Chapter 1

Huang Shaotian's stomach growled.

He was no Zhang Xinjie, but being a proplayer meant that he had kept a fairly regular eating and sleeping schedule for the past nine or so years. Then Team China had flown out for the world tournament to Switzerland, which was six whole hours behind their home country, because apparently time was a social construct, go figure.

Now, it was some unholy hour in the morning according to local time, and Huang Shaotian was wide awake. And hungry.

His stomach growled again, more insistently, and he groaned, dragging himself out of bed. He wanted to try and get a bit more sleep – otherwise he knew he'd crash around afternoon and evening, just when things started to get exciting – but at this rate, the chances of that happening were low.

While Team China was living and practicing together back home, they had a sort of unofficial curfew, which was relatively standard practice among the various teams, as it turned out. Huang Shaotian didn't know if that rule still applied now that they were abroad, but he was far too hungry right now to care.

Stifling a yawn behind his hand, Huang Shaotian fumbled his way down the dark stairwell, consciously trying to be quiet for once – contrary to popular belief, this was actually possible for him to do. Huang Shaotian could be quiet, sometimes, when he wanted to be, which admittedly was not very often.

But much like a dewdrop hanging precariously from the tip of a leaf, Huang Shaotian's silence was an ephemeral thing. He wandered into the kitchen, absently waving around the flashlight on his phone to navigate, and –

Okay. Huang Shaotian didn't scream. It was just a… a manly yelp. He was not expecting to see a shadowy figure here at this hour – anyone would have been scared! His surprise was totally justified!

Team China's Captain Yu Wenzhou, sitting at the kitchen table in the darkness, waited patiently as Huang Shaotian's spluttering of curses resolved itself into something comprehensible.

"C- Captain, what are you doing here?" Huang Shaotian's voice hadn't quite regained its normal tone yet – it was still a little strangled – but at least he returned to normal vocabulary.

Yu Wenzhou smiled. "I should be asking you the same. Sneaking around the kitchen at this hour…"

"I- uh- well there's a perfectly good and- uh- reasonable explanation for this…" Huang Shaotian flailed for words, but any excuse he could come up with simply wilted under the force of Yu Wenzhou's gentle and terrifying smile.

"Okay okay okay," he relented, changing tracks, "but in my defense-" With impeccable timing, his stomach rumbled yet again, and he gave a sheepish grin. "…uh, is that enough reason for you?"

"Go eat something," Yu Wenzhou chuckled, and Huang Shaotian swiftly raided the cabinets for snacks, dumping them unceremoniously on the table. Yu Wenzhou shifted over in his chair, giving Huang Shaotian space to squeeze beside him. There were other seats, of course, but Huang Shaotian's heart was still pounding rather too quickly after that scare, and he appreciated the chance for physical comfort.

"You're studying the other teams right now?" As he munched, Huang Shaotian rested his head on his captain's shoulder, observing what Yu Wenzhou had spread before him on the table – laptop, sheets and packets of information, and of course his pen and notebook, covered in narrow and precise penmanship.

"Yes, I couldn't sleep either," admitted Yu Wenzhou, "and I decided I might as well use this time productively."

"Captain Captain you gotta take care of yourself!" Huang Shaotian protested. "You know you're putting a lot of pressure and stress on yourself like this, but this is a team effort and we're all here to help you know? And also studying stuff in the darkness is bad for your eyes don't you know, you can't end up crippled and blind…"

Huang Shaotian was babbling, as was his tendency – his fussing over his captain's unhealthy habits was also nothing new. In this foreign place, there was something unspeakably reassuring about his chatter, a welcome reminder of a home that was half a world away.

In response, Yu Wenzhou put an arm around Huang Shaotian's shoulders. "You know me," he said. "This is all stressful, of course. But that's a fact of competition, and it's nothing I – or all of us – can't handle."

"Mm… You're a good captain," said Huang Shaotian, leaning comfortably into Yu Wenzhou's side. "But I'm still going to nag you about sleeping, it's very important, and I don't think you've slept a full eight hours since before training camp…"

"I'd expect nothing less from you, Shaotian."

Huang Shaotian opened his mouth to say more, but was interrupted when he felt Yu Wenzhou shift under him, turning toward the entryway. Huang Shaotian immediately followed suit, jumping up and snatching his phone in one motion and shining the light right at the doorway.

"Gah!" The man standing there shielded his eyes from the brightness, stumbling a few steps backward. "Uh, are you two having a moment? I'm sorry wow I did not mean to interrupt, I just wanted some food, I'll be leaving now, haha, please carry on…"

"Don't be ridiculous, Zhang Jiale," scoffed Huang Shaotian, directing the flashlight downward. "What are you even doing down here?"

"Er…"

"You're not in trouble," Yu Wenzhou said, with a wry twist of his lips. "This isn't Tyranny."

Huang Shaotian laughed at that. "Damn, just two seasons there and you've been this thoroughly traumatized? Is your captain really that scary?"

"Him and Vice Captain both," Zhang Jiale defended weakly, as he took a seat at the table. He seemed still half-asleep, his eyelids drooping and his long hair falling loose around his shoulders. "So what were you two doing," he asked, reaching for a snack bag at random and tearing into it.

"Captain was studying, I was hungry," explained Huang Shaotian.

"So diligent, Captain," Zhang Jiale laughed. "You should rest, though, wouldn't be good if you burned yourself out. Trust me," his voice became a shade quieter, "I know."

"That's what I said too!" Huang Shaotian interjected. He playfully bumped Zhang Jiale in the shoulder, even as he used his energetic words to try and drive off the melancholy; the other player flashed him a quick smile.

"I appreciate your concern," said Yu Wenzhou, "but really, I'm fine. I know my limits."

"Some tea could help you relax, though. I believe you could use it."

An entirely new voice. The three of them twisted to see none other than Tiny Herb's captain standing at the kitchen sink.

"Big-Eye, what the hell?" This, naturally, was Huang Shaotian. "When did you get here?"

"You're taking a lot of responsibility upon yourself, Captain," Wang Jiexi continued, seemingly indifferent to their surprise as he filled a kettle with water. "You're going above and beyond what's expected of you, and I believe I can speak for everyone when I say we're grateful." He glanced back at Yu Wenzhou. "Do you have any preference for what kind of tea?"

"Any is fine. Thank you, Wang Jiexi." It had taken a while for Yu Wenzhou to accustom himself to calling everyone by their names, instead of the respectful "Captain" this or "Senior" that, which was his habit. It had, in fact, been Wang Jiexi who'd firmly put a stop to that – "we're all on the same team, and you're our captain, act like it." And Yu Wenzhou did adjust, although he still called Ye Xiu "Senior," to which no one objected.

"No, thank you," Wang Jiexi replied. Yu Wenzhou, of course, knew that Tiny Herb's captain had turned down captaincy of Team China, and understood his reasons. So, to this, he dipped his head in respectful acknowledgement, and said no more.

"What about you two?" Wang Jiexi asked. "Zhang Jiale?"

"I'll pass, but thanks."

"And you, Huang Shaotian?" At the other's uncharacteristic hesitation, Wang Jiexi added, "Do you even drink tea? I'm not making you coffee at this hour, you're hyper enough already. Or do you just drink chocolate milk or something?"

"Oy!" Huang Shaotian scowled. "Who wants your stupid hot leaf juice anyway?"

The stories of the legendary Blue Rain-Tiny Herb rivalry were exaggerated by the press, but that didn't mean Wang Jiexi didn't enjoy needling the talkative proplayer. Not that he would ever admit it, of course. He shrugged at Huang Shaotian's response, turning away to hide a smirk, and retrieved the tea leaves from a cabinet.

"Oh, what do we have here?" Chu Yunxiu was next to arrive, elegantly hiding a yawn behind her hand as she looked around at the gathered pros. "An early-morning strategy meeting? Is that why you're all so loud down here?"

From right behind her, Su Mucheng beamed. "Good morning, everyone!" Despite the darkness of the early hour, she greeted them as brightly as ever.

"Ah, morning!" Huang Shaotian gave the two of them a friendly wave.

"I'm brewing some tea right now," said Wang Jiexi, who was pouring out cups. "Would you two like any?"

Not to be outdone in generosity, and especially not by Big-Eye, Huang Shaotian swept his hand toward the table. "And we have food too!"

"Well, for interrupting our beauty sleep, it's the least you could do," sniffed Chu Yunxiu. "Sleep is very important for maintaining a healthy appearance. After all," her voice took on a faintly mocking tone, "we female pros have to be pretty to stay in this position, you know?"

"Aw, don't be like that!" Li Xuan arrived out of nowhere, clapping a hand on Chu Yunxiu's shoulder, which earned him an unimpressed look. He was somewhat disappointed at the underwhelming response – scaring people was fun! – but he continued, "You're much more than a pretty face, both of you. Anyone who can't see that is being dumb."

"Indeed." Xiao Shiqin spoke up from behind Li Xuan. "Everyone rightfully earned their spot on this team, and our respect for you is independent of your outward appearance."

"What if I just want to be pretty for my own sake, then, hm?" Chu Yunxiu challenged.

"Then we'll support you in that, too!" said Li Xuan. "But your beauty level is far too high to be ruined by one night of bad sleep, anyway."

"Flattery won't get you anywhere." Chu Yunxiu rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.

"Hey but it's great you're here, this is a great crowd we've got now!" Huang Shaotian piped up, inserting himself into the conversation. "Me, Captain, Chu Yunxiu, Su Mucheng, Li Xuan, Xiao Shiqin… Except for Zhang Xinjie who's definitely not going to come down now anyway, Season 4's all here! Golden Gen best gen, am I right?" He held out his hand for a high-five.

"Ey, you've got that right!" Li Xuan high-fived him enthusiastically, followed by the others with varying degrees of exasperation and amusement.

"Sorry Zhang Jiale, Big-Eye, you'll never be as cool as us," grinned Huang Shaotian. "Does your generation have a lit groupchat? I didn't think so."

"The main proplayer groupchat is more than enough for a lifetime," Wang Jiexi deadpanned.

"And hey, we didn't have to share the spotlight our year!" said Zhang Jiale. "Me 'n Big Sun alone dominated the talk of the Glory sphere!"

"Ah yeah, I remember your first match with Excellent Era in Season 2, me and Captain and Big-Eye were all watching. You two definitely won that match, yup, totally dominated indeed."

"Oh, fuck off," said Zhang Jiale. "Don't act like you all didn't lose to Excellent Era at one point or another!"

"Not as depressingly as that, though." Huang Shaotian laughed as he stood to get more snacks – more people required more food, after all.

And he walked right into –

If the noise Huang Shaotian made when he saw Yu Wenzhou earlier could be passed off as a yelp, this was unquestionably a scream. Everyone else jumped at the noise, while Huang Shaotian scrambled backward, crashing to the ground on his butt – it was several long panic-filled seconds before he realized what – or rather, who – he was looking at, and when he did, he let out a very long sigh and flopped onto his back.

"Fucking hell… Okay, everyone," Huang Shaotian announced to the ceiling, "I'm officially dead, and Zhou Zekai killed me. Just goes to show you can't trust the quiet ones. Zhou Zekai you're like a fucking ghost especially with that pale skin, you're going to make me into a ghost, what the fuck, why are you sneaking around in the dark like this, can't you make some noise next time…"

"You're too noisy, became deaf," Zhou Zekai informed him, earning snorts of laughter from everyone gathered.

"Damnit," Huang Shaotian groaned, pressing a hand dramatically to his forehead, "I think I preferred it when you were silent, instead of roasting me all day every day…"

"Heh."

"He was always like this," said Yu Wenzhou, graciously helping his teammate up. "Just not out loud, usually." The fact that Zhou Zekai was comfortable enough around them to act like this was encouraging – just another sign that they were really beginning to come together as a team.

"Can confirm! Zhou Zekai is The Most Savage Proplayer." More newcomers to the kitchen: Tang Hao, Fang Rui, and Sun Xiang, who was the one who just spoke. This was really becoming quite a lively party.

"Really?" Zhang Jiale tilted his head. "What about Ye Xiu?"

"…Hm, good point." Sun Xiang frowned. "If they have a roast battle, my money's still on Zhou Zekai, though. You all haven't seen him at full strength." Also because he would never put money on Ye Xiu for anything, as a matter of principle, but that was beside the point.

"Are you really a good judge of that, though?" Su Mucheng, standing next to Chu Yunxiu at the side of the room, smirked. "You're just too easy of a target…"

"Plus one to that!" called Fang Rui.

"Okay, you know what, Su Mucheng?" began Sun Xiang belligerently.

She smiled sweetly at him. "Yes, Sun Xiang?"

"…" Damn, he really wasn't cut out for this. Or Su Mucheng was just too… Su Mucheng-y. She definitely spent way too much time with Ye Xiu. "…Never mind," he muttered, crossing his arms. Su Mucheng giggled.

"Why are you all sitting around here in the dark." Abruptly, the lights to the kitchen were switched on, earning winces from the proplayers as their eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness. When they saw who it was, though, not one but several jaws dropped.

"Zhang Xinjie? How… how are you alive right now…" Zhang Jiale glanced at his phone's time – yup, it was still ridiculous o'clock in the morning. To see Zhang "dead to the world from 11 to 6" Xinjie up and about now was… well, seeing an actual ghost would've been less shocking.

"I'm not," was the flat reply. "I had been adjusting my schedule before we arrived such that the negative effects of jetlag would be minimized. But you all are making such a racket that resting now is thoroughly impossible."

A few of them had the decency to look apologetic. "I'm sorry, Xinjie," said Yu Wenzhou.

"To some extent, I'd expected something like this to happen anyway," replied Zhang Xinjie. He poured himself a mug of milk from the refrigerator, then put it in the microwave. "So, I prepared a variety of different schedules. If I fall back asleep in the next fifteen minutes, then I can still adhere to Schedule D3."

"Warm milk?" As usual, Huang Shaotian latched on to the important details. "Hahaha that's what we give Little Lu every night, are you like a little kid or something…"

Zhang Xinjie gave him a look, and Huang Shaotian wisely shut up.

"Though, I will say," Yu Wenzhou spoke up, "I'm glad you're here with us right now. I'm glad that all of you are here." He looked around the room, meeting everyone's eyes.

These were the people he had fought with in countless battles across the years; through conflict and struggle, they had forged bonds of incredible strength with each other. Perhaps this was an incomprehensible paradox to any outsider, but everyone here understood.

They were, after all, proplayers.

"I can say, with all sincerity, that it is an honor to fight by your sides," continued Yu Wenzhou. "Because, Glory..."

"...isn't a single player game."

The thirteen proplayers stopped, and looked at each other, and blinked. Because each and every one of them had finished that sentence automatically, in unison.

Sun Xiang was the first to break the silence. "Looks like he got to all of us, huh…" he said, mouth twisting into a rueful grin.

"What can you do? The Ye Xiu Effect is real."

"Where is he, anyway?"

"In his room, probably. The old man needs his sleep."

"Speaking of which," said Xiao Shiqin, adjusting his glasses, "we should probably go sleep as well. I think if this goes on any longer, Zhang Xinjie is either going to kill himself or kill all of us, either of which would be bad for our competition prospects."

"Hey, we don't need a Cleric!"

"You just rose to the top of his hit list, Fang Rui."

"Wait- no- don't leave me- I thought we were friends-!"

***

[Lord Grim]: do you ever just look at everyone and think

[Lord Grim]: they're all grown up

[Lord Grim]: like, i remember when they were all babies

[Lord Grim]: now our juniors have juniors, we're like grandparents

[Lord Grim]: look at how far they've come

[Lord Grim]: look at how far *we've* come

[Lord Grim]: all this connection and growth, just from an online game

[Lord Grim]: doesn't it make you feel something?

[Desert Dust]: Why are you awake.

[Desert Dust]: Isn't it like 4AM there go to sleep

[Lord Grim]: i see you're as sentimental as ever, old han :')

Ye Xiu leaned back against the wall, hidden in the shadows just outside the kitchen entryway. He listened to the antics of Team China, and he smiled.