Your Checkmate? No. MY Checkmate!

Footsteps echoed ominously in the hallway outside the control room. Ezra released the gangbanger, who wasted no time bolting through a hidden back door.

The room fell silent once more, save for the fading sounds of the fleeing man. Ezra turned to face the main door, ready for what he knew was coming.

A figure stepped inside, his dark robe billowing slightly with his movements. His face was partially obscured by the hood, but his Aura was on full blast, projecting a palpable sense of power and malice.

Ezra tilted his head, a sardonic smile playing on his lips. "Welcome," he said, his voice dripping with mock courtesy.

The man laughed, a dark sound that echoed through the room. "I had to come," he replied, his tone conversational yet filled with menace. "I knew you'd become a pain in my ass sooner or later."