Olivia raised her arm for the usual handshake. We sat down and waited for the invocations to finish. I closed my eyes, trying to ignore the menacing gaze of my rival, to remember what I had read that day. A huge book, dusty and forgotten, contained what I needed to know,

During our research in the library that morning, I had remembered what Abigail had said about the player who had beaten Valentina. The one who was actually over a hundred years old. So I deduced that, that girl had found information in older books. I then asked my protector to help me find the older books.

In one of those books, whose size impressed me, I found the solution to my problem. On Earth it was usual to have thousands of useless thoughts, to lose energy and therefore to be less efficient. If I managed to do the same as I did during my game against Abigail, but in an even better way, I could increase my playing ability much more. That book promised me that.

The idea would have been perfect, had it not been for the inconvenience of doing the practice described in the book. Every time someone made use of that forgotten technique, his being would suffer indescribable consequences. At least that was what the book said, and in fact, it did not describe the consequences. But I feared it would be painful.

The forgotten technique in that old book was not easy to execute, in fact the whole huge book contained such techniques; the one I read alone took up more than a third of the book. It was a lot of pages. However, I managed to read a chapter that could be useful to me that afternoon, if my body and mind could resist.

The technique of Mental Purity was not against the rules. However, the risks were so great that the few players who had tried it within the school had spent months in the infirmary. Of course, they came back to play, but they definitely discarded the technique. In reality, most of the techniques in that book were risky and had rarely been used in competition against the Black School.

The cry he feared thundered from the library walls. “Chess fighters, start playing!”

I heard the clocks go off, my timer started ticking, and I still wouldn't open my eyes; I would play White. The murmurs grew louder around me, I heard Olivia's mischievous giggle and continued to ponder. During the minutes that had passed so far, I only managed to remember the story of the ancient technique.

Mental purity was difficult to master, and I had barely read part of the whole explanation about it. It so happened that the school books were updated as time went by, instantaneously. Thus, I was able to read that, as of the date I was reading the book, no one had survived by using that technique in competition against the Black School.

“Gabriel, from piece sixteen. Your time is running out, if it runs out you will lose and your opponent's protector will have absolute freedom to hurt you!” Shouted the master.

For each game, ninety minutes were allotted per player and we got thirty seconds each time the timer was pressed. I tried harder to ignore the sounds of the place, I needed to remember that technique.

I seemed to be the focus of the crowd's attention. I made my first move, disappointed that I couldn't remember everything I had read. The people upstairs were still murmuring and I could feel their accusing stares.

I tried my best to concentrate, just as I did against Abigail, but I couldn't. My mind was too weak, I was easily distracted and failed to see my opponent's future moves. I was getting angry, sweating dense icy drops. After a couple of tens of minutes and a small mistake that Olivia knew how to take advantage of, her owl slashed my right cheek and ran its claws across my chest as well.

“I'm an idiot and I still have a fever. Abigail was right.” I stammered, trying to straighten up in the chair. The new injuries had awakened the pain of my past injuries.

I continued to play, but each move hurt me more. The game was not lost, but my position was not comfortable at all. My opponent knew how to take advantage of every attack on the board to make his bird damage my body more. I looked up, as if seeking forgiveness from Abigail. She looked at me angrily, she was bathed in tears, and suddenly bent down to take out her diary.

It was my turn to play, I wanted to give up and stop striving for something I was no good at. Those thoughts were exactly the same thoughts I had when I was on Earth. I kept my eyes on Abigail, but she couldn't see me, she was just writing in her diary. Suddenly, in a hurry, she put it away again and began to move her hands. I could hardly see her, my vision was beginning to blur, and I wasn't close enough to understand her sign language.

With effort, I straightened up and watched the huge movements the mute young woman was making from that dais. “You are stronger than you think.”

I had about thirty minutes left, my opponent more than an hour. I closed my eyes again and breathed slowly. “What was it that I did when I beat Abigail?” but I couldn't manage to remember anything special. Then my mind stopped thinking about Olivia and my past, Abigail and Valentina's faces were starting to invade my mind. Suddenly, a listing popped into my thoughts; it was the requirements for using Mental Purity.

I moved a piece, sure of what Olivia would do. Seconds later, she made her move. The board represented a battlefield full of probabilities that I knew in detail. I knew, at every turn, what move my opponent would make. Somehow my pain disappeared, I felt no more sweat or blood.

Olivia kept playing, slower and slower and more and more cautiously, She had started the game very aggressively, keeping continuous attacks against the position of my pieces on the chessboard. Suddenly, after I lost track of time and the perception of others around me, the game was more fun. Yes, now I was even having fun, even though I was still not winning.

I saw the timer in an instant, didn't lose concentration and determined that in the few minutes I had left I could beat Olivia if she made any serious mistakes; which she did a couple of moves later. My position was now winning, I knew that even without concentration I could find the winning move. It was my turn and in order for me to be able to go to the infirmary soon to give Valentina the good news, I decided to play faster.

The light suddenly went out. I was about to make the move that would defeat Olivia in the next five moves. But I lost sight of the board.

Shuddering screams and loud explosions began to ring in my head. I thought, “there was nothing like this in the book”. Suddenly corpses appeared before me, one row after another, pile upon pile. Blood everywhere and a putrid smell made me feel nauseous. “Thank the gods for allowing us this victory!” A military man shouted proudly. I felt as if that man was watching me and thanking me.

I sensed again the light of the library, the smooth marble of the table, and the faint voices of those watching the games. I looked up, sweaty and with the pains back in me; more intense and blinding. Olivia was focused on the board, then she looked up at me; her eyes were trembling and the sweat from her forehead was dripping onto the marble, that was instantly wiped clean. I looked at the pieces on the board. I was winning.

I no longer needed the technique, the next moves were in my mind, I knew what I should do. But the use of Mental Purity had weakened my body. Along with that, the images and sounds of my hallucination distracted me. In an instant I remembered Master Susanna's words, I imagined that I was causing those devastating acts I visualized.

I looked closely at Olivia again, her face flushed and holding back tears. Her clothes and skin were shredded. To top it all off, the image of Valentina, freshly defeated, came to my mind. I pulled my hand away from the piece I had chosen to move, without having touched it. I turned to look at my protector as if seeking advice; that wolf had changed, it was huge, its fangs held pieces of clothing and its claws had red tints.

I shook my head, looked up and saw Abigail without tears, looking at me surprised and with a very demure smile. I closed my eyes and, after opening them, moved my hands in her direction, “I'm not as strong as you think.”

Next, my hand changed targets, I took the white king and laid it down on the board. “Forgive me, Olivia, I wish we didn't have to cause so much damage.” I said to my opponent, who looked at me, shaking his head in denial.

All around me, the murmurs became noisy accusations. The platforms of the pieces rumbled with the movements of their occupants. The companions at the other tables watched us for a few seconds. For my part, my blood was gushing; if it had happened on Earth, I would have died long before. The pain consumed me and my head felt a hellish heat. My whole body was burning like a bonfire.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Keep your composure! Izan, guide of the sixteenth, execute!” Said the master.

Suddenly I caught a glimpse of Abigail's blurry figure running toward the guide Izan. He pushed her easily, throwing her to the floor. I cursed between my teeth, but I didn't even have the strength to take a step.

“I remind you, fighters of all parts. Cheating is punished in the worst way. Let this be a lesson to you all.” Announced the master in a loud, gravelly voice.

Izan drew his sword, brighter and brighter every second. Abruptly, he moved from standing on the dais to stand inches away from me. The icy edge pierced my chest, my heart. I couldn't even scream, my whole body refused to respond and my eyes bugged out. A plea reached through my mind, but I knew I had done the right thing.

I opened my eyes in my room, the one in the human world, surprised to feel no pain at all. I slowly checked myself for wounds, there was not one. My computer was still on in front of me. I straightened up in my chair and looked at the clock on the screen, it had been almost two days.

“So did I dream all that?” I whispered.

“No, you didn't sleep forty hours! But what about humans?” Said a familiar voice.

In front of me stood in his shiny, elegant suit, the guide Izan.

“Did you return me to Earth?”

“Yes, it seems so. Sometimes I wonder why humans are considered an intelligent species, you know.”

“Why am I here?”

“You cheated.”

“I cheated?”

“You had a totally unexpected victory, which surprised us. But you surprised us more by surrendering. That, Master Gabriel, is cheating.”

“I suppose you think I fixed my defeat with Olivia.”

“Oh no, Master, I know you are worthy and honorable despite all your mistakes in the human world. You don't want to hurt anyone, you don't want to do the wrong thing, you even still blame yourself for the death of your best friend, which you had nothing to do with. You're a good man.” He replied calmly, pacing around my room.

“Then why is what I did cheating?”

“Because you were going to win, you knew how to win. But, you also knew that Olivia would be brutally hurt if you launched your last attacks, you knew that many people on Earth were suffering because of your game. So, you decided to lose - Master Gabriel, we know when a player doesn't want to win!”

“I understand... Now what, you'll kill me? Ah no, you ran me through with your sword, am I in heaven?”

“Heaven, hell; poorly written stories for poorly educated children.”

“I don't understand.”

“It's your room, it's your world, the human world, mortal. You're still alive!”

“Then I still don't understand why I'm here.”

“This is a warning, first and only, to you and those of your piece. If you cheat again or anyone of your piece cheats, the punishment will be to return you to your world with no memory of what you experienced in my world and your spirit completely dead. Everything you do will be painful and everything around you will be loneliness.”

“What would be the difference with my life so far?”

“It would be to your advantage not to find out.”

The room went completely dark in a flash, the sounds disappeared and my eyes closed. As my eyelids moved, slow and heavy, the white light of the infirmary thrilled me and my body screamed again in pain. Everywhere, every rib and bone in my being suffered. Every inch of me wanted to die, until I saw what lay beside me.

Next to me, on my bed, the head of a little girl rested with the tenderness of a being who knows no evil intent. Valentina's curls were so close that I could have caressed them with my breath. I strained to put out one of my arms to caress the soft cheeks of my little companion, but it hurt atrociously. I could barely wrap my finger around one of the innocent's hair.

A tray and a couple of dishes suddenly hit the floor. I looked up to see Abigail with tears streaming down her face and her hands shaking. She waved with a smile toward the entrance, as if beckoning someone. In short, but quickened steps came in Gabriela and Henry.

“She woke up?” said Henry as a groggy Valentina rubbed her eyes.

The three entering unloaded their trays on a couple of tables, while Valentina cried, hitting me with all her might. In my state, those little fists caused great damage.

“Calm down, calm down, or you'll kill him.” Gabriela said softly, as she pulled Valentina away from me.

“Hello.” I said, glad to see those four together.

Gabriela, Valentina and Henry said emotional words to welcome me. Then Valentina sat down next to me to eat. That little girl took little spoonfuls for herself and, as she chewed, she brought spoonfuls of food to my mouth. The scene was wonderful, except for Abigail.

Since everyone came in, Abigail made no gestures or hand movements toward me. She didn't write anything, she didn't even want to look at me. During breakfast, she sat at the entrance to the room, head bowed, looking at the tray resting on her legs.

“At least she's eating.” I said.

“She's very happy to see you, really.” Gabriela said.

“I know, she would never hate me.”

“Oh, but of course she hates you.” Said Valentina, blowing on the hot chocolate they had brought for me.

“Honey, she doesn't.” Said Gabriela as Henry pretended not to be holding back laughter.

“You made her cry, a lot, she was crying for you for two weeks.” Refuted the girl.

“Two weeks? But how long have I been here?”

“I woke up a week after you were punished. So, you were unconscious for about two months. You're lucky!”

“Two months? How's that, lucky?”

“Master Susana explained that, because of what you did, they could have sent you to Earth with no memory and your injuries. Besides, in the state you were in, not by a miracle would you have survived there.” Gabriela said.

“But he also said they would probably give you a warning...” interjected Henry.

“The warning would be for everyone.” Interrupted Valentina.

“Right, the warning would have you many months recovering on your own, without additional help.” Gabriela said.

“What do you mean, without help?” I said.

“Our bodies recover thanks to our own power and the magic of the infirmary. Without help means that the magic of the infirmary would not intervene. Look at you, you've been here for two months and you still have mortal wounds, you can't even move.” Said Gabriela, helping Valentina reach the chocolate for me.

“You don't have a caregiver like the one I had either.” Valentina said.

“That's why we are here, Gabriel. No one would have guarded your room, you would have been at the mercy of any attack from the other pieces.” Gabriela continued.

“I have my protector anyway.” I grumbled.

“You don't. Izan disabled your protector. You only have your own power.”

I felt both grateful and worried. Those people, one of whom had been my enemy, had been looking out for me. I blamed myself, remembered the way I had lost, but most of all, I remembered the horrible vision I had during the game.

“I haven't wanted to say it because it's not my thing, but thank you, Gabriel,” Gabriela said.

“Why?”

“You saved Olivia, she won't tell you, but she's very grateful.”

I sighed, resigned to relying on the care of Abigail and the others. “Thank you, Gabriela, thank you.” I relaxed and it dawned on me. “Olivia, what happened to her?”

“She's been challenging everyone in challenges, lost too many games and got hurt too many times. She became obsessed with being better than you. She's not bad, she doesn't want to hurt you, but she's full of fear and doesn't want to come last.”

“Last of what?”

“Gabriel, you were gone a long time. The situation is difficult. I've been holding my own thanks to Abigail's advice, although I've lost many times already. Abigail has won most of her games, Henry and Valentina have suffered quite a few defeats, no one wants to be last on the scoreboard Focus.”

“Out of pride, we'll all have to face the Black School in the end.”

“It's not like that. Shortly after you were punished, we were pitted against each other in a tournament between pieces. It was a week, one game each day, seven games to define the best piece in the school. The best piece would get more than three hundred points for each of its members. And, at the time of the match against the Black School, the sixteen players with the most points would be immune to attack and pain.”

“That was never explained, how are we doing?”

Gabriela sighed and Henry stood up to gather all the utensils on trays, looked at me resignedly and walked out.

“We were the last piece in the tournament. In Focus points, only Abigail and Olivia remain in high positions, although lately they've been slipping.”

Shocked by what I was hearing, I felt even guiltier. I had abandoned Valentina and Abigail, because of my weakness. However, Olivia had not suffered too serious damage thanks to my surrender. I was confused.

“You are a fool.” Valentina said.

“Yes, I know what you're talking about.” I replied.

“You made Abigail cry, you made me cry, Gabriela too.”

“Hush girl!” raised Gabriela's voice in a jocular tone, covering the girl's mouth with one hand.

“You cried for me?” I said, looking at the one who had humiliated Abigail the first day.

“Of course I didn't. Well, I was touched by your situation and what you did to save Olivia. But, what struck me the most was seeing these two worried about you.” He replied, indicating with his eyes the little girl and the mute young woman who still refused to come near me.

The hours passed, that day there was no class to attend, so the girls and Henry accompanied me. Sometimes he would go to one or the other, for a few moments they all stayed and we played some games. Valentina indulged herself in hitting me repeatedly and Abigail kept sitting in a corner of the room, reading, her head bowed.

It was time for bed, Henry and Gabriela had gone to the room in room sixteen while Abigail remained in the same place ignoring me. The young mute girl barely got up to go to the bathroom, sometimes with Gabriela and sometimes with Valentina. For her part, Valentina had curled up in a chair next to my bed for the night.

“Aren't you planning to go to the room in the piece with the others?” I said to Valentina.

“Since Abigail brought you, I've stayed here. I'm not leaving you alone.” She replied.

I looked at her, closed my eyes and faintly caressed her face, “Thank you, but Abigail is here.”

“Don't you think if I leave you alone with her, she'll beat you worse than me?”

“Is she that angry?”

“Because of you she was crying for two weeks, her eyes were red and huge!”

I sighed, “I guess they told you everything, do you think what I did was wrong?”

Valentina moved closer to me, gently hugged my arm and put her stuffed cat on my other side.

“You saved Olivia, that's not bad.”

“What if I told you that, besides her, I gave up for another reason?”

The little girl opened her eyes and stared at me. Curiosity was surely robbing her of sleep. Suddenly, a pillow flew towards my face. Valentina jumped back in her chair and I screamed from the pain. Any touch on my skin caused me to suffer. I pushed the pillow out of the way and looked up at its source; a silent woman was staring into my eyes, her cheeks flushed and a frown on her face.

“Speak up already, you idiot! Why did you do such a stupid thing?”

I moved my eyes fleetingly to Valentina, who was watching Abigail's hands and face with confusion. In that instant, I was relieved that the girl didn't understand the signs of a mute woman.