Maria's contact came just after noon. It was a short message. "Domino Port warehouse district entrance. 14:00. Please come." That was all. Seven days had passed since Battle City ended. The guilt that had been weighing heavily on Yuugi ever since—choosing what he did in that ruined fortress Alcatraz's duel tower, sealing away Atem—hadn't faded even after seven days. If anything, each time new cracks appeared in the Millennium Puzzle, the weight seemed to increase. (But I can't just stay still.) Yuugi glanced briefly at his right wrist as he changed clothes. Thin golden cracks ran across his skin. He pulled his sleeve down to hide them. He'd already contacted Jonouchi yesterday. When he'd sent "Going to the port tomorrow. Meeting someone named Maria," the reply came back in three seconds: "I'm coming too." He hadn't said anything more after that. Yuugi felt a little relieved. --- The road to Domino Port's warehouse district was completely different from the bustling shopping street. The road widened, the asphalt turned a deep black, and the smell of salt grew stronger. By the time the port warehouse buildings came into view, Jonouchi was walking beside him. "[serious]Just asking to be sure" said, arms crossed, eyes forward. "Can you trust this person?" "[gentle]Not completely, not yet" "[serious]So you haven't decided to trust them" "[gentle]But they said they'd cooperate about Atem. I think that part is true" Jonouchi said "Hmm" and fell silent. He kept walking in silence. At the warehouse district entrance—where an old fence had a "No Trespassing" sign—a single woman stood waiting. Maria Zepharen. Her silver-long hair swayed in the wind. Clear blue eyes, and gold in her right eye. Heterochromia. Purple ancient script tattoos were visible on the back of her left hand. She wore a white coat and watched them quietly. "You came" she said. Her tone of voice didn't change. "That is sufficient." Jonouchi kept his arms crossed and looked directly at Maria. "[serious]Just so you know, I haven't decided to trust you" Maria heard those words without changing her expression. After a brief pause, "[cold]Of course" she said. "It would be more dangerous to easily trust someone you've just met." Jonouchi whispered to Yuugi, "…What is this person?" Yuugi gave a wry smile and whispered back, "Jonouchi, let's just listen for now" "[sarcastic]You really are something…" Maria had already started walking. --- Once they went deeper into the warehouse district, all signs of people disappeared. Rows of barely-used buildings, rusted shutters, and seawater stains ingrained in concrete stretched on. Maria stopped with her back against the wall of an abandoned warehouse. "[serious]First, I'll teach you the method" She turned toward Yuugi. "[serious]Hold the Millennium Puzzle in both hands and press it to your chest. Then close your eyes. Trace the echoes of Atem's emotions—direct your consciousness. That is the only way to sense the presence of Memory Cards" "[surprised]Memory Cards…" Memory Cards—when Atem's consciousness fragmented, his memories and emotions took the form of Duel Monsters cards and materialized, Maria had explained yesterday. They looked almost identical to normal cards, but when you held them, there was a faint warmth. If he could collect them, then Atem could— "I'll try" Yuugi said. He removed the Millennium Puzzle from around his neck and held it in both hands. It was cold. The same cracked gold as always. He pressed it to his chest and closed his eyes. At first, there was nothing. He only heard the sound of wind. The sound of waves. Somewhere in the distance, the sound of metal striking metal. (Atem…) He tried to direct his consciousness. He didn't know where to direct it. But he thought of Atem. The days they'd fought through Battle City. What he'd chosen in the finals. That low, calm voice. The Puzzle grew slightly—warmer. It might have been his imagination. But he definitely felt warmth seeping into his fingertips. And then, a sensation of being pulled. Toward the sea. Something was pulling him in the direction where Alcatraz lay. Yuugi opened his eyes. "[surprised]…There's something over there" Maria's expression didn't change. Still, her eyes narrowed slightly. "[serious]Correct" Something small ignited in Yuugi's chest. He'd sensed a fragment of Atem with his own power. For the first time. Since Atem's voice disappeared, for the first time he'd actively touched that existence. Jonouchi watched the two of them from a distance. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he pressed his lips together. --- The three of them moved to the waterfront. A place where Alcatraz was visible. The sea was a grayish blue, and autumn sunlight reflected dully off the water's surface. About twelve kilometers offshore, a black silhouette floated—that ruined fortress. Yuugi kept the Puzzle pressed to his chest and looked in that direction. The sensation of being pulled was stronger than before. That's when it happened. Footsteps sounded behind them. The moment he turned around, two men emerged from the warehouse shadows. Around their twenties. Expressionless. Duel Disks equipped on their arms. On the back of their deck cards—Hieratic script was engraved. The same ancient Egyptian characters as the tattoo on Maria's wrist. They said nothing. They deployed a Duel. Solid Vision—no, that wasn't it. Not a holographic projection. The summoned Monster landed with actual weight. The air changed. The surroundings grew dim, even though it wasn't evening. A Shadow Game. The magical duel conducted in ancient Egypt—where card power affected reality, and the loser took damage to spirit and body. The first strike came. The summoned Monster swung its arm. Yuugi jumped to the side, but he wasn't fast enough. Claws grazed the outside of his left arm. A burning pain shot through him. "[scared]…This is actually painful!" Blood was flowing. Just a little, but it was real. Yuugi gripped the Puzzle tightly. His hands were shaking. He'd experienced Shadow Games before—but never as the one being attacked. The Monster's overwhelming pressure bore down on him with a weight that felt like it would crush his very bones. (If Atem were here…) The moment that thought crossed his mind, the second Monster moved. This time toward Jonouchi. "Whoa!" With a heavy impact, Jonouchi was sent flying. Two meters to the warehouse wall. He crashed into it with his back. A dull sound like concrete cracking. "[scared]Jonouchi!" Jonouchi slid down the wall and dropped to one knee. His face was twisted in pain. He looked hurt. His breathing was ragged. But—he planted both hands on the ground and pushed himself up. "[angry]…You've done it now" Breathing heavily through his nose, he faced forward. The Duel Disk on his arm activated. "[serious]Yuugi! Get back! I'll take the front!" Yuugi's feet felt rooted to the ground. (That's right. I can't just stand still now.) Jonouchi's voice hit him head-on. It was scary. But Jonouchi was standing despite his fear. Then so should he— Yuugi activated his Duel Disk. --- Jonouchi moved forward. With his natural momentum, he deployed aggressive cards one after another. "Gambler," "Skull Dice"—he kept up the pressure while drawing one of the opponents' Monsters toward himself. Yuugi watched the entire field from behind. Two-on-two. While Jonouchi held one back, the other Monster came toward Yuugi's side. Yuugi set a Trap Card and waited for the opponent's move. It came—the moment the Monster stepped forward, "[serious]Reverse Card, open! Mirror Wall!" A wall deployed. The Monster's attack was halved and bounced back. The opponent's Life Points dropped. "[excited]Jonouchi, now!" "[excited]Got it!" Jonouchi drew a card from his hand. "Big Bang Shoot!" —he activated an Equip Spell, equipping it to his Monster. Its attack power skyrocketed. Then he drove it straight into the opponent's Monster. With a shattering sound, the enemy Monster broke apart. The opponent's Life Points reached zero. The other one, Yuugi would finish. With the defense weakened, he summoned "Black Magician" to the field. Atem's ace Monster—now in Yuugi's deck. The black-robed sorcerer materialized, staff at the ready. "[serious]Black Magic!" The magical attack hit directly. The remaining Life Points vanished. The Shadow Game's effect took hold—both losers dropped to their knees. They both went still, unconscious. --- For a while, only the sound of waves could be heard. Yuugi rubbed the wound on his left arm, breathing heavily. It was still hot. But the bleeding had stopped. Jonouchi beside him let out a big "Haa" breath. "[laughing]…Not bad for us, huh?" It was a laugh to hide embarrassment. Yuugi couldn't help but laugh too. "[gentle]Jonouchi, is your back okay?" "[sarcastic]My back's… probably gonna hurt like hell tomorrow" "[laughing]That's not funny" Even without Atem, he could fight alongside Jonouchi. It was a small thing, but it was real. Jonouchi approached the two fallen Duelists and picked up their deck. He looked at the back of the cards. "[surprised]This Hieratic script… it's the same as what your Puzzle reacted to earlier, right?" Maria approached quietly. The moment her gaze fell on the deck, her body went very still. "…Those two are" Her voice had hardened. "My brother's subordinates" Yuugi asked back. "[surprised]Your brother?" Maria's gaze fell to the edge of the waterfront. She said nothing more. Jonouchi took a step forward saying "Hey, wait a minute." Yuugi quickly grabbed Jonouchi's arm and shook his head. Right now, even if they asked, no answer would come. He understood that much. "Let's go. That's enough for today" Maria said, and started walking. Yuugi watched her back. Her silver hair swayed in the evening wind. She was a calm person, but only her voice had been different just then. Hard, and somehow small. (Her brother, huh…) For some reason, he couldn't look away. It was supposed to be caution. But it was something more than that keeping his gaze fixed. Yuugi didn't fully understand it himself, but he said to Jonouchi, "Let's go" --- Just before leaving the warehouse district, Yuugi pressed the Millennium Puzzle to his chest one more time, facing the sea. It was clearer than before. The sensation of being pulled from the direction of Alcatraz. The Memory Cards were definitely in that ruined fortress—Yuugi became certain of it and gripped the Puzzle tightly. The sea's color was beginning to turn red with the setting sun. The silhouette of Alcatraz offshore rose up in black. He had to go there. But it was an abandoned facility managed by Kaiba Corporation, and he couldn't approach it easily. And then there was Maria's silence. The existence of her brother. A man who sent two subordinates with Hieratic script decks—what would he do next? Jonouchi came to stand beside him. "[excited]Next time we'll definitely do better" "[gentle]Yeah" Yuugi answered briefly. Beyond the waves dyed by the setting sun, Alcatraz stood quietly in place.