[Welcome again to the Haven, a resting area for players.
Rebooting player's health and status.]
[Reach Sherman tree to fully restore your health and status]
The Stone Lions, having seen some of their own crumble to sand, gradually withdrew. A few lions remained on guard, anticipating Arlo's emergence.
Arlo, unable to walk, dragged himself towards the Sherman tree. His right fist was the only support propelling his body forward, the strain almost unbearable.
His body was a canvas of wounds, regenerating but not swiftly enough to fully heal him within the Haven. The Sherman tree was his only hope for accelerated healing.
"COUGH!" "COUGH!"
Arlo inched forward, his shattered bones began to mend, but it wasn't an instantaneous process. It was as if time was rewinding, yet not completely, with the bones slowly knitting themselves back together. Each movement triggered a bout of bloody coughing.
'Pass it here, Arlo, I'm here.'
Arlo's consciousness was fading, his mind drifting back to the past.
The pine trees around him blurred, transforming into specters of people observing his struggle.
Among them stood a child, shrouded in a black aura, her eyes obscured, her long hair flowing, and her white dress contrasting her skin.
"Are you going to do nothing this time too, brother?" Her voice, slow and melodic, echoed in the air.
Clap… As she spoke, the phantom crowd around her began to applaud in sync.
"Aya! Aya!"
Arlo cried out in anguish at the sound of her voice, which gradually faded as he lost consciousness.
---
A decade ago,
"Toss the ball here, Arlo, I'm open!"
Remi called from his team, appearing younger but frail with dyed blue hair, golden-framed glasses, and a red football jersey. He was surrounded by players in red and white jerseys.
Arlo, stationed at the corner of the field to cross the ball, heard Remi's incessant shouting.
"Pass the ball, you bastard, here!"
Arlo, now muscular and clad in the same red jersey and shorts as Remi, smirked at Remi's demand.
'Fool, you're in an offside position.'
Arlo launched the ball from the corner, it arced across the field. Suddenly, a towering figure, a bearded man despite their high school age, leaped and headed the ball into the goal.
"GOOOAL!"
In the midst of the celebration, Remi confronted Arlo, grabbing his shirt, "Why didn't you pass it to me, bastard? I was perfectly positioned to score!"
Arlo, ignoring Remi's offside position, feigned ignorance, and retorted, "Huhhh, because you're an eyesore, that's why?"
As they squared off, their teammates intervened.
"Stop fighting!" a voice commanded, making them turn towards the stands.
A pale-skinned girl named Aya, with black hair and sparkling black eyes, stood there. She was wearing a golden dress adorned with floral patterns.
"You two, stop fighting!" she yelled.
They released each other's shirts. Arlo spat on the ground.
"This isn't over, Remi. We'll settle this later."
"Quit staring each other down," she instructed.
"Yes, Ma'am," they responded together.
The game resumed, Remi returned to his center-back position, and Arlo took up his spot as a midfielder. Suddenly, Arlo approached Remi and whispered something that infuriated Remi.
With the clock displaying 89:00, indicating one minute left, the Cyber referee, donned in a yellow coat, blew the whistle to restart the game.
The opposition initiated the kickoff, and within seconds, their forward charged towards Arlo's team's center-back as the opposition team's full-back crossed the ball towards him.
Remi deftly intercepted the pass. Seeing this, Arlo sprinted towards the opposite goal post.
Remi prepared for a long pass, he recalled Arlo's words.
'Pass the ball to me.'
Remi cursed under his breath. 'Damn it, I hate myself for this. Here's the ball you wanted, jerk.'
He kicked it high and perfect. As it sailed straight between the opposition's center-backs, Arlo skillfully controlled it.
Arlo readied to shoot from the middle, a center-back slid on the ground. Arlo deftly sidestepped to the right, but as another center-back shoulder-checked Arlo, he stumbled. Despite this, he managed to kick the ball towards his right.
The defenders and the goalkeeper focused on Arlo, when Arlo stumbled, none of the opposition team noticed that a center-back who made a long pass had advanced.
One of the opposition players shouted, "Goalie, another one is here, stop him!"
The ball glided towards Remi, the goalie advanced. Remi chipped the ball over the goalie's head.
"GOOOAL!"
As they celebrated, the final whistle blew. The opposition looked devastated, but Arlo's team celebrated as if it were their very first victory.
Remi walked towards Arlo and hoisted him from the ground.
Arlo sneered, "Show-off."
Remi replied, "Well, I forgive your previous for now."
As they playfully bantered, Aya ran towards Arlo and hugged him from behind.
"I love you, brother. You are the best," she said with excitement.
Arlo was embarrassed and blushing.
"Stop blushing, Arlo, it's disgusting to see," Bunny teased Arlo, her distinct golden blonde hair and brown eyes shining, dressed in a blue and white striped dress.
As they conversed, Remi stared at them, particularly at Bunny. Bunny noticed and waved at him, making Remi blush and feel elated as he ran off without responding.
Bunny puzzled over Remi's behavior, Arlo smirked, thinking,
'Can't even look at Bunny but wants to marry her. You're going to die alone, stalker.'
Arlo and Aya waved goodbye to Bunny and others, they walked towards their home.
"Did you enjoy today's game, Aya?" Arlo asked cheerfully.
Aya replied with excitement, "Yes, very much."
As they continued their joyful conversation, their life seemed brighter than ever before. Finally, they arrived at their house.
A five-storey building, painted blue, stood surrounded by a garden. Their house resembled every other house on the street, except for its distinctive blue paint job.
Arlo opened the gate, he noticed that it was unlocked but didn't give it much thought, assuming,
"Bunny must have left the gate open when she came here to pick up Aya."
When they reached the front door, Arlo placed his finger on a scanner mounted on the wall to verify his identity and unlock the door.
Suddenly, a red alert popped up on the scanner screen.
[Two individuals detected inside the house.]
[Do you recognize them
Yes or No]
Arlo stumbled in shock, wondering who the two individuals inside the house were. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps could be heard inside the house, approaching the door. This prompted Arlo to grab Aya and flee from there.
Suddenly, the open door left both Aya and Arlo bewildered.
[End of Chapter]