My name is Vita. It is the name I chose for myself.

Who am I? I am Daala’s greatest enemy. And yet, I don’t want to destroy her. I want her save her. I want to hold her in the most loving embrace imaginable.

If it was you, and Daala had cast you out, but not before bonding an irremovable mask to your face, you would likely hate her. I don’t hate her. I understand that she couldn’t help herself when she did it, and I work towards correcting it. I work towards defeating her, so that I may remove it, and make the embrace possible.

I am a duelist with a mission. I stalk the Realms of Xanadu, keeping unseen by Daala. I challenge her artificially created minions when I know she isn’t looking, and end their evil existence. I work against her at every turn.

My strikes against her herself are few, but observing Yumi, I think I can now take a more active role. I may have a chance to do the job that I’ve been meaning to do since Daala was created.

Who am I? I am a soul…

A soul of silicon… But a soul nonetheless…



CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO



The Soul




The full moon rose in the night sky over the Tzimisce Woods. All was mostly quiet in the forest. From the branch of a tree, An Owl of Luck hooted.

It looked down as Vita walked down the forest path, with her three Mokey Mokeys floating behind her. Yumi and her four friends followed, their Disks activated and ready to draw a card should Vita prove to be leading them into a trap.

Then Yumi decided she wasn’t convinced.

“Vita, hold on!” she shouted. “I’m not taking another step until I know what the deal is!

“You’ve been playing this whole game with us since we got to Xanadu. You stay in the background, watching us and doing nothing, then deciding to help when it suddenly suits you.

“Who the heck are you?”

Vita sighed, and looked at them.

“Mokey Mokey,” said one of the Fairies, nervously.

“No, it’s all right,” said Vita.

She turned to Yumi and the others.

“I’m Daala,” she said.

“WHAT?” exclaimed the five duelists.

“Or rather,” continued Vita, “I’m a part of her. Or a part of what was once her.”

She sighed again, and sat down on a log.

“Perhaps once you hear my story, you’ll feel pity for the girl who was once Daala, instead of the hatred I now see in your eyes…

“Sit down…”

Yumi and the others did, as Vita started to explain.

“When Xanadu was just a small, virtual world,” she said, “and Daala was a young girl name Phyllis Ting, who still had a human body, she was curious. She wasn’t evil. Curiosity is a virtue, after all.

“But too much curiosity can kill the proverbial cat…

“In virtual form, she started downloading files out of her curiosity, sent to her by someone who was helping her expand Xanadu’s size and detail. With one of the files, she downloaded the first of the Devil’s Fruit. Her eyes wide with wonder, she chose one, and since she could eat as a virtual being, sampled it.

“However, like the five of you did, she chose blindly, and chose a very powerful Fruit, one which not only bestowed great powers, but a vile curse. As soon as she swallowed it, she was literally split in two. Where she was once one being, she became two beings. The dominant side, possessing the influence of the Devil’s Fruit, had all of Phyllis’s vices, sins, and negative emotions. She was what would eventually become Daala, who would pledge allegiance to Shogarr and rule Xanadu as a tyrant.

“The other being, which represented all of her morals and decency, her good side, so to speak, became me.

“I would eventually choose the name Vita, because that was name of an imaginary friend that Phyllis once had when she was a little girl. Imaginary friends are symbols childhood, and thus symbols of innocence. As I was the symbol of the innocence that Phyllis once possessed, it seemed to fit.

“Anyway, I tried in vain to convince my other half to find a way to rejoin, knowing that existing as separate entities would cause a disaster. But the evil side liked her freedom away from me, and wouldn’t cooperate. Daala knew she couldn’t kill me, because so much of her essence was inside me. The death of one of us would likely kill or cripple the other.

“I challenged her to a duel to settle the matter, which was a mistake. When Phyllis’s body split, Daala was the one holding the deck. I was forced to download a new one from the I2 database, and Daala wouldn’t give me much time to finish. Since it was a rush job, the deck I created wasn’t very good, and I was soundly beaten.

“Even though the duel was hardly fair, Daala decided to punish me for losing. Using her benefactor’s aid, she used a powerful spell to bond this accursed mask to my face, ensuring that I would never be mistaken for her.”

Vita paused, and touched the mask covering her face. She continued.

“Then she shoved me aside,” she continued, “saying that I could remove the mask if I ever proved that I wasn’t inferior. I could do nothing but flee…

“I knew her plans were big when she officially took the name Daala. She had named herself after a fictitious weapons designer who could build things capable of destroying whole planets… An inventor of doomsday machines who could do things normally reserved only for the gods. It didn’t take me long to discover that she had allied herself with an Elder Evil.

“And I watched as Daala’s power grew, along with her evil. I wandered the web as an exile, neglected and unwanted. Meanwhile, Daala destroyed her mortal body, and continued her plans, increasing the size of Xanadu exponentially. Eventually, when Xanadu was big enough for me to hide in unnoticed, I came back, and started to oppose her.

“I realized that I would have to oppose Daala in subtle ways. I’m a part of her, and I want to reunite. If that happens, maybe, just maybe, Phyllis Ting’s original personality will return, and Daala’s mad plans will end.”

“But Vita…” said Chelsea. “What if you succeed, and it backfires? What if Daala remains evil and becomes even more powerful after becoming whole?”

“I’ve considered that,” replied Vita, “but it’s a risk I must take.”

“And the Mokey Mokeys that have been following us all over Xanadu?” asked Sam.

“You might say that they’re my eyes and ears,” said Vita. “Only other exiles can communicate with these Fairies. I’ve made several allies over the past ten years.

“And we’re going to meet another one right now.”

She stood up, and waved her hand. The trees and shrubbery moved aside in front of them…

Standing in the center of the clearing that had appeared was an ancient, stone shrine. It was made of granite, and had simple design, with the symbol of Boccob carved on the stone door leading in.

Standing in front of shrine was someone they hadn’t seen before. It was a young girl dressed in traditional clothing that suggested a Native American design. Her jacket and britches were leather, and jewelry set with turquoise and beads hung around her neck. She had chestnut hair and hazel eyes.

She smiled broadly.

“Welcome, duelists,” she said. “You have journeyed far, and are nearing the end point. You have…”

“It’s you!” shouted Ren.

“Huh?” said Erik. “You know her?”

“She’s the one who was at Kaibaland with the Stone Statue of the Aztecs and Fairy Box combo!” shouted Ren. “She’s Sahkyo!”

The girl chuckled.

“Guilty as charged,” she said.

“I’m confused,” said Yumi. “If you were a duelist at Kaibaland, how did you get to Xanadu?”

“I’m not truly human, Yumi,” explained Sahkyo. “In terms you can understand, I am a nature spirit of sorts, one whom existed in the unspoiled American wilderness long before civilized man ever came.”

“So why are you here?” asked Sam.

“Because,” replied Sahkyo, “the equality of nature is tipped.

“My species preserves the equality of all things. Good and Evil, Law and Chaos. These things must all be kept at equal proportions.

“You ever hear the saying, if there was no darkness, how would we know light? It’s true on several levels. In the universe, all metaphysical forces must be moderated, or the system wouldn’t work.

“Even if the forces of Good dominated the universe, it wouldn’t be for the best. If that happened, well, life would be kind of boring. Sure, people would be at peace and would want for nothing, but they’d have little incentive to seek adventure and excitement.

“Now, long ago, long before the white man came to America, a powerful force of Chaos and Evil threatened to cover the land, eclipsing Law and Good. But fortunately, powerful shamans used a ritual similar to the Shadow Games used in Egypt to call forth the spirits of the land to defeat the great evil.”

“Native American Shadow Games?” asked Erik, in disbelief.

“The Egyptians were not the only ones who could do it,” replied Sahkyo. “Shadow Games were common to all cultures. The Egyptians were the only ones who recorded them.

“Now, an ally of that great demon is allied with Daala. If it returns to the land of mortals, the whole world is at risk.”

“Who is this evil?” asked Yumi. “Is it Shogarr?”

Sahkyo nodded.

“Our name for him is not easily translated,” she said. “It simply means ‘darkness’ or ‘wickedness’ and many unpleasant things.

“I was told that someone residing in this shine would help, if a test was passed. I don’t know who or what is in the shrine, only that it calls itself The Testament. I shall administer the test, young duelists, and if you pass, you may enter.”

Yumi looked at her.

“Fine,” she said, lifting her Disk. “I’ll duel you…”

“Not so fast, young duelist…” said Sahkyo.

Sahkyo held up two separate decks.

“I have two different decks,” she said. “One of these decks is the Deck of Order. It represents the Good side of Law.

“The other is the Deck of Freedom. It represents the Good side of Chaos.

“I also posses two other decks, the Deck of Tyranny and the Deck of Madness, which represent the Evil sides of Law and Chaos, respectively. However, they are not appropriate for this occasion.”

“So, what do I do?” asked Yumi. “Duel you twice?”

“No,” replied Sahkyo. “You choose one deck at random, and duel me. Then, if you are triumphant, you choose one of your allies. He or she will then duel me, and I’ll use the deck you didn’t face.

“Only if both of you are victorious, will the door to the shrine open.”

Yumi looked at Ren, Chelsea, Sam, and Erik.

“Uhm…” she said. “I think I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it…”

“Very well,” said Sahkyo.

Yumi looked at the two decks.

“I choose… The one on the right.”

Sahkyo smiled, and placed the one on the left inside a pouch on her belt.

“You have chosen the Deck of Order,” she said.

A Duel Disk appeared on her arm. She quickly shuffled the deck, and placed it in the Disk.

“Vita,” said Erik. “Do you know anything about these decks?”

“Sahkyo never told me about her strategy,” replied Vita. “Yumi could be in for anything…”


* * * * * * * * * *



Daala walked down a long hall of her palace, with Skull Knight following her.

“Uhm, milady,” muttered Skull Knight, “not to be rude, but do I really have to come? I mean, the air in that place kind of rubs me the wrong way…”

“Don’t worry,” replied Daala. “You won’t be coming in. You only have to wait for me outside the entrance. I’m the only one who’ll be going in.

“You might want to bring a book. I’m not sure how long you’ll have to wait.”

“What will you be doing in there?” asked Skull Knight.

Daala sighed.

“Finding my ultimate destiny…” she replied.


* * * * * * * * * *



Yumi and Sahkyo looked at each other.

Sahkyo’s eyes narrowed.

“Let’s do this…” she said.


(Yumi: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Sahkyo: 8,000)



“I’ll start this off,” said Sahkyo, drawing a card.

She looked at the powerful Monster on the card. She added it to her hand, and chose another one.

“I set a Monster, and that will be all for now…”

A facedown Monster appeared.

“Rather slow start,” said Yumi, drawing a card.

“I summon Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer!”

Kycoo appeared in a burst of shadowy energy. (1,800/700)

“Attack!” shouted Yumi.

Kycoo chanted, and his cursed magic shot towards the facedown Monster. A Giant Rat appeared on the card, and was blown to pieces.

“Lovely!” shouted Chelsea. “More Rats!”

“And now I activate its effect,” said Sahkyo, looking at the cards in her deck. “Which, as you know, lets me Special Summon an Earth Monster with a low Attack Score.

“I choose to summon Great Spirit.”

In an aura of glowing, white energy, a Monster appeared in front of her. Yumi was puzzled. She had never seen this guy before.

He looked like, as his name suggested, a spirit, being misty and translucent, clothed in armor made of wooden rods, decorated with painted images. He also covered his face with a large spirit mask. (500/1,500)

“Your Tiki Spellcaster doesn’t scare me,” said Yumi.

Sahkyo chuckled, and put her hand on her hip.

“First of all, he’s not a Tiki, he’s a Native American nature spirit, like myself,” she said. “Second, he’s a Rock, not a Spellcaster.

“And I assure you, you’ll be scared of what he can do soon enough. Are you done with your move?”

“Mmm!” replied Yumi.

Sahkyo drew a card.

“Then I play… Pot of Greed,” she said.

The wicked jar appeared, and she made two draws.

“Next,” she said, as the Field Slot on her Disk opened, “I play the Field Spell, Canyon…”

The grove and the shrine faded away, and giant, stone cliffs rose around them. Within seconds, the walls of the Grand Canyon had appeared around the two duelists.

“Welcome to Arizona,” said Sahkyo, with a smile.

“Oh no!” shouted Ren. “I saw her use this card on TV!”

“What does it do?” asked Chelsea.

“If Yumi attacks a Rock Monster in Defense Mode,” replied Ren, “and its Defense is too strong, the damage Yumi takes is doubled.”

“Indeed,” said Sahkyo. “Next, I activate one of Great Spirit’s effects, to flip him into facedown Defense Mode.”

Great Spirit vanished, and was replaced by a facedown Monster.

“Then, I set a new Monster.”

Another set Monster appeared.

“Then, I play a Continuous Spell Card. It’s called Shifting Shadows.”

She played the card, and it appeared. The image on the card depicted shadowy shapes over a collection of statues.

“I can use this card’s effect once per round by paying 300 Life Points,” she said, as dark shadows started to cover the two facedown Monsters. “It lets me rearrange the positions of my facedown Monsters any way I desire. Thus, you now have no way of knowing which one is Great Spirit, and which one is the other one I just set.

“And I’m far from done. I play Premature Burial.”

She played the card, and Giant Rat appeared again. (1,400/1,450)

“Giant Rat…” she said. “Attack Kycoo.”

Giant Rat rushed at the Ghost Destroyer. Kycoo blasted his spell, and it was blown to pieces.

“Why’d she do that?” asked Erik.

“To use its effect,” replied Sam.

“Indeed,” said Sahkyo. “This time, I’m using its effect to summon Criosphinx.”

In a flash of energy, another Monster appeared. It looked like a stone statue of a centaurian creature, its lower body like some great lion, its upper body like a muscular man with blue skin, with the head of a ram. (1,200/2,400)

“Finally,” said Sahkyo, taking a card from her hand, “I’ll sacrifice Criosphinx…”

Criosphinx vanished into grains of light.

“To Special Summon Exxod, Master of the Guard!”

With a rumble, an enormous statue rose out of the ground behind her. It looked like a stone statue of Exodia, just as big as the real thing, but carved out of granite. It was decorated with gold jewelry, and had a golden disk covered with runes on its back. It knelt and crossed its arms, clearly in Defense Mode. (0/4,000)

“Four-thousand Defense Points?” shouted Erik. “How the heck is Yumi supposed to crack that?”

“You got me,” said Sam.

“I end my turn,” said Sahkyo.


(Y: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 6,500)



Yumi drew a card.

She managed to do a lot in one turn, thought Yumi, looking at it. She’s clearly a powerful duelist…

She played the card, and the Pot of Greed appeared on her side of the field. She drew two cards.

She looked at them.

However… I’m no slouch myself…

“Okay, Sahkyo…” she said. “Your Field Spell has to go… I’m getting rid of it by playing one of my own…”

Her Field Slot opened, and she placed a card in it.

“I play Secret Village of the Spellcasters!”

The stone cliffs of Canyon faded away, and then, a dense forest rose around them. Thatched huts shaped like acorns and mushrooms rose around them, and an old wishing well appeared to the side.

Sahkyo looked around and saw little fairies dancing around her head. She chuckled.

“You brought us to a village of gnomes, and brownies, and leprechauns?” she asked. “How is this supposed to help you?”

“I’ll tell you how,” said Yumi. “This Field Spell is very powerful if used right.

“You see, if the only Monsters I have on the field are Spellcasters, you can’t use any Spell Cards.”

“Huh?” said Sahkyo.

“However,” continued Yumi. “If at any time, I have no Spellcasters on the field, then I can’t use any Spell Cards.”

“Sounds interesting,” said Sahkyo.

“Now…” continued Yumi, “I play Polymerization! I fuse Dark Magician and Goddess with the Third Eye…”

The two Monsters appeared in front of her, and merged into a swirling vortex…

“…to summon Dark Paladin!”

In an explosion of energy, the armored, blade-wielding Spellcaster appeared, glowing with a dark aura. (2,900/2,400)

“YEAH!” shouted Ren.

“Kycoo,” ordered Yumi, “attack the facedown Monster on the left!”

Kycoo cast his spell, and it struck the facedown card. When the smoke cleared, the Monster was crouching on the card. It appeared to be a door of some sort, with a face, arms, and legs, holding a spear. (800/1,800)

“That was my Golem Sentry,” muttered Sahkyo. “So that battle was a draw.”

“This one won’t be,” continued Yumi. “Dark Paladin, attack Golem Sentry! Fierce slashing wave!”

Dark Paladin made a slash with his weapon, and a blade of black magic shot towards Golem Sentry, smashing it into pebbles.

“I set one card facedown, and end my turn,” said Yumi, as a facedown card appeared.

Sahkyo drew a card.

“First, I set two cards facedown,” she said, as two facedown cards appeared. “Then, I set a new Monster.”

A second facedown Monster appeared.

“Then, I move Exxod to Attack Mode.”

Exxod slowly stood up.

“Why’s she doing that?” shouted Ren. “It has zero Attack Points!”

“Not for long,” replied Sahkyo. “I flip Great Spirit to Attack Mode as well.”

Her other facedown Monster flipped up, and Great Spirit appeared. (500/1,500)

“This activates Exxod’s effect. Whenever an Earth Monster is Flip-Summoned, you lose 1,000 Life Points.”

Exxod’s eyes glowed, and then a blast of pure light shot from them, striking Yumi. Yumi screamed and clutched her chest.

“I also activated Great Spirit’s effect,” continued Sahkyo. “When he’s Flip-Summoned, I can switch the Attack and Defense Scores of an Earth Monster on the field for one round. And that benefit is going to Exxod.”

Great Spirit started to chant in an ancient language, and Exxod glowed. It changed to (4,000/0)

“Good lord…” said Sam.

“Exxod…” ordered Sahkyo, “attack Dark Paladin with monolith smash.”

The Master of the Guard raised its mighty hand…

“I activate a Trap!” shouted Yumi. “A Hero Emerges!”

Her facedown card lifted up. She held the two cards in her hand forward.

“Now, you choose one card, and if it’s a Monster, I get to summon it.”

“If I must choose,” replied Sahkyo, “I choose the left.”

Yumi grinned.

“Come forth, Cosmo Queen!” she shouted.

In a burst of energy, the mighty queen of the galaxy appeared. (2,900/2,450)

“Not bad,” said Sahkyo. “But she won’t save your Paladin…”

Exxod slammed his hand down, smashing Dark Paladin flat. Yumi was thrown off her feet.


(Y: 5,900) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 6,500)



“I activate Great Spirit’s effect to return him to facedown position,” said Sahkyo.

Great Spirit vanished, and reappeared as a facedown card.

“My turn is over, which means Exxod’s scores go back to normal.”

Exxod reverted back to (0/4,000).

Yumi drew a card.

It was Mystical Space Typhoon.

She looked at it. Then she looked at Sahkyo’s two facedown cards.

Exxod is in Attack Mode with zero Attack Points, she thought. Clearly, one of those facedown cards is a Trap that will stop me from attacking it…

But which one?

“I play Mystical Space Typhoon!” she shouted. “And I’ll destroy…”

She paused.

“…THAT card!”

The cyclone tore across the field, and a Trap Card lifted up.

“By destroying my Desert Sunlight, you activated it,” replied Sahkyo. “Exxod now moves to Defense Mode.”

Exxod knelt and shielded himself again.

“That’s not good…” muttered Ren.

“It could have been worse,” said Vita. “Sahkyo clearly intended to trigger Desert Sunlight just as Yumi attacked it, which would have hurt Yumi. But now, she was forced to do so early.”

“Kycoo, attack the facedown Monster on the right!” ordered Yumi.

“I activate my other Trap,” said Sahkyo, calmly.

Her facedown card lifted, showing a picture of Freed the Matchless General sitting at a table looking at a map.

“A Feint Plan,” she said. “Now, you cannot attack my facedown Monsters.”

Yumi sighed. She set her last card on her Disk, and a facedown Monster appeared next to Kycoo.

Sahkyo drew a card.

“I flip both of my Monsters into Attack Mode,” she said. “Great Spirit, and Medusa Worm.”

Her two facedown Monsters flipped up. One was Great Spirit (500/1,500) and the other was a huge, rocky worm covered with spines. (500/600)

“This means Exxod’s effect activates twice.”

Two blasts flashed from Exxod’s eyes and struck Yumi. She screamed again.

“Also, Medusa Worm’s effect activates, destroying one Monster.”

A ray of energy blasted from Medusa Worm, striking Cosmo Queen. She gasped, right before she turned to stone. Then she shattered.

“HEY!” shouted Yumi.

“Next,” continued Sahkyo, “I sacrifice Great Spirit…”

Great Spirit vanished into grains of light.

“To summon Hieracosphinx.”

A new statue appeared. This one had the body of a lion, with the head and the large wings of a great hawk. (2,400/1,200)

“With Hieracosphinx on the field, you aren’t allowed to attack any of my facedown Monsters.

“Now, Hieracosphinx attacks Kycoo.”

Hieracosphinx leapt into the air, and came down on Kycoo, crushing him.

“I activate Medusa Worm’s effect, moving it into facedown position once again,” she said, as Medusa Worm was replaced by a facedown card. “I end my turn.

“Don’t forget, Yumi, since you now control no face-up Spellcasters, your own Field Spell works against you. You can’t use any Spell Cards until you correct that.”

“Don’t remind me…” grumbled Yumi.


(Y: 3,300) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 6,500)




Continued…