Chronicles of the Ascension - Arc 1 [Currently at Chapter 13: Dark Confrontation]

Saiba Aisu · December 29, 2007

Wow. I have just finished reading all you have written so far...it is fantastic. Easily the best fanfiction I have seen yet. Only thing I caught (and it's because I'm picky) is that you misspelled "Halloween" when describing Mystic Tomato (you missed an "L"). Please continue, because I'm hooked. ^^ 9.8/10.

December 29, 2007

[align=justify]RESPONSE TO FEEDBACK:

@Khaostheclown: Thanks a lot, I'm glad to see that my attempt to create interesting themes and decks is working.

@Cyber_Commander: ... *stabs self. Repeatedly* Fine, I'll fix that =/. Thanks for your comments!

@purplerobot: Thanks a lot, I'm glad to see people like this. Helps me get my act together and keep writing.

===

CHAPTER 8: Divinations

Even though the score between them stood at 4000 - 3700 in his favor, Rand had an uneasy feeling. On Ray's side of the field, the River Stygx and the Ferryman from the Beyond, as well as the Death Mask, were unnerving him - let alone his new Shinigami, Faelan the Soul Drinker, who had 2900 ATK and 2300 DEF thanks to the effect of the River Stygx, and who knew what else he could do. On the other hand, Rand had Seraph Hunter with 1700 / 1300 ATK and DEF points, and Sea King Myrmidon with 2700 / 2500 ATK and DEF points, and an additional concealed card. On the other hand, Ray had only one card in his hand, while Rand had three.

Ray frowned slightly. "I could attack your Seraph Hunter to deal more damage" he mused "but your Myrmidon's attack is uncomfortably close to my monster's." For a second, his eyes lingered on Rand's face-down card. "Soul Drinker Faelan, attack his Sea King Myrmidon!" The shinigami sent forth a mass of talons against the giant serpentine creature, wiping it out completely as Rand's Life points dropped to 3800. "And I'll let you know Faelan's special effect - when he destroys a monster, my opponent loses 500 life points, and I regain that amount!" A silver thread connected the shinigami with Rand and Ray, and Rand felt a stab of pain as the score changed to 3300 - 4200 in Ray's favor.

"Very well." Rand replied. "But my Sea King Myrmidon also has a special ability - a crude one, but still useful. Whenever he is destroyed, I can send a monster from my field to the graveyard to bring him right back!" Seraph Hunter howled as he was consumed by a pillar of light, and Sea King Myrmidon emerged again.

"My turn." Rand said, drawing. He looked at his card with a triumphant smirk. "I equip Sea King Myrmidon with 'Storm Trident'!" He said, revealing a weapon looking like a cross between a trident and a lightning rod. "You were right before, the difference between our monsters was uncomfortably close... my weapon is enough to shift it, as it increases Sea King Myrmidon's attack by 600 points!" The giant water creature now had a sum of 3300 ATK points. "Sea King Myrmidon, destroy that shinigami! Storm Trident Blast!"

A compact beam of water and lightning laced forth, incinerating Faelan. Ray's Life Point counter decreased to 3800. "And when a monster with Storm Trident destroys an enemy monster, you receive an additional 600 points of damage!" Rand added, as the lightning bounced off the shinigami's remains, and struck Ray, whose life points now dropped to 3200. "And I'm in the lead again."

"Very good!" Ray commented. "However... remember that Spell card you discarded from my hand? It's a special card called 'Necronomicon'. If it is in my Graveyard, I can pay 1000 Life Points to Special Summon any Shinigami monster that was destroyed this turn right back on the field!"

Rand could not help but admire the powerful strategy behind this deck, the ingenious combinations of cards, and the power of the Shinigami monsters. "You are a pretty damn good duelist..." He said. Ray smiled.

---

"Ladies first." Said Mat, as they drew their initial hands. Cyndane had cornered him in just one round, he definately wanted a glimpse of this Diana girl's strategy before he decided on what cards to play.

"You are so kind." Diana said sweetly, drawing. "Well then, I'll make sure you won't regret it... I summon 'Aroma Lady Jeane', in attack mode!"

Mat blinked, as a beautiful fragrance filled the air, and in a whirl of flowers, a young girl dressed in a very light grey dress, who was holding several bottles of what appeared to be different perfumes. She had only 1000 ATK and 700 DEF points, and she didn't look intimidating at all.

"And when she is summoned, I can summon another Aroma Lady from my hand... and I choose 'Aroma Lady Katrina', also in attack mode!" Another girl, quite similar to the first one, except her clothes were a pale blue color. She had 600 ATK and 1500 DEF points, not very promising either.

"Normally, I could draw a card when I summoned her, but since she was Special summoned by Jeane's effect, I can't do that." She held out a Spell card. "I will equip Jeane with a card called 'Mellow Fragrance Lavender'." Jeane appeared to pick out a single fragrance and opened the lid, and a strong lavender scent filled the air, overwhelming the others. "My Fragrance equipment cards gain different effects, depending which Aroma Lady they are equipped to. As long as Lavender is equipped to a wind monster like Jeane, you cannot attack her. I will end my turn with a face-down card."

Mat scowled a little. He drew a card and looked at his cards. A decent hand - not the best, not the worst.

"I summon 'Lady Luck's Harpist' in defense mode!" The monster, an elegantly dressed musician with a golden harp and flute, had 700 ATK and 1500 DEF points. "Then I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

"Very well." Diana commented, drawing. "I activate a continuous Spell card called 'Aroma Store'!" The deck transformed into a greenhouse, several plants and flowers decorating a series of bookshelves that held various bottles of perfumes. "As long as it is on the field, I can swap my Fragrance equipment cards to other Aroma Ladies once per turn. But I'll get to that later - for now, I summon 'Aroma Lady Tabitha' in attack mode!" Another Aroma Lady, dressed in bright red, appeared on the field, with 1200 ATK and 400 DEF points. Mat guessed she was a Fire monster. "And her effect allows me to check your face-down cards, and send any Spell cards amongst them to the Graveyard."

Mat winced as his two face-down cards were revealed. The Trap card 'Lady's Lure' was reset to its original position, but the Spell card he intended to use, 'Soothing Melody', was destroyed.

"Not a bad strategy." Diana commented appraisingly. "You intended to use Soothing Melody to stop one of my Ladies from attacking and take control of her, then summon Lady Luck in your next turn." Mat growled, as his tactic had been seen through completely.

"Well, it's still my turn. I activate Aroma Store's ability to switch Mellow Fragrance Lavender to Aroma Lady Katrina. Now Katrina can randomly destroy one card in your hand." A trail of perfume reached Mat's hand, destroying one of his remaining cards - it was Banker's Bodyguard, the monster he intended to summon next turn to defend himself, if his original plan failed. "And now I equip Jeane with 'Strong Fragrance Citre'!" Jeane's perfume changed into a stronger, yet somehow still delicate, scent. "Now that she is equipped with Citre, Jeane can destroy a Level 3 or lower monster on your side of the field automatically by skipping her attack. So not only is your Harpist destroyed, but his special effect negated as well."

Mat was starting to sweat. Diana seemed to have a perfect counter planned for any of his strategies. "And with your Harpist gone, you can't activate Lady's Lure, so I can attack directly!"

Suddenly the two fairy-like girls looked much more intimidating to Mat, as they closed in and smashed two bottles of perfume on his head. That was definately not the way he had expected them to attack, he thought, as his Life points dropped to 2200.

"Lucky for you, I have no more cards left to play, so I end my turn." Mat winced. That was a bluffer's way of saying that Mat should attack next turn, because he had a trap waiting for him. He drew his card. Just what he needed.

"I activate Mystical Space Typhoon..." He paused for a second. All those Fragrance cards and that Aroma Store were valuable pieces to Diana's strategy - that was certain. But that face-down card worried him... what should he do? If Diana had just placed all those valuable Spells to draw his attention away from the face-down card... but if she had thought that before him... he groaned mentally. He could see through these things so easily before... but Diana's face was completely unreadable.

"I target your face down card." He said finally. A cyclone surrounded Diana's card, and a horrid smash forced Mat to cover his ears. Thousands of little perfume bottles shattered, filling the arena with a now disgusting combination of odours.

"The card you just destroyed is called 'Fragile Set of Perfumes'." Diana informed him cheerfully. "When you destroy it, it disables your use of Spells for the rest of your turn, and also automatically skips your Battle Phase." Outsmarted again, for what seemed to be the millionth time in these last few days.

"Fine, I'll summon 'Lady Luck's Maid' in attack mode and end my turn." Mat growled, placing his monster with 1300 ATK and 1500 DEF points on the field.

"Hmm, interesting." Diana mused softly, drawing her card. "I activate a familiar card... 'Pot of Greed'." The oversized jar with the grotesque smiling face appeared, letting Diana draw two additional cards. "Great." She mused. "I move Mellow Fragrance Lavender to Aroma Lady Tabitha, in order to equip 'Beautiful Fragrance Violet' to Aroma Lady Katrina!" The appropriate changes in perfumes occured - Mat was starting to get dizzy just trying to keep up.

"Now not only can Tabitha attack you directly, but Katrina can destroy a Spell or Trap card on the field - and I choose the Lady's Lure that I saw face-down before!" A strong fragrance began emanating from the bottle Katrina was holding, but immediately, a beautiful, soothing melody echoed around the field of battle. The bottle in Katrina's hands broke, and the Aroma Lady winced with disgust as a disgusting odor was released, and her attack points dropped to 300. Diana appeared startled, while Mat grinned.

"You seem to know a Divine Ladies' deck pretty well" he said "but not as well as you should. When Lady Luck's Harpist is in my graveyard, I can remove him from play to negate any Spell or Trap card effect that is activated, and destroy that card!" Diana scowled slightly, pursing her lips. "And I've uncovered your monster's weakness - if the fragrance bottles break, their attack points drop by half!"

"Fine." Diana said, sounding for the first time a little irritated. She looked at the remaining card in her hand as if it was to blame. Mat concluded that even women who were weirder than usual could be weird in the average woman style. Then he realized that made little sense. "With your Lady Luck's Lure on the field, I cannot attack your monster, but Tabitha can still attack you directly!" The Aroma Lady proceeded to skid by Lady Luck's Maid and promptly smack Mat, costing him another 1200 Life Points, finally bringing his counter to 1000. "I'll just switch Katrina and Jeane to defense position and end my turn."

"I can win this." Mat thought, concentrating, his hopes up. "If I can just draw the right card, I can win!"

---

"So tell me." Ray asked suddenly. "What's your story?"

"Huh?" Rand asked, taken by surprise.

"You know, your story." Ray repeated. "How did they end up picking you for the Exhibition Matches? I mean, you sure are a good duelist, but they don't just know everyone's skill to choose the best. They must have heard of you from somewhere."

"Oh." Rand replied. He hadn't really thought of that - he felt slightly stupid now. "Well, I'm not sure... I've never really taken part in any major tournaments or anything... although, now that you mentioned it..."

Rand's memory jumped at least 3 years ago, when he was just a teenager. He was standing amongst a large crowd that had gathered around him, opposite to a tall, blonde woman with huge breasts. He had Dark Saber on the field in attack mode, with 1600 and 1200 ATK and DEF points, Flame Panther, with 2200 and 1500 ATK and DEF points, and Iron Legion, with 1000 ATK and 2000 DEF points in defense mode. His opponent had three Harpie Ladies on her side of the field, and a face-up Mirror Wall that prevented him from attacking. The area had bene transformed into Harpies' Hunting Ground, increasing the attack of all three of her Harpies to 1500 each. Rand had 2400 life points, while his opponent - her name was Mai or something, he could no longer remember - had 2200.

"I activate 'Triangle Ecstasy Spark'!" Mai said. "All my Harpies' attack is increased to 2700!" The attack of all three Harpie Ladies rose to 2700 each, and then to 2900 with the Hunting Ground bonus. "Now my Ladies, destroy his monsters!" Rand shielded himself as the three Harpies unleashed a powerful X-shaped whirlwind that wiped out all three of his monsters, reducing his life points to 100. "I end my turn." She said, as the attack of her monsters dropped to its original value. Her life points dropped to 1200, due to the effect of Mirror Wall.

"Fine!" Rand yelled, drawing. "But when Iron Legion is destroyed, I can remove it from play to move this Equipment card on the field! Shield of the Legion!" The giant shield appeared on Rand's side of the field. He looked at the card he had just drawn. He frowned. He literally had only one chance...

"I activate Pot of Greed!" He said, playing the card. "Now I can draw too more cards..." As he saw what he had drawn, he could not help but stare in surprise. He had always been particularly... lucky... when making an especially decisive draw in a duel, but this was... extraordinary...

"I summon Mithril Titan in attack mode!" He yelled, and the giant steel golem appeared, with an intimidating 2000 DEF but only 1400 ATK. Mai looked surprised.

"Why did you summon him in attack mode?" She inquired curiously. "He can't even destroy one of my Harpies, and he would have been far better off defending."

"For starters, when Mithril Titan is summoned in attack mode, I can destroy one of your Spell or Trap cards. And I choose Mirror Wall!" The giant creature smashed the mirror barrier that protected Mai's Harpies from harm to pieces.

"But that's not all." Rand added. "I equip him with Shield of the Legion, increasing his defense by 1000!"

"What good will it do? Your monster is still in attack mode!" Mai demanded.

"Well, as long as I activate this... 'Battle Style Shift'!" Rand grinned, showing the last card in his hand. "My monster's full attack is transferred to its defense, and vice versa, including all bonuses!"

"No..." Mai muttered, as Mithril Titan's attack rose to 3000.

"Well then, finish this... hammer smash fist!" Rand yelled, and Mithril Titan destroyed one of the Harpie Ladies, reducing Mai's Life Points to zero.

Rand blinked, snapping back to the present. "Well there was this woman once... Mai Valentine or something... we dueled one time about three years ago, and when I beat her, she said she would talk about me to some people... I didn't really take her seriously back then, but it seems... why are you looking at me like that?" He suddenly demanded, as Ray had a peculiar gleam in his eyes.

"You beat Mai Valentine?" Ray asked quietly.

"Yeah." Rand replied, rather nervously now. "It was a really close call, and it was pretty much the luck of the draw, so..."

"Mai Valentine was a finalist in Duelist Kingdom." Ray interrupted him. "She was also a finalist a year later, in Battle City Tournament. Since then, she has won countless tournaments, minor and major, mostly in Europe though. She is fairly well-known there, even if most people here have forgotten about her."

Rand whistled. He had no idea that woman had been so famous...

"My respect for you as a duelist is renewed." Ray stated seriously, as he drew his card. "I won't hold back!"

===

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

So, little-to-none plot development in this chapter, and two duels. I hope you like Ray's and Diana's decks, I put quite a bit of effort into making them.

As far as custom characters are concerned, I am receiving a lot of great contributions, and I will try to use them all! In a while, there won't be enough slots left for Arc 2, so hurry up and submit your entries! By the way, whoever makes a character that I end up using will receive 1-3 reputation points, depending on how well-built the character is, what kind of spot he ends up filling etc.

The contest to support this fanfic is also slowly drawing to a close, even though there are only 5 valid entries so far. So everyone who has made / wants to make a good set that will fit this fanfic, go ahead and post there (Link in my signature).

On another note, I would be pleased if, in your reviews, along with your comments, you included a small part about which aspect of this fanfic (Plot, Characters, Writing Style, Dueling) you enjoy the most, and which you think needs the most improvement. Every review that includes this information will receive a reputation point (kudos to Umbra for the idea).

Enjoy, and I'll try to post updates more often.

===

CARD LIST:

I'll make it later.

===

GLOSSARY:

No new entries in the glossary for this chapter.

===

CHARACTER PROFILES:

Diana:

-Age: Unknown

-Hair Color: Black, a single blue strand.

-Hairstyle: Straight, Long.

-Eye Color: Black

-Height: 1,70m

-Weight: 46kg

-Favorite/Signature Card: Unknown

-Deck: Aroma Deck

-Personality: Joyful generally, but may get frustrated easily.

-Hobbies: Collecting perfumes.

-Likes: Expensive perfumes, spending time in a greenhouse.

-Dislikes: Bad smells.

===

SPOILERS:

An Unusual Ante.

A Secret Concealed.

A Frozen Heart.

Next Chapter: A Fine Gamble

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Saiba Aisu · December 29, 2007

Oh wow. You included Mai. ^^ Nice. Only one small detail bothers me. The effect of Mirror Wall requires you to pay 2000 Life Points, not 1000. So if Mai had 2200, she'd have 200 instead after she kept it on the field. Doesn't really make a difference, (she still would have lost) but just saying. Great job! I can't wait to see what happens with Diana next!

P.S. Do you mind if I advertise your story a bit? I put the link in my signature, just in case...

December 31, 2007

[align=justify]RESPONSE TO FEEDBACK:

@Cyber_Commander: Well, like I mentioned, lots of rules on existing cards have been changed - also, 2000 LP under 8000 LP starting rules equals 1000 LP under 4000 LP starting rules, doesn't it? ;>_>. And yeah, I thought I'd just throw Mai in. Might make a comeback later, not very likely though.

===

CHAPTER 9: A Fine Gamble

"My draw." Mat stated. He glanced at the field - he had Lady Luck's Maid (1300-1500) in attack mode and Lady's Lure face-down, and one card in his hand. Diana had Aroma Lady Katrina (300-1200), Aroma Lady Tabitha (1200-400) equipped with Mellow Fragrance Lavender, and Aroma Lady Jeane (1000-700) equipped with Strong Fragrance Citre, and one card in her hand. He had only 2200 Life Points, whereas Diana's had been untouched. For now. Mat looked at the card he just drew, and smirked.

"I sacrifice my Lady Luck's Maid to summon Lady Muse!" He said, summoning a medium-aged woman elegantly clothed in a white silk dress, carrying an enormous golden harp. She played a soft melody. With 1800 ATK and 2200 DEF points, she was superior to any monster on the field. "And now I activate her special ability, allowing me to Special Summon 'Royal Bard', also in attack mode!"

Another monster appeared in a fountain of light, an elderly bard in rich gleeman's clothing carrying a flute, with 600 ATK and 1000 DEF points.

"And now, I play this equipment Spell: 'Battle Song'!" A large horn appeared in front of the Bard, who cast his flute aside to catch it, and released a tremendous, loud war cry. "Now all my monster's attack is increased by 500 points! And I remember Jeane's ability when she is equipped with Citre, as well as Tabitha's ability when she is equipped with Lavender, so I will target those two first! Attack!"

The bard charged in a seemingly pompous fashion against Jeane, but he tripped over his cloak halfway through the distance, sliding through the rest of it and catching on Jeane's cloak, who yelped in shock. Out of nowhere, the musician produced a knife, and slit Jeane's throat, whose scream turned into a short cough before she was destroyed.

"Your monsters are as full of trickery as you." Diana said, and Mat discerned... spite? in her tone, as Lady Muse played her harp, releasing a soft melody. Tabitha's eyes began closing, and finally, she fell to the ground unconscious, and a second later, was destroyed. Diana's Life Points dropped to 2800.

"Whatever." Mat replied. "Now your annoying Fragrances are gone." The air seemed suddenly to be stinking, with all those flowery scents gone, and only the salty smell of the sea remaining.

"Are they?" Diana asked, and she seemed to be smiling again. "When Aroma Store is on the field, I can simply pay 300 Life Points for each, and it's back. Only requirement is that they have to be destroyed by means of destroying the Aroma Lady that uses them." Mat grimaced again, as Diana's Life Points dropped to 2200, but she retrieved the two Fragrance cards he had just sent to the Graveyard.

"And now it is my draw." She said. "I summon 'Aroma Lady Erika', in attack mode." Another Aroma Lady, dressed in brown, with an attack and defense of 800 and 1000 respectively - she must be of Earth attribute, Mat thought - appeared on the field. "And her special ability allows me to seek any aroma-related card from my deck and add it to my hand - and I will choose this: The Never-Fading Fragrance, Amaranth."

"What does it do?" Mat frowned curiously.

"You'll see soon enough." Diana replied. "I equip Aroma Lady Erika with 'Strong Fragrance Citre' that I recovered from my graveyard. This allows me to Special Summon any Aroma Lady from my deck - and I choose another copy of my 'Aroma Lady Tabitha'!"

"Oh no..." Mat groaned, as Tabitha appeared on the field, giving him a spiteful glare.

"Furthermore, I equip Tabitha with Lavender... that means she can attack you directly." Mat felt sweat running at his temples. "Then, I use Aroma Store's effect to shift Citre to Katrina, which increases her attack points by 300 for every monster I control. That is three, including her, so her attack raises to 1200. And now Katrina will attack your Bard."

Katrina smashed her bottle of fragrance on top of Royal Bard's head, who gave a wimpy groan before he was destroyed, reducing Mat's Life Points to 2100.

"And don't think it's over! Now Tabitha attacks you directly!" Tabitha gave a very un-girly roar as she slammed his head, reducing his life points to 900.

"Fine, but now it's my turn again." Mat said. He still had Lady Muse on the field. He drew his card.

"I summon Lady Avarice in attack mode!" The lady holding the giant pot had only 1200 ATK and 1400 DEF points, but she was still stronger than Aroma Lady Erika. "Lady Avarice, attack Aroma Lady Erika!"

Mat's monster flipped a coin in the air, that transformed into a shower of coins that rained down on Erika, destroying her and decreasing Diana's Life Points to 1800. "And now Lady Muse will attack your Aroma Lady Tabitha!" The soothing melody echoed again, and Lady Tabitha was destroyed, further decreasing Diana's Life Points to 1200, and then to 900, as Diana retrieved her Mellow Fragrance Lavender. They were even again, and Mat flashed Diana a broad smile. She literally pierced through him with her eyes.

"I draw." She said coldly. Then gave him a distant smile. "Are you prepared to be defeated?" She asked. "I activate the Spirit Ritual Spell card, 'The Never-Fading Fragrance, Amaranth'." Suddenly, a much more appealing scent filled Mat's nostrils, that seemed to almost... hypnotize him. A scent that reminded him of his childhood, playing in a huge field of flowers... chasing girls around... just that scent filled him with... happiness. But Diana's voice brought him back to cold reality.

"I offer Aroma Lady Katrina from my field and Rose Knight from my hand as tributes to Spirit Summon... Aroma Lady Amaranth Princess."

The young woman who appeared in a gust of flowers and a soft breeze on the field easily redefined the meaning of beauty. She was tall, with straight long brown hair and deep brown eyes, her complexion pale, her analogies perfect... her ankle-lenght dress was a flowery green, but when Mat blinked, it had turned into a deep scarlet color, then an orchid purple, a pale rose, and finally a white-and-gold color that reminded Mat of sunflowers. She had a serious expression

on her face, that depicted almost... sadness.

"I see you can appreciate a pretty lady." Diana said, sounding irritated. Mat vaguely wondered why.

But when he finally snapped out of the trance the girl's color-changing dressed and the beautiful scent had placed him in, he finally noticed the scores of the monster - and gulped. She had a vicious 2600 ATK and 2000 DEF points.

"Like I said... it's over." Diana said. "Amaranth Princess, attack Lady Avarice and finish the fight!"

"Not so fast!" Mat interrupted, as Amaranth Princess spread out her arm, releasing a flurry of amaranth blossoms that hurled against Lady Avarice. "I activate Lady Avarice's effect." He pointed at his monster, that was now shivering with fear. "When she is targeted, I can change the target to another one of my monsters..." Lady Avarice smirked with glee, as the Amaranth Princess' attack shifted towards Lady Muse, who gave a surprised yelp, and was consumed in them, reducing Mat's Life Points to 300.

But Diana smirked. "It doesn't really matter, you see... the last card of my hand is this, 'Bleeding Hearts'." A single blossom of Amaranth's attack flew by Mat, and ended up on Mat's shoulder. "When Amaranth Princess inflicts damage to your Life Points, this Quick-play spell card will deal an additional 800 damage points... this duel is over." Suddenly, Mat felt a small jolt of pain, and he instinctively placed his hand on top of his neck. He touched the amaranth flower, but he also felt a trickle of blood run onto his fingers. Real blood.

"What the..." He asked, surprised, but his Life Points were already down to zero, and Lady Amaranth and Lady Avarice vanished as the duel finished. Diana smiled, and this time, she looked almost sad.

"Well, I guess you didn't do all that bad." She said. "And, like I told you already, you are going to need everything you can get... so here, I'll give them to you." She flicked her fingers, and the three Lady cards were suddenly in Mat's hands with only a blur of movement. He stared at them with astonishment.

"We'll meet again soon enough." Diana said, and by the time Mat had raised his eyes, she had vanished.

---

"Who... who are you?" Irene managed to stutter, once it was clear that the young man with the bisho appearance - he could not be much older than her! - would not talk first.

"You may call me Logan." He said, his voice patient and soft, matching his looks. "I already know your name... Irene." He added. "May I sit?" Once Irene nodded, he positioned himself on the sole, rather comfortable chair, and began rocking back and forth.

"What do you want with me... Logan?" Irene inquired, rather curious now that her initial fear had mostly dispersed. Mostly. She secretly caressed the broad side of her dagger beneath her sleeve. Suddenly, Logan's eyes fixed on that spot, as if he knew what she was doing - but her eyes were still unreadable, showing only hints of minor amusement. Irene felt trickles of sweat run down her skin.

"I just want to talk to you." Logan replied.

"What about?" Irene snapped angrily. She was sick of his casual, amused tone, like there was nothing to concern him, ever.

She instantly regretted it. His strange blue eyes whose color could shift to silver depending on the angle you looked at them suddenly locked into hers, and she felt as if they were probing directly into her mind. His half-smile vanished, and his expression was dead-serious.

"I know what you are thinking of doing, Irene. It is of utmost important that you abort your plans."

A lightning strike wouldn't have shocked her more. Irene suddenly sprang to her feet, a mixture of fear, pein, and anger in her shaking eyes.

"Look." Logan said before Irene could say anything. "I know how you feel, but you should control your emotions. With your... ability... they can lead to extreme danger. Danger that must be prevented."

"You don't know anything." Irene replied, and though her voice was still shaky, it was rage that supressed every other emotion. "You can't know anything. Get out, now." The dagger suddenly appeared in her hand.

"It is unwise to use that... wouldn't you agree?"

Suddenly, the air around her became suffocating, as if thousands of powerful hands were squeezing every inch of her body, as Logan stood up. Now a very bright, huge golden aura was shining around him, the air distorted by its sheer intensity. Irene couldn't even feel fear against such a great power, generated just by the sheer presence of a single person. All she could feel was... sheer awe.

But she forced herself out of it - she was the one holding the knife here. Trying to supress the overwhelming sensation that a weapon of that league would do no good, she stood upright.

"Get out." She repeated, steadying her voice as much as possible.

If Logan was at all surprised that Irene had resisted this... display of power, for lack of a better word, it didn't show. He merely... loosened, and the pressure vanished, the aura dissipated.

"Think about what I said." He told her. "You will see for yourself that you are acting foolishly. I will come back again."

Without another word, he headed to the door. Once Irene heard the door close shut, she dropped limply on her bed, sweat running freely all over her body. She had heard that some people could simply... dominate the area with their presence, but she had never imagined this...

Another knock on the door disrupted her attention.

---

As Logan got out of Irene's room, he sighed heavily. "Foolish girl." He murmured to noone in particular. "Fortunately, there is still time. If only..."

A slight, deliberate cough behind him broke his sentence halfway through. He whipped his head around to see a man in a black suit, carrying a leather brown briefcase and wearing a gentleman's hat. His broad smile looked mocking and cold, and his eyes were concealed by a pair of pitch-black round sunglasses, despite the fact that the sun was too fade for there to be any need of them.

"Who are..." Logan began to demand, but then his mouth suddenly snapped shut, as he stepped back, a look of shock and... horror filling his eyes, even though the man hadn't moved a muscle.

---

Rand looked at Ray, as the young man drew his card. "I activate Painful Charity." He said. "By discarding a Light monster from my hand, I can draw three cards, as long as I discard one at the end of my turn. And I choose to remove another copy of Banisher of the Light." He sent the card he had in his hand to the Graveyard. "And now I draw." He drew three cards.

"And one of the cards I drew was 'Charming Reaper'!" He said, playing the card. A cute girl clothed in black with pale purple hair appeared on the field, wielding a scythe almost as big as she was. She really lived up to her name. "Also, another one is called 'The Spirit of Death'. As long as I only control Shinigami-type monsters, I can Special Summon him directly!" An elderly man with a wretched appearance and a giant saggy hat materialized, holding a giant scythe - his looked more like a long-handled sickle though. Charming Reaper had 1800 ATK and 800 DEF points, and the Spirit of Death had 1000 ATK and 600 DEF points.

"I think I know what's coming up next..." Rand murmured, and Ray grinned.

"That's right. My Charming Reaper counts as two sacrifices when summoning a Shinigami type monster. And since Spirit of Death is a Light type monster, as strange as that sounds..." Rand looked at the wretched man. Some things in duel monsters were just strange like that.

"...here comes, 'Etul, the Dark Harvester'!"

Another Shinigami replaced Ray's three monsters. This one was a skeletal creature with thousands of skulls and bones attached to his dark cloak. He had the same statistics as the other two major shinigami monsters.

"I'll place him in defense mode, and switch Faelan to defense mode as well." Ray said. "That ends my turn."

Rand drew a card. How could Ray be so lucky in his draws? He hadn't seen that kind of luck since... himself, Mat, and Irene. Could there be any connection between them? Rand shook his head. He was just lucky, that was all. Strange thing was, Ray was treating this luck... normally, as if it was nothing important. Rand sighed, and focused on the cards in his hand. Well, he couldn't do much right now.

"I summon 'Wielder of the Flame Banner' in defense mode." He said. An old warrior engulfed in flames, carrying a torn battle with a bloody dragon painted on it, appeared on the field. He had 1200 ATK and 1600 DEF points. "And as long as this 3rd squad fighter remains on my side of the field, the attack and defense of all Crimson Star Army warriors increase by 400 - including himself!" Sea King Myrmidon's ATK increased to 3700, and his defense to 2900, and Wielder of the Flame Banner's ATK rose to 1600, and his defense to 2000.

"And now, my Myrmidon will attack your..." Rand paused. He knew of Faelan's effect, and it was dangerous. But who knew what that other shinigami had in store... "...your Dark Harvester!"

Myrmidon unleashed a maelstrom of water and wind, and Etul the Dark Harvester was consumed. Again, lightning bounced off, and again, Ray's Life Points dropped to 1600.

"I activate Necronomicon's effect!" He said. "By paying 1000 Life Points, I can bring Etul back!" His life points decreased to 600, but now Etul was back.

"Fine, I'll just place a face-down card, and that will be all." Rand finished. Ray drew.

"Here is where the special effect of the trap card I played before kicks in... Death Mask activates, not only bringing back Nthara, but letting me summon another Shinigami monster with an attack equal to or less than her own to the field directly from my deck... and I pick 'Shanthul, the Arcane Devourer'!" Nthara materialized in her appearance with the mask, that quickly melted away, and another creature, a frightening deathly shinigami with a wicked smile and wearing something that looked like a black cloak woven into his skin, appeared as well. "Finally, I switch all of my monsters to attack mode!"

Etul, Shanthul and Faelan all had 2900 ATK and 2300 DEF points - Nthara had 3400 ATK and 2300 DEF points.

"Well, now... Shanthul will attack your Banner Wielder." The beastly shinigami spread out his arm, pointing a single long finger at the flame warrior, who writhed in agony until he was destroyed.

"And that's not all." Ray smirked. "When Shanthul destroys a monster, I can destroy a Spell or Trap card on your side of the field. And I choose the one you played in your previous turn!" Rand grimaced, as his Trap card, 'Combustion Blast', that was meant to destroy any monster that destroyed his Banner Wielder and replace him with a stronger card, was destroyed before he could prevent it.

"And now Nthara, attack his Sea King Myrmidon!" The shinigami swooped her scythe down the giant sea serpent, cutting him down in half, and decreasing Rand's Life Points by 100 to 3200. "What's more, Now Nthara's attack increases by a further 500 to 3800... but now, my two remaining monsters will attack you directly... Etul, attack!"

"Not so fast!" Rand interrupted. "I activate 'Brave Stand'! With it, I can Special Summon a 4th squad warrior from my hand, and I choose 'Lady of Iron'."

Thunder boomed, as a blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman clad in a steel full plate mail, carrying an enormous sword and a tower shield, appeared kneeling on the field in defense mode. With 2000 ATK and 3000 DEF, she was an imposing force.

"Heh." Ray said. "You win this turn... I can't attack. But do you really think you can turn this around?"

Rand placed his hand on top of his deck, and smiled. "Yes, in fact, I do."

"Very well then... why not place a bet?"

"A bet?" Rand asked curiously.

"Well, I caught a glimpse of those two cards you put back in your pocket before... those were pretty rare cards, yes?" Ray inquired.

"Yeah, they were." Rand replied cautiously. What about them?

"You didn't add them to your deck - that means they don't match your strategy. I also have two cards that don't match my deck's strategy, and I keep them aside. The thing is, your cards will be great for my deck, and my cards will be great for yours."

"How do you know that?" Rand's curiosity was now rising.

"Hmm." Ray mused. "Here, take a look."

He pulled out two cards from his jeans pocket, removed them from their tin protective cover, and showed them to Rand. Rand's mouth was left gaping open.

"That's... that's..."

"So they will be useful for you, right?" Ray asked, a playful hint in his voice. "Well, let's see. If you win this duel, they're yours - but if you lose, you'll have to give me those angel cards."

Rand thought for a minute. He didn't really enjoy the idea of relinquishing those two cards, and he didn't even understand why. But he shrugged those thoughts off angrily - the cards he was getting were equally rare, and much more useful. Served the random person right for just sending him cards off without anything else.

"It's a deal." He said, and both duelists smirked.

"Now I have to win..." Rand thought, unaware that the same thought crossed his opponent's mind as well.

---

"And the winner of this match is... Alicia!!" The deafening voice of the announcer echoed across the gigantic, yet still crowded to the extreme, stadium, that housed a giant dueling arena. A woman, tall and expotentially slim, with silver white hair and black eyes, pale skin, and a deep-cut black dress that revealed most of her cleavage and cut again from the waist down to the ankle, was standing on one side, a man, who looked short and plump compared to her, was kneeling on the other, clutching his chest and fighting for breath. His eyes were full of spite, while the woman's eyes were unnaturally emotionless, as she turned her back on the arena, and proceeded to leave the stadium under loud cheering from the crowd.

"Heh, we've picked well for our sponsor duelist, haven't we?" A man said to a woman next to him. They both wore business suits, and each had a badge with a golden "H" embroidered in it pinned on their chest. The man had short, well-cut black hair and brown eyes - the woman had long, pale blonde hair and brown eyes as well.

"That is correct." She said. Their voices were slightly amused, but reeked of coldness.

"Well, let's go and take a look at our precious gem... Alicia of the Winter..."

===

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Well, I hope I satisfied everyone with this chapter. Good dueling, plot development... leave your comments.

Also, I'm glad to announce that both the Custom Character project and the Contest project are going perfectly well.

Now, an important notice. The next chapter, instead of the usual canon chapter, will be a Gaiden - a bonus chapter concerning a specific character / characters, giving a glimpse into ther past to give depth into their personality. One of the character that it is going to be about is one of the characters submitted by you, readers, namely Cyber_Commander's. I picked him out because he fits the role I need him for the best, but rest assured, every Custom Character (and some non-Custom ones) will take part in their own Gaiden soon. So, enjoy (the spoilers in the end refer to the actual next chapter, not the Gaiden, btw).

===

CARD LIST:

I'll make it later.

===

GLOSSARY:

No new entries in the glossary for this chapter.

===

CHARACTER PROFILES:

Diana:

-Age: Unknown

-Hair Color: Black, a single blue strand.

-Hairstyle: Straight, Long.

-Eye Color: Black

-Height: 1,70m

-Weight: 46kg

-Favorite/Signature Card: Unknown

-Deck: Aroma Deck

-Personality: Joyful generally, but may get frustrated easily.

-Hobbies: Collecting perfumes.

-Likes: Expensive perfumes, spending time in a greenhouse.

-Dislikes: Bad smells.

===

SPOILERS:

The Force of Will.

The Pattern Weaves.

A Rift Opens.

Next Chapter: The Breaking

[/align]

Saiba Aisu · January 1, 2008

Excellent job, I can hardly wait! :3

January 1, 2008

[align=justify]RESPONSE TO FEEDBACK:

@Cyber_Commander: Thanks a lot, heh, well, we'll see now if it can meet your expectations.

===

GAIDEN #1: Snow-White Sorrow

This Gaiden is meant as an introduction to the characters Alicia and Cerce (created by Cyber_Commander), by narrating a part of their pasts. Enjoy. NOTE: This Gaiden takes place 4 years before the current storyline. All character profiles refer to the characters during that time, and will be changed when they are introduced in the regular storyline.

The chilling winter cold was stabbing at every inch of his flesh, as the young boy, the single red bang falling along the right side of his face coming in stark contrast with the rest of his dark-brown hair, rushed through the paved path that led from the doorway of a medium-sized, picturesque brick house through the garden, which looked as if it was once filled with a lot of beautiful flowerbeds and plants, but now seemed rather empty and forgotten, to the road outside.

However, he didn't seem to care about the cold that particular instant, despite the fact that he was clutching a long, thick coat obviously originally supposed to be worn by someone much larger than himself tightly around his body. His hazel eyes were fixed on a specific spot up ahead on the street, where a massive, gleaming black limousine was parked, and two men in black coats, carefully arranged hairstyles, and pompous expressions were standing, shadowing a girl, not much older than the boy. Her skin was as pale as her silvery-white hair that gave her an exotic, yet somehow distant appearance. She looked beautiful, even strapped in the humongous brown fur coat that almost completely concealed a white dress underneath.

"Don't go!" He called out, his voice a mix between a plead and a command. "Please, don't go!"

The girl turned around and stared into the young boy's eyes, who froze to his place and looked back.

"We've been through this already, Cerce..." The girl sighed softly. "You know that if I don't go, mom will..."

"No!" Cerce snapped abruptly. His sister gave him a cold glance. The two men seemed unpertrubed, as if nothing at all was going on. "There has to be another way. Listen to me, Alicia! You don't have to go with these... these people!" He almost spat the word. "If you stay here, I'm sure we can figure out a way to collect money to..."

"Silence." Alicia said in a cold, harsh tone that stopped Cerce in his tracks. "It's time you grew up and acted like a big boy, Cerce. I must do what I must, and you have to do the same."

The morning breeze grew more intense, and the cold bit even harder. Cerce shivered as he wrapped his coat around him tighter. Alicia showed no outward reaction, but Cerce could see she was clenching her teeth to stop them from tattering.

Winter. Cerce hated winter. It was this time of the year that Alicia would grow melancholic and distant, and would shut herself in her room for hours at a time. She hardly ever spoke to him during those periods.

Last winter had been even worse - Cerce's and Alicia's mother had fallen ill, and she was getting worse by the month. With their father dead long ago, that left the two children to fend for themselves, and so far, they barely managed.

But this winter was the worst of all. A month back, these two people from Halcyon Storm Corporation, one of the largest Duel Monsters Industries in the world, had come to their home, wanting to see Alicia. They closed themselves in her room with her, and about an hour later, they came out and Alicia told him, in no uncertain terms, that she was leaving to become a professional promo duelist for Halcyon, to gain enough money so that she could send enough to him and their mother for them to live.

Alicia had been a dueling genius from the time she first got a duel disk in her hands, a good five years now. She had dueled people twice her age, and even professional duelists, and defeated them. Most people said she was a dueling prodigy, and definately the best in the country in her age group.

But Cerce didn't want her to go.

"If that's settled then..." One of the two men coughed softly, hints of irony and a tone of one who was aware of his obvious superiority in his voice, as he opened the car's back door. Alicia turned her back to Cerce.

"Wait!" He screamed, and placed his hand in his coat. Alicia turned around slowly. "If I duel you, and I win, that means you aren't as good as they think! So they can't take you, can they!?"

Alicia opened her mouth, but before she could say a word, the second black-suit person spoke. "Yes, if you defeated your sister in a duel, we would have no more use for her, and our contract would be rendered void."

"Then I'll do it!" Cerce yelled, pulling out his duel disk and slamming his deck into it. "I won't let you take her away!" He placed the disk on his arm.

"Don't be ridiculous." Alicia said coldly. "You would not stand a chance."

"Then what are you afraid of?" Cerce asked defiantly. "If this is just a walk in the park for you, then why don't you take me on? Or don't you want to waste your precious little time on people like me?"

Alicia looked at the Halcyon employers briefly, then exchanged a small nod with them. One of them retrieved a duel disk from the car - a new, advanced model that seemed more elegant and had sharper edges, apparently designed to fit Alicia's arm perfectly, and handed it to her. She attached it to her arm, then picked a deck out of her coat and positioned it into her disk's slot.

"My turn!" Cerce yelled, suddenly forgetting about the cold, as he drew a card from his deck. "I activate this card! 'Brave Sacrifice'!" He placed a Spell card in his duel disk, and a female armor-clad warrior with a long spear appeared kneeling on the field, heavily wounded. "By discarding a Valkyrie from my hand and paying 500 Life Points, I can draw three cards!" The warrior screamed and was destroyed, but not before taking off a single silver coin from her belt pouch and tossing it at Cerce, who placed a monster from his hand to the Graveyard and drew three additional cards. His life points dropped to 3500.

"Now I'll play, 'Odin's Call'!" He activated another Spell card. I can Special Summon any level 4 or lower Valkyrie from my Graveyard! And I choose the one I just discarded, 'Valkyrie of Courage'!" Another Valkyrie, golden-haired with a blue headband, dressed in green armor and white skirts and holding a shining steel longsword, appeared on the field. Her attack and defense scores were at 1200 and 1600 respectively.

"And now I'll also summon 'Valkyrie of the Dawn'!" A Valkyrie with black hair and white wings, also wielding a sword, clad in brown leather armor, materialized next to the one already on the field, with 1900 ATK and 300 DEF points. "Now you cannot attack any other Valkyries on my side of the field, except herself! And the attack of Valkyrie of Courage is increased by 300 points for every Valkyrie on the field, including herself." The Valkyrie's sword glowed even fiercer as she held it up menacingly, her attack score rising to 1800.

"One card face-down, and I end my turn." Cerce said.

"My turn. Draw." Alicia said coldly, her voice devoid of all emotion, as she retrieved a card from her deck. "Activate Field spell, 'An Undying Winter'!"

The cold suddenly increased in intensity, as virtual snow began falling from the sky, and ice crystallized on the ground between the two duelists. Stalactites began forming around them, and the wind howled fiercely. Cerce shivered, and it was not just from the cold. Alicia hated winter so much, why did she keep such a card?

"Activate Spirit Ritual Spell card, 'White Night Tragedy'." Another card was played, and suddenly, a beautiful, soft melody could be heard over the sound of the wind, as the snow suddenly intensified, and then turned into a crystal-white veil that fell on the ground. "I will discard 'Snow Tiger' and 'White Priestess' from my hand to Special Summon 'Winter Angel Queen'."

Suddenly, the veil stirred, and a woman slowly stood up beneath it, covered in the thin fabric. She looked a lot like Alicia, except her eyes were crystal blue instead of Alicia's black, and her hair was blonde and longer. She wore a sad expression, and two white wings were folded around her body. Her attack stood at a massive 3000, and her defense at 2600.

"Also, whenever an Ice-type monster is sent to the Graveyard, I can place a 'Frost' counter on Undying Winter." While no outward change happened, it seemed to Cerce that the cold was now even stronger.

"Normal Summon another 'White Priestess' from my hand." Alicia continued in the same emotionless tone. A black-haired middle-aged looking lady in a white dress, holding a silver staff "When there is a White Priestess on my side of the field, once per turn, I can send a Frost counter to the Graveyard to Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Ice monster from my graveyard to the field. And I select another White Priestess, and use her effect as well to Special Summon Snow Tiger."

The two White Priestess had 1200 ATK and 1400 DEF points, increased to 1500 and 1700 by the effect of Undying Winter, that increased the attack and defense of all Ice-type monsters on the field by 300 points. Snow Tiger original scores were 1600 and 1000, now increased to 1900 and 1300 respectively.

"During the turn I activate White Priestess' effect, she cannot attack, and neither can any monster summoned by that effect. So I will attack Valkyrie of the Dawn with Winter Angel Queen."

The snow falling around Cerce's Valkyrie intensified and began twirling around her, trapping her within a frozen cyclone that soon crystallized. The Valkyrie let out a scream of pain as the ice prison shattered, destroying her completely.

"Activate Winter Queen's special ability." Alicia continued. "By reducing the damage inflicted to the opponent's Life Points to zero after she has destroyed a monster, I can Special Summon any Ice-type monster from my hand, even though I cannot attack with it during the turn this effect is activated. And I choose this" she held up her remaining card "'Frozen Sanctuary', in defense mode." A large statue depicting a being that looked much like Winter Angel Queen, frozen in a kneeling position with her wings spread and her arms extended forwards, appeared on the field. It had zero attack but a massive sum of 3000 DEF points, increased to 3300 by Undying Winter's effect..

"As long as Frozen Sanctuary is on the field, you cannot target another Ice-type monster with an attack or card effect. Winter Angel Queen is not an Ice-type monster, so you can attack her, but my other monsters are protected."

"Same difference!" Cerce thought. "She has five monsters on the field, and the only ones I can target have 3000 points! But I cannot give up, I must win this."

"Looks like we won't be delaying here much longer..."

That was Alicia's distinctive style. Whereas most duelists would reserve their best moves for later, Alicia always began with the strongest play that she could possibly do, pushing opponents to an edge they were not prepared to escape from before they even realized her strategy. In a local tournament semi-finals, her opponent, even though twice her age and with much more experience, surrendered immediately after Alicia had pulled off the exact same combo she had on the field now. Her opponent on the finals, who was an even more qualified duelist, had been preparing to face that combo for two whole weeks, only to be defeated a few turns later by an equally strong one.

And Cerce would have to fight through that play.

"Activate Trap card!" He said, revealing his concealed card, that depicted a wounded Valkyrie holding forth her spear. "'Valkyrie's Valor'. When a Valkyrie on my side of the field is destroyed, I can move a Valkyrie-related equipment Spell from my deck and add it to my hand after showing it to my opponent. And I choose 'Storm Bow of War'!" He showed Alicia a card depicting a bow with an arrow nocked, thunder crashing and a whirling windstorm in the background.

"Now it's my turn." he said, adding the card to his hand, and drawing another one from his deck. "I summon 'Valkyrie of the Stars' in attack mode!" A silver-haired angelic being, dressed in blue and holding a lance that appeared to be made out of shiny particles resembling little stars, materialized on the field. Her scores stood on 1900 - 800. "And now I activate her special effect - by sending Valkyrie of Courage to the graveyard, I can destroy a monster on your side of the field with an attack inferior to my monster. And I will target your Frozen Sanctuary - it has zero attack, so it will be destroyed!"

Valkyrie of Courage entered a praying stance as she dissolved into particles, empowering the other Valkyrie's spear, that shone brightly as she launched it against the statue, that shattered with a deafening crash.

"Activate special ability - add one Frost counter on Undying Winter." Alicia stated impassively. Cerce was definately feeling colder now.

"Yeah, well, prepare to add some more! I remove my Valkyrie of the Stars from play to Special summon 'Valkyrie of Strenght' directly from my hand!" Another Valkyrie, covered in dark brown armor and holding a long, thin spear appeared on the field.

"She may have only 1800 attack points" Cerce said "but her special effect allows me to immediately summon a Valkyrie with an attack of 1500 or less directly from my hand or deck. And I'll pick one out that suits your deck - come forth, 'Valkyrie of the Frost', in attack mode!"

This Valkyrie had a significantly bulkier build than the others - she wore a black armor, and held a spear whose blueish edge gleamed, reflecting the shiny ice and the snow generated by Undying Winter. Unlike the rest of the Valkyries, she seemed much more comfortable in the cold environment.

"I know she looks weak, but her special effect isn't!" Cerce said. "She can freeze one of your monsters in place for two whole rounds - that means, your Winter Angel Queen cannot attack until I end my second turn from now!" The valkyrie spread out her arms, and a wave of chilling ice slowly formed in front of her, reaching Winter Angel Queen and trapping her in ice, making her look more of an ice sculpture than before.

"What's more, I now equip her with 'Storm Bow of War'!" Valkyrie of the Frost's spear transformed into a long, blue bow, carved with different symbols and runes. A quiver appeared on her back, and she picked an arrow and nocked it. "Storm Bow of War increases the attack of the equipped Valkyrie by 700 points! And it also has a special effect - when a monster with this card equipped destroys one of your monsters, I can immediately destroy another one whose attack does not exceed the attack of the destroyed monsters! Valkyrie of the Frost, attack Snow Tiger!"

The Valkyrie released her arrow with a scream of wild joy, that pierced right through the snowy tiger, who vanished with a painful howl, reducing Alicia's Life Points by 200 to 3800. But as soon as it hit its target, the arrow split into thousands of small sharpnels that rained down on the White Priestess next to it, who screamed trying to cover herself in vain - she was destroyed.

"And don't forget about my other Valkyrie! Valkyrie of Strenght, destroy the remaining White Priestess!" The warrior charged forth, stabbing the priestess in the chest with her spear - she collapsed and vanished, further reducing Alicia's Life Points to 3500.

"I can win this!" Cerce thought. "I destroyed her combo in one round!"

"Three more Frost counters on Undying Winter." Alicia stated, as if nothing had happened.

"Fine. I'll place a card face-down, and end my turn." Cerce replied coldly.

"My turn." Alicia said. "Draw. I activate another special effect of an Undying Winter - I can send any number of Frost Tokens to the graveyard to Special Summon any Ice monster from my hand or deck whose Level stars equal the number of Tokens I destroyed. Summon 'Frost Axe', in attack mode."

A bulky beast holding a giant double-edged axe appeared on the field, his attack and defense ratings standing at 1800 and 1600, increased to 2100 and 1900 respectively.

"Activate Spell card, 'Pot of Greed'." The pot appeared in the field, giving Alicia two additional cards. "Now activate Spirit Ritual Spell card, 'Nightmare in the Cold'." A frightening scream echoed around the area, as Frost Axe unleashed a cry of pain and was consumed in darkness.

From within the pillar of darkness, two shining red eyes glowed - when the dark finally gave way, a horrifying creature manifested. Its physical structure resembled the Frost Axe, but the similarities ended there. All over its body shards of ice seemed to be protruding, staining his thick black fur with blood. It had a bull's face, and piercing red frightening eyes. It carried two giant axes, each at least as big as the beast itself. Its attack and defense scores stood at 3500 and 3000 respectively - increased to 3800 and 3300. Cerce blinked in shock and fear. He hadn't seen that beast before. Then again, he hadn't watched all of Alicia's duels - many had been kept secret, and only the winner announced.

"'Nightmare Yeti' - a beast so powerful, I have to sacrifice not only my Frost Axe, but another at least Level 4 monster to summon it." She held up the card she had discarded from her hand - Ice Saber.

"Nightmare Yeti, destroy Valkyrie of the Frost."

The Yeti lifted one of its giant axes, and smashed it down to the comparatively miniscule Valkyrie, raising a cloud of ice shards, dust and snow. When it cleared, however, the Valkyrie was still standing, Valkyrie of Strenght having blocked the attack with her spear - although she was visibly struggling against the overwhelming pressure.

"Here's my little Trap card, one called 'Valkyrie's Defensive Formation'." Cerce explained. "As long as there are two or more Valkyries on my side of the field, I can cancel your attack for this turn." Finally, the Yeti lifted his axe back above his shoulder, and the Valkyries returned to their original positions.

"During the End Phase of each of my turns, Yeti's attack points drop by 500." Alicia stated as if she was discussing nothing more important than cooking recipes. "Turn end."

"Well, there's something useful." Cerce thought, drawing. "Only problem, how to use it?" He looked at his card.

"I summon 'Valkyrie of the Storm'!" He said, summoning another winged Valkyrie with white and gold clothing and a colorful flowery halo on her head. She had 1000 ATK and 1600 DEF. "This card can attack you directly when there is at least one more Valkyrie on my side of the field!"

Valkyrie of the Storm swept by the other Valkyries and between the Yeti's axes, drawing a sharp-edged fan from her belt, slashing across Alicia's body.

Even after being hit by a direct one thousand point damage attack, Alicia did not even flinch. Her life points dropped down to 2500.

"Now I will switch Valkyrie of Strenght and Valkyrie of the Frost to defense mode." Cerce continued. "Then I'm activating this: 'Charity of the Battle Angel'. We must both choose a monster on the field and sacrifice it to regain Life Points equal to its original attack points. I sacrifice Valkyrie of the Storm."

"Then I will sacrifice Winter Angel Queen." Alicia said unpertrubed. Both their scores rose to 4500 for Cerce and 5500 for Alicia. Cerce didn't like giving extra Life points to his opponent, but Charity of the Battle Angel was a neccessity if he wanted to destroy one of Alicia's monsters, and prevent her from taking a brutal bite off his own points if he left his monster in attack mode.

Then, something strange happened. In Alicia's spell and trap zone, a giant pillar of ice began forming, creating a towering obelisk that looked as crudely-made as it looked menacing.

"What is that?" Cerce asked nervously.

"Spell card, 'Frozen Tomb'." Alicia replied in a monotonous voice. "When an Ice-type monster with an attack of three thousand or more leaves my side of the field, and Undying Winter is active, I can play one of these cards directly from my deck."

"So what do they do?" He persisted.

"You will see." The girl stated bluntly. Cerce gulped.

"My draw." Alicia continued. "Activate Spell card, 'Frost Pyre'. By removing an Ice monster from play, I can draw cards equal to half its Level stars. I remove Nightmare Yeti from play, and draw four cards."

"Damn, why did she toss away her monster?" Cerce wondered. "And what do these... things... do, exactly? I must take care of these soon..."

"Nightmare Yeti's special ability activates when he leaves the field." Alicia continued. "I can destroy one of your monsters immediately, and inflict damage to you equal to half that monster's attack strenght."

As the Yeti was consumed in what appeared to be an explosion of ice, one of its axes was launched towards Valkyrie of Strenght, obliterating her. Cerce's life points dropped back to 3600.

"Summon 'Ice Saber', in attack mode." Alicia continued. A warrior clad in frost armor and wielding a long curved white blade appeared, with 1900 attack and 1500 defense points. "Even though he isn't an ice-type monster, he has many useful abilities. He can increase his attack strenght by 300 points for every Ice-type monster in my graveyard, and deliver a blow that can go by the targeted monster's defense." Cerce felt sweat run down his skin. "Two White Priestesses, one Snow Tiger, one Frost Axe, one Frozen Sanctuary, to a total of five monsters, meaning 1500 bonus attack points."

Ice Saber charged at the remaining Valkyrie, who screamed as she was cut in half. Just the blow's impact almost lifted Cerce off his feet, covering his face from the myriads of ice shards that rushed at him. When he stood up, his Life points had been decreased to just 1800.

"Of course, when my turn is over, Ice Saber is destroyed." Alicia continued, as Ice Saber vanished in a pillar of snow. "I end my turn with a card face-down."

"My turn." Cerce said. "Damn, things could not get much worse." He glanced at his hand. Polymerization and Cyber Mech Valkyrie. There was a fusion monster he could summon with those... but he had to draw the single right card among at least thirty more in his deck. Could he do it?

Should he do it?

"Fool." A voice inside his head said. "Don't you see she's right? She has to leave, and you have to grow up and deal with it."

"You're wrong!" Cerce replied to the voice, thinking if he was getting crazy, talking to a voice in his head. "There is always another way out! I will keep her here, and we'll figure it out together! I know she doesn't want to leave!"

"Doesn't she?" The voice said. "Well, maybe she doesn't. She is a grown girl though, she knows what she has to do, and if her own wishes are important enough compared to that. You should see it too, otherwise, you'll always remain a kid!"

"Shut up!" Cerce yelled at the voice. He felt heat rising up his cheeks, beating off the cold.

"Fine, brat. Just act like the child you are. You are hopeless anyway."

"Ahem. We're running a little late here, so if you don't mind..." One of the Halcyon employers said, tapping his watch.

"Yes." Cerce returned Alicia's cold stare. "My turn. Draw!" He looked at his card, yet he didn't feel any of the crazy excitement he'd otherwise feel if he had drawn exactly the card he wanted, at exactly the right time. Only a fierce, cold determination.

"I activate Polymerization, to merge 'Cyber Mech Valkyrie' with 'Valkyrie Assassin' into 'Arch Cyber Valkyrie'!" He said. The two monsters, a Valkyrie with several mechanical parts and a pair of metallic wings, and another one dressed in black-and-red, appeared briefly before fusing into another one.

Arch Cyber Valkyrie had golden armor that revealed a lot of her well-toned body, wings of gold and white, and carried a short, but powerful looking futuristic spear. She grinned confidently as she stroke a pose. Her attack and defense scores were equal to 2800 and 2200 respectively. But before Cerce could attack, Alicia interrupted him.

"Activate Quick-play Spell card, 'Magic Reproduction'. I can search my deck for a Spell card with the same name as the one you played just now and add it to my hand." A vortex sucked Polymerization inside, and Alicia picked out a Polymerization card from her deck and placed it in her hand.

"Too bad you won't get a chance to use it, then!" Cerce said with glee. He had won the match. "I can pay 1500 Life Points to let my Arch Cyber Valkyrie attack twice! It's over!" His life points decreased to a mere 300, but his powerful monster charged against Alicia, slashing her once. Her Life points dropped to 2700, but then the mechanical valkyrie attacked again, delivering the finishing blow...

However, once the aftermath of the attack cleared, Alicia still had one Life Point left.

"Once for each Frost Tomb on play, I can survive a finishing blow with one Life Point remaining." She explained in the same, neutral tone. "Now, I'm assuming you have nothing else to play?"

Nervously, Cerce nodded. He suddenly felt the cold much worse than before.

"Draw." Alicia said. "Activate Spell card, Polymerization. Merge 'Ice Drake' with 'White Priestess' into 'Queen of the White Dragons'." Another White Priestess appeaered, along with a snow-white dragon with crystal-blue eyes and claws, before vanishing to form a lady with a long, white staff whose head was a white dragon curled around itself, dressed in complete white and with playful blue eyes. Unlike the White Priestess, she was very young.

"Your monster is too weak..." Cerce said, looking at Lady of the White Dragons' scores, which stood at a rather low 2200 and 1800 for attack and defense respectively.

"Activate Quick-play Spell card: 'Winter's Heart'." Alicia said, and now her voice sounded almost... soft. "If Undying Winter is on my side of the field, I can send all Frost counters on it to the Graveyard to multiply an Ice-type monster's attack by a number equal to the number of Frost counters that were discarded by this effect for one round... right now there were two, for the two monsters used in the fusion. Even though the monster is destroyed during my turn's end, it doesn't matter now..."

The white Lady glowed with a bright white luster, as her attack points doubled to 4400. Cerce and Alicia remained silent, as Lady of the White Dragons released a compact sphere of ice that, after freezing Arch Cyber Valkyrie for one second, blasted her into oblivion, reducing Cerce's Life Points to zero. Struck by the explosion's ferocity, Cerce fell to his knees.

"He is quite good... maybe in a couple of years or so..." One of the men from Halcyon whispered to the other, who nodded.

"Let's go." He said. Without another word, Alicia turned back and entered the car.

Cerce didn't look up, even after the sound of the engine had long faded away. Tears were running freely down his cheeks, watering the now cold stone pavement.

For a long time, only the tears and pain remained.

From those tears, a fire would be born, a flame of courage and passion.

However, would that flame be strong enough to melt even the winter's heart?

===

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

I hope you enjoyed the first of the Gaidens. So far I have two more planned, one for this Arc and one for the early part of the next. I won't reveal who they will be about, but they will include at least two, maybe three, of the Custom Characters you have submitted, as well as other characters. So look forward to them.

===

CARD LIST:

I'll make it later.

===

GLOSSARY:

No new entries in the glossary for this chapter.

===

CHARACTER PROFILES:

Alicia:

-Age: 16

-Hair Color: Silvery-white.

-Hairstyle: Straight, Long.

-Eye Color: Black

-Height: 1,67m

-Weight: 40kg

-Favorite/Signature Card: Winter Angel Queen

-Deck: Ice Deck

-Personality: Suffers from depression. Also has a particular weakness towards cold, and gets frostbites easily, which comes in contrast with her deck style.

-Hobbies: Reading, Staying inside.

-Likes: Spending time alone with her thoughts.

-Dislikes: Cold weather, annoying people.

Cerce:

-Age: 14

-Hair Color: Brownish, with one red highlight on his right bang.

-Hairstyle: Straight hair, long bangs, medium sideburns.

-Eye Color: Hazel

-Height: 1,55m

-Weight: 46kg

-Favorite/Signature Card: Valkyrie of the Battle

-Deck: Valkyrie Deck

-Personality: Generally joyful, hotly defends those he loves.

-Hobbies: Drawing.

-Likes: Spending time with his sister, Strawberries, Attention.

-Dislikes: Sweets, Idleness, Being ignored.

[/align]

Saiba Aisu · January 1, 2008

*dies* That was amazing!!! Wow, I really could feel my character come to life! And I'm glad you made it close-the plot was dramatic, the action fast-paced, and the dialog perfect and crystal-clear. Thanks so much Ixigo, I know this has been a lot of work. Thanks! I'll see this great Fan-Fic through to the end. Great job with the Spells/Traps you made-they fit smoothly into the rest of my Valkyrie cards. Excellent job, and you know I can hardly wait until the next installment.

Umbra · January 1, 2008

Wait... does this mean we can submit own characters for this?

*cheers*

January 1, 2008

Wait... does this mean we can submit own characters for this?
*cheers*

*cough*

^_^

Also' date=' whoever wants to make custom characters for this story, feel free to make them and PM them to me (I prefer that than posting them here). Just follow the character profile below:

Name:
-Age:
-Hair Color:
-Hairstyle:
-Eye Color:
-Height:
-Weight:
-Favorite/Signature Card:
-Deck:
-Personality:
-Hobbies:
-Likes:
-Dislikes:
-Role in the Story: Type what you picture your character as, ie: Student in the Academy (what dorm?), Freelancer Duelist, Promo Duelist (these are usually famous duelists who participate in contests to promote new cards etc), Villain... NOTE: This is optional, and it does not mean that your character will be that, but I will take it into consideration.
[/quote']

Also, on the matter of Custom Characters. I already received three very good suggestions, and it's most likely that I will use them all. However, there are still more free spots open, so hurry up and PM me your ideas. Details in the previous chapter's notes.

As far as custom characters are concerned, I am receiving a lot of great contributions, and I will try to use them all! In a while, there won't be enough slots left for Arc 2, so hurry up and submit your entries! By the way, whoever makes a character that I end up using will receive 1-3 reputation points, depending on how well-built the character is, what kind of spot he ends up filling etc.

Also, I'm glad to announce that both the Custom Character project and the Contest project are going perfectly well.

Now, an important notice. The next chapter, instead of the usual canon chapter, will be a Gaiden - a bonus chapter concerning a specific character / characters, giving a glimpse into ther past to give depth into their personality. One of the character that it is going to be about is one of the characters submitted by you, readers, namely Cyber_Commander's.

Yes, I've been running this for quite some time. You can send me any ideas you have via PM, and we'll discuss it through there.

Umbra · January 1, 2008

Me slow-minded person.

Purple Dinosaur · January 2, 2008

This is a seriously AWSOME Fan-Fiction...I have lots of catching up to do if I want to be up to date with the episodes!

Saiba Aisu · January 2, 2008

I just have to keep reading my Chapter. :D It's like I'm in a movie! *Cyber feels famous* And you made it happen! Thanks. Too bad you can't rate Fan Fictions, or this would be an easy 5/5.

ChronosCrowler · January 2, 2008

I wish my character can be featured!! XD

January 3, 2008

[align=justify]RESPONSE TO FEEDBACK:

@Cyber_Commander: Thanks, I'm really glad you think I did a good job. Now we just have to wait until his comeback. ^_^

@Umbra: Rofl. Well, already discussing this via PMs.

@Anchor Remix: Lol, thanks. Well I update every two-three days, so you'll be able to catch up quickly.

@ChronosCrowler: Uh, what? You... haven't submitted a character... have you? *goes to check PMs*

===

CHAPTER 10: The Breaking

"Draw!" Rand said, adding a card to his hand. Things were looking rather bleak - Ray had the four Shinigami on the field, River Stygx and Ferryman from the Beyond, but no cards in his hand. Rand had just Iron Lady in defense mode, and now three cards in his hand. The score stood at 3200 - 600 in Rand's favor.

"I Summon 'Iron Legion' in defense mode!" He said. "Also, I activate 'Crimson Star Support Unit' - that allows me to pick another warrior of the same squad as a monster I have on the field and Special Summon it from my deck - as long as its level is two stars or lower than the level of the monster I choose. And since both my monsters are of the 4th Squad, I can pick any 4th Squad warrior of Level 6 or lower and summon him. But the one I want is a mere two-level monster - 'Shield Keeper', in defense mode!"

Rand finished his turn with the three monsters in defense position, with 2000-3000, 1000-2000 and 500-700 attack and defense points respectively.

"I hope you are not going for the strategy you used on Domon again." Ray frowned, drawing. "I place one card face-down. Nthara, attack Iron Lady!" The shinigami launched her attack against Rand's monster, but despite her superior strenght, her attack was stopped by Iron Lady's arm.

"By offering Shield Keeper as a tribute when a 4th Squad monster in defense mode is attacked, I can increase my monster's defense to an amount equal to your monster's attack strenght. Too bad you didn't attack Shield Keeper first; you would have won the match." Rand said, slightly amused.

"And I suppose the final card in your hand is Battle Style Shift?" Ray asked. "Well, I'm not going to give you a chance to get Iron Shield on the field. I end my turn with a face-down card."

"Fine." Rand replied neutrally, and drew. "You know, you should have attacked. I did not have Battle Style Shift in my hand, and while I suppose I could have drawn it now, I think I have a much better strategy to use."

"What?" Ray frowned.

"I sacrifice Iron Legion to tribute summon 'Lanfear, the Daughter of the Night', in attack mode!" The formation of soldiers pressed tightly together in fear, as a faint black aura gathered around them, sparkling with black electricity. Once it subsided, the soldiers had vanished without a trace, and instead, a pale-skinned, purple-haired woman with a blindfold over her eyes and a mocking smirk was carefully caressing the steel tip of a whip - much unlike any blind person could. Her attack and defense strenght were 2400 and 1600 respectively.

"She is a warrior of the 6th Squad - I generally do not like that squad a lot" Lanfear turned back and pursed her lips in an angry manner "but they are easily the strongest when it comes to situation like this." The dark warrior now gave a satisfied smile.

"Her special effect allows me to attack you directly for 800 points of damage!" Rand said, as Lanfear raised her whip, and vanished, only to materialize again behind Ray, flicking her weapon at him. Ray groaned in pain.

"Activate Trap card - 'Tribute to the Shinigami King'!" He said, and his face-down card was revealed. "By offering one of my Shinigami as a tribute, I can increase my Life points by 700 for each Shinigami on the field - that adds up to 2100. And I activate Necronomicon's ability to bring back Etul that I just sacrificed."

Ray's Life Points rose to 2700, then dropped to 1900, and finally to 900. But suddenly, a card began glowing in Rand's graveyard.

"What's that?" Ray asked, hints of worry in his voice.

"Shield Keeper's second special ability." Rand explained. "When you Special Summon a monster during my turn, I can Special Summon him back on the field - however, this effect can only be activated once. But this once will suffice - activate Quick-play Spell card, 'Red Star Assistance Messenger'! With it, when a Crimson Star Army warrior is Special Summoned, I can Special Summon another Red Star Army warrior from my deck, as long as he is Level 2 or lower. And I choose 'Reserve Trooper' of the 5th Squad." A soldier armed with a broadsword and a steel buckler appeared on the field.

"Now I have four monsters. I end my turn."

"Four useless monsters." Ray corrected, drawing. "I remember your Shield Keeper's ability, so I'll destroy him first with Faelan, the Soul Drinker." A mass of black talons destroyed Shield Keeper. "And thanks to his effect, I drain five hundred Life Points. The score shifted to 1400 - 2700 in Rand's favor.

"Next, I attack your Reserve Trooper with Etul, the Dark Harvester." Etul swept across the field and pummelled Reserve Trooper with his scythe. "And because of his effect, I get to Special Summon any Level 2 or lower Dark monster from my deck. Here comes, 'Flickering Fairy', in defense mode!" A little fairy-like creature dressed in black appeared on the field, with only 600 and 500 attack and defense points.

"Fine." Rand said. "But Reserve Trooper has a special effect - when he is destroyed, I get to add any Spell card from my deck to my hand." He showed Ray a card depicting a massive curved sword seemingly made of light.

"Well, you soon will have nothing left to use it on." Ray said. "To destroy your Iron Lady - Nthara, attack!" The shinigami attacked, and Iron Lady gave off a writhing sound as she shattered and was destroyed. Nthara's attack rose to 4300 points.

"Finally, Shanthul will attack Lanfear." Ray said, and the shinigami proceeded to attack the whip-wielding woman.

"I activate Lanfear's special ability." Said Rand. "When she is targeted, I can pay one thousand Life Points to remove her from play until the end of my turn and Special Summon a 6th Squad warrior from my deck with 1500 attack points or less." As the shinigami's attack closed in, Lanfear vanished with a trick of her cloak, but not before her whip slammed into Rand's deck, throwing a card into the field.

"'Black Serpentine Warrior'." Rand stated, as the monster, with 500 attack and 500 defense points received Shanthul's blast. "By discarding the top card of my deck, I can prevent his destruction."

"I end my turn." Ray said. "You are doing pretty good, but you haven't even destroyed one of my monsters yet."

"That's soon to change." Rand said, drawing, as Lanfear came back on the field. Rand smirked.

"I just drew my favorite card. I was counting on it when I selected the Spell card I chose out before. I guess I'm just very lucky today."

"Care to play it?" Ray replied, and he was smiling too.

"Fine... I sacrifice Lanfear, Daughter of the Night and Black Serpentine Warrior to summon 'Gabriel, Lord of the Crusade'!"

A screeching sound echoed around the battlefield, as a blinding luster showered the field in a fountain of brightness. First the wings, then the golden helmet, then the silver shield and the golden spear, and finally the entire angelic being materialized as he descended from above, taking his place in front of Rand. An armored angel sternly gazing at the four shinigami, Gabriel cradled his spear menacingly. He had 2800 ATK and 2600 DEF points.

"The strongest warrior in the first Squad, and the Commander of the Crimson Star Army." Rand said proudly. "It took me a lot of time to collect him."

"He is weaker than my monsters." Ray said doubtfully.

"Not really." Rand corrected. "As long as he is on the field, all cards already on the field have their effects disabled and cancelled during my own turns." Suddenly all four of Ray's shinigami monsters writhed, as their attack and defense dropped back to 2600-2000 each.

"Well, you can only attack one of my monsters, and since during my own turn Gabriel's effect does not apply, I will still destroy him next turn."

"That is why I'll equip him with this:" Rand held out the card he had drawn. "'The Angelic Alliance', a powerful heavenly sword destined to be used by the champions of the Crimson Star Army." The spear in Gabriel's hands was replaced by the giant blade. "It can only be equipped to a 1st Squad warrior, but if I pay a thousand Life Points, the equipped warrior can attack all of your monsters in one turn."

Gabriel raised his sword, then released it forwards, unleashing a crescent-shaped blast of energy that slashed through Nthara, Etul, Shanthul and Faelan, obliterating them and decreasing Ray's life points down to 600. Finally, it slammed against Flickering Fairy, who screamed in despair before being wiped out. When the smoke from the attack cleared, Rand was holding out five monster cards.

"Whenever I attack with Gabriel, I have to pick out a Crimson Star Army member from my deck and discard it to the Graveyard." He said. "Your turn now."

"Alright then. But you should know, whenever my Flickering Fairy is destroyed, I get to Special Summon her back on the field during my next Standby Phase." The wicked fairy creature appeared again.

"And what will you do with her?" Rand asked.

"I will sacrifice her to summon this monster: 'Cerberus, Guardian of the Underworld', in defense position!" A ferocious-looking three-headed behemoth appeared on the field, with 2200 ATK and 1800 DEF points.

"I end my turn there." Ray said, and Rand drew.

"Hmm." He mused, looking at his card. "I place one card face-down. Now Gabriel, attack his Cerberus!"

"Heh." Said Ray. "By sending River Stygx to the Graveyard, I can save my Cerberus and by discarding a card from my hand, he will also give you a small retaliatory attack of 500 points!" As the eerie landscape changed back into the ship's deck, Cerberus dodged Gabriel's sword stroke and charged against Rand, stomping him with his giant paws and biting him with his three heads. Even though it was just a hologram, Rand felt the stab of pain quite vividly, as his Life Points dropped to a mere 200. Ferryman from the Beyond was also sent to the Graveyard.

"You are just stalling now." Rand said.

"I don't want to hear that from you." Ray frowned. "You are not the only one who can be lucky, you know." He said as he drew, and Flickering Fairy returned next to Cerberus. He looked at his card.

"Were you able to draw what you needed?" Rand asked, half-curiously, half-afraid. Ray looked up seriously.

"Yes." He stated. "Activate Ritual Spell card, 'Soul Sealing Ritual'. By sending Cerberus, Guardian of the Underworld as well as Flickering Fairy to the Graveyard, I can Summon my favorite monster... 'Charon, Herald of the Underworld'!!"

A fainting image that looked like a giant ghost from children's stories materialized behind Ray's two monsters, his giant ghastly arms spread, casting a shadow over the field. Cerberus barked out loud, but it was soon reduced to a soft wimpering wail. Flickering Fairy was sobbing, as the two monsters slowly disintegrated, their particles absorbed into the spiritual being.

Suddenly, the sky turned black, and a vortex of black energy formed around the two duelists. Rand looked around in fright, as the energy focused around the Soul Sealing Ritual, concealing it from Rand's eyes. When it cleared, a being covered in a dark cloak, with a black cowl and black wings, a skeletal hand holding a giant black scythe, loomed over the two duelists. Even the shining light of the Angelic Alliance faded against that darkness. With the 3500 ATK and 3000 DEF points, that was only natural.

"I haven't had a duel this great in years..." Ray said. "But now it's over. Charon, destroy his monster!"

The grim reaper lifted his scythe, and slowly glided across the ground, bearing the menace of impeding death as it slashed across the angel's chest, vaporizing him into shreds...

"Activate special effect of the Angelic Alliance!" Rand yelled, as the damage began taking effect. "When it is sent to the Graveyard, the monster that destroyed it is destroyed and my opponent loses 1000 Life Points!"

"What?" Ray asked surprise. "But that means... it's a draw?"

"Not exactly." Rand smirked. "Activate face-down card, 'Hero's Final Stand'! It cancels all damage to my Life points from a battle involving a Crimson Star Army warrior! This duel is mine."

Ray smiled slightly, and then laughed out loud. "Remember how I said I haven't had a duel like this in years? Make it in all my life... Activate Charon's special effect! When he is sent to the Graveyard, I can pick out a Level 4 or lower monster from my Graveyard and have it attack you directly... go, Charming Reaper!"

The cute girl appeared in a cloud of darkness and charged at Rand, slashing him across the chest with her scythe. The shock of this abrupt maneouver as well as the attack's impact caused Rand to flip backwards, falling on his back. In the meantime, the Angelic Alliance that had lingered in mid-air was hurled by an invisible force against Ray stabbing him right through the chest, also pinning him to the ground. Their Life points dropped to zero at the same time.

"Whoa." They said almost simultaneously, then laughed.

"Great duel." Ray extended his arm, and Rand grasped his arm.

"Indeed it was." He said.

---

Humming softly, Johnes, a member of the crew, walked down the steel staircase to the storage rooms below. He had only been recently hired in the Blue Eagle's personnel, and he enjoyed his position - the ship was not exactly a cruise ship, but it was big, comfortable, and the people who worked with him friendly and cooperative. Plus, the ship frequently carried cards and duelists from and to Duel Academy, as well as other places, so he was always up-to-date with Duel monsters-related events - he still remembered the face of his son when he had brought him an extremely rare card last year, a card that could not be found where his family lived, that he had picked up in one of his journeys as an ante. The pay was good, and he liked travelling - it was like the perfect job for him

Still whistling, he retrieved a key from his pocket and unlocked the iron doors that led to the large storage basement where no less that three hundred and twenty crates, each packed with at least a thousand dueling cards, were stocked. Over half of those were to be shipped off to Duel Academy, some others were special orders - they had strict instructions to keep a very close watch on those - and some were just to be passed on to other ships to transport to other places across the globe. A special portion of the crew was assigned to safekeeping these cards, but since the storage room was always checked before the journey's start and then shut locked, with the exception of when the crewmen entered it to check on the cards, there was no real danger of theft. Their main duty consisted of making sure there were no liquids spilt that could damage the cards, and minor things like that.

Thus, Johnes was greatly surprised to see a woman, long light brown hair surrounding her face, that looked refreshingly young but had a hint of maturity as well, making any attempt to determine her age pointless, and blue eyes apparently focused on something between her hands - upon second inspection, Johnes realized it was a few duel monsters cards. Even though he had made no effort to be silent, she appeared not to have registered his presence at all.

"She can't be a... thief..." Johnes thought with disbelief. What kind of thief would be casually sitting on a crate full of objects he had stolen, running through them without any concern while waiting for someone to catch him? Plus, she just... didn't look like one.

"Excuse me... miss..." He said, since she continued to ignore him. Even after he had spoken, she took her time to look up from her cards and lock her eyes on his. Immediately, Johnes felt something like an unseen pressure around his body. He realized he couldn't move a muscle, unless he applied great effort. Nothing about the woman had changed, however. She eyed him with an expression of curiosity and anticipation, as if she was the one expecting him to explain something.

"You... are not allowed to be here..." He said. It was difficult to even speak in her presence. It was almost as if he was under a spell - "don't be a fool" he thought. Magic! How much longer before Duel monsters started popping out of their cards and attacking people? He mentally laughed, but it was a mirthless, unsure laughter.

Finally, the woman showed some sign of reaction. She sighed deeply, as if she was the good-willed mother and her son had been acting mischievously again. At least, Johnes felt like he was going to be chided for being here any moment now, and told to go back to his room and play. "What is wrong with me?" He wondered.

"I am fully authorized to be here." She said in a soft, gentle voice, and everything became clear to Johnes mind. Of course she was fully authorized to be here. He couldn't exactly remember when, or where, he had been informed of that, or who had told him, but it didn't matter - she had full permission to be in this room.

"Ah, yes." He said hurriedly. He suddenly felt a lot easier now - the feeling you had after a rough day was over and you gave in to a professional massage. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

"Everything here is perfectly under control." She continued in the same, gentle voice. Of course, with her here, there was nothing for him to do.

"Yes miss. Forgive me, miss." He said, and hurried out, locking the door behind him.

"All clear." He said to the one who arrived to take up his shift with a feeling of certainty. All was clear, even though he could not exactly remember himself verifying that. In fact, he could not remember a lot about going down there - just something about needing a massage...

---

The woman with the ageless face sighed again, and without another comment, she continued skimming through her cards.

"Hmm." She pursed her lips in thought. "This one?" She picked out a particular one, a monster card depicting a fiendish-type black creature that resembled a cross between a dragon and a demon. "No, that one would be too much for them to handle. Perhaps this one?" She picked another one, depicting a dark tornado with lightning lashing around it.

"Yes, this one is just perfect." She monologued, holding out the card, which began glowing with a bright light.

---

"Hey, can you hear something weird?" The sailor checking out the front of the boat said to the crewman next to him.

"Huh?" He replied. "Yeah, there's something..." He turned around, and pressed a pair of binoculars against his eyes, only to lower them immediately, a look of pure horror on his face.

Soon, binoculars were no longer neccessary, as a giant maelstrom was rapidly approaching the boat, towering up to the black skies, lightning crashing into the waters.

"What do you mean, 'a storm suddenly appeared'?" Bayle's voice was heard as he was hurrying up the stairs to the upper deck. "Are you sure you weren't just asleep when you were supposed to be watching? Or are you drunk ag..."

He just stopped mid-sentence, as he could only stare in awe to the giant maelstrom that was generating a fierce chaos all around the ship, which began to rock uncontrollably.

"Holy mother of..." He began, but the rest of his words were literally drowned as a massive wave rose from the raging sea, consuming the ship entirely.

===

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

With this chapter, the first part of the first arc of Chronicles reaches its closure. Before the next chapter there will be a small interlude, during which I will post analytical descriptions to give insight into each character's deck and dueling style - something which I could not do before due to spoilers being revealed. Then the story will pick up normally.

I am thankful for all the feedback I've received so far, and I hope that now that Chronicles has been established as a running fanfic, I will receive even more.

Also, it's time for an update on the Custom Character issue.

I have received 5 valid character suggestions so far, by the members:

Cyber Commander

KhaostheClown

KoLoBoS

Malik37

Umbra

Also, ChronosCrowler has apparently sent me a character suggestion, but it was probably lost when my computer crashed and I lost all my PMs up to that point, except those I had saved on Word. So Chronos, please send it again if possible.

Anyway, all of the aforementioned ideas have been used to fill small gaps where needed, and some even generated whole new ideas for subplots. All of them will appear within the second arc, that takes place mostly in Duel Academy.

Whilst I can currently think of no more spots that require filling, by all means, feel free to PM me with your ideas, because sometimes I can create something entirely new out of them. If you liked the Gaiden I made for Cyber Commander's character, rest assured that all Custom characters will be featured within their own Gaiden sometime between the second part of Arc 1 (which is now) and the second part of Arc 2.

Happy reading. ^_^

===

CARD LIST:

I'll make it later.

===

GLOSSARY:

No new entries in the glossary for this chapter.

===

CHARACTER PROFILES:

Ray:

-Age: 18

-Hair Color: Black

-Hairstyle: Straight, a little messy.

-Eye Color: Dark Blue

-Height: 1,78m

-Weight: 54kg

-Favorite/Signature Card: Charon, Herald of the Underworld

-Deck: Shinigami Deck

-Personality: Slightly playful and mischievous, but can get serious if the need arises. He acts casually and makes friends easy.

-Hobbies: Relaxing, Investigating mysteries.

-Likes: The paranormal, challenges.

-Dislikes: Having nothing to do.

===

SPOILERS:

On the Other Side.

Denizens of the Deep.

Teamed-Up.

Next Chapter: A New World?

[/align]

Saiba Aisu · January 3, 2008

Great job on the newest Chapter, I can feel the tension closing in. Who is that mysterious woman? What does she want? What has she done? Will they survive? Why won't I shut up and enjoy the story? The world may never know...LOL ^^

Umbra · January 3, 2008

Looks like CotA has it's own Suggester now. Well, it can't be all bad. Great chapter as always.

KoLoBoS · January 3, 2008

This has to been one of the best written fics out there. I've enjoyed reading every part so far. And the Gaiden's are a great little bonus.

The idea of having a comp for us to make cards and characters for you to use in future story lines is a fantastic idea. Really can't wait to see what you do with the two sets I've sent in.

Great work, hope you can keep them coming.

Malik37 · January 3, 2008

After weeks of restraining myself from reading this fanfic, I was so happy to read chapter after chapter after Gaiden after Chapter. The only downside is I have no more chapters to read. Cyber_Commander cards are awesome. I like the description of Mai, but love Alicia's cold nature. I am glad to have a valid character entry. Can we submit more than one? Oh, if you are ever bored, I made a nightmare set (see signature) that you can probably use.

On another note, do you have a gallery for the cards you describe? If you do, could you just post a link? It might be easier than posting a card list. Since we can't rate this thread, I will give my personal rating of 5 stars.

Saiba Aisu · January 4, 2008

Thanks, Malik-I worked hard on them. I can't wait to see your character.

January 5, 2008

[align=justify]END OF ARC 1 - PART 1

Interlude:

Character Analysis and Statistical Estimates:

In this Interlude, I will give off a short overview of the characters that appeared in part 1, with their updated profiles, a few words on their decks and strategies, and a statistical estimate of their skills as duelists.

=====================

Rand:

-Age: 18

-Hair Color: Black

-Hairstyle: Straight, Short

-Eye Color: Dark Brown

-Height: 1.80m

-Weight: 55kg

-Favorite/Signature Card: Gabriel, Lord of the Crusade

-Deck: Crimson Star Army Deck

-Personality: Cheerful, carefree, helpful, kind. Kind of a dreamer at times. Optimistic, generally.

-Hobbies: Collecting dueling cards, relaxing, writing.

-Likes: Sweets, dueling.

-Dislikes: Embarassment.

Rand's Deck:

A good six years now, the Set of cards known as 'Crimson Star Army' was released. It was a Set of many cards, its monsters ninety percent Warrior-type and most Spell and Trap cards designed to support them. Each different attribute was represented by a different Squad in the Army, from one to six correspondingly: Light, Wind, Fire, Earth, Water, Dark. A Crimson Star Army deck had nearly infinite card combinations and tactics, but no solid, continuous long-term strategy. It was called 'the counter deck', because of the numerous tactics available to the user, that allowed them to counteract against almost any possible strategy his opponent pulled, compensating for the lack of strategy in his own deck. However, not many people used this type of decks, because for one thing they were really hard to use, and for another it took ages to gather all the neccessary cards to form a decently complete Crimson Star Army deck - very few people have ever used a full one. Rand first found out the deck when he was about thirteen, and he received the monster card 'Torrent Blade' from the Crimson Star Army set's 2nd Squad as a present. He soon got interested in the Set, and that interest increased as he found 'Gabriel, Lord of the Crusade' card, which he immediately felt a strong connection to. He traded his strongest monsters back then, including a Summoned Skull, to obtain that card which immediately became his favorite and his trademark card. Month after month, he worked on his deck, constantly finding new cards and adding them. Five years later, he has a deck comprised almost entirely of Crimson Star Army cards, and is nearly a seventy-five percent complete Crimson Star Army set. He hopes to complete it one day. He has trained long and hard with it, and is an expert in using it and utilizing its capabilities fully. This excellent tactical skill, along with his uncanny, as a ta'veren, ability to draw the right cards when he needs them, makes up for a very high-class duelist.

Statistical Estimates:

-Strategy: 7.5/10 (Rand is a great strategist, but his deck does not offer many advanced strategical options, instead relying on shorter and more immediate combos and counter-tactics)

-Tactic: 9.5/10 (With a proficiency in using the Crimson Star Army deck, Rand has the ability to counter almost any strategy thrown at him, and strike back with his own combo)

-Deck Power: 8.5/10 (Rand does not have a lot of powerful cards in his deck, or any extremely powerful effect monsters, since that's not the nature of his deck. Instead, he relies on the CSA members' ability to support and protect each other, while damaging the opponent. He does have a few of the strongest eight-levelled monsters and rituals of the CSA - he still lacks some of them though)

-Intuition: 7/10 (As a duelist, Rand does not rely a lot on intuition and instinct. He builds his tactics according to what he sees with his eyes, and, following the flow of the duel, changes them appropriately using his deck's versatility. He does have a strong ability to see through his opponent's tactics though - a neccessary trait in order to counter them in time)

-Luck: 8/10 (Rand is far 'luckier', in a sense, than the average duelist. His strong connection to his cards and his power as a ta'veren dramatically increases his drawing luck - but aside from that, he can't be considered particularly lucky or unlucky; that being the reason he plays a deck without a single card that relies on luck)

Duelist Skill Level: 8.1/10

=====================

Irene:

-Age: 20

-Hair Color: Pale Blonde

-Hairstyle: Straight, Long

-Eye Color: Green

-Height: 1.70m

-Weight: 50kg

-Favorite/Signature Card: Grand Sorceress Liandrin

-Deck: Sorceress-based deck

-Personality: Honest, straight-forward, but a little shy at times. Helpful and kind to those who need it, but stern against mischief. Protective of those who need help.

-Hobbies: Poetry, taking care of children.

-Likes: Children, reading.

-Dislikes: Mischief, dishonesty.

Irene's Deck:

Irene's deck is not all that rare. It is based around three powerful Spellcaster-type monsters known as the Grand Sorceresses. Each has her own individual hidden, powerful special ability, but they have a catch - there has to be more than one of them on the field in order to use them. Other than that, they are typical six-star monsters with good attack and defense scores. Irene has built a deck around them, having little trouble in finding and acquiring the individual cards, which mostly consist of either monsters that work well together with the Sorceresses, or monsters that increase the Sorceresses' abilities. She has a variety of Spell and Trap cards that usually work in conjunction with her Sorceress-related monsters, either to disable her opponent's capabilities or to increase her own. She has two copies of each Grand Sorceress in her deck, making it likely that she can draw them quickly in a duel - an important part in her strategy. On the contrary, she doesn't have any other monsters that require sacrifices, except her Emerald Guardian and another one, that she almost never uses. Once she gets her monsters on the field, she has a variety of equipment cards to boost their strenght, most having unconventional effects that can surprise her opponents. Surprisingly, about half of her non-tribute monsters are not Spellcaster-type monsters, to avoid falling victim to a strategy especially designed to counter her deck - instead, she has some Warrior and other types which work together with her other monsters. While Irene is not particularly interested in Duel Monsters, she is quite easily professional-level in it, mostly due to her gift and her ta'veren ability - those are actually the reasons she duels so rarely; she considers them cheating of some sort.

Statistical Estimates:

-Strategy: 7.5/10 (Irene's strategy relies on getting her Sorceresses out and together on the field, along with a variety of other cards that compliment them - while pretty much a solid, direct strategy, it is a rather obvious one, and the opponent can see through it and take steps to prevent it)

-Tactic: 7/10 (While Irene's cards are designed to work well with each other, she usually does not employ them to their current fullest, waiting for her strategy to unfold itself and her opponent to play out his strong cards, and then striking. Most of the time, she is successful, but sometimes this rather long-term approach can easily backfire)

-Deck Power: 7/10 (Her deck can be considered rather weak in power - she has a few high-levelled monsters but not particularly powerful. Even their effects cannot be considered anything special, unless used in conjunction with each other)

-Intuition: 10/10 (While dueling, Irene's gift may activate, showing her a bright golden aura around a card that may be of a particular threat to her. This is usually followed by a headache, whose intensity determines how immediate that threat is. On that ability alone, she can see through her opponent's most powerful strategies and ruin them before they take effect, as much as she hates possessing it)

-Luck: 7/10 (Irene does not believe in what people call drawing skill. She respects her cards and shares a special bond with them, but she is only as lucky as her ta'veren status takes her. She draws what she draws, and that's the whole deal for her)

Duelist Skill Level: 7.7/10

=====================

Matthew:

-Age: 18

-Hair Color: Dark Brown

-Hairstyle: Medium Lenght, Curly

-Eye Color: Light Brown

-Height: 1.73m

-Weight: 55kg

-Favorite/Signature Card: Lady Luck

-Deck: Divine Ladies / Gamble Hybrid Deck

-Personality: Roguish, mischievous, and seemingly a little rough-mannered but honest and caring if you get to know him.

-Hobbies: Gambling, dicing.

-Likes: Girls, being lucky.

-Dislikes: Responsibilities he has to handle.

Mat's Deck:

For Mat, ever since he was young, a luck-based deck seemed the natural choice. He simply gathered up every luck-related card he could get his hands on, like cards that involved dice rolls and coin flips, and built a deck around them, and before he even realized it, he had a deck almost full of these cards. He started off by basing his deck around the strongest card he had at that time, Slot Machine, that had various support luck-based cards. He became interested in the Divine Ladies once he acquired Lady Luck's Maid and Royal Bard in a booster pack - he sought them out ever since. He found Lady Avarice in another booster pack shortly thereafter, and won Lady Muse as a contest prize - but the one he was most keen on obtaining was Lady Luck. Ironically, she won her in a gamble, and she has become his favorite monster even though he outwardly does not believe a lot in spirits and connection to dueling cards. Since he received the third of the six Divine Ladies, his deck shifted focus to them, but still retained its original gambling feel, which works quite well with Lady Luck and her support cards anyway. Mat plays his deck in a freelance style, using whatever combinations come in hand first, and thus his play is usually quite unpredictable. Except for Lady Luck and Slot Machine, he keeps his deck clear of 2-sacrifice monsters, but he has a lot of ones that need one sacrifice, and a lot of ways to Special Summon them directly.

Statistical Estimates:

-Strategy: 6.5/10 (Mat is pretty weak in the strategical aspect of dueling - he usually just trusts his luck to bring him cards that can get him out of the situation, and it usually does, but he doesn't play them with any particular long-term strategy in mind)

-Tactic: 7.5/10 (While Mat may not be a great strategist, he is a far better tactician. He can play combinations of cards with ease to bring out his favorite monsters - combined with his luck, that makes him a tough opponent to beat when comparing immediate combos)

-Deck Power: 7/10 (Mat is running a comparatively low-power deck, mostly relying on luck and random effects, as well as disabling his opponent's strategies, to win)

-Intuition: 8.5/10 (Mat has an uncanny ability to see through his opponent's thoughts, determining when he is bluffing or plotting something, andreact accordingly - however, he still can be deceived sometimes, especially if his opponent is prepared)

-Luck: 10/10 (In all seriousness, Mat may be the luckiest person one may meet in his life. Almost always, he gets what he wants in coin spins, dice rolls, roulettes... his luck is almost disgusting to the ones who know him. Combined with his drawing skill and aided by his ta'veren ability, this makes him a nigh-impossible to beat opponent when it comes to a game of luck)

Duelist Skill Level: 7.9/10

=====================

Bayle Domon:

-Age: 46

-Hair Color: Dark Brown

-Hairstyle: Medium Lenght, Curly

-Eye Color: Light Brown

-Height: 2.01m

-Weight: 80kg

-Favorite/Signature Card: Nightmare Kraken

-Deck: Water-style deck

-Personality: A seafarer. Strong and cunning, there is little that can shake Bayle Domon's nerves or confidence.

-Hobbies: Fishing, Relaxing by the sea.

-Likes: Journeys, Rare cards.

-Dislikes: Staying too long in one place.

Bayle's Deck:

Domon's deck runs almost solely on Water monsters. Many of these are rare and powerful cards, like the Nightmare Kraken, that Bayle has picked up during his journeys. His main strategy is quite straightforward - make sure his opponent sends enough monsters out of play, so that he can summon Nightmare Kraken to his side of the field. Then he has a lot of cards that can save him from the negative effects of Nightmare Kraken, while his monster slowly eats away his opponent's Life points. A large portion of his deck consists of the rare Ship-type monsters, that are currently only found in Europe. These monsters trade raw power for quite useful effects, such as direct attacks, indestructibility etc, which serve to screw up the opponent's strategy. If all else fails, Bayle can quickly take his opponent by surprise again by shifting to an aggressive style with strong monsters. A large part of his monsters are either medium-strenght four-star ones that can be summoned by Mother Grizzly, a card of which Bayle has three copies in his deck. His ship monsters are usually his strongest regular monsters, but require at least one sacrifice. Aside from his Nightmare Kraken, he runs some more high-levelled monsters, but he rarely ever uses them - rumor has it though that Bayle possesses the strongest Ship-type monster currently in circulation.

Statistical Estimates:

-Strategy: 8/10 (Bayle's deck runs almost solely on long-term strategies, but some of them are quite easy to predict - he mostly relies on his opponent's inexperience with the rare cards he uses to take them by surprise)

-Tactic: 7/10 (Bayle is not a very skilled tactician - he has a lot of trouble with constantly changing strategies, and prefers to keep the game at his own pace - speed-reliant decks are the ones he finds more difficult to oppose)

-Deck Power: 8.5/10 (Bayle's cards are incredibly rare and powerful, but he also has to keep a large amount of his deck to a moderate strenght for some of his card's effects to activate)

-Intuition: 6.5/10 (While not a fool, Bayle is not exceptionally good at reading his opponent's moves either. Most of the time he relies on his own cards, without paying attention to his opponent's play to gauge his strategy)

-Luck: 6.5/10 (Bayle is just a tiny bit luckier than an average duelist when trying to draw cards he needs - presumably because he cares about his deck and does not treat it with indifference)

Duelist Skill Level: 7.3/10

=====================

Ray:

-Age: 18

-Hair Color: Black

-Hairstyle: Straight, a little messy.

-Eye Color: Dark Blue

-Height: 1,78m

-Weight: 54kg

-Favorite/Signature Card: Charon, Herald of the Underworld

-Deck: Shinigami Deck

-Personality: Slightly playful and mischievous, but can get serious if the need arises. He acts casually and makes friends easy.

-Hobbies: Relaxing, Investigating mysteries.

-Likes: The paranormal, challenges.

-Dislikes: Having nothing to do.

Ray's Deck:

Ray inherited from his family an almost unique deck. His deck employs a very rare, very powerful type of monsters, Shinigami (Gods of Death). This deck was in Ray's family for quite a few generations, and Ray treasures it with immense care. He is one of the strongest duelists to use it. Despite their scary forms, Ray shares a special connection with his shinigami monsters, and because of his deck's nature, he hides a certain enthusiasm towards paranormal and strange phenomena. Shinigami monsters, generally, are monsters whose effects are activated when they destroy another monster in battle. Even though there are six of the major shinigami monsters, a deck can only contain a maximum of four while still being effective, according to Ray's granfather. His father had never used more than three in a single deck, and even then it had been difficult to summon them, but Ray handles all four with proficiency, thanks to a few modifications he has done to his deck. Because of their special nature, the major shinigami monsters require the removal of two Dark and one Light monster from the field - Ray has a massive amount of cards that enable him to quickly Special Summon Light and Dark monsters, including combinations with his deck's Field spell, River Stygx, and cards like Banisher of the Light. Also, while most before him have only used the major shinigami monsters in their decks, Ray has no qualms about adding more shinigami monsters, like the Spirit of Death and the most recent addition to his set, Charming Reaper, a card which many members of his family frown upon towards its 'cuteness'. His most powerful strategy is overwhelming the opponent with his four fast-summoned Shinigami, but he also has another, incredibly dangerous back-up plan, that enables him to summon Charon, Herald of the Underworld - a card directly inherited from his great-great grandfather, and only after Ray would prove his worth with the deck.

Statistical Estimates:

-Strategy: 9/10 (Ray's long-term shinigami summoning strategy is almost perfect - moreso with the fact that it can be performed without worrying about his opponent's counterattacks - he always has ways to get it back up and running)

-Tactic: 8/10 (In short-term, fast-paced maneouvers, Ray may lose a little ground, but he will usually bring his play up to his main strategy again, managing to play out of whatever combos his opponent tries to pull)

-Deck Power: 8/10 (A shinigami deck is a very powerful deck, however, it too has its limits. The strongest monsters in Ray's deck have 2600 attack points each, and can only be Special Summoned by their specific effects - even though he hasn't encountered one yet, there are strategies that can virtually cripple them. After that, he has a very strong Ritual monster that is also difficult to summon, but most of the rest of his cards are rather weak support ones)

-Intuition: 7.5/10 (While Ray does have a decent intuition and a grasp of his opponent's strategy, his tendency to just ignore whatever his opponent is doing and pull of his own combos sometimes really ruins it, despite his strategy's theoretical immunity to effects that can counter it)

-Luck: 8/10 (Ray has a lot of luck, and with his persistent, light-hearted style of play, it is always neccessary against skilled opponents)

Duelist Skill Level: 8.1/10

=====================

Alicia (young):

-Age: 16

-Hair Color: Silvery-white.

-Hairstyle: Straight, Long.

-Eye Color: Black

-Height: 1,67m

-Weight: 40kg

-Favorite/Signature Card: Winter Angel Queen

-Deck: Ice Deck

-Personality: Suffers from depression. Also has a particular weakness towards cold, and gets frostbites easily, which comes in contrast with her deck style.

-Hobbies: Reading, Staying inside.

-Likes: Spending time alone with her thoughts.

-Dislikes: Cold weather, annoying people.

Alicia's Deck:

Alicia was a child prodigy in Duel Monsters - since the age of eleven, she was already playing on a professional level - and winning. She used to play a Valkyrie deck up until the age of thirteen, when she entered a major local tournament for underage children and won the first place. The reward for winning was a special prize by Halcyon Storm Corporation - a full deck featuring the newly introduced Ice-type monsters. Alicia told her brother that she hated anything related to cold, and she would not use this card, but once they got home, a message arrived that their father had died in a car accident. Alicia went into a depression that lasted about a month, during which she never spoke to anyone. Once she recovered, she gave her brother Cerce all her Valkyrie cards, and kept the Ice deck she had won. Most say she did that because these monsters represented to her the coldness in her heart after their father had died. Alicia used them with proficiency, but everyone could tell that they were not 'her' cards - she was just an expert duelist, having lost all kind of connection with her cards, who just used them as a tool for victory. Her style changed, too - she became far more direct, her tactics more aggressive, and she would immediately go all-out with powerful combinations against opponents - even though it was just a card game, psychiatrists said that she had lost the warmth in her heart. Alicia has not changed a single card in her deck since she received it, and yet she still is supposed to have not lost a single duel.

Statistical Estimates:

-Strategy: 9.5/10 (Alicia runs on cold, hard strategy. Her monsters lead her to complicated and unexpected combinations - her opponent may destroy one of her monsters to find that that was Alicia's real purpose all along)

-Tactic: 9.5/10 (Every card she gets, Alicia turns into an instrument of destruction - with her, all cards have their uses, whether to damage, destroy, support, or summon stronger ones. Few people can go past her few first turns with her - her opening combinations are usually deadly)

-Deck Power: 9/10 (Alicia runs a powerful, balanced deck - quite naturally, since she received an expert-level designed deck right from the card making industry - she didn't have to look for cards or improvise to replace them. Her deck may not be the best, as it was designed by card designers instead of actual duelists, but the way she handles it, it is definately top-notch)

-Intuition: 9/10 (Some say Alicia has some sort of telepathetic ability. She is able to read into her opponent's cards and strategies, and devise an invisible counter before they are set in motion, so that once her opponent tries to play his combo, she mounts a massive counter assault that causes it to backfire)

-Luck: 8/10 (Alicia may not be the luckiest duelist in the world, but her ability to draw powerful cards that can be used in strong combos is nigh-unmatched, especially in her opening hand)

Duelist Skill Level: 9/10

=====================

Cerce (young):

-Age: 14

-Hair Color: Brownish, with one red highlight on his right bang.

-Hairstyle: Straight hair, long bangs, medium sideburns.

-Eye Color: Hazel

-Height: 1,55m

-Weight: 46kg

-Favorite/Signature Card: Valkyrie of the Battle

-Deck: Valkyrie Deck

-Personality: Generally joyful, hotly defends those he loves.

-Hobbies: Drawing.

-Likes: Spending time with his sister, Strawberries, Attention.

-Dislikes: Sweets, Idleness, Being ignored.

Cerce's Deck:

Cerce was just eleven, and was barely starting to design his own, very basic deck by that time, when his and Alicia's father died. Alicia gave him her own deck, deciding to keep the Ice-type deck she has received as a prize. Even though Cerce asked, he only received vague answers as to why Alicia had changed her mind about that deck. However, once he had his sister's old Valkyrie deck, he always tried his best to use it to its full potential like his sister - a nearly impossible task for him, but he managed quite fairly. In the meantime, he tried to gather more and more Valkyrie decks, and in the span of two years, he had amassed almost double the amount of those cards his sister's deck had before - with the complete facelift his deck received, it could now truly be considered his own - but Cerce still believed that deck contained the warmth Alicia's heart had lost, so he treasured it with great care and love.

Statistical Estimates:

-Strategy: 4/10 (Cerce runs a pretty basic strategy - most Valkyries are supposed to work together for devastating effects, but they lack a particular strategy in the long run)

-Tactic: 6/10 (Valkyrie monsters are designed to work together - even just two of them on the field can produce devastating effects. Cerce takes advantage of this fact quite often, designing his individual strategies so that two or more of his Valkyries would be on the field at any given time for maximum efficiency)

-Deck Power: 7.5/10 (Alicia was already running a powerful deck back then, with several rare cards won in contests and other events, and with Cerce's gradual improvements, it became an even stronger one)

-Intuition: 6.5/10 (For a 14-year-old duelist, Cerce has a pretty strong ability to see through his opponent's moves - some say he owes that to having grown up with Alicia and watching her duel and display that ability all the time)

-Luck: 7.5/10 (Cerce has a very strong bond with his deck due to what it means to him, which allows him to have faith and determination. Even though people claim it's just the illusion of these feelings that makes you think you have the right cards, when in reality it happens because of your deck's strong design, the combinations he can pull sometimes out of nowhere are astounding)

Duelist Skill Level: 6.3/10

[/align]

Saiba Aisu · January 5, 2008

I think that adds a lot to the story, not to mention the characters. Now we can continue with Arc 1, Part 2. I'm excited, and curious as well. What will happen next?

January 6, 2008

Yep, Part 2 is underway. Next chapter coming up soon, people. Enjoy the characters in the meantime.

January 6, 2008

[align=justify]RESPONSE TO FEEDBACK:

@Malik: Thanks a lot, and yes, in fact, as I promptly forgot to mention, full credit for Cerce's deck goes to Cyber Commander, who made the Valkyrie cards, except a few I made myself. I will post a link to Cyber's set for easier reference, once a few issues are resolved with it. And yes, you can submit more than one entries - although, like I mentioned, I have no immediate use for any other characters up to the end of Arc 2. Try it if you wish though - you never know...

@Kolobos: Thank you, man. I'll be sure to try my best and work with your sets as well as I possibly can.

@Umbra: What is a ''Suggester''? O_o

===

CHAPTER 11: A New World?

"Ow, man... my head..." Muttered Ray, clutching his head. Rand's own head felt leaden - he could barely muster enough energy to lift it a few inches, and stare at what now surrounded them.

The chaotic maelstrom that had enveloped the boat and apparently consumed it fractions of a second before the two duelists lost conscience was gone, and along with it, all traces of the ship, and every other sign of human life.

They were stranded on a long, sandy beach, resembling a beautiful tropical paradise. The light blue sea stretched as far as the eye could see, and the early afternoon sun's rays were reflected upon its crystal clear surface. Clusters of palm trees spread out into the inland behind them, forming more condensed forests as the ground seemed to elevate into two identical hills.

"What the hell happened?" Ray exclaimed, sitting up. Rand did the same - his muscles were still throbbing from an impact he could not remember.

"We were ambushed." A voice behind them stated. They both launched their heads backwards so fast their knuckles cracked. A man was standing behind them, sitting cross-legged on the sand, bright white broad clothing in stark contrast to his dark skin and shaved head, and several golden rings attached to his nose and ears being his distinctive feature. He seemed completely unpertrubed by the situation.

"Oh, ambushed." Ray said, in an equally casual way. "Of course. That makes everything clear. We were ambushed."

"...it does?" Rand asked, a little confused.

"OF COURSE IT DOESN'T!!" Ray screamed, worsening Rand's already intense headache. "ARE YOU RETARDED OR SOMETHING?!" He started screaming at the man in white, who did not show even a small sign of reaction. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'WE WERE AMBUSHED'? BY WHO, HOW AND WHY?"

Panting for breath, Ray glared at the unknown man. Rand tried to patch things up a bit.

"Well, first of all - who are you anyway?" He asked. "My name is..."

"I know who you are." The man stated, interrupting Rand like a hot knife through butter. "Me, you can call me Aginor. I was sent here with others to protect you from incidents like that."

"Way to go..." Ray muttered sarcastically.

"Well, we were suddenly confronted with a force greater than we might have imagined." Aginor said, and for the first time he sounded a little irritated. "We couldn't even recognize what caused this chaos - but it was something far beyond our abilities."

"Wait." Ray stopped him. "Who are these others you referred to?"

Aginor looked rather stern. "Associates of mine, of course. We were sent here to safeguard you."

"Safeguard us from what, exactly?" Rand asked, before Ray could start shouting off the same question.

Aginor sighed deeply. "Well, it seems that we have a lot of time ahead, so let me explain this from scratch..."

They talked for quite awhile, Aginor mostly monologuing about ta'veren, their effects in the Pattern, and the people who constantly hunt them down to harness their influence in fate. Once Aginor had finished with his explanations, the sun was already starting to slowly descend to the west.

Rand was ready to laugh - most of this was nonsensical idiocy - but Ray seemed not so sure. Eventually, Rand's curiosity got the best of him, and he waited to see the other duelist's reaction.

"You know..." Ray said sceptically. "All this talk about ta'veren... I've heard this before... from my family..."

"Yes." Aginor said. "Your family has had many ta'veren along the ages. You are the last one in a long line." Ray remained silent, as if trying to absorb all that had just been said.

"Ta'veren... the Harbingers of Fate..." He murmured. Rand's body felt suddenly numb, and it was not just from the tiredness.

"And you said... you said there are more... like us?" He asked finally, to break the silence.

"Yes." Aginor replied seriously. "And you are already acquainted with two of them."

"Mat! Irene!" Rand suddenly yelped. "What happened to them? Are they alright?"

"They are alive, certainly." Aginor replied, frowning slightly. "If a ta'veren dies before his time is due, there are certain... things that can be felt, as the Pattern's weaves shift around each other, trying to replace the great loss. However... there is a... shadow, over one of your friends... I cannot tell which one, but is something certainly unexpected, and I'd be lying if I said I thought it is meant for a good thing."

"Well, whatever. It's more important to find them right now." Rand got up, shrugging off the strain on his body. "Do you know where they are?"

"Wait..." Ray stopped him, weakly. "Do you know where we are?"

All three remained silent, as the question lingered in the air.

---

Mat shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. One minute he was on a ship, in the middle of a chaotic vortex, and the next he was in a... forest, apparently, brimming with insect life, the trees so tall Mat couldn't even see the sun above. He wondered how many hours he had been unconscious - he woke up on the moistrous ground right after passing out on the boat, and that was all he could recall.

Where the heck was he? And what about the others? How... how on Earth could he be tossed in the span of a few moments from the middle of the ocean into a... tropical rainforest? And most importantly, how was he supposed to get out of there?

He glanced around. All directions seemed to lead to infinite masses of tall trees and interwining branches, making it impossible to see further than a few feet.

"Great..." He muttered. "And who knows what kind of dangerous things live in here..." He jumped at a hissing sound behind him, but it was just a squirrel hurrying through some dead leaves. Dead leaves, in this season. What the heck was going on?

Deciding there was no reason to stay there any longer, Mat just randomly picked a direction and started clearing his way between the branches that scratched at his jeans and hands as he walked. He just prayed his luck held in this... wherever he was, anyway, and he would not get attacked by wild tigers and anacondas any time soon.

A good half hour passed in treading through the dense woods - it seemed at least a couple of days to an exhausted Mat - before finally something different came in sight. As Mat finally encountered what appeared to be the entrance to a clearing, he was simply not prepared to see what he bore witness to once he crossed the last trees.

A massive statue made out of pure gold in the shape of a giant sphinx was looming threateningly over him, easily a hundred feet into the sky. It looked like a scene from the Egyptian desert suddenly lifted and stuck into the middle of the Amazonium.

"What the hell..." Mat murmured, blinking constantly to clear this illusion. There was no way this thing could be real, after all. After a while though, he realized he was not daydreaming.

"Where the hell am I..." He asked, noone in particular.

"I've been asking myself the same question for the past ten minutes..." A girl's voice said beside him. Mat's head whipped around to her direction. He instantly recognized the dark-skinned girl with the green eyes in the white robes he had seen on the ship.

"Hey, you were on the ship!" Mat exclaimed. "Does that mean the others are here too?"

"No idea." The girl replied thoughtfully, although it didn't take a genius to figure out she was not worried in the least by the situation. "I'm Nadia by the way."

"Nadia?" Mat yelped in surprise. "Nadia Chelsey, the national female runner-up?"

The girl chuckled lightly. "Yeah, that's me."

"Ugh." Mat made a strangling sound. Damn, the second best female duelist in the country - in the world, perhaps! "Call me Mat..."

"Okey then." Nadia smiled. "Well, any idea where we are?"

"Negative." Mat replied. "I thought you could tell me... what the hell is that thing?"

"It appears to be an ancient Egyptian temple." Nadia stated, her voice now surprisingly serious. "I have no knowledge of such a thing existing in any known forest on the planet."

"Tell me about it..." Mat murmured, looking at the giant structure carefully. He then glanced around, and saw the dense forest surrounding them, cutting off the already fading light of the afternoon sun. "Well, in the mood for some exploring?"

"Always." Nadia said, and a playful, adventurous glint shone in her bright eyes. Mat liked that look, under normal circumstances.

Not now.

"Are you sure it's safe to go on like that...?" Mat asked nervously, as they walked towards the huge sphinx, Nadia confidently walking along an invisible to Mat's eyes path.

"Do you mean about traps and stuff?" Nadia asked. Mat was more worried about stuff like that thing that had sent them here, whatever magic that was - "Magic does not exist!" he had to remind himself - but that would make him sound stupid, so he nodded instead. "Don't worry." Nadia said with confidence. "I grew up in Egypt, I was exploring tombs and pyraminds from when I was seven." Mat felt chills climb up his spine. "If anything dangerous is set here, I can easily spot it."

Mat disagreed, but he let her lead the way. The pair crossed the large golden gates - "Man, that thing must have cost a fortune" thought Mat - and entered what appeared to be a long, broad hallway, the ceiling of which Mat and Nadia could not discern. Made out of pure gold like everything else, strange symbols and what Mat thought was ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics scribbled all over the walls.

"Any idea what they say?" Mat asked, not really interested in any of these.

"Well, they are just common ancient Egyptian scripts." Nadia's eyes narrowed a little. "I can't read all of them, but they seem to follow the general pattern, recording stories, wars, ceremonies... nothing that is of any immediate interest to us, although I find these just fascinating."

"Yeah, right... well unless there is something in here that can tell us where we are or how to get back to a... regular place, they can wait. Let's go on."

The corridor seemed to have no end, and no openings to either side, but eventually the two of them reached a spot where it seemed to split into two different. In front of each of the two different directions the could take, there was a large statue - the right depicting a stern male figure with a black jackal head, the left a woman with outstretched falcon wings and a severe expression.

"Uh, great." Nadia murmured. "Anubis and Nepthys, the two gods of death in ancient Egypt. Very promising for either direction..."

"Eh, so now what?" Mat asked, eyeing the statues warily.

"I have a bad feeling about this..." Nadia muttered. "Let's go back."

Mat didn't need much persuasion - he immediately turned back. But before taking one step, his body slammed into an invisible barrier, knocking him back a few steps from the force of the impact.

"What the...?" Mat yelled, touching his nose that was now bleeding. "What the hell happened?"

"An invisible wall..." Nadia said slowly, approaching the spot Mat had hit and carefully fingering something solid in mid-air, that could not be seen. "That was not here before - I wonder who put it here..."

"I did." A faint, distant voice sounded behind them. They both turned around instantly - Mat hated people sneaking up on him, and it was happening all the time! - to see a woman who, resembled Nadia in appearance, except the outfit - she wore a much more indecent dress that left nearly all of her upper torso uncovered, and had myriads of necklaces made out of miniature white - Mat hoped fake - skulls and snake-like tatoos around her neck and along her bare arms. Her skin was tanned and her facial features slightly slitted, giving her an obvious oriental appearance. A pitch-black tiara was decorating the top of her head. Simply put, she scared Mat speechless.

"Who are you?" Nadia hissed, glaring at her. "What the hell do you think you're up to?"

"That's my line." The priestess, or whatever the hell she was, said in an equally cold, hostile manner now. "This is my temple, and you are the intruders here." Mat gulped - he did not like the sound of that.

"Well we don't know why exactly we are here." He tried to patch things up. "We don't even know where is 'here' - we were kind of hoping you could explain... uh... no?" He added, as the snake-freak stared at him with contempt.

"You have trespassed into the ancient sanctrum of Anubis - now you have to endure his judgement." She stated enigmatically.

"Okay, that sounds so ridiculous, it's not even funny. Who the hell do you think we..." Mat started.

"Mat" Nadia said, "I don't think she's joking. She pulled his sleeve, drawing his attention to the jackal statue's eyes, that were glowing with a fierce red light. But their focus was immediately distracted, as the priestess started mumbling incoherently - her eyes having turned white, and her whole body shaking as if stricken by electricity. She appeared to be in some sort of trance.

"Here's what we do" Mat said silently. "I'll knock her out now that she's like that, and then we run for it. I just hope the wall will disappear..."

But before he could take a step forward, the priestess snapped out of her ecstasy, and eyed them with a look of mingled hostility and... curiosity?

"My Lord Anubis dictates that you are to pass." She hissed angrily. "If you are worthy..."

"I definately don't like the sound of that..." Mat gulped.

"So what do you want to do to prove your worth?" She asked. "Dance on fire? Kiss a poisonous cobra? Fight with lions and tigers? Answer the riddle of a sphinx? Face a chimera in your dreams?"

"Ugh, half of that stuff you just mentioned aren't even real, and are lions and tigers and snakes really here?" Mat asked. They were dealing with a madwoman. But a hissing noise behind him forced him to look back - a gigantic snake the size of an anaconda rather than a cobra was curling up on the floor behind them, its red eyes glaring at them with the interest of a hunter watching its prey.

"Okay maybe there are..." Mat muttered. "So what do we do now?"

"Let me think..." Nadia responded, the priestess as well as the snake behind them staring at them impatiently. "We can't go back because of that wall... we can't stay here because of that snake... and we can't move on without 'proving our worth'. So I suggest we do that."

"Wow, genius thinking." Mat said sarcastically. "But unless you've been taught at school how to dance on fire, fight lions or tigers, or make out with that cobra over there, I don't think it's a very practical thing to do right now..."

"I have an idea, Mat." Nadia interrupted. "You've heard the story about Jaden Yuki, the Duel Academy student who supposedly crossed the dimensional barriers into another realm of existence, right?"

"Yeah... you'd think the press would finally shut up about a group of teenagers who went high and started blabbing things about different dimensions and stuff, but it is still being discussed..."

"Maximilion Pegasus, ex-president of Industrial Illusions, confirmed the story." Nadia interrupted again. "Either way, that's not the point. I think we are in one of those alternate dimensions."

"That's impossible." Mat replied very slowly, very clearly. After all, the girl was crazy - he had to take it slow. "We can't be in an alternate reality, because... they don't exist." Nadia cast him a cold glance.

"Do you recognize these?" She turned over to the freaky priestess, stuffing her hand inside her dress - when she pulled it out, she was holding her duel disk; an elegant, finely defined model with a hieroglyphic symbol on the Life point counter. The priestess' eyes narrowed.

"This is quite like these..." She gestured, and an object similar to a duel disk, only golden and more vaguely shaped, materialized on her arm out of thin air. Mat's mouth fell over. "So you know how to summon the Shadows?"

"That is not exactly what we..." Mat started.

"Yes, I do. I challenge you to a match of Shadows, then." Nadia replied confidently.

"Uh, I really don't like the name..." Mat whispered in her ear.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing... I think." Nadia whispered back.

"You think?!" Mat yelped incredulously, but the priestess was now laughing.

"It's been a century since someone has dared to summon the Shadows against me, girl." She said. "But I admit, that's an interesting idea to prove you are worthy. Fine, I will fight against you, and if you win, you can pass. But if you lose, you die."

"Fine, let's go!" Nadia said confidently. Mat blinked. Die? Well the snake did look pretty hungry... but he had a feeling that was not what the crazy priestess meant. In the meantime, Nadia was taking out her deck.

"What are these?" Her adversary frowned, pointing at her cards.

"It's what we use to summon the Shadows." Nadia said gravely. Even though Mat was pretty sure she had no idea what she was talking about, he had to admit she sounded pretty confident. The girl showed the priestess a monster card, and she nodded as if she understood.

"Then let's go." She said, and her strange dueling device glowed.

Mat did not have a good feeling about this.

===

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Enjoy the massive plot development in this chapter. Just so you know, it's not simply a mass of random crap just... happening for no apparent reason (*cough* Capsule Monsters *cough*). Everything will tie in in the end, even though it may seem random now.

For those of you itching to read the Nadia vs mysterious priestess duel and how it will be pulled off (considering the difference in technology, you wouldn't expect the duel to function normally, would you?), you have to wait until the 13th chapter. The 12th leaves Mat, Nadia, Rand and Ray alone - who is it dealing with then? =P

===

CARD LIST:

I'll make it later.

===

GLOSSARY:

No new entries in the glossary for this chapter.

===

CHARACTER PROFILES:

Nadia:

-Age: 19

-Hair Color: Black

-Hairstyle: Straight, Shoulder-lenght

-Eye Color: Green

-Height: 1.72m

-Weight: 44kg

-Favorite/Signature Card: Unknown

-Deck: Unknown

-Personality: Adventurous girl, always in when there's a mystery involved. Trustworthy and reliable.

-Hobbies: Egyptology, mythology and metaphysical research.

-Likes: Ancient history, going out on research trips expeditions.

-Dislikes: Being looked down on, being told what to do.

===

SPOILERS:

In the Dream.

A Silent Requiem.

Dark Memories.

Next Chapter: Reunion

[/align]

Saiba Aisu · January 8, 2008

Wow! Nice job! The intrigue just keeps growing with every chapter. As per usual, 5/5. I have noticed however that when spelling words like "strength" or "length" you spell the "strenght" and "lenght." Just saying.

January 10, 2008

[align=justify]RESPONSE TO FEEDBACK:

@Cyber Commander: Damn. That's the way I've learnt how to spell them, and it's kinda stuck on me. I'll try to fix that.

===

CHAPTER 12: Reunion

"So, an alternate dimension then?" Rand asked, weighing his worlds carefully.

"Yes." Aginor stated firmly.

"What about the other people on the ship? Are they here too?" Ray said nervously.

"Well, from what we can establish, we know your friends Irene and Mat are here." The white-robed man said. "But we can't pinpoint their locations - not yet anyway."

"Well what are we waiting for then?" Rand snapped. "We must find them - they might be in some sort of danger, we have no idea about this place!"

"Patience." Aginor said strictly. "They are not alone. I had two other companions with me - one of us assigned to two of you. They were staying close to them while on the ship, it is most certain that they ended up together. Whatever protection we can offer them, they can as well."

"But we do need to regroup eventually. I mean, there is a way back, isn't there?" Ray questioned.

"To put it bluntly, there is." Aginor stated. "I cannot channel enough power alone - I doubt we could even if all three of our team were here - but there is surely a portal back to our world from here..."

"The problem is, the one who sent us here didn't do it through a portal... How did he do it? And what kind of being can produce so much energy as to open its own portal through dimensions? This is more serious than we can grasp..."

"Wait." Rand said suddenly. "You said there were three of you for six of us... six ta'veren, I mean. So far I've only counter four - Irene and Mat, Ray and myself. Do you mean there were more on the ship?"

"Two more, to be exact." Aginor specified. "I am not sure of everyone's identities, but I can be certain of their number. I assume my teammates found them."

"But Logan... what the hell happened to you?" Aginor sighed mentally. He knew Logan had met someone powerful - far more powerful than themselves. He also knew that he had survived the encounter, but his presence was now... faint, as if blocked by an invisible barrier. Could he have met the one who did this?

Either way, he couldn't dwell on it. They had no time - they weren't transported here without a reason, and he was not keen on finding out that reason. They should regroup as soon as possible, and flee.

However, where were the others?

---

"Where... am I?" Irene wondered as she drifted into what seemed to be infinite darkness, or rather, an infinite dark fog with silverish shapes stirring in a sleezy manner. She moved forwards - she thought it was forwards, all sense of direction seemed to be lost in this forsaken place.

Suddenly, the space beneath her feet seemed to take form. Irene gasped as the undefined shapes began closing in around and above her, forming a sort of corridor. Getting an uneasy hunch, Irene just maintained the motion of her body, apparently going forwards.

The silver threads that formed the nigh-invisible 'walls' around her eventually expanded into a large circular area that resembled a spectral arena. It was vaguely defined by the ever-moving, inconsistent silver threads, and once Irene dared to peer down the edge, she saw only blackness.

A groan in the darkness drew her attention - she whipped her head around, only for her eyes to be transfixed on a face she had lost all hope of ever seeing again.

"Mo-mother?" Irene mumbled, her mouth dry, her body numb, unable to yet realize the impossibility of the situation. The woman in front of her had her mother's form alright - Sylvia was a bit shorter than Irene, but with the same hairstyle and color, and deep black eyes, she looked a lot like her daughter. She did look absurdly pale, as if she hadn't seen the sunlight in years - which was normal, since she was dead, Irene reminded herself - and she looked as if she was in great agony and pain. Irene thought she was having a nightmare and closed her eyes, trying hard to wake up - pointlessly. As she opened them again, the frightful scenery was still in place - her mother's tortured form opposite to her, surrounded by rings of the silver substance.

"Is that really you?" She asked eventually, hesitantly.

"I... Irene..." Her mother's form whispered, her voice hoarse and brimming with exhaustion. "My daughter..."

"Yes" Irene hurriedly replied. That was her mother's voice. "Yes, I'm here." She said, still reluctant to move.

"Great... danger... Irene... your gift... I must... must... tell you..."

"Mother!" Irene yelled. "What happened? They told me you had died."

Sylvia looked up. Irene was petrified now - her gaze looked so... lifeless. Again, natural, since she was dead - but was she really?

"I'm not dead..." She replied. "I'm trapped in this barrier between this world and the afterlife..."

"Why? How?" Irene was getting frustrated now. "What happened?"

"Irene... I cannot explain..." Sylvia said weakly. "I only managed to bring you here because someone ripped apart the boundaries between dimensions and you were caught in the interdimensional vortex... listen to me, you are in grave danger, by those who trapped me here, and by others as well - I can't see everything..."

"You can't see everything? What do you mean?" Irene cried. "Mother, where are you? Where is your body? How can I get to you?" She moved forwards a step, trying to close in to her mother, but she found out she couldn't move her feet.

"Irene." Sylvia said, with a slightly clearer voice. "Your gift... it was mine, originally, but I traded it for a different one... and my old one passed to you. Now these two gifts are the keys to unlocking a secret that must remain locked... the people who came after me will hunt you down as well... you must find out... the truth."

"Then tell me the truth!!" Irene screamed, and her voice echoed lifelessly in the emptiness. Sadness filled Sylvia's eyes.

"I wish I could" Sylvia said "but in this realm, I can't." Her voice was getting more and more collected, her image more and more defined.

"What do you mean 'you can't'? It's just words right?" Whatever sick nightmare or vision she was having, Irene just wished for it to end soon.

"It's not that simple... the lord of this realm is an omnipotent entity that determines what is and what isn't possible. I don't think even the ones who sent me here can control him. Either way, it doesn't matter. I can't talk in further detail - it's sheer impossible."

Irene wanted to tear off her hair in frustration. "Then what did you bring me here for?" She asked desparately.

"Your gift" Sylvia said. "You must perform the same ritual I did. You see, the ability I have now and the one I had back then - the one you have - are two sides of the same coin, two aspects of the same gift. I can't explain why or how, or even exactly what it does, but you must go through the same process as I did."

"How is that possible?" Irene asked. Anything to just... stop this nightmare.

Sylvia sighed. "I cannot tell you... but I hope that I can at least give you a hint... at least that much is permitted."

"What hint?" Irene asked.

"I can't say it directly... but if we engage in a Duel of Shadows, you will hopefully be able to understand."

"Duel of Shadows? I don't like the sound of that..." Murmured Irene. "What are we supposed to do?"

"In our world it is called Duel Monsters." Sylvia said, and a duel disk materialized on her arm. It was black, and the same white outlines that formed the arena - now Irene knew it was an arena - defined the different card zones.

Irene laughed mirthlessly. "So you brought me here to play a card game? This is ridiculous! What does a popular game with cards have to do with... with magical powers, and all that?"

Sylvia frowned slightly. "It's not 'just a card game'. I thought you should have realized it by now. The creatures and magic that are just holograms in our world are very real in other dimensions. It is imperative you understand that, because people like you - people like what I used to be - are the links that connect these worlds and hold them together. But this Shadow Duel will convince you."

"Anyway, how do we duel?" Irene asked. "I don't have any... oh." A duel disk with what appeared to be her deck appeared on her arm. She was pretty calm now - she knew this was a nightmare, and it had to end sometime, and if she had to duel against some vision pretending to be her mother to end it sooner, so be it.

"I'll start things up." Sylvia said, and as if to clear room for the two duelists, the silvery aura that surrounded her dispersed, integrating into the arena's borders to make them clearer. Sylvia drew a card from her deck.

"I activate the Field Spell, 'Sanctuary of Lost Souls'." She said, placing a card in her duel's field slot. The darkness around them grew thinner, and was replaced by a veil of a grey mist that looked even more eerie. Human-like shapes seemed to emerge from the mist. This was definately not the deck Irene's mother had been using.

"As long as Sanctuary of Lost Souls is on the field, the Level of all Void monsters drops by two." Sylvia explained. "I summon 'Void Dragon' in attack mode."

A dragon made out of the bizarre grey mist and the silver-white threads that formed the arena materialized, letting out what could only be classified as an agonized wail. It was a Level 6 monster, reduced to Level 4 by Sanctuary's ability, and thus had a sizeable 2400 ATK and 1600 DEF points.

"Now I activate 'Void Portal'. It allows me to directly summon a Void monster from my deck as long as its level is 4 or lower - and I choose

'Void Sorcerer', also in attack mode." Another shadowy creature appeared in the form of a mage, featuring the same points as Void Dragon.

"Turn end."

"Ok... I must just buy some time before I wake up, and then it will be over." Irene thought, drawing. "I summon 'Sorceress' Apprentice' in attack mode!" She said, and the black-clad witch materialized on the field - though she stared at the two shadowy creatures with defiance, Irene felt her fear. It must have been a part of the dream - or just her mother's words about real monsters shaking her off.

"Don't worry, she won't be here for long. I activate the Field Spell, 'Flame of Tar Valon'!" Massive towering structures constructed out of pure white marble suddenly rose above them, partially dispelling the shadows with their brightness as Sanctuary of Lost Souls was destroyed.

"If my arcane citadel is on the field, I can send my Sorceress' Apprentice to the Graveyard to summon a Grand Sorceress from my deck! Come forth, 'Moiraine the Grand Sorceress'!"

A spellcaster dressed in blue, with a much more formidable appearance than the previous one, materialized where her apprentice had vanished in a blur of light. With 2300 ATK and 1700 DEF, she was just a tad lower than the Void creatures.

"And now I equip her with 'Arcane Spellbook', raising her attack points by 700!" An open spellbook appeared in Moiraine's arms, and she studied something intently while her ATK rose to 3000.

"Moiraine, attack her Void Dragon with fury of earth!" The ground beneath the dark dragon began trembling, and soon it collapsed opening a big chasm that consumed the monster. Sylvia winced as if she was in pain, and her Life Points dropped to 3400.

"Very well." Sylvia said. "But when a Void monster is destroyed, there is a drawback... it goes to your side of the field, with an attack and defense penalty of 500 points." The Void Dragon materialized in Irene's side of the field, with 1900 and 1100 ATK and DEF points respectively. Irene eyed the creature uneasily.

"I'll just set a card face-down and end my turn." She said.

"My draw." Sylvia said. Irene frowned. Her mother had been a mediocre duelist, but nowhere near that level, plus she hadn't dueled in ages. "This is a dream." She reminded herself. "Everything is possible here!" But for some reason, it didn't sound as convincing as before...

"I activate the Spell card, 'Ectoplasm Geyser'. By removing the top card of my deck from play, I can add two Spell cards in my Graveyard to my hand." She removed a card, and then retrieved Sanctuary of Lost Souls as well as Void Portal.

"Damn, that doesn't look good." Irene muttered. Sylvia revealed another card in her hand.

"Terramorph." She stated. "It allows me to merge two different Field spell cards to create a new, more powerful one - just like Polymerization works for monsters. I will now fuse 'Sanctuary of Lost Souls' with 'Requiem of Silence' to create 'Scene of the Massacre'." Irene definately did not like the sound of that.

"Scene of the Massacre is a merged Field spell. As a result, it cannot be destroyed by means of playing other Field spells or by targeting it with a Spell or Trap card. It also offers all bonuses from its components - all Void monsters have their Level reduced by 2 - Sanctuary's effect - and each time one of them destroys one monster in combat, you lose five hundred Life Points - Requiem's effect." As the large white buildings collapsed around them, the bright citadel gave way to a darker one, abandoned half-destroyed buildings from whence the echoes of frightening screams could be heard - eventually a ghostly figure gliding through the empty streets. Irene felt her body numb with fright.

"Void Sorcerer, destroy Void Dragon." The sorcerer unleashed a bolt of dark energy that disintegrated the shady creature. Irene felt an excruciating pain as she lost Life Points - a pain that could never be a part of any dream. She clutched her chest tightly as she kneeled to the ground, panting.

"And now my Field Spell activates, inflicting another 500 points of damage."

Irene could not help screaming in horror and agony, as the shadows closed in on her, and a silvery thread stabbed her through the chest - the sensation was quite literal. Tears were freely falling from her eyes now, while she was left with three thousand Life Points.

"Why... why are you doing this to me? Why are you torturing me?" She asked, sobbing, trying to stand back up again. Her mother sighed deeply.

"I wish you could be spared the agony of a Shadow Duel, Irene... but it is unavoidable. It's best if I can at least... prepare you for what is coming."

A few seconds later, as Irene struggled to her feet, Sylvia's cold posture had returned.

"And now Void Dragon returns to my side of the field - with a 500-point penalty, of course." Void Dragon materialized next to her Sorcerer, now standing at 1400 - 600 ATK and DEF.

"I place a card face-down and end my turn. That activates Scene of the Massacre's last special effect - if I do not normal summon a monster during my turn, I can special summon a level 4 or lower Void monster directly from my deck... come forth, 'Void Blademaster'!"

A warrior swinging two large blades appeared on the field, made of the same shadowy matter as the dragon and the sorcerer, and with the exact same attack and defense. Irene was starting to get worried.

"Those three... they have identical stats and abilities... they are like my Sorceresses in a sense. What does she intend to do with them? I don't want to find out..."

"I set a monster in defense position. And now Moiraine will attack your Dragon!" Irene clenched her teeth - she didn't want to put anyone under the same kind of pain she had just felt, let alone someone who looked so much like her mother, but she had little choice. Moiraine performed her ground erosion technique on Void Dragon.

"Activate 'Hollow Barrier'." Sylvia said, and a sphere formed of the silver threads surrounded the Dragon, preventing the attack from affecting him. "It completely protects one of my Level 4 or lower Void monsters from harm for one turn."

"Fine, then I call this a turn." Irene said.

"Then I will show you, my daughter..." Sylvia said, drawing. Irene shivered.

"...my strongest card. I sacrifice Void Dragon, Void Sorcerer and Void Blademaster from the field to summon the 'Void Emperor'."

The three monsters disintegrated into shadows, to be replaced by an enormous creature that could only be described as a hulking fiend with two extremely long clawed arms and no legs, hovering just inches above the 'ground'. Its two eyes were half-shut, giving the creature an even more terrifying appearance. With 3000 ATK and DEF points, it looked intimidating.

"But it is not without gain for you - the monsters that were sacrificed will all join your side. And thanks to the Emperor, their attack and defense points revert to normal." Irene blinked as Void Dragon, Void Sorcerer, and Void Blademaster appeared on her side of the field, each with 2400 ATK and 1700 DEF points.

"But I will also gain something - namely, a card for each Void monster on your side of the field, due to the Emperor's other effect." Sylvia drew three cards. "And I activate one immediately - 'Judgement of the Emperor'! With this you receive 500 points of damage for every Void monster on your side of the field." Sylvia's eyes filled with sorrow as three silver threads rushed around Irene and stabbed her simultaneously.

Prepared as she was, the intense pain still knocked Irene nearly unconscious, forcing her on her knees, tears welling up her eyes. What... was this feeling?

"I wish I could say it is over, but it isn't. I activate Void Portal to Special Summon 'Void Beast' from my deck." Another Void monster, similar to the others but resembling a large panther, materialized next in front of Sylvia.

"Void Emperor, attack Void Dragon!"

A ball of black energy spawned between the Emperor's hands, obliterating the Void Dragon. Irene screamed as her Life Points dropped by a further 600 to only 900, and then to a mere 400 by the Field spell's effect.

"This brings my Void Dragon back to my side of the field, with his power intact due to my Emperor. And now I will have Void Dragon and Void Beast obliterate Void Sorcerer and Void Blademaster! It will be a draw, and we will both lose a thousand Life Points due to the effect of Scene of the Massacre, but unlike myself, that is more than enough to finish you off."

"Don't think so!" Irene yelled in retaliation. "Activate Trap Card - 'Last Prayer of the Witch'! All I have to do is send a Spellcaster from the field to the Graveyard, and I can regenerate 800 Life Points, plus add another one to my hand! And I offer my face-down monster, another 'Sorceress' Apprentice'!" Irene's monster vanished as her Life Points increased - the spiritual essence still stabbed her with pain, but at least she survived with 200 Life Points left. Sylvia was also striken by that force - she winced and eventually let out a scream as her Life Point counter dropped to 2400.

"And due to my Trap card's other effect, I add 'Liandrin, the Grand Sorceress' to my hand. Now all I have to do is summon her..." She added mentally.

"Fine - my turn is over. But do not forget - attack with your Sorceress, and it will end in a draw, destroying both our monsters and costing you the duel." Sylvia said.

"I'll remember that." Irene replied, placing her hand on her deck. "And if I don't finish this now, next turn she'll destroy a monster with the Emperor and it's all over..."

Her hand paused on top of her deck.

"What happens to the one who loses this duel?" She asked hesitantly. The pain she felt from attacks had given her a good heads-up, and she had abandoned the notion that this was a dream. And with that, hope had come - hope to see her mother in the flesh again.

"If you lose here, you will be trapped here along with me. If I lose... let's just say that my situation will grow worse. However, that shouldn't concern you. You must find a way for your abilities to attain another form - only then can hope begin to form that order can someday be restored. You are crucial in this, Irene."

"If this was a game of chess..." Irene's heart tightened. Her mother always loved chest. She felt a strange affection, something she did not believe she could feel, not after working so much towards hardening her spirit for what was to come.

"I am but a pawn... but you are the Queen. And the Queen must survive until the final round."

"Who's the King?" Irene could not help but wonder, as she drew her card.

"Activate Spell card, 'Rise of the Witch'! It allows me to ressurect a level 4 or lower monster with Sorceress in its card name - come forth, Sorceress' Apprentice!" The mage returned in a hail of bright light, that somehow made the Void Emperor look less intimidating.

"You won't be seeing her for long... I sacrifice her to Summon 'Liandrin the Grand Sorceress' in attack mode!" Another magician, identical to Moiraine except for her bright red cloak, appeared next to her counterpart. The two witches nodded, and glared at Void Emperor.

"Grand Sorceresses may not be very much on their own, but in a team, they do wonders." Irene said. "Each of them has two effects - a different one activates depending on which other Grand Sorceress is on the field with them."

"And now I activate Liandrin's effect - when Moiraine is on the field, she can remove a Spell card from play. Scene of the Massacre may be impervious to effects that destroy it, but not to those that remove it from play." The darkness around them faded, and the horrid scenery dispersed into a thin fog - everything seemed much clearer now.

"And now, for Moiraine's effect - she can copy any Spell card on the field and create a new one with identical effect - I choose Arcane Spellbook!" Another spellbook, the same as the one Moiraine was holding, appeared in Liandrin's arms, increasing her power to 3000 ATK points.

"I'm sorry, mother, for making you go through this." Irene said between her tears. "I was going to avenge you, but I will come and rescue you. I promise." She whispered.

"Liandrin, attack with fury of fire!" A massive fireball was launched against Void Emperor, who retaliated with a black sphere, destroying both monsters immediately. Now Sylvia was wide open...

"Moiraine..." Irene said softly. "Attack directly."

As Sylvia was consumed in an eruption of earth and debris, she let out a horrid scream that would resound in Irene's ears for months to come. Then everything faded into darkness.

===

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

So yeah... a lot of plot-developing hints in this chapter if you are careful, but most will take some time to reveal. Just remember - in stories, little, and in my stories, usually nothing is as it looks like, so if you think you've got the whole plot figured out, you're in for some big surprises. =/

Unfortunately, updates may come a lot slower until I'm finished with revisions and crap, so yeah... I still hope I'll be able to keep it up. Next few chapters will definately be interesting.

===

CARD LIST:

I'll make it later.

===

GLOSSARY:

No new entries in the glossary for this chapter.

===

CHARACTER PROFILES:

Sylvia:

-Age: 40

-Hair Color: Pale Blonde

-Hairstyle: Straight, Long

-Eye Color: Black

-Height: 1.66m

-Weight: 56kg

-Favorite/Signature Card: Unknown (current state - Void Emperor)

-Deck: Unknown (current state - Void Deck)

-Personality: Kind and reliable, forgiving, but easily hurt if something is wrong.

-Hobbies: Playing chess, reading.

-Likes: Nice weather.

-Dislikes: Unfortunate events to her or other people.

===

SPOILERS:

Reliving the Past.

A Priestess of Shadows.

And a Duel of Destiny Commences.

Next Chapter: Dark Confrontation.

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Chronicles of the Ascension - Arc 1 [Currently at Chapter 13: Dark Confrontation]

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