Smack!
Click—
Smack!
Click—
Monteria sat cross-legged beside the stone platform, resting his head against one hand as he stared at the chessboard upon it, moving the pieces at an unhurried pace.
Yet there was no one beside the board but him.
Each time he moved a piece, the timer beside the chessboard automatically let out a crisp click. Then the board silently rotated once, presenting the other side of the game to its player.
"—When I realized that Nia's experiment had failed, I wanted to seek your advice immediately, Professor."
Inside the dim cave, Thomas knelt silently behind and to the side of the professor, most of his body swallowed by the cavern's shadows. Against the monotonous clicking of the timer, his voice sounded especially stifled. "...I didn't know what to do. But in the end, I restrained that impulse. Because I knew I had caused this trouble myself, the final decision had to be mine. That was why I told no one. At least that way, I could keep this under control... or rather, contain the trouble within my own reach."
As he spoke, he kept his head lowered, making it impossible for others to see his expression clearly.
A Crow Mask lay by his left hand. To his right sat two wide-mouthed jars. One contained a transparent piece of Amber, at the center of which was a thumb-sized lump of fresh flesh. The other held a Blood Pack surrounded by crushed ice. Pale white mist gathered at the mouth of the jar, as though it might burst forth at any second.
Click—
The timer sounded again, and the chessboard rotated steadily once. Professor Monteria picked up the black knight and considered it for a long while before ultimately not setting down the piece in his hand. "...You