It was foretold that centuries ago the mighty ruler Osiris was betrayed by his own brother Set. The two battled in an ancient game for the very throne of Egypt. The King was defeated and banished to the underworld, while the usurper prospered. Until one day the powerful hero Horus fought Set in a deadly game to save the very kingdom. This later became known as The Darkest Duel. We love games and they hold more power than most people realize. No matter the stakes, try to remember that the goal is to have fun. Now, go out there and duel.

  - Siv Maranthanin Six-time Duelist Cup world champion

  Seth

  Seth Anderson sat in an expensive chair, the extravagant tower built by his father was home to fifty thousand employees and another forty thousand would pass through daily, for both business and pleasure. He gripped the well-made acrylic material in disdain. In the room sat five other men and one woman, all wearing the best suits money could afford. Seth hated board meetings, but he knew it was a necessary evil, especially after his father’s passing. He was surprised that his father cared enough to give him a seat on the board after his death. He found his father to be a cruel man with ambition as vast as the ocean. As far as Seth was concerned his father deserted him and his mother years ago to build his legacy, a word he had contempt for. Seth was aware he lived a privileged life full of extravagance due to his father’s hard work, but he never forgave his father for not being present for him and his mother. The hate-fueled the young man’s every action. Even if his father was rotting in a grave, six feet under.

  “So, our Q4 numbers are looking great. In fact, we are up twenty percent more than we were this time last year. Our augmented reality sector is making sixty percent of our annual gross income. I’d like to take a minute and thank Seth for all of his hard work in developing that division of Anderson Games,” Max turned to the rest of the board members joyful to bring them the news.

  Seth looked around and gave a nod to the other board members trying his best to not show disinterest. “I know my father started this as a humble but small game company. We all know he made board games out of his basement for the first few years. However, to secure the future of his legacy, dabbling in simple game concepts are not enough.” Seth boasted in a condescending tone, as if venom were on the tip of his tongue.

  “I mean with Emblem Duel on the phone using the AR tech you created single-handedly saved the company. I’d hardly call it simple,” a board member retorted.

  Seth looked at him disapprovingly, he neither remembered his name nor did he care. “Yes, we are doing decent. However, complacency is what kills companies and we must be as ruthless as our competition. That is why I am handing off the AR portion of the company to another team well suited for it. I am creating a new division. A virtual reality sector. Not only for games but for everyday life.”

  “What? That’s impossible! We aren’t even close to immersive VR technology,” Max exclaimed.

  Seth looked down at the oversized table that lay in front of him. He thought of how many tables were made in the world to be as luxurious as this one. He didn’t care for arbitrary things like material objects. To Seth, he wanted to build his legacy to prove he was a far superior man than his disappointment of a father.

  “Well, you have to spend money to make money,” Seth looked at the members with a sly smile.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  The most senior member of the board objected, “The board will never approve of this Seth!”

  Max looked in terror, he knew Seth better than anyone and Max had the knowledge that it was far greater to have Seth as a friend rather than an adversary. Seth could be cruel, and Max had first-hand experience in school of how Seth dealt with obstacles or rather people who stood in his way.

  “That’s what I hoped you’d say,” Seth gave a crooked smile to the man. “I know most of you won’t approve of this because you want to sit in your ivory towers and bask in the hard work my father and I have done.”

  The room was silent, and nervous energy filled the void. None of the members had experienced this side of Seth, apart from the young CFO. Max knew in his heart that the situation would not end well. Someone was bound to get hurt. But like a train wreck, Max needed to know how Seth would pull this off. A hostile takeover of a company this huge was next to impossible.

  The man stood up looking at the other members, “A little boy does not have power over well-educated professionals who have spent years climbing the corporate ladder. I didn’t work my ass off to take orders from a little pipsqueak like you.”

  Seth couldn’t help but laugh at the baseless words. He took a deep breath to center himself. It took everything he had to hold steadfast and not lay a finger on the man, at least his own finger. Seth thought the man was a fraud and a waste of space. He wanted to make an example out of the pretender. Seth wanted to do it in front of everyone. Devine justice, Seth thought. It would also get the rest of the members to concede. Seth spent the better half of the last six months pouring over legal texts. Yes, he had a portion of the company, but it didn’t mean he could do whatever he wanted. He had to get creative on how he would maintain control. The movies had it wrong as to how a proper hostile takeover would work.

  The man still standing, pointed his finger at Seth. Seth slowly stood up. He gingerly pushed his chair out from behind him with extra care. A trait his father never had. He looked the man in the eye and smiled.

  “What are you smiling at?” The man questioned.

  The rest of the members were silent. They felt uncomfortable and embarrassed with how intense the room had become. The majority of the members thought Seth had put a lot of work into the company. Some people around the office called Seth the golden boy for the success Anderson Games shared due to his involvement with the company.

  Seth walked over to the head of the table; he remained there as if waiting for something. A woman in a business suit entered the room. She made her way towards Seth and carried an oversized briefcase; handing it over to him with a sinister smile.

  “Thank you,” Seth used a sincere voice for the first time.

  Seth placed the oversized briefcase on the beautiful ornate table. He glanced at the man in distain, he focused his attention on the rest of the members with a well-crafted smile.

  “What I have here is a holographic deck demo for Emblem Duel. It blends the virtual fun the AR game cannot produce, while giving players a small virtual reality experience.”

  “This doesn’t change anything,” the man spat.

  The rest of the room locked their eyes on the oversized briefcase, curiously.

  “Well, maybe since you’re the most skeptical, you should try it,” The woman mocked the man who was challenging Seth’s authority.

  “How about I do you one better,” Seth had his sights set on the man.

  “What do you mean?” The man inquired.

  “If you duel me right here and win, I’ll simply end the program.”

  “And if I lose?”

  “I’ll ask for a fair amount of money for the VR program, which will take me double the time to create. Truly, it’s a win-win either way,” Seth laughed.

  “Besides, perhaps seeing what the technology does might change our minds,” Max backed up Seth’s words. After all, that was his job as his business partner and friend.

  “Ok, it’s settled,” Seth unfastened the clips on the briefcase. He opened the case with purpose. Inside sat two small headsets, the technology looked more advanced than the AR glasses the company sold. Instead of see-through glasses the headset was silver and fully covered the user’s vision from the outside. It looked as if it was something not of this world. The front of the headset had four cameras on each corner, showing a rectangular shape. Two gloves accompanied the headsets along with two card decks. The gloves were also black and had a chamber on the top. The compartment was made to hold the user’s deck.

  Seth turned the case so the man could see inside. The rest of the members sat in curiosity and amazement. The prospect of watching a duel excited the other board members.

  “Pick whatever deck you want, and I’ll show you how to link your deck to the system. The rest of the rules are the same as the Emblem Duel base game,” Seth sounded more pretentious than usual.