Soul of the Dragon

Chapter 41: Trapped! Part 2

With a hollow thunking sound, Carly smashed into a lower building. She lay motionless and cold as ice on the ground. Wow, that didn't hurt as much as I thought it would. A duel card? One card had landed on Carly's unbeating chest while the rest followed and quickly covered her body. Wait, something's happening to me!

Carly's cards fed into her, giving her dark power. What's happening? She gasped as everything started to change.

The earth quaked everywhere. Even Misty felt it in her apartment.

"It must be time. This earthquake can only mean one thing."

"Duck and cover!" Lazar cried fearfully from Goodwin's office.

The Director was too lost in his own thoughts to listen.

Lightning flashed across the sky. Purple lights spread out across the city, forming a different symbol from the Giant but creating the same effect. The earth rumbled with trepidation.

"What's going on?!" Sayer shouted.

The Hummingbird symbol had emerged. Its center was the Arcadia Movement.

"Well this can't be good," Sayer reflected darkly, watching the lightning and purple fire outside. He tore his eyes from the window and sat at his desk. The phone was on and in his hand. "I need a report on the damage right now! And get everyone evacuated, but leave our guests where they are." A dark shadowed person stepped up to Sayer's desk. "What are you doing? Get outta the building!"

"But I'm here to ask you for a rematch, Sayer," the familiar voice was cold and dripping with much desired revenge.

"I must be seeing things."

Lightning struck conveniently just outside the broken window, illuminating the face of Carly. Sayer dropped the phone to the floor.

"O-kay. You're having a nervous breakdown. It's the stress of your job. It's gotten to you. I hope."

"Stop talking," Carly ordered. "I'm not some stress-induced hallucination. I'm real."

"But you fell!"

A Hummingbird mark glowed purple on Carly's arm. It was exactly like the one burning on the ground outside. "And they gave me a soft landing. It seems the Dark Signers are actively recruiting duelists to join their cause. They chose yours truly, and that's bad news for you."

"Let's just talk about this," Sayer suggested like a moron.

Purple light engulfed Carly. It was so bright, there was no hope of seeing through.

"This is the beginning of the end for you!" Carly promised wickedly. Her clothes had vanished. In their place she wore a skirt that was low in front and long in back. Her top stopped at a point above her bellybutton. A coat-like cape draped across Carly's shoulders. Even her duel disk had gotten a dark and sinister makeover. The black was accented with a yellow pattern. To top it all off, Carly's eyes were black and she had a small little red mark by her left eye.

"You're a Dark Signer," Sayer realized. Somebody now completely regretted his choice to ignore Leo's warning about them.

"Prepare yourself for the shadows," Carly grinned wickedly and activated her duel disk.

"So the little mouse has become a Dark Signer, right? Well, I've already beaten you once today, and I'll be more than happy to do it again," Sayer narrowed his eyes.

"I must warn you that I'm not the same person. Since I joined the Dark Signers I've grown up. You wanna really see how exciting a duel can be, Sayer? Then why don't you agree to battle me in a shadow duel!" The dark-haired girl's smile was full of relish at the thought of defeating Sayer.