I leaned against the railing, arms crossed, watching Benji duel for the first time. He was just some guy from school, nothing particularly remarkable. But now, seeing him in action with a Chaos card—*Chaos Rabbit of Trickery*—it made me curious. Chaos cards were unpredictable by nature, but I couldn't shake the feeling there was more to it.
Out of habit, I activated my soul sight. With my silver eyes, I could always see things others couldn't—the soul and its stats, the hidden abilities, the underlying truths of every card. Everything should be clear.
At first, it was.
---
**Chaos Rabbit of Trickery**
*ATK: 4 | DEF: 5*
*Passive Ability: Trickery Surge*
*Effect: Increases DEF by 1 point each turn.*
---
I frowned. The numbers weren't particularly out of the ordinary. A starting ATK of 4, DEF of 5—higher than average, but still within the bounds of normal for a Chaos soul. And the passive? Increases DEF by 1 point each turn. Simple. Standard. Nothing to worry about.
But something felt… off. My mind felt sluggish, like something was weighing it down.
I watched Benji's duel unfold, keeping my eyes on the rabbit's stats. The passive seemed straightforward, but the more I watched, the more that nagging feeling tugged at my mind.
A few moments passed, and I noticed the first change: A bit of the weight lifted, and I realized what was wrong. My magic soul brightened for a split second, temporarily clearing my head. This wasn't the rabbit's usual passive—it had always dealt with dice and chance.
What was I thinking about again? Oh right… the ATK increasing with the DEF.
---
**ATK: 7 | DEF: 6**
---
I narrowed my eyes. The DEF increase made sense—it matched the passive. But the ATK? That wasn't supposed to rise.
I scrolled back to double-check the passive ability. I couldn't have missed anything.
---
*Passive Ability: Trickery Surge*
*Effect: Increases DEF of Rabbits by 1 point each turn.*
---
There it was. Plain as day. Nothing about ATK increasing. A red flag raised in the back of my mind, but I shook it off. Maybe there was some unseen synergy in play, something tied to Benji's other cards.
Still, I kept watching. Another play passed, and the numbers shifted again:
---
**ATK: 10 | DEF: 8**
---
That familiar sinking feeling in my gut grew. The DEF was fine—it lined up with the passive—but the ATK just kept climbing.
I scrolled through the passive text again, slower this time, my eyes carefully picking apart each word. Then, I saw it—a comma where there should've been a period. The effect now had the rabbit's specification. Barely noticeable, but it stood out once I was really looking.
I scanned the rest of the text. Something wasn't right, and the rabbit's numbers kept shifting.
---
**ATK: 15 | DEF: 12**
---
This time, the jump was bigger. The rabbit's attack was growing at a pace that made no sense. None of Benji's other cards should be triggering this. I stared hard at the field, waiting for some explanation to reveal itself.
Nothing.
And yet, the numbers continued to rise:
---
**ATK: 25 | DEF: 20**
---
My pulse quickened. This wasn't just a passive playing out. Something was messing with the stats, and I didn't like where this was heading. Stats weren't that high unless you played with a bunch of rates with the soul attention of increasing it.
I scanned the passive again—really scanned it. My eyes caught another odd detail: a capital letter in the middle of the word "point." My heart skipped a beat. This wasn't a typo. This was intentional, something hiding just below the surface, laughing at me for missing it before.
---
**ATK: 50 | DEF: 45**
---
"What the hell…" I muttered under my breath. The *Chaos Rabbit* was escalating out of control, and none of this added up. Cards didn't behave like this. The ATK should've never increased at all, and yet, here it was, climbing by leaps.
I scrolled down to the passive ability, expecting the same old text. But when I saw it again, it had changed.
---
*Passive Ability: Trickery Surge*
*Effect: Increase Atk by 1 poInt each turn.*
---
My stomach dropped. A capital "I" now, in the middle of "point"? And now there was ATK involved in the passive? The rabbit part was also gone. This was wrong—it hadn't said that before. I was sure of it.
I rubbed my eyes, trying to clear my vision, but when I looked again, the numbers spiked:
---
**ATK: 100 | DEF: 90**
---
This wasn't just a stat boost anymore. The numbers were skyrocketing, well beyond what was reasonable. And then, just as I thought I had it all figured out, the passive glitched again. The text blurred for a second, and when it cleared, the ability had completely transformed:
---
*Passive Ability: I See You.*
---
I froze. A wave of cold washed over me as the words stared back, bold and threatening. The *Chaos Rabbit* wasn't just messing with its stats. It was alive—and it knew I was watching.
The text below shifted, morphing into a taunt that sent a chill down my spine:
---
*Effect: You're too late, Jarak.*
---
My breath caught in my throat. It knew my name. This was no coincidence. The card—no, this thing—was playing with me, and I didn't know how to stop it.
The stats surged again:
---
**ATK: 500 | DEF: 450**
---
The numbers kept climbing, impossibly high, beyond anything a normal card should be capable of. I turned to Markus, panic edging into my voice.
"Markus, something's wrong."
He looked up from the duel, frowning. "What do you mean?"
"The *Chaos Rabbit*—its stats. They're going crazy. And the passive—it's not the same as before. It's… it's mocking me."
Markus squinted, looking between me and the field. "It's a Chaos card. They're unpredictable."
"No, this is different," I said, shaking my head. "It's changing. Look at this."
I pointed to the passive. Markus leaned closer, eyes narrowing as he read:
---
*Passive Ability: I See You*
*Effect: Watching you panic is fun.*
---
His eyes widened. "That's not possible. Cards don't do this."
"I know," I muttered, my pulse racing. "But it's happening. And the numbers—they're way too high."
Markus glanced back at the stats as they spiked again:
---
**ATK: 5,000 | DEF: 4,500**
---
"There's no way Benji's card can reach those numbers," Markus muttered, his tone uneasy.
"It's not Benji," I whispered, dread filling my chest. "It's the rabbit. It's controlling everything."
And that's when I realized… this duel wasn't about Benji at all. It was about *me.* Something far more sinister was in play, and the rabbit had set its sights on me long before I noticed.