Winston woke up and glanced around the room. His expression immediately fell.
Not the infirmary again.
He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. However, as he looked around, his heart sank even further. Oswin lay on a bed two beds away from his, fast asleep. One of his legs was elevated above the mattress, encased in white plaster.
Winston hurried over to him. Standing beside the bed, he tried calling his friend's name, but Oswin didn't respond. "Oswin?"
He gently shook his shoulder, but there was still no reaction. Just then, Dr. Haruto walked into the room. "He won't hear you. I've given him painkillers that will keep him asleep for several hours."
"Oh, Dr. Haruto." Winston turned toward him anxiously. "How is Oswin? Is he badly injured?"
Haruto approached them. "No, it's not too severe. He's suffered a minor stress fracture in his tibia. With proper rest and treatment, he should recover within six to twelve weeks." Winston released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.
"Some of your other friends came by earlier to check on you and him," Haruto continued. He studied Winston for a moment before asking, "Speaking of which, how are you feeling? You fainted in the stands. Luckily, one of your friends caught you before you hit your head against the concrete."
Winston rubbed his forehead, trying to recall what had happened. "I don't know. My head started spinning, and I heard this fluctuating humming sound. It wasn't the first time I'd experienced those strange waves that intense. After a few minutes, my hearing became unusually sharp. I could hear players murmuring from quite a distance away."
He went on to describe the sensation in greater detail, explaining how the strange sounds had intensified before his consciousness faded. Haruto listened without interrupting. Once Winston finished, the doctor glanced at Oswin, who remained asleep.
"Is that so? Then let's discuss this in my office. We don't want to disturb your friend's recovery." Haruto turned and walked toward his office, gesturing for Winston to follow.
Once they were inside, Haruto pulled out a chair for him. "How far have you progressed in learning to sense and control your innate energy?" he asked. "What did you call it again? Nethen… Nethen something?"
"Nethen Essence," Winston corrected.
"Right. Nethen Essence. So, how much control do you have over it?"
"I think I've got the hang of it. I can channel it into my lower body, but I still can't direct it toward my upper body. Whenever I try, I start feeling sick."
Haruto frowned thoughtfully, "Then I don't think you've mastered it yet. You might be able to sense it and channel it to some extent, but that doesn't necessarily mean you have complete control over it."
He paused before continuing, "My guess is that when you saw your friend get injured, your emotions became too intense. That emotional surge interfered with your Nethen Essence, destabilizing it and causing it to flow uncontrollably through your body. That's probably why you fainted. Fortunately, your unusually fast healing ability helped you recover quickly."
Winston's eyes widened, "How did you know I could heal quickly?"
Haruto chuckled as he walked toward the coffee machine, "Kid, this isn't my first time treating your injuries. The first time, your recovery took me by surprise. But after we talked and you confirmed my theory about awakenings, I started paying closer attention to your condition."
He prepared two cups of coffee and placed one in front of Winston before taking his own seat behind the desk. Winston stared down at the coffee, his thoughts drifting back to the match.
Haruto watched him for a moment before speaking again, "You should focus on mastering your Nethen Essence. You need to learn how to control its flow so that it doesn't leak out whenever your emotions run high. And considering the sport you've chosen, you'll have plenty of situations in which your emotions will be tested."
"I understand. It's just that…" Winston sighed and looked toward the floor, "Could you please let me know when Oswin wakes up?"
Haruto studied him briefly before nodding. "Of course."
As Winston sat there, he began reconsidering everything Haruto had told him. Perhaps what he'd thought was control was merely the first step toward understanding how to channel his Nethen Essence properly. Until now, he'd believed he had a reasonable grasp of it. But had he really been in control?
The more he thought about it, the more he realized how little he actually understood. Whenever he channeled Nethen Essence, he'd never truly known where he was directing it. He simply pushed the energy into his lower body without identifying the precise muscles or areas he wanted to affect.
He'd been channeling it blindly.
Perhaps that was why he experienced pain every time he did it. He wasn't directing the energy properly; he was letting it flow wherever it pleased. After finishing his coffee, Haruto leaned back in his chair. "Don't worry. You'll be the first person I inform when Oswin wakes up. I suspect it'll be tomorrow."
Winston lifted his head, "Doctor, can't you use your medical magic to heal him quickly, like you did with me in your office back in Arlesey?"
Haruto gave him an incredulous look, "Medical magic? Kid, I'm a doctor, not a mage." He shook his head. "The gold needles I used on you help with muscles and related injuries. They can't magically repair a broken bone. Your friend needs time to heal."
He paused, allowing his words to sink in, "Right now, the best thing you can do for him is support him through his recovery."
"I know that." Winston lowered his head again. "But I should've been there. I should've declined Ethan's recruitment offer. I should've stayed with him."
The more he dwelled on the match, the more the memories from his childhood resurfaced. The similarities between the two incidents were too striking to ignore. Watching Oswin get hurt had stirred something deep inside Winston, bringing back feelings he'd thought were buried.
His blood boiled as he replayed the scene in his mind. Haruto noticed the change in his expression.
"How could you have known this would happen?" he asked calmly. "You can't predict every bad thing that might happen to the people you care about. Right now, all you can do is stand by your friend and help him recover."
He glanced at Winston, "You have three weeks left before the academy training ends. Make the most of them."
"I know." Winston rose from his chair.
Three weeks—the time remaining suddenly felt far too short. He still needed to reach Group A, and now Oswin would be out of action for weeks. By the time his friend recovered, the academy's training period would be over, and the scouts would have already evaluated the players.
Oswin's injury could ruin his chances of being scouted by a senior club. No club would want to take a risk on an injured player when there were plenty of other promising talents available. Even if Oswin eventually recovered, there was no guarantee he would return to his previous level of performance or maintain his academy rating. By the time he was fit enough to play again, other players might have surpassed him, leaving him with fewer opportunities to prove himself.
For a young player like Oswin, an injury at such a crucial stage of his career could mean the difference between securing a professional contract and being left behind.
Winston clenched his fists—then, just as he reached the door, an idea crossed his mind. "Thank you, Doctor."
Haruto nodded. "You're welcome. Looking after injured players is part of my job."
As Winston turned to leave, Haruto caught a glimpse of the anger in his eyes and the fists he was struggling to keep unclenched.
"Winston," he called.
Winston stopped and looked back.
"Keep me informed when you make proper progress with your Nethen Essence. I'd like to document your development in my journal."
"I will."
"And one more thing." Haruto's expression grew serious. "Don't do anything stupid that could jeopardize your football career."
Winston didn't answer immediately. He simply nodded before leaving the office, his mind already turning over the idea that had just occurred to him.
Winston stopped at the door, then turned and walked back toward the row of beds. He stood beside Oswin's bed for a while, silently watching his best friend sleep. I'm sorry, Oswin. I should have been there for you.
His gaze fell on the plaster encasing Oswin's leg. I promise you, they'll pay for what they did. For now, leave everything to me. I'll keep your place in Group A safe for these three weeks. And those who hurt someone close to me will regret the day they ever laid a hand on them.
Winston reached out and gently touched the edge of Oswin's bed. His fingers trembled slightly.
He still blamed himself for not being there when his friends needed him. He had chosen to accept Ethan's recruitment offer, leaving Oswin to face Lucas without him. Now, no matter how many times he replayed the events in his mind, he couldn't shake the feeling that he had failed his friend.
Just then, the training bell rang throughout the academy. Winston withdrew his hand. The sadness in his eyes gave way to a cold, determined expression. He clenched his teeth, turned away from Oswin's bed, and walked out of the infirmary.
He headed straight for the attacking dome.
The moment Winston stepped inside, several players turned to look at him. Their gazes followed him as he walked into the training area, but when he glanced back at them, the hostility in his eyes made many quickly avert their gazes.
Whispers spread through the dome. "He looks furious. I guess Oswin won't be joining us for the remaining three weeks of training."
"What will happen to his Group A ranking?"
"Do you think they'll remove him from Group A if his injury is serious? We haven't even been told how badly he's hurt."
"Let's wait and see. If they don't remove him, we'll decide what to do."
Another player, who had been listening closely, spoke up.
"Once they tell us the extent of his injury, if they decide to keep his place in Group A, I'm challenging him. We've only got three weeks left. I need to reach Group B or Group A if I want a better chance of being scouted by a big club."
The others nodded or exchanged thoughtful glances. With the academy's training period nearing its end, every remaining day mattered. A player's ranking could determine whether a major club's scouts considered him worth pursuing.
And an injured player occupying a valuable position was an opportunity some of them weren't willing to ignore. Across the dome, Sebastian, Lucas, Diago, and Diego sat together, watching Winston from the other side of the training area.
Winston paid them no attention. He simply found a place to sit and waited for the short, bald instructor to arrive.
Diago smirked as he watched him, "This is the first time I've seen someone faint just because another player got injured."
Lucas let out a dismissive scoff, "Hmm. He's weak. Serves him right for getting between Oswin and me. He has no idea what he's gotten himself involved in."
His expression twisted with disdain as he continued watching Winston. The four players exchanged glances before turning their attention back to him. Winston remained seated, his fists clenched on his knees.