Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Lady of Dragons ❯ Derik, World's Guardian ( Chapter 22 )

“Now! This is it! Now is the time to choose! Die, and be free of pain, or live, and fight your sorrow! Now is the time to shape your stories! Your fate is in your hands!”

 

- Auron, Final Fantasy X

 

Chapter Twenty-Two: Derik Motoh

World's Guardian

 

Across Domino City, everyone could feel it, though only few knew what it meant. Muscles were tense. The air was beginning to carry a faint stench of decay. The Ammitites below huddled together as the final points were completely saturated with the stolen energy ripped from various duelists through the perverted technique of desecrating their favorite card, and with it violating a most sacred part of their spirits.

 

All that was needed now was the connection to be made, and the thin membrane between the two worlds would let each consume the other. From outside our solar system, the entire planet would be indistinguishable from the surrounding space, hidden behind the shroud of the ancient world where monsters still thrive.

 

Somewhere, a battle had already begun within this place. A battle fought with ferocious beasts and guardian angels. A battle strewn with powerful spells and hidden surprises. A battle that could only be won by a child. And his energy was fading fast. 
 
Derik felt the rush of his heart in his ears as Seskera's dark prediction faded into the distance. He was behind in every way imaginable. He had fewer Life Points, less field presence, and less confidence then his opponent. Derik's only advantage was that he had a full hand whereas Seskera had nothing. He also had his Chaos Command Magician, which he didn't dare attack with, as it was his only protection against whatever Seskera had hidden. Drawing at once, Derik knew he had to stay on his feet.

 

“Is there anything we can do to help?” Yugi asked his counterpart, seeing the fright in Derik's eyes. This was more then he bargained for, and he didn't have the endurance that anyone else present had.

 

“He'd better make it, Pharaoh,” Marik interrupted. “My own soul is riding on the outcome. Just be glad I bailed you out.”

 

“Why did you decide to help us?” Yami questioned, genuinely curious.

 

“I have lived a childhood without a father,” Marik explained. “No one deserves that fate. Besides, I knew my former employee's ego would not let him refuse such an offer.”

 

“Ego or not,” Kaiba broke through, “look at the munchkin.”

 

Yami reluctantly had to agree. “Seskera is the most accomplished shadow conjurer I have ever has the misfortune of meeting. Haven't you noticed? Each attack is more deadly then the last and it all is very real. That explosion earlier truly could have killed us all. If Derik is attacked directly…”

 

“The same goes in reverse,” Bakura pointed out. “Does Derik have any recovery cards?”

 

Within the argument, Kaiba's cell phone gave a blast, causing everyone not dueling to jump.

 

“That explosion must have pierced the cloud,” Marik ventured.

 

Kaiba ignored him and tried to make out a garbled signal. “Mis…ba, sor…y the holog…gone,” said a voice he recognized as his tech crew. “We… right away.”

 

Kaiba took it in for a moment before be slowly scanned the floor. Dawning confirmation slowly overtook him as he saw something that made his blood stop in his veins. His hologram generators were fried crispy, in no way functioning, yet Seskera's monsters still hovered over the field. This was undeniable. At last, after so many years, Seto Kaiba found himself believing in magic.

 

Derik's breathing was hard and his muscles were sore, but he still looked back at the confident expression of his opponent, flanked by four servants, and of course the constant threat of his facedown monster. Derik tried to calculate a counter-attack, and soon found just the crack in the defense he was looking for. “What a shame,” he started, “that you are as weak of an opponent as you are.”

 

Everyone was dumbstruck, Seskera most of all.

 

Yugi, fearing for his child, called, “Derik, what are you doing?”

 

“It's simple,” Derik continued. “Every card you have played so far only works best in a combination. Your Element monsters, your trap cards, everything has to have a precise set of circumstances to be useful to you. If fate doesn't give you the opportunity to do anything you are helpless.”

 

“True,” Marik remarked, “and how interesting that a man so far above the rest of the human race should use a strategy that is so dependent.”

 

“My powers are limitless!” Seskera roared.

 

“But your monsters are not.” Derik finished for him. “Although combo attacks can be some of the most deadly strategies in the game, the more cards you use, the more breaking points there are. If Doriado was to be destroyed, your elemental monsters would be weaklings.”

 

It may have been a trick of light, but Doriado's defensive aura of rainbow colors seemed to grow more intense at that statement.

 

Seskera fought to regain his ground. “But my facedown monster may not be so weak. And as long as you fear to attack it, it is unbeatable.”

 

“Nothing is unbeatable, Seskera,” Derik countered, “I activate Nobleman of Crossout!”

 

Seskera's teeth gnashed into a vile expression as the knight rose to his feet from within the card that contained him. With a swift maneuver, filled with duty and honor, the swordsman flipped his blade into a downward point, and ran his sword straight down into the heart of Seskera's hidden demon. Delivering a final, desperate spell, the nobleman spent his energy sealing the imp within whatever void lies beyond death, never to escape.

 

Hatred burned in Seskera's eyes at the sight of his strategy foiled.

 

“All right!” Yugi cheered. “His Night Assailant is gone, and because it was a Flip Effect monster, it takes any others Seskera had with it!”

 

“That battle is yours,” Seskera conceded, sliding the Night Assailant into his pocket as it was removed from the game. “But what exactly did you accomplish? You merely eradicated the weakest of my creatures, and my other cards can still draw from their power.”

 

Derik smiled for the first time this duel. “Then I'll have to do something about that I guess, and Graceful Charity might be able to help me.” The familiar card worked its magic, providing Derik with fresh weapons to choose from. He looked blankly for a moment and checked the card once, twice, and a third time just to be sure. A mischievous arch of his eyebrow formed as he tossed his Waboku and Buster Blader to the graveyard.

 

Seskera waited silently, although not patiently. “If I had known it would take this long I would have kept another soul card around to pass the time. It would have been so satisfying to watch the famed Mrs. Ishizu Kaiba drop to the floor, with her husband without the power to do anything but weep like an infant over the one thing he could not control.” He broke into a sinister chuckle. “Hell, get it on tape and the blackmail would fund me for years. Even if your pride wouldn't let you give in, the ruin of your company after a lifetime of hardship would be as good a way to pass the time as any.”

 

Kaiba kept himself in check, as Derik tried to get Seskera's attention back on him.

 

“And who else, I wonder?” Seskera continued, thoroughly enjoying this. “Marik? Your brother? Your pretty… little… girl?”

 

Kaiba's rage sent a ripple across the field, and he seemed almost supernatural as he raced off. Seskera waited for the blow, knowing that if the rules were broken, Kaiba's soul would be forfeit to him.

 

“I'm sorry, Kaiba,” Yugi said, more to himself then anyone, “But this is for your own good.”

 

Both Yugi and his doppelganger flexed their powers, blasting the enraged parent in the small of the back. Wind leaving his lungs, Kaiba faded through the vapor of black magic.

 

0000000

 

Outside, Joey, Peter, Mako, and all of the other contestants not in a coma stood outside the cloud, on the badly charred deck of the blimp. Although it was forbidden, after the explosion all were curious at the happenings. When Kaiba came stumbling out of the fog, murmurs spread throughout the small crowd.

 

“Uh, Kaiba?” Joey asked dumbly. “Did we win?”

 

All was ignored as Seto Kaiba began battering the dark mass with his fists, which strangely appeared at other various points in the cloud, one resulting in Kaiba hitting his own face.

 

Exhausted, Kaiba collapsed back on the deck, tears staining his hardened face. “Damn you, Yugi Motoh,” he cursed softly. Then, gathering air, he wailed into the wind. “Damn you!”  The echo rivaled Seskera's. 

0000000 

“Well, that was fun,” Seskera remarked.

 

“You're sick.”

 

“I'm sick of waiting,” Seskera snapped back at Derik. “Now kindly continue before I find another way to entertain myself.”

 

Once again unsure, Derik tried to continue his confidence, but it was much shakier then before. “You remember Skilled Dark Magician, don't you?” A second of Derik's mages positioned himself in front of his master, almost eager to get into the fray. (1900/1700)

 

Seskera, however, was distinctly unimpressed. “Again?  I seem to remember that mage meeting its end quite early on in our match. What new could you possibly have to show me?”

 

Bakura was just as confused. “Yugi, if Derik had some magic cards left I might see a plan, but he's played two already. Can he summon Dark Magician this turn?”

 

Yami was the one to respond. “He can if he does what I think he will.”

 

Seskera was obviously thinking the same thing. “You still need three magic cards to reveal your Dark Magician, and the chances of all three being magic cards are slim.” Not that it matters, Seskera finished to himself.

 

“On the contrary,” Derik answered, “I intend to use only one magic card… but I'm going to play it three times.”

 

“Gather Your Mind,” Seskera finished. “A useful trick, I admit, but don't insult my intelligence. Even I know it can only be played once per turn.”

 

“But this can,” Derik stated, playing the card to reveal a colorful book with letters crawling on the pages as if they were alive.

 

Seskera was perplexed, but Yugi just smiled, as a gem on Derik's Magician flared to life.

 

“Toon Table of Contents,” Derik explained. “I exchanged my Gather Your Mind cards for them before the match. This card searches for any card with the word `Toon' in the title.”

 

“Then what are you using it for?” Seskera asked, more annoyed and confused then angry. “You have no Toon monsters.”

 

“Who said I was searching for a monster?” Derik corrected. “The card I'm searching for… is itself!”

 

Seskera gaped as the deadly chain unfolded. Several laughing creatures formed the name of the declared card on a page of Derik's giant book. A second table was played, followed by a third, and soon all three stones on three Skilled Dark Magician's robe were burning bright. “I think I have another Dark Magician who wants a word with you,” Derik taunted, “and I don't want to keep him waiting.”

 

The gems flew up into the sky as the apprentice mage conjured a summoning circle. Each gem was absorbed as it fell from the sky, once, twice. On the third time, the student's robes burst apart, revealing Yugi's old Dark Magician striking the very pose depicted on the card, and he was not at all happy. Chaos Command Magician felt the same way, and both prepared for the charge.

 

Derik grinned. “Now that I have your, and more importantly your monsters's, attention, I'm attacking Doriado and your Valkyrie. That's two monsters down!”

 

“Yes,” Seskera countered in a fury, “yours! Reveal the elements' most versatile weapon, Fuh Rin Ka Zan!”

 

Doriado's expression did not change, but the rest of Seskera's monsters stepped out of the way, as four rotating pillars began to rotate around him, each with the ferocity of some natural disaster.

 

“What on Earth is that?” Marik shouted, held with a spellbinding fascination.

 

The pillars slowly revolved around Seskera, making the lack of constant view very unnerving. “Earth is only one thing you have to worry about,” Seskera finished. “The tendrils from its vines steal two cards from your hand. The blessing of water will present two cards to me, like the ocean's gift of a pearl. The power of wind, like most wind-based cards, will blow all magic and traps into oblivion. But to me, fire is so much more fun.”

 

The pillar of fire became a spiral, as the other forces dispersed. Seskera directed its force with the point of a finger, and the fire flared out in uncontrolled lashes, bolts, and spirals. Derik watched helpless as his monsters burned apart layer by layer. Burning skeletons crumbled to ashes within seconds, leaving the short time Derik had to watch the carnage the only bright spot in the situation. The heat died down, leaving Seskera untouched, while Derik wiped the soot from his eyes and uncomfortably tried to brush off another layer of sweat. True to the bargain, Derik was for the most part untouched.  

 

Seskera took interest in his opponent this time, and even a moment of amusement. “How terrible it must be for you. Just when you think you have the advantage, you come to realize that it was all for nothing. Even worse, your resources are now all depleted. You would think that you would have learned not to take me lightly after your little experience with my Windstorm. Instead, you sent an even greater force to their doom from an even more powerful trap. No matter how clever you may appear, you are just a mere child. Remember… if I win, it is not your soul that will be used. Forfeit and you lose nothing of your own. What do you think? It can all be over with two little words. What will they be?”

 

Marik definitely had two words for him, neither of which were “happy birthday.”

 

Derik looked up with desperation, but unfailing determination. Silently, he slipped two cards into the correct slots in his disk and indeed responded with two words: “End turn.”

 

Seskera's trio of attacking monsters held their ground, Doriado strengthening them in the background. Obsessed with retrieving his slight loss of dignity, Seskera looked, and saw an enormous opportunity present itself.

 

“Here is a card that was quite popular in the old days,” the sorcerer said, holding it up with its back to the crowd. “I even believe it was one of your favorites, Marik. True, after it was deemed too powerful, it underwent several changes, but since there was only one hundred copies made it makes it a true trophy at the hands of the Order of Ammit.”

 

“Wait, that's crazy!” Yugi exclaimed.

 

“What does it mean, Yugi?” his spiritual partner asked with growing concern.

 

“Well, if that card is what I think it is,” Yugi explained, “then Seskera is just giving himself a huge disadvantage, for a small benefit to him. There must be something else he has planned.”

 

“Indeed,” Seskera responded. “By sending all of my cards beyond my reach, I gain a hand of two.” He flipped the card around to show a familiar picture of gold raining from the sky. “Card of Sanctity. You wanted to see a powerful card in its own right; I thought I would give you the chance.”  

 

Seskera's monsters did not like this plan at all. Element Magician, Element Soldier, and Element Valkyrie each sent a vengeful look at their master before being sent through a void in the sky, where two cards glittering with prismatic colors dropped into Seskera's hand.

 

Only destiny could have presented me with this, Seskera thought looking over his refreshed but meager hand. When used in combination with my Screams of the Beyond next turn, I could grapple with an Egyptian God.  Triumphantly, Seskera threw his new draw onto his disk, the motion almost causing it to miss its mark. “Now burn with the tombkeeper, Motoh! I summon Gren Maju Da Eiza, with all its fury, in attack mode!”

 

Despite being a monster of fire, it was a portal of shadow that carried the beast onto the field. Whether the skeletal body of the monster was armor or bone, no one could be sure, but green sinew bound together a structure similar to Yugi's Summoned Archfiend, save that this one was the color of freshly fallen blood. As the shadows continued to recede, devilish wings unwrapped themselves from an armored carapace, revealing the abdomen of a tarantula covered with the same scarlet plating. Instead of webbing, though, the body ended in a writhing dragon-like tail, the plates clinking like metal as it swung back and forth. A visor covered the monster's face, which would have stood eye to eye with Dark Magician: although everyone expected the eyes to light with an intense red light of their own, they remained dark and devoid of any sign of life or caring.

 

Bakura's jaw dropped. “What the devil…”

 

“Don't finish that, Bakura,” Marik cut off. “Or we'll get another speech from him.”

 

“I would think that you would prefer me talking to reaping the rewards of a victory so quickly,” Seskera mused, somewhat flattered. “But for those of you unaware, I feel I must elaborate. `Devil' can indeed be a fitting term. Each of the damned souls of my monsters grants him 400 points to his total.”

 

“Personally, I'm not sure that `him' is the right word for it,” Derik countered, desperately trying to score points any way he could.

 

“Do as you like,” Seskera thundered, “But the inescapable fact is that so far seven of my monsters have entered the void beyond death and in doing so my monster's attack points rise to a more then formidable total of twenty eight hundred.” Soon to be so much more, he added to himself. “Next turn, you learn how feeble you truly are, and the turn after that… well, Shadi won't be the only one who went down in flames.”

 

Seskera's monster stood like a statue. Everyone would have thought it in defense mode if it were not for the clinking of its tail.

 

As Derik drew, he managed a smile, even in the face of the overwhelming odds. ”Oh, this is going to be good.”

 

Raising a curious eyebrow, Seskera's mouth curled into a thin line. “What is it you bother with now? There is no strategy you have used that I have not yet countered, so what false hope are you now presenting to us?”

 

“Nothing, I just thought I would lighten the mood.” The boy almost chuckled, as if he was picturing something amusing in his head. “I played three Toon Table of Contents cards before…”

 

“Yes, and you summoned a Dark Magician with them,” the Ammitite interrupted. “I do not have the short term memory of a goldfish.”

 

“True, I did use two of them to search for each other. Weren't you wondering what I did with the third?”

 

“Toons,” Seskera half-coughed half-spat. “You mean to attack directly and hope that I can't stop you. Too bad you will have to wait an extra turn.”

 

“Let me worry about that,” Derik countered, “But first I activate the fourth Toon card I have, Toon World!” One of Derik's cards revealed itself with a comedic melody of carousel music.

 

D-2900 S-3300

 

Derik's life points took a dive, as did the book, bouncing as if made of rubber… off of Seskera's head… before opening in a cloud of smoke over the field.

 

Cartoon stars laughed around Seskera's head, before he grunted and blasted them apart with black magic. “If there is one thing I hate more then an overly-righteous opponent, it's humor at my expense.”

 

“I'll keep that in mind,” Derik added sarcastically, taking another card from his hand. “Now I activate Monster Reborn to revive my Royal Magic Library in defense mode!”

 

The bookshelves and keeper came back to the field, leaving Seskera very puzzled. “What a dolt… My Chaos Emperor Dragon would have been a much deadlier choice.”

 

“If you can't use it, then neither can I,” Derik countered, “but I'm not keeping this one around long anyway. I'm sacrificing my Library to summon the girl with the giggles, caster of comedy, sorceress of snickers herself, the Toon Dark Magician Girl!”

 

Seskera deadpanned, and even the audience was left lost for words after the lengthy introduction.

 

“I'd better tell Kaiba to tone down the PEGASUS program or something,” Yugi groaned.

 

“That is, if you're still alive to tell him,” Bakura supplied ominously.

 

The keeper of the library pulled out a tattered old book from the shelf. His eyes bugged out in surprise for only a moment as a delicate hand grabbed him by the collar, and pulled him, the ladder, and the entire shelf awkwardly into the pages. Soon the Toon herself stuck her head out and, taking a moment to squeeze her hips through the opening, leapt out and began spinning the book on her finger, perfectly balanced at the corner. “Hello!” she said, tossing the book in the air… whereupon it bounced off her head with a low “klonk!” (2600/1700)

 

Seskera had to groan again. “I. Hate. Toons.”

 

Derik was giggling already. “Now as you were saying… uh, Girl?” Said spellcaster was lying on her stomach, reading a magazine and ogling at pictures of the Dark Magician like a girl at a slumber party. “Ugh!” Derik said to himself. “Well, if this works that is, she should be able to attack you directly on the turn I summon her. Doesn't that sound FUN?”

 

The Toon's ear swelled ten times at the word before retracting like elastic with an audible snap. The girl hovered for a minute in thought (after suspending the magazine she had turned into a light bulb over her head) before she snapped her fingers in triumph. The now-lit light bulb was quickly turned into a pie, which she almost carelessly placed on the floor.

 

“What are you up to now?” Derik whined, but a mischievous glint in the animated spellcaster's eye told him to be patient. The Toon now snuck guiltily around Seskera.

 

The opponent in question was getting impatient as Derik. “Well, is she going to attack me or what?” Just then he felt a tiny tap over his shoulder. “What now?” As he turned, he ran face-first into a skull.

 

“Booga booga booga!” the skull yelled.

 

“Ahhh!”

 

Turning on a dime, Seskera broke into a run… and immediately tripped over the Toon Dark Magician Girl's staff hovering at his ankle level. With all the grace of a hippopotamus, and due to exact mathematic calculations, Seskera tripped face-first into the custard pie, the seemingly pointless location of which was now very obvious.

 

D-2900 S-3300 
 
Yami stopped breathing, as he knew what the implications of this would be. Everyone else was almost rolling on the ground in laughter. Even the Toon Dark Magician Girl herself sprang off her skull mask before reaching elbow deep into it and pulling it inside out, where it turned back to her magician's cap with a snap… and then proceeded to double over on her back, hovering three feet in the air.

 

Seskera squinted through the mess to see the mocking faces and laughter ringing mercilessly in his ears. With almost no concentration, Seskera felt his scar tingle again, evaporating the dessert to nothing by the time he had gotten to his feet.

 

“You,” Seskera started, seeing his opponent begin to lose his humor as the familiar ice in his voice turned into a fire of abhorrence. “You could have just left me well enough alone, but instead you seem to only throw stones in my way. I only hope you can manage not to choke when I force you to eat your own deck… one bittersweet card at a time.”

 

Derik indeed almost choked on that. He had known duelists to be upset by losing before, but this guy was getting dangerous. He only hoped that his protectors would step in when they were needed. Hoping he sounded braver then he felt, he returned the comment. “I think you're bluffing.”

 

“No, child,” Seskera replied, lightning crackling around him, “I can do all of that and more. For each humiliation you cause me I will pay back you and your family for generations to come, and make it ten thousand times worse!”

 

All was silent. Not even an echo was there to respond.

 

Time froze for minutes, before Seskera, back to his unnatural calm state, nimbly picked up a card. “Now then,” he said, and double-checked his card for a moment, “I am a man who knows how to take a joke. I mean, a pie in the face, classic humor, yes?”

 

Everyone answered with nervous snickers when Seskera's gaze met their eyes. Indistinguishable murmurs began. Only Yami remained silent and focused.

 

“Right? Right?” Seskera asked before his eyes and mouth twisted into a sadistic grin. “Well, how about this?”

 

With a flourish, his facedown card lifted… and immediately everyone wished it hadn't.

 

The ground beneath Derik's feet cracked in a circle surrounding him. That was all he remembered before being lifted into the air.

 

On the ground, all eyes widened. “Oh, my God!”

 

“What on Earth?”

 

“Ra be merciful!”

 

“Seskera, you fiend!”

 

From the floor, it looked like a solidified white tornado had blocked everyone from view, but to Derik it was much different. The wind was actually the mistreated spirits of each and every one of Seskera's defeated cards. Derik heard nothing but the shrieks and wails of the ghosts, drowning even his own screams. Each spirit took their toll in some way, some bruising, others scratching, but Derik could only comprehend the pain his world had now become as he twisted higher into agony, unable to do more then feel.

 

After Derik was raised, the ghosts had done their share, and inflicted the same pain on the way down. The only time he wasn't supported was the landing, which may have been the least painful of the whole ordeal. He didn't even register that his body was not the only thing to have taken a beating.

 

D-1800 S-3300

 

“My, my,” Seskera said, laying on the sarcasm with a trowel, “I'm sure that was painful. Next time, try a whoopee cushion and you might break your fall… instead of your neck.” Turning to the others since his opponent wasn't doing much, Seskera presented his latest card. “The power you just witnessed was the Screams from the Beyond, a card that even through the tomb guardian off balance. By removing every card from my graveyard, I can inflict minimal but cumulative damage for each one. Each card makes the spell more damaging in more than one way. I only wish I could do it again.”

 

“You might get to.”

 

Seskera's eyes narrowed as he slowly turned to meet what he already knew he would find. Derik was not in good shape; in fact, he was leaning on the podium supporting his Duel Disk. If Kaiba were still present, he would surely have been ruled ineligible, but rules were always bent in a shadow game.

 

Derik winced as he moved his arm. Unexpectedly, the Toon Dark Magician Girl stuck a compress on his head and a thermometer in his mouth. “Thanks,” he whispered, although it did nothing to make him feel better. “I'll definitely feel that in the morning, but my neck feels okay.”

 

Seskera crossed his arms in frustration, turning his thoughts inward. What keeps this child moving? Even if his body is capable his mind should have been exhausted by now. What makes him able to resist this strain? “Still,” Seskera continued, “removing my graveyard has done more then deal a considerable amount of damage. Four more monsters were sent to the abyss, increasing the attack power of my Gren Maju De Eiza to a titanic total of 4400 points.”

 

The only part of the monster to move was the tail, making it almost forgotten. A temporary aura of putrid violet was the only change in the monster.

 

“There are two costly prices to using Screams from the Beyond,” Seskera continued. “The first is that the card itself is removed from the game after activation, and the second is the cost of my chance to attack. Still, I have a satisfactory tool to prevent a relapse of your last assault.”

 

Seskera slipped his next spell card into an open slot, and almost immediately the results were apparent. A blanket of pure, impenetrable darkness faded from the skies, making Derik's entire field invisible to the spectators.

 

“What is that?” Yugi asked around the circle of supporters. “I've never seen a magic card like this before.”  

 

“I have,” Bakura replied, “and so have you.”

 

Derik, meanwhile, didn't notice a change, except in the lighting, but right now he didn't care about much more then his own fatigue. “Whatever you set now, I know I can destroy it.”

 

“The only imminent destruction is your own,” Seskera replied, acid in his tone. “The blackness that now surrounds you is caused by my Swords of Concealing Light, a newer variation on the old swords. While it may not last the full three turns of its predecessor, these deadly blades lock down your monsters in concealment for two, meaning the nasty possibility of a flip effect is taken care of. Your princess can no longer attack me, meaning she is my first prime target in my next turn. For now, you get one final chance to bid farewell to this world that is your home, and welcome the shadow world I will rule.”

 

Derik rearranged into the most comfortable position he could get to on his knees, before drawing. “One chance?” he asked barely managing a single chuckle out of his lungs, “I've got two more right here.” Derik flashed his Pot of Greed, and drew his next prospects, looking nervously at them. I hate to waste my Toon Dark Magician Girl. Her direct attack would bring Seskera into the red. But in order for this to work, I need both cards, and I can't risk Seskera attacking this monster. I hope he can't summon anything, because if he summons a monster with 1800 attack points, I'm finished for sure. Making up his mind, Derik set a single card into his magic-and-trap zone, before giving a weak wave to Seskera and collapsing on his elbows.

 

“So, the offspring of a legend has been reduced to lying in the dirt in the midst of a true master of the shadows.” The leader of the Order of Ammit shook his head. “You fought well, but I have had control from turn one.”

 

“It only takes one card to change the tides of a duel,” Derik threw out, his head swimming, his heart not in the moment anymore. He was almost too tired to care about the outcome, and he felt his eyes drooping.

 

“Then one card I shall draw,” Seskera began. To everyone's relief, he didn't play it. “This isn't nearly as much fun once you have been broken. Hopefully, Miss Kaiba can at least keep me on my toes.”

 

Derik began to perk up. He remembered that small run-in at the restaurant. Something had been sparked. Whether it was respect, interest, or even friendship he couldn't be sure, but he wasn't about to let her go through what Peter and himself had already experienced. She wanted to duel him, and he her, and if there was one thing that got a man in trouble, it was not living up to a Kaiba's expectations. He snapped back to the present, just in time to register Seskera's newest decree.

 

The sorcerer pointed his finger into the blackness before commanding his nearly-forgotten monster: “Gren Maju Da Eiza, annihilate his magician girl with Temptation of the Deadlights.”

 

The clanking of the monster's tail stopped in an instant, before giving way to a metallic lurch as the demon leaned back on its spidery legs. A bloodlike mist of aura materialized around the creature, turning into an ominous radiant light showing through every gap in its skeletal frame. Where it was brightest came from four crescent shaped slits in the monster's arachnid underbelly, holding Derik mesmerized, and even his Magician whose shape was forming in the darkness. The outline of Seskera's magical blades were seen, though their own magic kept them for the most part obscured.

 

“Derik, don't look at it! Get down!” Yami had seen it first, and he didn't want Derik to share the experience: the crimson helmet of Seskera's minion was splitting down the middle.

 

The warning snapped the boy back to reality, and he turned before the beast's true face was seen.

 

Derik's Toon let out a high shriek of terror, an emotion rarely shown by Toon monsters. The blast didn't come.  Instead whatever soul that Toons possess was forcefully ripped from her animated body, without warning or preparation. The energy was sucked back into the source that generated it. Her scream died with her, but her body still froze with an expression that burned its way into everyone's mind. As the last tendrils vanished, they snapped tight, and like an unraveling thread pulled her body forward, shattering it to triangles along the way.

 

When the attack was finished, everything was dark again, and the Gren Maju De Eiza settled back into its original pose, waiting for the next assault as it swept its tail back and forth across the ground.

 

Even Seskera was in awe when all was complete, and with a rare loss for words… which quickly turned into a twisted smile as he motioned for Derik to move.

 

The kid swallowed hard, and knew that he would still need a miracle to pull this off, but if luck was on his side, Seskera wouldn't have another nasty counter. “I draw…”

 

Something about this moment made Yami more confident then he had been the entire duel so far. He wasn't sure why, but a good feeling was with him.

 

Derik continued, “And I activate Call of the Haunted, reviving my fallen Dark Magician.”

 

This Seskera was unprepared for, and was one of the reasons he removed as many monsters as he could from his own graveyard.  There was always that fear that a fallen monster could turn against him, become vengeful for him letting them be destroyed. Seskera feared what was beyond the grave, true, but what was really at his center was the thought of some vengeful stranger in the night taking his life from him.

 

The triad of gravestones rose, the floor cracking at their center and spewing up a foul violet smoke scented with the reek of decay. Vengeful-looking indeed, Yugi's old friend rose flawlessly from the floor without needing to twist or bend. His arms were crossed and his eyes were set on the person who had last destroyed him.

 

Shaken as Seskera was, the sound of his own monster brought him back to reality, however unorthodox that was at the moment. “Have you no recollection at all?” he said. “Twice that mage has been sent against me and twice it has fallen. Your family cards cannot help you achieve your goals - they can only aid me in mine.”

 

“Third time lucky,” Derik retorted, using some of his replenished energy to get to his feet, using the podium for support.

 

“We're with you,” Yugi called. He knew it was corny-sounding, but to Derik it meant the world.

 

“I know. I'm using your original Dark Magician, Dad. I hope you don't mind a partner, though.”

 

Getting the idea, Yugi beamed at his kid. “By all means, go for it.”

 

“Thanks,” Derik said as he winked, leaning heavily on the podium with his elbow. “I'm using another facedown card, Polymerization, to fuse Dark Magician and Goddess with the Third Eye into…”

 

The monsters were consumed by the vortex, and despite everyone's expectations, the monster was not what they had expected. The new swordsman was much smaller, but even more powerful.

 

“…my Dark Flare Knight.” (2200/800) The black and scarlet warrior stood in a guard stance, but with all the determination of Yami in his past days. “And now I end my turn.”

 

Everyone was hopeful, but Seskera brought that down rather quickly. “Do you think me a complete fool?” Everyone had an answer, but the dark man didn't wait to hear it. “I know of your knight's powers, but you seem to have made a slight error in arithmetic.” He showed off his Life Point meter, currently registering 3300. “Even with the devastating power of your Mirage Knight, you would have nothing left protecting you, and I would still survive. So now I draw.”

 

Seskera did, and his swords of darkness shattered the moment his card left the disk. Not caring, Seskera inspected his card and played it immediately. “I activate Card of Demise.”

 

“Good thing that Kaiba isn't here,” Bakura remarked.

 

“Do kindly shut up,” Seskera snapped, “and let me draw. Five cards to be precise, although this card forces me to discard everything once five turns pass. Then I'll be back where I started,” Seskera checked his hand. “But I think most of these will come of use. First is my Soul Absorption, increasing my life points by five hundred for every card removed. Next is my Graceful Charity, and having used it yourself, you know what that means.”

 

Seskera's deck was in the single digits now from all of his drawing, but three cards from his newly replenished hand had sent his move into motion. “My discards are the two element monsters that have not been set upon you, Element Dragon and Element Saurus,” he continued. “Now to bring the end upon you… I activate Soul Release, sending my Swords of Concealing Light, Card of Demise, Graceful Charity, Element Dragon, and Element Saurus to the void. In return, due to my Soul Absorption, I raise my Life Points back to 5800.”

 

Blue life energy swam near Seskera, his own skin taking on a blue tinge as the aura replenished him.

 

D-1800 S-5800

 

That wasn't all though. Another aura was growing, as the presence of two more removed monsters reinforced Gren Maju to an even 5200, a score even Obelisk could not defeat. “Your knight can only prevent damage for a single turn, so Gren Maju De Eiza, open my path for victory again. And I don't believe another marvelous comeback is in your future. In years you will be hailed as he who led Seskera to victory, and humanity will thank you for it.”

 

No one watched this time as the unholy being devoured the Dark Flare Knight - bearing one sight of that thing on the offense was enough - but they still felt the pulse that always accompanied death.

 

“Now,” Seskera finished, “as to not lose my hand, I set one card facedown on the field, and end my turn.”

 

Derik paused as Seskera sent his Heart of Clear Water to the graveyard. He drew, but couldn't do much. His Mirage Knight (2800/2000) was on the field by now, but Seskera's points were much too high to take down with that. “I set one card,” he declared as he did so, “and I end my turn.”

 

“It will be the end of so much more then that,” Seskera gloated, drawing his hand up to one again. “I have the perfect weapon against you now, and my Life Points are high enough to accomplish it. My facedown card has the power to bring back monsters even beyond the grave. I reveal Return from the Different Dimension!”

 

The moment the card flipped, nothing seemed to happen, save for Seskera doubling over in what seemed a severe loss of strength. Then they shimmered into view: distortions in space walking forwards, their heads becoming solid from the top down, like paint being poured onto them. Derik recognized them immediately: Element Valkyrie (2000/1200), Element Saurus, (2000/1200), Element Dragon (2000/1200), and Elemental Mistress Doriado, the only one in defense mode.

 

The supporters froze. Only Yami remembered the final card Derik had on the field.

 

“Just to be sure, I set this as well,” Seskera gloated, “But I don't see the point. I have assembled an attack force over any you have summoned this duel. It was almost worth the half-my-Life-Points cost.”

 

D-1800 S-2900

 

Marik did a quick calculation and lost all hope. No matter what monster attacked Mirage Knight, Seskera would cling to life by a mere hundred points. It made no difference that Gren Maju De Eiza was now a slightly less powerful 3600 points strong. “Gren Maju, attack Mirage Knight now!”

 

Derik made no move, and slumped back to the floor as his monster struck back at the demon.

 

The clash of light and dark was surprisingly unspectacular, as both seemed to fizzle, with Seskera taking his fair share of damage. His Soul Absorption took effect, restoring little, but it was better then his pathetic total seconds before.

 

D-1800 S-600

 

“Defiant to the last, young Motoh,” Seskera said, “and this truly will be your last.”

 

“But our deal…” Marik tried to interrupt.

 

“He will live. Whatever quality he has will be up to how much you can give him. Now prepare to enter destruction. Attack!”

 

All three monsters raced forward as one, but Derik let a smirk come from the side of his mouth, even though his eyes were closed. “Destroy this.”

 

Seskera's confidence twisted to fear and then to rage as he saw the final card Derik had set for him… his Mirror Force.

 

“It appears Derik learned from his mistakes,” Yami chuckled. “You rely so much on combos you have forgotten that a single card can turn the duel. You led Derik into traps the whole time, and now you've run into one of his own against you. With all the destruction you have caused, all that you have achieved is your own defeat, Seskera”

 

The dark sorcerer locked his eyes across the field, seeing his own reflection in the octagonal mirror set up by the deadly trap. At first he thought it would hold, but a large crack broke the barrier in half, and smaller cracks made Seskera's face, as well as his plans, shattered in front of everyone.

 

Derik, though exhausted, managed to sit upright to enjoy the show.

 

The shattered remains cut gashes across the elemental triad, though light shown from their skin instead of blood, and a wail as one was heard before each met their own fate.

 

Element Valkyrie's body melted away, and was consumed by a cloud of steam.

 

Element Dragon burst into a blaze the size of a bonfire before being extinguished like a candle.

 

Element Saurus liquefied into a molten sludge, imploding into oblivion.  

 

All that was left was Doriado on Seskera's front lines, but she would be of no use now. The peaceful maiden opened her eyes for the first time, shining with the infinite knowledge of the stars. She smiled at Derik, giving him her own congratulations, as her aura changed slightly.

 

The temporary magic of Seskera's trap ended along with his turn. Doriado quickly faded with a slight flash back to where she had been summoned from. Seskera was now in an impossible situation. His Luminous Spark would not even be useful as a bluff.

 

Derik struggled to get to his feet, and made what became the final draw of the game.

 

“The elements have certainly claimed destinies, Seskera,” Marik pointed out, not missing the opportunity, “yours. Now take your fire and wind and get all of your hot air out of this cloud so everyone can see this. I daresay Kaiba is pounding on the walls to have another crack at you.”

 

Seskera turned in an instant. “True, for the boy was much more cunning then I had realized. And you, Marik… well, it seems that fate has spared you for the moment, but fate will bring the downfall of each of you in time. When and how I am patient enough to discover, but the shadows will come to crown me as their king. It will happen, Marik, and when it does, all of you will consent to lick my floors clean just for that chance to taste fresh air.”

 

“But for now,” Derik cut in, having summoned Breaker in attack mode (1900/1600), “get out of my arena!”

 

Despite the tense duel, the finishing blow was rather anti-climactic. Seskera just stood upright with all of the dignity he had left, and took the blow with his eyes closed, his smug expression never leaving his lips. Breaker merely charged and swung an elegant stroke of his spell sword across Seskera's right shoulder, depleting his Life Points to nothing.

 

D-1800 S-0000

0000000 

Outside, Kaiba had already made several attempts to rejoin the group, with increasingly violent results. The other contestants had forgotten their curiosity about the duel, and had either left to get out of Kaiba's way, or stayed to witness the entertainment of him throwing a fit.

 

In Crystal's case, Mako had sent her downstairs to avoid her picking up Kaiba's colorful vocabulary. Said parent muttered, “Wow, he's as mad as a…”

 

“Let me guess,” Joey interrupted. “Harpooned whale? Piranha without a carcass? Eel with its tail stepped on?”

 

“Actually, I was just going to say hornet.”

 

Joey stared for a moment.

 

“What?” Mako finally answered.

 

“I just don't remember you ever completing a sentence without involving the ocean.”

 

Mako shifted uncomfortably. “If you want, I can…”

 

“Hornet's fine,” Joey finished quickly.

 

The tension was cut nicely by the sudden dispassion of the cloud into a black fog, and finally down to a slight mist. As expected, Kaiba sent a right hook at Yugi's jaw as soon as he was within range… and promptly lost his balance seeing as Yami's spectral form had no meat to connect with.

 

Bakura quickly extended his arm to help him, but this time no one laughed. They were too busy looking for what Seskera was to do next.

 

To everyone's amazement, the Ammitite stretched out his arms. “The boy was a surprise, but for those who wish to lay a hand on me, I have something to ask.” He strode over to Derik, now in Yugi's arms in an embrace of congratulations as well as protection. Bending to his level, Seskera looked Derik in the eye. “Well, young Motoh, you have claimed victory against me in a Shadow Game. Now as per the rules…what will you do now? What Punishment Game have you chosen specifically to inflict upon me, and make me writhe in my own personal agony for an as yet undetermined amount of time, in an attempt to free me of the so-called evil in my heart? You have beaten me… so what is it?”

 

Derik leaned into his father, baffled.

 

The Millennium Item bearers present were disgusted. Not only did Derik have no clue as to what Seskera was talking about, but he had no power with which to carry it out. They could not interfere either, as they had not beaten Seskera in a challenge themselves, though any power they possessed may not have been enough to do justice to the man before them.

 

“No?” Seskera asked softly in mock surprise. “Well then, I shall be seeing you gentlemen later. I must return to my quarters for now... I have some phone calls to make.”

 

Before the head of the Order could move too far, however, two men in black suits grabbed his arms. Seto Kaiba spoke up: “Actually, you'll have to wait for a chance to return to quarters. Right now, since you violated tournament rules, you have an appointment in the brig.”

“Drat,” was all Seskera said as he was led away.

 

As Seskera left down the stairs, everyone went over to congratulate a very visibly worn-out Derik. “What should we do about him?” Marik asked, head-tilting to the open door.

 

“Let Mr. Kaiba handle it,” Derik said weakly, “It's his tournament anyway.”

 

Kaiba grinned at this, and quietly sneaked out the door, cracking his knuckles as he exited.

 

The crowd around the young Motoh split suddenly, and it took him a moment to figure out why. Isis had managed her way onto the deck, and she was not impressed with what she saw.

 

“Oh, boy,” the girl said. “Think you can see well enough to put a card in straight?”

 

Derik had to smile. “You know, of all of my opponents in this tournament, you may be the craziest yet.”

 

Isis's eyes narrowed. “Just be ready when it's time for our match. Don't keep me waiting. I certainly hope you're a bigger challenge then your friend.”

 

The air thickened, and electricity seemed to connect the duelists' eyes.

 

“Don't be a disappointment,” Isis reiterated.

 

“Yeah, I'm sure you don't get that much. Everything you want on a silver platter from Daddy, I'm sure it's rough.”

 

Isis was silent, but her stance gave everything away. She was confident, she was extending a challenge, and she was ready to hold nothing back… and if Seto Kaiba were still present, he would not have been prouder of her.

 

0000000

Seskera was not a fan of irony.  He hated coincidence, and grew irritated when things "meshed".

 

Which explained his anger at being confined in the same cell that had once held Odion.

 

After a few moments of just staring at the wall, the head of the Order shook one sleeve. A small cell phone, which had handled the earlier explosion quite well, slipped out. He flipped it open and hit the first number on the speed dial.

 

“Yes?” he said when the other end answered. “Listen closely… keep everyone at their stations. This will take longer than planned, but if anyone abandons their post I will bleed them dry. And keep a grip on the younger one; if this fails, we will need the bargaining chip. Understood? Now relay that to the other four points, and in Ra's name don't screw this up.”

 

Just as Seskera hung up, he heard the door open.  Turning, he saw Seto Kaiba come in.  "Have you decided on my punishment, or are you just here to gloat?" he asked.

 

At first, the CEO said nothing.  Instead, he pulled a chair up to the cell and sat down.

 

"What's with your silence?" Seskera finally said, his nerves frayed.  "You were full of words during my duel with Yugi's boy."

 

Again, Kaiba didn't say a word.  He merely looked into Seskera's eyes.

 

The head of the Order of Ammit snapped.  "Did you come here to irritate me or to pass sentence?!?"

 

Finally, reaching into his jacket, Kaiba took out a set of gold scales.  Carved into the centerpiece of the scales was a gold eye, which glowed as it hit the light.

 

A sudden, deep fear grabbed Seskera around the base of the heart.  "T-Those can't be..."

 

"The Millennium Scales," Kaiba finished the sentence.  "Our mutual friend Shadi handed them to me before the finals started.  Until today, I never believed they had any real power..."  A smirk crossed his face.  "But after seeing your duel with Motoh, my disbelief has vanished.  It's time to see what they can do."

The look on Seskera's face wavered between curiosity and fright.

 

Setting the scales on the ground, Kaiba held up his hand.  A feather appeared in it, and he set it on one side of the scales.  "The empty side shall represent your heart," he then said.  "I will ask three questions, and you are to speak only the truth.  Any lies shall expose the weight of your evil."

 

"I know how this works!" the Ammitite snapped.  "I used to work for Marik, after all!"

 

"Then let's begin," said Seto Kaiba.

The room grew unnaturally dark.

 

Kaiba asked the first question: "You were trying to destroy the barriers between this world and the Shadow Realm.  Did you always assume you would be spared from the destruction?"

"Always," Seskera answered without a moment's hesitation.

Suddenly, the scale tilted, the feather side moving up.  But that was the truth! Seskera thought.

 

"In order to destroy the barriers, you harvested living souls through the powers of Set," Kaiba continued.  "Did you ever feel pity or sadness for those whose souls you stripped from them?"

 

"Never," Seskera answered.

 

Again the scale lurched, the empty side lowering further.  The Ammitite began to sweat.  Damn it!  The scale's seeing right through me!

 

A smile broke Seto Kaiba's visage, but vanished quickly.  "The last question," he said.  "You controlled powers so dangerous as to be beyond description in your quest to send the world into the shadows.  Tell me... At any moment did you fear the powers you were toying with?"

 

Tearing his gaze away from the Millennium Scales, Seskera tried to regain his cool.  He finally took a deep breath and said, "Not at all."

The empty side of the scales hit the floor.

"Curse that damned measuring device!" Seskera yelled, black energy suddenly surrounding his hands.  "And curse you, Seto Kaiba!"  He chanted in Hieratic, his words full of bile, and launched a massive bolt of energy at the head of Kaibacorp.

The energy dissipated harmlessly, never even touching its target.  "You forget," Kaiba said, "that I am the one in control here.  You lost a Shadow Game, and your power means nothing now.  And now you have lost this trial as well."

Seskera moved back in a rush, pressing himself against the wall.

 

In one smooth motion, Kaiba retrieved the scales from the floor and stood up, holding the Millennium Item before him.  Somehow, he seemed infinitely older than before.  "Seskera," he said in a solemn tone, "you have lost this Shadow Game, and you must now pay the penalty.  I shall banish you into the darkness you sought to unleash..."

 

It was as if Seskera's heart had plummeted to his feet.  "No!" he yelled.  "This isn't my destiny!"

 

"Destiny is what you make of it."

"May the Egyptian Gods damn you, Seto Kaiba!"

"Many have," the CEO said.  And then he thrust the Millennium Scales forward, the eye upon it shining with a brilliant light.  "Penalty Game!  Shadow Wanderer!"

The room filled with a flash of unearthly light, and when it cleared, Seskera was gone from this world.  There was nothing left behind.

Seto Kaiba looked at the scales he was holding.  "Showy... but impressive."  He smiled to himself.

 

Coming next chapter: The main cast needs a bit of a breather, so we're going to leave the blimp for now. The Battle City Finals, barring technical difficulties, are being shown on international television… so who's watching it? We catch up with some of those who dueled and lost, and answer the question “Where are they now?” for some more characters from the original work. That's coming in the next chapter, Chapter 23, “Millennium Intermission”!