Chapter 11: Void Card

Reyn found himself in darkness, cold and naked. He was lying on a hard and rough floor. Something crawled on top of him, naked as he is. Lott's face came down where he could visibly see as their bodies rubbed softly against each other.

Her lips descended to his ear as she whispered, "Pound me, daddy!"

"Ahhh!" A short cry forcefully came out from Reyn's mouth while his upper body shot up to a sitting position. His face was in full terror, as if he had woken up from a horror story.

He looked down to his wrist and found the mark left by Lott. Although, he had no knowledge of the symbol, for some reason, he knew it depicted a number. Eleven was the only thing his mind could tell.

It was dark and Reyn had to carefully maneuver inside the house to turn on the lights. He found his phone beside the backpack he used to pillow. The time was 6:14 in the evening. He had logged out from the game because his body couldn't move, and almost slept for two hours.

He had eaten a lot earlier. There was no appetite for his insatiable stomach at the moment. Only thing in his mind were Lott's words. All of it struck true. Arrogance can sometimes overwhelm humility. Such is the sloth of pretending to know everything. Thus, he didn't have any determination or goals. The call of the moment was the only thing that urged him to act.

"What is it that I want?" Reyn muttered softly while contemplating, "I know of none."

The fate of a man with no direction is like a death sentence. Lack of purpose in this world can only mean the you have no reason to be alive.

Suddenly, Reyn's phone vibrated. He brought it up to his face and saw a new message.

[Luke: HELP! ROOFTOP!]

Concern surfaced on Reyn's face. Luke was not a troublemaker and he would rarely ask for help. Even though he had a big mouth, he knew when to shut up if the moment called for silence.

The rooftop was twenty minutes walk away. Ten if he jogged. It was an abandoned building they used to hangout to watch the sunset.

Rushing outside, he slammed the door close and dashed north. The night was young as streetlights flickered, showering visibility beneath them.

Ten minutes later, Reyn arrived at his destination. A five floored building, located at the border between District C and B. It was tall enough to peer through the city and able to grasp a sight of the Cathedral Sea.

The structure was isolated with concrete walls about ten feet high. Its vicinity was dark as lights from the surrounding area couldn't penetrate. Reyn had to turn on the flashlight of his phone as he entered the rundown gate.

Inside the building, the stairs leading to the upper floor collapsed a long time ago. Luckily, he and Luke found a metal ladder around the area and used to climb up to the second floor through a hole in the ceiling.

As Reyn climbed up, the sound of the creaks and thumps echoed in the enclosed place. The stairs on the second floor leading above was intact. When he reached the third floor he began to pant.

'I'm lacking stamina, nowadays. I might need to cut some weight.' Reyn thought as his pace dramatically slowed down. At the top floor, he saw Luke looking down. He was still wearing his school uniform. With the new game, it was not a surprise that he had been going at it without sleeping or changing his clothes.

"Hey!" Reyn called out.

"Holyshit!" Luke's eyes instantly recognized him. He was worn out with his clothes wet from sweat, just like Reyn.

"What's up?" Reyn approached with the light from his phone directed at his friend.

"Get that away from me!" Luke swiped his hands, motioning Reyn to move the light somewhere. "I don't know if I'm dreaming or still inside the game!" He said. "I logged out from Shadow Game a few hours ago to buy some food. As I went back to my apartment, I accidentally pressed the Shadow Chip. You know, the small thing that envelopes your head?"

"Yeah, I know."

"Wait! You've been playing?"

"Yeah."

Luke showed an annoyed face as he continued to narrate, "Some random dude noticed this and talked to me. He said he wanted to duel. I didn't fucking know what he was talking about but I realized he was also a player from Shadow Game. We went to an alley. The dude tried to fucking kill me! He said, 'Let the Shadow Game begin!' and summoned a hero as if we were inside the game. I didn't run back to my apartment. I was afraid that he will follow me and know my place. I lost him somewhere on the west street from here."

Reyn was silent for a moment. He then asked, "Have you heard of Shadow Duelists?"

"Yes.." Luke recalled something and brought up his phone, "It's the new trend on the Summoner's Roost. They're saying that only descendants from Shadow Duelists can play Shadow Game."

Reyn stared at the link and decided to check it out as well. He said, "Have you tried calling the police?"

"No I didn't," Luke's face was a bit troubled, "The veterans of the game said that we take care of our own. If anyone tried to reveal our community, there are serious consequences."

Reyn sighed and decided to tell his friend something that's been bothering him, "I think Shadow Game is an alternate reality. If you die there, you die here."

The two exchanged stares for sometimes. Luke finally had the words as he said in a shaky voice, "I know you don't talk crazy but the last thing I want to hear is you talking crazy."

"Let's get out of here," Reyn motioned for his friend to follow.

"But we're safer here?" Luke objected.

"What if that dude showed up and blocked the stairs? Can you fly off the roof?" Reyn dismissively waved a hand and ran downstairs.

"Shit! You got a point." Luke chased down.

When the duo hit the streets below, they turned east, opposed to the direction where Luke lost the man trying to kill him.

"Have you read the Void Cards?" Reyn questioned as they warily watched their surroundings while walking.

"It was back in the morning when the new announcement came. What about them?"

"It's said that you can use it here. But I don't know how? Been trying to will one into existence. I guess I'm just a kid fantasizing some stuffs." Reyn explained, with an awkward face.

"With the things I saw earlier, I don't know anymore." Luke said, his eyes wandered. He was never in a life-threatening situation before as he finally experienced true fear for the first time.

"Wait! What if we activate the Shadow Chip!?" They both said in unison.

Pressing above their ears, their heads were instantly covered in a black helmet as light flickered on their faces.

"I never really saw the chip's transformation, but these things in our heads are really cool in appearance." Luke excitedly exclaimed as he stared at Reyn's headpiece.

Just as they chattered, a figure appeared a dozen meters away from their location. Luke recognized the person and shouted, "It's him!"

"You are really clueless, aren't you?" The person said, flexing his wrist, "You haven't noticed that I've already cast a spell."

Luke turned to his side and saw his friend choking from an invisible hand, "Reyn!"

"They are saying that Shadow Duelists are returning here in the Main Continent. I thought I might chime in and join the fun of the Shadow Game your ancestors created. But all I see are children, not even knowing the basic of magic."

Seeing the kid trying to help his friend futilely, the person continued, "Witness how we Blood Summoners perform magic," He bit the flesh on his wrist as blood flowed down to the ground and formed a circle around him. "Crill, come forth and do my bidding!"

A creature with pointy ears and long neck forced it way out from the ground. It's orange skin painted with red stripes, as it held a spear and a shield. The eyes were deep red, and a mouth filled with fangs snarled, saliva rolling down.

Luke took a step back while dragging Reyn. He had seen the process earlier. It was a grotesque way to perform magic. He was in a state of panic as he couldn't run like before because his friend was completely immobilised.

"Void Card!" With no other hope, he shouted. To his surprise a blank card appeared in his hand. "What do I do with this?" He muttered, teeth clattering. A sudden courage bursted from him as he mocked, "You shit! The way you dressed really creeps me out!"

The person stared down on his own body. He was wearing a yellow robe with a blue strap on his waist. The robe flowed down inches below his knees, forming a skirt. Dubious as to what the kid is talking about, it was not his concern. At the moment, something changed with the kid and he was becoming more curious to the card he held.