You know what's the most disturbing part? I don't even feel disturbed by this at all, though I suspect a nightmare I got a day ago was because of this. Anyways, this is the final Chapter to this little arc. After this, the story will be back on track!
Chapter 9: The Immortal Dolls- Cursed Guilt
There was nothing other than shadows in the basement room at least that was what Akane thought. However, there was the sound of something tapping against the cold floor.
"W-who's there?" Akane shouted again.
And they appeared. Slowly dragging themselves out from the shadows were curious things. They were the size of children, though their appearances are completely not the same as one. Their faces have wide opened glass eyes and hanging mouths. Their torso, arms, and legs are painted gray with a line that separated it from the hands, neck, and feet.
"These are…" Akane muttered.
"T-they're dolls…" Nature said, wincing at the sight of them as they have cracks all over their bodies. "And they're moving…!"
The two dolls stopped moving and they each gazed at the two girls. Then the two nearly jumped as a demonic voice spoke seemingly out of nowhere.
"These…are they human…?"
"Just our luck…now…we can finally be free…!"
The ground began to rumble. Akane looked around and saw pillars blocking the doorway out of the room. They are trapped again.
Meanwhile, the ground in front of them began to glow in an eerie purple aura. Eleven spaces appeared in front of each doll and seemingly out of nowhere, two decks floated right in front of them.
"They wanna duel with us…?" Nature muttered.
"It seems so," Akane said, reactivating her Duel Disk. "It looks like we're going to have to duel our way out of here!"
"First those brats, now these things," Nature sighed as she turned hers back on again. "Alright, alright, let's do this!"
"Duel!" Akane and Nature shouted.
Tag-Duel
Akane: 4000
Nature: 4000
Doll 1: 4000
Doll 2: 4000
"…I go first…" Doll 1 said as six cards flew from the top of its deck. "I summon monster facedown…next…I place one card facedown and end my turn…" A card appeared in the bottom five of that doll's spaces while another in the six, which five is the monster spots and the other for the Field Spell.
"I will go next," Akane said, drawing her card. Since none of us can attack during our first turns in a Tag-Duel, it's a good time to set up defenses…'
"I summon Poki Draco (200/100)!" A tiny yellow baby dragon holding a yellow fruit appeared. "When it is summoned, I can add another Poki Draco to my hand. Next, I set a card facedown and end my turn."
"…My…turn…" Doll 2 said as six more cards floated right in front of it. "Summon…Gear Heart…Clockwork Soldier (1500/1000)…"
Appearing in one of the top purple spaces is a doll in a soldier's uniform and wielding a rifle. There is a hole on its chest, revealing several turning gears inside.
"Monster…activate…" Doll 2 spoke quietly. "When it…summoned…special summon…another copy…"
"What?" Nature shouted as another soldier appeared.
"Other soldier…activate…" A third one joined its ranks. "Turn…end…"
"My turn now…draw!" Nature shouted. "I summon a monster in defense mode! I end my turn with that."
"My turn again…" Doll 1 said as another card flew out of its deck. "I summon Gear Heart- Malevolent Box (1900/500)…"
Next to Doll 1's facedown monster came a large box. It had a transparent smile, which shows many gears working at the same time.
"Flip monster to attack mode…Gear Heart- Twin Spirits (500/500)…" The card flipped over, revealed to be two cloaked figures with a long pipe attached to each other's sides. To Akane's eyes, they seem to be made out of wood.
"Next, I activate Spell…Never-ending Work…" Doll 1 continued. "By sacrificing one Gear Heart…I special summon another one from hand…"
Suddenly, Gear Heart- Twin Spirits exploded, sending chips of wood and gears everywhere.
"I summon Gear Heart- Human Marionette (2000/2000)…" Suddenly, the debris from the previous monster began floating into the air as a thin person materialized. Suddenly, strings began to attach to that person's hands, and the wood and gears began to fit themselves at the end of them of the strings until it formed a puppet controller, and a giant hand seized it.
"This is getting weird," Nature muttered. "What are these monsters these things are playing?"
"Engage," Doll 1 said. "Gear Heart- Malevolent Box attacks the facedown monster…"
The box suddenly sprang open, revealing several sharp gear-like fangs inside. A chain emerged from the inside abd raced for the facedown.
"Gotcha!" Nature declared. "Come on out, Hedge Guard (0/2100)!" The chain was knocked back by the tough bamboo blocking a mound of earth.
Akane: 4000
Nature: 4000
Doll 1: 3800
Doll 2: 4000
"Gear Heart- Human Marionette attacks Poki Draco…"
Suddenly, the hand holding onto the human puppet flung it at the tiny dragon.
"I activate my facedown Trap, Bye Bye Damage!" Akane declared. "When a monster I control is attacked, its destruction is negated, and you take double the battle damage I take!"
A barrier appeared around the tiny dragon. It munched on its fruit, oblivious to the attack. The crash resulted in a sparks that struck the two.
Akane: 2200
Nature: 4000
Doll 1: 200
Doll 2: 4000
"…I end my turn."
Akane had a long cut across her cheek as well as a gash on her arm. "My turn now…draw!" she declared.
"Don't push it too hard," Nature said.
Akane nodded. "I summon Trident Warrior (1800/1200)!" The warrior in blue armor appeared. 'When I summon him out on the field, I can special summon a level three monster. Unfortunately, I don't have one at the moment, but…'
"…I play the Equip Spell Synchro Boost onto Trident Warrior!" Akane declared. "With this, the monster equipped to this has its attack points increase by 500, as well as increasing its level by one!"
Trident Warrior: (2300/1200) Lv5
"Finish this! Trident Warrior, attack Gear Heart- Malevolent Box!" The warrior tossed his trident at the monstrous box.
"Malevolent Box's effect…once per turn…it cannot be destroyed by battle…"
"Even so, you still take the battle damage!"
The trident pierced right through the box and the weapon stabbed itself right through the doll's head. There was a nasty cracking sound and it collapsed with its head shattered.
Akane: 2200
Nature: 4000
Doll 1: 0
Doll 2: 4000
"All right! That's one down pretty easy!" Nature shouted as Doll 1's monsters vanished.
"Now then…I switch Poki Draco to defense mode and end my turn."
"My…turn…" Doll 2 said, seemingly unfazed by its partner's defeat. "Sacrifice…one…Clockwork Soldier…summon Gear Heart…Immortal Clockworks (2300/2000)…"
Coming out of the ground is a large clock tower. Suddenly, the clock face opened up, revealing the inside a series of gears turning all at the same time. One of the Clockwork Soldiers was sucked in and the face closed.
"No other Gear Hearts monsters…cannot be destroyed…as long as it existed…switch two Clockwork Soldiers defense…turn end…"
"My turn," Nature said. Looking at the drawn card, she grinned. "Alright…let's test out a card that I got recently. "I can summon this level seven monster by sacrificing a face-up Plant-Type monster. I summon Queen Angel of Roses (2400/1300)!"
Hedge Guard erupted into a storm of roses as a woman dressed in white and red appeared with a long sword. She is floating in the air due to wings on her back, which is made entirely of roses.
"Immortal Clockwork, huh? Well, let's see what happens if I attack that clock with my monster!"
Flapping her wings, Queen Angel flew gracefully into the air before driving her sword into the center of the clock tower's face.
Akane: 2200
Nature: 4000
Doll 2: 3900
"Now we can focus on the guy's soldiers," Nature concluded. "I end my turn."
"Since your partner is gone, it is my turn now!" Akane said. "I summon Speed Bird (1200/1000)!" A large red bird appeared. "Now since I summoned a level four monster, I can special summon Kagetokage (1100/1500)!" The flat lizard appeared from the ground.
"Let's go! I switch Poki Draco to attack mode!" Akane continued. "Now, both Speed Bird and Kagetokage attacks your two Clockwork Soldiers!"
The two animals rushed forward at the defending soldiers. They tried aiming their rifles at them, but it turns out their guns are broken, and they are torn apart easily.
"Poki Draco and Trident Warrior, attack directly!"
Taking another bite out of its fruit, the dragon suddenly let out a stream of fire and Trident Warrior tossed another spear at the last doll.
Akane: 2200
Nature: 4000
Doll 2: 1400
"Just one more attack," Akane said, nodding to Nature. "We can win this!"
"My turn…" Doll 2 said, looking so feeble it isn't funny. "Summon Gear Heart…Malevolent Box (1900/500)…attack Poki Draco…"
The second box opened its mouth. Several chains emerged this time, seizing the baby dragon and taking it into the inside of the box.
Akane: 500
Nature: 4000
Doll 2: 1400
"…Turn end…"
That was what Akane had hoped. "Nature!" she shouted.
"I'm on it!" Nature replied as she drew. "Queen Angel's effect activates, forcing me to destroy the monster with the lowest attack on the field during my standby phase."
Suddenly, Kagetokage dissolved into the ground.
"But now, this duel's over! Queen Angel, finish this!"
Slashing the air, she flew straight into the box. It shook violently several times before its lid was sent flying into the air and the woman bursting through the monster box. Raising the sword above her head, she cleaved the doll literally into two…
Akane: *WINNER*
Nature: *WINNER*
Doll 2: 0
Doll 2 collapsed into several pieces as the aura in front of it disappeared. The flash of light came, and Akane's body was restored.
"That was way too easy," Nature said as their monsters disappeared. "Well, you took the damage, though, but…"
Akane didn't pay attention. She walked towards the two destroyed dolls and looked down upon them. That's when she noticed that there is something inside them…something beating…
"…Nature, there's something inside these dolls…"
"What?" Nature hurried forward and looked into the gaping hole on each doll before backing away in shock. "Whoa! There're…there're hearts…"
"…And they're still beating," Akane said. "Actually, now that I think about it…do you remember the room that the children are in?"
"Yeah," Nature said, still uneasy at the sight of the hearts. "What about it?"
"There are several cabinets containing dolls in each one," Akane said. "Only four of them are missing and the other remaining dolls look exactly like these two!"
Nature flinched. "If that's the case, then the two other dolls…are they here, too!"
They jumped again when another voice spoke out of nowhere. However, it isn't like the demonic voice from the previous two. It was a calm, human voice…
"Only one of us two is here…"
From the shadows, another doll emerged. However, this one is well taken care off, with no visible cracks or smudges anywhere on its body. Unlike the other two, where they were dragging themselves, this one is walking perfectly, and its mouth moved as it spoke.
"You two…you are humans, are you…?"
"It's another doll…" Nature muttered. "Y-you wanna a piece of us?"
The doll shook as if saying no. "Please…I am much different from my colleagues now on the floor," it said. "My name is Doctor Akeki Kojima. I used to be a human, like you two…"
"Used to be a human…?" Akane muttered. Her caution against the doll soon turned to curiosity. "What do you mean…?"
"While you two were inside, I overheard you talk about…Project: CHILD…" Akeki said, wincing at the words 'Project: CHILD.'
"...This building that you see is an orphanage. I take it that you met the children here."
"I knew it…so this IS an orphanage," Akane said. "But why would a building like this exist in the middle of Yukekage Forest? There have been reports of disappearances every five years!"
"…I see," Akeki said. "Then it looks like the children are doing what we did to them…"
"What?" Nature muttered.
"I take it that you read of this 'special fluid' that resides in the child's brain when they grew sick or hurt," the doll said. "After several more studies, we find that while the fluid is still in that child's brain, if they get injured more, the fluid increases, and they get healed faster. We believed that this fluid has powerful healing properties. But to test it, we must head to somewhere private, so…"
"…You and the others burnt the orphanage down," Akane concluded, starting to piece things together.
"We did. The children themselves didn't suspect us of anything while we went deep into the woods and built this manor. While it is cozy quarters, it had a darker side…"
Even though the other kids are asleep, Lily cannot. She had her ankle sprained recently, and now she had a bad fever. Her ankle ached, and it is preventing her from falling asleep…
Quietly, the door to the children's room opened and three of the four doctors went inside; Akeki was absent.
"Lily, are you awake?" one of the doctors asked.
The young girl nodded, and another spoke. "Well, we felt bad about you being injured. How about your favorite game to make it up?"
"You mean Kagome Kagome?" Lily asked, now ignoring the ache on her ankle. "I would love to! But what about the others…?"
"It will be our secret," the third, a female doctor, said. "Besides, they'll be grumpy if we wake them up while they're asleep…"
"…This manor was built as a deathtrap and an experiment grounds on the children."
Akane and Nature gasped. "Then…the bloody bandages that they wear…" Nature began.
"…Had a purpose," Akane finished. "Lily, a girl I met upstairs…both Smile and Monsuta…they're dead, aren't they? Those others children are ghosts, too?"
"Both yes and no…" Akeki said. "One day, Lily got injured and also got sick. While I wasn't involved, I saw them take her to the playroom late at night. I couldn't go inside because the door was locked, so I looked through the keyhole…"
The door to the playroom wouldn't budge. Akeki sighed. He barely got out of the orphanage because he wasn't informed of the other doctor's plans. Now what are they doing with Lily late at night, right after they hypothesized that the substance in the children's brains have healing properties?
He looked at the keyhole of the door and peered through it to see what they're doing…
Lily was sitting on the floor with a blindfold over her eyes. The other three were surrounding her, singing Kagome Kagome.
Kagome kagome, the bird in the cage,
when, when will you come out?
In the evening of the dawn,
the crane and turtle slipped.
Who stands right behind you now?
As soon as the song is done, they stopped. Lily has to guess who's behind her…
"It's…it's…um…" Lily began, unsure who is behind her. And she spoke one of the male doctor's names.
"Lily," the male doctor said whom Lily called his name. Akeki noticed that he had a butcher's knife at hand. He raised it right above her right arm.
"You just lost."
There was a thud, followed by a terrible scream that caused Akeki to fall to the floor, shocked…
"…The other three doctors turned their favorite game, Kagome Kagome, into a game of hell," Akeki stated. "Lily lost her game with the doctors, and sliced her arm off."
Nature winced and looked like she was going to be sick.
'The fluid increases when they felt more pain,' Akane thought. 'So…in order to increase that substance, they have to deliver more pain…'
"Lily was still alive, just barely," Akeki continued. "They forced her to continue playing, but in her state, she couldn't concentrate, and she kept losing another limb until she…"
There was no more screams after several more minutes. Then, the male doctor spoke.
"…She's finally dead," he said.
"At least she lasted for a good long ten minutes," the female doctor said.
Akeki peered through the keyhole again. The entire floor was a bloody mess from Lily's blood. Her arms and legs spread around from the center, which had only the rest of her body lying there. And then, the doctor with the knife kneeled down next to her neck…
Akeki couldn't watch anymore and hid out of sight in the storage room. He heard the door open up next door and carefully peered out to see the doctors leaving. The one with the knife had a large bloody bag in his other hand and the female doctor had some sort of silver substance in a testing tube.
"She finally bled to death, and I finally understood how they are going to test the healing properties of the substance. They cut off her head, and who knows what they did to extract the substance to a testing tube…"
"This…this is sick," Nature snarled. "What the hell- why would anyone do such a thing!"
"It is perhaps the study of eternal life that can up from our research give them the reason," Akeki replied. "I was the only one who was against this deathtrap, but my opinion was silenced as they threaten to kill me. I couldn't tell the children either, or they would be traumatized by it. As for Lily, they must have dumped her remains somewhere in the forest and gave the excuse that she was sent back to the village. The children didn't object to anything since they are young.
"Since they don't have any idea what this substance can do, they needed a test subject. What luck is that Monsuta got sick, so they invited him to play Kagome Kagome late at night…"
Akane could picture the scene perfectly. Monsuta, the boy with the bandage on his cheek, was blindfolded while the other three are circling around him. One of them had the sword that killed Lily concealed somewhere in this room. Akeki, while human, was hiding somewhere, possibly eavesdropping on them…
"There was twenty full minutes of Monsuta screaming nonstop," Akeki said, shaking slightly. "When they came out with Monsuta's remains in another bag, it was still moving…and then we realized…"
"This could be an elixir of immortality."
"An elixir of immortality…" Akane muttered. "But this is pure evil…killing children just for this…?"
"No matter what the cost is, they wanted immortality. They seemed to have gone crazy at that point, so when all the children were in the playroom, they let loose hell upon them…the room was completely covered in blood from all the other children…I couldn't accept myself to drink the immortality substance when they offered me it, but they forced me to gulp it down…"
And suddenly, Akane realized the drink that Lily had offered her. Could it be…?
"But shortly afterwards, strange events begin to happen around the manor when we are the only ones left," Akeki said. "We could have sworn that we heard children's voices in the playroom when we passed it. But when one of us entered, it was empty. Another time, we found our office in a complete mess. And often, the lights from the candles suddenly extinguished. It wasn't so serious until later…"
"It was late at night when suddenly the entire house fell into darkness. We kept flashlights at the storage room next to the display room, so we went there only to find the door open. When we all looked inside, we couldn't believe our eyes…"
"Playing Kagome Kagome were all the children, including Lily and Monsuta. They were all cheerful looking, and their bodies are in normal condition. But when we all stepped into the room, the door slammed shut behind us, and they turned their heads with creepy smiles on their faces, all holding some sort of sharp weapon. If we were correct, then we would not die. However, the children instead gave us a curse…"
"And the curse was that they forced your hearts into the dolls," Akane said. "But we haven't met the fourth doll, yet…"
"That doctor was our female colleague, who extracted the substance from each child," Akeki responded. "We didn't know what happened to her, but most likely they left her doll body in a broken state so bad that she couldn't do anything. The children forced the hearts out of ours bodies into the dolls in the room, transferring our souls and making them permanent. However, the children gave more humane conditions to me, since I didn't assist in the killings. They only knocked me out so I couldn't feel the pain of being cut up. When me and my other two colleagues were thrown into this basement, it was them who often repaired me so I wouldn't be like…these two."
He pointed a wooden hand at the two broken dolls.
"And now you heard the past of this place. This is the most dangerous place in the manor for you two," Akeki warned. "Now that these two know that humans are trapped here, they won't stop until they replace your hearts and spirits with their doll bodies…"
"You're kidding me, right?" Nature asked. "These two freaks are broken down! Besides, they suck at dueling against us."
"That is only because they don't have much as a brain, which I do thanks to the children," Akeki said. "But even if they are broken, their spirits are not-"
"Correct." The demonic voice of someone the two dolls spoke.
"Akeki, you are the only one with a repaired body, so…"
Two cracking sounds came as the doll's hearts burst out of their bodies. The hearts are enveloped in two dark auras, and they seem to be speaking at the same time,
"WE'LL TAKE YOURS!"
The two hearts smashed right into Akeki's chest. He suddenly began to twitch violently as shining cracks began to appear all around him.
"T-they're taking over…!" he shouted. "I…I'm sorry for…all…this…just…defeat us…and it will be…all…all…over…!"
A burst of light blinded the two. When it faded, now standing in front of them was no longer a doll. The three fused into a massive statue with at least ten hands. At its chest, they could see the hollow inside, where there are three hearts; two of them glowing dark while the other normal.
Suddenly, a large ring of pillars surrounding not only Akane, but the statue itself.
"Akane!" Nature shouted.
Akane looked back at Nature and clenched her teeth. "So…it's solo from here," she muttered.
"Correct," the statue said. "Now…DIE!"
Akane: 4000
Immortal Doll: 4000
"I will go first…DRAW!"
A deck of cards attached to one of its right arm appeared. With one of its left hands, it drew six cards and it threw one at the floor.
"I summon a monster facedown. Next, I activate the Field Spell Cathedral of the Fallen!"
There was a flash of light, and suddenly, the three found themselves standing outside. The rain has stopped, but the skies are very gloomy. But near them was the manor- or at least what seems to be affected by the change from the inside. It was now even bigger than before, with a tower on the rooftop. Gravestones are set everywhere around them.
"Is this…literally outside?" Akane muttered.
"…I end my turn."
"Alright. It is-" Her voice was drowned out as a loud bell rang in the air. She looked high up at the manor and saw something like a church bell ringing at the top of the tower.
"Just what is this Field Spell…?" Nature muttered.
Akane shook her head and drew. "I summon Trident Warrior (1800/1200)!" The warrior in blue armor appeared again. "Now, when he is summoned, I can special summon a level three monster from my hand! I special summon the Tuner monster Tune Warrior (1600/200)!" The red robot appeared.
"I tune level three Tune Warrior to level four Trident Warrior!" Akane declared. Exploding into a flourish of sparks, three gates flew into the air and Trident Warrior flew into the center, changing into four stars.
"Revolving speed, pound the earth along with my enemies! Synchro Summon! Appear, Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth (2600/800)!"
The burst of light came, and the armored knight with its horse jumped out of it. "Go, Gaia Knight! Attack the facedown!" The horseman charged forward, and it pierced through the facedown monster, which is revealed to be Gear Heart- Twin Spirits (500/500).
The statue didn't say anything as the card was blown aside.
"Now, I end my turn with two facedowns." Akane concluded.
"My turn," the statue said, drawing another card with another free hand. "I activate Gear Heart- Twin Spirits' effect. When it is destroyed and sent to the graveyard, I can special summon it during my standby phase."
With another hand, it placed the card back in front of it. A long pipe that connected the two figures appeared and the two materialized.
"Next, I sacrifice Twin Spirits to summon Gear Heart- Human Marionette (2000/2000)." The twins disappeared, and the human puppet carried by the demonic hand appeared instead. "Next, I activate Cathedral of the Fallen's effect. When a Gear Heart monster I control is sent to the graveyard, I can banish it to special summon another Gear Heart with the same name." Another Twin Spirits appeared in defense mode.
"I activate Human Marionette's effect," the statue continued. "During my main phase, I can special summon a Victim Token (100/100) in defense mode."
A thin figure fell from the sky, being held in the air by a piece of string attached to its head.
"…I end my turn."
Akane drew again. 'The other dolls didn't activate its effect in our other duel,' Akane thought.
"Gaia Knight, attack Human Marionette!" Akane declared
The horseman charged once again, but suddenly the thin human blocked the way.
"If I have a Victim Token on the field while Human Marionette is out and attacked, I can redirect the attack towards the Token instead!"
Gaia Knight thrust its spear at the thin human, creating a huge hole on its chest.
'Next turn, it will be able to summon another Victim Token,' Akane thought. 'I better summon another powerful monster when it does…'
"I end my turn," Akane replied.
The statue drew once more. "…I special summon both another Victim Token and Gear Heart- Ruins Head (1000/1000)." Another thin human appeared as well as a small doll with a propeller that kept it afloat. "Ruins Head can be special summoned when I control another Gear Heart. Now, I activate Ruins Head. By sacrificing it, I can destroy one monster on the field."
"What?" Akane gasped.
Suddenly, Ruins Head flew straight into Gaia Knight, creating an explosion that enveloped the two.
"Now…Human Marionette, attack her directly!"
The demonic hand throws its puppet at Akane. She slammed to the floor upon impact, snapping off her two legs.
Akane: 2000
Immortal Doll: 4000
"Hey! You alright?" Nature shouted at Akane.
"Y-yes…" Akane groaned, sitting up.
"I activate Ruins Head's effect, allowing me to special summon it when it is in the graveyard because of its effect during my end phase. I now set one card facedown and end my turn."
Akane gritted her teeth and drew. 'The situation's getting grim already,' she thought. 'With Ruins Head on the field, it can sacrifice itself to destroy one of my monsters on the field. And then there's Human Marionette. As long as it has a Victim Token on the field, it can redirect the attack when I tried attacking it. But the top priority is…'
"I activate one of my facedowns: the Trap Reinforce Truth!" Akane shouted. "With this, I can special summon a level two Warrior-Type monster from my deck, but I cannot conduct the battle phase this turn. I summon Key Man the Key Warrior (1000/500)!" The bronze knight appeared in a burst of light.
"Next, I summon Gagaga Magician (1500/1000)! I activate my two monster's effects. Key Man allows itself to change its level to three and I can change the level of Gagaga Magician from one to eight. I change Gagaga Magician to level three!"
Key Man the Key Warrior: (1000/500) Lv3
Gagaga Magician: (1500/1000) Lv3
"I overlay level three Key Man the Key Warrior and Gagaga Magician!" Akane declared. The two turned into energy and flew up into the air…
"I construct an Overlay Network with these two monsters. From the heat of the firestorm, let your roar strike fear into your enemies! Xyz Summon! Appear, Grenosaurus (2000/1900)!"
The fiery dinosaur appeared, letting out a loud roar.
"Awesome! A Xyz Monster!" Nature cheered.
"I now play the Spell Xyz Energy," Akane continued. "By detaching a Xyz Material, I can destroy a face-up card on the field."
One of the red orbs around Grenosaurus flew at Ruins Head, blowing it up.
Akane had hoped the statue did not have an extra copy. She was relieved when it didn't do anything. "I now end my turn with a facedown," she said.
"My turn…I sacrifice Twin Spirits to summon Gear Heart- Immortal Clockworks (2300/2000)." The large clock tower appeared. "When it is on the field, no other Gear Heart monsters cannot be attacked. Meanwhile, I activate my Cathedral's effect, allowing me to summon the third Twin Spirits. Now, Immortal Clockworks, attack Grenosaurus."
The clock tower opened its face, and a series of gears shot out towards the dinosaur.
"I activate my two facedowns: Xyz Refund and Reinforced Space!" Akane declared. "First, with Xyz Refund, I can select a monster in my graveyard and turn it into a Xyz Material to a Xyz Monster on my field. As for Reinforced Space, each Xyz Monster I control gains 300 attack points for every Xyz Material it has!"
An Xyz Material suddenly burst out of the ground and orbited around Grenosaurus. It then glow bright red.
Grenosaurus: (2600/1900) Xyz Material: 2
Now stronger than Immortal Clockworks, Grenosaurus spat several fireworks that consumed the spinning gears and eventually struck the clock tower.
Akane: 2000
Immortal Doll: 3700
The statue seems to know that it may be in trouble. "I switch Human Marionette to defense mode and end my turn."
"My turn…draw!" Akane said. "Reinforced Space only lasts until the end phase of the turn it's used."
Grenosaurus: (2000/1900)
She took the card that she just drew and inserts it into her Duel Disk. "I activate another Xyz Energy Spell! I detach a Xyz Material from Grenosaurus to destroy Human Marionette!" Another of the dinosaur's orbs rammed into the demonic hand, shattering it into pixels.
"Battle!" Akane declared. "Grenosaurus, attack Twin Spirits!" The dinosaur breathed a stream of fire that incinerated the twin figures.
"I now activate my facedown Trap, Tearful Anger," the statue declared. "When a monster I control is destroyed by battle, I can banish from my graveyard one level three or lower Gear Heart monster and my opponent takes damage equal to half of its attack points."
A gear suddenly materialized and struck Akane's shoulder, knocking a large piece off.
"I banished Ruins Head."
Akane: 1500
Immortal Doll: 3700
"Well, I activate Grenosaurus' effect," Akane said. "By detaching a Xyz Material, I can deal 1000 points of damage to my opponent when it destroys a monster!"
Grenosaurus swallowed its last Xyz Material and breathed fire on the statue.
Akane: 1500
Immortal Doll: 2700
"I now set a card facedown and end my turn," Akane concluded.
The statue drew again. "So you would push me this far…" it said. "I activate my Twin Spirits' effect, allowing me to revive it during my standby phase. Next, I summon Gear Heart- Clockwork Soldier (1500/1000)."
The toy soldier appeared. "When it is summoned, I can special summon another copy. I activate that other copy's effect as well."
Two more soldiers appeared. "Now…I overlay level three Gear Heart- Clockwork Soldiers."
"What?" Akane and Nature gasped.
The three toy soldiers turned into black energy and flew into the air before going back down.
"I construct an Overlay Network with these three monsters!" the statue chanted. "Xyz Summon! I bring out Gear Heart- Doll of Hatred (2500/1500)!"
Slowly coming out of the portal is a massive ugly doll. Its eyes are made out of black buttons and it has hooks for hands. It let out a slow, eerie laugh.
"THAT'S an ugly one!" Nature winced.
"I now attack your Grenosaurus with Doll of Hatred." The doll skipped forward and viciously slashed at the dinosaur. It let out a roar of pain as it crumpled.
Akane: 1000
Immortal Doll: 2700
"You cannot win now that I have my most powerful monster out," the statue said. "I end my turn."
"So that monster is its ace, is it…?" Akane said as she drew once more. "I activate my facedown Continuous Trap, Call of the Haunted. With this, I revive Gagaga Magician in attack mode. I next summon a second one to the field and activate both of their effects, increasing their levels to five!"
"I overlay my level five Gagaga Magicians!"
"I construct an Overlay Network with these two monsters! Watchman of Death, choose the fate of spirits! Xyz Summon! Appear, Adreus, Keeper of Armageddon (2600/1700)!" The fallen angel appeared.
"I activate Adreus' effect, allowing me to detach a Xyz Material to destroy a card on the field!" One of the Xyz Material flew into Adreus' hands. He flew forward and punched the massive doll, causing it to disintegrate.
"Go, attack his only Victim Token!" Balling up the fist, it sent the thin person flying.
"Now, I end my turn!" Akane concluded.
The statue drew. "…I activate Gear Heart- Doll of Hatred's effect. When it is destroyed, I can banish one Gear Heart monster to special summon this card during my standby phase. That banished monster is then treated as a Xyz Material!"
The ground began to rumble, and the creepy doll reappeared with another Xyz Material orbiting around it.
"The card that I banished is my third Twin Spirits. I now detach it to activate its effect. When it battles a monster with higher attack points, this card gains 500 attack points!"
"What!" Akane shouted.
The Xyz Material flew into the doll's hooks, which changed into a drill.
"Go, attack Adreus!"
Gear Heart- Doll of Hatred: (3000/1500)
Its drill pierced through the fallen angel's chest, and it shattered to pixels.
Akane: 600
Immortal Doll: 2700
A long cut ran up Akane's cheek. She growled as she shook the aching feeling away.
"I now end my turn," the statue concluded.
Akane drew again. 'So it revives itself by removing a Gear Heart monster in its graveyard,' she thought. 'Not only that, but it gains a Xyz Material, which can be used to increase its attack points if it battles against a more powerful monster.'
'In my hand is a card that can turn things around, but I need something to get rid of Doll of Hatred first…so…'
"First, I activate the Spell Full Repairs," Akane said. "With this card, I can revive one Xyz Monster as WELL as bringing back its original amount of Xyz Materials! Appear once more, Adreus!"
Rising from the ground came the fallen angel again.
"Next, I play the Spell Monster Reborn! With this, I revive your Gear Heart- Human Marionette!" The demonic hand appeared, though this time without its puppet. "I now summon Ganbara Knight (0/1800) and equip it with the Spell Synchro Boost! Now it gains not only 500 attack points, but its level increases!"
The twin shielded knight appeared with a glowing aura.
Ganbara Knight: (500/1800) Lv5
"I overlay level five Gear Heart- Human Marionette and Ganbara Knight!" Akane commanded. The two turned into energy as the third red portal appeared.
"I construct an Overlay Network with these two monsters! Watchman of Heaven, grant salvation to those who truly deserves it! Xyz Summon!"
The words 'curabitur pretiosa' began to glow brightly…
"Curabitur pretiosa! Appear, Tiras, Keeper of Genesis (2600/1700)!" With a storm of white feathers, the graceful angel flew into the air and down to Akane's side.
"Alright! With Adreus' effect, it can destroy Doll of Hatred!" Nature said.
Akane nodded, but the statue let out a low chuckle. "Even if you do win, we can still go after you…" it said. "As long everything connected to us remains…we will hunt you two down to the ends of the earth…"
"As long as everything connected…" Akane muttered. Her eyes suddenly snapped towards the giant manor and knew what she had to do. "Adreus's effect activates! By detaching a Xyz Material, I can destroy a card on the field!" One of the orbs flew into the dark angel's hand, and it flew forward straight at the creepy doll, causing it to fall apart.
"Now, Tiras! Attack directly!" Brandishing his sword, the angel flew forward and cleaved the statue down to two pieces.
Akane: 600
Immortal Doll: 100
"W-what…!" the statue groaned, shocking of being cleaved into two.
"Back at the manor, me and Nature were attacked by real Duel Monsters," Akane explained. "If those monsters are real, then ours can be, too! I activate Tiras' effect! When it is attacked or attacks, I can destroy a card on my opponent's field! I destroy your Field Spell!"
"No!"
One of Tiras' orbs flew into his sword. He pointed it at the manor and a beam of light shot out of it. A massive explosion came, and the entire building fell apart, sending dust clouds everywhere.
"Damn you-!"
The two halves of the statue suddenly started dragging itself towards Akane. But suddenly, they froze and the statue let out a scream as a voice spoke.
"Q-quickly Akane…! Finish this…!" Akeki's voice groaned.
"…Alright," Akane said, nodding. "Adreus, direct attack!"
The fallen angel flew forward with his fists glowing dark. Flying right in front of the two halves of the statue, he punched right through their chests and into the two dark hearts…
Akane: *WINNER*
Immortal Doll: 0
The statue fell to the ground unmoving. There is a flash of light and Akane was back to normal, and the pillars surrounding them crumbled.
"Akane!" Nature shouted, rushing towards her.
Akane breathed a sigh of relief and nodded at Nature. However, she then looked at the ruins of the manor.
"Nature…the manor…" she panted. "What happened…to the children…?"
"You…YOU..." a demonic voice behind them growled. The two sharply turned around to see that Adreus and Tiras didn't disappear, and the two halves of the statue starting to shake. Suddenly, the two halves floated in the air and became whole again!
"What! No way!" Nature shouted.
"You…You think I would let you do this…?" the statue growled. "I'll kill you two…and replace your hearts with ours…!"
The statue suddenly made a rush at the two. They barely had time to move, only to raise their arms to shield themselves-"
Kagome kagome, the bird in the cage…
Akane opened her eyes to see the statue stop in its tracks. A familiar song sang throughout the area…
When will you come out…?
"W…what…?" the statue muttered, looking around.
And before Akane's eyes, she saw several transparent beings materialized into the air. They formed a ring around the statue and danced around it…
In the evening of the dawn,
the crane and turtle slipped…
"You…it's you brats!" the statue roared, now sounding fearful. It tried to swipe at the children, but its many hands simply passed through them. It tried moving through them, but only to be pushed back. "Stop…stop it…!"
And in front of them, Adreus, to Akane and Nature's amazement, began to speak, in a dark, yet dignified tone.
"Lying in front of me is lost spirits…two of them are sinners…"
"…And the rest innocent souls," Tiras said. "Surely, they have a place in both Heaven and Hell…?"
"The judgment has already been decided upon the sinners, and now the punishment must occur…" Adreus spoke. He snapped his fingers and suddenly, the two evil hearts were forced out of the statue.
"What…what are you doing?" one of the hearts spoke.
"I am the one who brings lost souls to Hell…" Adreus spoke. "You have made the darkest evils that have been known: the killings of the people. And now you must be punished…"
"No! You can't do this to us!" the other heart shouted. "You cannot send us to Hell! We are immortal!"
"But not to me," Adreus said. "May you understand the evils that you committed, and weep at your sorrows!" He snapped his fingers and the two hearts suddenly exploded into purple flames. Their last cries echoed before the flames vanished, leaving nothing behind.
"It looks like the children have been avenged…" Akane said, looking back at the statue, which only has Akeki's heart in it.
"And now…all of you are of pure, innocent people…" Tiras spoke. "Heaven will gladly accept you into their arms…"
A beam of light shone upon the statue and the spirits of the children. There was a flourish of stars, and they vanished into the air, leaving only the final phrase of the tune in the air…
Who stands right behind you now…?
"They're…gone…" Nature said as the last star disappeared.
"Yes…" Akane said. "Will this…end the disappearances…?"
Suddenly, Akane felt very dizzy and tired. She dropped to her knees, and heard Nature do the same. She couldn't resist closing her eyes and darkness started to fall around her…
"…Mistress Akane…Lady Nature…you worked hard today…" Tiras said.
"But for now, you must rest…" Adreus said.
"But always remember…everything has something secret to them…we, the Duel Monsters…are an example…"
And Akane heard nothing more…
She now felt something warm all around her. She was lying on something comfortable. She really didn't want to open her eyes, but she did if we wanted to know if she was still in Yukekage Forest…
But she isn't.
Akane was back in her room again, lying on her bed. She sat up and shook her head. Her mind still felt fuzzy…
"…Ah, it seems that you are awake," an old voice spoke at her doorway. It was Grandmaster Sukiruto.
"G-Grandmaster…?" Akane groaned. "What…what happened…what time is it…?"
"It's November 2nd," Sukiruto said. "You and one of your friends returned yesterday at midnight. I tried asking you what happened, but you just ignored me and collapsed on bed. You've been asleep for two days."
"I was…?" Akane said, looking around. Her bag was set at the foot of her bed along with her Duel Disk.
"Well, I should not press you anymore questions, Akane," Sukiruto said as he turned around. "You need your rest. And besides…"
"I'm sure that you encountered some great challenge while you and your friend were away."
Akane blinked and the Grandmaster left. She was still feeling sleepy, so she didn't question it and drifted away to her dreams…
November 3, 2433…
"…Hey Akane," Nature spoke as she and Akane walked down towards school. "You remember what I said back at my aunt's basement, right?"
"Yes," Akane nodded. "'Flowers are like people. They come in many different colors and sizes. They all have some sort of lifespan, but they're more fragile than us. It takes only a simple step of a guy's foot or a bite to rip them or crush them.'"
"Well, after what happened, I began thinking about it. Those children were all slaughtered easily like some flower being stomped on, right?" Nature asked.
"Yes, but those criminal adults got what was coming to them, correct?"
"Well, I suppose so," Nature sighed. "But I kinda wondered…what will those kids be like if only Akeki was taking care of them? Based on his story, I don't think he would do anything that horrible to them…"
"We can't dwell in what happened years ago," Akane said. "Still, we will probably remember them for a good long while…"
"But if there's people being mistreated, I wanna help them," Nature said. "So if I can't dwell on it in the past, I might as well think about what I'll do now."
Akane smiled. Nature, however, quickly changed the subject. "So what happened to those files that you found?" she asked.
"I hid them in the deepest area of the Wooden Dojo," Akane replied. "There are so many puzzles and security measures deep down that it is most likely impossible to reach it. Now that the traces of Project: CHILD are gone, I hope nothing related to it never sees the light of day again…"
Yet Akane still felt uneasy. What was that drink Lily offered her…?
Cathedral of the Fallen
Field Spell
When a Gear Heart that you control if destroyed and sent to the graveyard, you can banish that card and Special Summon another monster with the same name from your hand, deck, or graveyard.
Gear Heart- Twin Spirits
DARK/Fiend/2/500/500
When this card is attacked while face-up, you can flip a coin. *Heads: This card is not destroyed and decrease its level by 1. *Tails: Destroy this card. When this card is sent to the graveyard, you can Special Summon this card at your next Standby Phase.
Gear Heart- Human Marionette
DARK/Fiend/5/2000/2000
Once per turn, you can Special Summon 1 Victim Token (EARTH/Warrior-Type/1/100/100) in Defensive Position during your Main Phase. When this card is attacked, you can redirect the attack to a Victim Token that you control.
Gear Heart- Clockwork Soldier
DARK/Fiend/4/1500/1000
When this card is summoned, you can Special Summon 1 more monster with the same name. When this card is attacked, you can switch this card to Defensive Position.
Gear Heart- Immortal Clockworks
DARK/Machine/5/2300/2000
While this card is on the field, no Gear Heart monsters that you control cannot be destroyed.
Gear Heart- Malevolent Box
DARK/Machine/4/1900/500
Once per turn this card cannot be destroyed by battle. Once per turn when a Gear Heart monster is selected as an attack target, you can redirect the attack to this card.
Neverending Work
Spell
Tribute 1 Gear Heart monster that you control. Special Summon 1 Gear Heart from your hand.
Gear Heart- Ruins Head
DARK/Fiend/3/1000/1000
If you control one of more Gear Heart monster on the field, you can Special Summon this card. Once per turn, you can Tribute this card to destroy one monster on the field. If this card is sent to the graveyard that way, Special Summon it during your End Phase in Attack Position.
Gear Heart- Doll of Hatred
DARK/Fiend/Xyz/Rank 4/2500/1500
3 Level 4 Monsters
Once per turn, you can detach 1 Xyz Material on this card. When this card attacks a monster with higher ATK, increase its ATK by 500. When this card is destroyed, you can banish one Gear Heart monster in your graveyard to Special Summon this card from the graveyard during your Standby Phase. That banished monster is then treated as an Xyz Material.
Tearful Anger
Trap
This card can only be activated when a monster you control is destroyed by battle. Banish 1 level three or lower Gear Heart monster in your graveyard and your opponent takes Effect Damage equal to half of that card's ATK.
Xyz Refund
Trap
Select one Xyz Monster you control and a monster in your graveyard. That monster is treated as a Xyz Material to the Xyz Monster.
Full Repair
Spell
Special Summon 1 Xyz Monster in your graveyard as well as attaching the original amount of Xyz Materials it has. During the End Phase, destroy that Xyz Monster and take damage equal to its attack points.
And ends this Chapter. I think I may have rushed the storyline a little, but whatever. Here is the next preview, and will introduce one of my OCs that I created!
Chapter 10: Answer to Darkness
Two students, transferred from Heartland City, arrives to Akane's school. Akane takes this opportunity to ask them about the Numbers. However, one of them doesn't know anything, and the other refuses to answer. The only way for him to answer is to duel him...