Damon found himself at the local park at midnight, with only the moonlight as his only guide. As he looked around he was confused. Why am I at the park? He thought to himself for the moment before he caught a glimpse of the moon in the sky shining brighter and brighter until eventually the world was engulfed in pure light. Damon quickly braced himself from being blinded.

When he was able to once again see he looked around him only to find himself in a barren wasteland covered in a light fog, that no longer resembled any place he's ever been to. Where am I?

****

Damon yelped as he fell out of bed. "What the hell?" Damon asked himself once he realized he woke up on falling. Before he thought of anything else his bedroom door burst open with his sister standing at the door. "OH BIG BROTHER" She teasingly said in a loud voice, "Time to wake up and go to school!"

Damon just sighed and waited until she left the house before he got dressed in his usual weekend outfit and instead grabbed his deck box from his desk and left the house in the opposite direction from where the school was. The last thing I want to do is go to school today. I'm tired of everyone always talking about which school are you going to? What office will you apply to? I just want to enjoy life. Damon's frustration was written all over his face so he decided to head towards the place he usually goes to, Card Castle Co. his regular card game shop and spend the afternoon there. When he entered the shop he was greeted by the owner who was at the counter, Mr. Diamont.

"Damon! What are you doing here so early?" Mr. Diamont asked him.

"School is just a pain, I don't want to be a doctor nor a lawyer, I just want to make enough money to buy the next set."

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that. Since it's your last year of school and it's almost over, how would you like a part time job? You're already one of our regulars so I can trust you."

"Really?"

"Yeah we have a position opening up soon. How about you come in next Saturday to start?"

"Sure thanks."

"Perfect, why don't you go ahead and watch the store for a minute? I need to step out."

After Mr. Diamont left the store Damon decided to sit down at the table closest to the counter and face the entrance, when someone entered the shop. "Yo! Anyone home?" he shouted.

"Hi, I forgot your name but the owner will be back soon."

"No problem, and my name is Shinki Watanabe, how about a little game while I wait?" Shinki pulled a deck box from his box.

"Nothing else to do anyways." Damon responded by taking out his own deck in return, "and I'm Damon."

Shinki walked around to the seat opposite of Damon and sat down. "Ready?"

Damon nodded and set up his deck, once both were ready to start he flipped his card face up. "Liberator, Cheer Up Trumpeter"

"I've never seen that card before. Oh I stand Fang Blade Dracokid." 

"Fang Blade? I never heard of that. What clan is it from?"

"Damon, stop joking, its not from a clan. But talk about weird cards Liberators, that's a new thing was it in the latest set?"

"No, its kind of old."

"Well, you can go first Damon."

"I draw and ride, Physical Force Liberator, Zorron! And call trumpeter to my rearguard."

[Damon:

Hand 5. Damage 0.

0 (Zorron) 0

0 0 (Trumpeter)

Shinki:

Hand 5. Damage 0

0 (Fang Blade) 0

0 0 0]

"My turn, I ride Roaring Flame Beast, Karaleor, and Fang Blade's skill I get a Prime Generator Crest."

Damon was confused. "What's a crest?"

"Wow, you don't know? When was the last time you played? Anyways I call Battle Monk of Thunderclaps, Zenshin, and attack you with my vanguard."

"I won't guard."

"I drive check a critical trigger so I give the critical to Karaleor and give the 10k boost Zenshin."

"Hold up 10k? I thought a trigger only gave 5000 power."

"That's a great joke."

"And after that Zenshin attacks."

"I'll just take the damage."

[Shinki:

Hand 5. Damage 0.

0 (Karaleor) (Zenshin)

0 0 0

Damon:

Hand 5. Damage 3

0 (Zorron) 0

0 0 (Trumpeter)]

"Ok then, I guess I'll just continue anyways. I draw and ride Overcast Liberator, Geraint and call a 2nd Geraint, and attack with my rearguard Geraint."

"I guard with ."

"Now I attack with my vanguard!"

"Well I won't defend."

"I drive check Ketchgal Liberator, and stand my rearguard Geraint and give him plus 5000."

"Damon, what kind of trigger is that?"

"A stand trigger, Shinki right? I thought you would have seen one."

"I never have but continue with your last attack."

"I attack your rearguard and end my turn."

[Damon:

Hand 5. Damage 3

0 (Geraint) (Geraint)

0 0 (Trumpeter)

Shinki:

Hand 4. Damage 2. Energy 0.

0 (Karaleor) (Zenshin)

0 0 0]

Damon looked down at the table and then looked at Shinki in front of him, "You really aren't familiar with a stand trigger?"

Shinki just shrugged in response. "And you asked me what clan my deck was from. Are you alright? Do you have amnesia?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Never mind. I draw and ride Roaring Thunder Beast, Kitenraiz and with its skill Energy Blast 2 and draw a card. I call . Now I attack your vanguard with Kitenraiz!."

"I won't guard."

"Drive Check!" Shinki checks the card, "I got a front trigger, and my front row gains 10k. Now Zenshin attacks!."

"I won't guard."

"That's my turn, wow if you don't pick up the pace you won't win."

[Shinki:

Hand 5. Damage 2. Energy 1.

0 (Kitenraiz) (Zenshin)

0 0 (Flare Veil)

Damon:

Hand 5. Damage 5.

0 (Geraint) (Geraint)

0 0 (Trumpeter)]

"I draw and ride Solitary Liberator, Gancelot. Calling May Rain Liberator, Bruno . Now Gancelot attacks!"

"I guard with "

"I drive check and get a critical trigger, giving all effects to Geraint. And Geraint attacks"

"I'll let him hit."

[Damon:

Hand 5. Damage 5.

0 (Gancelot) (Geraint)

(Bruno) 0 (Trumpeter)

Shinki:

Hand 5. Damage 4. Energy 1.

0 (Kitenraiz) (Zenshin)

0 0 (Flare Veil)]

"My turn and now prepare to meet your doom, I ride Roaring Thunder Dragon, Triumph Dragon! I use Kitenraiz's skill and Energy Charge 3. I use my vanguard's skill and Counter Blast 1 to add a Triumph Dragon to hand from my deck and gain 10000 power! Now Triumph dragon attacks."

"Guard! I use my Ketchgal Liberator and Elixir Liberator."

"Twin drive check." Shinki let out a sign after revealing no trigger." Dang I don't have any luck. But now I attack with Zenshin."

"Guarding with a Zorron!"

[Shinki:

Hand 7. Damage 4. Counter 3. Energy 7.

0 (Triumph Dragon) (Zenshin)

0 0 (Flare Veil)

Damon:

Hand 2. Damage 5.

0 (Gancelot) (Geraint)

(Bruno) 0 (Trumpeter)]

"Get ready for my turn, I draw and now I call upon the brilliant dragon that illuminates the darkness, I break ride Liberator, Holy Shine Dragon. Thanks to Gancelot's limit break I give 10k power to Holy Shine, and 5k each to Bruno Geraint and Trumpeter."

"A Break Ride?"

"What don't tell me you don't use break rides in your deck."

"What's a Break Ride?"

"You're kidding, right? A limit break skill."

"Okay man you shouldn't bring out fake cards into a fight without warning."

Damon was visibly agitated, "What do you mean fake cards? These are all real unlike that deck you have."

"The audacity of some people." Shinki shook his head, "I will say those are some weak cards I can see why you were willing to playtest them."

"I said they aren't fake, go ahead and verify them." Damon suggested, and Shinki did just that, he grabbed Holy Shine Dragon and sat down while scrolling on his phone. Damon just stood next to him grumbling when he heard a gasp from Shinki. "Well you aren't lying, these are all authenticated but..."

"But what?" Damon asked inquisitively.

"There exists no record of them ever being printed or existing."

"That can't be, this was my deck I used at the last tournament."

"Hate to break it to you but that deck doesn't exist. How you managed to get those cards is beyond my mental capabilities but that Limit Break its interesting."

Damon started to pace back and forth. "So I went to bed and woke up and suddenly the universe plays a different version of Vanguard?"

"Or you somehow got a prototype deck and got a terrible case of amnesia."

"I got to find out what happened, why is everything different." Damon spoke to himself and ran out of the shop frantically trying to make sense but after what to him felt like hours all he found was that he was lost in a part of the town he had never been to.

"Hey." Damon heard a faint voice calling.

"Over here." Damon looked around him and noticed a glow coming from an alley.

"I am the seeker of truth." The glow stated, "I lost my way home and am now in this world I don't recognize."

"I'm sorta in a similar situation." Damon admitted.

"Take me, and lets work together and find out what happened to our homes." Damon didn't immediately respond and just hesitated there for a moment. On one hand if this light could help him that would be great, on the other how can he trust it. After thinking about it for a moment he realized he was talking to a glowing orb and was probably dreaming so he just reached out to the light and from it came a card. "Seeker of Truth. Huh." Damon looked at the card, just sighed. "Let's get to work, partner."

----

Damon found himself a new card and partner but will he be able to trust it?

Next Fate: The Seekers of Truth

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