The Secret Garden
The next morning, the team washed up and got together for breakfast. As they ate, they began discussing the next mission that would soon be at hand. Emily decided to tell it straight out. "I think it's time to start a new journey."
"What's that?" Joey asked.
"Do you remember when the Millennium Items were sealed after we helped the pharaoh fulfill his destiny?" Yugi asked. "Well, the Millennium Star is still with us."
"Well, it's not necessarily one of the Millennium Items," said Kaiba. "But the fact that the Star itself is still here would mean something."
Emily nods and explains, "It's not over yet. Although we saved mankind, there's another force at large: the Dark Lord Cobalt. The Star itself used to be whole before it was shattered. Max already has one shard, but the others are still missing. Maybe if we find the rest, we can uncover the mystery behind the Stars and find out why the Gods are still here."
Joey swallowed a bite of his food and asked, "And how exactly do you propose we're gonna do that? They could be anywhere, couldn't they?"
"True," Emily replied. "But remember, Millennia and Cobalt can sense one another's presence. Somehow, I'll know if we happen to come across a Cobalt Star shard." But that wasn't the only thing that had to be taken into account. As established earlier, Max was the guardian of the Cobalt Star shard and possessed all of the Dark Lord's powers. There was no denying she would also be involved and want to seek out the remaining Cobalt Star shards.
As optimistic and enthusiastic as ever, Joey drank from his glass and sighed. "Well, things have been a little boring lately and I could go for some excitement and adventure. So count me in." It was the life he was accustomed to anyway; helping his friends on great adventures.
Kaiba was reluctant about the idea. He had a company to run and a little brother to take care of. But then again, refusal was never an option and he would get involved sooner or later. And he didn't want to be left out of all the fun and he also knew that his friends would be helpless without him. Thinking about it, he decided to come along. "Well, I don't think I'll regret this, so count me in. The team wouldn't be complete without me anyway."
Yugi was in agreement. "We'll help you find all those Cobalt Star shards," he promised Emily. "After all, we're a team."
Emily was more than thankful to her friends. "Thanks, you guys. This means a lot to me. I know there might be danger, but even so, there might also be fun in it."
"That's why we wouldn't miss it for the world," said Joey.
Kaiba finished eating and wiped his mouth. He removed his napkin and said, "Well, now that that's settled, where do we begin?"
Emily spoke up and said, "Well, I have a theory that when the Cobalt Star was shattered, the shards weren't scattered to random places. Maybe the Dark Lord chose his hiding places for his shards. But then, there's another mystery, such as the mysterious disappearances of monsters, clans, and magical entities. We were told that they left to start over again in new worlds."
"Hold on, what are you saying?" Joey asked.
"I'm saying that maybe the Cobalt Star shards could be hidden anywhere not just in this world, but maybe in another world."
"That's impossible," Kaiba immediately said.
Yugi disagreed. "What if there are other worlds besides our own?" He had to ask because he was thinking about what happened in their battle against the Great Leviathan. "After Lugia helped us defeat Dartz and destroy the Leviathan, he was somehow able to leave our world and return home to his."
"Oh, yeah, I forgot that," said Joey. "But even if there are other worlds, how would we be able to go to them?"
Emily pressed her hand against her chest. "I'm sure the Gods have their ways," she said quietly. She and her friends were also promised that one day, doors to new worlds would open for them. She had been looking forward to when that time would come, but also wondered if it would even be possible.
After breakfast, Kaiba escorted his friends to the front door. They were about to say their goodbyes when Emily suddenly felt a sharp jolt in her chest. To her, that only meant that the Great Goddess was trying to convey a message of a sort.
Yugi saw Emily holding her hand against her chest. "Emily, what's wrong?"
"It's the Millennium Star," she answered. "I think the Great Goddess is trying to tell me something." She could hear Millennia's voice in her head, telling her where to go. Emily turned around and began running through the streets.
All of her friends followed her. "Emily, slow down," Joey called out. "Where are you going?"
"This way," she said as she continued running north. "The Star is guiding me this way!"
"Emily, wait for us," Yugi cried, trying his best to keep up. He couldn't help being a slow runner. He was going as fast as his little legs could carry him.
They finally stopped when they came to a dark alley. "Why are we stopping?" Kaiba asked.
Emily was just as confused, but Millennia urged her to keep going. Slowly, she passed through. The others were confused and concerned when they saw her fade into the darkness. They followed with caution. After walking in the darkness, it started to get bright again at the end of the path. As they made it to the end, the team found that the alley didn't lead them to another street in the city. Instead, they found themselves standing in what looked like the most beautiful garden any of them had ever seen. The grass was fresh and green, there were beds of flowers of many different kinds, bushes and shrubs filled with berries, trees filled with all kinds of fruits and nuts, crops with all kinds of vegetables, and even a pond bigger than a soccer field.
"This place is… amazing," Yugi said in awe.
"Where have you led us?" Kaiba asked Emily.
But she didn't answer. She was just as awestruck as her friends. At the same time, her feelings about this place were different. I've seen this place before, Emily thought to herself. Was it in my dreams?
"I don't remember this being a part of the city," said Joey.
"If it was, we'd have known about it," said Kaiba. He tried using the receiver in his jacket to contact headquarters so he could get a location on where he and his friends were, but there was no signal.
Emily looked down at her wristwatch and noticed that the hands weren't moving anymore. She wondered if it was just like before and time had stopped for her and her friends. She felt that burn in her chest again and wondered what was going on. The only way to know for sure was to release the Millennium Star. So she placed her hands close to her chest and released the Star from her heart. When it emerged, the Star began radiating a great light and taking on a human form. The figure was a woman with pale skin, flowing white hair, and an aurora-like dress. It was the Great Goddess herself.
"Welcome," she said in an angelic voice. "Welcome, my heroes. I have been expecting you."
"It's her," Emily whispered. "The Great Goddess Millennia!"
"No way!" gasped Joey. This was the first time any of them had ever seen the Great Goddess in her true form. Joey didn't want to be disrespectful, so he got on his knees and bowed before her.
"At ease, my children," Millennia said softly. "I still remain a star, but in this garden, I am able to communicate with all of you."
"So in truth, it was you who led us here, not Emily," said Yugi.
"That is correct," said Millennia. "Welcome to my Secret Garden; the heart of Pure Valley. I created this place as a sanctuary to protect my children from Cobalt's evil forces. Like the Shadow Realm, it is a world of its own, separate from yours. But you can come and go from here as you wish, as it is a sanctuary and a paradise protecting all who enter from all dangers on the outside." She turns her head and tells everyone to look around. "There is plenty of food to go around and it is for everybody who comes here. The water is clean enough to swim in and healthy enough to drink. The earth here is fertile, producing healthy plants and providing the cleanest air."
"Wow," Joey was saying. "It is a paradise!"
"The Pure Valley is a sacred realm in which forces of evil cannot enter," continued Millennia. "To be honest, I wanted to bring all of you here when my shards were first reassembled, but it was difficult because of the circumstances."
"What circumstances?" Kaiba asked.
Emily knew what the Great Goddess was talking about. "When the Millennium Star was first restored, our team as the warriors of Millennia was still divided. And when we finally came together, our world was still threatened by the forces of evil."
"Yes, but now that your world is safe and you are together again, I am finally able to bring you to my world. You see, I have something I need to share with you." The Great Goddess explained that she knew everybody's concerns from the past few days about finding the Cobalt Star shards and that was why she brought them here. "Your assumptions are correct. The Cobalt Star shards that you seek are in worlds apart from your own. And I am able to open the doors to those worlds."
"You can do that?" Yugi asked.
"I can, but because my powers are still restoring, I can only open one door at a time," Millennia answered. "This paradise you stand in will now serve as a gateway to new worlds."
"What kinds of worlds are you going to send us to?" Emily wondered.
The Great Goddess smiled and answered, "Worlds that are no different from yours. They will be filled with monsters, magic, adventures, everything you ever knew and dreamed of. But be warned, once you pass through a door to a new world, you will not be able to return to this place until you have claimed the Cobalt Star shard it conceals."
"Does that mean that if we fail, we could be trapped in that world forever?" Emily asked.
"It is a cruel fate, but it is the fate that will befall you," Millennia answered.
"So once we go to a new world, there's no going back," Kaiba said, summarizing the point. Although the group had dealt with that predicament before, something inside told them that it would be different this time. But, as usual, they wouldn't let that stop them. They boys already promised Emily that they were going to help her on her journey and they were going to keep their promise. And like she said earlier, there will be danger, but there may also be some fun.