The sharp clack of tiles on the GO board resonated through his mind like gunshots as the Nogitsune made his next move. More pieces switched to black; more portions of Stiles Stilinski's mind fell under the control of the demon fox leeching his life away. "What's next, Stiles?" it drawled lazily. "You know you cannot win. I will take them all- your friends, your family, everyone who ever meant something to you." It paused, seeming to take delight in imagining the scenario. "We're going to destroy all of them, Stiles!" It bared its grotesque teeth in some hideous imitation of a smile. "One by one. They will all fall. You had best give up; save the pain, the trouble, the time."
"Shut up" the teen muttered, barely able to respond through his ever so slightly chattering teeth. Sweat dripped down his already tear-streaked face as he used up some of the last remaining bits of his strength to scream with more force this time. "Just shut up!" He could feel his strength failing; he barely make out what was happening in the whitewashed room, much less what was happening on the board. The spirit's voice just kept rattling through his head, keeping him from concentrating, keeping him from even noticing the new invaders in his mind. He picked up a white piece, placing it at random on the board. A few black tiles turned white, but only enough to hold him out for another couple of moves. As far as he could see, there was no way left for him to win. But maybe, that overly optimistic portion of his ADD mind said, just maybe he could last another few turns.
In another part of Stiles's mind, Scott and Lydia ran full-force into each other, skidding a little on the tile floor of the hallway they appeared to be in.
"Any luck?" Scott panted, silently pleading that the banshee's search had been more fruitful than his own. They need to find Stiles, the real Stiles, and fast. Before it was too late.
"No," she gasped, bent over with her hands on her knees.
Scott felt the last bit of hope in his mind get crushed. "What- what do we do now?" he asked, trying to hold back a lump in his throat. What if his best friend, his brother was gone forever?
Lydia looked up at him. "How the fuck should I know? This isn't like the real world, we're inside someone's freaking mind! I can't just scream and-" she paused, straightening up. An idea struck her like lightning. "Scott, Stiles is part of your pack. He's no werewolf, but he is pack. And how do pack members call to each other?"
Scot understood immediately. "They howl."
The Alpha's roar ripped through Stiles's mindscape, ripping away the hallway they had been standing in before, flattening everything until they were suddenly standing in the middle of a completely white room where a very large stump of a certain tree was sitting. But Scott barely noticed the familiar Nemeton, because on top of it was his favorite star-wars fan and the source of their troubles: the Nogitsune. And they were playing some sort of game.
Stiles was doomed. He had fought as long and as hard as he could, but he only had one piece left on the board. He was as strong as his friends- he didn't have claws or fangs or the ability to see the future or even years of hunter training. A chain breaks at the weakest link, he thought bitterly, resigned to his seemingly unavoidable fate. He was the weakest link. He had tried so hard; he had fought so long, but he couldn't do it anymore. He had one piece left, and then it was the Nogitsune move.
"I am a thousand years old, you cannot beat me. I've warned you- this is my game. You think you can beat me at my game?" It laughed. Not the 'haha that's vaguely amusing' type of laugh, the type of laugh that made your sides feel like they were splitting. The demon was going to win, and he was basking in the glory of his opponent's final move. "You have nowhere left to go" it reminded Stiles.
Then Scott roared.
Everything froze. Both GO players looked up, and Stiles was fairly certain that he'd never been so grateful to anyone in his entire life. Scott and Lydia, his friends, had risked everything to come here; they had fought their way into his mind, all to save him? Newfound courage, strength, and hope flooded his system.
And Stiles did the unthinkable. He was about the smash the board, scatter the infernal pieces across the room, when he, for once, decided to think about his actions. He still had one move. He still had his friends. It was still his mind.
The Nogitsune thought it had won, but it had made a mistake every basic game player knew to avoid. It had forgotten to define the rules of the game.
Stiles exiled his friends from his mind, grinning like a madman at Scott as his friend faded back into reality. Then Stiles spun the GO board around, so all of the black tiles were facing him, and made his final move. The black player won, but the black player was no longer the Nogitsune. Stiles was now the champion.
"I win" the teen declared to the ancient evil spirit, who looked almost comically flabbergasted. "Now get the fuck out of my mind."