『Beginner』

Sora received another mail.

『 』

Sender: unknown

Well done.

If you're that good at games…

The world must be a tough game for you to live, right?

What do you think about your world?

Is it fun?

Is it easy to live in?

If there was a world where simple games decided everything…

a world on a board,

where the rules and goal were clear,

what would you think about that?

Sora laughed to himself. He started to type, interacting with someone for the first time in years.

Re: 『 』

Sender: 『 』

If there's a world like that, then I was born in the wrong world.

Sora hit send. Suddenly, there was a flash, as if the world's energy supply just ran out. All of his screens displayed static. He stood up, alarmed. What's going on?

"I think so too!" a young boy's voice called out in the darkness. "You were definitely born in the wrong world!" Two hands stretched out from the main screen. Sora gasped. "So I'll let you be reborn! In the world you should've been born in!"

Everything turned white.

"Welcome to my world!" Sora was falling, his many electronics scattered around in the sky.

"What is this?" he shouted in terror, arms stretched out in a free fall to the ground. Surprised, he looked around. He had just heard a girl's voice scream in the same way he did. There, a young girl with light lavender hair was falling too.

"This is the ideal world you've always dreamed of. The world on a game board: Disboard!"

Sora shifted, trying to reach the girl.

"Everything in this world is decided by simple games. People's lives…even national borders!"

"Who are you?" the girl asked in a quiet voice.

"Me?" the strange boy asked. "I'm Tet. I live over there." He pointed at a king chess piece in the distance. "A god?"

"A god?" the girl repeated, tears falling out of her eyes. Sora finally caught the girl, her long, soft hair brushing against his cheek.

"Now's not the time! What do we do about this?!" Sora shrieked.

Tet ignored him. "In this world, everything is decided by ten pledges.

One: All murder, war, and robbery is forbidden in this world.

Two: All conflict in this world will be resolved through games.

Three: In games, each player will bet something that they agree is of equal value.

Four: As long as it doesn't go against number three, what they bet and the rules of the game will not be questioned.

Five: The challenged party has the right to decide the rules of the game.

Six: Any bets made in accordance with the pledges must be upheld.

Seven: Conflicts between groups will be conducted by designated representatives with absolute authority.

Eight: Being caught cheating during a game in grounds for an instant loss.

Nine: In the name of God, the previous rules may never be changed."

"I said, this is not the time! The ground! The ground's getting close!"

The girl whimpered. Sora protectively changed positions so that his body would shield hers.

There was a loud crash. Dust rose in a large cloud from the ground. Sora and the girl were laying in a small crater, floating an inch above the ground. They dropped with a small thud, along with their electronics.

Tet walked over, looking down on them with his strangely multi-colored eyes.

"And ten: Let's all have fun and play together!"

"Hey!" Sora demanded.

Tet disappeared, his voice echoing. "I look forward to seeing you again. I don't think it'll be long…"

The girl stood up. "Who are you?" she asked. "Where are we?"

Before Sora could answer, a creature that looked like a dragon flew past them, causing little rocks to fly into the canyon below.

"I'm Sora. I've always thought that life was an impossible game. A game for masochists. But… It's finally bugged out!" Sora wailed.

"What's going on?" the girl had tears streaming down her face too.

"This game is total crap!" they cried in unison.

"Long ago, in the distant, distant past, the gods, along with their families and creations, waged an eternal war for the right to rule the world, the right to be the One True God. The long, brutal battle came to a swift end without a victor with the death of the sky, the sea, the land, and the stars. The single deity who had not participated in the battle won by default and assumed the title of One True God. His name was Tet. He was once known as the "god of play". In the face of their shattered world, excuses were meaningless. And then, God spoke. 'All murder, war, and robbery is forbidden in this world,' he said…" a large man was saying. "…and prove to me that you have wisdom after all!"

"I see," Sora said, dully typing on his smartphone. "So that's why there's a world where everything is decided by games, according to ten pledges."

"Yes. And by the way…"

"What?"

"Do you suppose you could leave us with a pair of pants?" Three nearly naked men were crouching on the ground.

Sora scrolled up on his smartphone. "Six: Any bets made in accordance with the pledges must be upheld," he read. "I bet everything I could offer, including my life, and you bet everything you owned. Right?"

"That's right, but… you can't leave us here like this!" the man complained.

"Let's go, Shiro." Sora said to the girl. She cautiously followed, still not trusting Sora.

"Wait! Kid!" the men yelled. "At least let me punch you once!"

"Looks like even thieves can't rob or kill you," Sora remarked.

"Even if they want to, they probably can't," Shiro said.

"In other words… It all comes down to your skill at the game."