The Last Blues

This article, The Last Blues, is property of **the Dark Magician**. Do not modify or use any of its content without her express permission.

> ---Shane was excited to spend his Saturday out in the city with his friends. The amusement park was having this discounted ticket day for students of the Academy and Domino High, so they'd decided it would be a good idea to take advantage of that. Besides, weekend homework could wait until tomorrow. He was a bit sad that Nik was currently feeling under the weather and couldn't join them, but really, it was fine. They'd bring him back something cool from the city. As he got dressed, he paused and looked at his reflection in the mirror, his eyes focusing on the Millennium Necklace. He was beginning to get attached to the ancient artifact, despite having a nagging feeling that it would bring him problems. The spirit of Isis was a friend, in a weird way, someone he could rely on. Shane trusted Isis, and she seemed to trust him, as well. He pulled on his shirt, then reached for his favorite black leather jacket. It always fit him so perfectly, he noted. Hm. The Necklace was still visible, since the neckline of his shirt was too low. It was cold enough to justify a scarf, anyway, so he put one on, draping it over the Necklace.
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> His closest friends knew he had the Item, but the general public didn't need to know. The blonde slung his bag over his shoulder before heading outside to the grounds. Since the only one of them who wasn't in Obelisk was Tenma, they'd agreed to just meet in between the Obelisk male and female dorms. Unsurprisingly, he was the first one present. Michael usually took forever to get ready, Casey was probably busy arguing with someone, and Tenma had a walk. If Shane had to guess, Akhratan would be the next to show, since he was very punctual. The blonde was, however, proven wrong when a pink-haired figure came into view. "Hey, Casey," he greeted, waving at her. "Yo," the girl replied as she drew closer, sliding her hands into the pockets of her hoodie. "Waiting on the others, eh, porcupine hair?" "Damn it, Casey, for the last time, my hair looks nothing like porcupine quills." "No, but it annoys you, so. It serves its purpose. Quite well, actually."
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> "Stop squeezing my neck..." a voice murmured as he turned the corner, carrying a little girl on his shoulders. "Sorry I'm late, Tenma wanted a piggyback ride, so here I am." he said. Mike was dressed rather simply. A black shirt, a size smaller to accentuate his muscular physique. He wore regular jeans, ones that fit him perfectly. "Hey there, Pepto-Bismol." he said, greeting Casey playfully. "And morning to you too, Shane." he said, a smile breaking out on his face. "I thought you'd get up later, seeing as how tired you were last night." he said, chuckling slightly.
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> She begins giggling at Mike, hugging him even closer playfully. "I'm not squeeeezing!!” The girl moops at him, regardless obeying and loses her hold onto him. Tenma happily nestles in his neck, even if it's for a short moment. Raising her head, her lips curve into an enormous smile at seeing her friends. "Omgish! It's really happening!!" Squealing out in their ear-range, an appropriate greeting for them. "Big Brother! Guess what, Mike gave me this drink called coffee…and," Tenma seemed to have lost interest of mentioning more about how she felt, quickly moving on from the topic and speak abnormally fast with Casey: “ohh, Casey, hii!! Are you excited as I am!? And, wait, where is Akky?"
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> Out in the distance, a tall, almost imposing looking wheat blonde haired man walked towards the park. His hair gently drifting through the wind. Those who didn't know him personally would see an air of intense intimidation by his size and physical stature alone. But within this imposing shell of a man lies a gentle heart and a ferocious spirit. Next to him is a girl that just barely reaches up to his bicep, but in her walk lies an indomitable will to keep striving to be the best.
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> "Sorry we're late. Eatos was really determined to see the sights as much as she could. It's her first time out of Greece, after all, so she wants to take in all the sights she hasn't gotten to see. So I figured I'd help her take it all in as best as I could before we got here." The man speaks up. His name was Akhratan, and he was a senior of the prestigious Obelisk Blue dorm of the Duel Academy, alongside his friend Eatos, a new student and part of the Slifer Red dorm, but a girl who shows great promise.
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> "Hey Mike, hey Tenma." As always, he was excited to see his boyfriend. Grinning, Shane leaned in and kissed Michael on the cheek. Casey rolled her eyes. "We've been through this before, my hair is too light to look like Pepto-Bismol. Hi, though." She chose to just ignore Michael's little suggestive joke. It didn't warrant acknowledgement in her opinion.
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> The blonde young man glanced furtively at Michael. "You gave Tenma coffee? Why would you do that?" He knew very well how hyper Tenma naturally was, caffeine would simply exacerbate that. Now the girl was going to be bouncing off the walls for most of the day. Good job, Michael. "Mhm, it'll be fun," Casey agreed, smiling gently at Tenma. Internally, she was just as concerned as Shane at the prospect of a caffeinated child.
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> Shane waved at Akhratan as he arrived, Eatos in tow. "Well, the gang's all here...should we get going?" he inquired.
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> "Let's skedaddle." Mike said. He turned around before stopping and spinning back around. "Are we walking there? Or do we wanna catch a taxi? Hell, I could ask Klara to send us a ride, if needed."
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> The littlest of the group didn't mind whichever. She didn't need to sweat a finger! "I don't mind! As long as Mike carries me all the way," Tenma childishly spurs out.
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> "Oh, hi Eatos! I didn't think we would meet so soon again." Her smile widened, happy to see a classmate.
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> "Hey, yeah it's pretty surprising, but I did want to see the amusement park. Good to see you again. I hope we're not too late. Akhratan here was wonderfully patient in letting me see the sights." Eatos replies with a smile, glancing up at Akhratan. As their gazes meet, they quickly look away from each other, a subtle smile from both of them.
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> "This is an island, Michael. Duh. We gotta take the ferry," Casey reminded him, quirking an eyebrow at him playfully. Hey, it was still relatively early. She couldn't blame him too much. Shane yawned, stretching mightily before catching up to walk beside Michael. "Did you enjoy the tour around the campus, Eatos?" he inquired. Observant as always, Casey was quick to notice the look they shared, and she had to repress a smirk. Hm. Perhaps she'd come up with a way to buy those two some more alone time later.
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> Michael rolled his eyes. "Pinky, I mean getting a ride after the ferry. Once they drop us off, the amusement park's still farther away." he said. "If you guys want, I can get Klara to send us a ride."
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> "So what are we waiting for? I'm excited to finally depart for the amusement park." Eatos speaks up gleefully, a warm and infectious smile emerging from her. She had grown to be much more joyous since joining the Academy, finally feeling like her dueling serves an actual purpose.
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> "If there's nothing else we need to do, I suggest we go head and make our way to the ferry. Wouldn't want to miss it now, would we?" Akhratan speaks, a warm smile enveloping from him as well.
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> "Heh, that might not be a bad idea," Shane opined. "If you're sure she wouldn't mind, that is." He ran his fingers through his hair, noticing as the gentle morning breeze picked up. Maybe that was a sign it wouldn't be so warm... Casey, meanwhile, studied Akhratan's and Eatos's demeanors. They seemed happier than normal, and she was going to guess it was because they were around one another. Maybe she'd just get them stuck on the Tunnel of Love thing the amusement park had...
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> Michael smiled, noticing the looks everyone was sharing. By simply glancing at Shane, he knew what he was thinking. He walked up beside him and smiled at everyone. "Alright guys, let's get a move on." he said. As he turned around, he smirked at Shane. "We can get stuck in the Tunnel of Love, if you want." he whispered, audible so only Shane could hear.
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> The caffeine kicking in, Tenma became even more impatient with the idle chatter. Of course... she was quite oblivious about the aura of her friends around her. Couldn't really blame her, being more childish minded than most of your teens at her age. "Amuusement park!" She hugs Mike tighter to get his attention as she says that.
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> As everyone departed to the ferry, it begins its voyage towards the amusement park. Looking out over the ocean, Eatos admired its beauty. As Akhratan walked over towards the front of the ferry, Eatos looked up at him as his white blonde hair seemed to glow in the sunlight. It was like looking at the majesty of a pharaoh. It almost left her awestruck. As Akhratan looks down towards Eatos, she quickly looks away before looking back towards the ocean.
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> Shane had to work hard to hide how red his face turned when Michael whispered in his ear, managing only a nod in response. The group reached the ferry and found themselves spots to sit or just stand and lounge around, with Shane standing near the railing to observe the ocean. Meanwhile, Casey was busy being chatted up by some familiar Obelisk girls that she didn't particularly like, but didn't hate enough to tell them to fuck off.
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> Michael was resting, breathing in the soothing sea air. He sighed in relief, and began to doze off. He snored softly, his hood on to cover his eyes from the sunlight.
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> For once the youngest of the group actually remained silent. She loves the ocean, which actually made her even happier that *before* the amusement park... Tenma could witness the awesome life of the waters. Sighing with content, she leans against the railing, of course making sure she wouldn't fall off the ferry.
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> The majesty of the mid-day sun leaves Akhratan with a sense of calm as he observes the ocean, with the amusement park peaking up over the horizon. "We're almost there." He speaks up, breaking through the silence of the waves chopping against the ferry.
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> Shane eventually went to sit next to his boyfriend, leaning into him as he napped. It really was the perfect day for a ferry ride; the weather couldn't have been kinder to them if it had tried. As he curled up against Michael, Shane felt himself starting to doze off... Until the sound of Akhratan's voice stirred him. He yawned, stretching slightly before unentangling himself from Michael and getting to his feet. "Aaaaand we're here," Casey announced enthusiastically. Shane was glad to see her in such a good mood for once. The group got off the ferry, with the pink-haired girl leading the way to the amusement park.
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> Michael opened his eyes lazily as the ferry finally lulled to a stop. "So, we're finally here." he said as he got off the ferry, Tenma still on his back. "Where to first?"
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> Tenma happily snuggled into Mike's back, glad that he would continue to piggyback her. It would mean more energy for be hyped for all the amazing attractions they'd go to. "The new one first! Since... since it's still early, and I'm super excited!"
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> It was a welcoming sight for Akhratan, who had once traveled the entire world, that the amusement park before him still filled him with a sense of wonder. Eatos was equally in awe at her surroundings. She had never gone to an amusement park before. Her parents were going to take her one when they got back from their trip, something that never came to pass. A bittersweet moment, but the bitterness seemed to melt away as she held onto Akhratan's arm. Neither of the two had a care in the world, and were equally in the moment that they felt pure bliss amongst each other. And that's all they wanted.
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> The new attraction turned out to be a roller coaster, much to Casey's delight. She loved stuff like this that got her adrenaline pumping. It wasn't a disappointment; the roller coaster was high quality, and as the group gathered back together after the ride was over, she was grinning. "Let's do that again!" Shane shot her a furtive glance, folding his arms over his chest. "Yeahhh, let's not. We've got other stuff to see, and if we do that again I might hurl, to be honest." He had spent the duration of the ride clinging to Michael, focusing on anything but how high up they'd been. Still, he'd enjoyed himself.
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> Tenma cheerfully bounces around her friends. The little over-energized demon was hyped from the last ride they rode together… even though she was barely allowed to access it with her height. If it hadn’t been for her friends, the staff would have denied her! Speaking of one, Tenma takes his hand in her own out of comfort, giving him a big smile. "Mike! Can we go there, pretty please!" She pointed with her free hand towards a group of people surrounding something or someone as applauds erupted— the ending of a duel.
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> Damien smiled at the little girl that approached him. He recognized her, and the others that accompanied her. They wouldn’t know him, but he was about to make sure that they did. “Hey!” he called out. “You look like you’re looking for a fun time! How about a duel with me, here at the carnival?”
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> "Alrighty, I will begin!" Tenma was still quite inexperienced to dueling, but her love for her cards… her best friends prevailed in most duels. Surely, the young girl had much to learn, but a fun duel couldn’t hurt. Drawing her five cards, looking at them gleefully the girl didn’t refrain from showing her happiness. "I doubt you’ve ever seen this card, Sir.” Tenma was proud of this particular card, one hard to acquire nowadays, revealing it to be Toon Universe.
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> "I place Toon Universe on my spell field. Per payment, I will banish 4 cards and pay 800 Life Points, leaving me at 7200 LP." The banished cards would be a Mimicat, Terraformer, Toon Tricks and Toon Cyber Dragon. She hated losing her cards for the whole game, but it was part of playing this Archetype. "Next I play this one, Blue-Eyes Fusion." Giggling, Tenma smiles happily as her Blue-Eyes Toon Ultimate Dragon constructs on the field in battle-mode, while she takes out three Blue-Eyes Toon Dragons from her deck. "And these three are send to the GY per summoning condition. Next I activate Return of the Dragonlords, allowing me to retrieve one Blue-Eyes! Come back to me, my dear friend and stand alongside the Ultimate!" Too bad they couldn’t attack this turn, making her grimace a little inside. "I place one card face-down in my Spell/Trap Field and end my turn."
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> Damien smiled. “Oh my! Such a powerful monster, and you brought back a Toon!” he remarked. “But, it’s my move. I draw!”
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> He looked through his hand, smiling, but a scowl of hate quickly flashed on his face before returning to normal. “I’ll summon, Evil HERO Umbra!” he announced. An arm shot out from the ground, and the Evil HERO rose. “His effect activates, and I’ll Special Summon the Evil HERO Rebelman from my hand. His effect will fetch me Dark Fusion from my deck. Next up, I’ll overlay my two HEROes to bring out, Evil HERO Painstaker! His effect banishes all monsters of whatever type I declare from the field, and you can’t summon them while he’s on the field. With that, the Toon’s on your field are gone.”
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> Painstaker cackled, flicking its tail. As the tip touched the ground, a vortex opened near Tenma’s monsters, absorbing them. “Now, I’ll activate the Dark Fusion in my hand, sending to the Graveyard Evil HERO Red Gamma and Evil HERO Lighthorn. I’ll fusion summon, Evil HERO Scythe Sniper! I’ll attack you directly with Scythe Sniper and Painstaker!”
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> She shrieks at the evil creatures spawning. THE WORST. He called them heroes! These were nothing like her big brother's awesome monsters. But her playful mind and spirit were utterly crushed by his words. Her beautiful dragons taken so easily from her, banished along with the rest of her monsters. Besides the painful direct-attack [1300 LP left], this one card of his had destroyed her deck perfectly.
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> Tears began to freely run over her cheeks uncontrollably. Was this the end of the duel already? Losing like that, it really hurt the little girl. Her precious friends, gone. She sank through her knees and her sorrow was heard. Perhaps she should just surrender and crawl away from this embarrassment. After all it is definitely a lost battle, unless…
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> The laughter from Painstaker gave her the most unpleasant feeling. It was mocking her defeat, Tenma believed. Her whimpers lessened as she stares emotionlessly at Painstaker. This spawn took away all her friends. None of them could help her in this situation. Damien had managed to break her spirit and tore away that cheerful air from her. "You took them away," She hoarsely speaks. They were all I had, my Blue-Eyes. "But,"
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> Tenma looks at her last card in hand and the spell/trap card on the field. She could give up now, no, a Duelist never runs from a fight. "You never took away my Toon Universe!" She raises her head, hand on the deck to draw her lucky charm. Her smile didn't return yet, despite looking at her drawn card.
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> "I activate Monster Reborn! I take your Evil HERO Lighthorn." Tenma announces.
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> Dame laughed. As Evil HERO Lighthorn rose from the Graveyard, it howled a strange mechanical-esque noise. It threw the shield it had at the Monster Reborn card, slicing through it, returning itself to the Graveyard. “Please, continue.” Damien said, an arrogant smirk on his face.
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> Her spirit slightly returning, eyes burning with a devilish glint. "My trump card," She shows the card to him. "Comic Hand. With this, I will take your Evil HERO Scythe Sniper and per condition it becomes a Toon. It isn't summoned, so your Painstaker effect won't matter!"
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> “I’ll chain, Mystical Space Typhoon. That destroys your Comic Hand, and returns Scythe Sniper back to my hand.” Damien interrupted, smiling.
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> Tenma gulps at the backfire. She only had Toon Universe's effect, which wasn't viable once more. Her plan had failed her, "I...I end my turn." The girl closes her eyes for a second, taking a deep breath to calm her chills and face the end bravely.
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> In the meantime, somewhere else in the amusement park, a woman gracefully walks down the path. With one hand, she eats her cotton candy while the other holds onto her umbrella against this bothersome sun. Her gracefulness was also with pride, knowing her personal looks without doubt. Just then… as she sits down, the woman senses a malevolent spirit rising nearby. Sighing inwardly, instead of her previous action, changes her course towards the feeling with her cotton candy in hand.
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> Damien smirked. “I draw.”
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> “I’ll Normal Summon Evil HERO Umbra, and use his effect to Special Summon another Rebelman. His effect grabs me another Dark Fusion. Umbra’s effect lets me treat him and Rebelman as Level 8 monsters. I’ll overlay them, and Xyz Summon, Evil HERO Cloud Hopper!”
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> A large white beast emerged from the shadows, tilting its head towards Tenma, as if it could smell her fear. Cloud Hopper was a creature of nightmares, its horrendous appearance and the strange proportions would send most adults running.
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> “His effect will destroy Toon Universe and your set card!” Damien continued. Cloud Hopper released tendril of energy outwards, consuming the field spell, as well as Tenma’s set card. “I’ll remove an Xyz Material from this card, and since that material was Rebelman, I’ll Special Summon Rebelman from the Graveyard and fetch another Dark Fusion.”
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> Damien’s eyes widened, as sheer malevolence exuded from his body. “I’ll use Dark Fusion on Painstaker and Scythe Sniper to Fusion Summon, Evil HERO Raiden! This Raiden has 6800 ATK! Next, I’ll fuse him and the Rebelman on the field with another Dark Fusion to bring out another Raiden, and this one has 13600 ATK!”
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> “I’ll use Cloud Hopper’s effect to double his ATK for this turn. And I’ll attack you directly for victory.”
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> Cloud Hopper leaped forward, stopping inches in front of Tenma. The beast was much larger than anticipated, and it didn’t attack. It only roared right at Tenma, wanting fear to run rampant within her. From a distance, Raiden slowly approached. His massive power causing sparks to emanate from him, sending jolts through those not even in the duel.
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> Mike watched with anger and fear, and then he felt the shock run through him. If he could honestly feel that...did that mean that this was a Shadow Game? Mike would have run over to try and stop it, but he couldn’t. It was the rule of the Shadow Game.
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> Raiden was finally in front of Tenma, the warrior wearing a mask to hide his most likely horrendous face. It placed its hand on Tenma’s shoulder, and electrocuted her. Volts upon volts of electricity was forced into her, the sparks so powerful the others watching felt them. Then the beast stopped, and the monsters faded.
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> Damien looked at the whimpering girl, the one who had been brought to the verge of death. “Good game.”
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> She was speechless and petrified by his counter-move. There was literally nothing left for her to recover this game now. Her Life Points were almost at zero and throughout the Duel, Damien had managed to render her deck useless. Every positive vibe left her being, replaced with the fear for the monstrosity standing before her. All his words were drawn out from her hearing, only the eerie breathing from Cloud Hopper and its appearance scaring her tremendously. Her eyes closed and waiting for the final blow. But for as nothing happened, Tenma opened her eyes to face Hopper directly… who roared deafeningly matching her piercing, terrified scream.
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> Her scream ended… not with peace, but a devastating blow from Raiden. Its electricity ran through her tiny frame, injuring her unconditionally. She should not have felt this pain so intimately, yet, Tenma succumbed to this and the terror Damien had given her altogether.
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> It was perhaps almost soul shattering to hear her scream. If Akhratan’s spirit could be heard, it would roar in an unprecedented fury that would send a chill through even the spines of the Egyptian Gods themselves. His rage was unrequited as his fists clinch, an almost pale, spiritual flame surrounding Akhratan’s large frame. “Your dark magics are a blight upon the sanctity of this world, and you should be ashamed to ever hold a Shadow Game against a little girl. You have nothing but wickedness in your soul, and if you so much as dare try to pull that off again, I will personally rip that wickedness from your soul and cast it into the darkness where it belongs.”
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> Damien sneered. “Let’s calm down there, edgelord.” he responded chuckling slightly. Damien showed no sign of fear despite having his life threatenedw. “Shame? For what, tricking a little girl into duelling me in a Shadow Game? I don’t feel any shame, I feel...amused.”
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> “Good game?” Shane ran to Tenma’s side, picking the girl up in his arms. “You have the nerve to say ‘good game’ after what you just did to her?” His rage was palpable, and if Tenma didn’t need him, he’d be hauling off and trying to hit this punk. What made him even angrier was that the man used HEROes, his own archetype, but a perverse, corrupted version of it. “She’s a kid, you fucking lunatic! How about you try that against me, tough guy? Or are you too much of a coward?”
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> Messing with him was one thing, but his friends were another thing entirely. They were the only people he had in his life, his real family. Hurting them was unforgivable, and he knew that from that moment on, his duty was to oppose this user of Evil HEROes at every turn. Nothing was going to stop him. He would avenge Tenma, if not now, then later, even if it meant hunting the bastard down. Sure, the kid would recover, but that wasn’t the point. Her emotional wounds were going to need time to heal, and maybe wouldn’t even heal fully. Who knew?
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> All he knew was that every fiber of him hated this guy. It took a lot to make Shane this angry, but boy, had this guy done it. “Michael. Michael, take Tenma from me, please. I wanna duel this fucking scum, right now.”
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> Damien chuckled. “I don’t mind, but you may want to spend your time with the girl. Hell, she might be dead in a bit. You should cherish these last moments.”
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> “All the more reason to duel you right fucking now. This is still a Shadow Game, right? Two can play at that.” Shane removed the scarf from around his neck to reveal the Millennium Necklace. “What, don’t tell me you’re scared to stake your soul after what you just did to her? Come on, duel somebody who can wipe the floor with you. I dare you. Nothing would make me happier than to banish you to the Shadow Realm.”
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> “Duel someone that would wipe the floor with me? I would if I could, but there aren’t any Pro’s here. They sure can wipe the floor with people, although I’m sure you know that from experience don’t you, Stryker?” Damien jested. “The older Pavus, sister to your little boyfriend over there did that with you, didn’t she?”
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> His lips curled into a menacing snarl. “Yeah, she beat me one time and then brushed me off before I could show her what I can really do. It won’t happen again. You’re not even as good as Klara, you’re just an arrogant prick. Only in your dreams could you measure up to her.” He paused, before flipping the guy off. “Nobody calls me Stryker, by the way. If you wanted to show off and prove you know my name, just call me Shane, dipshit.”
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> “I didn’t say I was as good as her, now did I? I’m just saying that you were treated like nothing in front of her. Do you ever think that your boyfriend gave you that ring that you cherish so much as a way to calm you down? Otherwise, you’d embarrass him, wouldn’t you? Do you actually think he would love you?”
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> Michael roared with anger. “Fuck off, prick!” he yelled, running towards Damien to slam his fist straight into his jaw. Damien simply stepped to the side, and unlike some of his friends, he wouldn’t care about the use of magic in public. Using the power of the Heart of Anubis, he blasted Michael backwards. Michael was slammed into a tree, as he cursed. “Asshat.” he murmured as he got to his feet.
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> “I swear, if it’s the last thing I do, I’ll end you. You’re gonna wish you’d stayed the fuck away from my friends.” Shane went to his boyfriend’s side, worried that Michael might be hurt. “Let me handle him,” he insisted. “Watch Tenma. Please. I can deal with this guy.”
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> “Stryker, duelling me? You do realize there are better ways to commit suicide, right?” Damien replied quickly, not missing a beat in their conversation. He was about to continue, when another person began to approach them.
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> “What are you waiting for, then? Square up, bitch! Put up or shut up, don’t just talk shit.” He was exceeding his boiling point, and he was about ready to just lose it and scream. Shane’s anger was eating at his chest, and it was almost physically painful. Never in his life had he been this mad.
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> From a short distance, the green-haired woman watched the duel conclude and the bickering between Damien and the group. Much closer than one would expect. She took the last bite from her cotton candy, the sweet-forbidden goodness, as she tosses it away into the bin nearby the terrifying man. Perhaps he would feel her presence nearby, especially after using such dark game against a little girl. Her anger. But, as her high heels click-clacked on the ground, furthering announcing her arrival to them, the woman lowers her umbrella further. Now, only face below her nose was visible to most people… while linking her free arm with Damien.
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> If not for her hairstyle, surely those long strains would touch the dirty ground. She wore a way darker tint of her hair for a sleeveless dress, one that was narrowly cut below her thighs with a black fishnet. Something not anyone would just wear for an outing. This made her action with Damien even more questionable, perhaps?
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> Instead of speaking to him, the woman Lysandra looks at the poor victim of his. Disappointment dwells within her. She never expected a young child to be injured by these games. This made her question something with the amount of power she possesses, could she perhaps save this child from her nightmare?
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> In that moment, Akhratan feels a rush of a strange feeling. Familiarity. As if he knew the girl who stood before them, this mysterious figure whose gaze seems to pierce through Akhratan’s soul. But it was a familiarity he could not put his finger on, and it began eating away at him as he tried to look back to every moment he had experienced, only to draw a blank.
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> Damien turned around to see… Lysandra. “Hey there, Lisa.” he said, greeting her. He noticed her look of disappointment and sighed. “Lisa, I know it hurts to see a kid in pain. I’d apologize, but I’m not sorry. This is Step 1 in my own little plan.” he continued in a tongue that Lysandra would recognise, Arabic. He then proceeded to notice another look in her eyes, one that resembled confusion and curiosity. After knowing her for so long, he thought he may have had an idea to what she had been wondering.
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> “I mean, you could try and use your magic to lessen the pain, which would just render her unconscious.” he finished, still speaking in Arabic.
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> Even in this situation, Lysandra managed curving her lips into a warm smile. Although Damien's Arabic was quite broken, his efforts in learning her language pleased her and she understood him perfectly. Reaffirming his words on her thoughts, Lysandra broke their physical contact by unlinking their arms and slowly move towards the child. The people and the group of friends of the girl didn't scare her, but the use of magic in public did.
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> Crouching gracefully in front of Tenma, Lysandra continues masking her face with her umbrella. This… dark magic. It was always part of the Shadow Games, something she was too familiar with. And each individual was affected differently, especially to children. This little girl had no charm to protect her, no Millennium item to fight it mentally. Sadly, Tenma was a pure victim of such cruelty.
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> If she could whisper out loud, she would have told Tenma that the girl has nothing to fear. Instead, she pressed her point- and middle finger softly against girl's forehead. Her magic was far too weak to take away all of the dark magic, but she could provide a one-time resistance that should help Tenma's fight. The girl had to break the fear-induced trauma by herself, but thanks to Lysandra, who whispered words in a forgotten language through a mental connection: "You will now be surrounded by your closest friends and those adorable ones, little girl."
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> With that done, Lysandra returns to Damien's side and once more links her arm with his. Perhaps this was a safety measurement by her, considering the incident that just happened. In truth, she was leaning heavily on him as exhaustment hit her. Magic might be her strongest forte, but right now it is the most taxing. Still, her eyes wanders towards Malachi inquiring about his interest for dueling someone too.
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> Damien could feel Lysandra pushing against his shoulder, using magic powerful enough to banish magic from the Heart of Anubis was no laughing manner. He shifted his weight, making it seem as if Lysandra was standing tall of her own accord. If there was one thing Damien was against, it was letting Lysandra seem as if she wasn’t a royal, no. Damien would make sure she maintained that regal and imposing figure.
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