Aldrich, despite all his strength, despite his highly ranked potential had done little to make his presence felt in this game. Since Saldrich scored the second goal, his impact had dwindled, leaving his teammates grasping for direction. He had gone quiet, almost idle. Now, out of nowhere, he was asking for their trust?
"I'm going to make a miracle happen. What I need from all of you is belief, your complete trust. Do exactly what I say."
His voice rang out with a confidence that had no foundation. The words were firm, almost heroic, but they lacked the evidence to back them. What right did he have to demand such blind faith?
Did he not grasp the stakes involved here? Or worse, did he grasp them too well? A loss in this match wouldn't just sting; it could lead to class demotion, or worse, be labelled as dead weight in the eyes of Eldora Institute. Failure meant erasure.
He had to understand this more than anyone else on the team. As the lone S-class among them, he bore the heaviest burden. Unlike the others, who had already been trampled by misfortune, Aldrich stood at a precarious height. One misstep, and the fall would be devastating.
And maybe that was the point.
Maybe that was why he was desperate enough to try anything, to do everything. He had the most to lose... and perhaps that was the very reason to believe in him.
An unspoken understanding settled between the remaining three. A mutual recognition of Aldrich's position. He wasn't just trying to win for them. He was battling to protect what little prestige he had left.
Besides, what did they have to lose? The game was nearly done, and defeat had been looming since the second goal. If they were going to crumble, they might as well collapse while following someone who was still willing to try.
"What's the plan?!" Opius asked, cutting through the silence.
"I already told you. Trust me. No questions. Just do what I say, nothing more, nothing less."
The buzzer echoed across the field. A moment later, the ball descended from above and landed squarely at the centre, signalling the start.
"Move! Everyone, now!" Aldrich roared, sprinting toward the centre with relentless intent.
"Wait, did he mean everyone as in... literally all of us?!" Dickins stumbled over the confusion. Was the call for the offence? The defenders, too? Who exactly was 'all'?
"He said everyone," Valeria replied with certainty, already accelerating across the field.
She didn't hesitate. Opius followed suit, darting beside her.
Only Dickins remained uncertain, glancing back at the goal post he was meant to guard. Could he really abandon it?
But then again...
"To hell with it!" he cursed and surged forward, abandoning his post to join the mad dash.
Aldrich's thoughts raced ahead of his feet as he charged toward the ball. Plans, angles, trajectories, his mind was a flurry of calculations.
Just as expected, he thought.
Saldrich was already ahead, nearer to the ball. Of course, she was. She remained cloaked in her battle-armour form: a compressed structure of mana forged into ribs, limbs, and an armoured exoskeleton. A fusion of defence and offence, a monstrous masterpiece of Arcane Arts.
Nothing Aldrich had attempted previously had even come close to breaching it. Her form was impenetrable, her timing flawless.
Left unchecked, she would seize the ball first just as she had in every prior clash between them.
Not this time.
Valeria blinked as she ran behind him, and when her eyes opened again, he was gone.
Aldrich reappeared in a blur of speed, already bent low, scooping the ball into his arms with a tight grip.
"All of you, push forward! Head for their goal post, don't stop!"
His sudden command threw the others into disarray. Move forward? With him holding the ball and staying back? That meant they would be advancing without possession, leaving him alone to confront both Saldrich and the newly arrived Fiona.
Was this part of his miracle?
It felt less like a strategy and more like suicide. Still, he shouted again, more fervent, more desperate:
"Go! Just trust me!"
The earlier hesitation melted in the face of his conviction. At this point, surrendering to doubt served no purpose. Their current path had brought them nothing but defeat. Might as well walk the path he was carving.
With synchronised resolve, the trio obeyed, launching themselves toward the opposing goal line.
And Aldrich... turned around and ran the opposite way.
"What in the world?!" Valeria's voice cracked with disbelief as she watched him sprint back toward their own goal post.
The absurdity was staggering. What was he doing? If he wanted to score, why run backwards? What kind of tactic was this?
None of it made sense, and yet, they kept running forward. Not because they understood but because, for once, they chose to trust.
Saldrich and Fiona stood momentarily paralysed by confusion. Their eyes flicked between Aldrich's lone retreat and the three surging past them. Which target was real?
"Fiona, go after the team. I'll deal with Aldrich," Saldrich said sharply.
It was the perfect divide. She was more than capable of handling him alone. Fiona could stall the others.
After all, Aldrich had the ball and he was practically handing it back to them. This was as good as surrender.
'Is he giving up?' Saldrich wondered, baffled.
It was so unlike him. She knew Aldrich. His tenacity was iron-clad. And yet...
"You're doing a splendid job tracking me, Sal. Really. Because of that, you've made it easier for me to flip the game. I mean it from the bottom of my heart, thank you."
"What nonsense are you spouting, Al? I'm the one with the advantage. You're cornered."
To anyone watching, that statement would ring true.
Then, Aldrich shifted.
Ball in hand, he drew his right arm back, coiling his body like a bowstring. His left arm extended forward, palm tense, fingers curled around air, gripping something invisible.
"A... bow?" Saldrich narrowed her gaze. It looked like he was wielding an actual bow. His stance, the tension, the pull, all of it mirrored a master archer preparing to fire.
Yet, there was nothing in his hands.
No weapon. No arrows.
Only intent.
But in that moment, it felt real, so real that her instincts screamed to react.
And Aldrich... He smiled, ready to put an end to this.