Sorry to make you all wait this long, but I have been busy with life and Christmas stuff. Now then, let us see how Yusei and everyone else handles the aftermath of last chapter. Also, everyone have a happy and safe Christmas!

Yugioh: The Hope of Six

Chapter 48: Arcadia Arc – Part 3

"Where the hell… am I?"

Yugo looked around and saw nothing but emptiness. Even the ground he was standing on didn't resemble anything like dirt or tile. He had no idea where he was. Last thing he recalled was falling asleep in his bed. Was this some kind of dream? He didn't know.

He snapped around when he heard a very familiar roar behind him. Yugo gasped at the sight of his missing dragon. "Clear Wing Synchro Dragon! You're here too? I was trying to find you! It was driving me nuts not knowing where you were! Why did you disappear like that?!"

"I'm sorry, Yugo. That was my doing." Yugo was surprised to see a silver cloaked stranger step out from behind Clear Wing.

"Who're you? And what are you doing with my dragon?" Yugo demanded. The man put a hand on the dragon who, to Yugo's greater surprise, didn't try to push him away. In fact, it looked as if Clear Wing seemed comforted by the stranger's affection for it.

"My identity is not important… at least not right now." The stranger said while looking at the dragon. Yugo didn't like that response.

"The hell it isn't!" He shouted. "Someone steals my dragon and he tells me I don't need to know his name?! Bull crap!" The stranger merely chuckled, to Yugo's growing annoyance. "This isn't funny! I want Clear Wing back! Now!" The man sighed.

"I didn't steal anything. I called Clear Wing and it came to me of it's own free will." Yugo was stunned.

"Clear Wing… came to you? Why? And how did you call it in the first place?" The dragon growled a little, not quite meeting Yugo in the eye. The man gave his full attention to the boy now.

"Listen, Yugo. Zarc still desires the Four Dragons. I know this for a fact, and so does your dragon. I called Clear Wing to be with me so I can protect it from Zarc's grasp. It knows I mean it, or you, no harm."

"From Zarc?! How does he plan to get Clear Wing? He's still stuck in where he's hiding, isn't he?" Yugo demanded.

"He can't leave his sanctuary, that is true. However, that doesn't mean he won't have any help on his behalf. The bottom line is as long as that evil is still out there, Clear Wing can't stay with you. I can keep it safe."

"How?" Yugo asked. The man smiled.

"It's better you don't know, for your dragon's sake." Yugo groaned.

Part of him was glad Clear Wing was okay, but the other part hated that he could not have his dragon back… not yet. Yet, despite how disappointed he was to learn this, Yugo somehow knew that he could trust the silver cloaked man to protect Clear Wing.

Both the stranger and Clear Wing felt Yugo's distress, so the former looked up at the latter. "Hey. Feel like helping him a little?" The dragon gave a low growl before it glowed white. To Yugo's shock, the stranger's chest glowed red with the full Crimson Dragon birthmark. The man next took some of Clear Wing's energy and melded it with his own power to form two glowing white cards. One of them had a red outline on it.

"What the?! Is that the Crimson Dragon's power?! But you're not a Signer… are you?"

The stranger chuckled again as he approached Yugo and held out the glowing cards to him. "No, not exactly. But we are connected, that much is clear. Now, I strongly suggest you take these. They have a bit of Clear Wing and myself. I believe you will need them soon."

Although hesitant at first, Yugo took the cards. The glow faded to reveal a new card he never saw before and a completely blank card. "Huh? There's nothing on this card. What's the deal?"

"To unlock that card's true power, you need to learn to be more like the wind… and not falter."

"Be more… like the wind?" Yugo repeated, not getting the meaning. "What does that… huh?" He saw that both the stranger and Clear Wing Synchro Dragon were being covered by a growing mist. "Hey wait! Come back! What I am I supposed to do?!" The cloaked man gave him a thumbs up.

"You will know when the time is right. Just don't lose your confidence. Your dragon believes in you… and so do I. For now, farewell Yugo…"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Wait!" Yugo shouted, breathing hard and looked around frantically. He found himself back in the room he shared with Rua and Windy. The former fell out of his bed, scared from Yugo's shout.

"Yugo! Why did you yell like that?!" Rua asked, clearly irritated as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Windy questioned, popping out of Yugo's Duel Disk. Yugo sighed.

"Sorry. I had a really intense dream just now. Felt pretty real, though… Huh?" Yugo looked down on his mattress and saw the new card and blank card given to him by the cloaked stranger. 'Wait. Those cards. They're here with me. Did that dream… really happen?'

"Something on your mind?" Rua asked. Yugo looked unsure whether he should tell his roommates about his dream or not. He was spared of pondering that when they heard knocking outside their bedroom door.

"Yugo? Rua? You guys awake?" The voice on the other side was Rin's.

"We are now." Rua grumbled.

"Can we come in?" Ruka asked through the door.

"Yeah. Sure." Yugo said. The door opened and the guys were surprised to see the girls had changed out of their pajamas. "Why're you two dressed to go out?"

"You and Rua need to change clothes too. We all have to go right now." Rin said in a very serious tone. Yugo knew that tone and the reason for it can't be good.

"What's going on?" Rua asked, now growing worried.

"Clearly something is wrong. What has happened?" Windy questioned, sounding concerned himself. Rin and Ruka looked at one another for a moment, deciding on what to say.

"We just got a call from Yusei. Sherry and Kiryu are in the hospital. They were attacked tonight and…" Ruka began.

"WHAT?!" The boys both shouted in alarm as Yugo jumped out of his bed and Rua to his feet. Rin held up both her hands.

"Calm down. They are both a little bumped and scraped, but they're okay." Yugo and Rua sighed with relief… which was short lived. "But…" she faltered, her voice cracking a little.

"But what?" Rua insisted. His sister then looked very sad, looking very close to crying. He didn't like this one bit.

"Well?" Yugo insisted. Windy remained quiet, waiting patiently for the rest of the news. After a long moment of hesitation, Rin dropped the bombshell.

"It's Mizoguchi. He… He's dead."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Well Mr. Kyosuke, I'm happy to tell you that you have suffered no serious injuries from your ordeal. You are a very lucky man, considering everything you've been through tonight." A male dark haired doctor informed Kiryu.

After the stadium explosion, Kiryu called 911 while comforting an extremely traumatized Sherry. Ushio and Mikage were first to arrive and Kiryu told the pair what had happened. Once they got all available details, the couple were told to go to the local hospital to treat their injuries before returning home. Mikage and her partner also gave their condolences to Sherry, who had not said a word the whole time. Now here they were, getting themselves checked out. Kiryu was sitting in a room where his doctor examined his wounds from earlier.

Kiryu nodded appreciatively. "Me too. Thanks, Dr. Nozuki."

"My pleasure. I strongly recommend that you take some pain medication, get a good night's sleep, and take it easy for a few days." After Kiryu confirming he would do just that, the doctor told him he could leave the exam room. He then took a seat in the lobby and waited. Sherry was not there, meaning she was still being examined by her own physician.

Kiryu sighed deeply while holding a hand to his face. 'What a night. Despite me taking a bad hit and ended up unconscious, Sherry's the one who suffered the most.' He still could not believe how horrible the night turned out. He also felt things would only get worse from here on out…

"Kiryu!" The man looked up and smiled. Yusei, Aki, Jack, Crow, Rua, Ruka, Yugo, and Rin had all arrived. Yugo had his Duel Disk strapped to his arm, meaning Windy must be there too. Yusei reached him first, a look of great concern on his face. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Yusei. Nothing broken or anything." Kiryu assured him.

"I'm glad to hear that." Yusei said.

"Where is Sherry?" Aki asked, not seeing her in the lobby.

"She is still being looked at by her doctor. I just had my own examination and been out here only a minute when you guys showed up." Kiryu said. "Do your parents know you're here?" Aki nodded.

"I told them and they allowed me to come, as long as I didn't come alone." She motioned back at the hospital entrance, revealing a group of officers stationed outside.

"Is it true? About Mizoguchi?" Crow asked after a moment of hesitation. Kiryu frowned and closed his eyes.

"Yeah Crow. It's true." He said in a hollow voice.

Ruka sniffed and rubbed her watering eyes, not really wanting to accept it. Rua held an arm around her, though he shed a tear or two himself.

"Man, I can't believe this." Yugo said, struggling to keep himself in check. Rin held her boyfriend.

"Me neither." She muttered as Yugo hugged her back tightly.

"I hate tragedies…" Windy admitted softly from within Yugo's Duel Disk so that no one outside the group could hear him.

"Damn that Divine! He will pay for this!" Jack declared strongly.

Yusei felt the same anger from his rival. He wanted nothing more than to track down the enemy Psychic Duelist and get justice for their fallen friend. Until then, he needed more answers. He looked Kiryu right in the eye. "Kiryu. How did this happen?"

With a sigh, Kiryu recounted the plan Sherry discussed with him that led them to their fateful encounter with Jordan…

Flashback:

"You want to do what?" A shocked Kiryu asked. He could not believe what he just heard.

"You heard me." Sherry told him sternly, a steely look in her eyes. "I'm tired of waiting to do anything. So let's make him come to us."

Kiryu and Sherry were in their guest room at the Izayoi mansion. Mizoguchi stood nearby, listening to every word. After everyone else turned in for the night, Sherry told him that they needed to talk. The last thing Kiryu expected to hear was a plan to make himself and his girlfriend potential targets.

"Sherry, what you're suggesting is both insane and extremely dangerous. Dressing ourselves as Yusei and Aki to get Divine to come out of hiding… So many things can go wrong. They would never approve." Kiryu argued.

Sherry shrugged nonchalantly. "That's why we won't tell them. Besides..." She walked over to their bed, bent down, and pulled out a large bag from underneath. She opened it and dumped the contents on the bed. They were Yusei and Aki's spare riding clothes and helmets. "I already got us what we need. I "borrowed" Yusei's stuff earlier while he was at the kid's pool party. Aki's was simpler to get since we live under the same roof. Her clothes should fit me fine. You're a bit taller than Yusei though, but it shouldn't make that much of a difference from a distance."

Kiryu groaned. "It's not just their outfits. We would also need their D-Wheels to pull this off." Sherry smirked.

"You can ride with me on Aki's D-Wheel when we leave here. Once we reach Yusei's place, you can sneak in and "borrow" his D-Wheel. Then, with both our chosen transportation, we will both ride into the city to lure out Divine." Her boyfriend remained unconvinced.

"How do you plan to sneak us past all the Security officers around here? I don't expect us to get far if we're going to use the D-Wheel of the person they are supposed to guard at all times."

"Mizoguchi will distract the officers watching the mansion garage. He'll keep them away long enough for us to enter and take The Bloody Kiss. We won't ride it until we reach the other side of the back gate. After that, we will be on our way." Kiryu frowned.

"It is too risky. How do you feel about this?" Sherry's family guardian gave his answer.

"Lady Sherry has already discussed her plan with me. I was also very reluctant at first, but in the end I knew it was impossible to change her mind when it is made up. I am also onboard." Mizoguchi said. Sherry nodded.

"Mizoguchi will follow us, but more discretely. He will keep an eye on us from the shadows while you and me make ourselves as open as possible."

Kiryu shook his head. It seemed as though Sherry thought of everything. "I still do not like this."

Sherry then approached him, looking confused. "What's up with you? The Kiryu Kyosuke I've been dating never sounded so much like a coward. Your past proved that." Kiryu glared back at her.

"It is not a question of bravery or cowardice. In all those times I put my life on the line, I always knew who I was fighting and how to deal with them. We never dealt with someone like Divine before. Compounding that is that he already had help from Lightning, a being more powerful and dangerous than the Dark Signers or Yliaster. We do not know how much more help Divine has been getting from him. Bottom line, it is not wise to take on an enemy like that without knowing more."

Sherry put a hand on his shoulder and kissed him. "We will be fine. And in case you've forgotten, we can both handle ourselves in a fight. Trust me."

Kiryu looked into the green eyes he came to love and saw no hint of fear. She really did seem to think nothing would go wrong. As much as he wanted to keep protesting, he knew she would never back down. Finally, he relented.

"Okay. For Yusei and Aki." Sherry nodded back.

"For Yusei and Aki."

Flashback End

"After going along with Sherry's plan, we left in both yours and Aki's riding clothes and rode off on Aki's D-Wheel. Then we stopped by your place so I could take your D-Wheel before we headed out."

"I see." Yusei said. When he first heard what had happened, Yusei found his D-Wheel missing from the garage. He had to ride behind Crow on his Black Bird to get to the hospital. When Aki met them there, Yusei saw she rode Sherry's D-Wheel instead of The Bloody Kiss. She was just as just as concerned as he was about both their D-Wheels being taken.

Once that matter was cleared up, Kiryu went on to explain the incident with Jordan and his following Duel with Mizoguchi. When he got to the part about the explosion, he lowered his head with sad eyes. "We didn't have to wait long for the authorities to arrive on the scene. Ushio and Mikage met us there and were told everything. While I was explaining, the fire department was working on putting the fire out. Seeing the blazing inferno, we all knew there was no way Mizoguchi or Jordan could have survived. Still, they plan to search for… what's left of them for confirmation. After that, Sherry and I both came here."

"How horrible." Ruka muttered with a small voice. "Poor Mizoguchi." Kiryu tightened his fists and gritted his teeth.

"I'm so sorry, everyone. I couldn't stop Sherry from going through with her idea. And now…"

"We don't blame you, Kiryu." Ruka told him.

"Yeah. It's that guy Jordan's fault." Rua said in agreement.

"Mizoguchi deserved better than what that punk did to him." Jack admitted. Yusei nodded.

"Mizoguchi was a strong Duelist and an honorable man. He did what he had to do to save Sherry and Kiryu." Yusei said. In his mind, he thanked the old man for saving his friends. He only wished he didn't have to die to do that. After a moment of silence for their fallen friend and ally, Yusei turned to his girlfriend. "Aki. Did you know this "Jordan" while you were with the Arcadia Movement?"

Aki frowned as she remembered the man. "I wish I didn't. He was as arrogant and dangerous as Kiryu described. Jordan was one of the organization's Elite Psychics."

"Elite Psychics?" Yugo asked.

"A group composed of the strongest Duelists in the Arcadia Movement. Each of them was handpicked by Divine himself after seeing their powers in action. I was one of them before the Arcadia Movement fell. There were 10 of us at the time."

"Divine must have found and brought them back together after his escape last month." Rua guessed.

"He certainly would have had the time to do so. They all had to have been scattered across the world, thanks to the Dark Signers' attack." Jack added.

"With Aki's defection and Jordan now gone, that just leaves 8 of them." Windy summed up.

"Along with Divine." Yugo said.

"I bet the rest of them are just as much of a threat as Jordan was." Kiryu said.

"No doubt." Rin said.

Another quiet moment passed. Throughout their discussion, Sherry still had not returned. This showed on Kiryu as he looked down the hallway he saw his girlfriend walk through to her doctor's office. "I'm getting worried. Sherry's examination should be done by now. Why isn't she back yet?"

"Maybe that weird stomach pain she was having is more serious than we think." Ruka thought out loud.

Aki thought the same thing. "Do you know where her doctor's office is? I can go find her and see what is taking so long." She volunteered. Kiryu politely objected.

"You don't have to. She's my girlfriend. I'll go…"

"It's fine. Something tells me that it would be better to have another woman check on her." Aki explained. Seeing the look in Aki's eyes told Kiryu he should let her be the one to see Sherry.

"Okay. Thanks Aki. Dr. Kaguchi is down that hall, sixth door on the left." Kiryu told her.

Aki thanked him in return before she left the group. A few minutes later, she arrived at the office Kiryu mentioned. She knocked on the door a few times and waited. She only had to wait a few seconds before the door opened. A middle aged woman with short dark hair appeared. "Hello. Can I help you, Miss?"

"Are you Dr. Kaguchi?" Aki asked. The woman nodded.

"I am. Do you have an appointment with me?" She asked kindly.

"No. I'm a friend of your patient, Sherry LeBlanc." Aki corrected her. "I was told she was seeing you after her attack…" Dr. Kaguchi interrupted.

"Oh yes. I know all about that. Poor dear. Sherry was here, but you just missed her. She left shortly before you came. Did something else happen to her?"

"I hope not." Aki said. "She hasn't come back after talking with you. Do you know where she might have gone?"

"Well, just before leaving she mentioned she was going to the restroom for a minute. Honestly, I can't blame her for that." The doctor said, a little concerned now.

"What do you mean? Is her stomach pain that bad?" Aki asked, sounding both curious and concerned. Dr. Kaguchi shook her head.

"I'm sorry, but I can't discuss it. Doctor and Patient Confidentiality and all that." She said firmly. Aki inwardly sighed.

"I understand. I just wanted to know where she was. Thank you Doctor." The woman smiled back as she nodded.

"It's fine, young lady. Tell Sherry that I'll be praying for her." With that, the office door closed and Aki quickly found the women's restroom further down the hall.

As she reached the door, she heard unpleasant noises within. It sounded like someone was throwing up, loudly. Then the sound of a toilet flushing could be heard. Aki was becoming more and more convinced of what was happening to Sherry. The only way to know for sure was to ask her friend directly. Once all was quiet inside, she knocked on the door. "Sherry, are you in there? It's me, Aki."

At first, there was only silence. No reply. Then…

"Are you alone?" A rough voice responded. Aki almost didn't recognize Sherry, the way she sounded.

"It's just me. Everyone else is waiting at the lobby, including Kiryu." She said. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah, you can." With permission granted, Aki entered the restroom. She spotted Sherry, kneeling on the floor in front of a toilet in the back of the room. She looked pale and miserable while holding her stomach. She also sweated a little. Aki had never seen Sherry in such a state. She looked up at Aki, her eyes reddened. She seemed to have cried a great deal. "How is Kiryu?" She asked.

"He's okay. His only real concern right now is you." Aki answered. "How are you feeling?" Sherry looked down.

"By everyone, do you mean Yusei and the others are here as well?" She clearly didn't want to answer the second question, Aki noticed.

"Yes. Kiryu told us everything." She said as she knelt down beside her friend. "Sherry… I'm so sorry about Mizoguchi." Sherry shut her eyes tight and her body shook.

"When my parents were murdered, Mizoguchi saved me and took care of me. He raised me to be who I am. He was like a second father to me..." She then hit a fist to the floor in anger. "It shouldn't have happened, Aki! Mizoguchi should not have died! If it weren't for my damn stomach virus, all three of us would have made it! If I wasn't so sick, he wouldn't have had to…" Sherry couldn't continue.

Aki eyed her carefully. Throughout her ranting, Sherry's other hand still held her stomach. She didn't move it at all. After seeing Sherry like this, along with everything else she learned, Aki knew without a doubt what the other woman was truly dealing with. "Is it really a stomach virus?" She asked.

The blonde sneered at Aki. "Of course it is! There's nothing else it could be!" She shouted. Sherry clearly wasn't ready to divulge her "real" condition. Aki wasn't going to press her for the truth. She was dealing with enough as it is.

"Alright." Aki said calmly. "I won't ask again." Sherry mumbled a thanks in return. Both women just knelt there on the hard tile floor, not saying another word. After a minute, Sherry spoke again. This time she was much calmer.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you. I know you were just trying to help." Aki laid a hand on Sherry's fist.

"No need to apologize. You just lost someone important to you and you're upset about it. It's devastating. Just know that you don't have to go through this alone. Me, Kiryu, Yusei, all of us. We are here to help you." Sherry nodded with a hint of a smile.

"Thank you Aki." She whispered. Aki smiled back. "Tell Kiryu and the rest of the gang that I'll be out in a bit. I want another minute alone if that's alright."

"Sure. Just don't take too much more time, or Kiryu might come barging in to drag you out." She said jokingly. Sherry gave a weak laugh as Aki got up. "Also, Dr. Kaguchi wanted you to know she'll be praying for you."

"That's nice of her." Sherry said. With that, Aki walked out of the restroom.

As she did, Aki promised herself that she wouldn't tell anyone about the truth of Sherry's illness. 'Sherry has the right to explain it herself; it wouldn't be right for me to do otherwise. I just hope she plans to tell Kiryu about it, and soon. It's as much his responsibility to it as it is Sherry's…'

Alone again, Sherry stared down at her stomach. She frowned deeply as she rubbed her hand over it. "First both my parents were taken from me. Now my friend and guardian is gone too. Just when I thought I lost all my family, I learned about you." Sherry gave a great sigh. "I guess the question I have to ask myself right now is: How can I tell your father?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The next day, Mikage was going through the old Arcadia Movement data recovered after it's headquarters was destroyed. Among them was the video she showed Yusei and Aki that revealed how Divine was torturing children to test their abilities as Psychic Duelists. Mikage remembered how much pain the revelation had caused Aki. She never imagined that part of Aki's past would come back to haunt those closest to her. She vowed she would do everything in her power to help stop Divine and the Arcadia Movement's return.

Mikage continued to skim through the files until she found something. "There… that must be him." She said to herself. She was staring at a picture of a man that matched the description Kiryu gave of his and Sherry's attacker. She then read the info contained in that file to learn more.

"Found our dead Psychic Duelist?" Mikage turned to see Ushio walk in. She nodded.

"Just now. He's the only one in the files that matches our sports obsessed assailant." Ushio then learned over her shoulder to get a better look.

"Man. The guy was ugly before he got himself charbroiled." Ushio noted.

"I take it that the remains recovered from the scene have been identified?" Mikage asked.

"I've just been to see the coroner. He confirmed that Mizoguchi was definitely one of the victims. He couldn't get anything on the other. The guy must not have been in the system." He went quiet then. Mikage also felt sad for Sherry.

"It's terrible. I can't imagine what Sherry is going through." As awful as it was, Mikage forced those thoughts out of her mind and went back to work. She then noticed something about Jordan that made him stood out more from the other Psychic Duelists. Mikage searched through more profiles and found others with that same commonality as Jordan. "Tetsu, look at this. See anything that separates them from everyone else?"

Her partner looked at the computer screen. He was looking at 10 different profiles, with one of them being Aki. "The only thing I see the same is their dark red cloaks."

"Exactly." Mikage said. "According to each of these profiles, Divine gave them their cloaks to distinguish themselves from the rest of the Movement."

"They must be the cream of the crop. Aki was right up there with them." Ushio said.

"We should have Aki come here. Her intel on them may be useful." Mikage suggested.

"Good idea. Yusei and the others will want to come too. I'll call Yusei. You get in touch with Aki and her parents." Mikage nodded again at her partner before he left to make the call.

Although the duo were making progress, one thing still bothered Mikage. Kiryu and Sherry had no idea how or why their D-Wheels suddenly lost power. Could Jordan have done that somehow? Mikage's gut told her it was something else. She then recalled another bit of info from Kiryu's statement. 'Jordan mentioned he had a partner during his Duel with Mizoguchi. Maybe it is one of his fellow red cloak associates.'

Whoever Jordan's mystery partner was, Mikage felt he was somehow responsible for the couple crashing earlier. She also knew unless they track down that partner, the same thing could happen to anyone riding a vehicle… or more. That would be catastrophic. She prayed such an incident wouldn't happen… for everyone's sake.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"He's dead?!" Divine yelled in disbelief. He was marching towards the lab where the "chosen one" was still being stored. One of his scientists informed him that he should come down right away, regarding the subject in question. He was well on his way when he got word about Jordan's demise.

The voice he spoke to on a hand held data pad responded much more calmly. "I am afraid so, Master Divine. My partner tried to eliminate the ones who impersonated Yusei Fudo and Aki Izayoi. Unfortunately, the two managed to escape just before the explosives went off. Jordan's body was found a short while ago by the Neo Domino City Police Department."

Divine cursed at this screwup. The Arcadia Movement leader was not happy to hear about Jordan's death. When he had not reported in or returned last night, Divine figured he had a drink at some hidden refuge and watch some old sports game to shake off the stress. It was a habit he knew his subordinate had after completing an assignment. He had not anticipated this. Nor did he expect Yusei and Aki would have others pose as them. He was not going to let that slide… not a chance.

"Have the other Elites been told?" Divine demanded.

"Not yet. It seemed logical to inform you first, sir." The voice replied.

"You made the right move. I will break the news to them myself shortly. I have a more pressing matter to attend to first."

"Understood, Master Divine. I will let you know when I'm ready to begin the operation."

"Do that." He replied. After Jordan's "partner" sighed off, the angry man reached and entered the underground lab. In the very center was the tube containing their most important subject.

Before Divine were half a dozen men and women wearing white lab coats with the Arcadia Movement symbol on the back. They all stopped what the were doing and bowed to him as he entered. "Greetings, Master Divine. Thank you for coming." The head scientist, a brunette woman with hazelnut eyes, said as she bowed.

Divine waved his hand in a dismissive manner. "Dispense with the formalities. I'm really not in the mood. Just tell me what's going on with our friend here." He ordered tersely. The woman nodded.

"Of course, sir. "Subject S.A." has shown signs of increased heart rate and voluntary mobility. These are the first notable changes to his condition all month. I believe he is finally ready to be released." She said in an encouraging tone.

Divine smiled as he stared at the container. He did see that the body inside was waving his arms and legs around. This was what he had waited to hear. With the remaining Elites in position to play their parts in his master plan, he knew the timing couldn't have been more perfect. "At last. Go on then. Let him out and give him some fresh air." The head scientist nodded again in agreement.

"Yes sir." She then turned to her team. "You heard Master Divine! Release Subject S.A.!" Her team immediately obeyed. First, they drained the liquid from the tube. This was done using a drain that opened beneath the tube. The glass was heavily tinted so the person inside couldn't be seen.

Once the tube was completely drained, four clamps on the bottom released their hold and the tube was lifted upward. Mist poured out and had spread across the floor. It took a moment for the mist to clear, finally showing the person inside to be seen clearly by everyone.

Subject S.A. appeared to be a boy around 14 years old with short dark red hair and with dark green eyes. He was slender but not underweight. His skin seemed like an angry bright red, like he had just suffered some sort of severe burn that had spread throughout his body. The only things he wore were some blue undergarments and a breathing apparatus. The boy ripped off the apparatus from his face and breathed deeply several times. He slowly looked around, taking in his new surroundings. "Where… am I?" He asked, his voice rough and haggard.

Divine smiled warmly as he slowly approached the boy. "You are in a laboratory, where these brilliant men and woman have spent their time and effort in reviving you."

The boy locked eyes with the older man. "Who… are you?" Divine then bowed to him.

"I am Divine, creator and leader of the Arcadia Movement. It is the greatest pleasure of my life to meet you at last, Salazar Arcadia… my inspiration."

To be continued.