"Eh? Winged Kuriboh!?"
The next day, Jaden, having received Kira's warning, was shocked.
Winged Kuriboh had already floated out by his side.
"For real?" Jaden looked at Winged Kuriboh in surprise. "Buddy, you're a spirit from three thousand years ago?"
Winged Kuriboh nodded: "Kuri-kuri."
"So you're amazing!"
Jaden stood at attention with newfound respect.
Chazz, whom Kira had also called over, frowned. "Light and Darkness Dragon has that kind of backstory…?"
"In that case, it seems we're in the same boat, Chazz," Jaden said to him.
"Mr. Thunder," Chazz corrected, annoyed.
But his feelings were complicated.
His Light and Darkness Dragon, and Jaden's Winged Kuriboh—so much fate entwined there.
Is this what they call destiny?
"In any case, you two should be careful. I'm not always on the island," Kira said.
"Hmph. If that guy wants to come, let him," Chazz said proudly. "I and Light and Darkness won't fear him."
"Yeah, yeah. We won't lose either, right, buddy?"
Jaden smiled at Winged Kuriboh.
"Kuri-kuri." Winged Kuriboh agreed.
Confident as these two youngsters were, Kira wasn't optimistic about them facing the Crayfish now. From what he knew of their current state, they weren't his match yet.
"Sounds like Duel Academy Island really is dangerous—so many shady types eyeing it… Speaking of which, Professor Lyman still hasn't come back."
Jaden's face grew worried.
"Nothing happened to him, did it?"
"Unlikely. What dark duelist would bother kidnapping that useless guy?" Chazz said, puzzled.
Jaden pondered. "Mm… sounds kinda true."
Kira: "…"
Well, at least that proves Professor Lyman's long-running disguise worked. In the students' eyes he's a timid, useless scaredy-cat—not worth an enemy's time.
In the anime, after Lyman disappeared, everyone suspected the Shadow Riders. He'd been assigned one of the Seven Keys as a filler guardian. But the timeline's changed: the key he was supposed to guard is now in Kira's hands. A hopeless teacher wouldn't be targeted.
Still, worry is worry. The school's investigation had no progress; Jaden cared but could do nothing.
Kira suspected Lyman might be off-island. With Shadow Riders activity ramping up, he'd probably returned to the organization. But he also knew he'd be back soon.
Before this body's final death, Lyman would test every student he deemed promising.
In the original, he defeated Alexis and Chazz, then lost to Jaden and entrusted his hopes to him.
Kira hadn't expected him to return this fast.
…
That very night, as Kira left the cafeteria, the Silent Magician nudged him with her staff and gestured.
"Already here?" Kira was surprised.
The academy island is big; if Lyman returned quietly and hid in some random forest nook, even he couldn't find him.
But he knew from the anime the site of Lyman's final duel with Jaden—also Lyman's secret base on the island: the alchemy lab beneath the abandoned dorm, a forbidden zone for students.
Having a spirit keep watch on just that spot was easy. As soon as someone returned, he'd know.
So after dinner, Kira took a solitary stroll toward the woods.
The spirit-world exploration squad had agreed to take the night off. Joey was joining them but lacked gear. He'd asked Mokuba for a new login device and duel disk, but it'd take two days.
Joey took the chance to head home to see Mai. He'd left early that morning, face full of dread—clearly anticipating a beating.
So Kira had no plans that night and could take a relaxing walk.
He'd been to the abandoned dorm before; he knew the way. He moved through the pitch-black courtyard, down the drafty, creaking corridor, and descended to the underground alchemy lab featured in the show.
The heavy iron door was ajar—unlocked—but rusted nearly shut.
Kira tried to push. No movement. He stepped back two paces. The Silent Magician floated ahead, and with a gentle single-hand push, the door rumbled open.
Even as a mage, a spirit's got the fundamentals: baseline arm strength.
Inside, the stale, dusty air washed over him. No light at all. The vast space felt especially eerie in darkness. The equipment was all shrouded in white cloth, cobwebs in the corners, no hint of life.
At the far end, behind the equipment, lay a coffin.
Kira stepped forward and tried to push the lid.
Nope. Not budging.
He retreated again.
"Silent."
The Silent Magician reappeared. A small hand pressed lightly on the coffin. With a booming rumble, the heavy lid slid aside under her palm.
"Impressive, impressive," Kira praised. "Such strength, little miss."
Though it was praise, a faint blush touched the Silent one's icy face. She shot him a tiny annoyed look, then flashed back into the deck.
"Uh, just kidding," Kira said, smiling an apology. "Don't go—give me some light?"
Pouting a little, she still did as asked, waving her staff. Light bloomed; the room turned bright as day.
Strength check and a basic Light spell—mage essentials.
By that light, Kira looked into the coffin and, unsurprisingly, saw a corpse.
Shriveled flesh clung to bone, an eerie gray-brown, as if time had frozen the instant of death. The sunken eyes still seemed to watch the world.
It was Lyman's corpse.