Yuugi had been gripping the old card he received from Jonouchi all through the night. Even as morning came, he couldn't let it go. His fingers ached from the force of his grip as he remained sitting on the floor. A bird sang outside the window. From downstairs in Kame Game, the sound of Grandpa Mutou raising the shutter echoed through the shop. The shopping district was waking up. The world was moving on normally. Yet Yuugi couldn't move. As evening approached, he finally managed to push himself up using the edge of the bed. He felt dizzy. He'd barely drunk any water since yesterday. He looked at his face in the mirror on the desk—his eyes were swollen. But different from yesterday. Not those hollow eyes from before. Something was there. Faint, but there. He stepped into the hallway. Jonouchi was leaning against the wall outside his room, arms crossed. He must have been waiting there the whole time. The moment he saw Yuugi's face, he opened his mouth. "[surprised]Yo, you can stand!" He sounded happy. But not forced cheerfulness. It was genuine relief. Yuugi headed downstairs. Maria was standing beside the counter. Silver-long hair flowed from her shoulders. Blue and golden eyes looked at Yuugi. Her usual composed expression. But now—it almost looked like she was waiting for something. Yuugi spoke to both of them. "[serious]I'm going back into the Puzzle one more time" Jonouchi's expression tightened slightly. Maria opened her mouth quietly. "[cold]The collapse is progressing. The internal space should be more unstable than before. If you fail—there's a possibility your consciousness won't return" Yuugi nodded. "I understand. But I'm going anyway. I want to see with my own eyes whether Atem is really still there" Jonouchi started to say something. He opened his mouth. But no sound came out. Instead, he placed his hand on Yuugi's shoulder and gave it one strong pat. That was all. Maria thought for a moment, then spoke. "[serious]You'll need a quiet place to concentrate your spirit. Ideally, a calm space—" Jonouchi answered immediately. "The tatami room would work fine, right?" Maria fell silent for a moment. "[sarcastic]…That's not quite what I meant" An awkward pause hung in the air. Jonouchi tilted his head and asked, "Huh, won't it work?" Maria's eyes shifted slightly away. The way the tension deflated made Yuugi's lips curve up just a little. But the feeling returned quickly. He had to go. --- In the tatami room at the back—the small Japanese-style room in the shop's interior—Yuugi sat cross-legged. He held the Millennium Puzzle in both hands, pressing it against his chest. He closed his eyes. Jonouchi and Maria watched quietly from the edge of the room. He breathed deeply. His consciousness sank— --- The moment he entered, he knew. It had gotten worse. The collapse had progressed far more than the last time he came. The floor was split open in large cracks. Part of the ceiling had fallen, and he couldn't see beyond it. Deep holes gaped open everywhere. Bottomless. Dark abysses that led nowhere, spreading across the space. The ground beneath his feet trembled. Standing alone felt like it might crumble. (Even so) Yuugi moved forward. He pushed rubble aside with both hands. His palms scraped raw. He ran along the edge of a crumbling passage. His foot slipped—he caught himself hard. He ran again. Deeper. Further in. Light appeared on a wall. An image. A small boy smiling in a desert. Someone with a crown on their head, but with a child's eyes, laughing. Beside them, companions gathered around cards, laughing together. And then—a face turned toward him. Deep eyes looking at Yuugi. The echo of a voice drifted through the space. Not words. Only emotion remained, like mist. Yuugi didn't stop. Tears traced down his cheeks. He didn't try to stop them. He ran while crying. He thought that was okay. He reached the innermost chamber. In the deepest part of the rubble pile, in a crevice—a speck of light, no bigger than a grain of rice. So small. Small enough to disappear. But it was definitely there. Yuugi fell to his knees. He placed his hands on the rubble. He reached his fingertips toward the speck of light. The moment he touched it—it wasn't words. Only emotion flowed in. Warm, soft, and just one thing— Believing in you. (Atem) Yuugi spoke aloud. He didn't know if his voice could reach this space. But he had to say it. "[crying]I'm not alone. Jonouchi is here. Maria is here. And—you're still here too" He spoke it like a vow. In that instant, the entire internal space trembled slightly. The speck of light—for just a moment, it grew larger. --- When he opened his eyes, he saw the tatami room's ceiling. The Millennium Puzzle on his chest glowed faintly gold. It quickly returned to its dull color. But the icy coldness from before was gone. The Puzzle held a faint warmth. Jonouchi came rushing over. "[scared]Yuugi! You okay?! How long were you in there?! I was so worried!" He grabbed Yuugi's shoulders. He shook him hard. "[gentle]…Yeah. I'm okay" This time, he really meant it. His voice trembled with it. Jonouchi understood. He stopped shaking him. But he kept his hands on Yuugi's shoulders, not letting go. Maria hadn't moved from where she stood. She was staring intently at the Puzzle, which had briefly reclaimed its golden light. Their eyes met. Yuugi spoke. "[gentle]Maria, thank you. If you hadn't told me about the memory cards, I don't think I could have kept trying like this" Maria's gaze shifted sideways for a moment. "[cold]I'm not in a position to be thanked. My brother is the reason the Puzzle's cracks have spread" Her voice was calm. But Jonouchi was watching her profile carefully. He leaned close to Yuugi's ear and whispered. "[whispers]Just now, for a second, she looked relieved" Yuugi thought to himself—he was right. Maria hadn't heard. But Yuugi understood. That slight softening in her profile. --- Night fell. A small liaison boat departing from Domino Port—the Kaiba Corporation's administrative vessel used for transport to and from Alcatraz—the three of them boarded it. Maria had said it. Her brother was on Alcatraz. He had chosen that place, the stage of the Battle City finals, as his own stage. Tokyo Bay at night was nearly windless. Only the low sound of the engine echoed. The water surface was black. In the distance, the black silhouette of Alcatraz appeared. Jonouchi checked his Duel Disk belt and spoke to Maria. "[serious]Hey Maria. Your brother—is he still trying to protect you?" Maria stared at the sea for a while. "[sad]I don't know. But if any part of my old big brother remains in my brother now—I'm the only one who can reach him" Her voice was quiet. It didn't waver. But it had strength. Jonouchi replied. "[gentle]Then we're the same as you. Not giving up, right?" Maria didn't answer. She just gripped the ship's railing, and the strength in her fingers increased slightly—then slowly, it eased. Yuugi listened to their conversation while gripping the Millennium Puzzle against his chest. He faced the silhouette of Alcatraz head-on. I'm going. --- When they reached the Duel Tower, Zepharen was already standing in the center, waiting. 185 centimeters tall. Silver-gray hair tied back. Golden eyes. The ancient Hieratic character tattoo beneath his left eye was visible even in the dim light. A black Deck peeked from the leather pouch at his waist. That Deck, with Hieratic characters carved on the back of every card. He watched the three of them with a serene smile. The air froze. Yuugi remembered the abandoned warehouse that night—the same man, standing with the same composed expression. Yuugi's legs trembled slightly. "[cold]You've come again. Vessel of the King" His low voice echoed through the tower. Yuugi activated his Duel Disk. "[serious]I've come to get the memory cards back. This time, I won't lose" Zepharen's mouth moved slightly. His smile deepened. Behind him, Jonouchi's voice rang out. "[excited]You got this, Yuugi!" That voice—trembling though it was—stopped Yuugi's shaking legs. The moment Zepharen set his black Deck—the entire tower changed. Black-purple mist rose from the floor. Ancient characters' light spread across the entire surface. The ceiling disappeared, becoming endless darkness. A Shadow Game—an ancient Egyptian magical duel. Card power interfered with reality. "[serious]Black Magician—Summon!" A black-robed sorcerer materialized. Yuugi remembered every detail of that complete defeat in the abandoned warehouse. That night, every trap he'd set was predicted. Every spell he activated was negated. Zepharen had read every single move perfectly. So tonight—he would break that pattern. He Set one Trap Card. But it wasn't his real play. It was bait. A setup to make Zepharen think "a trap was Set." Zepharen moved. With casual ease, he developed his Monsters. He attacked—Yuugi deliberately took it with Black Magician. His Life Points dropped. But it didn't matter. He had "Divine Wrath" warming in his hand. In the early game, Zepharen responded methodically. He didn't seem to notice that Yuugi's approach had changed—or was he noticing and observing? Unreadable. The mid-game arrived. The words Maria had whispered before the duel began echoed in his mind. "My brother has a habit of launching speed attacks when his opponent takes a defensive stance. If you can turn that moment against him—" Yuugi adopted a defensive posture. Deliberately, he Set his Monsters in Defense Mode. Zepharen moved—he activated a speed-attack Spell Card. Yuugi had been waiting for exactly this move. "[serious]Trap Activate—Magic Cylinder! And from my hand, Divine Wrath!" A double trap. Magic Cylinder bounced Zepharen's attack back at him. Furthermore, Divine Wrath negated the effect of Zepharen's speed-attack Spell— Zepharen's Life Points dropped significantly. That was the moment. The smile vanished from Zepharen's face. Just for an instant. Really just an instant. But it was unmistakable—his eyebrows drew together slightly. The composed expression cracked for the first time. Jonouchi's voice rang out from outside. "[excited]Now! That face—it cracked! Go, Yuugi!!" Yuugi's hand reached for his next card. It's working. It's working—! The sensation spread from his fingertips through his entire body. Zepharen had missed a move. A move he couldn't read. He'd broken through. The superior composure had developed its first crack. Yuugi drew his card. He constructed his next sequence. The duel wasn't over yet. Zepharen was already recovering. And for the first time, his eyes held temperature—whether it was the thrill of interest or wariness, it didn't matter. The night deepened. Above the Duel Tower, the black-purple mist continued to sway. Zepharen spoke quietly. "[cold]…I see. Your eyes are different from last time" For the first time, he acknowledged Yuugi with words of evaluation. Yuugi didn't answer. There was no need to answer. He only needed to show his next move.