24

The group finalizes the stabilization of the Temporal Singularity Chamber. The gravitational distortions have faded, and the black hole’s field has returned to a steady state. The Chrono-Sleigh sits inert, its power fully drained.

Santa steps into the control room, his red coat pristine and his boots shining, ready for the long journey ahead. He surveys the group, his gaze full of gratitude. "You’ve done it. Christmas is safe for now, and for as long as now lasts."

Magnus smirks. "A year in the bubble for you, a single night for us. Makes you the only one who truly knows how far Christmas travels."

Santa smiles, the weight of the journey visible in his eyes. "And it’s a journey worth taking, every time."

David steps forward, his voice more somber. "The TSC will hold for now, but Grinchuk’s interference has left scars in the timeline. We can’t be certain what’s still out there."

Santa places a reassuring hand on David’s shoulder. "We’ll face it when it comes. For now, let’s focus on the present."

As the group walks Santa to the sleigh, the flickers appear once more—this time faint, but clear enough to make them stop. The pub scene from the earlier vision reappears, showing an older Magnus seated at a table, talking to a much older Santa. Grinchuk stands in the background, smirking as though plotting his next move.

Magnus whispers, "That’s me. Older. That’s…"

David finishes quietly, "The North Pole Pub."

Santa looks at the vision, his tone steady. "One hundred years from now. He’ll return. And when he does, we’ll be ready."

The sleigh hums to life, its energy stabilizing into a perfect time-dilation bubble. The group watches as Santa waves once, the sleigh accelerating into a streak of light. The gravitational field bends around him, warping the stars as he disappears into the timestream.

For Santa, the journey will take a year. For the others, it will pass in a single night.

As the group steps outside into the snowy night, the stars above shimmer brighter than ever. David pauses, tilting his head. "Do you see that?"

Wesley looks up. "See what?"

David points to a cluster of stars. "There. Black circles – no, voids. They’re blocking out the starlight."

Magnus narrows his eyes, his breath visible in the cold air. "It’s forming a pattern."

The group stares as the voids flicker faintly, aligning into what looks like a chessboard. Black circles on the sky mark the positions of invisible pieces. Wesley grins, his voice tinged with awe. "A game. The stars are showing us a game."

Magnus chuckles, shaking his head. "One last puzzle, huh? The universe couldn’t let us rest."

David nods, smiling faintly. "Then let’s reconstruct it. One final challenge."

As the group stands beneath the starlit sky, Santa begins his yearlong journey.

Starting from the initial position, give a sequence of moves that reaches this position after Black's 6th move (6 moves for White and 6 moves for Black). All pieces, both White and Black, are here displayed as black dots. Please go to the Lichess analysis board, carry out the moves, and copy the PGN under the board. Make sure there are no alternative variants in the PGN before you copy (no parentheses). Join our Discord server if you have questions or want to talk with other Advent of Chess participants.