Genesis

Chapter 31

I was taken aback by his statement. I wasn't expecting to hear that. "You made this?"

He reached out and took the blade, looking it over "Yes, I still remember the man I sold it to. An ox of a man, Could fight like a demon. How'd you get it?" He looked me in my eyes, with a certain of doubt in his eyes, that I didn't give a single fuck about.

A wave of anxiety washed over me, at the vague description. He's talking about Rico, I know it. "My boyfriend, his name was Rico." I said, trying my best not to choke up.

He chuckled a bit, and smirked "Yeah, that was his name. That kid was a fight club legend."

"I'm sorry, what!?" I asked out of pure astonishment.

"Ah, I guess your boyfriend had a few secrets" Will said as he sat in a nearby chair "A California fight club legend. I made that knife for him, so he could move up to the big leagues. Unfortunately, the world went to hell. It's a shame, I was eager to see my blade put to use." He said as he looked over the knife.

I was too stunned to even speak, this was a revelation to say the least. I pressed two fingers between the bridge of my nose and exhaled deeply "Will, as far as I knew, Rico worked the night shift, at a warehouse. So please tell me what in hell, you're talking about. Please."

Will looked at me for a second, before pointing to a second chair. I took a seat and Will started to speak "Well there's not much more to tell, really. If the man I sold this blade to, is the same man you're talking about, then he was an underground fighting King. But when you reach the top of one ceiling, you've gotta break through to the next. And there's where this came into play" He said as he raised the blade, the sun bouncing off of it's pure black edge.

"The next level, you could use weapons. No murder, though. That's where trouble starts to seep in. I made weapons for many people. Warlords, gang bosses, Yakuza, Triads, you name it. I've honed my craft to Godly levels, and one of the first beneficiaries of that, was Rico. About seven years ago, I made three weapons. 'God killers' I called them. The Bane of Yahweh, Sword of Typhon, and The Devil's fang."

Will set the knife on a table, and walked forward, stepping out of his workshop, the sun hitting him as he put his hands on his hips.

I was honestly too shocked to speak. thankfully Will wasn't done yet "Your boyfriend wasn't a killer, don't get me wrong. Even though he was a demon when he fought, he was still a good person. He took mercy on his opponents, after every match, he ended it with a smile, and a handshake. I saw him rub people's legs when they passed out......That sounds really weird, but that's what you're supposed to do, to promote blood flow, and wake them up. Moral of the story is, don't think too hard on this. Whatever you felt about him, it was true."

He turned back around and walked to the knife, inspecting it again. "Leave this with me. I made a gem with this, but I can make it even better."

I looked at him for a moment, before sighing and rising from the chair "Thanks Will....for everything." He nodded his head, and I went on my way. I made my way to Jay's, my mind clouded, running rampant with thoughts.  What else didn't I know about Rico? That asshole. I miss him. I'm not angry, don't get me wrong, it's just...strange.

Training went by in a blur, it wasn't nearly as good of a distraction as I was hoping for. When we were done, I wasn't really feeling any better, so I decided to go for a walk.

I didn't get too far, before running into Roland, one of the MKE's. "Hey, I remember you. You were supposed to be training with us, but you got sent up to the big leagues. Name's Roland, I know we never really got the chance to talk."

I couldn't help but to laugh a bit "Yeah, you were a bit too busy arguing with...." I thought about it for a second before Roland helped me out

"Rebel, and yeah, that guy knows how to get on my nerves like no one else. I'm actually about to go to the plaza, and eat with him. Wanna tag along?" I didn't have anything to do, and I could use the distraction, so I agreed.

While we walked together, He told me about how he and Rebel grew up with a spec ops Dad, who taught them how to shoot, from the age of five. They were winning shooting contests by ten, and were in constant competition, even till this day. Hence the constant arguing.

We made it to the plaza, and took a seat at a table, waiting on Rebel. I wasn't talking much, still thinking about the revelation from earlier, and It showed "So what's got you down? You look like someone stole your puppy. Then sold it for crack, or something"

I couldn't help but to laugh at his stupid analogy "There you go, there's a smile. So, what's up?"

I thought about it for a moment, before shifting in my chair, and telling Roland about this morning.

He sat there, listening tentatively, waiting till I was done. "I'm not seeing the problem. Your boyfriend was a fighter, so what?"

"He didn't tell me, that's the problem. Who knows what else he didn't tell me. What if he wasn't the person I thought he was?"

"And what if he was? From what you said, Will said he was a nice guy, even in the fight ring. No one knew your boyfriend like you did. Stop overthinking it."

It was simple advice, but I couldn't help but to take it in. I thought about all the times I saw Rico give homeless people money, food, or even the clothes off his body. This is the man I saw run into a burning house and save a kid, at 17. The same man who would listen to me complain about work, or anything else, and just listen for hours, sometimes.

I thought about what Will said "Don't think too hard on this. Whatever you felt about him, it was true" and I leaned back in the chair, looking at the sky, before sighing, and looking at Roland "Yeah, you're right. Thanks Roland."

He smiled and said "I'm the best marksmen around, of course my advice is spot on"

"Yeah and I'm baby Jesus" Another voice called out before a bag of Chinese food dropped on the table. Rebel was here, and took a seat with us "Took you long enough, slow as ever." Roland responded "Yeah, whatever. Hope you like Lo mein. This bastard and I don't agree on much, but we both know Lo mein is elite." He said as he looked over to me, and handed my a container.

We ended up eating together and telling Rebel about my plight. These two are a lot more alike than they realize, because Rebel had the exact same response.

After eating together we talked for about an hour. They've got an interesting life. Their dad was heavily invested in getting them ready to join the military, but the world went to shit before they could. After hanging with them, I went back home for the night, and ended up falling asleep