CHAPTER 38: CHAPTER 39: THE GLOVE THAT CAUGHT ATTENTION

After that match with Aditya,Raj wasn’t expecting a message.He had just returned from an early morning jog and was rubbing sweat from his forehead when his phone buzzed.

A plain message notification.

Unknown Number:

"You don’t know me. But I know your glove."

Check your email in 5 minutes.

— M. Kiran

Raj shocked by seeing the message.He wiped his hands, sat down on the stone bench near the west cricket nets, and opened his mail inbox.

One new mail.

Subject: "RajCraft: Proposal for Collaboration"

His heart paused.The email was clean, professional.

Dear Raj,

We observed your glove design during the recent trial.We are not a public brand. we develop custom training gear for top-tier coaching academies and private elite schools.

We would like to place a small order for glove prototypes, 5 units to start for test runs under our brand umbrella.

We are NOT looking to buy your product. We are looking to test it as-is with your design name visible.

If performance holds, we are open to co-branding. Not takeover.

Please reply with your availability.

– M. Kiran,

Head of Technical Gear,

Ghostline Talent Dev

Raj read it twice.Then again.

Not a takeover but co-branding?

Raj thought about it carefully.It was the first time someone offered recognition, not replacement.

[System Trigger: Gearline Expansion Detected]

New Questline: Beyond Academy Walls

Objective: Fulfill order and impress external network

Reward: Brand Trust Tier 2 Unlock

Possible Access to Advanced Craft Module

Later that day, Raj sat with Priya in the workshop.He read the message aloud to her.She didn’t react immediately.

Then said, "It’s real?"

"I think so."

She nodded. "Then make the gloves. But make them speak louder than the email ever could."

Meanwhile, Spandana stood just outside the window of the room, unnoticed.She had heard enough.And when Raj said, "Not a takeover," she smiled.

Because she remembered a version of him that always gave things away.Not anymore.

That evening, Raj replied:

Thank you for your interest in RajCraft. I’m open to this partnership and ready to prepare 5 premium samples. Will send availability shortly.

– Pavan Raj

A system notification popoed out.

[System Log: Brand Trust Level +5]

Visibility Increased: Scouts / Gear Labs / Talent Developers

After sending the mail to them,Raj didn’t waste any time.The next morning, he cleared the main worktable, locked the room, and rolled out a fresh sheet of inner foam.

A system notification popped out.The system offered him a choice.

[Prototype Lab Module Available – 1-Time Use]

Use enhanced build mode for RC-V1?

Effect:

– Auto-balance pressure points

– Reinforce critical seams

– Boost design clarity for first batch

Raj tapped [Yes] without hesitation.

A soft pulse moved through the workroom interface.His sketch template lit up,gold outlines guided his hand movements like invisible movements.

Every line, every thread are sharper, smoother and cleaner.This was still his glove.But it is perfect.

For the next 6 hours, he didn’t speak.

Priya brought him food and water but didn’t interrupt.She knew this was something personal which is not for profit, not for fame.

Raj wasn’t stitching anymore.He was sculpting.

The RC-V1 glove looked different from his previous ones.

No external stitch lines,

New grip-fold wrist lock,

Thumb gel compression panel,

Flame motif hidden inside the palm fabric lining subtle, but powerful,

Not flashy.

But unforgettable to anyone who looked closely.When he finally sat back and stared at the finished sample, Raj didn’t smile.

He just whispered:"That’s the one."

Priya walked over, handed him a glass of juice, and said:"You stitched differently this time."

"I know."

"You didn’t stitch like a player."

Raj looked at her.

"You stitched like someone who’s ready to lead."

[System Alert: Milestone Prototype Completed – RC-V1]

Bonus Unlock:

Glove Reputation Module: Activated

Your products will now carry recognition value

External testers may remember and request by name

Brand Points: +30

Emotional Impression Bonus Applied

As they packed the glove into the box, Priya stopped and asked:"Raj... why do you think they’re really interested?"

Raj paused."I thought it was the glove."

Priya shook her head. "It’s your mind. Your process. Your memory."

Raj blinked. "That’s what they want?"

She nodded."Maybe not now. But eventually, they won’t just want what you made. They’ll want to know how you think."

He sat silently for a while.Then said softly:

"Then I better protect more than just my designs."

Raj placed the finished RC-V1 glove into a custom foam-lined case.Not a plastic pouch.Not a cloth wrap.

But a case black, matte, and firm.Because this wasn’t just another glove.This was his name, stitched into silence.His dream, delivered by courier.He printed the shipping label and placed it on the lid:

Ghostline Talent Dev – Prototype Unit / Attn: Kiran.M

Beside it, he wrote a short line in marker.

"Made from memory. Meant for belief."

Then he paused.

Should I include my story? A letter?

No.Not this time.Let the glove speak.

A system notification popped out.

[System Trigger: Gear Trace Imprint Activated]

A hidden thread of system data has been embedded into this glove.

Effect:

– Any tester who wears this glove will feel its purpose

– 3% increase in emotional link formation

– Flag planted: "Founder Presence"

This gear will carry your will, not just your name.The courier picked up the case by 2 p.m.Raj signed the receipt.Watched the van drive away.

After that he returned to the empty workshop.Sat quietly on the stool and just breathed.

That evening, as the sun setted below the training dome, Raj’s phone buzzed again.He checked it. It’s an email from M. Kiran.

Subject: "We Felt It."

Raj,

The glove arrived.We ran a basic feel test.

There’s something inside it. Not just design. Not just fit.

Our intern didn’t know who you were,but after ten catches, she said:

"It feels like this glove is holding me back."

That line stuck with us.We’re placing a secondary order soon.

But more importantly,You’ve made something that’s alive with intention.

We’ll be watching.

– Kiran, Ghostline Dev Lead

A system notification popped out:

[System Alert: Emotional Imprint Confirmed by Tester]

This is not just gear.

This is a legacy seed.

New Questline Unlocked:

Legacy by Design

Path A – Expand RajCraft into city-wide visibility

Path B – Create a Signature Line (requires emotional catalyst)

Raj read the email twice.Then looked at his hands again.Not for scars.Not for pain.Just for proof that the hands he once doubted.Now they were reating something the world could feel.

The email from Ghostline had said everything Raj needed to hear.But that night, he couldn’t sleep.He sat on the rooftop of the dorm building, hoodie up, staring at the stars that barely peeked through the city haze.

Priya joined him with two cups of warm tea.They didn’t talk at first.The silence was comforting,a space where words weren’t needed.Then she finally asked, "What are you really feeling right now?"

Raj looked down at his cup. "Relieved, maybe. But also afraid."

"Afraid of what?"

He pause and said:"That this will end. That one day, this fire might fade. And no one will remember the kid who stitched his name into a glove."

Priya shook her head gently saying:"You stitched more than a name. You stitched a feeling."

She sipped her tea. "You know how people keep things that make them feel seen? Your gloves will become that for someone. That never fades."

Raj didn’t reply, but his shoulders eased.

Later that night, as he walked back alone from the rooftop, he passed the courtyard near the stitching hall.A figure sat on the bench, half-lit by a campus lamp.

It was Spandana.She didn’t call out to him.

She didn’t wave.But her eyes lifted just enough to catch his.Then dropped back down to her sketchpad.He paused, unsure whether to keep walking.Then she quietly tore a page from her book, folded it, and placed it on the bench.

Without a word, she stood and walked away.

Raj waited until she was gone.Then walked over and opened the note.A sketch of a glove.Flames inside the palm.And beneath it, three words:

"Still holding on."

[System Thread Extension Detected: Creative Bond Path Enhanced]

New Passive: "Silent Muse"

When your creative actions are seen by those who believe in you, their energy supports your growth

Passive system efficiency: +4% when emotionally linked characters observe Raj’s creation

Back in the stitching room, Raj picked up a blank wrist strap from his spare kit.He didn’t plan to stitch tonight.But he did anyway.On the inside, where only the player would see it, he said to himself:

"If you remember why you started, you’ll never forget who you are."

Then he folded it, sealed it, and wrote on the tag:

Prototype RC-V2 – Not for sale. Only for story.

The next morning, a second message arrived from Ghostline.Not from Kiran.

From someone else.

"You made an impression.

We want you to attend our invite-only gear creator’s roundtable next month in Hyderabad.

Not just to display,but to present.

This is your first step into the room you thought you’d never be in."

Raj stared at the screen for a long time.

Then quietly whispered:

"So it begins."