Lahat ng Kabanata ng Hearts on Ice: Kabanata 141 - Kabanata 150

"Why are they staring?" Adrian asked it quietly but unfortunately, the room was far too quiet for any quiet questions. Almost every head turned toward him.And not because he'd spoken loudly but because everybody else had been silently looking at the Frost Wolves ever since they walked through the doors.The conference hall was enormous.Long rows of tables stretched from one end of the room to the other, each one carrying a different country's flag while giant television screens hung from the ceiling displaying today's schedule.Players filled almost every seat already. Some wore full tracksuits with their country's emblem stitched proudly across the chest while others had already changed into training gear and some just wore casual shirts and trousers.Everybody looked... oddly professional. Except one table—The Frost Wolves.Nikola had somehow arrived wearing two different socks and his shirt was stained with whatever he ate, nobody could tell anymore. Joshua was still carrying hal

The cheering didn't stop. If anything, it became louder.The Dragons hadn't even touched the puck yet and the entire arena already belonged to them. Every player they introduced was welcomed by another wave of screams while cameras followed them across the ice like celebrities walking a red carpet instead of athletes preparing for war.Lukas stood quietly behind the tunnel entrance, watching them complete one slow lap around the rink.Nobody smiled, nobody waved, nobody acknowledged the crowd.They simply skated and somehow, that was even more terrifying."They're enjoying this." Nikola whispered and Joshua shook his head."That's the problem." He paused. "They're not."The Dragons eventually gathered around their captain before slowly separating into formation. One by one they tested the ice beneath their skates, passing the puck without looking, never missing a single reception.It looked effortless, like they weren't warming up, like they were reminding everyone else who owned the

The captain didn't touch the puck. He didn't even touch Viktor. He simply skated beside him,matching every stride, watching and waiting. Almost like he was studying him.Viktor glanced toward him once before pushing harder, trying to create even half a metre of space between them but the Dragon followed without changing expression. He wasn't chasing him, he wasn't even trying to steal the puck anymore. He was simply there.Just close enough to be seen and close enough to be remembered. Of course, Lukas didn't like that. Not one bit.The whistle never came and the game continued flowing around them while Viktor circled behind, waiting for somebody to become available. Usually Lukas would've already been open by now, Adrian would've drifted toward the boards and Joshua would've cut across the middle.Instead, every route already had somebody standing there. Viktor hesitated for one second too long and the Dragon beside him smiled.Not a grin, not even mockery. It was just recognition.

The whistle echoed across the arena before disappearing beneath another wave of noise and nobody wanted to rush anymore.Not the Frost Wolves, not the Dragons. Everybody simply moved and observed everything.And one thing was for certain, Coach had been right.The moment they stopped forcing the patterns, the game changed completely.Lukas caught the opening faceoff but instead of looking for Viktor like he had every single shift before, he just spun the opposite direction."Huh?" The Dragon captain actually slowed down, just slightly. Long enough for Lukas to fire the puck toward Nikola instead and Nikola almost lost it."...ME?" Lukas frowned but before he could yell, Coach screamed from outside."Play!" Coach's unprofessional shouting helped Nikola and everyone else get in the game totally. Nikola recovered immediately."...RIGHT!" But instead of passing, he skated. Straight through the neutral zone but one defender stepped toward him and Nikola slipped the puck between the man's s

Nobody spoke while leaving the ice and it was. No because anybody was angry and not because anybody was disappointed either. They were simply… empty.Every muscle protested with each step they took through the tunnel while melted ice dripped from their skates onto the rubber floor beneath them. The crowd was still roaring somewhere behind the walls but it sounded strangely distant now, almost like another world entirely. They had played all that, broken all bones and torn all muscles, just to lose. Nobody looked back.Coach walked ahead of them without saying a single word and for once...their silence was enough.The locker room door clicked shut behind them, helmets hit the benches one after another.CLACK.CLACK.CLACK.Joshua leaned back against his locker and closed his eyes."I don't think I have legs anymore.".Nikola dropped dramatically onto the floor."I don't think I have a soul anymore.""But you said that after practice.""Practice was easier." Elias pulled off his mask be