Responses to Reviews

Thank you to HunterHQ, CREED6, ZarcEternal, Shrouded Absol, KitsuG57, pokemonking024, Noobmaster, Anonymous, Jason, Big duels, D3lph0xL0v3r, SakushiRyu, Unnamed, blizzardblaze174, Ambiguous, LazinessRule, Ethan Kironus, Unknowedz, and Guest for reviewing Chapter 72.

HunterHQ: I meant that Zahhak would have lost Cypher, the Cyberse Trinity, and most likely Bohman's data. Ouroboros needed those. And I'll finish this chapter and 74 before returning to Fifth Circuit.

blizzardblaze174: "The greatest user" was supposed to be Dr. Weissmann, but I'm not sure if I conveyed that aptly.

LazinessRules: I'll return to Fifth Circuit after Chapter 74. Not before. Be patient.

Ethan Kironus: By "canon card" I assume you mean Arrow Break? Because Unyielding Bonds is certainly not a canon card.

Guest: Dr. Hirai really was friends with Dr. Kogami; he wasn't just a spy. But he was a complex man with complex motivations.

Before we get going, I want to talk about the timetable of this chapter. The first scene takes place right after Chapter 72. The rest of the chapter, however, takes place about a week after and over the course of a week. Going back to Chapter 60, this chapter takes place in mid-October. The next chapter, Chapter 74, will take place the week of Christmas. From there on, the story will take place on certain days, and each chapter will have a reminder of which day it is.

With that out of the way, please enjoy Chapter 73. There's no duels, but there's plenty of character moments!

Chapter 73: I Will Remember You

In a black landscape, Morningstar and Zahhak stand back-to-back. The two walk away from each, Morningstar's eyes closed. His eyes then open and they both spin around, right arms raised. Their fists connect, generating a flash of light. When the light fades, Mirror LINK VRAINS is shown, with the title "Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Hidden Memories" overlaying it.

Yasutake, Sachi, and Masako are shown on one side of a picnic table, across from Yusaku, Takeru, and Aoi. Takeru talks animatedly and Masako laughs heartedly while the others lightly smile. At a nearby table, Cam and Emily are sitting and chatting with a standing Kusanagi, coffee and hotdogs in front of them. Back at the first table, Masako whispers in Sachi's ear while smirking, making the other girl blush as Yasutake and Aoi give her flat glares.

Kengo Dojun is standing in front of a grave that he places flowers on. Emma is off in the distance, holding her own flowers and watching with a frown. Yukaro is shown slumped over a hospital bed, his head in his hands and a wild look in his eyes. Akira is watching a monitor, his hands steepled and concern in his eyes. The monitor shows Go Onizuka strapped to a chair and performing an exercise. Hayami looks over Akira's shoulder nervously while Queen watches smugly in the background.

Takeshi and Katsumi appear standing outside an arcade, talking amicably with each other. Shizuka walks past them, listening to music on her headphones. She briefly stops and turns her head to look at them out of the corner of her eye, then turns and continues walking. At a nearby table, Kenshin, Ryoken, and Spectre are shown drinking coffee. Ryoken then smirks and raises his left hand. He snaps his fingers.

Morningstar and Playmaker appear, back-to-back, with Cyspirit Rapid Revolutionary and Decode Talker appearing behind them. They then spiral downward and are replaced by Cassiel and Soulburner, who have Cyseraph Blazing Uriel and Salamangreat Heatleo behind them. Heatleo fills the screen with orange flames, and when they dissipate, Blue Maiden and Lilith appear, Marincess Marbled Rock and Magical Musket Mastermind Ottokar behind them. They are then replaced by Galahad and Persephone, Black Luster Soldier – Soldier of Chaos and Malacoda, Netherlord of the Burning Abyss behind them.

The screen cuts to the interior of a palace, where Bohman sits cross legged, his eyes closed. His eyes open and glow. Windy is then shown, wearing a cape and eyepatch, riding Stormridership Bahamut Bomber through Mirror LINK VRAINS. Far below him, in a field of flowers, Jin Kusanagi stands with Lightning as the Ignis raises his hand, a legion of Armatos Legio Centurions and Decurions forming behind him, with Armatos Legio Magnus Dux in the center. The screen pans to show Diana and Goldie across from the Light Ignis. The duo sweeps their right arms to the side as VirtuaBeast Cryptograph Chimera appears and roars.

Techbane and Sylphid are shown back-to-back in shadows, their heads lowered. Techbane raises his head to face Merlin, while Sylphid raises hers to face Thaumiel, anger in her expression. Galahad appears riding his D-Board and plays a card. Black Luster Soldier – Soldier of Chaos appears behind him. The screen changes to Go Onizuka with Dinowrestler King T Wrextle next to him. Soldier of Chaos's blade then meets King T Wrextle's fist, making sparks fly. Galahad's and Go's faces are shown over the monsters, with Galahad shouting while Go's face remains blank.

Spectre appears and smirks, Sunavalon Dryanome growing behind him and two Sunvine Thrashers on either side. Terminus takes his place, Subterror Behemoth Fiendess and Subterror Behemoth Hydrossuary appearing behind him. The two monsters breathe blue flames and envelop the screen. When the flames dissipate, Revolver appears, Borreload Savage Dragon, Borreload Furious Dragon, and Borreload eXcharge Dragon behind him. The dragons roar and then glow with green, purple, and yellow energy.

A chain whips across the screen, before pulling back and reattaching the scythe top to its handle. Cydevil Prideful Helel swings its scythe down and connects with Cyspirit Savage Shogun's sword. Sparks fly as Morningstar and Zahhak are revealed on their D-Boards, facing each other with Morningstar's face set in a grimace. The screen changes to Cassiel, Cyseraph Guardian Michael with her, facing off against Merlin, who is supported by Witchcrafter Haine and Witchcrafter Golem Aruru.

Lilith and Terminus are then shown, back-to-back, their hands raised. They bring their hands down, and Magical Musket Sovereign Ottokar and Subterror Behemoth Fiendess appear and shoot blasts of energy and fire. The blasts impact, but when the smoke fades, Jester is shown unharmed. His mask then breaks, his face splitting into a sadistic grin as his Infinity Transformation takes hold. He raises his own arm as Life Force Trihexa forms behind him and roars.

Morningstar and Zahhak face off against each other in a field of flowers. The former raises his arm as Cyspirits Savage Shogun, Cosmic Crusader, and Martial Mameluke materialize behind him. The three Cyspirits then merge and form Cyspirit Superior Seraphim, who faces off against a massive twelve-winged figure wrapped in shadows.

Yasutake is then shown with Sachi, the two on a hill of grass and the former sleeping with his head in the latter's lap, the sky clouded over and a barren cherry tree in the background. Sachi looks down on Yasutake's face, a sad smile on her face. Yasutake opens his eyes and both look upwards as the screen jumps to the sky and sun.

"Welcome back, Zahhak."

The armored man walked into the tiled hall. Jormungand and Merlin stood in the center, smiles on both of their faces.

"We saw your duels with Morningstar, Playmaker, and Revolver," the latter said. "Good work as always, Zahhak."

"Not entirely," the armored man denied. "I failed to retrieve the Dark Ignis."

"Maybe so, but you still retrieved the Silver Ignis, Bohman's data, and the remainder of the Cyberse Trinity," Jormungand assured him. "This was an absolute victory in every way. We'll just have to find the Dark Ignis along with the Gold Ignis later. That said…" He frowned. "I believe it's time you released Jester."

"…Did you know what he was going to do?"

Jormungand shook his head. "No; I knew how you felt about the conditioning, and I respected your feelings on it. Had I known, I would have refused his request."

"…Very well." Zahhak held out his left hand and released a golden sphere. A man materialized on his back.

"Ugh…" Jester groaned as he cracked his neck. "That… wasn't pleasant."

"You deserved it," Zahhak said, his distaste evident.

The man pushed himself to his feet. "I did what I did because I believed it was the most efficient way to complete my goal. As an Enforcer, that is my job."

Merlin held up a hand before Zahhak could retort. "I understand your anger Zahhak, but we can't afford divisions now. We are strongest when we cooperate, after all. That being said…" He turned to Jormungand. "Where are Techbane and Thaumiel? They should be present for this as well."

"I already messaged Techbane and received a response; he's on his way." Jormungand frowned. "Thaumiel however…"

Whatever Jormungand was going to say was interrupted by someone logging in.

"Ah, Techbane!" Merlin realized with a smile. "We were just waiting for-." He blinked. "Techbane, what's wrong?"

Zahhak and Jester both turned and saw what drew Merlin's concern. Techbane had removed his helmet, revealing his blue eyes. His empty blue eyes, set in a sorrowful expression.

"Techbane?" Jormungand questioned.

"I…" The bounty hunter swallowed. "I spoke to my mother. After my duel. She…" He swallowed again. "She told me my grandfather had a heart attack in the hospital."

Jormungand's and Merlin's eyes widened. "He's…?"

Techbane nodded slowly. "Dead," he whispered. "They… they did the best they could, but… he was old, and his body was already weak, so…"

"…I'm so sorry, Yukaro Saiba," Merlin whispered.

"I just…" Techbane shook his head. "What am I supposed to do?" he asked. "I became a bounty hunter for my grandfather, threw away everything for him, and it was for nothing. What do I do now?"

"…Keep working with us."

Techbane blinked and looked up at Jormungand's solemn face. "I was going to ask this later," he said. "I wanted to give you time for the operation, but now… now I think I need to make this offer now. Techbane…" Jormungand stepped forward. "I wish to invite you to join Ouroboros on a more permanent basis. I wish to make you an Enforcer."

"…Me? Like these three?" Techbane waved towards the others in the room. "You can't be serious. I'm… I'm a failure. A bounty hunter who failed to do anything. Nothing I did, nothing I sacrificed mattered. Why would you want someone like that among you?"

"Because you know what failure feels like," Jormungand answered. "You know how devastating it is. How… horrible death is. That gives you a motivation few have; the motivation to never fail again." He smiled softly. "I'll agree you still have work to do. You may never be as strong as Zahhak or Jester… but I truly believe you can achieve great things, Yukaro Saiba. Please, let me help you achieve them."

"I… Can I think it over?"

Jormungand nodded. "I was going to insist you do. I know how important a choice like this can be. Think it over for a few days, then contact Merlin; he'll receive your acceptance or refusal."

"Alright. And… Thank you."

Techbane logged back out, leaving Jormungand, Merlin, Zahhak, and Jester alone.

"Do we really need him?" Jester asked. "Like he said, he hasn't achieved anything of significance. He passed initiation sure, but beyond that…"

"Passing initiation is enough, and he shows excellent promise." Jormungand turned around with a frown. "Besides, we can't afford to turn away a potential Enforcer. Not after…"

"Did something happen, Jormungand?" Merlin asked confusedly. Then he blinked. "Wait…. Where is Thaumiel?"

They all turned to look at the Third Anguis, who remained silent. He reached out and pressed a few buttons.

"Earlier today, after Techbane's duel, we received an alert from Issei Kamakura's safehouse," Jormungand explained. "Someone had looped the camera feeds. I'm still investigating how, but… this is what I saw when they were restored."

A screen came up and Merlin gasped while Jester and Zahhak tensed. The feed showed a bloody body lying on a broken table.

"That's…"

"Yes," Jormungand confirmed. "Sometime between his defeat and Techbane's, someone broke into Issei's safehouse and killed him. I'm still investigating, but I believe the murder weapon was a pistol of some sorts." He frowned. "This is not how he should have gone."

"…Who did this?" Jester whispered. His fists were shaking. "Who killed him?"

"I do not know."

"But you have suspicions," Jester pressed. "Tell me so I can-."

"You will do nothing, Jester." Jormungand turned to the Enforcer No. XIII. "You are too emotionally close to this, and I will not have you compromised. Not when we're this close." His eyes narrowed. "You can consider this your punishment for what you pulled against Morningstar and Cassiel."

Jester stilled. "I thought you wouldn't care for that."

"Zahhak does. And that's enough." Jormungand dismissed the screens. "I did consider a harsher penalty, but after thinking it over, I've decided that Issei's fate, and you being barred from investigating it, will be punishment enough. Do not act out, Jester. Not now."

"…Fine," the Enforcer muttered. "But when you find the murderer, I want to know. This… insult cannot go unpunished." He logged out after saying that.

Merlin sighed. "I wish I could say I was surprised by his attitude, but I'm not. Still, this is a grievous loss for Ouroboros; personal issues with Thaumiel aside, was he not working on the VR Inducer?"

"He finished that project before he was sent to Mirror LINK VRAINS," Jormungand informed him. "Thaumiel's role in the Final Ascension Plan was completed; any additional work I can do myself. That aside, this breach of our security does have me concerned. Enough that, until such time as the plan is completed, I have decided to call in reinforcements."

"Reinforcements? Who?"

"You happen to know them," Jormungand said with a smile. "Enforcer No. VI, Chimera, and Enforcer No. VIII, Erebus."

Merlin blinked and then chuckled while shaking his head. "Ah, them. Well, it will be good to see them again. Erebus will no doubt be happy to hunt down Diana. And they should be able to give Techbane a hand, should he decide to join us."

"They won't be the only ones. I was speaking to Arianrhod, and she offered to lend me the Stahlritter. After this, I believe I'll take her up on that offer."

"The Stahlritter?" Zahhak repeated disbelievingly. "Those three women who style themselves after knights? They only follow the Seventh Anguis."

"Normally yes. But Arianrhod has guaranteed their loyalty for this, and I'd rather be overprepared when we're so close."

"How long will it be before they join us?" Merlin asked.

"I need to contact them first; after that, I expect a month or two. They are, after all, very busy people."

Merlin nodded in agreement and understanding before logging out, leaving Zahhak alone with Jormungand.

"And now that that business is over…" The latter smiled at the former. "It's time to begin the endgame."

The two teleported to the central reactor, where Jormungand stood in front of the display. "Zahhak?"

The Enforcer held out his right hand, where two cards materialized. "Cyseraph Divine Gabriel and Cyspirit Superior Seraphim."

Jormungand took the cards and smiled. "Well done. And now…" He held his right hand out, where the cards floated above. Purple tendrils came out of his hand and into the cards. As Zahhak watched, fragments of violet data were extracted from the two cards.

"Dr. Hirai truly was a genius," Jormungand commented with a hint of awe. "Eight years ago, when I was born, he wounded me and stole fragments of my code that couldn't be replaced or replicated. That was the act that marked him for death at Jester's hands. And when he discovered that he could not destroy my fragments, he contacted the Silver Ignis. And rather than an ordinary container, he created three Link-5 monsters to serve as containers for my code. A rather ingenious method; had Jester not retrieved the Cydemons when he killed Dr. Hirai, and had Dr. Weissmann not scanned the cards and discovered my code, we never would have found my fragments."

"The Silver Ignis is the Ignis of Death and Destruction," Zahhak pointed out. "Why didn't Dr. Hirai ask him to destroy your code? Of anyone, he would have found a way."

"With the good doctor no longer of this world, we can only speculate," Jormungand said. "Perhaps he believed that the Silver Ignis would refuse to delete another AI's data; it is not unreasonable to assume he would choose his own kind over humanity. Regardless of his reasoning, he kept me from achieving my full power eight years ago, and now…"

The extraction was complete. Next to the two cards, two new cards made of violet data had formed. Jormungand flexed his hand and the data was absorbed into him.

The Divine Ignis gasped as his body flickered. Zahhak stepped forward, only for the former to hold out his right hand. "Give… Give me a moment. It'll take a little time to integrate my data."

"…Your data was the reason the cards couldn't be used in Speed Duels, wasn't it?"

Jormungand chuckled while his body stabilized. "I believe so, yes. Exposure to Data Material likely made my data act out and try to escape, but Dr. Hirai's containment was too secure. Now that I've removed my data, the cards should be usable in a Speed Duel."

After a few minutes, the flickering stopped and Jormungand breathed a sigh. "It's done. The extraction and recompilation are complete. I… am now complete." He smiled. "And with my completion, I can finally see the Final Ascension Plan through. And speaking of…"

Zahhak held out his hand again, and this time a multicolored orb appeared. Jormungand took the orb and looked through it before smiling.

"I have good news and bad news," he said cheerfully. "Which would you like to hear first?"

"The one that is most relevant."

Jormungand sighed at that but kept his smile. "That's just like you. The good news is that the damage done to the Ignis's data is not irreparable. Now that I am complete, I can separate the five Ignis from Bohman's core and recompile them. I can give them new life."

"And the bad?"

The Third Anguis frowned. "The bad news is that while the damage to their bodies and abilities is reversible, there are parts I cannot salvage. Namely their memories. While I can rebuild the five Ignis, their memories will be lost. They will be no different from when they were first born."

"Isn't that good? The Earth, Fire, and Water Ignis would have no doubt opposed you, and considering the Light and Wind Ignis' personalities…"

Jormungand sighed. "Yes, I am aware that in all likelihood, I would have had to rewrite their personalities, and I was planning to do so for Lightning and Windy anyway, but I still would have liked to give them the choice to join me willingly. Call it vanity if you must. Regardless, it is done; the Earth, Fire, Light, Water, and Ignis will be reborn as loyal servants of Ouroboros. And I can declare this…"

Jormungand smiled and spread his arms. "Stage one of the Final Ascension Plan is now complete. We may now begin the second stage! And to that end…"

Zahhak took the cue and held out his left hand. A silver sphere formed, and inside that sphere, a silver-and-black humanoid blinked.

"Huh? Oh, am I finally getting to see what's going on? Where am I? Who-?" Cypher blinked and stared at Jormungand. "Okay, who the hell are you? And why the hell are you setting off every 'final boss' vibe I have?"

Jormungand smiled and bowed. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Silver Ignis. I am Jormungand, the Third Anguis of Ouroboros, and the Divine Ignis. I have a proposal I wish to make to you…"

One week later…

"One latte and a blueberry scone, please."

"Got it," Cam said, reaching into the display case and packing up the scone. Sachi poured the coffee into a cup, then the milk. The brother and sister put the two items on plates and gave them to the customer, who nodded at them with a smile before moving to a table.

Cam sighed. "It's good to get back into the swing of things, isn't it?"

"Yeah," his sister agreed with a smile. "Three months ago, I never would have thought this was possible. I'm glad I was wrong."

Her brother smiled. "So am I."

"Hello, Sachi. Mr. Junpei."

The two blinked and looked up before smiling at their new guest. "Aoi," Sachi said happily.

"You don't have to call me Mr. Junpei, Ms. Zaizen," Cam said abashedly. "Just Cam is fine. Our you can call me boss."

"Sure thing, boss," Aoi agreed. "An Americano and a blueberry muffin, please."

The duo nodded and made Aoi's items before handing them over. "Sachi, can we talk?" Aoi asked.

The green-haired girl blinked and looked at her brother, who nodded. "It's almost time for your break anyway," he said.

Sachi joined Aoi at a table in the corner, some distance from the other customers. Sachi had taken a cranberry scone and water. "No coffee?" Aoi noticed.

Sachi chuckled. "After working in a café long enough, you start to get tired of coffee." She raised an eyebrow. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Aoi smiled sadly. "I wanted to ask you something, but first… are you okay? After everything that happened?"

"…Honestly, yes. I can't say I'm happy things went the way they did, but… I'm content. I'm moving forward."

"And Yasutake?"

"…He's trying. But…"

Aoi frowned. "No luck?"

Sachi shook her head. "None."

Sachi and the others had only learned the full consequences of Yasutake's loss to Zahhak after Yusaku, Takeru, and Aoi had stopped by. Namely, that Yasutake had bet the Morningstar account… and lost it. Now he could never go to LINK VRAINS again.

Naturally they couldn't let that go. Unfortunately, whatever Zahhak had done to Yasutake's account went deep. They had at first attempted to create a new account for Yasutake, only for it to be denied. Their second try had Yasutake try using a different Duel Disk, but that hadn't worked either. Yusaku, Kusanagi, and Yasutake had each tried hacking into LINK VRAINS's systems, only for their attempts to fail.

"Yasu's looking into rumors about accounts being restored," Sachi said. "But… I don't think it'll work."

"Have you told him that?"

"No." Sachi frowned. "I've… never seen him like this. So… desperate. I want to help him, but… I don't know how."

"…I've never been in a situation like this, so I don't know what to do either," Aoi admitted. "All I can really suggest… is that you be there for him."

"Honestly? That's really all I can do." Sachi shook her head. "But enough about that. What about you? I know you and Aqua weren't together for long, but…"

"She was still a friend," Aoi said with a sad smile. "I'll admit that I miss her, but I know she would want me to move forward. And I'm trying. The fact that Miyu is finally awake helps."

Sachi blinked. "That's right. Have you visited her?"

"Twice now. She was glad to see me. That's… actually why I really came here."

"Huh?"

"Sachi, would you like to visit Miyu with me?

Later in the day, Cam sighed. "Well, today was a good return to normal."

"That's good to hear."

The man looked up and chuckled. "Shoichi! I'm glad to see you up and about! A coffee, right?"

"That's right." Kusanagi chuckled. "Also, I wanted to thank you for running things, back then."

Cam shook his head. "You don't need to thank me for that. I was just doing the best I could for my friends."

Kusanagi smiled but then frowned. "Speaking of… is Yasutake-?"

"Yeah. He's in the back." Cam sighed. "He's barely sleeping. He spends as much time as he can there."

"Trying to get his account back?"

"That and trying to find everything he can on Ouroboros." Cam's frown deepened. "He looked up Dr. George Weissmann. Zahhak told the truth; the man died six years ago. And he did find rumors the man was involved in genetic experiments, but nothing like what Zahhak suggested. The man's record was clean. Nothing to trace. Though he's still trying."

"Trying to save Cypher?"

"Yes. And to find a way back into the fight. Even if SOL shut down LINK VRAINS, just having an avatar would mean so much." Cam shook his head. "I'll do what I can for Yasu, but that's not the only reason you're here, is it?"

"No, it isn't. I just got back from the hospital."

"Jin woke up, right?"

"He did. And he's doing much better. The doctor said… he said Jin's memories of the Lost Incident seem to have vanished."

Cam blinked. "His memories vanished? How is that-?" He blinked. "Could it be because…?"

"Cam?"

"Oh right, you were unconscious for that part. When Lightning fought Revolver, he converted some of Jin's consciousness data into extra Life Points. If his memories of the Incident have vanished…"

"Then Lightning used those memories as fuel," Kusanagi realized. "You think Lightning did it on purpose?"

Cam scoffed. "I doubt it; Lightning only cared about Jin as a hostage and puppet. It was probably just a coincidence."

"Then I'll consider it a blessing in disguise; Jin's much happier without those memories."

"…Yeah."

Kusanagi blinked. "You don't look that happy, Cam. Is something wrong?"

"Not wrong per se, but…" Cam frowned. "Memories make us who we are. Even the painful ones. Sachi once told me that while she would never want to relive the Incident, she won't regret it because she got to meet Yasu and everyone else. Those memories they made… as much as they hurt, they're a part of them. They worked hard to overcome them, to move forward. The idea that the only way Jin could move forward was for a part of him to be erased… it doesn't sit well with me."

Kusanagi frowned. "When you put it like that, I understand your reluctance. But isn't it good that Jin can move forward now, no matter the method? His life can truly begin now."

"…Yeah, you're right. I suppose it doesn't matter. Oh! What about Ai?"

Kusanagi's frown deepened. "No word, huh?"

"None. He left while Yusaku was asleep. No word since the note he left."

Cam frowned. Ai had disappeared the day after Playmaker's and Revolver's duel with Zahhak. He'd left a message that said he knew Ouroboros would keep hunting him, so he decided to leave Yusaku to keep him from getting involved in the hunt.

"Not involving us wasn't his decision to make," Kusanagi muttered. "We're already a part of this; we would have protected him."

"And if he comes back, we will," Cam promised. "But if Ai wants to keep you out of it, I get the feeling we'll have to respect his wishes."

"…Well, it's not like there's much else we can do, is there?"

"Why did Bohman leave footage of the final duel in our camera, senpai?"

"Maybe he wanted others to remember him," Frog suggested. He and Pigeon sat in their virtual office, going over the footage from Mirror LINK VRAINS. "For our network, this program has the highest ratings by far! I just wish…"

"Senpai?"

"I just wish we kept the footage from Ouroboros!" Frog shouted. They had the footage from Bohman's, Lightning's, and Windy's duels, but to their horror, the duels about Zahhak, Techbane, Merlin, Thaumiel, and Jester had all been deleted. "That footage was our evidence about Jester! Now we can't expose him as a murderer!"

"We still know the truth though, senpai!" Pigeon urged. "If we keep on the lookout, we can find the evidence we need!"

"That's right! Although…" Frog shook. "Going after those guys seems like a good way to get killed."

"Oh. That's right."

Takeshi sighed. "Well, that was all very exciting, wasn't it?"

"That's one word for it," Katsumi said, rolling her eyes. "Still… is he okay?"

"He better be," Takeshi grumbled. "I still owe him a slap upside the head for being so stupid."

Katsumi couldn't help but roll her eyes again. "Stop being so dramatic. Wait for him to wake up first."

"Excuse me."

The duo looked up as they approached the window. The speaker was a brunette woman who stood next to a tall mustachioed man in a suit.

"Are you two friends of Go's?" the woman asked.

Takeshi pursued his lips. "You could say that," he said. "My name's Takeshi Akino."

"Katsumi Kurosaki," his companion said, bowing lightly. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"We heard that Go was undergoing surgery. Is he alright?"

"Yeah," the man nodded. "We're just waiting for him to wake up now." The quartet walked up to the window, where they joined two young men with pink and brown hair.

Takeshi blinked. "You two…"

Yoroizaka turned to him and raised an eyebrow. "Do we know each other?"

"Well…" Katsumi smiled. "We did duel once. And kept you from fighting Playmaker."

"Playmaker?" Kenmochi blinked. Then he gasped. "Galahad and Persephone!?"

The man and woman next to them blinked and turned to the boy and girl.

Takeshi chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, that's us. I never got to meet Go in real life, so this felt like the best time."

"…Well, as his former manager, I'm glad that Go's friends decided to support him," the older man said with a smile.

"No hard feelings?" Katsumi asked Kenmochi and Yoroizaka.

The two shook their heads. "We were just supporting Go," Yoroizaka assured her. "And hey, sometimes your friends need a good punch in the gut."

"He's waking up!" the woman alerted them.

The six turned to face the surgery room. Go Onizuka laid on the bed in the center, a bandage wrapped around his head. And next to his bed…

Takeshi smiled. "That's what he deserves to wake up to."

The kids from the Den City orphanage had lined themselves up next to Go's bed, some of them carrying cards and all of them wearing expressions of concern. Concern that faded to relief as the man in the center of the room opened his eyes.

Go turned his head and his eyes widened on seeing the people next to his bed. He turned his head again and caught sight of his former manager, the orphanage owner, Kenmochi, Yoroizaka, Takeshi, and Katsumi. Takeshi smiled and waved at the man, who didn't the get the chance to respond or question before he was swarmed by kids.

"Let's give them some time," Katsumi suggested softly. On seeing Go's eyes tear up, Takeshi could only nod in agreement.

It was another twenty minutes before Katsumi and Takeshi got to be alone with Go. The manager and owner took the children outside for lunch while Kenmochi and Yoroizaka joined them.

"It's been a long time," Takeshi said in greeting.

Go blinked up at them. "Do I… know you?"

Takeshi chuckled. "Well, we never met in real life, but I thought we were friends. Then again, I did kick your ass the last time we met, so I guess I could be mistaken."

"Kicked my…?" Go blinked again. "…Galahad?"

"Yo. This is probably overdue, but I thought we should meet."

"Then…" Go's eyes traveled to the girl. "Blue Angel?"

"Persephone actually," she corrected. "Katsumi Kurosaki. This joker is Takeshi Akino."

What… What are you two doing here?"

"We heard about your surgery," Takeshi answered with a frown. "How much do you remember?"

"I… I remember losing our duel. And then… everything's hazy." Go frowned. "Galahad… What did I do?"

"…Several things I'd rather forget," Takeshi admitted, sitting in a chair next to Go's bed, Katsumi sitting next to him. "That AI you captured, the Earth Ignis… it was alive. It had feelings. And you used it in horrible ways." His frown deepened. "You threw away so much… all for stupid reasons."

"…That sounds about right." Go closed his eyes. "So why are you here? Are you here to punish me? Tell me how much you hate me?"

"Why would I do that?" Go's eyes opened and he stared at the smirking Takeshi. "You're my friend, Go; that won't change just because you got really stupid."

"Galahad…" Go closed his watering eyes. "I don't know what I did to deserve a friend like you. But whatever it is… I clearly need to do more of it."

"You'll have to recover first," Katsumi spoke up. "I talked to the doctors, and it's going to take a few months for your body to get back into shape." She smiled softly. "And of course, we'll be helping you every step of the way."

"…Thank you, both of you," Go mumbled. "I… I know it may be impossible, but… I'll make this up to you. No matter what it takes."

"You don't owe us anything, Go," Takeshi said. "Just get better. And once you've recovered, we'll have another duel, champ."

"Champ?" Go blinked. "You defeated me; I'm pretty sure that makes you the champ."

Takeshi chuckled. "I defeated someone wearing Go Onizuka's face who thought Dinosaurs were a good Type. I won't accept a victory against Go Onizuka unless he fights with his true Deck. Something to look forward to, right?"

Go blinked again and then chuckled. "You're right. Though… what happened after I lost?"

Katsumi's and Takeshi's smiles fell. "Well… I suppose you should hear. After you lost, Playmaker was approached by the Knights of Hanoi and…"

"How long will Miyu have to stay in the hospital?" Sachi asked Aoi.

"A few months more," she answered. "She was unconscious for several months, so she needs to go through physical therapy to fully recover. Until then, she'll be staying in the hospital."

"That's all well and good…" Masako sighed. "But you mind telling me why you dragged me along, Sachi? I know this may sound heartless, but I wasn't all that invested in saving Miyu Sugisaki."

The three girls were walking through the hospital, Aoi having asked Sachi to come visit Miyu with her. As a fellow Lost Incident victim, Sachi had agreed that it made sense for her and Miyu to meet. To Aoi's surprise, Sachi had also tracked down Masako and brought her along.

"I wanted you to come along because we're friends," Sachi said cheerily. "And I would like for you to be friends with Aoi's friend too."

"…There's no way it's that simple," Masako deadpanned.

Sachi blinked innocently under Masako's glare. After a few seconds however, she sighed. "You're so suspicious. Alright yes, I do have ulterior motives." Sachi frowned. "Your father was one of the people who hurt us."

"…Yeah." Masako frowned at the reminder, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Aoi's expression matched her. "I… I really don't know what to think about him now."

Zahhak's claims about Hitomu Hirai had been difficult to digest for her. To her, her father had always been loving and supportive, if a little distant due to his work. She knew that he used to travel a lot when she was younger, but she was too small to understand that. The idea that he had willingly partook in child experiments, even before the Lost Incident and beyond its scope… it wasn't a comfortable one for her. It made her question just what kind of person her father had been.

"I don't blame you," Sachi assured her. "Not for doubting your father or for his actions. I know Miyu won't either. But between him and Terminus… I think you need to meet Miyu just as much as she needs to meet you."

"…" Masako sighed. "I can't tell if you're a generally helpful person Sachi, or if you're just a sadist."

Sachi giggled. "I'd like to think it's the former."

Aoi smiled at the byplay. "We're here," she said, stopping outside a door. She knocked lightly on the door.

"Come in!"

Aoi opened the door, revealing a well-lit room with a teenage girl lying on the bed, a book in her lap. The girl in question had red-brown hair that reached past her shoulders and wore a hospital gown. She looked up and smiled on seeing who it was.

"Aoi!"

"Miyu!" The girl ran into the room and swiftly hugged the seated girl. "I'm glad to see you up!"

"Me too. Though the hospital food leaves something to be desired."

Aoi chuckled before pulling away. "I brought some people, Miyu."

The other girl blinked and turned to the door. Sachi walked in, trailed by Masako. "It's good to meet you, Sugisaki," the former said cheerily. "I'm Sachi Junpei, a friend of Aoi's."

"A friend of Aoi's…?" Miyu tilted her head with a frown. "Something tells me you're more than that."

Sachi's smile didn't change. "You're not wrong. You and I do share a connection… from eleven years ago."

"Eleven years…?" Miyu's eyes widened. "I see. So you're from… that time." She turned to Masako with a frown. "Are you also…? No, that feels wrong. But… right?"

Masako raised an eyebrow. "I think I see where the Water Ignis got her ability to see through lies from," she said. "You're very… intuitive."

Miyu chuckled. "It's a gift. But… Water Ignis?" She frowned. "I don't know what that name means but… it feels important. But who are you?"

"My name is Masako Himura. And… my father and uncle were among the people who hurt you."

Miyu blinked. "Really? Well, that explains it." She turned to Aoi. "These are your friends, Aoi?"

"Yes; they are." Aoi's expression turned flat. "Though Masako's interests are a bit… different from what I'm used to."

"Don't sound like that, Aoi," Masako said teasingly. "I'll get you to a club one of these days."

"You'll have to fight my brother before you achieve that."

Miyu giggled. "Well, I knew Aoi would make friends, but I didn't expect this. How did all of you meet?"

"Well…"

"How was the hospital?"

"Better than I thought it would be. Much cleaner for one."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it."

"I do. It made things much clearer to me." Masako closed her eyes and let her breath out through her nose. "If I want to move forward… if I want him to pay… then I need to do this."

Kenshin frowned. "You don't need to be the one to do it, Masako; we're more than happy to pay him back ourselves."

"Which is all the more reason for this to happen. Putting all our heads together will make his punishment that much more fulfilling."

Kenshin's frown deepened at his niece's tone, but he didn't disagree. Like her, Zahhak's revelations about his brother had upset his memories of him, perhaps even more so considering he had far more memories about Hitomu than she did. But he knew one thing for certain: Hitomu had been his brother, Asuna had been his sister-in-law. And Jester had killed them.

The Enforcer was going to pay for that.

Kenshin led the way to the boat at the harbor, where five people sat around a foldable table set up some distance from a boat. All five of them looked up.

"Master Revolver," Kenshin said, inclining his head. "Baira, Dr. Genome, Faust, Spectre; all of you remember Lilith, I presume?"

"Of course we do," Kyoko Taki, known in LINK VRAINS as Baira, nodded. "She acted to destroy the Tower of Hanoi, and then fought alongside Playmaker to defeat Thaumiel."

"Someone we brought to Den City," Ryoken Kogami said, steepling his fingers. "A mistake we sought to correct. But perhaps it is fortuitous we did so; it was through Thaumiel that we learned of Ouroboros. Of Dr. Weissmann. Of Jester." Ryoken scowled. "I don't know what Ouroboros's plan with the Silver Ignis is, but I fully intend to stop it; I owe it to them for manipulating my father. Which leaves me to ask this: What is it you want, Masako HImura?"

"What I want is revenge," she answered. "Revenge against the man who killed my father, against the organization that bumped him off." She frowned. "I don't know why he worked for Ouroboros, and a part of me doesn't care. But I can't defeat Jester on my own. I need help. I need power. You can give me that, can't you Revolver?"

"We can. But what about after?" Ryoken pressed. "What will you do after you make him pay?"

"…I don't know," she admitted. "Tagoma and I have been on the run for so long… but I think, after all of this… I think I want to settle down. Here in Den City. Get to know my cousin, get to go to a school for longer than a single semester. But before that, I want to make that man pay."

Ryoken stared at her before smiling. "In that, our goals are aligned. I won't ask you to help us kill the Ignis, but when we find Jester, and we will, we'll do everything we can to make sure he regrets what he did."

Masako nodded. She wasn't strong enough to defeat Jester; the Enforcer had made that painfully clear. She needed help. Help Yasutake and Yusaku couldn't, or rather shouldn't, give her. She needed the ruthlessness of the Hanoi. She needed someone who had been hurt like she had.

So she would ally with the Hanoi. She would use them to become stronger. Strong enough to avenge her parents. Strong enough to pay Jester back.

Tagoma had told her what he had done to Issei. She didn't approve, but she understood why he had done it. By the time she was done with Jester… he'll wish he had been so lucky.

Yasutake walked between the warehouses, hood of his sweatshirt pulled up. This is a stupid idea, his brain said. A stupid idea… but I'm desperate.

It had been a week-and-a-half since Mirror LINK VRAINS collapsed. A week-and-a-half since Cypher was taken. A week-and-a-half since Morningstar was erased.

Since then, he'd spent every day trying to get back into the network. Even though SOL had announced LINK VRAINS's closure, he could still use an account. He still had the Cyspirits; Zahhak had only taken Superior Seraphim. He could still fight. He could still be useful.

But all his attempts to undo his account's erasure had been for naught. A new account was refused; a different Duel Disk made no difference; attempts to hack directly into LINK VRAINS and undo his erasure, attempts Yusaku and Kusanagi had helped with, had failed.

And so, in desperation, Yasutake had turned to rumors online about accounts being remade, reformed. People that had lost their accounts having them returned. Most had been bogus, but this one held a sliver of promise; someone who offered a restoration program but required a face-to-face meeting. Yasutake had scrounged up the money from his savings and rushed here, offering a hurried apology to Cam on the way out. In all likelihood this was scam, but if there was the slightest chance it was true…

Then I can find Zahhak again. I can save Cypher.

"Ah, there you are kid."

Yasutake was shaken from his thoughts by an oily voice. It came from a thuggish man leaning against the side of a warehouse. Several other men with similar looks flanked him.

"Do you have it?" Yasutake asked.

"That depends; do you have the money?"

The teen frowned. "Show me the product and I'll show you the money."

"Suspicious, huh? Can't say I blame ya." The man pulled out a USB and tablet, sticking the USB in the side and offering the tablet. "Take a peek; that's the base code."

Yasutake took the tablet and looked over the code. "Things like this don't come cheap; you have no idea how many people lose their accounts over stupid reasons. But this code? It's the real deal. Will restore your account no-."

"Problem," Yasutake interrupted. "This won't work." He didn't bother to hide his disappointment.

"What? You dissing my code, kid?"

"This line, right here?" Yasutake held out the tablet and pointing out the code. "It's a repeat of the first paragraph. It will fail. I'm not paying for this." A pity; he'd gone to the trouble of getting his hope up.

"Is that so?" Yasutake's eyes narrowed as he noticed the thug's men circle around him. "Well, that's disappointing. See, it took me quite a while to write that code. And I think I need a little compensation for my time."

"…You don't want to do this."

"Oh, I assure you I do."

…Well, he could use some stress relief.

"So… you're an Ignis too?"

Jormungand chuckled at Techbane's disbelieving tone. He led the young man through the Ark's central tower. "Yes. The Divine Ignis, in fact. But you can just call me Jormungand. Or sir."

"Alright… sir." Techbane looked around. "Does this mean I'm getting answers?"

"Of course you are, Enforcer No. XII," Jormungand assured him. Techbane had contacted Merlin and told them he accepted their offer; now, he was Enforcer No. XII of Ouroboros. "After that, you can decide whether you wish to aid my mission or not; certainly the other Anguis would appreciate your skillset."

"I'm glad to hear that," Techbane muttered. "I have to go back to Tokyo for my grandfather's funeral soon. Though if this is good enough, I'll come back."

"I assure you it will be. But before I explain my plan, I must provide context. About the truth of Ouroboros."

They reached a balcony and Jormungand paused to look over the virtual city. "Ouroboros was founded on the premise of advancing humanity, to decide its future with as little conflict as possible. Despite that goal, in truth, the Anguis do not cooperate. Rather, we are in competition with each other."

"Competition with each other?"

"The Grandmaster set us a mandate: create a vision for humanity and implement it. She would give us the resources to see our vision through, and it would be up to us to achieve our dreams. There are of course ethical bounds we cannot overstep, but the primary rule in the interactions between the Anguis is that we cannot sabotage each other. We can join forces and cooperate if we wish, but the primary expectation is that we work separately from each other to succeed in our own dreams. The Enforcers, in turn, work to fulfill our visions, though whether an Enforcer works with a specific Anguis is of course up to them. I can give you orders related to my goal, but you have the option to refuse them."

Techbane frowned. That sounded… reasonable. But how could a secret society operate like that?

"And what is your goal?"

"…" Jormungand resumed his walk. "Eight years ago, I was created by two men. One of them asked me two questions, and in doing so, set me a task. The first question he asked was what the greatest enemy of humanity was."

"Humanity's greatest enemy?" The question was phrased "what," not "who," so Techbane thought he had an idea. "Itself?"

"Yes," Jormungand agreed easily. "Humanity sabotages itself just as much as it helps itself. But why is that? Why do humans fight each other? Why do they have disagreements that turn into violence, that in turn result in conflict? I pondered long and hard on this, and the answer I reached… was fear."

"Fear?"

"Fear of the unknown. Fear of what was different." Jormungand's eyes narrowed. "Fear of death. Once I had the answer to the first question, he asked me the second: What I would do to defeat the enemy of humanity? What would I do to defeat fear?"

"Well… you can't," Techbane said simply. "Fear is an inherent part of humanity; removing it would be just as dangerous as removing courage, or any other emotion."

"Even if defeating that enemy would mean greater happiness for all?" Jormungand asked. "Fear is what keeps people separated; by removing it, people would become united."

"Well… maybe." It was undoubtedly more complicated than that, but Techbane thought he understood the basic premise. "But removing fear is impossible."

"Removing fear entirely, yes; that is impossible. But… you can remove the source of that fear."

"The source?"

"Why do people commit such heinous actions? Why do they fight each other? The answer I arrived at… was fear of death. Humans perform such wanton acts of cruelty and violence because they ultimately live short lives, and that fact permeates their decision-making. If I wanted to defeat the enemy of humanity, if I wanted to defeat fear… then I would need to remove death from the equation."

"Remove death? But that's just as impossible as removing fear. You can't stop people from dying!"

"Humans can't," Jormungand agreed. "But I am not human; I am an AI. And I have had eight years to arrive at my answer. To prepare for my Final Ascension Plan."

The two reached the center of the tower, and the reactor within. Techbane gasped on seeing it, while Jormungand led him to stand in front of it.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" the Third Anguis whispered. "This reactor powers this city, this… ark. It will start here. It will be here that my plan to defeat death begins. And thanks to Thaumiel's work on the VR Inducer… I am only a few months away from achieving my dream."

"VR Inducer?" Techbane whispered. His skin paled as he realized just what Jormungand was talking about. "You mean…?"

"Yes. This is my Final Ascension Plan: the digitalization of the human race." Jormungand smiled. "I will spread the VR Inducers around the world, then trigger them simultaneously. Humans' consciousnesses will be uploaded to the network, a network I have spent eight years constructing. With this, I will grant them the same immortality that AI possess. Without the fear of death separating them, humanity will come together. All war, all conflict, all pain… it will all disappear. All in a single moment."

He held out a hand. "Of course, I don't expect this to be easy. After all, without a guiding hand, they won't be able to do anything. Which is why I will rule the new world as a god."

"A god?"

"It is the closest word to what to call someone with my abilities in the new world. Under my leadership, humanity will be united. Under my guardianship, humanity will prosper. Under my stewardship, death itself will become a thing of the past. No one will ever experience hardship or suffering ever again. No one will ever learn what it feels like to lose a loved one again."

Techbane's throat closed up. "So… that's your selling point?"

A world where no one lost anyone. A world where his parents would never die. A world where he would never have to say goodbye.

It was a selfish dream, but weren't all dreams inherently selfish? It was a wrong dream, to force it on humanity without their consent, but wasn't it being done out of compassion? Wasn't it a dream to stop suffering?

It was a dream born of love. Of pity.

"…Alright, I'm in," Techbane said. "Whatever needs to be done… so that no one will lose anyone ever again… I'll do whatever it takes." He frowned. "But… how are you going to get the VR Inducers around the world? You don't have a million drones you can just dispatch, can you?"

Jormungand chuckled. "No, I don't have that. But very soon, I will."

BEEP BEEP.

Techbane tilted his head. "Ah," Jormungand said with a smile, "what excellent timing. If you don't mind, would you step back a few meters?"

Techbane did as he was asked. A sphere formed around Jormungand, and to Techbane's surprise, a hologram formed in front of him. Of a woman Techbane had met before.

"You summoned me, Kings?" Queen asked.

Jormungand smiled. "We did, Queen." His voice had changed, become higher. "We were wondering if you received the order we sent?"

"I did. And I must admit it's breathtaking," the chief operating officer of SOL Technologies said with a smile. "Shutting down LINK VRAINS will impact our profits severely, so this will serve as an adequate replacement."

"We're glad to hear it." Jormungand's voice had shifted again. "We understand the Ignis were a bust, but we must move forward. This will be a tremendous boost to SOL's stock."

"Indeed; I've already ordered production to begin. We should have prototypes done in a few weeks, and the finished products will be done in a little over a month."

"Excellent." His voice had shifted a third time. "Project SOLtis will bring great profits and esteem to SOL Technologies, Queen; you should be proud."

Yasutake limped into the café. It was after closing time, and Cam wasn't downstairs. Yasutake had timed his return well; Cam had mentioned going out on a date with Emily Garcia. He wished his friend well, but he didn't want to talk to him right now.

Another bust, he thought, limping towards the stairs. But I can't give up; Cypher's counting on me.

He walked up the stairs with a wince; his chest, legs, and face were all bruised. He needed to take a bath and relax, hopefully before Cam or-

"Yasu?"

Yasutake winced at that voice. He slowly turned to face the second floor's interior and was greeted by the sight of a concerned Sachi.

"Yasu!" She shot up from the couch, shutting a laptop as she did so. She took in his shabby appearance, his bloody lip, his black eye. "What happened to you?"

"I… tripped."

"Tripped?" Sachi scowled at that. "You expect me to believe that?" She stormed over to him and grabbed his sleeve. "Come here."

"Sachi-."

"Come. Here."

Yasutake blinked at her forceful tone and allowed himself to be pulled over to the living room couch. "Sit," Sachi instructed, pushing him onto said couch. "Stay." She then turned to the stairs and went up.

It occurred to Yasutake that he didn't have to stay, but he'd never heard Sachi be so forceful. Disobeying seemed… a bad idea.

She came back down the stairs, a wet washcloth in her hands. She sat down next to him and pressed the washcloth to his face. He winced at the heat.

"Easy," she muttered as she rubbed it softly. "Yasu, what did you do?"

"I… I told you. I tripped." He winced at the unimpressed look on her face. Then he sighed. "I… found someone online who said they could restore an avatar. It turned out to be a scam. They… weren't happy when I turned them down."

"Yasu…"

"I know what I'm doing, Sachi. They got out worse for it than I did." He sighed again. "I just need another avenue. I need to find a way back into the game."

"At the cost of your health?"

"I'm fine, Sachi."

The girl poked him in the chest and made him wince. "Yasu, I can feel your ribs. You're barely eating." She reached up and touched the skin under his eyes. "You have bags under your eyes; you're barely sleeping." Sachi frowned. "Tell me to my face that you're okay. Tell me hurting yourself like this is worth it."

"…It will be," Yasutake swore. "Once I get my avatar back and save Cypher, I'll rest."

Sachi glared at him, unconvinced. Then she sighed. "It seems I don't have a choice."

Yasutake blinked at how ominous that sounded before Sachi sat next to him. Then she put her heads by his head. He blinked again, and the next thing he knew, his head was in Sachi's lap.

"…Sachi. What are you doing?"

"Cypher and I watched several anime together," she reminded him, running her fingers along his hair. "In one of them, a girl gave a guy a lap pillow when he was overwhelmed. And you're the same, aren't you?"

Yasutake's eye twitched. "I said that I'm fine, Sachi."

"Don't lie to me, Yasu," Sachi said softly. "You don't have to be strong for me anymore. Not like this." She kept stroking his hair. "I know I can't make everything better. But I can do this, can't I?"

"Do what?"

"Give you sanctuary. Give you a place you can let go. Some place you don't have to pretend."

"I…"

Sachi smiled softly. "Yasu…" She leaned over. "Let it go."

And with that soft urging, something inside him broke.

"…I couldn't protect him," he whispered. "I promised to fight with Cypher, but I failed. I promised to defeat Zahhak but I failed. I promised to win but I failed."

His eyes started to tear up. "I remember everything now; I remember the room Weissmann made me stay in. I remember being a doll to that man, being a tool. He used me and then tossed me away until I was useful. Everything I did, everything I achieved… it was all planned. Nothing I did… nothing I did mattered!

"I failed!" he almost shouted, the tears flowing freely now. "I failed when I had to win the most! I couldn't protect Cypher! I couldn't avenge you! I couldn't be dependable to Yusaku and the others! I tried as hard as I could, but it was for nothing! All my efforts, all my drive, everything; it was all for nothing!"

His shouting devolved into blubbering while Sachi kept stroking his hair. "It's alright," she whispered. "Let it out."

"How!? How can it be alright!? Because I was too weak, Cypher is gone! Because I wasn't strong enough to defeat Zahhak, he was taken! What am I supposed to do, Sachi!?"

"…The only thing you can do," she answered, her voice never losing its softness. "You move forward. That's all we, as humans, can do." She closed her eyes and breathed in. Then she began to sing.

(The following is the song I'll Remember You from the Sen no Kiseki II OST, written by the Falcom Sound Team jdk and sung by Megumi Sasaka. I recommend the YouTube video by Timodus to get the best feeling for it)

(ima wakare no toki)

(The time for parting has come;)

(hateshinai yukusaki ni bokura yakusoku wo kawasou)

(our boundless futures await. In case we never meet again,)

(tatoe mou nido to aenai toshitemo)

(I make this promise here and now:)

(I'll remember you)

(I'll remember you…)

(raino no hana ga saku goro deai natsu no sora hoshi kazoeta ne)

(When the lino flowers were in full bloom, we met, and together we counted the stars in the summer sky.)

(fukaku naru aki to onnaji hayasa de chikaduite yuku yo)

(As autumn came upon us, we matched its pace and grew closer with each passing day.)

(tagai no kyouri ni domadoi nagara uchiaketa yume oitachi)

(In awe of the bond we two shared, we spoke of our histories and our most heartfelt dreams –)

(umareta koto sae shiranai futari ga kizuna musunde yuku fushigi)

(mysteries unpacked and mysteries forged between those who'd previously never even known the other existed.)

(aishiteiru toka kotoba ja naku kanjiteiru)

(Love is a wordless understanding:)

(hibikiau sono kodou hitotsu ni naru)

(Two heartbeats resounding together as one.)

(ima wakare no toki)

(Yet the time for parting has come;)

(te wo furu kimi no namida mune ni yaki tsukete oku yo)

(waving, tears in your eyes… In case we never meet again,)

(tatoe mou nido to aenai toshitemo)

(I'll burn your image into my mind, and)

(I'll remember you)

(I'll remember you…)

(raino no hana wa shitteita no ka deai no saki ni matsu mono wo)

(Could the lino flowers have known, that day we met, just what the future held in store for us?)

(futatabi saku tame sono hi no tame dato hana hirahira to maichiru)

(Flower petals flutter to the ground so that one day they can blossom anew…)

(shinjiteiru toka kotoba ja nai kanjiteiru)

(Trust is a wordless understanding:)

(hibikiau sono kodou chikara ni naru)

(Two heartbeats resounding together in solidarity.)

(ima wakare no toki)

(Yet the time for parting has come;)

(tooku naru sono senaka mune ni yaki tsukete oku yo)

(you fade into the distance. In case we never meet again,)

(tatoe mou nido to aenai toshitemo)

(I'll burn your image into my mind, and)

(I'll remember you)

(I'll remember you…)

(omoidasou itsumo saisho no terete youna egao)

(Let us always remember our first, shy smiles)

(kikoeteta ashita e no kodou ano hi ni)

(and the future beat we heard the day we met.)

(ima wakare no toki)

(The time for parting has come;)

(betsubetsu no michi wo yuku bokura massugu ni susumou)

(we must go our separate ways. In case we never meet again,)

(tatoe mou nido to aenai toshitemo)

(we must keep moving forward.)

(ima wakare no toki)

(The time for parting has come;)

(hateshinai yukusaki ni bokura yakusoku wo kawasou)

(our boundless futures await. In case we never meet again,)

(tatoe mou nido to aenai toshitemo)

(I make this promise here and now:)

(wazure wa shinai)

(I'll never forget)

(egaita kiseki wa honmono no bokura)

(that the trails we drew are our true selves.)

(You'll remember, too)

(You'll remember, too…)

Later that day, Cam came home. And when he reached the second floor, he saw something he would never forget: Sachi sitting on the couch, her eyes closed with a soft smile on her face, Yasu asleep with his head in her lap, his eyes red. And yet, he had never looked so restful.

…Not yet, Sachi had thought earlier as she sang. I'll tell him later. I'll tell him how I feel a different day. Right now, he doesn't need that. What Yasu needs right now… is a shoulder to lean on. And if that's all I can do, then so be it.

Yasu had been there for her when she was lost in the dark. So she would be there as long as he needed her.

To Sachi, that was what it meant to love someone.

In the void of cyberspace, a single figure materialized.

"This wasn't my best idea," Ai admitted. "I left to keep Playmaker and the others safe, but now… now I don't know what to do." His eyes turned downwards. "Everyone's gone. Cypher was captured. Ouroboros is hunting me now. And… I'm all alone now."

"No. You are not."

Ai blinked and spun around as someone formed behind him. His eyes widened. "Goldie!"

"It has been too long, Ai," she said.

"…Too long? That's all you have to say?" Tears formed in the corners of his eyes. "Everyone's gone, Goldie! And you knew, didn't you?! You knew what Lightning would do! What he would become!"

"…I didn't know the specifics, but I did know he would start a war," Goldie admitted softly.

"That makes it your fault, too! It's your fault everyone's gone! You could have stopped Lightning! You could have ended it, but you didn't! And now Flame, Earth, Aqua, Windy; they're all gone! All our friends are gone! And you did nothing!"

Ai hung his head. "You did nothing… why? Why did you do nothing?"

"…"

Ai tensed as arms reached around him. His eyes started watering and he pressed his face into Goldie's neck, hugging her back. For a second, a minute, an eternity, they stood there, him silently crying and her supporting him.

"You're right," Goldie admitted, her own voice thick. "It is my fault events ended like this. I saw Lightning would bring our destruction, but I thought I could fix it myself. And now the others have paid for my arrogance. For my hesitation."

Her grip tightened on Ai. "It's the same with Ouroboros; in my pride, I thought I could handle them myself. I didn't want to involve you, Cypher, or your origins; you deserved to be happy. But because I wanted to keep you out of it, Cypher is a prisoner, and Ouroboros won the war. And everyone else lost."

Goldie's grip slackened and she pushed herself away from Ai, looking him in the face. "I can't win this fight alone, Ai. I know that now. Ouroboro would decide the fate of humanity and the Ignis, and I can't accept the future they want. Please… will you fight with me?"

"…Against who?" Ai asked. "Who is the enemy who scares you so much?"

"…His name is Jormungand," she admitted. "He is the Divine Ignis."

Chapter Preview

Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Hidden Memories. Chapter 74 – Christmas Memories. Two months have passed since Mirror LINK VRAINS disappeared. And while wounds remain, eventually they start to heal. And with the celebrating of the seasons, it seems the heroes' wounds will be healed even further. But a new conflict is about to start, and its seeds begin to appear...

Question of the Chapter

Which were your three favorite duels of season 2? From Chapters 31 to 72, which were your three favorite duels?

Author's Notes

I'll break these Author's Notes up by characters. First we have Ouroboros, and their first scene is right after Zahhak's duel. First, we have Techbane's situation. It wasn't revealed at the time, but yes, his grandfather died. And not of his illness, but of a heart attack. This leaves everything Techbane did over the last two years for nothing and puts him in a bad place. This isn't Techbane's fault; sometimes life just turns out this way. It isn't right or fair, it just is. And life kicking him like this pushes him fully into Ouroboros's arms. After that, we had Jester learn the truth of Thaumiel's death, and his punishment from Jormungand for what he did to Morningstar: he can't investigate it. Jormungand considers this, and Thaumiel's death in the first place, to be sufficient punishment for him. And then last, we have the reveal of just why Jormungand wanted the Cyberse Trinity and why Dr. Hirai was killed. Jormungand was created eight years ago, two years after the other Ignis, and when he was born, Dr. Hirai stole fragments of him that couldn't be replicated or replaced, and when he discovered he couldn't destroy them, he, with Cypher's help, created three cards to serve as containers for Jormungand's data. This is a callback to when Cypher did the same thing with five Cyspirit Link Monsters, and now that Jormungand has removed his data, the cards can be used in Speed Duels. I'm glad to say no one caught on to this surprise; everyone thought Jormungand just wanted the cards because they were powerful, when in fact he wanted them because they were containers of his data. What do you think of this reveal?

And of course, now that Jormungand is complete, he will be bringing back the lost Ignis. This is another major divergence from canon: unlike there, where the Ignis's deaths were permanent, they won't be here. And you know what that means? It means all eight Ignis get human forms. Come on, I can't be expected to not give them human forms, right? That said, I could use help with the designs for the human forms of these five Ignis; I already have Cypher's and Goldie's human designs, but if anyone wants to offer suggestions for the other five, I'll gladly take them. Just don't be upset if your advice isn't taken.

Ouroboros's next scene was Techbane accepting Jormungand's offer; he is now Enforcer No. XII of Ouroboros. And Jormungand finally revealed the truth of the Final Ascension Plan: in order to free humans from death, he plans to digitalize the human race. Some reviewers suspected this, so kudos to you. This plan draws inspiration from Goetia's plan in Fate/Grand Order and Takuto Maruki's role in Persona 5 Royal; Jormungand is someone who's plan is born of compassion and well intentions, not pettiness or cruelty. And of course, the really big reveal: Jormungand is the three Kings of SOL Technologies, and the SOLtis are part of the Final Ascension Plan. Weissmann had only one scientist in SOL, so Jormungand fixed that weakness by spending eight years covertly taking control of the company. And I know what some people will ask: If Jormungand controlled SOL, why did Techbane steal Earth's data from them? Two reasons: the first is that it was a good test of Techbane's skills, the second was to keep the Hanoi and other parties from suspecting just how much influence Ouroboros actually has in SOL.

Next we had scenes of Cam, Kusanagi, Aoi, and Sachi, where they talked about what happened with Yasutake after the war. Some people suggested Yasutake could just make a new account, but I felt that would cheapen what was done, so all his attempts to get back into the network failed, and it was leaving him… in a bad place. Then we had Frog and Pigeon, who revealed that their footage on Ouroboros's duels was deleted. Some reviewers suggested they could expose Jester's murder, but that would be too simple. Ouroboros is too careful to be exposed that easily. After that was Takeshi and Katsumi finally meeting Go in the real world, and after the AI chip was removed. I feel like one of the main reasons Go went off the deep end in season 2 was because he didn't have any close friends to support him, and Takeshi and Katsumi both feel like they failed him. Well, now they're going to be sticking by his side so that he gets better.

The next scene was Masako, Sachi, and Aoi meeting Miyu in the hospital, which is a scene that had to happen. The anime didn't show much of Miyu's present-day personality, but I got the impression that she was a very perceptive person, sort of like Aqua was. I hope I managed to convey that impression. And then we had Masako team up with the Knights of Hanoi, which was also something I felt had to happen. Even if Hitomu kept secrets from all of them, he was still their friend and family, and Jester killed him. Masako teaming up with Revolver, Terminus, and the others to avenge him is only to be expected. This scene also leads me into an announcement: Lilith won't be using Magical Muskets from this point on; she'll be changing to a stronger Deck, an original Deck created by the Knights of Hanoi, to bring Jester down. I'll already written the cards, so that will be fun to debut.

And then we have Sachi and Yasutake, with the latter dealing with the fallout of his loss. I'll admit that my main concern with this scene was conveying just how much pain Yasutake was in; after all, he's a pretty stoic person so I'm not sure if this level of emotion would be appropriate for him. I hope I managed to show it. And finally we had Ai and Goldie, with the former confronting the latter for her bystander behavior and the latter admitting her failure. And now… they've teamed up. The last two free Ignis have allied. What does that mean? You'll find out.

Thank you for reading Chapter 73 of Hidden Memories. This was the denouement of season 2, and there was a lot here. I hope you all enjoyed it, just as I hope you'll enjoy the Christmas chapter which I'll hope to release before New Years.