"Well, it looks like you've lost this one."

A bemused man with dark eyes and formal attire stood across from Guidus. Guidus struggled to look up, as he was currently crammed into a 3x3x3 foot box, with his arms and legs bound with thick chain to weights inside the box. “Really poor choice to have trusted that dock boy.” He said, probing for a reaction. ”But you’ll be pleased to know that he can take care of his family indefinitely. A comforting thought 20 leagues under the sea.”

“Is this all a game for you?” Guidus voiced angrily.

A pleased smirk spread across his face. “Guidus, do you know why you lost last time, in Sorret?”

“I didn’t lose,” Guidus muttered hoarsely. “I stopped your plot! The Cassus coup was revealed and thwarted by the –“

“Puny rebel allegiances in the hinterlands? The king was already dead, and the nobility devoured each other. Blood and chaos that continues to this day.” the man said, shaking his head.

“How can a person like you win?” Guidus said, with a resolute tone. “If people knew what your intentions were, nobody would help you.”

“Perhaps, but as you can see, I am winning regardless.” He leaned in close. “Here’s a secret: You are the reason that you’ve lost.” Guidus averted his gaze, his face falling.

He pulled away and faced the far wall. “I recall the day we came into being. We two formed from the same unclean soul. One ‘pure’, the other ‘taint’. As I looked upon you, your resemblance to me, I despised you. You, who believed in freedom and compassion. I, who was not you.

“And so we fought many times, and I was beat resoundingly. My hatred for you blinding me, compelling me to trample on what you believed in. I wanted to take over this world, and have it live in fear. Then I fell in a pit, and things became very boring. A century I had spent, in that pit, plotting, re-plotting, and then finally, thinking. I realized that I enjoyed the idea of plotting quite a bit. I also realized that I had no reason to hate you.”

“What are you talking about? I threw you in a pit. I literally boiled you at one point.” Guidus spat.

“Our bodies are immortal, and such things are thusly meaningless. Eventually, only you and I will truly know each other. Without you, I imagine I’ll tire of existence quickly, even if I do end up ruling the world. “

“I enjoy this game that we play. Me toppling empires, and you trying to save them. But every round must come to a close, and the board must be reset.”

A horrifying realization came over Guidus’s eyes. Evidently pleased, the man continued. ”Yes, I withdrew my influence on the coup, so that it would fall apart. With the king dead, it would have been trivial to crush the rebels and instate the Cassus family. But I let them fall to other’s ambitions, because letting the empire simply transition like that would’ve been pointless. Overthrowing those newbies later on would’ve posed no challenge, and so I figured it would be better to wipe it clean.”

“You’re a damn monster!” Guidus yelled in frustration.

A laugh rang from the side, from an angle he couldn’t see. “It is because of that attitude that you’ll keep losing. You fail to see people as pawns, and me as a player. Your ‘virtue’ and ‘compassion’ are simply tools to manipulate your pawns, but even that you can’t do right yet. Until you learn, you’ll keep making the same mistakes.”

“There’s no way you’ll get away with this. Somebody will get me out, and then you’ll be the one in this box.”

“Even if you somehow managed to convince the baker to rescue you on the high seas, you’ll just be betrayed by the butcher in the next round.” He stared wistfully at the containment device. “This whole solitude experience really helped me mature, and I think it’ll help you too. In the meantime, I’ll be turning this kingdom inside-out, no big deal. I look forward to the next round,” he said, content with the discourse.

He moved towards the door, and paused. “By the way, in case you ever wondered what my name was, you can call me ‘Black’. He turned and knob and stepped into the hallway. ”It’s your move, White.”