Training continued as always—
Physical drills.
Ball control exercises.
Tactical rotations.
But in this weather?
The routines turned brutal.
The cold cut through lungs with every breath. Muscles stiffened. Fingers ached. The pitch itself felt like a slab of frozen earth, punishing every stride.
Except for Julian.
Where others shivered, he burned. The heat of his soul power coursed through him like a hidden furnace, keeping his body loose, sharp, alive.
The winter air that strangled his teammates only made him feel more awake.
For everyone else, it was hell.
For Julian, it was home.
"Damn, this weather's killing me," Leo muttered, his breath steaming white. Sweat beaded on his forehead only to freeze almost instantly in the wind.
Riku grunted, forcing out push-ups on the icy turf. "It's not just skill anymore… the next match might come down to whose body holds out longer."
