[YGO] The Bridge [Prologue and Chapter 1 are up!]

[Ren✧]

[spoiler=Prologue]         

                The game of Duel Monsters has always been shrouded in mystery, the people blinded by their own captivation for the game. There are of course the few that knew that something was different. That something was strange. Ominous. Magical. Powerful. These people knew that something was amiss, that a piece of the puzzle was missing. Some left it at that, a mystery discovered, but never uncovered. And yet others delved deeper into it. They discovered ties to ancient civilizations and dark secrets.

 

                Remarkably, each discovery was different. The pieces to the puzzle that were discovered just didn’t fit together. Yet, no one stopped to ask how all these stories tied together. What made Duel Monsters so special?

 

                Those that had the answer didn’t know it. And those that knew it didn’t have it. Regardless, it was there and it shaped our world, just as it did another. Another world? Yes. A world of monsters. A world of magic. A world of impossibilities. A world of spirits.

 

                While these two worlds shaped each other, they were held apart by an unfinished bridge, a bridge that will soon near completion. Technology and magic, together as one, mark the way for a new era. Whether it is one shining like gold or shrouded in darkness, depends on those who stand up and decide to shoulder destiny.

[/spoiler]

               

[spoiler=Chapter 1: Darkness Approaches]

                The scent of pine trees filled the air as well as the sound of rustling leaves. Kallen slowly surveyed his surroundings. He was in a grassy clearing, surrounded by tall trees. There was no wind on the forest floor, but he could see the trees swaying up high. The sun was shining and seemed unusually bright, making everything seem to glow. He couldn’t remember how he had got here…or even where ‘here’ was.

 

                Before he could dote on it too long, a scream split the air. It caused Kallen’s hair to stand on end, a shiver run down his spine. Instantly, he sprung into action. Dashing into the trees, Kallen began to head in the direction where the scream had come from. Low branches whipped his face, scratching his face slightly. A couple times he almost tripped over a few rocks and roots, but Kallen managed to keep his balance.

 

                The scream pierced the air again. Kallen was close. Really close. He could now hear the gurgle of a stream. Deciding that was his best bet, he went towards the sound of flowing water and quickly broke through the trees. In front of him was a lazy river, slowly flowing over the polished rocks. Its water was perfectly clear and occasionally Kallen would see the flash of a fish swimming by. Of course, that wasn’t the most eye catching part of the scene.

 

                A girl lay on the ground on the other side of the river. A basket of clothes lay knocked over next to her. The girl’s face was white with fear, and for good reason. A large green snake stood over her, its head poised, ready to strike.

 

                Kallen had never seen anything like it before. The snake was huge, and as far as Kallen could tell only had one eye. Kallen noticed he could see its breath, but it had to at least by 60 degrees.

 

                The girl let out another scream as the snake inched closer. It reared its head back and began its arc towards the girl. Kallen moved to cross the river, but knew he wouldn’t make it in time. Before he could even put his foot in the water a deep ‘thrum’ beat the air and an arrow embedded itself in the snake’s head, killing it instantly. A large thump followed as a man jumped out of a tree near the girl. “Soph, you have to be more careful.” He said to the girl, helping her up.

 

                “Are you guys okay?” Kallen asked. They seemed not to hear him, which was strange, seeing as they weren’t that far apart. He stepped forward, into the river, but before he could cross everything went black. The last thing that Kallen registered was the icy coldness of the waters.

 

...

 

                Kallen stood over the water fountain, splashing cold water in his face. People and noises swarmed passed him, as the students of Janus High School rushed to get out of the school, having been released. They were particularly noisy today, seeing as it was the last day of school before the Winter Break. Despite all the noise, Kallen barely heard them. He was still in a fog from his little episode in class.

 

                Kallen wasn’t the best student. This probably had a little something to do with his constant need to sleep in class. He was now rethinking that aspect of his life after the last dream he had, had in Mr. Bronk’s classroom. The dream had been so real, as if he had been there, as if it actually happened, but that couldn’t be. A dream was a dream. That of course didn’t explain the newly found scratches across his face.

 

                As Kallen stood over the water fountain a guy walked up to him, punching him on the shoulder. “Sup, man?”

 

                It was Brice Sherwood, Kallen’s best friend. The two had known each other since they were little kids. Growing up on the same street, the two had been getting into trouble together for as long as either of them could remember. It wasn’t that they tried to be mischievous or devious; it was just that what they did was apparently ‘frowned upon’. It probably didn’t help that they had cost both of their parents several hundred dollars in property damage. It would seem that the countless groundings and punishments didn’t seem to make their point. Even though Brice and Kallen’s friendship was ‘not preferred’ by their parents, it still remained as strong as ever.

 

                “Nothing,” Kallen said, shaking his head.

                “I heard about your little freak out in class.” Brice teased. Kallen stood their amazed at how fast news traveled in high school, that couldn’t have happened more than ten minutes ago and already the air was abuzz with ‘Kallen Dekes’ Nightmare Attack’. “So you want to tell me about it, or should I just believe that you wet your pants in class?”

               

                “I did not wet my pants!” Kallen protested. “I just had a bad dream and grunted in my sleep is all.”

 

                “Grunted? Please, from what I heard you screamed.” Brice persisted.

 

                “Shut up.” Kallen said, a small smile appearing on his face. He slugged his friend in the arm, and the two joined the river of students.

 

                Walking out to the parking lot, Kallen grabbed a pair of keys from his pocket. He had just got his driver’s license, and loved the feel of driving. Brice on the other hand, was terrified of driving and that had led to his first, second, and third failed attempts at getting a license. “So you just want to head home, or you want to stop at the arcade?” Kallen asked, climbing into the driver’s seat.

 

                “Let’s go to the arcade, the realtor is still probably showing our house to potential buyers right now.” Brice said. He and his family were in the process of moving and things were always hectic at the house. This had led to the situation of Brice staying with Kallen until his family found a new house.

 

                “To the arcade it is.”

 

…

                About fifteen minutes later, Kallen and Brice pulled up to Janus City’s one and only arcade. Surprisingly, the place was always busy. Most places like it had been shut down awhile ago, but this one had not only managed to stay on its feet, but also bring in some pretty serious revenue. It wasn’t a secret why, this arcade was equipped with a dozen Duel Visors.

 

                Duel Visors were and are an incredibly popular, and incredibly expensive, bit of merchandise that not many people had access to. Coming from wealthy families, both Kallen and Brice had a set, but found it was more entertaining to play at the arcade.

 

                Walking through the door of the arcade, a small bell ringing as it opened, the duo was hit with a sound of electronic sounds and the smell of greasy food. A man in his thirties walked up to the pair, holding out his arms in welcoming gesture. “If it isn’t my two favorite customers. How ya doin’ boys?” The man asked.

 

                “Pretty good, Mr. Helms.” Brice replied, fishing out a ten dollar bill from his wallet. As friendly as Mr. Helms was, he was still running a business and couldn’t afford to play favorites. Kallen copied his action, handing Mr. Helms the money.

 

                Walking over to where the Duel Visors sat, the two put the gleaming what helmets over their heads. They sat down on the monitors in front of them. “Ready to lose?” Kallen asked.

 

                “Please, you don’t stand a chance.”

 

…

                The man, if you could call him that, looked below at his servant. Towering over the small figure, he smiled slightly. According to this recent report, the bridge was near finishing. His agents in the human world were nearly done with their end of matters and just a few more deaths should finish the bridge.  Things were working out swimmingly. “Be gone.” The demon roared, smashing his giant staff on the ground. With yelp the scholarly demon scrambled out of the room. As the giant throne room door closed with a loud bang, the demon let out a laugh. Soon his dream would be realized.

[/spoiler]