So it's been a little while hey? I honestly didn't expect to go on such a long hiatus. However, due to uni and then getting my teeth sunk into doing some Youtubing (which I'm still doing btw) my fanfics have been on the backburner for a little while now. Despite this, I have always said that all of them will be finished at some point, and so here is the next chapter of A Dimension Divided! Enjoy!
Chapter 40 – Knightly Bond
As the sun rose in the east, the company set out on their journey. With Jorann, Elise, Darrien, Zera and Yubel now being joined by Zerath, Caranith and Allanon, they were more than conspicuous as they left Dian Keto's village, but at this point Jorann doubted that it mattered too much. If rumour was to be believed, they would find the castle abandoned and would therefore have no use for stealth. However, it was still a precaution that they were ready to take, having informed the black and white dragons to wait behind once they got closer to the abandoned castle. With the castle still being half a day's walk away, though, there was no need for such precautions just yet.
"I still think we should fly on the dragons there," Zera commented just after they'd left the village.
"And if the castle is still inhabited we'd be spotted long before we arrived," Jorann countered. "It would not be a wise move considering the strength the Knights possess."
"We know for a fact that at least the majority of them have departed with Tanion to an as yet unknown destination," Zera said. "Any forces left behind would be meant to stall, not repel. It's that simple."
"You didn't see his power, Zera," Elise chimed in. "Tanion took out the three most powerful duelists we know in a single turn while finishing the duel with over 20000 Life Points. He's far beyond and of us, and if his monsters have even a sliver of that power…"
"The Three were fools to think they had the strength alone to defeat him," Zera snapped.
"And you could?" Darrien questioned.
"No," Zera admitted. "Like you said, the boy is beyond all of us. Three aren't enough."
"Then what are you suggesting we do, Zera?" Jorann asked curiously. "If you're so certain our strongest can't touch him, what is your plan?"
"What's yours?" Zera inquired, not giving an inch as she eyeballed Jorann. "Once we figure out where they've gone, how do you plan on stopping him?"
"Tanion may be young, but he's reasonable," Jorann said. "I plan to talk with him."
"Because that went so well last time," Zera said sarcastically.
"We will find a way," Jorann said.
"You think the Knights will let you?"
"Shut up, Zera, before I have Yubel send you to a prison cell," Jorann snapped curtly, ending the conversation.
She's not wrong, though, Jorann thought as the woman huffed and turned her attention away from them all. With everything that's going with Tanion, they simply may not be a way to bring him home. Hell, we still don't even know why he was so hell-bent on coming here and ignoring our pleas in the first place. I suspect his connection to his monsters plays a large role, but it's still impossible to say for certain. Jorann sighed slightly. Trying to defeat Tanion in battle would prove to be a fruitless task, but at the same time, talking to him was likely to be as fruitful as the other times. What options do we really have?
As they pressed forward into the morning, the question continued to circulate in his mind, something that distanced him from the others. Zera was quiet as usual, while Elise and Darrien would occasionally comment on the scenery or what they would do once they returned to their home world, but it proved little respite as they journeyed onward. Even Zerath, despite being Darrien's monster, said nothing as they pressed forward, and the two dragons were more than content to bring up the rear. With their wounds healed and their masters silent, there was little for them to do besides keep an eye out for any more assailants, although Jorann doubted that would happen again.
As morning drifted into midday, Yubel called for the company to stop. "Over the next hill lies our destination," the monster said. "To our right is the bluff that Jaden brought Tanion to when he saved him from being killed by you, Zera."
"I see," was the woman's only comment.
"Caranith, Allanon, please head up onto that bluff and await a signal from either Jorann or Zera," Yubel instructed. "I will conceal us on the approach and until we are inside the castle. From there, we will split into three groups for each floor. Darrien, Elise and Zerath, you will search the second-floor bedrooms and open areas. Jorann and Zera, I want you two to search the ground floor. I'll check out the basement and dungeon for any records that they might have held down there."
"Is it wise to split like that?" Elise asked.
"It'll will help us cover more ground easily," Jorann answered. "We will be fine. I'm curious as to how you know the layout of the castle, though."
"Jaden and I have been studying it since it first arrived with Tanion," Yubel answered. "By following these instructions, we should be able to cover everywhere but the throne room very quickly. Be as discreet as possible, and once you've finished your search, head back to the courtyard at the entrance to the castle. From there we will all head into the throne room to check it out."
"Good chance there will be a room behind it with information in," Zera commented. "A good decision to assault that part of the castle together."
With the plan of attack decided, Yubel raised her arms into the air and created a shield around them. One of green energy, it quickly disappeared and became invisible, but Jorann quickly noted how things had changed within the dome. Silence within the forest, he thought to himself. Nothing can get through the shield unless Yubel wants it to. Incredible. They began walking onward as the two dragons took up a position on the cliff-face looking over the castle, and it wasn't long before that climbed the final crest and the castle itself came into sight. Rectangular in shape, Jorann could see that the search would not be a quick one. There has to be at least thirty rooms on each floor alone, he surmised. No battlements that can be seen, with a large courtyard in the centre of the rectangular shape. The larger square tower on the far side of the castle must house the throne room, meaning we will have to search through the other three walls of the castle for any evidence before re-grouping with the others. Jorann huffed slightly, stretching his neck. This is going to be interesting.
"The drawbridge is down," Zera noted.
"Are they prepared for us?" Elise wondered aloud.
"I doubt it," Yubel answered. "I can sense no life-forms inside. If they truly have abandoned the castle, then I suppose they did not see a reason to seal it back up."
"That sounds hopeful," Darrien said.
"Agreed," Jorann said grimly. "Be on your guard."
Continuing onward, the only sound came from the scuffing of their boots on the ground and the jangling of Zerath's armour as they made their way to the open drawbridge. Although they had their duel disks at the ready, they found that they were able to enter the castle uninhibited, and soon found themselves in the open courtyard surrounding by walls of stone. So, either Yubel's spell worked and we are concealed, or there's no one here, Jorann surmised, before correcting himself. Or we've been allowed to enter by whoever waits for us. Only one way to find out.
"The spell won't be able to shield us once we spread out, so I'm letting it down," Yubel announced. "Prepare yourselves."
Disks raised, Zerath drew his sword and raised his shield in preparation. Yubel raised her hands above her head once more, and with a shimmer of green the shield came down, the background noise of the forest surrounding them filling their ears once again. However, much to their relief and simultaneous worriment, the castle itself remained as still as before.
"Lower your disks," Jorann ordered eventually. "No one's here."
"Or they're watching us," Zera countered, but lowered her disk anyway.
"You know what to do," Yubel said. "Let's move, people."
Jorann and Zera split from the others as they went their separate ways. Heading for the door closest to the drawbridge on the left-hand side, Jorann opened it to find nothing but a room housing the crank for the drawbridge itself. A couple of barrels accompanied it, but nothing else of interest besides dust and dirt.
"Do you really think we will find anything?" Zera asked him as they moved on to the next room.
"Not particularly," Jorann admitted as he opened the next door. "But we can't afford to leave any stone unturned. If it means finding Tanion…"
"And the Knights," Zera said. "As impossible as it may be, stopping them should be our priority."
"What do you mean, stopping them?" Jorann asked, as he closed the door on an emptied smithing area. "We are here for Tanion."
"And Tanion is here for the Knights," Zera countered as they entered the next room, which seemed to be sleeping quarters. "According to Yubel, the Knights hadn't even left the castle before Tanion arrived, but once he did, they abandoned it without any hesitation. Why?"
"You think they were waiting for him? Impossible," Jorann dismissed as they moved onward. "There was no way of predicting what would happen."
"Wasn't there?" Zera asked rhetorically. "Tanion being a 'hole' in the world of Duel Energy was something that anyone who could sense that knew. Yugi knew it. I could feel it when I first encountered him after your friend Darrien stole power from Ad Deir. If the Knights had someone with a close enough connection to it, who's to say they couldn't see the potential there to begin with?"
"Impossible," Jorann dismissed. "The Knights came into existence when Tanion arrived. They had no way of knowing…"
But she's right, Jorann realised. The fact that the Knights left once Tanion came to them is far too coincidental. He never did tell us why he was doing all of this either… A dark thought filled his mind. There's no way that he would do all this deliberately. He warned us to stay out of his way, but if he truly has turned… what choice do we have?
Reaching for the handle to close the room, Jorann felt a wave of nausea rush over him as his hand missed the handle entirely and instead served only to break his fall as his chest tightened as his vision began to blur. What… what is… Clenching his teeth as he held his head in his arms, his heart began thumping heavily as his head grew hot and heavy, and it took all of his strength not to scream out in pain. What's happening to me?!
And just like that it was gone, and his senses returned to him slowly, his chest releasing and the pressure in his head gone as he placed a hand on the door handle in order to help raise himself back onto his feet.
"What just happened?" Jorann managed to blurt out, his balance slowly returning.
"I don't know, but I felt it too," Zera admitted, evident by the sweat on her forehead. "You seemed more affected than I, though."
"We should regroup with the others," Jorann uttered. "If we were both affected by it, then whatever, or whoever, caused it might be nearby."
"No," Zera said. "If the others were affected then Yubel will come for us. She and Zerath would know if it was a dangerous situation. We just need to be on our guard."
"And if it was caused by something nearby?" Jorann asked.
"Then we kill it," Zera said. "We should keep moving. Don't want to keep the others waiting."
Although Jorann was annoyed at the prospect of Zera now ordering him around somewhat, he also knew that, once again, she was right. Her worldly experience hasn't counted for nothing, it seems, he thought as they proceeded to the next room, warier than before. However, as they went through all of the rooms on both sides of the drawbridge, they found nothing but clues as to what the rooms had been used for originally. Nothing of note had been left behind for them to try and find Tanion with, and so Jorann was left to contemplate what had happened to him previously as they made their way back to the courtyard. Once they arrived, they found that Yubel and the others were waiting for them, and unfortunately for them, they were empty handed.
"Nothing?" Elise asked.
"Nothing," Zera said immediately. "Which leaves only the throne room to go."
All eyes wandered to the structure in front of them, seeming to rise up larger than it had previously. Without a word needing to be spoken, they began to head slowly towards its entrance, a set of large wooden doors that stood far above them all. A silence fell over the castle as Yubel reached up and opened the doors, the surrounding duelists raising their disks in anticipation. As light poured into the room and the group walked in behind it, they quickly found the decorated room to be completely empty, apart from two figures at the end of the room, one standing next to the throne while the other occupied it. It was two figures that Jorann recognised well.
"Lancelot," he muttered, apparently just loud enough for the man to hear him.
"I'm surprised to see you here, Jorann," the figure in the throne replied. "I thought Tanion had me knock you out of the way for good."
"No such luck," Jorann said. "Royal Knight. We meet again."
"On less friendlier terms than last, yes," the knight besides the throne said. "You should not have come here, travellers. Our business is none of your concern."
"Tanion is our concern," Elise said. "He is our responsibility."
"The boy knew you would follow him through to us," Lancelot said, gauntleted fingers curling slowly over the edge of the throne's armrest. "I would have thought that you would have gone after him."
"We're here to find out where you have taken him," Darrien said. "If you didn't think we would come here, why are you here at all?"
"Merlin is a wise man, child," Lancelot snapped. "His judgement proved once again to be correct."
"So, you have something to hide here then," Zera surmised. "Why else would you be here?"
"We're here to pass on a message from your former ally," Lancelot said, rising from the throne as he took his sword in one hand, his stature rising taller than Jorann remembered. "Leave, or die. This is your final warning."
Jorann glanced as Zera, earning a knowing nod back. "You know we can't do that, Lancelot," Yubel said. "Your actions could be putting the entire Spirit World at risk for all we know, and at the hands of a human no less. Jaden and I are sworn to protect this world, and we will not waver on that. Ever."
"That is disappointing," Royal Knight said, also gripping his sword. "You're all very noble people, even you, Zera. We've seen your actions in the human world. On another battlefield, I would've been proud to fight alongside you."
"You would be proud?" Lancelot asked his ally. "On a battlefield, soldier who lay down their lives for another only delay the inevitable. A suicide mission has no survivors."
"This is not a suicide mission," Zerath said.
"Are you going to leave this place?" Lancelot asked, raising the tip of his sword at the group.
"Not without finding where Tanion is," Jorann said.
Lancelot fell into a stance. "Then it is now."
"Lancelot, stop…" Royal Knight said lowly.
As the knight's foot fell on the ground with a great stride forward, the stone above the groups heads exploded out into the throne room, showering the two knights in large boulders of rocks as two dragons burst through the opening, laying waste to the drapes and the carpets with a huge breath of fire. Conjuring a shield around them, Yubel and the group backed out and into the open courtyard, Caranith and Allanon roaring and flying into the sky as quickly as they came.
"Do you think we got them?" Darrien asked.
"No," Jorann said, readying his disk as Caranith and Allanon landed behind them on the two watchtowers on the other side of the courtyard that guarded the drawbridge. "This is just getting started."
As if on cue, chunks of the old stone went flying as Royal Knight and Lancelot raised themselves from the rubble, their white armour glistening in the light of the sun. One thing Jorann noticed, however, was that the armour, despite having half a building thrown on top of them and been incinerated, looked relatively unharmed.
"What can we do?" Elise asked.
Yubel, for the first time, was shaking. "Run," she said. "Run!"
"There's no where to run!" Lancelot screamed, raising a hand and drawing it down, crushing the bridge behind them as Allanon and Caranith swooped up to avoid the destruction. "You all have still got no idea what you are dealing with, do you? Begone!"
Lancelot closed the distance faster than Jorann could blink. The huge knight was standing over them in an instant, slashing his sword horizontally at their chests. His heart jumped as it was parried upward by Zerath, who had stepped in just in time to push the huge blade over their heads. Caranith and Allanon rained fire down on Royal Knight, who crouched and raised his shield in defence, a milky coloured shield of magic appearing just in front of it to cover him from the blaze.
Yubel directed the four duelists to run for cover as the sound of clanging swords and metal ringing out against claws enveloped the courtyard. Running into the battle herself, Yubel attempted to tear Lancelot's sword away from him at a distance, but it had no effect as he slammed Zerath into the ground, easily overpowering him as he gripped the golden-plated soldier's neck with one hand, the grounded man's sword clanging away.
"This is beyond you, Yubel!" Lancelot said. "This is beyond all of you!"
"We will not yield so easily, Lancelot," she retorted. "So long as we stand together, we will always fight for our friend."
Lancelot turned the grip on his hilt. "Then you will fall!"
Metal buckled as steel plunged through the heart of Zerath and into the dirt. Darrien immediately cried out in pain and collapsed behind the rubble, clutching his chest and breathing sharply. The two dragons and Royal Knight stopped as the sound rang out through the silence, Lancelot's blade still deep within the dirt. The golden knight struggled for a few seconds, but his limbs soon went limp.
"Lancelot, what have you done?!" Royal Knight shouted.
"I did what I had to!" he snapped back, sliding his bloodied sword out of the now lifeless body. "Do you all understand now? This is your fate if you continue down this foolish path! Tanion does not want you to die, but if you do not obey his wishes, I will make sure that he never has to worry about you ever again!"
"You… you should not have done that, Lancelot," Royal Knight said slowly, his voice deepening as a white aura began to glow around him.
"What's happening?" Elise asked as the smaller knight began to walk toward the other.
"Tanion," Jorann realised. "Tanion was glowing like that. And Royal Knight is the monster he is closest to…"
"Lancelot!" Royal Knight's voice boomed across the broken courtyard. "You have disobeyed my direct order! The killing of duel spirits was forbidden under every circumstance, and you have just broken that law!"
"Tanion...?" Lancelot whispered, the man seeming to shrink in size at the sound of the voice. "I did not think…"
"No, you did not," Royal Knight said. "Hear me, Jorann, Yubel, Elise, Darrien. You as well, Zera. I have a mission here to complete. Once it is done, I will return to you all. This, I promise you. Now stop interfering with us all or suffer the same fate as Zerath, and Lancelot!"
"You… no! I won't let it end like this!" Lancelot said, readying his crimson blade. "Not when we are so close to finishing it all!"
Royal Knight readied his weapon. "You've been a loose cannon from the start, Lancelot," Royal Knight said. "By the decree of myself and Arthur, the King, for your treason and acts against my friends and the citizens of the Spirit World, I sentence you to death!"
Lancelot gritted his teeth. "Never!"
Jorann, Yubel, Zera and the dragons could only watch as their eyes were barely able to keep up with the flurry of blows that were exchanged back and forth. As Elise tended to Darrien, the clang of clashing swords rang out once again as the two knights battled. Wreathed in a growing white glow, it quickly became apparent how outclassed Lancelot was by Royal Knight. Every strike parried, every movement countered, every blow connecting. A Level 8 taking out a Level 11 easily… Jorann thought as he watched on in disbelief. All the power of the tower was absorbed by Tanion. Are there really no limits to what he can do now?
As if answering his question, the blades clashed for a final time as Royal Knight swung his blade around, ripping the blade from Lancelot's grip while simultaneously crushing his knee beneath his boot. Lancelot screamed as he collapsed to the ground, clutching at his now useless leg.
"You can't do this to me!" he bellowed. "I am the second in command! You need me! You…"
"Are far beyond needing a disobedient, power hungry killer like you," Royal Knight said. "Goodbye, Lancelot."
With one final plead from the man, Royal Knight knocked the man's arms out of the way as he repaid the favour from Zerath only moments before and plunged his sword through the Knight's breastplate, the sword igniting with raw, white power as it cut through the metal and body like butter. One hand reached out to try and grab Royal Knight by the neck, but the energy to do so was lost halfway through, and the limb fell to the ground as he drew his last breath. Not a sound was heard as the white aura from around Royal Knight began to fade away, and he pulled the sword from the body.
"I… I am sorry you had to witness that," Royal Knight said.
"You killed your comrade," Zera said.
"He was our comrade no longer," Royal Knight said, placing the sword back in its sheath. "We swore an oath as Knights to protect spirits, same as your friend Zerath. Lancelot broke that oath. I am sorry for your loss."
"What will you do now?" Jorann asked.
"Return to Tanion," the knight answered. "Our work here is done."
"Will he really return to us after all this?" Elise asked.
"Yes," Royal Knight answered.
"But you won't say what your goal is," Yubel said.
"No."
"You know we won't stop coming after you," Yubel said. "Jaden and I are the protectors of this world. Tanion is an imbalance, and our responsibility."
"I know," Royal Knight said. "This is why we've kept our mission a secret. The longer it takes for you all to find us, the more likely we are to finish it before you try to interfere, and more innocent lives are lost."
"Answer me one thing, Royal Knight," Jorann asked. "Is your mission the right thing to do?"
The man sighed. "It is the only thing we can do," he said. "Until next we meet, friends of Tanion."
As the words left his mouth, a circle of white appeared behind him. Stepping back into it, he melted into its light before disappearing, the portal closing immediately behind him and leaving no trace behind in the rubble of the destroyed castle.
"Is Darrien alright?" Yubel asked.
"I'll be alright," the man replied. "Zerath…"
"Gone. I'm sorry, Darrien," Yubel said.
"Will I be able to use him again?"
"Yes, but only in a duel," Yubel said. "Even there he will just be a body. The one you knew as Zerath is gone."
"What do we do now?" Zera asked. "Do we believe him?"
"I do," Jorann said. "And that's the problem. Whatever they're planning involves Tanion in a major way, and it's going to be big."
"Then we need to regroup," Yubel ordered. "I'll speak with Jaden and see where we go from here, but I can sense that something is very wrong here."
Zera nodded in agreement. "This was only the beginning," she said. "The worst is yet to come."
Coming Soon - Synchro Rise