Silver Snake World.
Within the long river.
Small boat.
Before the chessboard.
Two old men sat facing each other, playing chess.
Black and white stones had nearly filled the intersecting grid points. White held a great advantage. Black had made several risky moves in an attempt to turn things around, but ultimately could do nothing against White's steady advance.
"Why did you choose Black Prison?"
Seeing that his opponent had no moves left, Old Man Ruo Yu finally voiced the confusion that had troubled him from the beginning:
"What is Black Prison?"
The chairman of the Dark Council lowered his eyelids, considering where to place his next stone. He seemed to have no intention of conceding. After responding with a question, he continued without waiting for an answer:
"A vast prison, built at great cost—ancient, and nothing like a prison at all. And it welcomed a group of wizards who had gone to great lengths to play evil wizards, though they were not evil wizards."
"You ask why we chose Black Prison? Why we came here... perhaps only heaven knows."
He cocked his head, seeming to ponder the final few moves, yet also seeming to listen to the sound of "Heaven and Earth, Yellow and Black" echoing across the Black Prison Battlefield beyond the Silver Snake World.
"Concede," Old Man Ruo Yu urged, watching the hesitation on the old wizard's face. "This isn't your fault... I'll find a way to mediate with the school and the Alliance."
The chairman of the Dark Council steadied himself, looked at the Vice Principal of First University, and let out a derisive snort.
"What good would conceding do?" His expression was strange, as if he were smiling and raging at once. "I'm stuck with you in this damned river. What good would conceding do?"