And that's it, Yu-Gi-Oh! DF7: Their Most Dangerous Enemy is done. Let's get a couple of things out of the way. For example, do I even need to discuss how morally gray my heroes are? I mean, obviously the degree to which each of my characters is willing to kill an enemy varies from character to character, but even Rocky, who is the most traditionally heroic character in my cast, will kill an enemy if he feels that there is no other choice, or even if he thinks that it's the penalty that that person deserves.
Then there's John, who teeters constantly on the edge of becoming a villain every day, Jen, who will make whatever the logical choice is to save the most lives, and Max, who sees horrible things every day and wants desperately to retaliate in kind, and has to restrain himself. Honestly the only characters among my cast who I can't see ever killing anyone are Kimi and Karen. Kimi, because I honestly can't see her being able to, and Karen, because she's so powerful that she would never have a need. That said, any of my characters would kill in a game where the stakes were death, if it meant saving their own life.
I think it's appropriate that John is the first of my characters to actually attack someone with the Shadow Games, when he went after Exodus in DF5. He recognized that Exodus was too dangerous to be allowed freedom to operate, and too unrepentantly evil to be allowed to live on. And he made a choice to stop Exodus by any means necessary, and he stopped him himself. He didn't make anyone else do it. He didn't put that burden onto anyone else. Because very soon, John is going to find himself in a similar position to Exodus, where his own death would make things safer for everyone else, and his experience with Exodus will inform him on that occasion.
But that's another story.
There are two more Duel Force books after this one. If you're someone who read these on yugiohcardmaker.net, then you know that DF6 was originally intended to be the last book of this series, not including spin-offs. I had plotlines that were unresolved, but I intended them to be explored in the spin-offs, and then resolved in the DF sequel series. But I realized that I was doing a disservice to my sequel characters, and limiting my story possibilities, if I used the sequel to resolve the story of these characters. And I wanted to make a special where the Duel Force fought the Card Professors. So I just fleshed that idea out into a full book, and used it to set up for the true DF story resolution. DF8 will set up further, while, hopefully, still being entertaining on its own, while being more lighthearted than this story, and then DF9 will wrap up the story of the Duel Force properly.
All of that said, the story of the Duel Force will continue in Yu-Gi-Oh! DF8: The Regional Team Duel Championship, where my characters actually duel as a team, like I implied that they would often way back in book one!
Chapter Thirty-Five
The Curse of the Forgotten Duelist
Allow me to explain. I've known since the very beginning of my quest for the Duelist's Souls that the Soul of Darkness would draw the others together. That worthy people who might find their way into my life anyway would be drawn together and awarded with the Souls. It wasn't until Max came along that the idea that I could call the other Souls to me, and even take possession of them myself, was even suggested to me. But it made sense as an extension of that unconscious ability.
I was betting, in that moment, that if I could draw the other Souls to me independent of their bearers, that I could draw them to me along with their bearers, too. It was a necessity. We were all spread out now, and I needed everyone together to do what I had planned.
So I willed the Soul of Darkness to call to the other Souls. The other Soul Bearers who were present confirmed immediately that it had worked, that they felt a sudden compulsion to find me emanating from their Souls. They described it as feeling a lot like when their Souls would sometimes sense something that required their attention and draw them to it.
So, knowing that the others were on their way, we waited. There, outside of the Dark Factory. Karen and I sat together on the front step, just holding onto each other. The close calls that we'd had today had begun to sink in. It was only each others' presence that kept us from falling apart. Jen moved away from us and leaned against the front wall, deep in silent contemplation. I wondered if she knew what my idea was.
Sarah, Kris, Amanda and Jenna gravitated together and moved away from the rest of the group, talking. Nate found a spot far away from Jen to sit and look at himself in his mirror. Tucker and Frost wandered off. Max and Reiko sat together in the shadow of the building. I'm not sure what they were doing.
Monty and Lawrence were the first to arrive. They appeared in a swirl of color and light that reminded me of the teleportation effect in the Harry Potter movies, their Souls flashing faintly in tandem. They had obviously just been immersed in pleasant conversation, because they were still chuckling as they appeared. Yes, they. They were both chuckling. As soon as they appeared, Lawrence went stone faced in an attempt to hide the truth, but I'd seen it. There was something different about him. Even as he stood there, his face stern and his arms crossed, there was something lighter about the way that he carried himself, like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
Monty, unlike Lawrence, had no qualms about showing his personable side. As was typical in friendly situations, he took it upon himself to speak for himself and his best friend. He smiled at those of us that he knew, and then met my eyes, "You called, boss?"
"Yeah," I told him, "I've got something to say, but I need all of us together, all twelve."
Monty nodded, "Alright." We made small talk for a few minutes, Karen taking pleasure in catching up with her old friends. I was very interested to hear that Monty had had a duel with Yugi. And I was surprised when Lawrence actually chimed into the conversation, revealing that he had had a very public duel with Kaiba, and won.
Monty and Lawrence broke off their conversation with us soon, and Tucker and Frost wandered back from wherever they'd been (I think they just walked once around the building). It was about then that the rest of the original Duel Force arrived. They appeared together in a silent flash of light. The tan-haired, amber-eyed Rocky was, as usual, wearing a muscle shirt, that accentuated his toned physique, under a survival vest, and baggy cargo pants.
On his arm was the much shorter Kimi, wearing a yellow and black school girl uniform. Her typically-straight black hair was tousled and messy. I realized that Rocky's hair was a bit of a mess as well, and I remembered that the two of them were living in Japan now, where it would be late at night. I'd woken them up. Though that didn't explain why Kimi had chosen to dress in her school clothes.
We got our initial small talk out of the way. Kimi talked about classes a bit, and Rocky told us about a new job that he'd managed to get at a local hobby store. They were both excited about the future. I kept the conversation going as long as I could. What I had to say had the potential to sour the mood. But eventually, I didn't have a choice. Everyone had gathered around, even Jenna, Frost, and Nate, and they wanted to know what I had planned. The only one who didn't seem anxious to hear what I had to say was Jen. Yeah, she knew.
Hm, I thought, I wonder if she'll agree with me.
So finally, with all eyes on me, I spoke. "Guys," I said, "we really screwed up."
"How so?" Lawrence asked defensively, almost like it was a reflex.
"We're too well known," I explained, "and we've made absolutely no attempt to hide the fact that we have magic items. Hell, on occasion, we've all but screamed it publicly. It's actually a miracle that more people haven't made the connection yet. It really says something about the state of public education around the world. But that's beside the point. It's causing problems."
I went on to describe for the new arrivals the events of the previous day, and how things never would have gotten to this point had it not been so easy to identify me as the bearer of the Soul of Darkness.
"And this isn't the first time that this has happened," I continued. "There was that thing recently with Sarah and her group."
"That's right," Sarah chimed in, "just recently some ex-Elite guys came to town with the intention of drawing out the 'famous Duel Force' and take our Souls. If we'd been more secretive about things, they never would have known that we had them."
"And I'm not saying that some good hasn't come from our casual disregard for secrecy," I said, looking to Frost. "As things stand, I'm actually glad that we've been so obvious about everything. I have friends that I might not have if I were worried about keeping my powers a secret. But the fact is, people know who we are, and they want the power that we possess. And they will keep coming for as long as they know that we have that power."
I looked over at Karen and smiled, and she smiled back. I looked to the others again, "We've been lucky so far, but the enemies who come after us keep getting stronger. Eventually someone will come along that we can't beat. It won't be long before a lot of us have families to protect, making us even more vulnerable than we already are."
I met Rocky and Kimi's eyes, and I saw that they were starting to see my point.
"The fact is," I said, "we can't keep this up forever. The prophecy of the Forgotten Duelist has been fulfilled. The Souls have no purpose anymore. All that they are now are danger magnets."
"I disagree," Max argued vehemently. "My Soul of Life was the way that I was able to do good in the world. It helped me make a difference."
"Okay," I said, "you're right. The Souls do have their benefits, but recently the Souls have done more harm than good for us."
"That's not really how I see it," Lawrence argued, jumping onto Max's train of thought. "The way I see it, the Souls draw as much attention as they do because they want to do good. They line up the baddies so that they're easier to knock down."
"Sorry, but I don't think you get to make that call," said Sarah indignantly. "It's not you who's been attacked. It's me and my team, and John and Karen."
"And John has a point," Rocky said, projecting more confidence than I was used to from him in such a crowded setting. "I understand the benefits of the Soul powers, but we are never going to be able to make the choice to live normal lives as long as we have the Souls."
Kimi nodded at his side. Clearly, a normal life is something that the two of them wanted. Glancing around the group, I saw nods from the other Soul Bearers. Even Max and Lawrence didn't show any signs of keeping up the opposition.
"Okay," Monty said, approaching this logically, "what are you suggesting we do about it? Give up the Souls?"
"No," Jen said, finally chiming in, like I knew she'd been aching to since the conversation had started, "that wouldn't work. If we gave up the Souls, there would still be potential enemies out there who want the Souls, and think that we have them. They'd still come for us, and we'd have no means to protect ourselves."
"And even if we somehow made it obvious that we didn't have the Souls anymore," Kris added, "they'd still be out there. They just wouldn't have anyone to protect them."
Jen nodded, "That's true."
"We could put them back in the Burial," Tucker suggested. "That thing was a bitch to get into."
"No," Karen said, shaking her head, "you guys unsealed the Burial. We'd have to find some way to magically reseal it, or else anyone could just walk right in."
"You're right, though, Jen," I said, "giving up the Souls would be a mistake. There's just no way to guarantee that the wrong people wouldn't find them."
"So wait," Amanda asked, "what are you saying? Do you want us to give up the Souls, or not?"
I smiled, "I want us to do both."
Everyone stared at me. Finally Tucker raised his hand slowly and asked, "Uh, what?"
"We can't just give up the Souls," I explained, "and we can't allow people to keep coming for them. So we just make them forget."
"Make who forget? Forget what?" Sarah asked. She was clearly skeptical.
"Everyone," I replied, "except people who know us well. I think I have a way to make them forget that we have the Souls. By making them forget our legacies as Duelists."
I looked from person to person, meeting the eyes of everyone in the crowd, and I saw the beginnings of understanding dawn in each of them.
"What exactly are you saying?" Sarah asked.
"If we do what I have in mind," I explained, "everything that we've done so far as Duelists will be forgotten by anyone who doesn't know us well already. All specific knowledge of what we accomplished as the Duel Force will be forgotten by the general public. They'll forget that I beat Yugi, and that I was invited to Duel Academy-."
"And that I defeated Kaiba," Lawrence chimed in.
"And that," I agreed, "yes. Any of us who intend to pursue careers as professional Duelists will have to start over."
I paused, almost choking over my next sentence, "And any of us who have already achieved a great deal of success will have to be careful never to become too well known. If we do, it might jog peoples' memories and undo the entire spell."
I looked to Sarah, "It won't affect your Duel Force, since none of you have ever won a major title."
I turned to Jen, "And you'll be fine, since all of your major accomplishments have been as part of a team, but..."
I couldn't say it. Thankfully, Jen could.
"But you have won a major solo title," she told me. "You'll have to be careful, and allow yourself to be overshadowed. You'll never be able to hold the solo world title ever again."
"John," said Sarah, her tone completely free of hostility or sarcasm for the first time in her life (seriously, she was even a sarcastic baby), "that's too much of a sacrifice for you."
"It sucks," I said, "I know. But it's the best of both worlds. Pegasus will still know me, and how strong I am. So I'll still have a job on his new team. I'll still get to be a pro. And as long is we're careful with our magic this time, and don't make it so obvious that we have powers, then even though people will remember that the Souls exist, they'll have no idea where to find them. And on the odd occasion that someone who was able to escape the full effects of our spell does still come for us, we'll be able to defend ourselves."
I looked to each of them in turn, "Seriously, guys. This is a small price to pay to protect ourselves, and each other, in the future. I know we don't all get along, but I know we all care about each other at least a little. If you can't do this for yourself, then do it for the others."
With those words, I'd sold my point. I could see it in their eyes. Even Lawrence was in silent agreement.
"Alright then," Sarah asked, "how do you plan to do this?"
I smiled, "That's where Max, and his Soul of Life, come in. I plan to fix the Soul of Life, by casting the Duelist's Curse. I'll pay the cost to fix the Soul of Life with our legacy the same way that the Duelist cast an impossible Spell and paid for it with his legacy."
No one argued with that. How could they? What do you say to that kind of thing? Instead they asked me what I needed them to do. So I had the other Soul Bearers form a circle with me, with Max and Reiko and the shattered Soul of Life in the middle. As I often did when exploring my magic, I allowed my Soul to guide me. Drawing on the powers of the other ten remaining Souls, the Soul of Darkness became the gold and black Soul of Chaos, and light poured from each Soul to the next, forming a ring of light.
A similar light appeared in the Reiko's hands, and the pieces of the Soul of Life rose one after another into the air. I felt an invisible force pulling on the back of my mind, as the strain of the Spell became greater and greater. I knew that the others were feeling it, too. But I pushed it aside, and I watched as the shards came together, slowly at first, and then faster and faster, until finally a small sphere of glowing amber glass floated above Reiko's outstretched hands. The glowing faded, and the amber sphere fell into her palm. I was about to pronounce the spell a success, but then the Soul of Life fell into two.
Reiko turned to Max. In a regretful tone, she said, "Sorry, I guess it was pointless to pick up the pieces."
But in my mind's eye, I say power in both halves of the little sphere.
"No," I said with a smile, "I can feel it. The Soul of Life may not be complete, but it's magic has been restored. There's power in both pieces. It worked."
"Yeah," Max said to Reiko, with another genuine smile, that just looked strange on his lips, "it did work."
He took one half from her, and then he closed her hand around the other.
We all fell silent. It was Jen who spoke next, asking the question that we all wanted to, but were afraid to ask, "So, did we do it?"
"I don't know," I said, speaking to everyone present. "No one here would feel the affects of the Spell's cost. We'll have to go out into the world and see."
I looked once again to each of my fiends, meeting their eyes one after another, and I smiled. We might have just changed our lives forever, and given up things that we could never get back. It didn't matter, though, because I knew, in that moment, that no matter what we gave up, it would be okay, because we would always have each other.
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