Darkness surrounded the city's paths that were decorated with modest streetlights. The hour was not late yet, but the sidewalks were still desolated, bereft of the citizens which crossed them routinely. There was just one lonely pair of feet which echoed its steps discreetly in the dead of night.
Tap-tap. Tap-tap.
So simple and repetitive was the sound of walking, and in that complete silence of a cold autumnal night it seemed like a dull rhapsody which filled an even duller void.
And then under a dim light he saw something approach from the distance. It had slow speed, but it was nothing compared to his patience. He made the figures out to be two people, and the closer they got, the quicker he felt them better – a young couple, laughing, joking, possibly inebriated from the looks on their faces. Nonchalantly, they walked as if they danced a dizzy waltz, soon encountering the hooded figure waiting at the pole.
"Look at this loser sitting here all alone." The man pointed at him.
"Maybe he got dumped for sucking in bed," the woman suggested, giggling snidely.
"Not in a good way for sure," her lover added, both of them laughing even harder at the stranger's expense.
A single discreet growl snapped them to reality for a moment, causing both to look better at who they were mocking. The figure raised its head and pulled off the hood. Both froze in shock at the sight of those black eyes with red pupils coupled with a fang filled grin. Nobody was there to hear their last screams as the fiend feasted on them.
That meal was satisfying. If they were more conscious, it would have been even better. As he was licking the blood off of his claws which reverted to human nails, Demon Subaru's trail of thoughts went back to All Over The World. He knew what was up with Hajime, now he had to track down the pieces of the dragheart before he would fully decide on what the right course of action was going to be. Covering his head with the hood once more and closing his eyes, he focused on letting go of his mind and calling it out.
Nothing but silence.
He stood in that vulnerable position for what seemed like forever and received no response. No, that could not happen! The previous time he tried it, that creature had answered his call. What was going on? And then, as if a mysterious force pulled him, he felt his feet begin to walk on their own. For some strange reason he could not find the power to open his eyes until his feet eventually stopped, and when he did, he saw himself in front of an electric sign which read in bright blue neon lights: Sagakin Children Hospital. Out of all the places to start finding answers, that was a rather peculiar one.
Nevertheless, he took off the hood and masked his face with human features. Then he pushed the doors open and entered the building. The first thing he did once inside was to blend with the shadows like a ninja, and that was exactly how he wandered the corridors. Soon he felt the power he had called for, and it was coming from upstairs, so he made his way while looking through the hospital staff and rooms filled with sick children. A long boring search of each inch of the building, thing which took way more time than he would have wanted, eventually led him to the last floor, where something peculiar was going on.
He heard laughter. Genuine amused laughter. It came from the first room on the left, which had its door opened. Standing against the wall, he peeked inside. A total of six kids each sat on their beds, some bandaged, others with intravenous tubes, and one was blowing his nose. In the middle of the room, a clown was juggling some toys masterfully, smiling at each of them behind his white painted face. He told jokes, beeped his nose, pulled out balloon animals from his sleeves and did basically any quick circus trick to brighten those kids' time there and make them forget about their illnesses and wounds.
Soon enough a clock's alarm went off, causing the children to moan with disappointment, for it announced that their entertainment was over. With a gracious bow, the clown smiled at them and picked up his toys. Upon him leaving, Demon Subaru sensed that a piece of All Over The World was in his possession, so he silently followed him downstairs and out of the hospital.
Edo Kanda had kept his cheery disposition even in his twilight years, thing easily reflected in his light brown eyes. It had always been his life philosophy that the simplest smile or laughter could help one cope with life's hardships, which was why he tried his best to cheer others up, even if it meant working poorly paid jobs like being a standup comedian or a clown. Sometimes he regretted having given up being an entertainer in Las Vegas, but all those sleepless nights started to wear on him around his late fifties, when the circles around his eyes became more pronounced, his hairline had receded all the way to the back of his scalp and his beer belly could no longer be hidden by fancy outfits, which led to him moving back to his hometown a decade and a half ago. In a way he missed Sagakin, not only for its calmer atmosphere suited to a shore city located in the middle of nowhere, but also because most of his old friends had moved back there upon retiring, so it seemed like the best choice to do the same, even if it meant less monetary opportunities. He had gained most of his fair share in Vegas for thirty years.
He now lived with his wife in a modest suburb house which was at about a ten-minute walk from the hospital. They could have afforded something better, sure, but he did not give up on his hobby of collecting anime merchandise and video games, especially of the VR kind, even at that late age. As he crossed the last street and entered his neighborhood, a ringtone featuring the song Caramelldansen jolted him awake from his thoughts and he searched his blue and yellow clown suit, eventually pulling out a cell phone which he immediately answered.
"Edo Kanda's the name, joking around is my game!" His smile grew bigger. "Hey there, Tsugi, what's up? I thought you'd come at my grill party this Sunday and-"
Suddenly he froze in his steps, the smile on his face completely faltering as his eyes stared ahead dumbfounded.
"You can't be serious…" he muttered. "Please, tell me you're joking. I know there's still six months till April Fools, but still-" He paused again and listened more carefully. "He hasn't answered any of your calls? This is very bad." He gulped. "Ok, ok, I'll try to contact him first thing in the morning. Take care!"
And with that he hung up, hastening the walk home and searching for his keys all the while. In less than five minutes he found himself in the warm comfort of his house as he barred the doors shut for that night. Deep inside he thought that the nightmare he and his friends had experienced fifty years ago would have gone away for good, but now like an old affliction, it began resurfacing.
Demon Subaru stared at Edo's house from a safe distance. Tsugumi most likely warned him on the phone of his possible return and now the seeds of terror were slowly sowed back into them. That foolish woman was making his job much easier.
Closing his eyes, he once more let All Over The World's energy guide him to the next owner of one of its pieces. His search resumed, he soon found himself standing in front of an old pizza parlor's entrance. Despite the building's small stature, he could still see a crowd gathered inside. Pulling the hood back on and once more donning human features, he snuck in.
The smell of freshly-baked pizza reeked in the air, but to Demon Subaru's sharp scent it served to mask the smell of floor detergent. There was only one table to the right of the row of customers, at which a mother and her daughter were feasting on their last slices. Decorative plants were placed by the windows, one species more exotic than the other. Posters with ecological messages were hung proudly on the walls. Two large screens were above the ordering booth, showcasing the menu containing a variety of vegan pizzas. Having no other option, he joined the line and waited around ten minutes for its numbers to lower to half, at which point he got a better look at the one taking the orders.
Sora Rukkora had aged really well. Now in her early seventies, her face was as soft as in her youth, her now long grey hair gracefully falling down her shoulders and back, not one sign of a wrinkle was on her green-tattoo-covered body and her green eyes flickered with energy and vitality. Whenever she was asked about how she managed to keep her good looks, the woman brought up her strictly vegan diet, claiming that along with daily exercise and meditation it was the key to a long and healthy life. Not many followed her advice, neither in the state of Texas where she had moved to for most of her adulthood, nor back home in Japan. She pitied them, especially those obese Americans to whom she had to serve menus back then. Such wasted lives, all for the sake of short pleasure. Sometimes she hated the comforts of modernity because of that, but she knew that in the end she could not impose her will on others. She just had to focus on surviving and making a buck, that was what she did back in Texas where she lived with her friend Rita's family, and it was also what she kept doing even after resettling in Sagakin to reunite with her other friends. As long as she was physically able, she would not allow herself to retire.
Serving vegan pizzas seemed to be the best choice when it came down to working in restaurants. Pizza had always been a popular food, but unfortunately also one exceeding in toxins. This was why she had worked hard on creating her own recipe, one which besides lacking meat also had carefully selected ingredients which put on as little weight as possible. Her goal of achieving a balance between tasty and healthy had been achieved and now she worked twelve hours a day still making cash and also feeding others something less harmful than most fast foods out there. She had rented an apartment not too far from her parlor, but she rarely went there except for taking a quick nap. Life was too short to waste it away inside. All of a sudden, the phone rang as she finished serving another client, causing her to quickly pick it up.
"Sky High Pizzas, how may I help you?" Her mood then became brighter upon hearing who was on the other line. "Tsugumi, it's been days! How are you? I was hoping you'd drop by Edo's grill party this weekend." And in but a few moments her expression changed to one of sheer terror. "No, it can't be. Are you sure he's back?" she asked worriedly as she turned around and entered the kitchen. "If those murders were indeed his doing, we'll have to do something about it fast."
Sora poured herself a cup of herbal tea as she listened to the woman on the other line.
"Alright, we'll have a gathering in the weekend at your mansion. Don't worry, I'll be fine, I'm working till midnight this whole week so I'll be safe around people. Take care!"
In the meantime, Demon Subaru exited the building with the knowledge of where another piece of his puzzle was. Once again he closed his eyes and repeated the process of letting All Over The World guide his body. Some time passed and his feet finally stopped. Opening his eyes, he saw that he was in front of a large racing dome. Much to his displeasure though, there were two pairs of guards at both entrances. Even if he would have put on his human disguise again, most likely he would not have been let in, so the hard way was the only remaining option.
Taking his chances, he climbed up a tree, all the while trying his best not to make noises. With precise feline agility, he jumped off a tall branch and landed on the dome's glass roof. Looking down, he saw a pair of jets racing on an air path filled with obstacles. Among them, his eyes were fixated on the red one with yellow flames, the one which soared through the air at such high speeds that it won the race like it was nothing. Soon enough, the other jets all parked and the pilots came out for their break. Out of the one which aroused his interest emerged an old but still in shape man donning a similar racing suit, red with yellow flames and matching boots.
Rad Flames was unchanged. That was the best way to describe him. Despite all of the hardships he had gone through in his life, he had remained the same hotheaded braggart that racing fans knew and loved, that determined look in his red eyes being as fierce as ever. He lived for speed and fame, which was why he never quit his hobby of jet racing despite reaching old age. Even if he had minor accidents or injuries, he would strictly follow the doctor's indications and give his best and more to be back in shape. It was the only thing he knew since he was a young kid that loved races, and he would have gone insane if he were put in the situation to renounce that lifestyle. In a way he did regret not following his friends' impetus of moving to the United States. Sagakin was a city too calm for his taste, but his more introverted husband most likely would not have appreciated the wilderness of a place like New York.
He arranged his grey hair which was shaped like a flame, looking as aloof and cool as possible, intending to join the younger pilots which lost the race to him, when all of a sudden his phone began buzzing, causing him to head into a corner in order to answer it.
"Rad Flames here. Who is it?" he spoke in a nutshell. "Tsugumi! What's wrong? You sound scared." He then shook his head in disbelief. "No, it can't be. He can't be back. What proof do you have?" He leaned against a metallic wall, shifting his feet around as he listened. "So what? Any sick fuck could've done those murders. And sorry to say it, but things like premonitions are bullshit to me. Don't worry, he's been the same as always." Once more he shut up to let the woman on the other line speak, and then he giggled. "Sorry, I can't check up on him. There's a new Grand Prix coming up and I'll be having a few restless nights on the racing track."
Demon Subaru took his ear off of the glass roof. He was very pleased with that information. With the same precise feline agility, he jumped off and landed back into the tree without making noise. After he got on the ground, he felt his body weaken, almost as if it got sudden heavy weights on its back. The reality of his new human incarnation having its limits began to dawn on him. Unfortunately for him, his power was slowly fading, so in order to conserve it, he had to stop following the energy of All Over The World.
Instead he headed directly to the new address of the Shirayama mansion. He had discovered it while taking a peek at Hajime's information in the college computers. It was now located near the city center, at a fifteen-minute walk from the university. Upon arriving there, he saw that its defense was thorough, consisting of an electrified fence surrounding the building and its yard in a square, each corner having video cameras armed with lasers. How he would have liked to have some fun destroying those, but he had more urgent matters to attend. Standing at a safe distance from the cameras as to not be spotted, he widened his eyes and focused them at a window, managing to see past its magenta curtains.
Inside, standing in front of two dueling tables, were Hajime and Tsugumi. From the looks on their faces, they must have had some kind of conflict recently. Now that was interesting…
"Are you ready, Hajime?" Tsugumi asked, only to receive a grumbled answer from her grandson. "Very well then, shields up!"
Five teal-colored rectangles materialized above both players, much to the boy's surprise.
"So this is what a true duel looks like…" Hajime uttered in awe.
"The shields are real and the creatures are real. Since the creatures have ceased contact with the humans, only us chosen duelists still have the power to call upon them. We have all sworn to use it as rarely as possible so that we would not have a new incident," Tsugumi explained.
"How dangerous is it?"
"If you have not bonded with your deck in a way that it fully represents you… very dangerous."
"That's so reassuring."
"Enough chatter, Hajime. Show me your skills! Duel start!"
And thus their match began. After two turns, Hajime was the one who did his first move.
"I summon Crysta, First Squad," he said and then was taken aback by seeing the small floating creature made of pale yellow crystal appear right next to him. "Wow, I don't believe it!" his jaw dropped as he walked to the being he just summoned. "You're actually… real?" He reached his hand to touch it.
"Focus on the duel!" Tsugumi raised her voice, causing him to walk back to his table. "I cast Aquan Jr.'s Delivery. With its effect I reveal the top 3 cards of my deck and add all Light and Darkness cards to my hand, the rest going to my graveyard." The top cards were Rainbow Spark, Heaven's Gate and Emeralda, Pitch Dragon Elemental, all going to her hand.
"Very well, I shall draw as well – I summon Bernine, Dragon Armored." A creature brandishing a white armor made of a dragon's fossil and wielding a sword appeared next to Crysta. "Bernine too? I'm starting to like these true duels more and more! I mean… with Bernine's effect I draw a card."
"I cast Rainbow Spark and tap both Crysta and Bernine. Then with its Mana Arms 2, I also draw 2 cards."
"I summon Faywon, Green Knowledge Silver." A white caped purple cyclops joined the array of creatures summoned by Hajime. "Having real creatures in our world is just too cool, I can't believe this game can actually be dangerous played like this."
"You don't even know half of it," his grandmother spoke with a slightly pitying tone.
"I guess I'll soon find out, then. Bernine lets me draw a card. Then I tap Faywon and also draw a card. I summon a second Faywon and draw from Bernine, then I tap it and draw again!"
Tsugumi sighed and shook her head, clearly disappointed.
"Is something wrong?" asked Hajime.
"You're treating this like it's child's play. I'm afraid I have to show what's truly in store for you."
Placing her hand gracefully at the top card of her deck, her index and middle finger on it and her thumb ready to help slide it, a golden aura shone around her hand. Hajime's jaw dropped, never in his life did he expect such a thing from his own grandmother. Opening her blue eyes, she shouted, "Let the symphony of angels resound!" And thus she drew. "I cast Dragon's Sign!" A green circle shone in the floor between them. "With its effect I bring out Heaven's Rosia, True Dragon Edge from my hand!"
A humanoid arose from it. He donned white and blue armor, had twelve orbs float behind him like a clock, a helmet shaped like a Pope hat covered his head, his long blond towards ginger hair flowed majestically and he wielded a spear with blue angelic wings.
"With his effect effect I bring out Reddull, Dragon Soul Castle from the hyperspatial zone!" Tsugumi continued and a four floor Japanese styled castle with flaming swords coming out of it descended from a hole in the ceiling. "With Reddull's effect, I give Heaven's Rosia speed attacker. Next, Gravity Zero, I cast Miracle Stop for free! Now you can't cast spells until the start of my next turn." Pairs of golden vines surrounded each of Hajime's shields. "Go, Heaven's Rosia, attack and… Revolution Change!" she ordered and the armored humanoid rushed at Hajime and then turned around to fly towards a white armored angel winged dragon donning the same Pope helmet, clock shaped orbs and long hair, the two hi-fiving and Heaven's Rosia disappearing to be replaced by the new creature. "Miradante Twelve, Time Pope! With his Final Revolution effect, you can't summon creatures that cost 7 or less until the end of your next turn!" Another pair of golden vines was wrapped around Hajime's hands. "Then with Miradante Twelve's other effect, I cast another Dragon's Sign for free and bring back Heaven's Rosia, True Dragon Edge!" The armored humanoid rejoined the battle field along the angelic dragon. "With his effect I bring out Heaven's Heaven, Heavenly Justice from the hyperspatial zone." A white and golden futuristic church shaped like a sci-fi spaceship also descended from a hole in the ceiling. "Miradante Twelve, triple break his shields!" Tsugumi ordered and the angelic dragon fired spears from its orbs.
"I untap a Faywon and change the attack to it!" Hajime intervened and one of the purple cyclops jumped in front of the shields, receiving the spears until it blew up.
"I end my turn and Heaven's Heaven brings out Wisdompheus, Dragonic Spirit from my hand." A golden armored dragon-shaped angel wielding a staff with two scales appeared from the church. "With the effect of Wisdompheus, I check the top 5 cards of my deck and take a spell to my hand. I'll take Arcadia Spark. Then with its other effect, I can cast a spell with Spark in its name for free, so I cast Arcadia Spark! Faywon gets shuffled back into your deck and you draw a card." A blue ray of light hit the other purple cyclops and made him vanish as well.
With one single gesture from her hand, Tsugumi signaled it was Hajime's turn. H could not believe it. In just one turn he had been locked down completely. He could summon no creatures or cast any spells. Now he was beginning to understand what his grandmother meant about dueling being dangerous.
"I charge mana…" Hajime gulped. "…and end my turn."
The vines then disappeared from both his shields and hands. At the very least he now had a chance for making a comeback.
"I cast Aquan Jr.'s Delivery." Tsugumi revealed her top cards which were Kernel, Blue Stagnation Dragon Elemental, Bonsoir, Dragon Elemental Admiral and Miracle Stop, all of which went to her hand. "Gravity Zero, I cast Miracle Stop! Miradante Twelve, attack and Revolution Change into another Miradante Twelve – Final Revolution!"
Much to Hajime's disbelief, the vines once again returned on both his shields and hands, indicating that he had been locked down once more.
"Miradante Twelve, triple break his shields!"
The angelic dragon fired light spears from its orbs which went through three opposing shields, shattering them into large shards. Hajime took cover as they hit him. The pain was as real as everything that was going on around him.
"Wisdompheus, break his final shields!"
The other creature swung its staff and slashed away the remaining two shields, which only served to hurt him more. Gracefully placing her hand on the final card which could attack, Tsugumi glared at Hajime, asking, "What do you have to say about your performance tonight?"
"I… didn't expect any of this."
"You wish to find Ken's murderer? If it's who I fear it might be, then you will be no match. Let this be a lesson to you, Hajime!"
"Understood." He shyly nodded.
"Good. Then there's nothing left to say, but… Heaven's Rosia, todomeda!"
Heeding her order, the humanoid rushed at the opponent and hit him with the spear's handle, blowing him away. Hajime crashed on the couch nearby, his cards scattered on the floor, and he watched the creatures, draghearts and shields disappear. Tsugumi sighed and packed her cards.
"How long do you think you can hide the truth from me?" His voice stopped her from leaving.
"You are not ready to face him, let alone know," she argued.
"Either way, I'm part of this now whether you like or not. Please, grandma, I need the answers. I deserve them."
Tsugumi looked at him and saw the determination in his eyes, one she had seen before in her friends as well. As much as she hated putting his life in danger, she knew that at this point she had no choice but to open up. Sliding her deck back in her pocket, she joined Hajime on the couch and began.
"It happened fifty years ago, when we were about your age. I had broken up from one of my fellow chosen duelists whom I dated for a really long time. His name… Subaru Geki. He did not take the breakup well, and the darkness inside his heart began to grow, eventually taking over him and manifesting in the form of this monster who called himself Demon Subaru. He looked exactly the same as him, except for the eyes and teeth. This fiend sought to kill us all for pleasure and to empower himself. He had turned Sagakin into a nightmare realm, where creatures like him hunted down and feasted on the citizens' flesh and despair. We each tried to stop him, but it was futile, he had managed to overpower all chosen duelists and was about to use the power he had gained to destroy the entire universe and remake it in his own image. That was until a miracle happened and an old rival of ours stopped him, ending the process and undoing each of Demon Subaru's evil actions. After that, Subaru was freed of the demon and the creatures stopped contacting the human world except for us, fearing that such a universal threat might arise once more if their power fell in the wrong hands."
"I don't believe it… you were this close to death?"
"No, Hajime, I was actually killed. If his actions were not undone, you and your father may have never been born."
Hajime reached his hand and grabbed Tsugumi's, holding it tight almost out of a sudden fear of losing her just like he lost his best friend. All of that was too much for him to process, but there was still a question which bothered him.
"So why do you believe that this monster has returned?"
"No criminal in this city has done such gruesome murders. I never told you this, but on the night before Ken was killed, I had this bad feeling that something big was going to happen. To make matters worse, I've been trying to contact Subaru since and he's not answering my calls or emails."
"Do you have his address? How about we visit him to make sure this is true?"
"Absolutely not! If Demon Subaru has indeed returned, he will be dangerous for the both of us!"
Outside the mansion, Demon Subaru blinked to finish his supernatural peeking. He had seen and heard more than enough. The fear that Tsugumi had was shared with all of her close ones and it was going to pave the path towards his grandiose entrance. More so, just like the other three, she also had a piece of All Over The World in her possession. Why she chose not to tell Hajime about it was anyone's guess, but he did not care, for he had felt the young one's will and stubbornness, and more importantly, he knew that the kid was planning something. Thus he decided to stick around and wait, hoping that sooner or later he would be led to his human counterpart's hideout.