Let me tell you a story, an old tale of friendship, love, and whatever else you find stinking under your bed in the morning. Well, you know what they say, all stories start at a beginning. So here's one that not a lot of people know about.
See, there was once a portal to a world that existed long ago, hidden deep within the sands of the great Kingdom of Egypt. The location of this portal was only ever known by the Pharaoh and was to be shared with no one else. This portal led to a world of ancient creatures and mighty warriors, of mysterious sorcerers and fabulous beasts. It was said that whoever could harness so much of a fraction of that portal's power would hold the secrets of the universe itself.
Of course, the inhabitants of the world beyond the portal often crossed into ours, though we could not cross into theirs. Most of them came with noble intention, seeking to help protect us. Others came with darker intent, hoping to secure this world for themselves. While the noble ones were able to drive the more fiendish beasts away, there soon came a time when an especially powerful being came into this world: Zork, the Master of Darkness. Zork made allies with many of the black-hearted fiends of the Other World and it was not long before he amassed an army.
Soon, a Civil War broke out, one that ravaged the land and destroyed the way of life as the people knew it. Whole armies, monster and human alike, were destroyed. When the smoke cleared, the humans and the noble-hearted beings of the Other World stood victorious, but at a great cost.
10,000 years later, the war shall begin anew. And with this new beginning comes a new cycle of incarnations.
**
Takashi woke up and stared at the giant poster of the Blue Eyes White Dragon on the ceiling. Today was yet another day of trying to get his friends to wake up and smell the Splendid Roses. Another day of trying to get them to rediscover who they were really.
He groaned and flipped over. Five more minutes... that's all he needed...
"TAKAAAAAAAAAA! THAT TOURNAMENT YOU'RE HOSTING'S GOING TO START REALLY SOOOOOON! GET YOU ASS DOWN HERE AND HAVE BREAKFAAAAAAAAST!"
He smelt bacon.
Five seconds later, he was shoveling the stuff into his mouth.