Kapitel 8: Chapter 8
"So, Syrus, you wanted to talk?"
"Yeah."
"Alright, spill it. What's the issue? You asked for privacy, so it must be important. Don't tell me you're still hung up about not getting promoted or something."
"Uhm… no, that's not it. Actually, I-I…"
"You what?"
"Can you teach me how to become a better duelist?"
"A better duelist?"
"Yes! Ever since I saw you and Ja duel, I've been… inspired. I want to improve."
"..."
"I'm not that great of a duelist—nothing like my brother."
Brother?
"Hold on. Did you just say 'brother'? You're talking about Jaden, right? You always call him 'brother'."
"...No. I mean, I do, but I actually have an older brother—my real brother. You've probably heard of him."
"..."
"They call him The Kaiser."
"Wait. The Kaiser? As in the best duelist in the school?"
"Yes. Zane Truesdale. He's my big brother."
Interesting…
"So, you're saying you want to get better to impress your brother?"
"No! It's not like that… it's just… hard to explain," he muttered, looking down.
Sigh.
"Alright, give me your deck."
"What?"
"Your deck. Hand it over. I want to see what you're working with."
"Uh… sure." Syrus pulled his deck out of its box and handed it over.
I started flipping through the cards one by one.
"Hmm… I see."
"What is it, Kai?" he asked, hope flickering in his eyes.
"Your deck…"
"Yes?"
"…sucks. It's not completely hopeless, but it's barely functional. No synergy, no real strategy—except for Power Bond, and even then, I bet you mess it up every time you try to use it."
"..."
"Well, whatever. Let me show you what a real machine deck looks like."
"A machine deck? I didn't know you used machines, Kai."
"I don't. This isn't mine."
I knelt down and started rummaging under my bed.
"Uh… what are you doing?" Syrus asked, baffled.
"Hold on. I'm sure it's here somewhere…" I muttered, digging through old belongings until my hand found what I was looking for.
"A… bag?"
"The bag doesn't matter. What's inside does."
"..."
"Ta-da!" I pulled out a sleek mechanical box.
"A box?"
"A very special box," I said, placing it on the table. "Let me open it up so you can get a better look."
Syrus leaned closer, eyes filled with curiosity. As the lid opened, his anticipation was replaced by confusion.
"Wait, it's just… decks?"
"Not just decks. Look carefully. The bottom row is made up of decks my old friends used to use. The middle row is decks I built myself. And the top row? Those are the most powerful decks I own. This one in the middle? It's my strongest."
"So… your current deck isn't one of your strongest?"
"My current deck is… special. It's mine, but not mine at the same time. You wouldn't get it."
"...Yeah, no. I'm not even gonna try."
"Good. Now, take a look at this deck. It'll give you an idea of what a real machine deck should look like."
Syrus took the deck and started flipping through the cards. His eyes widened with every card he saw.
"Whoa… I've never seen anything like this before. I mean, I've seen Cyber Dragon decks, but not like this. Some of these cards—I didn't even know they existed!"
"Of course. That's what a well-built deck looks like. It belonged to one of the strongest duelists I ever knew."
"Really? They must've been amazing if you're saying that."
"..."
"I mean, you usually call everyone you duel weak or pathetic, so hearing you praise someone is… surprising."
"..."
"So, uh… what happened to this person?"
"Hm?" I snatched the deck back from him. "You've seen enough, Syrus. You should have an idea of what a good deck looks like now."
"Uh… yeah. Did I say something wrong? You seem… annoyed."
"It's nothing," I replied flatly, placing the deck back into the box and locking it up. I shoved the bag back under the bed.
"Anyway, where's Jaden? The card shop couldn't possibly take this long."
Right on cue, the door opened. Jaden strolled in with Chumley trailing behind.
"Hey, guys! Got all the cards! So, when are we playing?"
"Tonight," I said. "It'll be more fun in the dark."
"Bet."
"Uh, guys? Can we not play tonight?" Chumley asked nervously.
"What's the matter, Chum? You scared?"
"No! Syrus is, though."
"What? I'm not scared!" Syrus protested.
They're already scared. How amusing.
"Then it's settled. We'll play tonight."
At Night
The cafeteria had transformed into a shadowy realm under the dim glow of a flickering candle. The faint light cast eerie shadows that danced across the walls, creating an atmosphere thick with anticipation. The four of us—Jaden, Syrus, Chumley, and I—sat around a worn wooden table, each daring the others to break the silence that hung heavy in the air.
"Alright," Jaden said, his signature grin illuminating his face despite the darkness. "Who's going first?"
"I'll go," Syrus volunteered, though the nervous tremor in his voice betrayed his bravado. He reached for a card from the deck resting in the center of the table, his fingers shaking slightly as he flipped it over. His face twisted into a mix of excitement and trepidation. "Level 4."
"Alright, Sy," I leaned back, arms crossed, smirking. "What terrifying tale do you have for us?"
Syrus cleared his throat dramatically, trying to mask his anxiety. "So, there I was, wandering near an isolated lake. It was so quiet that the sound of my own heartbeat echoed in my ears. Then, I saw it."
"Saw what?" Jaden asked, leaning forward, his curiosity piqued.
"A card," Syrus replied, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.
"A card?" Chumley repeated, raising a skeptical brow.
"Yeah, but not just any card. It was Dark Magician Girl. Floating there, beckoning to me," Syrus said, his eyes wide with the memory. "I knelt down to pick it up, and the moment my fingers brushed the surface, the water rippled and shimmered like it was alive. Suddenly, the lake surged up, dragging me toward its depths. I couldn't breathe—I was drowning!"
"Right," I interjected, rolling my eyes. "Let me guess, the lake had a vendetta against rookie duelists?"
"Seriously, you guys could at least pretend to be scared!" Syrus huffed, crossing his arms, frustration evident on his face.
"Sorry, Sy," Jaden said with a laugh, "but that's about as scary as losing a duel to Chumley."
"Hey!" Chumley protested, his cheeks flushing with indignation.
"Alright," I said, cutting in with a smirk. "Let's see if I can do better." I reached for the deck, my fingers brushing against the top card before I flipped it over. A grin spread across my face as I announced, "Level 8."
The room fell into a tense silence, the flickering candlelight casting an ominous glow on our faces.
"So, do you guys believe in Shadow Games?" I asked, my tone dropping to a low, conspiratorial whisper.
"Just a myth," Jaden declared confidently, though I noticed the slight tremor in his voice.
"Yeah, totally made-up nonsense," Chumley agreed, his voice wavering slightly.
"What if I told you they're real?" I said, leaning in closer, the shadows deepening around me as I spoke.
"Okay, no," Syrus said, shaking his head vigorously. "I don't want to hear this."
"I do," Jaden replied, his excitement evident in his wide grin.
I locked eyes with him, drawing them into the story. "A year ago, I went to Egypt with a group of friends—four of us. We weren't there for sightseeing; we were searching for something deeper, something hidden. One fateful day, we stumbled upon a hidden catacomb, a place even the locals had forgotten."
I leaned closer, the tension palpable as I recounted my tale. "We split up to cover more ground. While I was exploring, I discovered a tomb—massive, ancient, and untouched by time. The walls were adorned with intricate carvings that seemed to come alive in the flickering light of my flashlight. But I wasn't alone."
The candlelight flickered ominously, and the room grew still.
"A woman was sitting by the tomb, shrouded in shadows. She looked at me with an unnerving smile, as if she had been waiting for my arrival. Her presence was both inviting and foreboding. I approached cautiously, my heart pounding in my chest. She spoke in a voice that sent chills down my spine, but her words were a mystery, dancing just out of reach of my understanding."
"What did you do?" Syrus whispered, his eyes wide with intrigue, leaning forward despite his earlier bravado.
"I asked her how to leave, hoping for a simple answer," I continued, "but instead, she smiled wider and said, 'Let's play a game.'"
"What happened next?" Jaden urged, hanging on every word.
"The room transformed around us. Darkness enveloped the space, and the air thickened like a heavy fog. Blood dripped from the walls, pooling at my feet as the woman... morphed into something otherworldly. Her eyes glowed with a haunting light, and she extended a Duel Disk towards me. We were to duel, and I felt the weight of fate pressing down on me."
The candle flickered again, casting long shadows across the table as I paused for effect, gauging their reactions.
"I barely won," I said, letting the tension linger. "As I stood victorious, she smiled again and tossed something at me—a small, golden eye. Before I could ask what it meant, she uttered two words that haunted me: 'Don Thousand.'"
"Don Thousand?" Jaden echoed, confusion clouding his features.
"Yeah. Then everything went black. I woke up... in my bed, the night before we even entered the catacombs."
"So it was a dream?" Syrus asked, deflating slightly, his voice laced with disappointment.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small, golden eye. It gleamed ominously in the candlelight, its surface etched with intricate, almost hypnotic patterns. "Was it?"
The room fell into a heavy silence as they processed what I had just revealed. Jaden snatched the eye from my hand, his eyes widening in disbelief as he examined it closely.
"This is real," he whispered, a mix of awe and fear in his voice.
"Sy, wanna hold it?" Jaden offered, holding it out to him.
"N-No thanks!" Syrus stammered, backing away as if the eye were a venomous snake.
"Your loss," Jaden said with a shrug as he handed it back to me. I pocketed it, a triumphant smirk on my lips.
"Alright," Jaden said, his excitement returning as he drew a card from the deck. "Let's see what I get." He flipped it over, revealing the number. "Level 1. Guess I'll share something from my childhood. When I was a kid, I used to hear voices at night coming from my deck. It happened every night for weeks, whispering secrets and challenges."
"And?" Chumley asked, leaning in, clearly intrigued now.
"Then it just stopped, like a light being turned off," Jaden finished, shrugging nonchalantly.
"That's it?" I asked, unimpressed. "Lame."
"BOO!"
We all jumped as Professor Banner suddenly appeared behind us, a wide grin plastered on his face.
"PROFESSOR BANNER!" Jaden shouted, clutching his chest as if he'd just seen a ghost. "You can't sneak up on us like that!"
Banner chuckled, clearly amused by our reaction. "So, telling ghost stories, are we? Mind if I join?"
"Sure, Prof," Jaden said, still recovering from his scare. "Draw a card."
Banner pulled a card from the deck and flipped it over. "Level 12."
Syrus's eyes widened, a look of pure dread crossing his face. "I'm going to bed," he muttered, already standing to leave.
Banner grinned, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "There's a rumor about an abandoned dorm on this island. They say the students there vanished without a trace after playing Shadow Games."
"Shadow Games again?" Chumley murmured nervously, his hands fidgeting in his lap.
Banner's grin widened, almost sinister. "It's just a story... or is it? Anyway, bedtime, gentlemen. See you tomorrow."
As he walked away, I turned to the others, a wicked smile creeping onto my face. "So, we're checking out that dorm tomorrow, right?"
"Obviously," Jaden said, his grin matching mine, a spark of excitement lighting up his eyes.
"You guys are insane!" Syrus protested, his voice rising in panic. "Didn't you hear what he said?!"
"Relax, Sy," I said, waving my hand dismissively. "It's just a story."
The Next Night
The abandoned dorm loomed before us, its shattered windows and crumbling walls covered in vines.
"You know, Chumley," I said as we approached, "I'm surprised you came."
"Watching you guys duel made me realize I've been holding back too much. And hey, exploring doesn't require a Duel Disk."
We pushed the door open, the creak echoing through the dark hallways.
"Guys," Syrus whispered, pointing at the ground. "A rose."
I picked it up, examining it closely. "It's fresh. Someone was just here."
"You shouldn't be here."
We turned to see Alexis standing behind us, her expression cold and stern.
"Alexis?" Jaden asked, surprised.
"This place isn't a joke," she said sharply. "One of the students who disappeared here was my brother."
"Your brother?" I asked, intrigued.
"Atticus Rhodes," she said softly before turning and walking away.
"Go inside," I told the others. "I'll catch up."
"Don't chicken out!" Jaden called as they entered.
Slipping into the bushes, I found him immediately.
"You can come out now," I said.
Titan stepped forward, his face pale with fear.
"You..." he stammered.
"Relax, Titan," I said with a smirk. "What are you doing here?"
"I—I was hired by Dr. Crowler to scare Jaden and... you."
"Bad luck for you," I said, stepping closer. "You know who I am, don't you?"
Titan nodded, sweat dripping down his face.
"Last time, I took your finger. Want to guess what I'll take if you screw up again?"
"N-No, please!" Titan begged.
"Good," I said, turning away. "Oh, and hide better next time. I saw you fifteen minutes ago."
I walked back to the dorm. Time to find the others.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein