This was put up a bit late today because I was busy playing Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. I stopped at the end of chapter three, but boy am I craving for more. Still, I plan on continuing the constant updates until this arc is done with, at least. Then I can relax and play for longer periods of time.
John: Yep, that's true.
Captain Obvious: He wouldn't be able to, instead probably choosing to commit suicide by jumping off the highest cliff he could find. Hopefully it won't come to that though!
Demon Fan: The target of what now?
Chapter 6: Trial of Amendment: Draken
When Draken was able to see, he found himself in front of a black gate. The fence, made of the same material, continued as far as Draken could see.
Realizing the gate was probably the only way into this new area, Draken tried pushing it open. It opened easily, and he went inside, shutting the gate behind him.
"What is this place?" Draken muttered as he looked around. Ahead a short distance, he could see several objects, but could not immediately identify what they are. Whatever they were, his nervousness increased by seeing them. Still, it seemed like his best option was to find out what was up ahead. He slowly approached the objects, his hair raising as he did.
When he finally came up to one, he found it to be a stone. At first, he was puzzled, and he knelt down to take a closer look at it. His confusion was even more apparent when he saw that it was indeed a tombstone.
"I'm in a cemetery," Draken realized as he looked around at the other tombstones. "But why?"
Receiving no response, he continued to walk through the lines of graves until he came to the last row.
Draken went to the one at the end of the row to his left. He took a closer look at the words on the tombstone, and stumbled back in shock. There was nothing besides the carved name on it, but the name alone stunned him. It said Hope Gales.
"What the hell is this?" Draken whispered, horrified. He looked at the next one over, and saw it belonged to Max Driger. All of his instincts told him to run away from the area as quickly as he could. Instead, he forced himself to continue down the line. Each tombstone had a name on it his closest friends, although Sarius was once again mysteriously absent from the listings.
Very disturbed, Draken soon only had four tombstones left to look at. The one he saw next had Claire Klaus written on it. With a sinking feeling in his heart, he knew what the next one said even before he looked at it. As he suspected, it said Rue Klaus. Even though he had known it would, it still caused him to wince as though he had been hit with a physical blow.
The next one did not help matters at all. It said Kisara Kline, and it caused him to feel a deep despair.
Dreading what he would see next, he went to the final tombstone. This one was a bit different from the others. There was a black rose lying in front of it, with drops of blood clinging to the thorns. Although he was not sure why, it reminded him of Kisara. There was also an indent in the earth between the rose and the tombstone, as though someone had plunged a thin object into it and then pulled it out, leaving the narrow yet deep mark.
Then Draken looked at the name. It was Draken Drayfall.
"No!" Draken exclaimed, jumping away from it. His eyes remained fixed on the name though. He couldn't tear his gaze away, even though he was trembling in shock and fear. "This has to be an illusion… it has to be…"
As he said that, a bright flash of light came from the indent in the earth. When it faded, a brilliant silver sword was left there. Curled around the handle of the fine weapon was a small silver dragon, its wings folded flat against its back as its tiny sapphire eyes stared at Draken vividly, almost as though it were alive.
Although the sword made him a bit nervous, Draken slowly reached out his hand. He grasped the sword and pulled it out easily. Taking it in a two handed grip, he suddenly brought it down onto the tombstone.
Sparks flew everywhere from the contact of the two items, but nothing else happened. Draken brought the sword away from it, and saw he hadn't even scratched the stone.
Draken lowered the sword, shaking his head. "It's no use… no matter how much I try, I can't fight against death…" He glanced down at the dragon on the hilt of the sword. It looked exactly the same, but Draken continued to talk to it anyway, not knowing what else he could do. "I always feared death more than anything else. At first, I was afraid of it because it took… my sister from me… but then I died too." He looked away from the dragon, but could feel its jeweled eyes boring into him. "I've been completely terrified with death ever since. That's one reason I admire Rue… he always seemed fine with risking his life… he even took a death blow for Brandi." Draken smiled slightly as he thought of something else. "Maybe that was one reason I despised Fell back then. The only thing he seemed to care about was himself, just keeping himself alive… and even though I was worried about my friends… concerns about my own life overrode them." He forced himself to look back at the two sapphire eyes. "I still sometimes feel that way. Guess I'm pretty selfish, huh?"
Still the dragon did not seem to respond. But Draken thought he caught its eyes glint for a split second.
Draken turned his gaze to the tombstone. "I keep trying to fight away death. I acted carefree to hide my fears… and blocked all thoughts I had of my sister… it was too painful to try and remember… I alternated between attacking and defending in my constant battle with death…" Draken knew then what he had to do. He took the sword and slid it back into the ground. "That's not a fight I can win. Someday, I'm going to lose to him. But worrying about it won't help… so I'll accept it when it comes." His eyes went back to the dragon's. "Hear that? I'm still going to have a good amount of fear when it comes to death; I would be a fool not to. But that terror will not force me to hesitate when I am fighting for a worthy cause, such as for my friends!"
After a moment of silence, the sapphire eyes of the dragon began to glow. Draken stepped back as the ground in front of the sword began to slide away. It stopped after a moment, leaving a hole that was just large enough for Draken to enter.
The hole was a bit unnerving, but Draken was sure that it meant he had done the right thing. He glanced at the sword one last time before saying, "Here goes nothing!" He jumped into the hole.
He emerged from it quickly, landing in front of a house. Now it was early evening.
Draken stared in shock at the house. "It's our old home…"
As he realized that, he heard someone approaching. He turned, and was again astonished when he saw who it was.
"Is that me?" Draken said in awe as his younger self, about eight from Draken's guess, ran towards the door. Unsure on what was happening, he followed the young Draken.
That Draken flung open the door. The real Draken barely managed to get inside before the other Draken closed it. Then he yelled, "Sis! I'm home!"
Draken's eyes widened. "Is this… what I think it is?"
The younger Draken, not receiving a response, frowned to himself. "Sis?" Then he began to walk towards what Draken knew would be the family room.
"It can't be…" Draken whispered, following his younger counterpart.
But his guess had been right. Upon entering the family room, he heard the other Draken gasp. At the same time, he saw his sister, lying on the floor while bleeding.
"Sis!" the other Draken cried, running over to her. He began to shake her shoulder. "Please, say something!"
The real Draken could only watch in horror as the girl slowly opened one of her eyes. She attempted to speak, but then began to cough up blood.
"Hold on! I'll call the hospital!" the young Draken assured.
His sister managed to say, "…Don't… it's too late…" She coughed again, spilling more blood on the already-soaked carpet. "I'm dying…"
"You can't be!" Draken said desperately. "You're the only one I have left! Don't go, sis!"
The girl smiled weakly. "I'm… sorry…" After a pause, she slowly managed to lift her hand, indicating to the table near her. "Please… take those…"
Both Drakens looked there to see three Blue Eyes White Dragons lying on the table.
"I wanted… to make a Blue Eyes deck… for you… since… it is… your favorite," his sister said softly. "Now… it's too late. Take those Blue Eyes… and make me proud… win all the duels you fight. I know you can…"
The younger Draken could only watch as she said, "Draken… I… I love you…" Then she shuddered, and collapsed.
Draken knew that his younger counterpart knew exactly what had happened. He picked up the cards with his left hand, which had not been stained in blood. He looked at the cards, then at his sister, and burst into tears. "DAINA!"
Barely resisting the urge to cry too, Draken approached them. But they both vanished, leaving him alone in the bloody room.
"I haven't thought about what happened in ages…" Draken whispered. "It was too painful to remember. But… that was wrong of me…" Draken put his hand to his deck and drew his three Blue Eyes White Dragons off the top. He stared at his most valued cards, and then turned his gaze to where his sister had lain. "Daina… I'm sorry. I had the completely wrong reaction to what happened. You must have been horrified at what I had become…" He smiled sadly as he looked at his cards again. "I've learned from my mistakes though. I've amended for those sins as best as I can and I will continue to do so until I die. My years of being a General of Hell… I acted completely out of character. Being defeated opened my eyes." He slipped the three cards back into his deck. "You don't have to worry anymore. I will make you proud, just as you wanted me to."
"Aw, how touching. If I had a heart, I'm sure it would go out to you."
Draken turned to see his reflection, a smirk on his face. Annoyed at the interruption, Draken said, "Thanks, but I'm fine. I feel better than I have for a long time, actually. So why don't you leave so I can stay in a good mood?"
"Since when is it that easy?" Dark Draken asked as a Duel Disk appeared on his left arm. "You will have to defeat me first."
"If that's what it takes to make you go away, I'm fine with it!" Draken said.
Draken: 8000
Dark Draken: 8000
"I go first, right?" Draken assumed.
"Yes. It seems you have caught on to our nature," Dark Draken observed.
"I'd say so. I summon Kaiser Seahorse, (1750/1600) lay one card down, and end my turn," Draken said.
"Then I will summon Spear Dragon (1900/0) and attack your Kaiser Seahorse!" Dark Draken declared.
Draken instantly flipped over his trap card. "I activate Attack Nullification. Your Spear Dragon stays in attack mode, but I can deal with that next turn."
"Why don't you show me? I'm done," Dark Draken said.
"All right, I will!" Draken answered. "I sacrifice Kaiser Seahorse for Blue Eyes White Dragon! (3000/2500) He attacks your Spear Dragon! Then it's your turn."
Draken: 8000
Dark Draken: 6900
"It will not be as simple as you hoped," Dark Draken told him. "I activate Theft, taking your Blue Eyes! Then I play Fusion, combining your Blue Eyes with the two in my hand to form Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" (4500/4200)
"Why is it that every time I manage to get Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon out, it never actually does anything for me, yet when my opponent has it, it always helps them?" Draken complained.
Dark Draken ignored his comments. "Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon will attack you directly."
The three-headed dragon formed an immense ball of white energy before firing a large beam at Draken. He cried out in pain as it connected, consuming him.
Draken: 3500
Dark Draken: 6900
"Do you want to go on?" Dark Draken smirked.
"What do you think?" Draken snapped. Somehow, he had managed to remain standing, even though he now looked a lot worse for the wear.
"I will take that as a yes. It is your turn," Dark Draken said.
Draken was rather pleased with his next draw. "I play Lord of Dragons-Dragon Ruler! (1200/1100) Then I activate Dragon Calling Horn, to special summon a Blue Eyes White Dragon and a Sapphire Dragon! (1900/1600) After that, I play Burst Stream of Destruction!"
The Blue Eyes on Draken's field instantly sent forth a white energy blast of its own. Although it did not look as impressive as the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon's attack, the stronger monster was torn apart.
"Since my Blue Eyes can't attack after that, I'll have Sapphire Dragon and Lord of Dragons attack you directly. I'm done."
Draken: 3500
Dark Draken: 3800
"I have a counter for that as well," Dark Draken said. "I lay one monster in defense mode and end my turn."
"I attack it with my Blue Eyes!" Draken declared.
"You destroyed my own Kaiser Seahorse," Dark Draken stated. "Is that all?"
"I switch Lord of Dragons to defense mode and end my turn," Draken said.
"All I can do is lay another monster in defense mode…"
"Not getting very far, are you?" Draken looked at his next card in surprise. "Oh yeah, I forgot I had added this. I play a ritual card, White Dragon Descent! By sacrificing my Lord of Dragons, I special summon Knight of White Dragon!" (1900/1200)
"You just added that to your deck?" his reflection said in disbelief as the shining knight appeared.
"When I was waiting for my turn, I realized I wouldn't have Darche with me, so I could not summon my Knight of White Dragons freely," Draken explained. "I put in a couple of White Dragon Descents from my side deck just in case they were needed. Anyway, I attack your defense monster with Blue Eyes!"
"Dol Dora…" (1500/1200)
"Sapphire Dragon attacks, and Knight of White Dragon finishes you off!" Draken declared.
Draken: 3500
Dark Draken: 0
"I did not think… I would lose… so easily, if at all…" Dark Draken growled as he faded away.
Draken looked around the room, unsure of where to go next. His problem was solved when the room vanished too. After a moment, he emerged into a familiar location.
He was sitting on a ledge near the top of a tall mountain. He had gone to this location before; it was a great spot to see dragons and other flying creatures soar by. It also provided a nice view of the land below.
At the moment, however, the skies were clear of life. Draken looked around, and started when he saw that he was sitting next to someone. It was a young boy, but to Draken's confusion, he was out of focus. Draken blinked, and then tried to rub his eyes with the back of his gloved hand. It did not change the boy's appearance.
The boy seemed unaware of Draken's dilemma. He turned towards him and said, "I'm surprised that you are actually up here. Most people get frightened and want to get off almost immediately, you know?"
"I'm an exception of sorts," Draken replied, feeling strange since he couldn't even see the face of the person he was speaking to. Despite his hesitations, he leaned back against the rocks, his arms behind his head. "Heights don't bother me."
"Nice to know I'm not the only one." The boy copied his pose.
"How long have you been up here?" Draken inquired.
"A while," the boy shrugged. "I haven't been keeping track of the time."
"Nowhere urgent to be?" Draken assumed.
"Not really… but my friends might be wondering where I am," the boy admitted.
Draken raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you get back to them soon then?"
"Probably," the boy said. "I don't feel ready to though."
"How come?" Draken asked.
The boy seemed to be looking away awkwardly. "I've had some concerns I wanted to sort out. That's all."
"Want to tell me what they are?" Draken suggested.
"…I guess," the boy finally responded. "You see, my friends and I are fighting for an important cause. But they all have reasons for why they're helping. I feel like I'm the only one who doesn't."
"You don't know why you are fighting?" Draken asked.
"Exactly," the boy sighed. "I feel like deadweight for them sometimes, which also makes me feel guilty. I don't like thinking along those lines. But until I figure out what my purpose is, I'll keep thinking like that."
After a moment of silence, Draken said, "Are you fighting to help your friends?"
The boy gave Draken what he assumed to be an exasperated glance. "Of course I am!"
"Then there's your answer," Draken stated.
"…That's it?" the boy said, sounding doubtful. "Is it really that simple?"
"Do you need a complex reason to fight?" Draken retorted. "I for one am not participating in my battles for revenge or something like that. I just participate so I can help my friends reach their goals. The most important thing to me is assisting them in reaching the most important thing to them. What's wrong with that?"
Again, there was a pause. Then the boy said, "I never saw it that way."
Draken shrugged. "I could be wrong. Maybe there's more to you than I can see. However, I was reminded of myself when I saw you, so I suggested it. That's all. You'll have to figure out whether I'm right or not yourself."
"Fair enough," the boy replied. "Thanks for helping."
"No problem." Draken turned his gaze to the clear sky. "So, I take it you like flying?"
The boy seemed to grin. "No, I don't like it; I love it."
That got a laugh out of Draken. "Good answer! If that's the case, then I should see you around. Let's fly together sometime."
The boy nodded. "I would like that, Draken."
With that, the mountains began to disappear. As they did, Draken caught sight of the boy's true appearance for a split second.
As darkness enclosed him, he realized he had somehow not been surprised at all by how the boy looked. What it meant was another story.
…
"I return in triumph," Draken announced as he came out of the mirror.
"You owe me a dollar," Miles said to Rue.
"Darn it," Rue growled.
"You made bets over whether I was going to come out alive or not? What great friends I have!" Draken said sarcastically.
"Nah, we actually made a bet over whether you'd come out still standing or if you'd collapse on the floor, at the end of your strength," Miles informed him. "I bet on the former."
"I'll pay you once we get back to real life," Rue sighed. Then he directed to Draken, "Either way, at least you made it through."
"You do not seem to be very harmed," Darche commented. Still, his tone betrayed a bit of relief.
"I got hit by a major attack in the duel, but that's about it," Draken said.
Gaston was looking at the image that had appeared on the mirror. "Interesting object you have."
Draken turned to see what he meant. It was the sword from the cemetery, with the dragon around its handle, sapphire eyes still gleaming.
"Interesting is a good way to put it," Draken agreed. "So, who's next?"
Everyone looked at the next mirror. A moment later, the reflection appeared.
"I'm doomed," was all Miles said as he stared into the blood-red eyes of his copy.
"Don't look so worried. Rue got through it, didn't he? So it can't be that bad," Draken joked.
"And you were surprised that I gambled on your life?" Rue muttered.
"Yeah. I didn't think you'd sink that low," Draken said with a grin.
"You thought wrong," Rue replied.
"Yeesh. I'll be glad to face the trial just to get away from you two," Miles commented. He turned to Gen. "You going to be all right with them?"
"Of course," Gen said. "You know how patient I am."
"Unfortunately," Miles grumbled.
"Be careful though," Gen cautioned. "You emerged from the ordeal in the church in a state similar to Brandi's. I don't want that to happen again."
Miles glanced at Brandi, who had still not moved. "Yeah. Don't worry, I'll be fine." Then he went into the mirror.
Gen sighed. "By now, you would think he would know that it is my nature to worry."
…
Kisara could not help but smile when Draken finally reemerged, looking fine.
"See? That wasn't so bad," Amy said.
"But this is," Matt stated as Miles went forward. "Didn't he have a large problem with that ordeal they discussed from when they were trying to get Obelisk?"
"Yeah," Claire confirmed, looking concerned. "Let's hope he has gotten over the problem, whatever it is, by now."
To be continued…