The screams rose as I tried to summon whatever strength I had left. But there was none - my spells consumed, my creatures obliterated, my permanents and fortresses swallowed by the raging Darkness.
Soon, I found myself alone. I held out the cards used for the summoning of the Dualities as the Darkness loomed over me.
Useless. He echoed.
"To you, yes." A bright light began to shine. and I found myself at the sides of those i had imbued on my journeys, defiant and ready to fight.
I recognized them all.
Pierro, the boy I taught Chaos Lightning. He had returned to learn many of my other spells. No one else could've mastered the strength of my early spells like Skill Shift and Shear Winds. I was proud of him.
The Morphing Clay, once a nameless golem who wished he had feeling.
Tsukasa, the young necromancer who had found good again in the world. Cinder Bones was the power he had been given.
Selene, the rougue Elf Archer who had defected "to be free". The crackles of Aquadote and Draining Purge flickered among her, revealing how far she had come as a Dark Ranger.
Pyros, the dragon who had wished for peace and was mocked because of it. His power to foresse the future and the ability to change it wasn't laughed at anymore.
And finally - the three companions I had first met. The Chronomancer, the Solmancer, and the Shade Knight. Neo, Ali, and Lyra.
"But why?" I asked them all.
"It is not you who should bear the burden. It is we." Neo answered. "Ali and I will be reunited, just like you promised." Ali nodded.
"But surely not -"
"Don't worry." Lyra cut in. "You gave us power. We accepted it. You're not to blame for helping others." I looked at the other in protest, but they all showed signs of not backing down.
Are you ready then? the Darkness rumbled.
"Yes." Was my only calm reply.
The battle didn't last long. With the power he had, I was no match, and all of them fell, one by one. By the time the dust settled, it was only me, him, and Lyra.
He advanced menacingly towards me. You did well. But you are simply in the wrong time, at the wrong place.
Lyra, however, thrust herself at him. I don't know how she had done it, but soon, the Light began to extract itself from her in a fierce attempt to combat the darkness.
"S-swordsman! Please, tell me your name!" She screamed.
"It's Zblader! But why do you want to know?!" I hoarsely managed to croak.
"Zblader, listen to me! From despair, comes ho-" Her message was cut short by the explosion of magical forces. The chaotic attempt to calm the imbalance had taken its toll.
When I awoke, I found myself back in the desert where I had first become an Elemental. Was it a dream?
No.
I felt something in my hand, and I looked at them to see the cards of my creations. They were still undamaged, but their energy had been drained.
I felt something else on my face. Tears.
Kael Hate has demanded that all my cards be changed from Duality to Mono (aka ordinary) cards. I have to comply due to his authority.
The card ideas will still be allowed to stay in the crucible, so it'd be great if you continue to support the cards.
That being said, it's not the end of the Duality Series. I'll still make the cards, but they'll just be mono with the duality version spoilered within the card thread.
Thanks for all the support again guys, and I hope you will continue to support these cards. When you get knocked down, the best thing you can do is get back up and keep going, and that's exactly what Duality will do.
"From despair, comes hope." - Unknown
