Juno was a solitary, depressed sort of teenager. He was a Poyo, and an orphaned Poyo at that. Ever since childhood, he had to learn to fend for himself in the solitary city of Farâme.

For five years he had saved the money he had earned and stolen. Everything he hadn't spent sparsely on food he had stashed away in an isolated cavern. At the age of thirteen, he had finally gotten enough money to start a Union of his very own. He wasn't afraid to risk his life on impossibly hard missions. As far as he was concerned, he didn't have a life to risk.

Mission after mission he completed, until he had amassed thousands of rasta on his account card. But the emptiness of his orphanhood could not be filled with money. The more missions he completed, the more alone he felt. The more dangerous the assignment, the more he wanted to die while trying to complete it.

Juno now sat in the bar Klyndeneya, downing mold biscuit after mold biscuit. Maybe he would eventually get to the point where his emotions were dulled and warmed by the intoxicating stupor that mold had on all Poya.

"I wonder if they have a mission dangerous enough…" Juno thought bitterly. "It has to be dangerous enough… If I succeed, I'll be famous, and everyone will want to be with me. If I fail, then I'll die, and everything will be over anyway."

He fingered a small ring in his pocket. After that new Union had defeated the Midgard Serpent, Juno had taken the opportunity to steal a precious object from a certain Tomb of Grend. It had given him a tremendous thrill to pilfer such a valuable object from such an ancient catacomb.

"Hey, everyone!" Terzen called out among the bar's clients. "I have a special friend of mine coming in soon. I'd like you all to give him an especially warm welcome! He and the rest of his Union were the one's who saved the treasure of Rosterfeld!" A cheer ran among the Kryllians, who were rowdy and confused from drinking fermented drederstein urine.

"He and the rest of his mates were also the ones who took the Mt. Fortanya mission!" Another cheer shot up through the Loramysha, who were sprinkled throughout the bar, quietly eating their various stones.

Juno fumed. He had been taking all sorts of missions for ten years! No one cared about him or congratulated him! And this "friend" of Terzen's completes two missions and he gets a standing ovation? What injustice was this?

A short Loramyshan boy stepped out of the Poranis port, bandaged around the head and carrying a lilithim. The crowd began to applaud him, and the boy looked startled. Frigid humans stumbled out after him, equally shocked at their reception.

"These amateurs are getting praise from these idiots, when I've done all the work!?" Juno thought furiously. "All my life, circumstances have been unfair to me. I've working as hard as I can, and I can't do it anymore! Do your worst, Fate… I will not be alone and overlooked anymore."

While the customers each gave the Loramys and humans their thanks, Juno took a hold of Grend's signet ring and walked up to the diminutive Astalan. "Hey," he said, trying to keep the venom out of his voice. "Thanks."

Yugi nodded and smiled. "Really, thank you. I never expected any of this."

"That's because you don't deserve it, you imposter," Juno thought bitterly. But he smiled in return and gave Yugi an affectionate pat on the back. Little did Yugi know, that affection pat on the back would have deeper and darker consequences than he would ever expect.

Juno stepped quietly into the port back to Shenstone. He knew that the Kryllians had enlisted the Shentone Investigation Facility to try and locate a certain item, still missing from the Tomb of Grend after the Midgard Serpent's death. It was the very signet ring that Juno once held, but Juno didn't hold it now. When he had reached over to touch Yugi, he had slyly slipped the ring into Yugi's front pocket.

Juno walked confidently into the Shentone Investigation Facility HQ. "Miss," he said to the secretary, who was working the front desk. "I believe I have a lead on the whereabouts of Grend's signet ring."

This sort of object was important enough to defy investigative reason. If a homeless psychopath walked in and said he had a lead on the whereabouts of Grend's signet ring, the investigators would follow his every word.

The secretary's ears twitched, and she pressed a button on the communications device on the counter. "Rei-Gradia, we have a lead on Grend's signet ring."

Almost immediately, three tall, thin Poya walked up and surrounded Juno. "You have the location of the ring?" one of them asked roughly.

Juno nodded. "I saw an Astalan boy playing with it in his hands. He was in Klyndeneya just a few minutes ago. I'd bet he's still there."

The investigators rushed off. Juno stayed put. As much as he'd like to watch that new Union be arrested, he didn't want to look suspicious. He would stay in the HQ until the investigators returned with good news.

"That was really sweet of you, Terzen," Tea said, munching a few complementary peanuts that the Kryllian barkeep had given her. "You giving us that welcome."

They had decided to stay at the bar a while longer. After Yugi passed out again, Frenji had offered to patch him up. No human doctor would know Loramysha physiology better than her.

"Ah, you kids are alright," said Terzen. "I wasn't too sure about you, but I think I've come to like you all. After all, if it wasn't for your services, my ancestor's crown would be down that serpent's belly."

Atem nodded. "We're just happy to help, any way we can."

At that moment, three Poyan officers stepped out of the Shentone port. "Investigators?" Terzen asked confusedly. "What are they doing here?"

Yugi walked out of the back room, rubbing his newly healed head. "I think we can go guys…" he said, when he noticed that the investigators were all looking directly at him.

"That's him." one of them said, and they walked up and took Yugi violently by the arm. "Where's the ring, Astalan?" the investigator demanded.

"The ring? What are you talking about?" Yugi asked. He didn't struggle. Poya were known for their harsh treatment of criminals, and any resistance to an investigator could result in death.

"Grend's signet ring," said another. "You have stolen it and you will suffer the consequences."

"Do not touch him!" Atem demanded. If Yugi was in danger, then any rules were officially screwed. "He has not done anything wrong!"

"Search him!" the leading investigator commanded. "We shall see if you speak the truth, Union Number 1354."

Yugi raised his hands in submission and allowed himself to be searched. He hadn't stolen anything, so he would be fine. But at that moment, the first officer pulled out a shiny and distinctive ring. "This is it, Rei-Gradia," he said.

A look of horror came over Yugi's face. But he had never taken Grend's signet ring from the treasures! He and all of the others could be put to death for such a crime.

"Union #1354, you are to be put to death by sentence in the Caves of Perdition."

"Yugi, you didn't do this, did you?" Atem asked as he was brutally bound and dragged toward the Shentone port.

"I didn't do anything!" Yugi yelled. "Please, Atem—" They were taken through the port to the city of Shentone. "Please believe me."

Atem nodded as the others followed them. "I believe you, Yugi. But how are you going to convince them?" He jutted his head toward the officers who were leading them toward a dark, looming building.

"Let go of me!" Tea screamed, kicking and flailing with all her strength. But the investigators were too strong for her. They opened the door of the black building and dragged them all inside. It was pitch-black, and they could barely see in front of them. Suddenly, Yugi felt a strong blow to the back of his already injured head. And then he didn't feel anything else.