Game of Higher Hands - The Game Begins

7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnny5kl9yPH

The room is quiet.

Only one light is still on.

My desk lamp.

The desk is a mess.

Newspaper pages.

Government reports.

Handwritten notes.

Monster rankings.

Maps.

Photos.

Forum posts.

Everything is everywhere.

I stand in the middle of it.

Looking at all the information.

Then I take a deep breath.

"...Let's organize this."

I grab a marker.

Walk to the whiteboard hanging on my wall.

At the top, I write three words.

What do I know?

Under it, I begin writing.

Sixteen shards.

Maybe.

Or maybe sixteen completed shards.

Not enough information.

Forbidden zones.

Currently confirmed:

Now...

Higher-ranked zones are becoming more common.

Which means...

the world is getting worse.

I write another line.

The Chosen Team.

Six people.

Collecting shards for over two months.

Currently confirmed to have...

one shard.

Maybe two now.

Goal:

Restore the world.

I tap the marker against the board.

"They're serious."

Then I write another name.

Charly.

Unknown.

No records.

No identity.

No organization.

Extremely powerful.

Uses space abilities.

Collects shards.

Friend?

Enemy?

Neutral?

I draw a large question mark.

"No idea."

Then I write one final word.

Me.

Seventeen years old.

Two abilities.

One strange map.

One shard.

Too many questions.

I step back.

Looking at everything together.

Then...

I suddenly laugh.

"...This is actually fun."

Most people would panic.

Most people would be afraid.

Most people would want life to return to normal.

Not me.

A world without mystery...

is boring.

A world where every answer is already known...

is even worse.

I pick up another sheet of paper.

Start drawing circles.

Lines.

Names.

Arrows.

One plan becomes two.

Two becomes five.

Five becomes ten.

I keep writing.

Crossing things out.

Writing again.

Hours pass.

The moon rises.

Then moves across the sky.

I don't notice.

My coffee becomes cold.

I make another one.

The room becomes covered with papers.

If someone walked in right now...

they would think I had gone completely crazy.

Maybe I have.

Around three in the morning...

I finally stop.

I look at the board.

Then at the papers.

Then at the map.

"...Interesting."

I smile.

A slow smile.

I think I know what I should do.

Not everything.

Not even close.

But I know my direction.

I quietly collect every piece of paper.

Fold them.

Put them into a box.

Then lock the box.

"No one needs to know."

Not Ethan.

Not the government.

Not Charly.

Some plans...

work better when nobody knows they exist.

I switch off the desk lamp.

Only moonlight remains.

I walk toward the window.

The city is asleep.

Somewhere out there...

people are praying for peace.

For safety.

For tomorrow.

I place one hand in my pocket.

The ancient map is there.

Waiting.

I smile again.

"In my opinion..."

"The world has finally become interesting."

I look toward the dark horizon.

"If someone wants to end this game..."

"...then someone else has to keep it going."

The wind gently pushes against the window.

I close my eyes for a moment.

Then open them again.

"My goal is simple."

"I'll take the shards before they do."

"If they gather all sixteen..."

"...this story ends."

"I don't like endings."

I chuckle to myself.

"So..."

"Let's make things a little more difficult."

A little more dangerous.

A little more unpredictable.

I look up at the night sky.

"Welcome..."

"...to the real game."

I pick up my bag.

Place the map inside.

Lock the door behind me.

The world thinks it is a battle between monsters and humans.

The government thinks it is a fight to save civilization.

The Chosen Team thinks it is a mission to restore the world.

Maybe they are all right.

But from this night onward...

I have entered the game with a different goal.

Not to save the world.

Not to destroy it.

But to make sure that no one wins too easily.

Because every good game...

needs someone willing to change the rules.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEhUHP8lklB

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