1 Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any of the Yu-Gi-Oh characters. However, the fantasy world and the OCs are mine. This fanfic contains strong language, violence, and sexual content.

The Siege of Karad-Antha Termnnia

17 Years Ago

The forest of Askar was pitch black, its secrets only to be revealed when lightning stretched over the Termnnian sky, lighting up the land. The howling winds were overcome by the sounds of a great battle taking place outside the hidden mountain fortress of Karad-Antha.

Black Luster Soldiers ran across the battlements kicking ladders off the crumbling outer wall.

One of them grabbed a hook with his hand and pulled it up with all his might. The squad of orcs and hobgoblins hanging on to it squeaked and then smashed stupidly against the crenellation before falling to their doom hundreds of feet below.

J'Anthelos 'Jaime' Anthelion Darasssius was his name. Commander of the 121st regiment and the 1,500,000th Black Luster Soldier brought into the world by the Goddess of War in her attempt to aid the word from the foulness of Anubis and his Orc armies, whose numbers were almost like grains of sand on the beach. It seemed like many of those numbers were here tonight.

The Dark Magic Cavalry below had been wiped out as were the Black Luster Soldiers from Mythic Squad and Meta Company. They were all gone.

The howling winds were then joined by a cry of anguish coming from within the fortress. "It has begun," Jaime thought. "Blast! Of all the times for it to happen!"

Behind him, a ladder made its place on one of the crenellations of the wall. Another squad of orcs climbed up onto the wall and were ready to charge until a force of magic pushed them off and sent them flying into the canyon below.

"My Lady!" "Lady Yvonne!" The Black Luster Soldiers shouted as a woman with long raven-black hair ran down the wall. She was clad in armor made of platinum-colored steel. She had a sword in one hand and a spear in the other.

"Commander!" the woman called out. She bashed an Orc on the face with her shield, pirouetted, sliced his neck, and then kicked him off the wall.

She was Yvonne Stravinski Marietta Coutette of White Shore. Master sorceress, leader of the Lodge of Witches in the Senate, and the House Carl of the family who owned the fortress. She kicked another ladder off the wall, sending more Orcs to their deaths. A goblin ran towards her and jumped, but she was quick. She jumped and spun vertically as she enchanted her beautiful sword, extending it with a magical cobalt aura that sliced the little creature in half.

"Commander J'Anthelos! Commander J'Anthelos is that you!"

"Yes!" Jaime called. "What is it?"

"You are needed inside, Commander. The Lord and Lady of the Fort request it."

"I cannot abandon my post!" said Jaime. "The Orcs are too many, we can't hold them. Carl Yyvonne, the fortress is lost. We must make for the caverns and make for the Pass of Areldor, it is our only hope."

"No, there is no hope. Not for your men anyway. We can't afford to bring them all with us."

"I will not abandon my soldiers!" Jaime shouted.

Yvonne grabbed him by the arm. "Commander! You must come with me. You are a close member of this family. They need you alongside them if we have any hope of escaping."

"What about my men!?"

"I understand. But if they come with us, the orcs will know about the Pass. They will make for it and corner us there. Everyone will die. The Celtra. The Eyar. And their son. You have no idea how special this boy is, Commander. We need you with us."

"Go with her!" shouted a Black Luster Soldier armed with a luster longbow. "We'll take care of these vermin. If what I hear is true, the Lord's son is the Song from the Divines. The one mentioned by Norman the Conqueror."

"I understand," Jaime said.

"It's been an honor, sir," said another Black Luster Soldier.

Jaime sheathed his sword and followed Yvonne into the fortress. Its thick stone walls pacified the chaotic sounds of the battle. He could still hear them, but they were enervated. Lighting flashed outside the thick rustic windows as Yvonne led him up the spiral staircase to the main tower of the fortress, which housed the family living here.

Another cry of agony reverberated across the stone walls. Yvonne darted up the steps and signaled Jaime to follow her. He made it to the chamber. Every housemaid in the fortress surrounded the bed where Lady Luthia Noctiva Androsa lay giving birth to her child. Jaime had to squint his eyes for only a few dozen candles lined on the night tables on either side of the bed and the fire in the chimney provided light.

Yvonne placed her sword and shield on a chair near the entrance of the castle. "Rosie! Rosie!" she called the Celtra by her nickname. "It's okay. We're getting you out of here." She asked two maids to stand aside as she came through to aid her friend with the birth. She could see the crowing cap of the child's black hair. "All right, Rosie, easy, easy, deep breaths."

"They're coming through!" the Celtra woman sobbed.

"The Black Luster Soldiers are holding them back," Yvonne assured her.

Jaime heard someone coming toward him. It was his friend Lord Gabriel Delgado. He was an Eyar — a group of powerful wizards who were tasked by Mana the Goddess of the Arcane Arts and Horakhty to aid mankind into prosperity and shield them from the malice of Zorc and his mother, Odiva the Perfect Goddess.

"Jaime!" Gabriel said. The two hugged one another and patted their backs. "How goes the battle?" he asked. His cinnamon skin seemed pale from all the fear in him. He was sweating profusely and even shed a few tears.

"It does not bode well, my friend," Jaime said. "The Orcs are too many. There are thousands of them outside the wall. Thousands more are in the tunnel and beyond.

"Then we must abandon the fortress," said Gabriel. "Master Yu-Gi-Oh promised we would be safe here."

"We all did. But it appears you have a rat in your midst. There is no way someone could have known she was here."

"A trouble for another time," said Gabriel. "We must discuss our plan of escape."

But there was going to be no escape this night. The hours went on and the Black Luster Soldier's numbers were dwindling. An hour past midnight, Jaime and the army were gone. Yvonne, fearing for her life, abandoned those she loved and fled into the mountains. She was never seen again. Meanwhile, Gabriel and Luthia ordered the fortress maids to run into the caverns.

Now they were all alone.

The gates to the estate were pounded violently by the army of Orcs on the other side. Gabriel gathered his weapons and sprinted to the courtyard to deal with the army himself. He could hear the screeches, grunts, and roars over the stone walls of Karad-Antha. He heard his baby boy crying from the bundle of blankets in his lover's arms. The symphony of war and the great claps of lightning were frightening him.

"Where are the Black Luster Soldiers?" Luthia cried out, cradling her child. She hobbled towards him.

"Go bacK!" Gabriel shouted. "What are you doing here? Go back!"

"Where is the army? Where is everyone?"

"They're all dead!" Gabriel cried out. "You must get out of here, dearheart. The fortress has fallen and our allies are many leagues from here. They will never make it in time!"

"No, I'm not leaving you!" Luthia shouted.

Gabriel walked to her and grasped her cheeks. "You never will! I will always be with you. Get out of here! Give my son the chance to live. For if you don't, my death tonight will be in vain. Please, Luthia!"

The gates were bashed again by the hammer of a large troll covered from head to heel in rusty iron armor. The gate splintered and the iron bent from the incredible impact. Another powerful blow and the gates fell forward, surrendering to the strength of the troll.

Like rats in the plague, orcs began to pour into the courtyard of the mountain fortress. They all gave great battle cries and charged for Gabriel and his beautiful wife.

Luthia grasped her baby close to her breast. She watched as Gabriel nocked three black arrows with sharp mithril heads onto his exquisite silver bow. He let go, launching them toward the orcs. One was struck in the eye, the other in the heart, and the third through the mouth. But they kept pouring in.

Gabriel, again, launched three arrows at his foes. Luthia muttered an enchantment that made the three arrows turn into thousands. The attack caused the oncoming orcs to drop dead all the way to the end of the gate. Despite the devastating attack, the orcs just kept coming, pouring through the ruined gate like an endless flood of black iron and putrid flesh. Luthia had not the strength to perform such a spell again. The baby still cried, begging for the noise to stop.

Gabriel dropped his bow and conjured two scimitars made of light with just his thoughts. "GO!" he shouted at Luthia.

He took one last look at her. It hurt him deeply that this could be the last time he would see her heavenly jet-black hair, speckled with Silver Mountain Bells. Never would he see her bright blue eyes or the silk gowns she always wore. Luthia bowed to Gabriel. Large drops of tears flew from her eyes. She turned to leave but was grabbed by the wrist.

"You would let me depart this world without one final kiss?" he said.

Luthia sobbed while forcing a smile. She kissed Gabriel quickly. The heavy footsteps of the orcs were getting louder.

She darted for the castle then stopped and held out her hand. She charged a mighty spell that blasted the orcs back with devastating force, killing and maiming a few to give Gabriel a fighting chance. She prayed her spell would give her the opportunity to see him again while running back into the fortress, clutching her baby close.

Gabriel gave a mighty war cry while holding up his scimitars. They burst into sparkling silver flames. He dashed for the orcs. He leaped for the first one, arching his arm to point the blade at the creature. He jabbed the orc in the shoulder. The flames seared his insides bringing a slow and painful death.

Gabriel freed his sword from the orc's neck and performed an elegant spin toward two more of the beasts. He stabbed both orcs in their gullets with his blades. He released the scimitars from their throats and jabbed one of them up another orc's mouth and the other he used to cut off the side of the second one's head like an apple.

He charged toward two more of the fell beasts. He put all his weight on his right leg to perform a mighty leap which turned into a spin. He flew and became a tornado of blades, cutting away at his enemies.

But they kept pouring in.

Just then, Jaime and a surviving force of Black Luster Soldiers jumped down from the walls and joined Gabriel in battle.

"Jaime!" Gabriel yelled in joy. "You still live?"

"Yes. We won't let you fight them alone. Come on you ugly bastards!" He bashed his sword against his shield. "Come on! You want to fight? We'll give you a fight!"

The other Black Luster Soldiers banged their swords on their shields as well. Hooo! Hooo! They chanted loudly, their powerful voices thundering across the courtyard. The orcs whimpered in fright at the sight of the tall black-armored warriors whose swords were as long as a man. And the battle chant chilled their blood like ice. They were petrified, but the orcs had orders to fight no matter what.

They cut through the third wave of orcs like a hot knife through butter. Then they paused, forming a line in front of Gabriel. They pounded their shields again and chanted: Hooo! Hoooo!

Luthia watched the battle from her bedroom tower. For the first time that night, she smiled. Victory was near. But then a giant figure slowly walked into the courtyard. He was armored in heavy, colossal black armor of mirror steel. The helmet was shaped like a jackal crowned with a blue and gold nemes and glowing red eyes.

He carried a massive hammer with red glowing patterns. The handle was longer than a man and the hammer itself was the size of a juvenile dragon's skull. The orcs cheered behind him, raising their weapons and shouting in Dark Speech.

The boots from the man's armor thundered with each step. The Black Luster Soldiers formed a defensive wall in front of Gabriel.

"Anubis!" whispered Gabriel. "It's you!"

Anubis looked down at the soldiers. A metallic growl erupted from his helmet. There was something glowing inside his chest piece. It was blue and shaped like a pyramid with the golden Wdjat of the Pharaohs of Selbak sealed on the front.

Without warning, Anubis swung his hammer, sweeping away ten Black Luster Soldiers into the air. They were tossed violently over the walls of the fortress. Another swing from the hammer and five more were swatted away. The soldiers bellowed in pain while they twirled violently to their doom on the other side of the wall.

Anubis slammed his hammer on the ground, creating a large crater. The force tossed five more over Gabriel's head. They screamed while flailing through the air. Jaime charged forward and gave Anubis a small challenge. But despite his valiance, he fell, crushed like a bug under the might of Anubi's hammer.

All that was left standing in his way...was Gabriel.

A low, thunderous chuckle boomed from inside the helmet. Anubis lunged his hammer at Gabriel.

The Eyar backflipped, the hammer missing him by inches. Gabriel landed on his feet and took a spring up the large hammer, then to Anubis's forearm where he made another leap and jabbed the evil sorcerer on the neck.

"ARRRGH!" Anubis roared.

Gabriel leaped off Anubis's large pauldron.

"You will not take my son!" Gabriel said coldly.

Anubis laughed.

"Neshka oorü et nen beya mekra-soon!"

Gabriel ran for him but was struck back by the powerful force of Anubis's hammer. He flew towards a tree with so much force he bent it. Trying his best to stay conscious, he breathed heavily. But his body gave way and he was greeted with darkness.

Someone was laughing at him.

Gabriel opened his eyelids. They felt like stones as he forced them open. His weary eyes saw the malevolent grin of Yami Bakura, the Witch-King of Termnnia.

"Hmm, I think you might have overdone it, my lord," Bakura said, getting up.

Two orcs grabbed Gabriel by the arms and dragged him towards the center of the courtyard. Orcs were all around him, cheering in their fell language. The rain continued pouring mercilessly. Lightning flashed in the skies above. The orcs carrying Gabriel stopped.

He looked at the state of his home. The fortress was burning. His Black Luster Soldiers were scattered all around him, dead. And the monstrous hellspawn of Odiva the Jealous was all around him, cheering for his capture. He noticed another figure walking in circles around him.

Yami Marik.

He looked down at Gabriel with a smile that bared his sharp, devilish teeth. A glowing Wdjat shone on his forehead. His long, tattered, black cape swung behind him menacingly with each step. Marik's heavy black armor plating, thick and strong, groaned along with his footsteps. Marik cackled as he circled around the fallen Eyar. The orcs behind him snorted and grunted, waiting for blood.

"Hello Gabriel," Yami Bakura said, walking from behind Gabriel. He had his hands behind his back while casually strolling next to Marik. His armor was jagged and plated. It was jet black and glowing with red designs. Curved arches extended from their armplates and greaves. Bakura's black cape was torn and clasped to his gorget by a brooch in the shape of a bat. "Lovely night, isn't it?"

Gabriel said nothing. A woman's desperate grunting was caught by his ears. He searched desperately for her in the ugly mob of orcs.

A king from the northern lands wearing red and black dragon armor was leading her toward the mob by a rope he fastened around her neck. Her baby was cradled in the nook of her arm.

"Ah," said Marik. "Here she is now. The last of the Celtra in our grasp."

The king in the dragon armor threw her in front of Gabriel. She willfully landed on her right side to avoid falling on the baby. "That should be all then," the king in dragon armor said to Marik.

"Indeed," Bakura answered instead.

Marik brandished his Millennium Rod. "Bring her to me!" he ordered the orcs. "At last, the last Gardner of the World will be dealt with!"

"Wot's that ya got there!" an orc shouted, grabbing the baby from Luthia's grip.

Luthia screamed, protesting that the orc let go of her child. Bakura held up his hand to stop the orc.

"Ah, ah, ah. I'll be taking that."

The orc kicked Luthia in the stomach. She fell to the ground moaning in agony and clutching her belly. She had just given birth an hour ago, and her womanhood and stomach were sore. Blood started pouring out of her mouth, for the Orc ruptured one of her ribs with the iron-plated tip of his boot.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" shouted Gabriel.

Another vile wizard named Dartz came from behind and whacked him in the head with his elbow. "No theatrics, Gabriel," said Dartz. "You'll only prolong your suffering."

"Dartz?" said Bakura. "So you've joined us after all."

Dartz grinned. "I did not think you would succeed, my friend. I admit I was wrong in my worry."

"YOU!" shouted Gabriel. "How could you betray the order!? Horakhty summoned us to cleanse the world of darkness!"

"We have other plans," said Bakura. "Horakhty and the Goddesses are weak." The baby cooed in his arms. Bakura smiled and rocked the child gently. He cackled vilely when he looked at his eyes the color of hazel. "He has his mother's eyes."

"Give me back my baby!" sobbed Luthia. Her blood bubbled around her tongue. "Please. Please. Give me back my child."

"Let him go!" shouted Gabriel. The orcs holding him down laughed at him. "Let go of my son!"

Anubis silenced him with just a few mighty steps. The earth shook when he walked. Many of the Orcs in the ranks whimpered in fear of their Lord and Master, backing away and shivering.

Bakura bowed, getting down on one knee and holding the baby up to the Dark Lord.

Anubis walked towards the child, cackling like the villain that he was. Luthia screamed and he silenced her with a violent punch to the top of her head, and her face smashed against the ground. He then stomped on her head with his heavy boot. Luthia cried in agony, feeling her skull flattening against the weight of the dark lord.

"Luthia!" Gabriel yelled. Gabriel's fury could no longer be contained. He ripped the arms off the orcs holding him down and punched them so hard with magically enhanced fists that their heads went soaring away. He had no swords to use so he used the arms he tore off as clubs, smacking the crowd of Orcs out of his way in a hellish fury. He finally reached his wife. He grabbed Marik with telekinetic magic and slammed him to the ground five times. Then he created a powerful blast of magic that sent Dartz flying towards one of the guardhouses, smashing it to pieces.

He went for Anubis, but his dark powers were too great. He grabbed Gabriel by the arm and broke it with a squeeze.

"ARRGGH!" shouted Marik. He raised his Millennium Rod and used its ancient magic to lift Gabriel from the ground and toss him through the air. He slammed him into trees, smashed him into shrines, and dragged him across the walls leaving trails of blood. Luthia wailed in horror, watching helplessly as Marik smashed her husband's body around the courtyard like a child would throw a doll in a terrible tantrum.

"Enough!" shouted Bakura.

Marik roared violently and slammed Gabriel to Luthia's feet. He was battered, bleeding, and broken. He lost an eye and his jaw was dislocated. He gasped for air. Blood came out of his mouth instead.

Dartz lifted him up with telekinesis and dragged his mangled body in front of Anubis.

"GABRIEL!" Luthia shouted.

Anubis held out his hand. "OBLIVION!" he shouted.

"NOOOOO!" Luthia shouted at the top of her lungs when the vile spell was cast. Gabriel's body was gone, shattered like glass from the multi-colored blast of dark magic. His armor fell sadly to the ground, clinking, and clanking. Luthia went into a fetal position and lamented at the loss of her husband. "NOOOOO!" she coughed.

A horn blew in the distance briefly pausing the violence. "The Horn of Arath-Inthel," said Dartz. "A relic of House Taylor. Yugi Muto's allies have arrived."

The orcs grew worried. They started grunting and whimpering.

"Form ranks you maggots!" shouted Anubis. "Form ranks!"

Bakura placed his hand on Anubis's arm. "Whatever you plan to do, Anubis. Do it now. You cannot fight them in your state."

"Give me the boy!" said Anubis. "I must take his power and add it to my lifeforce if I am to combat Yugi's friends."

Luthia shouted in protest and with a great force of will, got up from the stump. She clawed the dragon-armored king in the face and charged at Anubis. But she ran into Oblivion. Her body shattered. Her torn bloody dress flew away in the wind and disappeared into the darkness of the mountains.

"Pity," said the king in the dragon armor. "I take it that's my queue to leave."

"Do it now!" shouted Marik. "We'll take care of Yugi Muto and his friends."

Anubis held his hand over the baby. A blue aura slithered out of its body and into Anubis's fingers. The baby shivered and coughed.

"Yesssss," hissed Antilles.

Lightning flashed in the sky. A choir started to sing from the heavens.

"That song!" shouted Dartz. "No! It can't be!"

Long, red, bony fingers parted open the clouds like a curtain. A giant dragon's head slowly and menacingly loomed from them. The orcs babbled in horror as they were locked on by the cold stare of Slifer the Sky Dragon.

The divine beast glared down at them from his realm, furious at the injustice that took place this night.

"Let him go Anubis!" shouted Dartz. "WE MUST GO!"

The King in dragon armor was not one to argue. He pushed past the orcs, darted out of the fortress, and got on his horse, riding back to the other side of the mountains where his army was waiting. Slifer loomed down at Anubis snarling.

"What sorcery is this!" Anubis hissed from inside his helmet. He looked down at the baby, shaking with confusion and fear when he saw the child's left eye glowing green.

"NO! It cannot be!" He shouted. "IT'S YOU!" He screamed in horror and raised his hand over the boy while charging his deadly spell. "OBLIVION!"

A flash of light from the sky blinded him. Slifer the Sky Dragon was charging up his most powerful attack. Thunder Force.

The orcs pushed and shoved to get away. Bakura, Dartz, and even Marik knew there was nothing they could do and ran for the hills as well. Just then, Anubis felt great pain in his arm. Someone had jabbed the blade of a sword in his arm. A flash of black and gold flew by his eyes. As he tried to fathom what happened, he realized something. He looked down at his arms and saw that the baby was gone.

"NO!" He watched Jaime sprinting into the burning castle to take shelter from the attack. Before Anubis could take another step, he was met by a blast of white-hot burning light. Seconds later, there was only darkness.