Hollow

Yusei's POV

Like what was so often the case since Jack had reentered my life, I was in horrible agony. I really couldn't help but wince when Aki came into the room. Lately, all my friends ever seemed to do was cause me pain, real and imagined. She noticed and quickly went to yell at Jack and slam the door in his face. Admittedly, I enjoyed that more than I should have.

"How are you doing?" she asked, scrutinizing me intensely. What had Jack told her? I could already tell something was troubling her, but she seemed intent on focusing on me for now. I was relieved. How could I help anyone when I didn't even know how to help myself?

"I feel lost. I'm not the person I want to be," I said. If I was, I wouldn't have failed to protect my friends. I would have been able to get through to Jack before everything changed forever. Aslla Piscu wouldn't have found any darkness in my heart.

"You're the best person I've ever met," Aki said, taking hold of my hand. I was struck by her naive sincerity. She trusted me completely. She really shouldn't.

"You haven't met that many people," I said. She frowned, withdrawing her hand, letting it rest on her hidden mark.

"I suppose you wouldn't take the word of a witch," Aki said, with an air of resignation. That's not what I meant at all.

"I know you think the world of me, but you've hidden yourself away for so long that you don't know what the world can offer. I'm a mess, Aki, and at some point, I might not be able to help you anymore," I said, fully aware of my own limitations. I can't let anyone else depend on me. I refuse to lose anyone else to the darkness because of my mistakes.

"Please tell me what's wrong," she said. I hesitated, unsure of the danger. What if we weren't truly alone? Would Kiryu target her? Would Carly? Or was I only dealing with Death gods in disguise? No, maybe, I don't know.

"I went to see a friend today. She's not the person I thought she was, but I can't stop myself from trusting her, even when I know it's probably a trap," I said. A pained look crossed Aki's face, it was a pain I recognized all too well.

"I can relate. I've always seen Divine as this marvelous magician that could do anything for me, but I'm starting to see that maybe I don't want to know how he does his tricks. Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked.

"Could you use your psychic abilities to check for any trace of an earthbound immortal inside my mind?" I asked. She looked doubtful.

"I do have some extrasensory abilities, but they are not as well developed as my other psychic powers. I'll do my best," she said, placing a hand on my forehead. She closed her eyes and concentrated. Her mark began to glow, adding to her warm soothing touch. I had to fight to stay awake as she scanned my mind. After a few minutes, she opened her eyes and shook her head.

"I don't sense anything, Yusei, but I'm not an expert. If you ever feel like something is invading your mind again, trust your instincts and tell one of us, we'll help you," she said. I was the one that had invited Aslla Piscu into my mind in the first place. I was just afraid it hadn't actually left. I didn't correct her.

"Thank you, at least I know, I'm the one to blame for the way I'm feeling now. Aslla Piscu just planted the seeds," I said. It made sense. No one had forced me to do anything. I was responsible for my own self destructive behavior. Aki looked at me worriedly.

"What exactly happened with Aslla Piscu?" she asked. It was a simple enough request, but just the thought of it, filled me with unspeakable dread. The god had spoken to me for only a few minutes, but the meeting had been terrifying and far too enlightening.

"I'm not ready to talk about it," I told her. She was far more patient than she had any right to be. My mind had been infected by the words of a destructive god. I was a liability.

"Promise me you won't go anywhere on your own for a while, it's not safe," she said. I knew that wasn't a promise I was going to be able to keep. I was meeting Carly tomorrow. I simply had too many questions only she could answer. However, there was an obvious loophole that would put Aki at ease and let me do whatever I wanted.

"I've learned my lesson. Next time I face a dark singer, I won't be on my own," I said, glancing at my hidden mark briefly. She didn't catch what I really meant and smiled.

"If you ever need to talk, I'll be there for you. You don't have to face everything on your own, " she said, ready to make her exit. I hadn't expected her to leave so soon.

"You don't have to go if you don't want to," I said. Jack had taken away my phone, and I didn't want to be alone with my thoughts.

"I know. I'm going to let you rest, you look tired," she said, her peaceful smile turning into a thin somber line. The last thing I wanted to do was sleep. It was the middle of the day, and I was probably under house arrest until further notice.

"Okay Aki, I'll be here if you need me," I said, assuming I didn't jump out the window because I was bored out of my mind. She nodded and said her goodbyes. Then, I was alone.

If I had been in better shape, I would have gone to the garage and worked on my bike, but my leg was throbbing from running after Carly all day. (Jack punching my leg hadn't helped matters.) I decided to read for a while. I took out a tablet the director had given me a few days after I had arrived. Originally, it had been filled with books and useful apps he thought I might be interested in. I'd skimmed most of it and promptly deleted various mythological books, a few apps he was clearly using to keep tabs on me, and the many long winded philosophical books I didn't care for. Now, it was mostly filled with various how to manuals, a few science books I was still having trouble truly grasping, and several apps I was using to keep track of the news regarding refugee Satellite citizens.

Most of the news hadn't been good. They'd been regulated to the outer rim of New Domino city, and even if they had been granted access to the rest of the city, there were few who had the resources to successfully live in the more affluent areas without turning to crime. While they were still being granted food and supplies, it wasn't a sustainable long term solution to their problems. Many faced discrimination from the people of New Domino, especially those with marks. This made it difficult for the people of Satellite to earn their own money and make a life for themselves in the city. From what he'd seen, the people of New Domino knew little of Satellite and wouldn't realize people with marks weren't necessarily dangerous. The punishment did not always fit the crime.

With everything at stake, I should be pushing our team to defeat the dark signers that threatened Satellite. I wanted my people to have a home they could come back to. Entrance into the city wasn't enough, we needed to build up Satellite and reconnect to the city, not abandon it completely. This was the right thing to do. And yet, I wasn't sure I could bring myself to do what needed to be done. Kiryu had given me purpose when I was at my most hopeless. No matter how much he had changed, could I in good conscience destroy him?

Kiryu knew the truth, and he still wanted to kill me. What else could I do? Kiryu had already fallen victim to his death god's cry for vengeance and was too far gone to save. I would gladly relieve him of his hatred and suffering, even if I had to risk my own life to do so, but I couldn't justify eliminating Carly. She did not seem to be actively plotting against me. She had tried to convince Kiryu of the truth and had recklessly put herself in harm's way to stop me from facing Kiryu in a match she thought I would lose. I needed more information. She had left me one clue I could look at before tomorrow. I opened a saved file containing the article she had written.

I hadn't taken a good look at the article when I'd first stumbled across it this morning. Mostly, I'd been mortified that someone had actually managed to publish an article about me. Since Jack had been the fan favorite at the fortune cup, the news media had mostly focused on him. Then, of course, I saw her name, and everything clicked. What I read surprised me, there was no mention of my involvement in Satellite's evacuation or anything about the mythological events involving signers and dark singers. There were details about me in my duelist profile that I had never mentioned to her, things only my closest family knew. The rest was a standard recap of all the duels I'd been in during the fortune cup, including an impossibly detailed account of my duel with Jack that only my fellow signers had been able to witness. She was practically gushing about how great I was throughout the whole recap, and I found myself blushing. So, she was a fan and evidence suggested she had written this recently. I put the tablet down and sighed, that complicated everything. Why did you join the dark signers, Carly? And, why don't you hate me? The unwanted memory resurfaced, and I forced myself to relive it. Maybe, I'd be able to piece together answers from what I'd witnessed.

I opened my eyes to find myself in a very dark place. Carly was also in the dark abyss with me. She had a secret smile. It was sharp, thin, unnatural and devastating. She swayed back and forth playfully, hands behind her back. The whites of her eyes had become an ominous black as she stared back at me. I stood, unable to discern anything in the darkness.

"Nice to finally meet you, little signer," she said, offering me a small curtsy. She wore a black and orange outfit with an exposed midriff, far too revealing to match Carly's usual taste in clothing.

"Who are you?" I asked. She looked like Carly, but everything about her was slightly off.

"I am the death god, Aslla Piscu. You invited me here," she said, walking past me to travel further into the abyss. I followed her, instinctively aware I shouldn't let her go further. She crouched down and touched the black watery liquid.

"What are you doing?"I asked alarmed as the mark on her arm began to glow a brilliant orange.

"I'm finding out what makes you tick. It's not everyday I get to see inside of a signer's mind, " she said as the light coming from her arm created shapes in the water. I found it hard to look away.

"I've been inside Jack's mind of course, but you're a different flavor altogether," she said, probing the liquid's surface for the right reflection, no the right answer to her question. I resisted and finally looked away from the mesmerizing shapes.

"Why did you come here?" I asked. She paused for a moment and looked at me coyly.

"I'm curious. Carly's so convinced of your angelic nature. I want to see if I can find darkness in your heart," she said, reaching deep into the pitch black liquid. I felt a sharp pain as she pulled a heart from the depths. She laughed as I fell to my knees, gasping for breath.

"Relax, this will only hurt for a moment," she said, squeezing the heart gently so only a few precious drops of blood fell into the dark lake. Aslla Piscu looked at the light reflecting off the water with keen interest as it reacted to the spilled blood.

"I'm grateful for Nerve, Taka, Blitz, and Riley's help with the bike, but I wish I had someone to talk to who actually understood me. I get bored hanging out with them sometimes," Aslla Piscu said, sounding bored herself.

"That counts as a dark thought for you? Who are you, Superman?" she scoffed. I was paralyzed with fear and unable to speak.

"I need something I can actually work with. Let's go deeper," Aslla Piscu said. I watched helplessly as she held my heart in the palm of her hand and squeezed harder.

"Jack is such an idiot. He threw away everything we worked for a fantasy. I'm tired of paying for his mistakes. I want him to suffer like I've suffered," she said. Her wicked smile directed at me. I shivered, unable to hide anything from her while she held my heart in her hands.

"That's better," she said, stroking my hair.

"And you're right, Jack would rather live in a fantasy world than put up with this one. I almost had him. He would have sold all of you down the river in a heart beat if it weren't for those stupid-," she caught herself and rolled her eyes.

"I won't make the same mistake with you," she said, draining every last drop of red liquid from the heart, leaving it a shriveled husk. I collapsed at her feet, completely at the death god's mercy. Tears in my eyes as every last hopeless angry thought I'd ever had passed through me at once.

"The world is a cruel, miserable place. I wish I could destroy everything and start over," Aslla Piscu said, echoing words I'd said to Jack the day Kiryu had died in prison. It was too much. I shut my eyes. I felt the god's warm embrace, suffocating and complete as it whispered one last thing in my ear.

"Would you still like that, Yusei?" I never got the chance to answer. Jack's crimson mark pierced through the darkness, radiant and sustaining. I opened my eyes, my mind clear as I looked at the the vast ocean separating Satellite from New Domino City. That's right. I used to like the ocean before I realized what it meant for someone like me. Then, Jack punched me in the stomach like the helpful idiot he always had been and here I was still suffering and unsure of anything at all.

The next day, I left Godwin's mansion to go see Carly at a nearby park, extremely sleep deprived and anxious. I looked around and spotted her on a small red bridge overlooking the lake. She was strikingly out of place in the vibrant landscape before her, a hauntingly beautiful shadow, completely covered in elegant black lace. Her face was obscured by an intricately patterned black parasol, and I could not tell what she was thinking as I approached her. She did not acknowledge me until we were face to face. Then, she smiled. It was warm, playful, and welcoming. I relaxed. I was not dealing with Aslla Piscu today.

"My angel of death, have you finally come to kill me?" she asked, dramatically leaning against the bridge and placing her hand on her forehead in mock dismay. I blanched, completely caught off guard. She had planned this from the beginning.

"No, of course not," I said, without thinking it through. Carly may not have evil intentions, but Aslla Piscu clearly did. I had to know for sure, who Carly really was now that she was resurrected.

"Could you say the same? Would you kill me if you had the chance?" I asked. She closed her parasol and looked at me sadly.

"I have no desire to kill you, Yusei." She placed her hand on my cheek and gently traced the outline of my criminal mark. I yanked her hand away, unwilling to accept her affections as genuine while one question still weighed heavily on my mind.

"Then, why are you a dark signer?" I asked. Her eyes welled up with tears, and she embraced me suddenly, trembling and cold.

"I died protecting you. You're the only person in this world I still care about. The only reason I'm still alive," she said. I stood there dumbfounded for a minute as she sobbed into my shoulder, slowly loosing the will to doubt her. What am I doing? Carly had made a contract with Aslla Piscu. There had to be another reason she'd become a dark signer. She couldn't be as innocent as she seemed.

"What do you want from me?" I asked, fishing for an ulterior motive. Carly let me go, confused by the question. She wiped the tears from her eyes, still sniffling.

"Nothing, I just want to keep you safe," she said. You're so stubborn. You literally died the last time you tried to help me. I must have been unable to hide my grimace because she asked, "Is that okay with you?"

"Yes," I said, slightly embarrassed she'd bothered to ask. I couldn't refuse her after she'd sacrificed so much for me.

"Why didn't you bring any of this up when we were chatting? If I'd known you were worried I was going to kill you, I would have contacted you sooner," she said. I looked away, face flushed. I sounded ridiculous when she put it that way.

"I was so happy you'd found a way to contact me. It was easy to pretend you were still alive, and everything was okay when we weren't face to face. I wanted that feeling to last a little longer, " I admitted. She rested her arms on the bridge and leaned forward, looking down at the lake below.

"I get it. I liked being able to talk to you as a friend, instead of some stranger you're afraid is going to betray you," she said, letting out a melancholy sigh.

"You're not the one I'm afraid of, Carly. There isn't even an ounce of evil in your soul. I just can't trust you while Aslla Piscu resides in your body. I'm sorry," I said, watching her reaction carefully.

"Aslla Piscu spoke to you," Carly said, a bitter and distant fury in her voice.

"You didn't know," I said, partially relieved she hadn't orchestrated my mental torture but far more apprehensive at the idea that the god was capable of hiding such things from her. If Aslla Piscu wanted something, Carly didn't necessarily have to be a willing participant for the god's plan to come into fruition.

"I'm sorry about that. No wonder it looks like you haven't been sleeping lately," she said, reaching up to touch my face again. I stopped her, aware of the danger.

"I'd prefer you didn't touch me from now on," I said. She pouted but kept her distance, leading to a long awkward silence. Then, she remembered something and her face brightened considerably.

"I have something for you," she said, searching her handbag before taking out a brand new phone. I frowned, not liking the idea of her wasting money on me when I had a perfectly good phone waiting for me at home, assuming Jack kept his word and returned it to me.

"You didn't have to do that. I still have the other one," I explained.

"Oh really? Then, why didn't you reply to any of the twenty seven messages I sent you since you last contacted me?" she asked knowingly. I blinked. That was excessive.

"Okay, so Jack confiscated my phone when I didn't do what he wanted," I admitted.

"Then, take it. Trust me, he's not giving you your phone back," Carly said, placing the phone inside the right pocket of my jacket. I decided to let it go. (My faith in Jack had recently taken a nose dive anyway. ) I figured I could repay her with my own surprise. I rummage through my other pocket until I found what I was looking for.

"I have something for you too," I said, taking out Carly's newly repaired glasses. She went from excited anticipation to utter disappointment in an instant. She hesitantly took them from my outstretched hand and examined them briefly before tossing them into the lake. I tried to catch them before they landed in the water but failed thanks to my limited mobility. I watched them sink to the bottom of the lake, filled with regret. This hadn't been the right moment.

"I don't need them anymore," she explained without a trace of remorse.

"You'll need them when you're human again," I said, already contemplating whether I could simply hold my breath and retrieve them once I recovered or if I'd need to acquire some scuba diving equipment. She shook her head.

"I thought you understood. There's no going back. I'm already dead," she said, tugging on my jacket's sleeve to get my attention. I tore my eyes away from the lake to see a truly terrifying sight. The whites of her eyes were hollow, just as Aslla Piscu's had been when impersonating her. I couldn't accept it.

"If I defeat Aslla Piscu, maybe, I could-" I started to say. She interrupted me.

"I would turn to dust. You're the reason I chose to keep on living, but Aslla Piscu is the one keeping me alive." The implication of it all was not lost on me.

"What does Aslla Piscu want?" I asked. She smiled ruefully.

"You don't want to know that," Carly said.

"Tell me, I need to know if you expect me to keep seeing you," I said.

"Aslla Piscu just wants to see the world burn," she admitted sadly. My blood ran cold as the god's words echoed in my head, Would you still like that, Yusei?

"I have to go," I said. I didn't trust myself enough to stick around. It was a trap. It was all a trap.

"Please stay," Carly said, grabbing my arm. One of my crutches clattered to the ground. I hesitated, remembering a Carly that was dead and gone. The Carly that had helped me no matter what. Could I do the same? I didn't get a chance to make a decision. Jack showed up and made it for me.

"You're going home," he said, dragging me by the collar. I nearly tumbled to the ground but was spared from further pain by Carly's quick reflexes. She'd grabbed me by the waist and helped me regain my balance. I held onto the bridge railing shakily until I had access to my crutches again. This wasn't helping my dramatic exit. She glared at Jack as she handed me my fallen crutches.

"You should really treat your friends better. It's already a pain to keep him out of trouble as it is without you aggravating his injuries," Carly said. Her mood had definitely soured with Jack's arrival.

"You're Carly, right?" Jack said, remaining reserved. I could still sense the underlying tension beneath the facade. He was not happy I had left to meet with a dark signer.

"Yup and you're the King, nice to finally meet you. I used to be a big fan, before I died anyway," Carly said, offering him a hand. He shook it.

"Please call me, Jack," he said.

"How did you even find me?" I asked. I didn't have anything on me he could track me with this time, and we were in a small residential park in the city that Jack wouldn't have thought to search.

"I hacked your phone and found the address," Jack said as if this was perfectly normal way to find out where your friends were going.

"You could have just asked me," I said, apparently no one thought I deserved any privacy.

"And you would have told me the truth? Is that why you told Ruka to keep your little tryst a secret?" Jack asked. (Poor Ruka had probably been intimidated into breaking my confidence.) I rolled my eyes.

"It's not like that," I said. Jack raised an eyebrow. He clearly didn't believe me.

"Of course you'd say that, Martha says you have trouble reading social cues," Carly said.

"You talked to Martha?" I asked, suppressing the urge to panic. For the moment, Carly hadn't actually done anything particularly monstrous despite the thing living inside her.

"I didn't really get to ask you anything about yourself for your profile so I figured I'd find your mom and ask her. She's a lovely woman. She answered all my questions and even showed me some of your baby pictures," she said, taking out her phone to show me the copies she'd taken of said baby pictures. My initial panic changed to outright embarrassment as Jack leaned over to whisper in my ear.

"I'm confused I thought I was saving you from making a horrible mistake. Why isn't she more evil?" Jack asked. I wished I knew. I answered as best I could.

"She wasn't a particularly troubled person to begin with," I said.

"Then, why is she a dark signer?" Jack asked. She hadn't really given a very satisfying answer, but I told him what Carly had told me. He had a very different reaction than I did at the news.

"She's clearly obsessed with you. That makes her dangerous. Don't see her again on your own," Jack said. I was tired of my fellow signers forbidding me from doing things like I was a child that needed to be looked after. (Never mind the fact I had been ready to bolt before Jack interrupted our conversation.) I could take care of myself.

"I'm not an idiot. She's harmless on her own," I muttered. Jack wasn't about to drop the subject.

"Next time, she might not come alone," Jack warned. Once Carly had finished her story, she had noticed us quietly talking among ourselves and waited patiently for us to finish. When I didn't say anything else, she addressed Jack.

"If you're done, there are a few more things I'd like to say to Yusei in private," Carly said. Her eyes locked on Jack's, the truth of them hidden away now that we were not alone. Jack shook his head, not so subtly stepping between us.

"We should get going. It was nice to meet you," Jack said. This time, he only placed a hand on my shoulder and signaled to me to get moving. I didn't budge. If I left now and that sent her into angry vengeful spiral, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself.

"You don't have to go far. I won't take long," I said. There was a flash of anger in Jack's eyes.

"You can't be serious," Jack said. I nodded. He sighed and switched objectives. He took out his phone and sent a quick text message to someone before facing Carly.

"As much as I'd like to ignore this particular problem, you're clearly a dark signer posing as a model, and I can't let you lure Yusei into a false sense of security and eliminate him. I'll face you myself, " Jack said, activating his duel disk. Carly did not do the same. She shot him an annoyed look.

"I'm flattered, but my friend Misty says I'm too short to get work as a model. I'm just a gorgeous stranger," Carly said, looking at her nails to feign disinterest but she was clearly fighting the urge to crack a smile.

"I challenged you to a duel. You have to fight me," Jack said exasperated. Carly laughed.

"I don't have to do anything. I have information that will crush you utterly if you continue to get in my way. Ignorance is bliss as they say," Carly said slyly.

"Nothing you say could ever hurt me. Words are not nearly as powerful as you think they are," Jack said, completely disregarding everything she said, but I'd known Carly long enough to know she probably wasn't bluffing. I couldn't risk Jack losing his confidence when I'd already lost faith in myself. Someone had to keep the group together, and right now, that person happened to be Jack.

"Forget about her, Jack, I'll come with you," I said, but Jack was too far gone to listen.

"You'll just run off and get yourself killed when I'm not looking. I'm taking care of this now," Jack said. Carly rolled her eyes and sighed.

"First of all, I would never let anything happen to Yusei. So, you can stop freaking out about that," she said. Jack had far too many trust issues to ever believe her without significant proof.

"Let's say, I believe you. How would you stop the other signers from targeting him?" Jack asked. Surprised he was even entertaining the idea, I glanced at Carly to see her reaction.

"Simple, most of the other dark signers aren't interested in challenging Yusei. All Dark Signers' fates are intrinsically tied to one Signer each. I'm an anomaly," Carly said, confident in her knowledge.

"So Kiryu was fated to duel Yusei and you were a mistake, " Jack concluded.

"Ouch, way to make a girl feel special, Jack," Carly said with an exaggerated frown.

"Do you know who you were fated to fight?" Jack asked. The look she gave him was telling.

"That's the interesting part. When Misty told me how this whole Dark Signer thing was supposed to work, I matched everyone up, and there was only one Signer left for me, you," she said.

"Then, why won't you face me?" Jack asked, even more motivated to face her now that he knew he was "fated" to destroy her. I needed to separate them as soon as possible.

"Look, I have nothing against you, Jack. I even looked you up in case we crossed passed before, and we did once. Apparently, my mother, a famous reporter at the time, invited the director to my tenth birthday party, and he took his son, You shoved my face into the cake. I don't think that's reason enough to kill you, sorry," Carly said with a shrug.

"I see. Whatever was supposed to spark our rivalry, didn't happen," Jack said, deactivating his duel disk, finally, seeing the whole thing was pointless. I was grateful that she'd managed to talk him out of a fight. Aki arrived on the scene, looking extremely disappointed in me. The guilt was overwhelming.

"You promised me you wouldn't go anywhere alone," Aki said.

"I wasn't alone. I had the power of the Crimson Dragon with me," I said honestly.

"Was that enough last time?" she said. It wasn't.

"That was a different situation. I was with my friend," I said, trying to weasel my way out of a scolding. She saw right through me.

"Is she the same friend you said you weren't sure you should trust?" she asked, already knowing the answer. I didn't speak. Her gaze softened when she realized I was repentant.

"Jack said you didn't want to leave, why?" she asked. It dawned on me that Jack wasn't being hypocritical for once and hadn't come alone.

"I wanted to say a few words to Carly alone before we left, and then, he tried to goad her into a fight to the death," I said, taking special care to make Jack look as bad as possible. Aki shot Jack an indignant look.

"Why didn't you just let him do that? We could have gone home by now," Aki said. The concept of taking the path of least resistance completely baffled Jack.

"I couldn't leave the two of them alone. She's a dark signer, " Jack said as if everyone around him had gone mad. Maybe, we had.

"So, what's your point? If she's a friend of Yusei's, we should give her the benefit of the doubt." Aki said, subconsciously holding her hidden mark. Jack was a person of absolutes and couldn't accept that we had landed in a gray area as far as dark signer's were concerned.

"She's been marked by an evil god. We can't trust her," Jack said, not picking up on why Aki would care this much about giving someone a chance who showed every indication of possible wickedness.

"So was I, do you not trust me, Jack?" she snapped. Jack was speechless. He had been told all his life that his mark was a sign of his greatness. He'd never considered that the opposite was true for Aki.

"We'll be waiting for you outside the park, you have five minutes," Jack said finally, walking away from everyone without once looking Aki in the eye. With Jack gone, Aki was able to compose herself. Carly looked at her in utter amazement.

"You're not the person I thought you were, Thank you Aki," she said.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Aki said, an uncertain smile on her face. She turned to me.

"Take as long as you need, I'll keep Jack in line," she said, before taking her leave to give us some privacy. There was a long silence. I finally spoke.

"Give me one good reason why I should keep seeing you," I said.

"I'm your friend, Yusei. It doesn't matter what Aslla Piscu wants. I would never do anything to upset you, " Carly said. I didn't believe her.

"You can't stop a god, Carly," I said, even she couldn't be that stubborn. She snickered.

"No, not exactly, but Aslla Piscu is not an unthinking destructive force. I've spoken with my death god and it's willing to wait," she said as if the decision was self-explanatory.

"Why?" I asked, immediately suspicious. I'd spoken with the hummingbird before. It was powerful, cruel, and calculating. The creature could take anything it wanted without a second thought. What would be worth waiting for?

"No special reason, Aslla Piscu finds you amusing. As long as you're alive, it doesn't feel the need to interfere," Carly said. The death god's condition did not go unnoticed.

"Is Aslla Piscu expecting me to die soon?" I asked, unable to keep the accusation from my voice. Carly smiled, a mischievous smile.

"Aslla Piscu has existed a very long time. It figures, one of two things will happen, either Kiryu will kill you, or you'll be mine by then, and it won't matter," Carly said, a predatory look on her face. My heart beat faster as the reality of the situation hit me. I was being seduced.

"We shouldn't see each other anymore. I can't give you what you want," I said, hastily preparing my exit. I'd only taken a few steps forward when she calmly stepped in front of me.

"I just want you to be happy, Yusei," Carly said. She sounded so sincere, but the danger felt so real. I looked down at my crimson mark which had remained unlit despite my misgivings. Was I wrong?

"Is that okay?" she said. Her arms outstretched, waiting for permission to hold me. I broke down and tears began to fall freely down my face. I nodded, feeling oddly vulnerable. How could I kill a creature that just wanted me to be happy? She embraced me, and with some difficulty, I wrapped my arms around her. I'd find a way to keep us together, no matter what. I was a born engineer. If anyone could come up with a creative solution to this problem, I could. Please, stay safe, Carly, and I'll find a way to save us both.

This is the end of the chapters I had prepared beforehand. I will be working on the second half of the second arc and posting once I am happy with the next batch of chapters. See you then.