A few days before Two’s group arrived at the Black islands. It was a beautiful evening. The stars were shining in the sky, the sea was calm. Almost all members of the group were enjoying the voyage and having fun.

  ‘’Eighty seven…why aren’t you up there with the others?’’ - ‘’The sea doesn’t do me any good…I’m not really used to it.’’ - Two was walking around in the lower deck, where he noticed Eighty seven sitting on a small wooden bench and sharpening his chains.

  ‘’Your chains… I’m curious… how do they work? Does a part of your hand just open and they come out from it HAHA?!!’’ - ‘’Something like that… why are you asking? Are you trying to make fun of me?’’ - ‘’Me and making fun? Eighty seven… I’VE GOT A THIRD EYE GROWING ON MY HEAD!!! I don’t have the right to make fun hahaha!!! Anyway… QUESTION!!!.... do you want to play something with me?’’

  Eighty seven accepted Two’s offer. Together they went to the captain’s cabin… or rather Two’s room. Two pulled out a board from a drawer, which had alternating black and white squares on it… a chessboard. Then Two started placing the chess pieces on the board. - ‘’Do you know how to play chess?’’ - ‘’Of course I do… I love chess.’’ - ‘’True… I wonder if they know chess on Middleworld too… BUT WELL… in a few days we’ll find out!!!’’

  Two and Eighty seven shook hands. Two had the black pieces, Eighty seven the white ones. Two made it clear to Eighty seven that he would never open his third eye. The friendly match began… Two opened the game with the move d4. - ‘’Let’s talk.’’

  The day of Eighty seven’s death.

  The body of Eighty seven was buried by the other members of the group. The sun was starting to set behind the horizon. The darkness was getting bigger and bigger. Four members of the group were sitting by the campfire, where they were roasting the meat of a cow they had found on the Black islands that day and killed.

  One of the members - Thirty three, had an object on her lap that none of them had ever seen before. - ‘’Look what I found today in one of the houses… it makes sound.’’ - Thirty three said in a calm voice.

  Thirty three started strumming the strings that were on the object… Thirty three was holding a guitar.

  Nine, also sitting by the campfire, spoke up. - ‘’An interesting little thing. I noticed that Middleworld is quite behind when it comes to development… but these finds are always interesting… actually I’m surprised that no one thought of making this thingy.’’

  Another person sitting by the campfire spoke up - Ninety two. - ‘’We could go to our prisoners… and ask them about this wooden object… and maybe about other things too. So far we’ve only been getting strategic information from them after all.’’ - ‘’Actually that’s not a bad idea… it might even be fun!!’’ - said Eight - the last person sitting by the campfire.

  The group took the roasted beef and headed to a smaller stone building. Like a small stone keep. In this keep Two’s group is holding several hostages. On the day the group arrived at the Black islands, most of the population of these islands was slaughtered. Two decided that they would let five adults live, who looked like the most important members of the islands, and all the children.

  The chess night continued, d4, e6, e4, d5. Two attacked the center, which Eighty seven occupied. - ‘’Eighty seven… how do you play chess? Do you always try to occupy the center so you have the biggest advantage? Like you just showed me? A solid strategy… do you think it’s a winning one?’’ - Eighty seven thought for a moment and reached for the knight. He placed the knight on c3. - ‘’I think so… if I can keep the center.’’

  ‘’Yes, keeping the center… keeping the advantage. The most important idea in war. The idea of how to keep the advantage. But that’s how those who play carefully think… the best thing is to think about how to use your opponent’s advantage.’’ - Two reached for a pawn again, this time moving it to c5.

  ‘’Use it? That’s a nice idea, but Two… I don’t think you have the chance to use it right now. If I keep the center, then you have no way to use my advantage.’’ - Eighty seven played the knight to f3, which Two immediately followed with his knight to c6. - ‘’You’re right… but I’m not talking about chess. If the opening is played carefully and correctly, then no one really has the advantage. You know, Eighty seven… I take chess as a battlefield, I can better imagine my thoughts, how to achieve my… our goal. The thing is like this. What’s important is how the opening ends, who ends up with the advantage and how they use that advantage.’’

  Eighty seven’s hand stopped above the chessboard. He hesitated, over his original thought… to start an attack. But in the end he followed through. Eighty seven took the pawn on d5 with his pawn. Two immediately responded by taking Eighty seven’s pawn on d5 with his pawn. They looked at each other… The first attack in the battle. Then, however, both began to develop their pieces. Both had a clear thought in mind. Advantage.

  Be2, Nf6, O-O, Be7, Bg5, O-O. The game… the battle really began to unfold.

  Yellow month, day 43.

  An army of the kingdom of the red Crystal arrived to the kingdom of the black Crystal. Well… I don’t know if you can call it an army. Forty five members of the army arrived in the kingdom. Horwann came to welcome them. - ‘’I was hoping I’d be able to talk to Ash… but well… better than nothing.’’

  The member of the group that Ash sent to the kingdom, who was standing at the front, stepped toward Horwann. Fear came from this member. He had a face full of scars, dark red eyes and his expression said it all. An expression without emotions. This man came only to fulfill his task.

  ‘’Greetings, Your Highness. Call me Force… you don’t need to talk to the rest of the army. We were sent to help in the battle. We will give it our all. As a reward, Queen Ash requests the body of Two… it doesn’t matter whether alive or dead.’’ - Raven, who was standing next to Horwann, was about to scold Force. The titles king and queen are only for the rulers of Middleworld… that is, the leader of the kingdom of the black Crystal.

  But before Raven could speak, Horwann stopped her with what he said. - ‘’Those are fair conditions. Thank you for coming. I assume that in a few days Quinn will return… hopefully with the support of the Great north. That day we will plan all the details of the attack.’’

  After a while Raven and Horwann began to walk away from the place. Raven was looking at Horwann as if he were a ghost. - ‘’So go on, Raven… what’s on your mind?’’ - ‘’So for starters… QUEEN?? Secondly CONDITIONS? Thirdly WHERE THE HELL IS THAT ARMY????’’

  Horwann calmed Raven down and smiled. - ‘’Raven… didn’t you hear what Ash did to the people I sent to her kingdom? That kid thinks the whole world belongs to her now that she owns a legendary scythe. Imagine it like this… there are people who have more power than a king… but the king is the one who will have the final word. Ash can do whatever she wants for now. Once the legendary sword is back in my kingdom, I will act. Ash is a small fish in a bloodthirsty sea.’’

  In the past, the game continued. This time Eighty seven took Two’s pawn on c5 with his pawn from d4. Two ignored this move for the moment and went with his bishop to e6. - ‘’You’re not going to take back?’’ - asked a confused Eighty seven after he played the knight to d4. - ‘’Of course I will take back. I’m not going to reduce my number of pieces if I don’t have to. But on the other hand… I don’t have to take right away. What’s important is to prepare the battlefield the way you want before you start the attack.’’ - said Two, while he took the pawn on c5 with his bishop.

  ‘’I don’t understand you. What’s the point when I can now take the piece you just developed with my knight.’’ - said Eighty seven, while he captured Two’s bishop on e6 with his knight. Two took this knight with his pawn on f6 and said a short sentence. - ‘’I set the tempo… the tempo at which the chessboard just developed.’’

  The group arrived at the stone keep. First they tried to ask the children. All the children looked hungry… they would surely trade information for a piece of beef.

  The group was wrong. The children were too scared. No one in the group wanted to torment the children any further. What needed to be done after arriving on the islands was done. But there is no need to do worse things.

  So the group approached the five adult prisoners. The leader of the army of the kingdom of the black Crystal on the Black islands, who was used to obtain most of the information, thanks to his strong education about Middleworld. The oldest man on the islands, captured because of his experience. The mother of five children, captured out of goodwill. The woman who was taking care of the islands, captured to obtain information about the islands. And finally the man who resisted Two’s group the best, captured out of respect.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  All five people had their thoughts and memories read, thanks to the ability of Eighty two, but only the strategic ones.

  ‘’Hiiiii! I’m Nine. Heeey, I’m sorry for everything we did to you. It’s disgusting. BUT… we would do it again. One day you’ll thank us… but I get that not now… when you don’t know what’s coming. Anyway… question!! Does anyone know what this thing is?’’ - Nine pointed at the guitar that Thirty three was holding in her hand. While Nine was saying her greeting, she was looking into the face of the mother of five children. The mother spat in her face.

  ‘’If you want to know, then read our minds again… do you think someone will talk to you? You are all waiting for a horrible death, if justice exists.’’ - said the mother of five children, while more and more tears were falling from her eyes with every word.

  Eight tried to calm the situation. - ‘’I understand. But come on… we let you live. We wouldn’t be able to keep more people alive… we’d run out of supplies!! We’re trying to have a normal conversation with you. One day we’ll let you go… it would be nice to be on good terms.’’

  None of the prisoners answered. In their eyes, all members of Two’s group were monsters. Who would be surprised, considering the group slaughtered most of the island’s population. The only ones who survived were the prisoners and those who escaped.

  The group tried to convince one of the prisoners to answer with pieces of beef. Everyone was curious what object Thirty three had. Since no one was answering, sad thoughts started running through the group’s heads.

  Are we doing the right thing?

  Back on the ship, Eighty seven played his bishop to g4 with the aim of attacking Two’s pawn. Two covered this attack with the move Qd6, to which Eighty seven responded with the move Bh3. Two continued defending his pawn and moved the rook that was standing on a8 to e8. Both players were focusing more and more on the game. Both wanted to win this battle. Both were looking for ways to win the battle. Both were trying every way that came to their minds. Qd2, Bb4, Bxf6, Rxf6.

  ‘’Our pieces are disappearing more and more… this part is always very interesting, because players start throwing away the pieces they no longer need… it’s poetic!! Eighty seven… does this make us cruel leaders? Are we cruel when we let the pieces we don’t need fall and protect the pieces we do need with all our strength?’’

  In the presence of the prisoners, all members of the group fell silent. They realized that there was no point in trying to get harmless information from people who see them as monsters. Everyone except Thirty three, who really wanted to know what she was holding. - ‘’It won’t hurt you to tell us this information… please.’’

  ‘’Please just shut the hell up already! Please don’t slaughter the population of this island… wait… too late. You don’t deserve any harmless information. But I’m damn hungry. It’s a guitar… A GUITAR. I used to play one like that to my children when they were little. A few days ago you killed their adult versions. Now give me that meat and get out.’’ - said the oldest man on the islands.

  The group handed over the beef and started to leave. In the background, it could be seen how he was sharing the meat with the other prisoners. The group began to split up. They had their tents set up according to numbers. So for example Eight and Ninety two slept very far from each other. The only ones who shared the same path were Eight and Nine.

  The rook from a1 was moved by Eighty seven to d1. Two responded by moving his queen to c5.

  Qe2 Bxc3, bxc3, Qxc3. - ‘’I think we’re getting to the finale, Eighty seven.’’ - ‘’I agree. The question is who is able to come up with a better strategy to win.’’ - ‘’Exactly…’’

  Brown month, day 4.

  Wind and her army arrived to the Capital city. The final planning could begin. Everyone involved stayed in the great hall for a very long time. After some time, they began to leave. Middleworld was ready to attack Two and his group.

  On the night of the same day, Sand and Force met. - ‘’Soooo. Have you already planned your plans?’’ - Force noticed the blond hair on the head of the man who asked him the question. He realized it was Sand.

  ‘’So you’re the only ruler who lost his legendary weapon and will not take part in the raid. I have no respect for you… so if you want to say something, say it.’’ - Force’s answer surprised Sand a lot, but it made sense. Sand smiled and punched Force in the face.

  Force tried to attack Sand, but Sand dodged his blow and kneed him in the stomach, which was immediately followed by circling around Force and hitting him in the neck, which knocked him to the ground.

  As the cherry on top, Sand kicked Force while he was on the ground. Passersby tried to stop the fight, but a few of Sand’s men who stayed with him in the Capital city stopped them. Then Sand leaned down to Force.

  ‘’No respect? Really? That’s what I call a bad mindset. You should reconsider it.’’ - Force spat blood. - ‘’Do you think that beating me up will change my opinion?!’’

  Sand slapped Force and grabbed him by the neck. - ‘’No no no. I don’t think it will change anything. But I’d like to make one thing clear to you. I’m not some coward or anything like that. I heard what your ‘queen’ started ‘cooking’ and honestly I don’t give a damn… but if you start showing off and being full of pride because you turned against the system… something that Desert paradise already did a long time before you… then you’ll get what’s coming. I’m not taking part in the raid because I won’t be Horwann’s slave. It’s his mess and he should clean it up.’’

  Sand stood up and allowed Force to get up. Then he continued his speech. - ‘’Now to my thing. Everyone on the raid will do exactly what Horwann whistles… everyone except you, I suppose. I want you to bring me one member of Two’s group. I don’t care who, but one. The price doesn’t matter to me… name it. Oh and… no questions. You either accept this offer or you don’t… but I advise you to accept it. After all… cooperation between me and the ‘queen’ of your kingdom sounds nice… doesn’t it?’’

  Sand spoke to Force in a very charming and terrifying way. Force didn’t want to show on the outside that he had gained respect for him, but inside he was completely scared of Sand. This man stood his ground. Desert paradise is a completely different league. The kingdom of rebellion.

  ‘’T-this decision will depend on Queen Ash. If Ash agrees, then we’ll be able to make a transaction.’’ - ‘’Alright. Good luck on the raid, Mr. Force.’’

  The game of Two and Eighty seven was nearing its end. Eighty seven took with his rook Two's pawn on d5. - ‘’I see you’re starting to make risky moves… I like that.’’ - replied Two and placed his knight on d4 to drive away Eighty seven’s queen, which was keeping his rook alive.

  Eighty seven escaped with his queen to safety to h5. Two moved his attacked rook to safety on f8. Eighty seven attacked Two’s weakened pawn by moving his rook to e5. Two looked Eighty seven in the eyes. - ‘’This is where you lost. You cared so much about the pieces that you forgot about the most important thing. Every piece has a different value on the battlefield and you will soon lose one of them.’’ - Two moved his rook to h6. He attacked Eighty seven’s queen.

  Nine and Eight were walking away from the stone keep in the same direction. Eight was lost in thought. The moments with the prisoners made him think a lot. On the other hand, Nine was not lost… Nine started saying them out loud.

  ‘’Eight… do you think we crossed the line? I… I’m starting to doubt our goal… the way we achieve it. We’re supposed to be heroes and in the eyes of the people we’re villains.’’ - ‘’STOP IT! Stop doubting, damn it. Do you even hear yourself? If Two heard this, he would have already cut your head off. Nine… you are one of the numbers. You know very well what is at stake.’’

  Nine didn’t know what to say. She was completely sunk in a deep abyss of thoughts and Eight’s words really didn’t help her. But at that moment Eight opened his mouth again. - ‘’AND YES!!! We are damn villains.’’ - Eight knelt down and started pounding the ground.

  ‘’We are damn monsters… MONSTERS. We’re just trying to protect this continent from bigger monsters… but that sure as hell doesn’t excuse us.’’ - Crying Eight looked at Nine and grabbed her by the shoulders. - ‘’Nine… I want to die. We all deserve death. We are bad people… But… but we have a mission. We will fulfill it.’’

  Eight let go of Nine and walked into the darkness. Nine wondered if she should run after him, but her legs couldn’t move. Eight said exactly what Nine thought about herself. Their mission is not a heroic quest… it is a curse.

  The game was a few moves away from the end. Eighty seven was surprised by Two’s words. He couldn’t see a way on the chessboard how he could lose an important piece. So he moved his queen to ‘safety’ on g5.

  ‘’Eighty seven. You would be a bad leader. A very bad one. But I don’t mean to insult you. Only a few people have the head to be a leader. I told you before that a proper leader thinks about how to use an advantage… whether it’s his own or his opponent’s advantage. Now I’ll show you what a unique leader does… a leader who is cursed with a task. The task to make sure his side wins.’’ - Two sacrificed his rook by taking the bishop on h3.

  Eighty seven realized that if he takes that rook, he will lose. So he attacked Two’s queen by placing his rook on c5, hoping to lure her away and then be able to take that rook.

  Two’s hands started shaking. - ‘’I really enjoyed this game. As you surely know. The king is the most important piece in the game. A lot of people like to imagine that they are the king… I like to do that too.’’

  ‘’As long as the king is alive, the chance of victory… or at least a draw is always within reach. But the king wouldn’t manage this without his people. His pieces. His friends. However, victory is never free. Sometimes the king must sacrifice even his most valuable one.’’ - Two reached for his queen and lifted her into the air.

  ‘’Eighty seven. There is a small chance that I will get all the Crystals on the first try. There is also a small chance that everything will go according to plan. The other numbers will rage after I sacrifice several pieces… friends.’’

  The numbers will plan how to win without me as a leader. But today I showed you that I know how to win. Eighty seven, I need you to be my queen… that is, the most important piece of the king. The person I will ‘needlessly’ kill. The numbers will think I killed you for fun, but the reality is different. The reality is that it was a move toward victory. Eighty seven… can you sacrifice yourself for victory?’’

  Eighty seven couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He started to understand why Two got the number two. Then he looked at the chessboard. - ‘’B-but… but you haven’t won.’’ - Two then placed his queen. On the square g3. Eighty seven could finally imagine his defeat, which he hadn’t seen until now.

  Eighty seven held out his hand to Two as the game was over. - ‘’Yes… I will be your sacrifice.’’