The night carried a strange calm.
After training with Fabio, Julian checked his stats.
➤ +1 Agility.
➤ +1 Stamina.
A small number — but in this world, even one point was a battlefield won.
Sweat still clung to his skin as he left the campus gym. The city outside was quiet, painted in silver by the moon. The air held that faint May warmth that whispered of summer — of endings and beginnings.
A stray breeze brushed past, carrying the scent of asphalt, salt, and grass — the smell of a city half-awake. The sound of his sneakers against the pavement echoed softly, each step deliberate, measured, like the ticking of a clock only he could hear.
Three more months until the season closed.
Three months to carve his next step.
When he returned to his apartment, he didn't turn the lights on.
He sat on the edge of the bed, body still pulsing from the grind, mind sharp as ever.
