Chapter 1: Yusagi the Snowy Moon

"Hyoka! Hyoka wait!", he ran after her as fast as he could up the rocky pathway, breathing heavily. "Hyoka!" he cried out again to the girl.

However she continued to run. She was going up a rocky, mountain-like hill, carrying a duel disk and breathing just as hard as he was. However before she could reach the top, she tripped over the final step, landing on her back.

Catching up to her, he looked down at her, staring into her eyes while catching his breathe just as she was. "Hyoka… Where are you going?" he asks falling to his knees. He leans over her and takes her hand. Looking up the stairway, he saw there was only an island shrine atop of the stairs.

She remained silent for awhile and looked towards the stars. "Oliver, where I'm going- You can't follow me..." She looked back to him and gently caressed his face. "Stay here with mother and the children. Become the man that they never had in their lives; protect them. But before that, I have something to show you..." From her duel disk she pulled out a card.

Oliver looked at the card with a confused expression. "What is this…?" he questioned.

With a single touch it vanished, as did she, leaving only flickering balls of light in her place flying away like fireflies in the night sky.

"Ah-..." was the only thing that came out of his mouth. Sitting down out in the cold, he curled up, and cried on the ground. Trying to contain the wails, he closed his eyes as tightly as he could and continued weep silently in darkness.

Opening his eyes again, he realized that he had cried himself to sleep. However, glancing around, he realized this wasn't the shrine where he followed Hyoka up to. This was a large room that much resembled a colosseum. There were rows of archaic seats made all in stone, lined and riddled with what appeared monstrous hieroglyphics. The walls were about the same, but shiny, black, and covered in sparkling speckles.

"Whe- Where am I!?" he cried out.

Beneath him was not the stairway he was expecting, but dirt and sand that glittered like gold. He quickly got up and started to rashly back away until he hit something hard. He turned around and there was someone behind him; a very tall man-like creature stood before him with teeth as sharp as a sharks and a rabbit-like face wearing a dark robe.

"Welcome to the first moon of Raumquas. I am Yusagi of the Snowy Moon, and I am your examiner." He said with a blank look. He slowly looked down towards Oliver with his dark, cold eyes. "Are you a returning or new participant…?"

Oliver didn't move. He could only stare at the creature before him with widened eyes and an open mouth.

Yusagi sighed lightly. "I'll take that as new… very new… Well then, allow me to be the first to welcome to you to the Light Trials. Please present your Star Ticket."

Oliver shook his head still unable to speak, revealing that he has nothing.

"... What do you mean...? You don't have a Star Ticket? It's a card. The one that you should have fou- … Oh. Oh my…" Yusagi's demeanor changed from bland and calm to a curious one. He leaned in to further inspect the boy when a crooked smile slowly came over his face. "Then… you came here to the Spirit World on your own…"

"Spir- Spirit World...!?" Oliver hesitantly questioned, finally able to spit out words.

"Yes… Yes..." Yusagi's smile finally subsided a bit. "The world of Duel Monster Spirits, if you couldn't tell by my appearance. Please, please, tell me your name?" he politely asked. Waiting for his response, he casually began circling around Oliver in anticipation.

"Oliver…" he responded, carefully backing away from the curious monster.

Yusagi easily slinked behind him. "Oliver? Just Oliver? No last name?"

Oliver quickly turned around. "No…!" he said abruptly. "I-I'm an orphan… I'm afraid I don't quite have that luxury..."

"Ah! Oliver the Orphan! I'll be sure to remember that. I simply must, I must. Well don't worry. I won't hurt you." he pronounced, gently placing his hand upon Oliver's shoulder.

"Y-Yes… Then, well, could you tell me what's going on…?"

"Why certainly. Surely you must have heard of the Light Trials? Or perhaps your being here is simply a coincidence… Very well. Every year starting from the 25th day of the first month to the 31st day of the sixth month, a special event known as the Light Trials take place. Special cards known as Star Tickets are scattered across the human world for duelists to find which will take them here to the world of Duel Monster Spirits. But only those with strong desires are able to find them. Here hundreds of humans participate in special events and competitions to earn points. Get 100 points and you'll be granted an audience with the Fusion God."

"Wha- Who...!?" Oliver confusingly asked. He sat down on the ground with a dazed look on his face with his hands on his head. "This- This is... -"

"I see. So you really didn't know… but for you to end up here of all places is far too much of a coincidence… " Yusagi stroked his chin, just as bewildered.

Suddenly Oliver's eyes widened. "Wait! You said you had to come here with a card! A whatever ticket! What does it look like!?"

Yusagi pulled a card from his robe pocket and revealed it to Oliver. It was the exact same card Hyoka was carrying.

"Then did a girl come by here!? Dark brown hair with pink bangs!? A dirty black dress with a big white ribbon!?" Oliver asked aggressively. He approached Yusagi with a fierce look in his eyes.

The rabbit smiled even harder than before "...I'm sorry but all my visitors have been male, but if your friend had a card like this then she is surely here. If you want to find her, you must compete."

"What do I need?!" he asked with confidence.

"Well first this!" Yusagi handed him a Star Ticket. "That card symbolizes that you're a participant in this year's Light Trial; do not lose it. Losing that could mean your disqualification or worst. But you are missing some other important things. And one of which is a deck and a duel disk."

"Oh…! B-But there has to be someth-"

"Hold on. You didn't let me finish. I can easily provide you with those as well, but it'll be a very basic and generic deck..." With a wave of his hand, a duel disk began to appear before Oliver almost instantly.

Oliver picked it up. It was a plain white, box-like model with a touch pad function, much different from what he was expecting. "This is a duel disk…? It's…-" unable to put his feelings into words, only twinkles appeared in his eyes.

"What? From what I understand that's the most basic model. Nothing fancy. Ah, well I suppose being an orphan, you're use to the more older models… By all means, consider it a gift."

"But, I can't pay you back..."

"Don't worry about that, it's a gift. Besides, you already have..." He looked into Oliver's eyes in an odd facial manner.

Oliver simply took it as an expression of approval. "... I see. Thank you..." Oliver places the duel disk over his wrist and begins reviewing the deck he was given.

"Don't thank me yet. Now comes the final problem… Here in the Spirit World, there are eleven planets. In order to get to the next planet, you must compete against other participants and earn ten points. So in order to get to the second planet, you need ten points. In order to get to the third, you need twenty and so on."

"Huh? But I'm the only person here... and didn't you say this was-"

"Then you see the problem. The date is January 26th 4:23 am. You're four hours late to the start of the first event. Tardy participants are sent to a Detention Exam on one of the moons of the first planet." Yusagi then pulls out a golden-orange duel disk and attaches it to his wrist. "As your Detention Examiner, you must defeat me in order to even qualify for the Trials. However, this will be a Level 2 Exam. In other words, if you lose, I send you home..." he then activated it, causing a green energy blade to appear from it.