Chapter 51: Arrival in the Unknown
"Rebirth doesn't come with fireworks. Sometimes, it begins with a cold wind biting through your jacket."
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The sky over Hannover was grey, with a thin mist clinging to the old city streets like secrets. It wasn't snowing, but the air was sharp enough to make Arjun zip his jacket all the way up to his throat.
He stepped off the club van, boots still in his hands, heart beating harder than he wanted to admit.
Behind him, Devika Rao emerged, her coat draped cleanly over her blazer, phone already buzzing with agency alerts. She didn't flinch at the cold.
"This isn't Kochi," she said with a half-smile. "But it's home now."
Arjun took a deep breath and looked up at the stadium: Heinz von Heiden Arena — not massive, but proud. The red and black colors of Hannover 96 painted across banners, the club crest stitched into the soul of the city.
He wasn't just leaving India.
He was entering the unknown.
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✦ The Contract, the Promise
The paperwork had been finalized days ago, but nothing felt real until he stepped into the locker room.
Number 24 — a number he chose, not because of any great meaning, but because it was available. Devika had gently suggested it. "Fresh starts don't need heavy symbolism. Let your game define it."
Coach Jan Zimmermann gave him a firm handshake.
"You'll earn your spot," the man said in clipped English. "No favours. But you're here because I see more than potential."
Arjun nodded. "Yes, sir."
Beside him, Devika interjected smoothly, switching to German. "He's ready. And he learns quickly."
Arjun couldn't catch the entire sentence — he'd just begun German lessons — but the way Zimmermann nodded told him it was a vote of confidence.
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✦ The First Training Session
The turf felt alien beneath his studs — firmer, colder, faster.
Training began with rondos. Fast, brutal. No space for hesitation.
Arjun misjudged a pass and was immediately heckled by the assistant coach. "No sleeping! Ball doesn't wait!"
A few teammates chuckled. One, tall and blond, gave him a smirk. "Indian Messi, eh? Show us something."
Arjun didn't reply. But in the next drill, he stole a pass, pulled off a roulette, and nutmegged the same player.
Silence.
Then laughter. The kind of laughter that meant he'd earned a sliver of respect.
Later in the locker room, a defender named Moritz Becker slapped his back. "Not bad, rookie. We call you Der Königlicher Elefant if you do that again."
"The Royal Elephant?" Arjun asked, eyebrows raised.
Becker grinned. "You'll grow into it."
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✦ Nightfall and Memories
That night, Arjun sat in his modest flat in Südstadt — a cozy apartment arranged by Devika.
His room was simple: warm lighting, wooden floors, a foldable prayer mat tucked into a corner, and a framed photo of his father beside the bed.
He picked up his phone. There were messages from Sahal, Coach Sameer, and Faizan — the last one a voice note.
> "So it begins, brother. Europe. Be the beast they don't expect. March slow. Strike hard."
Arjun chuckled.
He stared out the window. Snow had started falling.
He thought of Kalyani. Of her eyes during their last dinner in Kochi. Of the silence they left behind — not broken, just paused.
He opened her chat. Typed.
> "First day in training. Got nutmegged. Then gave one back."
She replied almost instantly.
> "Of course you did. They don't know what's coming. I do."
> "P.S. Eat warm food. You're useless in cold."
He smiled.
Then turned off the lights and lay on his back.
Eyes wide open.
He could still hear the faint echo of a fan song — "Oru paadam, oru veeran…" — like a distant memory following him across oceans.
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✦ Elsewhere – Devika Rao's Office, Frankfurt
Devika sipped her tea, reviewing a scouting report. She had made calls — too many — to make this move happen.
Arjun was young, untested, and from a nation Europe still barely respected on the pitch.
But something in his voice when he talked about legacy, about his father, had made her bet on him.
And it wasn't just a business bet.
It was personal.
She opened her notebook and jotted in Malayalam:
> "ആയിരം യാത്രകൾ തുടങ്ങുന്നു, പക്ഷേ ഞങ്ങൾ ഇപ്പോഴും മര്യാദയിൽ."
(A thousand journeys begin, but we still remain dignified.)
She paused, underlined it, and circled a name on her whiteboard:
Napoli – 2023
Not yet. But one step at a time.
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✦ Final Scene – Media Buzz
A German football blog posted:
> 🇮🇳 | Hannover 96 sign Indian teenage sensation Arjun Dev on a 3-year contract.
Coach Zimmermann: "He's raw, but he's got something rare — control, humility, and fire."
Fans have started calling him Der Königlicher Elefant.
The comments varied:
"India plays football?"
"Marketing stunt."
"Watch the highlights. Kid has magic."
One comment stood out, with 2,000 likes:
> "They said elephants don't belong in Europe. Let's see what happens when one learns to fly."
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