Hey everyone, Ray and Lee here with another addition to our ever expanding series, Dual Guardians. For those wondering, this is the next part of the first year where our heroes get into some serious trouble. Can they get out of this alive? You'll have to check it out and see. Also, another shout out to Eneko95 for her continued hard work with us, we appreciate her and everything she's done.

Chapter 30

War of Planets

Prologue

Night

Duel Academy

Hidden Cave

It had been a few days since the Academy Duel between Central and West with things slowing down as holiday break was arriving. Most students had gotten through their exams and were ready for their trip back home to spend time with their families.

Little did they know, there was darkness beginning to brew on the island.

In one of the nearby caves located close to the mountain, two shadow figures emerged and made their way inside.

Soon enough, they found their way towards the underground pipe systems, entering one of the authorized only rooms with ease. Inside, candles were lit, revealing the faces of Tauni and Ivor as they were with cloaks.

In moments, the silence of the room was broken.

"Ugh, this has got horror movie cliche written all over it," the tanned girl remarked as she threw a pebble at a pipe. "I can't believe we're expected to meet in such a rancid place like this."

"Do you not know when to stop complaining, I swear there are deti that talk less than you do," the taller student replied with an annoyed tone.

"Sure, when you actually do something useful for once." Ivor's patience was at its end as he glared at her, tightening his hand to cause his dark energy to surge around it. Tauni grinned in amusement as she stood up and did the same, only with both her hands.

"ENOUGH!" A voice shouted, causing both of them to yell out in pain as a dark aura surrounded the two of them. It was too much for them to handle and caused both to fall to their knees and breath heavily from the pain.

They looked over to see who the perpetrator was and found Erhard, holding his arm outward with the same dark energy.

"Both of you are acting like idioten, and I'm not in the mood to babysit, so shut up and get over it," he added with a threatening tone.

The two growled in response as the dark aura lifted from them, allowing them to stand back up. "Whatever, so why exactly did you call us here, Mr. Leader?" Tauni questioned.

"I received a communication from one of the agents, we've been called for a meeting," the black-haired teen replied.

"The Mistress?" Ivor questioned with bewilderment.

"Yes, so keep your mouths shut and act civil, if that's not too hard for you worthless half-wits."

All he got was a grunt from Ivor and a growl from Tauni, indicating that they knew the drill.

Soon enough, Erhard walked towards the wall in the room, pushing a secret pane to reveal a secret passage in the wall with a tunnel.

The trio walked for a few minutes and entered a new room.

What was now in front of them was a room with two lit torches and three pentagrams next to one another, each one spaced apart. The trio summoned their dark energies once again, placing the palms of their hands onto the ground as each one surged towards one of the marks. When it collided, the three pentagrams glowed with an ominous darkness as the energy began taking on a physical form.

After a few seconds, three shadowy figures stood in the centers of each pentagram. None of them had a face, or any other visible features besides their general shapes; two male shadows and one female.

Tauni, Erhard, and Ivor stood up and looked at the shadow people. If the boys were confused, they didn't show it. Tauni, however, realized something about the group.

"Hey, why isn't the Mistress here?" she asked. "Erhard said this meeting was her idea."

"Her Grace has too much going on to take this, so it falls to her remaining elite to deal with you three valueless brats," said one of them in a robust tenor.

"Valueless?! These two dick bags maybe, but I am the Mistress's favorite and I demand-"

Tauni abruptly found her throat closing up, and gasped for air. Her face started to turn red as she frantically grabbed at something invisible around her neck.

"Oh dear. Having trouble, Tauni?" asked the female shadow, whose right hand was extended and grasping the air. "If it makes you feel any better, you're part of a long-term experiment to help me determine the limits of my ability in this world."

"Enough!"

Both shadow figures looked to the third one. The female shadow released her grip with a brief chuckle, and Tauni fell to her knees again, coughing.

"We don't have the time for this. You three have been at that Academy for almost four months now, have you made any progress?" questioned the last one darkly.

Erhard took a second to look at his ally before kneeling down in front of them. "Some, yes. We have confirmed that the Gate and Key are here, in the possession of two Slifer students, but there have been…complications."

"The duelists we sent to expose them have failed, something we all take responsibility for," Ivor added, glaring at Tauni as she finally regained her composure.

"A very sad thing to hear, young ones. My Lady expected you to be more than capable of handling two of your troublesome peers."

"All is not lost," Erhard replied, prompting confused looks from his compatriots. "Now that we know who they are, I prepared not just a plan to capture them, but a back-up in case it fails."

The three shadow figures looked at one another before turning back to the Slifer student.

"Continue…"

Next Day

Morning

Main Building

The halls were filled to the brim with every student, each of them holding their individual luggage and backpacks, all of them waiting in anticipation for their trips home. Though a few were without luggage, only there to see their friends off as they had decided to stay on campus for the holidays.

At one of the tables close to the main exit, there was one that had been taken by the easily recognized group most knew.

"I cannot believe it's finally here!" Laura declared with enthusiasm. "Those four months gone and we're finally gonna have real relaxing time."

"Yeah, no classes to worry about for a while, nowhere to go, no place to be," Sera sighed. "Just some well earned down time… Time to sew."

"Yeah, let your parents deal with the noise for a while," her roommate remarked, earning a playful push from Sera.

"How about you two, any big plans for when you get home?" She asked both Atsuko and Takashi, both of whom were in the middle of a duel.

"Oh… Well, we're going to probably be visiting my grandparents in Hokkaido, and most of my other family will likely be there too," the petite girl remarked as she placed a card facedown.

"I'll probably be helping my parents take care of my imōto," Takashi replied as he grabbed one of his monsters and placed it in the graveyard.

Atsuko did a double take, and even Sera looked surprised at the reveal.

"I didn't know you had a little sister," Laura said with surprise.

"Oh, well with everything that's been going on, I had forgotten to tell you about her, here," he said while grabbing his phone. He opened it and swiped a few times before getting to what he was looking for.

He turned it around so everyone could see. "Her name's Hana and she's a bundle of energy."

The picture showed a tiny, plump baby with a round face and a small shock of almost spiky brown hair. Her mouth was open and her eyes scrunched up in a clear laugh. Blurs on either side of her face marked where her hands (probably) were.

"OMIGOSH! She's adorable!" Sera shouted, her voice rising several octaves.

"Owww... Thank you for making me go deaf," Laura remarked as she used one of her fingers to massage her ear. "In your defense, she is indeed adorable. Cutest baby ever."

"Kawaii," Atsuko added with big sparkling eyes.

Takashi chuckled at their response and was about to reply, but stopped when they heard the speakers start up.

"Attention please, attention, the next helicopter ride heading to Japan will be departing in 20 minutes. I repeat, the next helicopter ride to Japan will be leaving in 20 minutes."

"Oh boy, looks like it's almost time," Atsuko remarked as she started to put away her deck. "It'll be great to have some sense of normalcy after all of the craziness we endured."

"Speaking of craziness, where are Nick, Bar, and Erhard?" Laura questioned Takashi as he finished putting his deck back into his case.

"Last time I saw them was at breakfast, Erhard said he wasn't going to pack till it was closer for him to leave, while Nick and Bar said they had to take care of something. They should be here soon."

"I think you summoned them," said Sera, pointing at the entrance.

Everyone turned in that direction, and sure enough Nick, Barclay, and Erhard were on their way over to the rest of the group.

"Hey, guys," Barclay said, waving a bit as they approached the table. The others nodded at him, though Laura didn't as she noticed that only Erhard had his luggage with him.

"Um, I know you guys didn't hear, but the next ride to Japan is leaving soon, why don't you have your stuff?" Laura questioned.

Nick and Bar looked at each other briefly.

"So… we've got something important we need to tell you," Bar replied, surprising the group. "Not here, though. Too many people, don't want to be overheard." He gestured toward the exit.

"Wait, what about our stuff? We—"

"Don't worry," Erhard interrupted as he put his luggage down. "I can watch it while you're talking, I already told them what I thought. Only fair you guys deserve the same."

The group was a bit confused by what he meant, but decided to ask him about it later, and follow their two friends outside.

Main Building

Front Area

"WHAT?!" Most of the group yelled, making Nick and Barclay rub their ears.

"Ok, before you guys say anything—" the red-haired teen began.

"Uh-uh, nope, we are not doing this again! Did you two already forget about that very detailed conversation we had last time?!" Laura interrupted in frustration.

"Yeah! What makes you two even think staying here will do you any good?" Sera demanded, glaring at the two. "If you're here alone, then there's no one to help keep an eye on you!"

"I thought we were going to fight together as a team, this is not the way," Atsuko added with worry.

"Hold on, hold on," Takashi said, attempting to quell the anger and confusion everyone was feeling. "I think we should at least hear what they have to say, shouldn't we?"

The girls looked at the large Slifer, then looked at one another, nodding when they agreed to what he said.

"Look… we knew from the beginning we would be put in some danger, accepting these roles we've been given," Barclay said, trying to maintain eye contact while also avoiding the hurt look on Sera's face. "We… we just… um…"

Nick placed a hand on his roommate's shoulder and nodded, looking at his friends.

"We just never thought that it would lead to you guys getting involved, especially with our predicament," Nick continued in Barclay's stead.

"What predicament exactly?" Laura questioned.

"The fact that of all the places in the entire world, somehow, they managed to find the one location where the Gate and Key would be."

"If they can track us—or I guess more accurately our powers—to this tiny island off the southern coast of Japan, who's to say they can't track and intercept us on our way home? Find us anywhere else in the world, follow us back to our families?" Barclay pointed out.

"Oh my gosh…" Atusko's eyes went wide. "How horrible!"

Nick sighed. "It really is. And we don't even know who they are or what they want with us besides 'probably something bad'."

"But then why stay?" Takashi asked.

"Because at least here, no one else gets caught in the crossfire, and we know the island better than anyone. If they do plan on trying to come after us, at least we can somewhat stand a fighting chance," Nick said.

The others looked at one another, thinking about what the two said and realized they were right.

Despite that, Laura knew she couldn't just leave it at that.

"Well, if you two are staying, then—"

"Laura, before you decide to run in guns blazing again, we need to emphasize the stakes here," Nick interrupted. "This isn't just some children's card game, ok? This group is very dangerous and very deadly. We've been lucky so far, but our luck can't hold out forever, and there could be no tomorrow."

The group looked shocked that Nick was actually being pessimistic about something.

"I know we've all become pretty good friends over the last couple of months," Barclay continued. "But none of you have to commit to this, not any further than you already have. You lot can still go home, be safe and spend time with your families. We'd really prefer it if none of you perish with us."

"We already asked Erhard, the guy has his own problems to deal with at home and he decided to go," Nick revealed. "Neither of us would blame you if you thought about your lives first, that is what is important to us."

They were left speechless by what they had heard.

"Are…are you asking us if we think you two are worth dying for?" Sera managed after a few minutes.

The two looked down to the floor, nodding.

"Look, we had to be sure you guys know what's at stake, me and Bar are dedicated to this and we're gonna stick it out. We just want you all to know that no matter what, we're glad to have met you all and be friends."

Barclay sighed. "I think that's all the important parts. We're gonna head back to the dorm and… prepare ourselves, physically and mentally. Please, guys, really, really think about what we've said and what you truly want to do."

Both gave them a bow of respect before walking away, leaving the group alone.

A short while later, the four students went back inside and joined Erhard at their table. The chatter of other students around them only enhanced their own silence.

Laura decided to break the tension. "Those two are such idiots. I mean how could they drop a bomb like that and expect us to be ok with it?" she wondered.

"Perhaps, they decided telling us like that would be better than trying to hide it from us," Sera suggested. "Like what they did before."

"Maybe, but now we're in a situation that is forcing us to decide on something terrible," Atsuko added, looking like she might cry.

"Honestly I'm impressed they've held on to anything resembling sanity," Takashi mused. "I can't blame them for wanting us to be sure we don't get hurt by all this craziness. Bad enough they have to handle it basically solo."

"No doubt," Erhard added through a piece of chocolate. "So what are you guys going to do? I mean, I get you guys want to help them, but they aren't wrong about what could happen."

"Is that why you decided to run and abandon them like a coward?" Laura challenged.

"Laura! Erhard's got his own situation to deal with, don't use that to take out your frustrations on him," Sera retorted.

Laura softened and looked down in shame at what she said. "Yeah...sorry, Erhard. That was uncalled for."

"It's ok, I know you're frustrated," he replied with a sad smile. "Believe me, if I could stay with them I would, but Mother and Father are going to be away and I have to help care for my grandparents."

"We understand, family is important after all," Takashi said, placing a hand on Erhard's shoulder.

"Thanks. So, what will you do?"

Just as he said that, they heard a whistle and turned their attention to the source, seeing Kanoa, Meryem, and Jorge standing with clipboards in hand.

"Hello, everyone. This is your ten-minute warning for the next helicopter ride to Japan," Meryem announced.

"Additionally, anybody else staying for the holidays who didn't tell their dorm head earlier, please come tell us so we can put you on our lists here," Kanoa added.

The group took one look at each other, seeing that it was now or never to decide on whether they would leave or not.

Evening

Slifer Dorm

The sun had set on the erratic day, covering the almost lifeless island in the shadows of the night. Though the lights of a few buildings were still on, especially in the Slifer Dorm.

In the lounge, it was mostly empty apart from a few of the students staying over, most sitting around on the floor and couch, watching TV.

Except for Nick and Barclay.

They were far off in the corner, sitting across from each other and looking at a map of the entire island that they borrowed from Kanoa.

"A wisna ready ta deal with how many entry points this island's got," Barclay growled as he poured over the map. "It'll be tough to get a solid defense plan set up, else they might catch us with our pants down."

"Makes you miss the days school was just one large area instead of an entire island, huh?" Nick remarked with a chuckle.

"Yeah, silver lining and all that…" Barclay sighed, sitting back and rubbing his eyes.

Nick did the same, looking at the ceiling and letting out a breath of frustration. "What I wouldn't give for some soda right now," he remarked before closing his eyes.

"Normal or diet?"

Nick and Bar both opened their eyes and looked at the source of the voice, revealing it to be Laura, holding two soda bottles in her hands.

"What're—?" Barclay started but was interrupted as a can was set in front of him. He raised an eyebrow as he picked it up and looked at Sera, who had put it down. "Where'd you find Irn-Bru?"

"Siri," Sera replied as she sat down next to him.

"I brought the goodies," Takashi announced as he soon appeared with Atsuko next to him, both holding large bags of snacks.

"I... You guys stayed?" Nick remarked in utter shock.

Once they were all sitting down, they looked at one another before Laura decided to speak.

"Look you two, I think I speak for all of us when I say that there is no way in hell we're gonna let you two face off against something like this," she remarked with confidence.

"And it was our decision that we made on our own, regardless of the outcome," Sera added. "So you better not feel guilty about it or there will be consequences."

Nick looked at Barclay, who shrugged as he drank the soda in front of him.

He then shook his head and sighed, opening the soda and drinking from it.

Whatever they had originally planned for was about to change now that their allies were there with them.

I'm sure some of you out there know what our heroes will be fighting in this arc just by the title, but I hope you'll stick around anyways. If nothing else, stick around to see how the characters develop as these friends face the oncoming dangers together! Fire-forged friends! Away! Also, kudos if you got the two references we put in the chapter, let us know what you thought of it.

Translations: deti - children

idioten - imbeciles

imōto - little sister

kawaii - cute

A wasna(e) - "I was not"

Siri - secret