Winston glanced at the Core notification. Instead of feeling excited, he frowned. The update brought him no joy.
The Core is only going to push me even harder.
This second awakening had been far worse than the first. While sitting in the dugout, it had felt as though his chest would burst open. His head spun violently, and nausea rose into his throat, making him think he was about to vomit.
The medic team had quickly given him an energy drink packed with electrolytes and glucose, which settled his breathing enough for him to recover. But the relief came at a cost. Soon afterward, a wave of drowsiness washed over him, followed by a strange numbness that spread through his body.
The rest of the match passed in a haze. Even the celebrations in the changing room felt distant, as though he were watching them through a fog. After showering, Winston stepped out unsteadily, still feeling disoriented. Wearing only his boxers, he slowly made his way to the bench and sat down, resting his elbows on his knees as he tried to clear his spinning head.
J
Just as Winston leaned forward with his elbows resting on his knees, the numbness in his legs suddenly disappeared. An unbearable heat replaced it. His muscles felt as though they were burning from the inside out.
"Psshh..."
Panic flashed across his face. He rushed toward a bucket filled with ice water and dumped it over himself. The freezing water hissed against his skin. Steam immediately rose from his body, filling the changing room with a white mist.
"What the..."
Still burning, Winston stumbled toward the showers, nearly losing his footing. He twisted the tap as far as it would go, letting the icy water pour over him.
Minutes passed. Gradually, the unbearable heat subsided. Just as he began catching his breath—
Bang!
The double doors swung open. Two members of the medical staff hurried inside after noticing the steam pouring from the shower area.
"Winston!"
They quickly checked his pulse, body temperature, and breathing. After several moments, one of the medics nodded. "Your temperature is back to normal."
He shone a small penlight into Winston's eyes before asking, "How's your head? Still hurting?"
Winston slowly shook his head. "No... it's gone now."
The medic exchanged a glance with his colleague before packing away the equipment they had brought. "It looks like you overexerted yourself," he said. "Your body was probably overwhelmed after everything it went through today."
He offered Winston a reassuring smile.
"Take it easy next time. Don't push yourself so hard."
"We'll let the coach know you're alright."
The two medics gathered the supplies they had set on the bench.
"Finish up here," one of them said as they headed toward the exit.
"We'll be waiting outside."
A few minutes later, Winston stepped out of the building with the medical staff. The head coach immediately pulled one of the medics aside to speak with him in private while Winston made his way toward the team bus.
As soon as he climbed the steps and entered the aisle—
"Yeah!" Applause and cheers erupted throughout the bus. His teammates clapped, patted him on the back, and reached out for high fives.
During the time Winston had been in the dugout and the changing room, the medical staff had kept everyone away while they examined him. The team had held off celebrating until they knew he was alright.
Winston smiled faintly.
"Thanks, guys."
He carefully lowered himself into his seat instead of dropping into it. Although the burning sensation had disappeared, his strength hadn't fully returned, and several muscles still ached.
Beside him, Oswin stirred awake. He rubbed his eyes before turning toward Winston.
"Yo, Wis." His expression quickly turned serious. "How are you feeling? I think you need to slow down. You've already scored a ton of goals."
Winston gave him a small smile. "I'm okay. I'm almost at the end of my plan, so I just need to hold on a little longer." He paused before asking, "By the way... what position am I in now? Did the players above me score today?"
Oswin unlocked his phone and checked the league statistics. "Lucky for you, Benjamin Kiliko didn't play." He turned the screen toward Winston. "You're second now. Sebastian is still first. He scored another two goals today."
He whistled softly. "You're on thirteen goals. He's on eighteen."
Winston let out a long sigh. "Damn... I need six more goals."
"Yeah," Oswin replied. "But I doubt he'll make it easy for you. Sebastian scores almost every match."
"Too bad we don't get to play against his team."
"Yeah..." Oswin's smile faded. "Maybe that's for the best."
Winston glanced at him. "Why? What happened?"
For a long moment, Oswin simply stared out the bus window. "I'll tell you another time," he said quietly. "Right now, I just want to focus on our last match."
Winston nodded. "Alright. Take your time."
It was the first time Winston had seen Oswin look so subdued, so he decided not to press the issue. He leaned back against his seat and closed his eyes. A member of the medical staff soon boarded the bus and handed him a glass of water with a fizzy tablet dissolving at the bottom.
"Drink this."
Winston nodded and drained the glass. Within minutes, a heavy drowsiness settled over his body. His eyelids grew heavier with every passing second. He fought to keep them open. But exhaustion finally won. His head rested against the window as he drifted into a deep sleep.
When Winston opened his eyes, he found himself standing in what looked like an endless afternoon. A cool breeze brushed against his face. He slowly sat up and scanned his surroundings.
The field stretched to the horizon like a golden sea, its tall grass swaying rhythmically beneath the wind. There wasn't a single tree in sight—only an endless expanse of waving grass beneath a sky that never seemed to change.
Confused, Winston began walking. Hours seemed to pass. Yet the scenery remained the same. Every hundred steps, the wind grew stronger.
At first, it was nothing more than a gentle breeze. Then it became a steady gust, forcing him to lean forward as he continued. After what felt like an eternity, two enormous mountains finally emerged from the horizon.
They towered over the endless plains like ancient guardians. The lush grass vanished at their feet, replaced by dry, cracked earth littered with scattered boulders. Here, the wind screamed through the valley like an endless whistle.
Winston pressed on. Each step became harder than the last. Eventually, exhausted, he stumbled behind one of the massive boulders and collapsed, using it as a shield against the relentless gale.
Time no longer existed. The sun never moved. The sky never darkened. Only the wind continued to howl. Without warning, its direction shifted. Instead of rushing past him, it blew directly toward him.
Each blast slammed into his body with terrifying force. Oddly enough, every gust replenished his energy... Only to overwhelm him moments later.
The stronger the wind became, the heavier his body felt. His chest tightened. Breathing became painful. Desperate, Winston dashed toward another boulder.
But the wind followed him. It no longer felt like a force of nature. It felt alive. Like a predator hunting its prey. The violent gusts battered his body from every direction. He raised his arms in front of his face, desperately trying to shield himself as the air crushed against his lungs.
He gasped. His vision blurred. Just as he thought his lungs were about to collapse—Winston jerked awake.
"Gah!"
He sucked in a deep breath and looked wildly around the bus. The familiar rows of seats, his sleeping teammates. The low rumble of the engine—relief slowly washed over him. He leaned back and exhaled, pressing a hand against his pounding chest.
What... was that?
It had felt far too real—this wasn't an ordinary dream. When the wind struck him, he had felt it deep within his bones.
As the sun rose, Winston didn't go back to sleep. Instead, he sat quietly, replaying the strange dream over and over in his mind.
When the rest of the team finally woke up, the medical staff gave Winston another examination. After checking his pulse, breathing, and temperature, they nodded to the head coach. The coach let out a quiet sigh of relief. "Looks like you're back to one hundred percent."
Oswin stretched in his seat before glancing at Winston. "Yo, Wis. How are you feeling now?"
"Better than ever," Winston replied with a smile. "Maybe all I needed was a long sleep."
"So..." Oswin grinned. "What's the plan for today? Still trying to score those six goals?"
"Yep."
Winston looked out the window. "It's better to try than give up. Who knows? Maybe a senior club will notice my hard work and decide to scout me."
"Too bad we won't have much time for a proper game plan," Oswin said. "We're only getting there an hour or two before kickoff. Coach will probably just run us through a few warm-up drills."
Winston nodded. "Who are we playing today again?"
"Hartford United." Oswin smirked. "The last match of the season... against the team sitting at the bottom of the league table."
"The irony."
"Haha, right? I was about to say the same thing." Oswin stretched again and let out a dramatic groan. "Playing back-to-back matches is exhausting. I hope it gets better when I make it to the senior team."
He sighed theatrically. "Man... I miss being with a woman."
Rolling his eyes, Winston couldn't help but laugh. "'Endure, and keep thy courage strong, Romeo.'"
Oswin immediately played along, placing a hand over his chest. "'I shall endeavor, though my heart, O brother mine, doth fade toward death.'"
The two burst into laughter. They laughed until they were gasping for air, drawing curious looks from their teammates.
"I didn't know you knew Duvet Blouque," Winston said.
Oswin puffed out his chest proudly. "I can recite his most famous poem word for word." He wagged a finger. "You forget that women love this cheesy stuff... especially the older ones."
"Right," Winston said with a grin. "I forgot you're a ladies' man."
"Damn right." Oswin flashed a thumbs-up. "And make sure you spread the word."
Before either of them could continue, the bus slowed to a stop. The head coach stood in the aisle and looked around at every player. "Alright, boys." His voice filled the bus. "This is our last match of the season. Let's make it our best one."
"Give everything you've got out there—but don't injure yourselves or your opponents." He folded his arms. "We're sticking with the formation you're all most comfortable with, so there won't be any tactical changes."
A smile spread across his face. "Now let's get out there... and bring home those three points."
[DAILY USER CHALLENGES]
[Goals: 00/01]