A/N: Hey, meant to post this yesterday but it needed some serious editing from both myself and my pseudo-beta Raelyn_Sakura on AO3. She's written her own addition to the Shadow Justice series called "An Unfashionable Disaster" which is Tornshipping (Yami BakuraxMarikxRyou) if anyone's interested in reading. Please do. Shameless plug for my lobster mate and real life best friend done. On to the story.

Chapter summary: In which the King holds Judgment and pays a price for mercy forcing the Light to show why it should be feared.

49: Fear the Light

"Here," the Pharaoh, removing one of his hands from Judai's face. He said something in the same language the alternate Yugi had used and a small, stoppered glass beaker of red liquid appeared in his hand. "This will help heal your injury," he said, offering the liquid to Judai. "I'm told it doesn't taste too good," he said with a wry grin. "But then, when does medicine ever taste good?"

"Medicine?" Yusei asked, watching the Pharaoh remove the cork from the beaker and guide the opening to Judai's lips.

"Yes," the Pharaoh replied. "Red Medicine, to be precise."

"But that's a Spell..." Yusei said. His eyes widened as he began to understand. He considered the effects of the Spell. "It increases the user's life points by 500."

The Pharaoh chuckled. "In the game, yes that's true. But in reality, it gives what could be considered the equivalent in energy or healing ability." Yusei nodded hesitantly and the Pharaoh sighed. "It increases the speed and efficiency of the healing process," he explained.

"But this is just a game," Yusei said. "Granted people have used it in ways I can't explain with powers that I've never seen before, but it is just a game." He met the Pharaoh's sardonic gaze, suddenly unsure of his own words. "Right?"

The Pharaoh shook his head. "No, it isn't just a game," he said slowly. "Not for people like us."

"What kind of people are you?" Judai asked, sitting up and rubbing his head gingerly. "What the heck was in that stuff? It tasted blah but my head doesn't really hurt anymore."

"I would take it easy still," the Pharaoh said. "Head wounds are finicky especially when magic is involved."

"Speaking of magic," Judai's eyes narrowed. "That light. What was it?"

The Pharaoh's smile softened to something Yusei could only identify as loving. He watched closely how eyes the color of fine red wine moved the where the alternate Yugi was kneeling by his counterpart, carefully helping him up. That look was exactly the same look Yusei remembered seeing in when lovers stared at each other when one wasn't aware. It was such a pure, adoring love that it caught Yusei off guard.

"That would be Yugi," the Pharaoh said, his voice gentle. "Although, I think we've decided you can call him Motou to prevent confusing him with the Yugi from this world."

"This world?" Yusei parroted in confusion. "You mean this time?"

"Time?" the Pharaoh said, a spark of curiosity glittering in his eyes. "No, I don't believe so. As for your question, fledgling," he said to Judai who bristled at the 'fledgling' comment, "Motou is the Light as I am the Dark. It is," he tilted his head in thought, "perhaps a bit complicated at first, but we'll explain as much as we can later. For now, what should I call you?"

"Yuki Judai," Judai said.

"Fudo Yusei," Yusei said. "We're from the future."

"The..." The Pharaoh blinked before shaking his head. "Later," he muttered, pushing himself up so he crouched on the balls of his feet. "In the meantime," he said, voice hardened and he aimed a dark glare at the crumbled form of Paradox near the middle of the wide open plaza, "we have a Penalty to cast."

Without another word, the Pharaoh stood and strode away to where Kaiba stood, one foot planted firmly on what appeared to be Paradox's neck. Jounouchi stood from his squat next to Yusei and stretched.

"Whoo man," the blonde crowed loudly. "He's gonna pay. You guys wanna join?" he asked, turning to Yusei and Judai, offering a hand to help them up. He paused when he noticed the way Yusei's right arm hung limply. "Hey, what's up wit' yer arm?"

Yusei winced. "It's dislocated," he said.

"Dislocated?" Judai said, forcing himself to sit up slowly. "Let me-"

"Naw bro," Jounouchi said, waving the brunette back. "I got this. Why don'cha head on over to join Yug'- er, Motou. Geez, that'll get me," he mumbled awkwardly. He took a knee by Yusei and braced his hands gently but firmly over the black haired duelist's shoulder joint. "Deep breath," was all the warning Yusei got before his shoulder flared then eased somewhat as his arm gave, sliding back into place with a sickening pop.

Yusei bit back his yelp of pain in favor of controlling his breathing and gingerly testing his fingers for movement. It hurt, but his fingers did twitch. He pushed himself to his feet with a grateful nod to the blonde. "Thanks Jounouchi," he said.

Jounouchi started, flailing dramatically. "Woah! You know me?" he demanded in surprise.

"Of course," Yusei said, as if the answer was obvious. "You're the third best duelist in Duel Monsters history if I recall correctly."

"Third best?" Jounouchi groaned. "Who beat me to second? And don't say it's rich boy or I swear I'll-"

"It's Kaiba," Judai said, a teasing smirk on his face.

"Ah! No! Come on, yer killin' me here," Jounouchi moaned theatrically. He slumped. "Whatever. I'll set the record straight when I beat rich boy 'n take his rich boy pants."

"You wish," Kaiba called from where he stood startling everyone standing near Jounouchi.

"The hell? How'd you know what I was sayin'?" the blonde demanded, stalking up to Kaiba with Yusei and Judai in tow.

"Because you're a predictable mutt in need of a muzzle," Kaiba answer in a curt tone.

"He means," Motou said quickly, waving his hands in a placating manner, "that we could hear you. You were talking a bit loud."

"Oh," Jounouchi said, calming down quickly. "Okay."

Yusei and Judai blinked and looked at each other, surprised by the abrupt change in attitude.

"Okay," Judai said, drawing out the word. "So." He looked down at Paradox who was still pinned by Kaiba's foot and not liking it one bit. "What do we do now?"

"Now, we play a Judgement Game and punish him for his crimes," the Pharaoh said, crossing his arms. "Aibou," he said, turning to Motou who stood next to him, "would you like to preside over this?"

Yusei noticed the way his Yugi stiffened at the pet name, but didn't know what to make of it. Yugi had been suspiciously quiet since Motou and the others arrived. "Hey," he said, nudging Yugi with his shoulder. Wide violet eyes looked up at him in confusion. "You okay? How's your side?"

Yugi hesitated, his eyes flicking to where Motou and the Pharaoh were conversing softly. "I'm fine," he said. "Motou," he tripped over the word, "had Mystical Elf heal me."

"Mystical Elf is one of your cards, isn't it?" Judai said. Yugi nodded. "I bet it's weird seeing two people show up outta nowhere wearing your face."

"Well..." Yugi brushed a hand over his Millennium Puzzle. "It's more seeing the Pharaoh that's weird," he admitted. "I usually only get to see Yami, that's what I call the spirit of my Puzzle, in my mind or when he decides to manifest. But even then, I'm the only one who ever sees him. Seeing him like that..." He turned to where the Pharaoh stood and let his words trail away.

"It's disconcerting," Yusei finished.

"That," Yugi said with a slight nod, "but it also gives me hope." A faint smile tugged at his lips. "If the Pharaoh from wherever it is they're from can take a form like that, then maybe my Yami can do that too one day."

Yusei studied Yugi for a moment before offering him a smile. "There's always a chance," he said. "The future isn't written in stone yet, right?"

"Yeah," Judai chirped. "I mean, we beat Paradox to save our home times. Why can't your Yami do that solid thing?"

:I'll certainly try,: Yugi heard Yami say in his mind.

Yugi smiled. :Don't worry if you can't,: he said, sending warm affection and trust the spirit's way. :I just want to show you off to my friends.:

:I see,: Yami replied, chuckling. :Then I shall put forth my best effort.:

Yugi rolled his eyes and only then noticed the change in the atmosphere. He saw Motou standing at the head of a triangle with Jounouchi behind him, the Pharaoh stood at another point of the triangle, and Kaiba stood at the remaining point. From his vantage point between Motou and the Pharaoh, Yugi could see shining gold lines stretch along the ground, connecting Motou, the Pharaoh, and Kaiba together in a triangular prison of light.

"What's going on?" he asked, not sure if he liked the power rippling through the air. Yami appeared beside him in his spirit form, hovering close to his shoulder. They both felt on edge.

"I'm not sure," Yusei replied softly. "But that light... It's-"

"Dangerous," Judai said sharply, startling both of his companions. "Don't let it touch you."

For some reason, Yusei disagreed with Judai's statement. This light didn't feel threatening, quite the opposite in fact. It felt comforting, reassuring. He absently wondered if this was what it felt like to be held in a mother's arms. Before he could sink too far into his fantasy, Motou spoke.

"Name yourself," Motou commanded.

Paradox twitched as if struggling against an invisible force. Instead of answering, he spat at Motou's feet. Motou's violet eyes softened in sadness.

"Paradox," Yusei said, feeling compelled to do so. "He calls himself Paradox." Motou glanced at him and smiled gratefully.

"Paradox," Motou said, facing the enemy duelist once more. "You stand accused of many things, not the least of which being the unmaking of our home. What say you to this?"

"You're despicable," Paradox hissed. "You stand there and act all high and mighty when it was your fault my time was destroyed."

"I do not know of which you speak," Motou said, shaking his head. "Though your voice will be heard. However, there is an order to these things." He held out a single hand, palm facing up, and golden scales emblazoned with the Eye of Ra manifested in the air above his skin. The pan on the right had a single, white feather resting on its surface while the pan on the left was conspicuously empty.

:Shaadi's Millennium Scales!: Yami exclaimed, appearing in his ghostly form next to an equally stunned Yugi. :How is this possible?:

"I don't know," Yugi murmured. "But I don't like it."

Yusei glanced at his companion curiously. Was he the only one not bothered by the light? Did they know something he didn't?

"Paradox, if that truly be your name," Motou said, "you stand accused of attempting to murder my Regent, called Kaiba Seto; aiding the Olympian Ares in the bombing that resulted in the deaths of innocents and the temporary loss of the Titan Helios and the Keeper, called Kaiba Mokuba; aiding Ares in traveling to and from another world to take Helios from the protection of my Regent; stealing the Red Eyes Black Dragon from my Knight, called Jounouchi Katsuya; stealing the Blue Eyes White Dragon from my Regent; attempting to murder me; and the attempted destruction of the Shadow Realm and all those who dwell there. What so you say to these accusations?"

Yusei's mouth dropped open as the list of accusations grew. "Olympians?" he murmured in confusion. "What is going on here?"

The laughter broke through his thoughts and drew his attention back to Paradox. The maniacal grin on the terrorist's face sent chills down Yusei's back. There was just something...unhinged about it.

"You act like what I did was wrong," Paradox said, shrugging off the accusations like water off a duck's back. "I was saving my time from destruction. You would do the same if you were in my position. Don't bother to deny it, monster."

"Hold your tongue!"

"Pharaoh," Motou said, holding out a hand to forestall any further comment. He offered a smile. "It's alright."

"As you say," Kaiba said. Although based on the cold glint in Kaiba's blue eyes, Yusei sensed those words meant more than what was immediately obvious. What was Yusei missing?

"You have been heard," Motou said, returning his attention to Paradox.

"Something's not right here," Judai said, shifting next to Yusei. "Wha! I can't move!"

"What?" Yugi gasped. He attempted to lift one of his legs and found it held firmly to the ground.

:Aibou,: Yami cried. But there was nothing he could do either. He himself was pinned in place by a force he knew well, but never guessed would react this way. :It's the Shadows.:

Yusei twitched, testing the limits of his mobility. The lack of response did make him nervous but, unlike his companions, he felt no panic. Fear didn't flood his senses; it just skittered along the edges. He knew he should be scared, but for some unknown reason he just...wasn't. He just felt calm, tranquil even. He wouldn't mind just standing here bathing in the warm light for as long as he could.

"Are there others here who wish to add their own accusations?" Motou asked, his voice soothing.

"I wish to do so," Yusei said, the word spilling from his mouth before he could stop them. He didn't want to stop them.

Motou met Yusei's gaze with his own and nodded. "Then speak and be heard," he said.

"I accuse this man Paradox of stealing my Stardust Dragon and making my time go up in ash," Yusei said, pointing a finger the man held in the prison of light. "My friends, my home, everything is being destroyed because of him."

Motou hummed. "You have been heard," he said simply. His gaze returned to Paradox as he spoke again. "What say you to this Paradox?"

"Heh, you keep asking as if my answer will change," Paradox said incredulously. "If his time is disintegrating than it means it wasn't right to begin with."

Yusei felt an emotion like anger flare within him for a moment before the light soothed it away, calming him.

Again, Motou's eyes saddened. "You have been heard. Are there others who wish to voice an accusation?"

Judai twitched, biting his tongue against the urge to speak. He didn't trust this light. He couldn't move. Was this a-

"I accuse Paradox of stealing the Cyber End Dragon and the Rainbow Dragon from my friends back at Duelist Academy," he spat angrily. His eyes grew wide when he realized what he was saying. He wasn't supposed to say that. He didn't want to. So why? "I also accuse him of sending my time up into ash as well."

This was definitely a Shadow Game, and Judai hated it.

"You have been heard," Motou said simply. "What say you to this Paradox?"

Paradox pushed himself to his feet, glaring at Motou who stood several heads shorter than him. "Good riddance," he said, a smug expression on his face.

Judai made to lunge at Paradox only to stagger and sway when whatever force held him in place tightened its grip, refusing to let him budge. He tried pulling his foot free but it stayed firmly planted on the ground. He hated this.

"Are there any others who wish to add their accusations to this?" Motou asked once more.

Yusei wasn't surprised to see Yugi move in his peripheral vision.

"I do," Yugi said. His face was filled with bewilderment and the slightest hint of fear as he spoke. "I accuse Paradox of attacking the convention and killing the people who were there including my grandpa, Kaiba, and Pegasus."

Motou jumped and turned his wide eyes to his alternate in shock. "What?" he gasped. "Grandpa?"

"Aibou," the Pharaoh said sharply, his voice cutting through the calming aura of the light like a solar eclipse.

"I'm...dead?" Kaiba said. His eyes were wide for a second before they sharpened and glared furiously at Paradox. "You Bastard."

"I also accuse you of attempting to kill me too when I survived," Yugi continued.

Yusei looked at his shorter friend and was intrigued to see Yugi's thin shoulders shaking. Was Yugi crying? Why? Why was he sad? There was nothing to be sad about. Why did Yugi not feel calm?

"Yes," Paradox purred, his eyes flicking up and down Yugi's shivering form. "That was certainly satisfying."

"This is so wrong," Judai said, twisting against the bonds holding him. "Stop this."

"You have both been heard," Motou said.

Yusei felt a ripple in the light and felt briefly disconcerted. This was not usual for him. He didn't typically feel this comfortable and peaceful during a Shadow Game or duel of any kind. Was Judai right? Was there something he was missing?

"Paradox," Motou said, wiping all trace of doubt and discomfort from Yusei's mind. "Normally, I would let the Scales judge you for each crime separately. However, seeing as we are short on time and your crimes are many and great, I will let the Shadows judge you for all of the crimes of which you are accused."

:Shadows!: Yami growled.

"It is a Shadow Game damn it!" Judai cried, or tried to. Instead his voice came out at regular volume which only served to increase his frustration. "This has to stop!"

"I will simply as you three questions," Motou said, holding up three fingers. "Your answers will be taken into account for the final judgement. My first question," he held up one finger. "Why did you seek to murder us and do harm to innocent lives?"

"Hardly innocent," Paradox countered coldly. "There isn't a Shadowmancer alive who's innocent."

"Shadowmancer?" the Pharaoh asked. "I've never heard of such a thing."

Paradox turned to the Pharaoh in annoyance. "Well aren't you an ignorant fool," he hissed. "You're the darkest Shadowmancer to ever live, Nameless Pharaoh."

"I have a name," the Pharaoh replied. "Not that I'd tell you, of course," he added slyly.

Yugi felt shock strike him through his connection with the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle. The Pharaoh had a name? Was it Yami's name? His true name?

"Not everyone you killed can touch the Shadows," Kaiba interrupted. "In fact, the majority of the people you killed had no powers at all."

"Wrong place, wrong time," Paradox said dismissively, crossing his arms to indicate the subject was closed.

"I see," Motou murmured. "You have been heard."

There was a metalic click and Yusei blinked. The gold pans on the scales were no longer even with one another. The empty pan on the left was a notch lower than the one on the right.

"Hey," Judai said. "Those scales moved on their own."

"They're controlled by the Shadows," Yugi said suddenly. "Shaadi explained it to me once. The Shadows judge the evil in a person's heart. The feather is supposed to represent balance. If a person's heart is evil, it weighs down the empty pan and they're found guilty and punished."

"And if they're good?" Yusei asked hesitantly.

"Then the empty pan rises and the person if found innocent," Yugi finished.

"Somethin' tells me Paradox's pan isn't going to lift," Judai muttered.

Paradox noticed the lower pan too and snarled. "Why go through with this farce?" he demanded. "You've already decided I'm guilty. So go ahead and punish me."

"That's not how this works," Kaiba said. "What we think doesn't matter. We're not the ones judging you."

Paradox aimed a glare at the Regent that would have sent a smaller person running. "Oh really?" he hissed. "Then you admit to using the Shadows."

"We never denied it," Kaiba countered, unmoved. "After all, it was them you tried to wipe out through genocide."

"Genocide?" Paradox repeated in disbelief. "Of a mass of twisted creatures that should never have existed in the first place?"

"My second question," Motou said, snapping Paradox's attention back to him. "Why did you want to destroy the Shadow Realm?" His voice was gentle, almost pleading for an answer.

"Because it's a blemish that needs to be removed," Paradox said hatefully. "All it does is cause death and destruction. You know what destroyed my world?" he demanded, yellow-green eyes alight and less than sane. "A light so dangerous it obliterated everything."

Motou's slumped in surprise. "A light?" he breathed.

"It blazed and burned away at the earth's surface like a wildfire without flames. It lasted for only a few seconds, but by then many people and plants were dead, scorched to death," Paradox continued. "Then a darkness that was thick and suffocating covered the entire planet, drowning out the sunlight and dropping the global temperature by two degrees Centigrade."

He sniffed. "That may not seem like much but it plunged the world into an ice age that we weren't prepared for. The darkness lasted for weeks. Plants died without the sunlight, reports of depression and suicides skyrocketed. By the time the darkness receded, a large part of the human race had been culled like cattle. Shadows came alive and devoured people in the streets. Monsters appeared and slaughtered the true innocents. With food and resources running low, humans resorted to cannibalism just to survive."

"But that isn't the worst of it, oh no." Paradox drew himself up and Yusei saw a sparkle of what could be a tear in a pollen colored eye. "Then the earth opened up. Powerful earthquakes ripped countries apart and long slumbering volcanoes woke without warning. Lake Toba and Yellowstone as well as several other volcanoes all erupted at the same time dropping the global temperature by almost two degrees Centigrade tossing the few remaining human populations into chaos. It took years of searching and experimenting before I was able to replicate those disasters in other realities."

"Replicate..." Yusei gasped.

"You...?" Yugi breathed, shuddering from both his own horror and that of the spirit.

"Do you know what the cause was, little King?" Paradox asked, his voice sickly sweet as his eyes bore into Motou. "It was the Shadows reacting to the imbalance of Light and Dark. By stopping the Dark, the Light ran rampant obliterating life and burning all things organic and not. By stopping the Light, the Dark drowned the world in eternal, starless night killing through insanity and decay. By stopping both, there was nothing for the Balance to balance," he snickered. "So the Shadows did as they pleased: killing, destroying, burning. Until my world was nothing but a smoldering rock cover in ash and glaciers and a dying race. You killed us," he declared, pointing at Motou. "You and your Shadows. Shadowmancers are the bane of humankind and if I have to kill every last one of you to destroy your despicable Shadow Realm to save my world, then I'll do it! Again and again. As often as I have to."

No one spoke. Yusei knew Paradox had been trying to wipe out Duel Monsters to save his world from some catastrophe, but he had no idea...

A metallic clink echoed in the silence.

Yusei felt the comforting warmth enveloping him fade, giving way to sadness. He vaguely realized he should probably be crying, but he wasn't. Something held back the sadness, just barely.

"I'm sorry," Motou whispered. "I'm so so sorry." Tear trails on his cheeks sparkled weakly in the golden glow. "I had no idea."

"Nevertheless," the Pharaoh said, "you still murdered people who had no hand in the destruction of your world."

Motou bowed his head, composing himself. When his lifted his face again, it was resigned. "My last question is this," he said softly. "Were you aware of the ramifications if you succeeded in destroying the Shadow Realm?"

"Yes," Paradox replied curtly. "My time would be saved at the expense of yours."

"Not so," Kaiba said, his voice uncharacteristically quiet. "By destroying the Shadow Realm, you destroy the chance for those humans with broken souls to live. The multiverse would drift apart, until each stood on their own. Without the Shadows, souls would be incomplete, the balance of powers would crumble, and the fate of humanity would be sealed."

He crossed his arms and tilted his head. "The connection between humans and the Shadows in symbiotic in nature. However, is one side abuses the other, the symbiosis can become parasitic. If one of the two halves is gone entirely, then the remaining half would survive but not for long. Without the protection and aid offered by the dead half, the remaining half would drive itself into an early grave."

"Instead of hunting us down and destroying the Shadow Realm," Kaiba said, his voice gaining a cruel edge to it, "why didn't use your energy on figuring out why the Dark, Light, and Balance destroyed your world to begin with. If you found out why that happened, then you could saved us a lot of trouble."

"Yeah," Jounouchi said. "Somethin' like wouldn't o' happened 'nless some serious shit went down. Like killing us."

"Which is exactly what I was..." Paradox stilled, falling to his knees in realization.

"Yes," the Pharaoh said. "That is exactly what you were doing. Who's to say you didn't cause the destruction of your time and place. We may never know what happened. But we can work to prevent it from happening. Nothing in the future is ever really written in stone."

Another metallic clink.

"You have been found guilty," Motou said, closing his eyes in defeat. "It falls to me to cast your Penalty Game."

Yami stiffened. :Penalty Game?:

"Which I refuse to cast," Motou said.

"Don't be a fool, Yugi," Kaiba snapped furiously. "If you don't cast one, I will."

Motou held up a hand to silence his friend. "I refuse to cast the Penalty Game, because I leave to the Shadows themselves to do so. Unless," he looked to his Pharaoh and Regent, "one of you wishes to offer mercy."

"The hell I will," Kaiba hissed.

The Pharaoh studying his Ba's face, before sighing and bowing his head. "Although I understand his pain," he said, "I cannot in good conscience offer mercy."

"Then I offer it," Motou said, surprising the group.

He stepped into the golden prison and approached Paradox. When he stood directly in front of the kneeling defendant, he too knelt and placed his hands on Paradox's cheeks, lifting his face so their eyes could meet.

"You will not die today," Motou said. "Like the Pharaoh cannot in good conscience offer you mercy, I cannot in good conscience give you a death Penalty." He ran a thumb over Paradox's cheek and smiled tenderly. "You will keep your life," he said. "You will live long and well. But," his smile became sorrowful, "for this to happen, a price must be paid. I can take the memories of the death and destruction you have both witnessed and committed. You will forget your name and life before this point. You will never remember these things except in your darkest of nightmares. If you accept this Penalty, then you will live. Please accept it," he begged. "It is all I can offer."

Yusei grimaced. "That's..."

"Too merciful if ya ask me," Jounouchi grumbled.

"For once, I agree with the mutt," Kaiba said.

"What kind if mercy is that?" Judai grumbled.

Paradox gazed down into the young King's gentle, pleading eyes, and hated it. "Curse you," he breathed.

The King's eyes, so open and naïve, showed hurt and rejection for all of two seconds before Paradox couldn't take it anymore. He reached up with both hands and locked his fingers around Motou's neck, squeezing it tightly.

"Aibou!"

"Yug'!"

"King!"

"Motou!"

"I would rather die," he spat in the young King's stunned face. He took pleasure in the way pale cheeks flushed and small hands scrabbled at his own large hands hoping to alleviate the pressure. "But at least I can take one of you with me. Then part of what I set out to do will be completed. If I destroy the Light then the Dark will soon follow." He wrestled the boy to the ground beneath him so he could put all his weight into his hands, crushing the King's windpipe. "And everyone knows there can be no Balance if there isn't anything to balance in the first place."

Because the Judgement Game was cast and headed by the King, neither the Regent nor the Pharaoh could intervene. Although Jounouchi was the Knight of the Light Triad, he, like Yusei, Judai, and this world's Yugi, had only been summoned as a witness. Thus he could not interfere either. The young King was alone.

The Pharaoh roared and slammed his fists against the golden barrier separating him from his partner and Paradox. Kaiba was hollering all manner of curses that Jounouchi would be proud of and doing the same thing. But there was nothing they could do.

"Aibou!" the Pharaoh cried.

He couldn't breathe. He should have seen this coming, but he had hoped... He had believed it wouldn't. His heart was breaking. His vision was tunneling. He couldn't breathe.

They wouldn't stand for this. He was theirs and they did not share.

The King convulsed, gasping breathlessly as the Shadows inundated his body, setting his nerves alight and his blood pounding. They were his, and he was theirs. They were Light and would not lose their King.

He knew he was no longer in control of his own body when one of his arms stopped scraping at Paradox's hands, which were still clamped around his neck, and lifted so a single finger touched his assailant's forehead directly between the eyes. The possession simultaneously terrified him and thrilled him. The Shadows, his Shadows, his Light were coming to his defense.

But the Light was still Shadows and the Shadows don't know mercy.

His mouth opened under their control and one choked word escaped broken and half garbled from his air deprived mouth. A word that filled him with despair and relief.

"Rai...ge...ki."