After Zero (A Yu-gi-oh story with no dueling)

Chapter 12 - The Beginning

Jack awoke to the sound of sobbing. Red Daemon's was crying in her sleep, seemingly she was having a nightmare as she was slowly squeezing Jack tighter and tighter. Ancient Fairy had insisted that he continue sleeping with her, despite the way Red Daemon's had pushed him away.

The sound of bones creaking and the sheer pain told Jack to try and wake up Red Daemon's. This proved to be very hard as his arms were completely pinned down and kicking his legs did about as much as a light breeze. When the pain became overwhelming, he started screaming, which did have the effect of causing Red Daemon's to curl up which oddly made her squeeze him less.

Jack breathed a sigh of relief. His arms and torso were probably going to ache for days but his guts hadn't been pushed out like a tube of toothpaste. He caught himself wondering if what he was doing was the right thing, if he should have actually followed Ancient Fairy and started this charade.

Red Daemon's started mumbling in her sleep, although with how close Jack was he could actually discern what she was saying.

"...............Need...............strong.........enough............save......people..................be............king............"

With that last word he remembered. Why had he gone along with Ancient Fairy that day? The answer was simple. He had seen her. Burning, shining like the sun. Something he'd been looking for his whole life. Someone to follow and serve.

Reaffirming his goal, he willed himself to go to sleep. He would help Red Daemon's recover, so she could stand at the apex, where she belonged.

//

"It's just over this dune." Odd-Eyes was huffing, the arduous walk to where they were now had tired the whole group. Waka-U4 had taken Powertool and was carrying him back to synchro, which left Quantum and Bruno alone with the new arrival.

Quantum had agreed with Bruno that they shouldn't unverify while in the desert so both had been getting progressively more uncomfortable as they made it further and further into the desert. Odd-Eyes had told them that the first place they were going was the very edge of Link.

"Oh, wow." Odd-Eyes had summited the dune and was looking at whatever was on the other side. "Come up here, this view is incredible."

Quantum threw Bruno up, and jumped, landing on the summit next to him.

"You didn't have to throw me, I-" Bruno couldn't continue once he saw what Odd-Eyes had been looking at.

The ocean spread endlessly. All the way to the horizon all Bruno could see was the expanse of gray water. He'd never seen the ocean before and the completely still body of water enamored him. It was breathtakingly beautiful in its stillness.

"What happened!? The waves, they're gone!" Quantum on the other hand seemed distressed.

"What the-" Odd-Eyes also seemed suddenly disturbed. "There's nothing there... No life in the sea."

"Isn't that the way it's supposed to be? All life in Link is dead right?"

"No, you don't get it. The ocean, even if everything in this quadrant was dead, it's been over a thousand years. Stuff should've moved back in by now. This is bizarre."

Odd-Eyes and Quantum kept mulling over in distress and Bruno simply stared, not knowing what to say.

//

"Damn it all!" Clock had run all the way back to Fusion. Having gone all out and still losing had made her rage during the entire run, randomly swinging at nothing.

"Calm down." Clock allowed the phrase to run from her subconscious throughout her body. She rerouted her processes to strategize, determine what the ideal plan would be. Starting with her location. Forest. Plants. Predaplants. What could she do with them? She needed to absorb more Link monsters. But they were all gone, unless...