I've Seen the Light

Today, Professor Miller was doing a roll call at his class...

"Syrus?"

"Here!"

"Shiori?"

"Here!"

"Jaden?"

"..."

"Jaden?"

"..."

Miller looked around before letting out a sigh. "Out of class, it seems."

Syrus let out a sigh. "Poor guy..."

Hassleberry then let out a sigh of his own. "Poor guy..."

Syrus let out an even bigger sigh. "I miss him."

Hassleberry repeated with a giant sigh of his own. "I miss him..."

"Pipe down, Sarge!" The smaller Ra snapped. "I'm more depressed than you! I've known Jaden since day 1! He's my best friend! He's my hero! He's the hot fudge on the sundae that is my life!"

"Is that right?" Hassleberry scoffed and stood up. "If you care so much, what are you doing sitting here in this class? A true friend would be with him right now." He then started to walk away.

"You're not even in our class, though." Shiori muttered from his seat.

Just then, Bastion walked down the stairs and bumped into the dinosaur duelist. "Pardon me." He excused.

"Outta my way!" Hassleberry said rudely and made his way out of class. "I got a best friend to check on!"

Andrew, Jenny and Alexis made their way down to their seats. "So Jaden's not here today?" He frowned.

"He must still be depressed." Jenny replied.

"And Syrus is in worse shape than Jaden." Alexis added.

Syrus burst into tears. "Jaden, I'm nothing without you!"

Chazz was staring down at the group sulking over Jaden.

Jaden was sitting on top of a cliff, watching over the ocean with a depressed look on his face. '3 days since I lost to Aster, and I still can't see my cards.' He then looked up to the sky and noticed something.

"Coo..."

"Kuriboh?" He asked curiously, but the figure was gone. "That you? Hello?" He then sighed after receiving no response. He then looked at the cards in his deck, and they still looked blank to him.

"Quit moping already!"

He turned and saw Chazz standing behind him. "Chazz? What are you doing here?"

"I came out here to think, alright? Besides, I was sick of hearing everyone go on and on about how much they're worried about you. Everywhere I go, it's always Jaden, Jaden, Jaden. Uh, anyway, is it true you can't talk to your monsters anymore?"

"I guess." Jaden simply said.

Chazz couldn't help but growl. "Snap out of it, man! And stop bumming everyone out!"

"Listen Chazz, dueling is all I've ever really cared about. And now, I can't do the thing I love the most."

"I know what you need! Let's duel now" Chazz challenged. "That's the only way you're going to get over this!" Jaden simply stood up and began walking away. "Come on! I'll even go easy on ya! Don't walk away! Let's get our game on!"

"Maybe later, Chazz." Jaden gave him a two-fingered salute without turning back before walking away.

"What a loser." Chazz muttered with a scowl.

This time in a dark room, Sartorius was divining his cards. Three of them forming a triangle, with the fourth card placed in the middle. He turned over the middle card, revealing a wheel attached to a tree with three winged creatures sitting on the left and right sides, as well as the top of it.

'The Wheel of Fate. It seems Jaden is more powerful than I imagined. I foretold Aster's victory. However, Jaden's response was quite unexpected. For when I infused Aster's monsters with my own energy, Jaden's soul should have been wiped clean. Upon his defeat, Jaden was to become my eternal servant. And although his spirit was weakened, he is still in control of his soul. Albeit a lost soul. But I'll tend to the matter of Jaden later. And I have yet to confirm my suspicion about Andrew. So while Jaden searches his heart for answers, I'll set my sight on a new servant. Perhaps one a bit more... predictable.'

He then turned over the card on the left and placed it over the wheel. It showed a jester playing a musical horn. 'The Fool... the pilgrim... the wanderer... It seems there is another duelist who shares a similar gift to Jaden and Andrew's. Only his duel is much weaker...' He turned over another card. This one showed a blonde-haired man with a blindfold, hanging by his left leg upside down.

"Mister Sartorius, we're approaching Duel Academy." Someone informed him via an intercom. He pushed away some shades to look out through a window. Apparently, he was on a seaplane.

"The plane, boss! The plane!" Bonaparte exclaimed as he and Crowler rushed over to the docks.

"That must be Aster's manager!" Crowler deduced. "He said he'd be dropping by, but I didn't know he meant today! I would have my coat dry cleaned, for goodness' sake!"

"If I had known this job required so much exercise, I would have hopped on the treadmill days ago!" Bonaparte complained.

As the plane landed safely, Sartorius stepped out in a white business suit with a blue shirt underneath and a yellow tie.

"Welcome!" Crowler greeted.

"You must be starved from your trip, and I make a divine Chicken Francese." Bonaparte added.

"Thank you, but I travel with a chef." Sartorius declined politely.

"Mr. Sartorius, we were so pleased to hear you were coming." Crowler said. "But, if I may ask, what brings you to our academy?"

"Well, I manage several top ranking professional duelists, and I'm always looking for fresh talent."

"Yes! You take unknown duelists and turn them into stars! We are big fans of yours."

"Yes, big fans. Huge." Bonaparte added.

"Thank you. As you know, Aster's been making appearances worldwide. He's booked solid for the next 3 years, so I've decided to take on a new client."

"Terrific!" Crowler exclaimed.

"Tres bien!" Bonaparte said.

"I'll help you! We'll start with a guided tour. Sound good?"

"He doesn't need a tour. He needs a list. Of our top students. I'll make it myself! I'm telling you Sartorius, some of these kids duel like butter. So what do you say?"

"That's nice, but I won't be needing any assistance." Sartorius declined.

"But why not?" Bonaparte asked, surprised.

"Honestly, we're at your disposal, so by all means, dispose away!" Crowler offered.

"Thank you, but I've always made it a point to work on my own. Now if you'll excuse me, there's work to do. It's been a pleasure, gentlemen." At that, Sartorius walked away.

"Don't be a stranger!" Bonaparte called out.

"Call me!" Crowler added.

During sunset, Syrus was freaking out in the red dorm. "Call the Coast Guard! Call the Marines!"

"Syrus, what's going on?" Bastion asked as he and all the others turned to him.

"Jaden's gone missing! He grabbed all of his stuff and just took off!"

"What?! Seriously?!" Andrew asked in shock.

"He retreated?" Hassleberry questioned.

"No way." Michael said in disbelief.

"Pathetic." Chazz muttered.

"What are we waiting for then?" Jenny asked. "Let's go find him!"

"Right!" Everyone said.

"Jaden!" Syrus called out as he, Shiori and Matt searched the area outside the academy building.

"Where are you, Jaden?" Shiori said.

"Jaden!" Matt called out.

"Are you out there?" Alexis asked as she, Jenny, Angie and Pele searched the beach.

"Can you hear me?" Bastion called out from outside the Ra Yellow dorm.

"Jaden! Where are you Jaden?" Andrew called out as he, Clover and Xander searched the area near the blue dorm.

"If this is a prank, it's not funny!" Clover said.

"Jaden!" Xander called out.

Hassleberry and the Greengrass siblings were searching outside the red dorm. "Come out from the trenches, soldier!" The dinosaur duelist called out.

"Where could he have gone to?" Allie wondered.

"I'm really worried." Alyssa added.

"Come on, let's keep looking." Andreas urged.

In the forest, Chazz, Kaito and Cynthia were searching the woods.

"Jaden! Are you here?" Kaito called out.

"Just come out already, you slacker!" Chazz said, sounding irritated.

"This forest is huge, so if Jaden's walked in here, he could be anywhere." Cynthia guessed.

"Then we'd better split up and cover more ground." Kaito suggested before the three of them walked in different directions.

While searching his chosen area, Chazz was getting really annoyed. "Take it from someone who knows, loser! You can run, but you can't escape your problems!"

The five Ojama duel spirits chose that moment to appear. "Whoa, that is so deep." They all said.

"Who invited you people?!" Chaz snapped.

"We're not exactly 'people', boss." Yellow pointed out.

"No, you're kidding me. And all this time, I thought you were students." The black clad Slifer said sarcastically. "You wanna help? Then stay out of my way!"

"We understand." Green said.

"Yeah, you're just sad cuz you miss Jaden." Blue added.

"It's natural." Black said.

"Yeah, I would be really pissed off if any of my pals went missing too." Red commented.

"WHO ASKED YOU, FREAKS!?" Chazz shouted in anger, making them back off.

"Trust me, they mean well." A new voice spoke up.

He turned and saw a strange man clad in white clothing, similar to the Academy style.

"Monster spirits don't often communicate with the human world. But when they find someone they trust, they can be quite loyal. You have a gift, Mr. Princeton."

"How do you know my name?!" Chazz demanded.

The man chuckled. "Because I have a gift as well. I am known as Sartorius and I have travelled quite a ways to meet you."

"Yeah, and why do you want to meet me?"

"Simple, I could use someone like you. Someone with the power to speak to monster spirits."

"It's one of my talents." Chazz bragged.

"Impressive. Talent and confidence."

"You better believe it."

"Tell you what. I have an idea. Why don't you show me what you've got?" Sartorius proposed. "Perhaps I'll sign you on as my client. I manage professional duelists. Ever hear of Aster Phoenix?"

"You manage him?" Chazz asked in shock.

"Indeed. Now let's see if you're ready for the pros."

Chazz smirked at this. But the Ojamas were concerned. "You're gonna trust a guy who looks like that?" Yellow asked.

"Yeah, I mean, look at us." Blue added.

"Good point." Black agreed.

"Hey!" Chazz swatted them away. "Will you stooges clam up?"

"Sorry, boss." They all apologized.

Chazz then turned to Sartorius, getting his duel disk ready. "I'm in! But believe me, you'll forget all about Aster Phoenix... once you duel against the Chazz!"

Sartorius chuckled again. "I can't wait. As a matter of fact I think this the beginning of a beautiful friendship..."

Suddenly, a blanket of thin, white fog enveloped the ground.

"What's the deal?" Chazz questioned at this.

"Peace out, boss!" The Ojamas said. "Don't call us! We'll call you!" They then vanished.

"Where's your duel disk anyway?" Chazz wondered.

"Who needs a duel disk when you have this?!" And from out of nowhere, a white table appeared in front of Sartorius.

"Uh, you realize that's a table, don't you?" Chazz pointed out as he activated his duel disk and drew his opening hand.

"LETS DO THIS!"

At that, Sartorius drew his opening hand without looking at the cards and laid them out on the table facedown.

"You know, it helps when you actually look at your cards." Chazz stated.

"Not necessarily." The tarot reader chuckled.

Chazz: 4000

Sartorius: 4000

"Once you see what I can do, you're gonna hire me on the spot. Now just sit back and enjoy the show!" Chazz drew his sixth card. "Cuz the Chazz is in the house. And I'll start with my Cost Down spell card!" A spell card appeared. "First I'll discard one card from my hand. And then, the levels of all monsters in my hand are reduced by 2." He discarded one of his cards. "Which means I don't have to sacrifice anything to summon this! Armed Dragon LV 5!" From a flash of light, a big bulky dragon appeared. It was mostly red, except for its neck, the top half of its head, the back of its hands, wings, as well as its subbed tail, which were black. It also had spikes on its knuckles, shoulders, knees and back, amongst others. (ATK: 2400 DEF: 1700 LV: 5-3)

"But that's not all. Then I'll play the spell card, Level Up!" When the named spell card appeared, the dragon glowed with a white aura. "Not bad, huh? Well, you ain't seen nothing yet. Cuz now I can have my dragon evolve into its next form. So feast your eyes on Armed Dragon LV 7!" The dragon's body glowed brightly as it grew bigger. Moments later, the light died down and revealed its new form. Its tail and neck were longer, black armor covered most of its body, including its head and it had large steel wings extending from its back. And on top of that, the spikes of its body were replaced by blades. (ATK: 2800 DEF: 1000 LV: 7) "If you think that was good, just wait till you see what my dragon can do. Until then, I'll throw these down and call it quits." Two cards appeared near Chazz's feet.

"Most impressive. Now then..." Sartorius praised and drew his sixth card, without looking at it, and placed it on the table. "I have a strong feeling my top card is my Vision spell." He turned over the card, and revealed a spell card with the image of hypnotic eyes.

"No way! You didn't even have to look!" Chazz said in shock.

"Didn't I tell you? Much like yourself, I possess a gift. Why don't I give you a demonstration? My Vision card lets me reveal the top card of my deck, and if it ever gets played during this duel, you lose 1000 life points." Sartorius placed his hand over his deck. "The next card in my deck represents you..." He picked up the top card and showed it to Chazz without even looking at it. "It's Arcana Force XII - The Hanged Man."

"Hey! You're cheating!" Chazz protested.

"No Chazz, I'm predicting." Sartorius corrected. "I have the ability to see events before they occur. And in this card I see your destiny. You hold a great deal of anger inside, am I right Chazz?"

"Gimme a break!" The Slifer said. "Real tough! Like it takes magic powers to see that. You're a hack! Not to mention a cheat!"

The tarot leader chuckled as he placed the Hanged Man card on the top of his deck. "Very well. Let's continue, shall we? You'll come to understand my abilities when the time is right. But I can assure you, I never resort to trickery. And if you need proof, then come here and shuffle my cards."

Chazz shrugged and walked over to the table. "Let me ask you something. Do you always act this calm? Cuz you're starting to creep me out. You should try getting mad one day." He said as he began shuffling the deck.

"You amuse me, Chazz." Sartorius replied.

"See, you did it again! But it'll take more than card tricks and a creepy voice to beat me." The Slifer said as he finished shuffling the deck.

"I know exactly what it will take." Sartorius stated. "That's the point I've been trying to make. All your actions are predetermined. In other words, your moves have already been decided, and I know them all. Not a bad talent, is it."

Chazz suddenly got uneasy and picked up his opponent's deck before shuffling it even further.

And that amused the tarot reader. "Still skeptical, are we?" He chuckled as Chazz put the deck back on table and returned to his side of the field. "Don't worry. I'll make a believer out of you soon enough. Then you'll see the light. Sooner or later, everyone does."

"Yeah? Well I'm not everyone!" Chazz snapped.

"Let's move on. Alright, where was I...? Ah yes! I was activating my Suit of Sword X." Sartorius turned over another card on his table, making a spell card with the image of a bunch of swords embedded in the ground under a crescent moon appear. The spell card started to rotate steadily. "This card will spin until you say stop. If it stops right-side up, then I can destroy every monster on your side of the field. But if it's upside down, you get to destroy all my monsters. So say the word."

"Okay, fine! Stop!" Chazz said hastily. The card started to slow down until it landed right-side up. "Oh, come on!"

"It looks like you take the hit! Nice try!" Sartorius grinned as the Armed Dragon exploded. "If you liked that, you'll really enjoy this one. Cup of Ace!" Another spell card appeared in the air. This one had the image of a golden cup. And just like the previous spell, it started to rotate.

"This again?" The Slifer said, annoyed.

"Now you have a chance to redeem yourself. If it stops right-side up, then I get to draw 2 extra cards from my deck. However, if it stops while upside down, you're in luck, for it will let you draw extra cards."

"Okay, stop!" Chazz announced. And after a brief moment, the card landed upside down. "What do you know? Go me. I'm gonna enjoy this turn." He drew his two extra cards.

The tarot reader gave a vindictive smile. "It's about time. I'll end my turn with one facedown." He moved one of the cards on his table forward, making a facedown card appear.

"I'll start my turn with this!" Chazz drew his next card and looked at it. "Hey, not bad. I activate my Level Modulation spell card! My prediction... I'm gonna kick your butt. It's fate! First things first. Draw two cards from your deck!" Sartorius picked up the two top cards from his deck and placed them on the table without looking at them. "And as for me, now I get to bring back any LV monster I want from my graveyard, regardless of how powerful it is. So now I'm gonna summon back Armed Dragon LV 7!" The huge dragon from earlier rose up right behind Chazz with a mighty roar. (ATK: 2800 DEF: 1000 LV: 7)

"But why keep it when I can send it back to my graveyard in order to summon something even stronger? Like say my Armed Dragon LV 10!" And in a bright flash, the dragon evolved once again, and became much bigger. It was now wearing black and silver metal armor covering most of its red body. From its head to shoulders and its front. All the sharp blades became sharper and the claws were longer. (ATK: 3000 DEF: 2000 LV: 10) "And there's more. I play Ojama Trio and Ojama Duo!" Chazz's two facedown cards flipped up. And then, his 5 Ojamas appeared.

"Who's your daddy?" Yellow said. (ATK: 0 DEF: 1000 LV: 2)

"Remember us?" Green asked. (ATK: 0 DEF: 1000 LV: 2)

"Heh heh heh!" Black laughed. (ATK: 0 DEF: 1000 LV: 2)

"Oh yeah!" Red cheered loudly. (ATK: 0 DEF: 1000 LV: 2)

"Glad we could come and play." Blue stated. (ATK: 0 DEF: 1000 LV: 2)

"Now here's how it works..." Chazz began to explain. "Thanks to my two trap cards, 5 Ojama Tokens appear and go to your side of the field."

"Him?!" Black exclaimed as all 5 of them landed right in front of Sartorius' table.

"No!" Yellow shouted.

"I don't want to be near him!" Red protested.

'These are the monster spirits connected to his soul.' Sartorius thought before giving an evil leer that made the Ojamas cringe.

"He's got that crazy look in his eyes, boss!" Yellow whimpered. "Don't leave us! Whatever you're gonna do, do it quick!"

"Relax, you dorks! I activate my Armed Dragon's special effect! All I have to do is send one card to my graveyard, and Armed Dragon destroys all of your monsters." Chazz discarded the remaining card in his hand.

"NO!" The Ojamas cried out as the dragon screeched out sonic waves that destroyed all of them.

"And those 5 little runts don't leave empty-handed, ya know. When they're destroyed, each Ojama Token takes 300 life points."

The tarot reader was pushed back by some of the sonic waves.

Sartorius: 4000-2500

"Hang on, cuz I'm not finished with you yet. Armed Dragon, attack him directly with Static Orb Thrust!" The dragon conjured a ball of sizzling black and purple energy in the palm of its right hand.

"I'm afraid your attack will have to wait, as I activate my trap card. It's called The Paths of Destiny!" Sartorius' facedown flipped up before floating up in the air.

"Great, so it's another spinning card?" Chazz asked, not sounding surprised this time.

"Precisely. But I believe you will find this particular card interesting. Observe..." When the floating card stopped right above Sartorius, it split into two identical cards.

"Huh?" Chazz blinked. While one of the cards remained above the tarot reader, the other card floated over to Chazz's field and then stopped right above him. And then, both cards started to rotate. "What the...?"

"You see, this trap affects both of us. If the card lands right-side up, the person standing under it will gain 2000 extra life points. But if it lands upside down, it will deal 2000 points of damage."

Chazz scoffed. "So you're hoping to luck out and get enough points to survive? Not if I can help it. Stop right there!" The card floating above Sartorius started to slow down until it landed right-side up. "Great." Chazz muttered sarcastically.

Sartorius chuckled. "Looks like I'm fortunate today. Now let's see how lucky you are. Now stop!" The card floating above Chazz slowed down and landed upside down.

"You gotta be kidding me!"

"How unfortunate for you. Looks like destiny's not on your side." And with that, both cards started to glow before releasing energy on both duelists. Sartorius was engulfed in blue energy, smiling ominously, while Chazz grunted when he was engulfed in red energy.

Chazz: 4000-2000

Sartorius: 2500-4500

After recovering, Chazz gave his opponent a glare. "Lucky shot! But I've still got my Armed Dragon, and he's about to give you a big whooping!" The dragon threw the energy ball at Sartorius and the tarot reader took much damage from the explosion.

Sartorius: 4500-1500

"So, blown away by my talent?" Chazz taunted.

But Sartorius merely chuckled before beginning his turn. "Let's see what destiny has in store for you, with Selection of Fate!" He turned over one of his cards. "Now you get to choose a card in my hand, and if it's a monster, I get to summon it."

"You're gonna make me walk all the way over there again?"

"What's wrong? I thought we were friends."

"Could you get any creepier?" Chazz questioned as he started walking over to the tarot reader's table.

Suddenly, Ojama Yellow's spirit appeared. "If you love me, you won't go! Trust me, you don't wanna do this!"

"Buzz off! I can handle this freak show!" Chazz scoffed before swiping the duel spirit away. Finally, he reached Sartorius' table.

"Go ahead, and choose wisely." The tarot reader said as he moved his hands away from his four card hand.

"That one." The Slifer said, pointing at the card on the far right.

Sartorius picked up the card and showed it to Chazz without looking at it...

"No! You're kidding me!" Chazz exclaimed.

"Didn't I tell you before?" Sartorius smiled sadly. "This hangman card symbolizes you, Chazz. You see? It wasn't a card trick after all. It was destiny. Fate intended you to choose it. And fate intended you to pay the price!"

Appearing right in front of Chazz, was the Hanged Man. It was a blue gel like creature that had a mask like face. (ATK: 2200 DEF: 2200 LV: 6) It released a shockwave that damaged Chazz.

Chazz: 2000-1000

"Now it's time to tempt the hands of fate once again." Sartorius announced as the card image appeared right above the creature and began spinning. "If the card stops right-side up, I lose a monster. Then, the equivalent of that monster's attack points gets subtracted from my life points. However, should the card stop upside down, you lose a monster, causing you damage equal to that monster's attack points. Go ahead... the future is in your hands now... or so you'd think."

The Hanged Man started to close itself around Chazz, causing him to panic. "Alright, stop!" The card slowed its rotation...

"This suspense... it's killing me, boss!" Yellow said as he watched this from a distance.

... and the card landed upside down. Sartorius grinned.

"No! My dragon!" Chazz turned around as the Armed Dragon exploded.

"It's all in the cards." Sartorius announced. "Thanks to them, I now know what you fear the most... failure."

Chazz gave the tarot reader a glare.

"You see, the cards tell me there's a rival you've been trying to defeat. However, you can't do it. The hangman indicates turmoil. On the outside, you're quite confident. However, on the inside, you lack faith in yourself. You think perhaps your rival's too strong."

"Gimme a break! I mean, who's stronger than me?" Chazz asked. It was then Jaden appeared in his mind. "You're messing with my head!"

"It's difficult to hear the truth, isn't it?" Sartorius asked as he silently embedded some of his power into the Hanged Man card. "But trust me, my friend, when you open up your eyes to the light, your fear shall become a thing of the past. Accept your destiny, Chazz. The Society of Light awaits you. You must embrace the hangman in order to conquer it!"

Chazz gasped, not knowing what to do.

"Join me and stand by my side. Together, you and I will walk into the light!" Sartorius began shuffling his deck.

As the tarot reader spoke, Chazz noticed something bizarre happening to his face. Sartorius' right eye was leaking tears...

"You've come so close. You can't turn back now!"

... While his other eye showed maniacal happiness.

"Finish what you've begun. Don't you want to be strong? To conquer your greatest fears? To conquer Jaden? It's all within your grasp."

"I... I don't know..." Chazz said uneasily.

"You do know, but the two sides of your soul are struggling for control. Each one of us has two faces. One that's dark, and one that can see the light. Embrace the light within! Come on! You're close!"

That's when the Slifer broke. "Alright! Help me! Show me the light!"

Sarorius laughed. "Wise choice!"

A bunch of branches grew out of nearby trees and grabbed Chazz before holding him up by his legs.

Chazz: 1000-0000

"We'll save you! Come on, boys!" Yellow shouted as all five Ojamas charged in...

But Sartorius' eyes glowed purple as his powers shattered the duel spirits.

Later on, a speedboat was taking off from the island. And the one driving it... was Jaden.

'I'll miss you, Duel Academy.' He thought as he looked back to the school. 'But I can't be here. Not until I find some answers.'

At the same time, Sartorius' seaplane was taking off as well.

And inside the plane, Sartorius turned over one of the tarot cards placed before him. "The soul of the Hangman is mine. Isn't that right, Chazz?"

If one looked at the card more clearly, the Hanged Man in the picture had Chazz's face.

"However, one of the ones I really want eludes me..." When he laid the card down, another one slipped from the table and fell. It was the Wheel of Fate. But unlike the last time...

'The Wheel of Fate is in reverse!' Sartorius thought in shock. 'Perhaps the tide is turning.'

The next morning, at the Slifer Dorm cafeteria...

"Chazz! We were beginning to think you disappeared too!" Syrus shouted. "Are you alright?"

"Yup. Never better." Chazz replied.

However, everyone noticed something different about him.

"You look different." Shiori commented.

"Yeah, what's with the new wardrobe?" Michael wondered as everyone saw that Chazz was wearing an all-white version of the Academy uniform.

Chazz chuckled. "It's more than that. I finally woke up. And I've seen the light. The Society of Light! It holds all the answers!" He then burst into laughter, puzzling all the others.

"What on earth is going on here?" Andrew muttered in shock.

And here you have it folks! I hope you liked it. Until next time.