It was supposed to be a regular strategy meeting
Coach Hiroshi called everyone into the media room
Whiteboard ready
Tactics drawn
But the lights were off
And on the screen
A video started playing
No intro
No warning
Just a single shot of a football pitch covered in fog
Then a voice spoke from the darkness
"To Vortex
And especially to number 67
This is what awaits you"
The voice was unmistakable
Smooth
Mocking
And poisonous
Renji Kurogami
---
The footage jumped
Now it showed a match
Not a normal one
No refs
No crowd
Only steel gates and floodlights
It was Arcadia's inner circle match
Players wore black and red
No names
Only numbers
And Renji was in the center
He wasn't just playing
He was conducting
Every pass
Every feint
Every move was synced with the others
Like a hive mind
Like he had full control of all eleven
He didn't shout commands
He barely even moved his lips
But everyone followed his flow
One moment he was in midfield
The next he was behind the striker
Then suddenly back as a sweeper
He never stopped smirking
---
Then the video cut again
Now it was just him in front of the camera
Wearing the Phoenix Academy jacket
Hair slicked back
Eyes glowing faint yellow
"I see you're still hiding behind a number
Ghost boy"
He leaned closer
"Remember what I told you three years ago
That walking away from Arcadia was suicide?
Well I'm here to finish the funeral"
He paused
Then laughed lightly
"You're clever Reiji
But clever doesn't beat cruel
I'm going to show the whole country what happens when a ghost tries to walk among the living
They burn"
---
The video ended
No one in the room spoke for a few seconds
Leo was the first to say something
"Man… this guy's actually insane"
Reiji stood up quietly
He didn't say a word
Just walked out
Coach Hiroshi followed him
"You okay?"
Reiji didn't stop walking
"I'm fine
But I need training ground access
Now"
---
That night
Reiji trained alone in the rain
Footwork
Dribbles
Blind passes
Then again
And again
No music
No lights
Just the sound of the ball tapping the soaked grass
He remembered the Arcadia days
How Renji had always been one step ahead
How he used manipulation like it was a part of his boots
But Reiji wasn't the same boy anymore
He had faced betrayal
Silence
Being erased from Osaka
And still
He was here
The ghost hadn't disappeared
He had evolved
---
Later that night
Leo found him collapsed on the field
Soaked
Breathing heavy
But smiling
"Bro
You really tryna die before the match?"
Reiji opened his eyes slowly
"No
I'm just making sure
That when I meet Renji on the pitch
I'll be the one playing chess
Not him"
---
Meanwhile
Somewhere in a Phoenix facility
Renji watched Reiji's recent clips on loop
His smirk faded just a little
"Still unpredictable
Still annoying
But this time
I'll crush your chaos with order"
He turned to his coach
"Let Vortex use their best lineup
Let the ghost think he has control
Then I'll shut the light in his eyes myself"
---
The match was set for Sunday
National TV
Tickets sold out in minutes
And both teams were already heating up online
But only a few knew
That this match
Was more than just points on the board
It was a message
From the forgotten
To the elite