After he was done washing in the changing room, Winston did some training on the training ground until it was late. He couldn't focus on training since he kept on glancing at the core system he was waiting for his ratings to lower. After he couldn't focus for a while he stopped and sat on the ground and waited for the core to notify him. He sat for a couple of hours and nothing happened with exhaustion on his, shoulders Winston decided to call it a night and hope he will check in the morning. Walking passed building D, a familiar voice call his name from behind and when he shifted to see whom it was. He was surprised to see that it was Jamison. "Glad I found you here, I was planning on going to your area," he said, "I forgot to congratulate you on being promoted into building C, anyway Mortal street league is starting in couple of days and the match we are will start in the next few weeks. I will inform you when I get a specific date, make sure you prepare because we want to go out and come back in before the sunrise,"
"Oh, thanks by the way is there anything that is needed to properly prepare for this Mortal street league "
"Nope it fine we got everything for now, but please don't tell anyone about this as you may know if the Federation finds out we will be expelled,"
Winston pondered for a while and looked at Jamison with his eyes lit up and asked, "Is it possible to be able to play at the Mortal street league,"
Taken aback Jamison with a furrowed brow sized Winston up and down, "Are you sure, if you are sure I will ask around and see if it is possible. I will come looking for you when I get my answer,"
Grateful, Winston thanked Jamison before excusing himself and heading back to his dorm. After entering his room, he lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. A beeping sound came from his wristwatch. Without getting up, Winston lazily raised his wrist and checked the notification. To his surprise, Adrian and Daemon had both lost rating points after their draw. Their teammates, however, hadn't lost any points at all.
A wave of relief washed over him. At least I didn't lose any rating points. Sitting upright, Winston immediately opened the Core System. His eyes quickly scanned the translucent screen.
Nothing—the Core remained completely silent. His anxiety began to rise. Ever since he had failed the daily challenge, the Core hadn't displayed a single notification. The silence unsettled him more than any punishment could have. With a frustrated groan, Winston buried his face in his pillow. He tossed and turned, unable to stop thinking about the Core. Eventually, exhaustion won. His thoughts faded away, and he drifted into a restless sleep.
Ding!
[User Daily Challenge: Penalty]
[Initialize: 05 seconds]
In a blurry haze, glowing silhouettes of children played football on a dilapidated pitch. Standing motionless, Winston squinted, trying to make out their faces.
A glowing boy sprinted toward him. "Winston! Come on! You'll be on my team!" The child waved excitedly before running back toward the others. Their carefree laughter reminded Winston of his childhood friends.
"Winston, hurry! They're going to score!" He tried to move. His legs felt impossibly heavy. I'm coming...
He forced himself forward, dragging one foot after the other. Move… Move!
No matter how hard he pushed, his body refused to obey. The children continued exchanging quick one-touch passes around the boy who had called him over. Winston stretched out his hand.
Come on... move!
His teeth clenched as he struggled against the invisible force holding him in place. Suddenly, the children's joyful expressions vanished. One after another, they turned and fled. A group of older glowing figures charged onto the field, chasing after them. Only the boy who had called Winston remained behind.
The older figures caught up to the younger children. They said something Winston couldn't hear. The only thing he could make out were their glowing smiles.
Then—the dream shifted.
Now Winston was watching a football match. The older silhouettes towered over the younger players, bullying them at every opportunity. Each time one of the younger children received the ball, an older player would crash into them with a reckless slide tackle or shoulder charge, sending them sprawling onto the hard ground. Every dull thud echoed through Winston's chest. The younger children would look toward him—as if pleading for help. Each desperate glance made the anger inside Winston burn even hotter.
"Leave the kids alone! I'll take on all three of you myself!" Winston roared. With a furious shout, he forced himself forward. His foot lifted–one step. Just as he tried to take the second, the invisible force yanked him back into place.
Gritting his teeth, Winston could do nothing but watch the horrifying scene unfold. His breathing became ragged.
In—out—in—out. His body trembled.
Then—like a dam finally breaking, the restraint vanished. Winston exploded forward. His body dropped into a sprinter's stance as Turbo Sprint activated. Within moments, he arrived beside the fallen children. Panting heavily, he glanced at the glowing silhouettes lying helplessly on the ground before turning toward the older boys. His expression darkened. Without hesitation, he flicked the ball to his feet and struck it with all his strength. The ball screamed through the air, curving violently.
Bang!
It crashed into one of the older boys' chests. The impact launched him backward before his glowing silhouette shattered into countless particles and evaporated. Without pausing, Winston planted his foot. The rebounding ball bounced perfectly back to him.
He struck it again—the ball curved sharply, whistling through the air before smashing into another older boy's face. The silhouette was hurled backward and slammed flat onto the ground.
"And you call yourselves strong?" Winston growled. "Bullies who pick on kids just trying to enjoy football..."
His eyes burned with fury. "I hate people like you."
He pinned the ball beneath his foot before flicking it knee-high. As it rose, he spun his body and unleashed another strike. The ball carved a vicious one-hundred-and-eighty-degree curve through the air. The last glowing silhouette raised both arms in panic, desperately trying to shield himself from the incoming shot.
The glowing silhouette slid backward several steps. Then it looked at Winston. An eerie smile slowly spread across its face. Without warning, the silhouette snatched the ball. It struck it with the exact same technique Winston had used. The ball bent into a vicious one-hundred-and-eighty-degree curve. But instead of coming toward Winston, it swerved toward the glowing child who had called his name earlier.
"No!"
Winston lunged forward.
Bang!
The ball slammed into the child's chest, sending the glowing silhouette hurtling backward. It crashed onto the ground with a sickening thud. Silence—The child didn't move.
Winston's heart pounded violently inside his chest. His breathing became ragged as he stared at the motionless figure. Slowly, he turned toward the smiling silhouette. His fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white.
"You..." With a sharp tap, he pushed the ball a few steps ahead of him. He sprinted after it. Planting his foot, he unleashed another strike. The ball screamed through the air, carving a brutal one-hundred-and-eighty-degree curve.
Crack!
The impact sounded like a tree branch snapping. The glowing silhouette was blasted backward, its eerie grin still frozen across its face as it tumbled through the air. It struck the ground… and dissolved into countless glowing fragments.
Winston jolted awake with a scream. His hands clawed at the air as he gasped for breath. His chest rose and fell violently while cold sweat drenched his body. His frantic eyes darted around the room.
Building C—his dormitory. The familiar bunks. The rhythmic snoring of the other youths. One player stirred awake, glanced at Winston in confusion, then rolled over and drifted back to sleep. Winston remained sitting upright, breathing heavily. The nightmare replayed itself over and over inside his mind, refusing to let go.
Ding!
[User Daily Challenge: Penalty]
[Completed]
The translucent blue screen flickered before Winston's eyes. Covered in cold sweat, he quietly slipped out of his room and walked into the third-floor bathroom. Leaning over the sink, he cupped his hands beneath the running tap and splashed icy water across his face.
How… How did the Core System know about that memory? I never thought I would have to relive something so cruel...
Winston lowered himself onto the cold tiled floor, dressed only in his boxers, and leaned against the wall. His breathing gradually steadied as he stared through the open doorway at the long row of bunk beds, where the other youths slept peacefully, their rhythmic breathing filling the quiet dormitory.
It was one of the memories he had tried so hard to bury. One that had taken him years to come to terms with. Yet tonight, the Core System had dragged it back to the surface as though it had happened only yesterday.