Chapter 30:
The hallway smelled faintly of ink and dust — typical for a school nearing midterms. Rayn walked with his hands in his pockets, earbuds in but no music playing.
Just noise-dampening.
He passed a group of three boys standing near the notice board. One of them was holding a book, but no one seemed to be reading it.
> "They say Luna's squad was scouted right after the school qualifier," said one.
"Yeah, but that's private school stuff. Ours barely organizes anything."
"Still. I heard Coach Pavan might post a sign-up for Legends of Dawn. Five-man teams. No solos."
Rayn didn't stop walking. But his mind snagged on the words.
Luna. School qualifier. Five-man teams.
He turned the corner toward his class and slipped into his seat.
---
That name again.
Luna.
He'd only seen her play on a replay someone posted online — short clip, two clean kills, perfect positioning. The kind of player people described with quiet awe.
He didn't know if she was local. But people here talked about her like she might as well be a legend.
Rayn opened his notebook.
He wasn't drawing maps this time — just scribbling idle thoughts:
> "Can one player win without trust?"
"If I were on a team, what role fits me?"
"Still hate voice chat."
He snapped the book shut.
---
That evening, he opened the game half-heartedly. He wasn't in the mood for full ranked grind.
Instead, he entered a casual match, hovered a familiar name — Calyn — and queued up.
The game was light. No pressure. No toxicity.
Until the last minute, when the enemy Mage — slippery, well-timed, smart — dodged three of Rayn's abilities and blinked away laughing with a single emoji:
> 😏
After the match ended, Rayn checked the stats.
The Mage's name:
Kryos.Flash
He paused.
He remembered that tag — Kryos — from a match two nights ago. They weren't pro-level, but… consistent. Stylish. Confident.
Rayn stared at the profile.
Legend IV. Longest Win Streak: 10.
Main role: Mage.
And one mutual friend.
Aether.
---
He didn't click Add.
Didn't message.
But that was twice now — once with RivenHunter, now with Flash — that opponents had left an impression.
Not just as enemies.
But as players with direction.
Rayn still didn't know what he wanted.
But maybe... staying solo forever wasn't the only way to grow.
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