Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Silenced Legacy ❯ Dragonic Summoning, Part 3 ( Chapter 14 )

Episode #14- Dragonic Summoning, Part 3

Joey was ready to flip his down card when the attack hit. A large explosion filled Joey's side of the platform. The cloud of dust remained in the attack but there was no change in the Life Point count. Silenced hushed over the crowd; Ashley squinted to take another look.

"Hey guys, Joey's still in the game." Ashley upbeat the crowd.

The dust settled and Jinzo remained on the field. Jinzo was defended by a dragon claw, still smoking from the attack.

"Unbelievable. Joey's Thousand Dragon defended for Jinzo, and the Dragon was weaker than Yin-Yang as well." Mai included.

'How? How can this be possible?' Yami Marik outraged in my mind. Suddenly I remembered another effect for Yin-Yang.

'Yin-Yang can't attack the opponent when a Dragon is on their side of the field.' I stated.

'Then...attack with Buster Blader and finish him now!' Yami Marik's anger grew to a high extent.

"That last attack may have failed, but this is sure-fire." I mumbled, "Buster Blader, push Thousand Dragon out of the way. Buster Slash!" I cried.

"Sorry, but I activate my down card now, Graceful Dice. This magic card will raise my Dragon's attack power depending on the roll of the die. The higher the number, the stronger Thousand Dragon gets."

"This might work." Yami Yugi's face glowed. Buster Blader was still coming in for the attack after a small angel tossed a blue die.

"I need a three for more to destroy Buster Blader." Joey mumbled. My Buster Blader was about to guillotine when the die finally stopped rolling, landing a three. "Alright, now Thousand Dragon's attack power is at 7200! Counterattack!" Joey declared as Buster Blader was knocked off as well as my Life Points decreasing to 4900.

"Go Joey!" Tristan called.

"Come on Miranda!" Ashley followed, cheering for me. Joey's turn ended. I drew my next card, Fissure. Who would have thought such a basic card would become so helpful.

"I play Fissure. Fissure will destroy the monster with the lowest attack strength on your side of the field, so adios Jinzo." I called as a holographic fissure sent Jinzo plummeting down a pit. "Now I activate another Fissure to destroy Thousand Dragon." I called as another crack sent Joey's Dragon down as well.

"Well, I don't see how Joey can get himself out of this." Mai commented.

"Joey, you've played honorably. Never have I fought an opponent that could maneuver through my Dragons as you did. Well, maybe except my cousin." I commented with a smile drawn on my face.

"Thanks Miranda, you're a good Duelist yourself. Good luck in the Finals." Joey replied with high respect.

I nodded, "Yin-Yang, attack Joey directly with Zodiac Sacred Fire!" I declared. Yin-Yang didn't move, "Yin-Yang, attack!" I cried again.

"What is going on?" Mirandragon mumbled. Instantly, another bolt of energy signature shot through, none of which she felt before. "Yin-Yang has been angered..."

"What?" Yami Yugi looked to her.

__________

"Yin-Yang may be a monster card, but it is still the immortal God of my clan." Mirandragon briefed, "Anyone who abuses Yin-Yang's powers will be punished severely and those who were involved in Yin-Yang's reason will be punished as well." Yin-Yang eyes glowed red as it released its coils from the blimp and huddled itself in its coils.

"Then that means..." Yami trailed off.

"Joey, get out of there!" Serenity cried with tears welling in her eyes. Yin-Yang unleashed a mighty roar to the sky as another thunderstorm blew in without warning.

"Miranda, we need to get out of here now!" Joey hollered over the thunder. I took my first step when a lightning bolt came down...on Joey! "AH!" Joey yelped before dropping to the metal floor, unconscious.

"Joey, no!" I cried and was about to go after him.

I made it halfway when I felt myself paralyzed in my tracks. I, too, was getting my punishment. "Yin-Yang, I have nothing to do with your anger!" I cried at the top of my lungs. It felt like I being pulled in two from my back out, that's when it hit me. Yin-Yang wasn't punishing me, it wanted to punish Yami Marik-I could feel Yin-Yang clawing him out of me.

"Joey!" Serenity called again. Duke held her back from going up to the platform.

"Serenity, are you nuts?! You're going to get yourself killed if you get up there!" Duke grunted as another thunder clash rolled by.

'No, I will not be denied of my destiny!' I heard Yami Marik resisting Yin- Yang. He kept his grip on me, suppressing my 'sixth sense' while at the same time trying to stay inside me. 'I will stay within Miranda. And if I am to depart, she will DIE!' I soon broke free of the strike. I wasn't knocked out, but I felt Yami Marik recovering quickly. I saw Joey lying unconscious on the floor.

"Joey." I took another step when Roland stopped me.

"Take one more step further and you'll be disqualified. Tournament rules." He stated like a police officer.

"What, Joey's knocked out cold and you expect me to resume the match?" I asked in outrage. The storm continued as another lightning strike was readying itself above me.

"Miranda, forfeit the match now!" Yami Yugi called from the sidelines. I was going to agree when the strike came down with high speeds. I couldn't move.

"Hiten-Mesurugi style...Ryo-Tsuitsen!" was the next thing I heard. My eyes refocused and MG was right above me in her swordsman stance. She canceled out Yin-Yang's thunder attack as well as leaving a nasty gash in the Dragon's body. After the attack, she withdrew back into the crowd and Yin-Yang lowered itself back to the blimp.

"Lord Yin-Yang, I apologize for the deed I have just done. But if you have just realized, you were trying to kill a descendant of mine. Miranda is one of us and she would never abuse a spirit like yours." Mirandragon stated, "However, a greater evil exists within Miranda."

"And that evil surpasses even my own powers." A bellow came from the Dragon. It turned its immense head towards the crowd with its yellow eyes glaring at Mirandragon. "This new evil refuses to leave and it even threatens to destroy Miranda if we are to take any further action." Yin-Yang then turned to the fallen body that opposed me. It opened its gaping mouth once more. "As of now, I can only finish what Miranda has started. But I will find a way to break Miranda free of her curse." A fireball grew inside its set of jaw and launched.

A hush fell over the crowd. The attack breezed by Joey's back, but it still knocked out the remainder of his Life Points.

Joey found himself walking in darkness. 'What the...where am I?' He thought as is steps echoed in the darkness. He wondered more until he saw a figure in the darkness. A female wearing solid black with a green Duel Disc, none like Kaiba's prototypes. "Miranda, you're alive! I thought you were toast by that Yin-Yang." He called and changed his stride to a jog.

"Hey, Joey. We still have that Duel we need to finish." She replied. Joey just stopped when her eyes became emotionless.

"What's wrong?" Joey took another step closer.

"Miranda works for me now, Wheeler!" another voice bellowed in the darkness, it startled Joey.

"Who said that?" Joey grew defensive and darted his eyes at his surroundings. Nothing compared to him, just a grim voice in the darkness. He looked back to her and she was shackled to a stone tablet, unconscious. Approaching up from behind the tablet was the source of the thunderous voice. "What? You again?" He was shocked to see Yami Marik standing right next to the stone tablet. "Let go of her now!"

"Sorry, but neither you or the mighty Yin-Yang the Eternal Dragon can break Miranda." Yami Marik smirked, "You pathetic mortals think you can match against sleeping powers that were newly awakened? That's a laugh."

"I'm gonna hit you so hard..." Joey grew angrier as his fists began to shake.

"Try me." Yami Marik titled his head down. Joey charged forward with a right fist ready to punch him down. He swung down but Yami Marik didn't budge. Even though Joey didn't blink, he didn't catch Yami Marik catching his fist with a sign of resistance. Yami Marik still had the evil grin on his face. "Like I said, you are powerless to do anything for Miranda." Yami Marik bent down on his wrist and Joey's knuckles painfully cracked in his fist. Joey growled in pain and Yami Marik tossed him back, knocking him to the ground.

Yami Marik kept his sneer, "Pathetic, just like all of you mortals. But, I'm sure Miranda will serve her purpose by the end of this little party. Prepare to lose more than his Duel, Wheeler." Yami Marik turned his back and Joey at least got his face off the ground. He squinted as the stone tablet and Yami Marik sank back into the shadows.

"Miranda, no…" Joey grunted and tried to get to his feet.

__________

"Miranda Guinaldo is the winner." Roland declared. Finally, I could aid Joey. The Duel Discs were disabled but Yin-Yang remained.

"Joey, come on bud, wake up." I said and bent down to check his pulse on his neck. A faint pulse beat through his skin. "Yin-Yang, can't you get him back to his feet?" Yin-Yang grumbled and nodded. Its yellow eyes flashed gold and Joey's body glowed briefly.

"Joey." Serenity broke away from Duke and climbed up the platform next to me. "Come on, Big Brother, wake up." she whimpered. His pulse became stronger and he stirred.

"Miranda, no…come back." Joey whispered and lifted one arm to bring himself up. He still looked bushed, "Ser...renity?" Joey whispered as he slowly got his face off the platform. But if he was up, then Serenity was fine with that. Her face lit up with joy as tears came down her face. She hugged Joey around the neck while he was still sitting on the platform.

"Joey, you all right?" I asked.

"Huh? You're asking me that?" Joey gave me a confused look, "I should be asking you that question."

"I'm fine Joey, as long as no one else gets hurt." I replied, but I think I knew what he meant.

"OK, hope you stay that way then." Joey said. Serenity let go and Joey got to his feet with me coming up after him. The platform lowered back to its regular height off the blimp and we all entered back in by groups down the elevator. I was last to leave with Ashley. She still had the leather handles of the bowling ball bag tight in her grip.

"Hey cuz, are you sure you're all right?" Ashley asked as the elevator began its descend, "You weren't acting like yourself up there."

"Maybe a little meditation could get my mind straighten out. Just tell them I turned in for the night and you can wake me if Kaiba or the others want me." I suggested and pressed another button on the elevator.

"Alright, if you say so." Ashley sighed and the doors opened to the hallway of bedrooms. "See you in the morning, then." I nodded and paced out with my cape following. The doors closed and the elevator resumed its descend. She laid the bowling ball bag at her feet and leaned on the railing that lined the shelf of the elevator. 'Hm?' Ashley thought and looked like she heard something. The sound of hollow pipes in the wind came to her mind's ear in different notes, not like it was part of a melody, but random pitches. She looked to her bowling ball bag and the zipper began to undo itself.

It came as no surprise for Ashley. The free-formed tune still rung in her ears. "Uncle Ed, I know there's something wrong with Miranda, but I can't put my finger on it. Though MG, or Mirandragon as she calls herself, says that an evil plagues her." Ashley talked aloud in the elevator. She kept her eyes on the leather bag as the mouth gaped open, with the bowling ball staring at her. Mental note, this was a ball with a skull inside. The tune kept at it in her ears. "Well, what am I supposed to do? It's obvious Miranda's hanging by a thread here." Ashley paused and lifted the bowling ball bag by the handles. "Uncle Ed, I'm just as worried as you are, but we have to wait until we can take part in this, like my first Duel in the Finals." Ashley sighed and zipped the bag up just as the doors opened to the banquet hall where everyone else waited.

"Ashley, anything going on with Miranda?" Mirandragon asked as she approached Ashley.

"She's just turning in for the night. To me, something is definitely wrong. She always stays up late for one reason or another." Ashley commented.

Mirandragon walked past Ashley, "If anyone needs me, I'm Room 8." she said with a serious tone and the elevator doors closed behind her.

* * * *

I slid the card key through the slot and the door opened to an ominous darkness. Yami Marik, no doubt, has summoned the dark magic of the Shadow Realm. I stepped into the fog and the door shuffled shut behind me. The room grew even darker as the Shadow Realm was dispersing throughout my rented chamber. The room was completely covered down to its every last corner and the transfusion was finished.

I looked ahead and standing in the dark abyss was Yami Marik, arms folded and a disappointed look on his face. "Miranda, despite that you won the last Duel, it wasn't enough. Yin-Yang didn't obey you."

"Yin-Yang did obey me, you abused its power." I cut in after his last word, "Yin-Yang was punishing you for the torture you've caused in your existence."

"Only when summoned, Miranda. You've got more to learn about your Past as one of the Zodiac clan, especially one of which the element has reincarnated from the very swordsman who served the Pharaoh." Yami Marik briefed, "It's time you've learned the events that triggered the destiny you and I both share today." He stated and the Shadow Realm around us lit up again. Now we were in the Rare Hunters base inside the Shadow Realm. He stood in front of the throne and I was facing him in front of the glass case, housing an assortment of cards that some I can remember from the previous Duel.

"Why do you even care about the Past? You seem like the guys whose past can be forgotten the future is bleak." I questioned.

"The future is always bleak to one who sees the world in darkness. Someone like yourself." He replied and paced forward slowly, "You see Miranda, since we're now one, I have viewed some of your Past. An only child who lived in Kyoto, next in line with the Zodiac tradition after your mother, Kikaita; however, her death was fated and that was when the Zodiac tradition was broken." He preached, "Not to mention, just a year after you came to America, your father was killed. And your cousin is about the only real family you have left than your mother's younger brother." He read me like a book, "So you see Miranda, you have more shadows in your life than anyone I've encountered. Except for Marik."

"What about Marik? What does he have to do with me?" I kept my anger inside me.

"Miranda, it was also destiny that brought you and Marik back together, in ways even I hadn't foreseen. You two were as much as arch-rivals as Yugi and Kaiba, both past and present." Yami Marik answered in the same demonic tone, "Now enough of these questions. Your mind needs to be at rest in order to get a full understanding of your ancestral rights."

A cold chill blew over me, like ice instantly formed on my skin. I felt drowsy and I couldn't stay awake while opposing Yami Marik. I breathed deeply and felt to my knees. My body then was falling to the floor, but instead I hit the mattress of my bed and fell asleep almost instantly.

To be continued...