"Gah!"
Demien's eyes flew open as his lungs burned for air. His body tried to jerk up but collapsed back down, and his chest heaved as if he had been underwater for minutes.
The fluorescent light buzzed above his head, and it was too bright and wrong. He blinked at white ceiling tiles and found himself counting without thinking. He counted twenty-four across and sixteen down. His throat felt like old leather when he finally caught his breath.
The beeping next to his ear matched his racing pulse, but something was wrong. It was dead wrong.
A sharp antiseptic smell hit him next. It mixed with the scent of rubber gloves and that hospital smell that made everything feel as if it might disappear. He tried swallowing again, but his mouth stayed dry.
Then memories crashed into him harder than the car. Rain fell on Manchester streets. Horns screamed warnings. The taste of blood filled his mouth. His phone screen glowed with impossible words before darkness took everything.
The hospital room felt too real as his mind woke up piece by piece. Thin blankets scratched his skin. The IV tube pulled at his arm when he moved. His neck ached when he turned his head. Every muscle felt stiff as if he had been still for hours.
How long had he been here? Where was here exactly?
Voices drifted through a curtain beside his bed. Italian voices spoke in low and worried tones. He recognised the words, but he had not heard them in years.
"Il dottore dice che potrebbero esserci complicazioni permanenti," the man said in a careful, official voice. \[The doctor says there could be permanent complications.]
A woman's voice cracked as she tried to stay strong. "Quanto tempo per il recupero completo?" \[How long for complete recovery?]
"Sei mesi minimum, forse di più. La cartilagine del ginocchio è gravemente danneggiata." \[Six months minimum, maybe more. The knee cartilage is severely damaged.]
Demien's breath stopped cold. He knew that voice. It was the broken sound he remembered from when she fought cancer and still believed everything would work out.
It was his mother.
She was the woman who had died three years earlier in his real life, the woman whose hand he had held in cancer wards while she faded and his marketing success meant nothing.
She was here, and she was alive, and she was crying about his broken knee.
Memory hit him like lightning. It was March 2022, the day after the tackle that had killed his dreams at seventeen. Football had just begun to return to normal after COVID when everything ended for him. This was the moment when she would learn that her son might never play again.
"Madonna," he whispered in Italian, meaning "Holy Mary."
He tried to sit up. White lightning shot through his knee so hard that his vision blurred. He fell back on the pillow, his teeth locked tight, and he breathed through his nose.
The curtain slid open softly.
She stepped through like a ghost made real. Her eyes were red, but her chin stayed high, and she wiped her face before he could see the tears. Her dark hair sat in the tired ponytail he remembered. Her hands were rough from cleaning offices at night so he could chase balls in the day. It was the same worn jacket she had had for years.
Seeing her alive broke something in his chest that had been frozen.
Tears started flowing down his cheeks without warning. He had no control and no adult calm. Raw feeling poured out of him as if a dam had broken.
Her eyes widened with worry. "Demien, why are you crying? Does something hurt?"
"I missed you so much, Mamma." The words came thick with everything he could not say.
She moved closer, confusion on her tired face. Her warm hand found his and squeezed gently. "Missed me? Dear, I was only gone twenty minutes to talk with the doctor."
He wanted to tell her about watching her die in beds like this. He wanted to tell her about building his career while trying to save her. He wanted to tell her about dying alone on Manchester streets while rain washed his blood away.
Instead, he forced what looked like a smile. "I had a bad dream, that is all."
She smoothed his hair back like she had done when he was small and woke from nightmares. "Shh, dreams fade. Sleep more and you will feel better."
She sat in the plastic chair beside his bed. It was the same uncomfortable furniture that every hospital had. "What did you dream about, treasure?"
"Football. About playing again."
Her face lit with the mother's certainty he remembered. "You will play again. The doctor says healing takes time, but you are strong. You are stronger than any injury."
She stood up and fixed her jacket that had seen too many washes. "I will go home now and bring proper food. Hospital pasta tastes like cardboard." A small smile touched her lips for the first time that day. "Coach Martinelli is coming this afternoon to check on you. Roberto and Francesco want to visit as well."
His throat tightened when he heard the names of his old teammates. They were boys he had pushed away after his injury. In his grown life, Roberto and Francesco had both made it big, and they were full internationals for Italy who played for top clubs. He had been too proud and too bitter to remain their friend.
"That sounds good, Mamma."
She leaned down and kissed his forehead, and her lips were warm on his skin. "I will be very quick. I will also call Grandma to tell her that you are awake and talking."
"Tell her I love her."
"She has lit candles for you every single day. She says the saints owe her many favours by now."
After she left, quiet filled the room except for the machine beeping. Demien stared at the ceiling tiles and tried to handle the heavy truth that settled on him.
She was alive and really breathing and worried about him. She was the same woman who had given up everything for football dreams that had died with one tackle.
Something caught his eye. His old phone sat on the bedside table, and its screen glowed softly. It was the same device from 2022, but something about it was different now.
On a white background, a single line of text appeared that turned his blood ice cold.
「Hello, Demien.」
Those were the last words he had seen before the car had hit him. It was the final message on his cracked screen as sirens had filled the Manchester night and his life had bled onto the cold street.
His hand shook as he reached for the phone. He tapped the glass with a trembling finger.
Colourful shapes burst across the screen like party confetti and then faded to nothing. New text appeared in clean letters.
「Congratulations on your successful regression.」
Ice flowed through his blood. He stared at the impossible words and then typed with shaking fingers.
Who are you? How is any of this possible?
The response came instantly, as if it had been waiting for his question.
「I am the Ultimate XI System. I exist to help players reach their true potential through dedication and effort.」
His marketing brain kicked in despite everything around him. It sounded like a sales pitch his agency would make.
What exactly does that mean?
「You earn improvements through real world actions. Training sessions give you skill boosts. Competitive matches unlock new techniques. I reward hard work with better performance.」
And what are the limits?
「Your physical body determines what you can safely handle. Improvements take effect immediately, but they require genuine training to integrate naturally. If you push too hard too fast, then you risk serious injury.」
A new message appeared with a soft gold frame.
「As a welcome gift for your second chance, you may claim a fixed reward: Legendary: Total Recovery. You also have a Starter Pack: 9 Common Stat Cards, random and position weighted.」
Two buttons appeared and pulsed with soft light: ［Open Starter Pack］ and ［Claim Legendary］.
Demien stared at the choices and felt his heartbeat climb. He selected the first one.
The screen filled with a quick fanfare. Nine white-backed cards arranged themselves in a grid. He tapped them one after another, and a soft chime sounded with each reveal.
**Common Short Passing +1** → Short Passing 61 → **62** **Common Ball Control +1** → Ball Control 60 → **61** **Common Vision +1** → Vision 59 → **60** **Common Composure +1** → Composure 58 → **59** **Common Acceleration +1** → Acceleration 61 → **62** **Common Stamina +1** → Stamina 59 → **60** **Common Agility +1** → Agility 58 → **59** **Common Balance +1** → Balance 60 → **61** **Common Reactions +1** → Reactions 60 → **61**
The screen recalculated his status.
「Minor improvements applied. Overall recalculated: **56 → 58**.」
His breath shook out of him in relief that felt close to joy. The numbers were small, but they were real.
He tapped the second button.
「Before applying Legendary: Total Recovery, would you like to view your current profile?」
Show me.
A window opened.
```
PLAYER PROFILE
Name: Demien Walter
Age: 17
Club: AC Florentina (Academy)
Nationality: English/Italian eligible (youth registration)
Preferred Foot: Right
Primary Position: CM (can play AM/RW in youth)
STATUS
Overall Rating: 58
Condition: Limited
Medical Flag: Left Knee – ligament damage (acute)
Form: Low
Morale: Unstable
ATTRIBUTES (key only)
PACE: Acceleration 62 | Sprint Speed 60
AGILITY/BALANCE: Agility 59 | Balance 61
STAMINA/PHYS: Stamina 60 | Strength 57 | Jumping 55
TECHNICAL: Ball Control 61 | Dribbling 59 | Short Passing 62 | Long Passing 58 | Finishing 54 | Long Shots 55 | Crossing 56 | Curve 56
MENTAL: Vision 60 | Composure 59 | Reactions 61 | Positioning (Att) 57 | Work Rate (Att) Medium | Work Rate (Def) Medium
DEFENSIVE: Interceptions 55 | Defensive Awareness 55 | Standing Tackle 56 | Sliding Tackle 53
SET-PIECE: Free Kicks 52 | Penalties 54
INJURY EFFECTS
- Mobility penalty applied (knee)
- Explosiveness penalty applied (acceleration)
- Training cap reduced until recovery
```
「Apply Legendary: Total Recovery now?」
Apply it.
Heat bloomed deep in his left knee as if someone had lit a warm fire in the joint. It was not painful, but it was overwhelming and strange. The feeling spread through the damaged parts and rebuilt everything from the inside out like a kind of magic he had never believed in.
He gripped the metal bed rails with white knuckles and bit his lip hard to keep from yelling. The heart monitor beside him began to beep much faster as his pulse rose with the healing.
Warmth flowed through his whole leg like liquid sunlight, and then it slowly faded to a steady and comfortable hum deep in the bone.
"Dio mio," he breathed in Italian, meaning "My God," and he moved his knee joint carefully.
The joint moved smoothly and naturally. There was no grinding that had hurt for months. There was no stabbing pain that shot up his leg like electricity. There was no weakness or wobbling at all. There was only natural and easy motion as if the injury had never happened.
The screen updated again.
「Injury status cleared. Mobility and explosiveness penalties removed. Training cap restored. Legendary passive applied: **+2 Overall**. New Overall: **60**.」
He tapped **Profile** again to make sure the number was real. A fresh window opened with the updated boosts marked.
```
PLAYER PROFILE
Name: Demien Walter
Age: 17
Club: AC Florentina (Academy)
Nationality: English/Italian eligible (youth registration)
Preferred Foot: Right
Primary Position: CM (can play AM/RW in youth)
STATUS
Overall Rating: 60
Condition: Fit
Medical Flag: Cleared
Form: Low
Morale: Stabilising
ATTRIBUTES (key only)
PACE: (+1) Acceleration 63 | Sprint Speed 60
AGILITY/BALANCE: (+1) Agility 60 | (+1) Balance 62
STAMINA/PHYS: Stamina 60 | Strength 57 | Jumping 55
TECHNICAL: Ball Control 61 | Dribbling 59 | Short Passing 62 | Long Passing 58 | Finishing 54 | Long Shots 55 | Crossing 56 | Curve 56
MENTAL: (+1) Reactions 62 | Vision 60 | Composure 59 | Positioning (Att) 57 | Work Rate (Att) Medium | Work Rate (Def) Medium
DEFENSIVE: Interceptions 55 | Defensive Awareness 55 | Standing Tackle 56 | Sliding Tackle 53
SET-PIECE: Free Kicks 52 | Penalties 54
NOTES
- Injury effects cleared; mobility and explosiveness restored.
- Training cap restored.
```
"Sixty," he breathed, letting out a shaky laugh as the reality settled. The numbers were not just on a screen. They were in his body now.
He put both feet on the cold floor and carefully tested his weight between both legs with growing wonder. The left leg held firm and strong without any pain signals or weakness. He rose a little from the bed and then sat back down, completely shocked by the total absence of any pain.
"It feels perfect," he whispered in real wonder, and he moved his knee again.
「Healing process complete. Avoid high intensity activity for forty-eight hours while the enhancement integrates with existing muscle memory patterns.」
Footsteps echoed in the hallway outside his room and grew closer with each second. Multiple voices were coming, and one sounded deeper and more official, while younger voices spoke in excited tones. Coach Martinelli was with Roberto and Francesco.
Demien quickly lay back properly and pulled the blanket over his legs. He made sure he looked as if he had not moved. The last thing he needed was for them to see him standing when he was supposed to be bedridden with a shattered knee.
The door handle turned with a soft metal click that made his heart skip.