74 Chess

A transparent force field surrounded the board, which thwarted his attempts to reach the pieces or even walk past it and leave through the door.

Emir stood there, mesmerized by the fluidity of the pieces' movements, each one seeming to possess a spirit of its own. The sounds they produced were not mere clacks and clunks but instead evoked the feeling of an actual battlefield.

Approaching the board, he noticed it light up with a message:

{Defeat the opponent to unlock the next passage.}

Intrigued, he took a seat on a chair that stood facing the board and surveyed the pieces with a sense of anticipation.

The room was silent, save for the sounds of his breathing and the occasional creak of the chair beneath him.

Then suddenly, a holographic figure materialized before him, cutting through the silence without warning.