YuGiOh 5D's: Konami/Kazuki Takahashi

Beta Reader: Yami Zelgadis

How long had it been? That was the case of Rico when he continued walking down the narrow brick road. There was no knowing how he got here or where he was going. All there was in mind was the pace walking step-by-step, going nowhere but forward.

It was then as if the black space around him has just painted a picture as the bricks under the soles of his shoes became dirt. Rico looked at his surroundings, somewhat disappointed that there was practically nothing but small shadowy mountainhills far away in the horizon.

Of course there was one thing he failed to notice, something hard to miss that was right in front of him. He was standing in front a large stoop with stone statues of lions rising lined up across either side of the walkway. Past the stoop was an even bigger, mountain-sized pyramid, at the top one can see the tip separated from the main structure, floating in mid-air, shining like the sun. It was so bright he almost did not notice a person standing neat the top, with a staff in hand.

As the person raised its arms, the smaller pyramid glowed much brighter than it once did, practically obscuring Rico's vision. The last thing he saw before everything turned white was a giant glowing structure sculpted into a sun's face...

Rico woke up in a sudden gasp. He looked around and found himself lying on a bench.

"I was wondering when you'd wake up." he saw David leaning against his parked duel-runner. Rico wondered what had happened and how he came to be here. The last thing he remembered was that he was in a duel and won. And that was because... He then remembered that he left something out of place, and looked around to find it, "Looking for this?" David tossed the stuffed blue wolf to Rico which he caught, "We found you near one of the generator back-ups. I guess it's safe to say you managed to fight off whoever was guarding it?" Rico nodded and David smiled, "Well, I have to admit, that was very brave of you."

Rico shook his head trying to still get over the initial feeling of waking up. "It wasn't really anything; I still had my friends standing beside me. Though I was still a bit afraid."

David simply let out a feeble laugh. "You lot are always the same, friendship and rainbows huh? I admit, it must be nice to have that feeling of knowing you belong with others. But I can't say I do."

The young boy looked slightly perplexed by the older Duelists words. "Don't you have any connection or feelings for our group? I mean, we're all in this together after all, and we need to trust one another to fight against evil."

"To fight evil? Wow, what a very narrow view on the world you have. Still I can't blame you; you're still just a kid. It isn't just a simple case of good-versus-evil; this is reality, a real world where people will stab you in the back if you aren't careful. There are only few good people in this world and I wouldn't wish you to be caught up in big-boy things like this."

Rico looked back at David who had by now sat down on the bench, his eyes filled with anger at the older man's words. "Stop treating me like some defenseless kid. I'm not just a child, I'm a Psychic Duelist. And just like you I beat a Dark Signer of my own. I won't just be thrown off by some bad people as long as..."

"As long as you have Akiza, right?" David interrupted making the young boy's eyes widen. "I hear that all the time from many people. I'll admit I envy you but let me ask you something, do you think she'll always be there for you?"

"Of course she will! we're never apart!"

"Is that so? Let me summarize something for you: Akiza is a young woman and you're still a child, now that she has been accepted back by her parents she'll be going back to school to live among the 'normal' people in the world. As she is in her particular age she'll graduate in a year, maybe two tops. When she does, what do you think will happen?" Rico stayed silent at this point taken back at what David was saying. "In the end even if she stays in contact with you, she'll move away and you will be left to fight for yourself. Could you bare the fact of losing that security you have had all your life?"

Rico's throat went dry at David's words; though he wouldn't initially admit it he had a point. The realization of the facts was quite hard hitting for a kid, Akiza wouldn't be there forever and that loss may have just been too hard for him. "I...I just..."

"Listen kid, I know what I said was harsh, but I'm afraid this is reality we're talking about. If you haven't realized it yet this is the horrors of the world, now normally I wouldn't be this hard on you since you are still of a tender age. But we're fighting a war here; people have died for some stupid selfish cause, including someone I held very dear. Wounds on the body heal, but the ones in your heart, well, even I don't know that."

Rico was on the verge of tears by these very words. He was aware of the situation but hearing the older males thoughts were now digging into his mind. "We'll win and we'll develop a better future, and in time the wounds of the losses in battle will heal, after all we'll have saved the city and Satellite and become heroes that others will inspire."

"Heroes huh?" David smiled lightly. "You're still very much a kid, still in some ways that is good to have that innocence; in fact I once upon a time used to think the same way you did."

This made the young boy look back in complete amazement. "You did? I thought by the way you act, I wouldn't have believed it. You don't seem to believe in anything."

The older Duelist laughed. "I guess I've become a cynical fool in time, but I did once believe in heroes and how people could be heroes by joining forces."

"Really?" Rico asked still stunned by the sudden change in David's demeanor.

"Yes really, when I was a boy I was alone but I never gave up hope. Growing up when I had the time I used to watch various TV shows that showed off heroics, various animes and kids shows like Thunderbirds, especially the later to see a family of heroes going out and saving people every day, it inspired me to become like that. Hence I thought by joining the Guardian Security I was making a difference in people's lives. Now I realize of course it was nothing more than a manhunt for innocent people with unique powers."

"But that doesn't matter anymore now, does it? You joined us in this fight, and you still stuck with us and I don't know why you did, but to tell you the truth I'm glad you did." Rico smiled.

David's eyes widened at the last statement. "Really? You're happy to have me here? I thought I was your enemy, after all, you saw me as the big bad Security man so why do you want me around?"

Rico pondered on this for a while then answered. "Well at first I will admit I was scared of you. You were distant, harsh and lashing but just talking to you now I see there is a good man under all that hard expression. You aren't some horrid person and now I see you held people close to you just like I do my big sis. Even if we are apart we are always together that is the way we are, and I'm sure it is the same for you and Mana right? We are all heroes if we make a difference and stand up for our beliefs."

"You know ki...Rico I think you have a fair point. Maybe it is about time I embrace this power of mine and make a difference." He slotted the new deck into his Duel Disk whilst boxing his Spellcaster deck. "Well the first thing we better do is make sure the others are ok, after all I don't know why but I have a very unsettling feeling a bad omen is heading to the island and I sure hope it isn't what I wish it is. As for Akiza, I'm sure she's okay." David walked over to his duel-runner and signaled Rico to follow him which the young boy did. "Ready to go Rico?"

"F-A-B David!" Rico exclaimed with a small laugh.

"Very funny now let's go find the others." With a sudden movement of his wrists David's D-Wheel sprung into life and they dashed off into the direction Jason and Kenichi had gone to. 'Mana, I'll keep my word to make your last wish a reality, from now on no more regrets, no more agony I will stand up and be counted in this war. I will become exactly what you envisioned, and with these new found friends I will make the future better for everyone, with or without powers.'

YuGiOh 5D's

Reverse of Arcadia

Ride 46: Shadow of Doubt

Part 1: Destiny Dead Ahead

With roaring engine, the Phoenix Whirlwind rushed across the rocky wasteland, the foggy air racing past him in visible streaks. His wheel shook over the rough terrain.

'Don't you worry, Carly. If you're out there...'

He approached a large rock, smashing it to pieces at full-speed.

"Nothing will stop me from finding you!"

He rode straight up a steep cliff and went flying off the top of it like a ramp. He landed atop the cliff and pivoted to the side as he braked. He looked out over the desolate landscape; in the distance he could see the Hummingbird control tower, 'Well, well. What 'ave we here? Yes, this must be it; where you've been hiding, and where I'll save you, Carly...' as he continued towards the giant console he remembered gawky, sweet, silly Carly with the big wacky glasses, even as she nervously tried to establish a rapport with him at the amusement park; her adorable, bubbly smile as she had offered him his blazer back at the monorail; and the bright, wistful grey eyes that shone behind her glasses.

He held her broken and mangled glasses in his gloved palm, once again staring at them, 'I don't know how you became a Dark Signer, but if I have anything to say about it, you won't be one for long,' he clutched the glasses as he finally made it to the monolithic form of the Hummingbird tower.

"Carly, I know you're in there!" he shouted, "I've come to help you! If only you'll let me. Carly!" suddenly, the familiar sound of a duel-runner filled Jack's ears and he looked beyond the control-tower. The rider skid out from behind the tower, and races right toward him, "No... it can't be!"

At the last moment Carly jumped, flying neatly over Jack and his runner, as he looked up at her in shock. She was astride the unfamiliar runner, faceless in a visored helmet. "But it is."

She landed mere feet from the other side of Jack's runner, hits the ground riding, and drew a large arc around to brake nearby. Her runner was a darker, more rusty-red than Yusei's, and its shape and markings were very similar to, if not the same as, Kalin's runner. Jack gasped at the sight of Carly's appearance when she removed her helmet. This girl, unlike the innocent, quirky little photographer, now had the gaze of a menacing, sardonic diva. "I've been waiting for you...Jackie."

"Carly. Who did this to you? Tell me."

"Who, Jack?" the Hummingbird Dark Signer laughed, "You must be joking; the answer is so obvious. You are the one responsible."

"No, you're mistaken! I'm the one who's trying to save you."

"Please, in the end you chose to cut me off because you thought I was one of the paparazzi!"

Jack gasped, stunned, Paparazzi...!"

"That's right."

"Rrgh, that's not true!"

"Oh, yes it is. If only you'd been a little nicer, Jackie."

"Don't you see, I was just trying to protect you; that's why I always kept you at a distance! Carly, I didn't want you to get involved, I didn't want you to get hurt!"

"Well, you failed. And now, it's my turn to even the score!"

Meanwhile Jason and his party were riding off to find the last generator.

"Hey guys, look!" Kenichi spotted a long tire tracking aside their direction they were going. "Whoever's gone that was must be going to the generator tower. And that must mean we're closer to the last back-up!"

"Or we could just be heading to the generator anyway. Look over there!" David was pointing at a large metal tower, overlooked by the small hill-slope where they soon stopped at.

After dismount Kenichi was the first person who recognized someone when was standing on lower ground, "Hey, doesn't that look like Jack Atlas?"

Jason took a closer look, "You're right! But who's that with him?"

David looked at the second person a little closely and was a bit surprised at who it was; he narrowed his eyes, "Carly...!"

"What? You mean you know her?!"

"I was at the Arcadia Movement headquarters the night after we left. Carly was the one who followed me. It never came to mind that she's one of the Dark Signers..."

"Face it, Jackie, I'm a Dark Signer because of you." Carly said.

"Wrong, Carly. But it will be because of me that you're rid of this dark scourge! I will do whatever I must to release you of it."

"Really? Well, I'm afraid there's only one way to do that, Jackie. And in case you're in the dark as to what way that is..." the mark of the Hummingbird glowed violet on her arm, "...Allow me to enlighten you!"

The moments he found the Signer and Dark Signer together it took no further thought as to what would happen next, "Ken!"

"Huh?!" Kenichi had no time to respond as Jason stopped close to him, "Get out of here and take Kat and Rico with you!" he placed one of his Genex cards in his hand, "Find the last generator, turn it on and take them back to Martha's place!"

"But Jason, I-"

"No time! That seal's gonna close up on us any minute! Now go!"

"Alright!" without another word, Kenichi got onto his runner with the kids on board. He drove off and just barely escaped the fire before it closed up into the shape of a giant hummingbird.

"The stage is set," Carly placed her helmet back on, "And now only one thing remains..." she realigned her runner to a starting position, "We duel. But I should warn you, this goes both ways," she took off riding, and Jack followed, "You win, I return to how I was. However, should I win, you become a Dark Signer like me. So? Whaddaya say?"

"I say bring it!"

Jason and David gathered together beside David's runner when David linked his monitor to the duel between Jack and Carly, "Let's see if the ex-champ's ready for this..."

"I'm so pleased you accepted my challenge, Jackie. A big-shot pro duelist like you facing an amateur like me? For a minute there I was afraid facing me would be beneath you."

"Who says it's not!"

"Ah, that's the Jack I know, arrogant until the very end! And this will be your end. Now then, allow me to get things started! I activate the Speed World field-spell!"

"My, my, aren't you in a hurry to lose! Very well. Let's do this!" Jack pressed a button on his runner and Speed World came into effect around them.

"Ah, the irony. Before I was chasing after you and hanging off your every word, but now, things have gone full-circle. Now *you're* the desperate one!"

"That's right, 'desperate' to get the old Carly back; and there's no way I'll be denied!"

"LET'S DUEL!"

Jack: 4000 (0)

Carly: 4000 (0)

"Whoever's first to turn the corner coming up gets to make the first move."

'If that's how you want to play it, fine! Time to take this into overdrive!' Jack gripped his steering handle hard, and floored the footpads, gaining on Carly and was about to pass her. As he drew even, she swerved over and rammed him from the side, forcing him off the road and into the wall of fire. He bounces off it, swerves a bit, and skid a lot, all the while falling disastrously behind.

"Problem?" Carly chuckled as she turned the corner, with Jack soon following, "Looks like the honor's mine. Here goes!" she drew her starting hand, "First I'll summon Fortune Lady Light in DEF mode!" the sunny-yellow Fortune Lady appeared with, twirling her staff in her grip(DEF: ?), "And in case you were just wondering, her power relies on what level she is, 200 per level (DEF: 200)! Finally I'll place one card face-down. That's it for my turn; now show me what you've got, Jackie!"

"With pleasure!" Jack said as he drew his sixth card, he looked at the card for a moment and then... "I think that'll do for now."

"That'll do? But you didn't summon a monster or even place a face-down! Oh, wait. I get it," Carly turned back to her opponent, "You're still wracked with guilt, aren't you, Jackie?" her look became hard, seeping with anger, "For what you did. For how you gave me the cold shoulder when I needed you the most. Well, that's too bad. Don't you see?" she returned to the duel and drew her next card, "Just because you won't attack me doesn't mean that I won't attack you! And now I'll sacrifice Fortune Lady Light to bring out a pair of monsters that'll do just that," Light then dissolved into a multicolored vortex, "You see, besides an advance-summon, when Lady Light leaves the field, I'm allowed to summon any monster from my deck just so long as it has 'Fortune Lady' in its name! So come on out, (1) Fortune Lady Earth(6/ATK: ?/DEF: ?) and (2) Fortune Lady Dark(5/ATK: ?/DEF: ?)!" two similar spellcasters flew out of the portal, wearing similar leotards; one was wearing a beige cloak with short brown hair, and large spectacles. The other had a purple cloak, and her hair was black and worn long. They had a similar staves and the same bat-like wings growing out of their temples, "In case you were wondering, their attack points are equal to their levels multiplied by four hundred. And since Earth's level is six and Dark's level is five, that means their attack points are... well, you do the math!"

Fortune Lady Earth: (ATK: 2400)

Fortune Lady Dark: (ATK: 2000)

"But that means if I take a direct hit from both of them, my life-points will be..." Jack began.

Carly scoffed, "Quite diminished. Too bad for you!"

Jack gritted his teeth, "This is gonna hurt."

"Ohh, I'm counting on it! Let 'im have it! Go, Cursed Thorn!" Earth struck the ground and large, sharp spikes shot up on the track. Jack rode through them, taking a hit from each he went spinning and weaving backward.

Jack: 4000 (1)

Carly: 4000 (3)

"But the fun's not over yet! Round two! Go get 'im, Lady Dark!" Dark twirled her staff, forming a spiral of dark energy.

"Do what you will..." Jack growled, "But I believe in my heart the Carly I know is still somewhere deep inside you! And I'm going to do whatever I must to find her, bring her back out, and do away with you! So I'll start by summoning (3) Ogre of the Scarlet Sorrow(ATK: 0/DEF: 0)!" an blue ogre monster carrying a club, with blood-like tear marks beneath its eyes appeared (ATK: 0), "Unfortunately for you, Crying Ogre's ATK points're equal to the amount of damage I took from that last attack! And since you attacked me twice, his V2 ability lets him automatically battle the second monster that struck me, so go to it!" the Ogre thrust his club and smashed Lady Dark into pixels.

Jack: 1600 (1)

Carly: 3600 (3)

"Well, well, Jackie. Guess you're going to be putting up a fight after all, eh? In that case I think I'll play this face-down and end my turn," a reverse-card appeared beside Carly before vanishing, "Ya know, it's best this way. After all we've been through, it would be such a shame to take you down without some resistance! This way I can really savor watching you squirm; and believe me, with what I have planned, you're about to squirm big-time!"

"All right, it's my turn!" Jack drew his next card, 'Crying Ogre and Fortune Lady Earth have the same number of ATK points, which means if they battle, they'll only destroy each other. But that's about to change!' "I summon (4) Power Supplier(2/ATK: 400/DEF: 400) in DEF mode!" another Spellcaster appeared, wearing black robes and holding a wooden staff (DEF: 400), "Due to Power Supplier's special ability, Crying Ogre gains 400 ATK points!" Power Supplier plugged his spear into Crying Ogre's back, and Ogre's eyes lit up.

"Not so fast, Jackie! I play a trap," Carly's reverse-card flipped up, "it's called Bending Destiny, and it removes Power Supplier from play before returning to your hand at the end of your turn!" Power Supplier was pulled into a portal and disappeared.

"No way!" Jack gasped.

"Yes, and I'm afraid there's more. It negates Supplier's effect as well."

'Not good. Now not only will my Ogre be useless this turn; next turn when Carly's Fortune Lady Earth's ATK points increase, he'll be a sitting duck for her. And he'll no doubt shed some real tears after her assault! I can't let that happen!' Jack set a reverse-card before it disappeared, "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

"Another lame move. I expected so much more!" Carly laughed, "Here, lemme show you how it's done! I hope you're ready!" she drew her next card, "On second thought no one could be ready for what I'm about to play!"

"Quit your yapping and duel!"

"Hmph. All right, if you insist. But you asked for it! First things first; Fortune Lady's level increases! And when her level increases, so do her ATK points, to 2800!" Jack growled as Earth's power increased, "And did I mention Fortune Lady's special-ability? Oh, wait, I forgot; you're sick of my 'yapping', so why don't you just look down at your life-points and see for yourself, 'cause there's about to be 400 less of them!" Earth twirled her staff and tapped it against the ground, where a series of large iron spikes erupted from the ground; Jack drove right in and knocked into most of them.

Jack: 1200 (3)

Carly: 3600 (5)

"And now, to deal with that Ogre! Go, Cursed Thorn!" more sharp metal thorns shoot up from the ground and speared the Ogre.

Jack: 800 (3)

Carly: 3600 (5)

Again, he weaved back and forth as he fell behind. He spun once, and then came to a halt. Carly zoomed back around and parked opposite him, cackling as her monster hovered above her. Shaking, Jack mustered the strength to sit up, "That's right, laugh...while you can!"

"Oh, don't tell me, Jackie," Carly replied, "you've already lost your sense of humor? We've only just begun."

"Indeed we have, and don't you forget it! There's a long way to go, and it's gonna be rough going for you!"

"You still don't get it, do you? The question of who wins and who loses this duel has already been answered by the cards; just as the question of why I was chosen to be a Dark Signer was answered by the cards. But you don't have to take my word for it..." Carly looked down at the face-down she played earlier, "...The cards will speak for themselves."

"You've gone daft!"

"Don't believe me? Here, take a look! I activate my trap!"

Margaret opened her eyes and came to. Groaning, she stood on her hands and knees on the a field of wet, black dirt, and wiped off whatever was on her off herself. She stood up and then looked at her surroundings. The black ground was littered with dirty, yellowed bones and skulls caked in the soil it was lying on. "Where am I?" she groaned.

There were a few dead trees hear and there, but the branches seemed they would snatch her up if she got too close. A couple yards away she could see a flowing river, however a foul odor was hinted and it was colored a deep glowing red for some reason. Looking further mounds of giant, sharp, jagged rocks were seen in the horizon. Strange shadows danced around the mountains, like fearsome creatures looming around for prey. "The last thing I remember was-"

The sound of bones rattling suddenly filled her ears. A series of small explosions caused her to look around and find skeletons standing all around her. They seemed to be moving by themselves, dragging their feet against the bones on the ground towards her. She looked for any way to escape but every path was blocked by a pack of skeletons. She soon found a pair of bony hands grabbed her arm and pushed it away. But for every one she pushed back, more and more grabbed her, until she was eventually pushed onto the rock hard ground below her. With no one to call to, all she could do was scream...

Blurs of color began to take form in the black of his mind. What had happened since he had been out of commission? The last thing he remembered was that he was up against...

"Yoo-hoo, wakey-wakey, Jackie Jackie," the first thing Jack could see was Carly, still a Dark Signer, standing over him. He saw as he sat up that they were in a fancy, though plain, room. "Don't worry if you feel a bit groggy; I know I did, after."

"What...? After what?"

"After I became a Dark Signer, of course."

That was when he noticed his right arm glowing. He looked down and two things made his eyes widened; the glow was bright purple instead of crimson, and the wings were replaced by the horrible familiarity of a hummingbird, "No... no! This can't be!"

"But it is. I welcome you to the shadows, Jackie!"

"What've you done to me?!" looking past the Dark Signer, what he saw in a mirror nearby frightened him further. The blazer he wore, now black and decorated with orange lines. And as he looked closer... "My eyes, they're... they're as black as the night!"

Carly leaned in closer to him, "An improvement, I'd say. I did try to warn you; or, don't you remember? Once I attacked with Fortune Lady Earth it was all over for you. But the mystical power of the Dark Signers had infected you. You're one of us, now! Your transformation is complete, now, and so is the world's!"

"How does me becoming a Dark Signer affect the world?"

"In every way you can imagine," Carly led him out to a high-rise balcony where he looked at this new world Carly spoke of. It was a world of fire and brimstone, with rivers and waterfalls of smoldering lava, and fresh volcanoes filling the skies with ash and smoke. He saw a ruined building or two in the distance, "Your allegiance to the shadows has shifted the balance of nature. Now the oceans boil and the skies are forever dark."

"Dear me...! It's... it's...!"

"Beautiful. Of course, the Signers might disagree, but since they can only challenge our reign once every five thousand years, they'll just have to deal with it, or pay the price like their monsters already have. And it's a steep price, indeed!"

He looked onward at the ruined wasteland as memories flooded back. He remembered his signature monster, the Red Dragon Archfiend, roar towards the ash-filled skies as it unleashed its signature hellfire across the land. His former dragon comrades, though fought bravely, were consumed by the Archfiend's sea of flames. With the four dragons gone away, the Crimson Dragon lost the battle and the war was given to the Dark Signers. Carly stood amidst the carnage with Jack by her side, who laughed loudly at the heavens. "Yes, I think it's all coming back to me. All the destruction, all the devastation, all paving the way to this delightful new paradise!"

"Paradise, indeed, because in this new world, you are the supreme ruler, the Dark King! All that you see before you is yours."

"As it should be," he chuckled, "what a fool I was before as my former self! Counting on friends, fighting for what is good! What a joke! This is where I belong! This is what destiny had planned for Jack Atlas!"

"How right you are. And it was in the cards the whole time, like I always said. Actually, it was in one card to be exact..."

"...Enlightenment! It changed everything...remember?" the light of Carly's Enlightenment blinded Jack, mesmerizing him as it glowed.

Jason: "C'mon, Jack! What're you doing?!"

David: "This is bad. If he can't ride then how can he duel?!"

"That's right, Jack, this was the same card that made me realize why. Why I was chosen to become one of the Dark Signers. And the reason was so I could face you in a duel. Face you and defeat you, so that you could become what you were destined to be, the Dark King! And how fitting it is that this is the card I do it with! When activated, it allows the monster that destroyed your monster to attack a second time!" Fortune Lady Earth smacked the ground again and sent another wave of spikes towards him, "It's over, Jack! You've lost the duel! Destiny has been fulfilled!"

"My destiny... fulfilled..." as he leaned, the broken glasses dropped from inside his jacket, and fell to the ground...

Margaret had found herself held down by a skeleton army. And even more of them came with swords in hand. One of them was about to strike when a cold chill came and everyone became frozen. Margaret had managed to get onto her feet, breaking the now glassy grip of the frozen skeletons in the process. She looked around until she saw one of her duel-monsters over the debris. She was wearing a snow-white dress made of stainless silk, with drapes around her shoulders and her waist. She wore a headdress made of fogged crystal and held a staff of the same material in her gloved hand.

"Ice Queen? What are you doing here? What is this place?"

Ice Queen's pale, visored face turned to her master, "Before you fell into the reactor Silent Magician managed to teleport you elsewhere," she explained, "but she didn't have time to choose a destination and unfortunately you ended up here."

"Then how do I get back?"

Ice Queen pointed up ahead with her staff, towards a high-rising stone tower, "There's a large tower ahead. It's the only known exit from this place."

"Well we should get going then." the two went on their way.

Jack and Carly rode out to view their volcanic land on a palanquin carried by undead zombies, "But enough about the past, it's all ancient history now. And as you can see, all traces of that wretched time are no more."

"Indeed. Struck from the earth as soon as our duel ended," as he muttered those words something sparkling on the ground caught his eye. He took a closer look, it was Carly's broken glasses, the ones that fell from his jacket pocket, 'Wait... those're... Carly's! But how? Unless-' "We're still in the present, and this has all been one big trick!"

Carly gasped. Her worst fear realized; he figured it out!

"Meaning our duel isn't over yet! Meaning I can play this!" he activated his reverse-card, "Changing Destiny! This trap card negates your monster's attack!" a translucent shield of glowing light shatters the metal spikes as they approach, and the Enlightenment card disappears.

"No, wait. Sure, maybe that was all an illusion, but, Jack, it could be a reality!" Carly pleaded, "Don't you see, that's what the future holds for you if you give in to the darkness!"

"I'm not giving anything to the darkness," Jack said as he picked up the shattered glasses, "in fact I'm taking something back! Carly, the real Carly, you got that?!" He showed her the glasses in the palm of his hand. She gasped, stares at them, confronted at the sight of them. "So get ready!"

Some time had passed as since Margaret traveled across this vile landscape before she finally made it to the tower. The trip was taxing since she had to evade creatures that popped out at her every now and then.

The tower now seemed much expansive than when she first saw it from a distance. Its structure seemed to be made of giant bones staked upward against each other. Looking up, Margaret saw that its was leaning every which way like a giant worm, it was a wonder why it did not topple over already. The only light she could see from its many windows was a dim, bloody red. Just looking at it gave Margaret shivers, but she managed to toughen up. Taking a deep breath, she walked unto the tower's wide-open entrance.

When she was deep in side the doors suddenly slammed behind her, leaving the area dark. A few moments later a dull blue light shone from a series of torches lined around room, as well as upwards across the ascending wall of the hollowed-out silo of a tower. Everywhere she turned she found grueling creatures of different kinds, hanging from the endless corridors on the walls.

Shrouded in shadow, a man stood up from his throne on the far end of the room; and elder mad with a mat of wild blue hair. His form was draped under a red cloak adorned with golden skulls around over his shoulders. "We've bee expecting you, girl, and we know why you're here..." he pulled a duel-dusk from under his cape, "And we won't let you leave this place!"

DUEL-MON DATABASE

(1) Fortune Lady Earth

Stats: [Spellcaster/Effect] Level 6 ATK/? DEF/?

Attribute: EARTH

Description: This card's ATK and DEF are equal to its Level x 400. During each of your Standby Phases, increase the Level of this card by 1 (max 12). When the Level of this card increases, inflict 400 damage to your opponent.

(2) Fortune Lady Dark

Stats: [Spellcaster/Effect] Level 5 ATK/? DEF/?

Attribute: DARK

Description: This card's ATK and DEF are equal to its Level x 400. During each of your Standby Phases, increase the Level by 1 (max. 12). When this card destroys a monster in battle, special-summon 1 "Fortune Lady" monster from your graveyard.

(3) Ogre of the Scarlet Sorrows

Stats: [Fiend/Effect] Level 4 ATK/? DEF/?

Attribute: DARK

Description: During your opponent's turn, when your opponent declares a second direct attack during the same Battle Phase, you can Special Summon this card from your hand. When you do, this card's ATK and DEF becomes equal to the ATK and DEF of the first monster that attacked directly this turn, if it is still face-up on the field. The turn this card is Special Summoned with this effect, your opponent cannot select monsters other than this card as an attack target while this card is face-up on the field.

(4) Power Supplier

Stats: [Spellcaster/Effect] Level 2 ATK/400 DEF/400

Attribute: EARTH

Description: During your opponent's turn, when your opponent declares a second direct attack during the same Battle Phase, you can Special Summon this card from your hand. When you do, this card's ATK and DEF becomes equal to the ATK and DEF of the first monster that attacked directly this turn, if it is still face-up on the field. The turn this card is Special Summoned with this effect, your opponent cannot select monsters other than this card as an attack target while this card is face-up on the field.

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