Rain hammered the city streets, drumming against rooftops and puddles below. People hurried past a small building with a swinging sign that read: "Open MMA Classes."
Inside, the air was thick with sweat and effort. Two young men in their early twenties circled each other on the mat.
"Come on, Yuichi," the dark-haired fighter said with a faint grin, raising his guard. "Let's see if you're still holding back."
Yuichi didn't reply. His eyes stayed calm, focused almost cold.
The other fighter moved first, snapping out a fast roundhouse kick. Yuichi shifted at the last moment, the kick slicing through empty air. The movement was smooth, precise, as if his body already knew what was coming.
Yuichi stepped in and drove an elbow into his opponent's side. The impact forced the other man back, barely blocking the punch that followed.
"You're telegraphing your moves," Yuichi said evenly.
The fighter rushed forward. Yuichi slipped beneath the punch, swept his legs, and followed him to the mat. In seconds, the match was over pressure applied cleanly and efficiently.
"Alright, alright....I tap!" the man laughed, slapping the mat.
Yuichi released him and stood, breathing steady, already resetting his stance.
"You're seriously unfair," the man said, sitting up. "It's like you can see everything before it happens."
Yuichi said nothing. To him, fighting wasn't chaos it was a pattern. And once you understood the pattern, the outcome was inevitable.
The coach clapped from the edge of the mat.
"That's enough. Good work."
He looked at the dark-haired fighter.
"Kite. You rely too much on power. Think more."
Kite waved it off with a grin.
Yuichi grabbed his bag. "I've gotta go," he said. "Kendo class starts soon."
"Kendo too?" Kite blinked. "You never rest."
"Staying sharp matters," Yuichi replied.
He stepped back into the rain.
After a short pause, Kite followed.
"I'll walk with you," he said.
Yuichi nodded.
They moved through the city together, neon lights reflecting across wet pavement. At some point, the streets narrowed. The noise faded.
"You've changed," Kite said suddenly.
Yuichi glanced at him. "What do you mean?"
"You're ahead of everyone," Kite said quietly. "Stronger. Smarter."
Yuichi stopped.
Rain fell between them.
"Kite," Yuichi said evenly, "what are you trying to say?"
Something sharp flashed.
Pain exploded across Yuichi's side. His breath vanished. He stumbled back, shock flooding his senses.
"Kite…?" he whispered.
Kite stood there, expression empty.
"You were never supposed to get this far."
Yuichi tried to move tried to react but his strength drained too fast. His footing slipped. The rain swallowed the sound of his fall.
"Why…?" Yuichi asked.
Kite didn't answer. He stepped back into the darkness.
The city blurred. Lights stretched. Thoughts shattered.
Betrayed.
Then
Nothing.
Warmth.
Pressure.
Noise.
Yuichi tried to breathe but his body didn't respond the way it should. His limbs felt wrong. Small. Weak.
Voices surrounded him.
"....la shen varin...."
His mind froze.
I can't understand them.
The sounds weren't Japanese. They weren't anything he recognized.
Light flooded his vision. Shapes moved above him faces, hands, unfamiliar clothes. Someone lifted him, and a cry tore from his throat.
The sound wasn't his.
It was too small.
Panic surged.
This isn't my body.
The voices continued, flowing in a strange language that refused to make sense. No matter how hard he tried, the words slipped past him.
Then exhaustion pulled him under.
As darkness returned, one final thought flickered in his mind.
I died huh.
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