February 4th, 2070, Justina High School

  In a familiar classroom, a group of students had gathered around a table. They were all watching intently as two girls sat opposite each other, engaged in a fierce card game.

  The surface of the table was covered with a special cloth, and atop it were twenty spaces, arranged to face both players—ten for each of them.

  "To think you'd dare challenge me, the undefeated one," a girl with brown hair and glasses said, shuffling her deck with a smirk. Her eyes locked onto her opponent, radiating confidence. "I'll show you just how big the gap between us really is, Eris."

  "You’re only undefeated in middle school, Lisa!" came the sharp retort from the girl with black hair—Eris. "I’ve been practicing during the semester break!"

  "This time, I’ll be the one to beat you!" Eris declared boldly, her voice brimming with confidence.

  Lisa sighed, gazing at her friend who seemed so carefree and unconcerned about anything.

  "If only you could put the same energy into your studies," Lisa muttered, shaking her head. "Your grades would be so much better."

  At this, Eris chuckled awkwardly, rolling her eyes and avoiding Lisa’s intense gaze.

  "We should probably focus on our duel," Eris said, her tone shifting as she clearly tried to steer the conversation away from academics. "I’ve been waiting for this moment all day." She swiftly shuffled her deck with excitement.

  Realizing there was no point in continuing her lecture, Lisa placed her shuffled deck onto the table. Eris did the same.

  Lisa cut Eris's deck, splitting it in half and swapping the top and bottom halves, then repeated the same with her own deck. Once they were satisfied, both players set their decks back in place and each took their respective deck in hand.

  After carefully placing their decks at the bottom-right corner of the playing surface, both players took a single card from their separate piles. Lisa pulled hers out from her schoolbag, while Eris retrieved hers from the pocket of her skirt.

  These cards were special—each one was sleeved differently from the rest in their decks. They were more personalized, designed to stand out.

  Lisa’s sleeve was pink, adorned with delicate rose patterns, while Eris’s sleeve was white, decorated with intricate bird feathers. Both girls extended their hands, presenting their cards, face down.

  "Guide, Stand By!!!" they both shouted in unison, flipping their cards over in perfect synchrony to reveal the chosen ones.

  "Path of Chalice! Guardian Dragon, Tiamatress!!!" Lisa’s card was revealed, showing a massive silver dragon, towering so high that even the tallest mountain appeared like a mere mound of dirt beneath it.

  "Path of Lantern! Divine Swordmaster, Seraphiez!!!" Eris's card displayed an armored knight, clad in shining white armor, radiating an aura of pure holiness. Three pairs of wings spread wide behind her, glowing with divine light.

  "Wait! Eris! Isn’t that card—" Lisa gasped, her eyes wide as she stared at the illustration on Eris’s card. It was far more detailed than the one she had, and it struck her with an unmistakable sense of awe.

  Eris grinned mischievously at the shocked expression on Lisa’s face. She was sure her friend had recognized the uniqueness of the card she had just played.

  "Exactly what you’re thinking!" Eris replied smugly. "This card is a rare one, with a new, highly detailed illustration that just came out five months ago," she boasted. "I got it by pure chance."

  Lisa clicked her tongue in annoyance. So that’s why Eris suddenly picked the Lantern path—a path she had never touched before.

  Rolling her eyes, Lisa gave her friend a mocking look.

  "Are you sure you want to challenge me with a path you’ve never tried before?"

  Eris responded with a wide grin, her confidence unwavering.

  "I told you, I’ve been practicing, didn’t I?"

  "Besides, I always lose when I play Enlightenment against you. You’re always so quick to drain my life points," Eris added with a slight pout.

  Lisa slid her chosen card into the top-left space of the cloth, the Guide Zone. “What makes you think this time will be any different?” she asked, eyes narrowed.

  “A hunch,” Eris replied coolly, placing her own card in the Guide Zone opposite Lisa.

  Lisa sighed. She’d known Eris for years, but she still couldn’t fathom her friend’s instincts.

  Guide Rise was more than a card game—it was a battle of wits, where each player used their deck to reduce their opponent’s Life Points (LP) from 8,000 to zero. Both started with four cards in hand and drew one card at the start of each turn.

  The battlefield consisted of six zones: three Battle Zones at the front, where followers appeared to fight; and three Support Zones at the back, for spells and effects.

  Eris’s Turn

  Draw Phase

  “Draw!” Eris flicked the top card of her deck into her palm.

  Generate Phase

  “Generate one Omni Point (OP)!” She placed a blank marker on the left side of the table. OP was the resource needed to summon followers, activate supports, and unleash abilities—each action cost a specific OP value.

  Main Phase

  “I call my Guide from the Guide Zone!”

  Eris’s voice rang out. “Heaven-blessed blade, manifest and deliver divine justice to those who defy celestial will…”

  “Divine Swordmaster, Seraphiez!”

  With one OP, Eris tapped her marker. “I activate Seraphiez’s ability—draw one card.” She swept another card from her deck into her hand.

  “Turn end.”

  Lisa watched Seraphiez’s pristine white armor and triple wings shimmer in the soft classroom light. “A consistent draw engine…” she murmured. Cards in hand were ammunition—keeping up the pressure by drawing extra cards could easily swing the duel.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  “Scared?” Eris taunted, flashing a triumphant grin.

  “Scared? Cheap tricks like that won’t intimidate me!” Lisa snapped back.

  Lisa’s Turn

  Generate Phase

  “Max OP has increased. I generate two OP!” She placed two markers neatly beside her deck.

  Main Phase

  “Two OP to the field. I summon Anemo Dragon, Sylpharz!”

  Sylpharz materialized, swirling gusts of wind around its jade scales. Its summoning triggered its innate ability instantly.

  “I activate Sylpharz’s effect—call a second Sylpharz from my deck!”

  Eris’s calm fa?ade cracked for the briefest moment. Lisa smirked. “Still too soon to panic?”

  “What do you mean? I—” Eris stammered, her composure slipping under Lisa’s steely gaze.

  “Guide Call!” Lisa proclaimed, voice echoing. “Guardian Dragon, Tiamatress—awaken from your slumber and crush those who threaten life itself!”

  A titanic dragon burst onto the battlefield, silver wings unfurling.

  Tiamatress’s ability triggered upon summoning: “All of my other followers gain +1,000 ATK.”

  Both Sylpharz soared to 2,000 ATK each. Lisa leaned forward, calculating. Seraphiez’s stat read 2,500 ATK—but with Tiamatress’s buff, Lisa’s board now held the advantage. A triumphant smile curved her lips.

  Battle Phase!

  "I attack your Seraphiez with my Tiamatress!" Lisa shouted, determination in her voice.

  "Seraphiez!!!" Eris gritted her teeth, her fists clenching as she returned her card to the Guide Zone. In Guide Rise, defeated followers typically went to the Rest Zone. However, Guides like Seraphiez returned directly to the Guide Zone, ready to be called again in future turns.

  During battles, no LP was affected—LP only decreased when a player took direct damage.

  "I deal direct damage with both of my Sylpharz!" Lisa declared, her dragons swooping toward Eris’s life force.

  "Turn end."

  With that, Lisa had struck 4,000 direct damage, leaving Eris with only 4,000 LP—half of her starting health.

  "As expected from you, Lisa," Eris wiped the sweat from her brow, letting out a quiet sigh. "Always so aggressive from the start."

  "But everything is still going according to plan!" A wicked grin appeared on Eris’s face as she began her turn.

  Eris’s Turn

  Generate Phase

  "Max OP raised. I generate 3 OP from my generator!" Eris placed three markers on the left side of the table.

  Main Phase

  "Guide call, Seraphiez!"

  "I pay 1 OP to draw 1 card." Eris’s fingers trembled with hope as she drew her card. When she saw what she had pulled, her expression brightened.

  "I play a support card: Heavenly Hymn!"

  Eris grinned widely.

  "When my opponent's LP is 2,000 or higher, I can use this card for free! I target the follower with the highest ATK on the field and heal my LP by half the ATK of that follower."

  Eris’s LP increased by 1,500, bringing her up to 5,500 LP.

  "Then, with 2 OP, I activate another ability of Seraphiez!" Eris’s voice rang with confidence.

  "I reduce the ATK of one of my opponent’s followers by 500 for each difference in the number of followers in the arena."

  "You have three followers in your arena, so I reduce the ATK of your followers by 1,000."

  "This effect is perpetual as long as Seraphiez is on the field."

  Lisa’s eyes widened in shock.

  "What?! Permanent ATK reduction?!" Her teeth clenched as she finally realized Eris wasn’t joking about her training.

  Alright, fine. Lisa thought to herself, her gaze hardening. I still have my next turn to turn things around.

  Battle Phase!

  "Seraphiez, attack Sylpharz!" Eris shouted loudly, her voice commanding.

  "Turn end." Realizing that Lisa’s LP couldn’t be affected this turn, Eris opted to weaken her opponent’s fighting strength instead.

  With Seraphiez’s ability, every follower Lisa called to the field would suffer an ATK reduction. Summoning additional followers would only amplify this effect, making things even harder for Lisa.

  Even if Lisa intended to destroy Seraphiez, her Tiamatress had the same ATK, and when followers of equal strength battled, they both would be destroyed.

  If Tiamatress fell, the boost to her Sylpharz would end, reducing its ATK back to 1,000.

  Lisa read Eris’s strategy, clenching her fist in frustration. She had no choice but to dance to the rhythm Eris had set—unless she drew the card she needed this turn.

  Lisa’s Turn

  She drew the top card from her deck.

  Upon seeing what she had drawn, Lisa clicked her tongue in disappointment. It wasn’t the card she’d been hoping for.

  Still… there’s a way out of this, Lisa thought, her mind racing.

  "OP limit increased. I generate 4 OP from my generator!"

  Battle Phase!

  Without hesitation, Lisa moved into the battle phase.

  "Sylpharz, attack Seraphiez!"

  Eris’s eyes widened in shock. Why would Lisa attack with a follower whose ATK was lower than Seraphiez’s? It didn’t take long for Eris to realize Lisa’s reasoning.

  So that’s it... Eris thought, a flicker of realization crossing her face.

  Sylpharz was defeated in battle and sent to the Rest Zone.

  With that, the frustrating ability of Seraphiez ended, and Lisa’s Tiamatress’s ATK boost was restored to full power.

  Lisa grinned, her plan coming to fruition.

  Eris clicked her tongue in quiet frustration. Seraphiez’s ability to lower the ATK of opposing followers only worked when the number of followers on the opponent’s field outnumbered hers. When the number of followers was equal or fewer, the effect no longer functioned.

  "Tiamatress, attack Seraphiez!!!"

  A massive silver dragon soared high in the sky, its eyes fixed on the white-armored knight above. Seraphiez, with its three pairs of wings, cut through the air with divine grace.

  Disgusting, thought the dragon, Tiamatress. How dare that two-legged bird fly above me.

  With lightning speed, Tiamatress charged forward, its sharp claws extending toward Seraphiez.

  Seraphiez, realizing the threat, attempted to deflect the attack, but it was all in vain.

  Seraphiez was sent back to the Guide Zone.

  Eris could only stand still, watching as Lisa skillfully overcame her strategy. As expected from Lisa. She was always so good at getting out of tight situations.

  "Main Phase 2," Lisa said casually.

  "I set two cards in the Support Zone, turn end."

  Eris, though not the best student, excelled when it came to Guide Rise. She watched with concern as Lisa still had 4 OP available. The cards Lisa had set in the Support Zone could be activated during Eris’s turn as long as Lisa paid the necessary cost.

  In other words, Lisa was clearly planning to interrupt Eris during her own turn.

  With renewed confidence, Eris drew a card and began her turn.

  ***

  A man in his twenties, with gray hair, leaned forward in frustration, his body slumped against his shirt. This was Nicholas, and today was just a terrible day for him.

  He had woken up late, missed the important documents needed for a job application, accidentally stained his manager's suit, and to top it all off, he had been mugged by some thugs.

  Just really bad… he grumbled to himself in his mind.

  "Excuse me, sir, may I take your order?" A voice, monotonous and lazy, snapped Nicholas out of his thoughts.

  Turning toward the source of the voice, his eyes met the sight of a girl wearing a café uniform standing in front of him.

  The girl had snow-white hair and sea-blue eyes, staring at him with an empty gaze. Her expression was blank, and her height could easily lead people to mistake her for a middle school student.

  But Nicholas, a regular at this café, knew that the girl in front of him was actually five years older than him. Her name was Liora. Of course, when he first came to this café, he had mistaken her for a middle schooler.

  "Liora, I'll have my usual," Nicholas replied without much thought.

  "Alright," Liora answered in a lazy tone. "A cup of coffee with no sugar and a leftover frozen sandwich from yesterday." Despite not showing it outright, Nicholas could sense the hidden sharp glare in her empty eyes.

  This, of course, made him sigh deeply.

  Later that night, in the quiet streets lit only by streetlamps, Nicholas walked casually, kicking an innocent can that lay ahead of him.

  "Ugh! This is so annoying," he muttered in frustration, kicking the can again. The can struck a streetlight pole and bounced, hitting Nicholas squarely on the head.

  "Ow..." Nicholas rubbed his aching head, cursing the evil can in his mind.

  By chance, his gaze fell upon something lying in the street, right in front of him.

  Without thinking twice, Nicholas grabbed the object, which was rectangular in shape.

  "A card...?" Nicholas began to inspect the card more closely. His full attention was on the object he had just picked up.

  "Congratulations..."

  The voice startled him, coming from behind him.

  He quickly turned around warily, only to be confronted by a floating polar bear doll.

  "You've been chosen to participate in the Desire Battle, Nicholas Nodelza," the doll spoke, calling his name.