So here we are, on the fifth arc of Teknisk Wereld. Since I have almost all of this arc already planned out, I hope to complete at least one chapter per day, if not more. I was fortunate enough to have the time to get two done today. Let's see if I can keep it up!
John: Kuribo skillfully dodges the Blade Knight and continues to follow Demon Rue. Ouch.
Epyon: Thank you. I know you'll be enjoying it!
Captain Obvious: Sayonara is pretty common knowledge, but some people don't know that it means a much longer goodbye.
Chapter 2: Trial of Grief: Brandi
It took a few moments before Brandi could see where she was. When her eyes adjusted, she began to look around.
She was standing on the beach, watching the gentle waves of the ocean. Normally, the calm noises would have made her feel better. But something was wrong with this image. Instead of being as sunny as usual, clouds darkened the sky. The whole beach was gray, similar to a black and white photograph, as though it had lost all its color with the sun. It was also remarkably cold. Brandi could not help but shiver slightly as a brisk breeze passed her.
"Am I really home?" Brandi said softly, turning around. Her eyes widened as she saw the condo.
"…Or is this all an illusion?" Brandi asked, looking around. Then she went up to the condo, having no better idea on where to go.
As she went inside, on a table near the entrance, she saw several framed photographs. The one closest to her showed the same picture from her locket, except it was larger. This one was covered in dust.
The next one was of Max, and seemed a bit old, despite the fact that it showed Max at his current age. After that, a photo of Chasity and Ender was there. It seemed somewhat new. Behind that was one of Jason, but it was yellow with age, and the dust was very thick on it.
Abby was in the next one. This picture appeared to be new. The one next to her, Randall, looked as though it had just been taken. The second to last one was of Matt, and seemed exactly like Randall's.
The final picture frame had a blank white portrait in it. Brandi picked it up and looked at it, puzzled. To her surprise, the red paint on the frame was wet, and stained her hands.
"Who was this for?" Brandi asked aloud. Then she shook her head fiercely. "…I don't want to know… for some reason, I don't want to know…"
She set the frame back on the table. As she did, she happened to catch sight of something on the very end of the table. It was a lock of long, silver hair.
"…Larka? But what is it supposed to mean?" Brandi wondered. Receiving no answer, she began to walk on, hoping to find someone.
Soon she came to the closed door of her mother's room. She put her hand on the doorknob, but felt a sudden rush of forbidding. All of her senses shouted at her to not open that door.
"But I'll never get out of here if I don't," Brandi said quietly. Then she turned the doorknob and opened the door before she could hesitate any longer.
Her eyes widened as she saw herself lying in bed. Mana was sitting next to it, as was Hime. Mana was currently looking at a thermometer she held with worry in her eyes.
"Mana!" Brandi exclaimed, running towards her. But to her shock, she passed through Mana.
She slowly turned around, and tried approaching Mana. Once more, she slid through Mana, like a ghost. Brandi turned again to see that Mana had not even looked up.
"What is wrong with me?" Brandi whispered, shaking.
Any other comments she might have said were cut off by Mana speaking. "105.5… it's been like this for two hours now. If this keeps up…"
"Mana?" Brandi said.
Neither Soul Monster seemed to notice her. "Isn't there anything we can do to help her?" Hime asked worriedly.
"I don't know…" Mana said softly. Then she looked up. "Wait… yes, there is a way. There is something I can do, but I must ask for you to not interfere with it."
"Huh?"
"Please, just promise that you won't stop me!" Mana exclaimed, turning to Hime, who could see several tears falling from her eyes.
"…This was… when I was about to die…" Brandi realized.
Hime hesitated, and then nodded. "Very well… but what are you going to do?"
"Keep her from dying," Mana said as she went onto the bed and straddled herself on Brandi's midriff. "I can't afford to have Brandi moving during this… every bit of energy counts." She then began to concentrate all of the energy in her body into the palms of her hands.
"Mana, please don't do anything rash!" Hime protested. "You mean too much to Brandi to be taking any large risks!"
"It's too late for that, Hime," Mana stated grimly. "There is no other way at this point…" She then rested her hands directly on Brandi's chest, right over her heart.
"Here goes nothing…" Mana murmured. Then she began to release the energy. Light poured out of her hands and entered Brandi. Mana tried to hold steady, but could not help but moan in pain as her energy flowed into Brandi.
"Mana! No! Stop!" Brandi cried, reaching out to try and take her shoulder. Yet her hand passed through Mana.
Hime watched in worry as Mana grew more and more pale, and her breath became very ragged. "Mana, please stop this! At this rate, you will…"
"I know!" Mana yelled, trying to focus long enough to complete her task. "But it will be worth it if it saves her!"
Suddenly, Mana shuddered, and let go of the sleeping Brandi as she fell off of her, onto the bed, beside her.
Mana's movement stirred Brandi from her sleep. "Hm… what is going on?" she asked exhaustedly. Then she sat up, looking at Mana in alarm. "Mana? Mana!" Brandi exclaimed, bringing her fallen Soul Monster closer to her. "What's wrong?"
"I'm sorry…" Mana whispered. "I just wanted to make sure that you would be ok… but I overestimated my capabilities…"
"This can't be happening… not again…" Brandi said frantically.
"What do you mean?" the Brandi in bed asked worriedly.
"I tried to save you from dying by healing you to purge the sickness…" Mana said softly. "I mostly succeeded and you should be out of danger… but now I am too weak to survive… I lost too much energy…"
"Mana, please stop talking like that!" the other Brandi begged. "You're fine. You're just tired, like every time you heal me. After resting, you'll be fine, I know you will be!"
"No… she won't be, can't you see that?" Brandi exclaimed, her vision blurring.
Mana smiled weakly. "There is no use in denying it…" She stiffened, and murmured, "Brandi… I love you…" as her eyes slowly drifted shut. Then her breathing ceased as she went limp.
Brandi stared at her, unable to believe what had just happened. "No…"
"I can't take it… it's too much… it's too much for me to handle!" Brandi cried.
"MANA!" the two of them chorused. Then, as the other Brandi buried her head into Mana's shoulder and broke down, the real Brandi kneeled on the floor, countless tears spilling from her eyes.
As she continued to cry, the three figures in the room faded away. She did not look up though.
"It seems all those years were for nothing," a cold voice said.
Brandi forced herself to look up, tears still running down her face. Standing before her was the figure she had seen in the mirror. The girl looked almost exactly like Brandi, except that she seemed to be just a tad bit younger. She was completely black, except her eyes, which were completely red, with snake-like pupils.
"You endured wounds beyond imagining, yet you always recovered," Dark Brandi said. "You had to be strong, to keep Max going. Despite your bold outer appearance, you were weak inside. Now that your precious companion is gone, your weak façade has fallen away!"
"Mana…" Brandi whispered, not even trying to deny what her reflection told her.
"Beyond pathetic," Dark Brandi growled, holding out her left arm. A Duel Disk appeared on it. "I offer you one chance to redeem yourself. If you win this duel, you will still have a chance at passing. Understood?"
"…Why should I try?" Brandi said hopelessly. "There's no point…"
"Did you lose all of your confidence? Or did it just never exist in the first place?" Dark Brandi taunted. "I wonder what that useless Soul Monster even saw in you, anyway. I would have moved onto a better master if I were her."
That got Brandi's attention. She got up, still seeming depressed, yet not as willing to give up as before. "Say what you will about me, but leave Mana out of this!"
"What are you going to do to stop me?" Dark Brandi asked. "It is not as though you can win in your state."
"…For Mana's sake, I can't give in. Not without doing something to fight back," Brandi said, turning on her Duel Disk.
"Then let us begin the second trial," Dark Brandi smirked.
"Second trial?" Brandi asked. But her copy was already drawing her cards.
Brandi: 8000
Dark Brandi: 8000
"You go first," Dark Brandi said.
"…All right… I lay one monster in defense mode and end my turn," Brandi stated.
"That was a horrible first move," Dark Brandi told her. "Too scared to think straight, or is your sorrow just getting the better of you?"
Brandi did not respond.
"Do not worry, a response is not necessary," Dark Brandi said. "I can read your face like an open book. I summon Surprising Matasa (1300/800) and equip him with Power of Magicians. His stats are raised by 500 for each magic or trap card on my field. I lay down two more cards. (2800/2300) Matasa attacks your monster."
The swift swordsman easily cut through Brandi's Regenerating Mummy. (1800/1500)
"Then he does a direct assault on you!"
Brandi cried out as the Matasa slashed her, leaving a long red gash.
Brandi: 5200
Dark Brandi: 8000
"It looks like I forgot to tell you that damage you take in this duel will hurt you physically as well. My apologies," Dark Brandi said in mocking tone. "It is your turn."
"…I lay another monster in defense mode, along with two cards… and end…" Brandi whispered.
"You and your weak spirit! Fight back!" Dark Brandi snarled. "I summon Death Gremlin! (1600/1800) He attacks your defense monster!"
This time, it was a Drillago that was torn apart. (1600/1100)
"Matasa attacks you directly, twice!" Dark Brandi said.
"I counter with Holy Life Barrier," Brandi responded. "By discarding Female Warrior of the Moon from my hand, I take no damage this turn."
"At last, you put up some resistance," Dark Brandi muttered. "I end my turn."
"…I activate Cry of the Living Dead for Female Warrior of the Moon," (2100/1400) Brandi said. "She attacks Death Gremlin…"
"I plan on making this a flawless victory," Dark Brandi said with a cold smile. "I use Shrink on Death Gremlin, and then activate Death Destruction Virus of Death!"
Brandi's eyes widened as the Death Gremlin exploded. Purple spores settled on her Female Warrior of the Moon, causing her to fade away. "My combo…"
"Yes, it was your combo. I borrowed it," Dark Brandi smirked. "Now, is it my turn?"
"…I have to discard Igzarion Universe…" Brandi said softly. "I'm done."
"Then allow me to wrap this up. Matasa attacks you twice!" Dark Brandi declared.
Two more long, deep cuts went into Brandi, one on each side. She fell, blood streaming from her wounds as she hit the ground.
Brandi: 0
Dark Brandi: 8000
The Duel Disks shut off automatically, and Dark Brandi came up to her. For a moment, Brandi thought she would be killed by her reflection.
Instead, Dark Brandi put her hand on her forehead. "You have failed two out of three trials, so you cannot continue. Be sure to beg for forgiveness from your friends. Not that it will help though; they are probably only pretending to care about what happens to you, after all."
Brandi tried to respond, but couldn't. Darkness was surrounding her, carrying her away…
…
"What is taking so long?" Rue complained as he paced. "This waiting is too much for me!"
"We're all worried," Gaston told him. "But there is nothing we can do but hope that she will return safely."
"Sadly, that is often the only thing we can do," Draken pointed out.
Before the discussion could drag on any longer, the mirror Brandi had gone in suddenly began to glow. Brandi fell through it, landing hard on the stone floor. As the glow in the mirror faded, an image appeared instead. It was the frame with the blank photo on it. But now the paint was going down it in fresh streaks, almost like blood.
"Brandi!" Larka exclaimed, going over to her. "Are you ok?"
As she knelt down next to her, Brandi instantly grabbed her around the waist, crying heavily. Unsure of what had had this effect on her, yet wanting to help, Larka shifted Brandi into a more comfortable position, her arms now near Larka's shoulders. "Don't worry. You're safe now. Everything will be all right…"
"What happened to her?" Hope gasped, seeing that she was bleeding harshly.
"Does it matter? All we need to know is that she has to be healed!" Miles exclaimed.
Max instantly inserted a Red Potion into his Duel Disk. However, nothing happened. Giving the Duel Disk a look of surprise, Max tried again with no better results. "What the hell is wrong with this thing?" he snarled.
"Support cards must be off limits here," Will stated. "That means that we will have to all go through these trials quickly in order to be able to heal."
"Then let's get on with them!" Max growled. He had considered going to try and help Brandi too, but she seemed to be completely focused on Larka, who was still trying to comfort her.
"Well, she isn't about to tell us what happened," Neo noted. "So we're still in the dark as to what we need to do."
"The only way we'll find out is by having the next person go into their mirror," Hope said.
They all turned to the mirror to the right of Brandi's. After a moment, a new dark figure appeared. This time, it looked exactly like Rue, except for the fact that he was completely black. His eyes were the exception, being blood red with their snake-like pupils that were identical to Dark Brandi's.
"I have the worst luck," Rue moaned as his reflection stared back at him with a smirk.
"Here's some advice for you; don't die," Draken said.
"Gee, thanks for that enlightening piece of information," Rue grumbled. Then he looked at Ruecian. "What happens to our Soul Monsters?"
"I doubt we will be able to follow," Gen replied, looking at the mirrors. "It's something that only you may access."
Ruecian smiled reassuringly at Rue. In response, Rue couldn't help but grin. "Thanks for the support. I'll be back out soon, hopefully not torn apart!" Then he went up to the mirror and stepped inside.
After a moment of silence, Draken commented, "I wonder how he can read Ruecian's expressions so well yet be so clueless on such simpler matters."
Ruecian shook his head but did not respond otherwise.
…
Matt looked as though he wanted to try jumping into the lake to get to Brandi. Seeing how he looked, Amy managed to overcome her shock enough to say, "Don't even try it."
"I won't," Matt growled. "But it's very tempting."
"You will be able to see her soon. Do not worry," Kisara said softly.
Their discussion was cut off when Claire gasped. "Rue!"
They turned back to the lake in time to see Rue step into his mirror.
"I'm sure he'll be fine," Amy reassured Claire.
"…After seeing Brandi like this, I really hope so," Claire replied worriedly.
To be continued…