Chapter 12

Luquier darted across the bloodied streets and stepped inside the Fukuhara building, where many of the Reversed stood guard. The Reversed earthlings stepped aside for her. Luquier hurried her pace until she reached the end of the room. There, Void sat patiently in the throne room the other Reversed had made.

"Status report, Dragon Tamer," Void said coldly.

Luquier knelt down and bowed her head. "41 casualties, Master Void," she stated, "The Liberators and Revengers have been preventing us from annihilating links."

Void stood. "How many links have perished?" she demanded.

Luquier did not respond. Void gritted her teeth and stepped closer to her. "How many, Dragon Tamer?" she bellowed.

Luquier flinched and her body trembled. "Z-zero," she replied.

Void raised her hand and struck Luquier across her face. Luquier flinched. By her peripheral, the blue-haired girl wearing a white school uniform whimpered and touched her own cheek.

"My patience with the two of you are at its limit," Void stated. She grabbed the whip Luquier harnessed by her side and the dragon tamer's face hardened. Void turned and glared at the student who uttered a sound. "Narumi!" she shouted. "Step forward."

The girl's soulless eyes stared back with compelling fierceness. "Yes, Master Void!" she walked to her master without a hint of fear in her step. Void raised the whip and struck the two of them. The two girls screamed. Void cracked the whip repeatedly until they fell to the ground, unable to hold their own weight any longer. Luquier stared weakly at the girl beside her, both of them panting heavily on the floor. With every crack of the whip, she felt both the girl's pain and her own. Luquier groaned as the burns resonated in her skin.

"Double the feeling," Void said, throwing the whip at Luquier's face, "Double the pain." She turned and walked back to her throne. "Defy me again and you'll deal with much worse."

The two girls struggled to stand. Luquier took her now bloodied whip and kept it to her side. Void glared at them. "Dragon Tamer, search for the rest of the links. I presume you know the names of who I want dead." Luquier nodded and left the room with her link following her in tow.


Suiko and Kourin sat on the couch as Shingo flipped the channels of the TV in front of them. Leon frowned. "You have got to be kidding me," he mumbled.

Kourin faced him. "We're looking for the news," she said, "this is the only way to see what it's like out there."

Leon folded his arms. "And what makes you think any reporter out on a field job is safe from the Reversed?"

"I don't," Kourin replied, "I was just hoping someone was reporting something, whether or not they're Reversed."

Suiko watched intently as Shingo continued to surf through channels. "There!" Suiko exclaimed, "Stop right there."

A female news reporter with red markings under her eyes continued her report on live television. "…41 casualties dead, and not one of them are links," she said, "The bloody battle continues as our great master Void continues to command his legion to find and kill the rebellion." The TV panned through a street, showing all the Reversed that lurked as a Link Joker unit stabs a man and throws his body out on the street, where other dead bodies lay.

Suiko and Kourin looked away in disgust. Shingo flinched while Leon continued watching unmoved. The news reporter continued. "The legion continues their search fervently as our master rightfully claims his dominance at the top of Fukuhara building, the landmark where a few of the links once battled and trained. I'm Naomi Saigusa reporting on the street for VTV news. Back to you, Riki."

At the kitchen, Ren was sitting in front of the table as he poured milk on his bowl of cereal. Aichi sat beside him, staring intently at the TV screen on the other room where the others gathered.

"I'm scared, Ren," Aichi said, "for everyone."

"You shouldn't be," Ren replied, taking the spoon beside his bowl and mixing the contents of his cereal, "Blaster Dark and the others will find a way."

"You told us he didn't have a plan," Aichi retorted, "and Void is set to killing us."

"Blaster Dark will have a plan eventually," Ren said, "and so will Blaster Blade. And everything will be okay." He ate his cereal quietly. Ren was terrified. The sight of the dead bodies on the news was enough to make him squirm on his seat. But he couldn't afford to lose hope, let alone let his fear seep through and worry Aichi and the others even more. He turned to the boy and smiled. "Have some cereal. It'll help some."

"I'm not hungry," Aichi responded. Ren pouted. "But… it's Lucky Charms!"

Aichi's expression was serious. "Ren… I know what you're doing. You're just as concerned as any of us here. Your confrontation with Leon made that clear. Please stop worrying about us. We are all strong enough to face this together."

The cheerful child-like look in Ren's face disappeared and he set his cereal aside. He sighed. "Alright then," Ren said, standing from his seat. He walked over to the other side of the counter and pulled out the set of kitchen knives. "These will come in handy," he said, handing some of the smaller ones to Aichi. "The girls have their Tasers and pepper sprays, and we'll have these knives."

Misaki walked down from the stairs, carrying a handful of Lysol. Everyone's eyes were on her.

"I raided the rooms upstairs, if you don't mind," Misaki said to Shingo.

"And you decide to take all the disinfectant sprays in the house?" Shingo said, "Are we going to clean our way to victory?"

Misaki seemed unphased from his remark. "We'll make flamethrowers from these," she explained. After handing everyone a can, she took out a bundle of lighters and placed them on the table. "Everyone should get a lighter. If someone attacks you, light up and spray Lysol against the fire."

Ren placed the kitchen knives he gathered beside the lighters. "Clever, Misaki," Ren complimented as he took a red lighter, "All I thought of were pointy things to poke them with."

Misaki turned to him in shock. "Misaki?" she repeated, "not… Misa-ki?"

Ren tilted his head to the side. "Yes. That is your name, isn't it?"

Misaki smiled at him and took a knife from the counter. "Your idea works too, Ren. We need all the weapons we can get."

Ren nodded in agreement. The rest of the group gathered around the counter and took one of each weapon.

"Shingo," Leon said, "Do you have anything else here that can help us?"

Shingo though for a moment. "Well, I have some pocket knives in storage, and a few screw drivers and scissors. Let me get them from the garage, and I'll bring other things I can find."


Asaka flinched as Luquier brutally whipped a woman to death. She could feel the overwhelming rage the dragon tamer had kept locked up inside her as she continued to strike her victim. Luquier panted as she stood up. The bloodied woman was splayed on the ground, clutching dearly to a fragile, crying infant. The dragon tamer gritted her teeth as she took out a knife from her side. Asaka grabbed her link's wrist before she had the chance to strike again.

"Enough," Asaka demanded, "She is not a link and you know it. You're taking out your anger from our Master's beating on harmless people."

Luquier turned to her furiously. "I don't take orders from you," she snapped.

"And I from you," Asaka said, "but you treat me like I'm one of your servants. You cannot charm me. I am your link. We are equal."

Luquier grabbed her by the collar and pinned her to a tree. "We. Are. Not. Equals." Her voice was low and threatening.

Asaka narrowed her eyes. "What are you going to do, kill me?" she egged. Luquier tightened her grip on the knife she held. The only person who ever challenged her this way was Blaster Dark. To have a mere child speak to her- a Millenia-old elf- like this, was incredibly infuriating. "You've got some gall, kid. I would've killed you a long time ago if not for your connection with me."

"Well then I guess we are at a stand still," Asaka said, "you need me alive, and I need you to listen. First things first, dragon tamer. Put me down."

Luquier grumbled. After a moment's hesitation, she let go of her link and let her fall to the ground. Asaka stood and dusted herself off. "Now then, follow me. I know where to find the links of the rebellion."

"Oh?" Luquier said, "If you had said that in the beginning, I would have followed you a long time ago."

Asaka scoffed. "Tch. No you wouldn't have."

Luquier replaced her knife on her side and walked with her link. "Where exactly are we going?"

"We shall pay Card Capital a visit. It is where a few of the links reside."

The two of them continued on the path silently. Asaka couldn't help but notice the stench of rotting corpse in the sultry air. On every street they passed, a group of Link Jokers were raiding buildings, terrorizing the people they found and leaving them for dead.

"Kid," Luquier said, "you are from this land, yet you seem unphased by what is going on around you. It is clear your devotion to our master stays true, however…" she stopped for a moment before she continued, "I have heard word from the others of your defiance at the sight of two links who were about to perish in the hands of our master."

Asaka's expression hardened. "What of it?"

Luquier stepped in front of her and looked at her straight. "I trust your hiccup will not happen again. Master Void will kill us if your devotion falters once more."

Asaka gritted her teeth. An image of Ren's smile appeared in her mind and she shook her head. "I will kill anyone and everyone, as long as I get what I want," she exclaimed.

"Which is what, exactly?" Luquier pressed.

Asaka turned away from her. "You wouldn't understand. You have a heart of stone."

Luquier observed her link closely and smiled at the realization of what it was about. "Ah," she said, "a maiden in love. Trust me, kid. Love isn't what it seems. It's a poison that consumes you and makes you fall apart."

"You're wrong," Asaka said, "It only hurts if love is unrequited. But with master Void's help, I can finally take away the pain. If he is Reversed, he will be my puppet. He will be mine forever, and the pain in my heart will finally subside. I will kill everyone else so that he will only look at me."

"I see," Luquier chuckled in amusement. "Perhaps we have more things in common than I thought. But unlike you, I'd rather kill him so no one else could have him. Only me."

Asaka proceeded forward with Luquier following beside her. "Your goal is fine, so as long as this boy has nothing to do with our hunt for the links."

Asaka's heart skipped a beat, but she tried her best to remain calm so as not to alert Luquier. "Let's just focus on getting to the shop, shall we?"

The two of them continued on until they finally arrived at the front of the shop. Luquier stared at it intensely. "So this is where the links reside," she said. She stepped closer. "I have nothing on me to break this glass door."

Luquier looked around. A news reporter was sitting by a nearby bench, along with her camera man. Luquier could see that both of them were Reversed. "Perhaps if we borrowed that contraption of theirs and ram it on the glass?"

Asaka shook her head. She walked over to a nearby café with outdoor tables and chairs set up. She dragged one of the chairs to where Luquier stood. Luquier helped Asaka as they lifted the chair together, ramming it hard against the glass door.

The glass shattered, setting off an alarm. Luquier grumbled. "Where is that infuriating noise coming from?" she demanded. Asaka pointed at the small red box that shone brightly on the side of the room. Luquier gritted her teeth. She took out her knife and threw it at the offending item. The knife struck at the heart of the box. It sparked in an instant, and the noise subsided.

Asaka and Luquier proceeded further inside the shop. Luquier couldn't help but notice posters of a card game that featured her home of Cray. "What is this?" she asked, approaching a poster that had the Shadow Paladin Revengers on it, with Blaster Dark in front.

"It's the game we play in our world to make ourselves become the avatar of clans from Cray. Cardfight Vanguard," Asaka explained.

Luquier stared at the other posters. "I see," she said, "and you. Your clan is that of mine?"

Asaka nodded. "Yes. Pale Moon. I use you as my avatar. That's why we became links when you came to this world."

Luquier turned away and spotted a door at the back of the room. She walked over to open the door, revealing a set of stairs. Asaka followed her as she continued to investigate.

The two of them checked the first room to the left. The desk was filled with pictures of Misaki with various people—her uncle, her friends, and her pet cat. Luquier took the photo that featured Misaki with Team Q4, all of whom were smiling in the photo during what Asaka knew was from the beach trip they had spent during the summer.

"Do you know these people?" Luquier asked.

"Yes," Asaka said, "and they are all links."

Luquier suddenly looked tense. She turned her head sharply.

"What's wrong?" Asaka asked. Luquier signaled her to remain quiet. She stealthily proceeded to the next room, with Asaka following her. They stopped in front of another room, with the door closed. Without warning, Luquier kicked the door open. A young boy with dark spiky hair sprung from the dark room, yelling as he struck Luquier with a baseball bat. Luquier side stepped before the bat could hit her and grabbed the boy by the wrist, twisting him so that his arm was behind him. A group of youthful voices whimpered from inside. Asaka stepped in, looked around, and swung the closet door open. A young girl with short, light brown hair and fair skin stared back at her as she trembled with another young girl with long black hair and porcelain skin.

"A-Asaka?" the girl with the brown hair uttered.

Emi, Asaka recognized. She grabbed them both violently and they screamed.

"Emi! Mai!" the boy Luquier held bellowed, "Asaka, please! You can't do this to us!"

Luquier hit the boy hard on the head, and his head fell as his body limped in Luquier's arms.

"Kamui!" Emi cried out, her voice straining. Asaka pulled the drawers open until she found some socks and shoved them in the two girl's mouths.

"Are they links?" Luquier asked.

"The boy. Katsuragi Kamui," Asaka remarked, "and so is this one." She cocked her head toward Emi. "Sendou Emi."

Luquier's eyes widened. "Sendou?" she repeated. A triumphant smile crept in her face. "We might just be on our way to pleasing Master Void, kid."


The group gathered around the living room as they packed some of the bulkier weapons in satchels Shingo had provided, while concealing the smaller ones in their clothes and pockets. The television was still on the news.

"Don't forget to pack these," Ren said, showing the flashlight he had given each of them back at Fukuhara, "they might come in handy again." He then placed his own flashlight in the satchel that now hung over his shoulder.

"What's this?" one of the Anchormen said from the TV, "we have news on the street from Naomi."

The group looked on as the screen shifted to the station's field reporter. Misaki gasped as she saw the Card Capital behind the reporter. Card Capital, the shop she ran with her uncle and the place she called home, had its glass doors shattered.

"Two of Master Void's legion has finally found a couple of links, and the captors would like to say a few words."

Ren's heart sank as the camera moved to the side and revealed Asaka and Luquier, holding a young girl firmly in place with a black tape plastered across her mouth. Aichi stood in panic. "Emi!" he shouted.

Luquier grinned. "Sendou Aichi, come out, come out wherever you are!" she said in a singsong voice. Aichi's hands turned into fists and his face twisted in anger. The dragon tamer giggled as she continued, "show yourself in 24 hours, or your dear sister will suffer. Tick tock. You know where to find us."

The TV screen went black. The group looked at one another. Kourin's trembling hand was clutching the remote, her thumb resting on the power button. "Aichi…"

Aichi grabbed his satchel and stormed out of the room.

"Aichi!"

The blue haired card fighter ignored Kourin's cry and hurried to the front door. He reached for the knob but Leon stepped in front of him.

"Please move," Aichi said sternly.

"You can't go," Leon instructed, "You heard Blaster Dark. We must remain in hiding at all costs."

"No, Leon!" Aichi shouted, "That's my sister! Please step aside!"

"Don't you see? This is a trap," Leon reasoned, "They're using her to get to you, Sendou. If you leave, they'll kill you."

"I don't care!" Aichi spat, his voice shaking as tears fell. He raised his fist at Leon but Kourin and Ren grabbed both his arms to pull him back. "Please, I need to get there!" Aichi shouted as he struggled from their grasp, "They have my sister! They have my sister!"

His struggles and pleas went on but Kourin and Ren held tighter the more he did. There was uneasiness that settled in the air. For a while, only Aichi's exasperated voice echoed throughout the room, while the others lowered their heads and turned away in anguish.

"Please, please…" Aichi panted, his struggles waning. Kourin bit her lip and shut her eyes tightly to clear her blurred vision. Her tears fell while Aichi wept by her side.

"This is for your own good, Sendou," Leon spoke finally, "and for everyone else's, too."

Aichi's body shook as he continued to weep. Kourin and Ren assisted him to the dining room to sit on a chair.

The rest of the group had approached them with equally worried faces. Gradually, Aichi's crying ceased.

"It's getting dark out," Leon announced, "We should all get some rest."

Misaki kept her stare at Aichi. "Someone needs to stay up," she suggested, "for one thing, Aichi might leave. And another, our enemies are right outside these four walls. There's no telling when they'll barge in."

Ren nodded. "I'll take first watch," he volunteered.

"Then it's settled," Leon said, turning to Shingo. "Do you have enough beds to accommodate all of us?"

Shingo thought for a moment. "Well, two can fit on my parent's bed. I have a double decker bed in my room, there's one bed and an additional pull away bed in the guestroom. Oh, and I there is an air mattress I can set up for someone if we need it."

"That's just about enough for us," Suiko chimed in, "I'll sleep on the air mattress. Kourin, Misaki and I will take the master's bed room." Misaki and Kourin nodded in agreement.

"Aichi and I will sleep in the guest room," Ren suggested.

Leon nodded. "Okay. Shingo, I guess that leaves us for your room."

"Okay," Shingo agreed, "I'll get the air mattress set up for you, Suiko," he said, heading up stairs. Leon walked up to follow him. "I'll see you all tomorrow. Good night."

Suiko approached Kourin. "Hey, let's get some rest," she murmured. Kourin looked at Aichi sadly. Slowly, she gave him a warm hug. Aichi lifted his hand to hold her arm firmly.

"Aichi," she crooned, "Everything will be okay. Good night."

Kourin broke off from him and the three girls proceeded upstairs.

"Sweet dreams, everyone!" Ren bade with a smile and wave. Suiko turned to return his smile before she followed the others.

Ren watched until he heard the last door close. He turned to the blue-haired boy, whose head was still hung low. "Hey. Aichi," Ren said, "Let's go."

Aichi looked up at him. "What?"

Ren's expression had the utmost fearlessness. "You want to go to Card Capital, don't you? Well, we have to get out soon, before Leon catches us."

Aichi's face lit up and he stood. "Okay," he said with conviction, "let's go get Emi."