The Celestial Chess Piece: Reborn for the Apocalypse

Chapter 6

The white light swallowed the bathroom, the apartment, and everything Caleb could see.

Then it slowly faded, leaving him standing in an open field so vast that the sky seemed small in comparison.

White mist drifted across the ground, slowly disappearing and revealing the landscape beneath it. The sky was pale silver, with no visible sun. There was no wind, no movement, and no sound.

The silence was so deep that Caleb could hear his own heartbeat.

"077?"

He called out loud, and his voice echoed across the empty field before returning to him.

"Can you hear me?"

There was no response.

No mechanical voice. No blue interface. The system was completely gone.

Whatever this place was, it had its own rules, and those rules didn't allow outside passengers.

Caleb remembered the spatial rings and pocket dimensions he had read about in novels. The main characters could usually enter and leave such spaces simply by thinking about it.

"Exit."

He spoke the word aloud, but nothing happened.

He frowned, closed his eyes, and tried again, this time thinking the word instead.

Exit.

He felt a gentle tug in his stomach, and the field disappeared.

In the next instant, his bedroom appeared around him.

Caleb stared at his surroundings in surprise.

Then he tried again.

Enter.

His bedroom vanished, and he found himself back in the open field.

Exit.

His bedroom returned.

A wide smile spread across his face.

He could move between the two worlds using nothing but his mind.

"Host reconnected."

System 077's voice immediately returned to his consciousness.

"I experienced a complete signal blackout while you were away. What exactly is inside that space?"

"Everything!"

Caleb sat on the edge of his bed, still amazed by what he had discovered.

"It's an entire dimension. There's open land stretching as far as I can see, and I can enter or leave just by thinking about it."

"Remarkable. I attempted to follow your consciousness through the spatial barrier, but I was rejected immediately."

The system's tone became analytical.

"The most logical explanation is that the space contains an independent spirit. This sentient entity is bonded to the artifact and considers any external system a potential threat."

"So I'm on my own whenever I enter?"

"Until the spirit chooses to recognize me, yes. I will continue monitoring you from the outside whenever you enter the space."

Caleb leaned back and considered what this meant.

He had a private world that recognized only its owner. Nobody could follow him inside, steal his belongings, or even discover that the place existed unless he revealed it himself.

It was an incredible advantage.

"Tell me more about the trading system."

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"What exactly can I get from you?"

"Activating marketplace interface."

Two blue screens appeared in front of Caleb.

The first was enormous, filled with countless listings and scrolling categories.

Fantasy Planes. Technology Planes. Normal Planes. Ancient Planes. Primeval Planes.

"This is the interdimensional marketplace," 077 announced proudly. "It is a trading network that connects multiple realms. Weapons, seeds, technology, medicine, and countless other items are available. Almost anything that exists somewhere in the multiverse can be found here."

Caleb studied the first screen before turning his attention to the second.

It was smaller and more focused, displaying only a few items.

Purification liquid. Superpower weapons. Energy shields. Storage containers.

"And this is the apocalypse exchange," 077 explained. "Unlike the interdimensional marketplace, it operates exclusively using zombie crystal stones as currency."

Caleb's eyes immediately settled on the first listing.

"The purification liquid. That's the most important item on this list."

"You're correct," 077 replied seriously. "Crystal stones dropped by defeated zombies contain enormous amounts of energy. However, they also carry traces of the zombie virus. Without proper purification, absorbing their energy carries a dangerously high risk of triggering zombie transformation."

Caleb's jaw tightened.

He didn't need the explanation.

He had witnessed the consequences in his previous life.

He remembered watching his friends crack open raw crystal stones and absorb the energy inside, unaware of the danger.

Within hours, their eyes would become cloudy, their skin would turn gray, and their bodies would begin to change.

By the time they realized something was wrong, it was already too late.

They became the very monsters they had been fighting.

"During the initial outbreak, deaths caused by contaminated crystal stones outnumbered deaths from direct zombie attacks by three to one," 077 continued. "Purification liquid completely neutralizes the viral residue, making the stones safe for absorption."

Caleb slowly clenched his fists.

There was still so much he needed to prepare before the apocalypse began.

But first, there was something else he wanted to know.

"Where did the virus come from?" he asked, looking up. "Nobody ever discovered the truth in my previous life."

The system paused before responding.

"Full disclosure is restricted. However, I can confirm that the zombie virus was not a natural occurrence. It was introduced by higher-dimensional entities as a planetary management tool."

Caleb's eyebrows drew together.

"A planetary management tool?"

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

Caleb fell silent.

He pressed his fingers together and stared at the floor, struggling to process the information.

Every zombie he had fought. Every friend he had lost. Every city that had fallen into ruin.

None of it had been an accident.

The apocalypse had been deliberately created by beings who viewed humanity as nothing more than a population to be controlled and tested.

Anger slowly rose in his chest.

"And what about you?" he asked. "What's your role in all this?"

"My primary function is to collect viral energy through trading. Every crystal stone traded through my exchange transfers energy back into the interdimensional network. In return, I provide my host with tools and resources necessary for survival."

Caleb slowly stood and walked toward the window.

Outside, the city looked peaceful.

Traffic lights changed colors at the intersections. Delivery trucks moved along the roads, and a couple walked their dog along the pavement.

Ordinary people went about their lives without realizing how little time they had left.

Three months from now, this peaceful world would become a living nightmare.

"I'm going to survive this," Caleb whispered, pressing his hand against the glass.

"And Ava is going to survive with me."

He stepped away from the window and focused his thoughts.

Enter.

The apartment disappeared.

In the next instant, the portable space opened around him in full clarity.

To his left stretched a vast area of rich, black soil. Caleb crouched and pressed his fingers into the earth.

It was soft, moist, and full of nutrients.

Perfect farmland.

He could grow vegetables, fruits, and other crops here. With enough time and preparation, he could turn this place into a reliable source of food.

Looking ahead, he noticed a modest building that appeared to be an ordinary mud house.

It had clay walls and a flat roof, with nothing particularly impressive about its exterior.

Curious, Caleb approached and pushed open the wooden door.

He froze.

The inside was a palace.

Jade pebbles formed beautiful pathways that wound through the rooms. Antique furniture filled the space, each piece carved with such incredible detail that the designs seemed almost alive.

Silk curtains hung across the doorways, while the high ceiling was painted with beautiful clouds.

Caleb slowly walked through the rooms, taking in every detail.

The place was far more magnificent than he could have imagined.

At the back of the building, he discovered a garden surrounding a well made of smooth white stone.

He approached the well and looked down.

The water was crystal clear, glowing faintly as if a soft light were shining from somewhere deep beneath its surface.

Caleb couldn't help staring.

Everything about this place was extraordinary.

As he continued exploring, he entered a side chamber and noticed a painting hanging on the wall.

It depicted a man and a woman sitting across from each other at a chess table.

Both had calm expressions, and each wore a pendant around their neck.

One pendant was white.

The other was black.

They looked exactly like the two halves of the artifact, with the white piece resembling the pendant Caleb wore against his chest.

He studied their faces for a long moment, wondering who they were and why their painting had been left inside this mysterious place.

"I don't know who you were," he murmured, "but I'll protect this place. You have my word."

He bowed his head respectfully before leaving the building.

Outside, he continued walking toward a lake in the distance.

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

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

Caleb stopped.

A loud crack split the earth about twenty feet away from him.

Before he could react, a tiny sapling pushed through the ground.

Then something unbelievable happened.

The sapling began growing at an astonishing speed.

Its trunk widened, its branches burst outward, and fresh leaves unfolded in countless waves of green.

Within seconds, the tiny plant had become a towering tree standing thirteen meters tall.

Caleb stared in disbelief.

But the surprises weren't over.

Beside the tree, stone walls began rising from the ground. One after another, they locked together, forming a large rectangular warehouse.

The entire building appeared in less than a minute.

Caleb couldn't believe his eyes.

Was this place responding to something?

Before he could think further, he noticed a small bud forming at the top of the tree.

The bud glowed with a soft green light.

It slowly grew larger until its petals opened like a flower made of pure light.

Suddenly, a tiny figure shot out of it.

She moved so quickly that Caleb could barely follow her. Green sparks trailed behind her as she circled the tree before diving straight toward him.

It was a little girl.

She looked no older than five, with snow-white hair and bright green eyes that resembled polished emeralds.

She wore a dress made of thin green gauze that floated around her as if gravity didn't apply to her.

"Master!"

She spread her arms wide and hovered in front of Caleb's face.

"You finally woke me up! Finally, finally, finally! I thought nobody would ever find the piece!"

Caleb raised both hands in surprise.

"Slow down! Who are you?"

"Little White!"

She puffed out her tiny chest and placed her hands on her hips.

"I'm the spirit of the Celestial White Chess Piece. It's your half of the artifact, which makes you my master!"

Before Caleb could ask another question, she swooped down and perched on his shoulder.

She grabbed his collar with both hands to keep herself steady.

Caleb slowly 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?"

"Obviously!"

Little White kicked her feet excitedly against his shoulder.

"His name is Little Black, and he's my counterpart. Together, we form the complete Celestial Black and White artifact!"

Caleb's eyes widened slightly.

"And Little Black is wherever the black piece is?"

"Yes! He's sleeping inside it, waiting for someone to wake him up."

Little White nodded so enthusiastically that her entire body wobbled.

Then she tilted her head and narrowed her bright green eyes.

"Why are you asking? Do you know who has it?"

"I do."

Caleb's expression softened, and his voice dropped to a gentler tone.

"Someone very important to me has it. Someone I need to find very soon."

Little White studied his face, seemingly curious about the person he had mentioned.

Caleb, however, was already thinking about Ava.

Now he understood that the Celestial Chess Piece was much more than an ordinary artifact.

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

Together, the two pieces formed the complete Celestial Black and White artifact.

If the white piece alone could contain an entire dimension, complete with fertile land, a mysterious palace, and an awakened spirit, then the full artifact might possess powers beyond anything he could imagine.

Caleb looked toward the distant lake, determination filling his eyes.

He would uncover every secret this artifact held.

But first, he had to find Ava.

And this time, he would make sure they both survived the apocalypse.