As Jasper was about to leave, he saw a familiar figure approaching from the sky. It was Asmodeus, the Demon King, and Jasper's friend. The presence of the demon signaled that this was only the beginning of more chaos.
Asmodeus landed gracefully beside Jasper, his dark wings folding behind him. His eyes, burning with curiosity, surveyed the scene. "Jasper, my old friend. What trouble have you stirred up this time?"
Jasper sighed, a rare expression of weariness crossing his face. "It's not my doing, Asmodeus. I mean at least, portal part is not my doing.. A failed experiment from another world has come back to haunt me. This portal... it's divine in origin. The humans spilling out are controlled by a madman who gained too much power."
Asmodeus raised an eyebrow. "Experiments in another world? You know it's forbidden to open portals to other dimensions, right?"
Jasper shrugged nonchalantly. "Is it?"
Asmodeus's expression darkened with frustration. "There's no way you don't know that! Opening portals to other dimensions is dangerous. It can crack the fabric of our reality, destabilize other worlds, and unleash forces we can't control. That's the reason angels invaded our world thousands of years ago"
Jasper's mood grew serious. "Angels... Anyway can you close this one for now?"
Asmodeus sighed, his irritation palpable. "Fine." He extended his hands, dark energy swirling around them. The air crackled with power as he began to chant in an ancient, forgotten tongue.
The portal flickered, its light dimming as Asmodeus's magic took hold. The screams from the trapped humans grew louder, more desperate. The unison voice shrieked, "NO! STOP! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!"
Jasper watched intently as the portal's glow began to wane. "Whatever you're doing, it's working."
Asmodeus continued his incantation, the dark energy intensifying. The portal's light faded further, and the flow of humans slowed. "This should sever the divine connection, at least temporarily. But to close it permanently, we may need to find the source."
The last of the humans spilled out, collapsing into the growing pool of blood. The portal flickered one last time and then vanished, leaving only the silence of the aftermath.
Asmodeus turned to Jasper, his gaze sharp. "Why do you even do these experiments, Jasper?"
Jasper's eyes lit up with a hint of mischief. "For Chess 3.0."
Asmodeus stared at him, incredulous. "Are you fucking kidding me?"
Jasper smirked. "But you did like 2.0."
Asmodeus threw his hands up in exasperation. "That doesn't mean you can destroy a world just to create 3.0! It cracks time, destabilizes dimensions, and risks annihilating everything!"
Jasper's mood dampened. "Alright, I won't open up a portal again."
Asmodeus's expression softened slightly with a mix of excitement and curiosity. "So... did you make it?"
Jasper blinked. "What?"
Asmodeus leaned in. "Chess 3.0."
Jasper's smirk returned. "Of course. just needs little arrangements"
"Alright, I'll ask my servants to research the source of this divine energy" Then Asmodeus flew back to his castle.
After that, Jasper teleported to his castle. He went to his alchemy room and took out a board from one of the shelves. On the board, two cities were designed, one in black and the other in white, with empty lands between them. There were miniature people living in this world—this was Chess 3.0.
Jasper watched them for a moment. In the black city, a bustling market thrived, with vendors shouting their wares and children playing in the streets. In the white city, a festival was underway, with people dancing and musicians playing lively tunes. Farmers tended to their fields in the countryside, and a small caravan of traders made their way between the two cities, exchanging goods and stories.
He observed a miniature blacksmith hammering out a new sword, his tiny muscles straining with each strike. In a nearby field, a group of children played a game of tag, their laughter echoing through the tiny village. In the white city, a couple was getting married, the bride's dress flowing elegantly as they celebrated with family and friends.
Jasper smiled at the scene, feeling a sense of accomplishment. "One last touch and it's over," he muttered to himself. He carefully placed a system magic on the kings of both kingdoms, ensuring they would act according to his intricate design.
As he finished, he started thinking aloud, "Okay, now I need one more person to be my queen in the game... Hmm, queen... Sylvaine? No, she's probably busy with humans... wait a second, I have a wife! Where the fuck is Raven?"
Jasper's eyes widened as he realized he had been so engrossed in his experiments and projects that he had completely lost track of her.
Jasper sighed and muttered to himself, "I can't believe you make me leave my castle a second time." With that, he teleported himself to the dark elves' forest.
This forest bordered the elves' land, but the nature here was starkly different. The trees had a darker, almost sinister structure, their gnarled branches twisting ominously. The houses were made of steel, blending with the dark, dense foliage that surrounded them.
He walked through the forest until he reached Raven's house. As he approached, the door opened, and Raven's mother, Elara, stood there. The moment she saw Jasper, her expression shifted to one of frustration and sadness.
"Why are you here?" she demanded.
"For Raven," Jasper replied calmly.
"What did you do to her?" Elara's voice was sharp. "She came back from the forest after a couple of days, and she was alone. She won't tell us what happened between you two, so you tell me."
"We had a discussion," Jasper said vaguely.
Elara slapped him hard across the face. "It doesn't matter if you have a discussion or not. You can't just leave her in the middle of the last ritual."
Jasper rubbed his cheek, a rare expression of surprise on his face. "I didn't know the rituals were that important to you."
"Since she came back, she's as quiet as she used to be," Elara said, her voice trembling with emotion. "If you are planning to make her sad again, I won't let you see her."
Jasper nodded. "Okay, I won't. I'll just apologize, that's it. I need her"
Elara, still visibly upset, stepped aside reluctantly and let him in. Jasper made his way to Raven's room.
He found her sitting on her bed, hugging her pillow and looking despondent. Her long hair fell over her face as she lay there, her eyes distant and sad.
When she saw Jasper, she looked up, her eyes widening in surprise. "Jasper?" she whispered.
Jasper stood at the doorway, unsure of how to begin.