The lights shone brightly over the boxing ring, the air was tense as I and my opponent stayed just out of arms reach of each other. We began to size each other up before moving in to end this match, my muscles tense just before I lunge in for the KO. My body twists with the punch in an attempt to give it more force, my opponent dodges and slams a punch in an opening I didn't even know I had. The pain causes me to drop my guard for only a moment before moving back in, but that small moment might as well be an eternity for a pro. He swings a punch that connects with my liver, followed by a gut check and an uppercut. He tries to follow with an extra one two combo but I cut in quick and slam a hefty punch into his jaw sending him sprawling. Before I can capitalize on the opening I made the dinging of the bell signals the end of the eleventh round.

Damn it! I'd gotten way too sloppy, me from a while back wouldn't have had those openings! Shit I probably would've been able to keep track of time as well letting me get a couple more hits in! Fuck! I bet that fucker baited me into footsies in order to stall for time, I got totally played damn it!

It's been a long while since my last win, match after match of losses have made me desperate for a win. If I couldn't get make this fight work, the downward spiral of me losing sponsors and publicity would ruin me!

Damn it, I used to be something! The Lin Name was Synonymous with prodigious, legendary, and other less important words a while back! I can't let this fucker trip me up any longer, I gotta end this with a quick and flashy KO next round!

I moved back to my corner and saw my coach sitting there, that classic look of worry and determination plastered steadily on his face. "Jack, You've got one last round kid And your opponents looking much better than you are right now." He said his tone even "Do you think you can beat him?"

I Spit my mouthguard into my glove and chug down some water from a jug my coach provides while I mull over the aforementioned question. "If he rushes me or stalls I might have a little trouble..." I said honestly, still trying to run through the fight in my head.

"But would you lose Jack?" My coach said, some worry slipping into his usually stern tone.

The Bell rung, signaling the beginning of the final round.

"Nah, I'd Win." I spoke these words with absolute confidence before placing the mouthguard back where it belongs and stepping back into the ring.

He immediately rushed me, counting on me to be to exhausted to defend against him no doubt, I quickly parry against his first strike but i don't notice his follow up as it clocks me right to the temple.

I stumble, but this can't stop me, I'm Jack Lin damn it! I'm the greatest up and coming Boxer there is, and a single bad punch isn't going to stop me! I plant my foot the side in order to stop myself from falling before stepping forward for my finishing move, a spinning punch to the heart! As i swing though I seem to have missed my step and the world around me seems to have begun to twist around me. At first I think I'm in the process of getting KO'd... But I've been knocked out before, and this feels... Different to say the least.

I can almost feel my heart slowing to a slow and dull rhythm, I can no longer feel the sweat on my body or the wind rushing through my hair as I fall in false slow-motion. The only thing I can feel is the mat beneath my feet, and as I collapse to the ground I feel this deep sense of Finality before crumpling to the ground. As my face hits the matt I feel myself move through it like it's water, I can tell when the material shifts to concrete as I shift past the matt and onto the stadium floor, and I feel it shift once again as it moves to dirt and stone, Then again as it turns to molten rock, i feel it get hotter and hotter as I reach what I think is the core. I don't remember much past that aside from a feeling of comfort and once again shifting, this time however I seem to be moving towards the surface, before I black out.

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Book one: Earth

Gotham revival

I awoke completely encased in something, I quickly begin to thrash against it and to my surprise I'm able to move through it with relative ease.

"Blech! What is this stuff? It feels tough but it gives like it's goddamn pudding! Did coach throw in a dumpster filled with something after the match?"

That thought brings me back to my match with sobering efficiency... Did I lose? Again? SHIT! That was my last shot, My final Hail Mary to slingshot myself back to fame! No wonder Coach Dumped me in this stuff, I bet so much on myself I probably dragged him into debt too!

I began to fully dig myself out of the stone giving my full attention to the task before I began to spiral about the consequences of my loss. And I say "dig" because as I begin to become more aware of my situation, I realize I'm encased in stone, despite this I still begin to break in the direction I believe to be up. It's Weird, It's like I have a natural sense of direction while I'm underground, I'm not one to complain about any talents I have though so I start use this sense to eventually break through to the surface. Where I look around and discover that I am within a cemetery, a rather large one at that too since this thing almost stretches for miles.

I don't think I'm in the Big Apple anymore either, since there's nowhere with this much fog or Gothic architecture.

"What the fuck happened to me? I say and I get decent look at myself, My brown skin that was tanned from many days working on a farm in the country as a kid now sports tons of dirt and grime as well as a healthy bit of faded bruises from the many boxing matches I've taken part in. My arms were thick and laden with well develop muscles and a healthy dose of bulk for boxing in Light heavy weight. Upon inspection instead wearing my boxing pants and gloves I was instead wearing what was my workout clothes, which had long since been hung up in my closet due to disuse. After all I seemed to naturally gain muscle as I fought, I could easily coast off my natural talent so Rarely trained in it, It was made to be part tracksuit but it was mostly just clothes to sweat in. It was made to get you to burn as much calories and fat just in time for a match.

I hardly recognized it through all the dirt and grime, which brought my mind back to the fact that I apparently swam through earth. I peeked back at the hole and only saw a pile of greatly disturbed earth, looking like a man crawled out of it, but not like a man swam through a good twenty-something feet before that. It was weird but a lot of things took priority, like where I was, what happened to the match, and most importantly... Where am I?