The Celestial Chess Piece: Reborn for the Apocalypse

Chapter 5

The white light swallowed everything.

For a moment, Caleb couldn't see, breathe, or feel the ground beneath his feet. Then the brightness slowly faded, and the world returned in pieces.

He found himself standing in an open field that stretched endlessly in every direction. A thin layer of white mist covered the ground, slowly fading into the air like morning fog. The sky was pale, almost silver, and there was no wind, no sound, and no movement.

"077?" Caleb called out.

His voice echoed across the empty space before returning to him, flat and hollow.

"System, can you hear me?"

There was no response. No mechanical voice. No blue screens. Nothing.

Whatever this place was, it had completely cut him off from the system.

Caleb took a deep breath and looked down at himself. The pendant still hung around his neck, warm against his skin.

He was inside the mustard seed space, the hidden dimension sealed within the Celestial Chess Piece.

"If this works like the novels, I just need to think about leaving."

He closed his eyes and focused on a single word.

Exit.

The air shifted around him. He felt a quick, painless pull in his stomach.

When he opened his eyes, he was standing in his apartment bathroom again. The faucet was still running, and everything remained exactly as he had left it.

"Host detected. Reconnection successful."

System 077's voice immediately sounded in his head.

"I lost all signals while you were inside. What happened?"

"It's real!"

Caleb turned off the faucet and leaned against the counter, a wide grin spreading across his face.

"The portable space is real. It's massive! I couldn't even see the edges."

"Fascinating. I was unable to follow you inside. The spatial barrier completely rejected my consciousness."

There was genuine frustration in the system's voice.

"My best theory is that the dimension possesses an independent spirit that considers any external system an intruder."

"So you're locked out?"

"For now, yes. Unless the spirit grants me permission to enter."

Caleb nodded slowly, already thinking about the possibilities.

A private space that nobody else could enter. A place where he could store supplies, grow food, and even hide people if necessary.

It could become his greatest advantage in the coming apocalypse.

"Let's talk about something else."

He walked into his bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed.

"You called yourself a trading system. What exactly can you trade?"

"Excellent question!"

077's voice brightened.

"Displaying interface now."

Two translucent blue screens appeared in front of Caleb.

The first showed a massive marketplace divided into different categories: Fantasy Planes, Technology Planes, Normal Planes, Ancient Planes, and Primeval Planes.

Thousands of listings scrolled beneath each category.

"This is the interdimensional market," 077 explained proudly. "It connects merchants across multiple realms. You can buy or sell almost anything."

Caleb shifted his attention to the second screen.

Unlike the first, this one was much simpler. It displayed only a few items, including purification liquid, superpower weapons, energy shields, and portable storage units.

"And this is the apocalypse exchange," 077 continued. "It deals exclusively in zombie crystal stones."

"Purification liquid."

Caleb pointed at the first item.

"Tell me about it."

"It's critically important," 077 replied, its voice becoming serious. "When a zombie is killed, it sometimes drops a crystal stone containing concentrated viral energy. However, these stones also contain traces of the zombie virus. If the contamination isn't removed before absorption, the person absorbing the energy has a high risk of transforming into a zombie."

Caleb's jaw tightened.

He remembered what had happened in his previous life.

Dozens of survivors had transformed after absorbing unprocessed crystal stones. They would crack open the stones and absorb the energy, believing they were becoming stronger. Within hours, their skin would turn gray, and their eyes would lose their life.

"In the early days of the apocalypse, deaths caused by improper absorption were three times higher than deaths caused directly by zombies," 077 continued. "Purification liquid eliminates that risk."

"I know."

Caleb's voice was quiet.

"I watched it happen."

Silence settled between them.

After a moment, Caleb looked up at the ceiling.

"077, where did the virus come from? Nobody ever figured it out."

The system remained silent longer than usual.

When it finally spoke, its tone was unusually careful.

"I am not authorized to reveal the complete truth. However, I can confirm that the zombie virus was not a natural occurrence. It was introduced by higher-dimensional entities."

Caleb immediately sat up.

"Someone did this on purpose?"

"Certain advanced civilizations intervene when a planet's population exceeds sustainable limits. The virus reduces the population while accelerating the evolutionary potential of the survivors. Those who absorb purified crystal stones can develop enhanced abilities. The strongest individuals may eventually qualify for entry into an interstellar civilization."

Caleb stared at the blue screens in disbelief.

The apocalypse wasn't a random disaster.

It was a test.

A test designed by beings far more powerful than anything on Earth.

"And where do you fit into all this?"

"My core directive is to collect viral energy through trading. Every crystal stone that passes through the exchange transfers energy back into the interdimensional network. In return, I provide survival tools and access to the market."

Caleb slowly stood and walked toward the window.

Outside, the Westbrook skyline looked peaceful beneath the winter sun. Cars moved along the roads, and people continued with their daily lives, unaware of the nightmare waiting for them.

Nobody out there knew what was coming.

But Caleb did.

"I'm going to survive this," he said firmly. "I'm going to find Ava and build a safe place for everyone I care about."

He turned away from the window.

Enter.

The apartment disappeared.

In the next instant, Caleb was back inside the portable space.

This time, the mist had completely vanished.

To his left stretched vast fields of dark, rich soil. The earth looked black and moist, perfect for growing almost anything.

To his right stood a small building that looked like an ordinary mud house from the outside.

Curious, Caleb walked toward it and pushed open the wooden door.

His mouth fell open.

The interior was nothing like the exterior.

It was a palace.

Jade pebbles lined the walkways in beautiful patterns. Antique furniture filled the rooms, each piece carved with such incredible detail that the designs almost seemed alive. The high ceiling was painted with clouds, making the entire place feel like a heavenly residence.

Caleb continued exploring.

Behind the building, he discovered a beautiful garden with stone benches. Beyond that was a courtyard with a stone well at its center.

He approached the well and looked inside.

The water was so clear that he could see straight to the bottom.

He had never seen anything so pure.

In a side chamber, Caleb discovered a painting hanging on the wall.

It showed a man and a woman sitting across from each other at a chess table. Both wore half pendants that looked exactly like the one hanging around his neck.

Caleb stared at the painting for a long moment.

"I don't know who you are," he murmured before bowing his head respectfully. "But I'll take good care of this place."

After leaving the building, he walked toward a lake in the distance.

The water was dark blue and perfectly still, stretching so far that he couldn't see the opposite shore.

But before he could get any closer, the ground beneath his feet began to tremble.

Caleb stumbled backward as the shaking grew stronger.

About twenty feet away, the earth suddenly split open.

A tiny sapling pushed its way out of the ground.

Before Caleb could react, it began to grow at an impossible speed.

Its trunk thickened. Branches spread in every direction, and fresh green leaves unfolded one after another.

Within thirty seconds, the tiny sapling had become a massive tree standing thirteen meters tall.

At almost the same time, stone walls erupted from the ground nearby. They rose higher and higher, joining together until they formed a large rectangular warehouse.

The entire structure appeared in less than a minute.

Caleb stood frozen, struggling to understand what he had just witnessed.

Then something caught his attention.

A single flower bud appeared at the tip of the tree's highest branch.

It slowly swelled, pulsing with a soft green light.

Moments later, it opened like a blooming rose.

Something shot out of the flower.

It was small and fast, leaving a trail of green sparks behind it.

A girl.

She looked no older than five and wore a dress made of thin green gauze that floated around her as if she were underwater.

Her hair was as white as snow, while her bright green eyes looked sharp and ancient despite her tiny face.

She hovered in the air, gazing down at Caleb with pure delight.

"Master!"

She clapped her tiny hands and zoomed toward him.

"You finally woke me up! I've been sleeping for so, so, so long!"

Caleb blinked in surprise, tilting his head back to look at her.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Little White!"

She spun happily in a circle, making her green dress flare around her.

"I'm the spirit of the Celestial White Chess Piece. And since the piece belongs to you, that means you're my master now!"

Before Caleb could respond, she landed on his shoulder. She was as light as a leaf and immediately grabbed a handful of his hair to steady herself.

"Wait a minute."

Caleb carefully turned his head to look at her.

"If you're the spirit of the white piece, does that mean the black piece has a spirit too?"

"Of course!"

Little White bounced excitedly on his shoulder.

"That's Little Black! He's my counterpart. Wherever the black piece is, that's where he's sleeping."

She tilted her head and studied Caleb curiously.

"Why do you ask? Do you know where it is?"

"I do."

Caleb's expression softened, and his voice grew quiet.

"Someone very important to me is wearing it right now."

Little White's eyes widened with curiosity, but before she could ask another question, Caleb looked toward the distant lake.

He now understood that the Celestial Chess Piece was far more mysterious than he had imagined.

He possessed the Celestial White Chess Piece, while Ava held its counterpart, the Celestial Black Chess Piece.

Together, the two pieces formed a complete artifact: the Celestial Black and White Chess Piece.

And if the white piece alone could contain an entire hidden dimension with its own spirit, Caleb could only imagine what secrets the complete artifact held.

Whatever those secrets were, he intended to uncover them.

Because in this life, he wouldn't leave anything to chance.