Chapter Twenty Three – Legendary Hero

The Point gleamed, the light glinting off of its pristine sides in flashes of gold. It was perfect, no sign of damage sullying its shape. It floated in the sky with a serene disregard for the impossibility of what it was doing. It hovered, hundreds of feet above the pool of the Water Sage's home, unsupported by any visible force. It still existed, even past its destruction, at least in this magical representation. Yugi stared at the impossibility of it, and something teased against the edges of his memory. He had never seen the Point like this before, and yet, there was something so familiar about it that he nearly staggered.

"Why is it upside down?" he asked. "It looks like a giant version of the Pendant of Pharaoh."

"It is only a magical reflection of the real place, which has been destroyed," the Water Sage told him. "Look."

At the mystic's gesture, Yugi looked into the pool. The Water Sage's shell-shaped home was gone. In the water, scintillating with the magic of its ethereal substance, the Point, right side up glittered at him.

"There was enough magic stored in my home to anchor and balance the forces of Shadow, Ice, and Fire here and project it into the sky. The Dread Lord may have destroyed the physical Point and the Pendant that controlled it, but this mystic one will serve us now."

"But, your home..." Yugi protested faintly.

"This is the end time, Hero. If you do not confront the Lord Dragon of Blackness and Chaos here, and defeat him, he will never be stopped. My home is the smallest price that must be paid to ensure you have the power to face him."

Yugi stared at the Water Sage at that. "'The smallest price'? I don't like the sound of that. What else is there...?"

Timaeus abruptly appeared next to them, shadow-walking right into the conversation. Critias and Hermos approached, to hear what the Lord of Shadows had to report. "He comes. A massive Chaos Storm is flowing across all the lands. It will be here in mere moments."

"We've run out of time. Rather, it is the time destined from eons ago. We must now put everything into the Hero's hands, and trust our futures to him," the Water Sage said.

"Yeah. We'd hoped it wouldn't come to this." Hermos shook his head. "If only there'd been more time... He wouldn't have to bear it all himself." Hermos clapped Yugi on the shoulder. "Go get 'im. I know you can do it, Yugi!"

He walked several paces away and assumed his gigantic red dragon form. "Are you ready, Sage?" The Water Sage nodded, folded his hands together, then pulled them apart to show flames dancing between them. He turned his hands outward, then lifted them to aim at the upside down Point hanging in the sky. A red beam, similar to the one that had shot into the Firelands from the physical Point before, flared and touched the mystic Point hanging in the sky. Fire surrounded it, and when the flames cleared the Point had changed.

"That's Joey's castle!" Yugi exclaimed. It did look exactly like the Warrior Stronghold, surrounded by flickering flames.

"Here I go! Hero, use what I give you to defeat the Dread Lord!" Hermos sprang into the air and flew up to the castle, passing through what seemed to be a multicolored heat shimmer. As the dragon reached the Warrior Stronghold a massive flare of red stained across the sky. Through eyes stinging from the flash of light, Yugi noticed that the upside down Point had returned. Of Hermos there was no sign. Yugi realized the Point was now turning, and one of the three sides gleamed in tones of fire. When that side faced him directly, another beam of red light shot out, directly at him.

Before Critias or Timaeus could react, the beam reached him. Yugi threw up one arm defensively. The red light stopped at his arm. For a timeless moment, Yugi was connected to the Point by that beam of red light, then it solidified on his arm.

"Behold the Fire Shield of Warriors!" The Water Sage exclaimed.

"Wha-What?!" Yugi stammered.

"The fullest expression of the power of the True Lord Hermos, his mastery over Fire, and the stalwart heart of his Warriors, combined into a Legendary Relic that only the Hero may wield. We had hoped it wouldn't come to this desperate pass," Critias explained. "It is my turn to give up everything so that you may directly use my power."

As Critias finished speaking he too assumed his massive dragon aspect. He nodded gravely toward the remaining True Lord, the Hero, and the Sage. The Water Sage repeated his mystic gesture, though this time shifting, shimmering ice appeared between his hands. The beam he shot toward the Point was a blue-white sheen of power. At its touch, the Point was encased in ice, which immediately shattered apart to reveal the Dragon Lord's Aerie. Critias roared a challenge as he lifted on his mighty blue wings and charged at the castle.

Yugi involuntarily closed his eyes at the burst of blue-white energy. The Point, still upside down, reappeared in the sky, turning even faster than before. Yugi expected one side to reflect the color of the Lord of Ice and Dragons, and managed to remain still as the beam of energy shot at him from the icy-blue toned side. He reached forward, into the heart of the energy that seemed to wait, a trifle impatiently, for him to do just that. The energy coalesced in his hand, taking on the form of a massive sword.

"The Ice Sword of Dragons?" Yugi asked bemusedly.

"Indeed. All the power of Ice, and the proud hearts of the mightiest Dragons solidified into the weapon of the Hero," Timaeus agreed. "Critias places it all in your hands. Wield it well, Hero."

Yugi shook his head. "This isn't right. Why...?"

"It is the only way our powers can be combined. It is only by sacrificing our very selves that we can truly give our power to another. And, it had to be to one that each of us trusts completely to use that power for the benefit of all. You, Yugi."

"But...!"

"There is no time. The Chaos Storm is here." Timaeus pointed toward the horizon where acid green and violet flashes of lightning, and the peculiar indigo clouds heralded the approach of the Lord of Blackness and Chaos. He placed his hands on Yugi's shoulders and turned the shorter man to face him. "There is no other I trust as I do you, Yugi. You have the strength and will soon have all of my power at your command to face him. There is no one more worthy than you for me to entrust my power to, and no one more worthy than you to save us all," he told Yugi earnestly. "This isn't good-bye, Yugi." Timaeus shot him the confident, slightly lopsided grin that reminded Yugi so much of Yami. "Beat that dragon's ass once and for all and you'll know what I mean."

Timaeus brought Yugi fully into his arms for an abrupt hug before releasing him, stepping back, and assuming his imposing teal dragon shape. The Water Sage's mystic gestures seems hasty this time, as the darkness of the impending Chaos Storm, and the mad gibber of the tormented souls whipped up around them. The dark beam surrounded by a spiral of purple that he aimed at the Point flared with the pure darkness of Shadow. Yugi wasn't surprised to see how the Citadel of Shadows emerged from the massive Shadow that covered it. Timaeus turned on a wingtip before passing through the mystic margin to gaze at Yugi one final time. While still moving backward, the dragon nodded toward him gravely, then turned and dove into the dark illusion of his own castle.

The darkened flash as the last of the True Lords sacrificed his power still caused Yugi to close his eyes. When he opened them again, the upside down mystic Point, spinning even faster, presented the final side, hued in shadows of purple and gold. The energy beam flared, but didn't stop in front of Yugi as the other two had. This one seemed to shoot right through him, though no sensation accompanied it. Yugi watched with a strange frisson skittering across his spine, as the dark beam entered his chest right over his heart. After the beam ended, Yugi felt the slightest compression along his arms and back. It eerily mirrored the quick hug Timaeus had given him only a moment before.

"The Blood Cloak of Shadows," the Water Sage said as he smiled sadly. "Interesting how the most powerful lord presents the fullness of his power in the gentlest of forms."

Yugi crossed his arms to grasp the opposite edge of each side of the Cloak in each hand and lift it to take a closer look. "I'm relieved it isn't actually made of blood," he said. There was a sense of comfort in the feel of the cloak, the same comfort Yugi had always felt from the various Shadows that protected him along his journey.

"Everything is in your hands," the Water Sage told him. "All Warriors, all Dragons, and all Shadows have given their all, along with their Lords, to grant you the power to confront Chaos, Hero. You are now the most powerful force this world can produce to face him."

"You mean that all Warriors, Dragons, and Shadows – are gone?" Yugi felt a spurt of pure horror even as he voiced the thought.

"Dis-incorporated is more like it. Their various life forces are yours to command in the three Legendary Relics you now possess."

"How do I use them? I don't know..."

"Now is not the time for doubt, Hero! Everyone has placed their trust in you. Here comes the Lord Dragon of Blackness and Chaos now."

The Chaos Storm whirled all around them. The Water Sage inscribed a circle in the air and an area of calm sprang up around where he floated, an area big enough to include Yugi. The enormous Lord Dragon landed in front of them. He glared at them both before he reared up on his hind legs, let out a thunderous roar and stretched up toward the sky. Energy flared in multi-color spikes off of the dragon's form as he stretched to his full length, then beyond. The roar morphed into a sound halfway between a shout of defiance and a bellow of pain before the energy that had been flowing out suddenly reversed, as if being pulled back into the dragon. He quickly became too bright to look at, glowing with power.

When the glow subsided, and Yugi could open his eyes once more, there was no sign of the Lord Dragon of Blackness and Chaos. That's not to say that he was once again alone with the Water Sage. A tall man stood before them in the same place the dragon had been. He was stretched to his fullest height, with his hands spread above his tossed-back head. Tension ran through the taut lines of his form. The man lowered his hands, grasped a glowing staff that appeared in the air in front of him, lowered his chin, and opened his eyes.

The red of the man's eyes glowed oddly against the yellow of his sclera, and jarred in an unsettling manner against the deep azure tone of his skin. He smiled toward Yugi and the Water Sage. Yugi thought it wasn't a particularly nice smile.

"You've interfered in my plans for the last time, mystic," the newcomer said. "You should not have been able to consolidate his power without the Point. I am most displeased."

"Pleasing you has never been a priority of mine," the Water Sage replied evenly.

"That is so. And that will be your undoing." He raised his banded staff in his right hand, leveled it at the Water Sage's chest, and shot a blast directly at him. The Water Sage crossed his arms defensively against the magic and withstood the attack. He opened his arms with a snap, dissipating the destructive strike harmlessly. "Fall! You must," his attacker said.

"Never. You know I have the power to resist you."

"True, but to what purpose? Our destructive potential is the same. But, consider this: I still wield the power of a pure and potent darkness, while your power is admixed with the nature of water. My force of unadulterated darkness is the stronger."

The Water Sage growled in reply.

The newcomer laughed. "As you wish, of course. I know you. Eventually, the urge to go on the attack will win and your defensive posture will falter. Then you will see the truth of what I claim. Also consider that it will all be for naught unless I confront yon Hero over there."

The Water Sage shook his head. "Not alone. That was never the plan..."

"Alone. Or not at all."

"We never intended..."

"You might not have. I have been working toward this end from the start."

The Water Sage narrowed his eyes at his foe. He shook his head. "This was a mistake. To permit you to..."

"Not a mistake. It is the way it must be. I will see this plan through to the end – the true end that you are too soft to willingly permit. The choice is yours, Water Sage. Strive, if you must, against me now, and submit to what must happen, or take the alternate route realizing that you will earn his distrust and disdain – and perhaps lose the regard of the other one as well."

The Water Sage growled low in his throat, shaking his head as if in some sort of agony. "I was so mistaken... I never should have permitted you this freedom... How could I have been so blind!" A green jeweled staff appeared in the air next to his right hand. The newcomer smirked. Growling even deeper the Water Sage grasped the staff, aimed it, and shot a beam at his taunting foe. The man mirrored his actions and returned magical fire. The energy shot through the Water Sage's beam dissipating it harmless around its target, while piercing through and seeking the center of the mystic's chest. A massive hole appeared and the Water Sage went down.

"NO!" Yugi dashed over to the Water Sage and dropped his sword quickly enough to catch the stricken mystic's head and shoulders in his arms and prevent him from crashing all the way to the ground. "Water Sage, not you, too!"

"Heart struck – the only way to defeat me," the Water Sage muttered.

"No!" Yugi shouted again, only slightly more softly.

"I fear – it is so – Hero." The Water Sage paused and grimaced in pain. Yugi was horrified to notice how the Water Sage's features began to melt and flow. He realized that the Sage was turning into water in his arms. "You alone – have the power – to defeat him."

"He's killed you! How can I hope to...?"

The Water Sage weakly reached up and rested his hand on Yugi's chest. "You will – prevail. Power – of the – heart... It's your – power – Yugi..."

The Water Sage lost all cohesion, turning into water as he breathed his last. Yugi watched as that water flowed to the ground and splashed into the pool. The massive illusion of the Point floating overhead disappeared, not in a sudden flash, but with the inevitable gentleness of morning mist when struck by sunlight. The loss washed over Yugi, sorrow, fury, and horror lacing together in his soul. He was alone now, truly alone. Knights, Dragons, Lords, Swords, his first friends on this adventure, Vialla and Celedor, and now the Water Sage – there were none to stand by his side as he faced this most dreadful foe directly. He suspected he knew exactly who this man was, and what he, the Hero, had to do. He reached down blindly, his hand unerringly finding the hilt of the Ice Sword of Dragons. As he stood up, he realized that despite holding the Water Sage as he died, and witnessing how that august personage dissolved into water, his clothes weren't the least bit damp. The mystic had been considerate to the last. Somehow that tiny fact solidified Yugi's resolve.

"Oh, have you finished mourning already? You can take more time, if you wish, Hero. I can wait."

"The waiting is over," Yugi told him in a low tone of voice.

"Is it? Good." The newcomer looked around. "Interesting things happened here. Powerful magic has been released, then contained once more. Do you like?" The tall man who only a few moments before had seemed to be the Lord Dragon of Blackness and Chaos threw his arms out wide and turned completely around. "But your thoughts are misleading you. I do not merely seem to be the Lord Dragon of Blackness and Chaos, I am he. Rather, that is the form I was forced to wear until this – the time of our destined, final meeting, Hero."

His mouth falling open at evidently having his thoughts read so accurately by this new-seeming enemy, Yugi had to look up to see into the man's face. Though the dusky blue skin, oddly hued red and yellow eyes, and assured, smirking smile were new, Yugi still felt as if there was much of the Chaos Dragon about this man. The extravagantly curving horns on the helmet surely had something to do with that, along with the muddy red and indigo-toned leather and buckle armor that reminded him strongly of the banded scales of the Lord Dragon he had been before.

"I'm not surprised you didn't recognize me right away, Hero. I have been prevented from achieving the fullness of my power for eons." He stretched his arms out again, and breathed deep. "Being a dragon was fun, for the first few decades or so, but it feels so good to once again wear the shape of a man!" The Lord of Blackness and Chaos winked at him. "It seems those three foolish lords had to regain all their power, then lose their shape entirely in order for me to regain mine. There's a balanced symmetry to it all, don't you think? So, my befuddled Hero, shall we then?"

"Wha-what?"

"Come now, Hero." The Lord of Blackness and Chaos smirked even deeper at him. "This is how it should be. All the twists and turns of destiny have been fulfilled and we are now down to just us two – me, restored to my true form, power, and glory, and you enhanced – well, as much as you can be, by the special Legendary Relics crafted of the very bonds of friendship you formed with those you adventured with. Well, that's the nice way to put it. One could say that your Legendary Relics were formed of the witless remains of the fools who believed in you, but that would be gauche. We must have our final confrontation, Hero, in order to determine who the winner is. Will it be you, the Hero who believes in the power of his friends, or moi, the capricious once dragon-shaped Dread Lord of Blackness and Chaos? Will light and peace flow over the land at my defeat," Mocking nearly dripped from his tone. "or will I be free to spread darkness and chaos as I please once I crush your final, pathetic resistance? The time for our conflict is now!"

Yugi dropped the smirking gaze of the Lord of Blackness and Chaos. He felt woefully outmatched by his foe. He had never wanted to be the Hero. There were times he had doubted he was the Hero. But, images flowed across his mind showing him in a quick flash all that he had accomplished. The Kindly Lords had tested him, and found him worthy. In turn, he had somehow been drawn to find and claim each of the Kindly Lord's elemental Swords. Using those Swords, and the Pendant that had accepted only him, he had released the Dragons, and ultimately, revived the Legends. They had slowed Chaos and thwarted his efforts. He might still not quite believe he was the Hero, but events had conspired to place him in the role. Through the power and in the name of his friends, and all who had placed their trust in him, Yugi would fight. On his own he might not be the Hero, but he wasn't on his own. His friends might not be by his side, but they'd given him the power to fight: more, they had given him their trust. He would focus on that trust, and all the friends he held in high regard in his heart, and fight until the Lord of Blackness and Chaos surrendered – or managed to tear him apart.

Yugi looked up, seeking the gaze of his enemy, hoping his own gaze would hold firm and show the resolve in his heart. The Lord of Blackness and Chaos smiled gently at him, and nodded, as if in approval. His tone was soft and respectful as he addressed Yugi. "Despite everything, even knowing that the power I hold far outstrips yours, you would still vie against me? I knew you had it in you, Yugi. Others might doubt, but I have always known the strength of your spirit. Now, it's time to let all the pretenses drop." Chaos lowered his staff and turned away. "The adventure is complete and the Hero is triumpha–"

"CHAOS!"

"What?!" Chaos turned back to find Yugi, chin lowered and fury all but blazing from his glaring eyes.

"You turn your back on me and talk as if I've won – when we haven't even fought. You hate me, and want to ruin my world, how dare you turn away from me now?! Do you regard me so little that you won't even fight?" Yugi demanded.

"There is nothing further from the truth than that. I will not fight you, not because I hate you or believe you are beneath my notice, but because I hold you in the highest regard and honor. This adventure is over, my friend, and you have solved it well." The Lord of Blackness and Chaos reached an open, placating hand toward him

"Adventure? What was it all for? Why did I have to lose everyone I cared about? Why did you attack me each and every step of the way; why did you send me such portentous dreams; what was the point of anything if we do not resolve the conflict between us? I will save my world from your evil! I will not allow my friends' sacrifices to be in vain!" Yugi shouted. He gathered his strength in his legs, leaned into the mystic warrior skills that Lord Joey had imbued in him seemingly so long ago, and launched himself at the towering Lord of Blackness and Chaos with all the power of his frustration and fury concentrating in a visible blaze along the edge of his sword.

"Wha–?!"

Everything seemed to slow down to a crawl as the Lord of Blackness and Chaos brought his staff to bear. Shelleene dashed out from Yugi's shadow and before he could warn her away, the energy tore her apart. The beam struck his Ice Sword of Dragons shattering it into thousands of sparkling shards. Undimmed by the destruction, the energy lashed against his Fire Shield of Warriors and likewise demolished it. As if somehow alive, Yugi's Blood Cloak of Shadows writhed into the way, only to be pierced by that killing beam and fall in inert folds around his body. Just as the beam annihilated the last of his defenses, Yugi felt a fierce heat along his breastbone, and a brilliant purple light surrounded him. The clash of ultimate energies launched Yugi high into the sky. Once the incredible magical forces lifting him up were sufficiently spent, gravity regained its hold on him, and pulled him earthward.

Falling...

falling...

...falling...

–end of Part One–

– – – – –
Author's Notes –

Yugi's been through a lot, but Part One finally (finally!) comes to an end.

Next chapter teaser – Part Two – A Matter of Memory