"That's fine, see you tomorrow!" Hajime waved at his secretary as she exited his office.
"Good night, sir!" Kumi wished him and then she disappeared in the hallway, leaving him all alone.
At last, silence. No more meetings to attend, reports to discuss or documents to sign. Hajime could finally clear his mind. Instinctively, he fetched a bottle of cold water and turned to admire the view of Sagakin from his office window. The lights shining in the dark of the night, the calm traffic, the wandering citizens, they all culminated to form this grand painting in his head - a most impressive piece of modern art which he felt responsible for guarding. How easily could Sagakin have been turned into a desolate wasteland if not for his efforts?
Too easy... said a voice in his mind, and he had to agree. But Hajime Shirayama did not seek laurels. In truth, he could not care less for how many times he appeared in the news. The city of Sagakin was where he spent his childhood summers, where he attended college and where he intended to settle down. He put much sentimental value in that little coastal city which was mostly forgotten by the rest of Japan. At the end of the day, if that corner of the world was safe, his mind was at ease.
All of a sudden, the lights in the office and hallway began to flicker. That was strange, he was certain there were no issues with the building's electric power system. A strong feeling of dread began to creep into his mind, the certainty that he was not alone anymore and remaining there was a bad idea. Hajime got up, his office chair crashing behind, and went out with hurried steps.
The hallway seemed to stretch infinitely, but then again his mind was probably playing tricks due to the flickering lights. As he headed towards the elevators, he passed by a poster depicting a young female model who was wearing a jacket from his latest winter line. He paused and glanced back, having noticed something peculiar - why was the jacket's fur purple instead of white? Maybe it was a coincidence, maybe it was a misprint, maybe his mind was playing tricks on him due to the bad lighting. Nevertheless, he pushed forward and soon enough he went past a second poster. However, this one had the model with horns growing out of her head.
Realizing what that meant, Hajime made a run for it and got into the nearest elevator. He pressed the button for the lowest level and the doors immediately closed. While descending, he looked around in every direction. Danger was everywhere, he had to be prepared for anything at any moment, always on high alert, no matter what.
The elevator suddenly shook and stopped after seven levels. Once the doors opened, Hajime had the displeasure of seeing there were still thirteen levels left. He insistently pressed each button, but there was no response. Dismissing it as broken, he stepped out of the elevator and noticed that the lights down the hallway were no longer flickering, but had grown rather dim. As he headed towards the elevator at the other end of the corridor, he could not help but notice with the corner of his eye that there were figures shuffling around. Never close enough to notice what they were, but just enough to be assured of their presence. The air had also grown surprisingly thicker, as if the overall atmosphere was trying to suffocate him.
Much to his gratitude, the second elevator's door opened instantly and he sought refuge inside. As it descended, he tapped his foot impatiently, eager to reach the lowest level and escape his own office building. But lo, luck was not on his side, as the elevator shook and stopped at the sixth level. Mentally cursing his situation, Hajime refrained from kicking the wall and walked out into another hallway.
The dim lights suddenly shut off, leaving him in pitch blackness. Using his cell phone's flashlight, he pushed further, seeking the elevator at the opposite end of the corridor. As he went deeper, whispers began echoing in the darkness, unintelligible and yet with the unmistakable feeling that they were calling him, demanding his attention. Hajime ignored them and the figures which kept appearing at the edge of his vision until it struck him. The feeling of dread from before, it was stronger than ever, it overtook him as he felt with all of his being the certainty that there was someone else in the building with him. That someone was watching him... and was also fast approaching.
The sound of footsteps echoed from behind. It was a calm and calculated walk, but with each passing second it grew louder. His heart racing, Hajime wasted no time and bolted forward, reaching the elevator in a matter of moments. Once more the doors opened instantly, but this time around there was no lighting inside. With shaking hands, he pressed each button while trying to find the one for the lowest floor. In a frenzied panic, he dropped his cell phone and its lantern then revealed the shrieking face of Shishima, who assaulted him. He felt his neck being grabbed tightly by those clawed hands, ripping him out of the elevator's safety. He felt his body being tossed in the air at incredible speed, and before he knew it, his back, lungs and torso were pierced by the demon's horns. Pain overtook his mind, he screamed in sheer agony as he lay there, impaled by his worst enemy.
"You should press the buttons faster if you know what's good for you," Shishima mocked him, relishing in each moment of his suffering.
Hajime woke in a sweat. He was back in the comfort of his own bed, in the safety of his bedroom, his inner fears buried in the night's darkness. Next to him, by the bedside, Shishima sat cross-legged on a chair. The silvery moonlight was cast upon his imposing figure and revealed a disappointed frown on his sharp leonine face. That was unexpected, why did he not find joy in the heinous act he had just performed? The moments of silence between the two of them stretched for what seemed like an eternity, until Hajime finally spoke up:
"Is that the worst nightmare you've got? I've been put through much worse!"
"This is wrong. Your idea of me putting you through 'nightmare simulations' is not at all healthy for your psyche," Shishima reasoned.
"And since when did you care about that?"
"Why must you do this to yourself? Ever since our blood oath, I have actually done the opposite: I've secretly put a spell on you that in theory protects your mind from nightmares whenever you go to sleep."
"This is the only way I can become stronger in real life. I must face my fears headfirst," Hajime argued and placed his head on the pillow once more. "Now go on and give me a nightmare that will actually turn my world upside down!"
Shishima shook his head and complied, "You asked for it..." His pupils glowed a bright red, lulling the mortal into sleep.
A solitary sob. A trashed room. School books, toys and pillows scattered all over the floor. The sobbing persisted, until it burst into loud crying. It all felt so familiar...
Hajime was in his old bedroom, back at the Shirayama mansion in Tokyo. The relics of his past were all scattered, like the memories of his childhood which he tried pushing away as the years went by. And he knew the reason all too well.
There he was, thirteen-year-old Hajime Shirayama, dressed in his expensive school uniform consisting of a plain black jacket and pants, white shirt and a matching black tie. His hair was ruffled, tears were streaming down his reddened cheeks as he sat on the bed and cried, alone and forgotten. That cry, he forgot how much he hated the sound of it and the image of his child self in that state. Yes, Hajime hated whenever he felt weak and helpless. For it reminded him too much of his failures as a man, and, worst of all, it brought back the trauma he had been suppressing for over twelve years.
All of a sudden, a pair of arms wrapped themselves around his preteen self. It was twenty-year-old Hajime, wearing his old turquoise turtleneck sweater with a yellow scarf around his neck and matching pants. He gently cradled the child, allowing him to cry on his shoulder, and as he rocked back and forth and regarded him with a sorrowful expression worth a thousand words, he whispered:
"Don't worry, it's okay, this will pass, just let it all out."
This sight infuriated the adult Hajime even more. Never did he know that his late teen self was still so soft and prone to being hurt by monsters like Shishima. Yes, it was precisely because he cared too much about others that he ended up suffering so much. It was a wonder that he managed to survive that long, seeing how much he failed in his goal of becoming a real man. He was definitely no Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot or James Bond; his literary heroes were leagues above him, for they never wallowed in self-pity, nor did they allow their emotions to get the better of them. But he, Hajime Shirayama, sheltered and privileged rich kid, lacked the real life experience which should have toughened him up. For all his talks of bringing justice and being heroic, he was still so soft. And he hated it to no end.
Out of instinct, Hajime pulled out his gun and pressed it against the back of his twenty-year-old self's head, who was still hugging his thirteen-year-old self and whispering reassuring words into his ear:
"It will all be over soon, trust me."
With a cold expression which betrayed sheer disgust, he replied, "I'll put you both out of your misery." And then he pulled the trigger.
Hajime snapped awake a second time. The sun was rising, yet Shishima was still by his side, his serious face much clearer in dawn's light.
"What the hell was that dream?" Hajime asked, his fury rising once more. "How dare you stoop this low and make things personal again?"
"My latest nightmares have all had a message behind them," Shishima calmly replied and got up from the chair, dusting his fur. "I suggest you do some introspection and figure out what I'm trying to tell you."
"Oh no, I don't have time for your games-"
Before Hajime could begin his rant, Shishima disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving him all alone in his bedroom.
Later that morning, Hajime and Ben were both spending time in the living room, the former in his bathrobe and enjoying a good book, the latter in his pajamas and browsing the internet on his laptop.
"Master, your friends from America have come to pay you a visit!" the butler announced from the hallway.
"Tell them to come in!" Hajime shouted back and rose from his armchair to greet his guests.
In a matter of moments, Jack walked in, Lori following him at a slower pace due to her walking frame.
"Good morning, partner!" Jack greeted in his usual cheery manner. "Sorry to bother you so early!"
"Not a problem whatsoever." Hajime smiled back at him as they both shook hands. "How are you guys doing?"
"Jack's boss called him to work early today, and I'll be damned if I spend another day all alone in that hotel room!" Lori brought up with her usual snark. "Besides, I wanted to spend more time with you, Hajime. We haven't seen each other in like what, five years?"
"Fair point." Hajime shrugged and turned his attention back to her boyfriend. "I got no problem, she can crash at my place as much as she wants."
"Thanks a lot, partner. I promise I'll join you guys later this afternoon." Jack shook hands again, then with a tip from his cowboy hat, he took his leave.
Not wasting any time, Lori used her frame to walk up to Ben and joined him on the sofa.
"Hey there, whatcha up to?" she asked.
"Oh nothing, just doing some investigations," he dismissively replied, not even turning to regard her.
"Woo, sounds important! I see you're looking up some Japanese businessmen."
"Quite a perceptive observation," Ben dryly stated. "Yes, these are rivals of Shirayama Industries."
"My company has been under subtle attacks these past couple of weeks," Hajime added as he sat back in his armchair and picked up his book. "I suspect it's the doing of one of my competitors. Ben here is on the case."
"Really now. What makes you believe that?" Lori wondered.
"To cut a long story short, someone tried to hack into my company's computers, then tried to spread bad rumors in the business world, and lastly they sent someone to poison my investors during an important meeting at Shirayama Industries. Over the span of a month," Hajime stressed for emphasis. "My theory is that the one behind this is someone who has a vested interest in ruining my family business, and this only narrows it down to competition."
Lori nodded in agreement. "This is indeed serious. But who would be this petty? And, more importantly, why would they be so petty?"
Silence fell between the three young adults, only the sound of Ben's clicking and pressing of keys filled the living room.
"Wait a minute!" Lori suddenly exclaimed, having had an epiphany. "Guys, what if one of Hajime's competitors is secretly a Spawn of Shishima? And they're doing this to avenge that monster?"
"I have not ruled out such a possibility," Ben added. "But before his banishment, Shishima had denounced his Spawns, then most if not all have already been arrested."
"That doesn't rule out the possibility that it's a former Spawn bent on revenge!" she insisted. "Believe me, vindictive assholes can be very scary, I've heard plenty of stories."
"I am already scouring the backgrounds of all these businessmen for anything suspicious, but so far there are no signs that any of them have ever supported the Spawns. The statistics say that most support for this pro-Shishima movement came from the poor and the middle class. After all, his message was fairly simplistic and appealing to the outcasts of society."
"More like the psychos of the outcasts," Lori remarked, but Ben did not reciprocate her sense of humor. "Listen, maybe you haven't found anything because you need a break to relax."
"Are you crazy? There's no time to take a break when Hajime's business is in trouble!"
"You've been glued to your computers almost 24/7 lately, Ben. You can take a break, the end of the world won't follow," Hajime said reassuringly before returning to his book.
"I concur. If you want, I can give you a practice duel to get your mind off work!" Lori suggested while taking out her deck.
Ben rolled his eyes in defeat and replied, "Fine, I'll help you to the dueling tables."
Much to his surprise, Lori proved herself capable of easily getting up from the couch and walking up to the tables at a decent pace. Although five years had passed since her spine was damaged by Shishima, it seemed that whatever surgeries and healing therapies she underwent were indeed paying off. The optimist in him would have given her another five years until she would have been able to properly walk once more.
"Are you sure you want this to be a true duel?" Ben asked as he saw their shields materialize while they were setting up their cards.
"I'm certain. Don't hold anything back," Lori said with shocking confidence.
"Very well then, let's begin. I summon Helcopta's Memory." A translucent helicopter holding a sketchbook with a drawing of itself appeared by Ben's side, allowing him to check the top four cards of his deck and add en evolution creature into his hand. "I'll take Manifest (Marco Star)."
"A tamaseed with the Jokers race, huh? I better tell Jack about it," Lori commented while charging mana.
"I summon Jasmine's Rune and ramp one mana." A clay tablet depicting a deformed faerie with green hair and a brown dress appeared next to the sketchbook.
"Hajime will like this one - I summon Mixel, Strange Stone." An airship made of red crystal appeared by Lori's side.
"Since when are you using Light cards?" a surprised Hajime asked.
"I've recently switched to Light Fire, and you'll soon see why," Lori said, playfully winking back at him.
"I summon another Helcopta's Memory." Ben once more checked the top four cards of his deck. "I'll take Manifest (Reef Star) to my hand. Then I also summon Charisma Manifest." A blue lion with a flowing green mane and sharp red claws appeared, allowing his owner to draw three cards, after which he discarded Kiyuri, Coral Faerie and another Jasmine's Rune.
"Bad Action Dynamite Spell 2! I discard Logic Circle and cast Big Bang Flare for 3 mana instead of 5! With its effect, I bring out DOOOPPLER Macule and force battle him with Charisma Manifest!" A red racing car surrounded in golden flames appeared by Lori's side and rushed across the battle zone, spinning around the blue lion until he was circled by its flames and evaporated. "I attack with DOOOPPLER Macule and Magibomber 7!"
"Magibomber 7?" Ben repeated.
"With this effect, I can check the top card of my deck and then play a creature that costs 7 or less either from the top of my deck or from my hand." Lori peeked at the top card and grinned at her opponent, immediately revealing it. "The leader of the Light Fire Team Bomber is here - Dynabolt, Explosive Dragon Emperor!" A red-skinned bipedal dragon wearing a golden armor with two turbo jets attached to its shoulder plates appeared in the battle zone and gave a battle cry which shook the entire living room.
Hajime glanced at the doorway and caught the gaze of his butler Yuji. Thankfully, he was always understanding when it came to the slight mess caused by true duels in the mansion, especially since the cleaning he made amounted to just programming a vacuum robot.
"DOOOPPLER Macule, double break his shields!" Lori ordered and the flaming car drove through two of Ben's shields, shattering them as he took cover. "Dynabolt, attack and... Double Magibomber 6!" She checked the top two cards of her deck. "Hm, good, but not good enough. I'll just bring out two GOOOSOKU The Bomber from my hand!" Two racers wearing white and black suits appeared, one riding a red motorcycle while the other rode a golden one. "Dynabolt, double break his shields!" The dragon dashed forward using the speed of its jets and shattered two more shields with its claws. "The Bomber, attack and Magibomber 3!" She immediately tossed the top card of her deck into the battle zone. "I bring out another Mixel, Strange Stone. Now go, break his final shield!" The racer on the red motorcycle jumped with his vehicle in the air and shattered the remaining opposing shield.
"No shield triggers in any of my shields, I'm afraid," Ben responded with a deflated tone.
"In that case I'll finish you with my second The Bomber, todomeda!"
"Ninja Strike 4, I summon Hayabusamaru, Lightfang Ninja and block the attack!" A small plane creature descended and blocked the attack of the racer on the golden motorcycle, being destroyed in the process.
"Then my first Mixel shall finish the job, todomeda!"
"That won't happen - Star MAX Evolution, I discard Code:MAX so I won't lose the game!" Ben said and much to his opponent's shock, her crystal airship creature remained frozen in its attack, unable to deliver it.
"Star MAX Evolution...?" Lori repeated.
"Star MAX Evolution creatures do not require an evolution bait. However, when they are played, any other Star MAX Evolution creature I have in the battle zone is returned to my hand. And whenever I would lose the game, I may destroy or discard a Star MAX Evolution creature to prevent that from happening."
"That's quite the nifty trick you've got there, Benny boy. I'll pass the turn, show me what else you've got!"
Although he internally cringed at the nickname Lori came up for him on the spot, Ben decided to ignore the immature banter and began his turn.
"I evolve Helcopta's Memory into Manifest (Marco Star)!" The translucent helicopter holding a sketchbook got enveloped by a blue aura and transformed into a green-maned blue lion with tentacles sticking out of his body. "With his effect, I send a Mixel back to your hand. Then I attack a The Bomber and declare not one, but four Invasions!"
Lori's and Hajime's jaws dropped as they saw Ben reveal four copies of the same card which he swiftly placed on the table, forming a stack on his attacking creature.
"First I draw three cards and discard Mushinon's Memory with Marco Star's effect. Then I invade four Code:Ikouze (Adam Star) onto him!" The lion got enveloped by a blue aura and transformed into a chrome robotic dragon with three jets on its back and two flying saucers attached to its arms. "With the effects of all my Adam Stars, I draw four cards and then send back to your hand Mixel, DOOOPPLER Macule, Dynabolt and your other The Bomber!" One by one, each of the mentioned creatures were zapped by a blue beam coming from the creature's arms. "Then, until the start of my next turn, you can't play any creatures which have the same names as the ones I bounced back to your hand!"
"What?!" the incredulous Lori exclaimed, no longer certain of her victory. She mentally regretted underestimating her opponent, perhaps there was more to him than his geeky exterior.
"Adam Star, destroy her remaining The Bomber!" Ben ordered and the motorcyclist found himself crushed into pieces by the robotic dragon. "And with that, I pass the turn to you."
"Don't think I'm finished just yet! I cast Senyuu! Bomber MAX and with its effect I discard Mixel and draw three cards."
"Charming. Now then, I summon Onikamas, Strange Flow." A blue barracuda warrior wielding a trident and a golden shovel arose by Ben's side. "Then I reduce his cost by 2 and evolve Jasmine's Rune into Manifest (Reef Star)!" The clay tablet got enveloped by a blue aura and transformed into a green-maned blue lion with crystal wings sticking out of his back. "I attack with Reef Star and with his effect, I search my deck and add two cards to my hand. Go, double break her shields!" The lion flapped his wings and flew right through the opposing shields, shattering two into pieces. "Adam Star, double break her shields!" The robotic dragon fired two beams from its arms and shattered two more shields.
Lori took cover as the shield shards went past her. Considering her state, Ben felt a tinge of regret that he was retaliating in such a harsh manner. Said regret would fade as soon as the shards faded and she took the four cards to her hand, immediately revealing one and saying:
"Shield trigger, I cast Dragon's Sign and bring back Dynabolt, Explosive Dragon Emperor!"
The red dragon in golden armor once more appeared by Lori's side.
"Tsh, I end my turn and return Reef Star to my hand since I played him with cost reduction," Ben announced and the winged lion disappeared, all that remained in his place being the clay plate depicting a faerie.
"I summon USA CAPTEEEN," Lori said and a white anthropomorphic rabbit wearing a purple biker's vest, blue jeans, running shoes with jets on their back and flaming boxing gloves appeared next to her dragon. "Dynabolt, attack and Double Magibomber 6, I bring out The Bomber and Jujun Star from my hand! With Jujun Star's effect, I untap Dynabolt and todomeda!"
"I send The Bomber back with the effect of Onikamas and discard Code:MAX to not lose the game!"
"Then I attack with Dynabolt and use Double Magibomber 6 again to bring out The Bomber and a second Jujun Star from my hand! I once more untap Dynabolt and todomeda!"
"Onikamas sends The Bomber back to your hand and I discard another Code:MAX to not lose the game!"
"Dynabolt, attack and with Double Magibomber 6 I bring out two The Bombers, then todomeda!" the exasperated Lori shouted.
"Onikamas sends both The Bombers back to your hand!" Ben announced and watched how the two bikers disappeared from her field, then he lowered his head as he had no more responses and was hit by the dragon's claw, which thrust him right into a wall.
As the creatures disappeared, Lori squealed in excitement. "Yes, I still got it after all these years!" She then regarded Ben as he struggled to get up and dust his suit. "Oops, I guess I went a bit overboard. Sorry!" she was quick to apologize, an act which took Hajime by surprise. Since when did Lori become humble?
"Don't worry, I am fine," Ben reassured her. "You put up a good fight, I'm impressed!"
"Likewise. Listen, sorry if we got off on the wrong foot. You mind if I help you with your research?" she offered with a surprisingly pleasant smile on her face. "This should kill some time until Jack comes to pick me up."
"Why not? I suppose four eyes are better than two," he said while reciprocating her smile.
"Good luck with that. I'll head downstairs to workout," Hajime announced them and walked out of the living room.
The gym was located in the mansion's basement. It was a large room which contained a training bench, a large mattress, a dumbbell and a barbell set, a treadmill, a stationary bicycle and a rowing machine. Two long neon lights from the ceiling were the only source of lighting. Once the door behind was closed, Shishima appeared on the training bench. For some reason, his sudden apparitions no longer seemed to startle Hajime.
"No Spawn has ever been in a high position of power. And even if they were, I'd have sensed their prayers and outed them to you in the very next moment," Shishima said.
"I know," Hajime flatly replied and picked up both dumbbells.
"I'm surprised. Since when did you have such blind faith in me?"
"Ever since you've been revealing your cultists left and right, regardless of social status. That's enough proof for me that you're done with the Spawns and are not behind this conspiracy."
A little proud smile crept up Shishima's face. "Keh, who knew we would agree for once? But still, the question remains: who is behind all of this?"
Hajime sighed. "I wish I knew..." Then he resumed his workout in silence after Shishima vanished.