Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monster GX Fan Fiction / Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Rise of the Shadows ❯ Chapter 3 - Trapped in the Darkness ( Chapter 3 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Author's Note: Well, chapter 3 is here. Enjoy ^^

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' Where am I...'
'Who am I...'
'Why is this happening...'

A voice. Not his voice. Not his own, yet it was there, in his head, just as if it belonged to him.
'Who are you?' Kyle asked.
'So you're the one then.' the voice replied.
'The one what? What's going on?' Kyle questioned again.
'Whatever you do, don't wake up Kyle.' the voice said. Then laughing, it was gone.

Kyle shot up with a jerk. The second he did he fell back down, groaning with pain. His body hurt all over, his head the worst. "What the hell happened in that duel?" He asked himself.
"That, my young friend," an ominous voice answered him "Is something I would very much like to know"

Kyle tried to open his eyes, but found it a struggle "W-Who's there?" he asked nervously.
"Don't be afraid, you're alright now. You took one hell of a beating in that duel you know. More than you probably realise" the voice calmly reassured him as he felt something pressed against his lips. "Drink this, it will help you get your energy back"
Kyle had little choice, and so took the offered drink. It was bitter, and it burnt his throat, but the man was right. He could feel his energy returning. With great effort, he managed to open his eyes just enough to take stock of his surroundings. He was in a room, but he could not tell if it was poorly lit or if his eyes were still tired. The walls were covered in moss, and there was a strange smell in the air. But, all in all, it could be worse he decided.

He turned his head again to where the voice had come from. As he regained strength he found his vision clearing, and he could make out the man who had helped him. But not what Kyle had expected. Instead of a bulging young man who looked like he could rip trees in half, instead there stood an old man, far older than anyone Kyle had ever seen. His scarred and weathered face was cracked in a grin of sorts, his deepset eyes narrowly scrutinising Kyle. All of a sudden, he wasn't so comfortable.

"Can you walk?" the old man asked. Kyle nodded slowly as he tried to stand. After falling to his knees a couple of times, he found the strength to at least balance. The man simply nodded and began to walk off. Terrified of being alone in this strange place, Kyle sought deep in himself, and forced himself to walk at the same pace. After a short while of walking down what seemed to be a labyrinth of tunnels, he found his steps to be less haggard, less draining, and began to concentrate more on his surroundings. The walls were covered in a luminous substance, which provided what little light there was to make their way around. They turned a corner, and what Kyle saw took his breath away.

He saw a vast cavern, with what must have been hundreds, if not thousands, of people going about what seemed to be a market."What is this?" the young boy asked. The man turned to him and smiled. "This is Kinembae. Come, we must speak with the elders." And once again he began to walk off. Shaking his head, Kyle had little choice but to follow him down the steep staircase that led to the bottom of the cavern. As they neared the town, Kyle could make out the faces of the people below. They all looked terrified of him, and would not meet his eyes. In fact, as he walked down the street, they would duck into doors, or shut windows, or even turn their backs to him. It was a little unsettling to put it slightly, and the boy felt a cold chill run up his spine.
At last they began to leave the hustle and bustle of the centre of this Kinembae, and the ragged, makeshift houses and buildings began to thin out, until at last it was behind them. Ahead, how-ever, was a huge building of some kind, a temple of sorts, but it was built from materials Kyle had never seen before, pure white stone, dark grey metal carvings of monsters set into the walls. It was eeriely out of place in this cavern.
"Wait a minute" Kyle demanded. The man stopped and turned back to him, looking as he would a sulking child. "I want to know what's going on. The last thing I remember is winning a duel at school, then the next thing I know I black out, wake up here, wherever here is, and it looks like I'm underground."
The man nodded slowly "I can understand your fear my young friend, but I assure you that if any harm were meant to you, you would never have woken up. All will be explained to you, I promise. The Elders are greatly anticipating your arrival."
Kyle sighed and continued walking. As they got closer to the temple it became apparant how truly massive the structure was. It was taller than anything Kyle had ever seen in the city, even his Majesty's tower. There were a great many people on the steps of the temple, some of them looked like the townfolk, others looked like some kind of monks, yet none of these people seemed as afraid of the newcomer as the townsfolk had been. And yet there was something strange about this place, almost familiar to the boy. He continued to follow his guide deeper into the heart of the temple, where he was led to a huge room, circular in construction, with a high ceiling, and seats all around.
"It's almost like an arena" mumbled Kyle.
"That is exactly what it is Master Kyle" A voice shouted out. Looking up, Kyle could see his former guide, changed from the dark tattered grey robes he had previously had to a robe that looked as if it had been made from the stars itself. Turning his head, Kyle could count at least 20 others wearing similar robes, and behind them, an entire crowd.
Turning back to the guide, Kyle said cautiously "Why do I get the feeling I'm in a spot of trouble?""Trouble?" the guide chuckled "You misunderstand our intentions. We have no wish of harming you. While this is an arena, that is not it's use at this moment. Instead, it is a hall of reason and understanding."
"Yeah, alright. So now do I get told what's going on?"
"Not quite yet. First, we have some questions. Questions that must be answered. Like for one, how did you kill your teacher?"
Kyle looked confused, then fell to one knee in shock "Mr Portman...But he can't have died!!"
"Ah but he did. Somehow, the monsters under your command became real enough to kill your opponent. You know of course of the history of this world?"
Kyle nodded. His favourite lesson, the only one he really ever paid attention to, was Miss Kamachi's ancient legends class. "Yeah, the creatures of shadow and the sundering of the world. But, it's just a legend, something to scare kids when they piss their parents off"
"On the contrary my dear boy. It is more than legend. It is truth."
"You mean....." started Kyle, but he stopped as one of the robed men leaned to the apparant leader and whispered something. He nodded, and smiled down at Kyle "This can wait till later I think. Kyle, know that you are not a prisoner here, and may go where you please. But, for your own protection as much as ours, you will be escorted at all times. Please, make yourself at home among us, it will not take long I assure you"
Kyle was made to walk by 2 rather ungentle guards, and was shown to a room that seemed to be at the very top of the temple. When he walked in, he was surprised to see that the room was very well furnished, silk curtains, fountains, extravagent statues..after the treatment he'd received he expected a cellar. He turned to his guards to ask them something, but they had vanished. Shrugging, Kyle began to explore this new place, meticulously searching every corner, every nook and cranny, anywhere he could see for clues as to what was happening to him.
Finding nothing, he threw himself on the huge bed that lay in the middle of the vast room, going over events in his head, racking his brains for anything that could provide an answer. But exhaustion claimed him first, and within minutes, he'd fallen into a deep, restless sleep.

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'Glad to see you're making yourself comfortable'
'You again. Who are you?'
'The balance must be restored'
'Huh? Balance? What balance?'
'You will see Kyle. Be patient. Just wait'
'Who are you?!'
'................'

"Who are you?!" Kyle shouted, waking himself from his dream. He sighed. There was no-one around. Sitting up, he looked around the empty room. If only there was something to occupy himself, something to do. Sighing, he stood and went to the window. The town seemed to be busy again, he could hear the cries of the market, children laughing. 'What is this place?' he wondered. 'These people don't look like they're from the city, and the world outside is barren, no-one lives there.'
There was a sudden knock at the door. Turning, Kyle watched as the old man he had first met walked in. "Nice to see you up and about." he smiled. "Please, sit. We have much to discuss" he motioned to a chair. Kyle opted instead to sit on the bed. The old man watched with a look of amusement on his face, then sat himself.
"First, I want to apologise. I know how confusing and frightening this must be for you. But now, I will answer your questions."
Kyle immediatly asked "Who are you?"
The old man chuckled "My name is Mitsuko. I am the eldest of us, and I lead the council.""The council?"
Mitsuko nodded "The men in white robes you saw. Forgive us if we frightened you by bringing you to the arena. It has been a very long time since we had anyone from the otherworlds visit."
"O-Otherworlds?" Kyle gulped.
"Let me explain. You said you knew of the sundering that devastated the planet, and the creatures that plagued the world. But this is only half the story."
Mitsuko sighed and moved to the window, looking out onto the cavern below. With great pain he told his story.

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"Long before the sundering of the world there were the beings you know as the shadow creatures. They plagued the world long before it was destroyed. But in all things there must be balance. Between light and dark, day and night, good and evil. And with these creatures there was such a balance. There was a tribe, who lived high in the mountains, who had the power to control beasts of their own. Because of the great powers these men and women had, they vowed never to share it amongst the other tribes, who would only use it for chaos and destruction.
The gift to hold the creatures came in the blood of that tribe, but to harness it, the individual had to undergo a ritual, to determine which element would grant them the use of their power. Once chosen, the man or woman would be given a creature of either fire, water, earth or wind.
The power given to them was to be used to defend mankind against the dark ones, the leaders of the shadow creatures, the embodiment of pure evil.
Obelisk the Tormentor, the great demon king, who would destroy entire villages at a whim, and took great pleasure in destroying his victims souls before he crushed their bodies into dust.
Slifer the Sky Dragon, great beast of the sky, who it was said could swallow the sun if he so chose. Any creature summoned against him would instantly cower in fear, and none could hope to surpass his power.
And then there was the last. The Winged Dragon of Ra. The most powerful of the 3, and the most insidious. For he shines with the light of heaven, and he deceived all who would listen into serving him. Whereas Slifer and Obelisk would destroy from without, Ra would destroy and corrupt from within.
This continued for nearly 10,000 years, each side locked into a stalemate while the world below moved on and got on with life. But while there is balance in all things, it is not always constant. A young man, Mahad, came to his ritual, to gain the powers of an element. But the creature he received did not have the power his arrogance deemed him worthy of. For the next 1,000 years Mahad searched for a way to increase his power.
Yes, a 1,000 years. For when one was infused with the power of the shadow creatures, the body never dies. And so Mahad had eternity to devise a plan. And eventually, as all things are bound to do, it happened. He had found a way.
He began to covet the power of the other 3 elements. Even now it isn't known how he managed to do so, but he gained control of all 4 elements and combined them into his own being, instead of his creatures. What happened next, no-one could have imagined.

Mahad, now a shadow creature himself, led a crusade against the dark ones. The young, the brave, and the foolish followed him. But the wise ones refused to fight. They could see that he did not want merely to end the threat of the shadows as he claimed to his zealous followers. He wanted their power for himself.
But as mighty as Mahad had now become, even he could not defeat the dark ones. In the epic battle between Mahad's Crusade and the power of the Dark Gods, so much power was released that the world began to rip itself apart. And so the sundering had begun.

But there was a price to pay. Mahad had destroyed the natural order of things, and in doing so had also destroyed the delicate blance that exists between all things. And so, the world was separated. Where once there had been one world, there now existed 6, each realm as different and as scarred as the others.
At first these new realms flourished, but soon began to whither and die. As you well know young Kyle, for you come from the Earth realm. But there are others. The Water Realm, where the world is flooded and no land exists. The Realm of Fire, where days burn so hot you would perish in a matter of seconds. The Wind Realm, where nothing stands, and nothing can survive unprotected.
Then there are the last 2. The order of balance. One is the realm of light and hope, the other...death, decay and destruction. You are lucky, in that you came to Kinembae, the land of light, though it doesn't seem so. The other....

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"The other?" Kyle pushed.
Mitusko sighed and returned to his chair. "The other realm is the Shadow Realm. It is a realm of eternal suffering, where there is no hope, no light. Nothing but darkness."
"So you're saying that Mahad, the Divine One that saved our world from the Dark Ones really destroyed it?"
The old man nodded solemnly "Indeed. While it is true that after the splitting of the elements he led an army into the Shadow Realm and defeated the Dark Ones there, the worlds were still split. And still are to this day."
"How do you know all this? I mean, surely it's all legend to you as it is to me?"
Mitsuko chuckled "Indeed it should be my friend. Indeed it should. But while there are some things you will not yet understand, and may never understand, know that I once stood at Mahad's side and did battle with the gods." he stood as he finished.
"But enough of this for now. You and I have a great deal to discuss" he said as he extended a hand to Kyle. "Come, there is something you must see."
The boy took the offered hand and stood "What is it?"
Mitsuko turned to him, and for the first time there was no smile on his face, no jovial grin. Instead, there was a look of deadly seriousness.

"We go to meet your destiny".........