Time suddenly had a price.
And for Chinedu…
Every second now mattered.
The Countdown Begins
Six weeks.
That was all he had.
Six weeks to prepare for the England Youth Trial.
Six weeks to prove he belonged on a global stage.
Six weeks to change his life forever.
Coach Adeyemi wasted no time.
"We start today," he said firmly.
"No excuses. No distractions."
Chinedu nodded.
"I'm ready."
But deep down…
He knew readiness wasn't just physical.
Training Like Never Before
The sessions became brutal.
Morning runs before sunrise.
Ball control drills under pressure.
Tactical simulations.
Strength and conditioning.
Everything was sharper.
Faster.
More demanding.
Coach Adeyemi pushed him harder than ever.
"You don't have time to be average!" he shouted during one session.
Chinedu responded with everything he had.
Pain in his ankle still lingered.
But now…
He ran through it.
The Mind Game
In the evenings, Chinedu continued studying.
Watching European matches.
Analyzing midfielders.
Learning positioning.
Decision-making.
Speed of thought.
Football was no longer just instinct.
It was intelligence.
And he was evolving.
Tobi's Final Decision
One afternoon after training, Tobi walked toward him.
This time, no jokes.
No smirks.
Just seriousness.
"I've decided," Tobi said.
Chinedu looked at him.
"And?"
Tobi exhaled.
"I turned it down."
Chinedu blinked.
"The France offer?"
Tobi nodded.
"Yes."
"Why?" Chinedu asked.
Tobi shrugged slightly.
"Didn't feel right."
Then he added:
"And I'm not leaving like that."
Chinedu understood.
Not rushed.
Not controlled.
Not uncertain.
Tobi looked at him again.
"We finish what we started."
For the first time…
They weren't rivals.
They were a unit.
Pressure from Family
But outside football, the tension grew.
Chinedu's uncle didn't stop calling.
Didn't stop insisting.
One evening, he finally answered.
"Come and stay with me," his uncle said.
"I will help you."
Chinedu stayed quiet.
Then the real condition came.
"But you must stop chasing football."
There it was.
The price.
Chinedu's voice hardened.
"I can't do that."
His uncle sighed.
"You're chasing a dream that may fail."
Chinedu looked at his injured ankle.
Then at the ball beside him.
"Then I will fail trying."
And he ended the call.
The First Warning
Days later, something strange happened again.
During an evening training session, the lights suddenly went off.
Darkness swallowed the pitch.
Players murmured in confusion.
"What happened?"
Moments later, the backup lights came on.
But something felt off.
Coach Adeyemi walked the field slowly.
Then he noticed it.
A section of the training pitch…
Damaged.
Deliberately.
His jaw tightened.
"This is not an accident," he said.
Chinedu's heart began to pound.
It was happening again.
The Threat Becomes Real
That night, a letter was slipped under the gate of Coach Adeyemi's house.
No name.
No signature.
Just one sentence:
"Withdraw the boy… or this gets worse."
Chinedu read it in silence.
His mother covered her mouth.
Fear filled the room.
Coach Adeyemi looked at him.
"This is serious now."
Chinedu nodded slowly.
"Yes."
But his voice didn't shake.
The Breaking Point… or Breakthrough?
The next morning, Sarah Williams returned.
This time, she didn't come alone.
Two officials accompanied her.
"This has gone too far," she said.
"There will be consequences."
Chinedu stepped forward.
"Can I still go for the trial?"
Sarah looked at him.
Then nodded.
"Yes."
"But you must be careful."
Training Through Fear
The next few days were different.
Not just intense.
Dangerous.
Every sound felt suspicious.
Every stranger felt like a threat.
But Chinedu didn't stop.
He trained harder.
Ran faster.
Focused deeper.
Because now…
This wasn't just about football.
It was about standing his ground.
A Night Attack
Then it happened.
One night, as Chinedu walked home from a late recovery session—
A car pulled up suddenly.
Too fast.
Too close.
The door opened.
Two men stepped out.
"Get in," one of them said.
Chinedu's heart exploded in his chest.
"No."
The second man stepped forward.
"You're making a mistake."
Chinedu backed away slowly.
Then—
He ran.
Fast.
Adrenaline took over.
He sprinted through narrow streets.
Turned corners.
Jumped gutters.
Didn't look back.
Shouts echoed behind him.
But he didn't stop.
Not until he reached a crowded area.
The men didn't follow.
The Decision
Later that night, shaken but alive, Chinedu sat with Coach Adeyemi and Sarah.
"This is no longer just pressure," Sarah said.
"This is intimidation."
Coach Adeyemi nodded.
"We go to the authorities."
Chinedu sat quietly.
Then he spoke.
"I'm not backing out."
Both adults looked at him.
"I've come too far," he continued.
"They won't scare me away."
Silence.
Then Coach Adeyemi placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Good."
Six Weeks… Now Five
As the days passed, the countdown continued.
Five weeks left.
The pressure increased.
The danger grew.
But so did Chinedu.
Stronger.
Smarter.
Unbreakable.
Somewhere in the Dark
In a dimly lit room, Fernandez watched the news.
Reports of investigation.
Rumors of exposure.
His name was getting closer to the surface.
He exhaled slowly.
"Then we end this," he said coldly.
The Storm Is Coming
Back on the pitch, Chinedu stood with the ball at his feet.
Sweat dripped down his face.
His body ached.
But his eyes burned with determination.
Whatever was coming…
He would face it.
Because now—
This was more than a dream.
This was war