Completely opposite from yesterday, I had like no homework today. Yay!
John: -Watches Imperial Decree get activated, and then watches Kuribo dodge the attack and try to latch onto Demon Rue's arm- Oh no, I think you made things worse!
Captain Obvious: Nope, Injection Angel Lily is not banned anymore. I'm quite pleased with that, actually. For the story's sake, we'll say the bans were changed over the month they had off before they went to get Ra.
Epyon: Thanks. And yes, Rue is very creepy. Or, to be more accurate, Demon Rue is.
Chapter 4: Trial of Loyalty: Will
Will patiently waited until his vision adjusted, and then began to examine the room he had appeared in.
He was in a large library that was fine enough to be owned by royalty. The hard, wooden walls were covered with crimson drapes, and the carpet was navy blue. In the corner was a small table and a large, comfortable-looking chair that had gold fabric. Huge bookcases with countless books were against the walls. There was only one door, and it was behind him.
"This is incredible…" Will said in awe, walking up to one of the bookcases. As he did, one book caught his eye. It had a white cover but no title. He pulled it out, and saw it was decently thick.
"Hm…" Will glanced at the blank cover for a moment, and then carefully opened the book. Inside it, there was a black and white picture. It was a group photo of him, Hope, Rue, and Max. Hope and Rue were smiling, but Max's expression clearly stated that he was uncomfortable. The Will in the picture was gazing ahead calmly, holding a book like always.
"What is this supposed to mean?" Will wondered as he began to flip through the pages. He could not understand the language the book was written in, but there were more pictures. One was of Draken, Miles, Fell, Larka, and Zack. Another had Sarius and the Child. Yet another contained Matt, Amy, Claire, and Kisara. There were also individual photographs of all of his close companions.
About halfway through the book, he began finding pictures of Soul Monsters. All of them were there, in group pictures and individual ones again. A couple had Olympion, but ones closer to the back had Tenma. The same held true for Neo; in earlier pictures, he was Magical Swordsman Neo, while in later ones, he was in his Legendary Flame Lord form.
"Perhaps this is showing how our friendship has developed," Will said to himself as he put the book back on the shelf. He went to another bookcase, and this time, he took a black book that caught his eye.
The pictures in this one were very faded. They contained all the enemies that the group had fought. Even Thanatos and Juno were there. Out of all the pictures, only a few were easy to make out though. Juno and Satan happened to be the only ones that he noticed.
He put that one back too. "Our enemies that are still around are clearer than the ones that died. It makes sense." As he continued down the row, he came across a gray book.
This one contained photographs of the events that he had seen in the church. They went in order, and seeing them once more made him wonder about what was going to occur.
As he came to the ones that had not happened yet, he found that each time he turned a page, he could not remember what the other pictures were of. This did not concern him very much. He was sure that they would make more sense once the time was right.
Will shut that book as well. After putting it aside, he went over to where the chair and table were. They happened to be in front of a fireplace that Will had not noticed before. There was a fire already going, shedding more light around the chair. There appeared to be no lights in this library, yet Will could still see rather well.
Above the fireplace, Will noticed something. He went closer and saw that it was a gold shield. Engraved on the front was an orange tiger, its mouth open in a snarl. Fire surrounded the tiger, as though it was leaping through the flames. Below it, a black symbol was engraved.
Somehow, Will knew what the symbol meant, even though he was sure he had never seen it before. "Loyalty…" After a moment, he said, "Maybe it's supposed to represent a knight's loyalty to their lord, or something of the sort." He smiled slightly. "That sounds about right for me."
Will turned around, looking towards the door. To his surprise, it was now open a bit. Deciding that meant he should go there, Will gave the library one last, reluctant glance before he went to the door.
He slowly pushed it open, enveloping the room with white light. Then he found himself standing in a hallway that he recognized.
"This is my old school…" Will realized. "Why am I here though?"
From behind him, he heard someone say, "Well, well, would you look at that. With a complete change of heart, he's reading! Bet you guys didn't see that coming!" Laughter from several people followed the taunt.
Will slowly turned around, staring at an all-too-familiar scene. A younger Will, which the real Will knew was currently in sixth grade, was backed up against a wall. He had both his arms wrapped around a book that he kept over his chest, as though it were a shield. Surrounding him were five other teens, all boys that were far larger than him. The real Will, unable to believe his eyes, slowly approached the scene.
"Just leave me alone," the younger Will muttered, not looking at them.
"Leave you alone? Why should we do that? So you can go back to staring at your precious books?" the leader of the group sneered. "Are you saying you prefer stacks of paper to people?"
The younger Will did not respond to that, shifting his gaze guiltily.
"And people say we're heartless!" one of his cronies said, laughing obnoxiously as he slapped his hand against his leg in mirth. "All they have to do is look to this guy to prove that there are worse than us!"
"No wonder you don't even live with your parents," another commented with a smirk. "You probably drove them off by caring more about inanimate objects than anyone else!"
Will could see that his counterpart was now shaking slightly. But it was not from fear, as some might have assumed. Will remembered full well that it was anger beyond anything he had ever felt before…
"It also explains a lack of friends. You probably drove off anyone that tried," the leader mocked.
The book dropped from Will's hands, landing on the floor as Will dove at the leader. The leader barely managed to dodge out of the way. Will turned and tried to punch him, but the teenager ducked. Instead, Will's fist went right through the wall, leaving a gaping hole in it.
For a moment, the group of thugs were frozen in shock. Then they ran for their lives, not even looking back.
The younger Will slowly brought his hand out of the wall as he reached down and picked up the book again. He stared at the cover for a moment, and then closed his eyes, trembling. This time, it was because of terror.
As that Will faded away, the real one recalled what had happened after that. Rumors had been spread, and people had completely avoided him. In seclusion, he had immersed himself in books more than ever. Neo had been the only one friend he had had at that time, even though he had wanted more desperately. However, what had really shaken Will was the total lack of control he had felt that day. It had always haunted him, the thought that it might happen again.
Although it seemed like a strange thing to do, after seeing that incident, Will found that he could not help but smile. "That was the worst part of my life. Now I would say I have entered a much better time. Now I have friends that I can trust, and they trust me in return." His gaze wandered to the ruined wall. "I have never been more afraid then the moment when I lost control of myself. It caused me to think that it might separate me from others forever. Yet it never happened again… it seems those worries were for naught."
"A good conclusion to reach," he heard someone agree.
Will looked back to see his reflection watching him. He lifted his right hand, and a Duel Disk appeared.
"You have come to terms with your feelings, so you have passed the first trial," Dark Will stated. "Dueling me is the second trial. I believe it is safe to assume that you accept."
"Yes," Will said. "I'll face you."
"Excellent. Then let us begin," Dark Will declared.
Will: 8000
Dark Will: 8000
"Who is to go first?" Will asked.
"You must," Dark Will answered.
"Must?" Will said. After a moment, he nodded to himself. "Ah… I see. You are a reflection of me. You cannot move until I do."
"That is correct," Dark Will confirmed. "What will you do?"
"I lay one monster in defense mode and two cards face down," Will said. "That's it for me."
"Hm… quite the defensive deck we have here," Dark Will commented. "I lay a monster of my own face down and set one card. I end my turn."
"I summon Magical Armor EXE, (2400/1400)" Will decided. "Then I activate Black Power Stone for three magic counters. Since Magical Armor EXE can't attack the turn I summon him, I'm done."
"You chose a risky card to play," Dark Will told him as he drew. "Since it is my standby phase, you need to get rid of a magic counter to keep him alive."
"I'm aware of that. One of the magic counters from Black Power Stone is lost," Will said.
"Good. I sacrifice Magical Plant Mandragora for Magical Marionette. (2000/1000) It attacks your defense monster."
"It is my Royal Magic Library. (0/2000) It still remains due to equal defense to your attack. Anything else?" Will asked.
"No."
"All right. I remove another counter from Black Power Stone to keep Magical Armor EXE alive," Will said. "Then I summon Hannibal Necromancer. (1400/1800) Magical Armor EXE destroys your Magical Marionette, and Hannibal Necromancer attacks you directly. That's it. I'll remove the last magic counter on my Black Power Stone to keep Magical Armor EXE alive."
Will: 8000
Dark Will: 6200
"I activate Early Burial to bring back Magical Marionette," Dark Will said.
Will: 8000
Dark Will: 5400
"Then I use Cyclone on your face down card."
"It was Magic Arm Shield," Will told him.
"I activate Clarity of Mind to get another one. That gives my Magical Marionette two magic counters, raising its attack by 400 in all. (2400/1000) I attack Hannibal Necromancer."
The Magical Marionette whipped out its wires, cutting through the Hannibal Necromancer. As it did, some of the wires sliced into Will.
Will: 7000
Dark Will: 5400
Will looked at the wounds on his arms. "Rue warned me about this… I had better finish the duel quickly."
Dark Will did not respond to Will's last statement. "I activate Hidden Tomes to shuffle Early Burial and Cyclone back into my deck. I am done."
"You actually gave my Royal Magic Library three magic counters on your last turn," Will pointed out. "I remove one to keep Magical Armor EXE alive. Then I play Jar of Greed to draw two cards. I remove the three magic counters to draw another card from my deck." Will glanced over his hand and smiled slightly. "Now I activate Trial by Fire! I will sacrifice Royal Magic Library and Magical Armor EXE to summon The Legendary Flame Lord! (2400/2000) I equip him with Power of Magicians to raise his stats by 500 for all my magic and trap cards. I also lay another card face down. (3400/3000) That gives him enough attack power to destroy Magical Marionette, even though I powered it up too. (3000/1000) He attacks Magical Marionette, and I end my turn after that."
Will: 7000
Dark Will: 5000
"I set a monster and lay a card face down," Dark Will stated. "That is it."
"I'll attack your monster with Flame Lord," Will decided.
"In response, I activate Magic Cylinder!" Dark Will announced. The cylinders appeared, one catching the fire blast while the other redirected it, hitting Will. He collapsed to his knees, wincing as agony shot through his body.
Will: 3600
Dark Will: 5000
"Do you wish to continue?" Dark Will inquired.
Will's response was to force himself to stand up. "I play my own Clarity of Mind, and then end my turn."
"Ah… this might work…" Dark Will said. "I place a monster face down and end my turn."
"I won't let you use it," Will stated. "I activate another Clarity of Mind, giving Flame Lord three magic counters. I remove them to activate his effect! He destroys all of the monsters except for himself!"
The Flame Lord raised his staff, and fire swept out of it, consuming the two other monsters on the field. Dark Will said, "You destroyed Apprentice Magician and Tenacious Old Magician."
"Now I summon Magic Warrior: Breaker! (1900/1000) He attacks you, and Flame Lord ends the duel!"
Will: 3600
Dark Will: 0
"Well played…" were Dark Will's last words. He faded away, leaving Will standing in the empty hallway once more.
Before Will could even wonder what to do next, the hallway vanished too, leaving only darkness for a moment.
When he could see again, he found himself standing in a meadow. The ground was covered with flowers of all colors and types. They blended, causing the landscape to look as though it had been painted. The mildly sweet fragrance of the flowers caused Will to relax.
As he looked around, he saw a young girl kneeling on the ground, gathering a few of the flowers together. Strangely, Will could not make out any details of her though. She was out of focus, so all he could see was her outline.
The girl turned her head to face him. Then she stood up and walked over, still holding onto a few of the flowers. "I'm surprised that somebody else was here."
"I have another destination I must reach," Will said. "I'm just stopping here for a moment."
"This is a good location for doing that," the girl agreed, sitting down. Will did the same.
"Why are you here?" Will inquired.
"I just wanted some time to think," the girl replied. "I'm trying to straighten out some concerns of mine."
"Like?" Will prompted.
"Well…" The girl thought for a moment on how to word what she wanted to say. "My mom has high expectations of me, and wants me to work hard towards that. I'm not as serious about it as she is though. I don't want to spend all of my time doing what my mom wants me to. I waited a long time to be able to be with my friends in this world, so I want to be able to enjoy it."
"Understandable," Will said. "Have you told your mother how you feel about this?"
"…No…" she answered slowly.
"I cannot make your decisions for you, but I advise telling her about this," Will stated.
The girl looked down at the flowers she held. "Mom would be really against it."
"Your life is yours alone," Will told her. "Others can help you make choices, but you must be the one to decide upon them. Do you follow what I am saying?"
After a moment, she nodded.
"The best way to settle this matter is to talk to the person who is causing it, whether she means to or not," Will said. "That is what I think, anyway."
Again, the girl nodded. "Yeah… I think you're right." Will felt her smile, even though her face was still unable to be seen. "I'll try that. You brought up good points."
"I wish you the best of luck," Will said, rising. As he looked down at the girl, he gave her a small smile in return. "You really do look like your mother."
The girl seemed surprised, and then pleased. "Thank you… Will."
As she said his name, Will felt himself begin to fade away. As he did, he finally was able to see who he had talking to. He only had a moment to catch sight of her, but it was enough to prove that he had indeed been correct.
…
Like before, none of them talked much as they waited for Will to return. Neo seemed especially nervous, but remained silent, which surprised most of them.
At last, the tell-tale glow of the mirror appeared. Will came out of it, looking slightly worse for the wear due to the ash covering him from the fire damage he had taken. Otherwise, he seemed fine.
"Will! Are you ok?" Neo asked anxiously, going up to him.
"Yes," Will replied. "It was fine."
They looked at the mirror as an image formed. In a few seconds, the golden shield with the tiger, flames, and symbol was there.
"Cool," Rue commented, looking over it.
"It looks like you couldn't escape your love of tigers," Draken laughed.
"I'm surprised it wasn't a book," Miles muttered.
Will ignored the last remark. "I had to go through three trials that went as Rue had described. This shield also seemed to be the main point of the trials."
"We're doing pretty good so far," Darche said. "Of course it could have been better in some parts, but worse scenarios are definitely possible."
"True," Gaston agreed. He glanced at Brandi. "Still, we should get through this quickly. Who is next?"
They faced the next mirror. The reflection appeared shortly.
Max went slightly pale as he stared back at his dark version. "…So, I'm next…"
Will gave him a concerned glance. If they were being forced to confront their worst memories, this would be very difficult on Max, especially with his previously weak mental state. That probably explained why Max seemed nervous now.
Hope also noticed his reaction. She went up to his side and took his hand. "Don't worry. You'll be fine," she reassured him.
Max turned his gaze to her, surprised at her actions. Then he forced himself to smile. "Yeah. Thanks."
After Hope let go of him, Max went up to the mirror. Before he entered, he said, "Larka… please keep looking after Brandi."
Larka could see that he was even more concerned about his sister now that he had to leave the same area she was in. "Of course I will," she replied.
"Thanks." He looked over at Tenma. "I hope to be back shortly."
Tenma uttered a soft growl, but did nothing else. Max proceeded to enter the mirror.
…
"As I expected, he made it through fine," Sarius commented when they saw Will reappear.
"That's a relief," Amy said. "Who's going now?"
Matt's eyes narrowed as he saw Max approach the next mirror. "Max is. If Brandi ended up as she did… well, if it's a mental test…"
"I see why you're concerned," Claire stated. "But we have to trust in them. There's nothing else we can do."
"Unfortunately," Matt said.
To be continued…