Covered by a pink blanket, sunk deep in her plush-soft mattress, her head dug into two large pillows, Tsugumi was fast asleep. Shyly peeking through the curtains, the moon's rays gently lit the scenery. Lost in the land of dreams, she had forgotten all about the worries of daytime, the peaceful look on her face betraying a happiness she began to hide even from her own family in the past few decades. Had old age started to wear on her so much so that she always displayed her worries in one way or another? Or was it an unwritten human rule that joy faded from view as you approached your twilight years?
Hajime carefully tiptoed past her room and silently went downstairs. It was unusual for him to be awake past midnight, and a part of him begged for the warm comforts of his bed. But he had answers to find and that need dug deep into his mind, keeping him awake like a parasitic virus tormenting the fatigued patient whom unwillingly hosted it. He snuck into the living room and turned on the lights from the desk lamp, positioning it in such a way that it did not shine towards the stairs. He booted up his grandmother's computer and entered the required password to access her email address. Since he had moved in with her for college, she had shared with him all of her passwords, just in case something bad might have happened. After half an hour of searching through her correspondence with 'Subaru Geki', he eventually found an email from a few years ago which revealed that he had moved to a new address. Hajime wrote it down on paper and deactivated the security system so that he could sneak out without anyone noticing.
The late night's chilly air was quick to greet him, once more reminding him of his bedroom's tempting safety. But he had to get to the bottom of that mystery and gain the answers his grandmother denied him. Thus he headed to the city center on foot, Demon Subaru silently following from a safe distance.
Just like the park, the entire neighborhood around seemed dead. Devoid of people, barely any lit buildings, not even one street animal. It was like walking through a graveyard, one made of highly-technologized constructions. In there he was the only living flesh, an anomaly, a ghost that had long missed its ride to the afterlife and was doomed to wander that hollow place. Eventually the buildings began to decay in imagery, a sign of their oldness and the city hall's stagnating projects of renovation. He was almost there.
Hajime double checked the street sign to be sure, then he counted the numbers on the flats until he stopped by the 19th. There he stared at the metallic door that was painted a pale olive-green and for a moment hesitated, wondering if it was the right thing to bother a stranger at that late hour of the night. Eventually the cold got to his bones and he dialed '77' on the interphone, waiting as it beeped once every two seconds. Once they ceased, the answer he received was the door opening. Unsure if he should say anything, he stepped into the dim corridors. Before the door automatically locked itself, a shadow also snuck in, soon becoming one with the darkness. The flat's inside had a strangely thick air, reeking of aged concrete. The apartments began right after the mailboxes, three per floor, and there was an elevator right next to the stairs which stretched upwards. The sound of keys unlocking something echoed from the second floor, prompting the young one to climb there. A dark brown metallic door with a golden '77' was to the stairs' left. Hajime gulped and shyly knocked, an old mellow voice replying from the inside, "Rad, why don't you come in?"
He then heard a pair of footsteps echo and saw the eyehole move for a moment. The door opened, revealing a tall old man dressed in black pajamas, well-kept long white hair falling down his shoulders, his brown eyes having a warm and curious look, his once soft face now dried up.
"Hello? Who are you?" the old man nervously asked.
"I apologize for the bother. I am looking for Subaru Geki," Hajime answered.
"That would be me. Is there something I can help you with?"
"Yes, I wanted to talk, it's about your past with the chosen duelists."
His expression suddenly lightened, as if he was awoken from a sleepy state.
"Of course. Come in!" he greeted and stepped aside, Hajime wiping his feet on the mat before entering. "You look pretty familiar. What interest do you have in the chosen duelists?"
"Sorry, I should've introduced myself earlier. I am Hajime Shirayama." He made a polite bow as his host locked the door.
"Shirayama, ey?"
"You've known my grandmother Tsugumi for quite some time."
A smile grew on Subaru's face, as if he was reminded of a pleasant dream.
"Oh yes I did, very well in fact." He turned to his guest and guided him to the living room.
Unbeknownst to both of them, Demon Subaru leaned against the wall outside, his ears' sharp hearing enabling him to listen to their conversation.
"Here you go." Subaru placed a plate with chocolate cookies and a glass of soda on the table.
"Thank you." Hajime nodded and both of them sat on two plush armchairs.
The living room was pretty old school, having thick long brown curtains that reached the floor, a large Indian rug depicting dark colored flowers, two bookshelves on opposite walls, both filled with books that had their covers worn off by time, a single TV hung on another wall, opposite to the two armchairs, table and windows. The entire place was way smaller and less cleanly than Hajime's home, yet it seemed suited for a modest-looking guy like Subaru.
"My grandmother had been trying to contact you these past days," Hajime tried to initiate conversation once more after munching down a cookie.
"I know," Subaru solemnly replied.
"She has been sending you emails and phoning you constantly."
"I know."
"So why didn't you answer her? She's been very worried."
"Worried that…?"
Hajime paused and looked Subaru in the eye. He seemed so kindhearted and innocent that he felt like it would have been insulting to insinuate that somehow Subaru had something to do with those murders.
"Worried that something bad might have happened to you," he was quick to rephrase his original thought.
"Oh Tsugumi, Tsugumi…" Subaru shook his head with a sad smile. "You know, even though my doctor says that I'm technically healthy, I still had the feeling over the last decade that I'm approaching my final days."
"How so?"
"Call it intuition. The point is, I don't wish to put my friends into grief over this, so I've become a hermit to hide my worries from them. I'm only interacting with my husband Rad whenever he comes home to rest, but that's barely an hour as his life's consisted only of racing and sleeping these past years. Heh, that hothead won't retire even when he's a century old."
"You seem pretty resigned, sir."
"Maybe I am… Sometimes I wonder if I'm more afraid of hurting my loved ones by dying than being afraid of death itself."
"Don't speak like this, Subaru!" Hajime rose his voice a bit. "If there's one thing that I've learned these past days, it's that you've got to cherish life, even if the fears of death are lurking in the back of your head! Life is short and death is forever, so you might as well make the best out of it, for the sake of your loved ones and even yourself!"
The old man giggled silently. When he was young he also had that optimistic view of the world. With a short sigh, he replied, "Everything has a beginning and an end."
"Yes, but-"
"No matter how much you enjoy the short time you have left…" Subaru interrupted him, "…you're simply trying to run away and postpone the end."
It then struck Hajime just how true those words were. Up until that day he would have just brushed them off, but after seeing how easily Ken had lost his life, he realized just how much anyone was at risk. In just a moment one's very existence could have ended, and everything that they ever were or could have been was erased at that point.
"So why is Tsugumi worried about me?" Subaru brought up, his curiosity now piqued.
Hajime snapped out of his thoughts. "Oh, you haven't heard."
"Heard of what?"
"There have been two murders in the college area. One of the victims was my best friend."
"My goodness…"
"They were horribly mangled, to say the least. Last night my grandmother had this feeling that something big was going to happen, so she now fears that a certain Demon Subaru might have returned."
"And she tried to contact me in order to see if it's true."
Hajime nodded, hoping that the supposition was unfounded. Subaru's face darkened with worry as he stared pensively at a bookshelf. The silence between them felt long and awkward, but eventually he spoke up.
"I've had the same fears last night. But of one thing I am sure, the Demon is not inside me."
Hajime blinked. "How so?"
"Back when he was lurking into my heart, I had felt as if something heavy was always pressing on me, not physically as much as spiritually. He always imbued me with thoughts of guilt, fueling my sorrow and rage, telling me that pride was the only answer to the sins I've committed," Subaru confessed as he clenched his fist on the armchair. "But now I don't feel any of this, I can't hear his voice inside my head, nor do I feel his presence anywhere near me."
"If that is the case, then either it's someone entirely different, or this monster-"
"Has possessed someone else. There is a way for you to recognize him, he never loses his trademark features - black and red eyes, fangs and a hissed voice."
"Understood," Hajime said and took a sip from the soda. "In this case, I should probably get going, it's pretty late and-"
"Don't worry, I usually don't sleep at night," Subaru assured him. "I presume Tsugumi taught you how to duel, right?"
"No. I learned it from my best friend."
"Good. In that case, would you mind if we had a match? I am curious to see how strong you are."
"Sure thing, sir."
The host motioned to two dueling tables in the hallway and both of them got out their decks and headed there. After they set their shields and drew their hands, five teal-colored rectangles appeared above both of them.
"A true duel…" Hajime muttered.
"Despite the creatures cutting their contact with the human world, us chosen duelists still have the power to call upon them and have true duels," Subaru explained. "Now let's begin!" Thus he did his first turn by placing a card into his mana zone.
"I charge mana and summon Ka Doubler, Red Attack Silver. He's put tapped into the battle zone." A caped silvery humanoid covered by bandages and wielding two blades appeared by Hajime's side.
"Ah, so these are Metallicas. Peculiar creatures they are," Subaru remarked. "I cast Dark Life and check the top two cards of my deck. Jenny, the Dismantling Doll goes into my graveyard and Bell Hell De Skull, Moon Reaper goes into my mana zone."
"I summon Crysta, First Squad." A small floating creature made of pale yellow crystal joined the silvery humanoid.
"Your Metallicas cost 1 less now, interesting! I summon Honenbe, Skeletal Guardian." A purple skull with four bat wings appeared and caused the top three cards of Subaru's deck to fall into the graveyard, those being Hellborof, Supreme Dragon Edge, Triple Mouth, Decaying Savage and Rebirth Eye, Shrine of Reaper. "I take Triple Mouth back to my hand and end."
"Crysta reduces his cost, so I summon Bernine, Dragon Armored and draw a card." A creature brandishing a white armor made of a Dragon's fossil and wielding a sword appeared next to the other two Metallicas.
"A drawing machine, good progression indeed! Might as well do some progression too – I summon Triple Mouth, Decaying Savage." The ghostly being with three mouths appeared next to the winged skull and caused the top card of its owner's deck to go into the mana zone and Hajime to discard Faywon, Green Knowledge Silver.
"My turn, I cast Shine Arrow, tap Triple Mouth and draw a card. Then I summon Amber, Strange Stone, freeze Honenbe and draw from Bernine." A being made of three orange crystals and with blue butterfly wings appeared and fired a beam upon the purple skull, binding it. "Bernine, destroy Triple Mouth!" The fossil wearing Metallica swung its sword and slashed the three mouthed creature into pieces.
"You've gained field advantage now, nice work!" Subaru complimented, but then he frowned as he drew his next card. "I cast Dark Life and check the top two cards of my deck. Jasmine, Mist Faerie goes into my graveyard and Tyrant Black Monarch goes into my mana zone. Turn end."
"Since I have more than two other creatures in the battle zone, Ka Doubler now untaps!" Hajime announced. "I evolve Amber into Shouten, Stellar Guidance!" The creature made of orange crystals got enveloped by a golden armor and transformed into a warrior made of dark blue crystals that wielded an emerald green sword.
"A neo evolution creature…?" his opponent uttered and looked better at the card. "It features that new attack bending effect and it brings out a non-evolution Light creature that costs 8 or less at the start of my turn? That's strong."
"Ka Doubler, double break his shields! Shouten, break his shield!"
Subaru took cover as the two Metallica creatures slashed away three of his shields with their swords. As he picked the cards into his hand, he quickly showed one to his opponent and said, "Shield trigger activate, I summon Death Hands, Misfortune Emperor, destroy Shouten!" A horned humanoid donning a skeletal armor with a red cape appeared and used its large scythe to cut the warrior made of blue crystals in half.
"Tsh, Bernine, break his shield! Crysta, break his final shield!"
Heeding the orders, the last two Metallicas also went through Subaru's shields, rendering him defenseless. But once he picked up those cards as well, he once more spoke, "Shield trigger activate, I cast Inferno Sign!"
The card glowed with a bright purple aura and caused a winged and horned purple wolf plush toy to appear in the battle zone, wielding a red bone scythe. The plushie howled, causing the top two cards of its owner's deck to fall into its owner's graveyard, those being Jasmine, Mist Faerie and Death Hands, Misfortune Emperor. Then it jumped in the air, using its scythe to create a hole out of which a winged palace descended. A white haired doll wearing a dark red dress and wielding a razor weapon also arose.
"I revive Hellborof, Supreme Dragon Edge and bring out Welcome Hell, Supreme Devil King Palace! With Welcome Hell's effect I revive Jenny, the Dismantling Doll, show your hand!" Subaru demanded and his opponent revealed Andro Saver, Martyrdom Wings, Wonder Turtle, Great Labyrinth Turtle and White Night, Edge of Yin Yang. "I discard Andro Saver. Then I cast Shrine of Rebirth and send both Jasmine and Death Hands from my graveyard into my mana zone. I also cast Dark Life, check the top two cards… and send Ninjariban, Dragon Edge into my graveyard and Haridelberg, Hell of D into my mana zone. Lastly, I evolve Jenny into Black Psycho, Revenge and discard your remaining cards!" The doll got surrounded by a purple aura and turned into a dark purple skeletal demon wearing circus buffoon clothes and wielding a sword and a shield, the creature swinging its sword and causing Hajime to lose the last two cards in his hand. "Death Hands, suicide with Crysta! Black Psycho, suicide with Ka Doubler!" The two creatures lashed at the equal powered Metallicas, each disappearing into an explosion upon collision. "Hellborof, attack Bernine and Welcome Hell revives Ninjariban, Dragon Edge whom I equip with Migawari, Nightmare Swastika!" The wolf plush flew towards the remaining Metallica, the winged palace glowing and causing a blue ninja plush wielding a red shuriken to appear right before the former slashed its target into pieces with its scythe. "Your turn."
"You lost all of your shields and yet you've managed to make a full comeback," Hajime spoke in disbelief as he drew his top card. "I charge mana and end."
"Yes, you must be able to get out of any kind of dire situation that the opponent puts you into. And now let me show you the power of Darkness – Mana Evolution, I take Bell Hell De Skull from my mana zone and evolve him into Ballom Quake, God of Demons!" A green goat demon with red wings, long white hair falling on its shoulders, a body that seemed like it was made of plants, and who was lying on a giant leaf filled with rose petals appeared in the battle zone and roared, shaking the apartment. "Ballom Quake destroys all creatures that aren't Demon Commands! Ninjariban gets destroyed, but Migawari keeps him in the battle zone and it flips to Karakurigaeshi, Ninja Mansion. Honenbe gets destroyed and Karakurigaeshi flips to Utsusemihenge, Blame Demon Dragon!" A black and blue Demon Command Dragon wearing parts of a mansion as its armor, a red shuriken on its chest and two swords hung on its back also appeared in the battle zone. "Ballom Quake, triple break his shields!" The goat demon waved its hands and created a purple sphere which it then tossed upon three of the boy's shields, tearing through each.
Hajime took cover as the shards hit him and then he was quick to take the three cards to his hand.
"Shield trigger activate, I summon Rudolgo, Strange Stone!" A jet made of gold appeared by his side, only to be immediately tied by green vines coming from the plant Demon Command and disappear. "Huh? What happened?"
"Whenever you put a creature into the battle zone for no cost, Ballom Quake sends it into the mana zone instead," Subaru explained with a satisfied smirk and continued his turn. "Utsusemihenge, break his final shields!" The ninja dragon pulled out both swords and flew towards Hajime, slashing his remaining shields.
"Shield trigger activate, I cast Novalty Amaze and tap all of your creatures!" A bright gem appeared and fired bright blue light beams upon Hellborof and Ninjariban, binding them. "I also draw a card. Then super shield trigger, I bring out Crysta for free." The small Metallica appeared, only to be quickly caught by the same vines and sent into the mana zone.
"Heh, your move," Subaru passed.
Hajime drew his next card and frowned. There was no evolution creature and no matter what he summoned, he couldn't have been able to get rid of all four opposing creatures.
"I summon Wonder Turtle, Great Labyrinth Turtle." A giant turtle made of multicolored gems, with its tail shaped like a double hammer and a labyrinth carved in its shell appeared by his side.
"That's all?" Subaru asked and received a nod in response. "Then it's time to end this. Ballom Quake…"
Hajime closed his eyes, expecting another blast to throw him into a wall.
"Stand back!" Subaru ordered and each of his creatures disappeared, much to Hajime's surprise. "You have good skill, but I'm afraid that in the end you just had bad luck."
"You're a strong opponent too," Hajime replied with a modest smile and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Keep researching into these new cards and improve your deck so that it will be prepared for any situation," Subaru advised.
"Thank you." Hajime then yawned and started packing his cards. "Sorry, it's getting really late."
"Then I won't keep you here much longer."
The building's door opened and Hajime walked out, heading back home into the night's cold with a gifted box of chocolates under his armpit. Although he did not find out everything he had hoped for, that meeting was still very productive. In his head echoed the parting words that Subaru left him with: Good luck, and remember to always be on high alert. Little did he know that Demon Subaru stood in front of the flat, staring at him with a satisfied grin. He had now tracked the five pieces of All Over The World.