You Should've Been There

Five years had passed since the incident. Five long, brutal years that had left Rei a shell of the man he once was. His ban from professional tournaments had ended two years ago, but it didn't matter. The damage had already been done. No team wanted to touch him. No sponsor would go near his name. He had been erased from the competitive world, all because of Darren's betrayal, all because his teammates—his friends—had turned their backs on him when he needed them most.

The apartment he lived in now was different from the one back then. Smaller, darker, and filled with the same suffocating silence. The curtains, always drawn, blocked out the light from the outside world. It was a reflection of what his life had become—a void.

Rei slouched at his desk, scrolling mindlessly through the same few websites he visited every day. The news from the VR esports world felt distant, like it belonged to someone else. Team Titan was still out there, still competing. He hadn't followed them closely since his ban ended, but he knew they were doing well. He knew Darren was still their captain. And that was all he needed to know.

The knock at his door was unexpected, and for a brief moment, Rei ignored it. But then it came again, louder this time, more insistent. With a sigh, he pushed himself up from his chair and shuffled to the door.

When he opened it, Alex stood there.

It had been years since they'd last spoken in person. The last time was after Rei's suspension, when Alex had come to try to pull him out of the dark pit he'd fallen into. Rei had pushed him away back then, and they had drifted apart. Yet Alex still stood in the doorway, the same determination in his eyes that Rei had seen all those years ago.

"Rei," Alex said quietly, studying Rei's gaunt face and the messy state of his apartment. "It's been a long time."

Rei leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest. "What do you want, Alex?"

Alex didn't miss a beat. "I've been looking for clues to prove your innocence. For the past five years."

Rei's eyes flickered with something—hope? No, not hope. It was too late for that. He quickly buried whatever it was and shook his head. "And?"

Alex hesitated, the weight of his words hanging between them. "I haven't found anything. Darren covered his tracks too well. I thought... I thought I'd find some trace of the program he planted. But he was smart. Too smart."

Rei's jaw tightened. He didn't want to think about Darren. He didn't want to think about any of it. "So, why are you here?"

Alex sighed, his face creasing with regret. "We made it to the Global VR Championship. The same one you led us to five years ago."

Rei's heart clenched at the mention of the championship. He hadn't thought about it in years, not since that fateful match that had ended his career. Five years ago, he had been standing at the peak, leading Team Titan to victory after victory. Now? Now he was nothing more than a ghost, forgotten by the very world he had helped shape.

Alex pressed on. "We're in the finals. It's the biggest tournament in Ancient Arena Online history. The culmination of everything you fought for."

Rei stared at him, his face blank. "What does that have to do with me?"

"You should come," Alex said, his voice steady but filled with an emotion Rei couldn't place. "Watch the match. See what you built. You might not have been able to clear your name, but you can still be a part of this world. You can start again."

Rei's anger flared. Start again? How could he start again after everything had been taken from him? How could Alex expect him to go back to the very thing that had destroyed him?

"No," Rei said, his voice cold. "I don't want any part of it."

Alex took a step closer, undeterred by Rei's reaction. "Rei, it's not too late. Your ban ended two years ago. I know things have been hard, but you can still fight your way back in. You can still show the world who you are."

Rei's hands clenched into fists. "You think I want to go back? After what they did to me? After what Darren did? The officials didn't care. My own team didn't care. Why should I?"

Alex's expression softened, but his voice remained firm. "Because you're not the kind of person who gives up. I know that better than anyone."

Rei turned away from him, the anger boiling inside him, threatening to spill over. "You don't know anything, Alex. You've been living your life, playing for the same team that betrayed me. You're still in it. You don't understand what it's like to be cast out, to be branded a cheater and have your entire life ripped away from you."

"I stayed on the team to find proof that you were innocent," Alex said quietly. "I stayed because I knew someone had to. And because I couldn't let Darren win without a fight."

Rei scoffed, his voice thick with bitterness. "Well, congratulations. He did win. You didn't find anything, and now he's exactly where he wanted to be."

Alex didn't argue. He stood there in silence, watching as Rei's anger simmered, his face hard but not without sympathy. Finally, Alex spoke again, his tone heavy with emotion. "We're fighting in the final rounds of the championship tomorrow. The team Darren stole from you, the same one you led there five years ago."

Rei didn't respond. He stared at the ground, his mind reeling, unable to meet Alex's gaze.

After a long pause, Alex turned to leave, his voice dropping to barely a whisper. "You should've been there, Rei."

The door closed behind him, leaving Rei alone in the dark apartment, the weight of Alex's words hanging heavy in the air. He stood there for a long time, the silence pressing down on him like a suffocating blanket.

He should've been there.