When I come to, I'm sitting with my back against a wall, overlooking the rainbow abyss. I'm so confused. I should be dead. I fell into that pit and died. How am I up here? I look down at myself, only to find I'm in completely different clothes. The long gloves from my dream have made an appearance. I look around me, I spot Kiryu leaning against a wall.
"Oh you're awake?" Kiryu laughs. Actually, it's more like a cackle. I can feel the anger boiling up in my stomach.
"What am I doing here?"
"Oh, have you forgotten? You're a Dark Signer now." Of course, that's why he was laughing. I'm really dead. My hands have started to shake. I can feel my powers. They're stronger than ever before. The electricity in my veins is so powerful that I feel like it's going to break loose. I stand up to properly look Kiryu in the eyes. He's not lying, his aura tells me so. I take a better look at my clothes. I'm wearing a short black dress, similar in length to what I was wearing before. A magenta sash around my waist holds a black train in place. On top, I'm wearing a short black cloak with a hood. Mostly everything is trimmed with magenta, similar to my eyes. It's then that I notice that I'm also wearing the duel disk from my dream too. I look at Kiryu, is this a uniform for a Dark Signer? I suppose it is. Why did this happen?
"Well, if you're busy moping here, I'm off to send Yusei to hell." He laughs maniacally, and starts to walk off.
"You won't beat him."
"Oh really? What makes you think so?" I can almost feel the venom coming from his mouth.
"Because I will." Clearly that dream meant something, considering I did fall into that rainbow pit. Maybe this is some new psychic power that is my random bag of powers.
"Is that so? Have fun getting to him then!" Kiryu runs off down the halls. It takes all of me, not to run after him. I scoff when I hear the roar of a D-Wheel racing off, far away from where I'm standing. It echoes all through the reactor. Then I realise that with Kiryu gone, I have no way of finding Yusei. Well, getting out of this rundown Reactor would be a start. Walking back down the corridors of the Reactor is a strange feeling. They no longer feel tight and full of dust. My chest moves easily like I was out in fresh air. When I breathe, I don't feel air going into my body, it stops when it gets to my lungs. I suppose since I'm dead I don't need to breathe anymore, but my body goes through the movements as a force of habit.
I think back to the photo I found earlier. That man in the middle of the photo was Yusei's father, that I'm convinced of. Those men were responsible for the Zero Reverse. Something in my chest is screaming for revenge, though my heart no longer beats. It's their fault that the Zero Reverse happened. The reason why I became who I am, the reason I'm living an utterly miserable existence. Defeating Yusei is the first step in finding peace. At least, that's what the something in my chest is screaming. Then, I go find Rex Godwin and end this. I start to question the contents of my deck. There is a deck in the duel disk, I don't know if it's my deck. I reckon I should look at it once I leave this place.
As I come out of the old Reactor, I look up at the sky. It's strange. The sky is covered in a dark fog. Judging by the fact it's not pitch black outside, I imagine it's the middle of the day. I decide to look at my deck. It looks mostly the same. There's my Fabled Monsters and the cards that go along with them. I spot some cards I don't recognise, mostly traps and a field spell. I look towards the back of my deck. Damn, my Synchro Monsters are missing. In its place is a monster I've never seen before. Earthbound Immortal Hawa Lluta. Something is telling me that it's the signature of a Dark Signer. I'm confused, how do I know this? It almost feels like the card is speaking to me. While not a rare occurrence among Psychics, it's new to me. Maybe this Earthbound Immortal is the thing screaming inside my chest.
As I put my deck back into my duel disk, purple flames once again light up the sky. It's not as bright as last time, considering it's not the middle of the night. From here, the flames seem to make out a shape. At this angle, I can't see the entire thing so I can't make out what it is. As if matching the flames, my right arm starts glowing under the glove. I peel my glove back to reveal what looks like a tattoo. It's shaped like a bird and it's a purple colour like the glow. It reminds me of the strange tattoo on Kiryu's arm, must be a Dark Signer thing. Speaking of which, the shape of the flames reminds of that mark. That must be where Kiryu is. I start running while trying to concentrate on my mark. I can sense that Kiryu is dueling, he must be dueling Yusei.
As I run, the streets are deserted. There's not a single person around. Things are left around like everyone just disappeared. Suddenly, something catches my eye. The purple light in the sky reflects off a shard of a mirror. I stop to pick it up to get a look at my face. The bags under my eyes are as horrendous as I imagined. Though, it doesn't hold a candle to my sclerae which are now pitch black like Kiryu's. I want to scream, I almost drop the mirror. Not only that, my marker has changed colour to a blood red colour. How is this possible? I just keep looking into my own eyes and blinking in the hopes it will go away. I didn't want this. I never wanted this. It's all Yusei's fault. If he had never been at the Fortune Cup, this never would have happened. I wouldn't have gone searching for him, I never would have never gone back to the Satellite. I wouldn't have run into Kiryu and fell into the Reactor. I hate him and how he affects me. I'm sick of how my feelings for him override anything that is remotely logical in my mind. He doesn't know how much pain he's put me through. I can feel my powers starting to go out of control, my eyes start to glow. I take deep breaths to try calm myself down. It doesn't work, though, that's probably because I'm basically a zombie now. I continue running. I need to beat Yusei. That's all I can do.
As I approach the flames, the lights grow brighter. In the distance, I can see what looks like a giant looming over all the buildings. I say 'looming', when in reality, it stretches far beyond the height of any building in the Satellite and probably the City too. The vast dark monster reminds me of that Earthbound Immortal monster I saw in my deck. I wonder if that's Kiryu's Earthbound Immortal. Still, I keep going. Soon, I reach the outside of the flames. Just then, the flames disappeared and my mark stops glowing. Kiryu lost, that's what my mark is telling me. I spot a tower in the middle of the empty plain. I rush to hid behind it, while throwing my hood up. My mark tells me that Yusei will come here soon. I wait until I hear Yusei's D-Wheel approaching. I can hear his footsteps inside the tower. Then, the ground starts to rumble. The tower starts to sink into the ground. I jump away from the tower. I'm surprised that my mark isn't glowing from being this close to Yusei. The thick dust that hangs in the air, preventing Yusei from me. He stands a good bit away from me. Just seeing him brings up strange feelings inside me. I stare at my hands again. I'm surprised that they're not shaking, maybe that's a perk of being dead. Then, my mark starts throbbing, it glows that unnatural violet colour. As the dust starts to settle, I can see Yusei's mark glowing. He's looking right at me. It's now or never. I start walking towards him. He doesn't recognise me with my hood up, I can tell that by the look on his face.
"That mark?" Yusei stares at my mark, while clutching his own, then glances up at my face. "Another Dark Signer! Who are you?" Of course.
"Looks like I was right." I laugh, despite my pain. However, the laugh isn't my own. It sounds crazed like Kiryu's. I move to take down my hood. I watch Yusei's face like a hawk, he's uneasy. I don't think he has recognised my voice. I want to see his reaction to seeing as a Dark Signer. I want him to see what he's done to me. Once his eyes meet mine, he's in disbelief. His face gives me the impression that I'm the last person he'd suspect being under that hood. "You really did forget about me." I put my finger up to my lips. My eyes are wide, soaking everything in. I want to remember every detail of Yusei's face as he goes through I have felt.
"What? No!" Yusei seems taken aback by what I said, but I know he's lying. "Yuuka, why are you a Dark Signer?" He looks hurt and betrayed. Good, I want him to feel everything I've felt over the last week. Something inside me is screaming for me to crush him, but I don't listen. I want to play with him some more before I do that.
"Yuuka?" Crow calls out to me from a raised section quite away from us. I scoff and ignore him. This is between Yusei and I. How dare he. Crow will be the only one to escape here without a scratch, he done nothing wrong. I don't want him involved, there is no blame on his head.
"Isn't it obvious, Yusei? I'm here to finish what Kiryu started." I laugh again, it sounds so cruel that I wonder if it's even my own. "After I got arrested, you forgot about me and left me to rot in the City." My mark starts to throb even more, to the point that it's painful. "The only reason you even went to the City was your own selfish gain. Are you happy now, King? You're the reason I'm like this!" Electricity surges through my body, my eyes have started to glow.
"Yuuka, no! It's not what you think!" Yusei tries to defend himself, it's nothing but lies. My heart screams for me to crush him. Whatever is inside my chest is aching to burst free.
"Enough!" I interrupt him before he says anymore. I hold up my left arm along with my duel disk. "There's only one way to settle this." Yusei moves to get his duel disk from his D-Wheel. While he has his back to me, I take off my cape, throwing it behind me. I don't want some cape holding me back as I duel him. Once Yusei turns back to me, I activate my duel disk. Purple flames begin to spread out, stretching out farther than I can see. The pattern of the geoglyph is mirrored by purple flames in the sky.
"Duel!" We both manage to call it out at the same time. I laugh at the irony. Now, there's no going back. Only one of us will emerge from this geoglyph alive, and it's going to be me.
"I'll go first." A maniacal smile creeps onto my face. "It's only fair after all." I take a look at the cards in my hand. Offering to the Immortals. One of the traps I didn't recognise manages to be in my hand on the first turn, what a coincidence. It lets me summon two tokens and add an Earthbound Immortal to my hand if Yusei attempts to attack me directly when I have less than 3000 life points. I remember the effects of the Earthbound Immortal; I'll want that out as soon as possible. I have a Field Spell in my hand, that's helpful. The other trap is of no use to me now. I look at the two monsters; I should really summon the monster with the lower of the two attack points if I want my strategy to work. "I summon The Fabled Chawa in attack position(ATK:200)." The canine monster appears on the field baring its teeth with a silly grin. "I set two cards and end my turn." I suppose setting the two traps would be beneficial in case Yusei manages to destroy one, in order to make sure I can pull off my strategy. The second trap, called Trap Stun, will allow me to stop him destroy my other trap, if Yusei himself uses a trap.
"My turn." Yusei stares at me. I guess he's trying to figure out my strategy, I wonder if he knows that I have a monster with higher attack points in my hand. "I Special Summon Quickdraw Synchron by discarding one card from my hand(ATK:700). Quillbolt Hedgehog's effect activates from the graveyard. When I have a Tuner Monster, I can Special Summon it from the graveyard(ATK:800)." Yusei isn't pulling any punches. He can't summon Stardust given the levels, I wonder what he'll do. "Then Quickdraw Synchron tunes Quillbolt Hedgehog. Clustering shouts will become a silver arrow and pierce the skies! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Come, Junk Archer(ATK:2300)!" If he attacks Chawa, that will bring me under the threshold for Offering, perfect. "Junk Archer attacks The Fabled Chawa! Scrap Arrow!" As Chawa is destroyed, my life points drop to 1900. "I end my turn." It's then I remember Junk Archer's effect. Why didn't he remove Chawa from play for the turn before attacking me? Maybe he's trying to prevent me from summoning Earthbound Immortal. He believes that he's thinking two steps ahead, but he's really four behind.
"Yuuka!" Yusei calls out to me as I'm about to begin my turn. "Why did you become a Dark Signer?" It takes all of me to not go berserk with my powers.
"I told you. You forgot about me while I rotted in the City. I was alone and afraid, all while you were having your Team Satisfaction adventures! Oh no, wait." A sadistic smile creeps onto my face. "You sold Kiryu out, so there's no more Team Satisfaction."
"You're wrong! I didn't sell Kiryu out. He attacked Security by himself and got arrested!" No, that's not true, or is it? Given how crazy Kiryu was when I came back, it wouldn't surprise me that he'd do that. No, what am I saying? I can't believe Yusei of all people. "And I-we never stopped looking for you!"
"That's a lie! You only went to the City in search of power!" Tears are burning at my eyes. "When you saw me at the Fortune Cup, you just stood there and said nothing. Of course, why wouldn't you? You pushed me to the back of your mind and completely forgot about me until I appeared in front of you!" I took a deep breath before I continued. "My turn! I draw!" Another monster, Fabled Ashenveil. Setting Ashenveil will stop me taking more damage than necessary. If Yusei summons another monster, I can summon my Earthbound Immortal on my next turn. "I set one monster and end my turn."
"No, you're wrong, Yuuka! I didn't go to the City for power. I always believed you were alive. I searched for you in every place I could."
"No! Stop lying! Kiryu told me that you all stop looking for me, that you didn't care." Yusei will not sway me.
"I'm going to get through to you, Yuuka. My turn!" He draws a card. "Junk Archer attacks your set card! Scrap Arrow! I end my turn." What? If Yusei used Junk Archer's ability, he could have won. I have a card to negate his attack, but still. He must be trying to stop me getting two monsters on my field to release for the Earthbound Immortal.
Does he not want me to die?
The thought strikes me. I start thinking about what Yusei is saying. Did Kiryu lie to me? Am I the one in the wrong here? Given how Kiryu treated me when I told him that he was going to lose. Did Kiryu have such a grudge against Yusei that he tricked me into becoming a Dark Signer just to mess with Yusei's head? Something is telling me that I'm right. My mark throbs, I dig my nails into the skin in hopes of dulling the pain.
"My turn. I draw." The Fabled Cait Sith, another monster. I could use it in a combo with the other card in my hand, Fabled Gallabas, to get rid of Junk Archer. Though, that means I basically abandon my other strategy for nothing. My mark tells that I can't do that, I must summon my Earthbound Immortal. Besides, I've already taken 2100 life points of damage for this strategy. I decide to set Cait Sith. "I set one monster and end my turn." I imagine that Yusei is confused by my strategy now. I've only set two monsters in the last two turns. That, or he thinks I have a bad hand.
"Yusei, is what you said true?" I can feel guilt sitting in the pit of my stomach. I try reading his aura.
"It is." He nods. He's not lying. "My turn. I summon Shield Warrior(ATK:800)" That's it, I can summon my Earthbound Immortal next turn. Wait, do I really want to summon the Earthbound Immortal? My chest starts to burn. Whatever this thing is inside my chest doesn't like that idea. "Junk Archer attacks your set card! Scrap Arrow!" I send Cait Sith to the graveyard. "Now, Shield Warrior attacks you directly!"
"Not so fast!" Despite how I'm feeling, a smirk spreads across my face. I no longer feel in control of my actions, my chest feels like it's on fire. "I activate Offering to the Immortals! This card allows me to negate your attack when you attempt to attack me directly and I have less than 3000 life points. Then, it lets Special Summon two Ceremonial Tokens to my field(DEF:0/DEF:0). But that's not all Yusei, it lets me add an Earthbound Immortal from my deck to my hand. Shame, even if you used Junk Archer's effect, this still would have happened."
"I end my turn." Yusei scowls. I can feel the fear coming off him, he knows what I'm going to do.
"Yusei?" I ask in a last ditch attempt in gaining back my sanity. My voice is soft; it actually feels like my own voice this time. "Did Kiryu really lie to me? He said that you became power-hungry and that's why you sold out Team Satisfaction and stole Jack's title."
"That's all lies."
"I see." I realise what I have done. My instincts were right. I shouldn't have trusted Kiryu, and now I'm actually trying to kill Yusei. I should do nothing and lose. Yusei would beat me on his next turn if he uses Junk Archer's effect. My mark starts to throb again. It tells me that it won't let me lose. I can feel my eyes start to glow. My hand moves to draw on its own accord. What is happening? "My turn. I draw." Phoenix Wing Wind Blast. This card lets me a card on Yusei's field to the top of his deck if I discard a card. I would be able to get rid of Junk Archer with that. "I activate the Field Spell Yami." Everything that's not the flames becomes shrouded in darkness. If I had any Fabled monsters on my field, it would raise their attack points by 200, since they're mostly Fiend-Type Monsters. "I release my two Ceremonial Tokens." My hand raises towards the sky of its own free will. My eyes and marker begin to burn, everything has turned a purple tint.
"O dark deity who will bring forth ultimate destruction!" Wait, destruction? I thought the Crimson Dragon was supposed to do that? "Take these souls to fulfil our dark purpose!" Souls? Wait, I never wanted this! "Advent, Earthbound Immortal Hawa Lluta!" Rising from the flames, a humongous bird appears. It reminds me of a vulture. Its pitch black wings spread out, one wing is probably as tall as a skyscraper. Lines all over it are magenta. The colour reminds me of my eyes. I'm shaking in fear just looking at it. Is this what's controlling me?
"Hawa Lluta! Attack Yusei directly!" My voice sounds warped like two people speaking at once. It's not my own. I'm scared. I don't want to kill Yusei. Let me die instead, please! I deserve it, I was wrong! I let myself be manipulated! By Kiryu, by Raiden, by everybody. Please! I was wrong. I can't bear to watch as Yusei is attacked. Once I sense Hawa Lluta by my side again, I look at him. He's struggling to get off the ground. He's covered in cuts and what will eventually become bruises. His jacket has started to rip at the seams. The jacket is also torn just under his left collarbone, I spot a hint of blood underneath. I'm horrified. How could I do this? My hands are shaking. I feel like I'm starting to live my nightmare. I can't, no, I won't let it come true. However, my hand still moves of its own accord. "I set one card and end my turn." I set my trap. I can't activate it; he wouldn't be able to beat me otherwise. I need to get control of my own body. I look right at Yusei in a plea for help.
"I'll save you, Yuuka!" I know you will, Yusei. You can do it. The look in his eyes is so genuine that I melt. I knew I was wrong. His eyes tell me everything. The look in his eyes is determined, but still as soft as they always were. The burning and glowing of my eyes start to falter.
"Please Yusei, end this duel! Just don't let me activate my face-down, please!" As I scream, the burning and throbbing stops.
"My turn. I activate Junk Archer's effect! I select one monster on your side of the field and remove it from play until the End Phase!" That's right. Earthbound Immortals are not affected by Spells and Traps, but they can be targeted by monster effects. "I pick Earthbound Immortal Hawa Lluta! Dimension Shot!" Hawa Lluta screeches as it is removed from play. I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding in. I send a smile at Yusei. I feel like I'm going to cry, but I should die rather than him. I made the mistake, and I should pay for it. Yusei takes a deep breath. It's laboured, he's in pain. "Junk Archer attacks you directly." The attack of Junk Archer sends me flying back as my life points hit 0. I hit the ground with a thud. Yusei is already running over to me.
"Yuuka!" He cries out as he runs. I try to move towards him but I can't. My body has stopped working, maybe I'll actually die this time around. When Yusei gets to me, he tries to cradle me in his arms. He's shaking, he knows what's going to happen.
"I'm so sorry, Yusei. I didn't want this to happen." The dam finally breaks as tears stream down my face. It's hard to talk. My energy is draining fast. I softly raise my hand to stop Yusei talking. "I don't hate you, Yusei." I close my eyes because I know what I'm going to say next and I don't want to see his reaction. I used to the last of my energy to hug him. "I really did love you, Yusei. But, it doesn't matter now because it's too late." I look over in the direction of Crow and the others so I can't catch a glimpse of Yusei's face. Tears keep streaming down my face. They start to drop onto Yusei's jacket. I can feel myself starting to fade away. "My time is up Yusei." I try not to sob. "Thank you Yusei, for everything."
A/N: This is not the end of Act I. We still have quite a way to go. Say goodbye to any semblance of canon plot, we won't see it for a while.