I can't believe it... IT'S FINALLY DONE!

I can't possibly describe how difficult it was since I've been writing this chapter since summer, changed the story at least six times and kept rereading the previous chapters to make sure it was coherent enough. I wanted to include as many ideas I had in the story as possible so again it got way longer than expected, not to mention I got some many comments of how you couldn't wait to see Yuto's story so I especially wanted to make it the best of them all.

Enough about my rambling (you can see the rest in the endnotes) so grab your box of tissues and get ready for the story of the last Yu-boy.

I hope our favorite emo boy gives you the story you deserve for all this waiting!

Gripping a small blade in his hands, well hidden under his long sleeves, Yuto held onto it like life depended on it. He only had one shot at this and should it work, he'll win and survive. Lose and he will die. But if he won't try he won't be able to win at all.

Taking a deep breath, he crawled from underneath his bed. He was scared, so very scared for his own life, but should he do nothing, he'll surely be a goner. The five year old boy sneaked closer towards the hallway leading to the kitchen and dining room. It wasn't the first time he was doing this, though unlike before his goal wasn't to snatch that last piece of dried meat or leftover pie. No, this time the goal was much more dangerous to achieve.

"Did you find anything?"

"Nah, they must keep the money somewhere else. Take some of those kitchen knives, they look well-made, enough to be traded."

"Check the rest of the house, there must be something valuable in here."

Two tall men scattered the house for anything worth money. Yuto heard them break the lock on the front doors, the two of them letting themselves in. He heard drawers and cupboards being opened, the chests being searched and items being thrown. There was no doubt about it – those two men were thieves, bandits who only cared about their own well-being.

Yuto who was napping in his room at the time quickly hid underneath his bed, scared that the thieves might steal him as well. His father would tell him stories about awful people who take children like him and sell them to others like objects. Yuto wasn't sure if those two were like slave traders since they went after the valuable objects and money rather than him. But then again those two thieves were sure no one was home since everyone was out at Heartland's Carnival, one of the biggest events so it made sense that they would choose this kind of a time to rob empty houses. His parents were at the event while he stayed behind due to a stomachache.

It was around the midday when the sound of a broken lock woke him up. He knew those weren't his family since his father would always loudly announce they were home. What he heard were only unknown voices and tiptoeing around the hallway. Carefully, Yuto reached for a tiny shut door under his bed, bringing out a small blade. It was a gift from his father when his four year old self exclaimed he wanted to become a knight once he grows up. That small blade, adorned with a precious material known as obsidian along with a single amethyst was there, waiting to be used. So far Yuto didn't have a reason to use it, apart from helping his father at the hunt, but that didn't mean he had no idea how to.

He practiced whenever he could, even secretly visiting their old neighbor who used to be knight. Yuto got this, he'll defend his home.

By now he already reached the kitchen where one of the thieves was going through the drawers, taking anything worth money and throwing anything considered worthless on the floor. Yuto nearly lost it when the thief broke his mother's favorite dinning set. Once beautifully painted plates full of flower patterns were now lying on the ground in pieces. He had to stop them before they destroy more of his home.

As innocently and with confusion written all over his face, Yuto walked into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes like he just woke up.

"Mom? Dad?" Yuto pretended to yawn.

"A kid? You told me everyone will be at the Carnival!" one of the thieves whispered angrily.

"Relax, what can the little runt do? Kids are stupid." the other man replied back and stepped closer to Yuto "Hey how are you? We're your parents' friends and they've asked us to take some of their things to them. Do you want to come along?"

Yuto was instantly alarmed by this. They were just pretending and trying to get him come with them willingly, so they would have less trouble snatching him as well. The boy hardly hid how scared he was, but he knew that he could no longer go back. He had to play pretend as well.

"Can I just have an apple?" Yuto asked with the same innocent tone "I'm hungry."

The two thieves looked at each other and in unspoken manner agreed to play along. So one man accompanied him to the pantry, where all the food was stored, while the other one went to scavenge the closet in a hallway.

Yuto kept his hands behind his back, hiding the blade in one of his longer sleeves, careful not to cut himself. While the thief started looking for apples in the pantry, the boy quietly closed the door. He stalled by mumbling of how he wasn't sure if he should have green or red apple when really he was secretly pulling the blade out of its small sheath.

He waited for that moment when the man would be distracted from taking an apple from the top shelf, and without hesitation stabbed him into his leg.

If Yuto knew one thing was that he should always aim for the legs. The thief was hit by a surprise when he realized that the five year old child that they considered stupid was in fact pretty smart. Yuto stabbed him in a right calf and therefore predicted right that the man would instantly lean down to grab his injured limb. The boy used the opportunity to get behind his back and as strong as he could, hit him with the blade's handle. The thief colapsessed on the floor unconscious and Yuto was really glad that he listened to that neighbor's advice. He was surprised that such simple technique was that effective and noted to himself to properly thank him once he sees him again.

Yuto reached for the rope his mother used for tying up the vegetables and tied the thief up. Now he had to take care of the other one too. He grabbed the broom and went to hide underneath the sink, a tiny place where he would hide so many times when playing hide and seek. But this time he wasn't waiting for a chance to run to the specific spot and shout safe! . No, he had to take care of the other guy as well.

Soon enough the other thief started calling out for his partner. And since there was no reply, the man walked towards the pantry, looking for him. Yuto tightened the grip on the broom's handle, ready for one more hit. The thief curiously opened the pantry's door and before he could gasp from surprise, broom's handle already got him. He fell right onto his partner and Yuto restrained him as well.

Once the two thieves were safely locked in the pantry, Yuto quickly put on his coat and headed towards the doors. He had to tell his parents or at least his neighbor so the authorities could properly arrest them. The blade was safely tucked in the sheath on his belt in case he would need it again.

But when he opened the doors, he saw something that only his nightmares could show him.

His hometown, Heartland, was in flames.

And then someone grabbed him from behind.

"No!" Yuto yelled as he woke up, gasping from reliving the memory he wanted to forget.

The lavender haired boy shook and felt cold sweat dripping down his body. Not again... why was he seeing it again? The flames, the blood, the destruction... and more bandits coming to get him.

"Hey take it easy!" Yuto heard someone say from somewhere near.

"It's alright. You're safe here." another familiar voice said.

Yuto slowly turned on his right, seeing the same two people he met in his former hometown next to him. Well one person and one spirit.

"Wh...where am I!?" Yuto nervously looked around the extravagant guest room "Did you kidnap me?!"

"Goodness no, we simply took you to our friend's place after you collapsed." Yuma shook his head.

"You were in a very bad state." Astral explained "It's thanks to our friend that you're more stable now. How did you get all of those injuries?"

Yuto was silent, gripping the edges of the blanket covering him. Should he run? He fainted and those two brought him to the place he failed to recognize. They could easily take advantage of his injured state, but they were merely talking with him, not laying a single finger on him. Still wherever he currently was made him feel uncomfortable for some reason and he wanted to get away as soon as possible. But judging from the size of a simple guest room he could've only imagined just how big the entire building was, big enough for him to get lost and fainting due to exhaustion again. So he decided to play along.

"Old injuries..." he muttered, still feeling dizzy from the nightmare.

"But how did you get them?" Yuma asked with a hint of suspicion.

"You have cuts caused by swords, burn scars, old fractures and tons of other similar injuries. Those are all common for battle injuries." Astral analyzed, making even Yuto surprised by its observation.

"But you're just a kid! Who forced you to fight?!" Yuma shook from disbelief.

"I-I..." Yuto stuttered, not sure how much he can tell them. The duo seemed odd, but kind and caring, though the boy was a bit hesitant to reveal more since he still didn't know them that well along with that friend that they kept mentioning.

He was about to vaguely reply on their question when all of a sudden he realized a really important thing. His bag was missing! The only reminder of his old home was nowhere in sight. Only now did Yuto notice that he was stripped of his own clothes, wearing an oversized shirt serving as a nightgown. He was also cleaner than before, meaning he was probably given a sponge bath while he slept and judging from a taste in his mouth he was fed something too. Were all of those nice things just a cover up for taking his bag?

"Where is it?! Where is it?!" he shouted, looking around in despair and anger.

"Easy! Our friend has it." Yuma tried to calm him down, all to no avail "He's on the way back to give it back to you."

But Yuto was much too anxious and angry all while shouting to actually hear him. Yuto's mind was full of worry and a single thought of something happening to the items in his bag was enough to make him get up from the bed. Astral tried to hold him back while Yuma sent Baby Tiragon to urge Zarc to hurry up.

Luckily the Dragon King responded immediately, using teleportation to get back in the room right away. Yuto kicked and tried to wiggle out of Astral's arms, but the moment his eyes found the precious bag in hands of a silver haired man, he calmed down. Zarc instantly crunched down and returned him the small bag.

"I apologize for taking it from you without permission." Zarc said while Yuto was too busy untangling the rope that kept the bag together.

His tiny fingers dug through the layers of leather until the four items were back. A single pendant with a blue crystal, a badge shaped like a lily, an earring and a single blade in dark coloured sheath. All those items might've seem random, but to Yuto they were more important than his own life. Scooping all of them together in his arms, Yuto pressed them against his chest like they were living creatures. He was so glad the items weren't stolen, because if they were... Yuto wouldn't know what to do with himself.

"I'm sorry I took it." Zarc gently rubbed his back "I only wished to learn more about you."

"I-It's... a-all I-I have left..." Yuto started sobbing, not caring if those people saw him so miserable.

Yuto wouldn't let go of the items, even once exhaustion got the best of him and he started losing consciousness. Zarc carefully laid him back, with a soft pillow safely tucked underneath his head and the objects placed on the nightstand, so they would be the first thing that the boy sees once he wakes up.

"Is he alright?" Yuma worriedly glanced at the boy.

"He has a slight fever, probably due to all the stress." Zarc's hand began to glow in white light, enhanced by the ice spell that he used to cool him down a bit "I'll have Xiansheng Magician use some of the sleeping magic on him. He clearly overworked himself and needs some good rest."

The two generals nodded and once Yuto was put into even deeper sleep, they followed Zarc to the room across the hall. Like with all of his previous meetings with generals, the Dragon King had them sit down around the low table with cups full of steaming tea, just like they always did when he would be discussing spirit world domains and human world. Out of all generals, the duo also known as Zexal were by far the oddest combination since Yuma was the youngest among Zarc's generals while Astral was the oldest.

"You said you found him in the ruins of Heartland..." Zarc started "Did you manage to ask him for his name? Or what he was doing there?"

"No one has been permanently living in Heartland ever since it was attacked by extremists from other domains. It's full of bandits and rouge spirits now." Yuma shook his head "But for some reason he wanted to go there."

"We told him it's too dangerous and that we can help him with whatever he needed, but he refused." Astral added "In fact he didn't want to tell us anything about himself."

Zarc thought about the items again, how he searched for any memories that might've been attached to them. Sometimes even inanimate objects could store memories in case its owner had a strong personal connection to them. The Dragon King only got few flashes of Heartland, back before it was destroyed, meaning only one thing

"He used to live there... that's why he was there." Zarc said.

"I get that..." Yuma sighed "But it's been nearly seven years since Heartland was burnt to the ground, meaning the kid must've been at least five back then. How can someone this young survive all on his own?"

"You did." Zarc pointed to the general who only looked down.

"But I had Astral! The boy most likely had no one and according to Astral he also fought many battles in his short life."

"The poor child must've had a really close connection with his hometown if he was willing to walk in there despite the danger." Zarc walked towards the window that had a view on the grass fields, place where he has been playing with his little wards only days ago "There's one thing that spirits and humans have in common and that is having a deep connection of places where they once belonged."

Zarc then turned to Yuma who was still baffled by the boy he and Astral saved, but once his crimson eyes were met with Dragon King's stern look he thought back. When he was in his home village, surrounded by the houses' debris. Yuma remembered how he just walked aimlessly into no certain direction until he noticed Astral's ghostly appearance next to him who asked him the most basic questions about human world. The four year old boy answered them all and just continued to walk until he collapsed and if it weren't for Zarc who heard Astral's calls for help he would've joined his dead family right away. But he survived.

"I've heard from Atem and Yugi that you've taken in three human children who have also been through a lot… and are now much safer with you." Yuma continued, his hands clenched tight "But I'm not sure if you can help him… The first time I saw his expression I could tell that he… h-he no longer had anything to live for. Just like when I did on the day that Barians destroyed my home."

"Oh Yuma…" Zarc stepped closer and before he knew it, he was embracing his general, who was in early twenties, just like when he was still a scared little boy "Astrals raised you to think better than that."

Yuma sniffed a bit, thought he felt a lot better after that hug. Zarc just knew how to comfort those who needed it, at least he used to before the war took his caring nature away from him. Judai was right when he said that Zarc needed someone to take care of and from the looks of it, the human children that he welcomed to call as his own managed to fill the man's empty heart. But could he really help a boy that no longer had his childhood innocence within since the cruel world had robbed him of it?

"Come with me. I want to show you something." Zarc said, nudging the two generals to follow him.

Yuma was a bit surprised by such response from his king, but went after him right away. It's been years since he's been to other parts of Zarc's castle other than the throne room. Compared to Astrals' many buildings connected by underground tunnels, the castle felt like a one huge labyrinth. Still Yuma somehow remembered the way to the Healing Ward, the room he's been to so many times during the first years after the war when they had so many injured spirits to take care of. But why take them there? Neither him nor Astral were injured so for what other reason would they go there. The answer literally jumped in Zarc's arms the second they got in.

"Haoryuu!" a blue haired child threw his tiny arms around him "Come see what I've made!"

"I would love to Crystal, but I would be even gladder if you weren't out of bed just yet." Zarc said, making Yugo blush from embarrassment "You're still sick from your little adventure with Firefly."

The boy reluctantly got back in bed that had tons of small wreckage parts and tools everywhere, including the nightstand. His Speedroids were casually floating around him, curios what he'll put together next. Yuya on the other hand was nicely tucked in his bed, reading a more difficult book with Yuri who explained the complicated phrases that he didn't quite understand. But once he noticed Zarc, he happily waved to him.

"Haoryuu!" Yuya shouted at the same time as Yuri.

"It's nice to see that Lily is helping you learn about plants." Zarc gently ruffled Yuya's head.

"Yeah! I found out that there's a flower also called Haoryuu! It looks so pretty!" the odd eyed boy raised the book in order to show the picture of the red coloured flower.

While Yuya was too busy showing Zarc pictures in the book, Yuri curiously pointed his eyes at another general and a spirit accompanied by him. Yuma gave him a slight wave with his hand to which the pink haired child only stared, Astral observing the whole thing with an interest.

"Yuya, Yuri and Yugo, meet Yuma and Astral." Zarc said once Yuya and Yugo noticed the visitors.

The three kids all responded in their own ways, with Yuya smiling, Yuri giving a shy hand wave while Yugo looked like he was ready to give them a hug.

"Are you Haoryuu's friends?" Yuya asked excitedly.

"Do you have a dragon spirit?" Yugo looked around like expecting another Stardust somewhere.

"Do you know any magic?" Yuri observed Astral's floating body.

Yuma was rather surprised to say at least. According to Yugi and Atem, those children have been through unimaginable cruelty by humans, but they acted like they were completely unaffected by it just like normal kids. Yuri was dragging books off the nightstand, Yuya asked more questions and Yugo nudged the tiny spirits in toy-like structures to get closer in order to show off his crafting skills. Yuma honestly didn't know how to respond to all of this and for once he wished Astral could do all the talking. But just like him, the spirit was too busy analysing everything to say anything.

"Well ehhh… I don't have a dragon like Signers, but I do have this guy." the XYZ ruler put his hands together, gathering magic until a small tiger cub-like spirit appeared in his arms "Say hello to Baby Tiragon!"

"It's so fuzzy!" Yuya exclaimed and the spirit happily floated to the odd eyed child, nuzzling its fluffy fur against his face.

"Hey my Speedroids are better!" Yugo pouted but instantly put on his happy face when Yuma picked one of the unfinished Speedroids.

"Did you make all of these yourself?"

"Mr. Timegazer helped me a bit, but yeah I made them all!" the boy grabbed more tools "Can you help me with the next one?"

While Yuma went through the box with various metal parts, Astral followed Yuri to another bed where he had more books. Unlike Yuya and Yugo, the pink haired boy appeared to be more intellectual and quiet compared to other two. Still he had that childish excitement written all over his face whenever Astral would tell him more about magic and plant spirits from his travels.

"May I ask why you are all here? I'm sure His Majesty has more than enough rooms for all of you." Astral asked, looking for any signs of injuries or illnesses on Yuri.

"Yuya and Yugo went swimming in a pond but wouldn't get out until I called Haoryuu. They both got a cold and are now recovering." Yuri sighed while watching Yuya petting Baby Tiragon "It's boring without them, so I keep them company."

Astral smiled, Yuri's situation reminding him quite well on his own with Yuma. True that his companion was much less obnoxious now that he was all grown up, but even when he was younger Astral could hardly imagine his life without Yuma. Even before he learned that the boy was born from the piece of his soul that he had lost during the battle with Don Thousand years ago, Astral treasured Yuma greatly as his irreplaceable partner. Yuri must've felt the same about his lookalikes too since he watched them with the corner of his eyes and immediately rushed to Yuya when the odd eyed boy started to cough.

Despite being all lively, Yuya and Yugo were in beds for a reason and soon enough the exhaustion got the best of them. They managed to stay awake enough to gulp down their medicine and as soon as Dragon King tucked them in they were asleep. The Gazers appeared in the room, helping with putting away the books and Yugo's little workshop so they could rest more comfortably. Yuma didn't see a reason for calling Baby Tiragon back to him as he had no heart to separate him from Yuya with whom was the spirit currently snuggling. Speedroids also nestled underneath Yugo's bed, making their machinery parts quieter in order to not disturb the child's sleep. Yuri on the other hand dragged the chair between both beds, opening the book he'd been previously reading with Yuya to keep himself busy, though Zarc could tell that Yuri was whispering what he was reading to both Yuya and Yugo. The Gazers also set themselves near the beds, letting Zarc know that they have situation under control.

The Dragon King quietly led generals outside, towards the room where the fourth child was resting. Both Yuma and Astral were still surprised to see the human kids so happy and wrapped up in their childhood innocence. Were those really the same children the other generals told them about? The ones who were forsaken by their own kind? Like Zarc heard their thoughts, he turned towards them slowly, speaking in rather monotone manner.

"Would you believe me if I told you that Yuya would get panic attacks and was afraid of being touched when Yugi and Atem found him? Or that Yuri wanted to commit suicide before Judai and Johan took him to me? Or that Yugo had barely any piece of his soul left when Yusei brought him?" Zarc said, making the generals gasp in shock "It takes time for a traumatized child to heal, but is not impossible."

"It's just… so unbelievable…" Yuma couldn't hide the respect he held for the Dragon King "For them to heal up like nothing happened."

"You did an amazing job Your Highness." Astral bowed right there and then "Those children are lucky to have you as their guardian."

"Your words mean a lot… though I'm afraid that the scars they bear will never truly go away." Zarc stared through the window, at the day slowly turning into night and some dark clouds gathering in the distance "Yuya still gets night terrors and can't be left alone at night. Yuri sometimes still thinks he doesn't deserve to live. And Yugo? He might not show it, but his legs and eyes still hinder him from playing."

"But you've given them back their stolen childhood." Yuma exclaimed "It might not be perfect, but you gave them what they needed the most – the second chance."

"I'm certain you can do the same for that other boy." Astral added, agreeing with his partner.

Zarc smiled, knowing his generals had faith in him while he still wasn't convinced yet that he had what it took to heal the boy.

Because when he replayed those memories caught in the boy's treasured items those flashing images of pain and misery made see his own memories of the war so long ago. The spirits and people dying, the terrified faces of his young generals back then and destruction wherever war was.

And he was the one to cause the destruction.

Just what has this boy been through to see what even an adult knight shouldn't? Why travel to all of those places just to return back to his hometown again? Zarc didn't know. He'll have to do a lot of asking and from what he could tell the boy was a lot like Yuri, considering how he refused help and how independent he appeared to be. This won't be easy since the boy was likely not easily trusting like Yuya or helpless like Yugo.

No, that boy has seen enough hell to know how to tend to himself and not needing help from anyone. What he needed to do was to assure him that he won't betray his trust and help him see the situation he was in. Zarc knew without the doubt that the boy knew how to survive, but no matter how strong or smart he was, he was still a twelve year old child with war scars.

They were getting close to that guest room when Yuma noticed Xiangsheng Magician on the hallway with panic and worry written all over her face.

"What's wrong? Is everything alright with the boy?" Zarc asked in equally worried tone.

"Your Majesty… I-I…I'm sorry, but the child escaped…" the female spirit uttered, making everyone gasp from the shock "I didn't manage to cast the sleeping spell on him since his dreams seemed so troubled that preventing him from waking up could've hurt him mentally in case he would suffer from a night terror. I watched over him while he rested, but when I went to retrieve some food for when he would wake up and when I came back, I swear I was gone for only ten seconds using teleporting magic, the boy was gone."

"How long has it been?" Zarc quickly notified all other available spirits.

"About ten minutes, but if he could escape so fast, there's no telling where he could've gone." Xiangsheng Magician shook, knowing she disappointed her Dragon King "I'm so sorry, if only I put him under the sleeping spell like you ordered me…

"We'll find him and please do not blame yourself." Zarc patted her shoulder "You did the right thing by not casting that spell on him. I never considered that the spell could harm him."

Xiangsheng nodded and rushed to gather more spirits to help them search for the boy. They needed to find him fast since the boy was barely in stable condition and the cold weather outside could worsen it. Yuma and Astral merged into Zexal, hurrying up outside while Zarc told other spirits how the boy looked like and how to approach him. The last thing the Dragon King wanted was to make the poor child feel like a hunted animal.

Zarc partially transformed into dragon, flying into the opposite direction that Zexal went. Xiangsheng Magician had no idea how the boy escaped nor were there any signs of it. The boy was good and was most likely trained how to do it by someone who was experienced in such skills, a thief or maybe even a knight. Still, no child should be forced to live like this and Zarc was determined to prove to him that he deserves better.

The Dragon King flew through the grass fields, a forest, anywhere he felt bits of the child's aura. It was faint due to how little of it the boy still had, but it was there. He continued to follow it until he was stopped in his tracks by something he hasn't seen for nearly ten years…

Yuto had no idea where he was nor he knew where he was going. He couldn't trust that human and spirits, he just couldn't. His life taught him that he should never let his guard down since every act of kindness given to him so far was just a mask for gaining his trust and betray him the next second. He did just that and look what happened – those strangers got their hands on his treasured items! The only thing that reminded him of his home. They could sweet-talk him as much as they wanted, but he won't be fooled again.

His body hurt and he was freezing. The oversized shirt wasn't exactly a good source of warmth and the fact that he was bare footed didn't help at all. No matter, he'll find better clothing as soon as he finds an abandoned village. Heartland's outskirts had lots of them and majority of them still had useful things. Though come to think of it, where he was exactly? The scenery didn't appear familiar to him, though then again it's been years since he's been to Heartland's outskirts. For now he needed to find a shelter to hide since he had a feeling those spirits were after him. Though why would they put so much effort into finding him? He remembered his father telling him about spirits, that while majority of them were good, there were the ones who resented humans for what they did to them in the past. His father had even told him about a friend he had, the one that befriended spirits and hung out with them on several occasions and Yuto remembered about his excited four-year self who wished to meet that friend. But then his father sadly told him that his friend was no longer among living and what was even worse – it was the spirits who took his life.

While Yuto was neutral about spirits, he was still careful around them. To him they were just like people – some were good, some were bad and majority of them were just alright. Though what his training taught him, he shouldn't make conclusions fast. That's why he decided to run away the moment that female spirit left the room. He wanted to trust them, he really did. They could've left him wounded and vulnerable near Heartland, place known to be populated by bandits, but they didn't. Instead they brought him to a nice place, fed him and even washed him.

But they took the only possession he had and no act of kindness could overrate it. The items had priceless sentimental value and numerous times he protected them at the cost of his own life. He chased the thief that stole them from him all the way to another kingdom. He jumped into freezing water and climbed mountains. He even dirtied his blade crimson red to get them back. They were his only reason to keep moving.

And now? He didn't know what will keep him going once he returns to Heartland. Will he go back to people who taught him everything he knew? Will he continue the path he'd been following so far? He didn't know. The only thing he knew was that he had to get to Heartland.

Though which way was Heartland?

It was already too dark to see the distant mountain area that he had used so far to orientate himself or the salty smell of the sea nearby. He failed to spot both these markers and instead only picked on endless grass fields and occasional chunks of forests with the strong smell of the autumn. In a way it felt nostalgic to him, reminding him of his early childhood when he would help picking pumpkins, when he would go collect chestnuts and nibbled on roasted sweet potato after raking the fallen leaves…

A tear slipped down his cheek, the happy memories of his younger days still so fresh in his mind. How could've this happened? How could've it taken only a single day to steal all of this away from him? How could all he ever had shrunk down to a single bag?

Yuto didn't know.

The past had shackled him down, but he had refused to be bound by it for seven years. But now? He felt like the chains of the past finally caught up to him, coiling around his heart until it would break once more. And he couldn't bear to go through the same pain again.

His train of thought was all of a sudden interrupted by blinking lights from the forest nearby. A cottage perhaps? Or even a village? Abandoned or not, it was something. Yuto's walk quickly turned into a jog, his bare feet running on the last drops of his energy. Even if there were people, the boy was sure he could find a shed or some other shelter to survive the night and then figure out where to turn to get to Heartland.

Except it wasn't the house that illuminated the night forest. Yuto needed to rub his eyes and ask himself if the exhaustion made him hallucinations, because what he saw up close wasn't even remotely resembling a manmade building.

What was before him were four huge trees with glowing leaves and fruits, each of them gleaming in different colors. One had emerald green leaves and red fruits. The other one looked like a combination of a thorn bush and a willow, glowing in fuchsia color with many smaller orange fruits. Then there was a tree that was entirely white with crystal clear leaves sparkling like diamonds in the moon light. And lastly, there was a purple and black tree with silver leaves whose edges looked as sharp as steel. That last tree gave Yuto the creeps for some reason. Not because of how different it looked form other trees, but the sole fact that it existed.

It just felt… off. Like it wasn't supposed to be there and neither was he. In fact the whole area consisting of different smaller trees and bushes gave off an eerie vibe like they were alive. Like the creepy feeling wasn't enough, the wind started blowing, howling like a wounded animal. And not just that.

Yuto started hearing voices.

"Please… it hurts…"

"You cowards!"

"It will take more than this to break me!"

"I can't bear to lose you…"

"Is this really how it ends?"

"You humans have no honor or heart!"

At first it was only a couple of them, but then more and more joined, adding terror on top of the terror. And there weren't only voices. There were screams, whimpers and incoherent sentences uttered out in agony. Yuto covered his ears, a poor attempt to make it stop and they only became louder. The boy tried to crawl away, to hide, anything to get away from this scary place. But he couldn't. His limbs were numb from the cold and any energy he still had was used to keep him conscious. He was trapped, too paralyzed from fear and exhaustion to escape it.

All of a sudden, someone took him in their arms, carrying him away from the voices and the forest. Yuto who was going in and out of consciousness saw the glowing lights of the trees further and further until they were just a distant flickering in the dark. Whoever took him was now laying him down on a soft blanket and preceded to wrap him in a second one. Then the person's hand touched his chest and Yuto felt like he was sunk into a warm bath, the cozy feeling reaching every inch of his body. After more than seven years he felt truly relaxed for the first time.

At that point Yuto no longer cared, any comfort was welcome even if it had a price. His rigid fingers clung to his bag like it was going to be taken from him any moment. If someone is planning to take it, they'd have to pry it out of his cold dead hands.

"It's okay, I'm not taking your bag. I know it's important to you." the person said, making Yuto think they're lying when that person took something out of his pocket as well "I have something like this too."

A single golden amulet-like pendant swung before Yuto's eyes. It actually reminded him of the crystal pendant in his bag, one of his treasured items. It swayed just the same and as he watched it, he could still hear the one sentence that echoed in his mind whenever he looked at the pendant.

"The more you give, more comes back to you."

Whatever kept on his stern and serious look so far was gone – he couldn't hold it back anymore. Tears poured out of his eyes, raining down emotions he's been hiding underneath the mask of a strong young knight. Deep down he really was just a child still hurting from the horrors in the past, yearning for the warmth of his family home. He had enough.

The person scooped him up in their arms again, pressing him close to his chest. Yuto continued to cry, not caring if the years of training had taught him to never show weakness to anyone. And never in seven years did he dare to reveal his true self to anyone. He covered his face with a mask and kept his eyes narrowed down. But this place, this warmth, this feeling, it felt real and he desperately needed it.

"You don't need to fight anymore. It's alright." the person cooed "You're safe."

"W-who are you?" Yuto asked, his voice shaking from the sobbing.

The person smiled and in a blink of a light, his appearance changed and a glowing spirit appeared next to them. Only now that there was some source of light from the spirit could Yuto recognize the same person and his spirit companion that found him at Heartland.

"My name is Yuma and this is Astral." Yuma replied while fixing the edges of the blankets "We never got a chance to introduce ourselves."

"I-I'm sorry…" Yuto looked away, a bit embarrassed from their jumpy meeting "I shouldn't lash on you like that."

"Your reaction was completely understandable." Astral added.

"For now let's just get you back inside before you get pneumonia." the XYZ ruler secured his hold on the child "We can talk later, okay?"

Yuto gave a slight nod and let the general carry him. He hated being weak. Hated being unable to take care of himself. Hated being so lost about everything. And here he was, wrapped up in blankets like a helpless baby in the arms of stranger. His inner voice yelled to get away, to pry himself out of those hands and to run to Heartland. But he couldn't… he no longer had the strength to pick himself up and follow his instincts.

He could only watch how Yuma merged with Astral into some sort of a warrior with wings and flew back to the castle from where he escaped not so long ago. A small spirit looking like a black dot with a rainbow wing appeared next to them and disappeared soon after. There were other spirits there too, though none of them paid them much attention. Yuma transformed back, gently carrying Yuto back to the same room he was before. Someone must've changed the sheets and lay a change of clothing for him on the bed. Without a protest, Yuto switched the dirty oversized shirt he has worn so far with grey pajamas which surprisingly fitted him well and they smelled somewhat familiar. There was also a plate with food, still warm like it has been brought there only minutes ago. Yuto's rumbling stomach was too loud for him to even consider that the food could've been poisoned and before he knew it the bowl with meaty stew was empty.

The whole time Yuma sat with him on the other edge of the bed, closely watching over him like Yuto would faint any second, all while Astral floated by the doors, talking with spirits that came by.

"You gave us quite a fright when you suddenly left the room." Yuma said which made Yuto gulp down his mug of warm milk a little too fast.

"I'm sorry… I-I… just didn't feel safe…" the boy replied.

"You don't need to apologize." the general patted his shoulder "I did the same thing."

"What do you mean?" Yuto blinked in confusion.

"Let me show you." Yuma smiled and gently took Yuto's hand in his.

For a second there was nothing and the next one, the boy saw another, much less extravagant room and the same silver haired man from before. The man was sitting on bed, comforting a child that didn't look older than five and Astral was simply floating next to the bed, looking the same as ever.

"It's okay, you're safe now. Barians can't get to you here and Astrals are already on their way."

"Mom… dad… sis... granny…" the child sobbed "They all left…"

"That is unfortunately true… and I'm sad to tell you that no matter how long you look for them, you'll never find them…"

"But… what if I didn't look hard enough?" the boy stood up, already running towards the doors with Astral not far behind "What if I look some more?"

"Yuma…" the man stood up "They are gone… they can no longer be found."

"No, no, no! You're lying! I'm going to find them!" the child yelled, shutting the doors behind him.

The vision ended and Yuto hardly believed that the general before him and the child are the same person.

"When I was little, a spirit kind known as Barians attacked my village. My father locked me in the basement that was protected by Astral magic and by the time it opened everything was destroyed. I was lost and only had the Emperor Key that my father left me to guide me. Astral appeared shortly after, but it was Zarc who truly help me recover." Yuma sighed, remembering those painful memories "Just like you, I didn't trust Zarc at first. He was a spirit, just like the beings that killed my family. I didn't believe a single word he said and escaped many times. But he was patient with me and let me run away until I finally realized that it was hopeless."

"Why are you telling me this?" Yuto asked even though he knew the answer.

"Because I want you to trust him too. He can help you."

"Help… me?" the boy clenched his treasured bag while holding back tears "How… can he…?"

"You're lost, but you are still moving forward." Yuma playfully ruffled Yuto's bangs "That's admirable. Though where are you so set on going? Heartland? Your hometown?"

"How did you…?"

"I thought as much, but what are you planning to do once you get there? No one lives there permanently anymore, only bandits. Will you just travel until you collapse from exhaustion and hope someone puts you out of your misery? Is that it?" the general hardly talked without shaking in anger "Did you go through all of this trouble just to die alone in a place you once called home?"

Yuto listened with eyes wide open, swallowing each and every word that Yuma said. He didn't want to admit it… but the general was right. True he refused to give up, true he continued to move forward and true he refused to die. But for what reason? He used to have one and for seven years he gave everything he had to accomplish it and now he no longer had it. It was just like Yuma said… he sought death, but he had too much pride to die.

"What do you want me to do then?" Yuto said after long minutes of silence

"I want you to live. For your own sake and for Zarc's." Yuma said, looking him straight into his eyes.

He was back… back to the forest in which he hasn't been to for more than ten years. It still looked the same, just like the day he created this world so the spirits could be safe. But it was for the great cost.

The pictures of dying spirits was still so alive in his mind, some of them much more than any other. He remembered holding their hands, comforting them with his words and yet… he still couldn't save them…

"It's alright… I've already come to the terms that my injuries are too great… I'm ready to leave this world…"

"No! Please don't make me do this! I won't be able to live with myself if I do this!"

"Everyone is gone Haoryuu… I'm the only one left… and I'm in pain…"

"No… I-I can't do this…"

"Please Haoryuu… it hurts…"

"No please d-don't…"

The memories were coming back, the rage that made him answer the terror with terror. His wings and horns bursting out of his body that grew to colossal size, ready to burn down humanity's land until they begged him on their knees to stop. Even his generals didn't dare to come near him and the rest of the spirits could only watch how he wreaked havoc on the world.

The human kings eventually gave up and released all the spirits that they still held captive under the condition that he may never interfere with humans again. The war ended and Zarc gathered all the spirits who collected the magic they still had and with Ray's power he created a brand new world just for the spirits. Everyone felt relieved once the war was truly over and they had a safe home where they could start anew. Generals took care of the new world so their Dragon King could truly find peace after decades of living in the shadows and fear.

But he wasn't truly at peace. He felt guilty for every single life that was lost in that war, even the ones he took himself. The day he witnessed the shelter for injured and young spirits being torn apart and lives brutally slaughtered, he couldn't control his killing rage no more and without thinking he set off for his crusade.

How many human soldiers did he kill? How many innocent civilians did he kill? How many children were among the innocent lives he took? He didn't know. The blinding rage took over him completely.

But no matter what he did that day, nothing would bring the innocent lives back.

Not even once spirits helped him create this forest. A memorial for the refugee spirits that could never get to live in this paradise. A sacred land dedicated to the ones who fought for freedom.

And an endless reminder that he was too late to save them.

The trees glowed just like their eyes once did. In those rare moments during the war, when they made sure no one was alone, cheered up everybody, listened to other spirits' stories or just be there for the ones that were weak and vulnerable. They believed in Zarc, that he will find a way for the spirits and humans to coexist. They never stopped believing in him, even when their final breaths left their dying bodies.

They were no warriors like his generals. They were simply hatchlings too weak to join the battle, but still brave enough to protect others. Even Crimson Dragon himself admitted they would grow into powerful spirits as strong as his own offsprings one day.

Except that day never came.

Zarc had no idea how the search of a human child led him to the place that reminded him of all that. He had avoided this place like a plague for the last 12 years. And here he was, remembering and listening to the last words of dying spirits.

"Zarc…" a voice called, sounding like it was distant despite being only few steps away.

"Ray?" the Dragon King turned away, his eyes red from the tears he didn't know he was shedding "What are you doing here?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing." the priestess sighed while pulling her coat tighter around herself "I've heard that your generals found another human child and thought you may need my help."

"The boy… he-"

"Escaped, I know. But don't worry, Yuma and Astral found him. Rainbow Kuriboh has just informed everyone around the castle."

Zarc felt like a great weight slipped off his shoulders. That was good, the child was in the good hands and he knew Yuma enough to know that the XYZ ruler had a thing for calming others down. If the boy was well enough he may finally ask him for his name and where did he get the items that looked so familiar to him. Zarc was all set on going back, to leave this forest of the past and make better future. But just before he spread his wings, Ray tugged onto his sleeve.

"I know why all four of them have the same face." she said, making Zarc stop in his tracks "But you'll only find out if you take that boy to where he wants to go – to Heartland."

Zarc didn't know the next day would turn out like this. He underneath the cloak and mask hiding his face, the Dragon King was walking towards the place where a high stone structure once stood, known as the Heart Tower. Next to him was another much smaller cloaked person, a boy whose name was Yuto. That was the very first word Yuto said to him when Zarc came to his room. The boy was quiet, but was willing to talk in cool and collected manner.

"What happened on that day?"

"There were two thieves inside the house. I locked them in the pantry and went to get my parents… but I had no idea they were just hoodlums of a much more dangerous organization. They got me the second I got out…"

"How did you escape?" Yuma blurted his question.

"I didn't. I was rescued." Yuto clenched his hands together "A neighbor that used to be a knight saw me being taken and managed to save me before they got too far. He also called for help and while they were able to rescue a few people, they still arrived when Heartland was already burning."

"Who is they?"

"Phantom Knights."

"I've heard about them." Yuma interjected "They are a group of knights and mages who are travelling around helping the ones in need."

"They couldn't do much for Heartland though. Majority of citizens were killed, gravely injured or taken as slaves. Only a few was lucky… unlike my parents." Yuto's hands shook "My father was brought to the temporary shelter where Phantom Knights brought the survivors. Two arrows pierced his body and even though the mages tried to heal him, he didn't make it. He could only tell me that he saw my mother being burnt beyond recognition."

The whole time Yuto told his story, Zarc had an unbelievable urge to just pull the poor kid in a tight embrace, telling him that he doesn't need to keep up his stoic persona. The boy was convincingly as strong as he was and Zarc didn't need any further assurance to know that. What surprised him even more was what followed once the search for survivors ended and Phantom Knights helped relocating the remaining citizens.

"They took us to various villages and little towns that would accept refugees. I was supposed to stay with a hunting family that was willing to take care of me. But I didn't want to stay." Yuto looked straight into Zarc's eyes, his own eyes burning with maturity "I wanted to be like Phantom Knights. I wanted to become stronger, to help others and to stop such disasters to happen ever again. They refused to make me into one of them, but I followed them until they finally agreed to teach me everything."

"How long did they train you?" Astral asked since Zarc and Yuma were too baffled by the fact that the five year old willingly joined such organization.

"Until I was about ten. They wouldn't let me go solo before I was independent enough."

"But why would you travel on your own?" Yuma asked.

"That… I can't tell…"

The rest of the night Yuto told more about his years with Phantom Knights. About the harsh training and exhausting hours of close combat without a break. About holding the knife the right way. About how to fight the enemy. In only few years Yuto learned nearly as much as all of Zarc's generals did. But for what reason, the boy wouldn't tell other than the fact that he wanted to become stronger.

Yuma and Astral then excused themselves, saying they are going to check on something which left Yuto alone with Zarc. The two of them didn't know what to say to each other, since Ray's words echoed in Zarc's mind while Yuma's words did the same to Yuto. The Dragon King was more than curious how the four children were connected and the only explanation led him to Heartland. Yuto on the other hand wanted to trust Zarc, but years of repeating "trust no one" he hardly could. Even when Zarc suggested him to catch some shut-eye while he stays just to make sure he is there in case Yuto would suffer from another night terror, the boy couldn't do it.

Yuto didn't know how to sleep properly after all.

If it weren't for unconsciousness and night terrors, then Yuto would sleep like a preyed animal, always on the lookout for the danger. Considering Xiangshen's advice, Zarc didn't use any sleep spells, though he did use some of his magic to keep him warm. His fever worsened due to his attempt of running away, but somehow he got better before morning. Yuto got up, gratefully putting on a fresh pair of clothes, consisting of long forest green tunic, black pants and boots. Again the boy was surprised that the clothes were the perfect fit as well as Zarc was, despite knowing those clothes were actually Yuri's.

The day went on, just like any other, except Zarc spent it with the newest addition to the group of kids he was taking care of. Yuya, Yuri and Yugo were watched over by Gazers and XYZ rulers while Ray observed them from nearby. Zarc felt like he was following the day Yuri arrived except the colourful garden was empty of flowers and had fallen leaves instead.

The Dragon King couldn't help but see a big portion of Yuri in Yuto and not just because of their identical faces. From the manner of speech to the way they walked they looked so similar. When Zarc brought him to the balcony where Astrograph Sorcerer would usually observe the stars and tell him about constellations, Yuto would listen with the same curiosity Yugo did whenever someone would talk about crafting spirit vessels. And when Yuto spotted a fletching-like spirit that fell off the nest at the tree he didn't hesitate to carry it back, just like Yuya once did. The answers were all there, but to get them, Zarc needed to take Yuto to a very dangerous place and getting him there was the last thing he wanted. He only wished to show him the best of what the life could offer and return his lost childhood to him. But go back to Heartland? Place where Yuto wanted to go to die?

No, he couldn't do it. Not now that Yuto looked somewhat peaceful for the first time ever since Yuma and Astral brought him here. And yet deep down he felt like Yuto needed to go there. Not for the former reason, but to get some sort of closure. Yuri got it once Judai took him to Fusion domain in order to say a proper goodbye to Asuka. Perhaps Yuto needed to properly part with his parents who were most likely buried there.

"Yuto…" Zarc called, making the boy stop from observing "Do you still want to go back to Heartland?"

Yuto stared in the distance, avoiding Zarc's look though Dragon King knew well that the boy had difficulty stating his answer. The kid felt so lost at the moment, wanting to learn more about those spirits who wanted to help him out and to finish what he started. Even though he didn't have much plan at that point, it was still a plan he wanted to execute until the end and leaving it as it was left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Yes… I want to go back. But you'd probably won't let me. Not after what I-"

"I can take you there Yuto." Zarc said, making the boy's eyes go wide "But you'll have to promise me something."

"What?" Yuto asked and quickly corrected himself "I mean… what I need to promise you?"

"That you will tell me the rest of your story." the boy blinked in puzzlement "I know there's something that you don't want to tell me about yourself and I completely understand why. But if you keep it bottled up in your heart, I cannot assure you that you'll ever be able to move on."

"But… what if I want to go back to Phantom Knights? What if I don't want to stay here? What if I want to continue travel on my own? What if I don't want to move on?"

"Then I'll let you." Zarc said which surprised Yuto "You don't need to stay here if you feel trapped. I can help you find Phantom Knights or give you enough supplies for you to continue travelling on your own. I can even let you explore this world if you wish so. But I also want you to choose what you really wish to do. You might be only twelve, but you've come to know the harsh reality of life so you can make adult decisions."

The boy instantly reached for the sheath next to the bag where his small blade was, like he was asking it for advice. Did he really want to go back? He didn't know. He liked this place a lot, but he doubted he deserved to live here in peace. Not after what happened… not after letting them down...

"Take me back to Heartland… I'll know what to choose once I'm there."

And here they were now, their appearances hidden underneath the cloaks and Yuto leading them towards the massive gravesite. Despite the city being overrun by bandits, the graveyard area appeared to be untouched. Bandits or not, they still had decency to leave the dead alone, or they just happened to be too scared to enter it. Yuto kept walking, nervously looking at the rubble that was once a busy street where his father would take him whenever the man needed a little bit of help at his stand where he was selling his handcrafted goods. Yuto was clenching his fists to calm himself down as he continued walking until they finally reached that place.

Heartland originally didn't have a graveyard since a lot of residents kept moving from one place to another or preferred to bury their loved ones near their houses, but after the attack there were so many bodies left that gravesite had to be built. Yuto could clearly remember how all survivors gathered the bodies and buried them in massive grave surrounded by pieces of stone buildings. He remembered seeing his father and mother covered by plain sheets being put there. His tears were threatening to spill right there and then, but he didn't want Phantom Knights to see him cry. Not then when he fully decided to become one of them. He didn't want to be seen as helpless child but as young knight willing to join their ranks.

Now he was here again and not much changed. No one dug there since it was well known that only bodies were buried there. Not a single tombstone or any other marker was there except for a piece of rubble from Heartland's Heart Tower with a chiselled memorial.

Here lie the victims lost in Heartland Incident, may their souls rest in peace.

Zarc observed the gravesite, how Yuto kneeled down facing a space on his straight left, the exact spot where his parents were buried.

"Can you leave me alone for a bit?" Yuto asked.

"I can, but how do I know you'll be alright on your own?" Zarc replied.

"I'll be back, I promise." the boy reached for his bag "I'll have a reason to come back to you."

Zarc took Yuto's bag in his hand with care and left him just like he was asked to. The Dragon King knew the boy needed time to clear his thoughts and decide on his own what he wanted. As much as Zarc wanted to be the one to help him out, it was clear that Yuto was an adult in his own way and this was something he couldn't help him with.

Though Dragon King didn't go far, just few streets away so Yuto could find him once he was done. Zarc didn't really ever have a chance to see human world like this. He'd been on the run and hiding ever since he was little for decades and didn't have a time to stop and experience the human world. While spirit world had a lot of similarities it was still entirely new to him. Despite all the destruction, Zarc could still sense the liveliness and harmony from the days Heartland was the center of trade and human culture. To think a single day turned it into this…

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by something in his pocket. It wasn't moving, making a sound or changing, but Zarc still sensed something was going on. Yuto's items were giving away a strong aura, probably responding to the location they were brought in. Ray was right about Heartland having the answers and just like before he looked into the memories that items possessed.

"What should we do with the rest of the pumpkin? It would be bad to just throw it away."

"Told you, you shouldn't fill your basket with poisonous mushrooms! Now you have no space left for chestnuts!"

"Hey don't eat that sweet potato so fast! You'll… never mind."

The last time Zarc only got flashing images of Heartland, but now he heard echoing voices that sounded so familiar to him, just like those items that Yuto carried around. He couldn't tell where this familiarity was originating from. It felt warm and snug, just like when he would read to Yuya, take care of flowers with Yuri or when he would help Yugo at his crafting. Was he meant to take care of all four children? Faith seemed to agree on this and hopefully Yuto will join the little family as well. Speaking of whom, Zarc decided to take a peak from the distance to see if the boy was alright. Quite a while has passed already, though Dragon King wanted to give him as much time as possible to decide.

But Yuto was no longer there.

Panic rose in Zarc, just like when Xiangsheng informed him of his disappearance the first time. With all strength possible he immediately looked for Yuto's aura and tiny fragments led him away from the graveyard. Why? He couldn't run away just like that. He has given him his treasured items after all, why would've he left them just like that? Unless… Unless he wanted to left them with someone who will be able to look after the items. No… he should never left him alone like that.

"Yuto!" Zarc yelled as loud as he could "Yuto where are you?!"

He followed the trail of Yuto's aura, getting closer and closer and hoping he wasn't too late. Not again, after he was too late to save them.

"So you think you could run away just like that?"

"One carding wasn't enough?"

"No matter how far you get, you cannot escape."

Zarc's dragon ears twitched, the voices originating very close to where the aura trail was leading him. The Dragon King hurried there right away and was shocked to be faced by the horror before him.

Yuto was sprawled on the ground, beaten and bruised while being continuously kicked by human soldiers who wore the armour common for Security knights from Synchro kingdom. One soldier that was particularly brutal just reached for Yuto's hair in order to slap him…

… and that was about as much as Zarc was going to watch.

With the speed that would rival even Crimson Dragon, Zarc passed the other soldiers in less than a second and grabbed that soldier by his neck.

"How dare you… HOW DARE YOU!" Zarc yelled, his horns and claws sprouting from his anger "How dare you lay your hand on a child!"

Other soldiers were terrified of the being that appeared out of nowhere, its eyes menacingly glowing at the sight and majority got on their feet to run away. But Zarc didn't let them. His dragon tail sprouted next, extending all the way to block them from escaping. The glowing neon green shards were more than enough to convince them to stay, though neither of them wanted to. Only that one soldier who was about to hurt Yuto seemed to either have enough guts or was just plain stupid to talk back.

"You… freaks have no… business here." the soldier uttered, somehow still able to talk despite Zarc's hold "By the law of… the Synchro Kingdom… you cannot interfere in human affairs…"

Zarc threw the soldier against the wall with such force that entire wall was shattered to pieces. Still it didn't appear like the man was convinced enough, having the same smug expression on his face.

"I know the law well." Zarc replied stepping closer and closer "Spirits and humans shall not cause further conflicts among each other. But no matter what, it doesn't give you a right to hurt my ward!"

"Your ward? Hate to break it to you, but the little runt is not a spirit."

"It doesn't matter!" the Dragon King roared so loud that remaining pieces of buildings crumbled down "Be it a spirit or a human, as long as he is under protection of spirits you have no right to hurt him! And if you love to abide by that law so much then you're obviously breaking it right now and for that you must be punished!"

If the previous threat didn't scare the soldiers, the one right now certainly did. The soldiers got away fast without a second thought. Just to let them know he was serious, Zarc threateningly waved with his dragon tail and hit the remains of the buildings so strong that the ground shook. The Dragon King would gladly give them a piece of his mind, but he was too worried about Yuto.

He quickly changed back, pulling the barely conscious child in his arms. The Security surely did a number on him, beating him up to a pulp. His lips were split, bruisers were forming on his face and numerous gashes stated that soldiers used more than just fists. Those bastards! He should've beaten them up when he had a chance. But how could they get Yuto? The kid was skilled enough to run away unnoticed and according to spirits who sparred with him he was good in close combat as well. What could've made him so vulnerable?

Zarc removed Yuto's cape to see if there were any other injuries when his eyes landed on small object projecting out of the boy's neck.

A poisoned dart.

The Dragon King recognized the poison as the one causing paralysis. So that's how low those bastards went… Not only that they grouped together to beat down a kid, they didn't even give him a chance to fight back. There was no doubt that once they noticed Yuto not paying attention that they used an opportunity to surround him and tranquilize him. Zarc's blood was close to boiling from anger, but a barely audible voice snapped him back in reality.

"I-I'm… s-sorry…" Yuto uttered in a whisper.

"No no, you have nothing to apologize for." Zarc gently brushed through the boy's hair "Let me take care of that poison and your injuries first, then we can-"

"N-no please…" Yuto raised his trembling hand "T-take me… back…"

"Are you sure? If you need more time to decide I won't push you." the Dragon King took Yuto's hand in his.

"I-I can't stay here…" Yuto buried his face in Zarc's cloak "I just c-can't…"

Zarc held the boy close to his chest, cooing sweet nothings until Yuto finally closed his eyes. Even though it was most likely from the poisoned dart, Zarc could tell that exhaustion got the best of the poor kid. Who could blame him though? For years he pushed himself until he finally couldn't take it anymore. He sought death to end it, but now Zarc was determined more than ever to help him live.

"I'll take care of you little Phantom knight." Zarc's pressed a loving peck on Yuto's forehead and just like that they were gone from the ruins of Heartland.

"So he decided to stay?" Ray asked once she was done treating the last gash on Yuto's body.

"Yeah…" Zarc sighed, gazing yet again upon the sleeping child in the bed.

Two years ago it was Yuya, then few months later it was Yuri and lastly it was Yugo. By now it almost felt like a pattern and it wouldn't be a surprise if another child with the same face showed up. But somehow Zarc knew Yuto was the last one. He just didn't know how to explain it yet.

"How are others doing?" Zarc asked to change the topic.

"Oh, they are having fun." the priestess smiled "Yuma and Astral told them about their adventures and now they are making plans for their own adventure one day. They even made a list of places they want to visit."

"I see… so are Yuma and Astral still here?"

"They left shortly before you returned. Something came up back in their domain."

"Could you watch over Yuto? I'm just going to say hi to them. I haven't seen them for the whole day."

"You know I will." Ray nodded with a grin and dragged a chair close to the bed.

Zarc slowly closed the door like he was scared that Yuto will be gone once he would be back. But he trusted Ray and knew well that even if the little Phantom knight would try to run away again, she'd bring him back. The priestess had that kind of a charm which helped her spreading her ideology of balance and harmony. It was hard for both spirits and humans not to love her and the children of both kinds would run to her instantly.

But what about him?

Did he truly deserve to be loved by Yuya, Yuri, Yugo and now Yuto? Was he even capable of taking care of them? He might've done a decent job in the last two years, but what would the future hold? Will he be able to continue taking care of them once they grow up? Would they want to go back to their world later on? And the thing he was afraid of the most was letting them down or even hurt them.

After what happened to them made Zarc distrust himself for more than a decade.

He could still see their dead unmoving bodies sprawled in front of the spirit shelter on that day. Despite the noise of the battle in the background, the world around him went silent and the only thing he could hear were his own gasps of shock. They were dead. Their bodies penetrated by poisoned spears and arrows, their skins burnt from the silver water and couple of them even missing limbs. Only one of them was still alive, but the wounds were far too great for any chance of survival. In the end Zarc could only put an end to his suffering.

How could these hands that hurt so many people and killed his own ward guarantee they'll take care of those four children? He never really gave it a thought before meeting Yuto. Why did a child of war reminded him of all of this? He didn't know, but he was sure it was a sign.

Before he knew it he was somehow in front of the kitchen's doors. It was actually a habit of his to wander through the castle until getting to the kitchen whenever he was worried about something. Normally Gazers or Xiangsheng Magician would bring him something warm to drink. At such situations however, he'd make something for himself since the whole process of preparing, making and having that mug of warm beverage helped to clear up his mind. So he took a seat at the small table in order to decide what to have when he felt something weighting down in his pocket.

Right… he still had Yuto's items.

The pendant with a blue crystal, badge in a shape of a lily, earring with a tiny gem and a single small blade. Zarc carefully arranged them on the table, staring on each and one of them like he was expecting them to answer on his numerous questions. Ray claimed Heartland was the answer and he nearly got it, but then Yuto got hurt. There was no way he'd take him back after what happened and hearing his plea to get him away from there. But he was so close to those answers…

"Haoryuu?"

Zarc looked up from the table, only now noticing that he wasn't alone in the room. Standing on a chair right next to the counter was Yuri who was reaching for something in the upper cupboard. From the looks of it Yuri was deep in his thoughts as well if he only noticed Zarc now too.

Since autumn brought a lot of rainy and cold weather it was quite difficult to stay outside for long, so Yuri focused more on growing herbs in pots all over the hallways where it was bright enough. His most recent hobby was coming up with different herb mixtures for tea, something he was in the middle of doing right now.

"Oh, hello Lilly." Zarc smiled despite his troubled thoughts "Coming up with a new tea flavor?"

"Not really." Yuri took a glass jar filled with dried herbs "I was going to make some tea for myself. Do you want a cup too?"

"Sounds like a good idea."

Yuri heated the water and pour it in two mugs full of herbs which he brought to the table. The boy was in his usual quiet mode though he appeared like he had something to say.

"How are Firefly and Crystal?" Zarc asked to start the conversation.

"They are sleeping right now. Got tired from all the playing this morning." Yuri took a slip of his tea "Where were you? Those two generals said you had some business in other domain to take care of."

"Yeah… you could say that."

"You didn't, didn't you?" Yuri said which made Zarc nearly choke on his tea. That kid sure had a sharp eye for everything.

"What makes you think that?"

"Because you were here the whole morning and midday. And Predaplants told me all the spirits were looking for someone yesterday." the boy then eyed the items on the table "There's one more of us, isn't it?"

Zarc nodded and knowing there was really nothing to prevent him from saying it, he told Yuri about Yuto. The whole time Yuri merely drank his tea and once the mug was empty he dangled it in his hands. Considering his reaction when Yugo was brought in it was rather strange that the boy was so calm about it. Despite knowing that Yuri accepted the fact that his past didn't matter, Zarc knew that from time to time, Yuri asked Yugo and Yuya about their pasts but neither could reply due to having no memories. Even Yuri tried to remember on his own, but it was like those memories were locked in the deepest part of his heart.

"Those things…" Yuri stared at the items, namely the lily badge.

"Yeah they are his. I should return them to him so he won't be worried once he wakes up." Zarc already set the bag.

"I'll help." the boy said as he picked the lily badge.

But he never managed to put it in the bag.

The moment he touched the badge it was like he was pulled into swirling whirlpool of images. Yuri stared at the scenes he failed to recognize and yet he felt like he'd seen them before. He kept falling and falling deeper until he was face to face with what he wished to learn for the past year.

"Lily!" Zarc shouted when Yuri dropped the badge and nearly fell off the chair "Yuri! What's wrong?"

His eyes were open, but blank and shifting like crazy. Yuri's body was trembling like he was having a seizure and if it weren't for Zarc holding him, the boy would probably hurt himself. The whole thing wouldn't end until long minutes later when Yuri's body gradually stopped shaking and his eyes slowly closed. Zarc thought that Yuri fainted, but twitching eyelids convinced him otherwise. Though what followed shocked him more.

Yuri was crying.

Since the day Yuri was brought in by Judai and Johan, the boy wouldn't shed a tear apart from the time he had the very first conversation with Zarc. Not at Asuka's grave, not when he would be getting nightmares about seeing her die and not even when he accidently broke his wrist while tree climbing with Yuya and Yugo, Yuri wouldn't cry.

Now he wasn't only crying, but outright bawling his eyes just like Yugo did when he regained his soul. But those weren't the tears of relief or joy.

They were full of pain.

For a second Zarc felt like he had Yuto in front of him instead of Yuri. Those eyes, so wide and terrified belonged to people who had seen what they shouldn't.

"I…I… was… th-there…" Yuri uttered through his sobs and whimpers.

"Where Lily?" Zarc held the child as tightly as he could.

"…H-Hea…rt… l-land…" Yuri cried as the memories rushed through his head which only made him hold onto his Haoryuu more.

"I-I… remember…"

Yuri was wrapped up in blankets, his face buried in Zarc's shoulder and his shaking hands holding onto the lily badge. The boy was neither awake nor unconscious, but something in between, constantly whispering and muttering incoherent sentences, all while quietly sobbing.

The moment Yuri said he remembered, Zarc wanted him to rest up and take it easy for a while, but Yuri had none of that. Even though his head felt like it was going to explode from all the memories, he insisted he was alright if that meant finally learning about who he was. Still Zarc was worried that Yuri might not be able to handle it, so he used his powers to at least soothe the pain while his ward would go through all the memories from his early childhood. Before taking a hold of the badge which was apparently a trigger for his memories, Yuri told Zarc to not interfere with it since he didn't want any sugar-coating layers, only the bitter truth that he was dying to learn about. With an unsuccessful protest, the Dragon King eventually gave up and after Yuri sat in his lap, he gave him the badge and let him sink in the depths of his heart.

The whole process didn't took as long as Ray needed to go through Yugo's memories, though unlike the blue haired boy, Yuri was much more affected by it. His fists were clenching and opening, squeezing the badge so hard it would probably break if it wasn't made of metal. Yuri's body was twisting and turning so hard Zarc barely held him in his lap.

At last it was over and Yuri's head tiredly fell onto Zarc's chest as his fists released the lily badge. The boy's body was drenched in a cold sweat like he had been running for miles along with deep gasps for air. Zarc could only cradle him in his arms while wiping his drenched face with a cloth. Yuri was outright drained of his strength, so Zarc let him calm down before carrying him back to the kitchen.

"Some tea?" the man asked to which the boy give a slight nod.

Zarc prepared that one cup of tea in silence, using the herbs that he knew Yuri liked and the ones that were good for easing the mind. Even once the tea was ready, Yuri didn't want to leave the safety of Zarc's warm arms. It was like he was afraid everything would disappear the second he lets go of his Haoryuu.

So Zarc let him sip onto tea while he put the badge back in the bag along with other items. Yuri thought the memories would finally tell him who he was, but now that he had them, the boy was no longer sure if that really was what he wanted. Ignorance was indeed a bliss and for a minute he wished he could erase them and go back to Yuya and Yugo, living in the same state of not knowing his past.

But that wasn't the right thing to do. Not after everything Yuto has gone through to bring his badge back. It just wouldn't be right.

"Are you feeling better now?" Zarc asked, Yuri almost forgetting that Dragon King was still with him.

"Yeah… and…" Yuri looked straight into Zarc's eyes "I have something to show you…"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah… go ahead…" the boy let him put his hands on his forehead "… you need to know…"

"If it gets too serious, I'll stop right away."

Yuri wanted to protest, but in the end he just let the man enter his mind and see the memories that were just awaken in the pits of the boy's heart.

"Flowers! Fresh, beautiful and sweet-smelling! Buy them today!" a boy with red and green hair shouted while swinging a whole bouquet around.

"Hey careful with those Yuya. I was arranging them the whole morning!" another boy with identical face but different hair barked while fixing the stand.

"But Yuri, there are so many people everywhere and I'm excited!" Yuya whined.

"Just keep it down, it's loud enough already…" Yuri suddenly spotted an approaching couple "…and I think we might have an opportunity right there!"

A young couple was checking over the nearby stands and by the time they reached the flower stand, the two boys were fully prepared.

"Excuse me miss, do you happen to be on a date with this lovely gentleman?" Yuri bowed before them politely like a knight.

"Oh my, what a sweet boy you are." the woman giggled "Yes, indeed I am. In fact today just happens to be a one year anniversary of the day we met."

"Then you definitely deserve this beautiful bouquet." the pink haired boy pointed at Yuya who literally made flowers appear out of nowhere.

"Wow that's quite a trick you've pulled." the man smiled while searching for his wallet "How much for it?"

"For a lovely couple such as the two of you, it's half price only for today." Yuri smiled.

"I don't see a reason why I shouldn't buy it then." the man put those few coins on the counter while Yuya wrapped bouquet in a colourful piece of parchment paper.

"Aren't you a bit too young to run your own stand?" the woman asked once the odd-eyed boy handed her the flowers.

"We're just helping out while mom is bringing more flowers." Yuya winked as he carefully put away the money.

"Nawwww that's so sweet of you two. I think I'll get one of those flower crowns too." she pointed her finger at the tangled flowers hanging from the roof of the stands "Did your mother made them too?"

"I made them!" Yuya climbed up the stand to reach for the flower crown "But mom helped and Yuri picked the flowers."

"You're such a talented bunch of young lads." the man added more coins "Here, consider this a tip, you deserve it."

"Thank you so much mister!" Yuya grinned as the couple took their purchase and left.

Yuri carefully counted all the coins they earned and put them all in the metal money box with a satisfying grin.

"See? I told you my plan would work." the pink haired boy put away the box "Way better than your shouting."

Yuya pouted a bit, but a smile instantly turned on his face when someone approached the stand.

"Mom!" Yuya rushed towards the blond haired woman who carried more bouquets of flowers, burying his face in her flower patterned apron when giving her a big hug.

"I was only gone for a few minutes Yuya." she stroked Yuya's ruffled hair "Now why don't you help me put these on the stand?"

"Okay!" the boy excitedly started putting the flowers up while Yuri helped.

The three of them continued to sell flowers, Yuri attracting more people with his polite talk and Yuya performing magic tricks. The city centre became more and more crowded with travelers and visitors from other towns and the weather was just perfect. The Heartland Carnival event couldn't look more perfect.

But then the friendly chatter of city folk quietened down and all of a sudden the sky turned dark. Yuri felt himself being pulled behind the stand along with Yuya, hearing the sound of crumbling bricks and trampling of dozens of feet running away.

Then there was an explosion.

It blew up so fast that Yuri couldn't even comprehend it. He only remembered seeing Yuya's scared face and numerous printed flowers on a fabric as the stand literally caught fire in front of his eyes. Yuri felt protective arms around him and Yuya in his own arms as the sheer force of the explosion threw them against the nearby building. Their stand was in unrecognizable pieces and only a few remaining petals were left from all the flowers.

Yuri coughed from the smoke, his body aching like a boulder fell on him and his clothes were completely torn. His mind was in shambles, him not knowing what exactly happened or where he was.

"Mom! Mom, wake up!"

The pink haired boy slowly picked himself up, flinching at his scrapped knees and ankles from the fall. His vison was all foggy and all he heard were distant echoes of people that were right there. But the second his eyes saw clearly, Yuri was pulled right back in reality.

Yuya was on his knees, screaming and crying as he shook figure on the ground that wouldn't move.

"Mom! Mom please!"

But the woman wouldn't budge an inch. No matter how much Yuya called after her, she remain as still as the stone. With horror, Yuri could only now see why there was no movement present.

If there weren't for the familiar flower printed apron, Yuri wouldn't even recognize her. She was covered by burns beyond recognition and it was only a miracle that two of them only got minor injuries. Yuri's mind thought back and he remembered how her arms and body protected him and Yuya from scorching flames. She sacrificed her life for them…

"Mom..." Yuya's throat was going sore from all the screaming.

"Yuya… we have to go…" Yuri said, trying to avoid looking at the burnt body.

"Mom..." Yuya simply shook his head, refusing to let go.

"We have to run, before-"

"Hey, I can see two brats over there!" a man's voice shouted, sending shivers right up Yuri's spine.

"Good, get them!" another one joined and before long there was a group of men dressed like soldiers surrounding them.

Yuri knew they had to run, anywhere that was safe. But Yuya wouldn't move, refusing to release the body of a person he's been so desperately holding onto. The pink haired boy was frozen, not knowing what to do and before he knew it, there were hands lifting him up.

"Oi, this one looks too frail. I doubt anyone would want this one for the mines." the man holding Yuri grunted.

"Nah, he's pretty enough. Just tie him up and throw him on that caravan." another man said once he had a good look on Yuri.

"And this one?" the third man looked at Yuya, who was still crying to his mother to wake up.

"Same. You might get even more if you pair him up with the pink haired one. Apart from their hair, they look identical."

"Indeed and their eyes are probably- holy hell! Look at this one!" the man lifted Yuya's face up, forcing him to look at him "This one has freakish eyes!"

"Whoa… he really does. One red and one green."

"I've heard someone at Pendulum was looking for something like this runt. I bet he'll pay a lot for this little freak." the second man laughed as he tore Yuya right out of the mother's arms.

This caused Yuya to only cry more, his little hands reaching for his mother as the man tried to tie him up.

"Dammit, hold still you brat." the man cursed as the boy struggled to get back.

"Just knock him out."

When the loud bang was heard, that's when Yuri snapped out of his dazzled gaze. He saw Yuya calling for his mother one more time before his head slumped forward from sword's handle that knocked him unconscious. Suddenly, it was like all the fiery anger he had within him bubbled up, making him bite into soldier's hand to the point of blood. The man screamed and Yuri used the opportunity to rush towards Yuya who was about to be thrown on a caravan. He kicked and yelled, anything to get there.

But Yuri was no fighter. He wasn't as athletic as Yuya who would regularly climb trees like it was nothing and neither did he have enough strength to run fast enough. Yuri had only the strength needed to take care of the flowers.

Before he could even reach the caravan, he was already pulled back and smelly rug was pressed over his mouth and nose. Yuri knew that scent well, since he would regularly help prepare the herb mixture intended for calming down the domesticated animals before they would be transported somewhere. Was that really what he was now? Just an animal ready to be sold and used? Yuri was getting dizzy, the drugs making him sway on his feet until he was tied up and thrown on a different caravan with other children.

But just before the drugs knocked him out, he could hear a familiar shout and see a familiar figure with blond and blue hair.

"Leave them alone! I'll fight you!" the figure was getting closer, yelling at the top of their lungs "Let my brothers go!"

"Yugo…" Yuri mumbled before darkness clouded his memory.

Yuri let go of Zarc's hand, the man still hardly believing what he had just seen.

His suspicions were right. The four children were related and they used to have a loving family in a peaceful town called Heartland. All of them were happy and lived a normal life before the extremists attacked their home.

"I don't remember much what happened later until Asuka found me… those bastards kept drugging me in that locked up caravan…" Yuri muttered, still feeling dizzy from the memories "I must've forgotten who I was due to the effects of the herbs..."

"But you know who you are now." Zarc pulled Yuri in a hug "It doesn't matter if the four of you are related or not, I'll continue to take care of you just the same."

"I can't believe I forgotten everything… Yuya, Yugo… and Yuto. All of us have always been together." the boy picked the lily badge along with the rest of items "We got these as presents and kept them as our keepsakes. I remember how Yuya was saving up all the coins he got from his street performances so he could have our neighbor make an earring that Yugo wished for. Yuto accompanied our mother on her trade trip to Synchro kingdom where he bought this crystal pendant for Yuya. I knew Yuto wanted to be a knight so I helped our father make him this blade. And this lily badge… Yugo made it for me himself."

Zarc looked at the items, now understanding why they appeared to be so familiar to him the first time he saw them. Each item reminded him of a certain boy. The swinging crystal had Yuya's innocence. The badge had Yuri's passion for collecting plants. Yugo's earring was sturdy but sparkling with life. And Yuto's blade… it had his desire to protect his family. That must've been a reason why he choose to join the Phantom Knights, to protect the ones who can't defend themselves.

"Can I see Yuto?" Yuri muttered.

"I don't know Lily. He is still resting and I'm afraid how would he react when he sees you… he never mentioned he had family other than parents. I don't know why…"

"I might know why… but I want to make sure… Please, let me see him, it's been years since I did."

It was hard for Zarc to decide whether to take Yuri see his brother or not, especially due his current state. But Yuri asked to only see him – nothing more. Considering Ray lulled Yuto into a peaceful sleep he could potentially have Yuri in the same room… still he wanted to play it safe just in case.

"Alright, we can go see him, but we must be careful."

Minutes later and they were already at the guest room where Yuto was resting. Zarc instructed Yuri to wait outside while he had a word with Ray. Yuri didn't hear what they were talking about nor did he try to eavesdrop. His thoughts were still going through the just recovered memories of the times he and his family would spend time together without a care in the world. Just what has Yuto been through? Yuri could still remember that day, how Yugo helped their father carrying the stuff from the workshop, how he and Yuya were preparing the flowers for their mother's stand and how Yuto stayed behind due to feeling sick… Did the slave traders capture him too? Did he manage to get away? Has he gone through the same hell he, Yuya and Yugo did?

"Lily?" Zarc called, making Yuri flinch out of his thoughts "You can come in."

Yuri slowly stepped in the guest room, oddly similar to the one where Yugo has been staying for the first few months when he was brought here. Yuto was sleeping so still that Yuri nearly thought he wasn't alive and his pale skin certainly didn't help.

"I-Is he alright?" Yuri blurted out, not even sure why he asked.

"He is for now." Ray replied while gently caressing the hair of a sleeping boy "But his thoughts are like a storm. The trip to Heartland must've awaken the memories and emotions he's been holding back for all these years."

"I shouldn't have taken him there." Zarc sighed as he gently moved the locks off Yuto's face.

"As a matter of fact, it was good that you did. Otherwise he'd continue to bottle down his pain until he wouldn't be able to handle it anymore."

"Yuto…" Yuri muttered once he was close enough to take his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze "… what happened…"

Only now could Yuri picked on the numerous scars all over Yuto's hands and face, more than the number of ones that Yugo had. While Yuya and Yugo didn't change much from what he could remember, Yuto certainly did. His physical appearance was roughed up, his hair darkened and the scars stated the injuries he had received during those years. He truly looked like an adult, like he always wanted to. But for what price?

"Can I see his memories?" Yuri asked, almost sounding like a plea "I need to know…"

"Lily I can tell you what he told me, how he-"

"No… I need to see what happen through his own eyes. Only that way I will understand." the boy held onto his brother's hand tightly "He's always been like that… keeping everything to himself."

The Dragon King seemed like he was going to say something against it, but once he saw Ray's assuring look and Yuri helplessly staring at Yuto's sleeping form, he knew it was something that needs to be done. Ray had already got on the other side of the bed, using her powers to keep Yuto asleep and relaxed as Zarc took Yuri's hands into his own, guiding them to Yuto's forehead and chest.

"Let's see them together then."

And together they entered the storm going inside Yuto's heart.

"Mother, father, Yuya, Yuri, Yugo!"

Five year old child ran around, not caring about the flames and pieces of debris as he continued to call after his family. He was desperate, ready to walk right into the center of destruction with only his tiny blade.

"Keep it together sonny." a short elderly man grabbed his arm "Or do you want slave traders to get you again?"

"Mr. Misawa, I have to go there! I can still-"

"No you're only a child. If you go there you're only going to get hurt!" the old man pulled him towards the woods "Come on, you'll be safe in Duel Sanctuary."

Yuto hardly followed the old man since he wanted to go back for every step he went forward. His family was right in the middle of that and if he could, he would tear himself off his neighbor's grip and go look for his parents and brothers. But old man Rokujuro Misawa was right, he couldn't do anything other than save himself.

As they ran up the stairs leading to Duel Sanctuary, more and more Heartland was coming into view. The burning buildings, destroyed streets and ominous soldiers appearing out of nowhere. Then a loud crack was heard and soon the loud crash followed, shaking the ground like an earthquake.

The Heart Tower collapsed.

The tears ran down Yuto's face as he remembered the last day his family visited that tower. The birds flying up in the sky, them having candy and a magnificent sunset painting the sky orange. And now it was gone, the tower and his family.

He was sitting on the ground, knees close to his chest and shivering from fear. Yuto heard the screams from outside and what followed scared him even more.

The silence.

Those few survivors that reached the Duel Sanctuary in time were all huddled together, waiting for everything to just end. The old man Rokujuro was outside with a couple of mages in case someone would try to break in. Yuto felt so small and weak right there and then, wishing he could be older and stronger so he could go out there to look for his family.

More time passed, more survivors came and sadly none of them was his family. A strand of jealously ran through Yuto when he saw two children being reunited with their parents. But still he had some hope left in his heart that he'll see his family again.

Few more survivors were brought in, but this time they were accompanied by mages and knights in eerie-looking cloaks and armors. For a moment Yuto thought the same enemies broke in and was ready to defend the injured survivors. He however was proved wrong once he saw them healing a woman who got hurt during the attack.

Rokujuro later explained him those were Phantom Knights, a secret organization made of mages and knights who travel around, selflessly helping the ones in need. The old man was actually the one who contacted them and they came as soon as they could. With their help, more survivors were brought in and Yuto got more faith in reuniting with his family.

But soon Phantom Knights started bringing heavily injured people in and even the ones for which was clear they didn't make it. Yuto's heart felt like it was going to shatter, especially once he saw several dead bodies were brought in. The pain of a woman crying at the sight of her dead family reached him as well and he was terrified to see his family the same way.

And then he saw a familiar red cloak and spikey black hair.

"Father!" Yuto yelled, rushing towards the stretcher carried by two Phantom Knights.

The boy was relieved to see his father was breathing and even conscious enough to recognize him.

But then he saw two nasty wounds on his shoulder and abdomen. Despite the temporary bandages trying to stop the bleeding, his skin was getting paler by each passing second and the hand that Yuto held was getting cold. Any hope that Yuto still had was fading away piece by piece.

"Yu… to…" his father uttered, coughing blood.

"I'm here." Yuto fought back tears, trying to look strong for his wounded parent.

"Your… brothers were… taken…" the man whispered "… and your mother… didn't make it…"

If Yuto had any kind of hope left, then it was gone now. His fears became true. He only had his father now and even for him it wasn't clear if he'll make it or not. Yuto couldn't take it anymore and before he knew it, he was a crying mess. He cried and cried while holding his father's hand. The Phantom Knights continued to heal him, but after what felt like hours they stopped, saying they did what they could so it solely depended on his father's will. Yuto wanted them to continue trying despite all other heavily wounded people in there. In the end Yuto could only sit next to his dying father, trying to talk with him no matter how many tears were pouring out of his eyes. The boy hated being so weak, so pathetic in his eyes.

"I-I will find them." Yuto said with determination "I will become stronger. I will go after the slave traders who took them."

He kept repeating those sentences throughout the whole night. Yuto didn't know if his father heard him or not. It didn't matter as long as he kept the promise to himself. His hand was gripping the tiny blade, small drops of blood full of his desire to become stronger marking it almost like a blood oath. His father was too weak to say anything, but for Yuto the mutters and pained moans were enough to convince him that his father was agreeing with him.

That morning when his father could no longer wake up, that's when Yuto decided to become a Phantom Knight.

"You're too young."

"You're too weak."

"You aren't even tall enough to get on a horse on your own."

"You won't last a day with us."

"You don't have what it takes to become a Phantom Knight."

Those were the most common responses to his plea to become one of them. It wasn't like they were belittling him in any shape or form, they were simply stating the facts. When Rokujuro saw him talk with Phantom Knights, he pulled him away and asked him if he was out of his mind. The old man started telling him about his own hellish knight training, which was nothing compared to the one Phantom Knights had for the new recruits.

But Yuto no longer cared.

Once his parents were buried, so was his reason to stay here. Yuya, Yuri and Yugo were still somewhere out there, alive and most likely suffering. Despite them assuring him that they will find his brothers, Yuto wanted to go with them, helping in any way he could even if it meant becoming one of them. Not that he didn't have faith in them, he was haunted by the fact that they already arrived too late once and he wanted to make sure they'll arrive in time next time.

They rejected him no more than fifty times and even once he was on a wagon towards the nearby village where he would be left with a nice family, he continued asking. Only when he sneaked away and successfully tracked them down, that's when they finally took him in consideration.

It hurt.

Hurt so much.

Despite his above-average fit body and good stamina, he was nowhere near what was acceptable for a Phantom Night recruit. He had to run by their horses while carrying a heavy backpack. He had to crawl through thorny bushes, climb up the rocky mountains and withstand the cold of a freezing river. Only once he went through such extreme training for nearly a year they started teaching him how to handle the weapons.

He was six by then and the harsh conditions changed him greatly. Yuto barely knew the feeling of pain by then, training harder than ever to exceed the high expectations of Phantom Knights. There were the ones who genuinely cared about him and even they kept saying that he should wait a few more years. But Yuto refused to even hear about leaving. He came to learn.

What Rokujuro taught him about handling the blade was nothing compared to their far more superior techniques. At the times Yuto didn't know what he was doing since the blade would do the things he couldn't even imagine. Over the months he was given more and more weapons to wield and by the time he was eight, he knew how to handle the majority of them. Around that time he started accompanying the Knights on their missions. At first he's been given a role to watch over the horses and soon enough he was taught how to sneak into the buildings. His small size gave him an advantage in such cases, along with his quick reflexes.

Though that didn't mean he didn't need to fight. The moment he joined a mission it was clear he was going to get blood on his hands. And he did.

They raided a building where enslaved children were kept, a lot of them around his own age. His role was to get inside, disguised as a young slave and use his lock-picking skills to open it. Unfortunately he wasn't fast enough and the guards spotted him. With no other choice, Yuto had to use his own blade to protect himself and the children. He knew which body parts to cut in order to disarm them, but due to hasty movements of the guards, the boy was forced to cut deeper than intended more than once. Yuto felt guilty, but the thoughts of his brothers being locked in such places quickly made him forget it. The mission was a success and the sight of children being reunited with their parents gave him a motivation to keep training to become stronger.

One of the last things he learned was a basic use of magic. Even though he was not a mage, Phantom Knights taught him how to feel the memories and aura of people to track them down. It was a simple ability that could be achieved through meditation and shear physical strength. Yuto mastered it in a rather short time as well, especially because the bond he shared with his brothers was strong.

More missions followed, involving search and rescue operations, gathering information and often even major battles. The first time he joined a battle against bandits that attacked a village, it took Yuto everything to keep it together. It felt like seeing his hometown being destroyed again and several times Phantom Knights had to snap him out of his gaze. Same went for similar missions, but the more he fought, more he was determined to survive in order to find his brothers.

Then when he just turned ten, Phantom Knights tracked down Yuya. Yuto nearly tore the circus flyer out of their hands when he saw the big letters of the main attraction.

The Boy With Odd Eyes!

There was no mistaking it, the boy was no other than his youngest brother! Yuya's discoloured eyes were quite noticeable ever since he was a baby. Many people in Heartland found his eyes astonishing and mysterious, only some kids found them weird. But if he was sold off to a circus, Yuto feared the worst.

Without a second thought he joined the group of Phantom Knights to get to that circus, hoping Yuya could hold still now that he was so close to him. He trained all those years to save him and as they were getting closer to that tent during the night he could hardly wait to see his little brother again. The Phantom Knights broke into the main tent to interrogate the ringleader who was suspected of buying slaves for his acts while Yuto searched around other tents to look for Yuya.

There were many people who were performing against their will, a lot of them horribly mistreated and hiding under sparkling masks. One of them was a ginger haired boy around Yuto's age who burst out crying when Yuto removed the mask that was practically glued to his face. Once his tears dried out, the boy had shock written all over himself when met with Yuto's face.

"Yu…ya?" he uttered in disbelief.

"Where is he!?" Yuto desperately grabbed onto the boy's shirt "Please, tell me!"

"I'm s-sorry…" the ginger haired boy sobbed "H-he was s-sold to another ringleader… weeks ago…"

Yuto's hands let go of the boy whose name was later revealed to be Dennis. According to him, Yuya was indeed kept here for years, but since his act became popular he was passed around by various ringleaders all over the kingdoms and at one point even by nobles for private shows. Phantom Knights were going through all the paperwork that could give a hint of where Yuya might've been taken while Yuto took care of the just released performers. The planning of their next move took a while, so despite his urge to go after Yuya on his own, Yuto decided to talk with Dennis more.

The ginger haired boy was still fascinated how similar Yuto looked compared to Yuya. Only his hair and his eyes were of course different, plus the fact that Yuya was much frailer in appearance. Dennis told him how he's been kidnapped from somewhere in Fusion a few years ago and brought here where he met Yuya who has been with the circus for a while. He told him how the odd eyed boy taught him a lot about performing, how to cover up mistakes on the stage and charm the audience. Dennis owed so much to him and tried to help him out in his own way, like giving him his own portions of food and comforting him whenever there was a storm. Though whenever Dennis asked him about his family or hometown, Yuya could never recall it. He barely remembered anything and the fact that he was often mistreated certainly didn't help.

It took everything in Yuto not to get up and punish the ringleader for what he did to Yuya. He knew his brothers were suffering, but this much? Beaten for as much as making a tiny mistake during the act? Kept in a cage and exhibited like some animal? Yuto's blood was on the verge of boiling for what his youngest brother had to go through.

"But despite everything, he smiled as much as he could…" Dennis said "When he wasn't performing and when there was just the two of us… he tried to make me smile too…"

Yuto nearly smiled at the thought. Right… Yuya wouldn't be Yuya if he didn't try to put smiles on people's faces. Even after all of this, he still cared about other people's happiness.

"Before he was taken to a different circus…" Dennis reached for something in his pocket "He gave me this…"

Yuto never though he'd see Yuya's pendulum again. It was right there, looking the same as it did on the day Yuto gave it to him. He could nearly hear Yuya citing that happiness speech right there and then.

"He had a bad feeling about that next circus and wanted me to keep it safe…" the ginger haired boy added "I guess it's the best you have it from now on. You're his brother."

"Thank you…"

The next day the Phantom Knights had ringleader arrested and enslaved performers released. Dennis along with some other people from Fusion were escorted back to their hometown by Phantom Knights. They also managed to come up with a list of all the places where Yuya might be and gave it to Yuto. There were far too many locations to check on such a short notice all while taking care of the rescued performers, so Yuto decided to go solo. Phantom Knights saw more than enough of his progress in the recent years, so they gave him a horse and let him go without another word.

Gripping Yuya's pendulum in his hand, Yuto rode into the night as the lone Phantom Knight, following the remaining aura from the crystal pendant.

Yuri had to take a deep breath after all of this. Zarc needed to hold him in place from how exhausted he was after seeing all of those scenes. The pink haired boy expected Yuto to go look after them, considering he was the oldest and the most independent of them all. But the fact that he went to such lengths for them…

"We can continue later-"

"No. I want to see the rest." Yuri's hands were already on his brother's forehead "If he withstood all this pain for so long, so can I."

Yuto rode through several towns and villages, asking around about the circus with an odd eyed kid. His face was covered up so no one knew he was related to him. And it certainly was a good thing that he did. Unlike XYZ Kingdom, other kingdoms weren't that tolerant of anything that even slightly resembled spirits. Phantom Knights revealed that the attack on Heartland was caused by extremists, people who hated the spirits the most. So he rather played it safe underneath his disguise.

It took him weeks before he came to the next town's circus, the last known location on the list and with a brief amount of Yuya's aura there, he was sure it had to be the right place. He quickly followed the aura trail to the nearest staff tent.

But he was met with a huge mess.

The tents were ripped apart if not burnt, the animals were out of their cages and the performers were trying to keep it in place. As a Phantom Knight, Yuto was obliged to help out and that he did. The staff were far too busy and exhausted to care if the help came from the outsider, so they let him help them until everything was at least under some sort of control.

Two female performers who appeared to be sisters thanked him and offered him a place to stay in their tent. Yuto politely declined and instead questioned them about Yuya. The name didn't bring any bells to them, but once he showed them the flyer and referred to him as The Boy with Odd Eyes, one of the girls put her hands over her mouth in shock. She started sobbing so much that her sister had to continue.

"I'm sorry… but we are afraid you won't find him here…"

"Was he taken by a different ringleader? Sold to another noble?" Yuto asked in a panicked manner "Please, I've been searching all over Pendulum!"

"You don't understand…" the woman uttered through her sobs "He's gone!"

At that moment it was like the whole world broke apart. That couldn't be true… right? He had to be here, the pendant led him here. He could still feel the signs of the aura…

Yuto quickly took a hold of the pendant and used all the will power he had to see where Yuya was last. He was led to one of the tents that was still standing and inside it he found a broken cage. Everything else was trashed and destroyed beyond recognition. Yuto continued searching, getting only flashing images of Yuya being beaten by the ringleader and shovelled in the cage right after.

"The ringleader… he would often beat the boy in a drunken rage…" one of the sisters said once she caught up to him "And a few days ago, he went completely mad."

"Wh-where… is he…" Yuto trembled.

"I don't know… my sister saw the ringleader enter the tent..." the woman caressed his shoulder in the support "The same night the ringleader insanely started destroying whatever he touched… and in the morning… the boy was gone…"

"No, no, no… this can't be…" Yuto nearly forgot how to breathe as he desperately searched for more signs of aura. He ran outside, towards the nearby woods where the last few drops could be tracked down. Maybe Yuya managed to get away. Maybe he was still somewhere there, hiding from the ringleader. Maybe there were clues where he was. Yuto ran and ran, not caring where the pendant was leading him.

But then he felt it.

During his training of how to track person's aura, the Phantom Knights told him about something known simply as a "rip". It was called like that because sensing aura was imagined like following a thread with no end. But when there was an end, you could feel like something got ripped off your heart.

Yuya's aura trail ended with a rip.

"No…" Yuto fell on his knees "NO!"

He kept searching for any other trails, but all of them were met by a rip. Feeling like he was defeated, Yuto fell on the ground, gripping the strands of grass as he screamed out his brother's name. No… why, just why did it come to this? If only he got here sooner, if only he would've chosen this place instead of all other locations. If only he wasn't too late…

He could no longer save Yuya.

"I… I don't understand…" Yuri said, feeling like his own tears were going to spill when he was seeing Yuto's thoughts.

"It's because Yuya was no longer in human world. Once my generals Yugi and Atem brought him to the spirit world a rip on aura trail was made which mimics what… what Yuto thought happened." Zarc explained, now understanding Yuto's story more and more.

Yuri could hardly imagine what happened next. He knew that Yuto was always overly protective of Yuya and if the youngest member of Sakaki family had as much as scrapped a knee, Yuto would wake up entire house over it. To think his brother had to go through something as terrible as that… he had no words for it and neither had he wanted to see it.

So Zarc found the memory that happened months later.

"You really do look like this young fellow." a trader said to Yuto "He was always keen on learning more about plants and I was more than glad to tell him about the herbs I traded."

"When and where was the last time you seen him?" Yuto asked without a hint of emotion.

"It shouldn't have been more than three years ago. Here let me show you." a trader took out the map.

Yuto still wouldn't give up. Although the loss of Yuya cut through his heart every given moment, he continued to search. As much as he wanted to avenge Yuya by going after the ringleader, the sisters revealed that the man was already dead, the cause of it being his own insanity. Yuto had to use all the will power he still had to move forward and let his heart heal later. He lost Yuya, but his other two brothers were still somewhere out there. Yuya would've wanted him to find them, he knew that much, so tucking the pendulum in his bag right next to the blade, he moved along.

Along the way he meet Phantom Knights again who found some clues of slave traders who might've taken Yuri. They offered to come with him, but Yuto declined. It was his own mission now and he had to complete it on his own. Alone with a single horse he travelled across Pendulum until he finally reached Fusion. There his traveling went slow.

A lot of towns and villages felt abandoned due to a plague outbreak. Yuto wore protective clothing and entered each town with caution in order to not get infected as well. Those few people who were immune to the disease were the only ones left behind, dwelling there since they refused to leave their homes. Yuto managed to get some supplies there, but staying was a big no-no. Not only because he could accidently get infected. Despite the friendly faces, Yuto had more than enough experiences from his training to not trust anyone.

This time he located an old shack that was supposedly used by slave traders in the past. It was empty, but while digging through the stuff that was left there, Yuto came across the papers that documented all child slaves that were kept there. Instead of names there were only descriptions and majority of them were girls. Still, Yuto looked over the documents carefully and by the end of the day he found it.

"Boy, 6 years old, pink hair with purple bangs, amethyst eyes. Petite. Rebellions. Taken from Heartland, XYZ Kingdom."

That definitely sounded like Yuri and in less than an hour Yuto came up with his brother's last known whereabouts. Apparently Yuri was a difficult slave so he was sold and returned a lot, mostly by nobles. From what Phantom Knights told him, the child slaves that had attractive features were often bought by noble families that couldn't have children and required an heir to their wealth. Young, pretty-looking children, most commonly girls were suitable, especially if they happened to be smart.

Out of all four of them, Yuri was considered the most beautiful plus he was also the smartest when it came to intellectual skills. So it was not at all that surprising that Yuri would be sold to such families, but from what Yuto could remember, the second eldest of Sakaki family had a talent of driving people nuts. The last time he was sold, was to some noble lady living at the north part of Fusion. And that's where Yuto headed next.

The ride there took three full days and at times he had to slow down due to forest area that was really hard to walk through, especially for his horse. While he was getting closer, he was starting to get doubts if Yuri was even still there. It's been more than five years already. But he had hope that at least Yuri had it easier. The noble families might've bought those children, but at least they treated them well. Few more hours and he would've reach the town where that noble lady lived.

But then he felt the familiar sensation of aura trail. This time it was Yuri's.

He galloped towards it, praying he would find his brother. The trail was getting stronger and he followed it straight until he found something that he never thought he will at such place.

It was the lily badge that Yugo made for Yuri.

His brother would always wear it, no matter if was for a special occasion or simple garden work. He and Yugo might've been in each other's hair most of the time, but they were rather close too, just like he and Yuya were… Yuto wiped the tear he didn't know he was shedding as he picked the badge and started looking for a new trail. It didn't lead towards the way he was headed, but entirely different direction.

So Yuri managed to escape?

He didn't know and he didn't lose the time thinking it. Yuto followed the different trail, leading back to one of the abandoned villages he has passed the same day. Despite looking like another ghost town, Yuto met someone there – a trader.

A trader that knew Yuri.

Even though Yuri could've lived with a noble family, it turned that Yuri actually lived a rather good life in the village and was raised by a kind herbalist. But once the plague wiped out most of the villagers, Yuri was among people who were forced to leave along with his guardian. The trader would often come to this village even three years later after there was no one left. He gave Yuto the directions of all nearby villages, places where Yuri might've moved to.

Using the directions and faint traces of aura, Yuto rode as fast as he could, not daring to let down another brother…

…

Yuri stopped, refusing to see Yuto's reaction at his ripped aura trail. Seeing him cry over Yuya was hard enough and to see him break down because of him… he just couldn't watch it.

"I remember now…" Yuri said instead "Why I could only remember the insides of houses and other kids… I was constantly taken to different families… and right back in that shack. The people yelling at me were slave traders… who drugged me during every ride to a different noble family, so I would forget who I was… And the reason why I ended up in snow was because I broke out of the wagon taking me to the new clients… and that's where Asuka found me. I must've lost the badge at that spot."

Zarc gave him an assuring hug from behind, like he was telling him that he had enough for today and he should wait until tomorrow to see the rest. But Yuri wanted to see it anyway, so Ray searched forward, looking for a memory happening even more months later.

"That's quite a jewel you have there." the owner of the jewel store said while checking it out with magnifying glass "Where did you get it?"

"Mountain pass between Pendulum and XYZ." Yuto replied, his voice barely audible.

"You see here's a thing… if you want to pawn something of such great value it is only fair that you show me your face. We don't tolerate impostors and crooks in Synchro."

During the last few months, Yuto was barely recognizable. He lost weight, his posture bended down and more scars covered his body. Once he discovered Yuri's end of aura trail, he barely moved out of that town. The same trader found him few days later, unconscious and starving on the road. He took him to the village towards which he was heading, hoping he could help him in some way. Yuto was grateful for his help, but soon enough he left, saying he had to go somewhere else.

Somehow he managed to contact Phantom Knights again and he joined them on more missions. Losing both Yuya and Yuri made him start losing his mind and he knew that he wouldn't be able to survive like this. So he was back with Phantom Knights, helping them out in current battles against more extremists between Synchro and XYZ. Fighting in the war might've not been the best way, but for him it was the only way to distract himself from sadness. His soulless eyes and scarred body earned him a nickname "ghost" since he came at his enemies swiftly and quietly. He was a big help to Phantom Knights over those months, but sooner or later even they knew he shouldn't be pushing himself that much.

So they send him to Synchro to pawn some things they confiscated from the people they arrested. Pawning was one of the few things that Phantom Knights used to finance their organization and Synchro was well-known for having more than enough money. Yuto had no trouble pawning the clothes, badges and weapons. Only a single jewel seemed to be a problem for a young owner of jewel store.

"If you don't show me your face you don't get a deal." she snarled, clearly annoyed at his silent treatment.

So Yuto removed the scarf off his face and goggles of his eyes. He was ready to be met by the same tone of voice, but once his eyes met hers, her expression changed completely.

"It- It's you." she gasped, continuously wiping her eyes and taking a second glance to see if she was seeing right "Y-you're back… Crystal."

Yuto gave her a puzzled look and before he knew it, he was pulled into the back of the store while she went to change the shop's sign to "closed". Only once they were cooped up in a room that was most likely a storage, the girl spoke again.

"Don't you remember me? I'm Masumi! You worked here for a year!" she opened a drawer, taking two doll-like structures out of the drawer "You taught me how to make Lapis and Lazuli!"

The young Phantom Knight almost freaked out when the two dolls, decorated by gems, moved. Then he remembered. His father, the blacksmith told him about tiny spirits who can possess small manmade objects like their bodies. Yugo was obsessed with making such objects in hopes they would house the spirits once. Yuto wasn't that keen on the idea, but he knew his second youngest brother loved it.

"You taught me how to perfect my jewellery making skills, I gave you a name and you had those Speedroids with you!"

"You're talking about my brother…" Yuto removed his hood, revealing his black and purple locks "Where is he?"

Masumi opened her mouth like she was going to say something, but she changed her mind and rather reached in her pocket. Out she brought a rose badge, awfully similar to the one shaped like a lily that Yugo made for Yuri.

"He went after his brother… which makes it your brother too. The one with odd eyes." Masumi cradled the rose badge, remembering their last conversation "I've never seen him act like that. It was like something within him snapped the second I showed him a flyer from a travelling circus. He was full set on leaving as soon as his legs heal up, but since the ship transporting the circus left early, so did he. I tried to convince him to wait, but he refused to listen."

"I see…" Yuto mumbled, his hands shaking "Did… did he leave anything behind?"

"Not really… he had a few of those Speedroids with him, but they left on their own. They followed him wherever he went. Maybe only this…" Masumi opened what appeared to be a hidden pocket in the rose badge "I don't know if it's his, but it most certainly isn't a part of the badge."

Yuto carefully took that little thing, his eyes needing some time to adjust in such dim room. It was an earring, the very same one that Yuya gave to Yugo. He remember his constant complaining when mother wouldn't allow him to wear one so Yuya had one made for him in secret. The only problem was that neither of them knew how to put it on, so Yuya took the risk and pierced the ear using Yugo's instructions. Unfortunately it didn't go well and both of them were grounded for weeks.

"That's his earring…" Yuto said, already feeling the thread that was Yugo's aura trail.

"Wait… don't tell me you're going after him too!?" Masumi shrieked from panic.

"I have to, he's my brother." the boy shot back.

"Yeah… that's what he said too…" she sighed while opening the drawer and reaching for a pouch full of golden coins "Here, consider this your payment for the jewel plus the tip. Go find your brother. I know there's nothing stopping you now."

"Thank you." Yuto stowed away the pouch "For both the money and keeping my brother company."

Then Yuto put his disguise back on and without sending a message to Phantom Knights that he'll be going solo once again he set off for yet another search…

And that's where Yuri stopped. He knew that what would follow was another great search for Yugo, ending with a set of clues brining him closer and closer to that mine from which Yusei rescued his brother until he would reach the rip of Yugo's aura trail. Whatever pain he felt at the realization that all of his efforts were in vain was most likely greater than anything he experienced so far.

"Yuma and Astral said they found him near Heartland…" Zarc said, gently caressing Yuri's back.

"He wanted to see our old home one last time." Yuri said, nearly tearing up while looking at Yuto's still expression "He didn't want to die anywhere else."

The Dragon king and Ray wanted to argue with that statement, but deep down they knew it was true. Ray saw the memories herself before Yuri did and knew well how troubled and confused Yuto felt within his mind. What he had wasn't a mere storm, but a never ending hurricane bringing up his past.

"Why don't you join Firefly and Crystal? I'm sure they miss you." Zarc lovingly embraced Yuri to change the topic.

"I think I will…" Yuri tiredly slipped off the bed "Haoryou?"

"Yes Lilly?

"Could you not tell him about us when he wakes up? Knowing him, he won't believe you."

"I don't know… it depends on his recovery. And speaking about recovery, you should go to bed before you get fever too. Your chin is already a little warm."

Yuri merely nodded and tiredly managed to stumble back to Healing Ward, stopping several times just to think how to respond to his brothers. A part of him wanted to tell them everything about Yuto and what he did for them but the other part just wanted to keep them in a bliss of ignorance. Would they really want to hear it? Forget that, would they even want to remember it? Yuya forgot due the hit in the head and several beatings that followed. Yugo went through carding which greatly shuffled his memory like a deck of cards. But he wanted them to know and didn't at the same time.

His own thoughts nearly made him crush against pillars in the hallway and he was about to crush against another if a pair of arms wouldn't lift him up.

"Miss Ray?" Yuri mumbled, hardly comprehending what he was seeing.

"I think it would be the best if I carry you back, alright? You are in no condition to walk back to your room again."

"My room?"

"The Gazers reported that your brothers' fevers went down so they were moved back to your shared bedroom."

The pink haired boy leaned against Ray's shoulder, trying hard to forget what he saw in Yuto's memories in order not worry Yuya and Yugo once he sees them. Fortunately both of them were already sleeping so Yuri just let Ray help him change in his nightclothes and put him in bed. Yuya woke a bit, just enough to see Yuri lay down next to him and the moment he was snuggled against Yuri's chest, he was fast asleep. Yugo on the other hand didn't even notice him since he was sleeping soundly with hands sprawled over Yuya's back.

Yuri embraced them both, fearing to see Yuto's memories again, the pain his brother felt when he believed he lost them. The pink haired boy hardly blamed his brother. If he were to lose everyone like this, he would most likely decide for the same fate. True he preferred to be alone, true he preferred the company of Predaplants more and true he found them noisy from time to time. But if he were to lose them… Yuri wouldn't be able to bear it.

Pulling Yuya and Yugo in a tight hug, Yuri instead tried to think about other memories, about those five peaceful years in Heartland. How they would spend days playing and helping out their parents and how they would fall asleep on their shared bed just like this.

Only Yuto was missing.

Yuri woke up early, like he usually did to water the plants in the hallway and check on the herbs he was drying right after dressing up. But this time he didn't return back to their room to wake up Yuya and Yugo. This time he headed straight to the guest room where Yuto was. He didn't know if his brother was awake or not, but he had a gut feeling that he had to be there, like Yuto was unconsciously calling after him in his sleep.

The pink haired boy carefully peeked into the room through ajar doors, noting that Zarc never left the room and was currently talking with Yuto. His elder brother spoke quietly and was more or less just answering Zarc's questions, since he didn't appear like he had much to say. He has most likely just told the Dragon King about his past, the part he left out and didn't want to share. The reason why he became a Phantom Knight.

"I-I couldn't… save them…" Yuto covered his eyes with his fist "… I did everything I could to find them… but when I was too late for Yugo… I-I didn't know what to do next."

"Phantom…" Zarc put his arm around Yuto's shoulders "What happened was out of your reach. You were far too young to stop the people who attacked your hometown."

"Just the day before the attack we were in the woods collecting chestnuts. I can still remeber scolding Yuri for filling his baskets with poisonous mushrooms, running after Yugo when he went chasing the squirrels and pulling spines out of Yuya's hands when he tried to get the chestnuts out of the burrs. Our mother was making a pumpkin pie and roasted sweet potatoes that night. Yugo burnt his tongue from eating a sweet potato too fast and Yuya… he had an idea to carve a face into the rest of the pumpkin and use it as a mask on one of father's shows…" Yuto wanted to tell, but the sobs muffled down his words.

"What you did was exemplary Phantom. Not many would go to the lengths you went and still keep on going. You are in no way weak like you think you are." Zarc drew gentle circles in Yuto's back to calm him down "As a matter of fact, I think you're even stronger than me."

Yuto blinked in confusion, not sure if the Dragon King really meant it or just said it to make him feel better. There was no way for that to be true right? Zarc told him about how he had created entire world for spirits before they headed towards the Heartland, about the war that happened before Yuto was even born. So how could he, a mere twelve year old boy be stronger than this spirit ruler?

"Yuto… I can't say that I've experienced the same pain, but I've also been through a heavy loss. I was too late and I could no longer save the ones I cared about… The pain I felt was horrendous…" Zarc sighed, looking in the distance towards the woods "So I decided to forget them completely in order to recover and because of that I hardly remember them anymore."

Zarc then stood up, getting closer to the window, his own memories coming back more and more clearly.

"But you Yuto… you kept the memories of your family alive. You didn't push them away like I did, but welcomed them with opened arms. I know that because you showed me yourself." Zarc held Yuto's hand "Would you really bury the last thing that reminded you of your brothers next to your parents if you were protecting them so much? You don't want to forget them, no matter the pain."

Yuto started crying. The first time he came across Yuma and Astral, meeting Zarc, hearing the last words of fallen spirits, Yuma begging him to live for Zarc, visiting the graves, being beaten by Security soldiers… and sharing those painful memories of his aimless search for his brothers. He hardly believed this happened in only a couple of days.

"I can't forget them… they were my only reason to keep moving for the last seven years. If I was close to giving up… I'd remember them and push through… but now… I just don't know…"

"You don't need to decide what to do next right away. Your heart needs time to recover after an ordeal as painful as yours." Zarc stood by the edge of the bed "You can freely stay here as long as you need to."

"But I can't!" Yuto wiped his tears with a sleeve "I don't deserve all of this, not after my brothers had to suffer for so many years! I failed them! I failed myself! I even failed Phantom Knights!"

Yuto continued crying and throwing a blame on himself, shaking from his own misery. He could still see their faces on every turn, reminding him how he was too late. The barely recognizable faces of his parents and fading images of his home were there too, but it was harder and harder to remember. He could no longer go back, not after letting down everyone.

All of a sudden, he felt a slap over his cheek.

Yuto slowly turned, expecting it from Zarc, but the man was too far away to do it.

The boy hardly believed his eyes.

"You… You moron! Stop blaming yourself! It was not your fault!" Yuri yelled, slapping Yuto one more time just to make it clearer "You didn't need to become a Phantom Knight for our sakes! You didn't need to go through all of this for us!"

Yuto's eyes went wide, stuttering inaudible words as he stared at his very much alive brother who was grabbing onto his shirt, shaking and hitting him to assure him that was no ghost.

"I've never blamed anyone else but those bastards who took us away! So stop it! Just freaking stop it!" Yuri yelled as his hits became lighter and his own tears started raining down "You did enough… Father wouldn't want you to join the knights… He would want you to stay with that hunting family… so at least one of us could grow up in a peaceful home…"

The young Phantom Knight was completely dazzled and without words as he watched Yuri cry onto his shirt, quietly sobbing and throwing curses at him. By now Yuri let out everything he's been feeling ever since he saw Yuto's memories. He was planning to say it once Yuto would get to learn that his brothers were alive, but when he saw his brother demeaning himself with such hatred he couldn't watch anymore.

"Why… just why did you sacrifice everything for us…?" Yuri mumbled, throwing his arms around Yuto who was taken back by so many things that just happened.

Yuri… Yuri was here. He was okay and he was still pretty much the same as he was seven years ago. How was that possible? Yuto found numerous evidences that Yuri was killed by the villagers who saw him as the demon child and lily badge led him to the rip of his aura thread.

But he was here, embracing him as tightly as he wanted him to give him all the hugs he couldn't for the last seven years. Yuto honestly didn't know what to think anymore, so he just let it happen as he hugged his brother back.

"Yuri… is that really you?" Yuto uttered, his arms tightening around his sibling.

"Of course I am, you knight idiot!" Yuri barked "I'm very much alive!"

"But h-how?"

"You really are a moron, aren't you?" the pink haired boy sighed loudly "Didn't your almighty Phantom Knights taught you to always check for the body to make sure someone is really dead? For someone who was learning for so long, you surely overlooked some major details."

Yuto swallowed hard, only now realizing that the rips in aura threads were the only proof he had that his brothers were gone. He had never considered to double check everything. And if Yuri was here, did this mean…

"Yes, Yuya and Yugo are here too, little Phantom Knight." Zarc said like he was reading his mind.

"They are?!" Yuto immediately got off the bed "Let me go see them!"

"Hey easy!" Yuri pulled him back on the bed "Could you please just sit down and listen before making yet another reckless decision?"

The boy seemed like he was going to argue, but looking back for everything he did, Yuto remained still on the bed. Was it really true? Or was Zarc playing tricks on him?

"Yuya was rescued from the very same circus that you visited by my two generals." Zarc sat down on the bed next to Yuto "He was really scared at first, but over the time he became more trusting."

"Yuya…" Yuto repeated with his eyes full of hope.

"Yuri was rescued next and thank the gods my other two generals rescued him in time."

"What happened?" Yuto gave his sibling a questionable look.

"I'll tell you about that later." Yuri slightly looked away.

"Yugo has been brought here several months ago." Zarc gently ruffled Yuto's hair "They are all safe and I did my best to take care of them."

"W-why didn't you tell me about them sooner?" Yuto looked straight into Zarc's eyes "Why did you keep it from me?"

"He didn't know." Yuri said nudging at the Dragon King "Me and Yuya both lost memories about everything before Heartland Attack, so until yesterday I didn't even know the three of us are related. The badge helped me remember."

"And Yugo?" Yuto asked, afraid to hear the answer.

"I don't know how much Yugo remembers since he's been through carding. From what he told me, he knew Yuya and Yuri from his childhood, but I always assumed they were friends."

"Carding… so that's why." the boy thought about Security soldiers who beat him up "I didn't know why they attacked me at Heartland at first, but it makes sense now. They thought I was a runaway slave who went through carding… it is a quite common punishment."

Yuto reached for the bag that still sheltered those four items, reaching for the lily badge that he immediately gave to Yuri who put it on his shirt. Apart from the rose necklace from Asuka, he never really wore any other accessories, so the badge made a nice addition to his outfit. Would the pendulum and earring help his brothers remember?

"I don't know if we should tell them about Heartland… when I remembered I felt like my chest was being torn apart. I don't want them to go through the same pain." Yuri added, remembering the events of the previous day "It was already hard enough for them to recover from their own ordeals. They don't need any more pain."

"But if you already reacted that much to the badge… does that mean I'll have to be away too?" Yuto said clenching his chest.

Right… the items weren't the only thing that was acting like a trigger for the memories. Neither Yuya nor Yuri remembered anything, though Yugo remembered bits once his eyes healed up. They might remember if they were to see him… so to keep them from the memories, he'll most likely isolate himself for them. After everything that transpired, Yuto didn't want anything but to embrace them and have that assurance he needed to know they were really alive. Even if he could only watch them from afar and be with Yuri was enough.

"I guess I'll have to continue being a Phantom Knight for them…" Yuto said quietly with a slight smile "It's fine… I've become used to living in the shadows. I can do it again."

"You won't need to."

Yuto's, Yuri's and Zarc's faces turned towards the door in unison since the voice came from there.

Yugo stood there and judging from the mop of green and red hair, Yuya was there too, hiding behind his blue haired sibling.

"Y-Yu..go?!" Yuto uttered in the mix of surprise and relief "Y-Yu…ya."

"What are you doing here?" Yuri asked right away, puzzled that he didn't notice them coming.

"We know." Yugo spoke, his usual bubbly tone being replaced by a much serious one.

"But how?" now Zarc was the confused one.

"I was thirsty last night and got lost on the way to the kitchen. Speedroids managed to show me the way back, and while getting back… I had this gut feeling that I should go somewhere else… and I found Yuto's room…" Yugo looked down like he said something wrong "I peeked through a keyhole… and then I suddenly remembered everything."

Yugo started to tremble, but Yuya held his shaking hand to calm him down.

"I didn't mean to tell anyone, especially not Yuya..." Yugo's words gradually turned into quiet sobs.

"Yugo… don't cry." Yuya embraced him "I'm not mad at you."

He might've not shown it for the past few months, but underneath his healed and cheerful persona were broken pieces of his forgotten past. The blue haired boy sniffed as the tears started falling down, remembering more and more from the Heartland Attack. How he witnessed Yuya and Yuri being taken and how he was captured himself. How he spent the days in the mines planning to get out so he could save them. True he remembered the bits of them playing together in the woods surrounding Heartland and even the fact that they were captured, but he could never recall the time they spent as a family. Even Yuto was barely in those bits he still had.

That night when he saw Yuto's face and his point purple locks by the dim sight of the light crystals, he remembered everything. How Yuto would help him collect scrapped metal for his little projects. All the times his older sibling got him out of the trouble when he would pick a reckless fight. And how they were both fascinated by swords and other weapons.

The second he got back in the bed, he tried hard to forget it, but the more he did, more he was thinking about it. Yuya stirred in his arms like he usually did before having a night terror, though this time there was none. The odd eyed boy simply appeared to not be as comfortable when sleeping. But in the morning, soon after Yuri left, Yugo knew that what Yuya had dreamt was far from ordinary. Yuya mumbled about Heartland being destroyed, about being passed around in a cage by slave traders and worst of all… he remembered his mother's death and being torn out of her dead arms right after.

Not knowing what to do, Yugo took a hold of Yuya's hand and went to look for Haoryuu. The Speedroids, ever so helpful, gave him the right directions and they just go there when Yuri stormed in the room, yelling at Yuto. The two of them hid nearby, listening to everything that Yuto did for them and slowly made their way towards the doors. Yugo hoped his big brother would one day become a knight… but not like this, not for them.

The next moment Yugo opened his eyes, still thinking of what just happened he saw all of his brothers around him, including Zarc. Whatever heavy feeling he still felt was gone as the sole sight of his family being reunited came into his sight. Yuya threw his arms around his shoulders, Yuri patted his shoulder in support and Yuto…

Yuto refused to see any of his brothers cry ever again.

He embraced him as tightly as he could, hardly even thinking what Yugo has gone through as a mining slave. Yuto saw him slightly limping when walking in the room and his eyes still looking like they needed more time to heal. He needed time to heal and he was most certain his other two brothers did as well. And deep down, he knew he needed healing for his own scars.

Yuto raised his head while still in the arms of his brothers, giving Zarc a look full of gratitude.

Yuma and Astral were right.

Zarc brought them all together.

"Thank you…" Yuto muttered.

He made a promise to live and now he was well sure he'll keep. If not for himself, then for his brothers and for Zarc.

Day was coming to an end as Zarc flew over his castle. The evening flights were something he never really did before he started caring for the four siblings. While he really enjoyed every single moment he spent with them, the Dragon King knew well that they all had a lot of catching up to do. So every evening, right after the dinner he left them alone in a shared playroom that Yuri and Yuto had carefully arranged for all of their things while he took a flight.

It felt good, like swimming through the clouds and catching the right win. He never really got to enjoy it during the war times since his dragon form was quite noticeable and once the war was over, he simply didn't feel like doing it. But now it was completely different, like experiencing the freedom itself.

This evening routine felt just right as he would return by the time it was dark, which was enough to spend a little time with the boys and then slowly get them ready for bed. They all shared a single bedroom now, not wanting to be separated ever again and Zarc rearranged the biggest guest room to be their own. The boys didn't ask for any other luxury but one huge bed, big enough for all of them so they could be all huddled together like in a nest. Even Zarc would sometimes be with them, partially transforming into his dragon form so his tail could bundle them together and wings kept them warm.

Zarc hardly believed only a week has passed since the day the four brothers were reunited. By now it already felt like they've been living here for years, just like a real family. The Dragon Spirit truly wanted to visit Heartland again, paying respects to the boys' parents for raising them so lovingly. He hoped his voice could reach their souls…

Speaking of souls… he was flying there again.

The forest of voices, also known as the Spirit Graveyard, dedicated to all the spirit lives lost in the war. Zarc and Ray created it as a memorial to never forget the ones who fought and the ones who never got to see the world purely for the spirits. While Zarc cared for every single spirit, there were four spirits whose deaths he never got over. Ray tried to help him out, but she hardly could as she was close to those four spirits as well. The generals were too busy in the respective domains of the spirit world though even they eventually realized how much of an impact the war had on him.

But Zarc was willing to change it.

When he saw the quadruplets face their most haunting memories, the Dragon King felt outright ashamed for avoid the Spirit Graveyard for so many years. If they could do it, so could he and after the days, Zarc finally flew down, landing right in front of the four trees.

He slowly reverted back in his human form, picking on the last voices and moments of the spirits resting here. Zarc bowed all the way to the ground in hopes his words will be heard.

"I'm sorry for pushing you away for all these years... I shouldn't let go of the memory of you…"

The voice quietened down as his voice echoed through the woods.

And once he looked up, he saw apparitions of four dragons.

"Then it really was you four…" Zarc fell on his knees, feeling like crying "All those years… and you never left… why…"

"Because a part of us refused to leave you alone." the smallest dragon replied "We knew how much our deaths hurt you."

"So we stayed and pieces of our souls were reincarnated in human world." the purple dragon added.

"Y-You're them?!" Zarc gasped from realization.

"In a way we are and in a way we aren't." dragon with shining wings said.

"But why? Why did you keep it from me for all of those years?"

"Because we didn't want you to see them as a replacement for us." dragon whose body was covered by orange orbs said.

"We wanted you to love them as their own person, not like a reminder of us."

"And we wanted to experience human world through them. You never got to, but we did for you."

"How long were you going to keep this from me?"

"Once they would turn fourteen, they would develop all other traits that connected them to us since that was the age when we passed away. Yuya already had my eyes, Yuri got Starve Venom's ability to talk with plant spirits, Yugo even had bits of Clear Wing's memories of flying and Yuto got Dark Rebellion's desire to protect." the smallest dragon said, nudging to others.

"We saw both sides of human world and if we couldn't do much during the war. So we hoped we could've at least change it through them." Dark Rebellion said sadly.

"But how can I help the kind that enslaves the weak and hurt their own young?"

"You will find a way and we will support you in any way our souls can." Starve Venom nodded.

"You saved us from slavery once along with other spirits. You can save the human kind as well." Clear Wing spread his wings "Can you promise us you'll at least try?"

"I don't know if I can do it, but I can try." Zarc said after thinking a bit.

The three dragons faded away after a nod, but the smallest one remained, staying by Zarc's side.

"I can sense you're still lacking a closure from the war." the dragon stared at him with its mismatched eyes.

"Odd-Eyes… I killed you… and I slaughtered many in your name." Zarc hardly looked at the dragon "Are you really sure I can take care of you again and fix the world I've chosen to destroy?"

"This decision does not belong to me and neither do those past events affect it. Haoryuu… it's time for you to let go and move on. Take care of our reincarnations, prepare them for their transformations and please… humanity deserves a world just like ours. They are on the path to destroy themselves and you are the only one who can save them."

If Odd Eyes wouldn't be just a transparent memory apparition created by the forest, Zarc would've gladly embrace him, thanking him for his young wisdom. The little dragon never stopped believing in him, even when Zarc was about to pierce his weak heart in his dying moments. So when he disappeared, the Dragon King felt like he lost them again.

But then he remembered about the four boys he was taking care of, their very present reincarnations. He sensed a little bit of the dragons in them before, though what really brought it up were Yugo's desire to fly and Yuto's items. Zarc had another look at them and realized that they all had a piece of unknown materials that the boys found randomly. He couldn't tell wheatear those materials were once a part of the spirit hatchlings he once protected or not, but one thing was clear.

He was always meant to take care of them and now he had another opportunity to do so.

He flew right back to the castle, knowing the boys must be waiting for him by now. And there they were, on a balcony waiting for the stars with Astrograph Sorcerer.

"Haoryuu!" they shouted, nearly racing who would get to him first.

"Firefly, Lily, Crystal and Phantom." Zarc whispered as he stroked their little heads in a loving manner "So who wants to hear a new story?"

"Me!" they shouted in unison to which Zarc smiled and nudged them to get ready for bed soon if they wanted to hear the whole story in one setting.

They got away in a matter of seconds and before Zarc would follow them, he called his right-hand spirit to him.

"I need you to deliver a specific message to all of my generals." he said as he gave the spirit a magically forged scroll.

Astrograph Sorcerer nodded and before the man knew it, the spirit was gone. Just before he headed towards the boys' room, he took one last look at the Spirit Graveyard and mumbled in the distance.

"I won't let your deaths be in vain. I'll make sure human world becomes peaceful as well."

And we reach the end of Yu-boys stories. I really hope I didn't go into OC zone too much, but I really wanted to capture the pain of their horrendous experiences (forgive me, my Yu-boys, I promise I won't torment you anymore in this story). I also wanted to include more Yuri and Yuto interactions since Yuto is basically the only Yu-boy that doesn't interact with Yuri at all, though in the manga I really enjoyed their scenes. I again apologize for taking it so long, life happened and I had to deal with a lot of plotholes since I got the idea of them being brothers after I already posted Yuri's chapter so it was hard to go back to fix it.

The opening scene was greatly inspired by Shingeki no Kyojin, namely the part where Eren saves Mikasa from her kidnappers. As for the idea of aura threads - I got it from two of my other two favourite characters that remind me of Yuto a lot. The first you've probably guessed by now - it's Lucario from the 8th Pokemon movie which is among my top 3 - the way he used aura, how he trained and the time flowers... man was that a lot of inspiration. And the other character - Leonardo from TMNT 2002 tv series (the first fandom for which I also happened to write my very first fanfic)! One of my favourite episodes "Prodigal Son" left quite an emotional impact on me the first time I watched it, the way Leo searched for his brothers after he was told they were dead... I wanted it for Yuto too, especially with how he located them using their personal items. I really recommend that episode, it just has that kind of vibe that goes from hurt to comfort.

I originally planned to include one more scene at the end, but unfortunately, it got too long so I decided to merge it with another chapter. That's right - I'm adding another chapter! And while it will have some nice family moments, Yu-boys slowly developing their dragon traits, Zarc trying to change the human world there will be also more hurt/comfort. How do you ask? We already got all Yu-boys' stories! But... if you remember the previous chapter... towards the end Yusei said:

"I better get going, Crow had discovered another human facility where children and spirits are experimented on. We have to make a plan and rescue them in time." Yusei nudged to his dragon that it was time to go "Though he warned us that villagers refer to it as the Lost Incident. It surely sounds ominous and some even reported seeing a dragon that looks a lot like Stardust."

What happens next I leave entirely to your interpretation ;) But like always I'll be happy for kudos, comments, theories, critics and ideas! Love you guys.

Also I'm not sure what I'll update next, but please look forward to another fanfic exchange that will have the same AU as Fragile Smile and Lost Kattobingu. Take care!