Chapter 1 — The Prelude To The Prelude (17)

She was asking me if I was still avoiding reality despite all that had been shown to me. Although a straightforward yes or no would have sufficed, I found myself at a loss for words.

"A silent response, I see. Well, I wasn't expecting much else," she said with a snap of her fingers. Suddenly, a set of chairs and a circular table fit for a royal tea party materialized before us.

"I'm rather weary of all this standing and walking about. Let's have a chat over some tea, shall we?" she suggested, gesturing to the seat opposite hers. However, I remained standing.

"Are you not going to sit?" she asked, tilting her head playfully.

"Just get to the point. I want to leave this place as soon as possible," I replied impatiently.

"Ahh, but where's the fun in rushing? Don't worry, it won't take too long," she said, her tone teasing. "Please, do take a seat."

With a heavy sigh, I reluctantly obliged and sat down. Suddenly, a steaming cup of tea appeared on the table. Although she gestured for me to take it, I did not reach for the cup.

"Now that we're both seated, let's pick up where we left off. Hmm...where was I again?" she paused, placing a hand on her forehead in mock confusion. "Oh dear, I seem to have forgotten. This is all your fault, Leon. You interrupted me right when things were getting interesting. Now I have to dig through my memories to remember what I was going to say."

She let out a theatrical groan before flashing a mischievous smile. "Ah, I remember now. I was going to ask if you finally understand how pitiful you are."

As soon as she uttered those words, I shot her a fiery glare.

Unfazed, the girl's grin only grew wider. "You do realize that being pitiful isn't exactly the best quality for a hero, right?"

"I'm well aware of that fact," I replied through gritted teeth.

She leaned forward, still smiling. "But of course you are. After all, who knows that better than you?"

With a casual flick of her wrist, she crossed her legs and took a sip of her drink. "Achieving greatness requires the courage to take that crucial step towards it," she remarked, a sly smile playing at the corner of her lips. "Have you ever played the game of chess?"

I was taken aback by the sudden shift in topic. Nonetheless, I kept my silence, even though I was no stranger to the game of chess. I had played it multiple times before and was decently skilled, although not as much as Marcus who had always managed to best me.

I remembered that the game of chess had been introduced to our world by the heroes from another world when they arrived here. It was a strategic game for two players, with each player moving sixteen pieces according to specific rules, in an attempt to checkmate their opponent's king. It had been one of my favorite games, but I hadn't played it in two years. It wasn't so much that I hadn't had the opportunity to play, but rather that I simply didn't want to.

She took another sip of her drink and continued, "I take it you're familiar with the game's most common piece - the pawn?"

Though I remained silent, I knew all too well about the pawn. The pawn was the weakest piece on the chessboard. In a sense, it served as the first line of defense for the more powerful pieces. However, in another sense, it was little more than a sacrificial pawn, ready to be thrown away in order to protect the more important pieces.

"You may assume that pawns are the weakest pieces on the chessboard, but in a way, you're both right and wrong at the same time."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Pawns have a power that no other chess piece possesses, and that is the power of promotion. When a pawn reaches the opposite end of the board, it can be promoted to any other piece, not just a queen. It could be a bishop, a rook, or a knight. Isn't that fascinating?" she said with a glint in her eye. "So you see, even the weakest and most insignificant of pieces can rise to greatness with the right strategy and opportunity."

With another snap of her fingers, a pawn suddenly materialized and floated in the air before descending into her palm. She grasped its head between two fingers and shook it back and forth like a tiny bell.

"I don't know why, but whenever I look at you, Leon, I can't help but think of pawns." The girl's grin widened as she toyed with the chess piece.

"..."

"Actually, it's not just you, Leon. Every single person is a pawn at the beginning of their journey. No one is an expert from the start, after all."

As she spoke, a chessboard materialized on the table before us, and with a flick of her wrist, she placed the pawn onto a square.

"Pawns can only move forward, never backward, but forward they must go," she explained, nudging the pawn one square at a time. "With determination, they will strive to reach the end of the board and become something greater. Mortals are no different. They will pursue their desires relentlessly, doing whatever it takes to become the person they aspire to be. Mortals are, after all, creatures of desire."

So we are all creatures of desire, huh?

The girl leaned forward and placed the pawn back on the chessboard, this time on its starting square.

"Say, what do you think will happen if a pawn never leaves its starting square throughout the game? Absolutely nothing, wouldn't you say? It just sits there, stagnant and insignificant. And it certainly won't miraculously transform into a powerful piece. Now, my dear Leon, if you insist on staying locked up in your chamber forever, you can't possibly expect to become the gallant hero you dream of being. As long as you sit idle, nothing will ever change. So, what's it going to be? Will you stay put like a lowly pawn or take action and make your mark on the world?"

"What's the point of trying to change when nothing ever does? That's why I ditched that silly dream of mine. I'm not foolish enough to chase after something that's beyond my abilities," I declared, my voice tinged with frustration.

"Oh, but you can be the hero you want to be if you put your heart and soul into it. Am I wrong?"

"Simply putting effort into it won't cut it. I'm not physically or mentally strong enough to achieve that kind of greatness."

"…Hmm. Heheh, it seems you're quite the bubble person," she giggled.

"...I think you mean humble," I corrected her.

"Ah, yes, that's the word," she nodded, taking a sip of her tea before breaking into a mischievous smile. "As I was saying, if you don't take action, nothing will change. You'll remain stagnant, Leon, the same sorry lad you are now. But if you dare to take a step forward, who knows? Maybe you'll become the hero you've always longed to be. The bottom line is this: nothing will change unless you do something about it."

Suddenly, a memory of my grandfather's words from four years ago flooded my mind. He spoke of how men are destined for greatness, but only if they take action. Those who remain stagnant, however, will never achieve anything great. It was like what the girl had just said about pawns - if a pawn doesn't move, it will never become a powerful piece.

For a moment, I entertained the idea that perhaps if I took a step out of my comfort zone, I could finally make a change in my life. But just as quickly, I dismissed the thought. Incompetence couldn't be overcome by merely trying to change. I was an incompetent person, and that was all there was to it.

"Leon, I have a question for you," the girl said, her voice cutting through my thoughts. She took another gulp of her tea before turning to face me with sudden intensity. "Do you want to change?" Her tone shifted abruptly to one of seriousness, catching me off guard.

Her eyes bore into mine, and despite my attempts to look away, I found it impossible to resist her intense gaze. It was as though I was being pulled into a vortex of darkness, a void that put even the pitch-black space around us to shame. Her eyes were like an abyss, endless and unfathomable.

Her piercing stare compelled me to blurt out, "How can I change?"

I was taken aback by my own question. Why did I ask that? Did I actually want to change? I hadn't thought so before, but perhaps the girl was right - maybe there was an unconscious part of me that longed to become someone great.

The girl's grin widened mischievously. "How should I know? It's up to you to figure out," she said. "But I can give you a small piece of advice: take a step and become stronger. If you don't, everything you hold dear will be at risk."

There was something about the way she said it that made me...uneasy.

"What do you mean?"

The girl's grin suddenly turned unsettling as she spoke with an air of mystery, "If you wish to keep those you hold dear from harm, then you must grow stronger. A catastrophe is looming on the horizon, one that will consume not only your world, but every world in every dimension.The die has been cast, and none can halt its progress now."

Her eyes glinted darkly as she continued, "The 'Twilight' is nigh. To protect your loved ones and survive, you must become stronger."