It's been a month since I met Takanori Yuuto.

My life since then has become a rinse and repeat of duelling for the glory of Sangria.

Day in and day out, I patrol Eight and crush Wings looking to challenge us.

Through that, I've slowly climbed the ranks up to 12th, double my former rank of 24th.

Even though everything is going well for me, I should feel happy.

But I'm not.

I feel more beaten down and empty inside than I've ever done.

Even though I've reunited with mom, I barely get to see her.

Mom's never home... she's always working, taking care of any issues that arise as leader of Sangria.

On her rare days off, she wants to rest, which means I don't really get to talk to her.

Recently, I spend most of my time with Mika.

Even though she's leader of Archangels, she delegates her work to her subordinates giving her more free time.

It's the complete opposite of mom, who wants to ensure everything is going smoothly.

As much as I enjoy Mika's company, life has become rather stale.

Especially after I lost touch with all my friends.

Rizawa, Fuuka, Kidou... I don't talk to any of them anymore.

Even though they're part of Sangria, they're usually tasked with smaller missions.

As one of our better duelists, I'm always doing more important missions compared to them.

It's kind of created a rift between us.

I tried hanging out with them two weeks ago, but the air between us had become stale and bitter.

It was clear Kidou's pride was hurt by my explosive fame in the Wings scene. He always thought of himself as the best technical duelist out of the four of us, so seeing me climb to greater heights pissed him off, for lack of better words.

Fuuka's a lot more forgiving, but she doesn't really know how to act towards me anymore. Before, she was cheeky and lively, but when we were talking, she was stiff and shy, as if talking to a stranger.

The only person who didn't really change towards me was Rizawa, but he's always been the gentle and kind type. I keep in touch with him the most because he tunes my Big One.

"...I really need to get out of the house."

I sigh, forcing myself out of bed.

Even though I'm stuck in this rut, there is one thing that's keeping me going.

It's my revenge.

I want to get revenge on Takanori Yuuto.

It's the only thing left driving me, aside from protecting mom.

But after I defeat him... what even is there left for me?

Am I really just going to work for Sangria until the day I die?

Is that really it...?

These thoughts make me sick.

Letting my future waste away like that... it feels wrong, but I don't know what else I could do.

The only skill I have is in Duel Monsters.

Without that, I'm a nobody.

I'm just Takamine Minoru, the weirdo who loves his mom a bit too much.

It's ironic...

I play a deck about birds, but right now I'm feeling like a bird trapped in a cage.

I can't spread my wings and fly when I'm tied down like this.

I don't want to live a mundane life like this anymore.

I have to make a change... I have to make a change, somehow.

Deep down, I know there's only one thing I want.

But before I can reach it, I have to become stronger.

I first have to take down Takanori Yuuto before I can reach her.

I pick up my deck and duel disk.

I've decided.

I'm going to quit Sangria.

...

.....

I reach the main Sangria office building and enter inside.

"Yo, Minoru!"

"Hey, it's our main man!"

"How're ya doing kiddo?"

Immediately, members hanging around in the lobby greet me with wide smiles on their faces.

Seeing their friendly and warm faces makes me feel guilty inside.

I'm going to quit... I'm going to disappear from their lives forever.

I never considered myself an integral part of Sangria, but as her son... I guess I have become quite the figure.

Morally, at least. Some of these people are fighting for my sake - my future, all because I'm the son of the current leader.

They're probably expecting me to one day take mom's rein and become the leader of Sangria.

But I don't want that. I know that wouldn't make me happy after experiencing what true Wing warfare is like.

"Hey guys. I'm just here to see mom. Um... do you happen to know if she's free right now?"

"Eh, she might be having a meeting or something. I'll go check with the receptionist."

"Thanks."

I take a seat in the waiting room. Not long after, Amanda approaches me with a cup of tea in her hands.

"Good morning, Saionji-kun."

Placing the drink down on the table in front of me, she sits down next to me with the same deadpan expression she always has.

"Amanda-san, I already told you, it's fine to call me Minoru..."

"Saionji-sama's kin should be treated with the utmost respect. Calling you "Minoru" might give the wrong impression."

"Like I said, I'm fine with it. It weirds me out more being called "Saionji"... it's like I haven't registered that as my surname yet still."

I pick up the tea and drink it.

"I'm still calling you Saionji-kun."

"You're stubborn as always..."

"I heard you want to speak with Saionji-sama."

"Yeah... it's about something more serious, I guess."

"Oh? A mother-son issue, I presume?"

"S-something... like that..."

Amanda sighed quietly.

"You look nervous. Are you about to tell her you got a B in duel mathematics? If so, I can fake your report card."

"H-huh? Of course not, I got an A in that!"

I bring up my digital report card and show off my impeccable grades to Amanda. I might look like an average C student, but I'm actually one of the smartest in my class.

"Then what's the matter?"

"...I don't know if I should say."

"You're planning on telling her anyways, right? It wouldn't hurt to run it through me first."

"I feel like it might upset you too, though..."

Amanda raised an eyebrow.

"Saionji-kun, I've only known you for a short amount of time. I don't think you could say anything that would upset me."

"Well, maybe not upset... but I guess, disappoint? Or like, get angry at? Or something...?"

"Being blunt, we are just acquaintances. I only pay attention to you because you're Saionji-sama's son. Unless this is something that is going to harm my lady, then it's almost impossible for me to have a negative reaction towards you."

I sigh. Amanda sure is voracious with her words... talking with her is making me use all my communication skills to the max.

"Can I... whisper it to you?"

Amanda nods and leans in. I whisper into her ear.

I pull away, and for the first time in my life, I see emotion on the stoic Amanda's face.

"...y-you're kidding, right?"

"I..."

Amanda placed her hands firmly on my shoulder. She squeezes them, her eyes wide.

"Saionji-kun. Are you being deadly serious about what you just said?"

"...y-yes."

"Say it with conviction."

"Y-yes! Yes, I'm serious!"

I feel like crying admitting this. I can't imagine how bad it's going to be when I tell mom.

Amanda frowns and lets go of my shoulders.

"...how could have this happened?"

"It's... it's not Sangria's fault. I just... I just realised I don't really like this whole Wing thing after all."

"But why?"

To be honest, my reasoning was selfish.

I was tired of repeating the same patrols day in and day out.

Maintaining Sangria was taking mom's attention away from me.

I wanted freedom to get revenge against Takanori Yuuto.

If I told Amanda this, she'd scoff and laugh at me.

She'd call me childish for having such egocentric reasons.

I know that... but even so, I refuse to live a life I'm unhappy with.

I'm going to be honest with myself, and mom.

"...I can't say. I want... to tell mom."

Amanda looked at me in the eyes and nodded.

"I understand. The resolve in your eyes... it reminds me of John whenever he got serious."

I don't know whether that was a compliment or not, but I'll take it.

Amanda got up and left. She must be sorting out a private meeting between me and mom right now.

My heart's pounding... I don't feel prepared to tell her at all.

I sip on more of the tea Amanda prepared for me, trying to calm down.

As I drink, I start to feel woozy.

"Ugh... why do I feel so... drowsy...?"

I groan as my vision blurs.

My body feels weak and heavy.

Before I know it, I slump on the sofa, the light draining from my eyes...

...

.....

What the hell is going on...?

I come to my senses, but my surroundings are pitch black.

"What the hell...?"

I try to get up, but I find myself bound to a chair.

"H-huh...?"

Locked around my wrists are handcuffs.

What the hell is going on...?

"Ah. It looks like you've come to your senses."

I freeze as an unfamiliar voice echoes behind me.

"...who's there?"

Even though fear was clawing at my neck, I manage to utter that much out from my tight throat.

"Sangria's worst nightmare."

"An actual name would be nice..."

I try to talk back, but my senses are deprived and my mind is scrambled.

My survival instincts are kicking in and I'm starting to panic.

I just wanted to tell mom I wanted to quit... how the hell did it lead to this...?!

"Boy, do you know what the opposite colour of Sangria is?"

"No...?"

"It's Sunglow yellow."

"Sun... what?"

"We are Sunglow. The antithesis to Sangria."

I could hear a drop of water drip to the floor.

"Smile for the camera."

Immediately, blinding white lights flash in my face. I squint to adjust to it, but my eyes widen as I see a camera two metres away from me recording my face.

"...what the hell?"

"Saionji Yuuri. If you want your precious son back, then meet us, the Sunglow Wing, in Sector Thirteen. We'll be waiting for you at the Battlegrounds."

Slowly, it dawned on me what happened.

"Wait... y-you guys... kidnapped me..."

Does that mean...?

My mind flashes back to Amanda placing the cup of tea on the table.

No way...

Amanda, she can't be...

She can't be a traitor... can she?

"MOM, FORGET ABOUT ME! DON'T COME! THESE GUYS ARE BAD NEWS—"

I feel something heavy hit the back of my head.

"We'll be waiting. Two weeks from now."

"M-mom..."

...

.....

...ugh.

My head's pounding...

My whole body hurts.

My shoulders feel heavy, my head feels numb, and my sense are still deprived.

Even though light is shining down on me, I feel nothing.

All that I can see are those blinding white lights and that camera pointed directly at me.

The only thing I can taste is blood.

Blood that's dripped from my head to my mouth.

I don't know what they hit me with, but it's left me with a distorted sense of feeling.

At the very least, I can tell there's something heavy hanging above my head.

It's a titanium duel disk threaded on a flimsy piece of string.

It looks like it could break any second.

If that were to happen, it'd land straight on my head.

In other words, I'd die immediately from the impact.

I feel sick just thinking about it.

But what makes me feel even more nauseous is the faint scent of burnt toast lingering in my nose.

I want to throw up, but I physically can't.

"...mom..."

Even though I've been kidnapped, the only thing I can think about is mom.

I just want to be in her warm embrace...

I want her to hug me strongly and protect me from whoever did this.

These Sunglow bastards...

Just who the hell are they...?

Crap, I'm getting dizzy...

The more I think, the harder it is to breathe.

The limited energy I have is being sapped away from me against my will.

I close my eyes and try to stay conscious.

But ultimately, the pain catches up to me, and I...

...

.....

...how long has it been since I've been here?

I keep swaying between consciousness and unconsciousness.

The blood on my lips have dried out completely.

I can start to taste how salty it is now the iron flavour is gone.

At the same time, my throat is parched and my stomach is starving.

I haven't eaten or drinking anything since I've came here.

I've quite literally been sustaining myself off the blood running down my face.

Has it been a day?

A week?

A month?

I can't tell.

I've been locked up in this room for so long, my sense of time has also disappeared.

I'm holding out on the hope that these handcuffs will break eventually...

I heard that if you dislocate your thumb, you can escape out of any handcuffs.

I don't think I have the strength to do that, though...

Ah, c'mon Minoru... think...

What can you do as a hostage...?

Is there anything you can do to escape...?

I cough.

I haven't realised it until now, but I've wet myself.

I guess even dehydrated people have to go to the toilet...

Even though there's pee on my lap, all I can smell is burnt toast.

I'm so confused...

...

.....

...I hear a clatter.

I weakly look over my shoulder to try and trace the source of the sound.

However, all I can see an endless darkness.

I'm gargling on my own spit to try and keep my mouth moist.

I'm starting to feel really weak now.

I don't know if I can hold on for much longer.

They're not doing anything to me, but this feels like pure torture.

I'm locked in an unknown location, fastened to a chair with no way out, and deprived of my basic human needs.

The longer this goes on, the more effective it becomes.

I'm going to go insane by the end of this...

I hear footsteps.

"...who's there?"

I weakly croak out from my dry throat.

"Sunglow's Boss."

So the head honcho's come to visit me, huh?

"Well done for holding on for three days. We honestly thought you would be dead by now."

It's been three days, huh...? It feels more like an eternity, to be honest.

"As a reward, Kazuraba-kun will give you water."

For the first time, a name is revealed to me.

"Kazuraba".

I burn it into my head, not letting myself forget it for even a second.

From behind, I can feel a woman's hand grab my face.

A bottle of water is placed between my lips.

She tips the bottle forward and I can feel the refreshing drink splash on my face and into my mouth.

It's a little unexpected, but I'm glad to be drinking water after all this time.

Graciously, she lets me drink half the bottle before taking it away from me.

"Thanks to you, everything's going according to plan."

The Boss speaks. His unnerving voice commands respect and attention.

"Saionji Yuuri is the type of woman who'd refuse to wait two weeks to save her precious son. The moment I broadcasted your face to the people of Alba, I knew she would come rushing to try and find you. And today, she found us."

A light switches from above. Hanging underneath it is a TV screen showing mom. My eyes widen and moisten at once.

"Mom..."

"I didn't even have to lift a finger and she's fallen straight for our trap. You've been the perfect bait, Minoru. Because of you, Saionji has been lured to her death."

Anger swells in my heart, giving me enough energy to shout at him.

"Don't underestimate mom... she's the strongest duelist I've ever met! She'll crush you and save me! I swear it!"

"If she can find you... that is."

"What do you mean by that...?"

There's ominous feeling behind his words that make me feel uneasy.

"Currently, she and four others are exploring the maze known as the Alba Sewage, trying to find you."

"We're... we're underground?"

"Indeed. To think it took them three days to figure that much out... that old man Dengorou must be getting rusty."

As Sangria's main information broker, Dengorou must've been extensively investigating my location under mom's order. It seems like his hard work paid off, as they were now in the same area I am.

"Unfortunately for them, it'll be a fruitless endeavour. I've hidden you somewhere this maze of a sewer doesn't reach. Instead, I've got every one of them scurrying along their own separate parallel paths, slowly goading them towards their own personalised "Dead End"."

I could hear footsteps moving away from me. Was that Kazuraba, or the Boss?

"Waiting at the end of all five of these pointless paths is a member of Sunglow who has a personal grudge with the people currently inside."

The TV screen abruptly switches from mom to... M-Mika?

"Oh, I forgot to mention. Saionji got desperate and asked for other Wings for their help. Archangels and Gran Kaon are both cooperating in this rescue mission."

"W-what the hell... what the hell is going on...?"

"You see, Minoru... Sunglow isn't your ordinary Wing. We don't have grand plans of taking over Alba, or anything like that."

I can feel the Boss's presence lingering behind me.

"We're just normal people who've been betrayed by this dog eat dog Wings system. As failures of Alba, we had nowhere else to go but the slums of these sewers to escape the abuse we received everyday for losing."

Every word he speaks breathes down my neck as if it's a curse.

"And after I was banished from the City by the Mayor... I lost everything. That's why, for over a decade now, I've been carefully handpicking and selecting people to join my cause for destruction... so that one day, I can create the change I wish to see."

I can feel him look down on me with discontent in his eyes.

"And after all this time... it's finally paid off. Years of planning and organising have finally come to fruition. Everything is in place to destroy the very structure of this twisted society once and for all now."

My blood runs cold as his words grow more and more insane.

"All I want is to set Alba free of the sins of the Wing system, and rebuild this city into a safe haven for fair and equal duelling. By destroying the status quo, we'll eradicate the darkness of Alba City with a single Sunglow."

He places his hands on my shoulders and squeezes them.

"And it all starts from here. The revenge I've planned for ten years."

I scream as he digs his fingers into me.

"Once I send Saionji to hell, everything will begin to move."

His knuckles press deeper and deeper, grooving into the dip of my bones.

"The Mayor of Alba won't be able to turn a blind eye to this chaos."

He laughs.

"He'll come scrambling to find me, just like your stupid mother did!"

Mom... please, save me...

"Who... just who the hell are you...?"

The Sunglow Boss whispers into my ear.

"It's a me, Mario Enmitsu."