Rise

Day 3 of the Worlds quarterfinals! It was the day of Hand of God versus SSK! It would start at 7 PM on the dot. But that didn’t stop people from talking about the game before. The online forums lit up in the early hours of Saturday with discussions about the best of five series that would be played that night. It was a battle of regions. The strongest team from the LPL versus the strongest team from the LCK. Though, it was also a World level team versus the World Champions. There was a distinct difference between both teams, one most fans, even the Chinese ones, didn’t see Hand of God overcoming. However, that didn’t stop HoG’s fans from plastering the online space with supportive messages for their team! It didn’t matter what they believed would happen. For the only thing they could do to influence the games was to show their trust and confidence in the team and hope it would carry through into the game.

The incident with KG was a turning point for many Chinese fans. Their faces were pushed against the facts. KG never wanted to lose. But they struggled just like any other normal person would do. The thing that could help them over that point, to get them in a place where they could perform, that thing was encouragement. Confidence of their fans that showed through in their own gameplay. It was how fans could influence the game! Whether this was in a small tournament with almost no stakes or at Worlds where the stakes couldn’t be any higher, this rule didn’t change. If they showed their confidence and trust in the team. If they encouraged them to do better than they normally could. If they cheered in support even when things weren’t going great. Then, and only then, could their team perform at the best of their ability!

There was something else many Chinese fans had come to realize. The teams that qualified for Worlds, they didn’t participate for a participation trophy. They participated to win. Every waking hour they practiced, they prepared themselves both physically and mentally, to be in that optimal state where they could perform at the highest level. It wasn’t any different for Hand of God. They didn’t give up just because their opponent was SSK. They were working together, planning their game tactics. Finding that perfect plan that could get them the advantage and do the impossible! They would fight to the end and never give up!

Hand of God’s fans wouldn’t give up either. They would support their team through thick and thin! So they did the only thing they knew, and that was to plaster the online space with their support for the team. There were hundreds, thousands, and by the late afternoon tens of thousands of posts, all of them full with ongoing discussion. All of them overflowing with a singular wish. For Hand of God to play their hearts out tonight!

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It was late in the morning and the sun was shining in Paris, France. League of Legends fans were streaming into the Zenith Paris, finding their way to one of the 9,000 seats. They were the lucky few who’d got their hands on a ticket before it was completely sold out. Their clothing was in the colours of their favourite teams and they’d brought with them signboards and glowsticks, with some especially fanatic fans trying to sneak in megaphones and fireworks. Inside the arena, chatter rang out to the backdrop of epic battle music from the oversized speakers.

The time drew closer to noon and there were only 20 more minutes before the first game of Hand of God versus SSK would start. Backstage, the players could hear the vibing sounds inside the arena becoming louder as the announcer started hyping up both teams. All the way to one of the bathrooms. The bathrooms where Nightsong and Daybreak Hermes were hyping themselves up before they’d go on stage and play the best team in the world. Maybe even beat them.

Nightsong leaned over one of the sinks and looked at himself in the mirror. He was about to play one of the most important games in his life. The nerves that came with that even affected him. He took a deep breath and then splashed his face with some cold water.

Hermes came out from one of the stalls and walked up to the sink next to Nightsong. He opened the faucet and let the water splash on his hands while looking at his friend. He chuckled, short and rushed, and asked, “How’re you feeling?”