Michael Jordan: Rebound from Oblivion

The ball hit the ground and rolled to a stop.

The game was over. The crowd? Silent.

Ramo stayed hunched on one knee, sweat dripping off his jaw, disbelief frozen in his eyes. A direct bloodline user, heir to the Flame Court, defeated in front of failed awakeners and street players… by an unranked twelve-year-old.

Mike just stared at the rim.

She wasn't even breathing hard.

The world should've cheered.

But no one moved. Not a breath. Not a shout.

Because the air had changed.

> [Court Link Stable]

[Internal Energy: Level 1 Stability Achieved]

[Unknown Divine Signature: Detection Status—Suppressed]

[Court Pressure Fluctuation Detected… Monitoring]

Mike rubbed her wrist, eyes still locked on the backboard. She could feel it… not just the rim, but everything. The way her foot hit the wood, the slight curve of the ball's spin, the beat of Ramo's steps.

This wasn't adrenaline.

It was like the court itself had become her skin.

And that frightened her.

Not because it made her powerful… but because someone was watching. She could feel it.

From above.

From far above.

---

"Yo," a voice finally cracked through the tension. One of Ramo's older teammates stepped forward. "What... the hell was that?"

Mike didn't answer.

Another street player whispered, "She moved like she was awakened. Like one of those Court Academy freaks."

"No," someone else muttered. "Faster."

They were all wrong. And Mike knew it.

> [System Notice: You are not yet awakened.]

[However… Court Circuit Flow exceeds expected sync rate.]

[Threat Level Assigned: Unstable Entity (Monitored by higher eyes)]

Above, far beyond human sight, a group of divine beings gathered—casual, unreadable, but tense.

"She broke through the baseline," one said calmly, sipping from a chalice of radiant energy.

Another narrowed his eyes. "The system moved again."

A third—the one seated on a throne of solid light—frowned. "That… thing was supposed to be sealed. What is it doing in a child?"

"Perhaps… spreading corruption again?"

"No." The god on the throne spoke coldly. "It's testing us."

The gods looked down, and their pressure reached toward the city like a falling blanket. Not directly—no one would notice. But whispers would spread. False leads. Quiet watchers.

They wouldn't move openly.

Not yet.

---

Mike's system pinged again.

> [Court Sync Holding at 70%]

[Shadow Grid Locked – Beginner Tier]

[Circuit Technique Upgrade Available]

[Divine Pressure Interference Detected – Neutralized Automatically]

She winced.

Not from pain. From the sudden, invisible silence that hit her chest like gravity. Something was above her. Something that should've crushed her… but didn't.

The system had blocked it.

For now.

But why?

Why did it feel like it was preparing her for war… while smiling like a friend?

She turned and walked away.

Ramo didn't call her back. No one did.

---

Back at the orphanage, Mike lay on her back in the dark room, staring at the ceiling, eyes wide open.

"They'll be after me now, won't they?" she whispered.

> [Answer: Yes.]

She chuckled bitterly. "Figures."

> [New Passive Unlocked: Pressure Veil – Conceals Sync Rate From External Scans]

[Condition: Do not use Advanced Techniques publicly.]

"You're trying to protect me now? After throwing me in there against a bloodline freak?"

> [Response: You won.]

Mike sighed.

"...You're crazy."

She closed her eyes.

Outside the window, a faint golden glow appeared in the sky. A sigil. A divine scout's mark. It lingered above the city for only a second before fading—no one saw it.

But it was enough.

The gods knew something was rising.

And Mike? She was already planning her next move.

Not just survival.

Domination.