Staying in the Background

by Emblemfan1

Ren Cambell awakes in the GX universe. However, why should he get involved with the plot? Everything's going to be fine anyway if he stays away from the protagonists, right? He's just a background character in this world. He's got a second chance to live his best life. Become a pro duelist, get a girlfriend and get rich off card games. Wait... Who's that other guy? (Self-Insert/OC)

8. Chapter 8

Staying in the Background

Early Days - The Call of Pestilence

Purple, formless clouds swirled around Jaden, and it was harder to breathe. He looked around but his friends were nowhere to be seen. Even Logan had disappeared from above him. The whole thing was trippy. It was even difficult to move his arm. It was like moving through water. If he wasn't so angry, he'd be impressed. Just how had Titan managed to pull this off?

The masked man was standing a little way away from him, really putting his acting skills to use. He too was looking around in mock shock. "What is this place! Where am I?" he cried, his voice echoing. Nice touch.

"Cut it out! Enough tricks! I already know you're a phoney!"

"I'm not doing this! I only studied the dark ways under the rare hunters! I don't know how to conjure them!"

Before Jaden could rebuke him, black and grey blobs of slime began to rain down from somewhere the hero duellist couldn't see. He just managed to see that each one had eyes and a mouth filled with razor-sharp fangs. As they fell, some swerved, assaulting Titan and smothering his body.

"No! Stay away!" he screamed as the slime covered him. Opening his mouth was a mistake as several of the creatures took the opportunity to launch themselves at the open crevice and enter his body. While Jaden knew it could only be a trick, it did nothing to make him feel any less queasy. It was like a scene from a horror movie where the evil entity would possess someone.

He had but a moment to process Titan's act when he noticed that more of the slime creatures were heading towards him!

"Kuri Kuri!"

There was suddenly a high-pitched cry that had come from his duel disk! As he rose the device, his confusion grew as a large mass of brown hair with two white wings began to squeeze its way out of the deck slot. With a humorous 'pop', the creature escaped, revealing itself to be none other than Winged Kuriboh, the monster the King of Games himself had given him on the morning of his entrance exam.

The cute little monster landed on his hand and gave a soft coo as it looked up at him with its large eyes. He could even feel his fur! It was so soft!

"Winged Kuriboh? Man, this is so weird. First, I hear you now I can see you. How did Titan even know you were in my deck? This is one hell of an illusion."

The monster shook its head before taking off. It flew down to where the balls of slime were amassing and began to growl. While it didn't seem that intimidating to Jaden, the slime monsters were terrified and scattered as far away as they could get. "Woah, way to show them whose boss, Kuriboh!" Jaden cheered.

"Ahh!" Titan gave a muffled cry, once again snapping Jaden's attention to him. The man seemed to be choking when suddenly, all the creatures around him began to flow into his mouth, going straight down his throat.

"Hey, are you alright?" Jaden called. He still didn't believe any of this, but he couldn't help himself but ask.

The man slumped slightly as the creatures stopped swarming. A low moan left his mouth before he looked up at Jaden, the lenses of his mask now glowing scarlet red.

"Jaden Yuki, let us continue this duel as a true shadow game." His voice was now two-toned, one his normal voice and the other much deeper and darker.

"You're still continuing with that shadow game nonsense? I already know this is fake! I'll admit, the effects are cool, but those coloured contacts do nothing for you!"

"Now that the dark game has been activated, only one of us shall leave this place," Titan continued as if Jaden hadn't spoken. The slime creatures began to move out of the way, forming a large ring around the two duellists as Titan's Shadowknight Archfiend and Jaden's Wingman reappeared on the field. The bone filled surroundings of Pandemonium rose up from the shadows, although the purple clouds remained around them.

"I don't know about that, but I'm more than up for finishing this!" Jaden cried, Winged Kuriboh giving a small coo in agreement.

Turn 4 (Continued): Jaden – 2000LP – Three cards in hand – 1 card on the field

"Since it's still my go and I haven't normal summoned, I'll set this monster and play two cards face down. It's your move, you phoney!"

---

"So, are you ready to duel?" Nightshroud asked, folding her arms, and gazing at us through her mask's glowing lenses. "Duel energy flows strongly from you. I look forward to making it mine."

My body shook as I stared at what was the GX series' final antagonist. Even though they possessed the body of a woman I did not know, it did nothing to suppress my fear because she would surely be using a deck I wouldn't know how to counter. Especially since I was certain his current host was the girl from the picture currently in my pocket.

That meant, if my assumption was correct, she was another reincarnate like us. If Nightshroud had her knowledge, did he have cards from the future? Just how strong was he now? Could we win against such a foe?

What's more, Nightshroud had said they had been brought here by 'the stench of death'. They knew Logan and I weren't from this world, or at least that we had both once died. If they got their hands on us, what would happen. While I was unsure about the girl, it was undisputed that we had future knowledge. If Nightshroud gained access to that and learned how Jaden defeated him, then he would prepare for it.

The only sliver of luck we'd had was that Alexis was still asleep. If she heard any of what was about to occur, our secret would be out. I didn't want anyone from this world to know of my past. It would only bring complications. I cast an eye back to where the Obelisk Queen was resting. Despite all that was happening, she seemed peaceful.

I just really hoped that Logan wouldn't do anything stupid.

Ignorant to my worries, the Lightsworn user stepped forward and held out his arms protectively in front of both me and Alexis. I was going to have a go at him for acting stupidly when I saw his look of absolute seriousness and the bead of sweat running down the side of his face.

"I'll fight you!" he cried. "I'm the one you want. Let these two go. They have nothing to do with this!" It seemed in the face of unprecedented danger; Logan was revealing another side of himself. Or maybe he just wanted to seem heroic in front of me thinking I didn't know better. I couldn't say for sure.

Nightshroud began to snicker, a sound that both sounded husky and yet utterly terrifying. "How noble of you. Ready to put your own head on the chopping block. However, it seems you have misunderstood. When I said 'you', I was speaking in plural."

Logan froze. "What? But I'm…" he trailed off, the cogs of his mind whirring in full force. Slowly, he turned to look at me with wide eyes. I stared back, matching his gaze and keeping my expression neutral.

He'd finally worked it out. He knew.

"You…"

I shook my head as I took off my backpack and removed my duel disk. "We can talk about it later," I said as I attached the device to my arm and inserted my deck. Gently, I placed the now empty pack under Alexis's head. A small comfort but hopefully it would be better than just having her head against the ground. Or at least whatever the Shadow Realm had that was considered the floor.

"But you're like me," Logan gasped. "Why have you been-"

"Later," I insisted as I took my place beside Logan. "We have bigger things to worry about. Our lives and Alexis' are in danger. Let's win this and then we'll have all the time to talk about it."

He continued to stare at me for a few more seconds before shaking his head and turning towards our opponent. "Fine."

"Defeat me?" Nightshroud snickered again. "You certainly sound confident. I'm looking forward to this. Before we begin, let's establish the rules of this Shadow Game. We shall each start with 4000 life points. You two can work together whilst I act alone. You may use any card in on the others field and grave, but you cannot look at each other's hands. In the event one of you cannot continue, you may use any card your partner has left on the field. No one can attack on their first turn. Is that agreed?"

"That's fine," I said with a nod. I was honestly expecting her to say she would receive 8000 life points to compensate for their being two of us. This was beneficial. However, there had to be a catch.

"Who goes first?" Logan asked.

"You mortals use roshambo to decide such things, correct?" Nightshroud said with a smug grin, holding her right arm out.

Logan went to step forward, but I stopped him. "If it's okay, can I do this?" He gave me a weird look but relented. I gave him a grateful nod before walking forward. Nightshroud grinned as I came close but made no move to attack me.

"On three," she said, smiling like she had just said a joke. I tried to maintain my nerve. No matter what currently looked like, this person was a demon. While I believed she wouldn't do anything to me before we duelled, I didn't trust it.

Now that I was close, I could see that, like Alexis, this girl was a few inches taller than me. While I couldn't see any of her facial features due to the mask, the hair was the same as the one in the photograph. Long and dark, coming down her back to rest against her lower back. This was definitely the girl. How had Nightshroud come to possess her? Had she taken Atticus's place? In which case, was the older Rhodes dead?

"Are you ready?" Nightshroud asked impatiently, snapping me from my thoughts.

"Yes."

"Good." On the count of three, we both threw out our hands. I picked scissors; she went paper. "You may take the first move." She had said it as if she was willingly giving it to us, rather than having lost the roshambo. Frowning, I returned to my place beside Logan. He gave me a nod as I returned.

Together, we activated our duel disks. With a smile, Nightshroud raised her own disk into the air. Around us, the shadows began to bubble before cards suddenly formed. Shrouded in a dark aura, they flew through the air and landed in the empty deck slot of Nightshroud's device. Once her deck had formed, she activated the device.

"DUEL!"

"You take the first move," I said to Logan. It would be best for him to get as many Lightsworns in his graveyard as quickly as possible. In the event Nightshroud was playing a chaos deck, we would want them in the grave rather than having them removed from play. He looked surprised for a moment but nonetheless drew the first card of the game.

Turn 1: Logan – 4000LP – 6 cards in hand – 0 cards on the field

As Logan looked at his hand, he looked momentarily unsatisfied, worrying me. "I'll begin by activating Solar Recharge." He didn't bother explaining what it did. He discarded Wulf, Lightsworn Beast and drew two cards before sending the top two cards of his deck to the grave. Those cards were Shire, Lightsworn Spirit and Celestia, Lightsworn Angel.

"From there, I'll play Charge of the Light Brigade. I send the top three cards of my deck to the grave and add a level four or lower Lightsworn to my hand." Light Spiral, Foolish Burial and a Judgment Dragon all went to the grave and he added Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner to his hand. I hoped that she was worth losing a Judgement Dragon so early. Especially since we would likely need it later.

"Now, I summon the monster I added. Come, Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner (1000/1000)!" The beautiful blonde-haired monster appeared on his field. In the face of a creature of darkness, her visage was hard and cold. "I use her effect. I discard this and resummon Wulf, Lightsworn Beast (2100/300) from the grave!" As he sent Jain, Lightsworn Paladin to the grave, the humanoid white wolfman rose from a purple portal. It let out a howl as it rose from the beyond.

"I'll end my turn with a face down. Of course, due to Lumina, I need to send the top three cards of my deck to the grave." As three more cards disappeared, Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon, a second copy Solar Recharge and a Necro Gardna. That would come in use later but I couldn't help but hope he had more than forty cards in his deck. I had no idea how long this duel was going to go on for and there was a real possibility he may deck out if not careful.

As Logan finished, he let out a sigh and took a few deep breaths.

"Hey, are you alright?" I asked.

"I'm fine. Just feeling a little tired," he said, not taking his gaze off our opponent.

"What interesting cards you have," Nightshroud observed, staring at Lumina and Wulf. I eyed her anxiously. The mask made her expressions near unreadable. Did she have knowledge of the Lightsworn playstyle?

Turn 2: Nightshroud – 4000LP – 6 cards in hand – 0 cards on the field

She drew her first card and her lips twisted into a grin that filled me with dread. However, she placed the card into her hand and took another. "I believe I shall start a little more conservatory. I summon Infernal Dragon (2000/0) in attack mode."

From the shadows emerged a black dragon with red lined wings. It possessed a blade-like spike on its snout, legs and tail. It growled as it took its place beside Nightshroud. Beside me, Logan groaned.

"Why is it always dragons?" he said with a sigh.

"Your boss monster is a dragon," I pointed out. His face tinged red ever so slightly.

"That's just the archetype. At least I didn't build a deck around them."

"At least I didn't build an overpowered deck to seem powerful," I snapped back, feeling a little defensive when it came to my cards.

"And at least I didn't fill my deck with 'Yugi' cards!"

"They're not 'Yugi' cards!"

"Boys!" Nightshroud snapped. "You're both pretty. Can I continue with my turn now?" Logan and I shared a look before turning away from each other. I felt drained just talking to him. "Right. I shall set a card and end my turn," Nightshroud said, passing the baton over to me.

Turn 3 – Ren – 4000LP – 6 cards in hand – 0 cards on the field

"Using its effect, I special summon Gilasaurus (1400/400) in defence mode." The brown velociraptor emerged on my field. Normally Nightshroud would get to special summon something from her graveyard too, but with nothing there, it wasn't an issue. "Next, I'll normal summon my Skilled White Magician (1700/1900), this time in attack mode." The white-robed magician took his place beside me with a flourish of his orbed staff.

"Now, I play Reasoning! You select a level and-"

"I know how the card works," Nightshroud interrupted. "Level six."

My eyes narrowed as I drew my first card. "It's level seven. I call forth the legendary Red-Eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000)!" A portal appeared behind me, and my dragon flew through. It spun in the air before coming to a halt, towering over me protectively as its eyes glowed against the purple clouds.

This time, Nightshroud seemed a little disturbed, their posture tensing in the face of my dragon. However, they said nothing. As Red-Eyes settled, one of the orbs on Skilled White Magician's robe began to glow.

Normally, as the last duellist to go, I should have been able to attack. But with the rules in place, I could only shore up my defences. "I play one card face down and end my turn."

As I said those words, Lumina began to glow. Suddenly the top three cards of my deck shattered. "Wha-?"

"I told you, you share a field," Nightshroud said. "His monster effects are you monster effects. As such, at the end of your turn, Lumina forced you to send cards to the grave." So, I was going to lose cards too. That was just great. The cards I'd lost were Masked Dragon, Hunter Dragon and Waboku. Two great defensive cards gone. Wonderful. It's not like we're fighting an eldritch demon or anything. Oh, wait…

Logan went to make a move, but Nightshroud stopped him. "Uh, uh. I think you'll find it's my turn. I am acting as my own tag partner after all." Ah, there was the rub. She got two moves for each one we got. Furthermore, she got the first chance to attack. Hopefully, our defences would be enough. Nightshroud smirked as she drew her card.

Turn 4: Nightshroud – 4000LP – 5 cards in hand – 1 monster and one face down on the field

"Now that the opening act is done, it's finally time for the main event! The Shadow Realm is quaint, but it's time we entered my own world! I play the field spell, Lair of Darkness!"

The purple clouds around us changed, our surroundings becoming pitch black. The sound of moaning souls could be heard in the distance. Azure lighting cracked above us, and the atmosphere became even colder if that were possible. In the distance, there was an ominous roar. Nonetheless, since another spell had been activated, another orb lit up on Skilled White Magician's robe. One more spell and I could bring out Buster Blader. That was some comfort.

"Firstly, while this card is active, all monsters on the field gain the dark attribute," Nightshroud explained. "It has some other effects too, but we'll get to those later."

And they were nasty ones. She could tribute our monsters to activate her card effects. Not to mention that at the end of each turn, Torment Tokens would be summoned to the turn players field for each tribute performed that turn, giving her more fodder to use.

"Hey, didn't this card only come out recently in the TCG?" Logan asked as he looked around. He was sounding a little more haggard.

"Yeah… a few years maybe," I confirmed. "But since Dark Side of Dimensions happened in this universe, the card pool is a bit weird. Over the years, I've found some cards I normally don't consider to be from this time." Despite this, I was still unsure. The picture came to my mind again. This was a potential reincarnate Nightshroud was possessing. Could they have created cards from her memory?

'So many mysteries and not enough answers! I hate this!'

Logan was giving me a weird look. "Years?"

"To continue my move," Nightshroud interrupted, "I'll discard a card to summon Dark Grepher (1700/1600)." From the void emerged a warrior with grey skin, glowing red eyes, and platinum silver hair. He wore spiked black leather armour that exposed his arms and pecs, and he had a long sword in his hand. He looked at us with a wide, toothy grin.

"Furthermore, I shall normal summon Ahrima, the Wicked Warden (1700/0)." The next monster to appear on her field was a demonic dog-like creature with large pink-hued crystals growing out of its back, tail, and the sides of its legs. It had a green headpiece with a third red eye that continuously shifted between Logan and me.

Now that her monsters had been assembled, Nightshroud's grin grew. "Now that my monsters have all been assembled, I activate my face down! Deck Devastation Virus!"

"Oh shit," I cursed.

"Oh? I'm glad you know what it does," Nightshroud replied with a coy smile. "I'll tribute my Infernal Dragon to activate my virus's effect." Her dragon let out an agonising cry as its body began to decay, breaking down and falling apart with a foul stench that made me want to gag. But from its body, a dark mist emerged that spread over to our side of the field. Within moments, both Lumina and my Gilasaurus began to cough before collapsing to the ground, shattering. Furthermore, another card in Logan's hand burst into pixels, being sent to the graveyard.

"So, boys, for the next three turns I get to check your cards. Any monster you have with less than 1500 attack points will instantly be infected with this plague and destroyed. Oh, and I forgot the best part." As she spoke, the ground began to shake violently. Logan and I were almost knocked off our feet as something emerged from the void. It was giant and wrapped in chains. Large leathery wings covered its body from us but with the cards Nightshroud had played so far, I had a very good idea of what this creature was. "You both remember the card I had to discard to summon Grepher, right? Well, it had an effect. When a dark monster is tributed, it resurrects itself. Show yourself, Darkest Diablos, Lord of the Lair (3000/2000)!"

The chains began to creak as the dragon began to stir. With a loud 'snap', the beast broke free, its four wings spreading wide, sending out a shockwave that knocked us both to the ground. Darkest Diablos was a titanic dragon with black armour-like scales that pulsed with red energy. In this shadow game, the pure energy from its being smothered us and made it even harder to breathe. Its very presence seemed to affect the field spell as more lightning cracked around us and the moaning of souls grew louder.

My fear took root as I looked upon this giant, my heart thumping in my ears. My breathing became haggard, and my body shook. My every instinct was telling me to run but my legs remained rooted to the spot. Some may call me a coward, but they would have to ask themselves if they would not truly feel similar when faced with such a monster.

"I'll set a face down, and then enter my battle phase!" Nightshroud cried. "Diablos, attack that magician!" Her dragon reared its head back, crimson energy gathering in its maw before it unleashed a powerful burst of energy. It tore through the space between us with blinding speed.

"I activate my trap! Dimension Guardian!" I cried out desperately. I was going to need my magician to call Buster Blader. I couldn't afford to lose him. "I attach it to my magician, so it won't be destroyed in battle or card effects!"

"But you still take damage!" Nightshroud declared with glee.

The attack was too large! I was going to be eclipsed and Alexis was right behind me. She could get hurt!

"Red-Eyes! Protect Alexis!" I cried out. My dragon did as commanded, strangely enough. It flew over to the prone girl and wrapped its body around her, acting as her shield.

The blast washed over my magician, passing through him and striking me. My body felt like it was on fire, parts of my uniform burning away as I withstood the attack. Everything became a blur, a high-pitched wail assaulting my ears. I couldn't even tell if I was screaming. I think I was. (Ren: 2700LP)

The next thing I knew, I had hit the ground hard, my body twitching uncontrollably, my skin darkened from the burns that now covered my flesh. I painfully rolled onto my belly only to begin gagging. The taste of copper filled my mouth as I vomited blood into the shadowy mass beneath me. Remarkably, it seemed my duel disk and cards were untouched. Perhaps because I needed them to continue.

Nightshroud was laughing, her cackles echoing across the dark land. "This is the power of the shadow games! Relish in your pain mortal! Embrace it! For it means you still live."

"I…I certainly don't feel alive," I groaned, trying to get back up. I felt so tired, even more drained than before. The damage in this fight was real. On wobbly legs, I almost made it back to my feet when I stumbled. However, before I hit the ground, someone caught me.

Logan had me by the arm, hoisting me up and helping to support me. "Are you okay?" he asked. So now he was concerned about me. Where was this attitude before?

"No," I answered honestly. "But I'm going to have to be. Is Alexis alright?"

"Yeah, she's fine." We both turned our gaze over to where Red-Eyes was getting up, its scales smoking but it remained strong. Alexis was unharmed and still slumbering. Whatever Titan had drugged her with was remarkably strong. "I'm more worried about you."

I looked down at myself. I was a mess. The upper right part of my uniform was just gone, exposing the skin beneath. It seemed the worst of my wounds were healing quickly, possibly insurance by the game to make it so that I could continue. And yet the pain remained. I felt so weak. "Thank you… for catching me…"

"We're partners in this," Logan replied. He was being too nice. This was strange. Am I babbling? Need to focus. Everything hurts.

"Ah, how sweet." Nightshroud's voice was sickly sweet. It was clear she was mocking us. "You don't look so good," she cooed. "Are you feeling tired? Sick? Fatigued? I suppose it is only natural."

"What do you mean?" Logan demanded.

"Oh, surely you have noticed," Nightshroud said, cocking her head. "This is the Shadow Realm. Normal humans aren't meant to survive here for long without protection. Neither of you possesses the gift of sight, nor do you have spirit partners to lend their energy. The shadows have already begun sapping everything from you. Boys, there was a reason I said you could use your partners' cards if one couldn't continue. In this game, you are on borrowed time. And with each tick of the clock, you come closer to death's door!" She once again began to laugh, leaving Logan and me gobsmacked. "Let the pain continue! Since your remaining monsters are too powerful for me, I'll enter my second main phase and activate Ahrima's effect. By tributing one dark monster, I can draw a card. Oh, but why should it be my monster? With my field spell, I can tribute one of yours! I tribute your magician!"

"NO!"

Skilled White Magician let out a cry of pain as a dark aura surrounded him. Within moments, he disintegrated and Nightshroud drew her card. My hope of mounting a comeback was gone.

"I shall end it there," Nightshroud said. "And since two monsters were tributed this turn, two Torment Tokens(1000/1000) are summoned to my field in defence mode." Two whispery shadows grew from the ground, frightening glowing faces appearing within their mass. "It's your turn, Lightsworn user," she said, pointing at Logan. "I hope you put up more of a fight than your friend."

---

"It's my draw," Titan said, robotically moving his hand up to the deck slot on the machine attached to his coat.

Turn 5: Titan – 1900LP- 3 cards in hand – 1 monster and 1 field spell on the field

Jaden's glare hardened as Titan drew his next card. The man had gone strangely quiet compared to his earlier act where he would talk openly about the shadows. It was pretty spooky. At his side, Kuriboh let out a small coo. Jaden would admit that having the little guy beside him did calm his nerves somewhat, even if the little guy was some kind of illusion. Even when separated from his friends, it was like he still had an ally.

Having entered his standby phase, the ghostly image of his Imprisoned Queen Archfiend reappeared on the field, again thrashing at her chains.

"I again use my queen's effect to boost my knight's attack points," Titan declared. Shadowknight's eyes glowed brighter as his power soared again. (2000 ATK – 3000 ATK)

"Great, this again…" Jaden groaned.

"I now summon the Infernalqueen Archfiend (900/1500) in attack mode." Yet another archfiend appeared on the field, this one more female in form wearing a tattered purple cloak and robe under red shoulder armour. "Prepare for the end. I now activate the spell, Falling Down. When there is an Archfiend monster on my field, I can take control of one of your monsters. Your Wingman is now mine."

"Oh no you don't, I activate my face down, De-Fusion! And if I have to explain what it does, you're in the wrong line of work." Jaden's Flame Wingman briefly glowed gold before splitting into two monsters; a green uniformed man with large white-feathered wings, Elemental Hero Avian (1000/1000), and a woman in a skin-tight red leather outfit with long dark hair, Elemental Hero Burstinatrix (1200/800). Both were summoned in defence mode and came to rest next to Jaden's other set monster.

Despite the fact he had wasted a spell, Titan did not seem frustrated and instead continued with cold indifference. "Battle. Shadowknight, attack his set monster." His knight flew into the air, bringing down its bladed appendage on the set monster, briefly revealing it to be a robotic dog.

"Thanks, the monster you destroyed was Wroughtweiler (800/1200). When he rolls over, I fetch a Polymerization and another Elemental Hero back from the grave. So, I'm getting back Sparkman."

"It matters not. Now my Infernal Queen, attack his Burstinatrix." The fiendish queen charged forward, swiping at the flame hero and destroying her. However, Jaden merely grinned.

"You just activated my second face down. Hero Signal!" The card flipped up and a light shone out into the dark skies, projecting the letter 'H' in dramatic fashion. "You see, now I get to call out another hero from my deck, as long as it's level four or below. And I choose the good ol' Elemental Hero Clayman (800/2000) in defence mode." A thick monster in bulky clay armour emerged next to Avian. It dropped to one knee and held its arms crossed across his chest.

Again, Titan barely reacted as he took the last card in his hand and set it in his spell and trap card zone. "I shall end my turn with this."

"Draw! Ha, I think it's time for a change of scenery," Jaden said with a smirk.

Turn 6: Jaden – 2000LP – 3 cards in hand – 2 cards on the field

"I activate the effect of Elemental Hero Captain Gold from my hand!" Behind Jaden appeared a hero in a solid gold suit with a long, flowing red cape. He hovered with his arms crossed. "Just like your Archfiend General, by discarding him, I get to add a certain field spell from my deck." The selected card popped out of his deck and Jaden wasted no time in taking it. Captain gold faded away; his job done. "Now for that change. I play the field spell, Skyscraper!"

Jaden slapped the card into his duel disk and instantly, the bone structures of Pandemonium shattered since two field spells couldn't exist at the same time. In their place, gigantic buildings rose out of the shadows, completely encompassing the two duellists. However, when looking up, you could still see the shadowy surroundings of the void the two had been thrust into. But, by all intents and purposes, the two were now waging battle in the middle of a city.

"Without your spell, you're going to have to start paying life points again to keep your archfiends around," Jaden said with a smirk. "Not to mention your queen won't be able to power them up." Despite having lost such a vital part of his strategy, Titan seemed undisturbed. He merely kept staring straight ahead, his eyes still glowing. "You really put yourself into your work. Well, maybe this will get a reaction out of you. I summon Elemental Hero Sparkman (1600/1400) in attack mode!"

The next hero to arrive was a man decked out in a blue bodysuit with a golden chest plate and shoulder armour. Orange orbs were scattered around his body and he wore a helmet with a tinted visor so that no one could see his face.

"He is too weak to help you," Titan said, his tone still robotic.

"Not with Skyscraper! You see, when a hero attacks a monster with higher attack points, they gain a thousand points!" Sparkman jumped into the air, electricity crackling around his body as he charged up to strike (1600-2600 ATK). "Sparkman, take out that knight!"

"I think not. I activate the trap, Negate Attack!" A barrier immediately came up between the Elemental Hero and the archfiend, protecting it from harm. Jaden growled; his battle phase was forced to end. He still had Polymerization. He could use it now to summon Thunder Giant, but he'd lose a good defensive monster in the process. It would be better to save it for now. "I end my turn."

As Titan went to draw his next card, the glow of his eyes brightened. A dark aura began to surround his cards. "You have done well to come this far, but it is time you face a horror beyond pitiful understanding." He took his next card and Jaden suddenly felt an incredible pressure reverberate around the area. Winged Kuriboh let out a scared coo as it flew back, putting a little more distance between itself and Titan's field.

Turn 7: Titan – 1900 LP – 1 card in hand – 2 monsters on the field

"Before you go," Jaden interrupted, "you've got a price to pay for your archfiends!"

Titan's archfiends began to glow, and a black miasma left Titan's mouth as his life points fell. 900 for his Knight, and 500 for his queen (Titan: 500LP). "It matters not, for the end has come. I tribute both of my monsters to summon my strongest beast. Archfiend Emperor, the First Lord of Horror (3000/2000)!"

Titan's archfiends disappeared and, in their place, rose a titanic fiend that stood taller than the holographic buildings of Skyscraper. It possessed grey and decaying carapace armour, red orbs adorning its knees and left side of its chest. In its grasp was a giant broadsword with chipped blood-red paint.

"That's got to be the biggest monster I've ever seen!" Jaden cried, feeling a nervous bead of sweat run down the back of his neck.

A small smile crept its way onto Titan's face as he thrust his hand forward. "Emperor, attack the Elemental Hero Sparkman!" At his command, the lord of archfiends rose its weapon high above its head before bringing it down on not only Sparkman, but some of the buildings of Skyscraper as well, bringing them crashing down in a fit of rubble and dust that briefly obscured everything from view.

Not that Jaden cared at that moment, for he was being overtaken by pain. It was deep and sharp like someone had plunged a dagger into his chest. "Ahh!" he screamed, falling to his knees, his arms wrapped around his body (Jaden: 600LP). He felt Winged Kuriboh at his side, nuzzling him worriedly. "I… I felt that…"

The connections formed in his mind as he looked up, past Skyscraper's skyline towards the purple clouds that plagued the area. "This really is the Shadow Realm. This is a shadow game." He turned to Winged Kuriboh, who was still gazing at him with big eyes. "So, you're…?"

"Have you finally realised, mortal?"

Titan's voice snapped Jaden back to him. The man's red eyes no longer seemed so fake. And the creatures that surrounded them, they really were ready to devour the one who lost this duel.

"This is real…"

"Yes. Now, let us continue the game. I activate the Emperor's effect. By removing Terrorking Archfiend from the grave, I can destroy one card on your field. And I shall destroy your Clayman!"

Once more, the archfiend rose his sword before plunging it deep into the ground, sending out a shock wave that demolished Clayman, his armour not able to protect him from the effect. Jaden was almost knocked off his feet from the destruction. Now all he had left was Avian.

"Feel the pain of defeat, mortal," Titan, or whatever was possessing him, said. "I shall end my turn with that. But next turn, your soul shall be fed to the shadows."

---

"Can you stand on your own?" Logan asked Ren as he helped steady him.

"Just about…" the teen wheezed. He looked like shit. Parts of his uniform were gone, and he had burns that littered his body. He looked tired too, his eyes rapidly blinking unfocusedly. Logan's fatigue was beginning to catch up with him too. His body felt heavy, unable to move properly. The Shadow Realm was taking everything they both had.

If Ren really had reincarnated here, like him, he had so many questions he wanted to ask. Why hadn't he revealed himself before? What was he doing here? The things they could do if they worked together. They could solve all the issues of the original plot and bring about a better future. But first, they had to overcome this obstacle.

He didn't know why Nightshroud was suddenly a woman but there was no way he was going to be stopped by an aberration. He would become the hero this world deserved. He hungered for it. He would have it.

After making sure Ren wouldn't fall over, he returned to his side of the field, doing his best to seem imposing. Nightshroud, who had silently been watching them with interest up to this point, stood unopposed with five monsters on her side and one face down, which would undoubtedly be another means to eviscerate their monsters. Not to mention that with the effects of the shadow realm affecting them, they had little time to do so.

"So? What will you do user of light?" Nightshroud asked, her arms once again folded as her Diablos towered over her.

"Let's find out!" Logan cried as he ripped his next card from the top of his deck.

Turn 5: Logan – 4000LP – 3 cards in hand – 1 monster and 1 face down on the field

"I'll start with Pot of Greed and draw two cards!" As he looked at the cards, he felt a wave of relief wash over him and a large grin grow across his features. "I now activate Mystical Space Typhoon! Say goodbye to your field spell!"

A blue hurricane tore its way through the surroundings, the deep shadows that had been plaguing them fading as the background changed back to the normal purple mist of the shadow realm. Logan took great pleasure in seeing Nightshroud's displeased grimace. Without her field spell, all monsters went back to their normal attribute and Nightshroud could no longer sacrifice their monsters for her card effects.

"I'll follow that by activating the continuous spell, Lightsworn Sanctuary!"

"You play what?" Ren cried in shock from beside him.

Behind Logan rose an altar with a canopy that hung a banner. Sunlight shone down on it, making it shine and causing Nightshroud's monsters to shiver uncomfortably.

"That card shouldn't exist in this time period!" Ren cried out, surprisingly angry as he glared at Logan.

"So, it has Minerva and Michael on it. What of it? It's not a big deal," Logan said with a shrug.

"But Michael is… Do you have…?" It was clear what he wanted to ask.

"No. For some reason, card designers in this world can't comprehend Tuners and Synchros, but if they happen to be on a spell card, they have no problem." It didn't make sense to him, but he was more than grateful to have the card.

"That doesn't make sense," Ren growled, echoing Logan's thoughts.

"Tell me about it. You have no idea how annoyed I was when I couldn't get Michael. Now, as for what this card does," he continued, addressing Nightshroud. "Once per turn, I can swap a Lightsworn Monster from my hand with one in the grave. So, I'll send the Garoth in my hand to the grave and replace him with my Celestia!"

The altar began to shine as the visage of a muscular man with blue hair walked up to the altar. He disappeared in particles of light, leaving behind a singular glowing card that flew to Logan's hand.

"I now tribute Wulf to summon the card I brought back. Descend, Celestia, Lightsworn Angel (2300/200)!" The shadows briefly parted as the angelic monster came down from the heavens, her graceful visage a welcome sight from the horrors they'd experienced thus far. "Since I summoned this angel using a Lightsworn monster, I can now send the top four cards of my deck to the grave so that I can destroy two cards on your field!"

"What?" Nightshroud gasped, taking a step back.

"Destroy her dragon and facedown Celestia!" Logan cried as he sent the required cards to the grave. He raised his hand towards the heavens as Lumina's tied up hair came undone, her powers channelling into her staff.

"That was a clever move, but I won't allow you to go unscathed! I activate my face down, Card Crush Virus! I tribute one of my Torment Tokens and you take no damage until the end of the next turn, but in exchange, all monsters on the field and in your hands with over 1500 attack points are destroyed!"

The virus tore apart her token before moving over to their side of the field, taking out Ren's Red-Eyes and a card in his hand as well as Celestia, decaying them all. But not before Celestia fired off her attack, wiping out Diablos in a massive explosion that caused a massive shockwave that whipped back both the boys' hair. Despite the small victory, they were both now defenceless.

"My virus has another effect. You can now both choose to send up to three cards with 1500 attack points from your deck to the grave," Nightshroud explained.

Logan made no move to do so. He had enough Lightsworns in the grave to call Judgment Dragon when he managed to draw one. Ren on the other hand immediately retrieved three cards from his deck and deposited them in his grave. Logan noticed they were both Luster Dragon 1 and 2 as well as his Buster Blader. Why was he sending such powerful monsters to the grave? Wouldn't they be more useful to draw?

The only card left in Logan's hand was Lightsworn Sabre. With no other card to play, he was forced to end his turn. Thankfully, the effects of Deck Devastation Virus would now wear off in two turns. Hopefully, neither he nor Ren would draw a monster with 1500 or fewer points.

Nightshroud chuckled as she drew her next card, a very clear dark aura beginning to gather around her body. "This is the beginning of the end, boys. Prepare to face a monster like no other!"

Turn 6: Nightshroud – 4000LP – 2 cards in hand – 3 monsters on the field

"I'll begin by activating Ahrima's effect one more. I tribute my remaining token to draw a card." As she drew, the world once again began to shake as Diablos burst out of the ground. "Oh, and since a monster was tributed, my dragon revives itself," she added as if her 3000 attack point monster were a mere triviality. "And now, I normal summon Lilith, Lady of Lament (2000/0)!"

Nightshroud's new monster was a small succubus wearing black armour. Two curved horns grew backwards from her head, parting the scarlet hair she possessed. She had heterochromia, one eye was black with a red iris whereas the other was white with a green iris. If she didn't have a tail, she would have bared a scary resemblance to Yubel. Oh, how Logan was looking forward to taking down that demon.

"When I normal summon Lilith, her attack points become 1000 (2000-1000 ATK). She has another effect too but that is inconsequential. For I am now going to use all four of my monsters to summon my true ace!"

"Four monsters?" Logan cried, feeling a horrible chill as Ahrima, Lilith, Grepher and Diablos all dissolved, forming a large, horrible and foul-smelling puddle of purple goo.

"Rise! Legendary Maju Garzett (0/0)!" The Shadow Realm once again began to shake as a new behemoth rose from the ooze. It was a horrible, decaying creature with four arms and giant feathered wings. It was three times as large as Nightshroud's Diablos, easily towering over everything. "Now while this monster may start weak, it's attack points become the original total of every monster used for its sacrifice. That's 8400!" Nightshroud's beast let out a ferocious roar as its power soared, eclipsing the life points of remaining life points of both Logan and Ren put together. (0 – 8400 ATK)

As Logan stood in shock horror, Nightshroud began to cackle once more. "Oh, yes, such emotion. It is only when I'm like this that I can enjoy the fear you mortals produce. To make matters worse, this monster inflicts piercing damage. I may not do any damage now, but no matter what you do, next turn, one of you will fall and join me in the realm of darkness! Then I shall learn why you two feel different. I set one card face down and end my turn. It's your move, dragon user."

Logan cast a look over to Ren. The guy looked like he was about to fall, but somehow, he remained standing. "Hey, you better do something big here. Or we're screwed."

Ren smiled half-heartedly. "I know."

"Seriously, you only have one card in your hand."

"It's not ideal," he replied deliriously. "So, cross your fingers." He drew his next card.

Turn 7: Ren – 2700 LP – 2 cards in hand – 0 cards on the field

Ren smirked as he looked at his next card. "Heh, this is bullshit but I guess I should be grateful. I activate the spell, Card of Demise. I draw until I have five cards, but in five turns, I discard my hand." Logan watched closely as Ren drew his next cards. This could decide the game. None of his cards were destroyed so he hadn't drawn a monster with less than 1500.

"I summon Blizzard Dragon (1800/1000) in attack mode," Ren called as a thin, blue wyvern rose on his field. Ice surrounded it and the temperature fell even further. "I use my dragon's effect," Ren continued. "I can target your monster and freeze it in place until the end of your next move!"

In the face of a creature that utterly dwarfed it, Blizzard Dragon flew high into the air and unleashed an icy beam from its maw, striking Nightshroud's horror head-on, encasing it in ice. Nightshroud showed no emotion as the dragon returned to Ren's field. It was spooky, especially given how vocal she had been about her Maju Garzett destroying them.

"I'll end there with three face downs," Ren said. The countdown on Deck Devastation Virus fell to one. After Logan's next move, they would be able to call their weaker monsters again, not that they'd be useful.

"You seem to have tremendous luck," Nightshroud said to Ren, her voice a little icy.

"Not luck," Ren replied. "I just have a lot of cards that allow me to manipulate my deck."

"Hmm… How resourceful. But its my move now."

Turn 8: Nightshroud – 4000LP – 1 card in hand – 1 monster and 1 facedown on the field.

"Heh, I shall also activate my own Pot of Greed," she said drawing two cards. That card was getting old. Logan could see why it would remain on the ban list once it got stuck on there. "Now, since there are exactly five dark attribute monsters in my grave, I can call upon this, Umbramirage the Elemental Lord (2800/2200)." The new monster looked strange. It had an ovoid body with several blade-like appendages floating under it. A helmet rested on top of the body, a red visor glowing ominously.

"When this creature is summoned, I can add a monster with 1500 or less attack points to my hand from the deck. I shall add Prometheus, King of Shadows (1200/800), who I shall immediately normal summon." Another monster rose. It was a red-cloaked wraith wearing a golden chest plate. While its arms could be seen, the rest of its body was obscured in shadow. It reminded Logan of the comic character, Spawn in a way. "When this monster is normal summoned, I can banish any number of dark type monsters from the grave and boost its power by 400 for each until the end of the turn. I remove my Infernal Dragon, Grepher, Lilith and Ahrima!" Prometheus began to glow as its power rose. (1200-2800 ATK)

"Battle! Prometheus, destroy that dragon!" Nightshroud cried as her shrouded monster charged forward.

"You activated my trap!" Ren replied with a smirk. "Magic Cylinder not only negates your attack but sends your monsters attack points right back at you as damage!"

"Is that so?"

"What?" Ren froze as Nightshroud activated her face down card, Dark Bribe.

"Your trap is negated, but you get to draw a card. Either way, my attack goes through."

Growling, Ren drew his card, but it instantly began to decay, getting sent to the graveyard. It had been Lancer Dragonute. Since it had 1500 ATK, Deck Devastation Virus immediately destroyed it.

Prometheus easily went through Ren's trap and took a swipe at Blizzard Dragon, decapitating the beast. (Ren: 1700LP) The dragon user fell to the ground clutching his chest, biting his lower lip as he struggled not to cry out in pain.

"This is the end for you! Umbramirage! Finish off the dragon user!" The strange monster floated forward, a dark aura emanating from its frame. Ren gazed upon with wide eyes, his body beginning to shake.

For a moment, Logan wondered what would happen with Ren were to fall here. What horrors would await him? But then a memory ran through his head. One of pain. Pain that he would never wish another to face, no matter who they were. His body moved on its own.

"I activate Necro Gardna's effect from the grave!" he called, grateful that the monster had been sent there early from his Lightsworns' effects. "By removing it from the game, I can negate this attack!"

A warrior in red armour briefly flashed in front of the elemental lord, stopping its advance. As it returned to its side of the field, Ren glanced at Logan in shock. "You saved me…" he said dumbly.

"Don't look too much into it. I just can't have you dying until we talk things through."

Ren continued to stare at him dumbly before nodding his head and returning his focus to the duel. Despite having lost the opportunity to attack, Nightshroud still had a creepy grin on her face.

"Why are you so happy?" Logan demanded.

"You may have survived another round, but you have both used up more precious recourses. And the more you struggle, the more I learn. You two are very interesting. The duel energy you both give off is unlike anything this world has to offer. I long to see just what you will do when cornered. I set one card face down and end my turn. I believe that means Maju Garzett is now free." There was a loud crack and her monster burst out of its icy prison with a loud roar. At the same time, Prometheus's attack returned to normal. (2800-1200 ATK)

This was it. This move would decide the duel for Logan. After all this time, he would do what he came to this island to do. He would prove that he had what it took to stand alongside the heroes of his childhood. The chance to prove that his love of a simple game did not make him useless.

Turn 9 – Logan – 4000LP – Two cards in hand – 1 face down on the field

Logan drew his next card, and a giant smile broke out across his face. The card practically glowed as he raised it into the air. "I activate the spell, Monster Reincarnation! I discard a card to return a monster from the grave to my hand." Blinding light began to emanate from his graveyard as he collected his chosen card. "I now call upon my ultimate creature! Come, Judgment Dragon (3000/2600)!"

Four pillars of light rose into the sky, all eventually merging into one singular beam. Two feathered wings emerged from the pillar and with a single flap, blew away the light. From it emerged the grey feathered dragon. Nightshroud's monsters trembled in the sheer presence of his dragon. Even Nightshroud herself seemed uneasy in the face of it.

"This is the strength of my resolve!" Logan cried, his dragon roaring above him in recognition. With Judgment Dragon, I'll end this game and get us home!"

As light seemed to emanate from Judgment Dragon, it washed over their game. And, unbeknownst to the participants, Alexis began to stir.

---

Jaden felt so tired. When Titan's Archfiend Emperor had attacked, the very assault had robbed him of all the energy he had left. The shadow creatures, as that must have been what they were, began to stir around him. His weakened state an invitation to try and take him. Kuriboh furiously began flying around him, warding of the creatures but they remained close.

Titan was waiting patiently, his red glowing eyes locked on the hero user. Groaning, Jaden pushed himself back to his feet, feeling like lead weights had been attached to his arms. Kuriboh gave him a concerned call, but Jaden shook his head.

"I'm alright…" he said wearily. "I can keep going."

"Can you?" Titan suddenly asked. "Why struggle like this? You have no chance of winning. Would it not be easier to merely give in?"

"Forget it!" Jaden cried defiantly. "I never give up when it comes to duelling."

"Oh? And what about when it comes to human life?"

Jaden paused. "What?"

"If you win, this vessel will be cast into the shadows for all eternity, such is the fate of those who lose a Shadow Game. Can you willingly win this game knowing that you will be condemning the life of another? While this human may have originally meant you harm, he too is an unwilling participant in this game."

"If I win… he will…" It hadn't occurred to him until that moment, but if he won, Titan would effectively die, trapped in a realm of darkness forever. Undoubtedly the man probably deserved it, but could he really condemn a man like that.

"What will you do, mortal?" the thing controlling Titan pushed.

"I… I…"

Before Jaden could answer, there was a loud and yet familiar roar. Jaden's head snapped to the right where a bright line shone through the shadows. The outline of a large dragon could be seen through the miasma. "That's Judgment Dragon," Jaden gasped. Was Logan fighting too? He could see the silhouettes of three other people. Ren and Alexis must have been caught too; they had been so close to the duel when they were transported. His friends were in danger. He had no other choice.

"It's my turn," he cried with new resolve, silently apologising for the act he was about to perform.

Turn 8: Jaden – 600 LP – 2 cards in hand – 1 monster and 1 field spell in play

"I activate the spell card, Pot of Avarice! I return five monsters from the grave to my deck and draw two cards." All the monsters Jaden had lost so far returned and he shuffled them into his deck before drawing two more cards. The first was Monster Reborn. It was useless now that he'd emptied his graveyard and none of Titan's monsters would be able to help him. But the other…

"I activate the spell, Reinforcements of the Army. With it, I can add a level four or lower warrior from my deck to my hand, and I choose my Elemental Hero Bubbleman."

"A pathetic card. It will not help you," Titan growled.

"Maybe not on his own," Jaden admitted. "But with Avian, now that's another story. I play Polymerization! I fuse Avian and Bubbleman together to create a new hero. I summon Elemental Hero Mariner (1400/1000)!"

Jaden's new hero bore some resemblance to the hero Aquaman, possessing fins on the back of his legs and having an overall aquatic theme. Two large anchors attached to chains were wrapped around his arms and he had a long mane of wild dark hair. Two long scarves, one red, one white, were wrapped around his neck in a fashion similar to a cape.

"He is too weak to defeat my emperor," Titan growled.

"True, but who says I'm going after him? I set one card so that I can use Mariner's effect! When there's a face-down card in my spell or trap zone, this guy can attack you directly!"

"Nani?" Titan gasped.

"Go, Mariner! Attack him and end this!" Jaden cried as his hero leapt into the air. He threw out his right arm, sending one of his anchors flying towards the duel mercenary. It struck point blank, knocking the man to the ground. (Titan: 0LP, Jaden wins)

As the monsters faded from existence, Titan's eyes stopped glowing. However, he had no time to enjoy having control back as the shadow creatures quickly began to swarm him, attacking at all angles and dragging him into the miasma.

"No! Please, stop!" he cried out desperately. "Help me! Oh, dear God, help me! Master Marik! Please!"

Jaden watched all this feeling sick. He wanted to help Titan, he really did but his body refused to move. It was like an outside force was keeping him from getting closer. As Titan finally disappeared, the hero duelist found himself alone in the shadows.

"Kuri?"

Well, almost alone. Winged Kuriboh was at his side, giving him an apologetic look. "I'm okay, Kuriboh. I had to do it." He was saying it more to convince himself than he was the small monster. "Logan and Ren are close by, right? Can you guide me to them?"

The monster nodded before flying off in the direction that they had seen the light. Jaden quickly ran after the spirit, trying his best to forget what he had done.

---

I looked upon the splendour of Logan's dragon as it stood at our side. For once, I was glad to see it. In this situation, it was a literal godsend. Logan had truly surprised me this duel. Unlike his normal pompous attitude, he had been far more cooperative in this duel. In fact, if not for him, I would have lost twice over by now. My deck was designed to fight school children. We were definitely going to be having an awkward conversation after this but for now, it was good to have him as an ally.

"I activate my dragon's effect!" Logan cried. "I pay 1000 points to destroy every other card on the field!" (Logan: 3000LP)

Judgment Dragon rose higher into the air, rearing back its head in preparation. Despite my exhaustion, a wide grin broke out across my face. With Nightshroud's monsters gone, we stood a real chance at winning this.

That hope was dashed when Nightshroud broke out into another fit of laughter. "Wonderful!" she cried. "You're truly giving it your all! I am impressed. However, I cannot allow this to end just yet. I chain your monster's effect with my trap, Dark Sacrifice!"

"You chain what?" Logan gasped in utter confusion.

"Your dragon's effect is negated, and then I must send a level three or lower dark attribute monster from my deck to the grave!"

Logan and I looked up in shock as a dark aura surrounded Judgment Dragon, electrifying it and making it cry out in agony, its effect now useless. Logan's face grew red as a look of utter rage overtook him. "I can still attack!" he cried. "Destroy Prometheus!"

Despite the pain it was in, Judgment Dragon unleashed a barrage of light energy that overtook Nightshroud's weakest monster. Nightshroud held up her arms in defence from the attack. I waited in anticipation to see the effect the attack would have on the host, but when it ceased, she stood nearly unfazed. Her coat had trails of smoke rising from it, but she was otherwise unharmed. She was frowning. (Nightshroud: 2200LP)

"Hmm… your strategies are good, but you lack the power behind them."

"I have plenty of power!" Logan suddenly snapped. Nightshroud merely smiled, seemingly happy she had gotten a rise out of him.

"But you have hunger. That's good. As for you," she turned to me, the blue gems of her mask piercing. "You have thus far proven unremarkable. You have yet to do anything that has had a lasting effect. I thought I sensed power from you. Maybe I was wrong." I remained silent, not daring to reply. "The silent type? A pity. I hoped we could get to know each other better." She turned back to Logan. "Are you done?"

The Lightsworn user growled as he lowered his duel disk. "I end my turn." Since his dragon's effect was still negated, no cards were sent to the grave. Thankfully though, the effects of Deck Devastation Virus had finally come to an end.

"Err… what's going on?"

Logan and I froze as we heard the dazed sound of Alexis. We turned to see the girl slowly getting up. As her eyes focused, she let out a gasp and involuntary shiver when she saw the endless void she had found herself in. "Where am I? What happened to the abandoned dorm?" She turned towards us, and her eyes went wide. "Logan? And Ren? What are you doing here? What happened to your uniform? And who is that?"

"Alexis, stay back," Logan warned.

"Why?"

"We've been dragged into a shadow game," I said, turning to see what Nightshroud's reaction was. She seemed amused by this development, waiting patiently to make her move. "If we lose against this woman, she says we'll lose our lives."

Alexis's body grew rigid. "Lose your life? Why did you go through with this?" Her questions were starting to get annoying. I knew she must be more than a little disorientated, but I didn't have the mental energy to deal with her questions and focus on the duel. It was taking everything I had just to stay upright. My entire body ached, and I just wanted to get this day to be over. I'll admit, as I suspected Nightshroud's host had dated Atticus at some point, I wanted to know if Alexis knew her, but that could come in time. The important thing right now was survival.

"The reasons don't matter," I called back. "We're here now and that's what matters. Now I'm sorry to be rude but keep back. We have enough to worry about without you winding up in the crosshairs. This is a war for survival."

Her face turned red and it looked like she wanted to say something, but Nightshroud was quick to interrupt her. "Well said. Now, if your little discussion is over, I will take my turn," she said, drawing her card.

Turn 10: Nightshroud – 2200LP – 1 cards in hand – 2 monsters on the field

"To start, I shall activate the equip spell, Twin Swords of Flashing Light – Tryce and equip it to Legendary Maju Garzett. Sure, he loses 500 attack points, but he now gains the ability to attack twice each battle phase!" Her giant let out a roar, gaining an unusual shining aura that really didn't fit with its horrifying image. (8400-7900 ATK).

"It's so powerful," I heard Alexis gasp. Great, now we had a commentator.

"Now, who should I finish off first," Nightshroud asked playfully, tapping her finger against the side of her mask. It seemed the closer we got to defeat, the more emotion she was showing. It made me shiver. "The Lightsworn user seems to be the biggest threat. You shall be the first to face my monsters' might! Maju Garzett, attack his Judgment Dragon and end him!" Her giant reared back its four large arms and began to bring them down upon Logan's dragon.

"I activate my trap!" I called out. "Damage Diet! All the damage we take is cut in half!"

Judgment dragon was crushed underneath the giant's fists, but Logan had managed to survive to assault, if only barely. The shockwave from the assault had sent him flying back and skidding across the ground. (Logan LP: 550 LP) He was covered in a few scrapes and bruises but he hadn't suffered from anything too life-threatening. Still, he cried out in agony, clutching his chest as he took real damage from the assault.

"Logan!" Alexis cried. She went to run towards him when Nightshroud called out. "Don't move, girl! My Maju Garzett can attack again, and I'm sure these gentlemen wouldn't want you to be crushed as well." As she spoke, her monster once again reared back its fists.

"I… I activate my face down," Logan groaned, slightly sitting up from his position on the floor. "Counter Gate! It negates your direct attack and then I draw a card. If it's a monster, I get to summon it in attack mode." Maju Garzett's attack stopped as Logan drew his card. A tired grin crossed his features. "I summon Jain, Lightsworn Paladin 1800/1200)." A second copy of the knight in his graveyard appeared on the field, their sword raised ready to fight.

"Hmph… Very well, then I shall finish the other one. Umbramirage, attack the dragon user directly!" Her second monster began to float towards me, but this time, I was ready.

"I activate my final trap, Call of the Haunted! Revive, Buster Blader (2600/2300)!" My ace monster burst from the shadows, raising his sword defensively in front of me. "And in case you have any ideas about attacking him, he gains 500 points for the Diablos in your grave." The gems on my blader's sword began to glow as it integrated Diablos's power into its own. (2600-3100 ATK)

Once again, Nightshroud let out a growl. "Fine, but since you summoned a new monster, I can change my attack target. Go, destroy Jain!"

Her Umbramirage changed direction, firing out a blast of energy from its visor that struck through the Paladin and carried on until it hit Logan's duel disk. Again, he was thrown back, bouncing along the ground where he went still (Logan: 50 LP). A thick, black miasma covered his body and duel disk before fading.

Alexis ran over to him and checked his pulse before letting out a sigh of relief. "He's alive, just unconscious," she called back to me with a semi relieved smile.

"Good," I said, letting out the breath I didn't know I'd been holding. I wasn't happy with the Lightsworn user, but I certainly didn't want him dead.

Nightshroud turned her head to me, a cruel smirk on her face. "And then there was one. Your friend seems unable to continue. Shame, the pain must have been too much for him to bear."

"Hey! I wouldn't mock him if I were you!" I cried out, my anger flaring. "You seemed to be struggling against him, even if he is an idiot for getting us into this mess."

"Oh, you defend him? Well, it is as you said. He has put up the most fight this duel. What hope do you have now that he cannot defend you?"

I remained silent, looking at my deck in contemplation. In truth, I did have a strategy, but I was one card short. All the other pieces were in place. Just one more. I reached for my card, but my vision grew blurry. I could barely see and my balance was far too much on the right.

The shadows had taken their toll on me and finally, I had nothing left to give. I began to fall, my eyes closing as I grew ready to accept death. Maybe I'd reincarnate into the 5D's timeline. That'd be cool. I'd love a duel runner. Just before I hit the ground, someone caught me, hoisting me up by the shoulder. The contact made my eyes shoot open.

Alexis was holding me up, using her body to support me as she picked up my hand and used her free arm to support my duel disk. We were uncomfortably close with her body pressed up against my chest. She was a little taller than me, so it made it awkward as I essentially had her hair in my face. Huh, it smelt of lemon and coconut. Wait, not the time!

"W-What are you doing?" I groaned.

"I'm not just some cheerleader who's going to stand on the sidelines," she said, her words calm and yet as cool as ice. "I'm not about to watch as you fall here. I'm a duelist too. Let me help you."

I looked at her with my mouth agape. I wanted to tell her she was being stupid, to getaway. But that would have only strengthened her resolve. If I had learned anything since coming to this academy, it was that the people in this universe weren't just characters in a show or game. They were alive, with all the free will and emotion that came with it. I often forgot how much willpower Alexis was presented to have. She must be feeling the effects of the shadow realm too and yet she was still ready and willing to help.

"Fine, I appreciate it," I said with a small smile. She gave a nod, lifting me up a little higher. Nightshroud watched us with something akin to amusement but said nothing. If she wasn't bothered by the interruption, I wasn't going to complain.

"Good. Now… do you have a plan to take down that behemoth?" she asked, looking up at the Legendary Maju Garzett as it flexed its many muscles.

"So glad you asked. We just need one more card."

"One? What are the chances you'll get it?"

"Fairly good. I've lost half my deck already," I said with a small laugh.

"You're worse than Jaden."

"I'll take that as a compliment. Now let's draw."

The girl nodded, and despite the situation we were in, I swear I saw the glimmer of a smile on her face.

Alexis/Ren: 1700LP – 2 cards in hand – 1 monster and 1 trap on the field

The card we drew was not the one we wanted, but it did make me laugh. "What's so funny?" Alexis asked.

"Nothing, this game really is just bullshit, that's all," I said a little deliriously. "Let's go."

"Alright… We activate Pot of Greed!" Alexis said, activating the third one of the bloody game and drawing two cards from my duel disk. This time, we got what I wanted, plus something extra."

"Activate that spell first," I whispered. She nodded before playing the card on the disk.

"We activate Future Fusion," she said, taking the liberty of readying the card. "We show you a fusion monster, and then send materials from the deck to the grave, and in two turns we get to summon it."

"You don't have two turns," Nightshroud jested.

We chose to ignore her. I was fairly interested to see that Alexis wasn't responding to Nightshroud's voice at all. I had expected her to have recognised the girl by now and maybe say a name. No such luck.

Alexis paused momentarily as she took out my extra deck from the compartment in the duel disk. "Which one?"

"The one at the end." She quickly thumbed through the cards, her gaze lingering on one in disbelief. Before she could say anything, I quickly stopped her. "The end one," I reiterated.

"Right, but we're going to talk about where you got these cards later," she said.

Ha, no we weren't.

"We'll show you Five-Headed Dragon," Alexis finally said, presenting the card to our opponent. This was the card I had bought on my first trip to the card shop. A pain in the arse to summon but it had its uses.

"We send two Masked Dragon, my second Luster Dragon, Assault Wyvern and Divine Dragon Ragnarok to the grave." This would never have worked in my time. Future Fusion was hit with a pretty big errata that had made it so you had to wait longer to send the material to the grave. But right now, it was extremely useful.

With those dragons in the grave, a smile broke out across my face. "All the pieces are in place. We activate Polymerization!" I called out as the King of the Swamp we had drawn appeared on the field beside Buster Blader.

"What?" Nightshroud gasped, her smug demeanour finally breaking. "You can't possibly have that!"

"Oh, but I do," I chimed, silently thanking my father. "We fuse Buster Blader with King of the Swamp to create my ultimate monster. Come forth, Dark Paladin (2900/2400)!"

King of the Swamp's appearance changed, briefly turning into the legendary Dark Magician owned by Yugi Muto before disappearing into a swirling portal alongside Buster Blader. From it emerged a spellcaster who bore great resemblance to the King of Games' ace. While it had the body of Dark Magician, its body was toned black and gold, similar to the armour of Buster Blader. As it took the field, it spun a long sceptre around its body that was tipped with a large blade.

This was the final card my father had given me on the morning of the exam. I don't know what he'd done to have his friend give him it, but boy was I grateful. I just wished I didn't have to summon it in front of Alexis. I had been keeping it in reserve in case of emergencies I couldn't avoid.

Well… I suppose this counted.

Nightshroud stared at my new monster, taking a few steps back. "To have found that card…" she whispered.

"Dark Paladin's effect activates," Alexis quickly said, stealing my thunder. "He gains 500 attack points for every dragon on the field and in every graveyard.

"Thanks for activating all those viruses. It made them a lot easier to gather," I said as Dark Paladin rose his staff into the air. The gemstones on the blade began to glow as the ethereal images of every dragon in our graves appeared.

From my grave, there were three Masked Dragons, two Luster Dragons, Luster Dragon 2, Red-Eyes, Lancer Lindwurm, Hunter Dragon, Lancer Dragonute, Assault Wyvern, Blizzard Dragon and Divine Dragon Ragnarok. From Logan's, there was Judgment Dragon and Gragonith. And finally, Nightshroud's own Darkest Diablos emerged.

"That's sixteen dragons," I said. "All combined together, that's a whopping total of 8000 extra attack points!"

The images of the dragons turned into trails of energy, all flowing directly into my paladin's sceptre. There was so much power, that he was overcome with a blinding golden aura in the shape of a western-style dragon. (2900-10900ATK)

"It's over 10,000!" Nightshroud cried in shock.

"Let's end this," I said to the Obelisk Queen. She nodded in agreement.

"Dark Paladin, attack!" Alexis and I called out together

The dragon-slaying magician spun its weapon around its body dramatically, each movement carving a magic circle into the air itself. Once it was finished, it thrust out its staff, the aura it had collected channelling through its spell and firing out as a titanic beam that encompassed Legendary Maju Garzett and its master. Alexis and I watched with cold disposition as the beast burned away, unable to overpower the attack.

(Nightshroud: 0 LP, Ren, Alexis and Logan win)

As the remaining monsters faded and the smoke cleared, Nightshroud was lying face down within the miasma, a small groan escaping her lips. I wanted to go and check on her there and then. I wanted to see if she was really the girl from the photo. Having lost the shadow game, I hoped that Nightshroud's essence had been purged from her. However, the moment I went to take a step forward, I collapsed, almost taking Alexis down with me.

"Woah, take it easy. You look pretty hurt," the girl said as she knelt down next to me.

"What, this? No, you should see… the other guy…" My vision was going blurry again. It was so hard to breathe. And I felt so cold. All the adrenaline from the duel was leaving me. But I couldn't allow myself to faint yet. "You should check on Logan. Make sure he's okay," I said. She gave me a worried look, but I shook my head. "I'm fine. But he got hit pretty hard. Please."

She lingered for a moment longer before letting go of me and rushing over to the Lightsworn user. Ha! If Logan knew she was looking after him, he'd probably wake up there and then. As for me, I limped over to the prone form of Nightshroud's host. Her duel disk was gone, along with all the cards she had used. Shame. Those cards could have been useful in future. As gently as I could, I turned her over to see her face.

Just as I thought, it was the girl from the picture, although I did a quick double-check just to make sure. Remarkably, the photo had survived the duel, although it was a bit crispy around the edges. She was very pretty, I could see why Atticus, the ladies' man that he was, would go for her. The only question on my mind though was whether she really was another reincarnate.

Nightshroud had said Logan and my duel energy was different from what it'd experienced. Maybe she was just an aberration of the changing timeline and was just a normal girl. I couldn't see any trace of the mask she'd been wearing. I assumed it had dissolved when she lost the duel. She showed no sign of waking, so with the little strength I had left, I hoisted her up, my arms around her waist and dragged her over to where Alexis was looking over Logan.

"What are you doing?" she asked when she saw me.

"We can't just leave her here," I replied, laying her down beside Logan.

"But she was trying to kill you!"

"I don't think so." The look she gave me could kill. She clearly didn't believe me. Thankfully, before she could argue, we heard hurried footsteps. Our heads snapped around as something emerged from out of the miasma. We instantly relaxed when we saw it was none other than everyone's favourite Slifer, Jaden. He looked a little roughed up, but on the whole, he was better off than me. I was initially startled though when I saw Winged Kuriboh was floating at his side.

"Guys! I'm glad I found you! This place seems to be constantly shifting. When I started running, you had been so close!" He sounded jovial and yet there was something in his tone that lacked his normal excitement. Well, we were effectively in hell, that would dampen anyone's spirits.

"Uh, Jaden? What have you got there?" Alexis asked, gesturing to the floating Duel Spirit by his left arm.

The hero duelist looked down at his arm, and then back to her. "A duel disk," he replied seriously. He had to be fucking with us, right? He must have known what she was referring to. Before we could say anything, Jaden's gaze turned to me. "Woah, Ren, what happened to you? And is Logan alright?" he asked, finally noticing our tarnished states.

"We can talk about it later," I dismissed. "We need to get out of here. I don't know about you two, but I think Logan and I need a hospital. Seriously, I am this close from collapsing."

"Kuri!"

Winged Kuriboh cooed and suddenly turned away from us. There was the sound of scratching and suddenly a slither of light broke apart the shadows. "Kuri!"

"He says we should go through here," Jaden translated.

"Well, I'm not going to argue with the flying fuzzball," I said. Winged Kuriboh had gotten Jaden out in canon, so I had no reason to doubt it here. "Jaden, help Alexis carry Logan. I'll get the girl."

"Oh no, you don't," Alexis suddenly cut in. "You help with Logan, I'll carry her." Why anyone would think she didn't trust me. Not wanting to argue, I helped Alexis heave up the girl before Jaden and I took either side of Logan and hauled him through the glowing crack.

This time, passing through the dimensions was a lot less painful. It almost felt like a good stretch. That is until all of us collapsed in a big heap. The landing was hard, the two girls falling on top of ME was worse. I was crushed under them. I noticed that Jaden hadn't had to put up with this. Bloody protagonist.

"What do you eat?" I groaned, struggling to get up.

"Excuse me?" My comment earned me a smack on the upside of the head. Rubbing my poor head, I looked around joyously to see that we were back in the chamber beneath the abandoned dorm.

"You're back!"

Syrus and Chumley, who apparently had been waiting anxiously for us this entire time, rushed forward and tackled their fellow Slifer in a massive bear hug.

"Guys!" Jaden cried happily as they reunited. It was actually heart-warming.

"Wait, who's that?" the younger Truesdale asked once they released each other.

"Believe me, I wish I knew," I replied, finally able to get up. Alexis was pulling the host over to the side, laying her down gently against the stone. Why did it feel like I was forgetting something?

BANG!

Oh right. The black hole…

The purple sphere that had been holding us began to crack and spark with electricity before it started to shrink, creating a sucking wind that threatened to pull us back in.

"Hold on to something!" Chumley cried as he grabbed Syrus when he was almost pulled into the air. Jaden threw his weight over Logan, holding the unconscious boy in place. For my part, I grabbed hold of Alexis and Nightshroud's host and held them close, using our combined weight to keep us from being forced back in. We all stayed like that for a few more seconds before the sphere completely disappeared. Slowly, I looked behind me.

"I… I think it's safe now…" I said.

"Good. Then can you get off me?"

I froze. Alexis was glaring at me, and I suddenly felt very self-conscious. Quickly I backed away, but the sudden movement caused a wave of vertigo. The pain I'd been inflicted in the shadow game returned in full force and I felt sick. My vision darkened. As I began to wobble, Alexis's expression changed. "Hey, are you alright? You look like you're about to-"

I didn't hear what she was about to say. I had already hit the ground.

---

When my eyes finally flickered open, I felt warm and comfortable. My vision was still a bit blurry, but it looked like I was in a white-walled room. Wait… The last thing I remembered was the pain from the game assaulting me. No… I wasn't…

I shot up, an action I immediately regretted as a sharp ache assaulted my stomach. As my vision focused, I found that I was actually in the infirmary, not… well… not where I had thought I was. Next to me was a desk with an empty chair. There was an open book on top, so I assumed the nurse or whoever was attending had stepped out.

My body felt tight. Moving the covers, I found that my entire upper body was wrapped in bandages, probably coated in something to help treat my burns. It stung to move but I guess that was just part of the healing process.

Laying back in my surprisingly comfy hospital bed, I took quick stock. If I was in the infirmary, that meant Jaden and the others had probably carried me here or got someone to help. Which meant they had revealed they'd been at the dorm. The expulsion duel against the Paradox Brothers would more than likely happen soon then. Wait, I had gone too, would I also have to duel for my place at the academy? Something to worry about later.

There were three other beds in the infirmary, two of which seemed to be occupied. Sheets had been pulled across so I could only see the outline of the others. However, if I had to guess, they were probably Logan and Nightshroud's host.

There was probably a panicked meeting going on about her right now. A student who disappeared had now re-emerged. What would this girl have to say about it? Just who was she?

My mind was distracted as I heard movement in the bed across from me. The sheet was pulled across and Logan sat back in his bed. Like me, he was wrapped in bandages, although his injuries seemed more superficial. I suspected he was in here for exhaustion more than anything else.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey."

Silence.

"So, you won," he stated.

"No. I almost died. If it weren't for Alexis, we wouldn't be here. She helped me finish the game."

"I see." He looked away again. There was an awkward air between us now. We both knew that the other didn't belong in this world. He also knew I'd known beforehand and made no effort to approach. In fact, I'd actively embarrassed him in front of his peers, harming his own goals.

And yet, we'd just worked together to fight a demon, one whose host now lay in the bed to the side of us. We'd saved each other and been allies. Now… now we had no idea what to think of each other.

"Thank you… for what you did in there," I finally said.

"And I guess I should thank you for saving me," he replied. "But really, Damage Diet? Why is that in your deck?"

"For dire situations. Why is Lightsworn Sanctuary in yours?"

"My father in this universe is a card designer. I gave him the idea for the Lightsworns. As I said before, he could understand the concept for most of the cards. But Raiden, Michael and Minerva… any monster or card that mentions synchro or XYZ he just couldn't comprehend."

"That still doesn't make sense."

"Don't look at me. Blame this universe."

Silence.

We tried hard to avoid eye contact, both of us trying to gauge the other and what we could say. I bit the bullet. Scooting to the end of my bed, I gestured for him to come closer.

"Look. We both know what we are. Time to talk."

---

Hey everyone! It's good to see you all again!

So first of all, I just want to say this chapter is the end of the 'Early Days' arc. The next arc will be called 'Clash of Ideals'. Thank you all for sticking with me so far! Also, I'm proud to say the story officially has over 200 followers now! That's amazing! Thank you to everyone who has done so! This chapter is dedicated to you all!

Now I know some of you have been concerned about what the inclusion of a third OC will mean for the story. Well, I assure you I am going to be careful with her. I know exactly how she is going to fit into the plot and what she will be doing. I will not confirm if she is another reincarnate or not. Ren thinks she might be but he has a habit of jumping to conclusions. She will be a focal point of a few chapters but don't expect her to be doing a lot for a while :)

If you're wondering why I chose Mariner to end Jaden's duel rather than Wingman, well it's because I want to try and use as many of the hero monsters as possible and Mariner didn't receive nearly much love in the anime.

So, on to messages to the guest reviewers:

West: Honestly, thank you so much for your reviews! They are amazing! You put so much time and effort into writing them that I was gobsmacked. Also, your character analysis of Logan and Ren were spot on! I don't know what you do IRL but you could have a real future as a reviewer. I am honestly really happy and when I read your last review, I really wanted to message you to say thanks. Please don't stop! I love it!

Middernacht: Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter! I haven't considered a Gishki deck yet but I'll think about it :)

To the guest who suggested adding a SI to be Ren's friend, I have considered it but I don't want to overrun the story with them. I'm being careful when I choose to put in SIs as they have the potential to make or break a story.

Malguss123: Thank you very much for your review! I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter!

Peter Kim: Thank you for your reviews! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I was careful when selecting Nightshroud's deck when possessing this host. Thank you for your continued reviews!

To the guest who pointed out the issues with what Ren and Logan remember from the series, you are right and I'm going to be more careful in future. Thank you for pointing it out, I appreciate it.

To the guest who asked why Ren went to Duel Academy in the first place when he wants to be a background character, you have no idea how long I've been waiting for someone to bring that up. Well, I suppose it's been five weeks but that is neither here nor there. You have brought up an excellent point and it will be addressed very soon.

FriendNDueler: Thank you very much for your review! Also thank you for sharing your concerns. I can assure you, there are no SIs possessing any of the old characters. I don't plan on introducing any new ocs for a very long time, but this girl is essential. I, unfortunately, can't say why but trust me I was careful when deciding to include her.

And also a massive thank you to anyone I missed or haven't replied to yet! I try to get to everyone but sometimes it is difficult.

I hope you are all well out there and that you are staying safe. I wish you all the best!

Please don't forget to fav, follow and review with your thoughts! I love to receive any and all feedback as it tells me how to improve. Thank you again and until next time!