The Board is Set

Ren jumped up and began pacing, his voice tight with urgency as he explained his realization–more like to himself. "In chess, two colors are in opposition: Ivory Elves and Ebony Orcs. White and Black. Chess pieces were historically made from ivory and ebony. The sheer number of eighths on the Mage's papers now makes sense. The chessboard is eight by eight squares. Yes, there's no doubt about it."

"What is chess?" Haku and Lily asked in unison, their expressions mirroring each other's confusion perfectly.

"It's a game of logic with different pieces. The clone trial was based on the same principle. Haku, you're the Knight, Lily and Zel are either Rook or Queen—and I'm the Pawn."

"But how does that help us stop the phantoms?" Haku insisted.

Ren brought them back to the center of the plan. "In chess, to win, you have to give checkmate to the King. You win when the King is in check and has nowhere to escape.

"The King. You mean..." Lily breathed out, and Ren nodded vehemently.

"Yes, the current King of Ivory Concord. Ezekiel and Azazel's father. He's the root of this." Ren swallowed hard. "And we have to kill him."

The air froze at the last sentence. Both girls were definitely strong, but even they would never dare try to kill the King of Ivory Concord.

Ren grabbed Zel's sword and sketched a chessboard in the dirt, illustrating the line-up of the board. "I know this is a lot of information all at once."

"But it's the truth," Lily stated, her voice quiet but firm, confirming his chess analogy. Her white hair shifted in the slight breeze as she looked from the unconscious Azazel to the dirt diagram. "We're pieces, then. So what's the next move?"

Haku, leaning heavily on her recently healed ankle, nodded along.

Ren looked up at them, his expression grim.

"The King is here," Ren pointed to Ivory Concord. "There are a lot of pieces around him, so we can easily checkmate him. But there's one thing you guys have to do," Ren admitted, pursing his lips—a sign that what he was about to say, the girls would dislike. "Lily, you have to go back to the Snow-dusted people alone and talk to them. And Haku, you have to talk to Gowan. You need to convince them to help! And bring them here and here." He pointed to two different, distant areas on the map. "After that, you need to go here and here." He pointed to the map on the ground again.

"And you? What about you?" Lily challenged, great concern etched in her voice.

Ren took a deep breath, meeting her gaze. "I have to go because I'm the only pawn left." He pointed to the final square on the map in the dirt. "I'm the only piece that can reach the square to deliver the checkmate. You two are moving the heavy pieces into position, but I have to finish the game."

He drew a sharp, final line across the board with the tip of the sword, then looked up at Haku and Lily. The last traces of his previous nervous uncertainty were gone. I'm going to kill the King."

He said goodbye to the girls. He turned to Lily and stroked her white hair, while the girl looked straight ahead, her face flushed red, avoiding eye contact.

"But if we close the gate between our world and your world, you cannot go back. If we were to go look for it, I'm sure we could find it!" Lily stated quietly.

Ren's jaw clenched, but as he met the girl's eyes, he relaxed.

"Even if the gate closes, I have the world's strongest mage with me. I'm sure she'll do whatever it takes to help." He smiled genuinely. He didn't want to think about his decision. He wanted to go home, but he couldn't leave them here knowing he could help. "Be careful with the Snow-dusted people! It'll be dangerous."

"I'm much stronger than they are," Lily mumbled.

Ren smiled. "I didn't say it'll be dangerous for you."

He turned toward Haku, but she was faster. She clutched the hem of his shirt, like a small child who doesn't want to get lost. She was breathing rapidly, but her red face looked entirely lively.

Haku lifted her tear-filled eyes and raised her voice, "Take care of yourself! We'll meet in Ivory!"

"Of course!"

Ren flashed a happy smile and watched the girls' receding figures. Haku happily jumped and linked arms with Lily, and Ren could still catch what they were talking about.

"Remember how I said you can only be the second strongest mage? I'm changing that. You're definitely the strongest!"

Ren turned his back on them, pulling Zel behind him, and headed toward Ivory Concord. To avoid suspicion, he helped Zel stand and bound his wrists. He draped his own hoodie, which he'd had since the beginning, over Zel and pressed his magic-burning finger into the back of his neck.

Ren constantly scanned the sky, waiting for the signal Lily would send when they were in position. Then he saw it: a firework-like burst far away, but close enough to be visible.

They walked with Azazel toward the castle, easily gaining entry on the fake Ezekiel's word. The black-haired man led Ren up to his father's room.

Ren took a deep breath and flexed his hands. He didn't want to be a killer again, but they truly had no better option.

The huge bedroom was silent, dimly lit by a single, flickering oil lamp. The air was thick with the scent of old velvet and dust. The furniture was massive and dark—a heavy, carved wooden desk dominated one corner, and the walls were lined with portraits of stern, unsmiling ancestors. The oppressive atmosphere was one of cold, inherited wealth, and loneliness.

Ren stepped closer to the bed and slowly pulled back the canopy. The King lay peacefully among the soft pillows, his body perfectly still. He looked exactly like a dead man. Suspicious, Ren felt for the carotid artery in his neck. His fingers found only cold, slack skin and no pulse.

Ren's mind seized up, and he stumbled back a few steps. His thoughts raced: The King is dead, and he didn't even kill him. Which meant the new King was already in power.

A flash of steel was the only warning. Zel freed his hand, gripping a dagger he found God knows where, and lunged at Ren.