The boy stood in the middle of the street, staring blankly ahead. He had no recollection of how he had gotten there, or where he had just been.
The Structure Deck box sat open in his hands, and he had no memory of opening it either.
He stared down at the fresh, plastic-scented cards fanned loosely across his palm—unfamiliar artwork of ancient stone altars, rusted chains, and something curled tight inside a shell. Beside his elbow was the white Duel Disk. It was sleek, silent, and unfamiliar, yet it was unmistakably a high-end, latest-generation model. To the boy, it looked cool, a mechanical masterwork.
He looked around, but found only empty alleyways and darkened storefronts.
"...I didn't pay for this," he murmured to the quiet air.
The words felt hollow the moment they left his mouth. There was no cashier nearby. No patrons. Only the cold, suffocating draft blowing in from the alley behind him.
His hand began to ache. Not from a bruise or a strain, but from a sudden, sharp impulse—an instinctual itch in his knuckles that demanded he touch the frame.
He reached out. The moment his fingers brushed the outer casing, the main hinge unlocked with a metallic clank. Instinct took over before his mind could process the action. He lifted the heavy housing, slotted his left forearm into the padded brace, and pressed down on the primary latch.
CLICK.
The arm-band tightened automatically, air escaping the internal seal with a small, decisive hiss. He slotted the main deck into the carriage with a single motion, its lights flashing in a sequential pattern, waiting for input.
He didn't need a manual. His hands moved entirely on their own.
Deck verified: 40 cards. Extra Deck: 0.
WARNING: UNKNOWN CARD SIGNATURE DETECTED
DATA VERIFICATION FAILED
LEGACY FORMAT DETECTED — UNSUPPORTED DATABASE
RUNNING LOCAL CARD SIMULATION MODE... PROCEEDING
"...Oh," he breathed, staring at his forearm as the display cleared. His body knew how to arm this weapon, even if his brain had no concept of where he was—or why his equipment treated its own contents like ancient history.
He remembered the two cards he had placed in his pocket. He slipped them into his deck, and the mechanism automatically shuffled them with a smooth, mechanical whir.
He stepped out onto the main street. The twilight had bled away, leaving behind a pitch-black night sky.
The two cards tucked into the deck carriage pulsed once—a faint, localized heat pressing against his wrist, like something that had been asleep for a very long time and had only now opened an eye.
The blue-and-white armor caught the faint glare of the light the moment he rounded the brick corner.
Three soldiers stood in front of him. Their red visor-lenses snapped toward him, the glint behind their masks sharp and distinctly human.
"Target located," the center soldier, designated 'Alpha' announced in a measured, monotone voice.
The boy froze, his wrist feeling suddenly heavy inside the white Duel Disk.
He knew those words. They came from a fragment of a memory that felt like it belonged to someone else—a courtyard, tall yellow light, bodies breaking into glowing geometric lines before dissolving into cards that drifted into a stranger's waiting hand.
"Wait—" he stammered, taking a step back.
"Shut up and raise your arm!" Beta, the soldier on the left, barked, aggressively snapping his wrist out as his armor joints hissed. "We don't negotiate with nameless strays. Save the crying inside the card!"
"I don't know how—I don't even know who I—"
The third soldier, Delta, let out a low, mocking laugh, tilted his head with theatrical cruelty. "Don't waste our time. Fight us if you want to live."
All three raised their left arms simultaneously. A pale gray light shot out from their Duel Disks.
The Real Solid Vision generated, making the air heavy.
"Hey! Get away from him!"
A sudden voice echoed over the barrier. Vance skidded to a halt on the other side.
"Vance!" The boy called out.
"I told you to wait!" Vance yelled, his jaw set tight as he raised his own Duel Disk. "Hold on! Don't engage them! Academia soldiers don't play around—I'll join in!"
"No," the boy interrupted.
Vance paused. "What?"
"Don't come in, Vance," the boy said. His voice lost its tremor, settling into a quiet, unwavering frequency. He looked down at his arm, at the white casing that felt natural. "I need to do this. My mind doesn't know who I am... but my hands know how to play. If I run away now, I'll never understand what I lost."
Vance bit his lip, his fingers hovering over his Disk. "...So you turned out to be a crazy idiot, too. You better not get yourself turned into card before I smash in."
Boy didn't gave any response.
"Tactical perimeter locked," Alpha stated coldly, extending his Duel Disk blade with a sharp snap.
The Boy LP: 4000
Obelisk Soldier Alpha LP: 4000
Obelisk Soldier Beta LP: 4000
Obelisk Soldier Delta LP: 4000
(Turn order: Alpha → Boy → Beta → Delta)
Turn 1: Alpha
Alpha declared his turn, pulling a card from his opening hand. "I activate Continuous Spell: Ancient Gear Castle. All 'Ancient Gear' monsters will gain 300 Attack."
A giant castle appeared from the ground, making heavy mechanical sounds.
"Next, I Normal Summon Ancient Gear Frame."
[ EARTH / Machine / Effect / Level 4 / ATK: 1600 → 1900 / DEF: 500 ]
A skeletal brass frame clattered down, steam venting from its joints in short, regulated bursts.
"Frame's effect gives me Ancient Gear Beast to my hand from deck. I set one card face-down. Turn end."
Vance grimaced. "A setup turn. They're building a defensive front to cover each other..."
Turn 2: The Boy
The boy drew his card. Three opponents, three distinct pairs of glowing red visors locked onto him.
"Three opponents. I need a line of defense that buys time until I understand this deck and gives me survival until my next turn."
"I set one monster face-down," the boy declared, placing Cradle Guardian - Sol horizontally on the field. "Then I set one card face-down. Turn end."
Turn 3: Beta
"My turn! Draw!" Beta roared. "I'm tearing this kid apart right now! I summon Ancient Gear Wyvern!"
[ EARTH / Machine / Effect / Level 4 / ATK: 1700 → 2000 / DEF: 1200 ]
A jagged metallic dragon crashed down from above, scrap-metal wings screeching as they scraped against the brick walls.
"Can a monster be affected by another player's effect?!" The boy was confused.
"They are playing in a team," Vance said, clenching his fist. "It's not illegal but it sure is shortcoming. It will be a mess if they start to use their normal formation. It gave me bad time," he said, softly.
"Wyvern gives me Ancient Gear Box from my deck!" Beta grinned maniacally under his visor. "And now, I activate: Ancient Gear Fusion! Fusing Wyvern on my field with Box in my hand!"
Beta clasped his hands and joined them in unison. "Fusion Summon!"
The two brass machines were sucked into a swirling vortex of molten copper.
"Mechanical terror of the sky, melt into iron and forge the ultimate hammer! Fusion Summon! Crash down, Ancient Gear Megaton Golem!"
[ EARTH / Machine / Fusion / Effect / Level 8 / ATK: 3300 → 3600 / DEF: 3300 ]
A massive three-headed brass colossus slammed into the asphalt, sending a shockwave that rattled the boy's teeth.
"Flatten him!" Beta screamed. "Megaton Golem, pulverize that face-down!"
The colossus smashed its multi-jointed fist down, disintegrating the set card into a cloud of stone dust.
"When Cradle Guardian - Sol is destroyed," the boy said quietly through the flying debris, "I can Special Summon Cradle Guardian - Luna from my Deck in Defense Position."
[ LIGHT / Fairy / Effect / Level 4 / ATK: 1000 / DEF: 1900 ]
Beta spat on the asphalt. "Tough little cockroach! Fine, I set one card face-down! Go ahead, Delta, defeat him. Then we will have our time turning him into a card!"
"A battle royal duel... You can't conduct a battle phase on your first turn if it is a battle royal. They are thoroughly playing by their own rules," Vance thought, ready to jump in as soon as the boy seemed lost.
Turn 4: Delta
"With pleasure, Beta," Delta purred, drawing his card with an exaggerated flick. "You look like a novice, kid. No, you definitely are. And you know what I love about rookies, kid? The look on their faces when they realize whatever they do means nothing. I activate Spell card: Ancient Gear Catapult! By destroying Alpha's Castle, I can bypass constraints and summon a monster straight from my Deck!"
Alpha offered no complaint as his castle crumbled into rubble. From the smoke, a massive, engine-driven brown dragon roared onto Delta's field.
[ EARTH / Machine / Effect / Level 9 / ATK: 3000 / DEF: 3000 ]
"Meet Ancient Gear Reactor Dragon!" Delta chuckled cruelly. "Battle! Reactor Dragon, rip through Cradle Guardian - Luna! And when Reactor Dragon attacks, you can't activate Spells or Traps until damage calculation ends! And it can pierce damage by destroying a monster in defense position!"
Reactor Dragon's spiked tail swept forward like a wrecking ball, shattering Luna to pieces and flinging the boy backward onto the pavement!
The Boy LP: 4000 → 2900
"Gah!" The boy skidded across the dirt of street, his skin stinging from the impact.
"And it doesn't end there!" Delta laughed, mercilessly. "After battle, Reactor Dragon destroys one Spell or Trap on your field! Goodbye to your set card!"
The boy's face-down card—Cradle Aegis—shattered into gray soot.
"Cradle Aegis is destroyed..." the boy thought, his arm trembling as he pushed himself up. He glanced at his Duel Disk's display, watching the card icon settle into the Graveyard slot. "...Wait. It has an effect that triggers from the Graveyard. If I can summon a monster with the perfect effect, I can double its damage."
Delta continued. "I set one card face-down. Little rookie, show me how you beg when defeated." His smile became a sly one. "Just like all people before you."
Turn 5: Alpha
"My turn, draw," Alpha said. "I tribute Frame to summon Ancient Gear Beast!"
Ancient Gear monsters won't get any attack boost because castle was destroyed.
[ EARTH / Machine / Effect / Level 6 / ATK: 2000 / DEF: 2000 ]
A skeletal mechanical beast leaped from the ground, its two sharp fangs curved.
"Attack directly!"
The beast made a leap, attacking with its two sharp fangs.
"Ghh!"
The boy was able to dodge the physical attacks by jumping in the right direction. He still lost Life Points, but he emerged barely harmed.
The Boy LP: 2900 → 900
"Turn end," Alpha declared.
Turn 6: The Boy
The turn shifted back to the boy.
He stood still, his chest heaving, his breath visible as white mist in the rapidly cooling air.
"Draw."
He drew the top card—Pot of Greed.
He spoke in a low voice. "I activate Pot of Greed. I will draw two cards."
He placed his hand on his deck to draw.
The instant his thumb touched the cards' surface, the street vanished for a fraction of a second. An ancient altar of pale stone sat beneath a sun and moon. A scarred, gentle hand rested on his head, and a voice whispered a single word—a word he couldn't quite hear.
Reality snapped back. The hesitation in his eyes evaporated, replaced by a cold, quiet stillness as he pulled his two cards.
"I activate Ritual Spell: Emerge of Aether!" The boy declared, his voice cutting cleanly through the hum of the field. "I can Ritual summon any Ritual Dragon by sending monsters to graveyard and/or by banishing monsters resting in graveyard! I banish Level 4 Cradle Guardian - Luna from my Graveyard and discard Level 4 Cradle Sentinel from my hand. Total Levels equal eight."
Two columns of golden and silver light erupted from the pavement, interweaving around a spectral stone altar. A stone monument stirred in the middle, displaying the form of a calm dragon.
"From the depths of the frozen dawn... break the shell of stone. Answer the old vow!"
A pillar of absolute, blinding gold and silver light crashed down. Out of the brilliance rose a long, slim dragon with smooth, deep blue skin completely void of scales, radiating an immense, fierce strength. Flanking its slender body were two long, slim wings. Bright silver orbs embedded along its body and tail pulsed with internal power, while glowing concentric rings hovered and rotated smoothly around its frame. Elegant golden lines traced around its tightly closed eyes to its body.
[ LIGHT / Dragon / Ritual / Effect / Level 7 / ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2000 ]
Aether Genesis Ritual Dragon
As the dragon materialized, the boy read through the text on the card:
Can be Ritual summoned using at most two monsters, using Ritual spell card: Emerge of Aether.
When Ritual Summoned: All Level 5 or higher monsters your opponents control lose 200 ATK for each Level of monster(s) used for its Summon.
It gains ATK equal to that lost ATK during damage calculation only for once
Once per turn (Quick Effect): You can target one monster; until the end of your next turn, that monster can attack all your opponent's Level 5 or higher monsters, and inflicts piercing battle damage even if that monster is in defence position.
When this card is destroyed, you can take any ritual monster and/or ritual spell card from graveyard to your hand.
"What the hell is that thing?!" Beta growled, taking an involuntary step back as the light washed over him.
"When Aether Genesis Ritual Dragon is Ritual Summoned," the boy stated softly, "all level 5 or higher monsters my opponent control lose 200 Attack for each Level used for its Summon. Eight Levels were used—that is a 1600 Attack drop across your entire line!"
[ Alpha's Ancient Gear Beast: ATK 2000 → 400 ]
[ Beta's Ancient Gear Megaton Golem: ATK 3300 → 1700 ]
[ Delta's Ancient Gear Reactor Dragon: ATK 3000 → 1400 ]
Suddenly, the boy gasped, dropping to his knees as an intense shiver ran through him.
Vance looked at the unknown dragon, horror written across his face. "I somehow don't feel relieved."
The boy spoke with newly formed confidence. "I will finish this..."
He raised his right hand.
"I set one card face-down... and activate Aether Genesis Ritual Dragon's effect. Targeting itself... until the end of my next turn, it can attack all Level 5 or above monsters you control once each, and inflicts piercing battle damage."
A pale, translucent frost aura wrapped around the dragon's wings.
"Turn end," the boy whispered.
Turn 7: Beta
"Beta, Delta," Alpha said. "Don't take any risk. Lock it up."
Beta slammed his fist against his Duel Disk, furious. "Tch! Running away isn't my style, but fine, Alpha! My turn! draw! Ancient Gear Megaton Golem moves to Defense Position!"
[ Ancient Gear Megaton Golem: DEF 3300 ]
"I set one card face-down and end the turn! Delta, do the same."
Turn 8: Delta
Delta sneered, though a drop of sweat rolled down his jawline below his visor. "My turn, draw! Ancient Gear Reactor Dragon switches to Defense Position! I end my turn with this!"
[ Ancient Gear Reactor Dragon: DEF 3000 ]
"You think you're clever, kid?" Delta called out, trying to recover his pride. "Even with piercing damage, your dragon only has 2800 Attack! You can't break Megaton Golem's 3300 Defense or Reactor Dragon's 3000 Defense! You've trapped yourself!"
Turn 9: Alpha
"Why didn't this boy attack?" Alpha thought, analyzing two moves ahead.
He drew his card. Checking his system diagnostic, his tone remained clinical despite the massive stat drop. "Threat level escalated. Direct engagement is unviable with suppressed Attack," he murmured. "I change Ancient Gear Beast to Defense Position."
[ Ancient Gear Beast: DEF 2000 ]
Turn 10: The Boy
The turn shifted back to the boy once again.
"My turn. Draw."
He didn't even look at the card he drew. His eyes were fixed on the line of machines sitting in defense before him.
"I set two cards face-down. Battle!" The boy declared. His voice was quiet, but it echoed clearly through the cold alley. "Aether Genesis Ritual Dragon attacks Alpha's Ancient Gear Beast!"
"You walked right into it!" Alpha declared calmly, pressing his face-down trigger. "Continuous Trap: Ancient Gear Booster! When an 'Ancient Gear' monster is targeted for an attack, your attacking monster is destroyed before damage calculation!"
"I counter it," the boy stated instantly, hitting his own face-down trigger with his right index finger. "Face-down Trap: Dawncradle Resonance! By discarding one card, I negate the activation of your Trap and destroy it—and for the rest of this turn, none of you can activate cards or effects during this Battle Phase."
Alpha's trap card shattered into glass shards before the trap effect could form.
"What?!" Alpha's monotone voice finally cracked with shock. "My backrow system—"
"He locked out our activations?!" Delta yelled, stumbling back. "During the entire Battle Phase..." He hissed in irritation.
Vance slammed a fist against the building wall beside him, a super-rare, wild grin breaking through his anxiety. "He baited them! He knew they were holding disruption!"
"The effect of Aether Genesis Ritual Dragon," the boy said, his voice ringing with absolute energy. "When it battles, for this turn only, Aether Genesis gains Attack equal to the lost Attack during damage calculation. And it can pierce damage when destroying defence position monster!"
[ Aether Genesis Ritual Dragon (Lost ATK 1600): 2800 → 4400 ATK ]
The dragon threw back its head, absorbing energy into its slim wings, which blazed with terrifying brightness.
"4400 Attack?!" Alpha gasped, staring up at the towering shadow. "Against 2000 defence?!"
Alpha's eyes widened behind his visor as the visual calculation flashed red on his wrist console. "Even if I take damage, I will still survive with—"
"From my Graveyard, I activate the effect of Cradle Aegis," the boy declared calmly, pointing toward his tray. "I can banish it: For this turn, when a Ritual monster destroyes opponent's monster, opponent will take damage equal to the destroyed monster's defence."
"Tsk! I was gonna take 2400 damage. But now...!" Alpha hissed in irritation.
From the dragon's wings, blue light shined, blasting the mechanical beast and slashing straight through Alpha.
Alpha LP: 4000 → 0
"Alpha!" Beta and Delta shrieked in horror as his companion slumped unconscious into the dirt.
"One," the boy whispered, his breath puffing white. "Aether Genesis continues its attack. Second strike... on Ancient Gear Megaton Golem! Aether Beam!"
[ Aether Genesis Ritual Dragon ATK: 4400 ]
"Shit!" Beta screamed, shaking as the massive dragon hovered directly above his colossus.
The wings snapped forward, releasing a tidal wave of golden and silver energy that crushed Megaton Golem into scrap iron. Beta was sent backward, slamming hard into the street.
Beta LP: 4000 → 0
"Beta!" Delta backed away in panic.
The boy turned his hollow, icy-white gaze onto Delta's dragon.
"Third strike," the boy said softly. "Attack Ancient Gear Reactor Dragon."
"Hah! You banished Cradle Aegis, so what!" Delta yelled hysterically, pointing a trembling finger. "2800 damage leaves me with 1200 Life Points! I survive! I survive your turn!"
The boy didn't yell. He didn't boast. He simply looked at Delta through the fog of his own frozen breath.
"Look at your Disk's screen."
Delta froze. His eyes darted down to his wrist display just as a second calculation line printed across his screen in bright red lettering:
[ Effect Damage on Destruction: Reactor Dragon DEF = 3000 ]
[ Total Damage to Delta: 2800 Piercing + 3000 Effect Damage = 5800 Damage! ]
Delta's jaw dropped. "3000... effect damage..."
"Double Dawn Purge," the boy commanded.
The dragon remained perfectly still.
Its eyes never opened.
The shining rings orbiting its body accelerated, their slow, graceful rotation becoming fast.
One by one, the silver orbs embedded along its body ignited with pale light, as though ancient moon had awakened beneath its skin.
Golden lines spread across its smooth blue body, flowing from the markings surrounding its closed eyes and branching like veins of sunlight.
The surrounding air grew unnaturally quiet.
Not because sound had vanished—
but because something seemed to be synchronizing with the dragon.
The hovering rings aligned into a single axis before its chest.
A sphere of blinding light condensed between them—not fire, not lightning, but energy.
There was no explosion. No roar. Only a flash.
Blinding light tore through Reactor Dragon, instantly vaporizing the mechanical dragon before detonating directly against Delta's chest!
Delta LP: 4000 → 0
The thunderous sound slowly faded into total silence.
All three Obelisk Force soldiers lay scattered across the scorched ground, their visors cracked, short-circuit sparks dancing across their ruined Duel Disks.
"For Academia Obelisk Force soldiers, they are far weaker than I thought. Is this all Academia's strength or something else?" Vance thought.
"Agh... damn it..." Alpha groaned weakly, his helmet flickering as he clutched his bruised ribs. "Emergency... recall..."
A high-pitched dimensional frequency echoed through the alley. Bright violet light enveloped all three soldiers.
"We'll find you... latter..." Delta spat out as his body began to glow.
Within seconds, the three soldiers dissolved into raw data particles and vanished into thin air, leaving behind only the burned smell.
Vance sprinted through the gap the very next second.
"Hey! Are you alright?!" Vance yelled, skidding to his knees beside him.
The white Duel Disk on the boy's arm powered down with a low, descending whine. Aether Genesis Ritual Dragon dissolved into fine, sparkling motes of light, as the card rested on his duel blade.
The boy's legs finally buckled. He collapsed onto his side, his left arm feeling like a solid block of dead ice, his breath coming in shallow, ragged gasps.
"...I remember how to fight," he whispered to the floor, his conscious mind fading fast into the creeping dark. "I was close to know something about me... but I know this."
"Hey! Stay with me!" Vance grabbed the boy's shoulder to lift him up, but instantly flinched—the boy closed his eyes. The physical toll of Real Solid Vision attacks completely visible. "Damn it! DON'T LOSE CONSCIOUSNESS!" Vance yelled.
A sound of yawn came. The boy's mouth was carelessly opening and closing with relaxed breathes.
He was sleeping.
Vance couldn't believe it.
Boy's eyes rolled back, and he passed out completely.
Vance took the boy to a near resting zone. Even for Vance, he couldn't just go anywhere, even his own body has taken toll. But he didn't felt exhausted in the slightest. He just wanted the boy to take rest and not give his body more stress.
Neither of them noticed the movement of the single card resting face-up on the boy's duel blade.
And in the faint, dying glow of the streetlight, the dragon's eyes remained closed, watching the quiet night.
Only when both got at safe place, Vance took care of the boy's cards and placed them in deck again.
"It was a good thing that no one saw this. It could had made an uproar in LDS. Especially by Reiji Akaba." Vance was relaxed.
In LDS. Numerous signs horned on screens.
"President!" An analyst reported. "We just got a very strong Ritual summoning energy! We have never capture anything like this much thick wavelengths!"
Reiji starred at the screen, his chin resting on his jointed fingures. On the screen, was the boy who had summoned the dragon and defeated all three Obelisk Force soldiers. And Vance watching from sides.