The core's light dimmed, but the pressure in the air did not disappear.
It changed.
It became sharper, more focused, as if every remaining participant was now being watched individually instead of as part of a group.
Daeven stood still, his eyes fixed ahead, but his attention was no longer on the others.
It was on himself.
On the mark.
On the thing that had just awakened inside him.
Kael was testing her ability further, small controlled bursts of force forming and fading around her as she adjusted to her role.
Lyria remained still, her eyes half-closed as if she was sensing invisible paths across the board.
The boy was still confused, trying desperately to feel something, anything, from his mark.
But Daeven…
Daeven felt too much.
Something was wrong.
No.
Something was hidden.
The pulse from his mark returned, but this time it didn't spread outward like the others.
It sank inward.
Deep.
Like it was calling him.
Daeven's expression didn't change, but his focus sharpened.
Quietly, without drawing attention, he stepped slightly back.
No one noticed.
Good.
The world around him faded for a brief moment.
Not completely.
Just enough.
Then—
Darkness.
Not the empty kind.
A controlled one.
Structured.
A space that felt… deliberate.
Daeven didn't move.
He understood immediately.
This wasn't the system pulling him.
This was his mark.
In front of him, something appeared.
Slowly.
Piece by piece.
A mask.
Black.
Smooth.
Featureless at first glance, but the longer he looked, the more details emerged.
Subtle lines.
Faint engravings.
Shapes that shifted depending on the angle.
It didn't feel like an object.
It felt like an authority.
Daeven's eyes narrowed slightly.
…What are you?
No voice answered.
But he understood anyway.
Not through words.
Through instinct.
Through connection.
A name formed in his mind.
The Game Master's Mask.
Daeven's heartbeat slowed.
Not fear.
Focus.
This wasn't a weapon.
Not directly.
It was something else.
Something above the pieces.
He didn't reach for it immediately.
Instead, he observed.
Analyzed.
If this is tied to my mark… then using it changes something.
A pause.
Then he made a decision.
Slowly, he raised his hand.
The moment his fingers touched the mask—
Everything shifted.
A surge of information flooded his mind.
Not chaotic.
Precise.
Cold.
He saw movements.
Not just his.
Everyone's.
Paths overlapping.
Choices branching.
Outcomes forming and collapsing.
Like he was seeing the game from above.
Daeven's eyes widened slightly for the first time.
…This is—
Too much.
He pulled back instantly.
The vision shattered.
The dark space collapsed.
Reality returned.
Daeven stood exactly where he had been.
No one had noticed anything.
Good.
Very good.
His breathing remained steady, but inside, his thoughts were racing faster than ever.
That wasn't normal.
That wasn't a piece ability.
That was something else entirely.
Something dangerous.
Something that didn't belong to a player.
Daeven glanced at the others.
Kael.
A rook.
Direct power.
Lyria.
A bishop.
Support and perception.
The boy.
A pawn.
Potential.
Then himself.
Unknown.
Variable.
Now… this.
Daeven slowly closed his hand.
No.
I can't show this.
Not yet.
Not ever… if possible.
Because if the others saw it—
No.
If the system noticed it too clearly—
A pause.
Then things would change.
In a bad way.
Daeven lowered his gaze slightly, hiding the faint tension in his eyes.
From now on…
I play dumb.
The core pulsed again.
[ PHASE 2 INITIALIZATION COMPLETE ]
The ground shifted once more, forming structured zones across the board.
Groups of participants were being reorganized.
Separated.
Positioned.
Daeven looked up again, his expression now completely calm.
Controlled.
Nothing unusual.
Nothing suspicious.
Just another player.
Kael glanced at him briefly.
You look different.
Daeven shrugged slightly.
You look the same.
She smirked faintly.
Good answer.
Lyria looked between them, slightly confused, but didn't question it.
The boy finally spoke again.
So… what now?
Daeven looked ahead.
At the new board.
At the other players.
At the system that was watching everything.
Then he answered calmly.
Now…
We play for real.
But inside—
Hidden behind that calm expression—
Daeven made a silent decision.
He wouldn't play as a piece.
He would play as something else.
Something above the board.
And no one would know.
Not until it was too late.