Mathias walked alongside Miguel, his expression blank, his thoughts clouded by the words Miguel had spoken earlier.
Fear. Flee. Mathias thinked
He sighed. "He's not wrong about that", he admitted to himself. But what choice did he have? There was no escaping it—not after everything. Not after him.
His mind drifted again, pulling him back into memories he had buried deep within his subconscious.
A face, hidden by shadows, loomed over him. A murderous face he had tried so hard to forget. Flames erupted from around him, surging toward the figure in a desperate attempt to protect him. But instead of consuming the man, they recoiled, as if afraid. The air around the figure grew heavier, an oppressive force pressing down on Mathias' body,the figure grab the face of Mathias and crushed himto the ground and before Mathias could realise the man lifter him with one hand and the next moment a fist pierced his stomach.
The memory ended, snapping him back to the present. He blinked rapidly, his vision clearing just in time to see Miguel staring at him with an unimpressed expression.
"What?" Mathias asked, his voice slightly hoarse.
"You look like a mess," Miguel scoffed coldly.
"Whose fault is that?" Mathias shot back.
Miguel let out a short chuckle before quickening his pace. "Come on."
Mathias frowned, catching up to him. "Where are we going?"
"Cybercafé," Miguel answered, his voice still detached. "We need to relax."
Mathias raised an eyebrow. "Cybercafé? Don't tell me you still feel like losing."
"I only lose because people report me," Miguel grumbled. "Almost got my account banned last time."
"Yeah, yeah, Mr. 'I'm too strong,'" Mathias teased with a smirk. "Let's team up this time instead of going against each other."
Miguel didn't argue.
Inside the Cybercafé
The dim glow of the monitors reflected on Mathias' face as he adjusted his headset, logging into League of Legends. Miguel sat beside him, already setting up their game.
"We'll play ranked," Miguel declared flatly.
"Confident, are we?" Mathias smirked. "Fine. I'll go botlaner. You?"
"Mid," Miguel replied. "Try not to feed."
Mathias scoffed but didn't argue. Soon, they found themselves immersed in the game, their hands flying over the keyboard and mouse as the match unfolded.
***
"I need reinforcements! There are two of them!" Mathias shouted, his champion barely holding on against an enemy ambush.
"Busy saving another idiot," Miguel said coldly, his champion swiftly eliminating an enemy before disappearing into the shadows.
"What the hell?!" Mathias groaned as his health dropped dangerously low. At the last second, another teammate swooped in, using their ultimate ability to disable the enemy, allowing Mathias to land the finishing blow.
"Nice save," he muttered, breathing a sigh of relief.
Miguel was already making his move. "Their base is wide open. Get over here and finish it."
Mathias and the teammate rushed toward the opponent's defenseless Nexus, only to find that Miguel and another teammate had already whittled its health down by half. Between the four of them, the game was as good as over.
"Hey, where's that other guy you were saving?" Mathias asked, still focusing on the final objective.
"He is dead Miguel responded without looking away from the screen. "I had to destroy the towers myself. But thanks to the jungler, we took out two who respawned."
"Oh. Cool."
Mathias activated his last ability, unleashing a devastating attack on the Nexus.
VICTORY.
The glowing words filled the screen.
"Well, that was satisfying," Mathias said, stretching in his chair.
Miguel gave him a flat look. "Satisfying? You went 1v3 so many times that you should have been dead. Without the toplaner covering for you, you wouldn't have made it."
"Yeah, yeah, but you wouldn't have gotten those bot lane kills without him either."
I just was cleaning the mess you did because you couldn't stay at your position and do your job and that's another story," Miguel replied, shutting down his computer. "Either way, it's getting late. Let's go."
Mathias stood, stretching his arms. "Man, it's crazy that people make a living off these games. That match alone was exhausting."
Miguel rolled his eyes. "Respect them. For you, it's a game. For them, it's their life."
Mathias shrugged. "Fair enough. But still, I need a bath and a good night's sleep after this." "And I will be in good form for tomorrow. But well monday didn't go bad I'm sorry to misjudge you".
Miguel checked his phone, then turned toward the exit. "Come on."
Mathias grabbed his jacket and followed.
As soon as they stepped out, they both came to a sudden halt.
The street was empty. Not a single person in sight. No passing cars. No background noise from the city.
The red eyes of mathias glow " what the hell is that?"Why is it so quiet? It's not normal."
Miguel remained silent, his face impassive as his sharp eyes scanned their surroundings. The usual glow of streetlights seemed dim, and an unnatural darkness loomed above them. Mathias glanced up, expecting to see the moon, but instead, the sky was… black. Completely shrouded, as if the very night itself had swallowed it whole.
Then, the sound of heavy boots echoed from a few yards away.
Both Mathias and Miguel snapped their heads toward the approaching sound.
A figure emerged from the darkness.
Before either of them could react, a blinding light engulfed their vision.
Then—
BOOM!
A deafening explosion erupted around them, tearing through the silence.
And then, everything went black.