Three nights after the emergency meeting, Duel Academy remained cloaked in uneasy silence. Kaito walked along the moonlit path that led back to the cliffs—the site of his last duel with Amon. Something called to him again. A whisper on the wind. A promise of power.
He stopped at the edge and held up his Blue-Eyes White Dragon card. "Why me? What do you want me to see?"
The card shimmered faintly. Then, the ground beneath him pulsed.
The sky darkened for a moment as a ghostly energy flared up from the cliffside. A symbol burned into the stone below—an ancient crest, shaped like a dragon with outstretched wings and three glowing orbs for eyes.
Kaito stumbled back, shielding his eyes. As the light faded, a presence surged through him. Not painful, but overwhelming.
A voice echoed in his mind. "You are not the first. But you may be the last. Awaken me."
Suddenly, his Duel Disk activated on its own. A card materialized in its tray.
He picked it up slowly. It shimmered like starlight.
Azure Monarch, Dragon of the Ancients
Kaito's breath caught in his throat.
He didn't remember ever owning this card. It wasn't from his past life—or at least, not one he could recall. And yet, it felt... right.
He stared at it for a long time before footsteps approached.
Jaden Yuki.
"Hey! Kaito, right?" Jaden grinned. "Heard you've been stirring things up."
Kaito pocketed the card. "Out for a night stroll?"
"Nah, my Winged Kuriboh said I should find you. Weird, huh?"
Kaito blinked. "Your... what?"
"Long story." Jaden scratched the back of his head. "But whatever's going on, I think it's pulling more than just you into it. Even Professor Banner's been acting strange."
Kaito frowned. "Strange how?"
"He's been digging into ancient texts, mumbling about 'balance breaking' and 'lost dragons.' I think he knows something."
Kaito glanced at the Azure Monarch card again. "We need to find him."
The next morning, Jaden, Alexis, and Kaito found Banner in the academy library, pouring over ancient parchment.
"Professor," Alexis called. "We need answers."
Banner didn't look up. "The Azure Monarch has awakened, hasn't it, Kaito?"
Kaito froze. "How do you know that?"
"Because the balance is already shifting. That card only appears to those marked by fate."
Jaden leaned in. "What's the Azure Monarch exactly?"
"A Duel Spirit of purity and devastation," Banner explained. "It is said to slumber beneath this island, sealed during the last Shadow War. But now, its power has found a new host."
Kaito felt the card pulse faintly.
"Me."
Banner nodded gravely. "Yes. But beware—the seal that bound it also trapped its opposite. The Crimson Tyrant. And that darkness will rise to meet your light."
Kaito clenched his fists. "Then I'll be ready."
That night, Kaito stood on the cliffs again, alone. He held the Azure Monarch card high.
"Come forth. Let's see what I've become."
The card glowed, and with it, the silhouette of a majestic dragon burst into the sky. Its scales shimmered with starlight, and its roar was both noble and terrifying.
Kaito didn't flinch.
He had found his path.
The war was coming.
And he would meet it head-on.