Soul of a Duelist
Turn 6: Contract Forged from Steel: Fine Print
"Aegis! Aegis! What should I do now?"
"Play this monster, then activate this card."
"Ahh! Aegis! What should I do now?!"
"Set this card and play that monster-no in defence."
"Aegis, what do I do now?"
"…Play this card and attack with that one."
"AHHH! Aegis! I lost the game!"
"Urrrrgh…"
Aegis slumped over, his head being full of the loud cries of victory and the agony of defeat from about a dozen ten-year olds. It would be the fifth time in the last three hours that the cycle had concluded.
Two children would seek him out asking for help against the other. Aegis would then agree to help both of them so as not to create disparity between the opposing sides. Then each turn Aegis would give out advice to the active player which would foil the other child, and then it would repeat, Aegis offering the best advice he could to then foil the move he directed. The back and forth exchange would continue until Aegis' guidance resulted in someone's inevitable demise. Then the winner would cheer, the loser would cry and Aegis would be caught in the vocal crossfire.
The most recent game had directed lasted about twenty minutes and drawn the biggest gathering of children in the drop-in center. After the game concluded Aegis had let his legs fall limp and his body to crumble into a heap on the ground, only catching himself to prevent his head from hitting the linoleum tiled floor. Aegis grunted and with a slight effort he folded his legs together and sat up, propping his head up with his left hand where he placed his chin.
His left eye shut for a moment. Aegis' mind felt sore from having to work so long. A weary sigh escaped his mouth, shoulders heaving at the action. Aegis slowly reopened his eye, his body only allocating enough energy to raise the eyelid halfway. Slowly he shifted it to his right hand as it lay idly on the ground. His trenchcoat sleeve was scrunched up a bit at the elbow leaving his dark silver gauntlet in plain sight. The metal was slightly marked up from light scratches and general wear and tear. There was no longer any point to concealing the device, apparently after the first day of the tournament every single person from the shelter went to see Aegis' match in the finals. As a result everyone knew who he really was; Aegis Hallow, the dueling prodigy from half a decade ago.
Aegis paused for a moment and let his mind meander wherever it pleased. Iris Lifian. That woman had been diving in and out of his mind for the week following the end of the tournament. Because of their unorthodox duel Aegis had forfeited his favoured royal blue travelling hat to Iris. Though he won her 'maiden's favor', a simple white handkerchief, unwittingly he returned it to Iris thinking that after the duel they would return the rewards. He was wrong.
Still Iris had given him all of the prize money for first and second place for his cause. Because of her kindness the drop-in center had enough money to survive the city's harsh winters. There was enough money to last four months with a little left over for extra things the shelter needed. Aegis was floored at the display of generosity, but in retrospect most things Iris did or said surprised him. A rather nostalgic feeling breached the surface of his heart. Aegis had made it a finer point of his dueling career to help the unfortunate. Often the prize money he won was donated to charity or other needy people. Possibly a result of something from his childhood growing up he assumed.
Another memory leapt onto his train of thought, derailing it rather nicely. Aegis' face reddened as he recalled some of the more detailed features to Iris' face. Her thinly pressed pink lips forming a rather charming smile. Iris' complexion was fair, though it was slightly imperfect with a few blemishes; Aegis thought it made her have more of a human characteristic instead of being some sort of untouchable figure. Iris' face was so close to his own that he was able to catch a light scent of perfume that came from Iris' elegant hazelnut colored hair. Though ultimately he found most of his attention was drawn to her bright amber colored eyes, the coloration so potent her eyes almost glowed in a dimly lit room.
Starting to feel the burning of his own cheeks Aegis became aware of his childish thoughts and furiously shook his head. It was embarrassing and rather melancholy to think that he had developed a crush. Aegis grumbled and decided to chalk it all up to being caught in the foolish fandom that seemed to follow in Iris' wake.
Yet despite his story getting a happy ending, it came with a price. Twice during the tournament Aegis lost control of himself and succumbed to the raging sea of emotions and turmoil within his soul, causing two rather large and unflattering displays in front of thousands of spectators. Furthermore the many homeless people and the shelter's volunteers had seen the displays. So as a way to try to repay his efforts, Aegis was approached by about every person in the shelter as they were trying to get him to talk things out or other psychological therapies that they had learned or heard about.
The sentiment was heart-warming and did help Aegis feel better. In his match during the finals one of his darker memories had resurfaced after being repressed for the better half of the last five years. The painful memory of being the man who killed Noah plagued Aegis, looming over him like a black cloud. Still, he was surrounded by about a hundred supportive people, though most looked pretty rough and weren't very refined they tried to support him nonetheless.
The children began to view Aegis as some sort of all-knowing Duel Monsters expert; an avatar of the gods of the game almost. Unfortunately that implied he was the person that all the children would go to for help and advice in the game meaning the amount of solitude and privacy he had plummeted. Aegis couldn't find the heart to turn down any request from the kids, which meant he had no time to try and write something to submit to his editor. The prize money had went entirely to the homeless shelter, Aegis refused any of it based on principle which left him back to where he started in the world; homeless and without a penny to his name.
Aegis sighed again and ran his hand through his black hair slowly allowing his fingers to study the sensation of each hair as it went by his skin. He still felt rather strange knowing there was no warm velvet upon his head. Suddenly he remembered something else and turned his head to look across the room, specifically at a duffel bag he owned which was in a pile of other bags.
He had made it rather clear that he was distressed over losing his hat to Iris. Also Aegis made it rather clear that he was not in the mood to discuss his inner demons with anyone; though many people insisted that he should confine in them. So as the final act of repaying Aegis' hard work, he began to receive hats. He had received many hats that came from many places in the world, representing almost every major culture as well. Aegis didn't really want any other hat than his own as it was a matter based on principle, yet he couldn't reject the kindness either. The result was a new hat on his head everyday with a full reserve that could make a hat shop envious.
"Aegis, Aegis!" The cries of his next venture were beckoning for him. The same two children he had just tutored were racing over to his side. It was more than likely that they wanted to have a rematch with his help. Aegis could feel his face drooping and sweat forming on his forehead; he really didn't want to see another card for quite awhile.
"Now I think you've bothered Aegis long enough." Salvation came in the form of a light woman's voice. Aegis spun his head around to locate its source directly behind him, to his relief Maria had come to save him from the endless cycle.
Maria guided the children back to the lingering crowd that the last game produced. Aegis breathed out a sigh of relief, muttering an utterance of gratitude to some greater force which saw fit to spare him. Maria returned to Aegis' spot on the floor and crouched down to be level with him.
"Are you doing alright today, Aegis?" Maria was one of the few people who still tried to make him talk about what troubled him during his matches. Aegis appeared slightly uncomfortable, feeling smothered by the constant worrying but he told himself it was because he was important to someone else in the world.
"Yes. Just a bit tired." Aegis cracked a smile and chuckled. Still the reaction didn't please Maria, her smile fading into a frown. Whenever Maria made that face at him it felt like someone had jabbed a corkscrew into his heart and gave it a good twist. Somewhere along the way she perfected the art of pouting and invoking guilt in her audience, able to radiate a child-like aura with baby blue eyes.
"Really, I'm alright! I just need to get to writing, that's all." Aegis waved his hands around aimlessly in a bid to relieve his guilty conscience. Maria's expression lightened up slightly and she nodded her head, the corkscrew unwinding itself slightly.
"You're still retired I take it?" Maria inquired curiously. Aegis paused for a moment and nodded his head.
"I won the prize money, the shelter is open and now I fade back into obscurity while writing for my livelihood. That's good enough for me." Aegis' explanation had caused the corkscrew in his chest to drill into his heart as Maria appeared heavily troubled by his statement.
"That's so sad, Aegis!" Maria sounded as distressed as she looked. Aegis recoiled across the floor with a hand out to try and halt her before she could fire off into a lecture which would batter his conscience like a blender. Suddenly his back struck something that Aegis swore was not there before. Maria took notice of what had happened and got back on her feet, looking suspiciously past Aegis and at whatever he bumped into.
Aegis turned his head around to find himself staring at a pair of legs wearing nicely ironed black dress pants; apparently he had bumped into a person. He moved away from the stranger and then pushed off the floor to stand up and get a chance to evaluate the new face.
It was a man that Aegis encountered, wearing a standard business suit with a red tie. The man was middle-age, thinning black hair and beady brown eyes, a natural ringer for the white-collar business man working an eight to five job.
"Aegis Hallow?" The man spoke in a rather solemn voice that seemed to be a bit exasperated.
"Who wants to know?" Aegis tried his best to play dumb, though it was more than likely the man knew exactly who he was, most of the city did.
"The mayor wants to see you in his office." The reply was curt and annoyed Aegis because of the lack of politeness. Then the meaning of the message sank into Aegis' mind causing a chain reaction of speculation in his mind. It was a rather nostalgic feeling to think of dealing with politicians. Before Aegis left the duelling community he had been a popular mascot for the city, upperclassmen all wanting him to endorse something or to cut a deal to improve sales somehow.
"Tell him I'm not interested." Aegis quickly went on the offensive with his eye narrowing and hands shoved into his pockets defiantly.
"He says it's an important issue. It has something to do with this shelter I believe…" The man didn't say it outright but as his voice trailed off it was clear that Aegis was not to be given a choice in the matter. Defeated, Aegis cursed under his breath and looked to the ground, conceding his defeat.
"Good, there is a car waiting for you outside." The messenger turned slightly and motioned to the door.
"Wait, I'm going with you too." Maria leapt back into the conversation with fierce determination. "If it has something to do with this shelter than someone from here should go too!" The man appeared unhappy with the additional member but Aegis had regained his fighting spirit as he folded his arms and glared at the man. The suit grunted and then nodded his head, he didn't want to keep his boss waiting.
The man turned and began to make for the door, Aegis following from a fair distance. He looked over at his travelling companion and felt slightly better. He never got used to dealing with the pressuring tactics and would often start losing ground as he was forced to listen to unreasonable requests and try to find some opening to break away.
Maria noticed the look she was receiving and returned it with a faint smile. "I figured you'd want some backup. I've heard that Mayor Winston isn't a very flexible person."
David Winston, the mayor of Spirare. Aegis was aware he had been re-elected for another term in office for his work on improving the city's infrastructure, prolonging his regime. He didn't know very much about the mayor but anyone that overspent a yearly budget and took the money out of homeless centers was going to be ranked rather low on Aegis' favorite peoples list.
As Aegis pushed open the heavy metal doors a rush of sunlight momentarily blinded him. Aegis had become accustomed to the dim fluorescent lights of the center. To avoid the media frenzy that was created after all that happened in the tournament, Aegis remained at the drop-in center where those who stayed or worked there promised to keep quiet.
Aegis squinted and grunted a little bit. With a few blinks Aegis' eye adjusted to natural light, the gentle sensation of the sun made his body ache. It was too long since he got to see the sky. That elegant sky which he came to love in his years of travel was the only constant comfort he had. Still, the bitter chill of winter was the first sign that the clear sky would leave him for many months before it returned. Slowly Aegis rose his head to look up at the afternoon's sky; grey and dreary, covered in massive clouds. There was no hint of the heaven which lay beyond it.
Pausing for a moment, Aegis reached into the inside of his trenchcoat with his right hand and felt around for a moment. Feeling the correct texture he pulled his hand out along with a hat.
"Black bowler today it looks." With a tiny smirk at the thought Aegis placed it upon his head with one hand. It just didn't feel the same.
Stepping out from the black car, Aegis and Maria found themselves standing in front of City Hall. A modern building which was shaped like a black spire with glass windows spaced out along it. The building appeared to be 15 floors tall which was impressive for a single political building. It was rather intimidating to look at, instead of some political building it was more like a headquarters for evil-Aegis paused as he ran back the last thought he had and then chuckled. Maybe there wasn't a difference after all.
"Please follow me." The man who had picked up Aegis was stiffly walking into the building with large strides. Maria frowned at the lack of courtesy being shown, Aegis sharing the same sentiment. Squeezing through the rotating doors after the suited man, Aegis began to shout for him to wait. The man grunted and looked rather displeased by the request, but halted nonetheless. The duo caught up with no further difficulty, but then they realized the scenery around them.
The interior of City Hall was brightly lit and built entirely out of marble. Aegis took a step forward and found that the ceiling above opened up and allowed one to look straight up to the very peak of the building. Each floor was circular in shape with the massive hole in the center that served no purpose than other than to be aesthetic.
"I know a few places the money they spent lavishing this place could have gone to…" Aegis growled, Maria nodding her head as well.
"Try to keep calm when we see the mayor. If it has something to do with the center then…" Maria's voice trailed off. Aegis' head cooled itself, heart and mind turning to stone to prevent any unhelpful emotions from interfering.
"I know. We worked too hard to risk the safety of the center like this." Aegis' voice was low and flat. It was time to meet the man of the hour.
The two were led into an elevator with the businessman standing in front of them with hands folded over his stomach. Simple music played for the ride to the top floor, Maria fidgeting nervously as she cleaned her glasses or adjusted her hair with the faint reflect in the polished metal walls. Aegis lazily turned an eye to the wall nearest him, catching a glimpse of his own reflection. The bowler he wore was rather strange for him. But with his attire it could pass off as normal, his trenchcoat made him appear like an aristocrat from the twenties, just lacking the monocle to place over his eye.
The elevator emitted a ding and gave a jolt as it came to the proper floor. The metal doors rolled open to a hallway with a number of doors on either side. The man strode out the door and along a red carpet placed on the ground. Aegis found that he had begun to be self-conscious of his own appearance after the reflection in the elevator. Soon he had joined Maria in the fidgeting and rapid arm motion used to remove the creases from his clothing as Maria did her best to tidy up her hair.
As they did their preparations on the move Aegis became aware of how close they were to the railing that prevented one from falling to the ground 15 stories below. His nerves were starting to rattle the joints in his knees and a fluttery feeling was pulling at the insides of his stomach. Finally the walking stopped, the man opening a door that read: "Mayor David Manfred Winston". For whatever reason, Aegis couldn't help but feel repulsed at the name fore it caused him to remember the smug James Raven. Regardless Aegis didn't show his disgust and just kept it bottled up for another time.
The suit motioned for the two to enter, Maria entering the mayor's room first with Aegis still a bit apprehensive. The mayor's room was furnished with oak furniture, book cases and photos of a redheaded young man shaking the hand of or standing next to other men and women. A few meters away from the door was the mayor's desk, covered in papers and with a gold name plate that just reiterated the man's name.
Sitting in a nice leather chair sat the mayor. A rather youthful looking man who was in his forties that kept himself in rather good shape. Wearing the same business suit as the man that sent for Aegis, had he not known better the man in the chair would be lumped into the same category of being a simple white-collar. The really only differentiating feature the man had was bright red hair which was gelled into place.
"You're quite hard to find, Mister Hallow." Mayor Winston spoke with a smooth, almost charismatic voice. Aegis frowned at being addressed formally, a conditioned response from the duel with James.
"After that tournament I know the papers have been hunting high and low for you." The mayor appeared to be amused at the idea for whatever reason. Aegis slowly walked forward towards the desk.
"You see I noticed that one of the shelters was still with power while driving through the city a few days ago. So on a hunch…Well, the rest is history. Sit down, Mister Hallow." Mayor Winston motioned to a chair off to the side in front of his desk, Aegis silently seating himself. Aegis then looked back to see that Maria was left standing awkwardly by the door. The mayor noticed the unhappy look on Aegis' face and then motioned for her to sit down in a chair on the other side of his desk. Still, the act didn't improve Aegis' opinion of the man before him.
"What did you want with me?" Aegis response was curter than he intended and instantly caused a frown on his host's face. Maria looked nervous at the awkward silence that proceeded after. The mayor leaned forward and rested his elbows on his desk; arms folded and look at Aegis very carefully with his emerald eyes.
"You know of the Millennium Tournament I assume?" Mayor Winston spoke slyly, narrowing his eyes slightly as Aegis did his best to conceal his reaction.
The Millennium Tournament was as prestigious as the Olympics. The tournament was held once every 4 years like its athletic counterpart, calling thousands of duelists from all corners of the globe. Only the best would have the ability to enter for a chance at being declared the best in the world. The winner would then be immortalized in dueling history and embellished with enough money to never work a single day for the rest of their lives.
Aegis didn't mention it because it was rather embarrassing, but he had always dreamed of winning the Millennium tournament. It was a childish dream that many duelists had, but only a few would ever come close to even being considered for an invitation. Even with the bad feelings around dueling, a chance at the Millennium Tournament was therapeutic in itself, casting aside the torment around his cards and their previous owner.
"Yes, of course you've heard of the tournament. Well you see it will begin in a month in Europe." The mayor smiled as Aegis' face lit up. A million radical ideas were coursing through his mind with blinding speed, but they were all focused around him walking into the stadium of the biggest tournament in the world. Just entertaining the thought fired something up in Aegis' heart, the urge to scream and shout with all his strength just to burn off the overflowing energy was hard to suppress.
"Originally James Raven was to represent Spirare. But after seeing Aegis Hallow returning to the world of Duel Monsters, and beating our representative and tying with the favoured Iris Lifian…Well, you could imagine what a man in my position would do." Mayor Winston leaned back in his chair, reclining as he watched Aegis struggle to remain stoic, a broad smile curling his lips upwards against his will.
"So what does this have to do with the drop-in center?" Maria spoke up quickly before Aegis could respond. It was probably for the best as his head was in no condition to make an informed decision. The mayor looked bored as he redirected his eyes to Maria.
"Well if for whatever reason Aegis were to refuse…Knowing that the center can be self-sufficient I feel that the occupants should pay for all the fees of operation and not just some of the utilities." Maria was startled to hear such words coming from the mayor's mouth. Even Aegis' euphoria was cut short when he heard the threat.
"That is only if Aegis were to refuse. But you don't, do you?" Aegis nodded his head rather jerkily. The way the mayor so easily wrote off the shelter was keeping Aegis head from floating off into another fantasy. He decided it was for the best in his situation, he needed to be aware of any possible clauses or fine prints that could tie his hands into something he couldn't get away from.
"But only if you keep the shelter open." Aegis got an idea and decided to run with it. "I want the shelter to be turned into a proper homeless shelter that can provide for the people there. Not some abandoned building that will get torn down in a few months." Aegis wasn't sure if had overstepped a boundary as Mayor Winston remained dead silent after the demand.
"If you can place in the top twenty-five percent, and beat out Mister Raven in the standings, then I will consider it." David looked over his nose at Aegis. He wasn't happy with the condition as it would be extremely difficult for him to place so high, but there would be no choice but to accept.
"Yeah, deal…So James is still entering?" The unpleasant taste left by the name was something along the lines of battery acid.
"Of course. Even if you beat him it would be unreasonable to reduce the number of duelists coming from Spirare." Mayor Winston seemed amused by the rivalry unfolding before his eyes. Aegis frowned at the news, but it did make perfect sense.
"Stay put, Mister Hallow. In a week I will send someone to pick you up and take you to the airport. Then they will escort you to the tournament site and a place you will stay for the tournament. In the meantime I suggest you prepare yourself. If you can use that Death card of yours I'm certain you can bring home the title to Spirare." Aegis flinched at the mention of the card. The idea of entering the Millennium Tournament wasn't enough to keep his fear from clutching his heart. Still, Aegis resolved to overcome his terror, in the end it was no more than a card.
Aegis nodded his head obediently and looked to his companion. Maria appeared unhappy, but able to accept the situation. Mayor Winston extended his right hand to Aegis; apprehensively he extended his metal clad hand in return. With a firm shake the deal was sealed and Aegis could feel the giddy joy sink in; he was going to get his chance at winning the Millennium Tournament.
A loud crack suddenly shattered the moment. The door to the mayor's office had been smashed apart, half of the door on the ground with the rest still just barely hanging on its hinges. With another swift kick the remaining piece joined its brother on the carpeted floor.
Standing in the doorway a young teenage boy was glaring angrily at the trio. He appeared to be around 18 years of age, rather tall by most standards actually. He wore faded blue jeans with a ripped and torn jean jacket to go with it. A top a youthful head was a mess of pointy dark brown hair that appeared to never have known the teeth to a comb. The boy's eyes were narrowed dangerously, glints of crimson peeking out from his eyelids.
"Mayor Winston! You're not hiding behind your secretaries and your meetings anymore!" The man raged, behind him the suit who had escorted Aegis and Maria to the office lay on the ground groaning. Aegis flinched when he looked into the face of the youth, his muscles seizing up and his stomach twisting around itself. His body became numb and he began to sink into the folds of his chair to try and avoid being spotted.
The mayor stood up from his chair and hastily intercepted the teenager in his advancement forward.
"So you're Vincent? That boy who has been protesting the plans to demolish that dilapidated nursing home in favor for a new highway? The boy that has been sending my office angry letters for the last month and has been harassing my employees?" The mayor was unfazed by the display of sheer brute force the youth possessed. Striding within a foot of the boy as he glared at him coldly.
"That's right! I know that you're just forcing them out to some trashy apartment down the street! Why do you even have to waste time with some stupid road when you're messing up the lives of other people?!" Vincent didn't appear worried or like he even cared about the power the man before him had. He raged on regardless, arms waving in the air and spit flying out of his mouth.
"The matter is already settled, I've made it perfectly clear already that the senior citizens are alright with the plans. Now I will ask you to leave politely before I have you escorted out by force. As you are not aware, I was in the middle of concluding business with quite a prominent man." Mayor Winston dismissed Vincent with ease, an almost practiced speech which could siphon the fighting spirit out of anyone.
Vincent growled angrily, almost looking like a caged wolf. Aegis shut his eyes tightly during the exchange, hoping that he would go unnoticed. However what the mayor had said made Vincent curious, as a result he looked up towards the desk with the two unsettled people still seated in the chairs around it. Maria appeared rather frightened at the boy, especially considering how he entered. Then his eyes found their way to Aegis as he was pressing himself into the folds of the seat to try and hide.
"YOU!" Aegis knew it was over. His body gave up its attempts at vanishing into thin air, the feelings of dread and guilt cleaving through every fibre of his body.
Vincent brushed past the mayor and made a dash at Aegis' seat. Without any input from his empty brain, Aegis' body lifted itself off the chair and turned to face Vincent's charge. Though he saw the motion before it even began he did nothing to halt it, a terrifyingly strong right hook connecting with the side of his head. Aegis' vision was instantly shattered, his whole body being taken off the ground for an instant and sent crumbling against the mayor's mahogany desk, knocking papers and pens to the floor.
Maria flew to Aegis' side, sitting him against the desk where his head simply flopped around to either side for a moment, the bowler hat lying at his feet.
"I will not have you assaulting anymore people, security!" The mayor shot into the hallway and shouted for assistance, the noise of footsteps stomping along the floor as they approached the office.
Vincent stood over Aegis, glaring down at him with eyes burning from hatred. Maria moved his lifeless body away from the vicious man; she wanted to fight back but was too afraid to do so.
"Well?! Got anything to say to me, Hallow?!" Vincent was fed up with the lack of a response and roared at the man so loudly it caused some of the picture frames to rattle. "I heard that you were back, it made me furious. I was much happier thinking you just went and died. So why is it a loser like you is seeing the mayor?" Even though Vincent's voice became quieter it was still saturated with his fury.
Aegis remained motionless, for a moment Maria believed he was unconscious until she noticed his dark brown eye was still open and blinked occasionally. Though he had suffered a heavy blow from his attacker it appeared Aegis was not too badly hurt. Yet he remained silent, not even putting up a fight; thus Maria decided she would try on his behalf.
"Aegis is not a loser! He's even going to the Millennium Tournament next month!" Maria regretted raising her voice when she was on the receiving end of Vincent's hateful gaze.
"You?! Someone as worthless as you?!" Vincent's next verbal beating was cut short as two large men rushed in, grabbing each of his arms and lifting him off the ground. Vincent fought against the men, legs kicking wildly as his head whipped from side to side.
"Get rid of this delinquent! He's caused enough trouble; throw him into jail for all I care!" Mayor Winston appeared undignified for not kicking Vincent out immediately. However the men had difficulty in holding him back, Vincent getting a grip on the floor with his feet and able to hold his position for a moment.
"HALLOW! Duel me right now! A person like you is totally worthless! I will send you back to hiding like the rat you are! I will make it perfectly clear that you are unfit to even think of the Millennium Tournament, AEGIS HALLOW!!" Vincent's efforts at breaking free redoubled for an instant, but were ultimately overpowered. Slowly Vincent was being led out of the room. Aegis had not given a response, yet the gears in his mind were slowly ticking away.
There was no logical reason to accept such a challenge. By accepting the duel he could very well be shown to be incompetent if a simple thing as a bad hand befell him. There was no reason to accept. It was Aegis' dream to compete in the Millennium Tournament; the city would even sponsor him to compete. There was no reason to accept. If he did well in the tournament it would also mean establishing a permanent shelter for the homeless where hundreds would be safe from the cold and be able to find food. There was no reason to accept.
"I accept." Aegis finally spoke. His voice was gritty and barely more than a whisper, but the second he parted his lips Vincent stopped struggling. The men restraining him looked to the mayor for an answer. Mayor Winston shook his head and rolled his shoulders slightly.
"I'm not the victim here, he is. If Mister Hallow will humor this child then I'll allow it. Ten minutes from now you can have this duel on the main floor. I will be watching you, Aegis." The mayor appeared to have had enough of the madness and left the room, his security guards leaving with Vincent in tow.
For a long time Aegis sat against the wooden desk, Maria next to him shocked to hear him accept such a challenge. She wondered if it was caused by arrogance, yet from how Aegis looked it was a horrendously wrong guess. Aegis' shoulders slumped, his arms lying at each side like noodles. He had yet to even raise his head and was staring at his stomach ever since he was struck.
"Aegis…Why on earth did you say yes?" Maria was desperately trying to find an answer to the reckless behavior. Still Aegis remained motionless, but finally gave a shake of his head after a minute.
"I said I owed you one story. So I'll make it this one." Aegis spoke slowly, more remorseful than he usually did. Carefully he stood up with some support from Maria; the stinging in his cheek was causing a dull pain to ache throughout the bone in his face that made it difficult to focus his mind. Carefully Aegis began to walk towards the door, Maria following closely behind him.
The floor was empty, the mayor and associates were long gone and probably either looking for a duel-disk or some way to keep their intruder in check for the upcoming duel. The sound of their footsteps echoed throughout the area as they approached the elevator doors. Aegis sighed heavily, shook his head and then raised his head up enough so he could look back at Maria.
"Five years ago I was caught up in a dispute between the people in an apartment complex and this corporation." Aegis's voice was barely more than a low growling, his shame causing the low vibrations in his vocal chords. "This company had bought the land the apartment was built on; they were going to tear down the complex so a new branch of the company could be built."
Aegis paused to board the elevator, Maria sliding in after him. She looked over at the man for a moment, his hand pulling down the top of his hat so as to cover his face.
"You don't know this about me, but I did a lot of charity work in my dueling career. So…They called me in to try and use my reputation to sway the debate." A cold chill went down his spine and spread out to the extremities of his body. "Well, the guy who attacked me lived in that building, Vincent Vesarius."
"So…What happened?" Maria made sure to stop Aegis' spiral of self-loathing before it went too far. He snapped out of his trance and shook his head roughly. Sluggishly Aegis looked over at Maria and studied her face with his milky silver right eye which peeked out through the separated bangs of hair.
"In the end we made a bet. If I did some endorsements for the company and then won a local tournament being held a week later, then the apartment complex wouldn't be demolished." Another sigh and a heave of his shoulders. "Well, something happened the week before that tournament and…I never went. I abandoned them." Silence filled the room after Aegis finished his story. Maria was somewhat shocked to hear Aegis' sin, a few floating ideas coming together and filling in holes in other explanations she wanted.
"Is that why you duelled in the tournament last week? Because you didn't last time?" Maria was rather hesitant in asking, for whatever reason she didn't feel like she wanted to know the reason.
"I'd be lying if I said that wasn't part of the reason…" Aegis looked away from his companion and to the ground. His eyes fell to the carpeted floor of the elevator, he was revealed, and he knew how hideous he really was.
"Later I heard that apartment and even the neighbourhood around it was levelled and built over top of. In that respect I can understand why Vincent hates me so much." Aegis remembered the young boy's face back then. It was about the same time of year when the incident occurred. Five years ago Aegis was 17, yet he proudly tried to carry as much of the world on his shoulders even then.
The memory of a few hundred men and women standing outside of the apartment in the cold autumn weather, waiting for him and Noah to arrive that afternoon. They were greeted by the superintendent of the building, the situation explained to them in great detail as they stood around the two men. Noah laughed and gave Aegis a slap on the back, throwing his arm around his shoulder in the process. Noah declared that the apartment building would be standing until the end of time; and that Aegis would be the one who ensured it.
Feeling the power of the moment he agreed wholeheartedly and began to cheer with everyone. Then a little 13 year-old boy came out of the crowd and felt so grateful that he even gave him a hug. Aegis was taken aback by the gesture, feeling rather embarrassed. The boy looked up at him with big red eyes and thanked him profusely for working so hard to save the home he had grown up in. Aegis nodded his head and then spoke the words that would forever seal his fate.
"I will protect everyone!"
And then…
Aegis' world crumbled just days later, the life-shattering incident that had cost Noah his life would strike a mere three days after those words were uttered.
In the process Aegis had forgotten about the promise he made to the young Vincent. Over the years his failure had left its mark on Vincent. It was horrible to see the face of his past return and haunt him. Yet, it seemed inevitable, it was destined.
The elevator dinged as the occupants reached the main floor, two metal doors sliding apart to allow them off. Maria placed a hand on Aegis' shoulder, stopping his mindless marching forward.
"Aegis, are you sure about this?" She was probably worried for the sake of the shelter as well as his own sake, he thought. Aegis searched his mind for an answer, finding none there he devilled into his heart, yet nothing would come to him.
"We're going to find out." Aegis' reply was the only truthful answer he could give. He began walking forward once more, emerging from the shadow cast by the floor above it. All around him people had gathered from the upper floors and were leaning off the ledges to stare down at the circular ground below. Aegis removed the bowler hat he wore and placed it into his jacket.
Maria broke off from Aegis and took a spot next to a pillar where Aegis would duel. Mayor Winston had taken to an aerial seat, standing on the floor above the duelists. Aegis armed his duel-disk, the blade shooting out and glowing.
"This is for the sake of my dream! I…Even I won't give up this chance!"
With great difficulty and dread he brought his head up and finally let his healthy eye rest on Vincent. Years of anger and hatred towards him had bore fruit to the man before him. His jacket alone told a tale of street fights and rough nights spent out late doing lord knows what. His red eyes had turned vicious; they made Aegis' blood halt, his heart stopping and never restarting. The child that once gave him a hug had turned into a soldier. On his arm he had a standard issue duel-disk that was armed long before Aegis arrived. Vincent held the device as if it were a rifle in his hands.
"So this is what happens when you run away from the past for so long. It finds you with a vengeance."
"Hallow, you still remember me, you loser?!" Vincent wasted no time in continuing where he left off. Aegis had no words left in him, instead he stared blankly forward. "That's what I thought! Fine, it's time I send you back to hiding for another five years!"
"A debt made by cards must be settled with cards…"
(Vincent: 8000 Aegis: 8000)
