Have you ever played chess?
To Samsara, warriors like us are like chess pawns who are only useful to protect the king. We are lowly soldiers which can only be used once and then thrown away like broken toys.
But, you know, when it reaches the other end, these useless pawns will turn into something very powerful. Very threatening.
Huh? You asked to who?
Ha ha! Of course to their enemies.
The man who was talking leaned back quietly while playing a black chess piece between his index and middle fingers. The dim light of a candle creates the impression of being cramped and stuffy in the room. Meanwhile, in front of the man, lay a chessboard with more black pieces than white.
The king was merely a status by name. The queen herself is a symbol of power. Because of that, the pawn that managed to reach the other side seemed to be free and might turn into the new queen.
The man rubbed his left jaw several times before placing the chess piece in his hand on column A-8; position the upper left corner of the chessboard.
According to the rules, the game is said to be over if the black or white king is surrendered. Then what happened after that?
In reality, the two queens would fight each other. Either she is on the same side or not. Whoever wins, the queen will aim for the remaining king. In the end both kings will die at the hands of the queen. Such a sad irony.
The man stopped the game. He lifted his head and cast his eyes on the second figure sitting in front of him.
The second man listened in silence while his eyes did not leave the chessboard.
But this kind of game is too boring.
The first man continued. His hand seems to move to grab any pawns outside the board and start playing with them.
What if these white pieces turn out to be hiding spies in the black pieces or vice versa? Things get hard to predict, right?
Is there any guarantee that these spies really stick to their colors? Or maybe they will eventually became betrayal? The game is getting more and more amusing.
Hmm… you ask which side I'm on? Faithful or betrayal?
Of course I was on the betrayal side. I'm not really a spy. I am just a traitor to my own people. The proof is that me, myself, have scratched out my very own name from the list of the names on the Sacred Stone at Tanah Agra. A firm statement that I was no longer part of their Kind.
But… now that I remember it, it's been four years. When I was 7 years old.
It was at that age that I took part in the selection to enroll to Samsara. You too, right? But at that time we still didn't know each other. I don't even know how many was signed up. But absolutely a dozen. At that time I thought all of them were enemies which I must defeat in order to truly became a warrior of Samsara.
Ah! I still remember exactly the selection. Very, very crazy.
The first man suddenly chuckled to himself.
To become warriors of Samsara, first we must be able to survive for 6 months in the southern forest which is far more terrible than the northern forest. I thought it was something impossible. Age 7, without any experience and being forced to survive in foreign territory. Not to mention the participants were allowed to kill each other.
The second man who had been unresponsive for a long time suddenly snorted sarcastically and chimed in.
Those 6 months really like a hell. As far as I remember, from the thousands who participate in the selection, there were only around 30 people left. Including you and me.
The first man burst out laughing.
Then without rest we immediately took a trial on the southernmost island across the southern sea for a whole year. Mountains of snow and extreme cold weather.
The second person smiled wider when he saw his partner laughing in satisfaction.
That's the only way for Samsara to admit who we are which not purely come from their Kind. But the trial really helped us to reach to our current position. The 4th and 6th positions of the 14 strongest warriors of Samsara.
So what's your answer, my friend? The second man suddenly asked.
The smile on the first man's face loosened for a moment. But there is one small condition you must fulfill. The first man replied.