I have broken my record. This is the third chapter I have posted today. I hope that the next one will be up by tomorrow.
Chapter 11: Trial of Identity: Hope
To say the least, Hope was very surprised to find herself in a familiar room. It was the room inside of the church in Teknisk Wereld where they had gone through their ordeals. She recognized the stained glass window with the cross instantly.
"Why am I here?" Hope said. Receiving no answer, she looked down from the window.
That was when she saw a new addition to the room. In front of her was a mirror with a gold cross implanted at the top of it. Feeling uneasy but knowing she had to go to it, Hope walked up to the mirror.
At first, she saw her own pale reflection. It seemed normal, and safe. Hope was just about to relax when the reflection abruptly changed for a second.
Hope gasped, stepping back, her heart pounding wildly. What was that thing? she thought in shock.
In truth, the term 'thing' was the only word she could use to describe what she had seen. It had looked humanoid somewhat, but with… those body parts… and those eyes… no, that couldn't be human… nothing that evil could be human…
"What's happening to me?" Hope whispered. Then she saw something else in her reflection, and looked down. Her orb was glowing a bright white, trying to keep the black in it subdued. Apparently, the black in the orb had tried to go beyond its boundaries.
"Who am I?" Hope said softly, her eyes glistening. "I… I don't want to change… I like myself just the way I am…" She looked at the top of the mirror, where the golden cross was. "Oh, God… please, don't let me change…"
The mirror gleamed, and the hazy reflection of Hope suddenly solidified. Then it became a black portal.
"…I have to… stay as who I am…" Hope whispered to herself. Then she entered the portal.
Once again, Hope found herself in a church. This time, however, it was not from Teknisk Wereld. The carpet and drapes were crimson, and there were several wooden pews, along with many stained glass windows. The walls were made of gray stone, and the front stage was wooden. There was a wooden cross on the wall as well.
It seemed like the church session had not started yet, for there were people at a distance, quietly talking to one another. But what caught Hope's attention were the three people at the front, nearby the stage. One of them was the pastor, wearing a white robe with gold symbols sewn near the edges of it. He carried a copy of the Holy Bible underneath his arm, and around his neck was a golden cross. Although his shoulder-length hair was gray, he did not seem very old-perhaps about twenty five. His pale blue eyes were gazing at the people in front of him with concern.
The other two people Hope recognized at once. One was her mother, although she was younger. The other was herself, looking to be about five or six. Amazed at what she was seeing, Hope went closer to them, trying to overhear what they were saying.
"Ma'am, I am sorry… but this cannot be allowed," the pastor said quietly.
"Why not? What is wrong with us coming to church?" Mrs. Gales demanded. "I am a Christian, and Hope is going to at least learn the Bible until she can decide for herself what she wants to follow! So why do you reject us?"
"I can see your good will," the pastor said. "Both you and your daughter's. However… your daughter would be greatly harmed if she were to attempt this."
"What do you mean?" Mrs. Gales demanded.
"This girl has the devil inside her," the pastor told her. "Hearing of things from God would only damage her…"
"What are you saying? Hope is not involved with the devil!" Mrs. Gales said furiously. "How dare you make such an accusation!"
"Mommy…" the young Hope said softly. "What does he mean?"
But it was the pastor that answered that. "I do not mean to offend you, ma'am… I do not mean to offend either of you. But for your daughter's sake, you cannot bring her to churches. They will only cause harm. I am not strong enough to cleanse her of Lucifer's touch; nobody in this world is. She will either submit to Lucifer, or she will cast the shadow off herself." The pastor closed his eyes. "I cannot help any more than that. Please, for your daughter's sake… leave this building, and never return to it until she has."
"…Fine," Mrs. Gales snapped. "I have lost all desire to be here anyway. We'll go to another church, where the pastor will accept us!"
"Ma'am, it will be no better if you do that," the pastor said gently. "I know that you think this makes no sense, but it is the truth. Do not bring her to any holy grounds until she has purified herself. She will know when this has happened."
"As if I'll listen to you!" Mrs. Gales snarled, turning and pulling her daughter with her. The younger Hope hastened to keep up with her long strides as people around the room turned to stare.
Although Mrs. Gales did not even look back, the younger Hope glanced over at the pastor again. The real Hope looked as well, and saw that his hands were closed in prayer. And although the younger Hope was all the way across the room from him, she heard his whispers.
"God, please bring peace unto this child… and allow her to remember, when the time is right…" He paused, and then said, "Thy will be done… Amen."
With that last, conclusive word, everyone within the church faded away, leaving Hope alone in the aisle.
"…That was a memory of mine," Hope said softly. "I had forgotten completely about it until now… was it because of what that pastor said?" She gazed at where he had been standing in confusion. "Who was he? How did he know all of that?" Then she said, "But that explains... I always wondered why mom never took me to church when she was a Christian. She must have taken that pastor's words to heart…" Hope shook her head. "And that must be why I have always tried to get out of going to church with anyone else, or anything that had to do with religion. Whether he meant to or not, that pastor placed a deep but subliminal fear of it in my heart…"
"Is it really his fault?"
Hope froze, and then slowly turned to face her reflection. "What do you mean?"
"Are you sure you don't also have something inside of you that is indeed causing this?" Dark Hope asked. "Perhaps it would have stopped you either way."
"I don't know…" Hope said. "I don't know at all. But what I do know is that to go on, I must defeat you." Hope turned on her Duel Disk. "So let's finish this."
"I agree." Dark Hope's Duel Disk appeared on her left arm.
Hope: 8000
Dark Hope: 8000
"If I am to start, I will summon Command Knight! (1600/1900) Then I lay one card down and end my turn," Hope said.
"Leaving your monster in attack mode was a poor decision," Dark Hope stated. "I summon Goblin Strike Team (2300/0) and attack!"
"I'll use Emissary of Harmony to save my Command Knight!" Hope countered.
"Fine. I lay two cards down and end my turn."
Although the cards Dark Hope had placed down made her nervous, Hope was not about to back down. "I summon Troop Commander, (1600/400) and use his effect to call forth Mystic Swordsman Lv 2! (1300/0) Mystic Swordsman destroys your Goblin Strike Team! Then Troop Commander attacks directly!"
"I activate Reactive Armor, destroying him," Dark Hope declared.
"…Then I'll have Command Knight attack," Hope said.
Dark Hope flipped over her other trap card. "I'll stop her with Curse of Darkness." (900/1900)
"All right. I end my turn. And since he killed a monster, I can sacrifice Mystic Swordsman Lv 2 to special Mystic Swordsman Lv 4 (2300/1600) from my deck!" Hope said.
"If that's what you want. I play Warrior's Return for Goblin Strike Team, and summon it," Dark Hope stated. "He suicides with Mystic Swordsman Lv 4. That is all."
"I play Cyclone on Curse of Darkness, and summon Twilight Zone Female Warrior!" (1900/1600) Hope said. "Both of my monsters attack directly!"
Both of the female monsters sped forward, slashing with their swords in unison. Two neat cuts were left on the reflection's torso.
Hope: 8000
Dark Hope: 4500
"I'm done," Hope decided.
"I summon Initiate Troops (1000/1000) and sacrifice them to kill Command Knight. Then I use Hammer Shoot to destroy Twilight Zone Female Warrior," Dark Hope said. "That is all."
Hope looked at her counterpart suspiciously. "Are you going easy on me?"
"Not really. Are you going to do anything?" Dark Hope inquired.
Still getting a bad feeling about how it was going, Hope said, "I play Calling Reinforcements to get my Retrained Elven Swordsman. Then I summon him! (1400/1200) I equip him with The Fused Weapon, Masamune Blade! (2200/1200) He attacks directly!"
Another sword wound was inflicted on Dark Hope. By now, she looked as though she was on her last legs.
Hope: 8000
Dark Hope: 2300
"That's all," Hope said.
"I lay one monster in defense mode and end my turn," Dark Hope stated.
"…I play Warrior's Return for Command Knight and summon her!" Hope said. (2600/1200) (1600/1900) "Command Knight attacks your defense monster!"
"My Blade Knight is destroyed…" (1600/1000)
"Retrained Elven Swordsman finishes you off!"
The Retrained Elven Swordsman sped forward, slashing at the reflection. She was cleaved apart in one blow.
Hope: 8000
Dark Hope: 0
"Heh… you did just as desired…" Dark Hope smirked. Then she winced, and faded away.
Hope was still concerned that her reflection had lost on purpose, but the church was beginning to fade away.
Hope reappeared in the aisle of the church in Teknisk Wereld. Her eyes first settled on the painting on the wall. Now all of the god cards' eyes seemed to be alive. It was as though they were staring at her. Satan still seemed to be asleep though.
Then Hope's gaze was drawn to the man sitting on the steps. She automatically recognized him, and after hesitating, began to slowly walk towards him.
The pastor looked up from the Bible he had been reading and smiled at her. "At long last, you have made it this far."
"Who are you, and how do you know so much about me?" Hope asked.
"That will be explained another time," the pastor said. "At this moment, you must focus on saving yourself."
"…Something is inside me," Hope said quietly.
"Yes. It will be up to you to remove it," the pastor stated. "Your companions will assist you, but you must be the one to expel it from your body."
"…And if I fail…"
"You know what will happen if you do," the pastor said.
"…Is God really watching over us?" Hope asked.
The pastor nodded. "Always. You may not see any sign of it, but He is. He is trying to maintain the balance in this world, which Lucifer threatens to destroy. And He cares about all of his children. This time, it was necessary for you to play the role you have. Your friends have roles as well. So no matter what happens, never forget that He will be there."
"…You seem so sure of your words," Hope said.
The pastor smiled again. "I have evidence I cannot ignore." Then he paused, and said, "After all of this has occurred, there is a matter I must attend to. However, you will become involved in it."
"What do you mean?" Hope asked.
"It is my sister," the pastor said. "I am trying to save her. I know you and your friends will be caught up in this as well." He stood up. "We will meet again at that time. I pray that you will help me when that time comes."
"…I'm sure we will," Hope replied. "When we do… will you tell me then?"
"If that is what you wish, Hope," the pastor said softly.
Then the church began to fade away, causing Hope to once more be in darkness.
…
"Hope!" Gaston said as she came through.
"I'm all right, don't worry," Hope assured.
"All right? You're not even scratched!" Rue said in disbelief.
"Everyone else has been wounded in some way or another," Darche said. "Yet you are not harmed…"
"I did not lose any Life Points during the duel," Hope confessed.
They all stared at her. Except Brandi, who still had her head buried in Max's shirt.
"What? It's true," Hope said, looking away.
"Does that mean Hope's better than all of us at dueling?" Rue inquired.
"Everyone's better than you at dueling," Miles pointed out.
"Shut up," Rue muttered.
"It may be a bit hard to believe, but we should be happy that Hope got through it easily, right?" Larka said.
"Yeah," Max agreed.
Then a golden cross appeared on Hope's mirror. The ten mirrors began to glow, and then the entire floor suddenly turned into a mirror as well.
"What's happening?" Neo exclaimed as Malon ran around, whimpering.
"That must be the portal to the next location," Zack said.
But then, the ceiling above them turned into a mirror too.
"Now what?" Miles groaned.
On the mirror that they stood on, three images appeared. They were Obelisk, Osiris, and Ra. Before anyone could react, all but Hope, Gaston, Rue, Ruecian, Max, Tenma, Will, and Neo were suddenly thrown into the air by an invisible force. They went through the mirror in the ceiling, which rippled and then became still again.
"What the hell was that?" Rue exclaimed.
"…We must be the ones that have to go on," Will stated.
"But why not the others?" Hope said worriedly.
"We held onto god cards, so that is probably why we remained here," Will said. "But why you, Hope?"
"…Kinda funny, isn't it? We're back to the original four that went out to stop Satan in the first place," Rue commented.
"Hey, you're right!" Neo said. "Maybe that's why Hope stayed?"
"…I don't think so," Gaston disagreed, shaking his head. "I suppose we will see once we proceed."
"Yeah. Let's continue," Max said.
Then the mirror on the floor began to glow, drawing them into it.
…
"She's unharmed…" Amy said as she watched Hope appear.
"Theonly one to not be. It must have gone well," Sarius stated.
"What's happening now?" Claire asked as the other two mirrors appeared.
"Most of them are going into the upper mirror…" Matt said.
"But why would they… ARGH!" Amy exclaimed as she was suddenly bowled over by Miles landing on her.
That was just enough warning for Sarius and Aya to get out of the way, along with their Soul Monsters. The others were less fortunate. Draken landed on Kisara, Larka did the same onto Claire, and Brandi fell onto Matt. Fell was thrown into Sakura, Zack into Perseus, and all of the Soul Monsters landed on Kazel.
"WHAT AM I, SOME KIND OF PACK MULE?" Kazel bellowed as she collapsed to the ground, weighed down by Darche, Gen, Malon, and Daine.
"Apparently," Gen replied, glancing down from his position on her back.
"Ow… you could have warned us," Claire groaned as Larka got off her.
"Sorry," Larka said. "But we had no idea that would happen."
"We would have been more cautious otherwise," Zack assured as Perseus helped him stand. Despite Zack's heavy weight, Perseus had managed to remain upright.
"Well, most of us would have been," Darche stated. "I'm not so sure about Miles…"
"Darn, he's on to me," Miles said, shifting his eyes.
In response, Amy grabbed him and threw him onto the lake, causing him to go sliding over the barrier on it.
"I was just kidding!" Miles protested before he slammed into a nearby dock.
"This is… awkward…" Draken said, blushing. Kisara was too, but Draken came to his senses and got off her. Fell was already up, leaving Sakura to mutter her complaints to herself.
Once Brandi had figured out who she was on, she instantly wrapped her arms around Matt, crying again. Matt began trying to comfort her as the Soul Monsters got off of Kazel.
"What an interesting method of coming back," Sarius commented with a smile of amusement.
"Yet not everyone is here," Zack stated.
"What, you mean Miles? He's coming over now," Amy said, indicating to him.
"Yeah, I'm back… no thanks to you," Miles muttered as he arrived.
"I was referring to them," Zack said, indicating to the lake.
They all turned in time to see their companions vanish into the second mirror.
"What? They get to go on, but we don't? That is so cheap!" Miles complained.
"I don't like it either…" Draken said.
"…Were you watching what we did this entire time?" Gen asked.
"Yep," Claire replied.
"My poor back…" Kazel moaned as she came over to the lake to watch too.
"All we can do now is continue to observe what is happening," Sakura sighed. She had apparently gotten over being flattened.
"And heal ourselves," Miles said, bringing out a Red Potion. This time, it worked. "Success!"
"But they won't get to use support cards yet," Draken pointed out as the others did the same, Matt doing it for Brandi. "So they're still in bad shape."
"At least they were not hurt as badly as Brandi or Zack," Daine said.
"Yeah. And Hope wasn't even injured," Larka recalled.
"Then they might make it…" Then Gen fell abruptly silent, staring into the lake.
Seeing the look on his face, they all turned their gaze to it. Even Brandi looked up. Comforted by Matt's presence, she was willing to watch what was about to happen.
To be continued…