"If on one strange day you jolt awake from your peaceful slumber with a frightful realization that all of your life and everything you thought you knew has been an elaborately crafted lie. A puppet show, a pretentious masquerade perpetrated by a higher being of unfathomable power to whom you owe your very existence. Whom also the very will uncaringly dictate all that which exists in the world of chaotic possibilities to its cruel desired conclusion.

"—What would you do in the face of such a revelation?

"—Would you cry, cry and despair from the truth that is too hard to bear?

"—Would you rage, rage and destroy because the truth is too cruel to accept?

“...”

“What are you doing, Steve, don’t just sit there in silence, I even have to do the introductory part for you. Come on, greet the audiences, freak them out~!”

“...”

“Well, I say audiences but I’m not really sure whether they’re watching, listening, reading, or playing~! Could be playing~! For all we know, our existence could be a videogame. Medium aside though, we’re definitely being observed by some beings from a higher dimension. Oh, but don’t be too embarrassed. I don't think they can see everything anymore so all your deep dark secrets should be safe. They probably have no idea what happened in your 2nd year in college.”

“—BUT HOW DO YOU KNOW!?”

“I know [everything], Steve. I even know about that time in your middle school when—”

“No! I mean the whole being [fictional] thing!”

Wait, does he actually know about that time in—no, no, no, that’s not important right now!

Instead of answering my question immediately, Master opens up his book and quickly looks through it then suddenly stops while staring at a certain page. Then with a completely nonchalant voice, he answers me.

“Because it was undeniably confirmed.”

“By who?”

I ask, couldn’t possibly be any more skeptical even if I try.

“You’ve heard of the [Simulation Hypothesis], correct?”

Yes, it’s a hypothesis that proposed that all of reality could just be an artificial creation of a computer simulation.

“Are you saying that you have evidence that could prove that theory?”

“Nope. Due to a little something called [infinite regression], any evidence that could support or argue against that theory could simply be nullified with little effort. Our situation is different from a [simulated reality], I just mentioned it because it’s a good place to start. 

“Let me ask you a question, Steve, do you think it’s possible to know for certain that you are in a [computer simulation]?”

“That would be... impossible, isn’t it?”

In the <Allegory Of The Cave>, no one can know what the real world looks like if for their entire lives they have only seen shadows, cast on the wall by a flickering flame.

“You can’t prove if something is true or false if the basis for what is true or false is unconfirmable. If we don’t know the true extent of the simulation, then all proof of whether it is or is not a simulation could simply be a part of the simulation. A part of the shadows cast by the flame.”

Master snaps his book shut and turns toward me with a sly grin.

“But the thing is, Steve, there is a way to [cheat]. If the shadows can only exist because of the light from the flame, then by questioning the flame we can infer the true nature of the shadows.”

“...That makes no sense.”

“Tch~! In a [computer simulation] the laws that which govern the basic principles of reality are invisible, so it’s almost impossible to fully study it from the inside. That’s why I didn’t say that we’re in a [simulated reality]. But rather that we’re [fictional].”

“...Okay, but that still doesn’t make any sense..”

“If it’s a [computer simulation] then reality is only systematically programmed to do only what it’s supposed to do, by following the rules and setting. It can’t be talked to, threatened, or argued with. In [fiction] that’s different, the rules and settings aren’t set in stone, they can be bent and changed to suit their creator’s needs. Unlike in a simulation, the flame that casts the shadows of a [fictional reality], must have its own voice with its own will and purpose. One that can be deceived and exploited, one that can be forced to [reveal itself]… So in summary, Steve, how will you know if the shadows on the wall are real?”

I pinch my chin, trying to follow the absurdities of Master’s logic. If the rules and settings can be bent, then questioning them won’t get you very far.

But if you can [cheat]…

If you can directly question the creator of those rules and settings…

If the flame has a voice and can reply to you...

“You can.... ask the voice of the flame?”

Master lightly nods at my answer and then adds.

“Not just ask. Ruined all their plans, destroyed all their games, and stole every single one of their spotlight. Make it so that they would have no choice but to reveal the truth. ”

“So basically…”

If some [being] has truly created [Reality] for some purpose, then that being must be constantly observing everything to make sure that whatever purpose of their creation is fulfilled. And by directly reaching out to that being, you can potentially get a confirmation about the true nature of your existence.

—Isn’t that just...

“[Breaking The Fourth Wall], yes, but instead of breaking it completely it’s more like sticking one hand out of the car’s window to get a hamburger from a WcDonald's drive-through.”

Weird analogy aside, I kinda get the idea. But then the question becomes.

“Why would you do that, in the first place? And no, I don’t mean the hamburger thing.”

“Ah—”

To my surprise, the question which I find impossibly obvious causes Master to visibly stiffen.

“Hahaha…”

Then the short stifle laughter that comes afterward sets off an alarm in my head immediately.

“That’s right… I seem to have skipped over something important.”

Master stands up from the couch and walks over to [the Astral Projector].

“Steve, what if I tell you, that even if I may claim to be the [writer] of [The Six Eternities]. It wasn’t me who originally wrote it. Right now, we’re in the 4th chapter, but the first 2 were written by someone else... And we don't talk about the 3rd chapter, ever.”

“You’re just saying things again...”

“What I mean is... there were times that existed before [The Six Eternities], before [The Conceptors Grand Archive]. The universe that comes before—the universe that I destroyed.”

……

“———Hah?”

—He just said something very ridiculous just now, didn’t he? I didn’t hear it wrong, right?

Master turns his back to me and doesn’t respond to my internal monologue like usual, but in his silence, I can sense something which tells me that I should take his earlier statement seriously despite the implication.

“Why... did you do that?”

—So as a ‘friend’, I can only ask...

“...The original universe was created by a being, a [voice], and it was this voice that imposed all of existence with a purpose—a childish and foolish [purpose].”

Master replies and strides around [The Astral Projector], opening it up.

“[The voice] didn't truly believe that we exist. To it, we were [fictional]—figments of its imagination—and it was this state of understanding that granted it the authority over the superposition states of all matter in the universe. It was a true transcendence from the outer beyond who could create and destroy anything with just a thought. So, with the whole of creations in its grasp, it decided to run an [experiment]. Turning everything into...”

He inserts his book inside [The Astral Projector]—and the scenery around us changes into a scape of fantastical vista.

The ground underneath the couch I’m still sitting on is now painted with an alternating pattern of black and white squares stretching endlessly into the starry horizon, where I can also see multiple giant chess pieces.

“A [game]...”

As I observe the new surroundings, a voice rings out beside me and I quickly turn to see Master back at his spot on the couch.

“A pointless game to see if, after all logical constraints are lifted, could a being of consciousness and free will manifest itself a power which nothing could conceivably rival. An experiment to make one single, be-all-end-all, invincible undefeatable unbeatable unkillable immortal omniscient omnipotent being of absolute power and ultimate knowledge. By turning all of the multiverses into a battlefield with only 1 constant rule… <fight>.”

Responding to Master who spits out those words like he’s telling a stupid joke, all the giant chess pieces from all around begin to move on their own.

“To burn all that which exists, and may the last thing standing to be the testament to the potentials of all lives. A grand and boring old war was waged across time and space. Some were born into this war, some willingly participated, some were manipulated and dragged into it… just as we were.”

The table in front of me also now has two chess boards, except for the missing king pieces, two sets of black and white pieces lined up to face—not each other—but the unknown emptiness on the other side.

Master stretches out his pale white fist, then flicks his wrist to reveal the two chess pieces he’s holding between his fingers and says with a little bit of reminiscence.

“This is [me].”

Master places the two pieces on the two different boards and continues to explain with a cruel smile that begins to appear on his lips.

“But you see… there’s a fallacy in the purpose of this game. A truly foolish fallacy.”

Master turns to me and announces in a mocking tone like he’s laughing at the ridiculousness of it all.

“—If all logical constraints are lifted, then how can there be anything such as an [absolute being]?”

Then with a voice filled with endless scorn, he asks.

“If the ceiling limit to what’s possible doesn’t even exist, then how can this [game] ever end? If the heartless flames of never-ending war burn forever and more and more powerful beings are born from it, then how can the [winner] ever be decided?”

My brows furrow at the seemingly impossible questions.

If even the unkillable can be killed for there is nothing which can eternal lies, how do you find the apotheosis? If the game was rigged so that the fighting became the very purpose that reality even exists, how do you end it?

“No one knew, so just like that, [The War To Make God] continued….”

—————..........

Eons passed. The cruel reality brought forth beings of such power as those who could tear down heaven and earth and obliterate the stars.

Those who can punch holes into mountains and turn oceans into lands or wipe out civilizations with a flick of their wrist.

Those kinds of beings were born and were soon outmatched and outclassed by the next in the line from the endless hellfire that they themselves created in their quest for power.

The cycle continued on and on eternally with seemingly no end. Eventually, [everything] was dragged into this war that became no different from hell.

But the funny thing is, even if the absolute peak couldn’t be reached, from the cracks between time, something came very, very close...  For that hellish cosmos inevitably birthed something much more sinister. Something greater, older, and far, far more horrifying than any gods, demons, or beasts.

The physical manifestations of the amalgamations of eons and eons of conceptual existences. They were known by many names. Divine Celestials… Outer Gods… Great Old Ones…

—[Eldritch]—

—————..........

The mere mention of the word stirred a deep and primal fear from within the innermost corner of my consciousness. I have no idea as to why this sense of incomprehensible dread seeps under my skin, but its existence is undeniable.

All around us are littered fragments of broken giant chess pieces, stuck in a repeating cycle of breaking and reforming, over and over again.

Back on the table in front of me, there’s only 1 board left. The white king is toppled over. 1 game is lost to the unknown, leaving behind only the black king.

“And there we were… ”

Master’s voice resounds once more.

“—Facing against unfathomable beings, whose very presences could tear down the physical laws of the universe. Invades the mind of all sentient things with ease. Rewriting reality with just an incantation of their Quantum Computing Mnemonics.”

“—Human and mortal, nothing more than a speck of dust in the eyes of the gods. Dragged into a war where the very rule that dictates existence was designed to perpetuate it.”

“—Where do you find hope when even reality itself becomes your enemy?”

…..

Master reaches out to gently tip over the black king, an act of forfeiting the game.

“If every strategy led to a dead end. If there was no move left to be played, for whatever we mortals could do were easily countered by the gods with their unreasonable strength…  more importantly, how was I even supposed to do it [alone]?”

Master picks up both the black king and the white king from the table, holding them in his hand against the starry sky.

“—If I was [me], if [we] were [whole] maybe it would have turned out differently. But it was too late to be regretting that, then or now. Too late to run away… ”

Master closes his hand…

“—But somewhere inside me, [we] were still there… I was not alone, I was never ever [alone].”  

Master places his fist on his chest, holding the 2 pieces close against his heart.

Master opens up his fist once more, revealing a new gray piece—[The Gray King].

“—And if we were whole, there’s nothing we couldn’t accomplish. No matter how many times we have to try! We would definitely win!”

Master slams the gray king back on the board, daringly challenging the world for a rematch.

And as if to punctuate Master’s declaration of war, the very ground begins to shake and rise up. We’re now standing on top of the gray king overlooking the grey color that's starting to assimilate every other piece on the chaotic battlefield below.

Master jumps off the couch then hops up onto the crown of the giant grey king piece, spreading his arms to the starry sky, and continues to say in a voice that contains a slight hint of madness.

“Fire against fire, insanity against insanity—we came up with a plan to directly attack the true mastermind behind everything. A ridiculous plan to steal the spotlight and shift the course of the war to a different path by giving everybody a common goal to fight for!”

…A common goal in a battle royale where each was out to get the other’s throat?

Master spins around to face me once again, and with a smile on his lips, he answers my question with another question.

“If there’s no win condition to be achieved, no loopholes to be exploited, no hope to be found… Why don’t we just [make] one, actually why don't we make five?”

Smiling like a child who has successfully pulled a prank, Master asks.

“In this war to find the strongest. What if suddenly… a [legend] like this was spread across the multiverse?”

Then, moving his hands like a storyteller, Master narrates this legend as if it was a grand tale, told by a survivor from times immemorial.

“...Out there in infinite cosmos, powerful divine artifacts that even a single piece would allow the user to control a part of reality and shape it as they wish, are waiting to be found…”

Below us, some of the giant chess pieces stop their fighting.

“...[The Outsiders Eye], [The Throne of Time], [The Dreamers Nail], [The Void Heart], [The Eldritch Machine]...”

Eventually, every piece on the board comes to a halt and turns toward Master like they’re listening to his tale.

“...If one is resourceful enough to find them, and have enough lives to spare to use them. If one managed to collect all of them, then they would become the most powerful being in all of existence… these divine artifacts were called—[Godmakers].”

Standing on the crown of the grey king, Master continues to say out loud.  

“With that, the weak were given hope, the strong were threatened. But no matter what they felt about it, they all eventually reached the same conclusion… —Find [The Godmakers] before anyone else did.”

Master jumps down and walks back to the table...

“We became the center of the war, everything else’s goal and enemy… but that also allowed us to control its tide, delaying the time until that one opportunity appeared—that one chance I have to win, not against the gods, or the Eldritch, or the rest of multiverse, but against that [being].”

Then he picks up the grey king from the board...

“If the game is rigged and the rule is your enemy… then the only thing left you can do, is to destroy the whole board! If the very fabric of reality itself is woven by the will of the one who desires conflict, then the only way to get rid of that conflict—is to tear down every fabric of reality and rewoven it with a different will!”

And with that piece in his hand...

“We bet everything in that one last trick, that one last move that we could destroy the multiverse before that being could, then instantly recreate it after getting rid of its influence and authority! Everything was prepared for this moment, every sacrifice was for us to eventually get there!

—Master crushes the Grey King! Summoning an immensely powerful force of darkness from underneath!

It cracks open the endless black and white floor and consumes everything like a hungry beast—the stars, the sky, the giant chess pieces, even the one we’re standing on, everything is being swallowed by the void.

And before I knew it, Master and I were falling toward the nothingness below...