Prologue

"Damn," thought Draco as he was knocked to the ground. "If you don't pay us the money you owe us we'll kill you next time." If anyone else in the neighborhood heard them they would have spit blood. That gang was responsible for the extortion of nearly every household on the block. 'I should have stayed inside and kept watching,' I thought.

Then when I wanted to cry. If only I hadn't accepted going out after winning the WMAT,(World Martial Arts Tournament). If only I had paid attention to where we were going. If only... Draco is a Martial Arts Master, or at least was until he and his best friend, Brian, were shot in the alleyway behind the restaurant they just ate at.

Stumbling out of the restaurant Brian half-carried a drunk Draco into the alleyway to cool off. That was when they ran into this very gang that has been tormenting Draco for the last 5 years causing him unhealthy amounts of stress, making the 23-year-old look like he was in his 40's.

There was a pause when the two groups looked at each other. When the leader of the gang stepped forwards.

"Give us your wallets, cash, and all you're valuables." It wasn't until this point that Brain realized that these people weren't to be trifled with and didn't have good ideas in mind.

"Why are you hesitating, don't you know who this is," said a mouse haired man. "He is Klein!" That struck a chord in both Brain and Draco's minds. Klein Freed placed first in his division with zero losses and placed 4th in WMAT. That was because...Brian subconsciously looked at Draco.

In the semi-finals, Draco knocked out Klein with a rather extravagant double roundhouse kick. Klein was the favorite to win the competition until he was knocked out by Draco. In fact, Klein was knocked out so hard that he missed the 3rd place match and placed 4th.

Klein peered at the barely standing person leaning on the shoulder of the person in front of him. His eyes widened in surprise as he realized who it was. Then Klein's eyes narrowed as they seethed with and nearly imperceptible rage and malice.

However, Brain caught onto this. He set me down carefully and got into a fighting stance. Brian was no slouch, placed 8th in the WMAT, and was the Muay Tai World Champion. I looked at the man across from me at the other end of the alley. My vision was hazy so, I didn't recognize him but I remembered everything that was said clear as day.

"Go take care of the short one," commanded Klein, "The other one and I have something to settle." After he said that Brain's face contorted in a funny way.

'Take care of me,' scoffed Brain, 'ha, they're the ones who are going to be taken care of.' Not even a second after he was finished his thought Brain made a quick decision and rushed Klein's crew.

The mouse haired person from Klein's crew was shocked. Before, he was acting in an imposing manner because of who he was with and didn't expect anyone to even try and fight them. Much less initiate the fight alone.

He subconsciously drew something out of his rather large, bulging pockets and fired shots, too many. It was because of this noise that Draco came to.

He tried to move over to his friend who was now sprawled out like a rag doll, in the alley. Then he found that his left leg wouldn't respond. Draco looked down and was swiftly assaulted by the pain. There was bullet visibility stuck in his left knee, effectively crippling him. *AHHHHH* Draco shouted out in intense pain. Then it occurred to him to look for the proprietor of his affliction.

All Draco saw was an abandoned alleyway.

He gritted his teeth and dragged himself over to the body of his best friend. Brian was riddled with bullets and blood was gushing out of him at an alarming pace. Brain's usually arrogant and cheerful eyes were now cold and distant. One look at him was enough to make Draco lose consciousness.

The rest of that day was hazy, the fact that his martial arts career was over. Or Draco's rather suspicious relocation to the city where he was shot and the pronouncing of his best friend's death. Who a week later was turned to ash and drifted upon the wind.

Draco remembered all of this as he lay there on the ground. 'I will never again be afraid,' vowed Draco.

And after that Draco once again lost consciousness but, this time it wasn't just passing out, death consumed him.