An abandoned clock tower forever stuck in the past, just like the rest of the Satellite. It wore the effects of its ruin with pride just as I did; that jagged maroon brand down my face, the Mark of the Giant engraved into my arm—both undeniable proof of my treason.

The Satellite's fog had made this place feel like a graveyard. The only form of love inhabiting it were flowers blooming on the outside: clusters of blue, each with five petals and yellow centers. I plucked one flower out of the ground as I let my thoughts consume me.

Yusei…you couldn't stop at pushing me to death, huh? Jack, Crow…none of them could keep her safe! None of my former teammates did anything to prevent my Persephone from getting taken away. Even after they eagerly pushed me into the depths of hell! The never ending torture of Sector Security; the brutal onslaught of their assault, jeering choruses of laughter and sneers at the withered, broken example of their authority. My deck, my pride…all of it, gone! That still wasn't enough for any of them!

My Persephone…her very essence haunted this place. The one garden in the Satellite, wilted save for the flowers that mourned her. Her D-Wheel had stood without disturbance, neither white or gold left with a sign of rough play thanks to none other than myself. As I ventured into her home once more, my eyes wandered to the artwork that was plastered over the rugged walls. The walls were a massive collage of Team Satisfaction's legacy as we conquered the Satellite. It also had depictions of various Duel Monsters in vivid green forests and towering coliseums amongst clouds, the watercolor just as vibrant as when she first painted each one. And as much as it would satisfy me to scratch through the faces of those traitors, the handiwork of Persephone is the most tangible part of her precious memories.

Persephone's splotched, olive hands and stained clothes never let my mind. The way she would stand on her toes to get closer to the people she drew...The way her wide, brown eyes looked at everything with wonder, and her freckles made her look like that of a deer—Bambi, I used to call her. I yearned to call her that nickname again, hoping that one day I'll hear her voice rather than the deafening silence that answers it. I want to hear her scold me for being too rough with the plants she used to tend to. How she would erupt into a laugh even if she had lost a Duel, promising that her and her cards would get me back next time.

I refuse to rest in peace. Not until I make Yusei pay the debt he owes. Not until Persephone inevitably comes back to me.

The flower was crumpled up in my hand, a lone petal remaining in my hand as the others fell at my feet. My mark gleamed purple in the dim lighting of her tower. I couldn't contain my anticipation, grinning ear to ear at the delicious thought of Yusei's despair. In fact, the thought enticed me so much—a mere snicker had crescendoed into a cackle before I knew it.

Vengeance is mine, I will repay.

X x X

Even if I get a step closer each day, I still feel so far away.

My leads were very few: gut feeling, intense visions, and this worn, folded up paper I kept in my pocket. There were one drawing on each side, the front had a depiction of five people standing together over a building. Two of them were the champions, former and current—Jack Atlas and Yusei Fudo. I had no interactions with Jack Atlas, only the feeling of nostalgia and a bitter aftertaste when I saw him on the big screens. Yusei I had encountered at the Fortune Cup. He looked like he had seen a ghost, and when he called my name, my voice got caught in my throat.

"Persephone! Is that really you?"

"Seph, are you okay?"

How was I supposed to answer? I think I'm Persephone (that's what Divine said my name was). But the way Yusei called me was so …familiar, and my mind's eye saw a glimpse of him without the criminal mark down the side of his face. That must mean that I had known him from somewhere else, but Divine had ushered—more like dragged—me back to headquarters, frantic in spite of his attempts to dust it off. "That Satellite was just trying to confuse you to get some pocket change. Pay no attention to him."

Sure, it was nothing. The way your gloved nails dug painfully into my shoulder. It was nothing, the way your eyes darted in every direction possible, like a cat almost slipping out of its bag. Nothing at all.

A few hours passed since that encounter. I still couldn't recall any of the fine details, but at least two pieces of the puzzle were found. Now I have to figure out who was the one with the spiky orange hair and M-shaped criminal mark. All I knew was that face would flash in my mind whenever I would watch children play, the tender feeling soothing my spirit. However, the boy with the pale blue hair…

I had flipped to the other drawing, chartreuse eyes sparkling bright with courage and a duel disk on his arm. I wanted to know the dreams he had that made him duel with such resolve, and most of all…

Why did it hurt to look at him?

Why couldn't I control my tears just looking at this damn drawing?

There shards of glass piercing into my chest, leaving punctures I don't have the means to cure. My brain was clawing at itself to get myself to remember, it's as if his essence itself was begging to be remembered—

"Seph!"

Aki's distressed voice broke me out of my trance in a way that made me jump, my elbow slamming into a pot of flowers sitting on the windowsill. She had stabled the pot with one hand, which was now slightly hanging off the ledge. The other moved to cradle my arm, caressing the throbbing red skin. "What's gotten into you? You've been in a daze for half an hour! Are you alright?"

That question again. But this time I had to push myself to answer, especially with the way Aki's normally somber brown eyes were tender and furrowed in worry, "I'm fine, don't worry about me." My eyes shifted away from her gaze, sheepish.

"Are you sure? That didn't look fine to me."

"I promise, Aki, I just got caught up in my own head again…" I let out an awkward chuckle, turning to readjust the pot on the windowsill while paying no mind to my throbbing elbow.

She raised an eyebrow, and I could tell she didn't believe me for a second as she drew her hand away. "It was that drawing again, wasn't it?"

"These flowers," I commented, both observing the cluster and trying to change the subject. Each flower was blue, with five petals and a yellow center, "what were these called again?"

Her voice was tense, but she had resigned and flowed with the conversation. "Forget-me-nots. They bloom at the beginning of spring."

"Do they have a meaning by chance?"

Aki looked off, a hand resting on her chin. "I've heard they often symbolize true love, and the desire of being remembered…how come?"

I spared one more glance at the drawing, "No reason."