Chapter 31:
The afternoon sun glared through the window as Rayn dropped his bag on the floor. School had been uneventful — no tournament sign-up yet, no big announcements.
But that name lingered.
Luna.
It wasn't intimidation. Just curiosity. Like a puzzle he hadn't solved yet.
He booted up Legends of Dawn, logging in without much thought. Aether was already online.
> Aether: "Yo. Let's duo. Got someone else joining too."
Rayn hesitated.
Another player?
Before he could ask, the invite came. Aether had already queued them up — 3-man squad.
The third name caught Rayn's eye.
Kryos.Flash
That Mage from the other night.
Rayn's finger hovered over the mic icon… then moved away. He accepted the queue silently.
---
In the lobby, Aether spoke cheerfully over comms. "Alright boys, we're going in heavy. Rayn — try Assassin again? I'll roam. Flash is taking Mage."
Rayn locked in Rivena again.
Flash picked Zephyr, like before.
No voice from him either — just quick pings, fast movement.
From the moment the game began, the coordination was unreal.
Flash rotated early, freezing lanes with perfect timing. Aether guarded vision points, keeping Rayn updated with short pings.
And Rayn? He wasn't just slashing and vanishing now — he was reading the map. Learning spacing. Target priority.
He didn't need words.
This trio spoke through instinct.
---
By 9 minutes, they had complete control of the jungle. The enemy Gold Laner typed:
> "Mid diff. Zephyr is cracked."
Another said:
> "Assassin thinks he's pro lmao."
Rayn didn't respond. But Flash pinged "Careful" near Lord and rotated with him silently.
They caught two enemies near buff and turned it into an easy objective.
Rayn scored a triple kill.
The silence between them spoke louder than any mic chatter.
---
Victory came cleanly.
Aether laughed in comms. "Dude. That was CLEAN. Flash, you gotta play with us more."
Flash typed:
> "Only if your silent friend keeps slicing like that."
Rayn smirked slightly but said nothing.
He received a message post-match:
> Kryos.Flash: "You've improved. You watch replays?"
Rayn replied simply:
> "Sometimes."
There was a pause, then Flash responded:
> "That's rare. Most people just chase rank."
Rayn didn't answer. But the message made him think.
> "Tournament sheet might be up tomorrow 👀"
Rayn didn't react.
But his hand hovered over the in-game 'Team' tab, wondering… for the first time…
Would it be so bad to belong to one?