Ball of Nothing

The week went by with Zero growing more irritated each day when he didn't hear any news from Poseidon. The blind titan didn't seem to want to be involved with anything complicated, satisfied with simply waiting and living day by day. Zero really couldn't see the difference between his teacher and Carlsen. However, unlike Carlsen who was really stuck to his shell, Poseidon trapped himself in the shell of Hyacinth, giving many reasons to not leave it.

In short, Zero wasn't too happy about Poseidon's reluctance to make any progress. For someone who could make split-second decisions on the battlefield, he was very scared of making decisions about his life. This wasn't the proud general that Zero knew. His teacher wasn't behaving like a teacher and Zero was disappointed that Poseidon wouldn't even try to reconcile with his past even after all that Zero has done to try and help him. The young doctor could fully understand what it meant to be able to drag a horse to the waterhole but not force it to drink.

Thankfully, Zero still had other plans to make the stubborn god move. If using Athena and Medusa's names wouldn't move him, Zero would give up playing the nice person. He hasn't really played the role of a villain before but sometimes, a necessary evil was required. Zero wouldn't let the lessons he learnt from the Demon Lords go to waste. He wasn't a hero, there was no need to stick to the orthodox path when he had to get something done. Poseidon can thank him later but first, Zero had to pummel sense into the timid god with an all-out showdown match!

The doors to Poseidon's room burst open, startling the blind man inside. The titan wasn't expecting any visitors and had been revisiting his memory lanes ever since Zero talked about Athena and Medusa. He spent so many years trying to erase them from his memories but Zero's outburst the other day got him thinking.

Currently, his feelings were confused and his inner world was in turmoil. He needed a little more time to let the waves settle down. There were many details that he was recalling with each passing day about the two most important women in his life. However, every memory that was recovered only brought him more pain. The sense of guilt was so heavy and paralysing that Poseidon ended up wallowing in his despair again, unwilling to face reality and give Zero any answer.

\"Teacher, forgive my sudden intrusion,\" Zero bowed and didn't give the titan any chance to speak before forcing his challenge upon Poseidon who didn't have any time to react.

Carlsen who could no longer stand the sight of his master reduced to such a pitiful state was more than happy to comply with Zero's orders and spread the news about a match between the student and the master. All of Hyacinth quickly got to know about the bet that Zero made with Poseidon even if it was a one-sided deal with Zero laying his conditions and Poseidon not stating his. Still, the attention it garnered made Zero more confident about his plans.

After two days of preparation, there was nobody on Hyacinth who didn't know about the match. Many gathered to watch it just the way Zero wanted. Poseidon might not be in his best state but he wasn't a fool. Anyone could see that his student was up to something. He put such high stakes onto this one match and the titan was certain that Zero was intentionally hiding his true abilities during the practice matches just to test and observe how many tricks Poseidon had up his sleeve.

Now that it has come to this one match, the titan wasn't about to go easy on this ingrate. His blatant disrespect for his teacher wasn't the only thing that Poseidon was angry at. the way Zero constantly insinuated that he was a coward also contributed to the rage he was feeling. Still, Poseidon knew that this might have been intentionally done by his student to make him lose his cool during the game. Indeed, Zero has become quite unscrupulous in his methods for the last few days. The titan had to give him credit for thinking so far ahead in order to secure a victory. However, he wasn't going to let Zero beat him. After all, he had moves that he never taught Zero about. If this young one thought that he had learnt enough to challenge him, Poseidon would prove him wrong. A true master would never teach their successor everything. They would always have that one or two secrets they either took to their graves or write in a secret tome that would be passed to their successors after death.

For something created on such short notice, Zero had to admit that Carlsen outdid himself. The stage where the final chess match would take place looked very classy. It was a very smooth slab of deep marine stone cut into a tabletop. The chairs were woven from seaweeds and padded with sponges. The small one was obviously for Zero and the large one for Poseidon who walked up to the stage without difficulty.

Compared to how he appeared two days ago, Zero noticed that a little of the titan's fighting spirit had returned. Whatever happened in the two days while Zero was making last-minute preparations for the match must have been of great importance to transform that wimpy puppy into a ferocious wolf. Zero hid his smile, genuinely happy to see that not all hope is lost.

\"Today's match is between Zero and Lord Poseidon! I'm sure you've all heard by now that the stakes of this battle are very high. For those who have been living under a rock, this turtle would now repeat the stakes made again. Should Zero win this match, Lord Poseidon would have to agree and be reinstated as a Great God and assist him in resolving Athena's regret. On the other hand, should Lord Poseidon win, Zero would have to remain on Hyacinth for an entire year and help to create the land of everyone's dreams!\"

Carlsen's voice rang out loud and clear. The armoured turtle proceeded to read out the rules of the chess game and the conditions of the battle. Neither party reacted to it and the loyal turtle sighed.

\"Three sets of games with Zero starting first on the first set. Should there be a draw, the match would be extended and each participant may select only three generals apart from the King to participate in a deuce match with unlimited moves until all generals have been lost or the King has been trapped with no possible moves. Two wins out of three matches will determine the winner of this battle. Without further ado, let the chess battle begin!\"

Unlike sports competitions and martial art tournaments, the chess battle was not very exciting to watch. Many spectators who didn't know that left within the first ten minutes. Not everyone had a lot of time or patience to observe a chess battle. Zero had started with a standard move and Poseidon countered it until Zero baited the titan.

From that point onwards, Poseidon lost both his bishops and Zero had lost a horse and five pawns. The time it took for each person to make their move dragged on with the game's progress. Even Carlsen started yawning and if it wasn't for the constant reminder about his duty as the chess match's observer, he would have taken a nap.

Unfortunately, it wasn't even three-quarters through the game that even Carlsen was unable to remain awake. Many of the spectators were also sleeping and Poseidon stopped pretending.

\"What's the meaning of this?\" he asked Zero who pretended not to understand.

Irked by the fact that Zero could continue to feign ignorance, the titan refused to make his move. Five minutes passed and Zero deadpanned.

\"It's your turn to make a move now, teacher.\"

Poseidon clicked his tongue. \"What exactly are you after? Don't think that I cannot detect the use of sleeping magic. It might have been very subtle and slow to act but I can tell. I've not lost all my powers to not be able to detect it.\"

Zero nodded. \"Yet there isn't anything you could do after detecting it. That's how far your powers have degraded, hasn't it?\"

Poseidon did not retort. Zero probably knew his condition better than he knew himself. As a doctor, Zero was very skilled and Poseidon had to hand it to the teen. Still, it didn't mean that Poseidon would be willing to listen to Zero and be led around by the boy like a fool. He might not have been a good god but he did what he could even if everything fell apart in the end.

Poseiden huffed and moved his rook. \"So what if it has? You don't have the right to make decisions for me.\"

Zero nodded and followed up by moving his bishop to trap the rook from advancing. He was forcing Poseidon back as they spoke. \"Indeed. However, in this world, it is the one in power who decides the fates of those who are weak. You don't have a choice. I have a quest to complete and I need you to cooperate with me regardless of your feelings. That doesn't mean that I don't respect you as my teacher. Without you, it wouldn't be possible for me to realise how much I could actually do. For that, I have to thank you.\"

Poseidon didn't say anything and pushed his queen deep into the enemy's territory. He was done with saving his troops. Right now, it was more crucial to end the game that had gone on for too long. Zero noticed the move and sensed Poseidon's desperation. Despite the titan's clear mind and good control over his emotions, the young doctor knew that this conversation was stirring waves beneath that calm exterior. The first rule that Poseidon taught Zero when he was playing chess was to always devise a strategy with the maximum potential and least damage so that he could easily recover from a fall if the initial plan was foiled. Poseidon had clearly disregarded his own rules here and Zero didn't know if it was because the titan was confident or if he was shaken.

Zero moved back two steps to remove the powerful threat in his base. He wasn't going to let Poseidon intimidate him.

\"You're still very young and naive if you think that you can force me to do anything. You might have powers far greater than mine but you shouldn't underestimate my tenacity.\"

Zero blinked as Poseidon moved his trapped rook into a suicidal position. However, the boy soon realised that it was a trap. If Zero killed the rook, he would lose his bishop and free the queen in his territory. If he didn't, he would be locked into position with his pawn unable to advance. The teen frowned. Wii and Mii had never used such a brutal method when playing with him. This daring technique and obvious baiting put Zero in a spot. Perhaps this is what Poseidon meant by tenacious. Indeed, his desires were far weaker when compared to Poseidon's who had thousands of years to fester away.

Instead of looking at the current situation, Zero eyed Poseidon's white King piece. The queen that hadn't moved even once since the beginning of the match was finally sent out to the battlefield but the position that Zero left it in was something that surprised Poseidon.

\"I might not be able to win you but it was never my intention to do so,\" Zero explained. \"However, between the queen that you currently have and the one that never belonged to you, who will you choose to abandon?\"

Standing in front of Poseidon's white Queen was Zero's black Queen piece. The move was silly as it was but the simple game of chess had suddenly turned into something way more complicated that made the strategist falter. Between Athena who he had let down and lost versus Medusa who was currently suffering because of him, who would he choose to abandon?

Zero stared at the shaken titan. This was the impact he was going for. If Poseidon couldn't decide, he would force him to make a decision. From a logical point of view, if Poseidon wanted to win this war, he must take down Zero's black queen whom Poseidon had already lost once before. However, given the emotional god's temperament, Zero wasn't sure if Poseidon would be able to do it so ruthlessly. After all, he was the one who had cast illusion magic to amplify the titan's suppressed fears.

If Poseidon can make a decision, Zero would know what plan to proceed with next. He hoped that Poseidon wouldn't choose Athena and look at Medusa instead to make life easier for both of them. Still, Zero understood that the heart can be a stubborn thing that refused to move on.

The young doctor held his breath after three minutes when Poseidon finally made his move. As his hand reached closer to where the two queens were, Zero prayed with all his might that the blind titan would choose Medusa instead.