Doubts

Faint splotches of silver light developed and faded on the floor as thick clouds moved across the moon. Other than this unreliable source outside the window, the only light came from a small lamp on the corner of the desk. Near-silence filled the room, broken only by the whisper of Professor Banner's pen across paper as he graded tests, and the faint purring of the cat on his lap.

He finished with one test and put it aside, then paused as he glanced at the next one. It belonged to Jaden Yuki, and typically, most of the questions were unanswered. Banner could tell just by looking that the boy had failed, but knowing Jaden, he would just shrug it off. Banner frowned. He only hoped Jaden would have the chance to shrug it off. It wouldn't happen if he didn't come back this night.

Even now, Jaden was at the abandoned dorm, facing a test he couldn't afford to fail. Banner sighed softly. The boy was in more than mortal peril—and Banner had put him there. He'd told Jaden about the place, knowing that he would run right off to see it for himself. Yet if he didn't take this risk…

Pharaoh, perhaps sensing his bleak mood, climbed from his lap onto the desk and sat down on the pile of test papers, meowing quietly. Banner smiled slightly as he stroked the cat. He had to appreciate the attempt, but it wasn't enough. Just because he couldn't see Jaden's name on the test through Pharaoh's tail, didn't mean he could ignore what he was putting him through.

It was necessary, he reminded himself. Kagemaru would make a move on the keys someday soon, probably before this school year was over. He was only short one of the intended seven Shadow Riders, and for how long? If Banner hadn't found and prepared a student to stop him by then, the whole world would pay the price. Jaden seemed perfect: exemplary dueling skills, the joyful and lively attitude that spoke of a spirit strong enough to tempt Kagemaru into a final duel, and an unexpected bonus—the ability to sense the magic in the cards.

Banner had stumbled across that bit of information last night, when he overheard Jaden telling his friends about hearing noises from his deck. Realizing what it meant, he'd made his move immediately, dropping in and sharing the story that would inevitably send the boy off to explore the infamous building for himself—and come face to face with the power of the Shadows that haunted the place.

Banner glanced at the window. The shrouded moon hung in the sky, but it couldn't tell him how Jaden was doing. He knew that it was necessary to be sure that Jaden was up to the challenge of a real Shadow Game, and that if the boy got through this, the experience would be invaluable later. Still, if only there were another way. If Jaden lost…

Banner sighed again. If Jaden lost, both the boy and the friends who had accompanied him would pay the price for it, and Kagemaru would probably have his seventh Shadow Rider, and it would be Banner's own fault… just like it had before.

Atticus had seemed to be a promising choice at the time. He'd had the personality, and the skill. He'd even survived the Tombs. However, he had failed in the abandoned dorm, and now he was gone. Banner didn't know the details, but he knew that Kagemaru had chosen to add Atticus to the ranks of his Shadow Riders, and he could make a pretty good guess at what that involved. Atticus hadn't asked for this, or known what he was risking; Banner had sent him into it, hoping that he'd chosen well, and that this student would prove to be the champion he was looking for. He'd been wrong.

Now he had done the same thing again, to another innocent student. Jaden, for all he knew of him so far, was a better prospect than Atticus had been, but that may or may not be enough. Unfortunately, the greater good left him no choice but to take that risk.

Stroking Pharaoh one final time, Banner gently pulled the cat off the desktop and back onto his lap. "Come on now, I have work to do," he said softly, with a well-practiced smile. He did, and not much time to do it in.

As he picked up his pen, he felt a brief twinge from deep within his hand. He knew what it meant. The structure of his artificial body was slowly breaking down. For all his efforts, he'd only bought himself a short time. By the end of this year, that time would be up… and, ready or not, Kagemaru would have made his move by then.

Banner glanced out at the moon once more before turning back to the tests. There wasn't time to find anyone else. If Jaden failed him, there wouldn't be another chance.