Frank choked. "Lucas’s plan? Spite Noelle?" he muttered, shaking his head.

The match began. Noelle watched Team Luminark's predictable collapse. Lucas's temper exploded. He launched a frantic attack, but Xenia faltered, leaving them exposed. Miss after miss.

"Xenia! What the hell? Shoot the enemy! Are you blind?!" Lucas roared.

"I'm trying! But they're on me!" Xenia cried, frustrated.

The enemy closed in.

"Snipe their mage! Hit him!" Lucas yelled, his voice cracking.

"I am! They're guarding him, and nobody's covering me!"

"You're the gunner! Noelle would have—" He stopped, the unspoken truth hanging heavy in the air. They all knew.

Xenia's voice broke. "I'm trying my best! What more do you want? You got us ambushed!"

"Excuses!" Lucas snapped, near tears himself. "We were worse off in the revival match, and Noelle pulled us through! You said you could handle this…" His voice trailed off, the weight of his regret crushing him. Had he truly believed her? Had he been blinded by her previous performance?

Xenia's training had been a sham. The crushing depth of Lucas's regret was immeasurable.

Xenia sobbed, trailing behind the team. They lost. A crushing defeat.

Lucas slammed his keyboard. He glared at Xenia. "You play like shit! This isn't practice! You're not even half as good as Noelle!"

The comparison stung, but it was true. He saw now, truly saw, how much Noelle had carried him. Without her, it was chaos. Without her anchoring them, the team was lost.

Xenia was stunned. She'd never seen him like this. Noticing the cameras, she quickly wiped her tears. "I'm sorry. I tried!"

"Crying won't fix this!" Lucas snapped, barely containing his rage.

He looked up. Noelle was in the VIP section. His face fell. Shame washed over him. He was nothing without her. He needed her far more than she needed him. The broadcast cut to Noelle.