CrystalFeather didn't answer Daniel the next morning.
She went to training.
Not because she had changed her mind, but because she needed to be certain of it.
The scrim room felt the same as always. Monitors aligned. Headsets neatly placed. Coaches standing behind chairs with clipboards and habits built over seasons.
She played well.
Too well.
Her mechanics were clean. Her rotations precise. Her spell usage efficient to the point of predictability.
The coach nodded more than usual.
"Good control," he said. "You're learning restraint."
CrystalFeather smiled.
It felt wrong.
Midway through the scrim, a window opened.
A small one.
She saw it immediately.
Her instincts surged forward—then stopped.
Just like before.
The fight resolved without her.
A clean win.
Applause followed.
Someone clapped her shoulder. "Solid."
CrystalFeather removed her headset slowly.
That was when she knew.
After training, she didn't linger.
She didn't ask for feedback.
She didn't wait for the coach to finish his notes.
She packed her things quietly and left.
Her phone buzzed as she stepped outside.
A message from Daniel.
Nightwalker:Morning.
She typed back while walking.
CrystalFeather:I'm done playing safe.
Three dots appeared.
Then disappeared.
Then—
Nightwalker:Then come over tonight.
No questions.
No conditions.
Just direction.
When she arrived at the studio that evening, the door was unlocked.
The lights were on.
Daniel was already there, sitting at the long table with his laptop open. Zhou stood nearby, arms crossed, pretending not to stare.
CrystalFeather stopped just inside the doorway.
No grand entrance.
No speech.
She set her bag down.
"I'm in," she said.
Daniel closed his laptop.
Zhou exhaled slowly.
"That's a yes," Zhou said.
CrystalFeather nodded. "It is."
Daniel stood.
Not to shake her hand.
Not to congratulate her.
He simply said, "Sit."
She did.
The chair across from him wasn't special.
That was the point.
"City League registration closes in twenty-six days," Zhou said. "That's your timeline now."
CrystalFeather didn't flinch.
Daniel opened the roster document again.
For the first time, he typed a name into the second slot.
Mid: CrystalFeather
He didn't bold it.
Didn't decorate it.
It didn't need emphasis.
"This isn't a contract," Daniel said. "You can still walk away."
CrystalFeather met his gaze.
"I won't."
Daniel nodded once.
"Then tonight," he said, "we scrim."
Zhou raised an eyebrow. "With who?"
Daniel glanced at the empty slots.
"With whoever shows up," he said.
They moved to the training room.
Five PCs sat in a row.
Only two were occupied.
Daniel logged in.
CrystalFeather followed.
No countdown.
No warm-up speech.
Just the game loading.
As the match began, CrystalFeather played differently.
Not reckless.
Not cautious.
Intentional.
She stepped forward.
Missed once.
Adjusted.
The second cast landed.
Daniel noticed.
So did Zhou.
No one said anything.
When the match ended, Daniel leaned back.
"That's the timing," he said.
CrystalFeather's heart was still racing.
She nodded.
"I felt it."
Daniel smiled faintly.
"Good."
Outside the studio, the city lights flickered on one by one.
The roster still had three empty slots.
But now, the team had a center.
And for the first time, the countdown to City League felt real.