“I told you she would beat you.” Valentina said smiling at me.

  In front of my bed, Abigail watched me without moving, her cheeks flushed and her fists clenched; occasionally she rubbed her eyes softly, as if trying to disguise that she was about to cry.

  “Valentina, please go away. Sleep in the room in our room.” I said.

  “I won't leave, I want to know why you gave up...and if Abigail hits you I want to be here.”

  “Don't worry, I'll be fine, you don't have to defend me.”

  “I'm not going to defend you, I just want to watch her hit you.” Said the little girl.

  I turned to look at her squinting, as the little girl smiled and leaned back in her chair as if she was about to watch an entertaining movie. I sighed, turned my gaze to Abigail, who still wasn't moving, and spoke.

  “When we were in the library I discovered five powerful, but very dangerous techniques, they would help us win if we used them right. And, as it happens, when I used one of them in my match against Olivia, I saw how we damaged the others on Earth.”

  “What are you talking about, what did you see?” Valentina said, as Abigail arched her eyebrows and sat with steady attention on me.

  “I saw death, destruction, the outcome a war was having, an outcome I was rooting for... because of the moves I was making in my game. It may be that the technique I used allowed me to see that.”

  “And you decided to surrender so you wouldn't hurt them anymore.” Interrupted the girl again.

  “I think I did. I hesitated, I wasn't sure I would make the move that would make me win. But, I saw Olivia, she was lost and had fear on her face, it reminded me of you when you lost your first game. I felt guilty, I felt it was unfair to win like that and...”

  “You gave up.” Valentina said.

  “I gave up. I knew it would cause me a lot more damage and send me to the infirmary. And I knew that having used that technique would damage me even more. Besides, by surrendering, Olivia's owl was free to harm me, but she didn't, I don't know why.”

  “She didn't mean to hurt you anymore.” Waved her hands Abigail.

  “Olivia stopped her owl from harming me?” I exhaled sharply, forcing myself to calm my heaving breathing. The memories were making me sweat, or maybe it was the fever.

  “I thought you had died. Abigail told me that the guide Izan had attacked you with his sword. In the next class, teacher Susana said that the guide had only transported you to Earth and that you would die there. Although, then she said that maybe he would only give you a warning.” Valentina said.

  “Yes, he took me home, but I had no injuries. In the end yes, he only warned me that I would not be spared another trap... I didn't even know I had cheated!”

  “You can't give up if you have a winning lead, you can't draw if you can still win and you can't use outside aids, not even your protector can help you in the game.” Abigail said.

  “I know, I know. I didn't remember it at the time. I didn't think my surrender would have those consequences either. I'm sorry. You guys took care of me, without it being your duty, thank you girls.”

  “We weren't going to leave you alone. It took you so long to wake up that we thought you would die here from the Izan guide's attack.” Abigail said.

  “That's true, we weren't going to leave you, we're like a family, who aren't siblings or anything, but we're family. I don't know, it's like you're the dad, Abigail is the mom, and I'm the daughter and I love you guys very much.” Valentina said.

  Instantly, I was shocked and embarrassed, I looked at Abigail and her face had flushed. The mute young woman avoided looking at me, wiped the remnant of tears on her face, stood up and approached Valentina to give her a kiss on the cheek.

  “You won't kiss Gabriel?” Valentina said.

  Abigail, her cheeks growing redder and redder, walked over to me and kissed me softly on the cheek. I could feel her tenderness and warmth. Immediately after Abigail's lips parted from my face, her gaze met mine and we looked at each other for a couple of seconds. That was, until the mute young woman's fist slammed into my chest.

  “Yeah, I told you she'd hit you worse than me.” Valentina said.

  After catching my breath and getting over the stinging pain Abigail's blow had left in my ribs, I asked her how Gabriela and Henry had become so close to us.

  The young woman told me that my surrender had made a positive impression on Gabriela. Abigail had apologized to her for the damage caused in her first game and Henry had felt sympathy for me.

  Valentina didn't want to sleep, she kept asking questions about what I had read in the books. She asked me about the feeling of being run through by Izan's sword and the feeling of being unconscious for almost two months in that bed. After that, sleep began to encroach on the little girl, who curled up in her chair next to my bed.

  “Will you train me to be as good as you?” said Valentina before falling asleep, her head on her stuffed animal.

  Abigail kept me company all night, not separating from me, and sometimes she would arrange Valentina's blanket so she wouldn't get unwrapped. That's how we stayed, in silence, until midnight came. I couldn't fall asleep and started talking again.

  “I know you are angry, you gave me your support and I worried you. Forgive me, please, I didn't mean to cause you sadness, I just wanted to do the right thing.”

  “I'm fine, besides the one in bed unable to move is you.” She said, her hands gently running through the air. “It seems normal for us here to act in unusual ways, that on Earth wouldn't be normal, do you think that's why Valentina sees us as family?”

  Surprised by Abigail's question, I replied, “People who come here show their true feelings and their true identity. That's what we were taught when we arrived, but I think there's more to it. I think we are so lonely on Earth, being such isolated and forgotten people, that when we get here we connect more with the people who can help us survive.”

  “So you're saying that what Valentina feels, it's for survival and that's it?”

  “Listen, years ago I had friends, a friend and her brother. She died and I could have prevented it, but I did not. The brother couldn't walk again. I felt so bad that I walked away from him, I know I could have been there for him at that difficult time, but I felt so afraid of hurting him more that I decided to walk away.”

  Abigail moved her seat closer and took my arm as she listened to me.

  “Before that I had always been a loner, because I wasn't someone important to my family. They wanted a wealthy professional, but I couldn't give them that. But when I met that girl I felt a great relief, she didn't judge me for my lack of money or my clumsiness, then she introduced me to her brother and he was a kind guy. They had a lot of money, but I didn't. Still, they never turned me down - and I let her die!”

  “Why are you telling me this?” said Abigail.

  I exhaled with trembling in my chest. “Because I tied myself to them because of my problems, my loneliness. And now, here, we have the impending death and the pains we will suffer if we don't win in the games. You may have heard that, in trouble, family is the greatest support. What nonsense! My family has judged and rejected me for not being the talented professional they wanted. But strangers like you, Valentina, my friend or her brother did support me. Family is garbage.”

  Abigail sighed, took my hand gently and looked me in the eyes. “Don't you think that, precisely, it's your family that has helped you. Not the blood one, but the heart one. Your late friend and her brother, Valentina... and me, we are your family.”

  “What I wanted to tell you is that survival here is a challenge, a problem, and problems often bring people together. If we add that we tend to be more sincere in this world, then we become more related and tied to the people who help us; we develop the desire to survive with them.” I sighed in frustration and fell silent for a moment, avoiding the topic of family.

  After remembering my past and the affection Valentina now showed for me, I worried, “I don't know if I want a family. I want to protect you, protect Valentina, but I don't want to get help from anyone, I don't want to fail again!”

  “Well, how unfortunate!” Abigail replied, rolling her eyes upward and raising an eyebrow. “You have people who appreciate you, but you'd rather go on alone, out of fear.”

  “Yeah, make fun, get angry.”

  “I don't. You should just accept the appreciation other people have for you. Even if you think you can't help them as much as you hope, just do what you can.”

  “What if I can't do anything?”

  “Then let yourself be loved.” She said, placing her open hand gently on my chest and moving closer to me. She stopped suddenly and stepped away. “Not everyone is fortunate enough to have love, you heard the guide Izan, we are the unloved ones on Earth. Now, Valentina sees you as her father, why not reciprocate her affection?”

  “Because I don't know them well enough, I don't know what I can give...”

  “Still, you promised to protect us, see, you want to be tied to us, without knowing it.”

  I was silent for a long while, I wanted to avoid that conversation, but I certainly wanted to be by their side and take care of them. Because of my fears and my past, I never wanted to feel tied to anyone again, but they were being my family without expecting it. Also, when I was in danger after surrendering and when I played against the old man from piece two, they were the ones who were on my mind. I was only interested in them.

  After taking a breath and relaxing, I kept the conversation going to distract the insomnia. “Valentina said we were like her mom and dad, and you say I should reciprocate her affection, does that mean you see me as...?”

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  “Friend, I see you as a friend! She sees us as her family, and you are a great friend who made me very angry for risking being bumped off for cheating. Tell me what happened then with the technique you learned, because you were going in beating a pro, so it worked right?”

  Abigail's reaction confused me. I thought she might feel more for me, but having a great friend like her was enough for me.

  “Yes, it worked, and I'm beginning to understand its risks.”

  I told Abigail how risky it was to use the Mental Purity technique. I deduced that the visions I had were part of the technique and that the increased pain I felt at the end of the game was as well. She freaked out when she heard the details of my vision, she believed that somehow my mind had gained access to Earth from that magical world.

  “Will you leave her? Because you didn't manage to use it fully, if you use it to its fullest, then you would suffer even more, could you die?”

  “I don't know.” I replied to Abigail. “I have an idea that if I master it I will win many games, maybe all the chess games.”

  “True, against Olivia you played as if you were an Earth chess master. But that doesn't guarantee you'll survive. And what about us? Don't expect Valentina's little body to withstand that, her mind must not see the things you saw in that vision.”

  “I know, I know, I know!” I grumbled, in frustration. After falling silent for a moment, to analyze the situation, I remembered the book of ancient techniques. “There are more techniques! Abigail, the others might not be as risky as the one I used, but they have a lot of power, maybe the same as Mental Purity.”

  “How do they work?”

  “I don't know yet, I didn't read that much. I don't even know my own technique that well. But I'll keep reading, while I'm recovering, my protector might...” I snorted in frustration, remembering that I wouldn't have my wolf protector for a long time. “Could you ask your protector to bring some books?”

  The protective bitch serving Abigail disappeared for a second, only to return laden with books, among them the heavy book I was interested in.

  “Is that it, that's the book no one wants to read in the library!” She said upon seeing it.

  “How do you know that?”

  “I researched the library records to find out what books others used to study chess. This book is the one that no one has read for centuries. In fact, it was created by a master who was expelled from the School.”

  “He was expelled for writing this book?”

  “Ah, I don't know if it was because of that, but I do know that book put its few readers in the infirmary for many months!”

  “That I do know.”

  “So that's your plan, you're going to risk everything to defeat the Black School, to return to Earth a rich and successful man?”

  “No, my plan is to get used to the pain, use the riskiest technique in this book, teach you the other techniques and survive.”

  “Gabriel, we will have to beat the Black School. And only one person per tournament between schools could return to Earth. If you win, will you leave us?”

  “Actually, my plan is that none of us lose to the Black School, so we won't die. And then, you'll have to win first to return to Earth.”

  “What, I'm not leaving you! I'm not going back to Earth without you... and without Valentina!”

  Abigail's responses and reactions were worrying me. She had already been through bad times supporting and caring for me, I didn't want her to feel anything more for me. She didn't deserve to suffer.

  “Listen, you will need to master some of these techniques and improve your chess skills. While I read and research what's in this book, I need you to please train together with Valentina; play chess games, improve your calculation and strategy. If it's okay with you, practice with Gabriela and Henry, maybe also with Olivia.”

  “And then what? There are people here with centuries of knowledge, how will we surpass them?”

  “I had already thought about that. The chess they know depends on what is known on Earth. So, we'll have to match their centuries of knowledge with our months of training... Techniques will be our advantage!”

  “We'll kill ourselves training! Do you realize that the training rooms simulate what happens in the library when we play? We'll spend more time in the infirmary than in the games.”

  “Abigail, there is a skill that will save us. But, we will depend on Valentina to make it work. Let me do more research. For now, I need a favor from you.”

  “Okay, what do you want me to do?”

  “Talk to Gabriela and Henry, they might be able to help you. Convince the fellows in sixteen not to summon anyone from our piece. From now on we have to summon only players from the opposing pieces.”

  “You want us to stop hurting each other right? Okay, I'll do it.”

  “Thank you. From now on, this is a war in which I will no longer show mercy.” I said.

  The days passed with a heavy and painful pace, especially for me. Having to stay in bed was a nuisance. The pains seemed to increase at times, my body had to spend a lot of energy just to close wounds. The magic of the infirmary would not exist for me, nor would I have a protector, I didn't know for how long. I had to do my job as an investigator while I agonized.

  “Any progress?” Gabriela said entering my room.

  “Good morning, I think so. But it's not easy.” I replied.

  “Don't worry, we already convinced the others not to invoke each other.”

  “Thank you. Now, could you do something else for me?”

  “Sure, talk.”

  My body had made some progress in healing, however, I still had recurring fevers and found it hard to move. It was the cost of having cheated, but even worse, the slowdown in my healing was also due to my incomplete use of the technique.

  “Abigail wouldn't accept, I don't want to harm Valentina and Henry has been busy studying. You are my only option, Gabriela.”

  “Only option for what?” the woman said turning away from me as she raised her eyebrows.

  “Use your protector to get us to an available training room, I want us to play some games.”

  “Are you stupid or what's wrong with you, you can't even walk yet!”

  “I know that, but I need to try a lot of things I learned. Don't worry, I'll also teach you a technique you could start using in your games.”

  “I won't play with you. Even if you are better than me, I guess you want serious games. That would hurt you more than me. You don't even have a protector.”

  “Actually, as long as I'm denied my protector, I won't be able to harm my opponents in games.”

  “Worse yet, I could kill you!”

  “Well, there was a time when you wanted to kill me, wasn't there?”

  “No! I only wanted to hurt you. I'm not going to hurt you now, Abigail would be mad at us!”

  “That's precisely why I can't say anything to her, I need us to test what I've found in the book, or it won't do any good.”

  “Give us the instructions and we will follow them in departure, you don't have to test those things on yourself, much less in that state you are in.”

  “There are things I don't understand yet Gabriela, that's why I have to experiment directly.” I frowned and snorted, “It's okay, forget it.”

  “I know how desperate you are Gabriel, but if I help you, Abigail could summon me in the games and harm me just as punishment for doing those tests with you. Understand, without protector yes you could die in game. No more talk! I'll go see if the girls are ready to go to class. We'll come when we're done, bye.”

  I was very angry at Gabriela's denial. It had been a couple of weeks now, I still wasn't recovered, and I needed to try the techniques I had been reading about. But, without a training partner, it would be harder.

  If my body didn't resist, I could die, since I didn't have my protector. But, if I mastered my technique, I could teach others the new techniques by following the instructions in the book. I didn't want to risk explaining a new technique to the girls without knowing the extent to which we would be harmed, so I needed to master Mental Purity.

  No one was in the hallways, it seemed like everyone was in class. It was ten minutes of painful adrenaline, in which I crawled from the infirmary to the nearest training room. I was getting to one, but almost fell asleep on the floor from exhaustion.

  “Abigail will be very angry if she sees you ran away from the infirmary.” Said a voice, coming from a pillar of light. A glowing sword stood before me, amidst so much light, to become the guide Izan.

  “Ah, hello.” I said.

  “Abigail thinks you're an idiot, she's protecting you, but she still thinks you're an idiot.”

  “What a novelty! Will you tell her I got out of the infirmary?”

  “It's not my obligation to be a whistleblower, Master Gabriel. But it would be fun to tell her that her adored one crawled into a training room to commit suicide. They left you alone for ten minutes, couldn't you have trusted them and waited for them to come back to help you?”

  “They helped me a lot and I don't think they will help me in what I plan to do.”

  “Oh, right, after curing your patient, what doctor would want to see his patient dying by his own hand?”

  “Exactly why are you here?”

  “I just wanted to let you know that your friends have already found your empty bed, they've started looking for you.”

  “Great, and I haven't even started training yet!” I exclaimed angrily as I slowly moved the wheels of the chair I had pilfered from an empty room in the infirmary.

  “Gabriel, we guides are forbidden to pry into players' intimate information. However, there is obvious information that suggests you want to risk everything to save a couple of strangers. If I may give you some advice...”

  “No, I won't let you. Get out!”

  Izan lashed her feet against the ground, as she took a step to get closer to me. All around me went dark, and then I appeared inside the training room. Izan's formal, gentle voice transformed into a lion's roar that articulated words of a human language.

  “Humans disgust me, so you cause me no sympathy. However, your tendency to suffer for helping others impresses me. My advice is, don't risk so much for others; if you want to help others, first help yourself, may at least your health allow you to continue helping those you love.”

  The pillar of light appeared again, but quickly disappeared with Izan inside, leaving an ash that slowly faded to the floor.

  Inside the training room, to which Izan had taken me, I found the table and papyrus similar to the one in the room where I confronted the old man Matthew. I did what the old man had taught me, I asked to be in a random park and play against some opponent. The room took me to an icy park, with snow and a frozen cement table.

  As for the opponent, the room assigned me to the first of a scale of sixty-four levels. I played against him, trying to use the new thing I had read about Mental Purity, but I won so easily that I didn't even have to use it.

  My opponent disintegrated, in a cloud of ash carried by the cold wind of the park. Next to the board, on that cold table, a screen was illuminated offering me a new opponent; however, I ignored it. I was breathing deeply and hoping I wouldn't catch my death of cold, while I looked at the instructions in the room on how to train against simulated opponents.

  After several minutes learning how to use the training room, I found an option that would be useful to me; although it promised to simulate the damage I would receive in real matches. I activated that simulation; this was a tool that the room offered for me to face anyone who was in my mind, with the same style of play and inflicting real damage on me.

  Before the room generated my opponent, a prompt came to the table. “Allow spectators?” Driven by curiosity and not understanding what it was all about, I said “Yes.” Around me a translucent screen lit up and showed me two familiar faces. Abigail and Gabriela, presently Henry, Valentina and Olivia arrived as well.

  “They're all here?” I murmured.

  “That's right.” Replied a familiar, sweet voice beside me. Suddenly a glowing being appeared.

  “Is that you? But no, you died. This is another magical illusion from the room, surely.”

  “I'm not, I'm real. Well, in this world I am.”

  “But you died, you can't be here.” I suddenly sank into tears, only able to whisper “Forgive me.”

  The luminous woman approached me, put her hand on my back and then slowly stroked my head.

  “You didn't kill me, I didn't die because of you. We can't control everything that happens in life, I told you dozens of times remember, cheer up, don't cry!”

  “Only the real Celia would talk to me like that. How?”

  “I'm here because this world has no spiritual barriers, that's why anyone could see their relatives or ancestors in this place. Not so easily, of course.”

  “Is that another one of the consequences of using that technique? But I haven't even used it, I haven't even started playing!”

  “Gabriel, those techniques have spiritual demands, that's why not just anyone can use them. But I don't know if it's the technique, or it's just because you're suffering too much.”

  “I don't know. Maybe one result of using the technique is seeing ghosts.” I said sobbing and wiping away my tears roughly.

  “I'm not a ghost! Or maybe I am, I don't know. I feel normal, like I did when I was alive. There's not much difference.”

  “Then will you come with me?”

  “I'm always with you, but I think you're suffering in a special way now.”

  “But, the game doesn't start yet.”

  “You are in the middle of an icy park, with a cold, fever and wounds that would kill anyone on Earth. You have several broken bones, your body is in agony. Moreover, your spirit is not at peace. It's obvious you're in pain - you've become too reckless!” He said before rotating his head towards the screen showing us Abigail and the others.

  Celia stopped talking, watching the desperate attempts of my friends and the others to stop the training “Or maybe, now you think you should risk more. But, they love you, you'll hurt them if you get hurt.”

  I took a breath, looked at Abigail through the screen, then at Celia, then at the empty chair in front of me “Celia, I did nothing to stop you from dying, now I will do whatever it takes to stop them from meeting the same fate as you. I have to be stronger to protect them!”

  I gave the order to the room system, after a couple of seconds of formation, old Matthew appeared sitting in front of me. That room allowed me to play against simulations of opponents I had seen or faced, that man was the perfect opponent.