-1Lee: Wahey! #girly giggle# I thought of a plot all by myself! And I gave it a name! Even though like the name took ages because I kept on losing the pages in my outta-date dictionary and thesaurus, but I've bought bookmarks now. Aah sweet book-wormyness! Oh, I would like to warn everyone that I am off on holiday very soon. I'm sorry for any awkwardness but I'm only away for two weeks and will be taking my famous notebook, which means by the time I come back, I promise …PROMISEPROMISEPROMISE… that I will have chapter 2 done. PROMISE! I have a gigantic future ahead of this story, and it will have it's destiny!

Atem: DESTINY? Who said destiny?

Marik: Get out of here Pharaoh! You have been wiped off the face of the Earth!

Atem: Wha-WHAT?

Bakura: Ha ha. Ha ha. HA HA!

Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh. I will, however, own Animal Crossing by Christmas. If I do not, there will be deep, deep, DEEP TROUBLE!

………………………………

The Era of Adversity

Chapter One: The Era of Adversity Prologue

The Pharaoh was the only one to call upon during danger, when the earth was at risk. When radiance shattered and all that was left was a diminutive, waning beam of hope. That hope was, in fact, manifested as the Pharaoh himself. He would don his role of prodigious ruler and endeavour to defeat the shadows that raged over innocent citizens. He was crowned King of Games and lived up to his name until one calamitous day.

When the world was vibrant and unwary city-dwellers laughed, smiled and giggled together, when flowers turned to face the sun and when the day was filled with colours, the Pharaoh was defeated.

Instantaneously, the world disintegrated.

Black sank over every country, every town, every street and every house and garden. Shadows grew from their resting places, hovering and settling like smoke. Colour diminished from the air, the sun vanished from the sky and water's blue complexion was substituted for a grey. On the whole, dark's arms were wrapping themselves around the earth, squeezing the life from it- dropping a dead weight upon the lives of all humans.

These permanent shadows came accompanied with the creatures of the unknown. These creatures thundered over the earth, causing chaos, suffering and death. Houses became prisons to their occupiers, unable to leave the safest place they knew. No one wandered from the strongest artificial lights; safety in numbers was clarified as useless and plaintively, paranoia kept most humans alive.

As it happened, no living individual knew what the 'creatures' were. Did they have horns? Wings? Were they armed, or did they rip you up with their extra long claws? Nobody had lived to warn the remaining mortals. The preponderance of these dark 'creatures' were Fiends that lurked about the shadows cast by false light, ambushing at random, torturing whomever they pleased. The Fiends looked like usual people, with hair, normal limbs, faces and expressions; there truly was no specific difference!

One Fiend in particular, the Archfiend Akefia, was the most dangerous and mighty. He was tall and broad, with muscles beyond compare that rippled beneath his tanned flesh. His hair had once been a vivid white, but many a year in the Shadow Realm had reduced it to a murky light grey. His eyes were an impassive grey-blue and one was draped with a long, straight scar. He wore a blood red cloak that gave him a mysterious and powerful appearance; nevertheless this façade was needed as he ruled all the other Fiends, keeping them in torturing mode. It had taken all the strength, intelligence and evil he- and all his followers- could muster in order to defeat the Pharaoh; after this the release of terror from down under and in the shadows was inevitable.

Apart from Archfiend Akefia, there were no other leaders of the creatures. They came in different sizes, different shapes, different faces and different personalities- much like regular humans. The different personalities decided how merciful they could be, or how cruel. Three of the most indecisive Fiends were named Malik, Marik and Bakura. Malik was the most clement of the three, but by no means less prized by the older two. He had long, flaxen locks that reached his shoulders; had skin the colour of bronze and soft mauve eyes. He was adorned with gold, his arms, wrists, neck and ears were all covered and large wings and hieroglyphics were carved upon his back; these were embedded at the same time as the black imprinted beneath his eyes. Malik was young, but not necessarily naïve, and completely unchaste.

The second, Marik, was awfully similar. His skin was indistinguishable against Malik's, his eyes and back held the same markings, he had the same gold, however his body was broader and more muscular, while his hair- still flaxen- raised up to the sky. He was confident in everything he did and was often the boss of things. That was unless Bakura was involved. Bakura, the third and oldest Fiend, was almost the complete opposite of both his companions. His skin was pale, his frame thin and his eyes were a deep russet colour. His hair was a dull but polished white and hung over his shoulders, with little bits that hovered above his head like extensions, or horns. He was thoroughly evil, but clever, experienced and refined.

Deadly.

A few of the many sufferers that were upon the earth were Yugi, Anzu, Honda and Ryou. Yugi had been close to the Pharaoh, their minds almost one. Anzu had loved the Pharaoh and Honda had helped him. They all felt something missing from their heart, but Ryou radically less than the others. Yes, the Pharaoh had been in Ryou's life, but he was nothing momentous. In fact, Ryou felt his life had hardly changed at all during the course of darkness. It wasn't that he didn't feel for the people who were anguished, but he felt his heart resided in the darkness somehow. As if he belonged there.

But that was ludicrous.

Yugi called him the angel of all angels, not just in his soul but in his look too. He was pale skinned and had luminous white hair which fell upon his shoulders like silk and bangs that flapped in his eyes. He had thin but petite features, a feminine body and chocolate puppy-dog eyes. Yugi had grown to like him.

He was a perfect trophy.

………………………………...

Lee: Alright! That was my prologue! I realise nothing happened and 'twas a bit boring like, but I gotta have one to explain things to you. And I'm a freak, because I'm best at writing when I'm describing, rather than a scene between two people! Teehee. Anyway, tell me about any grammar problems. How do you like my describing? And did Bakura turn out ok? I'll try make him seem sexier in the next chapter I swear! I've made Marik older than Malik, even though he's meant to be something like four years old. Lol.

Ryou: Review please!

Malik: Review please!

Bakura: Review! Or I'll send your ass to the Shadow Realm!

Marik: What he said.