The hollow sound of their footsteps against the shimmering chessboard tiles was deafening in the oppressive silence. The Order of Dreams clustered near their assigned white pieces, their faces taut as the weight of the situation settled over them.

Sakura’s breathing was shallow and uneven, each step forward sending a jolt of unease through her chest. The memories of her last game surged unbidden, clawing at her mind. She could still hear the screams, the desperate cries, and the sickening silence that followed. And then she saw her.

Haruka stood at the edge of Sakura’s vision, front and center among the looming black chess pieces. Her skin was pale as wax, her eyes black voids that seemed to swallow the light. Her cheeks were sunken, her lips slightly parted as though she was about to speak, but no words came.

She didn’t need to, Haruka’s gaze bored into Sakura’s very soul. There was no anger, no malice, just cold, enough to send shivers down Sakura’s spine.

“Sakura?” Riku’s voice pulled her back to the present, sharp with concern. “You’re trembling. Are you hurt?”

Sakura shook her head quickly, forcing herself to focus. Sakura shifted uncomfortably, “I’m fine,” her voice barely above a whisper, her bruises aching as she scanned the giant figures.

Riku didn’t look convinced, but there was no time for further questions. She gripped her oak staff tightly, her crimson eyepatch glinting under the strange light, “The Fade is messing with us, it’s launched an obstacle unknown to me.” Riku murmured, her voice cutting through the silence.

“It’s chess,” The Alchemist said, his voice calm but sharp. He stepped forward, his crimson cloak billowing slightly. “A game of wit, something you clearly lack, my lady.”

Sakura took a step back, shaking her head. “I... I don’t know if I can do this.”

The Alchemist turned his masked face toward her, the glowing runes on its surface casting faint shadows on the walls. “You don’t have a choice, Duchess,” he said smoothly. “None of us do. But you’re fortunate, I know this game. I’ll lead.”

“Lead?” Riku’s voice was sharp. She moved to stand beside Sakura, her gaze locking with The Alchemist’s. “You’ll lead, and we’re supposed to trust you? After what you’ve already cost us?”

The Alchemist shrugged, his tone laced with mockery. “Unless you’re secretly a grandmaster, Lady Riku”

Riku bite her lip, as her nostrils flared, “No”

Hidden grind grew behind The Alchemist mask “I suggest you let the one with experience take the reins. Or do you plan to gamble all our lives?”

“Enough,” Kaito said, stepping between them before the argument could escalate. “We need to figure out what’s happening before we tear each other apart.”

Emi stepped up to Riku leaning into whisper “I don’t like it ether but I have see him play chess a few time, he more experience than any of us”

As if in response, the deep, resonant voice from before boomed across the room “Players, take your positions. The game begins now.”

The group froze, the white figures twisted and clicked, their backs opening like mechanical shells. The compartments were just large enough for someone to step inside, the hollow interiors inviting and claustrophobic all at once.

“Inside,” The Alchemist said, his voice decisive. “If you’re in a piece, you’re safe, relatively. Stay outside, and you’re a sitting target.”

Riku hesitated, her grip tightening on her staff. “And who decides who goes where?”

“I do,” The Alchemist said without hesitation. “It’s my game to win.”

Sakura felt a lump rise in her throat as she stared at the waiting Knight piece. The glossy, hollow figure seemed to beckon her, She swallowed hard, stepping forward despite the trembling in her legs.

The Alchemist picked King, while Riku declared herself Queen, he then dotted everyone else between the remaining pieces.

The chessboard rumbled beneath their feet, the white tiles pulsing faintly with an almost hypnotic rhythm. Across the board, the black tiles hummed ominously, vibrating faintly as if alive. A cold, metallic sound echoed through the air as the black pieces began to shift. Their jagged, weapon-like appendages clicked and whirred, glinting dangerously under the dim light.

Inside the hollow Knight piece, Sakura gripped the cold metal handles, her palms slick with sweat. The interior of the piece was claustrophobic, its curved walls lined with faint, flickering screens that displayed an eerie, distorted view of the board.

Drone circled the board, announcing “Whites move first!”

She could feel the vibrations of the board through her boots, each tremor, more unsettling than the last as tense breaths, whispered curses, echoed faintly through the comms system inside the piece and the occasional sharp intake of air.

After a few defences movement Alchemist’s tone suddenly changed

“Pawn, forward!” The Alchemist’s voice cut through the static, calm and authoritative. From her position, Sakura could see it was moving into a dangerous position as the white pawn glided forward, its movements eerily smooth.

The response was immediate. The black piece came to life, their movements jerky but deliberate. The opposing pawn advanced, their jagged limbs snapping like scythes.

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One of Riku’s followers, a young student named Jun, occupied the far-left pawn. His shaky voice came through the comms. “They’re coming right at me. What should I do?”

“Hold your ground,” The Alchemist said without hesitation. “That’s your role.”

Jun’s breath hitched audibly. “But…”

Before he could finish, a black pawn lunged forward with terrifying speed. Its blade-like arm slashed downward, slicing through the white pawn’s hollow shell. A horrific crunch echoed across the board as Jun’s scream filled the comms. The white pawn collapsed in on itself, sparks and shards of metal scattering across the board.

Inside her Knight piece, Sakura froze. Her stomach churned as the distorted feed on her screens showed the mangled remnants of Jun’s piece. The comms fell silent, save for the faint crackle of static.

“Jun!” Riku’s voice was sharp, filled with disbelief and fury.

“As we all assumed, he played his part,” The Alchemist said coldly. “Now, focus. Or no one is getting out alive.”

Sakura clenched the handles tighter, her knuckles white. The Alchemist’s words echoed in her mind, twisting like a blade.

From her position, she could see the remaining pawns hesitate, their movements faltering.

“Pawns, advance!” The Alchemist barked once more. “Now!”

The pawns obeyed, gliding forward reluctantly as the game continued. The black pieces shifted in response, their movements calculated and relentless. Another clash erupted on the right flank, and another pawn was captured, the hollow shell crumpling like paper.

Sakura felt a cold sweat trickle down her back. Inside her Knight, the vibrations of the board intensified with every move.

Through the comms, Riku’s voice broke through the tension. “We can’t just throw them away like this! Alchemist, you’re playing with their lives!”

“This is chess,” The Alchemist replied, his voice unyielding. “If you want to win, you must be willing to lose. Or would you prefer we risk the Knights or the Queen?”

Sakura’s chest tightened as she glanced at her screens. The distorted image of Riku’s Queen piece stood unwavering in the back row, but she could feel the weight of the Alchemist’s strategy pressing down on them all.

“Riku, we have to trust him,” Emi’s voice came, low but steady. “He knows what he’s doing,”

Riku’s silence spoke volumes.

The black pieces moved again, their relentless advance forcing the white side into action. This time, The Alchemist directed one of the rooks to intercept an attacking bishop. The clash was brutal but effective, the white rook crushed the black bishop in a single, decisive blow.

Sakura watched the exchange unfold, her heart pounding. The Alchemist’s strategy was working.

“Knight, prepare to move,” The Alchemist’s voice crackled through her comms, snapping her out of her thoughts.

Sakura swallowed hard, her fingers trembling as she adjusted the controls. The Knight piece shifted to its new square, its sleek frame responding to her movements.

“Stay sharp, Duchess,” Lan’s mocking voice came through the comms, tinged with dark humor. “We’re counting on you to do something heroic.”

Sakura’s jaw tightened. “Just tell me where to go.”

“Patience,” The Alchemist said, his tone almost patronizing. “You’ll move when the time is right. Until then, hold your position.”

“Bishop to E4,” The Alchemist commanded, his voice unwavering.

A girl named Kanna, hesitated before moving forward. Her piece shifted unnaturally, almost floating across the board. The black pieces reacted immediately. A shadowed bishop lurched toward Kanna’s piece, its jagged appendages slicing through the air with unnatural speed.

Kanna tried to evade, but her controls didn't budge, the enemy bishop was fast. With a sickening crunch, the white bishop crumpled under the force of the black piece’s attack. Sparks flew. A brief, piercing scream echoed over the comms before cutting off into static. The bishop's shell collapsed inward, consuming Kanna whole.

Sakura’s breath hitched. Another gone.

Riku’s voice snapped through the comms, sharp and laced with fury. “You knew that would happen! You sent her to die!”

“She was a bishop. She fulfilled her role,” The Alchemist replied coolly. “Now focus. The next few moves are critical.”

Sakura felt her stomach turn. She wasn’t sure what unsettled her more, confined inside her possible tomb or how detached The Alchemist was from it all.

The battle raged on. More pawns fell, the Alchemist sending the shells forward when possible, their hollow chess pieces shattering upon capture but it wasn’t without loss, the Dreamers found them assault regardless of their pilots lost within their wreckage. Each scream was a dagger in Sakura’s chest, but The Alchemist didn’t falter. He directed their forces without hesitation, trading lives as though they were nothing more than pieces on a board.

Then the enemy Queen moved.

The colossal black Queen piece surged across the board, a silent force of destruction. It towered over everything else, its dark, spiked exterior glinting under the dim lighting.

Sakura’s screen flickered as a warning flashed: Threat Detected – High Priority Piece Activated.

The black Queen wasted no time. It struck down one of the remaining white rooks with terrifying precision. The captured piece screamed as its shell cracked, metal screeching against metal before it was torn apart. Another ally is gone.

Inside her Queen piece, Riku’s breathing was heavy over the comms. “It’s targeting us.”

The Alchemist responded almost too quickly. “Knight, move now.”

Sakura’s controls lit up, prompting her move. Her stomach clenched.

“I can’t take it alone!” she protested.

“You’re not alone. You’re the distraction,” The Alchemist replied.

A pit formed in Sakura’s gut.

Still, she obeyed. Her Knight moved swiftly across the board, cutting diagonally to close the distance. The black Queen twitched, as if reacting to her presence. It turned.

The trap was set.

“Rook, attack!” The Alchemist barked.

Riku’s remaining rook, piloted by a tall, broad-shouldered boy named Hideo, charged in, slamming into the Queen’s exposed flank. The impact sent a shockwave rippling across the board. The Queen staggered, before it crumbled.

But The Alchemist had miscalculated.

Emi’s piece, the last remaining white bishop, was in the open, her screen flashes red. Threat Detected – Counterattack Imminent.

“No, pull back!” Sakura yelled, as she noticed the board.

But it was too late.

The enemy Knight struck Emi’s Bishop piece with horrifying force. A jagged appendage pierced through the shell like a spear. The crackling comms filled with Emi’s strangled gasp.

Riku’s scream tore through the silence. “EMI!”

Emi’s last breath came as a whisper. “It’s okay, my lady.”

Then, her piece collapsed in on itself, the metallic walls crushing inward, sealing her fate.

The Alchemist went silent. For the first time since the game began, he didn’t immediately issue a command.

Sakura’s body was frozen, her breathing ragged. Her screens flickered with static where Emi’s position had once been.

“Damn it,” Kaito’s voice cracked. “She, she, can't be, she cant.”

Riku’s comms were silent, but Sakura didn’t need to see her to know she was devastated. Emi was one of the founding club members, right hand to Riku.

The Alchemist, however, exhaled sharply. “Unfortunate,” he muttered, his voice eerily calm. “But necessary.”

“You knew.” Riku’s voice was a venomous whisper.

“She forced the Queen into check. That was the sacrifice required,” The Alchemist said, unfazed. “The board is in our favor now.”

Sakura gritted her teeth. She could feel the rage rolling off Riku, even from within her piece. “You son of a—”

“Focus,” The Alchemist interrupted. “We can grieve later.”

Another silence.

Then, Riku’s voice returned, colder than Sakura had ever heard it. “When this game is over, we’re going to have a very long conversation, Alchemist.”

The Alchemist only chuckled. “Then let’s ensure we live to have it, shall we?”

Sakura could feel the tension between them, thick enough to suffocate.

But the game wasn’t over.

The black King had yet to move.