"What do you want?" Tea asked with a smile, looking down at Edwin. He was seated at one of the tables in the main dining area, huddled together with Mai. Renard and Yuri were both seated across from them… with their heads on the tables, asleep.

"I can get my own breakfast," Edwin assured her, slowly rising up.

"Don't do that, man!" Joey exclaimed, rushing over. "Ya… well, ya know… yesterday and I don't want ya hurtin' yourself…"

Edwin smiled at Joey, though he still got up. "I'm fine… but if you want I'll let you guys carry the trays. " He looked at Mai. "You want anything?"

She shook her head; she wasn't looking so much tired at lethargic. "I'll get it myself… just like sitting here at the moment."

He nodded and Tea wrapped her arm around Edwin's, lending him support (not that he needed it, she could tell that right away) while Joey began to look over the spread Kaiba had gotten the cooks to set out, trying to figure out what Edwin might like to eat. It made Tea smile that after the last two days they'd had Joey was working to make up for past mistakes.

'Of course for Edwin and I its been…years.' She frowned, glancing at him. Tea knew that Edwin had put himself through far more than the rest of them to prepare to battle Wyatt. Because time had no meaning on the Broken Symmetry one could go to another universe and return within seconds… but that didn't mean they actually were. Tea herself has spent nearly a year training on Paradise Island under the watchful eye of Booster's friend Diana, learning how to fight.

She had a feeling Edwin had spent far longer getting ready for that battle.

'But almost everyone else is moving on,' Tea thought to herself. 'They remember… but it doesn't matter to them. Only those of us who traveled beforehand remember…' She looked back at Mai. 'Or is a goddess.'

Rather than dwell on that though she focused on other things. Little things. She'd go insane otherwise.

"So," Tea said as she watched Edwin skip over the more traditional Japanese breakfast items and go for clearly American, "I'm guessing you are Mai also had a rough night?"

"Didn't sleep," Edwin admitted. "I don't think anyone did… not after all that happened." He paused, chewing on the inside of his cheek. "A bit too heavy to talk about over breakfast but… Mai and I are different from the rest of you when it comes to our insomnia."

"What do you mean?" Tea asked as he began to layer some thick chunks of potatoes onto his plate, fried and dripping with grease but looking so good she decided to get some for herself.

"Mai… well, she's tapping into the powers of Selene… or her powers that she only just now realized are hers." He sighed, clearly looking for the right words. "Its not like Yugi and the Pharaoh. Mai IS Selene… she just lacks her memories. Selene can say Mai is her as a mortal human but Mai… isn't. Or at least she can't be anymore, not with knowing what she is. Mai… she's a goddess now. And goddesses don't need to sleep. Not if they don't want to."

"And… you?"

Edwin reached up with his free hand and rubbed his chest, right where Ishizu's blade had burst through. "Something happened to me… or still is. The Millennium Key is different. I feel more connected to it. I… I'm not even sure if we can call it the Millennium Key anymore. If it truly is one of the Millennium Items." His jaw worked before he looked at her before making his eyes glow.

Tea had become used to Edwin doing that when he was annoyed or angry or wanted to intimidate someone. His eyes glowing completely black with only golden rings. Yugi had revealed to her last night that the Pharaoh now could do that too… it had something to do with tapping into the power of the Millennium Items.

Now though? Now they were pure gold. But not a harsh gold or gaudy. It was… it was like the rising sun at dawn, bathing the world in light. It didn't hurt her to stare into his eyes though, like it would to stare directly into the sun. In the center of each golden orb was a white ring, soft but kind. Tea found herself reaching up, noticing that golden lines were faintly pulsing just under his skin.

"Yeah," he said huskily. "That too… Mai noticed it last night."

"What does it mean?"

Edwin blinked and his eyes returned to normal. Tea slowly removed her hand from his check, resting instead on his shoulder. "When I had Gleipnir forged… the Lady of the Forge said something. I was loved by good, hated by evil… had a touch of destiny…"

"And?" Tea asked, sensing there was more.

"I was… the God of Chaos… waiting to be born."

"…oh," Tea murmured.

"Yeah," Edwin muttered, "oh."

"Hey Ed!" Joey suddenly called out and while Edwin looked relieved by the distraction Tea wanted to throttle Joey. She felt like they were on the cusp of something very important and now the moment was gone. "Yeah see they got that turkey bacon you always tell us about?"

"its superior to regular bacon," Edwin said with a smirk, walking over to join Joey in loading up his plate.

Tea though stood there, frowning as she found herself lost in thought. 'A God of Chaos? I don't care. He could be the god of dung beetles or the mightiest creator in existence. Edwin is my brother now… and I'm not going to let anyone hurt him ever again.'

It would only be years later, when she told Edwin the story long after Battle City was but a memory, that she'd learn the irony of her next thoughts.

'And if there's anyone up there who has a problem with that?' Tea thought, glancing towards the Heavens. 'To HELL with you!'

~MC~MC~MC~

"Edwin!" Mokuba cried out, running over to me and launching himself into the air with the skill and strength that only came from anime characters.

I had the vague sense of a small missile with a lot of hair hurtling towards me before I was sent toppling down, falling onto my rear and Mokuba holding onto me tight. I looked up to see that Joey had somehow managed to catch my plate, carefully setting it down on a table before shaking his head at the sight of Mokuba clinging to me.

"Are you okay?"

"Right as rain," I said.

"Which shows how foolish you are, Chaos," Seto stated. "When can rain be right?"

"The farmer's son in me is glowering at you mocking the rain," I informed him. "If we have a drought it is all your fault." I leaned down and whispered to Mokuba. "We blame him for the droughts."

Mokuba though didn't answer, remaining curled up against me.

Seto merely shot me a look. "Mokuba had a… rough night, last night. He was… worried about you."

As much as I wanted to mock Seto for admitting as much to me, since he hated having to tell people that he, or his brother, had issues, feeling my shirt get wet from Mokuba's face being pressed against it had me shaking my head and letting out a sigh as I managed to get into a sitting position.

"You two eat yet? We were just getting breakfast."

"…I'll go get us some food," Seto said gruffly, walking over to the buffet.

"I think that's a yes," Tea teased, Joey and her helping me up. I got to my spot, finally managing to get Mokuba to turn around so he could sit in his own chair (anime logic be damned he was still a 10 year old and FAR too big for me to carry like baby) while I began to dig into my breakfast. "Hungry there Edwin?" she teased, nodding towards my plate.

The words 'dying leaves you hungry' nearly left my mouth before I remembered that Mokuba was sitting RIGHT next to me and I quickly bottled up that sarcastic remark. As such I chose instead to merely state, "Last few days have been rough… need some comfort food."

"Yeah, I hear that," Joey said.

"Considering you are part of the reason the last few days have been rough Joey?" Tea said with a bit of a growl to her words.

That caused Joey to grimace. "Hey, I'm sorry about that! Ed knows-"

I held up my hand. "I do." Forgive, perhaps. Forget? Never. I didn't say those words but I was willing to give Joey another chance… but that didn't mean I wasn't going to be keeping an eye on him.

And of course Joey, realizing that he was safer not risking insults against me… decided to talk to Mai.

"Geez! You best be careful Mai!" Joey proclaimed, watching as she nearly finished her breakfast in record time. "They'll have to widen the doors- OW!" He looked up at me, rubbing the shin I'd just kicked. "Hey Ed, watch where you're kickin'!" He looked back at Mai. "Seriously, yar gonna have ta get a whole new set of clothing if ya-OW!"

"Sorry, I think I have a muscle spasm," I replied.

"Probably a result from yesterday," Mai said dangerous, rising up to go get another plate.

"So maybe stop pushing your luck or I might hit something more valuable," I warned Joey.

"…my duel disc?"

"If that's what you call your balls then yes."

"Chaos," Seto said as he walked back over to us, placing two trays down on the table. Both were covered in traditional Japanese breakfast foods, most of which I had no idea what they were, let alone the name of. "I told you I don't believe in magic. And I'm not interested in talk of things that don't exist."

"Right," I said, wondering where we were going with this. 'Is he final going to admit after last night and what happened to me that there must be something out there, beyond what he can see and hold? That magic is real and that he wants to understand it more? I could see that… Seto isn't someone who takes a lack of knowledge and just accepts it. He wants to understand everything, tear it down so he can see its pieces and then build it back up again. So-'

"So kindly wait to talk about Wheeler's quote/unquote 'testicles' when I'm not in earshot."

"Eh?" Joey said, tilting his head.

I groaned. "Joey, never mind."

"But what is he-"

"Just nevermind." I looked down at Mokuba. "How are you doing, kid?"

"Fine." Mokuba said, though he did let out a yawn. "Didn't sleep good."

"Yeah," I echoed, though honestly I was feeling well rested. I was still trying to deal with the fact that of everyone that had suffered from insomnia (and it sounded like it was everyone on the blimp) Mai and I were the only ones not looking like we were longing for a nap. Considering she had the biology of a goddess… well, it had me wondering if my little stint in the afterlife had left a greater mark than just a tattoo on my back.

"And that's okay," Seto said simply, "but you will need to take a nap later, okay Mokuba?"

"I won't miss any of the tournament, will I?" he asked, staring up at Seto with big wet eyes.

"No. And if you do while I know you'll be upset its worth it to be fully rested. Better to enjoy some feeling great than all but feeling tired and worn down."

"Oh… okay."

I shot Seto a look. That was… surprisingly considerate of him. I knew he was a good brother but that was really well spoken of him, taking into consideration just what Mokuba needed to hear. Addressing his concerns but also explaining WHY he needed to do what Seto said despite said concerns.

'Wonder where that came from… probably some Parenting AI he set up.'

~A Week Earlier~

"Dad," the cartoon blue dog said, "I'm sorry I lost the card game."

"Aw, its okay Bluey," the dog's father said, placing his paw on her shoulder. "Ya did your best kid and I'm proud of ya!"

Seto, taking notes, watched as Bandit continued to comfort Bluey.

So absorbed he was he didn't notice Aria come in, the woman opening her mouth before clicking it shut and quietly backing out of the room.

~MC~MC~MC~

Tea chose that moment to speak up. "So, how are you going to handle the rest of the tournament, Seto?"

"Fishing for answers now that you've been eliminated?" Seto asked. "Sorry, but I'm not giving Yugi any advantages."

'Never mind you have those advantages because you made this whole thing,' I thought to myself.

"Not that," Tea continued on, unfazed by Seto's brisk tone. "I meant how are you going to handle it with only three duelists left?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Seto asked as he went back to eating his breakfast.

I watched as the gears began to turn in Tea's head. "You mean that Ishizu is still in the tournament?"

"Of course she is," Seto replied. "She still has Obelisk the Tormentor and I won't have her slip away with it on a technicality." He narrowed his eyes, glaring at his food. "She isn't going to have it much longer though…"

"So her having a God Card allows her to kill-"

"Tea?" I said, suddenly standing up. "Help me get some muffins, would you?"

At once she came around, grabbing my arm as I laid on thick being weak. Mai shot me a look but I shook my head, getting her to begin talking to Mokuba so that he didn't go charging after me.

I waited until we were out of earshot before whispering to her, "Ishizu isn't getting kicked out for what happened to me."

"She killed you, Edwin."

"Go ask Yuri how well it will go in court if I say "Yes judge, I was stabbed… but only in my mind!" Really, I'll wait."

Tea narrowed her eyes. "Edwin, she kidnapped Yugi!"

"Again, go tell a Judge-"

"So she gets away with it?"

I shot her a flat look. "Go ask Renard exactly what happened to her while we went to enter the puzzle. Ishizu didn't get 'away' with anything. She paid her pound of flesh." I shook my head and sighed. "You can hate it all you want but with magic… well, Seto is right that it is something you can't see. So yeah... Ishizu gets away with it when it comes to remaining in this tournament."

I paused and glanced back at the table.

"Though having to spend the rest of your life looking over your shoulder, waiting for the Moon Goddess you just pissed off to finally come for her revenge? Not sure if I would want to live like that…"

Tea could only nod in agreement.

~MC~MC~MC~

"What would you do for a Klondike bar?" a voice said as a camera zoomed in on a businessman.

"Well… I don't know," the man admitted. "They do taste pretty good."

"Would you fight Exodia the Forbidden One?" the voice asked.

"The who-AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Cassie's eyes went wide as she watched the businessman get turned into a pretzel (Not literally but sometimes you had to clarify that) thanks to Exodia brutally attacking him.

Martin grimaced. "What purpose does that serve?"

"Sex sells," Cassie replied.

"…this is a monster fucking thing, isn't it?"

"Eh?" Cassie said, wiggling her hand back and forth. "Exodia falls into a gray area. He's monstrous but also could just be a really roided up guy in a mask. Its hard to decide."

"We have such lovely conversations," Sally muttered.

"Shhh!" Aria hissed. "Its starting!"

The graphics for CCN's Battle City coverage began to play and at once the Kaiba Crew quieted down.

"It started with thousands. Then went down to 16. And now the final duelists in The Elite 8 will battle it out to determine who will be moving on to the Final Four. This is: The Battle City Tournament!"

"Hey folks, I'm Marc Jeice!" the shorter announcer said with a smile.

"And I'm Scott Burter! Welcome to the final day of Round 2 of the Battle City finals. We have two scorcher of duels lined up for you to determine who will be moving on to the Final Four."

"That's right," Marc said as a graphic changed to reveal two shadowy figures. "First up we have something truly international as Marik Ishtar-" the image changed to reveal a graphic of Marik, a sneer on his face, "-taking on Brom Bones!" Across from Marik the graphic of Brom wearing his mask and standing there looking rather aloof appeared.

Scott continued on. "Marik Ishtar is the newcomer that has been getting all sorts of whispers about him since this tournament began. There have been some claiming he is connected to the Rare Hunters, a criminal organization that was responsible for many crimes in Domino during the tournament and also harassed much of the populous."

The screen switched over to show two Rare Hunters, one a tall man, the other a fat little guy, walking up to a woman. "Excuse me!" the little guy called out. "Would you like to join the Rare Hunters?"

"What are you offering?" the woman said, turning around… to reveal Aria.

The Kaiba Crew all slowly turned to stare at the young woman.

"I thought it was a club!" she complained, Martin tugging on the suspicious purple 'blanket' she had wrapped around her.

"Brom Bones, meanwhile," Marc continued, "certainly made waves during his last duel with Joey Wheeler. Not only did he defeat the best friend of the current King of Games, Yugi Muto, but he also seemed to be giving him a therapy session during the entire duel. A desire to help or a mind game? I suppose we will find out this morning as these two go head to head. Let's go over to Guldo to learn more about their decks. Guldo?"

The short man in a green suit smiled as he appeared on the screen. "Marik uses a mix of fiend monsters and aqua monsters in his deck all to help fill up his board so he can summon his signature monster, the-"

Martin, Sally, Caesar, and Aria all leapt onto Cassie, covering her ears.

"-Winged Dragon of Ra. Brom, on the other hand, uses a similar flooding strategy but makes use of his Wight Monsters to bring out the King of the Skull Servants. It will be VERY interesting to see how these two handle their duel together!"

"You know," Caesar said as he slowly got off Cassie, "it might be a good idea for you to sit this one out."

"I'll… I'll be fine," Cassie said.

Aria threw her purple 'blanket' over her head.

"ZZZZzzzzzzzzz…" Cassie murmured, instantly going to sleep.

~MC~MC~MC~

"So tell me," Marik said with a sneer as Brom shuffled his deck, "what mind games will you be playing with me? Trying to claim that my monsters represent something? Or perhaps that my choice of clothing proves some great mystery about myself?"

Brom though merely shook his head. "Nothing of the sort, Marik. Nothing of the sort. I said all I had to say last night."

"Wonder what that's supposed to mean," Tristan murmured.

The Pharaoh narrowed his eyes. 'Did Brom meet with Marik last night? Or was there a conversation we missed while we were rescuing you, Yugi?'

His partner appeared beside him. 'I don't know… but considering that Brom is a Death God-' and it was still utterly mindblowing for the young man to realize they had TWO immortals running around the blimp, '-I have a feeling whatever those two discussed wasn't pleasant.'

'Perhaps… but of the two Marik seems the most rattled.' The Pharaoh nodded at Marik whose smile had fallen at Brom's comment.

"This," Brom said, "is just a duel. Nothing more or less."

"Oh, you think that?" Marik said, taking out his Millennium Rod. At once the Pharaoh tensed while Edwin's eyes began to glow as he moved to stand in front of his friends. The Pharaoh had a feeling his own eyes had begun to light up (a new development ever since he'd truly tapped into the power of the Puzzle) as he held out his hand, bracing for what Marik was about to do. "I am afraid this will be anything but! When you face me it isn't merely a child's game… it is a battle as old as the ancients! This is no mere duel, Brom Bones… this is a Shadow Game!"

The air around them rippled and darkness began to coat the sky…

…only for Brom to wave his hand and the sun and clouds to return, the dark magic dissipating like a bit of fog blown away.

"…what?" Marik said in shock, looking down at his Millennium Rod.

"No," Brom said simply, "we aren't doing that."

Marik thrust out the Millennium Rod once again only for the magic to once more dissipate, only this time barely even getting around him before it blinked away. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Did we not already cover this in the elevator?" Brom asked simply, making the Pharaoh frown. He had referenced that once before… what was he getting at? What elevator?

"How are you doing this!?" Marik snarled, eyes narrowed and lips twisted into a sneer.

"Calling forth the Shadow Realm is done in many ways. You are merely tapping into the power of the dark god Zorc in order to do so. A divine power, yes… but only a fraction of his power, given only through the dark sacrifices made to create the items." He narrowed his eyes. "I am a God of Death. Very old… and though retired now I still hold my strength. I was there when your ancestors were still struggling to learn how to weave nets and cook their food and I watched as the great kingdoms of Egypt crumbled and fell away. Your life is but a single breath for me and when all the universe collapses onto itself I will be there to turn the sign to close and lock the doors before going to see what comes next. The Shadow Realm? It is a child's toy to me."

"The… sacrifices?" the Pharaoh asked aloud.

Brom turned to him and gave a sad smile. "I am not surprised no one told you… the Millennium Items were forged in a dark ritual that required 99 souls to be sacrificed in order to tap into what the Egyptians learned was Zorc's power. They were thrown screaming into the molten gold, their very bodies becoming part of the liquid that would become the seven Millennium Items."

The Pharaoh reached down, cradling the Millennium Puzzle. "This… was created from such an act?" He didn't truly need to eat any more, feeling no hunger save for what Yugi felt, but at that moment he felt his stomach lurch, bile begging to rush up out of his throat and spray upon the ground.

Brom nodded before glancing at Edwin. "Only his Millennium Item is purified from the taint… its power is drawn from a new source."

Marik began to laugh, reminding them all he was still there. "Oh, does that hurt you Pharaoh? To know that your precious item was forged in pain and torment of others? I told you that you were the evil one in this little tale and you didn't believe me! And now we see what you did to create your 'glorious' items!" He threw back his head and cackled at that.

'I don't believe it,' Yugi told him. 'There is no way you would do such a thing!'

'Now, perhaps,' the Pharaoh thought softly. 'But in the past? You remember how I once was, Yugi. When you first unlocked the puzzle.'

'But you said it yourself! That was you reacting to my own fears and angers, buried deep within me!'

'Yes… and why did I latch onto those emotions first, rather than your goodness and your kindness?' The Pharaoh looked down at the puzzle, staring at it intently. He'd gazed at the Puzzle so many times and yet now he desperately searched its surface, trying to see if he could spot the blood that had mixed with the metal during its forging.

"And yet for all your mocking of him you have done much to make yourself just like the Pharaoh," Brom stated as he drew his cards.

Marik's laughter died on his lips. "What did you say?"

"You are just like the Pharaoh," Brom said. "Or at least the Pharaoh as you claim him to be."

"I… am nothing like him."

"Holding yourself as higher than all. Treating those lesser than you as merely pawns to order about and even to sacrifice. Sound familiar."

"Ah," Marik said, his smile returning, "while that may be true, Death God, there is a difference." He held up a card. "I don't hide the fact that I CRAVE such destruction."

"Yes," Brom stated. "But you will not get what you seek from this duel. Your usual tricks will not work on me, Marik Ishtar. The taunts. The threats. The use of the Shadow Realm to bring pain and torment. None of them will bother me… ever. You are going to be forced to actually duel, Marik. To allow your skill to determine what happens next. Let us see how good you truly are."

'He's scared,' Yugi said, looking towards Marik. 'He's trying to hide it behind smiles and taunts but… can't you tell? He's scared.'

'I see it, Yugi,' the Pharaoh stated. 'And that concerns me. During the start of Battle City our biggest concern was Marik. Now we've entered an age of Gods walking among us… and I fear what else might be revealed.'

"Make your claims all you want, Death God, but I will show that I am mightier than you!" Marik held up a card. "I set in defense mode my Ra's Disciple! And this card allows me to summon two more Ra's Disciples directly from my deck!"

"Oh, that isn't good!" Tea proclaimed. "With that Marik has enough monsters to tribute summon Ra next turn!"

"That's assuming he has it in his hand," Tristan pointed out. "And even if he does all three have to survive until the next turn."

"Right… yeah, I guess that's true," Tea said with a nod.

'And it will be hard for Marik to have that happen,' Yugi thought. 'The Ra's Disciple aren't overly strong… and we saw from Joey's duel that Brom is able to quickly flood his graveyard with Wights to power up his King of the Skull Servants.'

'Indeed, Yugi,' the Pharaoh responded. 'And that was only a fraction of his deck's power. I don't believe Brom is one who would rely upon a single monster to win him the duel… there are other beasts hidden within his deck that he will bring to bear against Marik.'

Marik ended his turn after that, allowing Brom to make his move. "I start by summoning my Wightprincess." On the field the little girl skeleton appeared, looking at Marik before covering her mouth and giggling. "And when she is summoned I can send a Wightprince from my deck to the graveyard… and when I do that I can then, in turn, send a Lady in Wight and a Skull Servant from my deck to the graveyard."

'He's already loaded up his graveyard!' Yugi exclaimed. 'If he summons the King of the Skull Servants it will be as strong as the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!'

Brom casually tapped on his duel disc. "And next I will have my Wightprincess attack and destroy one of your Ra's Disciples." The little skeleton girl let out a giggle before skipping over to the robed monster, looking up at him for just a moment before she kicked him hard in the shin. At once the Ra's Disciple let out a groan of pain and fell to his knees, allowing the Wightprincess to grabbed his head and slam in against her own, shattering his headdress. After a moment the monster shattered into pieces, the Wightprincess waving goodbye before skipping back to her side of the field. "And I end my turn."

Marik glowered as he drew his next card. "You think you are cunning doing that? Loading up your graveyard with your bony little pets? Well, I am afraid it will do little to help you! For within my deck is the immortal phoenix of the gods and when the Winged Dragon of Ra is unleashed upon you even Death itself will cower before its might!" He set a single monster on his side of the field in facedown defense mode and ended his turn.

'Marik seems sure that his god card can defeat Brom,' Yugi thought.

'The God Cards are powerful, Yugi,' the Pharaoh reminded him.

'But we showed against Strings that they can be defeated,' Yugi pointed out. 'We were able to defeat Slifer the Sky Dragon, claiming it as our own.'

'That is true… but can we truly claim we defeated it?'

'What do you mean?'

'We found a way to defeat Strings… but Slifer remained on the field for the entire duel. All we did was prevent its attack. Perhaps Brom means to do the same thing but the power of the Egyptian God Cards… they are a force that only the most skilled of duelists have a hope of surviving for a single turn. I do hope that Brom is able to stand against the might of Ra… but I have my concerns.'

The simple fact of the matter was that as much as the Pharaoh hoped that Brom could defeat Marik he wondered what it would mean. Marik, even with the Millennium Rod, was still a mortal man. Brom… was a god.

What would happen if a god claimed the power of a God Card?

~MC~MC~MC~

'This fool believes that he has the right to face me!' Marik thought, outraged as he watched Brom finish his turn. 'I don't care if he is a Death God or merely a delusional man believing he comes from the heavens… he has no right to think himself greater than me! I am Marik Ishtar, the man destined to defeat the Pharaoh and claim his power as my own! And with that power I will make the world tremble and suffer under my might! If this fool believes that he can stand in my way then it is up to me to show him the error of his ways!'

Drawing his next card Marik smirked.

"This will work quite nicely later on!" He said as he set his Guardian Slime monster in facedown defense mode. 'He will have a hard time with this monster. It will allow me to build up my side of the field, preparing for the moment when I unleash the Winged Dragon of Ra against him!'

Brom though merely drew his next card, setting a monster of his own in downface defense position before attacking another of the Ra's Disciples, shattering it and sending it to the graveyard. Marik glowered at that… another monster that would help him bring out his Egyptian God Card had been destroyed! Did Brom not have the decency to curl up in a corner and die?

Marik growled as he drew his next card… only for his glower to turn into a dark smirk. "HA!" He declared triumphantly. "The card I need to end you!" He flipped it around for Brom to see. "The spell card Ancient Chant, which allows me to add one Winged Dragon of Ra directly from my deck to my hand!"

"Oh no!" the Pharaoh insipid little lickspit Tea Gardner cried out, pressing her hands to her mouth. "That means Marik just needs to add another monster to his side of the field and he can summon Ra!"

"Do you see now the danger you are in?" Marik taunted. "While I only have two monsters on my side of the field now my next turn I will bring forth the final one needed in order to summon the Winged Dragon of Ra! It will reduce your monsters to dust and then do the same thing to you! You will be left as little more than a forgotten relic, remembered only by those that look back to see how I became the ruler of this world! And there is nothing you can do to stop me!" He threw back his head and laughed manically at that, arms held out at his sides as he cackled at the heavens for believing they could ever match him!

Brom though merely tilted his head at that. He showed no fear, or false bravado, or any other emotion other than aloofness.

"Well?" Marik demanded, when he saw that Brom wasn't reacting to his doom. "Do you not understand the danger you are in? Do you not comprehend how hopeless your fate has become? There is no chance for you to win!"

"Perhaps," Brom said quietly. "Though I find it concerning that you have made so much of your sense of self be wrapped around the notion that you must always win. It is all or nothing. If there is no victory than nothing else matters."

"Nothing does matter because my victory is assured!" Marik snapped back at him. "I hold the might of the Winged Dragon of Ra! I claimed it and made it my own and now with it I will destroy you!"

Brom merely murmured to himself, turning away from him to look off to the side, speaking in a low soft voice. "I'm sorry… I truly am… that you have to see this…"

"See what?" Marik demanded. "Your failure?"

Brom though shook his head. "I wasn't speaking to you." He squared his shoulders. "Right then. I summon the King of the Skull Servants in attack mode."

Marik watched, unbothered, as on the field a great mound of bones burst from the earth, rising up until they allowed to come forth the Lord of the Wights. The King of the Skull Servants was nothing more than a skeleton draped in tattered purple robes; it was honestly pathetic in Marik's opinion and he had no problem letting everyone know his thoughts.

"This is your final grasp at trying to defeat me?" Marik asked. "This pile of bones? Do you think I tremble at the sight of it? The Winged Dragon of Ra awaits in my hand and when I summon it next turn it will burn away even your King of the Skull Servants, leaving it, and your hopes of victory, in ashes!"

"Yes," Brom stated, "the Winged Dragon of Ra… in your hand."

And with that he pulled a single card from his hand.

"You really shouldn't have told me that."

He flipped the card around for everyone to see.

"No way!" the Pharaoh's little whore exclaimed.

"That card?" Chaos' bitch said in shock.

"Oh this just got good!" Chaos replied with a smile.

Marik though could only stare at the card in horror.

"No… no, you can't!" he declared.

"I can," Brom stated. "You speak of the inevitable. Of what is set in stone. Of what is known and can never be fought. But the Winged Dragon of Ra is not inevitable. Your victory isn't either. For all, be they mortal or god, there is only one thing that will eventually come for us all: Death."

His eyes began to glow.

"Card… Destruction," he said slowly as he set the card on the field.

"NO!" Marik roared. "You can't!" he looked desperately at his field and his hand, trying to find some way out of the situation. 'There has to be a card here that can prevent Card Destruction from activating! A way to negate it or…'

Brom merely shook his head. "I can. And I have. Your entire deck is built around getting the Winged Dragon of Ra out because you see it as all powerful. That there is no way for you to lose once it is on the field. But that means you are rather limited when it comes to ways to stop your opponent, be that negating spells and traps… or having monsters that can defeat me." His eyes glowed all the harsher. "So either send your hand to the graveyard… or forfeit the duel."

"Never," Marik snarled. "I will never forfeit to the likes of you!"

"Then accept that you can't save your hand."

Marik grit his teeth before letting out a screech of protest, placing his entire hand in the graveyard at last. Even as new cards shot out of his duel disc he swore he could hear the Winged Dragon of Ra letting out a mournful roar, the beast's cries growing fainter and fainter as it disappeared into the card graveyard. 'Curse you Brom Bones! Because of their targeting immunity even if I manage to resurrect the Winged Dragon of Ra using Monster Reborn it will only be able to remain on the field for a single turn! And if you are able to put all your monsters in defense mode before I attack it will mean nothing!'

"And because I sent my hand to the graveyard I have added two more Wights to the pile of bones, increasing my King of the Skull Servant's attack to 5000."

Marik could only watch as the pile grew larger, allowing the King of the Skull Servants to loom over him. He could hear the Pharaoh and his friends saying that he was done for and he clenched his jaw tight.

'I will not lose here!' he thundered in his own mind. 'I refuse to lose here! I will overcome you, Brom Bones, and when I do the world will know me as Marik, the Slayer of Death!'