Elijah's heart hammered as he walked through the tunnel under Geneva's Arena. The neon glow from Obsidian's logo pulsed on his jersey. Above the roar of arriving fans, the Interface reminder blinked:
"Side-Quest: Execute Resonance Pulse in Live Quarterfinal Match."
Behind that lay the main quest: "Quest: Conquer Zephyr Vanguard in International Cup Quarterfinal."
Focus 63, Stamina 6, Confidence Mythic, Teamwork 79, Game Sense 1, Flow Mastery and Resonance Pulse unlocked—these stats felt heavy in his mind. He took a deep breath, recalled the drills, and whispered his mantra: "Focus." The countdown to match start echoed through his headset.
Pre-Match Calibration
In the practice booth, Forge and Kayzen reviewed Vanguard's VODs on the holo-screen. Vanguard favored Rift Crossing, a map of narrow alleys and high cliff overlooks. Forge turned to Elijah: "They group heavy on East alley—two flashes, one molly. We hit them with a single-anomaly push using two Resonance Pulses: first at breach, second at bomb plant."
Elijah nodded, mentally mapping out the pulse timings. He sketched them on the digital whiteboard:
Pulse #1 at 0:12 for breach—surprise entry. Pulse #2 at 0:38 during plant—secure retake window.
He calculated Stamina cost: 2 per Pulse, total 4, leaving him at Stamina 2. He added a mental-reset cue between pulses. As he closed the board, the Interface pinged:
"Sub-Quest: Plan Dual-Pulse Strategy – Complete."
+1 Focus (64).
Round 1: Testing the Waters
Vanguard opened on offense. Sound and color washed over him as the match began. Rift Crossing's East alley buzzed with enemy footsteps. At 0:10, Forge gave the signal. Elijah tapped mic: "Resonate in three… two… go!"
Time slowed for Obsidian's five. Kayzen and Sparkline surged through alley, Grenades arced perfectly. Ghostblade flanked roof, Raze smoked behind them. Bomb plant within twenty seconds. Vanguard scrambled a retake; Elijah muted the urge to use his second pulse, trusting pure calls. They lost the retake 3–6. Confidence wavered, but Teamwork felt solid. The Interface logged:
"Round 1 Complete – No Stat Change."
Round 2: Synchronized Strike
Obsidian switched defense. At 0:15, Vanguard attempted a split push—one through East alley, two through West tunnels. Elijah counted heartbeats, then triggered Pulse #1. Five synced slow-motion entries pinched the split, trading kills methodically. He dropped a final headshot through smoke, securing a 6–4 defense win. Stamina fell to 4. Interface:
"Round 2 Won – Stamina –2 (4)."
Round 3: Crisis of Stamina
Midway through Round 3, Elijah's headset crackled: Forge's voice urged a second Pulse. But his mind swam as Stamina hit critical. At 0:22, his vision blurred—he miscounted and triggered the second Pulse too late. The team hesitated on site; Vanguard reclaimed control and took the round 4–6.
Elijah's chest tightened. The Interface warned:
"Warning: Stamina Critical – Focus Penalty If Overused."
His Focus blinked—no buffer left. He'd pushed beyond his limits.
Moment of Fracture
Between rounds, Vanguard's announcer hype played over loudspeakers. Obsidian's booth felt suffocating. Sparkline's eyes met his: questions and concern flickered there. Elijah forced himself to breathe. The side-quest reminder glowed:
"Side-Quest: Rally Team Morale Under Duress."
He tapped mic: "Team, we pushed hard and burnt reserves. We adjust: one Pulse for the rest of the map, rely on communication and rotation timing. We've done this before—breathe, queue, execute."
Raze cracked a grin: "Let's hit 'em old-school." Sparkline thumped his shoulder. Ghostblade gave a curt nod. Confidence hesitated, then steadied. The Interface rewarded composure:
"Side-Quest Complete: Rally Under Duress – +1 Teamwork (80)."
Round 4: Adaptive Mastery
Elijah held back Pulse entirely. He called out early info pings: "One West tunnel—rotate East in 5." The team flowed like liquid metal—Sparkline entry flashed perfectly, Ghostblade held post-plant flank, Raze molly covered rotations. 6–3 win. Stamina ticked up thanks to mental-reset micro-breaks: 5. Interface:
"Round 4 Won – +1 Focus (65)."
Round 5: Echoes of Flow
In Round 5, Vlad from Vanguard lurked a deep flank. Elijah felt the alley footsteps echoing in his mind—Flow Mastery emerged unbidden. He slipped into that state: breathing slow, heart calm, senses sharp. Even without Pulse, he anticipated the flank and called it—Kayzen rotated behind and traded the kill. Bomb plant followed. 6–2 win. Interface:
"Round 5 Won – +1 Confidence (still Mythic), +1 Flow Sense."
His HUD displayed a novel stat bar shimmering under "Game Sense": Flow Sense +1/5.
Final Push
Leading 3–2 in the series, Obsidian needed just two rounds. Elijah balanced two playstyles: one Pulse-free and one micro-Pulsed for critical moments.
Round 6 (6–4 Win): He triggered a single Pulse at the bomb plant for retake dominance—Stamina fell to 3. Round 7 (6–5 Win): No Pulse; pure zero-lag comms and late-round meta rotate call sealed the series 4–3.
As the final kill flashed on the screen, Geneva's crowd erupted. Obsidian had conquered Zephyr Vanguard. The Interface glowed:
"Quest Complete: Conquer Zephyr Vanguard – +2 Focus (67), +2 Teamwork (82), –2 Stamina (1)."
"New Side-Quest Unlocked: Recover Stamina Through Off-Stream Rituals."
Elijah breathed in relief and pride. He'd broken his limits, learned balance, and led his team through fire.
Post-Match Reflections
Back in the team lounge, Forge raised a bottle of sparkling water: "To controlled power and unity." Kayzen clinked bottles with him. Sparkline and Raze traded high-fives. Ghostblade quietly handed him a cloth for his damp forehead. Elijah realized that the burn—his sacrifice of Stamina for team advantage—was part of the transformation.
Yet he knew the next challenge: replenishing his reserves and keeping leadership sharp. Act II's trials had only begun. He whispered to himself, "My rise comes through breaking—and through healing."