Snow Mountains and Lava Collide

At 8:30 p.m. local time, fifteen minutes remained before kickoff.

In the players' tunnel.

The players from both teams reached the junction at almost the same time.

Real Madrid wore white. Cristiano Ronaldo led the way, followed by Marcelo, Adrián Ramos, Toni Kroos, Modric...

The men in white looked relaxed. To them, a UEFA Champions League final felt as familiar as coming home.

Gareth Bale and Benzema trailed behind, talking quietly, both smiling.

For Liverpool, Chen Anno led the way, with his red-clad teammates behind him.

The moment the teams met at the junction, the smiles vanished from the Real Madrid players' faces.

They had seen Chen Anno.

During his two years at Atletico Madrid, they had faced him more times than they could count.

League matches, the UEFA Champions League, the Copa del Rey, the Super Cup...

To everyone in the Real Madrid dressing room, the name Annuo was a nightmare they would rather not revisit.

Carvajal's gaze lingered on Chen Anno's face for two seconds. His smile faded.

Adrián Ramos raised an eyebrow, then quickly looked away.

The Liverpool players, meanwhile, had been serious all along.

They had put together a historic Premier League campaign, but apart from Chen Anno, every player in the squad was standing on the UEFA Champions League final stage for the first time.

Arnold kept loosening up his limbs. Robertson said nothing. Mignolet kept adjusting his gloves.

They were clearly still nervous.

As the teams met, Toni Kroos was the first to step forward.

Without hesitation, he walked straight to Chen Anno and opened his arms.

They embraced in the tunnel, and Toni Kroos patted him on the back.

"I figured we'd meet on an occasion like this someday," Toni Kroos said with a hint of resignation. "I just didn't expect it so