Book One: Someone New (Reginald Kastle)

Chapter Four: Feel The Flow (Part Three)

Yuma sits on the ground, staring at the glowing, alien thing standing before him. The tips of the stranger's feet, without toes, hover about an inch off the ground. His back has no texture but bears contour markings to suggest shoulder blades, as does his face. He ignores Yuma's question. Yuma jumps to his feet, unnerved.

"Hey! Can you talk?! Say something already!" Yuma shouts. The figure glances back at him.
"Astral." It says. Yuma looks confused; what's that supposed to mean?!
"Uh? What's an Astral?" He asks.
"My name, if I recall."
"'If you recall'? Whaddaya mean by that?" A screen appears between Yuma and Astral, then another, as Tori and Bronk call him.
"What's going on, Yuma?"
"Yeah, who're ya talkin' to?" Yuma looks back at his friends, then back to Astral, pointing.
"Whaddaya mean, 'who', this guy right here!" Yuma points. Can't they see?

"Where?" Tori asks. Tori and Bronk watch Yuma point at the air next to him where Astral is.
"Right here! Look!"
"He's lost it." Yuma's hopping around with impatience, pointing at Astral.
"What's with you guys, just, open your eyes, I mean he's kinda hard to miss!" Yuma keeps ranting in the background, while Bronk turns to Tori.
"Big tall glowing guy, floating in the air..."
"Uh-oh, Tori he's losin' so bad he's hallucinatin'!"

"I am not!" He turns back to Astral, who's been waiting patiently through all of this.
"Maybe I'm the only one who can see 'im... Or maybe I actually have lost it."
"What have you lost? Perhaps we can find it together." Astral says. Oh jeez...
"Huh? Hold on. I know!!!"
"You've come here to help me! Yeah, that's it; you've been watching over me!"
"Ever since I first started dueling, ever since my dad left me his deck and when you saw that I was dueling Shark, one of the best duelists around...You've decided to finally let your presence be known!"

"You are none other than my" A pause. "Guardian angel!"
"His what?!" Tori and Brink ask. My screen pops up in front of Yuma.

"Get your head in the game Yuma. Ask whatever the hell it is your questions later, and get your Duelling done. Although, you're gonna lose anyway." Astral looks indignant, having payed no attention to me.
" I am no such thing. Or am I?"

"Huh? You don't know what you are?" Astral gazes intently into space, still not looking at Yuma.
"Not only do I not recall who I am, but I don't recall much of anything."

"Wait...Rosie, you can see this thing?!" Yuma asks and Shark smirks, looking at me.

"Yuma, there's nothing there!" I shout. There's a funny feeling in my stomach and head, and it's telling me not to say yes in front of Shark.
"Only that I arrived here with a great purpose, which now escapes me." Astral says. Yuma jumps around making faces, frustrated. Astral quietly waits. Again.
"Rrrrrgghh, waahhh, rrrghh! It escapes you?! Then just how great could it've been?! Boy, you're annoying!!"Yuma crouches on the ground, holding his head in both hands.

"Like you! A lot! Now- DUEL!" I order and Yuma flinches.
"Okay, enough of this. Maybe if I just ignore this guy, he'll go away."
"Go where?" Astral asks.

"I don't care where!"

"Get it together, Yuma! Now, duel!" Tori shouts and I nod at her. I feel sorry that she hangs around with this doofus all the time.
"All right, already!" Yuma shouts, obviously fed up with mine and Tori's yelling. He takes one last look at Astral, who is once again ignoring him to regard the duel.
"Okay, phase the walking flashlight out and this duel in." I hold back a giggle. I don't know about you, but I find 'walking flashlight' funny. Across the field, Shark is glowing with purple energy, and Number 17: Leviathan Dragon is not getting any smaller or less scary.
"Gotta figure out how to deal with this weird Number card. Ever since it showed up, Shark has been extra-creepy."
"Ah. The mighty Number Seventeen, Leviathan Dragon." Unnatural purple fires are burning in Shark's dark blue eyes.
"With this Xyz monster on the field, there's no stopping me." The symbol of the Number 17 glows on the back of Shark's hand, which tenses in a shaking claw.
"And that you can count on, Yuma. Your deck will soon be mine!" He places a facedown.
"But, all in good time! I end my turn with a facedown!"
"He is angry." Astral states.
"Uh, yeah, but his dragon's about to make him feel better by ending this duel!" Astral's ghostly face blurs in a sudden moment of recognition.
"Duel? That word is...familiar."