The Cursed Omega And The Cursed Alpha

Wayne Miller’s Point of View LOUD CHEERS ERUPTED inside the court. The deafening screams of the crowd echoed through the basketball court as the championship finals reached its c****x. Not that it was a huge surprise for anyone since they have prepared for this moment for six months in the making—some even longer than that. That being said, everyone was just excited and anxious as I was. My focus stayed inside the court. Despite the amount of support that we’re gathering from our schoolmates, I can’t afford to be sidetracked with what was going outside the gameplay itself. I kept my whole attention towards the ball and my teammates. Being a freshman and a newcomer to the team, I needed to prove my worth to the team. I had given my all, relentlessly pushing beyond my limits in preparation for this event. But just when victory seemed within reach, something unseen began to unravel my focus and determination. With only two minutes left on the clock, the scoreboard displayed a disheartening 48-53 in favor of the rival team, the Harden University. A total of nine teams from different universities competed with one another, but only two teams were left for the finals—their team and ours; the Starcross University. For the past years, Harden University has been the number one in this field. They were always the champions, so there were some low expectations on our team. Making it to the finals is already a big achievement for the team. However, all of us are eager to surpass rather than just being a runner up. We’re already here, so might as well give our last big push to reach higher. I dribbled the ball with sweat streaming down my face, my heart pounding in my chest. I had fought tooth and nail, slashing through defenses, sunking shot after shot to carry the team. But now, an uninvited intrusion shattered my concentration. “Wayne,” I hastily turned around to see who was calling for me, but there was no one near where I stood. This almost made me tripped—the voice seemed like someone was talking behind me. Shaking my head, I refocused my attention at the front. Locking eyes with Chris, I immediately passed the ball into his direction the moment I saw an opening. He caught it instantly then ran closer to the ring, then with a big leap; he dunked the ball. I screamed in glee, throwin my hands in the air as I celebrated, but my actions fell short when I heard my name being called once again. “Wonu, child,” My stomach sank through the floor after hearing an unfamiliar voice in my head. Whispers, soft as a gentle breeze, seeped into my mind. I was rooted in my tracks when it was no longer just my name that was being called, but now it seemed as though someone was communicating with me even. “You’re not supposed to be here. You don’t belong here.” It murmured doubts and fears, planting seeds of distraction that bloomed into chaos within me. My eyes darted around the court, searching for the source of the malicious voices. Am I losing his mind? Amidst the chaos, James, the team captain, shouted desperately, his voice a beacon through the fog of confusion. “Wayne! Snap out of it! Pass me the ball!” My eyes refocused, locking onto James. I saw the urgency in his captain's expression, the determination burning in his eyes. Slowly, I regained control of my senses, rediscovering the game's rhythm pulsating within me. On the sideline and in my peripheral vision, Danaerie, my only friend on the team, observed my sudden change with worry etched across his face. I can sense that he wanted to ask me a question during the game, but seemingly trying not to. I do understand since he had witnessed my progress. Danaerie was the one who introduced me to our coach which landed me a spot in the team. “Focus, Wayne. You've got this.” Danaerie whispered beside me, trying to soothe my nerves. He must have figured that I might have just been very anxious knowing that this is the championship game. The game continued on as I tried to shrug off the uncomfortable feeling looming over me. All of a sudden, a loud ringing sound buzzed through the air. We all averted our gaze to the bench. Coach Luis called for a time-out and gathered the team close. My palms grew clammy as I faced the crucial decision of whether to confide or pretend that everything was fine. Fear clawed at my throat, but I knew I had to protect myself , even if it meant keeping secrets. “You seem off, Wayne. Are you okay?” Being the coach of the team, he instantly asked. Staring right into my eyes, it seemed like he could see right through me. A tremor ran through my body as my gaze flickering with uncertainty. Taking a deep breath, I plastered a fake smile on my face, words practiced and calculated. “Yes, Coach. I'm alright.” Coach Luis narrowed his eyes for a moment but decided to trust my word for it. He shifted his focus to the whiteboard, outlining a new strategy to overcome the deficit and secure victory. “Alright, team. We have two minutes to turn this around. Wayne, keep leading the charge. James, Aldrin, and Danaerie, be ready to back him up. We won't quit until that final buzzer.” The team nodded with the new strategy, while my heart pounded in my chest, not only from the pressure of the game, but also from the disruption invading my mind. This was my chance to prove my worth, to silence the doubts that tainted my success thus far. With the ensuing minutes, I silenced the invasive whispers in his mind. I disregarded their venomous intent, focusing solely on the game unfolding before me. The ball became an extension of my will, as I maneuvered through the rival team's defense with unwavering precision. Shot after shot found its mark, slowly narrowing the score gap. “Pass it to me!” James screamed, hands in the air. Just like clockwork, I took a step back before passing the ball to the team captain who was in a good position. It was a three-pointer shot and the crowd bellowed in cheers. As the seconds dwindled and the crowd held their breath, I felt more confident with my gameplay. The voices, once a torment, now became drowned out by the electric energy on the court. Victory seemed uncertain, but I refused to let doubt take hold. “WE GOT THIS!” Coach Luis screamed from the side, standing by the benches. “WE’LL WIN THIS!” In those final seconds, as the buzzer sounded, and as I took one final shot, the scoreboard displayed a miraculous 65-64 in favor of our team. Buzzer beater. The crowd erupted in a thunderous applause, it was clear that we won the game and beat the best team from the past games. “You did it, Wayne! We won!” Danaerie ran up to me, engulfing me into a hug as I stood there, quite flabbergasted—trying to take in what just happened. “We beat Harden University! I know you can do it!” Danaerie’s words were enough to knock some sense in me. I stood tall, my chest heaving, eyes locked with my teammates. No longer was I burdened by the whispers that had once threatened to consume me. The battle within was fought and won, leaving me stronger and more resilient than ever before. This wasn’t an easy path that I’ve taken. The road was surely bumpy and had many obstacles. I wasn’t welcomed when I first joined the team. Majority of my teammates made it hard for me to adapt to the new environment—it was obvious that they wanted me to quit right from the start. Still, I remained resilient and persevering. — and now, we won the Championships even though I was a rookie.