Asylum

Black Knight

Matthias Elwood

My daughter was a fool, who was so determined to win every fight that she didn't know when to stand down. It was part of her downfall. That, and her being weak enough to love someone. I've never been so self-righteous as to think that I can never lose, because I'm not stupid. I win some and I lose some. My loss in Japan gave me a lot; to think about, to dream about, to be angry about.

I've requested some files to be updated based on what I learned at Walker's dojo. I sit in my room, recounting the information as I position my glass chessboard.

Walker has developed a physical beast like his marking, as well as the ability to form a katana, along with produce blue fire, which seems to be stronger than usual. It'll be harder to drain power from him, considering he has so much of it, but it's not impossible. I'll just have to become stronger than I already am. The bishop, which moves fast and ruthlessly in one direction, but is inflexible to change.

Hernandez kills, now. That's enough to damage his flouncily annoying personality, as well as alter what others think about him. If he doesn't self-destruct, then it won't be hard to make him. I've also noted his newfound telekinesis, which isn't a harm now while it's underdeveloped, but could prove detrimental when put to use. The knight, often used incorrectly and parishes due to misuse, but is meant to sneak up on the player and provide crucial moves.

Lewinski is nearly useless against bigger opponents like me or Xavier, but caused enough pain to throw off my glider and aid in destroying the wind maker. She's at the peak of her power as far as I know, but I did notice she hates to be at the center of the action. The rook, pushed in the corner away from the other pieces, only used to corner the king and keep him in place, but never to take him.

Severo is useless; unsure of his own loyalties. With Ren and the others, he will surely be babied and taken care of to insure he stays on their side. People like that should be executed before they change sides again. Just look at what happened in Japan. The pawn, disposable, but often used to bring back a piece from which their opponent took.

Elektra's war with Reaper is over, now. There's no reason for her to stay in the picture, though I have a feeling she'll still linger. The Flash of Death in Russia was extremely power hungry; barely having to lift a finger to get what she wanted. The king, mainly stationary, but influences the game greatly, and the only purpose for this piece is to stay alive.

Carter isn't afraid to fight back, anymore. Her power is extremely versatile, and with improvement, she can prove to be a very challenging enemy. That is, if we don't cut her down before she grows. She's very lenient in her skill, and because water is everywhere, she has the most resources to cause damage. The queen, with the entire board at her discarding and the pieces at her fingertips, but once she is taken out, the game is practically over.

On the other side of the chessboard, where the glazed glass has been set, I remove its queen. Reaper used to have the freedom and vast decimation at her fingertips, too. But she dabbled in fickle emotions and became her own demise. A fallen queen. Will there be a pawn to bring her back, if possible?

It's something I can't risk.

On my side, I remove the representational pawn of Alex Severo. I need him gone before he grows to attached to the Asylum breakouts. However, I need to put together a more capable team to take them on, and that will take time.

Scratching at the stubble along my jaw, I pick apart the chessboard as my mind races through probabilities, pros and cons, and strategies. Reaper was great and thinking of detailed plans for short-term goals, but she played harder, not smarter. Another mistake in my shameful child.