(To be honest, I can't be bothered to write the duel from Yusei's point of view, considering there's nothing to really add to it with the way the story is going right now. At least, not until later. That's why you're not going to see quite a bit of the duel here. Sorry!)

---

The door was locked. My window was far too high up, and too small to see through. The floor I was on was... terrifyingly elevated. Just one look through the window, even from my small height, told me more than enough, and I could barely see any buildings, with only the tallest skyscrapers in New Domino City just barely peeking into my vision.

My wrists were cuffed, I had a device of some kind on my head, and the shock collar that they'd given Liquid and Okita was now strapped to my neck, too. The only real upsides to my situation were that I still had sunlight and the bed was surprisingly comfortable, even with all of my uncomfortable accessories and positions.

I hadn't been fed yet, but I didn't mind as much as I should've. Most of my time in that room, I spent curled up on the bed, in the same corner as I would've been in on Liquid's bed. There was a tempered glass window beside me, but the room it peeked into was empty, so at first, I didn't bother giving it a second glance. But boredom and helplessness got to me, so I ended up staring at that room, as empty as it was, hoping to at least see something change.

Liquid and Okita were the ones guarding my door, holding me captive. Somehow, Sayer had found out about my conversation with them. Actually, now that I think about it, it would only make sense that he'd put bugs in our dorms, to make sure we stay in line.

What was I thinking?

No, I did what I needed to. I doubted myself again, still spiraling with thoughts about what I'd pulled off today, but... no. This needed to happen.

For the time being, although I wanted to feel safe with Liquid and Okita guarding the door, I knew they couldn't protect me against Sayer, but at the very least, they were within arm's reach. I could call out to them at any time and they'd respond, even if it wasn't in the way I wanted. They were there, and they were alive.

Despite it still being daytime, with the vague memories of what I'd done in the stadium that whole day... I couldn't help the exhaustion I felt. The pain, the fear, the sheer intensity of my emotions, and the toll it took on my mind and the pounding headache that came with it... It had to have been all of these that made me doze off and practically pass out on the bed in the room they shoved me into.

"Make yourself comfortable," they told me. "You'll be here for a good long while, just so long as Mr. Sayer gets what he needs."

I didn't care to think about how roughly they handled me, how they didn't give me bandages or change them when my scars began to bleed again. My cards--all of them, even the Psychic ones--were confiscated, and I didn't know where my Duel Runner was stored. My room was no longer mine. The blankets in the dorm we shared were most likely removed after I was placed in here. It looks and feels just like a repurposed guest room, but...

It's still a prison, through and through. No matter how comfortable the bed is or how soft the carpet may feel, I was still trapped. I was still chained down and hurt.

And after such a painful, eventful day, the least I could do was allow myself to sleep for a few hours.

o ~ o ~ o ~ o

A sharp, piercing flash of pain seared through my right arm, and when my eyes flew open, I wasn't in my room anymore. I... didn't know where I was, but it certainly wasn't my room. It was too dark to see anything, so it was possible that I wasn't anywhere at all, and I was just in a black void, floating about, wondering where to go.

I heard it; the sound of a loud dragon's roar, calling all of the Signers together. It called, beckoning those with the power. I heard it, and yet... Somehow, it didn't feel quite right to respond to it.

A part of me fought that feeling. Of course, I knew that I had to, that it was my duty, my destiny. But the other part held me back, debating, was this really meant for my ears? Was I really meant to answer the call? Isn't there anyone else?

There is. But just those four people can't be enough, if I'm also being called, right? I had to be called for a reason.

At the same time... something felt wrong.

In the end, I gave in to my temptation and attempted to answer the call by reaching out, grasping the strand of power I could feel from my isolated little corner, and honing in on it, hoping that it'd grow bigger and stronger the closer I was to reaching its source.

It was hard to string myself along that path. The power slipped and faded from my grasp at times, and I lost track of where I was going. I couldn't tell you how long it took me, because sometimes, I remember it being too long, and others too short. However, I made it, just barely, into a vast tunnel of outer space, the only discernible landmark being the glowing road striking down the middle in sharp contrast to the vast darkness all around.

I was in a crimson bubble of some kind, and just ahead of me, I could see Akiza and Luna in their own bubbles, having noticed one another fairly quickly.

"Luna!" I called. "Akiza! Hey!" I tried to separate my hands at them, to wave, or call attention to myself, or something, but the cold cuffs binding my wrists reminded me that, although I wasn't in my physical body, I was still trapped. Instead, all I succeeded in doing was rustling my chains and causing more wrist pain as my two new friends turned back to look at me and gasped in horror.

"No...!" Akiza covered her mouth in shock, eyes wide. "S... Sylvia...?"

Luna tried to turn and reach out to me, her eyes practically begging me to say I was okay, or that it was better than it looked, but I couldn't answer her. Instead, I pulled on the thread of power that I had arrived on to bring myself closer to the girls. By now, with the presence of Jack and Yusei Turbo Dueling on the glowing road, I knew that I was drawn by the power of the Crimson Dragon.

They were still looking at me, expectant, as I drew nearer to them. Jack and Yusei didn't seem to notice our presence at all. That was fine. I mean, it wasn't--I couldn't suppress my feeling of disappointment--but I didn't want to make a big deal about it. I opted to finally answer Luna and Akiza's lingering questions.

"...they haven't done anything terrible to me yet," I told them, after deliberating the level of honesty I'd use. The reason I chose to tell the full truth was mostly because I was terrible at lying anyway. "But the cuffs hurt, my head constantly feels like it's spinning because of this stupid device, and I'm too high up and far away to know what's going on anymore. How did this all happen?"

Akiza looked just about as lost as I was, but Luna chimed in here. "Yusei and Jack were Turbo Dueling, and they kept Summoning their Dragons. Then, suddenly, a bright red dragon appeared out of nowhere and we were pulled into this place. Whatever it is..."

Well, that sounds about right. Akiza pointed ahead of us as we approached something. "What's that?" she asked.

The view in front of us was that of a Mayan temple, much taller than its more square pyramid-like cousin structures scattered about in the real world. A crowd of people dressed in simple robes or rags were bowing down to it, all the way down on the ground, and a brilliant, shimmering crimson star hovered over the top of the temple, as though it had descended onto the earth just for it.

And as we flew by, at the top were five robed people, their arms up in the air and... aglow with crimson marks.

A head, a claw, a foot, wings, and a tail.

"These are... the people of the stars," I muttered automatically.

Akiza and Luna glanced at me, surprised. "People of the stars?" I don't remember who said it. Maybe both did. All I know is that I was hit with a powerful memory then.

"The people of the stars exist to worship and summon the Crimson Dragon," I told them, as though I knew something that they didn't. Did I? "Those five people at the top... They're Signers."

"Whoa..." Luna and Akiza examined the five Signers on top of the temple carefully, searching and matching each recognizable mark.

"But... your mark isn't there, Sylvia," Akiza mentioned. "Why isn't that?"

She was right. There was no hook-like mark to be found on any of them. Some part of me wasn't surprised at all. Another was... shocked? Confused? I don't know. I didn't know.

"I... I don't..." What was the right word? Did I know, or didn't I? It took me a moment to find it. "I don't... remember."

That caught their attention. Akiza and Luna exchanged glances, though I didn't look at them to figure out what their expressions were. I was too focused on the temple in front of me.

No, it wasn't in front of me anymore. By now, we'd passed it at 80 miles per hour, shooting straight ahead at the next image the path of light traveled to.

I never knew Yusei's "become the path that lights the way" Synchro Summon chant could be so literal. "Gathering stars," "path of light"... It was almost as though Yusei predicted something like this would happen.

We arrived at a new image, this one of New Domino City and Satellite from a bird's eye view. I only recently recognized it because I'd seen a few maps here and there around the plaza near the Arcadia building from when I was still brainwashed, but I wouldn't have been able to give such a confident explanation of it as I did with the temple.

I wouldn't be able to tell you where Yusei and my home was located in that huge mass of land and buildings, because I'm one of the worst people to ask for directions and I'd only lived there for about a couple of weeks, so there really was no way for me to memorize it yet. But I noticed Akiza's eyes lock in on one building, which was tall enough that I recognized it as the Arcadia Movement building.

Suddenly, violet flames burst from the ground, tearing through buildings in an easy, clear trail, not caring for the lives it took or the collateral damage. It winded through the Satellite, its very center being a huge crater I hadn't known existed at Satellite's core. Together, they formed a huge, huge spider shape.

"It's a spider," Akiza told us. "There's a spider geoglyph in Satellite and New Domino City. But why?"

"A geoglyph?" I asked.

"It looks a lot like the famous Nazca Lines," Luna pointed out. "I learned about them in my World Studies class. What's one doing here?"

Nazca Lines? I didn't know what those were. Were they common knowledge? How could I have forgotten such a thing?

"I don't know. But the last time I remember, Satellite wasn't surrounded in purple flames," Akiza told us. "So this can't be the present, and I think we would've heard of or known of something like this happening if it was the past. Does that mean... This is the future?"

"Is... Satellite destined to be destroyed?" I asked, covering my mouth with both cuffed hands.

"That can't be! We have to stop that kind of destruction, right?" Luna asked. "Otherwise, Yusei won't have a home anymore, and neither will Sylvia!"

"Jack too," I told Luna. "After all, he left the Satellite to go to the City. He'll always have a place to stay in the Satellite, I'm sure. And even if he doesn't want to stay there, at least he'd fight for his old home." That was what I'd believed, at least.

Before Luna could give me her surprised response, Jack started up the duel they'd presumably paused for this turn of events by placing two cards face-down and ending his turn. I didn't know how many Speed Counters any of them had, what cards were on the field, or anything of the like, and from the sounds of Yusei's voice yelling at Jack, I could tell he wasn't feeling mutual about continuing the duel in such circumstances. However, Jack wouldn't listen to anything other than his own will, so Yusei had quickly given up the fight to make Jack see reason and gave in to his terms.

Yusei drew, and their Speed Counters both counted up to six. We passed the burning Satellite and, for a moment, as we passed over New Domino City and a big, vast land of mountain and desert, I felt a wrench in my heart, which felt a little something like homesickness. I couldn't quite tell where or when I'd gotten that feeling, though, only that we passed New Domino City when it happened.

My exhaustion was still severe, but I tried to keep up with the other Signers anyway. They made it seem so effortless. For them, maybe it was. Maybe they weren't the ones putting in work to stay together. But it was mentally challenging for me, given the things I'd been through that day. My exhaustion was quick, and I fell behind.

Akiza and Luna noticed immediately, though, and reached their hands to pull me forward. I couldn't pull my hands apart, but I reached for them anyway, with Luna grasping one of my wrists and Akiza the other. Together, they combined their--and my--strength to form a bigger, more secure red bubble of light, where I wouldn't be pulled away from them at any given moment.

Luna gave me a sunny smile, one that believed in me and trusted me as though I were her sister, despite having barely known one another a day. Akiza gave me a soft smile, trying to assure me that she was there, and that even if it wasn't perfectly okay, that she'd be there with me until it was, despite having had such a frown on her that she could slice through me with nothing but her eyes in the morning.

The sun had to be setting by now, right? I could sleep for 36 hours now... Still, I reveled in the company of my newfound friends while I still could, treasuring the feeling of their warm, differently-textured hands clasping mine and supporting me.

Relying on others, again.

I shook the thought out of my head. Let me enjoy this moment, even if for a little bit; even if it's selfish.

Jack had stubbornly pushed forward, despite Yusei's protests, by placing two cards face-down and ending his turn. I didn't know what the field setup was, because my attention had been on my surroundings up until now.

Yusei activated the Speed Spell Silver Contrails, powering up the Stardust Dragon on his field. It had been at 3300 Attack before, but now it was at 4300, which greatly surprised both me and Akiza. I suppose she hadn't been watching the duel before then, either.

Yusei commanded Stardust Dragon to attack Red Dragon Archfiend on Jack's side of the field, bringing him down from 2300 Life Points to 1800. If Stardust Dragon only did that much damage, Red Dragon Archfiend must've only had 500 fewer Attack Points, right? 3700. It seemed like they had already been in a bit of a power struggle before we arrived here.

The cry Jack emitted at the damage from the attack, though... It was piercing. I could hear his genuine pain from where we were, and if I focused hard enough, I could even feel it, too. My grip on Akiza's gloved hand tightened.

"Akiza..." I murmured, worried. "Jack's..."

Akiza spared me a worried glance, but only that, turning her attention back to the duel. Despite that, however, she squeezed my hand back. I'm here.

Didn't Yusei realize that Jack was in real pain, too? Why was he continuing?

He activated the Continuous Trap Synchro Blast, chipping away another 500 Life Points from Jack, bringing him down to 1300. Still, Jack recovered from the Trap activated just as the Damage Step resolved.

"Since Hyper Synchron was used to Synchro Summon Red Dragon Archfiend, it isn't destroyed in battle, just like Stardust!" he declared. "From now on, it's a battle of strength!"

Yusei set three cards face-down and ended his turn. I was scared. Scared for Jack? For Yusei? I didn't know. Maybe I was scared for myself. I did have a tendency to be selfish, after all. Maybe I was too afraid of this moment of... well, loose peace, for lack of a better term, to end, because I didn't want to be separated from my friends again. Jack was in pain, and I was confident Yusei would win, because, I mean, of course I was. It was Yusei. What couldn't he do?

But... what happens after this? What will the consequences be?

Will I... even get to see them?

Jack declared his turn. Red Dragon Archfiend attacked Stardust Dragon, which was back down to 3300 Attack Points after Silver Contrails wore off. Yusei's Life Points went from 900 to 400, and his cry of pain was excruciating to hear as well. The sharp burning that overtook his body was almost identical to that of the mark traced around his arm, only... well, everywhere.

"Yusei!" Luna cried.

"Sylvia, is that..." Akiza trailed off, glancing at me for confirmation.

I winced and nodded, trying to shake off the similar pain I felt just looking at him. "Y-yeah... That... That's almost like a psychic duel, I think. Those dragons, the pain... I think it's all real."

Luna whipped her head between us and Yusei again, worried, before mumbling to herself, "Oh no, Yusei..."

Even Yusei was surprised. Apparently, he actually hadn't seen Jack in actual pain when he attacked.

"Why... Why did I feel that attack?" he asked, his breaths uneven.

"This is the real power of us Signers, Yusei!" Jack declared, as though he'd planned it all along. "Now we can test our true strength. If we let our guards down, our souls will disintegrate before the duel is over! This is how we'll escape this dark place!"

Dark as it was everywhere else, the trail they were blazing on was rather bright, actually. And to be honest, I preferred this place to my little prison cell, as comfortable as the bed was supposed to be. At least here, I had my friends.

Yusei activated his Trap, Crossline Counter, allowing Stardust to gain Attack Points equal to double the battle damage he just took. He was back to 4300 Attack and forced to attack Red Dragon Archfiend even on Jack's turn. I guess that's where the "Counter" part came in.

Another excruciating attack. I could feel Jack's burning aura from where I was, bringing him down from 1300 Life Points to 800. He slumped for but a moment and Yusei called Jack's name, worried, but Jack retorted angrily that he should worry about himself.

Even if he doesn't want your help, give it anyway. In some cases, it's bothersome. But when someone's in genuine pain, you have to help.

Jack activated the Speed Spell Overboost, pulling further ahead of Yusei and increasing his Speed Counters by 4, bringing them from 7 to 11. Then, he activated the Speed Spell End of Storm.

"Just like last time..." I muttered under my breath. I barely caught Luna and Akiza's attention, but they returned to watching the duel in awe, probably tucking my comment away in the backs of their minds.

Jack had 10 or more Speed Counters he could use to activate End of the Storm, and by doing so, he could destroy all monsters on the field and deal 300 points of damage to the owner of each one. Yusei was only at 400 Life Points, so that would bring him all the way down to 100.

Yusei activated Stardust's effect before that could happen, Tributing it to negate End of the Storm's activation and protecting itself and Red Dragon Archfiend. Jack activated the Continuous Trap Sneak Exploder.

"During your next turn's Standby Phase, by sending this card to the Graveyard, you take 500 points of damage for ever monster on my field!" Yusei only had 400 Life Points, and that meant the countdown was just to his next Standby Phase.

"At this rate, Yusei will lose!" Luna moaned, her eyes wide with worry.

"There's just no way," I said. It wasn't just confidence. It was almost matter-of-fact, as though it had already been assured that Yusei would win. "Yusei always wins. That's just how it is."

The girls glanced at me, confused. "How are you so sure?" Akiza asked me.

I glanced at Luna, whose eyes were watching me with wonder. I couldn't answer Akiza's question precisely. All I could do was give a shrug. "I dunno. It's just... that's how it is. I couldn't tell you why."

If Akiza was frustrated at my vague answer, she didn't let it show. Luna seemed satisfied, though, like I'd just renewed her belief in Yusei's ability.

I would never get to be as good as Yusei if I tried, but I could try anyway.

Yusei brought Stardust Dragon back during Jack's End Phase, and then...

His third Trap. Yusei activated Meteor Stream, which would deal 1000 points of damage to him after Tributing and re-Summoning Stardust Dragon.

Jack was prepared, though, and activated his own Trap Card, Crimson Fire, to negate the effect damage and reflect it back at double the strength to Yusei.

"Yusei!" Luna cried again.

"He's fine," I insisted.

Yusei activated another Trap--one that was Set earlier in the duel? Shining Silver Force, negating the effect damage and destroying all of Jack's Spell and Trap cards. That meant no more countdown to his destruction, and Overboost's effect wore off at the end of Jack's turn, bringing his Speed Counters all the way down to 1.

Jack's automatic brakes activated, forcing him back while Yusei pulled ahead.

With an enthusiastic draw, Yusei's Speed Counters shifted to 8 and Jack's to 2. Immediately, Yusei activated the card he drew: the Speed Spell Final Attack.

Stardust Dragon returned to the field, so it didn't have the boosted Attack Points anymore. Final Attack's effect doubled its original attack from 2500 to 5000, and Yusei was only able to activate it because he had 8 Speed Counters.

That was it. That was the battle. Yusei declared the final attack, and Red Dragon Archfiend and Jack were obliterated in blinding, shining white light.

That was the end of the duel. I was thrust away from the warm embrace of Luna and Akiza, shoved back in a stream of lost power. I was flying back, even as both my hands reached out for their comfort again.

Please, please! I don't want to lose them!

But there was nothing I could do as I was forced away, and I suddenly became aware of the handcuffs keeping my hands tied together, even though they had never disappeared. I suddenly became aware of all of the pain and cold I felt when the metal rubbed my wrists, and I was sure it would rub them raw at some point.

The duel was over, and now I was alone again. Akiza was out of my reach, Luna was back at the stadium... When I woke up, I was sitting up on my bed, still handcuffed, as blood trickled down the side of my sleeve and dripped down from my elbow onto the pure white bedsheets.

The day was still bright. I could vaguely see and hear some kind of mild celebration or cheering of some kind from afar. Was it the stadium? Maybe. Probably.

Now that I was alone again, I was left to my thoughts. My mark, which had been aglow before, was slowly fading. I could only think of the people within my reach now, just barely. Liquid and Okita. They were still being held captive. I was still Sayer's puppet, even if I wasn't willing anymore.

"Why don't you show me the kind of power you have?"

"Steal my power. I dare you."

"If you don't, you can say goodbye to your precious little friends."

I passed my message to Yusei. He saw Sayer already, and he knew of the Arcadia Movement. As shameful as it was to rely on him yet again, I had to. I could only hope that Yusei would find and rescue me.

What a weak child I am, I thought, drifting away as I rested my head on the pillow, grateful that at least the bed was comfortable enough even while I was a captive. With self-hatred weighing down my mind, I fell asleep.

---

(Man it's been ages. Oh well! Soon, soon, soon, things will come together! Yusei has won, as we all knew he would, and Sylvia is trapped.

...Yu-Gi-Oh! is a lot darker than I thought it was. Or at least, now it is. It isn't quite so dark anymore, I don't think. anyway here; have more)