What Lies Within

This article, What Lies Within, is property of **the Dark Magician**. Do not modify or use any of its content without her express permission.

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> ---As per his friend's request, the young man had set into motion a plan: he was going to duel one of Slifer's students, one that Ulrich believed held promise. Nik had Ulrich notify the kid where to meet him, and everything was going swell. He was mentally prepared, he was enthusiastic, and most importantly, he was ready to push this kid to his limit. This was no ordinary Duel; this was a special promotion exam. As one of Obelisk's finest, he was one of the Academy's promotion exam proctors. Most proctors would've been content with the usual setting for an exam, but Nik liked to make an impression, especially since this was a special request.
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> Nik had headed out to the abandoned dorm, his location of choice. He appreciated quiet and isolation when dueling. It was comforting that way, just himself and his opponent. No need for extraneous thoughts, just a purpose: win. Ken likely wasn't going to make him wait long...or so he hoped for the kid's sake. Tardiness was a pet peeve of his. As he waited at the top of the foyer's stairs, he glanced out one of the windows. The night was perfect, and it brought a smile to his face. Yes, he was ready for this. The young man fastened his Duel Disk to his wrist.
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> Ken was annoyed, it was dark outside. He wasn't in the mood to be meeting someone this late. *What could be this important?* He thought as he straightened his glasses. He stopped in front of a large gate, it was definitely old... Like the rest of the building. Why would someone want to meet him late at night at an abandoned dormitory? It seemed sketchy to Ken. He pushed the gate in front of him, and as he did, a distinct groan was emitted into the air as the old hinges screamed out in the night. Walking through, Ken began to near the door of the old building. "Shit, this place is creepy." He muttered as he looked around.
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> The raven haired young man smirked as he heard he front door open. Nik clapped his hands together, and the motion sensor lanterns at the top of the staircase turned on, casting a faint, eerie glow upon the foyer. "Welcome, kid. This is your promotion exam. Do well, and you have a chance to move up to Ra Yellow. Fail to impress me, and you will remain in Slifer. My name is Nik, I am one of Obelisk's elite, and it is my job to push you to your breaking point. Are you ready to duel? Or will you back down? The choice is yours." Nik descended the stairs gracefully as he spoke, folding his arms when he reached the bottom. He narrowed his eyes, waiting on Ken's response.
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> "Dude... Seriously?" Ken said in an irritated way. "I'm not in the fucking mood to be out and about this late." He met the other boy's eyes. "Like, you honestly expected me to get my ass up, walk my ass down here, and duel some weirdass Obelisk student for a 'Promotion Exam'? Don't I have to participate in some *actual* exam, not just duel some guy in Obelisk... This late... Doesn't seem legit to me."
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> Nik chuckled softly. "No, this is Duel Academy. If you want to move up, you duel for it, it's not as simple as a paper exam. The only reason the setting is unorthodox is because it was my personal preference, so. I reiterate. Will you duel, or will you back down?"
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> Ken sighed. "Sure, I'm already here... Why do all the strong people ask me to Duel? Some weird white haired dude, the spunky chick, and now the weird mystery man." He strapped his Duel Disk on, readying himself.
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> "Alright, then. Let's do this." Nik drew five cards, then considered his hand carefully. "I play Dark Magical Citadel, and use its effect to add a monster to my hand. I choose the Dark Magician, which I will now reveal to summon Alternative Dark Magician! I set one card facedown, and theeeeen... I'll play Dark Magical Citadel to summon Palladium Oracle Mahad and Chaos Magician Girl! Using Chaos Magician Girl's effect, I'll chain to pull the other two copies from my deck and Special Summon them, along with Chocolate Magician Girl. Two of my Chaos Magician Girls become level six, and the third, along with Chocolate Magician Girl, become level seven. I'll overlay the two level six monsters to summon Umbra Illusion Magician Girl, and then overlay the level seven monsters to summon Umbra Illusion Magician.
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> "Well damn, I draw, Set one monster, one card in the Spell/Trap zone... Yeah, I'm done, feeling lazy as fuck right now. Your turn."
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> "Alright, well. I'll activate Dark Magical Citadel to add Dark Magic Attack to my hand, which I'll now activate to destroy your set card. I'll then summon Chocolate Magician Girl. Now go, my Alternative Dark Magician! Destroy the facedown monster, and free the rest of my Spellcasters to attack directly!" The horde of Spellcasters obeyed their master's commands, whittling the boy's Life Points down to zero. "Hm...very interesting." Nik studied Ken carefully, his eyes narrowed, as he deactivated his Duel Disk.
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> Ken looked at the cards in his handed and shrugged. It was almost like the boy *wanted* to lose. It seemed like he could have done *something*, maybe a small thing, but something that could have prolonged the game. "So... I can go back now?"
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> Nik looked Ken directly in the eye, arms folding over his chest. "I don't think I need to tell you that you failed, but I can see why Ulrich recommended I test you. You're careless, unmotivated, and frankly, you give up easily, but yet...you have potential, and it would be a shame for it to go to waste." He could see why Casey had so easily swept the kid aside. Dueling a lethargic opponent was so easy.
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> Ken chuckled as he removed his Duel Disk. "Potential?" He smirked at Nikolas. "I'm terrible, I don't even want to be at this fucking school. I should be back home, helping my mother... But my dipshit uncle thought I should come here. I could honestly care less about a card game."
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> Outside, a crack of thunder roared menacingly, and rain began to lash violently at the windows. "You're not as terrible as you think you are. I know you lasted a few turns against a good friend of mine, one of the best duelists in the school. If you can fend her off, you're not as bad as you think you are."
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> Besides...something was bothering him. 'Just a card game'? Hardly. People like Shane, Michael, and Akhratan disproved that with their Millennium Items. Oh, but this kid had no idea about that. Duel Monsters was more than a card game, it was the culmination of powerful ancient Egyptian magic. What a naïve child. "You should care. It seems like just a game, but there's real stakes to it. I should know. My favorite card, the Dark Magician, as an example. Before he was a card, he was a real, breathing human being, a great priest and right-hand man of a powerful pharaoh. His name was Mahad. These cards are rooted in an ancient magic that few bother to understand, but the ones that do... Well, I have no doubt there are some among them who would use the magic for nefarious purposes."
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> "Magic?" Ken said, his face suddenly grew serious. "Come to think of it... I think my dad told me something like that..." He looked out one of the windows, watching the rain beat down on the ground. "So... Diabolos..." He looked at the card in his hand. Could it really have been alive at one time? "Wait, how the fuck do you expect me to believe this?"
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> "Yes, magic," he reaffirmed. Magic of the most powerful sort, in fact. He found himself wishing he could've learned from the ancient Egyptian priests, keepers of that incredible magic. Nik was rather jealous; all he knew was tricks and illusions, not real magic. "Feel free to disbelieve it, but you won't for long. Trust me on that."
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> Ken's mind was being stretched. *Magic...* He thought to himself. After staring at Nikola for a bit, he smirked. "So... You gonna explain, or just leave it at that?"
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