The peculiar voice that came from the air duct grew closer to us. If I don't do anything, Eva will get into trouble because of me! I look at the syringe that she gave me. Though I'm a bit scared about what this syringe contains, whatever it is, I have to trust Eva. If I don't, then all of this will be meaningless to her.
I instantly injected the syringe into my left arm. That green liquid—was slowly seeping into my veins. Now, what will happen to me? I looked at Eva with my right hand raised, showing her the syringe, now empty, after I had injected it. She stepped closer, just to make sure the needle had really pierced my skin. She just nodded and tapped my shoulder, as a sign for me to step back. Now I realize, that ferocious sound seems to be coming from about five meters ahead of us.
"Whatever happens, just don't get caught. I will hold it off, and you just need to bear the effect," said Eva with her scratchy, almost inhuman voice. After that, a sharp ice sword with some dust on the edge of the sword appeared beside her. It looks like she has started using her power so she can buy me some time. I don't know what kind of effect she meant, but I'm pretty sure it's a strong one, since she told me I'd have to bear it for a while, while she dragged out the fight.
I'm not denying it, but right now I'm kind of dizzy. Dizzy again, but this time it feels like a thorn keeps stabbing into my forehead. My hands can't handle the sudden cold either; it's colder than anything I've ever felt. It's like snowflakes, ten times larger and sharper than normal, are slamming into my skin just to make sure I'll die from the cold alone. The pain keeps piercing me, over and over.
Now I get it. Eva wanted me to hold this hellish pain for a minute, while she held up the ferocious creatures ahead of us. From the sound through the air duct, I'm convinced that there were more than ten of them. This can't be; I need to suppress this pain and join her in fighting those creatures. Otherwise, Eva will be in danger just because she wanted to save me!
***
Wait… where is this? In a blink of my eyes, I am here? Where is this? I don't think this is Earth. The sky burns red instead of blue, and the air looks thick with dangerous dust, even though I can't smell it. Hold up… why can't I smell anything? That's when I realize—there's a being sitting on a throne behind me, holding up an old wooden staff capped with a skull. Chills lance through my spine, raising goosebumps all over my body just because I dare to gaze at its presence alone. It looks dangerous.
And not just that, I can see it lifting its finger toward me, as if it wants to call me over. After all, could this be the one who brought me here? That's what I'm thinking when, from the opposite side, a sudden voice roars to life and echoes painfully through my ears.
That's when I realized I had been brought into another dimension, one separated by time itself. Eva didn't seem to move or make a sound. It was just like… time had frozen. I suspected at first that this was not a good sign, but then a voice suddenly echoed within my mind. I'm pretty sure it was the being's voice!
"You need not be afraid; for this moment, it is only you and I. Allow me first to introduce myself. I am certain this is our very first encounter. You can call me "Matriarch." Although I cannot yet disclose either my name or any familiar moniker, it is enough for you to know that I am one of the forsaken chess pieces, cast aside and left to be forgotten by others. Now I have come to you to request a favor."
"A favor? Why would a being with such extraordinary abilities as yours request anything of someone so clearly inferior?" I cannot comprehend this. This being simply speaks on and on exactly as it pleases, without offering any proper explanation, to put it bluntly.
"I am unable to disclose the nature of our request until you first consent to enter into a binding agreement with us. The subject to be communicated is too delicate to articulate in advance, as revealing it may compromise our intended plans. Thus, you must first accept these terms, enter into an agreement with us, and act in accordance with the rights and authority we shall hold over your service."
"This favor, however, shall hold true only if you consent to forge a pact with the lost chess pieces. In return, you shall be granted a magnificent power, so extraordinary that humanity itself would deem its existence impossible."
"According to this pact, you will serve as our slave until the moment you accomplish the singular, paramount objective of your mission. You may not refuse any command given by the contractor unless you bear a truly reasonable cause. Once your mission is fulfilled, you shall receive authority and freedom, unaccompanied by any loss, as your reward. Yet you must understand: this pact may ultimately lead you to your death."
The explanation was so extensive that it took me quite some time to fully grasp its meaning. At last, I lifted my gaze to behold that existence. I hesitated, uncertain whether I should accept this generous offer or refuse it. Yet within that uncertainty, a small conviction stirred: perhaps this was the very reason not to surrender, but to keep living in the way I truly desire, rather than continuing this current life of emptiness, merely a burden upon my parents.
If I obtain this power, I am certain I can reshape my own fate and, perhaps—who can say?—I may one day become the fifth great noble of this world. Judging from the explanation given by that existence, it appears that I alone am the destined choice, the only one who can be entrusted with the task that has been so carefully prepared.
"I hereby solemnly consent to be bound by this covenant, to become your subordinate with full entitlements under the terms and conditions that have been set forth."
I bow low before it in humble submission. Matriarch rose and descended the steps of its throne toward me. Each of its footsteps, resounding like thunderbolts, only deepened the terror in my heart. At last, it stood before me.
Matriarch drew forth a shard of emerald. The gemstone drank in the crimson hue of the sky, leaving behind a pale, emptied firmament through which the whole of the outer world lay revealed. Within that boundless expanse I beheld stars and planets scattered like jewels strewn across an infinite tapestry.
Then the emerald, having absorbed that otherworldly colour, was cast by it's hand into my body, precisely at the center of my chest. I felt it pass within me, though it brought no pain, only the uncanny certainty of its presence.
"Now, fight on—fight on, my faithful servant."
In the space of a heartbeat, the alien dimension that had wrenched me from reality dissolved before my eyes, and the world returned with a startling clarity. Every sense burned more keenly than before. Was it because that other realm had dulled my perception? Perhaps. It no longer mattered.
My gaze fixed upon Eva, who was still locked in battle, her strength steadily waning. Outwardly she seemed unharmed, yet I could feel that she was nearing her limit. I called her name, my voice rising in a hoarse shout. She startled, then drove the monsters back with a sweep of her sword, forcing herself onward. When she turned toward me, her breath came in ragged gasps.
Just as I had feared, I must have been unconscious for far too long, pushing even someone as formidable as Eva to such an exhausted state. My vision began to dim, shadows creeping in at the edges. Guilt coiled tightly within me; it was unforgivably wrong to have left Eva to face this horde alone while I lay helpless, unable to lift a hand in her defense.
I stepped toward Eva and drew my sword from its sheath, the blade bared and posed to meet the monster. My fingers tightened around the hilt until I could feel the pulse of blood beating in my palm. I glanced at Eva and motioned for her to stand down. It was my turn to cut down the creature that barred our way.
Yet Eva simply walked alongside me and let the ice-bound sword slide from her grasp. Before withdrawing, she laid a steadying hand upon my shoulder. "Endure for at most two minutes," she said softly. "I will find us a way out of this place." Then, before departing, she extended her index finger and brought it to rest upon the point of my blade.
From her touch, a blue radiance blossomed, spreading along the steel until the entire length of the sword was sheathed in ice. "Wield it while I still have strength," she murmured. "It will not last long—perhaps three minutes at most—but for a brief while, it should be enough."
I inclined my head in understanding, then leveled my sword once more at the deranged creature before us.
"Urgh… this is the first time I have ever faced something like this—and not just one; they came in a pack. But do not worry. Go and find what matters most right now. I will do everything I can to hold them back."
My voice rang with confidence, though in truth I knew my strength was meagre, and I doubted whether I could restrain them for even two minutes. Yet this was for Eva's sake; if I wore a convincing expression, she would surely feel at least a little safer.
I charged toward the monster and swung my sword with all the force I could muster. One after another, I cut them down, their vile blood not only soaking my hair but spattering grotesque stains across my clothes.
Fortunately, I was not alone; I had Eva. Thanks to the residual power within my sword, it seemed to have grown remarkably stronger. I had never imagined I would be able to sever a monster's head as easily as slicing it through onions.
"Wait… huhuhu… onions, it is over… I think my mother just asked me to buy onions. Forgive me, Mother," I wept silently within my heart.