The Earth After Rebirth

Atop which rested a chessboard, in the not so usual black and white colours but in ones Kiro couldn't exactly comprehend but to him they looked red and black, that's the best his tiny brain could come up with. A glowing orb was hovering, gifting the whole space light.

Curiosity and determination surged within his heart as they approached the table. Kiro didn't particularly like chess, but he liked the mental stimulation it gave him if he played with someone good enough and where he came from there weren't a lot of those.

They reached it, he gingerly put his finger on each piece, they always gave him the same feeling of zeal, he couldn't wait to get started.

In that moment, a surge of energy coursed through his veins the same feeling he'd gotten before being transported into an arena, and sure enough the room transformed around them.

They found themselves in a great library, books spanning as far as the eye could see. Each book whispered secrets and knowledge waiting to be unraveled. He walked for a distance feeling the spines of the books as he went, enjoying the smell of old books the same.

With the chessboard at the beginning and now books, he didn't have to think hard about what the next challenge would be. They'd clearly pick his brains to see how good they are.

Just then a series of riddles and puzzles presented themselves, designed to test his intellect and awareness. The first riddle appeared before them, etched into the very air they breathed, the words were floating.

"I am the beginning of everything, the end of time and space. I am essential for life, yet can bring destruction. What am I?"

Kiro furrowed his brow, contemplating the riddle. He repeated the riddle to himself, making sure he understood every word, every syllables.

Time seemed to stretch as he picked his brain, taking apart the riddle and putting it together in the strings of sentences.

Doing this made it easier to decipher for him, so it wasn't a sudden surprise when a spark of realization ignited within his eyes.

"It's the letter 'E'," he exclaimed, his voice echoing through the great library.

This took him back to the first trial of the game, when they had to answer the sphinx, only this time, he had no idea what would happen if he answered incorrectly.

As soon as the correct answer was spoken, the books lining the shelves shifted, revealing a hidden passage within them.

With a mixture of excitement and anxiety, they both stepped through, their heart racing with anticipation. The room beyond unveiled a seemingly endless hall, decorated with intricate tapestries depicting great philosophers and thinkers throughout history.

"Who are these people?" Kiro asked, admiring their intimidating demeanour.

"Owners of this establishment, maybe." Hubris shrugged

"They don't look human."

They had little horns protruding from their heads, most had glasses on, all of them were reading books and standing besides a pile. They all had the same tired look.

He was about to pass the first when it sprung to life, he had already attacked with his staff but it went through the thing as if it were ghost.

Unlike when it was in the painting, it looked old and dishevelled, like a bag of meat time had forgotten. "Why is time so important?" It's voice was the opposite of how it looked like. It was strong and commanding.

"Because time is existence." He blurted out without thinking.

The thing went back to its painting, opening up the path ahead. Yet again another of the paintings block their way.

"Can life be meaningful without friends?"

Kiro thought back to his previous life, he didn't have a single friend, no matter what the answer was here, he knew having nobody to share life with was the biggest slap in the face he'd ever gotten from the universe.

"No," He started, "no man is an island."

The path opened up once more.

"What is knowledge?"

"Accepting that you know nothing." He said, after much deliberation.

"Do weapons kill or is it people?"

"This one is just silly. Of course people kill, a weapon would never drive itself into a man's heart, it needs another man to hold it."

There were a lot paintings, they couldn't pass them without answering their questions. Kiro long realised that, there were no wrong answers, the questions were philosophical, they could be debated based on ones perspective.

Time seemed to lose its meaning as he delved into the depths of his own philosophical perspectives. Some questions even made him seriously reconsider his life.

Some confused him, nonethless he emerged from the hall with newfound clarity and a sense of enlightenment. There were no more paintings, just the road ahead. Hubris was enjoying the free ride of not doing anything, he could've of course answered some with his brain but decided he would only interfere if Kiro asked.

They found themselves standing before a colossal chessboard, each piece emanating an aura of ancient knowledge. Across from them stood a figure clad in a robe, their face obscured by a hood. The ancient Chessmaster, the guardian of the room it seemed, spoke.

"To proceed, you must defeat me in a game of chess," the Chessmaster proclaimed with a voice that carried an air of wisdom.

Kiro had no choice but to accept the challenge, the pieces at their disposal mirrored their mental prowess.

With every move, the Chessmaster displayed cunning and great foresight, attempting to outmaneuver and corner Kiro early on. The game wasn't only a battle of intellect but also of intuition and adaptability.

Minutes ticked into hours, Kiro and the Chessmaster were focused and engaged in the dance of wits, each move calculated and deliberate.

But as the game reached its climax, Kiro's perception sharpened, unveiling the delicacies of the Chessmaster's strategy. With a final decisive move, he checkmated the Chessmaster, ending the duel.

"Congratulations young one, you've bested me. As promised, the path is yours to take."

After those words, everything disappeared, only the door remained. A door to an other side that they weren't quite ready for. Every door they walked in, hadn't been kind to them. Although this last bout was by far, Kiro's favourite.

He twisted the doorknob.