A Yugi/Yami story
Through a Dragon's Eye
Chapter 16-We Reach the Vanishing Isle
Look, I love getting reviews on my stories, but I'm in college, I can't spend all my time writing stories. I promise to update whenever I can; but can you all stop asking me to update? If you all want to write me reviews then plz do! I love getting your reviews but I would like it if you all would stop saying plz update soon. I'm going as fast as I can but I have to take my time to make sure that's good. Plz enjoy chapter 16 and I'll have 17 up as soon as possible. Plz write, every review helps me into writing more and more...
What Yami saw is almost impossible to describe. Imagine standing in the center of a giant cylinder made of clouds. The water that they were sailing on was calm and as smooth as glass, there was a giant wall that was made of clouds spinning around them as they sailed onward. When you looked straight up you could see clear blue skies, and dazzling sunshine that seemed to wave at them like an old friend. But all of this paled in comparison to what was in the very center of this cylinder.
It was a tower… a tower with faded, stone brick standing in the middle of a small island. It loomed over the small ship, as they sailed over the calm sea. A giant tower standing on an island beyond the cursed mist; it was thought to be only a story. Though it wasn't a lighthouse, a strong light emitted from the very upper reaches, a light so strong that it could pierce the darkest night.
Stretching up almost endlessly into the sky, as a wind gently blew around the spiraling structure, ancient glyphs of the ages readily cut into the aged ivory, some potently faded; others in glistening sharply. The tower spiraled into the heavens, rather like an Earthlike landmass challenging the occasionally gentle skyline.
Were a drop to fall back into the silent, alive waters of the ancient safe keep, brushed away from the roaring outskirts of time and humanity-it would readily ripple into the distance, fading away miles into the equidistance. The overflowing blue sky was rather like a sea of itself, stretched languidly across the sky in baby blue splendor-with the dazzling sun peeking over the broad range of the cream clouds, making the stone glisten slightly in the early afternoon splendor.
Waterfalls, gallons, enormous tokens of the crystalline liquid-spilled from the enormous stone, rather like a forever flowing moat constantly gushing protectively around the faded rock. The tower itself spiraled into the heavens, a ready, pale, sandy sheen of gold, rather like that of the whitewashed sand gleaming hotly in the ready sun finding the sallow limestone. The color, at best, was warm. Aged, like a wise specter, or a guru walking Buddha's road-it was still elegant, still peculiar, yet still mysterious. It was spiraling with hundreds, if not thousands of windows climbing the tower—and at the very top—was the shining light like a lighthouse.
The shaping volume was unusual, at best. Thin, with spirals stretching uncharacteristically in the carefully structured building, well crafted into an almost gothic temple of the ages-it readily shone with its warm wetness, glistening proudly-rather like that of a medallion that has at last fond shore. Yami could see a large courtyard with the largest fountain that he had ever seen.
The cylinder of clouds, slowly and silently swept over crystalline, sapphire waters. The only sounds were the occasional squawk of a seagull-the only other living creature to pass over this otherwise silent terrain; which was only broken by waves gently hitting the shore of the island.
But otherwise, the tranquility was not broken.
It was a tower on a distant shore… and about its peak, a piercing light.
To say that Yami was speechless would be the understatement of the century. Never once in his life did he ever think that he would set eyes on something like this. She couldn't take his eyes of the tower as they sailed closer and closer; he was too amazed to speak… he didn't think that anything else could ever top this moment…
…once again he stood corrected.
The ship began to rock violently… he heard a terrible cracking sound, as if he the boat was about to crack open and then… with a sudden great gust of wind the ship began to rise higher, and higher, and higher…
…until they had risen clear up and out of the water. The legend wasn't just a legend after all. His father wasn't lying after—this was Swiftflight.
The feeling he had was impossible to describe. It was both wonderful… and terrifying. He could feel the wind whip around his face, the sound of it was in his ears—he was actually flying! Something that he never dreamt that he would have been able to do—except in his dreams.
They flew over a wide area of water; he didn't understand why they didn't just sail to the isle. "That's because there are sharp rocks right beneath us."
His father had walked over to Yami without him noticing it. Yami gave his father another dirty look before his father went on, "That is why we needed this ship. If we tried to sail through the water, the rocks would destroy the ship and we won't have a hope of getting back." He gave his son an ugly smile before saying, "I finally figured out what to do with you and your friend. Once we get what we want then we're gonna leave you here on the isle. You and your friend will sit on the beach and watch as we sail away with our prize. You two will have the rest of your lives to think about the grim horror of your futures. Sounds like fun right?"
He walked off cackling. "You know Yugi?" said Yami. "I really hate him."
Onwards they sailed though the sky, passing right over the dagger like rocks, until they settled down gently near the shore.
Yami's father then barked at a few members of the ship to untie Yami and Yugi; and if they tried to run away… they were to knock them out. Not that there was anywhere to go. They unlocked to two boys from the mast and forced them to walk down the plank that they set ashore. Yami's father took the lead, with his son being forced to walk behind him, and Yugi right behind Yami.
As soon as they reached the foot of the shore, Yami stumbled and fell. What do you know? He got his sea legs at the cost of his land legs. His father grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and forced him back up; he then shoved Yami ahead of him
The surrounding air was heavy; it rested on them – engulfed them. But its weight wasn't oppressive; it is a comforting embrace. It was thick and they couldn't walk through it, so they would lie in the grass.
He looked around at his surroundings. Merely a beach, but looking deeper... is a different thing altogether. Yami looked once more, and heard the silent echo of the lifeless sea, as if it had sucked out the souls of nearby creatures, as if it was a forever-hungering beast, relentlessly pounding the beach with no remorse. The sand between his toes felt dead, lusting for the warmth of the Sun. It's odd blackish color contemplating with the fact that this was a lifeless beach. The smell was pungent of seaweed, as if an essence of it was part of the very air, and growing like a tree every second. The tower in front of him was seamless, untouched, as if just erected; as the echo stopped, he heard another sound, a sound so surprising, yet fall of beauty and horror… a seagull.
The sun beat down on the smooth, weathered rocks of the tower. The crisp seaweed pushed onto the rocks by the waves, lay forgotten at the sea's edge, occasionally moving with the tide. The sapphire, blue sea's waves rattle the tiny pebbles embedded in the golden sand. The foam from the waves gently, though almost dully lapped upon the shore.
Yami's body was wishing for sleep, but his mind was restless. One worrisome thing after another was traveling through his head. But he could still feel, a constant lurking feeling of excitement, hoping against hope that their greatest hopes would come true. That they would get out of this mess somehow.
The crew then shoved him hard in the back and forced him to walk forward. They walked through the sand an upwards; climbing the cliffs. They weren't that steep, but if you weren't careful Yami was sure that someone could get seriously hurt. Onward they climbed, Yami's legs and arms hurt, his head felt like it was about to explode, he just wanted to lie down and cry himself to sleep.
But he still forced himself to climb upwards, trying not to slip on the wet rocks from the waterfalls that continued to fall as if nothing had changed. Which was true; the isle hadn't changed except for the humans pillaging so sacred a place.
After hours of climbing, Yugi, Yami, and the whole crew were exhausted. The only one who had any energy was Yami's father; who seem to be getting his energy from out of thin air, because he just kept on going… so bent on the idea of reaching the tower. Finally they climbed over the edge of the cliffs and onto solid, flat ground… the courtyard.
It was a giant courtyard of stone and grass, there were the remains of walls and broken pillars scattered every which way. The stone walkway they were on was cracked and had broken, grey, stone bricks that looked like they'd been burned by a tremendous fire. There were high-statues made of the same stone, but they looked like a something big has knocked them over… which have been eroded away by the yearly torrential rains over the centuries.
In the center of the courtyard there was a massive fountain that's shaped perfectly like a dragon. The body was large, the scales sculpted by a true artist, the face is remarkable so realistic that it looked like its eyes really staring at you. The mouth and teeth were made of a solid silver, the wings were open and, if Yami didn't know better, it looked like the stone dragon was about to take flight.
The dragon fountain commands everyone's attention, Yami couldn't seem to look away, it looked like the dragon was breathing and swayed on its stone platform! Behind that… was a great wooden door. It must have been at least 20 feet high, so high that Yami had to lean his head far back just to see the top arch.
On the cracked, aged archway that governed the enormous structure escalating into the horizontal towers conjuring the larger, mother tower, there, worn by the constant salt and sea breeze of the ages, was a series of words mysteriously craved into the old mineral-!
Leave behind the dark, to enter the light.
Beyond here, lies power. Here be fright.
Beyond here, the dragon, flame and flight.
Beyond here, pure fire, here be grief.
Harmful to all but those of pure belief.
Beware the creeping treasure-thief.
Beware much worse the dragon-slayer.
Beware his purse and curse his payer.
Beware these words. Preserve their sayer.
Earth and water, fire and air.
Prepare to meet a creature rare.
Enter, now, if you dare.
Enter, now... the dragon's lair!
It wasn't until he saw the statue and read the words here did he remember… Miasmador!
"Stop!" he yelled. "Did you all forget about Miasmador? He's a dragon! He guards the treasure! We can't stop a dragon! Let's go while we still have a chance!"
His father laughed. "Normally, you would be right, Yami. But Miasmador will only appear if we fail to make it to the top!" he turned his attention back to the top of the tower, to where the light was shining brightly. "To make it to the top; we must pass each one of the floors, each will have a riddle to solve, if we guess it right then we will be allowed to proceed."
"And if we get it wrong?" asked Yami going very numb.
His father gave him another smile that sent chills up his spine, "We're about to find out." he walked forward, ignoring the warning, and knocked twice…
…for one second Yami prayed that the door wouldn't open… but then the giant, aged doors slowly creaked open…