The Nature of Possession

386 – EP.14 Pull out the sword called Card!!!-3

***

Where do our first memories in life come from?

5 years old. Her answer will always be the same.

“Hello~ You’re Bloni. I’m the lady who moved in next door today.”

“hello.”

When I gave a belly-button greeting with an awkward pronunciation, the woman burst into laughter.

“Yeah, nice to meet you. Now… and this is your son!”

The woman pointed to the boy who was holding her hand tightly. He had clean, clear skin and impressive big eyes.

“Hello. Nice to meet you!”

Spring came to Bloni’s face at the greeting of the boy who smiled brightly while revealing his teeth.

“Oh, hi. I’m a blogger.”

Bloni twirled her shoulder-length blue hair with her fingers.

Where do our first memories in life come from?

5 years old. Her first memory was when she met him.

The two held hands wherever they went, and paid no attention to the teasing of the neighborhood children.

Rather, perhaps stimulated by the teasing, the two of them started playing house together.

He was always the husband and Bloni was the wife.

When Bloni put a round clay ball on an old plastic plate and shouted, “Yummy cookies,” he would pick it up and pretend to eat it with relish.

“Honey, will you always be by my side?”

If a boy imitates words he heard somewhere without even knowing the weight of the words,

“Yes, I will always be by your side to protect you.”

The girl accepts those words with a bashful smile.

Even the game of imitating mom and dad made Bloni’s heart race.

It was after her childhood that she realized the true nature of that excitement.

***

Their relationship started as friends living next door and developed into school friends.

She and he went to the same middle school and went to school together every day.

Although they weren’t holding hands like they used to when they walked around the neighborhood, Bloni didn’t particularly miss it.

Because he was always by her side.

“Where are you going after school today?”

Because the two were half different, they asked each other as they parted ways.

“Oh, the kids decided to stay behind today and duel.”

Duel. A game that appeared a few years ago and became wildly popular.

At one time, she thought this would be a passing fad, but her predictions were spectacularly wrong.

It began to spread rapidly across generations and genders.

“Okay, then have fun. I’ll go home first.”

All extracurricular activities were also suspended due to the duel. With nothing to do, she went straight home after school.

“How about dueling with Bloni while we’re at it?”

He opened his eyes wide and brought his face closer, but Bloni blushed and avoided eye contact.

“I, I don’t know much about dueling yet. Maybe later.”

“I can teach you… Okay, I understand. Let’s go home and see.”

In the past, he would have prioritized himself over other promises… but Bloni felt like he was being pushed aside by Duel.

“This trend should pass quickly… It doesn’t seem to be cooling off.”

I thought as I watched his back moving away.

***

[At the Infinite Development Party convention held today, Representative ‘Jeong Do-pl’ was elected as the party leader. Meanwhile, Representative ‘Laburin’, the representative of Hamdeok Party, presented a constitutional amendment opinion stating that dueling should be made more commonplace and that only citizens who possess an official deck should be given the right to vote.]

The world is going crazy.

[Breaking news. A horrific crime has occurred in the Doremishi shopping district, where a pedestrian was attacked and a deck was stolen. The perpetrator is on the run, and the police are pursuing him to detain him in duels.]

Duels are ruining the world.

[Recently, the conflict surrounding wedding ceremonies has been intensifying. There are increasing cases where the rare cards that the bride brings as dowry are actually counterfeit Ghouls cards that cannot be used in official duels.]

Common sense breaks down.

In a rapidly changing world, Bloni’s spirit gradually became worn out.

The duel’s whirlwind did not stop. It spread throughout the world and began to dominate the universe.

Everything starts to shift towards a dual focus.

The store that used to sell fancy goods started selling Duel supplies, and the school that used to teach various subjects was transformed into Duel Academy.

Robbers steal cards rather than money, and people carry decks of cards instead of ID.

“This is not normal.”

It was Bloni’s habit.

Everything around her goes crazy.

“Blondie, it’s me.”

And in all of that, there was ‘him’ too.

After a week of being locked in her room, he came to see her.

“what’s the matter.”

A man and a woman face each other after a visit.

“I came because your mother called. She said you haven’t come out of your room lately… What’s wrong?”

“No. Just go back. Go duel with your friends.”

Bloni spat out sharp words and closed his eyes.

She didn’t want to say anything hurtful to him, but she was at her limit.

“Is it… because of me?”

Her childhood friend, who seemed to be going back shouting duel, asked her.

“…what?”

Bloni’s voice was gruff.

“That… last time, when we ‘fused’… I was worried that I might have offended you in some way…”

“Don’t call it fusion!!!!”

“Blony?”

“Don’t say ‘fusion’!!! Don’t bring up Duel in front of me! I’m sick of it! This world is crazy! Duels, cards, expansions, Patrap, Adonis, Graveyards, exclusions, side decks, bans, semi-bans, muzenis!! Please! Please! Please! In front of me!! Don’t talk about Duels!!!”

A sorrowful voice echoed through the house.

Her childhood friend left home, promising to meet her again.

Looking out the window at her lover walking away, Bloni burst into tears.

It was that night that a voice came to her.

***

She, who had been repeatedly falling asleep after crying her eyes out, ended up welcoming guests in the early morning when everyone was asleep.

It came in through the window, faint as morning fog.

It spoke to the wary Bloni about the truth of the world, and for a time she had to seriously consider whether she was crazy.

“So this ‘duel’ thing is ruining the world?”

“Yes. Do you really think that this world is normal right now?”

A growling beast was heard.

“No. This world is crazy.”

“Then, accept me. I am a being that was sealed long ago.”

“How did it get sealed?”

“‘Duel’, who was afraid of my power, tricked me and sealed me. Thanks to that, his power is growing without any restrictions.”

It’s a kind of faith, said the voice.

“How can I trust you?”

“Instead of trusting me, you should trust my purpose.”

“Your purpose?”

“My goal is to get revenge on ‘Duel’. If I use my power and stake my existence on it, he will surely disappear.”

“If Duel disappears, will this world go back to how it was?”

“Yes.”

“…….”

Bloni hesitated. Who would readily agree to appear out of nowhere and fight the world with him?

“Blony. Shouldn’t you get back the things you hold dear?”

A voice spoke to her as she was worrying.

[Honey, will you always be by my side?]

[Yes, I will always be by your side to protect you.]

A precious memory from the past came back to him. Bloni looked up at the entity floating in the room.

“…Okay. So what do I do now?”

“With the deck I made, challenge people to a ‘game of death’ and win. That way, you can grow stronger and defeat the one with the strongest duel power.”

“It’s simple.”

“The simpler the theory, the more difficult it is to put it into practice.”

The voice spoke calmly.

“…I understand. I will become your sword.”

Bloni held out her hand. A grayish figure moved and took her hand.

A strange sensation began to pass over her.

“But I didn’t ask your name.”

Bloni asked, feeling his vision growing blurry.

“I have been called by many names, though they have been erased from the records.”

Recalling the past, the voice spoke.

“I am a provocation that blocks the enemy,

A rush that hits the center,

It is a quick attack,

A shield from the sky,

It is a war cry,

The end will be an echo.

I am right, I am created,

It’s someone’s 12 o’clock,

I am prayer.”

Call me Dolgam.

With those words from the voice, Bloni closed his eyes.