Passage of Time (1)

The wind had a frosty bite on them at this current time of the year. The wind howling menacingly in the distance sent shivers down everyone's core. Yet this atmosphere couldn't fluster this group's mentality. Even in this rough weather, individuals were carrying on their business on an open grass field.

But it was clear all these individuals weren't wholeheartedly devoted to their tasks, as some individuals would zone in and out from their drills. A man shook his head as he noted all these details in his heart, it wasn't hard to discern why this group of players lack focus. These men were Le Havre locals, all individuals that supported Le Havre AC since birth, the grim mood following the first team's repeating poor results had affected the mentality of these young individuals.

There was less noise on the pitch than usual, probably the weather and everyone's performances reflected that. The manager wasn't actually here for a training session, no one knew the reason but he was abruptly notified at the last possible moment.

Kai took everything in practiced by himself on the sideline. Whilst training, he inspected the teenagers carrying on their drills with a lethargic attitude, but he didn't bother reporting his teammates' laziness to the coaches. It wouldn't do much good as the atmosphere here had a doom and gloom and even gave him a dejected mood. Kai released a puff of air, lessening the tension that he had been holding within as he looked into the distance.

He could see the clouds were grey and thick as they marched to the west. The sky in the west had a unique hue, the entire landscape resembled a gentle hue. "Graneros."

Kai released a low sound, mirroring the scene before him.

It was just so beautiful.

He could see the destination, he turned around and continued his journey, never forgetting the task at hand. But thinking back, he felt bitter as there was a sour taste lingering in his mouth. How quickly time flies, from the unknown part-time youth player that helped with the Le Havre youth side to the trusted academy starboy. Kai could hardly believe how time changed. Everything went by in such a rapid blur, but for the time being he would live in the present. For now, that was all that mattered.

He stamped on the football with his boots as he inspected the ball from different angles. Has time gone by this fast? Had a year gone just like that? Kai still remembered when he transmigrated back to the past, back to 2008. And now a year flashed by, 12 months flashed by, 365 days flashed by. It wouldn't be long until a new year welcomes his second life.

It seems so absurd to Kai, but no sooner had he finished the thought, as he heard the clattering of players' boots on the gravel around him. He turned around, his pupils narrowing to an extremely sharp contrast.

"Oh god. Descroches! Are you ok?"

Kai saw the kid going down in front of him.

"Yes," he confirmed as Descroches lay on the grass with a limp. His chest expanded and contracted at such a rate that surprised even himself.

"Lay down. Catch your breath."

He urged him to calm down, his heart had been racing since their incident.

"Damn it, boy, give me that ball. Thank god you didn't break your ankle."

Kai rolled the ball underneath his arm, it was cold, but at the moment it was more important to see that Descroches was alright. He pushed the boy back onto his feet, but then he changed his mind.

"COACH LANIER! LANIER!!"

A rattled bald coach came rushing to the player as he made sense of the situation.

"Huh, what the..."

There was rare laughter from the players as they observed the bemusing event. Seeing their teammate being carried by Coach Lanier in a princess style would go be forever ingrained in their memory.

Descroches laughed as his sides swelled with laughter. "Uh, this has to be a dream, right?"

"Stop talkin' so much. Just stay still. I'm just worried."

"About what?"

"About if your ankle is broken or something. And these straps you're wearing on your leg. I swear they are glued to you. "

"Pffft. Who cares?"

The trip to the medical centre was a familiar one, you could say Descroches was a regular here as he proudly declared he was a "buddy-buddy" with everyone working in this humble building. Lanier didn't even need to explain the reason for his visit as the instant the staff noticed Cléments Desroches, they could more or less guess the purpose of their visit.

Blanchefleur "The Cracker" Dennel was a woman of high credentials. Despite being only middle-aged, she wavered incredible respect and admiration from her fellow peers as she gained the lofty status of 'Head Doctor' in Le Havre AC. As for the reason why she is nicknamed "The Cracker" was because she specialised in the medical field: chiropractic. Blanchefleur used her experience to work miracles, especially in patients suffering from sprains and injuries caused by footballers.

Blanchefleur examined Descroches with a critical eye, her brow furrowed as she took in his ankle. She touched the raw skin with a thumb and her other hand took Descroches arm and pulled it to the side. She checked his bones for any damage. In seconds she confirmed her suspicions.

"It's nothing serious, just a sprain. He should be back in 10 days."

Lanier wished to swear. Vulgar words came like a floodgate as he cursed the gods for being so cruel, to him at least.

"Madame Dennel, can you... you know... work your magic?"

Blanchefleur nodded her head, but her face expressed an expression of sadness and regret.

"Lanier, don't worry, I'll get him a strong pair of crutches so that he can be up and around much faster than he'd be normally able to."

"Thank you. It means a lot. Thank you so much."

Blanchefleur smiled back at him, although her expression was tinted with pity.

"Don't mention it."

Lanier sighed, his day just got worse, but at least he could see Descroches limping and making a speedy recovery. With a huff, Lanier straightened his clothes as he left Blanchefleur's private office. He had left the player in the careful hands of their best doctor, there wasn't much a coach like him could offer regarding medical advice.

As Lanier walked through the wide front entrance of the medical centre, the coach could have sworn he heard a faint yell. He knew it was Descroches. Being nicknamed "The Cracker" was more of a slander than anything else, probably because of how much pain her patients go through under her "messages". But if it works, it works.

Under the cold illumination, Lanier strolled across the club ground as he treaded his way back to the training pitch. It was unusual for him to have too much involvement in the daily training of players, but something came up in the last instance and he was called up to fill in for Manager Marley. God knows what the manager was up to as the pot-bellied fellow rarely missed a training session.

As Lanier came within viewing distance of the pitch, he noticed the players were clearly working on their drills, albeit he could feel the subtle gazes that were sent his way. Probably it was curiosity above all else as they dread to know the condition of their fragile teammate. But the coach ignored him as he made a straight march towards someone he long grew familiar with.

"How was it?" The player asked as he continued observing the players in front of them.

Lanier scratched his head as he considered how he should word his reply. "Not as bad as I feared. 2 weeks at most."

The man raised his eyebrows, his voice becoming serious. "Is he going to make it back before our next match?"

Lanier stayed silent, he didn't need to say anything else. "It doesn't matter, we are a team. One player can't change the match."

Kai didn't reply. The answer was as clear as day, there was not a slither of a chance they would risk aggravating the injury. A sprain was already a relief for them, and his presence wouldn't be thoroughly missed as a speedy recovery would be on the table.

The two men stayed silent for a while before Kai parted ways with Lanier, joining the players as he diligently performed his drills. Lanier had his eyes raised for a few moments as he noticed some players making some clear and obvious mistakes that they wouldn't normally make, but the baldy resisted his urge to get shouty. He didn't want to add any unnecessary extra pressure on his players, not to mention he might deteriorate the mood further.

But there was solace from Lanier as he noticed Kai is as focused as ever. The player is not in the least distracted by what is occurring.

Kai was diligently training alone. But if someone close to the Asian were to look at him observantly, they would notice the player is actually staring into space. For others, they would think Kai is daydreaming, but for the diminutive player, he is staring at none other than his system.

'System Status' Kai voiced in his head as a futuristic panel appeared before him. He wasn't concerned as he realised that no one but himself can noticed the system's existence. Kai eyed the information displayed before him, he had long grew used to the system now.

[ STATUS ]

[ Host: Kai Chiu ]

[ Evaluation: A player making his first steps in the professional game. Your journey has just begun. ]

[ Player Points: 250 ]

[ Achievements: ... ]

[ Attacking: 9 ]

[ Defending: 12 ]

[ Technicals: 11 ]

[ Mental: 11 ]

[ Physical: 12 ]

Then suddenly, something unexpected happened before him. Kai had always wondered what is the purpose of the [ Player Points ]. At first he suspected it is just something that measures his ability. But over the past year, Kai realised his suspicion must be wrong. It was only on this day that Kai realised the true meaning of player points.

[ Requirement Fulfilled! ]

[ 250 Player Points Reached ]

[ Do you wish to purchase a Lucky Draw? ]

[ 250 Players Points would be deducted upon purchase ]

[ Yes/No ]