Tyki Mikk never lost. That was just a fact of life. There were close calls, such as the fight with Allen Walker back in the day, and there were plenty of "unfinished battles", but he never outright lost. That was his perfect record, and he intended on keeping it.
However, there had been far too many "unfinished battles" lately, and he really needed to win at something. It didn't really matter what he won at a long as it was a victory. He definitely needed something to distract him from the most recent "unfinished battle" with Allen. That was the reason why he found himself at the library once again. When the new Ark had been built, a few new things had showed up. And, while there were others he could play with, the one in the library was the most interesting.
The Ark seemed to know his intentions, because that person was already there when he entered the library. He didn't seem too happy about it either, Tyki noted. He couldn't blame the man, though. Their last encounter had been a close call, and Tyki had "accidentally" made him suffocate. "Now now, Exorcist," Tyki said in a scolding yet playful tone as he approached the man, "Is that any way to greet a Noah?"
The Exorcist just glared at Tyki. It looked like he was smart enough to remember that attacking would just get him killed again. That lesson had taken a few dozen times to get through to the Exorcist, though. When the Exorcist said nothing Tyki clapped his hands together and said, "How about chess, then? It's been a while since we played that."
"Because YOU kept throwing the chess board across the library and damaging the books," The Exorcist snapped.
That's right. The Earl had gotten upset about that, and Tyki had to stop playing chess because of it. "I'll make sure not to do it this time," he said, "So let's play. I'll be white, and you can be black."
The Exorcist didn't protest. He knew better by now. Tyki always got what he wanted here, and it was pointless to argue. The Ark listened to Noah, not Exorcists, after all. Tyki was impressed by this Exorcist, though, because he had learned that particular lesson the quickest. The others had taken much longer.
Well, to be fair, one of the others had gone insane, so he couldn't really be counted for this.
As soon as Tyki wished for it, the Ark created the chess table, pieces, and chairs for them. It even took the extra effort to be artistic this time, too. The pawns were Black Order members and Akuma, respectively. The higher ranked pieces were allies of whichever side they were on, and they had their names printed around the base. They both sat down, and Tyki inspected the pieces. He was amused to find that the Exorcist's "Queen" was Rabi. However, that amusement quickly turned to annoyance when he saw that his own queen was the Earl. "Don't even start," Tyki said in response to the Exorcist's chuckle.
"You're the one who started it," The Exorcist said as he moved one of the pawns.
Tyki didn't respond, and instead he chose to just move a pawn. This Exorcist still liked to get smart with him, it seemed. He would have to be punished for that. After the game, though. Tyki wanted to beat him at chess before he beat him at fighting.
They played a few moves before Tyki finally spoke again. "We've played quite a few times," he said, "What's the record so far?"
The Exorcist sighed. "Fifty-six to zero," he reported.
Tyki grinned. After a second-long pause the Exorcist added, "Though we have 212 unfinished games, too."
Tyki responded to the Exorcist's statement by taking his bishop, who had the name "Kanda" printed on the base.
They played in silence for a minute or two before Tyki decided to prod the Exorcist again. He said, "That Exorcist, Walker, he and his wife had another child."
The Exorcist suddenly perked up, and Tyki grinned again. He loved playing with this man's emotions. He had lasted the longest out of all the exorcists here, making him the only sane one left. Toys that didn't break as easily were the best. "Yes, it was a little girl. They named her Anita."
The Exorcist smiled slightly, but he quickly hid that smile with a suspicious look. He could tell that something was up, clearly. Good for him. He was learning. "I killed her, of course," Tyki said, "That child was bound to become an Exorcist someday, just like her parents and older brother."
Though it was a blatant lie (Allen hid away his children specifically so the Noah couldn't get to them), Tyki still liked to mess with this Exorcist. It seemed to work, too, as the Exorcist frowned at Tyki. Tyki could tell that he was masking feelings of sorrow and remorse, though. This was the child of his friend, after all. "It's only a matter of time before I get him as well," he said calmly as he took the knight represented by Linali, "He won't last much longer, what with everyone he cares about falling so quickly."
The Exorcist didn't so much as blink as that statement. He had a lot of restraint, Tyki decided. Instead the Exorcist used his rook, Allen, to take Tyki's bishop, Road. "You won't be able to do so without heavy losses," he said simply.
Then the Exorcist had to duck as Tyki threw the "Miranda" piece he had captured earlier at him. "Your temper has gotten worse over the years," the Exorcist commented as he sat back up in his chair.
"Like you would know," Tyki snapped, "You haven't changed a bit."
The Exorcist shook his head as he said, "That's not my fault, you know. Blame the ark."
He did have a point, Tyki decided. This Exorcist, along with the others in this Ark, were merely copies of those who had died in the previous Ark. They were doomed to an eternity of existence here. Even death wasn't an escape, since another copy would be created. And, since the Ark was constantly saving itself, the new copy would have all the memories of the old one. However… "That's not true," Tyki said bluntly, "The others have changed. They're either cracked or broken completely. You're the only one who's still somewhat the same."
That made the Exorcist go quiet. It always did. Clearly he didn't like hearing about friends who had been damaged by the Noah. Tyki continued on this track by saying, "Of course, some didn't break nearly as quickly as others. That redhead lasted through nearly ten years of this before he-"
"It's your turn," The Exorcist said through gritted teeth.
Tyki returned to the game, taking "Queen" Rabi. "There's no hope for them, you know. You might as well give up on them and just focus on keeping yourself sane."
"There's always hope," the Exorcist said quietly as he moved a piece.
Tyki moved another piece. He could already see the end of the game, too. In three moves he would have the Exorcist in checkmate. "Your hope is pointless," he said, "The Earl's vision of the world is as sure as I am that this will be my fifty-seventh victory."
The Exorcist answered by moving a single piece and uttering three words. "The queen, please."
Tyki looked down at the board, his stomach doing a flip as he realized what had happened. A pawn had made it to the end of the board. When Tyki exchanged it for the queen, he would be trapped by "Rabi" and "Allen".
"Checkma-"
Before the Exorcist could finish that word, though, Tyki stood up and reached across the table and grabbed Crowley's neck. In one swift movement he snapped his neck, killing Crowley instantly. Tyki let the body fall to the ground, and he stared at it as the Ark cleaned up the mess and made the chess game disappear. Even after everything was gone, though, Tyki continued to stare at the spot where Crowley's body had been.
Several minutes later Tyki shook his head. "Another close call," he muttered, running a shaky hand through his hair.
He really needed to learn to control his temper better, he decided. It had been unbelievably short ever since that fight with Allen in the old Ark. If his temper had been under control then he would haave won at chess instead of having a close call and being forced to kill Crowley.
No. He wasn't "Crowley." He was just "the Exorcist." Tyki had to keep reminding himself of that. Exorcists didn't deserve to be called by names, especially not the ones who were stuck here. They were just toys, playthings, something to be amused by. They were just images created by the Ark. They weren't real.
Tyki sighed and started to leave the library. He would have to find his amusement elsewhere today, as this had been an "unfinished game" and he didn't really want to face that Exorcist again right away. Perhaps he could go bother the redhead for a bit. Yes. That Exorcist was very attached to him, so he could get back at him by messing around with the redhead for a bit. It was only fair.
Whatever the case, he needed to move past this "unfinished game." It was easier to move past that than a loss, at least. Then again, losses had never been an issue, and they never would be. He may have close calls, and he may have "Unfinished" things, but Tyki Mikk never lost.