And now for the next installment! Enjoy the episode!

"Whenever I receive and take damage from a direct attack, I can special summon Ogre of Bloody Tears from my hands if my opponents declares a second attack. The attack and defense of my Ogre becomes equal to the damage of the first attack, and your monster is forced to attack my Ogre instead of me."

The Ogre was a massive, muscular creature with cobalt skin wearing a scarlet wrapping around its torso. It had sickly yellow hair and three horns jutting from its head. As its name implied, crimson tears flowed from its eyes. It bore up its club against Fortune Lady Dark and the two charged against each other into battle.

(Ogre of Bloody Tears is a level four Dark attributed Fiend type monster whose attack and defense are determined via its special ability.)

The Ogre swung his club and smashed it into the Fortune Lady, causing her to fly through the air and disappear into a puff of smoke. Carly felt a sting shoot up through her body and saw her life points drop to 3600.

"So, you are fighting back? Very well. You still can't oppose destiny, Jack. I end my turn by placing a card down on the field. Come get me if that's your plan!"

"It's not you Carly," He muttered, "If I have to give my life to free you from whatever if possessing you to be this way, then so be it."

…

In the meantime, Akiza and Mina were off in the distance at the lights of the duel flashing up in the sky. Nobody knew that Jack was dueling Carly, and the only people who had even a faint knowledge of Carly and her relationship to Jack were Mina and Sidney. But, even they had no knowledge that Carly had become a Dark Signer. Not now, anyway. However, Mina had her suspicions.

"I think…There was a girl that was captured by the Dark Signers…and I know Jack felt bad because this girl had tried to help him…I wonder if that's who he is fighting now?"

Akiza looked at her glowing arm.

"It seems that the Dark Signer we fight is always connected to us somehow, either a loved one or someone who bears a grudge against us. It wouldn't be surprising if someone like that was Jack's opponent."

"When you were fighting Misty back in the Arcadia Movement's headquarters… I heard Sidney and the others say two Earthbound Immortals."

"Yeah…Sayer was dueling someone Misty called her 'friend.' Her monster was supposed to be… a Hummingbird."

Mina thought that either way, Jack had Carly's glasses with him. Despite her care for him, she seemed distant. Carly had a special place in Jack's mind and heart, perhaps. Not an obsession, like his relationship with Sidney had been until just before they came to the Satellite. She wasn't just someone in the back of his mind, either. Not like her, Mina sighed. But, what made her hopeful was Jack wasn't consumed with his own self-interest anymore.

He was fighting for someone else now.

…

"It's my turn!"

Jack drew his card, and saw he was starting to gain Speed Counters again.

"I'll start things off by summoning Power Supplier in defense mode!"

(Power Supplier is a level two Earth attributed Spellcaster type monster with 400 attack and defense points.)

"With its effect, Power Supplier can increase the attack power of my Ogre of Bloody Tears by 400 points; this will give him 2800 attack," Jack explained. Power Supplier raised his oversized contraption and multicolored energy sprang forth, surrounding the ogre. The ogre roared at pumped its fists.

But Carly was rather unimpressed with the display.

"I already have a trap lying in wait for you, Jack," Carly revealed her hidden card with a sickening glee, "I activate the Trap, Twist of Fate!"

Suddenly Power Supplier disappeared from the field in a puff of light and the energy around Ogre of Bloody Tears dissipated.

"Your Power Supplier returns to your hand, and you cannot use it for the rest of this turn. Whatever you are trying to do is useless."

Jack's Ogre still remained at 2400 attack points. Jack shook his head in frustration.

"Your destiny has already been determined, Jack."

Jack could see that on Carly's next turn, her Fortune Lady Earth would gain more attack power and exceed the power of his Ogre. He looked down at his hand for something that might be of use. A trap card titled "Change Destiny" caught his eye.

"I set one card face down and end my turn." He declared. As the sped along the trail of violet flames, Carly looked back at him with a curious smile.

"Interesting you choose to end it there. Not what I would expect from you, but that's fine by me. It is my turn and I draw!" As Carly drew a card from her deck, each of them gained a Speed Counter. She mused as she looked at her hand, assured that Jack's fate was sealed.

"I will finish you off completely in this one turn."

"If you think you can do so, they bring you best…" Jack braced himself. Carly chuckled to herself; she had no intention of being merciful, despite his show of good courage. She then looked to her Fortune Lady, which increased in level from 6 to 7, making its attack power 2800. Jack felt a sudden shock as the effect of her monster drained his life points down to 1200. He cried out from the pain, but tried to cut himself off. He relent here, even when staring down such daunting odds.

"Fortune Lady Earth! Attack with your cursed skewer!" Her Fortune Lady flew above the Orge, impaling it with its weapon and shattering it, and reducing Jack's life points to 800. The force of the impact caused Jack's Duel Runner to shutter and shake, and in moment her lost control and the Runner stopped altogether, halting in the middle of the field.

Pleased with her work, Carly rode back to him, laughing at her handiwork. Jack felt himself growing weak and beginning to slump over and desperately tried to get back up. He cannot be stopped her. He's handled worse than this, has he not? He put his hand to his face and when he draws it away he sees it covered in blood.

"Don't worry, Jack. Your destiny is about to begin soon."

"Carly…" Jack breathes, "The destiny of which you speak doesn't exist. I will wake you up with my own hands. I will not be defeated here."

"You're the one that needs waking, Jack. Don't you realize what this duel is about? This is a fight for the two of us to be together," She began to speak more softly to him, "When all is done, we will be promised to each other in a destiny that is eternal. This is what my cards have told me."

Jack wasn't quite sure what to make of what she was saying as she began looking at one of the cards she had set down on the field.

"This is the card that revealed our destiny… Prophecy of the Future King!"

A bright light began to shine, and Jack could feel himself beginning to fade.

"When a Spellcaster of mine destroys you monster, I can use it to attack again…"

Suddenly, everything went black, and his thoughts became clouded and confused. At first he felt an incredible pain, and then a resounding in silence. But, after what seemed like an eternity, a voice called out into the darkness.

"Jack! Wake up! Open your eyes!"

Jack's eyes shot open and he leapt up. He looked around to see he was not in a duel anymore. The room around him was ivory with rose silk curtains hanging around the windows and a massive bed and carpet with a similar color scheme. There was a faint scent, perhaps of incense or a fire burning. All seemed quiet at first, but then he remembered hearing Carly's voice.

"What's going on, here?"

"Jack, are you ok? You seemed to be in the midst of a nightmare."

He turned to see Carly sitting quietly in a chair by the bed, smiling at him. But, she was still a Dark Signer. He shook his head and looked down and was shocked to see he was different. His clothes were black with orange trim, similar to hers, and instead of the mark of the Crimson Dragon's Wings on his arm, the mark of the Hummingbird was glowing an eerie violet where his original mark had been. Perhaps this is the nightmare, he thought.

"How can I be a Dark Signer? When did this happen!?" He looked over to a massive mirror hanging on the wall. His eyes were blackened and a red mark coursed across his face like a scar. Carly stood up and hugged him tightly around the waist.

"It's ok, Jack. You might still be a little fogged over from the dream. You were already taken once. You need not worry."

Jack hesitated. Taken once? Had he lost the duel…and died?

"The effect of Prophecy of the Future King allowed my monster to attack again; it reduced your remaining life points to 0 and you feel off your Runner. Don't you remember? You died because I defeated you…But I brought you back with my power so we could be together. You're just like me now."

Jack pushed her back at first, not at first believing what she was telling him. He can't be a Dark Signer!

He made his way to the window to see the ominous outside world. All the buildings around are cracked, toppled over, and otherwise ruined. Rivers of Lava were flowing in every direction around. Jack stepped back, finding difficult to swallow that this was what had become of the world.

"Do you remember Jack? The 5000 yearlong battle between the Signers and Dark Signers ended, with the Dark Signers claiming victory because Jack had become one of them. The Crimson Dragon and the dragons that gave birth to it and their Signers are destroyed now… it was truly a day for us. Wasn't it?"

These memories she spoke of started flowing into his mind like water flowing out of a vase. He allowed Carly to approach him and put her hand over his.

"I…I already remember…Because of our victory, the world is now becoming as hell."

"And this hell is yours. It was given to you for you to ruler over it on high as its Dark King…" Carly looked up at him longingly. Suddenly, Jack felt a sudden feeling of satisfaction he couldn't quite explain. He had awakened from the slumber of death to be a king. He didn't need his friends and the bonds that tied him to them. They couldn't make him happy, but this world where he could be king…it was ideal, the thought occurred to him. He at first wanted to question it, but he felt easily dismissive of it.

"Isn't it wonderful, Jack? We live in a world where everything is as we want it. This is the future foretold by Prophecy of the Future King and the future that led me to becoming a Dark Signer. It's all so I could be with you…"

Suddenly, an image of Carly declaring her second attack flashes across his consciousness. He can see himself almost immobilized, as if waiting to receive the Fortune Lady's attack. He sees an object drop from his pocket.

The vision fades and he sees that things around him have changed. Jack found himself now sitting on a golden throne with Carly at his side, leaning on him and caressing his arm. He could see below him that it was on a platform, being carried by what appeared to be spirits with the appearance of withering corpses wearing tattered rags.

"Everything in this world has already turned their loyalty to you."

Jack looked at the spirits, understanding that this was a sign that no living humans were alive. He looked down at the mark on his arm. He was the king of Duels, only to have his title, his pride, and the woman he originally desired stripped from him. But now he was much more than that, he was the High Ruler of Hell, with all creatures at his command, and Carly lovingly at his side. He turns around and leans in to kiss Carly, their lips just barely centimeters apart. But, then he feels a sudden urge to look to his side, as a faint glimmer catches his eye.

He squints and sees the object nearby is the old pairs of glasses he kept that were Carly's. He suddenly sees Carly in his mind as she was before she became a Dark Signer. He remembered how when Trudge was possessed by them that she came to his rescue. He remembered how she had stayed with him for a time to make sure he was alright, and how she had been there when Goodwin used him for his own plans.

"No…" He drew away from her, suddenly rejecting everything he saw and looked at Carly with an indignant expression.

"This isn't what you would want. The really Carly…no, this is all wrong!"

Carly's face twisted into an expression of shock. It is at this point he stirs awake, in the midst of his duel with her. It was all an illusion, he thought. It was the effect of her card, but it won't be the world that is to come.

"I open my trap… Change Destiny! It allows you to select your monster and either inflict its attack points as damage to me or increase your own life points!"

Fortune Lady Earth stops in her tracks, staring at the Golden Light glowing from the card. He had escaped his foretold death… for now.

Jack searches desperately until he finds Carly's glasses, and clenches them in his hand.

"Why must you oppose destiny, Jack? If I win, we'll be so happy together!" She demanded. He glared at her and held out her old glasses to her.

"This illusion you showed me is false! It isn't what you want, and you taught me something about wanting something that's real when I was with you. But it took me until now to damn realize it!" His future has not been determined yet, he thought, he could change this around. He felt himself changing, from being jealous of what someone else had to saving someone that wanted him, saving them because he couldn't repay them or apologize enough for leaving her to become what the Earthbound Immortals had turned her into.

End of Episode 60. Join us for the conclusion of this duel in episode 61.