Dorian's body hadn't even gone cold before the footage was uploaded. Over a dozen angles, a dozen replays. Every hit, every block, every dodge, every scream Levi let out as he tried to survive Dorian's attacks.
The final moment, the eye jab, the brutal knee to the throat. The collapse, replayed, over and over again. Some cheered, others called it luck. But one man didn't speak at all.
He watched the footage in silence, his eyes burning like coal. Beneath his steel brows. The room was a quiet inferno with marble floors, armored windows, and polished steel pillars.
Then a small voice broke the silence. "Sir... Dorian is dead."
Ronan rose from the seat he used as his throne.
Six foot six, a monster in his own right, muscles twisted over muscles, veins crawling like worms beneath his skin, etched in high branded tattoos. His chest bore his family name "Reign." He looked like someone who had torn his way up like a war god. This was Ronan Reign, the seventh hierarchy of the Reign family, the current ruler of Bus Towns underground.
He didn't scream, he didn't cry. He just walked to the center of the room and snapped the data pad in his hand, then he spoke.
"Put out the bounty."
His advisor hesitated to ask. "How... Much...?"
"All of it. A thousand Diamond Scrip." Ronan said.
"But..."
"I said all of it."
The advisor shrugged away.
"Every underground network, every bounty board, every arena fighter, scavenger, assassin, warlord, street rat, and mutant." He turned towards the massive window overlooking the city, hands behind his back.
"I want Levi Lupin dragged through the streets, his limbs broken, his face shattered, his spirit broken and his soul screaming before I rip out his heart."
The advisor nodded. "Yes sir."
"Oh... And make sure to send the contract out to Viktor Berger. He'll take it; he's a rat, and rats always chew where there's blood."
-A Month Later-
Levi's fist cracked against the sandbag, sweat flying. Another punch. He grunted, harder than he had ever been.
The gym was an abandoned gas station Viktor had allowed him to use, or maybe to keep surveillance on him. It didn't matter. Levi trained like his life depended on it, cause it did.
Since his death match with Dorian, things had gone silent in the fighting underground. There are no new matches, no calls from Viktor, and no debt reduction.
Lilith had gotten a bit better with her medication, but Levi knew this was only temporary. He needed more. He needed money, real freedom was what he desired. And yet nothing.
Bam, the sandbag creaked under the weight of his punch.
Behind him, the old door creaked, Levi turned, his body tensed. Viktor stood there watching silently, wearing a calm, neutral expression, a black hat, and gloves with a grey coat. Levi didn't like that look.
"Still training like you got a fight tomorrow," Viktor said calmly.
"Feels like I do."
"Well, you always do," Viktor said, stepping inside. "How's your sister... Lilith?"
Levi stared. "Better than before."
"Good, keep her that way." Viktor walked slowly to the wall, brushing a finger along the dusted glass of a broken trophy case. "I've got something for you."
Levi didn't answer, he just kept quiet as he watched Viktor move around.
"A special match, private arena. Big payout, not the usual tournament with scrap cages. This is... Exclusive. The rich audience, very quiet."
Levi narrowed his brows. "Why now?"
A smile tugged at Viktor's lip. "You earned it, that kill... Made waves."
Levi's jaws became clenched. "Who's the opponent?"
"You'll see. He's not like Dorian."
"Seriously," Levi said. "I got lucky." Levi became silent afterward. The air between the both of them became thinner than usual. Something suspicious hung between them.
"I'll pick you up tomorrow night," Viktor said. "Rest up, this one might just buy you back your freedom." He turned and left.
Levi didn't move for a while, before observing his hands.
-Elsewhere...-
Viktor sat across from a shadowed screen in his private office.
"Is the deal confirmed." Ronan's voice came from the screen.
Viktor nodded. "Yes, I've set up the arrangement for the fight. Just one way in, no way out."
"Perfect, he dies on camera. Slowly."
Viktor's lips twitched into a cunning smile. "You'll get what you paid for, just don't forget about our agreement."
"You'll get your bounty." Ronan said. "And then you might just live longer than your spine ever will." He laughed with the screen blinking out.
Viktor leaned back, exhaling. His assistant entered the office a moment later. "Sir... Do you think Levi won't see this coming?"
Viktor just stared at the ceiling. "He won't cause he's desperate, and desperation blinds a man quicker than poison." He gets up from his seat, adjusting his gloves. "Tomorrow, the loyal dog dies. And if he survives... Well..." He smiled. "He never was a dog after all."
-Later-
The door creaked open, its hinges whining like the city itself. Old, tired and forsaken. Levi stepped into the room. The world outside howled with wind and neon, but here it was eerily quiet. Only the low hum of the heater filled the silence.
Lilith sat curled up on the couch underneath a patchwork blanket, her pale fingers holding tight to a cup of tea that had since gone cold. She looked up to see Levi. "Levi..." She whispered.
He dropped his kit on the floor as he shut the door behind him. His shoulders slumped as he leaned against the wall, staring at the peeling paint of the room.
"You're late..." She said softly.
She stood up, crossed to him as she touched his hands. "You didn't get anything today?"
He didn't answer, her hand falling away with the silence returning to the room.
"What do we have left?" She asked.
"Just enough to carry us for some days." He said, running a hand through his hair in disappointment as he held his head low.
"And then meds?"
"Three vials left."
She nodded slowly, her eyes, tears forming. "Then we're almost done."
"Don't say that." He muttered, walking past her. "I'll figure something out."
"You always say that."
He paused, turning to face her. "I mean it this time." He said, trying to sound reassuring. "Viktor... He offered me a match."
Her breath hitched. "Another one, another arena, another step towards death."
Levi dropped into the couch, the spring creaking beneath the weight. He pulled out a protein bar from the cupboard, unwrapping it with shaking hands.
Lilith just watched him eat in silence.