Carefully, Don stepped into the chamber — and couldn't believe his eyes.
His gaze immediately fell upon the enormous hologram wall — then on the digital card table in the center.
Finally, it lingered on the grand bed, with rune speakers built into its sides.
"Damn, what the hell …," he muttered, mouth agape.
It didn't just look modern and elegant — it looked like the bedroom of a decadent prince.
Even on the rooftop terrace, tiny nymphs fluttered about, watering the lush plants.
But then he noticed the lounge area — and was completely blown away.
"No, that can't be …," he almost spat, stunned — clinging to the backrest.
His hand brushed over it, fingers tracing the surface.
"This is… real Shadow Hunter hide! Oh, that feels amazing!"
Enthralled, he ran his thumb along the scaly contours — which lifted slightly under his touch.
"Damn, this is like… like angels scratching your back! This is the sofa of my dreams!"
"Are you planning to marry the sofa now? Or can I have it back?" came a voice suddenly from behind him — sarcastic, monotone.
Don flinched, pulled a grim pout, and turned around.
In the doorway stood a boy — no older than twelve.
His black hair was neatly tied back into a braid.
His shirt was buttoned all the way up to the collar — and his eyes, half-lidded with boredom, regarded Don with a trace of amusement.
"Huh?And you are?"
Don's gaze wandered slowly over the boy. "The butler?"
"Wow. Original."
Shuzo stepped into the room, crossing his arms. "I'm Shuzo. And you're the guy drooling on my sofa."
"Your sofa? As if a little runt like you owns something like this." Don dropped himself onto the couch with exaggerated nonchalance and grinned. "Also… who dressed you? Your mom? Or are you boring by choice?"
"And you're embarrassing on purpose?" Shuzo shot back without hesitation — squaring his shoulders as he headed for the card table.
"Green sweater, brown pants…" the prince countered smoothly. "Someone really wanted to look like a tree."
Don blinked. Then realization hit.
He burst out laughing — loud enough to echo through the entire room. "Okay, that wasn't bad!" He snorted. "But you're still a little nerd."
"And you're a big problem." Shuzo shrugged, utterly bored, and started scanning the cards on the table.
"What are you even doing?" Don leaned forward curiously.
"What are you even doing there?" Don leaned forward curiously.
When Shuzo didn't respond, he stomped toward him without warning and shoved him roughly aside. "Come on, let's see it!"
"Hey!" Shuzo protested, stumbling back a step and glaring at him with a furrowed brow. "Ever heard of respect, you brute?"
"Why? Hiding your panic button there or something?" Don shot back with a wide grin.
He examined the holograms with interest.
On the table appeared the Vynesalic Kingdom and the Demon Realm.
But the Demon Realm looked small… and broken.
Unusual — since the realms you could choose from usually didn't appear beforehand.
"HEY!"
Don exploded in outrage — pointing at the hologram.
"What's that supposed to be? The Demon Realm doesn't look like that!"
Shuzo raised an eyebrow without even glancing up from the table. "Tja…"
He shrugged — pure indifference. "It's small and pretty much… well, junk."
"What?!"
Donovan gasped, utterly stunned.
"Junk? The Demon Realm is more corrupted than anything else, you little smartass!"
"Cool." Shuzo casually flicked a card onto the table. "Then it's corrupted junk."
Then his brows furrowed slightly, his voice dropping — quieter, but sharper:
"And still… you've got no clue about Vyne's. I can see that already."
And itworked.
Don narrowed his eyes. "Listen here, little man — I've played this in the best taverns around, got it?"
He got carried away. "I know the rules!"
Deeper. Louder.
"Vyne's — the game of kings, of heroes, of legends! You build your realm, destroy the other — easy. I've played it a hundred times!"
Asphalt-gray eyes locked onto the toxic green ones.
"Sure. And I'm the king of Vynesalic." Shuzo gave him a crooked grin — his tone still flat, dangerously flat:
"Prove it."
Two words. And they hit exactly where they were meant to.
Don's pout sharpened dramatically.
His gaze locked onto Shuzo's poker face — as he agreed:
"Alright, if that's how you want it. But don't come crying later…"
With a determined nod, Don took his place on the side of the Demon Realm, while Shuzo selected the Vynesalic cards.
Both were allowed to draw five cards.
Shuzo made his choices in complete calm — and Don was already chuckling to himself, diabolically.
He doesn't stand a chance!
His thoughts raced as he examined his cards:
Tyrant Demons, Shadow Hunters, Explosive Rabbits…
Man, this deck is an absolute killer!
He grinned wide and shot a triumphant look at Shuzo — who stood utterly composed on his side of the table.
Head tilted slightly, lids half-lowered.
A predator — watching its prey just a little longer before striking.
"Ready?" the prince asked.
A loose strand of hair fell across his forehead.
"Oh, you bet, man!" Don shot back, his grin stretching nearly to his ears. "You're about to see what real strategy looks like!"
With a swift motion, Don slammed his first card onto the table.
"There! Look at that! That's strength! That guy's holding the front line — nobody's getting through!"
Don pointed proudly at the hologram — while:
Shuzo, visibly annoyed, sighed and trudged around the table. "Yeah, great… save the applause for later."
He adjusted the card so it would scan properly.
The scanner hummed. Finally.
The hologram came to life: a Tyrant Demon (ATK 50,000 / DEF 50,000 / LP 300,000) stomped to the border of its realm.
The ground trembled — boiling swamps and bursts of lava shot upward as the Demon Realm took shape.
Realm Points — Demon Realm: 300,000 RP.
Don grinned smugly. "What's wrong? Getting scared yet?" He raised his brows, his voice dropping to a menacing whisper:
"Feel that quake? Your pathetic little realm's already trembling! I'm unstoppable!"
"Cool." Shuzo almost yawned as he trudged back to his spot. "Your turn's not over yet. Everyone gets two."
"Alright, alright! I know!" Don drew his second card.
The scanner flickered, and a Shadow Hunter (ATK 40,000 / DEF 30,000 / LP 120,000) rose beside a black tower. His eyes glowed red as he melted into the shadows.
Realm Points — Demon Realm: 420,000 RP.
"BAM!"
Don folded his arms.
"Now it's your turn."
Calm as ever, Shuzo placed a card onto the scanner.
The frame lit up in a platinum glow.
A shadow swept across the field as the hologram flared to life:
Kuroboshi – King of Vynesalic (ATK 150,000 / DEF 100,000 / LP 899,999).
A storm surged through the forests.
Rivers roared, trees bowed under the wind.
Kuroboshi sat motionless upon his throne — his mere presence forcing Don's border troops to retreat.
Realm Points — Vynesalic: 899,999 RP.
"What the…" Don stammered as the stats flashed across the hologram.
"This is ridiculous! Almost nine hundred thousand points?! And you played a King right off the bat!"
"Yes," Shuzo replied flatly. "You didn't. And that's your problem."
Don bared his teeth and jabbed at the interface. "Stupid game… Tyrant Demon, attack!"
The demon stomped across the border.
But at that very moment, Shuzo's scanner flickered again — because technically, it was still his turn.
"Special card activated: Wächterrausch." (Guardian-Frenzy)
Shuzo leaned casually against the table.
Kuroboshi rose from his throne. His hair turned gray, his eyes deep black with crimson pupils.
A storm swept across the entire field.
New Value: Kuroboshi inWächterrausch(ATK 250,000 / DEF 200,000 / LP 899,999).
Vynesalic Realm Points +120,000 → 1,019,999 RP.
Don gasped. "What?! He's getting even stronger?!"
"Ultimate attack…" Shuzo explained calmly. "Perfect for someone who doesn't play by the rules. You're skipping turns."
"I don't care! That's cheating! Where'd you even get that card?!"
"It's written right there. Maybe try learning to read instead of cobbling your decks together in taverns."
"Okay, that's it!" Don slammed the Explosive Rabbits card (ATK 80,000 / DEF 20,000 / LP 100,000) onto the field. "Look at that! Cute, huh?"
A cute little rabbit appeared, hopped a few steps…
"JUST WAIT FOR IT! In three… two… one… BOOM!" — and it exploded.
The shockwave tore through not only Shuzo's front line — but also Don's own Shadow Hunter.
Demon Realm loses 120,000 RP → down to 300,000.
"WHAT?!"
Don shouted in disbelief.
Shuzo smacked a hand against his forehead. "Energy Wall. Wächterrausch reflects everything back. It was stupid to just attack. Tja…"
In the hologram, Kuroboshi smirked mockingly — as if he himself had spoken the words.
Don stormed around the table, furious — snatching a card straight from Shuzo's deck and holding it up. "I knew it! All Kuroboshi cards! You're cheating!"
"If you'd built your deck properly, you wouldn't be whining right now…"Shuzo shot back, yanking the card right out of Don's hand.
Their heads collided as both hissed at each other:
"You're a cheater! A filthy little scammer! I swear you've got a cheat code hidden in there somewhere!"
"And you're a sore loser who cheats and can't even wait for the two turns per round!" Shuzo snapped, his black braid swinging with the motion.
The argument escalated.
Their gazes clashed like swords — crossing in the heat of battle.
Don snorted angrily, while Shuzo kept his monotone voice steady:
"You can prove you're not completely useless — when we play Danora."
"Oh, you bet I will!" Don hissed back, his asphalt-gray eyes gleaming with battle lust.
As if on an unspoken signal, the two shoved away from each other with a sharp motion.
Shuzo grabbed a brown leather ball lying at the side of the room and dashed toward the door.
"I hope you can handle more than your tavern cards, loudmouth!"
Don shot him a wide, challenging grin — before chasing after him like a storm.
"Forget it! I'm gonna tear you apart!"
But Shuzo's monotone voice echoed down the corridor:
"Then make sure you don't start crying again once we're in Danora…"
Their footsteps resounded through the endless halls of the castle — loud, defiant, full of energy.
Yet neither of them knew that this game would become more than just a childish contest.
»Of CardsandChaos — the beginning of something that would soon go far beyond mere games…«