Part 1: The Exiled Prince

The boy woke up and found himself tumbling out of the sky. Down, down he went. To where he did not know. All he saw were dark stormy clouds rushing by him as he fell. His stomach lurched with each movement and he found himself unable to speak. He looked up. All he could see were his legs helplessly flopping up and down above him. Beyond his feet was a hole of dark purple sky.

The boy looked down and saw the clouds dispersing at last and he saw a barren world below. He started to spin faster and faster as the ground was getting closer and closer. He was going to die! He knew he was going to die. He shut his eyes and braced himself for impact. He saw what appeared to be the ruins of a temple, its details becoming more and clearer as he got closer to the ground. Suddenly, there was a flash of light and a clasp of thunder.

The boy opened his eyes and found himself standing in a dark forbidding world. The sky was stormy purple, lightning flashed, and he was surrounded by an eerie mist. He was standing in the middle of what appeared to be the ruins of an old temple. Over the ruined walls and crumbling pillars, the silhouette of a dead forest reached out into the purple sky, the branches of the trees looking like a thousand bony hands of the undead screaming for a second chance at mercy.

The frightened boy took a slow step forward and heard a jingling near his chest. He looked down and yelped when he saw he was wearing a long black coat made of leather that was as black as night. From the sleek and elegant design of the coat, he figured the person who made it desired the coat to look like a black stealth fighter jet.

There were two strings, also colored black, with two platinum tassels engraved with flowery filigree. The boy's hands were covered in black gloves and his feet were protected by the cold mud by thick black boots with steel tips.

"Wow," he said, admiring his attire. Though he found the dream to be strange, he couldn't deny the fact that the coat was very beautiful to look at. However, just before he could admire it any further, he heard twigs snapping behind him, followed by a cry like a wailing ghost.

"Ooooooooooh!!!" someone hooted with glorious jubilee. The boy almost jumped out of his skin. The silver tassels jingled as they bounced up along with him. He turned around and saw a most unusual character glaring right at him with two cartoonishly round eyes.

The figure was rather short and wearing a white cleric's outfit ornamented with gold metalwork and in his bony fingers, he carried a golden staff, the top was crested with a winged insignia much like the one on the top of his hood. His face and head were concealed by a bone-colored hood and face wrap. All the boy could see was the character's two very round eyes and he could tell the little man had light blue skin.

"Oh ho ho!" the man laughed. "It is you! It is you! The spell worked! I cannot believe it worked! Oh, great happiness!" He raised his arms and fell to his knees. "Oh, greetings, Your Highness! Greetings!"

"What is this?" asked the boy, recoiling a few steps back. "Who are you? What are you? Where am I?"

"Forgive me, Your Highness!" said the little cloaked man. "I am Simon McMooran, the great druid of the court of the High Chancellor who is ruling in the stead of the High King of Termnnia — eh, that's you!" he pointed at the boy.

Oh no, the boy thought. No. Not one of these dreams again.

"You've got the wrong person!" the boy replied. His face was still concealed in the darkness of his own hood. He pointed at Simon and shouted: "Prophet — thing of evil! I don't know what it is you've done, but I command you to undo whatever hex you've cast that conjured me from my bed to this dreary Plutonian shore! Let me go! Let me go! Release me!"

"Oh, ho, ho! I cannot do that, Your Highness!" Simon happily declared despite being yelled at and accused of being something evil. "You are the one I've been asked to summon to this very world."

"What world is this?" the boy shouted.

He looked around at the dreary landscape. Nothing but dead trees as far as the eye could see and a mist that left heavy drops of moisture on the boy's coat. In front of him was a campfire, probably one the little man started. All around the fire were thick and complex spellbooks, magic stones, strange arcane instruments made of gold, and glowing gems like the ones orbiting around the man's head like little satellites.

"Where did you take me? Bring me back. I want to go home!"

"Oh ho, ho!" laughed the man. "You cannot go home yet. Not until you've met my master. As for where you are, this is a world of my own making. My master asked that I designed it for your visit. Oh! The master! Long has he awaited your arrival, Your Highness."

Highness. That word seemed to irritate the boy more than anything. "Do you see a crown of gold on my temple! No! So stop calling me Highness! Prophet! Or fiend! Whatever you are, send me home."

"No, that I cannot do. And I assure you, my prince, I am no prophet nor am I a thing of evil. Tell me, son, what is your name?"

"Uh...Yuri."

"Yuri. Oh ho ho! Then I truly have gotten the right person for the summoning. Come! Come with me."

"Wither?" Yuri asked.

"To the one who gave me the task of summoning you, Yuri," Simon said. He moved with a hobble that sent a chill down Yuri's spine, for his movements reminded him of the eerie Saudi Arabian witch video he once saw last Halloween. Simon grabbed a lantern sitting on what remained of a pillar. He turned and beckoned Yuri once more. "Come! Come!"

"I have a feeling I already know who it is," Yuri muttered to himself. He convoked his courage with a deep breath and followed Simon down a trail that led him deeper into the woods. Deep in the trees, he saw tombstones and mausoleums standing ominously in the mist. A few ravens cawed and perched themselves on the bony dead branches of the dead forest. They eyed Yuri curiously. Some even called his name. "Yuri! Yuri!" the ravens cried out as if they, too, were expecting him. "Daveed!" another one said.

"Who are you again?" Yuri asked, following ever more closely to the blue-skinned druid.

"I am Simon McMooran," the little man replied. "Chief Druid of the court of Maximillion Pegasus. The High Chancellor of Termnnia. He rules the land until the day you are set to return, and that day is really soon."

"What's....Term...Term...Termnnia? What's this place you keep talking about?"

"Great elephants!" Simon declared, slapping his forehead with a hand of bony blue fingers. "You really don't know who you are, do you? Not to worry, my young friend. If anyone will know what to do to help you, it's my master. He'll set you straight on the path to reclaiming your throne."

"My throne? I was afraid that was what this was going to be about," said Yuri. "Ever since my birthday last year, I've been getting visits from freaks like you. Over and over again, they've been telling me that I'm some kind of king."

"Others you say?" said Simon, pausing rather stiffly and turning around with authority.

He didn't seem to like being called a 'freak' and Yuri bit his tongue as chastisement, concluding that it was best not to insult him or his peers anymore. "Ahem. Sorry..." Yuri apologized. It came out rather stiff but he truly meant it.

"Quite alright," Simon assured him and carried on. "Out of curiosity, who else came before me?"

"A lot of people," Yuri replied, looking at his surroundings. "Oof!" he almost tripped on a stone. He cursed it and kicked it into the forest. "But the two that have visited me frequently were some guy with a freaky hairstyle and a happy-go-lucky kid named Jaden. Although, I only saw him during the last week of middle school. I actually find myself missing him."

"Do you really?" Simon said, continuing to walk on.

"I do. He was actually kind of fun to Duel against. I mean dreams are dreams but hey, they can be kind of fun sometimes. Although, I can't say much about the guy with the freaky hair."

Dream? Could he call this a dream? Everything felt so real. Yuri could sense the wind blowing through his hood and caressing his face. The crunching of the leaves beneath his boots, the howling of the wind and the wolves in the distance, and the calls of the ravens flying about in the darkness.

"I wonder what you people have in store for me this time?" Yuri muttered to himself.

He prayed his alarm would sound off and wake him before anything else happened. Each time he had dreams of this other world and these characters like Simon and Jaden coming to him and calling him king, they got more and more real. He was not only questioning if these were just dreams, but he started to doubt his own sanity. No one should be having reoccurring dreams such as this. Right? Dreams with the same characters, the same topics, the same outcomes? It felt more like he was being visited by visitors than dreaming of characters in the night.

"Right this way," said Simon. "My master awaits."

"Your master?"

"Yes. The one who asked me to summon you this night."

"If your master is who I think he is, couldn't he have just summoned me himself? I mean, he's been doing that on his own for almost a year now."

"Not this time. Besides, I've wanted to try my hand at calling people into the Noctix."

"The Noctix?"

"Places like this and the ones you've visited in the past. We can create worlds from our dreams, my young friend. And we can invite anyone we want to them. This place is one I designed myself."

Yuri looked around with a perplexed look on his face. "Eeesh, talk about a fixer-upper. I get that you want to be dark and mysterious and what have you but...you couldn't have come up with a world on a tropical beach? You know. Palm trees? Turquoise waters? Frozen daiquiris? Blue skies? Girls in thongs?"

Simon stopped and looked at Yuri. "What praytell is a thong?"

"Uhh...deh...uh...well...It's uh...it's a kind of bikini that shows off a girl's...uh...assets if you know what I mean. You should go to the beach one of these days, Simon. A little tan could do you some good. I'm sure the druid ladies would love it."

"Oh yes," Simon said, hobbling forward. "Sounds wonderful, Your Grace."

Simon led Yuri further and further into the woods until they came across a cathedral. Simon stopped in front of the entrance and pushed the iron doors open with his staff. "In there. My master awaits. Good luck."

"Nice meeting you, Simon," Yuri said. "No offense, but I hope I never see you again."

"I highly doubt that's in the cards, my young friend," Simon said as Yuri walked into the cathedral.

A veiled and vast chapel awaited him at the end of a long and gloomy hallway of ancient stone. The dank air rang with a mysterious unseen choir, singing an eerie tune as the young man marched through the darkness towards the dim, pale light that beckoned him. His footsteps echoed in his ears, though drowned out by the everlasting hymn.

On small displays, candles flickered revealing mosaics of various Duel Monsters from his deck. The hem of his armored black coat swayed dramatically at his heels and the chains that hung around under his neck jingled. He passed by small nooks, which housed lonely wooden pews lined the length of the hallway. The floors of black and white tiles were finely polished. Stained glass windows, lit by an eerie blue light outside, lined the hundred-yard chapel.

There were figures painted on them. People whom Yuri knew from his life, and there were some faces that he had never seen before. The characters in the windows were frozen in mysterious poses with the best monsters from their decks behind them in majestic and battle-ready stances. Black pillars formed a line down the length of the chapel. The rib vaulting of the ceiling above was intricately designed yet it was too dark to see.

The boy stopped when he saw a figure standing five yards away near the altar of the cathedral. He was wearing a black leather outfit layered with metalwork detailed with exquisite scrollwork. He donned a wide black cape with a scarlet red underside and two belt straps on each of his biceps. A pyramid-shaped object made of gold hung around his neck.

"Your Grace," said the figure, removing his hood. His eyes were a rich shade of amethyst. He had blond crooked locks forming the fringe. The rest of his hair was spiked. They were black in color with magenta rims. When the hood went down, his wild hairstyle bounced free.

It was the great wizard himself. Yami Yugi.

Yami Yugi. If you had heard only a quarter of what I had heard about Yami Yugi — and I've only heard very little about him — you would be prepared for any sort of fantastic and legendary tales. Stories and songs told in an extraordinary fashion of his great adventures across the world of Termnnia, the world he was trying to bring Yuri back to.

"Why do you call me that? I am not a King," Yuri said, keeping his hood down. Only his chin and the pink of his chapped lips could be seen.

Yami smiled warmly when the young man he so longed to meet stepped out of the shadowy hallway into the chapel at last. "I'm not so sure of that," the legendary wizard said with a smile. His narrow eyes were focused and full of determination — a determination to get through to his guest. What he knew about the boy in front of him was of the gravest importance.

But Yuri was too agitated to care, let alone listen to what he had to say. Yuri took a dominant step forward and balled his fists. The leather of his gloves screeched in agony. "For as long as I can remember, all you've done was pester me. You've bored me with your rhetoric. All this crap about my past. And my future as some High King. Why?"

Yami bowed. "It's almost time for you to come home, Prince Daveed. Soon, it will be time to face your destiny." He buried his hand into a compartment in his cape. As quickly as he put it in, he pulled it out and furiously tossed a golden crown at Yuri's feet.

Yuri scoffed and kicked it away. "I don't want that."

"YOU HAVE NO CHOICE!" shouted Yami, furiously stomping his foot on the ground. "Damn it, Daveed. I knew much damage to you had been done, but I did not expect this! What has he done to you?"

"Who?" Yuri asked with a chuckle. He was as still as a statue.

"Bakura!" Yami shouted. He extended his arm, holding out his hand. Slowly, he turned his wrist, his fingers curving toward him into a fist. "I know you've seen him. I can see your heart clouded in darkness. You have lived a perverted life because of him. I should have known keeping you hidden was too easy."

Another cold and defiant scoff escaped Yuri's lips. "Bakura? He's just a figment of my imagination. Just. Like. You."

Yami gritted his teeth and balled his fists. "Daveed..." he growled.

"Stop calling me that!" Yuri shouted, waving his arm vertically across the air to silence him. "My name is YURI! YURI MONTGOMERY! I'm only going to say this once...Spirit. Whoever the heck you are. Go away and leave me alone. Let me dream in peace!"

"You cannot hide from your birthright," said Yami. "Sooner or later you're going to have to come to grips that you are not part of this world. You belong to us. With your people. As High King!"

"Go away," Yuri said through clenched teeth.

Yami let out his frustrations with a deep and sorrowful exhale. He still felt as though his heart was knotted up in his chest. "I'm going to have to get through to you one way or the other, Prince Daveed!"

Yami held out his arm. An arcane circle glowing purple with a tinge of magenta formed over his wrist and spun slowly over it. Yami breathed out his nose sadly. He opened his eyes to look at the cloaked boy.

"I have tried. But the darkness in you is too strong. You cannot become king behaving like this. Perhaps your future servants will do a better job than I in waking you from the madness Bakura has inflicted upon you."

Yuri smirked and held up his right arm. "You sure you want to do this?" An arcane circle of beautiful design and blue in color appeared over his forearm. "This may be just a dream, but it's my dream. I can make anything happen, you know?"

"It's Time to Duel!" shouted Yami.

"You first...Master," sneered Yuri.

"I won't be taking you on alone," said Yami.

His image seemed to vibrate violently. From his body emerged a little boy. He looked just like Yami, just shorter and younger.

"Yugi?" Daveed gasped.

"I'm glad you remember me, Yuri," Yugi said. "We'll pull through for you. One way or another. We will cleanse you of the darkness inside of you."

"Yes," Yami agreed. "Now here are the rules. I will start first. Then Yugi goes next. Then you. And then it's back to me. Is that clear enough for you?"

Yuri scoffed. "Whatever."

"DUEL!"

LP 8000

Yami drew a card out of thin air. It appeared as gold light but then materialized into a physical card. "I'll begin first! I activate the spell, Dark Magic Circle! Next, I place four cards face down and end my turn."

"My turn," said Yugi. "I play the spell Advanced Ritual Art! I send a Dark Magician from my deck to the Graveyard to Ritual Summon the mighty Magician of Chaos! Oh, and I'm not through either, Daveed; for I use another Ritual called Chaos Form to summon the Magician of Black Chaos MAX!"

Yuri grimaced at the sight of all those powerful magicians and took a step back.

Yami chuckled. "Looks like the odds are against you, Daveed. What can you possibly do to get out of this situation."

Yugi smiled. "I don't think he can, Yami. He's too weak. He can't even remember his own heritage. And getting possessed by a total creep like Bakura? Ha! I expected a lot more from the Song from the Divines."

"Shut up!" shouted Yuri.

Yugi smiled "Did I touch a nerve there, Daveed? I place a card face-down and end my turn."

"It's about time," Yuri said impatiently. "Draw!" He examined his options. Yuri looked up from his hand at Yami and Yugi, then grinned. "I discard a Dinosaur to Special Summon, Two-Headed Kaiser Rex in attack mode!"

The two-headed beast burst out of the ground and stood proudly over Yuri. The silvery hair flowing from the back of their heads flowed in the breeze. They roared and snapped their long tail around. The ax blade at the end of it was thirsty for blood.

ATK/2400 DEF/1800

"And I'm not done. I activate the spell, Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two cards. Next, I set the Pendulum Scales. Fire Opal Head [0] and Lancephorynchus [7]!"

"He can Pendulum Summon!" said Yugi. "Yuya's visited him, too! This is great!"

"Hmm," Yami nodded with a smile.

"I figured you guys would know who Yuya is," Yuri said as his two Pendulum Monsters burst out of the ground. On his left side was a flaming dinosaur with a domed skull resembling the dinosaur Pachycephalosaurus and on his left side was a pterosaur with red membranous wings and a head shaped like a jagged lance. "I just knew you guys were in on this together."

"Expect to see the likes of him again, Daveed," said Yami. "Show us what he has taught you."

"Very well. Using the scales, I summon three monsters! Regaliazowler and Noble Swords of Dragon!"

Two dinosaurs of beautiful design appeared next to Two-Headed Kaiser Rex, both of them retrains of old Duel Monsters called Megazowler and Sword Arm of Dragon. Regaliazowler (ATK 2500 DEF/2800 LV 7 Type/Dinosaur) was a ceratopsian dinosaur colored brilliant white with gold tiger stripes down its body. Its frill was elongated, broad, and adorned with golden spikes. The horns on its head also shined bright gold. Growing out of its shoulders were golden blades resembling crescent swords with scrollwork inlaid with platinum. It had a curved gold and white ax blade on its nose.

Noble Swords of Dragon (ATK/2200 DEF/3000 LV 7 Type/Dinosaur) was a dinosaur resembling the stegosaurus with sleek, metallic gray skin and glowing blue stripes. Its spikes were curved like a saw and elongated at the middle row, raising over ten feet high. They were colored white with neon blue at the center. Its tail split into three and was tipped with sword blades. Its head was crowned with ten horns and a beard grew from underneath its chin.

"I expected you to do that," said Yami. "I activate my trap card, Magician's Navigation, allowing me to summon my ever-faithful companion, Dark Magician!"

"Urk!" Yuri went. He was hoping to end the Duel before Yami could summon the heart and soul of his deck.

Dark Magician rose out of an arcane circle, his signature green staff hovering next to him. He grabbed it and spun it around.

"And that's not all my trap will do!" said Yami. "I can also call upon Dark Magician Girl!"

The most beautiful monster in the entire game of Duel Monsters made her appearance as a curtain of roses opened to reveal her. Doves flew out from behind her as she twirled delightfully in the air, he long blonde hair whipped around behind her, and her short skirt lifted teasingly, showing off her thighs and the lower portion of her plump, curvy rump. She looked down at Yuri, then her oversized hat fell down over her eyes. "Oh?" She squeaked and lifted it up playfully, laughing before winking flirtatiously at the boy.

"Very pretty," said Yuri. "Well, you know what they say. Ladies first. So I'll attack and destroy your Dark Magician Girl with Two-Headed Kaiser Rex."

The two-headed armored beast opened both its mouths and charged a purple beam of energy. A metallic hum radiated from the dinosaur's chest.

"Predictable as always, Your Highness!" Yami gloated. "I reveal the spell, Dark Burning Magic. Now that I have both a Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl on the field, this will destroy all cards you control."

"NO!" shouted Yuri. He activated a hand trap made especially for dinosaur decks called Jurassic Soul. Suddenly, an Uraby appeared from deep within his deck.

The dinosaur shrieked before running in front of the ball of magic energy and destroying himself, saving his more powerful brethren. "Sorry, Yugi, but my dinosaurs are going nowhere."

"Good!" said Yami Yugi. "I was hoping this wouldn't be too easy. Show me what you can do, Yuri!"

And Yuri happily obliged. To make sure the two magicians wouldn't give him any trouble with their powerful and pestorsome abilities, Yuri activated a trap card called Skill Drain. Now, none of their monsters could activate their effects. Yami looked at Yugi and smirked. Good. Now things were getting interesting. Back and forth the three Duelists went, activating spells and traps, forcing their monsters to go head-to-head in battle, and doing everything they could to rid the field of their monsters. And every time it seemed like their hands were running dry of cards, someone activated something to refill them and keep the Duel going. Simon McMooran watched from the darkness as the Duelists fought violently against one another. The cathedral shivered with each attack and the air was filled with sparks of electricity from the black magic of Yami and Yugi's magicians.

Yuri activated Polymerization, fusing together two monsters called Gilasaurus and Kaitoptera to Fusion Summon a flying prehistoric beast called Horned Saurus.

He powered up the dinosaur's attack with an equip-spell card and attacked the Dark Magician, but Yugi came to Yami's defense with a trap card that doubled as a monster called Metamorphortress. Yuri could only watch as the Dark Magician was protected by a giant castle that materialized from thin air. Yami then attacked with his Dark Magician, and because he was equipped with the trap card, his ATK increased to 3500. Dark Magician jumped to the top of the castle, and when he did, the castle transformed into a rock giant. It raised its fist and smashed Horned Saurus in the chest, destroying it.

Yuri took down the fortress two turns and later and for a few more turns remained on the defensive, protecting his dinosaurs or reviving them if they got destroyed. Finally, he found a means to strike back. He activated Polymerization again and fused together Uraby, Gilasaurus, and Trakadon to summon a powerful dinosaur called Troodon! The three raptor monsters appeared beside him. One was dark brown with black tiger stripes. The other was blue, striped with lime green. A vortex appeared behind them and sucked them both in.

Out from the vortex jumped a raptor with shiny, gray, scales and black tiger stripes. The scales faded to black on its claws and feet and the tip of the tail. Its arms, back, and tail were adorned with black and blue feathers, and was crowned with two black horns on its head. It hissed, letting out a long black tongue. Troodon's teeth and claws shined brightly in the sunlight. Its neon blue eyes were like fire, burning into Yami and Yugi's souls, finding the fear deep inside and burning it out. It was a monster he had never seen before. He wondered what it would do.

Troodon

ATK/2800 DEF/1600

"They're so strong," he whispered. He watched as Yuri destroyed Dark Magician Girl with his Two-Headed Kaiser Rex and used a trap called Ghost Ogre and Snow Rabbit to negate his Magic Cylinder trap card. Boom! There was a great explosion that rocked the foundation of the cathedral. The candles flickered with each blast. "Yuri. Look at you. You may not know it, but your skills as a Duelist are growing with each Duel you participate in. Yuya. Jaden Yuki. Yuma. Yusaku, Yusei, and Yugi. All of them have visited you. All of them have taught you new ways to summon monsters in our world. And you excel beautifully."

Dark Magician leaped forward to do battle with Regaliazowler and avenge the Dark Magician Girl, but Yuri activated a trap that stopped the fight, leading to a standstill. Troodon attacked next, but Yugi intercepted the attack and destroyed the dinosaur with a Sakaretsu Armor trap card. Yami activated a spell called Ancient Rules, which let him summon a high-level Normal monster from his hand. His side of the cathedral collapsed to make room for a giant horseman riding a horse the size of a mountain called Gaia the Fierce Knight.

"How time flies," Simon said as the battle raged on. No matter what monster they summoned, they did not falter and continued to fight. "Eighteen years have gone by so quickly. Now the dawn of your reign as High King approaches. But...there is too much darkness in your heart. The darkness fills you with anger, fear, doubt, and hatred for us. Bakura. He's the one who did this to you. Thankfully, these legendary Duelists are not the only ones who are coming to your aid." He closed his eyes. A vision came to him. He could see a lonely knight in platinum armor walking through a wasteland of ruined castles and cities. "The chaos and ruin represent the damage he's done to your heart," Simon said sadly.

CLANG! Noble Swords of Dragon was engaged in a duel of blades with Magician of Black Chaos MAX. Each time their weapons clashed, sparks flew, lighting up the church. Traps and spells were activated left and right, turning the Duel into an epic battle.

"But fear not, my prince. We will heal you of the shadows. We will heal you of the doubt. He will set you free from the curse that's been laid upon you."

"I activate Monster Reborn!" shouted Yami. He used so many cards that his deck was starting to get thinner. "Return, Dark Magician Girl!"

Dark Magician Girl came out of the ground with two angel wings, which dispersed as soon as she was on the field. She spun around and blew Yuri a kiss.

"Ugh, not her again!" Yuri grumbled.

"And now!" Yami continued, "I use Polymerization, fusing together my Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl, joining them together to form the ultimate wizards! Behold! The Dark Magicians!"

"What's this?" Yuri asked, shocked to see both creatures formed together into a powerful duo.

The Dark Magicians

ATK/2800 DEF/2300

Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl both got new outfits and staves. Dark Magician Girl's hair seemed longer as well. She leered at Yuri with fiery hate in her beautiful, blue eyes.

"And don't forget," said Yugi, "When a spell is activated, my Magician of Chaos will automatically destroy a card you have, so I will aim for one of your face-down cards."

The Magician fired his spell at Yuri's card and evaporated it. For Yugi, it was a lucky guess.

"NOOOOOOO!" Yuri shouted, holding out his arms to protect his face against the dust and pieces of the card that shattered.

"Well done, Yugi," Yami said happily. "Mirror Force was his face-down card."

"Yeah, that would have been bad for both of us. It could have sent all our monsters back to the deck."

"All right, Daveed," Yami said sternly. "No more games!"

"Now it's my turn," said Yugi. "Magician of Chaos, attack and destroy his Two-Headed Kaiser Rex!"

Yuri wouldn't let him. "Sorry, Yugi, but Two-Headed Kaiser Rex won't go down that easily.

"Oh no!" Yugi shouted as Yuri activated a trap that not only stopped Magician of Chaos's attack but destroyed him as well. But Yugi wasn't at all phased. In fact, he started smiling. "Too bad for you. When Magician of Chaos gets destroyed, I'm allowed to summon this card from my hand, ignoring his summoning conditions. Black Luster Soldier -Super Soldier, appear!"

"Out of the frying pan," said Yuri.

"And straight into the flames," said Yugi. "Now, I use the quick-play spell, Shrink, which cuts your Two-Headed Kaiser Rex's attack in half."

Black Luster Soldier finished what Magician of Chaos started. He slashed off both of Two-Headed Kaiser Rex's heads with one mighty slash of his divine-crafted sword. Black Luster Soldier - Super Soldier appeared in front of Yuri and slashed him across the chest. His effect allowed him to inflict damage to Yuri's Life Points equal to the ATK of the monster he just destroyed. Yuri gripped his chest and fell to his knees. But then, Magician of Black Chaos MAX joined in on the attack and jabbed his bladed staff through his chest.

He couldn't move. Yuri fell to his knees, blood oozed out of his mouth. And he could only watch as Yami drew the last card of the game.

"Prepare to feel a force like no other, Yuri!" he shouted. He performed one final combo to summon a creature that brought back memories of a time long forgotten. Slifer the Sky Dragon.

"You..." Yuri whispered. "That dragon. I've seen that dragon before."

Slifer the Sky Dragon snarled at Yuri and roared as if angered by his defiance and unbelief.

"So he's summoned a God Card," Simon wept, watching the Sky Dragon in horror and wonder. "Things must truly be grim if even they have grown desperate to see you again. Truly, their love for you shows no bounds. The God Cards. Such magnificent beasts they are." He dropped his staff, fell to his knees, and raised his hands up at the God Card. "Mighty Slifer. I beg of thee! Open his eyes. Dispel the darkness that clouds the heart of our beloved prince. Help him! Help him to the light. Blast away the foul curse that's been put upon him!"

"Please!" Yuri begged. He fell backward and backed away. "PLEASE! PLEASE! STOP!"

Yami and Yugi disappeared into a cloud of mist. Even Yuri's monsters were gone. It was just him and Slifer now. And he was at the dragon's mercy. Slifer the Sky Dragon roared one last time and reared his head up to charge his Thunderforce attack. "Until we meet again Yuri," Simon said as he too vanished.

"NO!" Yuri screamed. "NOOOOO!"

The thunderous explosion that followed Slifer's attack boomed and then slowly faded into the night until all was quiet. Dust clouds sparked with small bolts of lighting. When the smoke cleared all that remained of Yuri was a purple sphere, glowing with an ominous light.

Yami walked out of the smoke. He stopped in front of the crystal and glared at it with hate in his eyes. He unsheathed the sword on his back and then stood still, continuing to glare at the crystal.

"Forgive me, Yuri. I know this is going to hurt you..." tears flowed down Yami's cheeks. "But this is for your own good. I'm sorry for all the pain I've caused you! No matter how hard I come at you, you fight valiantly, my friend. Believe me, these are the hardest moves I've ever had to make in my life." He raised his sword over his head. "It will all be over soon." He sliced the sword in half with his blade with the greatest of ease. The crystal let out a horrible cry as if someone was murdered and burst into a thousand pieces. From the pieces a ghoulish cloud of smoke rose out, crying for help before dispersing into the air and fading away.

"A curse that can only be cured with great pain. Damn you, Bakura."