-Notes-
AO3 Account: 1_Weeb_Writer_1
I do not own Yugioh characters or franchise(s), Belongs rightfully to Toei Animations. Series belongs to Kazuki Takahashi (Yugioh Duel Monsters) & Shin Yoshida (Yugioh Zexal Author) & Naohito Miyoshi (Yugioh Zexal Manga Artist). English dubs belong rightfully to 4Kids Entertainment & 4K Media.
There is going to be 1st person and 2nd person in this chapter. If you get confused - comment and I will help clarify.
It is because I am going to have Jane explain and express these memories so it is the 1st person (in italics) but 2nd person is for me to write the characters movements.
It is gonna be confusing because I suck at 1st person.
Bear with me!
Alright! Enough explaining! More reading!
◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇
You were all in a kingdom, the grand hall. Standing in apparition forms, off on the sideline. Witnessing the story to be told. There were footsteps coming from the corridor that led to the grand hall. You turned around to see Knight Critias, Knight Hermos, Knight Timaeus who had both his eyes, and Knight Jane. Her armor was just like yours was when you ZEXAL morphed with Astral except she had a dragon helmet but it had a face cover to hide her face but her face cover was up. The knights were chattering as they entered the hall but unlike the other knights, Knight Jane didn't have a scratch or dent on her armor as the other knights had.
"Maiden Jane, you didn't have to go so rough on us for spare training!" Knight Critias complained. I was holding my head up high as I was the best fighter among the 4 of us. I spend my days with these three knights. Knight Timaeus, Knight Critias, and Knight Hermos. We were the 4 guardians of the Duel Monster world that was a separate realm apart from the humans. We lived in peace and harmony. Protecting the realm and preparing for any danger that may have threatened it. We were bestowed upon these duties by the Egyptian Gods themselves.
You could hear Jane narrating in your heads without her moving her mouth as she stood by you all still as this was herself in the past.
"Of course I had to!" I twirled myself around to face my fellow tired knights. Walking backwards with a cocky grin on my face. "But you didn't have to train us that hard!" Knight Hermos whined while rubbing his neck. "Indeed, I am going to need a long nap after this." Knight Timaeus groaned in pain while leaning a little on Knight Hermos. I found their complaints amusing and only made me want to train them even harder. "How else will any of you learn how to fight on your own if I am not by your side?" I giggled. Little did I know those very words would come to haunt me only mere moments after saying them. A loud ruckus was heard outside of the kingdom, of our home inside this separate world of ours. "What was that?!" Knight Critias shouted. Knight Timaeus was the first to run off to check out the source of this loud noise that was shaking our kingdom.
You all were transported outside of the kingdom to look up to an evil eye. Covered in pitch black malice that reeked of discomfort and a sick feeling in each of your stomachs.
I ran to Timaeus's side as he stared up at the horrifying creature. "Oh no!" I gasped when I saw many of our fellow friends being sucked into whatever that thing was. "We need to go to the human world! We have to protect their world and home world! Balance will collapse if this thing invades further!" Knight Timaeus went ahead after he said that with the other fellow knights going right after. "Come on, you trained us for this moment! Time to put it into good use!" Knight Hermos smiled at me as he pulled me to follow along with him. I put on my face shield and went to defend my world and the human world.
You were all transported out of that place to a desert-like valley place where many duel monsters were on one side and other monsters with this star green ominous seal above their foreheads. They were in a full out war. Fighting was all that could be seen from both sides.
We did not know some monsters roamed the human world but not all of them had the intelligence as us. They knew what side to fight on though. Fight for survival, for good, alongside us. This was 10,000 years before the reign of the nameless pharaoh and Lady (Y/n). This was a war to save mankind from total annihilation. During this Ancient war, we fought endlessly. My fellow knights and I could only keep the enemy at bay as our enemy controlled this foul but powerful beast called The Great Leviathan Dragon. We had help from a mage named Chris and a worthy warrior and leader of the human world monsters that roamed their earth, Ironheart. He fought with us to stop this madman named Dartz.
"Maiden Jane! Watch out!" Knight Hermos pushed me out of the way as Dartz struck him down with lightning. When I got up to rush over to check on my friend, lifting my face shield. He was nowhere to be found and neither were my fellow knights. All that stood in Knight Hermos place was but a red dragon. It was not only him but so was Knight Critias place with a fearsome ebony dragon and Knight Timaeus where a green dragon stood mighty in his place. It was only when I met their eyes that stared down at me when I knew. These dragons were my comrades. I could recognize them through their eyes. Begging through them to end this fight as I was the only hope left for this war. I only had my sword of paths in my disposal. Allowing me to choose what path my enemy strikes land and how much damage I can cause. "I am going to need an opening to strike. Please, lend me your strength one last time." I grip my sword in my hand tightly as I force my face shield to cover the tears that were streaming down my face "I will give it all I have! I swear!" My dragon friends who were once my dearest companions. My family. My fellow knights. Charged with Ironheart and the rest of the army of the last resistance of this Ancient War. I got on my dragon friend Hermos to have an opening from the sky, we rose above the clouds to hide from Dartz to find a striking point of his blind side.
I had to watch as Timaeus charged first to Dartz that led to his eye being rammed by the sword of kings by Dartz's hands. "Timaeus!" I cried out to him as I witnessed him fall to the ground. "Now strike down Timaeus oh great Leviathan Dragon!" Dartz ordered his fearsome dragon of destruction to take down my friend who was ready to fire back with his own fireball. Critias was in the back, holding off Dartz's possessed army from overthrowing our own. I stood on top of Hermos and held my sword up high in the sky "My fellow companions! Lend me your strength to slay this foe!" I leaped off of Hermos to fly down with my sword glowing brighter and brighter to land the final blow on Dartz while he was distracted by Timaeus. Hermos went to help Critias. "IT'S OVER FOR YOU DARTZ! KNIGHTS PATHWAY HARMONY SLASH!!!" I slashed both Dartz and his beast.
It wasn't enough.
I only left a scar across that forsaken man's chest while only weakening the beast with all the power I received from my fellow knights and from the monsters who fought by us. This led to a huge blast that didn't wipe us out but it sent my friends back to the separate realm. I watched them crystallize within those slow but painful moments before they were shot back home. I was not sent home with them. Instead I was sent back to the human world. With no strength left in me. My power had left me.
You all were now in a white void room that was similar to the abyss place you and Yuma meet at but this one seemed even more lonely. It was empty. Only a smaller Jane who was nothing but a child. Her power was so drained it took up even her aging process backwards with her abilities as her price. Unlike the fellow knights earlier who you knew had fought this war that ended in a draw but they met a different price. Jane's price was much more different.
I was left in this white void of nothingness for many years. I had no idea if we won or lost the war. I was the only one stuck in this desolate place. My armor became fragments over those long years. I soon emerged into the sandy plains of Egypt. Alone in a cave with rags as the clothes on my back. I assumed I was given a blessing and a curse, for I was given a chance to live life as a human. I was still not actually human but I could live with the other monsters in this new time of the world. It was an opportunity I wished I could have shared with my friends but I had no way back to them with the way I was now. Even if I did go back, they were frozen with no way for me to unfreeze them.
'That sounds just like how I am right now' You thought to yourself as you watched the young Jane walk for miles and miles on the sands. She looked almost 6 years old.
I had to steal clothes from a camping group to have decent clothes to blend in for whenever I arrived at a town. However . . . When I did arrive . . . The entire village was in flames.
Under attack.
You all saw young Jane run to the village to see men in cloaks and use stone tablets to summon voracious monsters to attack the village.
"Kill them all! Leave no man, woman, or children alive! We have to make their sacrifices for our monsters!" These men were cultists. Seeking power from these tablets that could have been me if I was discovered as a person of those monsters' worlds. This world that once roamed with monsters 10,000 years before it was no more. It had changed over the course of that time when I was stuck in that white void. I was grabbed by one of these cultists who mistaken me as a child even though I was in the form of one. I tried to fight but my strength as a guardian knight was gone. I had no sword. No power. I was weak and helpless, like a child. I thought I was going to die but that was when I met you, my lady.
Kite covered his little brother's eyes as he saw another child who climbed on the cultists back and sliced his throat with a dagger. Blood sprinkling on young Jane's face. The young girl quickly got off the man who was slowly dying from blood loss that also dropped young Jane. The little girl, appearing the same age as young Jane - around 6 years old, took Jane's hands quickly.
"We have to get going or else they will find us!" You killed that man with a rusty old dagger to save my life. It was unfortunate for both you and that man. You were only a child whose eyes were so vacant and lost from trauma you experienced before you had rescued me. I remember asking you once later in this memory what happened to you before we had met. You only told me your older sister had died.
"I . . . I . . . had . . . a . . . older sister . . .?" You felt your heart sink as you had no idea. How could you? You had no memories of this past so there was no way you could have known.
You never spoke about her to me or even the pharaoh. It was something only you knew so I am afraid I cannot give details about who she was.
You were eager to learn more about this older sister you used to have but there was nothing Jane could give you. You watched your past self run with young Jane out of the village to steal a horse that one of the cultists rode to get in the village to get away. The two were persuaded by a few cultists who were riding on their horses, chasing after the two girls. "Oh no. You have to get away!" Yuma shouted down the girls. Kari hits her brother's head "They can't hear us doofus. We are looking at memories." She sighs. Yuma chuckles "Oh, right. I forgot." He smiled sheepishly. Rio held Shark's arm, seeing one of the cult riders manage to cut the two of you off before they finally surrounded you with their horses.
"Give up girlies! You will become power for our monsters! Your sacrifices will not be in vain!" One of them boasted like it was justice. It all seemed to be too late for the two of us. Until his majesty came as a lord and savior.
A man riding a dark horse came close from the distance. He had the millennium puzzle around his neck. It was an older man, tan, he had a beard that was dark but it had grey streaks of his age getting to him showing. He had a headpiece with a cobra and worse traditional Egyptian royal attire.
Pharaoh Aknamkanon. He is the father of the nameless pharaoh who many of you know as Yami but also as the King of Games.
"His father?" He did indeed have the same determined look in his eyes as he rode up with summoning a few monsters of his own to make the men move back and surrender. Past you and young Jane were saved.
He came with a good round of men to seize this madness since there were sightings of cultists in this area but he came too little too late to save the village. We were the only survivors. The men were rounded up, captured, and checked for weapons. Pharaoh Aknamkanon got off his horse which we did the same out of naive trust. I only followed you because I knew nothing of this man but you had respect for him to bow to him to thank for his rescue.
However, one of the cultists had a weapon that was left unchecked and he broke through his restraints. He aimed for the pharaoh to stab him but you took the brutal stab instead to save his majesty. Right in your chest. It all happened so quickly before I realized what was happening. The pharaoh's men quickly grabbed the men off of you. "How could you be so reckless?!" I couldn't help but scold you as you were starting to bleed through your clothes. I went to remove the blade but pharaoh Aknamkanon stopped my hand from doing so.
"If you remove this blade from this child she will bleed to death." I shook my head to the old geezer "If she rides with us she will die from the motion of the horse that will keep piercing into her wound!" You took my hand as pharaoh Aknamkanon had you in his arms. You dragged me to Aknamkanon's side "Take her to your village. I will be fine. Leave me be for I have committed sin of murder of a few cultists men. It is best for me to atone by death. I will at least be with my older sister. I ask only of you, my king." You were so selfless for a child who has yet to live through their youthful years. You fell unconscious and the king was trembling from having a child slowly losing life in his arms.
Reminding him of his beloved son and heir, the nameless pharaoh. He looked at me "Get on the horse and follow me. I will take your friend on my horse." He tore some of his fabric and he was trying to prepare himself to take the blade out of you. I did it for him by pulling it out myself. Quickly covering your wound with the cloth he was going to use on your wound. "We need to hurry. We cannot afford to waste anymore time, your majesty." I was about to forget to address him with his title. I just barely caught on that he was some sort of royalty within those few minutes. He agreed with me and I left that blade to become one with the sand as we rode back to his kingdom.
The area changed to being inside the castle where your younger self of the past was fighting a fever in your sleep. Managed to stay alive after the stab wound. Young Jane was by your side as well as pharaoh Aknamkanon placed a hand on young Jane's shoulder.
"She is going to be alright . . . um what is your name, young child?" I looked over to the king "I am Jane. I do not know her name but" I looked back over to you "She saved me just as she saved you from those cultists." I longed for you to wake up so I could thank you but it turns out I was not the only one who wanted you to wake up. The pharaoh's son was also waiting for you to wake up.
A young Yami who was tanner and adorable as a young boy. He was standing at the doorway, nervous. Pharaoh Aknamkanon motioned him over to come in. He quickly went over to his fathers side and glanced over to your younger past self.
"Is she the one who really saved you tonight father?" the nameless pharaoh asked his father. He never once took his eyes off of you while clutching his fathers skirt. "She is indeed. She even saved this young lady's life as well."The young boy quickled looked over to me with awe "Really? Oh, Who may you be? I am ________ prince of Egypt." He introduced himself to me.
"Why was his name cut off?" You looked over to Jane who shrugged. Equally confused too just as you and the others were.
I do not know but I also seem to not remember what his name was either. I don't know why that is. Moving on.
It was hard for me to not call out his features that looked awfully like my fellow knight Timaeus. There was no way for me to tell a human that. I would be exposed for sure. I remained silent about that and it would be a long silence that never became spoken about with the prince. "I am Jane." I introduced myself and he smiled sweetly before looking back over to you "I hope she wakes up soon father." pharaoh Aknamkanon gently patted his son's head "Me too son, me too." we all were worried for you but were most excited for you to wake up.
The days transition from many sunsets and sunrises. Passing for almost a week before your younger self soon woke up. Young Jane was sitting by your bedside in a long dark green tunic dress with many gold bracelets and anklets. Having matching green flat shoes that were similar to the modern wear of bobs. Her waist had bejeweled green crystals upon her golden belt. Young Jane's hair was in the same style as it was now.
"You are finally awake!" I couldn't help but hug you. You winced from the pain but hugged me back. Once I stopped hugging you, you looked at me. "How am I alive?" I quickly explain what happened after you were stabbed and show you were brought here. "I am Jane. Thank you for saving me." You smiled thoughtlessly with kindness in your eyes "Oh it is no problem. I am (Y/n). Were you hurt by any chance? Are you alright?" Even though you were severely wounded you still cared for others even if they were unharmed. I shake my head 'no' to your question. Pharaoh Aknamkanon came in with his son tagging along behind him. "It is good to see you awake my child. We feared you would be in a long slumber." He was a kind king who had a soft spot for children. Children always reminded him of his son that he would do anything for his safety. "Greetings my king and prince, I am (Y/n) (L/n). It is an honor to be in your humble presence." You were well mannered and respectful to this king who chuckled to your formal greetings. You were bowing your head as soon as he entered the room.
Pharaoh Aknamkanon patted your head, making you look up at him. It was an uncommon gesture for royalty to touch people of your status since you were a commoner with no home or family. You used to tell me that this moment you never felt so awkward in front of the king your entire life while knowing him. "There is no need to be so formal with me. I should be the one bowing to you (Y/n). You saved my life for me to be able to be standing beside my son. For that, I would like you to be a permanent special guest in the palace. Your friend Jane as well. She would not leave your side the entire time and even changed your dressings while you slept." I blushed from being called out but it only made everyone in the room laugh from me being embarrassed. "Even after my sins? Is it alright for me to stay under this roof?" You were doubting your own worth but the nameless pharaoh placed a hand on your shoulder "You only did that to survive from the real monsters! You do not need to wallow in such guilt for trying to stay alive!" He huffed with his cheeks puffed out. He was upset that you were portraying yourself in a negative light. Sounded like he was angry at you for being harsh on yourself. Pharaoh Aknamkanon pulled the nameless pharaoh back with both his hands on his son's shoulders.
"Now, now my boy. There is no need to be so upset." he lightly chuckled while you huffed "You didn't need to raise your voice. Very un-prince-like." You teased which he got triggered from those fighting words of yours. Pharaoh Aknamkanon shakes his head "I am glad you 3 are becoming great friends already." He joked while it was obvious there was a bad start off on the friendship between you and the future pharaoh of Egypt. I did not care for my friendship with the pharaoh but I cared more for our friendship.
If only these times didn't slip by so quickly before my mistake.
Maybe things would have been different.
Maybe our lives could have stayed this childish before it all changed as we grew up.