A few hours earlier
Thump!
A brutal punch slammed into the fighter's ribs, sending him stumbling back, gasping for air.
The underground fighting pit roared with excitement, voices mixing with the heavy bass of distant music. Smoke curled in the air, alcohol spilled over the betting tables, and the scent of blood clung to the damp concrete walls.
A young man lounged in his VIP seat, one leg lazily draped over the other. His black hair caught the dim glow of the light, and his sharp eyes tracked the fighters below with casual amusement.
"He's overextending." The young man tilted his head slightly, watching as one of the fighters threw a desperate right hook.
"Too much weight on the front foot… see that?" He tapped the table rhythmically, getting the attention of the nearby people in the room. "Five seconds. He's eating the floor."
"Five? You sure boss?" One of the guys beside him leaned forward.
The young boss smirked. "Fine. Four."
The second the words left his mouth, the fighter below lunged again. His opponent sidestepped smoothly, twisting into a brutal elbow strike to the jaw.
Crack!
The first guy hit the ground face-first.
Out cold.
The young boss grinned, clicking his tongue. "Damn. Four and a half seconds. Guess I'm getting slow."
The men around him chuckled, shaking their heads.
They were used to the young boss' habit of talking and analyzing fights. After all, they belonged to the same organization. They had watched him grow up to be more than just an heir to the Strata Syndicate.
"Kid's good," one of them muttered, nodding at the fighter who won.
"Yeah, yeah," Nova waved a hand dismissively. "But he's predictable. Should've ended it thirty seconds ago, but he played around too much. Still, a win is a win."
The victorious fighter wiped the blood from his face before climbing the stairs to the VIP section.
As he approached, the room quieted slightly, the weight of fight and the presence of the members settling in the air.
The guy was still breathing hard from the match, but he straightened up and gave a small nod toward the young boss.
"Boss Nova," he said, his voice steady. "Appreciate you watching the fight."
Nova tapped his fingers against the armrest, squinting slightly. "Hmmm… appreciate, huh?"
He leaned forward. "You were sloppy in the first half. Left side open. If your opponent had half a brain, he would've knocked you out."
The guy visibly flinched, slightly lowered his head. "I'll work on it."
Nova flashed a grin. "Good. Now go clean yourself up. You smell like regret."
The guy bowed slightly and left, leaving Nova to lean back in his seat, stretching his arms.
One of the older gang members smirked. "You enjoy messing with people too much, kid."
Nova smirked and shrugged. "Where do you think I got it from? From you fuckers."
The table erupted into laughter, waiting for the next match in the pit.
After some time, a young man entered the VIP room but no one paid him any mind as he walked straight to Nova.
"Boss, we got it." The man bowed then poured Nova a drink.
"Tell me."
Sensing the shift in mood, the easy atmosphere in the room faded, giving way to the real topic of the night.
"It's the Mad Hounds, they use other gangs to mess with us."
"Tsk, those mutts really are getting bolder." a man spoke up, lighting a cigar.
"They really think were easily pushed!"
"Fuck those dogs! Let's just wipe them out."
The men in the room reacted violently to the news.
Nova, hearing it sighed, while rubbing his temple. "Those guys are really testing our patience… did they trash another casino?"
"Not just that." The man's tone darkened. "They went after some of our guys outside the club. Sent a message."
Nova's lips curled into a half-smile, but his eyes sharpened. "Heh. A message, huh?"
He exhaled slowly, tapping his fingers against the table. "Thing about messages… is that they need replies, right?"
The room fell silent. Then another round of laughter erupted but this time it carried a far more sinister edge.
Then, as if the tension never existed, Nova grinned and took a sip of his drink.
"Is there anything else?"
…..
The night air outside the underground fight club was crisp, carrying the distant hum of the city. Nova pulled his coat tighter around himself, shoving his hands into his pockets as he stepped into the streets of Bales City.
The younger members followed close behind, their energy still high from the fight.
"So, where to now, Boss?" Joel asked, tossing a coin between his fingers. He was the young man instructed to gather intel on the gangs and a childhood friend of Nova.
Nova exhaled, his breath turning to mist. "You guys go ahead. I've got somewhere to be."
Joel raised an eyebrow. "Serious business?"
Nova smirked. "Yeah. Top secret."
Having been friends for a long time, Joel nodded and immediately understood where Nova was headed. "Alright, catch you later."
The younger members groaned in frustration, but Nova just waved them off as he walked away. "Go gamble or something. Just don't lose more than you have."
He turned down a quieter street, leaving the neon-lit chaos of Strata's territory behind.
...
The slums stretched out ahead, worn-down buildings leaning against each other like tired drunks. The air smelled of rust and damp earth, and the streets were quieter here, save for the occasional shuffle of footsteps from night workers or the distant barking of stray dogs.
Nova passed through without hesitation, his route well-worn. It wasn't long before the cracked stone archway of an old cemetery loomed ahead.
Pushing open the rusted gate, he walked through the rows of simple, unkempt graves, stopping in front of a small headstone. The engraving was weathered, but he didn't need to read it.
Miriam Noran
A kind heart in an unkind world.
Nova crouched down, brushing away some fallen leaves. "Hey, grandma. I'm here again."
Silence permeated the area as only the rustling of the wind can be heard.
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Not much to say this time. Still alive. Still a menace." He chuckled. "Well… for now, at least."
A long pause.
Nova exhaled slowly. "Been thinking, though… all this shit. The gangs, the fighting, running this city. You think it's worth it?"
His fingers traced the edge of the stone. "I mean, I like winning. Like being respected. But sometimes…" He looked up at the sky. "...feels like I'm just passing time until something catches up to me."
He sat there for a while, the city distant, the night stretching on.
Then
Footsteps.
Nova's body tensed. Not the slow, wandering steps of some random slum dweller. These were purposeful.
He slowly stood up, his eyes flicking to the entrance.
Shadows moved between the graves.
Nova sighed dramatically. "Oh, come on. Can't even visit a grave in peace?"
Then a voice.
"There he is! Get him!"
Shit.
Nova turned on his heel and ran.