Back Up_Divine Card Creator

Then it hit me like a sucker punch to the gut. Markus was just... standing there, completely out of sync with the flow of the duel. I glanced at him, then at the chaos unfolding on the field—Benji's rabbit bouncing about, stats warping out of control, numbers shooting past reason. But Markus? He hadn't even moved.

"Markus," I called out, voice sharp with urgency. "It's your turn."

He blinked, slowly turning his head toward me like someone coming out of a long dream. "My turn?" His tone was distant, unfocused, as though the reality around him wasn't even registering. His gaze flickered over the duel field, but the look in his eyes told me he wasn't really seeing it. "No... I don't think it is."

A chill ran down my spine. The duel, the cards, even Benji's Chaos Rabbit—it was all locked into this strange rhythm, this twisting flow of turns and plays. Everyone was moving, reacting, playing... except Markus. It was as if the duel had passed him by entirely, like he wasn't even part of it anymore.

And the worst part? I hadn't noticed. Not until right now. It was like my brain had just skipped over him, like forgetting the last piece of a puzzle you thought you finished. But now that I'd seen it, it became glaringly obvious. Markus hadn't taken his turn. He hadn't done anything for several rounds.

"Wait..." I muttered, narrowing my eyes, trying to make sense of it. "You haven't moved since the duel started."

Markus blinked again, slower this time, and his eyes seemed to finally focus. "What are you talking about?"

I ran through the turns in my head. Benji's plays had come rapid-fire, the rabbit's stats climbing higher and higher into impossible territory. But Markus, who should have been dueling? He'd been absent, completely forgotten. No moves, no cards, no turn. It was like the duel was just skipping him.

Not just him, though. We had all forgotten about him.

A pit formed in my stomach, and I stepped closer to Markus, lowering my voice. "You haven't taken your turn. Not once. Not since the duel began."

He looked down at the field, confusion clouding his features. "That's impossible. I would have..." His voice trailed off as realization dawned on him, eyes widening in horror. "But... I haven't."

It was as if the world itself had conspired to erase him from the game. But why? And how?

Then it clicked. The Chaos Rabbit. It wasn't just warping stats or bending abilities. It was playing with something far more dangerous—perception. Reality itself. If it could mess with the passive text on a card, why couldn't it alter the flow of time, of turns? Why not just erase someone's presence altogether?

It knew we wouldn't notice. Not until it was too late. The rabbit wasn't just playing tricks. It was rewriting the rules of the game itself.

I locked eyes with the Chaos Rabbit on the field—its tiny, innocent-looking form twitching ever so slightly. But those eyes, gleaming with something far darker. Something ancient and far more dangerous. The passive ability hadn't just shifted the game; it had shifted how we experienced it.

Markus wasn't just being skipped over. He was being erased. And now that I could see it, the realization hit me like a truck. This wasn't just a duel anymore. The Chaos Rabbit was toying with us, rewriting the very fabric of the game. We were all trapped in its reality-bending snare.

"It's messing with you," I whispered, the words barely leaving my mouth. "It's making us forget. It's skipping your turns."

Markus's face darkened, anger flashing in his eyes. "That damn rabbit..."

And just as the words left his mouth, the Chaos Rabbit's passive ability shifted again. The text flickered on the card, and when I focused on it, my blood ran cold.

**Passive Ability: Forgotten Presence**

**Effect: Each forgotten turn strengthens the Chaos fragments over reality.**

The numbers on the rabbit's ATK and DEF spiked again, soaring into territory no card should ever reach.

**ATK: 10,000 | DEF: 9,000**

Markus's fists clenched, fury radiating off him. "I'm not going to be erased."

"Yeah, and we'll turn that damn rabbit into stew," I muttered, but deep down, I wasn't sure how we'd pull it off.

The passive wasn't just an out-of-control Chaos card. It was a **Fragment**—a piece of the original source, the thing every card in this world drew power from. And not just any source fragment. Chaos. The most unpredictable, the most dangerous power of all—especially when you could manipulate the outcome.

The Fragment's influence had already woven itself deep into the duel, and it wasn't just about winning anymore. The Chaos Fragment was in control, bending the rules, shaping reality itself.

Why was it so focused on me? The other Fragments I'd encountered were all about gaining power, promoting their source above the rest. But this one? It seemed personal, like it had an agenda that involved me specifically.

Another passive ability flickered on the screen.

**Passive Ability: You're Very Smart**

**Effect: I want your soul. That magician has the key.**

The Chaos Rabbit let out a high-pitched, unsettling cackle that echoed across the field.

"It's after my soul," I breathed, my eyes widening. "Wait... the rabbit is reading my mind."

"What do you mean it's reading your mind? How can a card aim for your soul card and—" Markus cut himself off, staring at me like I'd lost it.

"Chaos," I called out mentally. "You awake in there?" The pull came quick, dragging me into my soul realm. Darkness surrounded me, only broken by the shimmering form of my soul-bound **Spectral Magician.**

"Why am I here? And more importantly, why the hell is a world Fragment trying to kill me?"

The Spectral Magician, as usual, remained silent at first, simply gazing at me. Its translucent blue form began to shift, deepening in color, solidifying. The once phantom-like figure took on flesh—tan skin, a dark blue cloak. A more human version of itself.

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"I've told you before," it began, voice low, "I couldn't reveal everything until your soul could handle the backlash. But let's just say that Fragment wants to devour me because... I was a bit more than just a magician in my past."

"More than just a magician? What are you, then?"

The Magician sighed again, clearly hoping to avoid this conversation, but under the pressure of my gaze, it relented. "Think of the strongest being you can imagine... and multiply that by a hundred. You might start to approach my former self. But that's not what's important right now. Focus on the Fragment."

I was still processing, my mind racing. "You told me you were just a street magician with special eyes."

"Is this really the time to argue about this, when we're about to be eaten?"

"Fine, fine, but we're talking about this later," I grumbled. "How do we deal with it? That Fragment's numbers are insane. If we defeat it, think of the card fragments we could get—hundreds, maybe thousands."

"Later. First, I'm calling backup. Who should I connect to?" the Magician asked, clearly eager to return to the immediate problem.

I thought quickly. "We need someone to lock that Fragment in place so it can't escape. Call the twins. Then, we'll need raw power. Even divided by a hundred, those stats are still insane. We need someone who can hit hard. Bring Himbo. And maybe Markus. I'll try to pull in those other two guys fighting the rabbit."

This was going to be one hell of a showdown.Then it hit me like a sucker punch to the gut. Markus was just... standing there, completely out of sync with the flow of the duel. I glanced at him, then at the chaos unfolding on the field—Benji's rabbit bouncing about, stats warping out of control, numbers shooting past reason. But Markus? He hadn't even moved.