Yu-Gi-Oh! DT

by dtaoa

This is an original story with OCs and original cards that takes place a century after Yu-Gi-Oh! 5d's. Eric Lambert is a duelist who dreamed of becoming a professional duelist until his fateful encounter with an evil organization. With the help of new friends, Eric joins the battle to save the earth, discovering his own self-identify and unveiling a sinister plot with dark roots.

8. Chapter 8

Yu-Gi-Oh! D.T.

Chapter 8: Overwhelming Darkness, Rise of the Crescent Moon

November 26, 3050 5:34 PM

The man in the black cloak sat quietly on his black duel runner, observing a blonde, muscular-looking duelist. He had been stalking the man for several hours, waiting for him to engage in a duel so that he could confirm his suspicions. The man in black raised an eyebrow as the blonde duelist parked his duel runner in front of a small warehouse and walked inside. Counting for five minutes, the man in black dismounted his duel runner and walked towards the house, peeking inside the window to observe what was happening. He smiled at what he saw. As his source had predicted, the blonde duelist was the owner of the Signer Dragon Red Dragon Archfiend, as made apparent by the large holographic monster that stood levitating inside the room. Apparently, he was dueling someone, probably someone he knew since he had access to the warehouse. Shifting his eyes towards the blonde duelist's opponent, the man in black was shocked to see yet another Signer Dragon, Black-Winged Dragon, standing opposite its red-colored foe. His smile grew even wider as he realized that he was presented with the perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. Not even allowing them to finish their duel, the man in black kicked down the door and challenged both to a two vs. one duel, stating the condition that the losing party would surrender their rarest cards. Of course, the two easily accepted after the man offered both of the Signer Dragons he had previously collected. Several minutes later, the man in black exited the warehouse holding four legendary cards in his hand.

November 26, 3050 5:47 PM

Both Eric and Conundrum pulled back on their throttles, causing their duel runners to travel forward down the TD Lane. Eric had always expected to be excited about his first turbo duel, but his opponent stripped him of whatever pleasure he might have had. His frustration was increased by the fact that Conundrum had handily beaten him to the holographic finish line that determined who would make the first move. It was then that he remembered this wasn't a regular duel. It was a turbo duel, bound by different rules in a different world.

(Both players gain 1 Speed Counter each Standby Phase. A player can activate the following effects during their Main Phase: remove 4 counters to deal 800 points of damage to your opponent for each Speed Spell in your hand, 7 counters to draw 1 card, remove 10 counters to destroy 1 card on the field)

"My turn!" Conundrum declared. (1/1) "I summon Dark Maze in defense mode!"

A black portal emerged, revealing a flat labyrinth made from stone the size of one square meter.

(Dark Maze: Level 4/DARK/Rock/ATK-0 DEF-2000/Effect: If your opponent declares an attack, they must name every card in your Graveyard. If they cannot, the attack is negated and this card gains 500 ATK)

"I set 2 cards. Turn end!"

"My turn!" Eric shouted. (2/2)

Although he disliked the fact that Conundrum had beaten him in the race for first turn, he admitted to himself that it was to be expected. Because his duel runner was made of metal, it was bound to be slower than a typical duel runner made of carbon fiber. Earlier, Gareth had taught him that giving up the first turn in a turbo duel was especially unfavorable because not only could the opponent set up their field sooner but also utilize their Speed Counters first. The only way to even the odds was to make aggressive plays.

"I summon Moonlight Boxer in attack mode!" Eric declared.

A shirtless boxer with light blue shorts and gloves descended onto the field from the sky, jogging casually beside Eric.

(Moonlight Boxer: Level 3/LIGHT/Warrior/ATK-1700 DEF-800/Effect-Once per duel, you can Special Summon a monster this card destroyed to your side of the field)

"Now," Eric said, "I activate the Speed Spell Holy Light! When I have 2 Spell Counters, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Light monster from my hand. I summon the Tuner monster Midnight Moon!"

A shining halo materialized beside Eric, creating a thin veil of light that dissipated to reveal a celestial body shimmering weakly.

(If you have 2 or more Spell Counters, you can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Light attribute monster from your hand. It is destroyed at the End Phase)

(Midnight Moon: Level 2/LIGHT/Psychic/ATK-0 DEF-0/Effect: When this card is summoned, you can Special Summon up to 2 Full Moon Tokens (Level 1/LIGHT/Psychic/ATK-0 DEF-0)

"When Midnight Moon is summoned," Eric explained, "two Full Moon Tokens are Special Summoned."

The small moon emitted two orbs of light which transformed into smaller moons.

"I'm tuning level 2 Midnight Moon with my two level 1 Full Moon Tokens and level 3 Moonlight Boxer," Eric said. "The shining moon guides all to greatness. Glisten brightly in your quest! Synchro Summon! Arise, Everbright Enchanter!"

Midnight Moon dematerialized into two golden rings while the other three monsters transformed into orbs of light, aligning horizontally between the rings. Suddenly, a thick beam of light burst through the rings, illuminating the night sky and revealing Eric's staff-wielding sorceress.

(Everbright Enchanter: Level 7/LIGHT/Spellcaster/ATK-2600 DEF-2000/Effect: When this card is Synchro Summoned, return all removed from play monsters back to their owner's Graveyard. This card gains 100 ATK for each monster in the Graveyard)

"Everbright Enchanter gains 100 ATK for each monster in the Graveyard," Eric explained. "I have 2 monsters in my Graveyard so my monster's ATK becomes 2800. Everbright Enchanter, attack Dark Maze! Shining Beam of Radiance!"

"Dark Maze's effect activates," Conundrum countered. "When you attack, you have to name every card in my Graveyard or else the attack is negated and my monster gains 500 ATK."

"But there are no cards in your Graveyard," said a puzzled Eric.

"Not yet," Conundrum grinned. "I activate my Trap card Unknown Tribute. I discard 2 cards from my hand face down."

(Send 2 cards from your hand to your Graveyard face down)

"Discarding cards face down!" Eric exclaimed. "I've never seen an effect like that before!"

"That's because Unknown Tribute is a super rare card," Conundrum boasted. "It's not surprising for an amateur like you to have never heard of it."

"Damn you," Eric cursed.

"Now," Conundrum chuckled, "you can't attack because you don't know those 2 cards in my Graveyard. But that's not all. My monster gains 500 ATK!"

As the robed sorcerer unleashed a wave of light from her crystal staff, the energy was absorbed by Dark Maze, which grew a little in size. (Dark Maze: 500 ATK)

"I set 1 card," Eric said through gritted teeth. "Turn end."

"My turn," said Conundrum with a crooked grin. (3/3) "I set 1 card. Turn end."

"My turn!" Eric shouted, annoyed by his opponent's passive play. (4/4)

Eric's eyes widened as he was caught off guard by the sudden acceleration of his duel runner. He tightened his grip on the handles as his machine blasted forward, the wind slamming against his face until his duel runner drove at a constant speed seconds later. It was then that he remembered what Gareth had told him about duel runners speeding up when their Speed Counters reached certain numbers. Just then, his Speed Counters reached four, a critical number, so his duel runner moved faster. Although Eric was taken by surprise, this aspect of turbo dueling had also reminded him that he could use Speed World 2's effect.

"If I can't attack," Eric grinned, "I can still deal damage. I activate Speed World 2's effect. I remove 4 counters to deal you 800 points of damage for each Speed Spell in my hand. I have 1 so you take 800!"

"I activate the Continuous Trap Dark Fog in the Maze," Conundrum chuckled. "As long as Dark Maze is on my field, its effect works for effect damage too."

"What?" Eric gasped.

He watched in agitation as a bolt of lightning was shot from his duel runner, only to be absorbed by the maze which grew to double its original size. Eric fell behind his opponent as his Speed Counters dropped back to zero. (0/4) (Dark Maze: 1000 ATK)

(If Dark Maze is on your side of the field, your opponent must name every card in your Graveyard to deal effect damage. If they did not, negate the damage and increase Dark Maze's ATK by 500)

This is bad, Eric thought. This guy knows the ins and outs of a turbo duel, while this is my first time playing one. And not just that, the psychological stress of falling behind him and dealing with the rough wind in my face is really disorienting. I can't think straight.

"What's wrong?" Conundrum taunted. "Is this how a 'real duelist' plays?"

"I summon the Tuner monster Vanishing Moon in defense mode," Eric growled, continuing his turn.

Another bright moon-like sphere appeared on the field, bobbing up and down beside its master.

(Vanishing Moon: Level 1/LIGHT/Psychic/ATK-1000 DEF-100/Effect: You can discard this card from your hand to have one of your opponent's monsters lose 1000 ATK and 1 level. If you do, Special Summon this card to your side of the field in attack position on your next Battle Phase)

Even if I can't do anything right now, Eric thought, I'll believe in the power of my cards. And right now, I need the one card I believe in most!

"I'm tuning my level 1 Vanishing Moon with my level 7 Everbright Enchanter," Eric declared. "The shining moon guides all to greatness. Glisten brightly in your shining grace! Synchro Summon! Ignite, Moonstar Dragon!"

The enchanter condensed into a ball of dense energy while the moon inserted itself in between, forming an egg-like structure. Slowly but surely, the structure rotated at an increasing rate until it formed a shining sphere that released photons of light like fireworks. In one enormous burst, the light exploded brightly enough to blind both duelists. When they opened their eyes once more, what stood floating on Eric's field was a gigantic white dragon, sparkling beautifully with glitter and moondust.

(Moonstar Dragon: Level 8/LIGHT/Dragon/ATK-2600 DEF-3000/Effect: You can remove this card from play to Special Summon a monster from your Graveyard. It gains the ATK and DEF of this card. On your 2nd Standby Phase after you activate this effect, Special Summon this card)

"Moonstar Dragon!" Conundrum exclaimed. "You have a Nature Dragon!"

"This is my ace monster," Eric said boldly. "It's the symbol of my deck."

"If you have a Nature Dragon," Conundrum frowned, "I might have to try a little harder."

"You're going to have to try a lot harder than that if you want to take down my ace,"
Eric boasted.

"Whatever," Conundrum scoffed. "You see it as your ace. I see it as a one-way road to promotion. Who knows? Maybe I'll be made a Dark Chaser general!"

"General?" Eric asked. "Isn't that the highest rank? How could someone like you become a general?"

"I'm not too far off," Conundrum chuckled. "I'm already a captain, the second highest rank. If I can strengthen my deck a little bit, I could probably beat my general and take his spot."

"If someone like you is a captain," Eric smiled, "then a general must not be that strong."

"Someone like me?" Conundrum smirked as he drew for his turn. (1/5) "I'll make you eat those words by showing you just how strong I am. I set 1 card and end my turn."

Ending his turn just like that? Eric said to himself. So much for making me eat my words. He's probably just trying to bait me into using up my resources while his monster keeps getting stronger. Oh well. I guess I'll build up my attack force while I wait for a card that can break his strategy.

"My turn," Eric said. (2/6) "I discard Moonlight Condenser to Special Summon Moonlight Viking from my hand!"

An orb of light blinked onto the field and disappeared as Eric's viking monster descended from the sky and consumed it.

(Moonlight Condenser: Level 1/LIGHT/Spellcaster/ATK-0 DEF-0/Effect: If you are about to take effect damage, you can remove this card from play from your Graveyard to negate the damage and destroy one monster on the field)

(Moonlight Viking: Level 5/LIGHT/Warrior/ATK-2200 DEF-300/Effect: You can discard 1 card from your hand to Special Summon this card from your hand. If you do, you cannot summon another monster this turn)

"You fell for it!" Conundrum cackled. "I activate the Continuous Trap Special Maze Mist! I discard 1 card face down to activate its effect. When you summon a monster, you have to name every card in my Graveyard or else your Special Summon is negated, your monster is destroyed, and Dark Maze gains 500 ATK!"

(Discard 1 card face down to your Graveyard. If Dark Maze is on your side of the field, your opponent must name every card in your Graveyard to Special Summon a monster. If they did not, the summoning is negated and the monster is destroyed. Dark Maze gains 500 ATK if this occurs)

Moonlight Viking was shrouded by a mass of smoke released by Dark Maze. However, as the smoke cleared, the axe-wielding warrior was nowhere to be seen. (Dark Maze: 1500 ATK)

"How do you like that?" Conundrum taunted, laughing like a hyena. "Now, I've sealed your attacks, effect damage, and even your Special Summons!"

"God damn it!" Eric shouted, slamming his fist on his duel runner.

"It's my turn!" shouted Conundrum eagerly. (3/7)

As his Speed Counters reached seven, his duel runner sped up, further increasing the gap between him and Eric.

"I summon Hidden Sacrifice General in attack mode!"

A masked man dressed in a green military uniform descended onto the field, running alongside its master.

(Hidden Sacrifice General: Level 1/DARK/Fiend/ATK-0 DEF-0/Effect: You can return this card to your hand to send 1 card from your deck to the Graveyard face down)

"I activate its effect," Conundrum stated. "I return it to my hand to send a card from my deck to the grave face down."

In less than a second, the general disappeared from the field while Conundrum inserted a card into his Graveyard.

Sending more face-down cards to the grave? Eric thought. What exactly are you planning?

"Turn end," Conundrum declared.

"My turn," Eric said, bracing himself as his duel runner accelerated once more. (4/8) "I activate the Speed Spell Energy Collect. When I have 4 Speed Counters, I can draw 1 card and discard one from my hand."

(If you have 4 or more Speed Counters, you can draw 1 card and discard 1 card from your hand to your Graveyard)

Eric silently accomplished the task he explained.

"Next," he continued, "I activate my Trap card Moon's Ray of Giving. This lets me discard 1 card to draw a card for each card on your field. You have three cards so I can draw three times."

As he had just explained, Eric discarded a card and pulled three cards from the top of his deck.

(You can discard 1 card from your hand to draw 1 card for each card on your opponent's side of the field)

"I set 2 cards," Eric said. "By the effect of the Dense Moon I discarded earlier, I gain 300 Life Points on my End Phase."

Yellow glitter rained from the sky, showering Eric with warm light. (4300/4000)

(Dense Moon: Level 2/LIGHT/Psychic/ATK-100 DEF-200/Effect-If this card is in your Graveyard during your End Phase, you gain 300 Life Points)

"My turn," said Conundrum. (5/9) "If you're not going to do anything, then I will! I activate the Speed Spell Magnetic Pulse! I add one Speed Spell from my deck to my hand for every three Speed Counters I have. I have nine Speed Counters so I add three Speed Spells!"

Conundrum pressed the button above his deck holder, causing it to scan his deck for the cards he desired, eject them into his hand, and shuffle his deck.

(If you have at least 3 Speed Counters, you can add 1 Speed Spell from your deck to your hand for every three Speed Counters you have)

"I activate the effect of Speed World 2!" Conundrum yelled excitedly. "I remove 4 counters to deal you 2400 points of damage!"

"I activate my Trap card Damage Reverse!" Eric countered. "This reflects the damage back at you!"

(All effect damage you would take this turn is dealt to your opponent instead)

"I activate the effect of Dark Fog in the Maze!" Conundrum countered again. "The effect damage is negated and Dark Maze gains 500 ATK!"

Lightning raised from Conundrum's duel runner into the sky, arching backwards to strike Eric. However, a protective barrier surrounded him, redirecting the attack at Conundrum, who redirected the lightning once more towards Dark Maze. Conundrum's duel runner decelerated until he and Eric were side by side. (5/5) (Dark Maze: 2000 ATK)

"Turn end," Conundrum declared.

"I see," Eric smiled, "so that's your strategy. You plan on using your Dark Maze setup to stall while you collect Speed Spells to deal me damage via Speed World 2. And even if I manage to negate effect damage, your Dark Maze will eventually gain enough ATK to defeat my monsters."

"Not bad for a newbie," Conundrum chuckled. "But just because you know my strategy doesn't mean you can beat me!"

"We'll see," Eric grinned as he drew a card. (6/6) "I summon the Tuner monster Lunar Wing in defense mode. When Lunar Wing is summoned, I can draw a card!"

A shining portal appeared beside Eric, invoking a silver-winged bird, crouching inside a nest while keeping up with Eric's duel runner. Eric plucked the top card from his deck as per Lunar Wing's effect.

(Lunar Wing: Level 1/LIGHT/Winged-Beast/ATK-0 DEF-0/Effect-When this card is Normal Summoned, you can draw 1 card)

"I activate Speed World 2's effect," Eric declared. "I remove 4 counters to deal you 800 points of damage for this Speed Spell in my hand!"

"I have no idea why you still try," Conundrum laughed. "I activate Dark Fog in the Maze! The damage is negated and Dark Maze gains 500 ATK!"

Eric shot lightning from his duel runner at Conundrum, only to have it absorbed by an ever-growing Dark Maze, now the size of a church door. Eric's duel runner fell behind after losing his Speed Counters. (2/6)(Dark Maze: 2500 ATK)

"I set 1 card," Eric said. "Turn end. By Dense Moon's effect, I gain 300 Life Points."

Once more, sparkles descended from the sky, increasing Eric's Life Points. (4600/4000)

"My turn!" Conundrum declared, his duel runner zooming forward. (3/7) "I summon Hidden Sacrifice General!"

The masked general descended upon the field once more, jogging leisurely beside Conundrum.

"I activate its effect," Conundrum declared. "I return it to my hand to send a face-down card from my deck to my Graveyard!"

The general disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, returning to Conundrum's hand as he milled another card from his deck.

"Now," Conundrum smiled, "I activate the effect of Speed World 2! I remove 4 Speed Counters to deal you 2400 damage for these three Speed Spells in my hand!"

Eric had something he could protect himself with, but knowing the aggressive plays his opponent made, he concluded that he should save it for a more dire situation. Thinking that he had Life Points to spare, Eric did not resist. However, he soon regretted his decision. When the lightning arched backwards and struck him, Eric winced as his vision blurred and his duel runner spun out of control. He screamed as the light combined with the wind blasting in his face to completely disorient him, making his duel runner zigzag wildly. He felt like he could die at any moment.

However, in the midst of this chaos, Eric noticed something strange. Although he was struck hard, he felt no malice from his opponent's attack, only feelings of rage mixed with sadness. From the way he laughed when he tore the other duelist's cards, Eric had only thought of Conundrum as a sadistic bully, but in this duel, he saw something deeper within him. Once Eric regained his vision, he gripped the side handles firmly, stabilizing himself as Conundrum rejoined him at his pace. (3/3) (2200/4000)

"How's that?" Conundrum laughed. "Had enough?"

"Not yet," Eric said, huffing from his almost traumatic experience.

"You're no fun," Conundrum snickered. "I set 1 card. Turn end."

"My turn," Eric declared, his eyes widening as he glanced at the card he drew. (4/4) "I see. So this is what it means."

"What are you mumbling about?" Conundrum cackled. "Trying to stall your inevitable defeat? It's no use."

"We'll see about that," Eric retorted. "Moonstar Dragon, attack Dark Maze with Emanating Pulsar!"

"Go ahead and try," Conundrum smirked. "You can't scratch me."

The lustrous white dragon amassed a large number of photons at its mouth, collecting them to form a shining sphere of energy. Chucking its head forward, it unleashed a stream of dazzling light at Dark Maze, who only absorbed the energy and grew even larger in size. (Dark Maze: 3000 ATK)

"See?" Conundrum laughed. "You just wasted your turn again!"

"No," Eric said. "This will be your final turn. At my End Phase, Dense Moon will increase my Life Points by 300."

Sparkling light rained from the sky for the third time, replenishing Eric's Life Points. (2500/4000)

"You're right," Conundrum snickered as he drew a card (5/5), "For once, I agree with you. It will be my final turn because I will finish you off now! I activate the effect of Speed World 2! I remove 4 Speed Counters to deal you 2400 damage for these 3 Speed Spells in my hand!"

Once more, Eric braced himself as he took the full strike of Conundrum's lightning. Although he was still knocked off balance by the attack, he managed to stabilize his vehicle faster this time, having already received the attack once. Again, he could have used his set card to protect himself from this fatal blow which left him 100 Life Points from defeat. However, he chose not to. He had taken this attack to see once more what it was that he felt from Conundrum. As he recovered from the assault, Eric had confirmed his suspicions, realizing that it felt no different from the first one, still full of fury and sorrow. (5/1) (100/4000)

"What the hell are you smiling for?" Conundrum barked. "You're supposed to be crying! I'm beating the crap out of you!"

"Because I know you're not just some barbaric douchebag," Eric said.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Conundrum spat.

"I know that you hold a lot of anger inside of you," Eric said. "And for whatever happened to you, you're trying to make yourself feel better by making other people feel the same pain you felt."

"You don't know anything about me," Conundrum grunted in irritation.

"I don't know exactly what you went through," Eric remarked. "But I do know that you're not inherently evil. You ran into some bad people who turned you into a bad person by doing bad things to you. I know it was unfair for you to have to go through something like that, but what you're doing isn't the answer. It's because you saw the ugly side of life that being a good person is all the more important."

"Good?" Conundrum laughed. "There's no such thing as good or bad! There's only strong and weak! The strong will always stomp on the weak! That's why I always win! That's why I rip apart the weak, trash cards of the weak duelists I fight! And that's why I'm going to beat you! Because I'm strong and you're weak!"

A long moment of silence ensued after he said that, with no sound but the roaring of their engines. Eric drove quietly, gritting his teeth in frustration after having failed to convince Conundrum that he was wrong. He was angry that Conundrum didn't listen to him, but more than anything, he was sad that a human being could have such a cynical view on life. Whatever he experienced in the past must have affected him deeply. Eric tried to think of something to do or say to show Conundrum that he was wrong. After a minute, he took a deep breath and spoke.

"You're wrong," he said. "It's true that there are those who abuse their power, but that doesn't show that they're strong. It shows that they're weak, because they couldn't overcome the dread of whoever abused them. By doing what you did, you just proved that you're just like the people who bullied you. You're weak!"

"This is coming from the guy losing the duel with only 100 Life Points left!" Conundrum cackled spitefully, but Eric could tell there was no joy behind his laughter.

"The way you duel tells me everything," Eric said. "You hide behind your Dark Maze because you're afraid of the outside world. You're afraid of getting hurt again. You only deal me effect damage with your Speed Spells instead of using them because you're afraid of coming out of your shell. From your attacks, I could see the real you behind your tough-guy act. I could see the you that's angry, sad, and scared. And weak."

"Shut up!" Conundrum shouted. "I'll prove to you that I'm strong by ending this duel! I'm not scared! I'm not weak! Dark Maze, attack Moonstar Dragon and finish him!"

"Finally coming out of your shell huh?" Eric grinned. "But I was waiting for this moment! I activate my Trap card Moonlight Stream! When your monster attacks my Light attribute monster, the attacking monster is destroyed and removed from play!"

"What?" Conundrum exclaimed.

As the gargantuan maze attacked by unleashing a massive wave of dark fog, Moonstar Dragon fought back, releasing an even more powerful beam of moonlight that tore the darkness apart and struck the maze, incinerating it with gleaming light. Conundrum's jaw dropped as he witnessed the destruction of the monster that had protected him the entire duel. Realizing that he was completely defenseless, his body shivered violently, his thoughts filled with nothing but the dread of defeat.

(Activate only when a monster declares an attack on a LIGHT attribute monster. The attacking monster is destroyed and removed from play)

"How could this happen?" Conundrum moped, quivering in his seat.

"It's your own fault," Eric said. "When you came out of your shell and attacked, you made yourself vulnerable to a counterattack."

When Dark Maze disappeared, so too did Conundrum's confidence. What remained of him was his true self damaged by years of unthinkable pain that caused him to fear and hate the world around him.

"Then it's true," Conundrum cried. "I can't trust anybody! If I don't protect myself, someone will always try to take advantage of me!"

"That's probably true," Eric admitted. "It's true that opening yourself will make you vulnerable and weak, but it's that same weakness that can make you strong. You can't shut yourself in because you're scared of the world. You have to face your fear head on. Once you do that, you'll become a stronger person."

"I don't believe you!" Conundrum shrieked. "What the hell do you know?"

"I know what it's like," Eric said, "to feel so small and helpless as you're hurt and bullied by people for no reason. But that's why you can't become a bully yourself. You have to fight for what's right, what you truly believe in. You have to be strong."

Both were quiet again, with neither of them saying another word. Eric had hoped this silence meant that he was reflecting on his actions and realizing that what he did was wrong.

But that was not the case.

"Strong?" Conundrum suddenly said with a twisted grin. "I am strong! The Dark Chasers have made me strong! They promised me that I would never have to take anyone's shit again, that I would never lose to anybody! I'm strong! I'm strong! I'm strong!"

"Conundr-!" Eric shouted.

"Shut up!" he yelled. "I activate my Trap card Unseen Massacre! I deal you 1000 damage for each face-down card in my Graveyard! I have four so you take 4000 damage!"

(Inflict 1000 points of damage to your opponent for each face-down card in your Graveyard)

At this moment, Eric was filled with absolute horror. This card was Conundrum's ace card, something he had been setting up for since the beginning of the game. Dealing damage for each face down card he sent to the Graveyard. This effect itself was a statement of Conundrum's internal anguish, his irreparable scars of loathing that he yearned to inflict on everyone and everything that opposed him. This card was a symbol of the darkness in his heart, so great in magnitude that it manifested itself in such a grotesque and terrifying form.

"Don't tell me," Eric gasped, "deep inside, you really have nothing but hate for this world?"

"That's right!" Conundrum laughed hysterically. "I hate this world and its people! I just want to kill everyone in my way! To prove that I am the strongest! Because I am the strongest!"

"Idiot!" Eric screamed. "I activate my Trap card Double Spy! I negate all damage this turn!"

A hideous mass of black sludge burst from Conundrum's card, aiming to completely drown his opponent. However, a speedy ninja emerged from thin air and slashed the wave of sludge in half, causing it to miss Eric as he drove straight through the center.

(Negate all damage received this turn. You can Special Summon a Level 3 monster from your hand)

"My turn!" Eric declared, eager to put an end to this terrible duel. (6/2)

He glanced at Conundrum, almost heartbroken to see him laughing and panting maniacally with no sense of reason.

"I won," Conundrum mumbled to himself while staring blankly into space. "I'm strong."

Is there nothing I can do? Eric asked himself. Is there no way to show him the error of his ways? To end his suffering? Is his heart so damaged and so drenched in sadness that no one's voice can reach him?

Eric looked to Conundrum one last time for any possibility of salvation, any sign that there was hope for him, but to his dismay, none was apparent. He closed his eyes in frustration, angry at himself for not being able to do anything to save this miserable human being.

Maybe he's right, Eric lamented to himself. Maybe I am weak.

But he knew this wasn't the time for self-pity. Right now, the best thing he could do was end Conundrum's misery as soon as possible. Settling his thoughts, Eric took a deep breath and resolved to see this duel through to the end, no matter how bitter.

"I activate the Speed Spell Maximum Boost!" Eric declared. "When you have more Life Points than me, I can double my Speed Counters!"

Pulling back as hard as he could on the throttle, Eric lifted his duel runner to stand only on its back wheel and propelled himself forward, blasting down the highway with the maximum speed his duel runner could allow. (12/2)

(When your opponent has more Life Points than you do, you can double the number of Speed Counters you have)

"I activate the Speed Spell Radiant Eclipse!" Eric declared. "When my Speed Counters are at twelve, I can double Moonstar Dragon's ATK and make it immune to all monster, Spell, and Trap card effects!"

(When you have 12 Speed Counters, double the ATK of 1 Light attribute monster you control. Until the End Phase of this turn, it is unaffected by all other monster, Spell, and Trap card effects)

Howling majestically in the air, Moonstar Dragon took flight, leaving a trail of glittering moondust. At its highest altitude, the holy white dragon spread its wings to its maximum wingspan and began absorbing all sources of light around it, glowing more and more luminously with each passing second. At its greatest brightness, it exceeded even the real moon in radiance.

"Moonstar Dragon," Eric shouted, "direct attack! Emanating Pulsar!"

Gathering all of its energy in one central sphere, Moonstar Dragon unleashed a powerful, dense beam of light that had the combined brightness of everything its absorbed, striking Conundrum's duel runner with such intensity that he completely lost control, swerving back and forth without the consciousness to stop himself. Eventually, Conundrum fell off and slammed heavily against the concrete, his duel runner crashing against the highway walls and emitting voluminous clouds of smoke. (100/0)

As the duel concluded, Eric's duel runner slowed down, allowing him to reverse directions and check up on Conundrum. Arriving at the scene of the crash, Eric gasped as he saw a prostrate body lying next to the remains of a duel runner damaged beyond repair. Upon closer inspection, Eric sighed of relief when he observed that Conundrum had escaped possible death by falling off his duel runner right before it crashed, receiving only minor scratches and bruises. As Eric moved his unconscious body so he could breath, he noticed a soft expression on Conundrum's face, a face which had always been full of either sorrowful anger or spiteful satisfaction. Now, it seemed peaceful, like he was free from whatever ghosts had haunted him.

At least, that was what he thought at first, before he saw something that would burn a terrible image in his mind forever. Under the pale moonlight, tears streamed down Conundrum's face, so dense and heavy that they didn't even glisten in the light. No words could explain the amount of sympathy and pity Eric felt for this poor man. Unable to stand the sight of someone crying tears of pain and sadness even in their sleep, Eric turned his head and backed away from Conundrum's unconscious body. Slowly and silently, Eric remounted his duel runner.

Though Eric won the duel, he had failed to change Conundrum's hateful view of the world, which made him wonder just how bad of a life he must have lived to contain this much anger. He still couldn't forgive Conundrum for everything he'd done, but even more unforgivable was the Dark Chasers themselves. They had manipulated this poor individual's suffering for their own selfish benefit. Conundrum was indeed a powerful duelist, one of the strongest he'd ever faced, but his strength did not derive from determination or resolve; it came from feelings so negative that his cards reflected his fear and hatred.

After this painful experience, Eric couldn't help but wonder just how many people like Conundrum were being used by the Dark Chasers, and how much darkness shrouded this evil organization. He didn't want to think about it. He felt that if he wandered too far into the abyss, he himself could walk down the dark path of no return. Despite the fact that Eric refused to work at D.T. Corporation, he felt as if he was already deeply involved in the battle against the Dark Chasers, a frightening battle that could tear him apart if he wasn't careful. Sighing deeply, Eric drove home with a severely disturbed state of mind.

November 26, 3050 6:31 PM

Gareth sat in his office examining the data from the duel via his desktop. One reason he had altered Eric's duel runner to send information to D.T. Corporation's network was so that he could view everywhere he was going and every opponent he faced to collect more data on the Dark Chasers. He knew that Eric was a capable duelist, so he entrusted him with his secrets despite the fact that he wasn't an official D.T. employee. However, no matter how strong a duelist Eric was, Gareth knew that it was wrong to leave him in the dark about his fate. After Eric revealed Moonstar Dragon in this duel, many more Dark Chasers would be coming after him. From now on, Eric would be fighting a long, harsh battle against the Dark Chasers, which made Gareth feel guilty for having brought him into this mess.

But as he turned around on his swivel chair and looked down upon the city, his resolve hardened. Gareth knew that Eric would play a key role in this conflict, but his future remained unclear. The brighter a source of light was, the darker the shadows that surrounded it. And indeed, the shadows were dark. From his extensive database which contained a great deal of government information, Gareth looked up the opponent Eric had just dueled. His name was Jacob Redwood, a victim of human trafficking and forced prostitution, an ideal specimen for recruitment into the Dark Chasers, who preyed on the dark insecurities of men's hearts and perverted them for their own base ends. In his future encounters, Eric would inevitably find conflict with those who have abandoned all hope and adopted extreme ideologies which contradicted his optimistic beliefs.

Amidst this darkness which shrouded the future, would Eric's light be extinguished, or would it become the beacon of hope that the world needed more than ever?

As Gareth left his office, his mind was occupied with this question alone.