Chapter 49: No Turning Back
"Are you ready?" Bloom questioned as she turned towards Yugi. "As I'll ever be." Yugi murmured before they raised both their Sun and Moon pendants. Slowly they illuminated small glowing sphere rising up from them. One light transfigured into a Snow Owl made up of stars while the other ones became a golden Phoenix. Everyone gazed up in awe as the two figures of light swirled around both Yugi and Bloom before they flew into the painting of the Sun and Moon below them. In a matter of moment, the whole painting illuminated revealing the hidden entrance.
"Well Well, it actually worked..." Kaiba smirked. "Yeah...though what's waiting down below?" Yugi questioned. "There's only one way to find out." Bloom murmured before everyone began to enter the darkened passage going down a long set of worn stairs. However, it was nearly pitch black upon entrance. "...Anyone else find it a little creepy down dare?" Joey questioned as he made a face. "Don't just stand there come on!" Musa urged the blonde as she followed Duke. "Yeah don't be a chicken..." the dice master muttered.
"I-I ain't no chicken!" Joey cried as he groaned. "Just hurry up..." Marik told the blonde as Layla made her way downwards with him. "They're right we don't want to fall too far behind." Flora smiled as she took Joey hand and walked down the stairs at his side. "Ah...right...ya SURE ya not havin second thought bout dis?" the blonde laughed nervously. "You're pathetic Wheeler..." Kaiba muttered before he looked behind him. It seemed Joey wasn't the only one hesitant to venture deeper into the darkness. In each step, Bloom showed great hesitation in going any further.
"Man it sure is a LONG way down!" Yugi exclaimed as he walked down the steps carefully. "It's so dark down here I can barely see where I'm stepping..." the scarlet eyed male murmured before he looked back noticing Bloom's stiffening resolve. {What is it Yugi?} Atem asked his other half softly. Yugi frowned softly. "Bloom...she seems like she's really hesitant to go any further than she already has..." he told the Pharoah. "I think Kaiba's noticing it too..." {Bloom is most likely feeling anxious...no doubt that she and the others have had to overcome trials of the past...} Atem murmured.
"Yeah...Layla told me about what happened about a year ago when they faced The Wizards Of The Black Circle...in trying to protect them her fiance died...even if one of our friends was sent to the shadow realm...they also seemed to return...but Nabu...well he didn't...I'm pretty sure that's the reason why Bloom's scared...no more like terrified...of the same thing occurring once again..." Yugi told Atem. "As am I...after all I only know one thing for certain and that's that ALL of us were brought together for a reason...Me, You, Kaiba, Bloom, Joey, Duke, Flora, Roxy, Raeger, Layla, Marik, and Musa...it's all so...unclear...I can't help but think Fate has something more in store for us...more than even WE could ever fathom..." Yugi told Atem as he listened quietly.
"Like for instance, after we defeated Zorc. You were supposed to have gone back to The Afterlife...to end everything...so then why? Why did you return? That's something I just can't seem to figure out...and then this Sun pendant...like the Millennium puzzle...it's like I was MEANT to have it..." Yugi murmured. Atem looked towards Yugi as he crossed his arms. {I wish I had all the answers...but unfortunately I do not...if I'm indeed missing fragments of my memory then I'll have to recover them somehow...I do know however that you must continue to remain strong Yugi...and remember that YOU now have MY power inside of you...and that you are never truly alone.} the Pharoah murmured before Yugi smiled and nodded."Thanks, Atem...no matter what is down there we're going to face it together!" the scarlet eyed male exclaimed before he looked back towards Kaiba and Bloom.
Bloom continued to walk down the stairs as if in a daze. She couldn't even tell where she was going anymore. The redhead gasped as her foot missed a step. "Bloom!" Kaiba exclaimed as he quickly grabbed her wrist and yanked her backward. "What is going on with you?" the CEO questioned. "N-nothing's wrong I'm fine...I just spaced out for a mom-" "If you're scared then just admit it!" Kaiba yelled as his grasp on her wrist tightened. "You don't have to put on an act for my sake nor the others! We're ALL aware of the risks here...no one knows exactly what we're going to encounter..." the blue eyed male told Bloom. Slowly the redhead turned towards him. In her deep blue eyes, all he could see was fear though she said nothing.
"Now look here...I may not be sympathetic to everyone's complaints or concerns...but I DO know fear...i've been there and I'm STILL dealing with a past that is unknown even to me...and you know what? It scares the SHIT out of me! You told me once before Bloom that when you learned who you were that you weren't ready to hear it...well neither was I...even so it's because of that past that I am who I am today just as you are here right now with me...you can't live if you're constantly paralyzed by fear..." Kaiba told Bloom.
"...I...I know that..." Bloom uttered in a whisper as her voice cracked. "But it's because I met YOU Kaiba that I'm terrified...because now just like Layla...I have something I...I just CAN'T... lose..." the redhead confessed as tears fell down her face before Kaiba pulled her into his arms. Holding her in a tight embrace. "I refuse to let that happen...and even if it were...I'd keep searching for you in the next life...and take all eternity if I had to..." the blue eyed male promised Bloom. "Kaiba..." Bloom murmured as she looked up at him before he leaned in and kissed her, her exchanging his affection. "Now come on...the others will worry about you if you give them reason to." Bloom nodded as she wiped her eyes and forced a smile before caught up with the others.
"Geesh! What took ya so long?" Duke questioned once he finally saw Bloom and Kaiba being the last ones to reach the bottom. "Mind your own business..." Kaiba warned. "Oooh, that sounds suspicious..." Musa giggled as Bloom blushed slightly. "Tell me about it," Layla added with a smile. Joey sighed before he tried to look around. "Now if only we could see! I can't even look at meh own feet!" the blonde exclaimed. "Uh...just give me a moment..." Roxy murmured before she pulled out something from her pocket and dispelled the darkness with the small flame of a lighter.
"Well at least ONE of us came prepared." Raeger chuckled. "Let's try to be careful guys...we don't know what's down here," Yugi told everyone. {Wise advice indeed...} Atem muttered. Slowly Marik walked over towards the wall nearby. With just but one single touch the wall lit up a bright purplish blue. Illuminating the entire ruin. Above and beside them there were symbols which none of them had ever seen before. "WOAH!" Layla exclaimed in awe. "Wait a minute..." Raeger murmured as he walked over and looked at the symbols. "...These almost resemble Runes...the ancient language of the gods...if only I had my notes I could..." the Guild Master murmured softly before Roxy came up beside him.
"That's REALLY fascinating Raeger and I'm sure we'll have time to look at it later but we REALLY shouldn't linger in one place too long," Roxy advised. "You're right sorry." the Guild Master apologized before the party began to explore the area now that they could see in front of them. It was only a matter of time before they ceased movement as they came upon a path that divided. "Let's just pick one. We can always turn back if we hit a dead end." Joey suggested before he went ahead. "Wow dis is SO cool!" the blonde exclaimed before he noticed a chest. It was made up of crystal.
"AH YEAH! COME TA JOEY!" Joey grinned. "HEY GUYS! COME OVA HERE! I FOUND SOMETHIN!" the blonde called the others over. Everyone followed the sound of Joey's voice. They all paused as they saw him next to a chest. "See!? Pretty neat right!? Let's see wats inside!" "J-Joey I don't think that's a-" Yugi began before the blonde opened the chest. "Wat ya all fricken out fer?" the Joey questioned. "THAT!"Raeger cried as the pathway closed them in as sharply pointed crystal stalagmites manifest above them. "...Uh...dats NOT good!" the blonde made a face as the whole place started to shake. "YOU IDIOT!" Kaiba yelled at the top of his lungs before they all started to run as fast as they could as the crystals began to fall one after the other. "Oh dear..." a shadowed figure nearby chuckled amusedly as he watched the spectacle down below.
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