In the blink of an eye, I was no longer looking at a large crowd of adoring people. Instead, I stood in a large, spacious room. The walls were transparent and beyond them were the stars themselves!

I soon discovered a regal looking man seated in a luxurious chair on the left side of this room. A gaming table was in front of him. A second chair was across from him, unoccupied. The man was looking at the table, and he seemed unaware of my sudden presence. Standing in a semi-circle around the table and chairs were the twelve Gods!

Finally, the man turned and addressed me. "Please sit down, Lawrence." His words were polite but backed by tremendous power.

My body moved like a marionette, and soon I found myself seated across from him. In front of me was a chessboard. I couldn't help but stare at the man. I couldn't determine his age. He wore tiny glasses which slid down the bridge of his nose. His face was chubby, and his cheeks were flushed as if he drank one too many shots of vodka. His hair was long, curly, and tangled in knots everywhere. In short, the mysterious man sitting across the board was very unkempt. However, when I saw his eyes, I was taken aback. Those eyes were black with sparkles of stars twinkling against the dark background. They were reminiscent of the avatars of deities that I had met during my travels on Britannia. It was clear to me that I was in the presence of a god or an even higher being.

My host smiled at me as if he read my mind. "I am, indeed, the Gamemaster. And I congratulate you on capturing the crown and winning the game!" His smile grew wider as he clapped his hand.

The gods clapped too, some more enthusiastically than others. Lord Bane said, "Attaboy!" with a toothy grin while Jasla blew me a kiss and winked. Keras and Khoa were much more reserved. Drowsidea, who was easily recognizable with her jet-black skin and pointy ears, stared at me with open hostility.

I nodded politely, unsure of how to respond. Of course, I knew who and what this man was. The Gamemaster was the creator of Earth 2, and he was the overseer of the gods who watched over Britannia. The gods often invoked his name during my periodic communications with my various Divine Patrons. I knew that I should be more in awe of this man and yet, his casual manner had lulled me at ease. It was as if I was a wild beast, and the Gamemaster was an animal tamer at the circus.

"Leave us," the Gamemaster commanded.

The gods slowly walked into and merged with the Overlord. Soon, the room was empty but for the two of us.

The Gamesmaster smiled again at my uneasiness. "There's no need to panic, Lawrence. We are simply having a long-delayed chat between friends. I have to admit that I've been pleasantly surprised by both you and your predecessor, Merlin. As you have already surmised, I am the creator of this gaming world and the gods overseeing it. I was the one who summoned you from your world to partake in my game. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching your daily and hourly struggles to navigate through my world and finding a way to survive and then beat the game by becoming your fellow player's successor as King."

The host gestured at the chessboard. "Please play a game of chess with me. You can make the first move," he offered.

I winced inwardly. I was a lousy chess player. However, I could not turn down the Gamemaster's request without being rude to my host. Thus, I took the pawn in front of the queen and moved two steps forward.

The Gamemaster countered by daring me to take his pawn. Once I obliged, we played the game of chess in earnest.

After a few moments of silence, the Overlord continued to speak. "And now, I will offer you a choice. You may either remain in Britannia and live out your life as the King. Mind you; there will be further challenges along the way if you choose to stay. After all, I DO need my entertainment. Or you can return to your original world on Earth 1. I could even bring you back to the same moment in time you were originally pulled from," he said. "However, all your abilities and items will remain on Earth 2; after all, I can't have you upset the balance on Earth 1. You can take your time to decide until our chess game is finished."

I followed his advice and took the time to consider my answer. Since my head was no longer in the game, I was rapidly losing pieces. Nonetheless, my mind concentrated on my impending decision.

I developed many close relationships with the people of this world; I wasn't sure I was ready to let them go, especially Amelica. When I made that bold marriage proposal to her, I was half-hoping that there was no way to return home. I was a loner back on Earth 1, and I would be friendless again if I go back. However, a part of me yearned to return to my world and to live out my lazy slacker life. "If I go back, what happens to the kingdom? Wouldn't it fall back into Chaos?" I asked. After all the efforts and lives spent in protecting Britannia, I couldn't allow the continent to be destroyed by the Forces of Chaos again. My predecessor's disappearance was a valuable example in this regard.

Gamemaster nodded with his approval of my concern. "The land of Britannia had seen too much suffering after Merlin formed his soul pact and went into seclusion. I will not permit this mistake to repeat itself. If you decide to return to Earth 1, I will create a clone from a portion of your soul to serve as King on your behalf. It will have all your skills and memories, and it will act as you would act. Rest assured that the Kingdom of Merlin WILL have its rightful king," he said. His eyes sparkled when he made this promise.

I noticed that the creator did not give me a choice in the matter. He will take a piece of my soul if I decide to return home. It was galling, but I was powerless to stop him. Frankly, even if I could stop the Gamemaster, I wouldn't do so if this was the price of ensuring the well being of my kingdom. Furthermore, from his perspective, it would be rather pointless for me to stay on Earth 2. I was merely an unwanted doppelganger, an extra.

"Checkmate," the Gamemaster announced.

I nodded to concede my loss. The outcome was preordained. The Gamemaster was superb as a chess player; I was hopelessly outmatched. I exhaled slowly and announced my decision: "I wish to return to Earth 1."

The Gamemaster nodded. The room started spinning, and I quickly lost consciousness.