"Demon."
The word hung in the frozen air.
Victor's voice wasn't loud, as it didn't need to be.
The certainty behind it carried far more weight than any shout ever could.
For a moment, nobody moved; then the stranger smiled, not because he found the accusation amusing or because Victor had somehow made a mistake, but because Victor was right.
The smile widened slightly, and somehow that made it worse as Alexander felt every instinct in his body screaming at him.
Danger. Wrong. Leave.
Every warning his Spiritual Awareness could provide was firing directly into his brain.
The sensation was almost painful, yet despite that, the stranger paid him no attention whatsoever; his gaze remained fixed entirely upon Victor as though Alexander didn't exist, as though he wasn't important.
The figure tilted his head slightly, then spoke, "So this is Cynthia's son."
The reaction was immediate; Victor totally froze. At the same time, Alexander's eyes widened while thinking, 'Cynthia? Is that the name Victor's mother? Why would this demon use her name now? What is going on here?'
The name meant nothing to him, yet it clearly meant something to Victor, something important.
The stranger took a casual step forward, making its shoes click softly against the tiled floor, then another as it added, "You resemble her."
Victor's jaw tightened as the stranger studied him like a fascinating specimen on display, seemingly evaluating, comparing, and almost like remembering some pleasant memories; then he spoke again, "Though she screamed more."
Silence fell in the cold restroom as the words settled over the room like poison.
Alexander didn't fully know who Cynthia was, didn't know what had happened, didn't know why Victor suddenly looked ready to kill someone, but he knew enough to realise the stranger had crossed a line.
Then the silence shattered as green light erupted from Victor's hand before a bolt of crackling magical energy tore across the restroom.
It was fast, violent, precise.
Alexander barely managed to follow its trail as the spell crossed the distance in an instant.
The stranger casually raised one hand, and the attack stopped completely, caught like an adult intercepting a child's punch.
The energy crackled against its palm for a brief moment before dispersing harmlessly into the air.
The stranger looked mildly impressed as he let out a "Hm." Then he glanced at his hand and muttered, "Good attempt but wasted effort."
Victor was already preparing another spell as green energy gathered around his fingers, much brighter and sharper this time and surely more dangerous.
Yet, the stranger ignored it completely and said, "I am not here to fight you."
Victor's voice emerged low and dangerous, "Then leave."
A quiet chuckle escaped the stranger as he said, "Hehe... No."
The temperature continued falling as frost spread further across the mirrors and thin white patterns crawled across the glass like veins.
The stranger folded its hands behind its back, looking perfectly relaxed, perfectly calm, then it spoke again, "You can't tell me what to do... The strong rule while the weak suffer. That is the only true way this world works."
Victor remained silent as the words echoed softly through the restroom; this allowed the stranger to add, "Your mother learned that lesson the hard way."
Victor's fists clenched, and Alexander heard the faint creak of leather protesting the pressure.
Seeing that the stranger smiled patiently, like a teacher waiting for a student to arrive at the correct answer before he said, "You disagree."
Then he nodded slightly and said in an almost pleased tone, "Good."
Victor blinked as the response clearly wasn't what he had expected.
"You should disagree."
The stranger continued walking slowly, never threatening, never rushing; each step was measured and controlled.
"You hate weakness."
The silence became heavier.
"Good."
Another step.
"You should."
Victor said nothing, but the green energy surrounding his hands only intensified.
The stranger continued as his voice remained calm and reasonable, almost gentle, "You hate helplessness. You should rightfully hate that too."
And suddenly Alexander understood that this wasn't a battle, at least not the kind Victor thought it was.
The stranger wasn't trying to defeat him, but he was trying to shape him.
Every sentence pushed in the same direction, every observation guided the conversation toward the same destination.
He wasn't planting new ideas, as he didn't need to because the seeds were already there and he was simply watering and nurturing them to encourage them to grow.
And the worst part?
Everything it said contained some degree of truth.
The strong often ruled, and the weak often suffered. Victor hated weakness and hated helplessness.
The stranger wasn't creating those thoughts; he was just feeding them.
Alexander felt a chill that had nothing to do with the supernatural cold filling the restroom because, for the first time since the figure had appeared, he thought he understood what it actually wanted.
The demon continued, "You saw it, didn't you?"
Silence.
"The helplessness."
Victor's expression remained unreadable, but his spell didn't fade; if anything, it grew stronger and more chaotic.
"You remember every second." The stranger's smile softened, somehow becoming even more disturbing, "You remember failing."
Alexander glanced toward Victor, and for the first time since meeting him, Victor looked shaken, not frightened or intimidated, but more like wounded.
The demon noticed too and pressed further, "She still cries for help."
Hearing that, Victor flinched. The movement was tiny, almost imperceptible, but it happened.
The demon smiled, as that had been the objective before he twisted the metaphorical knife in the wound, "And nobody comes."
Something snapped as magic exploded outward, making the restroom shake.
At the same time, every mirror shattered simultaneously, making glass rain across the floor.
The sinks cracked, and several pipes burst inside the walls while the temperature plunged even further.
Alexander saw his own breath.
Meanwhile, for the first time since appearing, the demon stopped moving, but not because he was threatened, but because he was satisfied.
Alexander suddenly understood something else, 'Shit! This demon isn't trying to win an argument; it's trying to provoke a reaction, and Victor had just given it exactly what it wanted.'
His thoughts raced; he needed to do something, anything, because Victor wasn't listening anymore; he wasn't thinking; he was hurting, and the demon was exploiting every wound it could find.
Instinctively, Alexander opened the YGO System and the familiar interface materialised before his eyes, invisible to everyone except him.
[Ding!]
___________________________________
User Identified: Alexander Maximillion Jones
System Type: Duel Interface
Primary Functions:
• Resource Management
• Card Database
• Card Manifestation Authorisation
• YGO System Shop Access
Resources Identified:
1. Duel Energy (DE)
• Generated through duels involving the user.
• Output increases with emotional and cognitive intensity.
• Used for manifestation and high-output actions.
• Current DE: 198
2. Duel Points (DP)
• Acquired through victory in duels.
• Used for system transactions and upgrades.
• Current DP: 91
______________________________________
Alexander's heart pounded while thinking, '198 Duel Energy... Not enough. Not nearly enough to summon something truly powerful. If what I have at my disposal isn't enough, I'm screwed. Let's see... Level 4 monsters cost 100 DE. Level 3 monsters cost 25 DE. Level 2 cost less. I'm not completely out of options, after all; weak monsters aren't completely useless. Hell, I don't even know how manifested monsters would actually fare against other threats... Shit! I should have tested this before!!'
Soon, Alexander focused back on the interface and mentally commanded it to open the Card Database, making rows upon rows of cards fill his vision instantly.
His eyes darted across the available options and quickly realised, 'Too many. Way too many. Come on, Lex. Think! The enemy is a demon. A supernatural entity. Something clearly connected to darkness. The best solution is using something that naturally counters that... The Light Attribute!'
As soon as he reached that conclusion, he willed the Card Database to filter the options, and immediately dozens of possibilities disappeared.
In a few seconds, the selection narrowed down until only three cards remained among the possible choices.
Neo the Magic Swordsman. Level 4. The flavour text said: A dimensional drifter who not only practices sorcery, but is also a sword and martial arts master.
Without any doubt, the strongest Light Monster he can currently summon that is probably capable of fighting directly.
Rogue Doll. Also Level 4. The flavour text said: A deadly doll gifted with mystical power, it is particularly powerful when attacking against dark forces.
It was mystical, difficult to predict and potentially very useful, especially the part: "It is particularly powerful when attacking against dark forces."
Binding Chains. Level 3. The flavour text said: The mystic links of this chain can rob enemies of their power.
Weaker than the others but seemingly specialised entirely around restraining the enemy and rending it powerless.
Alexander stared at the options, then looked back at the demon and saw that the thing wasn't attacking, at least not directly, 'The immediate problem isn't destroying it. The immediate problem is stopping whatever the hell it was doing without spending too many resources.'
That narrowed the answer considerably, and soon he made his decision, 'I will use Binding Chains. After all, if I'm wrong, I still have enough points to summon either Rogue Doll or Neo the Magic Swordsman depending on what happens next.'
As soon as he made his choice, the card materialised in his hand.
The demon immediately noticed as his gaze shifted for the first time toward him before a low chuckle escaped before he said, "Hehe... You wish to fight me?"
Alexander ignored the question; his grip tightened around the card as he exclaimed, "Duel Spirit Manifestation!"
In response to that, the card ignited as golden light erupted from its surface.
The YGO System immediately deducted the Duel Energy from his balance, and reality started to scream.
The sensation was unlike anything Alexander had experienced before.
Receiving the support of Duel Spirits during duels or negotiating with them in the Spirit World was one thing, but this was a whole other thing; this was real.
Power exploded outward as the restroom trembled, the walls cracked, and the fluorescent lights burst before brilliant light flooded the room while the card burned away into particles; then space itself seemed to tear open.
The demon stopped smiling for the first time as something emerged, then suddenly golden chains erupted from every direction. Walls, floor, ceiling, mirrors, even the air itself.
The chains glowed with pale radiant light, and the oppressive atmosphere shattered instantly.
The supernatural cold receded, the frost vanished, and the pressure suffocating the room disappeared.
The demon moved to dodge; he was fast, much faster than before.
One chain narrowly missed, then another, then another; dozens followed.
Golden restraints lashed through the room like living serpents as the demon carefully twisted between them.
Alexander noticed the change immediately.
His expression had transformed; it was now full of caution, suspicion, and concern.
The fully manifested Duel Spirit felt completely different compared to the time Alexander negotiated with it when he created the prototype card, more real.
Also, its presence felt completely different from the demon's, warm rather than cold, restraining rather than dominating, protective rather than predatory.
The demon stared, and for several long seconds nobody spoke; then he finally asked, "What the hell are you?"
Alexander immediately noticed the significance, as the demon genuinely didn't know; he wasn't pretending, he truly didn't recognise what stood before it.
That realisation sent a small thrill through him.
Meanwhile, Victor was staring at something else entirely, not the chains, nor the demon, but Alexander, more specifically the connection between Alexander and the spirit.
Victor could feel it with the mystical senses he honed thanks to his practice of occult and magical knowledge.
There was a link, a bond, yet it wasn't the relationship he expected. Alexander wasn't controlling the spirit, wasn't enslaving it, wasn't forcing obedience through power.
The spirit obeyed willingly as an ally, not as property, not as a weapon, but as a partner.
The distinction seemed to strike Victor particularly hard because Alexander could practically see the realisation forming behind those sharp eyes.
The demon's entire philosophy revolved around domination. Power over others. Control over others. Authority through strength. Yet Alexander's power operated differently. Cooperation. Trust. Partnership.
The contradiction was impossible to miss.
The demon noticed Victor's expression and understood immediately.
His smile vanished, but before he could make his move, the chains surged forward again and this time the demon was distracted and didn't dodge and let out a grunt.
His form flickered like a damaged image, unstable and distorted.
For a brief instant, Alexander caught a glimpse of something underneath.
Too many eyes, too many teeth, too many things that shouldn't exist, but then the illusion reformed.
The demon looked annoyed, more annoyed than injured, as though the Duel Spirit had interrupted something important.
His gaze shifted toward Alexander, then toward the spirit hovering protectively around him and Victor, then finally toward Victor, and something resembling disappointment appeared on its face as he lamented, "You were supposed to become magnificent, yet..."
Silence as he let the words linger while Victor's expression hardened.
The demon looked at him for another second, then sighed like a craftsman realising a project had gone wrong before his body began dissolving into darkness.
The chains lunged, but it was too late as shadow swallowed the figure.
The pressure vanished, the cold disappeared, and the room returned to normal, and just like that the demon was gone.
Silence followed. It was heavy and awkward.
Several seconds passed.
The fading Duel Spirit slowly lowered itself, moving closer to Alexander, but from the way it moved and the chains clicked, much less tense, it was clear that the danger had passed.
Victor finally turned toward Alexander, and questions clearly filled his expression, many questions making him ask, "What was that?"
Alexander let out a long breath before he said, "A very long story."
Victor stared at him and again asked, "What was that entity? How is it connected to the cards?"
"Also a very, very long story."
"What did you just do?"
Alexander rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Same answer. An epic tale so addicting that I don't dare to use precious time narrating."
Victor looked annoyed, reasonably annoyed.
After everything that had just happened, Alexander felt that annoyance was entirely justified.
Unfortunately, explaining Duel Spirits would inevitably lead to explaining Duel Monsters, which would lead to explaining the Spirit World, which would then lead to trying to hide the YGO System from one of the smartest humans in the world, which would lead to questions he wasn't remotely prepared to answer.
Alexander glanced toward the Duel Spirit around him, then back toward Victor and realised that one thing, at least, could be explained.
Something simple, yet something important.
He pointed toward the spirit and said, "I didn't force it."
Victor frowned.
Alexander continued, "I asked, and it chose to help."
Silence.
Victor's gaze shifted toward the manifested Duel Spirit that remained calm and patient, hovering protectively around Alexander.
Neither demanding nor expecting anything, merely existing and helping because it wanted to and not because it had been compelled.
Victor watched it carefully.
Then watched as the chains sank into the nearby surfaces, and once it was gone, motes of golden light gathered in his hand before the card reformed into Alexander's hand, but it felt lighter now, not physically but spiritually, as it had entered its cooldown period.
Neither boy realised it yet, but somewhere very far away, a certain demon had failed and pissed off a certain Hell Lord.
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