To be honest, I expected a dark, creepy room with strange symbology at the bottom of that rabbit hole. I mean, what should one expect after walking down a dimly lit and ornate staircase in a gothic guild on an island?
But I was surprised that I could not have been more wrong.
While the long staircase (which surprisingly did not have cobwebs) was lit using dim yellow bulbs, the door at the end that the Kingmaker unlocked revealed a well-lit room containing an array of screens.
I did not get to look around or uncover something special about the room.
I might be a curious person, but I am more of a thinker than an observer. Honestly, I am not even a good listener. Most of the time, I end up stuck in my own mind and start filling in the blanks for myself.
It is a little bit of a struggle to keep my head on a subject.
But like a child, I like colourful and shiny things. It is the only thing I will notice when I go into a room. And for this secret basement, the large screens were definitely the only thing worthy of my attention.
"Sit down," The Kingmaker said, gesturing to a chair at the table that seemed like the control for the screens.
I hated the tone because it encouraged no opposition. It was not a request, but an order. I felt my hackles rise, but I still sat down. The Kingmaker did not sit down. Rather, he gestured at the screen after pressing a few buttons on the control panels.
The screen at the centre went dark for a moment before revealing a video of a man in an office. The office was spacious with a contemporary interior design. There was nothing special or remarkable about it, apart from the futuristic décor.
However, the man was somewhat familiar to me from countless news articles and video clips.
In my search for the truth, I came to know him as the Pawn.
"What do you think of him?" The Kingmaker asked.
I knew it was a test. I hated the little tests the man kept throwing my way. It was like he was derisive of how insignificant I was while still checking if I was worthy. Either way, I could tell he did not think I was worth anything.
I was just a passing source of amusement.
Or perhaps, it was his villain moment, the quintessential point in a movie when they explain their master plan. A lot of people might find it unrealistic that the villain would waste their time explaining their master plan.
However, I always find it to be the best part of a good story.
Just imagine it.
If you created a brilliant plan with countless moving parts that led to the point where it came to fruition, you would want someone to understand how smart and powerful you are. Even if it meant your death by the hero's hand, your legendary story would remain.
Every villain needed to tell their tale.
"He is a businessman," I replied while looking at the screen as the man worked on his computer with a look of concentration.
The Kingmaker tapped on the table with an obvious hint of annoyance. "You can do better than that."
I did not know what to say for a moment.
In my opinion, the Pawn was a critical part of the Kingmaker's plan to shape the world into the place he believed the world should be. However, I never understood the Pawn's personality enough to assess his personal motivations.
Still, I was willing to delve into it since the Kingmaker insisted.
"I think he's a businessman, but he has more money than sense. I am not certain about his motivations. In my opinion, he is someone who realised he has enough money to achieve what people call self-actualisation, according to Maslow's hierarchy of needs." I decided to share my real thoughts.
The Kingmaker tapped on the desk again. I am not sure if it was a sign of annoyance or impatience.
"Do you not believe in self-actualisation?" He asked.
I pursed my lips before answering. "I think it is simply self-indulgence. Do not get me wrong. I am not against self-indulgence. I have struggled a lot in life because of my lack of impulse control. I just do not like it when people do not face the nature of their desires but prefer to dress it up as a pretty concept."
The Kingmaker turned his head to look at me. I felt his gaze on the side of my head as I looked even harder at the screen, even though the Pawn was still just tapping on his computer without even looking up.
"Do you think what I am doing is self-indulgent?" The Kingmaker asked.
I tried to resist, but I still turned my head to look at the man who was staring at me behind the glasses. This time, I was reminded of my high school principal, who always seemed like he was looking for a reason to punish students.
Still, I braced myself.
"Isn't it?" I asked in a relatively small voice. "If you did not have the power or money, you would not be able to take on this mission as a soldier of the creator. That's the meaning of self-actualisation. But self-actualisation is all about the self. Your choice of mission is based on personal beliefs and faith. You believe what you are doing is right, but it is still about you. Is that not the epitome of indulging yourself?"
The Kingmaker showed the most displeasure he had since we met. For a moment, I was afraid. I was not in control of anything at this moment, and this was a man who believed in doing everything he could to accomplish his goals.
It would be so easy to eliminate me, and no one would be any the wiser about what had happened to me. Sure, my family was probably already searching for me, but they would hardly think to look for me outside my city, let alone in another country.
I was doomed if the Kingmaker decided I was no longer amusing.