Noah grinned confidently, "Oh~ you're underestimating me, Paladin. Who says I'll be beaten that easily? Challenge me anytime. You'll see."
"But whether it's with the ball or the bat, Helios, I want to polish you," Noah said seriously, his gaze steady as he reached into his jersey pocket and pulled something out.
Helios watched curiously as Noah extended his hand, revealing a stone. "You're just like this," Noah explained, handing over a small, dark orb. Its surface was deep and inky, like a fragment of the night sky captured in solid form. As light hit the stone, it came alive. Flashes of fiery red, vibrant blue, and brilliant green danced across its surface, creating hypnotic patterns that shifted with every angle, like a galaxy held in the palm of his hand.
"What is this?" Helios asked, wonder glimmering in his eyes as he carefully touched the stone.
"This is a black opal," Noah said, a sly grin tugging at his lips. "One of the rarest stones in the world. And no, don't ask me where I got it," he added with a playful wink.
Helios' fingers lightly traced the surface of the stone, his expression softening as he admired its kaleidoscopic beauty.
"Black opals are famous for their ability to display vibrant colors when light touches them," Noah continued, his voice steady, "But their brilliance is often hidden beneath a rough and unremarkable exterior. Only through careful polishing can their true uniqueness and beauty emerge. You're the same, Helios. You have immense potential within you, but it needs refinement and self-discovery to shine. Let me help you with that."
Noah gently placed the stone in Helios' palm, "Keep this. Whenever you feel down, look at it. It became what it is after a long, hard journey and so will you."
Helios hesitated for a moment before nodding, his voice softer than before. "I see. Well then, Senior Noah, you have my gratitude."
"I don't want gratitude," Noah replied firmly, a small smile on his face, "I just want to see you at the top."
Helios nodded, a determined look on his face, "Is that a deal?"
"What do you think?" Noah replied with a teasing smirk.
Before Helios could respond, the sound of crashing wickets interrupted them. Both turned sharply to see Aaron's wicket blown away behind him.
At the balling crease stood Poseidon, chest heaving and gravity suppress fully activated. His voice was low but firm as he uttered, "Third Tide of Return: The Third One."
Helios' eyes widened, and a sense of pride surged through him as he hurried toward the scene. "Third Tide of Return?!" he thought, excitement brimming in his chest.
Aaron straightened up, letting out a low whistle. A cheeky grin soon enveloping his face, as he turned to face Poseidon, who now looked visibly agitated, his glare sharp.
"I told you not to overestimate yourself. This is what happens when you don't listen," Poseidon spoke, his lips curled into a sadistic grin.
"Oh my~ oh my~" Aaron swallowed, "Is this what Coach Musa taught you?"
"What? Surprised, that it blew your wicket off? That's why remember… I don't care about whatever you say to me, but I won't tolerate a single word against the rest of the middle schoolers," Poseidon warned, his tone ice-cold. As if the sea he commanded had turned into a merciless glacier, unforgiving, unrelenting.
Aaron raised his hands in mock surrender, still grinning. "Alright, alright. I went too far. My bad, okay?" he offered casually.
Poseidon dismissed him with a glance, turning to Helios instead, who had just reached him.
"You did it!" Helios exclaimed proudly.
Poseidon nodded, his expression softening, "Yeah, even I was surprised. Turns out I had a small error in my grip this whole time, and that's why I struggled so much," He held out his hand for a high-five, "What about you? Your bowling evolved too, right?"
Helios returned the high-five, grinning. "Yeah, it's definitely improved—?!" however stopped mid-sentence as a faint static jolt ran through their hands, causing both to pull back abruptly.
"Hiss…!" Poseidon muttered, shaking his hand as Helios stared at his own in confusion.
"Could it be…?" the two thought simultaneously, exchanging a glance.
"Geez… what did you even say to get your wicket blown away like that, Aaron? Just look at that poor leg stump!" Temporarily, Noah asked Aaron, retrieving the dislodged stump from the ground.
Aaron chuckled, brushing it off, "Oh~ I just provoked him a little. Honestly didn't think it would work so well. Guess I'm a genius!"
"He was really mad. He might start detesting you if you pull something like that again," Noah warned while resetting the stump.
"What about Helios?" Aaron asked. Noah smiled looking up at Helios but before he could respond, his expression froze, eyes locked on Helios and Poseidon.
"Huh? What's wrong?" Aaron turned to follow his gaze only to find the two boys shrouded in a translucent mist.
"That's…!" Aaron started, looking to Noah for confirmation.
Noah gave a firm nod, "It's now or never!"
"Hey, both of you, listen up!" Aaron called out as he jogged toward the non-striker's end, "Start bowling one over after another. The one not bowling should watch the other carefully and try to read their moves. Got it?"
Helios and Poseidon exchanged uncertain glances before nodding.
Aaron gave them an encouraging smile and patted their shoulders, "Don't worry. We've got your backs. You can do this."
Poseidon nodded resolutely as Helios took his place at the crease, preparing to bowl.
As Aaron moved toward the non-striker's end, Poseidon called out, "Did you… mess with me on purpose earlier?"
Aaron paused, a sly smirk spreading across his face as he turned back. "Oh? Why would you think so? I was very, very serious~" he replied, his voice dripping with mock innocence.
Poseidon exhaled sharply, unable to decipher his true intentions, before taking his position at short mid-off.
_____
The lights along the dormitory floor flickered before finally shutting off, as the surrounding noises gradually faded into silence, while after a while. Alan settled on the ground outside the dormitory entrance, exhaled deeply as he gazed up at the night sky. His wet hair dripped, soaking into the grass beneath him, while his dangling golden earring caught faint glimmers of moonlight. Though wisps of vapor escaped his lips, he felt no cold brushing against him.
"Who would've thought my sense of feeling would stay half-dead and half-alive for so long," he mused, smirking bitterly as he flexed his hand in ironic amusement.
Just then. "Oh heavens… hiss…" A sudden stuttering voice interrupted his thoughts.
Turning, Alan spotted Ezekiel plopping down beside him, shivering.
Ezekiel's shoulder brushed against Alan's, clearly in search of warmth. "Yikes! It's freezing out here! How are you even surviving this? We've got a match in two days! Are you trying to get sick?" Ezekiel exclaimed, tugging his jacket tighter around himself like an Arctic explorer.
Alan chuckled, "It's fine. I've lived through the winters of America and Britain. This is nothing."
"Yeah, yeah, the great Alan Rex Lorenzo, unshakeable as ever," Ezekiel teased.
"Come on, don't mock me," Alan replied with a smile.
Ezekiel's expression softened as he studied Alan, "Well, at least your mood's better now."
Alan nodded, his gaze thoughtful. "Yeah, it was my fault, to begin with. I think… I might've gone overboard."
Ezekiel blinked, "But you didn't even say anything back then."
Alan shrugged, "I guess… sometimes actions speak louder than words."
Pausing briefly, Ezekiel hesitated before speaking again, "I know it's not my place, but… if you ever feel like you need to talk, you can share your worries with me. I'll listen."
Alan blinked, momentarily surprised, before a warm smile crossed his face. He gave Ezekiel a light pat on the back, "Thanks, Ezekiel. That means a lot."
For a moment, silence hung between them until Alan broke it, "You know, back in the day, I was a real menace. I was a rebel—still am, in some ways. But, after being adopted, it only got worse. Pushing Counselor Yara's buttons? That was nothing. I've been a thorn in a lot of people's sides."
"Not the nicest reputation to have," Ezekiel noted.
Alan nodded, his smile carrying a hint of self-deprecation. "True. But here's the thing. Whenever I think I'm the least connected to something, it turns out I'm somehow the root cause of it." He sighed deeply, "Take Counselor Yara, for instance. She fancied old man Nidou ever since he was Rauf's age. But when Nidou returned to Pakistan, he came back with a child."
Alan's voice grew quieter, "That child was me."
Ezekiel's eyes widened slightly as he listened.
"She later found out I was adopted. And when she finally confessed her feelings to Nidou, he didn't feel the same. His focus was solely on raising me and leading Karachi's team to Nationals and then the World Cup. Nothing else mattered to him. So, in the end, all her resentment landed squarely on me. I was the reason her dream was shattered." Alan pulled his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms tightly around them. His gaze grew distant, his voice tinged with bitterness. "Ha… cruel, isn't it? The heavens, I mean. But who am I to blame them?" he forced a smile, confused and lost.
"It wasn't your fault," Ezekiel said firmly, "None of it was. Honestly, who blames a kid for an adult's decisions? Sounds more like she was venting her frustrations out on you."
Alan shrugged, "Maybe. But I don't blame her, Ezekiel. Liking someone isn't a crime. Still, I can't help but wonder… if I'd never been adopted, would things have been different?" his voice trailed off as fragments of his past flickered in his mind, all to the time when he first met Yasir and Yara.