Chapter IV

Lost track

Johan was in a medieval throne room: the gelid, somber cobblestone paving the ground and the pillars supporting the ceiling around the altar at the very end of it, a fancy silky red carpet stretched over the middle of the room, making a walkway to the high stone throne and sitting there, like a king, there was Johan.

Not him, but his counterpart when possessed by Yubel, clad in those dark, rather edgy garments, those razor sharp golden eyes, filled in madness and that wicked smirk. He sat with one foot on the seat of the throne, the other leg was stretched out to the ground; supporting his elbow on the armrest, his fist flattened his cheek.

"Johan, you've come to visit me?" he perked up, saying in a melodious, hoarse voice. "I've felt lonely all by myself…"

Johan furrowed his brows profusely, his fists clenched on their own, the sight of Yubel controlling his body, using it for its own goals, to make people suffer, he couldn't stand it. No matter how chill he was once everything was over, this memory will always irk him in ways only he could know.

They both stood, facing each other, in white and black clothes, light and dark, this ugly side of a duel spirit that he's never seen in any other before. He thought only humans could be the villains in this exchange between living people and duel card spirits, but Yubel proved he was absurdly wrong.

"Don't worry, Judai will come for you soon, but maybe I can make him cry a little… before I tell him where you are."

He spoke, as if chanting for himself to hear too. "You're gone, you're not a villain, Judai is with you now, Yubel."

That evil smirk vanished from the other Johan's face, he stared idly, trying to fathom what the real owner of his body meant, then that devilish smile crawled back right into his face.

"You're so naive, Johan, you really don't understand what real love looks like," he slid a hand onto his own face, delighted while listing in a mellowed voice, his voice. "The sorrow, the despair, the pain…"

"You're nothing but a figment in my memory now, the real Yubel isn't like that anymore…"

"Real? But I'm real too. As real as the Yubel you knew. And I'm getting closer and closer…"

Johan gaped at that statement, the one in front of him smirking as confusion spread to his expression.

"Who… Are you?"

Just as he questioned, he opened his eyes, waking up from that nightmare, panting for air. Sitting up straight on the infirmary bed, looking around, the landscape waving until his sight got accustomed to the flickering sunlight beaming from the slight fold on the tent's cloth that flapped a small opening with the wind.

"Johan, you're awake! We were so worried!" Amethyst Cat rejoiced.

"Does it hurt anywhere?" Emerald Turtle asked, standing over his legs.

"No, I'm fine."

He smiled in relief, seeing his gem beasts there had an incredibly comforting effect in his chest, all the turmoil making his blood boil was gone.

His forehead had a small, white adhesive plastered there and his wrist was wrapped in bandages, but other than that he was unharmed, wrinkles carving into his expression as he asked:

"I take it professor Melchior didn't come back. Did he?"

They exchanged a worried, afflicted glance, then shook their heads off, Emerald Turtle spoke again, in a calm, reassuring tone:

"But the most important thing for us is that you are fine, Johan."

He couldn't help but smile again, petting the head of the turtle, Ruby Carbuncle meowed in jealousy, jumping onto his bed and climbing onto his shoulder, rubbing its face against Johan's cheek, he chuckled while petting its head with another hand.

"Hahaa, Ruby, it tickles."

His laugh became more and more loud, relished and light-hearted as his gem beasts welcomed him back warmly.

"So, what happened? Did you guys manage to get me out? Where is Sylvia?"

"About that…"

The scene changes to Johan dashing into another tent, gasping for air while holding himself on his knees, raising a hand to interrupt the conversation, there was a certain pressure in the expression of Pegasus hologram, Sylvia stood there in front of the device.

"Pegasus!" he called out loud. "I'm sorry, I lost track of the traitor while tailing him."

[Johan boy, are you alright to stand? I heard you were injured.]

"It was a minor wound," he pointed at his forehead, smiling cheerfully. "I am ready to report too."

[I heard everything from Miss Hoenmann. It is unfortunate that the secret passageway was blocked by the building collapsing too, it'll be hard to access the tablet now, but nothing that our experienced personnel can't deal with.]

"It's collapsed?!" he asked, shocked.

Sylvia took the task of briefing him. "You were unconscious, but it all fell apart while you were recovering."

"Aw, man," he slapped his own forehead. "And we were on the right track too."

[I see that you've taken initiative without my permission again, Miss Hoenmann] Pegasus emphasized the word, raising a brow at her recurring attitude problem.

"Yes. I thought I could help find the person leaking information to the raiders."

[I admire your dedication, but this is the second time that you and a collapsing excavation are involved. I hope a good break will give you time to think about how your choices impact the rest of the team and how to best handle unexpected occurrences.]

"Yes, Chairman Pegasus."

She answered in the most dispirited tone, with a lowered head. For some reason her silhouette looked a bit smaller than usual then.

"If I may," Johan lifted his finger, a tad apprehensive to interject. "It's also my fault for going along. I thought it'd be fine even if she tagged along."

[Johan boy, you need not to worry, Sylvia will be fine and the tablet will soon be found again.]

"There's something else bothering me, Pegasus, about the secret passageway. It wasn't just a simple extra pathway connecting to the main temple… The room we found there looked like an altar of sorts, and there was imagery of the Rainbow Dark Dragon too."

[I have heard it.]

"Professor Melchior was the one who did it all behind the curtains, he had contacts and bribed some workers, plus he knew exactly how to open the way to the altar, and worse than anything else," he glanced over at Sylvia who listened attentively. "He managed to open a small rift between dimensions, but Rainbow Dark Dragon appeared and blasted it closed."

[As we thought… that tablet did have a spirit in it] Pegasus' eyes narrowed. [Sylvia do you have anything to add?]

"Huh? M-me?" she blinked startled, fumbling on her own words. "I-I don't know, there was some sort of warped-black-hole-thing, that much I can confirm."

Her whole demeanor was strange, she was avoidant, her eyes roaming around as if she couldn't come to face Pegasus.

[Did you also see the Rainbow Dark Dragon there?]

Her eyes widened open, her lips splitting apart, suddenly her throat dried, closing like she was out of air, very briefly, but enough of a reaction that the men in the room questioned what she was hiding.

"No, I didn't see anything, but anyways, didn't it appear behind me from Andersen's description? I just saw him looking up, behind me."

No way she wouldn't have seen it if she could.

Johan smiled defiantly, something was off and he was not going to let her off the hook this time.

[I see, you're unable to see duel monster spirits after all. Well, if that's all, I'd like to have a personal chat with Johan boy, but I must go now, so that will wait until I settle the matters regarding the excavation.]

"Understood," the boy nodded in agreement.

The device turned off, the hologram flashing off, Sylvia exhaled so deeply, it seemed to be a constant whenever she got scolded by Pegasus. Her sharp gaze landed on him, but he was the one that initiated a dialogue.

"Sylvia, I heard you helped me out of there, thank you."

"Johan," she said in a strong, annoyed tone, folding her arms. "Shouldn't you be in the infirmary?"

I'm Johan now? Not "Andersen"?

He sweated, not knowing if that was good or bad in the book of Sylvia terms, but she sounded intimidating and in a foul mood.

"I'm good now," Johan gulped, unsure of what to expect of that conversation.

"Wow, you got upgraded to your first name, this is what I call progress," Topaz Tiger mocked.

"Better than nothing, Johan's charm sorta of grows into people, right?" Amethyst Cat said proudly of his achievements.

"You're onto something, Johan, she's not annoyed just because she dislikes you, inquire her until she spills everything!" Sapphire Pegasus snorted determined.

Emerald Turtle bumped into the conversation. "I digress, I think she likes our boy more than she lets on."

"What?! No way!" Topaz Tiger slapped his paw to the ground.

Ruby Carbuncle sat comfily on Johan's shoulders, its tail undulating in the air. The gem beast master felt like intervening in the bickering from his family, but he had no time for this now.

"Sylvia, back when Pegasus asked you about Rainbow Dark Dragon, you looked a bit nervous," he went straight to the point. "Are you sure you didn't see anything worth mentioning?"

"What? This is what you wanted to ask? O-of course I didn't see anything, just because people like you go around flaunting that you see spirits of duel monsters, doesn't mean anybody can!"

"I'm not 'flaunting' it. And I understand that not everyone is able to see it. It is quite troublesome at times, indeed."

"Then why are you asking me? I'm no duelist, much less a psychic or whatever it is that allows you to see spirits, if it's true."

"I think you're hiding something, to be honest."

"Wha-" she gawked, appalled by his accusation, looking at him from top to bottom. "Johan Andersen, I cannot believe you! How dare you accuse me!"

She stomped her way over to him, her brows so creased it made multiple wrinkles on her forehead, her fists clenching, she gritted her teeth about to give him a piece of her mind, until he proceeded with his theory:

"I think you did see something, but like most people, you're afraid to talk about it."

Swallowing hard at the accuracy of his guess, she denied. "I'm not!"

Coming a step closer, right in front of him, her jaw dropped open for her to contest all his arguments, however she froze speechless at the sight of a purple stripe spiking up from his shoulder, a huge, round and polished ruby attached to it. Sunlight was good enough she couldn't be mistaken, but it looked like a tail waving.

She leaned her face closer, dusting off his shoulder, then repeated it more fiercely this time around, to make sure it went away.

"There's… There's a purple stripe… A ru…"

As soon as she mentioned the color, Johan frowned, Ruby Carbuncle jumped off of his shoulder, hissing at her. Sylvia flinched when it disappeared, rubbing her eyes. Johan's voice dragged her out of her daydreaming.

"Hm, did you see something on my shoulder?"

He scratched his face abashedly, smiling troubled as she intently stared at his shoulder from close enough he felt her warm breath through the cloth.

She winced her head back, realizing how many boundaries she crossed in his personal space, it must've looked like she was flirting with him, she swayed her head, flushing at the misunderstanding:

"I-I wasn't…!"

Then, she saw it again, that small tail floating in the air close to the ground, Ruby Carbuncle meowed bothered and rushed off the tent, she watched as the floating twirly tail went off on a journey outside.

Johan also followed it with eyes, then switching his gaze to Sylvia who rubbed her eyes like she wanted to erase them off of her face.

"Did some sand get into your eyes again?" he snickered.

"Ugh, don't make fun of me! I wasn't joking! There was really something there!"

"I'm not saying you're lying, but that is quite an interesting spot to see something."

She blushed again, embarrassed at how brazen it must've looked to him. She just made herself a fool by even mentioning it. What was she thinking? She better get her eyesight checked.

"You know what? Forget it," puffing tiredly, she used her palms to cover both her eyes. "You're free to go on your own adventures now, I'm being transferred anyways…"

"You're being transferred? Where to?" his eyebrows curled up in pity, he felt it was partially his fault. "I thought Pegasus said you'd be on break."

"On break from excavating myself, yeah, he wants me to go to another excavation to learn from others how to do it," she grabbed her hair and messed it up in a fit of emotion. "Now I can't even help professor Hoenmann and on top of all this, I'm seemingly losing my mind and seeing things! My life is upside down."

"Seeing things?"

"Stop asking me! Give me a break, Andersen!" she cried out, her eyes were teary too as she stormed out of the tent.

I'm back to Andersen now? She must be furious.

"Wow, Johan, you totally made her cry," Topaz Tiger whistled.

"I didn't-" he sighed in heftily. "You're right, but I'm surprised even a strong-looking person like Sylvia can have a meltdown."

"You don't because you're awesome, but not everyone is like you," Cobalt Eagle blurted out, half proud of his friend.

"You should apologize," Amethyst Cat suggested. "You might have come off as rude and too aggressive by asking so many questions and insinuating she was deceiving you, girls are delicate, after all."

"If that's what you consider delicate, I don't even want to know what you call yourself," Topaz Tiger commented out of turn.

"Ah, you big, tactless idiot!"

And the two cats argued over it while Johan swayed his hands gently, trying to appease them. His gaze winding back to the entrance of the tent, he's sure Sylvia saw Ruby Carbuncle back then, or at least, she knew something was there. But why is she so stubborn and denies it? It might sound like she's crumbling apart with how nothing is going well in her life and that she's seeing illusions, so how could he best approach the topic with her?

Besides, is she really going away? He put a hand to his chin, his brows twisting upwards unwittingly in a compassionate, conflicted feeling punching his heart. Despite her fervent attitude when talking to him, and bossing around, Sylvia did make things lively for she seemed to enjoy exploring and adventures just as much as him.

"Johan, is there something troubling you?"

Sapphire Pegasus's steps made a slow, clip clop sound as he approached from the side.

"Yes, there is. I feel responsible for what happened to Sylvia. I mean, I let her stay behind that day and ever since then, it seems like a stroke of bad luck befell her… I also can't shake off this sensation that something is weird with how Rainbow Dark Dragon just appeared and vanished…"

"That can't be the same Rainbow Dragon you owned, it's an entirely different entity, Johan, we all can feel it," the horse said concerned.

"I know, that's exactly what worries me the most. Where did he come from or… How long has he been waiting for me to arrive? If he's been waiting for an eternity, I can understand why he'd avoid meeting me…"

"Perhaps he wants you to find his tablet first, he may be bound to it, or at least until that monster creator draws his card, like with Rainbow Dragon."

"Also, what do you think of the portal? It couldn't be…"

"That is over, but it is true there are innumerous dimensions. Which is what makes me fearful of what we might find out…"

After that, Johan had his own discussion with Pegasus about the details regarding the secret chamber and how things went awry, as well as who could be behind it.

"I checked the list of workers you sent me, Pegasus, and at least three of them were involved. Since professor Melchior isn't here anymore, it'd be a good start to monitor those three."

[This is more complex than I'd like it to be. For now, keep an eye on them.]

"I'll also read those documents about the tablets you sent me."

[The research has stopped abruptly and prematurely, but we will resume and send more data as soon as possible. Moreover, tonight a convoy will be heading to the city to resupply, it's very likely one of the workers you saw will be going there if they intend to communicate with external parties.]

"Yeah, I don't like the possibility, but don't you think someone else could be interested in Industrial Illusion's discoveries and current projects?"

[it is not impossible, I made many enemies over the years.]

"I'll tag along that convoy, check if they are involved with shady people or other big companies, in the meantime, I hope the excavations of the tablet will go well, I have a bad feeling about it all."

[Likewise, I wish you luck in your endeavors, Johan boy.]

"Haha, thank you," he laughed in a polite, controlled tone.

Once the hologram was disconnected, his eyes squinted, resolute in finding the culprits behind the case. He laid low, hiding behind some empty barrels and boxes while watching the movement from the team that'd go out.

As predicted by Pegasus, the convoy was ready to depart by the night time, Johan sneaked around, getting closer and closer to the wooden carriage covered by a sand-colored tarp, he could make out the shape of crates and barrels underneath it.

When the men got distracted, still carrying some things to another chariot out of the many that composed the convoy, he took his chance, untying the tarp slightly and slipping under it, Ruby Carbuncle jumped after him.

His leg tripped onto something hard as a bone, he fell on his fours under the darkness of the tarp, touching around with his hand to find the crates, but what he got a handful of was much softer, to the point his fingers sunk a bit in it.

He recoiled his hand by reflex as a short, girly squeal that was muffled right away soared, he flinched.

"What-"

A bright light beamed right into his face, his eyes squinting, his arm shielding part of it, from the other side, he saw the owner of that flashlight.

"Sylvia?!" he shouted in a low tone. "Why are you taking a ride here too?"

"What are you doing here on my ride?" she inquired huffing and puffing, having an arm in front of her chest.

His eyes broadened, his fist closed on its own and in a chain reaction he screamed internally, realizing where his hand had been just now, his cheeks prickling as he immediately explained himself.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Shut up! I'm fed up with your nice guy act!"

She scrunched up, sitting while embracing her knees, it was hard to tell, but he could swear her face was a teensy bit pink.

He dropped to his backside, sitting in a different row across from her in the narrow, claustrophobic space between crates. Then, the carriage bumped, she was thrown up from her seat slightly, almost falling to the side, Johan put his hand to her side to prevent the fall, holding her arm.

"Do not touch me!" she scolded, her pores bristling up, his hand jerking back in reaction.

The carriage had started moving, he smiled wryly, still guilty from the previous blunder. No matter what he does, he always ends up mishandling the situations that arise in a way that aggravates her.

Ruby sat between his semi-crossed legs, oblivious to the tension of the situation, at least someone was enjoying the trip.

"They had so many carriages to choose from, but you had to take this one, Andersen, you're unbelievable!" she fumed, shouting in whispers.

"I didn't know you'd be sneaking around in one too, not exactly something I could guess."

"What if they spot this flashy blue hair of yours?" she panicked sliding both hands on her own face.

"Do you not like the color of my hair?" he smiled helplessly.

"That's not what I said, it's ok! But it stands out too much."

"If you don't want to be caught, then we better not talk a lot," he put a finger to his lips.

"I wanted to leave without any vestige too…"

"Well, they do say that when you're doing something wrong, you're bound to get caught red-handed."

"Who says that? Never heard of it! And I'm not doing anything wrong!"

As she blabbered endlessly, a result of the mix of nervousness, anxiety and frustration, he smiled sheepishly, Ruby Carbuncle yawned, looking up to him and meowing. It'd be a long ride.