Cyrus took his Time mage and placed it on the game mat in front of him to the far left. “You see that?” He pointed at the mat.

  “So that’s called the Sideboard Zone,” Tera was grateful that the game mat had everything labeled. The mat also featured turn phases labeled for beginner duelists to understand the flow of a game. To her left she saw her own Sideboard Zone. She placed her guardian onto it. She also saw Battle Zone One, Two, and Three, in the middle of the mat. Tera also saw the words Emblem on the bottom of the mat behind the battle zones.

  Cyrus handed her three small cubes. “These are your emblems. The object of the game is to take two of them from your opponent,”

  “How do I do that?” Tera questioned.

  “The main way is to attack a lane uncontested, meaning there are no other monsters in that particular lane. The other way to be uncontested is by having a monster that has double the attack power of the opposing monster’s defense. This is why attack and defense are so important in a duel. Trying to predict which two lanes your opponent is going for is key to winning a duel,” Cyrus knew he was throwing a lot of information at Tera. But she seemed to handle it well.

  “Well, that’s easy there are three lanes so if I go first, I can just attack. Or If I go second, I can pick a different lane and attack that one,” Tera was confident in her analysis.

  “Slow down, slow down. Let me explain the basic rules first,” Cyrus laughed.

  “Oh, Fine!” Tera crossed her arms.

  “If you go first, you cannot attack or use equipment cards on monsters. Furthermore, if you have a guardian in your Sideboard Zone you can use cards in your hand to block monsters of any power essentially for free. However, those cards go into your shield pile to never be used except for Shield Summons, which are a special monster ability reserved for defensive monsters. Still with me?” Cyrus shuffled his cards while Tera sat with the information he gave her.

  “I think I am getting it. So, there are three different lanes that I must protect from my opponent. I play one monster in one of three lanes per turn. While my guardian is in the Sideboard Zone, I can use cards in my hand to shield myself from an attack. But if I can do that then why would I ever want my guardian on the battlefield?”

  “Good question. You wouldn’t do that because if you run out of cards in your main deck you forfeit two of your emblems to your opponent automatically. Thus, losing the duel”

  “That’s not fair I only have twelve cards!”

  “Yup, twelve cards and one guardian are the maximum for level-one beginner duelists. Of course, that changes when you level up,” Cyrus explained.

  “Level up? Like in a video game,” Tera had great excitement in her voice.

  “Sort of, different dueling levels have more cards and unique ways to summon monsters to the field. I am only explaining level-one dueling rules to you. The game takes years to understand and even longer to master. Emblem Duel is the most complex game ever created,” Cyrus had pride in his voice.

  “So, if monsters are summoned based on their level, then How can a level eight monster take place in a level one duel?” Tera retorted.

  “Are you sure you haven’t played before?” Cyrus thought that Tera was catching on too quickly for a beginner. He had great respect for Tera, she not only had the looks, but she was clever.

  “I haven’t!” Tera smiled.

  “Technically, my Time Mage is too powerful for a level-one duel. Monsters cannot be higher than level four. Also, the total level of all the monsters in your deck cannot exceed twenty. This makes equipment cards very valuable. Level one duels are very restrictive,” Cyrus lectured.

  “And I can only play one monster and one equipment card per turn,” Tera exclaimed. Cyrus was impressed that Tera was an intuitive duelist, even if she was a beginner.

  “Not unless another card states otherwise, which many do,” Cyrus chuckled.

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

  “How do I get into a level two duel?” Tera questioned.

  “You’re a quick learner but you aren’t ready for that,” Cyrus tried to stay professional, but found it difficult.

  “So? I still want to know.” Tera teased.

  “Having a clear understanding of all the basic rules for one. In the real world, you technically can duel up to the highest level if you understand all the rules and have the level of cards needed to construct a deck of that value. But only rich people and professional duelists can,” Cyrus found his stride again.

  “I’m listening. Carry on,” Tera didn’t like being told what she could and couldn’t do.

  “So, in The Grid everyone has a duelist level,” Cyrus knew this from his best friend Harlow. “You compete in ranked duels to get experience and for every ten levels you get from winning matches unlocks another duel level,” Cyrus was jealous of everyone in The Grid.

  “I bet you’re a high-level duel—”

  “Oh, yes Cyrus is a level fiftieth duelist. He’s a higher-level duelist than even Sir Maranth,” Harlow squeezed into the booth with Cyrus.

  Cyrus jumped a little, not realizing his friend had been there watching. Harlow found the situation to be comical. While Cyrus was the best duelist Harlow knew, everyone knew Cyrus was forbidden to enter The Grid.

  “Actually, it’s Siv Maranthanin, and I’m pretty sure he’s dead,” Tera pointed a finger at Harlow. “Duelist history 101, you should be ashamed of yourself,” Tera pointed a disapproving finger at Harlow.

  “Oh, this girl is serious. Sweetheart it’s called a joke. Don’t you know that my boy Cy is shadow-banned from The Grid by the evil emperor,” Harlow whispered.

  “Hey Harlow, the evil emperor commands you to check out the new Dicey Warriors set and to stop badgering my customers,” Bowie always knew how Harlow acted on launch day and understood the boy couldn’t refuse the release of a new set. Cyrus was happy that his father had the ability to redirect his best friend. Harlow blushed, embarrassed, the emperor heard him and scooted out of the booth, practically drooling at the mouth.

  “Sorry about that,” Cyrus apologized.

  “He's your friend or a crazed customer?”

  “Harlow is both. Our dads used to duel together. And we grew up fighting like brothers.”

  “Oh, that explains everything. I thought he was just a jerk,” Tera hated bullies with a burning passion.

  “Harlow means well…So, anyways, when a monster attacks you, look at the monster’s attack rating versus the defense rating of the defending monster. Whoever has the higher value wins. If the attack rating is double the defense rating, you take an emblem from your opponent in the battle lane you attacked in. This is what we call uncontested,” Cyrus explained.

  “I think I am ready to play,” Tera threw both her arms up.

  “We’ll do that our next session,” Cyrus took his cards off the playing mat.

  “Did we already go past our time?” Tera crossed her arms.

  “We went well past our time for today,” Cyrus tried his best to keep his lessons within the time limit but always failed. If Cyrus was being honest, he would have taught Tera Emblem Duel for free, but his father would never approve. Knowledge is power, Bowie would always say. And it comes at a cost.

  “Oh, alright. Can we play tomorrow?” Tera uncrossed her hands and aggressivity threw her hands on the table.

  “Yeah, we can go over opening strategies tomorrow,” Cyrus smiled.

  “Don’t forget to schedule the appointment,” Bowie used his best business voice.

  “Yeah duh, I got so excited I forgot,” Tera waved to Bowie in response. Cyrus’s face turned red since his father always did everything by the book. Cyrus found it annoying. He got so caught up in the moment Cyrus forgot he was making money for the game shop.

  “I can get the appointment set up for you when you’re ready,” Bowie stood at the counter.

  “Sure thing,” Tera made her way to Bowie and handed him a money card. He swiped the card and handed it back to her.

  “Alright, so pick your preferred time on the tablet,” Bowie turned the tablet, so it faced in her direction.

  Tera tapped on the tablet a few times with a smile. “All set.”

  “Thank you for choosing Bowies for all your dueling needs,” Bowie repeated the annoying robotic tone.

  As Tera began to walk out of the card shop’s door, she looked back at Cyrus. “What’s your name? You never told me your name. Is it like top secret or something?”

  “Oh, I’m Cyrus,” How could I forget to tell her my damn name, Cyrus thought.

  “Bye Cyrus,” Tera gave him a playful smile. She walked out of the old dusty shop that smelled of old playing cards. Cyrus was bright red. The way Tera said his name made him feel awesome.

  “Cyrus has a girlfriend,” Harlow repeated in a silly tone as he held multiple packs of Dicey Warriors from across the shop. Bowie shook his head at the boys from behind the counter.

  The door to the shop opened with purpose. Bowie’s face changed from disapproval to outrage. Old memories invaded Bowie’s mind. The same memories Bowie spent years trying to forget.

  “Cyrus, Harlow leave through the back entrance of the shop now,” Bowie snapped at the boys. Cyrus never heard his father speak in a tone like that. He always had a difficult time communicating with his father, but this felt different.

  The familiar face of an adversary from a lifetime ago stared back at Bowie with a cocky smile. That crooked smile, Bowie thought. Cyrus and Harlow looked at the figure in awe as the man sauntered to the counter looking around at the shop in disgust.

  Harlow dropped all the dice packs, and they crashed to the floor with a loud thud. Cyrus looked at the figure in disbelief. The feet of the boys were rooted to the ground. Not in rebellion against Bowie, but in total amazement for the figure that stood before them.

  “Seth Anderson! Get the fuck out of my shop! Now!” Bowie growled.

  Soul Shot Skirmisher