So John, his spiritual journey completed, his new powers unlocked, immediately seems more aware of the magic surrounding him, and of his own abilities. And he takes it all in stride. Because he's a BAMF. Also exposition, though it doubles as buildup to the final battle, so it isn't super heinous.
Checkmate;
The Fiend Closes In
I was angry, more at myself than anyone. I’d failed to keep Karen from losing her soul, but I would make up for it. I didn’t care how powerful he was, my opponent would not beat me.
“You left yourself open,” I announced. I was convinced that I had an advantage, however small, and I was going to press it.
“Not only is your strongest monster far inferior to my ‘Despair from the Dark’,” I explained, “you now have to sacrifice a portion of your life to the Archfiends every turn. You’ve lost, and you don’t even know it!”
Fiend only smiled. “Sorry,” he said almost gleefully, “but it’s still my turn, in my Battle Phase, and I have one more move to make. When I said Check, I meant it.
“I never told you what effect was given to my ‘Terrorking’ by the Spell card ‘Checkmate’. In the turn that ‘Checkmate’ is played," he explained, "my ‘Terrorking Archfiend’ can do something that you should be quite familiar with: attack directly.”
“What? No way, it can't!”
“Now,” said Fiend, “I bypass your monster, and end this duel!” ‘Terrorking’ rose up and circled around my monster, a dark aura burning around him, raising his blade over his head. “I take your king with this final strike,” the sword came down, “Checkmate!!”
My Life Points fell (2000-2000=0), and I fell to the ground. I struggled to hold onto my fleeting spirit to no avail. The last thing I saw before I fell into the darkness was Archfiend Ruler walking calmly, unimpeded, toward his goal.
John
I was out of breath, but Keeper seemed unaffected by our duel. “So,” I asked him, “did I pass your test or what?”
“Yes,” said Keeper, “you passed. You may not feel it, but balance has been restored, and your true powers are now available to you. You are free to go at any time.”
“No way,” I said, “you won’t get rid of me so easily. I have some questions, and I think you might know the answers to a few of them.”
“The answers I can give you are limited. I am here to guide you, not to hand you the answers. Ask, and I will answer as best I can.”
“Okay," I said, thinking hard about which questions were the most important, and asking, "who is Yami, and where did he come from?”
“Of course you’d ask who Yami is,” Keeper replied matter-of-factly. “First of all, Yami is not the dark side of the Forgotten Duelist. He is not Blackheart.”
I nodded. Keeper had understood the purpose behind my question without me having to spell it out.
“Although I cannot refer to Yami by his true name,” Keeper continued, “I can tell you a bit about his origin. Yami, as you know him, was once a young man, or rather a part of one. After being forced into servitude to an ancient cause, this young man developed a split mind. His dark side manifested in one half of his persona and tried to spread death and destruction throughout the entire world. When a great hero defeated him, it was thought that Yami was lost to the Shadows from which all magic comes, forever, but a portion of the evil persona’s soul managed to remain in this realm, keeping him anchored to his homeland. Over time he developed new abilities by absorbing magic through the part of his soul which remained in the Shadows, and ultimately he found ways to appear in this realm, but only within the darkness, or in his homeland itself.
“The dark persona wants to return to this realm permanently, but with his own body this time, allowing him to carry over all of his newly acquired powers. He uses the magic of the Shadow Items and the Duel Energy of Duelists that he destroys to sustain himself in this realm, but with the Millennium Items, the most powerful magical artifacts to ever exist, gone for years now, the only way to initiate the ritual needed to facilitate his return is to use the power of the twelve Duelist’s Souls. That’s why, to the dismay of his more power-hungry followers, Yami has turned his attention from the Shadow Items and has begun focusing almost entirely on you and the other members of the Duel Force.”
“You can tell me all of this, but you can’t give me a name?”
“No,” Keeper replied, “I cannot.”
“Can you at least tell me where I can find him? It’s clear by now that I’m going to have to face Yami sooner or later, and I’d rather it be sooner.”
“I’m sorry,” said Keeper, “but when the time comes for your final meeting with Yami, you will know because you will be able to find him on your own.”
“Thanks,” I said glumly, wishing that he’d given me more to work with. Keeper nodded and was gone. I turned, stepping instinctively into the shadows of a pillar, and I disappeared as well.
I felt myself melt into the shadows. I was the shadows. I could separate myself from the shadows anywhere with just a thought as soon as I found my destination with my mind. This time though, I wasn’t looking for a place. I was looking for a person. I was literally looking for myself.
I have to hurry, I thought. I know that the questions I asked Keeper were important, but asking them took time. If the Order manages to defeat my team they’ll come for me. They’ll give my Soul to Yami, and he’ll use it to draw all of the magic of all of the Souls together. If that happens Yami will return to this world for good with all of his crazy psychic abilities! I can’t let that happen. I have to wake up so that I can meet the Order head on, and maybe even take the fight to them.
I closed my eyes, letting the tides of the Shadows wash over me, taking in every sensation that they offered. Everywhere that touched the Shadows was part of my domain. I reached out with all of my senses until I found my destination: my soul-less body. With haste and purpose I pushed through the barrier separating the Shadows from my mind, reaching the Shadows within my own mind, the Shadows that are in all of our minds to one degree or another.
As I made my way back into my empty mind, I felt something in the Shadows with me. It was strong. Strong enough that it made my Soul nervous. It was different than anything I’d ever felt. Different than Yami. I looked around within the Shadows, searching for the presence, but found nothing. There’s no time, I thought, forcing myself to focus. I have to go.
That’s when I heard a mental scream. I couldn’t be sure, but it sounded like Karen. Then suddenly I felt Karen here with me in the Shadows, being pulled to a place far away and still beyond my range of sight.
Moments later I felt Max's mental scream as well. He was drawn into the Shadows, and was pulled in the same direction. I couldn’t hesitate. I had to act. I focused, and I found myself back where I belonged, back within my own mind.
Card of the Day:
Checkmate
Played by: Archfiend Ruler
There is barely any dueling in this chapter, and this card was technically played last chapter, but still, this is a card that caught even Max unaware. It deserves to be here.
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