Chapter 26:
The morning bell rang, and students slowly drifted into their usual groups. Rayn walked into class, slid into his corner seat near the window, and pulled out a pen. As always, he kept to himself. But his ears — they were always open.
Across the room, two boys were huddled over a phone.
> "Did you see how Luna's(player) team rotated during the semifinals last night?" one asked.
> "Bro! That split-push setup was insane. Mythic plays hit different."
Rayn tilted his head slightly.
> Semifinals?
He didn't say anything. Just kept scribbling in his notebook — not notes for class, but match timings, hero pairings, strange ideas he'd tested the night before.
Later in the hallway, he caught another piece of conversation.
> "I swear if our school hosted an LoD event, I'd carry the whole team," someone laughed. "But only if I get Ling."
> "Dream on. You can't even time Retributione right."
The name LoD — Legends of Dawn — came up more often now.
Before, it was background noise. Today, it felt louder.
---
Back home, after a quiet lunch and a quick nap, Rayn opened the game.
Aether_77 was online.
Message:
> "Yo. You good to run a couple of matches later?"
Rayn typed back:
> "Later. Studying now."
Not a lie — he was going to study.
But instead of textbooks, he opened his browser and typed:
"Legends of Dawn Tournament 2025"
Dozens of results. Thumbnails of crowded stages, giant screens, and players in matching jerseys filled the screen.
He clicked on one:
"Legends of Dawn National Semi-Finals - Top 4 Clash!"
Casters shouted. Teams clashed. Skills timed to milliseconds.
And what caught Rayn's attention most — not the noise or the lights — but the planning. The reading of the map. The calm between fights.
He watched another match. Then another. The noise faded into rhythm. Strategies. Timings. Roles switching fluidly.
He didn't understand all of it.
But something inside him stirred.
Not ambition. Not yet.
Just curiosity.
What was this world?
---
That night, as he queued into a solo match, he glanced at his tiny notebook before locking in a hero.
He hadn't written much.
But for Rayn, it was enough.
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