So... once again we've taken far longer than we had initially planned for this update... While it would be easy to start casting blame about, we won't be doing that (cuz that then causes all sorts of extra problems) Long story short: Real Life interferes yet again!

Anyways, the story is continuing! Hope this turned into that rue I mentioned last chapter. Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot of action in this chapter, but I think we did a great job building the story and characters some more.

Chapter 10

Initial Order Arc: Recuperation

Duel Academy

Headmistress' Office

Headmistress Ward's office was large and open, with floor-to-ceiling windows behind her desk for additional light. She used it as often as you would expect, but its symbolic value only really sunk in in times like this, when Kanoa, Jorge, and Meryem Sadik were all in front of her at once.

Meryem, Head of Ra Dorm, had a similar air of authority to the Headmistress despite being a few years younger. Her pale skin tone made her green eyes and chin-length dark hair, as well as the small scrapes on the backs of her hands, stand out. The only difference between her attire and any other Ra staff member's uniform was the shiny black boots that hugged her calves.

All three professors were waiting for someone else to speak first, which meant the room was silent for several minutes. Eventually, the Headmistress opened her eyes and looked at them, gaining their full attention as the trio looked forward.

"Now then… what's the situation?" she asked. "Meryem, you were there for the longest period, tell me what happened."

"As you know, Headmistress, Takashi Matsumoto and Jessie Alexandros collapsed approximately three hours ago during their Promotional Exams. They are both still in the nurse's office, and we have no idea what caused them to faint." said Meryem.

Kanoa coughed. "Mery, I hate to point out the elephant in the room, but it was your system that did it. I thought you had strict safe zones to avoid this kind of thing?" he remarked.

"Are you blaming me for what happened to those two?!" She glared daggers at Kanoa.

Jorge flinched. The three of them had known each other since they first came to the Academy as students, and in all that time, he'd never once heard her yell or seen her look guilty.

"I'm not saying that. What I'm saying is that the power level was way too high for the situation, I can't begin to imagine why that was the case, and your staff clearly—"

"There was no bug in my system, you imbecile. I doubt your small mind gets this, but my security programs never—"

"I'm not saying that either, and if you'd let me finish a sentence without insulting me—!"

"Enough!"

Headmistress Ward's shout made the other three flinch and turn their focus back to her. She sighed in frustration and turned around.

"Until we know the cause of the problem, there is no point in casting blame." she remarked after a few moments of silence. "Meryem, I assume that you ran a full diagnostics check on the system. Did you find evidence of any bugs, malfunctions, or viruses that affected the safe zones?"

"No, Headmistress," Meryem answered. "If I had, either one of my engineers would have told me or I would have shut down the system immediately. We take our jobs very seriously."

"Very well then," the Headmistress said as she turned her chair back around. "If there was no indication of any sort of problem in the system, an outside force must be responsible for Mr. Matsumoto and Mr. Alexandros' condition."

"Like an extremely skilled hacker?" Jorge asked, though he didn't sound too sure.

"Or—" Kanoa began.

"If you bring up any of that Shadow Game-Duel Spirit mumbo-jumbo, I swear I'll lock you out of the system for the rest of this semester!" Meryem interjected angrily, though she turned away and shivered visibly.

Can she actually do that? Headmistress Ward wondered.

"Even I have to admit, compañeros, that's a bit of a stretch. Still, we can't just dismiss a possible explanation because we don't like it." Jorge commented.

"See? This guy gets it." Kanoa smirked.

"For right now, we have to focus on what we have, which is two injured students and no solid evidence as to how they got injured. We have to get to the bottom of this, Meryem."

She nodded respectfully before turning to leave, making sure to glare at Kanoa one last time on her way out. Then she caught herself giving the same look to Jorge, and seemed to deflate slightly.

"She's feisty…"

"Órale, are you still going on about that?" Jorge remarked sarcastically.

Kanoa's only reply was a casual grin.

"Thank you, gentlemen. You may go." said the headmistress.

Both men gave quick bows before leaving her alone in her office. After a few minutes to make sure that they were all gone, she let out a sigh and flopped into her chair, letting it rotate until she was facing the windows again.

"Holograms operating high above their normal settings, no sign of tampering... and reports that Alexandros was acting strangely during the Exams..." She removed her glasses and massaged her temples wearily. "As much as I hate to think about or even admit it... Kanoa may have a point..."

Nurse's Office

The nurse's office, which was really big enough to be a medical wing, was almost aggressively clean. Like most doctor's offices, it smelled strongly of disinfectant, and the pale blue curtains separating the beds reminded Nick uncomfortably of a hospital. He and his friends were waiting for the nurse to finish checking on Takashi. All the doors in that hallway were closed, which didn't help anyone's mood even though they knew why that was the case.

"This is probably the biggest school nurse's office I've ever seen." Nick commented, trying to strike up a conversation so they all weren't just sitting there quietly fretting.

"Aye," Barclay replied hoarsely; the stress also made him look far more exhausted than he probably felt.

Laura said nothing, but continued wringing her hands.

"With so many students on campus, it has to be..." Sera finished. She had been chewing on her lower lip and it had started to bleed a little.

"Easy, you're gonna turn yer lip intae mincemeat. At leest futer wi' yer hans like Laura." Barclay suggested.

"Yeah, I'm sure he's had tougher things happen to him. He'll be back to normal before we know it." Laura added, putting her hand on her friend's shoulder and smiling.

Sera looked over. Laura was doing her best to look hopeful; it must have worked, since she stopped biting her lip and even wiped away a few tears.

"Right... Right... shakar..." she muttered before leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes.

When the nurse emerged holding a clipboard, everyone sprang out of their seats in anticipation.

"So... How is he?" one of the Slifers asked.

"Well, apart from some minor bruising and a couple of nicks here and there, Takashi will make a full recovery."

The group sighed in relief. Takashi could shrug off a lot, so his collapse had been like watching a pedestal crumble.

"Can we go see him?!" Laura burst out, giving the nurse her best puppy eyes.

"Yes, actually, but only three people at a time. He's still recovering, so try not to get him too excited." she remarked before walking away.

As the group decided who should see him first, Nick turned from them and followed the nurse.

"Uh... excuse me, Nurse..." Nick began. "Could... could you, um, tell me which room Jessie Alexandros is in?"

The nurse looked over her clipboard. "He's across the hall, third door on the left. I wouldn't recommend seeing him yet, however. He took whatever happened to him a lot harder than Takashi did, and he's still resting."

She pointed him in the direction to go and then headed off on her rounds.

"Sae, fir wye ye want tae gang an' see 'at fud fur?" Barclay asked his roommate, causing the latter to jump a few inches off the ground.

"Madre de dios!" Nick whirled around and sighed when he saw who'd followed him, putting a hand over his pounding heart. "Geez, Bar, it's bad enough when Laura does that; I don't need you scaring me, too."

"Sorry, I'll try not tae sneak up on ye anymore," Barclay said. "Anyways, got an answer?"

"For what?" Nick asked, genuinely confused.

"For that question I asked you," Barclay replied. "About why you're going to see that jessy."

"Look... Even though he's the biggest burro we know, I can't help but feel like something was off about him... Call me crazy, but he didn't act like the normal Jessie would." Nick replied, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe I'll find the answer if I go see him."

Barclay gave Nick a hard look and there was silence between them for several seconds. Then he sighed reluctantly. "I'm not letting you go on your own. Lead the way."

Jessie's Room

Jessie had been connected to a cardiometer and an oxygen tank, and looked almost peaceful. Moonlight shone into the room through the lone window.

"Even with my Mistress' power, you still failed." a cloaked figure standing next to him said. "Miserably, might I add."

Of course, he couldn't respond yet, but the figure opened their robe while continuing to talk. "You let your emotions override what little talent as a Duelist you have. If you can't even control yourself against a Slifer... then I wasted the Mistress' power on you. And those who waste her power cannot be allowed to live."

The person drew a wicked-looking steel dagger and touched the point to Jessie's heart, where it began glowing purple. "Your body will continue to exist, but the Mistress requires compensation. I'm sure she'll appreciate your soul very much."

A noise outside the door caught their attention. They quickly hid the dagger as the doorknob turned, and shed their cloak just before Nick and Barclay entered the room.

"Oh? Sorry, I didn't know someone else was in here." said Nick, noticing the person.

"You're one of the new transfers, right?" Barclay asked. "Uh... Tauni... something...?"

The tan girl turned around and smiled. "Tauni Hunter. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise. I'm Nick. Sorry for coming in unannounced, we didn't expect anyone to be here." the red-haired teen added, walking towards her. "So, here to visit a fellow Ra?"

"You could say that. I kinda snuck in without the nurse spying me, though... I should get going. Don't tell her I was here, OK?" she asked.

Nick and Barclay nodded, and Tauni smiled at them again before leaving.

Very soon… You'll met your end, you worthless husk…

After having the room alone, both Nick and Barclay turned towards their bitter rival, who still looked peaceful under the oxygen mask. Despite hating seeing the face of the guy who disrespected his belief, Nick couldn't help but feel pity for him; nobody else had left him a get-well card or anything, not even another Ra.

"Wow... I can't believe not a single person besides Tauni and us two came to see him... It's kinda sad when you think about it." Nick whispered as he turned to Barclay.

"Just proves that the guy has no real people skills," Barclay replied less quietly. "If he treats everyone the way he treated us, then it's not a surprise."

"Bar..." Nick said warningly.

His roommate just sighed. "Look, yes, it's sad that there's no one here wishing for the guy's health. But the dobber brought it on himself."

"I know. It's just..." Nick started.

"I know. You've got a good heart and can't stand seeing anyone hurt. That's fine and good, but some people just can't be helped."

Nick gave him a serious look. "Do you genuinely believe that?"

"You can't help someone who doesn't want to be helped." Barclay remarked.

"But what if he does? What if he actually is good and just got dealt a bad hand?"

Just then, Jessie's breathing became erratic, and the heart monitor began beeping rapidly. The two turned around to see a black aura creeping over his body.

Before either of them could say anything, their marks lit up again and their Duel Spirits manifested. The aura surged upward and seemed to be reaching towards them, but Gwenhwyfar and Charge Warrior shielded their masters.

"Master, you must call upon the power, purify the boy!" Gwenhwyfar remarked as Barclay looked at her in confusion.

Blackwing Armor Master nodded in confirmation when Nick caught his eye.

The two looked at each other for a few seconds before they each extended the hands with their marks forward, causing a strong beam to shoot out from their hands and shine on Jessie's body.

Eventually, it soon began to settle down and die down until the light expelled what looked like a demonic creature.

Both boys grabbed it with their hands; the shadow roared in pain as it dissolved in the light. Soon enough, their hands stopped glowing, the light dissipated, and Jessie's heart monitor and breathing returned to a normal rhythm. The two were silent for a while, trying to process what had just happened.

"What the actual fack is going on?" Barclay demanded, panic more than evident in his voice.

"The Order has infiltrated the Academy," Gwenhwyfar replied calmly. "This was clear evidence of Her servants' handiwork, as was your marks activating earlier."

"'Her'?" Nick asked. "More importantly, what are these people hoping to achieve by... I guess trying to possess students with demons?"

"You guess correctly. Their goal is to expose the power of the Gate and the Key," Gwenhwyfar answered again. "What they want beyond that I can't say for sure, though I would assume destruction is involved."

"They're looking for us?" Barclay asked. "Fack! Abso-faking-lutely belter! Could this get any more pooched?"

"Bar, calm down..." Nick said.

"Calm down?" Barclay repeated, even more agitated now. "You want me to calm down? I was under the impression that we were only trying to stop these wallapers! I don't remember being told that they wanted our power, which by the way, we can't even use properly!"

"Actually, the Magicians kind of did when they said ' you will be in constant danger '," Nick replied, ignoring Barclay's annoyed glare. "Look, I'm not exactly OK with this either, but we knew the risks when we said yes and now we have to keep our promise..."

Despite trying to settle Barclay down, all Nick's efforts just caused him to storm out the door.

"...I guess he just needs time to get his head around this, huh?" the red-haired teen asked Armor Master, who nodded and vanished along with Gwen.

Guess for now, we'll have to wait and see how it's gonna go down, Nick thought as he walked to the door. He wasn't sure what, but something made him turn back to Jessie just before opening it.

You can't help someone who doesn't want to be helped. Barclay's voice echoed in his mind, making the red-haired teen tighten his fist as he walked back to the bed.

"Maybe nobody gives a damn about a jerk like you... Maybe being all alone is what you deserve, but I'm not that type of guy and I never will be."

With that, Nick pulled a small hand-stitched cross pendant out of his pocket. He turned it over in his hands a few times, then carefully laid it on the nightstand and walked out of Jessie's room. If I ignore a guy when he's at the lowest point in his life... I'm no better than garbage.

Nick walked forward with his hands in his pockets. He was still thinking about what had happened in Jessie's room, and didn't see Laura until she waved a hand in front of his face.

"Nick! Hello, earth to Nick!" she remarked.

"Uh, yeah?" he replied, confused about her excited attitude.

"Geez, you really gotta learn not to space out like that, both you and Bar really been having issues with that." the pale woman commented.

"Sorry." Nick chuckled sheepishly. "Anyway, what's up?"

"It's our turn to see Takashi, most of the others said their goodbyes and went back to the dorm, so come on! Takashi's waiting for us!"

Nick grinned widely. If he saw Laura's faint blush, he didn't comment on it.

He followed Laura to Takashi's room. A few other Slifers, including Barclay and Sera, were already sitting beside the bed and talking to him.

Aside from bandages around his left hand and across his forehead, the big guy seemed fine. He was sitting up and smiling hugely. Nick briefly wondered where they'd found a hospital gown in his size.

"Glad to see you're finally awake!" Laura said happily.

"Me too. Sorry you all had to worry," Takashi apologized. "I'm not sure what happened. The duel ended and I just felt completely drained."

"The nurse said that it was probably a combination of stress and adrenaline," Sera added. "Also that because there's no sign of anything physically wrong with him, it was probably just psychosomatic."

"Meaning?" Nick asked.

"Basically, she figures it was all in his head and he passed out from stress." Barclay replied.

"But now that I'm rested, I feel great!" Takashi said with enthusiasm. The big guy gave a thumbs up to his friends, who all smiled and laughed a bit.

"Aye, and the nurse says you're going to continue resting here until tomorrow." Barclay added.

"Just to be sure it's nothing, right?" Nick asked.

Takashi nodded with a smile as he saw all his friends worrying about him.

"So!" Laura said, clapping her hands to get everyone's attention. "Now that that's out of the way, think it's best that we get out of here. Our big buddy needs his rest."

The small group nodded and got their stuff, waving one last goodbye to their friend before they all headed back home.

Forest

The forest outside the main building was quiet except for the wind in the trees and a few crickets chirping. Three cloaked figures found their way towards a hidden grove, protected by the thick forest canopy. As an added bonus, their dark cloaks allowed them to blend into the shadows such that even animals couldn't see them.

Soon enough, they reached their destination. After a moment, one of them spoke in a deep voice. "You failed..."

"I was interrupted!" a second figure protested angrily. Tauni pushed back her hood and glared at the others. "Some Slifer losers showed up before I could finish the job!" She rounded on the shorter of them. "It's your job to manage those morons, isn't it?"

"I can't keep the entire dorm under control," the figure replied calmly. "Besides, your little stunt put one of their friends in the nurse's office as well. It's only natural that they'd be there."

Tauni grit her teeth. "You can't even do your own job right, you don't get to criticize mine!"

"Enough," the deep-voiced figure said. "We did not meet here to argue. We met so we could discuss damage control, right?"

"Right," the shorter figure said. "Since Jessie is still unconscious, we'll leave him be for now. When, or if, he wakes up before our objective is completed, we'll see if he remembers anything first. If he remembers anything that could implicate us, then we silence him. Verstehen?"

"Da."

"Yeah, yeah."

The shorter member sighed in frustration before continuing. "In any case, we're in and the mission is still the same, so I expect results from both of you."

"Fine, just don't expect me to bow down and kiss your hand or whatever. You're not the Mistress's favorite, you know." Tauni snapped venomously.

"Oh? And you are?"

"Damn right I am!"

"If that's all there is, then I'm returning to my room." the tallest figure said, already going back the way he'd come.

"Yes, for now, the plan is to continue as is." the leader said.

"I expect you as well to make sure this situation is fixed. Otherwise, you'll have to deal with the Mistress after this is over."

"No way," Tauni snapped. "I won't fail her again, just you wait and see!"

Before he could reply, the woman huffed in frustration and walked away, leaving the hooded figure alone in the darkness, sighing in frustration before beginning his walk out.

"None of this really matters to me...Soon, I will have what I desire most..." were the only words he muttered before disappearing into the darkness, leaving only the quietness of the night.

Well, that was quite a long hold on updating, but we finally got it done thanks in part to our great beta, Eneko95 and her amazing work. As many of you may or may not have noticed, we've been reuploading chapters and we are almost done. Soon enough, we'll be uploading new chapters so for those who have been patient, we thank you for all your support.

Translations

"Compañeros - "Companions"

"Órale" - "Oh"

"At leest futer wi' yer hans like Laura." - "At least twiddle/mess around with your hands like Laura."

"Shakar" - "Thanks"

"Sae, fir wye ye want tae gang an' see 'at fud fur?" - "So, why do you want to go and see that complete and utter dobber/dickhead for?"

"Madre de dios!" - "Mother of God!"

"Jessy" - "Wimp"

"Burro" - "Donkey/Ass"

"Fack" - "Fuck"

"Belter" - "Excellent/Great/Fantastic"

"Pooched" - "Broken/Fucked/Useless"

"Wallaper" - "Idiot/Moron/Dick"

"Verstehen?" - "Understand?"