(Part 8)

Nidou stood by the balcony, his gaze locked onto the moon as he absentmindedly twirled a sports drink bottle between his fingers. His eyes blinked lazily, his disheveled hair shifting with the breeze. The past, ever cruel, never fading, always hanging with a future horrifyingly unknown. The moon's pale light above seemed to peel away his carefully crafted façade, day by day, ever so gently.

Suddenly, Nidou's phone rang. His fingers traced the name on the screen, and a soft light flickered in his eyes, rousing something deep within him. Bringing the phone to his ear, he answered.

"Finally," came a playful, reprimanding voice, laced with sarcasm, "My little brother finally found the strength to answer his phone. I was starting to think I'd have to sleep without hearing your voice again, Head Coach Nidou."

A small smile tugged at Nidou's lips. "Hello, sister," he greeted, his voice warm with respect.

"Hi," Sairah chuckled, "Now that's my little boy. No smart remarks, no deflections. Sister is proud. So, what's up?"

"Nothing… just PSL, like before," Nidou replied, though his tone lacked its usual enthusiasm.

Sairah, catching the unusual tiredness in his voice, pressed further. "Hmm… PSL and 'this' mood of yours? Doesn't add up. Normally, you'd be saying, 'I'm busy, sister. Shall I call you later?' or raving about how 'thrilling' everything is. Or… is this about your base losing the last match?"

Nidou's gaze drifted back to the moon, "Take a guess."

"None of the above," Sairah said with certainty, "The Nidou I know never dwells on losses. He just thinks about how he can win the next one. But if it's something about Alain… then yeah, I can see why you'd be like this. Did something happen?"

"You're too sharp," Nidou muttered.

"I'm not sharp, Nidou. I'm your sister," Sairah corrected, her voice gentle yet firm, "I've been looking after you since you were a kid. Your voice, your expressions, your words, your actions, I read them like an open book. Just like you read mine." 

Nidou fell silent.

Sairah, growing concerned, asked softly, "Are you tired?"

Nidou clicked his tongue, "Nope."

"Do you need my help? Shall I come to Pakistan?" She asked.

"It's alright, don't worry. I am not that frail now. It's fine." Nidou reassured.

"Then whatever's weighing on your heart, let it out. Don't keep it buried. We made a promise, didn't we? That the two of us, with only each other to rely on, would never keep secrets from one another. I'm here, Nidou. You're not alone." Something in her voice melted the coldness gripping him, something none, not even Alan could manage at this moment.

Swallowing, Nidou finally spoke, "You see…"

_____

Meanwhile, back in the ground, Alan turned to Ezekiel with a genuine smile, "Thank you for listening to me."

Ezekiel shook his head, a soft grin on his face, "Have you forgotten? Back at the shrine, you listened to me too. Every word, every little thing that felt unbearable back then. Just think of me as your personal care bear."

Alan chuckled, his eyes lighting up, "Haha, alright, my personal care bear, Ezekiel Vincente."

Ezekiel let out a hearty laugh, "Okay, now that's embarrassing!"

"Haha, it is right?" Alan agreed, "Still… it's simply more than comforting."

Ezekiel smiled standing up, "Alright, let's head in. Before the both of us catch a cold."

Alan nodded, following him back to the lodgings.

"For the next match, are you good to go?" Ezekiel asked.

Alan, looking up at him grinned, "Yeah, better than ever."

_____

"Helios… it's dawn this time," Poseidon smiled as Helios stepped onto the popping crease, his silver-streaked hair glistening under the floodlight.

Unbothered, unworried, a new step outstretched. Helios whispered, "Dawn's Embrace." A deceptive and aggressive swing delivery shot toward Noah, who narrowed his eyes in sharp focus. "A new skill…? Within just a few hours of practice?" he thought in astonishment. "It's an inswinger…" he analyzed.

But just as he adjusted, the ball reversed course at the last moment, an outswinger instead. Noah instinctively pulled his bat away, only to find himself frozen in place, "What…?"

The ball grazed the edge of his bat, vanishing into the shadows behind him. He turned, realizing that if this were a match, it would have been a clean slip catch.

From the non-striker's end, Aaron whispered, "Paralysis and Swingers…" his gaze locked onto Helios and Poseidon, both radiating a translucent glow.

Then, realization struck. Noah grinned, exchanging a knowing glance with Aaron, "Those two finally did it! The first middle schoolers to achieve the pairing ability 'Dominance'!"

The lost connection, finally returning, completely seamless now.

Poseidon, approaching Helios, beamed. His white hair radiated like ice crystals under the sun, contrasting Helios's whose deep blue ones gleamed like a night sky dusted with unseen stars and pixie dust. Helios, still in quiet disbelief, extended his hand. The Sun and the Sea, meeting at the horizon. As their hands met in a firm clap, a resonant glow illuminated the surroundings.

"My~ my~ now that's magical," Aaron teased, arms crossed.

Noah smirked, "Yeah, but more than that, Poseidon has fully integrated his Paralysis and control abilities into Helios's deliveries. This isn't just mind-reading anymore. They can actively enhance each other's skills whenever 'Dominance' activates. At their age, this is beyond impressive."

"Hm~ what do you think should they call it?" Aaron mused.

Noah shook his head, watching the two ahead, "Let's leave that to them."

Helios looked around, still grappling with what they had just accomplished, "What do you think, Poseidon? Not bad, right?"

Poseidon nodded, eyes gleaming, "It's the best. Now, we can fulfill all our promises. It's that exhilarating."

Helios blinked, smiling softly, "You still remember?"

Poseidon raised an eyebrow. "How could I forget? 'For Poseidon, for us, for our parents, for our academy, for our cricket society, for our friends today, tomorrow, and forever and, for everyone who believes in us, let's win the Inter-Academy Nationals. Let's achieve the impossible and break the limits not yet set.' Isn't that what you said before my surgery?"

Helios's expression froze in surprise, "How…?"

Poseidon chuckled, "I was under anesthesia, so I couldn't move or open my eyes, but I could still hear. The way you all held my hand and made that promise. There was no way I'd ever forget." His voice softened, "Back then, I wasn't there, and you lost. But now I am. Even if Ezekiel is the only one left from our academy in this base, let's take that promise even further. Let's win the PSL and the World Cup together." he extended his fist.

Helios grinned, bumping it back, "Yeah. Let's do it."

Poseidon smirked, "Last time, you were the one who promised. This time, let me be the one to say it."

Helios exhaled, amused, "How did you grow up so much?"

Poseidon huffed, "Hmph. I've always been a grown up. You were the one who kept calling me your little brother."

Helios burst into laughter.

"Listen up, Heli. Let's not tell anyone about it. Let's give them a surprise." Poseidon suggested.

"Hm… I like the sound of that." Helios said.

Ahead, Aaron and Noah flashed proud thumbs-ups.

Aaron grinned, "Mission One, accomplished!"

As Helios looked at Poseidon, something settled deep within him, "That's right… we have surely come a long way and we have yet a long, long way to go. The Sun that never looked down and the sea that never looked up, astoundingly met. All just to fulfill that once made vow..."

"And just to fulfill that once made vow, I wish to stand by your side till the very end!" they thought, "Dominance: Towards the Horizon!"