Chapter Thirty-Seven
"Ritual Summon! As the new day dawns and the future lies uncertain, open your eyes and forge the path the world will walk on! Level 8, Runecross Sunrise Wizard!"
The stele behind Yuito combusted in a giant red ball of energy. Once it cleared, a hooded wizard stood where it was. It's cape alternated in color between purple, red and orange, causing the monster to almost drag a morning sky behind itself as it moved. It sported glowing runes all over its bare arms and chest and its eyes burned in multi-colored flames.
Runecross Sunrise Wizard: EARTH / Spellcaster / Ritual / Effect / Level 8 / 3200 ATK / 3000 DEF
"This is… unexpected," Suito said at the sight of his sons monster, "I cannot say I ever thought of using multiple Crosspoints on the same card."
"Thank you," Yuito replied, "but you can shove that praise wherever you want."
"Awfully snippy, son," Suito said, "but I'm not beaten yet. Since you just Special Summoned a monster, Red Cross – Maiden will allow me to gain Life Points equal to its ATK or DEF, whichever is higher."
Suito: 16300 LP → 19500 LP
"Thank you," Yuito said.
"Don't think you can…" Suito started, but rethought what he was going to say, "…why thank you?"
"Because," Yuito explained, "you had this many Life Points and you couldn't resist getting more, to a point where it barely matters how many you have."
"Get to the point?"
"If a card, or the effect of a card is activated on your side of the field, my Sunrise Wizard takes note of the its card type, whether it was a monster, a spell, or a trap," while he spoke, the runes on Sunrise Wizards body started to glow orange, "and then, for the rest of the turn, it will prevent you from using any more effects of that card type."
The monster behind Yuito unleashed a wave of orange energy that coated the entire field like a veil.
"What?" Suito asked perplexed, "you're shutting down all my monster effects?"
"It only works for the first thing you do each turn," Yuito replied, "so, thank you, for choosing a monster effect for your first resolution."
"So that's what you meant," Suito said, sweat rolling from his forehead, "doesn't matter though. My monsters are still stronger. Unless you have a way to beat past them and wipe out nearly 20000 Life Points I can destroy your monster as early as my next turn."
"Let's find out, shall we?" Yuito said, "I move to Battle Phase."
"So you do have a way, don't you?" Suito mused, "you wouldn't be so confident if you didn't. Or is this just a mockery?"
"During the Battle Phase," Yuito explained, "my Sunrise Wizard halves the ATK of all other Special Summoned monsters on the field, then adds those lost ATK to itself."
The monsters sunrise cape glowed in energy, before extending, tightly wrapping itself around Suitos five monsters.
Yellow Cross – Angel: 21700 ATK → 10850 ATK
Blue Cross – Butterfly: 21950 ATK → 10975 ATK
Red Cross – Maiden: 21900 ATK → 10950 ATK
Orange Cross – Marksman: 22400 ATK → 11200 ATK
Green Cross – Contruct: 21200 ATK → 10600 ATK
Runecross Sunrise Wizard: 3200 ATK → 57775 ATK
Watching the stats on the monsters on the field change, Suito sighed: "So you beat me."
"You sound less frustrated than I thought you'd be."
"Maybe this is a trick," Keiji chimed in from the sidelines, "you got him all roped up, so he's gotta play dirty."
"It's not a trick, your grace," Suito replied, "I might have lost this battle, but my son can still do the right thing."
"The right thing?" Yuito asked, "what would that be? Wish for the thing you want?"
"For a world without conflict. Think about it, just for a second. Humanity will not even see the next convergence at this rate. A truly peaceful world is the only remaining chance for humanity."
"But I don't believe you."
"I don't expect you to," Suito replied, "all you're supposed to do is do the right thing."
"I don't wanna hear that phrase one more time," Yuito growled, "Sunrise Wizard, attack Yellow Cross – Angel. Runerise Blast!"
The wizard started to slowly float upwards, while conjuring a sphere of energy between its hands.
"Congratulations my son," Suito said as he braced for the incoming attack, "all that's left for you is to make a wish."
After he said that Yuitos monster shot the sphere at the glass figurine, where it exploded in what was almost a miniature sun.
Suito: 19500 LP → 0 LP
Yuito had to shield his eyes from the blasts brightness, but when he dared to look again, he found that he was still blinded – just in a different way.
The entire surrounding area was like looking straight into a beam of light, except that it didn't hurt the eyes. Yuito could see, but all that he saw was just… brightness.
"It feels just like the last time I was here," a raspy voice sounded from the light.
When Yuito turned his head, he saw that Ava was walking towards him, a black spot in a sea of white.
"It is quite surreal, but at the same time fitting for the unfathomable power this place holds," a light, feminine voice said from the other direction.
It was Evas, approaching Yuito from the opposite side, almost perfectly blending in with the surroundings.
"It is time to make your wish," Eva went on, "all you have to do is say what you want and it will happen."
"It will happen alright," Ava replied, "it just won't at all be what you wanted in the end."
"What are you two doing here?" Yuito asked, "and where are we?"
"I suppose our existence is destined to end here, just as you wish to the Crosspoints," Eva explained, "which is why they broke up our duel and transported us here."
"You suppose?"
"I won't pretend to know what is happening," Eva said, "I've only taken part in the convergence once before, as a contestant, not as an underlying figure."
"Where we are is an interesting question," Ava said, "The truth is I don't know. What I know is that this is a place out of time, and probably out of space. Not in any world, not in any realm. Or maybe we're just in your head. What I can tell you is that once you've wished you will return you where you were last standing, no time will have passed."
"So I get some time to consider what I'll wish?" Yuito asked.
"Yes, but I wouldn't stretch it, just in case there is actually a time limit to this."
"You know nothing about the Crosspoints, do you sister?" Eva chuckled.
"Says the girl who has never even been to this place before."
"Funny," she replied, "what happened to you 'you can never wish to the Crosspoints' stance?"
"There's no point squeezing the genie back into the bottle, so here we are to see things through," Ava replied, before she addressed Yuito again: "That brings me to my point. You can still avoid the wishes backlash if you wish for something so trivial that even if the Crosspoints corrupt the wish the damage would be minimal. Like a new hairbrush or a snow cone. Worst things to happen with the last one would be that it tastes terrible, really."
"Hah!" Eva exclaimed, "so you'd rather he throw away his chance to save the world? There is no way humanity will not have gone extinct by the time the next convergence comes around, his wish is our last chance to make sure it doesn't come that far."
"By wishing for a world without conflict?" Ava replied, "you cannot be sure about the side effects a wish of that scale would have. You could eradicate humanity!"
"Humanity is already eradicating itself!" Eva replied.
"Enough!" Yuito eventually screamed, trying to silence the arguing women.
"From what I can tell, you," he directed at Ava, "tried to kill me and then tried to kill my father, while you," he directed at Eva, "made my father abandon me when I was a child and manipulated me ever since I returned into your crosshair."
"I thought we already talked about that," Eva replied, "I told you I wouldn't apologize, I did what I had to do, and I'd do it all again and more, for this moment."
"You are, both, despicable people," Yuito said, "why would I listen to either of you. You both did horrible things in the last one thousand years, none of you deserve to come out on top."
"Well, too bad white knight," Ava retorted, "but one of us will. You will not leave this plane of existence until you made your wish."
"You don't know that," Yuito replied, before he stopped to think: "But maybe that's the point. Nobody knows more than bits and pieces about how the Crosspoints work anymore."
It took the two girls a few seconds each to realize what Yuito meant, but by the time they raised their voices to object, it was too late.
Yuito had closed his eyes and focused just on himself and the surrounding energy.
And then he made a wish.
When the light dissipated, Yuito was back, right there in the cathedral where he had fought his father, who was now on his knees in front of him.
"What have you done?" he asked confused, "nothing has changed. Why has nothing changed?"
"I wished for something less drastic of a measure than you and Eva deemed necessary."
Suito held his head in confusion for a second, before he replied: "You did, did you?"
"Yeah you did," it was Keiji who said that, with him, Hatsuko and Saburo also holding their heads in confusion, "and, I know what you did. I don't know how, but I do."
"You see," Yuito addressed his father, "the issue with everything that happened in the last weeks was that no one truly knows anything about the Crosspoints and the Convergence. So I wished that everyone would know, about the Crosspoints, and that everyone born from this day forward would have the Elder Blood. So that in a thousand years, people may decide what they want to do with that power with all the information available."
"Foolish child," his father replied, "in a thousand years they may decide? There will be no more 'they' in a thousand years! This convergence was the last one to ever be overseen by humans! You just doomed our race to extinction!"
"I didn't," he said, "I'm just taking a gander on future generations."
"I'm sure that gander will be of use to the last generations in a few hundred years, still ages away from the next convergence."
"I don't know that, and neither do you. We don't have the authority to change their lives as drastically as you envisioned."
"Then I have nothing more to say to you." Suito turned around to leave, only to be tackled by Saburo and pinned to the ground.
"You don't think we're gonna let you get away scot free, did you?" the boy asked, "you're gonna have some things to answer for? Especially now that the whole world knows what you did."
"And what would that be? Fighting my son in an ancient magical ritual? I don't suppose that's illegal."
"He's right," Hatsuko said, "no damn police in the world would find anything to convict this guy off. All the attempted murder and assault were carried out by Evas other little subsidiaries."
"Let him go," Yuito added, "I suppose continuing to live in a world that he views as doomed is punishment enough, especially now that he believes he failed to safe it."
"That sound awfully cruel," Keiji remarked, "you sure that's enough?"
"I mean, everyone knows what a cold-hearted bitch this guy is, so I suppose he won run into open arms," Saburo said, before getting up, "you heard them, run free."
Suito shot one more bitter look towards his son before he exited the cathedral into the chaotic city streets.
"What exactly did you wish? Like word by word?" Hatsuko asked Yuito after his father had left.
"'I wish that everyone knows about the Crosspoints and their nature, and also, that everyone born from this moment forward shall inherit the Elder Blood.'"
"So that's what you meant in your discussion with Ava and Eva," Hatsuko replied.
"Yeah, all of our problems basically came from nobody know…" he started to explain, before he stopped, "how do you know what I talked about with Ava and Eva?"
"I don't know," Hatsuko said, "it just popped into my head. The entire conversation, just like all the info about the Crosspoints. I know that Eva wanted you to reshape the world and Ava wanted you to throw away your wish, but you did neither."
"Same here," Saburo threw in, "I've got that in my head like I was there with you."
"Honestly so do I," Keiji said, "it was kinda weird at first but then it kinda becomes a regular memory."
"I don't understand, that's not what I wished for," Yuito replied confused.
"Maybe that's the thing," Hatsuko mused, "you made a very selfless wish, which went against the points ideal of neutrality, so it balanced it out by giving it a selfish streak. So the wish made you known to everyone everywhere."
"I don't know if I like the sound of that."
"Too bad, its not like you have much of a choice," Keiji said, "cheer up, you're probably the biggest celebrity ever now."
"I suppose I can't do anything about that anymore can I?" Yuito sighed in frustration, "boy, a bunch of people are gonna hate me."
"Speaking of hate," Hatsuko said, "I already said I don't regret my actions in the last weeks but… knowing now how wrong that would've ended… I can at least say that I'm sorry on how greatly I misjudged your character."
"That's a very weird apology," Yuito said, "but I appreciate it. I suppose if I were in your position, I wouldn't know what I would have done. We all do bad things to protect the world."
"So," Hatsuko opened her arms, "friends again?"
"Friends again," Yuito said, pulling her into a hug.
"Aww, come here you cute little fucks," Keiji said, joining in with the other two.
Hatsuko eventually grabbed Saburos arm and pulling him into the group hug as well, which only earned her a 'what the hell' from him.
"Well," Yuito said, breaking free from the group, turning to rising sun shining through the door, "let's see how much the world can change in one night."
Author-made cards:
Runecross Sunrise Wizard: EARTH / Spellcaster / Ritual / Effect / Level 8 / 3200 ATK / 3000 DEF
Must be Ritual Summoned with a "Scribestone" Ritual Spell, and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. During the Battle Phase: Half the ATK of all other face-up Special Summoned monsters, also, this card gains ATK equal to the combined current ATK of all face-up Special Summoned monsters, except "Runecross Sunrise Wizard". If your opponent activates a card or effect: Until the End Phase, your opponent cannot activate cards or effects with that same card type (Monster, Spell, Trap). Your opponent cannot activate cards or effects with that card type in response to this effects activation. You can only use this effect of "Runecross Sunrise Wizard" once per turn.
Yellow Cross – Angel / LIGHT / Fairy / Ritual / Effect / Level 8 / 2800 ATK / 2800 DEF
Must first be Ritual Summoned. If this card is Special Summoned: Banish all face-up monsters, except Ritual Monsters, then, this card gains 500 ATK for each card banished by this effect. If your opponent takes damage (Battle or effect damage): Gain LP equal to the damage they took. If this card would be destroyed, you can banish 1 card from your Extra Deck instead. There can only be 1 face-up "Yellow Cross – Angel".
Blue Cross – Butterfly / FIRE / Insect / Ritual / Effect / Level 8 / 3050 ATK / 0 DEF
Must first be Ritual Summoned. Once per turn: You can banish 1 monster from your GY; Change all monsters your opponent controls to Attack Position and if you do, their ATK becomes 0, then, gain LP equal to the amount of ATK lost by this effect. During the End Phase, if your LP are higher than your opponents: Face-up Ritual Monsters you control gain ATK equal to your surplus. If this card would be destroyed, you can banish 1 card from your Extra Deck instead. There can only be 1 face-up "Blue Cross - Butterfly".
Red Cross – Maiden / LIGHT / Psychic / Ritual / Effect / Level 8 / 3000 ATK / 3000 DEF
Must first be Ritual Summoned. If your opponent Special Summons a monster: Gain LP equal to its ATK or DEF, whichever is higher. Once per turn: You can target 1 monster your opponent controls, with an ATK equal to or lower than half your LP; Place it face-up in your Spell/Trap Zone. If this card would be destroyed, you can banish 1 card from your Extra Deck instead. There can only be 1 face-up "Red Cross - Maiden".
Orange Cross – Marksman: LIGHT / Thunder / Ritual / Effect / Level 8 / 3500 ATK / 3300 DEF
Must first be Ritual Summoned. Once per turn: You can target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; Gain LP equal to its ATK and if you do, destroy all face-up monsters your opponent controls with ATK less than the LP you gained. Once per turn, if your LP are higher than your opponents: You can target 1 card you control and 1 card your opponent controls; Destroy both targets. If this card would be destroyed, you can banish 1 card from your Extra Deck instead. There can only be 1 face-up "Orange Cross - Marksman".
Green Cross – Construct: WIND / Fairy / Ritual / Effect / Level 7 / 2300 ATK / 2000 DEF
Must first be Ritual Summoned. If your opponent adds a card(s) from their Deck to their hand (including by drawing it): Gain 1000 LP for each. If your opponent activates a monster effect: You can pay 1000 LP; Negate the activation. If your opponents LP are less than half of your LP when this effect is activated, your opponent cannot activate monster effects in response to this effects. If this card would be destroyed, you can banish 1 card from your Extra Deck instead. There can only be 1 face-up "Green Cross - Construct".