YuGiOh: Souls of Shadow

Chapter 4.1

                The first person I knew in this world was David. He was the one who saved my life that night I woke up alone in the storm. If he hadn't brought me to the hospital, I would have died. And furthermore, he was the one that offered for me to come train with him when I had no other option in life.

But the image of David when he returned from his first mission is one that will remain burned into my mind forever. His eyes were so empty. His skin had lost its glow. His face had no hint of softness.

"David," I approached him, placing a hand on his shoulder. He pulled away from me forcefully, walking past without a second glance. And he wasn't the same since.

I never imagined taking a life would affect him so much. He was David. He was strong. Then again, weakness isn't what makes people fall here. It's compassion. Having enough to rescue a stranger from a cold stormy night was a tell-tale sign that he wouldn't make it.

Here, weakness and humanity are one of the same.

And so I watched David's decent into his own madness, giving up sleep to stare at the wall, the guilt visibly eating him alive, until it all ended one night with a gunshot.

The ringing in my ears didn't make me scream. Nor did seeing my only friend in the world's blood stains on his bedsheets drag me into the hell he had released himself from. It snapped me into a whole new existence.

It was clear to me now. We live. We die. Our lives have no consequence in this matter. And everyone around us shares the same fate. Why let emotions drag you through a painful existence when you can simply... let go?

And so I did.

Because of that decision, I became the most daunting opponent there. I wasted no energy in a fair match. I was not the most intelligent, or skilled, or strong, but I was ruthless. Why waste time with kicks and punches. Go straight for the neck, the eyes, the heart. Anything to end it quickly. It wasn't long before I completed my training.

"It's done," I told the boss as I slammed the gun and the photo of my target onto his desk.

"How was it?" he asked mockingly.

"Far too easy. I arrived, I shot, I disappeared."

"A killer without mercy or regrets," he smirked. "I'm very proud of you, Alice. You've become quite the monster. I really did have my doubts at first. You were such a fragile girl. But now... well look at you." He slid the weapon back to me. "Keep the gun. You've earned it."

I took it with an emotionless nod, then turned and left the room without another word.

Making my way back to my quarters, I observed my new companion for the first time—its the sharp features, the golden plated handle, the way the black metal was so smooth I could see the reflection of my eyes. They were so different than what I had seen before. Smaller, a sharper edge, a washed color. The person I saw was hardly a girl, much less a human at all. I truly had become a monster. And I didn't care to be anything else.

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