Reincarnated As A Wonderkid-Chapter 577: Years

Alex Finch stood on the balcony of his villa in Como. His hair was grey now. Not just at the temples, but all over.

"Distinguished," Maya called it.

"Old," Mark called it.

He was 50.

It seemed impossible. Had it really been twenty years since he retired?

He looked at the lake. It was the same. The mountains were the same.

But his life was different.

Year 1 after retirement: Alex opened the "Finch Academy". A school for football and science. Mark was the head of P.E. (and the cafeteria). Rico taught dance and dribbling.

Year 5: Leo made his debut for Arsenal. He scored. He did the "Professor" celebration (tapping his head). Alex cried in the stands.

Year 10: Leo won the Ballon d'Or. He dedicated it to "The man who taught me how to calculate dreams." Alex cried again.

Year 15: Milo accidentally bought a small island in the Pacific. He named it "Milo-land" and declared himself King. He tried to start a national football team but only had seagulls to play with.

Alex smiled.

The door opened.

Mark walked in. He was wearing a tracksuit that was definitely too young for him. He was eating a low-cholesterol biscuit.

"Hey Old Man," Mark said.

"Hey Grandpa," Alex replied.

"I am not a Grandpa!" Mark protested. "I am a vintage model! Classic speed!"

"Your knees click when you walk, Mark."

"That is the sound of horsepower!" Mark insisted.

"Why are you here?" Alex asked.

"Reunion," Mark said. "Tonight. Everyone is coming."

The reunion was at the Academy.

The hall was filled with faces.

Rico was there. He was bald now. But he still wore sequined shirts.

"The hair is gone," Rico laughed, rubbing his shiny head. "But the samba remains!"

Saka was there. He was the manager of Arsenal now. He looked stressed.

"Management is hard," Saka sighed. "The players... they don't listen. They just want to make TikToks."

"Tell me about it," Alex laughed.

And Leo was there.

Leo was 30. He was the captain of England. He had surpassed Alex's goal record.

"Hey Dad," Leo said.

"Hey Son," Alex hugged him. "You look tired."

"World Cup year," Leo said. "The pressure."

"Pressure is a privilege," Alex said automatically.

"You sound like a textbook," Leo grinned.

"I am a Professor," Alex winked.

The party was loud.

Milo arrived via helicopter (he still loved entrances). He was wearing a suit made of solar panels.

"RENEWABLE ENERGY!" Milo screamed. "I AM POWERING THE PARTY! ALEX! I AM SELLING THE SUN! I PATENTED IT! SEND ME ROYALTIES!"

"Milo, you cannot patent the sun," Alex said.

"I FILED THE PAPERWORK!" Milo yelled.

They sat at a large table. The food was good (Mark approved).

Alex looked around.

The story was long. It was complicated.

From Danein Blake dying in the mud. To Leon Fischer waking up scared. To Alex Finch conquering the world.

And now, this.

A room full of love.

"Speech!" Mark shouted, banging his spoon on a glass.

Alex stood up.

The room went quiet.

"I have lived three lives," Alex said. "Most people don't even get one good one."

He looked at Maya. She was still beautiful. She was still calculating the probability of him dropping food on his tie.

"I learned a lot," Alex continued. "I learned that physics can explain a goal, but it can't explain a feeling. I learned that data is useful, but heart is essential."

He looked at Mark.

"And I learned that you should never let your best friend design your wedding cake." (It had been shaped like a shoe).

Mark laughed. "It was aerodynamic!"

"But most of all," Alex said. "I learned that the game doesn't end when the whistle blows. The game is... this."

He gestured to the room.

"Friends. Family. Pizza."

"YES PIZZA!" Mark cheered.

"So," Alex raised his glass. "To the next chapter. Whatever it is."

"TO THE DYNASTY!" everyone roared.

Later that night.

Alex and Mark walked onto the pitch of the Academy.

It was empty. The floodlights were off. The moon was the only light.

"Do you miss it?" Mark asked.

"Playing?" Alex asked.

"Yeah. The roar. The speed."

Alex looked at the goalposts.

"Sometimes," Alex admitted. "But then I watch Leo play. And I feel it through him. It is enough."

"I miss running," Mark said. "I miss being a blur."

"You are still a blur, Mark," Alex said. "A blur of noise and crumbs."

Mark chuckled.

He pulled a ball out from under his jacket.

"One last penalty?" Mark asked.

"Mark, we are fifty years old. We will pull a muscle."

"Coward!" Mark taunted. "The Professor is scared of the Emperor!"

Alex sighed. He took off his jacket.

"Fine. One penalty."

They walked to the spot.

Alex placed the ball.

Mark stood in goal. He spread his arms.

"I am a wall!" Mark shouted. "A vintage wall!"

Alex looked at the ball.

He didn't calculate the angle. He didn't check the wind speed.

He just ran up.

He hit it.

It wasn't a knuckleball. It wasn't a curve.

It was a gentle chip. A Panenka.

The ball floated.

Mark dived. He dived too early. He landed on his side with a thud.

The ball bounced into the middle of the goal.

Goal.

"I got you!" Alex laughed.

Mark lay on the grass. "My hip! My hip is broken!"

"You are fine, Mark."

Mark sat up. He smiled.

"That was a good chip. Cheeky."

"Old dog, new tricks," Alex said.

They sat on the grass.

The stars shone above them.

"Alex," Mark said.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think... do you think Danein is watching?"

Alex looked up.

He thought about the man who died in the rain. The man who started it all.

"I think he is," Alex said. "And I think he is happy."

"Good," Mark said. "He missed out on the pizza. That is sad."

"We ate enough for three lifetimes," Alex said.

"True," Mark agreed.

They sat in silence for a while.

Two old friends. Under the stars.

The Wonderkid was gone. The Legend remained.

But the boy? The boy who loved football?

He was still there. Right in the center of Alex's heart.

"Class dismissed," Alex whispered.

"School's out for summer!" Mark sang (badly).