"I'll call you," he said. "When I'm panicking at two in the morning before a big match. When I don't know what to do."

"Anytime," I said. "Always. But you won't need me as much as you think. You're ready for this, Scott. I wouldn't have left if I didn't believe that."

"Good luck at Palace," he said, pulling me into a fierce hug. "Make us proud. Show them what a Moss Side manager can do."

"I'll try," I said, my voice breaking. "But this place... this will always be home."

As Emma and I walked away from the clubhouse, the evening sun casting long shadows across the pitch, I stopped and looked back. Emma was quiet beside me, letting me process, letting me say goodbye in my own way.

The memories came flooding back, vivid and overwhelming.

I remembered the first day. Walking into that cramped, damp changing room at The Railway Arms, a nobody with a notebook and crazy ideas.

The players looking at me like I was a joke. Frankie Morrison had been there, tired but kind, knowing the pub would be sold by year's end, knowing his time was running out.

He'd been my biggest supporter from the start, believing in me when I didn't believe in myself. And then Terry Blackwood had given us a lifeline, merging us into Moss Side Athletic, believing in the data, in the vision, in the impossible dream of turning a struggling team into champions.

I remembered the training sessions. The players were skeptical, unfit, and undisciplined. They were challenging me, testing me, seeing if I had the spine to be a manager. I'd improvised, used humor and empathy, designed that brutal pressing drill that they'd hated but that had worked. That was the moment I'd found my voice as a coach.

I remembered the wins. JJ's solo goal in the dying minutes, the euphoric celebration, Frankie handing me the reins and saying, "They're your lads now." The feeling that maybe, just maybe, we could do this. That belief, fragile and precious, was starting to take root.

I remembered discovering JJ. The system activating, the numbers appearing, the realization that I'd found something special.

A kid with 180 PA playing in a caged pitch, wasting his talent. The hours I'd spent convincing him to join, to believe in himself, to trust me. Watching him grow from a cocky, undisciplined teenager into a professional footballer. That was the moment everything had changed.

I remembered Jamie's breakthrough. The trauma, the grief, the walls he'd built around himself after losing his father.

The patience it had taken to reach him, to help him heal, to give him purpose. Watching him score that goal, pointing at me in the stands today, wearing the captain's armband. That was the moment I'd understood that coaching wasn't just about tactics. It was about people.

And I remembered the title win. The impossible dream achieved. The final whistle, the pitch invasion, the trophy in Big Dave's hands, the pure, unadulterated magic of it all. The moment that had made everything real, that had validated every sleepless night, every doubt, every sacrifice.

This place had changed my life. And I'd changed it. We'd changed each other.

As I stood there, a familiar text shimmered in my vision.

[SYSTEM] Location Milestone: Moss Side Athletic FC.

[SYSTEM] Achievement Unlocked: 'Full Circle'.

[SYSTEM] You have completed your journey at this location.

[SYSTEM] Legacy Rating: Legendary.

[SYSTEM] You will always be remembered here.

I blinked away the tears, and the system faded. "Ready to go?" Emma asked softly.

"Yeah," I said, my voice thick. "I'm ready."

We got in a taxi, and I took one last look at the ground in the rearview mirror. "That was perfect," I said. "Now I can leave. Now I can move forward."

"To London," she said, taking my hand. "To Palace. To your future."

"Our future," I corrected her. "Long distance won't change that."

"I know," she said. "I'll see you next weekend."

That night, back at Emma's flat, the reality of tomorrow settled over us like a weight. We lay in bed, the silence heavy with unspoken anxieties. My bags were by the door, packed and ready. Everything I needed for my new life in London fit into two suitcases and a backpack. It felt both liberating and terrifying.

"You're packed?" Emma asked softly, her voice breaking the silence.

"Yeah," I said. "Everything I need. Not much, really. Just clothes and coaching gear. The essentials."

"What about the rest of your stuff?"

"Leaving it at my mum's," I said. "I'll get it later when I find a permanent place. The flat in Beckenham is just temporary until I figure out where I want to be."

Silence settled between us again, comfortable but heavy.

"I'm scared," I whispered into the darkness.

"I know," she said, her voice a comforting presence beside me.

"What if I'm not good enough? What if I fail?"

"Then you fail," she said simply. "And you learn. And you get better. That's what you do."

"What if I lose you?" The question I was most afraid to ask.

She turned to face me, her eyes finding mine in the dim light. "You won't. I promise. We're stronger than distance."

"How do you know?"

"Because I know you. And I know us. And I know that what we have is real."

I pulled her close, the fear receding, replaced by a quiet certainty. "I love you."

"I love you too," she whispered. "Now sleep. You have a big day tomorrow."

"I'll call you when I get there," I said. "As soon as I'm settled in the hotel."

"I know," she said, her voice warm. "I'll be waiting."

We held each other, knowing everything was about to change. I closed my eyes, her heartbeat a steady rhythm against my chest.

For the first time in weeks, I felt at peace. The fear was still there, lurking in the corners of my mind, but it was manageable now. Because I wasn't facing it alone.

The dream was real. And the next chapter was about to begin.

***

Thank you nameyelus, chisum_ lane and Harith_TM for the gifts.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.