Elijah woke to sunlight slanting through threadbare curtains, every particle of dust glowing like embers. Yesterday's victory still thrummed in his veins as he slid out of bed and checked the interface on his phone: Focus 5, Stamina 2, Confidence 5, Teamwork 3. A new daily quest glowed at the top—"Win three matches as a duo with the same partner." He traced a fingertip over Kayzen's username. Partner confirmed.
By mid-morning, school felt smaller than ever. Logan and his cronies circled Elijah at his locker, smirking as they waited for a reaction. He kept his face impassive, jammed his books into his bag, and walked away before anyone could shout. A tremor ran through him—not fear, exactly, but the fierce hunger to prove himself elsewhere.
In chemistry class, he let the beaker bubbles blur as he plotted angles on the StrikeLine Tower map instead of notes on molarity. When he glanced up at the periodic table poster, the letters "Li" and "Cl" sparked thoughts of "Line" and "Strike." His mouth curved in a ghost of a smile.
That night, he logged on early. Kayzen was already online. The lobby chimed: "Zero7 and Kayzen are forming Duo Squad."
They clicked through two quick matches: one loss—Elijah's Stamina dipped to 1 as he chased kills too aggressively—then a narrow win when he held an entry point alone and Kayzen covered his flank. Confidence ticked to 6; Teamwork 4.
"Nice clutch," Kayzen typed.
Elijah's fingers hovered. He typed back: "Your smoke placement on A saved me."
A pause. Then: "We make a good team."
The third match began on Spire Bridge, a map loaded with tight corridors and vertical chokepoints. Elijah targeted a mid-tower room while Kayzen pinched north flank. He moved zen-like—no stray shots, no wasted steps—and snapped a headshot on the first enemy peek. He vaulted cover to drop a smoke at exactly the right moment, and Kayzen slipped through the haze to disable the bomb carrier.
His Teamwork stat flashed gold for a moment; Confidence pulsed brighter than ever. When the victory banner appeared, the quest log updated:
"Quest Complete: Duo Trio – Reward: +1 Focus, +1 Teamwork"
New bars read Focus 6, Stamina 1, Confidence 6, Teamwork 5.
He saw a bullet-point note pop in his HUD: "Invite Kayzen to create a private squad."
As the match lobby dissolved, Elijah hovered over the invite button. In the blurry glow of the monitor, Kayzen's avatar floated beside his name. He clicked "Create Squad," and the system prompted him to name it. Fingers trembling, he typed: Nightfall Duo.
"Nightfall Duo created," the system intoned.
Kayzen's reply arrived instantly: "Solid name."
He felt a warmth bloom—more than just stat gains. This was partnership.
Elijah logged off and stared at the dark ceiling. His phone buzzed: a message from his brother Tanner.
"Got your package. New mouse arrived?"
He typed back: "Yeah. Perf. Ty."
Tanner's response came: "Don't forget—dinner tonight. And hey, keep crushing it."
A small smile cracked Elijah's stoic mask. His brother's faith felt like a buff he hadn't known he needed.
At dinner, his parents quizzed him about grades. He deflected with half-answers, his mind replaying Kayzen's calm voice urging him through the match. His father frowned. "You're quiet these days."
Elijah merely pressed his lips together and nodded. Inside, he was soaring through neon battlegrounds, his stats climbing, alliances forging. Outside, he was still the kid who didn't belong.
Tomorrow, the system would offer new challenges—perhaps a squad-based quest or a moral test. But tonight, he allowed himself to bask in one simple truth: he wasn't alone anymore. Alliances mattered. Stats could shine. And with Kayzen at his side, the spark that began in Chapter 1 was flaring into something unstoppable.
He closed his eyes, already plotting the next move. The real world could wait; in the interface, Nightfall Duo had just taken its first true step toward greatness.