The rain descended from heaven. It rolled from the dismal church's roof, dripping down onto the grass, a constant tap-tap, a constant backdrop to the scene. The graves, dark and forbidding in the dim light, bore witness to the war.
Inside the church, the nun continued to pray, surrounded by the tokens of her faith. What she prayed for, no one knew. Perhaps for fame, perhaps for wealth. Or perhaps for purer things, like the safety of friends or family.
Or perhaps… she prayed for deliverance. For she had a secret. One she shared silently with all on the earth. Silently, she feared the end. Despite her upbringing, despite the teachings, she feared it all the same. She was old, and her time was near. But she'd never let the fear control her, never let it dictate her life.
Until now.
Candles burned softly, the quiet hiss of the flames almost inaudible. The noise of the rain outside did nothing to distract her from her prayers. She raised her head slowly, looking at the large statue behind the altar.
It was carved in great detail. It was stunningly realistic- its face was chiselled with great care, creating a look of wisdom and venerability. The man held a goblet in his stone hands loosely. The cup itself was real, burnished in silver and inlaid with jewels. Quite why such a relic was in its hands was unclear.
Lightning streaked across the dark clouds, giving a brief illumination to the tumultuous skies. The nun turned her gaze on the stained glass that lined the side of the church. The benevolent pictures of saints and paragons smiled blandly down on her, offering her no more comfort then the storm outside. She bowed her head in despair.
Please…help me.
She wasn't really expecting an answer. She was too far gone now. She only wanted to be free from the feebleness of her body. Only to die.
"Gladly. But you'll need to invite me in first."
She looked up. The voice was coming from outside.
"Come in…"
Leon stood, face to face with himself.
Two combatants, wrestling in a bleak coliseum. Their arena was a cesspit of bodies that lacked a spark- the cemetery behind the church. They could barely see each other, the dark skies and looming fog hindering sight, and obscuring the stars. The graves watched on, a silent audience. The grass under his feet was dull and barely alive. The trees looked eerie and dead, thin branches looking like wicked talons in the gloom. The rain flushed roots out from trees, leaves from branches, dirt from skin.
Surely some would have welcomed the cleansing. But not these two, for the rain did not lay everything bare. And Leon, at least, was grateful for that.
His opponent was on his knees, hands gripping the wet earth. His field was bare, staring down Leon's Breaker the Magical Warrior (1600 ATK). The rain hammered down on him, plastering his black hair against his face, but he didn't even notice. He just stared silently at Leon, uncomprehending. His eyes were filled with tears. They flowed freely down his face, indistinguishable from the rain. The look he gave Leon was full of despondency and pain, his dark blue eyes empty of hope.
To his shock, Leon found he was crying as well, tears falling silently down his face. He knew the pain his other self was going through as well as he knew the cards in his deck. Seeing himself go through it again was horrifying. He'd kidded himself that it had gone away, that he was past it.
As if he ever could be past these events.
"Are you giving up?"
His opponent shook his head. With some effort, he stood up. He didn't look at Leon, instead staring at the earth and grime on his hands. They trembled, his cards tumbling through them to the floor. He made no moves to pick them up.
"Giving up…? No."
"Then make a move. But clean yourself up a little first."
"Clean? I'll never be clean again."
He pointed weakly at the gravestone behind him.
"He…he beat everything clean and good out of me. With his hands…feet…weapons…I lost it all. Blood and dirt all over me...I'll never be clean again. Never."
Abused after all? It looks like I was right.
Leon didn't have an answer to that. At the moment, he didn't have an answer to anything at all.
Anima stepped into the church. The nun cowered behind the statue, terrified of this perverse apparition. The temperature plummeted several degrees as she walked nearer the altar. She smiled, showing all her teeth. The nun screamed and backed away as far as possible.
Anima merely laughed. She clapped her hands, and all of the candles went out.
"Not scared of the dark, are you?"
He laughed bitterly. He spoke slowly, as if wanting to torture himself with every word.
"Then she came. Transferred in from God knows where. She recognized me. It wasn't love at first sight…heh, far from it. Just friends…but I dared think that with her here I could be clean again."
He picked up his cards, staring blankly at the pictures.
"I thought wrong. I didn't know what I had…until I lost it."
"Give up, and you'll never find it. Believe me."
His eyes seemed to clear a little. "What do you know about this?"
"Everything. Duel, and maybe you'll understand why we fight."
We? Bit of an odd guardian angel, aren't you?
Perhaps.
He nodded and drew his card. One of the nearby graves started glowing. A small, winged frog hopped out, taking its place on the field in defence position (100/100).
"Treeborn Frog returns to the field every turn, as long as I have no facedown cards on the field. But he won't be around for long, because I'm Tributing my amphibious friend to summon Cyber Ogre (1900/1200) in attack mode!"
The frog flapped its wings and flew upwards, disappearing into the darkened skies. A pillar of light shone down on his counterpart. He didn't smile, but Leon could feel a little more life was in him.
Who knew duelling was so good for the soul?
Who indeed.
The ground began to shake. Suddenly, a giant arm plunged out of the earth, hauling a metallic monstrosity out of the earth. It bellowed at Leon, flexing its dirt-encrusted claws. Its red eyes gleamed hungrily.
"Next, I use a Field Spell- Gaia Power!"
The rain slowed to a trickle. The trees around the graveyard began to flourish, growing taller. Their leaves and branches thickened and looked visibly healthier. Soon, the battlefield was reminiscent of a tropical jungle.
"This card raises the attack power of all Earth creatures by five hundred points, despite weakening their defence power by four hundred. Understand?"
Leon nodded. The flora enveloped the ogre, burying it behind a curtain of green vegetation. The beast emerged, stronger then ever, with an odd glint in its scarlet eyes.
(Cyber Ogre: 2400/800)
"Attack, my Ogre! Destroy Breaker!"
The behemoth of steel ripped downward, slashing through Leon's monster like it was paper. Leon flinched.
(3200/4000)
"I end my turn."
Leon drew.
Magic Cylinder…
Set it.
Why are you helping me?
Can't you enjoy it while it lasts?
"I place two cards facedown. That's it."
His opponent drew noiselessly. The faintest hint of a smile crossed his face.
"I activate Heavy Storm. Bid your facedown cards adieu."
"Jar of Greed activates in response- I get to draw a card."
Magic Cylinder was brushed aside as he drew. He looked at it with shock.
It's that card!
Anima sniffed the air, searching for her prey. She stepped closer to it carefully, taking care not to make a sound. She was guided by the sound of the nun's frantic breathing. She sniffed again, stepping carefully around. She crept closer and closer, sneaking up behind the nun.
She knelt down and tapped her on the shoulder. The nun screamed, but Anima clamped a hand down on her mouth. She grinned, though nobody could see it in the pitch-black darkness.
"Ah, ah, ah. I'm here to help, remember?"
The nun squirmed, trying to break lose. Anima tightened her grip. She hissed into the nun's ear.
"Life isn't fair, you know. Life's not some story where the good guys win and everybody lives happily every after. Trust me, I know."
She smiled again, extending her teeth to their fullest length. She forced her hood down, scratching them against her neck. She tried to move away, but Anima's hold was like iron.
"The true monsters are like me- real and hungry. You want to see what lies beyond? No? Too bad."
The nun's eyes went wide. Anima took hold of her neck, snapping it left and then right. It was over in a second as the body went limp in her arms.
She dropped it and stood, clapping her hands. The candles flickered, and then came back on. She looked up at the statue, noticing the goblet. She waved a hand at it. The goblet came loose from the statue's hands, and floated down gently to her hands. She admired it for a moment.
"Such a lovely little trinket."
She noticed a similar cup on the altar. It was filled with red liquid for communion. She took a little sip. A revolted expression crossed her face. She hurled the cup through one of the stained glass windows, shattering it into pieces.
"Pitiful imitation. No substitute for the real thing."
She noticed the nun's corpse. Or, more specifically, the blood coming from her neck. She licked her lips softly.
"Oh, you're such a bad girl, Anima. So very bad…it should be unfitting for a lady. Oh well…a girl has to drink, I suppose. Such is life."
She took a step towards the dead body, but a sound stopped her. She listened carefully.
"Your challenge ends here."
She sighed.
"Why must the good meals always be interrupted…?" she muttered to herself.
She moved over to where she'd smashed the stained glass. She leapt up, sitting on the broken sill. She could see the graveyard where Leon was duelling. A small smile crossed her blood-red lips.
"Let's see if he has what it takes to be mine."
Leon drew. He stared at the card he'd found in the gutter- Anima's little "present".
Cyber Ogre be-gone, that looks like.
It's risky.
What isn't? All he has is his Ogre- if you can get rid of it, you're almost there.
Why are you still helping me?
Is it so hard to believe that I want to be the one to break you? I'm not letting any psychotic, manically depressed, or any other shapes conjured up by your mind get to you first. I need you to win this. And that card is the best way to do it.
Alright.
"I play the Spell card- Frenzied Beast Ritual!"
Anima giggled from her perch.
"I knew you were the one, Leon…make me proud, love."
A primal scream echoed around the graveyard as Leon activated the card.
"What have you done?"
Three cards ejected themselves from Leon's deck. He fished them out and held them up.
"Frenzied Beast Ritual requires me to send Beast-Type monsters from my deck to the Graveyard until their combined stars equal six or more. So I offer the three Nimble Momonga!"
The duel sprits leapt from their cards. Three streams of light emerged from the card and entered each of the spirits. They turned to face Leon.
"Boss…this power…"
"Are you sure about this, sir?"
He nodded. The three snapped a comic salute and turned to face his counterpart.
"Alright! Time to kick some butt!" Nick trilled.
"We are growing angry…" Smith growled.
"And you won't like us when we're angry!" Duke finished.
"MOMONGA POWER!!!"
His opponent blinked at the war cry. The three glowed until they were pure white, then combined into one, massive animal.
"Rise, Frenzied Silverback!" Leon called out.
A great, black gorilla leaped out of the light. True to its name, a long stripe of silver-coloured hair ran down its back. It clenched its ham-sized fists, the beast's muscles rippling. It beat its hands against its chest and roared at the top of its lungs. Despite his nonchalance, Leon could tell his counterpart was a little apprehensive. To tell the truth, so was he.
That's some Spell card…
Of course. Hard to believe those rats could create THAT, isn't it?
They aren't rats…
Not anymore.
…
(2600/1900)
"Attack Cyber Ogre!"
His counterpart discarded one card from his hand as Leon's new monster charged. The two beasts wrestled, but Cyber Ogre soon gained the advantage. It thrusted the Silverback away.
"What happened?"
"By discarded another Ogre from my hand, the one on the field is protected. In addition, his power is raised by two thousand for the next battle."
(Cyber Ogre: 4400/800)
"I end my turn."
"I thought you might."
He drew.
"I activate Gaia Fusion!"
"What's that?!"
"Simple. I take Fusion-Material monsters for an Earth attribute Fusion monsters from my field and Graveyard, and remove them from play. Then I can summon the corresponding Fusion monster!"
The earth of the graveyard literally cracked open Another Cyber Ogre clawed its way out, grinning madly through its metal teeth. It merged together with the first in a filthy, grimy smog.
"I fuse my two Cyber Ogres, to create the Cyber Ogre 2!"
The massive beast emerged. It was considerably larger then the Silverback, almost as tall as the church. It let out a ferocious bellow, forcing Leon to cover his ears.
"Gaia Power boosts his strength by 500. Next, I activate Limiter Removal, which doubles his power! And if that wasn't enough, Cyber Ogre 2 also gains half the attack strength of the monster it attacks!"
(Cyber Ogre 2: 2600 + 500 x2 + 1300 7500)
Leon swallowed hard. "Oh bugger."
He had succeeded in his aim to rouse his younger self. Unfortunately, it looked as though it was going to cost him the game. He was acutely aware that the rain had stopped. He stared into the monstrosity's cold, lifeless eyes, trying to conceal the fear in his heart.
He'd lost this game.
"Attack!"
Anima knew something was wrong when she saw the monstrosity called Cyber Ogre 2. When she heard the cry to attack, she put two and two together. She frowned.
"His grief gives him power…how unexpected. It looks like I'll need to go deeper…"
She vanished.
Cyber Ogre 2 towered over Leon. Its metallic breath stank of oil and death. Its claws were outstretched, ready to gut his monster like a fish. Fire began building in each of its palms, fiery crimson orbs in the wet night. It charged at him, screaming for his blood.
Then, it stopped. Everything stopped.
Cyber Ogre 2 froze in mid-charge. His younger self was also frozen. There was no wind, no movement of the thin trees.
"What happened?"
Lucky bastard...
Hey!
"I happened, love. Aren't you glad to see me?"
Anima stepped out from behind the ogre. She gave him an inviting smile. Leon flushed.
"Very much so. But how did you do that?"
"Just a small trick, love. Did you enjoy my little present?"
"It's…an interesting card."
She laughed sweetly.
"You're quite the duellist…all your sides play well. But that one…he seemed different. What was different about him?"
"This is when it happened."
She stepped closer to him. "When what happened?"
"When I lost the light."
She gave him an odd look. "What do you mean?"
Show her.
What?
Guide your mind. Go back to Taylor.
How?
Think about her.
That's it?
That's it.
Leon concentrated. One of the stone doors from before appeared behind him. Like the rest, it was chipped and cracked. A feeling of fear seemed to radiate from it. It swung open, as if beckoning him. Anima linked arms with him.
"Show me your history, love. I'm interested to see what it is that gives you your strength."
As am I, and our audience no doubt.
Hmm. Glad to see you're with me.
Through Hell and high water.
"I don't have much control of this. My mind seems to take me where it wants to go."
Anima chuckled. "So it would seem. Lead on, mind of Leon."
"Right…"
They stepped through the door. It slammed shut, and the scenery began to shift again. Leon felt a familiar nausea coming on.
"Close your eyes, love. This memory jumping can take its toll."
Leon shut his eyes as the shifting became more rapid. He listened, but he couldn't hear anything, not even Anima's breathing. He realized he was taking a risk by trusting her. He knew nothing about who- or what- she was.
What is she?
Bloodsucker. Lady of the night. Creature of the damned. Etcetera…
You mean she's a-
Aye. Couldn't you tell from the teeth?
I was trying not to think about it.
"It seems we've arrived, love. Where are we?"
Leon opened his eyes.
They were standing on a dingy fire escape. Stars twinkled above them, little pinpricks of light in the clear night sky. A dirty alley stretched below them, filled with waste and refuse. Footsteps sounded rapidly, growing louder and louder. They crouched down, watching closely.
"This is where I met her."
"Met who?"
"My light."
A young girl, fifteen or sixteen, ran into the alley. She was casually dressed in jeans and a shirt. The shirt was torn badly, as if she'd just been in a fight. Her face was marked with a black bruise. She doubled over, panting frantically. She glanced behind her, as if she was being followed. She sighed in relief.
"There you are!"
She froze. She looked around wildly, trying to see the source of the voice.
A man was walking towards her from behind. He was fat, heavily built and puffy. Veins stood out on his neck. He was wearing a leather jacket, and his head was shaven. His eyes were piggy, and he was squinting in the dim light. He reached out and grabbed her shoulder. She spun round, her eyes wide.
Up on the fire escape, Leon stirred. Anima frowned and shook her head, motioning him to stay down. He sighed, knowing full well what was going to happen.
"Taylor…" he whispered.
For of course, that was who it was.
The man had adopted a threatening approach. He grabbed hold of her face, holding it close to his own. He grunted.
"Pretty ugly. But you could satisfy some desperate jerk, I bet. Maybe you should sell yourself on the street instead of schoolin'! Sure somebody'd take a slut like you."
He stroked a grimy finger against her face.
"Maybe I should take you for a test drive first…make sure you know how to screw, get my drift babe?"
She spat at him. His face darkened.
"Filthy slut!"
He slapped her hard, right across the face. Leon swore under his breath.
"I hate this watching."
"I do as well. But we're not going to change anything, so calm down."
The man held Taylor in a tight grip. She struggled, but he was too strong. He ran his hands down her body, pulling at her clothing. She yelped, but he clamped a hand over her mouth. She kicked out, catching him on the shin
The man grabbed hold of her roughly. He caught the tear in her shirt, ripping the rest of it apart brutally. She batted at him pitifully, but it was useless. He felt her naked breasts crudely with a grunt of satisfaction, ignoring her cries, confident that he was in complete control.
"No one can help you now, you whore." He hissed at her.
"Back away from her, and maybe I won't kill you."
The man looked around, dropping her. She got as far away as possible, into a corner of the alley. He sneered at the cloaked figure that had sneaked up on them.
"Thinkin' maybe I should pick on you instead, pretty boy?"
He nodded and slipped his hands from his pockets. He sighed, fingering the daggers he held concealed in his palms.
"I usually appal violence."
"Who's that?" Anima hissed under her breath.
Leon was quiet for a moment.
"Me."
She chuckled. "Interesting attire. Halloween costume?"
"Well, actually…"
You're not serious.
I am.
You shouldn't need the secrecy. You're scary enough without them!
Below, the man moved to punch the figure, but he was far too slow. His unknown opponent thrust the knives up crossways, wielding them like scissors. As the fat man stepped forward, the blades found themselves pressed against either side of his fleshy neck.
He froze. The figure stared at him with a look as cold as ice. He was wearing a white mask to hide his eyes, like one you would see at a masquerade ball.
"If I twitched my hands, your head would be rolling around the floor. Do you realize that?"
He snarled, but it was forced bravado. The figure rammed a knee up into his groin, as hard as he could. There was a sickening crack as the man's eyes went wild. A swift rabbit punch to the face knocked him unconscious.
Taylor was crouched in a corner like an animal, shivering with cold and fear. She crossed her arms over her bare chest as he turned around to look at her.
"Stay away from me!"
He moved slowly, so he didn't frighten her further. He took the mask off and pocketed it. He took off his long cloak and tossed it to her. She caught it, giving him a bemused look. He smiled slightly.
"Put that on. Somebody will be along to pick this filth up soon. I'll walk you home, if you like."
"I don't need your help!"
"Fine. Then I'll take my coat back and leave you here. Good luck getting home without attracting attention."
She swore at him. Police sirens began to blare in the distance.
"Are you coming?"
She nodded. He politely looked away as she fastened up the coat. Up on the fire escape, Leon did the same.
Such a chaste knight. Aren't you even tempted to sneak a peek?
No.
You wish that were true, don't you?
A police car pulled up at one entrance to the alley. The pair hurried off the other way, into the dark and out of sight. Anima gave Leon an interested look.
"I'm curious. This can't be all there is to this, so what happened next?"
Leon's expression was unreadable.
"Let's find out."