*NOTE: This chapter is under the process of being remastered like prior entries. Continue to read (and cringe) at your own risk.*


Chapter 11: "Redemption - Part 2"

Opening Theme: "Raining" by Art Of Dying

Ending Theme: "Behind Blue Eyes" by Limp Bizkit


A smirk came to Josiah's face as well. "Like I said, you'll see it for yourself soon enough..." he promised him, "But right now, it's still my move!

"So let's try this again!" he declared, "Strategist, attack his Praesepe!"

Once more, Strategist of the Ice Barrier leapt into the air, unfurling his hand fan before charging in at Constellar Praesepe again.

But despite his first failed attempt at stopping this assault, Mike wasn't ready to give up on his monster just yet: "I reveal my Impenetrable Attack trap!" he countered as his set card flipped, "With this, Praesepe becomes impervious to destruction by both battle and effects for the remainder of the turn!"

The Strategist once again swiped his fan across Mike's warrior, only to find himself hitting another invisible barrier that bounced him back. Josiah watched with an amused expression as his monster returned to his side of the field.

"Not bad, Mike..." he complimented his opponent across the fountain, "Guess I'll move on to my end phase, then; so that I can activate my General Gantala's effect!

"Once per turn, during each of my end phases," Josiah explained, "Gantala has the ability to bring back any one Ice Barrier monster in my graveyard! So I'll have my Prior return to the field!"

[Prior of the Ice Barrier - LV: 2/ATK: 1000]

"Wait, why bring that monster back in ATK mode...?" Danny questioned from the sidelines, "Next turn, Mike'll be able to switch Praesepe back into ATK mode, and Prior will be a prime attack target!"

"Very observant, Danny!" Josiah pointed out, gaining his, Marina's, and Violet's attentions before explaining: "But you see, even if Mike does that next turn, my Defender of the Ice Barrier's effect will keep my Prior safe: so long as he and one other Ice Barrier monster are out on my field, no monster with ATK strength greater than my Defender's DEF can declare an attack!"

"So the only way Mike will be able to attack is by getting rid of that Defender...?" Marina figured aloud.

"Right," Danny confirmed, "But hey, how hard can that be for Mike, really?"

'Not that hard at all...' Mike answered his best friend silently, 'It's almost too reckless; Josiah ought to know that such a basic defense is easy for me to climb over. So why leave himself wide open like this...?'

Mike's eyes flickered to Josiah's face: his expression was calm, and his lips were still curled in a small, almost inviting, smile.

'Could it be... that he WANTS me to attack...?' Mike wondered as his brow furrowed, 'But he has no other set cards, or any other visible defense... is this some kind of trap...?'

"What're you waiting for, Mike?"

Josiah's voice snapped Mike back to reality for the moment as he looked to his sandy-blonde opponent. "I've ended my turn, you know," he reminded him, "It's your move!"

Mike looked deeply into Josiah's eyes. 'I don't sense any malice or deceit in him,' Mike analyzed as his own ocean-blue orbs narrowed, 'But then, why...?'

His eyes then widened suddenly. 'Wait...' he realized, 'Is it possible that he left this opening to prove himself to me... to prove that he really has changed...?'

He now put two fingers on the top of his deck. 'If that IS the case, then there's only one real way to find out,' he figured, 'A duelist reveals their true colors the closer they come to defeat. So to bring out Josiah's, I need to draw THAT card...!'

"It's my turn!" Mike finally cried out as he drew his next card, quickly glancing at it to see if it had arrived.

And he smiled.

"Aw, yeah; there's that victory smile!" Danny exclaimed as he pumped his fist.

"As you predicted, I'll start by switching Constellar Praesepe back into ATK mode!" Mike began his move.

[Constellar Praesepe - ATK: 2400]

"Then I'll activate the Mystical Space Typhoon quick-play spell!" Mike went on, "Which I'll use to destroy your Eisbahn trap!"

A small cyclone began to form on Mike's field, creating a small whirlpool in the fountain water beneath it as it went after Josiah's trap card, which was swept away by the vortex before disappearing into oblivion.

"And then, another spell card: Xyz Energy!" Mike said as the wind died down, "By detaching one overlay unit from Praesepe, I can destroy any monster on your field!

"So Praesepe, destroy that Defender of the Ice Barrier!" Mike declared as he pointed at Josiah's monster.

The golden warrior immediately went to work, gliding across the fountain towards Josiah's orange wolf, who let out a mournful howl as Praesepe's fist struck the small creature, causing it to explode upon contact.

"Now get ready, 'cause that was just me getting started!" Mike said as he lifted another card from his hand, "I summon Constellar Sombre!"

[Constellar Sombre - LV: 4/ATK: 1550]

"And with his effect, by banishing Constellar Pollux from my graveyard," he explained as he moved the named monster from his graveyard to his banished zone, "I can return any other Constellar monster from the graveyard to my hand! So I'll add back my Kaus!"

Mike added the second card from his graveyard to his hand, before continuing: "Then, I'll re-summon Kaus back to the field with Sombre's now-unlocked second effect!"

[Constellar Kaus - LV: 4/ATK: 1800]

"And thanks to Kaus, I can increase or decrease the level of any Constellar monster on the field by 1, up to twice per turn! So Kaus's and Sombre's levels both become 5!"

[Constellar Kaus - LV: 5]

[Constellar Sombre - LV: 5]

"With that, I'll now overlay both of my monsters!" he cried out as the two monsters were absorbed in another spatial portal, "And with them, I Xyz summon Constellar Pleiades!"

[Constellar Pleiades - RK: 5/ATK: 2500]

"And just like before, my Constellar Star Chart triggers," Mike reminded them all, "Meaning I get another draw!"

Mike drew his card before continuing: "Next, I'll use Constellar Pleiades's effect! By detaching one overlay unit, he can return your General Gantala back to your hand!"

The muscled general on Josiah's field gave a confused grunt before fading away, while Josiah brought the card from the duel disk to his hand as he kept his eyes intently fixed on Mike.

"And with that out of the way..." Mike said as he confidently pointed to Josiah's field, "Constellar Pleiades, attack his Prior of the Ice Barrier!"

Pleiades took up his spear and dashed over to Josiah's field, coming face-to-face with his Prior before thrusting his weapon straight through the Ice Barrier monster's chest, causing him to groan agonizingly before shattering into nothingness.

[Josiah - LP: 6500]

Josiah raised an arm to shield himself from the shockwave of the assault, but his expression remained unchanged as Mike then commanded his golden warrior: "Now it's your turn, Praesepe! Attack Josiah's Strategist!"

Praesepe once again sped over to Josiah's side of the field, this time charging straight into Strategist of the Ice Barrier as he thrusted his golden fist straight into him, launching the blue-robed monster into the air for a moment before he too shattered.

[Josiah - LP: 5700]

"And Mike's back on top!" Danny hollered ecstatically, "See that?! Josiah still ain't got nothing on him!"

"But something's not adding up..." Violet finally piped up, concern in her voice, "I don't think Mike put his all into those attacks..."

"Huh?" Danny and Marina said in unison as they turned to their quiet friend.

"Mike's Praesepe has that effect, remember?" Violet reminded them, "Usually, he detaches an overlay unit to boost Praesepe's ATK to 3400. But he didn't this time, despite still having one overlay unit left..."

As Danny's and Marina's eyes widened at this realization, the same thoughts were also swimming within Josiah's mind as he lifted a curious eyebrow.

'It's not in Mike's nature to hold back...' he thought to himself, 'Why didn't he use Praesepe's last overlay unit to hit me with 1000 more damage...?'

"I'm assuming my last move left you confused."

Josiah snapped back to reality at the sound of Mike's voice, locking eyes with his opponent as the latter continued: "Before you ask, no; I didn't forget to use Praesepe's effect. As it so happens, I actually have a better use for it."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Josiah asked with a perplexed expression.

"I'll show you!" Mike said as he took another card from his hand, "I move into my main phase two, and activate the continuous spell card: Constellar Tempest!"

Josiah's eyes narrowed as he eyed this new card. "Constellar Tempest...?" he repeated.

"This card has a unique effect that can only be used once per duel," Mike explained, "See, during the end phase of my turn, by detaching all of the remaining overlay units of at least two Constellar Xyz monsters on my field, this card takes that power and uses it to cut your life points right in half!"

Excited chatter broke out amongst the gathered students and teachers around them as a bright light began to engulf Mike's two Xyz monsters, before the Constellar Tempest card that had appeared behind them began to absorb said light into itself. Josiah could feel his heart beginning to race as Mike's card collected the combined energies of his two Constellar creatures.

'So he's pushing my limits to test ME, now...' he figured as a smile came to his face, 'Well-played, Mike...'

It was another moment later before the Constellar Tempest card finished gathering the last of the two monsters' energy, at which point Mike finally said, "All right... I end my turn!"

What happened next was a display the likes that none of the gathered people there had ever seen before: first, a pillar of bright, radiant light shot up from Mike's Constellar Tempest card towards the stars above, which disappeared only a moment later. Then, with the only warning of a faint twinkle in the sky, a storm of small meteorites suddenly began to shower down from the stars above at rapid speeds; all of which were aimed directly at Josiah, who braced himself for the impact as a series of miniature explosions erupted from the collisions of the meteorites around him.

[Josiah - LP: 2850]

Everyone had fallen silent as they watched Josiah take the direct force of the Constellar Tempest's wrath. At the front of the pack, Danny, Marina, and Violet were wide-eyed with shock from the attack they were watching Mike wage. Never before had any of them seen a card with such devastating power, so having watched Mike use one now was a little too much for them to stomach all in that moment.

Meanwhile, Mike was now cautiously eyeing the small firestorm that had engulfed his opponent across the fountain. 'Okay, Josiah...' Mike silently said, 'Time to see what your true colors REALLY are...'

But when the flames finally died down, what met everyone's eyes left them all stunned: there was Josiah, still grinning as he'd been before the attack, and laughing the most genuine laugh that anybody had ever heard him do before—a sound that no one knew whether to take as a good or bad sign.

"Something funny over there?" Mike called out to his old adversary as he cocked his head curiously.

"Heh... no, I'm sorry..." was Josiah's response as he managed to catch his breath, meeting Mike's gaze again as he regained his duel stance, "I just... haven't had this much fun dueling in a long time."

Mike's eyebrows rose at this answer as Josiah looked away, a pensive expression coming to his face. "It's strange to think..." he mused, "I've spent all these years using dueling as a means to put people down, and crush their spirits... and in that time, I'd forgotten just how much fun it's really supposed to be.

"But now, I'm starting to remember that feeling again," Josiah said as he met Mike's eyes again, his grin growing just a little wider, "And I owe it to you for helping me remember that, Mike."

Mike's confused look was replaced with a comforted smile at this answer. On the sidelines, however, the bewilderment was only growing in the minds of Danny, Marina, and Violet as they heard Josiah's words.

"It's just like before..." Violet realized as her mind flashed back to almost four weeks ago, during the duel between Mike and Danny the day after he'd returned:


'Y'know, it's funny...' Mike had said, 'Funny how two years can make you forget the definition of 'fun'... but I think I'm starting to remember it now.'


"Maybe Josiah really has changed after all..." Violet figured aloud as her expression softened, earning quick glances of surprise from both Danny and Marina.

Meanwhile, Josiah now held up his duel disk again as he said, "All right, my turn! I draw!"

He glanced at his newly-drawn card for only a moment, before letting out a small chuckle. "I'll start by activating my Salvage spell card!" he began, "With it, I add two WATER monsters from my graveyard to my hand, so long as they have 1500 or less ATK! So I'll bring back my Defender and my Spellbreaker!"

He took the two cards from his graveyard zone, adding them to his hand before continuing: "Then, I'll play my Magic Triangle of the Ice Barrier! By revealing three differently-named Ice Barrier monsters in my hand, I can destroy any card on my opponent's field!

"So I reveal the Gantala, Defender, and Spellbreaker that are in my hand," Josiah explained as he flipped the three remaining cards in his hand, "And call upon their combined powers to destroy your Pleiades!"

The three revealed monsters now appeared in ghostly forms on Josiah's field, creating a triangle-shaped formation in the air across from Mike's Pleiades. Then, without any warning, a bright blue, triangle-shaped beam burst from between each of the monsters, enveloping Pleiades in its radiance as the warrior gave out a painful cry before fading away in the light.

"And it doesn't stop there!" Josiah said as both the beam and the monsters faded away, "Once that's done, I'm then able to special summon any one Ice Barrier monster from my hand! So come on back, Defender of the Ice Barrier!"

[Defender of the Ice Barrier - LV: 3/DEF: 1600]

"Then I'll have my Spellbreaker of the Ice Barrier come out to join him!" Josiah went on.

[Spellbreaker of the Ice Barrier - LV: 4/ATK: 1200]

"But I'm afraid these two monsters won't be sticking around for long..." Josiah said with a small smirk, "Because, in case you didn't know, my Defender is also a Tuner monster!"

"Oh, don't tell me..." Danny exclaimed as he grasped at his hair.

"You guessed it!" Josiah confirmed as his two monsters combined into a pillar of white light, "I now tune my level 3 Defender to my level 4 Spellbreaker!"

Everyone watched on in awe as a dragon comprised entirely of ice burst through the light pillar, while Josiah cried out: "I Synchro summon Gungnir, Dragon of the Ice Barrier!"

[Gungnir, Dragon of the Ice Barrier - LV: 7/ATK: 2500]

Impressed cries erupted from the surrounding crowd of students and teachers at the sight of this new, beautiful creature that shined beneath the moonlight. Even the trio of friends on the sidelines were awe-struck; unable to pull their eyes away from this glimmering beast.

"Now I'll activate my dragon's effect!" Josiah said as he held up the remaining Gantala in his hand, "By discarding a card from my hand, Gungnir has the power to destroy your Praesepe!"

Gungnir let loose a breath of frost that completely iced over Mike's gold-fisted warrior, who groaned as he was frozen where he stood, before eventually shattering into pieces.

"And the stage is set!" Josiah declared as Mike's eyebrows knit together with frustration, "Gungnir, Dragon of the Ice Barrier; attack Mike directly!"

Gungnir's jaw now unhinged before firing away a barrage of icicles that shot right through Mike, who flinched as the cold shards dwindled his life points down.

[Mike - LP: 4000]

"Unreal..." Danny said with wide eyes, "He took out both of Mike's monsters, AND waged a direct attack... all in the same turn?!"

"Yeah, and now they're nearly 1000 life points apart," Marina added in with a quiver, "And Mike's only got one card left in his hand..."

Violet, however, remained unusually calm as her eyes remained on Mike. Despite Danny's and Marina's points, Mike's upright posture and unflustered expression actually convinced her that there was nothing to worry about—a feeling that made her wonder whether or not Mike was actually trying to win this duel at all...

"Josiah."

All eyes locked onto Mike as soon as he'd said his opponent's name. Josiah himself looked to him with interest, the grin on his face fading away to match Mike's tone of seriousness.

"I have to admit, I had my doubts about you before this duel began..." Mike finally said, "But not only have you proven yourself to me throughout this duel, but even your deck has started to respond to you. Only someone with the heart of a true duelist could command their cards as skillfully as you just did."

Josiah flashed a small smile of appreciation at this compliment from Mike, who continued: "I really do believe that you've changed now. But..."

Mike's eyes narrowed as he crossed his arms. "The one thing I don't understand..." he said cautiously, "Is just why you've had this sudden change of heart."

Josiah's expression turned grim at this inquiry from Mike, who could immediately tell that he'd hit some kind of soft spot. On the sidelines, Danny, Marina, and Violet each had the same feeling as well, but they remained attentive; not wanting to miss this answer from the bully who'd tormented them for the last seven years.

Finally, Josiah started with a shaky breath: "Well... perhaps I ought to start by telling you that this Ice Barrier deck... was my mother's."

A wave of quiet fell over everyone else as Josiah struggled to find his words: "She was my world... my dad, being the asshole that he was, walked out on us when I was six; so my mom was left to raise me all on her own. She was an undyingly kind woman, and an even more loving mother. I owed her the world for everything she did to take care of me.

"But then, three years later..." Josiah shut his eyes as he forced the words out, "She was murdered."

Gasps and murmurs broke the silence of the crowd as Mike's eyes shot open at these words. Danny, Marina, and Violet each felt their guts twist as they looked to Josiah with shock, unable to believe the words that had just come out of his mouth.

"The cops never found the bastard that did it..." Josiah explained as he hung his head, "I was forced to live with my grandmother, who didn't give any more of a damn about me than my father did. And for that, I ended up doing so bad in school that I was held back. Twice.

"Then, there was middle school..." Josiah said, bringing his eyes back to meet Mike's, "And that's when I met you."

Mike remained silent, but his eyes remained fixed on Josiah, who continued: "I knew all about the accident that had killed your parents... how you were forced to live out of an orphanage, and the scars that their death had left on you... and yet, despite all that, you somehow still managed to make friends, and stay positive... and I loathed you for that."

"Josiah..." Mike started, but he cut himself off when the former held up his hand, indicating to let him finish.

"I couldn't understand why I couldn't bring myself to see the world like you did again... why I couldn't find it in myself to make any actual friends; only scare people into becoming my followers."

He shot an apologetic glance over to Danny, Marina, and Violet as he spoke solemnly: "That's why I always went after you and your friends. I wanted you all to hurt until you felt the same way I did."

The trio of friends on the sidelines met his gaze with sympathetic expressions. They never would have guessed that this would be the reason why he'd always targeted them for all these years.

"Then, during the two years you'd disappeared," Josiah explained as he brought his attention back to Mike, "I wasn't able to take my anger out on you anymore, so I just started taking it out on everybody else in the school. And after a while, it just didn't matter to me who I ended up hurting.

"But on the day that you came back..." Josiah grimaced as the memory of that day came into his mind, "The way you'd acted so coldly to me during our duel... REALLY put the way I'd been treating others into perspective."

Mike raised a confused eyebrow at this remark, prompting Josiah to explain further: "I'd always known that I've been a real asshole... but the vibe that I got from you that day was ruthless—even inhuman, to an extent. I was almost scared of you."

Mike winced as he too remembered his callous behavior towards Josiah that day, as did Danny, Marina, and Violet on the sidelines. The memory stung particularly harshly in Violet's mind; as that had been the day she'd feared that her lifelong love interest had turned into a cold, heartless deviant.

"I really thought you'd finally snapped, like I had..." Josiah continued, "That is, until I watched you fend off that Damian White guy at the Park 'n Shop a few days later."

Shock came over Mike's face at this information as Josiah continued: "I was working an early morning shift at the store that morning when he showed up. And I watched as you not only save a customer's life, but prevented that convict from getting away with that duel."

"You saw that...?" Mike asked with incredulity.

"Yeah," Josiah replied with a nod, "And it made me realize that you really hadn't changed as much as I'd first thought... and that really threw my world out of whack.

"But after a while, it finally hit me..." he said as his expression softened, "That if you could still be the same, good person you've always been, despite everything you seemed to have been through these last two years... then perhaps there's still a chance for me to seek redemption."

A small smile spread across Mike's lips at these words from Josiah, who continued as he looked to his duel disk: "When you came back, you said that the reason I couldn't defeat you was 'cause I didn't know what it meant to fight for something, or someone," he reminded him, "So that's why I've taken up my mother's deck... to fight in honor of her memory, and so that her good heart will always be with me."

There was a hush as the surrounding crowd of students and teachers took in everything Josiah had just said. Danny, Marina, and Violet all turned to Mike, who remained rooted where he stood as he too processed everything he'd just learned. Violet could especially see the empathy in his expression as he looked to his former archrival; it had to have come as a serious shocker to him that Josiah's behavior towards him had also stemmed from a lack of parents.

Finally, Mike broke the silence: "Well..." he breathed out as he uncrossed his arms, "All I can say to that, Josiah, is that I wish you would've told us all of this sooner."

Josiah raised a curious eyebrow as Mike explained: "Believe it or not, I think I understand exactly how you've been feeling all these years. You've been standing at the edge of an abyss; staring into the darkness that was left in your heart after the light of your world was taken from you. And I've stood at the edge of that abyss, too; more times than I care to admit.

"But I think the only difference between us," he continued, "Is that I eventually learned how to walk away from it. And that's how I managed to make the friends that I have today."

He glanced over to Danny, Marina, and Violet as he said, "I wouldn't be standing here today if it weren't for them... they're the ones who've always been there for me when I needed them most, and I'll never truly be able to express how grateful I am to have them in my life."

The trio of friends all beamed at him appreciatively in return at Mike's words. Violet, in particular, could feel the butterflies fluttering in her stomach as she looked to him passionately, feeling as though her love for him was growing stronger in that moment.

Mike, meanwhile, turned his gaze back to Josiah. "I think you've already taken the first step towards your redemption by coming here tonight," he told him, "By stepping away from that abyss to face up to everything you've done. And for that, I'm more than willing to give you that second chance.

"And what's more..." he said as his expression turned into a comforting smile, "I would be honored to call myself your first, real friend."

A small gasp escaped Josiah's lips as his eyes widened at Mike's words, before it quickly shifted to a grateful smile. "You really mean that...?" he asked, as though worried Mike was playing some kind of trick on him.

Mike nodded reassuringly as he answered, "Of course."

The tears finally began to well in Josiah's eyes as he took in Mike's words of acceptance. As for everybody else in the surrounding crowd, their eyes were wide and their jaws were agape as they watched on, unable to believe the scene that they were bearing witness to.

It took a few moments, but eventually Josiah managed to compose himself, wiping the tears from his face as he looked back to his opponent. "Mike, I... I don't know what to say..." he choked out, the gratitude on his face remaining as he looked across the fountain to his opponent.

"Then how 'bout you save your words for after we finish this duel?" Mike replied as he again held up his duel disk arm.

Josiah's eyes widened as he realized that he and Mike were still facing off against each other, before his competitive smirk returned to his face. "Heh… sounds good to me," he said in agreement, "In which case, I believe my turn was just coming to a close."

"Then it's my move," Mike said, "I draw!"

The surrounding crowd remained silent as the competitive tension they'd felt earlier returned to the atmosphere. Josiah kept his eyes fixed on Mike, who was looking to the card he'd just drawn with an expression that he couldn't quite make out.

Finally, Mike let out a long sigh. "I'll set one card face down," Mike said, "And that ends my turn."

The set card materialized in front of him before he looked up to his opponent again. "Now, Josiah..." he said with a small smirk, "You wanna hear something interesting?"

"What's that?" Josiah called back to his opponent.

"The truth of the matter is..." he calmly explained, "I actually don't have anything that could stop you from attacking me during your next turn. The set card I just played, the last card in my hand—they're all useless against you."

Shock ran through every other person in the gathered assembly of students and teachers at these words. Danny, Marina, and Violet were particularly stunned as they realized what Mike was implying: he didn't even have the Rainbow Kuriboh card that Violet had given him to save him in the next turn...

Josiah, meanwhile, now looked to Mike curiously. "Is that right...?" he questioned, "How do I know you're not just trying to bait me into some kind of trap?"

"Call it a show of good faith; like you did for me earlier," Mike answered, his tone shifting to one of seriousness for a moment to let Josiah know he was being honest.

"All right..." Josiah said as he did the math in his head, "But you realize that, if I draw another monster on my next turn—"

"Yes, I know," Mike confirmed, "If you draw another monster with 1500 or more ATK, and attack with both it and your dragon, then you'll win this duel."

"WHAT?!" Danny practically shrieked as he pulled at his hair, "Don't tell me he's being serious?! Has Mike lost it for real this time?!"

Marina remained as speechless as Violet was, however the latter felt her entire body go numb as it washed over her that her earlier premonition appeared to have been right: Mike really wasn't trying to win this duel after all; but rather, he was just enjoying it.

Mike, meanwhile, now adjusted his footing as he lowered his duel disk arm. "So, Josiah..." he said with a challenging expression, "I leave the fate of this duel in your hands. It's your move."

Josiah nodded with understanding before looking down to his duel disk. After all these years, he finally had a chance to defeat Mike, and it all he needed to do was draw one right card...

'Mom...' Josiah silently prayed, 'If you can hear me right now... please, allow me to draw what I need to win this duel...!'

"Okay..." he finally said, "I draw!"

As soon as the card reached his hand, the air seemed to suddenly get much heavier as everyone held their breaths, waiting to see what the outcome of this duel would be.

Now, Josiah slowly turned the card over to see what he'd drawn... and smiled.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no..." Danny sputtered rapidly when he saw that smile appear, "What the hell did he draw...?!"

And then came the deciding moment: Josiah merely placed the card in his left hand before declaring: "Gungnir, Dragon of the Ice Barrier! Attack Mike directly!"

Everyone watched with wide eyes as Josiah's icy beast unhinged its jaw once more, letting loose another flurry of icicles towards Mike, who raised a defensive arm as the icicles shot through him, dragging his life points even further down.

[Mike - LP: 1500]

As the attack reached its conclusion, Mike lowered his arm to once again lock eyes with Josiah, who he found was still grinning at him.

"You lucked out this time, Mike," he told him, "I set one card face down, and end my turn."

The trio of friends on the sidelines all breathed sighs of relief. "Oh, man..." Danny groaned, "I can't remember the last time I got so tense watching a duel..."

"I don't think there's ever been a moment that tense before..." said Marina as she let up on biting her lip nervously.

Violet remained silent as her heartbeat finally slowed down to a steady rate again. It looked like Mike had managed to pull through after all.

Back on the duel field, a smile took to Mike's face as he lifted his duel disk arm once more. "It's my move!" he cried out as he drew his next card, which he then glanced at quickly.

'Perfect...' Mike realized as his smile widened.

"I'll start by summoning Constellar Rasalhague!" Mike began.

[Constellar Rasalhague - LV: 2/ATK: 900]

"And this little guy's effect is about to come in real handy," Mike explained as his monster suddenly disappeared in a flash of light, "By releasing my Rasalhague, he can replace himself with any other Constellar monster sleeping in my graveyard! So welcome back, Constellar Sombre!"

[Constellar Sombre - LV: 4/ATK: 1550]

"Now I'm sure you remember what my Sombre's capable of," Mike said as he then took a card from his graveyard, "By banishing the Rasalhague I just released, I can then add another Constellar monster from my graveyard to my hand! And I'll once again choose Constellar Kaus!"

Mike added the card back to his hand before continuing: "Then, thanks to Sombre's other effect, I can once again summon my Constellar Kaus back to the field!"

[Constellar Kaus - LV: 4/ATK: 1800]

"But I won't need to use Kaus's ability to alter any levels this time!" Mike said as his monsters once again morphed into a spatial vortex, "I'm overlaying these two level 4 monsters just as they are, to Xyz summon Constellar Omega!"

[Constellar Omega - RK: 4/ATK: 2400]

"And it's in this moment that my Constellar Star Chart kicks in, meaning I get to draw another card!" Mike reminded everyone as he drew.

"Now, Constellar Omega!" Mike declared as he pointed at his monster's target, "Take down Josiah's Gungnir, Dragon of the Ice Barrier!"

The star-studded centaur galloped over to Josiah's field, while the latter chuckled with amusement. "Have you forgotten?" Josiah reminded him, "Your Omega's ATK strength falls a little too short to defeat my Gungnir!"

"Then it's a good thing I still have one more card to play!" Mike retorted, "I reveal my Xyz Soul trap card! This lets me return any Xyz monster in my graveyard back to my extra deck, like my Constellar Praesepe!

"Then, once that monster is back where it belongs," Mike explained as he took the card from his graveyard, "All of the monsters on my field gain ATK equal to 200 times the RK of my returned monster until the end phase! So since Praesepe's a RK 4, that's an extra 800 ATK!"

[Constellar Omega - ATK: 3200]

"Let's see what your Gungnir thinks of my monster now!" Mike cried out, "Continue your assault, Constellar Omega!"

Omega now leapt up into the air, where it proceeded to land a series of blows on Gungnir using its hooves. The dragon recoiled at the assault, letting out an angry roar before eventually shattering into icy shards that twinkled slightly before fading away.

[Josiah - LP: 2150]

Mike smirked satisfyingly at his move's success as the crowd around him broke out into cheers. He'd actually been unsure whether or not his move was going to succeed; but at this point, it looked like he'd finally cleared the last obstacle in his way...

"I reveal my trap card: Miracle's Wake!"

Mike was shaken out of his moment of easiness by Josiah's voice, making him go wide-eyed as he watched the last set card on Josiah's field reveal itself.

"This card revives one monster from my graveyard that was destroyed by battle this turn!" Josiah explained as a light began to shine from above the fountain water's surface before him, "So rise again: Gungnir, Dragon of the Ice Barrier!"

On cue, the dragon burst from the fountain's depths back onto Josiah's field, where it basked in the angelic glow that shone down upon it from the heavens.

[Gungnir, Dragon of the Ice Barrier - LV: 7/ATK: 2500]

More cheers erupted from the crowd of students and staff around them at this exciting turn of events. Danny, Marina, and Violet's faces had shifted into flabbergasted expressions as they stared at Josiah's reborn creature, unable to believe that he had managed to turn the tables back on Mike just as quickly as the latter had done to him.

As Josiah placed his used up trap card into his graveyard, a mournful expression came to his face. 'Miracle's Wake... that always was your favorite card...' he spoke silently, 'You always believed that it was possible for miracles to happen to anyone; even for those who'd lost all hope in their lives...'

His lips curled into an appreciative smile. 'Thank you, Mom... for giving me one last miracle tonight.'

He now looked back up to Mike, whose eyes were darting back and forth between the two remaining cards in his hand. "I'll set two cards face down," he wrapped up, "And that's my turn."

[Constellar Omega - ATK: 2400]

The two set cards materialized on Mike's field as the grin on Josiah's face broadened. 'All right, he's down to his last few cards...' Josiah figured, 'If I can just get past his Omega, I'll have this duel won...!'

"Okay..." Josiah said with determination as he drew his next card, "It's my turn!

"I'll immediately discard my last card to activate Gungnir's effect," he started, "And destroy your Constellar Omega!"

Gungnir once again unleashed a breath of frost towards the star-studded centaur, just like it had done to Mike's Praesepe before.

"Not this time!" Mike countered as he flipped his own set card, "I activate my Breakthrough Skill trap card! Gungnir's effects are negated for the remainder of the turn!"

The frost that Gungnir has shot towards Constellar Omega was intercepted by Mike's trap, creating a thin sheet of ice that encased the card before shattering it.

"Tch..." Josiah clicked his tongue, "Well, it doesn't matter; 'cause my dragon's ATK strength is higher than your Omega's again!

"So go, Gungnir, Dragon of the Ice Barrier!" Josiah cried out, "Destroy Constellar Omega once and for all!"

The dragon took to the skies before unhinging its jaw yet again, from which it launched another barrage of icicles towards the monster that had just destroyed it the previous turn. The centaur flinched as each icicle pierced through its armor, eventually resulting in an explosion that enveloped Mike's side of the field with thick smoke.

[Mike - LP: 1400]

Josiah crossed his arms as the smile returned to his face. "I think it's safe to say that I've got this duel won, Mike!" he called out to his opponent, "Even if you throw out another monster to defend yourself on your next turn, my Gungnir's effect will wipe it out, and end this duel with one last direct attack!"

"You think so, huh?"

Confusion spread across Josiah's face at these words as the smoke on the opposing field began to lift, revealing Mike as he looked back to Josiah with a confident smile of his own.

"Hate to break it to you, Josiah; but there is no next turn!" he exclaimed as his hand rose over his remaining set card, "I reveal my final trap card: Xyz Xtreme! By paying 1000 life points when one of my Xyz monsters is destroyed by battle—"

[Mike - LP: 400]

"—I can then force both players to reveal one other Xyz monster in their extra deck that has a RK equal to or less than my destroyed monster's RK! And whoever reveals the monster with the least ATK takes the difference between those two monsters' ATKs as damage!"

Josiah's eyes shot open as he realized: "Wait... but I don't have any Xyz monsters in my extra deck...!"

"Then I guess you'll be taking my monster's full ATK power as damage," Mike said simply as he held up his selected card, "As for me... the monster I'm revealing is my RK 4 Constellar Praesepe!"

The shock that had grabbed Josiah's expression spread across the faces of everybody else around them as the same realization hit them all at once:

"So that's why he played Xyz Soul earlier...!" Marina figured as the awe spread across her face, "He needed Praesepe back in his extra deck!"

"Because Praesepe's a RK 4 monster with 2400 ATK," Danny calculated aloud, "Which is just enough to take out Josiah's remaining life points! Of course!"

Meanwhile, a ghostly apparition of Constellar Praesepe took form on Mike's side of the field as the latter declared his final attack: "Now, Constellar Praesepe! It's about time we finished this duel!"

The apparition of Praesepe glided its way across the fountain towards the opposing field, speeding past Gungnir as he pulled back his fist, winding up to unleash one last, devastating blow. Josiah braced himself for the attack as the star-studded warrior thrusted its gold-clad fist through him, depleting the last of his remaining life points.

[Josiah - LP: 0]

[Winner: Mike]

The ghostly form of Praesepe retracted its fist from Josiah as it and Gungnir both faded away from the field, and the duel disks on both duelists' arms deactivated. Danny, Marina, and Violet, as well as the rest of the surrounding crowd, all watched with silent astonishment as they watched Josiah fall to his knees, while Mike now began to circle his way around the fountain towards him.

"Heh..." Josiah panted as the last of his dueling adrenaline left his body, "I guess you really did have it planned down to the last detail..."

"Actually, I was taking a legitimate chance when I gave you that one turn to defeat me," Mike admitted as he stopped before his opponent, "But regardless, that was a really great duel, Josiah."

Josiah's lips curled into a small smirk as he nodded in agreement, before picking himself back up to stand on his feet to meet Mike at full height again.

"So..." Josiah said, his tone turning somewhat anxious now, "You really meant what you said before? About wanting to be my first, real friend?"

"I would never lie about something like that," Mike assured him, "You more than proved yourself to me through this duel. You've earned both my friendship, and my respect."

He shot a quick look over his shoulder towards his trio of friends on the sidelines. "And if I were a gambling man, I'd wager that my friends might just be willing to accept you as their friend too, now."

"Whoa, hang on a sec..." Danny cut in as he stepped out of the crowd to join Mike and Josiah, "Don't go puttin' words in my mouth, Mike. I'm still kinda sore about all the crap that this guy's put us through over the years."

A disheartened look came to Josiah's face as Mike frowned at his best friend, whose expression suddenly shifted from a cross scowl to a small smirk as he then said: "BUT... if he's really as much of a changed man as you say he is, then I might just be able to put all that behind me, give or take a little time."

Josiah's expression turned back into one of appreciation at Danny's sudden one-eighty, while Mike's face turned back into a smile as he realized the joke his best friend had pulled on the both of them.

"That goes double for me," Marina then spoke out as she now stepped forward to join the others too, "Any friend of Mike's is a friend of mine too, after all."

Her cheeks flushed slightly red as she glanced at Danny, who looked back to her with admiration as he realized that she'd borrowed his quote from after his duel with Aeron.

Violet now moved to join the rest of her friends as well, taking her place beside Mike as she said, "And if we're all willing to give you a second chance, then the rest of the school might just be ready to give you one, too."

"I'd say there's a good chance of that..." Mike agreed before turning to face the rest of the surrounding crowd.

"What say you, Dexterity High?!" he cried out with open arms, "Has Josiah earned his shot at redemption after tonight's duel?!"

The students and staff around them broke out into a round of thunderous applause and cheers in response. Some were even whistling ecstatically, while others began to chant Josiah's name in a pep-rally-type fashion.

Mike now lowered his arms as Josiah slowly turned his head to meet the great number of smiling faces that were now cheering for him. The tears once again began to form in his eyes as he felt an overwhelming number of emotions beginning to wash over him.

"That sounds like a 'yes' to me, Josiah," Mike said as he glanced at his former adversary with a smile.

Josiah turned his gaze back to Mike, returning the smile with one of his own as he once again wiped away the tears from his eyes. "Mike..." he managed to choke out as he struggled to pull himself together, "Thank you..."

Mike only extended a hand out to Josiah, who took it with gratitude as they shook. The cheers from the rest of the crowd around them only amplified in volume as they celebrated ecstatically, taking in the fact that the short remainder of time that they had left in Dexterity High School would be spent knowing that they no longer had reason to fear Josiah anymore.

As the applause from the students and staff gradually came to a close, Dr. Crawford took his chance to step out from the crowd towards the gathered group of friends, who all turned to face him when they noticed his approach.

"Well, Josiah..." he said with an impressed tone as he stopped a few paces away from the teenagers, "I think I speak on behalf of the rest of the school when I say that you've really proven yourself to us all as a new man. Please, feel welcome to stay for the remainder of tonight's festivities."

"Dr. Crawford..." Josiah said as the smile on his face somehow managed to grow even broader, before nodding appreciatively to his principal before politely responding, "Thank you. I appreciate it."

Dr. Crawford returned the nod with one of his own, before turning to address the rest of the students around him: "So, now that tonight's exciting dueling spectacle is over, I believe that we were in the middle of a Prom, were we not?" he exclaimed grandly, "Let's get back to the fun and dancing!"

More cheers erupted from all of the students now as Dexterity High's principal led the way back inside of the La Comté Dame Beaulieu's spacious banquet room, which quickly began to echo again with the music that had been blasting just before Josiah's arrival.

As the pair of Mike and Violet followed along with the rest of the students filing back into the hotel, the latter eventually came to a sudden realization as she swiveled her head to look around: "Hey, where did the others disappear to?" she questioned over the chattering students and blaring music.

At this, they both came to a halt as Mike scanned the crowd for their friends. "Huh..." he mused, a puzzled expression coming to his face as he glanced around, "I'm not sure... must've gotten separated by the crowd as we came in."

As the words came out of Mike's mouth, the electronic music that'd been playing in the background faded back into silence, followed by the subtle sound of gentle acoustic guitar chords as the song "You and Me" by Lifehouse began to reverberate throughout the banquet room.

"Oh..." Violet said as her ears perked at the sudden change in music; her cheeks blushing as she reverted back to her shy, quiet self, "A slow dance song..."

Mike immediately picked up on Violet's sudden tone shift as he looked to her: she'd turned her head away from him as her hands began to nervously fidget with each other, as though a sudden spike of anxiety had overcome her. But unlike the many times that Mike had born witness to this kind of activity from Violet, this time he knew for certain what was causing her so much unease: she couldn't bring herself to ask him for a dance.

"Well..." Mike began to speak, realizing that now was the moment that he'd been waiting for, "Would you, uh... would you like to dance?"

Violet felt her heart skip a beat as she looked to Mike with wide eyes, while the latter looked back to her with a gentle smile as he extended a hand out to her. She could feel her cheeks burning as her heartbeat started to throb at a pace she'd never experienced before.

"Sure..." she finally answered softly as she took Mike's hand, allowing herself to be guided by him towards the dance floor.

As the two of them stepped onto the smooth, golden marble below their feet, little did Violet know that Mike's mind was racing as quickly as hers was as he internally scrambled to decide what his next words ought to be. But despite his efforts, all he could draw were blanks as his eyes remained fixated on Violet's; as though her gaze had stolen his words away from him.

Now, Mike raised up the hand that was holding Violet's, while his other hand moved down to rest on her waist. Violet's free hand, meanwhile, wrapped itself around his back as the two of them began to sway to the rhythm of the music:

What day is it? And in what month? This clock never seemed so alive.

"How do you do it?"

Mike snapped out of his silent stupor at Violet's words, before looking down at her with a raised eyebrow. "Do what?" he asked her curiously.

"Just... you're always able to bring out the best in people," she explained with a small smile, "With Dr. Crawford, with Josiah... with my dad, Danny, and Marina... and with me."

Mike let out a small chuckle. "Well, I guess it's easy..." he said, "When you have someone who's able to bring out the best in you, too."

I can't keep up, and I can't back down. I've been losing so much time.

Violet could hear the pulsating beat of her heart reverberating in her ears as Mike's words sent a fervent shiver down her spine; the grip that she had on the small of his back began to tighten subconsciously as she listened to him continue: "It's like I told Josiah; despite everything I've been through... every bad day, every wrong turn... I was able to pull through it all thanks to you, Danny, and Marina. Even while I was in Frontier Haven, it was the thought of all of you that helped me make it through even the worst of times.

"But above all else..." Mike's tone now became more compassionate as his calm, oceanic orbs stared deeply into Violet's sparkling, silver ones, "Out of everyone, the one person who's always brought out the best in me... who's been my light in the darkness... has been you, Violet."

'Cause it's you and me, and all of the people with nothing to do, nothing to lose.

Violet was speechless as she felt a gravitational force beginning to enact itself on the two of them. Before she knew it, her arms had started to slowly wrap themselves around Mike's neck, while the latter's hands came to rest on both sides of her hips, pulling them even closer together.

The two could feel each other's heavy breaths upon their faces now as they slowly inched towards each other, closing the distance between them. The world felt like it was falling away as they watched each other's eyes close, their last glimpse of reality before their lips finally came to meet. All at once, an intense surge of warmth began to spread throughout their bodies, as though the two of them had joined to become one in a moment of electrifying ecstasy.

And it's you and me, and all of the people. And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you.

And then—just as quickly as it had begun—the kiss was over. Mike and Violet's lips now pulled away from each other as both of their eyes fluttered open; the latter's expression one of sheer astoundment as her gaze once again returned to Mike's warm, passionate eyes, as he finally brought himself to say the words that she had been waiting to hear since the day she'd first fallen for him:

"I love you."

Violet just stood there, stunned silent as she stared longingly at the boy she'd kept her feelings from for nearly ten years. And then—without warning—she swiftly pulled him back in with her arms for another kiss; their lips remaining locked with each other only a few moments longer than their first one had before separating again.

"I love you, too..." Violet finally said with a slight quiver as she continued to stare back at him, the butterflies in her stomach now soaring to new heights as the exhilaration overcame her mind and body.

Mike, with the same feeling coursing through himself as well, smiled as he leaned in to steal yet another kiss from Violet, pulling her closer to him with his hands as they both took in every last sensation they could from the moment.

Little did either of them know that, from a short distance away across the dance floor, Danny and Marina were also dancing together; watching tentatively as their two friends' love finally came to fruition.

"Aha, y'see that? What'd I tell ya?!" Danny exclaimed with a wide grin as he looked on.

Marina just shook her head with amusement. "No, I'll admit it; you were right," she said, sounding as though she couldn't believe the words that were coming out of her mouth, "Leaving those two on their own for this song was a good idea after all."

All of the things that I want to say just aren't coming out right.

Danny chuckled giddily at this admission from Marina. "Well, I mean, I do have my moments..." he said smugly, though his tone implied he was doing so jokingly.

"Mhm..." Marina hummed as her gaze returned back to her dance partner, "So... when are you gonna pick your moment?"

Danny's head swiveled to look back down at Marina with a muddled expression. "My moment to what?" he asked obliviously.

"To kiss me, idiot," Marina answered, with a teasing smile.

I'm tripping on words, you got my head spinning. I don't know where to go from here.

Danny's expression turned stiff as his eyes widened. "W-what...?" he stammered through nervous laughter, "W-what're you talking about...?"

"Come on, don't play dumb on me now," Marina said as she rolled her eyes, "It's no secret that we like each other, is it?"

Danny opened his mouth to answer, but quickly shut it, defeat spreading across his face as he realized that there was no backing out of this conversation.

Now, before he could even come up with an appropriate answer, Marina suddenly seemed to press herself up against him as the smirk on her face turned into a flirty, playful one. "What?" she said with a slightly alluring tone, "Don't you have something to say? I'm sure you've fantasized about this moment a thousand times over."

Danny's expression now turned to utter confoundment as he looked back at Marina, unable to believe the words he was hearing come from Marina's mouth. He'd never seen this kind of provocative side of hers before, much less imagined that she could even have a side like this.

'Cause it's you and me, and all of the people with nothing to do, nothing to prove.

"Uh… I mean, I…" Danny stumbled over his words as he desperately tried to repress the red color that was starting to fill his face, "That is to say, uh… I don't..."

"Hey," Marina cut him off as she cupped his face with one hand, "Just stop talking."

And without another word, she now pulled Danny's face towards her own, landing her lips directly on his as she closed her eyes, losing herself in the heat of the moment. Simultaneously, Danny's eyes went wide with surprise as he struggled for a moment to register what was actually happening. But before long, his natural instincts quickly overcame him as his eyes closed, allowing himself to also be lost in the blissful sensation that came with feeling her lips against his own.

And it's you and me, and all other people. And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you.

The kiss lasted a few moments before they eventually separated. Marina's eyes fluttered open to see that Danny's eyes had returned to nearly bulging out of their sockets, while his jaw had dropped so low that it might've hit the floor if it sank any lower. An amused smile spread across her lips as she watched him internally scrambling, trying to bring his thoughts back to a coherent state again.

"Wow..." he finally breathed out after a few moments, "That... was actually way better than what I'd fantasized."

Marina couldn't help but giggle at this response as Danny now leaned in to set his lips on Marina's once more, wanting to experience the invigorating sensation that came with their lips meeting again.

Something about you now, I can't quite figure out.

Everything she does is beautiful, everything she does is right.

"Well, would you look at that."

Danny and Marina quickly pulled away from each other again as they both turned to see where the sudden voice had come from: there was Mike and Violet, dancing together beside them as they watched the pair with sly smiles.

"So you two are official, huh?" Mike continued to tease, "Took you long enough."

"Oh, like YOU'RE one to talk!" Danny retorted hysterically, "And c'mon, we let you guys have YOUR moment in private!"

Mike, Violet, and Marina couldn't stop themselves from laughing at Danny for a moment, causing the sour expression on the latter's face to quickly shift back into a smile as he joined in. And soon enough, the laughter eventually subsided as Violet and Marina burrowed themselves in their partners' chests contently, while Mike and Danny each held their loved ones as they continued swaying to the song's rhythm, losing themselves in the magic of the night.

'Cause it's you and me, and all of the people with nothing to do, nothing to lose.

And it's you and me, and all of the people. And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you.


- Flashback -

The night air was only mildly chilly in Frontier Haven as Mike sat curled up on the short steps to Samael's shack.

He'd been staring blankly down the moonlit, empty roads of the town for the last half hour; still struggling to come to terms with the atrocity he'd committed earlier that day. But unfortunately, the way that Samael had essentially shown him off like a trophy to the rest of the townsfolk when they'd returned from Saddleburry earlier certainly hadn't helped bring him any closer to finding closure:

"Here's to Mike Harper, the new champion of Frontier Haven!" Samael had cried out as he held one of Mike's arms up by his wrist, "No longer will we bow down to the tyranny of Keir, and all others like him!"

While everybody else in the town had clapped and cheered as Mike stood before them, it didn't seem to occur to anyone just how tormented he really felt behind the false smile he'd worn in that moment. Nor did anybody seem to care, as the people of Frontier Haven spent the remainder of the day in rather celebratory and uplifted spirits; the few children in the town that parents had been hiding in their homes actually came outside to play, while everybody else went about their business with smiles on their faces and energy in their voices; all of which were stark contrasts to how things were when Mike had first arrived in town a few days before.

As for Mike, he'd spent the remainder of his day hiding away in Samael's place, wanting to be alone as he desperately tried to reconstruct his crumbling sanity. But unfortunately, even now, as he took in the serene quietude of the desert town, he just couldn't find it in himself to make peace with having pulled the trigger that had ended Keir's life.

He didn't even raise his head to look when he heard the footsteps of Aeron approaching from around the shack. He stopped a few feet away from Mike as he eyed him from behind his long, black bangs, almost as though he were thinking about whether or not he ought to put a dying animal out of its misery.

"Hey," he said monotonously, "You okay?"

Mike finally lifted his head to meet Aeron's crimson orbs with his oceanic ones. "Fine," he lied through a cracked voice, not even attempting to try and hide behind his words now.

Aeron stood in awkward silence as he continued to watch Mike, who'd averted his eyes again as his head returned to rest on his arms that were wrapped around his legs. In the back of his mind, he was half-hoping that perhaps Aeron had some words of wisdom to share with him; something to help him cope with his first time taking a life.

But instead, all he heard Aeron reply with was a nonchalant, "All right," before his footsteps began walking away from him.

Mike let out a long sigh as he pulled his legs even closer to himself. Aeron could show him how to duel like his life was on the line, but he couldn't be bothered to help his pupil in dealing with having killed someone, just as he'd done a hundred times over already.

"Don't mind him. He's not exactly the 'empathetic' type."

He swiveled his head around to look where the voice had come from: there was Casey, walking towards him from right where Aeron had popped up just moments before.

Now Mike let out a quick chuckle as Casey took a seat on the steps beside him. "Yeah, I kinda figured that when he almost killed me the day that we met."

Casey nodded as she glanced to where Aeron had walked off. "Honestly, I sometimes find it hard to believe that he even has emotions," she admitted, "But I guess he never would've fought for Frontier Haven if he didn't care."

Mike remained silent as he just nodded, prompting Casey to glance at him thoughtfully. "You're not really 'fine,' are you?" she questioned.

He lifted his head again to meet Casey's gaze; the concern in her dark-brown eyes was unmistakable to him, as he'd seen that same look on the faces of Violet, Danny, and Marina before.

He shook his head. "What's it matter to you?" he asked back, "I don't see why you'd care about how I feel."

Despite the harshness of his words, Casey didn't showcase any sign of taking offense or anything of the sort. Instead, her expression only softened as she replied, "Because I still remember the first time I had to take a life... only I was eight at the time."

Mike's eyes widened at this detail, and he lifted himself into an upright sitting position as Casey turned away, a reflective expression coming to her face. "I was actually born in Frontier Haven, you know... but, my mom died soon after she gave birth to me."

"I'm sorry," Mike said sympathetically.

Casey gave a short nod before lifting up her right hand, looking to where a silver ring with a red jewel was wrapped around her index finger. "When she passed, her mother—my grandma—raised me on her own," she explained, "She did everything she could to protect me from the dangers of living here. She even got up in Samael's face once and told him, so long as she lived, that she wouldn't let me fight in any life-or-death duels.

"But as soon after she passed away..." she lowered her hand as her expression turned distraught, "Keir chose me to duel... bastard wanted to see if a little girl could 'fend for herself under extreme pressure'."

"But you won that duel, right?" Mike said with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, I wouldn't be here today if I didn't," Casey confirmed, "But like you, because of my Mark's power, I only ended up hurting the guy I faced really badly during that duel... before I had to..."

Her voice trailed off, but Mike didn't need her to finish that sentence to know how the story ended.

Now she let out a heavy sigh. "I've fought in twenty-six more life-or-death duels since then," she said as she brought her gaze back to Mike, "But it's always the first one that cuts the deepest into your psyche."

Mike nodded at this, before sitting in silence for a time as he took in Casey's words. From the tone of her voice, he could tell that every word she'd just said was the truth; and that she really was trying to sympathize with him in any way she could.

"Does it ever get easier?" he finally asked, "Living with it, I mean."

Casey sat and thought on this question for a moment. "Mm... a little, I guess," she answered, "But there's no real way to get the part of you that you lose from it back. All you can do is just... try to fill the hole with something else."

Mike's expression fell even more so at these words. "I think that's gonna be a little bit harder for me to do this time..."

Casey now looked to him with a raised eyebrow as she repeated, "This time?"

Mike nodded solemnly as a different kind of pain now filled his face. As it did, Casey immediately caught on to the fact that she'd just touched upon a very sensitive subject.

Finally, Mike explained, "When I was six, I... I watched a fire burn my home to the ground... while my parents were trapped inside it."

Casey kept her gaze fixated on Mike as he continued: "I still remember, in the aftermath, how the firefighters said there was no evidence to explain what started it... but even then, something in my gut that it was my fault, for whatever reason.

"And then, when I first arrived here..." he said as he now pulled up his left shirt sleeve, revealing the X-shaped scar etched in his skin, "When Samael told me about this... I just knew that this had to be what caused that fire... what killed my parents..."

The look in Casey's eyes turned to sympathy as Mike now rolled his sleeve back down. "I lived with that for five years while stuck in an orphanage; cared for by a nun who didn't actually give a damn about the kids she took care of... I wasn't able to find any closure until I was finally old enough to attend the public middle school. That's when I met my friends..."

A half-smile began to spread across his lips as the faces of Danny, Marina, and Violet now entered his mind. "Those guys... they've always been my light in the darkness. Without them, I don't think I could've ever lived with myself... I owe those guys the world for everything they've done for me.

"But now..." the smile on Mike's face disappeared just as quickly as it had come, "They're not here anymore. And I'm alone."

Casey's expression was now one of empathy as she then slid her hand in to take one of Mike's. "No," she said, "You're not alone."

Mike finally turned to meet her eyes again as she gave him a warm smile. "That's the difference between you and me," she told him, "I really was alone after my Grandma passed; and when I took my first life. But I won't let you go through the same experiences I had on your own, too."

Mike could only stare back at Casey with surprise for a few moments, before the smile returned to his face, this time wider and full of gratitude. "I appreciate that," he said as he gently gripped Casey's hand a little tighter, "Thank you."

Casey responded by giving his hand a comforting squeeze in return as they sat there, their eyes twinkling as they gazed at each other beneath the moonlight.

- Flashback End -


*I do not own the rights to the song "You and Me" by Lifehouse and/or its lyrics. The song's presence in this story is intended solely for recreational, non-profit use.*


Author's Notes

DAMN, these have been freaking difficult and emotional chapters to write. Between getting Josiah's new and improved character out there, and FINALLY getting the Mike-Violet and Danny-Marina relationships going... oy, that was a lot I had to pull off.

Alright, let's move on to what we've all been waiting for...

MOD QnA PANEL - ANSWERS!


Assassinkai742 asks: Will you be using Pendulums in your story? Just curious if you are XD.

Answer: For the time being, I'm gonna say no because I have an established timeline for the evolution of the Duel Monsters' rules set, and said evolution has yet to surface in the story. So for the time being, Pendulums don't exist... or do they?

Will I potentially use them in the future? Maybe. All depends on opportunity.


liamnewberry2 asks: Which themes found in literature do you find to be the most fun/interesting to explore, and do you at any time receive criticism from readers because of your choice in those themes?

Answer: I'm most enthralled by conflicts between the essences of light and darkness (and/or good and evil). In fact, a former story I once ran on this site centered around exactly that kind of topic: main character with amnesia who appears to be on the side of light (good), but is forced to deal with the dark (evil) side dwelling within him.

In this story, it's (kind of) along the same lines: Mike is a character who is trying to find the good within himself again after committing atrocities beyond his darkest nightmares over the last two years. It's a theme I've yet to delve deeply into with him though, but that's going to change soon...

Criticism for it? Oh, naturally. "Everyone's a critic," y'know? Not that I blame anyone for it; people have their preferences of things they like, I have mine. I only focus on criticism that's constructively helpful; and I do receive plenty of that. But I've no reason to pander to the wants of others simply because they "don't like it."


lovelock9000 asks: Where did you learn how to develop such good characters and a great story?

Answer: Well, I don't know if the story and characters are THAT good… my short answer would be LOTS of English classes, and reading LOTS and LOTS of books throughout my youth.

Personally, I think this story's real strength comes from a realization that I had a few years ago: throughout the many stories that I've analyzed over the years, I often found that almost EVERY character ended up having SOME MINIMAL type of involvement with the primary plot. And the more I thought about it, the more I began to think, "... that's bullsh*t."

In a realistic world, not everyone follows the same plot-appointed path as each other. Everyone has their own lives, and their own stories. "Mark of Death" was shaped with this idea in mind—Mike's struggle is that of someone struggling to fit back into a world that he's been torn away from for too long, but his past prevents him from being able to do so. Everybody else in this world he's trying to come back to already has their own lives, wants, and needs, and not all of them will influence/be influenced by his personal conflicts in the story, despite him being the main protagonist. BUT, it'll be the extreme circumstances of Mike's life that will have—*ahem*—"interesting" effects on the lives of everyone else...

(*For those of you I've talked to about what the REAL plot of the story is: THIS, right here, is my explanation.)


Assassinkai742 asks: I noticed Mike used Infernities in his duel with Keir when I thought he would be using Constellars. My question is, if he got Infernities from Aeron, then where did he get his Constellars from? Or who did he get them from?

Answer: An excellent question... and a detail I'm glad that SOMEONE picked up on.

Without spoiling anything... the person/thing that he receives the Constellar deck from HAS already appeared in the story. Matter of fact, there are details in the beginning of the story that, if you connect a few dots, you might be able to figure out who/where it came from~


Sunflesh asks: I was wondering about Mike and the Infernity deck he used back in Saddlebury. Sticking true to YGO tradition, it seems that you always pick a deck for characters that, you know, reflects their personalities and/or motives in some way; so, my question is, why Infernity as an archetype?

Answer: Well, there's a few different reasons:

One - The deck was handed down to him by Aeron, who's a shady, denizen-of-hell-like guy. Infernities are kinda hell-denizen-like; makes sense for a guy like him, no?

Two - From a storytelling standpoint, the Infernities are representative of Mike's descent into the hell that Frontier Haven puts him through. His apparent abandonment of them in the main story in favor of Constellars instead is also symbolic of him trying to distance himself from that past.

Three - Shameless confession here... I f*cking love Kiryu from 5D's. Infernities are awesome, and I used them for quite a long time myself back in the day. So I wanted to include them for my own kicks and giggles.


Master Of Anime224 asks: I know the flashbacks are influenced by your love of CW's Arrow, but what other works inspired the themes in this story?

Answer: Well, obviously all the Yu-Gi-Oh! series' did some of that work. But thinking back on it, the first initial drafts of this story actually came to be when I was watching through GX season 4 for the first time. So I think a lot of the whole changed-person bit that Mike has in this story has a bit of influence from Judai.

The main driving points of this story's themes, however, come from a lot of dark and troubling parts of my own personal life that I've needed to find ways to exorcise so that they don't put me into a majorly depressive rut. But I'd rather not go into too much detail on that front publicly; I'm sure you understand.


liamnewberry2 asks: Did you feel you were obliged to insert romance into the story simply because of the multi-gendered nature of your cast, or were you just trying to make the romance of your story obvious so it would be easier to pick up on?

Answer: To be honest, a good ol' fashioned romance is a default in my storytelling toolbox. I don't know why; maybe it's 'cause love's the most powerful force in the universe? "All you need is love~"

The reason this story has been so romance-heavy so far, is because it's the primary driving force of Violet's character. Her character is an obsessive, lovesick, teenage girl who longs for those romantic feelings to be reciprocated, and she particularly wants it from the one boy she's known since her childhood. And because she's the one closest to our hero's heart as well, she's gotten a lot of attention while Mike's development has occurred through other means, such as the flashbacks.

As for the romance between Danny and Marina... that romance was actually a last-second decision near the completion of this season's development; a decision I came to so I could make a more powerful impact on those characters in future events.


lovelock9000 asks: Was Violet's appearance and personality made from your own love interest?

Answer: Eh... somewhat. Violet's appearance is actually based off of an old love interest I USED to have. I've been planning this story for over 4 years now; that's when I'd first created Violet. Her characterization, on the other hand, is essentially a cliche that I gave her for the purpose of giving her a means to create interpersonal conflict, but there IS more to her than just being a lovesick puppy...

Also, her blatant connection with the color purple (her purple hair, her name literally being a shade of purple)... well, another shameless confession: purple is my favorite color.


Assassinkai742 asks: I have been curious about this for a while but who is the Cyber style heir that was mentioned a few chapters ago? I can't wait to see some Cyber Dragon vs Constellar action. Did Mike get his Constellars from them?

Answer: Refer to my answer to your second question about where Mike got his Constellars from.

As for the Cyber Style Heir... his debut is actually coming in the NEXT chapter (12), and his character is one I've been ITCHING to get out into this story, so stay tuned!


Thanks to everyone who submitted questions! I hope my answers proved somewhat insightful to y'all!

Now, for today's shout-outs: first one goes to Komori Rias/silvernet again, for her insightful three-review analysis of the story. I do hope that the QnA answers helped answer any lingering questions you have.
Second: to my good friend Master Of Anime224 for beta'ing a great majority of this chapter. You always know the best way to get sh*t moving when I can't see it right in front of me.
Lastly: and this also acts as a warm welcome—to my new buddy Sunflesh, who has joined my merry band of betas! Your help was crucial in getting the romantic scenes in this chapter done. It's good to have you on the team; and I look forward to working with you more in the future, dude.

And as always, thank you all so much for reading, and for being such freaking awesome readers and friends to me. And a 60+ review-count already? You guys are the best; really and truly. See you next chapter, and stay awesome.


REVISED: 9/25/2019