Author's notes:
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh. Actually, I am an ancient entity from the
Millennium Pen, and once in a while, I possess Kazuki Takahashi to make him write
insane works. Yeah.
Finally, I decided to get to work on my second Yu-Gi-Oh epic. You can think of this
fic as my first attempt at a purely YGO epic. I stress the word epic.
Foreward: A few notes before I get started. This fic is an AU (Alternate Universe), as
I am very partial to them. Also, I have tried to make this fic into a movie format. I will
add decent amounts of self-thought, but less so, since the point of story is for you to
piece together the ideas. Oh, and the intro's a bit long. Just be patient.
Enough. Let's get started – I don't want to keep you here forever.
************************************
It only took one whisper to break the silence.
And then, the whisper grew into a million chatters. The sound swept across the
valley of dreary grey clouds, breaking their hidden white faces and scattering a billion
fragments of echoes.
The blackened city danced with surreal light as the echoes vibrated off the
jagged, ebony buildings. Just a sliver of light shot through the sky, its arching path
tracing the darkness beneath it. Lurid statues, faded and hidden under the taller,
looming buildings, momentarily leapt into prominence under the light.
And then, they disappeared, swallowed into the darkness again as the light
retreated back to the sanctity of the clouds. The large, grey clouds seemed to hover
hesitantly before once again, another brave whisper sought to end the silence.
The whisper again grew into a roar, and the roar into rumble, soon
complimented by another brilliant arc of perfect-blue light.
And watching it all was the city. The blackened city, with a million histories, a
millions stories, a million secrets. Forgotten. All forgotten.
Gone, just like that streak of light, to be lost again.
In the once-splendid network of concrete buildings and wires lay a shell of
broken cement and metal.
And now, even illuminated by the glorious display of light and sound, the city
knew no other name.
Welcome to Hell City, year 5093 AD.
Sector: XX09
********************************
XX09
"Rain dancer, show me Eternity and let me sleep forever"
Entry 0.1.
He gasped as he ran, breath sighing in heavy tremours, one pale, clammy hand
grasped tightly to the other's. All around him, the rain dripped and fell in heavy
plunks. They danced, globules of glistening silver liquid, strung together in a single,
perpetual rhythm. They were the tears of the sky, the sorrow of the clouds, the blood
of the angels.
But for him, they were his only source of hope.
At long last, the never-ending pummel of ice-cold rain brought with it a
blanket of frigid fog. Everything around him seemed to waver and fade, like a ghostly
apparition, the once-concrete walls turning into uncertain visions of grey and white.
His large eyes peered from the looming folds of his darkened, damp cloak.
They stared silently at the eerie landscape around him, never daring to betray the fear
swirling around their grey-violet irises. And all the time, as he faltered and stumbled
over the path of ruined buildings and broken concrete, he kept a single hand firmly
attached to the other.
He was running now, trailing behind the other like a lost puppy, feet hitting
the ground in wet smacks. Some of the dark water sprung to his legs, collecting on the
fabric of his cloak in darkened clumps, spreading as the rainwater diluted the stains.
What was he? For sure, the pairs of curious eyes watching him voiced the
same comments as they stared from the hidden rafters. Sets of crafty glowing pupils
blinked into existence from the darkness around the fleeing figures, expressions
varying from confusion to wonder.
These figures, these two, singular, fleeting figures, were not locals. It was
impossible. No one dared to run on open ground, not even in the thickest of fogs.
There were eyes everywhere that watched you. Betraying, invisible eyes that analyzed
every thought and condemned the unworthy.
And for the eyes, everything was unworthy.
Eventually, the pair reached a small overhang, the larger of the two swiftly
pulling the other into a protective embrace once they were safely hidden under the
scant shelter. Torrents of rainwater pooled and dribbled noisily around them while the
fog muffled the slightest movement and sound.
And still, they were not safe. For the eyes had already seen them.
He, the smaller of the two, sneezed twice, each one a wet, muffled sound. His
hood had become slightly ruffled from the movement, partially revealing a crown of
dazzling red-black hair, ending in jagged arrangements. Framed near his forehead so
that they fell just slightly over his amethyst eyes were clumps of pure-gold bangs,
glistening even under the darkness.
And then, there was the face. It was silky-smooth, unnaturally pale and soft to
the touch. It was the face mirroring those of the ancient marble statures, without the
rain dribbling across the alabaster skin, and without the millions of cracks and
blemishes perforating its protective glossy layering.
Hastily, he brought a small hand towards his head, thin, slender digits grasping
the wet hood. His face disappeared into the dark folds of his cloak once again. The
small boy, for he was called a "boy", then turned towards the other, burying his
shrouded head in the protective embrace of the other.
The other was not that much taller than the boy. From where the fabric of the
hood ended on his face jutted a squat, broken nose, decorated by an untidy layer of
greyish-white moustache. Coarse ashen-grey hair protruded slightly to curl and wrap
around his wizened cheekbones. That, and his withered, paltry skin, was evidence
enough of his age.
"Grandpa," The smaller boy murmured in a quietened, awed voice. "Why are
we here?"
The other, "Grandpa", momentarily fixated his shrouded eyes at the younger
one. He gave a weary sigh before beginning to talk slowly, in the same manner one
would speak to a naïve infant. "Yuugi. I'm sorry for dragging you here, but this is
very important." To stress the point, Grandpa knelt down until he was face to face
with the smaller boy. "There is something here, in this city, that could revolutionize
humanity."
The boy, Yuugi, replied with an expression of confusion. This was not
because he didn't understand what his Grandpa was speaking about, but rather
because he failed to see the logic behind his grandpa's words. "What do you mean,
humanity? Aren't we the-", Here, he faltered, voice dropping once again to a bare
whisper, "- last?"
"The last that anyone knows of." Grandpa corrected, though his somber eyes
betrayed the truth. "That's why it's important for us to find it, before…" He trailed
off, unable to finish the sentence.
"But what are we looking for?" Yuugi asked. "Why did we come all the way
here?" There was an increasing tone of perplexity in his voice, the tone of someone
both disbelieving and disapproving.
Grandpa gave another sigh. He seemed to waver a moment before breaking
into momentary resolve. The elder human brought rested both his hands on the
smaller boy's shoulders, staring at him directly in the eyes. "Yuugi. Do you remember
the Game?"
Puzzled, Yuugi nodded.
"Do you remember how to play the Game?"
Another nod.
Grandpa gave a listless smile of satisfaction. "Then that is all you need to
know. Our task now is to solve a piece of history; one so forgotten that even the most
preserved archives cannot even penetrate the secrets of its power. With this power, we can alter reality, just like how the Game alters reality."
Yuugi gave a questioning glance. "Is this thing part of the Game?"
Surprisingly, Grandpa chuckled. "No, Yuugi. The Game is part of it. For it is
this thing that created the Game."
"You keep on saying 'this thing'," Yuugi muttered, annoyed, "Does 'this
thing' have a name?"
Grandpa paused. He then broke into a wry smile. "Yes. It once had a name,
just like how everything forgotten once had a name."
Yuugi listened, enraptured, as his Grandpa drifted into a narrative story-telling
mode.
"Before the Fall, the humans from long ago lived in a world of almost
perfection. They relied heavily on a form of magic simply called 'technology'. Their
newest creation was developed from a machine called the 'computer'. The computer
was able to process a million streams of information at once, and one computer could
connect to a billion others, resulting in a global network of communication.
Yes, the most important part was the development of this network. For years, scientists
sought to create the ultimate, pefected network, a project they named "Project 09"."
Suddenly, Grandpa fell silent, voice dying into pattering of rain.
Yuugi felt his body turn rigid, sensing the omniscient foreboding in the
moment of silence.
"It was done." Three simple words, spoken out with an unnatural bitterness.
"It became a virtual world, a world where reality could be altered to one's every
whim. It became a world of interconnections, where one could simultaneously be with
any desired other."
Grandpa's voice fell to a soft, painful whisper. "And its shadow sought to
consume the real world."
Yuugi could literally hear the chaos the single sentence invoked. In his mind's
eyes, he could see the beautiful world created by the human network suddenly warp
and distort until it became a jagged, harsh reality filled with darkness. And then, a
question suddenly seized the small boy's vibrant mind. "But where did the Game
come from?"
"Where else?" Grandpa knew it was a rhetorical question. Yuugi knew the
answer. "Dark Games, created by a warped reality, luring its contestants into false
security and consuming them one by one. Shadow Games, which promised desires
beyond imagination, in exchange for a human soul."
"Then why do we play them?" Yuugi demanded. "If it could destroy us, why
should we still play them?"
"You are still young." Grandpa avoided the question altogether. "Too young
to understand the reality of the Game." His solemn, pale lavender eyes continued to
bear onto Yuugi's dark violet ones. "You cannot escape the Game, Yuugi. It
surrounds you, even as we speak. But, you can win. Only by winning can you
survive." Suddenly, the wiser of the two broke eye contact, casting his glance to one
side, almost in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, Yuugi. This is a truth that you'll just have
to accept."
But Yuugi was bitter now. He was bitter at his Grandpa for having told him
this intolerable truth. Why should he be a slave to such a dark, corrupt, failure of
humanity? He could have been killed playing the Game!
"Grandpa," The small boy choked back an enraged sob, "Why didn't you tell
me earlier?"
Even with all his ages of wisdom and knowledge, Grandpa could find no
answer. Both figures sat silently in their hidden alcove, surrounded by the pummel of
wind and the frosty tendrils of fog, one sullen, the other unable to speak.
The fragments of buildings plagued the entire landscape between the
intermissions of fog, a skeletal litter of rusted metal and shattered concrete. Lurking
silently underneath the once-colossal buildings were the statues, still sulking, blank,
vacant eyes turned accusingly towards the permanently dim sky.
At long last, Grandpa neared the small boy, clearing his throat softly. "We will
find it, Yuugi." He whispered, voice determined. "And after we find it, everything
will be okay. Our days in hiding will finally end."
For a brief, impulsive moment, Yuugi wanted to abandon his obstinuity and
ask the elder what exactly he had meant. Yet, the boy said nothing, eyes flickering for
just a fragment of time before returning to their dull, listless gaze.
Grandpa shuffled away, muffled footsteps moving at a slow and agitated pace.
His back was now turned towards the smaller boy, fiddling with a hidden object that
occasionally make soft clatters, like metal scraping against metal.
Yuugi shifted his gaze curiously at his Grandpa, though he kept his expression
as stubbornly uninterested as possible. He quickly bit his lip to keep his curiousity
from showing, suppressing the question and feigning boredom while his eyes
glistened with interest. Grandpa's lie was still fresh in his mind, seething and roiling
in an ugly mass of anger. _Why_ couldn't Grandpa have told him the truth earlier?
Yuugi had always thought that the Game was just a… game, albeit, played on a
prettier setting. What he had never known until now was what the "prettiness"
represented. Those shifting masses of greens and reds represented not imagination but
chaos. The fascinating behemoths delved from creation were nothing but a series of
mechanical creations. Nothing was real.
The cry was subdued at first, similar to the shrieking of rain pattering
endlessly against the rusted metal. The fog only dampened the sound, making the
noise a harmless echo.
But Grandpa noticed it immediately. The elder human was suddenly alert,
aged lavender eyes peering around him with an expression bordering fear. He held his
breath, lapsing into unearthly silence, listening with rapt attention to the rain around
him.
Even Yuugi felt the moment of sudden tension. There was an air of
overwhelming foreboding, like a taut string pulled just moments before snapping
point.
Brows furrowed in intense concentration, the aged human seemed to be in a
world of his own, eyes staring not at the rain but through it, as if his failing eyesight
could pierce the very borders of sketched rain and fog. He exhaled his breath in a
raspy whisper, unnaturally restrained.
There was nothing but silence. That, and fear. Seconds began ticking off
around the frozen figures. Slowly, the two humans eased their stiff postures, relaxing
from their tension in momentary jerks.
And just when they had reached a stage of reassurance, they heard it. It was
the low, eerie cry of a haunted voice; a segregated noise that rose and fell in volumes.
Even in the still, wet and stagnant night air, the noise penetrated all barriers, vibrating
and increasing in intensity until it was all but an unearthly howl.
And then, as fast as it came, it disappeared, back into the silent patter of
raindrops once again.
Yuugi whimpered, all but the imminent fear wiped clear from his brain.
_Something_ was approaching, and it was only a matter of moments before it came,
threatening to end it all. No, it didn't threaten. Yuugi was positive that whatever it
was, this presence would serve only to mercilessly slaughter them.
"Grandpa." The small boy managed to choke back a whimper. "W-what was
that?"
Yuugi's grandfather said nothing. The aged human was still staring balefully
at the waterlogged streets, eyes still pulled together in a gaze of complete
concentration.
Yuugi tried again. "Grandpa." This time, the tone was more urgent, to the
point. "_What's going on?_"
A sudden snarl drowned out any possible response. The noise was startlingly
close, echoes clear and vibrant, branching off to a series of similar shrieks. Harsh,
deliberate footsteps plodded in the darkness like invisible drumbeats, shrouded by the
fog and watery darkness.
The small boy gave an involuntary gasp, nearing his Grandpa and seeking as
much of the elder's comfort as possible. In response, Yuugi's grandfather put a
reassuring hand on the smaller boy, though its clammy half-cold touch betrayed the
owner's true emotions.
Another snarl, this time replied by several others. Now, the truth could no
longer be avoided. The sound of closely approaching steps, the grinding of incisored
fangs, the harsh gasping of raw breath, dripping collective strands of saliva.
The humans were surrounded.
Yuugi could feel his heart fluttering erratically, chest filling with tight pain.
He watched, helplessly, as several pairs of eyes lit up in the darkness, each one a
luminous, brilliant scarlet. They surrounded the pair of humans like a ring of glowing
coals. Occasionally, there were flashes of glistening-white, accompanied always by
low, guttural growls.
Grandpa kept his hand firmly on Yuugi's shoulder, backing away from the
menacing figures. Glimpses of silhouettes in semi-canine shape only slightly revealed
their identity, though the purpose of each snarling, drooling beast was startlingly
clear.
They were here to kill.
One second was all that he needed. In the blink of an eye, Grandpa shoved the
smaller boy, pushing him towards the mass of shadowy beasts behind him. For a
moment, Yuugi's heart plummeted in fear as he found himself face to face with the
creatures. The scream lay constricted in his chest, unable to escape, a bubble of
livid fear ready to burst.
And suddenly, Yuugi was not facing these ruby-eyed beasts but behind them.
The small boy stared in shock. He had been shoved _through_ the seemingly
impenetrable barrier of shadows! The boy gaped in awe, surprised eyes turning to
lock into his grandfather's.
"Run!" Grandpa shouted, hoarse voice rising to an urgent maximum.
Several rabid snarls shot from Grandpa's positions, the shadows in front of the
elder human suddenly distorting in blurry vagueness, though the sets of red eyes were
still imminently clear. The glowing, coal-red eyes advanced towards the smaller boy,
some of the shadowy beasts breaking into a half-howl.
Yuugi needed no further encouragement. His legs immediately began to move,
carrying the shocked boy away from the scene of horror. Blood pounded heavily
within his ears, vision blurring into a vivid scene of chaotic reds and blacks. And still,
Yuugi ran, sprinting as fast as his feet could move, stumbling and dodging over
obstacles with uncanny speed.
With a final ear-piercing howl, the shadow-beasts gave chase, coal red eyes
never separating from their prey.
The small boy continued running, not daring to look back, feet hitting the
ground with harsh, wet smacks. Away from the sanctity of the shelter, Yuugi found
himself victim to the harsh, stinging streaks of rainwater, the acidic liquid hissing
slightly as it hit his exposed skin, leaving unnatural dark stains on the smooth, ivory
surface. Unable to control his wailing mind, Yuugi found himself in a realm of
frenzied fear. The only things the boy was aware of were the creatures behind him. He
could hear their snarls and cries; their heavy paws pounding against the water and
cement with harsh thuds.
And still, the boy ran, chest panting heavily, gasping in mouthfuls of air. His
lungs burned with a mixture of suffocation and exhaustion, legs trembling weakly in
mid-steps. There rested in Yuugi's mind the livid vision of fear, the beasts crying
triumphantly over his body while reducing it painfully into a bloodied carcass.
He bit back a choked half-sob, forcing his lungs to continue pumping air,
forcing his legs to shove against the cement while his mind wailed in despair. The
beasts – they were gaining! It would only be a matter of seconds before they would
catch him.
It was this uncertainty that proved fatal to his already-strained mind. Unable to
withstand the doubt darkening his hopes, the small boy's desperation ceased to a
listless surrender. It was hopeless. He was as good as dead.
His legs, already weary, stumbled heavily over a loose fragment of cement.
The action seemed deliberate, the small boy tumbling to the ground with an almost
dumbstruck gratification. His jaw hit the wet cement with a painful crack, body
slumping against the cement like a sack of rocks. As his shoulder struck and the
cement, Yuugi felt something detach from the folds of his cloak. It dropped and
skidded against the water-stained ground, clattering noisily like a child's toy. The
small boy gazed curiously at the object, a brief expression of puzzlement crossing his
features. It was too dark to see exactly what had fallen out of his cloak, though a
partial gleam of golden light seemed to flutter across the boy's vision like a sudden
mirage, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
There was no more time for speculation. They were here. The large masses of
colossal, slobbering, frenzied beasts, bits of shadowy darkness in the very epitome of
fear. There was no escape, there was no hope, there was no help.
And Yuugi, poor, afraid, helpless Yuugi, could only accept his fate. It was
better not to fear than to fear such visions of agony and contribute to their
darkness-ridden pleasures. He convinced himself of that much.
The first shadow-creature was now right by Yuugi's face, his snivelling, wet
nose identifying the boy almost curiously. The gleaming of sharp, drooling fangs that
accompanied each examining snuffle erased any ideas of friendliness. The lead
shadow-creature then threw back his coarse, coal-black head, screaming a triumphant,
ear-splitting cry. It hungrily turned its eyes on the small boy, large ruby eyes
daring the boy to struggle.
For a brief, irrational second, Yuugi wanted to struggle. He wanted to scream
insanely, pleading, gasping, blubbering for mercy until the sharp fangs sunk into his
flesh and ended it all. Yet, either way, the small boy was as good as dead. There was
no need to struggle. If this fate was righteously his, then he would accept it.
The other shadow-beasts were slowly nearing the boy, prowling endlessly
around him. In the center stood their boss, clearly marked by his dominance over the
currently subdued others. Their padded paws thumped in syncopated taps against the
cement, complimenting the quieter patter of raindrops.
Without warning, a flash of brilliant light suddenly burst the darkness, making
even the impressive streaks of lightning seem a mimicry in its wake. It was as if the
entire world had been spontaneously shifted to daylight, streamers of golden-yellow
littering the landscape. And then, it faded, turning once again into the permanent
darkness.
Was that the light before the final end? Here, Yuugi was almost entirely
convinced. Yet, where was the pain? What had happened to the pairs of sharp,
segregated incisors once bared so impressively over his fragile frame?
The shadow-creatures no longer had their attention fixed to the small boy, but
rather, to the source of the light. Their forms seemed to have diminished slightly,
making them appear slightly dishevelled and scruffy rather than tough and impressive.
The boss shadow-creature snarled in indignation at something only meters away from
Yuugi. The small boy could literally hear the beast's hackle rise, vividly imaging the
creature's shadowy ears flattening angrily against his skull.
The source of their anger was still glowing with a radiant light. It shone, half-
white, half-golden, glittering with an almost ethereal splendour. And now, only now,
under the glow of the light, did Yuugi recognize what it was.
It was the thing he had dropped.
The object still lay on the ground, surrounded by layers of pavement, close
enough for Yuugi to crawl over and touch it. It was a beautiful golden box, slightly
rectangular in shape. Etched on every side of the box were strange runes, twisting and
conglomerating together to form a single eye in the center. It was that single,
provocative eye which seemed to glitter with the most radiance, lulling the shadow-
creatures under its baleful gaze.
For a moment, as Yuugi stared straight at the eye, the golden etched eye
seemed to wink at him. If inanimate pictures could come alive, the eye would be a
vision of daunting and splendour, arduously mocking the shadow-creatures seething
so lividly around it.
With no more than a growl and snarl, the lead shadow-beast struck the box.
But his shadowy presence never hit the golden surface. As soon as its paw neared
the box, the brilliant golden eye once again burst into a magnificence of light. Yet, it
was not the soothing morning light of before. This time, the light burnt with harsh
intensity, rays splitting in all directions like a beacon of flames. The shadow-creatures
shrieked shrilly as the light fell upon their figures, incinerating their dark-embedded
silhouettes in an inferno of brightness.
And then, all shrieks died into an echo, and the echo into silence. The light
dissipated the moment the silence returned, leaving an unearthly-still grey landscape,
filled with only rain and fog, decrepit buildings cluttering the background.
Eyes wide in an expression of both astonishment and awe, Yuugi dared
himself to breathe again. The shadow-creatures chasing him had all been ruthlessly
disintegrated. Slowly, shivering with each step, the small boy neared the box, afraid
of its power.
The box had stopped glowing now; even its single eye in the center lay dull
and uninteresting, as if its once-vibrant entity had fallen asleep. The boy stooped
beside the box, squinting as he tried to examine its surface in the murky-grey
darkness. He gingerly prodded the surface of the box with one finger, drawing it back
immediately for fear of being stung with its brandishing light.
Nothing happened. Slightly more confident, Yuugi slowly rested his hand on
the box, muscles tensing for a brief moment in fear. The box was cool to the touch,
like a smooth, ancient metal, the patterns of each rune shockingly sensitive to his
palm. With a rather dazed expression, the boy lifted the box with his hand, bringing it
to his face for closer examination.
He was a bit disappointed when the box did not glow with light, but rather,
continued its dull, listless façade. Its once-golden walls shifted to a boring copper,
almost encouraging the boy to leave it behind. However, Yuugi knew better than that.
It was not a big box – roughly the size of both his hands put together, and rather
lightweight for something that boasted to be metal-made. The small boy shook it a
few times, nearly dropping the box when it responded with hollow, metallic clunks.
There was definitely something inside the box.
The noise almost reminded Yuugi of something else. It was vague at first, like
the remembrance of a dream half-forgotten, but it began to build and expand until its
image was shockingly clear. The flashback relayed in perfect time, revealing the
figure of an aged man toying with an item once hidden to Yuugi's eye.
Grandpa! Immediately, Yuugi forgot about the box, hastily stuffing it into the
many pockets of his cloak. His heart once again began pounding in fear. Where was
his grandpa?
Alone, utterly stranded, the boy felt completely helpless to the dark city
around him. Even the fog threatened to swallow him whole: to deplete him into a
skeleton of nothingness. He was alone, and he was scared. Yuugi quickly began
walking, forgetting all else but the fixated image of his Grandpa. He had to find
Grandpa! Or else… or else… Yuugi shuddered. The other was not an option.
A shadow of doubt began creeping into the boy's mind. What if grandpa
was…?
Yuugi shook his head. No, he wouldn't think like that. Grandpa was alive. He
_had_ to be alive. Eyes watering, the small boy bit his lip in stubborn determination.
Grandpa was _alive_.
The small boy found himself unconsciously retracing his steps, walking over
the pieces of broken cement and dangling metal bars in a slow, morbid ritual,
dreading every step. His heart was fluttering with anxiety, demanding his legs to stop.
Yet, he wouldn't. There was still a glimmer of hope that remained, a glimmer that
urged him on.
The boy continued to walk for what seemed like and eternity in the silence,
unaware of the fascinated eyes watching him; unaware even of the rain
and fog swirling and pelting his petite frame.
All that lay in his mind now was the continuous internal debate. It was a
perplexing question, gnawing in every recess of his mind like an uncontrollable virus.
He _needed_ to know – he _had_ to know. Another sliver of doubt. What if-
Suddenly, Yuugi saw it.
A figure, standing in the shadows, half-covered by the misty-grey fog. The
rain danced on his lone frame, rebounding in rivulets and collecting on the figure's
already-damp cloak. He was half-slumped against a concrete precipice; shoulders
drooped in an expression of sheer exhaustion.
Yuugi gave a cry of uncontrolled relief.
"Grandpa!"
The small boy immediately broke into a run, feet splashing noisily into the
rainwater without care.
"Grandpa!" Yuugi continued, relieved mind now yammering a million
demands to satisfy its resolve. "Thank goodness you're here! I thought I had-"
-Yuugi stopped in mid-sentence.
Yes, the small boy had been right. It was his grandpa. But now, the formerly
old, wizened human was mutilated beyond repair. The aged human's body was
propped against the wall, held in that position by a gigantic sliver of metal piercing
straight through his chest. Blood dribbled down his body in messy clumps of scarlet;
even the areas covered by the cloak were soggy with the same crimson hue. There
was a deeper clump of almost black-maroon from where the metal sliver had exited
the former grandfather's chest, the tip of the sliver glistening with a light pink film.
That would have been the most disturbing sight, had Yuugi decided to look
away then and there. Unfortunately, the boy was too absorbed in his shock to think
otherwise.
There was only grandpa's body. Anything from shoulder-up had been brutally
removed. Thick veins, still feebly pulsating with blood, littered their contents onto the
chest. An ugly mixture of raw flesh and aged muscle adorned the shoulder like a
demonic crown. A bit of white glistened beneath the pattern of ripped flesh and vein –
that was the remainder of the spine, still protruding from where the neck would have
been. Tattered, torn, ugly. That was all that was left of the head and neck. An ugly,
vile, putrid collage of blues, purples and pinks. But mostly red. The red was
everywhere; it was unavoidable.
And still, Yuugi was unable to tear his eyes away from the revolting sight. His
mind was beyond screaming – it was numb, shocked, unable to express an emotion it
barely comprehended.
Beyond pain. Beyond shock. That was the only way to describe what Yuugi
felt. A dribble of blood fell like rain from one of the slivers of torn flesh where the
neck would have been, causing the small boy to trace its path until it hit the ground
with a heavy splash, mixing with the growing stream of red. The rainwater only
enhanced the sight, diluting with the blood to creature a mixture of livid, crimson,
spreading as far as the eye dared to see.
The small boy's eyes began to numbly follow a larger trail of this blood
flowing on the ground. The trail abruptly stopped some meters away from the carcass,
collecting into a darkened pool of the substance. Above the pool lay something
slightly oval, oddly misshaped and out-of place.
It was a shape stained with this vile red liquid, though near the center of this
shape were two dull-looking jewels. At least, Yuugi thought they were jewels.
Closer examination revealed only the truth.
They were twin orbs of glossy white. Situated in the center of each orb was a
smaller orb of a bland lavender hue, clouded and slightly filmy-white. Between the
two orbs lay a broken, flattened feature, rising slightly before falling into a horizontal
split of pale-red. The crimson liquid coveted most of the shape's original colour,
though the odd glisten of light revealed a palsy greyish cream-white shade, stuck on
like loose-fitting rubber. Above the two orbs lay a plain of this substance, ending in
shocking tendrils of electric grey.
Yuugi continued looking at it. His knees buckled weakly and he bit his lip,
not even noticing when he drew blood.
This was _not_ Grandpa's head. Grandpa didn't exist anymore. There was no
such person as Grandpa.
Yuugi's mind forced the statement until it was all but clear. This was the truth.
He knew it. He just knew it!
This was not Grandpa's head. This could not be Grandpa's head. Grandpa was
in a happy place, and this was not him.
In fact, that body lying over there was not grandpa's either. It was all a trick to
fool him. Grandpa was fine!
It was all a trick.
Yuugi knew it. He just did.
The boy slowly made his way towards the decapitated head, dropping wearily
to his knees, ignoring the blood collecting on his faded cloak. He spent some time just
staring at the face, just acknowledging the dead, aged eyes.
Yuugi shook his head. What was this thing he was standing beside? Why did
he feel such an attachment to it? This was not Grandpa. Grandpa was somewhere else.
Slowly, the boy reached a shivering hand towards the crude shape, tracing his
fingers on the paltry-grey surface. He then brought his other arm to stroke the layers
of greyed hair, trying to rub some of the stained crimson away with the back of his
hand. Finally, he leaned forward, lifting the shape with both his arms until it rested in
his chest.
And, underneath the rain, underneath the darkness, underneath the curious,
scrutinizing eyes, Yuugi sobbed. He cried, breaking into broken, jagged gasps, pitiful
body shivering with unexplainable emotion. The orbs of glowing, crystalline tears
dribbled down the small boy's cheeks, collecting and falling from his chin to hit the
rubbery, flat surface of the shape in his arms.
Still clutching his former Grandpa's lifeless head, Yuugi silently howled his
agony. All around him, the rainwater fell, mixing with his own salty tears, also
pummelling the surface of the lost face.
Dead, lavender eyes seemed to glisten with light, but it was a false illusion –
the light coming only from the scatter of rain and tears. They were blank, dead, eyes,
eyes that could no longer see, eyes that took in nothing but forgotten memories.
A single, jagged arc of lightning raced across the sky, accompanied by the low
rumble of the clouds. In that brief, single moment of light, the city seemed to glow, a
shiny ebony mass of darkness.
It was in that single moment of light that the statues once again lit into
prominence. Their alabaster faces glared accusingly at the sky, cracked faces never
losing their vacant expression. But most of all were the eyes. Eyes which stared
blankly into space, not looking but remembering all that was forgotten.
And then, everything disappeared back into the darkness.
***************************************
End notes:
Yesh, the hugging-the-dead-head part was inspired by the movie X. I knew I
shouldn't have watched it more than nine times -_-;;
Extra thanks to Myst-Lady for your encouragement! Oh, and NC-san, ^_^= I currently
have a copy of your piccie on my desktop~
Next time:
- "Who am I?" The question that everyone asks themselves.
- Jounochi and Anzu are in the for surprise of their life…
- What is this secret box? Okay, never mind that -_-;; you probably all know
what it is. More importantly – what it its purpose?
- Let's play a little Game…
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh. Actually, I am an ancient entity from the
Millennium Pen, and once in a while, I possess Kazuki Takahashi to make him write
insane works. Yeah.
Finally, I decided to get to work on my second Yu-Gi-Oh epic. You can think of this
fic as my first attempt at a purely YGO epic. I stress the word epic.
Foreward: A few notes before I get started. This fic is an AU (Alternate Universe), as
I am very partial to them. Also, I have tried to make this fic into a movie format. I will
add decent amounts of self-thought, but less so, since the point of story is for you to
piece together the ideas. Oh, and the intro's a bit long. Just be patient.
Enough. Let's get started – I don't want to keep you here forever.
************************************
It only took one whisper to break the silence.
And then, the whisper grew into a million chatters. The sound swept across the
valley of dreary grey clouds, breaking their hidden white faces and scattering a billion
fragments of echoes.
The blackened city danced with surreal light as the echoes vibrated off the
jagged, ebony buildings. Just a sliver of light shot through the sky, its arching path
tracing the darkness beneath it. Lurid statues, faded and hidden under the taller,
looming buildings, momentarily leapt into prominence under the light.
And then, they disappeared, swallowed into the darkness again as the light
retreated back to the sanctity of the clouds. The large, grey clouds seemed to hover
hesitantly before once again, another brave whisper sought to end the silence.
The whisper again grew into a roar, and the roar into rumble, soon
complimented by another brilliant arc of perfect-blue light.
And watching it all was the city. The blackened city, with a million histories, a
millions stories, a million secrets. Forgotten. All forgotten.
Gone, just like that streak of light, to be lost again.
In the once-splendid network of concrete buildings and wires lay a shell of
broken cement and metal.
And now, even illuminated by the glorious display of light and sound, the city
knew no other name.
Welcome to Hell City, year 5093 AD.
Sector: XX09
********************************
XX09
"Rain dancer, show me Eternity and let me sleep forever"
Entry 0.1.
He gasped as he ran, breath sighing in heavy tremours, one pale, clammy hand
grasped tightly to the other's. All around him, the rain dripped and fell in heavy
plunks. They danced, globules of glistening silver liquid, strung together in a single,
perpetual rhythm. They were the tears of the sky, the sorrow of the clouds, the blood
of the angels.
But for him, they were his only source of hope.
At long last, the never-ending pummel of ice-cold rain brought with it a
blanket of frigid fog. Everything around him seemed to waver and fade, like a ghostly
apparition, the once-concrete walls turning into uncertain visions of grey and white.
His large eyes peered from the looming folds of his darkened, damp cloak.
They stared silently at the eerie landscape around him, never daring to betray the fear
swirling around their grey-violet irises. And all the time, as he faltered and stumbled
over the path of ruined buildings and broken concrete, he kept a single hand firmly
attached to the other.
He was running now, trailing behind the other like a lost puppy, feet hitting
the ground in wet smacks. Some of the dark water sprung to his legs, collecting on the
fabric of his cloak in darkened clumps, spreading as the rainwater diluted the stains.
What was he? For sure, the pairs of curious eyes watching him voiced the
same comments as they stared from the hidden rafters. Sets of crafty glowing pupils
blinked into existence from the darkness around the fleeing figures, expressions
varying from confusion to wonder.
These figures, these two, singular, fleeting figures, were not locals. It was
impossible. No one dared to run on open ground, not even in the thickest of fogs.
There were eyes everywhere that watched you. Betraying, invisible eyes that analyzed
every thought and condemned the unworthy.
And for the eyes, everything was unworthy.
Eventually, the pair reached a small overhang, the larger of the two swiftly
pulling the other into a protective embrace once they were safely hidden under the
scant shelter. Torrents of rainwater pooled and dribbled noisily around them while the
fog muffled the slightest movement and sound.
And still, they were not safe. For the eyes had already seen them.
He, the smaller of the two, sneezed twice, each one a wet, muffled sound. His
hood had become slightly ruffled from the movement, partially revealing a crown of
dazzling red-black hair, ending in jagged arrangements. Framed near his forehead so
that they fell just slightly over his amethyst eyes were clumps of pure-gold bangs,
glistening even under the darkness.
And then, there was the face. It was silky-smooth, unnaturally pale and soft to
the touch. It was the face mirroring those of the ancient marble statures, without the
rain dribbling across the alabaster skin, and without the millions of cracks and
blemishes perforating its protective glossy layering.
Hastily, he brought a small hand towards his head, thin, slender digits grasping
the wet hood. His face disappeared into the dark folds of his cloak once again. The
small boy, for he was called a "boy", then turned towards the other, burying his
shrouded head in the protective embrace of the other.
The other was not that much taller than the boy. From where the fabric of the
hood ended on his face jutted a squat, broken nose, decorated by an untidy layer of
greyish-white moustache. Coarse ashen-grey hair protruded slightly to curl and wrap
around his wizened cheekbones. That, and his withered, paltry skin, was evidence
enough of his age.
"Grandpa," The smaller boy murmured in a quietened, awed voice. "Why are
we here?"
The other, "Grandpa", momentarily fixated his shrouded eyes at the younger
one. He gave a weary sigh before beginning to talk slowly, in the same manner one
would speak to a naïve infant. "Yuugi. I'm sorry for dragging you here, but this is
very important." To stress the point, Grandpa knelt down until he was face to face
with the smaller boy. "There is something here, in this city, that could revolutionize
humanity."
The boy, Yuugi, replied with an expression of confusion. This was not
because he didn't understand what his Grandpa was speaking about, but rather
because he failed to see the logic behind his grandpa's words. "What do you mean,
humanity? Aren't we the-", Here, he faltered, voice dropping once again to a bare
whisper, "- last?"
"The last that anyone knows of." Grandpa corrected, though his somber eyes
betrayed the truth. "That's why it's important for us to find it, before…" He trailed
off, unable to finish the sentence.
"But what are we looking for?" Yuugi asked. "Why did we come all the way
here?" There was an increasing tone of perplexity in his voice, the tone of someone
both disbelieving and disapproving.
Grandpa gave another sigh. He seemed to waver a moment before breaking
into momentary resolve. The elder human brought rested both his hands on the
smaller boy's shoulders, staring at him directly in the eyes. "Yuugi. Do you remember
the Game?"
Puzzled, Yuugi nodded.
"Do you remember how to play the Game?"
Another nod.
Grandpa gave a listless smile of satisfaction. "Then that is all you need to
know. Our task now is to solve a piece of history; one so forgotten that even the most
preserved archives cannot even penetrate the secrets of its power. With this power, we can alter reality, just like how the Game alters reality."
Yuugi gave a questioning glance. "Is this thing part of the Game?"
Surprisingly, Grandpa chuckled. "No, Yuugi. The Game is part of it. For it is
this thing that created the Game."
"You keep on saying 'this thing'," Yuugi muttered, annoyed, "Does 'this
thing' have a name?"
Grandpa paused. He then broke into a wry smile. "Yes. It once had a name,
just like how everything forgotten once had a name."
Yuugi listened, enraptured, as his Grandpa drifted into a narrative story-telling
mode.
"Before the Fall, the humans from long ago lived in a world of almost
perfection. They relied heavily on a form of magic simply called 'technology'. Their
newest creation was developed from a machine called the 'computer'. The computer
was able to process a million streams of information at once, and one computer could
connect to a billion others, resulting in a global network of communication.
Yes, the most important part was the development of this network. For years, scientists
sought to create the ultimate, pefected network, a project they named "Project 09"."
Suddenly, Grandpa fell silent, voice dying into pattering of rain.
Yuugi felt his body turn rigid, sensing the omniscient foreboding in the
moment of silence.
"It was done." Three simple words, spoken out with an unnatural bitterness.
"It became a virtual world, a world where reality could be altered to one's every
whim. It became a world of interconnections, where one could simultaneously be with
any desired other."
Grandpa's voice fell to a soft, painful whisper. "And its shadow sought to
consume the real world."
Yuugi could literally hear the chaos the single sentence invoked. In his mind's
eyes, he could see the beautiful world created by the human network suddenly warp
and distort until it became a jagged, harsh reality filled with darkness. And then, a
question suddenly seized the small boy's vibrant mind. "But where did the Game
come from?"
"Where else?" Grandpa knew it was a rhetorical question. Yuugi knew the
answer. "Dark Games, created by a warped reality, luring its contestants into false
security and consuming them one by one. Shadow Games, which promised desires
beyond imagination, in exchange for a human soul."
"Then why do we play them?" Yuugi demanded. "If it could destroy us, why
should we still play them?"
"You are still young." Grandpa avoided the question altogether. "Too young
to understand the reality of the Game." His solemn, pale lavender eyes continued to
bear onto Yuugi's dark violet ones. "You cannot escape the Game, Yuugi. It
surrounds you, even as we speak. But, you can win. Only by winning can you
survive." Suddenly, the wiser of the two broke eye contact, casting his glance to one
side, almost in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, Yuugi. This is a truth that you'll just have
to accept."
But Yuugi was bitter now. He was bitter at his Grandpa for having told him
this intolerable truth. Why should he be a slave to such a dark, corrupt, failure of
humanity? He could have been killed playing the Game!
"Grandpa," The small boy choked back an enraged sob, "Why didn't you tell
me earlier?"
Even with all his ages of wisdom and knowledge, Grandpa could find no
answer. Both figures sat silently in their hidden alcove, surrounded by the pummel of
wind and the frosty tendrils of fog, one sullen, the other unable to speak.
The fragments of buildings plagued the entire landscape between the
intermissions of fog, a skeletal litter of rusted metal and shattered concrete. Lurking
silently underneath the once-colossal buildings were the statues, still sulking, blank,
vacant eyes turned accusingly towards the permanently dim sky.
At long last, Grandpa neared the small boy, clearing his throat softly. "We will
find it, Yuugi." He whispered, voice determined. "And after we find it, everything
will be okay. Our days in hiding will finally end."
For a brief, impulsive moment, Yuugi wanted to abandon his obstinuity and
ask the elder what exactly he had meant. Yet, the boy said nothing, eyes flickering for
just a fragment of time before returning to their dull, listless gaze.
Grandpa shuffled away, muffled footsteps moving at a slow and agitated pace.
His back was now turned towards the smaller boy, fiddling with a hidden object that
occasionally make soft clatters, like metal scraping against metal.
Yuugi shifted his gaze curiously at his Grandpa, though he kept his expression
as stubbornly uninterested as possible. He quickly bit his lip to keep his curiousity
from showing, suppressing the question and feigning boredom while his eyes
glistened with interest. Grandpa's lie was still fresh in his mind, seething and roiling
in an ugly mass of anger. _Why_ couldn't Grandpa have told him the truth earlier?
Yuugi had always thought that the Game was just a… game, albeit, played on a
prettier setting. What he had never known until now was what the "prettiness"
represented. Those shifting masses of greens and reds represented not imagination but
chaos. The fascinating behemoths delved from creation were nothing but a series of
mechanical creations. Nothing was real.
The cry was subdued at first, similar to the shrieking of rain pattering
endlessly against the rusted metal. The fog only dampened the sound, making the
noise a harmless echo.
But Grandpa noticed it immediately. The elder human was suddenly alert,
aged lavender eyes peering around him with an expression bordering fear. He held his
breath, lapsing into unearthly silence, listening with rapt attention to the rain around
him.
Even Yuugi felt the moment of sudden tension. There was an air of
overwhelming foreboding, like a taut string pulled just moments before snapping
point.
Brows furrowed in intense concentration, the aged human seemed to be in a
world of his own, eyes staring not at the rain but through it, as if his failing eyesight
could pierce the very borders of sketched rain and fog. He exhaled his breath in a
raspy whisper, unnaturally restrained.
There was nothing but silence. That, and fear. Seconds began ticking off
around the frozen figures. Slowly, the two humans eased their stiff postures, relaxing
from their tension in momentary jerks.
And just when they had reached a stage of reassurance, they heard it. It was
the low, eerie cry of a haunted voice; a segregated noise that rose and fell in volumes.
Even in the still, wet and stagnant night air, the noise penetrated all barriers, vibrating
and increasing in intensity until it was all but an unearthly howl.
And then, as fast as it came, it disappeared, back into the silent patter of
raindrops once again.
Yuugi whimpered, all but the imminent fear wiped clear from his brain.
_Something_ was approaching, and it was only a matter of moments before it came,
threatening to end it all. No, it didn't threaten. Yuugi was positive that whatever it
was, this presence would serve only to mercilessly slaughter them.
"Grandpa." The small boy managed to choke back a whimper. "W-what was
that?"
Yuugi's grandfather said nothing. The aged human was still staring balefully
at the waterlogged streets, eyes still pulled together in a gaze of complete
concentration.
Yuugi tried again. "Grandpa." This time, the tone was more urgent, to the
point. "_What's going on?_"
A sudden snarl drowned out any possible response. The noise was startlingly
close, echoes clear and vibrant, branching off to a series of similar shrieks. Harsh,
deliberate footsteps plodded in the darkness like invisible drumbeats, shrouded by the
fog and watery darkness.
The small boy gave an involuntary gasp, nearing his Grandpa and seeking as
much of the elder's comfort as possible. In response, Yuugi's grandfather put a
reassuring hand on the smaller boy, though its clammy half-cold touch betrayed the
owner's true emotions.
Another snarl, this time replied by several others. Now, the truth could no
longer be avoided. The sound of closely approaching steps, the grinding of incisored
fangs, the harsh gasping of raw breath, dripping collective strands of saliva.
The humans were surrounded.
Yuugi could feel his heart fluttering erratically, chest filling with tight pain.
He watched, helplessly, as several pairs of eyes lit up in the darkness, each one a
luminous, brilliant scarlet. They surrounded the pair of humans like a ring of glowing
coals. Occasionally, there were flashes of glistening-white, accompanied always by
low, guttural growls.
Grandpa kept his hand firmly on Yuugi's shoulder, backing away from the
menacing figures. Glimpses of silhouettes in semi-canine shape only slightly revealed
their identity, though the purpose of each snarling, drooling beast was startlingly
clear.
They were here to kill.
One second was all that he needed. In the blink of an eye, Grandpa shoved the
smaller boy, pushing him towards the mass of shadowy beasts behind him. For a
moment, Yuugi's heart plummeted in fear as he found himself face to face with the
creatures. The scream lay constricted in his chest, unable to escape, a bubble of
livid fear ready to burst.
And suddenly, Yuugi was not facing these ruby-eyed beasts but behind them.
The small boy stared in shock. He had been shoved _through_ the seemingly
impenetrable barrier of shadows! The boy gaped in awe, surprised eyes turning to
lock into his grandfather's.
"Run!" Grandpa shouted, hoarse voice rising to an urgent maximum.
Several rabid snarls shot from Grandpa's positions, the shadows in front of the
elder human suddenly distorting in blurry vagueness, though the sets of red eyes were
still imminently clear. The glowing, coal-red eyes advanced towards the smaller boy,
some of the shadowy beasts breaking into a half-howl.
Yuugi needed no further encouragement. His legs immediately began to move,
carrying the shocked boy away from the scene of horror. Blood pounded heavily
within his ears, vision blurring into a vivid scene of chaotic reds and blacks. And still,
Yuugi ran, sprinting as fast as his feet could move, stumbling and dodging over
obstacles with uncanny speed.
With a final ear-piercing howl, the shadow-beasts gave chase, coal red eyes
never separating from their prey.
The small boy continued running, not daring to look back, feet hitting the
ground with harsh, wet smacks. Away from the sanctity of the shelter, Yuugi found
himself victim to the harsh, stinging streaks of rainwater, the acidic liquid hissing
slightly as it hit his exposed skin, leaving unnatural dark stains on the smooth, ivory
surface. Unable to control his wailing mind, Yuugi found himself in a realm of
frenzied fear. The only things the boy was aware of were the creatures behind him. He
could hear their snarls and cries; their heavy paws pounding against the water and
cement with harsh thuds.
And still, the boy ran, chest panting heavily, gasping in mouthfuls of air. His
lungs burned with a mixture of suffocation and exhaustion, legs trembling weakly in
mid-steps. There rested in Yuugi's mind the livid vision of fear, the beasts crying
triumphantly over his body while reducing it painfully into a bloodied carcass.
He bit back a choked half-sob, forcing his lungs to continue pumping air,
forcing his legs to shove against the cement while his mind wailed in despair. The
beasts – they were gaining! It would only be a matter of seconds before they would
catch him.
It was this uncertainty that proved fatal to his already-strained mind. Unable to
withstand the doubt darkening his hopes, the small boy's desperation ceased to a
listless surrender. It was hopeless. He was as good as dead.
His legs, already weary, stumbled heavily over a loose fragment of cement.
The action seemed deliberate, the small boy tumbling to the ground with an almost
dumbstruck gratification. His jaw hit the wet cement with a painful crack, body
slumping against the cement like a sack of rocks. As his shoulder struck and the
cement, Yuugi felt something detach from the folds of his cloak. It dropped and
skidded against the water-stained ground, clattering noisily like a child's toy. The
small boy gazed curiously at the object, a brief expression of puzzlement crossing his
features. It was too dark to see exactly what had fallen out of his cloak, though a
partial gleam of golden light seemed to flutter across the boy's vision like a sudden
mirage, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
There was no more time for speculation. They were here. The large masses of
colossal, slobbering, frenzied beasts, bits of shadowy darkness in the very epitome of
fear. There was no escape, there was no hope, there was no help.
And Yuugi, poor, afraid, helpless Yuugi, could only accept his fate. It was
better not to fear than to fear such visions of agony and contribute to their
darkness-ridden pleasures. He convinced himself of that much.
The first shadow-creature was now right by Yuugi's face, his snivelling, wet
nose identifying the boy almost curiously. The gleaming of sharp, drooling fangs that
accompanied each examining snuffle erased any ideas of friendliness. The lead
shadow-creature then threw back his coarse, coal-black head, screaming a triumphant,
ear-splitting cry. It hungrily turned its eyes on the small boy, large ruby eyes
daring the boy to struggle.
For a brief, irrational second, Yuugi wanted to struggle. He wanted to scream
insanely, pleading, gasping, blubbering for mercy until the sharp fangs sunk into his
flesh and ended it all. Yet, either way, the small boy was as good as dead. There was
no need to struggle. If this fate was righteously his, then he would accept it.
The other shadow-beasts were slowly nearing the boy, prowling endlessly
around him. In the center stood their boss, clearly marked by his dominance over the
currently subdued others. Their padded paws thumped in syncopated taps against the
cement, complimenting the quieter patter of raindrops.
Without warning, a flash of brilliant light suddenly burst the darkness, making
even the impressive streaks of lightning seem a mimicry in its wake. It was as if the
entire world had been spontaneously shifted to daylight, streamers of golden-yellow
littering the landscape. And then, it faded, turning once again into the permanent
darkness.
Was that the light before the final end? Here, Yuugi was almost entirely
convinced. Yet, where was the pain? What had happened to the pairs of sharp,
segregated incisors once bared so impressively over his fragile frame?
The shadow-creatures no longer had their attention fixed to the small boy, but
rather, to the source of the light. Their forms seemed to have diminished slightly,
making them appear slightly dishevelled and scruffy rather than tough and impressive.
The boss shadow-creature snarled in indignation at something only meters away from
Yuugi. The small boy could literally hear the beast's hackle rise, vividly imaging the
creature's shadowy ears flattening angrily against his skull.
The source of their anger was still glowing with a radiant light. It shone, half-
white, half-golden, glittering with an almost ethereal splendour. And now, only now,
under the glow of the light, did Yuugi recognize what it was.
It was the thing he had dropped.
The object still lay on the ground, surrounded by layers of pavement, close
enough for Yuugi to crawl over and touch it. It was a beautiful golden box, slightly
rectangular in shape. Etched on every side of the box were strange runes, twisting and
conglomerating together to form a single eye in the center. It was that single,
provocative eye which seemed to glitter with the most radiance, lulling the shadow-
creatures under its baleful gaze.
For a moment, as Yuugi stared straight at the eye, the golden etched eye
seemed to wink at him. If inanimate pictures could come alive, the eye would be a
vision of daunting and splendour, arduously mocking the shadow-creatures seething
so lividly around it.
With no more than a growl and snarl, the lead shadow-beast struck the box.
But his shadowy presence never hit the golden surface. As soon as its paw neared
the box, the brilliant golden eye once again burst into a magnificence of light. Yet, it
was not the soothing morning light of before. This time, the light burnt with harsh
intensity, rays splitting in all directions like a beacon of flames. The shadow-creatures
shrieked shrilly as the light fell upon their figures, incinerating their dark-embedded
silhouettes in an inferno of brightness.
And then, all shrieks died into an echo, and the echo into silence. The light
dissipated the moment the silence returned, leaving an unearthly-still grey landscape,
filled with only rain and fog, decrepit buildings cluttering the background.
Eyes wide in an expression of both astonishment and awe, Yuugi dared
himself to breathe again. The shadow-creatures chasing him had all been ruthlessly
disintegrated. Slowly, shivering with each step, the small boy neared the box, afraid
of its power.
The box had stopped glowing now; even its single eye in the center lay dull
and uninteresting, as if its once-vibrant entity had fallen asleep. The boy stooped
beside the box, squinting as he tried to examine its surface in the murky-grey
darkness. He gingerly prodded the surface of the box with one finger, drawing it back
immediately for fear of being stung with its brandishing light.
Nothing happened. Slightly more confident, Yuugi slowly rested his hand on
the box, muscles tensing for a brief moment in fear. The box was cool to the touch,
like a smooth, ancient metal, the patterns of each rune shockingly sensitive to his
palm. With a rather dazed expression, the boy lifted the box with his hand, bringing it
to his face for closer examination.
He was a bit disappointed when the box did not glow with light, but rather,
continued its dull, listless façade. Its once-golden walls shifted to a boring copper,
almost encouraging the boy to leave it behind. However, Yuugi knew better than that.
It was not a big box – roughly the size of both his hands put together, and rather
lightweight for something that boasted to be metal-made. The small boy shook it a
few times, nearly dropping the box when it responded with hollow, metallic clunks.
There was definitely something inside the box.
The noise almost reminded Yuugi of something else. It was vague at first, like
the remembrance of a dream half-forgotten, but it began to build and expand until its
image was shockingly clear. The flashback relayed in perfect time, revealing the
figure of an aged man toying with an item once hidden to Yuugi's eye.
Grandpa! Immediately, Yuugi forgot about the box, hastily stuffing it into the
many pockets of his cloak. His heart once again began pounding in fear. Where was
his grandpa?
Alone, utterly stranded, the boy felt completely helpless to the dark city
around him. Even the fog threatened to swallow him whole: to deplete him into a
skeleton of nothingness. He was alone, and he was scared. Yuugi quickly began
walking, forgetting all else but the fixated image of his Grandpa. He had to find
Grandpa! Or else… or else… Yuugi shuddered. The other was not an option.
A shadow of doubt began creeping into the boy's mind. What if grandpa
was…?
Yuugi shook his head. No, he wouldn't think like that. Grandpa was alive. He
_had_ to be alive. Eyes watering, the small boy bit his lip in stubborn determination.
Grandpa was _alive_.
The small boy found himself unconsciously retracing his steps, walking over
the pieces of broken cement and dangling metal bars in a slow, morbid ritual,
dreading every step. His heart was fluttering with anxiety, demanding his legs to stop.
Yet, he wouldn't. There was still a glimmer of hope that remained, a glimmer that
urged him on.
The boy continued to walk for what seemed like and eternity in the silence,
unaware of the fascinated eyes watching him; unaware even of the rain
and fog swirling and pelting his petite frame.
All that lay in his mind now was the continuous internal debate. It was a
perplexing question, gnawing in every recess of his mind like an uncontrollable virus.
He _needed_ to know – he _had_ to know. Another sliver of doubt. What if-
Suddenly, Yuugi saw it.
A figure, standing in the shadows, half-covered by the misty-grey fog. The
rain danced on his lone frame, rebounding in rivulets and collecting on the figure's
already-damp cloak. He was half-slumped against a concrete precipice; shoulders
drooped in an expression of sheer exhaustion.
Yuugi gave a cry of uncontrolled relief.
"Grandpa!"
The small boy immediately broke into a run, feet splashing noisily into the
rainwater without care.
"Grandpa!" Yuugi continued, relieved mind now yammering a million
demands to satisfy its resolve. "Thank goodness you're here! I thought I had-"
-Yuugi stopped in mid-sentence.
Yes, the small boy had been right. It was his grandpa. But now, the formerly
old, wizened human was mutilated beyond repair. The aged human's body was
propped against the wall, held in that position by a gigantic sliver of metal piercing
straight through his chest. Blood dribbled down his body in messy clumps of scarlet;
even the areas covered by the cloak were soggy with the same crimson hue. There
was a deeper clump of almost black-maroon from where the metal sliver had exited
the former grandfather's chest, the tip of the sliver glistening with a light pink film.
That would have been the most disturbing sight, had Yuugi decided to look
away then and there. Unfortunately, the boy was too absorbed in his shock to think
otherwise.
There was only grandpa's body. Anything from shoulder-up had been brutally
removed. Thick veins, still feebly pulsating with blood, littered their contents onto the
chest. An ugly mixture of raw flesh and aged muscle adorned the shoulder like a
demonic crown. A bit of white glistened beneath the pattern of ripped flesh and vein –
that was the remainder of the spine, still protruding from where the neck would have
been. Tattered, torn, ugly. That was all that was left of the head and neck. An ugly,
vile, putrid collage of blues, purples and pinks. But mostly red. The red was
everywhere; it was unavoidable.
And still, Yuugi was unable to tear his eyes away from the revolting sight. His
mind was beyond screaming – it was numb, shocked, unable to express an emotion it
barely comprehended.
Beyond pain. Beyond shock. That was the only way to describe what Yuugi
felt. A dribble of blood fell like rain from one of the slivers of torn flesh where the
neck would have been, causing the small boy to trace its path until it hit the ground
with a heavy splash, mixing with the growing stream of red. The rainwater only
enhanced the sight, diluting with the blood to creature a mixture of livid, crimson,
spreading as far as the eye dared to see.
The small boy's eyes began to numbly follow a larger trail of this blood
flowing on the ground. The trail abruptly stopped some meters away from the carcass,
collecting into a darkened pool of the substance. Above the pool lay something
slightly oval, oddly misshaped and out-of place.
It was a shape stained with this vile red liquid, though near the center of this
shape were two dull-looking jewels. At least, Yuugi thought they were jewels.
Closer examination revealed only the truth.
They were twin orbs of glossy white. Situated in the center of each orb was a
smaller orb of a bland lavender hue, clouded and slightly filmy-white. Between the
two orbs lay a broken, flattened feature, rising slightly before falling into a horizontal
split of pale-red. The crimson liquid coveted most of the shape's original colour,
though the odd glisten of light revealed a palsy greyish cream-white shade, stuck on
like loose-fitting rubber. Above the two orbs lay a plain of this substance, ending in
shocking tendrils of electric grey.
Yuugi continued looking at it. His knees buckled weakly and he bit his lip,
not even noticing when he drew blood.
This was _not_ Grandpa's head. Grandpa didn't exist anymore. There was no
such person as Grandpa.
Yuugi's mind forced the statement until it was all but clear. This was the truth.
He knew it. He just knew it!
This was not Grandpa's head. This could not be Grandpa's head. Grandpa was
in a happy place, and this was not him.
In fact, that body lying over there was not grandpa's either. It was all a trick to
fool him. Grandpa was fine!
It was all a trick.
Yuugi knew it. He just did.
The boy slowly made his way towards the decapitated head, dropping wearily
to his knees, ignoring the blood collecting on his faded cloak. He spent some time just
staring at the face, just acknowledging the dead, aged eyes.
Yuugi shook his head. What was this thing he was standing beside? Why did
he feel such an attachment to it? This was not Grandpa. Grandpa was somewhere else.
Slowly, the boy reached a shivering hand towards the crude shape, tracing his
fingers on the paltry-grey surface. He then brought his other arm to stroke the layers
of greyed hair, trying to rub some of the stained crimson away with the back of his
hand. Finally, he leaned forward, lifting the shape with both his arms until it rested in
his chest.
And, underneath the rain, underneath the darkness, underneath the curious,
scrutinizing eyes, Yuugi sobbed. He cried, breaking into broken, jagged gasps, pitiful
body shivering with unexplainable emotion. The orbs of glowing, crystalline tears
dribbled down the small boy's cheeks, collecting and falling from his chin to hit the
rubbery, flat surface of the shape in his arms.
Still clutching his former Grandpa's lifeless head, Yuugi silently howled his
agony. All around him, the rainwater fell, mixing with his own salty tears, also
pummelling the surface of the lost face.
Dead, lavender eyes seemed to glisten with light, but it was a false illusion –
the light coming only from the scatter of rain and tears. They were blank, dead, eyes,
eyes that could no longer see, eyes that took in nothing but forgotten memories.
A single, jagged arc of lightning raced across the sky, accompanied by the low
rumble of the clouds. In that brief, single moment of light, the city seemed to glow, a
shiny ebony mass of darkness.
It was in that single moment of light that the statues once again lit into
prominence. Their alabaster faces glared accusingly at the sky, cracked faces never
losing their vacant expression. But most of all were the eyes. Eyes which stared
blankly into space, not looking but remembering all that was forgotten.
And then, everything disappeared back into the darkness.
***************************************
End notes:
Yesh, the hugging-the-dead-head part was inspired by the movie X. I knew I
shouldn't have watched it more than nine times -_-;;
Extra thanks to Myst-Lady for your encouragement! Oh, and NC-san, ^_^= I currently
have a copy of your piccie on my desktop~
Next time:
- "Who am I?" The question that everyone asks themselves.
- Jounochi and Anzu are in the for surprise of their life…
- What is this secret box? Okay, never mind that -_-;; you probably all know
what it is. More importantly – what it its purpose?
- Let's play a little Game…