Once again, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of its spin-offs. If I did, Atticus and Yasmin would have been reunited to at least talk. I don't know if it would overall work out, but they would have at least met again.
Chapter Eleven: The Shroud of Night
Mana breathed in the smell of the fresh air, avoiding the puddles from the previous night's thunderstorm. She didn't know what it was, but she loved being outside after a good rain. Today's going to be a good day.
She walked into the classroom to see Jaden preparing his next get-away-with-sleeping-in-class strategy. He drew and colored a face on a sheet of paper and attached it to the top of his head. Now if he put his face down into his desk, an awake and alert face greeted the professors. Mana bit her fist to keep from laughing out loud. Man, he's good. A devious smile spread across her face. I should plan something to mess with him, just a little bit. Or at least enough to make him consider staying awake in class. Mana began working out different possibilities.
She finished doodling a dual air horn as Professor Banner's class finished. As if he knew exactly when their lunch break was without an alarm clock, Jaden woke up and took his lunch out to eat, unashamed of sleeping in class. Jaden's lunch break was put on hold though. Chancellor Sheppard requested Jaden, Mana, Chazz, Bastion, and Alexis. Oh, what'd we do? Mana did not want to go to Sheppard's office again. The only good visit she had was when Atem took her for a dorm transfer. The last time was when she rigged a bucket of water to fall on a couple of Obelisks who'd been bullying some Slifers. Though Sheppard still couldn't figure out how she managed to get it on the rafters of the Obelisk Arena or time it so perfectly. Her levitation spell was finally starting to work. Her hysterical laughing and slip of the tongue were what got her caught when she watched from the doorway. I can see me or Jaden getting busted, but what about the others? I know Bastion and Alexis wouldn't pull anything.
Banner escorted the students there. Mana's confusion increased when she saw Zane, Atem, and Dr. Crowler waiting outside the office as well. "Mana, please tell me you didn't pull one of your pranks and then blame me," Atem sighed.
"No, I didn't!" Mana denied her brother's accusation. "At least not in the last two weeks. And I only said you let me into the Obelisk Arena. I never said you helped me with that bucket."
"Yes, and I'm pretty sure I know how you did it too," Atem rolled his eyes at his sister. Mana stuck her tongue out at him before they went into the office.
"Ah, yes, everyone is here," Sheppard greeted them solemnly. "I know you'll probably confused, and I know what I'm about to tell you may confuse you more. But believe me, I wouldn't be telling you this if it wasn't important."
"We're listening, Chancellor," Atem said.
"Yes, you see, there were three immensely powerful cards created," Sheppard faced the window as he spoke, as if looking out at the landscape made his explanation easier. "Cards so powerful, legends say if these Sacred Beasts ever saw the light of day, terrible things will happen. Buildings will crumble; light will fade; souls will fall. Our world would be no more. So this school was built in part to protect these cards, sealing them underneath this very building."
"You'd think Pegasus would've learned his lesson with the Egyptian God Cards," Mana interrupted. Atem elbowed her.
"So where are these cards?" Jaden asked. "I say we take them out for a spin!"
"Haven't you been listening?" Crowler yelled at the Slifer.
"Does Seto Kaiba know about this?" Atem asked. "He does pay for the school, and I have a hard time imagining him going along with keeping three cards hidden under the school."
"No, he does not," Sheppard answered his question. "There is a level of authority between me and Mr. Kaiba—the school's superintendent, Kagemaru. Due to health reasons, Kagemaru is unable to be here full time, so the day-to-day responsibilities fall to me. Kagemaru was the one who insisted on the cards being sealed here and not telling Mr. Kaiba. Seto Kaiba is a known skeptic when it comes to things like this, and until now there was no reason for anyone else to know.
"Until now?" Mana asked.
"That is why the nine of you are here," Sheppard explained, "to protect these three cards from the wicked ones."
"The wicked ones?" Zane echoed.
Sheppard nodded. "Seven duelists known as the Shadow Riders who covet these cards, and I'm afraid one of them is already here. He arrived in the thick of last night's storm."
Mana sighed as the good day she hoped for dropped like a weather balloon. "So what do we do?" she asked. "Wouldn't this be a good time to tell Seto Kaiba? He's more open-minded than you think. Or maybe other people who have dealt with situations like this? "
Sheppard shook his head. "If we call in outside duelists to protect the Spirit Gates, it'll draw unwanted attention. Part of the reason the Sacred Beasts were sealed here was because no one would think to look here, and there would be capable duelists to defend them should the need arise. We don't need panic from the other students or bad publicity from the outside world. I believe your father was about your age when he first fought a battle like this."
His last sentence shut Mana up. I guess Dad was once in the same boat, wondering if someone more qualified should be in his place. He didn't even want to duel Uncle Seto that first time; Uncle Joey and the others pushed him into doing it.
Sheppard took out a small box from his desk. "To protect the Sacred Beasts, you must protect the eight Spirit Gates. In order to get to the cards, the Gates must be unlocked. To do this one must gain the eight Spirit Keys for each Gate. That is how we'll protect the cards. By protecting the Keys, and here they are." He opened the box with eight oddly shaped trinkets. "Lyman, I want you to help guide them through these battles. The rest of you will each hold a Key." (1)
"But won't that make us targets?" Bastion asked.
"Yes," Sheppard answered. "With these keeps, the Shadow Riders will seek you out."
"Don't you mean take us out?" Chazz countered.
"Not necessarily," Sheppard continued. "The Keys can't simply be stolen. An ancient edict commands the Keys must be one in a duel. So I've called on the school's eight best to accept this challenge and fight the good fight." He cleared his throat and paused to let the information sink in "Of course, if any of you don't think you're up to it and feel like backing out, I won't blame you. After all, these Shadow Riders play for keeps. So who feels like saving the world?"
"I'm in," Atem answered him, "You said it yourself, Chancellor, our dad was our age when he started facing Shadow Games. Now it's our turn."
"What he said," Mana echoed her brother. They each took a key and placed it around their necks.
"Count me in!" Jaden grinned and grabbed a key, placing it alongside the Gravekeeper's medallion. "How 'bout that? It's my size."
"I too accept," Zane took a key. Everyone else followed suite; nobody turned down the chancellor's request.
Then came the bickering between who should duel the Shadow Riders first. Jaden claimed he should because he was the best duelist, which started a fight with Crowler who mocked the Slifer for his loss to Zane.
"Hold on!" Atem yelled over the arguing. "When the Shadow Riders will come for us, they'll choose who they'll challenge. It'll be more opportunity and chance than anything else. They might go by who they think is the strongest, or they might go for who they think is the weakest."
"Of course, there are merits to both strategies," Bastion tapped his chin as he thought. "If they take out the strongest one first, it devastates the rest of us, making it easier to defeat everyone. If they start with the weakest, they can whittle down the team until the strongest is alone, making victory that much easier."
"So I say we identify who they might perceive as the strongest and weakest," Atem suggested. "I'm not going to argue over who actually is because we each have our own strengths and weaknesses. But the Shadow Riders don't know us. They're just going to see seven students and a teacher." He looked at his fellow Key guardians. "Based on the school's dorm and uniform system, I think we can presume they'll anticipate me, Zane, Dr. Crowler, or Alexis to be the strongest. By that logic they'll predict Jaden or Mana to be the weakest." Atem turned his attention to the other two. "Chazz, you never wear your uniform, so you might be a wild card to them, and as a Ra, Bastion's right in the middle."
"So that's a generalized prediction," Mana said. "But they may have done their homework too. The School Duel was broadcast around the world; there's a chance at least one of them saw it. With that, they could know what level Chazz and I are on, and what kind of decks we use."
"But arrogant bad guys always assume they're more powerful," Atem smirked. "I think we can count that in our favor, especially depending on who they target first."
"You might make yourself a target based on your hair," Zane smirked back at him. "They might see that pointy hair of yours and decide to take out a Muto."
"You had to make fun my hair, didn't you, Zane?" Atem rolled his eyes at his friend.
"I'm surprised your sister didn't," Zane gave the barest of smiles. Mana snorted. She didn't expect Zane of all people to poke fun at the situation.
"In all seriousness," Atem held the group's attention again, "we may also want to keep an eye on those closest to us. Dad told us about a time when his best friend was put under a spell and forced to duel him. Dad held the Millennium Puzzle at the time, and its power could only be taken if he lost a duel. In the wrong hands that power would put the world in danger. So the person after the Puzzle forced Dad and my uncle Joey to duel where the loser would drown. Dad had to choose to either protect the world or save his best friend. Fortunately, Uncle Joey broke free of the spell, and they were able to stop the duel. My point is, let's not have to come to that choice. Protect those for whom you'd throw a duel to save, because they are the ones the Shadow Riders will target to hurt you."
With that, everyone went to prepare for the upcoming battle. After dinner Mana and Jaden told Syrus and Chumley about the Shadow Riders and Spirit Keys. Jaden was excited to face the oncoming danger, but the others pushed for more caution. "Remember what happened with the Gravekeepers," Mana warned him. "They'll play for keeps."
"It'll be fine," Jaden brushed off their concerns. "And until then, I'm going to hit the hay."
"Jaden, this isn't school!" Mana chastised her friend. "It's one thing to sleep through class, but this isn't Professor Banner's Alchemy. This is real. And if don't take it seriously, you could end up in the Shadow Realm or worse."
"Where did this serious Mana come from?" Jaden asked.
"From my parents' stories," she answered. "Look, I told you my parents dealt with Shadow Games, but they didn't come out of them unscathed." She hesitated. "About a month before the KaibaCorp Grand Championship, my parents and their friends fought against a power called the Orichalcos. Those working under its power used a field spell called the Seal of Orichalcos, and when it was played the loser of the duel had their soul sealed away. Due to a mistake the Pharaoh made, Dad's soul was taken by the Seal, and the Pharaoh's guilt nearly swallowed him. The idea that something like that could happen here, to us, freaks me out."
"But your dad was saved," Jaden pointed out. "Everything turned out all right, or was that walking ghost we met at the School Duel?"
"Very funny, but yes, he was saved," Mana said. "But it's not always that way. I know I go to the story about Pharaoh Atem versus Zorc a lot, but so many died in that fight. There was no coming back for them. Ultimately, the only ones left in the court were Mana, Isis, and Seto. (2) Every other person who had a Millennium Item was gone. Shadow Games are for keeps, so please, don't be reckless about this."
"Hey," Jaden put his hand on her shoulder and met her eyes, "that's not going to happen. We'll beat whatever they throw at us. So relax; there's nothing we can do until they challenge one of us."
Before she could answer, a bright light filled the room, and Jaden's medallion began to glow. Mana barely registered Alexis running into the room before the light blinded her.
ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ
When the light faded, Alexis, Jaden, and Mana stood on a white platform about fifteen feet over the lava in the island's volcano. As they tried to get their bearings, a dragon of fire flew from the volcano and crashed onto the opposite side of the platform. From the flames walked a guy all dressed in a long black coat and black pants. He had long brown hair, and his face was covered by a black mask with a red gem in the center of the forehead.
"What's going on?" Jaden asked.
"You mean you don't know?" the guy asked. Alexis could swear she knew his voice. But how could that be? No one she knew would want to endanger the world.
"Call me a slow learner," Jaden frowned at the guy.
"And call me Nightshroud."
"You're a Shadow Rider," Mana accused him.
"I'm glad someone figured it out," Nightshroud sneered at them. "I'll be the one taking that Key you have around your neck." Something on Nightshroud's chest glowed, and Alexis recognized the similarities with Jaden's medallion, which was also glowing. It must be the other half. "The Gravekeeper must be getting sloppy." The Shadow Rider smirked at them. "But if you think you'll be able to beat me as easily as you beat him, you have another thing coming. I'll get that Key, and I'll get it now. And just to be sure of that, I brought friends."
Alexis gasped as Nightshroud pointed to his insurance policy. Right by the lava, Syrus and Chumley were trapped in a bubble on a small rock. The bubble was held by three formations resembling a claw coming from the rock. Atem was right. This Shadow Rider did go after our friends. "Hold on!" she called to them.
"Looks like they're in hot water," Nightshroud grinned at them. "Or should I say hot molten lava? But then, such is the nature of a Shadow Game, Key-keeper."
"Jaden, I hate to say 'I told you so,' but. . ." Mana kept her eyes on their trapped friends.
"Listen, just duel me!" Jaden challenged the Shadow Rider. "Let them go!"
"I don't think so," Nightshroud denied Jaden. "I need them to insure a speedy match. Let's just say that protection orb around them isn't built to last." He held up a plain black card. "One more thing, also at stake in this duel is your soul, which will be sealed in this card when you lose. Of course, if I lose, then my soul will be sealed. But let's be honest with ourselves. Me, lose? There's no way. So shall we?"
"Take him down, Jaden," Mana encouraged her friend. "You focus on winning the duel. Leave Syrus and Chumley to me. And be safe."
"What are you going to do?" he asked.
"Just trust me," Mana turned to Alexis. "Alexis, whatever happens, don't let my concentration be broken."
"By what?" the Obelisk couldn't tell what her Slifer classmates were thinking. This whole situation was too dangerous. "Jaden, you can't agree to this match!"
"Tell that to Syrus and Chumley," Jaden answered her. "They're about to become meatballs in lava stew, and I'm not going to let them down. Besides, it's not like this is my first Shadow Game. I'm just hoping it doesn't hurt as bad as before."
"Prepare for it to hurt worse," Mana said. "I don't think this guy is as sympathetic as the Chief."
Jaden nodded and activated his duel disk. "Get your game on!"
"All right, partner, I may your help for this," Alexis heard Mana mutter. "That fire dragon roaming around is going to make things difficult." What is she planning? How is she going to get the guys free, not to mention away from that lava? Alexis's eyes moved back and forth between what the brunette doing and the duel.
Nightshroud started with his Troop Dragon (700/800) in defense mode and set a card. Jaden summoned Wildheart (1500/1600) and ordered the Hero to attack the Dragon, slicing the hologram to pieces. Troop Dragon's effect activated, allowing Nightshroud to summon another Troop Dragon from his deck. The Shadow Rider drew his card and activated his face-down card: Call of the Haunted. He resurrected the first Troop Dragon, and then he tributed both of them for Red-Eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000). The fire dragon crashed into the platform again, revealing the Red-Eyes.
"That's Uncle Joey's favorite monster," Mana whispered, holding a blue staff in her hand.
Wait, where did that come from? "Mana, what were you supposed to concentrate on?" Alexis asked her friend, keeping her eyes on the duel.
"Right," Mana turned to face Syrus and Chumley.
Nightshroud attacked Wildheart, dropping Jaden's LifePoints down to 3100. The force of the attack pushed him back to Alexis. "Jaden!" she called her friend's name. This was wrong. "Are you okay?"
"That hurt," Jaden grimaced.
"Yes, and it will only get worse from here," Nightshroud sneered at them. "Now hurry up and make your move! I've got a Doomsday to start."
Why does his voice sound so familiar? Alexis couldn't shake the feeling she knew Nightshroud from somewhere. If she could just see behind that mask, she could answer all her questions. But that wasn't going to happen any time soon. At least, not until Jaden defeated him, presuming he could get past Red-Eyes.
Alexis looked to see what Mana was doing. The brunette held the blue staff in front of her, pointing the golden sphere at the end towards the guys. She chanted something Alexis couldn't understand, and blue bubble the guys were in shifted to pink. Did she do that? What does it even mean? "So what's my next step?" Mana whispered to herself.
"I play the spell Polymerization!" Jaden's comeback drew Alexis's attention back to the duel. He fused Clayman and Burstinatrix to form his Rampart Blaster (2000/2500). Rampart Blaster's effect let him damage Nightshroud with half of her attack points while she was in defense mode.
Jaden's defense didn't faze the Shadow Rider. He played Inferno Fire Blast, a spell that inflicted Red-Eyes Black Dragon's attack points as damage to Jaden, dropping the Slifer down to 700 LifePoints. Then Nightshroud summoned Attachment Dragon (100/100). The little blue dragon equipped itself to Rampart Blaster and switched her into attack mode.
Alexis could tell Jaden was struggling to keep standing as he drew his card. He played Pot of Greed for two more cards, and then he activated De-Fusion to separate Rampart Blaster back into Clayman (800/2000) and Burstinatrix (1200/800), which sent Attachment Dragon to the graveyard. Then the Slifer played Fusion Sage to add Polymerization from his deck to his hand. He used his new fusion spell to combine Clayman and Sparkman into Thunder Giant. Jaden sent Thunder Giant in for a double knock-out attack, and Thunder Giant and Red-Eyes destroyed each other. Once the field was clear, Burstinatrix went in for the direct attack, dropping Nightshroud's LifePoints to 1800. Jaden finished his turn by activating Mirage of Nightmare and setting a card.
Nightshroud made his draw, and Mirage's effect activated. Jaden drew four cards, and then he activated Emergency Provisions to destroy Mirage and gain 1000 LifePoints. And now Mirage's discard effect is no longer in play. Alexis grinned at Jaden's combo. Nightshroud scoffed at Jaden's play and summoned Mirage Dragon (1600/600). Mirage Dragon attacked Burstinatrix, dropping Jaden's LifePoints to 1300. Jaden dropped to his knees, but he pushed himself back up.
An explosion drew everyone's attention. Alexis saw Mana hold her left pointer finger to her temple and point the staff at the bubble. The end of the staff glowed, and a pink fireball left it and slammed into one of the claw formations, shattering it. Only one remained, but it was soon destroyed by another fireball. Mana dropped to her knees panting, still holding her finger to her temple. "This is harder than I thought," she muttered.
"What do you think you're doing?" Nightshroud yelled at her. "That formation has been keeping the orb in place!"
"That's why I got rid of it," Mana panted, her eyes still on her two trapped friends. "I'm not letting you use them as hostages!"
"Stupid Magician!" he yelled. "What do you plan to do now? Hold them there yourself?"
"Nope," Mana grinned. "I just hope my bucket prank pays off now."
Bucket prank? Alexis remembered when Mana got caught pranking some Obelisks in the duel arena a few weeks ago, but no had figured out how she had gotten the bucket up to the rafters. Did that have something to do with what she was doing now? What was she even doing now?
"Jaden, keep dueling," Mana told her friend. "Teach this guy not to mess with our friends."
"You got it," Jaden nodded to her and drew his card. He summoned Bubbleman (800/1200), and since Bubbleman was the only card on his field, Jaden got two more cards from his deck. Then he activated Silent Doom to resurrect Sparkman in defense mode. Alexis could see where Jaden was heading with his combo as he played his Fusion Gate field spell, allowing him to fuse monsters without Polymerization, but the materials were removed from play. Jaden used Fusion Gate to combine Bubbleman, Sparkman, and Avian into Elemental Hero Tempest (2800/2800). Tempest blasted through Mirage Dragon, and Nightshroud's LifePoints fell to 600. Jaden finally took the lead in LifePoints. He ended his turn with a face-down card.
"Whoa!"
Alexis turned to see the orb Syrus and Chumley were in start floating upward. Mana held the staff pointed at the bubble, and it slowly followed her movements. It's almost like that staff is a magic wand. Unless that's exactly what it is! If Mana could actually use magic, then that gave them a way to fight back against the Shadow Riders tricks. Or at least Alexis hoped it did. But why didn't Mana say anything about it?
Meanwhile Nightshroud summoned his Red-Eyes Black Chick (800/500). Then he used its effect to sacrifice it for Red-Eyes Black Dragon. Once he had the Black Dragon back on his field, he tributed it to summon Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon (2400/2000). The Darkness Dragon received 300 attack points for every dragon in Nightshroud's graveyard, bringing its total to 4500. Nightshroud ordered his Dragon to attack Tempest, but Jaden activated Negate Attack, saving him for the turn.
Jaden drew and summoned Wroughtweiler (800/1200) in defense mode, and he switched Tempest into defense mode as well.
Nightshroud summoned Spear Dragon (1900/0) in attack mode. Spear Dragon destroyed Wroughtweiler and inflicted piercing damage, dropping Jaden's LifePoints to 600. The Slifer fell to his knees, wincing in pain as he retrieved Polymerization and Wildheart from his graveyard. Nightshroud then played the quick-play spell Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Fusion Gate so Tempest couldn't protect himself with his effect. Darkness Dragon then swooped into to destroy the Elemental Hero. Jaden collapsed as Tempest was destroyed.
"Enough!" Alexis yelled at the Shadow Rider. No more standing around while her friends were in danger. "This duel is over!"
"Says who?" Nightshroud sneered at her.
"Says me," she held up her Spirit Key for him to see. "I have a Spirit Key too. Let my friends go, and I'll let you duel me for it and have my soul either way." And then maybe I'll find out why he seems so familiar to me. "You can't lose either way, so let my friends go!"
"Ow!" Mana went sprawling as the orb with Syrus and Chumley crashed into her. The bubble popped with the impact leaving the two guys piled in a heap. "That was way harder than a water bucket." Mana said as she sat up. "Actually, I think I'm going to take five." She flopped back down on her back.
Way to ruin the moment, Mana. Alexis stood in front of her friends, relieved that at least Syrus and Chumley were safe. "So what do you say, Shadow Rider?" she pushed her challenge on Jaden's opponent.
"No way, Alexis," Jaden pulled himself to his feet. "Besides, now that the guys are okay, I got nothing to worry about with this guy. And I'm just about to win this anyway." He smirked at her.
"If you're sure," Alexis relented. She helped the guys up and went to do the same for Mana. "You okay?" she asked the Slifer girl.
"Yeah, just give me a few minutes," Mana replied, still sprawled out on the platform. She didn't even open her eyes as she answered Alexis.
"If you say so," Alexis turned her attention back to Jaden's move. She hoped he could pull off a winning move in this turn, because Nightshroud would finish him if he didn't.
Jaden summoned Wildheart (1500/1600) in attack mode and then activated the spell Wild Half. The spell cut Darkness Dragon's original attack points in half and summoned a duplicate token to Nightshroud's field, but the token had the same effect as the original, so each dragon had 3300 attack points. Then Jaden played Polymerization to fuse Wildheart and Bladedge to form Elemental Hero Wildedge (2600/2300). Wildedge had the power to attack all of Nightshroud's monsters, and with the field spell Skyscraper, he had more than enough attack points to wipe out the Darkness Dragons and the rest of Nightshroud's LifePoints.
"All right, Jaden!" Alexis cheered for her friend. She never should have doubted him.
"That's game," Jaden did his victory salute to his opponent, and the monsters faded from the area. Lava erupted all around them as Nightshroud screamed, and Jaden collapsed. Alexis ran to him, but fire surrounded her before she could reach him. She shielded her eyes from the blaze of fire and prepared for the worst.
ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ
Atem ran as fast as he could, following Black Luster Soldier. He knew someone had faced the Shadow Rider on the island, and he knew his sister was involved. As soon as his Spirit Key had started humming, he asked Black Luster Soldier to find the source. His Ka sensed a Shadow Game being played at the volcano.
He reached the base of the mountain and found Alexis, Syrus, and Chumley. "Are you guys okay?" he asked them.
"We're alive," Chumley answered.
"But where's Jaden?" Alexis asked.
"And Mana?" Syrus added.
Atem looked around the area. "Over there!" he pointed to three figures lying on the ground. He recognized the two closest ones as Mana and Jaden. The third he presumed was the Shadow Rider. What is it with bad guys and long black jackets? Atem ran to his sister. "Hey, Mana?" he shook her gently, but she got no answer. Then he noticed her wand next to her. She must have overdone her magic. He looked to the others checking on Jaden. "What exactly happened?"
"Long story short, Jaden dueled the Shadow Rider, and the loser's soul was supposed to be sealed in a card," Alexis explained. She picked up lying next to Jaden and looked at it. "It looks like it worked, since this looks like Nightshroud's mask." She handed the card to Atem. "At least we'll be safe from him now.
I think that one's out of Pegasus's book. Atem frowned as he looked at the card. It had a picture of a black mask with chains around it. "How is Jaden?"
"He's alive," Alexis answered, though Syrus still seemed to be freaking out. "I think he's exhausted from the duel. What about Mana?"
"The same," he said. Alexis walked over to the fallen Shadow Rider. She gasped when she saw his face. "What is it?" Atem asked.
"It can't be!" Alexis remained focused on the duelist's face.
Atem heard footsteps running and turned to see Zane, Bastion, and Chazz come running. As Syrus and Chumley explained what happened, the three newcomers helped take care of their fallen friends. Zane helped Atem lift Mana onto his back and took her wand, and they went to see what had Alexis so rattled. She held the fallen Shadow Rider with tears streaming down her face. "It's him," she sobbed to them. "I don't know how, but it's him!" Atem froze when he saw the Shadow Rider's face. Zane recognized him at the same time. Atticus? But how? Alexis held her brother tighter. "I thought I'd lost him forever, but he's back. He finally back!"
He looked at the card Alexis had handed him, the one she said held the loser's soul. It was only a mask, with no face behind it at all. Is it like what happened with Bakura? Could another soul have been controlling him?
The sun started to rise as the others came to see what the three Obelisks had been talking about. Alexis believed the card absorbed whatever darkness was controlling her brother, and Atem worried about what dangers the next Shadow Rider would bring. Already the first one had put two of the group out of commission, and that was supposed to be a victory for them. What would happen if they lose?
1. I figure since Kagemaru was secretly a Shadow Rider, the total is technically 8, so why not have 8 gates? Also since Banner's playing both teams, I didn't want to give him a Key.
2. At the end of the manga when Seto was crowned Pharaoh, Mana and Isis can be seen among the Millennium Item bearers. So those are the only three that actually survived the battle with Zorc.
Thanks for reading!