Heart of the Duel: A Yu-Gi-Oh Fanfiction

20: the King of Games

She could hear voices up ahead as she stepped down the hall and quickened her pace. She turned the corner and walked through the doorway. In front of her sat Yugi and the mysterious man with the item, the two near a large hole in the floor that had no bottom.

"Yugi!" she called happily and trotted over to him.

"Oh Kira!" he exclaimed, hugging her tightly. "I'm so glad you are okay! Yami said you were hurt."

"I am better now," she told him with a small smile as they pulled apart. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I wasn't sure it would work. For some reason, I can't be trapped in the Shadow Realm. So I took your place."

The blue-eyed man spoke to Yugi, "You know this girl?"

Yugi nodded. "This is my friend, Kira Ellen."

"Kira Ellen..." the man whispered, his eyes growing wide. He suddenly knelt on one knee and dipped his head. Kira shot Yugi a nervous look. "My lady... my highness."

"What?" she squeaked in confusion and jumped when the man suddenly took her hand.

"I'm sorry I did not recognize you before, my highness. Now it is clear to me." He stared up into her eyes fiercely. "My entire life I have heard stories and never thought I would live to see them come to life. It is an honor to be in your presence."

"What are you talking about?" Yugi asked him with raised eyebrows.

"Y-yeah, I'm not a queen," Kira stuttered,

"But you are Kira Ellen, you are..." The man froze. "You do not know."

"Obviously not," she told him softly, her eyes wide.

"You are the Lady of the Light," the man told her. "A legend of the ancient past in front of my very eyes." He looked from her to Yugi. "But how did you end up trapped in this boy's mind?"

"She saved me from being lost to the Shadow Releam," Yugi told him.

Kira nodded slightly. "I'm not sure how I can return to my body."

The man's eyes narrowed. "Maybe I can help. But first, I must complete my mission here." He studied the dark chamber around them. "I seek only the truth. But it's strange my way is blocked."

Yugi also looked around. "It's strange all right. But I don't think the Spirit of the Puzzle is doing this on purpose." He looked at Kira. "I get the feeling that there are some memories hidden even from him. I sure wish I knew what they were."

At his words, a bright light flashed illuminating a door close by, as if guiding them and showing them the way. The man started walking toward it first, closely followed by Yugi and Kira who were shoulder to shoulder. The door lef to an old humid and dusty room, full of large stone pillars. The pillars had familiar carvings on them, dimly lit by torches on the wall.

"What is all this?" Yugi asked aloud. "What are these stone tablets?"

"5,000 years ago, Egyptian kings played a game of great and terrible power," the man began. "These shadow games were played with real magic and real monsters. But those games erupted into a war that threatened to destroy the entire world. Until a brave pharaoh locked the magic away, sealing the monsters in stone tablets. But how could your other personality have knowledge of this ancient history and why do I suddenly sense here, in his unconscious mind, magic that the world has not known for five millennia?" He turned to Kira. "Magic like yours, my lady."

Yugi stared up at a stone that particularly looked like the Dark Magician. "They look just like the monsters on the cards we use to play with today." He put his hand on the stone.