Chapter 6:
The next day felt like a quiet one.
Rayn had no exams, no errands—just a free afternoon, soft sunlight leaking through the curtain, and the buzz of his phone tempting him to tap Legends of Dawn once again.
> "One match before dinner," he said to himself.
He hovered over a few familiar roles but then shrugged.
> "Let's roam today."
He picked a utility support hero—someone who could scout, save, and surprise.
The match loaded. His team had a marksman, a mage, a jungler, and a tank. Pretty balanced. No arguments in chat either.
> "This feels weirdly peaceful," he muttered.
---
Three minutes in, Rayn started pinging—not spam, just clean indicators.
> ❗ "Enemies missing."
🔁 "Retreat."
➕ "Help mid."
And then, something unexpected happened.
Someone responded. With pings that made sense.
Mid laner:
> 🔄 "On my way."
❗ "Trap here."
For the first time in dozens of matches, Rayn felt like he wasn't alone—even though he didn't know the person at all.
They didn't chat.
They didn't friend request.
They just played... in sync.
---
Rayn didn't do anything flashy. He warded bushes, blocked a few skill shots, and set up a perfect flank that gave the jungler a clean double kill.
> "Nice bait," the mid laner typed.
Rayn almost smiled.
> "People still type that?"
They won in 14 minutes. A clean, controlled win—no chaos, no flame, no surrender votes.
---
After the match, Rayn checked the mid laner's profile.
Their name was simple: Aris.
Not a high rank. Just Elite II.
But the way they played felt... different.
Like they weren't playing for MVPs or kills.
Like they were playing to understand.
It reminded Rayn of himself.
> "Not everyone climbs the ladder the same way."
---
He queued again. Different teammates this time—chaotic, loud, two AFKs.
They lost.
But Rayn didn't tilt.
He tapped open the replay instead.
Paused at minute 6. Watched a small moment where he messed up a rotation. Jotted a quick line on a notepad nearby.
Not pages. Just a line.
> "Too slow to respond at bottom lane. Watch map more."
---
Not every day had to be a breakthrough.
Some were just quiet reminders:
That good habits were forming. That instincts were sharpening.
And somewhere in his mind, he wondered:
> "Will I ever match with that Aris guy again?"
He didn't know it then, but that question would matter... much later.
For now, the grind continued.