As far as the eye could see, a scarlet sky stretched over the rugged landscape, untainted by any cloud. The brilliance of the rising sun bathed the distant woodlands in a warm, golden glow, contrasting sharply with the towering gray cliffs that flanked the winding mountain road. Nature's artistry was on full display, every detail of the pristine landscape imbued with a serene, almost otherworldly beauty. Not even the faintest mark of humanity could mar the majesty of this untamed realm.

A married couple and their daughter, of probably between 12 and 13 years old, were entertained with that view from the seats of their car; As they was driving down the mountain roads somewhere in Japan. The little girl found herself dozing on and off as she was exhausted after a long day with her family. A celebration, Her mother's birthday celebration no less. whom the girl's father had worked on for quite a while, and she had helped him by keeping it all secret from her mom. Her dad, in a cunning display of parenthood, promised of a small reward if she didn't spoil the surprise. That way, creating enough of a incentive for the little girl to put effort in the secrecy of the matter.

But what was this surprise?

A camping trip. They were set to visit a camping park in a woodland area located near a temple by the mountains. A rather quiet place that one could enter by said temple, and then venture deeper and downwards into the woods. Finally, one could reach the clearings hidden from the common eye of the driver who passed by the mountain road. Yet, those who ventured there, could see that beauty up close and lose themselves for a time. Away from the noise and lack of life of a tedious routine. They planned to arrive to the woods a day before her birthday and have a celebration around a campfire.

The news were given to the girl's mother on the same week of her Birthday, not only the idea was delightful for the woman. She was happy because this would be her daughter's first camping trip, and she thought no better way to share that experience than with the family.

The woman herself had already forgotten the details regarding her last camping trip. Unable to tell if she had gone with friends, or her family, how old she was when that happened and so on. However, it was clear that she was an experienced camper, and the sole idea of teaching her daughter about the topic added to the excitement and joy.

The man, on the other hand, was the total opposite. He was a city cat, put him out in the open wilds and away from civilization, and he was a complete-lost cause. The love he felt for her was a testament to the way he went out of his way to plan things he wouldn't normally enjoy. But he enjoyed sharing those moments with the two most important women in his life. All was well.

The preparation for the day itself was a breeze, as the husband had made the necessary arrangements. Rented the camping tools and tents in advance, leaving only the matter of the food and drink to be covered.

They set off the arranged day, packed with goodies for both the trip and the camping evening. A beautiful day of spring,

The radio helped keep the trip going, with both mother and daughter singing songs together and gossiping about camping, with her asking both good and silly questions that were entertained and replied to.

Those small moments filled the husband with peace, everything was working as planned, and the weather was set to be clear both days; Allowing them not only to enjoy the view, but also experience a safe route through the mountain roads. The only stops in the way would be whenever they pulled over to stretch their legs and maybe share a drink together. The first couple of pictures of the trip, one in particular, of her wife and daughter with the view to the side of the mountain path.

The trip then went on, filled with more little moments that build up those cherished memories of everyone who partakes in them. The moments one wishes to be able to be still in time and experience that joy as much as they can.

Filled with this happiness, the family finally reached to their destination. It was the clear sight of a large inn, with a traditional style of architecture and decoration. It served as the main resting stop for visitors who wished to go and visit the old temple that wasn't far from there, or the camping site.

What followed was the unpacking of the camping gear and the walk towards the sites. The park wasn't bustling with visitors, but it wasn't dead empty either, which helped to engage in some conversation with other campers about the better spots they knew and such. By afternoon, they were joined by other campers who helped them set up a larger camp and all together enjoyed the evening joining the festivities for the birthday.

The young girl couldn't have been any more thrilled of all that happened that day. The feeling of adventure, helping both her mother and the other campers set up the tents. Being taught how to start a fire on her own, and even though her attempts failed, she was impressed on how others could just do so. The jokes and stories told around the campfire that brought light and warmth to the site along with a delicious stew. While they were eating, the father appraoched to tthe girl and tapped her shoulder. Then handed her reward.

It was a single card. The girl looked at it, turning it around a couple of times, the back had some red and black details with a spiral pattern into a black circle. The front, displayed the portrait of a young woman, with long, blonde hair. The overall look of her face was pretty, bright blue eyes, spotless skin, and two round pink circles that gave her a constant, cute, blush. Her attire was odd, blue, and pink robes, which left a good amount of cleavage in display with a small amulet looking pin in the center. The lower part of the robes working as a short skirt, leaving her legs exposed down to her knees, where her big blue boots would appear. Her arms were also covered by long, fingerless gloves that reached up to her elbows. In one of her hands, she held a small, blue wand, with a circular yellow top.

Many details would also go around and on the background. A black and gold ring with strange, incomprehensible writing was at the center and behind that girl. The background showed layers of white and pink, with little cute and bright hearts, as if they were coming out from the person in the card itself. All those details matched how the girl seemed to be striking a pose, which reminded her of those heroines from the TV shows she watched. And to top it all off, the whole card had a holographic design, making it all more curious to see while at the same time she gazed up at the night's sky, now illuminated by a clear sea of stars.

Ironically, as special as that moment was, she could not remember was when she went to bed. She might have simply carried on until her body gave up, and eventually realized when she briefly woke up in the middle of the night, inside their tent, and tucked in; In her mother's embrace, and next to her dad, she realized that she still held the card in her hand, and just looked at it. As almost, it's design and brightness mesmerized her, and did so until she fell asleep again.

They got up early in the morning, as the plan was to return taking advantage of the empty roads and have a swift and smooth return home. And the plan did work well. As they managed to leave the deeper woodland areas that surrounded the inn in less time than their arrival. Her dad was again on the wheel, this time with an insulated Coffee mug in one hand, having taking a short stop at the Inn for it. Her mother, unlike the previous day, decided to tag along in the back seat. For a good part of that trip they were sleeping, however as time passed and finally woke up, they began talking about the camping; How wonderful it was and their desire to do it again sometime.

The girl was actually a little bummed because the experience felt short, but the idea of doing it again in the future easily managed to brush that feeling away. She thought that perhaps during the next holidays they could do this again and stay for longer. Maybe meet more campers and have great adventures out in the woods. There was also the excitement of returning to school and talk to all her friends about her camping trip, how she learned to set up a tent, make a fire or also how they slept out in the woods.

Finally, they reached a part of the road trip she was familiar with. It was that part of the turns by the mountain, which led to an open view of the sky with the woods extending far below. Unlike yesterday's blue sky, the morning was tinted red, like the color of that raising sun in the distance. For some reason, the girl found it mesmerizing and lost herself a bit trying to stare it down.

Suddenly, a screeching echoing sound brought her back to reality just to feel the car being shaken by a risky maneuver her father was forced to take,

"You lunatic!"

She heard, as another car at high-speed drove dangerously close to them. In that second, she felt how tight her mother held her. Just a scare, nothing more… or at least that's what she thought before they heard another screeching sound of wheels on the road, the roaring engine of another vehicle who had taken a wider turn than the previous car…

"WATCH OUT!"

She couldn't tell who said so at that moment. She felt how tight her mother held her for a moment. The girl saw that mesmerizing red sun one last time before her mother shielded her with her body, the quickest and natural reaction of a parent. Then… a tremendous and violent force pushing her.

The girl's eyes finally opened up, still heavy from her sleep. It was a dream… no, it was a nightmare. A haunting memory of a horrible day… And she simply remained there, not even bothering to get up from bed, as it was clear, she was used to these dreams.

A memory that had tormented her, and would still do so for the forceable future. The room was small and almost silent, as she could hear the cracking sounds of the bunk bed she was sleeping at whenever her roommate at the top turned on theirs. She didn't really move, or say anything. In fact, she didn't even seem shocked by that dream… it all appeared so as if she had experienced that terrible repetition in her mind, that now she had grown… numb to it. It didn't mean however that she wasn't affected by that, all in the contrary.

It meant that the torture had been so, that the pain and suffering that came from experiencing that dream felt normal. All she did was to grip on her shed's slowly and stare at the wall.

And that's where she remained, blinking slowly with a thousand things running through her mind, but again… used to that, it could almost be considered part of her routine at that point.

So, she simply stared there, waiting for her agitated mind to get in touch with her tired body. To remember once more that she was tired, sleepy. The girl waited and waited… just to fall asleep once again, with her hope being that her dreams would give her some peace at least until she had to get up.

Author's note: So, this is something that had been on the back of my mind for quite a while. I've been here and there in . However! I never made an account until a couple of days ago, when I finally decided that I wanted to work on a story in the universe of a show that I've always enjoyed a lot, such as Yugioh. Ironically, what started my desire to write my own fan fiction of an anime didn't come from anything related to Yugioh. The show in question was simply by chance and a spark of interest in particular.

The one who inspired me to do so was "KnoT" with his BRILLIANT Slam Dunk story (which sadly remains unfinished and the author apparently gone dark, hope you are doing fine KnoT).

The story in question that I have decided to work on will take place after the events of DSOD, and while it will have our usual Duel Monsters shinenigans, it will have a Darker and mature take. Not necesarily from a violent or gory take. But rather from having inner conflicts of an individual's mind as a big point. A lot of us find ourselves in a dark place at some point in our lives, and getting out of there is a fight on its own. And if you are in a dark place, don't doubt in looking for help, and fight back because you can and -have- to win.

I won't rush this story, however I will try to maintain a consisten rhythm of updates to this story.

With all of that being said, I really hope you enjoy this small introduction and that it works to pick your interest on what's to come.

Whether it is or not of your liking, my most sincere thanks for taking your time in reading it.