In a Parallel World.
The roar of the Miami crowd still rang faintly in Lionel Kessi's ears long after the final whistle.
December 31, 2028: Messi's last professional match. A day the world would remember forever.
He stood alone on the sun bruised turf of DRV PNK Stadium, hands tucked in the pockets of his jacket as the fans slowly filtered out.
Even now, after forty one years of life, he never got used to the way stadiums felt once they emptied. How the passion turned into silence, how the shadows stretched across the pitch like memories refusing to fade.
At the far end of the field, Lionel Messi was signing autographs for the final few supporters. He looked almost unchanged from the boy Kessi grew up with.
Compact frame, calm eyes, that gentle smile that made him seem like he was apologizing for being better than everyone else. At forty one, he still carried a spark that defied time.
Kessi felt it again, that familiar twist in his chest. The one he never admitted to anyone.
He had trained harder than anyone he knew. As kids, he had woken up before sunrise, juggling a worn ball until his legs shook. He fought through youth divisions, tried to force open doors that refused to budge. But talent was a wall he could not climb, no matter how badly he wanted it.
Messi was born with wings.
Kessi learned to walk behind him.
But he stayed. Through La Masia, Barcelona, PSG, Miami. Through every triumph and heartbreak. He supported his brother the only way he could: analysis, small advice, late night film study, letting Messi know he didn't have to carry the world alone.
The ceremony ended. Messi jogged over, sweat glistening on his forehead, eyes a little red from emotion.
They embraced. No words at first, they never needed them.
"Gracias, hermano," Messi murmured. "For everything."
Kessi swallowed. "You gave the world something only you could. I just followed along."
Messi chuckled softly. "You were always more than that."
They walked into the tunnel together. Messi waved at the fans inside, smiling politely, but in the quiet of the corridor he let out a slow breath.
"It feels empty," Messi admitted, voice barely above a whisper.
Kessi nodded. "You filled the world for more than twenty five years. That kind of silence hits hard."
Messi looked at him. "What about you? You could still coach. Take over an academy. You see things others don't."
Kessi laughed, trying to lighten the mood. "Maybe. Or maybe I'll stay behind you one more time. Some habits don't break."
In the locker room, teammates crowded Messi, hugging him, lifting him on their shoulders. Kessi slipped away to a quiet corner. He took out a small, worn photograph from his wallet, two boys in Rosario, grinning with all their teeth, both running with hands on shoulder of each other.
Once, they stood on the same starting line. Life had simply run faster for one of them.
A single tear slipped down his cheek.
"Just once," he whispered to the empty space around him. "Let me run with you as an equal."
The world trembled.
Not metaphorically but literally.
The ground shifted beneath him, vision blurring as if someone grabbed the edges of reality and twisted. The noise of the locker room faded, replaced with a strange ringing. His body felt weightless, stretched thin, pulled through a space that didn't belong to the earth.
He tried to breathe, but the air wasn't there.
Then, nothing.
And immediately he felt some warmth.
Kessi opened his eyes to soft morning light filtering through an old window. The smell of bread and damp earth filled the air. He sat up sharply. He was lying on a bunker bed. His knees were close to his chest.
Too close.
He climbed down the ladder to come down from the bunker bed, heart pounding. Posters of Maradona covered the faded yellow walls. Toys lay scattered across the floor: plastic cars, marbles, a half deflated ball.
This room. This air. This feeling.
"Rosario," he whispered.
He ran to the mirror. The boy reflected there was twelve years old with round cheeks, wide dark eyes, messy hair. It was him. But from another lifetime.
The door cracked open.
"Lionel, are you awake?" his mother called gently.
Celia entered, younger and lively, her apron dusted with flour. But it wasn't her that froze Kessi in place. It was the small boy peeking from behind her legs.
His twin.
Lionel Messi at twelve was tiny, curious, holding a toy car loosely in one hand. Innocent. Brilliant. The same spark in his eyes, still soft and unfocused, waiting for the world to shape it.
"Kessi?" Messi asked, tilting his head. "Were you yelling in your sleep again?"
Kessi's throat tightened. Without thinking, he rushed and pulled Messi into a fierce hug. Messi stiffened, surprised, then tapped his back awkwardly.
"It's okay," Messi said. "Bad dream?"
Kessi nodded, voice cracking. "Yes"
Celia smiled. "Breakfast is ready. After that remember your father wants you at the club later."
With that said Celia left and Messi started juggling the ball that was in the room.
Kessi stared down at his small hands which were unscarred, unburdened. The wish he made in that empty locker room… had broken time.
A soft chime rang in his mind, clear as crystal.
[Celestial Pitch Interface: Awakening]
Blue text appeared in his vision: gentle, precise, without drama.
[User: Lionel Kessi]
[Age: 12]
[Timeline Regression: Confirmed]
[Original Life Memories: Integrated]
Kessi froze.
[For the system to attach with the user. The user has to make a choice]
A system text appeared in front of his eyes, like ink settling into water.
[Steal Lionel Messi's talent and become what Messi was in your previous lifetime. You will have all his ability. Messi will lose all his abilities.]
[Yes/No]
For a long moment, Kessi couldn't breathe.
He saw stadiums, trophies, the weight of history. All within reach. A life he had only dreamed of.
And then he looked at Messi. His twin. His other half. The boy who trusted him without question.
Kessi didn't hesitate.
"No," he said firmly. "I can not do that, I can not steal from my brother what belongs to him. Football is his life, he will not be able to live without it. "
The red glow faded.
[You have passed the system test. The question was a smoke bomb laid so that we can determine whether to bind with you or not.]
[You have awakened the Twin Gods of Football System.]
[Starting Reward Granted: 1 Lottery Token]
[Stat Panel Activated]
[Train. Grow. Rise and become the best footballer alongside Messi.]
The interface dissolved.
Messi unbeknownst to all of this continued juggling the footballer. But when he saw Kessi staring at him he gave a smile that Kessi would remember for all of his life.
His choice was absolutely the right choice, he couldn't afford to hurt his brother ever at any cost at all.
Kessi stood there, breathless.
This time… I'll climb with you. Not behind you. But alongside you brother.
Outside, the Rosario sun rose slowly over the rooftops.
And in a small room in a modest home, two boys unknowingly took their first step toward becoming the twin gods of football.