The smell of old books hit Aion immediately upon entry. The smell reminded him of the many stories he had read of old libraries, sending small bits of adrenaline pumping through his blood at the thought of discovering one for himself—even if it was merely a dream, the feelings behind it felt real. Looking around, he found several book shelves lined with different textbooks, ranging from history to the Lunalis faith. As he took in the sight, a frown formed on Aion's face—disappointment eating away at him. The selection of books didn't match the mystical situation; disappointing, that was the right word for this dream-like scenario.
Still, Aion looked around more, finding a desk with two chairs sitting opposite of each other. On the small desk was a familiar checkered black and white eight by eight board. Black and white pieces were in various positions with several captured pieces off to the side of each. This game of chess was in the middle game; deep into the conflict of battle. Aion couldn't tell which side was to move. The chess board was something Aion was greatly familiar with, having spent the past several years of his life playing on and off—more off as of late—he felt a twinge of some incomprehensible emotion as he looked at the board.
Aside from the chess board drawing him in, he narrowed his eyes. It was surprising, he hadn't expected to find chess to be in a place as backward as this. He would've figured that chess was just another foreign concept. Shaking the thought off, he looked at the board and noticed something that piqued his interest: both sides could win. Whoever could make the first move would end up forcing mate. White had a battery that could mate the king this turn, while black had a back rank mate. How the game got to this point was beyond Aion, he simply couldn't imagine any competent player—let alone two—reaching such a ridiculous position. Perhaps it was merely a contrived setup for a puzzle? He wasn't sure, he would have to ask whoever set it up.
"Are you perhaps interested in the game?" A pleasant voice rang out and Aion jolted. "Ah! Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."
Aion turned around and saw a man that looked to be in his late twenties. He had cleanly kept brown hair, wore a suit, and had stunning golden eyes.
"It's okay, I was just wondering whose move it was on the board there."
The man smiled and said, "Now that's a fine question. I take it you saw the mating patterns from both sides?"
"Yes."
"Well, what do you think?"
"Huh?"
"You see, without knowing how a position was reached, I was just wondering if anyone could deduce whose turn it is."
"Maybe it's possible," Aion began. "I cannot though, I'm not especially skilled at the game."
"You're not?"
"I wouldn't say so. I could beat your average person, but that's only because I know the basics of the game."
"I see, would you like to play a game then?"
"Um…sure…"
The man moved to the chess board and started placing the pieces on each side of the board.
"Is there a color you wish to play with?" He asked after completion.
"I don't have a preference."
"I see, then we'll decide by chance."
Taking a pawn in each hand, he hid them behind his back before revealing them once more. His hands cupped around each pawn, hiding their colors. Aion pointed toward the right hand. The man uncupped that hand and revealed the black pawn.
"It appears I'll be playing offense this game," the man said before sitting at the white side. "So, tell me, what's your name?" He asked as Aion sat down.
"Aion Belial."
"Aion Belial?" The man asked as he made his first move. "Now that's an interesting name, do you know the etymology of the name?"
Aion looked at the man in surprise as he played his first move, "I would've thought the word etymology didn't exist in Magna."
"Hoh? Are you already familiar with their ignorance?"
"You…know?"
"Yes, as the historical record keeper as well as the librarian, it's natural that I know much more than the average citizen in this town."
"I see…"
"Does it strike you as odd?"
"Yes, I figured the whole town would be ignorant."
"Hm, a rather hasty conclusion."
"I suppose so."
"Still, I suppose seeing something like this must be baffling to an outsider."
"It is."
"Do you have any questions?"
"How can I get back home?"
"Well, that depends on where you live."
"The U.S.," Aion said, a hint of bitterness in his voice.
"Hm…" The man hummed in contemplation. "It shouldn't be too difficult to get you home in a little over a week."
"Only a week? Where is this place?"
The man smiled, amused, "up north."
"Like, beyond Canada?"
"Correct. It's a place not even registered on the map."
"Is that so?"
"Still, how did you stumble across this village?"
"I—" Aion stopped himself remembering Luna's lie, however, he couldn't use the excuse he used with Aria. "Shouldn't I know your name first?"
"Ah, how rude of me," the man apologized and introduced himself "the name is Alexander Dolion."
Aion opened his mouth and said, "I guess that was rather obvious. To answer your question, I woke up in a shack deep into those snowy woods with no recollection of how I got there."
Alexander's mouth parted slightly in surprise, "Now that's interesting. Perhaps blunt force trauma induced a scramble in your memories? Or were you perhaps drugged? Well, I can only guess that finding the answer wouldn't lead to anything substantial. So, I suppose you are welcome to stay in Magna with my approval and recommendation for a place to stay until we can get you out of here."
"I would appreciate that."
"Now, are there any questions you have?" Alexander's eyes bore deeply into Aion's, causing Aion to tense up.
"I don't have any, in the end I'll be leaving here so I don't see much of a point in learning any of the town's history or religious state."
"A fair assessment, although, I would posit that learning such a thing can help one reach greater insights in their everyday life. In the end, the more knowledge you imbibe upon yourself, the more weapons you have at your disposal."
"It sounds like you wish for me to pursue the topic."
"It doesn't just sound like it, it is that way. If I could be frank for a moment, having no one to speak with about topics involving the outside world is rather dreary. In a way, I was hoping we could partake in a dialogue to stimulate the mind."
"I see. Why are you the only one with knowledge of the outside world? Isn't that rather odd in the modern age?"
Alexander closed his eyes in apparent contemplation, "A fair question," he started. "But first, are you perhaps interested in a drink? I have tea and coffee."
"Ah…I don't drink either of those."
"You don't? Well, it's not unheard of. May I inquire about your reasoning?"
"I just never bothered trying it, water seemed suitable enough."
"I can get you a glass of water, in the meantime, I suggest thinking about your current move."
The game, having progressed since their first moves had entered the middle game. Aion analyzed the situation and found that he was losing. Despite it not being a shock, Aion felt himself feeling upset over the position—and yet, Alexander's words repeated in his head: "I suggest thinking about your current move."
Does that not imply there is a solution? A winning idea hidden in the tangle of the pieces on the board, converging into a miraculous save? Looking at the situation, the queen was under heavy pressure with only one move of escape; however, then his rook would be lost in the process. Eventually, the game would enter its endgame with Aion down a rook. Then, what is there to be done? When one is cornered and asked to sacrifice one piece for another, what is the choice that should be made? Logically, the stronger of the two pieces should be kept, giving a higher chance at a comeback. So was there truly no winning idea? The board before him didn't speak out to him. For he had no talent—no naturalborn gift to play chess at a higher level, nor did he train from a young age to wire his brain to analyze the game efficiently. There is a common belief in the chess world that if one doesn't reach a specific ELO by a given age, it is impossible to ever become a grandmaster. In a sense, attempting to become a grandmaster after a certain age is locked away forever—lost to those who never started at a young age.
Perhaps that was a rather dismal outlook, but empirically, it holds true. At the end of the day, the game of chess was much like many competitive arts or sports: the earlier one starts, the better. Ultimately, for someone like Aion, this held true. Having started to play actively at the age of sixteen, he was far past the age what the empirical data implies. If Aion had started playing earlier in his life, perhaps he would be more skilled than he was now; maybe he would even enjoy the game of chess. But, the sense of defeat that weighed on him as he stared at the board only served as a reminder for why he played sparsely now. The depressing state of the eight by eight board weighed heavily on his heart as he tried to find something—anything. But even with that, with the effort of trying to find a winning idea like a puzzle—he couldn't. At least, not easily or efficiently. Sure, he could test every move out one at a time in his mind, but he couldn't visualize that far into the future. How would he know an idea that seems winning in four or five moves will stay winning in seven or eight moves? With the branching possibilities with each move played, compounding into a larger and larger pool of options, his brain simply couldn't keep up. It was simply never trained that way—never built to survive the calculations required for chess.
Soon, Aion found an idea: sacrifice the queen. By doing so, he could open a heavy attack up on Alexander's king. But would it be enough? He didn't see mate in the next several moves, but shouldn't the brutal assault on the king make a difference? Shouldn't that mean he would win? If Alexander's words really did imply that there was a winning idea, this seemed to be the most likely method of attack.
Gently grabbing the queen, he aimed to sacrifice it. Just take the pawn and open the king's side of the board, bring the pieces into the attack, and find mate in the process. That's all he needed to do. Even though he recognized that, his hand froze, hovering above the board with the queen still in his grasp, his grip lightening from the freeze. A single, tiny thought bubbled up in his mind: what if this isn't the right idea? If it wasn't, he would be in an even worse position.
"Oh? Do you have a move in mind?" Alexander asked as he walked out holding a glass of water and a tea kettle.
Placing the glass of water on Aion's side, Alexander began preparing tea for himself.
"I…do…" Aion said hesitantly before sacrificing the queen.
Alexander's eyes lit up with excitement at the sight.
"A bold move, truly. Instead of retreating to hope for a safer attempt at victory, you hope to make a comeback in a Hail Mary. I must ask, you seemed rather hesitant to do so, why is that?"
"I mean, I…I can't exactly see the whole vision."
"Well, that's certainly fine. It's not as if this is a serious game, simply for fun. There's no need to have an extensive amount of analysis on a simple time passer. You can leave that for the GMs."
A bitter taste filled Aion's mouth.
"Still, it's not a move I expected from you."
"What do you mean?"
"Let's see…I suppose the best way to put it is: you're passive. You don't play very aggressively, you generally prefer to let the opponent make the move instead of yourself. Even after being granted the opportunity on several occasions, you didn't make any serious attempt at an attack. Instead, you played a stalling move or a light attack—waiting for the opponent to attack. So I find the attack to be rather odd. It's an extremely aggressive move. Did my comment perhaps trigger you to play that move?"
"It did…"
Alexander laughed lightly and said, "Well I guess it's my own fault. Still, chess isn't just about reacting to an opponent—attacking the opponent is just as important."
"I'm aware, I just can't see good attacks very often."
"Still, you have a good amount of skill. I would estimate you're in the upper intermediate range. Am I correct?"
Aion nodded and said, "It's been a while since I've played, but that's where I was in my prime."
"So you've moved on from the game? That's a shame. I would've liked to face you in your prime, or, I suppose, you would've likely been even better than your prime."
"Probably."
"Well, I guess we should continue where we left off," Alexander said as he took a sip of tea. "You see, I have to deal with foreign affairs. In this modern age, it's natural one of the global powers would've found this remote village. I merely act as the intermediary between us to ensure the peaceful lives of Magna."
"But why not give the people of Magna information from the outside world?"
"That? It wasn't decided by me, rather, my predecessors deemed it necessary. The reason has simply faded with time. At this point, it's merely a tradition and I find no need to break that tradition."
"Is it not lonely being like this?"
"Well, I can't deny there is most certainly a feeling of isolation; however, that isolation is overturned by me helping the town as much as I can. It's a rather fulfilling thing to do."
Aion stared into Alexander's golden eyes. Biting his lip, he shifted his body slightly.
"Do you doubt me?" Alexander asked.
"What makes you think I do?" Aion asked, his brows unfurrowing.
Alexander smiled softly and said, "Aion, the emotions are written all over your face. Furrowed eyebrows, a refusal, or perhaps more aptly, a lack of speaking, the biting of your lip, the slight shifting of your body, all those signs point toward some sort of nervousness or doubt. However, I lean more toward doubt based on the context."
"That's quite the assessment…"
"It's just a bit of reasoning paired with some intuition, nothing too impressive. I could've been wrong after all."
Aion didn't say anything as he played his final move, ultimately losing the game. Even the sacrifice he had performed led to nothing.
"That was a good game," Alexander said as he held out his hand to be shaken.
Aion grasped it and agreed.
"Now, I'll be contacting the necessary people so they can handle your return home safely."
"I appreciate it," Aion said.
Now, he didn't need to worry about any of the affairs of this strange land. He would either wake soon from this dream, or return home and have this all be a coincidence. While he waited for one of those two outcomes, he may as well attempt to enjoy himself. Maybe he would find some pleasure in this, just maybe.