Chapter 16: Assemble! Warriors Of The Crimson Dragon!
A monitor image of a little boy, with brown eyes and hair, listed in a huge database as 078. The database scrolls through hundreds of little kids, boys and girls, and selects another, which highlights red. Seeing a video clip. The kid onscreen, with light brown hair, with no shirt on and wires sticking out of his arms, is approached by a machine that looks similar to the machine that prints tracking dye. More machines approach from other directions. "What's that? Don't come near me!" The onscreen video cuts to the same kid wearing a duel disk and a blue long-sleeve shirt. He plays a card on his duel disk and a pillar across the arena explodes.
In the real world. Aki turns away from the monitor. Yusei watches her out of the corner of his eye.
On screen, the same kid is crying out, surrounded by crackling energy.
Minako stands off to the side, with Yusei and Aki in front of the screen. "We found this a few days ago among the remains of Arcadia Movement's headquarters. It shows that Arcadia Movement kidnapped children and did human experiments at the facility." Minako says. "Kidnapped children? Human experiments?" Aki thinks to herself.
Flashback. "My brother went to see you duel at the Daimon Area and died." Says Misty. The flashback ends.
Back to the present. This new revelation places alarming meaning on Misty's words. "Was he one of them?" Aki thinks to herself. Yusei's watching her face. "The Public Maintenance Department is investigating the incident, and this is strong evidence that will uncover the truth." Minako says. She takes a breath and walks over to Aki. "Divine selected people with strong abilities to turn them into soldiers that could even use their powers outside of duels. He was planning to send them into war zones. Aki…" Says Minako. She shows Aki a translucent computerized clipboard that shows the database, her picture is also there, under number 125. "You were among the chosen." Minako says. Aki gasps, stares at the image, and runs out of the room.
"Even if you try to turn away, it doesn't change the truth! Divine was only using you for your power, Aki!" Says Minako. She sighs, Aki isn't coming back. Yusei walks out after her. The door closes behind him.
A short while later. Aki is sitting at a table beside a plate-glass window, staring down at her folded hands on the tabletop. This is a small cafe within the Security headquarters building.
Yusei approaches her. "Aki…" Yusei says. Aki sniffs. "I was still fine with that." Says Aki. "Huh?" Yusei asks. "Divine took me in. Even if he was just using me for my power, he was still irreplaceable to me." Says Aki. Her shoulders are shaking. "I know." Yusei says. "Huh?" Asks Aki. "That's fine. I won't turn my back on you. No one has the right to turn their backs on you. The one sure thing is that I still believe in you, and I need you." Yusei says. Aki smiles through her tears. "Yusei…" Says Aki. Yusei rolls up his sleeve and shows his sign. "We're friends." Yusei says. "Friends." Says Aki, hopefully. She lays a hand on her own right arm, to the sign beneath her glove.
Sometime later, a car is driving towards a distant island.
Moments later. Minako, Jack, Sakura, Yusei, Aki, Subaru, Velvet, Luca, Lua and Jace are standing outside of the limo that brought them there. All together, the five Signers make an impressive picture, and all of them look wary. "What a humongous mansion! So, this is Director Godwin's home." Lua says.
Godwin emerges from the doorway in front of them. "I've been waiting for you. Thank you all for coming." Says Godwin.
Minako bows, the others don't move.
"Welcome, Signers. It's been a long winding road, but I'm happy that I can finally welcome you." Godwin says. He bows.
"You're always shady." Says Jack. Aki leans closer to Yusei. "Yusei, why are we here? Godwin held your friends hostage to force you into entering the Fortune Cup. You trust him?" Aki asks, whispering. Yusei turns his attention towards her. "No, I won't forgive Godwin for everything he's done. But a mysterious event is threatening to destroy the world. The only person who knows the truth is Godwin." Says Yusei, whispering. "So you accepted his invitation in order to ask him about it." Aki asks, whispering. Yusei brings his attention back towards Godwin. "It's all I can do." Says Yusei.
Lua steps forward to address Godwin. "What do you want with us?" Lua asks. Godwin looks down his nose at him, the expression on his face would peel varnish. "I don't recall inviting you." Says Godwin, harshly. Lua looks upset, then smiles and waves a hand, trying to shrug it off. "Huh? Ah, c'mon, don't be so harsh." Lua says. "Since you're not a Signer, I have no use for you. Please leave." Says Godwin, severely. Lua stops in mid-wave, he has to go home? He sighs, dejectedly.
Subaru steps up and places a hand on Lua's shoulder. The latter looks over at the former. "Huh?" Lua asks. Subaru's looking Godwin dead in the eyes, scarlet red meeting pale blue. "Lua's staying here with us." Says Subaru, boldly.
Godwin's expression doesn't change.
Jace suddenly walks up next, with Velvet following alongside him. "None of us are Signers, either." Velvet says. "And none of us are leaving, either." Says Subaru. "We all stay." Jace says.
Luca steps up next. "I'm not coming without Lua!" Says Luca, boldly. "Luca…" Lua says. Luca doesn't blink as she looks up at Godwin, he looks back at her with the nasty look he turned on him, then softens, and nods. "Fine." Says Godwin. Luca gasps and hugs Lua. "Isn't that great, Lua?" Luca asks. "Uh, yeah…" Says Lua.
Jace runs over to Jack, who takes him and holds him in one of his arms. He smiles down at his son and pats at his head, in praise. Jace returns the smile back.
Velvet runs over and hugs Yusei around the waist, looking up at him with her signature smile. He has a small smile and wraps one of his arms around her, returning the hug.
Subaru then walks over and stands before Sakura, hesitating to meet her eyes. She places her hand on top of his head, which makes him look up at her, with a small gasp. Sakura has a small smile.
"I'll look after Subaru, Velvet and Jace until your business with Godwin is finished." Minako says. Jack hands Jace over to her, who takes him and holds him in her arms. "Subaru, Velvet, behave yourselves for Minako." Says Sakura. Both Subaru and Velvet nod, in acknowledgment.
"I'll lead you inside. This way, please." Godwin says.
A moment later, they're walking down the carved stone hallway lined with torches.
Godwin leads, flanked by Jack and Sakura, Aki and Yusei, and then Lua and Luca behind. Lua looks around. "I wonder where we're going." Says Luca. "King, I took you there before." Godwin says. "You're talking about someone else. I'm no longer the King." Says Jack. "Hmph! Then from now on, I'll call you Jack Atlas." Godwin says, sounding just a little nasty.
Before them, the intricately-engraved stone door opens on its own. Godwin leads them inside, and it closes behind them, leaving them in the dark.
Then, the floor lights up an eerie red, and the air around and above them is a starry sky. "What?" Asks Aki. "This is…" Yusei says. The light from the floor is cast by the Seal of the Crimson Dragon, carved into the floor and lit up red, surrounding the Stairway, it is a small pyramid, a stair to the shadowy ceiling. The archway before it bears the Seal of the Crimson Dragon, carved. "That picture!" Says Yusei. "It's the same as our marks!" Luca says. "Crimson Dragon…" Says Sakura.
Godwin has walked towards the stair, and turns, standing before it, to address them. "That's right. This symbol of the Signers has been passed down as a legend among the stars." Godwin says.
Five signs gleam in the darkness, and Jack, Sakura, Aki, Yusei and Luca's arms light up. Sakura's additional markings and symbolic designs along her body, including the Seal of the Crimson Dragon on her abdomen, are all lit up, as well. Her irises are also glowing bright red, her scleras fade to black, with glowing red veins across her eyes, and the red gradated half of her hair ignites in fiery red, as well. "Luca! And everyone, too!" Says Lua.
Around the Stairway, a smaller ghost of the Crimson Dragon appears, belling.
"Crimson Dragon…" Yusei says.
Flashback. From his D-Wheel, Yusei launched a Riding Duel attack. "Stardust Dragon attacks Red Dragon Archfiend! Roar! Shooting Sonic!" Says Yusei.
Under the next line, Stardust attacks, and Archfiend responds. Then, a mysterious red substance forms around and between them, driving them apart. It forms into a dragon and soars away from the dragons out into open air. "Back then, we battled and wagered our pride in a Riding Duel at an empty Duel Stadium." Yusei says, in voice-over. "However, that's when Crimson Dragon appeared." Says Jack, in voice-over.
The two duelists look on, in shock and amazement. "What?" Yusei asks.
Jack's irises start to glow crimson red. "Aagh-aaah!"
So do Yusei's. "That's right. Crimson Dragon guided you to Neo Domino City." Says Godwin, in voice-over.
High above Stardust, Cynder and Archfiend, the Crimson Dragon loomed triumphant, and sang its otherworldly roar. The flashback ends.
Back to the present. "Crimson Dragon guided us? No, this was all your plan!" Yusei says. "We battled and settled things on our own! Crimson Dragon has nothing to do with it!" Says Jack.
"Crimson Dragon's power led you to that event. I'm only doing what Crimson Dragon wishes." Godwin says.
"You expect us to believe that?" Asks Yusei.
"It's up to you whether you want to believe it or not. However, since you're Signers, you can't escape your destiny. Ever. Just ask Sakura, she seems to have always known this." Godwin says.
Sakura is being held on to by Jack, he's keeping her from collapsing to the floor, she's become weakened once again. "You can't possibly think I knew what this dragon had planned." Says Sakura, her voice menacing and echoic.
"Sakura, as a Signer, you possess abilities over Shadow and Darkness. But, not only are you a Signer, you're the Crimson Dragon's host body. It has been lying dormant within you as your very soul ever since you were born. But, as you got older and matured over time, the Crimson Dragon began to awaken within you. And because you're more than just a typical Signer and the Crimson Dragon chose you as its Host, you have even more power than you can fathom. Your ability to create your portals, read minds and to heal yourself, as well as others, is but a smidge of the power that the Crimson Dragon bestowed you with. However, because you haven't entirely become one with the Crimson Dragon, you haven't been able to fully unlock the rest of your powers it has bestowed upon you. Until you fully become one with the Crimson Dragon, you will continue to become weakened and never truly unlock your powers. You need them more than you think you do if you are to defeat the Dark Signers." Godwin says.
"You mean the one thing your experiments couldn't draw out of me." Says Sakura.
"Hmph! Perhaps, I should've taken your twins away from you, too. But then, they would've been made orphans." Godwin says, nastily.
Sakura's eyes and gradation flare even brighter with her anger. Jack and Yusei are both holding onto her now, anger or not, she's still very much weakened and hurting after her duel with Aki. "Touch any of them and you will have more than just a Dark Signer problem to worry about, Godwin!" Says Sakura, menacingly.
"The way you are right now, Sakura. You wouldn't be able to stop anyone, not me and especially not any Dark Signer." Godwin says.
At the back of the group, Aki is struck by his words. "My destiny as a Signer…" Says Aki. She looks at her arm.
Flashback. Hideo's slammed against the wall, the room in flames, Setsuko looks on, in fear. Aki, a six-year-old girl, stood there bemused and frightened, arm aglow. "The more people were afraid of me, the more they hated me." Aki says, in voice-over.
A fiery explosion blooms before thirteen-year-old Aki and her Violet Witch, throwing her opponent to the ground. He looks up at the girl and her monster, wreathed in violent flames. "Anger burned inside me, causing my power to grow." Says Aki, in voice-over.
Another of Aki's Duel Academy duels. A dark-haired girl wearing a duel disk cowers, as though the roof is about to come down, chunks of stone are sticking up erratically from the ground, and atop the rubble, beneath the hole in the ceiling, stands Aki wearing the other duel disk, every onlooker stares up at her, in fear.
On the eve of the Fortune Cup. Sakura and Yusei, arms aglow, warns with an outstretched hand for Lua, Subaru, Tenpei, Yanagi, Himuro and Saiga to stay back.
Opposite of them stands the Black Rose Witch, masked and cloaked. "But if you didn't have that power, you would never have met each other." Godwin says, in voice-over. Aki sees the glowing sign on Sakura and Yusei's arms, and reacts with alarm. The flashback ends.
Back to the present. "That mark is a symbol given only to those chosen by Crimson Dragon. The destiny of the Signers links and guides your individual fates. And Luca." Says Godwin.
Luca gasps.
"It's the same for you." Godwin says.
"My destiny as a Signer…" Says Luca. She stares at her sign in turn.
Flashback. During her duel in the Fortune Cup, Luca stands on a dry, dead bank and looks across a river toward a lush and green one, a vision of her past. "I had forgotten my childhood for a long time." Luca says, in voice-over.
On the opposite bank, three-year-old Luca runs and plays with small, cute duel monsters. She makes a wreath of wildflowers from the meadow, and places it on Kuribon's head, and it bounces up and down, blushing pink with happiness. "I'm done! Here you go." Says young Luca. "My soul was in a different world. It was living with Duel Monsters spirits." Luca says, in voice-over.
Ancient Fairy Dragon settles on the meadow nearby, speaking telepathically to young Luca. She listens, looking upset. "I'll stay here. I'll protect you!" Says young Luca. "I met Ancient Fairy Dragon in that world. I never thought what that strange meeting meant. But now I know. Rescuing Ancient Fairy Dragon is my destiny! It's my desire!" Luca says, in voice-over.
Ancient Fairy Dragon flies over and covers young Luca and her duel spirits with her wings, like a bird protecting its young. She starts to glow gold, young Luca is amazed. "Oh. Ahahahahaha!" "I want to rescue Ancient Fairy Dragon and the spirit world!" Says Luca, in voice-over.
Change flashback. Yusei and Jack, Stardust and Archfiend soaring above, approach the Stairway of the Dragon on their D-Wheels, riding a pathway of white light, and they see masses of people gathered below the stair, and six individuals, each with his or her arms upstretched, each bearing a glowing sign on his or her arm. "You cannot turn away. Since you have the same marks, you've been chosen as the reincarnations of the legendary Signers and the original Host of the Crimson Dragon. It doesn't matter if you want it or not." Godwin says, in voice-over. The flashback ends.
Back to the present. The Crimson Dragon is still floating before them, twined around the Stairway.
"You're at the mercy of destiny. It was decided thousands of years ago that you would meet again." Says Godwin.
"Meet each other as Signers." Aki says. "It's our destiny." Says Luca.
The Crimson Dragon bells and disappears, the five signs fade. The additional markings and symbolic designs along Sakura's body have also gone dim, even the gradation in her hair and her irises have ceased glowing, both returning to red and dark-crimson red, respectively, her scleras shift back to white, while the glowing red veins disappear from across her eyes. "Huh?" All five Signers ask. "The light…" Says Yusei. "Er, uh, um, haven't you forgotten one important thing? Isn't there supposed to be six Signers?" Lua asks. He shows with his hands six fingers. "That's right. Where's the last person?" Asks Luca.
"The last one is already awake." Godwin says.
They all gasp.
Somewhere sits the mysterious arm in liquid that carries the sixth sign.
"When you face real danger, that person will show up along with Crimson Dragon." Says Godwin.
Sakura gets back up to her own feet and out of Jack and Yusei's hold on her, no longer weakened. "What do you mean?" Sakura asks.
"You'll soon find out. First, summon forth your dog, Sakura." Says Godwin.
"Hm? And how is Grim relevant?" Sakura asks.
"Come now. You've said before how he's not like most dogs. So, bring him forth and reveal to all of us here what he really is." Says Godwin.
Sakura sighs, lightly. "Fine." Sakura says. She closes her eyes and concentrates. "I don't know what kind of game your playing at, Godwin. However, revealing Grim's true nature is irrelevant to any of this." Sakura thinks to herself. She extends her hand out in front of herself and down to the floor. "Grim, come forth." Says Sakura.
Wisps of shadowy mist suddenly emerge from her shadow and Grim soon takes form, standing alongside her, with his unnaturally long tail being the last thing to form. "If it wasn't obvious already, Grim's not a normal dog. He's actually my personal familiar." Sakura says. "A familiar? What's that?" Asks Lua. "Aren't familiars some type of spirit animal that were affiliated with either witches or cunning folk that practiced magic?" Luca asks. "In some ways, yes. As my familiar, he serves as both my loyal companion and faithful protector." Says Sakura. She strokes Grim's head, petting him. "He also has a mental link with me." Sakura says. "A mental link? What does that do?" Asks Lua. "It means they're connected through the mind, maybe even in more ways than just that." Aki says.
"Correct, Aki. And if I recall, due to this mental link between familiar and mistress, he shares memories, feelings, and even a lifespan with Sakura." Says Godwin.
"Seriously?" Yusei asks. "So, in other words, Grim ages as she does?" Asks Jack.
"That's correct, they're connected in many ways. But, they're still very much separate entities. Now, there's something else I want you to reveal about yourself, Sakura." Godwin says.
"Did you invite us here to play twenty questions or to tell us what you know about all this? If it is the former, then I am afraid we are done here." Says Sakura. She moves to turn and leave, walking past the other four Signers and Lua, with Grim following close behind her.
"You had another life before this one." Godwin says.
Sakura stops short of the door, which opens for her, Grim stopping at her side. She barely spares Godwin a glance. "Yes, as the original Host of the Crimson Dragon, correct? However, you also said we were all reincarnations of the legendary Signers from thousands of years ago, as well. That doesn't matter, that doesn't make us who we are now, Godwin." Says Sakura. She is about to leave the room.
"That's not what I meant." Godwin says.
Sakura stops in her tracks once more.
"You were reincarnated from another space-time." Says Godwin.
Sakura turns back to face him and the door closes behind her, with one hand on her hip. "And how would you know something like that?" Sakura asks.
"During your time as a human experiment, a lot of your memories were extracted. Including, your deepest memories of your past life. Or should I say lives?" Asks Godwin.
Before he knows what hit him, his face is tilted slightly to the side. When he opens his eyes and looks, Sakura is standing right in front of him, her hand raised slightly, she just slapped him right in the face. Godwin touches his cheek, feeling the sting of the slap, the expression on his face hasn't changed at all either. "You were the one who caused my amnesia. You tried to make me your mindless, emotionless little puppet." Sakura says.
"They were useless to you, at the time. However, you seem to have regained every last one of them, by now." Says Godwin.
Sakura backs away from him. "No denial for what you have done. And no regrets for all you have done, either." Sakura says. She has moved back to stand with the other four Signers and Lua by now.
Grim walks up to stand at Sakura's side, his unnatural red eyes locked on Godwin, with a deep growl. Yusei touches her hand, in reassurance. "You've toyed with us all long enough, Godwin." Says Yusei. "Now, it's time for you to tell us the truth." Jack says. "That's right. Sakura doesn't have to reveal anything to us." Says Aki. "She's the Host of the Crimson Dragon. So, we trust her." Luca says. "Way more than we trust you." Says Lua.
"I see. Your Signers are already faithful to you and the Crimson Dragon that resides within you. And you have a devoted fan in Lua." Godwin says.
"They are not my servants. The Crimson Dragon may have chose me as its Host and reside within me, and chose us all to be Signers. However, we are not slaves to Crimson Dragon." Says Sakura.
"Hmph! Strong words." Godwin says. He raises a hand, and there's a blinding flash.
The Signers and Lua shield their eyes.
When they look again, they're standing on thin air, high above the Nazca Lines, which are still there in this vision. "Thousands of years ago, Crimson Dragon arrived and sealed away evil avatars into the ground. That seal was called the Nazca Lines. We were forbidden to tell outsiders about these facts. And now…" Says Godwin.
Beneath them, the spider line starts to glow purple.
"There have been mysterious events where the Nazca Lines have vanished." Godwin says.
The mark of the spider shines brighter, then vanishes.
"This is the work of the Dark Signers." Says Godwin.
"Dark Signers…" Yusei says.
Flashback. A cloaked stranger holds up his arm and it glows. "Similar to you, they have the marks of the dark signs." Says Godwin, in voice-over.
When he began a duel against Yusei, a flaming purple ring flared up around the duel. When he attacked, it sent Yusei flying backward into the wall, then crashing to the ground. "They create a special field that's impossible to escape. And the attacks are real." Yusei says, in voice-over.
When he performs the Dark Synchro Summon. "They also have Dark Synchro Monsters." Says Yusei, in voice-over. "When shadow stacks on shadows, the door to the realm of the dead opens. A world without light! Dark Synchro! Come! Frozen Fitzgerald!" "Dark Synchro uses a Dark Tuner to Synchro Summon a negative Level monster. That duel defied logic." Yusei says, in voice-over. The flashback ends.
Back to the present. "That's right. If our duels are based on the power of life, their duels are based on the power of the dead." Says Godwin.
"Power of the dead?" Sakura asks.
"When the Dark Signers appear, so do the geoglyphs. Now that they're here, Neo Domino City is in a life-or-death situation." Says Godwin.
Sakura's eyes are smoldering. "Yes, I have seen it with my own eyes." Sakura says.
Flashback. Kiryu's two ghost tokens spiral together into the air and form the clenched stone fist that summons an Earthbound Immortal. Dozens of drones cry out and are absorbed into the awakening behemoth. "They sacrificed many people in Satellite!" Says Sakura, in voice-over. The flashback ends.
Back to the present. "They were victims!" Sakura says. Yusei tightens his hold on her hand, slightly, she returns the gesture. Lua and Luca cling together, nervously.
"Their actions are beyond what I anticipated." Says Godwin.
The aerial view beneath their feet changes. They are now looking down on the crossed lizard and hummingbird signs, the Arcadia Building a lone tower at their center.
"The geoglyphs even appeared in the City, and there were many victims." Godwin says.
"Just like I thought." Says Sakura.
Flashback. Bystanders gasp and point up at the Arcadia Building, above which those same signs loom and another Earthbound Immortal is awakening. A Security officer is evaporated into it on the spot, as are other bystanders. "What you saw at Satellite also occurred in the City." Godwin says, in voice-over.
In the flashback, the awakening Immortal's egg shoots a column of light from ground to heavens, and creates a huge cloud of dust and smoke. The flashback ends.
Back to the present. "Due to the monsters that emerged from the geoglyphs, several hundred people in the vicinity are currently missing." Says Godwin.
The Signers and Lua are all shocked by this.
Open on the Earthbound Immortal Ccarayhua, as it swivels its massive head and glowing green eyes, standing with one front foot on the side of the Arcadia Building. Around its feet, the entire ground is obscured with shadows.
The hummingbird Earthbound Immortal Aslla Piscu, glowing with orange designs, appears alongside the lizard, on either side of the building.
The Signers are watching the Immortals from above, as they wait on either side of the Arcadia Building.
"Nyygh!" Lua says, scared. "They are Earthbound Immortals." Says Sakura.
"They're summoned by sacrificing humans. Earthbound Immortals are the gods of the Dark Signers." Godwin says.
"What happened to the people who were sacrificed?" Asks Jack.
"I don't know." Godwin says.
Jack's cowed, but frustrated.
Flashback. Jack notices something on the ground. Carly's glasses, one lens partially shattered and one side bent rudely out of shape, sit on the polished floor of the Arcadia Building among the rubble, twinkling. Jack picks them up, looking at them closer, as smoke and dust billow around him. "These glasses… Can it be?" Asks Jack. The flashback ends.
Back to the present. "Every moment is a battle. If you do nothing, City, Satellite and every citizen will fall into the hands of the Dark Signers." Godwin says.
Flashback. Yusei and Jack ride on a glowing highway over a massive, fiery spider engraved into the landscape of the Satellite. "Neo Domino City will be destroyed, just like in your vision." Says Godwin, in voice-over. The flashback ends.
Back to the present. Jack clenches his fist, and doesn't reply. Sakura places her hand on his shoulder. Jack turns to face her. Sakura doesn't say anything, but he can see in her eyes that she means well. Jack then places his hand on hers and turns his attention back to Godwin. "When you say everyone in City and Satellite…" Luca says. "That also includes Tenpei, Himuro and Yanagi?" Asks Lua.
"You cannot avoid this battle. Signers and Dark Signers represent the light and the dark. Only the Signers can defeat the Dark Signers and save everyone in this life-or-death situation. There is no one else." Godwin says.
Aki is listening, closely, then looks away.
"Sakura, you must become one with the Crimson Dragon that resides within in. You will all have to commit your life, body and soul as Signers and make a pact to the Crimson Dragon." Says Godwin.
"Pact?" Yusei asks.
"You will each have to give some of your blood to Sakura. This will form the pact with Crimson Dragon, as well as bind you to Sakura." Says Godwin.
"You want us to make a blood pact with Crimson Dragon?" Aki asks. "That's absurd." Says Jack.
"It will be an act of accepting yourselves as Signers, that you are prepared to follow Sakura and Crimson Dragon against the Dark Signers. With your blood, you will all create a blood bond to Sakura, a type of link between the Signers and Host of the Crimson Dragon. It also serves as a symbol of trust and loyalty towards Sakura. And once Host and Crimson Dragon are one with each other, the blood pact will be complete." Godwin says.
"They do not have to prove themselves to me. I shall not force them to make a blood pact with me. As far as I am concerned, this is just another one of your twisted experiments." Says Sakura.
"You choose what you want to believe, Sakura. However, keep pushing Crimson Dragon away and you will cause your own downfall." Godwin says.
Flashback. As a young girl, Aki was shunned by her peers. She defiantly drew a card, her sign already visible on her arm, and summoned a huge carnivorous Gigaplant that sent them running from her, screaming. "My power caused people to hate me, so I never enjoyed living in the City." Aki thinks to herself, in voice-over.
Change flashback. Hideo slaps little Aki in the face, hard enough to send her falling to the floor. Setsuko holds at his shoulders, as if to try and restrain him, hiding halfway behind him. Little Aki props herself up by her elbow, while holding at her cheek with her other hand. "Because I'm a monster?" Asks little Aki.
Change flashback. Aki walks away from her parents into Duel Academy, alone. "However…" Aki thinks to herself, in voice-over.
Then, change flashback again, to the aftermath of her recent duel with Sakura. "Aki, your father says that he accepts you. You have a home if you want it. You have to think for yourself and make a decision." Sakura says.
Aki bows her head, tears streaming down her face. "My place… is here." Says Aki. The flashback ends.
Back to the present. Aki puts a hand to her right arm. "Papa… Mama…" Aki thinks to herself. "Destiny doesn't matter!" Jack says. "Jack…" Says Sakura. "I'll decide what I need to do!" Jack says. Yusei's watching him, silently.
Flashback. Yusei sits up in bed, his stomach wrapped in bandages. Hotaru's standing at his bedside, with Aurora sitting down beside her.
Martha looks over her shoulder, disapproving. "Yusei, there are times when a man has to do impossible missions on his own. However, no matter how impossible the task, your sisters and friends will help you as long as you believe in what you're doing." Says Martha. The flashback ends.
Back to the present. "Martha's right. I won't win on my own because this battle won't be easy." Yusei thinks to himself. "Godwin, there's something else I have to ask you." Yusei says.
"What is it?" Asks Godwin.
"When I returned to Satellite, a former friend who I thought was dead appeared before me as a Dark Signer." Yusei says. Sakura and Jack both glance over at him.
Flashback. Yusei has spotted a shadowy figure atop a high mound of trash, barely visible through the fog. "Heh! So, you've forgotten about me." Says Kiryu. He throws off his cloak, dramatically.
Yusei and Crow gasp, stricken.
"No way! Kiryu?" Yusei asks.
"You're alive, Kyosuke Kiryu?" Asks Crow.
"Yusei, thanks to you, I've seen hell. I'll get my revenge until you can't stand it anymore!" Kiryu says. He jams a helmet on his head and rides his D-Wheel off the edge of the cliff, jumping over Yusei and Crow to land behind. "Kyosuke Kiryu used to be the leader of mine and Jack's duel team. He became a Dark Signer with fearsome power." Says Yusei, in voice-over.
As Kiryu soars, purple fire erupts from the ground in his wake, shocking Yusei and Crow. They wince as it carves out line after line in the ground, and the fiery lines are reflected in the storm clouds above, forming an image on the ground. Kiryu goes into a sideways skid, and halts. "Let's settle our destinies here! Hundred Eyes Dragon! Next, Hundred Eyes Dragon's monster effect activates! It gains the monster effect of Infernity Dwarf that's in my graveyard." Kiryu says. "His Hundred Eyes Dragon had powerful abilities." Says Yusei, in voice-over. "Yes, but Kiryu's real goal was to summon an even more frightening monster." Jack says, in voice-over. "When Hundred Eyes Dragon is destroyed, I select one card in my deck and add it to my hand." Says Kiryu. The shadowy visage of Ccapac Apu pulses in the darkness.
Yusei looks around, startled to see cloaked figures in the shadowy mist beyond the duel, drones ready to be sacrificed. They cried out as they were absorbed one by one. Sparks of light rained upward into the Immortal's egg, like reverse fireworks, casting an eerie light. "That's when I learned that he gathered many Satellite citizens in order to sacrifice them to his monster." Yusei says, in voice-over. "I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It was hard to accept that Kiryu came into possession of such incredible power." Says Jack, in voice-over.
Yusei watches them fly past overhead, and Jack sees them stream past the helicopter from which he witnessed the duel.
"I sacrifice their souls. Descend, Earthbound Immortal Ccapac Apu!" Kiryu says. He raises the card high, a column of light blasts from ground to sky, causing the clouds to swirl menacingly.
A massive hand shot up from the earth. The Immortal swats lazily at Jack's helicopter as it stands up, then turns to Yusei, reaching for him with one massive, black hand. "Earthbound Immortal Ccapac Apu wasn't affected by spells or traps and didn't take monster attacks. It was an unbelievable monster." Says Yusei, in voice-over. Yusei's wheel wobbling, is right in the path of the giant's hand, unable to stop it, trapped. Kiryu rides ahead. "If my D-Wheel didn't malfunction and stop the duel, I would've died." Yusei says, in voice-over. As the force of the hand's passage rips the ground asunder in its wake. At the last second, Yusei flinches, waiting for the end. Then, the side of his D-Wheel explodes, and the hand crashes down, and he and his D-Wheel bounce across the ground beyond it, out of control, knocked senseless. The flashback ends.
Back to the present. Godwin's noticed Sakura's reaction to hearing about Kiryu. "You've become quiet, Sakura." Says Godwin.
Sakura brings her attention up to him, but she keeps her eyes downcast.
"Nothing to say about this matter. Surely, if Yusei and Jack know this Dark Signer. I would assume you do, too." Godwin says.
"Yes, I know him. However, not in the same way Yusei and Jack do. Many things happened between him and I. And it all ended in bloodshed." Says Sakura.
"What did he do to you?" Godwin asks.
"It is not something I wish to discuss. Especially, not with you." Says Sakura.
"Sakura, please. Let go of your stubbornness just this once. Ever since this Dark Signer approached you, you've been quite distraught." Godwin says.
Sakura sighs. "Lua, Luca. Please, cover your ears." Says Sakura. Luca and Lua just do as their told, covering their ears. "Sakura, you don't have to say anything." Jack says. "It's alright, Jack." Says Sakura. She then takes a deep breath and faces Godwin. "Kyosuke raped me, three years ago." Sakura says. Aki gasps, horrified. Jack seems regretful, while Yusei seems sorrowful.
"I see. I'm sorry, I truly am. Is he the father of your twins?" Asks Godwin.
"What's it to you, Godwin?!" Jack asks, furiously.
"I admire your drive to defend her, Jack. I really do, but this is a very serious matter." Says Godwin.
Jack growls under his breath, Yusei seems just as upset about this matter. "Yes, Kyosuke Kiryu is Subaru and Velvet's father. I had forgotten about him due to your experiments causing my amnesia. However, now that he's returned as a Dark Signer and has appeared to me, I now remember him and all that he's done." Sakura says. "Why did you want to know that, Godwin?" Asks Yusei.
"Fortunately, he wasn't a Dark Signer then. However, when you were brought here to the City and it was discovered that you were pregnant with your twins, we feared that the father was a possible Dark Signer. When I asked you who he was after you had them, you refused to say who it was, only saying that he raped you and that he knew nothing about his mistake. I left it at that and then after you healed, Jack had been hypnotized and sent to purify you." Godwin says.
"You messed with my head and had me force myself on her!" Says Jack, angrily.
"I didn't send you to rape her, Jack. When he raped and impregnated her, she became impure. You were sent to sleep with her and impregnate her, in order to purify her and reverse what had been done. And congratulations, it worked." Godwin says.
"You brainwashed Jack into raping and impregnating Sakura. There was no consent whatsoever." Says Aki. "And once it was over with and she had just given birth to him, you decided to take Jace away from her. And then told Jack that she didn't want anything to do with him and left." Yusei says.
"Everything I did served a purpose." Says Godwin.
"All of it was to fulfill your twisted schemes. At least up until now." Sakura says. Luca and Lua then uncover their ears. "Is it safe to uncover our ears now?" Asks Lua. "Yeah, it's fine now." Yusei says. "Why did Kyosuke become a Dark Signer?" Asks Sakura. "Answer us! Who are the Dark Signers?" Jack asks.
Godwin looks away. "It's better if you don't know." Says Godwin.
"Stop messing around! Yusei and I have to risk our lives in a duel against a man we once considered a friend! A man who did unspeakable things to Sakura and now haunts her!" Jack says. "I'm willing to risk my life to protect the City and Satellite. However, if there is a way to return Kiryu back to normal…" Says Yusei.
"It's impossible." Godwin says, bluntly.
"Huh?" Asks Yusei.
"There's no method to return the Dark Signers back to their former selves. None." Godwin says.
"What do you mean?" Asks Yusei.
"Dark Signers are the souls of the dead that now have special abilities. In other words, they no longer exist." Godwin says.
They all gasp, realizing the implications of what he has just told them. "What?" Asks Yusei. "They no longer exist?" Aki asks. "What does that mean?" Asks Lua. "It can't be…" Luca says. "Kyosuke is already dead." Says Sakura. "That's nonsense! The dead can't come back to life!" Jack says.
"There is a way. An unbelievable phenomenon is occurring beyond the doors of the dead. Negative Level Dark Synchro Monsters represent the envoys of the afterlife. Destiny is moving. We can no longer go back. Either you defeat the Dark Signers or this world dies with us. It's all in your hands." Says Godwin.
Yusei listens, teeth clenched, resisting fear. Jack looks pensive, Sakura seems fearless, Aki determined and the twins nervous.
The vision fades, and they return to the Stairway. "Before giving me your answer, think carefully about what you should do. But, there isn't much time. And once you've all made your decision, you'll have to make the blood pact with the Crimson Dragon." Godwin says. He walks past them toward the door.
Jack, Sakura, Yusei and Aki watch him go out of the corners of their eyes, Grim shifts his stance and eyes him, growling deeply, and the twins turn and watch him pass.
Godwin walks out of the room, and the door shuts behind him.
Leaving them standing alone before the Stairway of the Dragon.