Chapter update! I stayed up all night to get this done, now, to go to bed or to not go to bed, this is the question :D Hope you enjoy, I worked really hard on this duel and have only been avoiding it since Monday. Oh yea, It's also really, really, really long.
Chapter 6
Final Battle
12:10PM
Regan tightened her grip on Yugi's hand as they walked away from the stadium and into the challenger's hall. Something was different about Devin, like the first day they saw him on the stage. Her stomach twisted and had to fight the urge to curl up in a ball. Maybe it wasn't him that was causing her stomach to eat itself, but her fear. But what could she possibly be afraid of? There were a lot of things, but nothing she could think of that were around Devin. But maybe that was what she feared was the unknown pieces that were being played by him, if he was playing any at all. She pulled him into the challenger's room and shut the door behind them. The lights came on their own.
"What are we doing in here?" Yugi asked before turning to her. He gave her a questioning look. "Are you sure you want to go against Devin?"
"No," Regan replied after a moment. "But I won't back down. If there is something he is hiding I will find it in our game. I just hope it isn't something terrible."
"Maybe I should-"
"No. You have fought against enemy after enemy in each major tournament. You shouldn't have to have the world on your shoulders all the time. Besides, Devin could be some poor host that has wanted to participate in the tournament and that could be why he hasn't cancelled it. He probably just wants to go against the best to see how good he is."
"Sounds like a very optimistic view, but still there is that chance."
"Then cheer for me and believe in me, like you said you would last night."
He looked like he was going to argue, but he didn't and Regan was grateful he didn't. He smiled and nodded. "Alright, just be careful if everything goes bad."
"When am I not careful?"
"Every time when you need to be," Yugi stated.
"I try," She said scrunching up her nose for a second and then looked happily at him. "Thank you, Yugi."
They left the room and walked to the end of the hall to find all her friends standing there. She looked at each one of them and knew what they wanted from her and she already had her answer.
"So we are all coming down with you to the floor right?" Joey asked.
She shook her head. "There is no way to tell what Devin has planned if he has anything planned at all."
"Well if has nothing planned then we miss the front row seats."
"Yea and if he does then you have front row seats of being victims." Regan retorted. "It would be better if you go front row seats… but not floor seats, I don't want anyone to be in the way if something does go out the window."
"If you want to go alone that's fine." Téa sighed, surprising Regan out of her mind, but she wasn't finished. "But, you take Atem and Yugi with you, at least then you have some back up if any magical funny business starts up."
"Like that's going to happen, do you really think two Mutos are going to do anything?" Her brother said from the left and Regan turned to him as he was walking down the hall with Mokuba.
"Three actually." Kayama stated.
"I'm going with you as well,"
"So you can join your magic buddies?" Joey asked slyly.
Kaiba turned to him with a glare. "No so I can protect my sister if something does go wrong, something you were never good at Wheeler."
"Don't bring sibling relationships into this, because I can name a few where you weren't so kind to Mokuba."
"Enough bickering and save it for after we get through this tournament!" Téa ordered them. They both stayed quiet and she turned to Regan. "Now, do you need any help with your deck Regan?"
Regan looked at her deck. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to look it over."
00000
Regan confidently walked into the stadium with Atem, Yugi, Seto and Kayama behind her. The crowds cheered and Regan heard a whistle from the first row. She turned to it and saw the rest of her friends and her other brother sitting safely in the crowd. She smiled to them and waved. She might as well show that she was having a good time. For all she knew, the duel was going to be a really fun duel to remember. They walked up the stairs of the stage. There were some chairs placed and two people that were waiting for them. One was Devin who had a duel disk on and the other was-.
"Why is Jade up here?" Seto demanded as the woman was sitting on Devin's side of the field in a chair quietly.
"She's my guest, besides, why can't a mother see her daughter's greatest achievement?" Devin asked back. Nobody gave him an answer as they left Regan standing on her side of the stage. The air suddenly felt tight as the silence in the room continued. There was a quick smirk from Devin that Regan almost missed and she activated her disk and placed in her deck. Devin did the same and the tension continued to rise. She took a look over at Jade and not once had the woman looked away from the ground.
"Game start!" Devin shouted suddenly and then the lights dimmed in the room.
Regan gritted her teeth as the familiar atmosphere of dread came down like torrential rain and the area around the stage started to turn purple and black as the Shadow Realm wrapped around them. She could hear the audience on the outside as they gasped in shock and fear.
"I have to say, I don't really miss this place." Kayama commented.
"I knew something like this was going to happen." She sighed in annoyance.
"Well you knew correctly then." Devin laughed. "Don't worry; the entire audience can see our duel and hear us as well."
"You're sick, just like a certain demon I know. You're working for Dark Matter."
"You are on a roll. Got anything else you want to tell me?"
"Yea, I'm going to win this game and you are going to get the side effect of this realm." Regan hissed at him.
"Wouldn't that be killing someone?"
"I'm not killing someone; I'm killing a demon, because you're not human. That's why we sensitive people have been the ones to question you and your motives."
"Too bad you were too late to do anything about this game, now my master will be happy that you will be with him."
"Like that's will ever happen." Regan challenged sharply. "Now are we going to duel or are you going to surrender so I don't have to waste my time?"
"Oh, we'll start playing, but to make this more interesting, let's set the Life Point count at 8000."
"Fine, it doesn't matter to me anyway, hell you can go first while you are at it."
Devin Scape VS Regan Heartin
Devin – 8000 Regan – 8000
Turn 1: Devin H: 5 LP: 8000
"Why, you are so kind. I'll place a set a monster and place a facedown card and end my turn.
Turn 2: Regan H: 5 LP: 8000
She didn't like the simple layout; she needed to figure out what deck he was using as well as how the Shadow Game worked as it seemed he wasn't going to tell her any answers. "I activate Mausoleum of the Emperor."
She placed her card down, but Devin hit a button on his field. "Sorry, but I activate Dark Bribe."
She placed her card in the grave and drew a card from her deck. "I activate my Star Blast and give up 2000 life points to summon Guardian Angel Joan!"
Guardian Angel Joan Angel/Effect Attack: 2800 Defense: 2000
A white clothed with red hair appeared on the field. The shadow realm seemed to brighten in her presences and Regan smiled. But so did Devin and Regan was not pleased. "Joan, attack his facedown card with Angelic Sphere!"
Joan raised her hands and shot an orb of light at the facedown and it shattered showing it to be Sangan.
"You may get 1000 life points out of the attack, but you helped me more than yourself. Now I get to add a monster to my hand." Devin didn't even bother to pull out his deck as he just summoned the card from it. It flew from the deck and into his hand.
"I set a facedown and end my turn." She said as she placed her card down.
Turn 3: Devin H: 5 LP: 8000
"Well I guess it's time to get this duel started. I summon Cure Mermaid." Devin stated as he placed the card on the field.
Cure Mermaid Fish/Effect Attack: 1500 Defense: 800
A mermaid with a red tail and a pink top with blond hair appeared on the field in front of Devin and grinned evilly at Regan. Regan ignored it and waited for Devin to continue his move.
"Next I activate the spell card Messenger of Peace, so now none of our monsters with over 1500 attack can actually attack."
"Got anything else to hide behind coward?" She asked him.
"Yes, I place three facedown cards and then it's your turn."
Turn 4: Regan H: 3 LP: 7000
She drew her card and placed it on the board. I activate Mystical Space Typhoon and-"
"I activate Magic Jammer; I negate your attack by discarding my card to the graveyard."
She clenched her jaw in frustration; she was getting annoyed at her spell cards being negated each turn. "I summon Mirage Dragon and set one card and since I can't attack, I end my turn."
Turn 5: Devin H: 0 LP: 8000
"During the Standby Phase, not only do I have to pay 100 life points to keep my card on the field, I get 800 from my mermaid, so really I'm not losing any life points at all." Devin said with a smile and Regan watched his life point grow, but not the correct amount.
"Hey why did you just gain 900 life points?"
"You remember that card I discarded, that was Marie the Fallen One and she gives me two hundred life points every Standby Phase as well."
So far she hadn't seen what the worse of this game had, but the game was barely moving anyway. Her eyes narrowed at Devin's grin.
"Regan, he's got something, brace yourself." Yugi told her from the sidelines.
She had almost forgotten that her friends, boyfriend and brother were there. She looked over at them quickly and nodded. She also noticed that the audience was a lot quieter now and she didn't know if that was a good thing or not.
"Now let's have the fun begin. I activate my Bad Reaction to Simochi."
"No you don't I activate my face down, Seven Tools of the Bandit and by giving up 1000 life points you trap is negated." She replied, figuring out the deck being an anti-cure one.
"Nice try, but you gave up points for nothing; I activate my other face down, Fake Trap. Now my Fake Trap takes the hit instead of my Bad Reaction to Simochi."
The facedown card that was facedown flipped up and ghostly hands started to appear from it and started to float aimlessly about the realm. She didn't know what the card did in the Shadow Realm, but she didn't feel like figuring it out either.
"Now from my hand I activate Upstart Goblin, I get to draw a card and you get a 1000 life points. Pretty good deal if I say for myself." Devin chimed and Regan tilted her head to the side when her life points didn't rise when he drew a card. A savage grin appeared on his face. "Too bad my trap card deals healing points to my opponent as damage instead."
Her eyes widened and the hands stopped floating and turned their clawed hands towards her. She tried to block all the attacks with her aura but they went through her terrible barrier and attacked her. They scratched at her and then she heard metal snapping. She looked down and before she knew it her chain that held her puzzle was cut and her puzzle thrown over to her guests. Almost immediately the effects of the attack doubled in pain and she couldn't help but let out a scream in pain. They left her and she dropped to a knee. She felt blood dripping from the claw marks and her balance within her aura not so balanced. She also didn't like having the feeling that Nile wasn't with her anymore.
"Regan!" Yugi called out, she heard a foot step right before Devin shouted in his direction.
"You take another step out of that area, you'll be dead before you would even know it and your soul sacrificed to Zorc, I'm sure he would be pleased to see you."
She got up painfully, but put on a smirk anyway. "It's fine Yugi, I'll just have to be more careful."
"But you need the-"
"No, I can get by, its fine. I've survived longer without it before I'm sure half an hour won't do any damage."
"Devin, please she needs her item, at least allow her to get it." Jade suddenly spoke and Regan noticed she was out of her seat.
"Shut up, the only reason why you are standing there is because I decided to give a fuck and allow you to say what you wanted to say. Now, let me finish my turn and then say your little story."
Regan looked at her former mother in confusion but she didn't look back. Just at the puzzle worriedly. "Fine."
"Thank you, now I summon Fire Princess in attack mode."
Fire Princess Pyro/Effect Attack: 1300 Defense: 1500
She would have made a joke, but the flame princess was just way too deadly in the situation she was in. as her red and orange dress danced like fire when she appeared on the field.
"And that ends my turn."
Turn 6: Regan H: 2 LP: 5000
"Jade make it fast, I want to end this duel ASAP." Regan told her.
Jade finally looked at her and Regan felt sorrow come from the women, true sorrow. "I'm sorry Regan for everything. All the things that were said and the things I did in the past. The reason why I gave you the money and the reason I left was to come to Canada and deal with the group that started this. In the end, I was unsuccessful and I was kicked out. Then I got an invite to this tournament a few days after it had started. I had not realized that this man here was not who he said he was until the two days ago, after all the attacks.
"Devin was the one in charge of them and when I found this out, I tried to do what was necessary to try and get his attention before today's final game of the tournament. That's why I used that sleeping drug on Atem. I tried to look like the villain you have imagined me as and tried to keep you out of danger as much as possible. But last night, I couldn't hold my end, I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble. You especially Kayama, I betrayed your trust and went with power over everything else. I recognized my mistake when Regan came to me after school after she met Brittney." Jade collapsed in her chair. "I am so, so sorry."
"Using more of your manipulative words won't solve anything, if you ask me; I think you are trying to exploit us." Seto growled in her direction, but Regan picked something up that he missed.
"She's telling the truth." She interrupted. "Maybe it's because my aura isn't balance, but I can tell if she's lying or not and this case she isn't, she means it."
"She's right Kaiba." Yugi told him. "Even I can tell."
"Doesn't matter, I'm not forgiving her." Kaiba stated.
"I wasn't asking for your forgiveness, I already knew I would get no such thing from you. You are more of a justification person than many give you credit for Seto." Jade told him. "You always have been, but I was asking for Regan's forgiveness, my actions caused more of an impact of her than you and even as we speak her life is in grave danger and it's not because of this Shadow Game. There are still others that will pick up where I started."
"I'll think about it." Regan answered after a moment of silence. She turned to her hand. "I play Pot of Greed." She drew two cards. "I play a set monster and place one card facedown Turn end."
Turn 7: Devin H: 0 LP: 8900
"Ah such a great tale, but now we must head back to the action." Devin said as he drew his card. "This is my standby phase and now I lose a hundred from my Messenger card, but I also gain eight hundred from my Mermaid. But because I gained health, my Fire Princess's effect activate. Do you know what that means Regan?"
She watched as a fireball formed in Fire Princess's hand. "I'm well aware of what that means."
"Good, now this is going to hurt a little." Fire Princess, with a hungry grin, threw the fireball at her. And Devin smiled. "Ah who am I kidding; this is going to hurt a lot."
Guardian Angel Joan stood in front of Regan, but the fireball went right through the angel. The fireball hit Regan with a force so hard; it knocked the breath out of her. She flew backwards and landed on the edge of the stage with a squeak. She laid there for a moment until the sky stopped spinning and heard her brother shouting at her to get up.
"Arg, give me a damn moment!" She hissed. "I'm not standing up just to pass out; you have to make the stars go away and the world to stop spinning first."
"Don't get up in five seconds; I'll count it as a forfeit." Devin responded.
She got up without any issues as rage built in her. She swiftly walked over to spot and glared Devin down. "How about if you do count it as a forfeit, you are obvious afraid of what my next move is."
"You forget my Marie gives me another two hundred life points. That means Fire Princess gets to hit you again."
"I hate you." Regan said as she braced herself better. The fireball hit her and she was still thrown off her feet and onto her back. She could feel a fever rising like it had back in the Dragon Slayers' hideout.
"Regan are you okay?" Kayama asked as she stood up. "You look pale and I don't think it's from you being tossed around the room."
She smiled, though it hurt a little from the scratches on her face. "I'm okay."
"You won't be because now I sacrifice your Guardian Angel Joan and your Mirage Dragon for your brand new monster."
"No, not that thing!" Yugi cried out as her monsters disappeared from the field. "Regan!"
"Here's a nice gift for you, my Lava Golem!"
Lava Golem Fiend/Effect Attack: 3000 Defense: 2500
A cage dropped around her and a low growl appeared from behind her. She turned around and backed away to the far end of the cage. A lava monster stood there and lava from the beast started to drip lava into the cage every so often. It growled at her and she hissed back causing it to go into silence. Her sideline buddies all gave her a dumbfounded look. She sighed in relief that they had instead of one of worry that they had on their faces all game.
"Now I place my other two monsters into defense mode and end my turn."
Turn 8: Regan H: 3 LP: 4000
She drew her card and then felt her hand burn. She held her tongue and turned to the lava monster that just melted on her making her lose a thousand life points. "Fuck off, I'm trying to make a move and then you can go to where ever the hell you came from." The monster seemed upset and moved back slightly. She sighed and turned back to the monster. "Sorry, just let me make my move; I don't need to be in anymore pain from this psychotic game."
"How the hell does she do it?" Atem asked off to the sidelines.
"Does what?" The three other males asked.
"Make the monsters that are on her side of the field work with her; even though they weren't hers in the first place."
"Atem," Seto started. "Ask Yugi, she does it to him too."
"All she has to do is look at you and you are at her mercy." Yugi shot back at Seto.
"And when did that ever happen?"
"The noodles from yesterday ring any bells." Kayama told him.
"Can you zip it or I'll cut out your tongues." Devin threatened.
The four of them rolled their eyes and Regan smirked. She looked at her card and was happy to see it. "I activate Card of Sanctity."
"Why are you so helpful suddenly?"
She looked at the four cards she drew. "I'm not, this duel ends now! First I flip summon my facedown monster, Masked Dragon!"
Masked Dragon Dragon/Effect Attack: 1400 Defense: 1100
A red and white masked dragon appeared on the field.
"Now I activate my first facedown card DNA Surgery and I choose dragons as the species."
All the monsters on the field started to gain dragon features except for masked dragon, since he was already a dragon. The two ladies on Devin's side grew scales and had dragon eyes. Her lava golem was still made out of lava, but he grew wings made of glowing hot rock.
"Next, I activate Polymerization and fuse the two dragons on my field with the three in my hand to summon Five-Headed Dragon."
Five-Headed Dragon Dragon/Fusion/Effect Attack: 5000 Defense: 5000
She added the four dragon cards to her graveyard and Lava Golem went back to Devin's grave. The five dragon types formed into a large multi headed dragon with different attributes on the heads and a yellow body.
"Big deal, you still can't attack." Devin yawned.
"Shut up before I cut out your tongue and let me finish my turn." Devin shut his mouth and Regan pulled another card from her hand. "I activate Dragon's Mirror and remove my Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon, Van'Dalgyon the Dark Dragon Lord, Lightpulsar, Masked Dragon and my Mirage Dragon to summon another Five-Headed Dragon! But, that's not all that I'm doing." She took a breather and summoned her other large dragon onto the field. "I activate my second facedown, Return from the Different Dimension. By giving up half my life points, I bring back Red-Eyes, Lightpulsar and Van'Dalgyon."
Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon Dragon/Effect Attack: 2800 Defense: 2400
Lightpulsar Dragon/Effect Attack: 2500 Defense: 1500
Van'Dalgyon the Dark Dragon Lord Dragon/Effect Attack: 2800 Defense: 2500
The three dragons appeared on the field and she could tell none of her five dragons were very pleased with the demon in front of them.
"You still can't attack me."
"I still have one more card in my hand." She replied and turned it to him. "I activate Heavy Storm to destroy all you backfield!"
"WHAT!" Devin yelled in panic and Regan finally felt in charge of the duel.
"Alright!" The three Mutos shouted at the same time and it sounded great to Regan's ears.
"Red-Eyes, Lightpulsar, attack Fire Princess and Cure Mermaid."
The two dragons when in a stuck the female monsters and they cried as they disappeared. She turned to Van'Dalgyon and nodded.
He grinned as much as a dragon could grin and cracked his knuckles. "This is going to hurt a little. Ah who am I kidding, this is going to hurt a lot." Her dragon mimicked the demon and then smashed him into the ground with his fist. Van'Dalgyon proceeded to walk away as Devin's life points dropped to 7000.
"Now my two Five-Headed Dragons, direct attack and end this duel!"
The two yellow bodied dragons cried out ten different cries and then shot out ten different attacks. They all stuck Devin as he was starting to get up and sent him flying into the edge of the shadow realm, only for him to bounce back onto the stage and landed on his face.
Devin – 0 Regan – 1500
Winner Regan
"You have been defeated." Regan told Devin who was across the shadow realm as his life points dropped to Zero. "You will no longer be around to help your master Dark Matter."
The man that seemed to have an unnatural beauty was horrified that he had lost as he stood up. Her monsters disappeared and left the field barren. She didn't know if the audience was still watching or if it was still being recorded. Regan was in extremely tight situations throughout the duel and she was ready to pass out on the spot, but remained standing. The duel had given her injuries that she had before with her unbalanced aura. She was short out of breath and having a hard time keeping focus as her fever rose.
"Regan, are you alright?" Her boyfriend called from the sidelines.
"I-I'm fine, Yugi." She lied.
She knew that if she did pass out, then she wouldn't make it out of here alive. Her opponent completely drained her of her physical strength and the Trinity she possessed. But even after she had won she was still not relieved; there was still something very wrong. The man was horrified the he lost the duel, but all in all he looked like he had completed what his task was.
"I'm sorry for this, but I cannot let you leave here, the way you are." Devin stated with a shrug.
"What do you mean?" Regan asked, "You should have been sucked into the shadow realm."
"Ah, but you see, since my master's master is dead; this means all demons are completely immune by the effects of our realm, at least demons that are working for him."
"WHAT?" Yugi, the Pharaoh and herself said all together.
"In fact I have a present for your win, catch."
The Gamer's Trials host lifted his hands in the air. And before Regan realized what was happening, he shot a black ball towards her that was going a hundred miles per hour. There were no words for what happened as it came towards her. And without thinking or as if someone forced her, she created an aura force field with every ounce of her strength stopping the ball from advancing. She screamed as she felt her essence leaving her body and being sucked into the sphere which grew bigger every millisecond.
"Regan, stop it! What are you doing?" Yugi asked in pain as is he started to feel the effects of the ball as it grew and came closer towards him, his father, Seto and Atem. She watched as the aura shield looked like it was drawing everything she had left, without being able to control anything that was radiating off her body.
"I can't!" She screamed as the pain boosted up a notch. Then she started to feel extremely weak as the ball of aura the surrounded her started to glow as she felt herself lift off the ground. Her limbs went limp and she felt her head roll back as she stared out into the endless void.
"Help me," Was all that she managed to whisper feeling her breathing slowing as well as her heart rate.
Her puzzle wasn't on her to keep the magic away. It was off to the side where the Bad Reaction to Simochi had broken the chain off of her. The magic that Devin had created was doing its job nicely. It slowly started to draw out Regan's aura and started to drag out her very life force and her soul. Off to the side she heard Yugi and Seto argue with Atem and Kayama.
"We have to help her!" Seto yelled.
"We cannot get any closer even this far away the ball is draining us of our own auras. Can you imagine what it could do to us if we were as close to it as Regan is right now?" Atem shot back.
"All the more reason to help, she has no control and by the looks of it; he is draining everything and killing her." Yugi told his friend urgently. "She has a whole lot of aura and her very soul is slipping away as we speak, if this continues and she is sucked dry. She is going to be dead!"
"I know, and the ball is already half the size of the duel stand as it is and it still looks like her soul will be long gone along with her life force by the time her aura is gone." Atem answered in complete guilt.
"There has to be something that we can do without getting close to it." Kayama said.
Regan got another jolt from power surge through her making her limbs have feeling again as her aura reserves had just be breached. The pain was beyond unbearable making tears of pain fall as she screamed again. The reserves gave her energy again making her able to struggle against the ball of blackness. Her heart rate was probably right through the roof and her breathing much faster than she would like it to be.
"Yes, look at all this power." Devin exclaimed as the ball grew faster than it had before.
She watched the ball move closer to her and had an instinct that was written in every human being's DNA. She knew that she was going to die, or at least this body will; her soul would be trapped inside of the giant bubble placed in front of her. She never really got scared; she feared hospitals which was one of her only fears other than losing her friends and her newly obtained brothers.
She had faced death many times over, but nothing scared her more than this; having to watch her boyfriend and her brother watch her die right in front of their eyes with them not being able to do a fucking thing. Panic rose in her chest as she felt her soul try to leave her body. She tried to hang on by imaging that the last bit of her aura that she did command wrap itself around the glowing white orb that was inside of her.
"Stop it! Somebody help me!" She screamed as the ball tried to break the cage that she created around her soul.
"Stop fighting already. If anyone got close to you they would die, and if someone tried to destroy the absorbing ball now, they would be lucky to come with all their pieces intact. Nice job, you are destroying yourself and the more you feed, the stronger it gets. And of course because the ball sucks in everything the victim has no choice but to feed it." The demon answered with laughter.
"It's a parasite." Yugi stated in awe and frustration as he listened to her screams in pain.
"Make it stop. Stop it Devin!" Seto yelled at the demon trying hard not to show fear.
"No, why should I? I am watching the most powerful aura I have ever seen being sucked away." Devin laughed and continued, "Hell, I am watching a person that has so much aura that we could be here for days with her long dead and it would be here still, sucking her like a frosty."
"You sick motherfucker." Said someone Regan thought she knew, but between the screams that came from her mouth and her mind racing to find answers that would never equal the problem at hand she couldn't tell. Her vision started to blacken on the edges as an aura strand let go from its position, but still caught the movement that came from beside Devin.
Devin looked over at Jade. "You calling this sick, from what I heard, you've done worse."
Jade growled. "I hope you get a death worse than my own."
"I'm sorry to say, but you too late, the last few strands holding in your soul, Regan, is about to let go." Devin said ignoring Jade.
"Wha- what are you talking about?" Regan asked with a forceful edge to her voice, trying to look like she could still put up a fight.
"Oh I have been waiting to try this for millennia." Devin answered giddily. He moved his arm towards her and pieces of the ball stretched out towards her. Regan tried to move out of her floating position when she found herself against a wall and her hands and feet attached to it by hand cuffs.
"Regan!" Seto shouted and started to head towards the ball then was thrown back hitting the other two teenagers behind him. Kayama barely got out of the way.
"Nice try, but now even you can't get close to even die trying to help her." Devin told the four gentlemen no more than twenty feet away.
Regan watched as the line of the black ball started to close in, completely terrified as the pit of her stomach; she started to grow with despair. She struggled against the cuffs that held her placed. Then everything stopped inside her as the black line connected with her chest.
She felt it trying to get at what she was holding on for dear life. She looked at it with unseeing eyes as each of her senses turned off one by one. Her mind tried to fight off the black thing that had collected all the strands of aura surrounding her soul except for one. Then the last one let go and her soul was on the border line of entering the absorbing ball and leaving her body.
She focused on her sight again, feeling like it was going to be the last time. She couldn't keep up with holding her soul anymore. Her life force was pretty much gone and only a little bit that was left had surrounded the soul that was left and looked at her friends, her love, and her brother. "I'm sorry; I think this is the end for me."
"Regan what are talking about, what is that black line?" Atem asked for the four males.
"It has found-" Regan coughed in restrain and found there was blood. "It has found my soul, I can't keep it in."
"Regan, you're coughing up blood, and what do you mean it has found your soul?" Yugi asked
"It found it!" She yelled as Devin jerked his hand back like he was trying to pull out a carrot and the black thing did the same not succeeding in its task. "He is trying to rip it out of me. I'm scared, I don't want to go. That ball has everything almost all of my life force, but my aura… it is still strong and steady. My soul is all that's left that the ball hasn't got, I-I'm not going to make it this time." Regan told them in pain. The looks on their faces made it worse and she had to look away. She suddenly became very angry feeling her brother's rage. "I don't want to die, I want to live, let me go!"
Then she felt the black thing lose grip of her soul that immediately retreated when she out-lashed the anger she gathered from her brother at the fiend that was pushed back.
Devin growled, "How dare you gather Seto Kaiba's anger against me!"
"Kaiba give off more anger." Yugi told the confused CEO.
"What?"
"Just think it, think of everything that pissed you off, think of everything that you hate." Atem answered.
Regan felt the pulses of anger and rage coming off of her brother; there was so much of it that seemed to completely cloud her other emotions.
She sent a charged anger blast at the host. He was blasted back then smiled as he got back up again a few moments later.
"Okay I get it, he's getting you angry and you're sending that to me in a power blast, but guess what you just lost."
That's when she felt the black arm enter her back and come out the front, than there was blackness for a split second, but when she opened her eyes again she was looking at her limp body. Then she heard the panic. She couldn't comprehend what the words were, but she knew that they were coming from the sidelines. She looked at herself and realized that she was in spirit form.
"What is going on?" She asked.
The words of the panic became clearer and the laugh that Devin was doing had made her try to turn and look, but the black arm held her tightly around her wrists and ankles.
"Regan, Regan hang in there." Yugi called.
She turned her head slightly to see the viewers. Yugi had tears in his eyes and were looking straight at her see through form. Seto's expression was unreadable. He stared blankly between the soulless body and her spirit. She felt the black arm split into smaller arms and started to crawl up her legs and down her arms. She tried to wiggle free from its grasp, but it made her scream in pain.
The black thing was still in the center of her chest on her body and by the grunting that Devin was giving off, there must have been a reason why it hadn't separated itself from her body.
"I told you I don't want to go! I decide when I leave and how, I won't be leaving this way." She tried to yell to her enemy behind her, but wasn't sure he was listening or not.
"Like you have much of a choice," He grunted back making the black arms tighter and faster.
"What do you want with me?"
"You have been told before; you are going to be my master's wife." Devin told her making her remember the first fight against Dark Matter.
0000
"Well if that is your dream, when it is complete that dream will be gone it is no longer a dream. A dream is a fantasy itself to give a false hope, but it will only destroy the dreamer." Regan stated.
"As sad as that statement is; it is as true as the planet turns, but that dream is longer a dream it is a promise to myself, for you, Regan Heartin, will be mine."
0000
She felt Devin walk past her and saw him walk up to her body. Though she wasn't how she could feel him touch her face as he lifted it.
"I can see why Dark Matter would take a liking in such a girl. The body itself without the soul itself looks absolutely innocent and peaceful. Like a beautiful flower, but when you add the finishing touches for the soul, you can create the serpent underneath it all."
"Appearance versus reality," Regan answered.
"Exactly, now please let me take you soul out fully so I can get my duty completed."
"Devin…"
"Yes?"
"Go fuck yourself." She told him with anger in her eyes.
"See now I have to harm you, I truly did give you a chance to let go with your own free will so the release process wouldn't hurt. But now I have to snap the connection." He ticked and then he clenched his fist.
The black lines tightened around her even more then the lines separated even more covering her whole body and leaving her head untouched just to allow Devin to hear the struggles and screams she gave off.
"Regan keep fighting that thing. Show that you can't be messed with." Seto yelled at her.
She could see that he had fear in his eyes and what almost seemed like tears. Seeing this made her angry, he never cried, so why should he start. She embraced the pain and kept her mouth shut. She wasn't going to scream any more, it was hurting all of them and this is what Devin wanted.
In the silence Devin sighed and started to allow the black arms pierce her spirit form. She closed her eyes tightly to make herself stay as quiet as possible. She didn't move and she made it look like she had everything under control even though she didn't. She opened an eye and from the corner of it she watched the four of gentlemen relax slightly. The appearance versus reality really was working without a glitch, except that her soul probably wouldn't last for another minute. She felt another tug again, and the main arm separated from her body.
"And the crowd goes wild as Devin Scape succeeds in separating this soul." Devin laughed.
"Let me go!" She ordered finally speaking.
"Say goodbye." He said and before she could get another word out she was pulled into the ball faster than the drop zone at a fair making her scream then everything went black.
She opened her eyes again to find herself in a void like the one that weirdo made in Yugi's dreams. She walked around the area when she heard a yell from Seto. She ran towards the bubbles edge trying to break out, but she was rebounded.
"Seto, Yugi, Kayama, Atem; I'm still here! Somebody help!" She yelled in the middle of the small round dome.
"Heh, there is no point in yelling." The same stranger from Yugi's nightmares said. "They can't hear you and you are all alone."
There was a force that seemed to take a dramatic effect on her as she felt all of her hope and will disappear. She was as weak as a newborn child and fell to her knees in despair. She knew that there was nothing that could get her out of this dungeon cell that was created by her own aura, she was completely alone and she had a feeling that her body was getting closer and closer to death. For without her life force in there it wouldn't be able to have the will to live.
She stared at the floor looking at all the memories that she and her friends had created over the last month and a half. There was another scream, but she just ignored it. The times Yugi and Atem with herself had in the clothing store to get Atem some new cloths when he returned back to the mortal world. The time she shared when she and Yugi had to complete the science project with the egg to later find out that Joey and Tristan were defeated by her cat.
She felt tears come to her eyes when she thought about Phoenix; he was her first friend and had been for the last four years. The look on Joey and Tristan's face was priceless when they found out that they could hand in their assignment at any time. When she, Mokuba and Seto were in front of Brittney when she told them that Regan was their sister and Brittney had killed their father. More recently her first kiss was only eight days ago and the fun time they had during the water fight. The band they had placed together. Nile's and Ryou's phone conversation. If she was going to die at least that she would feel accomplished-.
"Why are you thinking that you are going to die?" The voice returned again. "You are going to be the master's which means that you are just going to change."
"Change, that's not possible, how?" She responded into the dome.
"Do you remember the Regan you saw before?" It asked.
"Wait you mean changing the heart?!"
"You catch on quickly and you were separated from your body because…?" The voice asked wanting to see if she could get the answers.
"Because it is easier to change the soul with its holders aura and life force under the changer's control. So that means when Dark Matter put Yugi in danger when we first met, he really wanted me to release enough aura energy to have complete access to the soul."
"Bingo and it has already started." It stated with the echoes of someone clapping their hands.
"Well I might as well be dead, change occurs when something dies and something else is born in its place."
"Whatever, but the seed has been planted and-"
Then everything went silent as a loud cracking noise arose. There was a light within the crack and she was sucked out of the dome.
She opened her eyes again, to see herself on the ground of the dueling area she was just in as she heard Atem curse in ancient Egyptian. She slowly got up remembering how sore her body was then something clicked into placed. She was in her body! She looked around from her kneeling position. The crazy absorbing bubble was nowhere to be seen and Devin was lying on his back on the floor.
"Regan, are you okay?" Yugi asked.
She turned to look at them. "Who… who got me out of there?"
The four of them looked away, than she saw why. She heard someone grunted in front of her and looked down to see Jade, barely alive. It caught her breath and she started to panic and crawled over to her ignoring the pain. Regan looked at her. She was on her side facing the opposite direction.
"Regan, you were right, I'm not your mother and I was only pretending for the money and for the glory-"
"Shut up." Regan interrupted, "I want to tell you that even though you did all of those things, I forgive you."
Jade remained silent.
"You gave me a place to stay; you acted out your part and made this girl into an intelligent and good girl." Regan choked as she tried to keep her emotions under control. "You taught me, you fed me, and you gave me someone to love and share my darkest secrets to. Mom, you are the person who gave me all those things and you saved my life again. You saved my life when I wanted to go to New York to see the Twin Towers the day they were hit. In fact, you saved every single one of my classmates because you dropped me off at the bus stop late. And now you saved it again. You may have been acting throughout all of these things, but you managed to fool me."
"Thank you Regan, but I do not deserve such gratitude." Jade responded in a whisper.
"You do. You are my mother the one that I only knew; please just hold out so we can go home."
"I wish that could be possible."
"Stop it, you're going to make." Regan told her.
Jade rolled to her back. There was nothing left of her right arm and her right leg. There was a pool of blood gathering where she laid and her right side of her face was in destroyed. There was two ribs sticking out of her skin and looked like they punctured the right lung. What scared her mostly was the blade that was part of Devin's duel disk was placed through her chest where the heart was.
"I am not going home." Jade told her. "I have nothing to go back to."
Regan couldn't hold in any of her emotions and started to show signs at the corner of her eyes. "Yes you do. You have a home, a shop and you have me."
"Trust me I'm not part of your destiny, Dark Matter will-"
"Fuck destiny!" She screamed, "Destiny has no meaning, all it does is to tell people that they can't do the things they want to do. Destiny is supposed to be an already built path of stone; I don't want to follow it! I want the choice to take the road I choose, and this is not it!"
Jade grinned with pain, "There is a choice in the road you take, but no matter which one you choose, I am not down any."
"I'm sorry." Regan cried, "I'm sorry!"
"I know you are and I thank you for your forgiveness." Jade said smiling with glassy eyes. "But I need this thing out of me."
Regan watched as Jade moved her left hand for the blade. "No you can't take it out, you will die."
"Foul is fair and fair is foul." And before she could move Jade ripped the blade from her heart. Blood spat out of her chest and hit Regan across her face as she stared at the limp body.
…
…
. . .