Sixteen Years Later...

  Cards flew across the room.

  Swish!

  The four of hearts arced through the air in a graceful U-shaped curve, dipping near the floor before lifting just enough to narrowly miss the target.

  Swish!

  The three of hearts flew in a straight line and barely landed in the box.

  Deckard didn’t react. He knew he wouldn’t beat his old record, even if he managed to get every remaining card into the box. By now, he was just practicing trick shots, trying to keep his hands busy while his mind wandered. As he prepared to throw the next card, a notification popped up on his computer screen.

  Match found!

  "Finally! They really need to work on these queue times. It’s getting worse every day."

  Deckard cracked his neck, settling into his chair as his opponent's tag appeared on the screen.

  Murky.

  He recognized this player. The last time they’d faced off, he’d played a Navy Aggro deck. I’ll need Black Hole or Make it Rain to survive the first salvo, Deckard thought. But who knows? He might switch things up this time.

  Five cards appeared on the screen. Deckard’s eyes lingered on the Tiger Warrior. It wasn’t an ideal card to draw in the opening hand, but as usual, he couldn’t bring himself to mulligan it. He chose three other cards to shuffle back into the deck and received three new ones in return. Among them were Marble Statue and Stasis—perfect for defense.

  The screen flickered.

  Error!

  Deckard's heart sank as the game froze. "Not this again. How am I supposed to prepare for Worlds like this?" he muttered, frustration rising. He forced the program to shut down and rebooted it.

  But by the time he reconnected, a gut-wrenching message awaited him.

  Connection timed out. You’ve lost the game.

  Deckard pushed away from the desk, his frustration boiling over. The bugs, the long queues—it was all becoming unbearable. He closed the game and opened his browser, navigating to the official homepage. Maybe there was an announcement about server issues.

  As the page loaded, a warning message appeared.

  Dear Nova Cardia players,

  It’s been a beautiful 17 years together. We want to thank all of you for supporting us for so long and playing our game. Despite our best efforts to keep the game interesting, the player base has decreased tremendously, and we’re being forced to pull the plug on our game.

  Deckard froze, reading the rest of the message in a daze. His heart sank with each word. The game was shutting down.

  Seventeen years… over 6,000 cards, he thought numbly. I knew every single one. And now, it’s all just… gone?

  He removed his glasses, rubbing his temples as a headache began to form. The world felt like it was collapsing around him. Nova Cardia had been more than just a game; it had been his life, his connection to Andy, his escape. And now, it was slipping through his fingers.

  He stood up and walked over to his trophy cabinet. Inside were reminders of his victories—two World Championships, countless smaller tournament wins. But what did it all mean now? How was he going to pay for his mom’s medical expenses? Find a regular job? Move on to another card game?

  The thought filled him with dread. He’d resisted it for so long, even as the signs that Nova Cardia was on its last legs became impossible to ignore. He’d devoted half his life to this game, to keeping Andy’s memory alive through it. Moving on felt like betraying that.

  Deckard picked up the cards from the floor, shuffling them with a series of intricate flourishes.

  He sat behind his desk and placed two cards against each other at an angle, needing something—anything—to help him think.

  Worlds is definitely canceled, he thought bitterly. I’ve only got enough saved up to last me six months.

  He glanced at his desk drawer. I could sell my physical collection of Nova Cardia cards. That might buy me a few more months. Maybe.

  He cautiously placed a card over the small pyramid he’d made, only to watch the entire structure collapse. Sighing, he started building it again. Maybe he could start over with another game.

  But what game? Nova Cardia had been the last true card battler in the professional scene. The only other option was that new game that had taken the world by storm three years ago: AstroTerra. It had a card mini-game called Terralore that had been growing in popularity.

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  Deckard had never liked that the card aspect of AstroTerra was considered a ‘mini-game.’ It felt insulting for someone who made a living out of card games. But he couldn’t deny its success. He had a working knowledge of the rules, and he’d heard old rivals who had switched to Terralore singing its praises.

  He opened his email. As a card battler world champion, he’d received multiple offers from Nexus. The last one came two weeks ago.

  Dear Mr. Deckard Haymond,

  I hope this message finds you well. My name is Jennifer, and I am reaching out to you on behalf of Nexus Co. We have been following your remarkable career in Nova Cardia with great admiration and respect. Your achievements have left a significant mark on the card gaming community.

  As you may be aware, Nexus Co. has recently launched a new and exciting game called AstroTerra, which features a highly acclaimed card mini-game known as Terralore. Terralore has quickly become a favorite among top card players worldwide, and it has been celebrated for its innovative mechanics and strategic depth.

  In recognition of your impressive track record as a former Nova Cardia world champion and to introduce you to this new realm of card gaming, we would like to extend a special invitation for you to experience AstroTerra and Terralore firsthand. We are offering you a complimentary capsule and a one-year subscription to the game. In exchange, we would be thrilled if you could share your thoughts and experiences with your audience on social media. Your insights would be invaluable as we continue to build and enhance the Terralore experience.

  Please let us know if you are interested in this opportunity, and feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need additional information. We look forward to the possibility of you joining the AstroTerra community and sharing your perspective on this exciting new game.

  Best regards,

  Jennifer Marks, Nexus Co.

  The offer had no expiration date. Even though he disliked streaming and wasn’t particularly active online, Deckard didn’t mind their request to post about the switch to AstroTerra on social media. Andy had always been the one good with people, while Deckard had always preferred staying in the shadows.

  No initial investment. One more point in favor of trying the game, Deckard thought. He navigated to Nexus’ website and checked the Terralore events. A year and a half after launch, they’d held their first world championship with a prize of 10,000 credits. The second series had a prize pool of 20,000.

  He then went online and looked for posts about Terralore tournaments. Several announcements of smaller tournaments appeared in the window. The prize pools varied between something as low as fifty credits to several thousand. It was a good sign of the game’s vitality.

  He turned off the screen and returned to his house of cards. It’s growing, too. Another good sign. It was logical to switch to the new popular game. Deckard knew that. But Nova Cardia had been his and Andy’s game. Leaving it behind felt like losing his friend all over again.

  He glanced at the picture of the two of them on his desk, a pang of grief twisting in his chest. He missed Andy. Even after all these years, no one else had ever come close to understanding him the way Andy had. With Andy, everything had been simple and easy.

  It was a good decision, the most logical one. He kept building the castle of cards until a perfect, fragile structure sat on his desk. It was nearly completed. Only the final level was missing. He left it unfinished and reached for his phone.

  There was one last thing he needed to do before he was sure. He went to his contact list and looked for Savvy’s contact information.

  “Well, well, well. To what do I owe the pleasure?” Savvy’s features were slightly different from what Deckard was used to. His nose was shorter, his hair longer, and his eyes’ colors were wrong. His outfit was something straight out of a fantasy setting. He was taking the call from within AstroTerra.

  Deckard just smiled at the man on the screen. “Hello, Savvy. It’s been a long time.”

  “Finals of three years ago. I’ve heard that you won the last two series. Congratulations. You seem to have had a good run without me around.”

  The dig stung, but Deckard didn’t bite. “Have you heard about Nova Cardia?”

  There was a trace of sadness on Savvy’s face. “It’s the end of an era. Not that it was hard to anticipate.” Finally, Savvy seemed to connect the dots. “Oh. I see. You have finally decided to join AstroTerra?”

  “It’s not like I have much choice.”

  “You could always switch to a strategy game.”

  “You know I won’t do that.”

  Savvy chuckled, an amused gleam in his eye. “You’ve always been stubborn. It’s why you lost more often than you won against me. So, what do you want to know?”

  “What do you think of Terralore? How does it compare to Nova Cardia?”

  Savvy’s smile faded. “I don’t think you’ll do well in the game.”

  Deckard’s eyes sharpened. “Why?”

  “This game is different. It’s not just about cards.”

  “I’m ready to learn.”

  Savvy sighed, his expression bored. “You’re only good at what you’re good at, Deckard. You’ve always been predictable, sticking to what you know. You kept that Tiger Warrior card in your deck for years because you were too sentimental to let go. If you come to AstroTerra with all that sentimentality, you won’t go far. They are two very different games.”

  “We’ll see. I’ll see you at the world championships, Savvy.”

  Savvy just chuckled. “Hmph. Right. See you, Dex.”

  The call ended, leaving Deckard alone in the silence of his room. He stared at the screen, Savvy’s words echoing in his mind. That wasn’t what he had expected to hear from his old rival. His impassive look slowly turned into an excited grin. Talking to him had reignited Deckard’s competitive spirit.

  Deckard turned back to the castle of cards. The final level remained unfinished. He picked up the last few cards and, with precise movements, completed the structure. For a moment, he admired it, a delicate, beautiful thing built from his past, his memories, and his hopes. Then, with a sudden, sharp motion, he swiped his hand through it, sending the cards flying across the room. The destruction was sudden, satisfying—a release of all the frustration, the grief, and the anger that had been building within him.

  After the anger and frustration came emptiness. Deckard opened the drawer where he kept his most prized possessions. There was his late father’s watch and a card featuring a fearsome tiger, laminated in plastic. He stared at the card for several minutes, like he had done countless times before.

  “I’m sorry, Andy,” Deckard whispered. “I’ve kept playing our game as long as I could. But I have my mom to think about now.” He felt the edges of the Tiger Warrior card, a sad smile tugging at his lips. “I wish you and I could try this new game together.”

  AstroTerra was his only option. It was the only game with championships offering enough money to sustain him as a professional gamer. He couldn’t keep playing Nova Cardia, Andy’s game. But he would keep playing this new card game and give it his all. Maybe that was enough to honor his friend’s memory.

  Even though it pained him, it was time to bid Nova Cardia goodbye. Deckard quickly put together a response to the email.

  Dear Ms. Jennifer,

  I appreciate your kind invitation. I would like to take you up on this offer. Below, you’ll find my address. I’ll also post about my experience on my social media.

  Sincerely,

  Deckard H.

  After the email was sent, Deckard cleaned his glasses. He picked up all the cards scattered on his desk and put the Tiger Warrior back in the drawer. “I’ll make you proud, Andy.”

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