The sun had barely risen when Kaito found himself unable to sleep. The encounter with Amon the night before echoed in his mind like a puzzle with pieces scattered by the wind.
"Chosen by destiny... what does that even mean?" he muttered, gazing at his Blue-Eyes White Dragon card.
There was more going on at Duel Academy than met the eye. He could feel it. Not just the politics between dorms or the tests of skill—but something older, deeper, something almost spiritual. His dragons sensed it. And now, so did he.
He left his dorm early and made his way toward the academy's ancient east wing, a rarely-used section that housed historical archives and card research labs. The building was eerily quiet, the marble floors echoing underfoot as he walked.
Inside one of the old archives, Kaito searched through dusty shelves, running his fingers across aged tomes and databases. Eventually, he found a data pad labeled: "Legends of the Duel Spirits."
He sat down and began reading.
The tablet recounted tales of Spirit Realms and ancient dragons that once influenced the fate of worlds. Among them, a name kept appearing—The Azure Monarch, a Blue-Eyes-like being said to have guided champions in times of great darkness.
"Azure Monarch..." Kaito whispered. "Could it be...?"
His thoughts were broken by a soft voice behind him.
"Looking for bedtime stories, or something more serious?"
Kaito turned to see Alexis Rhodes standing by the doorway, arms crossed.
"You followed me?"
"You're not exactly subtle, Kaito. Sneaking out before dawn, digging through legends. People notice."
He sighed. "I need answers."
Alexis stepped in and glanced at the tablet. "The Azure Monarch? That's a myth. A Duel Spirit so strong it could control the flow of life energy in the world."
"I think it's real. I think it's connected to my Blue-Eyes."
Alexis frowned slightly. "If that's true, it's dangerous. Legends like that don't reappear unless something big is coming."
Kaito nodded. "Amon said there's a war coming. Something ancient."
She leaned on the table. "Then we'd better be ready."
Later that day, Chancellor Sheppard called an emergency meeting with several top students—including Bastion, Alexis, and even Zane Truesdale, the academy's top duelist.
Kaito had been surprised to receive the summons, but he went anyway.
Sheppard stood at the front of a dark-lit strategy room. "Students, I won't waste time. Last night, energy fluctuations were recorded on the cliffs east of the island. Not natural. And not new."
He tapped a screen, showing diagrams of spiritual energy surges.
"This isn't the first. There have been minor anomalies all year. We believe an ancient seal—one tied to the Shadow Games—is weakening."
Kaito leaned forward. "Shadow Games?"
Zane nodded grimly. "Real duels. Where the stakes are more than just life points."
Sheppard's gaze swept across them. "We've detected a pattern in the duels around these surges. Kaito... your duel last night triggered one."
Gasps filled the room.
"Me?"
"You and your deck may have awakened something sleeping beneath the island. And that something... may be calling others."
Kaito thought back to the glow from his Blue-Eyes. The whisper in the dark.
Alexis turned to him. "Then we stop it before it spreads."
"No," Zane interrupted. "We prepare. The storm is coming. And Kaito... whether you like it or not, you're in the eye of it."
That night, Kaito stood once more beneath the stars, his deck clutched tight.
He could no longer pretend this was just a second chance at life.
He had been reborn for a reason.