The new candle-bearer clutched its fragile flame, wide-eyed and trembling. It looked just like the last one, as if the board itself had rewound time—yet Kaelen could still feel the void where the first bearer's light had died.
The screams. The shattering. The silence.
Kaelen's grip on the relic trembled. For all his strength, all his defiance, he hadn't been fast enough. The guilt clawed at him, more suffocating than the board's endless void.
Lyra knelt beside him, her shoulder still bleeding but her gaze unwavering. "You can't drown in it. Do you hear me? That's what it wants."
The eye above widened, watching them like prey in a cage.
"Flame flickers. Doubt spreads. This is how players break."
Kaelen stood slowly, his fury simmering beneath the guilt. "Then it will choke on me before I break."
The relic pulsed, brighter now, as though feeding on his defiance. Threads of light stretched across the grid, but Kaelen noticed something strange—some of them bent around corners, as if marking hidden paths the enemy couldn't see.
"Lyra," he whispered, eyes narrowing. "It's showing me something. Routes outside the normal squares."
Her eyes lit with sudden understanding. "Secret moves. Shortcuts. You can bend the rules."
The eye's voice rumbled with disapproval.
"Every secret comes with chains. You cannot win without a cost."
Kaelen ignored it, focusing on the threads only he could see. If they could use the relic to rewrite the board, then maybe they weren't just players—they could become architects.
But every time his mind brushed the hidden paths, a spike of pain lanced his skull. Visions flickered—shards of other players across other ages, failing, burning, erased. He staggered, clutching his temple.
Lyra caught him, her voice sharp but soft. "Don't lose yourself to it. The board wants you to forget who you are."
Kaelen's eyes burned as he met hers. "Then remind me."
Her hand pressed against his, grounding him. For a moment, the visions stilled. He could breathe again.
The enemy pieces stirred, titans marching, serpents slithering. The crowned King remained still, its gaze fixed on Kaelen, as if sensing his rebellion.
Kaelen raised the relic, forcing the pain down. "No more hesitation. We don't just defend—we break through."
Lyra smirked despite the blood on her lips. "Now you're talking."
The tiles beneath them shifted. The enemy advanced. The board hungered.
And Kaelen took his first step onto the forbidden path.