LOGIN🦪 DORA 🦪I was training with Dale one morning, and he said to me, “To throw a strong, effective punch, you need to understand that power doesn’t actually come from your arms. It starts at your feet and moves through your entire body.”The Reaper is rooted to a spot, although it’s very strange for a fighter to stand like a statue and eat everything their opponent dishes, I’ll take it as luck being on my side.I inhale sharply as Dale’s training echoes in my head, “Your feet are the engine of the punch. Without a solid base, your punch will lack force.”I stand with my feet shoulder-width apart. Since I’m right-handed, I step my right foot back, keep my knees slightly bent for balance, staying on the ball of my foot so I can rotate quickly, and swing a punch at him, feeling gravity supporting my every movement.The Reaper's jaw shifts, and he stumbles backwards, but he doesn’t fall.It’s like Dale is right here with me in the ring as I replay everything he taught me. “A strong punch i
🦪 DORA 🦪The first thing I do when I reach the ring is look around. The reaper isn’t in the ring now, so I take my time to observe my surroundings.The fight with the Top 1 seems to be different, seeing how even the surrounding is different. It’s not the same as my other fights. We are surrounded by water, a water that would be at least 12ft deep. I had used a bridge to reach the ring; it’s as if the water is telling me, “You try to leave this ring… You drown.”I sigh, shaking my head and in the process shaking other unimportant thoughts.“When you get into the ring with the reaper, one of you actually has to die. No matter what happens, that shouldn’t be you! Never be the one who wouldn’t walk out of the ring, Dora. Kill the bastard who killed your father,” Dale’s words resonate in my head.As the door slides open, I see a shadow of a man; he’s tall and well-built, quite similar to the one of someone I know. I don’t focus on his physique. I feel my blood boil as he walks towards t
🦪 DORA 🦪I couldn’t sleep all night, tossing around, anxious about the fight. It’s supposed to be the last; if I’m the one to walk out, that marks the beginning of a new life. I’m sure the reaper would fight his best to survive, and I have to do my best too.“The last fight,” I whisper to myself.I quickly take a shower, then put on something tight yet suitable for fighting.I walk out of my room to find Dale waiting, and my lips curl into a smile, “Hi Dale, I didn’t expect you to be awake. I thought I’d need to leave you letters.”He stays silent, so I continue talking, “I was so obsessed and occupied with getting the red card, I’m just realizing you didn’t even train me for this fight.”“Umm,” I mutter in an attempt to fight the awkwardness between us. Dale remains silent, so I simply turn to leave.“Punch him in the head,” Dale blurts out, and I pause, turning around to look at him.“Sorry?”“For you to win, you have to punch the reaper in the head,” he repeats. “Target his head
🦪 DALE LAZARUS 🦪“You killed him! Don’t stand here acting like the victim, you miserable bastard! Do you feel great about having deceived me? I didn’t even think you could ever be the bastard I want dead. I’m the fool for trusting you blindly, and I’m going to kill you, Reaper. I. Will. Kill. You. I don’t give a shit if you’re Dale or not, you owe me a debt, it’s time to pay up, you bastard!”I wake up gasping, my hand flying to my throat to check if it hasn’t been slit. That was Dora’s voice. I was trying so hard not to sleep so I wouldn’t have that dream, but I couldn’t stop it in the end.The cold breeze slaps my skin. I look around me, and I have fallen asleep on the bench in the backyard. Instead of going in, I drag out my phone from my back pocket and dial Samuel’s number.It is 2 am, and I call Samuel until 2:30 am when he finally picks up, yawning loudly and tiredly, “This could have waited until morning, Lazarus. I’m a doctor, I need to sleep well to understand my patients.
🦪 DORA 🦪I sleep for the whole hours until the clock strikes midnight, I stand up, releasing a wide, loud yawn as I twist my neck to ease the tension I put on it while sleeping.I get down from my bed; there’s probably no more sleeping for me since I just pulled up a sleeping marathon.I walk out of my room towards the verandah, the bright, full moon brightening up my mood. I look up to the sky, my lips pouring open in awe. The beauty of creation is amazing.It is then that something red flashing into my eyes from a distance catches my attention. I try to zoom in with my eyes to know what it is, and it is just what my instinct told me it is.The Red Card.My heart stops. I draw in a long, deep breath and release, rubbing my palms together. Slowly, I walk towards it with shaky feet. It is placed on a stone with a dagger beside it. I pick it up, and on it is the time of the fight; it’s a morning fight.Just as I lift it from the stone, a letter falls to the ground. I immediately pick
🦪 DORA 🦪 “I’m none,” Dale says dryly. Of course. Now, let's move on to the next question. “So then you work with Umbra?” The man retorts. My gaze travels back and forth from Dale to the strange man. He was desperate and determined to find an answer, and I am equally curious. Men surround us in half a second, men dressed in full red uniform and masks that cover their entire face. They are well-trained, and the way they arrange themselves while moving is like a practiced choreography. The tip of their guns points straight at us. I feel my spirit jump out of my body as two men hold the man down. “You’ve broken the law,” the uniform man in front says coldly. His voice is thick and creepy. “You tried to quit by fleeing the country. Now you have to die. You and your entire family.” Now, I’m more convinced that joining a secret organization like Umbra is the worst horror anyone can be trapped in. The man shakes his head, pulling the men holding him down forward as he trie
🦪 DORA 🦪I’ve never been more anxious about anything in my life.“She’s here to kill you.”Thinking of those words became a part of my daily routine ever since I heard them. For the past few days, everything has been suspiciously calm. Well, aside from Dale drowning me.Yesterday was the toughest
🦪 DORA 🦪Mr. Bald man lay dead on the ground, and my neck immediately flew to the ranking board. “This fight better rank me straight to the top 2 or else…” My sentence is cut short as I stare at my position on the ranking board, my body shaking vigorously.“Top 15?” I ask rhetorically. “How’s tha
🦪 DORA 🦪Like I said, ‘accepting fate and getting used to my situation.’ Because what else can I do aside from accepting a doom I signed sober? It’s my third black card already. Which means the third time I’m going to survive a fight, my third kill, and another black card, bringing me closer to g
🦪 DORA 🦪The basement is dimly lit, smelling of cedar and the faint, cold scent of Dale’s terrible mood. Dale isn't speaking much; he never does when his mind is churning. His mood is currently a physical weight in the room, dark and jagged, yet he handles me as if I am made of glass; he is terri







