The Book Of Origin: Codex Architectus

Chapter 43: The illusion of Control

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INT. ABANDONED LIBRARY – NIGHT

Dim lighting. Dust particles drift through the air. The Architect sits at a large wooden table, a chessboard in front of him. Across from him, standing in the doorway, is JOHAN LIEBERT—the Monster.

JOHAN LIEBERT (soft smile, voice calm)
"I must say... I admire you. You build intricate designs, rewrite the rules, and yet, you remain unseen. A ghost, playing a game no one realizes they're part of. But tell me... what happens when a game has no winner?"

THE ARCHITECT (cool, unshaken, eyes scanning Johan like a puzzle)
"You're here because you know that's not true. There's always a winner. You just don’t know which move ended the game."

JOHAN (chuckles, stepping closer, fingers grazing over the bookshelf)
"You're fascinating. The world is a delicate puzzle, and you... you rearrange it without anyone noticing. But me? I don’t move the pieces. I remove them."

THE ARCHITECT (leans back, hands clasped together)
"You believe you erase people. No trace, no evidence, no history. But let’s be honest, Johan—you're not an eraser. You’re a virus. You infect the mind, let people destroy themselves. Efficient, but flawed. You need people’s fear to win. I don’t."

JOHAN (smiles, intrigued)
"You think you see everything. But I wonder... have you ever looked in a mirror and seen nothing staring back?"

THE ARCHITECT (slight smirk)
"Have you?"

A pause. A game of words unfolding. Johan tilts his head, as if studying a strange animal he's never encountered before. The Architect watches, unblinking, already anticipating the next play.

JOHAN (voice quieter, more sinister)
"You know, I could make you disappear. Not physically. That would be too easy. But I could erase your existence from the world. Everyone who ever knew you... gone. The Architect would become a myth."

THE ARCHITECT (calm, almost amused)
"You misunderstand me, Johan. I don’t need people to remember me. I only need the world to move the way I intend it to."

Johan's eyes flicker—just for a second. A shift. The Architect leans forward slightly, pressing the advantage.

THE ARCHITECT (voice sharpened, calculated like a blade)
"The difference between us is simple. You create nothing, only absence. I design futures. Every move you make, I have already accounted for. You, Johan, are working within a structure I built before you even stepped into this room."

Johan exhales softly, an amused yet unreadable expression on his face. He studies the chessboard, then tips his king over with one finger.

JOHAN (smiling, almost whispering)
"Checkmate."

THE ARCHITECT (slight smile, gaze unwavering)
"That was six moves ago."

A silence. Then, Johan steps back into the shadows, melting away like a ghost.

The Architect doesn’t watch him leave. His eyes remain on the chessboard, fingers moving a single piece forward—one last, unseen move that Johan had never accounted for.

FADE TO BLACK.

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Johan realized something chilling—he was no longer the one pulling the strings. The Architect had already placed him exactly where he wanted him.

This was not a battle. It was a design.