“Are you waiting for someone? May I have a seat, and a game if you desire so?”

When he asked, I was looking at the translucent glassrock tulip I received from Carmine Count. I carefully put away the artwork before taking a look at the man. He was young, energetic, and handsome but a bit gloomy in his eyes. Contrary to people’s assumptions, I was also young. I tapped on the game board as approval while I returned a smile.

“Of course! I would never say no to a round of Dance of Eji’derr. If I can also make a request, what is your name, dear opponent? The name gracious Pearl gave me is Great White.”

He sat down before speaking again. He looked carefully at the ornate game board I had. It was also a gift from Count, he made it himself from a mix of volcanic rocks that gave it a pitch-black color. The playing pebbles were shiny and colored to look like the seven gems of Gemsoil. To set the game up, he slowly picked them up one by one and separated them by color. Though colors didn’t have any meaning in the game, he put a different color into each of the seven pits. Perhaps he did it so it would look more appealing. He spoke after he finished.

“I’m Aine, my parent gifted it to me. This is certainly an exquisite board, for an exquisite one like you, dear opponent. Though I do not care for such luxury, my eyes are pleased to look at it. Please start the game, think of it as a return for granting me this lovely game.”

“Aine… it has a pleasing ring to it. Very well, I shall start this lovely game of ours, Aine.”

I opened with a pretty standard move, boring yet effective. His face didn’t give a reaction to it. Playing this opening over and over again, I was familiar with the routes this game could take. I can still feel the confusion I had when I saw his move. His move barely made any progress toward winning. That move could easily be seen as offensive but I gave him a chance because of his good manners. He spoke as he moved a pebble painted like a diamond.

“Even the board you play games on is a piece of art. Yes, this is a luxury that many can never achieve, but I do not see it as a problem. Material things can be acquired by everyone who has the gold for it. How much gold you have is something you can work and change of course.”

He looked up from the board, directly into my eyes. Those eyes were gorgeous beyond anything I’d seen. I’ve had this overwhelming feeling before but back then I couldn’t name it. It became clear to me later while I was traveling to Bridgegarde. When I gazed upon the Moltengates, a divine piece made by Ruby, I felt the same way. His eyes were divine, a work of a god.

“But there is something we can’t change no matter how hard we work. Our gem. It is a destiny forced on us by higher beings of power.”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

I’d never thought of gems like that before. We certainly didn’t have the option to pick our gems but for me, this never mattered. I can’t remember a single moment that I felt lucky for being a pearl or feeling jealous of another gem. Though my job didn’t require me to use gemcraft and I rarely used it in my daily life. Being a pearl does allow me to live underwater but there are also a lot of artificial ways for others to visit the depths. I didn’t let his move or words confuse me and continued with my standard route.

“We seven gems built a life on this soil together, Aine. There are no more wars against each other, no more blood spilled because of our differences. Each gem shines a unique color and to complete the rainbow we need each one.”

His next move was on the normal side but it had a massive flaw. This move alone gave me an opportunity to win the game in a few turns. I went for it and continued my standardized attack. It felt like he was more interested in talking than the game, which dispirited me. At least his unique perspective of our world was interesting enough to keep some of my attention out of the game.

“That is quite the optimist way of viewing things, Great White. However, the absence of war doesn’t mean the absence of conflict. I was born in Bridgegarde, the city where I lost my parents because of such conflict. You might call me an exception or rarity, but here I am. Instead of trying to unify colors that don’t match, imagine a world where everyone is equal. Single color, different shades.”

He continued with regular moves that weren’t too thrilling. I was a turn away from playing my winning move and I took my last step toward it. He didn’t even look at the board as I moved the beautifully colored pebbles. Then his face finally expressed something, a smirk that sent shivers down my spine. His aura was eerie before but it was nothing compared to the one that was in front of me. I was ready to reply to him but all of the words I prepared drowned in the flood that was his stare. I let his words wash over me instead.

“You are right, we did build a life on this wonderful soil together. Perhaps there is nothing we can do to be truly equal. But I believe that there is a way to break the walls between each other.”

He picked up the diamond pebble he played on the first turn. I realized my mistake as soon as his hands went for it. I’d stretched the pieces too thin as I marched toward my victory. He took over pieces one by one, each colored like a different gem.

“No matter how many times we strike the walls, their builders will repair them. Unfortunately, the builders won’t cooperate with us so we need to get rid of them first.”

I knew exactly what his words meant now, the waves he made revealed their true nature. I thought they were just the result of his tide but they were big enough to flood cities, perhaps the soil itself even. Alas, it was my job as a member of the Heptagon to protect our Gemsoil. His move was flashy and it certainly reinforced his message but it didn’t win him the game. I quietly finished the game and secured my victory.

“Thanks for the game Aine. Until our threads cross again.”

He stood up and looked at me with his empyrean eyes. The terror I felt still gives me goosebumps. At that moment I finally realized what he was capable of. My work in the Heptagon showed me that the bigger threats were always the hidden ones. A powerful person isn’t the one with strength, it’s the one with resolve. A strong resolve can cause ripples, ripples that will turn into waves, waves that will drown everything on their way.