The day after his debut, Thiago woke early—not from the alarm, but from habit. His body still felt like it was vibrating with leftover adrenaline. Not pain. Not fatigue. Just energy with nowhere to go.
He sat up, rubbed his face, and checked his phone.
Three unread messages. One from João. One from Camila. One unknown number.
João's came first.
João:You moved like you belonged. Keep going. I'll be watching when I'm not getting screamed at by the U20 coach.
Thiago smiled.
He typed back:
Thiago: I miss training with someone who passes back.
João replied instantly.
João: You want compliments or assists? You can't have both.
He answered Camila next.
Camila:You didn't smile once in the post-match photos.
Thiago: Didn't score. Nothing to smile about.
Camila:You're on a first team sheet at 15. That's more than half the pros I've seen.
Thiago:They'll forget if I play badly next match.
There was a long pause.
Then:
Camila:I won't.
The unknown number was last.
Just one line:
Lucia:Would you be open to a short follow-up? Just for the piece. Five minutes.
He replied after a minute.
Thiago:Tomorrow. Keep it about the match.
She answered two minutes later.
Lucia:Always.
The training field that morning was slick with dew. Possession drills. Cutbacks. Half-pitch sequences. Thiago was sharper now—less cautious. Not reckless, but bold.
Rafael called to him during a small-sided game.
"Overlap!"
Thiago surged ahead, drew the defender wide, then backheeled the ball into space for a cutback.
Shot. Deflected. Still clean play.
Eneas blew his whistle. "Good run, 17. Keep your head up."
Nando didn't say anything that day. He just avoided eye contact. But Thiago noticed the look he gave when the staff announced the squad for the next league match.
Thiago's name was on the bench again.
Nando's wasn't.
That afternoon, Thiago found a quiet table outside the admin building for the follow-up.
Lucia arrived wearing sunglasses and a press badge clipped to her bag. Still no camera. Just a small recorder and her notebook.
"You look less annoyed than last time," she said, sitting down.
"I slept."
"Can't imagine you do much of that these days."
"I sleep fine," he said. "Dreams are louder, though."
Lucia smiled a little and clicked her pen. "You don't say things for the headline, do you?"
"I say what I mean."
"You don't mean the part about not smiling?"
He shrugged. "I'll smile when it's finished."
"And when is that?"
"When they stop calling it a fluke."
Lucia tilted her head. "You think they will?"
"I don't care if they don't."
She jotted something, then said quietly, "You're more open than I expected."
"Maybe I'm learning."
"Or maybe you're just tired of being quiet."
Thiago looked at her fully for the first time.
"Is that part of the article?"
She smiled. "No. That's just me being nosy."
Later that night, João called again. This time video.
"You look tired," João said, grinning.
"You look like you haven't slept in a week."
"Coach won't stop running us. They think we're gonna grow faster if we sweat more."
Thiago laughed for real. It was short but genuine.
"I saw the article," João added. "She wrote it clean. No fluff."
"She listens."
"Rare," João said. "You talk to Camila?"
Thiago nodded. "She's been texting more."
"You think it's real?"
He hesitated. "I think it was always real. I'm just not sure where it fits now."
João didn't push. Just leaned back.
"You talk to Caio lately?"
"No," Thiago said after a beat.
"Me neither. He stopped replying around the time you got moved up."
"I'll message him."
"You should," João said. "He always looked up to you more than he'd admit."
Thiago nodded. "Yeah. He did."
Camila messaged again that night.
Camila: Do they treat you differently now?
Thiago: Some do. Most don't talk.
Camila: That good or bad?
Thiago: It's quiet. I like quiet.
Another message came after a moment.
Camila: You'll be playing again soon, right?
Thiago: Saturday. Maybe.
She replied instantly.
Camila :I'll be watching. I show the videos to Clara. She says you don't run enough.
He smiled.
Thiago: Tell her I'm conserving energy. Like a cat.
Camila: She said cats are lazy.
He laughed again. Alone, this time, with the room dim and the city lights flickering outside.
He opened the System before sleep. Just to check.
—
Level: 13
EXP: 128 / 500
Skill Points: 9
Focus Stability: High
Stamina Efficiency: Normal
—
No flashing quests. No new abilities.
Just the quiet hum of growth.
He closed it. Plugged in his phone. Let the darkness take him.
And for once, he dreamed without running.