Chapter Text
Before the water engulfed him and pulled him into the depths, he saw the flames.
The flames of a dragon that could only be his, wielded by a figure pretending to be him.
He had been defeated with his own weapons, his own deck, his own sayings. With his own dragon.
But now everything was dark. He was surrounded by darkness, and the waves dragged him and his D-Wheel down.
In his shock, he had inhaled water. It was cold as ice. He struggled against the pressure, tried to break free, to swim back to the surface. But the flames were suddenly gone. No matter how hard he tried, all he could feel was how the cold drained him of every movement, and the darkness consumed him.
His attempt to turn and look for his D-Wheel failed, but he was sure it was already lost. And with it, Red Dragon Archfiend. He opened his eyes wide, fighting desperately against the crushing weight as the cold made his arms heavy and numb. He wanted to gasp for air but forbade himself—yet his legs gave out, and his lungs began to fail.
Was this the end?
Before he could fight off the thought, a blinding white light flared up behind him. He couldn’t turn around. But he also didn’t have to.
Once again, he was startled as something grabbed him by the collar and pulled him into the light.
Suddenly, the endless darkness disappeared, and the water stopped dragging him down. The light was piercing, but when it vanished, he found himself lying on his back on dry ground. His wet clothes were now like an iron prison, barely allowing him to move.
He tried to gasp for air, but there was only water. His coughing was a reflex, though it didn’t help much. With all his strength, he fought the numbness, managing to turn onto his side. He coughed violently, finally expelling the water. The air burned in his lungs, but he craved it nonetheless. As much as he could inhale, no matter how much it hurt.
“Pathetic.”
It was a deep, cold voice cutting through the darkness.
Jack’s eyes flew open. He tried to look up toward the source of the voice. Who was it, and how had they pulled him from the sea?
But before he could react, Jack gasped in horror. Though everything was numb, he felt the adrenaline surge to his fingertips. He gasped for air, but it barely came.
The taste of rust and iron hit him.
Whatever it was, the stranger had struck. Pierced him, even though he was already down. With a jolt, the stranger withdrew his weapon. “And you think you're a signer? Don’t make me laugh. You’re not even useful. Hopefully your friends show more promise.”
Black dots danced before his eyes, but Jack still saw the stranger raise his weapon and slice a blinding white light into the air.
It was a sword. And he wore a white robe. He stepped into the light and vanished, taking it with him.
Only the faint moonlight remained.
He was lying in a cave. Left alone to his fate. He felt the cold again, the blood, the numbness, his trembling.
This was the end.
•
“You acted prematurely, Placido.”
It sounded like a reproach, and Placido rolled his eyes, as if that was exactly what it was. “I’m not going to beg to get rid of him. He lost to the doppelgänger, even with the power of the Crimson Dragon. Even the children were more worthy.”
José furrowed his brow and leaned back in his throne. His gaze briefly wandered to the circle below before returning upward. “And your best idea was to kill him?” His words were sharp. “What’s supposed to happen to his Dragon Mark now? There’s no one to take his place. If we’re unlucky, the Crimson Dragon won’t appear again, and we will have failed, Placido. And that will be entirely your fault, for being too impatient and reckless.”
Placido, however, remained unfazed. “Clearly, he wasn’t worthy. And besides, I didn’t kill him. Not yet.”
Both José and Lucciano looked at him questioningly. “He’ll die a slow death,” Placido explained. “And when the time comes, his friends will notice.”
He looked down at the circle, which now slowly changed to a new image. It showed the doppelgänger speeding down the highway duel track, then shifted to two other D-Wheels. Placido pointed to the faces of the two men.
“If they don’t already think Jack is dead. I’m betting more on Yusei Fudo and Crow Hogan using the power of the Crimson Dragon. They show more promise.”