Chapter 1: A New Beginning
I felt it so many times. The metallic taste dominating my tongue as the amount of blood escaping from my lips becomes even greater. I feel it trickling down the sides of my mouth, my vision blurring with each impact, my hearing unable to pick up any sound other than this damn ringing that continues to bother me. I've felt this many times, but not once has it been able to stop me. I never stop.
I raised my arms to keep my guard up; the blows kept coming at me, as strong as pure steel, too fast for me to follow with my senses so dazed, but it doesn't matter. I just need one strike, one single hit to connect.
I closed my eyes for a moment, using the direction of my opponent's blows to inhale and exhale calmly; I needed to calm down. With the flurry of blows, I opened my eyes again. He tried to hit me with a straight using his right hand, but it was with my hand that I guided his attack to the side and, at the same moment, countered with my left. The punch hit his jaw directly; I was sure a bit stronger, and it would have dislocated.
Blood sprayed from his mouth; the mouthguard jumped to the other side of the ring, and my opponent fell immediately. My hearing gradually returned as the audience's celebratory roar kept increasing, the referee determining the end of the match, and my victory was already secured. I felt my muscles burning after all that, my throat craving for something, so I screamed as much as I could. I won.
The hours after all that pass too quickly until the excitement of the moment subsides. I was in the bathroom, still at the fight venue, looking at my injuries in the mirror. My eyes were swollen, the apple of my cheek and my nose were quite damaged.
"Hunter," I heard my coach's voice calling. It was Mr. Jaime, "You did really well today, kid. But you know what you should have done."
"I'm not going to lose on purpose for mere scraps, Mr. Jaime," I replied irritably. I couldn't stand the idea that my own coach wanted to sell my victory because some mobsters bet against me. "You know I'm not the type to lose when I know I can win, especially against that damn guy."
"I know, kid... And I'm sorry you're like this." The sigh that followed his words was what alerted me that something was strange. He seemed more than disappointed, but not repentant. I looked to the side, in the direction of the door where he was, and I could see him surrounded by five more people, all holding a knife or a bat.
"Jaime... You know this won't end like this, right? I never stop, you taught me that."
I moved away from the mirror, positioning myself in front of the entrance, holding a short white towel in my hands. I couldn't believe that he went beyond just selling me but also agreed to bring these damn people to eliminate me. If I don't do what they want, they kill me. Simple idea, but they didn't bring enough people.
"And I taught you well. But now is the time for you to stop. It's over, Hunter. You should have taken the damn money."
While he stood still, the other five ran towards me. Jaime closed the door, maybe not wanting to see what was about to happen, but he should know it wouldn't end as he expected.
The first came with a knife, planning to stab me in a simple and amateurish way. With the towel, I dodged his attack and wrapped it around his wrist, pulling it to the other side in an attempt to put him in front of the other guy. One stabbed the other, and I took the knife from the first, thrusting it into the jugular of the one who came next. Now there were three left, and none of them had a knife. Great.
My eyes were guided from one enemy to another, analyzing body language, visualizing their actions and next moves, anticipating the moment to strike. I removed the knife from the guy choking on his own blood and threw it at one still standing. He dodged, and I advanced.
I felt my fist making direct contact with his jaw, leaned back to avoid another attack, and guided it to hit his friend. The hit was critical, another one down. I dodged one attack, and another, and another. Like a dance, I moved my body around my enemy and hit him with the elbow, crouching with both hands on the ground to raise my leg in a kick against the chin of the only one left; I felt his bone breaking on impact.
Taking a moment to breathe, I saw the five men fallen, blood covering the floor, two of them already dead. I couldn't care less about finishing the other three; I needed to go against my coach. I put my ear against the door, didn't hear anything outside, so I opened it. At the end of the corridor, Jaime was waiting, looking at the door, but there was no surprise when he realized it was me who had survived.
That's when I heard the sound of the gun being cocked, and I understood why.
"You've come a long way, kid. You're truly a magnificent fighter, a waste to kill you this way. But, well... What can I do, right?" I heard behind me; he had a rough and uncomfortable voice. If I remember correctly, he was the damn gambler who tried to buy me.
The gun was pressed against my neck, the cold metal touching my skin. It gave me chills, but it wasn't fear that caused that. I wasn't afraid; my focus was on a single goal. I turned quickly, my hand already against his wrist while the other was on his shoulder; I put my index finger on the trigger of the revolver and fired at my former coach.
The sound of the shot echoed throughout the corridor, my ears bothered by the noise, but in the end, my target was lying on the ground. I knew my end was right there; I knew there was no way out from the moment I won that fight. I have no family; I never did. I have no friends or loves, no one except fans. But they are so distant, with such a superficial knowledge about me that they don't even count as someone who will miss me.
My ears bothered me again; the sound of incessant shots continuously echoing throughout the corridor. My world was spinning, I was falling, but I didn't feel anything. You know when they say that, in the moment of death, you see your life passing before your eyes? Now I see that it's true.
Since I was young, I've always been good at fighting. I was respected in the orphanage, although the adults always punished me excessively. I was rebellious, eager to mark the world in my own way, to be recognized, respected by everyone. Jaime gave me that opportunity, taught me a lot about fighting, and I've always been passionate about that idea. I learned different martial arts, loved discovering new ways to use my body to face someone. I felt powerful.
Getting where I am now wasn't easy, but for years I've held the middleweight champion belt. With this idea of leaving my mark, I never had interest or time to seek
meaningful friendships or even a woman for a relationship. They were always fleeting connections, serving specific needs—celebration, relaxation, or companionship during lonely moments. None endured long enough, and perhaps that was for the better.
I barely noticed when the fall stopped, and my back touched the ground. My vision faded slowly, my hearing became muddled, making everything indistinct. I saw the mobster approaching, revolver in hand. His hat barely concealed his wrinkled face, the cigar near its end.
"You did it, kid. Very well. Now, go to sleep," he said, pulled the trigger, and everything went dark.
I felt light, so light that it seemed gravity had abandoned me, as if I were floating in a void, feeling my concerns dissipate along with any lingering distress. Death had finally embraced me, and I had achieved everything I desired before this inevitable end. I was prepared for the hell that would follow after so many sins, ready for whatever came next.
Then I heard something; initially, it sounded like an uncomfortable buzzing, then it increased until it became a strange melody that soothed my soul and drew my attention. Until I heard something more.
I felt my bones creaking as the flesh of my body was reconstructed atom by atom. Every muscle fiber screamed with pain, and although it seemed to last an eternity, it was a matter of seconds. My senses became hypersensitive; the previous melody was replaced by countless noises from all sides, voices in unfamiliar languages or unrecognizable sounds. My skin seemed to comprehend everything around me, my sense of smell capturing a multitude of scents I had never experienced.
The worst, however, emanated from my mind. I could feel each atom individually, spanning thousands of kilometers, and it was overwhelming. Voices in my head, foreign languages that I somehow comprehended. It was too loud, so unbearable that my head felt like it was about to explode. I wanted to scream, but my voice was the only thing I couldn't hear. Until everything stopped.
Silence lingered for a long time, my panting breath being the only sound, or at least I imagined it was because I wasn't breathing. I felt everything, every tiny detail, making me realize I was alive, but why couldn't I feel my own breath?
Then my mind was inundated again, this time with memories that weren't mine. A foreign life played out in my head in a single second, and I recognized whose they were because I had read about them in my life. It was a Kryptonian, the most powerful of their world, but poorly written and confusing during my reading. Still, in my perspective, he was incredible, with untapped potential waiting to be used...
My mind adjusted to the new reality; the idea of reincarnation, while still strange, became acceptable after all that had transpired. The continuous melody in the back of my mind calmed down, morphing into something different, more raw than that comforting tone, something unique like a voice. A distorted, masculine voice I recognized—not as Hunter Elis's but as H'el's. And, with the power it possessed, now transferred to me, it said:
"Open thy eyes." so I opened them.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Vic_Volkomenn
Vic_Volkomenn Hi, guys. Whoever you are, if you're reading this, thank you. This is my first time trying to write something, so I don't know many things about what to do and how to do. I will try to improve it all over time, to do something better so you can all keep reading it and like what you're reading. This fic won't have all the same lenght, some will be longer and others not. I'm sorry for this, but that's how I can do it for now. Always comment your thoughts if you can, if you have some ideas of how to keep the story going and all that. Again, thank you. Love y'all.
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