Noooo, more description! _ I can't wait to be done with them for good.

Thanks for reviewing Void, Dark, and Inyou. I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations.

*Chapter 10: The Man and The Child*

After the duel, they had decided to call it a day and go to a local hotel called Electric Beacon. Hope examined the sign outside, which showed a bolt of lighting.

"That's a weird name for a hotel. Why is it called this?"

Rue had the answer. "Once, a lightning bolt actually hit this hotel. For some reason, it didn't even get scratched though! To this day, nobody knows why."

Hope looked at it curiously. "Interesting…"

They walked in, and went to the counter. Hope insisted they take two rooms, much to Rue's disgust; he was paying. In the end, he forked over the cash, and they went upstairs. They walked into the first room, and got comfortable.

"Will, why don't you tell us about yourself?" Rue suggested.

Will nodded. "I suppose I might as well… I have been going to Teknisk Wereld for about five years. I still go to college, but not as often as some. Yes, my whole deck is Magic Users. I have my own house. And I also have Neo, who…"

"…Acts like a nimrod?" Hope guessed.

"No. He IS a nimrod," Will corrected.

Neo pouted. "You don't have to be so direct…"

"Actually, I do, or else you wouldn't understand. Now, what are you looking for? You aren't just hanging together for no reason, are you?"

"We're looking for new duelists," Rue explained. "Hope still hasn't won yet, and she doesn't know much about this world. So me and Ruecian hang around to help her. I don't know about Max though."

"That's for me to know," Max said.

"Things have been getting boring lately around here," Will said. "I have nothing better to do; I suppose I could come with you."

"The more the merrier," Hope answered.

"Then it's settled. We'll leave early tomorrow," Rue decided.

"Then I'm going to my room," Hope decided. "Let's go Gaston."

They left the boys to get into bed.

*****

Early next morning, everyone was up early. Well, everyone but one person and her Soul Monster…

"Argh! What is taking Hope so long?!" Rue complained.

"If you are so impatient, why don't you go in and get her?" Max suggested.

Rue glared at Max. "All right, I will!" And he promptly opened the door, walked in, and closed it.

The next minute, the others heard, to say at the least, a commotion.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"I'm sorry! I just thought you were…"

"GET OUT! OUT!"

"I suggest we move," Will said dryly.

They made it out of the way just in time to see Rue get thrown out of the room and slam through the wall behind where they had been.

"I'm not paying for that," Max commented.

Rue got up painfully. "You jerk!"

"It's your own fault," Max reminded him.

"Before you ask, I'll explain," Rue said. "NEVER intrude on a girl when she has just gotten out of the shower."

Hope soon came out, leading a very confused Gaston. After Rue paid for the damaged wall ("In truth, you should be paying it Hope…" he complained), they left the hotel.

"So where are we going now?" Hope asked.

"I thought today we could just show you around this place," Rue said. "You had better get used to it; every time you come online, this is the town you will be in. Ok, you have seen the forest and the mountains. How about we visit the lake, and then we go through the forest to reach the canyons?"

"Sounds good, let's go!" Hope said.

*****

After some walking, they reached the lake. Hope gasped in delight. It was a big lake, with very pretty, crystal clear water. A few Sonic Ducks were on the lake, and some Quick Squirrels dashed around the pine trees surrounding the lake. There wasn't a cloud to the sky, making it a pleasant stay.

"If you think this is good, you should see it at sunset," Rue advised.

"I'll make sure I do!" Hope promised.

Their trip was slightly delayed when a Sonic Duck flew right in front of Neo, causing the poor Soul Monster to stumble and fall into the lake. After fishing him out, they walked on, ignoring his complaints. At dusk, they reached the forest, and began to walk through it.

"It's getting dark fast…" Will noted. "How about we stop at the next good place?"

They agreed this was a good idea, and walked a little bit farther, into a clearing that Rue knew of. They walked into the clearing, and were surprised to see two people already there.

 The older of the two had a long, black cloak over a traditional Japanese school boy uniform. His silver hair that extended just short of where his neck met his back, some of the bangs falling into his eyes.  He had emerald green eyes, which seemed to pierce through the new comers.

As mysterious as this teen was, his companion totally outclassed him. The young boy wore a simple, white robe. He had brown hair and brown eyes. His very being seemed to be made of pure innocence; one look in his eyes told as much. What attracted Hope's attention was a golden ball the boy kept tossing and catching. She could feel Gaston bristle beside her, and knew something was wrong with it.

There were also the two Soul Monsters. One was a huge dragon, a mass of green and bronze. Two proud wings were the same colors. Long, red hair flowed from its neck. Its head was a bronze color, and its red eyes were horrifying yet amazing to look upon.

The other Soul Monster looked much more human. He wore all blue, with gold armor in many places on his body. He carried a gallant shield, and a fearsome sword. He had long, red hair too; it was much more controlled though. Although the helmet he wore shadowed his face, his red eyes were barely visible.

"So, I wasn't just imagining things," the older boy said. "I did sense a great power coming."

"Who are you?!" Hope asked.

"You may refer to me as Sarius. I already know your names; you are Hope, and your companions are Rue, Max, and Will. "

Hope started. "How did you know that?"

"He could have easily asked someone from town," Rue pointed out. "Don't panic."

Sarius smirked. "If you want to believe that, go right ahead."

Hope quickly interfered, to cut off Rue's angry retort. "Who is that boy? And how can he be here? He looks too young to be allowed in Teknisk Wereld!"

"The Child goes where I go," Sarius said firmly. "He and Cyrus assist Raid and I."

"Those are your Soul Monster's names? What are they?" Will asked.

"Messenger of Destruction-Chaos Emperor Dragon, also known as Raid. Messenger of Creation-Chaos Soldier, also known as Cyrus." Sarius thought for a minute. "I have seen all I need to know. Darkness is coming; I can sense it. You are the light that people will depend upon. I don't know if you will have what it takes, but we have nobody else to trust in these black times." He shrugged. "Come on Child; let's go."

"Wait!" Hope protested, but it was too late. A bright flash lit up the clearing. When it died down, they had vanished.

To be continued…