Crow and Fish burst into a lit chamber. The door slamming open with a hollow thud.

"Looks like a wrong turn," Crow scowled into the lake of light below them. He shivered. For some reason the light gave him the heebie-jeebies.

"Let's try the next-"

"Crow!"

"Fish!"

The teenagers saw the twins calling out to them from a cliff above.

"Okay, so wrong door, right place."

Crow waved back. "We'll be right there!"

They joined Trudge and the twins momentarily. The mood bittersweet.

"Not that I was expecting a party or anything, but what's up? Why so gloomy?" Fish demanded.

"Yeah, where are… Lise and Yusei?" Crow's grey eyes swept past the three of them like he expected their friends to pop up from the shadows.

Ruka pointed down into the light.

Fish's eyes went wide. "You're shitting me."

Trudge shook his head. "Unfortunately not. Lise…Lise won the duel, but Roman cheated. His left arm was a prosthetic with a bomb inside, and after it exploded the bridge collapsed and…"

"Lise and Yusei fell in," Ruka finished somberly.

"What are we supposed to do? We can't wait down here forever and…and…" Rua started tearing up. "Wh-wh-what if we n-n-never see them again?"

Crow knelt down to the boy's eye level. "Hey, kiddo, we'll see em again! We can't give up. Our friends are strong, right?"

"Right," Rua sniffled and rubbed his tears away with his arm.

"As for what to do," Fish pointed. "Looks like there's a ledge down there we can use to help pull them out when they come back."

"Sounds good," Crow turned back to Rua. "But we need a lookout to stay up here. It's an important job. Think you're up for it?"

Rua nodded emphatically.

/

Jack's duel with Carly had started half an hour ago; even now, when it looked as if it might come to an end, there was very little for Jack to be optimistic about. Her attacks had left him bleeding badly. He tried and failed to reach Carly multiple times. He was running out of lifepoints and hope. She had just been overtaken by the darkness and nearly taken a face plant into the geoglyph's wall of fire. And yet…

"Carly!" Jack shouted urgently. "What's happening?! Please, please! Talk to me! Are you all right?!"

Jack had to veer over swiftly in order to avoid Carly reemerging onto the track from the purple flames. Her Immortal's hold was visible, purple veins bulging on Carly's face.

"There is no Carly!" The darkness controlling her yelled back.

"You lie!"

"Now, let's continue. I activate Inherited Fortune. With this card in play, I'm allowed to summon two more Fortune Ladies next round to replace the one you destroyed during this turn."

Jack frowned and resigned himself to keep going. "Next, I play a face down. That's all for now." He grit his teeth.

Time's running out. I have to do something, but what?

"My draw," Carly began her turn.

That last attack left Carly weaker than ever. One more attack and I could lose her for good! Jack mused, wiping some of the blood gushing from his forehead out of his eyes.

"First, due to the effect of Inherited Fortune I get to summon two Fortune Ladies. Rise, Fortune Lady Wind and Fortune Lady Water!"

(Fortune Lady Wind: Atk: ? Def: ?)

(Fortune Lady Water: Atk: ? Def: ?)

Sporting a green color scheme, and, like the other fortune ladies, possessed a staff. The Fortune Lady Mark glowed upon her head, and bat wings sprouted from her hair. Which fell shorter than her Fortune sisters, while Water's blue hair resembled a river with its long and wavy design. Her costume's color scheme centered on shades of blue.

"Next I'll activate Water's special ability. It allows me to draw one card for every Fortune Lady on my field, and since I currently have two it looks like you're in double trouble!" Carly picked her cards and snickered malevolently. "Oh yes, I've been waiting for this moment! I release Fortune Lady Water and Fortune Lady Wind and summon the all-powerful, the all mighty-"

"What?!"

"Oh Jackie, simply imagine your worst nightmare and you'll have your answer. Behold as five thousand years pass and a portal to the Netherworld opens! Behold the terrifying manifestation of what the world will be!

"I see the fear in your eyes and you are wise to tremble. Descend; Earthbound Immortal Aslla Piscu!"

From the black heart pulsing above them emerged an enormous dark figure. Ascilla Piscu emerged, the largest manifestation of a hummingbird Jack had ever seen. It wailed shriekingly into the dark sky, spreading its black and orange wings.

Carly sneered. "This is but a taste of what the rest of the world has to look forward to. Now prepare to feel the wrath of the shadows!"

If that behemoth strikes me, I'm done for. Unless…

"I summon forth Battle Fader!" Jack quickly countered. "It can be summoned whenever I'm attacked directly, and thanks to its special ability, this round's battle phase ends and your attack is canceled."

(Battle Fader: Atk: 00 Def: 00)

The small clock-like monster swung its pendulum. Shock waves rang out that thoroughly ended the battle phase.

"Guess I'll just settle for a face down then! Your move, and it will be your last!"

"Well, get ready cuz you better believe I'm gonna use it to save you, Carly!"

/

Yusei came to slowly. His whole body felt fuzzy. Crammed with cotton and bruises. His tailbone ached. Must be where he landed.

Magenta mountains seemed to be what he stood on, but that didn't make any sense. Neither did the pitch-black sky. However, they seemed solid enough.

So did himself.

"I'm not…dead…am I?" Yusei's voice echoed in the odd space.

No answer.

Alone.

But that couldn't be right. Lise fell right next to him, but he couldn't see her anywhere.

White and black featureless figures emerged from the magenta floor. No longer alone, but the ghouls, for lack of better word, didn't all look friendly. The white ghouls reached for Yusei, grabbing at him. The black ghouls emitted a wailing noise almost like crying, palms open.

"Whoa, let go, grabby," Yusei wrenched his arm away from the nearest white ghouls.

More kept coming. Surrounding him in seconds. Their hands getting harder and harder to beat off.

Yusei's sign ignited. The many hands of the ghouls triggering a vision. Zero Reverse ripping through the city. All the rubble and the chasm itself, destroying hundreds of lives.

"You're the souls of the people killed by Zero Reverse!" Yusei's eyes swept wildly over the ghouls.

The white ghouls' fingers dug painfully into his skin. Their dark eyes slanted and mouths in sharp grimaces. The black ghouls tried to pull him closer. Their wails now sounding like they had long forgotten how to ask for help. Had no idea they were beyond help.

"I…I'm sorry!" Yusei couldn't move. There were too many hands trying to tear him apart. "I-I wish I could help you!"

Instead of acting comforted, both sets of ghouls wailed louder. Together they started to shove Yusei downwards.

His feet sinking into the magenta landscape.

/

Lise groaned as she came to. She'd landed hard on her side. She massaged the sore spot as she got up.

She was alone in a black and magenta colored landscape.

No Roman was good, but no Yusei was bad. No pieces of the bridge in sight either.

They must have fallen into the lake of light below after Roman knocked her out. But she wasn't expecting a place like this; empty, humid, and deathly quiet.

Her mind whirled with options. She couldn't stay here. Whether she was alive or dead, the Light was not going to be her final resting place.

Lise picked a direction and started walking. Rolled her sleeves up in the humidity. Maybe she could find Yusei, or an exit, if she kept walking.

The magenta hills were just that; hills. Endlessly. It felt like she'd been walking for hours, but that was probably because there wasn't anything to mark her progress. Assuming she had made any progress.

Lost in her thoughts, and wondering what else she could do, Lise didn't pay attention to her feet. Until something snagged her ankle and she tumbled back down to the magenta hills.

"Ow, what the fuck?!"

She hadn't tripped over a branch of some sort. It was a hand.

Several hands emerged, connected to black and white ghouls. They all reached for her.

Lise's dragon marks ignited. "Holy shit," she swore, scrambling away from their grip. She got to her feet, avoiding the ghouls crawling after her the best she could.

But the ghouls didn't seem to be thinning. More and more crowded around her. Hands trembling, palms open, or fingertips reaching for her glowing marks.

Lise hugged herself despite the humidity. Space shrinking quickly. She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed they wouldn't hurt her too badly. Maybe it would pass quickly if she just gave in, and stopped trying to run.

The first fingers gently touched her dragon seal. Zero Reverse coursed through Lise's mind. She gasped. It was first person perspective. These were souls murdered by Zero Reverse.

And they knew who she was.

They were asking her for help.

A sob clawed its way out of Lise's throat, halting strangely in her mouth. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She sank to the ground.

Hundreds of hands. Begging and pleading for help. Of all sizes.

The part that tore at her heart most? The child hands.

They thought she could save them all with her power. Her own father had murdered them, but all they wanted was help. They should have been furious, trying to kill her.

This was worse than any of their anger could have been. Lise was no savior, no hero. She hadn't even joined this fight for the right reasons.

The weight of their pleading, their faith in her, was too much.

Lise curled into a ball. Crying and sobbing for all these people her father had shoved aside, had decided their lives had no value. All because of a prophecy.

"I'm sorry," Lise shuddered through her tears. "I'm so sorry."

Hollow words for what was left of these souls.

/

No matter how hard he tried and struggled, the magenta mountains refused to bear his weight. Instead, they seemed to side completely with the ghouls. Allowing Yusei to slowly descend into their depths like quicksand.

The black ghouls had given up. White ghouls still gripping him punishingly tightly, forcing him further into the ground.

Well, Yusei thought grimly. He swallowed his rising panic. His head was about to go under. If I wasn't dead before, I will be soon.

Light filled the dark landscape, and the ghouls paused. Different from the reactor's light; this light refreshing and silvery. Like the starlight whenever Stardust Dragon came to the field.

Yusei squinted into the black sky.

"I'm afraid that one is innocent, lost souls, but I can understand the confusion," a new voice sighed. It seemed to be coming from the light in the sky. It chuckled wryly.

At the voice's words, the ghouls' hands came away. Both black and white ghouls vanished in smaller flashes of magenta light.

Yusei's body rose out of the magenta grounds. He almost collapsed in shock. He'd been more afraid than he realized.

He composed himself to squint back up into the light. Hand raised to shield his eyes better. This unexpected voice that had saved him.

"Not that I'm not grateful, but uh, who are you?"

The light lowered down to the mountains. It took on an humanoid shape, and dimmed its glow. "You mean you don't recognize me?" The voice sounded almost teasing.

Yusei lowered his hand. It fell limply at his side. His mouth dropped open.

"Dad?"

/

"There you are."

A voice broke through all the groaning ghouls. Somehow louder than all their voices combined.

Lise didn't dare move. If she was indeed dead, and this was meant to be her version of hell, she couldn't jinx it. Just hearing things in her state.

The ghouls' hands came away. In her limited field of vision, Lise could see their feet retreating.

Was this voice powerful enough to make them stop somehow? Or was it able to communicate with them when Lise couldn't?

"I told you when we were younger…"

Lise gasped, head jerking up. Her body rocked to the side uncomfortably. She'd been in that awkward position for who knows how long.

Bending down before her, hand outstretched, dark blue eyes alight, and his usual crooked smile on his face, was Yusei.

"You need to find a better hiding place for when you're upset."

Lise blinked up at him. She remembered that smile. He'd used it to cheer her up often, especially at the Reeducation Center.

But this wasn't the real Yusei. The gentle, silvery glow kinda gave it away.

Yet, Lise didn't feel…uneasy by this reflection of her friend. He'd chased the ghouls away with just his voice and presence after all. He didn't feel malicious. If anything, she felt more confused about what all this meant.

"Well, come on," Not Yusei chuckled. "We don't have all night."

"All night for what?" Lise rubbed her eyes with one hand. She took Not Yusei's hand with the other.

He pulled them both to their feet. "Come with me. There's someone who wants to see you."

"Someone…wants to see me?" Lise didn't understand. "Who?"

Not Yusei hadn't let go of her hand. Holding it firmly, but gently enough that she could pull away if she wanted to as well. He wasn't forcing her.

"You'll have to see for yourself."

Not Yusei stopped just as quickly as they had started off on their walk. He gestured further down the magenta hill. Another familiar figure waited just a short distance away.

"Is that… Ruka?" Lise thought she couldn't be surprised any more, but this night kept throwing curveballs.

"She'll take you further. This is as far as I can go," Not Yusei smiled, giving her knuckles a parting kiss for good measure. Their fingertips parting last as he held onto her for as long as he could.

Bewildered, Lise trekked down to Ruka. The tiny girl grinning. Pigtails bobbing. "Ready to keep going?"

Lise nodded woodenly. She allowed this reflection of Ruka to pull her along too.

Ruka handed her off to Rua's reflection. The young boy so energetic Lise had to pick up the pace to keep up.

Jack took her from Rua, who waved her off. His reflection insisting on taking her hand through his arm. Just like he had insisted on escorting Martha around the house when he was a kid. Said he had to practice being a prince before he became a proper king.

Lise laughed when it was the reflection of Crow's turn. He and Jack bickered for a minute about who knows what, but they kept going. Crow's arm around her shoulders like the old friend he was. He told her he won his Dark Signer duel, and he knew she'd won too.

Fish's reflection took Lise further like her usual brisk self. Talking a mile a minute about everything and nothing. Adjusting her hat like a ship's captain hell bent on winning a boat race.

Until Fish passed her over to Aki, Lise didn't realize she'd started crying again. The reflection of Aki kindly pretended not to notice. Excitedly making plans after they saved the world to hang out together. Like old times.

"Where…where are you all taking me?" Lise finally had the strength to ask in a whisper.

Even if it was hell, this chain of her loved ones… seeing them again… What did it all mean?

A reflection of Martha had relieved Aki of escort duties. "To meet your family." Martha said serenely.

"My family?" That set Lise's teeth on edge. Her father was not her family. Had she been stupid? Was this all just a trick?

"Yes. I am the last on this leg of your journey." Martha stopped. She addressed someone Lise couldn't see. "She's here."

Martha's reflection faded, but Lise didn't notice.

She stumbled. Fresh tears once again dripping down her cheeks. Fist knotted around her jacket and shirt at her chest.

"Mom?"

The woman spread her hands and arms wide. "Hello, my little Lizzie."