Kairo and Nyx took the car afterwards, leaving the sumptuous alleys of card paradise. This time they left the bustling city driving towards the suburbs. "Where are we going?" Nyx kept repeating, unable to stay put in her passenger seat.
"You will find out soon," Kairo said mysteriously. If he told her it wouldn't be a surprise anymore. While driving, Kairo would continuously tap his fingers on the wheel of the car. Although he acted cool, inwardly he was slightly worried she might not appreciate the surprise. Still, Kairo kept his cool and drove.
"Flip the card already, Kairo. I want to know… or I'm stepping out of this car, Kairo," she threatened.
"Good luck…" Kairo said, pressing his foot on the accelerator. The engine roared and moved even faster, causing the scenery to just flash by their side. "Think of it as a lovely ride between us. Don't be so grumpy, you will spoil the mood."
"Incredible, Kairo, you've grown quite confident now." Nyx crossed her arms and said no more, acting like a spoiled kid unable to stay in one place.
Time ticked by slowly while Kairo and Nyx traveled. His destination was a far away place along the coastal areas of the city.
After everything that had happened, Kairo had decided to just pick a location and leave. Set his mind free and simply relax. Away from everything.
"Didn't know it would take this much time," he murmured, fatigue setting in. On the passenger seat, Nyx was already sleeping from the endless journey. However, nothing was going as expected.
The dark night had regained its dominance, with only the car lights clearing their path. Few minutes later, Kairo had to park the car. Subtle taps echoed from above them, first a few ones but soon turned into a heavy pour.
"We are stuck," Kairo smiled awkwardly. The roads were empty but Kairo was worried about the slippery road, thus had to stop the car. They were stuck in the middle of nowhere. Under the rain. This was what Nyx learned after getting up.
As Kairo expected, she went mad. After a hard time getting her still, Kairo could finally breathe in relief.
"Incredible, your surprise, Kairo," she said with an exasperated sigh.
"A two-day vacation just for us around the east sea coast. That was the plan. But guess I picked up the wrong card," Kairo said. There was no point in hiding anything anymore. His surprise had been ruined by the weather. Kairo was well aware after they departed for the island they wouldn't have time for themselves. Thus he wanted them to spend more time together.
"Such a kind attention. At least you're trying to make this work. I only spent my day complaining."
"I have something more interesting. Why don't we get our decks ready instead? Together we could form an invincible duo," Nyx proposed.
"Handle our deck composition together?" Kairo's eyes flashed open, such a thought had never crossed his mind. This was a very important part of their roles as card mage. Given the sheer number of abilities Kairo had with his cards, it was essential to carefully select the three that will be following him in combat. At last, a card mage could only get three cards in their launcher.
This was a very intimate and personal endeavor, something that would determine how they fared in front of life and death situations. Yet Nyx was willing to trust him with that. Kairo felt his heart melt at the thought, and quickly said, "Good idea."
Stuck under the rain, they had absolutely nothing else to do. Normally the officers would leave their equipment at the HQ when not on a mission. This was because there were groups assigned for in-town protection and order. However, since the threat of Selis was too big for them, they now carried it just in case.
"Let's start with mine," Nyx said. Then leaned into the back seat of the car, picking up a suitcase. With a click, the suitcase opened, revealing pairs of perfectly lined cards. Although Kairo had seen most of them, he still felt a wave of awe looking at them right now. They were dormant but had that aura around them that made it unmistakable. These weren't simple cards; this was her card mage arsenal.
"Hmm, quite the arsenal there... Pocket Hourglass, Angel Ascend, Angel Descend, Sifa, Star Dominion... this one I haven't seen it earlier," Kairo asked, perplexed.
"Yes, I recently awakened it after we got back from the submarine. You weren't the only one who got promoted. We are both three-star officers right now," Nyx said proudly. "Unfortunately it wasn't part of my deck during the fountain attack," she added.
"I get it," Kairo said, fiddling with the card in his hand. The card was called Star Dominion. It was a card able to control the gravitational force of anything, making them heavy, lighter, faster, or even modifying the matter.
"This card definitely needs to be at your disposal for the island. We don't know what kind of monsters we will meet there. Such a versatile card will be crucial," Kairo said.
Nyx agreed without discussion nor questioning. Kairo and her had the same way of reasoning. But it still gave off the feeling of her being green, allowing him to choose all her cards. Kairo felt a little strange doing that but continued.
"The Pocket Hourglass is incredible, but for the mission we will be facing people of unpredictable levels. The Collector or Card Zero have many ways to harm us without being physical," Kairo thought. The Pocket Hourglass was incredible as it prevented them from getting any form of physical harm. However, such an ability had a serious drawback: the pain didn't disappear. It was like getting stabbed without having a scar.
"Furthermore, most of those participating will be of a good star level. They will find ways to protect themselves. This time I want you to be slightly egoistic and think just about your survival," Kairo added.
"What about you? If I want to be able to take care of you, I need strength. I promised Mirelle to protect you."
Kairo smiled, then used his palm to make a gentle tap on her head. A subtle but clear signal he was the one protecting her, not the other way round. "Finally, we have two spots for your deck left. Sifa is an incredible card ideal for grappling, sealing, and movement in tight spaces. But this kind of ability is best for investigation in town, not for the wild and unpredictable island of card fossils. We can do without it," Kairo said. Feeling had no place in this kind of exercise. It wasn't because one card was suitable in one situation that it meant it was for every other.
"I felt the exact same way, though I don't want to keep it away." Nyx held onto Sifa like it was some sort of baby, her prized possession. "Remember our first escapade together? I used Sifa to save you from that fall," Nyx said in a low voice.
"Of course I remember. You were still very annoying at that time," Kairo said with a distant smile. This was one of their very first life-threatening situations. They had come a long way to arrive at this moment. Gone through quite the ordeal together. "I think your deck is ready. The Star Dominion, the twin cards Angel Ascend and Angel Descend. With this you should have no problem taking care of yourself."
"Perfect then," Nyx said, loading the cards in her launcher. "Now yours, Kairo." She turned to face him, her movement bubbling with excitement. She wanted to take the lead now.
Kairo was already holding his own suitcase in hand, full of all his prized possessions. It was time to get his deck ready.
In Kairo's suitcase there was a number of cards lined up: Wind Breaker / Wind Slayer, Animate, Sand Paladin / Dead Paladin, Tactical Brilliance, The Eye of Truth…
"That's quite the number there, Kairo. The choice will be pretty hard to make," Nyx commented.
Kairo smiled awkwardly. He too felt slightly surprised at how fast his arsenal had grown. He had a card for most situations, but to choose the right combination required time and thought. "This one has changed after resonance... now it's called the Ember Sky Protector," Kairo said.
"Cool-like name. Does it mean you can wield the Ember Sky of Selis?" Nyx could barely hold her curiosity.
"Not exactly. It is like the Protector and Rays of Ember Sky have fused completely to give this new card. It is still a switch card with its original abilities, but now it can summon the ember sky in its palm," Kairo gasped in awe. Selis's magic had been so devastating that Kairo and the others felt helpless and powerless in front of her. But by a stroke of luck—or might be skill, he couldn't tell—the two had fused to create this completely new card.
"This is fascinating. I never knew we could do that with card magic," Nyx said. Then after a few seconds of thought she added, "I can't wait to meet Fabian and the others to learn more."
"We will soon," Kairo too was curious.