Part Four

"Has Aster seemed different lately?" Syrus asked.

"If you mean, he's nicer, yeah," Jaden said. "He's also said that Satorius has been using him, whatever that means."

"Either way, sounds like they may part ways," Hassleberry said.

"Perhaps," came Aster's voice and when they turned, Aster was a couple of feet behind them. "Jaden, can we talk? Alone?"

"Uh, sure." Jaden followed Aster back the way to school and stopped by the trees nearby.

Aster turned to him. "Jaden, be careful of Satorius. I've thought about him lately and I believe that some evil force is possessing him. He speaks of brainwashing the whole world to worship something called the Light of Destruction with him as its vessel."

"Whoa, hold on! That's why my Neo-Spacians told me. They said some evil force was on earth and that only I can defeat it."

"Well, they're right. Satorius is determined to bring you to his side and he wants to use me as one of those ways. But I don't want to as I consider you a friend."

Jaden grinned. "You do? Sweet. I consider you a friend too."

Aster smiled back. He had warned Jaden and admitted to thinking of him as a friend. Now that he knows about Satorius, he won't let his guard down.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" said a slightly mocking voice behind Aster, making the werewolf stiffen before turning around to see Satorius. The tall man had a wicked smile that was reflected in his eyes. Aster shielded Jaden as Satorius' eyes flicked to the brunette. "Well, Aster. This is it. Do it."

"I told you I won't do it."

"And I told you that you will. I control your destiny." He pointed at Aster. "I order you to carry out the plan I told you to do."

Once again, Aster felt himself stiffen before he transformed and whirled around to face Jaden who seemed stunned at seeing Aster turn into a wolf. His reaction gave Aster the chance to leap at him and knock him to the ground.

Jaden stared into Aster's gold eyes and heard Satorius laugh before saying, "Do it, Aster. Bite him." Jaden saw Aster's eyes turn blue-gold and the wolf said softly. "No…I don't…want to. I…can't."

"Fight it, Aster," Jaden said. "You don't have to listen to him."

Aster found he wasn't as stiff anymore and flared his nose to find Satorius' scent absent. He looked back to see no one. He looked down at Jaden. "I'm sorry," he said before leaping off and running for the woods as Syrus and Hassleberry came up as Jaden got to his feet. The brunette stared into the woods before running into them, calling, "Aster, wait! Come back."

Syrus and Hassleberry exchanged looks before following Jaden, the former saying, "Ja, what are you thinking? He's a werewolf and dangerous."

"Only if Satorius orders him, but he can fight it. He was ordered to bite me, but he didn't." He returned to calling out to his friend, pleading for him to come back. "Please, Aster. I'm not mad or anything."

"Really?" came a reply and Jaden looked to the right to see Aster lying in a hollow tree, his fur standing out in the gloom. He went over and went to one knee. "Really," he said.

"I didn't tell you about my curse. What kind of friend keeps secrets from his friends?"

"I would have kept it secret," Syrus said as he joined them. "I would be afraid of how they would view me."

"Yes," Aster said, lifting his head. "That's exactly why I said nothing."

Syrus and Jaden moved back as Aster crawled out of the tree and stood before looking up. "Look, when the moon rises, I won't be able to talk except as a wolf, but I'm in complete control of myself. I'd be happy to answer any questions you have in the morning."

Jaden stared at Aster's ears and the pro smiled. "I know," he said as he covered them. "It's either a side effect of the moon or a permanent one because of the full moon."

"Aster, how did you get cursed?" Jaden asked.

"Satorius took a dark power he had planted in my deck and put it in me."

"If I beat the force controlling him, perhaps the curse will break."

"Maybe. It makes sense."

"Of course it does. I'll break your curse and save the world in one duel."

Jaden's cheerful determination brought a smile to Aster's face. He loved his friend's upbeat attitude; it was one of the reasons of why he found Jaden so likeable.

"Aster, how does this curse work?" Hassleberry asked.

"It started off that I would change every night and every time Satorius ordered me to change. It grew when I changed out of anger and it gave me the ability to change anytime I want. Of course, there's also the full moon."

"So, you can change into a wolf and have pointed ears?" Syrus said. "That's all?"

"No. I also have the senses of a wolf, day and night."

"Cool," Hassleberry said before grinning at Aster. "Nice havin' someone else with animal DNA, even though it was forced."

"I felt the same way when you told us about your dino DNA."

"Aster, I don't get how you biting me would help Satorius."

"If I'm understanding it correctly, the dark power that cursed me would infect you through my bite. He figured that with both of us as werewolves serving him, his plan would succeed."

"Oh, okay. Yeah, that was a good plan."

"It was and when I heard his plan of world domination, he said he would either dispose of me or trap me in wolf form once you were bitten."

"Wait," Hassleberry said. "If you're a wolf every night, how are you able to duel as a pro?"

"I was given a pendent to keep me human at night and I was told to only wear it when I need to be human. I've analyzed it and it was not made with the same power that cursed me. So, if Satorius is beaten and the curse doesn't break, I can still be a pro duelist." Aster was hopeful that he could be cured and was certain that Jaden could beat Satorius in a duel, thereby expelling that evil force and bringing back the man he had known for years.

Satorius smiled in satisfaction. He had left the scene when Aster had pinned Jaden. He didn't want to risk Aster turning on him and biting him. Granted, he wouldn't have changed until moonrise like Jaden, but he didn't like the idea of being cursed forever.

"I still can't believe you cursed my favorite client," said the real Satorius via telepathy.

"The cards revealed to me that Aster would play a vital role in my plan by being a werewolf," he said aloud.

"You had no right!" he growled. "Oh, if I could expel you from my body, I would."

Satorius gave a chuckle as he said, "Yes, but you can't. You are not strong enough to defeat me. Only the chosen one can, but he is now a werewolf who will serve me."

"No," he said in horror while Satorius laughed in triumph. Aster wouldn't do that. I too have sensed his resistance to taking this monster's orders. Something tells me that Jaden is still your downfall.