Chapter 15: Fractures in Formation

The sun bore down on the Westbridge training ground, heatwaves rising off the turf as the players jogged out for their afternoon session. The mood was tense, and not just from the weather.

Leon jogged in silence, his eyes flicking briefly to Kael ahead of him, tall, broad-shouldered, his every movement sharp. There was something colder about him lately. The usual rivalry had a new edge, like a blade pressed just a little too close.

Coach Davor clapped his hands sharply.

"8v8. Two-touch maximum unless in the final third. Movement off the ball. Play smart, not flashy."

Leon nodded to himself. This was the kind of drill where Agile Step could shine, subtle body feints, shifting balance, darting past defenders before they knew they'd been turned. His footwork had improved, and the system showed it.

[Skill: Agile Step – Lv. 1 | Progress: 36%]

Reflex chain extended by 0.2s during dribble feint executions.

It wasn't much, but enough to give him that half-beat advantage. Enough to feel the field breathing differently.

The whistle blew.

Leon drifted toward the left wing, receiving a pass from Jules. One touch to stop, the second to glide forward. The defender stepped in, and Leon pivoted, Agile Step pulsing faintly. His left foot dipped, drawing the defender in, then a swift outside cut brought him free.

He spotted Kael making a run inside.

Leon slotted a pass behind the center-back line, weighted perfectly, curving toward Kael's path.

But Kael stopped. Just for a second. Enough for the pass to roll harmlessly out.

Coach's whistle cut through the play.

"Reset!"

Leon blinked, frowning. Kael met his gaze but didn't say a word. No nod, no signal. Just turned and jogged back.

Maybe he didn't see it. Maybe he'd hesitated. Could've been anything.

But the second time, it wasn't.

Leon dropped deeper, playing the build-up role. He drew two players, slipped a short pass up the middle toward Kael, easy, simple link-up.

Kael let it run past his foot. Again.

Leon's frustration bubbled. He turned, jogging up to him.

"You good?" he asked, trying to keep his tone even.

Kael didn't stop moving. "Maybe you should stop relying on your toy and actually watch the game."

Leon's jaw clenched. He didn't reply.

By the third missed play, Jules pulled Leon aside during a water break.

"You noticing this?" Jules asked in a low voice. "Kael's messing with you, man."

Leon didn't want to believe it. But the truth was obvious now. Kael wasn't misreading passes, he was actively tanking them.

Why?

Aria caught him after the session. They sat near the shaded bench under the fencing, watching players disperse.

"He's trying to provoke you," she said, not even needing to ask what was wrong.

Leon sighed. "Why now?"

"Because you're getting better. And because some people don't like when you catch up to them using something they can't control."

Leon stared at the ground. His cleats tapped restlessly against the gravel.

"I'm not even pushing the system anymore," he muttered. "I turned off the overlay. I'm just using the minimap."

Aria looked at him gently. "Then make sure what you're seeing really is the minimap."

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

She hesitated. Then: "I think... some of the 'instincts' you trust? They might not be entirely yours."

Later that night, Leon sat on his bed, still in partial kit. The PlaySight system flickered lightly across his vision as he brought up the minimap during replay mode.

[Rewind: Scrimmage — 23:41]

Minimap Preview: Active (Range: 10m)

He watched the play where Kael let the ball roll past. The dots moved as expected — until, briefly, Kael's marker ghosted forward early, showing a false run that hadn't happened.

Leon squinted.

Minimap Pathway Error: Ghost Echo Detected

ZANE-003 Sync Drift: 9%

His chest tightened.

Zane's data. His patterns. His choices. Not Leon's.

Some of the decisions, those weird bursts of instinct, those angles he'd felt instead of seen, weren't even from him.

He swallowed, the system screen dimming.

"Tell me, Leon…"

"...when did you last make a play that was purely yours?"

Coach Davor's words, from earlier that week, echoed back.

Leon exhaled. He shut the system off.

The next day, tension buzzed through training like static.

In another 7v7 drill, Kael once again cut short a pass, then rolled his eyes exaggeratedly as if to mock Leon's accuracy. Leon said nothing. Not yet.

But during a 1v1 pressure drill, Leon caught Kael's foot mid-step and stripped the ball clean. Agile Step pulsed in his legs, one-two dip, side shuffle, sprint past.

Kael turned sharply and scowled.

"You think you're better than me now?" he growled low as Leon jogged back.

Leon didn't answer.

But in that moment, it was clear, a confrontation was coming.

That evening, Coach Davor pulled Leon aside after training. The others were packing up, but Davor remained still, arms folded, eyes narrowed.

"Your plays are sharper," he said. "Footwork's changing. But your connection with your team is dropping. You notice that?"

Leon nodded once. "Some of them... don't trust how I play."

Davor's eyes didn't waver. "No. Some don't trust who's playing."

Leon blinked.

Davor raised a brow. "Fix it as teams support can get you to heights or make you fall even harder"

Leon hesitated. Then: "Understood."

Davor nodded.

[End of Chapter 15 — EXP: 64/300 | Sync Drift: 9%]

Agile Step – Lv. 1: 38% | Minimap: Lvl 2