Extra's Descent

The chess game began.

Brandon had volunteered himself as Evelyn watched from the side.

Tak.

The first one to have made a move was Lancelott.

Tak.

Brandon didn't hesitate on his turn. It was the opening move after all. His own pattern had been imprinted in his mind.

However, ironically, Brandon wasn't that much of a chess fanatic.

It was the other Brandon instead, who was quite good at chess.

'Guess I could make use of his habits for now.'

Ironic.

Tak.

After moving his piece, it was then when Lancelott finally spoke.

"Tell me. Why didn't you join the guard's revolt?"

The guard's revolt.

After they had found out that three of them were killed yesterday, panic arose.

However, since they had never confirmed who or what killed them, they settled down.

Of course, they weren't stupid.

While there were some who thought they could redeem themselves by showing up in the auction—in particular—they were currently in the other head's chamber, taking the same task as Brandon and Evelyn, the others fled.

And those others were being hunted down.

"I think it's idiotic."

Tak.

Brandon replied as he moved his piece.

"Oh?"

Tak.

"How so…?"

"There's no point. I've only been in the syndicate for two weeks."

Brandon's gaze lingered on the auction hall. It hadn't started yet.

"But I can see immense potential brimming from it."

Then, he returned his gaze to the chess board and made his move.

Tak.

"I see no point in compromising my position. Especially given how fast I've climbed the ranks."

He boldly stated.

"I see…. I've more or less assessed your character now. So…."

Tak.

Placing his piece, Lancelott raised his head and looked at Brandon who looked back at him.

"Where does your allegiance lie?"

Just like Brandon, Lancelott was also wearing a masquerade mask.

It was compulsory for everyone participating in the auction to wear it.

But for Brandon, his mask was the Mirage Mask—contorted into a masquerade mask.

Tak.

"Myself."

"Haha. That's a good answer."

Tak.

The number of pieces on the board continuously dwindled.

The more time passed, the more pieces were taken.

It was a close game.

And truth be told, unlike his match with Matthew and Zed, Lancelott was quite a difficult opponent.

But in the first place, Matthew wasn't that good anyway.

For Zed however, before he had met Lancelott, Zed might've been the toughest opponent he faced in this current progression.

Their games were often close. But Brandon would win in each game.

That night, he was unbeatable.

All of a sudden, the auction hall became silent.

Tak.

"Looks like it's starting."

Lancelott said as he took a piece.

The queen.

Tak.

"You don't seem too interested, Sir Lancelott."

And Brandon replied, taking a piece for his own.

The rook.

"I'm not participating after all."

Tak.

Time passed.

And at the end of it….

"Checkmate."

It was Brandon's win.

"You're pretty good. I haven't lost like that in a long time."

"I think you were holding back, Sir."

"Not at all. I thought it was my win the moment I took your queen. But you sacrificed it on purpose, huh?"

"It was a gamble. Haha."

Truth be told, Brandon couldn't tell. While the game was close, only having his rook and bishop left as his special pieces left, it seemed as if Lancelott's focus lingered elsewhere.

"I think it's about time the two of you should go."

At Lancelott's instructions, Brandon pushed the chair back and stood up.

His head flicked towards Evelyn and they nodded their heads. Then, he turned his head back towards Lancelott.

"Understood."

Brandon and Evelyn left the room shortly after.

***

Lancelott leaned back and stared at the empty chair where Moriarty once sat.

He really wasn't holding back.

Just that, his attention was fixed on his opponent.

Whenever Brandon made a move, an image overlapped in his mind.

He kept recalling the good old days with his sister.

Lianne.

The only person he couldn't beat in chess, no matter how much he tried.

And when Moriarty had beaten him, memories continued to surface and all he could do was scoff.

"Ha."

Time passed and he stood up. He leaned on the railings and swept the view.

The auction had already started.

But of course, he wasn't particularly interested.

The same couldn't be said for the participants.

"And for the next item…."

There was a pillar that settled on the podium. On it, there was a veil.

The veil was removed, unveiling the item.

It was a necklace.

The auctioneer's voice cut through the chatter, drawing all eyes to the stage.

"Specifically drafted from the Milis continent. The Amulet of Sevenfold Resonance."

The room stilled, attention fixed on the amulet.

"This necklace allows the wearer to wield any of the seven basic magical affinities; fire, water, earth, wind, nature, lightning, and ice."

A murmur of interest swept through the crowd. They had never heard of such an artifact before.

"Unlike others, this amulet lets anyone, even those without magic, use these affinities."

Eyes widened at the revelation.

"However, that is for this item's classification. This one in particular allows the wielder special control over the ice affinity."

Lancelott watched the crowd with mild curiosity. The tension in the room was thick as participants weighed their chances.

"The bidding starts at 80,000,000 credits."

Hands shot up immediately. Voices overlapped as bids escalated.

Lancelott leaned against the railing, scanning.

The numbers climbed, fortunes gambled for the promise of obtaining the artifact.

The room buzzed with excitement and tension as the bids climbed higher, each masked figure eager to outbid the last.

The auctioneer's voice rose over the commotion, announcing the latest offer.

"100,000,000 credits!"

The stakes were high, and the atmosphere was charged with an obvious hint of desperation from the bidder.

As the bids escalated, one participant emerged as the frontrunner. A tall figure in a silver masquerade mask raised their hand with confidence.

"600,000,000 credits!"

A hushed silence fell over the room. The auctioneer paused, allowing the weight of the bid to settle over the hall.

"Do I hear 600,000,000 Million?"

The room remained silent as the silver-masked bidder glanced around, as if daring anyone to challenge their bid.

Finally, the auctioneer raised his gavel.

"Going once, going twice—"

Tak.

"Sold to the bidder in the silver mask!"

The gavel came down with a decisive crack, sealing the deal.

Lancelott watched the entire ordeal as he went to say,

"This is just the start."

Knock, knock—!

All of a sudden, the door to his chamber was knocked.

Lancelott walked towards it and opened the door.

Creaaaak….