?, ?, 1st P.O.V.
Something was nearby. I didn't know what, but I knew it was there. Wasn't a person and definitely not some building. Surrounding by an everlasting fog, my only company was the darkened silhouette of whatever was around. Didn't help much since it looked like it wanted to kill me. An unfamiliar foe lurking in an unfamiliar location; just my luck.
Nothing to defend me. No deck, no weapon, no terrain in vision except a fog. A fog that seemingly darkens to alert it of my presence. All I had were words; something I couldn't entirely trust at the moment. Though, as it came closer I had no choice. A deep breath was all I could prepare before the glowing yellow orbs pierced the fog.
"Who are you?" I asked, still very defensive against this strange serpent that continued to gaze down upon me.
Those four eyes didn't move or blink; my question either being ignored or processed by this… thing.
"Alastor." I jumped away, seeing the large creature still in the shadow, but
"...Excuse me?" I bit my lip, not sure if what I heard was true, but…
"I am called Alastor." The eyes slowly blinked. "Though I never cared for what they call me. Only she could ever hold power over me."
"...Right…" I just blinked a few times as he lowered his large head towards me; my body paralyzed.
"And while you aren't her, I am perplexed as to how you even arrived here." I gulped as it raised its head, circling around me. "What is your name?"
"My name? It's Lowell. Lowell Ember." Continuing, he stopped once he had me surrounded.
I couldn't stop myself from trembling. This creature was so close to killing me. It could just crunch me without warning and I would be able to do nothing. Tension gripped me as I waited. Alastor only looked down at me.
"How did you get that marking?" I blinked twice, perplexed by his question.
"Marking?" I lowered my arms a bit, only to hug my body as he moved slightly.
"You bear the mark of a spade under your left eye. Did you now know? Or are you planning a fool?"
"A Spade?" I was completely taken aback by the strange marking on my cheek, even rubbing my finger over where it was. "I… I don't recall ever having this."
"But you sure do have that now. Only ones that are either criminals or corpses have one such as that." My heart skipped a beat.
"I...I'm neither of those things…." I admitted to him. "You surely must be joking."
"I would never tell a lie, not unless my own master's life would be threatened. And you aren't her." I let out a breath as it slowly slithered away, only to return and give me space.
"Okay then… so Alastor, you wouldn't happen to know a way out of here, would you?" I decided to change the subject; right now I didn't even want to begin discussing the possibility of being a zombie.
"I am afraid not. If I had, you would already be gone." He then looked to both ways before back at me. "Yet I am no expert on returning a conscience that didn't voluntarily traverse here."
"...That means I'm stuck here, aren't I?" I groaned a bit.
"Not quite. I do have a means of sending you back… if you were another duel spirit. Humans are much too complicated to simplify pluck and drop back into their own body." He seemed to be contemplating his next move. "Do you recall what transpired before you awakened here?"
"I was in the middle of dueling with a friend… and then a monster was summoned… then I don't know what happened afterward." I responded, trying to be as truthful as possible.
"A monster? Can you recall what that monster was?" I tried to think back, to when it appeared; what was it?
"Hunter of the night, let your jaws tear through your opponents as we reclaim your territory! Let's go! Dinomist Prototype Ciraptor!" He chanted as his monster broke throw.
My heart began to race, thinking of that monster. Shaking my head, I tried to not dwell on it before my thoughts became much worse. "I believe… it was Dinomist… Dinomist Prototype Ciraptor."
"A 'Prototype' monster?" His irises shrunk at the word's mention.
"Yes… I remember that much. I can't - I don't remember anything beyond that." I stopped myself from thinking anymore regarding that monster. "Anyway… how long have you been here Alastor?"
Alastor didn't respond at first, leaving dead silence between us. I needed something to distract myself. Anything, and talking with Alastor appeared to be my only option. If I don't do anything… I can only fear what may happen if my thoughts finally go off the rails.
"It is been a long time since my master has returned. She left to return to her friends. Time passes differently from here and reality." He responded. "My master has yet to return."
"I see… was she a good person?" Then a pause followed after I realized how stupid the question was. "Um, you don't have to answer that if you don't want to."
"She is incomparable to any other human. You'd know the moment you'd see her." Alastor looked down; something else did come into view finally.
I jumped, seeing the strange mirror appear out of nowhere. Peering into the reflection. I was met with my own reflection, the spade marking there as well. Or rather, the appearance I had in this world. Alastor looked it over, hissing here or there as it coiled around it before releasing it.
"That aura is akin to your own. Perhaps, and this is just a hypothesis, this is a way for you to return back to reality." The serpentine suggested, looking at the mirror himself. "This is more advanced power than even my own."
"Is it safe?" I had to ask as I slowly walked closer to the orb.
"No levels of threat are detectable; I can only that a low chance of danger awaits on the other side." He then looked away, slithering a bit. "I suggest returning to your body. Though, you weren't that bad of a company."
"Thanks, Alastor." I walked up to the mirror and was just about to touch the glass.
What stopped me was seeing Alastor's reflection. Something about it resonated with me. His eyes, they looked so lonely. How long was he here without his master? Sure, he did appear like a menacing foe. But he wasn't. He helped me a bit and leaving him alone here didn't settle well. Unless…
"Hey Alastor, would you…" Trailing off, I paused to take a large gulp before asking the question. "Would you like to come with me? I-I know you're waiting for your master still. I get it; you two share a very strong connection. But if she hasn't returned in quite some time… how about you travel with me? Sure, I think you made a promise to her. We could go around and try to find her. How about that?"
I just waited, only to not see his reply at all. The silence was the answer.
"Never mind. I shouldn't bother you more than I already have." I placed my hand on the mirror, feeling everything slowly fall into a peaceful numbness.
Hospital, Miami City, 1st P.O.V
Despite that strange experience, I found myself awakening rather sluggishly. Not exactly what I was hoping. The room I was in looked expensive; surely not a typical hospital room. The staff seemed both relieved and surprised to see me awake. Didn't even wait for me to fully awake; paperwork shoved into my face. Of course, I'm not surprised. Honestly, there wasn't too much of a reason to pay attention to what they were saying. No concerning injuries? Then, I wasn't too much interested.
Leaving that sanitized room was a blessing. Getting outside? Totally worth getting through. It felt a bit strange, stretching my legs and walking around. Felt as if I missed a major event. Eh, maybe my gut's wrong. Either way, I pulled out my phone to shoot a quick text to everyone. Hopefully, they didn't feel too bad. Then again, I needed to get in contact with Niles. Something about the last dueling was bugging me. Rather not go to Kazama or Sabrine about this. Niles… he might be the only guy I could trust at the moment.
There was so much I felt unaware of in this world. The weird typings before monsters, duelists like Sabrine or Kazama - maybe Niles also but he's too kind, and now that duelist with the Crystal Beasts. They weren't Jesse; I could tell immediately. If I couldn't find at least some way to get answers… I fear for my own sanity.
Stopping at a corner, I got a cute emoji text from Yuzu. She seemed excited for me testing out her Fusion Summoning. That girl's really wanting to understand Synchro Summoning as much as Sora was. Though for him, candy boy wasn't too interested in using it. More like understanding it. Wonder if she got herself a Tuner monster. Wouldn't that be a surprise?
"...What episode would I be on at this point?" I mumbled to myself, trying to find the right emoji to send back.
That was another issue. My knowledge of Arc-V was very limited beyond a certain point. This world seemed to follow the anime, then decide to pause between episodes. Made a bit of sense. This world's alive and well. So close to being like home, but enough of an element of fantasy to keep them apart. Perhaps, strangely now, I was starting to feel for this world. It wasn't like Earth at all yet just maybe I could start a life. Wouldn't be too hard to start, but it could work.
What a funny idea. Me: the girl who knew too much of a children's card game becoming one of the greatest duelists to ever live. An Entertainment Duelist that inspires many. A celebrity, a champion, a role model. All the titles labeled on a shy girl whose only recently picked back up a deck. Strange, how it seemed like my skills were better than before. Heh, reminds of how I activate a monster's skill instead of summoning it and thus lose me a game. Or maybe that time when-!
Suddenly everything was cut off. A short circuit from what I could only describe as an aura. It didn't settle right one bit. What could be happening? My body felt restless. Nothing around me seemed to be screaming 'Danger! Danger!' Shouldn't be. That last duel must get my nerves all riled up. That's all. Deep breath, I turned my attention to the sky.
"...Weird, what's got all them in a scare?" Seeing the flock scatter and that large, not exactly a day to day sight.
Reminded me a bit of Shay Obsidian, rather Shun Kurosaki, and his Raidraptor monsters. Though, maybe perhaps I should get to find either of those Duelists. If I possible have the chance of changing something, I knew exactly what it would be. How would I even get their attention? Geez, I had so much to do and so little time. When was the Miami Championships even going to begin again?
Zoning out once again, my mind wandered off on how much I actually remembered watching of the series. At this point, I had only seen up to the Yuto and Yugo duel… where somehow Yuto got killed in one shot. Beyond that, it was a whole lot of speculation. So, if I wanted to do something good, getting my butt to confront Yuto or stop that duel in ending with his death was a good start. Might have karma or destiny trying to kill me. Going to be worth it if Yuto doesn't do a damn thing for the rest of the series.
After that, I think trying to establish an understanding of the main four dimensions would work next. Simply put, I only knew the briefest of ideas in regard to any other dimensional world. Standard was… well dull and normal; nothing too interesting besides what is going on in the Miami Championships. Fusion was the main bad guy that wanted seemingly murder all other dimensions. XYZ was destroyed and led to the Resistance's creation. Synchro was… untouched? Honestly, Yugo didn't say anything, so that was pure speculation.
Right on after sparing his untimely death and getting an idea, I could plan and if my gut is telling me Synchro is safe for now: they are the best goal. Having both Standard and Synchro go against Fusion and help XYZ would be the best idea. Even if some part of me doesn't totally agree. But if we assume that Fusion's the big bad, then it would be ideal to get all three other dimensions to go, fight off the big bad and then problem solved! Well, maybe not with how I'm getting home but enough to weird that can be the main priority.
Clarity in my mind, I brought myself back to reality feeling something off. The thing glowing from my deck: Cradle Dragon Star. Again, this card won't ever leave me alone! Taking it out, I finally got to properly take a look at the artwork. While some of it did appear very familiar, hints of its obscurity. The Divine Temple as the focal point with the Crimson Dragon circling one side. Occupying the other side was… something. It was where the glow was more focused; as if whatever was there was the one causing the glow. Too bad it was enough to prevent me from seeing it.
"Now, what's got you acting up again?" Whether I should trust the card or not was still in the air.
Before I contemplate anymore, I got my answer. Something shifted from the corner of my eye. Holding it closer to my chest, my feet started traveling to where the thing shifted may have been. The card reacted to whatever it was, so it must mean something. Hopefully, I can get something more than before. That thing must have caused this card to react. Perhaps it if was a person or thing, a clue can be found. Maybe then can this terrible heading coming up would go away.
Following it, the sidewalk became an alleyway drench in darkness. Were it not for the limited starlight, I would only see nothing. The distance between us was drawing closer; whoever or whatever this was, they were fast. When I finally thought I was just about to reach them, a sudden turn around a corner greeted with an empty dead end.
"What?" Obviously, confusion was my reaction; whatever I was just chasing had simply just vanished.
Oh, come on! This card lied to me again. Again! I swear that if it wasn't for this being most likely the key for me to get back home, I would have thrown it out. This card is bad luck. Or stupid. Either word worked to describe the spell.
Shoving it away, my mind back to the prospect of returning home. Someplace of familiarity might be good. Plodding my way back, nighttime had overtaken the sky. At this rate, I'd have to catch a taxi to get back home quickly. Did this world have Uber? Of course, I was walking with my phone out to catch a ride. That meant when I bumped into someone, it was totally my fault.
"I'm sorry!" I quickly apologized, fixing some of my hair and deciding to deal with catching a ride after this talk.
"Oh! Didn't expect to see you out this late." I blinked twice, not expecting to see him out this last.
"Wait… Ka… Kazama?" I was befuddled at finding him out of all people.
"Yep, that's me. Glad to see you're doing better after last we met." He smiled at me, backing away a few steps.
"Ye...Yeah, same I guess. Mustn't have been feeling too well." I looked back at my phone. "Damn it, the buses are down?"
"If this makes things any better, I just called a guy to drop me off at my place. If you'd like, I can see if the driver can also drop you over at your place." He offered, showing me an Uber app of sorts. "I rather not have you walking alone this late night. With all that's been going on, I rather not see you attacked and disappear."
"Thank you for the kind offer. I guess I… should take it." I decided it would be best to accept. "Say, why are you out here so late?"
"Me? Well, I had a study session right after a meeting. Guess none of realized how late it was getting." Scratching his cheek, I couldn't help but notice something was off with his body language; don't ask me how but I had to not pry into it. Was only respectable after he offered to get me a ride home. "How about you? Feeling any better than last. Pasting out in the middle of the duel scared us."
"I am much better. Thanks for your concern; guess something I ate must not have sat well with my stomach." I decided to play along for now. "Though I guess, you did dispel the rumors right?"
"Those are in the past. If I am, to be honest with you, Lowell, I'd like to start off and give us a chance to start a regular friendship. Not one based on a false rumor. So, what do you say?" Okay, now this was getting a bit weird.
"...Let me think about it. I am still recovering a bit." Dodging the accept option and seeing the car pulling to stop was a blessing in disguise.
The rest the of the drive was pretty silent, with my stop being second after Kazama's destination was reached. I had to pay for mine; giving him an extra big tip for getting me back safely. He was weird this time; my gut couldn't help but inform me. That last duel…. Something must have happened. Was it something I did? No, it couldn't be my fault.
The thoughts lingered on as I got into my apartment, making sure to lock it behind me. As much as I'd love to just drop dead into slumber, my body was still full of energy. No way was I going to go out. Nope! My gut told me otherwise. Maybe… I could paint something to release this stress and tension. Get my mind out of the gutter. Yeah, that's the plan for tonight.
?, ?, 1st(?) P.O.V
"Hey, have you heard about XXXX?" "Totally! Have you seen that last duel? Wreck the opponent like it was nothing." "I was getting goosebumps just watching; now that was quality entertainment!" "XXXX has got to duel YYY next! The clash of titans can finally become a reality!"
Ugh, this is why I hate fame and fortune. People can't just shut up and enjoy a meal. Not without listening to gossip about XXXX ruining the mood. Almost everyone around had that as a topic
"Just ignore them. They don't understand how much it means to appreciate having a fun duel. Both between Duelists and monsters." My friend said, waving them off as they grumbled and went away. "So, how your monsters been? Alastor not giving you a bad time?"
"Oh you know him; he's the grumpy old monster." I spun my straw a bit, hearing the clicks of ice against the glass. "What more can you expect?"
"Still up to try a duel later today? I've heard we've got a spot reserved." He seemed excited.
My enjoyment died down as I looked down at my drink. Heart racings, hands sweating and mind wandering… Was I really cut out for this? I should probably tell him yes. Before I could, somebody unexpected changed everything for the day.
"Oh! Well didn't expect to see you here XXXX." We were both surprised to see XXXX here; they(?) were often busy with career stuff.
"Yeah XXXX, what are you doing here?" XXXX took the seat beside me, dropping something onto the table and grumbling a bit.
"Had to get away from the crowd; did you two order already?" They asked, grabbing at a menu and looking at what was available. "My monsters went off the walls; I need to get some food before they starve me."
"...Sounds like work's been trying to kill you." My friend made a remark, grabbing an onion ring before XXXX grabbed four and stuffed into their mouth. "This is why you need to pack snacks man."
"If I pack snacks, my agent won't ever let me leave the post. Besides, I wanted to see how both of you are doing. Can't let my job keep me away from my two greatest friends." He lowered his menu to look at us. "I miss having to duel you guys."
"Heh, like dueling us is any better than facing against professionals." I jokingly laughed at their statement. "Though… we did manage to reserve a place for a duel between us too. Say, how long did you book our slot?"
"About an hour; what, are you thinking of inviting XXXX along?" My friend began to blush. "You know the moment we enter with XXXX, they'll spike the prices. No offense XXXX."
"None taken," XXXX spoke with his mouth full, which I shoved a napkin in front of his face.
"Just because you work as an animal doesn't mean you're acting like one in front of me XXXX." I glared, watching him clean up. "But, I think it would kind of be fun to duel each other for fun again. No real stakes; just a casual battle royal duel."
"A casual battle royal duel?" My friend, perplexed, watched as I had a grin creeping on my face.
"Wait? We used to do that as a joke. Seeing which of us was the king of games. How about we do that again? After we eat, we head off and have a duel like old times. Whoever loses is paying for our next time out." I looked at the other boys and smiled. "Deal?"
"Sounds good to me! Though I will warn you, I'm not going easy on either of you." XXXX smiled and we all came to the same agreement.
Revision: 11/25/18
Only minor fixes here, nothing too major to fix. This chapter is pretty much the same and didn't need too much.
Time has come to get to see what's been going on with Lowell; she's been dealing with a strange experience and has gotten a more detailed look at… things. Okay, maybe not much. I would have continued on but then we'd get into too major of spoilers. Perhaps another time that can continue. We also get to see her first interaction with Alastor! Not exactly like how I first envisioned it, but it works well enough to get the point across.
Though now we have something I bet nobody was expecting! A little moment between Kazama and Lowell: originally the end of this chapter was supposed to be way different. It would have had more characters and even a duel. I'm tuckered out on writing/editing duels so it was pasted up. Possibly next time a duel's going to be thrown down. Eh, who knows?
Now onto giving a special thanks to Torchvigro for both a follow and favorite! As always, thank you Diabolic Tracer for your lovely review. Sadly, I don't have an extensive response. But fear not because... we a special update! You'll be seeing a few chapters uploaded back to back. I'll see over at the author's note for the last one.