The noise of the arena backstage was deafening.
Aries walked down the concrete hallway, his heavy equipment bag slung over his shoulder.
He walked fast.
His face was a mask of pure hostility, daring anyone to get in his way.
He turned a corner into a dimly lit section of the corridor.
He saw a tall shadow standing near the wall.
Aries stopped walking.
His pupils dilated.
Two steps away, Elias Beck stood perfectly still.
He was wearing the black and white uniform of the NSN team.
Elias looked thinner than he did two years ago.
His skin had a sickly, pale undertone to it under the fluorescent lights.
Their eyes met.
The noise of the crowd outside seemed to vanish entirely.
Aries' heart slammed against his ribs, a frantic, painful rhythm.
He dug his fingernails into the thick nylon strap of his equipment bag.
Elias opened his mouth slightly.
He looked like he was about to say Aries' name.
Before the sound could leave Elias' throat, Aries forced his face into a sneer.
He stepped forward, closing the distance.
Aries dropped his shoulder and slammed it hard into Elias' chest as he walked past.
The physical impact was heavy.
Elias, caught off guard, stumbled backward.
His shoulder blades hit the concrete wall behind him.
Aries stopped a few feet away and turned his head.
He looked Elias up and down with absolute disgust.
"Did Europe kick you out like a stray dog?" Aries asked, his voice dripping with venom.
A flash of raw pain crossed Elias' eyes.
He did not say a word.
He just pushed himself off the wall and stood up straight.
The silence made Aries' blood boil.
Elias was not even going to defend himself.
A staff member yelled from the end of the hall, telling the players to get to the stage.
Aries turned his head and spit on the floor near Elias' shoes.
He walked away without looking back.
Twenty minutes later, Aries sat in his soundproof booth on the main stage.
He looked across the stage to the NSN booth.
Elias was not sitting in a player chair.
He was standing behind the team, holding a clipboard.
He was just a tactical coach.
The realization hit Aries like a slap to the face.
Elias did not even think Aries was worth playing against.
Aries lost his mind.
The game started, and Aries ignored every single team strategy they had practiced.
He bypassed the minion waves and walked straight into the enemy jungle.
He locked his eyes on River Bowman, the rookie medic starting for NSN.
Aries played like a ghost.
He threw his character at River, taking massive damage just to secure the kill.
River panicked.
The rookie's hands were shaking, his character missing basic movements.
Every time River respawned and walked back to the lane, Aries was waiting in the shadows.
Aries killed him again. And again. And again.
It was not a match; it was a public execution.
Aries' kill-death ratio climbed to an absurd number.
He dragged his team to a brutal, bloody victory purely through mechanical terror.
The game ended.
Aries ripped his headset off.
He stood up and looked across the stage.
Elias was looking right at him, his expression completely calm.
Aries raised his right hand.
He dragged his thumb slowly across his own throat.
