It started with a sigh from Raihan. The kind of long, weary breath that wasn't just about fatigue—it was disappointment masked in calm.
"These guys are good," he said, tossing his phone onto the desk. "For boosting. For fast hands. But when it comes to real matches, pressure, decision-making—they freeze."
Vyr looked up from his screen. The analytics for AscendX were glowing green, but Raihan's tone was anything but celebratory.
"We're stalling in scrims," Raihan added. "We need miracles in some of these fights and they're not delivering. They're fast. They're skilled. But they lack... experience. Cohesion."
Vyr leaned back. He understood exactly what Raihan meant. The gap between service-based gameplay and competitive-level strategy was wide. Too wide for raw talent alone to bridge.
"So what do we do?" Vyr asked.
Raihan paused. "We bring back the old five."
The air shifted. Vyr knew exactly who he meant. Their original squad. The one from back home. The one that used to dominate before adulthood scattered them across careers and continents.
Vyr opened his budget sheet, ran the numbers. After all recent sales, tips, and some pending affiliate payments, he had more than enough. Enough to take a trip home, stay comfortably, and still have a decent buffer for operations.
"I can go," he said after a moment. "I have two weeks of leave saved up."
"You'd do that?"
"If we're building something real, I will."
---
The flight was long. Cold air, recycled coffee, cracked seat plastic. But Vyr didn't care. As the plane began its descent over his country's lush terrain, a strange calm filled him.
Home.
He stepped onto the tarmac like a man rewinding time. The city was louder than he remembered, but somehow smaller too. He moved through it like a ghost retracing old paths.
Raihan picked him up on a motorbike, helmet in one hand, wide grin on his face. "Ready to resurrect legends?"
They spent the first day scouting the city for a suitable bootcamp house. Eventually, they found a modest two-story home just off a quiet street. It wasn't fancy, but it had stable electricity, decent space, and enough rooms to set up PCs and sleep without stepping over gear. They leased it using money from a hesitant sponsor they'd secured days before—more of a gamble than an investment, but a start.
Then came the real work.
Recruitment.
---
Rakus.
They met him first.
The morning air in the village was crisp as Vyr and Raihan approached Rakus's family shop, a small but bustling place at the end of a stone alley. Rakus was hauling a sack of rice when he caught sight of them.
He froze, blinking once, then twice. "No freaking way."
Vyr grinned. "Thought we'd surprise you."
Rakus dropped the sack and rushed forward, pulling them both into a brief but tight hug. "Man, I thought I was hallucinating when Raihan messaged me."
They sat on a low bench outside the shop while Rakus's younger cousin took over the counter.
"So?" Rakus asked, arms folded. "What brings the old squad's core duo to my doorstep?"
"We're rebuilding Dominion Order," Raihan said. "Proper bootcamp, sponsorship, and the goal to go pro."
"And we want you as our roamer," Vyr added. "You were always the glue. The one who read the map, saw the plays before they happened."
Rakus chuckled. "Roamer life, huh? I figured I was more 'store runner' these days."
"We're serious," Raihan said. "We've got Airi returning as mage, Tenzin stepping in as EXP, Zee confirmed for jungle, and I'll handle gold lane. We need your leadership on the map. You're the shotcaller we built around."
Rakus leaned back, eyes scanning the quiet street. "You really think we can make it?"
Vyr nodded. "I don't just think—we're building something with systems, structure. And it's already moving."
Rakus sighed, then cracked a grin. "If I come back, I'm not just roaming—I'm running the field. Shotcalls, tempo, vision."
"That's exactly why we need you," Raihan said.
Rakus clapped his hands. "Then let's shake the dust off. One season. We ride."
---
Zee.
Next was Zee. Their jungler. The ghost. Always quiet, always deadly in-game. Now a freelancer buried in code and gig work.
They messaged him first. No response.
Then they showed up.
Zee opened the door with a half-sigh. "You guys are persistent."
"We're rebuilding Dominion Order," Vyr said. "We need you."
"I don't play anymore."
"That's not what your match history says," Raihan smirked, showing him the stats.
Zee rolled his eyes. "I'm not interested."
But Vyr stayed. He sat in Zee's cramped room, surrounded by half-finished projects, and talked.
About the dream. The purpose. The reason why Zee mattered.
It wasn't a speech. It was truth.
Eventually, Zee looked at him. "One month. That's all."
"One month is all we need," Vyr replied.
---
Airi.
The final piece.
Their mage. The shy, tactical player who saw the map like a puzzle. Her name was Airi. Back then, Vyr had harbored a quiet crush. She was calm, insightful, and played like poetry.
They found her teaching part-time at a tutoring center.
When she saw Vyr, she nearly dropped her pen.
"I didn't think I'd ever see you again," she whispered.
They sat at a cafe afterward. The sun dipped behind the clouds. She was still reserved, but something in her posture softened as they talked.
"I watch your progress sometimes," she admitted. "AscendX. The growth... it's impressive."
"I want you back," Vyr said gently. "As our mage. As part of Dominion Order. One season."
"I haven't played in months."
"You're still the best I know."
She smiled faintly. "You used to say that when we lost, too."
"I meant it then, and I mean it now."
She looked down, then met his gaze. "Okay. One season."
---
Tenzin.
Tenzin had once been Vyr's understudy—an EXP laner with raw talent and a steady demeanor. When Vyr left the team to pursue stability, Tenzin had stayed back, never quite stepping into the limelight.
But he had trained. Quietly. Relentlessly.
They reached out to him on the fourth day. He didn't need convincing.
"I've been waiting," he said, when they called.
He showed up at the bootcamp the next day, gear in hand, nodding like this had always been inevitable.
---
With Tenzin as the EXP laner, Zee in jungle, Airi as mage, Raihan covering gold lane, and Rakus as roamer, the core was formed.
Dominion Order was back.
---
Vyr's last stop was his real home—far from the city, nestled in the hills.
His parents were speechless when they saw him. His little brother clung to his arm. His old dog barked until his voice cracked.
He spent the final days walking the village, breathing the mountain air, telling stories, leaving quiet bundles of money in drawers and shelves.
"This is for the shop. For the house," he told his father.
"I came for business," he told his mother. But she held him like she knew it was more than that.
Peace wrapped him like a blanket. For three days, he wasn't Vyr the founder. Just Vyr, the son, the brother, the dreamer.
Then his time was up.
He hugged them tightly. Promised to call more. And left.
---
Back in Germany, work recognized him. The raise came quickly. His manager called him in.
"You're sharp, consistent, adaptable," he said. "You're going far. Give me time—I'll get you that promotion."
Vyr smiled. He was learning that power wasn't always about what you built. Sometimes, it was how you carried it.
He returned to his apartment, opened the AscendX dashboard.
Echo had already updated the team tracker. New bios. New match logs. New scrim feedback.
The empire was growing.
And Vyr?
He was becoming more than a founder.
He was becoming a leader.