Aston Villa had done it. Fourth place. Champions League qualification secured. Leon Fischer, the Premier League's top assist provider, should have felt nothing but pure, unadulterated peace.
Yet, as he sat alone in his spacious new garden, staring up at the vast, star-dusted sky, peace felt elusive.
He tried to quiet his mind, to simply breathe in the cool evening air, but it was impossible.
The media. His phone, usually a source of friendly banter from Byon or proud messages from his mom, was now a relentless torrent of notifications. Fan messages, hundreds of thousands of them, praising him, demanding more, analyzing his every move.
Pundits debated his future, his potential, his ability to sustain this level.
Miracle or Mirage? The headline from a sports column he'd glimpsed earlier echoed in his mind.
Can a teenager lead Aston Villa to glory against Europe's giants?
He recalled his mother's words, spoken just before the final match:
