State of the Meta

by Yung Warrior

A self-insert in which a competitive player from 2016 finds himself warped into the world of GX. Between adjusting his deck to make up for the inverted power creep, making grades, and saving the world, there's much to do, but all good players know how to adapt to their circumstances. SI-OC, 1st Person POV.

76. As Long and Sharp as Yours

State of the Meta Chapter 76: As Long And Sharp As Yours

(Jamie Lancaster POV...?)

For as long as I could remember, I had never been a huge fan of self-insert fanfiction. I thought of them as self-indulgent wish fulfillment fantasies. I wasn't fond of the idea of a random guy like me walking in and fixing everything with foreknowledge of the storyline. To approach a drama as an equation, or an engineering problem to 'fix'…it went against my notions of what storytelling should be. For what that was worth, anyways. My opinion wasn't as important as I thought it was at the time.

But when it's no longer a story, and it becomes your reality, your perspective shifts. And it changes even more years later, as you've grown and lived and done some thinking. Even beyond that, nothing prompts self-reflection like looking in the full-length mirror, at a warped funhouse reflection of yourself standing across from you on the battlefield. His eyes, the same as mine. His face, a leaner facsimile of my own, an unpleasant reminder of the difference in our circumstances…circumstances I unknowingly caused.

Although I could take refuge in the innocence of this life's beginning, I had to take responsibility for all that came afterward. It wasn't my choice to be reborn in this world, but I had never tried very hard to find out what happened to the original host of this body. Even though it had been years, everything was constantly moving so quickly. I had brought that on myself as well, constantly seeking more stimuli to fill the emptiness in my heart. I had the choice to stay uninvolved in the storyline of Yu-Gi-Oh GX and live an ordinary life, or at least as ordinary as one could reasonably expect in this bizarre place. But that wasn't good enough for me. Maybe this will make me feel alive - no? Well, maybe this will. I wanted more, and I was paying the cost now.

But it was a price I was willing to pay. "Let's do this." I steadied myself, winning the first turn from Blade Knight as we drew our opening hands. Looking to Sonata briefly, I started off my turn.

"Yes…let's face our intertwined destiny together!" Blade Knight roared from across me, winds howling across the parapet.

"I activate Ostinato!" I began, the reliable spell in my starting hand. "This will allow me to send Melodious monster from my deck to the graveyard for a fusion summon! I merge Couplet the Melodious Songstress and Aria the Melodious Diva to summon forth Bacha the Melodious Maestra (2500/1800)!" My first monster was a towering woman with coiffed blonde hair. Her dress had billowing sleeves and an outgoing hem that opened like a flower's petal at the bottom. Parallel lines of amber energy circled around her, a visual representation of the music in her soul.

"Why do you bother with such cards…they don't suit you. Do you even know how to play music?" Blade Knight growled.

"I can sing poorly." I answered blithely, used to these jibes. "It's the strangest thing. The Melodious cards were by my side when I awoke in this world. I have no idea why. You should know, they were in your shoebox."

"Oh yeah, I guess they were. I only saw them as pack filler. I wasn't interested in them at all." He answered, which I guess wasn't too surprising. I wasn't even that particularly fond of the deck or the character of Yuzu from Yu-Gi-Oh Arc-V at the time, not that he would know who that is. "That doesn't answer why you used them." The silver-clad knight said.

"Because in life, you play the cards you're dealt. And I'm just fine with these ones. Besides, it amuses me to defy the expectations of others."

"You're a sweetie pie, Jamie." Sonata rolled her eyes, but I knew she was pleased to hear those words nonetheless.

"Hmph, then show me if you're as good a duelist as you are a liar." Blade Knight spat, and I complied.

"Bacha's effect summons a Melodious monster from my deck. I'll play Soprano the Melodious Songstress (1400/1400)." Alongside Bacha, the dark russet hair of my blindfolded diva glowed in the torchlight. "Her effect will allow me to add Couplet from my graveyard to my hand."

"And when Couplet the Melodious Songstress is added to my hand, her monster effect triggers! This allows me to special summon a level five or lower Melodious monster from my hand or graveyard! Return, Aria the Melodious Diva (1600/1200)!" I placed the pink-dressed singer in defense mode. Since she was special summoned on the field, her ability protected all of my Melodious monsters from being destroyed by battle or being targeted by card effects.

"And now…I'll set the pendulum scale! I'll place Couplet the Melodious Songstress (Scale 9) in one of my pendulum zones!" I placed the card in my rightmost spell and trap zone. The shimmering form of my monster appeared on my right side, a green-skinned beauty with iridescent pink and violet hair. She assumed the properties of a spell and monster at once. Luckily, my experience allowed me to quickly recollect what pendulum monsters were, although I certainly didn't expect to utilize that knowledge in this life.

"Since I control no monsters apart from Melodious monsters, I can use Couplet's pendulum effect, adding the spell Melodious Concerto from my deck to my hand." I continued.

"So, you possess awareness of pendulum monsters as well…" Blade Knight muttered.

"I'm grateful for them. Their power will elevate me to new levels." My eyes glimmered with slight humor. "I know they're controversial, but I don't turn my nose up at them. If they'll help my deck win, that's all there is to it."

"You don't find them overly complex?" Blade Knight noted, almost conversationally.

"No. If you want to use them as a spell, read the upper text box. If you want to use them as a monster, read the bottom text box. What's so difficult about that?" I asked. "Let me guess, you don't use any?"

"Well, no, but I understand them perfectly!" My opponent rose to the bait, getting a little hot.

I chuckled and continued my turn. "With my normal summon, I'll play Refrain the Melodious Songstress (1600/800)." Alongside the growing cadre of musicians, this vocalist was clad in vermillion, a lace accoutrement to her dress patterned after sheet music. Her hair was long and bright red. "Upon summoning, she'll add a Melodious monster from my deck to my hand."

"Then, I'll activate the second effect of Soprano, letting me fusion summon using monsters on my field!" My sandy hair shot upwards as trails of music spiraled around me, Soprano and Refrain swirled together. I clasped my palms together, albeit a bit awkwardly since I still had cards in my hand. "Fuse and form Schuberta the Melodious Maestra (2400/2000)!" My old 'boss monster' appeared in a shimmering curtain of red, her clever eyes gleaming behind her masquerade ball outfit.

"When Refrain is used is fusion material, I can place it back in the pendulum zone as a scale." I said, the red and green singers hovering behind me. "Since I have a scale one and a scale nine, I can pendulum summon any monster with a level between those numbers." I nearly stumbled over my next words, as I never imagined I would be saying them in a duel. "I pendulum summon!"

From my hand, my next monster rested in defense mode, her lithe body hidden beneath layered, flowing purple robes. With a gentle expression, she created a protective energy field around my monsters. "Since Elegy the Melodious Diva (2000/1200) is level five, I can pendulum summon her from my hand." I smiled. The existence of pendulum summoning made the normally unwieldy Elegy much easier to summon.

"With Elegy on the field, all of my Melodious monsters cannot be destroyed by card effects. Furthermore, Aria protects my monsters from being targeted by card effects or destroyed by battle. Let's see if you can break this!" I declared, setting two cards. "Before I end my turn, I'll use Refrain's pendulum effect. This lets me send Shopina the Melodious Maestra from my deck to the graveyard, boosting Bacha's attack points by 200 per level star that Shopina had. However, the attack boost only lasted until the end of the turn and was meaningless on the first turn anyways. However, it was better to have Shopina in my graveyard than in my deck. I was satisfied with the defensive wall I put up, with Schuberta and Bacha alongside my two divas providing attack power for the next turn. "You're up!" A smile sprang up on my face despite the circumstances. In that regard, I wasn't so different from Jaden, though even thinking of him caused me pain.

Blade Knight drew his first card, but I wasn't quite done yet. "In the standby phase, I'll flip over one of my set cards - Dimensional Barrier!" The infamously oppressive trap card was a boon to see in my opening hand. It was one of the most salt-inducing cards in the game, which was a bad thing if you were playing with a friend across the table, and a very good thing if you were in a life-or-death struggle.

The trap possessed the ability to completely prevent the summoning of fusion, synchro, or xyz monsters until the end of the turn, and negated the effects of those monsters currently on the field until the end phase as well. Its weaknesses lied against decks with multiple summoning types in it, and link monsters. Since link monsters had not been devised in this timeline to my knowledge, and I knew that Blade Knight played Infernoble Knights, my choice was obvious.

"Neither of us can summon Synchro monsters this turn!" I declared.

"Alright! This should completely shut him down!" Sonata cheered. In this case, she was fine with my 'dishonorable' tactics. Funny how whenever our lives were actually on the line, most duelists' notions of honor went right out the window.

However, Blade Knight's expression was so staid, he might as well have still been wearing his steel helmet. "That's just the sort of move I would expect from you."

"So? Do you have any way to stop it?" I prodded.

"As a matter of fact, I don't. But unlike many duel spirits, I have more than one trick in my bag. I do not share their fanatical fixation on purity. And that is why I have more than synchro monsters in my extra deck, fool! I normal summon Fighting Flame Swordsman (1800/1000)!" My mouth was agape as he called forth a warrior with a burning blade – just not an Infernoble Knight. Disquietingly, the face on his first monster was just like the face of Joey Wheeler, who I had met once or twice. I would have liked to get to know him more, but hadn't had the chance to. Perhaps I never would, if I didn't find a way to survive now.

"Oh shit…" I murmured, annoyed at myself that I had jumped the gun on my trap activation.

"Yes, Infernoble Knights blend rather well with the Flame Swordsman. Fire warriors and all." My twin smirked. "Joey Wheeler was quite surprised as well, during our battle in Egypt. He seemed to think that he had some sort of ownership over Flame Swordsman. I was pleased to disabuse him of that notion, but before I could finish him off, Yubel botched the job against Yugi and forced us into an early retreat. I assure you, the king's providence will not grant you the same thing. Let me show you! On summon, Fighting Flame Swordsman adds the continuous spell Flame Swordsrealm from my deck to my hand."

"Then, I'll activate Flame Swordsrealm!" A wraith of hissing flames curled around him, the end of the conflagration shaped like a dragon's head. "This will let me tribute Fighting Flame Swordsman to summon the original Flame Swordsman (1800/1000) from my extra deck!"

"Not so fast! I chain the effect of a monster in my hand! Ghost Sister and Spooky Dogwood (0/1800)!" The brief image of a shawled, sad-looking girl and her pale, spectral companion flashed in midair. "For the rest of the turn, whenever you special summon a monster, I gain life points equal to that monster's attack points!" I had originally put this card in my deck to counter Zane, but against a deck as aggressive as Blade Knight's, I was just as glad to have it in my starting hand.

The red-garbed warrior was replaced with the classic orange and blue one, its image bringing back long-buried memories of my old life. I remembered how I used to pretend Flame Swordsman was a normal monster during card battles on the playground. But this was no ordinary game. Although I couldn't imagine the Flame Swordsman of all things actually being an effective strategy, I waited patiently to see what came next, not wanting to assume anything after my over-eager initiative earlier. I gained 1800 life points from the summon, but Blade Knight appeared unbothered by this. (Jamie 5800/Blade Knight 4000)

"When Fighting Flame Swordsman goes to the graveyard, its effect lets me send a Flame Swordsman or Salamandra card from my deck to the graveyard! The card I'll send is Salamandra, the Flying Flame Dragon!" My doppelganger continued. "And when Salamandra is sent to the grave, I can add another Salamandra or Flame Swordsman card from my deck to the hand."

"I'll equip Flame Swordsman with Salamandra Fusion! This will boost it by 700 attack points. But more importantly, the other effect of this equip spell allows me to merge it with Flame Swordsman, evolving my warrior to a new level of power!" As my opponent spoke, his fighter grew taller and broader to the point where even his sword was twice as big as an ordinary person, serpentine flames coiling around its blade. "Fusion summon - Ultimate Flame Swordsman (2800/1500)!" (Jamie 7600/Blade Knight 4000)

"Don't feel too safe behind your life points – Ultimate Flame Swordsman can still burn them all away this turn! From the graveyard, I activate Salamandra, the Flying Flame Dragon's effect. This will equip to Ultimate Flame Swordsman, giving it 700 extra attack points." He explained, the graveyard slot on his duel disk beginning to spark and crackle.

Although the effect of Salamandra was negligible, I didn't want Ultimate Flame Swordsman gaining equipment. "I chain Schuberta's effect, banishing Salamandra, Fighting Flame Swordsman and Salamandra Fusion from your graveyard!" A peal of musical notes dispelled the fires emanating from his grave. By banishing Salamandra, I prevented it from being equipped. The other two cards weren't that important, but since Schuberta could banish up to three, I did it for the hell of it. Her attack points rose to 3000 since she gained 200 for each card banished by this effect.

Blade Knight paused, nonplussed. "I have to admit, I'm not used to my opponents actually reading my cards and reacting to them."

"Get used to it, because I don't plan on stopping." I needled. "But I know what you mean. I've taken advantage of it many times. Such a practice is commonplace in my old world, if you can believe it."

"Is that so?" Blade Knight looked like I had just told him that people in my culture eat eyeballs or something like that. "Were you a professional duelist…?" He couldn't help but be a bit curious, even through his anger.

"There's not really any such thing. The game is quite expensive and doesn't carry much cultural capital compared to this place. It's a pretty niche hobby. And believe me, it isn't a particularly well-respected hobby either." I chuckled bitterly, remembering the times my friends, family and old girlfriend would mock me for enjoying this card game.

"Your world doesn't sound like a particularly interesting place. I wouldn't want to live in a world where dueling meant so little." Blade Knight said dryly.

"Well, it's not like any of us get a choice one way or the other. Like I said, we play the cards we're dealt. And you don't get to choose when you fold, either." I responded with gallows humor.

"So that's how it started? You died in your old world…did you die young? How did you die?" Blade Knight wondered.

"Younger than I would have liked. And under less than ideal circumstances." My humor was all gone now as I remembered that day with bitterness and regret. I knew if I dwelled on it any longer, I would lose my focus on the fight. The truth was, so much had happened since that day, I had actually forgotten some of the details of my own death, as bizarre as that was. My mind was running with so many thoughts at the beginning and end of each day, and the subject of my demise wasn't something I liked to dwell on, especially since there was nothing I could do about it now. Even for someone as moody and reflective as me, there was only so long you could chew on an old bone before it turned to splinters. It wasn't so much that I had moved on, because I couldn't. I had no closure, and I never would, which is perhaps why I was so restless and snappish at times. But life kept going on, and I had to keep going to…which meant I had to survive this battle. Survive until the next one, until the one after that, and for what? I still wasn't sure yet.

Blade Knight looked upon me with a wavering gaze. Maybe he wasn't so sure if I really meant to take over his body after all. But he shook his head, as if to center himself. Yes, surely I was just lying and manipulating again…I shook my own head. This man was stubborn to a fault. He spoke up, "So, you know nothing of any life after death? Anything about what lies beyond?"

I shook my head. "None at all…no one provided me any answers. Perhaps there aren't any and we simply return to the nothingness that we knew before we were born."

"Then tell me this. You wore my body like a suit and clung to life. Why?" His green eyes were wide and searching.

"Why? You, who struggle to climb back from the depths of hell, ask me that? Should I have simply killed myself, like you said earlier?" I snapped.

Despite his anger, he was compelled to speak to me, maybe because it was like looking in a mirror, or inwards. "I didn't mean it that way. I meant…for what purpose do you strive? You have achieved much, I'll grant you that? Is it simply to fill the emptiness?"

I nodded. "It is. It is a pastime. None of it will really matter after I'm gone. But it'll matter to me. The feeling of being alive…chasing the next achievement, the next battle, the next feeling that makes my still heart move. That is all there really is." My gaze grew far away as I thought of the suffering I had visited on myself just to feel alive.

"There is no way that can compare to the ambition I have!" He snarled, moving into his next play.. "From my hand, I'll equip Ultimate Flame Swordsman with Phoenix Gearblade!" I nearly slapped my forehead, as my attempts to prevent him from equipping Flame Swordsman were for naught. "And in addition to that, I'll equip him with Power of the Guardians!" In his free hand, Flame Swordsman wielded a small halberd with fire dancing along the edge of the blade. Additionally, he gained a clear teal layer to his blazing orange aura. "Phoenix Gearblade boosts Ultimate Flame Swordsman by 300 attack points to a total of 3100. Then, Power of the Guardians will give my monster a spell counter any time it battles. Each counter will increase its attack points by 500, and if he's ever in danger of being destroyed, I can simply remove a spell counter!"

"Oh, shit!" I braced myself for the coming onslaught, especially as I realized I had made a misstep.

"You were a fool to leave your Aria in attack mode, and now it's going to cost you everything! In the battle phase, I can double Ultimate Flame Swordsman's attack points at the cost of destroying it during the end phase!" The castle balcony shook as his monster powered up to 6200 attack, the heat of the flames palpable. "Ultimate Flame Swordsman, attack Aria the Melodious Diva with fighting flame slash!"

As he raced towards me, Ultimate Flame Swordsman gained even more attack points due to Power of the Guardians, rising to 6700 attack points. It was foolish of me to leave Aria in attack mode indeed. Perhaps the stress of everything was finally making me crack, or maybe it was the unexpected confrontation with the original host of his body that left me discombobulated.

Aria could not be destroyed by battle, but she still cried out in fear and pain as Flame Swordsman's vengeful blade fell upon her. I felt the heat of the blow as well, my shirt burned away as I skid across the parapet, taking 5100 damage. If not for Ghost Sister and Spooky Dogwood, I'd be dead already. (Jamie 2500/Blade Knight 4000)

"At last…this is the moment I've been dreaming of for years, impostor! By sending Phoenix Gearblade to the graveyard, I can make a second attack with Ultimate Flame Swordsman!" The warrior's battle power fell to 6400, but then rose to 6900 due to Power of the Guardians. If the second blow connected, I was a goner.

"I cast the quick-play magic, Life Hack! This will increase Aria's attack points by your life points, but the damage you take for the rest of the turn is halved!" I cried over the howling winds. Unfortunately, it didn't halve the damage I took, but it was enough to ensure I would survive. Aria gained 4000 attack points, her voice strong and solid as she rose to a battle power of 5600. The assault of the Flame Swordsman flung her and me back all the same, but I managed to make it through only taking 1300 damage. (Jamie 1200/Blade Knight 4000)

"Urgh…" I hissed gingerly as I crawled to my feet, the burns smarting all over as much of my skin was exposed to the cool, open night air. Blade Knight moved into main phase two, continuing at his blistering pace. "Unfortunately, your divas prevent me from targeting or destroying your monsters, but I can still use Ultimate Flame Swordsman's effect to destroy one of your pendulum scales. Each turn, I can target and destroy a card, then inflict 500 damage directly to you!" The feeling was like being slapped by a frying pan fresh off the stovetop as he sent my Refrain face-up to the extra deck. (Jamie 700/Blade Knight 4000)

"I'll set a face-down card…it looks like you've wriggled out of another difficult situation." My twin said with deadly seriousness and focus. "I end my turn. Normally, Ultimate Flame Swordsman is destroyed at the end of the turn after it doubles its attack points, but I can simply remove a counter from Power of the Guardians to keep him on the field."

"Draw-" I began, only to be slapped down again by Flame Swordsman, who used his quick effect to destroy my Couplet in the pendulum scale, dealing me 500 more damage. (Jamie 200/Blade Knight 4000)

The blow sent me off my feet, and I felt a thrill of fear as I was launched high, almost as high as the uppermost spire, but Sonata caught me, using her duel energy to create a glowing green platform beneath me. "I've got you, Jamie. You won't fall."

Blade Knight leapt into the air to meet me, a burning disc providing his feet purchase as we hung in the sky together. "I won't let you use those pesky pendulum cards again. What's the matter, lion? Don't tell me you're finished so soon after the way you were talking earlier." His jeering words echoed in my ears as he didn't seem to care at all about the change in scenery, the stars looking upon us. "Just don't die on me before I can complete the transfer. You can at least do me that kindness, after all of the injuries you've inflicted me."

My eyes glinted in rage. "I never meant to injure you before, but I certainly will now, believe me." I grunted as I sat up once again. "I activate the spell Melodious Concerto! This will let me fusion summon using Aria, Schuberta, and Bacha as material!" The three girls leapt in the air and joined hands, singing as they spun together. I recalled how embarrassed I used to be at the Melodious' antics and how girly they were. But somehow, I had grown fond of them over time, and I liked to think they liked me as well, despite how difficult I could be to like at times. Sometimes, its about choosing something to appreciate in life, rather than expecting perfection to fall in one's lap.

"Symphony of the flowering fields, bloom on the battlefield and preface the song of dimensions! Flowering Etoile the Melodious Magnificat (2800/1500)!" Arriving a storm of pink petals, my new boss monster was…well, intimidating wasn't quite the right word, with her glassy blue eyes, delicate physique and ornate dress. But she was majestic in her own way, and there was no denying the usefulness of her abilities. She looked much like the character of Yuzu Hiragi from Yu-Gi-Oh Arc-V – ironically, I doubt she and I would get along well, but I was waving her flag anyways.

"And that's not all. When Bacha is sent to the graveyard, her effect revives another Melodious Diva from the grave! Return for an encore, Aria!" With her around, my monsters were untargetable and indestructible by battle once again. "In addition, I'll use the graveyard effect of the Melodious Concerto spell. By shuffling it and Bacha into the deck, I can draw another card."

"Impressive…you fight well with those stolen cards." Blade Knight sniped, but I didn't let it interrupt my momentum.

"It's about time someone blew away your flames. I activate Etoile's effect! By banishing Elegy and Aria from the field, I can return two of your cards to the hand!" With a peal of wind and a wave of her conductor's baton, Etoile fanned away Ultimate Flame Swordsman, its equip spells going to the graveyard as it was bounced back to the extra deck. I also intended to do away with his set card, but he had other plans.

"I chain my trap card, Threatening Roar!" A high, piercing keel caused the wind to grow still and silence to follow in its wake. "No attacks this turn for you…" Blade Knight responded, although this didn't bother me much. I still had card advantage on my side, and with Etoile I could respond to any move he made. I focused intently on the technical details of the duel to avoid confronting the emotional pain dredged up from his words.

"So be it. I'll follow up with the continuous spell Child's Play. Each time you summon a monster, I'll gain 300 life points." This was a card I included specifically to counter the effects of shadow games. Although this spell didn't help much on its own in a normal context, the stress, fatigue and wounds from a dark duel could do just as much to defeat me as my opponent's efforts. The healing provided by such a spell could make all the difference in keeping me focused and at my best. It would be a relief in this case, since I had already gotten burned and beaten down by his Flame Swordsman. "That ends my turn." At the end phase, my Melodious Divas came back in defense mode, my shielding formation once more in place as all of my monsters were indestructible and untargetable. Meanwhile, Blade Knight's field was empty.

"Draw." He said cautiously. "Regardless of whatever life you gain back through that magic, I still have more than enough firepower to burn it away. I summon Infernoble Knight – Ogier (1500/2000)!" In a plume of soft white flame emerged a fair-haired, red-armored swordsman. Each summon augmented my life points, soothing my wounds a little more each time. (Jamie 500/Blade Knight 4000)

"Upon summoning, Ogier sends a fire-attribute warrior from the deck to the grave." I shivered as I briefly caught sight of the duel disk pitching Immortal Phoenix Gearfried before auto-shuffling the deck.

"You'll share the same fate as your friend Zane. I'll defeat you with the same sword that struck him down! Monster Reborn, revive Immortal Phoenix Gearfried (3000/2000)!" With blazing butterfly wings at its back, the burning knight arose. The heat waves emanating from his towering frame shimmered in the cold night air of the desert. (Jamie 800/Blade Knight 4000) "And that's not all! I'll boost his power by activating Salamandra, the Flying Flame Dragon's effect! This will target Gearfried and equip itself from the graveyard!"

My eyes widened. I knew I had to do something, or else Gearfried's negation effect would turn on. "I chain Etoile's effect! By banishing itself and Aria from my field, I can return Gearfried and Ogier to your hand!" That wouldn't hold him back for long.

"Heh, in that case, I'll banish the equip spell Salamandra Fusion from my graveyard to special summon Immortal Phoenix Gearfried from my hand through its own effect!" Sure enough, the hulking cavalier was stopped for only a flicker of a moment before reappearing again. (Jamie 1100/Blade Knight 4000)

With an intense green flame in his eye, Blade Knight thrust a fist forward. "Gearfried, attack Elegy the Melodious Diva!" The warrior lunged after her, launching thin lines of crisscrossing orange flames from the tip of his sword. My fairy was able to dodge the first few, the lines forming a lattice in the middle of the sky for all of the city to see from below. However, Gearfried's sword glowed with a special magnetism as he activated his ability. "On attack declaration, Gearfried's effect equips the monster it's battling with to itself, giving it 500 attack points!"

None of my protections could get around that, and Elegy wailed as her form was absorbed into the sword. The only upside was that Gearfried could not attack again after using this effect, but it still deprived me of a useful monster. Not to mention it allowed Blade Knight to negate one of my monster effects later on if he so chose. "Your move, impostor. Just don't think your little flower dance is going to do anything to me anymore. Without Elegy, your monsters can be destroyed, and Gearfried can stop any monster effect you go for, on top of being more powerful than anything you've got!"

One of the cards I had in my hand was pretty dead before, but with my next draw, I knew both of them could work together. I was also feeling much better now that I had some life points to my name. "With the spell Pendulum Treasure, I'll place the pendulum monster PenduLuMoon from my deck into the face-up extra deck." Alongside her, Refrain and Couplet made up three monsters on top of my extra deck. "Then, I activate Pendulum Halt! This will let me draw two cards since I have three Pendulum monsters with different names in my face-up extra deck!" I couldn't add cards from deck to hand for the rest of the turn now, and Gearfried remained poised to stop any monster effects I could muster.

Luckily, I had another little trick in my bag. "By banishing the Life Hack spell from my graveyard, I can use its secondary effect, making Gearfried's attack points equal to my life points!" It was lucky that this worked out. If Blade Knight had summoned too many monsters last turn, my life points would have been too high to use this card effectively. But since I only had 1100 life points, Gearfried's power was significantly reduced, but only to 1600 total since it still had Elegy equipped to it.

Blade Knight would take halved damage for the rest of the turn, but it was past time I started to go on offense. My doppelganger braced himself as both of my fairies rushed forward, leaving trails of musical notes in their wake. "Flowering Etoile, vanquish Gearfried with song of dimensions!" Her conductor's baton suddenly turned sharp, slicing through Gearfried's outstretched sword and slicing him apart. Elegy returned to my graveyard while Blade Knight stumbled backwards in midair. The 1200 damage he would normally take was reduced to 600. I followed up with Aria, who dealt an additional 800 damage through a spinning kick. (Jamie 1100/Blade Knight 2600)

My enemy rubbed his jaw gingerly. "I guess you have a little bite after all." He acknowledged as I set one card to end my turn. "You managed to defeat my immortal phoenix without using a monster effect. But you haven't seen the true power of my deck yet."

"Heh, that figures…" It astounded me how smoothly he was able to transition from Flame Swordsman to Gearfried to his true familiars, the Infernoble Knights. "Yes, this is good. A fierce battle…" I grinned, despite everything. "Time sleeps when swords wake. In the midst of combat, we feel something…it is the essence of life."

"Zane said something similar. It sounds to me like you're a pair of junkies trying to imbue your appetites with some imaginary significance." Blade Knight sneered. "Don't lump me in with the likes of you."

"Ah, but we are the same. We're all the same. We just want to feel something in this cold world. Even fear is preferable to the grey haze that defines our days otherwise. It is so wrong to chase that feeling, when the alternative is stillness and apathy? Death lies that way." I mused.

"...Is that why you maintained your facade for so long? Because you wanted that feeling of…?" Blade Knight asked, despite himself.

"Love, more than anything. It's funny, the more you desire love, the less people want to give to you. And instead, love is lavished on those who don't value it at all. I wish I did not want love…it so often brings us to ruin. All I want is some color to pierce through the grey. But that is my weakness." I thought of how much Syrus craved love from Zane, how Jesse pined for Jaden, how I yearned for approval from Kaiba.

"That is weakness." Blade Knight agreed. "No one is owed anything in this world. You, who have taken so much from me, should know that. Besides, Yubel is proof enough that love is not the greatest good in this world. Her love is pure, and yet her heart is black. If only we could free ourselves from the chains of love, we could escape the curse of being human."

"If you knew how my prior life ended, you would not feel that way. Being human, being alive, it's a gift, not a curse. I just…" I nearly apologized, until I remembered his earlier words. The cold, hard truth was that his loss had been my gain. It was true in a duel as well as in life, that to win, oftentimes someone else must lose.

"We all need to tell ourselves a story, that we're decent. Don't we?" Blade Knight gradually caught his breath and met my eyes. "How do you convince yourself that you're decent?"

"Because when I look back on my own past, and think how much time I wasted on nothing, in futilities, errors, laziness, an incapacity to live. I appreciated life so little…and unknowingly, I betrayed myself. The way things are now…I've never felt more alive." I admitted, the exchange allowing me to truly know myself and speak openly. It was like taking off a mask and breathing in fresh air for the first time in years. "It took dying for me to finally take control of my destiny. And now that I have, I won't let go. It may not make me decent, but it has made me something more than I was before. Where there was once a little mouse is now a proud lion."

"So it doesn't bother you at all? All that you've done, all of the conflict you've wrought, all of the deception you weave…it does not move you, the way these people trust you undeservingly? Doesn't the mask stifle you eventually? It would bother me." Blade Knight almost seemed mystified at my answer.

"Is it possible to truly know another person's heart? Even the people you love don't know everything about you. They have a version of you in their head that is slightly wrong. When you die, that's all that's left. Just dozens of distorted echoes, none of them truly encapsulating your real self. Their memories are fragments warped by their own biases and memories." I paused. "In some ways, it may be that we are the only people in the world who can truly understand one another, Jamie." I spoke his name, my name, our name.

"I don't want to understand you…" He said. I could tell he was trying to dredge up the raw hatred he felt for me originally, but it didn't seem to be there any more. "I don't know what sort of person could live that way."

The word 'person' caused me to remember a piece of trivia I had read about during our study time at the academy. "The origin of the word person is 'persona', a mask like the ones actors wore on the ancient stages. All of us wear a persona in relation to others in society. Life is a comedy this way. Am I really so different from an introvert who hides their true thoughts and feelings for fear of judgment from others?" I replied.

Blade Knight gave me a heated look. "That is the way of people. They turn away from the truth when it is not to their liking. Whoever supplies them with comforting illusions is easily their master. Yes, I see it now…that is the root of your success, that you provide such illusions."

"Is it? We are warriors, and there is no faking accomplishment on the battlefield. And I don't mean this in an arrogant way. I just want to talk to someone about it…" I began. "In the world I come from, there is nothing comparable to dueling. The way that this card game decides the outcomes of lives, of movements, of entire cultures and worlds, it is a permutation of war that my old life does not know. In this world, one's ability to wage war through the cards decides their destiny."

"Do you mean this as criticism or praise?" Blade Knight asked despite himself.

"I don't know. I haven't been able to figure it out. I often feel the power that one individual can wield with the cards is irresponsible. A single person can concentrate so much power within themselves through this game…it's maddening! Any zealot can alter the course of history, if they play their cards right. It's so much for one person to handle." I said earnestly. Sartorius almost blew up the fucking earth, and he was just one man, albeit a man imbued with cosmic energies. "Should warriors have the ability to shape the world so thoroughly? One does not need wisdom, or kindness, or faith to be a great warrior, after all."

"It is the nature of human beings to blame, not the cards." Blade Knight riposted. "The cards aren't what's important, not really. They are merely shells, just as ideology is a shell ensconcing the heart of man. The war has never been won with the magic spells of the cards, or the monster spirits sealed within them. They are obstacles against which we test ourselves. The true war is waged in the hearts of all of us, against our own base natures. The war is fought to find out who we truly are. That is what truly shapes and changes the world, not these creations of man."

"And that is why we must see this fight to the end!" Blade Knight pressed on with his next move. "I play Pot of Desires, banishing the top ten cards of my deck face-down to draw two more!" Since he was playing sixty cards in his deck, Pot of Desires wasn't as risky for him. "Then, I'll normal summon Infernoble Knight – Ogier a second time!" That was the downside of returning cards to his hand. In a grind game, it was going to be difficult to beat him in terms of accumulating resources. (Jamie 1400/Blade Knight 2600)

"Ogier's effect will send Infernoble Knight – Turpin from my deck to the graveyard. And since I control a fire warrior, I can also summon Infernoble Knight – Renaud (200/500) from my hand!" Twin contrails of fire streaked behind the approaching knight's mount, steam vibrating through the air. "Renaud's effect adds a fire warrior from the grave to my hand. Return to me, Immortal Phoenix Gearfried!" (Jamie 1700/Blade Knight 2600)

"That thing is like a bad fuckin' headache…" I grumbled.

"I tune the level four Ogier with the level one Renaud for a level five synchro summon! Bask in the hearth's heat, Angelica, Princess of Noble Arms (1700/2400)!" The woman reclined on a round cushioned seat in midair, her loose cream-orange robes and velvet black hair belying her hidden power. (Jamie 2000/Blade 2600). "Upon summoning, I'll use her effect to add the field spell Noble Arms Museum from my deck to my hand!" It had a hefty cost, but was a powerful card, and only one of the abilities in her possession.

Even as we hovered in the sky, the surrounding air suddenly changed as Blade Knight activated the field spell Noble Arms Museum. Although there was no floor there, the duel disk provided some simulation of cool linoleum tiles beneath our feet, the moon's soft light replaced with the harsh florescent overhead bulbs of a modern building. Around us, the fiery swords of the Infernoble Knights were preserved in glass cases, looking fresh-forged despite their thousands of years of age. "By paying 1200 life points, I can add an Infernoble Arms equip spell from my deck to my hand." He retrieved Durendal. (Jamie 2000/Blade Knight 1400)

"I'll target Angelica with Salamandra the Flying Flame Dragon from the graveyard, equipping it to her." However, when the spiraling fires of Salamandra coiled around her, Angelica did embrace them, but rather disappeared in a plume of smoke like magic trick. "When Angelica is targeted, I can banish her until the end phase, causing Salamandra's effect to fizzle out. In her place, I can call forth another synchro monster from the extra deck – Infernoble Knight Captain Roland (2000/500)!" In the lady's place appeared a confident, strident young knight, his fiery sword pulsing with waves of heat. "At the end phase, Roland will add another fire warrior from my deck to my hand. "Then, I'll equip him with Infernoble Arms – Durendal." Looped around his belt appeared another sword, a short, jagged blade. (Jamie 2300/Blade Knight 1400)

"Since I control an equip spell, I can special summon Infernoble Knight – Turpin (1400/1700) from the graveyard." He continued. I recognized this monster from the duel with Zane, a priest-like figure with a long, glowing blue weapon and heavy green robes with a tall cap. "Then, I'll destroy Durendal to add another fire warrior from my deck to my hand!" (Jamie 2600/Blade Knight 1400)

All the while, I waited patiently for him to overextend. At the right moment, I stood poised to return two cards on his field to the hand with Flowering Etoile's effect. Since Etoile and Aria would banish on activation of the effect and it was non-targeting, there weren't many ways my opponent could stop that play in advance, unless he had one of a few select cards.

And of course he had one of those cards. "You should have used your Etoile's effect while you had the chance, fool! I activate Forbidden Droplet! By sending Noble Arms Museum on the field and Infernoble Knight Riccardetto from my hand to the graveyard, I can negate both of your monsters! And since I sent a monster to activate this effect, you can't chain any monster effects to this!"

"Shit!" I reeled as both of my girls were suddenly brought to their knees, afflicted by a powerful poison that not only negated their effects for the rest of the turn, but cut their attack points in half as well. I cursed myself again as I slipped up. I needed to focus…this fight was unbalancing me. Even if I blacked everything else out and focused on defeating him, I still had to look at that face. And with that face came so many memories and emotions. It was driving me mad. We returned to the vast, starry sky above the demon city.

He smirked wickedly. "Since I have Durendal in my graveyard, I have another equip spell to banish, letting me special summon Immortal Phoenix Gearfried from my hand again!" (Jamie 2900/Blade Knight 1400)

I had no time to ruminate and needed to do something about that damnable monster. "I activate Bottomless Trap Hole, destroying and banishing Gearfried!" A sudden, cooling hiss sounded in the air as the warmth unfurling from his fiery knight was sucked away by my trap.

Although initially thrown off by my sudden erasure of Gearfried, Blade Knight recovered quickly. "It's over…I have too much momentum built up, and you have very little left. You had a good little run, faker, but the walls are closing in now. I tune the level five Roland and the level four Turpin! Burn away the dead wood and reveal the truth! Level nine synchro summon, Infernoble Knight Emperor Charles (3000/2000)!" Emerging in a phoenix blaze, the sandy-haired swordsman did not look so different than I did, or my opponent. The features, physique, they weren't so far apart from ours, adding a further surreal layer to everything. (Jamie 3200/Blade Knight 1400)

"That continuous spell of yours is irritating." Blade Knight snarled. "I'll use Roland's effect, equipping itself to Charles from the graveyard and boosting him by 500 attack points. When equipped, Charles can burn away one of your cards!" With a swipe of his longsword, Charles destroyed my Child's Play spell, ensuring I wouldn't gain any more life points from his summons. I had to hope this was enough of a cushion to weather his next assault.

"By banishing Infernoble Knight – Riccardetto from my graveyard, I can revive a fire warrior! Rise from the ashes, Ogier!" With two fair-skinned knights at his command, my twin commanded them both to leap towards me in arcs of flame.

Ogier slashed apart Aria, her battle protection no longer applying since she was negated for the turn. I felt like I had gotten slapped by a freshly heated brand as I took 700 damage. (Jamie 2500/Blade Knight 1400)

He followed that up with Charles, the light and heat of his flames blotting out the stars as he burned away Flowering Etoile, her shrieks distressing me almost as much as the fire burned. (Jamie 400/Blade Knight 1400)

As I reeled from the attack, I felt the walls of death begin to enclose around me. I thought of what I shared with Alexis…was it love? My heart did stir at the thought of her and how she made me feel, but there was always that wall, the barrier of my knowledge and awareness. Our relationship was imbalanced - I knew all there was to know about her, but she knew nothing of my true self.

For the first time in a while, I thought back to the 'before times'...to my shame, the faces and the names were blurry, even her face, the woman I had truly loved, once. I had to dwell upon her for a long time before I even remembered how it all happened. It felt like it had happened to someone else, not me.

She was right to leave me. I was a weak man, unprincipled, frivolous. And when she finally decided to make a better life for herself without me, I was destroyed. I drank so much that night I died, running into that tree. I died like a miserable failure, and I left misery in my wake.

Being reborn into this world truly was like heaven, like rediscovering a part of myself thought long lost. I treasured life much more now. It's part of why I was so determined to reach my full potential now, even if it meant shackling myself with responsibilitss. I had to know what I could have really done, if I hadn't…

"What did you even do in your old life, anyways? What did you do for work? Was it your dream job?" Blade Knight sneered, jolting me from my reverie.

"...It's funny, I never really had a dream like that. I never really knew what I wanted to do with my life." I admitted.

"...Neither did I." He replied. A gulf of silence stretched between us, underscored by the howling winds.

"Maybe it's for the best. When you want something too badly in life, it always seems to slip away." I mused.

But this only seemed to enrage my opponent. "What would you know about that…what makes you think you know anything about it, huh? I want to be reunited with my family. I want to go to Duel Academy, as I was originally meant to. I want to live my life, but you tore it away from me! How was I supposed to discover my dreams? When I was supposed to find the love of my life? Wanting my old life back has been the only thing that has sustained me in this place! I bet you don't even think about your parents anymore, do you?"

It hurt because it was true. In the beginning, I had missed my mother and father terribly, but after a while, even their faces became blurry, like looking through a rain-slicked window. It was easier if I didn't think about them, because only sadness and pain lied that way.

The pain redoubled as I was sent tumbling end over end, Sonata once again catching me and holding me up on the platform she had conjured. I shook my head once again and cleared my thoughts to focus on the fight. "There's one upside, at least…when Flowering Etoile leaves the field because of an opponent's card, I can summon another Melodious monster from my deck…or extra deck!" My original boss monster arrived in a chorus of soothing light and sound, lighting up the night in a soft glow. "Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir (1000/2000)!" The way that her powerful effect was belied by her slight appearance always amused me. I summoned her in defense mode, lavender ribbons trailing from the hem of her dress.

"Another irksome creature…" Blade Knight sneered. "I set a card and end my turn." Angelica returned to his side of the field at the end phase, while Roland's effect resolved, allowing him to search for a fire warrior from his deck.

"Irksome? It's a little more than that! I grinned as I drew my next card and switched Bloom Diva to attack mode. "She is the one who will spell the end of this duel! Whenever Bloom Diva battles a monster, I can destroy that monster and deal damage to you equal to its attack points!" The ribbons shot outwards, Bloom Diva's serene smile at odds with the destructive power she wielded.

"Shit! I need to stop that! Go, Book of Eclipse!" Blade Knight panicked as he hastily flipped over his set card, flipping all monsters on the field face-down and stopping my attack. The red tome briefly shimmered in midair before the sound of pages rapidly turning sent all of our monsters to sleep.

"Sneaky little bastard…" I was a bit too quick to try and end the duel, and now I paid for it as I went to main phase two. I could have flipped up Bloom Diva now, but if I waited until the end phase, I would be able to draw a card when she was flipped up due to Book of Eclipse's effect. His own monsters would be flipped up as well, but Blade Knight would not be drawing, the effect only applying to his opponent.

"In that case, I'll follow up with Pot of Avarice! By shuffling back Elegy, Aria, Shopina, Bacha and Etoile, I can draw two more cards." Pendulum monsters didn't work as well with Pot of Avarice because they didn't go to the graveyard when destroyed, but luckily I still had enough regular monsters to make use of this card. The next two drawn cards made me smile a little as I remembered my earliest days traveling through this new world, when my mind was overwhelmed by the bevy of new stimuli and feelings, and it was all I could do to keep my head above water as I struggled to make a place for myself.

"I'll activate the effect of D.D. Crow (0/0) in my hand, discarding it to banish Infernoble Knight – Renaud from your graveyard!" Apart from being a useful card, D.D. Crow was also a dark-attribute monster in my deck of mostly light monsters, which enabled me to use one of my favorite cards, even if it wasn't efficient or optimal. Heh, in that way, I had started to become a little more like a character from the anime, loath as I was to admit it.

"Bridge the gateway of chaos and carve a path to the dawn! By banishing the dark-attribute D.D. Crow and the light-attribute Schuberta the Melodious Maestra from my graveyard, I can bring forth the sword of the morning, Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning (3000/2500)!"

The night was lit up with a soft, but powerful and insistent radiance, seeming inevitable like the sunrise. The knight's crescent blade was like that first glimpse of sunlight on the horizon that turned the clouds from dark grey to burning orange, his stance both noble and poised, and undeniably vicious as well. A knight was a glorified killer, after all, but the dignity and elegance of this knight could make one forget that uncomfortable truth, if just for a moment.

Even Blade Knight, who hated me so virulently, could not help but marvel at the sight of Black Luster Soldier, his expression softening for a moment before he suddenly remembered himself. "Yes, I had this card in my shoebox, the day before I was supposed to go to Duel Academy…it was my favorite card, my prized possession. Dad gave it to me."

An ugly part of me wanted to jealously hoard the card close to me and screech that it was mine, all mine, but I managed to avoid verbalizing that, keeping my expression cool even as so many thoughts and feelings surged through my head. "In that case, this should need no explanation to you! I activate Black Luster Soldier's effect to banish your face-down Charles!" His curved swords brightened until it was blinding with light, and it carved apart Blade Knight's face-down boss monster. Black Luster Soldier couldn't attack the same turn it did this, but since it was main phase two, that didn't matter.

"My turn is done." At the end phase, Bloom Diva flipped up due to Book of Eclipse, allowing me to draw a card. Ogier flipped up on his side of the field as well. Throughout this bout, it felt like I was starting to gain purpose and clarity, while he was slowly unraveling. I just needed to pounce on that vulnerability and put him away for good.

When Blade Knight drew, I could tell he was feeling cornered, existentially, like the walls were closing in. That would only make him more dangerous. "I activate Oil! This spell will add two level four or lower fire monsters from my grave to my hand!" Grabbing two of his swordsmen, Blade Knight was adding tinder to his ebbing bonfire.

"I summon Fighting Flame Swordsman once again, using his effect to add Fighting Flame Sword from my deck to my hand!" He roared with a renewed blaze in his eyes. I was really enjoying this battle, despite everything. He wasn't one to give up or run away. Despite his repugnant sense of entitlement and burning hatred of me, this man was not weak, not at all. He had managed to survive for a long time. Too bad it was the end of the line now.

"With Fighting Flame Sword, I'll search for the trap card Salamandra with Chain, since it mentions Flame Swordsman in its name." To my surprise and delight, he had facility in xyz summoning as well as fusion and synchro. "then, I overlay the level four Fighting Flame Swordsman and the level four Infernoble Knight Ogier! Connect through the overlay network, Eclipse Twins (2500/1200)!" Swirling together in a black nebula, the ensuing monster was two in one, a gold and red avatar of the sun and a silvery blue symbol of the moon gathered around a dense black singularity. "By detaching a material, I can allow Eclipse Twins to attack two monsters this turn."

"That won't help you. Black Luster Soldier is too strong for your xyz monster to overcome, and Bloom Diva will just stop your attack and reflect the power of your monster back at you. It's over!" I roared leonine.

"Not even close. A duel is not over until the last card is played!" Both of us remembered Jaden saying those words. "I discard Courageous Crimson Chevalier Bradamante (500/200), using her effect to equip a spell to Eclipse Twins from the deck!" In a flash, the gold and silver pair shimmered with iridescent, multicolored light. "I'll equip Rainbow Veil! This will negate your Bloom Diva's effects when it battles with Eclipse Twins!"

A rainbow arched between the twins as they surrounded Bloom Diva, trapping her within a cage of light before she shimmered and vanished in a shower of stars. Fortunately, he still couldn't destroy my Black Luster Soldier, so Blade Knight was forced to stop there, his xyz monster standing beside the synchro monster Angelica. "I'll set two cards and end my turn…"

I knew they were Fighting Flame Sword and Salamandra with Chain since he searched them both earlier. I could feel something in the air, in my blood shift as the duel hurtled towards its conclusion. "Good…keep it up, don't end this yet!"

As I drew, I acknowledged that just as Bloom Diva held the line for me, Angelica was doing the same for him. If I targeted or attacked Angelica, I would trigger her effect to send a fire warrior from deck to grave and summon another Roland from the extra deck. I would have to rely on his desire to keep the pressing the attack against me until I could make a crucial reversal. "I activate Black Luster Soldier's effect, targeting and banishing your Eclipse Twins!" The morning sun's crescent faded the sun and moon, my knight standing tall at my side.

However, this didn't bother Blade Knight, his catlike expression similar to mine as he realized I didn't have much gas left in the tank. "I set a card and end my turn…" I growled.

"Heh, that's what I thought. You're finally at your limit, imposter. You can't wriggle out of this one. The battle reveals the truth. I am stronger than you! And I will reclaim my name!" He spat furiously. "And I'll do it with this! He revealed his drawn card. "Snatch Steal!"

My heart dropped out of my chest as Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning was slowly, inexorably dragged over to my enemy's side of the field. "Yes, how fitting…the card that my father got for me, striking the finishing blow." Blade Knight smiled. The equip spell took control of my monster at the dubious cost of giving me 1000 extra points during my standby phase. However, with no other monsters on my field and 400 life points to my name, there would be no next turn. "This will herald a new beginning to my life! A new day dawns!"

In his mind's eye, he envisioned Tobias and Joanna. "I'll see you again soon, mom and dad…" A tear came to Blade Knight's eye as he remembered. Dad was strict with him, and would push him to apply himself and do better in school. Mom was nurturing, understanding, even indulgent to a degree. But they both loved him, their only son. Their boy.

Closing his green eyes, Blade Knight remembered the proud gleam in his dad's eye when he announced that he was accepted into Duel Academy. He recalled the days of riding in the car between baseball games, and the rock music dad would play in the truck. He remembered baking cookies with his mom on a rainy day, and the feeling of her warm embrace.

"I've done it. I've grown up and become strong enough to brave the harsh realities of the world, just like you wanted. I was a helpless boy when I was torn from you, but now I can return home a man. A man that you can be proud of." Emotion shook Blade Knight's voice. "And we'll be a family again…!"

"Shit…it's over!" I panicked.

"There's just one thing left to do, mom and dad…" Blade Knight refocused on me and hardened his gaze. "Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning, attack directly and end this duel!"

With a nod, the knight of the dawn leapt skyward, outshining even the moon as his sword glowed with golden-orange power. The blade of my companion, the monster that had accompanied me through so much, was pointed at me at advancing towards my heart.

However, there was one more card that had at my side throughout everything, always seeming to show up at pivotal turning points, where the road of destiny diverged into forked paths. I waited until the sword was almost upon me, the moment slowing to a crawl. I felt so alive, I didn't want it to end yet. But I also couldn't wait to see the look on his face.

"Magic Cylinder…!" I revealed, and the hope on his face came tumbling down, down, down… (Jamie 400/Blade Knight 0)

When the dust had settled, I was upon Blade Knight on the desert ground, my hand gripping his breastplate as I kept a knee on his abdomen, pinning him down.

Blade Knight was looking up at me with a dazed, staid expression. "In order to win in life, oftentimes someone else must lose. Just kill me and be done with it…" His eyes were dull, the hope and color thoroughly drained from them.

As I looked upon him, my expression changed, the serious, stoic look melting like wax in a fire. A grin split my face and laughter followed, echoing through the still desert air. I finally leaned down and whispered to him, with a mad gleam in my eyes.

"Your life is mine."

A sphere of energy charged between my palms, aimed squarely at his head.

"Jamie, wait…!" Sonata implored.

(XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX)

"Come on, hurry!" Erin hastily bade. It was slow going out of the castle and into the city, given how worn down the rest of the crew was. Sartorius could hardly even walk under his own power, much less run. He didn't have his cards and neither did Aster, so they were about as useful as one-legged men in an ass-kicking contest right now. Zane mostly made up for it, although even he was getting worn down after his battle with Blade Knight earlier.

There was no way of getting back to the vault and taking the tunnels back to the Dragonmaid's hotel, so they had to fight their way through. They managed to escape the city walls by way of Jesse's Sapphire Pegasus and Cobalt Eagle duel spirits, alongside his newly obtained Rainbow Dragon. Jesse and Erin were able to clear a path of any foes that dared stand in their way, allowing the relatively haggard remainder to get through the walls and in the open desert, where one of them could use the watches provided by Kaiba to open the dimensional gate back home, assuming it was fully powered

Behind them, Zane, Erin, Aster, Jesse, and Sartorius could sense the battle between Jamie and the one wearing his face. Doubt and confusion swirled in their hearts, while their minds staggered at the power they felt towering from both duelists. The flame of battle those two forged was bright enough to obscure the shadows encroaching upon the group…

"We just have to wait for Jamie to get here…those devices Kaiba gave us will work better if we all make one jump at the same time." Jesse recalled Roland explaining it to them. "If we can't get Jaden back…then we'll have to recoup and try again. I won't give up on him."

"How touching." A raspy, demonic voice called out. The humans wheeled around to see none other than Jaden and Yubel, who had followed them without their knowledge.

"Jaden!" Jesse cried out, his heart singing at the sight of his love. But there was something wrong…why was he standing with Yubel? He couldn't take this uncertainty. "Jaden, come on! It's us! You have to snap out of it and come home! You don't belong here!"

"Oh, but he does. He is the lord and master of all duel spirits. There is more latent power in Jaden's fingertip than you could all hope to harness." Yubel's three eyes looked upon Jaden lovingly.

He remained silent, but Jaden's eyes were still their usual oaken brown, and not the unseemly gold that shone through whenever he manifested his dark powers. Jesse was breathless at the sight of him. Jaden had seemed to be taller, stronger and more confident than the last time they had seen each other. His flawless skin shone, and his hair had grown a bit longer and wilder. There was something about him that was not quite human.

"The only thing left to do is sever his ties to humanity in order to ascend to the throne of the Supreme King. That's where you all come in…unfortunately, it seems one is missing. Well, I'm sure whatever matters he's attending to, the one known as Jamie Lancaster will be here soon enough. And then, he will feel true despair at my king's new powers." Yubel laughed.

"New powers…?" Aster thought, then realized something horrifying. "My destiny heroes! Jaden, she took my destiny heroes! If you dare use them against us, I'll…!"

"Oh, those? He ordered me to return them to you. I thought that Jaden might want to use them, but apparently he found them far too useless." Yubel procured a deck box and carelessly tossed them Aster's way. "What I refer to is far more special than that."

Aster scrambled, unclasping the deck box and hoping this wasn't a sick joke. But as he thumbed through the cards, he realized that not only was his Destiny Hero deck safe and sound, but so were Sartorius' Arcana Force cards. "What a relief…"

Zane narrowed his eyes, remaining focused even through the fatigue and strain of battle. "Have you gone mute, Jaden? Why don't you speak for yourself and tell us what's really going on? If you're not going to come home…does that make you our enemy?"

Jaden's black t-shirt and khakis rustled in the wind, his eyes briefly covered by his swaying ginger-brown hair. His expression was inscrutable.

"We've sacrificed so much for you, Jaden…please, come home!" Erin pleaded, but he didn't react to her words at all.

"It's too late, fool. He's mine now. He was always mine, and always will be. I am the only one who can help him achieve his true potential. All that you've ever done was serve as stepping stones to make him stronger. You're nothing but side characters in his story. And you've outlived your usefulness." Yubel sneered triumphantly. "And even if by some miracle you manage to defeat my lord, none of you have any chance against me. The duel energy you generate will be the final stepping stone to achieving my goal, Super Polymerization and the birth of a new world forged in our image!"

They all reeled at the revelation of Yubel's true goal. "Super Polymerization…" Aster knew how powerful that card was, and if what he experienced was only a fraction of its true power…the thought filled him with fright.

"Humans, duel spirits and all life in the universe will merge as a single collective for us to rule over. The endless war between the light of destruction and the gentle darkness will finally cease as everything becomes one. With the consciousness of life bound together in one, singular entity, there will finally be peace. Jaden and I will rule as the true gods of the new world. Exodia, the Egyptian Gods, Tragodeia, they will all form the primordial soup that we will build the universe upon. And this time, it will be made perfect. Peace and prosperity, endless calm, unity, and justice. No more pain. That is what Super Polymerization will achieve!" She roared, filled with vindication and purpose.

Silence ruled them as they turned to Jaden, hopeful and impatient that he would speak. "Jaden, is that what you really want?! You'll kill us all! Everyone! Your parents, everyone back home!" Jesse begged, feeling trapped in a nightmare. "Say something!"

Jaden stood equidistant from Yubel and his old friends, each tugging him in one direction, to preserve the old world or create the new. This was the purpose for which he was born into this world. Unknowingly, this was what he had strived for. This was why he had met everyone who had become dear to him. Their hearts had touched his, and that guided his hand now, as the future laid before him. All answers flowed in the river of destiny.

"The promised time has come, my love. You must choose." Yubel looked upon with utmost devotion, knowing he would make the right decision.

"Jaden…please!" Tears spilled from Jesse's eyes as he was swarmed by lamentation and despair.

Jaden raised his head, looking between his friends and Yubel. He felt calm, present and clear. This was why he was born.

The boy opened his mouth and spoke his will.

A/N

Thanks for your time. I hope you were entertained. A little longer wait this time but I really had to dig deep and I really tried my best with this chapter. I also wrote a lot of the next chapter during this time so the wait for that hopefully shouldn't be as long. Will Jamie kill the original Jamie? What is Jaden's decision? We'll find out next time. Thank you!