It had been a difficult route so far, what with the numerous assailants and traps he had to pass through and defeat. The many Pawns laid out by the King came to him in a row, taking much of Minho’s precious time as they hacked at him from all directions. Minho had to defeat them all while avoiding the trapdoors and rigged arrows hidden through the Rook. It was hard plowing through them, but Minho couldn’t be deterred from his mission.

At the bottom of the tower sat the Bishop, a coat of power resting over his shoulders. Jinki eyed him with mild interest and confidence, throwing at him question after question in an effort to stray him off his path. But Minho knew Jinki too well—he hadn’t spent a couple of years surveying the man for nothing. Minho engaged him, enticed him with answers wherein subtle flirtations lay. He captured the Bishop with his quick wit and dirty mouth, and soon, their heated debate turned into physical passion as Minho successfully captured the King’s most trusted Bishop with lust—the very thing Jinki used to condemn in their rule. In the end, Minho tucked his shirt back into his trousers, walking out into the hallway to ascend the unguarded stairs, leaving Jinki dazed and sated as he slipped from his favorite couch down to the shiny floor.

A few floors up was the Queen's room, the King's favorite bedmate. Kibum sat on his bed with tousled hair and a crown on his head, quite different from his masked presence in balls and gatherings. He gave a start the moment Minho entered his spacious room, eyes narrowing at the intrusion. But Minho knew him too well, too. Kibum didn't need to be defeated; he needed to be convinced. Minho crept on the bed, coaxing Kibum to open up to him both emotionally and physically, burying him in sweet promises of helping him escape the tower away from the King and his judgmental subjects towards a peaceful life outside. The Queen wasn't easy to sway, having been too suspicious of everyone other than the King, but he desperately clung onto every one of Minho's words. It took only a few more words from Minho until Kibum was handing him the heavy gold key which can open the King's room at the top of the tower.

At the top of the tower was a gilded door to the King’s throne room, but before Minho could enter, he was stopped by the King’s Knight. Minho had never seen Taemin before, but he looked as vicious as his reputation—fur coat resting on his shoulders, with various silver necklaces that were rumored to be his amulets hanging from his neck. He sneered at Minho, as if challenging him to try to approach the door. his lips, Minho drew his sword and engaged the Knight. Minutes later, Taemin was held against the floor, Minho’s hand pressed on his neck. The Knight tried to kick and flail around in an effort to escape, but Minho’s weight held him down and rendered him useless. Taemin muttered something about the King being unforgiving about trespassers, Minho just smiled and ran a hand down Taemin’s body as he leaned down and did what he had to do.

The door to the throne room finally opened, and Minho walked down the carpet, eyes trained at the young man standing by the throne. His subjects all stood around him in a semi-circle, but all of them stared wide-eyed at the King as they stood frozen in their places. A few of them suffered the King’s wrath it seemed, with the way their bodies, like statues, were sliced cleanly apart, making them look like macabre sculptures that fit the air in the room.

The King studied Minho carefully, his staff tapping his shoulder as he waited for Minho to speak. When his guest didn’t utter a word, Jonghyun laughed and pointed his staff towards the man. Minho knew that magician’s staff too well. It was the reason why everything was ruined and why he was here in the first place. The staff was the root of their problems, and Minho would do anything to destroy it. But first, he had to deal with the King.

"Choi Minho. I’ve heard of your recent exploits in my property," Jonghyun said as he slowly walked towards the other man. "You’ve seduced my Bishop to the point that he had ignored his duties in exchange of being enamored by you. You stole my Queen and gave him freedom that he shouldn’t have while he’s serving under me. You destroyed my Knight without even killing him, but rendering him too sore to even battle you."

Minho stood still as Jonghyun stopped a few feet before him. “You might think that you have won. That you’re at the end of the game. You’re near the other side of the board after all. But no, the game is not over yet.” The King puffed out his chest and stared squarely at Minho. “You still have to defeat me.” He twirled his staff tapped it on the ground.

Minho ignored the mild tremors the staff caused. Instead, he drew out his sword again and held it over his chest, tip towards the King. “You’re right, Your Majesty. I still have one thing to do before endgame. But I do not wish to defeat you.”

Jonghyun cocked his head to the side. “What do you want, then?”

Minho, the King’s loyal ex-advisor, forced his eyes away from Jonghyun’s face and instead trained them on the glowing staff. He poised his sword on ready; he needed to destroy that staff once and for all.

"I want to save you, Jjong," Minho said through gritted teeth as he charged towards the King.
 

Checkmate.