Sacrifice

The game of chess or 'chatanga' was going well with both sides just developing their pieces and not acting aggressively. Suddenly, Bang saw an opening. The opponent had made a mistake and was very vulnerable in losing their bishop/cathedral. Bang thought three steps ahead that involved using their pawn/soldier to attack and act as a decoy. Unfortunately, it wasn't his turn but Gotang's turn.

Bang turned to Gotang to see if Gotang could understand his plan. He only saw Gotang focused solely on the board. He had his hand stroking his chin and didn't notice Bang's stare.

He made a move. Gotang immediately protected his pawn/soldier. This conflicted with what Bang wanted to do. Bang wanted to sacrifice the pawn to get the opponent's bishop but now, the move made the plan moot.

"What are you doing? We could have had their bishop?!"

Gotang ignored Bang and just stared at the board. His line of sight went from king to queen, to bishop, to knight, to rook, and every single piece of pawn. In Bang's eyes, Gotang played very conservatively. He didn't want to even exchange pieces with the opponent.

"It's not worth it."

Gotang finally replied to Bang which made Bang frown in disbelief. What did he mean it wasn't worth it? Were they not playing the same game? A bishop was more important than a pawn!

Bang exhaled a deep breath to calm himself down. Maybe there was some sort of strategy he wasn't seeing. Gotang wasn't a leader for nothing. He decided to just play along and see what happens.

It was now Bang's turn and he moved his knight/ship to attack a hanging pawn/soldier. The opponent couldn't move the pawn because if it moved, his king would be attacked by Bang's bishop/cathedral. It also couldn't be defended because it was hanging and therefore nothing to defend it with.

The opponent's move seemed to ignore the threat and moved some other piece that wasn't part of the fight. The opponent moved it's bishop/cathedral to the left side of the board. This would be the ideal time to strike but it wasn't his move. It was Gotang's turn.

Gotang's move caught a pawn! Just not the one Bang wanted to catch. No, Gotang chose to move their light-squared bishop/cathedral to eat a different pawn. Bang would be happy that there was finally some action going on if not for the fact that the pawn was protected by a rook/castle. Did Gotang not know how to play chess?!

"Why did you do that?"

Bang's voice was calm and had a curious intent. He was genuinely confused about the situation. He knew that Gotang wasn't dumb so there must have been some other reason he did that. Was there some kind of different mechanic that differed Chatanga from chess?

"Why did you want to sacrifice the pawn?"

Seeing that Bang was genuine in his curiosity, Gotang answered the question with another question. Bang closed his eyes and concentrated. He thought of his plan that sacrificed his pawn and saw that there were no flaws.

"We would have gotten their cathedral."

"At what cost?"

Gotang looked directly straight at Bang for the first time this entire game. He had a stern look on his face and Bang could even see a hint of melancholy and sadness in his eyes. Those eyebrows were pent up and seemed sorrowful about the world.

"The pawn"

Bang answered with a soft voice. There were a long silence and Bang could see that Gotang just stared at the ceiling with his eyes closed. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes as he exhaled it. It took a while until Gotang turned back to Bang.

"What makes the cathedral more important than the soldier?"

Bang was speechless. He wanted to say that the bishop was more powerful but it didn't seem like the right answer. He just stayed silent and contemplated what Gotang said.

The game continued as the pace of the game became faster. There were now unavoidable captures that needed to be done, but Gotang hesitated at every move. Even when what they lost was only a pawn, Bang saw Gotang close his fist in anger as if what he just did was detestable.

Bang and Gotang's troops became cornered and the probability didn't seem too good for them. They had fewer chess pieces than their invisible opponent. Surprisingly, the pawn that Gotang saved became the only piece of hope they had of winning. The pawn was now mere moves away from promoting into a queen.

Bang now saw the value of the pawn and why Gotang saved it. The potential it had was better than the bishop who was stuck in one set of moves. The pawn had a chance to become a queen and move in any direction it wanted.

They had a chance to win this. They just had to promote the pawn into a queen and then they have a fighting chance. It seemed like heaven hated them as they did not receive any luck this time. The pawn did successfully turn into a queen but was immediately captured by a rook.

It was hopeless. They had no fighting chance against their team. Bang once again looked to Gotang for instructions but like always, he had his full attention on the board.

'System, aren't you going to do something?'

'........'

The system stayed silent. Bang didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing but there was nothing he could do now. They were one move away from checkmate. Gotang still didn't look worried or anxious. He always had a stern and serious look with confidence. Bang wondered where he got the confidence to not be worried about his life.

The worse came to worst. The opponent's bishop started to move into position and they were checkmated. There was nothing left to do. Bang was hoping for a miracle from Gotang but nothing happened. He slumped down into the ground in helplessness.

"Soldier to E6"

What? Gotang kept playing. Even though there was nothing left to protect the king, he still moved another piece. What good would that do? In the next move, their king would be captured. Bang looked toward Gotang but he still saw that he was unfazed.

The bishop then started moving towards the king, with the full intention of mowing it down. What happens if they lose? Will they immediately die? Bang wondered that as he watched the helpless king. Like a miracle, something happened that was unbelievable.

A pawn suddenly moved diagonally backward and protected the king. When the king was supposed to be captured, a pawn intercepted the line of action of the opposing bishop. The bishop stopped one tile diagonal to the king due to it accidentally capturing the pawn. The king took advantage of this situation and captured the bishop.

Bang's jaw was on the ground. He couldn't believe his eyes no matter how many times he wiped them off. Did Gotang know this would happen?

Bang looked at Gotang and saw that he was in the same position he had. Gotang's jaw was on the floor and his eyebrows were lifted.

They watched as the king moved on its own and ate the bishop without Bang telling it what to do. Then, they saw the king suddenly glow with bright light as it blinded both of them. They covered their eyes with their hands and only let them down when there was no more light. They looked down and saw that the king had a different shape.

The king had now morphed into a cubic shape that rotated diagonally. Its boundaries were black while the sides were a different color whenever it rotated. This game was not chess. Now in the endgame, it seemed like the pieces had a sentient mind and moved on their own.

The king suddenly moved to the other side of the board diagonally. It looked like it had now the power of a queen. Bang and Gotang were powerless to do anything. The board wasn't in their hands anymore. From now on, they were just a spectator in the game.

The pieces were moving on their own and with the help of the king, they now once again stood a fighting chance. Then, the king suddenly moved two tiles forward and one tile to the side. This was the knight's move! Turns out that the king could do every move possible in the game. It wasn't long until the king came face to face with the opponent's king. Their king then mowed down the other king, flinging it off the board. They won! They survived! Albeit with the miraculous king that saved the game.

Once the king was off the board, the podiums under their feet started to sink into the ground. Same for the pieces and the board itself, everything was sinking on the ground. Then, Bang blinked for a millisecond and found himself in another room different from the previous one. At his side was Gotang.

"Did you know that was going to happen?"

"No."

"Then why did you keep playing?"

"You should never surrender until the game is over."

"......."

"........"

"Can I ask you another question?"

"Sure."

"How did you find your way to that place? It was pitch black and we couldn't see anything. How could you keep walking confidently?"

"Now that, that's a secret."