It's here! First of all, I want to apologise profusely for being away the past couple of months. I never imagined my life would get as hectic as it did, but between university, family and relationship issues, then working full time during my break I have had next to no time to work on this chapter for you all. Rest assured though that if something like this does happen again I will continue to write this story, although next time I will probably let you all know just in case. Anyway, once again I apologise for the long delay, but here is the new chapter! I hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 39 - To the Castle

Once Darrien awoke, the two groups prepared to depart for their separate destinations. Waving goodbye to Yugi, Jaden, Yusei and Jack as they left for the Citadel to the north, Jorann focussed his attention on Yubel, who was now standing before them and plotting out their route to the Knights' castle. The castle was apparently only a day away from their position, but given that it was already midday they would have to stop for the night in order to ensure safe passage.

"The forests of Endymion's kingdom are deadly at night to the unwary traveller," Yubel had said. "Even I wouldn't be able to protect you well enough, and I don't think Jaden would be too pleased with me if one of you got killed."

Eyeing the creature with interest, Jorann couldn't help but feel a certain chill as he did so. He knew that Yubel was on their side and always had been, but there was just something that felt… wrong… about Yubel. It was possibly something left over from her interaction with the Light of Destruction, but there was no way of telling if that was the truth or not. Plus the obsession with Jaden, he thought as he rose to his feet. I'm sort of surprised she agreed to be split from him like this, but I suppose they can still communicate anytime mentally…

"So what's the plan?" Darrien asked as they joined Yubel.

"There is a village about halfway to the castle," Yubel said without looking at Darrien. "There is a healer there by the name of Dian Keto. She is a kind old lady, who will hopefully give us a place to rest for the night."

"Do we need rest in the Spirit World?" Elise asked.

"You do," Yubel replied. "Food and water are unnecessary however. Shall we get going?"

"One more question," came the voice of Zera, who was standing behind them all. "What's the plan when we get to the castle?"

"We look for answers," Jorann answered, turning to the woman.

"And you think we will find any?" Zera questioned with a hint of amusement. "Even if we did, do you truly believe the place is abandoned?"

"No," Jorann admitted.

"Then what do you plan to do when – if – it's not?"

Jorann raised his duel disk. "We fight."

"Will that be enough?" Zera pondered.

"Only one way to find out," Jorann answered, watching the woman intently. "Yubel, let's move."

Following the monster down the hill and into the forest, Jorann let his mind wander as the trees continued to tumble by monotonously. The sensation of feeling no hunger or thirst was an interesting one, and coupled with the fact that his body still felt the effects of a longer walk, his mind couldn't help but wonder how it was physically possible. I get that it's the Spirit World, but our body is still using up energy to do things, so where is that energy coming from? It was a train of thought that occupied him for a time, but he soon dismissed it. It mattered little. Once they had recovered Tanion, they would leave this world behind.

"Is there not a road we can take to get to the village?" Darrien asked as the undergrowth began to get thicker.

"Not from our direction, no," Yubel answered. "Form a line behind me. I'll forge a path through."

As so they did, Jorann bringing up the rear as Darrien followed ahead of him, Zera before Darrien and Elise behind Yubel. Jaden's partner began to split the undergrowth around them, creating some sort of barrier around the group that parted the bushes only for them to return to their original position once they had passed. I wonder what other abilities Yubel has, Jorann wondered curiously as they continued onward. It was likely that her power had grown thanks to her connection to Jaden, but there was simply no way of telling for sure.

The day dragged on into the afternoon, and soon they were clear of the undergrowth and found themselves upon a gravel track of some kind. The sun's golden glow slowly began to dip below the tree line, basking the forest and their path in a shower of yellow and orange as they continued on their path. Ahead of him, Jorann could see Darrien and Elise now walking side by side and seemingly chatting away over nothing. To be young again… On the other side of Yubel, though, Jorann kept watch over Zera as she walked with the group quietly. Although she had so far caused no trouble, he felt certain that she had some sort of hidden agenda. She took the power of Fusion and Synchro for herself… it's always possible she could be after the power Tanion now possesses too. But if she really is here to help, can we afford to let that go to waste? Looking at the woman now, it was impossible to tell.

"Is there something you want to ask me, Jorann?" Zera asked suddenly, whipping her head around and facing him. "Or are you just going to continue staring at me?"

"If I wanted to ask you something, I would," he replied, curtailing his annoyance of being noticed.

"Go ahead then."

"That's not –"

"Jorann, I used to work for the CIA before all this happened," Zera reminded him. "I have experience with people beyond any of you and I can read people easily, so I know there's something you want to ask me. So, ask. I'm not here to keep secrets."

"You have wisdom and knowledge that defines your years, it seems," Jorann noted.

"Unlike you, the years haven't gotten to me just yet, despite the gulag's best attempts at it," Zera commented. "You're not the first to make that mistake though, and you certainly won't be the last."

"Quiet," Yubel ordered suddenly, eyes scanning the tree lines as the two conversations died immediately. "We are not alone."

The four readied the duel disks automatically and immediately became alert at Yubel's warning. Scanning the trees for himself, Jorann was unable to see anything there, but judging from Yubel's posture and hand positions, she was ready for a fight. And then, as if on cue, a flash of black surged out from the trees towards Darrien, only to be quickly shot down by a blast of energy by Yubel.

"Gravekeeper Assailants!" Yubel shouted as the black and red hood fell back to reveal the mask hidden beneath. "Defend yourselves!"

"Appear, Zerath!"

"Rise, Risen Soldier Jur!"

"Descend, Caranith!"

"Follow in its wake, Allanon!"

Zerath appeared first, blocking an attack from two assailants as he appeared in a flash of light, striking them down as he did so. Jur then broke through the ground before Elise, grabbing the ankle of another attacker and throwing them back into the trees before drawing a sword of his own. And then from above came the cry of the dragons as they descended from the sky, breathing fireballs through the trees as they did so, picking off assailants with deadly precision. They landed with a crash, the ground shaking under their feet as they took up defences on either side of the path, eyes searching the trees for their attackers. Having arrived together, the black and white dragons seemed to be synchronised with each other, both covering what the other could not as they tried to spot their attackers.

"I thought you said the Gravekeepers lay far to the east," Darrien queried as he waited for the next assault. "What are they doing here?"

"I've no idea," Yubel replied. "They could've just slipped us by too. They attacked us for a reason."

As if responding the Yubel's words, the next attack came all at once, with attackers flying in from every direction with practised direction as three tore into Zerath, who was unable to block the attack from all three, causing one to sink its serrated blade in deep through the plates of his golden armour, the monster grunting as he did so in pain. Although the attackers were then annihilated by one of Yubel's bolts, the damage had already been done as blood began to pour forth beneath the armour itself. Darrien himself was on one knee as he felt the attack as well, and Jorann could only look on as the scene began to play out in front of him. The damage the spirits take here is real, as its their world, he realised. But that means…

His thoughts were cut off as more assailants descended upon the two dragons, and while they were able to blast some away they simply weren't fast enough as their blades ripped into their flesh. The two dragons howled in pain as they flung the attackers free of their weapons, crushing them beneath their feet before they had a chance to think. Conversely, Jur was having trouble holding back the attackers, if only because he was already a zombie to begin with. It meant that his assailants were dropping like flies, but still they came from the shadows. How many of them are there? Jorann wondered as he tried to figure a way out of the situation. Why are there so many of them this far into Endymion's territory?

Before his mind could think of a plan, though, the two dragons began to hatch their own. With Zerath still bleeding heavily, Jorann could sense that Allanon and Caranith knew that it was only a matter of time before they were overrun. And so, ignoring the pain from the blades already buried within them, the two dragons turned to the forests on either side of the road and set it ablaze. Yubel, apparently realising their plan, raised her arms into the sky and created circular barrier that surrounded them and the forest close to them, leaving nowhere for their assailants to run. As the forest burned as the assailants made a last ditch attempt to survive, Yubel, Jur and the two dragons picked them off one by one until all of them were defeated.

"Is that all of them?" Elise asked, her and Jur still ready for battle.

"I think so," Yubel said. "Tend to Zerath. The dragons and I will ensure this blaze doesn't get out of control."

"Allanon, call me if you need assistance or if you want those swords to be removed," Jorann said, getting a knowing nod from the great beast before turning towards the gold-plated knight, who was now seated with a small pool of blood on the ground next to him, gauntlet and breastplate smeared with crimson as he held one hand to the wound.

"It's a deep cut," said a gruff voice from within the helm. "Nothing I haven't survived before though. You are heading to Keto's village, are you not? One of the dragons can fly me there. She can help me."

"I will go with you," Darrien declared. "I will make sure we get help."

"Yubel, Caranith, can you handle this blaze alone?" Zera asked. "Allanon and Jorann should take Zerath ahead."

"Agreed," Yubel replied without diverting her attention to her. "Just head straight for Keto's home, otherwise the villagers might not take too kindly to you. Allanon, are you okay to fly them there?"

Another nod from the dragon was all that was needed. Leaving the two blades that were still in Allanon's sides in place so as not to create an open wound, Darrien and Jorann helped Zerath onto the dragons back before Jorann took up a seat in front with Darrien behind his monster.

"We will get you help, Zerath," Jorann promised. "Just keep the pressure on that wound. We will be there soon."

Around half an hour later the village came into sight, wooden buildings dotting a large clearing. Fortunately, both Allanon and Zerath knew which belonged to Dian Keto, and so as they descended on the edge of the village the old woman could already be seen waiting for them, along with an intrigued crowd of what appeared to be male and female versions of what Jorann knew to be Dancing Elf. I wonder how Dian Keto came to rest in a village like this one… Nevertheless, as they finally touched down as softly as they could, they green-haired woman came rushing over.

"Too much blood, too much blood… we must get you inside immediately!" Keto said hastily as she helped Darrien get Zerath down from Allanon's back. "I'll see to you in just a moment, Al, okay?"

"I'll stay with him to make sure he's alright," Jorann answered, brushing his hand across Allanon's neck.

"And you are?" Keto asked.

"Family."

"Oh, you're him," Keto realised. "I'm sorry, I didn't realise because of Zerath... be right back!"

As Keto urged Zerath and Darrien inside, Joran could already see part of her curing magics at work with the blood seemingly disappearing from his armour as she waved a hand near it. She seems to possess natural healing abilities, Jorann noted as the door closed behind the trio. Short attention span, though.

A huff from Allanon got Jorann's attention. Turning around, he could see that the other villagers had gathered around the home and around him and his dragon. Thin, humanoid creatures, their feathery wings and skin colours varied greatly, and if weren't for the plain clothing they were wearing, Jorann could have easily mistaken them for other, more powerful creatures that he knew to exist. However, given the looks on their faces, it seemed that they were quite unhappy with his presence.

"What's a human doing here?" one of them demanded.

"We mean no harm," Jorann said, stepping between Allanon and the fairies, lowering his duel disk as he did so. "We come with Yubel and Jaden. We are seeking a friend of ours and wish to take him home."

"Jaden and Yubel? If you came with them, where are they?" the same fairy demanded. Must be the one in charge. "And who is this friend of yours?"

"Yubel is quite close, we flew ahead to reach Dian Keto in order to save Zerath's life," Jorann replied diplomatically, getting a reassuring grumble from Allanon. "Our friend is our business. He will not endanger you."

"Don't trust humans!" a fairy yelled from the back. "They imprisoned the great dragon and subjugated us to Zeman!"

"Every time you humans come here, death follows," the fairy in charge said. "What makes you different?"

Great dragon and Zeman? "You know of Luna? The Signers?" Jorann asked, earning a couple of nods. "I am friends with Yusei Fudo. We are not here to hurt you."

"Never trust a human!" another fairy yelled.

"Then trust me."

The voice came from behind the group. The fairies turned to face the newcomers, and Jorann realised immediately that Yubel and the others had arrived. They must have flown on Caranith's back, he thought, noting the speed in which they got to the village. Yubel knew to expect this kind of response after all. As if reading his mind, the white dragon then appeared in the sky, descending softly before landing awkwardly, a blade's hilt sticking out from the dragon's front shoulder.

"We weren't followed, Caranith?" Zera asked, soothing the dragon as it whimpered at the pain, although it nodded at her words. "We're safe, Yubel."

"Good," Yubel said, the villagers seemingly in awe of the creature. "Move along, villagers. We mean you no harm, and this is not your business."

The fairy that seemed in charge huffed defiantly. "One false move, and we will kick you out," he warned, before ushering his people away from the scene.

"Are Zerath and Darrien okay?" Elise asked worriedly.

"They're inside with Dian Keto now," Jorann said reassuringly. "Zerath will be fine. So what happened, Yubel? What was that?"

"I'm still not sure," Yubel admitted. "For there to be that many Gravekeeper Assailants that close to Endymion's Citadel… there must be something bigger going on here. I've already let Jaden know what's happened, but beyond that we've got nothing. There was no information to glean from their corpses. Whatever their mission was, they must have had it committed to memory."

"I doubt it was the only such force," Zera muttered. "We will have to be more vigilant."

"Jur has already gone to see what the soldiers know," Elise replied. "If he finds anything, he will return to me."

"Having the ability to summon spirits to any location at any time is useful, but be warned that you cannot continue to rely on them always appearing," Yubel said.

"I'm happy for them to stay with us," Jorann said, getting a snort of approval from Allanon.

"No," Yubel countered. "The dragons especially would draw too much attention if they travelled with us."

"Then they can just stay close by," Zera said. "I've no doubt we will need to call upon them again. Would you be okay with this, Caranith?" The dragon nodded. "Then its decided."

"Thank you for helping us once again, old friend," Jorann said rubbing the side of Allanon's face. "I owe you an immeasurable debt. Thank you."

At that moment, Keto and Darrien exited the building and seemed unsurprised to see that the others had already joined them. They could probably here us from inside, Jorann reasoned. Looking at their faces, though, told them everything that he needed to know about Zerath, and fortunately, they both seemed rather upbeat, Darrien's especially as Elise joined him.

"At first, I was surprised that a single strike from someone like one of those Assailants could take down Zerath," Dian Keto said, Jorann reasoning that she was referring to the level difference between the two counterparts. "However, the blade had severed a major artery and pierced his lung. It was fortunate that you brought him to me. He would not have lived otherwise."

"How is he now?" Elise asked.

"Resting," Darrien answered. "Keto put him into a sleep in order to accelerate the healing. He should be good to go by tomorrow."

"So, what brings you all here?" Keto asked as she began to tend to Allanon. "Darrien filled me in on pieces, but given the circumstances…"

"It's a long story," Jorann admitted. "However, our plan is to continue on to the now abandoned Knights castle in the morning, and Yubel suggested that we ask you if we could stay the night here."

"Of course, of course!" Keto replied. "I'm always happy to shelter people for the night if they need it. Five of you excluding Zerath might make it a bit tight, but I'm sure we can make it work. I'm sure Caranith and Al will be okay to sleep outside, hmm?"

"Thank you for this, Keto," Yubel said and the dragons acknowledged Dian Keto's word. "I'll let Jaden know of our progress."

"So can anyone fill me in on what brings you all here?" Keto asked. "I know that your war has ended, so why are you here?"

"Like I said, it's a long story," Jorann answered. "How about we save it until after the dragons have been dealt with? We could use a quick rest."

"Of course, dear," she said. "Just head on inside, all of you."

Taking on board Dian Keto's words, Elise and Darrien headed inside ahead of Jorann and Zera, who elected to stay with their dragons while Keto tended to them. Just don't do anything stupid before we get to you, boy, Jorann thought to himself as he and Keto prepared Allanon for blade removal. We'll be there soon…

Coming Soon - Knightly Bond