A loud roar. A massive impact. A shock wave.

Then, silence.

Aside from the rain, the gray world was filled with silence.

With my eyes closed, I pondered if death was like this, quiet and tranquil. No, I wouldn’t be able to have thoughts like this if I were dead. Or was it only the misconception of humans that thoughts would cease to exist after death?

As if to answer my question, another roar resounded behind me. Another massive impact. Another shock wave.

Silence once again.

Slowly, I opened my eyes. As I turned around to see what happened, another set of the same sequence of sounds came. As the dust and rubbles blew away, my eyes widened at the spectacle before me.

The black figure’s massive rock-like fists were blocked by a huge white sword.

Wielding the sword was a white figure.

White skin. White hair. White armor. White helmet.

White. White. White. Everything was white.

Every time the black monster roared and threw a punch, the white sword would turn into a white haze then block it. The white knight seemingly still the entire time.

“Tch.”

A voice came from behind the black monster. There, I saw a man with skin covered by black shadows. All except for his eyes, mouth, and clothes were black.

“Arbiter, this isn’t what you said!”

He yelled into the air as if talking to an invisible person.

“Oh my, I didn’t expect this either.”

An irritating voice. It was the same person who appeared earlier. To the side, the tailcoat and umbrella figure faded in out of nothing. His umbrella was open and blocking the rain. The plain white mask revealed no expression, but he gave the impression that he was smiling behind it.

“As you have heard earlier, I gave him no hints. He did this all on his own.”

“You said this was certain victory!”

“It’s not my fault that you spent too much time playing around. You gave him too many chances. If this were another foe, you would have been dead long ago. And you were wondering why you couldn’t win.”

“Grrr. I told you I can’t lose this one. It’s the end for me if I lose!”

Despite his obvious anger at the masked man’s words, his voice was getting desperate.

“Hmm… nothing much I can do. I’m just the arbiter after all. I can’t help you cheat. I already did what I could to favor you.”

Just like that, he disappeared while shaking his head.

“Damn it!”

The man’s deep blue eyes stared at me. Anger, hatred, and lust for blood swam in them. There was also a hint of fear and desperation.

I still don’t know what’s going on, but it seems like this white knight was something I called based on the masked man’s words.

“Pounder, ignore the knight and crush its king!”

Hearing those words, the black monster’s red eyes glinted with madness. It pushed the white knight and stepped back. Then it jumped over its head. It was aiming to crush me, just like the man’s orders.

With my body battered with wounds and bruises, I barely managed to dodge.

“Stay fucking still! Pounder, do it! Mad Charge!”

Black points of light appeared around its body. It let out a roar at point blank range that caused my innards to rattle. I was blown back a few meters away and was left powerless to stand. I won’t be able to dodge this time.

As I await my death, my eyes met that of the white knight’s. Through its opened visors, a pair of mesmerizing white eyes that shone like a gem stared right into me.

It was waiting for something.

Waiting for a command.

Thoughts filled my head. I had already accepted my fate. I was willing to die. I had said the words I needed to say. Everything was done. I was ready to let go.

But those eyes stared at me. Dependence. Loyalty. Eagerness. It was waiting for something. It was waiting for me.

A command was all it needed for it to move. Like a fact, those words registered itself in my head. A command. An order. A word of power.

What was it that I wanted? What was it that I wished for?

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

With the loss, regret, realization, and fulfillment I had gone through, what more do I need?

“He…”

I mouthed the silent word that will trigger the events that would change my fate.

BOOM!

A sonic boom resounded as black light dashed straight toward me. The massive figure covered with a black glow would crush me in a moment.

Once again, I felt unwilling. I don’t want to die. I may have said the words I wanted to say, but she wasn’t there to hear them.

What was it that I wanted? What was it that I wished for?

I wanted to say thank you.

I wanted to apologize.

I wanted to say that I loved her.

I wanted to tell her to stay.

I wanted her to hear those words.

That was what I want. That was what I wish for.

As if to help me fulfill those, a bright white glow covered the dashing darkness and the gray world beyond.

CRASH!

The nearby buildings collapsed. A massive crater appeared on the concrete road. Rubbles flew into the air. A massive shock wave spread all around except for my location.

In front of me was the white knight. Her body was emitting a beautiful white glow. Points of colored light seem to gather around her. Her white sword was gleaming with many colors.

Like the rainbow after the rain, her sword drew a perfect arc and struck the darkness in front of her.

“NO! NO! NO!”

The man thrashed wildly as he looked at the headless corpse of the black monster in front of him. A figure appeared beside him. It was the masked man who called himself an arbiter.

“That was pretty impressive. Now, finish off the king.”

He said to me. At first I was confused, then I realized that he meant killing the man. I shook my head. Although he tried to kill me, I was not the sort of person who would kill a defenseless person in retaliation.

“That isn’t possible. Unless he surrenders, you have to finish off the king!”

He said in a matter-of-fact way.

“It’s just like chess. Go on. Don’t worry. Death isn’t the end in this world.”

“What do you mean?”

“Like I said, it’s just like chess. This is just a game. Killing off a person here doesn’t mean they would die.”

“What about my si—Katie?”

I stopped myself before calling her sister. After everything that happened, I couldn’t muster the courage to continue playing this pretentious act of being her brother.

“I’ll tell you about it if you finish him off.”

The man stared at me. His deep blue eyes were filled with fear. If killing him here wasn’t real, then why does he make that face? I felt hesitant, but the arbiter’s words were tempting.

“Will you really tell me?”

I asked as a confirmation.

“Of course! I’ll tell you everything you need to know.”

That sickly sweet voice was irritating. I looked at the white knight who stood beside me as if perpetually waiting for my command.

“Finish him.”

A white flash. A headless corpse.

I cringe at the mercilessness of my action.

How much more of this act will I commit in pursuit of the truth?

3rd Chapter

"White Knight"

End

A/N: Chapters have been way shorter than the prologue -_- Why???

It's the caffeine + exhaustion. I had been driving back and forth for the past two days (after posting the prologue) and tired myself out. While driving, I've been thinking of what to add to the story and had a few close encounters with road accidents. Never gonna do that again. Must focus when driving. Hear that, idiots who love to text and call while driving.

Anyway, I wrote and slept for a few minutes. When I wake up, I get a new bright idea, so I wrote again... then slept. Rinse and repeat... I should've been patient and just combined all three in one chapter. lol.

Anyway, thanks for the first rating, whoever gave that one.

This will be the last chapter for today. Thanks for reading!