As the sun came into view over the edge of the earth, the morning chill mixed with the newly fallen, warm rays of the sun, casting a vibrant orange awe and a deep red hue across the sky.
A sudden jolt sparked on the concrete road of Miami City Park. It flared up, with smoke drifting around the area. As it gave one last glimmer and completely disappeared, a boy rose from a sitting position. On his wrist, a mechanical watch suddenly let out a sharp beep before completely exploding. Like it was just a prototype, and not a completely working product.
The boy looked down at his fresh injury. He was completely unscathed, he turned his head toward the sun. The early morning rays weren't bright enough to disturb his eyes. He wore a rather carefree expression for someone who had just witnessed and heard something so unreal from where he went. Anyone else in his position would undoubtedly be in a state of sheer panic.
But he was calm, almost as if he were analyzing everything in his mind to understand what was to come, rather than dwelling on what had already happened.
Ryo walked over to a park's water cooler and bathed his hand in the cold water to soothe his overheating skin. Right after splashing the cold water over his face, he left the park and moved toward a certain megastructure: the blue tower.
Behind him, only the scorched, ash-stained section of the road remained.
#Reiji's Office
"Is all of this true?!" Reiji asked, a sharp expression crossing his face.
"Yes." Ryo answered calmly.
"If that's the case, then..." Reiji adjusted his glasses, staring out at Miami City through his office's massive glass wall. He remained seated at the president's desk. "It's a major problem. A very dangerous one. In the worst-case scenario, we could be looking at total extermination." He muttered under his breath. "At worst, that is. But we certainly can't hope for an easy way out either."
Reiji turned his gaze back to his computer screen. "You were missing for an entire night, and this is what you bring back. Mother isn't going to be pleased."
"When has Mom ever been happy in a situation involving me?" Ryo said flatly. "Pleasing her or not isn't going to change what is ahead. We have to start planning immediately."
"That is exactly why I have asked someone to aid us." Reiji said, pressing a button on his desk. "Please, come in."
The office door slid apart, automatically, and a man wearing a red suit and a top hat stepped inside.
"Greetings." He said, placing an open hand over his chest. "This is the first time we are meeting face-to-face, Ryo-kun. It is a pleasure to meet you. Congratulations on your 10th birthday, now you are 10 years old."
"Thank you for your wishes, I really appreciate it. Is is a pleasure to me to meet you as well, Sakaki-san." Ryo acknowledged, looking Yusho dead in the eye.
"You look well. By the way, happy birthday, it was few weeks ago or days, right? Now you are 10 years old. I apologize for not being in Miami more often to visit you," Yusho said with a formal bow.
"It is fine. We are the ones who should apologize for contacting you on the day of your important championship match." Ryo responded politely.
"Don't worry about it. Though, not even being able to congratulate you properly was a bit... I'm sorry." Yusho's eyes wandered. For a moment, it looked as if he was seeing a ghost from the past—something burned into his memory, even if neither side wanted to actively recollect it.
"That is not the most important matter right now." Ryo interrupted. "The information we have is highly sensitive and deeply dysfunctional."
"Reiji did mention it was an urgent matter, but this looks far too serious."
"It is." Ryo turned back toward Reiji.
"Please, look at this." Reiji said, gesturing toward his computer monitor. Yusho stepped closer to follow his gaze.
"This is...!"
"Yes."
"It's a short data summary I compiled so we can have a proper explanation without wasting time." Ryo explained.
"But this is..." Yusho was entirely at a loss for words.
"Let me explain." Ryo said, stepping forward.
Time passed as the explanation unfolded.
"But still... you actually used after something that nearly killed you." Yusho said, realizing only after the words left his mouth how inappropriate it sounded. He was simply stunned.
"I had confidence in me. An absolute certainty." Ryo replied. "I knew it wouldn't fail, and I refused to let it end like it did that time."
"But what if you had been caught in the exact same accident again?"
"I apologize for doing this behind everyone's back, but it was a something I had to uncover."
"?"
"Ever since Dad disappeared, Mom has been acting strange. Her temperament has become incredibly volatile. I wanted to find out exactly how Dad vanished from that room without a single trace."
"But recreating the same experiment..."
"It wasn't as if I was operating with zero data. I fully understood and remembered the exact final moments of that original blast. I remembered what I saw right at the end."
"What?!" Both Yusho and Reiji gasped in shock.
"I saw Dad disappearing. To be more precise, he was inside the pod, but he became completely invisible. At the time, I thought he just vanished. For the longest time after the accident, I believed he was developing a teleportation machine. But after thoroughly parsing through my memories, applying all the knowledge I have, and testing the grid, I reached a absolute conclusion. Though, that conclusion was only proven when I actually teleported myself."
"What conclusion?" Reiji pressed.
"That it was far more than a mere teleportation device. The sheer volume of energy it consumes is immense—enough to power the half of Miami City if channeled correctly. The energy required just to tear open and pass through a localized gateway creates a back-wave stable enough to power half the city on its own."
"I can't comprehend this." Yusho said, shaking his head. "This is an overwhelming amount of sudden information. Why would Leo attempt something like this?"
"Not attempt—he is actively doing it." Ryo corrected. "Ever since Dad, the founder and president of Leo Corporation, disappeared, our stock value has decreased drastically. It is the single greatest loss the company has faced since its inception. Because of it, Mom's mental state has deteriorated into pure rage. She smashes everything on her desk, breaking whatever she can get her hands on. She tries to be calm, but she inevitably breaks down."
Reiji nodded in agreement. "Yes, her emotional outbursts have become a constant issue. I tried to investigate Father's work to locate him, but the system was entirely wiped. All data regarding his research was lost."
Acknowledging his brother's words, Ryo continued. "Furthermore, I was always curious about what Dad had been building all that time. The moment I stepped back into that facility, the memories flooded back. I attempted to replicate the sequence, but the flaw that caused the original explosion was simple."
"What was it?" Yusho asked.
"When the gateway opens and tears the fabric of space to allow transfer, it emits an incredibly unstable wave of ambient energy. Because the lab was filled with highly sensitive equipment, those machines triggered the explosion. The presence of exposed wiring, flammable materials, and rubber insulation only made it worse."
"The solution to that sounds simple enough." Yusho understood. "All Leo had to do was clear out those hazards, or find a way to stabilize the wave."
"No, that wasn't his goal." Reiji deduced. "He wanted to erase any evidence of what he was doing. If the public assumed he died in an accident, it only worked more to his advantage. He deliberately wanted to prevent us from evaluating his true objective, or discovering that he was still alive."
"I still don't understand," Yusho admitted, shaken. "Why would Leo go to such extremes? And is this entire 'Dimensional' concept even real? I'm not doubting you, Ryo-kun, but it's hard to believe."
"A rat can have a bigger appetite than an elephant." Ryo remarked flatly. "Just because we don't fully understand it doesn't mean it isn't real. And I don't believe Dad is doing this because he has lost his mind."
During his final days at LDS, Leo had certainly carried himself like a madman, leading many to believe he had become mentally unstable.
"In the exact final moment before Dad disappeared, I lip-readed his words, he said, 'I won't let you suffer in torment anymore. I will save you from the chains of that devil.' He mentioned that the machine was merely a prototype, but I somehow managed to make it operational again." Ryo turned to Reiji and gave him a slight nod. "I have a flash drive that Reiji has plugged into his computer. Please, look at the screen. Reiji, show him. I retrieved this from the place I was sent to."
The monitor sparked light, displaying a white screen bounded by a sharp violet border. Two faces appeared on the screen: a boy and a girl, both 11 years old. Yusho's breath hitched as he recognized them instantly.
"Why are they...?! But they look different."
Reiji and Ryo exchanged a confused glance. Reiji seemed to recognize the children, but Ryo had no idea why Yusho was getting so worked up.
"I met that girl and that boy there." Ryo explained. "A lot of chaotic and unnecessary things happened, but in the end, I discovered that Dad is planning an invasion on the Xyz Dimension. I met a boy there, he is different from the one in this picture. But I can say with absolute certainty, that boy possessed something entirely unnatural."
"You didn't met the boy in this photo, but a different one? But you definitely met this girl, right?" Yusho pressed.
"Yes. Both looked different in the first place."
Yusho placed a hand over his mouth in utter disbelief. "Is this a coincidence?" he muttered to himself.
Sensing Yusho's deep unease, Ryo provided more context. "I encountered the boy first. He guided me to the laboratory of a certain doctor. That's where I gathered this data and began to piece everything together. I didn't wanted to believe it at first either, but Dad confirmed it himself when I crossed paths with him later. My encounters with the boy and girl were brief and entirely separate. I wonder if those two even know each other. I pulled this flash drive directly from that lab. It contained only a single piece of dialed data, but its importance is undeniable. Dad was actually the one who forced me back to this dimension." He put his hands in his pockets." The device he used was built to self-destruct; it reduced itself to ashes the moment I came here. For some reason, Dad was deeply protective of that girl. He was desperate to keep her from joining her comrades and classmates on the frontlines. I am pretty sure he already have blocked the gateway to Fusion Dimension since I have figured put his whereabouts."
Ryo turned back toward the glass window, looking out over the sprawling skyline of Miami City.
"Arc Area Project. Revival Zero. It is the name as you two can read on monitor."
Both Reiji and Yusho whispered the name in unison.
"It seems we are trapped in a corner. We don't even have the full picture of his project." Reiji said after a heavy silence. "Therefore, I want to propose a strategy."
The other two turned to look at him.
"We will assemble a specialized team of duelists. A vanguard capable of shattering any blade my father swings at us. We will train them to transcend their current limits and we will develop specialized cards created for this conflict. We must secure victory, because there will be no second chances. Action duel is also an advantage we have" Behind his glasses, Reiji's eyes burned with an intense fire.
"No, Reiji. That is the wrong answer, and it is entirely the wrong path to take." Yusho countered firmly.
"But Sakaki-san—"
Yusho cut him off with unyielding resolve. "Fighting is never the solution. It will only expand the conflict. Ryo-kun, the prototype machine you revived... does it still have power? Can it be used again?"
"Yes, it can, at most, one last jump. But there's a high risk of malfunction since it's just a mere prototype. I ensured it won't explode, but its systemic stability is highly questionable."
"Thank you for telling me." Yusho said, offering a slight bow.
"Wait, Sakaki-san!" Reiji shouted. "That machine is under strict corporate surveillance! We have armed guards stationed there!"
Ignoring the warning, Yusho rushed out of the office and down at the laboratory floor where the device was housed. He stepped directly into the center of the pod. The technicians and researchers present rushed forward to restrain him, but Yusho was physically strong and he brushed past them effortlessly.
The moment he took his stance inside the chamber, the prototype automatically engaged. Radiant pillars of light rained down around Yusho, and within a flash, he vanished. Fortunately, the chamber's containment shielding held up against the immediate surging wave. Second after Yusho disappeared, the pod and the surrounding machinery dissolved into a fine gray powder, taking the primary power cables along with it.
By the time the security team appeared the lab, they were far too late. Reiji's orders to stop him had been fast, but Yusho had been faster.
# Night
By that evening, breaking news had rippled across the dueling world: Sakaki Yusho had fled the arena right before his championship match. The media and the public immediately branded him a coward, and his scheduled opponent was declared the new champion by default.
Inside a secluded private room, Himika, Reiji, and Ryo sat together in stark silence.
Their long, exhausting discussion was finally drawing to a close. They had thoroughly covered Yusho's disappearance but the looming threat of the Fusion Dimension wasn't over. The path forward was now set, but it wasn't short.
"Reiji-san, you are only thirteen years old." Himika spoke up, breaking the silence. "Are you absolutely certain you can execute this plan?"
"Yes."
"Very well. It seems this confrontation is entirely inevitable. We must see it through."
"Ryo will be operating alongside us." Reiji added, shifting his gaze to his brother. "He will integrate with our research and development divisions to reverse-engineer dimensional transport technology."
"I will. That goes without saying." Ryo replied calmly. "However, my primary concern is Sakaki-san's family."
"Do not waste your energy and limited time we have on worrying about them." Himika dismissed with a cold, sharp laugh that echoed off the walls. "He has already been publicly disgraced as a coward who ran away from his responsibilities. We have nothing to fear. I am certain his own family views him the exact same way now."
Reiji brought his thoughts. "This implies we have a viable window of time on our side." He stated, adjusting his glasses. "Our sole focus must be optimizing our preparations. And according to your report, Ryo, the initial invasion drop is for the Xyz Dimension, correct?"
"That is the exact intel I heard."
"But why Xyz?"
"I have a reasonable explanation from my deduction and perspective." Ryo explained. "Xyz Dimension should only be using Xyz monsters. And with the data Dad have provided while he was here, Xyz monsters are not harmful in duel when their overly units are zero. Then they become same as normal monsters, effectless monsters. And if Dad is gonna use all Fusion monsters than it is an perfect place to invade." Ryo leaned back." But there must be more to it than just Xyz monsters. The reason why he is Invading that Dimension. That is the sole reason I can't understand this all."
"Reasonable enough." Himika acknowledged.
"But Dad have all the knowledge of all summoning mechanics as well." Ryo stated another thought. "He might be able to create and use all monsters, Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz. The only thing that still eludes me is why Dad has gone to Fusion Dimension. Maybe he had a solid base for going there of all four Dimensions, but I still can't be certain. And I can't be certain as well that when Dad is gonna start invasion on Xyz Dimension as well, maybe as we talk, or even a year later. It might as well depend on more than just preparations for invasion."
"Then our data is solid. That buys us a significant strategic advantage. We could potentially deploy scouts to extract live data from the Xyz Dimension, but even so, we aren't pressed for time just yet. Furthermore, Ryo... we currently lack the coordinates to access the Xyz Dimension directly, don't we?"
"Correct. Systemic theory certainty dictates the existence of four dimensions. If our reality serves as the Standard Dimension—utilizing basic monster mechanics—and the realm Dad migrated to is the Fusion Dimension, then a Synchro Dimension must exist alongside the Xyz Dimension. The existence of the Xyz world is a statistical certainty, even if we haven't actually verified its coordinates yet. Fusion dimension also had sun, stars, and moon. Atmosphere was same, and so was air. I wonder if these Dimensions are just each other's reflection."
"Ours is considered the most mundane and primitive tier, is it?" Himika remarked with laughter, her tone laced with visible irritation.
"Only from a structural standpoint." Ryo clarified. "But thanks to Dad's baseline research and help, he have successfully integrated Synchro and Fusion summoning methods. Xyz summoning protocols are currently in the final stages of development; they would have been completed by now if Dad hadn't crossed over."
"I wasn't asking for your thoughts." Himika snapped coldly. "Reiji-san, I am taking my leave. There are administrative matters that require my direct oversight. I am leaving the execution of this project entirely in your hands."
She swept out of the room, slamming the door behind her. The remaining silence lasted only a moment.
"Ryo, don't hold a grudge against Mother. She—"
"I know." Ryo cut Reiji off smoothly. "It is not her fault, nor it is mine. Though, I am genuinely fascinated by the fact that she continues to operate the memory alteration machine even after everything that happened."
Reiji froze. "You knew about that?"
"Of course. It's obvious. I knew the moment she chose to utilize it. What I don't know is does Mom considers herself a victim, but I know she doesn't have grief for others. Ever since that day, she has entirely detached herself from the memory of Dad, yet she remains utterly consumed by the fallout. Her hostility and resentment toward him are entirely logical. It truly was all Dad's fault... and yet, I find myself entirely unable to feel angry about it. I suppose it makes sense—I am not her biological son, after all."
Reiji stared at him, his expression deeply unsettled. "Ryo... are you truly alright? Ever since the day of the laboratory accident, you have carried yourself completely differently. You are acting and behaving completely differently than your past self before that accident. The medical staff labeled it as standard trauma and the psychological after-effects of surviving a disaster. But it's as though you have completely lost the capacity to what you were and to feel anything."
"...No." Ryo murmured, his tone dropping into an unnatural, chilling register. "I still experience fear. In fact, I have been utterly terrified for as long as I can remember—ever since I first developed a conscious awareness of my own. Every single time I see it, every time I look up at it, every time its light falls against my skin, it fills me with an absolute horror."
Reiji's eyes widened. "What? Why have you never spoken a word about this until now?"
"Because there is no logical or physical healing and solution for it. If I spoke of it, I would simply be classified as mentally unstable or diagnosed with an irrational phobia. I have no intention of providing Mom with more leverage or privilege, Nakajima is merely fulfilling his security duties, and I refuse to confide in him either. If I voiced it, I would simply be written off as weak."
"What exactly are you talking about?" Reiji demanded, leaning forward.
Ryo turned his gaze toward the massive glass wall, staring out into the vast, open night. High above the glittering skyline of the city, the stars sparked against the dark paper, framing a brilliant, glowing crystal of light.
"I have always been deeply terrified of the moon." Ryo whispered, his eyes locked onto the night sky. "Every single time I catch a fleeting glance of it, every time its reflection hits me, every time I feel its pale light washing over my body... The moon is haunting me. Like it is an inescapable entity hunting my existence. It isn't a delusion, Reiji, nor it is a trick of the mind. I am absolutely certain of it, because I can feel it is watching me. And I know I haven't developed this feeling nor it appeared over time. This has been in my very core, my very soul."