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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