Team Riversight vs Team Echelon 1:1

“This has truly been an amazing series so far, but something's telling me it's not going to last much longer—"

“Look! They're TP'ing inside their base!” The other caster interrupted in excitement.

But that wasn't the only teleport channeled. Marius, in the heat of the moment, reacting out of pure instinct, went for the enemy's nexus all by himself. Meanwhile, I and the remainder of my team had to defend as long as possible, buying time for Marius to end the game.

“THEY'RE GOING FOR A BASE RACE!” both casters screamed in sync at the top of their lungs, as the crowd roared in undefinable noises. I couldn't understand a word, but the power of their voices resonated within me.

As I saw the enemies approaching, cold sweat trickled down my forehead. Knowing they were a mid- and top-laner, while I was left with Veezer, our support, this would be a hard fight.

“Axer is going for a backdoor mission on his own; is this really the right call? He's putting everything in his teammates' hands!”

“Yes, Noir needs to somehow land a double combo on them, or they're done for!”

My heart raced; my fingers – I couldn't even feel them anymore. The adrenaline blinded my senses, maxing out my reaction speed at the cost of composure. The game I'd played for years, where I felt more alive than in reality, now felt foreign.

“Guys, I will finish. You can do it!” Marius's voice, though calm, betrayed a hint of tremor. He was a great player, but nerves had gotten to him aswell.

“Focus Aatrox!” Veezer yelled repeatedly as his Deathsentence went wide. I agreed; Zed was too mobile for my, or rather Lux's, predictable spells. I observed Zed's movements, unsure if he aimed for the nexus or to eliminate me first.

I didn't have time to look at Marius. All I knew was that his teleport-ward was located in a bush near the enemy's base, so it would take a while before he could even reach their nexus. Although Camille would undoubtedly destroy it faster than Aatrox or Zed would destroy ours, there were just too many variables to consider. My mind spun in circles, grappling with every possible option, but time was running out. It felt like a blackout. It was as if all the knowledge I had relied on in the past washed away with the tides as I ran after it, trying to catch it, but drowning in the sea instead.

Then it happened...

As I tried to flash behind Zed, aiming for a surprise angle on both him and Aatrox–

“WHAT?! Noir just flashed into Aatrox! What is she thinking?!”

My hands had been too slow. While casting my Light Binding I pressed Flash too fast, ending up with my cursor still hovering in the direction I'd been aiming at before.

“Zed is going to finish! Zed will finish!” The caster's voice boomed through the arena, followed by the collective gasps of the audience, quickly turning into loud jubilation. I felt like the whole world was against me.

“What?! What are you doing?!” Veezer's yells mirrored my internal frustration.

“I wanted to–” As I spoke I realized that it didn't matter anymore. I didn't even keep using my spells at that point. Aatrox just combo'ed me to death like a cat that was playing with a mouse playing dead.

I fucked up. Marius wasn't even at the nexus yet, and it was already over. He had trusted me, and I disappointed him. Everyone would lose because of me! And the worst part? Who would possibly want me on their team now? No team in the world would be reaching out to me! It was miserable watching me play. All that time I had waited for my chance, not realizing it would be my downfall. Now, everyone knew that I was nothing but a loser.

Panic coursed through me as I bolted upright. Looking around I realized I was all by myself. The bed on the other side was neatly made. I sighed as I began to understand it had all just been a dream – or rather my biggest nightmare imaginable.

Immediately after, my eyes darted to my phone. My gaze locked onto its black screen, waiting for a sign of life. I'd been meticulous, setting five alarms to ensure I wouldn’t oversleep. Yet, an uneasy feeling lingered.

Please, not now. Not today.

I held my breath, hoping it hadn't died on me. Seconds stretched agonizingly long as I awaited a response.

If I were late, someone would've woken me up already, right?

By now, I accepted I must've forgotten to charge my phone amidst yesterday's chaos. Adrenaline kicked in as the worst-case scenarios went through my head.
With trembling hands, akin to a surgeon performing a brain surgery, I plugged the charger into my phone. While time wouldn't magically change from my awareness, this information was crucial. Besides answering the big question 'Am I too late?' it would also determine how I would have to organize my morning routine.

Number one on my priority list was taking a shower. Even though I'd showered before bed, last night's restless summer hours must've left me looking disheveled. In fact, I was certain I looked like shit.

And honestly, I wouldn't care too much about it... if it weren't for everyone from the league community watching me today. Though it might be an exaggeration, that's 100% how it felt to me and there was no way convincing me other whise.

Still awaiting my phone's revival, a realization hit me like a gleam of light in the dark. Once more I felt like an idiot.

Opposite my bed, the digital clock read 13:43.

Blood surged through me, waking me fully. Just seeing those numbers on the screen had such a significant impact on me, only afterward realizing exactly what they meant.

Now, a jolt of relief surged through me, quickly overshadowed by the sting of regret. I wouldn’t miss the game at 15:00, but a new challenge emerged.

Typically, I needed many hours to transition from a foggy haze to a state where even the faintest sound didn't feel like a hammer to my head anymore. Given the situation, my usual sluggish mornings were a luxury I couldn’t afford today. It made me panic.

I couldn't remember the last time I found myself in this kind of situation. There were no such unexpected events in the safety of my room back at home. I'd perfectly planned out everything – from my morning routine to grinding in solo-queue and the rituals before bedtime. While I knew that the safety net of habits I'd woven around myself couldn't withstand all the storms of the outside world, having my morning routine disrupted felt like tearing away the very foundation of my existence.

Rushing through a brisk, cold shower, the icy water served as a shock to my system. It was the kick I needed. Luckily, I didn't have a panic attack this time. I simply didn't allow myself to waste even a minute, since that would have ruined my timing completely. While I couldn't control when the anxiety would strike, I had learned ways to manage it. With every droplet of water that rained down on me, memories of therapy sessions, coping mechanisms, and breathing exercises flooded my mind.

Where had all of this stuff been yesterday? I asked myself as one of my former therapist's voice echoed through my head. Miss Heizenmatt-Lind didn't say much, rather she just looked down upon me with her usual derogatory expression. She was the most incompetent person I've ever witnessed. One might say her “therapy” had caused more damage than it had done good. Perhaps it hadn't done any good at all.

'It's going to be fine,' she said, then blamed every single one of my problems on my mother and gave me some medication that would never solve anything.

"And you? Where have you been?!" I turned my head towards Lux. She was about 1 feet tall and sat on my shoulder, trying to avoid the droplets from above. Her dodging skills were pretty good, as her hair stayed dry, but that wouldn't alleviate any of the anger I felt towards her.
Lux shrugged her shoulders, giving me a somewhat sad look as if she wanted to say 'sorry.'

"A real friend, huh?!" I hissed at her. "Now you don't even talk to me anymore... Guess you're no different than them after all."