Ethan stared at the fallen Japanese fighter, his body aching but his mind sharp. The guy had put up a hell of a fight. Each punch felt like getting hit by a metal rod, leaving his body throbbing, while the kicks were sharp, like blades slicing into his skin. Ethan had spent the entire fight guarding his vital spots, constantly scanning for an opening, even though just defending felt like trying to hold back a tidal wave.

Still, despite the pain, Ethan was satisfied. There was something about fighting that came naturally to him. He didn’t know how or why, but his ability to analyze and adapt to his opponent’s movements was like second nature. It wasn’t just fighting, either—everything he put his mind to, he absorbed like a sponge. Mathew liked to joke about it, calling him "Mr. Sponge," a nickname that had stuck through the years.

He excelled in studies too, despite hardly giving them attention until exam season. In his spare time, he’d mastered more than most people could hope to in a lifetime—chemical engineering, medical science, hacking. He even had a soft spot for poetry and novels. But fighting, that was something else. It was pure, and every fight gave him something new to learn. The guy he’d just fought, for example—his technique was solid but sloppy at times, clearly someone who had mastered the basics but hadn’t yet reached the peak of his potential. It made Ethan wonder what it’d be like to fight someone who had trained their entire life. Now that would be a thrill.

Looking outside the ring, he saw Mathew smirking. His expression said it all—he’d known how this fight would end. The young master of the Japanese gang had already been whisked away by his people, a few muttering in Japanese before they hurried off. The guy looked furious, which made sense. Losing to the undefeated champion wasn’t something that would sit well with someone in his position.

As Ethan stepped out of the ring, Mathew approached, while Rony, the fight’s referee, barked orders at a few medics to tend to his injuries. Ethan grinned, despite the dull ache in his muscles.

“I should start learning languages now,” he said casually, wiping some blood from his mouth. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while. And besides, I won’t be sparring at your place much anymore.”

Mathew raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, there’s no one left there to challenge you. You know everyone’s style, their weaknesses. But languages? You’ll pick those up in a few months, Mr. Sponge.”

Ethan chuckled. “Maybe. But for now, let’s go. Lily’s probably waiting. We need to get food and head back to her.”

Mathew nodded, his usual laid-back demeanor softening for a moment. “Thanks for asking your people to keep an eye on her and pick her up from school.”

Mathew waved it off. “I can do that much for my sister, Ethan.” He glanced at Ethan’s bloodied arms and bruised knuckles. “But first, let’s patch you up. Lily’ll be upset if I bring home her brother looking like this. Hey! Hurry it up!” Mathew yelled at the medics, and they scrambled into action.

Ethan smiled at Mathew’s concern. Even after all these years, there was still a part of Mathew that was soft when it came to Lily. For a brief moment, the chaos of their lives felt distant, and all that mattered was getting home to his little sister.

Soon after patching up, Ethan and Mathew left the underground arena on Mathew’s bike. The cold night air brushed against their faces as the city lights blurred past them. The hum of the engine filled the silence, but Ethan quickly noticed something odd. Mathew hadn’t stopped at their usual spot to grab dinner, which made him glance over and ask, “Bro, did you forget I need food for dinner?”

Mathew chuckled, his usual smirk plastered on his face. “I already told my men to bring it over.”

“Oh, okay then,” Ethan muttered, relaxing back into his seat.

For a moment, they rode in silence, but Mathew’s usual calm demeanor shifted. It was subtle, but Ethan could tell something was on his mind.

“Ethan, I wanted to tell you something,” Mathew started, his tone more serious.

“Yeah?” Ethan raised an eyebrow, already sensing where this was going.

Mathew cleared his throat and mimicked his father’s gruff voice, “‘Mathew, it’s time for you to take your responsibilities.’”

Ethan’s eyes widened slightly. “No way.”

“Yeah. He wants me to take his position. Says it’s time, and that I’m capable enough.”

“Well, that’s great, right? Your dream will soon come true.” Ethan gave him a light nudge. “So, boss, what can I do for you?”

Mathew scoffed. “Come on, fucker. You’re like my brother now. That’s actually what I wanted to ask. We’ve been together since the start, you know? I only started taking things seriously after I met you. We fought side by side, risked our lives, managed the whole city together. That’s what got my dad to finally recognize me.”

Ethan listened quietly, knowing there was more to this.

“But it’s not just the city anymore,” Mathew continued. “It’s people all over the country. If I take this position, it means I’ll have control over all the gangs in every city. Hell, even the police too.” He smirked at the last part. “But… I can’t shake the feeling that someone else might be more capable than me.”

Ethan raised an eyebrow, confused. Mathew turned to him with a grin. “Yeah, you, motherfucker. You’re good at hand-to-hand combat, weapons, tactics—hell, you’re even a genius with computers. My dad’s made up his mind to give me everything, but…” Mathew glanced back at Ethan, a bit of mischief in his eyes. “You can take half. We can run this together, like we’ve always done. What do you say?”

Ethan let out a long sigh, shaking his head. “Look ahead, motherfucker. I’m too tired to deal with an accident right now. And as for your offer? Nah, I’m not interested.”

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Mathew let out a short laugh. “That’s the answer I expected.”

Ethan shifted in his seat. “Look, it’s not about the power. This line of work? It’s dangerous. I’ve been stabbed twice, shot in the shoulder once.”

Mathew’s voice turned cold. “I killed and tortured the bastards responsible. You know that.”

“I know. But that’s the point. I don’t care about myself. I can handle whatever comes my way, but Lily? I can’t risk her safety. The world doesn’t know about her yet, but if they ever find out, she’ll be in danger. I’m not interested in managing people, not like you. You’ve got the psychopathic edge when it comes to running things, but me? I just find it exhausting.”

Mathew stayed silent, focusing on the road.

“I want Lily to grow up safe, to have the best life possible. I can’t risk her for anything, not even for you. But if you’re ever in trouble, you know I’ll be there. You’re going to need me, sooner or later.”

Mathew chuckled, though it was softer this time. “Okay, old man, I get it. But the offer stands, regardless. Let’s just get home and meet our little cutie now. It’s been a month since I last saw her.”

Ethan nodded, a rare smile tugging at his lips. But even as they headed toward home, a nagging feeling tugged at the back of his mind. His heightened senses buzzed slightly, like something wasn’t quite right. He brushed it off for now, focusing on Lily.

As they arrived at Ethan’s apartment, Mathew honked a few times, his signature move whenever he came by. Ethan couldn’t help but smile at the familiar sound. Mathew’s men were already waiting by the entrance with the food in hand. Ethan waved them off, signaling for them to leave the food and head out. Once they left, a faint pitter-patter of small footsteps echoed from inside the house.

The front door swung open, and there she stood—Lily, her eyes wide with surprise.

“It’s brother Mathew!” she exclaimed, her voice full of excitement. Without a second thought, she sprinted toward him.

Mathew knelt down, his arms open, catching her in a big hug. “How’s my little princess doing?” he asked, ruffling her hair affectionately. “Is Ethan troubling you in any way? Should I punish him?”

Lily puffed her cheeks, her hands on her hips as she stared at Mathew, clearly not amused. “No, he never does that! Stop joking, brother.”

Mathew laughed, shaking his head. “Yeah, yeah, I was just teasing. Come on, let’s go inside. I brought some tasty food—let’s eat together.”

Lily’s eyes sparkled at the mention of food, and she quickly grabbed both of their hands, pulling them inside. As they stepped in, the warmth of home enveloped Ethan. Despite all the chaos in his life, moments like this kept him grounded. It wasn’t about the power or the fights—this was what he was protecting. Lily’s laughter, the peace in their small home.

Mathew placed the food on the table, and they all sat down together. Ethan glanced at his sister, who was happily chattering away with Mathew, and allowed himself a rare moment of contentment. But even now, the buzzing sense of unease lingered in the back of his mind. Something was off, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

As they ate, Ethan’s heightened senses sharpened further, detecting something in the air—a shift. He kept it to himself, not wanting to worry Lily or Mathew just yet, but he knew something was coming. He had learned to trust this instinct; it had saved him too many times before.

Suddenly, he turned to Mathew, his voice lowering. “Hey, do you feel that?”

Mathew immediately picked up on the change in Ethan’s tone. Trusting his instincts, Mathew straightened, his face becoming serious. “What is it?”

Ethan’s eyes narrowed as he scanned the room, his senses on high alert. “I don’t know yet… but something’s wrong.”

Ethan slowly stood, his mind racing as his body moved on autopilot. He approached the balcony, his instincts on high alert, Mathew following closely behind him. He slid open the glass door, half-expecting an ambush, his senses heightened and prepared for a fight. But instead of attackers, the balcony was eerily empty. The usual night breeze was absent, and the air felt heavy. Moonlight bathed the small plants he kept, but something was off. The light wasn’t silver—it was red.

Wait. Red?

Ethan's gaze snapped upward, and his breath caught in his throat. The sky was a deep, blood-red hue, swirling like a sea of crimson ink. His gut twisted, a primal fear clawing at him, and without thinking, he bolted toward Lily. Mathew, confused by Ethan’s sudden movement, looked up as well. The moment he saw the sky, his body froze. The blood-red sky—it made no sense. His legs refused to respond, as if they were shackled to the ground. He struggled against the invisible weight, managing to force himself toward Ethan and Lily, his only thought being to protect them. But something was wrong. He could feel it.

Ethan’s heart was pounding in his chest, his instincts screaming at him to make sense of what was happening, but none of this was logical. The sky couldn’t turn red like that. The air—he could almost taste the danger.

He glanced back at Mathew, but what he saw made his blood run cold.

Mathew was staring at his hands in horror as they began to disintegrate into dust. His fingers turned to particles, floating away like ash in the wind. He looked at Ethan, eyes wide in shock, but his body was already fading. Within moments, the rest of him followed—Mathew was gone, just dust in the air.

Ethan couldn’t process it. His best friend—gone, just like that. His brain tried to make sense of it, but before he could even react, his arms felt... wrong. He looked down, and his heart nearly stopped.

Lily. The little girl he had been clutching so tightly—she wasn’t there anymore.

He stared at his own hands, now dissolving into the same dust that had claimed Mathew. His heart pounded in his chest, threatening to burst, while his mind raced, trying to rationalize it.

The whole day had been normal. The fight at the arena—it had felt real, right? He still remembered the pain from those punches and kicks. This couldn’t be a dream. But he had just watched his best friend disintegrate before his eyes. He had felt his sister slip away, becoming nothing but dust in his arms.

He stumbled toward the balcony once again, his face blank, his mind numb from the overwhelming confusion and pain. He raised his head to the sky, now filled with cracks like shattered glass. The dust—Mathew’s dust, Lily’s dust—it was all drifting upward, disappearing into the cracks like everything else.

His gaze shifted to the street below. There, cracks were splitting the asphalt apart, and from one of the fissures crawled a creature. It looked like something out of a nightmare—or maybe one of the mangas Ethan used to read. Green, slimy, with a twisted, ugly face. It was a goblin. But seeing it in real life, with its wretched form and its disgusting, bulbous eyes, made him want to vomit.

The goblin stood at the base of the street, its beady eyes locking onto Ethan. It tilted its head, clearly confused by the sight of him. But that confusion didn’t last long. Two seconds later, the goblin charged, sprinting toward him with a guttural snarl.

Ethan felt strange. His body felt lighter, weaker. He glanced down at his left hand and saw it—it was turning into dust, just like Mathew’s had.

A bitter smile tugged at his lips.

So this is it. I’m going too.

The goblin was getting closer, its speed increasing with every step. But Ethan didn’t wait. He bolted toward the creature, his movements sluggish but still faster than the goblin’s short, stumpy legs. As the creature swung its crude club, Ethan ducked under the blow and slammed his fist into the goblin’s face. The impact was brutal. The goblin’s head snapped back, its jaw dislocating with a sickening crack, blue blood spraying from its mouth. The creature stumbled and rolled across the ground, clutching its mangled face, screeching in pain.

Ethan staggered, his breathing ragged as more of his body began to disintegrate. He looked up to the sky once more. The cracks were growing larger, swallowing everything. Dust—his dust—was rising toward the cracks, joining the others that had already vanished.

And then, just before his vision faded completely, the world went dark.

Everything fell silent.