Chosen by You

by WhiteMacabre001

A young woman on her way to finishing college hears stories of Duel Spirits and of how Fate chooses them to protect their human charges. Abruptly she encounters and faces the reality of her own Duel Spirit, the Magician of Black Chaos. As the only one in the world under his gaze, she tries to adjust to her new life and prepares to become the Master of Magicians.

19. Chapter 19

The two weeks from June 1st to the 15th flew by in a flurry of declarations, summons, friendly outings, and stormy emotions. After Seto left my house I had to resume my training exercises, dividing my attention between physical and supernatural lessons. True to his word Razel called for Nyxx to speak with me about Faelan and Caedmon's foreshadowing. My Grim Reaper mage materialized out of the shadows like a specter, his dark hood hanging low over his face.

He held his large scythe at his side in his right hand and grapefruit sized black crystal ball in his left.

What does my Mistress wish of me? Came his breathy, eerie telepathic voice.

"You're the Reaper of Prophesy. You predicted that I would summon Obelisk and be granted my titles. I'm sure you are aware that last night two Warriors came to my home. Elf Warriors, brothers actually."

Faelan and Caedmon. There are many rings in the Warrior hierarchy, Mistress. Those two are nothing to concern yourself with. But please, continue.

"Caedmon called me a legend. Or, implied that I was going to be one. He said that in his land of Sogen that the Warriors are talking about me like I'm some sort of boogieman. That I'm a burgeoning legend that is awakening. But he said it in such a way that it was as if he knew I was going to be something greater than I am now. What does that mean?"

Nyxx stared at me without blinking. He raised the black crystal ball in his left hand and floated it between us. He stared deeply into its murky surface, every so often breaking his hypnosis to look up at me. A soft wind blew around us as the dimensions between present and future thinned.

The Elf Warrior speaks without fault Mistress. You are on your way to becoming one of the greatest forces known in the Duel Monster Spirit World and the world of the Duel Monsters human game. However, your notoriety in your world will be based on the relationships you keep. Seto Kaiba and Yugi Moto will provide the foundations upon which you will stand.

In our world, you will be known far and wide. A great trial is coming that will test your abilities to lead not only the Race of Spellcasters, but the hearts and wills of many. Your achievements will be sung and recorded for generations. Your place in this War of the Races will be of triumph and suffering. But hope remains in your darkest hours; you will find it in those whom you hold dear. They will guide you, and they will love you.

You will meet enemies that will become allies and allies that will become enemies. Be aware though that things are not always what they seem. Your heart will be tested but you must have faith in yourself.

Nyxx's words encased my spirit like stone. If I was to be victorious in this war, by what means would I achieve it? What lengths would I have to go to win?

Allies will be my enemies and vice versa? I looked to Razel. No, he's my Duel Spirit. He'd die before betraying me. I thought of the same for Von and Rae, Brie, Neo, and the others. What was Nyxx talking about?

Fear not, Mistress—Lord Razel will be by your side. It is another of whom I speak. One who is coming.

"Who?" I asked.

One who is troubled and lost. A Duel Spirit who will come to you in anguish and self-loathing.

"And this Duel Spirit will betray my trust during this war?" I grew serious.

I cannot say Mistress. To reveal too much about the future is traversing dangerous lands. You will discover this in time.

And, Nyxx, I've wanted to ask you about one of my future titles. The Dragon's Wife…what does that mean?

I cannot reveal too much on your future Mistress. Yet I can say for certain that you will meet two powerful Dragons. One you have already met and the stars are aligned for you to join. This Dragon is the white star, the brilliant supernova. The other you have not yet met and will not for many decades. This Dragon is the crimson star, the fiery constellation. However, though you will lose your heart to both, you shall only bare the title of Dragon's Wife to the first. As I said before, that is all I can tell. I cannot risk disturbing the currents of fate and neither should you.

I nodded. "Yes, I agree. Thank you Nyxx."

My Reaper lowered the crystal and bowed. The session was over and like he came, Nyxx vanished into the dark recesses of the shadows.

That Night:

"Oh shit! I almost forgot!" I shouted. Shortly after Nyxx left, I joined my Spellcasters for an outside summer dinner. Razel and Von close by eased my worries and I pleasantly let go of the prophesies of Nyxx for a time. I was enjoying my dessert of blueberry cheesecake when I overheard Mana and my Magician girls talking jovially about how they would like to throw a dance.

"A dance?" I said.

"Yes," Ruby responded. "In our world, we usually throw several midsummer festivals and dances. Preparations for the events are going on right now."

"Really? I had no idea you guys did that," I turned my attention to my many mages with me that night. "You guys celebrate midsummer?"

"Of course," said Roiban. "The Fairy Race join us in this as well."

"How cool! What goes on?" I shifted closer to the table in my chair.

Trance wiped his mouth and answered. "We have large festivals where Spellcasters gather in the streets and drink and eat and dance. We share spells and have magic contests. There are several dances where the women chose their partners and the men thank them with elaborate floral gifts. We decorate the cities and fields with lights, later turning them down to let the fireflies entertain us at night."

It sounded so magical and fantastical that I smiled excitedly. "Are you going to go?"

A collective rush of agreements and nods informed me that everyone was involved. This was a big deal to them and I was happy.

"I'd love to see it. It sounds amazing. We don't do that here. We have certain days we celebrate in the summer but we don't celebrate the midsummer itself."

It was then that Von interjected, "Would you care to join us Mistress?"

I felt incredibly flattered. "Can I?"

Maha Vailo answered, "Why would you not?"

"Well…I don't know. I'm not a Spellcaster."

They laughed. "You are our Mistress."

They said that as if that was reason enough. But I was human and an outsider in their world and a newcomer to their customs. I did not want to feel like an intruder or have a invite simply because I was their Master.

"That doesn't mean I'm qualified to go," I stated. "If this is something you guys do as a custom and tradition then I don't want to intrude. And I don't want you to invite me based on the fact that I'm your Master. Don't feel as though you have to do that with me."

"It is not that at all Mistress," Neo said. "To be honest we would enjoy having a human watch and participate in our celebrations. We do things in your world that are foreign, like watch your T.V. , or handle your little phones. Think of it as a cross cultural experience."

I felt my stomach tighten in excitement. "Yeah? It's ok?"

"We would not invite you if it were not safe." Said Lux.

"Then yes! I want to go! I want to see it," I clapped my hands.

"And the entire week of festivities culminates in a spectacular city wide invitation to the Fortress of the Elites. You've never seen a party like the ones they throw, am I not correct Lord Razel?" Trance snickered.

"Do tell Razel" I raised my brows and grinned. "Never pegged you for the party hearty type."

"Shut your mouth you silver tongued trollop," Razel snapped at Trance. "The festivities hosted by my fellow Elites are superb and I still wonder in amazement that we permit such vagrants into our esteemed sanctuary."

"I hear that he will appear this year too!" Nyala chimed.

"Who is he?" I asked.

"Why, our Leader of course!" Nyala said again.

I blinked in confusion. "Leader?"

The table alighted with murmurs and anticipatory gossip. No one heard me except Von. "Mistress, you are aware that Demiuk is the Leader of the Warrior Race?"

"Yes," I said. "You mean the Spellcasters have a 'Demiuk'?"

"We do. He is the strongest of our Elites and therefore our Leader. Think of our social structure as a pyramid; the bottom houses the low level mages. The middle houses the lower to upper mid-level mages. The next highest rung holds the upper level mages. As you near the apex, you have the Elites, such as Lords Razel and Torunka. Above them, at the very top is our Leader."

In other words what Von was saying was this; Any mage with human world Attack strength lower than 1200 was a low level mage. The Middle tier of Von's pyramid consisted of three sections; Any mage with Attack strength 1200 to 1400 was lower mid-level, and those with Attack strength above 1400 to 1600 were mid-level. Attack strengths from 1600 to 2000 were considered upper mid-level. Above that was the Upper tier, divided into two sections; From 2000 to 2200 were lower upper-level, and from 2200 to 2700 were upper level. Still within this tier, any mage with Attack power exceeding 2700 to 3900 were categorized as Elites. The final tip of the pyramid consisted of the Leader with Attack power surpassing 4000.

"And where do I fit in in all of this?" I joked.

"You are the area that surrounds the pyramid. You will be Master to us all, but in our world, in our government, we are under the command of our Leader. As such, you will find yourself working in tandem with him on various affairs concerning our realms."

"And what is your Leader's name?"

"He is His Excellency, Lord Abraxis, the Quintet Magician." Razel spoke.

"Abraxis," I repeated. The Quintet Magician. The strongest Spellcaster in their lands, and Demiuk's direct rival.

Trance then turned to me with all of his seductive intent and in that syrupy voice offered, "Mistress, not to change the subject but I would be honored if you would come to the festivities as my guest. After all, we did share that moment of intimacy did we not? It seems fitting that you should walk with me."

I flushed like I was dipped in molten steel. "It was a single kiss, Trance. One that you snuck on me too. I would not exactly call that intimate."

"You would not?" Trance asked a little surprised. "I dare say that I am the only man here who knows you in that way."

At that Von retaliated. "You do not know our Mistress at all you pompous windbag."

"I have more knowledge of her than you do elf," Trance sent a superior wink to Von.

"How dare you speak thus to your senior! You think that because of your appearance that you can just waltz into my Mistress's home and have her fawn over you like so many others? Do you insult her honor by thinking that your Mistress is that weak hearted?" Von went to rise but I quickly put an end to their spat.

"Well, I'm here to say that none of you have seen me naked, so you don't know me in any way." I pointed my finger in an authoritative yet matter of fact way.

Both men looked at me shocked. "Who has seen you naked Mistress?" Trance stated.

I noticed Razel's shoulders flex in a little twitch. That stunt in the bathroom had clearly left its mark on my blue mage. Granted Razel saw me in my underwear, but to a steadfast and proper Spellcaster, I might as well have been streaking.

"No one. But my point is, until you have seen me buck naked none of you knows me. So I have you all beat. And Trance, no offense, but I was expecting to go as Razel's guest. He is your superior. It makes sense that an Elite should take me."

Trance glared at Razel but knew that I was right. As a Master and a visitor, Razel really should escort me.

"You need to stop making choices for the Mistress, you little whelp," Razel warned. "Do not forget that you are not in the best place with me thanks to your licentious act. I will be keeping a close eye on you. If I hear you taking charge again, you will be punished."

Taking note, Trance stood, bowed to his Elite, and humbled himself accordingly. Mana and the Magician girls glanced around nervously and quickly brought the conversation back to one of gaiety.

These mages, Razel began a Mind Link. They look at me as if I were their equal here. They forget their place.

I don't think that's the case Razel. They know when enough is enough. They always respect you and never go against your wishes. I just think they are trying to get to know you.

What?

In your world, you are an Elite; distant, separate, superior. You are untouchable there. You even live in a floating fortress above everyone! To these guys you were their idol. But here, sitting at the same table, they feel like they want to be your friends. They want to include you in their jokes and their stories. I think it's nice of them.

You know—for how well you have accustomed yourself in handling matters of State, I find that I am still in awe of your naiveté

I'm not naïve, Razel. What's naïve about what I think?

I will never be their equal. And they will never be mine.

Ok, that's fine. I get it, your laws and whatnot. But they do want so much to be your friends. Not because you are an Elite and they're celebrity hunting, but I feel that they truly like you as a person.

To that I got silence. I knew Razel was stewing over what I said, the preposterousness of it all. The others were having a great time of it now. How excited they were for their midsummer events. I felt then as I ate and sat there with them like we were more than Master and Duel Spirits; we were friends, family.

To my left it seemed as if Von was going to take the opportunity to say something to me when it hit me.

"Oh shit! I almost forgot!" I quickly stood and sped away from the table to race up my stairs. "I completely forgot to make that dance video for Tea!"

Over the next two hours I had changed into tights and a sports bra, brought down my computer and hid away in my studio/office space. My dad said he wanted a room to put a make-shift office but he never was around so I had reverted it into an indoor studio area. My training forced me outdoors so I hardly used the space anymore. I realized how much I missed the large mostly empty room. I had floor to ceiling mirrors on the walls, a few thin rugs enough to give traction, several yoga and Zen themed decorations, and canned lighting for optimum visuals.

I did have a ballet bar on the back wall which was where I set up my computer's webcam and recorder. Once positioned, I pushed the start button.

"Hi Tea! Well here it is, the video I told you about. I hope you have a bar like this one or something similar, that way the exercises I teach you will be easier to carry out. If not then that's ok, I'll do both variations; with bar and without."

I recorded the instructional video, going over in detail the proper ways to stand, stretch, bend, and foot placement.

"Place your foot on the bar, and bring your torso over your right leg."

In the actual dance aspect, I did a series of drills to help build up her strength and stamina. "As a dancer, you need to make sure that your arms are always graceful and beautiful. Your back straight, your head high. You want to transition from the toes or on Point seamlessly and effortlessly back down to flat foot. This will take time because while it is not effortless, you want to convey that it is so that takes a lot of practice and leg strength." Thanks to my strenuous training with the Performapals and Razel, for me it was natural.

Another hour of instruction and I was finished. I did a cool down stretch and concluded with a message.

"Congratulations Tea, if you've made it this far in the video you should be very proud of yourself. I hope this vid helps you and if you have further questions or want explanations just ask. Talk soon!" I sent it to her email.

Now alone in my studio I saw myself in my mirrors. Outside I heard my magicians and smiled as they bantered. Before I left, I allowed myself a little fun. I stretched my arms out wide and held the pose. I rose onto my toes and began to jump and spin, like a ballerina in a musicbox. I spun, maintaining my balance by holding my head still before turning it quickly and fixing back onto the same spot. This technique in the dancing world is called Spotting and greatly reduces the chances of dizziness. I continued to spin, faster and faster, moving forward towards the mirror as I did so. I ended my routine with a leap, essentially doing a split in mid-air, landing and giving myself a bow.

Monday, June 1st:

I got a call from Tea while I was fending off blows from Razel, Torunka, Von, and Rae and Brie saying that she wanted us to hang out. It was a tag-team attack designed to prepare me in defense against multiple assailants, and striking back in rapid procession.

"Come on boys! You can do better than that!" I said holding off Von, Rae, and Brie with one arm of power and finding difficulty against Razel and Torunka with the other.

I managed to feign weakness to put slack in my Energy shield, causing the three lower mages to stumble. I thrust myself high into the air using my levitation ability and brought my arms above my head, gathering Psychic power for an attack. I threw the glowing ball of Energy down towards Von, Rae and Brie and watched as it sung and flared like a whistling fire blast. Only I was not prepared, or not as prepared as I would have liked to be, for Razel and Torunka's joint attack behind me. Their magical assaults struck my back, sending me down to earth like a deflated balloon.

"Ahhhggggg!" I growled against the pain and used my Energy to reduce the impact of my collision.

Coming to the ground, my body hit hard in a cloud of dirt and grass clumps. My attack had knocked down my three mages but not for long. They were on their feet ready for more. I spat blood and dirt, frustrated with myself for not seeing that coming. I rolled onto my back in my little crater and shot up a blast of Psychic Energy. The force of the blast cracked as it exploded from my palm. A ray of bright power soared upwards at my two Elites.

"Take that you assholes!"

Torunka vanished as he dodged, leaving Razel alone to face the oncoming threat. There was no trace of Obelisk's power in that attack, so Razel judged his next move carefully and administered his own defense. Taking his long staff, he began to spin it like a pinwheel, creating an impenetrable barrier that halted the blast. It did push him back a bit but not before erupting into flares of crackling bolts and flame upon impact. Razel's long hair whipped behind him as the energy from the force of my attack continued on like a train. Razel let out a guttural yell and deflected the assault into the sky where it evaporated into the atmosphere.

As that was taking place I had since hopped to my feet and staved off the fists and kicks from Von, Rae, and Brie. I returned theirs with my own, working fast and timing my blows with precision. I had just landed a nice kick to Brie's stomach when Rai raced over with my cellphone.

"Mistress! You are being called!"

I stopped, my chest rising up and down with heavy breaths. My hair was plastered to my neck and forehead from sweat and I had to pause and blink out of the mindset of my intense training to think of what Rai shouted.

"Rai, how is it that whenever I get a phone call you're the one who has my cell?" I asked lightheartedly while giving my neck a crack. Though it was June first and hot as blazes, I sensed that a rainstorm was on its way. There was a cool undercurrent in the breeze carrying the scent of water and electricity.

"I am fascinated by this contraption Mistress. So whenever it rings I want to be the first to see it," Rai held it out to me. Despite having been running in the heat to bring me my phone, Rai was not sweaty or labored in his breathing. Ah—the glories of being a Duel Spirit.

"Children are so easily entertained. How are your studies coming Rai?" Von asked coming over to us. His long dark hair was pulled into a ponytail and his white tunic shirt clung to his chest and back from the glue of his perspiration.

"They are going well Lord Von. I'm hoping to take the entrance exam soon," Rai beamed.

"That's great news! Well done you!" Von had been tutoring Rai in the art of nature spells and counter spells lately, helping the young lad for the Grand Spellbook Tower School of Magic entrance exams.

Most of my lower and mid-level mages likewise poured over books and scrolls as the registration period loomed close. I understood that all mages of a certain age and societal rank must attend ten years of magic studies at the Grand Spellbook Tower, the flagship of the Citadel of Endimyon. It was an elite and highly prestigious institution, much like Princeton University and Harvard are here. It is extremely competitive and highly sought after in young mages when they graduate and search for guild work. There are some who don't make the cut the first try and there are those who deem it too oppressive and drop out. Most of my mages had graduated from the Spellbook Tower School and openly boasted about it. Like elite human universities there are scholastic records held by the top performers from those schools. When Razel was young, he obtained the highest marks for his attack spells and tactician abilities. All of my mages strive to beat those standing numbers. There were only a few who did not voice their time at the School, and Von was among them.

"When do you take the test?" I asked while scanning the missed calls on my phone screen.

"Next month."

"How are you feeling about it? You confident?"

"He ought to be. He is doing very well on his practice runs," Von said.

"I am Mistress, thanks to Lord Von's teachings. I would love to learn a few things from Lord Razel but it is forbidden for a student to seek the guidance of an Elite."

"Makes sense. That would be unfair for the rest of the shlubs taking the test," I winked. "Are you being treated fairly even though you have a Mistress with two Elites?"

"Oh yes. I am being treated with kindness. You have to hand in a slip of your tutors and it has to be approved. When the registration committee saw Lord Von's name, they gave me clearance straight away."

"Is that so?" I was curious. Von rarely spoke of his own past even though he was my Second. All I knew was that he was alone, reclusive, secretive, and incredibly warm hearted. He was very smart and sharp of wit, funny and charming. He was shy and preferred to be by himself, but jumped at the chance to teach others. Personality traits are not the same as actions.

"Oh yes! Lord Von was the most…"

"Ah! That's enough blabber Rai. Give the phone to our Mistress and go back to your lessons."

Rai did as he was told like a good protégé and darted back to his studies.

"Von, I get the feeling that you are keeping things from me. Very curious things. I'm gonna find out what they are my squirrely elf. What? Are you some sort of magical genius? A Spellcaster Sherlock Holmes" I raised my brow and smirked.

Von replied in a noncommittal way, "I have nothing to hide from you Mistress."

"Don't you?" I shoved him. "Tea? What does she want?"

I pressed her number and waited for her to pick up.

"Hi There!" came her cheery voice. "I got your video last night and oh my God, the way you explained it made so much sense to me. Thank you!"

"You're welcome Tea. I'm glad that you found it helpful. So what's up?" I dried off my neck and face with a hand towel as I spoke.

"Not much. Oh, you sound like you just got done exercising, I'm not interrupting anything am I?"

"No, not at all. I'm fine." I said fanning myself and waving thanks to Rai across the way.

"Ok. That's good because I wanted to talk to you about doing something today maybe. What do you think? Can you hang for a bit?" She sounded hopeful on the other line and I could not help but think that she wanted to spend time with me or cultivate a friendship more so than before because she saw my Psychic Dueling abilities.

"Um, I could slip away for a few hours. What were you thinking?"

"Maybe hitting the beach? I have not been in so long and I desperately need a tan. I'm looking pasty." She giggled.

I gave that some consideration. A visit to the beach would be amazing actually. Even though I did not need a tan, I got color from being outdoors with Razel plenty enough, the break to do something normal and summery sounded like heaven.

"I'm in. When should we meet?" I said with finality.

"Really? Awesome! How does eleven sound?"

"Sounds good. See you at eleven."

Before I hung up, Tea began to speak and she got out a portion of the sentence shortly before my thumb rested on the red hang-up button.

"Also, I was wondering if you might bring your Dueling deck so you could summon your…"

Instantly, my phone was to my ear again. "My what?" my voice was low and calm, like a mob boss when their underling says the wrong thing.

Tea picked up on my tone and quickly stumbled around. "Well—you know since that day in the ally, well, I was wondering if you could do that again. See it's been hell keeping your secret from the guys because they love Duel Monsters and—um, you—you can make them appear. It's driving me crazy."

"Tea, please tell me that you have not revealed anything about me. Nothing, not even a whisper," My voice, unbeknownst to me, was growing darker as I asked.

"I swear! I haven't told a soul. But it is hard to do. Especially with Yugi. I think he would understand you though."

"What makes you say that?" I raised my eyebrows as I walked sternly back towards the satellite training grounds.

"I just think he would not be afraid of what you can do."

"But what makes you say so Tea?"

"I can't say. But trust me."

I stopped, my fingers tight around my phone, threatening the poor thing. "Tea, tell me because I don't want to force you to." I left the implication hanging heavily like wet laundry on a thin line.

Tea inhaled deeply and after a while, sighed defeated. "Alright. But can I tell you on the beach?"

"Yes. But you better tell me Tea. I have methods of extracting information that I would prefer not to use. I hate infringing on other people's privacy."

"I get it completely. See you at eleven."

She hung up and left me standing there amid my happy mages, my hand tight around my phone.

"Mistress, I sense your distress. What is it?" Razel was behind me, his red eyes narrow and ready for combat.

I turned to him, my expression equally as stern. "Razel, you're coming with me. We're going to the beach."

Domino Beach:

I highly recommend Cellular Teleportation as a mode of transportation. After I threw on my bikini, much to my male mages interest and Neo and Trance's musings, I took Razel in his card form with me to the beach. As an added bonus, or detriment, I finally caved and allowed Neo, Trance, Von, and Mana to come with me. Neo was ecstatic to finally be going on a trip with me in the outside world, Mana was just as excited. They wanted to take a car, but I told them that I did not have one yet and that we would be better off going by teleportation.

"Why not dimensional drift Mistress?" Neo asked as he adjusted his magically created shades.

I had to resist drooling over Neo and Trance in their board short bathing suits and hair pulled loosely into ponytails. Their muscular chests were bare, those sets of perfect shoulders and arms enough to make any woman keel over from arousal.

Mana wore a pink and sky blue bikini, she looked cute in it and had a great body for it. Von wore board shorts as well, but he wore a loose short-sleeved oxford. He was more modest than the blond brothers. He used a spell to hide his pointed ears, but he was nonetheless adorable to look at with his Tolkien elf good looks. Standing with Neo and Trance, the three men made quite the trio.

I felt their eyes on me as I secured my sarong around my own bikini clad body.

"I can assist you with that, Mistress," Trance made to move behind me. His long fingers grasped the two strips of fabric and gently they tied it around my neck.

I had to stare at the ceiling because I found myself boiling hot inside. Not from anger, but intense sexual attraction. Must resist these feelings! He's your Duel Spirit! Resist! It's forbidden!

That's when I heard this:

No one has to know Mistress.

I yelped and spun on him. I pummeled Trance for reading my thoughts and for condoning them.

Trance laughed and protected his head with his hands. I did not hit him hard, but enough to get the point across. "Don't do that you pervert!"

"What's this?"Razel remerged from his card form to stand beside me. He glared hotly at Trance, curling his top lip.

"Nothing Razel. Just vulgar antics. It's fine," I shrugged.

Yet Razel was not fine with it. Instead he snapped out his left hand to grab Trance's shirt and wrench him close to his face. My imposing blue mage narrowed his fierce red eyes at his impudent underling. Trance was balancing on the balls of his feet, his arms held out in shock.

"I grow tired of your constant debauchery. She is not some flagrant whore you can hope to seduce to your bed. She is your Master. And I am your superior. If you go against my wishes again you will suffer for it. Have I made myself clear?"

Razel was not kidding around. His Energy was dark and foreboding, shoving Trance's confidence right down the drain.

"Yes. You have Lord Razel."

"Prove it." Razel threw Trance back from him and watched as the lower mage prostrated himself.

Trance hastily knelt down and hung his head low. "I have stepped out of turn. I have greatly offended not only Lord Razel, but the honor of my Master. For this I am sorry."

Von stared down at Trance with the same fervor as Razel—as my Second, a slight against Razel was a slight against him and Von was having none of that.

Razel permitted Trance to stand and after that, Trance was a little less brilliant.

We teleported to the shore, careful to not be seen. When we stepped onto the blinding sand, my mages let out a collective gasp. The ocean was a beautiful blue that day, almost tropical.

Many people were there too, vacationing and camping. Games of volleyball, baseball, men tossing a football, women sunbathing and children playing in the waves constituted to this picturesque landscape.

"It's beautiful Mistress!" Neo said.

In no time the women were staring at him and his brother.

"Alright, now we just need to find Tea," I said scanning the beach.

"Mistress, what is the chemical smell in the air?"Mana asked.

"Chemical?"

"Yes. It smells like an imitation of flowers or coconut."

"Oh! It's suntan lotion. It protects you from the sun, from getting burned." I answered.

"How can something designed to protect smell so toxic?" She scrunched up her nose.

I had to put myself in her place and understand that, coming from a world where the idea of suntan lotion was unheard of, it might smell very strong to those who never smelled it.

Through my sunglasses I soon caught wind of Tea waving excitedly for me to come over. She had a rather large smile, like she was seeing a long lost family member, and was expressing her elation with an inexhaustible gusto. I returned her smile, though mine was a bit more subdued, and waved back.

"I see her. Let's go." I said hoisting my chair and towel under my arms.

I trudged over to where she claimed her campsite, my sandaled feet sinking into the cool little dunes. My mages were close behind, turning their attentions this way and that. Tea easily recognized Neo and Mana and from then on her eyes strained with the bridled joy of my bringing several of my Duel Spirits.

"Hi (y/n). Wow, you brought them?" She said flashing her white teeth.

"I had to. If I went out on one more human excursion without taking Neo I'd be killed, hahaha! You remember Mana," I said. "And you've met Pien Fang, Rae, Brie, Helion, and Jalak. They're home though."

"Sure I do! Hi again, Mana, Neo. And what are your names?"

"Is she an ally Mistress?" Trance asked quietly.

"I don't know. Are you, Tea? An ally?" I raised my brow in mocking suspicion.

Without hesitating she stated, "You'll find no better ally than in me!"

I sensed her Energy, she was right. Tea was probably the sincerest person I've met in my life, besides Yugi. For all of her insidiously annoying speeches regarding friendships, Tea really was the pinnacle of what a great friend should be. Over the weeks I sensed that she saw in me the image of that cool, tomboy older cousin and that was her reason for hanging out with me. That and she liked me. It was strange, I had had no real friends until I met Yugi and his group. Now it seemed I had made at least one.

"Hello. My name is Trance. I'm Neo's older and wiser brother. How do you do?" Trance bowed with all of the chivalry of a British prince.

Tea looked like she was ready to explode; her face practically radiated color like a poker.

Neo rolled his green eyes behind his shades and shoved Trance out of the way, like a true little brother. Von approached next and introduced himself. His soft, kind voice made any one he met take to him immediately.

"I'm Von, the Master's Second. It is a pleasure," he extended his hand in friendly greeting.

"It's nice to meet you too. I still can't believe that you're real so I'm sorry if I come off as awkward or weird." Tea laughed.

We set up our chairs and towels in a row. Tea had a large umbrella that protected us from the sun, which I forwent to get nice and tanned. Like I said, I was pretty tan from training outside with Razel, but I wanted it to be more even.

Tea greedily chatted up Mana, asking her all sorts of questions. Mana was just as ready to answer Tea's inquiries and I felt like they would make great friends. Both were bubbly and optimistic, whereas I was more of a realist; I had to be. I was being thrown into very dire circumstances which required my stringent attention.

Trance and Neo were not far away, lingering near the shore in a poorly carried out attempt to be incognito. You can't be incognito when you are Trance and Neo…it's positively impossible. It's like two rays of pure sunlight come to earth. They are blindingly beautiful and everyone knew it.

Von lay next to me in his chair reading a book that he brought with him. It was a very peaceful day out, one that was much relished by me in particular. We stayed for about an hour before we all dallied into the ocean to cool off. Tea and I garnered looks from the guys on the beach, which we enjoyed as it greatly boosted our egos. It was going tremendously! To have a normal outing with a human friend was great and I felt again like a young woman in her early twenties with only the self-important demands of choosing a Master's program as my primary worry. Tea and I flirted with single guys as they walked by, giggled at their attempts to capture our attention. It was fun.

When we returned to our chairs Tea asked me questions too, mostly about myself and my past. She touched on my introduction to the Psychic Dueling lifestyle and my life before that trying to ferret out any way that might have led me to getting involved with the Duel Spirits.

"What about boyfriends?"

"What about them?" I asked.

"Any of them involved?"

"No. They were all normal."

"Oh? Any boyfriend now?" She asked with that funny grin girlfriends give each other when they want details.

I laughed. "Nope. I'm happily single and hope to remain so for a long time."

She got a curious look at that. "What do you mean?"

"Meh, I had a bad break up a while back and haven't been interested in dating much." I waved my hand to downplay my failed relationships.

"Aww. Sorry about that. Can I ask what happened?" She said gently.

I gave her a sidelong glance. I did not like giving out too much information on me to anyone really, but I could tell that Tea was one of those people who others trusted easily. Throwing out my Energy I felt around her own; I sensed that she was very sincere and genuinely interested in my story. I was not sure why but there was something about me that Tea liked.

I shifted in my chair. I did not like talking about it but by the same token I felt like why hide it. "Well—we had been dating for a long time, three years. We met in high-school. His name was Roman and he was totally not my type because he was a jock and I was far from being a cheerleader. But he saw me walking home after school from the football field and he talked to me the next day. At first I was like 'what's the catch?' No jock or popular boy ever glanced my way so I thought it was a trick like in Carrie. I told him flat out that I did not need a boyfriend, I was not looking for one, and I was not going to be the butt of some cruel joke the jocks conjured up to amuse themselves. I was not falling for it. In fact, I saw right through it and that pissed me off. But he insisted that was not his angle and he attempted to prove to me that he really liked me. I think it was when I told him that my favorite color was orange, per his incessant questioning to find anything to talk about, that about a month later I had an orange rose stuck into my locker.

I thought, huh…he listened. That got my interest and I humored him more and more. When my birthday came around and he surprised me with a book of Ancient Egyptian myth, that was when I began to really let my shield down. I went to his games, even though I hate football, and cheered him on. On the outside he was like the movie boyfriend, always gave me gifts and was very sweet. Not too clingy, I hate that, but not neglectful. We dated throughout highschool and I thought he was going to ask me to marry him. He was a little full of himself but I did not see that. My friends did. They hated him actually, kept telling me he was an asshole. I did not see it past my rose colored glasses and wondered why they would say that.

Then one day we were out at the mall having a great time when this girl approaches us and acts as if she knows him. She's got a huge smile on and is touching him and behaving way too familiar. She was cute, blonde with huge boobs. I was like 'what's this?' She was clearly flirting with him, touching his arm, batting her lashes and oblivious to who I was. He was totally tense and tried to street her away from us and it was then I realized that he had been seeing this girl behind my back. I was wrecked."

Tea listened intently, her frown deepening. "So what did you do?"

"I could not handle the betrayal. So I told her she could have him and I walked away." I sipped my water.

"You did not fight for him? She stole your man," Tea said as if I was a retard.

"I did not want him. I sure as fuck did not want him if I was not the one. So why fight for something that's useless to you?"

"What happened afterword?"

"Oh God, he called me and called me. He came to my house, he came to my university, he followed me into stores. He stalked me, begging for forgiveness and for me to take him back. That he was nothing without me and that he was stupid for doing it."

"Wow. What did you do?"

I turned to Tea and lowered my sunglasses. "Well, I was in a friend's car going to the mall. When I came home I saw him waiting for me on my front step. I don't know what happened but when I saw him there something snapped. I gunned the car and was ready to run him over. I drove onto my lawn and as he ran away I sped right next to him and swung open my door. I winged him and caused him to fly several feet before he landed on the ground. I stopped the car, got out, and went over to him. I remember I crouched over him and got real close to his face. I said to him, 'If I ever see you near me or my home again I will hunt you down and you will come up missing.' He never bothered me after that day."

Tea was silent. Then she said, "That jackoff!"

"Yup. But it has made me the cold hearted and cynical person you see before you today," I laughed.

Tea and I had finished eating our little lunches of subs and fruit and were now winding down for afternoon naps in the shade of our umbrellas. No one paid us any mind. Neo, Trance, Mana, and Von were basking in the glow of inconspicuous mortal interest as well. Everything was going wonderfully…until it didn't. I was nodding off after having eaten when I was jolted awake by this:

"There you are Tea! Glad we found you it's a madhouse today!"

My head popped off my chair like a dog's ears to a whistle. I spotted Yugi and Joey with Tristan not far behind, weaving around the other beachgoers and coming over to us. My panic level rose and I snapped my head to watch the reactions of my Duel Spirits. Neo and Trance, who were in the water flirting with a group of girls stopped their flattery and stared stoic and serious at me, their whole demeanor shifted so drastically that the girls actually startled. Their green eyes glittered like fierce gems as they fixed onto my source of worry.

Von braced himself next to me, his face one of calculation and preparedness. Mana too, was at the ready. How was I going to explain this?

"Hi Yugi! I was wondering when you would get here," Tea chirped after giving me an apologetic frown.

"Ya tink we'd ferget dat you were goin to da beach taday Tea? Why not invite us? It's not a paaty without us," claimed Joey in his Brooklyn accent.

"I'll say. It's great that it's a beautiful day though, I need this." Tristan said dumping his chair, towel, and cooler on the sand.

Then they saw me and waved, Yugi becoming very excited, much to Tea's surprise and jealousy.

"Hi Yugi, Joey, Tristan," I managed to force a smile. "What are you guys doing here? I was under the impression that it was a girl's day."

Yugi looked sheepish then and said, "Well, see when Tea mentioned the beach Joey and Tristan got really excited and included themselves."

"And you?" I said.

"They brought me with them. I'm not a huge fan of the beach but it's a day out with friends. And with you here it seems like our little group is more complete," He flashed me a cute grin.

My cheeks tingled. How nice of him to extend the olive branch and consider me a member of the group. How easily these people trusted…For a moment my resolve was lowered and I let my shoulders, which had been very tense, relax. I also noticed that Yugi wore his Puzzle and I detected that same presence again. It was watching us closely. I wondered who or what it was.

Next, Yugi noticed Von and Mana and politely asked who they were. Tea gave me a worried glance and my blood froze.

"Ahhhh, Oh right! How rude of me! Yes! Yugi, Joey, Tristan these are my cousins! Von and Mana. They arrived in town yesterday and I promised I'd take them to the beaches here in Domino."

Go along with it you guys! I pleaded in my Mind Link.

"Yes, I am Von…her cousin," Von stiffly extended his hand.

"And I am Mana, her other cousin," Mana nodded.

"Who are dese guys?" Joey pointed to Trance and Neo making their way over to us.

I panicked! I stood up and went over to Trance, laced my arm in his, and presented him to my party as if he were a trophy.

"This is my boyfriend Trance and his brother Neo," I said through my clenching throat. Then to sweeten the deal I stood on my tip toes and kissed Trance on the cheek.

I drew back dazed and beet red, I always wanted to do that to him.

Trance's Energy surged with delight and pride as he heard my designation of his position. Neo glared darkly at his brother who had taken it upon himself to wrap his arm securely around my naked waist and pull me closer to him in a display of sweet possession. From inside my bag I could feel Razel's open displeasure about this whole thing.

"Indeed, I am her beaux. It is nice to meet you all."

Mistress what is going on?

They can't know what you guys are. Tea knows but that was an accident! If Yugi and his friends managed to somehow figure out that you're Duel Spirits then I'll be hunted down like a dog. Try to not use magic at all today ok?

Mistress may I ask something, Neo interjected.

Sure what?

Why him? Why my brother to play the role of your intended?

Oh my God Neo! It's nothing. Just an act and Trance is not my intended. An intended is a fiancé, not a boyfriend. The only thing missing now is another Psychic Duelist coming to challenge me.

"Would you like one?" Yugi offered me a banana from his cooler.

I blinked and quickly replied with a yes. Sitting back down, I tried to discourage them from speaking to my Duel Spirits as much as I could. Joey and Tristan seemed oblivious, thank goodness, but Yugi felt like there was something mischief afoot.

"So, where are you guys from?"

"Far away," Von stated. "In another country."

"We rarely get to spend quality time with our Mis…cousin that these moments are precious," Mana included.

"I understand. It must be hard living so far from family," Yugi looked pensive. He knew about family being that he lived with his grandfather.

"Yes it is very difficult. Nearly unbearable," Von answered.

From my left I heard, "Hey Neo, you like ta arm wrestle?"

Oh God Joey, don't.

"Arm wrestle? With you?" Neo asked as if Joey proposed a date.

"Yeah. A little contest. Ya might lose seein as I'm da school champ an all, but hey, why not for some fun?"

The glimmer in Neo's eyes sharpened and he moved closer to Joey and Tristan. Pulling a cooler over he set it between them and set his right elbow down on the lid.

"I'll accept your challenge. Are you sure you want to do this?"

Joey's brow ticked and his Energy increased. "You bet I do. Come on, let's see what ya got pretty boy."

With their hands now gripping each -others, Neo and Joey stared at one another with the concentration of Buddhist monks seeking Nirvana.

"Hey Yug, count us down."

"Joey come on seriously?" Yugi sighed embarrassed by his friend's behavior.

"Yug! Count us down!"

Rolling his violet eyes to the sky, Yugi said "Oh alright. 3,2,1, go."

Bam! We all looked to see Neo's arm firmly planting Joey's to the lid. The force with which Neo slammed his opponent's limb down caused Joey to come off of his chair and land with a thump.

Joey's mouth hung open as it tried to formulate the words that adequately fit his emotions. Sound defeat can hurt.

"What happened?"

"I won Joey," Neo released Joey's arm and rose to stand.

"But how? I didn't see ya move! Ya gotta teach me dat!"

From inside my bag, I sensed Razel's mounting animosity. His underlings were acting like children!

Razel you cannot come out, I pleaded.

Why not? He demanded.

Because you have blue skin and tattoos on your face…people might stare.

My skin color and facial markings! How outrageous! Have you forgotten who I am? I am an Elite! I can alter my appearance into anything I wish! I can even mask around as you.

I thought of Razel as me, using my height, my voice, my mannerisms. I chuckled.

Are you so confident that one of those idiots will not reveal themselves as something other than human? Came Razel's jibe.

I'm pretty sure they won't. It's Joey I'm worried about. If he keeps pressing Neo for feats of strength something might slip.

What dolts, Razel grumbled.

I laughed aloud. I glanced up at the sky through my sunglasses. The sun was beating down hard and the ocean was glittering under its rays. "Hey guys, why don't we go into the water? I could use a nice cooling off."

"Yeah!" They all leapt up and raced towards the shore, leaving me, Tea and Mana behind shaking our heads. "Men."

We spent a few hours screwing around in the water—lots of toss games and splashing. Neo and Trance at one point both let me sit on their shoulders and wrestle with Joey and Tristan. I took them down fast. Tea cheered and clapped as I soundly chucked Joey from Tristan's shoulders into the water. Then to my surprise, Trance dumped me backwards into the water! I attacked him for that.

Von and Neo held a swimming match, the two of them tying. Joey chucked Yugi into the waves, Tristan and Neo tried to see who could stay under the longest. Silly things like that. It was a great day, filled with fun and good old fashioned R and R. Thankfully, none of my mages had let their powers out.

"The guys really like your Spellcasters. They'd probably die if they knew they were joking with real Duel Monsters," Tea said over her drink of orange juice.

We girls had left the water to resume tanning while the boys frolicked and sported in the ocean.

"Yeah they would," I said drinking my seltzer water.

Then Tea said, "remember earlier when I said that Yugi would not mind learning about what you are?"

I paused. "Yeah, I remember."

"See that gold Puzzle around his neck?" She indicated with her head.

"I've noticed. What about it?" I was careful to ask the next questions.

"You're not the only one with secrets. We all know his. I can't wait for you to see too." She winked.

"Is that so?" I mused at the multi-colored haired boy in the water.

Mana, who was sitting next to me, turned and said to us both "The human world is so much fun. Makes me realize how much I miss it."

"It is fun!" Tea said without noticing the rest of Mana's sentence.

But I did. "Miss it? You've been here before in the past?"

She nodded, her blond hair bouncing. "Yes. Long ago. My Master and I used to live in this world in Ancient Egypt. He's the one I've been searching for." Her green eyes became quite solemn and distant.

"Oh that's right!" I said. "The one you wanted me to find while I was in the museum."

"Yes. I don't know what happened to him. All I do know is that he changed his Elite status to be able to stay with his Master."

I was about to question her further when I remembered Tea. She was quietly listening to us. Not wanting her to hear too much, I tried a new trick I learned from Adeena; A sleeping spell. My grasp of the spell was still in its infancy so I had to softly whisper the incantation. In seconds Tea's eyelids dropped and her head lulled back on her chair as she fell into a deep sleep. With that, I turned again to Mana.

"You have to tell me about this Master of yours Mana. If you keep giving me vague details I can't help you."

Her green eyes wavered for a second before she began her story—one that would entrench me further into Yugi's group of friends and into the ancient past.

"It's a bit hard for me to fully recollect every detail but I do recall living in Egypt. Now this was many centuries ago, my Master and I dwelled in the capital of Thebes and were very close with the reigning pharaoh. We grew up together in fact. My master was very handsome and was the envy of court as he grew. He became the pharaoh's head magician and was so powerful that he had to lock a portion of his power away. No one was better than my Master. I was his apprentice and a poor one at that. I tried so hard to be as great as he was, but I failed. My spells were weak and I often forgot the proper accent when saying incantations. But he was very patient and kind to me." Her face was bright and lively as she told me about him.

I listened quietly. Then I asked, "So what happened to him?"

Mana looked down, "He died. He was killed by a grave robber. But his soul transferred into his Spirit Magician."

"Spirit Magician?"

"Yes! Just like modern day players of the game Duel Monsters, Egyptians had a game that served as the precursor. Instead of cards, we used tablets etched with the creature. Magicians could tap into the Duel Monster Spirit World and summon them, a tactic granted to us by the Atlantian race thousands of years before. And some advanced magicians could create Duel Spirits using their Ka. Mahad was one of those magicians."

I nodded. Of course! Razel had told me about how Olympia's father was searching for a portal to the other world and through Razel's help, found it. And in the Ancient Egyptian religion, the human housed two souls; the Ba and the Ka. The Ba was the human portion of the soul, whereas the Ka represented the "creature." A combination of the two results in a new kind of Duel Spirit.

"So he combined his human soul with that of his Spirit Magician? Why?" I asked.

"To survive."

My blood chilled when Mana said that. "Survive?"

"Yes. Since his human soul would have gone on to see Lord Osiris in the Afterlife, my Master chose to remain corporal and affixed his soul with the Energy of his Spirit Magician."

"Did it work?"

Mana nodded fiercely. "It did. My Master became his Magician, however because he belonged to the Spirit World of Duel Monsters, he had to forever leave the mortal plane. His image appeared on one of the Summoning Tablets and he swore to serve and protect the pharaoh for all eternity."

"So…your Master was human but became a Duel Spirit after he died?" I tried to get straight.

"Yes. Just as I did. When I departed, I merged with my own Magician. That is the form you see now, Mistress."

"Holy shit. This is fantastic," I gasped looking at Mana differently. "Is Mana your real name?"

"Yes." She smiled.

"And what was your Master's name?"

"His name is Mahad."

I felt myself blush at the exotic name on my ears. Mahad—it sounded nice.

"What makes you think Mahad is still around? Or even wants to be found?"

"Oh he does! I know it! I sense his Energy is still among us. I just can't find out where."

I thought for a sec, then I had an idea. I'm ashamed it came this late. "Mana, if your Master is a Spellcaster, can I not try to contact him with my Energy? As the future Master of Magicians I could try."

Mana's face beamed so brightly that I thought I might be blinded. "You would? Thank you Mistress!"

A little while later, Tea woke from her nap. The boys were chatting and tossing a ball around. I wanted to go for a walk and think about what Mana had told me so I got up and stretched.

"Where are you going?" Yugi asked.

"Just for a walk. I want to find sea glass," I lied.

"That sounds like fun! Do you want company?" Mana chimed in.

"Ah—I guess Trance should come with me since he's my boyfriend," I twitchingly smiled at the blond. "Hey babe…want to come on a walk with me?" I asked.

Trance popped up from his game of cards with Tristan and bounded over to me. When he stood up, every woman's head glanced over at him around us. I had to laugh.

"We'll be right back. Von, you're in charge of our group ok?" I winked.

"Understood."

Taking my hand in his in a lover's hold, Trance and I left the camp and went to walk along the water's edge.

"So we are hunting for sea glass Mistress? Or is it that you wish to speak about something?" Trance assumed. Once we were far enough away from our campsite we both let go.

"Well yeah I do. Trance, have you ever heard of a Magician called Mahad?"

"I have."

"What's his story exactly?"

Trance inhaled and then said, "He was an Elite mage in the early days. Lord Razel was but a young man by our standards, when Mahad entered into our world. Mahad was indoctrinated into the Elite way of life but he forsook the Elite status and chose to demote himself to that of an Upper level mage. The Elites were shocked and troubled by this and so grew resentful."

"Why would Mahad do that?" I asked.

"Elites follow strict laws and customs. When they are assigned to a mortal as their Duel Spirit, it is considered a high honor and they devote themselves to their Masters. Their Masters must acknowledge them as their Duel Spirit and should strive to uphold the same etiquette the Duel Spirit lived by in their world. In other words, they need to prove their standing as Master. To be assigned to a human is a Universal force felt only by Elites. To choose a charge without divine edict is unheard of for them. Mahad bucked these rules and removed himself from the institution. He reduced his power to that of an Upper level and had to leave the Floating Fortress of the Elites. He left in shame, for you see, the freedom to choose a Master belongs to those under the Elites. For Elites, being set with a Master is a Divine Right and is seen as a holy duty. Mahad did not want to risk the chance of his True Master being someone other than the man he served while he was human. In order to stay by that individual's side for eternity, Mahad broke those rules."

"I see. So—Razel had no choice in becoming my Duel Spirit then?"

"You were chosen for him since time began. He just waited until you were born, matured, and were ready to receive him on that rainy day."

I stopped. "How did you know that?"

"I'm a dimensional drifter Mistress. I've been watching Lord Razel and my brother for centuries." Trance laughed, the sun catching in his hair.

"So in order to be able to find his Master, Mahad crippled himself to do it. Now that's loyalty." I said impressed. "In his defense, he was originally human. So I can see why he made his decisions."

"I suppose it is," Trance nodded. "But doing so has made him an outcast and a pariah. He lives alone in the far corners of our realm."

I thought for a second. "Like Von does?" I hated to think of Von as someone no one wanted to associate with.

Trance shook his head. "No. Lord Von chooses to live quietly because that is his nature as an elf. He prefers animals and solace. Mahad is sequestered if you will from the rest of us. It is his punishment. He is allowed only one day of joining his fellow magicians and that is during the acme of our Midsummer Festival. But even then he is still kept apart. If you come during those days, you may see him."

"There is something kind of awful about Mahad being ostracized for his loyalty to his previous Master. Do you hate him?" I asked fiddling with my shards of sea glass.

Trance's mouth dipped. "Hate is too strong a word. I used to think him foolish to want to follow a human Master to such lengths. But now that I have a Master of my own, I can see his reasoning." Trance smiled down boyishly at me. "My harsh feelings towards him have lessened."

"Then why does Razel have such a hard on for him?"

"Lord Razel is a walking rule book for the Elites. When Mahad refused to follow them, Lord Razel became irate and was the one who carried out his dismissal."

"He did?" I was a little surprised that Razel would take it so personally.

"I suppose also that Lord Razel saw much promise in Mahad and was disappointed. Either that or he took it as a betrayal of his Elite status and that of the Spellcaster Race—Lord Razel was still smarting about the death of the Atlantian Princess Olympia back then and any Spellcaster who deviated from the proper way was seen as a traitor. Lord Razel was a much colder mage in his youth. But that was several centuries ago. I would say this happened around the time of your Queen Cleopatra."

"I told Mana I would try to find Mahad for her." I admitted.

"Just do in carefully. Remember he is an outsider, and our laws are foreign. And you are trying to get into the good graces of our Elites, especially if you want to go to the celebrations. It would not behoove you to go gallivanting off trying to reconcile the Spellcaster Race enigma with the rest of us."

"There is so much about your world that I don't understand," I mumbled.

Trance's arm came around my shoulders in a comforting hug. "You will."

We walked the beach tanning our backs. Well… I was tanning while Trance's skin remained that permanent Nordic pale cream. Every so often we checked the shoreline for sea glass. I collected some rare pieces and Trance offered to give me what pieces he found. I told him no. It was nearing two in the afternoon when we came to a more secluded portion of the beach. There was an inlet at the farthest end where the ocean merged with Domino Bay and the water was much more placid. I went in up to my thighs and could still see the bottom the water was so clear. I wrinkled my nose as the soft sand swallowed my toes. I bent to take handfuls of the icy cold water and doused my shoulders and neck, washing away the sweat and heat.

Trance was up ahead watching as a seagull landed on his outstretched hand. I came back to the shore, stopping to check for the dulled pieces of broken glass. I saw a large piece of turquoise glass sticking up from the wet sand. I reached for it, calling for Trance to come see when I got a strong pang of Energy in my chest. It felt like a heartbeat in my head, drumming loudly. Quickly I rose and turned in the direction from whence it came. Trance was by my side instantly, his green eyes alert and ready.

"I sense a Psychic Duelist," I said.

"Yes. One with several Duel Spirits," Trance added.

We waited for this source of Energy to reveal itself. No one else on the beach that I could tell was affected at all by the force. Only I was. In the distance ripples danced and distorted the visual plane as the heat from the sun cooked the air. The mirage effect cast everything in an aquatic haze. Surly the extreme temperatures would have repelled any one from wearing more than a skimpy bathing suit but when I saw the dark figure emerge from the mirage like a desert specter, my body went cold. Hooded and cloaked in a deep purple robe, this person haunted the beach. The oddest thing was that no one seemed to notice. Which was ludicrous! A cloaked figure in the dead of summer? Shit I would be staring like a crazy person.

From its height I knew it was male—the shoulders and gait. I sensed a strong eerie Energy from him, one of malice and sadness.

"What is this?" I asked more of myself than Trance.

I heard cries and pleas for help coming from this man; voices infiltrating my ears. Energy tugged at my own and it did not take me long to realize that the voices I heard were from Duel Spirits.

"Who are you?" I said once he got close enough.

He did not answer my question but said "You are the one. The one my Master has been searching for." His voice was detached and vacant, like he was in a trance.

"You are no Duel Spirit, so who do you work for? Who is this Master? Who seeks me?" I demanded, standing firm.

The figure lifted his hood and I saw a young man's face. He appeared to be around his mid twenties, with gaunt cheeks and glazed eyes. He reminded me of a drug user still in their fantasyland of euphoria. His Energy was unpredictable and jumpy, almost as if it were not his own.

"My Master seeks rare and powerful cards and Duel Spirits. You are a powerful Psychic Duelist, much like my Master. He seeks your abilities."

"For what purpose?" I answered back.

"You have been granted two options: Either joining the Rare Hunters, or..."

"Tell this Master of yours that I have no intention of following him or his drugged out guild." I glared at this man, my Energy surrounding me in a protective shell.

After I said that, the man's face darkened. His Energy flared.

"If you do not join the Rare Hunters, then I have no choice but to challenge you to a Psychic Duel. I will win and take your rarest Spirits, including your Magician of Black Chaos!"

He assumed an offensive stance and proceeded to summon a Duel Spirit. His voice yelled out like a loudspeaker informing the entire swath of beach.

"Come forth Legendary Magician of Dark, Ice Master, Altergeist Primebanshee, and Cybernetic Magician!"

The rushing winds from his summoning earned the attentions of the beachgoers. Soon they all were paying close watch to our little interaction. It was highly unwanted attention and I panicked. Groups started to approach with their phones out, like idiots, and I had to think fast. As the four Spellcasters formed beside their caller, I reacted on instinct. Thinking of the sleeping spell I worked on Tea earlier, I released my Energy in great ripples across the beach, infusing it with the spell's incantations. Massive tides of glowing blue Energy rolled over the sands, glittering like magic dust as it collided with the onlookers. Instantly, they succumbed to power of my spell as one by one they collapsed into a deep slumber. The Rare Hunter spun around and choked on his words.

"Y…you! How did you do that!? That many people?"

Rolling my shoulders, I shook off the feeling of fatigue. Casting that large of a spell was like lifting a bag of cement, it was hard and a bit tiring. I got over it quickly though and summoned my own Spirits.

"You will not win. I will never surrender my Duel Spirits to anyone! I summon Ancient Elf, Neo the Magic Swordsman, Dark Magician Girl, and Trance the Magic Swordsman!"

Like the faithful Spirits they are, my Spellcasters came to my aide.

"We are here Mistress," Mana said in full battle garb.

The Rare Hunter clearly was nervous by my abilities.

"My mages, attack!" I commanded them, linking them to my Energy.

They rushed forward towards the other Spellcasters. His four quickly defended, casting up walls of sand. They were all Low Upper and Upper level mages and each was very formidable but their lack of an Energy Exchange with their false Master created a huge handicap. Von battled Ice Master, while the others contended with Legendary Magician of Dark, Altergeist Primebanshee, and Cybernetic Magician. Energy whipped and snapped as the two opposing forces waged on. Mana was struggling the most against the Legendary Magician of Dark. She kept getting hit with his blasts, which I also felt through our link. I grunted and doubled over as a magic blast struck Mana's stomach. Von was the first to notice and quickly subdued his opponent to rush to my side. I felt the pain inside and I coughed.

I tried to be strong and order Mana to retaliate but she was taken unawares and was brutally struck by Altergeist Primebanshee in the back. Mana let out a yelp of torture. I felt the white hot burn on my back as our Energy Link transferred her wound to me. My body jerked forward as if I had been kicked and I gasped a raspy rattle as the air was shoved from my lungs. I collapsed hard on my knees, going into a stinging version of child's pose as in yoga. I swayed from side to side as the sharp pain raked its way over my ribs and down my spine. My fists were clenched and shaking as I tried to steady my breaths. Mana was even worse for wear; she was prone on the ground, her staff a few inches from her outstretched hands. She shook violently as she made to stand to defend me, but I drew enough strength amid the clouded mush that was my conscious to send her home to recover.

"Mana…I order you to return to your home. Neo, escort her back to your world and see to it that she is treated. Tell the Cyborg Doctor to take care of her," I panted.

Von was crouched next to me, his soothing hands rubbing my back. Under his breath I made out a soft elvish spell intended to ease the swirling war of agony waging in my torso. Neo stopped his battle and agreed to follow my request, even though I sensed he did not want to leave me. Taking Mana, they both vanished into his opened dimension portal and returned to the safety of their world.

It did not take long for Obelisk's restorative powers to take effect and I felt the soreness in my body begin to diminish.

Seeing my weakened state, Cybernetic Magician attacked but was swiftly thrown backwards from my own Energy strike. I watched as the mage tried to get up off of the hot sand. He heaved and shook his head to clear his thoughts but I saw his disinclined expression to continue.

As they fought, I caught the cries again. They pierced my mind and ached with despair. I assumed that this was another gift of Obelisk; the ability to hear the hearts of other Duel Spirits. To know their desires and wants before they do. The power of a god Spirit. They begged me for help, they all did! His monsters on the field and those not summoned. Those Duel Spirits that he stole! They cried out for help. They wanted ME to save them.

"I hear you! What do you need from me!?" I yelled out into the battle. My mages and their opponents stopped as if I had halted the fight. They all looked back at me. My body was glowing the radiant blue of Obelisk as I tuned in to the trapped Spirits of the Spellcasters. The Rare Hunter was frozen in place—what he saw terrified him.

"I'm not ready for this!" He screamed. "Master Marik/Malik this is beyond me!"

"I hear you! If you wish to join me then I will welcome you all into my group. If you do not want that, then I will set you free." I said to those Duel Spirits calling to me. I completely ignored the Psychic Duel, I ignored the Rare Hunter. It was as if I had to fulfill a higher duty, one that I was born to oblige. These were Spellcasters seeking my help and I was bound to provide it. Little by little I was becoming the Master of Magicians in the fullest sense.

I held out my arms unthinking and sent out waves of glowing blue light towards the Rare Hunter. It engulfed him and me in a cocoon of light. The others were left outside, unable to interfere. My mages and those of the Rare Hunter stood transfixed as I drew the Rare Hunter to me.

We were together in this realm of peaceful light and warmth, of white harmony and safety. I was determined to protect these Spellcasters if they wanted it. Rays of rainbow prisms danced along in the white void. I knew this was the divine protective power of Obelisk. By now the pain in my torso had fully abated and I was back to normal. Obelisk's many gifts were great indeed! He had granted me the heightened ability to sense the plight of Spellcasters, an ability that would have taken years for me to develop. This also included the trick of pulling them from their prisons and bringing them to asylum.

"I hear you. What do you want to do?" I asked the Duel Spirits.

The Rare Hunter was ashen and speechless. He trembled and panted in fear as my power overwhelmed him and transported him into a different space within our own.

"Will you help us?" Came the sad and anguished voices.

"I will. Will you join me? Or do you want to be set free and return to your homes?" I asked gently.

"I want to join you!" Came a chipper voice from the gloom of bereft Spirits.

"I do as well."

"So do I."

"We wish to serve the Master of the Magician of Black Chaos."

"We can sense that you are pure and kind. Our superiors have mentioned your deeds and we wish for you to be our Master."

Their sincere replied warmed my heart and my eyes welled up with tears of happiness. They trusted me completely, and I let the light enfold them and comfort them. Soon, the forms of several mages ghosted forth from the light. Their faces were fearful and distraught, being ripped from their previous owners and their original home had hurt them no doubt.

There were roughly twenty to thirty Spellcasters from various acquisitions who desired my assistance. They were of varying shapes, sizes, and forms. Most were humanoid but few were either animalistic or downright scary.

"Do you want to follow me?" I asked again.

"Yes we do. Anything is better than living a lie like this with a false Master," They cried. "We have been unjustly ripped from our home in the Duel Monster Spirit World and from the care of other humans whose decks we supported. These men in dark cloaks abscond and spirit away Duel Spirits, making them do their will. Many of our brethren have suffered the same outcome and feared living an existence in which there is no salvation. We have heard of your deeds and we all want to serve such a wise and caring Mistress."

"Then perform an Energy Exchange with me and become my mages," I said sending out my Energy to them.

One by one they unfurled their Energies and merged with me. I took on the responsibility of sustaining more mages right in the middle of a Psychic Duel. Curiously, it did not tire me, only fueled my strong determination to win. The Rare Hunter was stricken with terror from my display and when I brought us back to the fight at hand, he now faced me and my many magicians. Their collective anger towards him made for an interesting counter attack.

"Now my mages! Seek your revenge against this Rare Hunter!" With this battle cry that echoed across the beach, I sent them to charge.

Gladly, all of them launched into an assault. Glowing blazes of colorful magic shot from hands, wands, staffs, and spells. In a brilliant lightshow their magic speed trained the Rare Hunter. With a blood curdling scream, the thief was flung back to the ocean in a mighty gust. The Rare Hunter lay motionless on the shore, his body floating as the tide rolled and receded. I knew he wasn't dead but he looked it.

"A stunning victory Mistress!" Von said coming over to me.

"Thanks! I thought so too. And we have new members," I pointed to the newest mages.

Adjourned, they stood there like nervous school kids. Having been pleased with their retaliation on their kidnapper, they forgot their place and quickly assumed positions of anxious soldiers. Von appraised them sternly and went ahead to address them. His voice was strong and clear as he spoke.

"Listen up! You are now in the service of our Mistress, the Master of Magicians. You will show her the respect worthy of her title, you will comply and adhere to the laws of our Mistress, and you will fall in line. I am Von, the Ancient Elf and Second Duel Spirit to our Mistress. We welcome you."

They brought their right hands to cross their hearts and they bowed or curtsied to me and to Von. I then stepped forward.

"Hello. I am very happy to have you all here with me. I hope that we may be friends and I want you to know that I fully wish for you to live your lives freely and happily. I am here to listen if you have issues or concerns, I am here if you wish to fight or improve. Now, you must all suffer the initiation rites that your superiors have at the hands of the Chaos Mage. Razel! It's your turn!" I summoned Razel to this little gathering of newbies.

Sighs of awe and reverence rose from the mages and they fell into deep bows. Razel's tall figure imposed upon them the reality of their choice. His red eyes were cold and hard as they scrutinized the newest mages.

"You are all weak. As you are right now, you are unfit to fully serve my Mistress. I will not stand for inadequacies, therefore you all will train with your fellow Duel Spirits and improve your battle skills. As you are well aware, war is brewing in our world between us and the Warrior Race. When that time comes, you must be at your absolute best. Anything less and I will personally deal with you. You will serve our Mistress and dedicate your magic to her protection. Should you fail to uphold this charge, you will not only dishonor the Spellcaster Race, but our Mistress. For this indecency, you will feel my wrath. Is that clear?" Razel demanded in his unyielding way.

"Yes Lord Razel!" They all stated.

"Let us begin!"

As Razel tested the new magicians, I watched with Von and Trance.

"I hope he does not kill them," Trance remarked at Razel's power.

"He won't. He enjoys his little torture games too much." I answered never taking my sight off of my blue mage.

Von nodded, recalling his own experience. "He tests you on your strengths as he sees them. Lord Razel knew I had the capabilities to improve and so pushed me to prove it to him. He is a fair teacher."

"I guess I'm the only one he goes hard on," I said dryly.

"As our Master, he needs to in order to make certain that you are able to support us with your power. Otherwise we are all weak." Von stated.

I made a noise. "I'm not weak."

Von chuckled. "Yes I know."

"I suppose that the fact that I defeated the Rare Hunter in my bikini didn't tilt in my favor for credibility." I mused flatly.

"Quite the contrary! It just proves that you are a skilled Mistress who can fight in any clothing. That is a mark of a true Master," Trance included.

However, I was stupidly unmindful. I had been so wrapped up in making sure Razel did not murder my newest Spellcasters that I ruefully failed to sense the impending attack coming at me from behind. The Rare Hunter had managed in the throng of battle to summon another Duel Spirit. Razel sensed it before I did and I only turned around to catch the Spirit flying at me because Razel's head whipped in the direction of the approaching enemy. It happened in a split second—I turned and saw the figure of a Winged Beast Spirit racing towards me. His wings were a brilliant red and his shock of black hair was spiked. His face was twisted in a look of frenzy. He carried a long spear that was aimed at my chest. My heart froze.

"Ra…!" Before I could utter his name, I heard another voice on the beach. One that was not a Duel Spirit's.

"Dark Magician! Dark Magic Attack!" The command was said in a deep, rich timber that possessed a sovereign's authority.

Instantly a purple clad Duel Spirit flashed out of nowhere and thrust his hand forward. I was motionless as the space around him flashed in contrasting colors before the very dimension pulsed, halting the Winged Best in his tracks. The creature shrieked and actually fractured into pieces from the power of this Duel Spirit's attack.

The force of the blast forced me to cover my head. When I was sure the shockwave had ended, I carefully lowered my arm.

"What the fuck?" I breathed.

I was certain that everyone on the beach had been placed under my sleeping spell, so who could have withstood it? Only another Psychic Duelist of my strength or greater could resist it I surmised. Had he been watching me this entire time!? Was he an enemy? Another Rare Hunter? Quickly I flared my Energy. I stood erect and ready to go to battle with this man but I nearly tripped when I saw who it was. I swear my eyes almost popped out of my head from shock and realization that the gig was up for my little secret.

"Y…Yugi!?" I stuttered. "No…you're not Yugi."

The man I stared at was not the cheerful, youth I knew. He was much taller and bore a strikingly wiser disposition. His face, hair, everything was reminiscent of Yugi but it was not him. The seductive violet eyes this man possessed were self-assured and mature.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"I am." He was dressed in Yugi's clothes, and he wore Yugi's Millennium Puzzle. Then it dawned on me. "Are you the one I've been sensing? Have you been watching me?"

The man blinked slightly alarmed that I was able to pick up on his presence and then gave me a small smile. "I have. You intrigue me. With your power you are unlike many I have encountered before. Somehow though it seems familiar…I suppose that is why I have taken it upon myself to watch you. Forgive me if I came off as uncouth, that was not my intention. You see, Yugi is the vessel in which my spirit resides through the magic of my Millennium Item. I needed to ensure his safety first. However Yugi has taken a liking to you and I'm happy to say that I detect no evil about you. In fact, I was waiting for the right time to meet you in person."

The silky tones of his voice felt like sunlight, I caught the faintest hint of an accent but could not place it. I was overcome by his immense golden Energy—an Energy pattern that was unlike any I had chanced upon. I found myself smiling and fluttering inside as I let my own Energy out to meet his. Happily, it welcomed me, like an old friend into their home. It was more powerful than mine and far, far older. Each tendril was thick and bright gold. It warmed me and it felt like an ancient sun was embracing me in its rays. It was protective, caring and chivalrous. He felt it too and this man relaxed his smile to one of genuine kindness.

"No, you are not Yugi but one much older. I have thought that you were somehow tied to that gold puzzle Yugi wears. I think we have made contact a few times before. I sensed you watching me in the game shop, and again last week when we were out in Domino. You feel different, and I know now that you are not corporal. You are not like the spirit of the Millennium Ring at all. Who are you?"

The man nodded softly as he listened to my Energy reading of him. My analysis of his Energy impressed him and he said as much. "You are very perceptive. I can see that Yugi has chosen well in earning your friendship. He speaks of you often. I have gone by many names in the ages but I have been called Yami by those close to me."

"Yami, it suits you." I giggled. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Certainly."

I waved to my ever defensive mages behind me that I was fine and went closer to Yami. "Are you this Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle Ishizu/Isis spoke of?"

"She told you about me did she? Well, she is correct. I am he who lives in the Puzzle."

At that I laughed, "How awesome! It's nice to meet you. For some reason fate has drawn me into the world of these Millennium Items. I have no earthly idea why but I'm glad that there are some nice spirits living in them." I held out my hand for him to take.

"And I am glad to meet a highly learned Psychic Duelist. If you would not mind, I would very much like to see more of your talents. I hope you will duel me in the future."

"Sure!"

Yami and I connected on a different level that day. He understood me in a way that Seto, Mokuba, Tea, Joey, Tristan, Bakura (the good one), and even Yugi could not. Maybe it was because Yami was an ancient spirit with mystical properties of his own. Or maybe it was because Yami was mature and wizened from his days in the ancient past. Next to Yugi, I became Yami's closest friend.

Smiling just as broadly, Yami returned my gesture and I knew then that a long lasting friendship had been forged.

However, the air of reception was quickly torn asunder by my mages, spearheaded by Razel himself.

"You! How dare you show your face to me you deserter!" Razel snarled viciously.

I was startled by his reaction and jumped. "What?"

He was not talking to Yami, but to his Duel Spirit.

"Deserter? No!" I looked over at the purple Spirit and realized that he was wearing the robes and armor of a Spellcaster. "It can't be…" I whispered.

His large metallic headdress was pointed like a wizard's hat that extended down to large shoulder guards and breast plate. Underneath this he wore a long purple robe that was slit on both sides to his hips. On his legs and arms, defined with hills of lithe muscle, was darker purple armor. His skin was pale and in his right hand was a long staff of bright turquoise material capped with a round green stone. When I got to his face I blushed in admiration.

This mage's face was similar in beauty to Razel's—angular and fine. Seductive turquoise eyes glared heatedly at his superior. His mouth was tight in a frown, drawing the creamy skin and flexing the muscle in his jaw. Long silky purple hair framed his face and neck, probably going down his back. The rest was hidden by his headdress. I found this mage's stature and Energy tantalizing and was amused by his resistance to acknowledge Razel as his superior. Unlike the others he did not bow to Razel, nor did he humble himself. Instead he stood tall and straight, defiant.

"And you show no fealty! Shame on me for expecting anything more from a scourge like you." Razel's magic grew inside him as he faced his adversary. "You will know your place!"

Razel shot out an arm and from his open palm, a rope of magic whipped out to wrap around the other magician like a python. The other did not fight back but was harshly dug down to kneel before Razel in forced obedience.

"If you wish to be considered a Upper level then you will act like one!" Razel barked.

The other mages behind my Chaos Magician stood stock still, as if any movement would incur the might of their better. Yami was alarmed but lowered his eyes with an understanding brought about by age and being informed of their foreign ways.

"Lord Razel, It has been a long time." Spoke the velvety voiced magician.

What struck me was that this magician was so like and yet unlike Razel in appearance that I almost interfered.

"Silence you deserter!" Razel snapped.

"I mean no disrespect. I merely chose a different path then the one offered to me." The magician continued.

That did not assuage Razel, only infuriated him and I gasped as the purple mage was pressed into the sand by a heavy force. I heard the grunts and gasps from this mage as Razel's astonishing magic crushed him.

"You disrespect the entire Spellcaster Race! Any word from you is as worthless as Warrior's life!" Razel closed his fingers one by one, increasing the pressure.

I saw the mage's armor begin to cave from the weight and dent. The anxious glimmer in the mage's eyes fought with the resistance to submit to the pain he experience.

"Please Lord Razel! Surly you must understand!" The Spellcaster eked out.

Beside me Yami remained silent. "My Dark Magician is suffering from the consequences of his choice—such are the ways of their world."

"I have to stop this." I said "This is going too far."

Going against all that Razel told me about interfering in Duel Spirit law and custom, I rushed forward and set myself in-between them. I resisted the gravity of Razel's punishment using Obelisk's power and my own Energy in a defensive barrier. Seeing me now standing before him, Razel quickly lowered his hand for fear of injuring me. He was nonetheless enraged by my audacity.

"What are you doing you impudent woman!? You dare interrupt me?"

The Razel that spoke to me was not the Razel that I knew; he was different. This mage was cruel, dark, and savage—a frightening embodiment of unbridled magic and sinister motive. Instantly I recalled his story of the death of Princess Olympia and of how he earned his title of Black Chaos. I realized that the name was well suited.

I did not want to question Razel's authority by insisting that he stop on account of his treatment being inhumanly rough, so I quickly played the Master card and saved both our faces.

"I don't care how you deal with your personal issues, Razel. But do so in your world. There you may treat this Dark Magician as you see fit but here in front of your Mistress I refuse to waste my energy watching this. We have more important matters to tend to. So finish this and return to me at once."

My words resonated with my blue mage for he replied, "For once you speak with reason. You are correct. I will not offend the eyes of my Mistress doling out retribution to the sublevel mage that you are. The judgment of this cretin should be withheld from the eyes of the future Master of Magicians. Your presence defiles the honor of my Mistress and brings my standing down to receive you. That I will not forgive. Be gone from my sight you selfish rogue. Go now Dark Magician, return to your rat hole. I am finished with you." Razel turned away from the poor mage and cracked his neck.

With the gravity of Razel's magic released, Dark Magician stiffly rose to his knees. His head hung low in dejection trying to find a sliver of self-respect. Those turquoise eyes searched for what to say, what to do, but the refusal of forgiveness from his Elite bent his back and he stood. Yet Dark Magician managed to handle this mortifyingly embarrassing interaction with admirable grace and dignity. Still staring at the sand with newfound humility, Dark Magician sighed and brought his right hand to his heart. Then bowing at the waist, he uttered words of apology.

"Forgive my earlier disregard for your Lordship's title. I have not forgotten my place in our homeland, I am all too well reminded. I am sorry for any offense to you and to your Mistress."

Dark Magician brought his lugubrious gaze up to me and I swallowed.

"I would like to thank you, Dark Magician, for saving me today. I will not forget that. But before you go may I ask you something?"

"You may," he replied showing respect to me by keeping his hand on his chest and giving a slight bow.

"What is your name?"

Dark Magician met my eyes. His Energy came forward to touch mine and closed my eyes as his purple Energy enveloped me. Images and emotion rushed through; Egypt, the royal court, his service to his king, his own noble standing (true, Mahad in the show was of noble blood), and the bouncing bubbly apprentice. When I saw this girl, with her caramel sin and dark hair trying hard to learn spells I thought of how familiar she seemed. I knew this girl. She looked like…Mana.

My eyes snapped open and I inhaled deeply as excitement overtook me.

"I know who you are now," I said reaching out to touch this unfortunate magician but I stopped short, remembering my place among Spellcasters. "You're Mahad."

The Dark Magician marveled at my abilities to read Energy and smiled at me with a pleased and resigned smile. Like he had been waiting thousands of years for someone to say his true name again. Before he vanished back into the Duel Monster Spirit World he softly said to me:

"Yes. I am Mahad, the Dark Magician."

After Mahad went back to his home world, Yami too left. I watched fascinated as the Puzzle glowed a bright yellow drawing the spirit of Yami back inside. The light diminished and Yugi stood there wide eyed and confused. Luckily I had sent my mages away, save for Trance, and Razel back to his card form which flew back into my beach bag. I smiled awkwardly at Yugi. Remember, last we were together was before the Psychic Duel…at our beach campsite. Now he was hundreds of yards away from the site and all around him people were in various positions of sleep.

"Hey Yugi," I said bleakly.

"Ah…what happened? Why is everyone…asleep?"

I let out a nervous chuckle. "Well, it's the damndest thing really—they all just dropped like flies. I guess mass heat stroke or something," I waved it off.

"Heat stroke? We should call an ambulance," Yugi worriedly went up to a family and shook the father.

"Hey, come on! Wake up!"

I sent Trance a glance. Is he stupid? Or just THAT innocent?

Difficult to say Mistress.

In due time the beachgoers gradually roused and there was a bit of bewilderment. That was fun to watch. Yugi, Trance, and I ventured back to our site where our group had already risen. They asked where Von, Neo, and Mana went and I made up some lie that they had to leave. They were bummed but understood. We all stayed on the beach for a few more hours. I got a nice bronze tan whereas Tea got a little crispy, of course she was fairer than I.

As the sun began to set, I gathered my things and made ready to leave.

"Well, I guess I'm going now. Thanks again Tea, it was a lot of fun today. I needed it." I said heaving my bag and chair up.

"No problem! It was great hanging with another girl. Are you free over the week? We could hang out again."

I hesitated. "I have to check my schedule. I'll call you though. Bye! Bye guys! Bye Yugi!" I waved back to them.

Joey and Tristan eagerly waved to me which evolved into a shoving match and Yugi sent me off with a jolly goodbye.

And bye to you, Yami of the Millenium Puzzle. I sent out a Mind Link to the Item, not sure if the message would penetrate.

It did.

Yes, goodbye for now. I hope we see each other soon. Take care and be safe (y/n) Psychic Duelist.

You better keep an eye on that Spellcaster of yours Yami, I half-joked. I just might have to steal him from you.

Hahaha! I'd like to see that. Mahad is not an easy magician to beat. Yami's voice jested back.

Meh worth a shot. As the future Master of Magicians I have to keep my feelers open.

Oh yes, your Magician of Black Chaos addressed you with that title. Pray tell, what is that?

Apparently because of my unique Psychic Duelists' Energy pattern, I am best suited to and therefore only collect, if you will, Spellcasters. It is my destiny to bring them all to me and sort of rule over them as their Master. Hence the name. So that is what I do. I join with them and they in turn draw their primary power from my Energy source. If Razel is right and I really do become his prophesized Master of Magicians, then I'll get them all. They seem to trust me and I will never betray them. I answered.

Yami was quiet in thought. Then he spoke. That is quite the responsibility laid before you. If a magician such as the Chaos Mage speaks of it, then I have no doubt that it is true. I sensed that you possessed a special power and from observing your Duel today, my inklings were confirmed. In that case, I have no doubt that you will rise to be full Master of Magicians. I hope that you succeed and I will help you if I can. My Dark Magician is another matter but we shall cross that bridge when the time comes.

Thank you! I'll need all of the help I can get.