There I saw him.
His hands were over his mouth, trying to hold in the sound. He was crying — not the loud kind, not the kind that calls for attention — but the kind that breaks you from the inside. I froze. I didn't know what to say. I didn't go near him.
Something told me... if I did, it would only make it worse.
So I sat there, behind the wall, just out of sight. And slowly, it crept in — this ache, this guilt — until it broke. My tears fell. Not out of sadness, but helplessness. He was holding his breath like letting it out would tear everything apart.
His younger brother… Ashley… was in the ICU.
The doctors said internal damage. A concussion. Vomiting. His body had taken more than it could handle. I was told he jumped in to stop a bunch of kids bullying someone. They mocked him — called him "the prodigy's little brother," claimed even his brother wouldn't care if something happened to him.
And they beat him.
A group of kids. Ganging up on one. Like it meant something.
While I was in the ring, focused on a fight that suddenly felt so stupid…Ashley — was bleeding in a hospital bed.
I couldn't forgive myself. I had been angry that the boy wasn't at the match. I'd thought he didn't care.
And worse… I might've been the reason Ashley jumped in.
We had this moment once — me and Ashley. Light-hearted. I showed him a few basic moves. Just for fun. Just to make him smile.
And now?
Those moves might have led him to this.
Maybe that's why his brother hated the idea of Ashley learning to fight.
Maybe he feared it would end like this.
Was he cold… or was he just scared?
I couldn't face him.
I couldn't forgive myself.
What have I done?
That day I dropped MMA.
It felt like everything we stood on was wrong. Crews, rankings, power structures, fights in the name of pride, dominance — kids forming cliques and armies to feel something. What the hell were we doing?
All of it — the hierarchy, the titles, the territories — it was all rotten. I didn't want to fight for glory anymore. I wanted to change things. Power shouldn't be about fear. It should mean protection.
That's when it happened.
I did something I thought I'd never do.
To stop the chaos… I created a crew.
Shadow Legion.
Not with dozens. Not with brute showmanship.
Just a handful. A vision.
I didn't even know how crews worked. Not really.
I wasn't part of one, never followed their rules.
The only thing I knew came from that guy I fought back then-
The self-proclaimed leader of King Slayer.
Goofy as hell. All talk, no brakes.
But strangely… he stuck in my mind.
Maybe it was because, behind all the clowning, he actually understood how the system worked — the rankings, the politics, the structures.
Stuff I'd never cared about… until now.
So I looked for him.
Tracked him down.
By then, he'd grown stronger. Sharper. Still weird — but dangerous now, in a different way.
We became co-founders.
He handled the groundwork — the structure, the moves, the flow of information.
I was the face. The one who stepped into the storms.
We weren't the biggest.
Other crews had 50, 100, even more.
But within weeks, we made our mark.
Battle after battle. Territory by territory.
Until eventually… Brookhaven was under our flag.
But I learned something then.
Taking Brookhaven was one thing.
But that wasn't the goal.
The system was still standing. The bullying. The crew hierarchy. The pointless power plays masked as pride.
All we'd done was paint over the same rot with a different color.
If I wanted to change this world… I couldn't stop here.
I had to go beyond — not just hold a city, but tear down the entire structure that let this sickness thrive.
For that, I needed more than fists.
I needed strategy. Territory. Influence. Numbers.
Even capital.
And that's when the doubt crept in.
Would my vision hold?
Would my ideals survive the climb?
Or would I become just another tyrant with a cause?
That's when I met him.
Not a mentor.
Not a savior.
A Devil.
A man with a twisted mind, the kind you couldn't understand unless you were broken like him. He changed everything.
Who was he?
Even now, I don't know.
Maybe the world didn't need a hero.
Maybe what it needed… was a Devil.
I saw him on a rainy evening.
It was getting dark already, and the way the rain fell — slow, steady, unbothered — it felt like the world was trying to tell me something about the man I was about to meet.
He sat in his car. I walked to him, umbrella in hand.
Black car. Black suit. Everything about him said untouchable. I hated that kind of power. Hated how easily it controlled things from the shadows. But back then… I wasn't strong enough to challenge it.
He didn't step out. Just rolled the window down halfway. I had to kneel a little to hear him speak.
No greetings. No names.
Just an offer.
If I worked for him, he'd give me the means to take full control of Brookhaven — not just the inner city, but the surrounding districts no one dared claim. The whole region.
I didn't ask if I was doing it for me or for him. I wasn't sure I cared.
He didn't tell me why. Didn't ask me how. Just said what he'd give, and what I'd owe in return.
I said yes.
From that day, I worked under him. I still don't know if I was building something for myself… or just guarding his interests without realizing it.
That's where I met Dane Mercer.
Turned out, he was like me — one of the four.
Each of us had a major city. Mine was Brookhaven. His was Haldenreach.
Our job was simple: do what we're told. Step in when needed. But aside from that, we were given full control over our territories. Run it how we wanted. Rule it however we liked.
You could say we were working partners under the same name. A scattered crew running the Velmont Region.
But even back then, Dane stood apart.
You never knew what he was thinking. He never raised his voice. Even in chaos, he stayed calm — too calm. I tried to get a read on him, tested him a few times. Got nothing.
His mind was... different. Quiet, but sharp. The kind that didn't show its hand until it was already too late.
Though I wasn't directly involved… I was still part of it. All of it.
I told myself I wanted to change the system — to take it down from the inside. But I was wrong. You can't fix rot by sitting in it. Turned out… only a Devil could really tear it apart. And I wasn't him.
I was just a part of something terrible.
I worked under him for a long time before I finally stepped back. Let go of that dream. The deeper I went, the more I realized — that world wasn't like the crew system. It was worse. Colder. Hungrier. I wanted out. Every part of me wanted to leave it all behind.
But walking away wasn't that easy.
If I left, someone else would take over Brookhaven — and I'd seen what those types would turn the city into. Brookhaven was ripe for everything bad in that world. I couldn't let that happen. But I also couldn't be part of it anymore.
So I was given a choice.
I could keep control of Brookhaven and its surrounding region, but they'd pull out all their men, all the support. In return, I had to pay a hefty sum — monthly. A kind of blood price. It was enormous. I didn't have the numbers or strength anymore, and I had no idea how I was going to manage it.
But I said yes anyway.
At first, I sold off what I had — the buildings, the outlets, all the stuff I earned while working under them.
And then… I did what I swore I wouldn't do again.
I created a system.
There were still small crews left in the districts. Remnants. Fighting for scraps. So I pulled them together under one name — Shadow Legion. Not for dominance but survival.
We assigned each crew to their district. In return, they paid us a fixed amount each month. But sometimes… it felt like déjà vu.
Them paying me to stay in power — the same way I now pay to stay in power.
And if I'm being honest… the crews we deal with now? They're nothing like the ones we fought back then. Back when Shadow Legion wasn't a system — it was a warband. And every fight was survival.
That's how Shadow Legion became what it is today.
And how I learned that just because there's a right side… doesn't mean you'll be able to stand on it.
DANIEL POV
So this was what he had gone through.That's what he meant when he said he had his own reasons.
I couldn't even fully grasp the crew system yet… and to think there were worse out there. Worse people. Worse experiences. And he'd been through all of it.
How much did he have to go through to stand that tall?
Sometimes I forget… just having friends and being able to laugh with them—it's a blessing. A rare one.
But then a question crept into my head. What happened to the boy?And Ashley?
I didn't want to ask. But I did.
"What happened to Ashley?"
He took a breath — deep, slow — before saying it.
"He died. He held on for a week in the ICU… but in the end, he didn't make it."
There was a pause. Then James spoke again, his voice softer now.
"I don't know… Were fights always this dangerous? Or was it just that… his body wasn't ready back then?"
Another pause."He was still young. Bones not settled. Muscles still catching up. Maybe if he'd been older… maybe he would've made it."
He paused. Like the weight of saying it out loud made him stop for a second.
Then he added, quieter this time, "The boy stopped boxing. He cut off everything related to fighting. And he turned silent."
A little later, after hesitating, he added, "Mm… You know why I never associate with Crestwood High. The boy studies there. I don't want him to hear anything related to fighting. I've been avoiding him for that reason."
"What?"The word escaped before I even realized I said it out loud.
"Crestwood High? He's a student there?"
James' voice came sharp."Don't. Don't let him get involved in this dirty world. He hates fighting now. Let him live, unbothered by the cruelty this world throws around. And I don't want you near him either."
He looked straight ahead.
"I'm still carrying the guilt of those days. Even after I swore to break every power system that existed… I couldn't."
I understood what he meant.He was still carrying the weight.Still chasing something maybe impossible from the start.But if anyone had walked far enough down that path, it was him.
Then he said, "Don't take your meeting with Dane lightly. Everything begins just like that—small. Try to hold onto the friends and the normal life you have. And besides, it was because of me that Dane reached out to you. From now on, I'll take care of it. Leave his matters to me."
He continued, "We hold weekly meetings in that base every Friday night—with the crew leaders. Once a month, all the members join. You should come every Friday except the full gatherings."
Dane was a mystery.James had a past like this. And somehow… still believed in protecting this place.
I smirked. "What now? Am I a crew leader in Shadow Legion or something?"
He smiled faintly. "Ha, didn't think you'd take it like that. I just meant… if you show up, you'll understand whether or not you can trust us. And if Dane ever goes too far, they'll be the ones helping you. So better to keep things solid."
I said, "I already trusted you halfway through your story. Only someone who cares would explain that much."
He smiled, "Glad to hear that. Then consider the Dane problem settled."
I looked at the bags Dane gave me, holding them up a little. "These… he said they're a gift. But I don't want anything from him. I'm leaving them here. You can deal with it."
Even if James told me to keep them, I wouldn't know how to explain it to the others.I'd kept the whole thing quiet—about the message. And now, Dane would stay a secret too.
James nodded. "Okay. I'll take care of it. I didn't want to be involved in all that again however I just don't want anyone getting dragged in because of me. I'll return it to Dane myself."
We started walking.The night had crawled in fully now. Streetlights flickered on like it was their cue.
He asked, "You heading to Brookhaven? I can drop you."
I shook my head. "Nah. Planning to visit my house. Everyone should be home. I'll head off. Bye."
He gave a simple "Hmm."
And that was it.We went our own ways.
But the thought kept following me.
Who was that boy at Crestwood?
James told me not to get close. But after hearing all that… how could I not be curious?