Chapter CXXXVI: Flames

The Uria shape was akin Atem's own, solid muscle so lean it wasn't apparent at first glance. The forelimbs were somewhat longer than his, the four claws attached at the top of its immense wings. They were long and sharp, hooked like a Gandora's, while the membrane of its wings looked thick enough a blow might completely shatter bone. The tusks were sharp and jarring, close enough to the mouth that each tooth could press into it and come out that much more lethal. The outer teeth were huge, separated by several inches in order to make the bite that much more lethal, while in the beast's true mouth they were backwards facing and so crammed it was clearly designed to rip flesh off in chunks.

Atem remembered those teeth. He remembered those claws.

He lashed his tail.

He also remembered those back paws were meant for pushing off the ground with such speed the dragon could clear a field in a matter of seconds. They could spring into the air almost thirty feet, but the claws were stunted. They weren't as sharp because of how constantly they were used to spring and get airborne, to propel the dragon forward with that amazing speed.

Dimitri could not eviscerate him in this form. He could see where the claws were stunted and dull at the tips, something Dimitri had likely overlooked when he'd fought them. No doubt he'd used Yugi's form to tear them to pieces. A Gandora against a Uria…

Atem counted himself lucky to have never witnessed that fight.

He straightened, raising his head, and listened to a crackle of lightning overhead. The bolt that struck downward hit another tree, which instantly burst into fragments. Atem didn't look, though a huge shard of wood struck outward and embedded itself in the ground a mere inch from his paw.

Dimitri scoffed. "No fear. And yet you're leaning so fully into your abilities to deal with me."

Atem flicked his tail. "No," he sneered, and the sky overhead rapidly darkened as clouds began to gather. Thunder made the clearing shake and a burst of rain came so suddenly he heard Yugi yelp behind him. He ignored it, though he made a mental note to apologize later. "I've just finally decided to take you seriously."

Dimitri smirked and shook his head. "Whatever you say, Atem."

He wondered how it was his own name could infuriate him so much. Atem forced it aside, narrowing his eyes, and watched Dimitri tighten his hindquarters. When he sprang, his mouth was wide open again. Atem considered it, then rose to his back legs. They tangled again, though Atem managed to strike him hard with his wings. The blow made Dimitri flip, landing with his teeth bared at his back leg. Atem slashed his shoulder, blood spurting, and sneered when he dodged the bite aimed for his paw. Dimitri snickered, his claws slicing the air. Atem barely moved away fast enough to avoid his eye being taken out. He snarled and snapped his teeth when Dimitri swiped at him again. The Uria arched his spine, tucking his back legs, and sank his teeth into Atem's forehead.

The God Dragon ignored the brief spike of panic he felt from Yugi and slashed at his face. Each blow made Dimitri grunt, though his jaws never slackened their grip. He felt as if he'd been caught in a human's pit trap. Blood dripped into his eye as a burst of lightning slammed into the ground beside them. The heat from the blast made the air quiver, a rock shattering, and the trees seemed almost to shake. Atem clawed at Dimitri's face and barely missed an eye. He caught his skull with his claws, sinking them in just beneath his eyes, and dug in so far Dimitri visibly flinched. He could feel where his claws tapped his teeth from the force.

Dimitri reached up, gripping his elbows with his claws. He sliced downward in a somewhat frantic motion, and Atem felt the blood but not the sting. He flexed his claws, wiggling them. They tapped his teeth, struck his gums, and Dimitri screamed before dropping him. Atem rolled immediately to his paws. Rain drummed down in heavy sheets, soaking him so perfectly his scales mended under the torrent. He blinked and shook himself out, staring.

Dimitri studied him a moment, spitting blood, and flexed his jaw. It looked crooked for a single second before he shook himself out. Atem could tell the Uria's natural sturdiness was aiding him far more than his own endurance. The hatchling may have been willing to spill blood and destroy others, but he was not so incredibly capable on his own. The ability to shapeshift had aided him so much it made up for his soft scales and lack of experience.

The Uria he'd slaughtered had been an adult, and Atem had to imagine it was Yugi's form he'd used to kill them. There was no other explanation for the fact he'd gotten out of the quarrel alive. If Atem himself had struggled so fiercely, there was no way Dimitri would not have died otherwise. The Gandora was known for destruction for a reason, even if they'd been slaughtered to near extinction prior. And Yugi had turned into a more than capable adult, heavyweight, with hardened muscles and terrifying teeth and claws. An adult Gandora was hardly a dragon one would seek for battle without a death wish.

Atem flicked his tail and allowed Dimitri to charge for him. He sprang and Atem fell backwards, using his wings to brace himself against the ground. He caught his claws in his shoulders, shoved upwards, pushed with his wings, and flipped them. Dimitri landed heavily under him as Atem released and landed nimbly inches away. The Uria blinked, startled, and rose to a stand instantly. Atem flicked his tail and stared, as Dimitri came forward a step.

"Are you afraid now?" he sneered. "You seem so keen on avoiding contact. What happened, Atem? Those little terrors of yours rearing their heads again?"

Atem snorted, stepping toward him. They were mere inches apart.

His silence made Dimitri bristle. The Divine stared back, at first mocking, and then with growing anger. He snarled and launched himself. Atem reared back, caught him around the shoulders, and threw him to the ground. The Uria slashed his face and kicked his stomach. Atem fought the impulse to flinch from the blow, but the rain healed him instantly. Another burst of lightning hit the ground next to them, mud spraying through the air like a geyser. Atem ignored it as it landed on his cheek, though he jumped aside when Dimitri tried to catch his face with his teeth.

His teeth clicked when Atem struck him. The blow made Dimitri's head snap to the side. Blood dribbled from his jaw and Atem watched as he opened and closed his mouth. The teeth clicked and scraped against each other as he flexed his jaw. Atem lashed his tail, startled, as Dimitri slowly slid his jaw back into alignment using the tusk on his right side against his teeth. He bristled, blinking, and backed up a step. No wonder he'd acquired the form. He wondered, glancing at Yugi briefly in his peripheral, if the Gandora could do the same.

Dimitri shot forward. Atem blinked, flexed his claws, and rose to his back paws. They hit the ground rolling, and Dimitri cut through the flesh along his shoulders with ease. Atem landed in a puddle that felt strangely hot. A bubble burst next to his shoulder, the mud coating flesh that should have ached. Atem snapped his teeth and managed to grab his muzzle. The Uria kicked at his stomach rapidly, trying in vain to gut him. Atem wrapped his forelimbs around his shoulders, dug his claws into the scales along his spine, and dragged back.

Dimitri roared with outrage, kicking harder, tossing his back limbs in an attempt to shove him back. A scale shattered beneath his claws and Atem clamped down harder. Lightning struck next to his eye, the heat making a scorching wall of steam rise beside him. Atem ignored it, sinking his claws in further and repeating the dragging motion. The sinew and muscle ripped like leaves. Dimitri screeched and struggled harder, kicking and clawing in rapid succession. It was only when Atem shifted his weight that Dimitri managed to hook his claws on his back. One slid through the scales along his spine, threatening to hit bone, and Atem felt a shot of alarm in his body.

Frenzied, body so cold it was almost numb, Atem rolled backwards. The claw hit his bone, but his back paws kicked so hard he threw Dimitri backwards. The hatchling gasped for air. Atem wheeled his body, thrown sideways, and slashed with his back paws. He'd gutted him through the flank even as Dimitri sputtered for air. The blow almost dislodged Atem entirely, but he kept his grip. His claws sank in further, his teeth dug in, and Dimitri tried to pull away.

Atem kicked, knotting a paw in his entrails, and Dimitri was almost like a limp fish when he shoved off the ground with his wings. The blow should have killed. But Dimitri changed again. A burst of lightning shot through Atem's system for a split second, jaw cracking open from the force. He hit the ground, winded, on his belly. Dimitri lay a few inches away, panting.

Atem stood slowly, testing his muscles. They ached for only a moment, and then it faded. He blinked. A bolt of bright blue struck the ground next to him. Dimitri rolled to his paws, breathing shakily. They glared at each other, until his form rippled once more. Atem lashed his tail and flexed his claws. He was right to change back. Using the Serpent Night for anything more than dislodging would get him killed.

The Uria rushed toward him. Atem sprang forward and down. He landed almost beneath him, then surged upward. He caught his jaw in his mouth, clamping down as hard as he could. The muscle jerked and twisted beneath his tongue. Atem held until his own jaws began to burn, straining from the force. His throat ached as he clenched impossibly tighter. Dimitri snarled, slashing his shoulders, and they rolled a few feet. Atem landed underneath him, back paws braced against his stomach, front clinging to his shoulders. Dimitri lay atop him almost like a fallen branch, not quite limp but heavy enough it almost winded him.

For a moment he remained like that. And then he jerked. He twisted, striking his shoulder to the ground. In an instant his back claws cut into Atem's stomach, kicking rapidly. He struck so hard Atem felt as if his body were on fire for a split second. The Sky Dragon barely had time to kick in return. The blow sent Dimitri sideways and he staggered briefly. Atem tucked his back paws to his stomach, then struck out at his jaw. The bone creaked and Dimitri screamed. He slashed him with his front claws, ripping through to the bone in seconds. Atem kicked him hard enough in the side he stunned him. His wings tore when Atem continued the assault, ripping the membrane almost to shreds.

He caught his throat in the frenzy, but the scales were harder, reinforced so that he could do nothing but make contact. He kicked hard enough he would have severed the jugular in any other dragon. Blood welled but the muscle was too firm, the scales too resistant. Atem clawed his head between the eyes, leaving bloody bone in rivulets beneath his paws. Dimitri snarled and squirmed, trying to shake him even as he caught the flesh behind his leg. Atem felt the cut more than he should have. His elbow screamed with pain even as he kicked in an even greater frenzy.

It was only as Dimitri struck his ribs that Atem lessened his grip. He sneered, disengaging his back legs, and pushed off the ground. Dimitri screamed again as Atem managed to jump over him. His other forelimb had caught behind the helm of the Uria's skull. His claws dug into the flesh there, soaked in blood instantly. Dimitri panted. Atem bunched his back limbs, waited a moment, and then aimed for his face. He would have torn the head off any other dragon. But Dimitri was merely dazed for a moment. Even as Atem pressed both back paws to his head and shoved off rapidly, separating them and sending himself rolling several yards, it only seemed to stagger the Uria.

Dimitri got to his paws, shaking himself out. The wound to his jaw was still apparent. The bottom half hung lopsided from the flurry of blows. Yet it only lasted a heartbeat. Dimitri reached up to rub his jaw, then jarred his teeth against his tusk as if to sharpen them, and flexed it twice. The teeth slid back into alignment almost immediately after.

They watched each other with burning eyes.

Yugi had begun pacing again, though Atem was relieved to see he'd wandered no closer. Timaeus still remained seated where he was, tail around his paws and eyes glued to him. Atem watched them in his peripheral for a long moment, though he kept his focus on Dimitri. The Divine didn't have to worry about the two of them moving, he realized, because he was counting on Atem forcing them back if he did. He wondered whose memories he'd picked to know how unstable Atem was when he leaned so heavily into his abilities like this.

Dimitri padded forward, until they were inches apart again. He was sizing him up, Atem noted, and for a moment he almost laughed. Was he so worried about their slight height difference? The Uria was only an inch or two smaller than him. It didn't make a big enough difference for concern.

"I would have expected you to be better."

Atem flicked his tail. "Oh?"

"If your abilities are so strong, why is it you're even getting hurt in our little fight?" Dimitri smirked. "Did everyone overestimate you? Did you feed that to strike fear in others when they sought to mate with you?"

Atem snorted. "Overestimating my abilities would be the wiser choice."

The hatchling smirked wider. "Oh?"

"If you underestimate me, you don't get the chance to stop me should I rip your head off."

Dimitri laughed loudly, flicking his tail. Atem ignored the bristle trailing along his spine. He wanted nothing more than to swipe the smirk off his face. He'd have rip his teeth out and crush his skull with a well-aimed blow if he could.

Dimitri lunged. Atem let him wrap both forelimbs around his shoulders and try to throw them both backwards. He took the momentum, balancing on his back limbs, and shifted his weight. He flipped in the air, landing deftly on all fours. Dimitri landed hard on his stomach, and Atem slashed his face. The spurt of blood was almost cleansed immediately with rain. He noticed only then he was covered in mud up to his elbows. The former wound was long gone, but the slime of dirt felt as if it had been burned into his flesh. Atem jumped when Dimitri rolled over, kicking his back legs as if to gut him. Atem surged forward, catching his shoulders, and threw him to the ground again. They rolled several feet, until a strike of lightning almost hit them both.

Immediately Dimitri tried to stand. Atem reached up and caught his face with his paws once more, claws digging in. He caught the slope of his skull with one, and his throat beneath his jaw with the other. He kicked and Dimitri backed up a step. Atem clung to him, allowing him to drag him forward to his paws again. He threw himself sideways into the mud, and Dimitri strained to stay upright as Atem kicked him once more.

One claw caught him beneath the eye, ripping half of his cheek open to the bone, and Dimitri snarled. The blow sent him sideways and facedown into the mud, so that they both rolled for a brief moment. Atem twisted his hindquarters to land with them braced beneath his belly as Dimitri hit the ground on his side. He tugged upward, gripping his shoulder and cheek, and almost snapped his neck from the force. But his form was too resilient, and Dimitri wound up rolling to his belly instead.

Atem tipped his weight to the side, sinking his claws in further. He tried to find a place to stick his teeth in, but there was none but his beak. He would not risk his teeth clipping his tusks if they were hard enough to damage them. He gripped his cheek and jaw harder, bunching the muscles in his hindquarters to hold him there. Dimitri tried to stand and couldn't. Atem held him in place, claws caught in his flesh, wings tucked into his sides, tail lashing.

He watched another burst of lightning strike the ground, the mud flying almost like a tidal wave. The tree trunks had long since lost their smolder, the trunks blasted. One of them was split hideously down the middle, broken into two, and others had fallen upon each other, crashing to the ground. Atem watched a blast of white, glancing at the sky as the heavens twisted and writhed overhead, and felt that wave of ice in his bones with such intensity it was like being burned alive.

Dimitri tried to back up unsteadily, pulling Atem forward a small step. He had lowered his head, spitting and snarling with annoyance. His eyes locked on his sibling's, cold and hideous. The flash made his eyes look like burning metal. He made no further move to get away, claws braced in the ground and gaze locked on his. He lashed his tail and Atem considered him. Did Urias have weapons in their tails as well? But when it was illuminated from another flash, the tail was feathery and harmless.

Atem thought for a moment to use his own. He could sever his head if he moved fast enough, but the idea fled just as quickly. Something had set off every alarm in his body. His muscles had locked in place in preparation for something. Atem couldn't understand what might be so threatening—

"Atem!" Yugi screamed.

The God Dragon sprang away. The fire singed his side, so brilliant blue and etched in black that Atem faltered. It burst from Dimitri's mouth with such force it seemed to unhinge his jaw, ripping through the torrent of rain and into the trees further away. They immediately burst into flames despite the water, and within moments they were scorched black. The rainfall slowed the spread, but the flames still claimed another handful before they finally died away.

Dimitri stood slowly, shaking himself out, and Atem saw then that he was trembling with laughter. The Divine grinned over at him, flicking his tail. "Tell me you didn't think it would be so easy to keep me in one place, Atem," he sneered. "I wanted you to get distracted so that I could burn you, but I didn't expect you to be so easily misled."

Atem flicked his tail. He'd lowered his guard for a moment, though he wondered how or why. What had caused his ability to slow down like that? Even for that tiny moment, Atem couldn't imagine why.

"Your territory is going to be all ash and fallen trees by the time I kill you," Dimitri noted in a delighted tone, purring. The sound was twisted and strange, like fire crackling, and Atem stared. Dimitri laughed. "The Lord of Searing Flames, Atem. Of course every noise they make sounds like fire."

Atem lashed his tail. How had he missed the sound of the breath being used? Had he missed it? He strained his memory to recall whether he'd heard the Uria who'd attempted to court him when he'd used his fire breath. Had he? He struggled for a moment. He'd heard him when he'd laughed and sneered. He'd heard it when he took every blow without even a blink. He'd heard him pant and the way he'd gotten up from every kill blow Atem had attempted to inflict before his ice breath.

He'd heard everything but when he'd breathed fire.

Atem narrowed his eyes. How were Urias so silent? He supposed it didn't matter. He just had to kill—stall—this one.

I can't kill him, he reminded himself firmly, flexing his claws. Yami said Yugi's life relies on me holding my paw from the kill blow. When I get the opportunity, I have to let it pass…

I. Have. To. Let. It. Pass.

The words were almost painful. He wanted to snarl and snap, to spit and lunge. He wanted to scream and roar and lash out and rip the Uria's head off. He wanted…

His head snapped toward Yugi for a split second. The Gandora had gotten slightly closer when he'd screamed his name, likely meaning to throw himself forward and knock him out of the way. But he had not moved since. He stood yards away, flexing his claws anxiously and visibly struggling not to jump into the fray to protect him.

Atem looked away. I'll do it for Yugi. I'll stall. I'll hold my paw. He lashed his tail.

"But when they breathe fire, there's no sound."

"Neat trick, isn't it?" Dimitri sneered. Atem wondered if he'd ever heard the crackle and burn that he should have when Yami breathed fire, or if he'd only caught it when it hit the air. The thought was more than slightly alarming. If Yami had ever turned violent… He wouldn't. He was a good hatchling, even if he'd been misguided and scared enough he'd messed up on more than one occasion. But that didn't matter, either, did it? Because he'd be dead and gone soon enough. "I don't know how it works. But it's amazing. Even the Gandora makes noise when it breathes fire. But the Uria? They're the embodiment of flame and they're so quiet you don't hear them when they strike."

Atem forced himself not to wonder after the fact. It didn't matter. It truly didn't. He just had to pay more attention…

He sensed something—someone—approaching but his mind didn't care to identify the signatures associated. Atem's eyes locked on Dimitri as he forced the feeling away. Whoever it was had likely come to see what was going on. After all, the sun had barely risen before the storm had come in and there was so much rain many in his territory had to be terrified. He wondered vaguely if anyone thought it was an omen and nearly laughed at the absurdity.

"Was that the strongest fire breath you have?"

Dimitri faltered, startled, and spat, "You wouldn't have survived it."

Atem nodded slowly. "I'm aware."

He wouldn't have survived all the attempted kill blows he'd unconsciously tried to inflict, either. Had Dimitri changed back, any of those attempts would have killed him. But the hatchling had some kind of common sense, though Atem was amazed to even consider that.

"Then what's your point?" Dimitri spat.

Atem smirked. "Yami's is stronger."

The absolute rage on the hatchling's face made Atem burst out laughing. Even as Dimitri hurtled toward him, claws flexed and wings extended, Atem couldn't help but guffaw. The God Dragon was still howling when Dimitri slammed into him. He hooked his claws in his shoulders and threw him to the ground, snarling, and Atem still couldn't stop.

Atem was still chuckling when he shoved Dimitri away, rolled to his paws, and sprang for him. The hatchling was knocked to the ground before he could retaliate. Atem clamped his teeth on his beak, trying to crush bone and failing. Dimitri struck at his face, nearly catching his eye, and Atem released him.

He backed up, smirking. "What? Yami scares you so much?"

"Look around you, Atem," Dimitri spat. "He's not here. He doesn't care that you're fighting me. He doesn't care that I'm going to rip your spine out and chew on the pieces."

Atem flicked his tail. He'd told him he'd have to stall. He'd said he'd be there, but he needed him to keep him busy. Because Dimitri had come for him, but also for Yugi. He'd come to strike Yugi down more permanently, but Atem had been the one he'd stumbled across. The plans had changed to accommodate the new situation.

But it was still all the same.

He had to stall.

Until Yami came.

Dimitri shot forward, rearing up on his back legs. Atem mimicked him, taking the hit to his cheek. He swiped back, slashing his face open above and below the eye. Dimitri hit the ground as Atem sprang forward. He caught his cheek in his mouth and ignored the claws cutting into his flesh. They tore effortlessly through, blood welling, but the rain helped to heal them almost instantly. Atem clamped down, tossing his head, and released only when Dimitri snapped his teeth near his throat.

He moved aside a step, though not far. When he swiped, he caught Dimitri by the cheek again. His claws dug so far in he felt the bone in his jaw with one and teeth with the others. Dimitri swung for his face. His claws grazed his top mouth, close to his eye but not enough to even flinch. Atem slammed his other paw into his head, throwing him off balance. The hatchling staggered and Atem struck harder. He rolled from the force, and Atem had to mimic him to keep from snapping his own paw in half. He was upright again immediately, while Dimitri lay on his back and struck out just as fast.

He snarled, aiming for his eye, as a back paw kicked him in the throat. Atem staggered and jumped back as Dimitri scrambled upright and aimed for his face. He barely missed. Atem blinked and bristled, wondering how long he had to keep doing this. And then he wondered if Yami even truly intended to show up or not. What if he'd said so to avoid Atem turning his claws on him? What if he'd lied to save himself instead?

Atem dodged the blow to his head and snapped his teeth on the wing membrane in reach. The bone shattered in his jaw and Dimitri howled, striking him furiously in the skull. Claws hooked and dragged dull streaks of pain across his flesh. Atem struck him in the side of the face as he released, putting some distance between them with a jump.

Dimitri snarled softly, shaking himself out again. Atem lashed his tail, staring. Whoever had entered the territory had gotten a lot closer. He thought they might have been headed straight for him, actually. Atem wondered—shocked he'd never considered it before—if Dimitri had bothered to make allies. Had he brought them there to try to kill them?

Atem noticed Yugi raise his head and glance around as well. Timaeus had tilted his head, blinking and peering up at the sky as if he might see something beyond the dark clouds and heavy rain. Both of them seemed bewildered, which was more alarming than Atem wanted to admit. He'd hoped one of them might know who was approaching, if only so that he knew who he would have to fight next. But if they were at a loss as well…

Atem turned back just in time to leap up and meet Dimitri's lunge. He hit him full-force, kicking his back legs. He almost cut his stomach open from the side again, but Dimitri twisted at the last second. He jerked hard enough that he escaped Atem's front claws. He landed heavily on his forelimbs, catching himself awkwardly, but was able to stand and face him again instantly. Atem flicked his tail. Dimitri swiped at his head quickly, claws cutting the air in front of him. Atem dodged it, but didn't stop him leaping forward. When they collided, Dimitri attempted to kick him in the stomach to gut him and failed.

He must not have realized the Uria's back claws weren't made equal to the front.

Atem snapped his teeth into his throat, but the scales on the underside of his neck were too strong. He snarled softly, claws digging into Dimitri's shoulders, and kicked with his back paws again. The movement sent them rolling for a single second, but nothing else came of the effort. Dimitri squirmed and Atem kicked him harder, tossing him back as he released. Dimitri rolled from the force, scrambling to his paws again. Atem lashed his tail and stared.

He and Dimitri slammed into each other. Dimitri dug his teeth into his skull, breathing against the gem on his forehead. Atem clawed at his shoulders, his throat, struggling to shake him. He lurched off the ground, shoving from his back paws. They rolled for a moment, and Atem landed on top. Dimitri spat a curse and shoved off with his wings, trying and failing to throw him back. They rolled again, landing on their sides, and Atem wondered if he could gut him. He wouldn't kill him if he did so. It would take more than that. But it occurred to him that the likelihood was extremely low.

Dimitri had healed himself since he'd managed. And no doubt he'd realized exactly what position they'd been in and how many tries he'd needed.

He wouldn't be able to chance the time he'd need to attempt it.

They rolled again, and Atem struggled to keep his ground. The mud was so thick and pasty he was covered to his wrists now. The ground was almost weeping with brown sludge, and the puddles were so deep he thought a newly hatched dragonet could drown in them. Atem braced his claws despite the unsteady surface, catching his weight on his stomach and back limbs. He held his ground, shoved forward, and tossed Dimitri away from him.

The hatchling scrambled for his paws as they stared at each other.

And then Atem felt it.

Someone was coming toward him.

Snarling, the Sky Dragon whipped around. Yugi was feet away, watching with a horrified expression. Timaeus called his name frantically. Two other voices screamed for him to stop. The dragon in front of him was short and slim, with dark green scales and wide sky-blue eyes. Atem opened his jaws as they got closer, spitting, and snapped his teeth. A dark blue dragon came rushing forward, and Atem bore his teeth as he took them in. He reared back, paw raised.

"Atem, no!" Timaeus yelled.

The God Dragon ignored him, swinging downward with so much force it would have snapped most dragons' necks. He curled his toes to use his claws to rip through flesh on the way. And then he stopped short. The little green dragon was gone. They'd been knocked to the ground and covered with…

Atem lashed his tail and stared, paw a mere feather from making impact.

The cold hadn't vanished. But the heat in his chest was so strong it almost threatened to make his heart burst. Atem blinked, raising his head and lowering his trembling paw, as the black male in front of him looked over his shoulder. Yugi jumped up immediately, bristling with excitement, and looked at him with glowing eyes. He looked so proud of him it was almost heartbreaking.

Atem lashed his tail again, then risked a glance past his leg.

Mana…and Valon…

He raised his eyes again. His parents had come running, but Yugi had gotten there before them. Malik stood feet away, staring at him with an unreadable expression. Atem blinked, snarled softly, and whipped around as a burst of heat came through the clearing.

Dimitri was charging toward him, entire body alight with blue-black flames.

Atem shifted his weight to take the hit—what was one heart anyways? He had six of them; Yugi would be okay at the end of it, so what did it matter any longer?—just as someone else went flying past him. The collision made Atem flinch backwards, bristling with confusion, as flames burst through the air and the trees began to burn once more.