Chapter 1: The Pride cometh before the fall
"Oh my stars! She has done it! Here is your Domino City International winner! Maria Helheim! Also known, as the Dark Star of Duel Monsters!" the announcer said at the top of his lungs, his reaction was beyond belief as the girl no older than sixteen accepted the trophy, slowly walking down to the championship ceremony hall to be crowned as the victor.
"As expected from the Dark Star of Duel Monsters." She said to himself proudly, slowly making her way as the ceremony halls was filled with duelists that Maria dueled and defeated with relative ease.
'It's good to be me…The Dark Star of Duel Monsters should be amazing at Duel Monsters, this is a testament to my accomplishments!' She mentally boasted, smiling internally as she must be stoic for the media, her agent and managers would scream in horror if they see Maria, the most dominant competitor in the tournament flashing smiles and allowing adoring fans to take pictures with her.
Maria Helheim was wearing her stage costume, being big shoulder-pads with strings of diamond-shape black-dyed paper hanging from the ends of the shoulder-pads, her waist had a tasset made of white cloth and black metal plates, making her seem like a warrior ready to battle than a duelist, ready to duel.
But to Maria's mind, they were the same, on her brown-hair ridden head was a goat skull, colored black, carved and smoothed until it was shiny and sleek, the skull shadowing her ribbon-red eyes, she looked powerful but her thin frame made her look cute and petite despite the massive parts of her costume effectively weighing her down.
She wore black high heels, thick and tall platform shoes that mask her short statue by a couple more inches than her true height.
"So, Maria Helheim also known as the Dark Star of Duel Monsters, how do you feel after winning this tournament?" A reporter girl asked the Dark Star, a mic was pushed into the duelist's face, she growled before answering, clearly being annoyed from the nosiness of the reporter.
"Do you really think that the Dark Star of Duel Monsters would feel anything except pride and joy after winning a tournament like this?! There was no doubt in my body as I crushed every single opponent into nothing but pure dust! You should ask me how I felt when I crushed my opponent's chances ofwinning!" Maria Helheim growled with a mean and cruel laugh, somewhat frightening the interviewer and several spectators of the championship ceremony.
"Ummm, alright then…How do you feel-"The reporter was quickly interrupted by Maria laughing loudly.
"I feel great! Thanks for asking! Domino City should really step up their game when it comes to their duelists! Get me a real challenge!" She said arrogantly, brushing the reporter asided to finally get her trophy.
'Ugh, this is getting tiring…No matter; I'll just get my trophy, take a picture and leave home to see my brother and dad.' Maria inwardly spoke, the constant duels of today panged on her energy, if it weren't for her manager giving her a couple of energy drinks, she'll probably faint right about now.
She was given her trophy; Maria's frown didn't deter even when she was awarded the trophy, the golden stand being almost as tall as her, she raised her trophy up as she roared with intimidation, the crowds sputtering around the whole entire stadium cheered massively for the Dark Star of Duel Monsters.
She smiled inwardly as she began to laugh, her defeated opponents gazing at her in envy and wanting, they wanted her respect and that trophy and it seems like they'll get none of that, except for maybe a cruel comment followed by a scowl by the Dark Star of Duel Monsters
"How can this day can get any better!?" She roared before laughing her bottom off, tempting her fate as she began her journey home, walking out of the duel stadium where was met with her own personal limousine, guarded by a quadruped of buff and rather intimidating-looking security guards.
A pair of bodyguards began to walk side-ways as she slowly traversed to her limo, the guards blocking the various amount of adoring fans that lust for a clear and full-front up-close picture of the Dark Star of Duel Monsters, only to be awarded with pictures of a big and bulky suited chest of a bodyguard.
"How are you doing Master Maria?" Her personal chauffer asked as she entered into the Limousine, lounging about in the Limo's lazily like some kind of teenage girl who just got into a limo.
"I'm doing well Charles, take me home please in an incognito manner if you can." Maria said as she placed her newly-claimed trophy on the floor, Charles nodded as he scratched his aged-nose, his somewhat reckless but efficient driving caused the trophy to fall to the limo floor, earning a childish giggle from the Dark Star of Duel Monsters.
"How was dueling Master Maria?" Charles asked as an attempt to converse with the teenage girl, she took off her massive shoulder pads and goat skull, revealing that she was wearing a plain and average girl school uniform, she shrugged in an absent-minded way, her long brown hair plopping down to the back of her neck.
"It was okay, I knew I was going to win, that's for sure." Maria responded, Chauffer Charles realized some news that he forgot to tell his Master.
"Well, did you know that there a letter in the mail box relating to Duel Academy?" Charles asked, Maria's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Really!? Awesome! Thank you Charles for telling me, I NEED to go back home, that must be my acceptance letter!" Maria said as a big smile was plastered on her face, Charles glanced at Maria with a look of relief, enjoying the sight of a girl like Maria acting like a real teenager instead of what her managers and agents want her to act as.
"It must be, but of course, your brother also sent his own application to the Academy, be mindful that it could be his own acceptance letter." Charles reminded the Dark Star of Duel Monsters, Maria laughed out loud.
"Charles c'mon…Kuro focuses his life on cooking! I on the other hand, focus on the cards in my hands… I doubt he'll ever get an entrance exam!" Maria tempted, causing her wise aged Chauffer to sigh disappointingly.
"Don't doubt things Master Maria, shall I recite one my old sayings?" Charles asked the Teenage girl, she groaned in annoyance for she remembers Charles sayings like the back of her hand, every single time she rides in the limousine, her Chauffer Charles would always recite something wise and well-meaning, it got bothersome really quickly since some of them simply didn't correlate with whatever Maria is dealing with right now.
"No thank you Charles…You're probably going to say something by the likes of 'Not everyone can be a duelist, but a duelist can come from anywhere.'" Charles smiled, impressed at his Master's ability to remember well.
"Well done Master Maria, we're at your home; do you want me to carry anything?" Charles asked as the limousine was in a rural part of town, the buildings and homes being quite old, some of the walls were cracked and the painting of some homes were starting to peel off, it wasn't a bad neighborhood, it's just where plenty of old Domino city resides in nowadays .
"Yes please Charles, hold my costume, I can hold my trophy." Maria said as her Chauffer bowed in response, grabbing ahold Maria's costume, despite his frail figure, he was carrying the heavy costume with relative ease.
"Yes Master Maria, remember to not be so boastful, you know how…Frustrating you can be when your pride is over your head."
"Don't worry Charles, I got this." Chauffer Charles sighed in retort, not truly believing his masters claim, Maria quickly looked into her mailbox, she saw the Duel Academy letter in particular, she practically squealed in delight as she took the letter.
"Its here its here its finally here! Hi Everyone! I'm home!" Maria said at the top of her lungs as she entered into her home, the trophy in her hands, there she saw her father, and her brother Kuro, already having a heavy Japanese-style dinner set up,
"As per usual! I'm never later for Dinner! Haha!" Maria exclaimed with a smile on her face.
"Ah! Welcome home Sweetie!" Her father said joyously as he pulled out her chair to sit with so they can eat together, Maria quickly placed the trophy right next to her Brother's seat before joining with her family.
"And hello Charles, you want to eat with us? There's plenty to eat!" Her dad continued, Charles smiled but politely declined, something that Maria's father irked at.
"No thank you Joseph, I'm honored but I have my own family to eat with, I'll see you tomorrow Master Maria." Charles said in a calm and polite tone, placing down the costume in Maria's personal room, before taking his leave.
"Bye! I'll see you tomorrow Charles!" She said loudly, waving goodbye to her Chauffer as he left the household.
The food on the table was excessive in terms of food, there was shrimp tempura, a whole pot of rice, a whole roasted fish, several rows of various types of raw-fish varied sushi, steamed dumplings, a plate of Japanese-styled fried chicken, and a small bowl of fermented soy beans.
"This food looks amazing! Thank you bro for cooking!" Maria thanked the silent Kuro, Kuro was unlike her sister in appearance, his eyes were a basic brown instead of the intricate ribbon-red, his hair was black, unlike her sister's brown, while Maria is thin and petite, Kuro was big and tall,
Kuro silently smiled as he ate with Chopsticks and a bowl, while Maria and her dad ate with a fork and plates, Kuro was sitting cross-legged on his chair as if he was sitting on the ground.
"Yes, it really takes a lot of work off of me; you don't realize how hard it is to cook for you two after I worked all day…" He said as in a joking manner pretended to have back pain, Maria and Kuro laughed at their father's silliness, well more like Maria was laughing, Kuro wasn't much of a…Speaker.
"So Maria, what do you want to do after winning the Domino City tournament?" Her father asked as he ate a piece of shrimp tempura, Maria shrugged before getting little bit of everything available.
"Well, I dunno, there was two letters from Duel Academy, so maybe I'm going to Duel Academy? And Kuro too?" She pondered aloud, tasting the savory and crunchy flavors of the Tempura, coupled with the cool and strong taste of the fermented soy beans made Maria smiled with flavor-enticed joy.
"Duel Academy? Sounds wonderful Maria, we shall open the letter after dinner…" Her father said as he noticed that Kuro frowned when Mariah mentioned the letter from Duel Academy.
"I don't know if I need it Dad, I mean, I just won one of the biggest tournaments in the CITY! I think I'm already well-versed in Duel Monsters…" Maria pointed out as she flashed a smug smile, her father sighed from Maria's arrogance.
"Well, no matter what, we're going to open the letter safter dinner, let's just eat." Maria complied, eating several more bits and pieces of each food, Kuro silently smiled as despite being taller than his father and sister, he ate lightly, only taking a couple of things and eating from a small bowl of rice, while his sister and father ate quite more.
"Alright then Dad, Hey, maybe it's a letter to be a headmaster or something! It's going to be amazing!" she fantasized as she laughed heartily.
"I doubt it sister; they don't allow teenagers to be headmasters." Kuro finally spoke, his voice was like harp strings, soft and quiet yet firm and noticeable, contrasting the Loud and boisterous Maria's voice.
"Eh, I could vow for change! Since change is always the best!" Maria said with a laugh, Kuro resumed his silence, not wanting to talk anymore for the time being.
"By the way Kuro, have you've been practicing dueling lately?" Maria asked, Kuro was hesitant for a moment, not wanting to speak, it was until Maria repeated the question several times that Kuro finally answered.
"Yes I have sister, I like the deck I use." He admitted in a soft voice, Maria smiled, as if she looked at her brother as if he was a pre-teen and he just said something innocently stupid.
"Good! Good! Very good, say if I get an acceptance letter from that Duel Academy letter, I'll give it to you, since I don't really need it! If you get denied of course" Maria said in an unintentionally arrogant tone, believing that she'll get accepted into the academy with ease, and believing that Kuro immediately wouldn't be accepted by the Duel Academy.
After Dinner, the time has come, the Helheim family consisting of the Father, Maria and Kuro were centered around the now clean and cleared dining table, Maria and Kuro's father had a letter opener in his hand, one letter was addressed to Maria and the other letter was addressed to Kuro.
"Whose letter shall we open first?" The father of the Helheim family asked , Kuro refused to speak, only silently staring at his own letter, so Maria was the one that answered her father.
"Let's open my first please! I want to see my acceptance letter! It's probably personally signed by the chancellor himself!" She said as she smiled smugly, her father once again sighed, with a careful and slow motion, he stabbed the letter opener through the left edge of the letter, than to the right side.
Maria's father slowly grabbed the letter out of the letter, but Maria was quick to snatch the letter out of her father's hands in a rude manner.
"Mine! I'll take that!" She said as she began to skim through the letter, her face of excitement slowly went to a face of shock and surprise.
"…They didn't accept me…" Was all she said quietly, her father sighed once again, although this time its to help cope with her daughter's sudden mood swing, her eyes began to well up in tears, the relevation finally setting within herself.
"They didn't accept me!" she said once again, this time in a shout, Kuro looked at her sister in a sorrowful look, he suddenly glanced at his own letter, without a another word, he grabbed ahold of the letter, and ripped it open with his hands.
"It's okay sweetie…You're already the champion of Domino City, they probably believed that you simply didn't need the dueling school." Her father said as an attempt to calm Maria down, she was still crying her heart out.
Kuro only smiled when he read his own letter, to his utter surprise and even silent shock, he was actually accepted to Duel Academy!
A surge of emotion began to envelop inside Kuro, he didn't know what to feel exactly, he felt guilt for the fact that he got accepted but his sister didn't, he felt pride within himself for he was able to do it but his sister didn't, he felt joy for being able to attend such a school of Duel Academy, but he also felt…
Fear…A strange sense of fear was within him; perhaps it was the fear of the unknown? Fear of being compared to her famed sister? It was rather unnerving if Kuro was being honest, perhaps time will tell for the Brother to the Dark Star of Duel Monsters.
Authors note: Thank you for reading! Please review!