Yes, another fic. Now before you all start trying to kill me, I'll explain. I'm still writing Teknisk Wereld, and I'm not about to stop for any reason. I will be alternating between this fic and Teknisk Wereld. The humor fic will be updated whenever I feel like it, and the novelization is going to wait until I finish the game.
Now that that's out of the way, small introduction to those new to my fics. I'm a big fan of the Yu-Gi-Oh trading card game, and like to write stories on it. Not the Anime-the characters from there will NEVER appear in my fics until further notice-but with the card game, this can only be called a Yu-Gi-Oh fic. I also tend to be a fan of the Japanese names. Only know the American ones? No big deal-the characters will often explain what the card does.
Not much else is needed to be said, so let's begin!
*Prologue*
It was 5:32 AM on April 28, 2080 when the mayor heard a knock at his door. With sigh of irritation, he got up. It tired him, having to get up early and sleep little, but he didn't have much choice with all of these papers to deal with.
He walked over to the door and opened it. Standing in front of him, panting, was a young man. His short hair was blonde, and he had brown eyes. He wore a casual brown shirt and blue jeans under a lab coat. The mayor instantly recognized him as the scientist's assistant.
"Yes? What's the problem?"
"It's the boss! He's dead!"
"What?! How?!"
"Come with me; it'll be easier to explain."
They rushed to the edge of town, and to the secret trap door. The lab assistant pulled it up and they proceeded down the metal staircase. At the end of the short trip, there was a metal door. The lab assistant took out a key card and slipped it into the slot beside the door. With a small click, the door opened.
The mayor had been in this room before, and not much had changed. There were still several test tubes, tools, needles, scalpels, liquids, bottles, and more. The operating table was metal as well, with clasps to hold down the victims of experiments.
What instantly caught the mayor's attention was one of the few new things in the lab. There was a glass case, with a boy sleeping inside it. But he didn't have time to deal with it; he walked over to the desk. On it were several scattered papers, folders, and a computer, still on. A microscope was hooked to it, with blood on it. A small test tube held a little more blood, but not too much; just enough to get information on the boy's DNA, the mayor guessed.
And slumped over the desk was the scientist. His short brown hair did not conceal the look of horror on his face. His brown eyes were still open with shock.
The mayor quickly looked over him. His gray shirt, brown jeans, and lab coat were unstained. It was unapparent what had caused his death.
"Alright, enough guessing games. What do you think?" the mayor asked.
The assistant beckoned to his former boss' body. "I think it might have been a heart attack. It's the only thing I can think of. It certainly wasn't poisoning; he hasn't eaten or drank anything lately. Even when he does, he's a cautious type, preferring to make his own food and such. But I don't understand why he had a heart attack… he's much too young to have one!"
The mayor looked at the dead scientist's face grimly. "Maybe… he died of terror."
"Absurd! I can't think of any reason for that to occur! He had nothing to fear!"
The mayor turned his gaze to the computer screen. An error sign was on the otherwise black screen:
ERROR: Data overload. All systems turned off. Files inaccessible until reloading. Main microscope detached; after reload, will take 18 hours, 45 minutes, and 12 seconds to be usable. Forced shut down is already done. Reload?
There were two buttons. One said yes, the other said no.
"We will never know…" the mayor sighed. "I'll call the hospital, to see if a doctor can reinforce our theories. You need to get him out of here; nobody must know of this location." The mayor pressed the no button, and the computer was shut off.
"What about the boy?" the lab assistant asked, indicating to the sleeping teenager.
"We can't have any more suspicions. As long as he stays here, we won't have to worry. Will he wake up?"
"No. As long as those needles stay within him-and believe me, they will-then he will remain unconscious."
"Good. I would prefer not to be a cold blooded killer, so let's leave him here." The mayor opened the door. "It is better for us… and maybe him."
*****
The mayor shook his head.
Why can't I take my mind off of that scientist's death? It's been two, nearly three days, yet I'm still disturbed.
The doctor had agreed that it was probably a heart attack, but was just as puzzled as to how it happened. The mayor was wondering if it had something to do with the computer, but did not go to check. Was it fright that held him, to see what had killed the scientist?
He looked up at the town clock, outside of his window, to take his mind off of it. He was just in time to see it become twelve o' clock, PM. Midnight.
The time where the entire world would change.
*****
A small sparrow landed on lamp post. It viewed the scene with a keen eye. Once it decided the area was safe, it flew down.
The morning sun was bathed upon a figure. The sparrow wanted to check it. It landed, and cautiously pecked the black material that littered the ground.
It was ashes. The ashes of a human, one who had been lucky to even have this much remaining of him. The ashes of most other people had been burned too, leaving no evidence.
It was early morning. Yet few would be alive to see the beautiful sunrise anywhere in the world.
*Chapter 1: Confused and Alone*
Darkness everywhere. It was a world of nothingness. Not even dreams came to this place. All he knew was the area of nothingness, and didn't even think of it.
But then, he heard something. A rapid sound… something so familiar, yet he couldn't place it…
My heart.
And with that thought, he grew aware of how he felt.
His body was sore everywhere, completely dry. Blood was starting to run through his veins again though. He had never known what cold was until now. His body felt frozen to the touch. His head ached as well, and he was dimly aware of the hard metal surface he was on.
After a few minutes, he attempted to open his eyes, only to shut them immediately. Tears of pain threatened to flow, for even the dim light of the laboratory burned his eyes. If it had been any more lit up than the non-bright lights, he felt as though he would have gone blind.
At long last, he tried again. This time he was able to keep them open, although his eyes watered at the effort.
He moved his arm up, to view his left hand. Into the flesh of the back of his hand, a needle was buried, attached with a clasp of sorts. He looked at his right hand, and found it to be in the same condition. He pulled them out, wincing as they left his skin. They were very small though, so no blood came from his hand. Only then did he view his surroundings.
He was on a metal table of some kind, backed up into a corner of a laboratory. Over this table, a clear, glass case blocked any way of getting out. He noticed several instruments, a desk, papers, a computer, and a microscope as well.
After examining the glass, he decided there was only one way out. Using all of his strength, he lunged at the glass wall beside him. It shattered, and although a few cuts were made from the glass, he got out swiftly enough to be hardly injured.
Even this simple move exhausted him. He lay on the floor, waiting until he finally felt well enough to stand without collapsing instantly.
What bothered him was he could remember nothing about himself. Who was he? Where had he come from? What had happened?
It might have been coincidence, it might have been intentional. Either way, he looked at his right palm, and hissed as he saw the red pentagram on it.
Now I remember…
FLASHBACK
He was walking around the forest nearby town, just to pass the time. But now he knew his mother would probably be worrying. He didn't see why; being skilled with the sword, he could easily defend himself. But he didn't like to make her anxious, so he strode back towards his home.
Then he heard a bush rustle. Turning instantly, he was still too slow to stop the scientist. The needle plunged into his arm, and as the liquid was injected, he began to feel weary.
"Who…?"
"You need not worry," the scientist smirked. "This is just for the people, and your, own good."
END FLASHBACK
"So I was asleep…" he murmured. "But for how long?"
As he approached the door, he saw something on the lab table. There was a pair of black gloves, and a sword, still in its sheath. He immediately picked them up, recognizing them as his own. Glad that they were still there, he slid on the gloves and buckled on the sword.
He then opened the door, and climbed up the metal steps that were before him. When he reached a trap door, he cautiously pushed it up.
It was a bad decision. The sunlight was beaming down, and his eyes still weren't adjusted. He shut them instantly, and lay on the ground, waiting until he was able to see.
The forest around seemed different. He recognized one tree; it seemed a little taller than the last time he had looked. Shrugging it off, he walked towards town.
When he arrived, he moved carefully, hoping nobody would see him. After making his way into the streets though, he knew something was wrong.
There was nobody there. The streets were abandoned; at this time of the day, surely there would be some people out.
He looked up at the clock, which said twelve o' clock. He then looked at the position of the sun, wincing as the rays contacted his eyes.
The clock was broken. There was no way it could be twelve; it was just too early in the morning.
Worries clouding his thoughts, he ran towards his house. The door was open; he let himself in.
"Mom! Mom, are you there?!"
Nobody answered his calls.
He went through all the rooms, only to find nothing. He went back downstairs, and into the kitchen. There was a note written beside it.
Gone on walk, be back soon.
It was the note he had written for his mother that day he had been put to sleep. But now it seemed much older; a delicate thing, it tore easily as he picked it up.
"How much have I missed?"
He looked over at the calendar. It was on April of 2080.
"…Did something happen that same month? Something to make all of us flee? I've been asleep much longer than a few days!"
He then thought of a better way to tell. He ran up to his mother's room, where a mirror was, and looked at himself. He was too surprised to even gasp.
The same black, long sleeved shirt, and black pants were there. He still had his black shoes, and now wore the black gloves to conceal his hands. His deep blue eyes were unchanged, still hard and narrow. It was the sight of his hair that made him shocked. His black hair, normally short and neat, now fell beyond his shoulders, snarled and tangled.
The sight of him would probably cause disgust to anyone. Although he was very concerned, he couldn't see what else to do, and submitted to the idea of showering.
After accomplishing that task, he was looking though the house again, looking over all details. There were no clues as to what happened, and he soon gave up.
Annoyed with the hair that kept falling into his eyes, he put on a black headband, causing his bangs to be kept out of the way. After that, he had drawn a conclusion. There was nothing here that could help him. To find information, he would have to leave.
He went up to his room, and looked for anything of importance. He immediately grabbed his Duel Disk, and Duel Monsters deck. Technology had advanced, and the holograms the Duel Disk generated made the game much more enjoyable.
In this time period, Duel Monsters was a way of life. It was usually played for fun, but once in a while an argument would come up, in which a duel would take place to solve it. By inserting certain cards that weren't in his deck, the Duel Disk could generate temporary effects sometimes.
He had nothing else that interested him much, so he strapped on the Duel Disk and inserted his deck. Then he went to his mother's room again.
Lying on the dresser was her wedding ring. It was a gold band with a symbol inscribed on it. When he had asked what it meant, she had smiled secretively and said, "You'll know when the time is right."
He didn't wear jewelry often, if at all, but this held importance to him. It was something his mother never took off, except to sleep, and he felt comforted by that. He slipped it into his pocket.
After that, he went downstairs again, leaving the house. After shutting the door, he swiftly left the town, casting one last look at the buildings before entering the forest.
I am not sure what has occurred, but I must find out.
*****
Some time later, he was still wandering through the woods. Several things had grown since the last time he had been here, and he often made wrong turns. However, he was able to navigate well enough.
As he walked into a small clearing, he suddenly heard a snarl that penetrated the silence. Reaching to his sword instinctively, he waited to see what would happen.
A rabbit burst out of the bush, running as fast as it could, eyes wide in terror. Pursuing it was a dog-like creature. It went up to his knee in size, but if it stood on its rear paws, he was willing to bet that the animal would go up to his shoulders. Its fur was black, and its eyes an eerie yellow.
In a few powerful leaps, it was on the rabbit, sinking its teeth into the small animal. A snap was heard, and he knew the neck was broken. The dog-like creature looked up at the teen, blood flowing from the rabbit.
It didn't look like it would attack, but he was still wary, keeping his hand on his weapon. Then he heard some rustling, and a girl came from out of the woods.
She wore a sky blue short-sleeved shirt and brown pants. Her white shoes were quite casual. Over her back was a quiver, filled with arrows, and a bow. On her left arm was a Duel Disk. Her light brown hair went a little below her shoulders, and was done back in a ponytail.
Her eyes were startling though. They were a piercing yellow. Yet even though this was strange, he felt as though she meant no harm.
"So he's who you're concerned with?" she asked the dog-like animal.
Does she expect it to talk back or something? he thought.
"Yeah, it is strange…" She gave him a bright smile. "Hi! Sorry to ignore you like that. I hope Gaignun didn't frighten you."
"Gaignun?"
"Yep. That's my wolf friend's name."
A wolf?!
"We were just hunting, nothing too serious. But it's odd that someone else would be here."
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, nothing… no need to bring that up again. So, you from around here?"
What does she mean? "Yeah."
"Strange… I thought the town nearby was deserted. Oh well, no need to be picky. I'm called Hope. You?"
"Daine."
"Interesting name. Well, it was nice talking to you, but we need to get back to hunting." She offered her hand, and Daine shook it out of politeness.
As their right hands contacted though, the girl's eyes grew wide.
"What was that?!"
Daine managed to refrain from swearing. He had forgotten why he hated meeting new people, and this was the reason.
"Nothing. I also have to go." He turned to leave, only to find his path being blocked by Gaignun. The wolf growled at him.
"So peculiar…" Hope looked at her hand thoughtfully. "Alright, I guess there's only one way to settle this."
"What do you mean?" Daine demanded.
"I want to find out more about you, but you obviously aren't about to tell. I need to know though… so let's duel. If I win, you explain everything. If you're the victor, we'll part ways."
Daine cast his eyes over the growling wolf. He could try to cut through the beast and make a run for it, but the odds were stacked against him. The girl seemed to be an archer, something not to be taken lightly for someone who was only good at close-range battles.
"Fine. Let's get started."
To be continued…
