15

You lean forward, captivated. "So he experiences an entire year in what feels like a single night for us?"

David continues. "Exactly. The sleigh’s environment is engineered to make this possible. The bubble stabilizes using an immense amount of energy to bend spacetime around it, effectively allowing Santa to travel vast distances while experiencing time at a slower rate."

Santa chuckles. "And believe me, a year of delivering presents is as exhausting as it sounds."

Your eyes widen. "But if he experiences a year every Christmas, wouldn’t he... age faster than everyone else?"

David’s expression grows serious. "That’s where the cryostasis chamber comes in. After each trip, Santa is placed in suspended animation. His metabolic activity is reduced to almost nothing, keeping him biologically in sync with everyone else. Without it, he’d age two years for every one year that passes for us."

Magnus tilts his head. "And how do you maintain this bubble while moving so fast?"

David gestures toward a holographic schematic. "The field is anchored by a controlled distortion in spacetime. By precisely manipulating gravitational forces, we create a stable gradient around the sleigh, ensuring the bubble remains intact while shielding Santa from the effects of external acceleration."

Santa smiles. "It’s not easy, but it works. That said, I trust you’ve all got this under control while I prepare?"

David exchanges a glance with Magnus. "We’re doing everything we can. But it’s clear that someone, likely Grinchuk, is tampering with the mechanisms."

This is a selfmate. Give the sequence of moves that forces Black to mate White on the fourth move (both White and Black makes 4 moves). White makes the first move. Note that Black tries to avoid mating, but will have no other option. Here's the position on lichess. Join Discord if anything is unclear.