Move Forward

Back with Isaac, he was heavily frowning when he noticed the pungent smell from his body. The culprit was the sludge that he produced after feeling that pleasant feeling after the fight. After examining his body in detail, he noticed that his joints were more elastic, he was lighter, and more strength coursed through his veins.

"You successfully broke through, young master. I welcome you to Muscle rebirth." Wilson looked at him and smiled approvingly.

"Oh, so this is the famous 'breakthrough' that Duarte mentioned... can't say that i don't like it." He shrugged. "Does every breakthrough feel the same? And what is this weird black thing." He touched the sludge stuck to his arm with a mix of curiosity and disgust. It felt like something that comes from his nose after raining, but the smell reminded him of something worse.

"It depends, young master." Wilson shook his head. "Not everyone cultivates at the same speed or with the same technique. And i suggest you stop touching that." He gently lifted Isaac's hands. "That is the impurities of your body. You'll produce more every time you breakthrough in the mortal realms."

"Fair enough..." Isaac pushed that to the back of his mind and looked at the unconscious boy in Wilson's arms, feeling a bit guilty about him. After years of fighting in the ring, he knew that fainting was not a good sign. At least in this world, he can get healed with Wilson's superpowers.

"Are you worried about the Mann boy, young master?" Wilson shook his head once more. "Don't worry, Dustin will be just fine after some rest." Isaac silently nodded and followed behind him.

The journey to the mansion was a short one. After cleaning the two boys, Wilson entered and let Dustin in one of the couches. He healed him and left after bowing towards Isaac. The remaining kid sat on another one with a solemn expression, looking at his arms.

"I'm letting it out..." He clenched his trembling fists as he remembered his last years inside the ring.

He remembered his figure furiously punching his opponent without mercy. How he finally achieved victory after the poor lad collapsed. His celebration while the unconscious man exited in a stretcher. The news that he listened in the radio the next day.

"I let my guard down for too long after coming here," Isaac whispered to himself. "What should i do..." He slumped on his chair, taking off his gloves and storing them on his bag of holding. The scenes of him punching those kids in the alley, fighting Duarte, and knocking Dustin flashed before his eyes.

"Heh..." He tiredly let a soft laugh, feeling like a monster for enjoying fighting again, after all the things he did in the past. In the middle of his crisis, Dustin woke up. After taking a couple of seconds to process what happened, he looked at Isaac's figure and stood up.

"I'm sorry for making you worry about me, Isaac! I'm sorry for being weak, I'm... sorry for disappointing you." The boy deeply bowed towards him, trembling and expecting to be reprimanded.

"Stop, Dustin." Isaac sighed and stood up too. He took a good look at the trembling boy in front of him and smiled. "You did nothing wrong, ok? You fought well back there. I'm proud of you." Then, he ruffled his hair. "The important thing is that you must always keep moving forward, ok?"

They chatted a bit, and Isaac did his best to calm the boy before he went to his home. It was getting dark outside, and it's not wise to be out there so late. When the boy exited the room, Isaac slumped on the sofa once more, rubbing his face in frustration.

"Are you ok, little bro?" Duarte's voice sounded dangerously close. It startled Isaac, but he was numb at the moment.

"Do you want me to have a heart attack?" Said Isaac with an uninterested expression. Duarte just laughed and sat where Dustin was resting. "Peeping is bad manners. I think Ma taught us that when we were kids."

"You caught me." He lifted his hands in defeat. "But you know, I'm still here if you need me."

"Yeah, yeah." Isaac dismissed him and stood up. "I'm going to sleep."

"Hey, i mean it." Duarte grabbed his shoulder. "You don't have to bear with this alone."

"I did that perfectly for years, don't worry about my old bones and go to sleep." Isaac sighed and slipped from his grasp.

"Well, at least use that piece of advice you gave the Mann boy in yourself." Duarte ruffled his hair and went back to the basement to train.

Isaac silently made his way to his room and dropped in his bed. He wasn't feeling tired after experiencing the breakthrough, so it was even harder to sleep now. With a deep breath, he pushed his concerns and emotions to the back of his head.

"You are in control. You're not a monster anymore." He repeated to himself as if that was a mantra to calm himself down. After a long while, he finally got his feelings in check.

"It's best not to rely on punching people too much." He said to himself, looking at his right hand. "I already left that behind when you came to my life." His wife's image appeared in his head, making him smile melancholically.

She was a small half-Asian woman with a strong will. Her black hair was almost always in a ponytail, and her black eyes were like the most precious gems to Isaac. Even after years passed and she turned wrinkled and lost her sight, she always had a reassuring smile on her face. She was the reason he didn't break down after that incident and made him push forward.

"But i still have to prepare..."

---

The afternoon soon turned into night, and Dustin was nowhere near his home. He tried to hurry, but he still was getting distracted when he thought about the recent fight he had with Isaac. His hands trembled in anticipation of learning more and dominating the fighting techniques inside the path of the spiritual guardian, as well as his hopes for making his family rise once more.

As stars twinkled in the black sky, the streets got illuminated with small gas lamps. It was just enough for main roads, as this was cheaper for those in charge. Sadly, Dustin's way home was through black alleyways that gave him chills every time he was near them.

"Well, well, well, not with your boyfriend today?" And this was the reason for his fears.

It was Jason Dahar, the First son of Alexander Dahar, patriarch of the Dahar family. He was the source of his scars, his nightmares, and his insecurities. His figure slowly revealed itself from the darkness accompanied by his cousins: Misha and Zachary Dahar. They all had mocking expressions on their faces and softly laughing after making sure that Isaac wasn't nearby.

Since their humiliating defeat, it got hard for them to exit without an escort. If the trio weren't too bold and hid their acts well, their father would not disclose their attitude to the rest of the Dahar family. But if the guards that accompany them told their uncles or their grandfather, things could get messy.

But as days passed, they began to work out ways to escape from their guards and sneak out to search for the young Dustin for retribution. Nobody in their lives had ever hurt them in that way before, and they were out for blood.

"What? Cat got your tongue, little vermin?"

When Dustin saw them, he began trembling on the spot. Hopelessness and fear filled his heart as the trio closed in. Each step was like a clap of thunder inside his head, pounding harder and harder every second. Sweat dripped from his forehead, and his legs felt like jelly.

-Keep moving forward.-

Instead of thinking about his family, he thought of his new friend in those moments. That peculiar boy that seemed more like an old man rescued him, taught him, fed him, and helped him climb to his feet once more. He aspired to be like him someday, and quivering in fear in front of his first obstacle was not an appropriate way to start.

-Move forward- He steeled his gaze, slapped his thighs, and stopped trembling.

The trio noticed the sudden change and were confused for a moment before starting to laugh.

-Forward.- Dustin planted his left foot forward and readied his stance.

The trio didn't pay any heed and were still laughing, but as Dustin's powerful kick connected with Zachary's face, they stopped. As they unsheathed their shortswords, Dustin closed in a swift motion and delivered a body blow, followed by an uppercut, and finished with a strong right punch in his nose, throwing the unconscious boy to the ground.

"No more..." Dustin whispered as Misha and Jason looked at him, slightly trembling as they remembered their encounter with Isaac days prior, but equally prepared to fight.