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A miasmic fog pervaded the foreign dimension. Fumiko traveled crouched and fleet-footed. Every second spent away from her home world felt so, so wrong, and her very body responded to the displacement. Her hackles rose whenever she heard an unfamiliar noise. Her back arched slightly like a spooked cat.
The silhouette she’d been tailing for the past couple of miles vanished some time ago. Without the sun, she had no sense of time. Her calves burned from how long she’d traveled keeping low to the ground to move undetected. The bleak mist covering the ground coupled with her sweeping black cloak masked her enough that the man she’d followed had neither stopped nor turned once.
She had no choice but to keep pushing forward. It could give her away; it could be a trap.
Professor Daitokuji had once told them, “When embarking on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.”
Fumiko was more than prepared to end up six feet under. She crept forward, muscles aching with each step. A towering shape ahead of her became clearer as she moved. A cylindrical steel building stood amidst a veil of violet fog. The structure caught her so off-guard she stood at her full height. She reached her hand through, and the mist scattered from the tower.
“How did he even find this place?” she murmured.
A large metal slab of a door detected her presence and slid upwards. She held her breath as she entered. The miasma spilled inwards with her, wisping over the pristine floor. The ground dropped off at the inner ring of the tower, a cavernous circle seemingly endless in its heights and depths.
The sound of whirring, as a machine coming to life, cut through the silence. A bridge of fuchsia energy formed between Fumiko and the semicircular platform connected to a pillar in the center of the tower. She tested the weight of a toe, and the bridge seemed firm. She crossed onto the platform. It shook. She hissed in a breath and dropped to her hands and knees. The platform vibrated and began to rise. She gazed skyward.
Her hand moved to her damaged neck. Whenever she felt nervous or overly emotional, the wound acted up. The jagged scar was like a smile, another of the universe’s hilarious cosmic jokes on her.
Perhaps Ryo was right.
After the tragedy of Edo’s loss, they’d clung together like a pair of shipwrecked islanders: Lost. Adrift. Not physically close, exactly, but always in one another’s presence. No Fubuki, no Fumio, no Edo. They were binary stars and not by choice. All around them had gone supernova, leaving them drifting in far-reaching darkness.
(Darkness. Darkness.)
Fumiko growled, “He can’t be allowed to get away with this.”
Ryo’s eyes had lost all color. He had his hand over his chest constantly. His bleak stare was leveled on Fumiko for less than a second, and he shook his head. “You should know by now: you’ll be lost, too.”
“I don’t see why that should matter. What do I have left to lose?”
“He wouldn’t have wanted this world to change you.” Ryo scanned her from head to toe. “He wouldn’t have wanted him being gone to change you.”
“Is that a joke? He’s so full of himself, he’d want me to be in pieces still back at the ritual chamber.” Her throat burned from the held-back tears. If he’s watching from whatever afterlife this hell dimension sent him to, don’t give him the satisfaction. Or do. Pride or vulnerability? She didn’t want to be like her parents, but she did want to be like Edo… the good parts of him, anyway. One of those options he would surely never choose. “How would you know, anyway? You two were only rivals.”
The lie was so bold she felt her face flush. The time in this dimension had altered the dynamics of their trio to such an extent that calling them mere “rivals” was akin to cruelty.
Ryo, ever level-headed, raised a brow. He said nothing.
“I can’t stand around doing nothing. I have to go after him.”
“In that case, I’ll take on Johan.”
“What?”
”You’re right. We’ve done too much sitting around. Whatever happens…” His empty stare cut into her core. “We’ll be useful in some way.”
A grim outlook. She glanced at his chest. Both she and Edo had caught Ryo twisting his grip into his heart in the mansion, the haunting halls they’d shared together for a brief eternity. “I need you to say exactly what you’re getting at.”
He closed his eyes and smiled. “You’re going on your journey, and I have my own. I wish you good luck.”
”You, too,” she said. “Let’s meet again. Somewhere.”
”Somewhere,” he said, waving his hand dismissively. “Bye, Fumiko.”
”…Bye, Ryo.”
The finality of the conversation settled heavy on Fumiko’s shoulders in the present. The platform she rode upon slowed its descent as it reached its apex. She spread her stance and braced herself.
The ground beneath her clicked into place. Fog covered the upper level also, and the movement scattered it from Fumiko’s position. The area was obscured except for an obelisk-like shape straight ahead.
”You?” came a booming voice from the silhouette. “How are you here?”
Footsteps approached. The mist fled from the surrounding area. Fumiko’s brows shot up. Amon walked towards her from an imposing throne big enough to fit an Ancient Gear Giant. Her upper lip hopped with her snarl. “I’m here for you.”
”Ah. I know exactly what this is.” He chuckled and shook his head while touching the bridge of his nose. “You believe you are powerful enough to attain noble vengeance against me. Save yourself and leave this place while you still can. I’ll be annihilating Yubel soon, and this dimension will fall beneath my rule. I’ll even be a benevolent ruler and spare you.”
“I won’t be sparing you,” she spat, “not in this life or any into the endless future. When I’m through, you’ll be lucky to exist as ashes because then you will still exist.”
A corner of his mouth quirked up. She fought the urge to sprint forward and strangle him.
(A spark lit her eyes like the flash of twenty-four karat gold beneath a jeweler’s showcase.)
Her duel disk activated and glowed. “This ends now.”
He held up a hand. “Reconsider. You don’t have to die today.”
”You’re right.”
The statement hung between them. Finally he sighed through his nostrils, pulled out his disk, and set it on his arm. “When you meet your end, remember how I offered you mercy, as a benevolent god would do.”
“Shut up and duel already.”
He sniffed and drew his first five cards at the same time as her. “Since you challenged me, I’ll be going first!”
In unison, they shouted, “DUEL!”
“I activate the Field Spell, Fog Castle!” he exclaimed. The ground rumbled. A medieval fortress rose up behind Amon. Its size dwarfed them both, and Fumiko had to crane her neck to see the parapets. “Next, I’ll summon Fog King and equip him with the spell Royal Sword. I’ll set a face-down and end my turn.”
A tall, armored figure manifested between Fumiko and her opponent. A white silhouette appeared in the King’s hands; light scattered from the massive blade. The knight stood swathed in mist and blade in hand. Its attack power sat at zero but she knew better than to believe one of his cards to be defenseless. He was a wicked manipulative snake. He wasn’t stupid.
“Draw!” she shouted. A quick glance over her hand was all she needed to formulate a strategy. By now, her deck was as much an extension of herself as her limbs. “I’ll be banishing two different monsters from my Extra Deck to special summon both Light End Sublimation Dragon and Dark End Evaporation Dragon!”
White feathers floated across the field from Light End’s four feathery wings. Its serpentine body slithered forward, and when it roared, light surged from its golden, halo-shaped helm. A massive shadow loomed behind it. Dark End Evaporation Dragon’s decaying wing webbing fluttered like a warship pennants. Its ebony scales and silver fangs gleamed under the distant starfire. When it roared, the grinning mouth on its chest joined for a duet. Both sported 2600 attack.
“I normal summon Chamber Dragonmaid and use its effect to add the Dragonmaid Hospitality spell to my hand. Now, Battle Phase!” The white-haired woman on her field hid her blushing face behind a feather duster. Her large, black tail twitched, showing an instance of the underside. Its scales sparkled in the cold colors of an aurora. “First, I’ll attack with Chamber Dragonmaid!”
“Trap activate!” Amon announced. “Spirit Barrier! This Continuous Trap prevents me from taking battle damage so long as I have a monster on my side of the field.”
Chamber’s tail lashed at Fog King, who blocked it with the flat of his sword. He wouldn’t take damage, but his monster would be out of the way.
Fog King sidestepped into a different monster zone and remained. Amon tut-tutted. “You look so disappointed. Fog Castle’s ability prevents Fog King’s destruction at the cost of one of my monster zones. I’m locked out of using it as long as Fog Castle remains. You’ve also added a Beacon Counter to Fog Castle and a Crest Counter to Royal Sword.”
Oh, great, more Counter bullshit, she thought. A flame burned over one of the castle’s towers, and bright blue filled in a hole in the King’s falchion. “You can’t run forever. You only have so many monster zones. I will break through. I will deal damage.”
Irises shining for the briefest of moments.
(I WILL HURT YOU.)
“Light End Sublimation Dragon and Dark End Evaporation Dragon attack Fog King!” An orb of light hovered before Light End’s jaws, and a sphere like a black hole formed in front of Dark End. Both exploded forward at the same time. Fog King blocked both blasts and sidestepped over two different zones. “Now, I use the Quick-Play Spell Flash Fusion! By combining Chamber Dragonmaid and Dark End Evaporation Dragon, I Fusion Summon Dragonmaid Sheou!”
The two melded into a neon green spiral, which took the shape of a massive dragon. She soared upon wide, maroon wings, and the ivory upon her chest and hands were like the apron and gloves of her namesake to the black scales along her flanks. At 3500 attack, she was the strongest monster summoned thus far.
“Sheou!” Fumiko swept her arm in a wide arc and held out her hand like a claw. “Attack Fog King!”
Sheou roared and crashed into the King with the entirety of her weight. This time Fog King dropped to his knees. He was forced to crawl to the next monster zone, the final one available. The counters on his sword and on the castle moved up to four.
Fumiko slid a card face-down in her backline. “Turn end. Flash Fusion destroys Sheou at my End Phase. Nowhere to run. Your end is near.”
Amon barked out laughter. “You’re the one who’s finished! You played right into my strategy. It’s my turn, and I’m using the effect of Royal Sword! Since there are four counters on it, I can sent Fog King to the grave to inflict 4000 damage direct to your life points!”
Above them, the sky rumbled. Cloud cover rapidly gathered within the tower. Fumiko’s LP remained untouched. Amon growled, “What-”
Lightning splintered the sky, striking Fog King from the heavens. A stray bolt hit Fumiko’s graveyard. The trap in her backline flipped up. “Gigantic Thundercross allows me to banish any monsters on the field or in the grave equal to the difference in our banished cards. I have two and you have none. I banished your Fog King as well as Dark End Sublimation Dragon from my grave.”
“That look on your face. You really think you’re a worthwhile duelist, don’t you?”
She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “I’m a professional.”
“Is that a joke?” His mocking laughter incited the heat of rage to cloud her thoughts. “To be honest, I’ve spent this whole time not even remembering your name.”
“Don’t worry about my name,” she barked. “Remember Edo Phoenix’s.”
“That’s why you’re here? Willing to die on behalf of attempting to avenge your boyfriend?”
The word “boyfriend” was… laughable to her.
Because it was complicated. It was so much less. And more. She found she couldn’t hold Amon’s stare and watched the mist curl over the ground instead.
“I suppose I understand,” Amon said. “If anything had happened to Echo, or if anything had happened to me-”
“You don’t get to say that,” she spat. “You made a choice, and she’s gone because of it. You’re selfish enough to be evil if your form of ‘love’ is taking away someone’s very existence to further your own power. Narcissistic, even.”
Narcissism Fumiko recognized, a trait as familiar to her as the blood running through her veins.
“You would say that. Women and letting their emotions take over.” He scoffed. “Is that really the kind of thing Edo likes?”
Fumiko set her jaw. Women. Emotions. She shut her eyes. If she were having this conversation with anyone else, it’d be easy to crack a comment like, “We’re still trying to figure out if Edo likes anything besides feeling superior to others.”
Life had spiraled, though. She didn’t know if she’d ever return to her home dimension again. What mattered was seeing this asshole suffer.
But. “What Edo liked” kept grabbing her thoughts without letting go.
.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.
The overhead light in the hospital hallway directly above Fumi flickered at a steady rhythm. One second fine, the next an instance of darkness. He heard muffled voices from the room but couldn’t make out distinct words. Saiou’s voice came out as a light and fluttery thing while Edo’s was more guttural, a tone heard from him only in dire circumstances.
They were in the middle of a ranking-determining match when Edo received an emergency call on his personal cell. Fumi had never seen him so much as check a text during an important duel. In typical Edo fashion, his face betrayed nothing. Fumi noticed the slight quaking of his hands, though.
“I have no choice but to leave,” Edo announced.
Shock rippled through the crowd, and the MC added for effect: “If Edo Phoenix leaves now, he forfeits his position to Fumi Saito!”
“No.”
Edo’s brow creased, and he clicked his tongue. “What do you mean no ? As much as I would enjoy sweeping the floor with your pathetic little monsters, an urgent matter requires my attention. I’ll take my position back quicker than they can update their stupid website.”
“No,” Fumi repeated, “because I’m leaving, too.”
“Excuse me?”
“Let it pause or end in no contest. I don’t care. I’m not letting it end with you disqualified.”
Because where was the satisfaction in that? He needed to hear the chirp of Edo’s life points hit zero, had to see Edo hold himself together beneath his boiling rage. Otherwise, there wasn’t any point.
Edo argued the whole time while Fumi walked out alongside him. The MC struggled to maintain the crowd’s excitement through the confusion. Even the organizers seemed to be scrambling, unsure of how to handle this unprecedented event.
A limousine awaited Edo, and the driver opened the door for him. Edo gestured and commanded, “Get in.”
“Why?” Fumi asked.
“Because after I take care of my business, we’ll finish this duel and find out exactly how much better I am than you.”
The counterpoints Fumi had didn’t make their way out into the open. He wasn’t sure how dire Edo’s situation was, so a sick burn might just become a regret. He slid into the limo seat across from Edo, though.
“Do you take a limo everywhere?” Fumi asked.
“Do you not?”
Fumi rolled his eyes and gazed at the city passing by. Their clash was big-ticket, so they earned the weekend night time slot. Outside, strangers staggered out of bars, neon glow illuminating their winding walk home. What would it be like to live a normal life like theirs, Fumi wondered. The little voice within him he despised argued about how he was meant for greater. How he should strive for more impressive heights, each exceeding the last.
A sudden wave of exhaustion hit him.
“Don’t look so bored,” Edo scolded. “Go on. Ask.”
“Ask what?”
“What my emergency is. I know it’s what you’re thinking about.”
Oh Edo, the sun, ever the center of his own universe. “Bold of you to assume you cross my mind as anything more than a passing thought. ‘Right, I’m supposed to duel Phoenix today.’ That was me this morning, and only because the venue called to ask what time I planned on arriving.”
“Liar,” he spat. “We’re here.”
The limo stopped in the emergency lane at the hospital. Edo threw open the door and strode out without checking if Fumi followed. He did, though he wasn’t able to climb out of the car as quickly as Edo. One of the few advantages of Edo’s shortness. Fumi dodged a nurse pushing a stretcher, so he missed whatever Edo said at the front desk. They walked together to the elevators.
“You could just stay down here,” Edo said.
“Is that what you want?”
“Why do you think I care what you do?”
The elevator dinged, and they both entered. A third person rushed in and stood between them. The ride up was silent. The pair exited on the eleventh floor. Edo hurried to a room at the end of the hall with the broken light.
The cracked door offered a glimpse of Saiou in the bed, and the gauze covering…
Edo’s face appeared in the doorway. “Don’t come in and don’t say a word.”
He shut the door, and Fumi was left alone with his thoughts and the stuttering light. Was this the only person Edo would drop everything for? Probably. Fumi stared up at the mismatched ceiling tiles. It would be cruel to beat him, but it would be crueler to go easy on him. They’d paused in the middle of Edo’s turn. Fumi had a counter at the ready. If he-
The door abruptly opened, and Edo marched out in front of him. “I have to stay the night.”
“I see.” Fumi searched those oceanic eyes of his but found no answers, not even a flicker of emotion. “Do you want me to-”
“Stop talking.” He presented a Fusion Monster: Destiny End Dragoon. “I would have won with this.”
“There’s no way to know without us playing it out.”
“I don’t have to.” He glared at the space between his feet as though it threatened to open up and swallow him. “I have control over my own destiny. I know what’s real and what’s not, and what will come to pass is within my hands.”
Edo Phoenix spoke with a perfectly even tone yet Fumi completely understood the utter desperation he leaked. Fumi said, “Destiny’s end. Because ‘destiny’ is a farce. Right? The future could be anything depending on the choices we make.”
The stare Edo cut him was chilling. “You should leave.”
So Fumi got up and did just that.
.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.
The moment stuck with Fumiko–the side of Edo rarely seen, where he’d put aside anything to help those he truly cared for.
Amon couldn’t possibly comprehend such a sentiment.
It’s why he had to die.
“The effect of your Gigantic Thundercross allows me to special summon a monster of my choosing from my deck,” Amon said. “I summon Avatar of the Pot!”
A massive, muscular man with green skin appeared in a puff of verdant fog. The grinning Pot of Greed served as his head. It faced down Fumiko’s remaining monster, Light End Sublimation Dragon. Amon said, “My monster’s effect allows me to send Pot of Greed from my hand to the grave, and I can draw three cards!”
Fumiko swallowed; she knew he sought Exodia, and his every draw was like a dagger to her spine. He’d increased to five cards in his hand. Amon slid a spell card into the slot on his duel disk. “I activate Card Destruction!”
Both players discarded their hands and drew the same amount, him four and her two. His smile stretched. “I’ll be activating Dark Hole!”
A collapsing star dragged in Avatar of the Pot and Light End Sublimation Dragon, crushing them in its unimaginable density. The aftermath of the card left a faint shimmer in the air like fairy dust. Amon said, “I now use Galaxy Cyclone to destroy my own Fog Castle, unlocking my monster zones. Next, I’m using Ritual of the Ultimate Forbidden Lord!”
A great wind swept through the throne room, casting off all the fog and throwing the sparkles into the sky like stars. Amon wore a devilish grin as he pronounced, “You know how this works. Appear, Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord!”
The obliterating force of Exodius formed within a great tornado. The face within the black headdress and beneath the orange asp had consumed Fumiko’s thoughts.
(HOW. HOW COULD HE LOSE TO YOU?)
Broken chains hung from his limbs. His steps shook the earth. Amon said, “From my hand, I discard Right Leg of the Forbidden One and Left Arm of the Forbidden One. Exodius currently has 2000 attack. Your field is wide open. When Exodius attacks, I send Left Leg of the Forbidden one to the grave, increasing it to 3000 attack points!”
The monster Amon sold his beloved’s soul for took another earthquake of a step forward. An orb of light formed between its palms.
“Exodius!” Amon called. “Exxod Blast!”
The sphere in front of the monster tinged crimson and crackled like lightning. Fumiko stood her ground. Edo was willing to die. He wanted them safe. The least she could do was stand tall against his killer. Exodius smashed its fist into the ground. Scarlet energy thundered forward, tearing through the ground. The attack engulfed Fumiko, igniting agony along every inch of her. The scream that tore out of her was as raw and feral as a bear with a trap clamped on its bleeding leg. Her life points dropped to 1000, and she fell to her knees. Black smoke rose from her clothes. Patches of her skin felt like boiling water had been poured on them.
“Oh…”
She struggled to lift her head and hated herself for it. Her teeth were grit so hard she swore her molars could shatter at any moment. Amon stood there grinning like a dog before a raw ribeye. He continued, “Seeing you like this, I suppose I can understand Edo’s interest in you.”
Fumiko roared, threw out her duel disk arm, and pressed her hand into the razed dirt. She pushed herself up to her feet and drew for her turn. Panting, she said, “You think you’re worth something. You think you deserve to live. It’s about time your thoughts get rearranged.”
He scoffed. “You can barely stand yet talk like you-”
“Bystial Magnamhut!” she shouted. The gleam corrupted her eyes once again, and the golden glow left trails with her movements. “I banish a LIGHT monster from your graveyard to special summon it! I’m choosing Left Arm of the Forbidden One!”
“The Exodia piece,” he said, breathless. “You can’t!”
“I’m not stopping there. Bystial Saronir is summoned by the same method, so Right Leg of the Forbidden One is going with it.” She raised her chin, and her smile appeared too wide for her face. She raised her hand as though holding his heart and crushed it in her fist. “Show him true annihilation. Ingrain the song of suffering into him, so he’ll never forget what he’s caused others! LIMB ERASURE.”
A red dragon in chains aimed its arm cannon at Amon. Another like an indigo-skinned manticore fired a beam of black energy. They struck his left arm and right leg with precision, and once the beams dissipated, those limbs were gone.
Amon screamed and was forced down onto his remaining knee. His duel disk floated though the forearm was absent–as if attached to a phantom limb.
“What,” he said, eyes wide. “What?”
(Suffer and suffer and suffer and suffer and)
Fumiko’s giggle was high-pitched and lasted too long. “Your monster is weak now. Only 1000 attack! Bystial Magnamhut and Bystial Saronir attack Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord!”
Exodius blocked the attacks, and Amon’s life was untouched. His mouth remained agape at his mutilated body. “Exodius… isn’t destroyed. Spirit Barrier prevents me from taking damage…”
“What’s that? Your voice is so much quieter than before; I can hardly hear it. I set one face-down and pass turn. At my End Phase, Manamhut’s ability allows me to add a Dragon to my hand, and I choose Bystial Druiswarm.”
He sneered, attempted to stand, and failed. “I- my draw!”
It was the single card in his hand, and he hardly looked at it. “I’m not finished. Exodia is unbeatable! Exodius attacks Bystial-”
“I’ve decided you look better in the dirt,” Fumiko stated. “Bystial Druiswarm’s quick effect. I’m banishing the other leg.”
An ultramarine dragon manifested upon wings like violet drapery. A wingbeat took out Amon’s remaining leg, and he collapsed to the ground. The places where the limbs used to be wavered like heat near pavement on a blazing summer day.
Exodius did attack successfully, which sent the Right Arm to the grave. Its attack remained at 1000. Fumiko glared down at the murderer who struggled to hold himself up on his right arm. “Are you done?”
“My turn is over, but I’m not done. I’ll still win!”
She chuckled. “I use The Bystial Lubellion’s effect. By discarding it, I add Bystial Baldrake to my hand. Let’s remove that pesky arm, now, shall we?”
The last of the four primary Bystials crashed onto the field upon black, raven-like wings. It shot a monochromatic stream, which erased Amon’s right arm. The panic was plain on his face. He had to strain to even look up at her, and her smile twisted further upward.
“Your move!” Fumiko said. “Oh, don’t worry. We’ll help you.”
The distorted energy drew from his deck and hovered both of his cards in front of him. He said, “I set a card and activate Card of Demise, which draws three more cards!”
The chosen cards slid into the duel disk as though performed by a practiced hand. Amon continued, “I activate Magic Planter, which lets me draw two cards by sending Spirit Barrier to the grave! Then I use Advance Draw, tributing my own Exodius to draw two more cards! With these five, I activate my set spell, Final Destiny! I discard them all to destroy every card on the field!”
The five flew into the air and impacted the ground. They went off like a bomb spawning a mushroom cloud, and when it settled, the field was empty.
A soft blue glow emitted from Fumiko’s grave. “You destroyed a very special trap of mine. It’s called Waking the Dragon.”
“More?” he shouted. “You can benefit even from destruction?”
Fumiko’s eyes thinned. “Final Destiny. For you to use a card like that… but no. Nothing is final. Not really. I’ll annihilate you here, but your soul will continue on. After the cycles of reincarnation, maybe we’ll meet again. Maybe it’ll be just like this.”
“I’m still here,” he wheezed. “I’m not dead yet!”
Fumiko exhaled through her nostrils and gazed at the empty blackness above. There was a sort of comfort in it, in believing that great wheel of karma called life might continue on, and in it, she and Edo may meet again one day.
“With Waking the Dragon,” she said, “I special summon Destiny End Dragoon.”
Edo’s massive Fusion monster, a mix of Destiny HERO - Plasma and Destiny HERO - Dogma spawned on her field. Having its back to her rather than her facing it was an odd feeling, a kind of catharsis along with the ache of a chronic wound.
“That’s not yours!” Amon exclaimed.
It wasn’t. And yet.
“Can I take my turn yet? Or are you busy contemplating all of your possible moves?”
He had nothing in his hand nor field. “I end my turn.”
Fumiko sliced the top card off her deck. She didn’t have to look. She could infer its identity from sensation alone, a sort of spark in her veins. “I summon Hand Dragonmaid and enter my Battle Phase! By banishing both Hand and Sheou from my grave, I Fusion Summon Dragonmaid Alix!”
Her ace monster soared alongside Edo’s. The Dragonmaid and the Destiny Dragoon paired in their color schemes, too, and Alix alighted upon Dragoon’s shoulders like old friends. Lovers, even.
Fumiko fell very, very still.
“Just- fine! You won!” Amon shouted. “End it already!”
The twilight color glowing in her eyes drained like a broken neon sign. Her eyes misted over. A single tear trailed to her jawline.
(It’s all suffering.)
“I end my turn.”
Maybe she should have said how much she wanted to see him grovel and suffer more, but no, no, she wanted to see those two monsters beside each other a little bit longer.
Just a moment more.
.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.
“Do you think we’ll make it back?” Edo asked.
Fumi and Edo stood upon one of the mansion’s forgotten balconies. White lace curtains drifted in the wind behind them like waltzing ghosts. Their rustle was the only sound in the world other than the slight inhales and exhales from each other, a rhythm known by heart to them now.
The question held no trepidation nor vulnerability. Edo asked it like asking Fumi’s opinion of how the weather may turn that day. There they were, trapped in a dimension so distant from their own, yet Edo remained the exact same.
It was a comfort, ultimately.
“I’m not sure.” Fumi touched his throat. His voice still sounded raw thanks to the damage. He hoped it wasn’t permanent, but he didn’t place much faith in his hopes these days.
“What if we didn’t?” Edo said. “What if the three of us stayed like this forever?”
Though Fumi studied Edo, Edo kept gazing off into the empty and sunless horizon. Fumi murmured, “We’ve been making it. I’m worried about Ryo. His condition.”
“And if it ended up being just the two of us? What then?”
“Us two…” Fumi’s focus fell to his own feet.
“Could you do it? Tolerate me for life?”
Fumi winced. It wasn’t “tolerating.” Not at all. The thought of uttering those words twisted his insides, though. “What’s got you thinking about this?”
“You’re answering my question with a question.”
“Fine. I could.”
He scoffed. “You answer it so simply. You didn’t put any thought into it!”
“I didn’t have to.”
Edo’s brows raised, and he finally met Fumi’s eyes. He about instantly broke away, sure, but it was a bit of contact. The curtains drifted again like a bride’s veil on a windy spring day. Edo reached into his suit coat and passed a card along to Fumi.
“Destiny End Dragoon,” Fumi read aloud. “Isn’t this-”
“Take it. Keep it with you.”
“Let me,” Fumi said, reaching for his deck box.
Edo intercepted his hand. “Control yourself, would you? I’m not accepting anything in return. If you try, I’ll have no choice but to throw you over this balcony.”
“I’d like to see you try.”
Edo laughed and shook his head. “You’re infuriating. Have you ever heard the saying of being ‘married to an idea?’”
“Sure. Married to it, not married to it.”
“Funny, isn’t it? How we can throw around such lifelong commitments.” Edo pinched the ivory curtains and rubbed the lace between his fingers. “I don’t understand it at all. That’s commoners for you, I suppose.”
As he walked away, Fumi studied the card he’d been given, wondering what it could possibly mean.
.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.
Tears streamed down Fumiko’s cheeks as twin cascades.
“You’re sick!” Amon yelled. “End me already!”
The forces in the air drew his card and hovered it before him. His pinched face hinted at barely restrained tears. He said, “I summon Exodia, the Forbidden One.”
The dismembered head and torso appeared on his field. A perfect match, Fumiko thought. He’d truly become one with a powerful monster just as he had wished.
She watched Dragonmaid Alix curl around Destiny End Dragoon. It felt cruel to end it. To cut through a happy marriage.
“Sick,” Fumiko repeated. “I am sick.”
“Do it already!”
She closed her eyes, and her eyelids shivered. Her tears ceased. She breathed in deep to center herself. “I hope heaven and hell exist so you burn forever for your sins. Destiny End Dragoon! Dragonmaid Alix!”
They both poised in the air, their flights a synchronized dance.
“Attack for game!”
A blast of lightning from Dragoon’s draconic arm combined with Alix’s brilliant breath stream. Both consumed Exodia and Amon. His screams dimmed within the attack and silenced. When the energy dissipated, not a trace was left of him.
The monsters faded. Fumiko heaved breaths. Her exposed skin felt like it was on fire, and she had to limp when she walked. She approached the large throne she’d found Amon on.
Fumiko ascended to it, lounged, and crossed her legs.
And the lonely monarch waited.