"If you fall 99 times, stand up for the 100th," the man rasped through gritted teeth to a kid. The kid was bloodied, with streaks of crimson flowing from his eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. Heavy chains bound all four of his limbs, the metal biting into his skin.
"Sniff, sniff."
"Don't cry!" the man yelled, his voice fierce despite the weakness in his body. But even as he commanded the boy, bloodied tears streaked down the child's face. The man grabbed a bat, its weight and sharp coldness barely registering to him. Without mercy, he swung it with brutal force. The blows were so powerful that within seconds, the metal bat bent and splintered under the pressure, breaking apart in mere moments.
"I... I'll do it... Please, stop," the boy pleaded, his small voice shaking with fear.
"Good," the man grunted, turning away and tossing the broken bat aside like trash. He walked off, leaving behind a broken child and a shattered scene.
---
*Ring Ring Ring Ring*
Lin awoke with a sharp inhale, his mind clouded. "Hahh... That dream again," he muttered, rubbing the exhaustion from his eyes. His phone buzzed persistently on the nightstand, the name "Daniel" lighting up the screen. Lin frowned, his thoughts drifting back to the past, to that day...
---
That day...
"And congratulations on opening your 11th factory," said a lady with a polite but distant smile, extending her hand.
Lin nodded, shaking her hand with little interest. "Thank you," he muttered.
As he walked away, the woman huffed behind his back, her voice laced with disdain. "Kids these days... No respect for their elders."
It had been two weeks since the Allied meeting—and two weeks since that night with Zoe. In just a fortnight, the Allied Group had seen explosive growth, expanding faster than Lin had anticipated. Much of this success was thanks to Lin's strategic moves, buying out established businesses across industries—clothing, food, infrastructure, and even small IT sectors. His influence was spreading rapidly.
---
At a railway station...
At the railway station, Lin stood beside Daniel, watching as the train arrived with a screech.
"Tell your mom to take care of herself," Lin said, giving Daniel a small, thoughtful smile.
"It's not like you're not going to tell her that yourself when you see the 'big body,' anyway," Daniel retorted with a smirk.
Lin let out an exaggerated sigh, rolling his eyes dramatically. "Aiya, don't ruin the mood, man!"
Daniel chuckled. "Alright, alright. Take care." The train's doors slid shut, and as they did, Daniel waved to Lin from behind the glass.
Lin stood on the platform, waving back as the train pulled away. He stayed there for a few minutes, staring at the tracks, lost in thought.
---
Back in the present.
[An : yall can just skip everything in the brackets "()" ]
(Lin sighed and picked up his phone. "What's up, dawg?" he asked, slipping on his jacket and heading out.
Daniel's voice crackled through the line. "Just checking in. Mom's doing fine, by the way. Same old routine. You know how it is."
"Yeah, that's good to hear," Lin responded, but his tone lacked enthusiasm. It was one of those moments of conversation where the words flowed, but nothing of real substance passed between them. They talked about random things: work, the weather, Daniel's mom... things neither of them were deeply invested in.
"So, the expansion's going well, huh?" Daniel commented absently.
Lin gave a halfhearted reply, his mind wandering. "Yeah, well, things are moving faster than I expected. I'll be opening another factory soon."
Daniel hummed in response. "That's... good, I guess."
It was the kind of small talk that people often had just to fill the silence, and Lin couldn't help but feel it. His mind was elsewhere—far away from mundane conversations and formalities. His thoughts were still tangled up in that dream, in memories that wouldn't quite leave him.)
But as the conversation continued, Lin forced himself to engage, his responses becoming a bit more lively, though his mind kept drifting back, back to darker times, back to the dream that haunted him.
---
"How the hell are you even here?" Lin asked, his voice low and tense, eyes narrowing as he took in the sight of Daniel—or rather, the hollow version of him standing before him. Black eyes with white pupils, no emotion, no recognition. Just a mindless, deadly force.
"Shibal! Why the fuck does nothing ever go my way!" Lin roared, more out of frustration than anything else.
Before Lin could say anything more, Daniel moved, a blur of speed. His knee shot forward, aiming for Lin's head with terrifying precision.
"Fuck!" Lin cursed, barely catching Daniel's knee in time. The impact reverberated through his arm, the force enough to stagger him. But instead of backing off, Lin twisted Daniel's leg and flung him sideways with an Aikido throw.
Daniel hit the ground hard but immediately rebounded, flipping back to his feet like nothing happened. Lin smirked, feeling the rush of adrenaline pumping through his veins.
"Looks like we're doing this then," Lin muttered, his excitement building. He wasn't just defending anymore; he was in it.
Daniel moved again, faster this time. His fist came at Lin like a bullet, aiming for his face. Lin ducked, countering with a low kick aimed at Daniel's leg, but Daniel jumped, avoiding the strike with inhuman reflexes.
The moment Daniel's feet hit the ground, he launched a roundhouse kick toward Lin's ribs. Lin blocked it with his forearm, gritting his teeth as the force vibrated through his bones.
"You're really coming at me, huh?" Lin chuckled, his grin widening. He could feel the thrill of the fight igniting something primal inside him. Daniel—or whatever this version of Daniel was—wasn't pulling any punches.
Lin spun, delivering a sharp elbow to Daniel's face. The blow connected, but Daniel didn't react—his expression remained as blank as ever. No flinch, no grimace. Just cold, calculated violence.
Daniel's retaliation was swift. His foot shot out in a lightning-fast sidekick aimed at Lin's midsection. Lin sidestepped just in time, but Daniel followed up with a spinning backfist that clipped Lin's jaw.
"Shit!" Lin spat blood, but the pain only fueled his excitement. "Now this is what I'm talking about!"
Daniel lunged again, his fists a blur of motion. Lin blocked and parried, moving with the rhythm of the fight, each strike getting closer, each block more difficult to maintain. But Lin wasn't backing down. He was matching Daniel's intensity, enjoying the challenge.
Lin ducked under a punch and came up with an uppercut, catching Daniel square in the chin. Daniel's head snapped back, but before Lin could capitalize on it, Daniel spun and delivered a brutal kick to Lin's side, sending him crashing into a nearby wall.
Lin groaned, rubbing his ribs. The impact had knocked the wind out of him, but his grin never wavered.
"You're stronger than you look, even like this." Lin stood, rolling his shoulders. "But I'm just getting started."
Daniel sprinted toward Lin again, his body moving like a machine. Lin met him head-on, dodging a high kick and landing a fierce punch to Daniel's side. But Daniel didn't slow. He caught Lin's wrist mid-punch and yanked him forward, driving his knee into Lin's stomach.
Lin doubled over for a second but quickly recovered, delivering a vicious elbow to Daniel's ribcage. The two of them were locked in a deadly dance now—neither one giving an inch. Daniel's strikes were precise and relentless, but Lin moved with fluidity, countering every move with equal force.
The fight continued, both of them pushing each other to the limits. Lin's arms burned from blocking, his muscles screaming with exertion, but he was loving every second of it. This was a real fight.
Daniel spun, launching a powerful kick aimed at Lin's head. Lin ducked, sweeping Daniel's legs out from under him. But as soon as Daniel hit the ground, he was already up, launching a punch toward Lin's chest. Lin barely sidestepped, the wind of the punch brushing past his face.
"You're not making this easy, are you?" Lin muttered, wiping the sweat from his brow, his eyes sharp and focused.
Daniel's expression remained blank, but his body told a different story—he was giving everything he had.
Lin laughed, his heart racing with excitement. "Fine. Let's take it up a notch!"
He charged forward, aiming for a knockout blow, his fist cutting through the air. But just as he was about to connect, Daniel's body moved—faster than it should have. His knee shot up, catching Lin right under the ribs. The impact lifted Lin off his feet, pain exploding through his chest.
Before Lin could react, Daniel slammed a palm strike into his shoulder, sending him crashing to the ground.
Lin coughed, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, but he forced himself back to his feet, adrenaline surging through his veins. His eyes met Daniel's hollow gaze, and despite the pain, Lin grinned.
"Not bad..." Lin muttered, wiping the blood away. "But this isn't over yet."
To be continued...
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Author here sorry 4 such a late update. A lot of assignment and stuff🙃. Also just yall dont get confused lin or ui daniel are fighting in there full power. Hope you liked this and have good day/night (will be better then mine anyways)