9 Ninth

The next morning.

- Ah!

And like a monkey in the jungle, William let out a high-pitched Tarzanian scream. A clear sign of absollutly fright.

- What on earth...?

The Kansas native had had an ugly dream. What it was about, you'd soon find out. For now, he was lying on his back and breathing sickly. His eyes were bleary-eyed and his mind was dancing back and forth between Michigan and Wisconsin.

-I dreamed I died and then woke up in a cartoon world. It was horrible! Horrible! Huh?

Already more aware of himself and his surroundings, William was assaulted by some stomach cramps. Alarms were ringing back and forth in his chrism. His face took on the shape of a pineapple.

- Looks like it wasn't a bad dream. Shit!

William cursed inwardly. His mood dropped a few notches to an almost critical state of melancholy. He stuck his face to the ground, spiritless.

- Daisy.

William murmured sadly. A doggy tear ran down his cheek. He missed his wife terribly. She was everything to him and he was everything to her. And yet he could barely content himself with the memory of her. Memories that were becoming increasingly fuzzy in the back of his mind. But William was not a weak or whiny person. His faithful resolve always found a way to keep him afloat. So, and ignoring his own regrets, William stood up and organized his suitcase storing in them all his shed tears and lost feathers. He had a prize to win. A new goal in mind.

- Here I go!

exclaimed a resolute young man. William would pursue greatness no matter who stood in his way. Even if he didn't know the very meaning of that phrase.

- Would you shut the hell up, you heavy!

That's how William began his truculent journey through the Duelist Kingdom.

- Oi Oi! I'm sorry! Sorry!

Half an hour later. At the gates of a medieval castle.

-... To win the $3 million prize, you must earn ten stars! With ten stars you will enter the castle to face me in the final duel!...

After a short discursive pause the host of the tournament, Pegasus J. Crawford, continued his pompous tirade. The mood of the general public was growing. From the expressions of those present his work was proving to be a complete success. That filled him with happiness. He loved that everyone enjoyed his creation. It was the dream of every artist to see with his own eyes, how his work is duly appreciated.

-... This tournament is nothing like what you know! The most advanced dueling grounds cover the island and you will be governed by curious and novel rules! I would say what those rules are, but that would take the fun out of it. You'll find them out as you go along, or you won't hesitate long - remember! Play boldly, think strategically, and fight ruthlessly! You have one more hour to prepare yourselves and your decks, and when the sky lights up with fireworks, the games will begin!

concluded excited the illustrious white-haired man. He turned his back on his fans and entered the castle. His plans were unfolding as planned. He smiled. He had nothing to complain about as long as he got his way. On the other hand...

- Siuuu! Quite an introduction.

William was quite surprised. He hadn't expected the creator of the Monster Duel to be an individual like Pegasus. A wealthy aristocrat, well-to-do and eccentric to boot. It was certainly someone very particular. Of course, surprise was not his only emotion. No. He was also troubled by the words of his host. New rules. There were different rules from the ones he had learned and that, my friends, absolutely terrified him.

- What do I do now? I had a hard time learning those rules. If there are any mores my head will explode, definitely.

Feelings of uneasiness were going around in the boy's head, and no matter what he did or tried to do, they would not go away in any way. Slowly he made his way down the stairs until he came to a big open square, full of people. Duelists. But he was in no mood to challenge or be challenged at the moment. So he sought a secluded spot and waited for the hour to pass.

- Let come what must come.

William sighed, sitting down in the shade of a tree. He took out his deck of cards and looked at the deck he had painstakingly created. The deck in which all his hopes lay. And for once in his life he felt something new and different inside himself. A fire like no other. A strange but burning desire for victory. As William held those cards he looked like a totally different person. The Kansas native was changing, that world and that game were changing him. One could only hope it was for the better.

- Tri-Horned Dragon.

William paused for a moment to look at that card, that dark and seemingly evil dragon with three long horns on its head. From the first day he had held that card in his hands, he had sensed a kind of bond. Something really disturbing that whispered things in his ear. A special connection that bound his being to that beast. Inside his mind, tiny forgotten flashes were appearing. It was an undeniably unnatural and alluring process. Blurred memories of times past clouded his judgment and for a long period of time his eyes became completely empty, lifeless.