The Rise and Fall of History: A Past Unseen

by Medigo

The world of dueling has reached a standstill. Many stories have been told through these cards, and the final story pits every side against each other. It is a game no more. Duelists are divided, and an unknown enemy watches from afar. In the midst of all this chaos is one man who brings a new power that can forever end the conflict; a stranger to this world and to himself.

54. Notes in the Sand

Annex 054: Notes in the Sand

Ichirou's LP: 8000 Zach's LP: 7500

"What, you're asking what people will think about us once we're dead? That's one creepy way to think!" Eric was not sure what possessed Ichirou to make such questions, and he did not want to find out either. "That might have been a bit morbid. But is is more relevant than you can imagine. The future is being shaped as we speak, and not everyone will make it." He said, yet he did not let Zach continue his turn just yet. "Paleozoic Dinomischus!" He activated a second Dinomischus card as a trap. "I discard one card from my hand to banish one card on the field!" In its trap form it could shock Zach's Melodious Mozarta(8/2600/2000) to remove it completely. "Look out Zachary, he is going after you lady!" Dom shouted. "I know sir!" Zach responded in time with his trap. "Melodious Illusion! I target Mozarta with this trap to make her immune to your spells and traps! And she can attack twice during this turns battle phase!" The Maestra split into two forms, one illusory and one real. The Dinomischus' electric discharge harmlessly passed through the illusion.

"I do not believe he needs your help, cardmaker. You trained him well after all." Ichirou grinned. "But so was I by my superiors." Now that another Paleozoic trap card had been activated, he could special summon more trapmonsters from the graveyard. "Paleozoic Marella, Paleozoic Olenoides!" A spiked arthropod(2/1200/0) and a crimson trilobite(2/1200/0) joined the already revived Paleozoic. "Yes you handle your cards quite well, Ichirou. However, I know that Paleozoic are selfbanishers. They can never be summoned again if they leave the field!" Zach activated the effect of Mozarta to special summon a Light-type fairy from his hand. "Opera the Melodious Diva!" His next diva was only a tiny fairy(4/2400/1000) in a purple dress, but she had a very powerful voice. "I will attack three of them!" Opera, Mozarta and her Illusion clone combined their voices. Their song devastated Ichirou's monster zone, destroying Canadia(2/1200/0), Marrella and Olenoides.

"Would have been better if he hadn't summoned them all in defense mode." Eric commented. Ichirou was down to two monsters already. ".. Maybe he only needed the two." Uno had concerns, stemming from the fact that Ichirou's expression did not change. "...I set these." The spells that Zach could not use because of Anti-Spell Fragrance were placed face-down. "I end my turn." Next turn they would have their chance. "Well done, disciple. Not that I expected to surprise you with my cards." Ichirou activated his last trap card, Paleozoic Pikaia. It discarded a Paleozoic card from a players hand, another Paleozoic Eldonia in this case, to draw two cards from that players deck. "Nor are you unaware of their loophole." Now he placed the remaining fossilmonsters, Dinomischus(2/1200/0) and Eldonia(2/1200/0), on top of each other. "They do not banish themselves if they do not actually leave the field." A rank 2 XYZ-monster was placed above them. "Here it comes!" Dom shouted.

"I XYZ-summon Paleozoic Opabinia in defense mode!" A segmented and lobed monster(2/0/2400) scuttled out of the holographic ground. "Opabinia is unaffected by monster effects, and he adds Paleozoics from my deck to my hand. Like this one.." The red creature absorbed the attached Dinomischus through its proboscis-mouth, sending it to the graveyard. Than it spat out a second Paleozoic Olenoides trap card. "But the best part, I should say, is its continuous effect. Opabinia gives me the ability to activate Paleozoic traps from my hand!" The XYZ-duelist activated his recent acquisition. "Paleozoic Olenoides can destroy one trap or spell card on the field. One of them was your fusion spell, wasn't it? Well.." The trilobite shattered Zach's left spell card; Fusion Substitute. ".. that is what you call a bingo." That was indeed the card Zach would have fused his Melodious with on the next turn, of all the luck. "I special summon my traps again." With the activation of the second Olenoides; the second Eldonia(2/1200/0), the pink chordate worm Pikaia(2/1200/0) and two Dinomischus monsters all regained their fleshy bodies. "That was an XYZ-monster with just 2 materials. Now let's do three."

The very next instant, Pikaia and the Dinomischus Paleozoics were overlayed. "I'll Xyz-summon Paleozoic Anomalocaris in attack mode!" A demonic darkblue anomalocarid(2/2400/0), the predecessor of the shrimp, took its spot on the field. "He is also unaffected by other monsters' effects. And when Anomalocaris has Trap card XYZ-Materials: it can destroy any card on the field." The creature absorbed the attached Pikaia and extended its claws towards Mozarta the Melodious Diva. "I had a feeling it would be this way, Ichirou!" Zach had one way out of this, a dangerous one. "I activate Flash Fusion!" Not all his spells were normal spells. Flash Fusion was a quickplay spell that fused monsters instantly. "I fusion summon Schuberta the Melodious Maestra!" Opera and Mozarta were merged during an explosion of light that lasted a fraction of a second. The dying light revealed the fused Melodious conductor(6/2400/2000) with long flowing hair. "I activate her effect!" Schuberta waved her wand to target Paleozoic Olenoides, Pikaia and Kuribandit in the graveyard. The three cards were banished, while Schuberta(3000/2000) gained 200 attackpoints for each banishment. However, due to Fatal Abacus, Zach took another hit to his lifepoints.

Zach's LP: 6500

"Wait a second, arent Flash fused monsters destroyed during the endphase?" Eric wondered out loud. "Normally, yes. But a monster fused with Opera the Melodious Diva cannot be destroyed by card effects during that turn! Quite an ingenious little card if I do say so myself." Dom was happy to explain it. "That was very illuminating, cardmaker. However, your disciple is merely delaying the inevitable. Anomalocaris can destroy monsters in either turn." Ichirou placed two cards down and ended his turn. In the following turn Anomalocaris detached another trapmaterial to activate its effect. This time its claws cut through Schuberta like a knife through butter. "That is what all of you are doing, really. You are trying to stop something which cannot be stopped."

"Something?" All this talk made Uno remember the words from the Prophecy sisters and the things he had seen in his nightmares. "Ichirou.. what do you know?" The last XYZ-duelist he saw could not tell him much, but maybe the second in command could.. "Oh? I know a lot of things! What do you want to know? Do you want to hear the troubled history of Zachary Creffield? That is an intriguing tale.." Ichirou responded with spurious laughter. "That is not what he asked, Ichirou!" Zach yelled. "Oh, are you ashamed of it, Disciple? Are you ashamed of your past?" Ichirou ignored him and turned to Eric and Uno. "Did you know that the name Creffield belongs to a family from another country, one with great power and wealth? Creffield senior is a high-ranking general in their army. His son was to follow in his footsteps, but he forsook his duty and joined Dreamworld instead. Now his father disavowed him."

"That is quite enough!" Zach raised his voice even more. "This has nothing to do with our duel! It my turn!" Zach activated an effect from his graveyeard. "Fusion Substitute can banish itself and a fusion monster from the graveyard, to draw one card!" The spell and Schuberta were removed. Zach added a spell from his deck to his hand. "I activate 1st Movement Solo to special summon a Melodious from my deck!" He controlled no monsters, so the Solo spell could put one on the field; Melodious Diva Aria(4/1600/1200). "She will attack Anomalocaris!" The diva flew into the air and inhaled. "Hm?" Then she cut loose with her overwhelming song. By itself the song was not strong enough to overpower the XYZ-monster. That was why Zach also activated a card from his hand. "Honest!" The virtuous warrior angel synced up. By discarding it from the hand, the light-type Aria would gain the attackpoints of Anomalocaris until the end the of battle phase. "Paleozoic Hallucigenia." Ichirou used a trap in the last few seconds of his Paleozoic's life to halve his own monsters attackpoints. Then it(1200/0) died to Aria(2800/1200)'s attack. For once Fatal Abacus took 500 lifepoints away from his master.

Ichirou's LP: 5900

"I was just making conversation, Creffield. I know you like to talk. But to say it colorfully; if it is going to be a one-way street, there is no need to slow down. Once, when a trap goes from my spell/trap zone to my graveyard, Anomalocaris excavates the top card of my deck. If it is a Trap Card, it's added to my hand. If not, I send it to the Graveyard." The XYZ-duelist revealed that Paleozoic Hallucigenia had triggered his XYZ-monsters final effect before it could be destroyed. The top card on his deck was Paleozoic Leanchoilla, another trap card, so Ichirou could claim it. "As I was given damage, I can activate Discovering Destiny; it draws one card." The hit Ichirou took allowed him to use a drawing trap. "My turn." His opponent was too livid to verbally end his turn. Ichirou went ahead regardless. With the effect of Paleozoic Opabinia, Paleozoic Leanchoilla was activated from the duelists hand. Leanchoilla could return one banished card to the graveyard. "I unbanish Paleozoic Pikaia. And now I will summon two Dinomischus and one Hallucigenia." With that traps activation, three more Paleozoic traps could revive themselves in attack position. Two were the Dinomischus seaplants, while Hallucigenia was a green worm(2/1200/0) with spines and teeth.

"Nice try, Ichi! But a special summoned Melodious Aria cannot be targeted by card effects or destroyed in battle!" Dom stated defiantly, knowing that any XYZ-monster could not get around Aria's protective effects. "Oh, but that was not what I was after, cardmaker. And please, do not call me Ichi." Ichirou detached Opabinia's last material to add another Paleozoic from his deck to his hand, the third and final Paleozoic Olenoides. "I activate this card now to destroy my own trap!" Olenoides targeted Anti-Spell Fragrance to break it. "Huh? Why... He is gonna use a spell!" Eric gasped. "Excellent deduction, Stonewell." Ichirou activated a field spell, Wetlands. "Wetlands will add 1200 attackpoints to all Aqua-water monsters of level 1 and 2!" Digital rain and long blades of grass covered the office. In this environment the aqua-type/water-attribute Paleozoic(2400/0) all thrived. "Though she might not die, she will still feel the pain." Ichirou entered the battle phase and sent his ancient monsters to attack Aria. Eldonia, Hallucigenia and the two Dinomischus struck with barnacles, tentacles and spikes. "Now I will do what you thought I would do. Overlay!" All four trap cards became materials to create a second Paleozoic Anomalocaris(2/2400/0). The prehistoric shrimp could use as many level 2 monsters as it wanted as XYZ-materials. "I do wonder though, if I may, how things would have been had you been on our side. You are a good duelist, Zachary Creffield."

Zach's LP: 4100

"You'd think I would want to join an outfit like yours?" Zach scoffed. "I am just saying, how do you know you are not fighting for the wrong man? Your master made the dueldisks the way they were. Did he tell you about that? Better yet, was he the one who made you abandon you military career? Dom has a way with words. Your past is public record, but his is not. Why would he hide that, I wonder?" Ichirou did not have any cards to play anymore, so he ended his turn and let the thoughts sink in. "I see what you are doing, Ichirou! It wont work. The masters inventions were for the sake of duelists and entertainment, nothing else!" Zach clenched his shaking hand. "Why should we listen to a thing you say when you do not want to tell us why you are doing this? I do not need to excuse my past to you!"

"Zachary.." Dom seemed a bit taken aback by Zach's outburst. "Hey... I hired you because you earned my trust, and that's not easy for someone to do! Your own input is always important, so say whatever is on your chest." The master had faith in his disciple, he would not betray him so willingly. "Sir, thank you. I let myself go there. If Iria heard..." Usually she was the one who had such outbursts. "Uno, Eric. I am saying this to you as well. Dom is a good man. Ichirou has it the wrong way around. Dom asked me to join him because I left my father. I never felt at home in His environment, I wanted to pursue a different future, I wanted to make people happy.. Dreamworld gave me that chance. Now you are trying to take it away.." Right now his and Doms future depended on a single card. "Draw!" All he had was what his deck would give him. "...This will suffice. I activate Ties of the Brethren!" It was a spell, one that carried the steep cost of 2000 lifepoints.

Zach's LP: 2100

"Ties of the Brethren targets one level 4 monster I control and special summons two monsters from the deck with a different name, but with the same level, attribute and type!" Aria was a light-fairy type monster, another Opera the Melodious Diva(4/2400/1000) and Soprano the Melodious Songstress(4/1400/1400) had the same type and element and could be called to the field. "When Soprano is special summoned, I can take back one Melodious!" Zach took the first Opera Diva out of the graveyard and normal summoned her to the field. "Interesting, but you can't special summon again during the turn you use that spell. You can't enter the battle phase either. It looks like you are stuck, disciple." Ties of the Brethren was a powerful spell, with powerful limiters. "Maybe, but you can't so easily break through either." Zach switched Aria to defense mode and ended his turn. "Aha, an excellent choice of words. Except, time is my friend and not yours." On that very moment, the noises behind the door came back. "Crap, backup!" Eric assumed the worst. The duel had taken too long. "Time's up.."

The door broke open and revealed.. Iria Silver. She had simply used her keys to get in. "Sir! I am so glad to see you are safe! I came as soon as I could!" She said as she saw her master again. "Well, safe is a relative term here." Uno replied, trying to see if anyone was behind her. Ichirou tried the same. "Where.. are the others? You can't have beaten them all by yourself?" There was nobody else, just her. "I did encounter some of your companions along the way here. I disposed of them, just like I did with the people who attacked me outside. It's just you now, Ichirou." Iria noticed that he was already in a duel, with just Zach. "Creffield, haven't you won yet? Why aren't you two assisting him?" She cast accusing glares towards Eric and Uno. "We wanted to! There's a forcefield in the way!" Eric slapped his hand against the invisible wall, receiving a shock as a reward. "Ow!"

"I was making progress, Iria." Zach attempted to brag. By this time Ichirou's smiling facade began to crack. "You were not, disciple. You were about to lose. Anyone that comes after you is going to fall as well. It is my turn!" He drew a card from his deck. "Tch." It was another Paleozoic Canadia, a trapmonster that targeted the opponents monsters to switch them face-down. He could not activate that while Aria was on the field, nor could he special summon the Paleozoic monsters that were in his graveyard right now. "You are fortunate, disciples of Dom." He placed that card down, in case it ever would be needed. "However eventually our forces will win and find us here. There is no escape." With Anomalocaris' effect he destroyed Fatal Abacus as it served no purpose anymore, Zach's monsters were unlikely to perish. "The clock is ticking."

"Zach, do you believe you can finish without my help?" Iria asked. She estimated she could break the barrier if she had to. "..I am certain, Silver. The cards Dom made will not let me down. Patience is all I ask for." The last drawphase had been helpful. This one needed to do more, he needed a card to turn the scene around. "Get him for me, Zachary!" His master was in front of him, Iria behind. The trio was in this together. "I draw..." And his deck was there for him, once again. "Sonata the Melodious Diva!" His lifesaver had arrived. "I can special summon her when I already have a Melodious on the field! When I do, all my melodic angels will gain 500 attack and defense points!" The azure-haired diva(3/1200/1000) gracefully landed on the grass. She(1800/1500) sang the song of divine strength, Soprano the Songstress(1900/1900), Aria(2100/1700) and the Opera Divas(2900/1500) all joined in. Their voices joined as one to create a sweet yet intense harmony. "Are you ready for this, Ichirou? And a One, and a Two!" Zach waved his hand around to declare his attacks. One Opera Diva destroyed Paleozoic Opabinia. The other killed Paleozoic Anomalocaris.

Ichirou's LP: 5400

"Three, four, five!" Aria, Soprano and Sonata delivered their sonic attacks directly. The XYZ-duelist covered his ears. "Aaagh!" The remainder of his lifepoints went down. "He got him!" Eric cried victoriously. "Eventually." Even Iria was mildly pleased with his performance. The only one with a negative response was Ichirou himself. Though he found some amusement from his fate. "Hahah.. too bad. My secrets will stay with me." The damage was too much for him and he fell down. The barrier he had put up turned itself off.

Ichirou's LP: 0

"Well.. that worked." Dom concluded at the end. "Hold on sir." Iria immediately rushed over to him to untie his ropes. "Thank you Iria, and you especially Zachary..." The master stretched his arms and legs. It felt good to move again. "..and thank you too Uno and Eric. You made for a nice distraction." He said off-hand, as if he had not just gone through a rough ordeal. "Dom. What are you going to do about this.. all of this?" The disciples could tie up Ichirou to keep him at bay, but there were still a hundred duelists who would try to stop them outside. "If only we could repower the security fields." Zach suggested. "We should try to contact the outside world." Iria added a stipulation. "Let's go back out there and fight!" Eric had his own ideas. "Okay, now. Those are all good plans, but we don't have enough time. My little countervirus wont last much longer. The key element here is the information. We need to smuggle it out of here."

"Didn't you say you had it all in your head!" Eric protested. "Oh that? I lied. No way I am gonna remember all that. No, Ichirou was right. I encrypted the data and hid the codes in the last place they would look." Dom took out three cards, a Fusion, Synchro and XYZ-monster. One was Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon. "That's.." All three looked like altered Odd-Eyes Dragons. "Exactly.. Uno, this is your show now."

(To be Continued in Annex 055: LongTerm Division/Reunion)

New Cards used by Zach Creffield
Opera the Melodious Diva
Honest

-
Flash Fusion
Fusion Subsitute
Ties of the Brethren

-
Melodious Illusion

New Cards used by Ichirou Azora
Paleozoic Opabinia
Paleozoic Anomalocaris

-
Wetlands

-
Discovering Destiny
Paleozoic Pikaia
Paleozoic Hallucigenia
Paleozoic Leanchoilla