Chapter 21

Name of a Friend

Earlier

Eternity has been defeated. And you probably know what that means, don't you. The General was explaining the current situation to Fate, who had locked himself in a safehouse. Yes, Master. It means that Takumi will be returning here. And then we will have another enemy to face. But to my report, yes.

Kyo and Ren are here, busy searching for me. They found some of our agents, but my location is currently unknown. However, I cannot begin any operations before they leave the area. Thinking for a while, the leader made his choice. I understand the situation. You are becoming a threat for my secrecy, and you know what must be done. Complete the rite now.

After that the connection was cut short. He will do it, said the assistant who had been monitoring the situation. His mind is so fixated on serving you that he will consider it a honor to give his own life. But boss, you seemed to react strangely when Ren was mentioned? He did not react in any way, but perhaps something subconscious happened, as the man continued: Hit the nail, I did. The Dark World is under our control, but the Council is hard to keep under control. And the lost lamb is important for that purpose, I guess.

Have you been spying on my plans? shouted the General. No way, man. Just been checking your reactions and reading the mood of the council. I even have a pretty good guess about the girl's identity. But how about I go and fetch her, and then you can thank me later, dude. With the last comment the analyst was very close to the line where he would have received divine judgement. My other followers respect me, but this guy...I'll give you a chance. Go there and capture the girl. Do not kill her, do not direct their attention towards this place. If you manage to bring her back, then I will rethink on our deal.

Old Domino City

Another false lead. Hisao had tried to find the resonance of Despair multiple times, but had run into a trap every time. Fate was somewhere in here, but it was impossibly hard to pinpoint the location. How about you, Ren? Did you remember anything? The girl had followed him on the trip, after Kagami and Chiyo had changed her clothing into something more..commonplace. The silvery hair still attracted attention, but not as much as her normal attire.

No. Ren is still confused. The girl had confided to him about the earlier visions, but while ominous, they still revealed nothing. Don't worry, we will find out sooner or later. Kyo kept tapping on the computer project, which had begun from the need to find out whether Mister Fate had begun advertising his services. From there, he had extended his search, until he had found a certain message.

Conspiracy theories. He was used to reading stories about some famous actor faking his death and living in a squirrel-operated spaceship, so the story he was reading now seemed actually logical.

A man telling a story of his dead sister. A 12-year old who had died in a hospital because of a mysterious disease. The symptoms...her soul was removed. And then her body had disappeared irght afterwards. Before the illness, the girl had visited an abandoned building with some of her friends, who had also vanished later. At this point the writer stopped listing the facts and begun wild accusations. He claimed that they had been infected by a secret bio-weapon, thus explaining the mysterious deaths and the reason to have the bodies taken away. Perhaps they found the Despair hideout, and the General commanded them to be executed. But what did they do to them?

After reaching this point in text, the images of the disappeared girls were open to see. And one of the faces was very familiar to Kyo. That's Ren! The face was mostly the same, but the hair was not her normal silvery. And below the image was her name which removed all suspicions. Yoshiharu Ren. Is that me? Ren was looking at her image the scene, her mind once again trying to regain the wiped memories. He did not want to say anything to break her concentration, and thus the situation continued. Until Ren begun to shake, her legs giving out. No. I'm so close, but I can't find them.

The voice was now panicked: What are you doing to me? What is that device? This was followed by Ren letting out a horrid scream and then fainting. Did she remember something horrible? Maybe..her own death? Kyo carried her to the bed, before contacting Hisao who was currently seeking Fate. Despair has operations near the city hospital, so can you scan the area? After using the link he moved the laptop over to the bed and resumed reading the site, continuing his search for the news about his sister.

There were multiple theories about the disappearance. Well, the entire setup was like a dream for a conspiracy theorist. After winning a big tournament, a well-known person stays in a hotel for a night. On the following day, a body of someone who leaped from the roof is found outside. The victim is the correct age, is wearing her uniform and the body is damaged beyond recognition. All the luggage still remains in the room. But then the police finds out that the girl outside was not who they suspected. So what has happened?

A planar did it, so of course it looks crazy to a mundane. But are there any sightings? He kept reading the file, but did not get far until Hisao returned the contact. I found Fate! But Quake is here, hunting for him as well. Please come over to the hospital now, Master. Ren was still asleep, but the boy knew that he couldn't let this moment go to waste. Sorry..I'll be back soon.

Safehouse

So you knew about this place. I guess I shouldn't be suprised at all. Fate was looking away from the intruder, speaking towards the reflection in the window. You want to defeat the General, right? And that's why you are here. The woman was leaning against the opposite wall, looking bored. Yep, you got it all right. now you could just tell me where you keep your soul shard. Fate did not react to these words, but then turned slowly. I gave it to the General, so that I can become one of his Enforcers. Even if this body breaks, I shall not end my servitude. So, shall we begin our duel? Or do you want anything before that?

Quake watched the man, feeling strange respect for him. You are just as loyal as I heard. It would be a shame to torture you, so I shall give you a easy death. Both sides then activated their magic, Fate taking the initiative. She's not a Chosen of Hope, so I can alter my normal spells. With an unnoticeable move, he stacked his deck, placing all five pieces of the Forbidden One atop the deck. All I need to do is to draw my starting hand, and I win. His hand moved to draw a card, but then he felt horrid pain. Leaves broke through his skin along with vines emerging from his palm. Quake twisted the flow of magic once, and two fingers were fractured.

No cheap tricks, Mister. Fair play or else I will do the trick to your head. The flowers wilted as Fate reshuffled his deck, this time without any tricks. I had to try. Well, I got two pieces in this hand. He looked at the opponent, thinking I guess I have to play "that". Armageddon Knight (1400 ATK) then appeared, followed by a set card. The dark warrior took a pose, and Fate sent Left Arm of the Forbidden One to the graveyard.

I think you have heard about this card. I activate my Ever-Growing Forest and follow it up with Diabolic Growth. [Q: 4000-1000=3000 LP] As Quake activated the card, two counters were placed on the field spell card. Next, I will be summoning Red Rose Battler [1400+200*2=1800 ATK], which will attack your monster. But as the two swords calashed, the Armageddon Knight was sucked back into Fate's hand. My Relieve Monster bounces my monster, but then I must summon another in it's place. Go, Card Trooper (400 DEF). The machine did not have time to appear fully before the plant had impaled it. I set a card and end my turn.

By the way, I gave some hints to Hope, so they will be coming here soon. Just thought to warn you. Fate smiled when he answered: Thanks, but I got it covered. I have some guardsmen out there, but they were instructed to let you pass. We will finish this in peace.

Kozaky's Lab

So, what is going on in the dark world? Kyo explained me some things, but not everything. Can you fill in the details? Azoth was talking to Kozaky as Chiyo looked through the array of trap cards. Well, do you know how Dark World operates? By the power of the strong, yes. And the strongest spirits are the ones that make all the decisions. Belial, Demise, Ruin, Ha Des and so on. What I think has happened is that Despair has managed to convince some of them to their side. The rest have been captured and removed from the equation. Thus, everything looks normal but Despair manipulates everything from the shadows.

Remember what Quake said? They need a power focused on destruction to break the seals. Chiyo was now thinking. Demise, perhaps? The King of Armageddon might be powerful enough to do it, couldn't he. The ninja tried to think of as suitable reply, but could not find any. That might be actually true. So, what can we do now?

We can try to find holes in their defenses. They settled to the Dark World so recently that they most likely have some problems with security. Then, we wait until we have Takumi, Kyo and Ren back and stage a raid. That was the final word of that conversation. Everyone returned to silent thinking, trying to find a way. Perhaps the two bring new information from the Old Domino, said the Guardian. After all, I trust the boy. When I told him to abandon Ren, I did it as a test. And his reaction told me all I needed to know. He is strong.

Hotel

When Ren recovered, she still remembered nothing. But she could now understand why. There was a barrier inside her mind, sealing them away. But Kyo was gone and so was Hisao, so she would have to wait until someone else could use a spell to pry open the seal. Unless... she slowly moved her hand towards her face, focusing a drill of spiraling energy around two extended fingers.

I wouldn't do that. A black gate opened in the air, and a man stepped out of it. Boss made that thing, and it only opens with a key. But if you want one, challenge me. He spun a magical construct in the air, before banish it again. How about it, girl? You win your memories, I win your freedom. No souls on the line, send the enemy to 0 life points to claim your price. Good deal, right?

Ren will accept! As the girl shouted that, the room begun to darken. Ok then, let me show you my skills. I am Impulse, the top Enforcer of Despair.

On the next step of the Journey:

Power of Exodia?

Flame of Despair!

Chapter 22-Mind Crush

Cards in this Chapter:

Diabolic Growth

Normal Spell

Pay 1000 life points, and add 2 Growth counters to a Ever-Growing Field Spell you control.