Chapter 5: Acorn Becomes Tree

He drew his last card. D-Mind! The Wicked Avatar had Polar Energy equipped to it, and the D had but nine hundred remaining life points. If he could manage to play Doom Lord, it was over.

"I activate D-Mind!" Aster proclaimed. "Now I can summon a level three Destiny Hero if I have no other Destiny Heroes in play!" The D laughed.

"Aster, please. I know what your planning, son. I wanted a challenge today, rather than a boring errand. Your dad conceived a FAILURE!" The D roared.

"Whatever, D. My dad made the very cards that will end you now! Doom Lord, come forth, and make this manic making the letter D look bad vanish forever!" A black figure appeared. The D activated his facedown.

Ruin...

Death...

It's over...

Why?

Why?

WHY?!

Aster awoke. He had a blurry vision for some time, only able to make out green blotches. He sat up, and then shook his head. He looked around. He was sitting in a tall tree, which had dark green, jagged leaves that were humongous and large, pink flowers. Its bark was smooth and a light brown.

Trees of the same kind surrounded him, and below the canopy he rested on was a bare ground, which was damp and showed little trace of human activity.

He was able to stand up on the massive limb, losing his balance only because of his daze. He brushed off his silver suit. He had a blue and white tie loosely hanging around his neck. His jacket buttoned half way, exposing his black undershirt. He then dusted off his silver trousers, and started off. He kept his guard up as he walked. What a long branch, he thought as he walked down it.

He walked for minutes, then hours, until he stopped to sit and rest. He was shocked by the length of this single branch. He looked up at the first hole in the canopy he'd seen. The time of day was about noon;the sun was nearly centered in the sky, and the clouds were thin, surrounded by an ocean of blue, which he thought comparable to his eyes.

After walking for what seemed like forever, he reached another that the branch was part of. He looked around it's great body to see three other large trails.

"Oh, come on!" He muttered. He looked through the second hole he'd seen, he saw smoke in the direction of the branch to the left of him. Before he started off, he heard a rustle. He looked beside him to see a thick layer of leaves rustling.

"Is anyone there?" He called. "Hello!" He yelled after a dozen seconds. He reached toward them, and they rustled again. He moved them out of the way, and then screamed. A giant, green grasshopper was there, and it knocked Aster over, and then bounded off of him. He screamed incredibly loud until he was stepped on by two men. He lost his breath, and than turned his head. They were two grown men with silver hair, carrying spears and wearing green robes. One of them threw a spear at the grasshopper and missed. The other leaped on to it and severed one of its legs, causing the insect to screech. The man, who seemed to got what he wanted, jumped off and let it free. The two turned to see Aster laying there, stunned.

"Oh, we apologize for this inconvenience," one said. He turned around to look at the battered figure. The men were dark skinned, and had thin eyebrows and small eyes; they looked quite strong. Aster was shocked even more to see their hair was almost identical to his, save for the untidiness and lack of his front layer. "Oh! You must be a brother. Welcome. Come with us; you look weak." He said as he secured the leg on the other's back after he retrieved the stray spear. The other than handed his spear to the one who greeted him.

"Uh, thanks, I guess" Aster said. "I'm a newbie to this place."

"Newbie?" The one with the spears said. "Is this Metropolis jargon?"

"Never mind." Aster said. "So, what do you go by?"

"Go by?" The one with the spears questioned.

"Name, please," Aster said annoyed. "I don't actually know you guys, even for me being worl famous and all."

"Oh, yes. My name is Iris." He said.

"I'm Thistle." The one with the leg said.

"I'm Aster Phoenix." Aster said. "Remember it. Aster. Phoenix."

"Oh, you are a brother! A noble, as well! Only nobles get last names." Iris said.

"Huh?" Aster said. "Whatcha' talkin' about? Couldn't resist..." The two looked at each other.

"Come along with us," Thistle said. They helped him up, and started toward the branch leading to the smoke. Aster followed. Aster's shoes made a louder sound as they hit the wood, while the other two were absolutely silent on their sandals.

"Move quietly, brother." Iris said.

"Many beasts lurk about," Thistle warned. Aster made lighter steps. After hours of walking, they reached a large hut made of wood. It had a large opening in the ceiling in which smoke escaped. It had wood planks surrounding it as support, while it was held up by two branches that ran through it. It had openings in the walls as windows, and a smaller shed that hung under the window facing east. A ladder hung from the west side, which led to the ground nearby a massive stone. The two men urged him forward, and to the north side of the hut. There they entered, and sat in an empty space available in the ring of men who looked nearly the same. All the men wore a green robe, and sat on a light purple blanket. A fire was between them, and the walls were lined with various objects, which were likely their personal belongings. The circle adjusted to make an opening for Aster; he hesitated to take it. Iris nodded, and then he sat.

"Friends, we have found a new brother!" Iris cried. The entire group clapped and smiled at Aster. Aster felt nervous. "Welcome to the Congregation House!"

"Uh, hi there!" He said doubtfully. They all waved back. Aster was sweating. "So, um how do you live around here? I mean, did you see that GIANT grasshopper!" Aster said as he made a gesture to stress his surprise. Thistle put the leg on the fire, and then piled rocks on it. Aster didn't notice. "It was bigger than a baby elephant, for crying out loud."

"Yes, we saw it." Iris said. The others nodded. "We've all seen them. How do we live? Simple: after the Mayor took over, we escaped the Metropolis. We did not want to be ruled by a deceiver. We live by a set of morals. Convenience is what man seeks the most: many things we use today make our lives EASIER. Laziness, I tell you! Destroying valuable resources just to kill a few minutes? Sickening. We live differently. We hunt for food; we make tools from useless things, like rocks." Iris sat taller. "We believe in deserving. A weak man should not be a burden; we test brothers, to see if he is worthy of our clan, to see if he isn't intelligent, or LAZY! We will test you one day. It will be easy for you, just by looking at you I can tell!" His eyes brightened. "We believe in true happiness. This is true happiness: living among you're kin, those who think like you. You need not share, for we already know what you think. We understand you; we all work together without bickering. We all have what we need." Iris relaxed again. Then he suddenly noticed Aster's Duel Disk. "Is that, a-, a- Duel Disk!?" He shouted.

"Yeah. Never seen one?" Aster asked. The men started whispering to one another. Thistle removed a few rocks from the grill. "It's the best thing since, well, me."

"A miracle!" Iris shouted. "We have the ultimate tool! Now we can test the god!"

"Huh?" Aster said as Thistle removed more rocks. The men started whispering excitedly.

"You are our new hunter." Iris said.

"Come again?" Aster asked.

"You are -"

"Not like that!" Aster interrupted. "I know that crap all too well...knowing Jaden and all..." he muttered.

"Excuse my misunderstanding." Iris apologized. He scratched his head and filled a cup to the brim with water from a sack behind him, and continued. "Duel Disks generate real, live beings! The Mayor conquers all with them. Now that we have one, we could defeat him, but he is not our concern."

"Really? Cool." Aster said. He pulled his deck out, and looked through them, cherishing his memories for a second. "So, I have a job now?" He asked. 'Not like I was jobless before."

"Yes. You see, hunting here is a deadly job, and beings formed from nothing would make the only existing danger go away." Iris said happily, as Thistle lifted rocks of until the leg was completely uncovered. He picked up the brown lump, and cut it into pieces equal to the number of people present. "Ah! Dinner!" The men clapped three times.

"Eat? Sounds great." Aster said. He pulled a fork, knife, and cloth from his pocket. The men stared. "What? Can't a guy be prepared? I get asked to try stuff a lot. Actually, I was just at a feast..." He trailed off. He couldn't remember how he got here, or how, nor why. All he remembered was dueling someone... Before he could find his memory, a piece of wood with a slab on it was passed in front of him, then a cup. He shrugged, took a drink, then ate the whole thing up in minutes. He finished off his beverage, and then laid back. Shortly after, all the men were laid back on the soft wood and blanket.

"That was... AWESOME!" Aster said. "I haven't ate anything that compared to beef fillet. What is it?"

"Remember that grasshopper?" Iris said.

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The next day, Aster felt sick. He slept uneasily all night. He kept having dreams of the D. Maybe it was the grasshopper, Aster thought. He laid there, the light from the west window shining on his chest. He watched dew drop from the leaves outside, their glistening gift being handed down to the earth. All the men rose at the same time, and then they all started for the door.

"What's up?" Aster asked. "Did you have nightmares too?"

"We have duties," Iris said. "You must gather rations for us, and no." Iris made his way out. Aster sat up and followed. He made his way across the planks in to the brisk morning, lit by the powerful sun and scented by a sweet smell with the giant pink flowers. He climbed down the ladder carefully. When he hit the ground, he gazed upon a giant, white stone with carvings on it. It sat on the dark, damp dirt and leaned against the tree. Aster walked over to it slowly. He touched it, but was pulled. Back.

"Please refrain from touching our god," Iris said. Aster raised his eyebrow.

"What rock have you been living under?" Aster asked.

"Do not joke," Iris said solemnly. He put his hands on Aster, and started crying. "It has led us through much! It is a mystic force that cannot be explained! It is a harsh celestial voice. It has taken many kin who have done wrong, showing us what it expects from us. You see, as long as we follow it, our tree is mystically protected from harm, fire, and disease."

"So it rocks, pretty much." Aster said dimly.

"I take that as a compliment." Iris said. Aster and Iris took their separate ways. Aster trekked under the drenched canopy, making sure he didn't get a single drop on his posh, silver suit, NOR hair. He activated his Duel Disk a little while later, tired of walking and dodging the falling water. He looked through his deck to find a suitable Destiny Hero. He thought hard: Captain Tenacious looked too grindy, Dreadmaster wasn't the most subtle being, Doom Lord would send giant bugs to the future, maybe in the middle of a game of hopscotch. He snickered quietly. Plasma just wouldn't cut it. He picked Diamond Dude and Dasher, at last. He played them on the Duel Disk. Before him, two tall heroes materialized; one, Diamond Dude, had diamonds projecting from his body, with a large concentration on his right hand, and on the other, a blade shaped projection. He wore a blue belt crested with a 'D', a blue body suit, and a tattered green cape. Over his eyes, he had diamond ,which messy blond and white hair hung over. The other hero, Dasher, was almost completely covered in black armor. He had a pale white visor and purple armor on his jowls. His feet were replaced with wheels, and his armored hands were accompanied with wheels, as well. Upon his shoulders and hips, he had purple circles on, and wheels on his feet were fronted by purple armor. On his back were two large exhaust grilles.

"This is awesome! Real D-Heroes." Aster said excitedly. "Hey guys, you need to do something for me." Aster asked.

"Anything for a brother," Diamond Dude said.

"Huh?" Aster asked puzzled.

"We share a creator," Dasher said. "Don't forget that."

"Wow." Aster thought for a few seconds. He wouldn't forget. "Well then, bros, can you help me find something to eat? You know hunting." Aster asked. "It's like a camping trip!" He said jokingly. "I'll try my best; after all, I'm not that strong." His 'brothers' nodded, and went off. "Wow," Aster thought. "I sure have a lot of brothers..."

After hours of scouring the damp forest, Aster sat down. He couldn't catch anything he found, for they were too scary or too fast. He had a run in with the five – legged grasshopper. 'It holds a grudge. Wow', Aster thought. He was missing a sleeve. 'MY SUIT!' he cried out in his mind. He resorted to picking berries. It was quite fun to him, actually. By nightfall, everyone congregated at the 'sacred' tree. Diamond Dude had a spider's egg and head; Dasher had a giant bird. Aster had pounds of berries, and all the others had various needs, such as water, herbs, skins, and firewood. The piled their spoils. Iris was pleased with the berries, and then, after sorting them, said:

"How did you know we were artists?"

"Huh?" He asked. "You actually have style?"

"This place doesn't very artsy," Diamond Dude said sarcastically.

"Looks more like a popsicle stick tower..." Dasher muttered.

"We cherish creation." Iris said. "In fact, this little cove we built holds many works." Iris walked over to the east window. Aster looked out the window into the night. He could see the city walls, and the lights coming from behind. The color was indistinguishable; all he could see was black. He then remembered: The D! He lost, unless he won, and the D still took him. The D, the man who took the most important person in his life away from him, was back, and had a new, powerful card. He panicked.

"What is wrong, brother?" Thistle asked.

"Yeah, dude, you're shaking." Diamond Dude said.

"Elaborate." Dasher ordered.

"OH!, Um, nothing, really. I'm fine." Aster lied. Unless he could defeat the D, he would feel the horror and anger. He knew his Destiny Heroes knew better. But he disregarded that thought, and looked outside again. 'It looks like that night', he thought. The night it would have all ended. He attained Plasma, and yet failed to avenge his father. He remembered laughing during nights like these, with his dad, who would tell him the stories of his creations, when they laid under the stars without a single worry. He wouldn't forget. He lost his dad, and his brothers stayed with him all the way. He had the only piece of his heart left: his creations. A wind blew outside, scaring the leaves into shaking and scorning the flowers. After a night's feast, and sending Dasher and Diamond Dude back to their cards, Aster went to sleep.

The next day, he repeated the routine of awaking, and scouring the forest for rations, tools, and other useful things. He was searching a bush with a stick for a small, squirrel like creature that stole a berry from him, failing one might say, until he heard a siren. It rang throughout the forest, deafening to the ears. He heard rustling all about; the wind was running, the animals were running, that squirrel ran off as well, and so did Aster.

"What the...?" He muttered before started to run. He ran as fast as he could, leaving footprints in the mud, brushing against the trembling leaves, stirring the flower's scent, all to return to the Congregation House. As he slowed his pace and stopped, Iris and Thistle appeared, looking deathly scared.

"The city! It's going to self destruct!" Thistle said.

"Aster, this is your test; defeat the stone in a duel! It sounds crazy, but if we show our worth, it will grant us pass into it's hallowed realm!" Iris screamed over the siren.

"Why does it have to be sooooo loud!" Aster yelled back. They all looked at the city; it's walls were trembling in the sound. Iris then told Aster:

"You must enter the stone and open a passageway!" The two monks stepped forward to face the stone. The men started chanting, and then the stone started glowing. As they chanted with their eyes closed, Iris twitched his head, letting Aster know that he must enter. Aster hesitated, but then stepped forward with doubt. The lore on the tablet glowed green, and sent a rope of energy at Aster, outlining him. He looked around confused and nervous, until he was completely enveloped. Iris turned around, and then was gone.

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Aster appeared in another forest. He was surrounded by massive trees, which had leaves the darkest shade of green one would imagine at the very top, which (tightened) the opening to the sky soft green. The bark of the trees were rugged, and had openings that ran up and down. The air, which the glittery pollen of the large, yellow flowers at top of the wood floated around, was warm, humid, and sweet-scented, comparable to honey. Aster looked down; there was no ground. Instead, the roots of the trees coiled into a floor, which there were fifteen openings at the opposite side; seven in front, seven in the middle, and one large one in the very back. Aster stood there, wondering what to do. He made a few steps forward, until light leaked from the openings, and his Duel Disk activated. A giant heart surfaced behind the third row of openings which emanated a green light.

"I guess it's go time." Aster said. He took a place in front of the light. The opening at the very left of him generated six cards. One of them faced Aster; it was Chainsaw Insect (2400 / 0). A small, gray insect with huge pincers lined with spinning energy, mounted on red engines that replaced its head, appeared in attack mode. The card levitated behind it. Then two cards went back under the floor, and then came up behind the insect in the back row facing away from Aster.

"I guess it wants to go first." Aster said. "Two face downs and a Chainsaw Insect. Do-able." A final card went under, and then came up at the very right. It was called 'The World Tree'. All the trees around them started to glow. Aster read the text:

'As long as this card remains face-up on the field, all monster effects are negated. Every end phase, you gain 300 life points. Every time a monster is added to the hand or special summoned from the graveyard, put a life counter on this card. For every life counter on this card, you gain that many life points every turn x 100. When this card is destroyed, special summon a monster from your hand, ignoring its summoning conditions. This card can be in play at the same time as another field spell, but the controller of the other one gains 700 life points every one of your end phases they control it.'

"What the!" Aster said. "No effects?" He glared, and then drew. He held Doom Lord, Dogma, Eternal Dread and another one, Clock Tower Prison and Foolish Burial.

"I activate Foolish Burial! I can send this Dasher to the graveyard from my deck." Aster inserted Dasher into the graveyard. "Next, I play Clock Tower Prison!" The large clock tower materialized in between the trees, though the time of day it was set did not appear. Aster and the spirit now stood in the courtyard. "Next, I set two cards face down, and summon Destiny Hero Doom Lord (600 / 800) in defense mode!" The tall, thin hero in dark armor materialized in a defensive stance. It had two long arms equipped with large claws, and had an outrageous collar around its head. It wore a tattered red cape with a risen collar and numerous tears at the end. It had a bright, white head and three red eyes. As well, two face down cards assimilated. "Finally, I refresh my hand with Pot of Greed, a handy card all pros have, that is."Aster drew his nex two cards.

"Aster, brother you must hurry!" Doom Lord whispered.

"I know, I know. It's gonna be rough with no effects, though." Aster said.

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Iris and Thistle stood before the rock in worry; the sirens stopped. They knew what was going to happen. There was no time, though, to save the city's residents. They had only thirty minutes to escape. Aster was in danger, though. Losers were eaten by the spirit, their name becoming an engraving on the stone. They looked at the engravings, to find pictures of stick men all over it. They grew pale. What was this rock doing here? They knew they were going to die. It was only a matter of time. They realized they had made a mistake. It was the wrong rock! But how? They ran to the other side of the tree to see the original one.