God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.-Chapter 855: Take a Moment to Think: A Game of Sixty Four.

Cain stared at the ground in annoyance.

He glanced up, staring at a smug looking Julio.

"And tell me... Where did you say you found this game again?" He asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Julio chuckled wryly,

"Behind one of my old friend's shop. It originated from the old world. Apparently, those who can play it well are really smart."

Cain grimaced, "Is that so..."

Julio snickered,

"And judging by the way our games have been going, does this mean you aren't very smart, Cain?"

Cain sighed, "Or maybe it could be that I do not understand the game well enough to play it? Huh?"

Julio blinked, then scratched his head,

"Eh? But what's there not to understand?"

The crimson moonlight filtered through the broken windows, but they were seated in the comfort of the darkness.

Luckily, the darkness was chased away by a magic lamp Cain had pulled out of his inventory.

Normally, it would have been a risky move, as the light from the magic lamp could draw the attention of nearby Devils.

But due to recent events around the City, all the Devils this deep in were long gone, most of them off to battle with humans or at the Devil Tower in the center of the city.

Cain sighed then pointed at the stones,

"For one, you say all these re different pieces, but no matter how you put it, they are all rocks that for some odd reason, all look alike."

He glanced down again, his expression crumpling.

"This "board" you speak of is just a set of eight horizontal and vertical rows and columns creating a total of sixty four squares drawn on the ground. You also mentioned that each piece has a role, but then again, you didn't make any of these roles clear, did you?"

Julio roared with laughter, smacking his knees for good measure,

"I see... Then I guess it's my fault isn't it?"

Cain sighed then chuckled,

"Still, it does seem like an interesting game. How about we start over?"

A strange game it was indeed...

He honestly shouldn't be playing games, but there was nothing better to do.

Unless he figured a way to counteract the crimson moonlight even if it was just a little, he was going to be here.

And that meant condemn those fighting to hardships.

But if he didn't, there was no way they would be able to reach the other end of the City.

Although he had it in abundance, mana was still very important and could run dry. Stamina was a different story, but considering their circumstances, it could even be more vital than mana in some cases.

"Then, Cain... Shall we begin? Properly this time..."

"A game birthed of war, it was called in the past. Of course, its true name has been lost to history. So for the sake of this moment, what shall we call it?"

Cain thought about it for a moment then answered,

"How about we call it... The Sixty Four?"

Julio nodded with a grin,

"Alright then. The game of Sixty Four is quite simple really..."

He pointed at one of the two stones sitting behind the first live of stones,

"This is the King. The object of the game is to 'kill' my King before I kill yours."

Cain frowned, "I understand that much from earlier."

Julio nodded,

"Sure, sure. Then let's move on shall we?"

A series of complex movements made within the borders of a 'board'.

'Why does that sound so familiar?' Cain thought to himself.

"And there you have it... Seems pretty easy, doesn't it?"

Cain slowly nodded,

"It would seem that way."

He glanced up, staring into Julio's eyes,

"Still, I wonder what prompted you to suggest we play... this."

Julio averted his eyes as he chuckled nervously,

"Well... You just seemed to bothered about the whole thing. I thought you could use a break." ƒreewebɳovel.com

'Julio Arkenberg. Age Thirty Six. Was a Maintenance Manager before the apocalypse. Had no wife or kids. Had old parents. Both deceased before the apocalypse.'

This was all the personal information he had learned from Julio about himself over the time they had spent here, most of it not of his own volition.

Still, it felt like he understood this man a little.

But not enough.

His eyes narrowed,

"I see... Then, how about another game of Sixty Four now that I understand the rules better?"

Julio chuckled,

"Sure."

Games were often played for leisure, or challenge.

In this case, Cain couldn't tell his purpose for playing.

Could it be he was bored?

Or was he trying to find something and he hoped he could gain some insight by playing this prehistoric game?

Either way, it didn't matter...

"You know, Cain..." Julio said as he made the first move.

"Hm? What is it?" Cain answered, making his own move as well.

"Some times, you are like an open book. White easy to read. In other times, you are an enigma. Something that cannot be understood at all." Julio said with a smile, pushing another piece forward.

Cain raised a brow,

"You think so?"

Julio nodded, "When I first met you, I thought to myself; 'This guy is quite scary. He must definitely be one of those ones.'"

"One of which ones?" Cain asked as he placed another piece forward.

Julio paused for a moment. Then pushed another stone piece forward,

"Those who think themselves above all. Insane masterminds that try to manipulate others to their own benefits. I personally believe people like that are quite scary."

Cain glanced at him, his eyes narrowed dangerously,

"Is that so?"

Julio smiled,

"But then I realized I was wrong, but right at the same time. You can't be one of those guys. You are too honest for that."

Cain chuckled, his laugh filled with mirth,

"I'm too honest? That's odd... I've never heard anyone say that before."

Julio shrugged,

"Well, you are hearing it from me. Whilst you do have your ulterior motives, and I am certain they aren't very fine and dandy, at least you are honest about them."

Cain pushed a stone pieces forward then locked his fingers,

"Analyzing someone else's character can be seen as rude, can't it?"

Julio waved dismissively,

"Well, that doesn't apply to us, does it? After all, we are best buds. Right?!".

"No we aren't."

Cain sighed,

"In any case, why did you think I was a mastermind trying to manipulate others?"

Julio paused then played his turn before answering,

"Well, you are quite intelligent. Your understanding of magic shows that rather well."

Cain huffed.

Julio added immediately,

"But..."

"But what?"

Julio glanced up at Cain,

"A game of Sixty Four is usually won by foreseeing possible outcomes and predicting the path your opponent will take based of all these outcomes. In other words, not just seeing the future, but seeing into your enemy's mind."

Cain frowned,

"Then, are you saying you are trying to peek into my mind?"

Julio shook his head,

"Well, this isn't really about you and I is it?"

Cain paused for a moment.

Then he chuckled,

"Of course it isn't."

Julio chuckled again,

"I don't think I am particularly intelligent. I'm already an old man as is, so there isn't much I can do at this point. But you on the other hand..."

Cain raised a brow,

"You don't need to tell me. Like you said, I definitely have my own selfish goals. But one of them is restoring this world to order. Personally."

Julio sighed,

"I see."

Cain smirked,

"What? Did that sound childish? Did you expect something more like becoming all powerful? Or protecting those close to me?"

Julio laughed,

"Saving the world, huh... That sounds rather noble."

Cain shrugged, "It would be in my best interests to keep this world intact, so you could say I also have selfish reasons for doing this."

Julio shook his head,

"Then, what do you think happens when two people who can see the future play this game?"

Cain thought about it for a moment then answered,

"A stalemate?"

"I think that will only happen fifty percent of the time. The remaining fifty percent goes to whoever stops seeing the future and starts seeing the world from his enemy's point of view."

Cain raised a brow,

"Meaning?"

"Think about it carefully, Cain. What do your enemies want? What do they desire?"

'What do my enemies desire?'

Indeed, what did their enemies desire?

If it was the Devils, he was sure he had gotten the gist by now.

Although it seemed as though they all simply wanted to cause chaos and destruction, trampling all life in their wake, there was another reason for their actions.

A much deeper, justifiable reason. In its own twisted way.

They were looking for their Messiah.

One who could save them from the terrible fate they had endured for all of eternity. At the scourge of existence...

Cain closed his eyes.

Then they snapped back open.

He gaze traveled, outside the broken windows to gaze at the moon, its countenance dripping with blood.

He paused for a moment then moved a stone piece forward,

"I win."

Julio looked down at the 'board'.

His eyes widened slowly,

"Incredible."

Cain smiled, "I think I have it figured out now. Thank you."

Julio still had an amazed look on his face,

"No... I was just rambling earlier. Damn it! Was I too distracted..."

Cain rolled his eyes.

He had not just figured the strange game out.

He had also figured out the purpose of the red moon.

'See through the eyes of your enemies, huh...'

With a soft grunt, he rose to his feet,

"I guess it's time for some magic weaving, huh..."