Era of Spirits and Shadows Chapter 16 (Patreon)

Hey friends and fans! Kairomaru is bringing you another chapter for Era of Spirits and Shadows! With the Promotion Exams over, both Jaden and Drake have been promoted! Ra Yellow, here they come! Aside from moving into the new dorm, there’s another change as well. Mindy, Jasmine, and Drake have started a relationship! How will that effect things going forward? Maybe get Alexis and Jaden thinking about it too? Kek! As classes resume, growth is achieved and another change happens as well!

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So, without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 16 – Change and Growth

-Ra Yellow Dorms-

“Would you like some help with that?” Bastion offered his two acquaintances with a friendly smile.

Jaden and Drake looked up at Bastion while carrying their things in boxes from the entrance of the dorm. The genius descended the nearby stairs and carefully picked up one of the boxes on the large cart that the two recently promoted students were using to move into their new dorm.

Jaden smiled at Bastion. “If you’re offering, we won’t say no.”

“Thanks for the help, Bastion.” Drake gave him a nod as they headed up the stairs towards the rooms that had been assigned to them.

“Are you sure that you packed only the essentials?” Bastion questioned as they lugged the boxes up the stairs to the second floor. The box he was carrying was surprisingly heavy.

Drake laughed as they reached the second floor. “Of course, you just happened to pick up my brick collection.”

“Brick collection?” Bastion’s face was a portrait of confusion.

Drake snickered and shook his head. “I’m just messing with you, dude.”

Jaden laughed as they walked down the hall. “I think that box is all of our school stuff combined. That’s why it’s a bit heavy.”

The trio got to the assigned dorm rooms for Drake and Jaden.

“Looks like we’re neighbors, Jaden.” Drake noticed that their rooms were side by side at the end of the hall.

“Sweet!” Jaden was happy that they’d still be close by.

“My room is near the front of this hall.” Bastion commented as Drake opened his dorm room and they were able to put the boxes down. “We’ll be able to hang out a bit more often now that we live in the same dorm.”

Drake and Jaden both smiled at Bastion. “Sure thing!”

The rest of the move didn’t take too much longer with Bastion’s help. Jaden’s boxes were moved into his room. Drake’s boxes were all in his dorm too. They’d spend some time in the evening getting everything set up, but for now.

Rrrrmmmbbbllleee

“Hungry, are you?” Bastion grinned at his friends. “I’ll show you to the dining area for lunch.”

“Heck yeah! Let’s eat!” Jaden cheered, throwing his fist into the air with a bright smile.

Drake playfully shoved Jaden out the door and into the hallway. “I’m hungry too, so hurry up!”

-Dining Hall-

“Holy crap…” Drake blinked at the large, well-decorated, and well-staffed dining hall.

“We didn’t have anything close to this in Slifer Dorm.” Jaden marveled at the increase in amenities from their promotion.

That was not only true of the building, accommodations, amenities, and number of staff to take care of the Ra Yellow Dorm. But was also blatantly evident in the food being served by the cooks.

Drake let out a whistle as he saw what was being served for lunch today. “Lobster, crab, shrimp, fish, rice, soup… Must be seafood day here.”

Jaden could only nod in agreement. “The closest we could get to lobster in the Slifer Dorm was Pharaoh’s breath.”

Professor Banner did tend to buy quality cat food for his pet.

“Was Slifer Dorm truly that much worse?” Bastion looked curious but also a bit concerned at the situation for the lowest-ranked students.

“Unfortunately,” Drake confirmed as the three of them took what they wanted form the buffet line. “The dorms are in good condition and clean, but they don’t have any staff aside from Professor Banner. The bathrooms look like public restrooms and there’s only shower stalls for bathing.”

Jaden put a lobster tail on his plate with a smile. “It wasn’t horrible, but this is a major step up.”

Bastion hummed thoughtfully about the new information as they sat down at a table together. “Well, we still don’t have private bathrooms in our dorm rooms here in Ra, but we do have rather spacious bathing facilities with tubs and showers.”

The three continued to chat, comparing the two dorms. Bastion was happy to answer any questions that Jaden or Drake had about the Ra Dorms as well. When lunch was over, the three headed off to their dorm rooms. Bastion to finish up an assignment and further research the Decks of other students, while also going through the over ten-thousand cards that existed within the game of Duel Monsters for further strategies. Drake and Jaden headed to their rooms to start unpacking and making their new rooms their own.

-Seaside Cliff Clearing ~ Afternoon-

Jaden and Drake were waiting for the girls to arrive after Drake had contacted them to meet up. On the grassy ground was a large blanket that Drake had bought from the school store with some of his DP. The Kaiba Corp-backed currency could be used to buy anything on Academy Island.

“Oh… Looking good, Drake~” Jasmine grinned as she got her first look at him in his new Ra Yellow uniform.

“I’ll say…” Mindy giggled, eyeing Drake up and down.

Alexis let out a playful sigh. “Down girls.” She wasn’t immune to doing the same thing though as her golden eyes trailed up and down Jaden’s form, taking in his new uniform.

Drake and Jaden didn’t look too different from their Slifer Red uniforms. The red was now replaced with a darker golden color, just like Drake had wanted. The only noticeable difference was that their blazer’s were slightly longer on the body. Jaden’s still flared out a bit, but now looked like a shorter version of the long blazers that some of the Obelisk Blue students wore. Drake’s longer blazer went down to his upper thighs, but was worn open, only the top button that held the white clasp under the neck was properly buttoned. There was no rules against modifications to one’s uniform (within reason) most students just didn’t bother with it because you had to fill out forms for the alterations.

“Glad you think so.” Drake smiled at his two girlfriends.

And wasn’t that a strange realization to have?

Mindy returned his smile as she nearly sauntered over to Drake and pulled him into a hug. One that was warmly returned and a gentle kiss left on her cheek.

Jasmine, not to be outdone, almost strutted over to Drake and got her own hug and kiss on the cheek. The auburn-haired girl sighing pleasantly at the gentle kiss on her cheek before letting her boyfriend go.

Alexis and Jaden both smiled at the clear affection between their friends. Though neither noticed when they both would occasionally glace at each other, a small coincidence that their eyes never met.

Drake refocused as he faced his four students. “After your induction into Shadow Magic, I’ve watched you all practice, duel, and refine your Ba. As of now…” He looked at Alexis, Jasmine, and Mindy specifically. “You three are now strong enough to begin Ka Formation.”

“Really?” Alexis dared to hope as her golden eyes widened a little. Ka Formation was the next step in getting strong enough in Shadow Magic to try and search for her missing brother.

Mindy beamed and hopped in the air a little. “Alright!”

Jasmine laughed and pulled Mindy into a hug. “I know what mine will be!”

“I think you three got to this point even faster than I did.” Jaden praised the girls with a grin.

“About the same amount of time, actually.” Drake pulled a card from his Deck box and held it up, revealing it to be the Spell card ‘Veil of Darkness’. “Your Ba was stronger than theirs, but you took a little longer settling down and refining it.” He held up the Spell card and it began to glow. From the card a pitch-blackness emerged and wrapped around the area, cutting all of them off from the outside world. “Meditate in here, among the shadows and darkness, and let your Ba form the Ka that is most dear to it.”

Alexis quickly sat down on the large blanket to meditate. Mindy and Jasmine followed a second later. Jaden and Drake both respectfully looked away as the girls got themselves comfortable, knowing that with the microskirts that were part of the girls’ uniforms there was a risk of exposure.

“How’re we able to see in here, dude?” Jaden asked quietly as the girls evened out their breathing. Sure, it was way darker than it had been in the afternoon sun, but somehow they were able to see just fine.

“Your Ba is strong enough to see through the Magic.” Drake explained simply. “If it wasn’t, this would be a void lacking even the tiniest traces of light to your eyes.”

“Kuri kuri!” Winged Kuriboh manifested and rested atop Jaden’s hair.

Drake chuckled at the playful spirit. “I think he wants you to meditate with him again.”

Jaden had no problem with that. “Let’s go, partner.” He smiled, plucking Winged Kuriboh off his head and going to sit on the large blanket as well. He settled his Ka into his lap and rest his hand o the soft fur as he slowly settled his breathing and sank into meditation to refine his Ba which, to Drake’s more experienced eyes, had grown noticeably after his Duel with Chazz’s new Deck filled with rare cards.

‘All of them are growing. I’ll make sure that everything goes smoothly for them.’ Drake looked over the four while he maintained the spell that kept them secluded from the rest of the world. “I wonder what new Ka will be born today?” He murmured under his breath.

Within Jasmine’s mind and soul her energy moved. Her Ba had grown considerably since she’d first started learning Shadow Magic. Drake’s instructions to meditate and refine her Ba every night had further strengthened her soul along with the daily Duels that happened every day at Duel Academy. Now, that energy was moving in a brand new way.

Jasmine didn’t try to rush it, letting her Ba slowly gather and stretch to a new point. Once almost half of her energy was stretched in front of her, the strand of magic connecting them began to thin. Her Ba slowly recalled the energy back into itself, leaving the large portion of her spiritual energy floating in front of her. The thin line eventually got so small that it came apart like a worn string. The little sphere of energy before her pulsed and slowly changed, taking on a green-ish tint from the more white-ish color of her Ba.

‘It’s almost like an egg.’ Jasmine mused as she watched the sphere pulse softly a few times, each pulse reminding her of a heartbeat.

The spiritual energy began to change again. It almost seemed to mold itself like clay, taking on a new form over time. Jasmine watched as the formless energy began to take a humanoid shape. Details became more apparent as the process continued. Feathered wing-like limbs, clawed hands, taloned feet, long hair. Once the form stopped shifting, color seemed to bloom from it. The hair became a golden blonde, the feathers of the wings turned a white-pink color. The skin was light, but a healthy color, similar to Jasmine’s own. Black clothing, rather risqué and revealing, formed over the female body, and then the creatures eyes opened, revealing a pair of enchanting amethyst eyes.

“Raaeeee!” The little Harpie let out the familiar cry of the Harpie Lady Archetype., though hers was much cuter and softer.

‘Harpie Girl, just like I thought!’ Jasmine smiled at her Ka as the little girl happily flitted over to her and sat in Jasmine’s lap.

Jasmine’s eyes fluttered opened and she saw her Ka still sitting in her lap. The new spirit was still transparent, but Jasmine could see the Harpie Girl clearly. Looking into her hand, she found three copies of the Harpie Girl card had been formed upon her Ka’s manifestation. “Hi.” She greeted her Ka.

“Raaee.” Harpie Girl smiled at Jasmine before looking over at Winged Kuriboh. The little puffball was still lying in Jaden’s lap as the pair meditated together. The little Harpie’s eyes then moved over to Drake and she stared at him for a long time, as if trying to understand him. What she was really curious about was his Ba, however. Compared to his students, Drake had a significantly higher amount of power.

“It took a bit more energy than I thought to let you manifest.” Jasmine gently wrapped her arms around Harpie Girl’s waist. “But I’m glad that you’re here, partner.”

Harpie Girl looked at Jasmine with another smile. “Raaeee!” She wasn’t fully corporeal right now, given that Jasmine’s Ba was worn out from the manifestation. But in this area surrounded by a spell which was maintained by a strong Ba, she could more easily partially manifest without taking any more energy from her creator. From now on, she’d be growing by feeding off the excess energy of Jasmine’s Ba every day. But for now, she just relaxed and enjoyed experiencing her own existence.

“Congratulations, Jasmine.” Drake smiled at his girlfriend with warmth and affection.

Jasmine smiled back, knowing that Drake could see her new Ka. “She’d cute, isn’t she?”

“Very cute.” Drake agreed with a smile at the new Ka.

“Raaee!” Harpie Girl chirped with a smile, feeling Jasmine’s happiness through their bond.

While Jasmine and Drake spoke quietly, Alexis was making her own progress within her mind and soul.

Among the white glow of her Ba, Alexis kept her breathing steady. Her energy was slowly swirling around and she let it flow without restriction. The spiritual power and magic spiraled here and there, briefly forming, only to dispersed a moment later. It was only when her Ba began to expand that she noticed the difference. There was a feeling, like water cascading down her body. She felt like water was passing between her fingers, uncatchable, and flowing away. The swirls returned, but this time two formed, one spinning clockwise, the other counter-clockwise. The swirls of energy spiraled into two separate points, forming identical spheres.

‘Hah…’ Alexis let out a long, slow breath as she felt her Ba drain. It was a strange sensation, like suddenly feeling tired for no reason. The orb of spiritual energy on the right took on a bright golden hue for a moment before turning into a dull pink color. Two wings formed on the pink ball and flexed a few times. They made a strange metallic sound when they moved that made Alexis blink. A second later and the entire pink ball had a subtle metallic hue to it. A pair of short arms and small feet formed on the spherical being, before two red eyes opened along with a wide mouth. The red eyes glowed, like dim LEDs, before the wigs flexed again and all four limbs moved.

“Nnnmmm…” The strange little spirit made an almost humming sound, like a computer when it was running.

‘Cyber Petit Angel.’ Alexis smiled at the new spirit as it seemingly looked around to examine where it was. She turned her attention to the second sphere of her now separate spiritual energy. It had taken on an earthy color before it began to shift and mold itself around. Alexis watched as the orb took on a humanoid form, it was about her height, maybe a little shorter. A skintight red and white outfit formed on the figure, completed with a frilly white skirt around the hips and pink ballet shoes on the feet. Pik hair formed and a blue visor came into being over the eyes. The said eyes opened a moment later revealing their soft green color.

“Hmm?” The newly manifested spirit had an adorably cute look on her face as she looked around. She stood up and took a second to get her balance. When she spotted the Cyber Petit Angel, she broke out into a smile and quickly took the floating spirit into her arms to hug.

‘And Cyber Tutu too.’ Alexis almost giggled at the cute scene in front of her.

“Ah!” Cyber Tutu turned her attention to Alexis with a bright smile. In only a few steps she was sitting across from Alexis with Cyber Petit Angel in her arms.

“Hello, you two.” Alexis greeted her two Ka warmly. Manifesting two Ka was probably why she suddenly felt so drained. “I’m glad to meet you, partners.”

“Mmmnnn!” Cyber Petit Angel let out a happy-sounding hum.

Cyber Tutu beamed at Alexis. “Happy…to…meet you!” The spirit seemed to take a little time to acclimate to words. Being born from Alexis’s Ba, she had the rudimentary knowledge of speech, but no actual practice.

Alexis slowly opened her eyes in the real world. She took a steadying breath as she felt the lethargy affecting her physical body as well. Cyber Tutu was sitting across from her still, with Cyber Petit Angel in her arms. Both spirits were see-through, a sign that they weren’t fully manifested into the physical world.

“Lexi! You did it!” Jasmine praised her friend with a hushed cheer and a smile. In her arms, Harpie Girl looked at the two new spirits curiously.

“Thanks, Jazz.” Alexis smiled softly at her friend. The three new spirits were quickly checking each other out as they met for the first time. Both Jasmine and Alexis could only grin at the rather cute scene.

“Very good, Alexis.” Drake gave his student (in Shadow Magic) praise for successfully manifesting her Ka. “Two at the same time must’ve been difficult for you.”

Alexis nodded in agreement. “I feel like a nap, that’s for sure.”

“Kuri!” Winged Kuriboh floated through the air from Jaden’s lap to meet the new spirits.

“Whoa…” Jaden took a second to process the three new spirits that were with Alexis and Jasmine. “Congratulations, Jasmine, Alexis.” He gave them both a smile.

“Thanks!” Jasmine grinned back, letting Harpie Girl out of her lap to interact with Winged Kuriboh in the air.

Alexis gave Jaden a soft smile. “Thank you, Jaden.” To her surprise, Jaden scooted a little closer to her on the blanket and offer her his shoulder. With a dusting of pink on her cheeks, Alexis gently laid her head on Jaden’s shoulder to rest. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” Jaden said kindly.

Now the group waited for Mindy to manifest her Ka.

Drake kept quiet, but he had a feeling that a Ka would be difficult for Mindy to manifest, as she adored her Beast Deck just as it was, without any overarching Archetype.

Within Mindy’s Ba, the girl had been watching the white energy swirl around the entire time she’d been meditating. Occasionally it would swirl together, briefly looking like it was trying to take form, only to return to soft waves and flows again. She kept her patience though, letting her Ba flow and attempt to manifest whichever spirit was closest to her heart and soul.

However, after a long time, Mindy’s Ba settled completely and the swirls and flow stilled. Nothing manifested and she let out a sigh. Blinking open her eyes; she took in the dark space that Drake had created for them all. Her eyes fell on the new spirits and she smiled at how cute they were. “You two did it!” She hugged Jasmine close, seeing that Alexis was lying against Jaden and looked worn out.

Jasmine eagerly returned the hug before pulling back. “Yeah, it took a bit, but we managed to manifest our Ka.” Not seeing a new spirit around Mindy, Jasmine gave her a soft smile. “Your heart couldn’t choose, huh?”

Mindy shook her head. “Doesn’t look like it.” She loved all of her beasts and the Deck that she’d built with them. How could she choose just one out of all of them?

Drake walked over and knelt down in front of Mindy. “I thought this might be the case, Mindy.” He opened his arms, offering her a hug, and gently held her when she nearly leapt into his embrace. The two just held each other for a long moment before Drake spoke up, just loud enough for everyone to hear. “I do have an idea of how to find you a partner.”

“You do?” Mindy pulled back a little to look into her boyfriend’s eyes.

“Uh huh.” Drake nodded at her with a grin. “Jaden didn’t manifest his Ka either, remember?”

Mindy looked over at Jaden and Winged Kuriboh. “Oh yeah…”

Jaden chuckled and waved at Mindy while Kuriboh floated in the air with a cute chirp.

“This island is a hot spot of spirits.” Drake reminded the group. All of them had seen the small spheres of light that flew around the island. They’d have never noticed them if they hadn’t started learning Shadow Magic and refining their Ba; but they had definitely noticed them since. “If we follow them to wherever they’re congregating, I’m sure we’ll be able to find you a partner, Mindy.”

“What’re we waiting for?!” Mindy hopped up to her feet and nearly dragged Drake along as she headed for the edge of the ‘Veil of Darkness’ spell.

Jasmine and Jaden both burst into laughter at Mindy’s eagerness. Alexis gave a tired smile at the scene.

The spell ended, the pitch-blackness fading away to let the late afternoon sun shine through again. Drake managed to get to his feet and took Mindy’s hand in his. “We’ll be back in a bit.” He told the other three with a chuckle.

“Have fun!” Jasmine waved to her boyfriend and girlfriend. “But not too much fun~” She teased them both.

“No promises!” Mindy shot back with a giggle as she and Drake disappeared into the trees.

It had been a bit of a surprise for Drake when Jasmine and Mindy had explained their feelings for him, and each other. The two girls had a relationship since last year, back at Duel Prep School. Alexis was the only one they’d told, of course. But Mindy and Jasmine were both bisexual, and had been hoping to find a man that they could love as well. They always checked out guys together, flirted together, and had even approached a couple of guys together.

Unfortunately for the couple, none of those guys had won their hearts. The first guy had been a total misjudgment on their part. He had been hot, but he was shallow and self-absorbed. They’d stopped talking to him so quickly that they hadn’t even been able to hint at wanting a relationship. The second boy had been kind and gentlemanly, but seemed to find their closeness odd. Jasmine and Mindy had never told him that they were in love with each other either. The writing on the wall was clear with this particular boy. The third had been polite in refusing their advances, able to tell that something more than friendship existed between the two girls and not wanting to come between that.

Drake, he’d been different. A skilled Duelist when they’d seen him at the Entrance Exams. A levelheaded guy that cared about his friends when they’d met him, going so far as to break rules to help Syrus when he’d been framed, even if he wasn’t close with the other boy. The more Mindy and Jasmine got to know him, the more they both felt their hearts flutter in their chests. When they’d finally made their feelings known, Drake had accepted them and reciprocated. Even when they’d explained their relationship together, he had listened, thought about it, and then agreed to let their feelings guide them. Even after such a short time of officially being together, Mindy and Jasmine were certain they’d finally found the right man to love them both, completely and totally.

“Where do you think they’ll go?” Jaden asked curiously.

“No clue.” Jasmine shrugged, letting Harpie Girl fade into one of the three cards that had formed in her hand after her Ka had manifested. She placed all three into her Deck box and then laid out on the large blanket with her hands behind her head. “But I’m sure they’ll be back soon enough.”

Alexis gave it a little thought, but couldn’t come up with an idea of where spirits would gather on the island. “I don’t know where spirits might gather, but as long as Mindy is with Drake, she’ll be fine.” She closed her eyes and relaxed against Jaden more.

Jaden could only smile at Alexis, seeing how tired she was. “You two can get a nap, if you want. I’ll keep watch for you both.” He offered.

“I think I’ll take you up on that.” Jasmine yawned and closed her eyes, the shade of the tree above making her comfortable as she slowly nodded off.

“Zzz…” Alexis had already dozed off with her head on Jaden’s shoulder and a soft smile on her lips. Both Cyber Tutu and Cyber Petit Angel had disappeared into Alexis’s Deck box to inhabit the cards there. Alexis already had copies of their cards, so it was easy for the new spirits to ‘move in’ and slowly acclimate to passively absorbing small amounts of Ba from Alexis once she recovered.

Jaden smiled as she made sure to not move much, lest he wake Alexis up. He kept his eyes open though, watching and listening for anything that would indicate someone approaching them.

-Forest ~ Later-

“We’ve come a long way.” Mindy said as she walked hand in hand with Drake.

“We have, but there’s a lot more spirits now.” Drake looked at all of the small balls of light floating around the forest and through the trees.

The pair eventually came to a what looked like a well made from old stones. Drake wondered why there was a well at all on the island, especially so far away from everything else.

“Wait, I’ve heard of this place!” Mindy exclaimed, her brown eyes widening as her memory was jogged. “This is the Reject Well!”

“The what?” Drake looked at her curiously.

Mindy let out a little sigh at how this place got its name. “The Reject Well is called that because for years now students have come here to toss cards that they deemed useless.” She explained to her boyfriend, gently squeezing his hand. “Rumor has it that there are hundreds of cards down there that have been tossed away.”

“People still do this?” Drake asked, not knowing why they wouldn’t just sell or donate the cards if they weren’t going to use them.

Mindy nodded, knowing that it was mostly Obelisk and Ra students that tossed cards here.

Drake looked down the well, trying to gauge how deep it was. “I see tons of spirits down there.” He gently released Mindy’s hand and looked to see if there was a way to climb down. “That’s steep… It’d be way too easy to fall.” He reached into the inner pocket of his new golden Ra blazer and pulled out a small stack of cards. “Let’s see…” He started flipping through them.

“Are you going to use magic?” Mindy was now looking at the small stack of cards curiously.

“Yep.” Drake smiled at her, showing her a Trap card in his hand called ‘Rope of Life’. The purple card glowed for a second before a thick, strong rope appeared from it, lengthening more and more as it descended into the well. Once it hit the bottom, Drake took the end of the rope and tied it around a sturdy tree that was closest to the well. “I’ll head down first and make sure it’s safe. If you fall, I’ll catch you, I promise.”

“Thank you, Drake.” Mindy gave him a kiss on the cheek for his thoughtfulness before he descended into the Reject Well.

At the bottom of the well, which was indeed a considerable distance, Drake looked around and grimaced at what he saw. Hundreds of cards littered the floor, tossed down here like garbage. The vast number of spirits peeked out at him from every possible nook and cranny of the large cave-like space beneath the well. Not every card here had a spirit attached to it, but many of them did.

“How sad.” Drake murmured quietly, but knew that the various spirits could hear him.

Even if they weren’t very strong, a spirit was still a spirit, and they could help the ones they liked in Duels on occasion, even without proper Ba and Ka training. To see so many thrown away and left abandoned down here was saddening. The worst part was, the spirits couldn’t move too far away from their physical cards to try and find a partner of their own. They were stuck down here in the Reject Well because of the shortsightedness of some of the students.

‘I know that most people can’t perceive spirits at all, but seeing so many like this is depressing.’ Drake thought to himself.

“Drake?” Mindy called down the well. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Mindy!” Drake yelled back up to her. “It’s safe! You can come down!”

The ‘Rope of Life’ moved a bit as Mindy slowly descended the well. When she got within arms reach of Drake, he gently took hold of her hips and helped her down to the stone floor.

Mindy gasped loudly at seeing all of the spirits in the cave beneath the well. “There’s so many!”

Drake agreed with her, letting out a sigh. “There really are a lot.”

Mindy took a few steps forward, careful to not step on any of the cards, and gave the numerous spirits a bright smile. “MY name is Mindy.” She gave the spirits a polite bow, showing them respect. “I’ve come here to find a spirit to become my Ka.”

Hushed whispers and murmurs spread throughout the cave quickly.

“What kind of spirit?” One spirit asked. Drake and Mindy were both able to identify the spirit as Skull Servant, given that it was a skeleton wearing a purple robe. “No one wanted any of us before.”

“A Beast spirit if possible, I play a Beast Deck.” Mindy explained to the skeleton spirit and the others gathered around.

A few Beast spirits perked up, wondering if they would be a good match for Mindy and be able to get out of the Reject Well.

They were beaten to the punch, however, as a pink, fluffy rabbit hopped forward and stopped at Mindy’s feet. “Pyik!” He raised his paws into the air, as if he was a small child asking to be picked up.

“Oh my gosh, you’re adorable!” Mindy nearly squealed as she knelt down and started petting the pink rabbit.

“Rabby!” The rabbit spirit cooed out what might’ve been its name, enjoying Mindy’s gentleness.

Drake smiled as he saw the interest that Mindy and the pink rabbit had in each other already.

The pink rabbit picked up one of the cards near Mindy’s feet and held it up to her. “Pyik!”

Mindy accepted the card with a smile and looked at it, seeing the same pink rabbit on the card as the spirit she was petting. “Melffy Rabby?” She read the spirit’s name and then it’s flavor text. “You’re too precious!” She picked Rabby up and hugged him close.

“Rabby!” Rabby snuggled into Mindy’s arms.

Mindy smiled and sat down, uncaring of the cold stone beneath her bottom. She held Rabby in her lap and closed her eyes, slowing her breathing as she sank into her Ba.

The first thing she saw was a pink dot in the distance. Mindy smiled and sent a bit of her energy towards the dot. “Rabby! Let’s be partners!”

The pink dot started to approach, faster and faster, and Mindy burst into giggles as she saw how fast Rabby was hopping towards her. When the little pink bunny stopped in front of her, Mindy knelt down and offered Rabby her hand.

“Rabby!” Rabby placed both of his front paws into Mindy’s hand and his magic rose up to touch Mindy’s Ba.

Mindy felt the instant the bond was made. Her Ba briefly had a wave of pink pass over it before Rabby glowed white with her spiritual power and magic.

“Rabby!” Rabby was hopping in place happily as Mindy opened her eyes. In her Ba, Mindy could feel Rabby’s gratefulness for being chosen.

“I’m happy to have you too, Rabby.” Mindy pulled the fluffy, pink bunny into her arms and snuggled him for a bit. Rabby glowed and turned into a pink orb of light before disappearing into the card that Mindy held.

Melffy Rabby – Level 2 – Earth – Beast – 0 ATK/2100 DEF

“Looks like I’ll have to find some of your friends, huh, Rabby?” Mindy cooed to her new Ka. She giggled when she heard a ‘Pyik!’ within her Ba. Rabby clearly liked that idea.

“That was beautiful, Mindy.” Drake spoke softly as he walked over to her.

Mindy turned and nearly through herself into Drake’s arms, kissing his lips as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. When she pulled back their was a dazzling smile on her face.

“Thank you for bringing me here, Drake!” Mindy thanked her boyfriend warmly.

“You’re welcome, Mindy.” Drake smiled back at her, leaning in and giving her a gentle kiss in return.

Mindy giggled and buried her face into his neck once their lips separated.

“There’s just one thing left to do.” Drake said and Mindy pulled back to look at him curiously.

“What’s that?” Mindy questioned with a cute tilt of her head.

Drake left her arms and stood before the gathered spirits. “Gentle spirits, would you like me to take you out of this dreary place?”

The various spirits all started murmuring among themselves.

“Where would we go?” Skull Servant asked, his voice sounding old and dry.

“I know a shop run by a nice family that sells cards to kids that would otherwise be unable to afford them. They’d be thrilled to have all of you and make sure that you made it out into the world again.” Drake told the spirits with a smile. “I could collect all of your cards now and ship you to them tomorrow. With any luck, you’ll all one day find Duelists that you like and that will see your true potential.”

More whispers and murmurs filled the cavern, though this time they were tinged with hope and joy.

“That would be nice…” Skull Servant nodded, clearly wanting someone to see his value.

As one of the oldest cards in the Reject Well, he had little to no way of knowing just how much support he’d gotten since the early days of the game when his card had been printed. Skull Servant was now a full-on Archetype and had tons of support and even a dedicated fanbase.

Drake smiled a little, knowing just how quickly Skull Servant would likely be picked up by an aspiring Zombie Deck player.

The vast group of spirits all cheered and turned into balls of light. The orbs hung in the air for a moment before raining down into the various cards scattered all over the stone ground. In no time at all, the spirits trapped in the Reject Well were all safely in their cards and ready to finally leave the lonely place.

“Let me help.” Mindy smiled beautifully at Drake, once more seeing his warm and caring side that made her heart flutter.

“Thanks, Mindy.” Drake returned her smile as they both started picking up all of the cards that had been scattered about. It took a while, but eventually every card was collected and all of their pockets were full.

Mindy tugged on the ‘Rope of Life’ and found it still strong. She put one of her feet on the stone wall and prepared to climb up.

“Um, Mindy, shouldn’t I go first?” Drake asked, briefly looking down at her uniform microskirt.

“If you went first, then who would catch me if I fell?” Mindy grinned at him, warmth and temptation in her brown eyes. She leaned over and stopped right beside Drake’s ear. “Think of this as a ‘reward’ for being such a great person~” She lightly kissed his ear before pulling back with a sultry look on her face.

Drake had lost all reason to protest as Mindy began to climb up the side of the well with the rope. Looking up, Drake got to see Mindy’s panties for the first time. “Navy blue lace…nice.” He grinned at the sight, and the way the lacey panties hugged Mindy’s nice ass.

“Glad you like them, Drake~” Mindy giggled, clearly having heard him. Had he been able to see Mindy’s face, Drake would’ve chuckled at the red blush that was covering it.

Once the two were back on the surface, Drake dispelled the ‘Rope of Life’ and softly took Mindy’s hand in his, interlacing their fingers.

Mindy laid her head on his shoulder as they started walking through the forest and back towards their friends. She had a Ka that she already adored, and some new cards to look up when she got back to her dorm. ‘Melffy rings a bell, but why can’t I remember the name?’

Drake felt the presence of all of the spirits from the Reject Well through the cards he carried. It was a surprising amount of spiritual ‘weight’ to be carrying, even if they weren’t bonded to him.

“Krrrssshhh…” Red-Eyes hissed slowly at Drake. The Ka using some of its energy to bolster Drake’s Ba and lighten the spiritual load a bit.

‘Thanks, partner.’ Drake thanked his Ka for the assistance as he walked with Mindy through the forest. He knew he’d have to have a nice time like this with Jasmine soon too, just to make sure he was equally giving his two girlfriends all of the love and attention that he could.

-Clearing-

“Aww, that’s precious~” Mindy cooed as they saw Jasmine napping and Alexis sleeping while leaned up against Jaden.

“Hey you two.” Jaden greeted them with a small wave, a smile on his face.

Drake smirked at his buddy. “You look like you’re enjoying yourself.”

Jaden shrugged with his free shoulder. “Can’t really complain.”

Mindy moved over to Jasmine and gently lifted her head before placing her girlfriend’s head on her soft thighs. Mindy was lightly humming a few seconds later as she gently ran her fingers through Jasmine’s auburn hair.

Jasmine’s lips turned upward in a small smile as she let out a cute hum in her sleep.

“Did everything work out?” Jaden asked the two as Drake sat next to Mindy.

His answer was a pink fluffy bunny appearing next to Mindy and hopping around the blanket in a large circle before disappearing back into Mindy’s Deck box.

“Yeah, it went perfectly.” Mindy smiled as she continued to lightly run her fingers through Jasmine’s hair.

“We’ve got a task to do tomorrow, but it shouldn’t be a problem.” Drake patted the full pockets of his blazer, briefly feeling the swell of emotion from all of the spirits that were eager to get back out into the world again.

Jaden nodded to Drake, silently offering his help, before both young men went quiet and just enjoyed being with the girls they cared for.

-End Chapter-

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KA! There’s Ka for all three girls! Alexis even manifested TWO!

The Queen of Obelisk Blue is such an overachiever, isn’t she? Kek!

Mindy got Melffy Rabby from the Reject Well!

Drake, seeing the plight of the trapped spirits, offers to free them all and get them back out into the world! Naturally, the spirits are ecstatic about that idea!

Mindy gives Drake a kiss and lets him have a peek for being such a good person. Not that she minded when he gave her a kiss in return!

All of the Fluffy! We need this downtime after all of the Promotion Exam Duels!

Mindy has some cards to look for now! The Melffy cards can be rather powerful and are easily splashable into almost any Beast Deck!

Did I just give Mindy a powerup? Hehehe!

What’s next for our group of Duelists?

Keep reading to find out!

Until I get your reviews, later!