Wow…thirteen episodes. Anyways, welcome to the next installment of Legacy of the Star Princess. I am just going to cut to the chase and let you enjoy the episode. Oh, but one thing. As you know, not all the events in Star Princess are exactly the same or do not happen in the same way as in the original TV show. And there is stuff that obviously never happened in the original, too. This is to accommodate the addition of new characters, plot scenarios, and shifts on the timeline. Star Princess is for all intensive purposes, an alternate history of events starting after the conclusion of the Fortune Cup Finale. Just FYI. ^_^

Everyone congregated on the front steps of Goodwin's house. Yusei, Laura, Shinju, Leo, and Luna were the first to get out onto the steps. Officer Trudge escorted them. Jack soon stopped and got off his Runner, and Akiza was escorted by an Officer out of the Sector Security car.

"Well, it seems we have one hundred percent attendance." Lazar chuckled.

"You can leave, Trudge." Goodwin told the Officer. He shook his head.

"Oh no…you're not getting off that easy…" Two other men grabbed trudge and "escorted" him back to his motorcycle, where a group of them took Trudge away. Goodwin took a good look at each and every last person on the steps.

"Alright. It's time you all learned the whole truth. Especially you, Yusei."

Yusei raised an eyebrow.

"You shall now learn the roots of where you come from…and where you are going." Goodwin declared. Sidney focused her attention on Akiza, who was very nervous. The two of them gazed at each other until Akiza got the nerve to speak.

"I want to know what this is really all about. That's why I'm here…" She said defensively. Sidney nodded understandingly. Akiza concealed a smile. She beckoned Sidney over as Goodwin had the other start filing into the house.

"Sayer doesn't know I'm here…" She whispered in Sidney's ear, "And for the record…Thank you."

"For what?" Sidney was confused.

"What you said. I meant a lot to me."

Sidney smiled and let Akiza go on in ahead of her. Yusei and Laura fell behind so they could walk with Sidney. Yusei greeted her with a quiet nod, which she acknowledged with a nod in return. Laura giggled to herself watching the two of them. Akiza felt isolated. However, Sidney looked forward in her direction and motioned to her to let them catch up with her. This eased her tension, of only for a moment.

The group came upon an elevator at the back of a long, plain pastel hallway. He turned his attention to Laura and Shinju.

"Are you sure you two can handle the truth?"

"Bring it." Laura quickly countered.

"Well, are you aware of the story of the original Ener-D reactor?" Goodwin questioned all of them. Shinju nodded.

"My folks said it was an energy generator that harnessed the power created by duels. Basically, you could power a whole city with a deck of cards. The first generator was created beneath what is now the Satellite." Shinju recounted thoughtfully.

"It seems you know a bit about this already." Goodwin mused.

"I lived there for a few years before my Uncle got us permission to come live here. I've picked up a few stories."

"…What else have you heard?"

"Let's see. Dueling is supposed to create positive energy. But, when the first reactor was activated, it released a ton of negative energy, which caused a huge explosion. It was that explosion that split New Domino City and the Satellite apart into what we see today. They were going to build a bridge to reconnect the two areas, but it was never finished. …That's about the extent of what I know."

Goodwin opened the elevator. "Very good. Now, part of what I'm about to tell you all ties into this. It's apart of why I never finished the bridge."

Goodwin, Lazar, and Jack were the first to go into the elevator. When it returned, everyone went in three at a time until they were all down in the basement. It looked almost like a tomb, made of old sandy stone and covered in ancient writing. Laura and Shinju were a bit unnerved, and even Sidney felt her stomach do back-flips.

Yusei caught up to Goodwin. "So tell us why the bridge was never finished."

The director had a solemn expression, which was difficult to measure in its sincerity. "Perhaps I should start at the beginning…with the war between the Shadows and the Light. It is the same war that you, the other Signers, and the Dark Singers were chosen to fight in. And it all started back 5000 years ago."

Leo and Luna gasped. "5000 years!?"

Everyone was taken aback by the sheer magnitude of that number. Only Jack was unphased, since Goodwin had told it all to him before. He reiterated it to the others.

"5000 years ago, there was a great war going on between two armies: the army of light and the army of shadows. The army of light was composed of five dragons, not unlike the dragons you all have in your decks…

The army of shadows was consisted of other creatures."

"Like a spider?" Yusei asked.

"Yes. I got word of your Duel with the Shadow Drone last night. The spider is one of the Dark Signer marks. And there are six more, I'm afraid.

Anyways, the war threatened to tear the world asunder and send it into the abyss. So, the five dragons combined their power and gave birth to the Crimson Dragon, who was the key to turning the tide of the battle. The dragons sealed the army of shadows into the ground under what we know to be the Nazca Lines in Peru. But, as they were being sealed, they snatched one of the dragons and dragged it down with them into the ground. This was the one know as Ancient Fairy Dragon."

Luna's eyes widened. "Ancient Fairy Dragon! I know her! I met her in the Spirit World the last two times I've been there!"

Goodwin nodded. Lazar looked at Luna curiously.

"Ancient Fairy Dragon found a way to free her spirit…by becoming a protector of the Duel Monster Spirit World. But, her body is still trapped. And there are two ways to free her. One would involve physically freeing her by going to the Nazca lines. But that would risk freeing the army of shadows. The other…involves returning to the spirit world and releasing her via a special gate."

"A special gate, Mr. Goodwin?" Lazar never heard Goodwin talk about it.

"Yes, but we must save that for another time. Right now I must explain the dangers that lay ahead for all of you. But first, must tell you this.

In order to protect the world from the return of the Shadow army, the five dragons instilled their power into the five marks of the Crimson Dragon, and have passed down their power through generations of humans, who are called Signers.

As for the Star Princess…" He looked at Sidney.

"The Crimson Dragon gave part of its own being in order to create the Star Princess markings. But, because the Crimson Dragon was created from the five dragons themselves, it means you have a bit of each dragon's power within you, Sidney. So, not only are you more strongly tied to the Crimson Dragon than the others; you also have powerful bonds with the other signers that are vital to your abilities. It's often referred to as being like a heart connected to veins and arteries, without the blood they provide, the heart cannot function."

"What does that mean?" Sidney asked.

Lazar huffed. "It means that it's even more important that the Signers do not lose in battle to the Dark Signers and are careful about their own well-being. If a Signer loses to a Dark Signer, not only is their mark wiped clean and they are sent to the abyss, but it means you loose the mark as well and whatever power you had associated with that mark ceases to function at all. Even if they are just very injured, your powers will be compromised."

"The duel with the Shadow Drone…I took real damage from that." Yusei commented.

"Yeah, but my power associated with that mark hasn't awakened yet." Sidney said thoughtfully. Shinju was getting lost at this point. Laura patted his hand to calm him down.

"If Yusei can recover enough before that power is awakened, you should be fine."

Yusei perked up. "So, what does this have to do with the Ener-D reactor and the Satellite?"

Goodwin paused. "I'm getting to that. The negative energy that was given off by the reactor started to revive the army of shadows. So, the extent of their power has been festering and growing there for some time. Surely, if it grows large enough, the Satellite will be destroyed."

Yusei and Jack recalled a vision of the destruction of the Satellite they had seen during their match at the Fortune Cup.

"Why didn't you evacuate the Satellite? What about all those innocent people?" Yusei was getting angry.

"If I had done that, the darkness would have followed them. I cannot allow it to reach my precious New Domino and become worse than it already is. But, that is why they need a hero, Yusei. They need the Signers and the Star Princess to protect them and the rest of the world from the darkness that's growing!"

Everyone looked down as they were now in front of a large door leading to a dark room. When they entered, there was a huge, ancient temple comprised of many stairs, much like an Incan temple. Around it was the glowing symbol of the Crimson Dragon.

"This is the Temple of the Stars. It is where the Dragon's first past down their power to humans."

Everyone was thinking the same thing at this point. How did he get that huge thing overseas? And into his basement, no less!

"I'm afraid that the war between the two armies is beginning again. And New Domino…and the Satellite have become the battleground. Every person is a potential victim, and if we do not stop them here, the souls of New Domino and the whole planet will fall into darkness."

Visions of frightened citizens disappearing in flashes of purple light, below glowing symbols of animals flashed by them. Sidney gulped. Leo and Luna stood close together. Everyone else stood with horrified expressions.

"Those poor people…we've got to save them!" Sidney declared.

"That's right. But, I should warn you. Not all of you may be standing here again when this is all over. The Dark Signers are incredibly powerful and the task of defeating them may not just be daunting, it may be impossible."

"So you're saying we've lost before we've started?" Yusei questioned. Akiza got a worried look on her face that seemed to mirror the expression of almost everyone else.

"No. The first battle was already won when Yusei defeated the Shadow Drone last night. But, don't expect things to get any easier. As I have said, not all of you may make it out alive.

…It's because of this reason I'm only giving you all another day to think things through. I want everyone to be back here tomorrow with your decision."

"Ok, but one quick question. Is Sidney also the fifth Signer? There are supposed to be five signers, and I only counted four at the Fortune Cup." Yusei demanded. Jack smirked while everyone else also began to wonder the same thing.

"No, Sidney is not the fifth signer. The Star Princess is technically a signer, but it's different. As for the identity of the real fifth signer, I can assure you that I am working on it."

Everyone was doubtful. He allowed everyone to go. Sidney had a traumatized look on her face that caused Laura and Shinju to run up to her and try to comfort her.

"You don't have to do this alone. You have us…and them." Laura looked at Yusei and then at Sidney and smiled cheekily. Shinju rubbed his head as he was trying to take everything that was just said. Laura noticed Sidney had her hand on her waist where she had been bruised.

"How's it coming along?"

"It still hurts. But, it has a bandage on it. I'm sure I will manage."

Akiza smiled when she heard them talk to each other. She never had a friend like that, even though Sayer showed concern for her, it was different. Yusei walked beside Sidney and turned his head in Laura's direction.

"It'll be ok." He looked down at Sidney. She looked back up at him and smiled.

I have a feeling that we'll all be ok in the end, somehow… Laura thought.

…

The room was dark and quiet. There was nobody around. That would make things a lot easier for him. Crow walked alongside the yellow cabinets and mused to himself as he ran his fingers through his bushy orange hair. His skin was a light tan and he bore the yellow marks of a person who was in the facility. His eyes were big and bright with mischief. He wore a brown leather vest and a lot of black.

Crow stopped in front of one particular box and opened it.

"Jack pot." He muttered. "It figures that Sector Security would take all these rare cards and keep people in the Satellite from even having decks."

He filled his brown bag full of cards and looked up at the air vents.

"Well, it looks like plan A is a bust for getting out of here. I can't carry the cards through the air vents. Time for plan B."

He put on a set of red goggles that revealed where the alarms where and ran right through them, tripping the alarms that sent off a siren.

"I love plan B!"

It wasn't long before a couple of guards were on his tail.

"There's nowhere to run. Surrender now!"

Just then, Crow leaped out the window, with shattered glass raining down on the ground below. He landed on a police truck that was carrying his black and gold Duel Runner. He jumped onto it and put on his black helmet that appeared to almost look like a bird's crown.

"Thanks for keeping an eye on her for me. But, I have to be going now." He engaged his Runner and hit the ground hard as he began speeding away. A couple of guards hopped on their cycles and chased after him.

"We can let him get away. The chief is going to chew me out for this!"

Crow looked back as them as he was racing along.

"Tell your chief that Crow stopped by for a little visit!"

He laughed as he kept going and going. One of the officers pushed a button, and all of a sudden both his Runner and Crow's shifted into duel mode.

"You're not running anywhere! You're going to have to turbo-duel your way out of this one, bird brain!" The officer yelled.

"Very well. Let's see what you've got!"

The autopilot engaged and soon a veil of purple energy emanated from the Runners. This was part of the effect of the Speed World field spell that was apart of all Turbo-duels.

"Alright. I'm giving you your one-way ticket back to the facility!"

…

The three Dark Signers gathered around what looked to be like the remnants of an energy core. A shed of light revealed it to be the old Ener-D generator, giving off occasional waves of Negative Energy.

Rudger took a deep breath as he felt the waves empower him. The other two could also feel the strengthening effect the energy gave them.

"Can you feel it?" Rudger asked them. The both nodded.

"Soon the light shall fade and the darkness will be free to unleash its full wrath."

Creepy. But now Crow has been introduced! Yay! So, I know I haven't been updating this as fast as I used to but when things come down to it, nothing lasts forever does it, not even having a billion hours of time to kill.

Of course, as I always say, reviews are love, so remember to R&R. And be sure to take a look at Coke head's A Futuristic Fairytale. And oO-Kai-Oo in Deviantart! Also, for a behind the scenes for Legacy of the Star Princess, be sure to check on LittleBlackDragon on DA as well (I am also LittleBlackDragon).

Have a nice day and we will see you all back here for Episode fourteen.