If someone at the lowest depths of despair were to glimpse a ray of hope…
Even if that hope was pitch black, it would still become the "dawn" that illuminated their heart of despair.
About half a year ago—
"This month's taxes… short again, sigh."
At 2 a.m., Alice Carlos was still in her study, fretting over the accounts of the Carlos family's fief, the town of Lukao.
The coffee on her desk had long gone cold. Regardless, with the suffocating weight of countless unsolvable troubles pressing down on her, Alice needed no caffeine to stay awake.
Just thinking about all the extortionate taxes disguised under fancy names was enough to keep her from sleeping.
"It's outrageous. Are they planning to gnaw the Carlos family to the bone?"
The Carlos family ruled their small town of Lukao. But in recent years, they had been forced to pay taxes to the neighboring lords of larger fiefs.
The excuse? Since Lukao's roads connected to those large fiefs, the Carlos family had to pay public security and road taxes.
Anyone with eyes could see this was nothing more than squeezing out the family's last worth.
And as the lowest-ranked noble family in Livorden, without a Duelist, they had no voice to protest.
Sometimes, the Austin family brothers stepped in to mediate, easing the burden a little.
Anyhow, that was just a temporary patch. Without true strength, the Carlos family's problems could never be solved.
"Tomorrow, there's another party invitation from Count Ormon? I really don't want to go."
The fallen Carlos family could never decline such invitations. And attending only meant more ridicule, contempt, and open insults. Some even suggested she become the concubine of a fifty-year-old Count.
For years, Alice's and Aisha's mother had endured this humiliation. Albeit, her health finally broke down, leaving her bedridden.
To keep her condition from worsening, Alice shouldered the majority of the family's work, leaving her father free to care for their mother.
Yet resolve alone meant nothing in this world without strength.
Even as Alice refused to blame her, she knew her younger sister Aisha's grades at Fusion Academy had been abysmal. The family's last Duelist seemed unlikely to bring them any hope.
Despite that, Alice had no right to blame her sister. Without Spirit Eyes herself, unable even to step into the threshold of becoming a Duelist, she had left the burden of reviving the Carlos family to her youngest sibling.
If you couldn't become a Duelist, then no matter how hard you tried in other areas, all effort was futile in this world.
"Enough overthinking."
Alice removed her glasses and massaged her brow.
If she kept spiraling in thought, she would only sink deeper into depression.
Humans were meant to sleep at night. Drowning in melancholy playlists was no solution.
She poured out the untouched cold coffee, tidied the messy accounts, and—though she felt no sleepiness—forced herself to rest.
When she returned to her familiar bedroom, a chill breeze greeted her the moment she opened the door.
"When did I open the window?"
Her green eyes narrowed in doubt, glancing at the gently swaying curtains. Before the window stood a simple little table she used to pile odds and ends.
But tonight, something unfamiliar lay upon it.
A golden ring circled with sharp ornaments, its center a glaring eye that looked terrifying in the dark. Though the item radiated an uncanny aura, Alice couldn't help reaching out. As though compelled.
No, not compelled. Perhaps in her heart, she already knew nothing could be worse than her current state.
Once life hit rock bottom, any change had to be for the better.
With that thought, Alice touched the Millennium Ring for the first time.
"Can you hear my voice?"
A mature woman's voice echoed in her mind the moment she touched it.
"Who's there?"
"The soul dwelling inside the Millennium Ring. You can call me… Elra."
"Elra? Why are you here, in my room?"
"Because your despair called to me. So beautiful on the outside, yet radiating despair deep within your soul. Truly exquisite."
"Despair, huh…"
Alice didn't argue. Maybe that was what she was feeling… despair. Having never glimpsed real hope, even despair itself had become normal.
"Let's make a deal. I'll grant you the power to change your circumstances."
"Power? What kind of power?"
"The one you most desire. Spirit Eyes."
"!!"
For the first time in her life, Alice's emerald eyes trembled violently in shock.
"You… you can give me Spirit Eyes?"
"I've only recently gained this ability. And I happen to have one ready at hand."
It was like a dream. No, it was beyond dreams—Alice had never even dared hope for such a thing.
And then, like magic, a Spirit Eyes appeared in her palm, glowing with a dull red light.
"This… it's real? But…"
The Spirit Eyes bore a glaring crack across its surface. Impossible to ignore.
"Don't be picky. This is all I have. A defective one. I'd estimate it has… two uses left."
"Spirit Eyes has… uses?"
Alice had never heard of such a thing. Duelists never had a limit to their Duels.
"That's because you're not a Duelist, Alice Carlos. Your soul can't sustain it. In your hands, Spirit Eyes is consumable."
Elra paused, then added:
"Still, even as a consumable, don't underestimate it. With Spirit Eyes, you can summon a Deck born from your soul. At least you'll have the capital to fight other Duelists. Even if defective, you'll become a true Duelist."
Instantly, those words echoed in her mind: "Become a true Duelist."
Alice licked her lips and swallowed hard.
Nothing in the world could tempt her more. Born without Spirit Eyes, barred from becoming a Duelist; No matter how hard she tried, without Duels, she would always be beneath others.
Her fate was decided by the absence of this one thing.
Life was unfair.
And yet here was a chance to erase that unfairness.
"But wait."
Even as temptation swelled, Alice stayed calm.
"Elra, you said this was a deal. What do you want for giving me something so precious?"
Though young, Alice was no stranger to politics. She didn't believe in free miracles.
"Heh. As expected. Most would've fallen completely to the lure of power already. You are indeed my ideal host, Alice Carlos."
The woman's voice carried a note of satisfaction.
"That Spirit Eyes won't last you. My terms are simple: win Duels and take more Spirit Eyes. As long as you keep winning, you'll always have more. Battle feeding battle—simple, isn't it?"
"To take Spirit Eyes… from others? How?"
A normal Duel couldn't even take a single card, let alone Spirit Eyes.
Unless…
"Shadow Games. Do you have the resolve, Alice Carlos?"
"As I thought… Shadow Games."
Such Duels were banned across the Spirit Continent.
Even so, Alice's price for becoming a Duelist was stepping into the dark, stealing others' Spirit Eyes, and building her power on their loss.
"If I seize Spirit Eyes, Elra, what do you gain?"
"You gain the Spirit Eyes, and I regain power through Shadow Games. Mutual benefit. A perfect deal."
"Anyone I Duel?" Alice pressed.
"Anyone. As long as you win. Lose, and the Spirit Eyes will shatter. Hunt threatening Shadow Duelists, or, if you wish, even those you hate."
Her words were a devil's whisper, piercing Alice's heart.
With Spirit Eyes, with the power to fight, why hesitate to defeat lawless Shadow Duelists? She could even tell herself it was justice.
However, to target those she hated…
That was true temptation. A deal from the devil.
To become a Duelist was beyond her dreams.
Albeit after becoming one…
Stealing Spirit Eyes could never be known. To all, she would remain Alice Carlos, without Spirit Eyes.
So, how to use the power wisely? To guide the Carlos family out of despair.
By crushing the great families who plotted to devour them, burying them in the dark.
"Make your choice, Alice Carlos. Will you embrace the darkness of this power? If you will, summon your first Monster with Spirit Eyes!"
If someone at the lowest depths of despair were to glimpse a ray of hope—
Even if that hope was pitch black, it would still become the "dawn" that illuminated their heart of despair.
"Elra… lend me your power."
That night, a monstrous roar echoed across the Carlos fief of Lukao.
Alice Carlos had summoned the first Monster Card of her soul.
[Gameciel, the Sea Turtle Kaiju]
"Kaiju!"
Alice's very first summon left even Elra within the Millennium Ring stunned.
To summon a Kaiju as her very first Monster… the darkness in this girl's heart was immeasurable, beyond even Elra's expectations.
A Kaiju, born of her soul—a symbol of disaster and ruin.
"You're the best choice I've ever made, Alice Carlos! From now on, I'll stay with you forever!"
In just a month, with that cracked Spirit Eyes, Alice had assembled an entire Deck.
And so began her hunt for Spirit Eyes. Alice Carlos, who had never before fought a true Duel, faced her very first Duel—
A Shadow Game.
An unimaginable start for anyone else. But the outcome? A crushing victory. Against Alice's Kaiju, ordinary Shadow Duelists had no chance.
Crack—!
After that Duel, the defective Spirit Eyes shattered, unable to withstand the Kaiju's power. Elra had thought it still had two uses left.
Anyhow, every victory in a Shadow Game allowed Alice to seize her opponent's Spirit Eyes through the Millennium Ring.
She quickly learned the truth: even a flawless Spirit Eyes could only endure two Kaiju Duels before breaking.
Still, battle fed battle. Alice secured enough to keep fighting.
Along the way, Alice met a Barrier Mage named Megan. Like her, Megan bore grudges. After being defeated, she was awed by Alice's overwhelming power and swore loyalty.
Whether loyalty or self-preservation, Alice didn't care. The Barrier Mage's power gave her immense convenience.
With Megan's barriers, Alice even strode straight into Count Ormon's mansion and tore away his Spirit Eyes—ending the man who exploited small families and ignored his people's suffering.
—Some people never deserved to be Duelists.
With greedy nobles destroyed and freed from predatory taxes, the Carlos family could finally invest their wealth into their fief.
Under Alice's plans, Lukao cleared new fields, built roads, and distributed seeds for free.
That year, the harvest was bountiful. For the first time in years, smiles lit the faces of the townsfolk.
"Lady Aisha, please try these radishes—so crisp and juicy! If you like them, I'll bring another basket tomorrow!"
"And some pickled garlic we just made—take some too, Lady Aisha!"
"Freshly baked bread from today, please also give some to Lady Alice… hey, Lady Aisha, don't run away!"
As the year drew to a close, Alice looked out the study window. Aisha, back from Academy, was surrounded by villagers full of gratitude.
Alice smiled as she closed the ledger.
"Maybe… this year will be a good one."
A ray of winter sunlight shone down on Lukao. A light wrested back from darkness, by someone who had embraced the dark with all her might.
...
If you want to support, please consider Patreon, and read advanced chapters! Your support keeps this series going!
[Patreon.com/RedZTL]