Revival of Sin: Casting Shadows - By James Petruska (Chapter 5 is complete)

[The King of James]

Revival of Sin: Casting Shadows

 

 

This is the second book in the Revival of Sin series.

 

 

If you do not wish to read the history of my life as a writer, skip the next section and read the chapter titled "Prologue - Peaceful Awakening".

 

 

I, James Petruska, have been working on this story for a long time, renaming it several times, changing the storyline each time, and then throwing the previous versions away in frustration.

 

 

It started when I wrote my original story, of which I do not have a single page left today, as I burned the writing in my fireplace, but have all of the pictures that I hand sketched of the characters. It was called "Moon Stab". It was based on a middle ages fantasy that my friend and I worked on at one point. It was a playwright in the early stages which never saw completion of a single scene.

 

 

The next story that I wrote with minimal success was called "Eternity of Shadows" of which followed the same theme, but with additional characters and was a narrative story, known to me as being superior to a playwright, in the way that it gave more details and increased in its potential length. It was trashed when I finished writing the tenth chapter, and for the first time, I cried over lost work.

 

 

Finally, I made another attempt at a playwright. I called it, "Revival of Sin: Thorns of Despair". It never saw completion, either, although this time, I printed all except the unfinished final scene within the story, and saved it, because I knew that my peers at my high school would be disappointed if I threw away my first story that I hadn't fully completed, but made it to the final scene in the story. It was the first book in the Revival of Sin series. The reason I made it so far, was because my friends supported me with kind words and constructive reviews, and that it was based on the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading card game, which my friends and I were quite interested in. This was a welcomed change from my previous stories, "Moon Stab", and, "Eternity of Shadows", which was especially favored by my friends.

 

 

I still have that story with me, even as I am typing these words, and I use them as a reference in the beginning of my new story, "Revival of Sin: Casting Shadows". I am using all of the characters in this story from my previous, incomplete one, "Revival of Sin: Thorns of Despair", in hopes of writing a full sequel to the epic tale of my previous story in my new story, "Revival of Sin: Casting Shadows". i also changed the parts that each person played, and how important they are, as a writer would in any successful sequel. This story is also based on the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading card game, like its predecessor.

 

 

Now, without further ado, I give you the Prologue to my Story!

 

 

Prologue – Peaceful Awakening:

 

 

The gentle breeze scarcely causes the swaying of leaves of the colorful deciduous trees during autumn. The season seemed dull, but everything about it was miraculous. Small miracles happened everywhere, such as the fact that I am still living and breathing, still awake, alert. I watched the leaves being blown gently from my bedroom window. My silver hair swayed slowly, rarely touching my neck. My sapphire eyes shined as I watched the setting sun. My skin was pale, nearly translucent. I clothed myself, putting my sweater on. Then I left my home to watch the sunset. As I did, I thought I saw Leanne, but I couldn’t spot her again, and thought I was just imagining things. I made my way to the spot, and yawned.

 

 

I lay stretched comfortably, atop the highest cliff’s edge that I could find, watching the sunset. The sky is lit with all sorts of shades of colors, but mostly magenta and lavender. When the sun disappeared behind the mountains, trees and hills over the horizon, I looked directly to the sky, into the darkness, to watch the stars appear. I could count them at first, up to thirty-eight. Soon after, the sky was filled with more stars than my eyes could focus on. But the one burning the brightest is the star in the middle of them, one I had never seen before. It was the night of a new moon, and thus, I couldn’t spot the moon tonight.

 

 

It was the perfect night for romance, I thought. It was also the perfect night to draw shapes in the sky, using my imagination. I saw Leanne’s image among the stars, imagining her watching over me, her emerald eyes glowing with passion, her maroon hair shining with ambition, her fair skin full of life. Then I heard something that I haven’t heard in a long time. It sounded like Leanne’s voice. It seemed to come from the sky, and so I listened. I knew that I could communicate with the dead, but this hurt me, a sharp pain in my heart, as if it was snapped in half. I felt Leanne’s presence, but it seemed she was in the sky, from the feeling I received.

 

 

She spoke so softly that it seemed like a lullaby at first.

 

 

“One night… You’re lying there… I feel as though… We’re almost one again… And yet… We’re miles apart… In time… Across the pale blue moon… I see you eyes are glistening… With so much love… It’s tearing you apart… To be here…”

 

 

After the lullaby ended, I blinked. Then my eyes began burning, followed by a feeling of grave pain. It seemed as though my heart sunk into my stomach, just to be burnt. At that moment, I was so scared, confused and lonely that I suddenly burst into tears, unable to hold back. I cried and moaned, but it gave me nothing. I gained nothing through watching the sunset and counting the stars, but instead, it felt as though I had lost everything I ever loved.

 

 

Coming back to reality, I was shocked to find that when I returned home, my dearest friend Leanne wasn’t there, waiting for me as she said she would. I sighed. I thought for a moment, then I knew why I heard that lullaby. Leanne was dead. But I was still alive… I had to find a way to kill myself. But after I opened the door, I found that my lights had been turned off. I closed the door behind me. As I did, someone grabbed me from behind. I struggled free and fell, but as I did, I saw Leanne. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I rubbed my eyes a few times, and it almost seemed like she disappeared for a moment, but then reappeared. I felt very confused about whether or not I was hallucinating, or if I was really seeing this.

 

 

“Are you living? Are you still bound to life on earth?”

 

 

Leanne frowned. I knew that frown. The last time she frowned like that was when I cause people to implode in my forsaken past. I knew she was quite concerned by the way her eyes stared. She seemed to be staring through me. She looked to her right, thinking. Then she looked back at me, with a somewhat empathetic expression. She spoke in the same soft, gentle voice that I heard while watching the sky.

 

 

“Are you becoming uneasy?”

 

 

I gasped. I knew that voice. I knew it was the voice of desperation, as if she was dying. She sighed. As she did, I shed a single tear, but held the rest back. I began to stutter. “You… You… You are… Are… Going to die… Why? WHY?”

 

 

She blinked, and then sighed again. I couldn’t hold back my tears any longer. I grabbed Leanne and clung to her, like a weeping child would cling to his mother. “Don’t die! You can’t die! I won’t let you die! You must not die!”

 

 

She began shedding tears as well, and acknowledged with a nod that, indeed, she was going to die. I moan and cry whilst she silently sheds tears. Several minutes later, I noticed the silhouette of a person, looking into my window, which looked like Bocaj. His hair was sky-blue, lively like a cloudless sky. His amethyst eyes showed a sort of determination. Then, my door swung open. Bocaj walked in. He tapped his foot, and Leanne wiped her tears away. I blinked.

 

 

“What is it, Bocaj?”

 

 

Bocaj stopped tapping his foot and sighed as I stopped crying and wiped my tears. I thought that he was going to leap and attack by the glare in his eyes, so I braced myself. He sighed again, and then began to speak in a stern voice.

 

 

“Leanne doesn’t have to die, but only you can save her, Semaj… It is risky, however, and I don’t like the odds…”

 

 

I thought for a moment, and then I realized that I didn’t know how Leanne was going to die.

 

 

“Leanne… How will you die if I fail to save you?”

 

 

Leanne sighed.

 

 

“Itaav Airym is on his way to kill us. He wants to duel us in a life-or-death match. But you on the other hand, he wants to corrupt. He wants your soul, so that he can become invincible. You make the choice. I want you to live on without having to fear you’ll lose your soul or body, but no matter what you do, I will support you.”

 

 

I sighed. I knew that I had to make a choice fast. I had to make my choice before Itaav arrived to kill us all. I thought a few moments. My road was clear. If I cowardly ran from this fight, my friends would die. But if I stood firm to help them, even though I fear I would lose my life, I would lose my life for a greater purpose than myself. This ‘greater purpose’ was to save and protect Leanne and the rest of my friends, even if I must give them advice from the afterlife. And so I took my deck from my pocket. The wind whistled now, and my pulse quickened. Itaav had arrived, and along with him he brought black flames that seemed to never stop burning. His yellow eyes burned with hatred and his raven hair was glazed with fury. His scarred face showed no empathy at all, just envy and confusion. He laughed manically before speaking.

 

 

“Ah… You are an unexpected guest… You shall make a fine sacrifice.”

 

 

I lifted my cast-iron duel disk off of my dining table. I fitted it to my arm, and Itaav laughed, knowing that I wanted to take care of business. He glared at me before shaking his finger.

 

 

“No. You are not worth my time. All I want from you is your soul...”

 

 

I laughed. I knew he was stupid then, as I had easily defeated the Dark God of Despair. I thought he didn’t know what he was up against, so I never took him seriously. I grinned, placing my deck slowly onto my duel disk. He noticed why it was so heavy to me shortly after that, pointing at the description, ‘cast-iron encasement’. I nodded, then smiled, and held out a hand to give him a handshake. He denied the handshake, and I laughed. I knew he was overconfident of his abilities just by that, so I would have no problem tricking him during this duel, regardless of how good he or his deck was.

 

 

“You know that shaking hands with your opponent is a testament to fighting on equal terms! So, let’s have a handshake, or are you scared that I might bite you?

 

 

Itaav grinned, refusing to shake my hand. I frowned, and then I led him outside and then through a nearby forest. He grinned as we entered a clearing. Leanne and Bocaj followed me as well. The area in the clearing was barren, an ideal training spot for duelists. Not just that, but it was easy to see an ambush coming, as I stood in the middle of a circular clearing with a circumference of fifteen kilometers. Itaav laughed manically as Leanne stood quivering behind me. I didn’t know why she was shivering until I looked upwards, where the branches of the trees were extending and the leaves growing. The forest became so dark that I could only see inches around me. It became cold, too, and at that time, Leanne clung to me. I spoke to her softly.

 

 

“Are you feeling alright, Leanne?”

 

 

Leanne shook her head and began sobbing. I could tell that it was far below thirty-two degrees in temperature, as my sweat drops became solid icicles. I was catching hypothermia, but perhaps Leanne already had it. She clung to me, shivering. I felt a burning passion in my heart, and lifted Leanne over my shoulder. At that time, she had stopped shivering. I darted toward the exit, but a wall of trees suddenly sprang up from the ground and trapped me. Itaav smiled as he stood across from me.

 

 

“She only has around ten minutes to live… What can you do now? How will you save her?”

 

 

I thought for a moment, and then pointed at Itaav.

 

 

“You will fight me, and me alone! You will let Bocaj take Leanne to get medical assistance… In return, I will release my bloodline trait and bestow it upon you.”

 

 

Itaav grinned. I grimaced as his grin turned more devious.

 

 

“What is your bloodline trait?”

 

 

I frowned. I knew that this meant bad news for me, as he would definitely use it against me.

 

 

“It is called the Death Touch. If I touch anyone directly between their eyes with my left index finger, their soul will deteriorate at a rapid rate, a pace that increases if taking damage to their body. If I touched any person, immortal or not, between their eyes, they will have seven minutes left to live at most. This can be overcome with great willpower to live, though, and instead of their soul deteriorating, it will split into half, and cause that one person to morph into two different people, one of balance, one of chaos.”

 

 

Itaav laughed.

 

 

“It is a deal! Without your power, there is no way for you to kill me! And after that… I will take good care of your friends… with my new powers… Is that what you wanted? Apparently so... Ah, well... Even if your touch could kill me, you would not be able to lay a finger on me... You're in over your head, boy.”

 

 

Bocaj ran over to me, and I nodded. He lifted Leanne from my shoulder and onto his, and then carried her out of the area. Bocaj left the forest as I bestowed Itaav with my powers, as agreed. He ran toward me so fast that all I saw of him was a blur, until he reached me and poked me sharply, directly between my eyes. I felt a sharp pain surging throughout my body, but knew it was my fault. However, I wasn’t about to give in the slightest bit, and attempted to punch Itaav in the stomach, but he somehow saw it coming and jumped back. He fitted his duel disk, and then started his life point counter, not realizing that he only had 2500 life points. He grinned viciously as he drew his opening hand. I then started my life point counter, and noticed something familiar, that had happened to one of my enemies while I was dueling them, but had never happened to me. I had only 2000 life points instead of 4000. Itaav laughed manically before he wrote something in the air.

 

 

“You have 2000 life points, because I used the touch of death on you! I realized its full potential when I acquired it, and unlike you, I actually know everything about it! You are truly pathetic..."

 

 

I smiled. I thought of a way to make him pay the consequences he deserved, but I would have to outsmart him. Yet, that would be the easy part... The hard part would be to persuade him to believe everything that I would explain.

 

 

“Ah… Tell me what you know, then, seeing as you know all about it, and since I can’t use it anymore.”

 

 

He laughed.

 

 

“Of course. First of all, you have seven minutes to live. And then, you start with 2000 life points in any duel. Of course, that time is shortened by one minute for every 500 points of damage you take. It’s great because there are no drawbacks!”

 

 

I laughed. His smile disappeared as he looked ready to lunge at me. I stopped laughing, but continued smiling, as I knew he had dug his own grave by misusing the death touch at the wrong time.

 

 

“How foolish! The drawbacks are that you also take real physical damage during a duel, and that even if you win, you can’t move for quite a few hours after using the death touch! The reason you’re still able to move even your arms, for now, is because the rules of this duel cause you to! You’ll be rendered defenseless! Even if you defeat me, you won't be able to move for many hours! There is no way that someone will not find you after that. When it all is said and done, it is only a matter of time before someone finds a way to kill you!”

 

 

Itaav gasped. I drew my opening hand of five cards. Itaav reached for his deck, but even though he was faster, I had a head start, as my hand was already on the deck, allowing me to start before him. He just crossed his arms, holding his cards in his left hand. I grimaced as a sharp pain surged throughout my body once more, as if my death wasn’t far away. I wouldn’t die, and there was a great reason for that. I needed to protect my friends, but most of all, I needed to protect Leanne, to my last breath.

 

 

“You are nothing more than a craven, hateful loser that thinks of himself as a god… Well… I am the only one bringing down judgment now, and you are just a stepping stone to be crushed in my path to enlightenment and my quest to bring world peace!”

 

 

Itaav laughed as I felt more surging pain course through my body.

 

 

“You have six minutes left to live… Make them count!”

 

 

I smiled, and then I laughed. He was about to taste his own medicine. I organized my cards and then made my move.

 

 

“I set three face down cards in my spell and trap card zone, and then I end my turn!”

 

 

Itaav laughed. Then he drew a card to begin his turn.

 

 

“I activate the quick-play spell card, Mystical Space Typhoon! It destroys one spell or trap card on the field! I choose the face down card in the middle!”

 

 

I gasped fakely as I revealed my face down Mirror Force, which was destroyed by the effect of Mystical Space Typhoon. I still had two face down cards, which was an advantage for me. Itaav laughed manically, and pulled a single card from his hand.

 

 

“This time, you’re finished. I activate Double Summon! It allows me to normal summon or set an additional monster! Do you know what I will do now? I will normal summon Chainsaw insect (atk / 2400 – def / 0)! Then, I will normal summon Spear Dragon (atk / 1900 – def / 0)! And thus, you’re finished! I attack with Spear Dragon!”

 

 

I smiled as I stood still, waiting for the attack. I knew that I couldn’t die now, not yet. Not because of my own ability. I must live, to protect Leanne and the world, and then I must defeat him, I thought. I took severe damage physically, but didn’t even notice it, as my strong will kept me safe from harm. Itaav passed a glare at me, and then laughed manically.

 

 

“I have to give you credit, boy… You weren’t budged by an attack that tore at your flesh and soul… You’re really something! Anyway! This is the end! I attack with chainsaw insect!”

 

 

I chuckled as saw blades spun while flying toward me toward me, and then I revealed another of my face-down cards.

 

 

“This will end you! I activate my face down trap, Magic Cylinder! You take damage to your life points equal to your monster’s attack! Did you notice how much life points you had when we started? 2500! This is because Death Touch requires 1500 life points to actually work! I’m sorry, but you’re going to be killed by my most wimpy trap ever… seeing as you only have 100 life points left, I activate Chain Blast! It deals 500 points of damage to your life points!”

 

 

Itaav grimaces as both blasts combine into a single, gargantuan blast. When the blast strikes him he screeches so sharply that my ears begin to bleed. I fell onto my back, still breathing. I was the first person ever to survive the death touch, which had been passed throughout my family. And even though Itaav had death touch and I did not, it would be useless to him now, unless his army could find me. The prison walls made up of trees that sprang suddenly from the ground disappeared into thin air, as did he holes in the ground. It appeared as if this entire duel was rigged, except that my friends were able to leave, and that I was able to win. I crawled toward Itaav on my hands and knees, and then I took his deck.

 

 

“This is mine now... You won't need it where you're going! And this is just punishment for all of the bad things you have done!”

 

 

Itaav gasped, trying to form words.

 

 

“No! I... I'll let you have your powers back... And I'll remove the curse upon you... But please, don’t take my deck! It’s all that I have”

 

 

I nodded and agreed. I was happy now, although I didn't know that as long as he had his cards, he could never die... I retrieved my bloodline trait, put Itaav out of action for a few hours, and most importantly, I saved Leanne’s life. I achieved that goal without dying, under the best possible circumstances. And then there was the fact that I was the first to ever have a strong enough will to live not only to survive the death touch, but also to survive it without any negative effects, such as becoming two different people. I looked up. The branches and leaves were no longer blocking the sky, and I could picture Leanne among the stars. I thought she began to speak, but knew it was just my imagination. Just then, I heard Leanne’s faint voice echo softly into a lullaby.

 

 

“One night… You’re lying there… I feel as though…We’re almost one again… And yet… We’re miles apart… In time… Across the pale blue moon… I see your eyes are glistening… With so much love… It is tearing you apart… To be here…”

 

 

I have heard that song before. But this time, I wasn’t imagining it… Leanne sang it softly from somewhere in the forest. I knew that song meant death was near, and seeing as I am the only one who can stop it, I took a candle from my pocket and lit it, then took out a gold coin I had found, and put it into the flame atop the candle. Suddenly, I felt strange, as though I could see daylight at night. I noticed that Leanne was hanging from a tree helplessly as wolves attacked her in another forest clearing nearby. I charged in that direction, fearing nothing, feeling no pain, even though my body was literally mangled from my duel with Itaav. When I reached the clearing the wolves were in, something that I did cause the wolves to cower in fear. I wasn’t a predator. I wasn’t prey, either. Something that I did gave them the message that they should take flight, as I was more dangerous and more persistent than any predator could have been, seeing as the entire pack fled. Then, Leanne let go of the branch, and I ran over to catch her. But I fell after I caught her, and so I only softened the impact that she would have suffered from falling from the tree.

 

 

When Leanne stood, she screamed in terror after noticing my mangled body as I lay in the clearing.

 

 

“Oh my goodness! Are you alive? Say something!”

 

 

I rolled onto my back and looked at Leanne, smiling.

 

 

“I am alive. I have no reason to die while those that I love need protection.”

 

 

Leanne noticed blood spilling out of my ears and shoulder and took out her cell phone.

 

 

“I have to get you to the hospital, quickly!”

 

 

I laughed, and then coughed up a handful of blood. I smiled, and then stood slowly. When I was able to stand, I winked at Leanne.

 

 

“Things could be better, but… They could be worse!”

 

 

Leanne sighed.

 

 

“I can’t believe I’m falling for you in your last moments… But it just makes me so happy to see you living still… Oh, Semaj… I love you!”

 

 

Leanne limped to me, and then we embraced each other. I looked directly into her eyes before gathering enough breath to speak. “I love you, as well… More than anything in life, or in death… And I will protect and cherish you no matter what I become, no matter where I turn up. This is my vow, my promise. I intend to keep it to the end of my life. I will shield you from as much harm as possible, even if it costs me my life. I am not dying, not yet...”

 

 

Leanne began crying. She cried for so long it seemed like days at a time. For every tear she shed, I experienced more love and care for her, and the more I comforted her, the more she cried. These were not tears of sadness, though. The emotions were so strong that it was the only reaction she could make. I stood there, ignoring everything else except Leanne, and how to protect her, to cherish her, to know how she felt. My selfless, courageous acts had led to grave pain, but at this moment, all I could feel was that feeling of happiness that came with the love and care I felt for Leanne. At this moment, I felt as though we could stay together, forever…

 

 

<>End of the Prologue<>

 

 

Below are the chapters that I have completed thus far, previous to checking them and editing the mistakes.

 

 

Prologue.doc

 

Chapter 1 - An Uphill Battle.doc

 

Chapter 2 - No More Resistance.doc

 

Chapter 3 - Rain of Darkness.doc

 

Chapter 4 - No Regrets.doc

 

Chapter 5 - Madenning Heart.doc

Chapter 6 - Lock on the Heart.doc

Chapter 7 - Splitting the Group.doc

[ragnarok1945]

can't you just C/P the prologue here?

[The King of James]

I copied it from my text editor and pasted it on the first post... Anyone who reads this post should be reading my story... Anyway, whoever decides to read my story, please tell me if you like it or not, but if not, tell me why and how to improve it, in a constructive way.

[Tokyo Duel]

o...m...g...you are too good at writing...I love to write...but now I feel inferior....to this...this masterpiece!

[ragnarok1945]

now I can read and give it a review: this is by far among the best fics I've read, I hope you continue this

[The King of James]

 

o...m...g...you are too good at writing...I love to write...but now I feel inferior....to this...this masterpiece!

 

 

Thanks for your feedback, but there's no need to feel inferior. You're just as good as I am, because you love to write. Just work hard and put your mind to it and you can accomplish anything!

 

 

Oh and I must thank you as well, Ragnarok. You've been around since before me, or even my previous account, James5166...

[Soul Legacy]

Nice, please, continue this :D

[ragnarok1945]

o...m...g...you are too good at writing...I love to write...but now I feel inferior....to this...this masterpiece!

 

Thanks for your feedback' date=' but there's no need to feel inferior. You're just as good as I am, because you love to write. Just work hard and put your mind to it and you can accomplish anything!

 

Oh and I must thank you as well, Ragnarok. You've been around since before me, or even my previous account, James5166, and know something of my old fan fiction, Dark Thorns of Despair.

[/quote']

 

Ok then. You going to update soon?

[Tokyo Duel]

Thanks! I'm going to work on a new fan fic and call it Awakening

[ragnarok1945]

Good to hear. I look forward to reading it

[ragnarok1945]

Ok then. You going to update soon?

 

It will take a while... I do not write fast' date=' because if I do I become sloppy, so it will take approximately nine days, not counting today.

[/quote']

 

Still faster than most fics I read on ff.net anyway

[The King of James]

I have updated Chapter 1 - An uphill battle, to carry more accurate charater descriptions. I have also completed Chapter 2 - No More Resistance.

 

Chapter 1 – An Uphill Battle:

 

I thought about both Leanne’s sorrows and joys, although I would have to wait until later to ask her about them. I knew that the longer we lingered here, the more likely Itaav’s guards were likely to show up and capture us, so I gently pushed Leanne away and gestured at her to follow me. She continued to sob joyfully, but followed me nonetheless. On the way through forest, the red sun began rising. The howling winds calmed once more to a gentle breeze, causing my shining, silver hair to occasionally sway back and forth. The moon had not shown itself during any part of the night. In fact, it hadn’t appeared for several nights. Bocaj returned shortly, and with him he brought along a familiar friend of mine…

 

My familiar friend, by the name Ekim, had a medium skin tone, red eyes that glowed like two rubies in the moonlit sky, ocean blue hair that swayed in the gentle breeze, and wore a white, formal funeral tuxedo. He fitted his almond-colored duel disk, and pointed at me. I blinked at him, and then thought for a moment, trying to figure out if he was challenging me to a duel or Leanne. But since I knew he wasn’t pointing and Leanne, I thought he wanted to duel me.

 

“Why do you want to duel me? Is this some kind of prank?”

 

Ekim sighed and shook his head. After staring for several minutes, I blinked again, not realizing that I had been staring for more than ten minutes. He lowered his arm, and then sighed again. I knew he wasn’t very confident in himself outside of duels, so I encouraged him to speak. He frowned, and then opened his mouth to speak, but paused for a moment. Finally, after a long silence, Ekim began to speak.

 

“Semaj… I need to ask you a question… Will you take me on in a duel? If you win, then we can convince the hospital to allow you and Leanne both free services. The head doctor explained this to me… If you lose, you cannot enter, but Leanne is still welcome for free. If you win, you and Leanne are both welcome for examination in the hospital for free. And we both know how expensive medical attention is these days…”

 

I nodded. I knew that I was weakened physically, but I also knew that my burning ambitions for peace knew no boundaries. I offered a handshake to Ekim, and as he accepted, I smiled. Not only do I honor the duelist’s oaths, but my friends do as well. This made me somewhat happy, and I felt respected, and felt that I could respect and trust him.

 

“I accept your challenge! It is good to see that you show respect to not only yourself as a duelist, but other duelists of your caliber.”

 

Ekim gave me a confused look, not knowing what I was implying. I sighed and began to explain.

 

“I met a duelist by the name Itaav, who engaged in a duel with me. He is the dictator of this entire continent, and most of the world, even across the oceans. It is said that no living person can kill him, but I know better. I have a technique, called death touch, which only my family knows. I will explain later why I couldn’t use it, but for now, we must make haste to another location, outside of this forest. We wouldn’t want his loyal followers to find us and apprehend us.”

 

Ekim sighed. We began walking toward the forest’s edge.

 

“And you’re the last of your family, right? So that means, you’re the only man on earth who is capable of killing Itaav…”

 

I shook my head, knowing that Itaav should have died by now, but also knowing that he somehow survived.

 

“I don’t know what his secret is, but somehow, he survived the drawbacks of using death touch on another. If I were to use death touch on him, which I granted to him temporarily, and then retrieved after the duel, I would have died within little over ten minutes, and there would be nothing that I or anyone else could do to stop it from happening.”

 

Ekim gasped.

 

“But you defeated a god! How can you not defeat a mortal being? You defeated and sealed away the Dark God of Despair during the ending of your duel against him!”

 

I frowned and shook my head. He didn’t seem to get my point at all. We reached the edge of the forest, but continued talking.

 

“Itaav is no mortal… mortal beings can’t move at the speed of sound on their own two feet. I couldn’t even see him before he paused after using my own technique against me, when I granted it to him. Their has to be something that makes him an immortal, though, because no regular man can become as god without some sort of sacrifice. Their have to be drawbacks to his immortality.”

 

Ekim sighed. I thought about the situation at hand for a moment, and how he begged for me not to take his deck away from him… I knew his weakness now…

 

“Wait… We must return to where I defeated Itaav, disregarding my risk of dying.”

 

Bocaj frowned.

 

“Why would you have us turn back, when you could die upon any moment?”

 

I smiled.

 

“I know this sounds crazy… But Itaav’s weakness is that without his cards, he can’t live… It is all he has left, after all… He begged like his life was on the line, but as long as he has his cards, he’s immortal… Without them, he’s nothing more than a decrepit corpse.”

 

Bocaj glared at me harshly, with an eyebrow raised.

 

“Why would you cause his death?”

 

I frowned.

 

“The world cannot know peace without him gone. I believe that you know this to be true. I don’t want to kill him… But there is no other way to stop the world’s gradual decline.”

 

Bocaj grimaced. I knew he didn’t like the idea, but he continued following me to where Itaav was, so it appeared that he was agreeing silently. After a while he finally spoke his mind.

 

“You’ve done enough heroic things, don’t you think? Leave him to someone else. You don’t need to pitch in… Live calm and peaceful lives together, you two…”

 

Bocaj looked away, toward the rising sun, which gave the sky magnificent beauty. The clouds were a beautiful mixture of crimson red, lavender and a milky gray, as well as some ocean blue. The grass fields below had a glossy texture, and reflected vibrant shades of red, yellow and orange. The winds seemed to stop moving all together, and the chirping of small birds could be heard occasionally throughout the area. I sighed, took a wet cloth from my backpack and went to a nearby spring to cleanse myself of the blood I had lost. Leanne came with me. She stared for a moment, and then placed her hand on my should so gently that I didn’t even notice her, until she spoke.

 

“He is right, but I will accept you no matter which path you choose. It may have been a good idea to get rid of Itaav, but I don’t want you to die here. I don’t want you to die anywhere. I can’t lose you now… Not yet… I just couldn’t live without you at the moment.”

 

I blinked. I thought about it silently, not responding whilst I cleaned myself in the spring. I thought for quite some time before I made any comments at all. I decided that my promise to protect Leanne was more important in the long run than world peace, because if I lost her on my quest to save the world, I could never forgive myself. But I would give up my quest. This meant that I would have to be with Leanne almost all of the time, constantly protecting her whilst still questing for peace. I finally made my decision, and looked at Leanne as I stepped out of the spring, squeaky-clean.

 

“I will not only bring world peace, but also, I will protect you, and cherish you every step of the way. If you allow me to, I will keep an eye on you as much as possible. This is just to ensure your safety during our mission to bring world peace.”

 

Leanne blinked.

 

“You said, our mission? What do you mean, our mission? Of course it’s our goal as well, but this is something you must do without us… Even if it means we’ll sacrifice ourselves for your mission…”

 

I gasped.

 

“No! If someone has to die, it will be me! I will keep you and our friends alive, no matter what happens! And no… I cannot do this alone. Not this time… So please, I beg of all of you, lend me your wills, your strength and your empathy, so that we can do this… Together we will complete this mission!”

 

Leanne looked at Ekim, who nodded, and then looked at Bocaj, who nodded. Then, Leanne stepped forward.

 

“Agreed, and we will not fall… We will fall as a team, for the team! We will help each other, never surrendering, even if our backs are to the wall! Semaj, my love, my trust, and all of my will, I share with you! You are the team leader, as we had already decided.”

 

I nodded and smiled.

 

“Let us rally more people! But first, I have a to convince Itaav to start a duelist tournament… Let us find him!”

 

They nodded and walked alongside me, never looking back. When we found Itaav, he was already standing and moving around. I knew why, too… His cards gave him power. I gestured my friends to stay back, and then approached Itaav alone.

 

“Itaav… It seems that we meet again… But I am not here to fight or duel you, not at this moment.”

 

Itaav laughed manically.

 

“Semaj, Semaj… You are quite the comedian… But you know that this game is over. You don’t seriously expect to believe that you will walk away before I get revenge, do you?”

 

I grinned. I had him hooked now.

 

“I know an even better and less-risky way for you to get your revenge, but you will have to set it up as a tournament. Here’s the deal… You can have your revenge and my powers the moment that I lose a match in the tournament.”

 

Leanne gasped as several guards ambushed and captured her, Bocaj and Ekim.

 

“Run, Semaj! Run for you life!”

 

I grimaced, knowing what had just took place.

 

“Itaav… You leave your friends out of this!”

 

Itaav grinned viciously.

 

“Why should I? You have no way to stop me, and no one I know could possibly beat you except me. Of course, I know that some of your friends might be able to win against you, especially if your life, their lives and the fate of this world all depend on it!”

 

Leanne sobbed as she was thrown onto the ground with her arms and legs bound by chains. I looked at her with shame, and then glared at Itaav, who did not move, continuing to smile. The guards came in and attempted to capture me, but I decided to fight them instead of giving in.

 

“If I go down, I go down fighting, to free my friends!”

 

The first group of six guards surrounded me, and as the approached I readied myself to take all of them on at once. It unzipped my fleece jacket, and then pulled out a sheathed Tanto blade. It removed the Tanto from the sheath quickly and readied it, standing in my fighting stance. The guards readied their spears to kill me, and all of them at once tried to stab me. I back flipped over the first attack, landing behind one of the guards, and then quickly stabbing them and removing my blade. I kicked a guard that charged with a sword from behind me, and then his chest caved in. The five guards with spears that were still alive charged me, but I was agile enough to jump and grab a tree branch, flip around the branch the land my feet upon it, and then pull a set of throwing knives from my pocket. I threw them with such aim that each of the five guards was hit with a knife in their Adam’s apple.

 

“I must protect you, Leanne!”

 

The guards left my Leanne and my friends bound, on the ground as I charged them. Then I went into stance as they reached for their gun holsters. I pivoted and broke the first guard’s gun arm, and threw him into the bullet’s path coming from the gun of the second guard, taking the gun and shooting the second in their left eye. Leanne stopped sobbing and looked up at me as I once again approached Itaav.

 

“This time, you play by my rules, Itaav…”

 

Itaav laughed deviously, continuing to laugh for several seconds before stopping to smile.

 

“You’re a dead man if you kill any more guards… I will dismiss your charges if you duel your friends in the tournament.”

 

I grimaced, looking around. Itaav took advantage of my paranoia and lunged at me, punching me in my abdomen so hard that I felt dead. I couldn’t move, breath or see. I could faintly hear Leanne’s screams before falling unconscious.

 

“Semaj! Semaj! No! You can’t die now!”

 

Itaav frowned.

 

“Will you be quiet? He’s only unconscious…”

 

Leanne blinked, and eight guards came from their hiding spots. They placed Leanne, Bocaj, Ekim and I on stretchers with our legs and arms bound by chains, and then carried us to an armored van with a trunk barely large enough to fit five people inside with room to breath, and placed the four of us inside, knocking Bocaj and Ekim unconscious but leaving Leanne awake, so that she would feel immense fear. I wouldn’t wake up for several weeks after this incident, and things were just getting worse for the fate of earth…

[ragnarok1945]

I can't wait to see how this is all going to turn out. Excellent chap

[The King of James]

Thank you, Ragnarok... How would you rate chapter one, on a scale of one to ten?

[ragnarok1945]

at least 9/10 right off the bat

[The King of James]

Thank you very much, Ragnarok. I will be finished with chapter 2 sometime close to the end of this week, which I know is slow, but bear with me guys...

 

I can only write my story as part of my language arts assignment in school, because my computer at home does not have microsoft word. I will finish this as soon as possible.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

James Petruska

 

 

P.S. I might have already said this but my username is my actual name reversed. Semaj Aksurtep is also the main character of my story, as you may already know from reading it.

[ragnarok1945]

that's fine. We all have other matters to put ahead of us, just do what you can

[The King of James]

It took me the entirety of two school days to finish this chapter. If you rate it on a scale of one to ten, please explain your reasons for the rating, and if it is a below average rating, let me know how I could and should improve this chapter. Thank you so much, everyone.

 

I also would like to send a special thanks to Ragnarok1945, a user on the Yugioh Card Maker Forums, for giving me his feedback and ratings, and also Destined for Darkness, another Yugioh Card Maker Forums user, for his compliment, although I do not believe in anyone being 'inferior', because of my moral beliefs. Nonetheless, I think that you both have given me extraordinary inspiration to complete what I have, and also to continue writing.

 

Without further ado, you may now read my second chapter after the Prologue, No More Resistance...

 

Chapter 2 – No More Resistanc:

 

After the armored van arrived at Itaav’s Duelist Arena, The guards came, opened the trunk and unbound the, shivering Leanne, letting her free. She looked at them with both suspicion and surprise, and bolted away. But as she made for the doors, the raised doors fell without warning. She screamed in terror. As she did, I awoke, still bound by chains in the open trunk of the armored car.

 

“What? Leanne… No! Why are you doing this to her?”

 

Four guards walked over to Bocaj, Ekim and I, but since Ekim and Bocaj were still unconscious, they only took my chains off, and I came up with a plan. I would protect Leanne by lulling the guards into a false sense of security, and then I would suddenly turn on them and they would all die.

 

“Thank you for returning my freedom, I am at your disposal, so long as you do not harm Leanne.”

 

One guard raised an eyebrow at me, and then shrugged. I was escorted to Leanne, who was quivering in fear. The guard that had his suspicions about me spoke first.

 

“Kill her, to prove your loyalty to us… If you don’t, we will kill her ourselves, and then kill you!”

 

I gave a fake sigh as I nodded and looked back at Leanne. She looked even more horrified than before. I knew she didn’t know what I was planning, so to ease her mind, I winked at her quickly to where the guards didn’t notice, but she continued to act afraid, for what reason I did not know.

 

“I am sorry, Leanne… but you have to die… I have failed to protect you…”

 

I drew my weapon, and then, instead of bringing it down on Leanne, I raised it to her, with her sapphire eyes glowing with fear. After seeing this I spun around and wounded two guards in a single sword stroke. The other guard jumped back in surprise with the inability to react.

 

“What? You tricked us?”

 

Leanne gasped in surprise as I wounded the other guards with my katana.

 

“Semaj! Why have you become a monster, even if it is to save me?”

 

I gave Leanne a confused look. I thought for a moment, and then realized that she was against my protection methods.

 

“This… makes me a monster? This… makes me just as bad as Itaav?”

 

She nodded, and then stood, still shivering, although not as much. I sighed, knowing that she was speaking her heart, even if she was wrong, she was right about something. I shouldn’t stoop down to the murderous level of Itaav to protect Leanne.

 

“I don’t know why, but this katana is turning my thoughts toward violence… but it is my… my only tool of use… I cannot throw it away!”

 

She gasped. I knew that she was starting to fear me, and that was something I couldn’t allow. So I thought about what I could do for a moment. I figured it out when I looked at the guards, who were slowly dying. With much refrain, I unsheathed my katana, and then, with no refrain at all, broke it after hacking a concrete pillar several times. I looked at Leanne and sighed.

 

“I’ll rush the guards I wounded to the hospital, and you can free Bocaj and Ekim whilst I do that.”

 

Leanne smiled at me softly, and a gentle breeze swept by, causing her sparkling maroon hair to sway slightly. Her emerald-green eyes looked just as joyful as when I vowed to protect her. But this time, she was unkempt and untidy, because of the guards that roughed her up and left her in a trunk for several days. I parted ways with her after she unbound Ekim and Bocaj, and then Bocaj decided that their group should go to a hidden location in the Forest of Graves. Both Leanne and Ekim followed where he lead them. I left the wounded guards where they lay and called an ambulance. I then left to follow Bocaj’s group after giving 911 the information on the guards. I threw my broken katana and sheath away as I went on my way. When I caught up with Bocaj, Ekim was about to duel Itaav. I stepped in the middle and stopped Ekim from activating his duel disk. I frowned at Itaav.

 

“Itaav. This battle is between you and I. I alone will make you pay for causing such terror. This time, you will not live to steal another soul from the innocent.”

 

Leanne looked confused, knowing that I couldn’t possibly kill him physically while he had his cards. I smiled at Leanne faintly, and then she knew what I planned to do. Itaav smiled strangely, in a way that Itaav would never smile.

 

“Well, I wouldn’t want to be the bringer of bad knew, but I am not Itaav. I am simply a decoy that was here to stall while guards surround you. Bye!”

 

I grimaced, and then tried to get in the way, but the Itaav decoy threw down a smoke ball, giving him time to escape and Itaav’s soldiers time to advance unharmed. We were captured and bound by chains once again, but this time, I let them bind me without a fight, and then my friends followed suit. I thought I saw young boy in the distance, his silver hair was unkempt, but his sapphire eyes shined with determination. This must have been a flashback mirage, created by my subconscious self. It told me to never give up. If I could break a hand-forged katana blade over a simple, crumbling concrete pillar, then there was something that I could do. I thought for a moment of all of the things that I cherished and would lose if I gave up. I felt great strength surging throughout my body. Instead of allowing the guard to put the lock on the chains, I broke free, nearly destroying the chains binding me. The soldiers jumped away from me in surprise, but before they could distance themselves enough to open fire on me, I broke one soldier’s arms, taking his pair of semi-automatic pistols and pointing it at the two guards with their guns out. As they dropped their weapons I kicked the falling guns in midair, but before the last four could draw their guns from their holsters, the guns smacked them in their faces. Three of the soldiers were knocked unconscious and the last one, who seemed to be of Itaav’s royal blood, fell to her knees

 

“What the… What are you? You were never this powerful before!”

 

I smiled, and then broke the chains binding my friends.

 

“There’s a reason that I can never give up, and lose it all… because… there’s nothing in this world that I don’t cherish! I cannot give up, ever!”

 

There is one thing that I hated, although I kept it to myself, and did not think about it much. The one thing that I hated, was myself… For all of the horrific things I have done, I hated myself. But even though I hated myself, I seemed to love and be grateful for everything good that I have or have had. The last soldier was still on his knees, surprised and dazed, not knowing if I would kill him or not. But I vowed to Leanne not to kill another living soul that I could save instead. I sighed, and then decided it was time to negotiate.

 

“I want to make you a deal. I can see in your eyes that you want to help the world, not destroy it, correct?”

 

She tried to hold back her tears, but she could not. I patted her on her shoulder, looked her in the eyes and saw a faint light within the dark despair of her life.

 

“Itaav is your father, isn’t he? You both have raven hair and topaz eyes, but that doesn’t mean you have his destiny. Destiny does not exist. We are what we make ourselves, right, Sanria?”

 

She nodded slowly whilst sobbing. She suddenly lunged and wrapped her arms around me. Leanne seemed jealous for a moment, but then smiled.

 

”Semaj… I hope she doesn’t stab you in the back… She’s evil, after all…”

 

I glared at Leanne. She simply frowned back. I glared for a few more moments before speaking.

 

“You don’t understand… She’s not evil… But she acts that way because people have done evil to her… and do you not remember what happened to me? Remember how I used to cause people to implode with my powers, abusing them because everyone thought I was a monster? You gave me hope… and now I should spread that hope so that others can enjoy the peace that we do…”

 

Sanria’s raven hair may have been the color of her father’s but instead of gleaming with hatred, it sparkled with hope. Perhaps there was hope for her to change, and although it would be hard and long, I would be the one to save her, just as Leanne had saved me.

 

“Sanria. You’re different from Itaav… You can change, and I will help you, if you wish…”

 

Sanria looked up at me and stopped sobbing. She smiled faintly, and then reached for her pocket. She pulled out a bag, and then handed it to me.

 

“Yes. I want to change… And yes, I will allow you to help… You’ll need the seals in that bag that I just handed you. It is to keep me from changing to something… something inhuman. If you see my eyes turn bright orange, get ready to use one of those seals. It usually happened when I was angered.”

 

I nodded, but did not fully understand. Leanne sighed, and I looked at her with a smile.

 

“Sanria, I would like to introduce you to my true love, Leanne, but also, my friends, Bocaj and Ekim. Bocaj is the one with the ambitious amethyst eyes and sky-blue hair, Ekim is the one with observing ruby-colored eyes and ocean blue hair. Leanne here has emeral eyes that sparkle with joy and passion, and every time I look into her eyes, I see happiness for both Leanne and myself. Her maroon hair shines with empathy, and her expression shows that she cares about others around her.”

 

Leanne smiled at me, and then I walked to her. She nodded, and gestured me to duel Sanria. I nodded. I knew that I would have to test her ability to fend for herself, eventually, so I though that I might as well not procrastinate.

 

“Sanria, I need you to do something for me.”

 

Sanria blinked. I knew that she was nervous, so I smiled at her to lift her mood. She smiled back, and I knew she had gotten over her first fear, which was her fear of interaction with others. I had helped her conquer that fear, which made me happy. She nodded.

 

“Yes? Anything that I can do?”

 

I nodded, and then changed my expression to a more serious one. Sanria frowned at me when I did this, but in a way that meant she expected bad news.

 

“I need you to duel me… I must test you to see if you’re capable of fending for yourself. There are no stakes in this duel because it is just a test. The best way for me to test you is if you’re relaxed and calm, so please, just relax…”

 

Sanria sighed, calmly removing her duel disk from her carrying case on her back, and then fitting it to her left arm. I then removed my own duel disk from the trunk of the armored van, and then fitted it to my left arm. We both started our life point counters and shouted the same word at the same time.

 

“Duel!”

 

I didn’t even have time to blink before Sanria started her turn. She drew a card and put on a frowned falsely.

 

“I start my turn! I activate the continuous spell card, Blaze Accelerator! Once per turn, I can tribute one pyro-type monster to inflict 500 damage to my opponent!”

 

A computer-like flamethrower cannon rose from the duel field, and as I grimaced, it materialized.

 

“I then activate Tri-Blaze Accelerator! The cost of activation is to send one Blaze Accelerator from my side of the field to the graveyard! It has the same effect as my Blaze Accelerator, with one difference… I can use its effect more than once per turn! But that’s not all… I send it to the graveyard!”

 

I grimaced again, knowing this was bad news for me. I had no monster destruction cards in my hand at that time, and she took total advantage of that. I have seen this combo before, but not at the start of the duel, because most of the time I see this combo, the person using it is an amateur. In this case, I was against a duelist of the elite.

 

“I sent my Tri-Blaze Accelerator to the graveyard for a good reason, too… By its own effect, I special summon Volcanic Doomfire (atk / 3000; def / 1800)!”

 

I frowned as the floor burst open and lava spewed out, destroying the Tri-Blaze Accelerator and sending it to her graveyard. An enormous tremor hit, but for less than a second before abruptly stopping. Then, a monster born of magma and flames rose from the hole, drenched in lava. It towered above all of the buildings in the area, and it’s upper body reached past the ceiling of the building we were inside. The temperature suddenly soared in the entire building.

 

“That ends my turn! Your move!”

 

I wiped sweat from my forehead seconds after the summoning, and then realized that I had to end this fast, or not only would I die of heat suffocation, but so Sanria, Leanne, my friends, and anyone else in this building. Leanne tried to unlock the doors, but didn’t know the security code. I looked at her, then back at Sanria, and into her eyes, which showed sadness and despair.

 

“Your powers are a gift. You don’t have to be sad…”

 

Sanria gasped and pointed a finger at me, and barely holding her tears back, shouted in a desperate voice.

 

“Lies! You only wanted to eliminate me, and now you shall be annihilated…”

 

I sighed, drawing a card and starting my turn.

 

“It is my turn…”

 

I realized that I had just drawn final countdown, but it was of no use to me unless I could keeo my friends alive longer. But somehow, my friends escaped, and so I decided it was time to start the clock…

 

“I activate Final Countdown! I pay two thousand life points for it’s cost… After twenty turns have passed since this card’s activation, the current turn being the first, I will win the duel!”

 

She laughed manically, somewhat losing her sanity. I blinked, and then grimaced, knowing by her orange eyes that I would need that seal… but I left the bag that she handed my behind where she now stood, and it was impossible to get to it in time.

 

“You will not last twenty turns against me! In fact, you’ll die on my very next turn! Muahahaha!”

 

I grimaced again, bracing myself, and then continuing my turn. “I activate graceful charity! It allowd me to draw three cards, but makes me discard two!”

 

I drew three cards and then discarded Copy Plant, followed by discarding Khakki, Guerilla of Dark World.

 

“I activate the effect of my sent Khakki, Guerilla of Dark World. It destroys a monster that my opponent controls! Volcanic Doomfire has met its demise!”

 

The volcanic creature fell to pieces which all turned into bubbling magma, and then returning to the open hole. Sanria began transforming into a monster herself. Her spine extended into a which she could control freely, she sprouted hand-like wings from her back, and then her skin turned a dull dark gray, her pupils turning red and the entire rest of her eyes turning pitch-black, followed by her hair turning pale blue. She grew curved talons from her hands, and her hand shaped wings became webbed together like duck feet, but with spikes growing from the skin that was webbing the fingers together. I watched the horrific details come to life as she fell to her knees whilst transforming, and then standing again. She grinned with an open mouth, filled with dagger-like fangs. She was warped beyond recongnition. She had spikes growing on her arms and where her spine should be, but these were no ordinary spikes. These were bones.

 

“You… You will not live to see the light of day! Muahahaha!”

 

I grimaced, assuming that it was my fault that she became this way. I had to find a way to change her back, before someone saw her.

 

“Enough! I activate Double Summon! It allows me to normal summon or set twice this turn, but I can only activate this card’s effect once per turn. I normal summon two Solar Flare Dragons (atk / 1500; def / 500)! As long as there is another pyro-type monster on my side of the field, they cannot be attacked! And since they’re both pyros and they’re both Solar Flare Dragons, you cannot attack, period! You also take one thouasand damage during each of my end phases… I end my turn!”

 

The solar flare dragons that I had just summoned fired two ethereal blasts from their mouths, which hit Sanria for one thousand damage. She didn’t flinch or grimace, but instead, smiled. I knew that I needed to save her fast, but the only way to save her would be to win the duel. I could have stopped this, if I had remembered to keep the bag of seals she gave me, with me before the duel. She drew a card to start her turn.

 

“Yes… Very interesting… You have done well, but now this hunt is over… Although I can’t defeat you this turn, You won’t live for ten more turns. I place this face down card in my spell and trap card zone, and then, I normal summon Raging Flame Sprite! It can attack my opponent directly by its own effect, but every time it successfully attacks directly, it gains one thousand attack points. Take this! Raging Flame Sprite, smite my opponent with a direct attack!”

 

The raging flame sprite raised its staff, and then a wildfire blazed toward me. I braced myself and stepped back, readying myself for the intense flames. But they burned me with such fury that I couldn’t stand anymore, and then fell to my knees after the flames subsided. I looked up at her, and was seemed like blood coming from her eye was several tears. I blinked and rubbed my eyes to look again. She was still crying…

 

“The pain you cause others causes you pain doesn’t it? It hurts, doesn’t it?

 

She wiped the blood-red tears from her eyes and glared at me. I coughed up blood from my lungs, and then forced myself to stand, even through all of my pain. She grimaced, and then began shedding tears.

 

“I’m a monster… I am nothing more than a hideous monstrosity!”

 

I shook my head, and then looked at her with empathy.

 

“You’re not a monster. You are person, who has had hard times, like all of us… I was once considered a monster by most, but the one that gave me a chance for change, Leanne, knew that I was human… And I know that you, too, are human, you’re just under a lot of stress and feeling so much pain that it became almost unmanageable. But I can save you… No, I will save you… You have done your part. Now it is time to continue our duel…”

 

She shook her head.

 

“I forfeit… I don’t want you to lose at this terrible disadvantage… I don’t want you to die!”

 

I sighed and held my hand out, gesturing her to not worry.

 

“I will not lose… I need to save you, through this duel… This may have started out as a test, but now, I have caused it to become a mission… to rescue you. Don’t forfeit, or else you will learn nothing, and I will learn nothing…”

 

She nodded and gestured at me to go, although I did not quite understand what she meant by ‘go’.

 

“I end my turn, as I have nothing else I can do, for now…”

 

I drew a card to begin my turn. It was one key component in my deck’s summoning engine, Lonefire Blossom.

 

“I begin my turn! I normal summon Lonefire Blossom!”

 

Sparks of fire flew as a flower bloomed from the floor. Sanria gave me a very confused look, and I smiled back.

 

“By releasing Lonefire Blossom, I can special summon a plant-type monster from my deck! I special summon Tytannial, Princess of Camellias (atk / 2800; def / 2000)!”

 

An enormous flower burst from the ground, blooming into hundreds of rose petals, and then a young lady formed from the other vines, leaves, stems and petals that came from the flower. Sanria gave me a confused look.

 

“It only has 2800 attack, and it is level eight! What do you intend to do with that? If a level eight monster only has 2800 attack points, it generally has a devastating effect… I need to be careful… but wait, I think I know its effect! Its effect must be similar to the effect of Gigaplant!”

 

I smiled.

 

“How incorrect. Its effect states that whenever someone activates a card effect that targets a card on the field, I can negate the activation and effect of that card and destroy it, by releasing a plant-type monster that I control.”

 

She gasped. I knew now, after that gasp, that her plans to win were destroyed by my monster. Tytannial, Princess of Camellias, was my second best card. But my ace has yet to show an opportunity to arise…

 

“I attack your raging flame sprite with my Tytannial, Princess of Camellias! Flower Petal Shuriken Attack!”

 

Sanria braced herself for the attack falsely, and then revealed her trap, Scrap-Iron Scarecrow.

 

“You cannot win!”

 

I smiled at her gently.

 

“You forgot something… Even though you’re protected from this attack, I still have both Solar Flare Dragons to attack with! You can only use that trap once per turn, so it is next to useless to you now! Solar Flare Dragon, attack her Raging Flame Sprite!”

 

My Solar Flare Dragon growled and then fired a ball of flame from its mouth, destroying Sanria’s Raging Flame Sprite. She then braced herself for the next attack, after taking four hundred life points of damage.

 

“Solar Flare Dragon! Attack my opponent directly!”

 

My second Solar Flare Dragon roared, and then spat an enormous ball of flame from its mouth, which struck and severely burned Sanria. But this time, she flinched before the blast hit her, and began crying afterward instead of smiling. She began to revert to her human form, small amounts at a time. Her wings began contracting and shrinking. The webbing between the fingers fell apart and the grown spikes turned into dead skin. But her extended spine, in the form of her tail, still remained, as did the claws upon the enormous hands on her back. It seemed that I would have to fully win this duel to win.

 

“I end my turn… I may have to hurt you more to save you, Sanria! This is only because I had no other way to reach you!’

 

Both Solar Flare Dragons let out several intense roars, and then both spat enormous fire balls from their mouths which blazed toward Sanria, who tried to jump out of the way, but instead jumped into the middle of both of the blasts’ radiuses. She was burned even more, but did not become sad or angry, and seemed to feel even less pain each time. She reverted a bit more, becoming nearly fully human again, other than her dagger-like fangs and curved, razor-sharp talons on her hands. Her hand-shaped wings completely contracted and shrunk, and then her spine and other bones returned to normal. But she was bleeding terribly, everywhere that these monstrous parts had protruded from her body. I noticed this and gave her some advice.

 

“Someone once told me, you should not try to be something else, and you should just be yourself. You are a good-hearted and gentle young woman at heart, making you a good person.”

 

She sighed, and her fangs retracted and became normal human teeth, her talons became normal, healthy fingernails. But then, she coughed up blood, and fell to the ground, as her life points suddenly became zero. I wondered what happened, but first I ran over to her and lifted her into my arms, and then carried her to the armored van. Leanne, Bocaj and Ekim re-entered the building and followed me, and then Bocaj took the driver’s seat as we entered the car, to find that the keys were still in the ignition, strangely. Bocaj drove us to the nearest hospital, but they said that there was no internal damage to her. She just needed to rest. I then took the driver’s seat and drove us to the nearest two star hotel, where I checked we checked into our rooms, and I checked in a three person room for Sanria, Leanne and I. This was the beginning of an entirely new journey for my friends and I…

[ragnarok1945]

quite impressive dueling as always, definately worth 9.9/10 (chap feels a little TOO long to me)

[The King of James]

I am almost finished with the beginning part of my story, because when I finish writing chapter 5, the main area that the story will take place in will be revealed. Currently I am working on chapter 3, even as I type this I am thinking of things that I could put into my story from my imagination. From now on, there will be one chapter released per day, containing at least 5 full pages of text in the Arial (10 pt.) font. This is to keep up with the planned fast pace of my storyline.

 

Once again, special thanks to Ragnarok. You inspired me to do what I just explained. I will try harder to create my chapters at the right length, but I will not sacrifice quality to do so. Even though I don't sacrifice quality, one day is plenty time for me to write an entire chapter in great detail, seeing as I type quite fast.

[ragnarok1945]

oh that's fine, I can live with a little quality downhill

[The King of James]

oh that's fine' date=' I can live with a little quality downhill

[/quote']

 

I am not sacrificing quality. All chapters I have completed thus far, except chapter 2, were completed in one day. I type that fast. Yesterday, however, my school went into red level lockdown, so I was not able to continue writing chapter 3 that day. My school went into red level lockdown because of a gun threat that a student made that morning. Anyway, here is a teaser, because I haven't yet completed chapter 3, but you can see the main idea, I hope...

 

Chapter 3 - Rain of Darkness (BETA):

 

I knelt near Sanria as she lay unconscious on her hotel room bed. Leanne stood behind me, smiling. I thought for a moment that I could save itaav through the same method, but then I remembered that as long as he has he cards, he’ll be an immortal deity and a tyrant, but without them, he’ll die almost instantaneously. I looked back at Leanne, who looked at me and winked. I winked back, and then looked back at Sanria. A few moments later, she opened her eyes, and took a deep breath. I stood and looked down to her, smiling.

 

“You are awake. Which is a good thing, as we will need you to help us.”

 

I held out a hand to help her, and when she grabbed it, I helped her onto her feet. She looked at me with a sense of regret, but I did not stop smiling. I place my arm gently on her shoulder, but she stepped away.

 

“I caused so much destruction, it was unreal… Why do you still try to help me? After I nearly killed you? Why? Why do you insist on saving someone as hopeless as me?”

 

I laughed, and then sighed.

 

“You’re not hopeless. You just need confidence, and to believe that you can change yourself. I will help you, just as I will protect Leanne.”

 

Sanria sighed, and then gave me a hug. I felt sort of awkward receiving a hug from another girl besides Leanne, and gently pushed her away. Leanne frowned after I did this.

 

“You don’t have to feel so awkward when other girls give you hugs. I trust you, Semaj, and know that you would not betray me.”

 

I nodded, and Sanria hugged me again, this time crying. I sighed, because I still felt a small bit awkward, even though Leanne wasn’t jealous. I tried to push Sanria away gently once more, but she would not let go of me, and continued to sob. Then, a young lady with blood-red eyes, fair skin and spiky blonde hair walked into the room, intruding on our hotel-promised privacy. Leanne glared at her with fury and gestured a death threat at her.

 

“What are you doing in this room? Remove Yourself!”

 

The intrusive young lady laughed hysterically for a few moments, and then frowned.

 

“I am here to speak to Semaj Aksurtep, do any of you know him? He owes me a duel…”

 

I knew that voice, and looked back to see one of my rivals, Assiram Tranhrab. Her nickname is ‘The Observer’, because she has a photographic visual memory. She tapped her foot and then looked at me, pretending not to notice who I was. I knew she was pretending, however, and wanted to end this immature charade.

 

“You are looking for me, you found me, and yet you pretend that I am not here? Quit this stupid charade. It is so annoying…”

 

Assiram laughed. Leanne left the room in a huff, and then I shoved Sanria softly to follow her. Assiram tried to follow her, but Sanria stepped into the way.

 

“I am sorry, but they need to be left alone. If you want to duel Semaj, please wait patiently until he is available.”

 

Assiram did not like this and kicked Sanria in the stomach, but Sanria did not budge.

 

“I advise that you not try and get through by means of brute force… My bones are harder than diamonds. If you want to pass, defeat me in a duel. My name is Sanria… We have not met.”

 

Assiram smirked and held out her hand to give Sanria a handshake. Sanria accepted it, not knowing what exactly it meant. It was a duelist’s oath of honor. Sanria took her duel disk from the end table near the window. She put it into her carrying case, and the gestured Assiram to follow her. Sanria lead Assiram to the training area for duelists in the building fifty yards due north of the hotel. Leanne and I returned to the hotel room together. I was shocked to know that they were both gone, as we expected that they would follow us. Leanne and I parted ways with each other, to search for Sanria and Assiram. I made my way to the worst possible location that Assiram would have lead Sanria, but before I did, I informed Leanne of it. I knew that if I ended up in a mess, I could then send a signal to Leanne, who would come with a rescue party.

 

In the Duelist arena, Assiram and Sanria stood across from each other, staring directly into each other’s eyes, filled with fury. Approximately one-hundred twenty meters northeast of the Arena is an abandoned, six floor mansion with an attic and a basement in addition to the other six floors. It looked more like a Japanese castle than a mansion, though. Leanne entered through the open front doors, not knowing that it was occupied by the legionaries of darkness, a criminal organization that enterprises forbidden cards and uses them in duels freely, but also masters of stealth and the deadly arts. Leanne walked into the mansion and looked around.

 

“Um… Hello?”

 

Before she could even blink, several people wearing pitch-black robes and white belts surrounded her. Their faces were covered by black masks. They began approaching her instantly, but she saw a way that she might be able to escape, if the eight ninjas surrounding her were the only ones around. She pulled a smoke ball from her pocket slowly. None of them seemed to notice, as they continued to advance at the same speed, to try and strike fear into her. Leanne threw down the smoke ball, and then swiftly made for the exit. When she reached the door, two more ninjas, wearing the same clothing, with the exception of their belts being black like their clothing, dropped from the third floor exterior windows, landing gracefully and silently between Leanne and her freedom.

 

"Who are you people? What do you want from me?"

 

The two ninjas wearing black belts nodded at each other, and then a third black belt ninja silently approached Leanne from behind. Leanne, confused and frightened, tried to push through but was shoved back. The third black belt ninja struck her neck with two fingers to knock her unconscious. She kept herself awake for just a moment to page Semaj, pressing the button strapped to her hand and activating the microphone on it.

 

“Semaj… Forgive me for… for being reckless.”

 

After speaking, she crushed the button she that no one else could find out what she did, and then fell cataleptic. I had almost reached the forest of graves when I received the pager.

 

“Leanne… I must rescue her… but she’s so far away… I need to do it… I must make haste!”

 

I ran faster and farther than I had ever run after receiving the pager, in fact, I was running so fast that my muscles were literally being torn apart with each movement. I made it to the Japanese castle-like mansion within minutes of receiving the pager. But I wasn’t done yet. I walked through the door, noticing a life barrier, but not worrying about it, knowing that Leanne has a pure heart, so life barriers do not affect her. I walked through the barrier, on my guard. Several ninjas wearing white belts dropped from a hole in the floor above, and went into their stances. I laughed at them by the way they stood nervously and uncomfortably in their stances.

 

“Do you honestly believe I would walk into a castle filled with ninjas unprepared to take you all? According to my reliable information, there are exactly fifty-seven ninjas in here, eighteen of which are white belts, four of which are black belts, thirty-five others of which are somewhere between those ranks. You have no idea how much training I had to go through to take on one-hundred armed enemies while unarmed and unable to take their guns and swords. It is time to defeat your leaders… bring me the black belts… Oh, you don’t need to, because they are approaching me from behind!”

 

I turned and then fought two black belt ninja, knocking both of them unconscious. The five white belts that were going to attack, began backing away.

 

“You’re not human! You can’t be! No living being has ever breached that barrier, and then had the strength to even fight, let alone take down two masters with ease!”

 

I laughed. They had no Idea how well I was trained.

 

<>

[ragnarok1945]

quite impressive chap, your writing remains great

[The King of James]

This chapter took a less than three hours to complete since I released the preview version. Also, check the first post to download an offline version for viewing in microsoft word or openoffice.org writer. If you haven't read the prologue, chapter one and chapter two, please check the first post.

 

Special thanks to Ragnarok for the feedback once again. But are you male or female, Ragnarok? I wanted to say, "He or she has given me great inspiration," but that would be rude...

 

With that out of the way, please read below...

 

Chapter 3 – Rain of Darkness:

 

I knelt near Sanria as she lay unconscious on her hotel room bed. Leanne stood behind me, smiling. I thought for a moment that I could save itaav through the same method, but then I remembered that as long as he has he cards, he’ll be an immortal deity and a tyrant, but without them, he’ll die almost instantaneously. I looked back at Leanne, who looked at me and winked. I winked back, and then looked back at Sanria. A few moments later, she opened her eyes, and took a deep breath. I stood and looked down to her, smiling.

 

“You are awake. Which is a good thing, as we will need you to help us.”

 

I held out a hand to help her, and when she grabbed it, I helped her onto her feet. She looked at me with a sense of regret, but I did not stop smiling. I place my arm gently on her shoulder, but she stepped away.

 

“I caused so much destruction, it was unreal… Why do you still try to help me? After I nearly killed you? Why? Why do you insist on saving someone as hopeless as me?”

 

I laughed, and then sighed.

 

“You’re not hopeless. You just need confidence, and to believe that you can change yourself. I will help you, just as I will protect Leanne.”

 

Sanria sighed, and then gave me a hug. I felt sort of awkward receiving a hug from another girl besides Leanne, and gently pushed her away. Leanne frowned after I did this.

 

“You don’t have to feel so awkward when other girls give you hugs. I trust you, Semaj, and know that you would not betray me.”

 

I nodded, and Sanria hugged me again, this time crying. I sighed, because I still felt a small bit awkward, even though Leanne wasn’t jealous. I tried to push Sanria away gently once more, but she would not let go of me, and continued to sob. Then, a young lady with blood-red eyes, fair skin and spiky blonde hair walked into the room, intruding on our hotel-promised privacy. Leanne glared at her with fury and gestured a death threat at her.

 

“What are you doing in this room? Remove Yourself!”

 

The intrusive young lady laughed hysterically for a few moments, and then frowned.

 

“I am here to speak to Semaj Aksurtep, do any of you know him? He owes me a duel…”

 

I knew that voice, and looked back to see one of my rivals, Assiram Tranhrab. Her nickname is ‘The Observer’, because she has a photographic visual memory. She tapped her foot and then looked at me, pretending not to notice who I was. I knew she was pretending, however, and wanted to end this immature charade.

 

“You are looking for me, you found me, and yet you pretend that I am not here? Quit this stupid charade. It is so annoying…”

 

Assiram laughed. Leanne left the room in a huff, and then I shoved Sanria softly to follow her. Assiram tried to follow her, but Sanria stepped into the way.

 

“I am sorry, but they need to be left alone. If you want to duel Semaj, please wait patiently until he is available.”

 

Assiram did not like this and kicked Sanria in the stomach, but Sanria did not budge.

 

“I advise that you not try and get through by means of brute force… My bones are harder than diamonds. If you want to pass, defeat me in a duel. My name is Sanria… We have not met.”

 

Assiram smirked and held out her hand to give Sanria a handshake. Sanria accepted it, not knowing what exactly it meant. It was a duelist’s oath of honor. Sanria took her duel disk from the end table near the window. She put it into her carrying case, and the gestured Assiram to follow her. Sanria lead Assiram to the training area for duelists in the building fifty yards due north of the hotel. Leanne and I returned to the hotel room together. I was shocked to know that they were both gone, as we expected that they would follow us. Leanne and I parted ways with each other, to search for Sanria and Assiram. I made my way to the worst possible location that Assiram would have lead Sanria, but before I did, I informed Leanne of it. I knew that if I ended up in a mess, I could then send a signal to Leanne, who would come with a rescue party.

 

In the Duelist arena, Assiram and Sanria stood across from each other, staring directly into each other’s eyes, filled with fury. Approximately one-hundred twenty meters northeast of the Arena is an abandoned, six floor mansion with an attic and a basement in addition to the other six floors. It looked more like a Japanese castle than a mansion, though. Leanne entered through the open front doors, not knowing that it was occupied by the legionaries of darkness, a criminal organization that enterprises forbidden cards and uses them in duels freely, but also masters of stealth and the deadly arts. Leanne walked into the mansion and looked around.

 

“Um… Hello?”

 

Before she could even blink, several people wearing pitch-black robes and white belts surrounded her. Their faces were covered by black masks. They began approaching her instantly, but she saw a way that she might be able to escape, if the eight ninjas surrounding her were the only ones around. She pulled a smoke ball from her pocket slowly. None of them seemed to notice, as they continued to advance at the same speed, to try and strike fear into her. Leanne threw down the smoke ball, and then swiftly made for the exit. When she reached the door, two more ninjas, wearing the same clothing, with the exception of their belts being black like their clothing, dropped from the third floor exterior windows, landing gracefully and silently between Leanne and her freedom.

 

"Who are you people? What do you want from me?"

 

The two ninjas wearing black belts nodded at each other, and then a third black belt ninja silently approached Leanne from behind. Leanne, confused and frightened, tried to push through but was shoved back. The third black belt ninja struck her neck with two fingers to knock her unconscious. She kept herself awake for just a moment to page Semaj, pressing the button strapped to her hand and activating the microphone on it.

 

“Semaj… Forgive me for… for being reckless.”

 

After speaking, she crushed the button she that no one else could find out what she did, and then fell cataleptic. I had almost reached the forest of graves when I received the pager.

 

“Leanne… I must rescue her… but she’s so far away… I need to do it… I must make haste!”

 

I ran faster and farther than I had ever run after receiving the pager, in fact, I was running so fast that my muscles were literally being torn apart with each movement. I made it to the Japanese castle-like mansion within minutes of receiving the pager. But I wasn’t done yet. I walked through the door, noticing a life barrier, but not worrying about it, knowing that Leanne has a pure heart, so life barriers do not affect her. I walked through the barrier, on my guard. Several ninjas wearing white belts dropped from a hole in the floor above, and went into their stances. I laughed at them by the way they stood nervously and uncomfortably in their stances.

 

“Do you honestly believe I would walk into a castle filled with ninjas unprepared to take you all? According to my reliable information, there are exactly fifty-seven ninjas in here, eighteen of which are white belts, four of which are black belts, thirty-five others of which are somewhere between those ranks. You have no idea how much training I had to go through to take on one-hundred armed enemies while unarmed and unable to take their guns and swords. It is time to defeat your leaders… bring me the black belts… Oh, you don’t need to, because they are approaching me from behind!”

 

I turned and then fought two black belt ninja, knocking both of them unconscious. The five white belts that were going to attack, began backing away.

 

“You’re not human! You can’t be! No living being has ever breached that barrier, and then had the strength to even fight, let alone take down two masters with ease!”

 

I laughed.

 

“They’re not dead. I have no intention of killing anyone… I just want to rescue those that I love.”

 

The ninjas move out of the way as a ninja wearing what appeared to be an ninth degree black belt approached me. I readied myself, but he did not, but rather stood, . I stood in my ready stance, waiting for him to pivot to me.

 

“You seem ready to be attacked. Calm yourself. I do not wish to fight with you. None of my students should, either. I am the fifty-eighth ninja, and you are the only person outside of my castle who has ever been able to meet me in person, aside from a frail young lady that came only twenty-two minutes ago. What do you seek to gain by laying siege to my castle?”

 

I stood ready as before, but only to deter him from attacking.

 

“I don’t trust you, so I won’t lower my guard, but I will tell you this… If you do not release her alive and unharmed, then I will make all of you pay.”

 

He nodded.

 

“You can have her, but please, I ask of you to promise not to reveal our location to Itaav. I know you’re a man of your word … And I believe that you know me quite well, although we have not seen each other in more than ten years… It’s been a long time… Semaj Aksurtep the Wise…”

 

I grimaced.

 

“Sirhc? Is that you?”

 

He nodded, and then removed his mask. His skin was as white as paper, and probably just as thin. His brown eyes were glazed with regret; his brownish-red hair gleamed with sorrow. He was certainly Sirhc Druh, my stepbrother before my parents died, when I was very young. His title was ‘Sirhc Druh the Silent’. He snapped and two ninjas unbolted a door, and guided Leanne out. No harm had come to her, possibly because she paged me and said my name. Sirhc, knowing how I felt about those around me, wouldn’t harm anything that I loved, as it would devastate me.

 

“Leanne! You’re… You’re alright?”

 

She nodded, and then smiled.

 

“They placed me in the waiting room when their leader heard that I called you.”

 

I nodded. Suddenly the third floor window was broken by a ninja. I climbed two sets of stairs swiftly to check what happened. Sirhc ran ahead of me with several ninjas to see what happened. I waited patiently for their return, but listened to a conversation between a familiar voice and Sirhc.

 

“Release Leanne scumbags!”

 

The cloaked ninja rose from the shattered and scattered glass pieces, and kicked one of the white belt ninjas in the stomach. Sirhc readied himself, but his other ninja students attacked this new assailant. They all ended up dead. Sirhc stood ready. The new assailant stood ready to attack. The first few strikes that the assailant dished out were blocked, but after a few more, Sirhc was killed. The assailant struck Sirhc’s left jugular vein. I ran into room after this.

 

“Allow me to introduce myself to you pathetic thugs. My name is Nathan Retsiemrub. I hail from the light realm, and I am here to liberate Leanne. Wait… Semaj? Is that you?”

 

I nodded,.then readied myself for a fight. Nathan gave me a confused look.

 

“I do not wish to fight you, Semaj… Why are you acting this way?”

 

I grimaced as he readied himself.

 

“You… You killed my stepbrother… How dare you… Leanne was safe this entire time!”

 

Nathan glared at me, and then I glared back. Nathan began to speak.

 

“If I win, you will duel me to see who is responsible for protecting Leanne.”

 

I nodded.

 

“If I win, I am responsible for protecting Leanne, no question! Also, you will pay for my brother’s funeral!”

 

He nodded, and then tried to strike me. I blocked every attack, also striking him several times. But then, flames engulfed his hands. I could no longer block his attacks. I had to strike while I could. We exchanged blows for a few moments, but it was over quickly once the flames engulfing his hands turned green. I was knocked to the floor, and Nathan stood over me.

 

“You lost… I thought that you were the best!”

 

I shook my head.

 

“There’s always someone better than any of us at anything we do.”

 

He nodded. I stood up, and offered a handshake by holding my hand out. He accepted, and our duel commenced. He tossed me a duel disk, which looked like mine, with the exception of it being made from steel rather than stone. We fitted our duel disks and then started our life point counters. We drew our opening hands. I drew to start my turn.

 

“It is my turn… I activate Double Summon! It allows me to normal summon or set twice this turn! I normal summon two Solar Flare Dragons (atk / 1500; def / 500)! You cannot attack a monster on my field with this combo in place! In addition, you take five hundred damage per Solar Flare Dragon face-up on my field, during each of my end phases! That ends my turn.”

 

Two enormous, molten serpents broke through the ground as they rose. Nathan smiled. I knew that it was his poker face, though, so I did not heed him for having any combos. He was hit with one thousand points of damage and two abnormally large fireballs from the mouths of my Solar Flare Dragons. He drew a card to start his turn.

 

“It’s my turn!”

 

Nathan grinned even more, but this time, it wasn’t fake. He must have completed a combo with the card he just drew.

 

“I activate Double Summon! It allows my to normal summon or set twice this turn! Then, I normal summon two Raging Flame Sprites (atk / 100; def / 200)! They can attack directly! In addition, whenever they do…”

 

I gesture Nathan to shut up.

 

“Just duel… I know the effects of every card in existence, and even more so the ones that I just fought against!”

 

Nathan blinked.

 

“You dueled against someone who used Raging flame sprites, recently?”

 

I nodded. Nathan gasped in surprise.

 

“Sanria! Itaav’s daughter! You can’t be serious, can you?”

 

I nodded. Nathan sighed.

 

“And you didn’t purge the world of her, did you?”

 

I shook my head and smiled.

 

“I don’t need to anymore… She is being brought toward the light.”

 

Nathan frowned.

 

“You can’t save her… She’s a lost cause.”

 

I glared at Nathan.

 

“You don’t know that until you meet her again! You don’t know how much progress she’s made, just today!”

 

Nathan glared back.

 

“You never change… You think you must be god, able to save anyone you want from misery and despair… But you are living in an illusion. Come back to reality, Semaj…”

 

I growled at him.

 

“You can’t judge books by their covers! You need to give them a chance! Give them hope… It is the only way to achieve the ultimate goal for the world… to live in peace with everyone.”

 

He smiled.

 

“Anyway, let me continue, even if you won’t… I set this face down card in my spell and trap card zone. My Raging Flame Sprites attack your life points directly!”

 

I braced myself for two blazing trails of fire to burn me, but instead, the floor fell apart, causing us to drop to the second floor. Then, before I could stand, two trails of flame struck and hit me. I received only minor burns, although the pain was severe, as I hadn’t fully recovered from being burned during my duel with Sanria yet. I stood, my body throbbing with pain, to wait for my turn. Natan smiled.

 

“I end my turn!”

 

I drew a card to start my turn, and smiled. I knew that he was protecting his Raging Flame Sprites with something to negate attacks or maybe just one attack, but I now had a card to stop him.

 

“I activate mystical space typhoon! It allows me to destroy one spell or trap card on the field! I choose the face down card in your spell and trap card zone!”

 

Nathan grimaced as he placed Magic Cylinder in his graveyard.

 

“Now, I attack your first Raging Flame Sprite with one of my Solar Flare Dragons!”

 

Nathan braced himself. One of my Solar Flare Dragons spat a ball of flame at Nathan, and as it hit him, he took four hundred life points of damage. I pointed at him.

 

“Now my second attack, with my second Solar Flare Dragon, destroys your other Raging Flame Sprite!”

 

Nathan grimaced as the second attack came, dealing four hundred more life points of damage to him. He stood with the notion that he was going to die, but I wasn’t intending to kill him… Just to hurt him enough to help him think twice about doing the wrong thing, which was the same method I used to help Sanria. He placed his hand on his deck, but I wasn’t happy. He hadn’t learned a thing from this duel…

 

“I give up… You are too powerful…”

 

I frowned.

 

“So that’s all? You’re just going to give up? What if someone is trying to kill someone you love? What then? Are you going to give up?!”

 

He nodded.

 

“Only if they’re too powerful… Because I must run from what I cannot overcome on my own.”

 

I shook my head. He wasn’t ready to be accepted as a champion of light, but I fear that if I don’t make him see the truth, no one will.

 

“If I pass away, then who will protect Leanne, no matter how slim the odds seem? No matter how many disadvantages there are? Even Etan has become greater than you now… Even he would protect us against the odds… But you, you’re pathetic! You were never worthy to be a light champion, or even to be an elder brother to Leanne! You were never worthy!”

 

Nathan began mumbling, and then threw down a smoke ball. When the smoke cleared and we stopped coughing, he was gone, but as the smoke cleared, Leanne walked in. she gestured me to follow her. I did. We walked to the duelist arena southwest of the Japanese-style, castle-like mansion, where Sanria and Assiram were engrossed in a duel. We entered silently to watch the events that would soon unfold…

[ragnarok1945]

and still your dueling is superb, best chap so far