Chapter 4
The noise of the arena backstage was deafening.
Aries walked down the concrete hallway, his heavy equipment bag slung over his shoulder.
He walked fast.
His face was a mask of pure hostility, daring anyone to get in his way.
He turned a corner into a dimly lit section of the corridor.
He saw a tall shadow standing near the wall.
Aries stopped walking.
His pupils dilated.
Two steps away, Elias Beck stood perfectly still.
He was wearing the black and white uniform of the NSN team.
Elias looked thinner than he did two years ago.
His skin had a sickly, pale undertone to it under the fluorescent lights.
Their eyes met.
The noise of the crowd outside seemed to vanish entirely.
Aries' heart slammed against his ribs, a frantic, painful rhythm.
He dug his fingernails into the thick nylon strap of his equipment bag.
Elias opened his mouth slightly.
He looked like he was about to say Aries' name.
Before the sound could leave Elias' throat, Aries forced his face into a sneer.
He stepped forward, closing the distance.
Aries dropped his shoulder and slammed it hard into Elias' chest as he walked past.
The physical impact was heavy.
Elias, caught off guard, stumbled backward.
His shoulder blades hit the concrete wall behind him.
Aries stopped a few feet away and turned his head.
He looked Elias up and down with absolute disgust.
"Did Europe kick you out like a stray dog?" Aries asked, his voice dripping with venom.
A flash of raw pain crossed Elias' eyes.
He did not say a word.
He just pushed himself off the wall and stood up straight.
The silence made Aries' blood boil.
Elias was not even going to defend himself.
A staff member yelled from the end of the hall, telling the players to get to the stage.
Aries turned his head and spit on the floor near Elias' shoes.
He walked away without looking back.
Twenty minutes later, Aries sat in his soundproof booth on the main stage.
He looked across the stage to the NSN booth.
Elias was not sitting in a player chair.
He was standing behind the team, holding a clipboard.
He was just a tactical coach.
The realization hit Aries like a slap to the face.
Elias did not even think Aries was worth playing against.
Aries lost his mind.
The game started, and Aries ignored every single team strategy they had practiced.
He bypassed the minion waves and walked straight into the enemy jungle.
He locked his eyes on River Bowman, the rookie medic starting for NSN.
Aries played like a ghost.
He threw his character at River, taking massive damage just to secure the kill.
River panicked.
The rookie's hands were shaking, his character missing basic movements.
Every time River respawned and walked back to the lane, Aries was waiting in the shadows.
Aries killed him again. And again. And again.
It was not a match; it was a public execution.
Aries' kill-death ratio climbed to an absurd number.
He dragged his team to a brutal, bloody victory purely through mechanical terror.
The game ended.
Aries ripped his headset off.
He stood up and looked across the stage.
Elias was looking right at him, his expression completely calm.
Aries raised his right hand.
He dragged his thumb slowly across his own throat.
Chapter 5
The locker room was empty.
Aries sat on the edge of the leather sofa, his uniform soaked in cold sweat.
The adrenaline was leaving his body.
He waited for the rush of satisfaction to hit him, but it never came.
His chest just felt hollow.
The head coach stood by the whiteboard, tapping a marker against the plastic.
"Your pathing today was a disaster, Aries. You almost threw the entire mid-game just to hunt their medic."
Aries rubbed his temples hard.
His head was pounding.
He closed his eyes and saw the look of absolute panic on River Bowman's face during the player cams.
He had taken all his sick, twisted anger for Elias and dumped it on a kid who had nothing to do with it.
An hour later, Aries sat in his dorm room at the team base.
He opened his game client.
He typed River's username into the search bar.
He stared at the add friend button for a long time before he clicked it.
The request was accepted instantly.
Aries opened the chat box.
"Sorry about today. I was not playing right," Aries typed.
River replied a second later with a shocked emoji.
"It is okay! You are a legend, I know you play to win."
Aries felt a sharp pang of guilt.
He clicked the button to invite River to a duo lobby.
River joined the voice channel, his breathing sounding nervous through the mic.
"Ready?" Aries asked.
"Yeah," River squeaked.
The game loaded.
Aries did not pick his usual assassin.
He locked in a heavy defensive tank.
For the next three hours, Aries stayed glued to River's side, blocking damage and calling out enemy positions.
River relaxed.
They won five games in a row.
"You are insane at this game," River laughed through the headset. "Why did you ever switch from playing assault to playing jungle?"
The question hit Aries in the chest.
His hands went still on the keyboard.
"Someone beat me so bad on assault that I quit the role," Aries said, his voice quiet.
His mind dragged him back two years.
He was a cocky rookie at the training camp.
He had challenged Elias to a one-on-one duel.
Elias had dismantled him.
Elias did not just beat him; he suffocated him with perfect tactical spacing.
Ten games to zero.
Aries remembered slamming his keyboard against the desk, ready to walk out.
Then, Elias had walked up behind him.
Elias had pressed a freezing cold can of cola against the back of Aries' neck.
"You are too impatient for assault," Elias had said, his voice deep and calm. "Go to the jungle. Control the map."
Aries blinked, staring at his current monitor.
"Whoever beat you must be a literal monster," River said.
Aries swallowed hard.
"Yeah."
"Speaking of monsters," River rambled on, "Elias is working us to death. He doesn't even play, but he is always on the phone. I saw him pass out on the lobby sofa yesterday."
Aries gripped his mouse.
The words 'pass out' hit him like a physical blow to the chest. A sharp, agonizing spike of panic flared in his ribs, threatening to choke him. He forced his jaw to lock, swallowing down the dry, bitter taste of sudden fear. He dug his fingernails into his palms, desperately burying the urge to ask if Elias was okay.
"Who is he calling?" Aries asked, trying to sound bored.
"Investors, I think," River said. "I heard him talking about buying a franchise slot for a brand new team."
Aries stopped breathing.
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