Chapter 97 – Aftermath

Melissa was the first to move. The moment the danger was truly gone, she wrapped both arms around Happy Lover flying beside her and began crying.

The little creature seemed almost confused by the reaction at first before happily rubbing itself against her cheek as it released a cheerful cry.

Melissa's parents finally seemed to snap out of their daze because of that.

"Melissa!" Mrs Colan hurried toward her daughter and pulled her into a strong hug, and Albert wasn't far behind.

Alexander watched the scene with a small smile. After everything that had happened, seeing the girl safely reunited with her parents was a welcome sight.

Then he looked toward Binding Chain and said, "Thanks for the hard work. You can return to the Spirit World and rest."

The Duel Spirit seemed to acknowledge him before Alexander dismissed it. The chains dissolved into motes of light, eventually reforming into the card in his hand; then Alexander returned it to the Card Database.

Hannibal let out a long sigh and commented, "That was one hell of a fight."

Blade merely grunted while Daimon dismissed his trident, the golden weapon vanishing from his hands; he then took a long, relieved breath, as it had been a tense battle.

Alexander walked toward the three men and noticed that despite their dishevelled state after the intense battle, they weren't seriously wounded, likely because all three of them had a supernatural healing factor.

Once Alexander approached them, the air grew very tense before Blade looked toward Daimon and said, "So, Son of Satan, huh?"

Daimon scratched the back of his head and replied, "Well... I did say my father was a powerful demon."

Alexander stared at him for a moment before he pointed at Daimon and said, "Powerful demon is one thing. Here we're talking about freaking Satan!"

Hannibal shook his head and agreed, "No shit."

Blade nodded and added, "The only ones who dare to use the name of Satan are actually the Hell Lords. Each single one of them is an absolutely terrifying existence."

He paused, and the gaze behind his iconic sunglasses became unfocused, as if remembering something, before he said, "I once had to deal with something connected to Mephisto. That was one of the worst experiences of my life."

His eyes shifted back toward Daimon and concluded, "I can't even imagine what it's like having one for a father."

Daimon sighed and admitted, "Well, it wasn't great."

He glanced toward the Colans before continuing, "I basically had an infernal upbringing. At least until my mother saw the true form of my father and went insane."

Alexander listened carefully while Daimon asked, "Remember when I told you that he tried to turn me to his side?"

"Yeah."

"It's closer to saying that he possessed me and forced me to open a gate to his dominion."

Daimon leaned against what remained of the wall behind him for a moment, though it crumbled into pieces as soon as his back touched it, making him frown and continue, "He brought me to Hell against my will. And told me to ignore everything my mother's diary had warned me about and offered me eternal life and power incarnate if I served him for eternity."

"And you refused."

"Obviously." Daimon gave a small smile, "As I told you before, I decided to do the opposite."

Alexander raised an eyebrow and asked, "You fought him?"

"I did."

"And?"

Daimon looked away and said, "I lost."

Blade raised an eyebrow before he asked, "Badly?"

"Very badly."

Alexander winced, but then Daimon added, "But I survived. And I managed to steal a few things. My trident is one of them."

Blade whistled.

Daimon nodded and said, "Its loss weakened him considerably."

Alexander and Hannibal exchanged a glance.

""Damn,"" they muttered almost simultaneously.

Like that, the slight tension between them faded away, and they continued to casually exchange a few more stories, which may or may not include Blade's story about a certain nazi U-boat possessed by Mephisto himself.

~~~▽~~~

A few minutes passed before the Colans finally began calming down.

Melissa remained close to her parents while Happy Lover was still in her arms.

Albert was the first to really notice the creature; he stared at it for a few moments before asking out loud, "What exactly is that?"

Melissa looked down, "This?"

Happy Lover happily rubbed itself against her cheek, making her smile before she replied, "This is Happy Lover. It's my favourite Duel Monsters card."

Her parents looked confused as they asked.

"Card?"

"Duel Monsters?"

Melissa reached into her pocket and pulled out the card. She held it up to show it to her parents and said, "It's from a card game that has become quite popular recently. Many of my friends play it, and I too took interest in it. It's quite fun. Anyway, I've always liked this one. I don't know why. It just... always made me feel good."

She shrugged and added, "So I always carried it with me."

Albert stared at the card, then at Happy Lover, then back at the card before finally saying, "But..."

He pointed toward the creature, "That's the same thing."

"Yes."

"But it's real."

"Yes."

Albert slowly looked toward his wife, but she seemed just as confused.

At this point, Alexander, who had heard their discussion, stepped forward and said, "I can explain that."

Everyone turned toward him.

Alexander gestured toward Happy Lover and said, "Just because we've encountered something evil doesn't mean everything supernatural is evil."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "There are other kinds of supernatural beings, and Duel Spirits are one of them."

Daimon looked toward Alexander but didn't interrupt.

"They live in another dimension called the Spirit World. Most of the time, they remain there. But sometimes they form bonds with people who play the game Duel Monsters and enjoy it with their whole heart."

Melissa looked at Happy Lover and asked, "Like us?"

"Exactly." Alexander smiled and explained, "It's usually a symbiotic relationship. The person and the Duel Spirit benefit from each other. In such a case, they become your most trusted partner."

He glanced at Melissa and stated with certainty, "Happy Lover bonded with you."

Melissa nodded slowly and said, "I think so."

She looked down at the little creature and explained, "It was there when I was possessed."

Hearing that, Alexander nodded and said, "It was trying to protect you."

Melissa's expression softened as she admitted, "I could feel it."

She hugged Happy Lover a little tighter, "I didn't know what it was, but... I knew something was helping me."

Alexander smiled, "That was probably it."

Then Albert asked, "Sure... But why that card game?"

In response, Alexander smiled and said, "That's because every card of that game is loosely connected to a Duel Spirit, which allows them to feed on the energy generated by the emotions of the players when they play and enjoy the game."

Hearing that, Mrs Colan immediately asked, "They feed? Is it safe...?"

Alexander nodded and said, "It is completely safe. And as you've personally experienced, when a player genuinely bonds with one of these Duel Spirits, they will also receive its help and protection. Basically, treat your cards well, and they will do the same."

At this point, Albert asks, "How do you know all this?"

Alexander smiled and said, "Well, I created Duel Monsters."

In response to that declaration, the whole Colan family exclaimed in shock before they started to shower him with more questions.

As they continued talking, Alexander suddenly felt the familiar sensation and realised that the five-minute limit had expired.

He turned toward Happy Lover and gave it a slight nod to thank it.

The little Duel Spirit nodded back and then began glowing, making Melissa mutter, "Wait..."

Its body broke apart into motes of light.

Melissa's eyes widened as she called out, "Happy Lover?"

The motes gathered together before they formed a card in Alexander's hand.

Alexander caught it and briefly looked at the card before returning it to the Card Database.

Melissa stared before she asked, "Can I learn how to do that?"

Alexander looked at her and guessed, "Summon Duel Spirits?"

She nodded enthusiastically before she asked again, "Is it possible?"

Alexander considered his answer before he said, "Not completely impossible."

Melissa's eyes brightened.

"But it's not easy."

"What do I need?"

Alexander thought about his own experience, "First of all, you need a deep spiritual connection with the Duel Spirit."

He gestured toward where Happy Lover had disappeared, "And you clearly have that part secured."

Hearing that, Melissa smiled.

"But you also need a lot of Spirit Energy to physically summon one from the Spirit World."

Her expression became slightly less confident.

"And..." Alexander scratched his cheek before he admitted, "I'm not completely sure what else is required."

"You don't know? But you created the game!"

Alexander shrugged and explained, "Yes, but I did not create Duel Spirits or the Spirit World. Those existed for much longer than any of us."

Then he added, "On top of that, the method I use is... unique."

He didn't have a better way to explain it, "And I've never actually tried teaching someone else how to do it."

Melissa looked thoughtful before she asked, "But can I at least see Happy Lover? That's already important."

Alexander smiled and reassured her, "If your connection with it is as strong as it seems, you may have a better chance than most. The fact that you were able to partially resist Allatou shows that you have quite a bit of Spiritual Potential. Moreover, you're already able to feel Happy Lover; I'm confident that sooner or later you'll be able to see it."

Hearing that, Melissa smiled brightly.

~~~▽~~~

Daimon, Blade, and Hannibal eventually approached them.

Daimon looked over the family and asked, "How is everyone feeling?"

Mrs Colan nodded and said, "Still sore and many areas of my body hurt."

"That's normal." Daimon smiled reassuringly and explained, "The exorcism was completely successful, but we had to physically fight you off as we exorcised Allatou. You'll probably feel tired and sore for a while, but there shouldn't be any lasting problems."

Albert nodded and said, "Thank you."

At this point, Hannibal cleared his throat and said, "Speaking of things that shouldn't have lasting problems..."

He glanced around before he added, "...I'm afraid the house is another matter."

Albert followed his gaze, and for the first time since the battle ended, he actually looked around; everyone did.

The living room was a disaster.

Furniture had been destroyed. Walls had been damaged or outright broken. The staircase was barely recognisable or even existing. Sections of the house had been broken apart during the battle.

Alexander stared and muttered, "Wow."

He hadn't really noticed before, as they had been too busy trying not to die and save the Colans.

Hannibal sighed and said, "Mr Colan, our tariff will only include the investigative work we've performed."

He paused for a moment before he added, "You can come to the agency and pay whenever you're able."

Then he gestured toward the wreckage, "And, uh... sorry about the house."

Albert stared at the destruction before he muttered, "I'm not sure my insurance will cover this."

He looked increasingly distressed, "How am I even supposed to explain this?"

Alexander felt bad for him even though it wasn't exactly his fault, then an idea occurred to him.

His eyes widened before he exclaimed, "Wait."

He once again opened the Card Database and began searching for a specific card, as he knew exactly which card he needed for such a problem.

Before long, he found it, and without hesitation, he selected it, making the card materialise in his hand.

Everyone stared.

Alexander smiled as he spent 5 Duel Energy and called out, "Come, Time Wizard!"

The card began shining, then it shattered into motes of light that gathered together, forming the Duel Spirit.

It was a small mechanical, clock-like wizard with a red frame. It features large, expressive white eyes with blue irises. Its central faceplate is a deep blue, displaying two green arrow-shaped clock hands that mimic a clock, positioned over a curved yellow mouth area.

The Duel Spirit wears purple, soft-looking gloves on its hands and matching rounded purple boots. A prominent top-hat-like chimney sits atop its head, and large, golden metallic gears are embedded into its shoulders and lower torso.

After appearing, Time Wizard raised its clock-like staff, and Daimon immediately recognised that something was different, so he asked, "What are you planning?"

Alexander focused on Time Wizard, pointed toward the house and asked, "Can you rewind the house's time?"

Time Wizard looked toward the damaged building, then nodded while a flood of new information entered Alexander's mind that surprised him and made him regret his choice.

At the same time, hearing Alexander's request made Daimon's expression change as he exclaimed, "Wait."

But it was too late, as the Time Wizard's staff began glowing. At the top was a roulette-like mechanism divided into sections.

6 spaces. 4 carried skull symbols. The other two displayed a red tower.

Alexander stared at it, and with the new information in his mind, he knew exactly what it meant.

The skulls weren't merely failure symbols; they meant destruction: if the effect failed, Time Wizard would self-destruct, and he wouldn't be able to summon it again for an entire year.

Alexander swallowed and muttered, "Please... RNG gods do not abaddon me..."

He watched the clock hand begin spinning as he wondered, "Damn... Maybe this wasn't such a good idea..."

The hand continued turning, and everyone watched in silence. As it slowed, Alexander held his breath, especially since it was close to the skull zones.

Then it stopped on the red tower, making Alexander release a big sigh of relief as he had just avoided the worst-case scenario.

At the same time, Time Wizard raised its staff, and a wave of energy spread through the house before the damage began reversing.

Broken furniture restored itself. Cracked walls repaired. Destroyed sections returned to their previous state. The staircase reconstructed itself. Everything moved backwards as time itself was being rewound.

A few moments later, the house stood almost exactly as it had before the battle.

Alexander stared and said, "It worked."

Daimon was speechless. Blade simply stared at the restored house with wonder. Hannibal slowly lowered his weapon and muttered, "Damn..."

Daimon finally turned toward Alexander and asked, "Why didn't you use that yesterday?"

Alexander blinked and asked back, "What?"

"The park." Daimon pointed toward him and asked again, "Why didn't you summon Time Wizard after our fight?"

Alexander rolled his eyes and replied, "Because it's basically a fifty-fifty gamble!"

He pointed toward Time Wizard and explained, "If it fails, it self-destructs, and I can't summon it again for an entire year."

Daimon opened his mouth to say something, but then Alexander continued, "And more importantly..."

He crossed his arms and said, "I forgot."

Daimon stared at him and repeated with disbelief in his tone, "You forgot? You have something that can manipulate time, and you forget it!?"

Alexander slowly looked toward Daimon and said, "I was a little busy being shaken after almost getting killed by a certain someone."

Daimon coughed, then he awkwardly scratched the back of his head and muttered, "Right."

Alexander smirked, "Yeah."

Earning a laugh from Hannibal and even Blade, who enjoyed Daimon's distress.