“Ow. It still hurts.” Glyn says, picking himself up out of bed and finding himself in the manor. “Running into a ball of fire was way too much for someone like me.”

He checks his surroundings with a smirk on his face. “Considering I’m still alive, it looks like the plan worked. Now I just need to make sure what piece she got.”

Glyn checks the room and pulls out his bag, placing each of the cracked pieces on the floor in front of him. He observes as the cracks along their sides slowly heal and he nods. With a smile on his face, he counts each of them and makes a mental note.

            “Alright, that’s eight pawns, two bishops, two knights, and two Rooks….” His eyes crack open at the realization as he checks the pieces again. “Wait, then that means she has….”

Glyn pushes himself out of the room and holds out his hand as he wanders the halls. He clenches his fist and stomps ahead.

 

Mila and Miller sit in a side room in the manor as Miller hands her an apple. Mila eats slowly as Miller smiles, watching her. She turns to him curiously as he watches her.

            “Brother, are you okay? You’ve been looking at me strangely.”

            “I’m just happy you’re okay.”

Mila nods. “I’m fine. You can stop worrying.”

            “Can you blame me? After all of last night’s craziness.”

            “I still can’t believe it.” Mila looks up at the ceiling. “I was doing all that? It seems impossible.”

Miller nods. “Yes, you did. We couldn’t have beaten the Lesser Demon without your power.”

            “It’s strange. All of this power and it feels like there’s another voice in my head.”

            “Well, just make sure you keep that voice locked up. Everyone is on edge about all that power you showed.”

She nods. “Right. I’ll be careful.”

The two smile at each other as Glyn forces the door open. They stare at him as he rushes towards Mila, grabbing her.

            “Mila, listen to me.”

            “Yes?”

            “I need to look at your chest.”

            “What!?” She and Miller yell out.

Glyn stares at her. “This is serious.”

Mila blushes and looks away. “If you have to.”

            “You bastard! What are you doing to Mila?”

Glyn opens Mila’s shirt somewhat. “Calm down. I’m not doing this to be a perv. I need to confirm something.”

Glyn and Miller stare at Mila’s chest with a black symbol appearing in the center of her chest. Glyn yells out and falls to the ground. The siblings stare down at him, confused, as he stares at the ceiling.

            “Damn it, this is bad.”

            “What is bad?”

He shoots up. “Listen here, Mila. We’re now in a contract.”

            “A contract?”

            “That’s right. To calm you down, I had to use one of my pieces. Unfortunately, I couldn’t know which one, but unfortunately for both of us, you ended up with the Queen Piece.”

            “The Queen?”

            “What does that mean?” Miller asks.

            “The Queen is the strongest piece in the set. I was hoping to just restrict your man with the piece, but now I’ve made the situation way worse.”

            “How so?” Mila asks.

            “The Queen Piece acts as a power boost on top of your already natural abilities. Not to mention it also means you have authority over all the other pieces. I was hoping to hold on to the Queen Piece a little longer, but to use it right away is such a dumb thing!” He yells out, scratching his head in frustration.

            “Can you remove it?” Miller asks.

Glyn holds his hand over Mila’s chest as a bright light shines. The chess piece slowly emerges as Mila cries out. As it comes out, Glyn grabs it only for flaming barbs to shoot out of the crest and force him back. The barbs grab onto the piece and drag it back inside of Mila as she looks down.

            “What just happened?” Miller asks.

Glyn laughs. “I was rejected. That’s a surprise.”

            “What does that mean?”

            “It means Mila is stuck as with my Queen Piece.”

Mila looks down. “I’m sorry.”

            “It’s not your fault. It looks like something interesting has happened.”

            “What?”

            “Mila’s power is still rampaging.”

            “What!?” The siblings yell out.

Glyn nods. “Her powers haven’t calmed down. But it’s stabilized by using the Queen Piece. It’s kind of amazing.”

            “So that means if you remove the Queen Piece?”

            “She’ll explode,” Glyn explains.

Miller shakes his head. “What the hell!?”

            “That’s why she unconsciously rejected it. Even if she consciously isn’t aware of it, she’s unconsciously protecting herself.”

Mila puts her hand on the crest. “So, I have a part in this game now?”

            “It looks like it. Sorry Mila, I guess that means we’re stuck together for now.” He says with a smirk. “Well, for now at least. If you can reign that power of yours in, then I might be able to remove it.”

            “I’d rather you didn’t,” Mila says with a smile on her face. “I want to be of use to you.”

            “Huh?”

            “I… I want to repay your kindness. You’ve done me a great favor and I want to help you. I know I’m not the best and I can’t control this power. But I’ll try my best!”

Glyn sighs. “Alright then. If you’re willing to stick around with someone like me, then let’s work together.”

            “Yes!”

            “Mila, are you sure about this? This guy is….”

            “I’m sure. Besides, if I work with Glyn, then I might learn to control myself.”

Glyn smirks and stands up. “Well then, I have to say its time we enjoy ourselves. Let’s celebrate becoming allies!”

            “Yes!” Mila says with a wide smile.

Miller sighs and shakes his head. “Fine then. But if you do anything to hurt Mila.”

            “Don’t worry. We still have the rest of the month before the battles startup. So, there’s time for us to get ready.”

            “I wasn’t referring to that.”

            “Well, it’s lively in here.” The commander says, walking into the room.

            “So, is it time?” Glyn asks.

            “Time for what?” Mila asks.

Glyn smirks. “Considering Mila’s rampage and my deliberate escape from the manor. The entire island must be in an uproar right now.”

            “There were people who wanted to kill Mila while she was unconscious.”

Mila pauses. “I don’t blame them. But I….”

            “Don’t think about it.” Glyn flashes a smile. “Trust me, I have a plan for this. I was kind of expecting it after we found the Lesser Demon.”

Mila nods. “If you're sure about it. I trust you.”

            “You better have some way to keep Mila safe,” Miller says.

Glyn turns to the commander with a confident grin on his face. “Okay, take us to the Elder. I’ve got a few words for that old man!”

            “Your pretty confidant. Fine, then let’s go. The Elder and some others are waiting for you.” The commander smiles somewhat. “A part of me wants to see just how you’ll get out of this one.”

            “Trust me. I’ll win this game!”

 

In the village hall, five figures sit in darkness at a large table. The Elder sits on a chair with four people next to him: two men and two women. Each of them stares at him as he sits unmoving, waiting. A small flame sits in the center of their table as the only source of light in this dark chamber.

            “Elder, with all due respect, this trail is pointless. That girl has always been troubled since the say she washed ashore. We should just get rid of her.” One man with long hair says.

A woman with sharp eyes shakes her head. “She’s strong. It’s a waste of a perfectly suitable weapon to just throw her off of the island. And what if someone were to use her against us?”

            “Then we should kill her. That way, she won’t be a problem and we don’t have to worry about someone using her as a weapon against us.” A large older man says. “A weapon we can’t control is no better than a gun to our heads.”

An older woman nods. “In the end, we have to put aside personal feelings and do what’s best for the island and our people. If that girl is going to be a problem, we shall deal with her.”

            “You only say that because it was your grandson that set her off originally. I read about what happened on that day. He pushed her off of a cliff.” The long-haired man says.

The older woman shakes her head. “That grandson of mine is a problem I assure you I have dealt with. And I take responsibility for that day. But we have other things to consider.”

            “For example, this war. If those other so-called ‘Kings’ were to find out about her and her power. Wouldn’t they come and try to steal her away?” The large man asks.

The sharp-eyed woman nods. “That’s when we make a deal. I’m sure those kids will promise us anything to have such a dangerous tool on their side. Surely we can get more from them than the bastard son of some minor noble.”

            “Oh, I wouldn’t say that!” Glyn bursts open the doors, illuminating the room as the sun pierces through the darkness. “I’m here to plead our case!”

            “Oh, really now?” The Elder asks finally responding as he stares at Glyn. “Then we, the council, will hear this case of yours.”

Glyn walks in with Mila and Miller at his side. Behind them, a bulk of the village stands around the building, trying to catch a glimpse. Glyn walks into the middle of the room and bows, with Mila mimicking him.

            “Now let me tell you why you’ll never get a better deal working with anyone other than me.”