The Choice Before the Climb

Valencia in early summer simmered with a quiet heat. The cobblestone streets were sun-washed, dappled with shade from gently swaying orange trees. Birds flitted between rooftops, and children played barefoot in alleyways echoing with laughter. Life pulsed gently in the city. But inside the Oliveira apartment, a storm brewed.

Tobi stood before the whiteboard Clara had installed beside the family dining table. She'd drawn a complex web of boxes, dates, and arrows—his schedule for the month. Football training. Physiotherapy. Tactical analysis. Language studies. Press appearances. Finals at school. And one box circled in red:

Portugal National Team Camp – RSVP by June 7

He sighed.

Everything he had worked for in his second life—everything the system had pushed him toward—led here. Recognition. Validation. A call-up to the senior national squad. Not just a youth side, but the real thing. Yet the pressure that came with it was suffocating.

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