Ryuzaki ground his teeth together and narrowed his eyes, standing up and pointing at the trespasser with a furrowed brow.

"Ayaza..."

(Opening here)

"How's life been?" Ayaza asked with the corners of his lips curling up to form a smug smile, and his sharp blue eyes watching everyone's reaction to his sudden appearance.

"You somehow got past security and even entered without me knowing..." Ryuzaki stared down at him. "How did you do that?"

"Revealing my tricks too early would be a detriment, Ryuzu." Ayaza said, walking up to the group. "So, what do we have here? A study group? What you guys studying? If it's science, I'm pretty good at defying it."

"It's a meeting, actually." Ryuzaki said.

"Oh, we're doing business studies now? Alright, I got a good pitch for a product you'll all love." Ayaza smiled. "It's called a warm welcome back, anyone want to buy that?"

"Ayaza..." Shika blinked, standing up. "It's... been forever... where were you?"

"Well, some complicated things happened." Ayaza laughed. "You should ask the Void... err, Ayato more about it."

"What "things" happened? And what does the Void have to do with this?" Zeon asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Why are you so suspicious of me, Zeon?" Ayaza walked up to him and got into his face, staring deep into his eyes. "Did you know that by looking into your eyes, I can gauge what you are truly feeling 80% of the time?"

"Answer my question, coward." Zeon said through gritted teeth. Ayaza laughed in his face.

"Answer my question too, coward."

"You disappeared for no reason, and after months of no communication, you suddenly come back at the worst time possible!" Zeon exclaimed.

"Well, if you wanna know, I simply had an change of heart." Ayaza said. "You can blame Ayato for that."

"Or do you mean the Void?" Zeon asked back.

"Wow, such animosity!" Ayaza clapped, leaning in closer. "What do you think I mean, pawn of the Void?"

"That was in the past!"

"You and Rukia were both dirty traitors. The reason Yza died is because you two decided to agree to the Void's plans. And now, you both had a change of heart and wanna save him. How's that any different from me, hm~?" Ayaza grinned.

"Grr..." Zeon muttered. "But... What you're doing is wrong...!"

"Who says what I'm doing is wrong? You don't get to judge that. You don't get to decide that. Get off your moral high horse, Zeon. You've done bad things too. Even now. You know what I'm talking about. That little secret of yours." Ayaza smiled.

Zeon looked at Ayaza with cold sweat running his his terrified face. Looking down, Zeon trembled.

"That... secret..."

"Your soul is begging me to not say a thing. I bet you wonder how I even know about your little issue."

"Ayaza, that's enough! There's no need to bully him!" Rukia exclaimed, walking up to Ayaza and grabbing his shoulder firmly.

"Hmm, I guess you know, huh?" Ayaza turned his head to Rukia, and stood up straight. He placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled sweetly. "It's just like you, to try and protect someone you care for."

"Ayaza... why did this happen to you...?" Rukia asked.

"Your eyes are telling me you're disgusted by me." Ayaza said, pushing Rukia away and sighing. "If I told you the truth, it'd be no fun..."

"Why wouldn't I be?! When I first saw you come back, I felt hope! We missed you, Ayaza! We didn't know what happened to you!" Rukia exclaimed, gritting her teeth.

"How can you have the audacity to say you missed me when you didn't even search for me, like you did for Yza?" Ayaza asked coldly. "C'mon. It just shows your clear bias to Yza, and it also shows how much Zeon is willing to suck up to you."

"That's not true!" Rukia exclaimed. "He helped me because he wanted to find Yza as well! We were gonna find you after we found Yza!"

"So I really am a second fiddle to him..." Ayaza said. "I thought so."

"Ayaza, tell us why you disappeared on us!" Wyvon exclaimed. "As your friends, we want to know, so please, tell us!"

"The answer is kind of obvious. Use your brain, maybe?" Ayaza asked. "It's not a hard task. I've given you clues, so now piece them together."

"It doesn't mean you've given us good clues, or that they even make sense." Maverick explained.

"Well, they do make sense, actually. Just put yourself in my shoes. Where was I before Backlion opened the portal? Where was I when the portal was opened? What happened to get to that point?" Ayaza asked. "C'mon, Rukia and Zeon should know this like the back of their hands."

"Something bad must've happened... before the portal was opened... Aya died, didn't she? She was the last to die..." Payic muttered. "And if I remember correctly, you liked her! But, it wouldn't make sense as to why you'd change your heart on this... wouldn't this just make you want to be a good guy, Ayaza?"

"There is no such thing as a "good guy", but Payic, you're on the right track." Ayaza said. "Anyone else want to throw their hat into the ring?"

"I'd imagine the despair taking over you. Firstly, your friends were traitors, secondly, Aya died, and finally, your best friend dies, all within the same week. Because of that despair, the Void must've found a way to get to you, right?" Rino asked.

"Sharp as ever, Rino. I expect nothing less from you." Ayaza said. "But you're missing the mark on a couple things. I didn't care for Yza, or for the traitors for that matter."

"It has to do with Aya and Ayato then..." Rino thought about it.

"...Backlion told Ayato to kill Aya." Rukia said.

"Oh, so you do remember something?" Ayaza grinned sharply.

"But then Ayato became the Void... did you come into contact with Ayato when the portal was opened?" Zeon asked.

"Take a wild guess." Ayaza said.

"Give us a straight answer!" Shika exclaimed. "I don't get any of this!"

"Sucks to not have a brain."

"I'm going to guess yes." Rino said. "The Void manipulated you from there to turn you like this."

"The Void isn't manipulating me. I'm doing this on my free will. You're getting really close though." Ayaza hummed, walking around the room.

"So... he persuaded you?" Rino raised a brow.

"Nope." Ayaza said, looking around the room. "Anyone else want to take their shot?"

"I don't even know what's going on..." Izanoku muttered. "But I don't like this guy..."

"I give up." Wyvon mumbled.

"Any other takers?" Ayaza chortled.

"It's obvious, huh..." Zeon looked down, and laughed to himself. "Don't spout that high horse shit, you hypocrite. You blame me and Rukia for being a traitor, but look at you. If you cared for us, you wouldn't do this either. It's a two way street, my guy."

"A spark of confidence?" Ayaza turned to Zeon. "You're minutes late on that response, by the way."

"Better late then ever. What snarky response do you have to that?" Zeon asked, looking up and narrowing his brows.

"My response is that in the end we're all snakes. We betray each other for our own selfish needs. I'm no different. I'm not even trying to justify what I'm doing. I'm well aware you may perceive it as wrong, but I don't care." Ayaza said.

"Then why do you want everyone to play your stupid game and find out why you're acting like this?! Isn't that justifying your actions?!" Zeon exclaimed.

"I never asked for them to play this game. They brought this on themselves, curiosity to find out what happened." Ayaza said. "So, I'm just sating it. After all, you have to search for the truth yourself. No one's going to hand it to you unless they're oh so generous. Well, guess what? I'm not generous."

"Damn..." Zeon muttered, ruffling his hair. "I don't get you, Ayaza! I don't get you at all!"

"You actually benefited the game since I just said outright what the answer is." Ayaza said.

"You're just a selfish snake? There is no reason? Is that why it's obvious? It's so nonsensical, that's the reason? You just did it on a whim?" Rukia exclaimed.

"I wish I could be so bold with my decisions, but unfortunately yes, I do have a reason. C'mon, try harder." Ayaza smiled. "This is sad."

"You changed... because of the truth!" Payic's declared, pointing a finger at him. "The Void told you the truth! That's why you changed your heart! He told you something that persuaded you to change!"

"And it seems we have a winner." Ayaza smirked, clapping slowly. "Congratulations Payic. You earn my respect."

"I don't need your respect..." Payic spat.

(Play song in media here)

"I'm tired of this idle chitchat... you decide to just waltz into my Mansion, but start threatening my peers and acting all high and mighty..." Ryuzaki walked up to Ayaza and grabbed him by his jacket. "Get a fucking grip on yourself." Ryuzaki hissed, getting up in Ayaza's face.

"I have." Ayaza said, tilting his head down at Ryuzaki. "Honestly, I've never seen you make such a scary face before. I just want to have a chat. There's no need to resort to violence."

"Then don't make me regret letting you out of my hands." Ryuzaki said, letting go. Ayaza stumbled back slightly, snickering.

"I won't. So, you're having a meeting cuz the hooded figures took your Zeroth Dragons, right?" Ayaza asked. Ryuzaki nodded. "Well, I expected that much. Do you want me to throw an extra wrench into this unfortunate turn of events?"

"Go on. Add more fuel to this fire." Ryuzaki challenged.

"I was the one who sent those hooded figures to steal your Zeroth Dragons." Ayaza said simply.

"So you're the mastermind behind the hooded figures..." Ryuzaki gritted his teeth.

"Yes, I am. I've been behind the scenes, meddling with you all, for the Void's entertainment." Ayaza said.

"You actually teamed up with the Void? Didn't Yza end him?" Ryuzaki asked. "More importantly, why would you come into enemy territory and expose yourself so easily? I knew you were dumb, but I didn't expect this much stupidity oozing from you."

"The Void is dead, but why can't we give entertainment to the dead? I'm sure they'd appreciate it." Ayaza said. "I came here because I wanted to show I'm not a threat. Here I am, right in front you, exposed without a mask or a cloak. I'm not gonna do anything shady, so don't worry."

"You just admitted to stealing the Zeroth Dragons from us, how can we not consider you a threat?" Ryuzaki growled. "What do you want from us then? You wouldn't come here to do just that, would you?"

"Well, I've got some other things I need to take care of, but for now, I just want to help you guys out." Ayaza said. "It's all for your benefit, my valuable information."

"You could be spoon-feeding us lies." Ryuzaki said. "Give me some sort of solid evidence we can trust you."

"You are some tricky customers..." Ayaza sighed. "Alright. Here's some evidence. You can call me the one who will carry out the Void's will."

"How is that evidence?"

"Hang on, we'll get to that part. What do you think the Void's will is?"

"To resurrect Gyze."

"Bingo. It was part of the Void's plan." Ayaza chuckled. "If you want proof of me being trustworthy, I'll tell you the intricate of the plan."

"Go on. Enlighten us."

"Ayato, the current Void had conferred with me after he killed Aya in front of my eyes. I was weak and helpless back then, and since I didn't want to die, I listened. He told me that he was after the activation of Crystal Edge Dragon, which would in turn release the Zeroth Dragons. You see, Crystal Edge Dragon is a Stardust Knight card. The only man who had it was Yza, hence he survived the mass slaughter of cardfighters throughout the war against the Void. The Void had pushed the pieces to make it so he would kill Yza and get Crystal Edge at once. He settled on the portal plan, which was being done by Backlion. After going into the portal and expecting Yza, the two fought, and Yza activated Crystal Edge on his own accord, which wasn't part of the plan— the Void was meant to activate Crystal Edge to unseal the Zeroth Dragons and take them to resurrect Gyze. He didn't care that Cray and Earth could become one. He just wanted Gyze to destroy everything in its sight. However, due to Yza being the one who used it, the Zeroth Dragons were scattered onto Earth, due to Yza's last images activating Crystal Edge was being at home; Earth. The power of Crystal Edge had reset almost everything back to its former state. This is how the Zeroth Dragons were unsealed... including something else." Ayaza explained. "Did you get all that?"

"Yeah..." Ryuzaki nodded, a thin drop of sweat running down his cheek.

"In ancient times, there was a tyrant in the Dragon Empire. An Abyss-Flame Dragon, the most powerful king dragon in all of Cray. The ancestor of Dragonic Overlord, the one who could create black fire. Due to his tyranny and power, the troops of Forbidden Chain were called in to seal him away in two halves. One half became the normal "Dragonic Overlord" we've all come to know and love. The other half... was the main source of darkness for the dragon. He was exiled and sent off to a far away parallel planet, also known on Earth. He was left to slumber on Earth for thousands of years, and one day had reawakened as a human boy, and was given a fake life, fake memories, and a fake personality. The one who had mould him in this form was none other then the Void— the creator of this dragon in the first place. The boy was known as Ayaza Ganki-Vulcan. It was until recently I had discovered who I really was... and Crystal Edge activating solidified that. I'm no longer the "Ayaza" you all once knew. I am the emissary of hate spawned by the Void." Ayaza said, staring down at everyone.

Lifting up his right hand, a crackle of black fire began lighting up in his palm, causing the room falling into complete silence. Eyes widened, jaws were left open, hitched gasps left people's breaths and the instinct of shuffling back kicked in. Radiating off Ayaza was a terrifying aura of blackness, and his now blank slate for a face told everyone that he had truly changed.

"Who are you, Ayaza...?" Ryuzaki uttered from the near deathly silence.

"I am... Dragonic Overlord "The Black"." Ayaza said.

"A unit from Cray...?" Ryuzaki muttered, narrowing his eyes at Ayaza.

"Do you want me to show you my true body?" Ayaza asked.

"No, I believe you. Weirder things have happened." Ryuzaki sighed. "So, you set that apartment complex on fire?"

"Yes, I did." Ayaza said.

"Why did you do it?"

"No real reason. I thought it would be fun."

"Someone could've died! Did anything that happened in the Void Incident get through to you?!"

"Boohoo, someone could die. People die all the time. What's the difference?"

"You murdered someone... that's the difference."

"You seem to forget I'm not "Ayaza". I'm Overlord." Ayaza said. "To me, killing someone is something that happens on a daily basis. On Cray, we slaughter each other all the time. Death happens, move on and accept it."

"You're not on Cray though, are you?! You're on Earth!"

"How is that any different? Humans kill each other all the time, war happens all the time; I ask how is this any different to what happens on Cray? Morally to you, it's wrong. But my morals stand on the fact this happens anyways. Why should I feel guilty over it? I don't even know them. They're nobodies to me."

"But they're somebodies to someone else... someone else cares for them. Someone else would be sad they're dead! Isn't that what you felt when Aya died?!"

"But I mitigated that sadness. It doesn't affect me anymore. I moved on."

"Some people can't move on... some people would be sad for a long time, blame themselves or wouldn't be able to cope with it, which would ruin their lives!"

"Ryuzaki's right..." Rukia said. "If Yza really died... I don't think I could move on..."

"Then lucky for you that Yza isn't." Ayaza said. "I'm tired of discussing morality and death. Let's talks about Yza!"

"You really are a scummy person." Ryuzaki said. "What do you want to talk about Yza? I'm sure you already know the answer to what happened to him."

"And I'm sure you guys don't. Fill me in, what do you know about him?" Ayaza said.

"Well... he's supposedly not on Cray..." Rukia mumbled. "He might be Spectre..."

"Most importantly, Yza is alive and on Earth." Zeon declared.

"Mhmmmm, I see." Ayaza nodded. "Well, Spectre is someone else, trust me."

"That clears that up..." Rukia sighed. "If you do know where Yza is, please tell me!"

"Where's the fun in that?" Ayaza asked. "I'll give you a hint. Yza's in this room, right now. He can hear and see me."

"What?!" Rukia exclaimed. "Are you saying Yza is someone in this room?!"

"Yep." Ayaza nodded. "Look around. Ryuzaki, Payic, Maverick, Riku, Chiharu, Shika, Rino, Wyvon, Zeon, Masaru, Izanoku, Callum, Zak or even you. One of you are Yza, and are hiding it pretty well."

"This.. can't be..." Rukia fell to her knees.

"What kind of sick game are you playing, Ayaza?" Ryuzaki asked.

"One that'll make the finale the best one ever." Ayaza hummed. "My instinct says it's Masaru."

"I don't even know what's going on..." Masaru groaned.

"Maybe Payic is Yza?" Ayaza grinned.

"Gross... I'd never let that pervert become me." Payic shook her head.

"Or maybe, Yza is actually in this room, and not one of you." Ayaza smiled.

"Like... a ghost?" Zeon asked. "So... you're saying he's dead?"

"Well, Crystal Edge is a pretty powerful card to activate. I'm sure if used wrongly, it could kill the user."

"Enough with this Yza stuff. Tell me, how is Kaiko alive?" Ryuzaki demanded.

"Voodoo magic, next?" Ayaza asked.

"Give me a proper answer."

"That was the answer."

"Ugh..."

"Say, where's Yozora? I wanna talk to the guy who has Stardust Knight." Ayaza said.

"He's hospitalised right now." Ryuzaki replied. "He's off-limits to visit, especially by the likes of you."

"That's a shame." Ayaza sighed. "Well, I'll tell you guys this. If you wanna stop Gyze, beat it in a cardfight. That's the only way."

"Wait... What?" Ryuzaki asked. "What do you mean?!"

"You'll find out in due time." Ayaza said, being engulfed in a torrent of black fire. "Until next time."

"Ayaza...?" Ryuzaki raised a brow, before a blinding flash of black erupted in the room. As the light settled, Ayaza had disappeared from the mansion, and any trace of him was gone. "...Ayaza?!"

(Ending here)

Next time on Z World:

#44: "I am..."

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