Jefoar

Feeling the wind rush past him Cyrus slowly opens his eyes. His vision obscured by clouds of white until he is able to make out the worlds around him. The ground was covered in black and white segmented squares. falling closer to the ground Cyrus notice that there seemed to be a war raging across the land. Thousands of Black And White clothes soldiers were fiercely battling one another. The entire battlefield was filled with piles of dead bodies.

Looking around he notices that There was an almost endless stream of soldiers rushing towards the battle field from both sides.

"What's happening here? Why are there so many humans fighting each other?" Cyrus asks while looking around, But he soon forgets these question as he draws nearer towards the ground.

Beneath him he sees countless armies of demons marching towards the battlefield. Hundreds upon hundreds of them filling the sky with their black and white cloaks.

Cyrus quickly tries to gain control of himself summoning his shadows to slow his fall. However it not as effective as he though as he face plants into the dirt below.

"Ouch!"

Slowly getting to his feet, Cyrus looks around and notices the vast amounts of bodies covering the ground.

His heart begins to race as he takes in the scene before him.

Suddenly A screen flashes in front of his face with the words, "Put a stop to the endless war." plastered front and center. after reading it the screen changes and now reads.

[ "Scenario 1: Contribute to the great war.]

0/100

0/100

[Reward: An audience with your chosen king]

"What is this? Its like one of those games from back home." Cyrus mutters to himself. "And how do I contribute to the war?" He wonders aloud.

Without being given the chance to think any further Cyrus rolls to the side as a blade come down at where he once stood.

Turning around he notices a man wearing a black cloak and a large cone with a rounded tip standing before him.

"Wait, hold on for a second. I'm not here to fight with you." Cyrus says.

The man seems to not be able to hear him or simply doesn't care as he continues to swing his sword at Cyrus without any chance of stopping.

Reacting to the attack, Cyrus reaches for his rod before noticing that its not on his side. in fact He didn't have anything on him at all.

Cyrus quickly forms his shadow around his fist and slams it into his attackers face sending him flying backwards.

The attacker hits the ground hard and slides along the ground for a few meters before sliding to a stop.

A notification appears in front of Cyrus reading. [1/100]

"I suppose this is what it meant by contributing to the war. But I don't recall being asked for my opinion on the matter. I'm just supposed to kill people? Is that what this is?" Cyrus asks himself out loud.

As he stands there pondering the situation, he begins to walk over to the corpse of the soldier and picks up the blade he dropped.

"I'm sure he wont be needing this any more. Anyways I guess I should get to work. The faster I can make my way out of this book, The better.

Running towards the battlefield Cyrus begins cutting down soldier upon soldier as they rush at him.

"At least there attacking me first. I't would make me feel bad If it was just a one sided slaughter. although this is a bit pathetic." Cyrus mutters to himself as he starts to cut down a group of ten soldiers in a single swipe. "One would think that trained soldiers would put up more of a fight.

The windows progress now showed.

[23/100]

[13/100]

"Looks like the other meter has begun to increases as well. Maybe it has something to do with each faction?

Cyrus thinks while slicing through a black soldier's neck.

[24/100]

"Eh, no use worrying about the intricacy's of this system right now. I'm just going to focus on cutting down the enemies in front of me." Cyrus said to himself.

Cyrus quickly moves his shadow over to the next group of soldiers and uses it to slice through their necks.

[25/100]

[26/100]

[27/100]

[28/100]

[29/100]

Cyrus continues his rampage cutting down every soldier that comes near him with ease.

Until suddenly he notices his clothes changing. A large portion of his clothing had become pure white and only seemed to spread further as he cut down the black army.

Soon He was almost entirely white.

Continuing on his rampage through the battlefield of endless soldiers, a notification appears in front of him once more.

[Scenario complete]

[Rewards: Audience with the white king]

A bright light flashes around Cyrus as hes taken to a busy village bustling with life.

Hundreds of people in white were walking around carrying numerous different items.

There seemed to be carts everywhere as well as stalls of all sorts.

"What is this place?" Cyrus wondered aloud as he continued to stare.

In his hand was a rolled up scroll. looking down at the scroll brought up the words [Invitation] above it.

"I guess this was my reward for completing the scenario. I wonder where I would have to go to see the king?" Cyrus pondered to himself.

Stopping for a minute to take in the scenery, Cyrus makes out a large castle in the distance.

"I guess that's as good a spot as any."

Without hesitation Cyrus starts to walk towards the castle.

Walking through the crowds of people, Cyrus notices several other characters walking about.

From what he could tell, most of the people walking around were dressed in various shades of white.

"Come on, I have things to do." Cyrus mutters under his breath as he continues to walk.

Suddenly Cyrus hears a voice calling out to him.

"Hey, you there. You aren't a pawn are you?" The voice calls out again.

Looking around Cyrus sees that the speaker is a young girl who looks to be about fifteen years old.

She was wearing a dress made of some sort of fine fabric that seemed to shimmer in the sunlight.

Her hair was long and silky with a pale blue tint to it. Her skin was a light shade of pink with an almost translucent look to it.

"A Pawn?" Cyrus asks looking back at the girl.

"Yeah a pawn. A resident of this story." She says while pointing at several passerby's.

"What does that mean?" Cyrus asks.

"A pawn is just one of the many people that inhabit this story. Every person has a role in this story, but you don't seem to have one. So who are you?

"Well I'm Cyrus."

"Cyrus? That's a weird name. and that's definitely not a name associated with this story. Hmm, You might be just what we need. I'll introduce myself. My name is Elaine. I'm one of the main characters in this story and the daughter to the white king. Nice to meet you." Elaine says as she extends her hand towards Cyrus.

Accepting the handshake, Cyrus nods.

"It's nice to meet you as well."

I noticed that you were heading towards the castle. Did you plan on speaking with my father?

"Yeah, I was told that I needed to speak with him so i figured that this is the quickest way to finding my way out of here. Cyrus replies.

I'm sorry to tell you this but if it's a way out that your looking for, My father will not be able to help you. In fact, I don't think there is anyone here that could. You see our story has gone a bit off the rails recently.

"Off the rails? How so?" Cyrus asks.

"My father is currently engaged in an eternal battle with the Black king from the opposing nation. Which brings us to the problem at hand. This battle should have ended long ago with my fathers defeat, But something is stopping him from conceding as hes done before. The story has been disrupted and until we lose this war our story will not end. That's why I need someone to join the fray and find out what is influencing my father. We can't keep fighting for eternity." Elaine explains. "And as a bonus I'm sure that once the story resets, you should be forced back out of it as well."

Cyrus ponders this for a moment before asking.

"How do I join in on the fight?"

"Simple. Go and Meet with my father. After you two have spoken I will tell you my plan." Elaine replied.

"Alright then. I suppose I should start heading over to the castle. I'll meet you there." Cyrus says.

"Sounds good. See you there." Elaine smiles.

***

After making his way through the crowd, Cyrus eventually finds his way to the castle.

The castle was built on top of a small hill, surrounded by a large wall.

Upon entering the courtyard, Cyrus notices that it seems quite empty.

Looking around he notices that the only people in sight are a few guards sitting on either side of the gate.

"Stop right there!" One of the guards shouts as he walks over to Cyrus.

"You're not supposed to be here." The guard adds while grabbing Cyrus by his arm.

"Wait hold on, The king summoned me here himself." Cyrus protests while pulling out the invitation.

"Another guard opens the invitation before handing it back and pulling the other guard away. "Excuse us for our rudeness sir. Allow me to guide you inside. The king will want to talk to you."

dusting himself off Cyrus follows after the guard.

Inside the castle grounds, Cyrus notices that it seemed to be almost empty. Lifeless even.

There didn't appear to be anyone moving around and everything in view looked to be in a state of disrepair.

"This place looks abandoned." Cyrus mutters.

Making his way through the halls of the castle, Cyrus soon reaches a large throne room. Inside the room Cyrus sees several chairs of varying shapes and sizes.

Before the large throne sits a man dressed in white. Looking at him, Cyrus can tell that he is clearly of high status.

The man is dressed in a flowing white robe with gold embroidery all over it. His skin was pale, almost transparent. Only his eyes were visible. They were dark red and seemed to glow as if ember's burned inside of them.

Cyrus Kneels down before the throne.

"So you are the one sent to help me then?" The man says as he gets up from the throne. Please forgive our lack of hospitality. We have been enduring this war for an eternity. It has come to a point where we have neither the time nor resources to spare on such matters.

"I understand. I did not expect to be welcomed with open arms here." Cyrus replies.

As he speaks he notices that the man seems to be staring directly into his soul.

"Please stand." The man commands while extending his hand towards Cyrus.

Taking the mans hand, Cyrus feels a cold chill run down his spine as the man pulls him onto his feet.

"Thank you for coming." The man continues.

I see that you've already been through a lot in order to reach me. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been for you. I'm glad that you're here though. I'm sure that you will be able to help bring us victory in this war.

"I'll do whatever I can to help." Cyrus replies.

"Good then let us get to business. Have you ever heard of the Chessboard?" The man asks.

"No, I haven't." Cyrus replies.

The man nods his head and continues. "The Chessboard is a concept that was created by the first king of this nation. It represents the world that we live in. The entire world is divided into nine squares. Each square being a different country or city. And once powered by royal blood, whoever gains control of this board will be able to gain control the world itself. Your job to to obtain this relic and bring it to me. Once I have control of the relic, I will be able to end this conflict once and for all."

"That sounds simple enough. But how do I acquire this thing?" Cyrus asks.

There are six pieces split among the leaders of the world. The Red Rook, The Black King, The White King, The Blue Knight, The Green Bishop, and The bronze Pawn. Each piece is said to have a unique power or trait, which makes them valuable beyond measure. I will need you to gather the other five pieces so that I may combine them with my own. Then I will be able to use that power to unify our land once more.

"Alright. I'll do what I can." Cyrus says.

"Excellent. As you head out to collect the remaining pieces, I'll prepare for the next stage of the war. I'm expecting great things from you."

[Scenario Accepted: Rebuild the Board]

[Red piece 0/1]

[Black piece 0/1]

[White piece 0/1]

[Blue Piece 0/1]

[Blue piece 0/1]

[Bronze piece 0/1]

[Reward:?????]

***

As he exits the throne room, Cyrus notices Elaine waiting for him outside.

"Welcome back. What did you learn from my father?

Cyrus explains what the king had told him to Elaine.

"So you're going to try and collect all of the pieces?" Elaine asks.

"Yes, That's my plan." Cyrus replies.

"Let's get started then. First we need to locate the Red Rook and luckily for you shes not that hard to find. She resides in a small Kingdom located on the southern continent. The Kingdom of Eluthera." She works as a the Red Kings right hand. It shouldn't be too hard to convince her to hand over her piece if it means that her kingdom can avoid being dragged into our war.

"How do I get there?" Cyrus asks.

"Well, I know a guy that can help us with that. He's a merchant that can take you to the kingdom for a fee. Just follow me." Elaine says as she starts walking towards another exit.

***

They make their way through the castle until they reach a set of stairs leading downwards.

Leaving the castle, they begin making their way across the town.

"Do you mind telling me who this guy is?" Cyrus asks.

"He's called Kerkus. He used to work for my father before he retired to this town. He's also a good friend of mine." Elaine answers.

"Alright then, Let's go meet him." Cyrus says.

After reaching the bottom of the staircase, they make their way down a narrow street. Passing several shops and houses, they finally reach a large building made entirely out of wood. Upon seeing it, Cyrus notices that the roof of the house has completely caved in.

The door of the house is wide open and several wooden beams lie scattered about the entrance.

"I believe that this is his shop." Elaine points out as she steps forward.

Walking past the entrance, they enter the shop.

The inside of the shop is cluttered with numerous old rusted weapons and tools that are covered in dust. A single lantern hangs from the ceiling casting dim light over the entire room.

Cyrus spots a small figure hiding behind one of the shelves.

A small man with a bald head and beard slowly emerges from behind a shelf.

"Oh, It's you. I'm glad that you found your way here." The man says as he approaches the group.

"Hello Kerkus. This is The guy I was telling you about earlier." Elaine introduces Cyrus.

"Ah yes, The boy who came to ask for my help. Well, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kerkus. And I'm guessing you are Cyrus. I've heard that you need transport to Eluthera. I can easily help you with that. And as a bonus, I can take you for free as a thank you for helping the princess." Kerkus states.

"That would be great. I was hoping to get out of here as soon as possible." Cyrus states.

"Of course. I can get us going right away. If you both just wait here for a moment." Kerkus replies.

Kerkus makes his way over to a small chest that lies against the wall. Pulling out some coins, he counts them carefully and places them into his leather pouch.

"Should be enough to cover everything." He says as he puts the coins away.

Grabbing a pair of thick leather gloves from a nearby table, he slips them on and leads them outside.

They exit the shop and make their way to a small carriage parked outside.

Opening the door, he welcomes them inside.

"Alright, Let's get moving then. Shall we?".