Kickoff begins and Arthur immediately charges at me. I hesitate but Jaylon steps in front of Arthur thinking he would stop. But he couldn't, Arthur had to sacrifice himself for the safety of his family. So he slams into Jaylon but Arthur isn't stable enough so he loses balance and falls. As he runs forward to the guy choking the lady he gets punched onto the floor. As his cheek kisses the cold grass, the field withers into rot, and the scent of mold invades his lungs again—he's no longer in the stadium. He's eight years old, bleeding in the house of ghosts.
Jaylon passes to me and I dribble past all of the defenders but Loki dashes in front of me. A young Arthur lays on the ground in a grim and broken house. Its roof creaks as the haunting wind touches it. Its wood smells from the fungus growing on it. As he lays on the floor he bleeds from his nose. He closes his eyes and prepares to sleep. I dribble past Loki and I wind up a shot but Chris blocks off my shooting course. So I passed to Jaylon who put his leg back ready to score the goal. Chris and Loki yell for mercy "NO."
A bloodied kid Arthur is laying down. He drowns in the deep black abyss and doesn't resist; he just accepts his fate. But the black abyss cracks when he hears the haunting screams of his siblings "NOOOOOOOOOO!" A kid Arthur gets up and rushes to where the scream originated. Arthur is on the side of Jaylon but can't reach him to block the shot. A kid Arthur rushes in front of his little brothers and sisters. Arthur blocks the shot with his face. A kid Arthur gets smacked by the man. Arthur falls to the ground with his hand on his face. A kid Arthur holds onto his face in pain.
As his past comes to the future it repeats back and forth. It reminds him of his purpose and reason for living. A kid Arthur gets up and yells at the man and pleads "Hit me instead, you bastard! I'll take the bruises for all of them! Just leave them alone!" Chris tries to help Arthur up but Arthur rejects handing over his noble sacrifice. Because that is the only thing that makes him feel alive. Like he's worth living. His purpose isn't to live but to give up his useless life for people who deserve it.
The ref blows for a free kick. And I stand ready and shoot the ball. Chris blocks the shot and passes to Arthur. Arthur dribbles past many defenders. Loki tells Arthur to pass but Arthur curses the boy with a look of death. His purpose keeps being threatened by these losers. And he rejects that. He hates that. Why can't they just let him destroy himself? Arthur tells Loki to shut the fuck up. And as soon as those words explode out of his mouth Michael rushes in front of Arthur.
A 12 year old Arthur is seeing his mother get hit again and this time instead of watching for his father to hit him, he charges at his father. Arthur charges at Michael. 12 year old Arthur punches his father and in turn Arthur nutmegs Michael. Michael reaches for the unreachable emperor in order to grab him and foul intentionally. His father grabs 12 year old Arthur by the neck and tries to choke him out. And his mother begs him to stop. Arthur asks himself "Why are you begging for him to stop? Worry about yourself. I don't matter enough for you to cry for my well being. Please stop crying and let me fulfill my purpose. Loki charges into Michael and stops him from grabbing Arthur. "I SAW YOUR PLAN EMO BOY!"
The police break into 12 year old Arthur's house and stop Arthur's father from choking him out and pins him down to the ground and arrests him. But Arthur looks in hate as he thinks to himself "Why does a man like him get to survive in prison. Kill him! Kill him like the animal he is! I've gotta kill him, because I'm just like him. A worthless piece of shit that doesn't deserve to live. I'll kill him and get rid of him." But Arthur doesn't do anything to end his dad as tears flow down his face. He falls to his knees as the relief of freedom causes his body to give up. A kid who tried so hard to appear strong finally tasted the feeling of relief. And for the first time in his life he gets the authority to cry. He cries for hours. His tears are a sign of his freedom. Something that he could not do without getting beat. He finally has the freedom to do it.
I ran in front of Arthur trying to stop him from shooting. But the emperor stares death in the eyes and gives up his life for his children. Arthur continues to shoot and makes me crash into him. As Arthur falls back, God reaches for him but his finger doesn't fully extend. He doesn't deserve paradise. His sole sin is being the son of such an evil soul. Arthur thinks of what he said to his siblings.
A kid Arthur talks to his siblings. They say they're worried about him. Arthur smiles and tells them that he'll always protect them and they don't need to worry about him. Because their big brother is their shield. The ball sores through the air as Arthur and I stare at it from the ground. Kid Arthur shuts the door and looks down with no light shining in his eyes "I wish to be cared for too." The ball flies past the goalkeeper and smashes into the goal. Arthur slams his hand onto the thorned earth. One arm reaches to the silent heavens. His lower half drags behind like a broken banner. And then—he roars. "GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!"
The Emperor has entered The Zone.