Manny was a successful student grandmaster of chess. He boasts that he will someday beat the world's greatest chessmaster. Later that night, he eas given a curse to be a king in chess. But Manny just keeps telling people it's all good, they can still have a fun life playing with him if only they're smart. And they are! The curse is lifted when everyone agrees they should take this chance to learn how to play chess together.
That means all the students at their school. All who want to play against Manny. They don't need a coach, they can play as best as they want. Well, most of them can.
"Okay, okay, I got this!" Carlos declares as he takes his position. "I've been trying all week to master this new board game."
Carlos sets out to start the game. When he starts, his opponent sends a bishop down the middle, then another one to attack from behind. It looks simple enough, and Carlos knows this isn't going to be easy but it doesn't matter. The goal is to win. To win so much, to have friends and go places and not be alone anymore. His goal, and he knows that's impossible until now, is to defeat Manny, and he can do that by making sure he wins today's game.
Carlos is good enough in the game, he does well, until his opponent plays one more move with one of the remaining bishops.
The game ends before it even begins, and Carlos is forced to admit that no matter how hard he tries, he's just not going to beat Manny.
"Alright, let's call it a day," says Dr. Jenson after everyone has packed up the pieces. "This game has proven to be a very challenging challenge, and while I'm happy Carlos made the cut, I think it may have proved to be too much for him. I'd like you to come back next semester to see if anyone else makes it through the first round."
Carlos looks around the classroom, and there's one person who hasn't said a word since the game started. Manny smiles at him.
"... You're leaving already?" says Carlos.
"Yes. After this semester, my family moved to California. I'll miss this place, but I have to start over somewhere."
Dr. Jenson explains what would happen if someone passed through the second round without reaching a single victory. Carlos won't get to see Manny again. He'll never play chess with him again. That's the curse, and Carlos has learned the hard way that you must sacrifice something to achieve your goals.
"But... what about us?" Carlos asks.
"What? Us?" The other man laughs at the question. "We're the ones with the problems, Mr. Martinez. We're the ones with the challenges, and we shouldn't let ourselves become complacent."
Carlos shakes his head. "No, that's not true. No one ever gets everything they want. I've had good grades in school and I have friends. I could go to college. You could go to some fancy university. Why aren't we winning?" he sobbed. "Why am I always losing?"
Dr. Jenson sighs. "Because we didn't put our all into the game. Because it wasn't meant to be." He puts a hand on Carlos' shoulder. "It was nice meeting you, Carlos. Take care of yourself and your studies. Try to stay optimistic." On the other room, Manfred lets out his tears, remembering her mother's death from chess.
And as Dr. Jenson and Manny leave the classroom, Carlos decides he has a plan. He wants to try again next year. Maybe this time, someone will pass his tests, and maybe they won't. Maybe Carlos will be the one to succeed, even though he knew it was impossible. But this time, Carlos will try.
Carlos sits up in bed with his hair sticking straight up in the air. He looks at the clock above his desk. 11:37 AM. It's Saturday morning, and he has plans today.
Today, he's going to start over. He's going to try to win the second round. It' s only fair. Carlos picks up his phone. There are six texts in total, all from Manfred. One from Manfred himself, saying goodbye. One from an unknown number with a picture attached, saying he's glad Carlos is doing better. Another from Manfred himself with a smiley face. A video. A few texts from Manfred asking when Carlos can come visit. One text from Manfred saying sorry he can't see him right now. Three texts from Carlos himself.
Carlos types, Hi, Manfred. I was wondering if you could visit me in New York. Can we talk? I can pick you up tomorrow. But suddenly, Diego, his teammate told Manfred that the chess match will start soon. Is there anything I can do to help? I miss seeing you play.
He doesn't send the message. It doesn't seem like a great idea, especially considering how late it is. Besides, he still needs to finish studying for his physics exam tomorrow, and he doesn't feel like getting out of bed to walk to the library. Suddenly, Manfred slept and woke up on a medieval style town with a checkerboard pattern on the center. There are people marching on the two gates. One black the others, white. He is stuck on his own chess game! There were pawns, knights, bishops, towerguards, two kings and two queens. Manfred's queen had five pawns, four rooks and two pawns. He is in trouble. How did he get here? The black army started speaking in German while the white army speaks in Italian.
"You cannot escape this castle. Only by surrendering your crown can you save your kingdom!"
Manfred stands at the window, overlooking the valley. The sun is shining, but not brightly.
"If only I could run away..." He runs to his room. The door opens with a click. He reaches under his pillow. He lifts out his chess set. It's black, like his uniform, but the top of the piece glows a light blue. Manfred places his crown onto the top piece. Then he turns around. The red knight marches in front of him.
"Your life is in my hands. Make a decision, or die." The sword flashes and vanishes. Manfred stares at the castle, and then at the chess table, which is empty except for a chess piece. He walks up to it and picks up a black pawn.
"So be it!", the knight shouted. Manfred immediately screamed and ran away from the knight, bumping on to the other pawns.
"Where is he hiding?!"
There was nothing in the room, but in his mind there was. He saw a figure standing in between him and the knight, a small figure covered in red. A voice whispers to him:
Run while you can. Leave this castle and its rules behind.
"Please...", whispers Manfred, holding his breath. He takes off his crown, throws it aside, and runs out the door. He finds himself in another castle. The same scene occurs once again; the figure is blocking Manfred's path.
"Don't fight. Just accept that your fate is inevitable."
"I refuse to lose"
"You cannot win..."
The figure disappears.
Now Manfred is outside in the castle. Where is he? Behind him is the gate leading back to the town. Before him is a lake. In the distance, he sees the bridge connecting the two castles.
As the queen runs towards the bridge, the knight appears before him.
The queen was from Manfred's army! He immediately stopped the knight, but it was too late. The king came running toward him with the sword in hand.
The knight grabs the king. The king is pulled through the gate.
The knight pulls the king forward.
"My kingdom!" yells the king, struggling against his captor.
"Never!" says the knight.
A horn sounds from behind the king. Manfred saw who's blowing the horn, and it signals the start of the match. The sound of trumpets and drums fills the entire space.
"That horn means your end", says Manfred.
Then, the chessmen surround them, and the king and the knight disappear.
In a flash of purple, Manfred is thrown back by the sudden attack and lands roughly on his back. He rolls on the ground and groans, taking deep breaths.
His teacher is sitting at their usual spot across from him, smiling warmly at him. Manfred smiles at his teacher and rubs his knee.
"Thanks for saving me. That move looked so difficult!"
"It's alright, son. We all struggle sometimes," says his teacher. " But it was actually the enemy knight in disguise. He tricked the king into thinking he'd gotten rid of you. They both wanted to kill you before they lost."
The chess battle had begun. The knight attempted to jump overhead the pawns but it ended up crushing the pawn slightly. The king jumped forward, trying to protect his pawn with his shield. As he swung down, the king's shield got caught on one of the pawns. When the pawn toppled over, the bishop moved forward, cutting off the knight's retreat. The king fell to his knees and tried to raise the pawns off the ground.
"I'll take that piece.", Manfred announces.
"I think it's time you left", says his teacher. "The game will resume in ten minutes."
They watch the rest of the match in silence. As soon as the first round ends, the chessboard disappears. The screen goes dark.
"I'm really tired.", Carlos admits. "I don't know why I'm still awake. I should be sleeping."
"Well, you're not going to sleep until you finish your homework. And you need to study for your physics test tomorrow."
"I know. I just... I don't understand why I keep failing. I mean, why does the pawns keep falling down." sobbed Manfred.
Meanwhile, the rooks had made their move, Which immediately killed the queen. Manfred witnessed it and started to cry while waking up his own queen. He tried to lift it, but it fell on his hands instead. His tears fell down the queen's pale face. As Manfred stared at the queen's corpse, he noticed the pieces were moving, trying to find a way back to their rightful place.
"What's going on?" said Manfred.
"This isn't right", he cried. "Why am I losing? Why are my pawns fighting each other? What about my king?"
Suddenly, he heard the loud sound of a gun going off. Manfred turned to see what was going on.
"What have you done?! The king has been hit!" Manfred yelled. A silhouette reveals an enemy pawn promoted to a queen. The newly promoted queen laughed in a menacing manner.
She raises her sword high and slams it down on the king, shattering the pieces.
"That's what happens to traitors!", she taunts. "And now the pawns will take over everything."
"NO!", screams Manfred, looking down at his hand, where a tiny white diamond was shattered. "No! This wasn't supposed to happen!" he cried, then, his tears revived his queen.
She stood tall and strong, ready to strike.
Manfred stood up and pointed his finger directly at the woman. The black queen froze, then slowly turned around. Manfred held the princess in his hands as he looked down at his broken crown.
"Take back your kingdom, and I won't destroy yours," Manfred whispered.
He placed the princess gently onto the floor. She crawled to the queen's side and took the queen's crown. The queen then checkmated the enemy king. The enemy king then screamed in despair.
"You've destroyed everything!", he sobbed. "Everything! My kingdom! My life! You've ruined my life! Everything I worked for!"
Manfred watched in horror as the king began destroying the chessboard. He felt so useless.
When the battle ended, the king stood victorious, surrounded by his enemies. Then a portal opened in the statue's pedestal. His army's king, queen, remaining pawns, bishops and rooks smiled at him. "Our victory isn't possible without you, traveller, Thank you." the king thanked him.
"We shall wait for you here."
Manfred entered the portal and then he was transported back at the library.
Then he changed his mind, as he attempted to go into the portal, it didn't work. It was all a dream. He cried into the desk. As he finished crying, he exited the room, but the portal on the floor opened and brought him to the chess dimension where he was in his dream. Fortunately, he was greeted again. "Why have you returned, young man?" the king asked. Manfred sat on his chair, still sniffling. "I don't want to leave"
He looks at the king, with eyes still full of tears.
"Why would I want to leave when I've found a home here? This is where I belong. This is where I belong..."
"If only you truly believed that", replied the king.
"But I do!", shouted Manfred. "I wanted to join your army as a knight..." he continued.
The king shook his head sadly. "But you did not choose this destiny willingly. You chose this because you are afraid that we will destroy each other. Our war is not yours nor your father's. If you had chosen to remain here in the past and serve us well... you could have prevented this day. But, now..." he sighs. "Now the price to pay must be paid."
"What's going on? Did you say something?" Manfred asked nervously.
"You have to leave... for your sake and for our sake... the king and I will not allow you to return to your world, young traveler." the bishop continued the king's speech.
Manfred cried and he stormed away from the battle chessboard.
The pawns tried to stop him, but Manfred left.
"Why didn't you let me become the knight!" Manfred cried to the king.
The king remained silent and turned away.
"Why didn't you let me become a knight!?"
The king sighed heavily and walked away.
Manfred collapsed next to the fountain, crying.
The pain he feels inside makes him wish he was dead.
"Answer me, your highness!, Why you don't let me become the knight! Why!?" he shouted at the king.
"Because..." the king said sadly. "There is no knight to replace you. Not anymore."
Manfred's heart sank. His anger replaced his sorrow and sadness. "You can't make me leave. You can't take away my home!", Manfred shouted. "I will never leave you guys!"
"But, this is chess! every dead piece needs replacement!" Manfred shouted. "Your castle is gone! Your king is dead! Your knights are dead! This is your last chance! Why won't you let me fight?"
The king looked up at the ceiling as tears formed in his eyes.
"You cannot defeat the pawns, but neither can you defeat us", said the king.
"That's impossible.", Manfred argued.
"You're right. I don't think it's possible. In order to defeat the pawns though, you must sacrifice yourself."
"WHAT?".
Manfred screamed and pushed the king out of his way, Unfortunately, the king was stabbed in the back from a protuding rod. The king immediately died. Manfred stared, horrified. He dropped to his knees and buried his face into the king's chest, tears flowing freely from his eyes.
"This is my fault...".
He knew the others would be worried about him but he couldn't bear being there any longer. He needed to run. But, the bishop saw the entire incident. He halted Manfred.
"What are you doing here?", Manfred demanded.
"I'm trying to help", he stated. "You were too late. You can't defeat them. Only you can."
As Manfred stepped towards the door, the bishop blocked his path.
"You killed the king!?" The bishop angrily shouted at Manfred. He grabbed Manfred then pinned him to a wall.
"Please, please release me.", Manfred begged, struggling against the bishop's grip.
"I just want to be a knight" he continued. "That's all. Please, let me become one."
"No. They need you more than ever. I'm sorry, Manny", the bishop apologised apologetically.
The bishop calmed down. "No, after what you have done to our king" The bishop replied.
"What?" Manfred asked in shock.
The bishop sighed and released the brunette.
"You've taken away our king and queen. You've taken away their last hope. It's all your fault, Manny. All because you want to be a knight." he replied. "You don't deserve this" he continued.
The bishop frowned. "A pawn? Are you serious? Look at us, Manny! We are pawns to you! To this world!"
Manfred thought of some answers.
"...Okay. So, if I become a pawn, how can you prove I deserve this?".
"None", the bishop stated. "You can't still become one, In order to be a pawn, you must be a female. Pawns are promoted usually to a queen, and promoting to a rook, knight or a bishop like me are very, very rare" The bishop explained.
He was getting tired and had a little trouble breathing. "Look, I am sorry, Manny. But I know that, even if we get out of this situation somehow, you won't change for the better. And I'm sure that no matter what you try, you'll always fail". "How about a rook" Manfred made another decision.
The bishop got angry, then pushed him into the chessboard grounds.
The rooks humiliated him. "Seriously, a rook? What kind of man is he" they laughed.
"A weak one at least" the bishop told them angrily. "He has no idea how things really work here. He wants to play games, while we fight wars. Do you think he knows how to fight? No, he does not know". "You know what? Just give him to the king", the bishop decided. "Let the king kill him and we'll pretend none of this happened". The other chessmen made fun of him. The bishops laughed at Manfred.
"So, is that what you really wanted? A new toy? Is that why you came back? Or were you really looking forward to die?" They asked sarcastically. Manfred glared at them.
And that was the moment the king came in. "Stop!", he yelled. "You can't make fun of him..." he continued. Just as Manny was about to thank the king, "Without me" the king continued, As the king joined with the chessmen at bullying Manfred.
"You are nothing but a pawn, Manny. You're worthless. Now get out of here before i put you out of your misery. I am giving you a chance to change things", the king spoke softly. "To live your life as if you actually meant it". Due to anger, Manny started pushing the chessmen. pinned the knights, punching the bishops, slapping the queen, and pulling the rooks.
"Manny stop it!".
"I can't stand you guys any longer! Let me fight! I'm not worthless!"
"Stop", the king ordered.
"No!".
"Enough!", he commanded. Then, he pulled Manny to his feet. "How dare you hurt my army!" The king yelled. "Because of this, i will not let you join my army! And you will not play chess anymore" the king continued. "You will learn to obey".
Manfred turned around, angry. "Fine. Whatever." He stormed off.
The chessmen watched him walk away silently. Then, they turned and looked down at their fallen king.
The bishop raised his staff in the air and laughed menancingly.
Meanwhile, Manny walked into the chess battleground and cried there.
"Why i'm not supposed to fight! Do they think i'm not good at chess?" He screamed angrily.
Then, he fell to his knees in despair.
Suddenly, everything changed.
In front of him, stood a knight.
"I'm sorry, Manny. But... you have been played too long...".
With the knight, he entered the chessfield again. Manfred sat on the knight's square, glancing the chessfield the last time. Tears dropped from his eyes, as if he will miss playing chess.
He firmly made his decision. He apologized to every pawn, queen, king, rook, bishop and knight he had beaten and hurt.
The other chessmen also apologized for making fun of Manfred.
When they finished, they all moved their pieces back into place on the board.
The king smiled at Manfred. He was happy Manfred had forgiven them.
"Do you promise to stay true to me?". The king asked.
"Yes" Manfred responded. "Whatever happens".
In the middle of the battle, the king collapses.
"NO!". Manny yells, falling to the ground in panic. He ran over to the king, desperately searching for a pulse.
"I'm not losing him now!", Manfred shouted. "Not after everything he has done for me!".
"Manny, do not wait for me." The king replied, "This is my fate" he continued before closing his eyes. "Goodbye".
Manfred sobbed.
"No!". Manny yelled again. "Don't you say goodbye! Don't you do that!", he yelled.
The king opened his eyes and smiled at Manfred. "Go on without me, boy", he whispered before closing his eyes.
"No!" Manny repeated. "I refuse to accept you dying! How can I leave when we just met!" Manfred pleaded. "Tell me that wasn't real" he begged. The king only shook his head in sadness, before slowly fading away. "No! Not like this!". Manfred felt tears streaming down his face as he collapsed into the floor. "How did you die?" Manfred sobbed, "How could you leave me? You promised you wouldn't leave." He continued crying. "Stop the battle!" he shouted, "You cannot checkmate without a king!" he continued.
"Checkmate! Checkmate! Take the king!" The enemies screamed.
Manfred lay there on the floor for an hour until he finally gave up. Blood trickled down his arms and legs, but he didn't care. He just continued to cry and wail on the floor.
"Halt the battle!" Manny screamed as he brought the king to the doctor's office. The other chess men followed. As the doctor announced the king is dead, Manfred cried once again. The other chessmen comforted Manny. He refused their help, as they helped carry the king's body out of the building.
It is the king's funeral. The chessmen and even the enemy chessmen attended the ceremony. Manfred couldn't bear to watch it. The bishop led the requiem mass. The knights had put down their swords, The enemy king laid down his crown, so does the queens. The rooks had led the procession. After the service was over, the bishop handed a black sword to the king's right hand.
They left as soon as the coffin was placed onto a stretcher and carried away into a carriage. The war has come to an end.
Manfred looked at the chessfield, because the war ended, there are no more chess matches and the field was left abandoned.
He missed the excitement as the memories of playing chess had returned to him. Now the war is over, chess had a massive change. Manny convinced the chessmen to revive the battle. But they refuse.
"Why?" Manny asked, frustrated. "If we revive it, we'll win! Why do you not want to win!?"
"We lost the king" the rook answered. "The game is over. There is no point to continue".
"But why?" Manfred asked, trying to find an answer.
"Because, this game is already over", the rook said simply.
"There is nothing here to restart".
"What does that mean?", Manny asked, confused.
"Nothing" the queen replied.
"Well maybe something else is needed".
The chessmen all nodded.
"What do we need?, Manny asked the queens in unison. "Something to bring this kingdom back", she declared.
The queen's words hit Manny hard.
Manny cried, as if there is no more hope to revive the battle. He cried until his cheeks turned red.
Then, the queen stood on her throne.
"I shall rule this chessboard", she declared. "But first...", she added. She stood on her own.
She stood tall in her chair.
The chessmen bowed before the king in silence.
Then, the queen waved her hands. Immediately, the chessmen began to move. They took out all the pieces and placed them in their places. They then began to arrange themselves. They all took the same position in the order that they were placed during the battle.
The queen looked around, noticing the positions in which the pieces are sitting.
Manny then felt the spirit of chess being brought back, until he realizes this is the final battle before they got to peace again.
The queens look at each other, and the queen who was sitting on her throne stands up. Slowly, each queen rises. As the chessmen begin to raise, the new king stands.
As the kings rise from their seats, they turn towards each other.
Each of them extends their hands. They each take one and shake, creating a strong bond between them.
The king who was the most powerful shakes his head. His fist tightened and he growls, threateningly. The queen raises her eyebrow. Her fists tighten as well and she takes a step toward the king.
The king smiles before nodding his head.
It was until the peace is broken again from a blaming incident. The chessmen were arguing about who actually poisoned the king. It was the black army, The white bishop killed the black queen, whom the poison belongs.
A loud bang filled the hall and the chessmen stopped talking. Everyone stares at the source, the door to the hallway. The chessmen stare through the doorway with worry and fear. They all start screaming.
And suddenly, Manny stands up and runs to the door. "No!". Manny yelled. "Please no!" He begged.
Slowly, he pushes open the door. The chessmen look around nervously as they watch the situation unfold.
"Come out or it won't be pretty." The king threatens.
Manny continues to push open the door. Finally, he walks out, holding the king's lifeless body in his arms.
The king's body falls to the ground.
The chessmen gasp.
"Oh my god!" Manny cries. "No! No! NO!".
The king's body lies motionless on the ground.
"No! No! No! NO!".
The king's body remains still.
"No!" Manny repeats. "NO!" He starts to yell, while running back inside. "No! No! No!" He repeats as he runs in circles. "I don't wanna lose you again, God! Please let him go! Please!". Manny screams, breaking down into tears. "God! Please don't take my king! Please! God! NO!" He falls to the ground in despair.
His tears fall down to his hands, touching the king's cold hand.
"God, please. Let this be an accident." He whispers. "Please". As another king had passed.
The chessmen all bow their heads.
"He is gone forever" one of them says. "He sacrificed himself so we would survive." They explain. "Now we have to go on without him".
"He saved us" another rook states.
"And now he is gone".
One of the pawns kneels down and begins wiping Manny's tears off. "Your Majesty has blessed us with his presence for many years now. We will miss him." He says. "We will also miss what our King meant to us. Thank you for leading us to victory."
A few of them bow their heads in respect before standing straight and turning around, leaving the hall.
"I know that this isn't how this story ends. We have to go on. We can't give up now." A queen says softly. "For the next time". She pauses. "Let's finish this together. Alright?"
With the last line, the hall echoes with applause. The people began cheering loudly and applauding the remaining chessmen. Soon, they all bow and leave, leaving only Manny and the king. Manny bows his head and hugs the king tightly.
"Thank you, Your Majesty" he whispers. "Thank you." Then he stands up and leaves the hall, taking the king with him.
After leaving, Manny went to the room where the king had died. He laid the dead king down onto the table.
"You made this happen!" He shouts at him. "You made this game impossible!" He screams. "You took everything away from me!" He yells, before collapsing into the corner of the room.
He sits there, hugging his knees close, crying.
"Why!?, why do we always lose a king!?" he whined. "Why!? Why am I so weak that I lose a king!?", he yells louder and more frantic.
"Why did God have to kill him!? Why!? Why!?", he asks himself, while sobbing. "Why did we have to lose a king!? Why!? WHY!?", he yells again. "Why didn't he save your king!?" Manny asks. "Why!? Why!? Why!? WHY?! Why!?"
He asks. "Why!?"
The door to the room opened and two guards entered, surprised to see that the door was open. They saw Manfred weeping. One of them came forward and tried to calm him.
"Calm yourself, Your Majesty." He tries to say to Manny but Manny doesn't hear him.
"What happened to you?". Another knight asks, trying to comfort Manny. "Was there an accident?" He asks.
Manny nods and wipes off his tears. "Yes." He says. "He sacrificed himself", he explains to his friends. "I just saw it myself!"
The two knights stand shocked.
"So...you finally realised".
The knight who spoke, turns to face Manfred.
"Did you really believe it?"
Manny lowers his head as silent tears run down.
"That he could have survived", he answers the question. "That he was the true ruler".
The two knights looked at each other sadly.
"Will chess be the same?" asked Manny, who is still tearful.
"Yes" they both respond.
The two knights walked out.
Manny stayed quiet. He stayed seated at his desk in complete silence. For the rest of the day, Manny didn't speak a single word, nor did anyone talk to him. Even the king left him alone. The whole castle fell into silence, even though Manny was still crying. Everyone knew Manny loved his king very much and that they were truly happy together. But, they also knew that there were some rules and that it wouldn't be easy for Manny to forgive.
The room turned dark. All of the lights turned off. All the chessmen started to scream when they realised what was happening. "WILL YOU PLEASE STOP!" they shouted.
"I DON'T WANT TO BE HERE ANYMORE!".
The door was slammed shut.
Manny woke up and gasped, frightened of the darkness. A sudden gust of wind penetrated the room and creepy sounds engulfed the room. The queen, rooks, pawns, and knights trembled in fear. The bishops chanted so the ghost can leave the room.
But, none of them were able to get rid of him.
"No!" they chanted.
A loud bang could be heard.
"No no no no no no no" the bishop shouted, covering his ears.
More bangs.
"NOOOOO!" the rook cried.
Manny sat there in silence, terrified of what's happening.
"Help us please!" one of the pawns begs desperately.
Manny starts shaking.
"STOP IT!"
Another crash.
"I'LL DO IT! I'LL DO IT!" One of the rooks yelled frantically. He ran towards the window and jumps off the tower. Manny had a plan, he brought an ouija board. "Come on, guys". He muttered to himself. "Please help". He placed the ouija board next to him and waited. After a few minutes passed, The rooks, queens, knights and pawns started playing. "Please, beware of destroying the ouija board." The bishops warned the chessmen in unison.
"Who are you?" the chessmen asked, But, the glass started moving quickly in random letters. They could never read them anyway.
"Please, answer my questions." The rooks begged. But, another crash. They could barely read this one.
"Are you...?" The bishop started asking. It seemed to take forever until they managed to figure this one out.
"We can't understand what you're saying!" They exclaimed.
They tried shouting to the ouija board but they could hardly speak anymore.
"PLEASE DON'T KILL US!" The rooks shouted. "PLEASE, HELP US" the chessmen cried.
The windows shook. More crashes and more writing appeared.
"I...don't know...anything..." One of the pawns whispered.
"It's okay. You don't have to try" Manny reassured. "Please stop it. Stop writing".
The window was thrown wide open.
"Manny?" The queen asked. "Manny?". The rooks questioned.
A loud bang echoed, which made the chessmen and Manny scream and panic across the room. The ouija board fell apart into pieces. This made them panic more.
"OH MY GOD! WE HAVE TO RUN!" the bishops scream.
The pawns screamed with them.
"Where are you?" One of the rooks asked. But, the sound stopped completely.
There was nothing but silence.
The door creaked loudly.
The queen and the rooks screamed. "GET OUT OF THE WAY!"
An evil laughter could be heard coming from above. The two kings look up and saw the demon standing on top of the tower. They covered their eyes, thinking it was just a dream. But they couldn't stop looking at it. The demon slowly moved its body towards the kings.
The rooks started to back away slowly. "Please..." They said.
"DON'T COME NEAR ME OR I WILL DESTROY YOUR CITY AND EVERYONE IN IT!" One of the kings screams.
The demon laughs.
"I want to play".
"Don't come near or I will smash you to bits."
The demon giggles. "
'HE IS POSSESSED!" The other chessmen screamed
The bishops frantically hit their head on the walls, attempting to forget what happened.
The demon continues to laugh loudly. "HAHAHAHAAAHAHAHAHA!"
The chessmen start to tremble and scream in terror.
The chessmen are now running around wildly.
"DON'T TOUCH THEM! YOU'RE TRYING TO KICK US ALL AWAY, AREN'T YOU!?" the demon screamed.
As the bishops bang their head, a jar of holy water fell on the demon's head. The demons screams were silenced instantly. The chessmen continued to scream, scared by what just happened.
"I'M DONE WITH THIS GAME!" The demons screams fill Manny's heart.
He screams, too.
And then, everything turns dark.
The king is lying on the floor, with his mouth foaming. Manny runs over to him and pulls out the knife. As he does, the king wakes up.
"Manny?" He asks.
Manny looks at him with tears streaming down his face. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry". He says. He kneels down to kiss the king's forehead, but the king pushes Manny away angrily.
"Manny, I need to ask you something". The king tells him. "What?" Manny asks.
"What happened?" He asks, with concern filling his voice. Manny starts crying uncontrollably, and shakes his head.
"You've seen them." The king says.
Manny doesn't answer. He doesn't know how to tell the king that he knows about chess. Just as Manny thought the game was over, a creepy ghost of a woman in a white dress appeared out of nowhere. The ghost started screeching, which terrified the chessmen.
The chessmen are now screaming again. The ghost started chasing them.
The bishop started banging his head on the wall, which angered the king. He grabs his sword and tries to kill the ghost but she disappears before he can do it.
"Manny", he whispers. "You know who this is. She killed me".
"NO!". Manny shouts, hysterically. "She didn't kill you. SHE DIDNT EVEN KNOW WHO YOU ARE!"
"Manny, calm down". The king tries to reason.
"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!"
The king stares at Manny sadly. "If only someone could listen to me". He whispers. He walks over to the chessmen. Later, Manny starts to float in mid-air and black auras surround him, His eyes started to glow white.
The rooks started to run and hide in the corner. Manny kept floating above them. "I DON'T CARE ABOUT HOW YOU FEEL, MISTER!" Manny screams.
Manny keeps floating. The rooks and the king are terrified. Then, Manny stops floating above them. "What's wrong Manny? Why are you stopping?" The king asks.
"Because I want her gone", he growls.
One of the king's rooks starts to cry while the other three watch them quietly.
The queen and the knights are trembling in fear, not knowing why they are terrified.
"You know why", the demon starts laughing. "Why else would I show myself?".
Manny stares down at her menacingly.
The king stands up and walks over to Manny. "You know why you can't destroy the game."
Manny nods. The king takes off his crown and sets it onto Manny's lap. Manny places his hand over it. "
Then the demon stopped possesing Manny and he fell to the ground. Tears pour down Manny's cheeks. "I...I'm sorry...I shouldn't do this to you" he mumbled.
They went outside the room and they planned to ride a carriage to the town so they can visit the town and take a glimpse on the chessfield. But the ghost possessed the horse and the coachman. The horse started running and losing control. The carriage then was flung into the river. The kings, queens, rooks, bishops, knights and pawns started swimming for their lives, as well as saving Manny. Eventually, they reached land safely. They decided to stay put until daybreak. But, it was still early in the morning when the sun finally rose.
It was the aftermath of the incident, Manny, the queens, the rooks, the kings, the bishops, the pawns, and the knights were soaked up and spent their nights in the river banks.
They went home, but the room still remains haunted. They played ouija again to speak for the ghosts on why did they possess the horses. As they play it again, creepy noises engulf the room again. The rooks started screaming in fear, the knights walked away from the board, the bishops started chanting again and the king and queen backed out from the board. The candles from the lanterns blew out. The shadows started to grow louder and darker. Finally, the candles burned out. And there was complete darkness inside of the palace. Everyone was screaming. The demons in the palace started laughing.
The shadow demons started walking over to where the chessmen and queen were tied. They slowly dragged their bodies along the floor towards the door. They looked like zombies.
"OH MY GOD!" They screamed.
"No, no, no! Please! Don't touch me" the queen begs.
The shadows reach towards the queen's neck and slowly, painfully squeeze it until her body starts to break out in cold sweat. "Help me!"
The king and the queen are still chained up to the chessboard. The shadows reach towards the king and the queen too, but they can't get to them yet. "No, please!" The queen yells.
Suddenly, black smoke engulf the floor, then forms Hans Niemann's silhouette.
He steps out of the shadows.
He has dark circles under his eyes. His clothes are tattered. There is dried blood stains all over them. His face was pale. His skin is deathly pale. His hands are shaking. His breathing sounds laboured. He starts screaming and yelling things to himself. He is the ghost of the chessmaster Niemann who allegedly cheated on his last chess match.
Manny attempted to kill him. He grabbed the knight's sword.
But Niemann was faster. He grabbed the king's sword and held it against his throat.
Manny was taken aback. Niemann pushed the king away, took his sword and cut the king on the shoulder. Then, he grabbed the bishop's cross and threatened Niemann. As Manny came closer with the cross, Niemann gave up. He threw his weapon to the ground. "Oh, my God! Oh my God! What have I done!?" Niemann screams.
Then, Niemann starts to sob hysterically. Everyone is staring at him horrified. They were afraid to move a single inch, so frightened that if one of them moved Niemann might attack them.
Niemann falls to the ground and starts to cry. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!" He cries.
"Stop it! Stop it! STOP IT!" The king screams.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Niemann cried before dissipating back to smoke.
Chapter 5: The Terror is Over and A special day for Manny
It was a peaceful night, everything was brought to normal. But the trauma of the chessmen and Manny had never yet disappeared.
He is still crying from what he had experienced. His voice almost cracks from sobbing.
The kings, queens, rooks, bishops, knights, and pawns were still sleeping. It was very quiet except for Manny crying, even though it was nighttime.
When it's night time, Manny will always see ghosts everywhere.
They are everywhere.
The day has come, it was Manny's birthday.
The king woke up late, but the rest of them woke up earlier than normal. They dressed themselves and made breakfast for everyone.
The chessmen remembered Manny's birthday. It seems like yesterday when they were celebrating his birthday. That's right. It wasn't that long ago. But everything changed. All the good memories were wiped away, and now they're just happy to be alive.
In the dining room, the king puts his plate on the table and sits next to Manny who sits beside the king.
But, Manny was still crying, because the portal will open and he needs to go home. The chessmen said their goodbyes. The knights kneeled, the bishops prayed for Manny and the rest said their goodbyes. "See you soon, my friend" one of the rooks bid farewell.
Manny is still crying. "Goodbye".
After they leave, the king asked Manny, "Do you really have to return home? You can stay here, with me".
He placed his hands on top of Manny's head.
Manny soon entered the portal.
Then he woke up at a library, As he gets out, he was greeted by Diego and Sid.
"We missed you!" Diego excitedly greeted Manny.
"I missed you too!", Manny replied.
"You've slept on the library" Sid worriedly said to Manny.
"Yeah...but I didn't mind. Actually, I enjoyed it" Manny replied.
Diego smiled and chuckled. Sid sighed and shook his head.
"So, how were your adventures?", Diego asked.
Manny shrugged. "Pretty great. I met lots of interesting people, and learned a lot about chess and i met some chessmen"
"Let's go home now and we still have a chess match" Diego requested
*THE END*
I hooked on making this so i will work on a sequel.
And that means, we will see how Manny turns out. So don't give up on us yet
It's going to be a short novel with no prologue or epilogue. Just lots of action.
As we know, Manny still have to return to the chess dimension.
