"Evening Lucian, was the play I put on believable?", asked Theo in his ever so calm demeanor. His light gaze brought about a different air than it had on the ship, feeling more like a charlatan now.
"I wouldn't have guessed you were acting back there, although I'm a bit embarrassed to say it, you guys played me like a fiddle these past couple days.", said Lucian as Theo took his seat and set up the chess pieces.
"Do forgive us, we have to operate like that most of the time. Our comrades and myself included are only allowed to act under permission from the higher ups like Eliot and Ozzus."
"Ozzus is a higher up?", Lucian muttered with a look of astonishment.
"Indeed, only the vice president though. Him and Eliot are both Ethereals which already gives them a significant jump in authority, but the real reason that they are the heads of this place is because they're experience and leadership abilities. If I recall correctly, they've completed over 500 missions and each and every one was a success, just like how my chess matches will be today.", stated Theo with a proud face as he moved his pawn forward one square.
"May the best man win.", said Lucian as he moved his pawn two squares.
***
After hours and hours of nonstop chess matches, "Check mate. I believe that's number 75?", asked Theo in a mocking tone.
Lucian fell silent. Out of each and every match him and Theo had played, Lucian wasn't even able to steal one of Theo's pieces. What worse was that Lucian couldn't figure out what strategy Theo was using at all. It was as if he knew how the match would end as soon as Lucian moved his first piece. "I knew that there would be a large skill difference between you and Priscilla, but I never thought it'd be this large.", remarked Lucian as he and Theo set the chess pieces back up for another round.
"We all have different traits that stand out amongst others. Mine just so happens to be strategy and intuition while yours might be adaptation seeing as how your beet your previous testers so fast."
Lucian took in a deep breath, "I suppose so, but it doesn't seem to be working against you. I don't even know if you have a strategy."
"It's fun, isn't it? Having an unpredictable opponent I mean.", said Theo while placing his pieces back on the board again as Lucian did the same.
"I think our values on fun are a bit different."
"I suppose so. Ready for round 76?"
"You're on.", stated Lucian with unbreakable perseverance.
***
"Check mate"
"Check mate"
"Check mate"
"Check mate"
"Check mate. That makes 99 to zero.
Lucian was getting quite tired of Theo's ceaseless "Check mate's". Every time he heard those two words, his confidence dropped. This was a wall he could not break through nor climb.
"You really are unbeatable, how do you do it?"
Theo picked up his pawns and placed them back in their original squares as he said, "You think I'd spill my secrets? I can't just give away the reason I'm winning like that. It's for you to uncover."
"For our final and 100th match, we should have a different setting. This room is a bit too bland for our grand finale don't you think?"
"Different setting?", said Lucian under his breath. "Where would we even go? I don't think there's anything near here with a scenic surrounding."
Theo's mouth slightly curved upward. "Who said It'd be near here?"
"Pardon? Are we going to one of the parks just for a chess match?"
"That's not nearly good enough for our match. We'll be going somewhere a little more unreal. Just copy everything I do and you'll understand.", stated Theo as he closed his left eye and brought his hand up to his Right and formed a circle.
Lucian shrugged a bit and did the same. Next Theo calmly recited, "Oh, goddess behind the shattered mirror. Oh, lady of beauty and truth. Oh, blesser of man and woman. Grant us vision of the divine plain, the world of endless dreams.
A moment later, the setting changed. what was around them was no longer Novus city, but a forest of weeping willows containing the most fluorescent flowers glowing green and yellow in the dark night sky. The table, and chairs they had were still there but looked as though they were fit for a king while the chess pieces were turned to beautiful colored glass.
"Fret not, this is only an illusion bestowed on us. You can take your hand off your face now. We'll be back in our original room when were done with this match."
Lucian, still awestruck asked, "W-what is this place?". It was still unbelievable; how did they go from a dusty old room to what looked like another dimension?
Theo stretched out his hand and touched one of the luminescent flowers dangling from the tree and said, "This place is known as the divine plain, it's an infinite world unlike ours, filled with the most beautiful places beyond your imagination. Entry is only permitted to those affiliated with Ethereals. You can either enter physically or spiritually. When we die, our physical and spiritual bodies are transported here for eternal rest.
Lucian felt a cold sweat run down his cheek, "A-are we dead?"
"You think I'd kill us for a chess match? We are currently just here spiritually while our physical beings are asleep in that shabby room.", stated Theo with a slightly offended face.
"Apologies."
"It's quite alright, I believe it's time for us to start the 100th chess match now, shall we?
Lucian relaxed his body and said with a polite smile, "Sounds good to me."
Lucian went first and moved his pawn forward two squares. Next Theo moved his one square. A couple minutes went by as they kept playing, before Lucian knew it, Theo had already taken one of his pawns.
Lucian still couldn't break or scale the wall Infront of him. It was like it grew exponentially larger as they kept playing. A moment Later Theo took a knight that was near Lucian's king. Lucian was about to move his queen back, but Theo had already made it so the piece wouldn't escape and took it. Lucian's forces kept dwindling one by one, with each piece taken, the closer the match got to ending.
As Lucian was about to give up hope until Theo made a mistake in placing his knight too close to one of his rooks. Lucian snatched the chance and stole it away, but Theo had never actually made a mistake.
"Check mate."
Theo's queen was given a direct path to Lucian after he stole Theo's knight. Moving that rook was the mistake that led to his defeat.
Lucian composed his tense body, "Do you think that I will ever be able to reach your level?"
Theo stood up and held out his arm for a handshake, "Of course you can, all you need to do is figure out my secret."
After their handshake, a small bright crack started to form in space between them. "Now that our match has ended, we will be brought back."
The rift in space kept growing larger and larger with each passing moment. Before the reality around them shattered, Lucian saw something out of the corner of his eye. It was a person not too far away, staring in their direction. They had large wings on their back like a raven's and wore a robe of some sorts, although Lucian couldn't fully make out who or what it was.
"KSHHH"
"It seems as though we had a visitor.", remarked Theo with his placid tone.
He noticed it too? "Do you perhaps know who that was?"
Lucian saw Theo's face pale a little. "No, I do not, but it's a good thing we left when we did."
"W-why is that?"
"The only beings that can go to the divine world of their own volition without asking are Higher rank Ethereals, angels, and the gods of this world."