Koros45 does not own Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's or Yu-Gi-Oh! ZeXal. If Koros 45 did, then there would probably be no GX, 5D's, or ZeXal; but if Koros45 realized that card games on motorcycles was just a stupid joke that was funny maybe the first time that caused old school fans to instantly label the entire show as bad just due to one particular concept, 5D's might still exist.
How the heck did I manage to put a rant into my disclaimer?
Ok, fine, here's your epilogue. Enjoy.
Kindred Spirits
Epilogue
He travelled through the void, Stardust's form carrying him through a tunnel of sorts. Yusei held tight to the dragon's back, used to the seat of his D-wheel rather than the back of a dragon. They had traveled for several minutes, and Yusei saw what could only be momentum's light up ahead.
The Signer was tired. The duel with Atem took everything he had. As the pair got closer, Yusei's body felt sore; the wounds Rudger inflicted throbbed with pain. A tingling sensation overcame the man, and Yusei felt Stardust's form vanish beneath him. He had arrived.
=(0)=
The palace was red with torchlight during the night. Atem had called Mahado, and the priests to brief him. Upon his stone throne, Atem listened grimly to their words.
Seto was the first to speak.
"Since we first arrived to this place, we found that something was wrong. People vanish for no reason. We thought it was due to lack of motivation, but there's something else to it."
"Can you explain it to me?"
"While your soul was found on Earth by the later world, we were fighting against an invisible enemy; one that takes the tired souls."
Karim spoke after Seto finished.
"We still aren't sure if this is a natural occurrence or not; few vanish, and in random intervals. Whenever it happens, my Millennium Scale responds, but not fast enough to prevent it from happening."
Isis spoke next.
"Regardless, we've got other problems as well. The Millennium Items have returned, and the tablet with them."
"So you're saying someone might target them again?"
Mahado spoke next.
"It's true. We kept the items with the remaining priests, and after Ahkanaden left us, we hid the Eye. The tablet is buried deep beneath the courtyard. If someone wished to claim all of the items, they'd have to fight off the priests, the Pharaoh, and several layers of rock. Not to mention all of the protective spells Mana placed on it over the years."
"Why didn't you tell me when I arrived?" Atem's tone was both angry and hurt.
Seto spoke up.
"Forgive us Pharaoh; Yusei's arrival was completely unexpected. In addition, we didn't want to tell you this while an outsider was present."
Atem turned to Mahado
"You told me that wasn't the case."
"It wasn't. Yusei was kept away from the palace for most of his stay, and we could have told you then. Seto is right to be cautious though. A man with the power to defeat Kisara, myself, and your three Gods shouldn't be given such knowledge lightly."
"Although I'm still upset about this, I understand your reasons for secrecy. I also think you kept the situation well under control. Thank you for managing everything while I've been gone."
The Pharaoh sighed.
"Is there anything else I need to know?"
Mana spoke up.
"The Millennium Ring, It's still tainted. I can't detect Zorc in there at all, but I keep getting nightmares. I didn't think it was a big deal at first, but they've gotten stronger since you arrived here."
Mahado turned to her.
"This could merely be an affliction to the mind." He turned to the rest of the group. "I propose we use the Millennium Scale to weigh the Ring. We can see if there's any unnatural darkness inside of it."
One by one, Atem and the rest of the priests nodded. Mana placed the ring on the golden scales while Karim concentrated. Thirty seconds passed.
"There's nothing in there. It's empty."
"Oh." Mana was embarrassed.
"Regardless, please use caution with such an item. I give you permission to seal it away if these nightmares persist."
"Thank you, Pharaoh."
"Well, you all have things to be doing! You are all dismissed!"
As they all bowed, Atem was frustrated at the gnawing familiarity of the current situation.
=(0)=
"Yusei! Yusei!"
The Signer opened his eyes. He was lying down on a hard surface. Above him were the concerned faces of Crow, Ruka, Rua, and Ushio. He sat up and the twins both embraced him. He squeezed back half heartedly. There was something wrong.
He tried to recall it, but as he did, his birthmark glowed and then vanished.
"Jack needs our strength."
A few minutes later, the marks returned.
Yusei remembered his father, but there was something beyond even that. A smiling face of a man with violet eyes and three colors of hair, a hidden city that lay beyond death itself, and … Yusei checked his deck. There were all of his cards, but they were out of order. He never even used half of them against Rudger, but nevertheless they looked like they had been through an intense duel. Yusei checked them one by one.
"Scrubbed Raid, Nitro Warrior, and Stardust Dragon/Assault mode all in the graveyard? I must have fought one powerful duelist."
Despite this, Yusei dismissed it as a dream. If Yusei's deck needed to be re-arranged for his father to save him, Yusei wouldn't complain. He glanced down at the card on bottom of the deck. It had been flipped so that the card back was facing towards him. Smiling, Yusei was about to add the card, Sonic Chick, back into his now-shuffled deck. That's when it hit him. There was a card stuck to the back of Sonic Chick.
Puzzled, he pulled the two cards apart and found himself looking at a card he had never heard of.
++=(0)=++
One week later
The Dark Signers had fallen. The city had been saved. While the Signers all recovered from the ordeal, and while the citizens of Satellite and Neo Domino City worked on repairing the Dedalus Bridge, all was not well.
The Earthbound Gods raged against their prisons. It had taken thousands of years to free themselves from the Nazca Lines, but now they were re captured and powerless. Certain people were using that to their advantage.
Deep within the Earth, three people waited. All were cloaked and had been waiting for this moment for years.
"So the jailers have finally been imprisoned themselves, have they?"
"So it would seem. The seven Immortals' influence over the neither world has waned."
"Then the time is now."
One of the figures pulled back the hood of his cloak. His hair was long, white, and frayed. His dark eyes narrowed.
"Time for a reunion with our dear Pharaoh Atem!"
His laughter echoed throughout the dark chambers of the abyss.