A Collision of Hearts and Heroes

Chapter 22

A/N: Baka may magtaka sa inyo. In MPL, women and men are placed in separate groups—but this is purely fictional; I did not base it on reality.

Clarissa's POV

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Have you ever felt completely certain about your life—only to wake up one day with a sudden, unsettling feeling of doubt? 'Yong maayos ka naman sa buhay mo ngayon, pero biglang parang may gusto kang maabot. 'Yong tipong may gusto ka pang patunayan sa sarili mo. The feeling when you yearn for more—perhaps, a desire to explore.

For years, I handled the responsibilities of managing both the resort and our company simultaneously. During that time, I was content and never questioned if it was truly what I wanted—because from the start, I knew I was destined here. And I was filled with profound satisfaction—a feeling of achievement that now feels beyond my reach.

Noong una ay hindi ko naman pinangarap na maging isang ganap na professional player. This was never part of my plans; in fact, it never even crossed my mind. I've always been content with just being a streamer. But now, there's this sudden urge for something more.

I have been questioning myself for quite a long time now: Will I be okay if I go after being a professional player? Will it bring me satisfaction? The only way to find out is to take the leap and try.

Pero hindi ko alam paano. Ang laki ng hinahawakan kong responsibilidad ngayon at hindi ko ito kayang isakripisyo. Sigurado rin akong pagagalitan ako ni daddy kapag nangyari 'yon. He has entrusted me with the responsibility of managing our company, and I can't afford to disappoint him. I've seen how upset Dad got with Kuya before, and I really don't want us to experience that kind of thing ourselves.

Nakakabinging hiyawan at palakpakan ang sumalubong sa akin pagkapasok sa venue ng tournament. Some waved their inflated long balloons and banners hysterically while cheering loudly for the players. Mukhang sobrang init ng labanan dahil sa ingay ng mga tao. Hindi pa 'to championship, pero sobra ang pagiging hype ng mga tao.

"Here po," one of the watchers spoke to me.

Tinapik niya ang bakanteng upuan sa tabi niya. I murmured a thank you to her before taking my seat. Unfortunately, I missed the start of the game because I had to finish some work before coming here. Over the past five years, I rarely attended Kuya's games because I was always so busy. Kung makakapunta man ay palaging late o aalis lang din pagkatapos ng dalawa o tatlong laro.

Sa nagdaang taon ay marami ang nagbago na hindi ko napapansin. There are times that I hadn't even realized that I was already walking down the path of adulthood. Sa pagiging okupado ng oras ko ay hindi ko namamalayan ang paglipas ng panahon. When exhaustion takes hold and I find myself lost in the void of my thoughts, that's the only moment when the vastness of change dawns on me.

"Shit, nabuhay pa," I mumbled, staring at the screen.

Obienna is eagerly attacking Lethal Legends' base, but the marksman still able to escape and is doing the defense. Obienna is still complete, so I guess they can end it. Kaso nga lang hindi pa na mega. Minions lang sa middle lane ang meron.

"Si arcy nalang ang natira, pero si remson papasok ata. At naubos nga ang Lethal Legends. Obienna paved the way, and the dynasty continued!!" Sunod-sunod na sabi ng caster, tunog nag ra-rap.

Isinigaw ko ang pangalan ng grupo nila kuya kasabay ng kanilang mga fans. Sa kabila ng kasiyahan namin ay malungkot at naghihinayang naman ang pumanig sa kabilang grupo. That marked the last game for Lethal Legends. With their elimination, they now take their final bows.

"Deserve! Yayabang kasi," iyong katabi kong babae ang nagsabi.

I shrugged it off. Matagal nang may alitan ang Lethal at Obienna sa hindi malamang dahilan. Most of Lethal's players are arrogant, so out of all the groups, they are the ones who always have issues. Despite all of the trouble, their fans disregarded them and proceeded to bash Obienna instead. Na kesyo problematic daw ang Obienna o ano pa man 'yan.