"You lost," Alayot said, his eyes tracing Trul's expression.

Trul was breaking apart. He couldn't believe it. So he had already lost… even from the start. Was he deceiving himself? He had actually believed he could win at one point.

Trul took deep breaths as he wiped his tears. He didn't know it, but ever since he had started this chess game and realized it wasn't ordinary, that every piece represented life, that every piece controlled the trajectory of a reality, he had taken it very seriously. But… he had been wrong.

No wonder the calmness of this leader of the Dreadborne. No matter what steps he thought he had taken, no matter what divine move he had imagined, Alayot had just observed everything quietly. No surprise. No happiness. No sadness. No frown, no laughter, not even a smile.

Just a calm, natural face… from this demon.

"As for your question… Was it predetermined?" Alayot muttered as Trul fell silent. His ears pricked.

This was what he wanted to know. He had seen all of Calus's struggles, and he wasn't satisfied. He wanted more… he wanted answers. He wanted to see if Calus had actually had choices, or if this was simply how it was supposed to play out.

"It is," Alayot said. "That is fate. Unless you are above it, you can never change the ending. For example… look at Calus's life. All his struggles, his beliefs, they all fell into the plan that was built for him."

"One could even say he didn't dream high enough. He never asked what lay beyond… and maybe that is what brought him back to his predetermined end. Or perhaps… he never had a choice," Alayot added, as the chessboard blurred and twisted before them.

Bammm.

The chessboard closed. Trul gulped. This revelation was astounding… and uncomfortable. He had never wanted this. All he had ever wanted was for Calus to save Fre, defeat the organization, and live a happy life. But who knew…

Calus had been a clone of the Outer God that wanted to devour the world. Everything… all of Calus's life… was a lie. Even Trul hadn't known. He had been deceived too.

Trul looked back at Alayot's calm face and felt a wave of dread.

"Like I said earlier… if you win, you will survive. But if you lose…" Alayot paused. Trul's heart raced. His fingers trembled. Sweat dripped down his forehead.

"You will die," Alayot finished.

Yes… this wasn't just a struggle for Calus's life. It was Trul's too. And now that Calus had lost… he had lost as well.

"I know…" Trul spoke, his voice shaking. He couldn't even dare look Alayot in the eyes.

"I am in no position to make a request… but can my death be painless?" he asked.

Hahaha. For the first time, Trul heard Alayot laugh.

"Interesting… but I won't kill you. In fact, like Calus, you will be given a second chance. I and the Dreadborne will give you a second chance," Alayot said with a smile.

Hearing this, Trul felt a weight lift from his chest. He hurriedly knelt, pressing his forehead to the ground.

"Thank you… thank you very much for this. I won't disappoint you," Trul said, almost laughing. But just as quickly as joy came… it was drowned by the weight of reality.

"But… not with the Dreadborne. From now on, you are cast away. At least we won't attack you, nor chase you. You are free to do as you wish… but we will not remove the bloodline we gave you. You may leave," Alayot said. Trul's eyes widened in horror.

Leave? Only a fool would accept this. The Dreadborne organization had given him everything: unlimited potential, power… constant protection.

What was wrong with him? How could he do this? What was he thinking? Had the Dreadborne organization forsaken him?

"I will give you a warning, though. Don't stand against us. Just enjoy your life as much as you can. You are no different from Calus," Alayot finished, waving his hand.

A small wave spread, and Trul vanished. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Alayot looked at the table once more, then at the chessboard, and smiled.

"Master… since you are here, show yourself," Alayot said with a smirk. Space trembled, and

void,

in his demon form appeared, sitting down with ease. A smile tugged at his lips.

Beside him appeared Mark, who looked at Alayot warmly.

Although Mark was Quasi Rank 4, the pressure emanating from this being was terrifying. Was it above Quasi Rank 4? Or equal?

And he called Void "Master"… was this another slave of Void?

"Hahaha… when did you start calling me master?" Void asked, smiling with amusement.

"Hahaha… because we have a guest," Alayot replied, looking at Mark.

Now, with Alayot observing him, Mark felt even more immense pressure and frowned. Was this the difference between him and another slave of Void? Was he really that low-level? What if Void hadn't altered his bloodline, would he have remained Rank 3 for life?

"Haha… he is just another slave like you," Void waved his hand dismissively.

"I thought as much, Void," Alayot said with a smirk.

"Ah, leave that. Let's talk about you…" Void paused, narrowing his eyes.

"What have you been doing?" Void asked, glancing at the chessboard. Of course, the law of fate could not be hidden from him, nor the origin of the soul lingering around it.

"Oh, it's no secret. I want to create my mechanical race," Alayot said eloquently.

"But I don't want to give them biological bodies. If I did, they would lose their mechanical essence and just become another flesh-and-blood race," Alayot paused, rubbing his chin. Sparks flew, but he seemed unfazed.

"Yet I faced an obstacle. If I create them like this, their growth would be limited. Even if they had eternal life, they wouldn't have consciousness, even if a soul existed. Then I looked for a single race… a race that, even with a short lifespan, could constantly evolve without boundaries, without limit…"

Alayot spread his arms. Two human figurines appeared: one male, one female.

"The human race is perfect for study. I have been observing them, their thoughts, their emotions, and most importantly… do emotions make them alive, or is it their consciousness? Must one have emotions to achieve full consciousness? Will emotions drive evolution? Fear, sadness, happiness, love, betrayal… are these the key factors that make a mechanical being limitless? Are these what make a mechanical being biological?" Alayot asked with a smile.

Pahh…

Alayot snapped his fingers, and the chessboard disappeared.

"I just experimented on a human. I observed his decisions, especially his emotions. And of course, I could see his soul too… the trembles… the subtle waves…"

"Anyways, the project isn't complete. There's still more to learn… more to research…" Alayot smirked.

Void shook his head. That snap of Alayot's fingers hadn't just made the chessboard disappear but it had frozen Mark in place.

"Did it help you figure out the contract?" Void asked with a knowing smile.

"Oh? You mean this?" Alayot replied with a smile as a swirling, primordial ancient scroll emerged from his body.

(Ding… Warning: The slave contract has been removed from your slave, Alayot.)

Void frowned deeply when he heard this. He had never witnessed anything like it before, nor even heard of it. But Alayot wasn't a biological being and more importantly, he studied the origin of the soul.

So perhaps… something like this was to be expected.

"Then if you could break it… why didn't you?" Void asked as Alayot played with the scroll, letting it swirl around his fingers.

"I only figured it out after the chess game I played with a biological being, so I couldn't have broken it instantly. But I made a promise and I keep my promises. In fact, it was more of a trade…"

Alayot smiled.

"I will remain your slave… for the time being."

The contract floated back into his body.

(Ding… The host's slave, Alayot, has been subdued once again.)

"Interesting…" Void said.

Time resumed its flow, and Mark returned to normal. He looked at the two of them, completely unaware of what had just happened, as he had been frozen in time.

"Let me do the honors and introduce him to the others. Linkir should have missed you," Alayot said as he stood up and looked at Mark with a smile.

"Ah, that little feisty girl…" Void chuckled softly as he also stood and gestured for Mark to follow them.