Awakening

Current Day

Jaden clutched his hands to his throat; he didn't know why but it just felt so incredibly dry that it started to hurt. He lurched over in pain, his vision becoming glossed over and everything he saw now had a red tint to it like he was seeing the world through a filter.

What was wrong with him? Why was he feeling this kind of pain… it was beginning to raddle his head. And not only that, but there was another feeling that kept gnawing at him too. All day he felt like he was starving almost to the point of death, and no matter what he ate and tried to do to make the feeling go away he just couldn't shake this ravenous hunger growing inside of him.

With whatever strength he could muster, he carefully guided himself along the wall of his bedroom to try and make his way to the bathroom hoping that a cold shower would help calm himself down. When he made it to the bathroom door, he propped himself up onto the sink and looked at his reflection in the mirror.

Upon seeing his reflection, he took a step back in shock and let out an audible gasp of fear. Who he saw in the mirror looked like himself but also didn't at the same time. The person staring back at him had a grim and malice expression on his face. His skin so pale it looked almost gleaming in the dim ceiling light. But the feature that shocked him the most was the glaring, glowing golden hued eyes that replaced his once honey brown ones.

"Hello other me." Said the apparition. "What the hell? Just who and what are you and what are you doing to me?!" Jaden yelled out in anger but then started coughing as the sensation in his throat only got worse. "What am I? The real question Jaden is what are you? I bet you don't even know the answer to that." The stranger then started to give a low chuckle which evolved into a heart wrenching laugh that shook Jaden's soul to the core.

The figure tilted his head back and continued to laugh almost as if he enjoyed seeing his 'other self' in such a despicable position. "You still didn't answer my question! What are you doing to me? What's happening to my body?!" The golden eyed man stopped laughing and his face became a blank expression, now making it hard to figure out exactly what he was feeling. "All I'm doing is finally waking up, and so are you. It's time to stop dreaming Jaden."

With that final sentiment, Jaden no longer had the strength to stay conscious and collapsed with a large thud on the ground.

A Week Ago

It was the first day of school and Jaden and his friends second year at the prestigious Duel Academy! Last year was filled with a lot of drama because of the constant harassment from the teachers and students who ridiculed Jaden just for being a Slifer Red. So many people challenged him to a duel to try and make a fool out of him, but despite that, Jaden continued to prove his metal by winning every duel thrown his way.

And to top it all off, him and his friends were tasked with protecting the seven spirit gate keys from falling into the clutches of the evil duelist group known as the seven Shadow Riders. The only way for the Shadow Riders to take the keys from them was to win them in a duel. And if all seven keys were assembled, they would unleash one of the ultimate evils onto the world and destroy everything. This evil is known as the three Sacred Beast Cards.

But with much resilience, Jaden was able to be the last one amongst his friends to protect his key and beat the final Shadow Rider. And with the threat seemingly avoided, peace came back to their lives if only but for a moment.

The person who had assembled the Shadow Riders was also the same person who tasked Chanceller Sheppard with finding people to protect the keys, the former chairman of Duel Academy, Kagemaru.

Kagemaru had refused to give up having not expecting to lose, and instead of accepting defeat, used the keys regardless to free the three Scared Beast Cards and challenged Jaden to a duel. While everyone else seemed to have been negatively affected by the effects of the Sacred Beast Cards, Jaden stood strong and was the only one who was able to stand up and challenge Kagemaru.

The duel was tough, and Jaden came close to losing, but like the gifted duelist he is he pulled out all the stops and managed to get himself another victory. Thus, earning him the title as the savior of the world and the renown of his fellow classmates!

But now that it's the new school year, Jaden and his friends hoped that the peace would last and that this time they would have an easy school year just to be teens, hangout and continue learning the art of Duel Monsters.

"Hey! Hey Jaden!" Said Syrus who saw his best friend as they both departed off the boat and onto the docks. "Hey Syrus! It's so good to see you again! Is it just me or did you grow an inch over the summer?" Said the smiling brown haired Slifer to his short companion. "Aw shucks that's nice of you to say, but no I'm still the same size sadly. No growth spurt for me just yet. But you on the other hand Jay, seemed to have grown up quite a bit over the break."

Jaden gave a cheeky laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. It is true that he had undergone some changes since the last time him and his best friend saw each other. He had grown taller by at least three inches and his facial features seemed to have aged him three years. From the way he looked now, you wouldn't have thought that he was only fifteen years old going on sixteen in just one week.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. Puberty just hit me like a truck you know? But don't worry Sy you'll get your turn soon!" The two best friends continued to chat it up and share their exploits of what they had accomplished during the summer break. They both made their way towards the Slifer Red Dorms to unpack their luggage and get settled in. Luckily, they were still roommates and even had the same room from last year. Indeed, it was good to be back at their home away from home.

After they finished unpacking, they made plans to go and meet up with their other friends in front of the Slifer Red Dorm, but before they could go and meet up with them, they heard a knock at the door. Jaden stood up from his bunk and opened the door for their unexpected visitor.

"Uh hey. How can I help you?" He stood face to face with someone he had never met before. It was a boy who appeared younger than him, probably a freshman. He had silver hair and blue eyes but the funniest thing about his look was that he was wearing a professional tailored suit. Just who did this kid think he was?

"Sorry to interrupt you guys when you seem so busy, but I heard I could find the schools top duelist here. Is this the dorm room of Jaden Yuki?" "Yeah, you got the right place and you're talking to the right guy! If it's a duel you're after, then you're in luck because I was just looking for one!" Said Jaden with much glee in his voice, excited for another new challenger.

The two along with Syrus not far behind, headed towards the beach that lay beneath the cliff next to the Slifer Red Dorms where they planned to have out their duel. "I don't think I caught your name freshman. So, what is it?" Jaden asked his opponent.

The younger boy smirked and scratched his cheek. "I guess you could just call me AP for now." Jaden gave him a confused look but didn't question it. "That's a funny name but okay AP let's see what you got! Get your game on!" And with that they both activated their duel disks.

Their friends, Alexis, Chazz and Bastion came at just the right time to see Jaden and AP begin their duel. "Hey Syrus, did we miss something?" Said the beautiful girl known as Alexis Rhodes, the most popular girl at school. Syrus greeted his friends and began to fill them in on the situation. "So basically, this kid just came out of nowhere saying he wanted a duel with the best duelist at the academy and challenged Jaden!"

"Well, if he wanted to have a duel with the best then he's hitting up the wrong guy! The Chazzter would make for way better competition than that Slifer Slacker!" proclaimed Chazz, his friends giving annoyed sighs at his bold statement.

"Are you forgetting Chazz that Jaden and you have a three-to-zero-win streak? Him having three while you have zero. How can you call yourself the best when you haven't even beaten him once?" Said Bastion. "Quiet you guys! I'm trying to watch the match here!" Said Syrus a little annoyed by his friends bickering.

The duel had already almost come to an end with AP showing that he wasn't completely bad and proved to be a bit challenging for Jaden since his defenses were so strong. Jaden could barely deal him any damage, but it wasn't nothing that he couldn't handle. However, Jaden did notice that there wasn't something quite right with his opponent's deck as it seemed to be comprised of random cards that didn't go together.

A couple of turns later and Jaden beat AP with an astounding combo that caused him to receive 4000 points of damage. "And that's game! I got to tell you AP, you almost gave me a run for my money. But with a little bit more practice I know you're going to be an excellent duelist one day, so keep it up!" The two shook hands and AP gave a small chuckle. "Thanks for the awesome duel Jaden. You're as good as they say you are, but next time you won't be so lucky!" And then he walked away.

Syrus stared as the young man walked away and began to have a thoughtful look on his face. "Wait, he said his name was AP? And he looks kind of familiar…" He began rummaging through his bag and pulled out a magazine and started flipping through the pages. "I knew it! AP isn't just his name, it's short for Aster Pheonix! The number one duelist ranked in the pro leagues!" he said as he turned the book to show the others.

Jaden grabbed the book from Syrus's hands and stared closely at the picture of the pro he just faced. "Sweet! You mean to tell me I just beat a pro? I knew I was good, but I didn't think I was that good!" And just as he said that Dorothy, the owner of the card shop on campus came over to greet them.

She looked at the book herself and immediately recognized Aster's picture. "Hey, I know that boy! He stopped by my shop and asked if I had any packs for sale. I told him I only had a few random ones tucked away from last year, but he insisted he wanted to buy them anyway."

Everyone looked shocked at the realization of what just happened. "Wait! So, he almost beat me with a deck he made today from random cards?!" Jaden said dumbfounded. If he wasn't even using his real deck, then how would the duel have ended if he did?

Chazz burst out in laughter and started pointing at Jaden with a mocking finger. "Like I always say slacker, dream on! That kid would have totally crushed you! Unlike me of course being the awesome duelist, I am! Perhaps he chose the wrong opponent after all." Again, this caused his friends to all blurt out a sigh.

"Whatever you say Chazz. But honestly, hearing this just makes me that more excited for a rematch! And I'm counting on it to be a good one!" Jaden proclaimed while punching his fist into the air in a confident pose. "You hear me, Aster?! Next time I'm going to give you everything I've got, and I hope you do the same for me!"

Off in the distance, Aster could hear Jaden and his friends continue to talk and laugh, by now he knew that they had probably already discovered his secret identity. Of course, how could they not know who he was considering he was the best duelist in the country, and they did go to a school for the dueling elite after all.

His phone began to ring, the collar ID belonging to his manager Sartorius, so he answered. "I dueled the kid you asked me to. But I don't understand. I know the cards said that he would beat me. But I went easy on him like you said I should, so that's not much of a surprise. Why did you want me to challenge him anyway?"

On the other end of the line sat Sartorius who had himself seated at a table with a bunch of tarot cards. "The future has told me that it needed to be done my boy. Do not forget our true objective. The Society of Light exists to serve the forces of light, and the cards have shown to me that there is a great darkness residing at Duel Academy." Sartorius began to reshuffle his cards to draw a new set, the first card being the death card, then the Devil, and last the tower.

"I know now for a fact that a darkness is going to overcome the academy, and it is our duty as servants of the light to defend against it and preserve our shimmering philosophies." Aster pondered what his manager had just said but still didn't quite understand. "But what does all of that have to do with Jaden?" Asked the young pro.

"Do you not recall the incident that occurred last year? A lone freshman Slifer student combated all three Sacred Beast Cards and beat them back into submission. A soul like that must have undoubtable power. And guess who that student was." It didn't take long for the realization to sink into Aster's brain.

"Jaden. Jaden Yuki was that very student, wasn't he? But still, he didn't seem all that much to me. He was good, better than most. But not better than me." Declared Aster. Sartorius was no fool, and the cards never lie. But the only thing he couldn't decipher from the cards was whether Jaden was to be an ally, or an enemy. And that's what he needed Aster and his followers to find out for him.

"Don't take Jaden Yuki lightly my boy. I have a hunch that the darkness we've been expecting is going to have something to do with him. A boy with powers such as his must have a great destiny ahead of him. If he is an agent of darkness, then we must dispose of him accordingly. Unless however, we can get ahold of him before the darkness takes control completely. Then perhaps we could add him as an asset to our cause." Sartorius stated. If he could get Jaden to come and join him, then his goal would be achieved that much swifter.

Aster closed his eyes and took a deep breath, contemplating all the choices he would have to make from here on out. And remembering all the things that happened in his life that ended him up where he was now.

The darkness took everything from him when he was but a small child. And since then, it has become his life mission to eradicate all entities that sprung from the darkness, in hopes that the darkness wouldn't hurt anyone else like it had hurt him. "I understand. I will do my best master." And then he hung up.

Night had finally settled at Duel Academy, and all the students were safely in their beds resting. But one Slifer student was not having a good night's sleep like the rest of his classmates. Jaden could not lay still, tossing and turning with cold sweat dripping down his face. He was having a terrible nightmare, one he felt like he would never wake up from.

He was swimming in a sea that was the color of blood, with the moon shining above him in the midnight sky. The waves constantly battling him as he struggled to keep his head above water. Every clash of the waves he felt continued to sap away his strength until he started to sink.

"Help me please! Someone, anyone!" He took one last deep breath before his head became completely submerged and slowly, the sea dragged him down deeper and deeper. The shining light of the moon on the water's surface becoming dimmer in the distance, the sign of his hope starting to leave him. All he could see around him now was red, and below him he saw nothing except for a black abyss waiting to swallow him whole.

Jaden was not ready to give up the fight and attempted to struggle his way back up towards the surface, but despite his efforts he could feel that something was holding him back. He peeked down below him and saw a gangling black claw gripping at his ankle refusing to let him go. But not just that, from the abyss shown two glowing golden eyes that stared up at him with intense malicious intent. One could also describe it as the essence of pure evil.

A booming voice echoed around Jaden so loud that it engraved itself into his mind. "There is no escape from me. You're mine now." Panic began to boil inside of him until eventually, he couldn't hold onto his breath any longer, and he started to drown. Jaden could feel the claws start to ensnare around his body, keeping a stern hold on him. His eyelids began to flutter shut and then everything went black.

"NO!" Jaden shouted as he sprung up in his bunk bed, his t-shirt soaked in his sweat. He clutched a hand to his chest. His heart was pounding so hard that he could hear the blood rushing in his ears. Syrus jumped down from the bed right above his after hearing his friend's sudden outburst.

"Jaden! Are you okay?!" Said the concerned short Slifer. It was rare for Syrus to see his best friend who was known to be very brave, trembling. In fact, Syrus had never seen Jaden so fearful like this for as long as he'd known him. "What's wrong? You know you can tell me anything. We're best friends! If something is on your mind, then I want to know about it, Jay." Syrus's brow furrowed with worry.

Jaden just sat there, unmoving and unresponsive. He knew that Syrus was trying to comfort him, but currently his surroundings felt small and nothing else was important to him. He just couldn't get that dream out of his head. It was like it kept replaying on a loop and he could still feel the weight of the water that was crushing him in his dream. There had to be a bigger meaning behind this, it wasn't by mere chance. Jaden knew that he had nothing to fear because the last year of his life was filled with nothing but his triumphs. So then why? What was he so incredibly afraid of?

There was a long moment of silence. Syrus didn't want to press a response out of Jaden since he figured that what Jaden dreamt of must have been very traumatic for the dueling prodigy. The happy go lucky brunette he knew wasn't present right now and that was a new experience for Syrus to witness unfold in his friend.

"Sy, I'm sorry I woke you up buddy. Don't worry about me, okay? I just had a bad dream, that's all. Go back to sleep." Jaden faked a stretch and a yawn to deter his friends worries. Syrus was at first reluctant, not fully believing that there was nothing to worry about. But he went back to bed anyways deciding that he should trust Jaden's words.

Jaden rolled over and faced towards the wall. He couldn't go back to sleep no matter how hard he tried to lull himself into slumber and laid there awake by himself for hours until the sun rose over the horizon.

Not too far from the Slifer Red Dorms stood three hooded figures, hiding themselves within the thicket of the leaves. The biggest of the three pulled a cellphone out from beneath his cloak and dialed up a number. "Master Sartorius. I'm reporting in to confirm your suspicions. We can sense the balance of light and darkness beginning to stir within Jaden Yuki. What are your orders?"

Sartorius again sat at his tarot card reading table, contently looking at the cards he pulled that would determine Jaden's future. He proceeded to pick up the death card and stared at it with much contemplation. "It's still much too early to make any brass decisions. I want you to keep observing him on my behalf and report any progress of his… condition. Understood?"

The tall, hooded figure gave an audible humph in agreement and then hung up the phone. "Well, we have our orders. The boy lives. For now, anyways." And just like shadows in the night, they faded away as if they were never there. Leaving no crumb or trace.