It was a mix, really, of what exactly I wanted to feel at the moment. Part of it was panic at seeing someone who, as I previously made clear, should not be here for any conceivable reason. Another part was worried by the fact that the fake Millennium Puzzle looked a lot more detailed than a cheap copy should, or how something felt deeply wrong about this room, like a ghost hovering over us, ready to strike.

Both of them, however, were buried under the insane fucking FURY burning inside me, as I stared at the unconscious Alexis laying inside a creepy metal coffin, with the only mercy being she was not bound or trapped.

"Well, well, it seems we have gathered quite a crowd," said Titan with a chuckle, his masked eyes sweeping over us. "All the better. The games of darkness were always meant to be witnessed by an audience."

"The only thing you'll be witnessing is my fist through that shitty mask of yours!" I snarled back as I took one step forward. "Now let our friend go, asshole!"

"Sadly for you, child, I shall not do such a thing," replied the huge man, taking a step of his own towards us. "I have been rewarded most handsomely for this work, and I intend to see it through."

"What the hell are you talking about, you creep?!" shouted Jaden in response, and I'll admit, even in the middle of my own anger I found myself surprised by how genuinely pissed he sounded. "What do you want with Alexis? And what are you doing here?!"

At that, Titan merely chuckled again and snapped his fingers, and to our surprise all the pyres came alight around the room, bathing us in the trembling glow of the flames that had somehow begun burning and giving a bit more clarity to the surroundings.

It also made the markings on the floor far clearer to the view, something that both me and (worryingly so) Seras took note of, but that the others did not. "My contractor has asked of me one simple job: that I bring forth to this island the shadows that slumber within it, and release the secrets that are buried deep beneath its foundation," Titan began explaining, even as he took hold of the chain wrapped around his neck and tugged it forward hard, breaking the thin metal and leaving the pyramid hanging from his grasp. "Of course, such a thing will not be possible without… sacrifices. And while I would have contented myself with just this girl, I more than welcome your most generous contributions."

I wasn't ready to hear that.

At all.

All my bravado and anger literally drained as I watched, eyes wide and body locked up, the mist that began pouring from the metal pyramid and down onto the ground, in amounts that clearly could not possibly fit inside such a small thing… And began encroaching towards us and Alexis. I could hear Syrus and Chumley panicking in the back, already rushing back towards the tunnel, but even as I saw the cloud approaching, my legs wouldn't move, and my thoughts stayed mired.

Was I… Was I going to die?

I-I couldn't… Not yet, I… I had to do something… ANYTHING.

Move, move, movemovemovemovemove—

Yami ga watashi no tamashī ni todokanai yō ni shi, aku ga watashi no kokoro o tsukamanai yō ni shimashou! Watashi o osou akui o jōka shi, tsuihō shi, hakai shi nasai!

That's when several golden needles with chimes tied to them flew past me and Jaden, burying themselves into the stone and echoing with a single, melodious note…

And in a flash, the smoke was pushed away by an unseen force, as if a hand swatted it all away.

"What?!" cried out Titan, the pendant almost slipping from his grasp as he stared in shock at the receding smog. As for me, my brain finally caught up with the realization that I was not about to die horribly and have my soul tossed into the Shadow Realm or hell or whatever, something that Jaden also seemed to have noticed, and we both turned back towards where the needles had come from. Standing there, with more of said needles held between her fingers, stood Seras, her expression perfectly neutral even as she glared daggers at Titan.

"Seras… w-what…"

"Whoa, how did you do that?"

"Impossible, how could you have sealed away my darkness?!"

"You are not the only one with a touch of shadows in their soul, lost one," calmly replied the young woman in return, even as she rolled the needles across her fingers in an impressive display of dexterity… before stopping and letting a wild, almost inhuman grin split her face in two, her hair billowing lightly as if there was wind blowing inside the cave. "Nor are you the most skilled with their arts~"

As if in response, the markings on the floor began lighting up, the liquid yellow glow traveling lazily across the sunk-in pattern and forming a chaotic, almost formless shape, and the orbs held by the snake heads surrounding us came alive with that same ominous yellow light. "Tch… Sy, Chum! Go get Professor Banner!" shouted Jaden as he swung his backpack forward and pulled his Duel Disk from within it, before quickly sliding the gear onto his wrist, and the Deck into its proper slot. "I'll handle mister freakshow over here!"

"B-But Jaden! He's—"

"Just go, Syrus! I'll be fine!"

"We'll keep him here 'til you get back!"

Or at least, that's what I hoped we could do. Things were already going off the rails, and as much as I wanted to believe we could feasibly do anything against a man who was older, taller and most likely stronger than any of us, building dreadful revelations about Seras not-withstanding, we were still three young adults against a fully grown one. Not to mention that even if we managed to somehow beat down Titan and dragged Alexis away from the man with real dark magic and not the expected parlor tricks, it still left him both free to chase us down, or worse, go back to his employer.

An employer that I hoped to high heaven was Kagemaru, and not some new threat.

So, with a shaky nod and a grimace, Syrus took off running, Chumley doing his best to keep up even as he huffed and puffed from the effort. Thankfully, Titan himself seemed far more preoccupied with watching the chamber itself than us or the escaping students, a fact that was made blatantly clear when the man withdrew from within his coat a bundle of small stone slabs, all of them marked with that same eye design. "It seems it was foolish of me to believe all students would be ignorant of the forces of darkness…" he muttered darkly, gripping the slabs just a tad more forcefully. "But in the end, it'll matter not. If I cannot make sacrifices do in numbers… I'll simply lengthen them!"

Before any of us can move, Titan threw the slabs around him, each one somehow hanging freely in the air as if suspended by invisible wires, and the golden lights all around us grew even brighter…

And in a flash, a cube of liquid shadow enveloped both him and Jaden.

"JADEN!"

It made me panic. Bad.

I threw all caution to the wind and instead bum rushed the giant purple cube, my hands tightened into admittedly useless fists before I wound one of them back and threw the strongest punch I could at one of the slabs.

I was rewarded for my efforts with a jolt of electricity that made my entire body lock up, and flung me like a wet rag back and onto the floor.

"FUCK!"

It was all I could say, really, with my thoughts still reeling. Even as I tried to regain control of my limbs and my nerves forced themselves out of the numbness, I tried to make sense of whatever the hell was going on right now. That's when I felt a hand grasp me from under my armpits and helped me off the ground. "Anger and desperation will not help you here, mister Atlas," says Seras softly, all traces of her previous craze gone from her voice. "The darkness that permeates this room is… intense."

"Yeah, no shit…" I muttered back, but even through the haze I could tell my tone had an edge to it. It wasn't enough to show panic or fear, but it was certainly enough of a sign that something was going on, and unfortunately, I wasn't in the right mind to try and puzzle what that something is. "What… Is this, though? This whole thing he's doing… Can you figure it out?"

With nary a sound, Seras stood up again and walked towards the swirling cube, dauntless of whatever danger it could pose, until she was standing just inches away from it. After a few moments of just contemplating the thing, the young woman finally raised one hand up to her face and, of all things, bit down on her thumb hard enough to break the skin and draw blood.

Blood that she then used to draw some strange markings on her hand.

It was taking an ever-increasing amount of focus to not freak out as I kept watching all of this unfold.

Biting my cheek just in case, I watched as Seras stepped around the cube, tracing her marked hand over the cube's surface, even as purple lightning arched out of it and brushed against her skin. On and on she went, muttering something that I couldn't quite make out, her eyes closed in concentration, until finally she stepped away from the thing, a more serious expression set on her face.

I faintly took note of the blood on her hand flaking away like ashes, but honestly, that was peanuts compared to everything else, so I chose instead to move closer to her.

"I can do nothing about this…" she muttered disappointedly as she began picking up the needles she had thrown before. "This space is not formed from his own powers or artifacts, but from this room itself. I cannot combat its influence as things are now."

I stifled a worried sigh and took one last look at the cube. It was… definitely something to behold, if it weren't for Jaden being trapped inside the thing with some murderous lunatic, I'd actually be willing to have a crack at seeing Seras do her… Whatever to figure it out better.

If I'm being honest, the mystic side of Yu-Gi-Oh always drew me in more than the sci-fi side of it. Maybe it was because the game had been born from dark magic used in Egypt, or how the Spirit Realm stuff had always felt more exciting, but whatever the motive, it didn't change the fact that it was the best explanation as for why I liked the original series and GX more than 5Ds forward, especially since Duel Spirits began being less and less a thing as time went on.

Still, as cool as it had been on the show, I couldn't really treat it the same way now, not when I could reach out and touch the results of all the mumbo jumbo with my actual hands (even if it got me zapped), and said mumbo jumbo had just trapped someone I could say I had a budding friendship with, and someone else who I—

… Wait…

Alexis had been… Further away…

Immediately, I took off running around the cube, careful not to brush against it again. And lo and behold, there it was: the same green coffin, propped against the wall, and still holding Alexis' unconscious form inside it. I spared a glance around to make sure there were no traps or nasty surprises around or inside the coffin itself, then gently pulled Alexis out, carrying her bridal-style back to Seras.

"Jesus, Alexis, cut down on the cakes, will ya…" I muttered half-heartedly. I almost wished she had woken up from that crack, even though I knew I'd get slapped into eternal oblivion for it. "Seras, think you can do anything to wake her up?" I asked aloud once the young woman came into view again. She was beside us in a flash, one hand pulling back one of Alexis's eyelids. The unfocused hazel eye beneath it was just as unmoving as its owner.

"This is not a normal slumber… She is most likely under sorcery of some kind," murmured Seras as she felt Alexis's neck for a pulse. "If she is to wake… Then Jaden must defeat the one who has placed her under this thrall."

"Of course…"

Silence quickly returned, with not even a breeze or crackle of energy from the shadowy cube as we both kept staring at it with opposite degrees of anxiety, until finally I managed to muster up whatever courage I had left and turned my attention back to Seras. "Are you… Gonna explain your, you know…"

"When the time is right, mister Atlas," she responded just as calmly, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "We all have our secrets, no?"

And though I couldn't be certain of what she meant with that, I could feel something inside my heart twisting and contorting at her wording.

Come on, Jaden… Kick his ass.

-O-

Black. Black, purple, and dark.

That was Jaden's first impression of the place he now found himself in… Wherever that was. He couldn't make out a floor or ceiling, only more of that forever purple space above and below, and even the far-off horizon was just more twisting space, with no sign of either its end or of the weird cave they had all been in.

Not to mention this pressure... It was a strange feeling, really, like a weight on Jaden's heart trying to pull him down forever, and crush his body into the smallest thing possible. It was the complete opposite of the feeling the spirits of his Deck gave, and… Honestly, it felt more than little bit scary.

Jaden always knew that being able to see Duel Spirits wasn't common, especially when he asked some friends back in school and got weird stares in return. He learned to let it go and enjoy the extra company, especially since after a while, having his E-HEROs around served as a little comfort for when things got rough, even if they weren't the most talkative of companions.

Coo!

That didn't mean all his companions were silent, however. Something that Jaden was more than thankful for as he watched the small ball of fluff with wings that was Winged Kuriboh materialize in mid-air next to his head, staring at him with those big, emotion-filled eyes. "Hey, buddy," said Jaden happily, watching the little monster circle around his head as it cooed happily.

What he didn't expect, however, was for Kuriboh to fly up and nuzzle against his face… And somehow, Jaden could feel it.

"Whoa… Hey, Kuriboh, you're feeling a lot more solid, partner."

"That is the magic of the Shadow Realm."

Hearing the voice of that weird freak set Jaden into full alert, the young man quickly whirling around with his hands raised, and indeed there he was, standing in nowhere just like Jaden, only with smoke billowing from within his coat.

"Welcome, child, to a game of shadows," continued the man as he spread his arms as if to indicate the void surrounding them, uncaring of how oppressive it felt. "Worry not, for your suffering shall be brief… But your stay will be quite permanent!"

"Enough with the light shows, Titan!" shouted back Jaden, his fists clenched tight as he stared down the man. "You let me and my friends go, and maybe we'll let you go back to whatever circus you crawled out of!"

"Hmph, insolent child… You know nothing of the dark powers that created this game you enjoy so much. Perhaps a demonstration is needed." With that ominous statement, Titan's duel vest lit up as he inserted his Deck onto the breast plate, and the bat wing-shaped blade extended into its full size. "We shall duel, and your energy will be the first sacrifice I offer to the dark!"

"We'll see about that, buddy! Time to get your game on!"

Coo, coo!

"Duel!"/"Duel!"

JADEN YUKI: 4000LP -/- TITAN: 4000LP

"Here I go then, my turn! Draw!"

While his bravado did not falter with the action, Jaden immediately took note of how much more force he had to put in his movements, with how heavy the air felt all around him. But if the freak show standing there smirking thought this would stop Jaden from beating him, then he had a long lesson coming. Adding the new card to his hand, Jaden gave a cursory glance to his resources, and allowed a grin to split his face. "Well, big guy, let me put some light in this place! Come on out, Elemental HERO Sparkman! In Attack Mode!"

And with a flash of light that banished the darkness choking down on Jaden, the blue-and-gold warrior came alive, standing proudly between the young man and Titan, arms crossed and lightning coursing through his body wildly (ATK 1600/DEF 1400). "Next, how about a good old face-down, before I end my turn?"

"Hmph… A pitiful move, truly befitting of a child," sneered Titan as he waved a hand over his Duel Vest, a card shooting out from the Deck onto his hand, and which a quick glance at earned a pleased smile. "Allow me then, to retort. I play the Field Spell, Pandemonium!"

In response to Titan's call, smoke coalesced out of thin air, billowing outwards in insane amounts until it stretched past both Titan and Jaden, and from which appeared a large island of rock, topped with structures of bone and chitin twisted into grotesque statues of monstrosities and abominations, all seeming to peer intently at the flaming pyre centered at the island's middle.

"Man, you sure like your places creepy, huh…" muttered Jaden as he peered at his new surroundings, Winged Kuriboh in return flying closer to him with a saddened coo. "That your theme, or something?"

"You joke, boy, but I can see the fear in your eyes and soul," replied the dark duelist with an ominous chuckle, opening his arms in a clear dramatic gesture. "I shall endeavor to make that fear grow even stronger in this duel, until you finally give in to despair, once and for all!"

"Yeah, keep dreaming, buddy…"

"Tch… Very well then. Allow me to etch that fear unto your body! Pandemonium allows me to both bypass the Life Point cost of my Archfiend monsters, and replace them if you destroy them outside of battle! And so, I summon forth my first Archfiend monster: Infernalqueen Archfiend, in Attack Mode!"

From the pyre in the middle of the arena, a pillar of fire shot out and arched its way to touch down in front of Titan, whirling like a violent tornado, before finally exploding apart in a violent gust of wind, revealing in its place a crone-like demon with bone-like wings, tattered purple rags, and baleful glowing eyes (ATK 900/DEF 1500). "And when Infernalqueen Archfiend is on the field, all Archfiends have their power increased by 1000!" And indeed, as soon as Titan's words finished being spoken, the crone let out a piercing scream, dark energy billowing out from her body (ATK 900 - 1900). "But what is a queen without subjects? And for that, allow me to bring out yet another Spell, Double Summon! It shall allow me to summon one more monster to the field, and I choose Lancer Archfiend!"

This time, no fire heralded the monster's arrival. Instead, the earth itself rose from the ground and shaped a cocoon of rock, as tall as Titan himself, and from which an arm exploded out, followed by yet another Archfiend monster, this one with a knight-like purple body, a massive cape draped over his back, and two lance blades in place of his hands. (ATK 1600 - 2600/DEF 1500).

"Now, let us begin this battle! Infernalqueen, destroy his pathetic hero! Horror Fire Scorcher!"

With a bone-chilling scream, the Archfiend raised her arms towards Sparkman, and from her claws, purple-and-crimson flames erupting from within her cloak and flowing forward like a hellish wave at the E-HERO, who tightened his fists and stared down the oncoming attack unflinchingly…

Only for Jaden to swipe his arm, glaring down at the oncoming attack with just as much bravery as before. "I don't think so! Here's a Trap Card for ya, it's called Sakuretsu Armor! And that means because your monster attacked, it gets destroyed!"

And indeed, appearing between the oncoming flames and Sparkman was a spectral figure made of stone and jagged metal, its arms spread out and ready to dash forward. However, to Jaden's surprise, rather than leaping forward to destroy Titan's monster, the figure merely… Stood there, frozen in place… Just like the oncoming fires, Sparkman and even the Archfiend monster. "Whoa, time out—Err, time in! What's happening?!"

"Fufufu… You say that you will destroy my creature easily, Jaden Yuki?" asked Titan as he chuckled darkly, before calmly stretching his hand outwards to the pyre burning in the middle of the island. "Then let us see if luck favors you today. Infernalqueen Archfiend's effect activates!"

Once more, flames shot out from the pyre, only this time they came out as six thin lines, which all coalesced together into the outline of an oversized six-sided die that suddenly became fully solid, and began spinning wildly in the air. "Allow me to enlighten you, child: when Infernalqueen is targeted by one of your card effects, I roll this Die of Fate, and should the result be a two or five, not only will your effect be negated, but your card shall be destroyed as well. Now, Die of Fate, show him the true path of despair!" And so, the die rolled, spinning ever faster to the point its faces blurred together as Jaden watched, hands clenched and teeth grit…

5

"How unfortunate."

"Dammit…"

Only to behold the five burning dots marking his momentary defeat.

At that moment, time resumed its flow, only the spectral figure protecting Sparkman shattered like glass, leaving the flames unimpeded as they washed over the armored E-HERO, who grunted in pain before his body exploded. And while Jaden had been expecting the impact of the hologram that Solid Vision always provided… He hadn't expected the pain.

And he definitely hadn't expected dredges of the wall of fire to actually threaten to burn him, licking away at his limbs for the briefest of moments, but just enough to singe what little exposed skin they reached.

"Gah!"

JADEN YUKI: 3700LP -/- TITAN: 4000LP

"And now, the follow up attack! Lancer Archfiend, attack him directly, with Winds of Sacrilege!"

This time, fire did not come from the monster. Instead, the purple knight stomped onto the ground, crossed his arms then lashed out with them, forming two large blades of wind… directly at Jaden.

While said blades did not impact Jaden's body directly, instead phasing through before they touched flesh, the resulting blast pushed the Slifer student back and onto the ground with all the violence they would have caused, leaving the young man's body aching and mind swirling as it tried to make sense of what had just happened. "What… the hell…" muttered Jaden as he pushed himself to his feet, his breath both entering and exiting his body in gasps. "What just… happened…?"

"That was a mere taste of what you shall experience in this duel, boy," replied Titan with a cruel, mocking tinge to his tone. "I believe you should be familiar with this, no? Shadow Games are duels of darkness! And so, in them, your very life is on the line! Any damage inflicted throughout this duel, you will find… Most believable. I sincerely hope you savor this agony, for it is the last thing you shall ever feel before your demise!"

"Ghg… Noted…"

JADEN YUKI: 1100LP -/- TITAN: 4000LP

Normally, Jaden would have a quip at the ready, throw back some witty banter or even snark at the masked duelist. It's how most of his duels went, after all, and it helped to piss off the opponent, keep them off-balance. It worked a lot of times, even against Chazz a few weeks ago… But those had been normal duels. Casual, fun… Friendly.

But this wasn't that. Titan wasn't some weird regular Joe, a student, or even a teacher… He was someone who wanted to hurt Jaden, hurt his friends, kidnapped Alexis… All because someone paid for it. This wasn't a duel for fun anymore. The stakes were way higher, even if Jaden couldn't really know what they were…

And it'd be a cold day in Hell before Jaden let some carnival wannabe lay a finger on his friends.

Coo, coo!

"Heh… You got that right, Kuriboh…" said the young man with a weak chuckle, even as he finally wobbled back to his feet. "Ain't no better time to get my game on than now!"

And there was fire in his eyes as Jaden stared down Titan once more, standing once more at his full height.

"Hmph… Your bravado is as fleeting as your attempts to challenge your fate. You shall sink to the depths of despair, and I shall enjoy that sight. My turn is finished."

"We'll see about that, big guy! Draw!"

Though he couldn't hide the wince from the flare of pain that arced through his body from the motion, Jaden did not let his stance falter, especially when the image of Alexis lying in that coffin flashed into his mind. But when he saw the card that his Deck had just given to him, the young man's grin returned tenfold. "And you should know that you're not just dueling me, Titan! Because right now, I got my friends right at my back! Or should I say, right here in my hand?"

"What drivel are you spouting, child?"

"How about I just show ya, instead? So let's start this, with a brand new fusion! I play Polymerization!"

Over Jaden's head, the world of darkness swirled into a vortex that seemed to twist space itself, faint spirits visible within its spirals until two of them snaked down to Jaden's hand and enveloped two cards, both emitting light that coalesced into the images of two different Heroes: one, a woman in a red spandex suit, golden crown atop her head and fire coiling around her limbs. The other, a man wearing metal armor, a featureless helmet and two gauntlets shaped like spheres filled with liquid. Both remained visible for only a moment, before being dragged to the vortex above as spirits themselves to coalesce into a shining ball of light… And fire.

"I'm fusing Burstinatrix and Liquid Soldier, to bring out a brand-new E-Hero! Let's shine some light in this darkness, and welcome in this new flame of justice!"

Once more in this duel, fire exploded into the arena. But this time, it was a veritable pillar, a swirling tornado that, for the briefest moments, seemed to push away the darkness and oppression that surrounded both duelists, until finally the cyclone exploded outwards, revealing the hero inside it: a tall, imposing warrior clad in gold-and-red armor, a regal red cape flowing majestically behind him, and a featureless black mask hiding his face.

"Come forth, Elemental HERO Nova Master!" (ATK 2600/DEF 2100).

It seemed the heat emitted by the newly arrived HERO was not something Titan nor his monsters appreciated, considering the way the three recoiled away from Nova Master's presence, and how the masked man growled in anger. "You… What is this?"

"What, not used to some light, Titan?" asked Jaden with no small amount of cheek. "A guy like you could use a little tan, you know! But first, let me show you the power of one of my new heroes! When I use Liquid Soldier to fuse an Elemental HERO, I can draw two cards, and discard one. Here goes nothing…" Far more carefully this time, Jaden pulled said cards from his Deck, took one glance at them, then placed one in his hand and the other on his Graveyard slot. "And guess what, big guy, I still have a Normal Summon to use! So say hello to Elemental HERO Knospe!"

Just as Archfiend Soldier had done before, another monster erupted from the ground. But unlike the demonic knight, rather than stone, vines snaked their way out of the soil, coiling together until they took the shape of a large plant bud, from which limb-like vines sprouted out into the shapes of arms, legs and a head, until finally a small human-shaped plant stood as defiantly as something that adorable could, glaring daggers at Titan (ATK 600/DEF 1000).

His response, of course, was to simply laugh at the diminutive monster that had joined its far more menacing compatriot. "Is this another one of your hopes? How pathetic…"

Coo, coo!

Even if the dark duelist couldn't see it, Jaden knew he most likely wouldn't have been impressed with Winged Kuriboh's attempt at intimidation. He loved his partner, but a ball of fur the size of a head wasn't exactly the scariest of things. And besides, it's not like Titan would be gloating for much longer. "Heh, I wouldn't be so cocky, buddy. Cause you see, Knospe here is only Step One of things. She just needs a little push on the right direction, and I'm happy to provide it! I play the Spell Card Rose Bud!"

From beneath Knospe's "feet," a gigantic plant rose up and enveloped her, twisting itself into an even bigger bud atop a large bed of leaves.

"With Rose Bud's effect, I can tribute Knospe to summon her true form straight from my Deck!"

And in a shower of spores, mist and rose petals, the gigantic bud exploded into a massive red rose, which a far more human figure now stood atop. She had purple skin, white hair, and was dressed in green clothes that brought to mind a rose in bloom, a confident and playful smirk gracing her face.

"I Special Summon Elemental HERO Poison Rose!" (ATK 1900/DEF 2000).

With two HEROs now flanking him side by side, Jaden let himself grin as he stared down Titan, who by now was glaring at the new monsters with unease. "Alright, battle time! Nova Master, destroy Infernalqueen Archfiend with Meltdown Flame!"

With a grunt of approval, Nova Master gathered fire in his hands, the flames glowing as bright as magma as they swelled larger, before finally the HERO slammed both hands down on the floor. What followed was a deluge of liquid fire, enough to bathe half the island, that barreled towards the female Archfiend, who had barely a moment to reel back in shock before being consumed by the burning wave, her spectral screech echoing across the dark realm, until naught remained of the monster but ash.

Unfortunately for Titan, however, the wave of fire did not relent with just the Archfiend. Indeed, more than enough flames circled around the macabre demon woman to wash over Titan's body, their heat near blistering even through his more reinforced clothes, forcing the dark duelist to grit his teeth violently to bite down on the pain.

JADEN YUKI: 1100LP -/- TITAN: 3300LP

"Heh, not so funny when the shoe's on the other foot, huh?" asked Jaden with just a hint of tease in his tone, though the edge in his eyes had yet to abate since his counterattack begun. Titan's response to that was merely to growl and pat away some of the ash covering his clothes, even if the action elicited more than a few bothersome pangs of pain from all over.

"You tread too lightly, child… And you will pay dearly for your insolence," rumbled the man darkly, his masked eyes threatening to bore a hole through Jaden's head.

"You can certainly try, big guy! But we've got a couple things to resolve: first, since Nova Master destroyed a monster, I get to draw a card! And since your Infernalqueen got destroyed, your Lancer's Attack points lower too!" And indeed, the purple demon knight seemed to sway in its feet, specters leaving its body and vanishing into the aether (ATK 2600 - 1600). "And since he's weak enough, that means Poison Rose gets to beat him down! Go get him, girl!"

With a cry of her own, Poison Rose whipped her arms back, dozens of thorned vines erupting from beneath the leaf-like sleeves of her clothes, and which the HERO whipped forward fast and mightily enough to cause a loud SNAP-ing sound. And unfortunately for the target she had aimed towards, said vines were neither gentle nor painless. So it was that Lancer Archfiend was veritably cocooned by the multitude of plant appendages, disappearing amidst the wave of green, and with a powerful squeeze, the demon knight was shattered into little more than motes of rock and bone.

JADEN YUKI: 1100LP -/- TITAN: 3000LP

"Plus, since Poison Rose inflicted Battle Damage to you, she loses 200 Defense points, but gains 200 Attack points in return! (ATK 1900 - 2100/DEF 2000 - 1800) I'll throw down a face-down and end my turn."

"Tch… Very well, then, it is my turn." Once more Titan waved a hand over his Duel Vest, grasping the ejected card a bit more forcefully than needed. When he saw in his hand, however, was more than enough to bring a malicious grin to his face. "Allow me to retort to your actions then, child. First, I shall play Pot of Greed, to allow me to draw two cards." Two more cards were ejected by the Duel Vest, and both were given but a glance before Titan chose one of them. "And now, I shall summon Archfiend Cavalry in Attack Mode!"

Behind the man, a circle of fire quickly formed, and from within it rode out a skeletal knight riding atop a blue-grey horse, both armored in shell-like red armor, and with the rider wielding a spine-like jousting lance (ATK 1900/DEF 0).

"Now, I shall follow by activating the Spell Card Archfiend's Oath," and as soon as Titan inserted the card onto his disk, a massive slab of etched stone rose from beneath the ground behind Titan, every inch of its face covered in strange, mystical runes. "Its effect is quite simple, child: by paying 500 Life Points, I may declare the name of a card, and draw the top card of my Deck. If it by chance has the same name as what I've declared, then I may add it to my hand. Otherwise, it shall be cast into the Graveyard. And the name I declare… Is Kuriboh."

"Wait, what?!"

Coo?!

Even as text in the slab came alight with a sickly green glow, Jaden watched in utter bafflement as Titan drew the card from his deck, glanced at it with barely any care, and turned it towards Jaden. "Ah, what a pity… It is Annihilator Archfiend."

JADEN YUKI: 1100LP -/- TITAN: 2800LP

"I see you are confused over my actions, child. But alas, allow me to continue. Since I possess an Archfiend monster on the field, I am allowed to Special Summon Archfiend Commander to the field!"

From above, black clouds began rolling in, coalescing into an eerie spiral as thunder began booming louder and louder, until finally a massive bolt of lightning struck the ground. And from the impact zone, an Archfiend twice the size of all the previous ones emerged, with a body made of raw muscle-looking skin and bone armor, lightning crackling all throughout its body (ATK 2500/DEF 1200).

Suddenly, another bolt fell from the skies… Aimed at Archfiend Cavalry, vaporizing the rider in an instant, leaving not even ash in its place. "Unfortunately, to Special Summon Archfiend Commander, I must destroy one Archfiend card I control as payment… But you see, that serves to my favor. For when Cavalry is destroyed, I may choose one Archfiend monster from my Graveyard, and Summon it to the field," said Titan as calmly as ever… Even as a downright malignant red light began to shine from his Duel Vest. "And I believe you know him very well."

That's when the ground began cracking. Heat, smoke, fire and darkness leaked out in droves, the same red light coming from the Duel Vest now glowing from within the cracks in the stone floor… Until it exploded, a tower of fire howling from the massive pit that opened behind Titan. The positively gargantuan arm that reached out from within it only served to put Jaden even more at edge, followed by the colossus which the limb belonged to.

With skin as black as night, claws long enough to skewer a man, wings that cast shadow on even the darkness surrounding them, and a scorpion's tail waving dangerously through the air, the abomination slammed its snake-shaped staff down for support and raised its torso fully out of the abyss, its baleful red eyes gazing down at its three opponents with sheer, unadulterated malice.

"Rise, Annihilator Archfiend." (ATK 2000/DEF 3000)

-O-

"It's been too long…" I muttered darkly, my eyes glued onto the cube that had remained completely unaltered. "Something's gone wrong."

"Put faith in your friend, mister Atlas," replied Seras from where she sat cross-legged with her eyes closed, uncaring or unbothered by the dirt and pebbles littering the ground. "Jaden Yuki will not bow nor bend to someone as lowly as that man. All we need is patience."

"The one thing I don't have… dammit, why couldn't it have been me going there, I would have stomped Titan…"

"The consequences of such an action would have been far more than what you are ready for at the moment. You will have your chance to stand against the darkness, mister Atlas, but now is not that time."

The way her tone grew far more frigid when saying that actually drew my attention, but before I could question Seras over it, the sound of frantic steps began echoing down from the tunnel leading to the dorm building. My hand shot down to my Deck's case, Seras herself rising from her seat as her gaze softened.

With reason, as it turns out, because rather than dark duelists or some extra maniac to throw my plans off the rails, the ones arriving were Syrus, Chumley and Banner, all of them panting from what had likely been constant running to get here. "G-Guys, we got Professor Banner!" cried out Chumley, his voice ragged and breath short as he collapsed onto the floor.

"Mister Truesdale spoke of an 'evil duelist', we ran as fast as we could," said Banner in return, sounding surprisingly less winded than someone of his… condition, shall we say, should have been. Then again, a homunculus probably couldn't tire itself, but I had more pressing questions at the moment. And it seemed Banner soon caught sight of the elephant (or in this case, box) in the room, his entire demeanor shifting into seriousness as he stared down the cube of darkness. "And I see they were not exaggerating…"

It was at that moment Syrus seemed to become more aware of his surroundings, the young boy looking nervously around the room. "Hey, uhh, guys? Where's… Where's Jay?" When we didn't answer immediately, and especially with me grimacing away from the evil cube, realization and dread fell on Syrus like a pile of bricks, his wide-eyed panicked gaze turning to the big object before refocusing on us. "JADEN'S IN THERE?! W-WE GOTTA HELP HIM!"

"There's nothing we can do, Syrus."

Banner's reply was as fast and as brutal as a whip, serving especially to draw everyone's attention solely to him. Unminding of the new attention, the professor strode forward and reached for the cube, his hand hovering in the air for a brief moment before it was withdrawn, and the man refocused his attention onto us. "There is powerful dark magic at work here. Too powerful, in fact. Whoever this man is, and whoever sent him here, they were aware of this dorm's past, and used it for their own deeds."

"What are you talking about, professor?" asked Chumley, who seemed to have mostly recovered from his impromptu marathon run. "I thought the students here got sent to a research program abroad, didn't they?"

"That was the cover story the teachers and Chancellor Shepard agreed to put out for the public, mister Chumley… Truthfully, we have yet to discover the fate that befell the students that lived in this dormitory, even after extensive investigation into this building and its contents."

"So you all knew about this place?" I asked Banner, doing my best to hide the acid tinge to my tone as memories of the lab hidden deeper in the cave. "About the Shadow Games? All this shit?"

Credit where it's due, Banner actually managed to look sorrowful when I gave him the question. And speaking as someone who had studied theatre, there wasn't a hint of fakeness to his emotions, nor any twitch or tell of a lie. Either he was that good of an actor… Or he was being genuine. Knowing the guy, both being applicable wasn't out of the table, either. "Not of the specifics, or the context… But yes, we were. The chancellor was adamant we kept this hidden from the students, and asked that I investigate it all due to my knowledge of the mystic side of Duel Monsters."

"You know, that would have been nice to know when we enrolled at first, professor. Just saying."

"B-But what about Jaden?! How do we get him out of there?!"

"There is nothing we can do, mister Truesdale," said Seras in return. "It is left to Jaden Yuki to face this challenge and defeat it, if he wishes to escape this prison of despair."

With that little uplifting comment, we all turned back towards the cube, my hands tightening into white-knuckled fists… Just as I heard Syrus whisper off to the side.

"C'mon, Jay… You can do this…"

-O-

Coo, coo! Coo!

Bless his heart, Winged Kuriboh was trying. He was really trying.

But no matter how hard or how many times he shoved against Jaden's body, the little monster couldn't break the young man's nervous gaze from the gigantic demon currently towering over the battlefield. That even his HERO monsters seemed unnerved seeing the creature only served to make things that more worrying.

"Frightened, child?" asked Titan, his voice dripping with amusement and contempt. "I would not blame you. There have been very few times I have had to bring this monster forth, but all times I've done so, my opponent did not last long… But their suffering was truly great. Alas, before we continue this… I shall resolve Pandemonium's effect." Calmly, Titan withdrew his Deck from his Duel Vest, and splayed it open. "Since an Archfiend monster was destroyed outside of battle in order to summon Archfiend Commander, I am allowed to add an Archfiend monster with a lower level than the destroyed one. As Cavalry was a Level 4 monster, I shall add Desrook Archfiend to my hand."

With his card chosen and placed into his hand, the Shadow Duelist placed his Deck back onto its slot and let it be reshuffled. "But enough delays. For now, I shall activate Annihilator Archfiend's effect." Not sooner did Titan speak those words, Annihilator Archfiend let go of its staff and raised both its hands into the air, flames building onto them and coalescing into gigantic balls of fire like stars from Hell, which the Archfiend promptly aimed down at the field below. "It is quite a simple effect: a soul for a soul. I destroy a card I control… In exchange for one of yours."

"Archfiend Commander is the price I pay, in return for the destruction of Elemental HERO Nova Master."

And with a thrust of its hands, the gargantuan fiend launched both orbs at the declared targets, the giant projectiles screeching through the air with the sounds of unholy screams, before impacting down. In a flash, both the stone demon and Nova Master were incinerated, vanishing into utter oblivion with nary a sound nor trace left of their existence. And while Jaden was forced to shield his face with both arms from the literally infernal fire that burned just steps away from him, Titan remained completely unconcerned and unmoved, merely smirking at his opponent.

"Dammit…" growled Jaden somewhat darkly, his teeth grit and hands clenched as he stared at the spot his new HERO had only moments ago occupied. "Still, doesn't mean anything! Your big bad monster's too weak to beat Poison Rose in a fight!"

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure of that, foolish boy. For you see, when Annihilator Archfiend destroys a Fiend-type Monster with its effect, it gains Attack Points equal to half of that of the Fiend it has destroyed." And indeed, from where Archfiend Commander once stood, blood-like smoke rose into the air towards Annihilator Archfiend, entering its body through its skull-like visage, and making its eyes glow even brighter than before (ATK 2000 - 3250). "Just as before, Pandemonium's effect activates: in place of the Level 6 Commander, I choose the Level 4 Terrorking Archfiend to add to my hand."

"And now, we do battle! Annihilator Archfiend, destroy Poison Rose and end this duel! Apocalypse Obliteration!"

This time, it was not fire that built upon the Archfiend's hand… But light. Blood-red, evil light, forming into yet another sphere that soon was large enough to cast aside all darkness around the dueling field, bathing everything in that same sickly crimson glow, as the monster turned its gaze toward the plant woman down on the ground… and cast its hand forward.

And with a howl like a chorus of screams of the damned, the ball of light broke apart into a gigantic beam that tore a trench through the ground as it travelled slowly but surely towards the HERO monster…

"Trap card, open! Defense Draw!"

Yet seconds before Poison Rose was consumed by the hellish beam, Jaden's face-down card flipped up, and from within it, golden light flew out and wrapped around Jaden's body like a suit, filling him with warmth and a sense of safety.

It still did not diminish the impact of the attack any less. Poison Rose screamed as the beam engulfed her, but the sound lasted barely a second before the HERO was disintegrated by the laser, and a moment later, a massive explosion blasted the entire area around ground zero apart, buffeting winds tearing the bone and chitin structures around itself into dust… And launching Jaden back like a meteor, the young man colliding painfully against the ground and sliding all the way to the island's edge until he stopped, his head just past the rock ground, groaning in pain.

Coo! Coo coo, coo!

It was too much for Winged Kuriboh, however. In a panic, the small Fiend monster desperately flew around Jaden, nudging, bumping and even clawing the young man with his diminutive hands, all in an effort to draw some kind of reaction from his friend… And yet nothing seemed to work: Jaden simply remained prone, groaning and grunting in pain, his eyes scrunched up and teeth grit.

And in response to such a sight, Titan laughed. "Hahahaha… Finally, you see the true power of the shadows. A pity that you would not come quietly… Your suffering would have been far shorter."

But Jaden did not get up in return. His body remained prone, with no sign of movements above a twitch…

… den … up…

Until a voice echoed. Whether in his ears, or his mind, the young man was in no condition to differentiate, but he certainly became aware of it…

Get… up…

And for some strange reason, some wild, unreachable thought…

Jaden!

It sounded familiar.

GET UP!

With a gasp, Jaden sat up with eyes wide and dust falling off his clothes, a hand clutching his chest tightly as he tried to get his heart rate under control. Finally, after a few moments, Jaden forced himself to his feet, even if he wobbled for a moment and had to shift his footing more than once to keep himself from falling to the ground.

Coo? Coo!

"I'm… I'm alright, buddy…" muttered Jaden with a wince, finally managing to right himself properly, giving the Duel Spirit a somewhat weak grin and a thumbs-up. "I'm… not going down that easy…"

Didn't mean it didn't hurt, regardless. Every inch of his body ached, his ears were ringing, and even his mind was swirling something fierce, not helped by the fact that Jaden could have sworn he could feel his soul aching. But if there was one thing Jaden Yuki would never do, it was give up, so with one final strained grunt of effort, he stood tall once more and readied himself for the fight… something that Titan did not seem happy with.

"How… How do you still stand?!" roared the Shadow Duelist, even taking a step forward in sheer anger.

"Heheh… Simple, buddy. It's all thanks to Defense Draw: it makes the battle damage of one battle zero, and lets me draw a card for it," replied Jaden with a chuckle, even making a point to pull said card and wiggle it at the man in a clear taunt. "Sorry, but I'm not going anywhere just yet."

With another snarl of frustration, Titan returned to his previous position, and allowed his hand to unfurl. "… I set a card face-down, and end my turn… Subsequently, Annihilator Archfiend's Attack returns to normal (ATK 3250 - 2000). But know this, child: no matter what cards you play, your fate is sealed. I will defeat you, and you will fall to the shadows."

"We'll see about that… My turn, draw!"

Even keeping his movements to a minimum, the jolt of pain that ran up his arm was enough to force Jaden to grit his teeth once more in a grimace. But at the sight of the card he had just drawn, a thankful smile took its place. "Guess it's my turn to be greedy here! I play Pot of Greed, so that's two more cards for me." Two more cards were added to his hand, and with all four in place, the young man readied himself for his counter-offensive. "Now how about you get to meet one more new hero of mine? I summon Elemental HERO Solid Soldier, in Attack Mode!"

In front of Jaden, the ground began rumbling and cracking, parts of it rising in a mound before a hole finally exploded in a shower of rock and dust, from which a humanoid figure leapt out of: a muscular humanoid, clad in large silver armor akin to shell pieces, and piercing blue eyes (ATK 1300/DEF 1100). "And when he's summoned to the field, I can Special Summon one Level 4 or lower HERO monster from my hand to the field! And I choose to summon Elemental HERO Blazeman!" And in a flash of light and fire, yet another HERO joined the field: one clad in a black-and-white skin-tight suit with flame patterns, red chest plate, lantern-like arms in his back and a full helmet with a red visor, behind which burned a mane of hair made of fire (ATK 1200/DEF 1800). "Plus, when Blazeman is summoned, I can add one Polymerization from my Deck to my hand."

"What use are these weaklings to you?" asked Titan with a growl, something that Annihilator Archfiend saw fit to punctuate with a growl of its own. "No matter how many you summon, they are useless without the power to defeat my Archfiend monster!" Left unsaid by Titan, of course, was the small trap he had prepared if the boy was foolish enough to try his chances.

"Oh, don't you worry, big guy! If you wanna see power, I'm gonna show you power! I play Polymerization, to fuse Solid Soldier and Blazeman together!"

Once more, the spatial vortex appeared over Jaden, with the fires this time choosing to envelop Solid Soldier and Blazeman, dragging them both into itself… only for a beam to shoot down into the ground, burying itself into the hole that Solid Soldier had come from. Seconds later, the island began shaking once more, almost as violently as when Annihilator Archfiend had arrived, until finally a massive monolith of stone broke free from the earth, rising to tower over Jaden and Titan.

"Come on out, Elemental HERO Gaia!"

And heeding Jaden's call, the HERO contained within the pillar broke free, sending fragments of stone flying outwards, and revealing its form: a golem-like machine humanoid, clad head to toe in jet-black metal armor encrusted with red jewels, large cylindrical forearms, and a knight-like helmet with glowing red eyes (ATK 2200/DEF 2600). "And now, Gaia's effect activates! When he's summoned to the field, I can halve the Attack power of one of your monsters, and add it to Gaia's own!"

"What?!"

Raising both its arms toward the giant demon, Gaia's many jewels began glowing brightly, and a moment later energy began leaking from the Archfiend and flowed directly into Gaia, causing the demon to lose its balance and fall forward, the only thing keeping it upright being its snake staff, while the impact of its crash almost toppled Titan to the floor (ATK 2000 - 1000) (ATK 2200 - 3200). "And don't think this is over just yet, cause now, Solid Soldier's effect activates! See, since he got sent to the Graveyard because of a Spell Card, I can Special Summon one Level 4 or lower HERO monster from there in Defense Mode! So come on out, Elemental HERO Stratos!" called out the boy, shoving his Duel Disk forward with the Graveyard slot aimed forward, allowing a tornado to shoot out of it and into the field. And when the winds dissipated, in their place stood a kneeling hero with a propeller jetpack in its back and a blue visor covering his face. (ATK 1800/DEF 300).

"Impossible! You never played that monster before, when was it sent to your Graveyard!?" roared Titan, his composure now long forgotten. And Jaden seemed more than happy to break it even further, choosing to instead wiggle his finger and grin at the Shadow Duelist.

"Guess your gloating made your memory rusty, huh Titan? I sent him there last turn, when I had to discard one card with Liquid Soldier's effect," replied the young man. "And of course, let's not forget Stratos' own effect! See, when he's summoned, I can choose one of two effects: I can add a HERO to my hand… Or I can destroy Spells and Traps, up to the number of HEROs other than Stratos on the field."

As Jaden's smirk grew, Titan's shock only increased, the man actually taking a step back and unwittingly turning his gaze to the face-down card laying in his side of the field. "Alright, Stratos, get rid of that face-down of his!"

And get rid of it, Stratos did. With a nod, the HERO aimed his jetpack's wings toward Titan and fired it up, the rotors rapidly spinning until two smaller cyclones flew out of it and enveloped the face-down card, blowing it away into the nether. And for the briefest moment, both the owner of the card and its destroyer caught a glimpse of the image of Mirror Wall imprinted upon the card. "Sorry, big guy, hope that wasn't important," said Jaden with as much mirth as he could gather up, his effort thankfully being rewarded by the sight of Titan gritting his teeth so hard they should have cracked. "But I'm not done just yet! Now I'll play Fusion Recovery! It lets me add one monster that was used for a Fusion Summon from my Graveyard, plus one Polymerization. And the HERO I pick to return to my hand is Burstinatrix!"

"Third time's the charm! I play Polymerization, to fuse Avian and Burstinatrix in my hand, to bring out one of my favorite monsters!"

For the third, and hopefully last time, the spiral returned, drawing both of the cards on Jaden's hand into itself, and creating a pillar of light that shined down onto the battlefield. And with it, a new HERO joined the fray. Draconian in look, with a single white wing on his left side, a right arm made up of a large dragon's head, and a dragon's tail swinging behind him, Jaden's beloved ace monster readied himself for battle. "Titan, meet Elemental HERO Flame Wingman! (ATK 2100/DEF 1200)"

And it seemed that was the last straw to Titan's composure. At the sight of two Fusion Monsters, both stronger than his most powerful Archfiend creature, the Shadow Duelist could only gape and stare, actually taking a step back from the two HEROs. "This… This cannot be… I am a servant of darkness! I cannot be defeated like this!"

"Sorry, pal, but I'm about done with all this doom and gloom!" shouted back Jaden. And with his determination strengthened, Jaden pushed through the pain, and thrust his fist forward towards the man and demon. "Elemental HERO Gaia, destroy Annihilator Archfiend, with Continental Hammer!"

With the order given, Gaia raised one of his hands into the air, allowing the same red energy from before to flow out of his gems and start coalescing far above the battlefield, growing larger with every second, until finally it took shape.

That is, the shape of an absurdly huge stone- No, a mountain, which soon began hovering over Annihilator Archfiend, utterly dwarfing the giant demon… Before finally dropping like a meteor, crushing the Archfiend back into the pit it had emerged from and leaving no trace of its existence, bar the resulting shockwave, which almost swept Titan off his feet, the man falling to one knee as he clutched his chest and hat each with one hand.

JADEN YUKI: 1100LP -/- TITAN: 600

"G-gh… N-No…"

"And now for the finisher! Flame Wingman, end this!"

At the sound of those words, Titan drew in a gasp and quickly looked up…

Only to come to face with the draconic HERO suddenly standing right in front of him, who stared down the Shadow Duelist impassively before slowly raising his dragonhead to aim straight at his opponent, fire ominously building inside its throat.

"Infernal Rage!"

And with a stream of fire, Flame Wingman shot Titan clean off his feet and back into one of the bone pillars surrounding the arena, smashing the Shadow Duelist into it hard enough to crack the pillar.

JADEN YUKI: 1100 LP -/- TITAN: 0 LP

"And that's game!... Ugh…"

Coo?!

With a grunt, Jaden fell to one knee, exhaustion finally laying him low as the island, HEROs and other cards faded into nothingness, returning them all to the previous emptiness of the purple void. Winged Kuriboh, however, did not vanish, instead hovering worriedly around his friend as Jaden forced himself to stay conscious, though even then he could feel his vision fading. Just as he was about to fall unconscious, however, Jaden and Kuriboh were enveloped in a cloud of shadow… and when the cloud parted, both were gone, leaving Titan alone in the void to barely force himself to his feet after several moments.

"U-Ugh… damn… child… how could I have lost to… such a brat…?" muttered the man, lightly shaking his head to try and clear the haze in his mind. When his thoughts returned to semi-coherence, Titan stood to his full height and took hold of his pendant, lifting into the air as a soft glow began emanating from it. "Well… There shall be other opportunities, nevertheless… I won't give up my contract so easily…"

Before the man could perform whatever actions he planned for, however…

TITAN

A voice echoed in the emptiness of the realm. A deep, booming, wrong-sounding voice… one that froze Titan's blood, and made his entire body lock up.

"… No…"

YOU MADE PACTS WITH THE SHADOW, TITAN. PRICE HAS BEEN AGREED ON, IN EXCHANGE FOR POWER AND REWARD

"No, please, I beg you!"

AND IF PRICE CANNOT BE PAID… THEN COMPENSATION WILL TAKE ITS PLACE

THE SHADOWS DEMAND A SACRIFICE

With sheer, unrelenting horror filling him, Titan desperately shook his pendant. But its glow was long gone, and only a second later it shattered into dust, disappearing into the eternal aether of the Shadow Realm. "No! NO! NO, PLEASE-!"

YOU WILL SUFFICE

And so was the fate that befell Titan, the Shadow Duelist: for eternity his wails of suffering would echo in the emptiness of the Shadow Realm.

None would know of it, and only he would hear his own screams.

But to the shadows, that was enough.

-O-

"Mister Yuki has won."

When Seras spoke up those words, as calmly as ever, it made necks turn fast enough that one could have expected whipcrack sounds. Still, before anyone could voice questions, the sound of grass cracking began echoing inside the cave, which we quickly realized was coming from the cube of shadow… That, indeed, was now covered in massive spiderweb cracks, the number of which was increasing exponentially fast.

"G-Guys, what's happening?" asked Syrus in uncertainty, taking a step back as he kept his eyes glued to the cube as the thing began to shake more and more violently… before finally exploding into mist, the metal slabs in its corners vaporizing into dust in the wind. And in its place, kneeling on the ground looking like he'd gone through a fistfight with Satan himself, was Jaden. "Jay!"

"Jaden!"

In a flash, Syrus and Chumley were beside their friend, propping him up as carefully as they could and helping the young man away from the ground zero of everything. Me, however? I ran to the other person who started stirring: Alexis, who was wincing and turning inside the coffin, though thankfully looking unharmed. I was beside her in four steps, crouching down to her eye level as I waited for her to wake up, until finally her eyes fluttered open and she began looking around. "Ngh… Where… Where am I—"

"Easy there, Alexis," I said softly, putting a hand on her shoulder just to be sure. "Take it easy… You alright?"

"Yeah… I think so…" she muttered back, slowly pushing herself to a sitting pose to peer around the room, a hand placed on her head for what was probably a wicked headache, until finally her eyes seemed to come to focus, and she turned to me fully. "… Atlas? Where… Where are we?"

"Abandoned Dorm. Dunno about the background, but some creep showed up and started doing some fucked up stuff, Jaden beat him, we're all safe now. That's the big points."

Left unsaid was how I had gotten here, why, how I actually knew who said creep was (even if I didn't know why, but that's for later), and how Jaden beating Titan had most likely been his first of many experiences with the Shadow Realm and Shadow Games, and lord knows how that went. But we could save all that postulating and deep thinking when we all weren't inside a cave where occult shit happened, and ten steps away from the laboratory of the homunculus that was our teacher.

"What about Jaden…?"

"Hanging on… hopefully. C'mon, let's talk outside the coffin, this shit's creepy."

Thankfully my little attempt at humor did work, considering the weak chuckle that escaped Alexis' lips. So with the mood somewhat lifted, I helped the young woman out of the coffin, taking extra care to let her prop herself more on my arm than her legs for safety's sake, though thankfully it seemed Alexis still had enough strength to stand on her own two feet without swaying, allowing us to quickly pace towards Jaden, who I only now realized was…

… Asleep.

Jaden was asleep.

Full-on snoring, dumb smile, passed-out asleep.

"… Dunno how conscious you are…" I muttered to Alexis, my eyes half-lidded as I stared at the trio of Slifers, two now relieved and one knocked out. "But I'm gonna ask you to remind me to punch Jaden after this is all over."

"Heh… noted…"

"Thanks…"

And so, that terrible night came to a merciful end, as we were finally allowed to breathe a sigh of relief… at least for now.

I'd have some planning to start up soon.

-O-

In the shadows, hidden from sight, someone… no, something else watched: an eye.

Blood-shot, monstrous, and with a blood-red iris, this eye did nothing but watch, as the group of young adults finally relaxed, flanked by the fake body inhabited by a soul as diminished as the eye itself.

It was in this observation, however, that the eye suddenly felt itself being watched, impossible as that may be. But the slightest shift of its gaze confirmed said suspicions, and for the briefest moments, mystical golden eyes met the singular blood-red one, before the latter promptly vanished once more into the shadows, onto the isolation and void of its current existence… but now, carrying with it the precious, treasured memories of pain and suffering from the Duel it had just witnessed.

For any, a macabre prize.

For the eye, yet another proof of love.

~O~

… Fucking hell, I'm sorry, people.

It was not fair to make you all wait THIS LONG for a chapter. And there are both good and bad reasons for this hyper hiatus.

The bad: One Piece's currently baller-ass flow of content got me into a big One Piece mood, to the point I actually lost myself drafting out a rewrite of Charge the Heavens, my own One Piece SI fic, which led to me starting up a rewrite/actual attempt at a full version of the omake chapter I had written between Charge the Heavens and This Bites! so long ago, which got as far as 15k words before it stalled, and I realized I was neglecting my actual fics, so I immediately doubled back to writing this chapter.

Compounding that problem is the fact I took quite some time planning out the duel, and even though it ended up being a short affair, the moves were quite big, so a lot happened. I also didn't want to get stuck in the same loop as the anime of "Titan negates everything Jaden uses with his rigged Duel Vest", which resulted in him using a lot more modern Archfiends without the negate effect (his Deck was actually based on his Legacy of the Duelist Deck), and me having to hold back on what new E-HEROs Jaden would debut here so he could have more of them later on. Granted, from now on I know how I'll plan out/write out duels, so it SHOULD be easier… But we'll see.

And finally… The situation at home. For some two weeks or so, things have gone downhill literally like they never have before, which put me into the position of "sift through this to try and keep my sanity", which of course murdered by will to write… Or do anything, really. Thankfully that's now far behind, and boy do I hope I never have to go through that shit again, cause it was… An experience… I'm alive, at least, so there's that.

As for the good? Well, I got a job, guys! After so long, I got one!

… HOWEVER.

Said job also has me working an extra hour compared to my old one, so my shift time is from 2pm to 11pm, which means by the time I come back home, shower and do everything, its already midnight, and I was waking up late a lot due to tiredness, so writing time was obliterated.

Hell, the only reason I got time to sit down and properly finish this is cause I got COVID, which benched me for 5 days straight in my room, so uhh… Thank the 'rona for me wrapping up this chapter.

I do have a rest day in the week, and my Sundays are now work one-rest one instead of work two-rest one, so at least I have a few more rest days… Plus, you know, I have a paycheck coming in now, so no complaining about that!

But yeah, after all this time, chapter 6 is here. Once more, supreme apologies for the inexcusable delay.

Next, folks for Titanomachy can breathe easy, cause we're going back to the galaxy far, far away… We gotta play some Dominoes, after all c:

Until then, folks!