“You Can't Breathe a Word..”

The hall fell silent after Darius stormed out. The team's eyes lingered on the exit, then shifted to Joe, who stood motionless, his eyes scanning them with an unreadable expression. The tension hung in the air, and for a few moments, no one spoke. The only sound was the faint echo of Darius's footsteps until he slammed the door behind him.

Then, Joe broke the silence with a clap. "Alright, let's get back to practice"We can't waste any more of our precious time." His voice was firm, but his eyes betrayed a hint of his stress.

The team hesitated, unsure how to react at the moment. but their silence only made Joe's expression harden

"Am I talking to ghosts?" he asked anger evident in his tone. With that, the team returned to their practice.

Joe turned and tapped Tyze on the shoulder. "Come with me," he said, as they walked away, leaving the team to wonder what had just transpired.

As they walked out of the room, Joe stopped and turned to Tyze. "Hey, Franco, can I talk to you for a minute?" Tyze nodded, curious about what Joe wanted to say.

Joe took a deep breath. "I wanted to apologize for what happened back there with Darius. He can be... intense sometimes."

Tyze shrugged. "It's okay, I think with time we're gonna get along. I can handle it."

Joe's expression turned serious. "No, it's not okay. He shouldn't have spoken to you like that. You're a part of this team now, and you deserve respect. Just ignore Darius's antics, okay? He's got his own issues to deal with. You focus on your game and being part of this team. Teamwork is priority. We must win."

Joe raised his fist, and he and Tyze smiled at each other for a few seconds.

Joe continued, "I've got your room ready for you. Just go get a shower, and your food will be brought to you. Just make your order."

Tyze interrupted, "Room?" as they made their way down the long, dimly lit hallway.

"I didn't like the idea of me leaving, and I told her I wouldn't come. I left while she was asleep... I gotta go meet her before she realizes I'm gone... that is, if she hasn't already," Tyze said, pulling his phone out of his pocket. He noticed she hadn't called. "She hasn't called, so maybe she doesn't know I'm gone yet."

He glanced at the screen and frowned. "No service?" He exclaimed, his eyes widening as he realized it was already a few minutes to 5 in the morning. "How long have I been here?" Tyze's eyes scanned the walls,like he was searching for a window.

Joe suggested, "Can't you just meet her tomorrow? You can explain that you had somewhere urgent to get to."

Tyze's pacing increased "I need to go, Joe. I have to talk to Sophia. She's going to be worried sick about me."

Joe's expression was calm but firm. "Tyze, it's late. You can't leave now. The premises are secured by this time. No one leaves till morning, Just chill, Tyze. You can talk to Sophia some other time. She'll understand."

Tyze asked, "What about a phone or something? Any way for me to reach her?"

Joe replied, "Yeah, that's not allowed here. Even if you had one, this place jams every signal."

Tyze's eyes narrowed. "You don't understand, Joe. I left her without telling her where I was going. She's going to think something terrible happened to me."

Joe placed a hand on Tyze's shoulder. "Tyze, trust me. You can't leave now. It's not safe. Just focus on the training, and you can catch up with Sophia later. You're here now; you might as well make the most of it."

Joe chuckled. "That's what I would have been doing if I were you."

Tyze took a deep breath, a hint of resignation in his voice. "Okay, then I guess I'm gonna have to come up with a good lie by morning."

Both Tyze and Joe laughed lightly, the tension momentarily broken. "Well, you've got some time to think of a good one," Joe said, grinning.

Tyze shook his head, a wry smile on his face. "Yeah, I'll need it. Sophia's not exactly the easiest person to fool."

"And I can't even imagine how she'd react when I tell her I was actually here at the "Heaven's Courts". She's gonna be..."

"Whoah, Whoah, Whoah, lad, no that's not advisable at all," Joe said, his eyes stern. "You can never tell anyone about this place. Never."

Tyze's eyes widened, taken aback by Joe's sudden intensity. "What do you mean? Why can't I tell anyone?"

Joe explained, "Well, you didn't know about its whereabouts or even if it existed... what do you think the others before you have been doing?"

Joe pointed at the bracelet on Tyze's wrist. "Look, that's why those guys put that bracelet on your wrist."

Tyze's gaze fell on the bracelet, and he touched it again, as if he had forgotten about it. "Oh yeah, about this... I forgot why is it on me?"

Joe's expression turned serious. "That's a tracker, Tyze. A tracker and a blocker. It keeps your location hidden from the outside and blocks any attempts to reveal the existence of Heaven's Courts... but in a helpless way."

Tyze's eyes widened as he rubbed the bracelet. "What do you mean? Why do I need this?"

Joe leaned in, his voice low. "Because, Tyze, you're now a part of something much bigger than you think. Something that requires secrecy and protection. You can't just walk out of here and tell everyone about what you've seen. The world isn't ready for this, and some people will stop at nothing to keep it hidden... Some have even given their lives for it."

Tyze looked concerned. "Okay, I get it. I won't tell anyone, but I don't understand why I get a tracker on my wrist. I didn't see any on the others' wrists," Tyze said as he began trying to take it off, but it only seemed more stuck, making him grunt in effort.

Joe's expression turned grim. "Look, that isn't going to leave your hand like that. Once we get to the exit, they'll take it off."

"Okay, then let's move to the exit then," Tyze said as he began to walk away from Joe.m down the hall ways

Joe rushed and took Tyze by the arm, turning him back. "You don't get it. I've been waiting for the right time ti tell you. The few hours that bracelet was on your wrist, it implanted a... 'Silencium Seed' into your vein."

Tyze's eyes widened in alarm. "What the fuck is that?"

Joe's voice was firm. "Listen to me, lad. Once you reveal this location to anyone, that little seed in your vein goes off immediately. And that's it..."

They stared at each other in silence for some seconds. "You can't breathe a word about Heaven's Courts to anyone."