Special thanks to Zweig for giving me ideas for this mini-arc!
The chapter begins in Sly's point of view.
Disclaimer: I do not own any Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's characters! I only own my OCs!
Chapter 54: Sins of Arcadia – Part 4
I felt like I had been in a dreamless sleep and I recently woke up with memories tucked away in the deepest part of my brain. I was in a high-modern technology laboratory with the man who claimed to be my father, Seria, and Professor Frank. There were two beds in the corner of the laboratory where my classmates, Leo and Luna, slept. Both of them were shackled to the beds by their wrists and ankles with sensors on their heads while Seria typed on a computer, analyzing something.
I had no idea what they were doing, so I remained silent and listened closely what the adults were talking about.
"How's the connection between the twins?" Sayer asked.
"100% compatibility", Seria reported. "Energy levels even. It's like they complete each other. If you separate them, the strength of the connection will lower down."
"In other words, it should be safe to enter the Spirit World through little Luna's Mark as long as her twin is close to her", Professor Frank chuckled darkly.
Spirit World? What was that? I think I heard the twins mention it before when they thought no one heard them.
"While Luna might not possess any psychic abilities, her power to connect to the Spirit World could be useful", Dad commented. "Professor, I entrust you will gather as much information from her as possible."
"Of course, Sayer", Professor Frank nodded. "And then… My Darklord and I will conquer the Spirit World and lead an army of controlled Duel Spirits by your side!"
Dad chuckled amusingly. "How ironic Director Goodwin never once suspected that you were secretly part of the Arcadia Movement when he hired you as one of the Dueling Assassins at the Fortune Cup to expose the Signers."
What is a Signer?
"We shall see what those blasted Signers and Sector Security can do against my army of psychic Duelists and your army of Duel Spirits", Dad continued with a dark chuckle. "Soon, everyone in New Domino City shall taste the same fear and pain that I had to deal with when no one, absolutely NO ONE, accepted me and my powers and threw me aside as garbage!"
Wait, what did he just say? Did this mean he was planning on attacking the city?
"I agree, Sayer", Professor Frank said. "So many of us have suffered because of the ignorant people, but it is time we show them what we psychic Duelists are capable of."
"It pains me a bit to have lost Aki to the Signers and Estelle, but since she betrayed me, she must face the same demise as everyone else", Dad continued. "The city will be ruined, but it shall be rebuilt under my command and Neo Arcadia Movement will rise again and psychic Duelists shall conquer the rest of the world!"
"No!" I called out, getting the adults' attention. "You can't do that! So many innocent people will get hurt!"
Dad and Professor Frank looked at me with poker faces as Seria kept typing on the computer. "I see the hypnosis of Darklord Amdusc has worn off, but that shouldn't be possible. Unless…", Dad mumbled as he glanced at the twins from the corner of his eye. "The presence of the Signers must've affected you because you've been around them for quite some time now."
"Not only that, Sayer", Professor Frank spoke up. "I witnessed the Duel between him and Luna. She tried reaching out to him at the end and he showed signs of resistance. However, Darklord Amdusc managed to manipulate him in the nick of time."
I have been manipulated the whole time? And hypnotized to act like an obedient slave?!
"How dare you!" I growled loudly. "I'm not a puppet that you can control by its strings!"
Dad… No. Sayer glanced at me with a weird expression that looked half-amusing and half-sad. "But, son… Haven't you gotten hurt by people too? You know what it's like to be in pain just because you're different from everyone else. Do you not seek of revenge and show them the same pain that you had to carry in your chest? Especially the people who let you live in their house but they neglected you."
He was right at some point, but wrong at the same time. I clenched my hands into fists as anger surged through my body.
"Yes…", I nodded as I bent my head down to hide my face. "I've been hurt by Grandma and Grandpa ever since Mom left me at their place. They never showed me any form of love or affection towards me. They never praised me when I got the best score of the class or taught me what was right and wrong. I began hating them and so I began hating everything and everyone around me." I looked up with angry eyes and gritted teeth. "But I never wanted to hurt someone because of that! I know what it's like to get hurt and I may act rude toward the people around me, especially my classmates, but I don't want to hurt them! They haven't done anything to hurt me, so why should I hurt them?!"
"You're an intelligent boy", Sayer said before his eyes grew dark. "Too intelligent, I'm afraid."
I glared at Sayer as I slowly stepped backward towards Leo's bed while holding up my Duel Disk as a shield. Sure, I may not like the twins, but I knew they were in danger, so I had to help them while I was still in my right mind.
I jumped when I felt two pairs of hands grab my arms. I looked over my shoulders and saw Liquid and Okita had apprehended me. Their eyes were hazy and their auras were black and dark too, as if an evil power was controlling them. Was it this Darklord Sayer talked about before?
"Let me go!" I demanded as I struggled against their hard grip.
"You are to stay silent, boy", Liquid said in a deep voice.
"You have no longer the rights to represent the Wrath of the seven deadly sins", Okita spoke with an equal deep voice.
"You are right about that, Okita", Sayer said as he approached me.
I struggled yet again to not let him touch me. I tried kicking him on the crotch, but he was fast to dodge them. He grabbed the Duel Disk I had on my right arm and removed it. He moved back as he took my Deck and went through it until he grabbed one of the cards.
"I'll be taking Darklord Amdusc and add it to my Deck", Sayer told me as he slipped the Monster card in the pocket of his suit. "He will be much useful to me since you refuse to cooperate with Neo Arcadia Movement, son."
"I'm not your son!" I argued.
"Sayer!" Seria called, getting everyone's attention. "The hidden cameras and sensors are picking up movement nearby the headquarters!"
Sayer stepped over to the computer where Professor Frank had stayed by Seria's side. Multiple windows appeared on the screen, revealing large groups of Securities walking through the forest. I think I spotted Leo and Luna's adult friends among them, but I couldn't see them properly.
"So Security and the Signers have found us", Sayer chuckled amusingly.
"What shall we do, Sayer?" Professor Frank asked.
"Simple; I'll send my army of psychic Duelists to deal with them", Sayer replied with a dark gleam in his eyes. "I have a feeling the Signers will come after us, since we carry the cards of the Darklords; the evil aura will attract like the moth attracted to the light. We shall prepare for their approach. Seria, get Itsuki and prepare him."
"Yes, Sayer", Seria nodded before she stood up and left the laboratory, her black and dark purple Arcadia Movement robe flowing behind her.
"Okita, Liquid, take Sly to the chamber", Sayer commanded as he gave Liquid my Duel Disk after he put my Deck back.
"Yes, sir", the duo replied.
"The chamber? What's that?!" I asked furiously as I was slowly dragged out of the laboratory.
Sayer turned to Professor Frank and my heart dropped when I heard the last sentence before the door got shut in front of my face.
"Professor, I leave Luna in your hands. Do whatever you need to reach the Spirit World, even if you have to take some…extreme measurements."
No! Don't hurt her!
XXXXXXXXXX – Estelle's POV
Every Security, including myself and my friends, took cautious steps as we walked through the thick and dark forest to get to the secret HQ of Sayer's Neo Arcadia Movement. We had direct connection with each other and our HQ by Bluetooth headsets. It didn't take five minutes before several Team Alpha members reported they had engaged in Duels with Neo Arcadia Movement grunts.
My friends and I went in a separate group as we approached the deserted mansion from behind. According to the now clear-minded Nino and Kawasaki, there was a secret entrance at the back of the mansion. Team Beta and Team Delta weren't far behind as Team D was shielding Team B.
"Are we there yet…?" Aki whispered.
"We're close…", I replied, hearing noise of the Duels in the distance. "We should be there in less than three minutes…"
"C'mon, we've gotta move faster…!" Crow hissed impatiently. "The kids are in danger…!"
"I know that, but we need to approach carefully or else we could fall into traps…!" I argued softly.
"She's right, Crow…", Jack said. "Remember your recklessness when we went to get Kuzuyama and you fell into his traps…?"
"Yeah, okay, point taken…", Crow said. "But still…"
"Can you not argue right now, please…?" Carly asked softly. "You can do that any day, but not now…"
"Sorry…", both men apologized.
I pushed aside branches and leaves with Yusei and Misty until we were greeted by an overgrown garden. The fields were covered by tall grass and surrounded by moldy wood fence. The flowers in pots and flowers beds were withered and it smelled really bad. It was like a mini marsh.
"The stench is strong…", Misty commented as she covered her nose.
"Estelle, do you know where the secret entrance is?" Yusei asked.
I nodded as I pinched my nose to not smell the stench and throw up by it. I heard Crow and Carly vomiting in the background, and Jack and Aki groaning at the sight. I stepped into the overgrown field, the heel of my boots slightly sinking into the ground. I walked up to the wall of the mansion and felt around it. There was supposedly a hidden switch that would open the entrance in the shape of a tiny button.
I traced the wall with the tip of my fingers, but I couldn't really find it. "Guys, spread out on this wall and feel around it as good as you can. There is a switch somewhere in the shape of a button."
"Okay", Yusei nodded.
He and Jack stepped over to the wall as I quickly went to Crow and Carly, seeing both of them looked pale after throwing up. Misty and Aki were by their side to rub their backs.
"Are you two okay?" I asked softly.
"Y-Yeah…", Crow rasped.
"I can't stand the stench…", Carly gasped.
"I know; it's hard to breathe here", I admitted. "Hopefully, the air will be better inside the mansion once we find the-"
"I found it", Yusei called softly.
"-switch", I ended before looking over my shoulder. "Good job."
Yusei pressed the button. We waited a few seconds before part of the wall slid open to reveal a secret doorway and stairs leading downward. There was no light, so I pulled out my flashlight from the pouch on my belt.
"Follow me, but stay quiet and cautious…", I told my group.
I walked ahead as we slowly walked down the stairs, our Duel Disks ready in case we were going to be ambushed. The walls were so narrow I kept bumping my shoulders for every step I took. The stairs seemed endless until a light shone up ahead. We made it safely to the bottom where there was a fork; one way to the left, one way to the right, and one way forward. The floor was nice and clean, as if people had been here not so long time ago.
"What do we do now…?" Aki wondered.
"We need to split up", I concluded.
Just as I said that, I felt a cold run down my spine. I physically shivered as my Mark hurt a little bit. "Something's wrong…", I mumbled. "There's a dark aura here."
"Yeah", Yusei nodded. "It's similar to the Earthbound Immortals, but there's something different about it."
"Whatever it is, we need to confront it", I said. "The grunts we caught said Sayer and his aides have titles based on the Seven Deadly Sins."
After a quick discussion, Aki, Misty, and I went to the corridor at the front. Yusei and Crow went to the right hallway, and Jack and Carly to the left. We agreed on contacting each other if we found the source of the dark aura to notify the others.
XXXXXXXXXX – Jack's POV
I used my flashlight to light up the hallway as Carly walked very close to me. The floor and walls didn't look old as the exterior of the mansion. It was like someone had renovated the whole basement just recently. It still smelled a bit fresh of the laminated floor.
"This is going to be a big scoop…", Carly mumbled to herself before giggling darkly. "Angela is going to get the shock of her life when she hears I got here before her…"
"Keep it down…", I hissed at her. "You can take pictures after we catch Sayer and his lackeys."
"Sorry, Jack…", Carly said.
My Mark began glowing through the sleeve and it hurt a bit. It was similar to the time whenever a Dark Signer was nearby. I grabbed Carly's shoulder to make her stop and hold her close to me.
"Jack…?"
"Shh!" I hissed. "Someone's coming."
I shut the flashlight and put it away to prepare my Duel Disk. I stared into the dark corridor, straining my ears when I caught the weak sound of footsteps. They kept coming closer and it now caught Carly's attention.
"Oh, Jack Atlas…", a feminine voice called from the shadows as the footsteps came closer. "The man of my dreams… Have you come for me, your future wife, Seria?"
"Who are you?!" I yelled. "Are you working for Sayer?!"
"Working for Sayer?" the voice repeated amusingly. "No, I'm working with Sayer Divine. He's the descendant of God who has been born to give us psychic Duelists, the outcasts, guidance to have a place in this world."
"She sounds crazy…", Carly whispered.
"And he promised he shall reward me by making Jack Atlas mine", the voice continued as her voice grew angry. "And here you are…with another woman in your arms!"
"I belong to no one but myself!" I argued irritably, shielding Carly in case this lunatic decided to harm her. "Come out and Duel me!"
The woman's chuckle grew dark as the lights were suddenly turned on. I had to shield my eyes for a second with my left arm with the Duel Disk to get used to the sudden brightness. Once my eyes were okay, I looked up and saw we were in front of a fork. At the opposite side was a woman in Mina's age standing with a standard Duel Disk on her left arm. She had short orange hair, hazel eyes, and pale skin. She was dressed in the Arcadia Movement robe, except the middle of the robe was dark purple. She was probably Seria as she mentioned the name moments ago.
My Mark hurt again as a dark aura enveloped Seria. Her chuckle grew deeper as her eyes turned maniac as if the force inside her was taking over her. I shivered as the scene reminded me of how Carly got possessed by the Earthbound Immortal in the Shadow Turbo Duel months ago.
"Signer…", a new feminine voice spoke, obviously the dark force that had taken control over Seria. "Duel me or face my lust."
"What?!" Carly exclaimed in disbelief.
"I won't face your lust as I, Jack Atlas, will defeat you and bring the woman back to her senses!" I growled as I activated my Duel Disk.
"Foolish choice, but I accept the challenge", Dark Seria giggled amusingly.
"Let's-"
"I'm joining in!" Carly interrupted as she stood tall next to her and activated her own Duel Disk.
"What?! Carly, stay out of it!" I told her. "I can take care of-"
"No, Jack! I'll stay by your side and that's it!" Carly argued. "We've already Dueled together once when Trudge was under the control of the Dark Signers and we were the best team ever! I'm going to protect you and you cannot change my way of thinking! And I won't let the evil force nor that woman take you away from me!"
The way Carly spoke reminded me a lot of how I felt when I thought I had almost lost her to the Earthbound Immortals when we had the Shadow Turbo Duel. I held back a chuckle, finding it amusing how our roles had been reversed.
"Alright", I nodded, not realizing a tiny smirk had grown on my lips. "Join me… Princess."
"P-P-P-Princess?!" Carly stuttered as her pale cheeks turned bright red.
I blinked in realization before I felt my cheeks grow hot. I tried covering them with my right hand as much as I could. Did I really just call Carly "princess"?!
"Aww, how adorable you two are!" Dark Seria giggled sarcastically. "But Jack Atlas, the Signer, shall be mine and mine alone!"
"We'll see about that, witch!" Carly growled as she got over the embarrassment. "Let's Duel!"
"You said it, Carly!" I nodded as I recovered from my own shock. "It's time to Duel!"
"Agreed. Let's Duel!"
XXXXXXXXXX – Yusei's POV
Crow and I split up by another fork, so we went in separate ways. Within five minutes, I found a high-modern door that slid open as I stood in front of it. It was a control room where they had the footage of the security cameras inside the mansion. I ran over to the front desk and began looking at each screen. A few live footages revealed Sector Security had managed to get into the mansion at the front and they had arrested or taken into custody multiple brainwashed Neo Arcadia Movement grunts.
While that was a good thing, I had to find the cameras for the hidden underground rooms. I had to locate Sayer, Leo and Luna, Sly, and other victims and allies of the psychopath who was behind of this.
I checked every screen from left to right, finding a few that gave me some clues. I found one screen that showed that Jack and Carly were in the middle of a Duel with a woman who had a dark aura. Was she one of Sayer's Seven Deadly Sins right hand men?
"What do you think you're doing, Signer?"
My Mark began glowing and throbbing in pain just as the voice behind me began speaking. I quickly turned around and came face to face with a tall young man. He had tanned skin, short brown hair, brown eyes that were hiding behind a pair of glasses. He was dressed in the same robe as that woman in the surveillance camera, and had an awful aura that reminded me of Dark Kalin when he was possessed by the Earthbound Immortals.
"Are you one of the Seven Deadly Sins?" I asked as I raised my left arm, preparing my Duel Disk.
"Correct, Signer", the man chuckled darkly. "I found it amusing that I am about to face Satellite's Shooting Star himself. I believe the leaders of each group are supposed to battle each other. I guess I should have the honor to defeat you and let you taste my envy."
"Envy…?" I mumbled to myself. "Is the original owner of the body you possess jealous of me?"
"Why yes. Okita began admiring you and he nearly escaped from Arcadia Movement, but Sayer held him back and presented me, the Darklord of Envy."
"Darklord?" I repeated confusedly. "What is a Darklord? Are they related to the Earthbound Immortals?"
"Duel me and you shall find out", Dark Okita replied before holding up his left arm with a Duel Disk.
I guess I had no choice but to Duel and save Okita from this evil force that had corrupted him.
XXXXXXXXXX – Leo's POV
I woke up by several voices nearby, so I pretended to still be asleep to not get attention. I opened one of my eyes from time to time to see what was going on. I was shackled onto a bed by both my wrists and ankles, so I couldn't move. I spotted Luna lying unconscious on another bed next to me and she was shackled as well.
I could barely see the bad guys' faces, but I recognized Sayer and the Professor from the Fortune Cup any day. I didn't know who that woman with short orange hair was, though. My eyes widened when I saw Sly. He seemed to slowly move backward towards me and Luna. Was he going to secretly help us?
He got caught by two other men who looked like they were possessed by an evil force. My Mark responded to the dark aura, but it thankfully didn't glow. I closed my eyes and pretended to be sleeping as I heard Sly struggle against the grunts as he was pulled out of the laboratory. Sayer and that orange-haired woman left the laboratory shortly after them, leaving the Professor alone with us.
I fought to play unconscious, but I couldn't help but peek from the corner of my eye and watch as the Professor walked over to Luna's bed. His calm facial expression slowly changed into a maniac as he chuckled viciously.
"You were able to exile me from the Spirit World last time, Luna…", the Professor said deeply. "But this time you shall not…"
My eyes widened in shock and a loud gasp almost escaped from my mouth as the adult began unbuttoning Luna's school blazer. What was he going to do to my sister?!
I had to get unshackled somehow, but if I began struggling the Professor would notice it and he could put me down to sleep again.
But wait!
I was a Signer! I had powers like everyone else, so maybe I could communicate with Power Tool Dragon and ask him to help me.
"I am here, Leo", Power Tool Dragon spoke up in my head. "I am already working on the shackles in my spirit form. When I give you the signal, you may move."
I nodded inwardly and closed my eyes to play unconscious. I could sense how the shackles lightened up on my wrists and ankles, so they got loose with the help of Power Tool Dragon's spirit.
"Now!"
I opened my eyes at the signal and jumped up fast on the bed. I turned to the Professor and pounced onto him before delivering the hardest punch I could on his face. The adult yelped out in pain as he collapsed on the floor and I fell on top of him.
I quickly jumped off of him and stood in front of Luna's bed to protect her. I looked over my shoulder and saw the Professor had also began unbuttoning the shirt too, but he only made it to the second button. Don't tell me he wanted to molest her?!
"How dare you touch my sister, you creep?!" I growled at the Professor.
The adult got up on his feet as he rubbed his left cheek where a big bruise was already forming. I was pleased by my handiwork, but another part of me was scared that I managed to provoke him.
The Professor chuckled amusingly as a black aura enveloped him. My Mark glowed and begun hurting a bit, indicating this evil force was something similar to the Earthbound Immortals.
"The Signer with the Heart of the Dragon…", the Professor's voice sounded too deep for a human being. "You dare standing in the way for my host's goal?"
"Who are you?!" I asked angrily. "Are you an Earthbound Immortal?!"
"Those ancient shadows? No, we are the Darklords."
What the heck is a Darklord?
"No matter", Dark Professor shook his head before he raised his left arm. "I shall take care of you before attending to your sister."
The dark aura moved up his arm and formed a black Duel Disk with dark purple gems and a weird red mark. I looked around to find my school bag resting next to my bed. I quickly ran to it and picked up my Duel Disk provided by the Duel Academy. I checked my Deck to make sure it was the same as before, which it thankfully was. I strapped the device onto my left arm and turned around to face Dark Professor.
"You will never ever touch Luna!" I growled. "My Morphtronics will stop you!"
"We shall see about that when you face my Shaddolls, Signer", Dark Professor chuckled.
XXXXXXXXXX – Carly's POV
Jack and I quickly figured out Seria was using a Mill Deck, but she was also pretty smart. She had trapped us with different Continuous Spell cards, including the Dark Door, Gravekeeper's Servant, and Swords of Revealing Light. Both Jack and I had lost half of our Decks, but we still had some tricks up on our sleeves.
Jack + Carly: 2300 LP
Dark Seria: 2300 LP
Jack had one Trap card facedown and no Monsters. Seria had a facedown Monster, the Dark Door, Gravekeeper's Servant, and one Trap card facedown. I myself had Fortune Lady Dark in attack mode and Slip of Fortune facedown.
Fortune Lady Dark, Level 5: ATK 2000
"It's my turn! Draw!" Jack called. "I summon Archfiend Interceptor in attack mode!"
Archfiend Interceptor, Level 4: ATK 1400
"Next, I activate my facedown; Revival Gift!" Jack continued. "I Special summon the Tuner Monster Dark Resonator from my Graveyard, but its effects are negated!"
Dark Resonator, Level 3, Tuner: ATK 1300
"And you get two Gift Fiend Tokens on your field!"
Gift Fiend Token, Level 3: DEF 1500
Gift Fiend Token, Level 3: DEF 1500
"I now tune Level 3 Dark Resonator with Level 4 Archfiend Interceptor! Pulses of the new ruler, come forth from the inner depths of chaos! Synchro summon! The proud Chaos King Archfiend!"
Chaos King Archfiend, Level 7: ATK 2600
"Chaos King Archfiend, attack Gift Fiend Token!" Jack commanded after sending the top card of his Deck to the Graveyard due to Gravekeeper's Servant's effect.
The Synchro Monster raised its arms and flew towards one of the Tokens while the fire wings glowed intense.
"I activate my facedown; Book of Moon!" Dark Seria called as said card flipped up. "Your Chaos King Archfiend is flipped facedown!"
The Book of Moon flipped its pages open before a bright light shone from it. Chaos King Archfiend halted in its movement and was pushed back to my and Jack's field before it was flipped facedown.
Jack growled lightly at the blocking before sending another card from his Deck to the Graveyard. "Fine then! I end my turn!"
"My turn. Draw!" Dark Seria called. "I flip up my facedown Monster, which is Morphing Jar!"
Morphing Jar, Level 2: ATK 700
"Morphing Jar's effect!" Seria continued."Jack and I send our entire hands to the Graveyard and draw five new cards."
Jack growled softly before he discarded his hand and drew new five cards along with Dark Seria.
Dark Seria began chuckling so deep that you could've mistaken her voice as a male's. "Yes. The card has come and it is all thanks to you, Signer."
"What'd you mean?" Jack raised an eyebrow confusedly.
"I release Morphing Jar and one Gift Fiend Token to Tribute summon the Deadly Sin of Lust; Darklord Ixchel!"
Darklord Ixchel, Level 10: ATK 2500
Jack suddenly grunted in pain as he clutched his right arm. "T-This pain…is like the Earthbound Immortals."
Darklord Ixchel giggled amusingly. "Because we are related to them."
"Did you just talk?!" I exclaimed in shock, pointing my finger at the Duel Monster.
"Oh yes, I can", Darklord Ixchel giggled. "And I've been controlling Seria since the very beginning."
"Did you manipulate her to aid Sayer?" Jack asked as he let go of his hurt arm.
"No, she willingly stayed by his side to help him rebuild Neo Arcadia Movement. She had nowhere else to go and was scared of the world, so Sayer was her only savior."
"That's a similar story to Aki's…", Jack mumbled.
"Enough talking!" Darklord Ixchel's tone changed as she suddenly grew impatient. "It's time to end the Duel so I can have you all by myself, Signer. Seria!"
Seria had changed as she looked like a lifeless zombie. She discarded the top card of her Deck to the Graveyard. "Darklord Ixchel… Attack Fortune Lady Dark…"
"I activate my facedown; Slip of Fortune!" I quickly called as my card flipped up. "The attack is negated and Darklord Ixchel is removed from play until the next Standby Phase."
The Trap card shielded my Fortune Lady from Darklord Ixchel as she tried punching my Monster. Instead, she got sucked into the card and vanished from the field.
"I activate my second Gravekeeper's Servant…", Seria called as the Continuous Spell card appeared next to the first copy. "I play Book of Eclipse… All face-up Monsters on the field are flipped facedown…"
Fortune Lady Dark was flipped facedown when the new book Quick-Play Spell card activated.
"End Phase… Book of Eclipse's second effect… All facedown Monsters are flipped up…"
Chaos King Archfiend and Fortune Lady Dark were flipped up as they appeared on the field, looking relieved to be back again.
Chaos King Archfiend, Level 7: ATK 2600
Fortune Lady Dark, Level 5: ATK 2000
"And you draw cards equal to the number of Monsters changed face-up by this effect, Jack Atlas…"
Jack drew two more cards due to the two Monsters being flipped up.
"I end my turn…"
"My turn! Draw!" I called, drawing a card and added it to my three other cards in my hand. "Slip of Fortune's effect! Darklord Ixchel returns to the field!"
The succubus sighed in relief as she flew out from a wormhole, spinning around like a ballerina. "Ahh, it feels so nice to be back!"
Darklord Ixchel, Level 10: ATK 2500
"But that's not all!" I said. "Fortune Lady Dark's effect! Her Level increases by one while her attack points increases by 400!"
Fortune Lady Dark, Level 5 – Level 6: ATK 2000 – ATK 2400
"I play Pot of Avarice!" I called. "I shuffle five Monsters from my Graveyard to my Deck and then draw two cards!"
I picked a few of my Fortune Ladies and other Monsters and shuffled them back to the Deck before drawing two cards. I grinned as I saw I got really good cards.
"I summon the Tuner Monster, Fortune Lady Past, in attack mode!"
Fortune Lady Past, Level 1, Tuner: ATK 200
I saw how Jack gaped at my new Monster in shock. "C-Carly… W-Where did you-"
"I'll explain later, Jack", I interrupted him. "Just as you tried protecting me last time, it's my turn to protect you! I tune Level 1 Fortune Lady Past with Level 6 Fortune Lady Dark! Accept the past and predict the future! Show us what fortune we shall have today! Synchro summon! Fortune Lady Every!"
Fortune Lady Every, Level 7: ATK ?
"Fortune Lady Every's attack and defense points become its Level times 400!" I added.
Fortune Lady Every, Level 7: ATK ? – ATK 2800
"So we're going to have a catfight?" Darklord Ixchel smirked amusingly. "Too bad the damage isn't going to be enough to finish the Duel."
"Are you sure?" I grinned viciously. "I play the Quick-Play Spell card; Time Passage! It increases my Fortune Lady's Level by 3 until the end of this turn! That also means Fortune Lady Every gains an additional 1200 attack points!"
Fortune Lady Every, Level 7 – Level 10: ATK 2800 – ATK 4000
"Say what?!" Darklord Ixchel exclaimed in surprise.
"But that's not all!" I continued. "I equip the Bound Wand to Fortune Lady Every! She'll gain attack points equal to her Level times 100!"
Fortune Lady Every's wand glowed in a magenta color before the pink gem in the middle got the same color.
Fortune Lady Every, Level 10: ATK 4000 – ATK 5000
"That's 5000 attack points!" Jack exclaimed in disbelief. "
"No…! No! It can't be!" Darklord Ixchel shrieked in shock. "A non-Signer cannot defeat me; the Sin of Lust!"
"Yes, I'm not a Signer…", I nodded before my eyes glared at the succubus. "But I'm a former Dark Signer who has accepted the past and learned from it and I'll only get stronger by it!" I sent the top two cards of my Deck to the Graveyard. "Go, Fortune Lady Every! Attack Darklord Ixchel with Future Fortune!"
Fortune Lady Every raised her wand with both hands and released a chiming shockwave. It grew stronger before she swung the wand and threw a white energy orb as it shifted in all kinds of colors. Darklord Ixchel shrieked in fear and tried dodging the energy orb, but she failed. The orb exploded just before impact and caused a huge flash around us. I could hear how the Darklord cried in pain before everything grew silent.
Jack + Carly: 2300 LP
Dark Seria: 2300 LP – 0 LP
Once the flash was gone, I opened my eyes and saw Seria had collapsed to the ground on her stomach. Chaos King Archfiend, Fortune Lady Every and the Gift Fiend Token dispersed as Jack and I rushed to the fallen woman. Jack flipped Seria on her back to check her pulse.
"Is she okay?" I asked, concerned.
"She's fine", Jack nodded. "That Darklord succubus must've drained her because she was under that Monster's control."
"Should we get out here with her? She might need medical attention", I suggested.
Jack nodded before he picked her up bridal style. The ugly green monster in me became jealous for a second before I quickly collected myself. This wasn't the time to get jealous about a woman being carried by Jack.
"You've become so strong in such a short amount of time, Carly", Jack told me as we walked down the corridors, trying to find the exit. "Where did you get that Synchro Monster and…the Tuner Monster?"
"It was actually shortly after that Duel between Estelle and the King of the Netherworld on Halloween", I explained. "The night when I got home, I had an encounter with a Duel Spirit that was Fortune Lady Past."
"You can see Duel Spirits?" Jack asked confusedly.
"Yeah, apparently, it's a power I got after I was a Dark Signer", I nodded. "Fortune Lady Past told me that I was very strong to remember my dark past and how I accepted it. It was hard, but I didn't want to turn a blank eye on it. Because of that, Fortune Lady Past and Fortune Lady Every asked to become part of my Fortune Lady family."
Jack was silent for quite a while to take in the information. "And you kept it secretly from me…?"
"Yeah… I'm sorry, Jack", I said softly, looking aside while feeling a bit ashamed. "I didn't want you to worry about it."
"Just… Tell me next time, okay?" Jack said directly. "I want to know everything you're doing, whether it's your reports, Duels, or Duel Spirits!"
His voice sounded like he was scolding me, but I knew he was just worried about me. That made my heart soar even higher as my love for him grew more.