Camelot started the second game.
He was sitting under the old oak tree again, and there was a chess board in front of him.
There was still no one in front.
Only two green-manicured female hands were motionless above the figures.
Camelot made the first move.
The answer came a few seconds later.
He looked at the board carefully, and then decided to take advantage of the only advantage he had.
If he couldn’t see his opponent, then he could at least try to distract her with a conversation.
«Who were you to Aurelius?»
The woman’s fingers froze.
Camelot noticed that the hand had not moved the figure.
«I know what rumors are going around the estate.
They say you were close to my grandfather.
Some even claimed that you were a call girl.»
There was silence for a few seconds.
Then a soft female laugh rang out.
«People like to make up stories about those who are no longer around.»
The hand slowly moved the chess piece.
«Everything that is being said about Aurelio and me to this day is just rumors.»
Camelot frowned.
«Then who were you to him?»
The woman did not answer this question.
Instead, she made another move.
Camelot chuckled.
«So you really won’t tell me anything?»
«I won’t.»
«Even if I win?»
The hands stopped for a few moments.
Then the woman said softly:
»If you win, I’ll answer your question.»
Camelot smiled.
«Agreed.»
He looked at the board again.
The party continued.
This time, Camelot played much more carefully.
He calculated each move, watched the position of the pieces, and tried to anticipate the actions of an invisible opponent.
The pieces gradually disappeared from the board.
One after the other.
The party became increasingly tense.
Camelot had already been on the verge of defeat several times, but each time it found a way out.
Finally, he saw an opportunity to win.
A few more moves.
Just a few.
He made a move.
The woman replied.
Camelot moved the next piece.
She answered again.
The last pieces froze on the board. This story is hosted at g.com.
Camelot looked at the position and realized what had happened.
He couldn’t win.
But his opponent couldn’t checkmate him either.
«It’s a draw…» Camelot said softly.
At the same moment, the chessboard began to glow.
The lines of the grimoire appeared before my eyes:
[The second batch is completed.
]
[ Result: A Draw.
]
Camelot was about to exhale in relief.
But the next line appeared.
[Victory is not counted.
]
He froze.
And then there was the last message:
[Victory condition: defeat the opponent.
]
[Result for Camelot Canham: defeat.
]
Camelot slowly lowered his gaze.
He lost.
Despite the draw.
At that moment, a small green lizard near the oak tree suddenly began to squirm.
Her body trembled.
His scales darkened, his eyes flashed yellow, and two dark wings began to shoot out from his back.
The wings grew rapidly until they became disproportionately large for a small body.
The lizard rose off the ground and let out a sharp, vicious squeak.
Camelot involuntarily retreated.
But the scariest thing was happening right in front of him.
A body began to join the green-manicured female hands.
First came the wrists and forearms.
Then the shoulders.
Then a torso appeared, dressed in a long green dress.
The body gradually became more distinct, as if an invisible artist was painting herself right in the air.
Camelot stared, unable to move.
A few seconds later, a female figure stood in front of him.
But instead of a head…
there was nothing.
Only a thick, motionless darkness that began where a person’s head should have been.
The woman’s hands slowly rested on the chessboard.
The green nails tapped lightly on the wood.
Knock, Knock, Knock.
And then, a familiar female voice rang out from the black void:
«There’s one last batch left, Camelot.»
Camelot was silent.
The headless figure leaned slightly towards him.
«Now do you understand why Aurelius was never able to finish this game?» This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
Camelot looked at the chessboard.
There is only one batch left on it.
And for some reason, for the first time, he was afraid to find out how it would end.
Camelot started the third game, and it turned out to be the most difficult of all.
From the first moves, he realized that his opponent was no longer going to spare him.
Every action he took was met with an accurate response, and any mistake could end the game.
The pieces disappeared from the board one by one.
Camelot was almost resigned to defeat when something incredible happened.
The opponent made a mistake.
Just one wrong move, he noticed it instantly.
He took advantage of the last chance, moved the piece and checkmated.
For a few seconds, everything froze.
Camelot won.
He expected that now what he had been waiting for from the very beginning would happen.
The headless woman would finally find a face, and he would be able to see the one who had been associated with his grandfather for so many years.
But something completely different happened.
The chessboard was gone.
The woman’s hands disappeared into thin air.
The old oak tree disappeared, the grass and the cold wind disappeared.
Camelot felt the space around him distort, as if someone had abruptly pulled on an invisible thread.
And then everything went dark.
A moment later, his feet touched the hard floor.
Camelot looked around.
He was in an old room.
Dust lay on the wooden floor, heavy curtains covered the windows, and paintings darkened with age hung on the walls.
He immediately realized where he was.
His grandfather, Aurelius Canham, used to play chess here.
But now there was someone else in the room.
There was a large red armchair in front of Camelot.
There was a woman sitting in it.
Camelot froze.
Her long hair was green, a rich shade of emerald.
She was wearing the same green dress, and her lips were covered with bright green lipstick.
It seemed that her entire image was created around a single color.
But what surprised Camelot the most was the creature on her shoulder.
Little devil.
It had two short horns, sharp teeth, and small demonic wings.
Camelot recognized him immediately.
It was the same little lizard that he had recently fed under the old oak tree.
Now there is almost nothing left of the former harmless creature.
The devil looked directly at Camelot.
He studied it in silence for a few seconds.
And then he smiled broadly.
«Hi-hi-hi…»
Camelot slowly shifted his gaze to the woman.She sat quietly in the red armchair and looked at him as if she had been waiting for this meeting for a long time.
A mysterious smile appeared on her green lips.
«You’ve finally come, Camelot Canham…»