Chapter Eighteen - The Tip of the Sword
He hasn't learned anything. He's been sulking and pushing everyone away when all they want to do is help. It's frustrating - almost to the point of pain - to watch how he treats the Shadow Dragon. How blind can he be? How can he not see the being - which he's dismissively named Curse of Dragon - only wants to help? Only wants to serve? How can he do this yet again, when it ended so disastrously the last time he pushed a faithful heart away? If not for the Hero, despair would reign supreme in his life. Why must the Lord of Blood and Shadows always be so stubborn? Why must he always be so difficult? And, all the powers that be, why must I care so much after all I've been through? But, I do. So help me, I do. His despair makes him inattentive. By wallowing in sadness, he's trapped me. It's been beyond frustrating to be able to witness, but be unable to move, or speak, or help. But now, I think I can finally act.
"YAMI!" Yugi shouted in desperation. Horrified, and unable to turn his gaze away, Yugi watched as the barbed spikes passed unheeded through the dome of Shades. The Lord of Shadows turned to look at him with an expression completely at odds with the situation unfolding around him, gentle, peaceful, and serene shimmering deep within his crimson eyes. Yami's eyes widened, and he looked down at his feet where his shadow, shackled to his ankles, stretched between him and where the Chaos Dragon continued to float in the sky.
A sharp point grew from the center of his shadow, to be flanked by two shorter points on either side. As they swiftly rose up, their bases merged into one. Yugi realized three things. These merged points bore a striking resemblance to the tip of a sword. This sword blade glowed a soft green. And, as it continued to rise from Yami's shadow revealing more and more of the being who held it, he knew the hilt would be held by an unexpected, familiar, and highly welcome hand.
"Purple Knight!"
Each and every lethal dragon barb aimed at the helpless Lord of Shadows was met by the edge of the glowing green blade, and not a single one found its mark.
"My lord, forgive me that it took me so long to make my presence known to you," the Purple Knight bowed slightly at the waist, but continued to watch the unpredictable Lord Dragon of Blackness and Chaos with an unwavering gaze.
"Blast you!" the Chaos Dragon screamed. "I am only permitted one retaliation attempt per direct unprovoked attack on my person by a Kindly Lord - and you ruined it!" The dragon seemed to gather his composure. "Very well. It would have been easier, but I will follow the thread of fate through the harder way if I must."
The Purple Knight ignored the raving Dragon Lord, gathered some innate magic in his hand, and ran his palm down the length of his blade. Charged with this power, the blade glowed fiercely. The Purple Knight held it up, and a brilliant discharge of energy tore the dome of Shades apart. Yami's Shadows completely surrounded their lord and his knight in the span of a single heartbeat. With the return of the Shadow Lord's power, Shelleene, Kisara, and Bryce, the Shadow Guardians within Yugi's, Seto's, and Joey's blood, manifested at the Shadow Lord's thought. They made short work of the Knaves seeking to hold them back. Yami's Shadows, Seto's Dragons, and Joey's Warriors secured a safe path back to Lord Yami's side.
"Very well. I am driven off - this time." The Lord Dragon turned his attention toward Yugi again. "Just remember, Hero, it's all fun and games until someone loses an eye. To have the power to defeat me, the power of legend, you must know true despair and heartache. I would wish for sweet dreams for you this evening - but I suspect they will be anything but pleasant. Until we meet again - which we most assuredly will - fare well!"
The lost and lonely howling of the tortured clouds merged with the din of rage from the ground forces of the Lord Dragon of Blackness and Chaos. After a long moment of sonic torment, the noise stopped, as abruptly as it started. The sky cleared of the dark forces just as abruptly, though it was touched with the dusky beginnings of twilight. Yami turned to look at his companions after this dramatic turn of events, and was almost knocked over as Yugi rushed past him to throw a hug around the Purple Knight's chest.
"You are okay! You are back! We missed you! What happened? How did you...?" Yugi babbled incoherently. "You were magnificent protecting Yami like that! What's going on?" Yugi squeezed a bit harder, then stepped back. "You're shorter than you were before, aren't you? I used to only come up to your waist!"
The Purple Knight smiled a bit uncertainly and blinked at the barrage of questions.
"Yugi!" Yami laughed, and pulled the Hero away from his Guardian Knight. "Give him a minute. I'm sure he will explain everything."
"Of course, my lord. But, would it not be better for you lords to see to your forces first? Though the enemy has retreated, for now, it would be wise to post guards and establish watches. Night begins to fall upon us. Also, there are those who were wounded in the battle. They need to be tended to first," the Purple Knight suggested.
Yami nodded. Seto and Joey, though as curious as anyone else, immediately turned to assess how their Dragons and Warriors fared in the battle. Everon started mustering Yami's Shadows to establish the guard perimeters and take the first watches, as they had been absent during the fiercest of the fighting and therefore had no casualties.
"I will wait until everything is settled, but it is good to be by your side once more, my lord. Still, my ability to remain manifest now that the danger has passed wanes. Once the camp has been established, please summon me again."
"Summon? How do I...?" Lord Yami began.
For an answer, the Purple Knight smiled, even as the details of his face and armor softened. The color leeched rapidly from his form, as did its solidity, and sank toward the ground. The sequence looked tragically familiar, causing both Yami and Yugi a moment of panic before they noticed the shadow that the Purple Knight had become remained cohesive and moved with purpose to merge into the shadow Lord Yami cast upon the ground.
"Of course!" Yugi exclaimed. "I should have realized! Joey's Red Knight became the soul of his sword, because he's the Lord of Warriors. Seto's White Knight is the soul of his mightiest dragon because he's the Lord of Dragons, and the Purple Knight as you are the Lord of Shadows - he's become the soul of your shadow."
"He is - part of my shadow?" Yami asked in a wondering tone.
"It makes sense!" Yugi insisted.
Yami nodded. "Yes, it does. But I don't deserve..."
"Yami! It has nothing to do with deserving or not - it's just - magic." Yugi shrugged his shoulders. "It's how it works. I should have been able to figure it out, that he wasn't really gone. It's like a magical puzzle." Yugi's face clouded at his words.
"Don't worry about it." Yami was quick to reassure. "No one really could have known, so there's no way anyone holds you responsible. If anything, I'm to blame for not realizing how my own magic would affect things."
"That's not it..." Yugi looked up, a slightly lost expression on his face. "I had some deeper thought, but I lost it."
About an hour later, with the three lords' forces settled for the night, and a central camp complete with shadow-wrought tents established, Yami looked down toward where his shadow flickered against the ground in the firelight. He closed his eyes, and concentrated. The Purple Knight rose up from his shadow as before, opened his eyes almost as if waking up, and smiled.
"I knew you would be quick to understand, my lord."
"Actually, I didn't. Not really. It was Yugi. He realized it first - that you are now the soul of my shadow."
"That is a good way to put it as I am not quite your Guardian Knight as I was before."
"You," Yugi blinked as the Purple Knight turned to regard him. "You don't look the same as you did before. Well, you do, but not before before, if that makes any sense."
The Purple Knight looked down and regarded his hands. "You are right. I don't know how, it is most unexpected, but for some reason, though I am now part of my lord's shadow, I appear to be alive, truly alive, once more."
"That's why you are shorter and look more human," Joey said. The Purple Knight appeared the way he did just before the sacrifice to free the Shadow Dragon. Yami had brought his full power to bear on his friend to give him 'the semblance of humanity once more' moments before the sacrifice. The Purple Knight now resembled that more human aspect - far less fearsomely huge and wearing an open-faced helmet that revealed his features.
"If my friend must dwell in my shadow, and I am the Lord of Shadows, there is no reason why he cannot enjoy being alive whenever he is roaming free from my shadow." Yami's unconcerned answer bore an oddly reassuring arrogance. "How long can you remain here - uhm, that is outside of my shadow?" he asked the Purple Knight.
"I don't know. This is as new to me as it is to you. I don't feel tired and hollow, like I did right after the Lord Dragon of Blackness and Chaos left. I'm not sure why."
"While we were setting up camp, I concentrated on imagining that I was creating a connection to the Well of Shadows on the one hand," Yami lifted his left hand and closed it as if grasping something. "and a connection to you on the other." Yami repeated the action, this time with his right hand extending it toward the Purple Knight. "Then, when I summoned you from my shadow, I mentally tied those two threads together," Yami mimed the action of tying a knot in front of him. "so that you can remain manifest for a long time - I hope, as long as you want. Otherwise, I have the feeling that you are only able to remain here for a brief time when I summon you consciously, or appear whenever I am directly attacked. Am I right?"
"I believe so. Your magical connections are quite ingenious, my lord, and they seem to be effective as well."
"Not to mention it is easier to have you available, and clearly visible, at most times, instead of having you appear unexpectedly in the midst of battle," Lord Seto observed.
"There is that."
"Well, not to be rude or anything, but some of us were involved in a pretty fierce fight, and I'm exhausted!" Lord Joey didn't even try to hide it when his mouth opened wide in a jaw-cracking yawn. "It's great having you back and all, and maybe now ol' gloom and doom will actually crack a smile once in a while, but I'm all for gettin' some sleep."
Yugi nodded while trying to stifle a yawn of his own.
"You forgot to craft a doorway in my room," Lord Seto rounded on Lord Yami. "How can I respond to my Dragons during the night in a timely manner if I have to wander around in this, this..."
"...very cool shadow pavilion," Lord Joey supplied.
"Yes, I admit it is cool, but I still need a door to the outside!"
"Yeah, I wouldn't mind having an easy way to get to my Warriors' side if needed myself," Joey admitted. "Yami? Could you...?"
Yami theatrically rolled his eyes, heaved a hugely put-upon sigh, and winked at Yugi. "Looks like I have to deal with these two lords' suspect taste in interior design. You don't have any complaints about your room, do you?" Yugi shook his head, and smiled. "Good! Nice to know someone appreciates my work. Have a good night, Yugi." The three lords, in a low rumble of mostly teasing squabbling, left the large central room.
Despite his relief and joy at the return of the Purple Knight, a knot of worry twisted in the back of Yugi's mind. What had the Lord Dragon of Blackness and Chaos said? Oh, yes, something about true heartache and legends. He grasped the Pendant of Pharaoh and wondered if he would ever be free of its hold on him that brought so many mystical dreams, dire portents, and the bonds of destiny.
"Fret not, Hero. Only the last coils of fate remain," the Purple Knight told him.
"Do you know what is going on - what I have to do?" Yugi asked.
"No, not exactly. I can merely sense that the power of your heart is nearly a match for the power of the Dragon Lord. It falls to us to protect you until your power outshines his." The Purple Knight smiled at the utterly confused, and very weary, expression on Yugi's face. "For now, you should leave off worrying and get some sleep."
"And dream, no doubt," Yugi replied sourly.
"Probably. But, the only way out..."
"...is through. I know." Yugi stared at the ground for a long moment, then sighed, and looked up. "Good night, Purple Knight. I am so glad you are back!"
Despite his apprehension, Yugi's exhaustion carried him straight to sleep where he dreamed of red, blue-white, and black-shot purple globes of energy. After a mighty flash of light and power, each globe split apart. In the wake of the photonic event, he recognized three groups. The Red Knight, the Red-Eyes Black Dragon, and the floating Flameblade were arranged in a circle around Lord Joey. Likewise the White Knight, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, and the Frostblade surrounded Lord Seto, and the Purple Knight, Curse of Dragon, and the Gloomblade encircled Lord Yami. Finally each group surrounded the Pendant of Pharaoh, which floated serenely at a point equally distant among them.
You must release us.
What? Yugi's dreaming self somehow responded in a voiceless way. Some alien force leaned on him.
It has been eons since we have been whole, a different voice stated, ignoring Yugi's question. The pressure on Yugi's mind increased.
Who is talking?
This fractured existence must end.
What do you mean? Yugi was getting impatient at being ignored by these voices that somehow leaned on him with increasingly uncomfortable pressure.
It is finally time for the Legends to rise once more.
What Legends? I don't understand. Yugi's mind struggled against the hold sleep, and this dream, cast upon him.
The truth must be released.
Yes, the truth. Another unknown voice joined the other two. Yugi somehow sensed a cold power in the soundless voice. The pressure on him had increased to the point he couldn't seem to respond. Relegated to a completely passive role in this dream, Yugi wanted to seethe, but couldn't even manage that in the face of the overwhelming power swirling around him in this dream-scape.
It is time for the disguises to fall away, and for true power to be released.
Only the young one can do it.
Is he strong enough?
If he wishes to save all from Chaos - he must be.
Free us!
Release us!
Let the Legends reign supreme again!
The three distinct entities, unified in their single purpose, deliberately leaned down on Yugi with the most awful pressure, as if trying to instill their command deep in Yugi's mind.
To combat Chaos...
Release...
Legends...
Three...
"How? How do I release you?" Yugi fretted as he woke and sat upright in bed. A gentle touch on his shoulder anchored him. "Oh, that was bad!"
Arms closed around him, offering mute comfort. Yugi leaned into the strength and wished with all his heart that the Purple Knight were able to protect him from the dreams as easily as he protected Lord Yami from Chaos's minions.
"Do you want to talk about your dream?"
Yugi shook his head, somehow sensing the shadow-knight could see his gesture despite the darkness. "No, not now. The morning will be soon enough. No worries, I'm not about to forget!"
"I harbored no concern on that score, Hero," the Purple Knight told him. "Rest." Yugi found himself gently encouraged to lie flat in his bed. "Yami's room is next to yours, and I am guarding the corridor leading to both rooms. Now that the dream has passed, nothing else should trouble you this night."
"Thank you." Reassured by the Purple Knight's words, Yugi found that sleep was indeed lapping at the edges of his mind. "I wonder... who would know... about the... Legends..." So drowsy was Yugi that he barely noted that the Purple Knight's hand rested briefly upon the Heartstone. A single pulse spread from the stone across his chest leaving an odd sort of comforting warmth in its wake. He didn't resist as the pulse of warmth carried his mind into a dreamless sleep.
The Purple Knight closed the door carefully behind himself. "The Legends, hmm? Are we up to that point this soon? And I so newly returned. I only hope he is ready - and that the other will take up my duty of offering our Hero comfort when he needs it..."
Author's note
Hopefully the return of the Purple Knight was worth the wait. He appears so humble and unassuming, but he seems to have a distinct penchant for drama.
Next chapter teaser - Walking with Legends