Under the dim glow of stadium lights blurred by the night's mist, two names were once chanted with pride. A mixed doubles pair—swift, sharp, and nearly flawless. Every shot had rhythm, every step aligned without a single cue.

But beyond the game, reality was never as perfect as the scoreboard.

Eiren cheated. One small betrayal shattered a trust built over years. They broke up—not because the love had faded, but because the wound was too deep to ignore. Silence blanketed the court that day. No shouting, just two gazes that no longer searched for each other.

Yet she remained in badminton. She didn't walk away from the only place that made her feel alive. She chased perfection—not to prove anything, but to keep her wounded heart busy.

Eiren—drenched in overdue regret—began to return. Not as a partner, but as a shadow lingering on the sidelines. Watching. Waiting.

One night, long after practice had ended and the air had turned cold, he stood alone at the edge of the empty court.

"I know I'm too late... too stupid to leave the one thing that mattered most," his voice cracked softly. "But I'm still here, even if you don't want to see me. Because waiting for you... that's the only thing that still makes sense to me."

She didn't reply. But her steps were steady, back turned to Eiren, refusing to falter—though her chest trembled.

They kept training. Sometimes crossing paths, sometimes only sharing silence. But the looks that once held love still left behind the faintest ripple.

As the big tournament approached, they trained harder. No longer as lovers, but as two stars that happened to shine under the same sky.

And that night, the fog crept in like an unwelcome nightmare. Smoke thickened around the court, hanging eerily in the air. She coughed, eyes narrowing. Eiren moved in quickly, his gaze sharp with unease.

"This isn't normal fog... Don't stray too far from me," he whispered, grabbing her hand.

They tried to find a way out, but their steps grew sluggish. The world blurred, sounds faded, then—

Someone emerged from the haze, swift as lightning—covering their mouths. Darkness. Silence. Collapse.

Eiren awoke with a dry cough. Thin smoke still hung low, stinging his nose with the scent of metal and damp earth. Wet leaves clung to his skin, and the hum of strange insects replaced the roar of stadium crowds.

He jerked upright, his head throbbing. Then—his eyes landed on her, lying motionless on the damp ground, hair tousled, face pale.

He stumbled forward, knees weak, hands trembling as they brushed her cold cheek.

"Wake up. Hey... this isn't funny—not here."

His eyes darted around—dense undergrowth, twisting roots, the fog refusing to lift.

"This isn't the court, not an extra training drill... this is something else."