CHECKMATE.

ANYA.

"Welcome, welcome, severors and humans!" The dealer remarked, throwing up his hands warmly. I furrowed my eyebrows, squinting to look at him closer before nodding in understanding.

Six fingers on both hands. Just like my mother said.

As the students all applauded in excitement, the piece dealer placed his hands on the wooden box, causing the whole crowd to instantly fade to silence. It was almost used as an instant silencer, unnervingly immediately shutting everyone up. Zaid, seeing an opportunity to explain more, bounced on my shoulder. "That's-"

"The dealer, I know." I tried my best to sound as affectionate as I could, but to tell you the truth I was getting annoyed. I leaned in closer, listening attentively.

"As you all know, today is the entrance ceremony for our brand new students. Congratulations on making it through the examination. You all have proved yourselves worthy." He smiled, trying to put the others at ease. But I knew better. I wasn't going to let my guard down.

He pushed up his glasses, taking out a sheet of paper from his long sleeve, stroking his white beard as he skimmed through it.

"Now, understand the trials ahead will be tough. You have been chosen for your magical potential, and it's that very potential that helped you be resourceful enough to pass the test." I stiffened, clenching my fists.
"....Which is why on this gracious day, each of you will be awarded with the gift that will assist you in unlocking your true power." He opened up the box, light shining from it like a heavenly ray, stepping back as balls of energy erupted from its mouth. Eventually though the box rose to life, the two openings moving up and down erratically as it let out a dark and blood curdling scream.

It was horrifying. And yet, the students eyes were filled with wonder.

"Now," The dealer began, sounding completely calm as he did. "When I call out your name, you will enter your head into the box. If the box finds you worthy, you will be awarded magic and a rank!"
The crowd cheered.
I couldn't believe what I was seeing. These people were just as sinister as my mother said they were. In the face of a monster they were in glee??
Beads of sweat began to drop down my forehead. I took deep breaths, trying my best to calm myself down. My mother prepared me for this. She made sure I was the perfect fit for selection. There was no way it wouldn't accept me.
Right?
"Starting with the first student to finish the exam and the pride and joy of this academy: Frederic Van Halen!"
As soon as his name was uttered, the crowd erupted into a cacophony of cheers. My eyes widened when I realised the man who stood up was one I recognised.

He was the one who stared at me.

I couldn't help but be allured by his presence. As every other typical golden boy, he was white- pale and pastier then the stalest cracker. His blonde hair was tied into a low ponytail, trailing down his shoulders and gently moving with his confident movements. He had a beauty mark on his cheek and neck, visible and striking. He smiled confidently at the crowd, causing dozens of girls and boys to 'oooh' and 'ahhh' in delight. But I could tell by the look in his bright blue eyes and the subtle bags underneath them that he wasn't as put together as he let on. His confident walk wouldn't fool me. In a lot of ways he was just like me.

He was lying too.

As he stood in front of the box I could see him hesitate momentarily. But seconds later he dove his head in, head fast and strong as the box closed in on him. There was silence for a second. But then, moments later, he was freed.
He breathed heavily, sweaty, desperately gasping for air. As light swirled around him it became too bright to see, the expanse being consumed by strong shades of white. I shielded my eyes with my hands, doing the same to Zaid on instinct, and as the lights dimmed we finally were all able to open our eyes. The dealer was smiling, clearly pleased.
"Well done, young boy."
Frederic was clothed in his uniform. He wore a white shirt with golden shoulder pads, the frills connecting to his deep red cape which complemented his belt. Strung directly to that was his golden sword, the three colours combining to create an image of preside and royalty. He held a field of light in his hands, which shone in his palm and illuminated the area. As the light in his hands dissipated, a small white chess piece fell into his hands, causing the pale boy to beam with joy.
"Frederic Van Halen." The dealer bowed as a sign of respect as the crowd applauded. "Awarded Light magic. Princely rank."

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

This ceremony had been going on for 30 minutes, and in spite of how much time we'd spent, the students still managed to keep up their enthusiasm. Hell, even the ones who were on the verge of death still managed to applaud for every student who managed to succeed. While everyone else was keeping up with formalities, I decided I'd rather pay attention to certain details- especially since my turn grew closer and closer. Like mother said, don't let the enemy win.
From analysing the situation and looking at how things applied, the concept of there being two types of magic seemed to have not changed: Light magic and Dark magic. It also seemed like people were still wary of Dark magic which, yet again, was an example of just how horrendous these people were.

"People will tell you that Dark magic is the unbeatable evil, but don't fret if you get assigned it." My mother once said. "Dark magic and Light magic are equal. Dark takes from death, Light takes from life. But that doesn't make Dark bad. Death is a natural part of being who you are. It's what makes you and I human."

And let's be honest, those with Dark magic had much better uniform schemes anyways.
Even though both uniforms shared the colour white and their princely aesthetics, the accents changed depending on the type of magic you were assigned. Red and gold for Light, black and purple for Dark. Even with that, though, it seemed the uniforms were fitted to suit your personal style and choice of weapon, as I noticed how each of the uniforms felt unique but from the same school. Of course, that was made obvious from the unmistakable emblem of Schaken academy embroidered on each of their chests.

The other thing I noticed was rank assignment, something else my mother had taught me about. Just as I suspected, ranks were based on the pieces of the chessboard, the very game itself being a result of an accidental leak between the human world and the fantastical. Just as how chess has certain pieces more important then others, this school has more powerful students then others depending on your ranking. From what I could tell, Pawn and Bishop weren't particularly desired, Pawn likely being the lowest rank possible. When people were given these roles they often reacted with disappointment, something re-emphasised by the half hearted and parse cheers of the crowd. In contrast, the Knight and the Rook seemed like significantly better options. People seemed genuinely happy with these results, and that seemed to be what most of the student body acquired.

And then, there was the prince or princess rank.
Ever since we'd started, Frederic was the only one to acquire it. Very clearly, that was the highest rank, and in order to succeed in our mission that was the rank I needed to aspire to. If I got a rank lower then that I'd be able to make it back up, but if I wasn't ranked at all....

I clenched my fists, seeing a student slowly suffocate as the box choked them to death. As the body was salvaged and wheeled out, the dealer's eyes met mine, clearing his throat as he grinned.

"Next up. Anya Mazhar."

I stood up, smiling at Zaid as he wished me luck and setting him down on the bench.

This was it.

This was life or death.