Erik Blake had come to the town. He stood still near the warehouse where the gang had their meetings. To the people passing by, it must’ve been strange seeing a kid, fully covered by a cloak in front of a seemingly abandoned place for hours.

Erik didn’t care. it's not like he could’ve afforded to sleep so he arrived early.

Finally, after hours of waiting, the rusty gates of the warehouse slowly opened.

“Oh, you’re here,” the thug who had opened it said before turning back, “Boss, the boy came back.”

A laugh echoed from within the darkness before Zac appeared, a grin marking his face

“I knew you would come back to us,” he said, arms crossed.

“Yeah… I shouldn’t have left. I’m sorry,” Erik said, stepping forward. He removed his hood, showing his tired, pale face. He scratched his head, trying to appear calm.

Zac’s grin widened as he approached Erik. “Smart move, kid. You know what happens to those who think they can walk away from us.”

Erik swallowed hard, his mouth dry. “I understand,” he said, his voice barely more than a whisper. “I’m here to make things right.”

Zac circled Erik, looking him up and down. “You better be. Because if you’re not…” He let the threat hang in the air, the unspoken consequences clear.

“I’ll do whatever it takes,” Erik said, meeting Zac’s gaze.

For any child, this situation would’ve been nerve-wracking—even for Erik—but he kept his cool, knowing it was his best shot at making things right."

As the other members got outside to eye the member coming back, a devious smile grew on Zac’s face.

“What should we do, boys? He’s back, but he broke our trust once,” he said, moving his hands and looking all around. “He needs to be punished so he learns, don’t you think?” Zac cracked his fists before gesturing for Erik to follow them inside the warehouse.

Erik took a deep breath before following the man, his heart pounded in his chest, but he knew he had to keep his composure for all of this to end well. He thought about running or refusing to go inside for a moment, but it wasn’t a bad idea after some thought.

As he stepped inside, Erik subtly reached into the folds of his cloak, fingers closing around a small vial. The dimly lit interior of the warehouse was just as he remembered: stacks of crates, rusting metal beams, and the ever-present scent of oil and decay—the perfect place for a beat down that the rest of the world shouldn’t see.

The gang members circled him, their faces filled with sadistic expressions.

"Welcome to the Wolf Gang Fist trial," he said mockingly. "Let's see if you're committed to making things right."

Before Zac had another second to say anything else, Erik threw the vial to the ground, shattering it.

Instantly, Its violet contents interacted with the air, forming thick clouds of hot purple gas that filled the warehouse.

"What the—?" Zac's voice cut off as he began to cough, the poisonous smoke that quickly filled the room found its way into his lungs.

The gang members shouted in confusion and alarm, stumbling backward as the smoke enveloped them.

Erik quickly ran back to avoid the smoke as much as he could, grabbed a strength potion out of his pouch—courtesy of Katherine—and drank it. He instantly felt his muscles bulging as his heart pumped stronger than ever.

This was a potion with a high risk—too big of a risk for a kid, as Katherine said—but it was capable of making a small kid stronger than most adults for a couple of minutes, so it was gold to Erik.

He tossed the empty vial aside.

“Ahhh, he’s got—” one of the thugs screamed as the glass seemed to have hit him before he started coughing up.

Erik grinned, he slipped on the mask he had spent many hours making with his grandmother. With it on, he now didn’t fear the toxic fumes anymore and submerged himself in them.

Using his small size to his advantage, Erik moved swiftly and silently through the haze, navigating between the struggling thugs who flailed blindly, unable to see through the dense purple clouds.

‘This is it now,’ Erik thought, knowing that if he failed on this part, it would be over for him. Running away wasn’t an option, as they knew where he lived. Closing them to suffer with the smoke wouldn’t work as the rusty iron sliding doors would take too long to close and they could just leave. Erik was betting it all on beating them.

Erik moved through the swirling smoke, adrenaline and the strength of potion coursing through his veins. He knew he had only moments to act before the smoke cleared and the odds turned against him.

The first thug, a burly man with a shaved head, stumbled toward Erik, eyes watering and fists swinging wildly in the haze. Erik seized the opportunity, ducking under the man's guard and driving his fist into the thug's groin with all the force the potion gave him. The thug collapsed to his knees, groaning in agony.

“He’s here-”

Wasting no time, Erik gathered his strength and delivered a powerful uppercut to the man's chin. The blow knocked him out cold, sending him backward onto his back.

As the first thug collapsed, two more lunged at Erik from opposite sides. One aimed a punch at Erik's head, while the other swung a kick toward his midsection. Erik twisted to the side, dodging the punch, and retaliated with a powerful blow to the first attacker's stomach, using his enhanced strength to drive the air from the man's lungs. But as he did so, the second thug's kick landed squarely on Erik's back, sending a jolt of pain up his spine.

Gritting his teeth in pain, Erik dashed onto his side, channeling his momentum into a quick strike at the second thug. His fist connected with the man’s side, causing him to gasp and crumple to the ground.

Breathing hard, Erik turned to face the next challenge. One more gang member advanced on him. Erik planned to wait for the attack, dodge it, and counter with a powerful strike, but before he could act, he felt a hand grab him from behind.

“You’re done!” a voice shouted as arms locked around Erik’s shoulders, lifting his small frame into the air. Erik tried to spin around and break free, but a barrage of punches to his stomach left him stunned. He was being used as a punching bag.

“Yes, I wanted this to happen, boy. Now we can do whatever we want with you!” sneered Rat, his voice as disgusting as ever, spraying saliva into Erik’s ear.

Erik gritted his teeth and kicked Rat on the leg using his heel. As the man released him due to the pain, Erik struck his chest with his elbow. There was no scream, just an agonizing exhaling sound as all the air left the man’s lungs.

The only thug standing charged at Erik once again, trying to end what his other attacks started, but Erik dodged them easily. Due to the strength potion, his muscles activated so fast and with so much power that he almost danced around the man, striking him with each step until he couldn’t keep moving anymore and fell.

Erik breathed hard, his eyes fired up like never before. ‘So this is power,’ he thought, clenching his fist as he had done what he thought would be impossible.

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There was still one more obstacle, however.

“You… how dare you defeat the Wolf Fist Gang?!” Zac barked from the other side of the room as the smoke finally left through the door. He could now see that his comrades had all but fallen.

“What a gang. It was as easy as planning my betrayal,” Erik bantered.

Zac raised his fists toward Erik, and slowly, they became enveloped by a golden aura, just like the time he had shown the wolf fist.

“My fists have gathered dozens of kills, Erik. They are the pride of the Wolf Gang and they’ll take your life today.” a small smile was perched on his face. Despite all his comrades having fallen, he believed himself to be enough to win.

Before Erik could respond, Zac charged at him at high speeds, despite his large build. Erik was taken aback for a moment but narrowly dodged the attack, ducking down and using his small frame to maneuver himself around the assaulter’s legs.

Zac tried to punch him again and again, but each time Erik managed to dodge.

‘I can’t keep this for much longer,’ Erik thought to himself. The potion’s effects had worn off, so he would have a better chance of surviving by running away and striking at an opportune moment.

The problem was that Zac stood between Erik and the exit. He also seemed to know it pretty well, as he always used his footwork to maintain that advantage.

Erik looked around. The warehouse was filled with crates, tables, shelves, and all sorts of equipment—blacksmithing, it seemed. Erik doubted he could use it to his advantage, but perhaps he could manage to use it against Zac.

‘Maybe-‘

Erik’s thoughts were interrupted when Zac picked a nearby stool with one arm and threw it at Erik at high speed.

The boy’s world went into slow motion. He tried to move out of the way but his movements seemed slow compared to his perception.

He wouldn’t make it.

That’s when he felt something inside him, inside his heart. An everlasting fire burning his energy that pumped power through his veins. As the stool started making contact with his skin, Erik dashed to the side, his movements so quick that they seemed near-instantaneous to even himself.

“What... how could you… no, even to me it took years to learn any kind of bodily enhancement,” Zac spouted, astonished.

Erik touched his legs. They were trembling, not from fear but from energy. It felt like they would explode if he didn’t keep moving. ‘This feels just like with the bear,’ his lips perched up as the realization came to him.

Zac once again charged at Erik who this time was able to do the same. He danced around his foe, dodging every attack and dealing some of his own – however, they were not able to cause any damage. It seemed that only Erik’s reflexes and speed were augmented.

At this point, Erik could safely flee. ‘But why?’ he thought. Zac, once a monster to him, was nothing now. He wanted to enjoy this as much as he could and hurt the man who gave him nightmares.

Erik ran through the warehouse as the fight continued. Zac’s movements slowly became sluggish and much less precise as he got more tired and more furious. Eventually, Erik stopped just in front of a large shelf.

“Tired already, old man?” he bantered with his foe.

Zac’s face flushed, resembling an overripe tomato, as frustration and rage seemingly consumed him. Zac channeled his energy once again, hist glowing as he prepared to release a powerful punch.

“I’ll end this now!”

The attack was quick but Erik was quicker. With a sidestep, he narrowly dodged the attack, feeling the rush of air as Zac's glowing fist grazed past him.

‘He’s wide open. This is my chance,’ Erik thought, noticing Zac's overextended posture and the vulnerability in his stance. Without hesitation, Erik drew the knife concealed beneath his cloak and, with a swift, precise motion, slashed at Zac’s hand.

The blade sliced through Zac’s fingers, cutting through skin but not bone. It all happened in an instant, so fast that Zac had no time to react. Zac groaned in pain, his fist wobbled and came crashing against a wooden shelf beside them.

The impact shattered the shelf, and a cascade of debris rained down onto Zac—splintered wood and iron equipment tumbling around him, kicking up a thick cloud of dust that enveloped him in a choking haze.

Erik quickly stepped back, putting distance between himself and the chaos, watching as the dust began to settle. Zac emerged from the cloud, his breath coming in ragged gasps, his body bruised and battered from the debris that had collapsed onto him.

Even in his battered state, Zac fixed his gaze on Erik. Despite having the upper hand, Erik couldn't shake the chill that crept up his spine under the weight of Zac's unyielding stare. The young fighter knew the battle was far from over, but he stood his ground, ready for whatever came next.

“I’ll fucking kill you,” he finally said after several seconds.

“Bring it on,” Erik answered, his cockiness was palpable.

Zac ran towards him once more, but the game of cat and mouse just kept ongoing. Erik slowly felt his mana core become heavier as he dodged every attack and slashed Zac’s skin when there was an opening—his mana was starting to deplete.

However, Zac’s breathing was as loud as a bull. The gang leader looked pale and weak, struggling to lift his fists, with only fury driving him forward.

“How… how are you so fast…” Zac asked, his look almost defeated.

“Perhaps I just spent most of my life running in the woods and walking instead of training my arms. It would do you good as well, you know?!” Erik snickered. That’s when something clicked in his mind.

‘If my body is enhanced, then…’ he brought his unoccupied left hand forward and faced his palm upwards. He imagined his mana gathering over it and spinning at increasingly higher speeds. He imagined a flicker igniting the mana, transforming it into a swirling sphere of fire nearly the size of his head.

He stopped to think for a moment. This one was different. It felt so much stronger than any fire he had made thus far. He looked at Zac who was barely standing, a few meters apart from him, right in front of the entrance of the warehouse.

His eyes looked frightened. It was as if Erik had done something he couldn’t believe.

Before any words were exchanged, Zac charged once more. This time his movements were sluggish and heavy, every step took an eternity. Erik simply threw the fireball at the man.

Zac’s fists brightened in a golden aura once again, and he punched the ball.

Erik’s eyes widened as it occurred. His attack was destroyed so easily. ‘But I thought it would explode or something—‘

Just as Erik thought so, the fire reignited into an explosion of heat and flames.

The man screamed at the top of his lungs but he didn’t stop. Like a wild beast, he kept on charging. His right arm glowed as he stepped forth. Erik saw the hook coming and narrowly dodged, ducking down. The wall beside him cracked and trembled from the fist—such an attack would seriously hurt Zac but he didn’t even make a pained face.

His skin, blackened by the flames, had lost all sensation.

Erik tried to use his enhanced body to run away as Zac turned his upper body to him. The fire would defeat the man eventually.

He couldn’t however.

His mana core was dully depleted, and his movements were slow like before.

Erik panicked and tried to step back before making a run for the exit, but he couldn’t. He felt a weight on his shoe. His eyes quickly glanced at it and saw the blackened boot of the thug stepping onto it, locking it in place.

Before Erik could even think, a chopping blow covered by a golden hue came from above. There was a crack as Erik’s collarbone was destroyed. His whole body was messed up after that attack but he couldn’t care less about it as he fell to the ground – unable to move.

Zac smiled for a moment before his body failed him and he fell to the ground as well.

‘Well… at least I wasn’t the only one hurt from this,’ Erik thought as the pain started to creep in. Just as the adrenaline left his system, Erik’s whole body hurt. His lunges, calves, neck, thighs. Everything burned.

He tried to access his pouch under his cloak as he had one healing potion in there with his right arm – as the left one didn’t work now. The moments from Erik opening his pouch, taking out the vial, and opening it were torturous. He never felt pain like this before. And yet he somehow told himself he would feel it again. Not only because this was him erasing a bit of his past but also what this battle meant.

Putting his life on the line, fighting numerous opponents… it felt nice. It felt like he was born for it. He felt that by fighting he could truly grow and figure himself out but that was a topic for another day. Now he just wanted to take off the cork and drink the elixir.

As he tried to do so, however, a kick came from nowhere, smashing the vial in Erik’s hand. He grimaced and closed his eyes as shards of glass fell on his face and his hand burned from being cut before going back to normal in a few seconds.

Erik opened his eyes, watching who did it.

‘Oh no,’ Rat stood right on his side, crouched.

Soon after, the other thugs followed suit.

“I don’t know how you got so much strength but we’re not done with you,” one said, cracking his knuckles.

“Soo… can’t we like say this was a draw and next week try something new?”

“I don’t think so,” Rat answered with an uncanny smile that only his skinny, bony face could transmit. Before a moment’s notice, they elbowed Erik in the throat.

Erik gasped for air as he felt his airways collapse. Rat entangled his hand in Erik’s neck, blocking any attempt for survival. Erik punched him many times in the face with his right arm, but the strikes were so weak and slow that all the thugs laughed until Erik couldn’t lift that arm anymore.

‘I guess this is it… maybe they can continue what we started and survive.’