of times, so she knows she can't stop trusting herself and her deck."

A sudden glow emitted from Yugi's deck as the Dark Magician appeared. The ice wall burst as he flew towards the duel. I felt myself slip backwards on the ice as I stepped backwards, but the Pharaoh quickly switched with Yugi and reached out to grab my arm. Unfortunately, the ice overcame his quick reflexes as well, causing him to fall on top of me. He did manage to prevent my head from hitting the hard ice beneath us, though our other limbs ended up intertwined in a rather intimate embrace.

He blushed wildly when his mind registered what happened. I stared at him for a moment before laughing loudly. He began to chuckle too as my laughter echoed through the cave, the earlier concern now diminished in his twinkling eyes. One of us should have gained a sense of balance over the years. As our laughter died down, he stared at me with an unreadable emotion in his eyes. I tried not to flush as he gently stroked the side of my face, pushing some hair behind my ear. Before I could say anything though, he gracefully jumped up and reached down to help me up.

The moment ended immediately after that because Yugi took over and rushed out of the cave, quickly but carefully making his way across the ice. I reached up and touched the spot the Pharaoh had brushed. Had I overreacted and misread the situation on the blimp? I shook my head and followed Yugi out of the cave. Even if I had, now was not the time to be concerned about it. We had to find the others and escape before it was too late.