Clear Skies

Chapter 14: Change of Heart

This chapter is a double feature, meaning it's twice the length of a normal chapter!

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            Standards would have called the day beautiful, and Mai would have to disagree. Instead of the blue beyond the skyscrapers, she saw the shadows in the cracks between the pavement. The image of oily black staining pale skin pervaded her thoughts.

Mai stopped by the café with the yellow umbrellas. The scent of roasting coffee beans drifted from the open door. The spot had the best lattes. That reminded her of her first Seal duel with Joey, when Valon had watched. She hadn't paid the loss of his soul much thought. After Rahlin's claims about the DOMA members and their psychological weaknesses, she felt sort of sorry for his obsession.

A young boy and old woman played a chess match nearby. The woman introduced him to what the pieces on the board were capable of. Mai sighed; she had longed to be the queen and ended up a pawn instead.

"Make this quick." Rafael leaned on Mai's table and flicked off his sunglasses. "I have a duel to make."

No need to beat around the bush. Mai asked, "What did you see when you looked at the black beneath the kid's eyepatch?"

Rafael's pupils shrank. He ducked his head and clutched the folds of his trenchcoat as though to calm his nervous hands. "If you've seen, you should know that thing isn't some kid."

Arguing wouldn't get her anywhere. "Do you know what happens when we collect enough souls?"

"Humanity will disappear if we're lucky."

"Why do you want that?"

He folded his arms over his chest. "I can't explain without you understanding the true nature of Duel Monsters."

"I understand they're real," Mai snapped. "They have their own world, and the kid is one of them."

His arms dropped. "It is? I suppose it lines up with the vision I saw, because she was in our world and the Duel Monsters will occupy it when all is said and done. I want the monsters to have this world because they deserve it. They are good beings by default whereas our nature leans toward evil. Dartz says their world has dwindling resources. I would rather them exist instead of us. They've saved my life more than once when they shouldn't have."

"...You can see monsters?"

"Spirits, they're called," Rafael explained.

"Yet you'll still call the kid a demon."

He scratched his blond sideburn. "I saw a vision of her future. She wore this white suit, and her aura wasn't the wholesome kind monsters usually have. There was something eternally unnerving about her. I was proved right when these two people attacked her. She..."

Despite the heat, Rafael shivered. Mai found herself leaning in closer. The volume of his voice lowered to a whisper. "That thing crushed the attackers with her bare hands. The black behind her eyepatch, it- I can't explain how it moved. I know monsters. She isn't one."

Mai had a hard time processing Rafael's description and settled for understanding he witnessed something creepy. "You're overreacting. She explained everything to me – how Dartz is using us. Whatever he convinced you of is a lie for certain. There's a way to bring back the lost souls, and I'll do whatever it takes to bring Joey and Valon back."

On the table beside Mai and Rafael, the old woman stole away a small piece from the boy's board. Bishop takes pawn, she explained. The boy looked upon the board with curious eyes.