A Millennium Bond: Chapter Twenty-One

"How are we supposed to reach the Dark Castle?" Joey asks, helping ponder a way to get Mokuba back along with his brother. As it's been said before, normal Duel Monsters can't penetrate the shield that has been put around the castle, making it impossible that way. And, despite this being a game, it's still close enough to reality that you can't bend any kind of rules to give yourself magical powers. You're out of options, and soon you'll be out of time.

While you try your hardest to think of a plan C, you see Yugi walk over to the short castle wall and peer over the side. You follow him and look down as well, your sight met with an incredibly large drawing on the surface of some crumbled, prehistoric ruins. It appears to be an outline of some kind of bird. The storm above you breaks, and when the sunshine bursts brightly from the clouds, you can see the drawing much more clear. The outline stretches across the entire length and width of its vast surroundings.

'I wonder what made this,' you think.

"Guys, look!" Yugi calls, reeling in the others. "Ancient ruins. It looks like they were uncovered by the storm!"

"That symbol!" Adena gasps. "It's the one of the legendary flying machine!" You and your friends gawk slightly, learning that this simple drawing is of the weapon Sin Lau's ancient heroes used long ago. You suddenly realize that the drawing isn't just a drawing after all, but a guide to show where the flying machine has been all this time.

"Even if it is under there, it must be a fossil by now!" Joey remarks, sounding disappointed. "How can we ever restore it?"

"I don't know," Yugi admits, though sounding confident. "But it's our only hope of rescuing the Kaiba brothers. Let's go down there and check it out!"

~

"Yuug, this is hopeless," Joey sighs, watching as Yugi scans the area. You try to look around too, your eyes following the lines of the bird as you stand directly above the middle. "There's no way that plane is gonna fly." You try to read Yugi's face, and are suddenly surprised when his eyes brighten with an idea.

"No, it won't," Yugi replies. "So, that's why we have to restore it to the way it was a thousand years ago!" Instinctively, you and the others turn to Joey, who finally puts it all together. "If the passage of time corroded this beast, then turning back the clock will bring it back! And what card can do that, Joey?"

"Oh!" Joey utters, reaching for his duel disk and thumbing through his deck. He then pulls out the card he was looking for. "The Time Wizard!" He looks down at Yugi with a slightly solemn look. "But, if the roulette lands on a skull, we'll lose our life points!" You shiver a bit at the potential outcome.

"It's a risk we have to take," Yugi explains seriously. "The fate of the Kaibas rest in the balance." After a brief moment, you all nod in agreement. It's now or never! As Joey throws the card up to summon it, the Time Wizard pops from the confines and holds his staff up high in the air. You keep your eyes locked on the roulette, but after a brief wind up, it doesn't seem like it'll stop. Suddenly, the ground underneath you begins to rumble and roar to life. Mai and Joey lower to their knees quickly, pulling you and Yugi down in-between them. Yugi lunges forward and hugs your shoulders, and you curl tightly against his chest. Out of the corners of your eye, you watch the ruins around you start to rise, pieces of rubble coming back together like a perfect puzzle. Higher and higher, time cascades backwards until the ground quells and the air calms down.

When you're able to keep your footing once more, all four of you rise to your feet and take a look around.

"So, this was Sin Lau a thousand years ago?" you gasp, completely taken by the sight.

"It's... It's beautiful," Mai whispers, drinking it in as well.

"...Augh," Joey grunts. "It didn't work!" With his words, you look around for any sign of the restored flying contraption. At first, it looks like the Time Wizard's efforts were indeed for nothing. That is until the ground starts to tremble again. The buildings seem to be fine, so you immediately turn your gaze down to your feet. The others do the same. The crust of the earth swells and cracks within the silhouette of the dormant creature, and the fissures race underneath your feet. Soon, the ground begins to give under you and you feel your balance taken. With one burst, your send reeling downward. Your eyes clench tightly shut, waiting for an impact to happen that would take your breath away. But, when it does happen, it's not quite a violent. You brave opening your eyes and, when you adjust, you see a long, thin platform rising up in front of you. The platform beneath you continues to shake and rise, but you can tell it's not the ground anymore. You begin looking around in a frenzy for Yugi and the others, and sigh with relief when you find them right next to you. In your tizzy, however, you see propellers attached to wing-like appendages whirling to life.

"Are we... on the flying machine?" you ask.

"We're flying!" Joey calls triumphantly. "The Time Wizard worked after all!" You pull yourself to your feet and help Yugi up once you're stable. Suddenly, a chorus of applause is heard from beneath you, and you all look to see the entire village watching your ascension towards the Dark Tower, praising you for your collective bravery. You all wave, and as they drift slowly from sight, you notice a small creature flying your way.

"Look!" you gasp as a familiar fairy flutters around Yugi. "It's Earu!"

"I guess you want to come with us, huh?" Yugi chuckles, and the creature nods his head quickly.

"I'm driving! I called it, I'm driving!" Joey shouts as he books it along the neck of the plane, grabbing tightly onto the steering wheel at the end. He sends it spinning to the right, and you feel the ship shift towards the new course.

'Hang on tight, you guys,' you think, looking up towards the floating palace. 'We're coming.'

~

As you make your way higher and push through layer after layer of storm clouds, you notice the castle just within reach. Around it, thousands of monsters waiting to strike. Mai summons her Harpie Lady, Joey summons Giltia, Yugi summons the Dark Magician, and you summon your Ryu-Ran to the field. With the help of your Toon World, you power him up and allow the book to float through the swarms of monsters. As they try to pry open Toon World's iron-clad covers, "Manga Ryu-Ran" will spring from the pages and annihilate them with a fury of claws and smoke. You cheer on the monsters  as they clear a path for the ship to pull through. But, the plane begins to violently shake as bombs assault the haul. With one particular blow, you have to catch yourself from falling off on the railed sides. Thankfully, Ryu-Ran propels himself towards the side and helps push you back on with a his big, soft nose.

"Thanks, buddy," you whisper, petting him and making him nuzzle you again. But, in the frenzy, you see Yugi fall on his back and a monster take advantage. It swoops down to attack, and you feel your voice burn in your throat.

"YUGI--" you scream, only to find Earu take the brunt of the blow before anyone can do anything. The monster quickly overcomes him, tossing him to the side, but it's enough time for the Dark Magician to swoop in and destroy the attacker. Your feet finally unfreeze as you bolt to Yugi's side, kneeling next to him quickly. Your partner scoops up the bruised fairy, but before much can be said, Earu slowly fades away in a flurry of digitized dust. Yugi tears up, and you can't help but do the same.

"He was so brave..." you hiccup. "He jumped right into harm's way to save you." You rub Yugi's armored back as he trembles.

"I've had enough," he grunts through gritted teeth, his fists clenching. Suddenly, you sense a shift as the puzzle begins to glow. You watch Yugi's face as the tears dry and a new, strong pair of red color his irises.

"Yami," you gasp. He pulls himself to his feet and offers a hand to help you. You take it, and he holds you close as the tip of the plane's beak pushes against the castle's forcefield. You tighten your arms around his waist as the pressure of the barrier constricts around you. It's not enough to quite hurt, but it certainly frightens you. Thankfully, the ship lives up to its name and manages to pull through the barrier, allowing you and your friends access inside.

"It worked!" Joey cries. However, a beam of light cuts off the celebration and Yami tenses around you.

"TURN!" he erupts. Joey rips the wheel to turn the ship away, but it's not fast enough. A blast of fire erupts from the castle and hits the ship on its left side. The integrity begins to falter quickly as pieces of the propellers fly in your directions.

"ABANDON SHIP!" Joey wails, and you hide your face in Yami's chest, awaiting impact. However, the spirit thinks quickly on his feet, and as you hear the floor of the ship break with the fiery debris, you feel your body being lifted by a scaly, warm surface. You pull away from Yami as he sits you between him and the spikes on his Winged Guardian of the Fortress's back. You clutch it tightly as Yami holds on tightly to you for leverage. You watch as Mai's three Harpie Ladies lead the Winged Guardian, the Dark Magician and Gilita Knight clutching tightly to their armor as they fly. Your Ryu-Ran floats and around you and the monsters in a silly way, smacking Toon World open and closed to act as a barrier while doing mid-air somersaults.

You hear crunching noises from below you, and when you look over your shoulder to see, you watch the legendary flying machine completely fall victim to the fire as it's swallowed whole. It plummets to the earth below, the barrier catching it briefly before allowing the burning remains to pass through. You whimper, visualizing what could've happened had Yami not saved you all. He seems to notice your distress and rubs your back soothingly. You sigh and smile at him, turning just enough to place your braceleted hand on his leg. It warms against the fabric of his pants, and he returns your smile.

"We're almost there," Yami announces as the Winged Guardian speeds up. "Hang on tight!"

~

Once the Winged Guardian lands safely on the edge of the castle's land, you all dismount and sprint through, what appears to be, a thick, dark forest. Through swarms of Killer Beetle monsters and freshly hatched Great Moths, you manage to get through with Yami's questionable strategy. Then again, you're not surprised, considering Yami has countless strategies locked away that have proved you wrong in the past.

You manage to emerge unharmed from the forest, but it leads you into an even darker, open cave. You squint to try and possibly make out something, but to no avail. Suddenly, a roar echoes against the cold walls. It sounds familiar.

"Did you hear that?" Mai asks, looking around for the source. It's then that a bright, blinding flash blasts down from the ceiling, and you guard your eyes. It's aura is hot, so when you pull your arms away, you're greeted with the sight of a gaping hole, about the size of the beam, above you. When the light completely fades, you find yourself staring right into the eyes of a Blue Eyes. The sight of it sends you stumbling back just a bit in shock.

"A Blue Eyes?" Yami states, surprised. "But, that can only mean--" Sure enough, as he stops mid-sentence, a pair of bodies slide from the dragon's snout and land on the ground in front of you. The manages to surprise you too, but when you realize who they are, you're overcome with an immense relief too amazing for words.

"Kaiba! Mokuba!" you cry as they stand up straight. "You're okay!" They smile at you and the others as Kaiba chuckles deep in his throat.

"Joey, you look like an overgrown monkey in that outfit," Kaiba remarks, making Joey fume and stomp his feet in place, thrusting his fists up and bellowing nonsense about how ungrateful Kaiba is for their rescue mission. Suddenly, his voice is drowned out by the sound of a calculating, menacing laugh. It drums against your ears and make your blood run cold.

"Congratulations, gamers," the omnipotent voice booms. "You've made it to the final level."

"Correction, you slimeball," Kaiba retorts. "We've beaten the game."

"Oh, is that what you think, Seto Kaiba?" the voice calls back, the strength in his words making you flinch in fear.

"That's right!" Kaiba growls. "I escaped the lava pool, therefore the Mythic Dragon wasn't summoned! That means this game is over!" The voice laughs again.

"It will be game over, alright," it responds. "But for you, not us." Suddenly, the entire environment begins to glitch out, burning away and revealing an endless parallel ceiling and floor patterned like the inside of a computer. Despite the electronic appearance, both the top and bottom pulse in time like a heart beat, sections of the floor lighting up in rhythmic bursts.

"Wh-what is this!?" Joey stutters. Yami grabs your hand and pulls your shoulder against his as, in the distant darkness, a tsunami of goo-like material rises up and morphs.

"They've rewritten the programming!" Kaiba explains. "They're summoning the Mythical Dragon themselves!" As if a curtain rises with Seto's words, the slime finishes constructing, and over it's surface, it begins to change color. Soon, you're staring up at a completely overwhelming creature. A dragon, with metal-like crafted wings, stands with a wide, gaunt pose. But, instead of just one head, it has five heads rising from the base of the shoulders. The head on the farthest left is made entirely of fire, the one next to it looks like a sea serpent, the head in the middle looks like it's crafted in a gold, silky material, the one on it's other side has dark, menacing scales, and the head on the furthest right is crafted completely in metal. They swivel and squirm in time with one another, each head taking turns looking at each of you. Your mouth dries out as your nerves feel completely oversensitive.

"Stay close, everyone," Yami commands. "There's only one way out of here now, and it's to defeat this dragon." With Yami's voice, you feel yourself regaining more composure.

"Rei, sweetheart," Hikari hums to you. You immediately take it in, realizing that you haven't heard her talk to you since you made it into the virtual reality world, and you missed her voice. "Believe in yourself. You have traveled this vast, new world with the boys, and with it, you've gotten stronger. Much stronger. Now is the time to trust your deck with all you have."

'I'm really scared,' you think to Hikari, drawing the next card in your deck. 'But, I won't lose. We won't lose!'

As you stare down the monster with a 5000 attack power, you watch Mai go first. Of course, she summons her reliable Harpie Lady sisters from her deck, adorned in their powerful armor thanks to her Cyber Shield. But, as soon as they're summoned, the Harpies are electrocuted, completely frozen in place.

"Wha-what the--?" Mai hisses, making the dragon chuckle.

"We decided to do a little bit more programming," the voice explains. Beneath you, the floor starts to glow with a bright, translucent image. When you see it, you realize what it is right away.

"A Dragon seal?" you blurt, looking back up to the beast.

"That's right, little girl," the voice replies. "It makes this lair a sacred place where only dragon-class monsters are allowed to attack. Any other monster type is useless!"

"You dare challenge me to a battle of dragons?" Kaiba cackles, his lips wide with a maniacal grin. "You five should all know better than that!" He pulls a card from his deck and holds it high with pride. "I call on the Blue Eyes White Dragon!" From a platform of light rises Kaiba's most treasured monster, roaring and throwing its head back in triumph.

"Dragons, eh? Fine!" Joey adds, drawing a card as well. "Goooo Red Eyes!" Joey summons his prized monster as well as it emerges with flared wings and a powerful screech.

"Harpie's Pet Dragon!" Mai beckons, summoning her girls' ferocious, chained pet. You pull your card and summon your monster as well.

"I summon Ryu-Ran!" you call, watching as an egg rolls from a bright beam of light and cracks open, revealing the powerful creature inside.

"And I summon Curse of Dragon!!" Yami cries, playing his card last and revealing the thin, dexterous dragon from within it. "Your Mythic Dragon can not stand up to all we've set against it!" As all five dragons come together, you all collectively command an attack. With each dragon sending a blow towards the enemy, a beam is returned from each of the Mythic Dragon's heads to counter it. In one massive explosion, the smoke settles to reveal that none of the moves got through.

"It's no use!" Yami calls through the noise. "The blasts are cancelling each other out!" The voice around you laughs yet again as the Mythic Dragon stands ready.

"So they are," it keens. "However, there is still one person on your team that has no dragon with which to attack... or defend." You are confused for a brief moment until you see Kaiba's expression hang heavy. You suddenly realize who the voice is referring to, and you turn to see the dragon's gaze locked tightly on Mokuba.

"No, you wouldn't--" Kaiba chokes, his joints locking up. But, before he can do anything, the dragon's middle head reels back and charges up an electrical blast, shooting it in Mokuba's direction. You whimper in a vain protest, but you're suddenly overwhelmed with a new sensation... Joey's voice.

"Red Eyes, take the blow!" he screams, throwing his hand in the direction of the blast. His dragon obediently follows the order, spreading its wings wide to take the full force of the hit. In seconds, the monster is vaporized, leaving Mokuba unharmed.

"But, that means--" Mai winces, turning back to Joey. You do the same and your eyes catch sight of his life point counter... which is dropping rapidly. Your eyes widen in disbelief, but when the duel disk reads "0000", the reality hits you like a bus. Joey falls to his knees, his body shaking with torturous pangs. You, Yami and Mai immediately rush to his side, holding out your arms to catch him. But, instead of touching his warm skin, your arms fall through and your elbows hit the floor as his body is digitizes and vanishes into the virtual world. With tears welling in your eyes, your body wracks with short, ragged breaths. Yami pulls you to a kneeling position next to him and squeezes your hands painfully tight, the sight of losing his best friend completely jarring him. You turn to bury your face in his shoulder, the hot tears falling silently. Mai, however, seems the most shook up as waves of tears rush down her cheeks. She looks completely devastated... and completely enraged.

"YOU CREEPS!" she shrieks, rising to her feet and staring daggers into the Mythic Dragon. "WHAT KIND OF TWISTED GAME HAVE YOU TURNED THIS INTO!?"

"A game?" the voice inquires, the smile in his voice painfully clear. "This ceased to be a game long ago!" You pull your face away and wipe your eyes, gathering yourself back to your feet as Yami does the same. You feel the overwhelming sadness turn to an anger that lights a fire in your chest.

"We need a new tactic," Kaiba offers. "We can't do this with just our dragons."

"I think I know just the thing," Yami replies. "As strong as that Mythic Dragon might be, there is one creature that can defeat it." You look to him and lock eyes for a moment, sharing in a silent strategy. You both nod and turn to Kaiba.

"I have something we can use, should we need a little extra boost," you add, shaking the rest of your nerves out as you speak. You step back to allow Yami room to draw his next cards.

"Black Luster Soldier, I summon you!" he bellows, pulling two cards from his deck: Gaia, the Fierce Knight, and his Black Luster Ritual spell card. "Combined with the power of my dark knight and my Curse of Dragon!" A pillar of light explodes from the ritual platform, and slowly, the Black Luster Soldier emerges from within it. However, when he hits the ground, he is enveloped with the Dragon Spell's electric currents, making him useless to attack. With yet another laugh, the Mythic Dragon charges up for another blow, but Mai stops it.

"Harpie's Pet Dragon! Attack!" she instructs, making the pink beast take to the skies and challenge the enemy with a beam all its own. You watch in horror as the Mythic Dragon gets through, obliterating the Pet Dragon like it was nothing.

"Oh no," you croak, hearing yet another life point counter depleting. You turn to Mai just as the number bottoms out, watching her fall to her knees as well. Sweat beads her forehead as she fights the pain. You clamber to her side as fresh tears hit your eyes.

"Yugi, Rei..." she coughs. "It looks like I'm not going to be around to see how this whole thing turns out."

"No, n-no Mai!" you stutter. "D-Don't say that." You know it's hopeless, but your heart still call out for her.

"I tried my best. But, now, it's up to you two..." Mai's voice fades away with her body, and you curl your arms to you stomach, feeling sick. But, when Yami's body trembles with an insurmountable fury, you feel the fire in your chest from before burn even hotter and more violently as well.

"Kaiba, we only have one chance at this," Yami states. "We need to work as a team!" Kaiba quickly scoffs at the idea, making you stomach tighten in disgust.

"No way," Kaiba growls. "You don't even know what you're doing!"

"You just have to trust me Kaiba!"

"I'm not doing anything, Yugi."

As they bicker and fight, you feel a hot breath blown in your direction, making you shiver and look up. The fire dragon head stares you down with a powerful, condescending gaze. Your knees buckle a bit, but you keep your hand at your deck.

"Well, since they're distracted," the looming voice coos. "I might as well take out one more of you pesky squirts!" Ryu Ran flies in front of you as the dragon's cheeks fill with a molten fire ball. As it releases and is sent spiraling towards your monster, Yami and Kaiba stop immediately.

"REI--" the spirit blurts, the fear in his voice sending a jab of pain through your heart. He wasn't expecting this attack, but you were.

"I ACTIVATE TOON WORLD!" you announce as the attack hits your shelled dragon square in the chest. As the book squeezes from the card again and grabs a hold of Ryu Ran, it closes both him and the fireball inside. Your wracked with tremors, hoping that the book was able to get to him before the attack's effects did. You wait with bated breath, and as the book opens again, you're met with the sight of a delightfully orange dragon squeezed hilariously by a bulging blue shell. In his little arms rests the fire ball, now glowing with more comedic flames. With one swift motion, Manga Ryu Ran rolls the sphere onto an elongated tongue and swallows it with one big gulp. Steam releases from his nose as he picks at his sharp teeth with a pinky claw. You sigh with an immeasurable relief, as does Yami.

"What in the world!?" the voice cries, sounding shocked for the first time. You smile as Ryu Ran taunts the other dragon by pulling his own cheeks apart.

"Oh, don't you know?" you taunt, feeling a rush of self-assurance in your strategy. "While my dragon isn't strong enough to defeat you on his own, my Toon World has him completely invulnerable to attacks by normal monsters. If your Mythic Dragon was a Toon monster, then my boy would be at your mercy. But, for now, your attacks serve as nothing but tasty treats to him!" Your dragon accentuates your explanation by licking his lips and laughing with a bold "hyuck, hyuck, hyuck".

"A toon?" Kaiba scoffs. "What terrible creatures." You turn to Kaiba immediately, making him shut up abruptly. You decide to ride out the last bit of confidence you have.

"They may remind you of Pegasus," you state, your voice wavering as it always did when speaking to Kaiba directly, but not faltering. Ryu Ran floats over to you playfully and pushes his big nose against your cheek, knocking your hood down. You take your hands and press them to the scaly skin, nuzzling him back. "But don't you ever compare my Toons to his." Yami nods in agreement as you both turn to Kaiba. "Now that I have Ryu Ran safe with Toon World, you need to work together with Yugi to--"

"Didn't you hear what I said before?" Kaiba snaps, cutting you off. "I don't have to let some two-bit duelists help me in defeating a monster I programmed!"

"But Kaiba, this isn't the monster you programmed! It's the Big Five's!"

"You're not going to win anything with this mindless blabbering!" the omnipresence announces. "I've already taken out two of your comrades, and now it will be three!" As the dragons launch another merciless attack, you command Ryu Ran to take the brunt of the blow. However, you don't realize that it's going for Seto, and not his dragon, until Mokuba pushes him out of the way and takes the hit instead. Your voice cracks with a startled gasp as the little Kaiba falls to his knees and fades out of existence before Seto can even reach him.

"NO, MOKUBAAA!" Kaiba cries, falling to his knees with a jolt. You bite your lip to keep back any more tears that threaten to fall. With this, Yami insists that they work together, and finally gets Kaiba to give in and summon his Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, putting his plan into motion. Ryu Ran continues to gobble up blow after blow to keep Kaiba and Yami safe as they put the spirit's plan into motion. Polymerizing Yami's Black Luster Soldier with Kaiba's Ultimate Blue Eyes, the Mythic Dragon finally stands face-to-face with a monster powerful enough to face it: The Dragon Master Knight. As the knight among the dragon's back raises his mighty sword to the sky, a heavenly glow washes down and brings back Joey's Red Eyes Black Dragon and Mai's Pet Dragon, but only temporarily as they are wrapped in a powerful ray of light leading back to the Knight's sword.

"What is going on!?" the Mythic Dragon cringes as the light takes hold of it as well, powering up Yami's creature as well. Finally, you see Ryu Ran holds his tiny arms out as his begins to glow with the same light. He giggles, as if the light tickles him, as he rolls around playfully. You giggle.

"The Dragon Master Knight gains the attack power of every dragon ever played on the field," Yami explains. "Including ones that were already destroyed." As you rush to Yami's side and stand close, and Ryu Ran stands behind both of you protectively, you watch the Dragon Master Knight's attack power climb to an unbelievable, unstoppable 9000. It almost knocks the wind out of you.

"Attack, Dragon Master Knight!" Kaiba commands.

"Dragon Saber Blast!" Yami commands as well. Valiantly, the dragon lunges forward as the knight's blade grows with the beams of light. It's three-headed steed charges up three powerful beams of light, which combine with the blade of it's master's sword as he swings it. The beam grows into a powerful aurora-like blast as it blows a hole through the Mythic Dragon. With a painful howl, the Mythic Dragon's head vaporize one by one, before completely fading away. You watch with complete splendor, feeling like it's almost too good to be true.

Suddenly, the microchip-like environment fades around you, pulling away the boys' Dragon Master Knight and your Ryu Ran. As the floor beneath you dissipates, you're plummeting down into an endless darkness. Your voice feels like it's torching your throat as you scream, reaching your hands up towards nothing. You feel your shoulders trapped between Kaiba's and Yami's as they fall with you, screaming out as well. Then, all at once, you black out...

~

When you feel yourself coming back to, your hearing is overwhelmed by the sound of victorious cheers. You sit up, rubbing the back of your head. Yami and Kaiba both do the same, and when you stand between them and look out, you see that you're back in Sin Lau, the villagers congratulating you with wave after wave of "you've done it, you've slayed the dragon!!"

"Oh, our heroes!" a familiar voice resonates over all the others. You three turn to see Princess Adena, hands folded politely over the front of her dress and her eyes sparkling widely with hope. "What you've done will keep my people and our land safe forever more!" With her words, you feel your heart sink slightly with a bittersweetness. Yami seems to feel the same.

"...We're not the ones you should be cheering," Yami replies gently.

"There shouldn't even be any cheering!" Kaiba hisses. "I lost my brother in there!"

"Our friends too," you whimper. "They're... th-they're..."

"Fear not," Adena soothes, her smile still proud on her lips. "Your losses are too great for any hero to bear, no matter how strong they are." Suddenly, you watch the princess hold out her arms as she is engulfed in a golden glow. You gasp and watch with intense fascination as her appearance completely changes from a princess... to a duel monster. She's changed into a beautiful Mystical Elf! As she morphs into the new image, she folds her hands together and sings a familiar spell that casts another ray of light down onto the platform you and the others are standing on. When it fades, you feel yourself growing emotional once more. There, lying on the ground in a sound slumber, is Earu, Joey, Mai, and Mokuba!

"She casted a spell to bring everyone back!" you utter, your legs giving way as you rush to Mai and Joey's side. You don't give them a moment to recuperate as you're arms hug tightly around Mai's midriff. She gasps, but after realizing where she was and who you were, she pats your hooded head kindly. Yami joins in on the love as Joey pulls him in for a hug. You curl up against Yami as all four of you relish in the overflowing happiness. Behind you, a deep, black portal opens up and Kaiba guides himself and Mokuba to it.

"Hey! Shouldn't you be saying something right now?" Joey growls, making Kaiba stop. He scoffs at Joey, but turn to you and Yami.

"Yugi," he begins. "We make a good team, you and I. But don't think that it means we'll be partnering up out there in reality." He turns to you, and your voice catches in your throat. "And you, Rei. It seems as though I've underestimated you. Once we're out in the real world, I'd like to see what you're really capable of." With his passive kindness, your heart flutters as Kaiba and Mokuba walk through the exit portal without another word. You sigh and, with a final goodbye to the beautiful Mystical Elf and the villagers, you leave Sin Lau with your friends by your side. You walk as close as you can to Yami as your vision is bathed in a delicious white luminescence.

~

The sound of your pod's lid opening awakens you, and you sit up with a slight grogginess. You feel absolutely exhausted, but once you hear Tristan and Tea's voice, you're renewed with a whole new sense of vigor. That is, until you climb out of the pod and see the situation before you, which makes your vitality harden and fall deep into your gut.

"Yugi, Joey, Rei! You're all back!" Tea announces happily, and you all crowd around her in a silent welcome.

"And so is Kaiba," Yugi replies. "He should be waking up out of his pod right now." You, however, are still speechless. Tristan, holding a long, metal bar, is guarding you and the others from a group of menacing black suits, who seem to be backing away with Yugi's mention of Kaiba. Right there, in the front, your eyes lock with a familiar set of sunglasses who seem to be staring right back at you.

"K-Kemo...?" you croak, making him grunt and run out the door with the others. However, a gentle hand on yours pulls you from the sadness, and you look over to see Yugi's concerned eyes. You do your best to shake it off, both of you knowing that who you just saw tore you up quite a bit. To provide as even more of a distraction, you hear a gentle yawn as Mai stretches in the doorway to another room of pods.

"Mai, you're here!" Joey beams. She rubs her eyes and walks up to you.

"Thank you," Mokuba turns to you all, catching your attention. "Thank you so much. Because of you, we're safe back here in reality." You and the rest of the group smile humbly and reassure Mokuba that it was your duty as friends to band even closer to save the one he loves.

As you walk out into the clear, crisp evening, still damp from the recent rain, you can't help but reach out and hold Yugi's hand as you walk. He returns the gesture and squeezes it lovingly. With the fresh air filling your lungs and the one you love holding you tight, you're certain that you're finally back in reality where you belong.

END OF CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE