Last time our heroes battled the transformed Cedric. It was soon made clear that Cedric, who had eaten his demon comrades in order to increase his powers, had gained the ability to absorb energy based attacks. Things were looking grim, epically when Cedric bit off Nerissa's arm. But then a new light shone on the battlefield, for all seven Crystal Beasts had been awaken. The Crystal beasts then combined to form the awe inspiring Rainbow Dragon, whom, with the help of Elyon, Dylan, Matt, Will and The Guardians, overloaded Cedric's capacity to absorb energy, resulting in the shape shifter exploding. The Rainbow Dragon then restored the enchantment imprisoning The God Hand, then returned into the seven Rainbow Crystals. 'Nuff said, on with the show!

Chapter 36: That's Game

"With this ring," said Dylan, "I be wed."

"With this ring," said Elyon, "I be wed."

The exchange of rings was suddenly interrupted as Hay Lin erupted in joyful tears.

"Is she alright?" Dylan whispered, while Taranee and Irma tried to calm Hay Lin down, much to their embarrassment as nearly 5,000 wedding guests glared at them contemptuously.

"She's fine," said Elyon.

"I'm so sorry," sobbed Hay Lin as quietly as she could, "I always cry at weddings."

"Well make sure you don't cry at mine," whispered Irma.

"And mine," said Cornelia, "Everything must be perfect for me and Caleb."

The wedding day had finally arrived, and for once things were going without any trouble, excluding Hay Lin being emotional. The only problem was that Elyon just couldn't decide who her made of honor would be, so the role was divided among all five Guardians. Meanwhile, Dylan had a equally hard time deciding who was to be his best man; Caleb, Cal or Jaden. So he decided to do things Elyon's way; the more the merrier.

On another, more positive note, the royal healers had managed to reattach Nerissa's arm; there would be some residual pain from where she was bitten, and two of her fingers wouldn't bend all the way, but other than that she was fine.

So now here we are with Elyon and Dylan finally tying the not. Everything was as perfect as it could be, unless you count Blunk being hospitalized for completely eating the specially prepared 15ft wedding cake an hour before the ceremony was to start. The passing was expected to make a full recovery, and a backup cake was already being put together, so everything turned out alright, so to speak.

By the time Irma and Taranee got Hay Lin fully pulled together, Elyon and Dylan had just finished saying 'I do,' and had kissed.

(As I said earlier, I'm terrible at wedding scenes, so we'll fast forward a bit)

The wedding reception was in full swing. Will and the girls were dancing with their respective boyfriends, except for Hay Lin who, along with Syrus, was currently helping Eric, who was currently throwing up. Apparently he drank a glass of what he thought was fruit punch, but turned out to be the equivalent of a Manhattan cocktail. He wasn't drunk, but something in the drink didn't agree with his stomach, causing him to vomit for the past ten minutes.

"I've never seen anyone throw up so much," said Syrus, "It's unreal."

"Believe me," moaned Eric, "I wish it was just a nightmare." He heaved then bent over to vomit some more.

"Easy now," said Hay Lin, "Just let it come up and hope for the best."

"I'll be alright," said Eric as he finished for the time being, "And thanks."

"Any time," said Hay Lin as she smiled, her customized braces glinting in the bathroom lights.

"Hay Lin," said Eric, "There's something I've been meaning to tell you, something that's been on my chest for a long time."

"This really isn't the best time to talk about such things," said Hay Lin, "You're not at all well."

"Well I want to tell you," said Eric, "It'll make me feel better."

"If this is something personal," said Syrus, "I'll just step outside for a minute."

"That would be peachy," said Eric as Syrus left the bathroom, "Oh, I shouldn't have talked about peaches!"

"Just relax," said Hay Lin as she gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, "You can tell me when you're feeling better."

"No," said Eric, "This can't wait. Hay Lin, you remember when we broke up?"

"Yeah," said Hay Lin. It was shortly after Will and her friends first defeated Nerissa, between then and when The Guardians first teamed up with Naruto, Luffy and their friends in their first conflict against the forces of The God Hand, that Hay Lin told Eric the truth about her being a Guardian. Eric took it pretty well. He said that he always knew Hay Lin was special, but this level of special was a bit more than he could handle. For the sake of their friendship, they both agreed to stay friends, so that their relationship wouldn't complicate any Guardian business.

"What I want to say," said Eric, "Is that, while I'm happy that you're happy with Rock Lee, I just want you to know that I still love you, I never stopped, and I never will." And just like that, (insert finger snapping sound) he started throwing up again.

Hay Lin sat there stunned. She and Eric have remained close friends since they broke up, but she had no idea that Eric still felt that way about her. And to make matters worse, deep down in her heart, Hay Lin still loved Eric, despite her feelings for Rock Lee. It was clear to Hay Lin that her life just got a lot more problematic, but that's another story for another time.

Later on, when the cake was cut, and after Elyon tossed the bouquet, which Beck caught to everyone's surprise, that everyone prepared to go their separate ways.

"We've got the perfect honeymoon planned," said Elyon as the royal luggage was prepared for their trip, "Dylan knows this resort planet that's absolutely fantastic. I think it's called Rasa, or Resa."

"It's Risa," said Dylan, "White sandy beaches, blue oceans, just to name a few."

"Well whatever it's called," said Taranee, "I'm sure you both will have a great time."

"I know one thing they'll be doing a lot of," Irma said in a sly tone, "Nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more!"

"Irma!" Cornelia exclaimed, "That's my best friend you're talking about!" But she soon began laughing. It wasn't long before everyone was laughing as well.

Finally, after everyone had calmed down, the two newlyweds said their goodbyes to our heroes. Elyon saved Cornelia for the last.

"Well," said Elyon, "I guess this is it."

"Uh-huh," said Cornelia, "I always knew you'd get married first."

"You're time will come," said Elyon. With that the two best friends hugged, "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too," said Cornelia as the both started crying, "You take care of yourself, and take care of Dylan. And if he ever gives you any trouble, I'll come right over and kick his head in!"

"I don't think they'll be any trouble like that," said Elyon, "But thanks anyway."

"You take care of yourselves," Matt said to Dylan, "Call of is there's any trouble, and I mean any."

"We'll be sure to keep in touch," said Dylan, "But I've believe that there's no sticky situation that Elyon and I can't work out."

"Still," said Will, "We're here if you need us. Remember, no matter how bad a mess gets, you can always send a message to the right people."

"We'll keep that in mind," said Elyon. With that she and Dylan opened a Fold and they stepped through.

"Those two are going to be alright," said Irma as the Fold closed up.

"Yeah," said Hay Lin as she silently wished that her life was going to be alright.

"Well this has been a complete waste of summer vacation," said Chazz, who was suffering from a slight loss of memory, completely unaware that Cornelia socked him one, "And if you ask me, I think I've had enough adventure."

"Nobody asked your opinion," said Alexis.

"If we did want it," said Addicus, "We'd give it to you."

"Still," Taranee, "I could have done without the whole saving all of existence thing this time."

"Me too," said Hay Lin, "But we did a lot of good."

"You betcha," said Irma.

"Not only is The God Hand still imprisoned," said Caleb, "But we finally destroyed Cedric for good."

"And destroyed a tone of demons in the process," said Matt.

"And somebody discovered a new power," said Will, "Which lead to the two of us being closer than ever."

"I love it when you're right," said Matt, they kissed.

"Still," said Hay Lin in a serious tone, "There's still a few lose ends."

"The Enigma 13," said Martin, "Sooner or later we'll have to deal with them."

"One thing at a time," said Eric, "For now I just want to go home and sleep for a week."

"By the way," said Addicus, "What happened to Zane? I didn't see him when we got back with the missing crystals."

"He and Jaden were Dueling during the battle," said Martin, "It wasn't an official Duel, but in the end Jaden won."

"Really?" asked a disappointed sounding Aster, "I was hoping for a rematch myself."

"You'll get your chance," said Syrus, "I'm sure my brother will be more than happy to accommodate you once he's back on his feet. He was knocked out for some reason, but I'm sure he'll be alright."

"You didn't really answer my question," said Addicus, "What I wanted to know is why is Zane unconscious. Did somebody bash his head in or something?"

"That's the weird thing," said Alexis, "He collapsed right in the middle of his fight with Jaden. It was like Zane was having a heart attack, but there's nothing wrong with him. For some reason he lost all of his Duel energy right when he needed it."

"Another funny thing," said Martin, "Zane took a blast that would have easily defeated him in a real Duel. It was only after that that he collapsed."

"So in a way," said Aster, "Jaden never really beat Zane."

"What!?" exclaimed Syrus, "Of course he defeated Zane!"

"Collapsing from something like a heart attack isn't what I call a defeat in Duel Monsters," said Aster, "Ergo, Jaden didn't defeat Zane."

"He did!" protested Syrus.

"They didn't declare their fight a Duel," said Aster, "Nor was their fight a Shadow Game, so Jaden still hasn't defeated Zane."

"Yes he did!" said Syrus.

"No he didn't!" said Aster.

"Yes he did!"

"No he didn't!"

"Oh shut up!!" exclaimed Chazz, "Look, the point is, we got Zane back. It doesn't matter whether or not Jaden defeated him. Now, can we please get on with our lives!?"

"I hate it when he's right," said Alexis, "Let's go home."

"Where is Zane anyway?" Syrus asked, "I haven't seen him since the end of the battle."

Zane, meanwhile, had just been given a magic physical by Cal, who had sneaked away from the reception as soon as the dancing began. "So, felling better?" Cal asked.

"I'm not sure," said Zane, "It's like I've been seeing everything through black tinted glasses for the past couple of months, ever since I started all that Underground Dueling."

"Speaking of which," said Cal, "First of all, I'm happy to say that the chaotic taint inflicted on you by the demon Lacerta, also known as 'Mr. Shadow,' has been lifted; you're your own man again, Zane."

"That's good to hear," said Zane, "Now of you'll excuse me, I'm sure my brother and his friends are as anxious to get back to our world as I am."

"There's more," said Cal, "And I think you'd want to hear it."

"No I don't," said Zane, "I just want to go home and try to put my life back together."

"You're dying, Zane Truesdale," Cal said abruptly.

"Excuse me?" Zane asked, "You must be mistaken, I feel perfectly fine. Better than fine, I fell better than I have had in months."

"I'm sure you do," said Cal, "But that's now, when you're not in a stressful situation. All that Underground Dueling you did, the stress from the shock collars you wore has done irreversible damage to your heart. That pain you felt during your battle with Jaden, that was only the beginning. Oh you'll feel fine when you're relaxed, but whenever you Duel, or are in a stressful situation, you'll feel your doom approaching. And it's only going to get worse. Before too long, even the tiniest amount of stress will trigger an attack, and with each attack you'll lose more and more Duel Energy, eventually resulting in death."

"Is that so?" Zane asked, "Well then, how long do I have to live?"

"It depends," said Cal, "If you were to seek immediate medical treatment, with the right medications and physical therapy, I'd say you'd have a maximum of fifteen or sixteen years of semi-normal life before your heart gives out, but that's just my opinion and the opinion of the Healers. But one thing is certain, you must completely give up Dueling. Every time you get into a situation where you draw a card, you'll use up more and more Duel Energy, eventually you'll wind up as weak as a newborn kitten, with death an almost absolute certainty. I'm repeating myself, but I'm sure you have the point by now."

"And if I don't give up Dueling," said Zane, "How long do I have then?"

"At the most," said Cal, "A year to eighteen months. But again, that's just the opinion of the Healers here on Ajalon. A heart transplant might improve your chances, but who knows how long you'll be on a waiting list."

"Eighteen months," said Zane, "That might just be enough time to set things right, to atone for my sins."

"Didn't you hear me?!" said an exasperated Cal, "What am I, a mirage? You have to seek medical treatment as soon as you get back to Earth!"

"Which I would appreciate if that were now," said Zane, "I'll speak to a heart specialist as soon as I can, but I wish to return to Earth right now, if you would."

"I can," said Cal, "Elyon, Dylan and all the 'Heart Keepers' aren't the only ones who can create Folds. But isn't there someone you wish to speak with first?"

"Syrus will understand if I left without saying goodbye," said Zane, "I'm not ready to speak with him just yet. And I have nothing worth saying to Jaden and the others anyway."

"If that's the case," said Cal as he used his staff to make a Fold back to Earth, "I wish you well for your future, Zane Truesdale."

"And yours as well," said Zane, "Just one thing; don't tell Syrus about me. I'll tell him when I'm ready." With that he went through the Fold, which closed up after him.

A few hours later Will and all of our heroes were back in Heatherfield. It was time for Jaden and his friends to go home, so everyone was saying their goodbyes at the bus station.

"You girls have the potential to be great Duelists," said Addicus, "Especially you, Will. I'll be expecting you on the professional circuits in a few years."

"I may just do that," said Will.

"Me too," said Hay Lin, "Now that I'm over my nerves, I hope to one day be the next Queen of Games."

"The only one who's going to be the Queen of Games," said Alexis, "Is me. We never got a chance to Duel, you and I, Hay Lin. But the next time we meet, we're throwing down!"

"Count on it!" Hay Lin said eagerly.

"I also look forward to a rematch with you young ladies," said Hassleberry, "Epically you, Private Hale."

"I thought we agreed you wouldn't call me that," said Cornelia, "But I'll be ready."

Just then Cornelia caught sigh of Chazz. There was a few tense seconds as they glared at each other. Finally Cornelia spoke, "You'd better not do anything stupid, Chazz, I expect to crush you again someday."

"And I'm looking forward to destroying you, Cornelia," said Chazz, "I will have my revenge some day, so you'd better stay alive."

"Easily done," said Cornelia.

"By the way," said Martin, as if trying to diffuse the tense atmosphere, "When I checked my email, I heard a rumor that Duel Academy will be getting some transfer students next semester."

"Sweet!" said Jaden, "Can't wait to meet them."

"I just hope the new school year will be a little quieter than the last," said Syrus in a hopeful tone.

"A quiet year at Duel Academy?" Addicus asked in a sarcastic tone.

"Not this millennium, Private Truesdale," said Hassleberry.

"Well as long as we're done with the whole saving the world business," said Chazz, "I'll be satisfied."

"You never did tell us why you decided to help," said Aster, "Care to enlighten us?"

"I told you before," Chazz said, "I had my reasons, and I'll thank you to just drop it."

"He's alright," said Jaden in an apologetic tone, "Once you get used to him."

"Used to, like caster oil," said Irma.

"Well it's been fun, Jaden," said Will to her cousin, "I am sorry that I got you involved in a dangerous situation again."

"Are you kidding?" Jaden asked, "I had a blast! And the best part, my friends and I helped you and your friends get started in Dueling. I hope you and the girls will keep up your game."

"I hope so too," said Will, "And maybe, someday, my friends and I will be good enough to Duel you, Jaden."

"I hope so too, Will," said Jaden. With that he and Will embraced, "Bye, cousin."

"Bye, cousin," said Will. With that Jaden and his friends boarded their bus, while Will and her friends left for their respective homes.

Meanwhile…

Somewhere in the southern United States, a teenaged boy named Jessie was opening a booster pack of Duel Monster cards. To his surprise, the first card he looked at was the one he was hoping for.

"Alright!" exclaimed Jessie, "I finally have all seven Crystal Beasts!" He rushed home and opened a card collecting tin, (Flame Swordsman was on the cover) and brought out six card.

"Okay, guys," said Jessie as he laid out the cards on the floor, "Meet the newest addition to the team." He placed the card he just got next to his six, "Ruby Carbuncle, say hello to your fellow Crystal Beasts!"

Just then something really strange, yet wonderful, happened. As Jessie was admiring his cards, the picture of Ruby Carbuncle winked at him. Jessie was naturally shocked, but something in him told him that this was a good thing, a very good thing. Little did Jessie know that he was about to begin an adventure that would shake the world. But that's another story for another time.

Meanwhile, again…

"So once again," said Ubik, "We're condemned to an eternity of imprisonment. Those wretched Guardians are becoming most irritating."

"Let us not forget The Chosen Duelist and his comrades," said Conrad, "They shall suffer for their transgressions."

"All of our enemies shall be punished," said Void, "all in good time, including the Enigma 13. But first things first; what to do with these rejects?"

Beneath the three surviving members of The God Hand were two upper level demons who had recently been through the preverbal meat grinder. Covered in acid burns caused from being partially digested, Lacerta and Findo Trask knelt before their masters, awaiting their fates.

"Masters!" said Findo Trask, "Do not punish me for what happened! I did everything in my power to secure your freedom, as well as the destruction of The Guardians and their friends! What happened with Cedric wasn't my fault!"

"It was so your fault!!" snapped Lacerta, "If you hadn't used that stupid power boosting spell, then Cedric wouldn't have eaten us!! It's your fault that The Guardians and their friends won!!"

"Enough!!" boomed Void, "It's plain to see who is responsible. You and your late comrades are all to blame for your failures. Had you all at least attempted to cooperate to the fullest advantage, things might have turned out differently."

"Yet you choose to indulge your personal ambitions," said Ubik, "Resulting in Salavine, The Obliterator and Cedric to be destroyed. The evidence speaks for itself; none of you are worthy of filling the gaps in The God Hand."

"So now we come to the question," said Conrad, "What to do with you?"

"Masters!!" exclaimed Lacerta as he prostrated himself before The God Hand, "I beg of you! Give me another chance to destroy The Guardians!"

"No, Masters!" said Findo Trask, "I shall destroy The Guardians! This incompetent worm couldn't destroy a sheet of parchment with both hands and an open fire!"

"This sack of shtty parlor tricks couldn't destroy a rabbit with both hands and a flamethrower!!" spat Lacerta.

"Silence!!" exclaimed Conrad.

"It's clear that the two of you need a lesson in cooperation," said Ubik, "So, instead of vivisecting you for your failures, I believe a more personnel punishment is required."

"My thoughts exactly," said Void, "Since the two of you couldn't accomplish your mission as separate beings, you shall be merged into one creature, a demon more powerful than anything The Guardians have ever seen before."

"You're going to do what?" Lacerta asked.

"You heard me," said Void, "The two of you shall become one!"

Just like that, (insert finger snapping sound) the two disgraced demons vanished from the plateau, to whatever hellish experience their masters intended for them

"The merging process will take several months," said Ubik, "I wish to impress the importance of working together on them. The agony of combining into one life form should be a harsh enough lesson."

"Indeed," said Conrad, "But until then, whom shall we put to the task? Whom among those who serve us shall we test to see if they are worthy of joining us?"

"I sincerely doubt that any existing acolyte is worthy of being chosen," said Void, "Lord Femto was chosen by a Behelit, as was Lady Slan. However…" the titanic demon conjured several red stones that had distorted facial features, "The Infinite Dimensions are, naturally, infinite. I'm sure that somewhere there are two who are worthy of filling the gaps in our group."

With that the crimson Behelits were sent through random Portals in search of someone worthy in the eyes of The God Hand. Eventually they would find the ones worthy of filling the gaps in their cabal, but that's another story for another time.

Meanwhile, yet again…

Elsewhere in the realm of The God Hand, Miranda sat on a rock, for that was just about all there was for her to do in this limbo-like existence she found herself in. Oh she could go anywhere she wanted in this hellish dimension, but what's the point? All around there was wasteland and the screams of the damned, so no matter what Miranda did she was still in the same situation; dead and stuck.

By now Miranda had resigned herself to being trapped in limbo for the rest of time, which could be a very long time. Oh she could spend the time planning revenge against those responsible for her being here, but again, what's the point? Even if Elyon and her pathetic friends ever came this way again, Miranda was in no condition to enact any form of revenge.

But then Miranda sensed something different in the doldrums of limbo, something she thought was lost to her forever. She looked behind her to see a familiar shape. There stood, in his human form, Cedric, looking rather confused at his surroundings.

"It's not possible," said a stunned Miranda, "It just can't be."

"Miranda?" said Cedric, "Is it really you?"

Cautiously, as if suspecting something sinister, the two lost souls moved closer to each other. Finally, when they were less than a yard apart, Cedric reached out his hand to touch Miranda's. They made contact, each other's flesh feeling real and alive to the other.

Miranda was shocked that the love of her live could touch her. Without hesitation she flung her arms around Cedric, embracing him with joyful tears.

"It is you, Cedric!" exclaimed Miranda, "It is you!"

"Miranda, my love," said Cedric as he held her, "I thought you were lost to me."

"I was lost to you," said Miranda, "I followed you from Metamore to this deplorable dimension, but you couldn't see or hear me. It was my punishment to be trapped in limbo, unable to bee seen or heard by you. But I don't understand, I saw you sell your soul to The God Hand. If you died, and you are dead, right?"

"I'm afraid so," said Cedric, "I thought I could be a living god and take back what was mine; you. But I overestimated myself, and underestimated Elyon and her friends. When they killed me, I fully expected to be sent to whatever part of hell I deserved, but this is a complete surprise to be reunited with you."

"Well at least the little bitch-queen was good for one thing," said Miranda, "She gave you back to me. I honestly don't know what cosmic forces allowed you to avoid the worst of hell, but at least we're together again."

"Indeed," said Cedric as he bent down to kiss her.

"So," he said, "What is there to do in the outer reaches of hell?"

"Not much," said Miranda, "We can come and go throughout the realm of The God Hand as we please, but the horrors of hell can get rather boring surprisingly quickly. There's always the chance some dark force could resurrect us for some propose, but that's not very likely."

"So eternity in limbo it is then," said Cedric, "But I imagine it won't be so bad. I'd rather be in hell with you, than to be alive and alone."

"I agree," said Miranda, "So, what to see how they punish gluttons and slothful souls?"

"I admit that I am curious as to how sins are admonished," said Cedric, "But what about those who are guilty of more than one sin? Do they alternate punishments? Or do they rip a soul in half and torment both?"

"I never thought if it that way," said Miranda, "I got so bored so quickly. I guess that now you're here with me, we can make hell a learning experience. Come on." With that the two condemned lovers began their exploration of the dark realms. Eventually they would be resurrected, but that's another story for another time.

The end.

Finally! Finished! I've got to tell all you readers out there, this story has been the hardest one I've done yet. I mean, I nearly gave up when I lost a lot of data a few months back, but I hanged in there, and here we are.

I hoped you enjoyed this story as much as I've enjoyed writing it. I hope to have another W.I.T.C.H. fic dreamed up and written before too long. Who knows, maybe I'll be able to write something along the line of 'Heart of the Cards 3.' We can only hope.

So thanks for reading and reviewing. See you all next time!!