Disaster: No End In Sight - A Future Card Buddyfight Story

by BurningCard

Kyoya Gaen's defeat, at the hands of Gao Mikado and Bal, did not mark the end of Disaster. Even after his fall, many others follow in his old footsteps. Chase Hallows, working in the field of monsters relations, is thrown into the fray as more monsters and people act in Kyoya's name. Alongside the Fifth Omni Lord and his Cavalry, they will keep fighting to end the Will of Kyoya.

26. 26 - Broken Hearts - Broken Minds

(POV: Third)

*Tenbu's Sanctuary*

Maintaining a watchful eye over his valued Cavalry was an easy task for the wise, transcendent Omni Lord. Lord Tenbu felt the changes his precious comrades went through. He remained in a meditative state, breathing slowly as the sensations of his thoughts urged him to confront the creator of the Armordragons. As his mind pondered, he instinctively grasped onto his Omni Orb: the representation of his role as an Omni Lord. He felt the orb slowly shift, enveloping itself in soft, cooling auras. He would not open his eyes, move his mouth, or even drift or search the countless worlds for his trusted friend; the best connection the two shared was that of the mind.

He felt the other side's pressure. He sensed the presence of the Armordeity herself, Dynamis. Lord Tenbu could hear her voice from the deep depths of his very mind. She spoke, yet she did not appear surprised by the sudden call. "I see that you have sensed it too, my lord." Dynamis's voice echoed. "Both Doble and Meglax have reached a higher power."

"Please, you are the last one to address me as Lord; compared to me, you are much greater. You understand the armordragons more than even I."

"Is that the purpose of this sudden impulse?"

"I only wish to have my questions answered," Tenbu returned. The old dragon soon found himself smiling. "Unless you could come and visit me, once again. I would greatly appreciate your coming."

Tenbu's mind suddenly heard chuckling. "You know more than even I that I have my own duties to attend to; my own people to protect. However, I shall educate you on whatever you desire. What must you know, my lord?"

"In all my years of looking after my pupils, not once has this happened," Tenbu returned. He was feeling lowly about being denied companionship once again. However, he had his duty as an Omni Lord to understand the meaning behind his comrades and their changes. "I felt it; Doble and Meglax have found new power, yet it was something that I had not foreseen. Why is this the case?"

"As the founder of the armordragons, and you, the Fifth Omni Dragon Lord, I can say that your followers responded to our power," Dynamis returned. "I expected this change to happen earlier to some of your cavalry members, in all honesty. However, I can only assume that Doble and Meglax needed to surpass a wall, as well as the others."

"A wall, you say?"

"That object that prevents you from moving forward," Dynamis's voice answered. "That one thing that prevents one from truly emerging as the individual they had sought to be. The fixture that stops one in their journey for self-discovery, only for them to wonder if they should turn back. As you have told your new student, Chase Hallows, other members of the Cavalry Dragons are afflicted with their own selfish desires. Until they are able to strike the wall created from their own weaknesses, they are doomed to fail."

---

(POV: First)

*Buddy Police HQ*

We had to reconvene at the Buddy Police Headquarters; too much had happened in so little amount of time. Tasuku and his group had gone up ahead while the rest of us were still ensuring the protection of Rikka. She had put herself through the ringer and there was no way we would speed up just so we could reconvene faster; we needed to protect her and watch her vitals. However, what put me at ease was how Doble and Meglax appeared to transcend their own previous limitations. With them, I doubted that we would be in trouble for the time being. As we were just about to enter the HQ, I kept looking at Doble to see if he would flaunt to me his new form. However, he continued to look at Rikka. She breathed slowly, resting in Doble's arms. She was only barely awake now, but it was still incredibly fortunate that she was going to be okay, especially since Arkaid had been slowly healing her on the walk here.

The situation made none of us wish to speak. I had seen a side of Doble that Rikka had only talked about. Doble was given what he wanted from his rivalry with Alliot; he was given newfound strength. However, he didn't care. He continued to look down at his buddy, watching as she slowly found her strength once again. Even though Doble knew that she was going to make it, he couldn't take his eyes off of her. It tore me up just watching it. I had to say something to him. "She's a hell of a buddy," I forced myself to say, mostly since I thought it was awkward for me to just say something out of nowhere. Doble turned to me, sighing. I felt compelled to say more. "You're lucky to have someone like her as a buddy. Most people don't."

"Yeah," Doble solemnly returned. "… You know, when I first met her, I thought I'd be doing her a favor; she really is a true warrior."

"Of course," I returned. The others seemed to take notice of my efforts. Not a single one of them talked, allowing me to speak. "There's no doubt about that. Trust me, I found out the hard way when she kicked my ass."

It took so much effort for me to say statements like these. No matter how I saw it, I felt like I was talking to Arkaid the way I was earlier; forcing myself to be funny was not something I thought I was good at. However, before I could criticize myself for speaking so awkwardly, I noticed that Doble was chuckling. His shoulders shuddered as Arkaid turned to me with a beaming smile. It was something I didn't expect, but I could see why she was excited; Doble actually appeared to like my presence. "Yeah, you really got whooped. I wouldn't want anyone else to be my buddy; she's perfect."

"Right," I returned with a reassuring nod.

I looked over at her, noticing that she was glancing at me with her tired, dreary eyes. Arkaid was still transferring stamina to her through her healing. Fortunately, Rikka appeared to be a bit more lively with each passing moment. Melanie rushed up to my side with Mizaru and Merak watching her closely. They must not have wanted her to be so close to a comrade this exhausted; maybe they expected Melanie to break down with worry. However, Melanie giggled playfully as the two girls exchanged looks. "You kicked his ass!"

Mizaru overtly expressed discomfort overhearing that word. His body tensed up as his eyes popped open with complete fear. Merak could only bring himself to sigh as Mizaru continued whimpering silently, unable to conceal his disgust. "M-Melly! Language!"

"I'm sorry, Mizaru!" Melanie returned with a goofy giggle. "I couldn't help it! I just wish I was there to see big sis be so cool!"

Meglax nodded, soon tipping his hat. "Yes, she certainly was rather cool to say the least."

Arkaid shook her head. "Reckless sounds more like it to me; out of everything she could have learned from my buddy, she chose to educate herself on the Disaster Force. Such reckless behavior coming from only a young adult!"

Rikka slowly spoke. "Sorry for worrying all of you…." She turned her head up. Rikka was now looking at the one responsible for her still being here. "But at least I have my big strong dragonman to help me."

I could just feel how embarrassed Doble felt just there. He bit the inside of his cheek before glancing his eyes in another direction. "Enough of that!"

"Oh? Last I checked, you were the one hitting on me back then."

"Gah! Cut it out!"

Alliot was snickering on my right. "Yeah, give the hot head some slack."

"What did ya say, shrimp?!"

"Who are ya calling shrimp, ya bastard?!"

Doble was about to yell back with another retort. However, along with Meglax, the two cavalry dragons began to wobble back and forth. Merak, sensing something was off, immediately went to Rikka's aid. After removing her from Doble's arms, both Doble and Meglax fell backward, breathing heavily with exhaustion. "W-what the hell?" Doble forcibly muttered. Finally, he felt his body trembling. Meglax seemed to understand the situation more than his friend; he was not complaining, seemingly embracing what's to come.

Soon, the two dragons reverted back. They decreased in size, becoming their old selves once again. Meglax and Doble wearily brought themselves back to their feet while the others rushed to their aid. Meglax regained his composure the fastest out of the two. "As I expected; it was only a temporary boost in strength. However… I can still feel its power."

Arkaid slowly pondered to herself. She muttered, yet her voice was just audible for the others to hear. "Could it be possible that the form takes stamina in order to maintain itself?" Before the others could state their input, Arkaid continued. "That would make sense, considering that they just collapsed before us. It would only be a matter of time before we can test this theory and see if they can go back into their forms on their own."

I interjected before she could keep rambling. "We'd have to wait a bit for that; they're exhausted."

She nodded. "That is true; we don't want to rush things now do we?" We finally entered the buddyfight headquarters, soon greeted with impatient faces coming from Tasuku's group. The rest of us couldn't bring ourselves to care; our solidarity and respect for each other made us unwilling to feel guilty for being late. It was, in all honesty, a very odd feeling for me. I didn't expect to feel this way. When Tasuku looked over to us, Arkaid spoke up. "Our apologies. We had to slow down for the sake of mending Rikka. I hope you can understand."

Tasuku was looking a bit tense, yet he understood our situation. It was a struggle for him, but for that reason, I couldn't bring myself to be angry with him. "I understand, but we need to talk about this matter with everyone. Still…." He looked passed us, prompting us cavalry members to turn around. Of course. Tasuku must have been annoyed that Ms. Fridrik and her group weren't here yet. "We need them more than ever; Eirik made a real appearance and now we can confirm he's on the loose with Gale. Just what is taking so long?"

His buddy felt the tension warring in Tasuku's body. Jackknife approached his companion. "I too am impatient, but we must understand their reasoning. They had only just stopped a standoff. They must be organizing and dispatching the DMW agents and Buddy Police officers as we speak."

"I… you're right, Jack."

"Now is not the time to be too impatient, Tasuku," Jackknife returned. "We will stop Gale and Eirik, I can assure you that." That brought a smile across Tasuku's face. The boy officer nodded back, appreciating his buddy's presence. "And it looks like we didn't have to wait too long."

Ms. Fridrik led her pack into the ruined HQ. Their eyes scrolled the debris and overturned desks and tables. The marks of Fernyiges's feet were permanently marked into the stone flooring. Abigail winced upon just seeing the size of the footprints, prompting Bozo to comfort her. Alvis looked bewildered at the sight, but what caught me off guard was how Sitri was nowhere to be seen. It completely confused me, but my confusion was smacked away due to witnessing just how mad Ms. Fridrik was. As Ms. Fridrik walked closer to us, I noticed the amount of scorn and anger present on her face. Her face was warped from her hellish anger. Such disorganization at such a fragile time was not going to be excused. However, what washed away her flames were the tears of Halia. In her SD form, the small eagle flew over to me and quickly nudged her head against my face. "Please, CJ! You aren't lying, right?! You told me the truth!"

"H-Halia, please calm down," I hastily returned. "And yes, I'm telling you the truth!"

"Please, be honest with me, CJ!" Halia pleaded with a loud squawked. "If you truly ignored the message, then be honest! I'll forgive you!"

"Halia, what are you-?" I felt a strong hand grasp me by the collar of my uniform. I looked forward, seeing the eyes of the demon. Fridrik yanked on my collar, dragging me forward until I was standing on my tiptoes. The room started shaking after that; there was not another attacker, but I felt everyone else in the room circle around Ms. Fridrik and I. Their voices were so jumbled and rapid; I could barely make out who was speaking:

Alliot: "Hands off, ya bastard!"
Arkaid: "Please, refrain yourself!"
Bozo: "BARK!"
Abigail: "Ms. Fridrik, please!"
Melanie: "Leave him alone!"
Tasuku and Jack: "No! Stop!"
Count Dawn: "Ms. Fridrik! Stop this madness!"
Watson: "Lieutenant!"

Their voices kept barking towards Ms. Fridrik. Her grip on my shirt's collar tightened with each additional demand and scream. Halia perched herself behind my neck as her head peered over my face, looking at me with innocent eyes. Ms. Fridrik would tug back at me, bringing my attention back to her. Finally, her voice broke the silence. "Everybody! SHUT UP!"

Each voice ceased, but that only organized the protest. Alliot gritted his teeth as he latched onto Fridrik's left shoulder and grasped it tightly. Ms. Fridrik didn't cease, which almost shocked Alliot. "Drop my buddy, or you will be torn apart!"

"Are you threatening an agent?"

"No, I," Alliot tried to answer back, but he realized the futile situation he was in.

"Good, then shut up, shorty."

I felt it all. I felt Alliot's anger spike up. He felt completely helpless. He couldn't fight her due to her status. He couldn't stand up for himself. He couldn't take me away from her. The only thing he could do was bite his teeth as his arms tensed back and forth. His first rattled with rage. I had to speak up for him. If I didn't, he'd completely fall apart. But then, just as I found myself about the yell back, I heard Doble grasp the other shoulder. Ms. Fridrik glanced at Doble's fiery eyes as he scowled at her. "You have no right to talk to my brother like that."

"Take your hands off of me," Ms. Fridrik returned. "You're touching an agent."

I grunted back. "Then let go of me." I looked into Ms. Fridrik's eyes and shoved her away. Doble released his grip. He watched as I knelt down to Alliot, trying to get a good look at him. He was desperately trying to hold his emotions back. I turned to him, soon looking down at him as he rattled back and forth. "Hey, Alliot, it's alright, y'know?"

"I hate her," Alliot muttered silently. I couldn't tell if it was just me, but the sound of soft whimpers entered my ears. "I hate her so much. You have no idea."

"I think I do, buddy," I returned. Alliot kept staring at the ground, but his clarity returned once he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was my hand. He slowly turned to me as I smiled back at him. "The only short thing here is her temper, anyways." What I was greeted with was a small chuckle. His eyes glanced away as I brought myself back to my feet, soon staring back at Ms. Fridrik in the eyes. "Don't down-talk Alliot. Only Doble can do that."

"So it's exclusive?"

"It's their thing," I returned. The way I thought about it, it reminded me what Liam and I did. We would playfully insult each other, but we both knew that none of our words meant any harm. However, when someone else speaks to me in such a way, I can see that their intentions are completely different. The same thing was happening now, but to Alliot instead. "When you do it, you just come off as a complete jerkoff."

Ms. Fridrik couldn't help but sigh back to me. "You honestly think you have the right to talk like that to your superior?"

"You're not my superior," I returned with an annoyed tone. "Tasuku and Ms. Watson are mine."

"I beg your pardon?"

I turned around, watching as Tasuku blinked back in confusion. There was no way I could allow myself to be with anyone who down-talks my friend anymore, especially Alliot. "Tasuku, what is needed for me to be an official member of the Buddy Police?"

"W-What?"

"I'll assume I fit the general requirements," I replied, soon turning back and facing Ms. Fridrik dead in the eye. "This isn't even about you grabbing me, Ms. Fridrik. I hope you know that."

"Was name-calling Alliot seriously the last straw for you, Chase Hallows?" Ms. Fridrik returned with a cold sneer. "I'm trying to figure out why the hell you weren't there when I needed you the most. That's why I'm angry as hell right now. You think I'm not allowed to handle you the way I did? I didn't punch you, hit you, or grapple you until your head turned blue; I grabbed you. So you can just get off your high horse and just be as honest as you can before you're investigated for this complete piece-of-crap issue."

The rest of the room continued to be silent. I remained next to Arkaid and Alliot. For only a moment, I glanced to Arkaid and Alliot respectively. The two of them could only bring themselves to look back to me. However, they both nodded. They had my back, no matter what happened. I knew I was fine. I just needed the two of them to get through this. I took in a deep breath and exhaled deeply, calming my nerves. "Fine. Investigate me; I honestly could not give a crap about it. If you want everything? Then fine, but the first thing you'll need to do is dig through that pile of rubble over there, and that's because my phone got destroyed by the giant FREAKING dragon!"

Ms. Fridrik analyzed me for a moment. She crossed her arms, soon noticing that Halia had not returned to her shoulder. She looked at the eagle. Halia nudged my left cheek as tears slowly fell from her eyes. She was truly begging for me to be innocent in this whole ideal, which is entirely fair. I could tell that the last thing she wanted to realize was that I was not the person she always thought I was. What broke this silence was Ms. Fridrik as she slowly chuckled at me. Her shoulders bounced up and down from her sudden realization. "Didn't I tell you; Alvis, Abigail?" Ms. Fridrik turned to them, looking at their befuddled faces. "He's too weak to be letting himself lose here."

Abigail shook her head. "I don't understand."

"It's obvious," Ms. Fridrik returned with a sly smile. "Chase, the only reason why you're acting so tough is because of them."

"What are you getting at?"

"No way on Earth would you talk back to me like that," Ms. Fridrik returned. "Are you really that afraid of him leaving you like the others?"

Arkaid turned to me. "CJ, what does she mean?"

Ms. Fridrik chuckled to herself. "You want to keep playing your role to protect your shrimp of a friend, right?"

I felt Alliot's body tense up again. He wanted to bark back, but doing so could get him in trouble. The realization was clear to him, but that angered me; Fridrik was taking advantage of her position. She was getting close to breaking the absolute final straw. I snarled at her. "Call him that again and I'm quitting on the spot." That appeared to make everyone else in the room become completely speechless. Even Alliot, the one I was defending, turned to me with bewildered eyes. I was about to throw away my job for the sake of Alliot's dignity. No doubt in my mind that I would've done the same for Arkaid. I felt Arkaid's look of disbelief. However, when I turned to her, and when the two of us shared our feelings through our eyes, she understood. She nodded back to me as I focused on Ms. Fridrik's distorted face. She too could not bring herself to say another word. To make sure that I was even clearer, I continued. "If you call Alliot anything that refers to his height one more time, I'm going to see to it that I become a member of the Buddy Police. You and I; ties are cut. We're done."

Something tore away everyone's attention from the crowd. Something was different; her distorted face returned to normal, but what was present was regret. Something within her was twisting her gut, pulling it apart. It was then that I felt Halia's head pressing on my cheek. Ms. Fridrik was fighting a losing battle. Despite all of this, she still continued. "Why take this personally, Chase? Halia?" She watched her buddy nudge closer to me. "You know I only did it to scare out a confession… right?"

It was then that Alvis's voice shook the crowd. "Well, you're after the wrong person." I could almost hear Ms. Fridrik's neck slowly crack as she turned her head to face the speaker. Alvis stood alone, looking incredibly nonchalant about the entire experience. His hands were dug into his pockets as he casually smirked back at his boss. As Ms. Fridrik grimly motioned over to the supposed perpetrator, the circle disbanded. There were just two sides now; the audience and Alvis as Ms. Fridrik walked over with contempt shadowing her eyes. "Well, you certainly look angry today, Boss."

Abigail became antsy as she attempted her response. "A-Alvis… why are you so…."

"I was going to get fired anyway for leaving my post," Alvis returned with the shrug of his shoulders. "I wanted to watch the show." Count Dawn couldn't bring himself to speak. None of the others could. They could only watch as Ms. Fridrik stopped herself right in front of her employee. "I hope you can accept my apology, CJ; I just wanted you to see how Ms. Fridrik truly thought of you."

"W-What?"

"One day, she spoke lowly of you, saying that you'd stop yourself from succumbing to the Disaster Force just because you were so scared of losing Arkaid. Basically, you're "strength" to her was that you're a wimp." Ms. Fridrik lowered her head. Her long strands of hair covered her face, veiling her. "I didn't think she would get so physical with you there, but I just wanted you to see the truth yourself. Besides, I'm getting fired anyway, I don't have anything to lose. As for why I didn't call you-"

Ms. Fridrik finally managed to bring herself to speak. "You… turned them all against me…."

"No, you did it yourself, Boss," he returned confidently. "You did it the moment you grabbed him. The moment you insulted one of his precious friends. And, most of all, you did it when you bribed his-"

Instinctively, Ms. Fridrik grasped his collar. The truth was cut short. There was something I was far from knowing. Alvis was just about to speak about something that brought Ms. Fridrik to a state of rage unparalleled to anything that I had ever seen. She hoisted the man into the air. We were all just about to rush to his aid when we heard another pair of footsteps walk into the room. "I trusted you!"

A new voice echoed throughout the room. "I'm sorry. Am I interrupting something?"

Everyone turned to face the speaker. After so long, I thought it was a miracle that we were able to see him again. But then, as we all looked at the pale man, as well all stared into his soulless eyes, we knew that something was wrong.

---

(POV: Third)

The leader of the Purgatory Knights drifted back into consciousness. His eyelids were heavy on his drained body. He could barely speak. Whenever he tried to open his mouth he felt pressure holding it together. The great dragon was reduced to a being that couldn't even groan in pain. His eyes slowly opened, revealing to him the technology surrounding him. He realized he was in his original form, but how? He only remembered being in his SD form when with Liam. The sudden realization made his body tremble until he worked up the strength to resist. The exhausted dragon struggled to speak, but then he noticed a muzzle wrapped his head. Braces held his arms and legs down as he felt the tubs attached to his chest sucking away at his life force. "Liam…." He sensed it; he sensed something was wrong. He could feel the Disaster Force coming off of his precious buddy. He needed to be there; he couldn't just let the power eat away at his buddy's mind. "Liam!" The dragon writhed and struggled, desperately trying to pull his legs and arms away from his restrictions. As he struggled, he damned the people responsible for putting him in this dreaded laboratory, separating him from his buddy. With each passing moment, his muscles expanded as he put his heart into just escaping. He ignored his body's pleas to cease, for the only thing on his mind was saving his buddy from himself before it was too late.

---

(POV: First)

Liam stood before us all, completely alone and with his back laying against a ruined door. I wanted to believe that my friend had finally returned after such a long absence, but everyone else in the room appeared to sense something else. Ms. Fridrik released Alvis from her grip as she quickly called for Halia. The small eagle transformed into her larger, true form, returning to Ms. Fridrik's side. This was no longer the time for squabbling; it was time to resolve why Liam was just so … different. Every aspect of him had changed since I last saw him. An aspect of pure calmness swept over him, covering him like a dark veil. Confidence was blooming as a cocky smile crept onto his face. With one eyebrow raised, the Liam I knew had transformed into someone with the potential of complete and total charisma. However, based on his next words, it wasn't the good kind. "So, you done screwing around, like?"

Arkaid and Alliot immediately came to my side, both of them extending an arm over my torso. Arkaid turned to me with serious eyes as she spoke. "Be careful, CJ. I can sense it; the Disaster Force has consumed him." The other cavalry members took to their positions, ensuring that they would be protecting their buddies at all costs. Merak lowered Rikka back onto her feet as Doble quickly supported her. She was only barely able to stand yet, as Doble came to assist her, she nearly brushed him away.

Alliot took the initiative and slowly took a step forward. "So, you're Liam, huh? The others act like you're close to them, but you better watch yourself!"

Count Dawn shook his head. "It is no good; you're debating with a wall at this point." Everyone's eyes glared at the charismatic Liam Kieron. He continued smirking back at each cautious glance. I couldn't bring myself to look at him in any sort of intimidating way; Liam is my friend, yet everyone is treating him like an enemy! "Look at him; he's completely broken down." He turned to Tasuku. "Please, you must destroy his Dark Core Deck Case."

Liam chuckled at the remark. "Don't be dumb, I was told to talk to CJ. Nothing more, nothing less." He turned to me with ferocious eyes. "So, CJ, anything you want to say to rest of 'em before I start talking?"

"Liam… where's Demios?"

"Hell if I know," Liam coldly returned. "For all I know, he left me alone. Doesn't matter now; I don't need him at all," he sneered.

"Liam, please, you need to control yourself," I returned. "The Disaster Force… it's all around you, stronger than before. Please, you can't let it consume you like this."

"I'm not consumed," Liam returned. "I've embraced it. I chose to become this way. The last guy that succumbed to it became a mindless idiot." Liam flaunted his newfound power. Wisps of dark aura orbited his arms. He could feel the power flowing throughout his entire body like blood coursing through his veins. He looked to me, dipping his head with a cocky wink. "Do I look mindless? Do I look an idiot? Hold your breath; I don't care for an answer. I'm not here to have you question my life choices; I was just sent here to talk to you, that's all."

"That's all?"

"Mhm, that's all," he replied with a sharp grin. "Two best buddies, talking it out. Though, not really best buddies since you probably see Arkaid and Alliot as 'em, like. I'm still pretty close though," Liam continued looking over at Arkaid, observing her closely. This made my buddy tense up, quickly grasping her staff to prepare for a fight. I had to hold her back, for she was being too jumpy with the situation. This wasn't like her, but I could see why she was treating this so differently; my friend had embraced the Disaster Force, so there are so many things about him now that can be described as unpredictable. "I mean, no harm about that, right? It's been a few days too. I was really looking forward to talking to my great friend again, Christian."

Empty air left my very soul. Arkaid and Alliot could feel my heart pulsing outward from my chest. The both of them turned to me as they saw my eyes stare into nowhere. It wasn't before long I felt my throat closing, forcing me to cough with each breath. My body was mentally shutting down, for my friend had just done the unthinkable. Heat flashes consumed me as my right hand shook. Our secret. Arkaid quickly tried to get my attention, but Alliot slapped me across the face, bringing me back from my panic attack. He looked right into me. "CJ, pull yourself together!"

"Oh, he can't do that," Liam mused. Alliot and Arkaid struggled to bring me back to my feet. They kept questioning me, asking me why I was freaking out overhearing such a name. Arkaid finally turned to Liam with piercing eyes. "He didn't want you guys to hear that now did he? Christian Amino; that's his real name. And the reason why he changed it was to run from his shithole of a family."

That comment broke me back into reality. Alliot suddenly had to hold me back as my body propelled itself forward. Arkaid struggled with keeping me upright. I could hear everyone else behind me pondering at my hysterical display. "Liam! Please! Don't say any more!"

"Now we get to the good stuff," Liam chimed. He pulled out his Dark Core Deck Case. "I was told to fight you, and I decided that I'm going to throw in a little deal on top of it. Would you like me to stop revealing your past?"

Arkaid stammered as she forced her way in front of me. "What is this nonsense? What are you-"

I screamed from behind her. "Yes! Deal!" Arkaid's eyes widened. She looked back to me in befuddlement as she saw me struggle out of Alliot's grip. I was back on my feet, trudging past Arkaid as I left both of my buddies behind. I could hear Arkaid mutter my voice in defeat as I lowered my head to Liam. "… I accept the deal. Please… just don't tell them anymore."

My friend snickered. "Good, good. Now, let's take it outside; I don't want to get glass in my clothes. This place is completely trashed." Liam led the way. Before I could even bring myself to move I solemnly glanced back at my buddies. Arkaid and Alliot were left utterly confused, speechless from my sudden actions.

Tasuku spoke up to the others. He directed Count Dawn, Jack, Watson, and Ms. Fridrik's group to the cells. There was no need to involve themselves in this buddyfight, for the cell previously holding Gale Minas needed to be checked down to every last piece of dust. However, as I watched Ms. Fridrik lead her group in, she turned around, said something to Alvis, and left him alone. There was no doubt in my mind that he was fired on the spot, leaving him behind to watch the fight.

My buddies walked up to me, both of them giving me their full attention. I couldn't help but stare at the floor even when Alliot nudges my shoulder with his fist. Arkaid pressed him for doing so. "Please, don't do that. He's… got a lot on his mind."

"Still," Alliot muttered back. He motioned closer to me before nudging me again. "Is what he's saying true, CJ? You ran away?"

"I wouldn't say I ran away," I corrected. "He said I changed my name and, thing is, I did it to … get away from them." My eyes remained glued to the floor, avoiding all eye contact. I couldn't get a lot of my comrades' faces; I didn't want to. There was no way I would be willing to stare my buddies in the eyes and tell them the full and complete truth. It was just too much for me. "Let's just… get this over with."

Liam and I were standing forty yards from each other. He continued smirking as Alliot and Arkaid positioned themselves on my left and right respectively. The other cavalry members watched from afar, placing themselves on the sides of the arena. Liam's smile vanished when he noticed Tasuku walking towards my side. "The hell are you doing? Get out of the way! Christian and I are gonna fight now!"

"I cannot just stand by and let you assault a friend of mine," Tasuku sternly stated. The confidence in his voice almost revived me. However, it was the sight of his Core Deck Case that truly revitalized my soul. He raised it to the sky as the Core Deck Case illuminated a harsh glow. "Buddy Police Barrier!"

"Crap! I forgot!" Liam attempted to evade it, but it was too late. The light had already reached the satellite orbiting the Earth. The piece of advanced technology almost immediately shot back down a large, light yellow barrier. I could not believe it at first; the device that I had once talked-down about was now going to be the one thing responsible for giving me the chance to rescue my friend. "Damn it!"

Tasuku returned to my side before dropping his Core Deck Case at my side. It illuminated with a warm glow as the actual Deck Case itself transformed into some sort of saucer. He managed to leave the radius of the barrier before leaving both Liam, me, and my buddies trapped within the confines of it. However, I wasn't afraid. I knew what Tasuku wished for me to do. Arkaid and Alliot prepared themselves while Tasuku said these words. "CJ. Beat him. Destroy his Deck Case and save him!"

"Right!" It was obvious to me now. When a Buddy Police Officer uses the Buddy Police Barrier, it creates a situation where the loser of the Buddyfight has their Core Deck Case destroyed as a result. My eyes could not help but appreciate the spectacle around me. This barrier was not a cage for me; it was a gate leading me to the chance of rescuing my friend from the darkness consuming him. My eyes focused on the other cavalry members, noticing that their eyes were closely watching what was about to begin. Tasuku returned to the others, watching alongside them as I pulled out my Core Deck Case, activating it immediately. It had been some time since my last buddyfight, but I was certain that the small tweaks I made here and there would make me stand a chance against my friend. My Core Deck Case transformed into the same shield as before, but something was different. At the front of the shield was no longer just an emblem resembling Arkaid's face, but Alliot's as well.

Alliot couldn't help but smirk. "Guess I left a pretty good impression on ya, huh?" He chuckled back at me while Arkaid slowly looked away, unable to hide her secret laughs at the display my Deck Case revealed. My devotion to them was what allowed me to get this far as a member of the Fifth Omni Cavalry, so it was not a surprise that they left that much of an impact on me. Even so, it was somewhat embarrassing, but this was no time to worry about that.

I could hear Liam swearing at the fact that he had fallen for such a trick. Reluctantly, he pulled out his Dark Core Deck case, inserting his deck of cards. "I'll take the first move, is that alright, Christian?"

"Fine!" I barked back.

Liam lowered his head as he materialized two cards from the top of his Dark Core Deck Case. He motioned them towards the gauge as he placed his hand on the Deck Case's gem. "Soldiers of death, march into hell upon my command. I order it! Subjects of Purgatory!"

"Your chant!" There was no doubt about it now; Liam was not the same person under the Disaster Force's influence. The last thing I expected him was that he would toss aside the pure loyalty that Demios's subjects gave him. I had to put a stop to it. "To Risk my Life to Serve a Greater Power! That is the Role of the Fifth Omni Cavalry! To ARMS! Dragonic Omni Sacrament!" Two cards were materialized and flung towards my gauge. Six cards materialized from the gem of my Core Deck Case. "As you said, you go first."

"Aw, babe," Liam mockingly muttered. He flung a useless card from his hand to the gauge, allowing him to draw another. "By the way, I forgot to declare my buddy for this game. Since Demios isn't here, I'll just declare this version as my buddy. To the center!" He motioned for a card, tossing it towards the center. What emerged was Demios, but not the old him. No… it was stronger. A hidden weapon that Liam must have been saving. The dragon just felt stronger as it carried both blue and red flames in his hands. He was a size 2 creature with 6000 power, 1000 defense, and 2 critical. "I Buddy-Call, Purgatory Knights Leader of Condolence, Geist Demios!"

Tasuku and I were speechless at the mere sight of such a beast. Jackknife must have sensed the dismay as well, for I soon saw Tasuku's buddy rush out of the building. He almost crashed into the barrier due to how frantic he became. His eyes widened as he found himself at the Geist's mercy. "Another form… Demios… just what were you keeping from us?"

Liam smirked. "I was planning on using this version in the tournament, but I never drew into it. Fortunately, you still saw his normal form, Early, and the Impact, so it was definitely a treat." Liam raised his right hand. "Geist Demios! Attack Christian!" The dragon unleashed a terrifying roar. He rushed forward, slashing me with his sword. As the blade phased through my body, the sheer force of the special hologram sent me back, nearly sending me crashing towards the wall. Arkaid and Alliot rushed to my side as I managed to force myself back on my feet.

Liam had 11 life. I only had 8 now.

I had to bring this around somehow. I didn't know what this new version of Demios did, but there was no way I was going to let this new creature get in the way of ending this! "My turn then!" I drew a card, flung a useless card into my gauge, and drew another card. "Alright, this will work. I call Fifth Omni Cavalry Dragon, Light Rim Alliot to the right position!" I nodded as the card evaporated from my hand. I didn't need to send it to the right, for the real Alliot was still right beside me. "Your go, bro."

Alliot grinned back to me. "I'll show 'em!" He rushed over to the right position, prepping his drill-spear. He was a size 1 with 4000 power, 2000 defense, and only 1 critical for now. "Let's shut him up!"

"Next, to the left, I call Fifth Omni Cavalry Dragon Disciple, Hagun of Sand Cane!" I sent the card to the left position, revealing a small dragon kid with short, blonde hair. He wielded a smaller version of Arkaid's staff. The creature was a size 1 with 2000 power, 2 critical, and 3000 defense. "Next, I equip Fifth Omni Dragon Sword, Emperor Fang!" The card vanished from my hand, causing a golden sword with red lining to appear in my right hand. The sword released the glow of the sun. It had 3000 power and 3 critical. "Liam, you shouldn't have challenged me like this. We could've had a fight and enjoyed ourselves, and now… you lost yourself to the power that Arkaid had warned me about."

The man shook his head, chuckling under his breath. "Don't talk like you know anything. This power is incredible!"

"It took a gauge to play my sword, as well as one life. Because of that, I can activate Hagun's ability. Because I took damage, I gain one life and a gauge, making my life go back to 8 again. Also, Alliot's ability activates." I looked over to my comrade, watching as he grinned even more. Power coursed through him as the strength of camaraderie filled his resolve. "Because there's another 'Fifth Omni' card on my field, Alliot gets an extra critical."

---

(Pov: Third)

Rikka crossed her arms, nodding over to her comrade on the battlefield. She couldn't help but turn to Doble with a sly face, causing the red dragon to feel even more embarrassed. "Come on, Doble. He's not that bad. He knows what he's doing."

Tasuku nodded in agreement. "It's like when he and I first played. He understands the synergy within his deck. There's no doubt that he has promise."

Doble begrudgingly answered to Rikka. "I'll admit that he knows how to play the Fifth Omni deck," Doble reluctantly relayed. "Still, I can't get over what Liam said. Running away from his family?"

Mizaru lowered his head, morosely speaking on Melanie's behalf. "For all we know, his situation was like Melly's."

"There's no way," Doble returned. "He doesn't look like the type."

Meglax rolled his eyes. "Implying that he has to "look" like a type," he returned in an annoyed tone. Doble grumbled back at him, but this only appeared to further Meglax's perspective. "Just accept that you knew very little of him."

"Fine! Okay!" Doble grunted. "But he's a corporate crony type!"

"Yes, but in the line of work revolving around Monster relations," Meglax returned. "He basically works for monster-human equality, which is a respectable position."

"Don't tell me you're finally on his side!"

"What would be wrong with that?" Meglax returned. "It may be morbid of me to suggest this, but I believe it would be beneficial to watch this unfold. If Liam truly has secrets of "Christian," then I suggest we take the time to learn about him."

Melanie shook her head. "But he didn't do anything wrong?!" She quickly turned to Mizaru, grasping at his chest. "Please! Let's just leave! I don't want to make him feel bad!"

"Melly…."

The silent knight finally managed to speak. "No, it is our duty." The other cavalry members turned to Merak, astonished at his statement. Discretely, he turned to them with stoic eyes. "It is our duty to him that we see this through. Arkaid and Alliot are right there. With or without us here, Arkaid and Alliot may hear things he'd never want them to know. If we're not here, we can't be here for him. We need to show our support to him, just like how he stood up to Fridrik for Alliot's sake."

---

(POV: First)

My anger was reaching its breaking point. "Alright! Hagun, attack Demios!"

Liam was quick to respond. "Sorry, not happening." Instantly, before Hagun even had the chance to move, the Demios once present on Liam's field had vanished from our very eyes. Everyone was immobilized by such an odd play, yet Liam kept smiling like he had completely fooled us all. "I can see ye faces. Ye all are completely dumb for thinking that I'd just leave my buddy in the center for no reason. He has a counter ability, so I can activate it during my turn, your turn, or in response to something on your turn. I destroy a monster with 'Purgatory Knights' in its card name on my field. If I do, I can either restand him, draw a card if performed during the battle phase or, for this turn, I can reduce the next time I would be dealt damage by three."

"Wait, but that doesn't make any sense," I quickly replied. "That just means you've negated Hagun's attack!"

My so-called friend did not even need to answer for me. I felt Arkaid pressing against my shoulder. She looked to me with concerned eyes as she spoke. "CJ, because Hagun's target vanished, the attack is wasted. Not only does this mean Hagun didn't deal damage to him, but…."

"It also means he reduces my next attack," I muttered in defeat. "Doesn't matter; I still have my sword. Alliot, I need you to attack him!"

"Right! I'll drill away that reduction!" Alliot leaped forward, drilling into the air as he rushed towards Liam's side of the field. His weapon phased right through Liam, dealing no damage to him. It was horrible, yet Alliot still kept a confident grin. "I still attacked, so I give my buddy one more life!"

"Eat this, Liam!" My anger propelled me to a state of informality. I rushed forward with my blade at the ready. With all my strength, I swung the blade through Liam. As the hologram blade phased through him, the force was enough to knock him back. He fell onto his ass, feeling somewhat dazed for a moment. When I returned to my side of the field, I couldn't help but feel defeated. "I wish that woke you up. That would've ended this charade."

Liam had 8 life. I had 9 life.

Liam forced himself back onto his feet, chuckling silently to himself. He glared at me with vengeful eyes as he shoved his hands into his jean pockets. "You think you're funny, Christian?" Liam grunted as he kicked the dirt beneath his shoes. "Well, I have a surprise for you. I'm ready to fucking demolish you this turn." As he flung a useless card into the gauge, I could feel something boiling within his mind. I braced for the worst, hoping he would refrain from saying something too personal. I knew he was about to say something, but the only question was what? "I'm bringing back my buddy. To the field, Geist Demios!" My buddies and I gritted at the sight of the unsightly dragon's return. The size 2 dragon maintained a ferocious demeanor, unlike anything I had seen from Liam's deck. This version of Demios looked like he was close to death's door. Whatever Demios had to do in order to acquire this form… he must have suffered much more than a normal person could take. "Now, to the left, I call Purgatory Knights, Grudge Arrow Dragon!" The size 1 dragon humanoid emerged with a bow in hand. A demonic flame emitted from the very tip of the arrow. It had 3000 power, 2 critical, and 1000 defense. "Now, come to my center! Purgatory Knights, Crossbow Dragon!" A dragon similar to the last emerged, but it was smaller and wielded a crimson crossbow. This size 0 dragon had 2000 attack and defense with only 1 critical. "One step away from crushing you, Christian. I bet you know what happens next."

"Just you wait, Liam!" I called out. What fueled my anger, even more, was watching the confusion on Arkaid's face. She looked completely to herself, hopelessly lost in her own mind. This entire situation must have been a strain on her, and that only gave me more reason to bring an end to this. "I'll do whatever it takes to stop this!"

Liam snickered. "Just don't touch me in my secret spot, okay?"

"… What?" I knew what he was implying. That insulted me more than anything else the damn brat could have muttered. Something took over me that moment. My heart raced as I braced myself for the attack. "Now you're just making shit up," I coldly remarked. "I would never, and I'm furious that you would even claim that."

"I'm sure that college girl thought the same thing," Liam cockily returned. My blood was boiling; I couldn't help but see red as he continued to chuckle more and more. I wanted the damned man to stop. I wanted him to stop! "I mean, it's not every day someone accuses you of sexual harassment."

"...Stop it."

"I mean, it's kinda weird. You'd think they'd go after you less considering you're actually bi."

"Don't bring that into this, Liam!" My voice became sore with each other utterance of my very own being.

Alliot looked back, perturbed at those words. "CJ, what's he talking about?"

"Bullshit!" I cried back. "Fucking bullshit!"

Liam shrugged. "Nah, not really." He continued to muse. "I mean, you did cry about it on the skype call. Some woman thought ya sniffed her when she was doing her laundry. Dumb gal never thought you just snorted in the air? Maybe it's because she looked at you realized you're a creep."

The first thing that made my heart completely shatter was when Arkaid turned to me with pained eyes. I couldn't look at her anymore. What could I even say to her anymore? My face became to hot for me to maintain any sense of calmness. I found myself sweating before she could even say the dreadful words "CJ… is that true? Were you really accused?"

That broke me. My legs nearly trembled as the holographic sword in my hand became too heavy to wield. I continued to stare at the ground, embracing just how futile the situation was. I couldn't believe it; she asked such a question… Damn it all. My mind ignored the light, searching for the darkness as Liam's remaining words filled the arena. "There wasn't even any evidence! Hell, before the case was dropped, the officer even marked him down as a prime suspect because he looked like a creep!" Liam screamed even louder, mocking me as his ears centered on me. "You hear that, CJ? The officer marked you down just because he thought you looked like a creep!"

Everything was going black. I… I couldn't control my own self anymore. Everything was just being piled on too fast. Just as soon as I was about to toss it all away, I felt someone yell at my side. "CJ!" Arkaid's voice shook me. I turned back to her. "CJ, snap out of it! Please, we're in the middle of a fight! You need to focus!"

"R-Right…," I muttered weakly.

Alliot's voice called out to me. "I'm sure that girl was a liar anyway, and you ain't-a creep to me, bro!" My eyes yearned for those words, focusing on him as he held his arm out with pride. "Now let's defend his attacks! We have your back!"

He was right. I couldn't give in. Not now… not yet. I looked ahead, watching as Liam commanded the monsters before him. Just looking at him… it filled my heart with so much contempt. I could barely keep myself together. I felt like I was going to burst open and explode! But I needed to keep myself together; I needed to stay strong through all of this. Liam started to give his commands. "Crossbow dragon, destroy Hagun!"

Alliot roared in protest. "Damn!" The crossbow dragon prepared his weapon, releasing a well-aimed shot. It phased right through Hagun, destroying it instantly. "Grudge arrow dragon, attack the center." Before I could even brace myself, the enemy launched an arrow right through my gut. The hologram phased through me, but I felt the kickback as I nearly lost my balance. My life was brought down to 7.

"Now, Geist Demios, attack the fighter!" I knew what Liam was going to do; I needed to conserve my cards for that moment. Because of that, I allowed the attack through, bringing my life down to 5. "Now, I activate Demios's ability; I destroy crossbow dragon, allowing him to stand again and attack!" With another rough swing of the grand dragon's sword, I took the attack, bringing me down to 3 life points. "And again! Now I destroy Grudge Arrow Dragon! Not only does Geist Demios stand once again, but Grudge Arrow's ability activates! Because it was destroyed by an effect, I get to search my deck for an item, and if I don't have one equipped, I can do so by paying its cost!" Arkaid watched closely. She gazed at the summoned weapon before her, but she was also intrigued by the amazing play; Liam cleared his center with Geist Demios's ability. Not only did this grant Geist Demios extra attacks, but now Liam was able to attack his weapon since nothing in the center was in his way. However, Arkaid's eyes widened at the new weapon in Liam's grasp. After paying a gauge, Liam played a new item card. The blade was no longer the one we knew, but instead carried a blue gem that glowed like an angel's eye. The sword was a dull brown with a fine silver finish. "I equip, Sword of the First Generation Knights Leader, Orcus Sword!"

Arkaid was confused by the new appearance. "Odd, such a peculiar weapon."

Liam rushed forward, preparing to attack us with that weapon in hand. The item had 3000 power and 2 critical, and it was rushing for me. Fortunately, I had a defensive card in hand. I held it in front of me, materializing it into a green shield. "Green dragon shield?!"

I nodded back. "Now my life is at 4."

"Fine, then Geist Demios will bring it to 2!" Liam leaped back, allowing his Geist Demios to strike me. The force of the attack brought me to my knees. It didn't help that my will was already struggling to keep me afloat. Everything was just becoming too much for me to face head-on. "I end my turn."

I slowly began the process of drawing a luminized card from my Core Deck Case. My heart weighed my entire body down, my breathing became more difficult with each breath, and I could not stop seeing red. Arkaid quickly grasped my shaking hand, bringing my eyes to hers. "CJ, we can do this."

"But, Arkaid…."

"Ignore him," Arkaid continued. "His words mean nothing."

I then heard Liam barking from the other side of the field. "Oh, they mean something."

Alliot roared from his side of the area. "Shut up, ya bastard!" His voice yanked on my soul. When he turned back to me, I fell victim to his determined eyes. His voice boomed with leadership. He was not going to allow my mind to fade away. His fists shook with how infuriated he felt towards my weakness. "Listen, I'm not buddies with some weakling who just stands by and falls… just from hearing a few words! Ya hear me!" I rapidly shook my head. "No! You need to speak!"

"Y-Yes, right!" I exclaimed.

"This isn't you," Alliot muttered weakly. He gritted his teeth before turning away. "This isn't the person that defended me back there. I almost let those words consume me, but I can't watch and let the same thing happen to you! So stay strong!"

---

(POV: Third)

Meglax pondered quietly. "An outcast … that's what he is."

Doble turned to his brother. "What do you mean?"

"He's an outcast. I think I'm starting to understand him more," he somberly returned. "He apparently ran away from his family, an officer took a woman's word based on his appearance… it makes sense to me, is all."

"You mean…."

Jack nodded. "He is really afraid to lose Arkaid and Alliot."

Rikka sighed morosely. "When you have no family to go to, when a charge gets you labeled as a creep, regardless of the truth… that just … scares people."

Melanie muttered lowly. "Makes people think you're not normal…."

Her buddy gasped softly. "Melly…."

It took some time, but Alvis was finally able to bring himself to speak. "That's why … now it makes sense," he slowly mourned. "Why you were so determined to get a buddy. He really didn't want to be alone…."

Tasuku curled his fingers, rattled from what he was hearing. "Still… why would he run?" He solemnly gritted his teeth. He felt helpless, unable to bring himself to action. "Why would he run from his family?"Alvis stuttered, finding it difficult for him to speak. He started biting his lower lip, struggling to make the words leave his mind, no matter how much he wanted to speak. "Alvis?"

"I know why I did mine," Alvis muttered.

"Alvis…."

The others turned to the blonde man as he struggled to speak. "You heard Liam right… if he is saying the truth, and that CJ is bisexual… do you think he ran away from his family in shame?"

"How would you-"

"Because I'm gay!" Alvis screamed. "And I know how it feels when your family turns their backs on you, unable to see their son as normal or even human…." The others fell into a state of silence. Alvis shook his head. "I don't think it's that black or white…. Maybe something else caused him to run away…. But, if what his situation is like mine, then…." Alvis reached into his pocket, slowly pulling out his deck of cards. He pulled out Sitri's card, looking at it closely. He felt the card shaking in his hand. Sitri finally emerged, materializing into an SD form of his being. He couldn't ignore his buddy any longer, regardless of how angry he felt. He had to be at Alvis's side. "I … didn't start feeling happy, or like I had a true family, until you came into my life, Sitri."

"Like you said during your match with Tetsuya," Tasuku muttered softly. "… Sitri really did save you."

"He is my family," Alvis muttered. He looked into his buddy's eyes, guilty at what he made his precious friend do for him. He wept silently, wiping away his tears. "If CJ lost Arkaid and Alliot, or even Liam, he'd lose the only family members he has left… and that's why…." Both Sitri and Alvis nodded to each other.

The panther anthromorph fiddled with his fedora, smiling at his reformed buddy. "Glad to have you back, Alvis."

"We can't let this continue" he solemnly returned. "We can't continue this." His words fell silent, intended only for Sitri's ears to hear. "You were right… we can't do this to him."

---

(POV: First)

It took everything I had to draw my last card. Before motioning one card from my hand to the gauge, which would allow me to draw another, I looked over at the sidelines. My mind was trying to make sense of what I was seeing. Alvis had his head down… crying. Sitri was at his side. But why? I couldn't make sense of it. My mind was so blurred and disturbed; I couldn't hold my focus together at all. The only thing I could do is continue this game. Despite my horrible situation, I still had my many shield cards. Liam was starting to run out of fuel for his larger combos, so something told me that I was still going to be able and end this game.

Liam had 8 life. I only had 2.

I couldn't just stop myself here. Because of the number of shield cards in my hand, I knew that there had to be some form of defense I could muster. Fortunately, with the card I drew, I felt confident knowing that Arkaid was going to fight alongside me. "I buddy call to the left position, Fifth Omni Cavalry Dragon, Sand Staff Arkaid." My life went up to 3 as my comrade leaped to her position. However, something was off with her. As she prepped herself with her staff in hand, she only glared at the man standing before her.

Liam maliciously smirked. "Oh, you look mad." Arkaid said nothing. I too was confused. She wasn't even protesting. I didn't understand it at first. Liam starting mocking me, using a childish voice while pretending to whine. "CJ, your buddy's being reallymean to me. Can you pwease tell her to stahp?!"

I gritted my teeth. "Liam, Alliot is going to attack you directly!"

My comrade bared his teeth at Liam. "You'll pay for insulting him!" He grunted as he shoved himself off the ground. He rushed towards Liam center with his spear in tow.

Liam sneered. "I activate Geist Demios's ability, allowing me to sacrifice him and nullify the next attack by three points!"

"Doesn't matter!" Alliot returned. "CJ, take the life point!" Because Alliot at least made an attack, I was able to gain one more life point, bringing my life to 4. "Keep going, CJ!"

"Right!" I leaped forward, rushing towards Liam before thrashing my sword through him. He nearly lost his balance as his life points dropped by 3. "Arkaid, now it's you!" Arkaid directed her staff towards Liam. When I was returning to my position, I watched as Arkaid's eyes were piercing. Just by looking at them, I could tell that her eyes were like daggers striking towards Liam. However, when I looked back to Liam, I could only see him acting in the same casual way he was before. He was immune to Arkaid's reach. She was trying so hard to remain quiet, yet something without her soul could not contain the anger shown in her deep blue eyes. Liam took the magical attack, bringing him down by 2 more life points.

Liam had 3 life. I had 4 life.

Despite my advantage, something was not right. Liam was on the lower end in terms of hand cards; that is something I couldn't deny. However, the lack shield cards he used only inform me that he has other cards I should worry about. If one doesn't have shields, then odds are the individual has more monsters or offensive spells. This was not something I wanted to witness, for this meant that Liam had another way of performing his combos. This displayed to me that his play-style had changed along with his mindset; instead of conserving his combo until he had absolutely everything he needed, he instead uses smaller, lesser, less burst-damage combos to grind me out. The prior method is more shocking to the unprepared, while this current method inquires the possibility of the long game as long as one side doesn't make a mistake.

Liam drew his next card, throwing a useless one into the gauge. "Why have shields when Geist Demios basically doubles as one," Liam mused. "I just hope you don't get too angry at me, CJ; this is for your own good."

"My own good?" My darkened tone stiffened the spectators. "You've ruined me, more like it."

"I'm surprised that Arkaid and Alliot are still by your side," Liam mused slyly. "I mean, after the sexual harassment thing, I'd expect at least one of them to leave."

Alliot roared back. "Next time, don't tell us there was no evidence, you hack!"

"Oh?" Liam smirked. "Does that mean that, if I left that part out, you would've been okay with my random accusation?"

"N-No!" Alliot barked back. "That's not what I-"

"Don't blame yourself," Liam continued. "I'm sure both you and Arkaid are incredible buddies for him. I mean, you've listened to every truth I could muster to bring up. The truth is, well, these facts aren't known by just me; they were known by his previous three buddies."

"His previous three?"

Alliot's confusion was discarded from my mind. I knew where Liam was going with this. That left me with no choice. "Liam, I know the Disaster Force is warping your mind, but you must have some control."

"Implying the Disaster Force is controlling me," Liam returned. "I'm stronger than that; my buddy was the leader of the Purgatory Knights. I could be in control, but my new master has informed me to reveal these truths for a very specific purpose."

"Liam, I beg of you," I returned with a heavy heart. "Why?"

"You keep thinking my mind is warped and uneasy," Liam coldly returned. "It's that reason that I'm so pissed at you! You just can't accept that I could've decided to embrace the Disaster Force! Look how much better I am!" Liam raised his arms. "I'm confident! I'm strong! I'm everything I thought you were!"

"Liam, please, you're deceiving yourself," I cautiously replied. "I never was confident. I never was strong."

"Look at you!" Liam screamed. "You're doing that crap again! Back then, you had so many friends online! Compared to me, you and very few others would even talk to me. And now… I'm allied with the entire Purgatory Knights!" Liam pledged. He stuck his right arm over his heart and stared at the sky. "And you… now you're just happy that you have someone at all! Hahaha! The roles have reversed! And that is funny to me!"

"You can't truly think that." My chest was in pure agony. My comrades felt the pain as I coughed a bit, feeling the intense doubt in my heart. However, that same doubt… I recalled earlier about how he said that Demios just left him. I couldn't believe that. However, like him, I was on the edge of giving in to my doubt. Despite everything that he said, something was telling me to keep going. I knew his mind was warped. I knew that he truly did not feel this way. But why… why was my doubt taking over?

"It's over for you, and Arkaid," Liam readied his hand. He looked at his cards and looked down to me. "You just cannot accept the truth, CJ; you hold and beg so much for your buddies to stay, but they just leave. They always leave. And, just like your previous three buddies, Arkaid and Alliot will take off without a trace one day." Liam's voice went grim for a moment as my mind fell apart. "This truth is too much for you to see… that you'd rather lie to everyone about the truth; your buddies didn't leave because of business."

"Liam, stop…." I fell to my knees. "Just stop already!"

Alliot cried out. "CJ! Come on! You need to fight!"

"It's why you doubt Arkaid now," Liam murmured. "It's why you still doubt Alliot despite his support. Because you know the truth; one day, they'll just take off without a trace, leaving you only a note and your drunk ass on the floor."

"You…. You…." My breathing grew even more intense. I couldn't control my body; my heart rate was growing with each second. I felt like I was having a panic attack. My mind went blurry. Why? Why am I so scared? It was just like when Arkaid left that night; my mind went south so fast. I don't want to be alone! I don't want my family to leave! I don't want to lose anyone else! I just wanted … "I just… wanted…."

"For them to stay," Liam casually returned with a smirk. "But they never did. You would tell me about how you told them who you were, your past, and why you feel so alone. You would vent, and vent you did, just like you did with me some nights." Liam smiled happily. "Now you know the true pain of it all, CJ; buddies are not precious, eternal partners. They are nothing of the sort. Instead, they'll just say they care about you and run away. It's unfortunate, but the kind of love you want is fake, no matter how much you-"

My mind was about to spiral into darkness. The void felt so welcoming to me at this point. I wanted to embrace it the same way Liam did. The Disaster Force. I felt my hand reach for it, grasping it slowly before revealing it in front of me. It was not before long that I heard a voice yank me from the darkness. Her voice was not even directed at me. It was directed to Liam; the pent-up anger finally unleashed. "You have lost your right to speak." Her words chilled me to the bone. My shaking broke me away from the darkness. Everyone's eyes were on Arkaid. Her piercing eyes were as cold as her blue eyes implied. Her voice… it was the coldest I had even heard her speak. She wasn't herself; that's the only thing I could think of to make sense of the demon within her. She didn't yell. She didn't bark out random insults. Her words seemed to intrigue Liam as the man just watched my eternal partner spoke. "Are you done?"

Liam winked to her. "Babe, I'm never done."

"You have been given too many chances here," Arkaid coldly spoke. Her voice sent chills throughout the arena. Alliot was speechless, watching as he normally-regal comrade spoke like an executioner. His jaw motioned, but there was nothing he could say. "You believe your words hold any meaning to me? A man possessed by the Disaster Force? No, you have no value in your words."

"You don't scare me," Liam returned.

"I know that," Arkaid scowled. "I know the you right now isn't afraid of me. However, I doubt the real you is as fearless as you put on."

"What on earth could you mean, bitch?"

"Exactly as I have stated." Arkaid prepared her staff, directing it at Liam's face. His eyes stared down the staff. "If you truly chose the Disaster Force, then the real you is liable for everything you have just stated. I hope you understand that."

"Oh, I know that," Liam mused. "I just don't care."

"You say that now," Arkaid growled. "But once that power runs out, you'll realize just how lonely you really are."

"I'm shaking," Liam mocked. "Tell me, do you realize just how empty your threats to me are?"

"I couldn't possibly see my threats as empty," Arkaid returned. "Remind me," how could you see my words as worthless?"

"Simple, and I'm happy you said that," Liam chuckled to himself. His tone went dark. "I'm going to show everyone just how worthless you are." The unthinkable happened. Something happened with Arkaid, but I could not understand it. Something snapped in her. She struggled to speak, but her words would breathless. The more she struggled, the more I realized that her eyes were filled with terror. I didn't understand. There's no way that Arkaid could see herself as worthless, especially not after everything she's done! I couldn't make sense of it. What did I not know about her? Before I could even ponder the question, Liam called out a field exactly like the one before. That man … even though he lacked his shield cards, he managed to maintain a field with so much pressure... "Now, about your claims, Arkaid?"

It was then that Arkaid hastily looked back to me. "CJ! I promise you with every ounce of my soul, I will not let you lose here!" Her words stunned me. In that moment, I had to believe her. She was no longer the calm, regal self. She was overwhelmed with emotion. It wasn't right; she, of all of my comrades, was the last person I expected to panic. "I will not have you lose to Liam! My qualms about him are not yours! We will reveal to him the error of his ways! You and me!"

"Arkaid! What's wrong!" I yelled back to her. She ignored me, instead muttering to herself. She spoke so quietly. What was she saying? I couldn't piece it together. Why was she freaking out?

Liam continued with his moves. "You'll understand soon, CJ! Now, Geist Demios!" The grand dragon rushed towards me. I was just about to use one of my shield cards when Arkaid held her left hand to me. She only did so when holding up the card.

"Don't," she muttered to me. "Not yet."

I followed her command. I allowed the sword to phase through me, striking me while dealing me two points of damage, bringing me to two life. "Crossbow Dragon, attack him in the center!"

"Not. Yet," Arkaid demanded.

That was when Alliot spoke up. "Arkaid, what are you doing? He needs to defend!"

"I will defend him!" Arkaid cried. "When the time is right!" Crossbow Dragon unleashed another shot towards me. It went right through me, nearly sending me off of my feet from the blowback. Fortunately, the attacking monster only had one critical, meaning that my life was now at one life point. I understood Arkaid now; she wanted me to conserve my shields for these two attacks. As I watched her leap to the center position, it all made sense. She was going to block the next attack, give me one life point and a gauge upon her destruction, bringing me to 2 life. I would then be able to block the remaining attacks with my shield cards. It seemed so perfect. As she landed in the center circle, she stood firmly against Liam's charisma. She stretched her arms out to her sides, crying out to the man. "I told you everything! I told you everything about me! How could you?! I cannot believe you! I cannot forgive you!" Arkaid's words left both Alliot and me silent. I was sick of it; unable to speak up. I just couldn't understand. What did she say to Liam? What was her promise? "I am not useless! Living a long and sophisticated life is not meaningless!" Her words were filled with panic, yet she spoke pride. Her newfound contempt towards the corrupted man shook against her soul. Her words were no longer organized, filtered, or contained; she truly spoke from the heart. She gritted her teeth before revealing her soul. "After telling you everything, after I tried to help you when you were down, and even after you gave my precious partner the Dark Core Deck Case! I still tried to be friends with you... And THIS is how you show appreciation!? No. I will never forgive you!"

But….

Those words were empty to Liam. He just… laughed. He laughed; that's all he did. As Arkaid panted, out of breath from yelling her mind, Liam found it in himself to laugh. "Hahaha… Hahahaha…." At first, it was only a few chuckles. But then… "Hahahahahaha…. Hahahahahaha….
HAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHA!"

His laugh echoed throughout the abandoned area. No one could bring themselves to speak. Arkaid's breathing slowed, but her eyes were blank. She couldn't understand what was happening; neither could I. However, everything was understood once Liam uttered these last statements. "Arkaid… haha, you really screwed up."

"I… I did not." She forced out. "You have to go through me to get to my buddy. I may have failed him before, but I won't fail him now!"

"No, you truly screwed up, Arkaid," Liam mused. He gestured to Geist Demios, destroying the monster in his center and allowing Demios to stand back up. In addition, because his center was cleared, Liam was now free to attack. He raised his sword, playfully shifting it with his hands. "You forgot that his shields can only activate when his own center is open."

"You believe that I forgot about something so trivial?" Arkaid felt insulted. "How unintelligible and plain do you take me for?"

"You're a smart girl," Liam chuckled. "But you forgot something; my sword has two critical. CJ only has one life left thanks to your "idea" of saving shields."

"So you knew my plan," Arkaid muttered. "Unfortunately for you, knowing the plan is not enough."

Something began to shatter in my mind. I tried looking into what Liam could possibly be holding that would secure the win for him? Nothing was making sense; Liam had his regular attacking formation, he would try to keep attacking and re-standing Demios, then he would be blocked with my shields each extra attack if possible, and then he would draw a card from his sword, and then he…. "Wait." It was then that I remembered something. His Sword. His new sword. My lungs threw up a scream. "His sword!"

Arkaid spun around in a panic. "What?!"

"His sword! That's not the same sword from the tournament!"

Liam chuckled. "So, he was the one who figured it out." Arkaid turned back. All confidence had left her. "He's right. It's not the Demios Sword from before; it's a different sword. A sword Demios gave me. This Orcus Sword has a specific effect that I knew you'd love, Arkaid."

"… No…. I… I'm sorry, CJ…."

"Because I have two 'Knights' cards on the field, which includes 'Purgatory Knights,' this Orcus sword gains penetrate. My swords critical goes right through you." Even though I was a distance away, I thought I felt Arkaid's heart stop. I couldn't see the face she was making. However, as Liam chuckled back to her, I got a horrifying idea. "You should've blocked my earlier attack. A green dragon shield blocking my Geist Demios would've kept CJ on five life, then you'd work around my sword. But wait… CJ only has one life now… and, even with your ability, it's not enough to bring his life back up to survive. This happened because you, Arkaid, wished to conserve his shields."

"I didn't… that sword, I-"

"A sophisticated life?" Liam mockingly asked. "You didn't even care to ask about my sword's effect. It's not my responsibility. You were so focused on protecting him, you've forgotten basic aspects of this game. It's like a soldier forgetting how to use his sword during combat; that's how unsophisticated you really are, Arkaid; you let your weakness get the better of you, and you were stupid to tell me your biggest fear." Liam raised his sword, aiming right for Arkaid. "And this loss will monument your biggest failure; you couldn't protect CJ, you couldn't "save" me, and, worst of all, it was done because of your stupidity, and your ability was shown to be absolutely worthless. You, in every way, failed."

He leaped forward. Alliot cried out for Arkaid. I still couldn't see her face. She was stiff, looking forward. Unmoving, but weak. Her head lowered as the inevitable happened. Liam slashed his sword through her, returning her to her card form. My life points fell to 0. There was nothing I could do. But the worst was yet to come. First, I realized the horrible truth of this barrier. As I heard cries from outside, I realized that the loser's deck case, the representation of themselves and their devotion, would break. I turned to my Core Deck Case. It was shaking. The shield that represented my resolve was cracking. I quickly grasped my cards, placing them in my pocket before trying so damn hard to hold my Core Deck Case together. It wasn't just a piece of metal; it was a representation of what Arkaid, Alliot, and I stood for; a shield, to protect. It soon proved completely useless; I felt the shield break apart in my hands as the barrier around me faded. My Core Deck Case, the shield that represented our combined resolve, had become nothing but heaps of scrap.

My entire being ignored the cries from afar. I don't know what went over me, but I started grasping for the pieces of metal. I scratched at it, hopeful that it would just come back together. I only stopped when Alliot's hand grasped my arm. I looked up at him, seeing him look down to me. He wasn't smiling. He hoisted me back up. The two of us couldn't bring ourselves to speak. We could hear Liam's laughter from across the field. He did it; he brought me to his level of sadness.

Before the others could reach us, both Alliot and I turned and noticed Arkaid standing a few yards away. She had her back to us. I nervously gulped before forcing myself to her side. I was finally able to see her face. I wish I hadn't; I didn't want to see her cry. She was silent. Her eyes looked nowhere at the sky. When she finally noticed my presence, she reluctantly turned to me with tears flowing from her eyes. I finally forced myself to speak. "Arkaid, I…."

"No," she muttered back. Her eyes brought her to Liam. She sensed it; the darkness feeding into Liam's essence. He was strengthened, corrupted by the power itself. Despite knowing that… I couldn't help but feel angry. But why? I know everything he said hurt me. But, as I stood there, my heart ached more for Arkaid; I didn't care about myself. The only thing I cared about was how Arkaid just fell apart. "I couldn't do it. We lost because of me."

Alliot barged in. "Arkaid, listen to yourself! We lost, but it's not over yet!"

The light-blue dragon sighed. "Alliot, it was over the moment I realized I wasn't like the others."

"Arkaid, no," Alliot gritted his teeth. "Don't talk like that. Don't let the bastard get ya down; he's already brought CJ down; you need to help him!"

"How can I?" Arkaid muttered back. How could she when her will was gone? "Alliot, I spent so much time to get where I am now. Over 400 years of studying magic because I was weaker than other dragons…." Arkaid chuckled. It wasn't one I wanted to hear. The chuckle was like a cry… a soft, hopeless cry. "All of those years… trying to show that I didn't need "real" strength... wasted."

I willed myself to interject. "Wasted?!" I cried to her. "No-no-no-no-no, Arkaid; you're perfect! I don't know why-"

"CJ, no," Arkaid somberly spoke. "If I was anywhere near that, I would've been able to save you both," Arkaid lowered her head. "I realized when I asked you that question ... when I actually asked if you had truly been accused… after thinking about it, I realized just how selfish I was. To ask such a question… it would imply I doubted your character, no?" Arkaid smiled, but it was the worst kind of smile. It cried too. "Again, I apologize for that too. However, I feel like there are too many things I'll need to apologize for." She bowed to me. "I'm sorry, ... but I'm ending our buddy contract."

"A-Arkaid!" Was that truly the only thing I could say? Unfortunately, after everything, I just couldn't speak true to myself anymore. My heart just wanted to give up.

Alliot couldn't even protest. Before he could even utter a word, Arkaid flicked her staff. A portal emerged behind her. She vanished into it, leaving us both behind. "Take care of CJ, Alliot." Those were the last she said before she completely left us.

My mind snapped. I tried my jaw. No words. I tried breathing out a certain way. No words. I tried yelling. No words. What happened. My chest felt too heavy; I collapsed. Alliot reached for me, but I was already on the ground, waiting to be discarded. I heard the others running over. The cavalry members had arrived with their eyes darting around the battlefield. Ironically, Doble spoke up first. "Where's Arkaid?!" Doble cried to Alliot. "Short-stuff, where'd she-"

"Dragon World! NOW!" Alliot's roar shook the Earth beneath us. My discarded body was still alive enough to feel the sensations. The other cavalry members complied, no questions asked. Alliot forced me up, setting me on my feet. He looked at my eyes, breathing heavily. "CJ, we're getting her back! Trust me!"

My mind somehow forced my head towards Liam. He was casually sprawled out on the ground, leisurely basking in the sun. When I turned back to Alliot, he and the others were already gone. The only ones left were Tasuku, Alvis, Sitri, Jack, and Liam… Liam… his name wouldn't stop echoing in my head. "Liam…." I finally managed to say. "You did this. You did this." I couldn't stop repeating that phrase. My mind fell apart! "You did this! You did this!"

---

(POV: Third)

Alvis and Sitri grabbed their friend's body. Alvis had to set him down. Something was wrong; he wasn't complying with any question. CJ was only speaking with the same three words. His eyes were glued to Liam. "You did this! You did this!" His voice slowly became a rough growl, until finally, it was unable to be discerned as English.

Alvis quickly turned to Sitri. "What's going on?! What's wrong with him?"

Sitri's eyes were focused on one object. "Look! His deck case!" Sitri's right paw directed Alvis's attention. "Oh god, you're brother's a maniac!" The Dark Core Deck Case was activated on its own. God knows how long it was operational. Alvis was soon left to see CJ's entire body enveloped in the dark, putrid auras of the Disaster Force. "This is why! This is why I told you! This is what you wanted, right?!" Sitri screamed. "You wanted him like this! Your brother wanted him like this!"

"I-… no, I didn't mean that."

"You all knew his mind was fragile, and you ignored me! You let Liam fall to Gale's control! You made Arkaid leave! Don't you see? THAT's what Eirik wanted! He wanted to have Liam and Arkaid pull CJ apart!"

When they looked down at their friend's body, they were horrified at what they saw. The dark auras flooded into the man's head. Alvis quickly turned CJ over, soon recoiling from the sight he wished he would never see again. CJ's eyes were purely black. The possessed man struggled to speak. "Arrrrrrrr…. Ka…. Al….. lio….." His moans shook their souls. Suddenly, CJ's body stiffened. Liam noticed something was off. He sensed something was amiss. Something was growing more powerful than he ever expected. His eyes gazed at CJ's body as he began spazzing, coughing the horrendous aura with each attempt at breath.

Tasuku and Jack came up from behind. "What's wrong with him?! What's he doing?!"

Alvis cried out from the top of his lungs. "Get back! Get back now!"

---

The leader of the Purgatory Knights felt it. Liam was in danger. Something powerful was amassing great amounts of strength. Demios could not give in to the restraints binding him. He had to go. He knew he was going to lose his friend if he could not force himself free. Despite the muzzle stopping his speech, he couldn't help but cry out his buddy's name; Liam's name. The amount of adrenaline spiked within him. He kept crying out Liam's name, over and over. Each cry was like a breath of air fueling the blood in his veins. His muscles grew, tensed from the intense frustration. All at once, with one powerful push, he broke free from his binds. Without a second thought, he flew upward, crashing through the ceiling. Finally, with his entire being, he cried out. "Liam!"

His eyes darted around his surroundings. He found himself in the middle of the city, emerging from an abandoned shack. With quick thrusts of his strong, large wings, he spun himself around the skies in search of his buddy. He could only sense his aura, but then he noticed something in the distance. That powerful aura… it was not Liam's… it was CJ's. Without thinking, he rushed through the skies!

---

Alvis slowly rose from his temporary slumber. Tasuku and Jack wearily brought themselves back to their feet. Sitri growled, feeling intense pain behind them. They were thrown several dozen yards away from an initial blast of pure power. When they began to question each other what happened, their eyes found the answer. CJ was no more. At least, that's what Alvis initially discerned. There, in front of them all, staring down a terrified man caused Arkaid and the others to run, the one who revealed his darkest secrets, was a being completely submerged in darkness. The disaster force was no longer like the original. Pure blackness; the flame rapidly burned around him. There was no figure to be seen without those black flames. The only things able to be seen were the eyes. His eyes. They weren't black, but were now a soulless white. His pupils were a part of the unseen. The flames engulfing what was once CJ continued to grow, stretching twenty feet into the air. Alvis tried to make sense of what he was seeing, but then Sitri's eyes dreadfully looked away. "That's what you wanted," Sitri's eyes told Alvis. "You wanted his power. Get it."

Liam and CJ stood across each other. "C-CJ?" Liam whimpered. "Look, about what I said-" In that instant, CJ warped forward. His eyes were steady, unmoving. A black stick appeared stretched out. By the time Alvis and the others could tell what it was, they saw it wrap around Liam's neck. The once-confident man was now at complete and total mercy. Liam's attempts at breathing were futile. The power continued to consume what was once CJ. The arm began to slowly bring Liam in. Suddenly, the flames struck at Liam's Dark Core Deck Case, breaking it apart in an instant.

Tasuku forced himself forward. "CJ! Let go! He's free now! Let him go!" CJ's eyes remained unchaged; focused only forward.

Liam wearily leaned back. His old senses returned. What he did… everything that he had done. He couldn't bring himself to protest his actions. Instead, weakly, as he hung his head back, he uttered five more words. "Do it. I deserve it…."

Moments went by as his vision started going black. Somehow, a warped smile came to his lips. He found it funny. He thought it fit perfectly. To be killed by the person who was once one of his best friends. He laughed morosely as his eyes gazed at the sky. Slowly, he began to feel his eyelids getting heavy. He knew he would just come back. Even so, the fact that CJ, of all people, would kill him… the pain of it would equal a thousand deaths….

CJ's arm began to feel unsteady, unfocused. Before Liam could accept the end, he was released. He gasped for air the moment he was freed. The demon turned his back to him, slowly motioning away. Loud flaps were heard from the distance as Demios quickly returned to Liam's side. "Liam, are you okay?" Liam slowly motioned himself up. "Liam, what happened?" Without another word, Liam embraced his buddy, holding onto the large dragon tightly. For the first time, he felt how completely vulnerable Liam was. He turned to the source of his pains; the figure engulfed in black flame turned back.

Suddenly, everything around the figure vanished. The flames dissipated, leaving a depressing man to tremble and fall to the ground. Alvis sprinted forward, catching CJ in his arms. The man was knocked out, fortunately still breathing. Sitri looked over at the Dark Core Deck Case. He scowled at it, ripping it from CJ's possession and smashing it against the ground. Cries of a saddened eagle erupted from behind. It was Halia, leading Ms. Fridrik, Abigail, and Bozo towards the group. They had too many questions to ask. However, Halia quickly nestled her SD self on CJ's unconscious body. She whimpered softly, nudging her head against the man's chin.

Ms. Fridrik nudged Alvis. "What the hell happened? Where are the others?"

Alvis turned away. "Liam happened. Hell happened," he moaned before looking to Liam. The man once obsessed with the Disaster Force, the man that spoke so calmly about Demios leaving him, was now holding his buddy like that of a child. Alvis lowered his head. He couldn't help but realize just how helpless CJ was. There was something in his head; something that he could not control. It was not CJ's fault he could do… that. Whatever thing, whatever event, or combination of events that made CJ so unstable…. Alvis couldn't bring himself to speak about it any further. He pulled himself up, holding CJ on his back. He turned to the others. "I'm going to bring him home." No one stopped him. They all nodded, yet Liam was still in Demios's arms.

The others began to disperse. Ms. Fridrik wished to speak to Liam and Demios for a moment, but she soon realized just how futile her words would be now. She led Abigail and Bozo away, leaving Demios and Liam in the hands Tasuku and Jack. Tasuku just watched the two of them. Demios was no longer the sort of dragon he imagined. He was completely different. Something sparked him to confide with Liam in the way the man did with him. Jack could feel how genuine the connection was, but both he and Tasuku knew that this event could not stand; fortunately, Liam's Dark Core Deck Case was destroyed, saving them the trouble. However, they didn't care about it that much at the time. The two comrades watched as Liam wearily turned to Demios with empty eyes, void of all feeling. It was not long before the two left as well, leaving Liam in the hands of the leader of the Purgatory Knights. Liam finally brought himself to speak. "What have I done?"

"Liam," Demios returned. He gritted his teeth, releasing a low growl. He turned away from Liam, looking to the sky as a hellfire burned within him. "The Will of Kyoya will pay for this!"