CHAPTER 20

A/N:

Sorry for the wait, I got sick the day after Chinese New Year for two weeks, and had exams in the next two. I'm free now though, at least until the next semester in April, so I'm back in full swing!

After this chapter, some newer stuff that I've been cooking on Pa tre on (cough, quick shoutout, cough) will be posted (it's a recent addiction to be added to the list of fandom ideas), so enjoy that as well!

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Watching the wave of magic dissipate into the atmosphere, he couldn't help but stretch his body, groaning as he popped the knots in his back, sighing in relief.

"Having a physical body for once feels good!"

He murmured, savoring the sensation of being corporeal after years as a spirit.

Standing right beside him, Teleios coughed lightly into her fist before tapping the ground with her staff, drawing his attention. She raised her staff and pointed at the panicking spectators, her expression urging him to address the situation.

"Ah, right. Totally forgot about them."

He muttered, admittedly, shaking off his momentary distraction.

Placing his hand on his deck, he breathed in deeply before pulling out a card with a practiced motion, holding it up for the crowd to see as he yelled with authority in his voice.

"You lot have played with human lives as if you were gods! For this crime, I hereby banish all of you to the Shadow Realm for all of eternity! Begone!"

The arena fell into a tense silence, the spectators frozen in fear, not daring to make a noise. He waited for a few seconds, tapping his foot on the ground impatiently before he glanced at the card with a confused look.

Ah, wrong card.

The Queen of Witchcraft simply raised an eyebrow, her expression a mix of amusement and exasperation. He responded with a sheepish grin, scratching his chin.

"Hey, give me a moment; it's been a while."

She rolled her eyes, snapping the fingers of her free hand. A card slid slightly out from his deck, as if guided by an unseen force.

"Oh, thanks. Knew I could count on you, Milady."

He grabbed the card, clearing his throat as he prepared to repeat his declaration, authority bleeding back into his voice as he yelled.

"You lot have played with human lives as if you were gods! For this crime, I hereby banish all of you to the Shadow Realm for all of eternity! BEGONE!"

This time, the card in his hand glowed with an ominous dark energy, resonating with his intent. The crowd gasped collectively as dark shadows began to swirl around them, slowly pulling them into the depths of the shadow.

Panic turned into screams and cries, but it was too late. One by one, they were consumed by the shadows, their forms fading and merging into nothingness.

As the last of the spectators vanished, the arena fell silent once more. A heavy stillness settled over the space as light returned to the arena, as if the darkness had never descended. The eerie calm was a stark contrast to the chaos that had just unfolded.

"There, you happy?"

He asked with a hand on his hip. Teleios simply hummed, magic rising in the air before she pointed her staff at his neck.

SNAP!

With a loud snap, the metal collar around his neck broke into pieces, clattering to the ground. He rubbed his neck, feeling the raw marks and the faint scars left by the electrocution device.

"Can't leave him with scars, can we?"

He muttered to himself as a hue of green light enveloped his palm. Gently, he placed it on his neck, breathing a sigh of relief as the recovery magic took effect, soothing the pain and healing the scars. The warmth spread through his skin, mending the damage and leaving his neck smooth and unblemished.

While the magic did its job, he looked at the queen with a thankful smile.

"Thanks for the beacon signal that your Witchcrafters placed. If I hadn't come in time, this guy would have been toasted!"

He thanked her, pointing at himself to refer to "himself" as Teleios nodded, her body starting to fade away into motes of gold. Her time in the Human World has reached its limit, it seems.

"I'll be sure to make a few copies of you in "his" deck; don't worry."

With a nod, she gave a smile before she fully faded into the air, returning back into the Spirit World. Her presence lingered for a moment longer, his eyes resting on the spot where she had previously occupied before he sat onto the ground.

Feeling his newly healed skin void of any marks or scars, he took the cards out from his Duel Disk and concentrated deeply. A second later, two card copies of Witchcrafter Teleios and Witchcrafter Experimentation manifested from nothing, revolving in the air before they flew and joined the cards into a whole deck.

Holding onto the deck, he decided to relinquish control back to Ken, his body glowing an aura of gold. Rolling his shoulder, he couldn't help but get excited to watch the aftermath of this whole debacle.

"Ken, one day we will duel each other, and it will be legendary; that I have no doubts!"

He breathed in, enjoying his last breath of air before he fully let go, his eyes looking at the reflection of "his" face reflected from the metal ground.

"Well, I'll be seeing you soon, partner!"

A second later, the world suddenly fades into nothing.

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Yusou Ken POV

Stirring awake, he couldn't help but groan at the massive headache he was currently experiencing, the pain similar to as if someone had shot him in the head with a bullet.

Placing his hand on his face, he tried washing away this migraine by massaging the temple of his nose when he suddenly remembered what happened, the memories of the duel against Bandit Keith hitting him like a sledgehammer.

Gasping at the rush of memories and realization, he quickly got up—huh, he was in a hospital ward.

That's... That's good. That means that—

The door to the hospital room suddenly barges open, revealing a familiar figure. Ken really couldn't forget that hairstyle once he saw it in person.

"Yusou-boyya! You're awake!"

"P-Pegasus."

Seeing the familiar sight caused all the muscles in his body to relax as he breathed a sigh of relief, resting his head on the hospital bed's pillow with a flop.

"How did I...?"

"We found you, 4 days ago, with my whole militia in an abandoned warehouse that served as an arena. We tried to find those responsible for your abduction, but not a single soul, except for you, who fainted on a metal platform in the air."

Pegasus took a seat on the couch next to his bed as he asked.

"Could you please explain what had happened?"

And so he did, explaining with as much detail as he could from the start, with his parents selling him to pay off their debt to the end of the duel against Bandit Keith.

"—I was one move away from winning the duel; Teleios had another action during the Battle Phase that would have won the game, but Bandit Keith cheated by activating the shock collar on my neck, and... something happened; I can't really remember other than a searing pain to my forehead. I blacked out, and then I woke up here in the hospital."

Pegasus stayed silent as he processed the play-by-play of the whole situation. Ken could feel that Pegasus had more questions than answers after the explanation, but he simply nodded and stood up abruptly.

"Yusou-boyya, do not worry. I will find those responsible and send them to a place where even the sun doesn't shine. And as for your parents..."

He trailed slightly, watching his reaction. Ken simply shrugged as he stated without any mercy.

"They're more like my caretakers instead of parent figures. Put them in jail for all I care; they deserve it after trying to sell a human being, their own blood nonetheless."

"Yes, they deserve a full sentence after what they've done! To a child, my word, humankind is both beautiful and ugly at the same time."

Pegasus, shockingly, growled with anger before he schooled his expression, calming down with a deep breath before clearing his throat.

"Your hospital bills and compensation will be paid in full—no, this is non-negotiable, Yusou-boyya."

The chairman raised his hand just as Ken was about to retort, looking at him with a serious expression.

"You were targeted due to my involvement and because of my negligence, as information about you was leaked even though I had commanded my team to keep it tightly secure."

"Pegasus, my parents had a hand in this too. Heck, they're the main instigators; they would have eventually sold me, with or without your involvement. You can't blame yourself for the whole situation."

"My employees are granted protection as well, Yusou-boyya. You are an asset that my company clearly failed to protect, all because of bribes and deceit. I've since cleared them from the company and any business related to Duel Monsters. This, along with helping me rid myself of traitors, will be your compensation."

Ken held his tongue, seeing that the man in front of him had already made up his mind, and sighed. Just thinking about playing Duel Monsters was...

"Fine. Just... can I take a break from Duel Monsters? I think I deserve a break after all that happened."

The faces of those he killed surfaced from his mind, causing him to shudder slightly. Pegasus noticed it, his expression softening.

"Of course, my company and I will handle everything; don't you worry. Paid leave from both work and school for a month, I will contact your headmaster regarding the leave."

Walking near him, Pegasus placed his hand on his shoulder, comforting the teenager with his own experience in his youth with a gentle look on his face as he gave a piece of advice.

"... You can never forget, only move on."

"I—I just don't feel remorse or anything like that. I had to do what I did to live, you know? Shouldn't I feel guilty for choosing to kill them?"

Ken muttered, completely confused over his emotions, looking at his hands stained by metaphorical blood. The creator of Duel Monsters simply looked out from the window, silent before he whispered.

"I can never understand what you've gone through, but I have also done horrible crimes in my past. So I speak with experience: the only way you can move on is if you forgive yourself.

That, Yusou-boyya, will be the hardest part of your journey."

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3rd POV

Walking out of the hospital ward, Pegasus stood outside the door in silence when Muto Yugi, who waited patiently outside, stood from the seat opposite the ward.

"How is he?"

The question prompted Pegasus to sigh slightly.

"Physically his body is in the pink, but mentally... He requested to take a break from Duel Monsters, and I allowed it."

Yugi nodded, his expression somber. He understood all too well—one moment, you're lost in the thrill of a game you love, and the next, you're fighting for your life trying to survive.

It's something most people can't fathom, how deeply that kind of pressure can scar your psyche. Thankfully he had Atem to guide him through the process, but Yusou didn't.

Shifting gears to the main topic, the reason he had called for Yugi, Pegasus' demeanor grew more serious.

"I can sense it. The lingering magics of a Shadow Game... it's faint, but they're still there."

Yugi's expression twisted in realization.

"It seems that I was right. A real Shadow Game occurred, but how?"

They both knew that Shadow Games could only be constructed by a possessor of a Millennium Item, but they were already decommissioned with the departure of his other self.

"Questions after questions with no answers solved. It seems that the future is looking rather hectic, don't you think, Yugi-boyya?"

Pegasus chuckled, but the sound was hollow, lacking its usual mirth. Yugi sighed, absentmindedly brushing his hand over the chain around his neck.

Then, he suddenly recalled a promise that he made earlier.

Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out a card and flipped it over. The image of The First Darklord stared back at him as he whispered to the card

"My apologies, I'm sure you'd like to see your Duelist now."

He focused, channeling the little power he had left into the card, watching as it shimmered before vanishing into thin air. Noticing the confused expression from Pegasus, he explained.

"He had requested that I bring him to Yusou when we raided his house for clues. And I think having a paired Duel Spirit around will do good for his mental health."

With a hum, Pegasus nodded, agreeing with the decision Yugi had made. Together, they walked away from the hospital room, their minds set on getting to the bottom of the mystery that had begun to sprout.

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There's currently extra chapters that I haven't posted, want to stockpile them beforehand, so if you want to read early come join!

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