So many reasons we believe,

(We see Evan, Elizabeth, Avice and Oni and standing outside the city and looking at the sunrise.)

in the good of every heart.

(Reiji is shown watching the same scenario from his office.)

No matter what the world,

(Kurosaki is shown dueling viciously in Neo Heartland City.)

may perceive as "truth",

(Serena appears in a corridor, remembering about Academia and the invasion of Heartland City.)

How do we know which road to take,

(Yugo is riding his D-Wheel through the frozen area of Quartet of Quandry, and Clear Wing flies over him.)

when temptation leads the way.

(A silhouette of Yuri and Starve Venom appear.)

Follow our virtue.

(A red, green, blue, and pink blade of a Duel Disk are ignited at the same time.)

Where it wii lead us .

(We see that the blades belong to Evan, Avice, Elizabeth and Oni respectively as they run off into the stadium.)

As the story goes!

(Shun, Ventus, Koharu and Levant are all dueling someone with Raidraptor - Rise Falcon, Heroic Champion – Excalibur, and King of Dreams, Hope standing beside their respective duelist.)

Shrouded in mystery!

(Nightshroud's mask, falls and the screens turns black before it shows the back of a Slifer Red student.)

Fate bestowing down upon me strength to carry through!

(A badly beaten Elizabeth and Tempest Sina stand alongside each other as they look up and see one red and one green pendulum swinging over them. Elizabeth smiles.)

Scarlet, hear me now!

(Evan and Avice look at each other, then they are replaced by Chrono Phantomus and Sola Starlit doing the same.)

This is my vow to you!

(Evan and Avice raise their hands simultaneously toward the sun.)

Light will shed hope on our forsaken souls!

(Two dots appear on the sun, slowly they grow larger, revealing themselves to be Chrono Phantomus and Sola Starlit who fly down from the sky.)

(As the instrumental goes are show shots of Yuya dueling Hikaru, Gong versus a hooded Synchro duelist, Avice versus Yugo and ChronoDevil Mystic-Flare Dragon roaring at Evil HERO Inferno Wing.)

Through every sign is pointing me away

(Elizabeth watches in horror as Berserk Phantomus brutally destroys several monsters)

the question still remains

(Elizabeth takes a step back and summons Tempest Sina with several Oracle Sister monsters.)

Are they visions that you see

(We are then shown that this whole scene happens in a ruined Miami City.)

in panic and uncertainty?

(Elizabeth sends Tempest Sina and the Oracle Sisters to crash with Berserk Phantomus and the ChronoDevils.)

Another voice is telling me to stay.

(Next, Evan and the Slifer Red student are standing back to back with their hoods on, Chrono Phantomus and the silhouette of a dragon, mimicking their respective duelist's stance in the background.)

Have faith inside of you.

(Avice puts a hand over her chest and closes her eyes.)

Don't run from the reality that stands before you.

(When she opens them again, she is dueling in the Miami Championship with Astral Angel Golden Knight by her side.)

Give me the wisdom to unravel every tangled thread,

(Elizabeth is holding both hands over her chest and a single tear runs down her cheek while Yuki, Sunny and Hema looks over her.)

running within my every vein.

(Avice is holding a white flower while the spirit of Sola Starlit has her arms wrapped around the girl.)

Save me from silence drowning me inside of my head,

(Oni is shown alone and on her knees with the spirit of her ace, Hallow Perla, trying to reassure her.)

before the remedy is forever lost again.

(Evan's eyes glow purple, Foxy and Wolfy stand beside him with their eyes glowing as well.)

As the story goes!

(Evan, Avice, Oni, Elizabeth, Koharu, Levant, Yuya and Shun are standing against a group of duelists lead by Hikaru and a boy in black armor.)

Fallen in history!

(Chrono Phantomus dodges Starve Venom's tail and pushes the dragon back as Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir flies in.)

Heaven shining down upon the courage to pursue!

(Cuts between Yuki and Sunny summon a monster in their respective duel; the former in a battle royal with Koharu, Serena and the hooded Slifer Red student, while the latter's duelist isn't shown.)

Scarlet, hear me now!

(A demonic Evan with glowing purple eyes and an angelic Avice with floating white hair are standing against one another.)

This is my vow to you!

(Berserk Phantomus and Sola Electraare shown with a dark and light aura respectively as their attacks hit one another causing the screen to turn white.)

Night will soon end on our forsaken souls!

(The screen zooms out to show a single white flower lying between Sola Starlit and Avice, and Evan and Chrono Phantomus, all of which are lying sideways underneath the night sky.)


What the Future Withholds

Avice's POV

"Ah… Ha…" After Yuya's second look-alike showed up my body started to feel like it was on fire. I clutched my chest and tried to focus even though my vision started to get blurry. That look-alike must have a dragon as well, its presence was probably the reason why my body and my Astral Angel cards were reacting like this. All of their voices meet inside my head, I could hear Odd-Eyes, Dark Rebellion and another voice all calling out toward me, trying to order me around. Or, was that their way to beg for help?

"Little one, give us the power of darkness again!"

"Make us one again!"

"We want to be whole again!"

They keep asking me fuse them together, make them whole, but I had no idea what that was supposed to mean. Their voices just kept echoing inside my head, like whispers from a long forgotten nightmare. In return to their request I could feel that my Astral Angels were feeling a very strong condemnation toward the monsters. My cards… they seemed to believe that Odd-Eyes, Dark Rebellion and the other one were all too weak and didn't deserve any help. Well, I had to agree there, if you are a dragon and you got to beg a human for help, then you are a very pathetic excuse for a monster.

"Are you feeling it as well?" I glanced at Nightshroud. The masked man had a bit of sweat dropping from his chin, was he affected by the dragons the same way as me? But why?

"What is all of this?" I demanded to know. Why was I the one feeling the dragons' emotions and not Yuya or his look-alikes? Wait, didn't a similar thing happen in my brother's duel with Yuya, so Odd-Eyes and his friends, they want help from both of us.

"It's too early for you to learn the details about it." Sola's spirit formed next to me and crossed her arms. "All that matters is that there is a dark presence within Yuya and his counterparts and their dragons are trying to awake it. All we must do is stay away and let the monsters do their stuff."

'A dark presence?' I thought before turning to look at the three. While I was thinking about the dragons, Yuto and the other guy have already started a duel and the guy with the motorbike already controlled a Synchro with 2200 ATK. 'Shouldn't it be better if we, you know, stop that dark presence from awaking instead of helping it out?'

"No, that won't be a good idea." Sola shook her head. "I have known these dragons since they were wyverns, and I also know what the dark presence is. All you gotta do is trust me on it."

'Screw that! If it's such a positive thing to let the dark presence has its way, then why don't you give me the details, huh?' How was I supposed to believe my spirits if they won't tell me what they know. 'I… I don't like Yuya, but I don't want him to get hurt because of me! Do you at least understand that!?'

"It seems there isn't much that I could do here." Nightshroud said from beside me and turned around to leave.

"Wait! Are you going to leave them like this?!" I shouted after him and pointed at the three doppelgangers. "There is a dark presence inside of them, don't you need to feed on it in order to survive?"

Nightshroud turned his head a little to look back at me and I winched a little. His dark mask was scaring me every time I saw it. After a while of us staring at each other, he turned his head back and kept walking. So, I was left to deal with all of this chaos, huh? Neither of my Astral Angels seemed to desire the cancellation of this duel, so even if I tried to interfere my deck wasn't going to support that decision and I would only end up getting destroyed by the doppelgangers and their monsters. Speaking of which, their duel was getting fiercer with the second.

"Take seventeen hundred points of piercing damage!" the D-Wheeler shouted as his Synchro slammed its blade into the ground next to Yuto, causing the Xyz Duelist to scream as his body was launched into the air along with the debris.

Yuto LP: 3500 - 1700 1800

"What a shockwave!" I had to agree with Yuya there, normal Solid Vision wasn't supposed to create so much damage, even during Action Duels. Well, at least the one in this dimension.

"I set one card and end my turn." The two duelist didn't even seem to be noticing that Yuya was there. They must be putting all of their focus on that duel…

After the Synchro guy ended his turn, Yuto didn't keep up from the ground. He was lying there and the pained expression on his face showed that it must have hurt him a lot. The Xyz Duelist kept his teeth gritted and I could only guess that he was doing it as to not scream how much pain that attack caused.

"Yuto!" I tilted my head toward Yuya. The Pendulum Duelist ran toward his Xyz counterpart. Seriously, his soft heart was only going to get him into trouble.

I also just remembered, where the heck is my brother?! We were supposed to get here at around the same time and yet, he hasn't shown despite how much time has passed.


3rd POV

"Hey, where the heck did you took Eliz?" Ventus shouted at the hooded person before him, but his opponent didn't reply. "Tch, you aren't going to talk? Fine then! I'm taking the first turn!" The ninja duelist looked at the cards in his hand for a moment before taking two of them. "I set a monster and another card. That's going to be my turn!"

"Then it's my turn." The hooded person stated and drew his sixth card.

Turn 2 [Unknown] LP: 4000, Hand: 6

"I Normal Summon Geargiauger (Lv.4, ATK: 500) and activate its effect! When it's summoned, Geargiauger can add a Level Four or lower EARTH Machine from my deck to the hand! I add Geargiaccelerator (Lv.4, ATK: 1400) and Special Summon it by its own effect!" In an instant a green drill driven by a gear and a sport car driven by the same kind of machine appeared on the hooded person's field. "I now overlay my Level Four GeargiaugerandGeargiaccelerator! Xyz Summon! Gear Gigant X (RANK: 4, ATK: 2300)!"

"I activate Gear Gigant X's effect!" the hooded person continued. "I use one Xyz Material to add a Level Four or lower Machine to my hand. I choose Geargiarmor. Next, I'll attack your set monster with Gear Gigant X!" The monster jumped and threw its fist toward the set card. It turned face-up transforming into a white dog with armor.

'Heh, you fell for it!" Ventus rubbed the edge of his nose. "When Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter is flipped, I can destroy a card on your field! The only one you currently have is Gear Gigant X so obviously, I'm going to choose it!"

The dog jumped onto the robot, biting onto its shoulder. The machine threw its head back and exploded taking Ventus' monster with itself. The hooded duelist gritted their teeth in annoyance while Ventus smirked a little bit and reached toward his deck.

"Ryko's second effect activates upon being flipped face-up as well. I send the top three cards of my deck to the Graveyard." Ventus took the top three cards of his deck and slide it into the Graveyard. "Now the effects of both Minerva, Lightsworn Maiden and Felis, Lightsworn Archer activate! First, Miverva sends the top card of my deck to the Graveyard and then Felis' effect lets me Special Summon her from the Graveyard, since she was sent there from my deck."

Ventus got rid of one more card from his deck while an animal-girl with a bow appeared on his field with 2000 defense. The other duelist simply moved to grab another card from their hand.

"I set two cards and end my turn!" the duelist finished with two cards appearing by their feet.

"That's all?" Ventus asked a little… disappointed. Usually, when someone that hide their identity attacked the protagonist in an anime, that unknown attacker was a strong foe. "I guess that means it's my turn then. I draw!"

Turn 3 [Ventus] LP: 4000, Hand: 4

"I Normal Summon Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner (Lv.3, ATK: 1000)!" a woman in a white dress appeared on Ventus' field. "Lumina's effect activates! I discard a card to Special Summon a Level Four or lower Lightsworn from my Graveyard! I choose Raiden, Hand of the Lightsworn (Lv.4, ATK: 1700)!" Two blue orbs formed in Lumina's hands and she threw them at the ground. A lightning bolt fell from the sky and Raiden formed in its place, kneeling on the ground.

"But that's not all!" Ventus continued and gestured toward his warrior. "Once per turn, Raiden lets me send the top two cards of my deck to the Graveyard and if I send a Lightsworn it gain two hundred attack." Ventus took the top cards of his deck a little cautiously, but soon his eyes lightened up after he realized what cards he got. "Yes, I activate the effect of Wulf, Lightsworn Beast (Lv.4, ATK: 2100) to Special Summon it from my Graveyard since it was sent there from the deck! Also, Raiden still gains two hundred points of attack."

Raiden, Hand of the Lightsworn, ATK: 1700 1900

"Let's go now! I tune the Level Four Felis, Lightsworn Archer to the Level Three, Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner!" the animal-girl turned into four green rings that flew around Lumina and a beam of light shot through them. "Synchro Summon! Come out! Level Seven - Michael, the Arch-Lightsworn (Lv.7, ATK: 2600)!"

"Tch." The unknown Duelist clicked his tongue. Out of all the possible opponents and decks, he had to face against a Lightsworn duelist.

"Next, I the Level Four Raiden, Hand of Lightsworn to the Level Four, Wulf, Lightsworn Beast!" A second beam of light followed with another knight showing up. "Synchro Summon! Come out! Level Eight - Avenging Knight Parshath (Lv.8, ATK: 2600)!"

"Are you going to talk now?" Ventus kicked the air like he was aiming for the unnamed Duelist. His opponent however choose to remain silent. "So be it then. I activate Michael's effect! I can pay a thousand Life Points to banish one of your cards! I choose your left facedown!"

Ventus LP: 4000 - 1000 3000

The hooded Duelist looked down at their card and then pressed a button on their Duel Disk. "I'm going to activate it." The Trap Card, Geargiagear flipped face-up on the opponent's field. "When this card is activated, I can Special Summon two Geargiano from my deck! Come out, Geargiano (LV. 3, DEF: 500) and Geargiano Mk-III (LV. 3, DEF: 1000)!" Two gears with cartoon eyes and hands appeared on the field with a blue aura around them, meaning that they were in defense position.

"So, I went for the wrong one, huh?" Ventus rubbed his chin in thought.

"Geargiano Mk-III's effect activates." The hooded Duelist continued. "When its Special Summoned, I can revive a Geargia monster from my Graveyard, as long as its effects are negated. Come out, Geargiaccelerator (Lv.4, DEF: 800)! Then, due to the effect of Geargiagear, the Geargiano monsters I summoned have their levels increased by one!"

Geargiano, Lv. 3 4

Geargiano Mk-III, Lv. 3 4

"Heh, nice try." Ventus smirked and crossed his arms. "You probably plan to Xyz Summon a Rank Four on your next turn, But I got two monsters so I can get rid of two materials right now! Let's go! Avenging Knight Parshath, attack Geargiano Mk-III!" The Synchro monster jumped in front of the gear and slashed it with its sword. "Further, when Avenging Knight Parshath attacks a Defense Position monster, you take piercing damage!"

Unknown LP: 4000 - 2100 1900

"Then, Michael with destroy the original Geargiano!" Ventus pushed his fist forward and the Lightsworn Synchro charged toward the remaining gear.

"Trap Activate!" The hooded Duelist gestured toward his second set card, which was… "Dimensional Prison lets me banish your attacking monster!"

"Uh, oh." Ventus' eyes widened slightly as a black vortex appeared on the field and sucked his monster inside of , the Arch-Lightsworn had the ability to recover both Life Points and recycle cards when it gets destroyed, so banishing it would cause problems for Ventus and his deck. "Then I'm going to set a card and end my turn!"

"Hmm, that was quite the weak turn for a Tracer." The Duelist replied. "I expected more than just this."

"A Lightsworn's deck main and only gimmick is to mill itself until someone drops death, so I'm not sure what exactly your expectations were." Ventus sighed and looked down at his cards. One of his sets should be enough to keep his alive for the next turn and the other… Well, let's just say that it was going to be the card that would decide the outcome of this duel…

"My turn, draw!" the hooded Duelist drew his next card.

Turn 4 [Unknown] LP: 1900, Hand: 5

"I now overlay my Level Four Geargiano andGeargiaccelerator! Xyz Summon! Gear Gigant X (RANK: 4, ATK: 2300)!" A second copy of the familiar machine-type monster appeared and pushed its left fist forward. "Next, it's effect activates! I detach a Xyz Material to add Geargiano MK-II to my hand and then I Normal Summon it! Geargiano MK-II's effect lets me Special Summon Geargiarmor (Lv.4, DEF: 1900) from my hand!" A monster wearing heavy defensive armor appeared next to the smaller one and hit its shields against the hard ground.

"Special Summoning as many monsters as possible for Xyz plays? Your deck is pretty lineal, my dude." Ventus pointed out. "It isn't an interesting game when all the opponent's cards have almost the same effects."

"I'm not done!" The unknown Duelist shouted, mildly annoyed. "I activate Transmodify to release Geargiano MK-II's and Special Summon Geargiauger (Lv.4, ATK: 500) from my deck!"

Geargiano Mk-III, Lv. 3 4

"I overlay my Level Four GeargiarmorandGeargiauger! Xyz Summon! Gear Gigant X (RANK: 4, ATK: 2300)!" the third and final copy of the Rank 4 Xyz appeared beside its counterpart. ""Its effect activates! I detach a Xyz Material to add another copy of Geargiaugerto my hand! Finally, I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Geargia Change! With it, I Special Summon Geargiano, Geargiano MK-II and Geargiano MK-III to then overlay all three of them! Xyz Summon! Geargiagear Gigant XG (RANK: 3, ATK: 2500)!"

"So that's your boss monster?" Ventus looked the giant up and down. "But I won't just stand around and wait for you to enter the Battle Phase where its effects are useful! Trap Open, Glorious Illusion! This trap has the effect to revive a monster that's currently in my Graveyard, so raise up, Celestia, Lightsworn Angel (Lv. 5, ATK: 2300)!"

"What the?! When did that monster get in the Graveyard?" Ventus hadn't used it before so… Of course! He must have milled it with one of the Lightsworn's effects during the previous turn.

"That's a really pointless question." Ventus shook his head. "But it's still your turn, so…"

"I equip Gravity Blaster to one of myGear Gigant X, raising its attack power by four hundred points, making it stronger than your Synchro monster!" The duelist declared.

Gear Gigant X, ATK: 2300 + 4002700

"Let's battle! I attack Avenging Knight Parshath with my powered-up Gear Gigant X!" the machine jumped in front of its opponent and slammed its metal fist into the fairy's chest, destroying it.

Ventus LP: 3000 - 100 2900

"Next, Geargiagear Gigant XG is going to attackCelestia, Lightsworn Angel!" The giant pulled out its blaster and fired a straight shot, piercing the angel's body. An explosion followed shortly after, pushing Ventus back.

Ventus LP: 2900 - 200 2700

"And finally, my last Gear Gigant X is going to attack you directly!" the last Xyz monster jumped in front of Ventus and threw its metal fist forward. Only, instead of taking it, the ninja duelist grabbed the machine's arm mid-air, stopping it.

"Heh, not a bad turn." Ventus smiled while his Life Points dropped.

Ventus LP: 2700 - 2300 400

"I guess, I should get a little bit serious during the next turn, right?" Ventus tilted his head to the side in thought and then pushed the Xyz Monster back. "But now that you made all of your plays, it's going to be my turn, right?"

"Tch." The hooded Duelist looked down at his cards on last time before dropping his head in defeat. "T-turn end."

Turn 5 [Ventus] LP: 400, Hand: 2

The ninja Duelist looked at the card that he drew for a moment, before he took the other one and played it instead. "I Normal Summon my second Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner (Lv.3, ATK: 1000)!" the familiar monster appeared on Ventus' field and summoned two blue orbs in her hands. "Lumina's effect activates! As you already know, I discard a card to Special Summon a Level Four or lower Lightsworn from my Graveyard! I choose Raiden, Hand of the Lightsworn (Lv.4, ATK: 1700)!"

"Talking about lineal playstyle, this is exactly the same play that you made last turn." The hooded Duelist mocked.

"But I'm going to do things a little differently this time!" Ventus declared and pointed at his last set card. "I activate the Trap, Lightsworn Judgment! When this card is activated, I put it on the top of my deck and if I so happen to mill it, I will be able to add Judgment Dragon straight from my deck to the hand!"

"Lightsworns' have the ability to mill several cards during the End Phase, is that what you are hoping onto?"

"Nope." Ventus shook his head. "Remember, Raiden's effect lets me mill two cards right now! So, let's do it!" Ventus took two cards from his deck and send them to the Graveyard. "I activate Lightsworn Judgment's effect to add Judgment Dragon to my hand! Also, the second card that I milled wasWulf, Lightsworn Beast and its effect allows me to Special Summon it from my Graveyard!"

"Now, I'm going to Overlay my Level FourRaiden, Hand of the Lightsworn and Wulf, Lightsworn Beast to Xyz Summon, Minerva, the Exalted Lightsworn (RANK: 4, ATK: 2000)! Her effect activates as well! I detach a Xyz Material to send the top three cards of my deck to the Graveyard. For every Lightsworn that I set, I get to draw a card! The ones I got are… Solar Recharge, Light Spiral and Lightsworn Sabre!"

"So, you got rid of three cards from your deck just to draw a card?" The hooded Duelist asked. He was confused, Ventus' deck has gotten very thin already, probably half of it was gone to the Graveyard at that point.

"One card is all that I need!" Ventus said. "First, Lightsworn Sabre's effect activates when its sent to the Graveyard, so it equips itself toMinerva, the Exalted Lightsworn, boosting her attack by seven hundred!" A blade made from blue light appeared in the Xyz Monster's hand as she swung it a few times to test it out.

Minerva, the Exalted Lightsworn, ATK: 2000 + 7002700

"When there are four or more Lightsworn monsters with different names in my Graveyard I can Special Summon Judgment Dragon (Lv.8, ATK: 3000)!" The white dragon appeared behind Ventus and the other Lightsworn monsters, roaring. "And now, let's great the special star for today's show!"

"S-Special star?" underneath the hood, the opponent's eyes widened hearing that declaration.

"Yep, I return a card from my hand to the top of my deck in order to Special Summon the Plaguespreader Zombie (Lv.2, ATK: 400) that was resting within my Graveyard!" A black portal appeared before Ventus and the decaying creature raised from it, emitting a pained moan as it moved beside the Lightsworn monsters.

"A DARK Zombie? Why the heck are you using such a card in a Lightsworn based deck?" the Duelist asked.

"Because it's fitting?" Ventus shrugged. "Did you forget that I'm a Tracer? Our skills and knowledge about the far surpass that of the regular Duelists! We are able to see the true consistency between cards that goes beyond the archetype they are part of! And that's exactly the kind of power that will allow my Judgment Dragon to evolve through the darkness and obtain the power to cast its judgment on you! I tune my Level TwoPlaguespreader Zombie to my Level Eight Judgment Dragon!"

The zombie leaned its head forward and its body turned into two purple rings that flew into the sky. Judgment Dragon roared and flew through them, transforming into eight stars that then turned into a beam of light.

"Roll back the tide of the dead and emerge from the river of grief that flows through the underworld! Synchro Summon! Dragocytos Corrupted Nethersoul Dragon (Lv. 10, ATK: 4000)!"

"Let's battle!" Ventus cried out and pointed toward his opponent. "Dragocytos Corrupted Nethersoul Dragon, destroy Geargiagear Gigant XG! Ghost Stream!"

The dragon roared and opened the mouth on its chest, firing a translucent purple cloud in the form of a skull that melt away the machine's body.

Unknown LP: 1900 - 1500 400

"When Geargiagear Gigant XG is destroyed, I can add Geargiano Mk-II from my Graveyard to the hand." The hooded duelist muttered. It was no point in doing that anyways, even if he used Geargiagear Gigant XG's effect during the battle, after the damage step Levant's 2700 ATK Minerva, the Exalted Lightsworn could have ended the duel by attacking his 2300 ATK Gear Gigant X… It was over.

"When Dragocytos Corrupted Nethersoul Dragon destroys a monster by battle, its effect lets it attack a second time in a row… Destroy Gear Gigant X and end this duel! Ghost Stream!" the hooded Duelist this time cried out as the second attack destroyed his monster and ended the duel.

Unknown LP: 400 - 1700 0

Winner: Ventus

"Now, tell me where you took Elizabeth!" Ventus grabbed the hooded Duelist by the collar.

"Ugh, what-! Where am I?" The Duelist looked around confused, before his eyes stopped on Ventus. "Who the heck are you!?"

"What the?" Ventus tilted his head a bit and dropped the guy, who began to crawl away from the ninja. "That guy was brainwashed… The heck's up with this world!"


Elizabeth's POV

"That's a nice looking dragon!" I rolled my eyes at Sunny's optimism. We were facing a Number, from what I remembered these cards had an ability to change reality or some shit, so how could she smile while facing a foe like this!?

Or maybe Hema and Yuki were right and my Synchro personality is an idiot…

"It would be amazing if you manage to survive for two turns against that thing." I rolled my eyes once again at Hema's pessimism. It was just a dragon with 3000 ATK that can't be destroyed by battle. So, I would just have to use a card effect to get rid of it.

'I think that I just found this thing's weakness.' I told my counterparts. 'If instead of trying to overpower it, we avoided battling, or lured it into a trap and destroyed it with a card effect, everything should be alright.'

"Easier said than done, Standard." Hema crossed her arms. "Your opponent wouldn't leave a monster like this out on the field without some sort of protection. Since she didn't play any set cards that would mean her monster has a build in protection."

'You mean, more build-in protection than the 'can't be destroyed by Number Monsters' bullshit?' Well, that would be a real pain in the ass to deal with. If, Hema's instincts were true, something that I sincerely hoping wasn't the case in this particular scenario. Or everyone time when she tells me how screwed I'm in general.

"That would be a good time to use your secondary ace, Oracle Sister of Flames – Miranda." Yuki informed me. Ah, yeah, she was absolutely right! Miranda had the ability to let one Spellcaster I control attack directly, so I should, theoretically, be able to get past the dragon and attack Solar directly!

"Ok, here goes nothing!" I shouted and drew my sixth card.

Turn 2 [Elizabeth] LP: 4000, Hand: 6

"I activate the Continuous Spell Card, Oracle Sister Recruitment!" I declared, playing the familiar card. "With this Spell, I can pay eight hundred points to search any of my lower level Oracle Sister monsters!"

"So, you are trying to search for your combo pieces? But as long as you use Spells, that won't work on me! I activate Number 38: Hope Harbinger Dragon Titanic Galaxy's effect! When a Spell is activated, I can negate its activation and attach it to Number Thirty Eight as a Xyz Material! Scale Storm of Annihilation!" The dragon roared and spread its wings firing some sort of light projectile that caught my Spell and pulled it forward, transforming it into another orb that orbited around the beast.

"Ok, that was a failure." Yuki shook her head and looked at my hand. We got to play protectively for the time being.

"I set a monster and a card. Turn end!" I bit my lip. Was that going to be everything that I could do?

Damn it! Spells were forty percent of my deck and now I was locked from using them. Even if the dragon could absorb only one per turn, Solar wouldn't be so stupid as to waste the effect of a card with a weak effect. No, she would aim for my best cards which effectively leaves me with just my monsters and traps! How great, I could barely use this deck properly with access to Spell Cards…

"Hmm, it's not like you could do anything else, standing before such a powerful creature even the strongest of duelists would tremble in despair." Solar raised her right hand toward me. "Only the darkness of defeat awaits you and there is no way for you to avoid it!"

I gritted my teeth, listening to that woman was annoying me beyond belief. I didn't know if it was because of her monster, or her personality, but I just wanted to beat the all loving hell out of her. Because, if I didn't do that, if I allowed myself to fall here, then Evan and Avice could both be in danger. Yes, that's right, the reason why I picked up dueling again, why I spent countless hours and nights trying to figure out this new deck of mine. It wasn't because of myself that I did it, for me the world of dueling lost its magnificence long ago, when I was a young and naïve girl. I picked up dueling again because of my siblings, so I could stand beside them in this world!

"You can keep babbling, but that won't make me give up fighting!" She was only wasting her time, I wasn't going to betray my family! "You can keep talking down on me, but that won't help proving your point to me one bit!"

"So, you would protect them even if that means the death of innocent people? Where's your morality?" I bit my lip, how could that woman of all people talk about morality to me.

Yes, I had dreams about that same fate she told me about, I have seen Evan and Avice destroying Miami City countless times before, their monsters piercing my heart while the two looked down at me with cold, unfeeling stares. It was a nightmare that I got to relive over and over to the point that I couldn't deny what Solar told me, the chance for these nightmares to happen in reality was huge and if such a tragedy was allowed to happen I would be the one guilty for not stepping in sooner. But, would it be right to kill someone because of the possibility that they might do something bad? I didn't want to give up on either of my siblings because of that, no, I wanted to try and solve the issue without bringing harm to anyone!

"My brother and sister and innocent as well." I pointed out. Their futures might hold darkness, but right at the moment neither of them was guilty of any crimes! "If you truly care about innocent people's lives, why don't you try to reach a non-violent solution instead? Why… Why don't you help me turn my siblings away from the path they are walking?!"

"You are trying to achieve the impossible." Solar shook her head. "Changing someone's destiny is impossible if they have chosen it willingly. The only thing left for me to do would be to bring peace to the world at the cost of two already lost souls. It might hurt you, but it's for a greater good."

"Greater good my ass!" I gritted my teeth. "Let's duel and let our cards decide which one of us is right!"

"That's the spirit!" I heard Yuki encouraging me. "Just be careful, we don't want to deal with two numbers at the same time. If things go too rough, either me or Hema is going to take over for you, 'kay?"

I didn't reply to Yuki. She might be more skilled than me as a duelist, however, this wasn't just about winning. I don't know why, but my guts are telling me that Solar wouldn't accept this defeat if it was one of my other personalities that dueled her, so I had to do this by myself! Or, while I was in control of the body. Yeah, a little support won't hurt as long as they don't take control over my body.

"If you want to let our cards decide, then I'm going to be the definite winner!" Solar told me. "Here, I go! Draw!"

Turn 3 [Solar] LP: 4000, Hand: 5

"First, I discard a card to Special Summon Occupant of Grelyson – Suglich!" A small black ball with circuit lines going through jumped out of Solar's Duel Disk and landed on three orange leafs that acted as its legs, carrying the main body.


Occupant of Grelyson – Suglich

Level: 3/Attribute: LIGHT/Type: Plant/Effect

ATK: 300/DEF: 1400

Effect: You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by discarding 1 card. An Xyz Monster that was Summoned using this card on the field as Xyz Material gains this effect.

When it's Xyz Summoned: It gains 1000 DEF.


"This creature you see here, is one of the last remaining specimens of its species." Solar told me, gesturing toward her monster. "All of them were destroyed by the corrupt darkness that's now hanging above this world as well! But you won't care about that, right?"

"A monster has its own species?" I was dumbfounded to learn that. Was she just messing with me, no, Solar's body language didn't suggest this to be a lie. But how? Duel Monsters were just trading cards, not living organisms!

"Of course it does. My world, a place known as Grelyson, was one of the few phenomenons where Duel Monsters could obtain a psychical body without the use of technology. They all lived alongside us in harmony, our duels weren't just a way to entertain the crowd, but to also build a stronger, deeper bond with our monsters, our companions. Unfortunately, that place is now nothing more than ruins."

"For a world like this to exist…" I smiled a little at the thought. "You know, my siblings have strong bonds with their cards as well. Even when they were little, they also endorsed each one of their monsters. If you are like this as well, then maybe it's possible for you and them to understand each other's motives."

Solar shook her head. "It's too late for that. I Normal Summon a secondOccupant of Grelyson – Suglich (Lv.3, ATK: 300). Now, I overlay my two Occupant of Grelyson – Suglich!" The two monsters jumped energetically as they turned into beams of light and flew into the Xyz Portal. "Little harbinger of light, pierce the dark clouds with your fortune bringing wings. Xyz Summon! Number 49! Fortune Tune (RANK: 3, DEF: 900)!"

A second Number appeared, just like how Yuki expected, but it was much smaller and weaker, so it wasn't much of a danger for me. In fact, it was a little cute holding that tree branch with its mouth.

"The effect of Occupant of Grelyson – Suglich activates! When a monster is summoned using it as Xyz Material, that monster gains a thousand defense points!" Solar explained and a white ball of light appeared around her monster, shielding it.

Number 49: Fortune Tune, DEF: 900 + 1000*2 2900

"Now, let's battle!" Solar shouted and her dragon moved in front of my set monster, which flipped face-up to reveal itself as Oracle Sister of Hope – Raisin, a monster with 2000 defense. "I attack your set card with Hope Harbinger Dragon Titanic Galaxy! Titanic Burst of Destruction!" The dragon fired several beams from both its mouth and wings, obliterating my spellcaster in an instant.

"You are lucky that she didn't summon anything in attack position." Yuki informed me.

"But there seems to be something off about her playstyle." Hema commented. "It's like she is holding back for some reason. She's not trying to fight you using her full strength."

Well, I felt a little lucky that she wasn't going all out, even if it was insulting, at least that gave me a chance to fight back, even if I couldn't see a way to defeat that huge behemoth standing between me and her.

"I end my turn there." And she didn't set any cards like last turn. Does she truly believe that her Number monsters were undefeatable?

"I draw!" Come on, a good card please!

Turn 4 [Elizabeth] LP: 4000, Hand: 4

I looked at the card that I drew and… Yes, it was a good one!

"Since my opponent controls a monster and I control none, this girl can be Special Summoned! Come out, Oracle Sister of Reinforcements – Lein (Lv.4, ATK: 1700)!" my spellcaster appeared on the field wearing a small wooden wand. "Then I Normal Summon Oracle Sister of Nature – Rose (Lv.4, ATK: 1400). Let's go! I overlay my Level Four Oracle Sister of Reinforcements – Lein and Oracle Sister of Nature – Rose!"

"Magicians with various tricks! Gather right here and bring the flames of life! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Magician dancing through the flames! Oracle Sister of Flames – Miranda (RANK: 4, ATK: 2000)!" My two Spellcasters turned into beams of light that flew into the cosmic portal and a ball of fire came down, bursting upon making contact with the ground, transforming into the spellcaster.

"I activate Miranda's effect!" I continued. "Once per turn, I detach an Xyz Material to allow one of my monsters the ability to attack you directly! Miranda's Ritual!" My monster absorbed one of her Xyz Materials into the magical wand and fired a fireball directly at Solar. Although I couldn't defeat her Numbers, I could just avoid dealing with them and attack her directly instead!

"How pathetic." W-what? Solar didn't seem worried about my attack at all, could she possible… "I activate Hope Harbinger Dragon's effect! I detach a Xyz Material to change your attack toward my dragon!" The huge beast roared and appeared in front of my magician with its mouths loading a blast. "Titanic Burst of Destruction!"

"Aaaaaaahhhh!" I cried out and fell on my knees, feeling the shockwave that followed after my monster got destroyed. It seriously hurt me for some reason…

Elizabeth LP: 4000 - 1000 3000

"Damn it! Quick, activate Miranda's other effect!" I nodded to Yuki's request and did just that.

"When Miranda's destroyed I can add an Ancient Artifact card from my deck to the hand." I explained and opened a screen that showed all of the cards I could search. Most of them were Spells, so Hope Harbinger Dragon would absorb them… What was I supposed to do?!

"Quick, add this one!" Hema pointed at one of the cards. It was a trap…

'What are we going to do with this one?' I asked. Using its effect, I could copy the effects of a monster in my Graveyard, but none of the ones I currently had was very useful.

"Just do it!" I winched, hearing Hema yelling inside my head. Ok, ok, no need to get violet over a card.

"I add Ancient Artifact Soul Remoter!" I showed the card to Solar before putting it with the others that were in my hand. "Next, I'm going to set two cards and end my turn!"


Ancient Artifact Soul Remoter (Trap) Normal

Target 1 Spellcaster-Type monster on the field and one in your Graveyard; banish the second target, and if you do, equip this card to the first target. The equipped monster gains the effects of the monster banished by this card's effect. If this card leaves the field, destroy the equipped monster.


"Setting cards? That means that you are continuing this duel, are you sure about it?" Solar put a hand on her hips while she asked me. "You are standing in front of a Number, even I can't control their power, so a direct attack might hurt quite a bit."

"That doesn't matter!" I gritted my teeth. No matter through how much pain I have to go, I would rather die that give up on my siblings. "I already told you, let's have our cards choose how this duel is going to end! Until the last card is played, and the last Life Point is spent, I'm still in this game!"

"You just don't know when to quick, do you! Fine then, I will put an end to this. My turn!" I took a deep breath, pissing Solar off wasn't a very good idea, but that was done already, so not much I could do there.

Turn 5 [Solar] LP: 4000, Hand: 3

"First, during the Standby Phase, the effect of Fortune Tune gives me five hundred Life Points!" Solar pulled her arms to the side with the Number monster flying over her head, shaking the tree branch, dropping sparks onto her body.

Solar LP: 4000 + 500 4500

"I activate the Continuous Spell, Xyz Chart!" Solar's spell showed Stellarknight Triverr, Constellar Pleiades and Divine Dragon Knight Felgrand flying toward a glowing roadmap in the open cosmos. "With this Spell, you can't target my Light Xyz Monsters with your Spell or Trap Cards!"


Xyz Chart (Spell) Continuous

LIGHT Xyz Monsters you control cannot be targeted by, or destroyed by, your opponent's Spell and Trap Effects. If you control a face-up Xyz Monster without a Xyz Material, you can attach this card to it as a Xyz Material.


"With this, the cards that you set can't affect my monsters! How's that? I have studied your way of dueling, it's lineal which makes reading through your strategy all the easier!" I didn't respond to Solar's mocking. "Hope Harbinger Dragon Titanic Galaxy, put an end to this duel with Titanic Burst of Destruction!"

The dragon charged its attacks and fired all of the beams toward me. I bit my lips. That was going to hurt a lot, but…

"I activate my trap, Stand of Fallen Sisters!" My trap, the artwork of which depicted several girls in magical outfits trying to stand back up while the city around them was in fire and ruins, flipped face-up and a barrier formed between me and Solar's monster. "This trap halves the damage that I would take!"


Stand of Fallen Sisters (Trap) Normal

When an opponent monster declares an attack: Halve the battle damage, thentarget 1 monster in your Graveyard with ATK less than or equal to the amount of damage you took; Special Summon that target.


The beams hit my barrier and it cracked. That wouldn't do, the attack was too strong for my trap to completely negate the beams. I could only raise my arms to protect myself before the barrier shattered and the beams all hit me. Thankfully, I was able to hold back from screaming, but my body was hurting like hell after taking that 1500 worth of damage.

Elizabeth LP: 3000 – 1500 1500

"Afterward, I can revive a monster in my Graveyard as long as its attack is less than the damage I took! Come back, Oracle Sister of Hope – Raisin (Lv.4, DEF: 2000)!" My magician appeared back holding her staff defensively.

"So, your trap was meant to reduce damage? I know that his isn't anything amazing, but I wasn't expecting you to use something like that instead of, let's say, Mirror Force or anything like that." I leaned my head back and looked at the night sky, trying to ignore the soaring pain.

"Then I guess it's time to activate the rest of my cards." I was only able to glance back at Solar when she choose to continue with her turn. "I activate two copies of Law of the Under-Xyz!" This time, the card showed Baby Tiragon with a huge aura behind its body. "This spell inflicts damage to you equal to the attack of a Light Xyz Monster whose current attack is thousand or less. Fortune Tune has only four hundred attack so, twice that is eight hundred damage."


Law of the Under-Xyz (Spell) Normal

Target 1 LIGHT Xyz Monster you control with 1000 or less ATK: Inflict damage to your opponent equal to its ATK. If this card is in your Graveyard, expect during the turn this card was sent there, you can banish this card to target 1 LIGHT Xyz Monster with 1000 or less ATK: This turn, that monster can attack your opponent directly.


The little bird flew toward me and pecked my forehead twice before I slammed my Duel Disk against it, knocking the monster away.

Elizabeth LP: 1500 – 400 1100 – 400 700

"I end my turn." Solar finished her turn and took a step back, dropping her arm that carried the Duel Disk. "Your Life Points are already below one thousand and mines are going to keep raising thanks to Fortune Tune's effect. Aren't you going to just give up already?"

"I still have cards to draw." I told her and looked down at my deck. The Oracle Sisters always had an answer when I got in a bad situation, so I trusted them this time as well. "Here I go, draw!"

Turn 6 [Elizabeth] LP: 700, Hand: 2

I looked at the card that I drew and…

My blood froze. It was the Equip Spell, Ancient Artifact – Thunder Sword. Its effect could grant one of my monsters an extra 800 attack, but that was useless in this situation. Why? Why did I drew this card instead of something useful!?

"Calm down, we can still win!" Hema appeared before me and clenched her fists. "Our hope hasn't abandoned this duel yet, believe me and we will be able to get out of this together!"

I looked at her and then back at the cards that were currently in my hand. I thought and thought, but no matter how hard I tried, there wasn't anything that I could do with this!

"Activate Oracle Sister of Spirits – Ein's effect from the Graveyard!" Hema ordered me.

"I banish Oracle Sister of Spirits – Ein from my Graveyard to add an Oracle Sister monster from my deck to the hand!" A hologram appeared before me to choose which monster I wanted to add.

"Add Oracle Sister of Shades – Jane!" I did as Hema told me and got the Level Two monster.

"I Normal Summon Oracle Sister of Shades – Jane!" A little girl whose white hair was curled at the ends jumped onto the field holding a deck of cards in her right hand. She was wearing a blue overall over a white shirt and black socks that reach all the way up to her thighs. She turned around before she made a peace sign with her left hand and winked.


Oracle Sister of ShadesJane

Level: 2/Attribute: LIGHT/Type: Spellcaster/Tuner/Effect

ATK: 200/DEF: 200

Effect: When this card is Summoned, change this card's attribute to either EARTH, FIRE, WATER or WIND. Once per turn, you can pay 500 LP: add 1 "Fusion" Spell Card from your deck to the hand. If your LP is lower than your opponent's, you can instead Fusion Summon 1 Spellcaster-Type Fusion Monster, using monsters on your side of the field as Fusion Materials.


"Choose the attribute of WIND!" Hema threw her arm forward and I complied, doing the same as her.

"I activate Jane's effect! When she is summoned, I must change her attribute to one of the four natural ones! I choose to give her the attributed of WIND!" my monster shuffled her cards and then revealed that their backside has changed from yellow to green. "Now, I activate Jane's other effect! By paying five hundred Life Points, I can add a Fusion Spell Card to my hand!"

Elizabeth LP: 700 – 500 200

"Foolish! No matter what card you choose, Hope Harbinger Dragon will negate and absorb it!" Solar smirked as she looked down at me. "Your plan is doomed to fail!"

"You think so?" I grinned and looked at my monster. "When my Life Points are lower than yours, instead of adding a card, I can Fusion Summon without the use of a Fusion Card!"

"You can what?!"

"I fuse Oracle Sister of Hope – Raisin with Oracle Sister of Shades – Jane!" My two monsters grabbed each other's arms and flew into a colorful vortex.

"Spirit of wind running through the empty forest." Hema began to chant.

"Water deity through which the remnants of hope dwell." I joined in with her.

"Become the foundations of a new element and give a cold greed to the darkness! Fusion Summon! The magician in control of blizzards and storms! Oracle Sister of Sailors – Aqueen!" We changed together as my two monsters combined to form a new force of nature!

From the portal that was overhead, a young woman jumped and threw her anchors to the ground, pulling herself down. The monster had long green hair and a black scarf with a golden skull symbol tied around it. Her skin was light blue with a dark green left eye and a yellow right eye. The monster wore a two-piece blue swimsuit with a white belt on her waist which was connected to the two anchors with heavy metal chains.


Oracle Sister of SailorsAqueen

Level: 4/Attribute: WATER WIND/Type: Spellcaster/Fusion/Effect

ATK: 1400/DEF: 1200

1 WATER monster + 1 WIND monster

Effect: While there is a face-up Spell or Trap Card on the field, this card can attack your opponent directly. If your LP is lower than your opponent's you take no damage from battles involving this card.


"A monster with two attributes!?" Solar cried out and took a step back. "T-that shouldn't exist here!"

"Too bad, because it does!" I told her. "Aqueen's effect lets her attack you directly while there is a face-up Spell on the field, including your Xyz Chart! Blizzard Shark Bike!"

My monster swung the two anchors in front of herself, creating a vortex of water that rotated before her. It slowly froze into a ring of ice and then, she then threw her weapons forward with the ring following after them. The anchors' hit the ground in front of Solar while the frozen water transformed into the head of a shark ready to bite of my opponent's upper body.

"I activate Hope Harbinger Dragon's effect! I detach a Xyz Material to change your attack toward my dragon!" In an instant, the huge dragon appeared right behind Solar and opened its mouth, firing several blasts. "Titanic Burst of Destruction!"

The attacks connected and my monster cried out in pain as she was destroyed, however, my Life Points remained intact due to Aqueen's additional effect. This was it, the moment that I was waiting for, her monster no longer had any Xyz Units to redirect my attacks with!

"This is the end." I told Solar. "I win."

My opponent's eyes widened. "You can't mean…"

"My set card!" I called out as the card flipped face-up. "The trap card, Elemental Circle! When an Oracle Monster I control is destroyed, I can Special Summon a monster with the same attribute straight from my hand or deck!"


Elemental Circle (Trap) Normal

When an "Oracle Sister" monster you control is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard: Special Summon 1 Spellcaster-type monster with the same attribute but a different name from your hand or Deck. Then, apply one of the following effects.

If your LP are higher than your opponent's, you can target 1 card on the field: Destroy it.

If your LP are lower than your opponent's, the Special Summoned monster gains ATK equal to the difference until the end of your opponent's turn.


"From my hand, I Special Summon the WATER attributed Tempest Sina the Pendulum Sorcerer (Lv.6, ATK: 2400)!" My ace appeared on the field causing a blizzard to form out of nowhere. "Then, since My Life Points are lower than yours, until the end of this turn, Elemental Circle will increase Sina's attack by the difference!"

Tempest Sina the Pendulum Sorcerer, ATK: 2400 + 4300 6700

"And lastly, I activate Ancient Artifact Soul Remoter!" My final card reveal itself. "This card lets me banish a monster from my Graveyard to grant its effects to Sina! I banish Aqueen, which gives my ace the opportunity to attack you directly!"

"A direct attack with sixty seven hundred attack?!" Solar cried out.

"Vortex Arrow!" I and Hema shouted my monster's attack and she fired a green ball of magic that exploded into Solar's face.

Solar LP: 4500 - 6700 0

Winner: Elizabeth

"Im-… Impossible!" Solar groaned. She was lying on the ground, defeated. But there was still fire in her eyes, I could tell, she wasn't going to give up on her goal so easily, even though I defeated her personally.

"The reason why you lost is because you are alone in pursuit of your goal." I walked over to her. "Unlike you, I have a family and friends that I must return to. They all gave me their strength to summon my Fusion Monster and defeat you."

Solar didn't respond to that. She just stared at me silently, hopefully thinking about what I told her. Just then, I noticed something from the corner of my eye, it looked like…


3rd POV

"Look out!" Avice grabbed Oni and jumped on the ground as Clear Wing flew above them and slammed into The Phantom Knights of Break Sword, destroying the monster, while also knocking Yuto.

Yuto LP: 1800 - 500 1300

Avice gritted her teeth and looked back at the two Duelists. Yuto and Yugo were still going at it and the more the duel continued, the less willing she became to try and stop them. And just to make things worse, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon was summoned, causing the pain in Avice's chest to grow along with the voices of the dragons that called out toward her.

"I will destroy you… and everything!" Yuto shouted. "I activate Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon's effect! By using one Overlay Unit, it can halve the attack of an opponent's Level Five or higher monster until the end of this turn and increase its own attack by that amount! Treason Discharge!" The dragon's wings opened and purple electricity flowed through them before shooting forward, hitting Clear Wing Synchro Dragon.

"I activate Clear Wing Synchro Dragon's effect!" Yugo shouted back. "When a Level Five or higher monster is targeted by a monster's effect, it can negate that effect and destroy that monster! I will negate Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon's effect targeting Clear Wing Synchro Dragon and destroy it! Dichroic Mirror!"

The white monster roared and spread its wings, which began to glow, redirecting the electric current, which flew toward Avice and Oni. The little girl cried out and grabbed onto the older one, while the Greyson held a hand over her chest, unable to move. The pain, it was causing her body to paralyze, she had no way to avoid a direct hit in that state. Avice wrapped her other arm tightly around Oni and prepared for the attack to hit them.

"Does acting like a dumb damsel in distress run in the family or something?" A new voice spoke and momentarily, a hand grabbed the back of Avice's collar, pulling both her and Oni out of the way.

Avice looked up and her eyes beamed at the familiar sight. "B-brother!"

"What the fresh hell is going on here?" Evan asked.

"Long story short, these Yuya look-alikes are called Yugo and Yuto and they were trying to kill each other for the last ten minutes." Avice explained and pointed at the two Duelists. "They dragons' being trying to call out toward me and-! ARGH!" Avice cried out and clenched her fist against her chest. Show white feathers surrounded by a blue aura began to form on the girl's back while she lied on the ground in agony.

"Neechan!" Oni wrapped her arms around the fallen girl. "Are you ok, neechan! Niichan something's -!"

"AHHHHHH!" Evan cried out and fell on his knees holding his hands over his face as a murderous black aura began to form behind him in the shape of wings.

"Niichan!" Oni's eyes widened as she looked between the two Greysons. That wasn't supposed to happen, at least not yet!

"My, my, quite the something were these dragons able to achieve in such a short time span." Foxy said and moved a finger down her own chest. "Mmm, I can feel the darkness pouring through master, he is going to awaken soon enough. How about you, Sola?"

"Same here, my little girl is soon going be consumed by the light." The spirit of Avice's ace, Sola Starlit the Pendulum Seraph confirmed. "I didn't expect them to reach the awakening process so soon, but it seems that their advancement isn't for free. What if their bodies don't manage to withstand the energy?"

"You are always looking at things from such a dark perspective." Foxy moved her light hand in front of herself and held it out. She looked through the gap between her thumb and index finger and saw Evan. The boy was held between her fingers, and knowing that it was true, the fact that she was able to manipulate his heart, made her feel a strange sense of fulfillment and happiness. "Twenty years… We have been waiting for this to happen for more than twenty years! There's no way for master to disappoint me after making me wait so long."

Sola chuckled at the thought. She spent more than twenty years in waiting for Avice to come back to her as well. "At long last, I will be able to completely regain my title as the Destruction Angel Queen."

"Yuto!" Suddenly, the two spirits had to turn their attention toward the field. The Synchro Dragon had just delivered its last strike and the Yuya was running toward his collapsed Xyz Counterpart. "Hey! Are you okay!? Yuto!"

The entertainer kneeled down to his counterpart. Suddenly, the cards of Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon and Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon began to resonate with each other and a sphere of light formed on the field. The pain within Evan and Avice subdued enough for them to look up as well. Even Oni, who was worried about the siblings, couldn't turn her gaze away from the light.

"W-what's this?" Avice asked. "It feels…"

"It burns…" Evan bit his lower lip in pain.

In a moment, the sphere of light began to collapse and then… Everything was cut off. A powerful explosion of light wipe up the whole park. In the last moments, before everything faded, the appearance of both Greyson siblings had changed. A pair of huge white angelic wings were coming out of Avice's back, while the sclera of Evan's eyes had turned black and a pair of demonic horns came out his forehead.


"This is…" Elizabeth's eyes widened as the light consumed her body before it faded away, into the sky. A moment later, Solar looked left and right in confusion, before realization came to her. The Duelist of Grelysonclenched her fist in anger.


"What the?" Ventus stared at as the strange light was consumed by the night sky and darkness seized over the city once again. What neither him, nor any of the other Lancers realized was that Evan, Elizabeth, Avice and Oni were no longer in that world…


Previews:

Chapter 30: Golden Doors and Broken Words

Summary: After the duel between Yugo and Yuto concludes, a bright light engulfs the area and the Greysons find themselves in a place they have never seen before – a destroyed world existing between the dimensions with a golden castle in the sky above it. The siblings set out to find a way toward the strange castle, but at the same time, unknown creatures lurk in the ruining world waiting for them…

Chapter 31: Legion of Corrupt Souls – Coregirum

Summary: As Graild, one of the three guardians of the Pendulum of Destiny explained the siblings the fate of the "Original Dimension" Berberus, one of the sapient Fragments created after its destruction invades the Sanctuary demanding the destruction of the newcomers. In order to save his sisters' lives, Evan takes on a duel against the strange creature, however he soon find himself overwhelmed by Berberus' Coregirum deck.

Chapter 32: Ashed Land of Kings and Queens

Summary: With his vicious strategies and combos Berberus manages to quickly overwhelm Evan's ChronoDevils and drives him into a corner. Seeing the boy pushed to his limits, Graild tells the siblings about the one who gave the beginning of the Original Dimension's destruction. Remember a moment from his own past, Evan allows his darkness to consume him and unleashes a fierce comeback.


A/N: Welp, this one is finished as well... I now have huge regrets of publishing Tales of Light and Darkness before this chapter because of Aqueen, but if I have to be honest, it was a last second idea to introduce the "Double Attribute" in this chapter.

So, now after Chapters 30, 31 and 32, I will try to accelerate things, so I could get to the Battle Royale as quickly as possible, as that's where things will get serious. There is also going to me a Mirror Duel that will probably be painful for both me (to write) and you (to read it), but don't worry, I'm already thinking of how to solve that. Honestly, even with that I don't think that I will be able to get to the Synchro Arc before Chapter 40 because there is going to be a lot going on during the second and third round of the Miami Championship. I also plan to write 2-3 "Extra" Chapters between Standard and Synchro. The main purpose of those chapters would be to have the Lancers and the Greysons bond a little bit and feel like an actual group of allies instead of Evan's pawns...

Thanks to Ethan Kironus for favoriting this story. Also, big thanks to both Vulpimaru and animebella09 for BOTH following and favoriting this story.

Now to the reviews... And there are Six of them this time?! You guys and girls and great!

bennyf5302: No worries, I don't plan to have the romance appear out of nowhere and romance isn't sometime I never focused onto in the first place, so... It's just going to be a little side thing that's going to happen for a bit.

ScalchopWarrior: Well, I'm not sure where the evil maniac Nightsgroud that everyone used actually came from, but this version can't act like that even if he wanted because, as I mentioned several times, currently the Nightsgroud of Arc-Tracers is so weak that he can't even properly hold control over its host.

You aren't missing anything, I just simply skipped the part when Nightshroud says "Turn end." and moved to Yuto's turn.

The Evan fighting Avice in the opening is Evan fighting Avice, no counterparts or anything like that. I simply created that "scene" for the aesthetic and to showcase the idea that Evan and Avice represent polar opposite forces (Darkness and Light).

Same thing goes for the omake, things that happen there don't always reflect what's going to happen in the story. I might sometime have an omake where Evan and Jean-Michel Roget are playing chess together, but that doesn't mean that they will be friends in the actual story.

Also, it's a little funny how so far every response to the Evan x Rio is "yeah, that seems wrong". Just to let you know, there is that thing called character development and not even that dweebshit known as Evan is immune to it.

EternalKing: Thanks for the critism! Truth is that even now, 26 chapters after the one on which you put this review, I'm still trying to figure out how to make the duels better. I'm not sure if the last part about the characters being 'edgy' applies to their current selves as well, but I will admit that when I started this story, I was a stupid little shit and liked making my characters 'edgy'. I'm almost sure that I was able to fix that as time went on.

Darwin-18: Omg, someone who's actually with a pisitive viewpoint about Evan x Rio? May the gods bless your soul!

ThePLOThand: Since you wrote two reviews, I choose to respond to them together. First I don't know what you meant with "inter-" in your first review and second, my Ra I actually completely forgot that the "fallguys" existed! You are right that they would be interesting to have and I sure as hell will use them, so thanks for that!

Tracers and Fragments aren't just cool names. It might feel this way because currently, Tracers don't do their main role, but everything will be explained in chapter 31. Also, I'm stupid so what does the "OF cheat mode" mean?

To the second review, *sigh* oh boy, where do I start with Evan? You see, when you speak about both him and Fullcross I have hard time understanding if you mean the Evan from this story or the one from Destiry Gears. If its the former, then I agree that he is selfish, but the Evan from Destiry Gears is actually very different from his younger self in terms of goals and motivations. Even then, this young Evan does everything for his sisters as well, so he isn't completely selfish, but other than that he doesn't have much empathy toward the rest of humanity. Heck, Evan doesn't even like himself all that much. If you were to ask Evan to write all of his flaws on a paper and he is serious about it, he could write you a whole book worht of his own flaws.

Because you mentioned him, pointing out the flaws in Fullcross' long I want to say that a definitive trait for both Evans is that they hate such "absolute" ideas because from they experience, ideals can very easy turn into dogma and then become fanaticism. So yeah, if something like that were to happen, it would be pretty interesting. I won't say anything about Nagito, I'm familiar with who he is, but beyond that I got no opinion on either him or the franchise he is a part of.

I have actually planned about 80-90% of the story, including how its going to end. There are just some more minor things that I haven't made a choise about, but my plans always change, so I can't tell you how much of those 80-90% will remain unchanged until I get to writing them. One thing I can say is sure however would be the ending. The reason is obvious.

I'm not sure if I ever said that I don't like it, sorry if I did, but everyone has a different taste for music, so I would rather say that your taste is much more different than mine. However, I fucking loved the music from Ludesia, those pieces were very awesome indeed.

Anyway, that's everything I got to say. Thanks to everyone for reading, I will see you next time!

Diabolic Tracer Out!