Chapter 32: The Destiny Ahead! Dark King, The Ruler Of Hell!
In the dreary skies of the Satellite, reddish sparkles appear through a break in the clouds, drifting down like snow.
All over Satellite, people appear in the streets where the sparkles land, and are startled to find themselves there.
Among the crowds of people appearing, Rally, Nerve, Taka and Blitz materialize. They look around, puzzled.
Then, another spark blossoms into a nonplussed bystander, Martha is back, too. "Where am I? Have I been saved? What about them? Sakura… Yusei..." Martha says.
Jack's riding so fast, the foggy air races past him in visible streaks. His wheel shakes over the rough terrain. Jack's on a hill overlooking the rest of the Satellite, heading out into a rocky wilderness without buildings. He's approaching a large rock. Jack hits it at full speed and it shatters, pebbles flying in every direction, including right past his head. He rides straight up a steep cliff and goes flying off the top of it like a ramp. Jack lands atop the cliff and pivots to the side as he brakes. He looks out over the desolate landscape, in the distance is the hummingbird control tower. "That's where you are, Carly." Jack thinks to himself.
Flashback. He remembers gawky, sweet, silly Carly with the big wacky glasses as she nervously tried to establish a rapport with him at the amusement park, her adorable, bubbly smile as she offered him back the bag with his duel blazer, and the bright, wistful gray eyes that shone behind her glasses. The flashback ends.
Back to the present. Jack holds her broken and mangled glasses in his gloved palm, once again staring at them. "Why did you become a Dark Signer?" Jack thinks to himself. He closes his fist and looks out at the tower. Jack's then riding up to the tower.
He soon stops in front of it. "Carly, it's me! If you're here, answer me! Carly!" Says Jack, shouting.
Suddenly, the sound of another D-Wheel.
Jack looks toward the sound.
The rider skids out from behind the tower and races right towards him. At the last moment, Carly jumps, flying over him and his D-Wheel, neatly, as he looks up at her, in shock. She is astride the unfamiliar D-Wheel, faceless in a visored helmet. Carly lands mere feet from the other side of Jack's D-Wheel, hits the ground riding and draws a large arc around to brake nearby. Her D-Wheel is a darker, more rusty red than Yusei's, and its shape and markings are very similar to, if not the same as, Sakura's. She removes her helmet. This Carly, unlike the innocent, quirky little photographer, is a menacing, sardonic diva. "I was waiting for you, Jack." Carly says.
"Is that really you, Carly?" Asks Jack.
"Yes. In order to meet you, I resurrected from the edge of death as a Dark Signer." Carly says.
"What do you mean? What happened to you?" Asks Jack.
"I infiltrated Arcadia Movement, and Divine killed me." Carly says.
"What? Why?" Asks Jack, stunned.
"Because I wanted to get closer to you." Carly says.
"Rrgh, I thought you were sacrificed to Earthbound Immortal! That's why I thought that if I defeated the Dark Signers…" Says Jack.
"That you would be able to get me back? Are you saying that you can't battle me?" Carly asks.
"Stop messing around! If you're going to shoot an arrow at me, I'll break that arrow with my own hands!" Says Jack. He clenches his fist.
"That's right. You're a Signer, and I'm a Dark Signer. We're bound together by twisted fate." Carly says. The mark of the hummingbird glows violet on her arm.
Walls of purple fire shoot up around them and sweep hither and thither across the landscape, until they are standing within one bend of a track in the shape of the spiky hummingbird mark. This racing course will have a lot of hairpin turns.
Jack grimaces at the purple fire, then looks at Carly, who has her helmet on again.
"Jack! The stage is set." Says Carly. She realigns her D-Wheel to a starting position. "Let's begin our duel of destiny!" Carly says. She takes off riding.
Jack follows. "Are you serious, Carly? Are you really going to battle me?" Jack thinks to himself.
"Oh, and I want that vessel dead!" Says Carly.
"What?" Jack asks.
"With both Kiryu and Rudger now gone, there's no need to keep her alive anymore. So, I want her dead." Says Carly.
"But, Sakura did nothing to you." Jack says.
"She has the one thing that I want. If I kill her, I can have it." Says Carly.
"She is the mother of my son!" Jack says.
"And that automatically makes you hers." Says Carly.
"I won't let you!" Jack says.
"I don't have to, you will do it for me!" Says Carly.
"Never!" Jack says.
In the distance. The mark of the hummingbird appears in the sky over the rocky hills. The jeep stops, Aki, Hotaru, Jace, Kakyuu and Minako have spotted it. "That's..." Says Minako. "It's started." Aki says. "Master Atlas..." Says Minako, worriedly.
Carly and Jack race onward.
"Destiny is ironic, Jack. In order to chase after you, I became a Dark Signer. But now, you're chasing after me." Carly says.
"What are you trying to say?" Asks Jack.
"I'm saying that you can't oppose destiny! 'Speed World' set on! Hurry up and set 'Speed World'!" Carly says.
"Don't order me around! 'Speed World' set on!" Says Jack. He presses a button on his D-Wheel console.
A ring of light spreads out from them, the terrain doesn't change a bit, since the track is already casting as much purple light as 'Speed World' does.
"I know that your duelist instincts won't allow you to refuse a duel! Jack, that's why you're the man I chose!" Carly says.
"If this is what you want, I accept this duel of destiny!" Says Jack.
"Duel!" Both Carly and Jack say. Both start with 4000 life points.
"Whoever takes the first corner gets to go first! Try to catch me!" Says Carly.
"I'll find out what her true intentions are in this duel!" Jack thinks to himself. He grips his steering handle hard and floors the footpad, gaining on Carly and about to pass her. As Jack draws even, she swerves over and rams him from the side, forcing him off the road and into the wall of fire.
He bounces off of it, swerves a bit and skids a lot, all the while falling disastrously behind.
Carly chuckles.
"Waa-uaagh!" Jack screams.
Carly turns the corner.
Jack, several feet behind, follows.
"I go first! I draw! I summon Fortune Lady Light!" Carly says.
Fortune Lady Light has 200 defense points and is a Level 1 monster.
"Fortune Lady's Level increases every turn. On the first turn, Light has two hundred defense points!" Says Carly. She pulls a card from her hand and looks at it.
Flashback. Carly, in full Dark Signer garb, sits on the bed in a plain, dark, but comfortable room. Her eyes appear normal, she's afraid and distraught. "Why was I chosen to be a Dark Signer? What am I supposed to do from now on?" Carly thinks to herself.
A disembodied, deep voice answers her. "Carly."
Carly looks up, looks around the room, she's alone, but she still hears someone speaking to her.
"If you want to know the answer, then tell your fortune."
"Fortune?" Carly asks.
"That's right. Tell your fortune to learn about your destiny."
Carly takes her new Dark Signer deck from its place on her hip and fans the cards, facing away from her. One of them begins to glow. Carly draws it from the fan and looks at it closer. She flips the card, the other side shines even brighter, so bright it obscures the card image. Carly stares at it, wide-eyed, amazed and frightened. Her irises turn light blue, while her scleras go black. The flashback ends.
Back to the present. "Hmhmhmhm. I set one card and end my turn. Jack, it's your turn. Bring it on!" Says Carly.
"My turn!" Jack says. He draws and looks at his card for a moment, then... "I end my turn." Says Jack.
"What? You're not summoning a monster or setting a card? Oh, you finally decided to accept your fate. Fine. I'll use all my power to end your life! Then, I'll go and deal with that damned vessel! My turn! I draw!" Carly says.
Fortune Lady Light's defense points rise to 400.
Carly adds the drawn card to her hand and picks up another. "I release Fortune Lady Light to advance summon Fortune Lady Earth! When Light leaves the field, I can Special Summon one Fortune Lady monster from my deck. Appear, Fortune Lady Earth and Fortune Lady Dark! Earth and Dark's attack points are each equal to their Level multiplied by four hundred! Earth's Level is Six. Dark's Level is Five. That means their attack points are..." Says Carly.
"Two thousand four hundred and two thousand? If they both attack me directly, my life points will be gone!" Jack says.
"Hmph! It will hurt! Prepare yourself." Says Carly.
Jack grits his teeth. "Are you serious?" Jack asks.
"Earth, attack Jack directly! Cursed Skewer!" Says Carly, relishing. Lady Earth strikes the ground and big, sharp spikes shoot up on the track.
Jack rides through them, taking a hit from each one. "Oghh! Aggh!" Jack screams. He goes spinning and weaving backward, he's down to 1600 life points and 0 speed counters. Jack seems to be bracing himself for the next.
"Dark attacks you directly! Dark Fate!" Carly says. Dark twirls her staff, forming a spiral of dark energy.
Jack glares ahead, defiant to the end. "Why?" Jack thinks to himself.
Flashback. Carly, as she used to be, finishes neatly wrapping a bandage on Jack's arm and tapes it, gently. They're sitting in the bedroom of her apartment. Jack seems to be staring out the window, as she works. "Get better soon, Jack." Says Carly. She looks up at him, and he at her, at this angle, her sweet, sincere eyes can be seen through her glasses. The flashback ends.
Back to the present. "Carly isn't the type who hurts people." Jack thinks to himself. Due to the first attack, blood suddenly starts running down between his eyes. "If I took damage from a monster that attacked directly, during that turn's Battle Phase I can Special Summon this monster if you declare a second direct attack! Come, Ogre of the Scarlet Sorrow!" Jack says.
Ogre growls and swings his club, the warpaint on his face looks like red glowing tear trails. Ogre of the Scarlet Sorrow is a Level 4 monster.
"Ogre of the Scarlet Sorrow's attack points are equal to the amount of damage I took from the direct attack!" Says Jack.
Ogre's attack points are 2400.
"Next, the second monster that attacked me directly will battle Ogre of the Scarlet Sorrow instead!" Jack says.
Ogre destroys Lady Dark, Carly's life points are down to 3600. She weathers it, and then smiles. "You've decided to fight back, but you can't oppose fate. I set one card and end my turn. Now attack me if you can!" Says Carly.
"Someone must be controlling Carly. I can't think of any other possibility. I'll get you back, even if it costs me my life!" Jack thinks to himself.
The jeep rolls through a misty, rocky wilderness. Aki, in the passenger seat, is watching the glowing red mark on her arm as they drive. "The Dark Signers challenged the Signers to battle. It's destiny that they're our enemies. Who is Jack facing in battle?" Aki thinks to herself. She looks up at the mark of the hummingbird burned into the sky on the other side of the rocky hills. "Are you very worried?" Aki asks. Minako glares at the steering wheel. "I'm fine. There's no way Master Atlas would lose." Says Minako.
Flashback. Minako recalls one of the many times she's noticed Jack taking Carly's broken glasses out of a pocket in his coat and staring at them. The flashback ends.
Back to the present. Minako looks miserable and worried. "But your heart is already somewhere that I can never reach." Minako thinks to herself.
Jack and Carly race onward.
"My turn!" Jack says. "Ogre of the Scarlet Sorrow and Fortune Lady Earth have the same attack points. If nothing happens, they'll destroy each other. In that case..." Jack thinks to himself. He looks at his hand. "I summon Power Supplier in defense position!" Says Jack.
Power Supplier has 400 defense points and is a Level 2 monster.
"Due to Power Supplier's effect, Ogre of the Scarlet Sorrow gains four hundred attack points." Jack says.
Power Supplier plugs his spear into Ogre's back, and its eyes light up.
"I activate the trap 'Bending Destiny'! It negates your monster's summoning, and it returns to your hand!" Carly says.
"What?" Jack asks.
"It's pointless to try anything because your destiny is already decided!" Says Carly.
"She did more than prevent Ogre of the Scarlet Sorrow from powering up. Fortune Lady Earth's attack points will increase on Carly's next turn, so it will have more attack points than Ogre of the Scarlet Sorrow." Jack thinks to himself. "I set one card and end my turn." Jack says.
"You're already done? That was boring, but it's fine! My turn! I draw! I'll finish you this turn!" Says Carly.
"Go ahead and try!" Jack says.
"Hm. You're just acting tough. I'll show no mercy! Fortune Lady levels up every turn. Earth becomes Level Seven this turn. Her attack points increase to two thousand eight hundred! Next, its monster effect activates! When Fortune Lady levels up, you take four hundred points of damage!" Says Carly.
"Auugh!" Jack's life points are now at 1200.
"Earth attacks Ogre of the Scarlet Sorrow! Cursed Skewer!" Carly says.
Sharp metal thorns shoot up from the ground and spear Ogre of the Scarlet Sorrow.
Jack takes 400 more points of damage, leaving him with 800. "Uu-uugh!" Again, Jack weaves back and forth as he falls behind. He spins once, and comes to a halt.
Carly zooms back around and parks opposite of Jack, her monster hovering above her. "Mmhahahahahaha!" Carly laughs.
Shaking, he musters the strength to sit up, and to clench his fist. "That's not enough to make me give up!" Says Jack.
"Soon, Jack. Our true destiny will begin soon." Carly says.
"There's no such thing as destiny! I'll make you come to your senses!" Says Jack.
"You're the one who's going to come to your senses! We're battling in this duel so that we can be together. When the battle is over, we'll have eternal destiny. That's what the cards told me!" Carly says. She looks down at the set card she played earlier. "I used my deck to tell the fortune of our destiny." Says Carly.
"What?" Jack asks.
"And this is the card I drew! I flip over my trap card!" Says Carly. In the card image, a figure stands in a beam of light, reading from a book, as a deer and a wolf alike stand listening. Candles hover in the background. It glows, as it did before when Carly first saw it.
"Sakura… Jace..." Jack thinks to himself. He winces, blinded by the light.
Which is not unlike the swirling light in Moment, into which Yusei has just disappeared. Ushio, Lua and Subaru are looking down at Moment, faces harshly uplit. "Yusei…" Lua says. "Uncle…" Says Subaru.
Sakura's lying on the ground, still clutching at her heart and her eyes closed. Her sign, Seal of the Crimson Dragon, additional markings and symbolic designs are all glowing, the only ones that aren't are the designs down her lower back. Grim and Aurora are lying down beside Sakura, with their heads lying on one of her legs. Luca and Velvet are kneeling down on the other side of her, watching over her. Luca's sign is glowing, too.
Crow runs onto the ledge and joins them. "Yusei!" Crow says. "Yusei died!" Says Lua, wailing. Subaru's nearly crying. "Be quiet! He won't die in a place like this! All he did was fall into that light!" Crow says. They all stare down into Moment. Crow then turns to look over his shoulder at Sakura.
She is barely moving, aside from her breathing. Luca and Velvet haven't left Sakura since she collapsed, they're both trying to fight back tears, and Grim and Aurora, as they've always done, have stayed by their mistress's side.
Crow walks over to Luca, Velvet and Sakura. "How's she doing?" Asks Crow. Luca looks up at him and then returns her attention to Sakura. "I don't know. She just suddenly got really weak after her duel with Rudger. I think she's getting worse." Luca says. Crow crouches down next to her. "Hey, don't get so worked up. She's going to be okay. I've seen her pull through after a lot worse. I mean, even after everything Kiryu did to her, she's still fighting. Sakura came pretty close to losing her left arm, but the doc was able to save it, for the most part." Says Crow. He places one of his hands on top of one of Sakura's, gripping at it, lightly. Grim's keeping a watchful eye on Crow, who's being very mindful of him, he knows very well what this dog is capable of when it comes to her. "Sakura, if you can hear me. I don't know what's happening to you right now, but whatever it is, just hang in there." Crow says. Sakura suddenly cringes, in pain, clutching at her heart. Grim and Aurora lift up their heads and look over at her, protectively. "Sakura!" Says Luca, worriedly. The symbolic designs on Sakura's upper back are glowing, extremely bright. "What's going on?!" Crow asks. "Jack...!" Says Sakura, weakly and pained. She's gone almost completely still, her breathing has slowed considerably and she's not even close to regaining consciousness at this point. "Mommy!" Velvet says, nearly crying. "Sakura, don't you dare do this to us again! Last time, you completely stopped breathing and your heart stopped beating! We thought you were gone for good! Don't you dare do this to us a second time!" Says Crow. "Wait, Crow. I don't think this is the same thing as before. I don't know exactly what's going on, but I think she's trying to channel some of the Crimson Dragon's energy. It's as if she's in some sort of trance. She called out Jack's name. Maybe something's happened to him and she's trying to draw enough energy from the Crimson Dragon to try and reach out to him. It's just a theory, anyway. After all, Sakura and Jack have a bond with each other that's closer than the rest of us Signers have to either of them. Sakura's connected to all of us, but her and Jack are bonded so much closer to each other." Luca says. "Jack, what've you gotten yourself into this time? You better be okay, for Sakura's sake, or maybe even for her very life." Crow thinks to himself.
Yusei comes to, standing on a crusty, reddish piece of ground, surrounded by darkness. He stands up, apparently aching some from that fall, and looks around. "Where am I?" Asks Yusei. He looks out across the empty landscape, in the distance, the terrain fades from purplish-red to purplish-blue and spikes upward into mountains. Yusei looks at his own hands. "Did I die?" Yusei asks.
Just then, white, glowing, ghostly heads start poking up from the ground. Greyish-white, shining ghosts surround Yusei, their features misshapen beyond recognition. He looks around, startled. "Huh? Who are they? Ah!" Says Yusei.
One of the ghosts grabs his right wrist and elbow.
More are advancing on Yusei.
He starts to panic and tries to yank his arm away. "Aagh! What are you doing? Stay away!" Yusei says.
The ghosts close in around him and more are approaching from every direction.
"Uugh! Ugh! Stop it! Uagh." Says Yusei. He watches them move closer and closer, he's trapped.
One ghost grasps Yusei's right arm and his sign glows under its hand. "Agh, agh, ahh!" Yusei gasps aloud, thrown suddenly into a vision.
The glowing white column of Moment shines brighter and brighter, and a tendril of light connects the top spire of the sky-scraping building with somewhere beyond the dark void around which the violent dark clouds swirled above. The thread of light expanded, as the building dissolved in a widening beam of light from the heavens, and the beam spread outward, brighter and brighter, shredding everything in its path. The ground shook, and a huge fissure opened up in the middle of the city, which caused dozens of citizens of the city to fall to their deaths. The vision ends.
Back to the present. "Can it be?" Yusei asks. He looks out at the phantoms. Their faces appear partially melted, with dark pits for eyes. "They're the spirits of the people who died when the old Moment went out-of-control. Their hatred towards me is immense. Augh!" Says Yusei. He's noticed that he's sinking into the ground. Most of Yusei's boots have already sunk, and quickly he's submerged to the knees, then the waist, as though he's standing on quicksand.
The spirits are still advancing on him, leaning over to get in his face.
"Uagh!" Yusei's cry echoes into darkness.
The first thing Jack sees is Carly, still a Dark Signer, standing over him. He closes his eyes and then opens them again. "Jack… Jack, wake up." Carly says. Jack sees as he sits up that they're in a fancy, though plain, room. Through the windows, the skies are purplish-red. "You were moaning. Did you have a nightmare?" Asks Carly. Jack, having sat up, turns to her. His blazer now matches Carly's Dark Signer robes, black trimmed with orange. "Where am I?" Jack asks, his voice seems slightly deeper and hoarser. He then notices that the mark of the hummingbird is glowing on his right arm instead of his right-wing sign. "What's this? Why is there a Dark Signer mark on my arm?" Asks Jack. "Pull yourself together. Are you still dreaming?" Carly asks. "Carly, what's going on? What happened to me?" Asks Jack. He looks past Carly and sees himself in a mirror, his scleras are black. "What's this?" Jack asks. "Don't you remember, Jack? You lost your soul." Says Carly.
Flashback. Spikes shoot up from the ground, and Jack rides right over them, groaning. He faints and falls from his D-Wheel, losing the last of his 800 life points.
Carly walks over and stands over Jack. She kneels and lifts him up, leaning over him, his eyes are fixed in place, completely dazed. "Then I resurrected you with my power." Carly says, in voice-over. Jack's scleras turn black and his eyes blink, filled with a new purpose. The flashback ends.
Back to the present. "I'm a Dark Signer?" Asks Jack.
A flash of fire, and he explores the landscape of this new world. It's a world of fire and brimstone, with rivers and waterfalls of smoldering lava, and fresh volcanoes filling the skies with ash and smoke.
Jack sees a ruined building or two in the distance. "What's this?" Jack asks. "Do you remember now? Thanks to you joining our side and successfully capturing Sakura from the Signers, the Dark Signers won the battle that took place every five thousand years." Says Carly.
Flashback. Red Dragon Archfiend looks around, roaring, against the purplish-red sky, as it is engulfed by flames.
Black Rose Dragon falls into the fire and shatters, along with Ancient Fairy Dragon.
Stardust Dragon and Cynder the Black Dragon are the last to fall, twisting their necks around as they roar their fury, and are surrounded by flames.
The Crimson Dragon itself plunges into an ocean of lava and explodes.
Carly, a duel disk on her arm, chuckles, evilly. Jack, standing beside her, looks just as sinister. He throws back his head and laughs, at his back, a massive blue lightning bolt tears the sky. The flashback ends.
Back to the present. "That's right! I remember everything! Since the Dark Signers won, the world was transformed into hell!" Jack says. "That's right. And you're the Dark King who rules this world. You're the supreme ruler of hell!" Says Carly. "Dark King… Hmhmhmhm, that's right. I've come to my senses by dying. I don't need friends, bonds or peace! By ruling this hellish world, I've reached the heights of a true king!" Jack says. "Fantastic! This is the world that we desired." Says Carly.
Their 'castle' is the one tall building left standing, the KaibaCorp building that was at the center of Neo Domino City. Against the seething wasteland, it appears a tower of darkness. A bolt of lightning rends the ground before it.
Back where we left the duel, seeing Jack stare at Carly's activated set card, mesmerized, as it glows. "The trap card 'Enlightenment'. I understood everything when I selected this card. Why I became a Dark Signer. What I'm trying to obtain by battling you. It's so that we can reach our perfect future! I activate 'Enlightenment's' effect! The monster that destroyed your monster can attack again! Cursed Skewer! Let's go to our future, Jack!" Carly says.
Jack begins to slump in his seat, hypnotized and dazed. "Our future…" Says Jack. As he leans, the broken glasses drop from inside his jacket, and fall. The flashback ends.
Back to the present. "You said before that I successfully captured Sakura." Jack says. "Yes." Says Carly. "What became of her?" Jack asks. "Well… With her being the Crimson Dragon's vessel, she was valuable to the Signers and sought by the Dark Signers. But due to Kiryu driving a spike into Sakura's heart, her fate was sealed and she fell into our grasp. However, before it could corrupt her completely, she chose Yusei as the next vessel of the Crimson Dragon and transferred its powers over to him. You tried to sever the connection between them to stop the transfer from happening, but with the last bit of sisterly love she had left, she got in your way from getting to Yusei and it was a fatal blow. Sakura died almost instantly and Yusei became the next Host of the Crimson Dragon. Yusei vowed vengeance against you and left with the other Signers." Says Carly. "Sakura's dead?" Jack asks. "In a way, yes. But, she's no different from us." Says Carly. "What do you mean?" Jack asks. "Well, what's a king… without his queen." Says Carly. "What?" Jack asks. Carly walks past him. "Come on. I'll take you to our queen." Says Carly.
"Our queen?" Jack asks. He moves to follow after her.
Carly leads Jack through hallway after hallway, and up a set of stairs, leading to a pair of simple, wooden double doors. She stops before the doors, stopping him before they go in. "This is your throne room." Says Carly. She opens the double doors and walks into the room, with Jack following after her.
The throne room is extremely large, allowing for the entirety of the Dark Signers to comfortably stand inside and await orders. A number of crystal formations surround the room with white candles on their tops, and behind the throne is a crystal table adorned with several white candles. Above the table is a chandelier made out of branches and crystals. The floor is made of square, reflective tiles. In the middle of this room is a platform, on which a throne rests.
Jack stops and stares with his mouth slightly open, before walking forward to stand next to Carly. He watches as she kneels and places her right hand to her chest. "My queen." Carly says.
Sakura stands from the throne and turns to face her and Jack.
He's almost enchanted by what he sees.
Carly was correct, Sakura has also become a Dark Signer. She's dressed in a form-fitting, long-sleeved, partially exposed 'cold shoulder', floor-length, black dress, ending in middle finger loops, with red accents flowing from her raised collar, bordering through the vertical window exposing her bust, to the sides of her hips and three red stripes flowing all the way down to the bottom hem of her dress, corresponding to Rudger's Dark Signer robes. Additionally, she has ornate, gunmetal-colored bone-like arm cuffs on her upper arms, and an elaborate, cross-shaped brooch with a rhombus-shaped garnet gemstone atop her clavicle, closing her outfit and forming the aforementioned diamond-shaped window. Completing her ensemble is a black cloak, with matching red accents. The sign on Sakura's right arm is now the spider sign, instead of the left-wing sign, and the marking under her left eye and face is now dark purple. Her most noticeable difference is her eyes, her irises are now dark-violet, while her scleras are black, with glowing purple veins across her eyes. The gradated half of Sakura's raven black hair has become purple, while her hair remains partially done up in her signature style.
"Sakura, you look…" Says Jack. "Enchanting, isn't she? She's now the one who rules at your side, the Dark Queen." Carly says. "Then, that means…" Says Jack. He gasps and then figures it out. "Carly, would you mind leaving us for a little while, to be alone." Jack says. Carly bows to him. "Why of course, there's much that you and her must discuss." Says Carly. She then leaves and closes the two doors shut.
Jack walks over to the window and looks outside.
Sakura hasn't exactly walked up to him or moved much.
"Sakura, what's happened to us?" Jack asks.
"Happened, Jack?" Asks Sakura, her voice seems to be a little echoic and slightly older than it normally is.
Jack then turns to face her. "You know what I mean. I know we're Dark Signers, that much I know, but how?" Jack asks.
"Carly was the one who infected you with the shadows after you lost your shadow-duel with her." Says Sakura.
"But why did she, exactly?" Jack asks.
"Because the darkness feeds on your interests and all your desires." Says Sakura.
"What was Carly's?" Jack asks.
"Her very interest and desire was you." Says Sakura.
"But, if I was her desired as you call it, then why isn't she with me?" Jack asks.
"You didn't return the same feelings towards her." Says Sakura. She's starting to get a little timorous of his questions, to the answers she clearly knows.
Jack's already approached Sakura by now. She looks away from him, unable to look him directly in the eyes. "Sakura, are we married?" Jack asks. Sakura then looks up at him and lifts up her left hand, indicating if she's married. There is indeed a ring on her left ring finger. "I do bear the ring of marriage, as do you, Jack." Says Sakura. Jack then lifts his own left hand and looks at it, taking off his riding glove, revealing a ring on his left ring finger, indicating he's married. "How long have we been like this, as Dark Signers?" Jack asks.
Sakura walks past him, her dress and cloak trailing behind her as she walks, and she leans herself against the window, sitting on the edge of it, looking a little more hopeless and easily disheartened.
Jack then walks over to her, unaware if he said anything hurtful towards her. He stops short of Sakura. "Sakura, please answer me. How long have we been like this?" Asks Jack. "Four years." Sakura says. "Four years?! But, it doesn't feel like it, it feels like it just happened." Says Jack. He tries placing one of his hands on Sakura's shoulder, only she unexpectedly cowers from it and backs away from him and off of the window ledge.
Jack's almost at a loss for words at that moment, knowing that she never does that. "Sakura, what's wrong? You've never backed away from me before or have ever shied away from me." Jack says. He approaches Sakura and stands before her, leaving enough space between them. "Are you afraid of me?" Asks Jack. Sakura doesn't say anything, but her eyes say enough that yes she actually is. "If that's the case, why? Please, you have to tell me." Jack says. Sakura turns away from him and moves her hair out of the way, the shadows then burn away parts of her cloak and the back of her dress to actually show him why. When Jack sees why, he can't believe his own eyes. Most of Sakura's left side is messed up, singed badly in black and blue. He places a gentle and tendering hand against the severe bruising, he carefully runs his hand down it, actually able to feel the extent of the damage that was done. It seems to start from Sakura's left shoulder-blade, all the way across her left ribcage and stops at the left side of her lower back. Jack takes his hand away, now knowing how severe it is. The shadows soon reform the back of her dress and the cloak, Sakura then lets her hair fall back into place and she turns to face him. Jack's dark eyes show complete remorse and regret. "Did I do that to you?" Asks Jack. "Unfortunately, yes." Sakura says. Jack then steps forward and wraps his arms around her, feeling as if that's the only thing he can do, brushing his fingers through the waves of her hair. "This darkness has made me aggressive and spiteful towards you, while it's turned you fearful and easily hurt towards me. I'm sorry, but you know I would never do anything to hurt you, especially that severely. I hope you can forgive me." Says Jack. Sakura looks up at him and leans him down closer towards her, leaning him into a kiss. Jack seems a little surprised by this, but he doesn't want to break this moment, considering he's been waiting for this moment. He just returns it back to Sakura, holding her closer to himself. The kiss lasts for several minutes and ends, their lips separating from each other. "I already have." Sakura says. Jack then releases her and she heads back over to the window ledge, sitting on the ledge.
He then walks over to Sakura, actually able to place his hand on her shoulder this time. She looks up at Jack and places one of her hands on his. "Sakura, what happened to Jace?" Asks Jack. Sakura lowers her gaze from him. "You weren't able to save us both." Sakura says. Jack takes his hand from her shoulder. "He's dead?" Asks Jack. "Due to the continuous war between you and the man that I used to call my brother, he got caught in the crossfire. He wanted so badly to prove himself worthy of being your son. After all, when you became the Dark King, you became cruel to both of us." Sakura says. Jack holds up her face, making her look him in the eyes. "Tell me, how did all of this happen?" Asks Jack.
Flashback. "I heard you call for me and went to find you. However, you were already a Dark Signer by the time I found you. I tried to bring you back to a Signer, only for Carly to intervene and give you the opening you needed. You were too far gone to be redeemed and due to your betrayal, you broke the link we formed when we made our blood pact. Which in turn, caused the spike that Kyosuke struck me with to activate and start corrupting me." Sakura says, in voice-over. Violet streaks of electricity are sparking along Sakura's body, originating from the black sphere in the center of her chest. It has already brought her to her knees, as she tries to fight against the corruption of the spike.
"Sakura!" Says Yusei. He falls to his knees before her and tries reaching out his hand towards Sakura, only for him to receive a jolt from the sparks immobilizing his sister. Despite this, Yusei tries again, desperate to get to his half-twin. "Yusei, stop… It will affect you, as well…" Sakura says. Yusei keeps trying to push through. "I don't care… You're still trying to fight it! So, I'll endure the pain with you!" Says Yusei. Just as Sakura is about to collapse, he finally reaches her and holds her up. "I made a promise to stay by your side and protect you! And this is me keeping that promise! I'm not just one of your Signer's, I'm also your brother. We're half-twins, we're connected in more ways than others can even imagine." Yusei says. Sakura looks up at him, she has tears falling down her face as she meets his eyes. "I know..." Says Sakura. She winces, in pain, and lifts up one of her hands towards him, weakly. "Which is why… by the last bits of strength I have left…" Sakura says, weakly. She touches Yusei's face, lightly. "By the power I possess…" Says Sakura. Her irises light up in bright red, while her scleras go black, with glowing red veins across her eyes. The gradated half of Sakura's hair flares in fiery red. She then places her other hand on Yusei's chest, directly over his heart. "I give up my powers… to you…" Sakura says. The Seal of the Crimson Dragon etched into her abdomen burns through her shirt, brightly. Sakura's sign, along with all the markings and symbolic designs burned into her body, all light up, as well. "And all that comes with it. I choose you, Yusei Fudo, as the next Host of the Crimson Dragon!" Says Sakura. The center of Yusei's chest starts glowing red. "No, Sakura stop! You'll die if you do this!" Yusei says. "I already am. Accept the Crimson Dragon into your heart and fulfill the role I failed to play!" Says Sakura. A rush of power overtakes them and a red outline pulses around the eldest, which then proceeds to transition between the two half-twins.
Dark Signer Jack rushes towards them, preparing to sever the connection between the two. "I won't allow a new Host to be born!" Jack says.
Before he can sever the connection and break the transfer, Sakura gets in his way and takes the hit, just as the red outline dissipates from her fully, with Yusei having completely gained the red glowing outline, as it pulses through him, like a heartbeat. The markings and symbolic designs along her body, along with the Seal of the Crimson Dragon, the gradated half of her hair and her irises, slowly dim, as if the light has been snuffed out from her, and then a crimson red glow suddenly bursts out of her and enters him. The red outline around Yusei glows even brighter, and he begins levitating, as he gains the Seal of the Crimson Dragon on his chest, and the additional markings and symbolic designs along his body. The golden highlights in his hair suddenly burn red, and he gains long trails of crimson red flames around his eyes. As Yusei finally opens his eyes, his once royal blue irises are now lit in fiery red, and he unleashes an overburst of power, which causes a bunch of debris and smoke to envelop the area.
When the smoke begins clearing, Sakura is on the ground, lying on her side, completely still. Her hairpieces are missing, leaving her raven black, red gradated hair completely loose and sprawled along the ground.
Yusei descends to the ground, as the swirling power and the flames around his eyes disappear. He kneels down and scoops up Sakura. Yusei's highlights dim to a faded red, while his irises are now vermillion red. "Oh, sis. Why did it have to come to this? This isn't the way it was supposed to be." Yusei says. He closes his eyes and lowers his head, touching his forehead to Sakura's, as tears start running down his face.
She touches Yusei's face, lightly. He opens his eyes at her touch, and he's in absolute shock at what he sees. Sakura's once dark-crimson red eyes have now become violet, similarly to Keiko and Hotaru. "This was… my final act… as a Signer… and as… your sister." Says Sakura, weakly. She winces, deeply. Yusei takes the hand from his face and holds it. He then looks down, noticing a deep wound in Sakura's chest, she's already bleeding out. "Please, don't leave me, sis." Yusei says. Sakura coughs up blood. "I'm afraid… this is my end. However, I will… always be a part of you… brother. Look after Hotaru… and please… take care of… Subaru… Velvet… and Ja…" Says Sakura, weakly.
Her final words are cut short, as Carly plunges a blade into her chest, gravely wounding her. Sakura gasps, her eyes widen, and then begin to close.
The cry catches Jack's attention. "Huh?" Jack asks.
Yusei's eyes widen, as he watches the light of his sister's life begin to snuff out right in front of him. "No… please…" Says Yusei. Carly, with a tiny smirk creeping across her face, pulls the blade from Sakura's flesh and turns to face Jack.
He isn't at all happy about this. "Get away from her!" Jack says, furiously.
Carly tosses the blade, smiling. "She was dying anyway. I just thought I would be a little merciful and ease her suffering." Says Carly.
Jack yells and leaps at her, drawing his fist back with tears in his eyes.
Carly manages to sidestep him and backs off.
"Sakura… please no…" Yusei says. Sakura struggles to breathe, her eyes wide. "I love you…" Says Sakura, in a shallow whisper. Finally, all breath leaves her. Sakura's eyes drift closed, her head leans to the side and her whole body goes limp.
Yusei bows his head, as he holds her lifeless body close to himself. "I'm sorry… I couldn't protect you." Yusei says.
Jack's soon standing over him and Sakura, looking spiteful towards the former. "I'll never forgive you for this, Jack." Says Yusei. "We're enemies now, Yusei. But just this once, I'll let you go. Sakura sacrificed her life for yours, I won't allow her final act to be in vain." Jack says. Yusei gets up, cradling Sakura's limp body in his arms. "If you truly loved her, you wouldn't have betrayed her." Says Yusei. He then, with a heavy heart, hands her over to Jack. With a bit of hesitation, he takes her from Yusei and cradles her lifeless body in his arms. He then backs away and walks off, with a new role to fulfill.
As he looks down at Sakura's motionless form in his arms, Jack's emotion in his face changes from spiteful to sadness in an instant.
"Jack, what are you doing? Just leave her to sleep for eternity in hell!" Carly says.
"I can't." Says Jack. He holds her closer to himself, as he watches her sleep in what should be her eternal slumber. "I won't let her transcend into eternal slumber, Carly. She'll be the one who rules at my side as my queen of hell." Jack says. He then kisses Sakura.
"Jack, no!" Says Carly.
It's too late, Sakura's already being infected with Jack's dark powers. The flashback ends.
Back to the present. "So, I did it to bring you back?" Jack asks. "Yes, the desire the darkness inside of you was feeding on was your want for me." Says Sakura. She turns away from him. "After that, your sights were set on Jace and making him a Dark Signer, as well. Even though you were successful, due to Jace being so young and naive, the darkness inside him only confused his once innocent nature. Which is what caused him to meet his end." Sakura says. With a small, quiet sigh, she summons up a cloud of smoke, which hovers above her hand. "Sakura…" Says Jack. The smoke forms the shape of Jace, running in a circle and laughing. As Sakura turns to face Jack, the smoke dissipates. His eyes widen, as she gently puts her hand to his cheek and gives him a sweet smile. Jack's noticing Sakura's starting to drift to sleep and wraps an arm around her waist, protectively. "Sakura, how long have we been married?" Jack asks. "Three years." Says Sakura. "You and I have been together for three years?" Jack asks. "Yes." Says Sakura. She has now fallen asleep against his chest.
Jack then lifts Sakura up, gently, and cradles her in his arms, walking away from the window.
There's a slight knock at the door, Carly's returned. "Hey, Jack. Did everything turn out okay?" Carly asks.
"Yeah, I believe so." Says Jack. He places Sakura down on the throne, gently.
"She's quite wary of you these days." Carly says.
"I know and I don't blame her, for everything I've put her through." Says Jack.
"What she told you was only part of it." Carly says.
Jack then glares up at her. "Are you saying you were listening?!" Asks Jack, angrily.
"I didn't have to, to know how much she was going to tell you." Carly says.
"What else could she possibly have to hide from me?" Asks Jack.
There's then a small knock at the door and one of the doors opens, a young girl comes walking out from behind the door. "Hi, Daddy."
Jack's almost in complete shock for what this girl just addressed him as. He then walks up to this young girl and kneels down to one knee in front of her.
"Jack, meet your daughter." Carly says.
This girl looks very similar to Sakura, sharing the same facial shape and wavy hair, only she gets her blonde hair, that falls just past her shoulders, from Jack. She has lilac eyes, with a slight bluish hue. She will, without a doubt, grow to strongly resemble her mother, excluding her hair, when she reaches adulthood.
Jack suddenly feels a hand on his shoulder and looks up to see Sakura standing over him. She then kneels down beside him. "So, you and I have a daughter together." Says Jack. Sakura nods, subtly. "Yes, this is our daughter Reina. She's four." Sakura says. "You said we've been married for three years, right?" Asks Jack. "Yes. She was born a year before we got married." Sakura says. Reina then runs into Jack, embracing her father. He hugs her close to himself. "My daughter." Says Jack.
He then hears a small creak near the door. Jack looks up to see a young boy standing by the door.
He then walks toward Jack, innocently. He has a tear line going down his cheek and runs into Sakura's extended arms, leaning into her chest. "We have a son, too?" Jack asks. "Yes." Says Sakura. The little boy is younger than Reina. He looks up at Jack. This boy resembles him greatly, sharing the same facial shape and purple eyes, only he gets his black hair from Sakura. Aside from his hair, he'll grow up to look like his dad. "This is Yuichiro, our son. He's two." Sakura says. "Is the baby okay, Mommy?" Asks Reina, innocently. "Yes, sweetie. Daddy didn't do anything to mommy or the baby." Sakura says. "Baby?" Asks Jack. "Carly, can you take them so Jack and I can talk?" Sakura asks. "Of course." Says Carly. She walks up to them. "Come on, kids. Your parents have something they need to talk about." Carly says. She leads Reina and Yuichiro away and out the door, she closes the door behind them as they leave.
Sakura stands up and walks over to the throne.
Jack soon follows suit.
Sakura then sits on the throne, with her hands resting in her lap.
Jack stops to stand before her, she won't look up at him. "Sakura." Says Jack. He then goes down to one knee in front of Sakura and places one of his hands on top of hers. "Are you pregnant?" Jack asks. "Yes." Says Sakura. "Why didn't you tell me? About our daughter? Our son?" Jack asks. He moves his hand to Sakura's still small belly, but already has a little baby bump. "Our baby?" Asks Jack. "I didn't know you forgot about everything when you hit your head, Jack." Sakura says. "Wait, I hit my head?" Asks Jack. "Yes, you and Carly went out on your patrols and your D-Wheel crashed into a large pile of rubble. You hit it hard enough that you were sent flying off of it and you hit your head pretty hard." Sakura says. "Oh." Says Jack. He keeps moving his hand over Sakura's belly. "How long?" Jack asks. "Three months." Says Sakura. Jack just gives a subtle nod, in acknowledgement.
Sometime later. Jack and Carly ride out to view the volcanic land on a palanquin carried by zombies that look a lot like the spirits Yusei's encountering right now solidified. "Jack, everyone in the world has pledged their loyalty to the Dark King and Dark Queen." Carly says. "I see. It seems there are no humans left in this world. Huh?" Asks Jack. He sees something in the air glowing.
Sailor Galaxy is hovering in the air, a few inches above Jack, Carly and their palanquin, outlined in a midnight blue aura, hair and any loose articles of clothing whipping in an invisible breeze, slightly.
Jack's eyes are wide, in realization. "Sailor Galaxy, is that you?" Jack asks.
Sailor Galaxy opens her slightly slanted red eyes, her piercing gaze on him and Carly. "Yes." Says Sailor Galaxy.
"Why are you here?" Jack asks.
"You called for me and I came to provide you with a little help. I can free you from this lie and bring you back to reality. Return you back to your true path." Says Sailor Galaxy.
Something sparkling on the ground catches Jack's eye. It's Carly's broken glasses, the ones that fell from his jacket pocket. Jack remembers her smiling face. "This is wrong! This is not the world that you desire!" Jack says, accusing. Carly gasps, her worst fear realized, he figured it out. He then looks up at Sailor Galaxy and nods to her. "Take me back to reality." Says Jack.
"Very well." Sailor Galaxy says. She then closes her eyes and places both hands at the center of her chest, as that happens something glows within them. It's a sparkling crimson red light.
Jack can feel its warmth calling him back to the present. "This light… it feels warm and… very familiar." Jack thinks to himself.
Sailor Galaxy then extends out her hand towards him and the light glows brighter. "Take my hand and you shall return to reality." Says Sailor Galaxy.
Jack reaches his hand out to her and manages to grab her hand. They look into each other's eyes for a few minutes and his scleras regain white. The darkness within Jack's soul has left, too.
He has snapped out of it. Sailor Galaxy, now more translucent than she was in the illusion, is hovering at Jack's shoulder, reminiscent to a duel monster. "I flip over my trap card! 'Changing Destiny'! Your monster's attack is negated!" Jack says.
A translucent shield of glowing light shatters the metal spikes as they approach, and the 'Enlightenment' card disappears.
"Jack, why are you opposing destiny? If I win this duel, we can have a happy future!" Says Carly.
Jack picks up the shattered glasses. "That future is a sham! It's not for us! You're the one who taught me that!" Jack says. He shows her the glasses in the palm of his hand.
Carly gasps, stares at them, confronted at the sight of them.
Meanwhile, Yusei's still sinking into the ground at the center of a crowd of unfriendly phantoms, in the middle of a dark wasteland. Some of them seem to be pushing on his shoulders and head so he sinks faster, as he fights to stay above the surface. "Uuaagh! Ugh! Nnngh."
"Spirits of the earth, he's innocent. Release him."
The spirits around Yusei all evaporate into showers of purplish-red sparkles.
The space around him glows and he starts to rise back up out of the ground. Yusei keeps rising into the air, floating opposite the mysterious figure that just saved him, who is silhouetted in a bright light shining from behind him.
The stranger's voice echoes. "Yusei, it's too early for you to come here."
"Who are you?" Asks Yusei.
The light shines brighter.
Yusei shields his eyes. "Hu-uugh! Uaaugh!"