"Something isn't right," Hera told her friends. For the past four rounds they had watched a stalemate between Barrett and Tristan, neither of them getting any closer to winning.

"What do you mean, Hera?" Yugi asked, confused. Though it seemed tedious that the game between Tristan and Barrett was so drawn out, and taking so long, Yugi knew it wasn't unusual in games of chance.

"Look at Tristan," Hera told her friends. The friends all looked to Tristan. He looked as he always did. Perhaps a little stoic and distant; however, that could easily be blamed on nerves.

"He looks fine," Tea said, not understanding what Hera was getting at.

"Five turns ago, he looked far from fine," Hera reminded her friends. "He was a nervous, emotional, sweaty wreck. Why is it that he is suddenly calm cool and collected? He looks like he's playing a school game, rather than a shadow game," Hera pointed out. The friends all took a second look at Tristan.

"Hey Tristan!" Joey called out, "You okay buddy?" Tristan didn't answer him; Tristan didn't even acknowledge Joey's existence. They knew Hera was right.

"What's… what's wrong with him?" The Pharaoh asked, taken aback by Tristan's suddenly odd behavior. Hera furrowed her brow.

"I'm not sure," Hera admitted, "but whatever it is, it can't be good."

XXXXXX

Useless

Deadweight

Unimportant

Worthless

Wasted Space

These were the words that were echoing across Tristan's mind, and etching themselves onto his soul. He could feel the darkness of the shadow realm envelop him, as he wallowed in his own misery.

'I… I don't understand what's happening,' Tristan thought to himself. He looked around the dark hole that appeared to have abducted him from the game. Suddenly, he felt a pain go through his chest, as the hurtful words from his friends danced through his ears once more.

'It… It feels like my heart is being ripped from my body' Tristan thought to himself, as tears of pain pricked at his eyes. 'The last thing I remember is… being on a game show… and…. My friends… hating me…' Tristan tried to remember more. He tried to remember his friends not hating him, but every time he searched his head, the same hateful words came back to haunt him.

'No…' Tristan thought to himself. 'It can't be true… my friends can't hate… my friends can't hate me!' Tristan felt claustrophobic as the darkness encircled him, tightening the vice they had on his gritted his teeth in agony.

"No!" Tristan cried out, fighting the dark energy that was surrounding him.

"Tea!" Tristan called out to his friends. "Joey! Yugi! Hera! Anyone! Help me!" Tristan called out, refusing to give in to the dark forces that craved his defeat.

"Please," Tristan whispered, tears rolling down his cheeks, "Help…"

XXXXXX

They all felt it. The Pharaoh, Yugi, Joey, Tea and Hera all felt the jolt of pain surge through them, verifying to them, that something was definitely wrong with their friend.

"Did… did you all feel that?" Tea asked her friends.

"You mean that pange in my chest?" Joey asked, grabbing at his heart, "I think it's heartburn." Tea groaned, frustrated with Joey's ignorance.

"Tristan's in trouble!" Yugi declared. Hera turned to him and nodded.

"He is in a battle for his soul," Hera told them, "I can see the void of darkness in which he is trapped, and a struggle with his inner demons, that he is losing." The friends gave Hera a peculiar look.

"What do you mean Hera? Tristan's right there?" Joey pointed to the stage where their friend appeared to be sitting quietly.

"That's not Tristan," Hera told them, before standing up and marching onto the stage. She went straight to Barrett.

"Barrett the Deceiver!" Hera addressed him, wielding her scepter, "I demand that you release us from this illusion!" Barrett smiled at her.

"Whatever are you talking about, goddess Hera?" He asked with a coy smile.

"You know fully well the illusion of which I speak, and I demand that you stop this madness! I demand to see the soul of Tristan!" Hera demanded. Barrett laughed.

"This is a shadow game Hera," Barrett cooed, "And after the challenger accepts, the demands they must meet are all fair ground."

"What are you saying?" Hera asked, narrowing her eyes.

"I'm saying tough luck, Goddess," Barrett spat. "This is the domain of the Shadow Queen, and your rule doesn't apply. Make all the demands you wish, just know they fall on deaf ears!" Barrett taunted before fading into the surrounding darkness. Suddenly the whole stage went dark, the demonic audience disappeared in a flash, and the friends soon found themselves alone, and trapped in an empty chasm of the shadow realm.

"What just happened?" Yugi asked, looking around at the new scenery. Hera turned to her friends.

"We're trapped," She told them, "We're in the domain of Barrett and at the mercy of whatever illusions he decides to cook up for us."

"But… how do we escape?" The Pharaoh asked, looking around the surrounding darkness, trying to find a way out.

"We don't," Hera told him, "The only way out… is if Tristan can conquer whatever darkness Barrett has put him up to."

XXXXXX

'A is for Alone, B is for Bother,C is for Cheated, D is for Desolate, E is for Empty, F is for Forgotten, G is for Guilty, H is for Hopeless, I is for idiot, J is for Jaded, K is for… K is for…'

Tristan had been playing the Alphabet game with himself for what felt like hours. His mind was numb, and all that seemed to cloud his mind was a sense of hopelessness and desperation. His breath became labored, and soon Tristan couldn't breathe. The words that once danced in his ears were now clawing at his throat, and demanding every last breath in his lungs. He choked and clamored in the dark, trying to find a way out. He could hear Barrett's wicked laughter surrounding him, as he delved further and further into insanity. Tristan didn't know how much more of the shadow realm he could take, he didn't even know why he bothered fighting the darkness.

'I'm fighting… I'm fighting for… Hera! I'm fighting for my friends!' Tristan thought to himself remembering his friends, followed by remembering all the horrible and cruel things they had said about him. Tristan welled his eyes shut, as the foul memories of his friends were soon replaced with the even more foul noise of Barrett's laugh.

'It's all an illusion, it's all an illusion, it's all an illusion, it's all an illusion,' Tristan kept thinking to himself. The more he thought it, the less real everything became, making the situation even harder for Tristan to process.

"If it's all an illusion," Barrett whispered into Tristan's ear, "Then your friends are as real as the darkness that surrounds you." Tristan put his hands over his ears trying to shut the henchman out, but the words echoed in his head, bouncing around with the horrible thoughts and memories of his friends. Tristan screamed in agony.

"Get out of my head!" Tristan cried out, fighting Barrett's advances. "You're not real! You're not real! You're not real!"

"If I am not real, then nothing is real!" Barrett taunted the unstable Tristan. Tristan ground his teeth together. He knew he had to get out, and he had to get out now.

'I can't fail,' Tristan thought to himself, 'I can't fail my friends.'

XXXXXX

"We need to help Tristan," Tea proclaimed to her friends. They all nodded in agreement.

"But how?" Yugi asked, "We don't know where he is, we don't even know what kind of challenge he is facing. For all we know… Tristan could be…" Yugi trailed off, not wanting to think of such a horrible fate for their friend.

"Your friendship," Hera spoke up. The group all shared the same peculiar look, not completely understanding what Hera meant.

"What are you talking about?" Joey asked.

"The bond of Friendship that you all share is unbelievably strong," Hera told them, "and from that strength, an incredible light energy is created, protecting all of you from the darkness and feigning off even the most unruly of shadow creatures."

"So how do we use that to help Tristan?" Tea asked.

"If we can harness the power of your bond to create a guiding light for Tristan to follow, no matter where he is, it can help him to defeat the darkness he must face," Hera explained.

"So, how do we do it?" The Pharaoh asked, determined to save his friend. Hera smiled.

"Join hands," She instructed them. They all joined hands in a circle.

"Now, I want everyone to concentrate on all the positive memories they have had with Tristan. Think of every time he has come through for you all, and every time he has been there for you. Think fondly of Tristan, and all the good he has done," Hera instructed, "I will act as the beacon and use the power to generate a light for Tristan to follow." Everyone did as they were told, and joined hands in a circle.

'Tristan,' Tea thought to herself, 'I don't know if you can hear me right now, but if you can I want you to remember what you and I did during Duelist Kingdom for Yugi and Joey. Do you remember sneaking on board the ship and past the guards, only to find our friends playing man overboard? Do you remember working together to find a ladder, and helping them back on board? Do you remember how grateful they were to have a friend as good as you? A friend that continues to cheer them on, no matter how bleak the situation might be? A friend that is willing to fall behind to help out when one member of the group is down? A friend, that no matter how many times someone tells you, "No I can't," you'll always respond with "Yes you can."' Tea couldn't describe the sensation she got after thinking those words; however, she knew that Tristan could hear her.

'There is no better friend than you, Tristan,' Yugi thought to himself. 'Remember every time you were there for me, cheering on the sidelines. Even when everything seemed hopeless you were always right there, by my side, by the Pharaoh's side… believing in us.'

'Come on, Tristan,' Joey thought, 'you can fight this guy. You're bigger than this. You've been at my side through everything. You were my first real friend. You were there for me when that bully was beating on us and Yugi stepped in and told him to stop. You were by my side when Yugi was trapped in that battle with Bandit Keith and we had to break down that door and save Yugi. You were there for Serenity when all she wanted was for her first sight to be of her big brother dueling. Through everything you've always been by my side, and now it's my turn to be there for you. Please Tristan, please fight this.' As Joey finished his thought a bright light erupted from the middle of the circle, breaching the darkness. Hera looked on at the beam of light with wistful eyes.

'Hopefully,' Hera thought, 'this will be enough.'

XXXXXX

The darkness felt as if it was closing in around Tristan. He tried to breathe, but his lungs and mouth were filled with the putrid taste of shadows, leaving him in a fit of coughs. Tristan felt the shadow creatures nipping at his soul, eager to have a taste, as Barrett laughed maniacally around him. The weight of the shadows crushed Tristan, as he gave in to the surrounding darkness. He closed his eyes, and allowed himself to fall, into the cradle of the shadow realm.

XXXXXX

A flash of dark energy broke through the barrier of light Hera and her friends had created. Hera's eyes widened in fear.

"No!" She cried out, "We're losing him!"

"What do we do?" Joey asked.

"We need to try harder!" Hera told him. "Tristan needs the power of your friendship or he will never find his way back. There is still time; however," Hera couldn't finish the sentence.

'Perhaps Darzi is right,' Hera thought to herself. 'Perhaps my spirit is too tainted to continue on this journey, let alone help my friends.' Another surge of darkness disrupting their ring of light. This one was much stronger. Hera flinched, but continued to hold on to the circle.

'No,' Hera thought to herself as the darkness recoiled, preparing for a second blow. 'I am strong enough, and even if I'm not… I need to be. I need to be strong enough to save Tristan… Ahknem… My pharaoh. I need to strong enough…' In that moment, Hera began channeling her own positive energy, with the positive energy from her friends. Her whole body glowed and in an instant, the beacon of light they had created, erupted with a brightness only second to the sun. Dark energy continued to dart into the light; however, all failed, absolving in the glow. The pressure of the surrounding darkness pushed on, but this new light brought a determination into the circle so powerful, nothing could crush it.

'This is it, Tristan,' Hera thought to herself, 'This is your light.'

XXXXXX

The shadows were clamoring, clawing over Tristan's soul when an overwhelming, gloaming light surrounded them. The shadows hissed at the sight, retreating to the comfort of darkness. And Tristan shielded his eyes. However, in his head he could hear the voices of his friends cheering him on.

You can do it Tristan! We're all here for you! We're all rooting for you on the other side! You've always been there for us! Now it's our turn to be there for you.

Tristan followed the voices of encouragement, fighting his way through the suffocating darkness, each step heavy, but lighter than the first.

'I can't give up!' Tristan thought to himself, 'This may all be an illusion created by Barrett, but the friendship I have is real. It may be the only real thing in the shadow realm, and I need to trust in it,' Tristan thought to himself, as he continued to make his way through the darkness and towards the light. He could feel the shadows nipping at his toes and clawing at his ankles demanding that he stay, he could feel the clawed hands of Barrett on his shoulders, and feel his breath whispering into his ear; however, whatever Barrett was whispering it was drowned out by his friends cheering him on. He continued to slowly but surely make his way towards the light and towards his friends.

XXXXXX

Hera could feel Tristan's spirit returning to them, as the light continued to erupt from her; however, she could also feel her own energy draining.

"Just… a bit more…" Hera told her friends, as they continued to generate their own light, and think fondly of their lost friend. The friends all continued to concentrate; however, the Pharaoh saw himself stopping. He could see that Hera's own light was fading, and that she was quickly losing power.

'I have to do something,' The pharaoh thought as he watched Hera continue to push herself. He got a strange sense of familiarity watching her. As if he had seen her exert herself this much before. In an instant he knew what to do, allowing his ancient instinct to guide him. He closed his eyes and concentrated on his millennium puzzle. In an instant the eye began to glow and a bright gold light emanated from the puzzle, feeding into Hera's beam. Hera opened her eyes in surprise and looked at the Pharaoh. He smiled at her and nodded, and she returned that smile, before closing her eyes and concentrating on their combined energy.

XXXXXX

The light was glowing brighter than ever, as Tristan continued to move towards it. However, just as he reached his hand out to touch it, he could feel himself fall. He let out a scream and struggled to catch back onto the darkness that had been holding him, but he was already barreling downwards.

'Did I lose? Is this still part of the game?' Tristan thought to himself as he fell into oblivion.

XXXXXX

Tristan suddenly appeared in the center of the circle. His eyes were closed and he was screaming without reason. The friends released and paused, watching as Tristan continued to scream senselessly. He opened his eyes, and his screaming slowly receded. For a moment they were all silent, looking across from each other, unsure what to make of what just happened. When suddenly, Tea Yugi and Joey all dog piled on Tristan.

"We're so glad you're okay!" Tea exclaimed, embracing him in a hug.

"We thought we lost you!" Joey told him, wrapping his arm around your neck.

"It's great to have you back!" Yugi added, hugging Tristan with Tea. Tristan held his head and furrowed his brow.

"You guys," he started by saying, "it was so weird. Barrett had convinced me that all of you hated me, and that I was nothing but dead weight. I was about to be consumed by the shadows when this piercing light guided me out. I could hear your words of encouragement. It was like you were all right there with me pulling me out. And after that, I really knew it was all an illusion."

His friends all smiled down at him. Just as they were about to get up a bright spot light shined on them, and they were greeted by the enthusiastic booing of a crowd of shadow monsters.

"Congratulations Tristan Taylor! You are the winner on this eternity's episode of WHEEL OF MISFORTUNE!" Barrett called out, walking across the stage towards the group.

"You have completed the first of the five challenges and may proceed to the next! But not without receiving a blessing from the blinding, obnoxious light herself, Goddess Hera!" Barrett gestured to Hera and the crowd continued to boo. Hera ignored them and approached Tristan seriously.

"By the power invested in me by the power of all that is light and good, I give you, Tristan my blessing," Hera recited. Her hand glowed a bright golden light. She touched Tristan's shoulder and he was soon emanating the same golden hue.

"You are now immune to the shadows my faithful companion, and proven fit to continue on this journey," Hera told him. "Additionally, I bestow upon you this," Hera handed him one of the many trinkets dangling for her person, given to her by Darzi. It was a small golden Ankh cross. Tristan took it, turning it over in his hand.

"It is a piece of my essence," Hera explained, "and will aide in protecting you from the shadows." Tristan nodded seriously as he and his friends all stood up. Hera turned to Barrett.

"You have been defeated, Barrett. Open the portal, so that we may continue on our journey," Hera commanded. Barrett growled.

"As you command, Goddess Hera," Barrett spat, as he bowed and gestured towards the gateway out of his domain. Hera bowed to.

"Thank you," she told him. She turned to her friends.

"It is time we move on," she told them as she walked towards the portal. Her friends nodded in agreement and together they left the domain of Barrett, eager to continue on to the next phase of their quest.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I hope you all enjoyed this week's chapter. I won't be available tomorrow to post so I'm posting a little early, but I will see you all next Wednesday bright and early! Happy Reading!