The Strategist Behind the Screen
The rec room in Westdentia's North Dorm was alive with flickering screens and thundering sound effects, the smell of pizza rolls faintly lingering from a late lunch. A dozen students had gathered for a casual tournament—one of those unofficial, word-of-mouth battles where reputations were forged in lag-free silence. And at the top of the leaderboard, like always, sat Liam Reinhardt.
Liam, with his relaxed posture and fingers flying across the controller, looked every bit the calm champion. He wasn't just good. He was elite. Every killcam, every escape, every precision move—flawless.
Beside him sat Louis, his twin and eternal rival-in-arms. The two of them were legends in Westdentia's underground gaming world. Where others needed warm-ups and hours of practice, the twins logged on, cracked their knuckles, and dominated.
"Reinhardt Twins are back at it again," someone muttered from the back.
Liam gave a half-smile, his eyes not leaving the screen. "Was there ever a time we left?"
Louis snorted. "They think we practice. Cute."
The truth was, the twins didn't train. Their synergy was built from years of late-night co-op sessions, tag-teaming every game imaginable, and reading each other like mirror images.
But even in the middle of this adrenaline-fueled chaos, Liam's mind wandered.
He thought about his sister.
Leina. The baby of the family. The girl who used to crawl into their parents' bed after a nightmare, clinging to Giselle and begging for a bedtime story, with sound effects and dramatic voices. Who once insisted her teddy bear was secretly a warrior in disguise. The same little sister who now stood on stages and gave speeches, commanding rooms in ways Liam never could.
He admired her. A lot more than he said out loud.
And lately, he'd started to feel... distant. Not because he didn't care, but because he didn't know how to bridge the gap between where she was and where he stood. He was a gamer. A strategist. A master of digital realms. But Leina? She was navigating a world of politics, competitions, and reputation battles far scarier than any final boss.
The match ended in a victory. Applause and groans echoed around him. Louis leaned back, stretching.
"Wanna do a rematch?"
But Liam didn't answer.
His phone buzzed.
A message.
Leina's debate group sabotaged. She's shaken.
No sender name. Just urgency.
His gut twisted. His heart dropped.
No second-guessing. No hesitation.
"Game's over," he said abruptly, tossing the controller aside.
"Whoa, what—?" Louis started.
"I have to go," Liam said, already grabbing his coat. "It's Leina."
And in that moment, the strategist behind the screen became something more. Not a gamer. Not a twin.
A brother, racing toward the one person whose battles mattered more than any leaderboard.