Chapter Two: The Practice Room in the Low Tide

Jordan was reading replay notes on a tablet, muttering to himself like he was reciting a liturgy. Marcus Reed, the coach, stood at the far wall facing a tactical board divided into five columns. No one stood up to greet him. That made it easier. “Sit,” Marcus said. Caleb sat. Marcus skipped the warm-up talk and brought up a projected replay. The team had scrimmed a European second-tier stack the week before. The opponents had won the lane pressure, denied map space, and made the first ten minutes feel like a slow collapse. By minute ten, the support wards were gone. Sentries were choking the paths. By minute fifteen, the enemy mid had found a Power Rune and turned it into a snowball.