- At Astral Nexus Academy

A huge commotion erupted throughout the academy after the shockwave swept across the campus.

Students panicked as the terrifying pressure washed over them, while instructors immediately rushed to restore order. Fortunately, Astral Nexus Academy was one of the most prestigious institutions on Earth, and its staff reacted with remarkable efficiency.

Within minutes, the chaos was brought under control.

There were no casualties.

Many students had collapsed unconscious after being overwhelmed by the pressure, but none had suffered any lasting injuries.

Class S, however, was a different story.

As the academy’s elite class, filled with the greatest prodigies of their generation, none of its students were affected as severely as the others.

Though shaken, every one of them remained conscious.

Among them, however, the calmest were undoubtedly the D’Archy siblings.

Having grown up under the same roof as the most powerful being on Earth, strange phenomena and overwhelming bursts of power had long since become part of their daily lives. Although this shockwave was by far the strongest they had ever experienced, none of them appeared particularly alarmed.

The siblings exchanged silent glances.

A single conclusion naturally surfaced in all of their minds.

If something on this scale had happened... There was only one person capable of causing it.

Their father.

"...What do you think happened?" Askara asked quietly as he glanced at Anggana, who had somehow managed to fall asleep beside him despite everything.

Anggana slowly cracked one eye open before looking at his brother.

He let out a lazy snort.

"Probably the Outer Gods acting up again," he muttered before closing his eyes once more. "Father probably reminded them who owns this planet..."

He yawned.

"...Nothing new"

With that, he looked ready to drift back to sleep.

Seated below them, Litani, Anindha, and Kiara had naturally overheard the conversation.

"Do you think Father wiped out the Outer Gods... Again?" Anindha asked curiously. "Like last time?"

"Probably," Kiara answered without much hesitation. "Considering how they’ve been behaving these past few years, I doubt Father would let them off so easily"

Litani rested her chin on one hand and sighed.

"I wish I could’ve seen it." A faint smile appeared on her face. "Father’s battles are always incredible"

"...Umm..."

A hesitant male voice suddenly spoke from beside Anggana.

"Should I move somewhere else... or maybe cover my ears?"

He scratched his cheek awkwardly.

"I have a feeling I probably shouldn’t be hearing this conversation"

The five siblings turned toward him simultaneously.

"Oh"

Litani blinked.

"It’s just you, Lucian"

Her tone carried the same casual indifference one might use toward a passerby they happened to recognize.

Anindha smiled politely.

"It’s fine. We’re not exactly discussing a state secret"

Lucian’s expression immediately stiffened.

His full name was Lucien Aurelius Valerius Caelestis, heir to House Caelestis, one of the Original Magician Families whose lineage stretched back to the earliest days of mana.

At only fifteen years old, he had already become a certified Advanced-Realm Magician, a level that even Jenn had not reached during her lifetime as a human.

By every reasonable standard, Lucian was an unparalleled genius.

Yet...

To the D’Archy siblings, he seemed no more remarkable than an ordinary classmate.

How could he not feel offended?

Still, he couldn’t bring himself to complain.

Compared to them, everything he had accomplished felt insignificant.

Even so, he remained the successor of House Caelestis.

His ancestors had fought beside the first generation of magicians during the fall of Emperor Nero, leaving behind a legacy respected by kingdoms and magical families alike.

His pride simply couldn’t accept being treated as though he barely existed.

His mind raced.

If he couldn’t surpass them in talent... Perhaps he could show them something they didn’t possess.

Then an idea came to him.

"Oh, right"

Lucian looked toward the siblings.

"Are you all free tonight?"

"Hm?" Kiara tilted her head. "We’re usually free. Why?"

Lucian straightened slightly, unable to hide a hint of pride from his voice.

"Today’s my father’s, the Patriarch of House Caelestis, birthday; we will be hosting a banquet at our estate tonight"

He smiled.

"The invitations have already been sent to the major kingdoms and ancient families, but I’d like to invite all of you personally"

"If you’re interested..." His gaze swept across the siblings. "...Please come with your family"

Inside his mind, everything was unfolding perfectly.

In terms of strength...

House Caelestis could never compare to the Saranjana Kingdom.

But there was one thing his family possessed that the kingdom did not.

History.

A legacy built over two thousand years.

For once...

He wanted to show the D’Archy siblings that there was at least one thing House Caelestis could stand proudly behind.

"...We don’t know about the rest of our family," Kiara replied after a moment, "but I think the five of us can come"

As she spoke, her eyes unconsciously drifted toward Aksara.

Ever since Ayana had been taken by the Demonic Cult, her brother had grown noticeably quieter. Although he tried not to show it, there were countless moments when his thoughts seemed to drift elsewhere, as though his mind was constantly searching for someone who wasn’t there.

Kiara had noticed it long ago.

Whenever an opportunity arose to distract him, she would gladly take it.

Even if only for a single evening.

Lucian, naturally, knew nothing about what was going through her mind, but seeing Kiara agree and noticing that none of the other D’Archy siblings voiced any objections, a wave of relief washed over him.

A smile gradually spread across his face.

Perhaps tonight, he could finally recover a little of the pride that had been thoroughly crushed since enrolling at Astral Nexus Academy.

"Great!" Lucian said with a bright smile.

"Then it’s settled. The banquet begins at seven this evening, though, for you guys, there’s no need to arrive exactly on time"

He chuckled softly.

"Feel free to come whenever you’d like"

He paused briefly before adding,

"As long as it isn’t too close to midnight"

"We, House Caelestis, have another family matter to attend to after the banquet concludes"

"Alright," Kiara replied with a nod.

--------

- At the Saranjana Kingdom.

Taufik smiled faintly as he leaned back in his chair.

"It was close"

Wisnu let out a soft chuckle and gently shook his head.

"Not at all"

His eyes remained fixed on the chessboard.

The pieces were scattered across the board, yet despite the seemingly balanced position from only a few turns earlier, everything had unraveled before he realized it.

His king stood cornered.

No escape.

No counterplay.

No miracle.

A perfect checkmate.

"...I lost," Wisnu admitted, slumping slightly in his seat as he stared at the board.

He studied the final position one last time before raising his eyes to Taufik.

"This game is interesting"

A warm smile appeared on his face.

"I’ve observed countless games throughout my incarnations... Kings and emperors used it to study war. Generals treated it as a lesson in strategy and sages often compared it to life itself"

His fingers gently picked up the fallen white queen before setting it back onto the board.

"But this..."

He looked at Taufik.

"...is the first time I’ve ever seen someone play chess like this"

Taufik raised an eyebrow.

"Like what?"

Wisnu chuckled softly.

"You don’t protect your pieces"

His gaze returned to the board.

"You willingly sacrifice them"

"Sometimes a knight"

"Sometimes a bishop"

"Even your queen"

He paused.

"At first, I thought you had made a mistake"

Another gentle laugh escaped him.

"So I accepted every sacrifice you offered"

His smile gradually became wry.

"And then, before I noticed..."

He lightly tapped his king.

"...I had already lost"

Taufik rested his chin on one hand.

"That’s because you were trying to preserve everything"

Wisnu blinked.

Taufik continued calmly,

"You valued every piece equally... So every sacrifice I made forced you to protect another"

He reached forward and picked up a single pawn.

"To you..." He turned the small piece between his fingers. "...every loss mattered"

His gaze met Wisnu’s.

"To me..." He placed the pawn back on the board. "...only the outcome mattered"

Silence settled between them.

Wisnu stared quietly at the board.

Then...

A smile slowly spread across his face.

"I see..."

For the first time since the game began, realization flickered in Wisnu’s eyes.

"This isn’t merely how you play chess," His gaze lifted toward Taufik. "...It’s how you’ve lived your life"

Taufik smiled faintly before slowly shaking his head.

"No"

He rested one elbow on the table.

"You’re mistaken, Wisnu"

He looked down at the chessboard.

"A single chessboard could never define my life"

Wisnu remained silent, sensing there was more behind those words.

Taufik reached forward and gently picked up a lone pawn again.

Holding it between his fingers, he examined it quietly.

"...Let’s say this pawn is a human"

"A fragile mortal"

He placed another piece beside it.

"The player... is a god"

His finger traced the squares of the board.

"And this chessboard..."

"...is the world itself"

Wisnu nodded slowly.

"So then..."

His eyes narrowed.

"...the one who created the chess?"

Taufik smiled.

"That’s the real question"

Silence settled between them.

Wisnu looked at him carefully.

"...Are you saying you’re the creator?"

Taufik immediately shook his head.

"No"

His answer came without hesitation.

"I’ve never seen myself as the one who made the board"

"Then..."bWisnu frowned slightly. "...what are you?"

Taufik didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he gently returned the pawn to the board.

"I am not the pawn"

His hand moved toward the king.

"I am not the player"

His gaze drifted across every piece.

"And I am certainly not the one who created this game"

He leaned back.

"So tell me... What does that leave?"

Wisnu fell silent.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Taufik slowly spread his hands.

"...Nothing"

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"And everything"

Wisnu looked at him.

Confused.

Taufik continued.

"The pawn follows the rules"

"The player uses the rules"

"The creator establishes the rules"

He paused.

"But I..." His smile widened just slightly. "...I reject them"

His eyes remained calm.

"I am the variable no one accounted for"

"The possibility that should never have existed"

"The flaw inside a perfect system"

He lightly tapped the chessboard.

"I’m the move that isn’t supposed to be legal...yet somehow happens anyway"

A quiet laugh escaped him.

"So no... I’m neither the pawn..."

"...nor the player..."

"...nor the creator"

His gaze met Wisnu’s.

"I am the Defiant"

Silence.

Long.

Meaningful.

Everything suddenly made sense to Wisnu.

The impossible victories.

The wars against overwhelming odds.

The countless choices that no rational being should have made.

The way Taufik repeatedly overturned outcomes that everyone else believed were absolute.

He had never been reckless.

He had simply refused to accept that the world had already decided the answer.

Wisnu’s expression softened.

"...No wonder Fate has never been able to control you"

Taufik chuckled quietly.

"Fate exists to preserve the board"

He calmly began returning every chess piece to its starting position.

"I exist..." He placed the final piece. "...to prove the board can be changed"

Wisnu watched him in thoughtful silence, then, after a long pause, a gentle smile appeared once more.

"I believe..." He folded his hands neatly on the table. "...I’d like a rematch"

Taufik raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

Wisnu nodded.

A playful glimmer appeared in his eyes.

"This time... I’ll stop trying to save every piece"

Taufik laughed.

"Be careful," He pushed the first pawn forward. "That’s usually how I convince people to lose even faster.l"

Wisnu laughed as well.

"I suppose I’ll have to discover that for myself"

For a while, neither of them spoke again.

The chessboard remained between them.

No Earth Sovereign.

No Preserver.

No burdens.

No destiny.

Just two old souls, sharing a quiet afternoon over a game of chess...

...while beyond the garden, the world slowly stepped into an age where even Fate could no longer predict the next move.

....

...

..

.