There's an image in this chapter in the Ao3 too if anyone's interested.

Chapter XVI

Scattered

Year ?

A lush green field, clouds slack, slowly passing by above the verdant trees forming a forest. On the ground, a young boy sits, his hair almost the same hue as the landscape. His white tailcoat folded over the land, his legs covered in dark blue pants, crossed.

His blue eyes focused on the skies, some gulls soaring towards the coast. That quietness is disrupted by an unfamiliar voice:

"Here you are! You really found a great spot to hide!"

A young brown-haired boy arrives, he's around the same age as the other, maybe twelve or thirteen, the smile on his face makes his aura look a lot more approachable compared to the gloomy aura around the green-haired teen.

Despite the friendliness oozing, he can't let his guard down, after all he has no idea of who this boy is. Why did he come here? Distrust is written on his expression.

"Who are you?"

"Oh, sorry for the late introduction! I'm Atticus Rhodes!"

He stretches his hand, answered by a reluctant handshake, he could tell the other wasn't very interested in small chatting.

"Yusuke Fujiwara."

"I'm sorry to interrupt your… Erm…" he looks around, searching for the words "Alone time?"

"What did you come here for? Do I know you from somewhere?"

"Ah, no, we didn't have the opportunity to talk before. We were assigned to the same class! And I saw some boys were bullying you earlier."

"Wha-"

"Don't listen to them, they're just jealous of your skills." He thumbs up, going straight to the point, an impatient one he was.

"Do you often eavesdrop on other people's conversations?"

"Not really. Hehe, but your name appeared among the top three grades on the entrance exam!"

"Why does that matter?" he averts his gaze, almost annoyed at the other boy trying to pull a conversation "Do you have anything else to say?"

Atticus throws his arms to the back of his head, looking up at the sky too, the duel academy air was really different than what he imagined. It's refreshing and dense at the same time because of the competitiveness among students.

"Yes! Don't care too much about what people say, the guys who were nitpicking on you saying you were a weirdo? They're just a bunch of idiots. I doubt they could pass the exams even if they tried, they only got into this school because of recommendations."

"Why do you keep talking about it?" he questions glumly "I don't care what others think."

"Hah, to be honest, you remind me of someone…" he scratches his face a mental image of a young Zane coming to his mind "Well, let's say you two are similar in how you explicitly took the test. I mean, you didn't have a recommendation."

"What is amusing about it? Are you making fun of me because I don't have a family or connections to get a recommendation? Some people have to study to achieve goals in life."

At the last straw of patience, he stands up, his fists balling, despite that, his expression is still distant. Atticus sways his arms in denial nervously:

"No, no, that's not it! It's the opposite."

"The opposite?" he recoils, astonished.

"Yeah, brazenly taking the exams and passing it, that's quite the feat! I admire that! Most of the people I know, myself included, got a recommendation to enter the duel academy. You know? This is supposed to be a school for the children of the elite, but since they didn't want to make it so obvious, they said there's another way to enroll: if you pass the tests. At least that's what my dad told me. They made the test extra hard on purpose, so it's more an excuse of sorts to sieve people."

"Why are you so interested in this?"

"Hmm, I was curious to know which people passed that hellish exam, all of you had different reasons for enrolling too, I bet."

"Isn't it natural that everyone would have distinct reasons?" without thinking too much, he ended up dragged into that conversation.

"You see, a friend of mine, Zane, actually got a recommendation from both the principal and from his grandpa, but he refused to accept it and did the tests anyways," he bobs his head proudly "You gotta admit, doesn't that sound interesting?"

"Interesting…?" the strain on his fists soothes "I guess."

"I just wondered which type of people you all were, who'd think you and Zane would be so alike, ha, ha, ha. That Adriel guy is very different from you two, though, so I don't get how you smart people work," he puts a hand on his chin, pondering unnecessarily deeply about it, as if trying to unravel the secret of the universe "Maybe if I stay close long enough, I'll get smarter too."

A blaze flares in his gaze as he seriously considers that. Yusuke sighs profoundly, it's not been long since the boy came here, but he's tired of all the talking. This peer seems to have been intrigued by him, at least he's not as bad as the others who were making fun of him asking which family he's even from, in fact, this one seems like the exact definition of a goofball.

From near the boys, a shadow slides closer, the sound of footsteps does not raise awareness, Atticus speaks without a concern in the world. The steps halt, the scenario around becoming all black, only the green grass where the boys stand remaining.

Nightshroud watches it, but his sense of space is distorted as he tries to approach more, his body speedily and sleekly floating away from the two. He can't reach them. He's not allowed to.

"Atticus, are you still refusing to listen to me?"

Looking at his palm, he shakes off his head, a hint of dismay. He wandered into a memory again, this time, a happy moment of Atticus life and also, one that sealed his destiny: the first meeting with Yusuke Fujiwara. Those episodes of scattered remembrances have become more constant, a worrisome sign.

"Forgive me, Atticus. For prying into your mind, once more. I comprehend how unbecoming this is."

Young Atticus is smiling, but he can sense it, the angst, the pain, the wrath, flowing through him. It's all boiling inside Atticus' mind, in his heart, so much he doesn't even want Darkness to come closer and see this moment.

Those memories aren't his, but he's seen it endless times and in all of those, emotions spur inside him, but they're also not his emotions, yet, he feels obligated to act.

The scene changes again, Yusuke has vanished from place, the grass rustling eerily, dark clouds joining together, making the day lose its shine, Atticus's head lowering. As he walks a step closer, he isn't pushed back this time.

"Atticus."

His call is enough to cause a startle. He's face to face with the boy, kneeling as he takes one of his hands, holding it kindly above his palm, an unseen expression beneath his mask. Is it sadness, or perhaps, compassion?

"I understand your grudges and conflicts, but you must stop feeding on memories, there's so much you can do outside."

"Who…"

He stutters at the incomplete question, his sharp brown eyes of the boy squint, crestfallen, he can't get a proper image of the person ahead, but he's seen him loitering in his dreams often. A spark of a memory, makes his eyes bulge open, the entangled recollections overlapping as he sees himself, Yusuke and suddenly, Darkness.

"You have reasons to loathe me, but nothing will come from loathing one single individual your whole life."

A crack opens in Nightshroud's mask, spreading and shattering until his face is exposed. the boy can only gasp, it's like he's seeing himself in a mirror from the future, from the tip of his hair, to toes, an older version of himself, but the standoff face that doesn't fit his persona and those vibrant crimson red eyes, they're not his. Still an awkward sensation throbs in his chest, he's seen it before, he knows him, this person that's like him, but not himself.

"I don't loathe you, you are… You've helped me before, right?"

"Have I? Or did my actions fodder your unwillingness to face the truth? I've spoiled you."

"Why are you doing this?" he takes his hand away, getting a hold on his head, it hurts "I don't… understand…"

"I want to set everything right."

"What isn't right? I'm… Everything is…"

"You're wrong."

"But everything…" he scans around, the forest, the academy, all is in place "Everything is fine. As it should be."

"No, it isn't," a disappointed huff comes out of his mouth "This body is yours to take, Atticus. I've borrowed it for too long, but I do not belong here and you do not belong here either."

Taking a card from his pocket, he places it onto the hands of the boy, granting it to him as a gift, the Red-Eyes Black Dragon whose ruby tinted eyes were just like his owner's orbs.

"I will not fight back, this was our deal. It's time to come and retake what is yours, your memories, your life, your time, your family. Reclaim everything."

"Why do you want me to do this? I'm… not strong enough…"

"No. You aren't," Atticus flinches at his honesty "But overcoming weakness is part of what human life means. You shall live and become more. More than this illusion you are in, more than this delusional world you made for yourself to hide away."

"I… I can't…" he drops the card, stepping back in fear.

"Your fears must be eliminated at once. There's no time for hesitation, Atticus."

"How… How would I do that? I… I failed. And failed again, and again, I've…"

"Nothing will change if the will doesn't come from within you," his eyes narrow almost imperceptibly, afflicted by his inability to keep a promise long made "Forgive me. I am to blame. Although I gave you my word, I cannot fulfil it through the end. I won't be here for longer, Atticus, thus I cannot help you beyond this."

"What do you mean?" his brows furrow up, eyes wavering conflicted.

"I beseech you, wake up."

There's no answer, rather he blinks awake, his knees slumping on the cold white fields, snowflakes melting away on his palms that were not long holding a hand. This time, he's in the vicinity of ruins or what used to be a village. Out of his trance again, he stumbles standing up.

Was he kicked out? Did he refuse to listen to him because of what his words meant? It's his fault. The inappropriate approach of his. Atticus was too good-hearted, he'd never harm anything or anyone for his own good, not even something like him. He knows what will happen if he expels Darkness from his body.

He's helped Atticus survive, but at what cost? His vessel sleeps in a sweet daydream from which he does not wish to escape, joyful memories of a life he won't get back once he wakes up, all muddied by the horrors of war and what awaits him after his consciousness is regained. Is this what one would call sorrow?

There's not long left before he will become one with the void in space, his essence escaping this receptacle more every day. It doesn't matter if he disappears, but he can't afford to ruin this body and all it meant to the people he knew and loved.

It wasn't his intention to hurt a human or even take over him, but the choices of both them led them here. He offered the deal and it was accepted.

What he feels… Regret? Guilty? No. Ancients do not abide by any hazy definition made by humans, they're above all emotions, but ever since he was contained in this body, those definitions and feelings all melded into him, like dripping sand on an hourglass, slowly piling at the empty bottom.

Shouldn't all humans seek happiness? It's a normal course of action. This is what he wishes for Atticus too, like he wished for all humans, for millennia. Before, he thought he was all knowing, but that was a wrong assumption. Until he walked in the human world as one of them, he knew nothing. Nothing at all.

So many mistakes, so many misunderstandings, he tried to help from afar, but staying distant blinded him to the problems permeating this universe.

He understands better now, that's why he can't allow this to happen, for what he offered Atticus and for what he was given, what he lacked: a heart. He wants to honor this trade to the end.

Satellite

Inside the King's chambers,

A small hand racks the drawers, in search of something. Leo sits in front of the small chest of drawers of the king's giant bed, the carpet leaving marks on his knees. Luna also searches under the bed and behind the curtains, touching the walls, anywhere that would look inconspicuous at first glance.

The twins exchange a discouraged glance, the girl shakes off her head, her brows coiling up saddened as she clutches her hands together near her chest.

"Hey, we just need to search better, okay?"

Leo prepares to get up and cheer on his sister, using the chest of drawer as a support, his hand slides on a small knob to open one of the drawers, twirling it until a click happens, a secret drawer is pushed out of the bottom, startling them. He happily rummages on it, grabbing hold of a chubby envelope, opening it along with a smile:

"I found it!"

They reunite to check the contents of the white envelope together, it has a broken Dominian seal and a letter inside, some fancy writing about the tournament, but the most important part of it are the medallions engraved with the "GX" letters.

The door of the room creaks open, scaring them both as they get up and whirl around, Leo hiding the stolen goods behind his back, his sister mimicking and putting her arms back as if to not look suspicious.

A young woman enters the room, dark-red hair with two longer strands on the sides of the face and shorter spiky edges reaching her chin, her brown eyes sharpening cunningly upon the sight of the twins, her hands covered in black gloves up to her elbow, gems wristlets around it, matching the tailed red dress adorned by a belt made of a thing golden chains from which differently colored gems dangle from.

"I knew you two were up to something! Why are you here in father's chambers?"

"W-we were just playing, Aki!" the boy stutters, swaying his hands "Really, we're doing nothing wrong!"

"It's evident you're holding something behind your back! You know you shouldn't wander in this part of the palace."

Her frown accentuates, an imposing posture, their sister wasn't known as a "witch" for no reason, many people were creeped out by her skills and her summoning.

"Aw, we're busted!"

"We swear we don't mean trouble! We're really worried about Jack!" Luna resorts to truthfulness "Sis Aki, you must also be feeling… The mark."

Akiza gulps, giving a step back, her hand caressing her own arm, underneath the glove is her mark as a Signer and it's been hurting ever since a week or so ago. Does that mean something did happen to her brother after all? There were rumors, but she thought they were fake and baseless and that Jack has been just stressed with his task.

"Even so, what does that have to do with you? Father will settle it."

"No, Aki, he sent Yusei to save Jack, but we think even he'll get in trouble!"

"Yusei…?" she's astounded.

A spark of hope lit up in Leo's eyes, a mischievous smirk playing on his lips as he glances over to his twin, almost in a telepathic conversation. Akiza could never hide her fondness for Yusei, if they press it, they might convince her:

"Yes! That's right, Aki! We heard it all," his small fists clench determined "Father sent him on a top secret mission because Jack is in trouble! The Empire has him hostage and father has summoned both Yusei and Crow to go all the way there to help him!"

"What? Is this true…?" Luna only confirms with a brief nod of her head, Aki bites her nails "This can't be… Yusei is a Signer too… Why would father…?"

"I have a bad feeling…" the green-haired girl tugs at the hem of her sister's dress "A really bad feeling, Aki."

"Y-yeah! No joke! Yusei and Crow will have to participate in a summoning tournament to infiltrate the Empire and we were about to go and help them, we're summoners too!"

"How silly of you two, what do you intend to do?! You can't escape the palace and there's no need to meddle in those political matters!" she snorts, giving the ultimatum "Listen, father won't be happy to find out about you two! What do you even have on your hands?"

They refuse to show it, briskly shaking their heads. With a nonchalant move of her hand, they lose hold of it as the object floats in the air brusquely.

"An invitation letter for the tournament?"

"W-Wait, Aki! We can negotiate! Look, there are exactly three seals there, if you help us, we can take part in the tournament and help Jack and Yusei!"

"What are you getting at, brat?"

"We're only worried, if we can meet with them and see they're fine, I'd feel better…" Luna's gaze is distraught as she casts it down to the ground forlornly.

"Right! With your skills, escaping the palace isn't impossible! If you make cool illusions, we can do it! Also, there are exactly 3 medallions left, so you can enter the tournament with us, sis!"

"You…"

"Please, sis."

Luna's hazel eyes falter, locking onto her sister's eyes, her hands together in a prayer, Akiza was known to be cold-hearted, to other people at least, but Luna isn't usually this insistent, neither her father would have sent Yusei and Crow, two of his best soldiers to help if it wasn't serious, plus the whole tale about Jack being a hostage is extremely similar to…

She clicks her tongue. "Fine!"

"Yay! Thanks sis!" the twins rejoice, high fiving.

"But you two, better follow my orders, I won't tolerate it if you try causing trouble, understood?"

She bends onwards, her hands on hips to make sure they know she means it, a resplendent smile blooms on their faces as they celebrate happily hopping in place and hugging their older sister. Will this be alright? They're like ten year old kids, how difficult can it be to babysit her little siblings?

Under broad daylight,

The sunbeams invade the living room through the transparent glass, stretching over the couch and thick glass center table. Rie is sitting down, cuddling her own legs. There's a small square rock tossed to the side of the fluffy cushions, stripes of dark-blue duel energy come out of her body, going towards it, she swipes her hand on the air once, the gem filled up with life in real time, revealing a olive-green precious stone, a smile sprouting on her lips, fascinated by the colors reflected on the polished olivine as sunlight basks it.

"It's early for you to be awake."

A voice startles her, breaking her posture as she shuffles to sit straight on the couch, the blank expression of Zane greeting her.

"Good morning."

He carries an open book on one hand, reading it while walking, and two other unidentified objects on his other hand, passing by her to the kitchen counter.

"I'll be giving you this once I read it," she looks at his book curiously " I was supposed to give this book to you too, but I thought a little more knowledge about catalysts wouldn't hurt. How is your progress with the one I handed to you?"

Her gaze shifts to the closed book on the center table. Did she already finish it? She's a faster reader than he expected. He closes his own, putting it on the marble counter along with the other things he's been holding, occupying himself in making coffee by starting a machine that quickly finishes the job.

Mornings weren't his favorite time of the day. His eyes were bothered by the brightness. Whether he didn't sleep because of nightmares or because of the underground, it was all the same in the end, a drowsy, numbing sensation coursing inside him. Keeping up a routine helped him stay serene and appreciate those moments of peace outside the hectic nightlife.

"Can you come here for a moment? I want to show you something," he pours steaming hot coffee in his personalized mug with a Cyber dragon printed on it, the fresh scent invading the air as she walks closer "I've been tinkering with some devices for a while and yesterday I finally finished it."

His statement comes off aloof. She blinks confused seeing a plain-looking fancy wristwatch handed to her, as if expecting the explanation.

He cocks his head, incentivizing her. "Try it on."

It's a modern digital version, from appearance alone she can tell it's probably as expensive as the ones in Bonaparte's collections, why was she given it, then?

"Press the button on the side."

She obeys, not questioning, startled as her watch suddenly turns into a golden wristlet. What just happened, is this an illusion? Her skin tone looks a hue darker too.

"Why don't you go take a look at yourself in the mirror?"

Quickly looking around, rather than running to a room, she uses the wall of glass to take a peek at herself, gasping at the sight. Her hair is long and jet-black, her eyes are similar in shape, but of a green color and her skin is certainly not from someone of the south, it's much more tanned, even her clothes have changed completely to a white dress in an inverted V detail at the top.

"This is Kaiba's corp peak technology. It's a holographic mechanism disguised as a watch. This way, you can easily go out without being noticed, plus you can take it to help you when the rebels come to pick you up too."

Her hands touch her own cheekbones, looking at her own reflection from many angles, this is an impressive change, no wonder Kaiba corp is known as the best company at what it does.

"You can also turn the small cog on the side to change the configuration and specify which parts of your body to change."

She quickly tries it, looking at her reflection, first only her hair was turned to blonde, rolling the wheel once and her eye color changed, but her hair went back to pink. Zane clears his throat hoarsely, unwilling to interrupt her fun with her new toy:

"The only problem is that, even if you are disguised, you'll still drain energy so before we can put this to use, you should get a hold on your powers."

She threads back fast, gesturing something uncomfortably while showing the opulent watch to him.

"It's fine. I got it from my last job, and I was told I could have it as a gift. Where I'm going, I won't need it," he shrugs off to reinforce the unimportance of it "But that's not all, there's something else for you…"

He hands her a PDA of sorts this time, composed by a cellphone sized screen attached to a repartition with a keyboard. Inspecting from a manifold of perspectives, she can't conclude why she'd receive that, but fidgets again as if asking why she was given yet another device that looked as expensive as the first.

"Don't worry, Rie, though it's still KC technology, this one isn't as fancy," he sneers, her jitteriness is endearing at times "It's just an old PDA I have from my school times. It was gathering dust on the shelf, so I thought of turning it into something more useful."

She looks at him expectantly, awaiting for more details. Recently, he's been getting better at reading her questions based on her facial expression:

"For what is it? Well, you can't speak, but you can use that to type messages, it's way easier to communicate compared to using a notebook, you can quickly erase text and edit too. You can also take it with you when you go with rebels."

He drinks his coffee unsure if her gawking and staring at the device without trying it out is a good sign. It did keep him busy for the last two weeks when he had nothing else to do, at least.

"I had to remove some parts and shift things around a bit since this was originally a device the Empire used to track students, but it should function properly as a means of communicating through text and videos, it also has a text-to-speech function if you're interested, though I'm not sure how big you are on listening to robotic voice speaking words for you."

So this is what he was up to in his office? From the looks of it, he's been spending a few nights on it. Did he really do all this for her? The thought makes tears gather on the brim of her eyes, her lips pursing as if to contain her crying motion, her vision is turvy.

Did he say anything wrong? Or maybe it was his stern tone again? As he breathes in air to start unfolding a possible misunderstanding, suddenly, he's tackled in an embrace, almost cornered against the counter.

"Whoa, whoa," he raises his arm along with the mug, being squeezed under his grip, although it couldn't match even a third of his strength "Rie, what are you-"

His voice hampers in his throat after hearing a sniffle, giving up on a query. Slowly, his hand lands on her upper back, to offer comfort, some strands of her hair folding over his fingers. It's just a simple device right? Why is she crying?

She's rather slim compared to him, and much shorter too, her head is lower than his chin's height. How did someone like her survive an excruciating process to become a catalyst?

Now that he thinks about it, nurse Fonda said Rie became mute most likely due to the traumatic experience of being turned into a catalyst, if he remembers it right. How agonizing must it have been for her to end voiceless? Are the tortures he's seen in the underground comparable? Or is it worse?

The mistreats and slavery background on Bonaparte's mansion must also have left a searing mark on her. Maybe that further engendered Rie's loss of faith in speaking to people or even attempting to. If she believes helping her communicate is something unnatural or unimaginable, that tells him how low she's set the bar for people around her.

"It's alright," he lightly taps her back a few times "We did tell you we'd help you, didn't we? People should help each other during harsh times. Once you can go with rebels, you'll be able to lead a more normal life, like many others who've been aided before you."

Letting him go, she wipes her tears with her hands, containing some snuffles on the way, her eyes flickering, he doesn't grasp whether it's gratitude or distress or everything mushed in one.

Standing on the tip of her toes, gently pulling his neck down, her soft lips brush on his cheek, he can barely tell it was a peck, but his breath hitched for a moment there in sheer surprise, his eyes widening subtly when she breaks apart, mustering words he could understand perfectly:

"Thank you."

Not adding any other words she swiftly walks off into the corridor of her room. He's left stunned for a moment, his mind taking a few more seconds to process the scene as he supports his hand on the marble surface. What just happened now?

"Hm," rolling his eyes up to the ceiling amusedly, he sips his coffee "Not bad."

At Syrus apartment,

Early in the morning,

Jaden sprawls, the night here was much better than in the cold prison cell for sure, he got a warm, fluffy guest bed. After a long bureaucratic fight, Syrus won and took him out, man is he glad to have friends. He'd still be rotting in jail if not for that.

"Good morning, Jaden," Syrus greets as the one and only person passes by his office, his eyes but briefly glancing over, concentrating on a mountain of papers "Sheesh. I left for a day and look at how much work has accumulated."

"Hey, Sy!"

The brown-haired plops down on the couch with a muffled decompressing sound of the cushions sinking down as he relaxes, his arms spread on the back of the seat, closing his eyes and laughing loudly:

"You're a lifesaver, Sy!"

"If it wasn't for the eye-witness who saw you investigating during the day, you'd still be there, thank them instead because they love you so much," he remarks, skimming through some documents "Ah, you can order breakfast."

"Sweet!" Jaden catches a small cellphone launched at him midair.

The blue-haired man adjusts his glasses in a strict gesture. "But keep it simple. We're yet to talk about Neos."

"Right…" Jaden's shoulder slump at the mention.

"Tell me, what truly happened there?"

"I don't know, Sy, but he did something to Burstinatrix too. She looked possessed… It's never happened before that my duel monsters were… Disturbed by something."

"By whom or what were they disturbed exactly?"

"I have no idea, but I don't like it. Neos wasn't sad or hesitant in the least to steal duel energy."

"He was stealing duel energy?"

"Yeah, I think this is how he…" he gulps dryly "Killed the summoners… I wanted to ask him, but… he escaped and I don't know where his summoner was. Someone has to be behind this all, forcing him to do this!"

"I get it," he mumbles to himself, drifting off from reality "Listen, Jay, some duel monsters can auto summon themselves, sure you remember the lessons about it in the duel academy?"

He slaps his own forehead when his friend simply answers with a firm, negative swing of head. This is going to take a long time just so they're on the same level of understanding.

"How about we order breakfast first?"

Jaden guffaws excitedly, he's also hungry. The scenario changes, now the office table is full with packaging of food, a box of pizza, empty soda cans and dirty napkins, Syrus on the other hand holds a single coffee cup. Pizza for breakfast, really? He wanted to complain, but there are more pressing matters at hand:

"So, do you understand now that some monsters can auto-summon themselves?"

"Yep. But if Neos is one that can do it… Then he killed those summoners because he needs more duel energy, right? Still… He could've asked me or another summoner to-"

"I believe it's clear there's a fundamental difference between the Neos you portray in your mind and the Neos you saw, Jay and this is most likely that the Neos you saw might be corrupted. You know how dark-summoning can make monsters mad? Perhaps Neos is facing similar issues. If he doesn't have a summoner, he must've resorted to auto summoning himself by stealing duel energy, but given enough time, that can make any monster go nuts."

"No! He wouldn't fall so easily to any corruption! I just know it, Sy, the Neo-Spacian Heroes aren't weak!"

"Even if you say this, facts are undeniable, Ja-"

"You're right, Jade."

A third voice intrudes the conversation, they flinch looking at the dark couch in which a duel monster calmly sits, his arms crossed as he smiles kindly, his blue nose covering his mouth partially as he lowers his head.

"Aqua Dolphin?"

"I'm sorry, Jade, I summoned myself again using your energy. I promised we'd talk. Could we go somewhere else?"

"Huh," he switches his gaze between Syrus and the creature, confused at the abrupt decision making "If you have anything to tell me, Syrus can hear it too, please, I believe he can help! Tell us all you know!"

His eyes squint slightly, looking into Jaden's, ascertaining his intentions and what he sees is a fiery conviction in the summoner's eyes.

"Right," his posture relaxes as he nods "But I must start from the beginning. If you want to understand what happened to Neos and why he's acting out of himself as well as what it entails. Jade, dear friend, you two must listen closely."

"We're ready," Syrus assures "Please, continue."

"Have you ever heard of the Ancients?"

They exchange a puzzled glance, but Syrus scowls at the mention, so he does know something. The dolphin's smile enlarges as he closes his eyes, diving into the tale he's about to tell:

"Since uncharted ages, long before humans, innumerous deities known as the 'Ancients' have existed. In the space or in the zone you humans refer to as 'universe', two of those beings have clashed, like natural enemies, born to destroy each other and contend mutually. They are called 'gentle Darkness' and 'Light of Destruction'."

"What are they exactly? And why do they fight?" Syrus questions, his frown creasing more and more his forehead.

"We do not know, but that's how it was and has been since we've existed. The gentle Darkness has watched over the human world for centuries as a neutral being, caring to not meddle in human affairs, however the Light of Destruction has sought your world as prey, like it did to many other worlds before yours, it came to this plain of existence to elicit chaos and destruction, it wants to reform your world and change what it is to its core."

"What?! Y-you mean this thing wants to… kill everyone?!" Jaden stands up rom his seat in a hurry, panicking "We can't just-"

"Let him finish, Jay," his friend scolds, gesturing with a move of his hand for the other to sit down "Aqua Dolphin, could you explain why it wants this?"

"We do not comprehend why, but the Light has always destroyed things and remade them anew from dust and Darkness did not wish to see this process take part in this dimension, so it held the Light back as long as it could. This battle has occurred for eons, both sides had their helpers, once we Neo-Spacian heroes came to be, the gentle Darkness bathed us with its power and we started helping it, for as far as I can remember, Darkness and Light have contested each other's power equally, but… A few human years ago, something changed."

"What changed?"

"For a brief moment, our master's power became null. After that second, when the battle resumed, Darkness wasn't the same. We noticed that its powers were weakened as little by little the light overcame its attacks. Afraid of the results, Neos intervened personally, but by doing so, a more terrible fate befell him, the Light swallowed him into its powers completely, and because our master was unresponsive at the time, Neo's essence was corrupted."

"Then… Is it all the fault of this ancient, powerful thing?" Jaden sighs in relief "Aw, man, I knew it couldn't be him, It wasn't Neos, after all!" a satisfied smile sprouts on his lips.

"I'm glad to know you've trusted him, Jade. You are correct, the real Neos would never do that, even now as we speak, I'm sure he's mourning his acts deep down, which is one of the reasons we cannot turn our faces away."

"Are you telling us that this Ancient has taken Neos and is running amok? I still don't get why now of all times and what happened for your 'master' to not be able to contain this Light anymore… And all this talk about Ancients, I only ever heard rumors and reports, but to think something of this scale is going on…"

"We do not understand which circumstances happened either, but one thing is certain: the answers lie here, in this world. And to uncover it, we must work together. As a Neo-Spacian, I'll do my best to stop Neos and understand what the Light pursues by using his body as a vessel, there has to be a reason why he was chosen."

"Maybe it's because he could summon himself? He's the leader of you guys, right? Still, aren't Ancients capable of bestowing powers to humans? I don't think humans can be receptacles to ancient beings, though…"

"Indeed, Neos is our leader. But now, all of us are separated… After he was attacked, we tried to stop him, but he was stronger, our powers were overturned by his, so he escaped to the human world, the earth. We decided to chase him, thus our cards were scattered all over the globe to search for him. We didn't know where he went until I felt his presence as Jade carried me along to his mission."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Aqua Dolphin, I didn't know you guys had such troubles…" his brows furrow up compassionately "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"I was waiting for the right moment, Jade. Without knowing about Neos' whereabouts or finding my other companions, alone with you, I'd be only risking your safety. But now that we've met Neos, I must ask you something."

"You can ask anything! I'd never disappoint you guys!"

"I know you've collected more than my card, what I ask is that you gather all the Neo-Spacian heroes and chase Neos, if we are all together, I'm sure we can do something about his corruption with the powers bestowed upon us by the Darkness."

"Gotcha! I wanted to do all that anyway! I'm sure Sy can pull a lot of info and help us."

"If the situation is as dire as world destruction, I think we have more than crushing an Empire to worry about…"

He can't wrap his head about all those revelations yet. How are they supposed to fight the Empire while preventing an impending doom? It seems Neos plays a bigger role than he credited the monster for, but if this is right, then… Is this why the Shadow Riders wanted Neos in the first place? And if it is, how come they're not holding him anymore? Did he escape? Did they let him go on purpose? Did the Empire secretly play a part in this? His head aches just by dabbling on it.

Saving the universe, toppling an Empire, why is he always expected to accomplish such heavy tasks? It's unrealistic for any man to do this alone, and for this one he might need everyone's help. Where to even start unknotting this wool?

Underground pit

The beats of the music outside are faint, blocked by the door of his preparation room fully closed, a reminder of what is waiting for him. A click from far behind him draws his attention, Shroud smirks in a greeting:

"My king!"

"Spare me from the tearful reunion," he cuts off gruffly "I've heard rumors you were scouting someone else to take my place," whirling his chair around, he crosses his arms "Explain, Shroud."

"My humblest apologies," he bows obtusely, flapping his cape ahead of him politely "You've been out for so long, your seat was empty, it is but expected contenders to your throne would arise, I was keeping an eye on them, nothing more."

"Contenders, you say?" he stands up, walking up to his manager menacingly, his shadow is imposing "You're really an incompetent one, aren't you? Can't even hold the reins while I'm out for a few weeks."

"Pardon?"

"I was on 'vacation' and all you can do is latch your claws into your next 'king', this pathetic figure for a show you've created, you didn't even try to stop them, did you? I bet you were thinking I'm out of the game."

"N-no! I presumed you were wounded, my-"

"Listen, I don't care whoever the contestants you're talking about, it's simple: if anyone wants the throne, they can come and take it underhandedly, I'll seize it back and I doubt they can do anything about it."

That chill running down Shroud's spine right now, this is the sensation he didn't feel in a while, a poisonous grin playing on his lips, almost in mockery:

"Good to see you're back," he adjusts his glasses, the reflection on the lenses occulting his eyes "I'm impressed, my king. When you went on your 'vacation' I was convinced the dull, boring nights of Domino might have pushed you away from the spotlights, and how mistaken I was, you already had the whole Domino on your palm and it wasn't enough, you wanted more! Spreading your wings to other regions is truly an excellent plan."

"What?"

His orbs twitch subtly, but his manager does not subside, his smirk going from a corner to another of his face, as if he was witnessing a new era be born, opening his arms:

"I've heard about your feats in the East! Not only I, if I may add. Your performance was simply striking! Not in a whole decade I've seen a man of such ambition as yours! I've always known you coveted the top, and our underground alone cannot offer that glory! Now you seek other regions, new heights!" he guffaws energetically "You have my full approval, my king! Seize the crowns of all the regions, become a lord of the shadows, you have my full support!"

"So my little trip reached your ears? Where did you hear about it?"

"Oh, that's my trade secret, my king," he sniggers wickedly "To serve you I must be well informed. You do not need to worry about my loyalty, however I do advice caution, your great adventure to the East to expand your influence has angered many, they might come for your head."

"They can come all at once from all I care," he sneers arrogantly "Victory will be mine in the end."

Shroud claps his hand, applauding his speech. "Of course, a toll you are willing to pay, a fearless man you are! An attitude befit of your majesty!"

He interrupts the flattery coarsely. "Did anything else happen while I was away?"

"No, nothing at all, no one would dare break the law at the risk of meeting an end by your hand."

"There's no law in the underground, Shroud. You come and you take, that's all there is," he scoffs "Drab to a fault. No wonder I'm more tedious now."

"Now that you're back, I guarantee you won't feel bored here!" he rubs his hands together, seeking ways to weasel through the bad mood of his superior "I've prepared a nice surprise for you, it shall soon arrive."

"A surprise? Are there more of those 'surprises' I should know about?"

"Not at all, my king," he bows reverently "I am just finding ways to entertain you. I'm sure you'll be delighted."

Delighted? He doesn't like the sound of it, is the snake up to some cheat or dirt scheme again? Maybe he should give this guy a lesson.

"You miss the meaning of 'delight' to me, Shroud."

"I'll do my best to get it right, my king."

"You've been in this business for a long time, haven't you?"

"Two long decades! Why the sudden spark of interest in my career?"

"Tell me, why did you suggest I get a catalyst? A few weeks ago, you told me you could get one. I was here this whole time thinking, was it also part of your grand plan of entertainment? Or was the business opportune?"

"I just thought a catalyst might suit your tastes for fun, my king. The catalyst business is always in demand, it's not as hard as it may seem to acquire one."

"Is that so?" his orbs sharpen "You've been very up to date with other regions as well?"

"I do not get the question, my king."

Shroud is not estranged at the violent outbursts his superior could have at times, he's learned how to read the cues, and one of them is this gaze full of repulse that Zane casts at him before he utterly lashes out his rage. He can see the smothering rage inside him, ready to explode, perhaps this is also why so many spectators love watching him fight. This sense of self control and composure he maintains while his interior is ablaze.

"Your timing here was very precise. You tell me about catalysts, then a ship at the east has slaves and a bunch of catalysts too. Coincidence? I don't think so, a slimy bastard like you may have many sources."

"I couldn't tell you any of it even if you'd ask me, my king. My brokers prefer secrecy. You'd rather not be involved in such monotonous bargains with-"

"You did know about it before the shipment was there, this is what I'm currently interested in, Shroud: Information," he grabs the man's shoulder "Introduce me to these people, bring them over. I'd more than be elated to have a conversation."

"I couldn't possibly let you handle those trifle matters on-"

"If I want to expand my influence, I'll need all contacts I can get, and I'm a man that likes taking matters into my own hands," he taps his manager's shoulders "Do you picture the view, Shroud?" he leans on, talking to the ear of his manager, in a low, menacing voice, his grip harshly and intentionally pressing his bones "If you can't give me what I want, I'll simply ditch you in the gutters and find about it myself, get it?"

"I-If it pleases you, my king, of course I may arrange meetings, they'll be very delighted to get acquainted with someone as illustrious as yourself."

He forces a smile on his lips as Zane dusts off his shoulder and releases him from the clutching, hurtful grip. The summoner smirks in derision at the lamentable sight of the man.

"Enough talking. Time to go. Since some rats have been trying to climb to the throne, I must remind them who their king is."

As soon as he turns around, Shroud grits his teeth, enraged at the sight of the dark back, walking ahead nonchalantly and conceitedly. At the start, Zane's been an easy pawn to handle and a puppet king, but as he grew more powerful in the underworld, his demands grew, his immanent wrath grew, so did his impatience and now he's going out on his on and provoking the balance of the underworld? The Hell Kaiser is out of hand and he must do something about it before he's completely uncontrollable.

Introduce him to the brokers? This boy's really naive and unaware, but soon, he'll find out how this underworld network operates, he'll wish those people never saw his face or heard about him, especially with what happened in the East.

As they enter the pit, the crows is exhilarated, they can't believe their eyes, their king is back uder the highlights, a whole night of a true spectacle unravels in front of them, summoning battles filled in all forms of challenges and the electrical torture. The watchers also occupy themselves with bets, carnal pleasures and some dealers sell drugs at the corners, a mundane waste of time.

They like it, to see their underworld ruler trample on the weaker enemies, they know he's suffering inside, they know there's no way a man can support this many shocks in a single night without consequence, but they relish it, the fact he's not even blinking at it anymore, or expressing anything as if this another casual task of his life, they behold the semblance of a true "King" who won't bend to anyone's will or even to pain itself.

The night dashes by under the renewed comeback of Zane, he fends off all the said "contenders" to his title, his throne, untouched. The words of Shroud stay on the back of his mind. Which other "surprises" did he set up?

Inside the glassy skyscraper

Near dawn,

A lighter blue dye paints the sky, mingling with shades of red, sunrise sips in. Zane unlocks his apartment's main entrance, coming in after a long, weary night. Gaping subtly, his eyes narrow keenly noticing the lights are on. Did Rie stay awake the whole night, or…?

The catalyst is sitting on the couch, but she's not the only one there, beside her, there's a man, his legs crossed over another and an arm on the back of the couch, around the woman. His foot tapping the ground stops, a smile opening as he sees the teal-haired man arrive into their line of sight, Rie's blue orbs are cast at Zane apprehensively.

The stranger's black spiky hair partially covers his face and he cackles, bending his head forward, he's using nothing more than a martial arts kimono of a dirt-brown tint, ripped off sleeves and shabby wine colored pants, his skin is much darker than any of theirs as if he'd been working on sunny fields all year around.

The intruder beckons smugly. "Yo, Cyber Art guy! It's been a while!"

"Makoto Inotsume."

He blurts out unfazed, stepping onwards, fists clenched, staggering as his enemy interrupts.

"Ah, ah, do not move," he raises his finger, swinging it in a no "We don't want anyone getting hurt."

His hand slides on the smooth pink strands of hair, caressing it as if enjoying the sensation. From behind the couch looms Jinzo, the Psycho Shocker. The tall, creepy looking humanoid monster draws close, its hands grabbing Rie's skull.

Why is this guy here now of all times? Last he remembers, he should be far away in a prison, and it's Zane's fault. Did he come for revenge? This is such ill timing. Shroud was right that his enemies would come at him, he just didn't expect it to happen this early. What now?