Davish's eyes blinked twice… the king, for all of these years, was still playing.

Playing for what? For whom?

The king was alone. Not just now, but even back when he was alive. Davish knew that what was behind the king was a weak child, someone who couldn't gain the social power unless he used what others liked.

Davish had been told that the king gained friends only a few months prior to his death. Just when he got the ball and started his first game.

The king was a good player, and the other kids started getting attracted to him.

The king climbed the social ladder of childhood with the help of a ball and talent, when Davish asked him to be his friend, getting rejected wasn't really weird… after all, he had a strong personality, something the king's deep, true self lacked.

Davish stared at the pair of glowing-green eyes staring at him.

"You can see me?"

The king asked, his glowing-green index pointing at his own face as if not believing that there were humans seeing him.

Davish stood frozen, his eyelids creasing up in thought of how to answer. It was the king. He had no hatred or jealousy in. He knew the king for an hour or two, he didn't have the time to hate him.

But…

But why was the king alone? Where had the other kids gone?

"I want to win," The king said. "I won't go unless I win."

Davish was silent.

It was that simple. It was so childish and simple, just like that.

The king wanted to win. What had a football game meant for him?

It had meant the way he had gained his first friends, with that ball that didn't disappear and with that strong desire of never losing a game, of never losing his essence- the thing that had made him a king to begin with.

"Play with me… I will win." The king slipped his foot under the ball and kicked it to his hand. "Or, are you scared of losing?" The king smirked.

He was the king for sure.

Davish chuckled, and stepped up, "I guess I'm partially responsible for your death."

Davish looked around, found two worn out building bricks. He slowly went and carried them and placed them on the street to make an illusional goal uprights.

He stood in the center. And amidst a whole set of crackling bones he half squatted prepared to get any ball.

"Make the rules, king!"

As Davish said that the king shook in his place, his ball fell from the tip of his finger and he stammered into words.

"K-king?" Said, his eyes wide. "How did you know me?"

"It's been a long time, its Davish. I guess you won't remember the person who told you to return home."

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And the king's lips froze… what to say, really.

The air flooded with concealed stress. Giving shoulders heaviness and emptying the minds, nothing to say. Nothing was there to say.

Just, the truth…

"I remember," said the king. He looked at his ball silently, the edges of his mouth shaking into a forced smile, and he slowly bent to take his ball.

"I wonder, if I had followed you, where would I have been today?"

The king asked, and Davish didn't hesitate to talk back.

"You would be dead, nothing different. Two years after your death, another bomb exploded, near your house… your whole family died, and many other families."

"Really?"

"Really."

"I wished to be a pro football player."

"Unfortunately, that wasn't your future."

The king bit his lower lip and his fingers squeezed on his ball. And after a minute, he placed it back on the ground. And slowly walked with the ball.

"Five shots, if I have five wins, I'll be satisfied."

"I won't be easy," said Davish, his smile forced as his damaged knee burnt.

The king's legs suddenly sprinted, his figure along with the ball became real ghosts in the dark, disappearing from a side and appearing into the other, and before Davish could notice, tha ball flew past him recording the first goal.

"Amazing"

"I know," the king instantly answered, his ball glowing back before his foot.

He retreated and shouted, "take this one!"

The ball was shot, was about to get out of the left brick of the goal but then slightly spinned in and made the second goal.

Davish's eyes widened, he was sure that the ball wouldn't make it. He didn't even make a move.

"That was a spining ball. I wished that one day I will use it to show off before a girl or two."

"I- I see."

Davish straightened his legs and prepared himself to jump even if he knew that he wouldn't make it.

The ball glowed on the king's foot again, and he sprinted then shot.

Davish jumped to the right direction, but couldn't make it. The ball escaped under his armpit before he reached the ground.

The fourth was a similar goal… and the last was Davish's win, or that what he had thought.

Davish instinctively extended his damaged knee to bounce the ball back, he screamed his lungs out. And the ball after strikining the edge of his knee passed past him.

The king laughed at Davish who hugged his leg as he rolled on the ground in agony. This was one of his worst pains. Something had just broken in his knee, something new.

But, then in a few seconds the pain disappeared and his knee returned to its less painful stage.

How?

He parted his lips at his knee. Slowly stood and moved it… something wasn't normal. If that wasn't illusion it would be a rapid recovery for sure.

The king grabbed his chest as he laughed… and his glowing-green figure began sharply rippling as if it was heated oil.

"Are you going?" Davish asked.

"I guess I am."

The king's laughter reduced into a smile, a genuine one Davish hadn't thought to see on his face…

"Thank you Davish… I hope you stay alive."

"Sure, I will stay alive, forever."

Davish didn't lie. Just like how he left the hell of flames alive, he will leave the hell of life when he got prepared, he wouldn't leave it for anyone, or anything…

Davish smiled as the flames flashed in his head again…

I won't repeat the same mistake.

….

The king's figure started disappearing from his feet and slowly rising up…

Both of them waited, until half of the king's chest disappeared.

The king's eyes blinked as if he remembered to ask something, "what happened to Alune?"

Davish widened his eyes for a second, then he couldn't help himself from laughing.

The king was disappearing, "tell me, I'm about to disappear."

Davish calmed himself down…

The blond boy, the scared blond boy who did anything to protect himself from a cancer that killed both his father and his youngest uncle… the first person to befriend Davish…

"He got cancer."