Diamond settled into rhythm faster than Daniel expected.
Not because the matches were easy—but because they were predictable.
The same names appeared again and again. The same playstyles repeated, refined but familiar. Everyone here knew how to win fights. What separated them was when they chose to start them.
Nightwalker kept climbing.
Quietly.
Methodically.
Wins stacked without drama. Losses never came close enough to matter.
Diamond IV.Diamond III.
The ladder didn't push back.
It adjusted.
World Chat barely reacted anymore.
"He's still here.""Crusader hasn't dropped.""Guess that's just how he plays."
At Diamond, players stopped announcing surprises.
They accepted realities.
Daniel ignored the chatter.
The ladder no longer mattered as an audience.
The message arrived after midnight.
A private notification, not tied to any match.
CrystalFeather:Are you still online?
Daniel hesitated, then replied.
Nightwalker:For a bit.
Three dots appeared. Disappeared. Appeared again.
CrystalFeather:I rewatched that mid fight.The one near river.
Daniel waited.
CrystalFeather:You moved before I finished casting.You knew I would hesitate.
Daniel leaned back slightly.
Nightwalker:You always do.
A pause.
CrystalFeather:That's not a compliment, is it?
Nightwalker:No.It's potential being held back.
There was a long silence.
Then—
CrystalFeather:My coach says aggression gets punished at higher levels.
Daniel considered his reply.
Nightwalker:Only when it's blind.You see the window.You just don't step through it.
The typing stopped.
For nearly a minute.
Then—
CrystalFeather:If I stop holding back…I might fail.
Daniel answered immediately.
Nightwalker:Then you'll learn where the edge really is.
The conversation ended there.
No promises.
No plans.
Just a line drawn quietly in the mind.
The next few days passed without incident.
Diamond games blurred together. Nightwalker's presence became expected. Teams adjusted automatically when he appeared.
No fear.
No doubt.
Just respect.
Then, during a late-night queue, Daniel noticed a familiar ID again.
CrystalFeatherDiamond II.
Same role.
Same class.
Different movement.
The difference showed immediately.
She contested lane harder. Pressured cooldowns. Stepped forward instead of disengaging.
Once, she overcommitted.
Once, she nearly died.
But she didn't retreat next time.
She adjusted.
Daniel smiled faintly.
The match ended in their favor.
Afterward, another message appeared.
CrystalFeather:I tried it.
Daniel replied.
Nightwalker:And?
CrystalFeather:It felt wrong.And right.
That was enough.
Daniel logged off.
Diamond wasn't the end of the climb.
But it was where choices started to matter.
And somewhere ahead, beyond the ladder—
Teams were being built.