Later that night my nerves got the best of me. I ended up barfing into the toilet. My dad found me and waited it out. When I was done, dad just picked me up and carried me to my bed. In the quiet, we sat and let out posture and faces show what we were thinking. He eventually spoke and said that he saw the envelope and hopes Yusei is ok. Dad had said that Yusei, Jack & Crow, were always just as much his sons as Kalin was. So it wasn't a surprise that he knew this was caused by worry. I knew Yusei was hurt because that sharp jolt in my heart. I know because a few years ago, when Kalin was arrested? I had a serious one that made my face pale. I knew something was very wrong but that's how I found out Kalin wasn't missing, he was arrested. The pain's sudden change? I couldn't help thinking he escaped because if he was dead I would've felt the same way when my mom died. I would've passed out for a few days. But no, I was just "really sick" apparently. I hadn't told anyone about how I knew these things or how I knew when one of my friends and family was in serious trouble. How can I possibly explain that to them without being seen as crazy or whatever? I looked at my dad and hugged him. I was scared, confused, and worst of all? I felt like I couldn't tell any of this to dad. He just sighed then said to me "I won't ask what the problem is. I know you're an intelligent, strong, brave, young woman and that you can figure this out for yourself. Just know that I'm here for you, I'll always be here for you.". I felt better knowing he believed in me just as I believe in my brothers. Hearing him add that he'll be in the stands cheering for me made me laugh because he actually would and not embarrass me.

The weekend rolled around and I was ready for this tournament. Scared? Yeah but I faced it with all the courage I could muster. I still couldn't believe how the New Domino stadium looked from the inside. I've been here several times doing charity concerts during certain events but I can't get over how different it feels being here as a contender instead of just a performer. I can't explain it but somehow the energy feels different but when I looked around, I saw a very beautiful young woman who looked about my age. She had dark burgundy-red hair and fair skin. In her hair was an interesting hairpin; it looked like it was some kind of mechanical hair roller. I can't help wondering if she's got something she's trying to keep held back. It was pretty obvious she wasn't comfortable being here but I could be overthinking things. Her outfit is basically a high-collared, low-cut red corset with short, light green puffy sleeves worn underneath a sleeveless, magenta trench coat that flares behind her, being shorter and pleated in the front, and black, elbow-length, fingerless gloves with gold bracelets above them. I noticed she wore she wears red high-heeled pumps and black thigh-high stockings. She was a wearing a red neck choker and an emerald crested, golden cross-shaped medallion. I couldn't help wondering which she could rock better; an outfit or her cards?

There was also a little girl, probably 11 at best, with green hair in high ponytails on either side of her head with two shoulder-length bangs on both sides of her face. I noticed she had big innocent yet driven gray-gold eyes but for some reason she wore red lipstick and blush. I liked the cute outfit she wore. She was sporting a light pink short-sleeved jacket over a long-sleeved red shirt with golden markings. She also wears light purple shorts with a red belt and sneakers with black and pink markings and high socks. She seemed to be talking to someone but I couldn't see past the mountain of a man beside me. He was tall & muscular, had long dark brown hair, and dark skin with steel blue eyes. He wore beige white jeans, a brown and gold belt, and some sort of armored top that only covered his chest, shoulders, and neck. I noted the top had straps that joined his belt. I had to squint to get a look at his face cuz the sunlight hitting his gold armbands and glove ends was right in my eyes. From what I could see? His gloves were black with silver stud where fingerless. He looked like he could, if he wanted to, crush you under his biker boots. I heard this contestant, Griger I think his name was, stand up for a duelist but most of the speech fell on deaf ears; all I heard was that my brother's name and when I saw him? It took every ounce of self-restraint to not just run up and hug him.

So I waited till the opponents were matched. A girl named Luna vs that Griger guy, the beautiful, red-headed Akiza vs some detective, Yusei vs a guy in a robe, and me? I'll be taking on a professor of sorts. The minute I heard "Luna's" voice I could tell something was up. She was actually a "he" in disguise; meaning that he likely has a fraternal yet nearly identical twin sister. Guess she got stage fright and he decided to duel in her place. Man I could relate to that! I mean I don't have a twin yet people still got me and Kalin confused so many times. It used to be annoying but now? I find the memory funny. Once we got to the participants lounge, I hugged I threw my arms around Yusei and was quiet. I found my voice and just whispered "I'm so glad you're ok". He just wrapped his arms around me, the simple act helped banish all my fears and doubts. I let go of him and watched the different duels and each one was impressive, if not a bit annoying in some cases. Then it was my turn, Yusei just gave me a nod and I headed out to the arena.

I was surprised to see the professor had such sweet eyes though I can't help thinking that was part of his shtick. He carried himself like he was harmless yet something in me just told me not to let my guard down, sweet eyes or not. I looked at my hand and had two monsters and few good spells to boot. Normally I'd let my opponent make the first move but I made an exception here. "I'll start off by summoning Raven Branwen, in attack mode. Thanks to her special ability, if she's the only one on my field then I can summon out another dear friend like her twin brother Qrow Branwen. Next I'll place a card facedown and that's all for now." My Raven had 1600 attack points and 2000 defense points while Qrow had 1000 attack and 1200 defense points. Raven was Yang's biological mom but she never raised her. In fact she abandoned Yang and her lover Tai to return to the bandit tribe that raised her and her twin brother, Qrow. Raven's weapon is a long, single-edged, one-handed sword of Japanese design, with a trigger built into the hilt and cross-guard rather than the traditional tsuba. As for Qrow himself? His weapon was Harbinger & it had three forms: large sword, a gun, and a scythe. He was around to help raise Yang and Ruby but he was often away on missions and an alcoholic. Even so, he was their uncle and looked after the girls because he knew what it was like to be abandoned and didn't want that for them. They filled the hole Raven had left when she walked out. In return, he filled the hole where Raven left in Yang and did all he could to keep his new family together. The professor calmly complemented how my monsters looked formidable with their red eyes and black hair. They carried themselves with a firm resolve and he could tell I shared that in my eyes. He summoned a monster that looked like one of those ink blot tests they use in psychological analyzations. It's called Symmetry Rorschach. He asked me what I saw in it though I made a guess that what he was really doing; he was trying to psych me out. I didn't answer his question and that seemed to annoy him. Even so, he continued by leaving three facedowns without a hint of agitation.

It was my turn again and I drew a monster card, Summer Rose. Her silver eyes and dark hair were so comforting under her white hooded cloak. She was Ruby Rose's and Yang Xiao Long's mom. She was as good a mother to yang as she was to her own girl ruby. Like Raven, Qrow, Tai, and her daughters, she was a huntress. She unfortunately died on a mission when Ruby was still small but she loved her family with every second of her life and valued her home. She saw how beautiful life was and that it had to be protected, even if she paid the ultimate price to do so. I figured I should hold off on using her just yet. "I attack with Raven." I saw my attack go through but something was wrong. That move was gutsy but what choice did I have?

I heard him explain that when his monster is destroyed in battle he gets to see the top card on my deck. I merely smiled and said "Well normally you'd be right but you're forgetting two important words; special ability. With Qrow out and about? All your effects are useless and while I do lose 100 life points? It's a small price to pay to get rid of that thing. I'll end it there for now". He simply smiled and said "You really do have an interesting set of defenses. Running from dangerous cases but when push comes to shove? You face it head on alongside your monsters. It's a bold and noble sentiment though I wonder how you got such a mindset. Perhaps from the family you love so much?"

I knew what he was doing, he was trying to pry something out of me but here in this arena? He's not my shrink, he's a duelist. He said something that sealed my convictions; "It's plain as day that you want to tell Jack something important. Perhaps you two have a bit of bad blood between you? Or are you looking for answers? You think that the only way too them is through me. Well either way, it's clear to me that you won't forsake your monsters as many would in a duel because they symbolize the very bond you have with those dearest to you. But sadly my dear, that won't save you because thanks to my spell, Relapsing Thought, I can revive the monster you destroyed. However it won't be here for long because I sacrifice it to summon Ido, the Supreme Magical Force!" he summoned what looked like a massive electrified dog or dragon, packing a whopping 2200 attack points. That's enough to wipe out either Qrow or Raven!

I heard about this thing from Crow once and its ability lets him resummons it from the grave every turn. Why would he do that if he knows Qrow's ability will just cancel it out? He immediately attacked Qrow but man was he in for a nasty surprise. "I get it now, you want to destroy my Qrow so you can use that over-sized beast every turn. Well sorry to say but thanks to my facedown Stroke of Luck, if Qrow targeted? Then I can bring him back to my hand while I take the hit instead!" I felt the sting from the damage but I smiled. He ended his turn but he asked me if I was happy to have saved Qrow from certain death but I just looked at him. I drew my card and got the spell I needed. In a calm but firm voice I told him "You really should focus more on the fight at hand because then you would've understood. I summon Summer Rose but that's not all! Now that both Raven and Summer are out, I can bring out yang Xiao long (1000 atk/1300 def) and ruby rose (1300 atk/1500 def) from anywhere in my deck, hand, or graveyard! However I can only summon them both this turn if raven and summer are here. Oh and in case you're wondering why I risked more than half my life points? It was to make sure my intuition was correct. Besides, you spent this entire duel trying to probe me for information that you lost sight of what was really going on. Now you'll pay for that. First thing's first; ruby gets a nice power boost from Yang & summer being on the field, 500 hundred from each of them to be exact. Next yang gets one from having summer, raven, and ruby here; 1000 from raven and summer each and 500 from Ruby. That brings her points up to 3500 Atk points. Now then yang, take out that behemoth with Passion Flower firecracker! I'm not done cuz now Ruby gets in on the action with Red Crescent Rose Strike!" with that the duel was over. All 4000 of his points were gone.

As the tournament went on, felt sorry for Akiza. She seems so sad and angry but at the same time? I couldn't help hating how this Detective treats Akiza like a monster. She's not a monster, she just need to learn better control over her powers and her emotions. It's so frustrating to see how people don't stop and think that she's probably afraid of herself and might even hate herself. As she left the arena I noticed the damage to the arena is real. I understood they're right to be scared but at the same time they act like she does this on purpose. My heart sank as I thought about how I wasn't normal either. There was no real way to explain it and because it's more passive, people can't say much about it. It wasn't till I passed her in the hallway did I notice a dull pain in my arm. I was happy to see that Yusei made it through his duel but he saw me lightly holding my arm. The way his eyes looked at me and held me in what seemed like an ironclad grip said he wanted to talk privately but he just nodded to the garage where he kept his runner.

When we were alone he just said "Mind telling me what's up with your arm?". All I could say was that I didn't know but it felt like dull thudding that burnt. It happened when Akiza walked past me and when she dealt serious damage. I showed him where it was at its worst; the top of my forearm. There was nothing there but he sighed heavily and said to let him know if something happens. I saw the brackets shuffle and Luna was eliminated but Geiger, Akiza, Yusei, and myself remained. I was up against Geiger and Yusei was facing off with Akiza. I had no idea what to think, I saw that Wi-Fi military deck could do and I had no clue how to get around it with my monsters. My huntsmen and huntresses were great but they wouldn't be able to stand up to that! So by the end of the duel? I was done but I managed to learn more about Geiger. He had a bone to pick with Rex Goodwin about something called a crimson dragon. Apparently his home was destroyed during an experiment to harness the power of this dragon. He was furious and tried to use his runner to take on Goodwin but I did manage to intercept on Freezerburn.

As I walked away, I can't say I blame him for wanting Goodwin dead or something but I couldn't justify senseless bloodshed. I promised him I'd find out what Goodwin is hiding and such. Now all that remained was Akiza vs Yusei, then I would face the winner. After that, the winner would go on to face Jack. Either way there were two people who were rightfully angry but we're going about this the wrong way. I watched in horror as Akiza relentlessly faced my brother and since her powers make the monsters real, it tore at my heart. Seeing him tied up in her rose tentacles' vines sent a jolt to my heart. She may say she enjoys their suffering but I couldn't believe her. My heart bled for Akiza as I head how people treated her and how she suffered alone and hid behind a mask.

I could see Yusei getting through to her despite everything but my arm started hurting again. A siring pain like a hot knife was being lightly grazed on my skin. It started when Yusei's Stardust Dragon faced off against her Black Rose Dragon. Then I saw a soft red glow and saw the shape of half a ridged heart appear on my arm. When everything was said and done? Yusei was left standing and Akiza was escorted out by some creepy guy who gave her his brown jacket. When Yusei came back to talk he saw my arm and I guess I looked like I just saw a ghost. He placed his hand on my shoulder soft but firmly as he kept his voice calm when he spoke "Sylvia, listen to me. I know you're scared, I was too when I got my own mark but I promise you: You're not alone and I'll be here for you. I'll explain everything once this thing is over. Ok?" I nodded but I felt like he was saying this for him as much as me. He hugged me and just kept me close, a hand on the back of my head while he softly spoke "I'll keep you safe & informed, Sylvi." My eyes widened when he used my old nickname. Guess he wanted to make me feel better and remind me that he's been always been there for me. When he let go, he and I headed for the arena and dueled. It wasn't hard to see who won, I mean I'm good sure but I'm nowhere as good as he is. Soon after he dueled and beat Jack but I saw something I wish I could forget. A vision of the city destroyed and a huge spider outline in purple fire.