[Fanfiction] Yu-Gi-Oh! GX: The Dark Wave [PG-13]

[VampireofDarkness]

It's a GX fanfic. What is there to say? Want to note though a quick credit to not just myself on the writing end but also YCM user Black D'Sceptyr and DeviantArt user AugustHenry4, and a thanks to DeviantArt user Dandanken for helping some on the cards. A big thanks to all 3 of them, as this could not be possible without them helping me flesh this out! Do feel free to leave feedback below or through PM, as I will be continuing this story over the next bit. Without further ado, enjoy!

 

[spoiler Chapter 1]

Chapter 1 – The Pilot

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. At the present time we would like you to look out the window to see your home for the next three years. As we will be landing soon, please return your seats to the upright position.” A buzz of static followed as the pilot took his finger off the intercom.

Three rows down, Damien Oemin, a sour-faced youth dressed dapperly in black turned his gaze towards the front of the cabin, taking his headphones out of his ears as the helicopter started its landing on the helicopter pad of Duel Academy Island. The door opened and all the passengers disembarked. Immediately he held his hands up as the light hit his eyes. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small pair of circular sunglasses and put them on. That’s better, he thought.

Then he took a look around, and not even his sour mood could hold off how impressed he was. Even though they were on the landing pad in the harbor on the western part of the island, the view was still incredible; jagged peaks of cliffs ran for miles as the trees of what little one could see of the forest jutted out into the sky. In the distance was the main building, surrounded by four large obelisks, though one was crumbling. Damien had to admit: As much as he didn’t like being outside, this was a nice view. The man was pompous, dragon-obsessed charlatan, but dammit, Seto Kaiba knew his real estate.

“Hey Reginald!” Damien heard one boy call to another. “Check it: Obelisk students go to a school surrounded by obelisks; it’s an Obelisk-on-obelisk world.”

“Hnyah,” laughed the friend.

Damien took a while to think it over before finally saying something. “It’s dog-eat-dog,” he corrected.

The two boys turned around to look at him. “What?” asked the one who’d made the joke.

“The saying is ‘it’s a dog-eat-dog world,’” Damien corrected again. The boy who made the joke shrugged. “So?”

“Nothing, it’s just… you’re completely butchering the phrase.”

“I’m just making a joke here man,” said the boy. “Nothing to worry your s*** about.”

“Yeah man, lighten up,” said the other boy called Reginald. Damien twitched, agitated. The boy’s annoying words made his blood boil. Lighten up. He knew it probably shouldn’t bother him, but it did. People were always saying that to him.

“I don’t ‘lighten up,’” he said temperamentally. He turned around on his heel, showing his outfit to the two boys. “Since you clearly can’t tell for yourselves, I’m a Goth. And Goths don’t ‘lighten up.’”

“Okay, whatever,” said the first boy, after which the two of them laughed and went on their merry way. Damien glared as the one called Reginald looked back at him and sneered. “Mainstream idiots,” he muttered under his breath.

“What? Those kids?” an unwanted arm made its way around Damien’s shoulder. The dapperly-dressed black-clad youth jumped as he looked up to see the stubble-laded face of the pilot. He looked at Damien for confirmation and he nodded. “Yeah, I can see what you’re on about. One’s pampered and the other’s not that much better. They’re nothing but trash, am I right?” he grinned at Damien.

“Don’t try to ingratiate yourself with me,” Damien answered, removing himself from the pilot’s grip. The pilot held up his hands. “Whoa there, sorry kid. Didn’t mean to be overly friendly.”

“Good, because I hate friendly people,” Damien replied. “They’re irritating as they are insincere. Like they’re anything more but a hop and skip off from the other conformists they pretend not to be.”

“Oh, I agree,” said the pilot. “I’ve flown a lot of kids over this ocean to this school and… well, I guess you can say I’ve been worn down by them. Really, some of the ones who really got into it at this school? They’re the ones no one’s said no to. They’re arrogant little shits who need to be shown a thing or two.” He looked down at Damien. “Really gets frustrating, you know?”

Damien smiled a bit. “Yeah,” he agreed. “I can relate.”

“And you wish you could be the one to do it,” added the pilot, a bit creepily. Damien picked up on this, but didn’t move away. “Yeah…”

“So in that case,” said the pilot, “You should come with me. I’ll show you something.” He pointed up toward the forest. “Meet me there in say, half an hour?”

Damien raised an eyebrow. “For what?” The pilot saw his expression and laughed. “Nothin’ like that, kid. Promise. Just want to make you an offer that I can’t make out here.”

“That sounds sketchy,” Damien remarked. The pilot laughed. “Doesn’t make me look good, does it? But trust me kid, I’m on the up-and-up.”

“Oh, are you?” said a voice. Both Damien and the pilot turned around and saw a raven-headed full-bodied woman standing behind them with one hand on her hip and her eyes narrowed firmly on the pilot, who saw fit to placate her. “I am, I promise.”

“That’s fine,” said the woman, “Now just mind yourself and keep it that way. Be off now.” The pilot put his hands in his pockets and skulked away. “Good riddance,” said the woman. She turned to Damien. “If he ever propositions you again, you come to me. I’m the school psychologist and will help you through whatever is bothering you.” She paused, but then suddenly remembered. “But I’ve been light on introductions, my apologies! My name’s Midori, but you can call me Professor Hibiki.”

“Umm, okay,” said Damien. He didn’t quite like psychologists. In his experience, a lot of them had thought themselves the next Sigmund Freud and tried to theorize on his hang-ups but only succeeded in exposing theirs. “But I’m really fine.”

“I see…” said the woman, her voice trailing off as she narrowed her eyes in the direction the pilot had gone. Damien groaned mentally. Good on this woman for doing her job looking out for him, but she was inconveniencing him all the same.

“Come on.” The woman grabbed Damien’s hand and led him off the pier. “Wait, where’re we going?” he asked.

“To the entrance ceremony,” replied the woman. “New students are required to attend.”

Damien groaned to himself again. He’d planned on skipping the ceremony and going to his dorm to sleep. But before he could protest, the woman tightened her grip and started walking east towards the main building, adjusting her direction like a tiller and pulling Damien along behind her.

# # #

Two and a half hours later, Damien followed Midori out of the main building in an even worse mood. The entrance ceremony had gone on too long, and all because the headmistress had to yammer on and on. His black jacket and neckerchief had been forcefully replaced with a standard Ra Yellow jacket – not forcefully, but goodness he was surprised Professor Hibiki hadn’t convinced him to hand over his wallet as well. When I get to the dorm, he thought, I’ll have this dyed black by yesterday.

Then he looked around him. He’d been so preoccupied with losing his favorite clothes that he hadn’t noticed the courtyard. Students in red, yellow and blue outfits all hung out here, amongst themselves – a sea of red, yellow and blue outfits as far as his eyes could see – leaning on large stone carvings while golf carts zipped all around them bringing students and luggage to their respective dorms, which depended on the color they wore.

“Are you listening Damien?” Midori’s voice snapped Damien out of his reverie. “I said I need you to help me bring my things to the Slifer Red dorm.”

“Why?” asked Damien. “I’m in Yellow.”

“I know. I’m going to show you around campus for a bit and then go to the Slifer Red dorm where I’ll get someone else to finish the tour for you.” And so Vellian doesn’t get his celebrity-seeking hands on him, she added somberly to herself mentally.

“Why?” Damien asked again. Midori looked at him reassuringly as she raised her hand to hail a golf cart. “I’m not ditching you, I promise. I just need to move in all my things from the boat.” Seeing Damien’s puzzled face, she clarified, “I only became the Slifer Red dorm advisor this year. Last year we had a different dorm advisor who disappeared and hasn’t returned, so I’m replacing him.” A golf cart pulled up in front of them. Midori replaced the driver in the driver’s seat and beckoned to Damien with her finger. “Now come along please. The boat’s this way.” Damien sighed again. Not wanting to trouble her, he reluctantly got on and sat down as Midori started the cart and drove them back west.

# # #

“So where’s home for you?” asked Midori as she turned the corner onto the bridge to the harbor. Damien sat in the back seat, his head turned away from her so as to look at the scenery. He briefly turned to look at her and considered an answer before deciding against it and turning back to the view. Midori didn’t mind; her degree was in adolescent psychology and she knew how teenagers tended to be. “That’s fine,” she said. “You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to. I just thought I’d make conversation is all.”

Please just get to the harbor, begged Damien in his thoughts. The sooner he got to his dorm, the sooner he could unpack and go to sleep for a bit. He still felt jetlagged from the flight and couldn’t wait for this to be over.

“We’re here!” Midori announced as she drew the golf cart alongside a row of crates. Damien was confused. “Where’s your stuff?” he asked.

“Over there.” Damien looked at Midori’s outstretched arm and followed the direction her finger was pointing until his gaze reached a row of suitcases that had already been unloaded by the harbor crew. There were seven of them but they were large, and four of them had had to be bound together two by two. Does she expect me to lift those? Damien asked himself. He didn’t work out after all; lifting those things would be a pain. Unless Midori planned to use a forklift.

She didn’t. To his chagrin she had planned on lifting the suitcases into the golf cart manually. As she hoisted the only unbound one – which was coincidentally the smallest – into the back seat, Midori smiled at him. “I know they might be big, but please bear with it, okay? One of my younger brothers goes here and he promised to help me when I got here, so he and his friend should be here shortly to help with these. Once we’re done here we’ll bring everything to the Slifer dorm and I’ll take all of you back to the main building on the golf cart, okay?” Damien paused for a second before answering. “Why’re you taking us back to the main building?”

“I have to go to a staff meeting, so he’s going to give you the rest of your tour.”

“I don’t want a tour. I just want to go back to my dorm and sleep,” said Damien, a bit more rudely than he’d intended. Thankfully Midori didn’t seem to mind. “Jetlag?” Damien nodded and saw her nod in that don’t-say-a-word-I-get-it-now way usually reserved for mothers. “Alright, let’s load some of these suitcases and then we can settle you in, okay?”

It dawned on Damien that in spite of the favor she was asking him, this woman was bending over backwards to help him get settled. So he inhaled, exhaled, sucked it up and walked over to the row, picking up the smaller of the two remaining suitcases bundled together. “Oooooooooooooeeeeeeeeeerrrrrr!” he groaned as he felt the weight.

“Yeah, they’re heavy,” said Midori. “So be careful.”

THIS SHOULD BE YOU, Damien screamed in his mind. Bending over backwards as she might be, this woman and her titanic luggage were making him bend over backwards even more. Damien groaned as he lugged the bundle onto the golf cart, taking quite a few breaks in between feet. “Where’s this brother of yours?” he asked impatiently.

Midori checked her watch. “He should be here any minute now to help with this last bundle.” Thirty seconds passed, then became a minute. Then three more minutes passed. The two of them waited and waited, but still their backup didn’t come.

Finally Midori had had enough. “The nerve of him!” She walked over to the last bundle. “It can’t be helped, Damien. We’ll have to do it without them.”

Damien said nothing as he took one end of the bundle. With Midori at the other end, the two lifted the bundle and brought it over to the golf cart (taking two or three breaks in between feet). As they finally managed to get the last suitcase piled up, Damien heard her mutter darkly under her breath. Whoever her younger brother and his friend were, they were so screwed.

“And we’re off again!” said Midori in a fake singsong tune as she climbed into the driver’s seat. Damien looked away as she started the cart and drove them back east.

# # #

The Slifer Red dorm was an unappealing and run-down simple two-story structure – though to many it looked more like an oversized shack – on the western end of the island just past the bridge. Midori had pointed it out to Damien on their way to the harbor, indicating where her residence would be and where her brother’s room was.

As Midori got out of the cart and purposefully strode over to the steps to the second story, Damien found himself feeling less and less for her brother. Considering the slacking sap had just left them hanging when they needed his help, he wasn’t inclined to feel bad for him anytime soon.

Midori was in much the same mind; she strode quickly up the steps to the second story and banged her fist on the very first door. “Jaden!” She banged her fist on it again. “Jaden, I know you’re in there! Open up or I’ll come in myself! I don’t care if I have to bang this door down!”

“Be right there…” came the groaning response. From his seat in the cart Damien saw the door open to admit a groggy-looking youth of about sixteen years with messy brown hair in a black T-shirt and boxers. That must be Jaden, thought Damien, who despite his irritation with the guy couldn’t blame him for sleeping in. “Jaden, are you tired?” he heard Midori ask in a honey-sweet voice.

“Yeah,” the boy called Jaden admitted. Damien heard Midori murmur awww… y’know, before slapping the s*** out of him. “Ow! Ow! Ow! That hurts, Midori-san!”

“Wonderful: That’s the point,” Midori retorted. “Where were you? You said you would help me bring my stuff up from the harbor on the first day of the new school year!”

“Wait, that was today?” Cue another round of dopeslaps. “Ow, ow, okay, okay! I get it, I messed up! Sorry!”

“Sorry is just words,” said Midori. “If you want to make it up to Damien and I, help us move my stuff into the dorm.”

“You’re moving into the dorm?!” Another round of dopeslaps. “Ow, ow, okay, fine! God, stop hitting me!”

“Stop being so uninformed! I only had this conversation with you four days ago, and I even texted you this morning!”

“I was asleep this morning!”

“Why were you sleeping in? Please tell me you didn’t just wake up now!”

“Alright, I won’t tell you,” said Jaden, which began dopeslap round number four. “Why. Were. You. Sleeping. In. Today?” she asked between dopeslaps.

“Because I was tired! And Sy and I were up marathoning the new Kamen Rider episodes!”

“And why is Kamen Rider more important than your sister?”

“It’s not!”

“Then why were you marathoning it instead of going to bed on time?”

Jaden rubbed the back of his neck. “I just… forgot,” he said, slumping his shoulders apologetically. “I’m sorry. I fouled on that one. Anyway, who’s Damien?”

Midori narrowed her eyes at her charge before nodding her head in the direction of the golf cart. “He’s in the golf cart below. Come down and say hi.”

“Wait, lemme get some pants on.” Jaden closed the door. Midori rubbed her brow between her thumb and index finger in consternation as the sound of a belt buckle jingled through the door through which Jaden emerged half a minute later, having put on white pants. “Where’s your stuff?” he asked, putting his arm through the sleeve of his jacket.

“Downstairs. Oh, and where’s Syrus?”

“He’s still sleeping.” Midori sighed. “Well in any case, come on down and meet Damien.”

“Sure thing,” Jaden looked around and saw Damien in the cart and waved to him. “Yo dude, what’s up? Welcome to Duel Academy!”

Damien said nothing. He just hmphed and looked away. He’s irritating, he thought. That whole bubbly, friendly demeanor of his just screams “mainstream.” Aaaaand, now I’m in a bad mood again.

He heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs and turned around to see the two of them coming toward him. “Damien, have you said hi to Jaden?” asked Midori. Damien knew she was only trying to get him to come out of his shell, but even still the coax in her tone made her sound like a mom trying to get her kid to play nice with the other kids, and it annoyed him to no end. Out of the corner of his eye Damien saw Jaden give him a little wave at the mention of his name. Still facing away from them, he gave a small, insincere wave of his own.

Midori sighed and turned to Jaden. “I’ve already given Damien a tour of the main building, the harbor, your dorm and the entire western campus. Could you show him the rest please?”

“Uh, yeah. Sure thing.”

“Great. Now come help us with my luggage like you promised.” Jaden grinned sheepishly as Damien got out of the cart, and the two of them immediately set to work, going back and forth delivering Midori’s heavy luggage to her dorm. Damien was allowed to rest on occasion, but Jaden was forced to work continuously until the task was done. “Whew!” Jaden sighed, relieved, and stretched his arms and legs out to relieve his aching muscles. “Glad that’s done!” He gave Damien a friendly pat on the back. “Am I right, Dayton?”

“It’s Damien,” insisted Damien irritably. “Either keep the name proper or keep it out of your mouth.” Jaden was slightly taken aback. “Sorry man.”

“Alright, that’s it!” Midori cheered. “All my bags are in. Now Jaden, you’ll show Damien the rest of the school?”

“Of course!” Jaden winked and gave Midori a single thumbs-up. Midori furrowed her brow at him, and then sighed. She then walked over to Damien and put a hand on his shoulder. “If you ever feel angry or agitated, or if you don’t know what to do, or even if something’s bothering you, come see me okay? As the school psychologist, I’m here for you, and I’m always available whenever you need me.” He didn’t understand why, but he didn’t mind her tone this time. It hadn’t changed, but the purpose was different. In any case, he nodded and Midori smiled before getting in the cart and driving away.

“Yo!” Jaden slapped his new underclassman playfully on the shoulder. “Ready for the rest of the tour?” He smiled at Damien, who scowled at him. Seeing his mistake, Jaden waved his hands in apology before pointing toward the forest. “First place we’re gonna go is there, okay? I’m gonna show you how to get around in there.”

“Why?” asked Damien. “It’s a forest. It’s not part of the campus.”

“Actually it is,” replied Jaden. “People have gotten lost in there before. And even if you don’t get lost, it can still be hard to get around in there, what with all the bushes and the pathways constantly twisting and turning. So just follow me, okay?” Before Damien could reply, he burst out, “Oh wait! Better idea-I’ll just steer you though it!” He put his hands on Damien’s shoulders and began driving him towards the forest. “This way you can get a feel for the forest yourself!”

“Hey! Let go!” protested Damien. But they fell on deaf ears.

# # #

I hate this, he thought as Jaden pushed him through the forest. The redcoat had no concept of gentleness, and every time the path curved, twisted, turned, or even just shot out in a random direction, he would jerk Damien’s shoulders in the new direction. Plus his grip was too firm; his fingertips dug into Damien’s shoulders. “Lighten up, won’t you?” he asked. “Your grip’s too tight!”

“Huh? Oh, sorry,” came the rushed reply. Damien pursed his lips. He already didn’t like Jaden, but now he hated him. To his credit though, Jaden loosened his grip before pressing on. He showed Damien which paths led where and even advised him which ones to walk on after a rainy day. “You’ll want to choose a rocky path,” he would say. “Dirt paths’ll get wet and make you slip, but rocky paths are the same whether they’re wet or dry, so those are the ones you want.”

One description of most of the ins and outs of the expansive forest later, the seething pit of anger in Damien’s heart toward Jaden had diminished to a smoldering coal as they came to what could be described as a clearing; it had fewer trees, but these were bigger and had longer branches, and so they blocked the sunlight just as much as the rest of the forest.

“This is one of the camp spots,” Jaden explained, letting go of Damien’s back. “This is one you’ll want if you ever want to go camping after a rainy day. It’s drier than a clearing, but if you want to look up at the stars before hitting the sack, then a clearing spot is the way to go.”

“No thanks,” muttered Damien. “I don’t like camping.”

“Oh, okay,” said Jaden. “Well what do you like?” Damien was taken aback by the redcoat’s undeterred friendliness. “I, uh…” his voice trailed off, unsure; not of himself, but of what to say. “I like dark things.” He saw Jaden’s brow furrow in confusion. “It’s like…” he held up his hands as if he could somehow explain things with them, then changed his mind. “Forget it. You wouldn’t understand.”

“Why not?” asked Jaden. He didn’t mean to, obviously, but this one little question threw the last bit of gasoline onto the coal and reignited the fire.

“Because you’re not like me!” said Damien. “You’re a perky, airheaded mainstreamer and I’m not. One of us is in the limelight frolicking in the watered-down culture spoon-fed to them like a pig in mud, and the other is on the fringe in a subculture – the Goths – where this stuff falls flat and fails fast.”

“Huh?” came Jaden’s confused reply. Damien swore he could feel his veins. “You’re in the limelight enjoying the watered-down culture spoon-fed to you,” he explained. “While I’m on the fringe in a subculture, where everything’s more profound.”

Jaden’s brow shot up. “Sub-what?”

“See?” Damien pointed out. “You haven’t even heard of subcultures!” Just ask me how I know you’re terrifyingly think, he added to himself.

“Well I didn’t even know there were any,” Jaden replied in his own defense.

“And surprise surprise junior, that’s the problem!” insisted Damien. “Too many people only spend their lives in their own little bubble, never going outside of it to see what else there is! They always stay in their pods, blind to the world around them and the darkness under it! Mainstream culture, by its very nature, is vapid and uninteresting; it is only by going outside their comfort zones can people truly experience life in its fullest form, which is the only true way to live it!” He threw back his arms to encompass the forest looming over both Duelists’ heads. “Not through staring at stars and Kumbayas and nearly dislocating your ‘friend’s’ shoulders to show them things they’ll never like in places they’ll never go!”

“If you’re saying that people sometimes need to do things they normally don’t in order to live life to the fullest, then I agree,” said Jaden. “Because that sounds like what you’re saying. Is it?” Damien looked at him, piqued yet disappointed. “Err… sort of,” was all he said.

He searched his mind for an explanation when Jaden held up a hand. “Whoa, wait here for a sec, willya? I gotta take a whiz.” Damien shut his eyes, exasperated. “That’s more than I needed to know!” he said as Jaden made his way down the path to find a spot. He hmphed to himself and turned around to look at his surroundings.

“There you are,” said a voice. Damien jumped as he turned around to see the pilot right behind him. “Where did you come from?” he asked.

“I was here the whole time,” answered the pilot. “I was waiting for you to show up. You’re late.”

“For what?” asked Damien uneasily.

The pilot looked up at him with a suspicious grin on his face. “I am here to save and be saved. To bring upon the condemnation that people are too jaded to hear and too stubborn to accept. To bring this unfit populace, this filth of a people to where they ought to be,” he said cryptically. “I’m not from this world, you see. I was sent away from my home in disgrace. Banished, you might say. And this world you live in is not to my tastes.”

“I know how that feels,” said Damien, knowingly. The pilot smirked. “That’s why I’m glad I found you,” he went on, “Because the people of this world are repulsive, don’t you agree?” Damien nodded, then felt strange for doing so. “They’re ugly and rude. They don’t understand what it’s like to be on the outside looking in.” Damien’s eyes widened as the man’s words resonated with him. “Normal people don’t understand,” he said.

“Exactly,” said the pilot. “I need to go home, and the people of this world need to be shown a thing or two. So what’s say we help each other?”

Something went off in Damien’s mind; something deep down that kept telling him to back away. “Hold on,” he said, “You’re a pilot, aren’t you? Just fly your ship back home.”

“I have no ship,” replied the pilot. “That plane down there that brought you here is worthless for getting me home. And this body’s fading fast.”

More alarm bells rang in Damien’s mind. “What do you mean your body’s fading fast?” The pilot’s brow shot up in confusion before he recognized what he’d said. “Right. Well, here’s the fact, lad. I’m not a person, nor an alien. I’m a Duel Spirit from a completely separate dimension entirely. I’ve been banished and I want to get back home.”

“But you’re banished,” Damien replied. “You can’t go home.”

“Oh but I can,” answered the pilot. “I’m not going to do anything illegal, mind you. I just want to go back home where I’ll lay low and never do anything to upset anybody ever again.”

“You never answered my question,” said Damien, backing away. “What do you mean your body’s fading fast?”

“I was getting to that,” said the pilot. “As a Duel Spirit, I can’t manifest in this dimension. It’s full of things that pain me when I try to form without a vessel.”

“A vessel?” echoed Damien. The pilot nodded. “You’d think we spirits would have it easy picking our vessels. Just find anyone and pop right in. But did you know that when a spirit inhabits a vessel they take on the same physical ailments as their host?” He gripped the pilot’s paunch. “This vessel is ill. I don’t know the word for it, but it’s something about having to stick himself with a needle for some Type II condition or other. I have no time for needles or mortal upkeep you see, so I went on without it. And wouldn’t you know this body’s starting to die.”

“So take the injection,” said Damien obviously, having recovered his nerve. “And quit wasting my time.”

“Oh, look at the young man here with his razor-sharp wit,” said the pilot sarcastically. “By the time I started, they told me it was too late, and now this body’s dying. So I need a new vessel.”

“Wait, hold on,” said Damien. “You went and inhabited this guy’s body until he became terminal, and now that he’s dying you want out?” Once he said it he realized how bad it made this man sound. “I’m sorry, but that’s low.”

“This man’s no saint,” replied the pilot, referring to his host. “He has three ex-wives and eight children, and yet you levy fault at me for the pain he’s brought on himself? You’re seriously thinking I should feel bad for him?”

“Well no,” admitted Damien. “Granted that’s utterly vile of him, but I mean, you can’t just go doing that to people. What if you possessed someone who didn’t deserve something like that and they ended up dying?”

“Possession isn’t fatal,” assured the pilot. “And besides, no one I’ve possessed to date hasn’t deserved it. Not that I’m punishing them of course. I’m just trying to get home, but being banished I have no choice but to find someone to help me bring home to me.”

“And you think that’s me?” asked Damien.

“Quite right,” said the pilot. “As I just said, I’m banished. I can’t go home. But then I figured, ‘why not bring home to me?’ So I went from vessel to vessel to find the perfect one. Everyone I possessed wasn’t up to it. They either resisted me or had a sickness. In any case, something always went wrong. But you boy, you’re special. You’re not only healthy enough, but you’re also in much the same way as I. Always on the outside looking in, isn’t that right?”

Damien said nothing. He suddenly didn’t want to tell this man anything more. He looked back behind him. Where’s Jaden? How long does it take someone to use the bathroom?

“So anyway,” went on the pilot, “I need a vessel to keep me stable, who’ll work with me on bringing everyone in this bothersome world into a new world where they’ll be brought into new ways of seeing. I need someone,” he said with purpose, “To bring me and these people to my world. You know, like a pilot.” He smiled sinisterly at Damien. “What do you say?”

Damien shook his head. “No,” he said simply. “Just… no. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I think this world and all the people in it suck, but I’m not about to go partnering with a trans-dimensional… whatever you are!”

The pilot’s face fell. “I’m disappointed,” he said. “Had you chosen to join me, your reward would’ve eclipsed the world. But no matter,” he said. “I’ll still get what I want.”

“What?!”

“I said I needed you. I’m not really giving you a choice,” said the pilot, as the pupils of his eyes expanded to cover the irises and sclerae. Darkness began to pour out of his body and form around him. “Your compliance is no longer a factor at this point. I’m banished and dying, so since you won’t help me by choice, I’ll make you help me.”

“You’re not taking me by force!” yelled Damien. He spotted a log next to his foot and threw it at the pilot, who ducked. By the time the pilot looked up, Damien was gone. No matter, he thought, I know where the boy’s headed.

# # #

Damien ran and ran until the forest came to a dead end. He turned around and saw the pilot advancing towards him. “No use boy,” he said. “Just give in and forward my great unification.” Damien recoiled at how that would sound in any other context. But as he turned his head, he saw a small shed nearby. Good! Maybe there’s something in there I can use to smack him with!

A surge of blackness erupted from the pilot and lunged at him. He ducked and made a beeline for the shed, flinging open its contents to find implements that were way too small to be of any use. “Damn!” he muttered. With nothing in the shed that could help him, he left the cabin only to find the pilot a few feet away outside, slowly limping closer and closer. But as he got closer, Damien noticed the pilot’s breathing becoming heavier and heavier as his skin was now a noticeable shade of gray. As Damien found nothing in his immediate vicinity to help him, he closed his eyes and waited for the end.

It never came. After a few seconds, Damien heard a thump and opened his eyes to see the pilot’s body on the ground. “Curse it all,” muttered the pilot.

“So much for taking me by force then,” said Damien, before recoiling at what he said. “Give it up, creep. You can’t have me and that’s that. You’re knocking on death’s door now, so just accept defeat and move on.” He said those last words with finality, as if they were a euphemism.

But the pilot looked up with a smile on his face. “It doesn’t matter,” he said cryptically. “I’ll make you my pilot whether you like it or not. You think this is the only tactic I have? You’re deadly mistaken. I have other ways to make you do what I want.”

At that, the swirling blackness that surrounded the pilot erupted out of his body, twisting and coalescing into a form Damien hadn’t seen before. The form appeared to be somewhere between a liquid and a gas but never being fully one of them; to Damien, it looked as if it were both smoke and ink at the same time.

“My name is Pontius,” said the formless mass of black, “And you will see me again. Mark my words Damien Oemin, you will do as I want. You will fall to my will, and this world will follow suit.”

And with that, the mass of formless black that called itself Pontius sped away to the southeast, leaving Damien and the pilot behind. “That was weird,” muttered Damien. When he got no response from the pilot, he saw that the body wasn’t moving. “Oh s***.”

He ran over and, being careful to wrap his jacket around his hand so as not to leave fingerprints, grabbed the pilot’s wrist and felt for a pulse. His eyes widened as he felt not a single beat, and it dawned on him exactly how close to the end this man had been. “Oh God…” he sat there wide-eyed as the realization of what Pontius had done struck him. “That sick motherf***er!”

“Huh? What?” Damien jumped as he heard a voice and some bushes rustling. He turned around to see Jaden making his way through the underbrush. “Where were you?” he asked, “I looked all over for you when I got back but you weren’t there.” He saw the mix of sadness and horror on Damien’s face. “What happened, bro? Did something happen?”

“Yeah,” said Damien in a quiet voice, pointing to the pilot’s corpse. Realizing how that could be interpreted, he rushed to give context. “There was this black stuff, and it was a spirit, and…”

“And it possessed someone and tried to possess you but wasn’t able to, right?” asked Jaden. One of Damien’s eyebrows shot up. “How’d you?...”

“Weirder stuff’s happened here,” said Jaden with a shrug. “You shoulda been here last year. Man, s*** when down then.” He saw Damien’s expression and sought to relieve it. “Nothing you gotta worry about of course!”

“Yeah okay,” said Damien, “But now what do we do about the body? If someone sees us here they’ll think we did it.”

“Well we can’t just leave him here,” Jaden noted. “We should tell Midori-san what happened.” Damien thought it over: Midori had been there when the pilot had been acting weird at the harbor, and would probably be inclined to believe that he had killed him in self-defense if anything. “Yeah sure,” he agreed, to which Jaden nodded and took out his school-issued communicator. “Hey, Midori-san? Sorry to bother you, but something happened…”

# # #

Twenty minutes later, Jaden and Damien were sitting in Chancellor Sheppard’s office. Jaden was relaxing and sitting back in his chair, but Damien sat up straight, a pile of frayed nerves. When Midori had arrived on the scene, she’d called campus transport and had the pilot taken immediately to Nurse Fontaine’s office. “It’s nothing to worry about,” she’d told them. “He’s not dead, just in a diabetic coma.” With that, Midori had gotten a message from Crowler demanding to see Jaden and Damien at once.

Jaden looked over and saw his junior twitching nervously. “Relax,” he assured him. “We’re not in trouble. Crowler just wants to get an account of what happened.”

“…is what Hibiki may have said,” replied Damien, “But she probably just said that to get us to come along quietly and not protest. Maybe she said that to put us at ease and we really are in trouble. Or me, rather.”

“If you were in trouble,” said a voice, “No one here would lie about it.” Damien tensed even further as he saw the tall frame of Dr. Vellian Crowler enter the room and sit down in Chancellor Sheppard’s oversized chair. “Now then,” he said with gravitas. “What’s all this about a dead body?” Damien gulped, but Jaden patted him on the shoulder. “It’s all good, man. Just tell him what happened.”

“Well,” began Damien nervously, “There was this pilot, the one who flew the new students here in the helicopter. He’d been possessed by this black… thing, and that black thing wanted me to be its new vessel. It tried to possess me but it ran out of time, and then the black stuff just left the pilot’s body behind. That’s it, I swear.” To his surprise, he saw Crowler nod solemnly behind his tented fingers. “I see,” he replied. “And did this black thing say anything else to you about what it wanted?”

“Something about making me a pilot,” said Damien. “Because he – it – whatever, wanted to go home, but somehow that involved bringing his own dimension here, somehow? I don’t know. I got confused and-“

“Shhh, relax young scholar. Breathe,” Crowler spoke softly, using a tone he’d learned in his years of studying adolescent education. “You’re not in trouble here. Everyone here believes you.”

“Wait, you do?” asked Damien. Crowler nodded. “Incidents like this tend to happen on our island. Please know, however, that these events are few and far between, and when they do happen, they are swiftly dealt with.” He paused for a moment to think. Then he pulled out a file folder and set it on the blotter on what was now his desk before looking at Jaden. “You may go.”

“Gotcha.” Jaden gave Crowler two thumbs-up before getting out of the chair. He patted Damien once again on the arm – to Damien’s consternation – before walking out through the automatic doors.

Crowler turned back to Damien. “Can you think of any reason why this character wanted you? Did it have to be you, specifically?” Damien nodded. “Something about how we both didn’t like the people here.”

That last bit caught Crowler’s attention. “And why’s that?”

“Well, it’s just that everyone here’s mainstream,” explained Damien, emphasizing mainstream as if to make it a dirty word. “And I’m a Goth. I know what it’s like to be a part of their culture, but they have no idea what it’s like to be part of mine. They don’t understand me, and when I tried to tell two guys about it at the harbor when we first came in they just laughed at me.”

Crowler nodded. He took out some paper and wrote down something on it before putting it in the file folder before pressing a button on the intercom. “Vice-Chancellor Bonaparte, could you come in please?”

A second later, the automatic doors on the left side of the room – Damien’s left, Crowler’s right – opened up to admit a small man with a twined beard and regal getup. Damien thought he looked rather pompous.

The regal twine-bearded man walked over to Crowler’s desk and received the file from him. Damien caught a glimpse of his name on the small part. “Please ensure Professor Hibiki gets this,” said Crowler. The Vice-Chancellor nodded and exited back through the doors. “What was that about?” asked Damien.

“What was what about?” asked Crowler.

“That file. It had my name on it. I thought you said you believed me.”

“I absolutely believe you, young scholar. Please don’t worry about that. It’s just that the circumstances are worrisome.”

“What circumstances?” asked Damien. Crowler elaborated. “This individual approached you knowing you were isolated and vulnerable to try and take advantage of you,” he said seriously. “While it’s a relief to know you defeated them, there’s still two issues: The fact that this individual could come back, since you told Professor Hibiki that it ‘sped away’ after your encounter, and the fact that you seem to be…” his voice trailed off as he searched for a suitable word. Finding none, he articulated it in a different way. “Well, it chose you because you are on a cultural fringe, and appear to be alone. It’s always the isolated quiet types that end up…” Crowler searched for another appropriate way to say it. “At risk,” he said finally, although he wasn’t entirely sure it fit. Damien saw right through what he was doing and bristled. “You think I’m at risk?” he asked in disbelief. “I’m not some kid who’s been whacked around by their parents, Doctor Crowler, I’m just misunderstood!”

Before Crowler could say anything more, Damien rose and left his office. These absolute bloody thronesniffers think I’m one of those loners who goes postal on everybody and shoots them up! Unbelievable! he thought.

“Hey man!” called Jaden. “Where’re you-“

“To my dorm!” snapped Damien. “And away from you!” he strode angrily past Jaden to the elevator. Jaden followed him. “Hey dude, what’s the matter?”

“YOU’RE THE MATTER, YOU IDIOTIC PISSANT!” snapped Damien. “Go away and STAY AWAY!” He pressed a button and waited impatiently for the doors to close

“Wait, hold on,” said Jaden as he stepped through the door. Damien’s temper flared. “DAMMIT YUKI, JUST f*** OFF!” he yelled, shoving Jaden out of the elevator. The redcoat landed painfully on his back end and rubbed it sorely.

Before he could do anything else, the elevator doors closed and Damien was gone, his middle finger providing the final word on his thoughts of Jaden’s presence since meeting him.

# # #

After finally managing to ditch Jaden, Damien walked out of the elevator onto a catwalk on top of Duel Academy. Almost immediately – after a quick check around to see that Jaden wasn’t tailing him – Damien’s thoughts began to drift as he made his way across.

CRASH! His thoughts were interrupted before they could begin as he fell to the ground opposite a kid in a blue coat. Damien checked his memory: Had he still been walking? If not, the other kid certainly had. They recognized each other as their eyes came into contact. “You!” called Damien. “The kid from the docks who made fun of me!”

“I wasn’t making fun of you!” snapped the kid. “And watch where you’re going, you-“

Before he could finish, a hand pressed on his head. “Relax man. We can go the lightning round now, or I can just apologize for not telling you he was there sooner.” Damien and the kid from the docks looked up to see the other kid who had been there.

The spiky-haired kid’s shoulders sagged. “I…well....I'll let it go this time. Give him my regards, I’m going to check on-“ Again, the much taller kid started. “C’mon Reginald. You were the one who said we needed to expand our little circle if we’re going to keep our top spots at the Academy-you in dueling, me in business and….”

“-now who’s being flippant?” Reginald shot back. “Just introduce us to him for me-think I destroyed my wrist on the impact.”

“…Funny.” The larger man quickly went to offer a hand to the still down and stunned Damien, who looked at it as if it were a rotten fish. “My name’s Dian,” he said friendlily, “And you’re….?”

“Not taking your hand,” said Damien standoffishly. “Seriously, if you think I’m gonna take that thing it’s gonna be a long decade.”

Dian took back his hand. “Well in any case, I’ll leave him to you Reginald. Just meet me in Duel Theory later. The less time I have to spend around Atticus and his atrociously smug grin, the better.” With that, he was off. Reginald gave a slow whistle. “If I didn’t know him, I’d say he was allergic to a showdown.” He turned and addressed Damien. “I’m Reginald van Howell. Buuuut I’m sure you already know me.”

Preppy brat number 1063, how could I forget? Damien thought. But what he said was, “Should I? Feels like everyone else at this Academy needs a ‘Beware of Dumb’ sign.”

“I’ll try to ignore that that may have included my friend Dian.” Reginald made a sweeping gesture with his left arm, the right still crooked behind his back. “But if you truly do think that, I think we’ve already found our first thing in common!”

Damien’s left eyebrow almost disappeared into his hair. “Wha?”

“Well, you didn’t expect this priceless coat of mine to be empty, did you? For shame.” Reginald’s beaded eyes twinkled. “And to think, the one they call the Gothic Gladiator for being withdrawn yet smart is this blind to someone who just wants to extend a friendly hand. This Academy’s full of losers and saps-I hope I haven’t found another.”

“So what, I’m just supposed to think you hate these neanderthals as much as I do?” Damien scoffed. “Bull-s***. Even if I did believe you, what’re you so interested in me for?”

“Besides the fact I’ve started up a coalition of the willing to Duel these reprobates into submission? Besides the fact that I’m probably one of the few Blues you’ll meet to give your Dorm of Ra a first look, let alone a second?” Reginald walked up to Damien and put a hand on his shoulder. “Oh don’t act too surprised, my good fellow. I take great pride to say I’m a fan of yours. Frankly, anyone who dissects this Dueling community – this rancid empire that cares more about wins and losses than worth and logic – brings me a smile every time.”

“You must’ve liked getting Eve to eat that apple,” remarked Damien. “Given you’re a silver-tongued snake and all. Listen, let me tell you something, Reginald van Howell – which is the most pretentious name ever by the way – you don’t have the stones to fight my fight. If so, then maybe I’ll oblige you. For instance, don’t ever touch me. No one is allowed to touch me. Ever.” He then pointed at Reginald’s left arm-the one still behind his back even throughout their whole conversation. “That’s a Duel Disk, yeah? Show it to me, I've got something important to say on that front.”

This time, it was Reginald’s time to snort. Weirdly enough though, he complied….

…to reveal a shining company-issue Duel Disk, Deck inside freshly loaded. “Well, secret’s out-I’m a Duelist too. So is there any reason to-”

“Stop talking.” Damien pinched his nose, then finally took hold of Reginald’s Duel Disk. “Right then. This Disk you carry? This is your rite of passage into a world of pain and pressure-and the silver bullet to help you survive it. Never carry this, unless you’re ready to use it. Too many people outside this gilded cage do it and it'll set them up for the world's biggest fall. Wouldn't be surprised if the latest assembly-line asshat Zane Truesdale joins the club soon.”

Damien let go of Reginald’s Duel Disk at last, wiping his hand on his slacks as if he’d just grabbed something dirty. “And an addendum to that last rule? Never use it unless you plan to put your opponent down. Hard.”

“Why, indeed, do you think I'm the enemy, Damien?” Reginald asked. “We’ve the same issues, the same Dueling style – even the same foes, if you’re as tired of that insolent dorm-disgracing whelp Princeton-”

Almost immediately, Damien was in his face. “You selfish douche! There is no thinking about something like this! You are the enemy! Proto-troglodyte Jaden Yuki is the enemy! Everyone here is the enemy! The life I lead and customs I follow allow me to survive this sea of ignorance in the Dueling world! Being me-being a Goth? That involves knowing the darkness inside of you, and instead of rejecting it like it's not as clear and present as your shadow, embracing it. Being molded by it. Knowing it’s there and its purpose-not as some shroud to the evils of the world, but a way to expose it! Doing it yourself and for nobody else, because THEY WON’T! DO IT! FOR YOU!”

Damien took a step back and sighed. “Current free-of-charge lecture notwithstanding of course.” His look turned hard again. “And ‘they’ are a lot bigger than you think. ‘They’ are waiting in the wings for your every trip-up to bury you alive in sound and fury, signifying the nothingness their lives will never stop being. ‘They’ are the ones who call us cross-eyed for the disgust we have at seeing them-no, seeing through them. They’re monsters, Reginald-ones that put the creatures printed on our cards to shame-and we the Goths pay the price for harboring the conscience they’ve thrown away!”

He finally paused for breath. “You say you’re a fan? I take no pride in saying this, nor any glee in its truth. I. Don’t. Need fans. I need an understanding of this simple. Little. Fact. You wanna help that cause?” He pointed at the doorway he had come from to make it to this catwalk. “Then may I kindly suggest you keep your distance until you do-because I'm sorry, I really am, but I've no time for people that rarely devote any to themselves and where they actually stand. In short,  take your… friend’s…” he said as if it were the word tapeworm, “…advice, and stop walking into things – and people – that you don’t understand.”

Reginald finally straightened up. “Well, this has been… enlightening. I’ll keep it in mind – along with the fact you’ve technically not refused my amnesty.” His look grew sharp as he took a couple of paces back. “But I’ll tell you this then: Monsters aren’t just made by action, but also by the lack of it. Those Slifers off in the glorified janitor’s closet you’ve been dodging lately, Jaden most of all? They’re the epitome of it. Be careful that while looking for monsters under the bed that you don’t look for the ones inside your head.”

With that, Reginald took his leave, to Damien’s intensive surprise. So much so, that he didn’t notice the growing particles of void-like pools of red pooling behind him. Hm. Nice to see someone actually consider the advice I give them instead of sticking their heads in the sand. He closed his eyes for a second. Still, there’s something about him that just sets me off. Why does he think he’s a fan of mine with his positioning? Why does he want me to join his stupid clique? And why did he just walk off on the first warning?

Then his eyes opened again and beheld his own reflection.

Two of them, actually, each on one of the glowing golden eyes now only four feet separated from him, and the clouds of black forming behind it.

# # #

Reginald van Howell III, after getting to the doorway, only barely managed to keep from cracking a grin. “Almighty God, I thought that kid would never shut up!” His relieved expression then slowly grew to a rather disturbing grin. Oh yes, Damien Oemin, I know all about you. Your boo-hoo stories, your abysmal musical sense, your ability to bore everyone around you to death with your constant b****ing. And with this, Reginald finally took cover behind one of the pillars alongside the catwalk’s thresh, safely obscured from Damien’s view. And most importantly, Mr. Paint it Black….I know what you play. A light chuckle accompanied that final chilling statement.

Maybe you're right though. Perhaps I should keep my nose of other’s business. Reginald’s left hand finally crept underneath the wrist of his Duel Disk… and pulled out a card hidden there. Problem is when it comes to making sure that dorm-disgracing dinosaur, Chazz-Been Princeton is put down and run out of this Academy…

A white-haired warrior paladin shrouded in crimson lightning, with a blade of similar hue being drawn from its sheath on her him, stared back at Reginald. …her business is now my business.

A violent CLANG of metal on metal brought his attention out of his pilfered prize, and he turned his head out of the pillar, a bit wary that he could have been overheard. But alas, the sound traveled farther than the scene… of Damien weaving away from the menacing pose of a looming entity that seemed to be made of a thick black fog.

What the s*** is that?! Reggie hollered in his mind lest he be heard and found out. Something was amiss, but Obelisk Blue’s top freshman wasn’t gonna question it now-or even acknowledge that mysteriously nagging nerve digging into his head to possibly return what he’d taken from Damien since he’d clearly need it now more than him. Choosing instead to move a bit closer to the action and decide from there, Reginald took cover behind another one of the high platforms, next to the scene, his heart a pickaxe against his ribs.

“Back again, are we?” asked Damien to the black fog. “I thought I told you no.”

“What you say is of no consequence,” replied the black fog, its voice otherworldly and eerie. “Now just give in to my grand unification.” Reggie stirred. Did these two know each other?

“No!” insisted Damien. It was the best reply he could come up with at the time. He noticed a Duel Disk sticking out of a nearby backpack left behind by one of the other students a few feet away. He made a beeline for it and took the Disk out, strapping it on. “If you want my body then you’ll have to face me for it!” he insisted.

He heard a small intake of air from the black fog, before the air was released. He recognized it as the black fog exhaling in frustration. The black fog raised what Damien realized was an arm, and a metallic Duel Disk sprung from its seams on the side like a spider’s silk, likely a black widow considering the source. “Let’s do this then,” said the fog, resigned to the contest.

The two contenders engaged their Duel Disks. Damien shuffled and inserted his Deck. Their Life Point counters lit up, displaying four thousand for each. “LET’S DUEL!” they said in unison, drawing their first five cards.

“I’ll start,” said Pontius. He drew his card. “I’ll call my Pandemonium Princess to the field in Attack Mode!”

Short, yet energetic, his Level one Fiend sprang out of a red-black circle in front of the smoky entity and brought forward its armored fists.

 

Pandemonium Princess (DARK):
Level 1
[Fiend/Effect]
If this card is Normal Summoned, you can add 1 “Zera”, “Pandemonium” or “DeVille” card from your Deck to your hand, except “Pandemonium Princess”. If this Attack Position monster battles an opponent’s Special Summoned monster, change it to Defense Position before damage calculation. If this card you possess is sent to the Graveyard while you control “Pandemonium”, you can add this card from your Graveyard to your hand. You can only use each of this card’s effects once per turn.
ATK/ 300 DEF/ 800

 

“And now I’ll activate her effect,” he continued. “I can add one ‘Zera’, ‘Pandemonium’ or ‘DeVille’ card from my Deck to my hand. I’ll chose Pandemic Wasteland.” Immediately, a card shot out of Pontius Duel Disk and into his other-armor-coated hand. “Of course, this Pandemic Wasteland of mine also doubles as a Pandemonium-but your pain has only just begun, dark savior.”

“’Dark savior?’” asked Damien incredulously. “What are you talking about?!”

“Legend tells of a prince,” explained Pontius. “One with the power of darkness. Supposedly this figure acts to serve and protect. ‘Dark savior’ is just me embellishing.” Before Damien could reply, he continued. “Next I’ll discard my Prince Iris of Pandemonium to Special Summon Fiendish Rhino Warrior in Defense Mode!”

 

Prince Iris of Pandemonium (DARK):
Level 4
[Fiend/Effect]
You can discard this card to Special Summon 1 Fiend-Type monster with 1800 or less DEF from your hand in Defense Position, and if so, it gains this effect: *If it is destroyed by battle or card effect, shuffle 1 “Pandemonium” card from your Graveyard into the Deck, then add 1 “Pandemic” Spell Card from your Deck to your hand.
You can only use 1 copy of this effect per turn, and only once that turn. When you control “Pandemonium”, other Fiend-Type monsters you control gain 200 ATK.
ATK/ 1800  DEF/ 0

 

A gigantic rhino-like anthropomorphic beast came out of a similar red-on-black void, arms braced in front of itself and knelt on one knee.

 

Fiendish Rhino Warrior (EARTH):
Level 3
[Fiend/Effect]
Fiend-Type monsters you control (except copies of this card) cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects. If this card is sent to the Graveyard, you can send 1 Fiend-Type monster (except a copy of this card) from your Deck to the Graveyard. You can only use 1 copy of this effect per turn, and only once that turn.
ATK/ 1400  DEF/ 900

 

“Then I’ll Set two cards face-down and end my turn,” finished Pontius, placing the cards in the slots as the blackness swirled around him. “This won’t change anything you know. You’ll fall to me. Everyone else did eventually.”

“Will you shut up?” asked Damien. “I’m not about to hand myself over to some creepy poltergeist – then, now or ever! My draw!” He drew his card and checked his hand. Perfect, he thought. I’ll deal with his face-down card first. “I activate Heavy Storm!”

Both the Spell Card-and the powerful windfall it brought forth-sprang forth with great impact, causing Pontius’s form to nearly become caught up in the tempest. But Pontius was ready. “Not so fast!” he called. “Before your storm does away with it, I activate my trap, Pandemic Wasteland!”

 

Heavy Storm:
Normal Spell Card
Destroy all Spell and Trap Cards on the field.

 

Pandemic Wasteland:
Continuous Trap Card
(This card’s name is always treated as “Pandemonium”.)
You can only control 1 copy of this card. All non-Fiend-Type monsters on the field lose 500 ATK. Once a turn on your opponent’s turn you can pay 1000 Life Points to add 1 “Pandemonium” monster that can be Normal Summoned or Set from your Deck to your hand. Immediately after this effect resolves, Normal Summon that monster. If this face-up card in the Spell & Trap Zone would be destroyed, you can send 1 Level 5 or higher Fiend-Type monster from your Deck to the Graveyard instead; you can only use this effect once while this card is face-up on the field.

 

“This card allows me to add one ‘Pandemonium’ monster that I can Normal Summon from my Deck to my hand by paying one thousand Life Points,” said Pontius, dropping his Life Points to three thousand. “And then it lets me Normal Summon it afterward!”

“Hold it!” said Damien. “I’ll MST that before you get the chance!”

Yet another raging twister sprang from Damien’s activated Quick-Play Spell Card, tearing through Pandemic Wasteland and shattering it. Then Pontius grimaced as his other Set card, a Normal Trap called Reckless Pandemic was also broken to pieces by the fierce building winds of Heavy Storm. “And then,” continued Damien, “I’ll activate Foolish Burial to send my Rassassin, the Other Sorceress from my Deck to the Graveyard!”

Reginald, overhearing the maneuver from his hideaway, scoffed at it. “Goodness, what’s he doing wasting that card just to send another monster to the Graveyard?” His ears then perked up. “Unless….”

“After sending Rassassin from my Deck to the Graveyard,” continued Damien, “I’ll activate Premature Burial to bring her back!”

 

Premature Burial:
Equip Spell Card
Pay 800 Life Points to activate this card, then Special Summon 1 monster from your Graveyard in Attack Position and equip it with this card. When this card is destroyed, destroy the equipped monster.

 

“So I’ll pay eight hundred Life Points in order to call Rassassin back to the field!” Damien lowered his Life Points to thirty-two hundred and placed Rassassin’s card in a Monster Zone. “Welcome back, Rassassin!”

 

Rassassin, the Other Sorceress (DARK):
Level 6
[spellcaster/Effect]
Once a turn you can negate the effects of 1 opponent’s card they control, and if it is a monster, it cannot attack while this card is face-up on the field. If this card is in your Graveyard, you can send 1 DARK monster you control with 0 DEF or 2500 ATK to the Graveyard to Special Summon this card. Your opponent must control monsters whose total ATK is greater than the total ATK of monsters you control for you to activate and resolve this effect. You can only Special Summon 1 copy of this card per turn.
ATK/ 2400  DEF/ 0

 

As the black-robed sorceress appeared on the field, he took another card from his hand and played it. “And to join her on the field, I’ll also Normal Summon Seiramis, the Other Princess, who I’ll then Tribute with her effect to play Karnal, the Other Commander!”

A flash of red light brought forth the Level Four royal figure with a similar flowing jet-black dress to Rassassin-only this one held a spiked whip in its hands rather than a spiked ribbon. Almost immediately Seiramis was swamped up in a grey-black tornado with the Otherworlders’ signature red lightning ringing it. The scarlet storm faded to reveal the Level Five Dark Warrior, its spiky white hair a direct contrast to his red-on-black robes and golden armor.

 

Seiramis, the Other Princess (DARK):
Level 4
[Warrior/Effect]
This card cannot be Special Summoned. On the turn this card is Normal Summoned, you can Tribute Summon 1 DARK monster in addition to your Normal Summon or Set. If you control no other monsters, you can banish this card from your Graveyard: This turn, you can Normal Summon 1 Level 5 or higher monster without Tribute.
ATK/ 1000  DEF/ 0

 

Karnal, the Other Commander (DARK):
Level 5
[Warrior/Effect]
This card can attack all opponent’s monsters they control once each. If this card is sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, you can add 1 DARK monster with 0 DEF from your Graveyard to your hand; you can only use 1 copy of this effect per turn, and only once that turn.
ATK/ 2100  DEF/ 0

 

“Two high-powered Dark monsters already,” muttered Pontius. “But it’s no use, boy. I’ve got my defenses, and once your turn’s done I’ll make my comeback.”

“Once my turn’s done,” replied Damien ominously, “You’ll be nothing.” He pointed to the pilot’s Fiendish Rhino Warrior. “I activate Rassassin’s effect! Once a turn I can negate the effect of one card you control, and if it’s a monster, it can’t attack while Rassassin’s face-up on the field!” He saw Pontius narrow his eyes a little. “So I’ll negate your Fiendish Rhino Warrior’s effect, and then I’ll attack both your monsters with Karnal!”

“Your monster can attack both of mine at once?!”

“Yup!” Damien affirmed as Rassasin’s ribbon-connected blades embedded itself into the ground in front of her-and burst out of the ground around each of Fiendish Rhino Warrior’s limbs, wrapping tightly around each one and forcefully anchoring it to the ground.

Damien then pointed to both Fiendish Rhino Warrior and Pandemonium Princess. “Karnal, attack both his monsters!” On cue, the black-clad monster with golden spiked gauntlets rose to the air, the tattered red robe of his glowing and expanding until it became a crimson diamond of light. It would then shatter and tear through both monsters in a storm of scarlet shards, reducing Pontius’s Life Points to twelve hundred and making him recoil violently in the dust.

“I’m still not done!” yelled Damien. “Rassassin still hasn’t attacked yet! Go, Rassassin! Attack him directly!”

“What?! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” screamed the pilot as the Other Sorceress raised her hand to conjure up a flash of red lightning. Which the most apathetic of expressions on her face, she lowered her hand as if to point at him with her palm, raining down on him and dropping his Life Points to zero.

Reginald shuffled in his spot, adjusting his coat to keep it from sticking out and getting noticed. “Guess Damien’s ending this early without you, huh?” His gaze turned back to the card he pilfered from Damien, its blank expression setting off another unorthodox pang of guilt through him only to be quickly put away.

“I win, jerk!” called Damien. “So never try this s*** with me again!” He finally let out the breath he didn’t know he was holding, idly noticing that Pontius – whatever this thing could be called – was fading away fast. Soon, all that were left were his cards, fluttering in the light breeze among a pile of wisps and ashes. “Tough crowd.” Damien looked to the left of the threshold, where lay the stunned Reginald still out of sight. “Goodness, that Jaden kid might have heard this and he’ll probably come to give me flowers or something. My luck, right?” he asked to no one in particular.

When only silence greeted him, his expression settled back into neutral. “Well, I needed to get to class again anyway-here’s hoping I don’t get more surprises like this today. Might win on their first turn instead of mine, and I’m really not up for playing counselor today.” With that, he was off in the other direction, towards the entrance Reginald and Dian had come for, and was gone.

Reginald peeked his head out from behind the threshold. After ascertaining that the coast was clear, he came out of his hiding spot-a series of pops signaling him stretching out the product of his crouched position. “Amazing, Damien. Should get you a Melo award for all that drama you’ve got going on.” His gaze landed on the cards left behind by Pontius. “Sweet, free cards,” he said, making his way over to the pile. “I’ll just snap these up, and if the owner knows where to look, he’ll find ‘em!” Reginald settled down to pick up the one card that had stayed face-up while the others had not – a card of a figure in a shining silver getup, holding an open law book, left hand outstretched.

“Oh, believe me lad,” came a familiar voice. “I know just where to look.”

Reginald Van Howell III almost burst an Achilles tendon springing to his feet. “Who was that?!” Whirling his head, Reggie found no one there. Yet that maddening voice came again, as loud and present as if coming from his very ears. “That’s quite a prize you have there,” said the voice again, referring to the card in Reginald’s hand as every single card on the floor that was once strewn across from his spot on the catwalk? They were now standing upright-as if thrown and stuck into the ground. And every one of those thirty-nine cards were now encircling him, faces to his form.

And every eye on those cards was now following him.

He took a half-step to the right of the circle, they followed him. He crouched and their gaze swung down to meet him, boring into his very panicked soul. “I-I only just noticed these cards left on the wayside!” insisted Reginald nervously. “I’ll give them a-all back to the owner, Obelisk’s honor!” When he heard nothing, he held out the card. “Look, I’m sorry, alright?! You can have your cards back, just please don’t hurt me!”

“No worries lad,” assured the voice. “I’m not going to hurt you at all. This will be quite painless.”

Reginald saw what looked like black smoke – or was it black ink – merge and coalesce into form. “What do you want – who are you? What are you…?” he whimpered, vision wholly occupied with the eyes of the cards staring back at him. “Look down,” said the voice in answer.

Reginald’s eyes then shot to the name of the new card in his trembling hand.

Pontius, King of the Condemned.

And the figure below it finally made sense as the hand in his card’s artwork shot out and grabbed the poor boy by the face. “Perhaps you can help me,” said Pontius, his voice sinister as he lowered his helmeted head to meet his holder’s eyes. “You see, I need a pilot…”

Reginald Van Howell III didn’t even have time to scream.

# # #

Damien was lying down on his bed, confused and still shaken from his encounters. Aside from his Duel with Pontius, he’d finally gotten through three of his classes, and only one of them had spared him from Jaden’s idiotic and pedantic answers by the redcoat being asleep at the time. For such a small mind, he seemed to have an awfully large ego and an even larger mouth. Although, he added to himself, That’s really the problem with most people here, not just him. He recalled Syrus Truesdale taking down notes, being so focused on the task that he hadn’t noticed Jaden drooling onto his jacket.

The sloshing that it brought, however, made Damien’s heart sink a little for the poor kid-so eclipsed, so overlooked!-and carried over into his next two classes, to the point where after the last bell rung for the day, he almost wished for that Pontius spirit to rush at him, just to break the monotony.

Speaking of such… His head was filled with questions, none of which he could logically answer. They circled around his head like insects flying around a road light.

Eventually he decided he couldn't be bothered, and chose to focus on something else. So he did what he always did when other people got him down: He took out his cards and looked through his Deck. It was always well-kept, having several of his prized cards and members of the Otherworld to complete it. I should get this in perfect condition for my initiation Duel tomorrow, he noted. He went through the motions as if he were painting something by Michelangelo rather than just sorting his cards. He flitted through each one of them and put them together with precise form, summing them up in his mind: Arukas – a Tribute Summon maker like no other; Amak – a Prince that took to the Grave and gave from the Deck; Seiramis – a double Normal Summon with grace; Karnal – the all-purpose, all-attacking buzzsaw and one-man command force; Rassassin – the neutralizing sorceress with a heart of pure onyx and power to match; Syth – the sacrificial Darkness bringer and Spell appropriator; Sabyr – the dark Rudolph that guided the way to the Queen of Otherworldly Onslaught named…

As he went to pull for his best card, he noticed another of his cards where it usually was. He shuffled through his Deck once, twice, then three times, unable to find it. ...Drearia?

He searched around the room, then back in his Deck again. Then he started panicking. What the hell could’ve happened?! He took a breath to slow his heart down. Calm down. Just think: What could’ve happened? He thought for a bit: He wasn't foolish enough to let it slip out of his hands that easily, and he had no friends who’d take it by accident or misplace it. Then that means only one thing, he realized. Drearia’s been stolen! But who could’ve taken it though?

He started pacing back and forth around his room to alleviate himself. Was it the mysterious figure I faced earlier? Maybe not. He raised enough questions, but stealing Drearia didn’t seem like his motive. Was it the Slifer who showed me around the Academy? He seemed too giddy about everything to get away with something that suspicious. So that just leaves…

His expression became one of hard anger when it dawned on him who could’ve taken it. He’d talked of an alliance with Damien and even showed him his Duel Disk-

Hold on. Oh God.

His other hand had been behind his back the whole time.

Of course, he thought. It must’ve been when we collided!

Damien got up and went over to one of his suitcases he hadn’t unpacked yet. Taking out a binder, he removed a spare card from it and added it to his Deck. Strapping on his Duel Disk, he raced out of his room and out of the Ra Yellow dorm. Just as he exited the door, a hand grabbed him like a demon and Damien immediately pulled away as he took to see a familiar face. “Ah, so this is your dorm!” Reginald popped over, his smile strangely more awful then the last time. “I was worried you weren’t going to let me see it!”

“Give it back!” yelled Damien. Reginald cocked his head to the side. “Give what back?” he asked innocently.

“Don’t play dumb!” yelled Damien. “You took my Drearia card! Give it back!”

Reginald cocked his head to the other side. “Drearia?” he repeated. Then he smiled. “Oh, you must mean my new card that I found.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out Damien’s Drearia card. “Quite nice, isn’t it? Its effect is tight.”

“That’s mine!” yelled Damien, angrier now. “Give it back!”

“Hush now, no need to yell,” said Reginald. “Why don’t you let me test my new card out in a Duel?” He nodded to the Duel Disk on Damien’s arm. “You’re already prepared after all.”

Damien narrowed his eyes. “So if I win you’ll give me Drearia back?”

“That’s up to you,” replied Reginald cryptically. He held his arm out to the side and engaged his Duel Disk. “You said never to carry a Duel Disk unless you plan on using it. I plan on using mine. The question is… are you?”

“Oh, I am!” replied Damien. He shot out his own arm in front of him and engaged his own Duel Disk, signaling his acceptance of the terms. Both boys’ Life Point counters lit up, displaying four thousand for each.

“LET’S DUEL!”

# # #

“…Then he shoved me out of the elevator and disappeared.” Jaden finished telling the story of what had happened earlier with Damien to a circle of his friends: Alexis Rhodes, Syrus Truesdale, Bastion Misawa, Chazz Princeton, and the newest addition to their circle named Kenzan Hassleberry, who had the same response as the others. “What a prick!” he clenched his fist. “Refusing the Sarge’s kindness like that when he was only tryin’ to help! Where does he get off?”

“I think we should just let him be,” said Syrus, who was always eager to avoid situations like this. “I don’t want to get caught up in anything dangerous. This guy sounds like someone who’d beat someone up.”

“That’s only a problem for you, Truesdale,” Chazz retorted rudely. “If it were me, I’d throw his moody little b**** ass into the bay.”

“An expert on the subject, are we?” asked Bastion cheekily. Chazz saw the remark for what it was. “Shut up Misawa.”

“Guys,” said Alexis, “Let’s knock it off.” Turning back to Jaden, she asked, “So what’re you gonna do if you see this guy again?”

“I don’t know,” answered Jaden earnestly. “I don’t want to leave things as they are, but I can’t help but think if I try to talk to him again it’ll only make things worse.”

“So avoid him then,” advised Bastion. “People like that will brood, Jaden. Nothing to be done about it. Those kinds of people are stubborn. Next time you see him, just keep your distance.”

“I don’t think I should, though,” Jaden replied. “I can’t quite find the words to describe it, but…” he paused as he racked his brain. “He seems like… he just wants someone to reach out to him, like he’s calling for someone. I can’t just turn my back on someone like that.”

“I’d learn to if I were you,” Bastion responded. “We don’t know anything about this person. And then there’s the fact that you found him in the woods kneeling over a body. This person told you he didn’t do it and you took his word for it?”

Jaden shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you guys. He just doesn’t seem like a bad person.”

Then he saw a glow coming from his Deck box. As he turned to inspect it, a small spirit in the shape of a furry ball with wings emerged. “Waaaaaaoooooooo,” it called to him and flew a few feet away. “Hold on guys,” Jaden said to the others. “Winged Kuriboh wants me to follow him.” He got up from his chair and started jogging after the spirit. Not being able to see it (with the exception of Chazz, who was curious nonetheless), his friends reacted in confusion but ultimately gave chase.

# # #

“Hold on pal!” Jaden called after Winged Kuriboh. “Where’s the fire?” The spirit didn’t answer but kept calling out to him, directing him towards the east.

It wasn’t long before his friends caught up with him. “Where’re we going?” asked Alexis.

“I don’t know!” Jaden replied. “But trust me, if Winged Kuriboh’s leading us there, it’s definitely important!” His friends were still skeptical, but followed him nonetheless.

Their chase led them to right behind the Ra Yellow dorm, where Winged Kuriboh pointed towards the open clearing behind it before disappearing back into Jaden’s Deck box. “What’s over there?” he murmured.

Then he saw it: Behind the dorm were three Obelisk students and one Ra, who was clearly surrounded despite his stance indicating he had no intention of running away. “It’s a Duel,” said Syrus. At the sound of his voice, the Ra student turned around to see who was there. “Aw, goddamn it, not you again!” he bemoaned.

“Sounds like your friend,” said Bastion to Jaden, sardonically. The redcoat took no notice. “Damien, what’s going on?” he asked.

“Butt out of it!” Damien snapped. “I don’t need your help!”

“Friends of yours?” asked Reginald faux-sweetly. “That’s mean, Damien. I wanted to be your friend.”

“They’re not my friends!” snapped Damien. “And neither are you! No friend I’d ever have would take my Drearia card from me!”

“What?” Jaden’s brow furrowed. Duels were his life, and the idea that someone would do something underhanded to tarnish the good nature of them offended him. “Yo, give him his card back!” he shouted. The ones about to Duel turned to look at him funny. “Sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong, are we?” asked Reginald.

“We could say the same about you!” Kenzan shot back. “Now quit being an a****** and give this kid his card back before one of you gets hurt!”

“Is that a threat, mate?” one of the two other Obelisks asked him. He was a head taller than Kenzan, but the Ra was burlier and thus didn’t care. Kenzan clenched his fists and got into a fighting stance, but Jaden held him off. “Don’t.”

“But Sarge-“

“Fighting won’t get Damien his card back,” explained Jaden. “These guys clearly aren’t listening, so the only thing to do is support Damien and hope he wins.” To which he added, “Then if these guys still won’t ante up, you can kick their butts.” Kenzan nodded his head back and forth, then nodded approvingly, standing up straight again but folded his brolic arms to let the taller boy know he could take him.

Reginald decided to push Damien’s buttons a little more. “So we’re finally eager are we? You really kept me waiting, Damien. You should really stick to your words more.”

“I have!” Damien shot back. “I've stuck to my word that you are a selfish douche and that you are the enemy. Now are we gonna stand around here or are we going to get the obvious debacle at hand?"

At that moment a hand tapped Jaden on the shoulder. He turned and noticed the Ra professor – a man named Sartyr – behind him. “What’s all this?” he asked. “I was grading papers when I heard something.”

“Some Obelisks stole one of Damien’s cards,” explained Kenzan. “And Damien’s Duelin’ him to get it back.”

“I see,” replied Sartyr gravely.

Meanwhile, Reggie was ready to further mock Damien for his tone and letting Drearia slip from him, but before he could go on any further, he considered Jaden and the others. This would not be a good look for me, he thought. But whatever.

“I’ll go first!” Damien announced, drawing his initial card. He could not have sighed enough at it. The card he’d drawn, Veil of Darkness, was only good for Deck thinning; making it even more effective required Drearia. But since he didn’t have it right now, Damien had no choice but to make due. "I'll start by summoning Arukas, Kin of the Otherworld!"

 

Arukas, Kin of the Otherworld (DARK):
Level 4
[spellcaster/Effect]
If this card is Normal Summoned, you can add 1 “Darkness” Spell Card from your Deck to your hand; you can only use 1 copy of this effect per turn, and only once that turn. When you Tribute Summon a DARK monster, you can banish this card from your Graveyard as 1 of the required Tributes.
ATK/ 1000  DEF/ 0

 

A white haired, young mage appeared with a robe in black with red lining, with the ends all cut and loose as if they were tentacles. She then raised a red bolt of lightning out of her hands as a black shadow gazed over Damien's Deck. "When my Arukas is Normal Summoned, I get to add any "Darkness" Spell Card from my Deck to my hand. I choose my Chains of Darkness!" From Damien's Duel Disk, ejected a card out of Damien's Deck that he pulled out to add to his hand, that being the Chains of Darkness he declared. “It looks fitting for a criminal like you!”

Upon hearing this, Sartyr’s mouth formed a lopsided frown. Realizing there was nothing to be done about Damien’s temper, he sighed and chose to ignore it.

Damien continued. "Next I'll activate Veil of Darkness!"

 

Veil of Darkness:
Continuous Spell Card
On your Draw Phase, if you draw a DARK monster, you can reveal any number of them to send them to the Graveyard and draw 1 more card.

 

Behind Damien's Arukas now formed a thick wind started to blow, settling down in a swirl that wrapped around his Deck. "While this card is out on the field, if I draw a Dark monster during my Draw Phase, I can reveal it and send it to the Graveyard to draw another card!" Lastly, I'll Set four cards and end my turn!" Damien stood tense as the powers of the Veil formed a thick wall of black tornadoes behind him, unsure what Reginald was about to bring to the table.

Reginald looked unimpressed throughout it all. He drew his first card as he gave a glaring smile. He stared at his hand knowing all he wanted to do, and wasted no time. "I'll start my turn off by activating the effect of my Archfiend General from my hand, discarding it to add Pandemonium from my Deck to my hand!"

 

Archfiend General (DARK):
Level 4
[Fiend/Effect]
You can discard this card to add 1 “Pandemonium” from your Deck to your hand. If this card is on the field but “Pandemonium” is not, destroy this card.
ATK/ 2100  DEF/ 800

 

“Hold up, something’s off,” said Chazz. “That’s Reginald van Howell, and he plays a Warrior Deck. What’s he doing with Archfiends?”

“We’ll find out,” was all the reply he got.

As Reginald's hand gave a off a green gaze and his Deck ejected Pandemonium, Damien gasped as he remembered his last Duel: Pontius had used a card that was also treated as Pandemonium. Would he be going up against a similar Deck? Or did Reginald have his own Deck up his sleeve? "And now that I added it, I think I’ll activate it!" Reginald placed his Pandemonium card into his Field Card Zone, and suddenly the stage became the carapace-like chamber of horrors as the demonic lair formed around the field.

 

Pandemonium:
Field Spell Card
Neither player has to pay Life Points on the Standby Phase for “Archfiend” monsters. Each time a player’s “Archfiend” monster(s) is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard (except by battle), that player can add 1 “Archfiend” monster with a lower Level than the destroyed monster from their Deck to their hand.

 

“Hey, I recognize that card!” said Jaden. “This guy’s trying to get out of paying Life Points for his monsters, so all Damien has to do is destroy it and-“

“It’s not that easy anymore,” Bastion interjected. “They released some new Archfiend cards between then and now, Jaden. They’re a lot different than they were before.” Jaden looked at Bastion, confused, before turning his attention back to the battlefield.

"Next I'll Normal Summon Archfiend Heiress!" said Reggie. From his field appeared a strange, small demon with a wand in one hand and a ball of dark energy in another.

 

Archfiend Heiress (DARK):
Level 3
[Fiend/Effect]
If this card is sent to the Graveyard by a card effect or being destroyed by battle, you can add 1 “Archfiend” card (except a copy of this card) from your Deck to your hand; you can only use 1 copy of this effect per turn, and only once that turn.
ATK/ 1000  DEF/ 0

 

Reggie then rushed for another card from his hand, prepared to make his next move in excitement. "Since I now control my Archfiend Heiress, I think it's about right to Special Summon my Archfiend Commander!" As Reginald placed his card on the field, a grey and red demon appeared with lightning raging out of its body as its horns looked to touch the sky.

 

Archfiend Commander (DARK):
Level 6
[Fiend/Effect]
If you control an “Archfiend” card, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand), but it cannot attack this turn. You can only Special Summon 1 copy of this card per turn this way. When this card is Special Summoned this way, destroy 1 “Archfiend” card you control. When this card is Tribute Summoned, you can Special Summon 1 Level 6 “Archfiend” monster from your Graveyard in Defense Position.
ATK/ 2500  DEF/ 1200

 

From it, the Lightning emerged and collapsed on his Archfiend Heiress, destroying it in the process. "When my Archfiend Commander is Summoned by its effect, I must destroy an Archfiend card I control. Since I only control one other, Heiress is the obvious choice. I need not to worry, however, as when my Heiress is sent to the Graveyard by battle or by a card effect, I can add any Archfiend card from my Deck to my hand, to which I think I'll add Archfiend's Council." Reginald took the card as it ejected out of his Deck, and continued in increasingly maniacal tones. "I'll continue with the Spell Card Archfiend's Council!”

 

Archfiend’s Council:
Normal Spell Card
Send 1 DARK monster from your Deck to your Graveyard that is 1 Level higher or lower than the Level of an “Archfiend” monster you control. If an “Archfiend” monster(s) you control is destroyed by battle or a card effect while you control 1 or less other monsters (except on the turn this card was sent to the Graveyard), you can banish this card from your Graveyard, then Special Summon 1 “Archfiend” monster with 2000 or less DEF from your Graveyard (this is a Quick Effect). You can only use 1 copy of each of this card’s effects per turn, and only once that turn.

 

“Archfiend’s Council lets me send any Dark monster that is one Level higher or lower than an Archfiend monster I control,” Reggie explained. He made a big show of trying to make up his mind. “Oh dear, who to send? Decisions, decisions…” he snapped his fingers in fake-enlightenment. “Oh, I know! I think I will send a familiar face to you… Drearia!"

Damien instantly broke out of his poker face in shock. He knew Reginald had taken Drearia, but to run it against him was just sickening. Jaden noticed his stance slackening. “Stay strong Damien!” he called. “He’s just trying to psyche you out!”

“Shut up!” Damien snapped at him. “I told you I don’t need your help!” He turned back to face Reginald. I figured he’d use it against me, he thought, But it looks like he doesn’t even have a plan to Summon it out. He can’t even use it!

Almost as if reading his mind, Reginald said, “I'm sure you're wondering how I plan to use it, and I'll be able to clarify that right away. I activate Fury of the First Lord!”

 

Fury of the First Lord:
Normal Spell Card
(This card is always treated as an “Archfiend” card.)
When the original Attribute of all monsters you control (min. 1) are DARK, you can destroy 1 Fiend-Type DARK monster on the field that you own, and if so, Special Summon 1 DARK monster that is 1 Level higher or lower than the destroyed monster from your Graveyard, and if so, it gains 500 ATK. You can only activate 1 copy of this card per turn.

 

“Now I can destroy an Archfiend monster I control to Special Summon a Dark monster that is one Level higher in my Graveyard,” Reggie gloated at Damien. “And I'm sure you know which I’m picking. After all, I want you to enjoy this as much as me." Seeing the disbelief on Damien’s face, Reggie took Damien’s ace card from his Graveyard and placed it in a vacant Monster Zone. “Congratulations, Oemin! You’re about to be the first person to see my new card in action! Come forth, Drearia!”

With a red blade coming out to cut the giant lightning bolt in half, all Duelists present marveled at the spectacle of the black-armored paladin appearing from within it, standing on the wrong player’s field yet resolute all the same.

 

Drearia (DARK):
Level 7
[Warrior/Effect]
This card’s effect changes based on the number of opponent’s monsters they control: *1 or fewer: On your opponent’s Draw Phase before they draw, look at the top card of their Deck and put it either on top or the bottom of their Deck. *2: This card gains 100 ATK for each monster in each player’s Graveyard. *3 or more: If this attacking card destroys an opponent’s monster by battle, after damage calculation, it can attack once again in a row.
ATK/ 2500  DEF/ 2100

 

“Don’t forget now,” taunted Reggie, “When an Archfiend is destroyed by a card effect, my Pandemonium lets me add another Archfiend from my Deck to my hand with a lower Level. I think I'll be choosing my Archfiend Calvary." The card ejected from Reginald's Deck as Damien continued to look at disbelief. Not only was Reginald using his ace card against him, but he had also integrated it perfectly into his own Deck to the point where he’d scored an additional card off it. His face betrayed his pain. But Reginald, the sadistic little bastard, wasn’t done rubbing it in just yet. “Now Drearia,” he pointed to Damien’s monster. “Attack his Arukas with Endless Vengeance!”

Damien’s heart sank as Drearia raised her sword to strike. Dammit Oemin, snap out of it! he berated himself. This isn’t your favorite monster anymore! This is an embodiment of everything that self-righteous prick Reginald is, and if you don’t stop it, it’ll do you in! So grow some balls and fight back!

To Reginald’s surprise, Damien responded determinedly with, “I’ll respond to your attack with my Trap Card, Darklight!”

 

Darklight:
Normal Trap Card
Tribute 1 DARK monster with 1500 or less ATK to destroy all monsters that were Special Summoned this turn.

 

“By Tributing a Dark monster with fifteen hundred or more Attack Points,” said Damien, “My Arukas in this case – I can now destroy all monsters on the field that were Special Summoned this turn!" As Damien raised the card, a silhouette covered over Arukas, dragging her into a void. Drearia, too far along in her momentum to avoid it, was pulled in alongside.

"Very well,” admitted Reginald, “But you’re simply delaying the inevitable! I Set one card face-down and end my turn." As Reggie finished, he couldn’t help but scowl at Damien for ruining his fun as the latter looked to his three remaining Set cards.

Damien, for his part, was determined to keep himself in the Duel and stand against Reginald, with or without Drearia. But without a monster with more than twenty-four hundred Attack Points in his Deck and Reginald casually able to Summon twenty-five-hundred-Attack-Point monsters with ease, he’d have trouble to say the least. He had to admit it to himself: He was nervous. His heart was beating and he was starting to sweat a little. He didn’t want to lose his most favorite card. But if he didn’t make his move soon, Jaden would start cheering him on again, and that was the last thing Damien wanted. So he drew for his turn and felt relieved at what his Deck had given him. If he was to keep himself in the game, he would at the very least need to keep a steady flow of monsters to keep up with Reggie's boss-dropping aggressive board. Right, he thought, Time to fight back. “I Summon Amak, the Other Prince!”

 

Amak, the Other Prince (DARK):
Level 4
[Warrior/Effect]
If this card is Normal Summoned, you can send 1 DARK monster with 0 DEF (except a copy of this card) from your Deck to the Graveyard. If this card is in your Graveyard (except the turn when this card was sent to the Graveyard), you can banish this card to add 1 Level 6 or lower Warrior or Spellcaster-Type DARK monster with 0 DEF (except a copy of this card) from your Deck to your hand.
ATK/ 1500  DEF/ 0

 

A regal-looking white-haired boy with a red robe with crosses, an equally red cape, and a black shirt and pants underneath burst from the flash of light and took up an equally-regal stance. "When my Amak is Normal Summoned, I get to send a Dark monster with zero Defense Points from my Deck to the Graveyard, and so I choose Karnal, the Other Commander!" A red bolt came out of Damien's Deck as his card went to the Graveyard, and from his Graveyard a shadow appeared over it, ejecting a card.

 

Karnal, the Other Commander (DARK):
Level 5
[Warrior/Effect]
This card can attack all opponent’s monsters they control once each. If this card is sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, you can add 1 DARK monster with 0 DEF from your Graveyard to your hand; you can only use 1 copy of this effect per turn, and only once that turn.
ATK/ 2100  DEF/ 0

 

"When Karnal is sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, I can add another Dark monster with zero Defense Points from my Graveyard to my hand, and so I’ll bring back Arukas!" Damien boomed, though his façade was cracking: He was trying to hold himself together, but between Reggie's attempts to use Drearia and the clock that was seemingly ticking as Reggie was inevitably to continue spamming big boss monsters, he at the very least felt the pressure. But he kept reminding himself that every forward step he took brought him closer to getting Drearia back, so he bravely thrust his hand forward and shouted, “Now, Amak, attack Reginald directly with Otherworlder’s Royal Arch!"

As Amak pulled out a dagger and charged for Reginald, a card suddenly flipped from his field. “Thought that would be easy, did you?” mocked Reginald as the color drained from Damien’s face. “Quite a shame, as I now activate my Archfiend's Roar!”

 

Archfiend’s Roar:
Normal Trap Card
Pay 500 Life Points to Special Summon 1 “Archfiend” monster from your Graveyard. It cannot be Tributed. Destroy it on the End Phase of this turn.

 

“By paying five hundred Life Points, I can now Special Summon one Archfiend monster from my Graveyard, but it gets destroyed at the end of the turn,” Reggie explained. “I choose Archfiend Heiress, in Defense Mode!”

As Reginald dropped his Life Points to thirty-five hundred, his demon reappeared and Damien thought the situation over. The effect of Heiress would still go off regardless of whether or not he attacked. Even worse, he had no clue if Reggie had a lower level Archfiend with Pandemonium. He took a breath and made his decision. "I'll continue my attack then and aim it at your new monster!" Amak pulled out a dagger and aimed at Reginald's demon, stabbing it with a vicious blow as it fell to the hit. “I’m not worried, Damien!” called Reggie, “My Heiress will just give me another Archfiend Commander from my Deck from its effect."

As Reggie added another Archfiend Commander from his Deck to his hand, Damien thought it over once more: He had no reliable way to respond to Commander’s effect, as using Chains on a Commander was quite pointless since he would still have to deal with the other monster on the field, and the Commander could be used for Reggie's other Archfiend cast. I’ll just have to use it on whatever boss monster he Summons, Damien thought. With no other choice he said, “I end my turn."

Reginald grinned, but his smile soon faded when he saw what card he drew next. Swordstalking Archfiend of Thunder? Crap. I can’t use this right now. I’ll have to save this for later. He added the card to his hand and took out another one to play. "First I'll summon Archfiend Reaper!"

 

Archfiend Reaper (DARK):
Level 5
[Fiend/Effect]
If you control “Pandemonium”, this card loses 1 Level while in the hand or face-up on the field. If this card is Normal or Special Summoned, you can send 1 “Archfiend” card from your Deck to the Graveyard, and if so, you can destroy 1 Set Spell or Trap Card on the field. If this card is destroyed by a card effect, you can add 1 “Archfiend” Spell or Trap Card or 1 “Pandemonium” in your Graveyard to your hand. You can only Summon copies of this card once per turn.
ATK/ 1930  DEF/ 1380

 

As a demon with twin scythe-like swords and a ghostly appearance appeared and unusual stats appeared, Damien already knew Commander was going to destroy it, but wondered what the difference would be between Reaper and Heiress. "Not only does my Reaper lose a Level in my hand while my Pandemonium is on the field, but when it’s Normal or Special Summoned, I can send one Archfiend card from my Deck to the Graveyard, then destroy a Set Spell or Trap on the field. I think I will send another copy of Archfiend Heiress!"

Reginald finished these words as the Reaper raised its two scythes. The first scythe sent his Heiress to the Grave, and the second headed straight for Damien's Spells and Traps. It took out his Set Crush Card Virus, which to him was a relief; against a Deck that benefitted off of destruction, Crush Card was not going to see play this Duel. "Don't forget!” called Reginald, “When my Heiress is sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, I get to add an Archfiend card to my hand. I think I'll choose Archfiend Captain this time around!" Reginald added the ejected card as Damien hit a button on his Duel Disk to see what Archfiend Captain’s stats were:

 

Archfiend Captain (DARK):
Level 7
[Fiend/Effect]
You can only control 1 copy of this card. You can only use 1 copy of each of this card’s effects per turn, and only once that turn: *If this card is in your hand, you can destroy 2 Fiend-Type monsters on your field and/or in your hand, including an “Archfiend” monster, and if so, Special Summon this card. This card cannot attack the turn you use this effect. *You can destroy 1 Fiend-Type monster you control and 1 other card on the field (this is a Quick Effect).
ATK/ 2600  DEF/ 0

 

Crap, Damien thought as he instantly began to worry. He took a breath and looked to his Set Chains of Darkness. "With that out of the way, I'd like to welcome back a personal friend of the Pandemonium residency, I reintroduce you to Archfiend Commander!" Reginald gave off a demonic smile as Commander's lightning once again shot up in the air and aimed at one of his cards, this time destroying his Reaper. "I'm sure I don't have to remind you about my Commander, but now you get to learn more about my Reaper! When Archfiend Reaper is destroyed by a card effect, I can add an Archfiend Spell or Trap or Pandemonium from my Graveyard to my hand. I think I’ll add back Fury of the First Lord!"

Something went off in Damien’s mind. Something about what Reggie was doing was familiar to what he’d done previously. There’s a pattern here, he realized. It took him a while to figure it out, but eventually it hit him: He’s trying to beat me with Drearia!

"Ooohhhh, I almost forgot now!” Reggie gloated, “I get to add with my Pandemonium another Archfiend with lower level then my Reaper! Let's keep our old friends around and add another Archfiend Heiress! And on the topic of old friends, I think I’ll activate Fury of the First Lord again to bring back another familiar to the stage! Welcome back, Drearia!"

Damien’s heart sank as his beloved monster returned to the field under Reggie’s command. Jaden noticed this and clenched his jaw. “There’s gotta be a way for Damien to counter this!”

“There is,” said Bastion. Jaden felt relieved: Bastion was using a tone reserved for when he was figuring out his opponents’ strategies. The yellowjacket lowered his voice and spoke to his friends in a whisper so as not to give away the answer. “Reggie has a pattern going. His resources depend heavily on his Heiress and Commander going off continuously, so if he runs out of them then Damien has a chance to turn things around.”

“Here’s hoping Damien figures that out,” said Jaden. “He probably will,” said Bastion with confidence. “Remember, he is in Ra Yellow, and we’re a smart bunch.”

While Bastion was telling his friends about the secret to defeating Reggie, Damien had figured out the same thing on his own. "Now Drearia,” said Reggie, “Let's try this again. Attack Damien's Prince with Violent Vengeance Slash!"

On command, Drearia raised her sword and prepared to strike. But Damien was ready for her. “I’ll have to disappoint you again, Reggie! I activate my Chains of Darkness!”

 

Chains of Darkness:
Quick-Play Spell Card
Send 1 DARK monster with 2500 ATK or 0 DEF from your hand or field to the Graveyard: The ATK of 1 opponent’s monster they control becomes 0 and its effects are negated, and your opponent takes no damage from battles involving that monster.

 

“By sending a Dark monster I control with zero Defense Points to the Graveyard,” Damien explained, “I can now make a monster you control have zero Attack Points, and it’s unable to attack or activate its effects!”

From Damien’s card emerged several black chains that circled around Drearia’s extremities and waist, binding her in place. “This changes nothing,” said Reggie.  “You’re still delaying the inevitable. But I digress. I end my turn.”

“Right! My go then!” Damien drew his next card, but found it dissatisfying: Rassassin, the Other Sorceress was indeed his strongest monster, but there was no way it was stopping Reginald’s monsters on its own. I’ll try again, Damien thought. “I activate the effect of my Veil of Darkness! By revealing a Dark monster I drew on my Draw Phase, I can send it to the Graveyard to draw another card!” He drew again. Legacy in Black? Hmm… On the one hand it’s not going to do anything about Reggie’s Archfiend Captain. On the other hand though, it could potentially stop him from Summoning back Drearia or any of his Archfiends. He looked at it uncertainly. No, no more uncertainty! This is what I drew and I have to work with it!

"I'll start off by banishing Amak, the Other Prince from my Graveyard to activate its effect and add a Level Six or lower Warrior or Spellcaster-Type Dark monster with zero Defense Points from my Deck to my hand. I’ll choose Syth, Vessel of the Otherworld.” As his Duel Disk dispensed the new card, Damien felt his confidence go up a bit as he felt ready to combat Reggie’s monsters. “And next I’ll Summon Arukas, Kin of the Otherworld.”

The moment Arukas arrived on the field, she spun her hands in the air to grant her master a search. “Arukas lets me add one Darkness Spell Card from my Deck to my hand,” said Damien. “So with her help I’ll add my Blade of Darkness – Endless Vengeance from my Deck to my hand. Next I equip my Blade of Darkness to Arukas!" Suddenly, a black and red sword appeared and glowed with a burning passion as Arukas grabbed it and held it. The red lightning of the Otherworld shined as Arukas stood in its presence.

 

Blade of Darkness – Endless Vengeance:
Equip Spell Card
You can only control 1 face-up copy of this card. Equip only to a DARK monster with 0 DEF or 2500 ATK. If the total Levels of your opponent’s monsters are higher than the total Levels of monsters you control, the equipped monster gains ATK equal to the difference x 200. Once a turn if your opponent controls less than 3 monsters, you can Special Summon “Otherworld Tokens” (Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 2/ATK 0/DEF 0) to your opponent’s field in Defense Position so they control 3 monsters. On your Main Phase you can Normal Summon 1 DARK monster with 0 DEF or 2500 ATK in addition to your Normal Summon or Set, but the total Levels of monsters you control cannot exceed the total Levels of your opponent’s monsters they control.

 

"I'll give you the short story since this all you need to know right now,” Damien said smugly. “My Blade can grant me the additional Normal Summon of a Dark monster, but the Levels of monsters I control cannot exceed the Levels of those you control. I use this extra Normal Summon to Tribute my Arukas and Tribute Summon Syth, Vessel of the Otherworld!"

 

Syth, Vessel of the Otherworld (DARK):
Level 5
[Warrior/Effect]
You can discard this card and 1 DARK monster with 0 DEF to add 1 “Darkness” Spell Card from your Deck to your hand. Once a turn on either player’s turn you can pay 1000 Life Points, then select 1 “Darkness” Spell Card in your Graveyard and apply the following effect based on what type it is: *Normal, Quick-Play or Ritual: Apply that card’s effect, then shuffle it into the Deck. *Continuous or Field: This card’s effect becomes that card’s effect until your opponent’s next turn ends, then shuffle that card into the Deck.
ATK/ 2000  DEF/ 0

 

A girl younger than but similar to Drearia appeared before the field, with a redder sword and outfit with red horns on its head. She stood furiously against Reginald's chained swordswoman, aligned with Damien's newfound confidence with a monster he believed would help him carry onto the next turn. "Now Syth, destroy Drearia with Otherworldly Swordsdance!"

Syth reached behind her back and unsheathed her own sword. Raising it against Drearia, she launched herself through the air and brought her blade through the Chains of Darkness and into Drearia’s chest. As Drearia fell to the ground from taking the heavy blow, Damien felt a slight hit in his chest, feeling terrible for doing that to his own monster. But he no longer had control of Drearia in this Duel. “Poor Damien,” murmured Syrus, “That’s gotta be awful to have to do that to your own monster.” His friends agreed with him.

"Thanks to my Chains, you take no damage,” continued Damien, “So I’ll Set one card and end my turn." He had a vengeful smile on his face, ready to get back at Reggie. Dealing with Archfiend Captain wouldn’t be easy, but he was ready for it.

Reggie, for all he’d lost that turn, was no worse for wear. Before beginning his turn, he checked Syth’s effects and checked Damien’s Graveyard for cards he could use. If I attack with a boss monster, he’ll use his Chains of Darkness card to bind it, he realized.

“This,” said a familiar voice in his mind, “Is something you can easily work around.”

Right. I’ll have to deal with that Syth before I bring out my Captain. Plus I don’t have that many searches left without Pandemonium, so I’ll have to change up my strategy. He took a deep breath and drew… and smiled. He was eager to play his new card, but held back immediately, realizing that that’d be moving too fast. "Before the show begins,” he began, “Since I have more than three Archfiend monsters in my Graveyard, I can Normal Summon Swordstalking Archfiend of Thunder without Tribute!" A demon with a sword gleaming with blue lightning emerged in a ferocious stance, ready to do Reggie’s work.

 

Swordstalking Archfiend of Thunder (DARK):
Level 6
[Fiend/Effect]
FLIP: All opponent’s monsters they control lose 100 ATK for each Fiend-Type monster in your Graveyard.
You can only control 1 copy of this card. If you have 3 or more “Archfiend” monsters in your Graveyard, you can Normal Summon this card without Tributing. Once a turn if 3 or less “Pandemonium” cards you control would be destroyed by battle or card effect, you can destroy that many “Archfiend” cards you control and/or in your Deck instead. On the End Phase, if this effect was applied, change this card to face-down Defense Position.
ATK/ 2000  DEF/ 1600

 

“Now,” urged the voice in Reggie’s mind. “The time is right!” Reginald acknowledged this and continued to play the card he had attempted to activate previously. "Now then, I activate Pot of Avarice! I shuffle back five monsters in my Graveyard into my Deck, then draw two cards. I choose my two Archfiend Heiresses, my two Archfiend Commanders and my Archfiend Reaper." Reginald's Duel Disk shuffled his Deck with his recycled cards and ejected two cards from the top of his Deck. He paid little attention to them at first, but immediately noted one of the cards as he went to play it. "Next I activate Premature Burial! By paying eight hundred Life Points, I can Special Summon a monster from my Graveyard and equip it to the card!" Reginald dropped his Life Points to twenty-seven hundred as a red X appeared on the field. “Now come back, Drearia!”

“Forget it!” said Damien. “I’m gonna stop that right in its tracks! Reveal, Legacy in Black!”

 

Legacy in Black:
Counter Trap Card
If you control only DARK monsters and have only DARK monsters in your Graveyard when your opponent activates a card or effect that targets a card in the Graveyard, negate that effect, and if so, banish both the targeting card and all copies of its intended target from the Graveyard face-down.

 

“When you target exactly 1 card in your Graveyard and I control all Dark monsters on my field and in my Graveyard,” Damien explained gleefully, “I can use this Trap to negate the card that targets it, and the targeted card is banished face-down along with all other copies in your Deck. So now Drearia’s banished for the rest of the Duel.” He extended his middle finger towards Reginald. “Serves you right.”

“Alright!” cheered Syrus. “Now he doesn’t have to worry about having to destroy it anymore!”

“That, and effectively preventing Reginald from Summoning it again,” added Bastion. “It’s anybody’s game now.”

Alright that’s it, f*** this bullshit, thought Reggie, I’m dropping Captain NOW. “You think I give a s***?” he asked, laughing. “I’m still in this game, you dumbass! Now watch as I destroy both my Archfiend Heiress and Archfiend Cavalry to Summon my ARCHFIEND CAPTAIN!”

 

Archfiend Cavalry (DARK):
Level 4
[Fiend/Effect]
If this card on the field is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, you can Special Summon 1 “Archfiend” monster (except a copy of this card) from your Graveyard. It cannot attack this turn.
ATK/ 1900  DEF/ 0

 

Archfiend Captain (DARK):
Level 7
[Fiend/Effect]
You can only control 1 copy of this card. You can only use 1 copy of each of this card’s effects per turn, and only once that turn: *If this card is in your hand, you can destroy 2 Fiend-Type monsters on your field and/or in your hand, including an “Archfiend” monster, and if so, Special Summon this card. This card cannot attack the turn you use this effect. *You can destroy 1 Fiend-Type monster you control and 1 other card on the field (this is a Quick Effect).
ATK/ 2600  DEF/ 0

 

As Reginald declared this, a red and blue demon with skulls on its shoulders and kneecaps wielding a large, blue spiked sword. Reginald gave a triumphant look as he was ready to profit off of his boss he was waiting to Summon. "With the Summon of my captain destroying my two monsters, I now get three effects off of it! First, my Archfiend Heiress adds a copy of Archfiend's Promotion from my Deck to my hand. Then my Pandemonium adds an additional Archfiend Heiress to my hand. Finally, my Archfiend Calvary lets me summon Archfiend General from my Graveyard!" The two cards ejected from Reggie's Deck and his general appeared before him, a black demon with wings lined in red.

“I say,” murmured Bastion. “I’ve never seen a play like this before. Reggie essentially summoned his Captain for no cost, all repaid by his Heiress and Calvary, turned into an advantage by Pandemonium. The guy’s an a******, but damn can he play the game.”

Damien held his poker face as he pressed a button on his Duel Disk to read both Archfiend General and Archfiend’s Promotion’s effects. The latter seemed very worrying, but he’d positioned his Set Trap Card to look like it was a threat, and so far Reggie seemed to fall for it.

Reggie, for his part, had noticed it and was currently debating with himself about what to do. If that card’s something like Torrential Tribute, then he’s probably waiting to use it on me, he thought, Obviously he’s waiting for me to use Archfiend’s Promotion to bring out my final boss. He stole a glance at the card at the far left of Damien’s hand. He’s had that card in his hand the entire Duel. If it’s anything good, he’ll probably use that to finish me off after using his Torrential Tribute or whatever on my final boss if I’m not careful. He paused for a moment, then shrugged mentally. Screw it. “Now, Archfiend Captain, attack his Syth with Pandemonial Crush!”

“I activate Syth’s effect!” replied Damien. “I can pay one thousand Life Points to apply the effect of one Darkness Spell Card in my Graveyard and then shuffle it into the Deck!” He dropped his Life Points to three thousand. “I’ll choose my Chains of Darkness!”

“You’re not binding my Captain anytime soon,” Reggie responded. “Because I’m Chaining its effect to your Syth; I can destroy one Fiend-Type monster I control and one other card on the field. So Syth gets destroyed after all.”

“That doesn’t stop its effect from activating!” said Damien defiantly as both monsters perished. “You may have destroyed it, but you didn’t negate its effect, so I can still use Chains of Darkness to bind your Swordstalking Archfiend of Thunder!” Reginald cursed as the black chains emerged once again from Damien’s Graveyard and bound his other monster. “I’ve still got my Archfiend General!” he said. “Attack his Life Points!”

“I activate my Trap!” Damien hurriedly pressed the button on his Duel Disk. “Reveal, Call of the Haunted!”

 

Call of the Haunted:
Continuous Trap Card
Special Summon 1 monster from your Graveyard in Attack Position. When this card leaves the field, destroy that monster. When that monster is destroyed, destroy this card.

 

“And I’ll use it to bring back Rassassin, the Other Sorceress!” finished Damien as Rassassin reemerged onto the field. Reggie grunted in annoyance. “Fine. I’ll Set one card and end my turn.”

“My move then!” Damien drew for his turn and smiled. “Time to take out your Pandemonium! I activate my own Field Spell Card, World of Darkness!”

As a black void settled over the Dueling field – broken only by the blood red moon illuminating the landscape – Reginald’s Pandemonium slowly broke up into pieces and withered into nothing.

 

World of Darkness:
Field Spell Card
If you control a face-up copy of this card, you cannot Set or activate another one. All DARK monsters you control gain 100 ATK for each DARK monster in each player’s Graveyard. Once a turn you can destroy 1 DARK monster you control and 1 opponent’s monster they control. If this card is destroyed by an opponent’s card effect, you can add 1 “Darkness” Continuous Spell Card from your Deck to your hand.

 

Reggie cursed again as his Field Spell was destroyed. “And that’s not all!” gloated Damien, “Since Pandemonium’s gone, so’s your Archfiend General!” Reggie cursed a third time as the demon shattered into several pieces. “There’s more,” Damien went on, “World of Darkness gives all Dark monsters I control one hundred Attack Points for each Dark monster in both our Graveyards, so now my Rassassin’s strong enough to take out any one of your monsters!” As if to illustrate his point, Rassassin began to glow with the red light of the Otherworld which brought its Attack Points to thirty-one hundred. “And next,” he continued as he took another card out of his hand, “I’ll activate Premature Burial and pay eight hundred Life Points to Special Summon Karnal from my Graveyard!”

As Damien dropped his Life Points to twenty-two hundred, Karnal reappeared in a flash of red light, flexing its arms clad in its spiked gauntlets. Its Attack Points rose to twenty-seven hundred as Rassassin’s fell to three thousand. “Okay, now for my attack!” Damien pointed to the demon bound by the black chains. “Karnal, attack Swordstalking Archfiend of Thunder with Otherworlder’s Blitz!”

“Not so fast!” interrupted Reggie. “Activate Trap: Archfiend’s Promotion!”

 

Archfiend’s Promotion:
Normal Trap Card
Destroy 1 “Archfiend” card you control, and if so, Special Summon 1 “Archfiend” monster from your Deck that is 1 to 3 Levels higher than the destroyed card (Set Spell and Trap Cards are treated as Level 0). If you control “Pandemonium”, you can activate this card the same turn it was Set. You cannot Special Summon monsters for the rest of this turn, except Fiend-Type monsters.

 

“By destroying an Archfiend card I control, I can Special Summon an Archfiend from my Deck that’s one to three Levels higher than the destroyed card!” Reggie gloated. “So I’ll destroy my Swordstalking Archfiend of Thunder to call forth my Archfiend Empress!”

This time it was Damien’s turn to curse as a portal opened underneath the Swordstalking Archfiend, causing it to calcify into a statue and shatter-but not before the pieces fell into the portal and avoided Karnal’s Blitz attack. From the portal emerged a sinister-looking female demon with large horns clad in armor carrying a large staff. A titanic figure, she eclipsed the Heiress – in form, in power, and in amazingly bizarre beauty. Her staff almost equaled her own impressive height, and the billowing red robes behind her put Karnal’s to shame.

 

Archfiend Empress (DARK):
Level 8
[Fiend/Effect]
If (exactly) 1 face-up Fiend-Type DARK monster on the field (except this card) would be destroyed, you can banish 1 Fiend-Type DARK monster from your Graveyard instead. When this card is destroyed and sent from the field to the Graveyard, you can Special Summon 1 Level 6 or higher Fiend-Type DARK monster from your Graveyard.
ATK/ 2900  DEF/ 2100

 

“No matter!” said Damien. “I’ll just attack her with Rassassin instead!” On his command, Rassassin brought her hand down to point at Archfiend Empress, the ribbon in her hands extending to a long, glowing lash – but her form was soon a blur as she raced at the Empress. Almost immediately, the Empress fired shot after shot of sickly green energy at her, but the nimble Sorceress dodged them all, twirled once, and let her crimson whip fly in a wide arc-

 

-one that bisected the great Archfiend through its generous waist and finally caused it to explode, dropping Reggie’s Life Points to twenty-five hundred. But to Damien’s surprise, Reggie laughed. “You idiot!” he jeered. “When Archfiend Empress is destroyed and sent from the field to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon a Level Six or higher Fiend-Type Dark monster from my Graveyard! So thanks to you I can bring back my Archfiend Captain!”

As Reggie’s captain reappeared once again, Damien clenched his jaw. “Fine! Instead I’ll activate Rassassin’s effect! I can negate the effects of one card you control, and if it’s a monster it can’t attack while Rassassin’s face-up on the field!”

“I Chain my Captain’s effect!” replied Reggie. “I’ll destroy both it and your Rassassin!” Damien cursed once more as both monsters broke into pieces. Keeping a brave face on, he said, “I end my turn.”

“Excellent!” said Reggie, drawing for his turn. He checked his hand, which contained but two cards. The only cards I have are Imprisoner of Pandemonium and Archfiend Emperor, the First Lord of Horror. He frowned. I can Normal Summon it without a sacrifice through its own effect, but it’ll be destroyed at the end of my turn if I do. He looked over the top of the card at Damien. And if that happens, this whelp’ll be able to recycle another monster. I can’t have that. He sighed, taking great care to not let Damien see. I don’t have a choice though. If I want to win, this is the only option I’ve got. “Alright Oemin, here goes! I discard one Level Seven or higher Fiend-Type monster, then add Pandemonium from my Graveyard to my hand! Now that I’ve done this, I can Special Summon my Imprisoner of Pandemonium!”

 

Imprisoner of Pandemonium (DARK):
Level 8
[Fiend/Effect]
This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. You can discard 1 Level 7 or higher Fiend-Type monster, then add 1 “Pandemonium” Field Spell Card from your Graveyard to your hand, and if so, Special Summon this card, then you can reduce the ATK of 1 face-up monster currently on the field by 1000. You can only Special Summon 1 copy of this card per turn this way. Once a turn on the End Phase if you do not control “Pandemonium”, destroy this card.
ATK/ 2300  DEF/ 2800

 

Damien’s blood ran cold. IMPRISONER OF WHAT?! The only person he’d seen with Pandemonium cards had been Pontius, but he’d seen that spirit fade into oblivion.

“Next,” continued, Reggie, “After I Summon it, I can reduce the Attack Points of one face-up monster currently on the field by one thousand.” Reggie pointed to Karnal. “So I’ll drain your Karnal. Go, Pandemonium Repression!”

Damien grimaced as a portion of Karnal’s life force was sucked out of it. For those not keeping track, there had been six monsters in the Graveyard when Karnal was brought out, thus World of Darkness had granted it six hundred Attack Points for a total of twenty-seven hundred; Swordstalking Archfiend of Thunder destroyed by Archfiend’s Promotion made eight; Archfiend Empress made nine, but her effect brought back Archfiend Captain, thus making eight again; Captain destroying itself and taking Rassassin with it made ten; and finally Reggie’s discarded Fiend made eleven – meaning Karnal gained eleven hundred Attack Points on top of its own twenty-one hundred, and now that it had lost the thousand from Imprisoner of Pandemonium, it now stood at a mere twenty-two hundred. But it would get worse, of course.

“Next I’ll re-activate Pandemonium,” Reggie continued, smiling smugly at Damien. “Which destroys your World of Darkness by the way, so that means your lame-ass monster will get even weaker.” Damien clenched his teeth as his home field fell to Reggie’s and Karnal’s Attack Points dropped to their lowest yet at eleven hundred as it lost its field power bonus. “Now I’ll use my Captain’s effect to destroy your Sorceress!” Reggie laughed as both the Captain and the Sorceress were caught in a raging bonfire, and the cry of one more humanoid monster was eclipsed by the biting roar of the other as they both exploded. “Now Imprisoner of Pandemonium, attack Karnal!”

Damien’s confidence took a blow alongside the Other Commander. As Karnal shattered to pieces, his face was grim as his Life Points dropped to their last thousand. “That’s it for me!” said Reginald, his voice full of backhanded cheerfulness. He gestured to Damien. “Your go.”

‘Your go,’ mimicked Damien in his mind. He drew for his turn… and his mood skyrocketed. “I’m about to make a comeback,” he said, “And I’mma start with this: Dark Eruption!”

 

Dark Eruption:

Normal Spell Card

Add 1 DARK monster with 1500 or less ATK from your Graveyard to your hand.

 

“This card allows me to replenish my hand with one Dark monster with fifteen hundred or less Attack Points from my Graveyard,” he explained. “I choose Arukas, Kin of the Otherworld!” His smile brightened as the sorceress returned. “Next I’ll Normal Summon her, which as you know lets me add a Darkness Spell Card from my Deck to my hand. I’ll add another Blade of Darkness – Endless Vengeance, which I’ll equip to Arukas!”

For those who may have forgotten, the Blade of Darkness Damien spoke of granted its wielder power equal to the difference between the total Levels of all monsters on both sides of the field multiplied by two hundred; with Imprisoner of Pandemonium at Level Eight and Arukas at Level Four, and the latter starting off with one thousand Attack Points, the Blade generously granted her a boost, which in this instance was equal to four times two hundred, or eight hundred Attack Points.

Reggie wasn’t impressed. “That’s pathetic!” he scoffed. “Eighteen hundred points isn’t a comeback, Oemin!”

“I’m aware of that you pitiful human being,” replied Damien with backhanded sweetness in his voice. “Now, what you’re not aware of is that Blade of Darkness – Endless Vengeance also has another effect: Once a turn while you control less than three monsters, I can Special Summon Otherworld Tokens to your field until you have three monsters.” He gestured to Reggie in a similar vein as Reggie did before as two Tokens appeared on his field. “Here, have a freebie.”

 

Otherworld Token x2 (DARK):

Level 2

[Warrior]

Special Summoned by the effect of “Blade of Darkness – Endless Vengeance”.

ATK/ 0  DEF/ 0

 

“So now the difference in Levels goes from four to eight,” continued Damien as Arukas’s Attack Points rose to twenty-six hundred. “Now Arukas, attack Imprisoner of Pandemonium!”

The Kin of the Otherworld gleefully tore into Reggie’s demon, shattering it to pieces and dropping his Life Points to twenty-two hundred. “One more turn and you’re done, jerk!” called Damien. “It’s over, now give Drearia back!”

But Reginald just grinned the widest, most insane s***-eating grin you ever saw. “It ain’t over for me, you moron!” he chortled. “You just contributed to your own defeat, and here’s how! Remember Archfiend’s Council? Well, it has another effect! If an Archfiend I control is destroyed by battle or card effect while I control one or less monsters, I can banish it from my Graveyard to Special Summon an Archfiend monster from my Graveyard with exactly zero or two thousand Defense Points!”

“But you don’t have one!” Damien replied. Reggie just grinned. “Oh yes I do,” he said gleefully. “Don’t you remember? I discarded it to play my Imprisoner of Pandemonium!”

“It doesn’t matter!” Damien shot back. “You can’t Summon it anyway since you still have the two Tokens I put on your field!”

Reggie just laughed. “I can see why you’re only in Ra.” His grin widened even further as he leaned forward to convey it with effect: “Tokens don’t count as monsters.” He then doubled over, laughing.

“Is that true?” Syrus asked Bastion. The yellowjacket held out his hand and shook it sideways. “It depends,” he said. “But apparently not in this case.”

By the time he’d finished speaking, Reggie’s laughter had subsided. The grinning Obelisk looked at Damien and pointed to his mouth. “I can’t smile any wider than this,” he said. “But you’ve been so dumb this entire time that my muscles won’t relax. That’s how giddy I am.”

“Well, get on with it then!” snapped Damien. Reggie’s eyes twinkled at what his opponent had just consigned himself to. “Alrighty then,” he said sinisterly. “But just remember, you asked for it.” He paused impressively, took a deep breath and spoke with gusto. “Prepare yourself, Oemin!” he bellowed dramatically as holographic lightning began to strike. “It’s time for me to end this with my ultimate monster! By banishing Archfiend’s Council from my Graveyard while there are one or less other monsters on my field, I can revive one Archfiend monster from my Graveyard with either zero or two thousand Defense Points! And best of all, it’s the very monster I put there to bring forth the Imprisoner!”

As he spoke, four skeletal figures in robes appeared and clasped hands-an action the Duelist that owned them soon repeated in kind. His theatricality grew in intensity as he removed Archfiend’s Council from his Graveyard, put it in his Deck box at the back of his waist, took the card he spoke of out of his Graveyard and made a big show of slapping it onto his Monster Zone.

“Let this be the start of your never-ending nightmare! I bring to you a force so titanic, so overwhelming, every Fiend bows at its feet! It's very footsteps flatten armies, its very fists crush kingdoms, ITS VERY EXISTENCE ENDS WORLDS!”

The chanting of the skeletal figures in front of him started banging in Damien’s head like a drum chorus. And worse yet, Reginald’s apocalyptic rhetoric was apparently being proven in real time; as if on cue, a much bigger flash of lightning struck the playing field, throwing up bits of dirt as it did so. As the lightning struck it, the ground immediately broke apart, sending up more bits of dirt and dust as two GIGANTIC pale-purplish hands – with talons almost as long as the struggling Karnal was tall – pushed it apart even further. And worse yet, a downright vile huge miasma of dark purple energy erupted from it, spiraling upward as a second stream of dark purple energy broke off from it and coalesced into mass in the epicenter of the upward draft.

“It’s all over for you now, Oemin!” cried Reggie at the top of his voice. “I call forth my ARCHFIEND EMPEROR, THE FIRST LORD OF HORROR!”

As the the coalescing miasma thickened into the form of a large sword with a perturbingly red blade, the spiraling miasma spiraled downward into the pit, obscuring its horrible occupant. As everyone around Reggie watched in nervous, awe, the dark purple miasma lifted it occupant from the pit, setting it down onto the field. The blood of all ran cold as the miasma settled down into the awful form of an eighteen-foot-tall purple superdemon with skulls on its knees and elbows, red gems as large as the Dorm it was appearing ringing its chest and limbs, horns everywhere on it that the sharp armor-like spikes did not occupy, the blaring purple miasma surrounded it like a cloak that thickly wrapped around its form.

Upon its emergence, what remained of the dark purple miasma stopped flowing and fell toward the massive being as if pulled in by gravity, before settling down into its final shape as a wavy, flame-like dark purple outline. As all around it beheld it with awe, the behemoth held out its open hand palm-up and grasped the sword that had finally formed in full before casually driving the tip of its massive blade into the earth. Satisfied with the angle, it rested its right hand on the sword, cupping it around the butt of its hilt, and folding its left arm under its right, and stood as a mortal man stands casually with his arms folded, its body language telling the opportune souls who witnessed it, I am the Soul-breaker; the Hope-shatterer; the ender of all things He made; the Adversary to both God and Man. I am the First Lord of Horror, and I give no f***s.

“F-F-F-First Lord of Horror?!” wailed Syrus, trembling as the giant purple crater-maker turned its head to look at him. Unwilling to stand in its gaze a moment longer, he quickly hid behind Alexis. The superdemon merely raised an eyebrow before turning its head back to Damien, who had no choice but to admit to himself that the blue-haired redcoat had the right idea.

 

Archfiend Emperor, the First Lord of Horror (DARK):
Level 8
[Fiend/Effect]
You can Normal Summon this card without Tributing, but its original ATK and DEF become halved. If Summoned this way, destroy it on the End Phase. You cannot Special Summon monsters, except Fiend-Type monsters. Once a turn you can banish 1 “Archfiend” card from your hand or Graveyard, then destroy 1 card on the field.
ATK/ 3000  DEF/ 2000

 

All sense of confidence faded from Damien’s face as he stood draped in shadow by the First Lord of Horror. This Fiend’s very aura seemed to work with it as it rose to its full height. It seemed to be a well-ordered monster, simply folding its arms as it loomed over the Ra Dorm. But the worst part was the Archfiend Emperor’s face. If VWXYZ- Dragon Catapult Cannon – the only thing Damien remembered that even came close to this titan’s size – looked like it could touch the moon, the very size and looming malice on this Emperor’s face made it look like it would eat the moon whole. Damien could only feel like a toothpick to this diabolical entity as it stared down directly at the dismal Duelist.

Reggie, seeing his fear, delighted in it. “I activate Archfiend Emperor’s effect: By banishing an Archfiend card from my hand or Graveyard, I can destroy one card on the field!”

Damien’s eyes widened. Almost immediately he knew what Reggie was going to do. Which was actually pretty bad, because all he could do was stand there, knowing that and being unable to do anything about it as Reggie pointed to Arukas. Damien’s heart sank as the superdemon grabbed Arukas and squeezed tightly until she broke into pieces. “Now Imprisoner of Pandemonium, attack Karnal with Pandemonium Rushdown!”

With a simple dusting of clawed feet, the Imprisoner surged forward and charged through the white-haired oddity, Karnal’s withered limbs flailing in dangerously grotesque directions before it shattered into pieces, dropping his Life Points to their last thousand.

Sartyr gave his new pupil one last mournful look before heading back into the dorm. “I’m going,” he told the others. “I can’t stand to watch any more of this.”

Damien didn’t blame him for leaving. Right now, all he wanted to do was disappear somewhere where the First Lord of Horror would never be able to find him. His body was too frozen stiff out of fear to move. He knew what was about to happen next. He could only stare at Reginald where his Drearia – the centerpiece of his Deck, the brilliant warrior of darkness that had brought him through so much - now resided and would likely stay residing. He kept up his thousand-yard stare, resigned to his fate yet still disbelieving of how so much could have gone wrong for him so soon.

What happened next happened in slow motion.

He hardly even heard Reggie declare his attack. He just saw Reggie point to him and tell the First Lord of Horror to attack him directly. As it reached down to pull its massive sword out of the ground, a rush of feelings came over him. He was normally a very eloquent person who made sure to keep a plethora of words available for any given moment. But right now, standing in the shadow of the Goliath before him as it reeled its blade back, only one word in his entire native language could convey so much in just so little.

“f***.”

It was so unlike him to say something like that. He was given to minor profanities, sure, but he’d always shied away from f*** ever since his parents had grounded him after his first time using the word. He’d gone to his room and cried for half an hour, after which his mother came up and talked to him about it. “If you’re going to use that word,” she’d told him, “Do what grown-ups do and keep away from it. Don’t use it until you’ve yelled out everything else.”

Essentially she was telling him to avoid using the word at all costs. But right now, as a big purple hand tightened around the hilt of its blade and pulled it out of the ground, he felt no other way to express how he felt. Until he remembered another word, which he allowed himself to break down a little for.

“Drearia.” That card was more than just a trading card to him. Back in middle school when everyone else was playing Duel Monsters, he’d looked for a way to fit in. He’d asked his parents and they understood right away. His mom had bought him his first Deck, but it wasn’t right. No matter how many times he’d played it against the other kids, he just couldn’t get into using the Deck. He’d looked into several other Decks but couldn’t see himself playing any of them. And who could blame him? Could you see a kid dressed up in black leather with his head partly shaved playing a Fairy Deck? What about Warriors? Or Guardians? Dragons or Machines? Harpies? Nothing had felt right. Nothing ever felt like him.

Until Drearia.

He’d first seen her in the display window at his local hobby shop where everyone had gathered around for an upcoming tournament. It was her picture that had drawn him to her the most: A black-armored blonde with huge swords against a black background highlighted by red lightning. He’d asked the storeowner about her and they’d told him she was the prize for the tournament. He then overheard some boys talk about her. “She looks badass,” said one. “Yeah, like she’s about to shred you a new one,” said the other.

Damien was aghast. They didn’t get her at all. They were just applying the same vapid language that people like them applied to everything else. But to her? No. Just… no. Drearia wasn’t someone you projected yourself onto; she was someone all her own, whose expression fooled most people into thinking she was detached when really she was emoting beneath it. She was just waiting for the right person to come along and see what she was feeling. Her mouth in that shape and the way her cold eyes looked at the world was its own feeling, not an absence of it. The most intimate thing about her was the fact that her entire picture – both subject and background – created someone who was in her own world, looking out at the one that had failed her through the window that people mistook as the grey border around her picture. How was he the only person that could see that?!

Immediately he’d signed up and run home to put his best Deck together, testing it in Duel Monsters Pro against other Decks until it was just perfect. That Deck hadn’t felt like him, but it didn’t matter. He just had to use it to get to her.

The day of the tournament had come and gone by like a blur, but Damien remembered how he’d actually won. He remembered how good it felt to have accomplished something. But what he remembered about the feeling was more how fleeting it was rather than the feeling itself. It was, after all, going to be replaced with a much better one. When the shopkeeper smiled at him and handed him Drearia, Damien had said “thank you” and gone home without the trophy. He didn’t need one. Not a medal or cup that meant nothing. The feelings of joy, accomplishment and the feeling that now he had a companion – that was his trophy. But she was only one card after all, and Damien promised her he’d find her some friends. Before long he’d won Arukas and Amak, and Seiramis and Karnal and Rassassin, Sabyr and Syth. He felt a bond with them all, but Drearia was closest to him out of them all because she had been the first step to building a proper Deck; one that he could feel deep down in his heart and soul and could call his Deck. It felt cheesy to say it, but Drearia wasn’t just his first real card – she was his first real friend. She was the one to stir him up and get him to do something. As long as he had her with him, he always knew what his next step was. She was the one who piloted him, not just towards victory but to wherever he would go next. And now he was going to lose her forever. To some punk.

He wouldn’t see her the way he did. He didn’t see him the way she did; he was just another a****** in a long line of people picking on him – the way everyone else had his entire life. As the superdemon reared its blade over his head, Damien closed his eyes and begged for her forgiveness. Drearia… I’m sorry. He sniffed. I’m so, so sorry. I tried…

From where he was, Jaden stood wide-eyed with his mouth agape. It had only been a second – and he had only seen it from the back – but he’d seen Damien move slightly, and his ears had heard the sharp intake of breath that he recognized as a sniff. And right there, without words, Jaden understood how he felt. And then that feeling was cut off from him as the superdemon finally brought its blade down on the poor guy, blocking him from view; cutting him off; and dropping his Life Points down to zero. “It’s over Oemin,” said Reggie victoriously, as all holograms disappeared from the field. “You lose.”

Damien watched as Reggie took all his cards out of his Duel Disk. As Reggie took out Drearia and admired her, Damien took one last look at her. Don’t go.

Reggie shuffled her into his Deck alongside his other cards. Don’t go. Reggie took out his Deck box and put his Deck in. Don’t go. Reggie fastened his Deck box and holstered it. Don’t go.

Reggie started walking away. Don’t go, Damien pleaded to the only one who could hear him. Don’t go, Drearia… don’t go…

As Reggie’s cronies joined him on the other side, Damien finally broke down as he dropped to his knees and collapsed inwardly into grief as everything around him fell into funeral-like silence.

The silence was broken only by the voices of Jaden and Sartyr, who were beside him almost immediately. “Help me get him up!” he heard Sartyr say. “And help me bring him to the infirmary!”

As he and Jaden reached down to pick up Damien, the redcoat heard Damien mutter a metronome of ‘don’t go Drearia, don’t go’ and ‘I’m sorry Drearia. I tried…’ over and over as the two of them draped one of Damien’s arms over their shoulder and carried him off to the nurse.

END OF CHAPTER ONE

[VampireofDarkness]

Bumping this cause not sure what the rules are for necrobumping and updating in this section. That being said, Chapter 2 is in the works and will be up in due time