Crimson Star Priestess

Conflicted Heart

It was a relief to see both Luna and Estelle were okay after the loser's bracket, but I still had so many questions. What actually happened during the duel between Luna and the Professor? And how come the girls seemed to have already formed a close bond, even though they just met? It didn't make a whole lot of sense, but I had my suspicions.

I had noticed a glowing Mark on Luna's right arm during the loser bracket's duel that faded shortly after the duel was over, confirming she was a Signer like me, even though I didn't have a mark on my arm right now. And for a few seconds during the duel, the concrete beneath Luna and the Professor's feet seemed to glow with crimson flames before it calmed down. I wondered briefly if the Crimson Dragon had something to do with it.

Luna, Estelle and I headed to the stands where our friends were waiting after the duel. Tanner told us that Leo fainted during the duel and they brought him to the infirmary. Leo couldn't remember what happened, but he was angry with Luna for losing the duel.

Speaking of duels, Ash had made it to the semi-finals after winning a off-screen duel with Commander Koda using Prime Material Dragon.

"How are we supposed to duel now, Luna?! It's not fair!" He yelled at his sister who had settled down next to him.

"Well, just look who's talking! At least I didn't lose my match like you did." Luna retorted calmly.

"Well...yeah, but..." Leo trailed off, knowing he couldn't argue.

I was wondering if Leo fainting was related to Luna's half-conscious condition during the duel, since they were twins. Did they have a spiritual bond, or was Leo connected to the Crimson Dragon too? But I really couldn't feel anything different from him.

"What's wrong, Luna?" Yanagi spoke up when Luna put a hand on her right arm where her Mark had glowed before. "Did your arm hurt during the duel?"

"Yeah, you kept looking it at like you were expecting something." Dexter added.

"My arm's fine! I promise!" Luna replied quickly as she removed her hand.

"If you say so." I said. "Now, I think it's time I get you two home."

"You're staying with the twins?" Estelle asked.

"I want to make sure they're both okay after what happened to them." I explained.

"Have fun babysitting them." Tanner commented with a teasing smirk.

Leo certainly liked the idea of me staying over. "Alright! We'll have a all-night dueling sleepover!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, listen up!" The MC called out, making us all turn to the giant sphere in the middle of the dome. "The second round has been announced! Check out the competition brackets! Who knows what excitement awaits? Who will win? Who will lose? Four duelists, two rounds, one champion! Who will it be? Things are gonna get crazy! See ya tomorrow!"

The sphere changed the image of the MC to reveal the semi-finals tomorrow. It was me vs Greiger and Akiza vs Estelle.

"Looks like you'll be Turbo Duelin'" Tanner told me.

"That bad?" I questioned.

"You bet! Because the rumor on the circuit says Greiger's got a brand new Duel Runner he's gonna be using." Tanner explained. "It's supposed to be unbeatable."

"But aren't the Turbo Duels about how well the duelists play and not how unbeatable the Runners are?" Estelle spoke up.

"There's more to Turbo Duels than just the cards, Estelle." Tanner replied. "You'll understand more when you get your own ride."