King of Pawns

Before: A Simple Game

4 summers before

Alon smiled shyly at Izanagi. Izanagi returned the grin before stating a few words "if you like reading you'll like it, Alon." Alon glimpsed up at the large book sitting on the top shelf, he wrote on the notebook once again. Really? I can?  Izanagi nodded "but only if you come back to read it, I'll keep it safe for you." The other boy nodded beaming.  Izanagi felt a butterfly in his stomach, he had done something actually achievable. He made a friend. A friend. The word 'friend' echoed in his mind. He had always been alone, now there was a possibility Izanagi wouldn't be so different anymore. 

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Most days Alon would return during his breaks, he would read until the very end of the short break. Awfully interested in the encyclopedia was only a minimal description for the affection the young boy had for the simple book.

 Izanagi spent most of his time in meetings with his father or training. When he wasn't training he would be sitting in his quarters at the desk waiting for Alon. Izanagi felt some sort of requirement to watch over the smaller boy. In due time though he slowly found out that Alon was not one who needed to be watched over. He had talent. Talent that had come from hard work and training. Alon also was very intelligent. Alon could easily outwit almost anyone in any game of choice, especially chess. Throughout the castle, Alon quickly earnt his name 'the king of pawns'. Due to his skills that utterly destroyed anyone who challenged him. 

Alon was currently seated at one of the chess tables that resided in the library, opposite him Izanagi. They seemed to be playing a game of chess. Playing a game of chess was not quite how the game was going. Alon was blatantly winning the game. His hands moved swiftly as he placed his pieces.  No room for second thoughts. Izanagi's eyes widened as Alon made his final move. He was good he thought ruthless but good. 

Alon hadn't spoken yet. It had been a few months since their first encounter in the outskirts of the castle and although Alon remained silent, he picked up fast. The castle was no longer unsolvable maze by simply a board that you had to pass in a certain way to gain access to other rooms.  He never showed any emotion other than the small smiles he greeted to Izanagi. Sometimes Alon was just a child of a young age, not a fifteen-year-old.  Alon seemed more a brother than anything to Izanagi. A rare bond manifested from both the souls of the boys. The hole left by Maisah had to be filled somehow. Maybe Alon was the replacement dirt.

Alon stood up and took a breath. He grinned closing his eyes. Alon sauntered away to one of the shelves before picking a novel from the infinite shelves. He sighed. Playing games? really? he thought to himself. A slight void entered his mind before he continued to let his thoughts overflow into his mind. Wasn't this whole thing a game? No, he was in control. Expendables couldn't think for themselves. Alon could, therefore, that meant he wasn't an expendable. Didn't it? He was more than a pawn in the game of life. He shook his head realizing his thoughts had begun to string too much. He returned to the table with Izanagi, so naive, too naive.