Strong arches held together defiant ramparts, the grey bricks everlasting and ever-intimidating to relentless invaders. The Atmosphere overhead was of an unsurprising sky blue, however, blood-red ceilings existed in every direction in the heaven above. To defend this bastion was absolutely necessary, to defend not only the king and queen but also to guard the dignity of the land from the vicious barbarians on the other side of the valley.
Upon chainmail-plated horses, elegant silver knights marched forth, seizing control of the river system and advancing upon their enemy. The valiant soldiers moved swiftly forward, bringing courage and spirits to the rest of their army.
The king watched from afar with disgust at the nature of the evil forces that opposed them. Dressed in a vile blackened coal shade, they mounted rotten skeletons of horses that emerged from the underworld, brandished weapons of petrified rock with sharp merciless points. The enemy king was embroidered with cruel jewels, and a greedy splendour comprised of the cruel methods of attaining such sickening wealth.
But the noble soldiers marched on, inspired not only by the heroism of their comrades but also due to the magical powers of the kingdom, with moving castles and majestic sorcerers with golden staffs.
The troops from opposing sides finally met with clashing swords, threatening supernatural attacks, and making bold moves within the ranks of the armies.
The bloodshed was at its beginning.
"Your king is safe. For now…" Leonel grinned, his blue eyes staring into Juno's.
Leonel studied Juno's facial expression, trying to get a hint at what his strategy was. His eyes were actively darting around the board, his lips folded into a resting face of thought. Leonel was jealous of his smooth, dark olive skin—he disliked his own freckles and the way he looked entirely sometimes. He refocused his attention on the chess game.
Juno analysed the position again, his King safely hiding in the corner, almost all his pieces were off their starting squares, and ready to attack Leonel's defences. A glance at the board from any novice chess player would lead them to believe Juno's superiority in the game, however, he wasn't naïve enough to believe that for even a moment. Leonel's pieces were on the sides of the board, attacking in, posing as innocent creatures that will soon conquer the heart of Juno's false stronghold. Juno felt no comfort in his pieces, no prosperity for his chances of winning.
Juno was ahead.
Maybe it wasn't even close.
However, Juno's doubt left him in a metaphorical deep dusty canyon, and Leonel's style of starting slowly and methodologically seizing control allowed for Leonel to be placed far above this ravine, soaring above, like a fire-breathing dragon with scales brighter than the sun.
Life sprawled around them, weeping evergreen trees and flowing creeks, teeming with colourful fish. The forest made way for the table, it spiralled around the oasis that was this little grassy patch within the trees of New York City. The canopy of bright green leaves let through the right amount of light. The Soho gardens were a beautiful addition to the perfect way of life in this place, this time, as for Juno and Leonel, it offered a distinct break from their life. Purity was lying down on the grass beside them.
"Are you two seriously playing the Pirc Defence again?" She lazily voiced, staring at the shards of blue sky through the leaves above. Her dress was spread out across the luscious green blades, flowing formlessly around her own self, the physical part of Purity that others saw to recognise that she was human.
"Of course," Leonel shrugged, his eyes engaged on the board, "I might as well give Juno the centre at the start of the game because I can always get it later on."
Purity smiled at Leonel's fake cockiness and felt a moment of happiness before shifting back to her neutral expression, a blank slate devoid of positive or negative emotions. The verdant grass. Her soft yellow and grey dress. Her consciousness. Purity's mind reflected the same formlessness and fragmented appearance that she saw through the canopy.
Purity saw herself as beautiful as the world around her.
"In order to go forward, taking a step backwards may be the best thing to do—sometimes even the only thing to do."
Juno saw his opportunity. He moved his knight backwards, to pivot it into another angle, to stylishly manoeuvre it so it can threaten Leonel's king.
The clouds began circling the brave soldiers, their presence seeming illogically otherworldly, impossibly hostile. Through the fog, Juno saw the enemy more clearly than before. The same mist surrounded and overpowered the opposing troops, their formation severed and just as vulnerable as Juno's own.
Maybe his forces were as evil and cruel as the ones opposing him.
Maybe all people are just as evil as their enemies.
Perspective makes all the difference.
Purity stood up and inspected the game. It was Leonel's custom chess set, the white pieces embellished with silver and pink, and the black pieces were made of obsidian and refined with a sharp royal blue hue. Instead of bishops, there were sorcerers, and there were little dragon figurines, saved for the promotion of pawns instead of adding extra queens. For Leonel's birthday gift, Juno had thought it better to buy a chess set with a more contextual, more immersive feel to the game. The squares looked gothic, and it felt like a battle in a medieval kingdom. Really, Juno bought it so it would give him a better chance of winning.
He looked at the 64 squares and saw an entire world.
He saw the moves that needed to be played, the units that needed to attack, guard or flee the battle.
Juno saw things that other people didn't.
Or at least that's what it felt like.
The clashes of swords could be heard throughout the lands. A brave knight launched into the action, sacrificing itself for the greater good, and two sorcerers followed up the attack, blocking the path back to one side of safety for the king. The army mobilised itself in the east, eyeing the evil opposition, seeking the liberation of the valley to restore peace for all the world.
That's when Juno saw it.
The opportunity to sacrifice a queen rarely arises, but when it does, the opportunity should be taken. Juno's creative style of chess playing meant that he couldn't refuse the chance to sacrifice a piece in such a fashion.
He picked up his sorcerer and slid it to the f7 square, capturing the knights but leaving his queen to die on the adjacent square. Juno saw this as an advantage, as it meant that he would gain two extra pieces additionally.
The battle was ending. They were in the final stages of the game, and Juno was losing hope. He had more forces remaining, but Leonel's obsidian forces were seizing control of more area, seizing control of more hope within Juno's heart.
His sacrifice was all for nothing.
Leonel's army invaded Juno's final forces, overcame his last line of defence, and claimed control of his last fortress. It was over.
It was a stalemate for Juno. There was nothing left to do.
Leonel shook Juno's hand, as they always did, and smiled,
"I was not expecting that sacrifice. That was a really interesting idea I never expected."
"You still won though," Juno acknowledged.
Purity smiled and looked away at the soft pink flowers that covered the grass. They were placed from another dimension, they existed only to be seen by humans like her. They flowered so one day she would come along and call them beautiful.
She was trying to figure out why she was crying.