The Journey of Dai

THIS STORY IS INSPIRED BY THE YU-GI-OH! TRADING CARD FRANCHISE AND SOME OF THEIR CARDS. THE FIRST LINE IS PART OF THE CARD TEXT.

The warrior who can manipulate dragons. Nobody knows his mysterious past.

I was the Hero of Light.

I was born to a grand family. My mother was a milkmaid and my father was a merchant. Those were simple times, when good and evil were as clear as night and day. But it all changed one day, when a dragon attacked our town. A ferocious beast, with scales of pure white and eyes of bright blue. The town was razed in an instant. My father was killed in the attack, and my mother died of her injuries days later. I was alone, and in my solitude, I took a vow of vengeance for my family and my town.

I set off, looking for a way to control and destroy these beasts of ferocious power. For years, my search proved fruitless, yielding small signs of hope that would only later be proven false. I fought many ferocious beasts in this time, and even defeated the Deity of Poisonous Snakes, Vennominaga. I also met many interesting people, including a man who lived in a desert shack who swore he would one day be known around the world, and a woman named Fiona who took a strange dislike to me, declaring that we were rivals.

She was a valiant opponent, but our first battle ended with us both being strangely disarmed of our weapons. To this day, I have no idea what the force behind that was. We parted ways, but soon she returned, and we battled once again! I had nearly defeated her when, without warning, she was abducted into a strange portal, and I would not see her again for quite some time.

I eventually ran into some different people, who were also great warriors like myself. We joined together and called ourselves, "The A. Forces." We would go through many trials together, and at one point we were caught in the middle of a war against the armies of Hell! We emerged victorious, but I was almost destroyed by a demon who had snuck up on me from behind. I survived only thanks to my friend, Uxon, who cast a spell and transported me to a safe place at the last moment.

I arrived at a strange forest, where two paths stood before me. One was abounding with light, life, and all good things I had known. The other path was lined with darkness, death, and all the wicked actions I had encountered. Both paths spoke to me, attempting to entice me into picking one. The path of light promised peace and a good life should I venture on it, but the path of darkness promised vengeance, and other dark things I craved. I took a step of faith and ventured down the path of darkness.

It went on, and on, seemingly endless. At one point, I turned back, and saw that I could still see the path of light, despite having journeyed for more than a day. I was not deterred by this and continued forward. After what felt like an eternity of travel, I collapsed and fell asleep. I slept unpleasantly, and nightmares tore at my dreams.

When I awoke, I was no longer in the dying forest, but rather I had returned home, back to the ruins where my journey had begun. I cursed and kicked at the dust in the ruins, but I soon realized that this was a blessing in disguise. In my journey, I had ventured far from home, and from the dragons which destroyed it. Now that I had returned, I was finally able to exact vengeance on the dragons that had set me on my quest years ago. I charged toward the Mausoleum of White where many dragon worshippers lived, and gave praise to the awful beasts.

I arrived after three weeks of harsh travel, and soon I could see their sanctuary. But as I approached, a man who wore a dark smile and red eyes stood in my path and commanded me to duel him. I struck quickly, but he seemed to match my movements exactly, mirroring my every step. I soon managed to defeat him, but as I raised my sword to deliver the killing blow, he vanished! I stood there for a long while, but I soon found my strength and continued towards the Mausoleum.

When I entered, they welcomed me with open arms. I almost felt pity for them, but it mattered not. They worshipped the cruel beast that destroyed my home, and they must die! I raised my sword and was about to strike them down, yet at the last moment, a beautiful maiden with eyes matching that of the dragon stepped in between me and my target, the foul prophet who advocated for the dragon. I asked her to move, but she would not.

With no choice, I raised my sword against her to deliver a killing strike! As I did, the dragon appeared, in all its ferocious power and might. Without a second thought, it unleashed upon me the full power it held, and I felt my body, nay, my very consciousness, being torn apart at the seams. The pain was like nothing I had ever experienced. I died at that very moment, and I could feel myself being erased, put out of existence.

However, despite dying...I lived. I floated in a dark abyss, surrounded by memories of the past; my parents, Vennominaga, the desert man, Fiona, and the A. Force. These memories swirled around me, reminding me of all the decisions I had made. Then, they coalesced into a disgusting form. A creature that was formless, save for a mouth full of teeth and a single piercing red eye. I brandished my weapon, and struck at the creature with all my strength, yet it was not enough. It was too powerful, and soon it held me in its mouth.

I was sure that this was the true end, swallowed into darkness by a creature of pure evil. But at that moment, the man with the dark smile appeared and rescued me from the jaws of the beast! He told me that his existence depended on mine, and I realized that he was nothing more than a reflection of my own soul, yet twisted and made corrupt. He battled alongside me, helping me defeat the formless beast by sacrificing his own power and giving me the strength I needed to succeed.

As the horrid beast dissolved into nothingness, the world around me faded back into view. I was inside the Mausoleum once more, trapped inside a dark cellar far below. My body was severely scarred, and looked as if I might crumble into ashes at any moment. I stayed down there for many days, which soon became weeks, then months, then years. The beautiful maiden with eyes of blue came down many times, begging me to apologize and be set free. I would never do such a thing.

After years of being in the dark cell, my wounds had all but disappeared, and my strength had returned. I planned to escape, but on that very night, a great demon attacked the Mausoleum, destroying its shrine and engaging in battle with the ferocious dragon. In the chaos of the battle, I escaped. Though as I left, I saw the beautiful maiden, who I now knew had the name of Aquilla, in the hands of the great demon. I had grown fond of her, and something inside me forced me to act.

I leapt into the air and plunged my sword into the heart of the demon, wounding it severely. At that moment, the great dragon took the opportunity to unleash its full power on the demon, and within moments it was incinerated, leaving only its weapon, a great sword, behind.

The people within the Mausoleum thanked me, and declared I was free to leave. Aquilla approached me, and gave me a passionate kiss, telling me she would always be thankful for what I had done that day. I left the Mausoleum with an air of pride. I had made peace with my past, and had acquired a new weapon.

Of course, I had already chosen wrong. Days passed and I felt a strange urge to spend more and more of my time wielding and practicing with my new blade. I could feel intense dark power within me, and the sword was an extension of that. With every swing I could feel myself growing in power. I carried it with me everywhere, and one day, I felt a surge of energy.

I was taken aback, the sword seemingly giving me a burst of power! I didn't want it, but it came into me. My muscles grew stronger, my power increased tenfold, my hands became razor sharp claws of death, and I could feel my sanity slipping away. The process was slow, every day I changed more and more, becoming stronger, faster, and more savage.

Then, I fell. I fell into a deep slumber, in which nightmares again plagued me. But at the end of the night, I saw myself, graceful, strong, and wholly good. Was this what could have been? Could I have been a bringer of justice? The thought tore at me all through the next day, and the next, and the next, for many weeks to come. I realized that I would never be as good as I could have been, and it ate at me.

I soon gave in. The power was too much, the temptation too strong, and I was changed. I became a new man. No, stronger than a man! I was a DEMON, a being whose very words would cause mortals to tremble! My name was no longer Dai Grepher. I was DARK LUCIUS, COMMANDER OF THE ARMIES OF HELL!

I am the Lord of Darkness.