Prologue
In the year 2100, technology had become much more advanced. Now people are spending much of their free hours going to a virtual world known as Teknisk Wereld (translates to Technical World in English). This place is only able to be accessed when turning thirteen. Why? It's a dangerous area-while safeguards usually prevent deaths, serious injuries are still possible.
Anyway, when turning thirteen, you are given three things: an Envoyant Machine, a Duel Disk, and a Soul Card. The Envoyant Machine is basically a helmet-like device that "transports" your mind to Teknisk Wereld. The Duel Disk generates holograms of the cards that are used in the real world and Teknisk Wereld. Oh, forgot to mention that, didn't I? People carry around decks in both worlds. They are from a game called Duel Monsters. Played for fun and for serious reasons, hardly anyone lacks a deck these days.
Then you have the Soul Card. From this card comes your Soul Monster. This monster, based off one in the Duel Monsters game, is to remain bonded with you for life. Also, this monster is to be your Deck Master in duels. Deck Masters give the game a unique twist; each one comes with a special ability that can turn the duel to your favor.
In Teknisk Wereld v.1, Hope Gales was finally able to go to Teknisk Wereld. There she met some of her best friends; Rue, Max, Will, Claire, and Brandi. She also met their Soul Monsters; Ruecian, Olympion, Neo, Perseus, Mana, and her own, Gaston. When the Generals of Hell began to kill innocents to fulfill the conditions of the Ritual of 1000 Souls, the six teens went out to stop them. Through many sacrifices, Hope was finally able to confront the one they revived; Satan himself. How she managed to survive is still unknown, but apparently there is more to her than meets the eye…
In Teknisk Wereld v.2, they were up against a new group: the Commanders of Heaven. But instead of wanting to revive God, they wanted to overthrow him. Although the Commanders were much cleverer than the Generals, the group had new friends as well. Miles, a thief and Commander, turned traitor and joined Hope and her companions. Draken, a former General, was brought back to life and wanted to help those that helped him see the truth. Fell and Larka, brother and sister, were helped out by Hope when escaping a laboratory where they had been specimen, and they remained with the group. Zack, a cyborg hired by the Commanders to kill the group, joined as well after Hope managed to convince him to switch sides. Matt, a companion of Max and Brandi, and Amy, Hope's half-sister, also assisted at various points.
After many duels, they finally managed to reach the lead Commander, Kouten. But before they could face him, they had to go through an ordeal that involved each of them seeing a vision, all important in their own way. They also got a few words of advice from God's messenger, Gabriel.
Kouten actually had one of the three god cards, Immense Divine Soldier of Obelisk. Max managed to defeat Kouten though, even though he had Obelisk. Max volunteered to hang on to Obelisk for the time being, being a guardian of sorts to it, which took care of one god card.
In Teknisk Wereld v.3, the group's new foe was a being known as Thanatos. Although it is not sure who he was or how he emerged, he appeared to them in the form of Max. When Ender tore Olympion's Soul Card, Thanatos took over Max's body shortly afterwards. Through much pain, both physically and mentally, from losses of duels that Thanatos used to toy with the group, Brandi finally got a chance to take down Thanatos. However, he managed to just barely stay alive. It was only when Hope confessed that she loved Max that Thanatos was finally destroyed.
But it turned out that Thanatos was working with another villain. Vlademir, the leader of Macina Corp, was actually trying to take over the world. With two of the group's old foes, Malady and Viken, it surely looked like his plan would succeed. However, the companions were able to confront the trio. Hope killed Malady, Viken was slain by Larka, and Zack defeated Vlademir. It was a close match, since Vlademir managed to summon Saint Dragon-God of Osiris. Zack was able to win though, ending the plot. However, to save Will from the virus Vlademir had been behind spreading, Vlademir's life was spared. On the plus side, they were able to claim Osiris. Rue was the only one able to handle the god card, so he became its guardian.
But there is still one more god card that must be found. For if all three god cards are played in duels, unsealing them, Satan will awaken…
Chapter 1: Limiters
Sarius was bored. He had been waiting in the church for some time, even though he had known his comrades would not have arrived yet. He had had nothing better to do, so he had decided to come early.
Even though it was dull, the church was still a peaceful location. The light energy was calming, if not a bit overwhelming for him. Raid did not seem pleased by it; the Dark Main-Type monster could not stand all of the light in it. Cyrus seemed to like the area quite a bit though, which was understandable-after all, he was a Light Main-Type. The Child also seemed to like the area. He was sitting on one of the pews in the front row, and as he almost always did, he was tossing the golden ball he carried into the air and then catching it.
Not content to just sit there, Sarius got up and went to the front of the church, looking at the three pictures on the wall. Suddenly, he focused on the picture in the center.
"How strange," he murmured. "I didn't notice this the last time I was here…"
"Tirran-sama?"
"Come and look at this," Sarius requested.
The Child came over to the picture, gazing at it.
"Do you see how Obelisk and Osiris look? Their eyes… they seem almost alive. But Ra looks as though it is sleeping. I wonder what this means?"
The Child did not have an answer to this.
"Hm… well, we'll see soon enough, I suppose," Sarius sighed.
His thoughts on the matter were put to a halt when Raid suddenly hissed. He looked over to the doors to see four people enter. They glanced around the church with interest, but came to the front pews, sitting down. The Child joined them, leaving Sarius at the front.
"Thank you for coming," Sarius said as a greeting. "I am assuming you know why I summoned you here?"
"You found the Limiters?" one of them, a male who looked to be in his teens, inferred.
"Yes and no. I have found one of them… but not the other. However, we can't afford to wait for that. Juno has finally decided to start getting serious."
"So we just kick his ass again. What's the big problem?" another, this time a woman, asked.
"I think Juno has a lead on who the Limiter is. That means he has full rights to go after her. He'll have help too. So that leaves us only one choice. We have to defeat the Limiter before he can reach her."
"Or we can hope that this Limiter will actually be able to put up a fight," a man said sarcastically.
"She's stronger than some, weaker than others. It could be worse," Sarius replied.
"Does Juno know about the second Limiter?" the last man, who had not spoken until now, inquired.
"I doubt it. Remember, we're usually ahead of him. If I don't even have a clue on who it is, how would he know?"
"There's always the off chance that he might get lucky," the second man to have spoken muttered.
"But that isn't very likely. As we all know, Juno's luck tends to be rather bad," Sarius smirked. "Still, you are right to be cautious about it. That is why I have asked for your help. The sooner we can defeat the Limiter, the better. We can worry about searching for the second one later."
"So what are our orders?" the last man asked.
"Get used to Teknisk Wereld," Sarius said. "I have something to check on. Once I have, I'll tell you what our plans will be."
"You had better not waste any time," the woman told him.
"You know I won't," Sarius grinned. "I'll contact you soon."
Sarius turned to the painting again, a clear sign to the others that the meeting was over. The four rose and left the church, while The Child remained where he was.
Sarius continued to gaze at the picture as he sorted his thoughts. He knew what he had to do. The end result… that he could only guess.
Then Raid growled again as he heard the door open. But he did not bother to turn; he already knew who it was.
"So you came as well," Sarius said.
The man he had spoken to stepped up to where he was, looking over at the picture. "You didn't think I would?"
"Of course I thought you would. It's why I'm not surprised."
The man examined the portraits. "Satan? And I suppose that is Jesus, and that God," he concluded.
"Yes. I find it very intriguing; I'm sure you do as well?"
"You could say that."
Sarius finally turned to the man. "So, you will be searching for the Limiters as well?"
The man looked into Sarius' eyes. "Yes. But remember this, Tirran. I am with you when it comes to stopping Juno. But if I reach the Limiters first, then they are mine. So we are rivals, even if we have a common enemy."
"I am well aware of that," Sarius replied calmly.
"Then I advise you act swiftly. Juno will not wait, and neither will I," the man stated.
"Again, I know this."
The man stepped off the platform they were on. "I have said what I came to say. Now, if you will excuse me, I must begin searching."
"Go right ahead. I'm sure we will meet each other again, soon enough."
"Indeed," the man agreed before leaving.
Sarius waited for a few minutes before going towards the door as well. "So it's about to begin. This should be quite interesting, shouldn't it?"
The Child gave a small smile in response before they stepped through the door.
-----
Juno was impatient as well, but he kept his feelings hidden as he waited. At least the atmosphere of this dark area was a pleasant one for him. The Generals of Hell may have been idiots, but they knew of some good locations to stay at, Juno concluded.
Zork was nearby, waiting as well. Even when Juno heard several people approaching, Zork did not respond. Juno knew who they were instantly.
"He could have at least picked an easier location! This place took forever to get to! Walking here took long enough, but trying to find out how to enter that portal was way too time consuming! That Juno just has to pick the most complicated areas to meet up in! I've just about had it with that…"
"Give it a rest already, you crabby old maid," a man yawned. "We made it in the end, didn't we?"
"Crabby old maid?! I swear, if you call me that one more time Bolt…"
"He's right; do us a favor and shut up Tundra," another one said. "We're not in the mood to listen to your rambling."
Another man looked over at the one who had just spoken. "You are just as much of a loud mouth as she is, if not more so."
"Hey!" the other one protested. "At least I'm not complaining at the moment, unlike her!"
"I'd be careful with what you say around Gale," the one called Bolt commented. "Your past injuries from him should have given you some common sense on the matter, eh Wave?"
"I'm not nearly as bad as she is though!" Wave protested.
Gale glared at Wave, and he finally fell silent at the look in his eyes.
"But where is Juno?" the other female of the group asked. "He should be around here somewhere…"
"Knowing him, he'll be at the other side of this place," Tundra grumbled. "And in such an area too! He just had to choose a dark location like this one, didn't he?"
"I don't like it at all," Wave commented. "It's way too creepy for my tastes."
"I must say that I enjoy it, though," another one commented.
"Of course you would, Dark," Trident sighed. "What element are you again? Oh yeah-just as your name suggests, dark! Gee, I wonder why this would be a good spot for you?"
"If you want to keep your head attached to your body, I advise you shut up now," the other woman told him.
Wave usually didn't fall silent just because someone asked him to, but he saw the wisdom of the suggestion and followed her recommendation.
"Always being the cute older sister, aren't you Light?" Bolt smirked.
"Usually I don't agree with Tundra, but in this case I will. If you call me that one more time…"
"Then what will you do? Try to smite me with your amazing feminine powers?" Bolt said sarcastically.
Tundra bristled at this comment. "I'll have you know that us females are much better than any of you males will ever be!"
"I never said one was better than the other; it can go both ways," Bolt shrugged. "You're worse than most males I've met, but even you are smarter than Gaia."
Gaia did not even seem to notice that he was being insulted, instead watching the argument without comment.
"Of course I am; Gaia is dumber than a rock! He can't even tell when you're making fun of him!"
"You made fun of me?" Gaia growled, glaring at Bolt.
"You just had to tell him, didn't you?" Bolt rolled his eyes. "At least Flame has the sense to keep out of this pointless conversation."
Flame was at the edge of the group, his face expressionless.
"This is going nowhere!" Tundra snarled. "If Juno had just told us where to meet him in this place…"
"I'll tell you now then," Juno smirked, stepping out of the darkness where he had been hiding. Zork followed him. "This is our meeting location."
Tundra leapt back in alarm. "When did you get here?!"
"I've been listening in on you ever since you started complaining about how long it took you to get here," Juno stated. "You know, if you want to complain about my choice of meeting places, you should say it to my face instead of behind my back."
"Sucks to be you," Bolt snickered.
"Be quiet!" Tundra snapped.
"Enough of this nonsense," Juno said. "I have called the eight of you here for a specific reason; I did not want senseless bickering."
"Wherever we go, arguing follows," Light sighed.
"Unfortunately," was Juno's dry response. "But listen up. Bolt Katana, Flame Buster, Wave Trident, Gale Katar, Gaia Axe, Light Cross, Dark Scythe, and Tundra Flail; you are all here, I take it."
"Yeah, we all made it after much searching," Wave replied.
"Enough on that. Here is why I have called for you; I have not found the Limiters for this world yet. Tirran probably has some idea of where they are already. But I am tired of wasting time when I have had no luck. I need to find them, and quickly. So I want all of you to search for them. You know how this works; we've done it before. But this time, I want no failures. I am sick of Tirran always winning. He is not invincible; one day, he will fall. If we can find the Limiters here first, then maybe that day will be nearby."
"So what are we supposed to do first?" Gale inquired.
"Start searching for the Limiters. Try not to stick out; the people of this world are suspicious of anything, because of past events. When a Limiter is found, contact everyone else and we will all meet here. Do you all understand?"
"I think everyone but Gaia does," Bolt stated.
Again, the man did not notice he was being insulted. But he replied nevertheless. "I get what he means…"
"I'm sure," Bolt said shortly. "Well, if we're not supposed to arouse suspicions, I guess you're saying we should split up? Fine by me, although Gaia might screw us up." Then he walked back in the direction of the exit. The others shortly followed. Soon, only Juno and Zork were left.
"We'll see how it plays out this time, Tirran," Juno smirked. "Your luck will not last you forever…"
----
She was in front of the painting once more, staring into Obelisk's red eyes and Osiris's yellow eyes. They looked as though they were at long last awake. Ra still seemed asleep though.
Satan still seemed asleep. The figure to the right was still in the shadows. The one to the left still seemed to be about to emerge though… something produced from the figure's head, and from its back… and the dark blue jewel on its forehead gleamed…
Then, she heard Satan.
"Come back to me, my loyal servants. Join me once more…"
Hope could not resist. There was something he wanted, something he needed, and she had to get it for him…
"Hope!"
Her eyes flew open at the sound of her name. She found herself standing at the door to her room, hand on the doorknob.
"Gaston? Did I sleepwalk again?" she asked wearily, looking over at her companion who stood by her.
"Yeah…" His eyes betrayed his worry about the situation.
"Dang it. I'm sorry… if I keep doing this, you'll never get any sleep," Hope said softly, glancing at the bottom bunk of her bed, where Larka was still asleep, with Malon curled next to her.
"Never mind that. I'm more concerned about you."
"I'm fine… just tired." She got back into her bed.
"Did you have any dreams?" he inquired.
"None," she replied uneasily. She did not like having to lie to her friend, but she didn't want him to be any more concerned than he already was.
"Alright then… try to get some more rest," he told her before sitting down again.
"Sure. Good night." She was asleep almost as soon as she lay down.
Gaston wished he could do the same, but wasn't about to; he was too anxious about Hope. She did not sleepwalk every night, but it was happening too frequently for his comfort. It was impossible to tell if she was still trying to get to Osiris, but Gaston would not have doubted it.
Although he thought on the situation now, he reached the same conclusion he always had; there was nothing he could do.
-----
Malon was the usual alarm clock that woke up Hope, Larka, and Gaston. His barking caused them to wake up instantly.
"Dang it Malon! Do you have to always do that?" Larka complained as she sat up.
The puppy that was at the end of her bed just panted happily as he watched her.
"There's no need to get mad at him," Hope said, looking at her clock. "It's eight. We promised we'd be in Teknisk Wereld by nine."
"You're right," Larka agreed, picking up Malon. "Still, I wish he didn't have to deafen me."
They went downstairs, and saw Fell and Daine waiting for them.
"Good morning!" Larka called to them.
"Likewise," Daine replied. Fell gave a brief nod before going into the kitchen.
"He's not really a morning person," Hope noted as they followed.
"He's not an afternoon or night person either," Gaston pointed out.
"True…" Hope admitted.
After eating, they went to Hope's room and activated their Envoyant Machines. They instantly fell unconscious.
-----
Zack was awake instantly when he heard a loud explosion. With a sigh, he got up.
"Three guesses at what that was," he muttered as he stopped at the top of the stairs to listen to the ensuing argument.
"I HAVE JUST ABOUT HAD IT WITH YOU! YOU HAVE DESTROYED EVERY SINGLE TYPE OF COOKING DEVICE I HAVE EVER GOTTEN AT LEAST THREE TIMES EACH! I AM SICK OF HAVING TO BUY REPLACEMENTS EVERY TIME!"
"But Will…"
"BUT NOTHING! I AM NOT IN THE MOOD TO BUY YET ANOTHER TEA KETTLE, NOR AM I IN THE MOOD TO LISTEN TO YOUR PAHTETIC EXCUSES! GET OUT OF HERE, YOU IDIOT! NOW!"
By this time, Zack had reached the bottom the stairs. Neo came running by as Will finished yelling at him. Hearing something else coming, Zack ducked. The ruined tea kettle soared over him and smashed into Neo, sending the swordsman crashing into the wall.
"It's a good thing you don't have many pictures hanging on the wall," Zack said dryly as he came in.
"Sorry about nearly hitting you," Will replied as he searched in his pantry for cereal. "I can't stand it when Neo does that… I'm amazed you've wanted to continue staying here more than going back to Illinois."
"Believe me, compared to flying to another state inside a suitcase, you would not mind being woken up early like this."
"I don't think I want to find out," Will stated. "So, it's almost time to go there?"
"We have about thirty minutes," Zack said.
"Dang it. I guess I'd better hurry up."
-----
"Wow! Are we the earliest ones here? That's a first!" Larka joked as they arrived in Teknisk Wereld, by the lake.
"No kidding," Hope replied, looking around. "So I suppose we should wait for them here?"
"Well, we didn't have any major plans for today besides to meet up here," Larka reminded her. "I guess today will just be a free duel day."
"I could use that," Hope said, eyeing her deck. "I added a new card that I want to test out."
"What, are you going to try to kill me with it?"
They turned to see Rue and Claire standing there, Ruecian and Perseus next to them.
"Maybe," Hope teased.
"I'm still impressed that your leg healed in only a few weeks," Larka commented, looking at Rue's right leg. By just seeing it, nobody would have ever been able to tell that it had been broken.
"Technology's an amazing thing," Rue grinned. "Although I do have some suspicions of my own… Demon Rue healed my heart when it was torn; maybe he helped speed up my recovery."
"That could be," Hope agreed.
"Either way, I'm not about to know," Rue shrugged.
"So the others haven't arrived yet?" Claire inquired.
"We have now," Will replied as he walked over, Zack following. "Neo delayed us. Again."
"What did you blow up this time?" Gaston asked the sheepish swordsman.
"A tea kettle," Will answered for him. "At least it could have been worse."
"Indeed," Hope laughed, remembering when Will's whole kitchen had blown up.
"You could say that," Rue snickered, recalling what had happened to the bed and breakfast kitchen.
"There's no need to bring up past events," Will muttered.
"Past events? What did we miss?" Draken questioned as he came up. Kisara and Darche were there as well. In a few seconds, Kazel came diving down and landed a safe distance away from them before walking over too.
"Nothing," Will said shortly.
"Alright, if you want to be that way, I guess I'll just get Rue to tell me later," Draken grinned. "So, anyone else missing?"
"Max and Gen," Hope answered. "And Brandi…"
"I guess we should have expected that," Draken sighed.
Since Miles had still not recovered from his incident with Thanatos, Gen had come on every day to report on his condition. Although Gen had hinted for the last few days that Miles was nearly ready to leave, he had not been sure when it would be.
For the last two days, Brandi had not appeared either. Max had explained that she was sick with the flu and had to stay in bed. Mana was staying with her at all times, so she would not come either. It also limited Max's time on Teknisk Wereld as well, since he did not want to leave her for very long either.
"So we're just waiting for the… two of them?" Darche assumed.
"Yeah. They should arrive any minute now," Hope said as she watched Malon paw at Daine, trying to get the bigger dog to play with him.
"And that minute would be now!"
Hope jumped back in shock as Miles came up from behind her. Everyone else just stared.
"Long time no see guys," he greeted them.
"You could say that," Will responded.
"You're already well enough to move around?" Gaston said in amazement. "After seeing how you had been injured, I had wondered if you would have ever been able to walk again. But recovering in a bit more than a month seems impossible."
"He isn't completely healed," Gen replied, coming up to them. "It's true that he can move around and such, but it doesn't mean he is in the best shape."
"I think the fact that I can walk without collapsing is a good improvement," Miles stated.
"I'll agree to that," Rue responded. "Welcome back."
"Thanks. So, what are the plans for today?"
Hope glanced over at Will. "Now that Miles is back, isn't it time to put the plan in motion?"
"Yep," Will nodded. "We'll tell you in a second Miles, but I'd like Max to be here first…"
"Gen told me about Brandi," Miles said grimly. "I hope she gets better soon."
"We all do," Kisara said quietly.
Miles looked over at her. "So, this is your girlfriend Draken?"
Kisara blushed, while Draken glared at him. "You just recovered; don't make me have to put you back in the hospital."
"It was just a question," Miles muttered.
"So, it appears that I was the last to arrive."
They turned to see Max come over. He sat down, glancing over at Miles. "You've finally recovered."
"Thankfully. Hey, Will, now that Max is here, can you please tell us what you meant by a plan?"
"Of course." Will looked around to make sure that he had everyone's undivided attention, and then explained. "Hope and I decided that when you got better Miles, we would all get together in South Carolina. That way, we could begin to search for the last god card together."
"So we'll be actually looking for it this time?" Zack inquired.
"That's right," Will confirmed. "We thought that a break for you guys would be a good idea, because of all the things that happened when it came to getting Osiris. Once Miles recovered, we thought everyone else would be ready by then, and we could begin looking. There's no telling how much time we have before it's unsealed, so we have to work quickly." He sighed. "But, there is a problem. We wanted everyone to go at once… however, Brandi is ill. The question is, should we wait for her to get better or start looking now?"
"…Brandi won't be ready for a while, by the looks of it," Max said in response, not looking at them.
"And we can't afford to wait…" Hope stated, but trailed off, ashamed of what she had just said. It sounded like she cared more about the god card than Brandi, which certainly wasn't acceptable. What was a piece of cardboard worth when compared to one of her best friends? Sure, it was a piece of cardboard that could change the fate of the world, but that could be put on hold for a few days while waiting for Brandi to get well, right? But she felt as though this god card was more important than anything else…
What is happening to me? Why do I keep thinking things like this? Confused and disgusted at herself, she forced herself to concentrate on what Will was saying.
"Hope is right. The sooner we can retrieve that god card, the better. I'm sure we all care about what happens to Brandi, and that it would be great if she could come, but we must find the card as soon as possible. Besides, she wouldn't like it if we waited around for her when we could be doing something, right?"
"True," Draken nodded. "So that means Brandi will not be helping us until she gets better. When she does, we'll bring her up to speed on how we're doing."
"That will work," Claire agreed. Then, she added, "Max, do you want to stay with Brandi? We know you're worried about her; we'd understand if you didn't want to come immediately."
"…I would like to, but I won't. When it came to Osiris, I wasn't able to help at all. In fact, I was one of the main problems. So I want to try to make that up."
"You're sure about this?" Rue asked.
"Why are you guys trying to get rid of one of our best duelists?" Neo commented.
Will smacked him over the head with his book. "Shut up. You're already in enough trouble as it is."
Hope glanced at the title of his book. "Eragon? Wow! I've read that book too. It's great!"
"Don't make understatements," Will said.
"Will's not reading a Redwall book? What has the world come to?" Rue joked.
Will held up the book again. "Don't make me hurt you."
"You care about me enough to warn me?" Rue asked.
"No, I care about the condition of my book."
"Typical," Rue muttered.
Max ignored the side conversation. "I'm positive. I can't really help Brandi anyway. Mana will be there for her, as well as my mom and Hime."
"Then it's settled," Miles stated. "Where will we be meeting?"
"It can't be my place, due to Brandi's illness," Max said. "So there's only one other choice."
"Yeah, it'll be my home," Will told them. "I know some of you have never been there, and that the ones who have been might have forgotten the address. So I'll give all of you it again." He took out a sheet of paper and wrote his address on it four times before tearing it. Then he gave Hope, Rue, Max, and Draken one each. "Miles, we'll come by and get you from the hospital. I trust that Larka and Fell will be with you Hope, Kisara will be with you Draken, and Zack's already here, so that should cover everything."
"Sorry, but I won't be coming," Max stated. "I'll keep this in case I need it sometime, but I'm not coming this time. I want to at least be nearby Brandi."
"Sure," Will agreed. "Is everyone else ok in coming over?"
"There's one problem," Hope said. "I know mom will let me fly to South Carolina, but we won't have enough money to buy Larka and Fell tickets."
"You'll have enough money for yourself?" Rue asked.
"Yes. Dad's a big help with that; since he flies a lot for his job, he often gets discounts. That's why I've given Matt back some of the money he lent us for plane tickets; I didn't need to use it all." Hope shook her head. "I doubt I can get enough money for the two of them though."
"That just means we'll have to work around it," Larka stated as she petted Malon, who was lying in her lap. "You can go to South Carolina while Fell and I stay at your home. I wouldn't mind, actually. The planes are pretty cool to fly in, but the noise is almost unbearable!"
Malon yipped at her.
"I don't think Malon liked being separated from me either," Larka laughed.
"I guess you could still help us when we're searching in Teknisk Wereld," Draken said.
"Will anyone else have problems getting to South Carolina?" Gen asked.
"Nah, we can make it," Claire assured. "Our parents shouldn't mind buying us tickets again."
"We will be able to come as well," Kisara stated in her soft tone. "I have enough money for both of us."
"Then we're set!" Miles declared. "If all goes as it should, we'll be seeing each other shortly!"
"Miles, we'll come over to get you right now, if you're ready," Will told him.
"Sure, that'd be cool. Catch you guys later!" Miles and Gen vanished as he said that.
"I guess we'll take our leave now as well," Rue shrugged. With that, he, Ruecian, Claire, and Perseus were gone.
"Bye for now," Draken commented before he and Kisara vanished. Darche and Kazel followed them.
"Alright Neo, let's… go…" Will looked around, and slapped his hand against his forehead. "Great, he already left. I shudder to think about what he might be doing while I'm still here. Until next time." Then he vanished as well.
Fell didn't even say anything before teleporting out with Daine, leaving Hope, Max, Larka, Zack, Gaston, and Malon.
"Go ahead," Hope said to Gaston. "I'll be right there."
"If you say so," Gaston replied before disappearing.
Zack caught on to the fact that Hope wanted to talk to Max alone instantly. "Larka, I have something to ask you. Please come this way."
Larka looked over at Hope and Max, and then nodded. "Alright. Come on Malon!"
Hope waited until she thought they were far enough away to even avoid being overheard by Larka. "I wanted to request something."
"Yes?"
Hope felt herself blush as she forced herself to speak. "I want to stay at your condo again."
"What? Why on earth do you want to do that?" Max asked.
"It's… it's just… I just want to be there for you, ok?!" she said quickly, looking at the ground.
Max was silent at first, and then he sighed, trying to sort his thoughts. At the moment, his emotions were confused, and he was having a hard time thinking. "But…"
Hope, sensing him weakening, continued. "I don't want to hear any excuses! I'm worried about you!"
"But…"
"It isn't like you can stop me!"
Max tried to think of a counter for that, but finally gave in. "Fine. You can come if you want to."
"Thanks," Hope said, with a small yet triumphant smile. "I'll see you soon then!"
Max watched as she teleported out, and then sighed again. "I'm going to regret this." Then he left as well.
Meanwhile, Zack, Larka, and Malon had gone far enough away from their two friends so they would not overhear them.
"What did you want to ask?" Larka questioned. Malon raced ahead, running around in the grass while they talked.
"You never told us when you and Fell would come on," Zack pointed out. "So I wanted to know."
"Oh. How about nine? That seems to work fine for us," Larka said.
"Very well. I'll tell the others."
"Thanks."
"It's a pity the two of you can't come," Zack commented.
"Yeah, but we'll deal with it." Larka paused before continuing to speak the thoughts she kept having. "I miss having you around the house. It's been about a month, yet I'm still not used to it."
"But I hardly ever said anything when I was there," Zack pointed out.
"That's true, but it's not that… it's just that I feel better when you're nearby," she said, a bit shyly. "I don't know why though. Like I said, I just think that I'm not used to you being gone. I don't know many people, and you're one of the few I've been nearby the most. "
Zack seemed surprised, and then he smiled gently. "We'll see how it goes. It might be that we will have the chance to reside in the same location some other time." He looked over at where Hope and Max had been. "It looks like they're gone. Shall we leave as well?"
"Probably," Larka agreed. "Good bye."
Malon ran back over to her, and they both finally left.
-----
Larka removed the Envoyant Machine, and winced as the first thing she heard was yelling from downstairs.
"-ALREADY BEEN THERE TWICE THIS SUMMER! YOU DO NOT NEED TO GO AGAIN!"
Larka cautiously went outside of Hope's room, Malon following with his ears down. Covering her ears with her hands as a precaution, she began to go down the stairs. Gaston was in the family room, and kept looking towards the living room nervously. Fell was on a chair, eyes closed as he waited for the argument to cease. Daine had lain down on the floor next to it, as though he did not expect for Mrs. Gales to stop yelling any time soon.
After the pause, which Larka assumed had occurred because Hope was replying, Mrs. Gales began to shout again. "I KNOW YOU HAVE FRIENDS THERE, BUT YOU SEE THEM EVERY DAY IN TEKNISK WERELD! WE DO NOT NEED YOU GOING THERE TO SEE THEM! SCHOOL STARTS IN LESS THAN A MONTH, AND WE DO NOT NEED TO WASTE THE MONEY FOR SOMETHING SUCH AS THIS!"
Larka gingerly removed her hands when she was right outside the living room, so she managed to hear Hope's response this time. "Mom, this is important to me! This may be the last chance we have to see each other in real life for a long time! Please, let me go!"
"I HAVE JUST ABOUT HAD IT WITH THIS!" Mrs. Gales snarled. "I'M DONE ARGUING! IF YOU CARE SO MUCH, CALL YOUR DAD AND ASK HIM!"
"Alright, I will!" Hope snapped before running off towards the stairs, passing Larka. Concerned, Larka ran after her, up the stairs once more. Malon went over to Daine instead, whining at the bigger dog.
Larka went into Hope's room and found her there, sitting on the floor while leaning against the edge of her bed. She was gripping her cell phone, but was not dialing. Instead, her knees were drawn up to her chest, and she was crying softly.
Seeing her condition, Larka closed the door. "Hope?"
"I'm sorry…" Hope said, her voice muffled from her face being hidden. "I just can't take this anymore… I really can't…"
Larka sat down next to her. "You mean these arguments with your mom?"
"Yes!" Hope exclaimed, looking up at last. She swiftly wiped away tears, and forced herself to keep back the others threatening to emerge. "Why must she be against everything I do? Sometimes I think she really does hate me. She says it's because she cares about me… but I just can't see it that way!"
"She's being overprotective," Larka stated. "She cares, but she's showing it the wrong way. If she really wants to show her love for you, she should let you do what you must."
"Yeah…" Hope sighed. "It's something that can't be helped though. I doubt we'll ever get along. I can't wait until I become eighteen… moving away from this place will just be a blessing. We'll probably get along better at a distance. In fact, sometimes I wonder if I love my dad as much as I do because we never stayed together long enough to develop arguments."
Larka had no response to say to that. Hope was silent for a few more moments before punching some commands into her phone. "I know it's impossible to have help on an issue such as this. Thank you for talking with me though."
"I just wish I could help," Larka replied.
"Knowing that somebody is on my side is the best thing I can ask for," Hope said as she hit one final button. "So thanks." Then she lifted the phone to her ear. "I'm going to talk to dad now."
"Alright." She fell silent, listening to the conversation.
"Hello?" Larka heard someone say from the speaker in the phone.
"Hi dad. It's Hope," Hope said.
"Oh, hi! So what is going on?"
"Dad, I want to visit some friends of mine in South Carolina. I need to take a plane to get there, but mom is against me going…"
There was a pause before he spoke again. "Haven't you been there two times already this summer?"
"Yes, but… dad, both of those times were urgent, as is this one. I have to go there this time as well! Please, I need your help…"
The silence seemed to last a lot longer than the last one, but he finally replied. "Ok then. I will get the next plane schedule and send it to you over email. Check your inbox in about an hour. I'll cover the fee as well. I won't press you for answers at the moment, although I would appreciate being told at a later time. How does that sound?"
"It's great. Thanks dad!" Hope grinned.
"Ok then. I'll talk to you later."
"Bye." She pressed the end button on her phone. "Alright! He said he'd help!"
"I heard," Larka told her, smiling.
"You heard? Oh… I guess you could," Hope said sheepishly. "But I'm really relieved. I'm going to begin packing… after I tell mom." Then she opened the door.
Gaston had been waiting in the hall. Seeing them, he came over. "Hope? Is something wrong? You just went running by without saying anything…"
"No, I'm fine. Thanks for your concerns," Hope replied before they went downstairs.
Larka and Gaston waited in the family room again while Hope confronted her mother. This time, there was no yelling, so they had no idea how the conversation was going.
In a few minutes, Hope emerged and came over to them. "She agreed, although she was a bit reluctant. I'm going to get ready now."
"Alright," Larka said as Hope and Gaston went upstairs once more.
Daine looked up at Larka. "You want to go as well, do you not?"
"Yes, but I understand why I can't," Larka replied. "Fell, do you regret staying?"
"…" Once more, Fell was not in a talking mood.
"No, he wants to go as well," Daine responded for him.
"I suspected that," Larka said. "But how do you know?"
"Because he did not deny it outright," Daine stated.
"That's true," Larka agreed before sitting down as well.
After about an hour and thirty minutes had passed, Hope ran down the stairs with a backpack, and into the living room. Gaston followed, carrying a suitcase.
"You're still being the luggage carrier?" Larka joked.
"Well, at least I don't have to pull that large suitcase that Zack traveled in this time," Gaston commented.
Larka laughed at the memory of it. "I bet you're pretty grateful for that."
"Very," Gaston replied.
Hope came back, her mother with her. "I'll see you guys in Teknisk Wereld… when will you be on, anyway?"
"Nine, like usual," Larka said. "Don't worry, I already told Zack that would be our meeting time."
"Alright. Bye for now!" Then the three of them left.
Larka sighed. "It'll be pretty lonely with Zack, Hope, and Gaston gone."
As usual, Fell had no comment to that.
-----
Wesley Gales was not satisfied with what he had just done though. He trusted his daughter's judgment, which is why he had agreed to help her. But he had the feeling that she was involved in something much more significant than she said.
He closed his inbox window, and then picked up his cell phone and dialed a number into it.
"Hello?"
"Amy, it's your father."
"Hi! What's up?"
"I was just calling to see how you are."
"I'm doing pretty well. Being on break is something I can truly appreciate, although I'm dreading taking my first Spanish course when I get back to school."
He laughed at the comment. "Well, I'm sure you'll do just fine. So what are you doing on your summer break?"
"Not much, to be honest."
"Have you traveled anywhere? Hope just went to South Carolina today, and I was curious if you had gone anywhere."
For a minute, Amy was silent. Then she spoke. "South Carolina? Why did she go there?"
"To visit some friends, I believe. She said it was important, but didn't go into detail."
"She gave no explanation besides that?"
"No. Why are you so interested?"
"Um… I'm just curious, that's all. Sorry dad, but I have to go. I… I'll talk to you later, ok?"
Before he could respond, she hung up.
He smiled at her reaction. So Amy does know something about this. I'm sure she will help Hope if it is necessary.
-----
Max got up, taking off the Envoyant Machine. As he did so, he saw Abby come into the room.
"That was fast," Abby commented. "You hardly ever stay in Teknisk Wereld that long these days. Why?"
"Miles has recovered, so we have decided to meet up about the god cards," Max explained, setting his Duel Disk aside. "Everyone else will be gone, so there's no reason to stay on."
"I see…" Abby gazed at Max. "But something else is distressing you. What is the matter?"
Max considered denying that, but knew he'd have to tell her eventually anyway. "It's Hope. She said that she wanted to stay here, instead of at Will's with everyone else. When I asked why, she said it was because she was concerned about me. But I just don't understand why she would care about me like that. It's confusing to me."
Abby smiled. "This is something you will have to deal with on your own. But I will give you some advice. If you can't make up your mind, then always follow your heart."
When Max did not respond, she went back towards the doorway. "I'm going to the hospital to visit Ender, alright?"
"Sure…" He trailed off as he noticed something he had not seen until now. "Wait. Why are you dressed up?"
Abby was wearing a black dress that was decorated with lotus flowers on it. Seeing him staring at the dress, she blushed slightly.
"I'm going to go clubbing with Lilian after she gets off her work shift," Abby admitted. "So I won't be back until it is late."
"…What?"
"Lilian is still looking for someone to love," Abby told him. "I'm just going along for the ride, you might say. So, I will most likely not see you until tomorrow morning."
"Alright then… have a fun time, I guess…" Max said before heading to Abby's room, where Brandi lay ill.
-----
Larka was already bored. Even though Hope, Gaston, and Mrs. Gales had only left about twenty minutes ago, she wanted to do something to occupy herself.
She made her decision and got up. "Fell, I'm going to go to Teknisk Wereld. Do you want to come?"
Fell shook his head.
"Ok, I'll see you soon." She ran up to Hope's room, Malon galloping after her eagerly.
In a few minutes, she was unconscious.
-----
"I think this is the first time we've ever been alone in Teknisk Wereld," Larka commented to Malon as they emerged at the lake. "Where do you think we should go?"
Malon instantly ran towards the forest. Laughing at the puppy's energy, Larka went after him.
They soon entered the trees, and simply enjoyed the thrill of racing through the calm forest. There were few wild monsters out today, and those that were there ignored the two of them. Malon did chase a Quick Squirrel, but the creature lived up to its name. It sped up the tree, leaving Malon stupefied.
"Nice try Malon," Larka teased as he sniffed at the base of the tree the Quick Squirrel had run up. "But you aren't going to be able to catch him now."
Malon gave a soft growl of irritation before beginning to walk away from the tree. But then he suddenly froze, sniffing the air. Then, with a bark, he ran in a different direction.
"Malon?" Larka leapt after him, following him as he ran.
Soon they emerged at a clearing with the river flowing through it. Although Larka did not know it, this was near the area where the original group had first met Segreto.
But there was someone here. Actually, there were four standing there. Larka instantly recognized them.
"Sarius!" Larka exclaimed. She glanced at the other three, which were The Child, Raid, and Cyrus.
Sarius nodded. "Good, you came. I was hoping I would be able to find you before everything began."
"Huh?" Larka noticed that Sarius seemed unusually serious, which made her nervous. "What do you mean?"
Sarius thought for a moment before speaking. "Larka, you are in grave danger."
"What?" She stared at him with wide eyes as Malon growled softly at the words.
"You do not know what you are, so I guess I will have to explain everything from the beginning. Please be patient. This is a complicated tale to tell to one who has no clue as to what they are experiencing."
"…Alright," Larka said. "I'll listen to what you have to say."
"Good. You might as well get comfortable; it might take some time to explain." He sat down, and Larka followed suit. Malon went into her lap instantly. She stroked him absentmindedly as she watched Sarius.
Sarius sighed. "I will try my best to explain what is occurring. First of all, you are aware that Earth and Teknisk Wereld are two different worlds, right?"
"Yeah. One is reality, and one isn't, right?" Larka assumed.
"On the contrary, both are quite real," Sarius told her. "But think about this. If there is another world, such as Teknisk Wereld, then you can assume that there are more worlds, right? What if there were a countless number of worlds, and all of them were being fought over for control, including the very one we stand in now?"
"Are you saying there are more worlds?" Larka asked in amazement.
"Yes, I am," Sarius replied. "And I tell the truth when I say that they are being fought over. You see, there are people called Emissaries. These people strive to control the worlds. They will visit each world, and try to seize it."
"…Are you an Emissary?" Larka questioned.
Sarius smirked. "Good guess. Yes, I am the Emissary of Balance."
"So that's why you use a Chaos deck…" Larka murmured. "Is The Child an Emissary?"
"The Child… is unique," Sarius stated. "Let's not even get into that, alright? I am trying to keep this as simple as I can."
"Sorry. Please go on," Larka requested.
Sarius picked it up as though he had never been interrupted. "What stops the worlds from being taken though are two Limiters. Now, I suppose I had best explain what Limiters are. They are people with a small, yet special power inside their souls that are passed down from generation to generation. These powers work together to ensure that no threatening amount of power will be unleashed on their world. So, when a being with an advanced amount of power enters their world, the Limiters cause that being's power to be lowered to an acceptable level. However, the people with the Limiter powers have no idea that they have them."
"The Limiters are very important to the Emissaries, due to a treaty that was written quite some time ago, and signed by all the Emissaries. It states that whoever reaches and attains the powers of the Limiters first gains control of that world, through whatever means they see fit."
"Now, this is why Teknisk Wereld has been affected by this. The Limiters in this world have not been found yet. I originally came to this world to search for them, but I didn't start right away. This whole time, I've been playing around, generally having a good time. But now I have a reason to heighten my search."
"Why?" Larka asked softly. She was mesmerized by the impossible yet true things she was hearing Sarius tell her of.
"I'm not the only Emissary with eyes on this world," Sarius said. "There is another that has come. Juno, the Emissary of Darkness, is now after this world. He has decided to strengthen his search here, so I am doing the same. Juno is ruthless when it comes to Limiters. He prefers to take their power by killing the Limiters. You see, when a Limiter dies, their power is instantly transferred to the next suitable person. But in that instant that the power leaves the Limiter's body, Juno is able to snatch it, gaining the power for himself. As for me… I attain Limiter powers in several different ways. But the point is, I have to find the Limiters before Juno does. He has several lackeys to assist him, who call themselves Mavericks. They are ruthless; I would highly advise caution."
"So, in summery, the race for the Limiters is on."
"Why are you telling all of this to me?" Larka inquired.
"Because I believe you may be the first Limiter," Sarius told her.
Larka stared at him in shock. Malon yelped in disbelief.
"M-me? That… that can't be… can it?"
"I can't be positive," Sarius stated. "But I believe that you are indeed the first Limiter. I would assume you are the light Limiter; generally, there is one for light and one for darkness. I am not sure though. I assume that Juno will reach the same conclusion I am though. So I am giving you a warning. Be very careful; Juno and his Mavericks will not hesitate to kill you and steal your power."
"Why must I be the one to carry this burden?" Larka asked. Her hands were shaking; she kept petting Malon so Sarius would not notice.
"Because you were the one most suited for this job." Sarius got up, and Larka did the same. "I have told you enough to keep you aware of the situation. The rest is up to you. Juno will try to kill you, as will his Mavericks. Also, there is another man that might come after you. He will want your Limiter powers as well. I will say no more than that though." He looked over at his companions. "Child, Raid, Cyrus, we're leaving."
"Wait!" Larka protested.
He looked back over at her. "Yes?"
"What about you? You say that you're an Emissary as well. Don't you want the Limiter powers too? Why would you help me if you need them?"
Sarius turned around again, causing Larka to think he would not answer. But then he spoke. "I do need them. But Juno is my enemy. Why would I not warn you of him? Now you stand a chance at beating him and his Mavericks. When it comes to being against Juno, we are on the same side. But… remember this. I will be after you as well. I have friends too, and they are just as strong as Juno's Mavericks. And we will not go easy on you."
He began to walk away, his companions following. But then he called one final thing over his shoulder.
"Stay alive, Larka! I want to have the chance to face you myself. I do have quite an interest for you and your brother, after all."
Larka stopped, pale as she recognized the words Sarius had said during her ordeal. But before she could ask him for more details, he was gone.
To be continued…