Chapter 21: Wavering Resolve
"How are you doing?"
Numbers' voice startled Hillary out of her daze. She forced a smile and looked up at her friend. She still wore her blue Academy jacket; she hadn't taken it off once since arriving at the Pantheon.
"Sorry about that. I was just off in la-la land for a moment."
Numbers chuckled at the comment, but she read more into it. She sat down near Hillary and asked, "This is your first time dealing with anything Shadow Realm-related, isn't it?"
Hillary nodded. "I honestly thought it was all just urban legends. I never believed all those stories about people with magic powers and duels that ended with one person dying or in a coma. It just defies physics."
"It defies known physics," Numbers corrected her. "The Shadow Realm is like another plane of existence. I don't really understand it, but that's because you have to know physics on a quantum level, and I don't. All I really know is what it feels like."
"Really?" Hillary heard Bryan and Lucy and Mitsuro talk about being held within the Shadow Realm constantly, but Numbers never mentioned it before. "What did you have to do with the Shadows?"
"Well, two years ago, when the god cards opened a gateway to the Shadow Realm and invited every student who lost a duel to enter, I thought I could stop it. I figured, 'They're just cards; I'll beat them the same way I beat everyone.'"
"How'd that work out?"
"I tried confronting a guy who obtained all three Sacred Beast Cards. I nearly had him beat, but he managed to stop my Yata-Lock strategy and send my mind to the Shadow Realm."
Hillary was almost afraid to ask, "What was that like?"
Numbers recounted the horrific image of seeing her closest school friends fall into deep comas around campus after encountering the god cards. The medical center was flooded with students plugged into IV fluid drips, and the gymnasium floor was crowded with scared students, each unsure what caused this epidemic illness and concerned for the ultimate fate of the school. It was pure chance that brought Numbers to face off against Julian Keene. She went to the library for a new book to read and caught sight of someone who wasn't a student or a staff member. She never figured out what he was doing there, but she followed him back to the Medici Building and found out he had all three Sacred Beast Cards.
After she lost the duel, Numbers felt the Shadows consume her mind. She found herself wandering the Duel Academy campus in perennial darkness, and each of her friends turned into a bat person.
"Bat people?" Hillary repeated.
Numbers looked offended. "Don't laugh. They scare the crap out of me! And they were everywhere. The entire time I was in the Shadow Realm, my friends turned into bat people and chased me around, trying to eat me. It didn't matter where I hid because they have incredible senses of smell."
Hillary gasped and covered her mouth. "That sounds horrible."
"It was. I almost didn't return to Duel Academy after that." She sighed, forcing a smile at what she was about to say. "I tried so hard to make it seem like I wasn't bothered by it. I wouldn't want the others to know I still have nightmares about it to this day."
"I won't tell," she promised.
Numbers nodded slowly and looked Hillary right in the eye. "I really don't want to force your involvement in this mess. I would love it if you never had to deal with the Shadow Realm. But it doesn't look like that is likely an option. There are four of us left, and three dangerous opponents; plus, I think Pegasus is going to duel anyone leftover." She shrugged. "Maybe I'm wrong, but here's what I'm thinking:
"Bryan definitely wants to duel Salman. If Salman uses Uria, then maybe Bryan will be the only one who can. I want to duel Elaine. I think I know what her trick is and I might have a way to beat it that you or Lucy would have trouble attempting. But here's the real kicker: Bryan says Rachel might have the ability to manipulate our emotions."
"Really? How?"
"I don't know how. I just know what. Lucy said that Rachel's power almost made her fall in love with Sora, and she made both Mitsuro and Darius quit their duels against her by playing on their emotions." She hesitated before adding, "I'm afraid that she will find a way to play on my fear of the Shadow Realm. If she does that, there's no way I can beat her. Neither Lucy nor I are suited to battling her."
Hillary put it all together. "Don't worry. I'll duel her."
"Are you sure?" Numbers asked, not sounding surprised or objecting. "She might locate your greatest fears and insecurities and play them up big time."
Hillary motioned broadly to emphasize the wheelchair where she sat. "I've been in a wheelchair since I was a toddler. I've spent my whole life dealing with my greatest insecurity. What else can she do to me?"
Numbers smiled and gave her a hug around the shoulders. "Just know that I am right behind you the whole time."
"Thanks. But it's time for me to do my part in standing up against the darkness."
Old-fashioned research was hard. Reading book after book with words that have six syllables and pages that nearly crumbled at the touch… The only thing more difficult was listening to Sora complain about it the whole time.
"What do you really think we're going to find in here?" he asked Mitsuro. They were digging through Starza's office and reading the research materials she brought to the office. In all honesty, Mitsuro just hoped that something would pop out at her; she wasn't sure if this kind of research would produce any fruits.
"Just keep reading," she commanded. "Find anything that sounds like what Starza and Salman talked to you about. There's got to be some connection between this mess. I refuse to believe it is pure coincidence that the Ghost Duelist on campus became more active just before we get invited to Santa Barbara's Tower of the Shadow Realm. There's a connection somewhere. We just have to find it."
"And how come he gets the computer?" Sora pointed over to Darius, who was busy searching through Starza's computer files with the same goal in mind.
"He needs the internet to translate for him. English isn't even his second language; it's his third."
Sora sneered. "Yeah, I remember."
Just the previous afternoon, Sora told Mitsuro and Darius everything he knew about Salman's plans. Everything came down to purifying the world by bringing god back into the world.
"God spoke to us," Salman claimed. At the time, he was referring to Starza as a partner. "He told us the world is so full of sin and evil that humanity can only be saved through reunification with God himself. To that end, we have selected you as our Four Horsemen."
"What does that mean?" Sora asked snidely. He didn't understand this offer for power. He could already read minds; how much more power did he need?
Starza explained, "God cannot freely cross over dimensional divides. Long ago, humans attempted to make direct contact with the gods. They built giant towers and practiced mystical rituals. In order to keep people from reaching the gods, magical seals were put in place. Those seals keep us from reaching the gods and the gods from coming back to us. We have to break them."
"That sounds like fun," Elaine spoke. "Changing the world through magic. We may be the only ones capable of it."
"We are," Starza agreed.
Rachel wondered, "How do we break the seals? What does that entail?"
"It will be tricky," Salman answered, "because it requires instilling the seals within a human body. The seals will offer you small portions of the power of God. The only way for them to be broken is during a magical ritual." He produced a deck of cards in his hand. "A duel is perfect. It is the easiest ritual to enact, and it directly pits one person's spiritual energy against yours. If that person can overpower you, then the seal will be broken and we will be one step closer to releasing God into this world."
"That seems easy," Rachel suggested. "All we have to do is start a duel and then lose."
Starza disagreed. "It's not so easy. Once you have the power of God's seal, any magical ritual will compel you to use your full strength."
"Piece of cake," Sora remarked dryly. "We just have to find a duelist who is actually able to beat me. And them. Do you even realize how few people have ever beaten me?"
Salman smiled. "Fortunately, other talented duelists were invited to study within the Thelemic Pantheon. Perhaps they will possess the levels of strength we need."
Despite the plan working out exactly, Sora's pride was still affected by it. He muttered, "I can't believe I ended up losing to the Greek."
Mitsuro asked, "Do you have any idea how racist that sounds?"
"I do not interpret it that way," Darius argued. "He lost to me because he does not understand Greek. He is simply disappointed by that fact."
"'Disappointed' doesn't even begin to describe it," Sora replied. "Definitely closer to 'pissed off.'"
Darius looked at him for a moment, but then he stopped himself as a look of realization passed over his face. "Right. I have heard that expression before. I always have to remind myself it is an expression. It is a very strange one and easy to make jokes about."
"None of them clichés, I'm sure."
"Shut up and read," Mitsuro scolded him.
Hillary glanced at Salman as she prepared her Duel Disk across the desk on her wheelchair. He looked tall and scary—very intimidating. He was a totally different person from the first day he introduced himself.
But her attention focused on Rachel. Wearing coordinated black and silver with purple bangles and necklaces, she carried a certain spooky aura about herself. Her face was perfectly expressionless, however—completely soothing. She almost gave the impression that she didn't know what was going to happen. Hillary found it hard to believe this unimposing girl could be a harbinger of darkness.
"I'm glad you made it here okay," Rachel spoke.
She was starting right off the bat. Hillary felt the way that comment was supposed to hit her—like she was an invalid who couldn't get around by herself. Maybe it was an accident, but Hillary felt that pang of self-consciousness strike her like it did so many times in her youth.
"I am, too," she replied heartily. She put on a big, friendly smile for Rachel. "These elevator rooms are a little confusing, aren't they? This morning, the hall was mauve. Who picked the color scheme?"
A smile slowly crept across Rachel's lips. She wasn't easily rattled, and neither was Hillary. This match was even.
"I'll start with my deck's key card—Bountiful Artemis (4/1600/1700)," Hillary said. A majestic archangel appeared on the field, cloaked in purple. "Now I'll set three cards and end my turn."
"Three defensive cards," Rachel commented. "A predictable strategy coming from one who plays with Counter Traps."
"Then you should know how to beat me." Hillary tried to look smug when she spoke. Maybe the best way to beat someone who could prey on her fears was to egg her on.
"Let's see."
As soon as she drew her card, the holographic image of her Duel Disk fell apart. "That's my card Drastic Drop Off," Hillary explained. "You immediately must discard the card you just drew."
"Very well," Rachel consented. As she tossed her card to the Graveyard, she commented, "You must not have much of a strategy ready if a small hand advantage makes you that happy."
"I'm easily amused," Hillary answered. "Life throws lemons all the time; best to enjoy each success as it comes, no matter how small." She smiled as Bountiful Artemis began to shine and gave her an additional card from the deck.
With a nod, Rachel continued. "Lemons, indeed. I'll summon Nova Summoner (4/1400/800)." Descending through a bright light was an archangel shaped like a wreath. A green gem in the center of the wreath shone brightly across the field. "And now I'll activate Creature Swap."
Just as an arrow appeared underneath Nova Summoner and began to curl around the field, Hillary countered, "I'll play Dark Bribe." An opulently-dressed man slipped a gold coin into Rachel's deck; the arrow stopped moving and immediately faded away. "Your Spell is negated and you draw a card instead." Bountiful Artemis began to shine again, and Hillary added, "I get to draw another card, too."
"Good. You're playing a very convincing duel." Still fairly expressionless, Rachel finished by setting one card facedown.
"Nice try," Hillary said. "If I hadn't negated Creature Swap, you could have done a number on my Life Points."
"Luckily for you, you have a rudimentary understanding of Trap Cards."
It occurred to Hillary just at that moment how out of practice she was with smack talk. She was trying to antagonize Rachel, but the Gothic girl was able to be so much more offensive with so much less effort. Hillary had seen Bryan mock other duelists and get them riled up. If she wanted to be really offensive, she'd have to be more like him.
"Alright, then," she decided, feeling foolish for how loudly she spoke. Attempting to be boisterous, she said, "It's time to open a little bit of butt-kicking on your donut-shaped monster."
Rachel smirked. "I think the expression you're shooting for is 'open a can of whup-ass.'"
"Right," Hillary said. She felt her cheeks flush and really hoped no one could see her. Blushing didn't help her antagonizing image. She decided to regroup by dueling to distract from her failed idiom.
"I'll summon Harvest Angel of Wisdom (4/1800/1000)." An archangel resembling a golden man stepped onto the field with a harvest horn in hand. She considered the field temporarily but had no easy way to remove Rachel's Trap. She decided to try playing that up. "Your facedown card might be really dangerous and I have no way to remove it, but what the heck? I'll attack anyway."
"Heck?" Rachel repeated as Harvest Angel blew his horn and the sound waves shattered Nova Summoner (1400). "You're a real potty mouth. Is your strategy to make me laugh? Maybe you should stick to the quiet, unimposing personality. It seems to suit you better."
She further pointed to the field. "Anyway, destroying Nova Summoner lets me summon a new, low-power angel from my deck. I'll summon Herald of Orange Light (2/300/500)." This monster was an orange crystal pouring a warm, orange glow across the field. It seemed like the opposite of a move made by a villain.
Suddenly the orange glow turned dull and pale. Watching the light from the crystal, Hillary lost sight of everything around her. Her environment was replaced by shadows. She felt very cold, and she noticed the goose bumps when she tried to warm herself.
"What's going on?"
"It's called a Shadow Game," Rachel explained. "Maybe you can resist my provocations, but you will not resist the Shadows."
Was she right? Could Hillary's years of inspirational quotes and reminding herself of her self-worth be stronger than the kind of dark magic that made even someone like Numbers shiver in fear? Or would the Shadow Realm crush her like it did so many others?
"I'm not scared," she claimed. "It's all a mind game."
"Life is a mind game. Now make your move."
Hillary almost forgot about the duel. The Shadows frightened her—she felt alone without the ability to see Numbers in the wings—and she was coming to terms with the fact that she wasn't very skilled at smack talk. She had too sweet a disposition. Playing mind games with Rachel wouldn't work. She'd have to win this duel the old-fashioned way.
"Fine. I apologize for trying to mess with you. But you're right; I'm comfortable with who I am."
"So comfortable you thought you had to mimic Bryan to win."
Hillary had to squeeze the arm of her chair to avoid letting Rachel rattle her. The Shadows seemed to be strengthening Rachel's ability. Each time she spoke, Hillary felt like someone else was reaching into her heart and turning a dial on her emotions. She suppressed it so far, but she felt her patience wearing thin and her temper taking its place. She'd be best suited to finishing the duel quickly.
"Bountiful Artemis (1600) still hasn't attacked, so she'll attack Herald of Orange Light (300)." The archangel shone bright blue, and beams of light burst from its hands and cut through the darkness and the glowing, orange crystal. "I'll set one more card and end my turn."
Hillary 8000: Rachel 8000 – 400 – 1300 = 6300.
"I'll start by activating Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen." The floor began to vibrate in anticipation of the rising of the great hall where deceased heroes prepared for the End of Days.
"Magic Drain," Hillary countered. An undead spirit appeared behind Rachel and wrapped his arms around her, absorbing the magical energy that her body exuded. "Your Spell is negated, unless you want to discard a second Spell."
"Yes," Rachel agreed as she discarded Sanctuary in the Sky.
Hillary was a little displeased, but there was a silver lining. "Either way, Artemis gives me another card, and you lost an extra card. Hand advantage is clearly mine in this game."
"Let's hope it lasts you. I'll use Valhalla's effect to summon Tethys, Goddess of Light (5/2400/1800)." A white light exploded from Rachel, parting the Shadows and revealing a winged woman with white hair dressed in the same color robes.
"I'll play Solemn Judgment," Hillary declared. From above the field, an old, sage-like man appeared in the clouds with two angelic women close behind. "For half my Life Points, your summoning is negated and your monster is destroyed." The bearded sage raised his arm toward Tethys and banished her immediately to the Graveyard.
"You gave up half your Life Points for that?"
"Gladly," Hillary acknowledged. "Life Points change all the time, but now you have no monsters and my advantage is huge."
"That's true," Rachel commented dryly. "I'll activate Call of the Haunted." A headstone appeared on her field, and a purple mist rose from the grave beneath. Suddenly Tethys, Goddess of Light (2400) reappeared. "Care to counter that? Oh, right. You have no more facedown cards."
Hillary braced herself. She already inflicted a great deal of damage to herself, and it didn't pay off quite the way she hoped it would. There was a good chance now she bit off more than she could chew.
Stop that, she snapped to herself. You can't think like that. That's how she'll win. The Shadows were playing with her, making her experience emotions alien to her during a typical duel. She began to understand why so many people played their cards as if this were not a game; once the Shadows find a foothold in one's mind, that person changes. One never fully returns from the Shadows.
"Make your move," she finally said with a smile on her face. "Whatever it is, I'll recover. I've still got a tremendous card advantage over you.
"Too true," Rachel muttered. It hardly even sounded like a put down.
Tethys hovered just above the floor and arched her back heavily. A bright light emerged from her chest and fired at Bountiful Artemis, piercing the archangel and shattering it into pieces.
As soon as her monster shattered, Hillary felt intense sadness fall upon her heart. She felt the tears form at the corners of her eyes and she wanted nothing more than to break down and mourn the loss of her monster. But a deep breath, a forced smile, and realization that this was her very first Shadow Game calmed her almost instantly.
"Shadow Games get intense, don't they?"
Rachel just smirked. "It's your turn."
Hillary 8000 – 4000 – 800 = 3200: Rachel 6300.
Hillary's hand was big and offered a variety of options, but the monster she really hoped to summon by protecting her monsters was currently beyond her reach. She needed two Tributes, but only one was currently available. But there is always more than one way to summon a monster…
"I'll activate Trade-In." She held up a card from her hand and slid it into the Graveyard. "By discarding an eight-star monster, I get to draw two cards." A bronze statue of a generic fairy sat on the field, exchanged in thin air for two gold coins. Hillary smiled with her hand. "Now I'll spend just a few more Life Points—specifically by playing Premature Burial to revive Splendid Venus (8/2800/2400)."
The legendary angel descended onto Hillary's field, with four white wings and baked in a golden light. She wore a long, flowing dress coated only by bases and a breastplate, and she carried a gem-capped scepter by her side. Her presence caused the darkness to recede and provided Hillary with a slight barrier.
"Splendid Venus is my trump card," Hillary said proudly. "As long as she's here, my card effects can't be negated." With a smile, she said, "Now it's time to return some of the Life Point damage." Venus thrust her staff forward, and a sheer blast of light waves overran Tethys (2400) and dissolved her into the air. "Harvest Angel (1800) will also attack." The golden man blew his horn again, and a blast of sound waves collided with Rachel directly. "I'll set two more cards and end my turn."
Hillary 3200 – 800 = 2400: Rachel 6300 – 400 – 1800 = 4100.
Rachel wasn't bother by Venus's light; in fact, she seemed more in her element than when the Shadows engulfed the field. She was ready for this situation.
"There are exactly four fairies in my Graveyard," she pointed out. "That's why I can summon Archlord Kristya (8/2800/2300) without Tributes." The archangel was humanoid, with a body like white crystal and wings red with a mix of light and shadow. "And when she's summoned, a fairy comes back from the Graveyard to my hand."
"Not this time," Hillary countered. The sky above her crackled loudly as a bolt of lightning struck Archlord Kristya and shattered her body. "By discarding one card from my hand, Divine Wrath negates your monster's effect and destroys her."
"I expected as much. Now I have exactly five monsters in my Graveyard, so I can play Pot of Avarice." A silver urn, speckled with gaudy jewels, stuck out its tongue from its large face studded with jeweled teeth. Five cards from the Graveyard entered the urn's opening and two cards emerged with its tongue. "My five monsters go back to the deck and I draw two cards instead." She looked over potentially the last cards of the duel and smiled.
"Using Valhalla's effect, I'll summon Airknight Parshath (5/1900/1000) to the field." A centaur galloped onto the field—half man and half stallion. He wore blue and gold armor laced with wings all around. He carried a sword in one hand and a shield in his other. "Finally, I can summon Herald of Orange Light (2/300/400)." Once again, the orange crystal that brought the Shadows reappeared on the field, allowing more Shadows to pour from its surface. "And now I'll tune them."
The orange crystal settled into the centaur's chest and resonated with its host. Both monsters became pure light and transformed into a large, white, serpentine dragon. A yellow mane flowed off its head as the dragon roared and sent shockwaves across the field. The roar seemed to make it stronger. "Ancient Sacred Wyvern (7/+3800/2000) is my trump card, and she grows ever stronger as my Life Points grow higher than yours."
Unfortunately, Hillary couldn't counter this card; her other Trap was Call of the Haunted. She was forced to watch as the mighty dragon breathed a sharp beam of light that pierced Venus and caused the light inside her to explode.
"That ends my turn."
Hillary 2400 – 1000 = 1400: Rachel 4100.
Without Venus to protect her, the Shadows moved even closer to Hillary, washing over her wheelchair and threatened to consume her if that Wyvern landed one more powerful blow. She felt the fear pull on her as her mind began to show her the image of that dragon's teeth consuming her in a single bite, wheelchair and all.
"Call of the Haunted," she pleaded, and her Trap rose. In an instant, Splendid Venus (2800) was back on the field shining her protective light on Hillary. Suddenly she felt much warmer and calmer.
"Afraid of the dark?" Rachel jided.
"I'll be fine."
"You wasted your revival card on a monster I already beat."
"I did not."
Rachel smirked. "Oh? Is she suddenly stronger this time? My Wyvern (+ 4800) certainly is."
Hillary looked at Venus. Despite her brilliance, she was exactly the same as a moment earlier when she was destroyed. "She's the same."
"Oh. Then you must have some other strategy that you didn't try last time."
"Maybe," Hillary said. "I haven't drawn yet." She brought her hand to her deck, but then she hesitated.
"Don't quit now. Your friends at Duel Academy are known for being able to draw specific cards in clutch moments." The darkness grew heavy around her. "You're not known for anything. No one outside of the school even knows who you are. Do you really belong with that group, or are you just a throw-away?"
"Stop it."
"You're hardly a real duelist. Just a little girl whose wheelchair prevented her from joining her friends in the games all growing children play. The Shadows reveal your fear and anxiety. Here is where you see who you truly are."
Hillary's hand held steady next to her deck. She closed her eyes for a moment only to look up and gaze upon Splendid Venus, shining brightly in the midst of the Shadows despite being surrounded and overpowered. Seeing her powerful monster resisting the darkness and protecting her from it gave her a feeling of hope.
"We're not done yet," she whispered to her monster, and finally she pulled her next card from the deck.
"Venus, attack Ancient Sacred Wyvern!"
"Seriously?"
Hillary smiled. "Splendid Venus protects me from your dark energy, and now Honest will protect her from your dragon." Hillary discarded from her hand, and a man wearing blue robes appeared behind Venus. His wings were even larger than hers, and he generated his own light that merged with Venus. "When I discard Honest, my light monster gains the same power as any monster she attacks. Now Venus (+7600) is stronger." Venus thrust her scepter and smothered Rachel's Wyvern with her light energy.
Rachel endured Venus's runoff power as the Shadows parted. "Impressive."
"It's over," Hillary pointed out. She used her index finger and showed Rachel where to find the golden body of Harvest Angel of Wisdom. "It looks like my friends aren't all that far ahead of me, are they?" When Harvest Angel blew his horn, Venus blasted the darkness and the Shadows washed over Rachel, consuming her body and swallowing her whole.
Fairies are a tough brand for me, but that still didn't take as long as recovering from the last tag duel. I see three remaining chapters in this mini-arc. In the next chapter, Numbers will attempt to unveil Elaine's ability and figure out a way to win in spite of it. On the other side, Darius will stumble on some startling information about the Thelemic Pantheon and its origins.
Credits:
Darius Mantzios...tiramisu19
Jason Maxim...Maxim and Knight
Nathan Zislaw...Mavrik Zero
Hillary Delaney...Nodqfan144
Lili Von...Happy2BMe
Carter Jade...Jaden2010
Mitsuro Itachu & Sora Mikano...Titanic X
Sean Bivins...DarkVestroia2
Ivy Roaks...Mental Panda
Hayley Wilson...TeamRocketDiva
Maikeru Stone...onyxshade7
Victor Rocks & Abel Shinzou...Iron-Arm-V
Alister Kazama & Jessica Parks...ZaneKazama001
Synthia Spencer...Madly Chessur
Leila & Linear Lockhart & Azure Windwalker...Windraider
Logan Wilson...MercWithTheMouth13
Allen Tebaro...Nouva17
Tai Ishihara...ZAFT Prime
Cain Valin...FE96jAFFAR
Kusuma Megumi & Ringo Takagame...VStriker
Rachel Avila...Amourenvie
Starza's Magic: The Gathering deck...drake202
Everyone else so far...YamiRuss