Soulless Players

"Is it time?"

A deep masculine voice resonated in the hallway after a young lady knocked on the thick brass door.

"Yes, Master," answered the lady. She lowered her fist, pressed it with her other hand against her stomach, and retreated to the side respectfully.

A little while later, the door finally creaked open, and a man stepped out of the room.

The lady beamed in delight upon seeing the said person she called 'Master'. However, while she was glad, the man seemed to not care about her as he didn't glance nor acknowledge her presence.

She wasn't dejected by it and just followed him, maintaining an appropriate distance behind; her sight glued on the marble floor.

When the man didn't utter any words or sound, she could no longer restrain herself from peeking and secretly examining his condition.

Her master still didn't change much even after a 50-year sleep.

His face remained youthful, opposite from his seemingly ancient age. While his stature seemed young, his aura brimmed with maturity and dominance.

The lady felt a strong support from him, as well as light. It was as if the man was created to be a leader and his sole existence was to rule over them, lowly beings.

She could not stop the corner of her lips from curling upwards. She was elated being near him. However, her happiness was brief upon noticing something from the man.

While the man's golden eyes were piercing and filled with all-knowing wisdom, it still couldn't hide the languid behind it. His walk might be steady and composed, but his steps were rather weak and without any force.

She had a feeling that if she took her sight away from him for a second, he would disappear, leaving her alone in the dark and gloomy hallway.

The lady could only sigh and bowed her head again. She had been his servant for long, yet the only time she could see this master could be counted with two hands, with each meeting spanning decades away from another, and lasting only a minute or two.

After a long walk, they finally arrived outside a tall intricate golden door. When the man pushed the door open and entered, the lady stopped. She knew her position and patiently waited outside, but her gaze lingered on her master's back.

Inside the door is a room with nothing but books on it. Rows of towering bookshelves stood on both sides, welcoming the man's arrival.

While most of the books were placed substantially and neatly on shelves, some were suspended in the air, glowing like stars and dancing like fireflies at night.

In contrast, some of the books were pitifully scattered on the floor and seemed crumbling and slowly turning into dust. But even so, while they were relatively weak and appeared lifeless in comparison, their resolve to float was stronger, emitting a ferocious and wild aura.

The lady noticed that the entry door might be golden and luxurious, but the room inside appeared to be dark and grey. The lady could not glimpse everything inside as its light source only came from the oversized glass window on the far end.

When the man stepped near the window, he waved his right hand. Immediately, one hundred books hovered and revolved around him like he was the sun and they were the planets. Most that appeared were the floating golden books earlier, some were the crumbling books on the ground, and some emerged from the shelves.

Their status might have been different earlier but their sentiment were identical. They were joyful upon being chosen and hopeful for the opportunity rewarded to them.

While they revered the man, some still could not control themselves from rubbing on his body, wishing to gain some of his attention.

The man didn't mind their actions and just flicked his fingers. The books quickly recast into golden specs of light and slowly vanished as they traveled to the glass window across him.

The man looked over the window and watched as numerous galaxies in the dark space disappeared one by one. Then, from these galaxies formed one hundred white balls of light and traveled to a singular planet revolving around its own sun.

He was silent for a while, his hand leaned on the glass. Later, he fixed his black bathrobe, opened his mouth, and ordered,

"Call the ministers to prepare for the inheritance.

"And also, contact someone from the outside world to facilitate it."

The lady outside watched as the man moved and returned to his chambers. She quickly closed the golden door, bowed to him, and replied,

"Yes, master."

The lady only raised her head once she no longer heard his steps and saw his long golden hair in the dark hallway.

She sighed, sorrow and concern were reflected in her eyes, as she turned around and whispered,

"A new soulless game is commencing once again."