Chapter One: The Pursuit
Ominous clouds moved across the night sky as several cloaked figures ran through the many maze-like alleyways of the city, using the darkness as cover. Each glanced around, searching for the man they were pursuing while trying to avoid the militia parading down the streets.
The occupation had begun a month ago when the newly formed government became paranoid of an uprising. Many who didn't support its cause were unhappy with the way it had taken control—brute force. They had formed a group to find a way to fight the dictatorship. As a result, a specific set of rules had been imposed to keep them in line.
Then, only days later, a wall was erected seemingly overnight to section the area off from the rest of the city. Everyone living within had become a prisoner, unable to see their friends and family on the other side of the wall. And if anyone didn't follow these rules and tried to escape, they would be tortured for information and executed.
Despite such restrictions, the group had decided they had no other choice but to disobey the curfew law. They were by no means involved with trying to overthrow the current leader, but time was of the essence. What they were risking their lives for was far more paramount than the fear of a leader or the civil unrest surrounding them. The fate of the entire world depended on their success.
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"Please! Stop!" a woman cried out with tears in her blue eyes.
She was lying on the ground, surrounded by a group of men dressed in military uniforms. Two were crouched down beside her as they held her wrists above her head. Another was lying on top of her with a sadistic smirk on his lips.
"You know you want this, sweetheart," he replied, beginning to hike up the short skirt of her black dress as he stared at her with greed and lust in his cold brown eyes. "You've been tempting me all week long."
He was about to force a kiss onto her lips when something flew into both of his eyes. A yell of pain came from his mouth as he rolled onto the ground and held his eyes in agony. The men holding the woman down also found themselves crying out as something collided with their hand, causing them to let her go.
"Dice?" one of the other men asked, spotting the four white dice on the ground that had hit his commander and friends.
"Just when I thought you couldn't go lower, you outdo yourself," a man spoke in disgust. The group fell silent and looked around until they noticed a black-cloaked figure step out from the darkness of a nearby alleyway. "Men like you give the rest of us guys a bad name."
Anger surged through the commander as he opened his bloodshot eyes and climbed to his feet. He didn't have to look at the man's face to know who he was. Even after all these years, he could recognize the irritating man just by his voice.
"I see you still don't know what's good for you, Darcy."
Darcy removed the hood of his cloak in one swift motion, revealing his attractive facial features and shoulder-blade-length black hair. He had an air of confidence around him as he brushed his hand through the tresses of hair framing his face. His striking green eyes landed on the brown-haired woman sitting on the ground as he gave her a charming smile.
"What kind of man would I be if I let you harm such a beautiful lady?" he replied with a wink.
A blush appeared on her pale cheeks.
"Our school days have long since passed," the commander sneered. "You can't charm your way out of the situation now. There's no one with enough authority to stop me. Not even your brother can aid you. I'm the law here."
At the mention of his sibling, the smile fell from Darcy's lips. "I am more than enough to handle you and your lackeys now, Porter."
"I think you've grown overconfident in your abilities," Porter replied, pulling out his machine gun. "We have the advantage on all fronts. You won't be able to run away unscathed with us armed with these babies. There are also ten of us and only one of you. If you do so much as try to attack us or escape, you're as good as dead."
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"Why wouldn't I choose to fight? I'm damned either way, according to your logic."
A crazed grin appeared on Porter's face as he aimed his gun. "I was hoping you would say that. I'll enjoy dancing over your corpse!"
"No!" the woman screamed out in horror as he fired at him.
"Watch as your hero dies!"
Darcy brought his right hand up in front of him as a bright gold aura surrounded his body. A see-through barrier of the same color appeared in front of him mere seconds before the bullets landed on their target, shielding him from harm. Everyone watched the spectacle, their eyes widening in disbelief.
"W-what?!" Porter exclaimed, lowering his weapon.
"It appears time has not served you well. You're even more twisted than before."
Porter stared at him for a moment, then scowled as he raised his gun again and aimed. "Everyone! Fire!"
The men surrounding the woman pulled out their guns and began to shoot, focusing all their attention on the man standing before them. Wishing to find a safe place, the woman crawled out from the circle of men and ran for cover behind a nearby building. Her curiosity over the strange man who had saved her stopped her from leaving as she watched the bullets continue to slam into the mysterious barrier. He had a deep-seated determination set on his face that made her heart skip a beat.
Her intrigue eventually turned into alarm when she spotted another group of soldiers behind him as they ran out from the alleyways between several buildings to shoot at him.
"Watch out!" she yelled, poking her head out from her hiding spot to point at them. "There are more behind you!"
He swiftly spun around to face them, sweeping his right arm to the side and creating a spherical barrier that protected him from every angle.
"What in the hell is this guy?!" one of the soldiers who tried to assault her shouted.
A confident smirk appeared on the man's lips as he turned around to face the commander and his gang once again.
"Your worst nightmare," came his reply as he raised both of his hands into the air.
Her eyes widened in shock as a glowing golden eye appeared on the center of his forehead. Thick shadows that gave her an unsettling feeling slowly began gathering around him and the men encircling him. And just before the group disappeared from her sight, he spoke again.
"Fancy playing a short game, Porter?" he asked, pulling out a few more dice from his cloak pocket. "We all know how you love to gamble."
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A beautiful woman with soft olive skin was walking through an ornately painted stone corridor. The crown-like eagle headdress atop her head framed her face in gold and had a cream piece of cloth covering her long black hair and bare shoulders. It cascaded down to her hips and flowed behind her as she moved. Her matching dress fit snug against her body and accentuated her curves with the help of its intricate gold collar and the thick gold belt wrapped around her waist.
Any servants she encountered moved to the side and bowed to her in respect. She gave each a curt nod, glancing at them momentarily with her radiant blue eyes before walking past them without a word. Her usual cordial countenance was hidden by the preoccupied expression she wore on her face.
She eventually reached a big windowless stone room where a large flame was crackling inside a pit at the center. The light from the flame reflected off the gold embellishing her clothes and jewelry she wore on her arms, wrists, and neck. When she reached the edge of the pit, she finally allowed the worry that had been weighing down upon her to reveal itself as she stared into the fire.
Her fingertips found their way up to the unique gold necklace that rested on top of her collar bone. The design was simple, a gold eye with a curved tail on each side. She seemed to place great importance on it. Given its well-known power of prediction, it wasn't surprising. Many had once been willing to do anything they could to get their hands on it and the other six Millennium Items her friends had in their possession. The wish for their power only came to an end when the pharaoh returned to the afterlife a second time with the seven Millennium Items in tow.
Nevertheless, now her sixth sense was trying to warn her that something important would happen soon. And the feeling had only increased in urgency since it began a few weeks ago. However, for reasons she couldn't explain, her power to predict what would happen was being heeded by something. The unusual predicament left her feeling an uneasiness she never thought she'd experience again. The peace and tranquility everyone was able to enjoy now shouldn't be able to be disturbed. Seto Kaiba had been the only one to find a way to break this rule during his life whenever he appeared in the afterlife to duel the pharaoh.
Everyone she knew had taken notice of her withdrawn behavior. She could see from the concerned looks she would occasionally receive that they wondered what was wrong, but they didn't push her to tell them. They knew she'd inform them if she found out something terrible was about to happen. It was her duty and desire to protect the people she held dear.
A quiet sigh escaped her lips as she closed her eyes and placed both of her hands near the sides of the necklace. As she concentrated and attempted to use its power, a small glimmer of gold light appeared at the center of the eye.
With any hope, it would finally tell her of the future that was to come.
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The cloaked figures continued running through the alleyways in desperation when a woman among their group let out a gasp. They stopped as they looked back at her. A soft glimmer of light had appeared at the center of the eye at the top of the long white gold staff she was holding. Her head turned to the side as she glanced down another alley.
"He's this way. I can sense it."