YuGiOh: Souls of Shadow

Chapter 4.2

"Stay out of my head," I told him, refusing to show any sign of discomfort knowing that he was reading my thoughts again.

"I can't help it," he said lightly. "You're simply too interesting. You have such hazy philosophies, the product of a hazy past."

I clenched my fists, cursing him in my head, knowing that he would hear it. I didn't want him to say those things out loud, to expose that beneath my exterior I was no more stable than a house of cards.

"So then, if you feel that darkness had provided you with so much stability, why don't you simply just let it return?"

His question lured the memories of my training to swirl around inside me, the words that were said to me just before I accepted the offer to become an assassin echoing like a broken record: This is a job for those who don't know what they're living for and don't care. At that time, I was one of those people. That's all I was. I had given up finding myself. It hurt too much to continue searching. I forced myself not to care in an attempt to stop the heartache.

"Oh, I see. It's because of them, isn't it?" Pegasus laughed. "The Kaiba brothers."

They brought my care back, broke me from my fear of it. Ever since I began working for them, I found a new side to my life, a dim but growing light. I eventually decided to stop fighting the desire to enjoy it, and allowed myself to admit that I loved being there for them, seeing sides to them that few others had seen—like when Mokuba comes to me to let his emotions out, or when Seto genuinely smiles when he thinks no one's looking.

But... all of it was gone. I would never see any of that again.

"Light's just never been on your side, now has it?" he asked. "Every time you feel safe enough to keep it, it slips away from you. When will you learn that it's simply not for you and give up on it?" His words had a strange tone. They weren't taunting, or beckoning, but simply questioning.

A realization came to me like a fiery whip. Darkness and light are both parts of me. To let one go would result in destroying a part of myself. But right now, I needed a blanket of shadow to help me carry on. I needed to surrender to continue to fight, to let go of my pride now to give the person I may find myself to be a chance to live.

Ready to answer his question, I met his eyes with a slight smile, determination glowing in my eyes. "I won't."

"So then, you've chosen not to give up on it," he his smile darkened. "I have to admit, I'm rather surprised by this outcome. Though it's disappointing I didn't get to see your spirit wither away, it was a rather good show." He turned away to leave. "I suppose it's about time I put you to work."

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Even though there was no way of telling day from night in the underground dungeon, I somehow sensed the morning outside of the walls. Just as I was going through my waking process, a lump of cloth was shoved through the bars at me, landing on the ground with a thud.

"Your uniform," a guard I hadn't seen before told me. He was a tall, thickly built, bald man with thinly-cut facial hair.

I curiously kneeled down beside the pile and laid out the items. He appeared to have given me a grey shirt that was obviously going to be too big, an unflattering pair of brown trousers, and clunky hiking boots. Before I began to ask how on earth the pants were supposed to fit, a belt was tossed to me.

"Now turn around, and place your hands on the wall," he ordered. With a sigh, I reluctantly did as he said. I heard the door screech open behind me as he stepped in. I flinched when I felt a cold hand on my neck, followed by a rough piece of material. He tightened it around my throat, then secured it with a little click. The guard stepped away, giving me the signal that I could move again.

Curious, I pulled at the strange new item, shifting it to where I could somewhat see it. It appeared to be a collar with a box on it where the lock was.

"This is your tracking necklace," he explained to me. "If you attempt to do something out if line, remove it, or escape, it will send volts of electricity though your body."

"So, it's basically, a shock collar," I narrowed my eyes, tapping it.

"Yes. And it has the strength of a taser, so I wouldn't suggest messing with it too much."

I paled a little upon realizing that Pegasus had chosen that particular thing to control me on purpose. He'd somehow found out that electricity ranked as one of my top fears.

His voice turned monotone as if he were reciting an oath. "As for your instructions, you will do whatever Mr. Pegasus asks of you. You will do no harm to him or his company. You are to have no contact with anyone outside this residence. A tournament is currently being hosted on this island. Mr. Pegasus expects you to keep the island in shape for it, and to clean up after it's over. Work diligently in completing the chores you are given each day." He handed me a to-do list, then turned away and left, leaving the door open behind him.

I looked back at the collar around my neck, then sighed heavily. "As if I'm not humiliated enough already." It's then that I noticed that he had actually left me alone, entrusting the collar to my security. "But at least I finally have some privacy."

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