Redux 40: Will the real Me please stand up?

Alice's LP: 3900 Cassius' LP: 3400

"I don't have time for this. Alice. are going to duel me still?" Cassius went and summoned both Stardust Spark Dragon(8/2500/2000) and Clear Wing Synchro Dragon(7/2500/2000) in the same turn. "I will. I meant what I said Aaron, Cassius... I don't know which one you are now, but I will save you both!" Alice felt like she was watching two duelists fight at once, with her and with themselves. "I am dueling as myself now, as myself! I.. Stardust will attack!" The dragon of light charged first, coming after Nekroz of Unicore(4/2300/1600). "Uh, I can stop my ritual monsters death by using Relinkuriboh's effect!" Hastily, Alice activated and banished the sacrificial Kuriboh, which negated the destruction of Nekroz of Unicore. Though she still took the damage. "Rgh. Then Clear Wing attacks.. Cyber Angel Dakini!" His follow-up attack was bizarre at first sight, because Dakini(8/2700/2000) was stronger than both of his synchro monsters. "I activate Stardust Sparks effect to save Clear Wing!" Stardust Spark was summoned from the graveyard, so its effects were not blocked by Unicore. The Star dragon placed a barrier around his wind-dragon ally, so that Clear Wing survived its suicidal charge into the Cyber Angel's spear.

Alice's LP: 3700 Cassius' LP:3200

"I activate Speedroid OMK Gum!" Suddenly, a mechanical box summoned itself, and transformed outwards into a white humanoid robot(1/0/800). "If I take damage during the battle phase, I can special summon this speedroid tuner from my hand. And I can use it for a synchro summon on the spot!" Cassius mashed OMK Gum together with Clear Wing Synchro Dragon. "I evolve my Synchro Dragon! Synchro Summon! Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon!" The clear white dragon changed through a rain of light, becoming the brilliant crystal Synchro dragon(8/3000/2500). "Unicore negates its effects too, but when OMK Gum is used a synchro material I can discard the top card from my deck." Cassius drew the card and revealed it. "If it is a speedroid, my synchro summoned monster gets 1000 attackpoints!" He sent the drawn card, Speedroid Menko, to his graveyard. The dematerialized OMK Gum shot a gumblast of energy into the body to empower the Crystal dragon(4000/2500). "Attack Unicore!" With its OMK boost, Crystal Wing obliterated Nekroz of Unicore, killing it with a hail of diamond dust. "You wanted to save me, Alice? I am already saved! I dont need any legends or any pendulums!"

Alice's LP: 2200

"But you're not! You're in pain!" She yelled at him. "Why would we..I.. be? I have walked in this body for almost a week now! Everything was fine.." He yelled back. "Until?" Alice guessed which word he was going to say next. "Until you met Amelia. Until you saw Emily again. Until you had to duel me. Cassius, you're hurting yourself.. literally!" She understood more than he thought. The emotions from one were too much for the other. "You remember that one time you were bullied at school, and so Emily chased the bullies away for you. But you also remember a time where that didn't happen. You met me and Emily in one world only.." The two Aarons could not feel exactly the same no matter how in tune they were. And the more he was confronted with the discrepancy, the less their minds agreed. "Stop talking!" His head began to ache again. "Uno knew. This can't work; putting two of you in one head. You two are too different.. Amelia and Emily, Stonewell and Eric, Iria and Silver.. they're all too different."

"My turn." Alice activated a ritual spell. "Fairy's Blessing. I can tribute Brionac from my hand to ritual summon a Light ritual monster." Nekroz of Brionac's six stars were sacrificed for another member of the seven deities... "I choose Cyber Angel Benten!"... Benten the long blackhaired goddess(6/1800/1500) with the horned mask of gold. "Thanks to Ascending Soul I can take back one of the monsters I tributed for the ritual." Alice's spell returned Nekroz of Brionac. "And you know that I can discard Brionac to get a Nekroz card from my deck." She activated the effect of the Nekroz monster this time. "I know eveyrthing you want to do, Alice!" Cassius chained an effect without flinching. "But Crystal Wing can negate one monster's effect each turn!" The diamond-winged dragon sent its light into Alice's hand to burn Nekroz of Brionac away. "Then that monsters attackpoints are added to my dragon!" The Synchro Dragon(6300/2500) pulled the light back and drained Brionac's life energy away as well. "Then I'll do this."Alice activated her face-down trap card: Ghost of a Grudge. "Cassius, you have more than 8 cards in your graveyard.. so.. your monster loses all his attackpoints." The grudge-filled specters of Cassius' own graveyard rose. "Even if you do so, Crystal Wing will take the attackpoints of your monsters if they try to attack!"

"You're right. I cannot beat Crystal Wing. But I can take something else down.." The Ghost trap targeted Stardust Spark Dragon(0/2000) instead. "Stardust?" Cassius felt his heart skip a beat. "Cyber Angel Benten attacks Stardust Spark Dragon!" The wisdom goddess flew forwards and fired a holy arrow with her weapon. "Then I can just let my dragon die!" Cassius shouted. "I.. no wait!" But moments before the attack connected, he changed his mind. "Stardust activates his effect!" The star dragon covered himself in a round barrier and deflected the arrow. "Why did..I.. you? Because.. we would have taken 2000 points of damage." The text on the ritual card made it very clear, Benten inflicted damage equal to the defense of the monsters she defeated in battle. "But then.." He still lost lifepoints with that attack. "You.."

Cassius' LP: 1600

"Aaron. If I was just dueling you, I wouldn't have won." Alice only got this opportunity because 'Cassius' wanted to have Stardust Spark Dragon on his field. "I'm really sorry. This is it. Cyber Angel Dakini.. attacks" The four-armed goddess made a leap into the air and drove her lance into the body of Stardust Spark Dragon, killing the synchro monster and taking Cassius' life away with a single blow. "So.. that is it then." There was no power left in his voice, once he saw his monsters disappear before him. "You are stronger than.. you think, Alice." He smiled. "Aaron?" Was this the man she knew now?

Cassius' LP: 0

"No!" That attitude changed rapidly. "The Circle is more than this! On this side and the other!" Cassius was still resisting. "But we cannot get to them! Cassius, it's.. You cannot go there." Two minds argued, they were no longer one. But neither could change the outcome. "we will find the other members as well, through you or through your master." In reality they already lost everything. "Vesper!" Lord Uno and Lady Anastasia returned to the throne room, flanking a silent Vesper. "What have you done?" Cassius shouted. "Disconnected her from her other self, so she could not hide. One of you had the right idea, Cassius. This is the last act for your organization." If Vesper had been defeated, the duelists below were free from her powers. The circle was outnumbered. "Do not talk, Cassius." Even so, Vesper still issued a final order. "I wont have to." Cassius dropped his dueldisk. "Uno. Do the same to me.. what!?"

"Aaron?" The request he made was one he seemed to struggle with. "I cannot keep myself as one, anymore. You were right, Uno. This is not the answer. So desynch me! You do not know what you are doing! You'd go back to the card!" It was a suicidal request, Aaron did not have a body to return to. "At least I will be me!" But Aaron just could not stand his coexistence any longer. "Uno, are you going to.." It was up to him, Alice could not stop this. "If he wants it." Uno reached for his pendulum. "But, I promise that I will do what I can to save you. No matter where you end up.. Aaron." The crystal released its light. "Thank you." That was all Aaron needed to hear. He looked at Uno with a peaceful expression, and felt his mind fade away. "He's.." Cassius was left behind, staring wide-eyed into the distance. "That idiot." He sank to his knees. This was how it all ended. "... Now. Let's go see our friends."

...

"There you are! We didn't think you could walk again." Stonewell and the others were relieved to see the missing duelists return, as they descended with the elevator. "Sorry about that. I see you all got better too. Then everything is wrapped up here." There were a lot of 'people' cards on the floor here. "Ana, I do not want these people to go to the Monument. They deserve better." Uno did not want a repeat of the palace thief situation. "but they have done horrible things to you." Anastasia disagreed on what they 'deserved.' "Sure, but they thought they were doing it for a good cause. They weren't the ones who took my memories, I know who that is now. Besides... we've done far worse." He let the enforcers take the cards away, Cassius and Vesper went along and did not say a word. Soon it was just Uno and the people he wanted to see.

"You.. know? You have regained your memories, Uno? Or are we speaking to lord Fortuno now?" Adamant noticed Uno was saying things the old him couldn't possibly have known. "Don't worry, I am still me. I remember things, fragments, feelings. I dont really have the context, as if Fortuno is just some role I played in another show. But I've lived a long time... and it is a long story." He gave his sister a quick look. "I want to share it with everyone. If the templars and the enforcers can take care of the rest here, then it might be a good idea to return to the palace."

"Uhm.. can I go home first?" Amelia quietly piped up. "Oh. Of course! Ah, My apologies for everything you went through, Amelia." Uno wished he could have met her at a better time. "Uno. I can bring her." Alice was not against spending more time with her. "No, no teleporting if that is alright. I just want.. to rest." Her town was not that far from here, she could just be driven home with the same limousine from before. "I can take her, just to see if she makes it back safely." Stonewell offered. "What a gentleman." Tory laughed. "As if. I just don't care that much about all this time mumbo jumbo." He retorted. "Oh.. okay. That is fine with me.. Not sure if I can explain it to my dad, but its fine." Amelia put up a weary smile. "Let's not think about that until we get there. Uno, I will call you over the communicator when I want to be picked up. You got me?" Uno nodded. "I got ya. Are the others ready to go back?" He asked the duelists. "Don't ask. Just do it." Iria was getting impatient. "Right! One, two.."

...

"Three!" The teleport dropped everyone off inside the palace garden. "What... sir Dom?!" And he brought them right to Dom. "Jumping Jehosafats!" The cardmaker jumped up from the grass. "Am I dreaming? Or am I having a nightmare?! It could be either!" He rubbed his eyes. "Neither. This is really happening. Here, let me help you." Uno extended a hand towards him. "Huh? Wait, who are you? I don't usually say no to gifts but.. yow!" The second Dom touched Uno's finger, he recoiled. "What are you doing!" Iria cried out. "Oh, sorry. Should have given a warning. I wasn't exactly sure how it would happen." Uno laughed nervously. "How what would happen?" Tory asked. "Returning his memories. If Dom lost his memories the same way I did, then I wanted to share my cure with him." Now all they had to do was wait for the results. "Oh.." And they were coming in slowly. "My head... my.. head!" Dom touched every corner of his face with his hands. "My mask! Iria, where is my mask!" He panicked and more importantly, he called out for his disciple. "Sir.. You remember m.. You remember?"

"Of course? Why wouldn't I? You sound less pointy than usual.. Wait, don't tell me. It'll come to me.." Dom snapped his fingers. "Aha! Because of the amnesia! Right, that was.. freaky. Do I need to say sorry for that? I didn't half all my wits with me." The last day of his life suddenly wore a whole new layer, Dom owned memories of the duel with Iria and everything that came after it. "It is quite alright sir. I am.. happy, just to see you return to your true self." Iria's expression almost changed into one of joy. "This is incredible, Uno! How did you do it?" Alice wondered aloud. "Same thing I did to myself, I cleared his mind. His memories came back automatically, better than they did with me even." Uno figured it would work on him, since he didn't regress in age physically. "Dom. Do you also remember what happened after Vesper banished you?" Uno had a suspicion. "Just that some freaky flying machines arrested me on the spot as soon as I landed somewhere. That was it, they didn't give a reason." Through them he wound up inside the Monument as a card. "I see." Uno'd focus on that later. "Either way, we should tell Creffield." Iria declared. "And Eric!" Alice added. "Yes. Hold on." Uno clapped his hands and whisked everyone away abruptly.

"Eeeyaah!" He ended up inside the palace banquet hall, greeted by Mrs Stonewells screams. "Mom. Its okay! Its just Uno and the others!" Eric and Zach were present as well. "Dad!" So was James Brandt. "Alice!" The two ran into each others embrace. "I was so worried about you!" At the same time the second disciple heard the good news. "Sir? You have.." He did not need to hear, he could see in Doms eyes that his master recognized his face. "Yup, and its all thanks to the wonderboy over there!" Dom patted Uno on the back with an open hand. "You did that? We heard about the circle, but not this.." News of Vesper's defeat had reached the city by now. "Indeed.. how did we make it here." Adamant cleared his throat. "Twice now you have warped us to a person, not a place. How did you know where to find Dom, Eric and Zach?" This went against the way the pendulum usually transported the Nisells. "Like I told Cassius before, I accesses a power from another pendulum.. Neter's. He can go wherever he wants to be, just by thinking about something or someone. I borrowed his trick for a bit."

"Anyway. We're all here, parents included. Time to reveal the big secret. Ana, do you want to.. or should I?"

"i.. want to see what you can bring back." She would wait with baited breath. "Fair enough. I know what I am about to say is gonna give you a billion questions. Just let me finish the whole story first, okay?" They all looked ready. Alice and Eric were even sitting down for this. "...Okay. Well how to begin..With this.. I know who caused the timeline split, who Tempus is.. It's us.." The audience let out a mix of gasps and coughs. "Let me explain! Just had to get a good opener in there! See; Anastasia, Marco and me weren't born in this world or in the other. We are 'older' than that. Tempus.. or whatever his real name was, he took us from previous timelines and adopted us. He brought us with him every time he went to a new world, just like how December took January, June and August with him whenever he followed Tempus. That happened while were are still very young, so I guess I wouldn't remember it that well even if I hadn't lost my memories.

"Wait, wait.. so when did the original Tempus die then? Ahem, if you don't mind me asking." Eric realized that that this was a touchy but also important subject. "A lot of whiles ago. We've been doing this running from Decembe on our own.. for many timelines now. Tempus was already old, he taught us everything we needed to know to, to survive." Even if one traveled through time, ones own time could not be extended. "all of us..." Anastasia muttered in response. "he saved us, and we lost him." The moment sounded painfully recent through her words. "Then, you built this whole empire by yourselves." Adamant concluded. If Tempus was already dead, they were the only ones who could have created Millennium. "Yeah. We did.. I did. Like Tempus did before, in one of his previous worlds. Millennium was my idea, I believe. I dont remember what ultimately inspired me. Was it what Tempus wanted me to do with his legacy? Or was it what I wanted because I wanted to make as many people happy as possible? Ana, do you know?"

"it was you and marco who wanted it, i was just happy to keep living. but.. we could not do it, until we lost our pursuers. and so, i too had an idea" The Lady walked up to a window and pressed her hand against the glass. " .. every time we were chased away, we had to erase so much that we built, that others built. i was tired of it. that is why.. " She ran her finger up the window. "do you remember how we first got here, uno?" She asked her brother. "Yeah, we went way back, before civilizations ever existed, further than we ever went. But that wouldn't get December off our backs." That man could chase them all the way to the big bang if he wanted too. "no, it wouldn't. so we immediately jumped forward to the start of the 21st century, skipping thousands of decades. but during that journey, i did something father told me never to do. i used the power of two pendulum crystals to cut in the timestream, to leave a path for our pursuers to follow while we took the other fork in the road. they arrived in one world, we in the other. at the same time, but not in the same place."

"You.. split the timelines? So all of what the Circle was talking about, was really your fault?" Iria cursed. "i.. i had no idea. i honestly was not told that.. i did not mean for this." The lady stammered, while averting her gaze from one person in particular; Alice. "i only wanted the world to go back to what it was before it all started, that is why we went back so far in time, before any of the changes we and father made previously.. but it wasn't enough. some things did not return even if we did nothing and let time go by. the spirits, the souls; their power was forever gone. so many stories, lost." Anastasia looked like she was about to break down. "Ana. I know that already, I am not mad at you. You wanted it to end, to stop seeing everything be destroyed. You weren't the one who asked for too much." He assured her, talking like the big brother she used to know. "What does that mean? Are you saying you were the one who went about erasing all those worlds?" Tory bluntly chimed in. She was doing a remarkably good job of keeping up so far.

"Not just me. Ana.. Where is Marco now?"

(To be Continued in Redux 039: Not as Black as Painted)

New Cards used by Alice Brandt
Cyber Angel Benten

-
Ghost of a Grudge

New Cards used by Cassius
Speedroid OMK Gum