Alex opened his eyes and saw he was floating in a dark void. "Where am I?" he asked in confusion. "In between worlds," a voice said. Alex turned to voice the person who spoke to him and saw a cloaked skeletal figure. "Nightshroud," Alex said, remembering the stories his father had told him about the strongest spirit he ever faced.

"I see your father told you about me," Nightshroud surmised. "Why am I here? And what do you want from me?" Alex asked, wondering how he was talking to the spirit in the first place. "You are here because at the moment you fell, you also fell into the abyss of pain and despair, allowing me to bring you here. And as for what I want, I have a proposition to make," Nightshroud offered.

"And what would that be?" Alex asked. "I'm sure your father told you of what I attempted to do years ago," Nightshroud guessed. "That you tried to bring everyone on Earth to your world. If you want me to help you, then forget it," Alex refused. "You are quick to cast judgment, when you do not understand the truth of the World of Darkness. Allow me to show what it is truly like to live in that world," Nightshroud said as he extended his hand towards Alex, waiting for an answer.

Alex decided he may as well listen to him and grabbed his hand. Nightshroud showed Alex a vision of his world. It was much like Earth, except darker, like a moonlit night. Alex saw people laughing and playing together. He saw his friends and parents sitting together smiling. They looked over at him and called out for him to join them.

He could feel it himself, he was happy, and he could feel that everyone was happy. Everyone in the whole world was sharing in this feeling of joy. Everyone in the whole world was at peace. After a minute, Alex released his grip and pulled his hand back. "That's what it's really like in your world?" Alex asked.

"Yes. And I showed you your parents for a reason. We could bring them back. And is not the sanctity of my world better than what will become of the Earth after the Dark Signers are done with it?" Nightshroud questioned. "What happens to the Earth if the Dark Signers win?" Alex asked.

Nightshroud stretched his hand out again and showed Alex a vision of the future. "Is this New Domino City?" Alex asked, unable to believe what he was seeing was real. "Indeed," Nightshroud answered. The world Alex saw before him was nothing but a barren wasteland, devoid of any life.

"I don't believe it. Roman thinks this is a better world?" Alex asked. Nightshroud ended the vision and brought himself and Alex back to where they were before. "Why do you want my help?" Alex questioned. "I do not have the strength to manifest myself in your world. I require a vessel to inhabit," Nightshroud answered.

"So you just wanna possess me like you did my uncle and Fujiwara?" Alex asked. "No. Simple possession has proven to be insufficient in the past, and you understand the truth of my world," Nightshroud answered. "So then what do we do?" Alex wondered. "The same thing your father did with his guardian spirit Yubel," Nightshroud responded.

"You mean you want to combine our souls?" Alex asked, not sure he was liking the sound of this. "Indeed. We will become one being. You will remain in control of yourself, and will have access to all of my powers," Nightshroud informed. Alex began thinking over Nightshroud's offer.

"I'm sure Yusei and the others can defeat the Dark Signers. But what if they don't, and the world is destroyed? And even if they do succeed, how many people will be sacrificed? How many children like me, forced to go on without their parents or loved ones? I could end everyone's suffering. All the pain, misery, and loss. No one would ever have to feel it again. We could give the entire world peace and happiness forever," he thought to himself before turning back to the spirit.

"What is your answer?" Nightshroud asked. "I'll do it. I'll merge with you and bring everyone on Earth to the World of Darkness, then I will eliminate the Dark Signers," Alex resolved. "A wise decision. Are you ready to receive my power and become one with me?" Nightshroud asked.

Alex nodded and Nightshroud waved his hand, causing a card that Alex recognized to rise up out of the darkness. "Super Polymerization," Alex pointed out. "Indeed. The very card that bound your father to Yubel shall now bind us together," Nightshroud said before they both used their powers and sent streams of darkness to Super Polymerization, activating the card and beginning the fusion.

They began to float towards each other before Super Polymerization let out a bright light, enveloping them both in it. When the light faded away, only Alex was left. He breathed out and opened his eyes. "It's complete, we are now one," he said to himself.

Alex didn't realize it, but the fusion had slightly distorted his mind, and he believed that everything he was about to do was right, and that he was truly doing what was best for humanity. He looked at his clothes and realized they had changed. His outfit was now gray, he was wearing a long sleeve jacket with red and gold trim, and his shirt had the same design that had been on the front of Nightshroud's cloak.

"It's time to return to Earth," he said before he wrapped himself in a ball of darkness and teleported away, arriving in New Domino City in the middle of the night on the site of where what was left of the Arcadia Movement stood. He waved his hand and a mass of pure darkness rose up, before forming the shape of a castle in front of the Arcadia Movement.

"And now for my army," Alex continued before he pulled out 4 cards and tossed them to the ground. He pointed his finger at the cards, sending a wave of darkness at them. The monsters on the card then appeared before Alex as fully formed duel spirits. The monsters he had summoned were Jinzo, Dark Crusader, Vampire Lord, and Lord of Dragons.

"You four shall be my generals," Alex said to the spirits. They all bowed and said "We live to serve, my lord." "Good. Your first task is to build our army," Alex commanded. "Yes my lord, and once that is complete?" Dark Crusader asked. "Then we begin our true mission. To bring the people of Earth to the World of Darkness. Then we defeat the Dark Signers once and for all," Alex answered.

"It shall be done. All hail the King of Darkness!" the generals shouted. They then headed into the castle to prepare to carry out their mission. The night passed and it was soon the morning. Alex was sitting in a chair in his room, overlooking the city. He heard a knock at his door. "You may enter," Alex allowed.

Dark Crusader walked in and stood in front of Alex. "My lord, your army is ready," the spirit informed. "Good, have the army await my command," Alex ordered. "As you wish my lord," Dark Crusader responded before leaving. Alex got up and used his powers to envelop himself in a suit of armor.

It was similar to the armor he wore when Alastor was in control, but the gems on the on the armor were red instead of purple, the chest plate had the design that was on the front of Nightshroud's cloak on it, and his helmet was in the shape of Nightshroud's skull. The armor also extended from his body, making him about as tall as Yusei.

He covered his armor in a cloak that was the same as Nightshoud's, but still left his helmet exposed under the hood. Alex entered the hall his army was in and stood on a balcony that overlooked them. When they all saw him, they started chanting "All hail the King of Darkness!" repeatedly. Alex raised his hand to silence them.

"My loyal soldiers. Today we liberate the people of New Domino City from their shackles of suffering and despair. Duel valiantly, and end their suffering swiftly," he ordered. He led them to the front gate, but was met by a woman with a microphone when the door opened.

"My name is Angela Raines, and I'm a reporter for the Daily Duel. Who are you? Could you tell us what happened here last night? Where did this castle come from? And could we get a shot of you without the helmet?" the woman asked. Alex's generals walked forward and stood behind him.

"Shall we dispose of this woman my lord?" Lord of Dragons asked. "No, I'll handle this," Alex asked before turning back to Angela. "Is this feed live?" he asked. "Yes, we're broadcasting to the entire city right now," Angela informed. "Good, I have a message for the people," Alex said before the cameraman turned the camera towards him.

"People of New Domino City. I am Nightshroud. You are all in danger. A great evil threatens to harm everyone in the city. An evil that the director of Sector Security, Rex Goodwin, has kept hidden from you in the hopes of avoiding a panic. But you all have the right to know the truth. Last night's events and the disappearance of the people were caused by a group known as the Dark Signers, who will stop at nothing to achieve their goal," Alex informed.

Meanwhile in the hospital, all of Alex's friends were watching the news broadcast in Akiza's hospital room. "Who is this guy?" Jack asked, wondering how he knew what was happening with the Dark Signers. Yubel appeared and turned her attention to the TV, seeing Alex posing as Nightshroud.

"It can't be!" she exclaimed. "What is it, Yubel?" Luna asked. "Luna, I have to warn everyone," Yubel responded. Luna nodded and placed Yubel's card on her duel disk. "Don't be afraid. I have to warn you," Yubel said. "You know, not too long ago, I'd have assumed I was crazy right now, but after all we've seen, this is surprisingly normal," Jack commented.

"That man is a spirit that Jaden faced years ago. He was defeated and sent back to his world. He shouldn't be strong enough to manifest himself in our world though," Yubel informed, not realizing she was actually looking at Alex. "So what are we up against?" Yusei asked.

"Something even more powerful than the Dark Signers," Yubel answered. "Are you serious?" Jack asked. "Absolutely," Yubel responded flatly. "Wait, he's not done talking," Akiza informed, drawing everyone's attention back to the broadcast. "So what do you plan to do to help?" Angela asked.

"I give the people of New Domino City an asylum. A place safe from the Dark Signers. Anyone who wishes to leave the city need only find me or my army, and we shall send you to a place where everyone will be safe," Alex informed. "And what place would that be?" Angela asked.

"The place I am from, the World of Darkness. It is a world where no suffering or pain exists. A world where everyone shares in a feeling of joy and peace. A world where the greatest victories can be obtained without fighting. A truly ideal world," Alex answered. Angela started to back away from Alex, thinking he was full blown crazy.

"You believe I am insane. But once you learn the truth of the World of Darkness, you shall realize that it is ultimately the best fate for mankind. Allow me to send you to that world first," Alex said before he stretched his hand out, sending a wave of darkness washing over Angela and her cameraman. When it faded away, all that was left was the microphone and camera, which was still broadcasting.

"Jinzo, redirect the camera to me," Alex ordered. Jinzo nodded and picked up the camera before pointing it at Alex. "People of New Domino City. I assure you that you have nothing to fear. You will understand why I do this once you enter the World of Darkness," Alex said before the broadcast cut out.

"We have to stop him," Yusei declared. "Yusei, you should let us take care of this," Blister said. "What are you talking about Blister?" Yusei asked. "You have to face the Dark Signers, so we can't risk you guys dueling with him and losing," Yanagi pointed out.

"Fine, but I'm still going," Yusei responded. "And that goes double for me," Jack added, with Akiza agreeing. "Fine, I'll take the first crack at him," Tanner said. They all rushed to face him, but when they got there, he was in the middle of a duel with someone. "Darkness Destroyer, attack him directly and end this duel," Alex ordered.

His monster slashed the young duelist with his claws, eliminating the last of his life points. "Do not fear, you shall now enter a world of peace," Alex said as his opponent collapsed and dissolved into shadows. "What did you do to him?!" Yusei asked angrily. "I simply sent him to a better world. And soon everyone in New Domino, followed by the whole world shall join him," Alex responded.

"Not if we stop you!" Jack shouted. Alex turned his head and saw Yubel. "It's nice to see you again, Yubel," he said. "The feeling isn't mutual Nightshroud," Yubel responded, still not aware of who she was really talking to. "That's hardly how I'd thought you'd greet someone who you've known since the day he was born," Alex responded.

"What are you talking about?" Yusei asked. Alex grabbed his cloak and threw it to the side, revealing his armor. "That armor. Alex, is that you?" Yusei asked. Alex lifted the faceplate of his helmet to reveal his face. "Indeed. I have returned to bring the people of Earth into the World of Darkness," he answered.

"What happened to you Alex? I watched you fall," Akiza pointed out. "After what happened to my parents, I fell into the depths of despair and hopelessness. Nightshroud saved me and offered me a deal. He would give me his power and I would use it to ensure no one endured the same suffering that I did," Alex answered.

"Alex, you're being possessed!" Luna shouted. "Wrong. I have his powers, but I am in total control," Alex responded. "What are you talking about?" Yusei asked. "Nightshroud knew that simply possessing my body would result in failure like it had all those years ago with my uncle and Fujiwara Yusuke, so we did the same thing my father did with Yubel," Alex answered.

"Alex, you didn't," Yubel said in horror. "What did you do Alex?" Yusei asked. "Nightshroud and my soul have fused together. We are now a single being, body, mind, and soul," Alex answered. "Alex, how could you do this?" Jack questioned. "You could never understand the depth of my grief," Alex said as tears began to roll from his eyes.

"I had to watch as my parents were ripped away right before my eyes, powerless to anything as I failed to protect my loved ones. I made this deal of my own free will, because I want to make sure no child has to endure the same pain and misery as I did, or anyone for that matter," he explained, trying to make them see his point.

"I'll bring everyone to a world where no one will ever suffer again. A world where everyone can exist together in peace and happiness, and no one has to say goodbye to the people they love. Doesn't that sound like a better world?" Alex asked, wanting them to see the truth, to see the beauty of what he was offering.

"Alex, you're not thinking right! Fusing with Nightshroud must've messed with your mind!" Luna shouted. "I understand your hesitation. I felt the same way at first, but then I saw the truth of the World of Darkness. It's paradise. It's a perfect world that you could only dream of. A world without pain or misery, where the greatest victories can be obtained without fighting, where all feelings of joy and happiness are shared by everyone. You should join me, and share in that perfect world," Alex pleaded.

"Alex, I'm sorry you lost your parents, but for the sake of everyone, we will defeat you," Yusei vowed. "Then I have no choice. I will force you into my world after I defeat you in a duel," Alex resolved. "I'll duel you first Alex," Tanner said as he activated his duel disk while Alex's duel disk materialized onto his arm. "You shall receive my judgment, and enter my world," Alex stated as they started the duel.

Alex: 4000 LP

Tanner: 4000 LP

"I shall take the first move. I activate the field spell Darkness. When this card is activated, 5 traps are set from my hand or deck face-down in my spell and trap zone randomly," Alex explained as 5 cards appeared on the field in front of him. "He used up his entire spell and trap zone in one turn?" Tanner asked in surprise. "Now I summon Darkness Eye in attack mode," Alex continued.

Level 1/Dark/Fiend

ATK 0/DEF 1000

"I end my turn," he declared, but as he did, his monster's eye glowed for a brief moment, but no one noticed. "It's my turn, I draw. I play the Cost Down spell card. By discarding one card, the levels of all the monsters in my hand drop by 2 during this turn. And now that it's a level 4 monster, I summon Ushi Oni in attack mode," Tanner explained.

Level 6-4/Dark/Fiend

ATK 2150/DEF 1950

"And now I sacrifice my Ushi Oni to special summon Giant Ushi Oni in attack mode," he continued as he summoned a monster with the lower body of a spider, the upper body of a man, and the head of a bull.

Level 8-6/Dark/Fiend

ATK 2600/DEF 2100

"And due to his special ability, when he destroys your monster in battle, he can attack again," Tanner explained. "Awesome! Since his Darkness Eye has no attack points, if both of Tanner's attacks go through, he wins!" Leo exclaimed. "Giant Ushi Oni, attack Darkness Eye with Specter Bite!" Tanner ordered before his monster unleashed a blast of energy at Darkness Eye.

"I activate my face-down card, the continuous trap Zero. When it activates, I am forced to activate another one of my face-down cards. Reveal yourself, Infinity. And when Zero and Infinity are both played while Darkness is active, every card between them is forcibly activated," Alex explained.

"Say what?" Tanner asked. "Zero and Infinity, what lies between them is Darkness. I activate the continuous trap Darkness 1. When this card is played, one of your cards is instantly destroyed. Destroy Giant Ushi Oni," Alex ordered as a blast of energy shot from his trap and hit Tanner's monster, destroying it.

"Oh man, Tanner almost had him!" Leo complained. "But look at Alex, he's been calm this entire time. It's like he knows Tanner can't beat him," Jack pointed out. "I play Monster Reborn to summon back my Giant Ushi Oni! I place one card face-down and end my turn," Tanner concluded.

"At this moment, the effect of the Darkness field spell activates. At the end of each player's turn, all the face-up trap cards on my field are set back face-down on my field, and are randomly rearranged," Alex explained as his traps were set face-down, all shifting to the middle before spreading back out.

"But that means he'll be able to use his traps again!" Luna exclaimed. "I draw. And due to the effect of Darkness Eye, if it happens to be in attack mode during my standby phase, I can summon one high level monster without tributing this turn, so I summon Darkness Destroyer in attack mode," Alex said as he summoned the monsters Yusei and the others saw before.

Level 7/Dark/Fiend

ATK 2300/DEF 1800

"But it has less attack points than Tanner's monster, so why would Alex play it?" Akiza asked. "Maybe he doesn't have a better move he can make?" Leo offered. "I play my face-down card, the continuous trap Zero," Alex declared as one of his sets flipped up, revealing the trap he just named.

"How is he finding it every time?" Luna asked. "It's the effect of Darkness Eye. While Alex normally wouldn't know which card is which, Darkness Eye lets him look at his face-down cards whenever he wants," Yubel informed. "Tanner, you have to destroy his Darkness Eye! Then he won't be able to use his traps!" Luna shouted.

"So Yubel told you about Darkness Eye's special ability. It doesn't matter, for this is Tanner's last turn. Due to the effect of Zero, I now activate the continuous trap Infinity using its effect," Alex declared as Infinity activated, the cards between them activating.

"I activate the effect of Darkness 2. Since it was the first card activated between Zero and Infinity, Darkness Destroyer gains 1000 attack points for every Darkness card activated this turn, for an additional 2000 attack points," Alex explained.

Darkness Destroyer: 2300-4300 ATK

"It has over 4000 attack points?!" Tanner exclaimed. "Attack Giant Ushi Oni," Alex ordered as Darkness Destroyer raised its claws, preparing to strike Tanner's monster down. "I play the trap Magic Cylinder! Now your monster's attack is canceled, and you take damage equal to his attack points," Tanner explained.

"Yes! Alex will take 4300 points of damage and lose!" Leo exclaimed. "From my hand, I activate the effect of the Judgement of Darkness counter trap. Since the Darkness field spell is active, I can discard this card to activate its effect, which will negate your trap and destroy it," Alex explained as he placed the card in his graveyard. "No way!" Tanner shouted as a black aura surrounded his trap, shattering it. Darkness Destroyer continued his attack and brought his hand down on Tanner's monster.

Tanner: 2300 LP

"I still... have life points Alex. Looks like... I'll survive this turn after all," Tanner said, panting for breath. "I'm afraid that's where you're wrong," Alex responded. "What are you talking about? Darkness Destroyer is the only monster on your field with any attack points, and he already attacked this turn," Jack pointed out.

"But due to his special ability, Darkness Destroyer can attack twice each turn. This duel is over. Darkness Destroyer, attack Tanner directly," Alex ordered. Darkness Destroyer raised his hand up before bringing it down on Tanner, knocking him onto his back.

Tanner: 0 LP

Winner: Alex

"I don't believe it, Tanner lost," Yusei said in shock. "He couldn't even damage Alex," Jack added. "You dueled valiantly, and have nothing to be ashamed of. I know grant you entry to the World of Darkness," Alex said as Tanner was enveloped in shadows and disappeared.

"He's gone," Luna said in terror. "Just know that I don't want to forcibly send you all to my world. I shall take my leave for today. You know where I'll be. When you've made your decision about whether you will try to fight, or willingly enter my world, seek me out," Alex said before he turned and left.

"I can't believe it. Alex really just did that to Tanner. Is there anything we can do to stop him and bring him back?" Luna asked. "I don't know Luna. For now we need to regroup and figure out a strategy," Yusei responded.

Hey everyone. For everyone who is confused about the new character, Nightshroud, or Darkness as he was called in the original Japanese version, was the primary antagonist of season 4 of GX, but since the dub ended prematurely, he never made it into the dub. I'm honestly not entirely sure what compelled me to add him to the story, other than I thought it would make things interesting. I do have plans for another member of the original GX cast to show up in a couple chapters, and I think it'll be quite an interesting surprise for you all. I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far, and I'll see you all around.