The house was quiet.
Not the loose quiet of daytime, but the kind that settled into the walls.
Stable.
Unmoving.
Li Shen stood still for a moment in the dark.
Listened.
Nothing.
Down the hall, the doors remained closed. No movement. No shifting.
Good.
He stepped out.
Light. Controlled.
The floor didn't respond.
The air outside was cooler.
Different from the day.
Less noise. Less motion.
He preferred it.
The ball rested under his arm.
Simple object.
Light.
Too light.
The walk didn't take long.
A few turns. A quiet road. Dim streetlights stretching unevenly.
The field came into view.
Open.
Flat.
Metal posts fixed into the ground. Nets slightly loose, worn.
A single floodlight hummed faintly overhead, casting a pale, uneven glow across the grass.
No one else.
Li Shen stepped onto the field.
The ground felt softer than it looked.
Slight give.
Not perfectly even.
He rolled the ball forward with his foot.
It moved easily.
Responsive.
Different.
He didn't rush.
A few steps.
A light jog.
Then stillness again.
The ball settled a few meters ahead.
Li Shen looked at it.
Yesterday—
He hadn't used much force.
Not even close.
He stepped back.
Not far.
Just enough.
First kick.
Light.
His foot met the ball cleanly.
A dull thud.
The ball rolled forward.
Fast, but controlled.
Predictable.
Li Shen watched it travel.
Too soft.
He walked forward.
Stopped it with the sole of his foot.
Stepped back again.
Second kick.
More force.
Cleaner contact.
The ball snapped forward faster this time.
A sharper sound.
Not loud.
But defined.
It reached the post—
clang.
Rebounded cleanly.
Came back along the ground.
Li Shen caught it easily.
Better.
He adjusted his stance slightly.
Angle.
Contact point.
Third kick.
Stronger.
His leg moved faster.
The moment of impact—
crack.
Sharper.
The ball shot forward.
The air shifted slightly around it.
Not enough to see.
But enough to feel.
It struck the post—
CLANG.
Louder.
The metal vibrated.
The ball rebounded faster this time, spinning unevenly.
Li Shen stepped forward and stopped it.
The surface trembled slightly under his foot before settling.
He glanced down.
Still intact.
He rolled it forward again.
Paused.
This was fine.
But not the limit.
He stepped back further this time.
Not much.
Just enough to change the motion.
Fourth kick.
The movement was clean.
No wasted motion.
The strike—
BANG.
The sound cut through the field.
Sharp. Sudden.
The ball didn't seem to travel.
It left.
A blur.
It hit the post—
CLANG—!
The metal rang out violently.
Echo spread into the empty space.
The ball flew back at an angle, faster than before.
Li Shen moved.
Caught it mid-bounce.
It resisted slightly.
More than before.
He pressed it down.
The surface felt… different.
Not damaged.
But strained.
Interesting.
Silence returned slowly.
The faint hum of the light.
Distant city noise.
Nothing else.
Li Shen placed the ball down again.
This time, he didn't move immediately.
He looked at it.
Measured.
How much further?
He stepped back.
One more time.
His posture shifted slightly.
Not dramatic.
Just more direct.
The strike came faster.
Cleaner.
No hesitation.
Impact—
The sound didn't echo the same way.
It broke.
A violent, compressed CRACK tore through the air.
The ball shot forward—
Hit the post—
CLANG—!
Louder than before.
The metal shuddered audibly.
The ball rebounded hard.
Too hard.
Its shape distorted slightly mid-air.
When it hit the ground, the bounce was wrong.
Uneven.
Li Shen stepped forward and stopped it.
This time—
There was resistance.
Not from movement.
From the ball itself.
He pressed down.
The surface didn't return perfectly.
A faint, almost inaudible—
ssss—
He paused.
Listened.
There it was.
Air.
Escaping slowly.
Li Shen lifted his foot.
The ball remained still.
Slightly off.
He crouched slightly.
Ran his fingers over the surface.
Nothing visible.
But the structure had changed.
Limit reached.
He stood.
Looked toward the goalpost.
The metal frame still trembled faintly.
Then stilled.
The field returned to silence.
As if nothing had happened.
Li Shen exhaled lightly.
Not tired.
Just… finished.
He picked up the ball.
It felt different now.
Softer.
Weaker.
Fragile.
He turned back toward the path.
Walked at the same pace he came.
Unhurried.
The night remained unchanged.
Streetlights.
Empty road.
Still air.
Behind him, the field stayed quiet.
No trace left.
Except the faint memory of sound.
Li Shen glanced down at the ball once more.
Then ahead.
"…I'll need to be more careful."
And this time—
there was a trace of something behind the words.
Not concern.
Not caution.
Just—
interest.