Now, this is more like it, Aster thought as he relaxed in the warm water of the hot tub. Steam billowed from the surface and bubbles plopped all around him. He was in the garden in the highest tower of a castle in the mountains made just for him. Rose bushes formed into a dome over the tub making it feel like a sanctuary. He picked up a cube of caramel and plopped it into his mouth. He leaned his head back and listened to the sound of the birds chirping one final time before the sun went down. A stone waterfall poured into the tub. The sound it made was making Aster very sleepy.

Candles and a chandelier of elk antlers provided his only light source, shrouding the bathing area in a warm, golden light. He ate one more caramel cube and then dozed off. When he did, the summoner saw this as the right moment to attack. An 8-Claws Scorpion was summoned. The insect monster snarled silently and scurried toward Aster, ready to strike him with his poisonous tail before tearing him apart with his pincers. Aster was oblivious to the monster in the room. He was lost in his own serenity to notice it coming towards him.

8-Claws Scorpion now stood directly over him. He wiggled his mandibles in excitement. Green ooze dripped from them. It was acid that would soon be injected into Aster's body, turning his insides into gloop so he could be easier to devour. All of a sudden, a creature appeared in front of 8-Claws Scorpion. Destiny HERO Dogma came to Aster's rescue. He spread his wings as a sign of dominance, warning the insect to back away. But it proved a stubborn predator, thanks to its hunger. Dogma raised his bladed hand and sliced off 8-Claws Scorpion's tail. It screeched in pain and was put out of its misery when Dogma jabbed his sword through its flesh. 8-Claws Scorpion hissed and evaporated in green glowing particles. Dogma, content with his work, nodded triumphantly and disappeared.

Aster shook his head. "I win again," he said. "You really need to stop doing that. It's not funny."

Francesca walked into the dome of roses giggling. "I think it's quite funny. And, hey, if I win, I'll be rich. There's a bounty on your head, remember?"

"Hilarious," Aster said, opening one eye to get a peek at her. She wore nothing but a mantle of thin, white silk. Her hair was up and curled and her body was well-oiled.

Francesca walked to a table and held out her hand. A plate holding a cupcake with a lit candle magically appeared in her fingertips. "Happy birthday," she said softly. She knelt down by Aster's side and held it in front of his face.

Aster smiled at her and blew it. "Hmm, hot tub bubbling" — He reached for a lock of her hair and toyed with it — "you almost naked. It looks like you knew what I wished for."

Francesca giggled, setting the cupcake on a table. She leaned down and kissed Aster passionately. Aster got a whiff of the many scents coming from her radiant skin. Her hair smelled of citrus, and her body was doused in scented oils. Cherry.

She got up and walked to the other end of the pool while letting the mantle slip slowly off her body. Finally, it dropped. Aster took a deep breath, marveling at the magician's divine body. The oils she applied had glitter in it, making her body twinkle like the stars above as she sensually shook her hips, walking to the other end of the pool. She stood there and posed for Aster one final time before jumping into the water.

Aster turned his face to the right to keep his eyes from being splashed with hot water. She swam towards him, keeping her buttocks over the surface to tantalize him. When she finally reached him, she climbed on top of him and buried her mouth into his.

"I never want to leave this place," she said. "Let's be up here forever."

"We can," Aster whispered.

Francesca rubbed her nose against his then adjusted herself to help Aster find his way inside her. Soft moans escaped her when they made contact. It was the moment she had been waiting for. She looked at him with that cheeky smile of hers and brushed his cheeks, lips, and chin with the tips of her breasts.

"Happy Birthday to ya, Aster!" Hassleberry called out.

Francesca screamed and climbed off of him. Aster turned and looked at him furiously. "Dude!" he shouted. "What part of no entry do you not understand?! Did they replace your brain with a dinosaur's as well?"

"I didn't mean to intrude," Hassleberry said, his face growing warm at the sight of Francesca's exposed breasts. She sunk until the water was up to her shoulders. He struggled to find out the words to say. "Ahem," he finally said. "I didn't mean to intrude on ya. It's just that everybody is waiting for you downstairs."

Aster splashed the water with his fist. "They can't wait?"

"Well, no. Prince Yuri is here."

Francesca gasped. She and Aster looked at each other. "We'll be down in a minute."

"Really?" Aster groaned sadly.

"We must go, babe. He is the future High King after all."

"All right," Aster sighed in defeat. "And knock next time, damn you!"

Hassleberry turned to leave. Francesca got out of the water to pick up a towel from a silver cart by the pool. Then —

"Aster!" Jaden said, walking into the bathing area with a basket of cards. Della followed him with a red package wrapped in a gold ribbon "I got you...whoa!"

Francesca screamed and sunk back in the water again. "Not again!" she shouted.

"You, too!" Aster shouted.

"Oh, dear," Della said, covering her face with Aster's present. "I am so sorry. I didn't know this was THAT kind of party. I didn't bring my bikini."

"I don't think this is that kind of a party, Della," Jaden said.

"What's all the commotion?" Alexis said walking in with an armful of gifts. "Oh, whoa! Okay. You and the magician are a thing, it seems. Geeze, haven't you two heard of a lock?"

"Really, Princess," groaned Francesca. "There's something great that goes along with it. It's called knocking."

All of a sudden Zane walked into the bathing area with Kara and Syrus. Kara blushed and held her hand over Syrus's eyes. The poor boy made awkward expressions at what he saw.

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Aster moaned. "Happy Birthday to me, right? How fortunate that I'm in my birthday suit."

Zane chuckled awkwardly. "Well, if this was a bad time, you should have texted me or something."

Aster shook his head. "This is the last time I'm hosting a damn party."

A portal opened in front of him. Prince Michael and Prince Jon of Riftgaard entered, well-dressed in suits and carrying parcels of gifts.

He narrowed his eyes. "Oh, yeah, definitely the last time."

"Okay," said Jon. "Aster, if you don't mind me asking, did you grab that ass or did you smack it."

"Stoooop," Aster groaned. "Can you jokers give us some privacy so we can change, please? By the way, where's Prince Yuri? We can't leave him alone down there."

"He's right here," Jaden answered.

"What?" Aster said turning. All he saw was Jaden standing by the entrance. "Where?" he asked again.

"Right here," Jaden said, holding up a bloody skull with a crown around its dome. Aster noticed the water turned cold. The candles went out. And then, blood oozed towards him. His friends lay dead all over the bathing house. Francesca was leaning forward against the edge of the pool with a sword stuck to her back. Elemental HERO Avian, Sparkman, Bustinitrix, and Clayman surrounded him. But their colors were darker and their eyes were red. They laughed at Aster and then formed into twisted-looking monsters. Dark versions of themselves.

Aster turned to look at Jaden. He was gone. Instead, he saw a behemoth armored in black standing in his place. The blood of his friends slithered towards him and formed a dark-red cape.

"What the hell are you?" Aster asked. Something flew over him. A Duel Monster with a dark-blue leather suit appeared behind him. It had three claws which it used to stick through Aster's body. It lifted Aster out of the pool so he could face the armored demon.

"I am fear! I am your undoing! I am the timeless curse, the end of all things! Now, you'll learn the way of darkness!"

The armored fiend smashed his fist through Aster's chest. Aster screamed, blood poured out of his mouth. He felt a hot, fiery pain inside of him, then it stopped. The black-armored one chuckled and presented Aster with the Heart of HEROES. And then he crushed it before his eyes.

January 4th

Year 19 4AOS

Aster almost screamed. He sat up in bed at once and breathed heavily. He felt his chest, checking to see if there were any puncture wounds. Thankfully, there were none. And there were no vile monsters surrounding him. He shivered. His body was soaked in sweat, chilling him to the bone. Aster grunted fiercely as he tried to remove his shirt. He finally got it off his head after a long struggle and tossed it across the room where it landed with a splat.

That was the third night in a row that he had a nightmare of a demon armored in black. When he realized that he was safe and sound, he slammed his head back against his pillow. He sighed, putting his forearm over his head. By the time the sun rose up, he finally found sleep.

Later that afternoon, Aster was in the courtyard, slashing someone's intestines out with a newly forged blade. Behind him, two Destiny HEROES snarled, ready for their next victim. Plasma and Dogma stood on either side of Aster, waiting patiently for the next batch of criminals to be pushed into the ring.

"Choose a weapon!" shouted the red-armored castle guard. "Quickly, come on."

The poor condemned criminals had one chance for freedom today with a trial by combat. If they slew Aster Phoenix, they would be given an escort out the castle walls after being pardoned of their crimes. But none of them could find such a victory. The arena was red with blood and gore. There were those who believed he was a coward, hiding behind his two Destiny HEROES, but he shut them all up when he sprung into battle first.

He walked around, shirtless with only the belt of his baldric for his sword strapped over his torso. He wore long, black leather trousers bloused into boots plated with engraved steel. Around his neck was the symbol of the D-HEROES tied with a black cord. The blood of the failed combatants dripped from his sword of silver steel.

A brave prisoner charged at Aster with a ball and chain. But then Dogma stepped forward and sliced him across the belly. The man heaved in horror when he saw that his guts had fallen out. Aster bounded toward the prisoner and jabbed the sword into his forehead. Plasma then picked up the man's corpse with the mouth of the dragon head he had for a left arm and devoured him. A stream of red energy then flew from Plasma's claws and flowed into Aster's chest, feeding the Heart of HEROES. The prisoners dropped their weapons and begged him for mercy.

Dogma showed them none and smashed them all with his bladed arm. When they were all dead, a slow clap broke the silence.

King Antilles Dragonheart, the King of Dragonrock, was standing tall, applauding Aster for a job well done. "Bravo," he said. "Bravo. My friends! Allow me to introduce the new Royal Executioner of House Dragonheart. Aster Phoenix the Gray Prince of Domino City. The Knight of Destiny and Terror of Eredas. Let all who wish to stand before me tremble at his name."

King Antilles' subjects clapped. Aster crossed his arms over his chest and bowed. Meanwhile, the lady of the castle walked into the ring, stepping over the carnage like it was nothing. The guards around the courtyard stopped what they were doing and bowed in respect for her. She led a dragon with a chain as though it were a common dog. Des Volstgalph was the name of the beast. The girl was Princess Alexandra von Klause of Dragon's Nest. She smiled seductively at the new royal executioner for her uncle's House. The House of Dragonheart.

"Ahem," she said.

Aster turned to look at her and then gave a half bow when he realized who she was. She was radiant as Kyle said she would be. Alexandra wore a revealing white leotard and a tassel around her waist shaped like the wings of a Light and Darkness Dragon. Her cape split into two parts. The right, bearing the emblem of Von Klause, was colored white to resemble the White Knight of the House. The left side was colored black and sported the sigil of House Dragonheart, from where her mother descended from. A crown on her beautiful brow resembled four dragon heads with glowing crystals hovering over their mouths.

"Aster Phoenix," Alexandra said, admiring his body. "Allow me to welcome you to Dragon's Nest. I trust your journey was a comfortable one."

"It was, I guess," he said, sheathing the sword back onto the scabbard on his back. "You're the famous Slayer of Lords and Princes I heard so much about."

"They didn't give me much of a choice," Alexandra smiled. She walked around Aster slowly as she examined him. "You seem to be in good form." She looked at Dogma and Plasma, who were both still standing in her world. "Mr. Kyle Gables spoke very highly of you to my uncle. Let us hope you can deliver on your promises. A lot of gold is being paid for your services."

"You doubt me?"

"At the moment. My uncle has powerful enemies that need slaying and you came up on the top of the list. I have faith in you, though. And I would love your company. It can get rather lonely here."

"I'm just here to be his royal executioner. You have criminals all over this city and I promise I'll take care of them."

"I'm sure you'll do well, Aster," Alexandra said, touching his biceps with her fingertips. "You know, Uncle Antilles said I can give you one command. Be a good boy and see that you fulfill it for me."

Aster narrowed his eyes. "What do you want?"

"I want you to come for me if ever I was in a tough situation. Do so and I shall...reward you. Greatly."

Aster scooted back. "Your uncle pays me enough. Speaking of which, I have to go see him."

"Of course," Alexandra said with a nod of her head. "I do hope we can speak on a more professional level when the time is right."

"Talk, yes, but don't be expecting anything else." He walked past her and headed to the salts where Antilles and his guests were feasting as they watched Aster and his Destiny HEROES slaughter the prisoners.

Aster bowed once he stood in front of the table. "Your Grace," he said.

"Aster, dear boy. Please, help yourself to whatever is on my table. We have exotic treats from across the oceans here. Bananas, coconuts, swordfish, king crab. There's chicken if you want. Beef, pork, anything you want."

"No thanks. But I do greatly appreciate your hospitality."

"And I thank you for coming here so quickly." He looked around at his guests. "Leave us," he said. They all stood up and left them alone. Antilles held his hand toward one of the courtyard exits and led him out to the gardens, which offered a pleasant view of the mountains and the countryside hundreds of feet below. "You know why I have called you here, yes?"

"Yes. You need help taking care of some people. Folks who are making things rather hard on you, right?"

"Yes. As you know, Prince Yuri returns to us in a few short months. I want him to come back safe and sound."

"Really? You know I heard a lot about your policies with those Gates and Yuri's return. There are those who say you're purposely stalling his return. That you want to get the Heart-EartH crown for yourself. I mean, who can blame you? You did summon Slifer the Sky Dragon a few years before Yuri was born, too. Must have been hard for you after they chose another instead of you."

Antilles just looked at him and smiled. "I will not lie to you, Aster. There are some nights where the thought of how close I was to the ultimate seat of power in the world keeps me up. Many a time has my mind wandered, lost in the memory of that day when I played the beast. But, I am not one to toy around with destiny. The throne was not meant for me and there is nothing I can do about it. The pain is there, but I do not let it cloud my judgment, nor do I use it to hinder the return of the king. Pay no mind to those rumors, my son. They are the whispers told by Yugi Muto and his friends. They are self-righteous fools who thnk that intervening with his life will save him from his enemies. Little do they know that as the more the use the Gate, the closer our enemies get to discover where he is. Thanks to their meddling, Marik Ishtar sends his Rare Hunters through the gate looking to hunt him down."

"Is that true?"

"Yes. Sadly it is. Not too long ago Yugi ordered a session of congress to address this issue. He wanted to bring Yuri home quickly, but he has sadly not mastered the basics of Duel Monsters. Can you see how that is problematic?"

"Yeah, I do. What's a High King with three powerful Gods in his deck if he can't Duel to save his life. If I came to him and challenged him for the Diamond Throne with the Dueling Pact, I could easily take him down and become the High King myself."

"Right!" Antilles said. "You are a smart boy. Smarter than Yugi. And did you know Yuri has some competition in the form of his cousin, Hector Delgado? He has been seen marching along the coasts of Emboldor with a large army. I have no doubt in my mind that he's here to challenge Yuri when he returns. Thankfully, the Senate saw my point of view in this matter and have agreed that Yuri is not to come back until he proves himself a strong Duelist."

"I see," Aster said with a nod. "So what does this have to do with me?"

"A great deal much," Antilles answered. He stopped over a scenic lookout with a view of the lake below. "As I have said, Yuri has enemies out there seeking to take his life. I need you to hunt them down and bring them to justice as my executioner. Will you do this?"

"Of course. If it means helping out Yuri, I'll do it. And I'm not going to lie, you're a pretty good guy, Antilles. A lot of the things I've heard about you seem to be over exaggerations."

"Much of what you heard is. Yugi and his friends can't get their sanctimonious agendas done with me around so they paint me as a villain who is bitter that he lost his chance to be High King. I am bitter but I am no traitor. I love Termnnia. It is my home. My place of birth. And I will defend her until my last breath. And my High King as well. If he goes down, Termnnia goes down with him. Orcs are amassing in number across the ocean in the Black Continent, which means they have leadership over there. And they only fiend who has even given them leadership was the Dark Lord Anubis."

"You think he's returned?"

"Many of us seem to think so. Look around you. The days are growing darker, civil war is breaking out all over Termnnia like the pox, Fiends are popping up from the Shadow Realm and stalking the countryside, and there are breakouts of diseases one has never heard of. It makes my hair stand on end."

"I'll do it," said Aster. "I've also had a bad feeling in my gut about this. My Destiny HEROES sense it, too. What would you have your Royal Inquisitor do?"

"That is what I like to hear. And as a matter of fact, I have your first assignment ready. Go forth to the town of Pinehold. It has come to my attention that there is a Rare Hunter hiding out there. My sources tell me he is selling information. Information with the whereabouts that lead to Prince Yuri's secret location in the other world. Whether that is true or not is of no concern. We cannot let a risk like that go unchecked. Find the Rare Hunter, interrogate him, and then have your Destiny HEROES make an example out of him."

"You can count on me."

Alexandra came up from behind them. "Are you leaving so soon, Aster?" she said. "Won't you stay for the night? We're hosting a lavish party tonight and I need a partner."

"I'm afraid I'll have to pass," said Aster. "I've got work to do."

"Oh, stay for a while, son," said Antilles. "Kyle and I have pooled together our resources to have new armor forged for you. However, it's not quite ready yet and needs prepping, which should take the whole night. Stay awhile. Relax. Have a bit of fun. Then, rest up, don your armor, and be on your way."

"All right," said Aster. "I guess I could use some food and a drink."

Alexandra giggled and clapped her hands. "Wonderful. See you tonight."