Dark Brawl

The lights went out, engulfed by the darkness that expanded from him. First, he disappeared, then the ring, and eventually, the crowd. Shane heard the panicked yelps of surprise as all light vanished. Then, so did the noise. Shane stood his ground, despite now being blind and deaf. He made it this far in the tournament, he couldn’t stop now.

Crazy stuff had happened like this throughout the tournament. It wasn’t for random brawlers, but for people made of tougher stuff. The techniques may have been different, but the skill was the same, which leveled the playing field.

Shane jerked his head right on instinct as a fist grazed his cheek. He couldn’t see exactly what his opponent was doing, but he had a very good guess. He had to get away until he could find a way to overcome this. Then, Shane jumped towards his left as a foot grazed his leg. He stopped only to notice his opponent had followed him. He jumped away again, only to be drilled in the chest and launched into the ground.

How can he see me like this? Shane asked himself, knowing that that was the only way he could be followed in this abyss. Is this guy half-owl or something?Shane rolled his legs up as a foot stomped down on where they had been. Then he kicked up and picked himself up in one motion, aiming for where his attacker should’ve been, but only found air as he landed on his feet. A foot whipped across his face, knocking him to the ground again. Shane rolled away as he landed and rolled back onto his feet in a crouched position.

Shane started breathing hard. He wasn’t someone’s punching bag. He didn’t know how long he could last, nor did he care. He became more relaxed as he controlled his breathing. He felt as if his opponent was moving in on him again, but ignored it as he felt adrenaline rush through him…and something else.

Fire erupted around Shane, suddenly illuminating the room. The crowd and his surprised opponent revealed, Shane rose up and punched him in the face while the opponent was in mid-charge. That punch launched him opposite direction halfway across the ring. The crowd stood in the same astonishment along with relief of what just happened, now being able to see what was going on.

The man stood up slowly, spitting blood onto the floor. His hair was a black color that matched the darkness of the air he carried about him. He glared at Shane with murderous intent, a feeling Shane was used to seeing on the streets.

“Sorry,” Shane told him. “Couldn’t find the light switch.” The fire around him continued to burn, yet didn’t seem to harm him. It produced an immense heat that could’ve been felt throughout the arena.

Annoyed that Shane overcame his power, the downed man rushed to his feet and charged forward. Shane met him with the same reaction, meeting somewhere in the middle as the intense fight carried on among the noise of the crowd cheering on the competitors.