"So?" Luna demanded, her arms crossed. "What do you have to say for yourself?"
Before Leo could even part his lips to answer, a deep, booming voice interrupted him.
"Indeed. I am also extremely curious to hear what has been happening to my students. Please, come into my office. All three of you."
It was the Chancellor—an imposing, massive man with a gaze that, despite its intensity, remained surprisingly kind. Luna, Leo, and Alex swallowed hard and followed him, nodding in silent agreement.
The office was vast and impressive. A massive, hand-carved wooden desk anchored the center of the room, behind which the Chancellor took his seat in a plush leather chair. The walls were lined with shelves overflowing with artifacts—from ancient books and trophies to rare, limited-edition Duel Disks and cards. Two comfortable sofas faced the desk, now occupied by the three students.
"Now," the Chancellor began. "Explain what happened. What was that entity that vanished after your victory, Leo?"
"It was the Mask of Power," Leo said quietly. "One of the four Cursed Masks."
"I always believed those masks were nothing more than legends," the Chancellor mused.
"So did I," Leo replied. "Until two years ago, I was alone. It was just me and Red Dragon Archfiend. Dueling was my only way to survive, and Red Dragon saved me more times than I can count. Then, I met three other duelists my age. We were in the same situation and became fast friends. One of them heard the legend of the Four Masks—it was said that those who wore them would become the strongest duelists in the world. It turned out to be a lie."
Leo's expression darkened. "The masks were cursed. We found them in the ruins of an old castle. What we didn't know was that for the mask's magic to activate, a deck had to be sacrificed. When we put them on, our decks were absorbed, and the spirits within the masks woke up. We were conscious, but the spirits would take control, turning us into completely different people."
He looked at his cards. "The biggest problem was that Red Dragon became a prisoner of the Mask of Power—my mask. The only time I could truly be with him was when I let the spirit take over my body. And the mask could only be removed after winning at least one duel. But the absorbed deck would vanish if the mask was taken off by force. I realized my mistake and tried to convince the others to give them up, but they didn't care that their decks were under the control of unknown entities."
"So, I searched for a way to break the curse and get Red Dragon Archfiend back. I found the answer: a two-part Ritual of Liberation. First, I had to be defeated while the Mask was in control. That would break its hold on me and force the entity out of my physical body. The second part was the hardest: I had to defeat the Mask itself in a duel against my own deck. That's why I built the Elemental HERO deck. Its sole purpose was to rescue Red Dragon. All I needed was someone strong enough to beat me while I was possessed."
"Is that why you kept talking about the 'story' of the deck and gave me those powerful cards?" Luna asked, her eyes narrowing. "You wanted me to be the one to defeat you."
"Exactly. But there was a catch. The Mask used my own innate ability. Since the first time I picked up a card, I've been able to tell how strong a deck is just by looking at it, even without seeing the cards. That's why I didn't give you Ascension Sky Dragon right away. The Mask would have sensed the threat and used every card in the Extra Deck to crush you. When you challenged me the second time, the Mask thought you were acting out of pure spite, unprepared for anything new. Because I didn't interfere, the Mask's own arrogance made it discard those 14 cards from the Extra Deck. That's how we won."
"So that's why HellKing said you tricked him into losing to Luna," Alex concluded.
"You used me just to save your dragon!?" Luna was fuming. "How could you be so selfish!?"
"Calm yourself," the Chancellor intervened. "You can settle your personal grievances later. From what I understand, the other three masks are still out there. Do they have names like the Mask of Power?"
"Yes," Leo nodded. "The Mask of Wisdom, the Mask of Sacrifice, and the Mask of Protection."
"If these masks are loose, we have a grave problem on our hands. You are dismissed. And Leo... I will not expel you for what you did to my top students. I understand the stakes now."
"I apologize for that, sir," Leo said. "I was only looking for someone strong enough to win. In case Luna and Alex couldn't do it."
"I understand. You may go."
As the door closed behind them, the Chancellor leaned back, lost in thought. "The four masks have awakened. If they unite, the Mask of the Emperor will be reborn. That must not happen. Leo, you must save your friends from the remaining three... for the Mask of Power was not destroyed. It will return the moment it finds a new host."