Tuesday
Sky was gray
Reiji sat in homeroom
Back stiff
Mind spinning
He hadn't slept properly since Bangkok
But he hid it well
No limps
No bandages
Only the cold stare that was slowly becoming his second skin
Mika walked past his desk
Dropped a note
Didn't say a word
He read it quietly
One line
"Next match Seoul underground
Opponent: Kyo Seung
Former Korea U-23 captain"
---
Friday
Seoul
He arrived alone again
No agent
No club
Just Shadowgate's handler in a black coat
The stadium was beneath a parking garage
Hundreds watched from stacked platforms above
Silent
Cameras hidden
Kyo Seung walked in with a limp
But his eyes burned
He wore a plain white kit
No number
Just scars
He pointed at Reiji before kickoff
"You remind me of who I used to be
I'm going to destroy that part"
Reiji didn't reply
Just walked to the center circle
Game started
---
First tackle
Kyo hit hard
Shoulder to ribs
Ref didn't blow
Second challenge
Studs raked across Reiji's ankle
Still no whistle
But Reiji didn't fight back
He studied Kyo
The way he played
His movements were off
Not from rust
But from anger
He was desperate
Not to win
But to erase something
By minute 25
Reiji cracked it
Kyo wasn't chasing the ball
He was chasing himself
---
Reiji switched tactics
Stopped going forward
Began mirroring Kyo's old moves
Perfectly
Stepovers
Cuts
The same runs Kyo used back in his youth days
The underground crowd noticed
Kyo broke
He screamed
"STOP MOCKING ME"
Reiji passed the ball behind his own back
Then flicked it over Kyo's head
Goal
Silence
Then murmurs
A ghost had danced with a fallen angel
And buried him
---
After the match
Kyo sat by the bench
Covered in sweat and memory
Reiji walked over
Sat beside him
"You weren't weak
You were just early
Too early for a world that doesn't forgive"
Kyo didn't look up
"And you?
What are you"
Reiji stood
"Something this world hasn't named yet"
---
Back in Japan
Leo called late at night
"You alright bro?
You've been ghosting us harder than usual"
Reiji stared at the ceiling
"Just testing how far my shadow can go"
Leo laughed nervously
"Don't forget
Even shadows disappear in too much light"
---
Meanwhile
Mika was now in Osaka
Meeting with someone hidden deep in a library
She whispered to him
"Shadowgate isn't a test
It's a recruitment
They're building something dark
And they want Reiji as their king"
The man adjusted his glasses
"Then we either make him a light
Or a blade"