Chapter 64 – The Whisper of Ambition
The small village of Penedono was bathed in the soft glow of morning light. The mist clung to the rolling hills, weaving through the clusters of stone houses as if reluctant to leave. For the villagers, it was just another quiet day, marked by the crowing of roosters and the sound of wooden carts rolling over cobblestones.
But for Jota, this morning carried weight.
His legs still ached from the weekend's regional match, yet he felt restless. The memory of the crowd's cheer—small, modest, but loud enough to echo in his chest—lingered with him. It wasn't a stadium, not like Porto's or Anfield's in the past, but the passion of the people in Penedono had stirred something inside him.
As he buttoned the faded shirt his mother had washed the night before, he caught his reflection in the small cracked mirror. The boy staring back at him looked ordinary, almost frail, yet within his chest beat the heart of someone who had once stood among giants.
