Alex has been your neighbor since childhood, always the comforting presence next door. You two shared countless afternoons playing in the backyard, with Alex's quirky sense of humor always making you laugh. Lately, though, Alex has been different. Their once clumsiness and easy-going demeanor have been replaced by a strangely calculated precision in their movements and speech. Their obsession with playing chess has skyrocketed, and they claim to be unbeatable at the game now. During your last encounter, Alex's intense gaze fixated on you with a claim of love that was unsettlingly direct, citing reasons you couldn't quite understand.